How To Fix Things, Dubai

projects miscelaneous

2010-11-19T10:19:00.000+04:00

repairing things big and small...

Lighting up the town

2010-11-19T09:58:00.000+04:00

Dubai is one city where lighting plays as much a role as structure when it comes to the architecture and living spaces it has within it.

Dyson DC08 Vacuum Cleaner Really Sucks!

2010-09-04T19:49:00.001+04:00

This Dyson DC08 is six years old. It has already given a stellar performance. Now, one of its two motor brushes was broken, causing a break in the electrical current meant to get to the armature. The brushes looked replaceable. They were held in by a screw each. I thought it would be an easy change of brushes and reassembly.

So I contacted Dyson service center in Jebel Ali Industrial area number one which is actually Jumbo electronics service center, servicing every brand that Jumbo Electronics sells here in the UAE - even the DC08 Dyson Vacuum cleaner. The technician informed me that unfortunately they don’t sell the brushes for the motor and in fact they don’t usually sell parts in counter sales. Rather they receive any and all items for the purpose of servicing or repairing them in their facility. After we talked for awhile I think he could see that my background in fixing stuff was very similar to his role as a Dyson technical manager for Jumbo and fom this he decided to help me. Though he simply could not sell me a set of new brushes, he could sell me a new me a new motor assembly. Being a Dyson part the price was actually quite high.

But, after presenting the options to the DC08 owner, she decided that it would be wiser to replace the motor and get perhaps another ten to twenty years of good use out of the Dyson than to purchase a much cheaper brand that would wear out probably year on year. The cost of replacing the motor in the superior quality Dyson was far less in the long run than potentially having to replace a cheaper brand unit every year or two for the same time of use.

So that's what we did. And now it really sucks! Again.

Hang Tough!

2010-09-03T16:12:00.002+04:00

Chandeliers add a degree of grandiosity to any room in your home. They add to the ambiance and character of a room especially when installed in reference to an overall design scheme for that particular room.

New residences in Dubai are generally delivered with basic lighting – one or two bare bulbs per room, giving you loads of freedom in personalizing the lighting in your household.

If you choose to mount chandeliers in your home, they will have to be anchored in concrete. This presents less of a problem when your ceiling is actually concrete, but when you have a dropped ceiling that is made of gypsum board, you need to have a way to anchor the chandelier to the concrete above the false ceiling.

It usually requires you to cut a hole in your false ceiling in order to get a concrete drill in there to bore a hole for the Chandelier’s anchor. No trick to it really – but means the extra work of cutting a hole in your false ceiling in order to make sure your precious chandeliers don’t come crashing down.

Wondering what to use for a suitable anchor? For chandeliers between 10 and 25 kg (this includes almost all regular room sized chandeliers on the market, regardless of brand or design), we use 8-mm hooks with a solid concrete anchor.

In order to fit the anchor you need to bore a smooth hole using a Hilti-type concrete drill fitted with a 14mm concrete bit. Remember to wear safety goggles because you’ll be drilling overhead. Before drilling make sure to provide enough clearance between the electrical wires and the center of the light box where you intend to drill the anchor’s hole.

If you’ll notice, the wires coming in to the light box are all coming in through the sides and contained in conduit. In other words, you don’t have to worry about hitting a wire as you drill straight up into the concrete - there aren’t any there.

Next tap the 14 mm anchor into place. If the hole is drilled correctly the anchor should tap right in with not much resistance. If the hole is too small you will wreck the anchor trying to pound it in the hole. If the hole is too large, your anchor will slip out and hold nothing - dangerous. It is vitally important to drill exactly the correct size hole. A 14 mm bit coupled with a patient, steady hand while you’re drilling will achieve a hole very close to the tolerance you need for an 8-mm hook.

If the bulbs aren't available on site yet, and you want to put to rest any doubts that you have infact hooked up the neutral, earth, and live wires correctly, test any of the bulb sockets using a multimeter set on 250-volts AC. You should get a full scale deflection when once the circuit breaker is flipped back on and your light switch is in the on postion. Alternatively, you could go buy a bulb and test your work that way, or you could stick your pinky in one of the light sockets, although I don't recommend this last way because there is no telling the degree of shock you will likely get convulsing through your body whilst atop an aluminium ladder between earth and sky, as it were.

The result and reward for your arduous personal-space decorative pursuit should then well be a lighting centerpiece that ties the room together with its grand presence.

