Re: [BlindHandyMan] repelling skunks
One very effective way of getting rid of skunks is to identify a leader skunk and then send him to another location. His followers will, well - follow him to that location. For instance, many of the skunks in Wisconsin are now migrating to Minnesota as their leader (#4) has torched the exodus! -Bill [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists?
Hi, It is too wet outside to do any work and I am contemplating a problem I have had since moving into this old building. The original house has floor joists rough sawn but only 2 by 8 on 24 inch centers. We have a springy and uneven floor. Some of it is also because at some point one of the heating systems required framing in a big cold air return and they clearly didn't shore up the floor when cutting that joist, someone long since removed all of the cross bracing. I don't see sistering or adding joists in the usual way because of plumbing, wiring and duct work and I don't want to add more posts and beams. It recently struck me though that I could build in place an open web joist, jack things temporarily up then fix the lower cord. This lead me to think perhaps a better way might be to jack tings up just a little above the desired point then apply a web of strap steel to either face of the existing joists on the diagonal. A series of 'V's so that the diagonal essentially forms triangles. This would allow me to continue to respect wiring. More stiffening might be achieved by running a length of angle iron along the top inside corner against the floor and the joist and run a bolt through it and the straps and similarly at the bottom of the joist, I wonder how much would be enough and how much too much. At some point it might be better to fabricate individual steel webbed joists and fit them between the originals but then they may serve the purpose of lifting the originals which would continue to be pulling down after nearly a century. Just kicking around ideas. I would like to preserve as much open space there as I can. I don't have reasonable access to engineering or architectural services. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] Experiences with Riddex
Hi, I am having trouble catching a rat in my garage and I'm considering a device mentioned below. The message below is from Fred's Head--a great resource from APH. If it works well, I'll consider getting one for the house too. If you have any other suggestions, I'd be very interested in them. Thank you, Keith Forwarded Message: I don't like bugs. I especially don't like mice or rats. I am going to tell you about a product that will rid your house of both for good. This is great for any blind or visually impaired family. Several years ago, my wife and I purchased a product from qvc.com http://www.qvc.com to remove some ants that decided that our house was the place to stay for the winter. The product was called Riddex and its still hard at work in our home. Riddex Pro turns the wiring in your house into an invisible pest repellent force field. Using patented Digital Pulse Technology, and powered by a Motorola Freescale Microprocessor, the Riddex Pro creates an irritating environment for pests inside your walls, chasing them away from your house. Pests are not killed, they voluntarily leave! The Riddex Plug-In Pest Repeller Unit actually changes the normal field around your wiring, creating an environment that aids in the control of pests. One unit takes care of a normal sized home, from 2000 to 2500 square feet. Use two units if the house is more than one story. The Riddex Plug-In Pest Repeller Unit is safe for most household pets, except for hamsters, gerbils and other rodent pets. There are no irritating pesticides or fumes. Simply plug this electronic unit into a standard electrical outlet and watch it help drive out pesky pests from your home, in as little as two weeks! Save thousands of dollars on pest control! A single Riddex Pro unit covers an entire level of a typical home. And, it's safe for children, pets, and electronics. It even has a nightlight. Click this link to purchase the Riddex Pro Digital Pest Repeller http://www.opamerica.com/riddex-pro-digital-pest-repeller-p-1436.html .
Re: [BlindHandyMan] repelling skunks
just wondering Bill , if there is a check point and a identification of the left or is it the right front paw and nail print I am looking for. ? today is a full moon so I am not rocking the boat and I do believe the vistitors we had some time ago have since moved up the line out of nose range. . thanks Lee On Fri, Oct 02, 2009 at 10:48:41PM -0500, Bill Gallik wrote: One very effective way of getting rid of skunks is to identify a leader skunk and then send him to another location. His followers will, well - follow him to that location. For instance, many of the skunks in Wisconsin are now migrating to Minnesota as their leader (#4) has torched the exodus! -Bill [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -- Common sense is the most evenly distributed quantity in the world. Everyone thinks he has enough. -- Descartes, 1637 .
