One of the best little tools that I have found to help keep your mulched areas looking fresh and new is the “Garden Weasel”.  Yes the Garden Weasel.

Depending on how long you have had the mulch and how much color it may have lost will depend on how often you would need to use the Garden Weasel to spruce up the area.  What the Garden Weasel does is simply turns the mulch over and exposes the nice darker mulch from underneath while at the same time keeping the distribution of the mulch within the area even.  Because you are just running lightly over the mulch this tool is simple to use and just about anyone can do it.  The best part is that the Garden Weasel costs less than half of what a single yard of New Mulch would cost and gives you the ability to keep your mulched areas looking fresh and new all year long.  Depending on the quality of mulch you purchase the Garden Weasel could extend the life of your mulch for up to two years.  If your like me and need about 8 yards of mulch to complete the job, that comes up to almost $1000.00 in savings over a two year period!!  Good luck with all of your gardening and lawn care this spring and with some simple time and money saving tips you will hopefully have time to sit back and enjoy.

Caldo’s here to give you a virtual hand with all of your home projects. Send me questions at caldo@davezillion.com

DZ

Often times we pick up products and are not sure if we can install them correctly but think, “it can’t be that hard”.  Well, it usually isn’t!!!

Here are some quick tips to take into consideration when attempting to mount that Flat Screen TV you just picked up:

* Your comfortable completing projects like mounting pictures and shelving

* You have an electrical outlet available close to the mounting site

* You have experience using the following tools (power drill, measuring tape, stud finder, lag bolts or “EZ Anchors, etc.)

* Ensure that the mounting bracket that you purchase is compatible with your new Flat Screen.

There are several types of mounting brackets out on the market these days and you will have to decide what type is best for your application.  The expense of these mounting brackets can range anywhere from $60.00 – $500.00 depending on whether or not you want your TV flush mounted or have the ability to extend and rotate the TV.

These are just some quick tips.  If you need more information or if you have picked up some experience and want to share your own tips, post a comment or send me an e-mail.

Caldo’s here to give you a virtual hand with all of your home projects. Send me questions at caldo@davezillion.com

DZ

If you own or have ever just used a computer, it’s not to hard too sympathize and completely understand what the maniac in the video above was going through.  Just a short time ago, I was the closest I have ever come to pulling a Kung Fu Panda on my computer.  I went to check my e-mail, as I do every morning, only to find nothing but a black screen.  I first thought I had lost power and the computer was off, but that was far from the truth.  Once I realized the computer was still on and I had pressed a few of the buttons including the old stand combo of (CNTL/ALT/DEL) without any response, I began to worry.  Considering that I had no blinking arrow, no blinking hourglass, and not even the ”blue screen of death” sighting some sort of “Fatal Error” I knew that my PC was not in good shape.  Not having time in the morning to even consider making the call to the manufacturer, I headed off to work only imagining what I was in for once I found the time to tackle this issue.  The only thing that was providing me with a little peace of mind up to this point was the external back up hard drive that I installed about a year ago.  That night I set aside some time to call the support line.  I had checked my original paperwork prior to making the call to ensure that I still had an active warranty, which I did.  After about ten minutes of waiting to get through to someone, I was connected with a support technician.  He walked me through multiple steps of re-booting the computer, but still had no luck.  He then, verbally walked me through removing the side panel on the computer exposing the internal contents.  The technician the directed me to the hard drive and after a few tests he concluded that the hard drive had more than likely crashed and that we would need to install a new one.  He asked me if I thought I would feel comfortable if they simply sent me a new hard drive and I installed it myself with their assistance, or should they plan to send someone out to install it.  My first thought was to have them do the whole thing considering that it was all under warranty, but then I thought if they were willing to take the time to teach me how to do it, I might as well take them up on the opportunity and learn something throughout this ordeal.   So, we agreed to reconnect after I receive the new hard drive which was expected to arrive within the next 2 -- 3 days.  The package arrived on time and I was able to reconnect with the same technician I had originally spoken to.  Again he verbally directed me to open and expose the internal parts of the computer.  He took me step by step through the process of removing the old hard and installing the new one.  After that was complete he assisted me in re-installing all the necessary software and drivers.  By about 2:30 AM my computer was back up and running and seemed to be running much better than it had it the recent past. 

Don’t get me wrong,  this was a very long and tedious process and several times throughout it I was ready to throw in the towel and request that they send someone out.  But in the end I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment in the fact that the computer was back up and running and now I am a lot more knowledgeable when it comes to PC maintenance and repair.  Whenever the opportunity presents itself for you to learn something new you should take advantage of it.   I would now feel confident in the future working on my own computer or assisting some one else who might be in need of some minor PC Maintenance.

