Appliances – Go Retire Psychiatrist

Relearning How to Drain a Water Heater

After more than a decade of not experiencing the pleasure of gravity draining a water heater, we drained our water heater today. It’s only a year old because the house is new. We did it just because most plumbers recommend you drain your water heater annually and sometimes twice a year.

I had to search the web for instructions, some of which conflicted with each other. One source that was almost comical was on a web site made possible by PlumbingSupplydotcom. There’s no date on it, but it’s for anybody who wants to ask a plumber questions about anything to do with plumbing.

I found a YouTube that made the job fairly simple even for guys like me.

The last time we drained a water heater (in a different house a long time ago), I opened the Temperature and Pressure Relief (TPR) valve as part of the process. The guys who filmed the YouTube didn’t touch it or even mention the TPR valve.

It turns out that opening the TPR valve whenever you drain the water heater might be a matter of opinion. Another way to expedite the emptying process is to just open all the faucets (hot side) in the house. I guess you could do both according to one guy.

One thing I can tell you, opening just one or two faucets might not be enough to get the draining process going fast enough. As one of the plumbers on Plumbing Supply put it, it might be best to open them all. Water drained pretty slowly until I did that.

Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) will tell you it takes about 15-20 minutes, it can take more time for many reasons, so beware of AI guidance because it lies.

I followed the steps outlined in the YouTube video I mentioned above, “2 Easy Ways to flush/drain Water Heaters” posted by The Honest Carpenter. It was only 3 years old and had 2.3 million views and 867 comments when I found it today.

The only tools needed are a flat head screw to open and close the drain valve and a garden hose with a coupling to screw on to the drain valve opening. Watching it drain doesn’t help; it’s too much like watching paint dry.

It’s really not that complicated, at least not as complicated as the back and forth on the Plumbing Supply web site made it sound. There was a suspicion by plumbers that the guy asking how to drain his water heater was making stuff up. One suggested shooting the water heater with a 30:06.

If you’re going to do that, consider first releasing the TPR valve. Just kidding; guns won’t solve this or any other problem!

Addendum: We used a long garden hose, but Sena got a shorter one-for next time!

It’s Time for an Omelet from the Mister Chef Pizza Maker!

Sena got a Mister Chef pizza oven the other week and it works pretty slick. I’ve cooked a couple of frozen pizzas on it and it’s great for a guy like me—the guy the neighbors alert the fire department about when they get the first whiff of smoke. Some people have no sense of adventure. Hey, if I can operate it, anyone can.

This morning, Sena cooked a ham omelet in about 15 minutes. I guess it just felt like an hour to me because I was hungry.

It’s pretty simple. There’s only one knob. It doesn’t correspond to any specific temperature although the instructions call it a “Temperature knob”. You can pretty much crank it to any number although lower numbers mean you have to wait longer for your food.

You just plug it in, turn a temperature knob and wait for the green light to come on, which evidently doesn’t exactly mean you can toss food in it. You have to wait for the red light to come on next. Then you toss the food on the ceramic surface—uh, that’s the bottom surface, not the top, which is the lid. Things just fall down if you put food up there—something to do with gravity.

It comes with a little instruction manual. In one place it says you can cook frozen pizza in 15-20 minutes, but then in the cooking time guidance it says it takes 9 minutes. I can tell you; 9 minutes doesn’t melt most of the ice. It also gives you the weight in grams of various foods. I’m not sure how useful it is—we’ve never weighed our frozen pizzas.

Pay attention to the warning about steam release when you open the lid. I guess I have about 4 or 5 outpatient visits to the burn clinic to go—then the skin grafts should hold.

We think the manufacturer must have got wind of me using the Mister Chef because they included a small robot extraterrestrial (ET) assistant to make sure I didn’t do anything rash. It got really nervous when I used it. It tried to calm down the smoke detectors, but I don’t think they could hear it. That’s ok, because I can’t hear the smoke detectors. That happens when you get old.

MisterChef omelet and robot ET assistant (usually not included unless there’s a public safety risk)

The robot ET quit a few days later, something about union benefits not covering incompetent cooks. Wise guy. Anyway, have fun with the Mister Chef and remember what Red Green says; “If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.”

And Then a Light Bulb Went Off

I was sitting in my office last night trying to read a book and noticed that the overhead light on the ceiling fan wasn’t providing enough light. The next morning I flipped the switch and could see through the glass globe cover that one of the bulbs was out. It flickered on about a half hour later and then went out again.

When I got the ladder out and tried to remove the cover, it wouldn’t budge. There weren’t any screws on it, so I looked at a few YouTubes to learn how to remove it. Lot’s of people were using tools and, of course, duct tape. Some methods looked dangerous.

For me, the most helpful hint came from a Wikihow lesson. The first example suggested using those rubber dishwashing gloves. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it right away because I use them to twist off stubborn lids on food jars. It worked on the fan light cover.

