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Get advice, inspiration and feedback on all your home & garden projects!

Michele W

Osage, OK
1 Follower 9Likes
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About Me:

I am retired so I consider myself home engineer. I do artwork, watercolors, pen n ink, and acrylic. I also sew and crochet too.

Favorite area of home improvement:

We just put in new windows and my livingroom kitchen and dining considered a grand room so looking for window treatments also new flooring.


Recent Activity


  • The tiny opening at about 2 o'clock is all that remains the rest is build up of hard water and debris that has collected at the bottom of the tank.
  • This is the insides of a new tankless hot water heater.
  • Another side shot of the heater. It vents with three inch PVC pipe.

Sediment in a hot water heater.

Recently there has been posts about draining hot water heaters and the pros as well as the cons in doing this. Typical maintenance on a hot water heater is to flush the bottom drain at ...»
least once a year. In some towns where they flush their fire hydrants to keep the pipes clear it is suggested to follow their lead a few days after as any sediment that is disturbed ends up on the bottom of your heater.

What happens then is water displacement. The sandy partials that collect on the bottom of the tank displaces the water ever so slightly. This results in hot spots on the bottom of the tank. When this occurs the flames overheat the tank and begin to break down the steel. After many years this breakdown ends up becoming a tiny hole that is filled with this debris, oftentimes preventing the leak.

However if you decide to drain your heater after many years of not doing it, or all of a sudden you start using the heater more then normal, this sediment that has been plugging that tiny hole is flushed out, often resulting in a leak in a few days after.

So the moral is to flush yearly, but if you have not done so for many years to not touch it or you will end up with a leak.

After draining you may find that the flush hose bib valve at the bottom will not turn off. This is because of some sediment that has blocked the valve and prevented it from turning off. If that happens a hose bib cap can be purchased at the local hardware store for about $1.50 put that on and your good to go. The photo is the inside of such a valve on a hot water heater that was 6 years old and had never been flushed. We tried to empty this tank to replace with a new high efficiency tankless, next photo but the hole was so small it only trickled out. The new heater will produce enough hot water for two showers, one laundry and one dishwasher to run all at the same time.

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
Woodbridge Environmental ... Colonia, NJ
42 Comments | Post Comment | 11474 Views
  • Michele W
    Commented on Mar 22, 2013
    This is so interesting as I have never heard as maintenance to flush hot tank..guess if all ...»
    else fails read paperwork that comes with it. I do know we have high mineral content in our water and most of tanks have not out lived their warranties none have lasted 5 yrs. purchased from Sears and they are very good about standing by their warranties and have replaced everyone of them for nothing. Ours never leaks from the bottom its always around the top seam. We have considered next time to get a tankless one but have not read up on the pro's and con's especially since we are on well water with the high mineral content and have yet to find a filter system to place on water well to help with this situation. Any suggestions on both tankless hot water and filter system we are on natural gas.

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  • Holiday Decor
  • That drywall is thirsty.
Photo ©iStockphoto.com
  • Dunk that roller.  When using alot of paint, a 5 gallon bucket works better than a roller pan.
Photo ©iStockphoto.com
  • You will work faster and tidier with a good brush and roller. 
Photo from Purdy.com
  • Completely rinse out your tools of all residual paint and they will last for years.
Photo ©iStockphoto.com
  • With a first pass, distribute the material over the 'one dip' coverage area, filling in most everywhere.
Follow immediately with a second pass, evening it out.
Photo ©iStockphoto.com
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Priming sheetrock.

Priming sheetrock walls? Here's some tips to help you knock it out.

--If the walls are previously unpainted, use a primer made specifically for drywall. If ...»

they have been painted before, then an all purpose primer will do. And paint stores are happy to tint the primer in the direction of the finish coat color to help with coverage. BTW, any caulking is done after priming.

--The most common mistake folks make when starting to paint is not using enough paint on their roller or brush. The right roller cover and brush will allow you to load up your tools with paint, making the job quicker, easier and give a better finish, doing away with Doc Holiday and the dry brush gang!

--Buy the best brush. I like Purdys. If you know how to thoroughly clean them out, then you will have no qualms about spending the money for good equipment. There should not be any 'milky water trails' coming out of the heel of the brush when you are done. When rolling bare draywall, a lambswool roller cover works best. It holds a tremendous quantity of paint and unlike synthetic roller covers, it cleans up easily and will give you years of service.

--Before you start, it helps to pre-wet your roller by dunking it in water then spinning out the excess water. This will give the paint quick, even absorption into the cover. The brush can be pre-wet as well to help the paint not dry to and stick so easily around the base. The excess water in the brush can be 'kicked out' on the toe of your workshoe.

--So you are ready to load up your equipment with paint. When rolling, don't start right next to the corner or right next to your just finished area. Instead, come out one or two roller widths and work your way back into the corner or just finished area with your full roller. Once you have the paint distributed over an area that can be completed with one roller dip, make one more pass to even it out, filling it in completely. One more thing, keep a slight bit more pressure on the leading edge of the roller. This will help avoid leaving heavy roller edges.

Just remember the three most important things: use more paint, 3X!!!

Happy Trails,

Charles Peace

Peace Painting Co., Inc.
Peace Painting Co., Inc. Alpharetta, GA
28 Comments | Post Comment | 4288 Views
  • Michele W
    Clipped on Mar 21, 2013 to Painting projects
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  • Dont forget

Laundry Tips Using Vinegar (Part 1)

I have found 5 great tips using vinegar to help with your laundry. Tips using vinegar to clean your washer, keep clothes from bleeding and as a fabric softener! See the rest of the tips ...»
at http://askannamoseley.com/2012/03/vinegar-ti...

