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Recharging a Vehicle's Air Conditioning System

Have you ever been in a car during the hot summer and turned the AC on just to find that it never seems to chill the air? Sometimes, with age, a vehicles air conditioning system needs to get a boost. Here is how you can do it yourself.

Air conditioning systems in vehicles operate at high pressures. A failure to properly service the AC system can lead to injury. These instructions are intended to be used as advice only, always follow the manufacturer's instructions when possible and proceed at your own risk.

Instructions with photos submitted by Andrew Schenk

A Full AC System is a Cold AC System
Most AC system problems can be traced to one or more of three likely candidates:
  1. Low refrigerant level due to age
  2. Low refrigerant level due to leak
  3. Bad AC compressor
If your car's air used to blow cold and very gradually over the years has had diminishing effect, then your car probably falls into the first category and just needs a refrigerant refresh. However, if it seems you have to recharge the AC system annually, there is a leak in the system that should be repaired. If your car's AC compressor is bad, no amount of refrigerant will help, you are in for some costly repairs.

Since anything beyond the first category is beyond most backyard mechanic's abilities, and due to the inherent dangers of novices working with AC systems, we will stick with a simple recharging of the AC system. If a simple recharge does not fix your AC problem, then take it to a shop that is properly equipped to service AC systems.

Which Type of Refrigerant?
If your vehicle was made prior to 1994 its AC system probably uses R12 refrigerant (commonly called Freon-12). R12 was banned due to its damaging effect on the ozone layer. Later vehicles use R134a refrigerant which is CFC free and does not harm the environment as the older R12 did. If your vehicle uses R12 refrigerant you will most likely not be able to legally recharge the system. You must be EPA certified to handle R12 refrigerant and, due to its lack of manufacturing, R12 is extremely expensive. Not all is lost, however, as there are R134a retrofitting conversion kits. These kits are not usually cheap as they replace most of the AC system, but will allow you to keep your cold air.

If your vehicle takes the common R134a refrigerant, then you can recharge the system yourself. You will need to buy a couple of things from an auto parts store:
  • One or more cans of R134a refrigerant
  • A recharge kit
  • (Optional but highly recommended) a recharge kit with a pressure gauge

When recharging the AC system, you need to make sure the system has the correct pressure; too low and the AC compressor may not run, too high and the can of refrigerant you are using to recharge the system can explode in your hand! To take the guesswork out of how much refrigerant to put into your system it isn’t a bad idea to get a Smart Charger that costs about $40.

How the AC System in Your Car Works
Here is a summary of how a vehicle AC system works.
The Compressor is the heart of the AC system. It compresses and pumps refrigerant that is in its gas form. The compressor is driven by the car's drive Belt but also has a Clutch to disengage if the compressor is not needed even when the engine (and belt) is running. You can sometimes hear an audible click coming from the front of your car when it is running (especially when idling), this noise is probably the clutch activating the AC compressor. The pressurized gas refrigerant is pumped to...
The Condenser, I component very similar to the car's cooling system radiator. In fact, in most vehicles, the condenser is located directly in front of the radiator. The gas refrigerant expels its heat in the condenser and turns into liquid refrigerant by the time it reaches the bottom of the condenser. The liquid refrigerant is now pressurized as it travels towards...
The Evaporator. The evaporator is very similar to the condenser. The liquid refrigerant is warmed by the air in the car and boils (refrigerant has a very low boiling temperature). As the refrigerant turns into a gas, it sucks heat from the car's cabin, cooling it in the process. The evaporator also acts as a dehumidifier, thus on humid days when a vehicle's AC has been running, you will often find water dripping from under the passenger side of the vehicle. This is condensation and is perfectly normal.
An Accumulator is found on many AC systems. Its primary function is to store liquid refrigerant and make sure only gas refrigerant gets to the compressor. An AC compressor is designed to compress gas, not liquid, so if too much liquid refrigerant gets to the compressor, it may be damaged.

Instructions
1. Find Your Low Pressure AC Valve. Every AC system has a low pressure and high pressure side. The low pressure valve will be on the hose that goes from the accumulator or evaporator to the compressor. The high pressure valve will be on the hose that goes from the compressor to the condenser or the condenser to the evaporator. The low side valve is the blue cap in the picture. Follow the instructions that come with the smart charger for hooking it up to the proper valve. In this case, the smart charger's valve won’t fit in the high pressure AC valve, so if it isn’t fitting right, you’re messing with the wrong hose! (Fig. A)
2. Install the Included AAA Batteries into the smart charger as shown. (Fig. B)
3. Start the Vehicle and Turn the AC to Max. It also isn’t a bad idea to roll down the windows so the compressor won’t shut off.
4. Once the Vehicle is Running and the smart charger is on, hook the blue hose of the smart charger to the low pressure valve. Press and hold the black button for a second or two and then release. The smart Charger will now diagnose your AC system. Consult the instructions that come with it for what to do if certain lights come on. (Fig. C)
5. If the White “Low Charge” Light Illuminates after diagnosing the system, shake a can of refrigerant and while the car is still running and the AC is still on, screw the can into the base of the smart charger. (Fig. D)
NOTE: MAKE SURE NOT TO TIP CAN UPSIDE DOWN, refrigerant will leak out. You should wear gloves and eye protection as refrigerant can cause frost bite in seconds.

