Paul’s Hardware Blog

Mouse season is here again and I am fighting the battle at my house.  It all started about a week ago when I got home late and was confronted, almost at the doorstep by the most un-afraid mouse I have ever seen.  We had sort of a mini standoff.  The mouse, unmoving, looked up at me with his defiant little beady eyes.  It stared at me for a few seconds before it sort of squeeked and slowly went behind the stove.  I knew I had a problem.  If you see one you can be sure there are many more.

 We sell every mouse and rodent control product imaginable.  I have experimented  with all  of them. 

Poisons

I am not a big fan of poison.  We have always had pets and almost all rat poisons will hurt animals if they eat the dead rat  or mouse.  Every time I have ever used a poison I have had an odor problem.  I know they all say they have ingredients that will prevent odors but they have never worked for me.

Sonic Rodent Control devices.

We used to sell these in the store and we will order them if someone really wants us to but I don’t think they work.  We sell a lot of bird seed and have fought the mouse battle for years at the store.  When the sonic devices first became available I set them up all over.  One night I came in and a mouse was sitting on one.  I guess he liked the warmth. That pretty much ended sonic traps for me.

Live Catch Traps

I am sorry.  The logic of live catch traps just escapes me.  I dont want to catch them, I want them dead.  Rodents have been the enemy of humans since the beginning ot time.  A pretty tough enemy too.  Remember the plague.  I just saw a show on the History channel talking about rats attacking babies.  No thanks.  I want them gone.

Snap Traps

These work Pretty good.  I have found that the best bait is a snickers bar.  I don’t especially like snap traps since they are messy.  I had a  rat once that did’nt die right away and had a  BIG bleeding problem on a snap trap.  That was not fun to clean up.

Glue Traps

These work.  I dont like them though.  Last time I used one I walked in the door and heard a pitiful squeeking sound.  There was this little mouse completely stuck staring up at me with his sad little black eyes.  What do you do with a mouse on a glue trap.  There aren’t any good options.  I mean, do you just throw it away.  How long will it live – until it starves to death.  That doesn’t sound like a good option.  One of my neighbors drowns them.  It worries me a little bit.  He seems to enjoy it too much.  I eventually just started putting them in a zip lock bag and throwing it away.  That seemed to be the most humane way to do it. 

Victor Electronic Rat Trap.

 

This is my favorite of all rodent remedies.  It takes 4 C cell batteries.  You put a little bait (A small piece  of snickers bar works best) in the back of it and sit it next to a wall.  The rat or mouse will go in to get the bait and be electrocuted.  A light flashes to let you know there is a dead mouse inside.  You just dump it in the garbage and put the trap back in place.  I caught five this week.

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I wanted to give an update on my quest to retake my yard.  I sprayed all of the broad leaf weeds with a Fertilome weed killer.  The wild violets and clover had to be srayed twice before they really started to die. 

 You can see a big bare spot where the clover was.  I am trying to be particulaly vigilant waith my fertilization and pre-emmergent applications in that area.  The are still some grassy weeds that I have to work on.  Some of them I will just dig up.

Unfortunately I have a pretty good crop of what to me is the one of the worlds worst weeds.

I will post on that battle soon.

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I made another skirmish in the battle to take back my yard today.  I sprayed the weeds with Fertilome Weed Free Zone.  I will put up the results in a few days.

As I was mixing the herbicide solution I decided to do a little experiment.  You know, anything to put off  actually doing the work.

We always recommend that our customers add a surfactant (High Yield Spreader Sticker) to their herbicide mixtures.  A surfactant breaks the surface tension of the solution being sprayed and allows it to stick to the plant better.

Notice in the picture above that the sray beads up and a lot of it runs off.  Only a small part of the leaf is actually in contact with the herbicide.

Notice that in this picture the solution sticks to the leaf without beading up.  All of this leaf is in contact with the herbicide.

I finally got the yard sprayed after I took these pictures and put up the camera.  Some strange looks from the neighbors though.  I guess it did look strange.  Spraying leaves and then taking pictures of them…

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I had to drive 30 miles to deliver a trimmer last week.  It is a long story but we messed up on a special order.  It wasnt the customer’s fault so I thought I should deliver it myself and apologize. 

They had a really nice yard.  They had a couple of trees that I had never seen before.

  The customer told me that they were Magnolia acuminata or Cucumber tree.  I looked it up and found that they are common in the north but arent often seen in the south. 