Caldo’s here to give you a virtual hand with all of your home projects. Send him questions at caldo@davezillion.com

DZ

 The Tool of the Week that I am featuring this week is the Pressure Washer, also known as a “Power Washer”.  A Pressure Washer can be one of the most useful tools you can ever own.  There are countless uses for the Pressure Washer.  Whether or not you own your own home, own a condominium, rent a home, or live in an apartment there is usually some task that needs to be completed that could be made easier and end with better results, when utilizing a Pressure Washer.  There are two different types of Pressure Washers.  The Pressure Washer can be found in either an electric model or gas powered model with a wide range of the amount of pressure generated by the pump.  The higher the PSI rating the more powerful the unit.  Each one has their benefits and depending on the needs of the consumer will guide you to which model would be best suited for your needs.  The electric model will be easier to use and usually smaller and lighter weight, where the gas powered model will be larger but will more than likely be much more powerful.  The following are just a few jobs made easy with a Pressure Washer: 

• Cleaning Vinyl Siding
• Cleaning Plastic Resin Chairs
• Deck Washing
• Car Washing
• Cleaning the Barbecue
• Cleaning concrete patios and walkways

Those are just a few of the applications for a Pressure Washer.  Once you get your hands on a good pressure washer, I guarantee you’ll find more uses for it than you thought possible.

Caldo

DZ

Most people at some point in their lifetime have had the need to get a little higher than their given legs will allow.  When that need arises, often times they find themselves reaching for the trusty old Step Ladder.  Chances are at some point while on that ladder the caution statement “Do not to step on the top step” was read.  More often than we would like to admit, that caution statement was ignored just to get that extra ten inches higher.

Whether or not we want to believe it, most of the safety tips and caution statements on the tools that we use are there for a reason.  As was just demonstrated by the Einstein in the video, when completing projects on our own, we need to be conscious of our own limitations and the limits of the tools that we are using.

Caldo’s here to give you a virtual hand with all of your home projects. Send him questions at caldo@davezillion.com

DZ

I was recently reviewing some of the “Get a Hand” posts from the DaveZillion community on the “DaveZillion.com” site.  I came across a post where a person was requesting some help with some day to day activities and some advice because he had recently blown the engine on his car.  Well, within the post he goes into detail about how he had recently changed the oil and oil filter in his car and forgot to check and ensure that the gasket from the old oil filter was not still in the housing on the car.  This story really seemed to hit home with me, as I drifted back in time to my teenage years and I recall a huge blowout in the front yard between my brother and father.  As you could guess, the argument was about my brother changing the oil filter in his brand new “USED” car and did not know to ensure the old oil filter gasket was removed before installing the new filter and gasket.  When he started the car, after what he thought was a job well done, about two or three quarts of the new oil blasted through the gap of the two gaskets and covered about six square feet of the driveway.  Of course he had no clue what could have caused this to happen, until my father calmed down and explained to him what had gone wrong.

As many of my previous posts state, we are in financial times that lead many people to taking on certain tasks that they may have not done for several years or may have never attempted, but are trying now to save a couple of bucks while still maintaining their investments.  After reading the DZ post to get a hand, I thought that changing your own car engine oil may be one of those things.  I also thought that based on the content of the DZ post and my previous experience, it may not hurt to pass on a little hint and advice to prevent this from happening in the future to anyone who may read this post.

Every car oil filter comes with its own gasket.  This gasket is meant to create a seal between the filter and the housing it fits into to ensure that the oil flows freely between the car and the filter without leaking.  Whenever changing the oil filter you must ensure that the old filter gasket has been removed.  If it is not removed the two gaskets will cause the oil to leak excessively and possibly cause severe damage to your car if not identified immediately. 

I have attached a video I found on “youtube” to help identify the gasket I’m talking about.  The video also gives a helpful hint to keep the gasket from sticking in place once the filter is being removed and the car is prepared for a new replacement.

If this is something new for you and you’re attempting this new task for the first time, I hope this provides some good advice to help keep you from causing some serious damage while trying to save a couple of bucks.  If you’re an old veteran like me, who has been changing oil for decades, I hope it acts as a reminder that unless we double check our work sometimes we can end up with an oil spill we didn’t count on!!!

Caldo’s here to give you a virtual hand with all of your home projects. Send him questions at caldo@davezillion.com

DZ

I was with one of my neighbors recently helping him move a desk into his daughter’s room.  While in the room I noticed a tall floor lamp that was laying on the floor in two pieces.  I asked my neighbor what had happened to the lamp and his response was exactly what I didn’t want to hear.  He said “Oh that, I got that for the girls about five years ago, lucky it lasted this long.”  Well, you could have imagined my response to that statement..  I took a quick look at the lamp and saw that it was comprised of a base, two stainless steel poles that screwed together and a fancy lighting structure at the top of the top pole.  It was clear that the threads of the area where the two poles connect were completely stripped.  Not knowing how this lamp had been handled over the past five years, I still think the threading should have lasted longer than this.  With that being said, it is still no excuse for tossing it and purchasing a new one when it could be a simple repair.  At a closer look it appeared that four small stainless steel self tapping screws would do the trick and not compromise the look of the lamp.  I explained to my neighbor that all he needed to do was place the lamp poles back together and in the center where the meet he could secure them together with the four self tapping screws.  Well, it just so happened that I had the hardware down at my house.  We made four small pilot holes where we were placing the four screws (ensuring the holes are smaller than the screws).  Next we secured the two poles together with the matching screws, stud the lamp up, and plugged it in.  All set, the lamp was fixed.  My neighbor saved about $125.00 and got the satisfaction of fixing it himself and “PROTECTING HIS INVESTMENT” 

Let the DZ community know what types of things that you have repaired on your own recently instead of tossing it and buying new.