6. Once the Can is Attached, squeeze black trigger for 15 seconds and then release to rediagnose the system.
7. Periodically Check the Vents to feel if the air is getting cooler.
8. If After the First Can of Refrigerant, the air isn’t any cooler, consider consulting a professional. It should take about 1 minute to empty a 12 oz can of refrigerant.

Summary
  1. Find the valve on the LOW pressure side of your AC system
  2. Turn on your car and set the AC to MAX
  3. Attach the smart charger to the LOW pressure valve
  4. Press the black button on the smart charger to diagnose the AC system
  5. If the system is low, screw a bottle of refrigerant into the smart charger
  6. Hold the black button for 15 seconds, then release to diagnose the AC system; repeat until the AC system has a proper charge

Conclusion
Although repairing a car's AC system is probably far out of the scope of the DIY, he or she can recharge a system low on refrigerant. It would be wise to purchase some sort of charging kit that has either a digital or analogue gauge to prevent over charging the system. If you are still having problems, or find that you need to recharge the system frequently, then take the car into a shop equipped to work on AC systems. They can add dye to the refrigerant to help find any leaks and fix any other problems.

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Installing Ceramic Tile

I love tile floors, the technology is ancient and passes the test of time; there are tiled floors that have survived thousands of years. They look great, feel solid and are easy to clean. Tiling our kitchen floor during our remodel was a natural choice for us.

The steps below outline the way we installed our porcelain ceramic tile. These instructions are intended to be used as advice only, always follow the manufacturer's instructions when possible.

Before beginning laying tile, have you considered installing backer board over the subfloor?

Selecting and Purchasing Tile
Before a single tile can be installed it must be purchased. Sounds simple, right? It is simple if you know what to buy. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when purchasing tile for your renovation project.
  • Size of the tile
  • Type of tile
  • Color of tile
  • Tile layout plan
Remember to purchase floor tiles; floor tiles are thicker and provide better traction than wall tile.

The size of the tile depends on the size of the room it will be installed in. If the tiles are too small for the room the percentage of grout lines to tiled floor could become too high and create a distracting pattern. On the other hand, tiles that are too large for the room can also look out of place. If you are not sure what size tiles you want there are a few things you can do that will aid your decision:
  • Ask an employee at a tile shop or home improvement center for advice
  • Look at other tiled rooms or rooms with vinyl floors with tile patterns
  • The most common tile size for most medium sized rooms will be about 12"
  • Smaller rooms, such as bathrooms, usually have 6" - 12" tiles
  • Large rooms with lots of open space can have 17" or larger tiles
While you are deciding on what size tile you want you should also plan the tile layout. The layout options are only limited by your creativity. The most common and the simplest layout is the grid design. You can also take the grid layout and rotate it 45 degrees so that your tiles run diagonally across the floor. Yet another popular layout is offsetting the tiles much like the layout of a brick wall. In addition to designs using one type of tile, you can incorporate boarder tiles, different colored tiles, or tiles set 45 degrees from the surrounding tiles.

We decided to use the simple grid pattern because it matched the simple country look we wanted for our new kitchen.

After finding the perfect tile at the perfect price at a home improvement store, we put the 1/2+ ton of tile, mortar, and grout in the back of our truck and drove home, eager to finally have a real floor in the kitchen.

The Layout
You want the tile to be centered and run square to the room. It will be noticeable if it is off center or is not square to the room.

1. Measure Along One of the Walls and find the center point. Mark this point, then do the same with the opposite wall. When you have the two points marked, snap a chalk line between the points, essentially dividing the room in half. Do the same with the other two walls. You should now have two chalk lines running perpendicular to each other and intersecting in the center of the room.
2. Dry Lay a Row of Tiles along each chalk reference line. Keep in mind to leave a gap between the tiles the same distance you want your grout line thickness to be. We used 1/8" plastic tile spacers (sold at hardware stores) to ensure an even gap.
3. Adjust the Reference Lines as needed to best center the tiles in the room.
Material List
  1. Tile - you should have 10% more than you need (i.e. if you are tiling a 300 sq. ft. area, you should have 330 sq. ft. of tile on hand).
  2. Thinset mortar - Use gray if the grout will be dark or white if your grout will be light.
  3. Grout - There are many color options.
  4. Grout Sealer
  5. Silicon Caulk
  6. Wooden Board

Tool List
  1. Level - We used a 4' level.
  2. Goggles - When cutting tile
  3. Respirator - When cutting tile
  4. Knee Pads - You will definitely want these!
  5. Tile Cutter - For making straight cuts along the entire length of a tile.
  6. Wet Tile Saw or Angle Grinder with Diamond Cut-Off Wheel - For making non-straight cuts.
  7. Clamps - For holding tile while cutting it.
  8. Rubber Mallet
  9. Tile Spacers
  10. Sponges
  11. Clean Rags
  12. Rubber Grout Float
  13. Notched Trowel - For spreading thinset mortar
  14. Chalk Line - For making your reference marks.
  15. Tape Measure
  16. Large Bucket or Pan - to mix mortar and grout in.
  17. Caulk Gun - For caulking the perimeter of the room after the tile is laid.
  18. Mortar and Grout Mixer

Installing the Tile
The chances are astronomically high that at some point you will have to cut a tile to fit a space. I will discuss that later in this post, but for now I will guide you through the process we used to lay our tile floor.