Anyway, I thought they were interesting.  I apologize for the pictures. I didnt have my camera and had to use my phone to take them.

 

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There is a controversy right now about whether or not the ethanol in our fuel supply is hurting the small engines on outdoor power equipment.

There have been news stories talking about the problem.  Ethanol supposedly causes a breakdown of some parts and also releases built up sludge in the fuel system.  Everything gets clogged up.  The gas companies claim that as long as the percentage is low there wont be a problem.

I don’t know which side is right.  We do have a product that will prevent the problem though.  It is a pre-mixed gas and oil that contains no ethanol. 

The only catch is that it costs a good deal more than mixing it yourself.  I think it is worthwhile for people who have a small yard and don’t use a lot of mixed fuel.  The shelf life is about 2 years.

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Ok,  so you have all heard about the Cobbler right? You know, the part about his kids having no shoes.  So I’m sorta feeling like the cobbler when it comes to the condition of my yard.

On of the things our store is most known for is giving gardening and lawn care advice.  We take classes, go to seminars and read trade publications all of the time.  So I know how to have a virtually weed free yard.  Guess what?  This is a picture of my front yard.  It wasnt always like this.   A few years ago there wasnt a weed to be found anywhere.

So how did I get to this point.  One year it was the drought,  then last year I was so entangled in the Springville disaster that I didn’t have time for anything else. 

I have really felt bad about the conditon of the yard.  After all if  our customers saw it they wouldn’t think I had a clue about weed control.  I am getting strange looks from the neighbors too.  I am afraid the lady across the street is about to come over and start pulling.  She once emptied my mailbox for me when she thought there was too much mail in there so it is a possibility.  It is time to get it done.

Over the last few weeks I have decided that I am not the only one in this predicament.  Many of our customers have asked how to get a yard that has been let go back into shape.  I thought that I would share the process.

The first thing I an going to do is get rid of the bulk of the easy to kill weedsand prevent new weeds from germinating.  Since the weather is still not too hot I am going to spray with Fertilome Weed Free Zone.  It is the best weed killer I have ever used.  It wont get everything though.  There isn’t any one product that will do that.  Next I am going to put out a Fertilome granular fertilizer and weed preventer.  That will help the grass (Zoysia in my case) get healthier and fill in the gaps left from the dying weeds.  It will also keep new weed seeds from germinating.

It takes time to completely get rid of all the weeds in a yard.  There are many different varieties that require different treatments.  My plan is to start with the simple and move to the more complex.  I will share the steps along the way. I have sprayed with weed free zone today.  I will take another picture in a week to show the difference.  Then we will look at the weeds that are left and how to control them.

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I got a lesson today in the common problem of overlooking the obvious.  It is so easy to make something that is  simple complex.

The church that I go to is over 140 years old.  Sometimes keeping a building of that age in good repair is a challenge.  We are always working on something.

This winter our utility bills have gone up dramatically.  I am not talking a few dollars, they have almost doubled. We have had this come up at our last two monthly meetings.  Many different ideas have been discussed.

We decided the meter was defective.  The company checked.  It was fine.  We thought maybe someone was coming in and adjusting the thermostats. I didn’t think this was too likely.   We had insulated a few years ago so we didn’t think that was the problem.  We never could come up with a good answer.

Today, I was walking around the building looking for fire ant beds to destroy with Results fire ant killer,  when I noticed some dried leaves blowing out from behind the air conditioning unit. 

No wonder the bills were high.  It isn’t completely clear in this picture but there is an inch and a half gap in the duct leading into the building.  It was putting out a lot of air.  I went in the building and almost no air was coming out of  the vents.  So we have been heating the great outdoors all winter.

It never occured to me to actually go and look at the unit.  I made the simple complex.  What really got me to thinking was the realization that this isn’t an uncommon occurence. I do it all of time. From now on I am going to try to remember, when trying to solve a problem, to start with the simple.

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OK.  I normally don’t do house calls.  Not to actually fix anything anyway.  We go out all of the time to look at lawns and plants with problems.  Every once in a while though, something interesting comes up that I can’t pass by;   especially if it is for a nice customer and presents a challenge.

One of our customers has a limestone fountain ( 30 – 40) years old that was broken in three pieces.  She had purchased it on a trip to Florence (Italy, not Alabama as I thought at first) and the cost to replace the bowl was prohibitive. I don’t remember if it was hit by a tree or frozen.  She asked me if I could find someone to fix it.  I asked everybody I could think of but they all just sort of smiled and slowly shook their head no,  in a way that just screamed “ARE YOU STUPID.  THAT CANT BE FIXED.”  Not a good sign.

