Entropy continued

[MicMaven]

Switching gears back to weather stations ... traveling in Pennsylvania for awhile delayed the installation of my new weather station with remote wind and rain sensors. Now I wait for rain to verify whether it works or not.

Curiously, the manufacturer says to install the rain gauge at least 6 feet above ground. I wonder how that would affect JR's rain gauge(s) performance. (Yeah, like he wants to stir that pot of worms again!)

As for DIY, I made a simple bracket from bit of 1x1 inch angled aluminum stock, an antenna mast bracket, and scrap lumber, installing the same on an antenna mast affixed to the rear deck railing. I am forcing myself to wait for actual rain, instead of pouring a cup of water into it. The wind thing works well, so the only mystery is whether the rain gauge works as promised. Of course, I have just the one, so I will avoid JR's multiple gauge conundrum! --- James

 

[JohnRoberts]

These days I am using two rain gauges... the copper freeze proof puppy and one of my 9 1/2" plastic pails. I get pretty good agreement between the two for decent rain events. The fancy copper gauge struggles with small accumulations.

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

I have an actual entropy event to report. I recently noticed an odd change in my RO filtered water. I keep several gallons of RO water in one gallon plastic jugs to use during beer brewing that needs 4-5 gallons.

The new symptom was tiny gas bubbles inside the RO water that I have been storing in my kitchen cupboard for several days. The water didn't smell or taste funny but I WWW researched the new symptom. Apparently it is a common symptom of old tired RO membranes that leak tiny particles into the output water. Apparently the tiny particles serve as nucleation sites for the bubbles to form around (my wild ass speculation).

The youtube video showing how to replace the RO membrane was typically vague, but it suggested a two year replacement cycle. IIRC I had replaced my RO membrane only once since I installed my RO system (25-30 years ago) . Researching replacement advice for RO membranes I found suggestions as short as 12 months and a more reasonable 3-5 years. I will definitely replace this one sooner than 15-20 years I used last time.

After replacing my RO membrane the amount of gas bubble declined but did not completely clear up. I figured out that I needed to also drain my RO water storage tank. That took a while to empty and will take even longer to refill but while it was empty I recharged the bladder pressure to the 6-8#, required. It was measuring 3# or less.

For about $30 I can add a flow meter to log how much RO water I use but I don't have any idea of how to use that data, so for now I will continue operating by using the typical seat of my pants symptoms.

JR

 

[MicMaven]

... replace the RO membrane ...

DON'T DO IT !!

(That explains why your beer tastes so good.) / JHR

 

[JohnRoberts]

DON'T DO IT !!

(That explains why your beer tastes so good.) / JHR

I have been making my beer with RO water for decades, only recently did it have bubbles in the water storage jugs...

I learned a long time ago that my tap water kills beer yeast (not a good thing).

RO water makes my beer bueno.

JR

 

[MicMaven]

Speaking of entropy and fixing stuff:

Richards' Rule - "If you fix something long enough ... eventually, you will break it."

JHR

 

[JohnRoberts]

Today's entropy reminder is my DR (done right) string trimmer that refused to fire up this morning (done me wrong). I needed to start cleaning up my over grown rain ditches. I could get it to fire up briefly by priming it with some raw gas poured directly into the carb mouth. Before tearing it apart I decided to let my fingers do the walking and looked for carb rebuild kits if that was a common failure. When that search didn't bear any fruit I dug out my owners manual(s), which included one for the Briggs and Stratton Motor too (a class act). But I still didn't have any good specific guidance.

When I was a kid I loved tinkering with small gas engines, these days not so much. I bit the bullet and started tearing it apart. I removed the carburetor and after some handling I started to hear the internal float rattling around (I don't think it did at first). I disassembled the carb by unbolting the gas bowl. The almost empty gas bowl smelled very ungas like, clearly some funky fuel remnants. I reattached the bowl and connected the fuel line. After tilting the motor back into the normal orientation the carb refilled with good gas.