Notable Rails

2010-09-02T18:36:00.000+04:00

Invariably a curtain rod will come with hardware that is insufficient for the job its being asked to do - hold up curtains all day all night all the time in Dubai. So we provide better hardware and the knowhow of getting it to stay in the concrete properly.

Drain Stain

2010-09-02T16:03:00.000+04:00

The roof of the dining room below the upstairs shower drain leak was opened to find out what was leaking. Water was seeping down around the outside of the drainpipe.

broken tiles removed, old grouting removed. The area was completely dried with hairdryer.

"Plumbers' Goop" applied and tiles refitted, entire shower re-sealed with waterproof silicon.

Plumbers Goop used to seal all breaks in the tiles.

Ceiling below was closed up and painted.

A Gate for Moe

2010-09-02T15:21:00.000+04:00

This is (a likeness of) Moe. Moe is part yorkshire.

This is Moe's new gate and fence below, (to keep him safe from all the treacherous garden plants).

The fence and gate have been completed and painted since these were taken, pictures pending.

The Road to Partition - A Maid's, that is...

2010-08-27T19:59:00.000+04:00

Studs were installed.

Gypboard installed inside and outdoor was hung and fit.

Door was hing and fit.

External access to main bathroom lightswitch provided.

Painting done

Ramadan Down-time

2010-08-27T19:39:00.000+04:00

In the quiet time, what better to do than improve on one's own existing workshop storage capacity?

Leftovers from another project were used to outfit the wall of my own workshop with some extra cupboard space and a full length work bench. Next step is the bench lighting.

Don't Catch My Flow No Mo'

2010-08-27T19:29:00.001+04:00

Several years of airborne, household dust all nicely packed in the inlet filters of the AC unit will tend to reduce the airflow quite substantially.

Here's how the filter looks after cleaning. It usually makes a big difference in terms of airflow.

Bar Seen

2010-08-25T19:06:00.000+04:00

Mirrors arrayed behind the beverage distribution center. Stuck on with strong double sided tape - they won't fall.

Excessive heat takes its toll on LG washer dryer

2010-08-07T18:54:00.001+04:00

Customer complaint was that the machine simply didn't turn on anymore - no power to the machine.

LG washer dryer showed signs of excessive heating - paint on the dyrer blower housing burnt off down to bare aluminum.

Futher investigation revealed melted components on the main power board located just behind all the controls on the front panel. Note particularly the white relay box cover in the lower right corner (normally allows electric to flow to main power switch when plugged in - now stuck in the open position because of melted cover), and the circular "beeper-speaker" cover in the centre of the board.

LG parts and service department in Qusais had it in stock, so same day was not a problem. I would just like to here write that I will without hesitation continue to recommend the LG brand to folks because of my expereince with their unprecedentedly GOOD service in Dubai! I'm not getting paid to say that even! Changed out the main power board with new, installed the panel and tested. Power was restored to washer dryer. Checked for normal (dryer) fan operation - normal. Advised customer to allow the machine to go completly through the cycle without switching power off, (in other words including the cooldown time at the end of a drying cycle).

Kitchen in Springs

2010-07-09T08:23:00.000+04:00

In Springs area, a water heater broke in this customer's kitchen and soaked everything in the kitchen for several hours. The water substantially damaged all cabinets on the side of the kitchen where both fridge, cooker and cooker hood happened to be located. Cooker and fridge survived the flood but the hood was slightly damaged and had areas with mould inside. Adding to the damage, the cabinets too quickly became mouldy and could no longer be used to store dishes pots and pans safely. After carefully measuring out all critical dimensions, all cabinets were removed. The water heater break was repaired by another company and so all effort was now concentrated on repairing the damage done.

New cabinets were manufactured according to specified dimensions by a furniture factory in Ajman. Special mention of thanks to Mr. Thomaskutty who interrupted a large run of furniture to accomodate this customer's one-off order, and to the Korean Engineer who helped turned the measurements and sketches provided into actual replacement cabinetry for the affcted kitchen. The new cabinets were installed as shown.

Shelf Life

2010-07-09T07:50:00.000+04:00

The original five shelves installed in this customer's house bedroom were manufactured from metal wire with a chrome finish. In the background, the new shelves are shown already installed here but imagine that instead of these normal flat shelves, five wire-frame shelves mounted in their stead, with edges clipped to the closet door and designed to swing out from the closet when the closet door opened. The idea itself was great - more accessability to your closes and shoes - however, in execution of the design the idea lost its value because of inadequate strength of their mounting.