Re: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists?
from personal experience it is a trail and error move to try to readjust flooring. in the Northwest corner of our house for instance the corrections in the basment made a difference in the way doors closed and opened above that as well as the way furnature sets. so it is a trial and error. another point is to find and or borrow a screw jack and quarter inch at a time make a adjustment but do not nail or bolt anything until you sense that all is okay above that. I had such a heavy house ,/ screw jack and let someone borrow it but what I got back was a cheap piece of garbage. this house jack had been previously used n timbers Dale like you described in your oldhouse. Lee On Sat, Oct 03, 2009 at 09:41:08AM -0400, Dale Leavens wrote: Hi, It is too wet outside to do any work and I am contemplating a problem I have had since moving into this old building. The original house has floor joists rough sawn but only 2 by 8 on 24 inch centers. We have a springy and uneven floor. Some of it is also because at some point one of the heating systems required framing in a big cold air return and they clearly didn't shore up the floor when cutting that joist, someone long since removed all of the cross bracing. I don't see sistering or adding joists in the usual way because of plumbing, wiring and duct work and I don't want to add more posts and beams. It recently struck me though that I could build in place an open web joist, jack things temporarily up then fix the lower cord. This lead me to think perhaps a better way might be to jack tings up just a little above the desired point then apply a web of strap steel to either face of the existing joists on the diagonal. A series of 'V's so that the diagonal essentially forms triangles. This would allow me to continue to respect wiring. More stiffening might be achieved by running a length of angle iron along the top inside corner against the floor and the joist and run a bolt through it and the straps and similarly at the bottom of the joist, I wonder how much would be enough and how much too much. At some point it might be better to fabricate individual steel webbed joists and fit them between the originals but then they may serve the purpose of lifting the originals which would continue to be pulling down after nearly a century. Just kicking around ideas. I would like to preserve as much open space there as I can. I don't have reasonable access to engineering or architectural services. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -- Common sense is the most evenly distributed quantity in the world. Everyone thinks he has enough. -- Descartes, 1637 .
Re: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists?
I don't know if banding would be stout enough for an old heavy house. Since steel is stronger and thinner, I'd be tempted to use some kind of I beam with screw jacks. That would take the bounce out of the floors. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2009 9:41 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists? Hi, It is too wet outside to do any work and I am contemplating a problem I have had since moving into this old building. The original house has floor joists rough sawn but only 2 by 8 on 24 inch centers. We have a springy and uneven floor. Some of it is also because at some point one of the heating systems required framing in a big cold air return and they clearly didn't shore up the floor when cutting that joist, someone long since removed all of the cross bracing. I don't see sistering or adding joists in the usual way because of plumbing, wiring and duct work and I don't want to add more posts and beams. It recently struck me though that I could build in place an open web joist, jack things temporarily up then fix the lower cord. This lead me to think perhaps a better way might be to jack tings up just a little above the desired point then apply a web of strap steel to either face of the existing joists on the diagonal. A series of 'V's so that the diagonal essentially forms triangles. This would allow me to continue to respect wiring. More stiffening might be achieved by running a length of angle iron along the top inside corner against the floor and the joist and run a bolt through it and the straps and similarly at the bottom of the joist, I wonder how much would be enough and how much too much. At some point it might be better to fabricate individual steel webbed joists and fit them between the originals but then they may serve the purpose of lifting the originals which would continue to be pulling down after nearly a century. Just kicking around ideas. I would like to preserve as much open space there as I can. I don't have reasonable access to engineering or architectural services. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] finding ants in your house/ riddex??
I knew nothing of this riddex product when we owned a house which was on what was described as a floating slab. we did however have two problems . one was carpenter ants and the others was a smaller but real pain in the tail ants. . used all the little ant traps and to no avail so I hired a contractor / pest control. I was told he put on some sort of three way mask and sprayed what looked like a powder throught the ground floor. . He found the little ants home right away. keep in mind this place was on a floating slab. so he saw a trail in his powder which led him to a big ant hil under the bath tub where it was all clay/ earth. there was a access panel in the back bedroom and he attached two lengths of pipe to his equipment and poof. the treatment was done. the carpenter ants. well it appeared I created that problem bringing home firewood from another place so that section of the house was sprayed and the wood removed to the back part of the property and storedunder plastic. total bill was exactly $250 and worth every penny. oh and as per a suggestion from this man the following spring we planted spearmint around the house which he said after a couple of mowings would help keep pesty ants away. and it did. Lee -- Common sense is the most evenly distributed quantity in the world. Everyone thinks he has enough. -- Descartes, 1637 .
Re: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists?
