My Day. Whee.

[tesla]

Today I decided that I was finally getting the TV antenna put up on the roof. The previous owners of the house had a "dish," and I've been eyeing it since I got my HD antenna (I know - just humor me) in January, thinking that its riser should be perfect for bolting a small antenna to, just as soon as I could get out on the roof and get the dish off.

The "getting out on the roof" part could have been easier. I pulled the lower sash out of the bathroom window (because the glass broke and needs to be replaced) and got the storm out, but discovered that I couldn't get the upper storm or screen out without moving the upper sash. Fine, okay. As expected, it was painted shut. Unexpectedly, some idiot had gone to the trouble of caulking thickly all around it. (One of my pet peeves is the abundance of horrible ways in which old double-hung windows have been "improved" over the years. But that's a rant for a different day.) When I finally got it to move I discovered that one of the sash cords was broken, so I pulled the upper sash out too, and then the storm and screen.

Once I was on the roof, swapping antennae was simple. The coax out there is kind of a mess - several cuts through the insulation - so I'm looking forward to replacing it when I have both a length of coax and a long drill bit. For now I've run it in through a convenient hole in the screen and used a grounding connector to hook it to the cable already connected to the television. I had to re-aim it a couple of times, somewhat further north than the 42 degrees indicated by AntennaWeb, but now I'm getting good signal for all the expected HD channels.

I returned the storms and screen to their places and hope to replace sash cords tomorrow.

I also repaired my vacuum cleaner: I had dropped the poor thing on its head, after which it clanked and whirred in a most unnatural fashion, not to mention spitting a couple of parts at me. I was obliged to wait to repair it until I could borrow a torx bit, as the machine purports to have "no user-serviceable parts".

Inside I discovered 1) that one of the screws holding the impeller guard to the motor assembly had never been installed (you can tell because they're thread-cutting screws in plastic) and 2) the bump had jarred loose a press-fit clip holding the impeller assembly in place, causing the vanishingly thin aluminum of the impeller to shear out around the motor shaft.

I thought for a moment about ordering a replacement impeller, then realized that it would almost certainly be cheaper just to replace the entire unit - I got this for $40 at Target.

So I grabbed a hammer and pounded the area around the center hole back to flat. Fortunately the impeller is not splined itself, but instead nests with a washer that is driven by the splined motor shaft.



I redrilled the keyholes until the washer fit properly, and began to reassemble things. I was momentarily stumped as to how to get the press-fit clip back onto the motor shaft, until I hit upon the idea of using a socket (and hammer) as a press. It worked beautifully.

I didn't have a suitable screw to replace the missing one, so I moved an extraneous one from the outside to the inside. I may replace the one on the outside later, if I remember to do so.


Lesson learned: Blacksmithing sure is easy when the material you're working is thin aluminum.

I was sorry to have missed the Saracura open house, but really need to spend some time by myself right now.

Comments

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

Damn & you cook too? :)

[jbru.livejournal.com]

I am impressed with your handiness! I have never learned very well what makes things work so returning them to a working state from one that is less so escapes me frequently.

[tesla-aldrich.livejournal.com]

Mostly I just spread myself thin: jack of all trades, master of none.

But TY. :)

[tesla-aldrich.livejournal.com]

For whatever reason, this type of thing seems to come naturally to me. (Probably just means I'm in the wrong line of work.)

[chadvalentine.livejournal.com]

I will selfishly declare that no alone time for you is necessary. :)

[sarendipatree.livejournal.com]

Remind me never to be a broken household appliance around you. Or... Nah.

Betcha the window was a lot more energy efficient after whoever caulked it over. Sad but true.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

I remember taking a test in high school that, I think, was one the Army gave to new recruits. It included a section on mechanical aptitude. I bet you would have scored high in that section.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

I am also impressed. I've never tried to fix a vacuum cleaner, but now I will be inspired to try, should I have need to!

LOL

[7ivy7.livejournal.com]

No wonder I haven't seen much of you this week. You've now spent an entire week on the roof judging from the post last weekend. I'm pleased that Ivy was not there with you (see the Google map accessed from your "Current location" second listing).

By the way, where did you get your HDTV antenna? I forgot to ask the other day.

And, thanks to your mechanical prowess, I guess I'll be coming over soon to retrieve my vacuum cleaner.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! It sounds like getting the window open was the hardest part of the job. I hate it when people paint windows closed. I've got a few like that on my front porch, but I rent and haven't been sufficiently motivated to deal with them.

[tesla-aldrich.livejournal.com]

For you I'll make an exception. :)

[tesla-aldrich.livejournal.com]

I'll certainly grant that the caulk prevented a trivial amount of heat from escaping in the winter. And given the fact that the ridiculous combination windows had already been installed, I can't quibble with doing it.

The real problem is the combination windows themselves; while they provide the convenience of not having to install exterior storms every autumn, they prevent double-hung windows from functioning in the way that they were intended: namely, opening from the top to vent warmer air during the summer months. It sounds like it shouldn't make much of a difference whether your windows open from the top or the bottom, but it really does. (I'm sure this was even more true before electric fans were available.)

[tesla-aldrich.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I really expected one of two things to be true with the vacuum: either parts had simply come loose and would need to be re-secured, or one or more parts would actually be damaged and I would have to replace them or the whole unit. I was pleasantly surprised that even though a part was damaged I was able to make it work again.

If you have the occasion to try it, please be sure to post!

Re: LOL

[tesla-aldrich.livejournal.com]

That's adorable. And they're right, "the little house has no Ivy on the roof."

I have (as you know) now ordered you an HD antenna. $38.23 including shipping.

I guess you could've brought your vacuum home on your cart. :)

[tesla-aldrich.livejournal.com]

Yeah, since all the double-hungs I've ever dealt with have combination windows (see my response to sarendipatree above) I find it's not worth bothering unless they require some maintenance.

[sarendipatree.livejournal.com]

Huh. I never knew that. Thanks -- I'll try it.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

It's not worth it unless and until they invent some magic paint-release spray and/or gizmo. :)

[alisgray.livejournal.com]

hurray, fixery! say, how can I get this microwave oven to you?