In this audio podcast we comment on the most common tips for hurricane preparedness, add a few of our own, and then interview a Handyguys Podcast fan and hurricane veteran.

Hurricane Earl from the ISS, click to enlarge

For complete preparedness tips please check out these resources:
www.nhc.noaa.gov
www.fema.gov
www.ready.gov
wikipedia.org

 

Here are some tips The Handyguys discuss:

• Check gutters and downspouts, make sure they are functional and well attached.
• Put things like lawn chairs, garbage cans, recycling bins, and anything that could blow away in a secure location. Look around at your neighbors property too. Help them get cleaned up. Their stuff could blow into your windows.
• Trim dead limbs from trees
• Ensure your sump-pump is operational, consider a water powered or battery backup sump pump
• Ensure you have a working flashlight and that you know where it is
• Make sure your vehicle(s) are filled with gas
• If you have a generator - make sure its in working condition, test it. Make sure you have a supply of fresh gas and that you know how to use it (and how you shouldn’t use it)
• If you have a chainsaw – make sure your blades are sharp and you have gas/oil, etc.
• Make sure you have a battery or hand crank operated radio so you can get storm updates in the event of a power failure
• Make sure your garage door is latched closed (helps keep water out and secures somewhat better against wind). Don’t close the garage door if you are running a generator in the garage
• Make sure you have supplies of medications, water, food, etc. (If you loose power frequently how long is it usually out?)
• Make sure your cell phones are fully charged.
• Identify the safest room in your house. It would be a room with no windows or exterior doors.
• Turn your refrigerator to its COLDEST setting a few hours before the storm.

These aren’t all the things you need to do. That will depend on the severity of the hit in your area. Make sure you keep safe and follow all emergency instructions and evacuations if necessary.
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You can also track hurricanes in real-time with the map below:

Related shows:

1. Water Powered Backup Sump Pumps
2. How To Turn Off The Water In An Emergency
3. Avoiding Costly DIY Mistakes

Handyguy Vehicles, Air Conditioning and Mower Repair

We cover a lot of topics in this show. Should Handyguy Paul Trade in his pickup, why does a listener’s air conditioner leak and doing carborator work on your mower.

First up – Brian and Paul discuss if a handyguy needs a pickup truck. Brian says yes. Paul isn’t so sure. We all agree they are handy. They aren’t so practical when they get too old and repairs are costing you as much as a new car payment. Oh, and the fuel costs. So, Handyguy Paul is going to trade in his pickup for a sedan. Fortunately he can call Brian, who is keeping his truck, if he needs help hauling something.

Air conditioning leaks

The Handyguys then discuss a question posted as a response to our air conditioning troubleshooting show, episode 69.

My inside handler unit is constantly leaking water inside the closet. I’ve cleaned the lines that lead to the outside and also cleaned the pan and removed all the gunk that was accumulated. I even sprayed an a/c cleaner on the coils, which did not really look that dirty. After all that work, the a/c began to leak again thirty minutes later. The house is cool and the system seems to be working fine however the closet and filter are soaked. I’m frustrated and don’t want to call a company just to discover that it was something simple that I was not aware of. Please help.

Thanks, Nelson

Nelson, thanks for your comments and questions. The Handyguys discuss the situation in the podcast. Bottom line, Nelson, you will need to closely inspect to determine where the leak is coming from. Once you determine that you can fix the problem. Most likely you have a leak in the drain, a bad pump (if you have one) or a clogged line causing the pan to overflow. once you find the source let us know, we may be able to help you fix it.

Mower safety and carburetor repair

Lastly, The Handyguys address a question about mowers, carbs on mowers in particular.

I am really enjoying these podcasts, some really great tips. Just recently found this site and will eventually get caught up to your recent podcasts. One thing I would like to add to this podcast however is when you are working under the mower near the blade to remove clumped grass or to sharpen the blade (I use an angle grinder), disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug. You can actually start the mower by moving the blade out of the way. I am not missing any digits, but I know a few who have had close calls.

One question that I have is with the carb. I am working on a mower and did the standard tune-ups, plug, oil and air filter. I have a situation where the mower is idling really rough almost to the point of cutting itself off. Since my first go round with the tune up did not fix the problem, I am planning on removing the carb to attempt to clean it. Do you guys have any suggestions on cleaning the carb before I go out and buy a new one? I’ve replaced carbs on mowers before just never cleaned one. Thanks and keep up the good work.

David, Thanks for the kudos and the safety tip. As for your carburetor. Yes, clean it first. The Handyguys have heard great things about a product called Sea Foam for carb cleaning. Cleaning the carb is a great thing to try before going deeper into a repair.  If cleaning the carb doesn’t work then you will want to see if a rebuild kit is available. This will be cheaper than a replacement.

Related shows:

1. How to sharpen a mower blade video
2. Material Choices When Finishing A Basement
3. ZTR Mower Versus Tractor

The Handyguys discuss fixing that old BBQ grill that no longer cooks as well as it should.

Does one side of your grill heat better then the other?  Does it take a long time to cook your steaks on your outdoor grill?  Don’t go out and buy a new grill… a couple new grill parts is all you need.  The Handyguys discuss how you can fix up your grill and get it working like the day you brought it home.

In addition, the handyguys discuss grill accessories such as this handy stainless steel grill set.

The Handyguys also provide some tips for purchasing a new grill. Listen to the show for their thoughts.

As for Paul’s busted down grill, he had good success getting his new burner from www.grillparts.com*.  He liked the fact that they had a phone number with real humans that you could call for service or orders.  This demonstrated their desire to ofter decent customer service. Check it out and if you do purchase from them, let them know that you heard about their store from this podcast (when I talked to them they had never heard of podcasts before).

Here are some pictures of Paul replacing his burner with new parts.  This job took less then 1 hour. You can click on the picture to see it full size.

Essentially Handyguy Paul had three primary steps. Your grill may be different.

1) Remove grates and clean everything well

2) Remove Knobs, trim and gas valves

3) Swap in new burners and re-assemble

The grill now works as good as new. Last step is to clean the sink Paul.

*This is a personal recommendation from Handyguy Paul and not a sponsored or paid referral.

No related shows.

The Handyguys answer questions about Hot water heaters (or is it “cold water” heater?) and discuss basic water heater maintenance.

Please note: The Handyguys apologize for some technical difficulties which led to a broadcast with some snap, crackle and pops. We expect next week’s podcast to have this problem corrected.

Brian and Paul discuss the maintenance of your hot water heater. Everyone owns one but you don’t always get instructions on how to maintain the heater in your home. We just expect it to work and it usually does. However, every hot water heater will fail at some point and you will typically discover this one day when you have to settle for a cold shower. Even worse, you end up with water leaking all over your basement floor from the hot water tank.

The Handyguys own gas water heaters but much of what they discuss in this episode applies to both electric and gas water heaters.

What are the key components of a hot water heater? How do you maintain the heater? Are there maintenance tips to prolong the life of our heater and avoid the expensive plumber bill? The Handyguys discuss these basic questions in the first half of the podcast. In addition to basic water heater maintenance, a sad story about an electrocution caused by a faulty water heater is discussed.

The Handyguys also answer a couple listener questions about finicky gas hot water heaters with pilot lights that keep going out. Check out this weeks podcast on hot water heaters.

As always – you can click on a thumbnail image for a full size view. If you like our podcasts please consider shopping in our Amazon store for your next online purchase or support our advertisers. Thanks – The Handyguys

Related shows:

1. Replacing Water Heater Expansion Tanks and Ipe Decking
2. Repair a leaking water heater T&P and planning for a new deck
3. Exploding Water Heaters And Home Networking