There were several problems:

1.  Nobody was willing to try to fix it since a good long term result was doubtful.

2.  The fountain was about 4 feet in diameter and made of carved limestone.  It was heavy.  The limestone was also soft. Pins and anchors would tend to pull out.

3.  The fountain sat in the center of a 12 ft circular pond that was about 4 feet deep.

So I decided I would try to fix it.  Smart.

Note to Mr. Mountain Brook Business license inspector:  This was done as a fun project to help a nice customer.   No costs of material, fees, delivery  or labor were charged.   

Mr Business license inspector and I have met before.

So anyway I decided to fix this fountain. 

I guess at this point it becomes obvious why I am not in the handyman business.  I had great intentions.  I went and got the broken fountain pieces to test glues.  I ordered a book on working with stones.  Then I put the pieces of the fountain in the back room of the store for a year.  I thought about it from time to time.  Especially in the middle of the night as I sat bolt upright thinking of all the things I had put off.  Fortunately, she was very patient. 

Finally, when I got the courage to face her again I decided to get serious about this project.  I called one of the local stone companies and convinced the owner to tell me how he would fix it if he were dumb enough to try.  He suggested this super duper high strength epoxy made especially for bonding limestone.  It cost $50.00 a quart.  I thought hmm, this must be some good stuff.  So I ordered it. 

When it came in,  I decided to do a trial run with the pieces before we went to the actual site.  I very carefully mixed in the hardener and applied it, clamped the pieces together and waited.  When I took them apart they immediately separated leaving a thin sheet of the epoxy glue.  Not so Good.  “Moisture”, said the manufacturer.  Not a complete impossibility since it had been under water for forty years. 

So I was back at square one.  I am really beginning to worry.  All of my ideas have failed and even though the customer was patient there is a little edge to her voice now when she calls to see, “how it’s coming.”

What am I going to do.  I have to glue 3 heavy things together that have been soaked in water.  That is when I looked at the shelf of Gorilla Glue in the paint department.  I hopefully read the instructions.  Stone okay. Moisture not a problem.  Sounds good.  But could a 5 dollar bottle of glue really fix this fountain when my high tech special order epoxy failed.  I decided one way or the other I was going to glue that thing together.  It might last a minute or a day but I was going to get it done.

The first problem was how to get to the fountain.  I got a 2×12 pressure treated board 15 feet long from one of my buddies with a lumber yard.  We attached two 2×4 peices to the bottom of it for support.  This made a good walkboard. We still were pretty tight but at least we could get to the fountain without getting wet. 

The next problem was how to clamp the pieces together once we applied the glue.  The outside of the bowl was irregular and I couldn’t think of anything to use to hold it in place.  We finally decided to use a ratcheting strap placed around the center of the fountain to pull everything together. We applied the glue, tightened the clamp and stood back.  Everything was holding.

The only thing I didn’t take into account was the fact that Gorilla Glue expands as it dries.  I should have brought plastic sheeting to put under the fountain but I didn’t.  We got a few drops in the pond.  If you look to the left of the Lilly Pads you can see a film on top of the water.  I got a spoon and dipped out as much as I could while she was distracted.  To my knowlege no plants or fish were affected. 

So I left with high hopes that everything would hold.  The next few days I would anxiously call to see if everything was still together.  We did this late last summer and so far it is still holding. 

So if you have a tough gluing job I can recommend Gorilla Glue.

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It seems like everyone is trying to tighten up on spending these days and it has gotten me to thinking about painless ways to save money.  You know, things that don’t really affect your life style.   Here are six random things I thought of:

Fix Leaking Toilets

It is amazing the amount of water that can be wasted by a leaking toilet.  Toilets usually leak for two different reasons.

 

Defective toilet fill valve.  This valve fills the tank after the toilet is flushed.  When they go bad they usually just run continuously.  They aren’t hard to change.  Probably 20-30 minutes.  I think that the supply line feeding the toilet should be changed at the same time.  The total product cost would be under $15.