Sometimes the simple, old-fashioned tricks for solving problems are the best. In fact, it reminded me of what I’d been reading by the dim light. It was an essay by E.B. White from his book, Essays of E.B. White. The title was “The Winter of the Great Snows,” published by HarperCollins in 1977. Copyright restrictions prevent me from quoting directly, but his point was that tackling challenges with common sense and safety in mind is a good idea.

There are many light bulb moments in life that I’ve missed. I appreciate any help I can get.

Bathroom Fan Timers are Now Required by Code!

OK, so maybe you already knew that bathroom exhaust fan timers for reducing moisture are required by code.

But we didn’t, which is why we were both a little spooked when the hallway bathroom fan came on all by itself on our first evening in our new house. It has done that a few times, even though we barely use that bathroom. It’s the only bathroom in the house which has a fan timer. I don’t think it’s supposed to come on by itself, so it’s probably haunted.

It’s made by Intermatic and Sena finally flagged down an electrician working in another house under construction on our street who found an instruction manual for our model. He told her it was installed because it’s code.

Imagine if every bathroom in your house had a bathroom fan timer in it. I’m sure some people love the idea. I also realize some people might think it’s crass of me to admit I would love to disable it.

I don’t think I can disable it. The initial setup instructions alone contain 28 steps. Then you get to actually program it, which gets you to 41 steps. If you ever have to edit the programming, you’ll need to develop a serious drinking problem. You have to scan a QR code to get your latitude and longitude. That’s not a joke.

The unit runs partly on batteries. I think the model we have is the ST01 and it takes a single CR2 battery. A newer model takes a different kind of battery and you need two of them. They control the clicking noise and the time and date. You also need strong fingernails or a tiny flat head screw driver to open the battery compartment. See the video below.

If you figure out how to disable it, please comment. Otherwise, I guess you could call the 800 number in the manual to access what might be an automated recorded answering algorithm which ends up recommending mayonnaise or Miracle Whip for your Braunschweiger sandwich.

ADDENDUM 9/10/2024: I pressed the MODE button once and the timer went from AUTO to MAN (manual). We haven’t had it turn on automatically so far after that.

Dirty Laundromania

Because we’re staying in a hotel waiting for our house to be built, we have to take a different approach with our laundry. There are laundry facilities at the hotel, but there aren’t many machines. Sena usually takes it to a place called Laundromania. The motto is “We Never Clothes.”

I went with her the other day for the first time. There are a lot of machines. As it turns out, there’s also a lot of history at Laundromania. Back in 2008, Iowa City suffered a major flood and Laundromania was under water for a while. There’s even a picture inside of the water line painted on one of the windows. We remember that time. What a mess. You can see a very dirty sign that was framed and which describes the flood.

Laundromania is a modern facility. You can put your cash into a machine which pushes out a sort of debit card-which can only be used in Laundromania. You want to be careful with that. Depending on how long you live in the neighborhood, it could be either a good or a bad thing.

Even though it’s a modern facility, Laundromania does have some quirks. The day we were there, we tried to use a dryer which turned out to have a broken door latch. We lost a little money in it. Sena put one of the Out of Service signs on it. There’s no on-site manager there but, coincidentally, shortly after she put the sign on the dryer, the service guy showed up. I guessed he fixed it.

For a short time, I tried to keep track of the dryer time using the old analog clock on the wall. Two things wrong with that: the clock doesn’t work and all the machines have digital timers on them anyway.

You can buy laundry detergent and other stuff there from a vending machine, but they’re pretty expensive.

There are a couple of old grade school desks that bring back memories. One of them is pretty dirty.

If you’re ever in Iowa City and you need to do your dirty laundry, try Laundromania.

Top of the Line Appliances for Your Pipe Dream Home!

It’s that time of the year again; everybody’s moving whether relocating across the country or just moving across town.

One thing is key: you need quality, top of the line appliances. Say you’re having family and friends over for dinner and you need freezer space for roadkill squirrel. Why, a General Electric fridge with the perfect size little freezer designed to accommodate flattened rodents is just what you need.

But wait; you’ll need a stove to cook them! Look no further than your own Magic Chef. Emeril Lagasse would be proud to own this little gem, which might even have smell-o-vision as he would call it! That is, if you like the smell of smoked salmon (see what I did there?). Just whack your food against the grill to knock off any residual char. Or spray them down with the complimentary Copper Bullet Hose and watch that smoke just disappear!

Better hurry to order. These items are selling so fast there is a strict order of only two to a customer!

Pay no attention to that thing which resembles an antique hash pipe in the oven.

Note on Photos: Courtesy of Slager Appliances in Iowa City, I took these photos of vintage appliances on display in their showroom.

Whirlpool Care Counts Laundry Program Cleans Up!