1. Mix the Thinset Mortar in a large pan or bucket with water until it is the consistency of thick, creamy peanut butter. 2. Start at the Center (where our new chalk reference lines were) and work in one quadrant of the room at a time. Spread some mortar onto the floor with the notched end of your trowel. There should barely be any mortar in the valleys created by the notched trowel. You should spread it so that the notches create even rows. 3. Firmly Place the First Tile down. Start laying the tile out, using the spacers in between them, being careful to keep the tiles lined up with each other. Clean any mortar that oozes out in between the tiles. 4. Use a Board and Rubber Mallet to Set the Tile once you get several tiles laid in an area. Place the board across several tile and hit it with the mallet. Do not strike too hard or else you may end up cracking a tile, you only need enough pressure to ensure the tile is firmly set in the mortar. 5. Once all the Full Sized Tiles have been installed, it is time to start cutting tiles to finish the job.

*We laid all the full size tiles in one quadrant of the room and then cut the odd sized ones to finish the quadrant before moving on. I ended up being the tile cutter and my wife was the tile layer. Having these roles helped the work flow smoothly and accurately.

*We still had a problem with one area of the floor that had a high ridge. When we installed the backerboard we tried to smooth this high spot out as much as possible by using additional mortar. We had to do the same thing with the tile. It actually worked very well and that spot which was once noticeably higher than the surrounding floor is all but a foregone memory.

Cutting the Tile
There are two basic types of cuts, full length straight cuts and irregular cuts. The fastest and easiest way to make the full length straight cuts is to use a tile cutter. This tool scores the tile and then snaps it along the score line. After looking at the outrageous prices to buy a wet tile saw and the moderately high price to rent one, I decided to try a different method for cutting the irregular shaped tiles. I purchased an inexpensive ($14) diamond cut-off wheel that fit my 4 1/2" angle grinder. This worked perfectly and for a tiny fraction of the cost of a wet saw!

Most of your cuts will probably be straight cuts to get a thin piece of tile to fit between the wall and the last full tile. Luckily, these are very easy cuts to measure for:
  1. Line up and place a full size tile on top of the last full tile in the row.
  2. Place a tile vertically against the wall.
  3. Place another full tile on top of the tile from step 1, but move this tile over so one of its edges is flush against the the vertical tile.
  4. Using this tile as a guide, draw a line on the tile from step 1. This is your cut line.
  5. Use the tile cutter to score the tile along the line and then snap it. The piece you cut will fit perfectly!
  6. Use a file (you can find specialty ceramic tile files at most hardware stores) to remove the sharp edges from the cut.
At first, I had a difficult time making irregular cuts in the tiles. I tried using tile nippers and some other tools without any success. Finally I got an idea; I went and found a diamond cutting wheel for 4 1/2" angle grinders. I purchased the cheapest one with the thought of testing it; I figured if it did not work well I would only be out $14. To my pleasant surprise it worked great!
  1. Using a tape measure and pencil, measure and mark the part of the tile that needs to be cut.
  2. Clamp the tile to a work surface. I placed two small pieces of plywood across two saw horses. Having two pieces of plywood allowed me to use a clamp between the plywood pieces to hold the rear of the tile down.
  3. If the cut lines are straight, cut along one line with the grinder, then rotate the tile and cut along the other line(s).
  4. If you need to cut a semicircle shape out of a tile, you can make cut multiple straight cuts to remove the bulk of the semicircle. Then use the tip of the diamond wheel to form the circle's edge.
Make sure you are outside and wearing old work clothes and eye, ear, and respiratory protection. Since this is not a wet saw, there will be a LOT of dust and most of it seems to end up all over you!

The Tile is Installed, Now What?
Your back and knees are probably sore from all the hard work, so take a 24 hour break, you have earned it! Soak your knees and get a back massage.
Let the tile set overnight (at least 8 hours, we waited longer) so the mortar has enough time to fully set. Avoid walking on the tile for this time.
The next step is grouting the joints.

