What did you do today? 2018 version

[Hermit]

Today is geezer day at the local lumber store. 20% off every Wednesday for the month of August. Today I bought enough treated lumber to replace the decking on a car trailer that I just got from my friend with Alzheimer's. It has been sitting in his back yard for 14 years. I got the license plates Monday. I will also have to replace the tires and repack the bearings. I will use it to finish cleaning up his back yard before bringing it up to my place. Putting that lumber on the pickup topper and then stacking it in the garage was a real chore. That treated lumber is sopping wet and very heavy. These were 2x8x16 feet boards. Hopefully, they will dry out some before I have to put them back up on the truck and drive them down to his place next month.

 

[Just_Steve]

Flushed the radiator on my generator today. Didn’t know what was in the fluid, but apparently the additives that they add to antifreeze breakdown and turn into a gel. Yuck. I’m flushing it today and I’m going to run it a few times before I drain it. I might do another flush tomorrow depending on what the liquid looks like and what I see (hopefully nothing) in the top of the radiator.

How big is your generator that it has a radiator?

 

[RetireAge50]

Played 45 holes of golf with the DW. Retirement life is real good.

 

[NW-Bound]

Chilling out at the high-country boondocks home.

In the morning, sprayed herbicide to kill the weed sprouting up in the cinder-covered driveway, then ran out of things to do. So, surfed the Web, did some BS'ing here on the forum. After lunch, an afternoon shower came, dropping the temperature down to 67F.

Instrumental music is playing on the stereo. Feel like some adult beverage, but have nothing other than cognac, beer, and wine up here.

 

[Jerry1]

Don't know if this is the same problem you have, but I recently learned that there are different kinds of antifreeze, and mixing them causes the gelling.

Could be, but I think unlikely. The previous owner of the house/generator seems to have had the unit serviced frequently by the company who installed the unit. I’ve since used them as they do electrical and HVAC and they are very professional. But I wasn’t here, so, yes, anything could have happened.

How big is your generator that it has a radiator?

Not sure how to describe how big it is. It’s a whole house unit that has a 125 amp breaker on it. Physically, it’s a small four cylinder engine. I would never had gone so big but it was nice when we lost power for a few days. It has a muffler, just like a car, so it runs much more quietly than the smaller one that was at my previous house.

UPDATE: The gel is not really dissolved after the first flush. Not sure what to do. Thankfully the engine doesn’t over heat, but I’m going to check with some friends to see if they know of any way to clean it out. The cleaning is improving the look of inside the radiator, so maybe another flush or three might work.

 

[MRG]

Took our dogs to the groomer. Still waiting for her call to pick them up. They only had half their food when I dropped them off. It's sure quite here today.

I did my 40 minute cardio and off days weight training today. It sucks less than it used to.

We were walking the mail down and some neighbors we hadn't seen for weeks came by and told us about their recent trip. They no sooner leave when our other neighbors drove by and we chatted with them for a while. It started drizzling as we walked and shortly after we got in the door the sky opened up. At least for a while. Much needed rain.

 

[NW-Bound]

...
UPDATE: The gel is not really dissolved after the first flush. Not sure what to do. Thankfully the engine doesn’t over heat, but I’m going to check with some friends to see if they know of any way to clean it out. The cleaning is improving the look of inside the radiator, so maybe another flush or three might work.

Assuming it has a thermostat like all car engines do, can that thermostat be removed to maximize the flow? Then, continuous running with water changed out frequently may help dissolve that gel.

 

[53anddone]

Changed the front brake pads in my wife’s car. Hung out for coffee with my 17 year old and her friend. Rode my mountain bike 12 miles. Walked the dogs with the wife. Chatted with the neighbors for a while. Drank a beer and checked the market. [emoji106]

 

[Jerry1]

Assuming it has a thermostat like all car engines do, can that thermostat be removed to maximize the flow? Then, continuous running with water changed out frequently may help dissolve that gel.

Might try that. My only reluctance is that to get to those parts, the cover for the generator would need to be taken apart. Not impossible but similar to having to take a hood and fenders off a car just to get to a simple part. Possible, but way more work than I wanted to get into. If I went that route, I’d probably be into a bit of a rebuild. I’d likely replace all belts and hoses and maybe even the water pump. And, at that point, I’d probably just replace the radiator or take it to a shop for a bath in a dip tank. Again, more than I want to do this year.

 

[Gumby]

Might try that. My only reluctance is that to get to those parts, the cover for the generator would need to be taken apart. Not impossible but similar to having to take a hood and fenders off a car just to get to a simple part. Possible, but way more work than I wanted to get into. If I went that route, I’d probably be into a bit of a rebuild. I’d likely replace all belts and hoses and maybe even the water pump. And, at that point, I’d probably just replace the radiator or take it to a shop for a bath in a dip tank. Again, more than I want to do this year.

