Category Archives: Home and Yard

If in doubt, don’t poke it.

Posted on April 18, 2012 | 4 Comments

Today I had one of those moments I call my “Lucy Moments”.

The bathroom drain was clogged and I told Shane, “Oh, I can fix it.”  because let’s face it, I’m awesome and can handle a clog.  So I first plunged it.  Over and over with goop flying out – to no avail – still clogged.

Hmmmmm.  Okay, bleach.  I poured some bleach in there and it fizzed and bubbled and spit up a bunch of nasty krud.  Still didn’t drain.

Okay!, she thinks… get a coat hanger and snake the drain!  And that’s when it began.  I poked a hole through the damned pipe.  Black nasty water trickled out.

I sat bewildered – staring at the drain.  Oh… what’s that I see?  There’s some greenish bumpy stuff on the other pipe… hmmmm I wonder what that is!  Let’s touch it and scrape it with my nail, I think to myself.

As I’m doing that, my pinger POKES through the pipe and like hell spitting up an unwanted soul – chunks of bleach soaked nasty bits of-God-knows-how-many-years-worth of clog – literall SPEWED out at me!  Have you ever seen a child with projectile vomiting?  It was a lot like that.

Calling our friend the plumber.
And… ruined a good towel.

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Posted in Home and Yard, Just a rant

I’m Changing My Name

Posted on January 11, 2010 | 28 Comments

I always thought it would be really cool to get a Native American name.  You know, like Dances With Wolves….only that’s taken.  Plus, I really can’t dance.  And I’m afraid of wolves.   Maybe something like Whispers Like Wind.   But I probably yell too much.  Ooooo!  Screams Like Banshee?  Maybe.  But, after the other day…..I’m afraid the only name the Native Americans would give me is something laughable.

You see….Shane and I were attempting to unclog the floor drain under the utility tubs in the basement.   Yes, another plumbing story…so what!?!  Anyways…stop interrupting!  Okay.  So.   Shane had to run out somewhere and I thought….I can do this myself….duh.   So I poured some acid stuff down there and quickly covered all the drain holes with towels so the stink didn’t come up.   Man is that crap stinky.    And, it didn’t work.  SO…looking at all the laundry piled up I knew we had to come up with a way to get it done.  And I wasn’t gonna take it anywhere and spend a thousand quarters.

So we put a five gallon bucket in the washtub and the washer hose into the bucket.   We had to stand by the washer and smack the dial to turn it off every time the bucket filled to stop the water flow.  Then walk over to the basement toilet and pour out the water.   Then pull the dial and fill another bucket.    Of course, we did eventually figure out that the bucket needed to be on the floor rather than IN the tub….(very heavy when full)

We washed only on the ‘small’ setting.  Do you have any frickin idea how many gallons of water it takes to wash a load on small?  40, yes FORTY, GALLONS.   Is that sick or what?  What a waste!  So you do the math….that’s filling and carrying and emptying 8 five gallon buckets per load!  I did 5 loads.

So anyways…I think my new Native American name would probably  be something like “Large Arms From Pail” or “She Who Washes Like Moron”.

Btw, I had to call my dad AGAIN for plumbing advice.  Thank God for dads.  Turns out we’re gonna have to hack off the original old steel pipe and shop vac the drain out.  Then fix the pipe.  I bet my dad would be named something like “Shares Knowledge” or….“Stops Answer Daughters Calls”.
:)   What would YOUR Native American name be?????

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Posted in Funny stuff, Home and Yard

How to fix an old seat.
No, really.

Posted on January 2, 2010 | 14 Comments

Okay, so I’m so freaking happy with myself right now!  lol.  I FIXED the faucet leak in my bathtub!  Yay me!  Okay, so now that I’m done tooting my own horn….the problem WAS the seat…located behind the stem.   I decided to post pics on how to fix an old seat.    I’m equally as happy with Shane who found a package in the basement that contained….can you believe this?….THE PART WE NEEDED!

I KNOW!

First off….here’s the old seat…look at the worn facing.  See those little bitty chips in the metal? That’s what enables water to trickle when the faucet is off.

I used this tool:  a faucet seat wrench to take the old seat out, and put the new seat in.

Then…I reassembled the stem using the old fitting that threads into the pipe on the new stem part.

.

Then I hand tightened and used a grippy tool to tighten 1/4 of a turn.   Then I just put my decorative faucets parts back on and WHALLA!   We are back in the bathing bidness.

So for anyone needing to replace old tub fixtures that’s how you replace the seat and stem.  Tip:  take your old parts with you to the hardware store.  Also, keep old parts and packaging from the new stuff.  It’s easier next time you need to do a fix.

HAPPY NEW YEAR YA’LL!

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Posted in Home and Yard