DIY

ecobee3 Lite calibration mode — Are you wanting to get on the smart thermostat bandwagon, but aren’t sure if it’s worth the $249 price tag of the full-featured models like the ecobee3 and Nest? Then has ecobee got a deal for you. They recently added the ecobee3 Lite to their line-up with a very tempting MSRP of […]

Review: ecobee3 Lite

This entry was posted in DIY Home Theater & Automation Technology and tagged DIY ecobee ecobee upgrade ecobee3 ecobee3 Lite Install remote thermostat smart thermostat thermostat WiFi thermostat on January 17, 2017 by Steve Jenkins (updated 2894 days ago)

Hazard switch pin and channel system — Imagine you’re driving a 1989 Ferrari 328 GTS through Utah’s Wasatch Mountain canyons near Park City with a group of other European exotics. As the group pulls off to the side of the highway to let the stragglers catch up, you hit your hazard lights button. When it’s time to depart once […]

How to Fix a Broken Ferrari 328 Hazard Switch

This entry was posted in Cars DIY and tagged broken DIY Ferrari Ferrari 328 Ferrari 512 Ferrari F40 fix hazard fuse hazard lights hazard switch how to stuck turn signals won't turn off on August 14, 2016 by Steve Jenkins

Even if you don’t understand the function of a GFCI outlet, or know what “GFCI” stands for, there’s a really good chance you’ve seen at least one (and probably a few) in your home. This is what a GFCI outlet looks like: GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, and that’s precisely […]

You Should Test and Replace your GFCI Outlets More Often ...

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged DIY GFCI GFCI outlet GFCI reset button GFI replace replace GFCI outlet reset service life test test GFCI outlet on July 10, 2016 by Steve Jenkins (updated 2960 days ago)

This is another of those posts that might only be for my own benefit, so that the next time I need to change the oil on my wife’s 2008 Cadillac Escalade, I can simply locate this post to remember what parts I used… and whether I liked them. 🙂 I […]

Oil Change and Filter Parts for 2008 Cadillac Escalade

This entry was posted in Cars DIY and tagged Cadillac cars DIY Escalade escalade oil filter K&N oil change oil filter reset oil light reset oil message Royal Purple synthetic on January 21, 2016 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3257 days ago)

Underside of the top panel of the heat pump exposed — At 8:19 PM on December 30, 2015, I received the following text from Jim, our next-door neighbor at our cabin in East Wenatchee: Steve, we’re at the river and your heat pump fan just broke so fan is hitting shroud. I tried to wedge to balance but no luck so […]

DIY: Replacing the Fan on a Heat Pump

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged broken DIY doesn't work fan fix heat pump Lennox Repair replace on January 1, 2016 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3276 days ago)

Whirlpool inverter box — The most popular DIY post on my blog is, by far, How to Fix a Whirlpool & KitchenAid W10219463 / 2307028 Control Board for $6. As of this post, it’s received over 430 comments; the vast majority from frustrated homeowners who went online in a last ditch effort to find a way to […]

A Cheap(er) Fix for Whirlpool / KitchenAid / Kenmore Refrigerator ...

This entry was posted in DIY Reference and tagged compressor control control board digital inverter digital speed control DIY fix fridge inverter board inverter box JennAir Kenmore KitchenAid Maytag referigerator Repair replace W10133449 W10629033 on October 11, 2015 by Steve Jenkins

Replacement dual capacitor ready to install. — Summer 2015 in Seattle has been officially declared the hottest summer here on record (check my weather station’s 2015 max temps on my Weather Underground weather history graph for geeky details). For those in the Pacific Northwest living without central A/C, it’s been miserable. And for those fortunate enough to have central air conditioning, […]

Air Conditioning Not Blowing Cold? Replace your Capacitor or Contactor

This entry was posted in DIY Reference and tagged 440/370 A/C air conditioner air conditioning air conditioning not working capacitor contactor cooling DIY DP1025A 5006 fix air conditioner Honeywell HVAC MFD micro-farads not blowing cold air R8242A-1032 replace capacitor replace contactor Rheem Ruud thermostat on August 16, 2015 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3414 days ago)

My baby - a 1992 512 TR. — The Ferrari Testarossa, along with its later 512 TR and F512M variants, are iconic cars of the 80s and 90s. Every kid my age wanted to be Sonny Crocket cruising around Miami in a white Testarossa. What we never saw, however, was Crocket having trouble starting his Testarossa. Every time he had […]

DIY: Fix a Ferrari Testarossa / 512 TR Hot Start ...