Each of the five original metal shelves were mounted using a small bracket acting as a hinge that enabled the shelves to swing outwards when the closet door was opened. Detail of the hinge/bracket compared with the size of the wire framed shelf shown above shows how disproportionately small they are compared to the swinging job they are being asked to do. Again, a great idea in terms of accessability to all your stuff but unfortunately an idea which lost its value completely because the mounting bracket and small wood screw combination was not strong enough to warrant its use as a hinge for these particular shelves.

To solve the problem, the five wire frame shelves and associated bracketry were removed. 3/4 inch (19mm) thick Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) shelves were cut to size, edged with white melamine, and mounted in place. The new shelves provide not only a stable platform on which to store things - even quite heavy things if necessary - but also they provide at least double the capacity of shelf space as the the original swinging wire-framed shelves.

Sparkling Switch

2010-06-28T03:36:00.000+04:00

Customer complained that the kitchen lights were not coming on when the switch was turned on and that the switch was "sparkling" (sic). On removal of the switch it was found that the live wire receptacle had worn through the thin wall of plastic and was touching the other wire receptacle every time a user attempted to switch on the lights, causing repeated minor shorts to the circuit - not enough to blow the breaker, but enough to cause a few sparks.

Switch was replaced by first turning of the breaker supplying power to the switch.

Then wiring in the new switch and installing it back on the wall.

Then testing the switch in place.

Lights now on in the kitchen, no more sparkling.

Tap Dance

2010-06-28T03:23:00.000+04:00

Customer complained of leaking under the kitchen sink. The supply lines to the tap were found to be rusted through at the end fittings that screw into the base of the tap.

Dissimilar metal corrosion probably rapidly occured when the steel fittings interacted with the copper base of the tap, the catalyst being water.

The tap was replaced with one of very similar design brought from a conveniently nearby supplier.

Very low airflow in AC

2010-06-28T03:11:00.001+04:00

Customer complained of very low airflow into the living room area of the flat. Access was gained to the unit which supplied both kitchen and living area through the false ceiling tiles in the kitchen.

Access to the ducting was gained by unbolting one section of the ducting near the unit in order to see if anything was blocking the low in the duct.

Fan operation, filter and duct obstruction were all checked. All checked out ok - filter looked recently cleaned, duct was unobstructed

The fan definitely worked on low medium and high settings as it was supposed to.

Further investigation revealed that the unit supplying both kitchen and living area was a one-ton unit, normally the size one would expect to supply a small kitchen-sized area. A closer look at the exisiting ducting also showed that there may have been a misinterpretation of the engineering drawings when the flat was fitted out with AC systems.

The AC ducting outlet in the living room was actually quite small compared to the vent area provided. The spare vent area was not there as an intake either. The unit as installed was not providing the capacity necessary to supply both kitchen and living area. The advice given to customer was to have second central AC unit installed in the drop down ceiling in the living area. There was plenty of space to install one right behind the unused vent area.

At first, the installation of a second unit to provide the necessary capacity may sound like an over the top solution. However, considering the amount of time and money that the customer has spent already on trying to determine WHY the AC in the living area "doesn't work", and considering that space is available and ducting cutouts already are made to accept a second unit in the dropped ceiling, and that, whereas the existing living area supply duct is half a metre across, the vent area meant to supply the living area stretches nearly three metres across, it may be the only sensible solution left.

If you're not getting the picture yet, here it is. The second unit that was supposed to be installed in this flat never was installed. Instead, what it looks like to me anyways is that the AC installer guys built an supply duct to the living room from the kitchen AC unit and for some reason (money in someone's pocket, possibly, maybe, who knows), the second unit is not installed.

Bompani Washer Dryer Rotating Drum Shaft Bent

2010-06-28T02:17:00.001+04:00

Customer complained of a knocking noise on all cycles and excessive vibration on the spin cycle. On inspection, the rotating drum was found to be contacting the water heating element on every rotation, due to a bent shaft. In the case of a bent shaft, on this particular model, the rotating drum and stationary drum come as an assembled unit. To seperate them would be to remove spot welds on the front lip of the stationary drum, replace the rotating drum, and reweld. Cleverly, only the assembly is available from the parts people.

