Repair, Refurbish, and Install

Tools

I know how to use the following tools:

Propane torch for welding and soldering
Impact Driver
Power Drill
Hammer Drill
Wrench - socket and adjustable
Sander - orbital and disc
Staple Gun

Table saw
Oscillating saw
Pliers - locking and needle-nose
Stud finder
Wood chisel
Sheet metal snips
Multimeter
Wire stripper

Vise
Clamp - bar and C
Level
Heat gun
Angle grinder
Die grinder
Wet/Dry Vacuum ("Shop Vac")

Projects and Tips

Water Heater Installation

I replaced our water heater as it was leaking from the tank due to corrosion. The leak also damaged the wooden stand and caused the stand to lean.

Before

Verify water is not leaking from the drain valve. If leaking from the bottom of the tank, you will need to replace the water heater

After

Verify you are getting hot water and that the Temperature & Pressure (T&P) relief valve is not leaking. The earthquake straps, if required by municipal code, should be secure.

Garage Door Opener

I replaced the garage door rollers on the grey track, the garage door opener, and the garage door safety sensors. I also added new laser parking assist sensors.

Smart Home / Security System

I use CoRE rules like this one to create automation rules that connect the devices together.

Please visit the programming projects page to learn more about the programming aspects that allow the hub to understand custom devices.

Instead of paying monthly for a security system from a company, I built my own.

A/C Repair

I have replaced our capacitor and circuit board to get the A/C working. We do not use the A/C except in cases of extreme heat or cold so we did not notice it had stopped working for a while.

If your A/C unit is not starting, open the maintenance panel and see if the capacitor is bulging, swolen, or leaking. If that is the case, the capacitor is bad and it needs to be replaced. The capacitor is high voltage so make sure to safely discharge it with a properly rated 1000 Ohm resistor and to turn off the power supply to the A/C unit. Make sure to order the exact same type of capacitor based on the label. The capacitance, voltage, and type should match.

If the capacitor looks fine, check the fuses on the main power supply for the unit and the timer circuit board. If a fuse is blown, you will need to replace it.

Galaxy S7 Smartphone Repair

This smartphone was out of warranty and the battery was visibly swollen so I replaced the battery myself. This was different from my last few smartphone repairs as the Galaxy S7 internals are not as easy to access. You need to use a heat gun to remove the adhesive that holds the back glass panel in place. Although I took these pictures for reference on the carpet, that is not where I did the repairs. I highly recommend doing any smartphone modifications on a table or surface, especially one where you can use the heat gun.

Heat the back panel with heat gun or hair dryer but not too much as to not damage device

Carefully remove the back panel

Unscrew the components covering the battery

Pry the battery using a wedge tool

Recycle battery at nearby facility

Connect the new battery

Put components back into place

Reseal back panel with heat gun or hair dryer and test the device

Washer and Dryer

Our washer stopped working so I replaced both the washer and dryer which were over 20 years old.

Due to limited space I got vent elbows which prevent crushing and maintain full airflow in the limited space. I used flexible dryer pipe to connect the elbows.

These are the flexible connectors I used for the washer.

The dryer vent light was on so I cleared the vent of dust using a ladder, a wet & dry vacuum and a dryer duct cleaning brush kit.

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