This entry was posted in Cars DIY Reference and tagged 512 TR 512TR Bosch DIY Ferrari Ferrari 512TR Ferrari Testarossa hot start hot start fix hot start problem how to problem replace solenoid replace starter replace starter solenoid solenoid starter Testarossa won't start on July 29, 2015 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3429 days ago)

Fill Valve with Ball Float — I’ll admit it — I titled this post to attract homeowners who are searching for how to fix a leaky toilet. But wouldn’t it be even better if you could prevent your toilet from leaking in the first place? This article will help you do both! During this year’s Spring Break, our […]

Leaking Toilet? Try the $25 Toilet Tune-Up

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged angle stop DIY fill valve fix leaking toilet fix toilet flapper Fluidmaster Kohler Korky leaky toilet plumbing replace toilet toilet maintenance tune-up on April 12, 2015 by Steve Jenkins

If you’ve got a KitchenAid (or Whirlpool, or Kenmore) fridge with an ice maker that’s not making ice, don’t call the repairman. This is a very easy (and relatively inexpensive) fix that you can totally do yourself. These same instructions will work for any similar Whirlpool, Maytag, Kenmore, Amana, or JennAir […]

How to Cheaply Fix a KitchenAid / Whirlpool Ice Maker ...

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged Amana DIY freezer ice maker ice maker stopped working ice maker won't work icemaker JennAir Kenmore KitchenAid Maytag refrigerator replace ice maker Whirlpool on April 2, 2015 by Steve Jenkins

Something had been bothering me at the Utah house for a few years, so I finally got around to doing something about it this week. Take a peek at the photo below and see if you can find it: If nothing in the above photo bothers you, then move along… this blog […]

Upgrade your Bath Tub Trim – Fast, Easy, and Cheap

This entry was posted in DIY Videos and tagged DIY drain plug plumbing replace bath tub drain tub hardware tub trim WATCO on March 23, 2015 by Steve Jenkins

Furnace ignitor working properly — You wake up in the morning, or come home from work, and you can instantly tell something is wrong. The house is cold. You can hear the furnace running, and you can even feel air coming out of the registers. But it’s not hot air coming out, it’s cold! Well, it’s not COLD cold, […]

Fix Your Furnace If It’s Not Blowing Warm Air

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged Byant Currier DIY furnace blowing cold air furnace broken furnace ignitor furnace not blowing hot air gas furnace hot surface ignitor how to fix a furnace igniter Lennox Trane on November 4, 2014 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3689 days ago)

Color temperature can change the "feel" of a room. — One of the reasons I enjoy doing DIY projects is because I love saving money. But not all DIY projects are created equal — and the least equal is replacing light bulbs. I hate replacing light bulbs. I feel very little satisfaction after doing it, and I often put if […]

Choosing the Right LED Bulbs

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged 2700K 3000K CFL color temperature compact florescent CREE DIY EcoSmart LED LED bulb LED bulbs LED fixtures light bulb lumens on March 21, 2014 by Steve Jenkins (updated 2894 days ago)

New capacitor in place — UPDATE: Whirlpool has finally publicly admitted (kind of) that they’ve left their customers “high and dry” with this control board issue. They published this Class Code 91 Letter (though they never actually explain what “class code 91” means and Google wasn’t any help) with a list of all the model numbers that […]

How to Fix a Whirlpool & KitchenAid W10219463 / 2307028 ...

This entry was posted in DIY Reference and tagged 2307028 capacitor control board CoreCentric DIY fix FixYourBoard fridge JennAir Kenmore KitchenAid Maytag refrigerator relay Repair replace W10219463 Whirlpool on March 6, 2014 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3102 days ago)

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During a visit with family over 2012 Christmas holiday, my nephew Jake introduced me to the world of “Plasti-Dipping” car parts. Jake drives a white VW Jetta, and used a product called Performix Plasti Dip to “blacked out” a few key elements of his car (grille, emblems, wheels, tail lights, […]

Using Plasti Dip to Black Out my Grille Emblem

This entry was posted in Cars DIY and tagged Denali dip emblem DIY emblem GMC how to logo Plasti Dip Yukon on February 1, 2014 by Steve Jenkins