Now that I know what the carb looks like I could check and it looks like B&S uses this same or similar carb on tens of SKUs. That is actually smart. While I have still not found an exact replacement, there are lots of new carbs that look close in the $15-$35 price range.

Tomorrow I will reassemble the DR and see if it runs correctly, If not I can order a cheap replacement carb.

JR

 

[Tubetec]

I propose a new title for this thread
Trumping Entropy

 

[JohnRoberts]

I propose a new title for this thread
Trumping Entropy

why snark up a fun thread.... with negative energy ?

JR

 

[Tubetec]

I was actually trying to bring in a little more lighthearted self reflectedness ,
that was obviously lost in translation ,

 

[MicMaven]

I was actually trying to bring in a little more lighthearted self reflectedness ,
that was obviously lost in translation ,

Howdy Mr. T - While I fully appreciate the humorous direction your suggest ... given our current political climate over here, suggesting anything should "Trump" anything else is ... well ... um ... sorta contraindicated! Similarly, I would not suggest we say we are "Biden" time either!

Please try again! James

 

[Tubetec]

Politics worldwide has become a media circus ,
the AI is manuvering us closer to civil strife the closer the political margins get ,
its not all about you America , same **** is happening everywhere .

 

[JohnRoberts]

and another thread corrupted....

[edit- I could actually move these posts somewhere else, like to the "Veer" thread I set up for moving off topic posts to, but that would be unfair to people who can't disappear posts at will. I will suffer this new form of internet noise, like everybody else has too. /edit]

JR

 

[Brian Roth]

@JohnRoberts Back on the Briggs topic. In 2020 I bought a new "Craftsman" lawnmower from...hmmm....Lowes? Anyway, ran great 2020, 2021, 2022. In 2023 it refused to run. With a blast of "ether" spray into the air intake it would roar to life for a few seconds then die. Multiple tries, same.

I am NOT a small engine guy, but my hunch is a carb problem. Is it easy to just say "hell with this carb" and just bolt on a new one?

There used to be an older gentleman here in town who was an expert on these, but he either retired or died. One or two other shops here have their "method" for repairs....replace the entire engine.

Bri

 

[JohnRoberts]

@JohnRoberts Back on the Briggs topic. In 2020 I bought a new "Craftsman" lawnmower from...hmmm....Lowes? Anyway, ran great 2020, 2021, 2022. In 2023 it refused to run. With a blast of "ether" spray into the air intake it would roar to life for a few seconds then die. Multiple tries, same.

Ethanol has killed many small engine fuel systems. I had fuel lines dissolve in an old chain saw of mine.

I am NOT a small engine guy, but my hunch is a carb problem. Is it easy to just say "hell with this carb" and just bolt on a new one?

easy if you know which carb to buy. I had to remove this one to get a good look at it. Now I see multiple similar looking candidates

There used to be an older gentleman here in town who was an expert on these, but he either retired or died. One or two other shops here have their "method" for repairs....replace the entire engine.

Bri

When I was a kid I loved working on small engines.

This little sucker was something like 2 hp lawn mower engine. I even milled the head in shop class to add some compression.
===
Yes, of course the problem is/was the carb... If the problem was a stuck float valve, I may have already fixed it. Tomorrow I will put it back on the engine and see if it starts working properly. If not there are similar looking carbs for sale on Amazon.

I think I already said this...

JR

 

[MicMaven]

Politics worldwide has become a media circus ,
the AI is manuvering us closer to civil strife the closer the political margins get ,
its not all about you America , same **** is happening everywhere .

I agree - but I come here to escape politics and all that jazz on the news programs - please do not remind me of it. I think you once asked to move the topic to the brewery ... JHR

 

[JohnRoberts]

I agree - but I come here to escape politics and all that jazz on the news programs - please do not remind me of it. I think you once asked to move the topic to the brewery ... JHR

This is the correct forum to talk about the never ending parade of equipment failures and subsequent repairs (science not politics).