I have a 20 foot span I don't want posts in. I want to sister the joists but with spaces through which wiring and the like can pass. I also want to try to minimize lost headroom. - Original Message - From: Bob Kennedy To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2009 2:42 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists? I don't know if banding would be stout enough for an old heavy house. Since steel is stronger and thinner, I'd be tempted to use some kind of I beam with screw jacks. That would take the bounce out of the floors. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2009 9:41 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists? Hi, It is too wet outside to do any work and I am contemplating a problem I have had since moving into this old building. The original house has floor joists rough sawn but only 2 by 8 on 24 inch centers. We have a springy and uneven floor. Some of it is also because at some point one of the heating systems required framing in a big cold air return and they clearly didn't shore up the floor when cutting that joist, someone long since removed all of the cross bracing. I don't see sistering or adding joists in the usual way because of plumbing, wiring and duct work and I don't want to add more posts and beams. It recently struck me though that I could build in place an open web joist, jack things temporarily up then fix the lower cord. This lead me to think perhaps a better way might be to jack tings up just a little above the desired point then apply a web of strap steel to either face of the existing joists on the diagonal. A series of 'V's so that the diagonal essentially forms triangles. This would allow me to continue to respect wiring. More stiffening might be achieved by running a length of angle iron along the top inside corner against the floor and the joist and run a bolt through it and the straps and similarly at the bottom of the joist, I wonder how much would be enough and how much too much. At some point it might be better to fabricate individual steel webbed joists and fit them between the originals but then they may serve the purpose of lifting the originals which would continue to be pulling down after nearly a century. Just kicking around ideas. I would like to preserve as much open space there as I can. I don't have reasonable access to engineering or architectural services. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Experiences with Riddex
In my personal opinion, none of these devices work at all. We have lived in this house for six years now and the first year after we moved here we did try one of those devices. It has now been five years since that unit was disconnected and there has been no change in the number of insects we have gotten in the house. Mice, never had one, but again, these things just don't work. I know I'll get some argument, but based on my experience and the experiences of others who I have talked too, leads me to believe they do not work. The best way to keep mice out is give them no real reason to come in or at least as little reason as possible. No matter how clean you keep your place, they may still show up, but less access and reason will certainly help. On Oct 3, 2009, at 12:25 PM, Keith Christian wrote: Hi, I am having trouble catching a rat in my garage and I'm considering a device mentioned below. The message below is from Fred's Head--a great resource from APH. If it works well, I'll consider getting one for the house too. If you have any other suggestions, I'd be very interested in them. Thank you, Keith Forwarded Message: I don't like bugs. I especially don't like mice or rats. I am going to tell you about a product that will rid your house of both for good. This is great for any blind or visually impaired family. Several years ago, my wife and I purchased a product from qvc.com http://www.qvc.com to remove some ants that decided that our house was the place to stay for the winter. The product was called Riddex and its still hard at work in our home. Riddex Pro turns the wiring in your house into an invisible pest repellent force field. Using patented Digital Pulse Technology, and powered by a Motorola Freescale Microprocessor, the Riddex Pro creates an irritating environment for pests inside your walls, chasing them away from your house. Pests are not killed, they voluntarily leave! The Riddex Plug-In Pest Repeller Unit actually changes the normal field around your wiring, creating an environment that aids in the control of pests. One unit takes care of a normal sized home, from 2000 to 2500 square feet. Use two units if the house is more than one story. The Riddex Plug-In Pest Repeller Unit is safe for most household pets, except for hamsters, gerbils and other rodent pets. There are no irritating pesticides or fumes. Simply plug this electronic unit into a standard electrical outlet and watch it help drive out pesky pests from your home, in as little as two weeks! Save thousands of dollars on pest control! A single Riddex Pro unit covers an entire level of a typical home. And, it's safe for children, pets, and electronics. It even has a nightlight. Click this link to purchase the Riddex Pro Digital Pest Repeller http://www.opamerica.com/riddex-pro-digital-pest-repeller- p-1436.html . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
RE: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists?