#Bestof2012

Anna M
Anna M Redding, CA
61 Comments | Post Comment | 35728 Views
  • Michele W
    Commented on Mar 20, 2013
    My mother swore by vinegar and baking soda for different cleaning projects. As far as hardwood ...»
    floors was told use only cleaners for them. Spandex stuff always used woolite on gentle cycle line dry or lay flat..NEVER put in dryer, this goes for bra's and leggings too.

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  • Clean the space between your oven doors. 3
  • Special tool for torx screw...around $5. 1
  • Open up the doors, but be careful, because they may spring apart. 1
  • All clean and completely see through now! 1
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How To Clean In Between The Glass On Your Stove Doors

Want to clean that space in between the glass on your oven door? It's really not hard...all you need is an inexpensive tool and a few free minutes...come on over and let me show you how I cleaned mine!

Mom4Real
Mom4Real Lexington, KY
91 Comments | Post Comment | 77921 Views
  • Michele W
    Commented on Mar 20, 2013
    Tried this and it was great ...geez who knew after all these years how easy. As oven is ...»
    self/cleaning it still looked dirty cause of stuff inside of door....not anymore...thank you as I also shared your link for others to see.

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  • Clean drum after running the vinegar through the hottest cycle.
  • If possible, clean the chemical dispensers while the washer is running.
  • It is a good idea to clean the rim and door/lid of any grime.

Make your washer clean itself!

It sounds funny that you have clean a machine designed for cleaning, but the washer does need some love. Detergent and grime build up on the drum over time. ...»

Luckily, it's pretty easy to clean. Dump a couple cups of vinegar with a little bit of lemon juice (for smell) into the washing machine and set to the hottest cycle. While the washer is running, wipe down the exterior with a mixture of vinegar and water.

After the cycle is completed, clean the detergent, bleach, and fabric softener dispensers with the same mixture.

HomeSpot HQ
HomeSpot HQ Durham, NC
49 Comments | Post Comment | 16633 Views
  • Michele W
    Commented on Mar 20, 2013
    I also have a front loading washer make is a Crosley and it has a clean cycle and to use ...»
    bleach for this.The washer also will tell you when its time to run cleaning cycle. I always wipe down gasket inside and out and glass after washing and there is a latch so to prop door open a bit so it drys. My washer is almost 2 yrs old and I have yet to have a problem with mold or odor. But as I use vinegar for much of my cleaning never thought to use this in washer..will now :)

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How to Clean Between Oven Glass

If you still have smudges on your oven glass door when you are done cleaning, it might be inside between the oven glass. I give you a step by step tutorial on how to get between the ...»
glass. You will need a glass cleaner or wipe of some sort, a hanger to get in those hard to reach places and depending on your oven you may need to remove some screws. See how I cleaned between my oven glass at the link below.

Anna M
Anna M Redding, CA
3 Comments | Post Comment | 8808 Views
  • Michele W
    Liked on Feb 04, 2013
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  • Kitchen ideas
  • See through glass window shelves allow light in and give you a spot to set your plants.
  • Measure a piece of quarter round. 1
  • Attach quarter round and slide in shelves. For more details on the installation process view my tutorial at the URL listed above.
  • A little sunny spot in the kitchen. 1
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DIY Glass Shelves in Front of Kitchen Window

Adding glass shelves between two sets of cabinets in front of the kitchen window is an ideal location for some plants. A little quarter round moulding, finish nails and pre-cut tempered glass is all you'll need!

Brittany aka Pretty Handy Girl
Brittany aka Pretty Handy... Raleigh, NC
24 Comments | Post Comment | 11908 Views
  • Michele W
    Clipped on Jan 25, 2013 to kitchen
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Becky FunkyJunk Interiors - Donna Leah DIY Show Off Donna Dixson Karen - The Graphics Fairy Miriam I
  • Michele W
    Followed 7 people on Dec 31, 2012
  • Book pages line the back wall and inside doors. 2
  • Decoupage boxes hold crafting supplies.
  • A book page garland is a completed project.
  • A cigar box awaits its transformation.
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Ikea Cabinet Turned Craft Center

I desperately needed a place to store my crafting supplies and since I was no longer using the Ikea computer cabinet to house my computer, it made sense to transform it into a crafting ...»
center. More details on the transformation are on my blog. #Bestof2012

Town and Country Living
Town and Country Living Elburn, IL
21 Comments | Post Comment | 25154 Views
  • Michele W
    Commented on Jul 23, 2012
    Now that I have a room to turn into a craft room thinking of using the closet in there for ...»
    that purpose, just a matter of designing it :(

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  • lounge and dining rooms with painted concrete floors- in white of course!
www.liliesforkate.blogspot.com 2
  • floors in the study
www.liliesforkate.blogspot.com 3

Painted concrete floors

We have painted the floors in the study, lounge, dining, bedroom and walk in robe! loving it and sooo cheap and easy to maintain. We used Berger Jet Dry aqua tread satin. The concrete was ...»
cleaned, holes were filled and sanded- just like a wall would be. We then rolled 3 coats of the Berger on.

Kate L
Kate L
53 Comments | Post Comment | 16165 Views
  • Michele W
    Commented on Jul 19, 2012
    We have taken up all the carpet in the house..what paint did you use to paint the concrete ...»
    also what did you use to clean the concrete to prep floor for painting and seal it ?

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