Sorry if I tend to personalize my little dramas and over share.

Back on topic, Today I will reinstall the carburetor and see if it works. If not I will search the motor for a specific model number. It looks like there may be at least two different common B&S carbs being sold, perhaps with different jetting for different horsepower models. I didn't see any markings on the Carburetor.

[edit- a closer inspection found a 6 digit number molded into the carburetor so now I can order a replacement with higher confidence (if needed). /edit]

[update2] well the problem was not the float valve, it still doesn't continue to run more than briefly after priming with raw gas, but at least I know the carb # now. I ordered a new carb with new air filter and even a fuel line filter ($25). I needed a new air filter and those are almost $12 by themselves so pretty inexpensive. /update]


JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

I decided to give it one more try priming it with raw gas into the mouth of the carburetor, before I stash it in the corner of my carport to wait for parts.

Of course this time the motor kept running, Now its purring like a kitten.

I'll keep the new carb I ordered as a spare, and will replace the dirty air filter, as that is needed. If I have the motivation I may install the new fuel filter too.

===
Now to string trim some ditch.

My gut feeling late yesterday was that maybe it was fixed... I need to trust my gut more.

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

My beer supply chain is settling down into a comfortable rhythm. With a postage scale under the keg I can tell how much beer I have left. I am down to around 10# of beer which is only a few days at present consumption rates. That means it is time to apply pressurized CO2 to the next keg (25# for 3 days) to carbonate the beer.

Last night I connected the 25# line to pressurize the next keg and I noticed it leaking CO2 from around the top seal.

I like that this is a mature technology BUT.... The top seal is the oval, egg shaped lid that closes off the top of the keg. The oval looks symmetrical so it shouldn't matter, but it was leaking. This morning I removed it, rotated it 180' then reinstalled it. No more leak. I have a small hand pump that I can l use in the future to test for leaks right after filling the kegs. I may get a marker pen and indicate the proper orientation with an index mark.

Today I threw away 26 gallons of empty beer bottles that are no longer useful.

Scavengers have already collected the baseboard heaters and fluorescent fixtures. I expect the empty beer bottles to be a harder sell.

JR

 

[JohnRoberts]

new entropy incident... all I wanted was a hair cut, but my Flowbee wasn't sucking like normal. The obvious lead suspect was my Hoover "bagless" upright... Apparently they have multiple filters inside that need to be cleaned. It kind of makes my old vacuum with the hepa filter built into the disposable bags look smart. Since I never bothered with filters during over a year and a half in service. I let my fingers do some walking and ordered a new filter set (due in Thurs).

For chuckles I decided to see if I could clear the filters enough to get the Hoover hoovering. I scraped a layer of lint off the bottom filter. The top filter is inside the dust canister. According to the you-rube video the top simply(?) unscrews apart. After refusing to unscrew for me since yesterday (I'm old), I decided to grab a hammer from my tool room and try a little percussive persuasion. Apparently once the Hoover saw that I was serious it released and avoided getting hit. I cleaned the top and bottom filters well enough to get the Hoover sucking and tried to cut my hair again.

Once again no love with the Flowbee. It just didn't suck. It behaved like it was blocked. I took it apart and while there was some oily hair clippings inside the cutting head, no visible blockage, but still no suck. As I was putting it back together, I noticed a huge air gap in the plastic Flowbee hose. The cheap plastic ribbed hose had about a 3/4" long slit near one end. The fix was easy enough, I cut the hose about one inch shorter and reattached it.

My hair is now trimmed better than my rain ditches.

I checked the Flowbee website and they do not sell replacement hoses, they sell a replacement hose with cutter head assembly for around $100 but the hose alone is probably only worth a couple dollars. It is fixed for now but I don't trust the hose.

I will try to contact the Flowbee folks. Apparently this is a rare failure.

JR