Sometimes you just have to stop and start again…

The ice machine in the refrigerator was not working. The water dispenser in the refrigerator was not working. Two very convenient features, which when one looked at the control panel, there was no reason why they shouldn’t be working…all systems should have been: “GO!”

First step: Empty all ice out of icemaker. After all, it could simply be jammed. It wouldn’t explain the “no water” situation but, oh well.

No luck.

Push a few buttons, open and close the door (like that is going to somehow help), converse about who pushed what button and why (a polite blame-game), open and close the door again.

And then from my vast experience of sitting in front of computers that have a tendency to sometimes stop working for no apparent reason (I’m sure you all have experienced that frustratingly frozen screen), I suggested: “Let’s turn it off, unplug it, let it sit for a moment, plug it back in, and see if it reboots.”

Worked like a charm—ice and water flowed freely.

Lesson learned: Sometimes you just need to unplug, reconnect, and reboot. Works with more than just refrigerators!

Image: istockphoto.com

Ceiling Repair

I just completed a fix-up on an older house that will now be rented out. The house had water damage in one of the upstairs bedrooms from water seeping through the flashing around the chimney. After sealing the chimney flashing, I went to work on the inside.

It was a challenging project of cleaning the ragged paint and paper off the ceiling, sanding, texturing and then priming and painting.

The photos below are the before and after of one of the rooms in this project.

Before:

After:









The Starting Point

In 2002 after 25+ years of start to finish carpentry with Little & Little Construction (Pt. Townsend, WA) I left that position and spent a couple of years totally remodeling the custom log home my wife and I built in 1978. Our goal was to sell our log home and acreage, and relocate in Edmonds, WA. During this transition I also worked  a short time at Indian Island. (Indian Island is an ammunition dump for Navy ships coming into the Puget Sound – and also the main resource for my book “Handyman to Hand Grenades – in one easy weekend” yet to be published.)

Liam’s Handyman Service was started in 2004 and served the property managers of Pt. Townsend, WA before moving with us to Edmonds, WA.

The primary service Liam’s Handyman provides is to Property Managers, Realtors and home owners in the maintenance and upkeep of their homes, for sale properties, and rental properties.

Thus begins the Liam’s Handyman Blog… My plan with this blog is to share building and maintenance expertise, handyman tips, and vendor recommendations.

Enjoy!
Nicholas