The Next Step: Grouting the Joints (See, I told you so)
Break time is over! We were exhausted after installing the ceramic tile in our kitchen and breakfast nook. We started early the morning of July 4th (it is nice having the day off work) and worked till midnight. We then had to work most of Saturday as well just to finish laying the tile. The last thing we felt like doing was getting back on our knees to do the grout, but it is the last major step of installing tile.
  1. To ensure an even color, mix all the grout together at once. It should be the same thickness (like peanut butter) as the thinset mortar mixed earlier.
  2. Apply the grout by spreading it over the tiles with the rubber grout float held at a 45 degree angle. The grout should flow into the joints and fill them and the rubber grout float should keep the surface of the tile relatively clean. Do not grout the outside perimeter of the room where the floor and walls meet.
  3. Run the rubber grout float over the floor again to clear any grout that is not in a joint. Make sure all the joints are full of grout.
  4. Use an old tooth brush or other small brush to shape the grout.
  5. Wait 20 minutes, then wipe the tiles off with a damp sponge. Have a bucket of water handy to keep the sponge moist.
  6. Let the grout cure for a week to ten days. During this time it is safe to walk on the floor but try to do as little as possible. The grout will be especially susceptible to staining at this point.
  7. After the grout has cured, apply grout sealer. There are several methods of application, we chose to purchase an inexpensive applicator which is nothing more than a small bottle with a little wheel that controls the flow of sealant. Read the instructions on the sealer for directions.
  8. Apply silicone caulk around the outside perimeter of the room. I found it helpful to use painter's tape to tape off the floor and wall to make cleaning excess caulk an easy task.
  9. Once the grout sealer and silicone caulk have dried you can mop the floor with specialty tile cleaner to remove any trace of grout or dust from the installation. Repeat a few times.
Summary
  1. Make reference lines in the room to aid in laying the tile evenly throughout the room.
  2. Spread a bed of mortar and lay tiles keeping an even space between them.
  3. When all the full sized tiles are laid, cut tiles to fill the remaining spots.
  4. Wait at least 8 hours before grouting the joints.
  5. Mix your grout.
  6. Spread the grout over the tile floor making sure to work the grout into the joints.
  7. Use the grout float to clear excess grout from the face of the tiles.
  8. After 20 minutes, wipe the remaining grout off with a damp rag.
  9. Let the grout cure for 7-10 days.
  10. After the grout has cured, apply grout sealer to the grout lines.
  11. Apply silicone caulk to the perimeter of the tile installation.
  12. After the grout sealer and caulk have dried, mop the entire floor several times (allowing enough time inbetween for the floor to completely dry).

Conclusion
At last, we finally had a real floor to walk on! It was worth the time and effort to tile these rooms ourselves. Our total cost for laying almost 300 sq. ft. of porcelain ceramic tile was right around $600. That included all the materials, supplies, and tools. I only lost two tiles during the whole install, so we have two or three full boxes of tiles in a closet that we can keep in case we ever need to repair a section of the floor.

And of course, a couple of photos of the finished floor:

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Install Backer Board Before Laying Tile

My wife and I were remodeling our kitchen and decided to tear the old vinyl floor out and replace it with ceramic tile. Before laying tile, we had to install backer board over the subfloor. Read on to find out how we installed some Hardiebacker board in preparation for our tiling project.

The following instructions are how we executed this procedure. How-To Matthew always recommends following the manufacturer's instructions when possible.

Why Install the Backer Board?
When installing ceramic tile any type of floor except concrete, it is recommended that you first install some sort of backer board, whether that back board be cement, Hardiebacker, or Durock, you need an additional layer to keep the floor rigid enough to support the tile. The backer board will also protect the underlying floor joists from moisture.

We decided on using Hardiebacker board purchased from our local Lowes. It comes in 3'x5' sheets with a fastening grid stamped on one side. Ee purchased enough to cover 300 sq. ft. (about 8% more than we needed).

Procedure
1. Mix Some Thin Set Mortar to peanut butter consistency. Use latex or acrylic thinset mortar.
2. Using a Trowel With 1/4" Notches, spread the thinset mortar on the subfloor. The "valleys" of mortar created by the notches should have just a thin coat of mortar covering the subfloor. Using the notched trowel will ensure a flat and even application of mortar.
3. Position the Hardiebacker Board on the Bed of Mortar. Make sure there is an even bed of mortar underneath the board. Leave a 1/8" gap between boards (you can use tile spacers for this).4. Screw the Board Down while the mortar is still wet. With the Hardiebacker board's stamped screw pattern, knowing where to fasten the board was quick and easy. If your board does not have a pre-stamped fastening guide, put screws or nails evenly spaced about 6"-8" apart. One full sheet of 3'x5' board takes 54 screws.
A Note on Screws: HD self-drilling corrosion-resistant ribbed waferhead screws are recommended due to their self counter-sinking head that ensures a flush install. I found regular 2" coarse thread drywall screws, which can be purchased much cheaper in bulk, worked just fine as long as you made sure the head of the screw was flush with the backerboard. In high moisture applications (i.e. showers) I would use the recommended fasteners for their added corrosion resistance.

Make sure the seams of the boards do not line up with each other, in other words, do not make a simple grid where four corners meet. Offset the pattern to where only two corners ever meet.

6. Fill Any Low Spots in the floor or if the floor is slightly out of level, you can use a bit extra mortar to even the surface out. You want as flat of a surface as possible, especially if you are laying large tile!
7. Tape and Mortar the Seams with 2" wide high-strength alkali-resistant glass fiber tape.

Summary
  1. Apply a bed of mortar.
  2. Position the backer board over the mortar and screw or nail in place.
  3. After the entire floor is covered, tape and mortar the joints.
Additional Tips
To cut the backer board, use a carbide tipped knife to score the board. With the board well scored, snap it along the score.