Caldo’s here to give you a virtual hand with all of your home projects. Send him questions at caldo@davezillion.com

DZ

It’s always nice when you can find the time to not only mow the lawn but also have time left over to take out the Gas Line Trimmer “Weed Wacker”.  So, when you have and take the extra time to clean the lawn up nice, there’s nothing worse than having the line on the trimmer snap off in the middle of the job and you’re stuck with taking the head off the trimmer and re-stringing the line.  The only thing worse that having to do it once, is having to do it three or four times turning a 15 minute job into 30-45 minutes.  Well, I have two pieces of advice to hopefully help with this annoying issue that we all want to keep to a minimum:

       *  Make sure that you are using the thickest line gage that is appropriate for your make and model of trimmer.  You can usually find this in the users manual.  (if you have misplaced your user’s manual and need to find a replacement for assistance, please refer back to a previous Blog entitled “Protecting Your Investments” @ http://blog.davezillion.com/?p=418.  The thicker the gage of the line, the more durable that it is going to be when connecting with something other than the grass or weeds you’re aiming for.

       *  This next tip deals with a little more skill and feel.  Whenever you’re near anything abutting the grass you’re attempting to trim, try to lay off the throttle a little.  If you cut down on the RPMs of the line speed it is less likely to break when coming in contact with obstacles.  I have found that this technique is most useful when dealing with areas such as fence lines, stone walls, or the foundation of a structure.

If you have any other tips that you want to share with the DZ community, send them in and I will post them.  We can all use some helpful hints that can assist with our home lawn care.

Caldo’s here to give you a virtual hand with all of your home projects. Send him questions at caldo@davezillion.com

DZ

Black and Decker Laser Level 

The tool that we are featuring this week is the Laser Level.  The laser level is one of those tools that once you purchase it, you can’t believe stuff got done around the apartment or house without it.  There are all different types on the market.  Some can be mounted on a tripod or simply sit on a counter while others can be mounted directly on the wall.  The one that we are featuring this week is a wall mounted model.  This laser level has multiple functions.  It can be utilized as a stud finder.  It also measures distance electronically and displays a horizontal and vertical laser line.  One of the best features of this model is that it is self leveling, which means it takes the guess work out of the picture and possibility of making mistakes when attempting to manually level the tool like so many other models.  The uses for this tool around the home are endless.  This laser level could be used to assist in hanging pictures, installing a chair rail, installing wall tile, hanging curtains, putting up crown molding, installing cabinets and the list can go on and on.  For a tool that is so versitile and will help you get the job done right the first time, the cost is definitely on the lower end.  A simple wall mounted model can start as low as $20.00.  The cost for the one featured today will run you just under $100.00.  For either $20 or $100 the peace of mind that you’re getting the job done correctly and not having to look at that crooked picture is definitly worth it. 

If you have a laser level that you can’t live without, post a comment and let the DZ community in on some of the uses you have found most helpful.

Caldo

DZ

Let’s face it, in today’s day and age we live in a culture with a throw away mentality.  So many of us pick up a new cell phone every year, a new computer every two years, a new barbeque grill every three years, and we are lucky if we keep a car for more than four years before trading up for a new model.  Is it that the products just aren’t made the way they were in the past or is it just easier throw away the slightly used and go out and buy (or put on credit) the newer model.  Well, I wish I had the answer to that but I don’t.  But, the one thing I do think I know is that maybe the tide has turned some considering today’s financial situation.  People are looking to protect and care for the products that they have purchased and are moving away from the toss and replace concept.  Well, if you ask me, the step back move to maintaining and caring for, instead of replacing, the stuff we own is long overdue and the generations that have preceded us would be proud. 

Considering that this may be a new concept to some, I will be dedicating many upcoming blogs on “Protecting Your Investments”.  We will review and discuss manufacturer recommendations, simple care processes and possibly some little tricks to help us keep our investments operating and or looking like new longer than we ever thought.

I’ll start with a multitude of different products, from kitchen counters and appliances to outdoor lawn equipment and tools for winter snow removal.  Send me any suggestions at any time and I’ll dedicate a blog to discuss what your concerned about.  Chances are, if you have some questions about product maintenance than others do to.

To start, I’m going to leave you with a web site that I had come across recently that is a great resource for finding nearly any product manual that you more than likely may have lost, misplaced or simply thrown away.  ( www.managemyhome.com ) 

Please, e-mail me any suggestions to discuss and together we’ll keep your stuff looking and running like new.

Caldo’s here to give you a virtual hand with all of your home projects. Send him questions at caldo@davezillion.com

DZ