2Long said:



After my DV I became quite familiar with electrical problems...Thought I could handle 2-20's but discovered I wasn't wired for 'em.. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />


Lady Clueless commented:



Hmmmm...I tend to prefer the 80 gallon water heaters. Cut them suckers in half with a smoke wrench, and weld a little flat bar on the seams. Weld on a couple of pieces of 1/2 inch round rod and some 3/4 schedule 80 pipe for the hinges and you have a custom made smoker/griller that is insulated. Holds the heat better! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

*puff* ~~~~~~~ *frrrrrrrrrrrrrtttttt*

Sniff-Sniff.....Ewwwwwww!




HCII

Hey hcii - where you been?

Come on in and have a beer.

Waterheater smoker idea makes a lot of sense. What are the inside surfaces of those usually made out of? Not carbon steel, I bet.

WAT

Okay, guys. I have a fixing stuff question.

The other week (give or take), my whole family was in town and it was warm, so everyone was drinking a lot. We'd used up the beer (horrifying, I know), so we all switched to mixed drinks. Dad was drinking gin & tonic, mom was drinking scotch on the rocks, I was alternating between tequila&OJ and black rum& Coke, my brother was drinking some thing that has bourbon and ginger ale in it.

It took ice, of course, to keep up with us. Lots of ice.

Somewhere in there, something happened to the ice maker. Whatever it was, it won't stop making ice now. The lever appears to move to shut it off, but the ice keeps a-coming. And now that the family has gone home again, there aren't enough of us in the house to keep up with the needed ice consumption.

So, my question is two-part, with one part having two sub-parts. First off, how big a party do I need to have to use up about ten pounds of extra ice? And second, any thoughts on a repair so that I can a) get as much ice as I need in a hurry and b) shut the darned thing off so I can go on vacation and not come back to a scene from Real Genius?


While we're at it, I have this cool thing going on with my gas stovetop. I turn it on, it clicks, doesn't light. So I turn it off, get a match, light it, turn it on, and then light the flame. I have a couple questions about that, too. First off, what do y'all think is the optimum time to let the gas go before lighting the stove? If I let it go for too long (2long), then I'll probably melt the microwave in the resulting explosion (the microwave is above the stove). On the other hand, if I don't wait long enough, the darned thing just lights without that cool "POOOOF" that goes with a small natural gas explosion.

Second question is about the repairs. On the really, really old stove I used when I lived in Seattle, I knew how to adjust the air-gas mixture to get a good flame, and I had some idea of how to repair the lighting mechanism. This newfangled stove appears to have all the adjustable parts hidden away where I can't get at 'em. I don't have an owner's manual for the stove, so I suspect I'll have to call in a repair guy. Do you think I'll be able to convince him to modify the stove so I can make adjustments myself? Natural gas makes a decent torch if you get the mix just right, and I'm thinking it's time to build some more helium return systems with my trusty copper pipe and solder. (NOT. What a stupid way to spend two years THAT was.)

LC:

hcii has it right (Hi, hcii!!). If you're going 2 hang out with the boys, you gotta learn the lingo:

"a cuttin' torch, a welder,"

Could be one in the same. But for clarity:

*Oxy-acetelyne torch = Smoke Wrench.
*Arc welder (either stick or wire) = Spark Wrench.

-ol' 2long

I'll be right over. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

More later, but the brute force way to stop the ice making is to turn off the water supply. Look for a small valve in a copper line under the kitchen sink. This is usually where it's located since the water supply is usually tapped of the cold water supply to the sink fawcet.

WAT

Real quick on the gas thing: LIGHT THE MATCH FIRST! Then turn on the gas.

The clicking is the electrostatic starter trying to work. Try cleaning out the little holes in the burner with a paper clip.

WAT

Ice maker malfunction is the number one reason friges need "repairman". You can just go on eBay, buy a new icemaker for your model, plug it in, save a bunch of time. I'm not a guy, but I have a masters degree in industrial engineering, and I sit around and drink beer and watch football (or whatever the sport in season is) all weekend. Can I have an exemption to post here?

Hey! Me too. As for an exemption, if the Queens are posting, I think you're safe, imanotherone. Besides, you have "man" in your screen name. You must be one!! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />


Awww, WAT, you're no fun. I only singed my eyebrows ONCE. They were fine after a week or so, really.


Paper clip. Can do. Thanks!


Hey, bring that cool gurrl of yours, ok? I'll feed you both all the mixed drinks you want. And some food to keep the drinking going. Errr, but not this weekend or next weekend -- I have to go to Ohio and bring drinks to HoFS while he sits in his LaZBoy. He's allowed to get out of it just as soon as he stops bleeding. (3 weeks and counting...)


Hmmm. I think mine's probably in the basement, actually, given how the kitchen is arranged. I'll look under the sink and then in the basement.


Sounds like an excellent longer-term fix.

Now, about the dryer making those weird noises and taking 4EVER to dry stuff. Anyone have ideas on that?

So what part of the world does a 6 pack last a couple of hours?

Q: At what meal is cold pizza, and warm beer appropriate?

Ruh roh, I'm drunk again.

Can't go home now cause wife will be mad. So I'll hang around a while longer.

She can't tell me what to do. I'm in charge of me! Yeh.

"Sir this drinks on that long blond haired woman at the bar".

<blink>

So...

How are my binking druddies 2day?

ol' 2long

For the real fix, I bet the lever is disengaged at one end. Make sure both ends are in their sockets - unless it's a "one end" kind with the other end free. If that's the case, prolly better off getting a new ice maker.

WAT

Missing any small pets?

Does it get hot?

Do you know whether the drum is turning? - i.e., are the weird noises a slipping belt between the motor and drum?

If the drum is turning, do you know whether the exhaust is blocked? While it's on, see if air is coming out of the outside exhaust fixture.

WAT

What about shooting stuff and blowing stuff up? Can we talk about that?

In His arms.

Couple of thoughts about the dryer--
First, most dryers use flex duct to exhaust the air. This is unfortunate, since lint will quickly start sticking to the sides and will cause lots of friction, keeping free flow of air from happening. Disengage at both ends and stick your arm as far down in as possible, drag out what you can, and maybe this will help.

Second, they make supplementary exhaust fans that you can put on the end of the line, especially if your exhaust line is long. This fan will engage when the dryer is on, and help suck out the air. Only downside is that it can be too powerful and suck out warm (drying) air too.

Third, sometimes long drying cycle isn't tied to the dryer at all. Are you sure the spin cycle in your washer is fully functioning? Sometimes, these can slow by several hundred RPM's, and you'd never notice. Are the clothes feeling heavier than usual, coming out of the wash?

Of course, do NOT do this while holding lighted match and the gas is on. Public safety notice 16598.

In His arms.

MM - you might be able to get your fix by just going to J's house and stand on the curb before she lights her stove.

I guess that's one way of taking care of all that extra ice. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Got one of those potato cannons? They're cool.

WAT

Hey, MM wants 2 talk about plinking!

I've got some friends in2 black powder rifles who like taking old TV sets out for plinking. I've never done that myself, but I've plinked with rocks and sticks and stuff.

44 Magnum
3006
3030 Winchester

All for protection from bears in the arctic.

-ol' 2long

That's awesome. Personally, I just practice in order to keep current on my Terrorist Hunting License, issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

And in Virginia...it's ALWAYS Terrorist Hunting Season!!

In His arms.

Always wanted to try a spud gun.

And on J's house...could be cool to watch, but would have to get there early enough in the evening to get a good seat. And it really needs to happen right at twilight, when the whole area will light up nicely.

In His arms.