Home Improvement

  Note: I never finished calibrating the heater after converting to propane gas. The water heater, a Rennai gas on-demand type, has had problems for a while. The temperature rises and falls. The water tends to get too hot or too cold. I accidently discovered that the initial on-time delay could be  bypassed by turning on the tub spigot for a moment. The 'In Use' light comes on immediately if I do.  This implies the pressure sensitivity of the heater.  The watter line is 1/2". That may be too small. When I open up the spigot, the pressure drops and that triggers the heater flame.  The shower head is an ergonomic 'green' type with reduced flow to conserve water. That may be a problem.  I have two other heads I can try. However, finishing calibration may be the solution since a build up of pressure seems to prevent flame ignition.

  Outdoor work is pretty much over for the year. Waiting on Spring now.

  The sprayer works quit well and is quicker than the brush, though the brush is a qualitative improvement. Most of the wall space is out of arm's reach. I came up with a solution, of sorts. I attached the sprayer to two ten foot long 2x1 slats. The slats were screwed together using deck screws and the protruding points cut off with a reciprocatiing saw and metal cutting blade. Two square 'u-bolts' attach the sprayer to the end of the slats/pole. A spring loaded clip keeps the trigger squeezed. I wait until I'm ready to paint until I plug the sprayer into the extension cord. The sprayer extension hose doesn't seem long enough, so I use the cup to hold paint. Some of the high areas really needed to be scraped but I'm still recovering from hernia surgery and didn't want to take risks. This will do for now. Next year, I will get a ladder and do some scraping. Meanwhile, the wood is protected from further weathering. Glad I didn't have to rent/buy/borrow a l...

     I followed the instructions for preparation prior to first use. The cup was first choice but direct feed will come after I gain some experience.    The Eastern wall with window was the target. I made a shield from a cardboard wine box stapled to a wood strip. This prevents overspray.     Everything went well. Cleanup takes awhile and lots of water.