Traditional cement board can contain asbestos and even the newer types of backer board that do not contain asbestos are still dangerous if you inhale dust particles. This is why you should cut the boards outside if possible and avoid using any cutting method that creates dust, like sawing.

If you have to cut a lot of board, you can use a carbide blade in a circular saw but be sure to wear proper eye, ear, and respiratory protection!

If you have never tiled before, working with the backer board and mortar is good practice for the upcoming job!

Conclusion
Here is our kitchen and breakfast nook before and after the Hardiebacker board was installed. At this point they were ready for the tile!
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Replacing Spark Plugs

To keep your car's engine running efficiently, the spark plugs and, if necessary, spark plug wires, should be changed at their maintenance interval. Old and worn out spark plugs lead to weak combustion which robs your car of power and fuel efficiency. Depending on what vehicle you drive, doing a spark plug job can be anywhere from easy to difficult.

Always follow the factory recommended maintenance interval found in your owner's manual when servicing your vehicle.

Instructions and photos courtesy of Andrew and Peter.

The Patient
The car featured in this spark plug how-to article is a 1999 Nissan Altima, the same one as can be seen here. This car has four spark plugs located on the top of the engine, making this one of the easiest spark plug jobs you will ever find!

Before you begin you will need to gather the tools and parts necessary to change the spark plugs. In this case we will need:
  • Four spark plugs for this vehicle (OEM/NGK recommended)
  • Dialectic Grease
  • Anti-Seize Compound
  • Spark Plug socket (a spark plug socket has special padding to protect the porcelain section of the spark plug)
  • Ratchet with long (at least 6") extension
  • Spark Plug gap tool (wire loop type recommended for platinum plugs)

1. Clean the Area around the spark plugs so that when the plugs are removed no dirt or debris will get into the engine.
2. Pull the Spark Plug Wire Boot straight up and off the first spark plug. You may have to twist it back and forth while pulling up to free the boot from the end of the spark plug. Always make sure that you pull on the boot and NOT the wire! (Fig. A)
3. Insert the Spark Plug Socket and remove the spark plug. (Fig. B)
4. Clean the Spark Plug Wire Boot with a clean rag. (Fig. C)5. Gap the New Spark Plug to the specified gap (0.042").
Note on gapping spark plugs: If you have "Double Platinum" type spark plugs you need to be very careful when gapping them. You can very easily break the platinum tip off the ground electrode!

6. Apply Anti-Seize Compound to the spark plug threads. This will keep the spark plugs from getting stuck in the engine. (Fig. D)
7. Install the New Spark Plug. Start by fully seating the spark plug into the spark plug socket, this way the socket will hold the spark plug and prevent it from falling and bending the ground electrode. Once it starts to thread properly, tighten it to its proper torque rating (between 14 and 22 ft. lbs.). If you do not have access to a torque wrench, tighten the spark plug to where you have to start putting a little bit of force into the wrench, then another quarter to half turn. It should not be over tightened and 14-22 ft. lbs does not require much effort when using a ratchet. (Fig. E)
8. Apply Dialectic Grease to the spark plug wire boot. (Fig. F)9. Install the Wire Boot by pressing it firmly down onto the spark plug.
10. Continue Until All the Spark Plugs Have Been Changed. Work on one plug at a time to avoid mixing up the spark plug wires.

Summary
  1. Remove spark plug wire boot from spark plug.
  2. Remove old spark plug.
  3. Gap new spark plug.
  4. Apply anti-seize to spark plug threads.
  5. Install new spark plug.
  6. Apply dialectic grease to spark plug wire boot.
  7. Install spark plug wire boot.

Conclusion
The reason replacing spark plugs on this car is so easy is due to their easy accessibility. On other vehicles, especially 'V' type engines (i.e. V6, V8) the spark plugs can be difficult to reach. If you have a V6 front wheel drive car you will be able to reach 3 of the 6 plugs without a problem, but the other 3 will be hard.
Changing spark plugs is one of those iconic jobs that comes to mind when a "tune-up" is mentioned. In this case it was a quick, easy, and inexpensive job and was worth doing.


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Rain Barrels

Tired of high water bills in the summer from watering your lawn and garden? Here is a simple way to harness rain run-off and put this water to work for you!


Collecting Rain Water
People have been collecting and storing rain water for a very long time, so why is it we, as a society, have become complacent with our rain collecting activities? Perhaps the wide spread use of exterior garden hoses, sprinklers, and cheap, treated, municipal water have spoiled us. If you are getting tired of paying precious money on watering the garden, like I am, and want to be a better steward of our natural resources, then read on to find out one solution to the problem.

What is a Rain Barrel?
A rain barrel is quite simply a barrel designed to catch and store rain water. There is no definite form that a barrel needs to take to be a "rain barrel," in fact, it does not even have to be a barrel! The simplest form of a rain barrel would be a bucket placed under a gutter downspout, but some rain barrels can be much more complicated and expensive.
Most rain barrels will have at least one of the following characteristics:
  • Large enough capacity to hold several gallons of water
  • A spigot, faucet, valve, or other similar way of emptying water from the barrel
  • A screen or mesh and a lid to keep debris and mosquitoes out of the barrel
  • An overflow tube to divert water away from the house's foundation
There are pre-made rain barrels and rain barrel kits available commercially, but it is not difficult to make your own, so in the spirit of How-To Matthew, I will show you how I made my first (of hopefully several) rain barrels.