Perhaps a solvent other than water? e.g. - acetone, alcohol, mineral spirits, naptha

 

[travelover]

Serviced the bathroom fan. Like the attic fan, it was badly out of balance and rumbling. I found, though, the problem was all the lint and crud stuck on the squirrel cage fan. I removed the fan and used a wire brush and compressed air to clean it and once clean, it was in balance. Rumbling fans drive me crazy.

 

[Dtail]

We now have a regular Pickleball game at 10am 6 days a week. Great socialization, deceptive workout. Love retirement.

 

[wmc1000]

Spent over an hour re-linking my outside accounts in the "NEW" Fidelity full-view page. Luckily I got it done before they took it back offline for maintenance. Had to jump through a few hoops to get it to relink some of my accounts.

Hopefully it will be easier for others as they must have discovered there were some lingering problems in the linkage portion.

 

[Walt34]

Perhaps a solvent other than water? e.g. - acetone, alcohol, mineral spirits, naptha

Wouldn't that create a severe fire hazard? Even though it's an enclosed system even a small leak in the cooling system could be disastrous. Also I'd think it might damage hoses and water seals since they're designed for water and antifreeze, not solvents.

 

[aja8888]

Wouldn't that create a severe fire hazard? Even though it's an enclosed system even a small leak in the cooling system could be disastrous. Also I'd think it might damage hoses and water seals since they're designed for water and antifreeze, not solvents.

Exactly. Good advice. I can't imagine what would happen if there is even the slightest head gasket leak into the combustion chamber! Remove radiator, bring it to a shop and have it boiled/steamed out.

 

[Gumby]

I wasn't thinking of operating the system with some other fluid in it, just using a different solvent to melt the gunk so that you could flush it with water and get it out (and then refill the system with regular coolant for normal operation).

 

[NW-Bound]

Maybe scoop some of that gunk out to experiment first. How do we know if adding another chemical in there will not make it worse?

I am surprised nobody has gotten on this. Is the show Mythbuster still on? They love to play with things like this.

 

[Freedom56]

Morning bike ride through villages (St Prex, Etoy) Switzerland. It's a good way to get some fresh air and work the leg muscles and cardiovascular system. Later today we are taking my in-laws out for lunch around Saint Croix Switzerland.

 

[Ronstar]

Painting the kitchen, breakfast nook, half bath , and stairwell.

 

[Dtail]

Spent over an hour re-linking my outside accounts in the "NEW" Fidelity full-view page. Luckily I got it done before they took it back offline for maintenance. Had to jump through a few hoops to get it to relink some of my accounts.

Hopefully it will be easier for others as they must have discovered there were some lingering problems in the linkage portion.

When I used this system, I found it did not categorize the type of investment properly in terms of using it for the Fidelity retirement calculator, so decided to update manually. Perhaps it is better now, or good for balances purposes only.

 

[Jerry1]

Well, I’ve given up and will be calling in a professional. I got a different type of flush formula and while it made a big difference in terms of cleaning the radiator, it did next to nothing to dissolve the slime. I think it will have to be disassembled and flushed with something that i don’t have or want to deal with. My only hope now is that they don’t need to pull the engine and put it in a dip tank or something of that nature. I see a big bill in my future. Ughh.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Well, I’ve given up and will be calling in a professional. I got a different type of flush formula and while it made a big difference in terms of cleaning the radiator, it did next to nothing to dissolve the slime. I think it will have to be disassembled and flushed with something that i don’t have or want to deal with. My only hope now is that they don’t need to pull the engine and put it in a dip tank or something of that nature. I see a big bill in my future. Ughh.

I have not encountered this gel/slime buildup in the coolant problem before, so am wondering what happens when the stuff is heated to operating temperature? Does it liquefy and therefore present no real problem?

 

[Koogie]

Just moved to a new property with a couple acres of land. In the spirit of increasing my hobbies and interests prior to full ER (which seems about 3 years away now. Whether I like it or not) I purchased a takedown recurve bow from Cabelas to do target shooting.

I know nothing about archery but have been slowly educating myself.

It has been a riot so far. Very enjoyable. Well, it has been since I made my homemade duct tape armguard. The black and yellow bruise from string slaps is fading underneath it.. hahaha

Went on Amazon last night to order a few supplies (like replacing my ghetto bowstringer). Thankfully so far it is a cheap hobby but I can see how it might escalate.

I might start an archery thread if anyone is interested ?

 

[Christine]

Visiting my mum - and she wanted me to make pizza for dinner.

I might start an archery thread if anyone is interested ?

I am. Tried it on a job do years back and thought it was great fun! Never tried it againg though.

 

[tulak]

RSVP with DS. 190 miles in two days. Now we’ll enjoy Vancouver.