Sena and I just recently saw the TV commercial about the Whirlpool Care Counts^TM Laundry Program, which has been providing washers and dryers for schools. It was launched to address school absenteeism, one cause of which is bullying of kids who don’t have clean clothes. They are also more likely to drop out of school.

It turns out this program has been going on since 2015. And there’s an Iowa connection. In 2017, Morris Elementary in Des Moines got a new washer and dryer (Des Moines Register, “Iowa teacher meets New Yorker on Instagram, and needy school gets a big lift” by Laura Rowley, published Oct 7, 2019, accessed 12/13/2023).

According to the Whirlpool’s website about it, there are over 150 programs in schools across 40 states.

The website even lists research studies demonstrating the link between a lack of clean clothes and school attendance rates.

We reminisced about what we did about this issue when we were in grade school. We don’t remember skipping school because of dirty clothes. We managed by washing them by hand, or in my family, using an old hand wringer as well. We hung clothes out to dry on the line in the back yard. Sena did that and also used a fan.

I was sometimes bullied, but it was related to being black rather than having old clothes. I didn’t change my outfit every day because I didn’t have enough clothes for that.

When I got old enough, I delivered the Des Moines Register. Talk about nickel and diming. The rates were pretty low compared to today, but I still had some customers who complained about the price. I walked my route to collect subscription fees. I was not a great salesman but I was a steady worker, delivering papers in any weather, even dragging them in a wagon through knee deep snow.

You could buy things with your money through the paper’s main office. The first thing I bought was an alarm clock with a glass face through which the clockwork was visible. I didn’t really need an alarm clock to get me out of bed to deliver papers. I was a light sleeper even then. I just thought the clock was cool.

I saved enough money (mostly in quarters) to buy my first bicycle. It cost about $20 at Ralph’s Bicycle & Hobby Shop in Mason City. It was used and I think it was a 24 inch. I did not do wheelies.

I don’t remember buying clothes.

I remember collecting from a young couple who were obviously newlyweds. They would often both come to the door wrapped in nothing but big bath towels. I wondered if they even had any clothes. Maybe they didn’t have any laundry facilities.

Anyway, I think the Whirlpool program is a great idea.

Brand Spanking New Air Purifier!

Sena got a brand spankin’ new air purifier and it’s whisper quiet. It’s made by RENPHO. Air purifiers probably don’t reduce virus particles but they at least they give you the impression you’re doing something to keep the air clean in your home.

We had an air purifier years ago, and the whole unit had to be cleaned occasionally. This one has a filter you change every 6 months or so.

It’s easy to operate. Basically, you turn it on and forget it. Some of the directions are a little interesting. One of them is a table of what the different button symbols are. The title is “Defination.”

The list of cautions includes the instruction, “Do not place anything on top of the appliance and do not sit on the appliance.”

Why it would occur to anyone but an extraterrestrial to sit on the air purifier is beyond me.

There’s an air quality sensor light which glows a different color corresponding to how good or bad the air is in your house. Blue is very good; Green is good; Orange is bad; Red is polluted. Ours always glows a nice, comforting blue.

There’s a note below the air quality sensor light description:

“Note: Compared with professional instrument, the detecting result of this air quality sensor may has tolerance in accuracy, we suggest you regard the sensor detecting result as a reference only.”

I’m not sure how to interpret this note. Does “tolerance in accuracy” mean it has only tolerably fair accuracy, meaning good enough for government work? Would a canary work just as well?

The trouble shooting section contains an entry that might be helpful:

Problem: You can’t adjust any of the controls.

Cause: An Extraterrestrial Biological Entity (EBE) is sitting on top of the air purifier. Some EBEs are pretty finicky about air purifier settings. They might prevent you from changing them by contacting their superiors, who will abduct you and conduct various experiments using large probes.

Solution: Let the EBE have its way.

Morning Brew

We tried out our new double wall glass mugs yesterday and I think the coffee stays hot longer in the new cup. Sena is a little doubtful. She ordered a thermometer and we’ll test it more scientifically.

The mugs are lighter than I thought they would be. They don’t get hot on the outside so I can safely set it in my lap while we’re sitting out in the sun room in the morning.

The ceramic mug transmits a little too much heat for that, at least initially. I went through the roof once and got picked up by a passing UFO. I offered the driver a sip and it just said, “You’re not experimenting on me!” They’re a little suspicious.

Sena also got a little K-pod drawer which neatly holds most of our pods. The whole setup makes morning brew really quick and easy.

I like easy.

Our New Coffee Center!

We got our new double wall glass mugs yesterday for our Keurig coffee maker, along with more K-pods. We’ll keep the K-pods in a brand-new snazzy drawer that sits on the counter under the Black and Decker coffee maker.

Now we’ll see whether our coffee stays hot longer. Sena’s also planning to get a thermometer to check this.

Sena got a great deal on the double-wall glass mugs, at just a fraction of the list price.

I can’t remember whether the Artificial Intelligence robot came with the mugs or the coffee pot.