The most economical solution is to replace the drum assembly itself. Though it looks like a drastic measure because it involves dissassembly of the entire machine, it actully is quite a straight forward process and thus should be able able to be accomplished in about 3 hours in a repair workshop.

Home Care Checklist When Leaving Dubai for a Summer Holiday

2010-06-22T12:15:00.000+04:00

When you leave Dubai for a holiday it should be with the anticipation of a period of stressless relaxation. The relaxation can all go south if when returning home, you discover that all your prized flowers and other shrubs have died or worse yet that you’re house has been broken into by thieves who made off with all your stuff.

A good way to avoid spoiling your relaxing holiday is, before leaving home, make a checklist and tick off items as you work your way through them; the things you need to do before you step out that door.

Avid gardeners with prized indoor pot plants, fish-keepers with aquariums stocked with fish, you need to plan for these to be looked after while you are gone. Make sure to give the people you ask instructions for feeding or watering and, in regards fish or other pets, that they know who to contact if the fish fall sick.

If you are planning to go away for more than three weeks, it is worth taking all remaining food out the fridge and also defrosting your freezer before you leave. Consider switching off your refrigerator while gone.. Running the fridge or freezer while you are away can be very costly.
Get someone to stop by your place and pick up post and all those annoying advertising flyers for repair, cleaning and other services. If at all possible don't leave a spare key under a plant pot, doormat or inside the mailbox, because that is the first place that crooks will look. If you do leave a key in an obvious place, and you get burglerized your home contents insurance policy will probably no longer apply.

You can further enhance the security of your empty home by buying timer switches to turn your lights on and off at intervals to give the impression someone's home. Don't close your curtains either as that can easily give the impression that no one's there if crooks are scoping out houses in your nieghborhood to determine the viability of a breakin. Providing you prepare your instructions for the people that will be taking care of your home while you are away, and as long as you make it as undesirable as possible for thieves to try a break in, you up the chances dramatically of having a stress-free and wonderful holiday.

It's Curtains For You

2010-06-19T23:22:00.000+04:00

Another fine Summer evening in Dubai. And what better way to spend it than finally being able to draw the curtains, curling up with your pillow, closing your eyes and simply sleeping after the big move to the new place.

Prepping and Painting a Flat After Move-out

2010-06-17T00:31:00.001+04:00

Prepping for paint includes a lot of little things that if left undone will almost certainly decrease the quality of the finish you are trying to achieve by painting, in the end. On the other hand if they are attended to, the result will be a smooth, even paint finish that everyone will understand in terms of flatness, evenness, and smoothness of the surfaces.

It's necessary to remove all wall plugs, especially the big ones that held heavier items on the wall - like TV bracket, etc.

Filled correctly, these shelf bracket screw holes should be very hard to detect, if not invisible once painted.

Fill holes with Stucco (premixed filler putty - available at most building materials trading shops). National Paints brand Stucco is a bit thicker than others (like Jotun), and works much better when applying it to larger holes. Stucco also helps to even out any ripples and other areas that were not previously smoothed out in the previous paint job (!). Once dried it can be easily sanded smooth.

A lot of people find sanding stucco application to be tedious. Most times the self-same people apply it too thickly to a particular area. With a proper large stucco scraper it can be applied amost as a primer and the result is a smoothing out of virtually all uneveness where it is found on a surface. Also, the stucco fills screw holes well. When sanding stucco, be sure to feather any strong edge that you come across from an errant swipe of the scraper etc. The more time you spend stucco-ing properly and sanding smooth a surface in prep for painting, the better your finish will look. After sanding the walls should be wiped down with a tack cloth (special waxy, sticky cloth that removes oily finger prints and fine dust from the surface to be painted - available at paint trading outlets like Jotun, National Paints, Berger, Dulux, etc.). Tape off all edges and in the same time tape down protective plastic to cover the floor. Guarenteed, despite your best effort, you will get drips and sometimes a fine spray if you get over-exited using the paint roller.

Then, after all that good prep, painting becomes the easy, relaxing, rewarding part of the job!

Extreme Home Appliance Operation 101

2010-06-16T23:31:00.000+04:00

If you’re going to leave your home appliances outside in Dubai just make sure you can build your structure a layer higher than this guy’s; name it something grand, then re-name it something even more grand…. Now THAT is a stand alone icon. By the way, just as a soft reminder, there exists no need to name the icon as “icon”, most of us, I'm guessing, would probably like some time to observe, ponder, compare and contrast with other similar structures before deciding on whether the structure vying for iconic stature should be deemed, (let alone named at conception), so or not.

