We’ve got a 12 year old cedar deck that I’ve cleaned and refinished every year with an oil-based clear deck sealer from either Behr or ACE Hardware.\u00a0 Well, it got darker and dirtier every year until it looked like this:<\/p>\n
Recently, I found\u00a0Messmer’s<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>Wood & Deck Cleaner, Brightener and Sealer.\u00a0 These are great products (as you can see from the photo below).\u00a0 But, the problem is how to remove 12 layers of old oil-based deck sealer.<\/p>\n I tried sanding, but this doesn’t get into the cracks and the sander runs into the deck screws.\u00a0 I tried paint stripper, but this didn’t work either.<\/p>\n It was Clorox Outdoor Bleach (from Home Depot) that finally did the trick.\u00a0 We applied it by wetting down the deck, pouring a small amount of bleach into a small container and then using it with coarse steel wool.\u00a0 This of course requires a rubber suit, gloves and goggles.\u00a0 We rinsed the deck using a pressure washer running on\u00a0half\u00a0power, with a wide nozzle.\u00a0\u00a0 After two applications of the bleach, the deck looked like bare wood again.<\/p>\n At this point, we used the Messmer wood cleaner and brightener as directed on the containers.\u00a0 After everything was dry, we applied\u00a0Messmer’s UV Plus<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is what the deck looks like now.\u00a0 We cleaned it again in the fall as suggested by Messmer and it keeps looking just like this picture!\u00a0 It’s now 2011 and the deck still looks like this after I use the cleaner, brightener and sealer.<\/p>\n DeWALT Pressure Washer Performance Issues<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n For two years, I suffered with performance issues on my DeWALT DP2800 pressure washer.\u00a0 It has a Honda GX200 6.5HP engine.\u00a0 The typical symptom is that it runs fine for an hour or two and then stalls.<\/p>\n I talked to folks at a garden tool supply store and they convinced me that I had a plugged carburetor (due to old fuel or ethanol issues).\u00a0 Several times, I took the carburetor apart, cleaned it and found that the pressure washer would then run at full power for about two hours (3\/4 tank).\u00a0 I even bought non-ethanol fuel at a marina, but it didn’t help.<\/b><\/p>\n One time when it stalled, I removed the carburetor bowl and noticed that it contained\u00a0no\u00a0fuel.\u00a0 I then removed the sediment trap and saw that it also had no fuel.\u00a0 I took the gas cap off to make sure there was gas in the tank and the fuel started to flow!<\/p>\n The problem was a\u00a0plugged vent hole in the gas cap!<\/span>\u00a0 <\/b>There is a tiny vent hole in the center of the cap.\u00a0 It gets blocked when the inner part of the gas cap gets pressed against the outer layer.\u00a0 Separating the two layers with pliers fixed the problem.<\/p>\n The pressure washer has been running great ever since.<\/p>\n Send me a note if you’ve had the same problem.\u00a0 A friend of mine convinced himself that the machine was overheated and needed a rest — because it worked again the next day.<\/p>\n GE Profile Spacemaker 2.0 Microwave with Touchscreen<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n We’ve got a GE over-the-range microwave that started acting up.\u00a0 The controller would crash during the cook cycle with none of the buttons or touchscreen working.\u00a0 Cycling the power would make it work again for a day or so.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n I first unplugged and replugged all the connectors to the two main circuit boards.\u00a0 This made it work for about a week and then it went back to randomly stopping during the cook cycle.<\/b><\/p>\n The permanent fix was to replace both circuit boards — cheaper than a replacement microwave and a lot less work.\u00a0 I bought the circuit boards from\u00a0Appliance Zone<\/a>\u00a0a<\/b>nd they arrived the next day.<\/b><\/p>\n Here is the procedure for replacing the Controller and Relay boards.\u00a0 Start by disconnecting the power and then:<\/p>\n Remove the two screws on the top of the microwave. Remove the screw a the top of the touch-pad assembly. The Relay Board (WB27X10901) and Controller Board (WB27X10900) can now be easily replaced.\u00a0 Disconnect the cables and remove the four screws.<\/p>\n The microwave has been working well for over six months.\u00a0 So, it was worth spending the money on the replacement boards.<\/p>\n Stand Up Paddle Board Rack<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n I built at rack for our two SUP’s using 20 feet of 1 1\/2 inch ABS pipe, 8 Tee’s and 6 end caps.\u00a0 It was a fun project.<\/p>\n The rack is 44″ wide and 25″ high.\u00a0 The center-to-center spacing of the vertical pipes is 10″. Here are some things that I wish I knew at the time I needed them.\u00a0 Maybe they will be helpful to you. Cedar Deck Restoration We’ve got a 12 year old cedar deck that I’ve cleaned and refinished every year with an oil-based clear deck sealer from either Behr or ACE Hardware.\u00a0 Well, it got … Continue reading Odds and Ends<\/span> ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/gerdhoeren.me\/WordPress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/IMG_0655.jpg\")
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\nSlide the fan cover left and pull out.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nLift the touchpad up and out.<\/p>\n<\/a>
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\n<\/b><\/p>\n<\/a>Updated: January\u00a02017<\/i><\/small>\nContact: GerdHoeren at Gmail dot com<\/i><\/small><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"