Constructing the Rain Catcher
One of the fun aspects of designing and making your rain barrel is that you have a tremendous amount of freedom. Design your rain barrel however it best suits your needs and wants. I personally decided to try to make this rain barrel with only using scraps and spare parts I had sitting around the garage.

Getting the Barrel
Potentially the hardest part of this whole job is finding a good barrel. Large 55 gallon plastic food barrels are possibly the most sought after container by rain barrel makers since they will not rust like steel drums, did not contain any dangerous chemicals, and can sometimes be had for really low prices. I found my 55 gallon plastic barrel on craigslist for $25. You could also try businesses or industries that use these plastic barrels to see if they will sell their empty ones to you (or even better, give them away for free). Some best bets are water treatments plants, bottling companies (soft drinks), food processing plants, and car washes.

Here are the steps I took to create my rain barrel. Feel free to copy these steps, improvise as you see fit, or come up with your own unique set of steps.

Step 1. Rinse the Barrel Out and let it dry. You do not actually have to let it completely dry, but since I will be inside of the barrel shortly, I decided to let it dry. (Fig. A)
Step 2. Drill a Hole Towards the Bottom of the Barrel. I drilled the hole slightly smaller than the diameter of the faucet I was going to install. I positioned the hole a few inches up the side of the barrel. Too low would have caused a problem with the rounded edge of the barrel and too high would obviously decrease the usable amount of water I could get from this gravity-fed system. (Fig. B)
Step 3. Cut the Top of the Barrel Off. I only had to do this since the top was fused to the body of the barrel. I ended up cutting the top off about an inch under the lip, then I cut another couple of inches off the main body to allow the lid to fit down into the barrel. The lip on the lid is wider than the widest part of the main body, so the lid will not fall into the barrel. (Fig. C)
Step 4. Cut a Large Hole in the Lid for the screen. I accomplished this by first drilling several 3/4" holes and then using a reciprocating saw to finish the hole. (Fig. D)
Note: When cutting these plastic barrels with a reciprocating saw, use a metal cutting blade, it will work much better than a wood blade.

Step 5. Prepare the Faucet. You can see how I laid mine out before hand in Figure E. #1 is a spigot I salvaged from some old iron pipe stored in my garage. #2 is a female adapter that came with the spigot. #3 is the male piece of pipe I cut from the bottom of a kitchen faucet that was taken out during a renovation. #4 is a plastic washer/nut from the same kitchen faucet. As you can see in the photo, I have prepped the threaded male portions of the pipes by wrapping them in teflon tape. (Fig. E)
Step 6. Assemble the Outer Portion of the Faucet and then install the faucet into the barrel. I assembled parts #1-3 (from the step above) and then installed that into the hole I drilled in the side of the barrel. Since the hole was ever so slightly smaller than the threaded pipe, I had to screw the faucet into the barrel. This will effectively tap the plastic and will add to its water tightness. (Fig. F)
Step 7. Complete the Faucet Install by tightening the inside nut (part #4 from step 5). Before I installed this plastic nut, I applied some caulk to it, but I'm not sure the caulk did anything since it is old and never seemed to set properly. Oh well, the fixture is still water tight! (Fig. G)
Step 8. Prepare the Base where the rain barrel will sit. I made a raised platform out of cinder blocks and scrap pieces of lumber. You want it high enough off the ground to get a watering bucket under the spigot since this whole system relies on nothing more than gravity to work. (Fig. H & I)
Step 9. Route the Gutter Downspouts to Empty into the Barrel. This step is really easy if the rain barrel is directly under the downspout, however, in my case, the HVAC unit for the house is in the way. I chose the location because this is where two downspouts meet and the old downspout went straight into the ground. I started by cutting the lower portion of the downspout off (Fig. K) and then had to buy an elbow piece of gutter to help direct the water. After the elbow was installed I reinstalled a straight section from the portion I cut off previously. (Fig. K)
I then took a break from gutters to finish the barrel.
Step 10. Install the Barrel, Lid and Screen. I chose to attach the screen by laying it over top the hole in the lid and caulking it in place. I also attached a couple scrap pieces of wood to help fasten the screen. In my case though, I was using that old caulk that never seemed to fully harden and adhere, so I may have to go back and redo that portion, but for now it works.
Step 11. Install the Downspout Retaining Clip. I used some left over flexible metal strapping to create a clip to hold the end of the downspout that would empty into the barrel. (Fig. L)
Step 12. Connect the Gutter Downspout to the Barrel using a 10' length of black, flexible tubing (cost under $5 at the hardware store). One end of the tube goes through the clip I made in the previous step and the other end is slipped over the last straight portion of the gutter downspout. (Fig. M)
And it's done! Here is a view of the completed project.Sure, it is not pretty, but does it work?
It works very well in fact! A couple of days after I had installed the barrel we got a brief rain shower. It only took about twenty minutes of a steady rain to fill the barrel to where it was over flowing. We now have water that is perfect for watering plants since there are no harsh chemicals in the water. This water is also good for washing cars; I washed my truck and used about 15 gallons of this water to give it a good rinse. That is 15 gallons of water that we do not have to pay for and more importantly, it is 15 gallons that do not have to be treated, transported, and released far from its original source.