Hi Dale Bob is right I have an I Beam through the middle of my garages directly under the main part of the house, when that I Beam is there your floor will not have any bouncy parts at all. If you want to run lights or power cables through state this at the time of ordering it and the supplier can have those holes cut in for you. Check with your local codes as to the size of the I Beam needed and get it put in by professionals with the gear to manoeuvre and install it safely. Why I say that is if this Beam falls on you while you are trying to install it it is good by Dale. Ray From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dale Leavens Sent: Sunday, 4 October 2009 6:11 AM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists? I have a 20 foot span I don't want posts in. I want to sister the joists but with spaces through which wiring and the like can pass. I also want to try to minimize lost headroom. - Original Message - From: Bob Kennedy To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2009 2:42 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists? I don't know if banding would be stout enough for an old heavy house. Since steel is stronger and thinner, I'd be tempted to use some kind of I beam with screw jacks. That would take the bounce out of the floors. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2009 9:41 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists? Hi, It is too wet outside to do any work and I am contemplating a problem I have had since moving into this old building. The original house has floor joists rough sawn but only 2 by 8 on 24 inch centers. We have a springy and uneven floor. Some of it is also because at some point one of the heating systems required framing in a big cold air return and they clearly didn't shore up the floor when cutting that joist, someone long since removed all of the cross bracing. I don't see sistering or adding joists in the usual way because of plumbing, wiring and duct work and I don't want to add more posts and beams. It recently struck me though that I could build in place an open web joist, jack things temporarily up then fix the lower cord. This lead me to think perhaps a better way might be to jack tings up just a little above the desired point then apply a web of strap steel to either face of the existing joists on the diagonal. A series of 'V's so that the diagonal essentially forms triangles. This would allow me to continue to respect wiring. More stiffening might be achieved by running a length of angle iron along the top inside corner against the floor and the joist and run a bolt through it and the straps and similarly at the bottom of the joist, I wonder how much would be enough and how much too much. At some point it might be better to fabricate individual steel webbed joists and fit them between the originals but then they may serve the purpose of lifting the originals which would continue to be pulling down after nearly a century. Just kicking around ideas. I would like to preserve as much open space there as I can. I don't have reasonable access to engineering or architectural services. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[BlindHandyMan] Blown Off sheeting
Hi All We here is Australia have just had a Red Dust Storm started from Broken Hill in the Middle of Australia and blown right up the East Coast. Extremely high winds which blew off a sheet of fibre glass sheeting which was on my fernery. This sheeting has a corrugated profile and it finished next door so to put it back on I cut a corrugated ridge off another sheet which was too small to do the job and made six inch pieces from this which went over the ridge of the corrugation and made a clamp like action which I then screwed down. We had another dust storm two days later with high winds again and it held successfully. We have another problem here and that is the birds which eat mulberries in this area somewhere are flying over and using the new concrete for a bombing range. Luckily I am not out in the yard at the time for if one of these bombs hit you it could be devastating. Now by the time we inspect the craters and hose off the mess a stain exists any suggestions as to how one should remove this. Out in the yard Wearing my safety helmet and listening for approaching birds. Ray [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Blown Off sheeting
old ww i i ac ac guns should be pretty easy to get on the black market. good hunting jim [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
RE: [BlindHandyMan] Blown Off sheeting
Ray, Have you tried regular household bleach? Seems to remove most stains. Maybe the mulberry stain will give it up to the bleach. Best, Max in SC From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Ray Boyce Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2009 5:30 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Blown Off sheeting Hi All We here is Australia have just had a Red Dust Storm started from Broken Hill in the Middle of Australia and blown right up the East Coast. Extremely high winds which blew off a sheet of fibre glass sheeting which was on my fernery. This sheeting has a corrugated profile and it finished next door so to put it back on I cut a corrugated ridge off another sheet which was too small to do the job and made six inch pieces from this which went over the ridge of the corrugation and made a clamp like action which I then screwed down. We had another dust storm two days later with high winds again and it held successfully. We have another problem here and that is the birds which eat mulberries in this area somewhere are flying over and using the new concrete for a bombing range. Luckily I am not out in the yard at the time for if one of these bombs hit you it could be devastating. Now by the time we inspect the craters and hose off the mess a stain exists any suggestions as to how one should remove this. Out in the yard Wearing my safety helmet and listening for approaching birds. Ray [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] stiffening inadequate floor joists?