Lutron Maestro 600 Occupancy Sensor Switch — If you’ve got kids, then you’ve probably noticed that they never have problems finding a switch to turn lights on. Yet mysteriously, they lack the ability to turn lights off. I’m convinced it’s just never something that becomes important for a human… until they’re paying their own electricity bill. Using an […]

Product Review: Lutron Maestro 600 3-Way Occupancy Sensor Switch

This entry was posted in DIY Home Theater & Automation Product Reviews and tagged DIY light switch Lutron Maestro motion sensor switch occupancy sensor switch vacancy sensor switch on January 19, 2014 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3826 days ago)

Insulation tubing around the recirculating pump return line and drain — I little over a year ago, I made my very first plumbing-related blog post: a report on how I learned I should flush my water heater to eliminate rust-colored water, and should replace its anode when it’s fully eroded. Since that first post, I’ve enjoyed progressively attempting more complex DIY plumbing […]

How to Replace Your Water Heater

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged anode Bradford White DIY hot water heater how to plumbing replace water heater Rheem Ruud water heater on January 18, 2014 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3158 days ago)

My furnace filter sitting diagonally. — So my buddy Greg Ellis hits me up on Skype this morning and asks if I have time to “take a walk”, which is how we like to meet and discuss business. We both like exercise, and it’s a great way to get both the blood and entrepreneurial juices flowing. […]

Creating a Sheet Metal Bracket to Keep a Furnace Filter ...

This entry was posted in DIY Reference and tagged bracket DIY duct work furnace filter HVAC on January 4, 2014 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3991 days ago)

After installing insulating foam. — As we wrap up our Holiday vacation here at the Utah house, I’ve been tinkering with some home improvement projects (part of how I relax on vacation really is by fixing stuff). So today, I did two quick, cheap, and simple projects today to reduce the energy use of our […]

Two Cheap and Easy Water Heater Money Saving Tips

This entry was posted in DIY Reference and tagged DIY foam insulation tubes insulation plumbing save money water heater series water heater on January 4, 2014 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3991 days ago)

Hot water feed to humidifier connected! — The climate in Utah is particularly arid, both in the summer and the winter, and so I had my builder install a Lennox whole-house humidifier as part of our HVAC system in the Utah house. It helps keep us feeling comfortable at lower temperatures, meaning we save money on heating. […]

Installing a Water Pressure Gauge and Hot Water Feed to ...

This entry was posted in DIY Reference and tagged DIY ecobee hot water how to connect humidifier humidifier plumbing whole house humidifier on January 4, 2014 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3991 days ago)

This setting lets your Ecobee run the humidifier during heat, cool, or with the fan only. — In my original review of my very first Ecobee Smart Thermostat, I described how I had wired my Ecobee’s equipment interface to my whole-house evaporative humidifier at the Utah house. Because my furnace’s control board had a 24V HUM connector, I used that connector to help activate the humidifier. The […]

How to Wire a Humidifier to an Ecobee Smart Thermostat

This entry was posted in DIY Home Theater & Automation Reference Technology and tagged DIY ecobee how to how to wire humidifier to ecobee humidifier plumbing wiring on December 31, 2013 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3991 days ago)

As a follow-up to my previous post on home maintenance parts every homeowner should have in their house right now, I’ve put together this list of basic tools and supplies for any homeowner that wishes to attempt of basic home maintenance on their own. You may not believe me, but […]

Basic DIY Tools & Supplies Every Homeowner Needs

This entry was posted in DIY Reference and tagged DIY DIY tools homeowner project tools on December 29, 2013 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4009 days ago)

Buy replacement furnace filters in bulk to save money — As I’ve taught myself a number of DIY home maintenance tasks over the years, I’ve noticed a trend: things tend to break at the worst possible time. When did my water heater’s TPR valve fail and start to spray water in the basement? At 10PM… when it was too late for […]

Home Maintenance Parts You Should Have In Your House Right ...

This entry was posted in DIY Reference and tagged anode DIY filter fuse parts pieces replacement parts thermocouple valve water heater on December 29, 2013 by Steve Jenkins (updated 4006 days ago)

Small opening at the top of the faucet's trim — Some of my previous posts might make it sound like I’m bagging on plumbers. I’m not. I love plumbers! They bring drinking water and hot showers to my house, and take the poop away. But I will bag on plumbers (or any other “professionals”) when they do stuff wrong — […]

Is Your Shower’s Trim Ring Draining Properly?

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged DIY drain hole faucet Kohler plumbing shower trim on December 13, 2013 by Steve Jenkins (updated 3991 days ago)