remove backflow preventer valve before winter hits

thisoldman — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:56:43 +0000

last week I had to scramble to remove the backflow preventer valve from my in-ground sprinkler system before the freezing temps hit our area. I learned the hard way last year when I had to pay to replace a *cracked* valve due to it being left on over the winter season. I’m not letting THAT happen again. Fortunately, the sprinkler guy showed me how to remove the valve for the winter so that I could do it myself. Paying a guy to “winterize” the sprinkler system isn’t really worth it. I’d rather just pay for a service tech to come out just for the spring checkup.

anyway, here’s a quick rundown of how to disconnect the valve –

1) There should be a main water shut off valve near the backflow preventer valve. Turn it off.

2) Use a flathead screwdriver to turn one of the four outlet ports open to relieve the pressure on the system.

3) use a pipe wrench to loosen the nuts on the two main pipes.

4) remove the backflow preventer valve. be sure to shake all the water out of the valve and then store securely in garage.

5) cover the exposed pipes with either rags or secured plastic bags to protect from debris or loose dirt.

and that’s pretty much it. Since our winters are typically mild, draining out all the lines isn’t necessary.

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fixing my son's flat tire

thisoldman — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:17:10 +0000

my 12 year old came home last week with a blown out bicycle tire. he wasn’t that forthcoming about how he did it so I’m not really sure if he ran over something or if he did some crazy stunt and busted the tire with sheer force. anyway, I wasn’t really keen on replacing the tube in the tire especially since it’s the back tire but thankfully it wasn’t too hard. bought a replacement tube at walmart for $3.50 and got started…

Since the back tire already separated from the rim I didn’t have to worry about using tire levers to pry open the sides of the tire. that was a good thing since I didn’t have tire levers on hand.

anyway the first thing you have to do is release the brakes so that they don’t interfere when removing the tire from the frame. My son’s bike has V-brakes so it was simply a matter of disconnecting the cable on one end of the brake.

OK, for the rear wheels, you have to be sure to shift down to the lowest gear. Most bikes have quick release mechanisms for the wheels but in my son’s case, I had to do it the old fashion way and use a wrench. Once you do that, you can loosen the chain by moving the derailleur inward as you remove the tire from the frame.

Now that the wheel is off the bike, the tire should be inspected for punctures and sharps. Do the same for the tubing as well as the inside of the rim. In my case, I figured it was the tube and had a replacement on hand.

Now it’s time to install the tube. Inflate the tube just enough to make it easier to handle. fit the tube back inside the tire and line up the valve stem with the hole in the rim. Pull the stem out of the hole and proceed to work the tire bead into the rim. This could get tricky toward the end but since the tube isn’t entirely inflated, it should be do-able.

Once the tire is properly back on the rim, you should be able to fully inflate the tire. After that, it’s just a matter of reattaching the wheel back on the frame, get the chain back on the gear, and re-engaging the brakes.

whew. not as bad as I thought it’d be. hopefully this won’t be too much of a common occurrence…

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remove backflow preventer valve before winter hits

fixing my son's flat tire