 

 

 The most common leak culprit on a toilet is the flapper valve.        The flapper lets the water flow from the tank into the bowl when the handle is pushed.  It is designed to stay open long enough to let the tank empty before closing.  Flapper valves are made of rubber and become brittle with time.  They are easy to change and cost under $5.  It is common to hear the fill valve cycle on and off when a flapper is leaking.  To check for a leaking flapper, put dye in the toilet tank.  Do not flush.  Wait a few hours and check to see if the dye has gotten into the bowl.  If it has the flapper is leaking.

 

It is amazing how much fixing a leaking toilet can save.  It is not uncommon for a leaking toilet to waste several hundred gallons of water a day.  I had 2 leaking at my house.  After I fixed the leaks my water bill dropped $40 the next month.                                                                                                                                       

Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

Compact Fluorescent bulbs or CFLs really offer a serious saving over the standard incandescent bulbs.  A 20 watt CFL puts out the light that a 75watt incandescent bulb would.  The makers of CFLs also claim that they have a longer life.  I haven’t necessarily found that to be true.  I think usage patterns have a lot to do with longevity. 

The early CFLs didn’t produce a particularly pleasing light.  It was a sort of blue color.  The new ones are much better.

 

Electricity is priced per kilowatt hour.  1000 watts usage for one hour.

We pay around 10.8 cents per kilowatt hour.  So if we compare the cost for 100 hours of use for a standard bulb and a CFL we find that the standard bulb will cost 81 cents and the cfl will cost 21 cents

Fix Leaking Faucets

There is nothing more annoying or costly than the drip of a leaking faucet.  Most faucet leaks are easy for the homeowner to repair.  The only problem is that there are hundreds of different types of faucets.  

Washer and Seat style.

Stem                      Seats

 

              

These are usually the older faucets. They are also sometimes some of the best.  They work when a stem (part the handle is connected to) presses a rubber washer onto a seat to stop the flow of water.  Stems, seats, washers and other parts are easily replaceable on most faucets.  The best way to match them up is to bring in your old stem.

Washerless faucets are not usually hard to repair either.  They work in different ways but usually have replaceable parts.  Again the best way for us to match them for you is to bring them in.  Some of these are always easy to take apart.  If you have trouble, come by and we will show you how on our Demo faucet.

 

Install a Programmable Thermostat

 

If your house is not occupied for a period of time during the day you may be able to save a few hundred dollars a year by installing a programmable thermostat.  They usually cost between $30-$60 depending on the model you get.  The more expensive ones are capable of more elaborate programs.

These aren’t always easy to install.  If you aren’t careful, it is easy to damage your heating system.

 

Insulate Your Doors and Windows

 

 

Any place you can stop air infiltration will really help lower your utility bills.  It really isn’t difficult or expensive to stop up leaks. 

 

 

Check all of your doors and windows for drafts.  Doors are especially prone to have gaps at the bottom.  Door bottom strips  are made with a piece of soft rubber at the bottom to stop leaks.  Be sure and check garage doors too.   There is special weather stripping made for the sides and bottoms for them.  Basements and garages, while not usually heated; still should be made as weatherproof as possible.  Stand in a darkened basement during the day and look for light coming in from outside.  Anywhere you see light you will have an air leak.  Large irregular gaps can be filled with expanding foam like Great Stuff.  It really does expand though so be sure not to use too much.

 

 

It is impossible to tell how much all of this will save.  It depends on the condition of your house to begin with.

Insulate Your Hot Water Pipes

If your pipes past through basements, garages and other unheated spaces you can save some money by insulating them.  Rigid foam pipe insulation with adhesive slits is the easiest to use.  This doesn’t save a huge amount ($50 – $200 a year) but it adds up.  If your water heater is more than 5 years old it will also help to use an insulating blanket on it.  The newer heaters have enough insulation that they don’t really need any additional.

Another thing I really like about insulating the water pipes is that I don’t have to wait as long for the water to warm up when I turn on a faucet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have had about six people come into the store today with Christmas light problems.  Most of them just had blown or missing bulbs but a few had blown fuses.

Most modern light sets are “string to string” sets.  You can plug the next set of lights into the end of the previous set.  There are warnings on the box that tell you to only run a certain number of sets this way.  The is to prevent the overloading of the wire the sets are made of.  As you increase the number of bulbs the current increases.  If enough sets were run together the current could get high enough to be dangerous.  To protect against this situation fuses are in the plugs of each light set.  If the current gets too high the fuse blows.  This is almost always caused by plugging in more than the recommended number of sets.  So if you have blowing fuses in your lights check to make sure there aren’t too many sets plugged together.

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