To aid the aesthetics of the rain barrel, I am thinking of planting some ivy or vines that will grow around the barrel. You could also construct a privacy fence to screen the barrel from site, or, if you are lucky enough to find a large wooden barrel, no decorations may be needed.

In the finished photo, you can see that I have attached a short length of hose to the spigot. You could also hook up a soaker hose to your rain barrel to give a garden a constant and steady source of water. Like I mentioned earlier, you are king (or queen) when it comes time to designing your rain water collection system!

Economical
My total cost break down:

Plastic 55 gallon barrel: $25 (found on www.craigslist.org)
Gutter Elbow: ~$2 (Lowes)
10' Flexible Black Irrigation Pipe: ~$5 (Lowes)
Everything else: Free
Total: $32


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Extension Cord Reel

Here is a quick tip if you hate dealing with a tangled extension cord any time you try to do yard work with an electric tool: make yourself a cord reel.



We had an old garden hose reel which was being unused so I fed the female end of a 100' long extension cord through the reel's axle and wound the rest of the cord up. When the time comes to use our electric weed eater, it is simply a matter of unwinding the amount of cord we need. And the best part? When the job is finished all you have to do is reel the extension cord back in. That's it! No more extension cord tangle.

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Basic Lawn Mower Tune Up

With Old Man Winter yielding to spring, the season of yard work is upon us. One of the universal lawn care jobs is mowing the grass. It would be wise to do a simple tune up before you bring your lawn mower out of the garage or shed were it was blissfully hibernating.

Since there are several different lawn mower engine manufacturers, and each manufacturer has multiple engine models, you may have to slightly modify the tools and parts needed from the ones used in this tutorial. However, all 4 cycle lawn mower engines are very similar, so the steps of the walk through should still be of value.

Basic Lawn Mower Tune Up
There are three basic lawn mower tune up tasks:
  1. Changing the oil
  2. Replacing the air filter
  3. Installing a new spark plug
A fourth maintenance item that is infrequently needed may be sharpening or replacing the blade. I will only be covering the three common tasks outlined above.

Tools and Materials Needed
  • 3/8" square drive or appropriate wrench/socket to remove oil drain plug (if equipped)
  • Catch pan for used oil
  • Small funnel
  • Appropriately sized wrench, large pliers or channel locks to remove old spark plug
  • Anti-Seize thread compound
  • Dialectic grease
  • Screwdriver and/or wrench to remove air filter
  • New air filter (consult your lawn mower manual for part number)
  • New Spark plug (consult your lawn mower manual for part number)
  • New engine oil (consult your lawn mower manual for type and amount of oil)

Walkthrough
Step 1
Pull the spark plug wire boot off of the spark plug. The spark plug should be mounted in the front of the engine. This will insure that by no means the engine can accidentally start and turn the blade while you are working underneath the lawn mower.

Step 2
If your lawn mower is equipped with an engine oil drain plug, tip the mower on its side to access the plug. It is helpful if the gas tank is empty. If you are not sure if your lawn mower has an oil drain plug, tip it on its side and look at the bottom of the mower. You should see a ring of bolts, these attach the engine to the mower body and are not drain plugs. If there is a single plug, probably with a square hole in it that a 3/8" drive socket fits, this is most likely the drain plug.
If the lawn mower does not have an oil drain plug, remove the oil dipstick and slowly turn the lawn mower over so the oil drains into the catch pan, then skip to step 4.

Step 3
This step helps if the mower is on higher ground than the catch pan. A simple way is placing the catch pan in the street and having the mower on the curb above it and some bricks, lumber, or anything else on the other side of the catch pan.
With the catch pan in place and the mower on its side, loosen the drain plug (1). Before the plug is about to come out, slowly return the mower half way to it upright position so that you can still reach the drain plug underneath the mower, but the plug is over the catch pan (2). Remove the drain plug and lower the mower so it straddles the catch pan (3). It will probably help the oil drain faster if you remove the oil dipstick from the top of the engine.

Step 4
Let the all the old oil drain out, then replace the drain plug (if equipped) or return the mower to its upright position.

Step 5
Place a small funnel in the oil dipstick tube and slowly pour the correct amount of new oil into it. When the correct amount of oil has been used, secure the tube with the dipstick - the oil change is done!

Step 6
Use a wrench, large pliers, or channel locks to remove the old spark plug.

Step 7
Apply a little anti-seize compound (found at auto stores) to the threads of the spark plug. Then, install the spark plug.
Step 8
Apply a bit of dialectic grease (found at auto stores) to the inside of the spark plug boot. Push the boot over the end of the spark plug until it seats itself - the spark plug change is done!
Step 9
Remove the air filter housing by removing a screw, bolt, or any fastener that holds it.