what we did in a house in Wayne PA was to jack a joist a little bit and then sister to it.We started where the joists sit on the edge of the foundation. We didn't use the same size. I think these were 2x8 and we added 2x6 and made the bottoms flush. Yes, that has the floor above sitting on the extra of the 2x8, but bolted together it's still 4x and is so for 90% of the beam. We started at every other and that was enough. On Sat, 3 Oct 2009, Dale Leavens wrote: Hi, It is too wet outside to do any work and I am contemplating a problem I have had since moving into this old building. The original house has floor joists rough sawn but only 2 by 8 on 24 inch centers. We have a springy and uneven floor. Some of it is also because at some point one of the heating systems required framing in a big cold air return and they clearly didn't shore up the floor when cutting that joist, someone long since removed all of the cross bracing. I don't see sistering or adding joists in the usual way because of plumbing, wiring and duct work and I don't want to add more posts and beams. It recently struck me though that I could build in place an open web joist, jack things temporarily up then fix the lower cord. This lead me to think perhaps a better way might be to jack tings up just a little above the desired point then apply a web of strap steel to either face of the existing joists on the diagonal. A series of 'V's so that the diagonal essentially forms triangles. This would allow me to continue to respect wiring. More stiffening might be achieved by running a length of angle iron along the top inside corner against the floor and the joist and run a bolt through it and the straps and similarly at the bottom of the joist, I wonder how much would be enough and how much too much. At some point it might be better to fabricate individual steel webbed joists and fit them between the originals but then they may serve the purpose of lifting the originals which would continue to be pulling down after nearly a century. Just kicking around ideas. I would like to preserve as much open space there as I can. I don't have reasonable access to engineering or architectural services. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Blown Off sheeting
one might suggest a rain slicker also ray with some lightweight rubber boots. I'd wear a whistle and blow it off andon. . actually there is a near by farmer who has some sort of device which is hooked to a lp gas tank to keep the crows or black birds out of their corn crop. it sounds like a shot gun blast. she has several of these setups thru many acres and it seems to do the trick. maybe someone on the list could explain on how it works but I do know it is on aq timer. good luck. to late now but you should have poured a anti bid// ike aniti aircraft bunkers with ack ack guns or pom pom recoil guns mounted skyward. .Lee On Sun, Oct 04, 2009 at 08:29:42AM +1100, Ray Boyce wrote: Hi All We here is Australia have just had a Red Dust Storm started from Broken Hill in the Middle of Australia and blown right up the East Coast. Extremely high winds which blew off a sheet of fibre glass sheeting which was on my fernery. This sheeting has a corrugated profile and it finished next door so to put it back on I cut a corrugated ridge off another sheet which was too small to do the job and made six inch pieces from this which went over the ridge of the corrugation and made a clamp like action which I then screwed down. We had another dust storm two days later with high winds again and it held successfully. We have another problem here and that is the birds which eat mulberries in this area somewhere are flying over and using the new concrete for a bombing range. Luckily I am not out in the yard at the time for if one of these bombs hit you it could be devastating. Now by the time we inspect the craters and hose off the mess a stain exists any suggestions as to how one should remove this. Out in the yard Wearing my safety helmet and listening for approaching birds. Ray [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -- Hear about... the guy who had his vasectomy done by Sears? Every time he gets a hard-on, the garage door goes up. .
[BlindHandyMan] electric Garage door annoyance
Hi ya, I've got that annoying garage door won't open, acts like something's in the way, but nothing's in the way thing going on. Anyone who has an electric over-head garage door with a sensor should recognize this problem. I've paced up and down, looking for anything inside the garage which might be in the way, and I've climbed on the ladder and looked at the chain and machine itself, I've cut the breaker off to it, and put it back on, I've unplugged it and plugged it back in. I've pulled the little disengage rope, and actually closed the door by hand, and for now, I've locked it and left it until morning. Any suggestions? I tapped around on the sensors to make sure I didn't knock them out of kilter while I was cleaning in the garage while my wife was gone with her cart, but it's just not coming to me now. I don't think the sensors would be affected by anything outside the door. If it keeps up, I will have to open and close the door manually tomorrow and lock it and go out through the house once the wife and kids are down the driveway. Look forward to any hints. I have had this problem before, but I don't remember what the simple fix was. The motor turns, then reverses and does the tick tock tick tock noise which usually means that something is in the way of the sensors, and it doesn't want to crush it or what have you. Thanks, Matt [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] Blown Off sheeting
Yikes, Ray. Glad you and yours are all fine. As for the deposits, try tomato juice, no laughing... Betsy At 11:29 AM 10/3/2009, you wrote: Hi All We here is Australia have just had a Red Dust Storm started from Broken Hill in the Middle of Australia and blown right up the East Coast. Extremely high winds which blew off a sheet of fibre glass sheeting which was on my fernery. This sheeting has a corrugated profile and it finished next door so to put it back on I cut a corrugated ridge off another sheet which was too small to do the job and made six inch pieces from this which went over the ridge of the corrugation and made a clamp like action which I then screwed down. We had another dust storm two days later with high winds again and it held successfully. We have another problem here and that is the birds which eat mulberries in this area somewhere are flying over and using the new concrete for a bombing range. Luckily I am not out in the yard at the time for if one of these bombs hit you it could be devastating. Now by the time we inspect the craters and hose off the mess a stain exists any suggestions as to how one should remove this. Out in the yard Wearing my safety helmet and listening for approaching birds. Ray [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