Step 10
Remove the old air filter and, if necessary, clean the inside of the air filter housing.

Step 11
Install the new air filter into the housing, and then install the housing to the engine - the air filter change is done!

NOTE: If your air filter is the foam only type (as shown in these photos), you must spread motor oil onto it. After the oil soaks in, wring it out until no more motor oil will come out.


Always remember to properly dispose of used engine oil. Most auto parts stores will recycle the oil free of charge as well as some recycling centers.

With that simple tune up, your lawn mower should be ready for another season of cutting the grass!

Procedure Summary
  1. Drain the old engine oil into a catch pan
  2. Pour new oil into the oil dip stick tube
  3. Remove the old spark plug
  4. Apply anti-seize to the threads of the new spark plug and install it
  5. Apply dialectic grease to the inside of the spark plug boot and install it
  6. Remove the air filter housing and the old air filter
  7. Clean the housing and install a new air filter
  8. Reinstall the air filter housing onto the engine
Caring For Lawn Care Equipment
It would be wise to maintain your lawn mower and other lawn care equipment by giving them tune ups at their respective service intervals. Usually, that means once a year in the Spring, before the major yard work season begins.

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Tool Review: DeWALT DW304PK Reciprocating Saw

Reciprocating saws, sometimes called sawzalls (a trademark of the Milwaukee brand), saws alls, recipro saws and sabre saws, are great tools for construction and demolition.

By no means am I a professional tool reviewer. This is a review from an "average Joe" for all the DIYers out there.

Description
Since the saw can change blades, reciprocating saws can be outfitted to cut through just about any material, including wood and steel. This makes them very handy in demolition work where wood planks with nails or screw must be quickly cut.


So How Good is the DeWALT DW304PK Reciprocating Saw?
Priced right around $100, the DW304PK is DeWalt's entry level saw. It comes with a nice carrying case and an instruction manual. I have to admit that I toss most tool cases into storage because I find them to be, for the most part, junk, but I really do like this case. It is large enough inside to fit the saw with a long blade installed and the cord without trying to figure out how they managed to get it all to fit from the factory.
The DeWalt DW304PK is, for the most part, a fairly basic saw, but it does have some nice features:

10 Amp motor
4 position blade clamp
Tool-less blade changes
Variable speed trigger
7 lb. weight


Motor
The DeWalt's 10 Amp motor is powerful enough to cut through everything I have used it on so far. There have only been two times the saw has struggled, once when I was using the saw to quickly "disassemble" an old couch that I did not want to carry down a dangerous flight of stairs and once while cutting through a thick trunk of a shrub. The reason the saw struggled on the couch was because some of the fabric got caught in the blade clamp and started to clog the saw. The saw struggled on the trunk because the trunk was just too thick for the blade. Neither of those examples were the fault of the saw, but were my fault in the use of the saw.

Blades
Two of the features I really like about this saw regard how the saw uses blades. The first is its keyless blade clamp. Changing the blade is extremely easy and fast. The second blade feature is the 4-position blade clamp. This clamp allows you to install a blade with the serrations (cutting edge) down, up, to the left, or to the right. I have made use of this feature many times; often when working with the reciprocating saw, I would find one position in which I had the most control of the saw, but that position would not always be optimum for cutting if it were not for this clever feature. Now, I can hold the saw in the most comfortable position without sacrificing cutting efficiency.

Ergonomics and Saw Control
Being the entry level, "lite" saw offering, the DeWalt DW304PK weighs in at a respectable 7 lbs. I would not call it light or heavy, but manageable. It is light enough to be used over the head for short periods of time without leading to arm fatigue but heavy enough to let you know it is well built and not flimsy.

The variable speed trigger is useful, but I usually end up squeezing the trigger all the way down as I am using the saw. It takes a little practice to get good at accurately controlling the speed, but I have not found it to detract from the overall usefulness of the saw.

Summary
I think this is the perfect saw for any homeowner or DIYer who needs a reciprocating saw for those occasional demolition or construction tasks. It is moderately inexpensive, has a sturdy build quality, and is very simple and straight forward to use.

What I Like
  1. Rugged and durable build quality
  2. Keyless / Tool less blade change
  3. 4-position blade clamp

What I Dislike
  1. Probably not powerful enough for professional use
My Rating
I rate on a five star scale.
1 star = Poor, I would not buy and would probably not use even if given to me.
2 stars = Marginal, there are better products out there in the same price range. I would only consider getting this if it were extremely discounted and I did not plan on using it very much, otherwise I would suggest passing.
3 stars = Acceptable, if this product were on sale and I needed it, I would buy it. It functions as it should and will probably last a few years. It is probably not good enough to be my primary tool of choice, but excels as a back-up.
4 stars = Good, this tool is worth retail price if you need it. It only has a few minor drawbacks that are easily outweighed by its strengths.
5 stars = Nearly Perfect, this product is exception with few minor, if any, flaws. It is built well enough to pass on to the next generation of DIYers and will not disappoint them.

The DeWALT DW304PK Reciprocating Saw gets


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