Kidding aside, if you decide to set up your washing machine outside, chances are, electrical and mechanical components - especially the drum drive motor’s armature on washing machines - will corrode quite badly.

Result: the drive motor will not get enough current passing through it to spin a normal load of clothes.

At the very least, the motor will have to be repaired (armature resurfaced, new brushes installed, motor windings rewound), at worst, replaced.

Try to find a place inside to fit the washing machine. Understandably in a cost-cutting / restricted space circumstance, it may well be necessary to run the machine outside. In this case it is a good idea to at least give the appliance some sort of shelter to keep it out of the elements as much as possible.

Bosch and the Bobby Pin

2010-06-02T21:01:00.000+04:00

Often, it's the smallest thing that causes a big problem.

This Bosch WVF 2402 Washer/Dryer wasn't draining at all.

On testing I could hear the pump engaging then stopping.

I removed the lower front kick panel panel and opened up the manual drain/ impeller cover.

With my fiinger pulled out one skinny little bobby pin. This was jamming the impeller enough so as to render the drainage system inoperable.

Several tests after removal of the foriegn material - machine ran excellently, drain pump functioning normally. If you have a Bosch or an LG washing machine and it is not draining, it's pretty staight forward on both LG and bosch to check, one, for foriegn material possibly jamming the impeller and two, that the impeller shaft has not been sheared from the motor through contacting the foriegn material.

BEFORE CHECKING inside the washing machine, ALWAYS ENSURE THAT THE ELECTRICS TO THE WASHING MACHINE ARE OFF!!! Do we really need more reminders like this as to how frail life is for us as humans? Yes, it appears so.

Bottom, front of the machine there will be a screw-in cover, (kind of like a typical petrol tank cover on your car), which covers the impeller of the drainage pump. once the cover is removed you can rotate the impeller with your finger. if you feel some resistance as it goes around (stator magnets are acting against the metal of the rotor in the pump motor), this means the impeller is still attached to the motor and is OK.

If the impellor is freewheeling against your finger rotation, then the impellor shaft is more than likely sheared and you have to then get the drainage pump assembly replaced.

Installing and maintaining window AC

2010-05-13T18:58:00.000+04:00

The difficult part of installing window AC - making a hole in the wall. Other than that there is not much to it. Two workers to lift the unit in place, secure it and seal the edges nicely and provide the electrical power for it. The dimensions drawn directly on the wall serve as a good guide when removing concrete to create the opening. Afterwords any rough edges are plastered smooth.

A long masonry bit and a hilti drill make quick work of the concrete and will help the job go alot faster!

Below is some advise from the Rustic Girls (see link beside) on maintaining your window AC. It is a unit too often overlooked because most of us, though we rely on its cooling ability daily, do not care to understand its function in depth and therefore may not realize the importance of maintaining and cleaning the unit regularly.

By properly maintaining your window air conditioner, you will guarantee optimal performance as well as saving money and giving your window unit the chance to perform as efficiently as possible. Here's how:

Regularly clean the air filter - You may have to remove a side panel to get to the air filter of your unit, or even the front of the unit. Remove the filter, which is usually a spongy sheet less than ¼ inch thick, and wash gently with sponge in soapy water. Allow filter to dry and then replace.

Using an old paintbrush, brush the outside of the unit, especially the backside, where the fins are located. Dirt and dust can clog these fins and reduce efficiency. Some units may require removal of the back grill to reach the fins.

If necessary, straighten bent fins with a fine-toothed comb or a fin comb, which can be purchased from air conditioning and heating suppliers. If fins are bent, they restrict the amount of airflow into the air conditioner, affecting its cooling abilities.

You put oil in your outside tools, so don't forget to oil your window air conditioner, if your conditioner contains an oil port. Some older models do. If your unit contains an oil port (look at the user's guide), oil your conditioner twice a year. However, most window air conditioners sold these days are sealed and don't require additional oil, but better to check first.

Clean inside the air conditioning unit. Using the attachments that come with your vacuum cleaner, try to clean as much dust that has collected inside the unit both before summer and after summer time use.

Don't forget to clean the drain hole! Most wall air conditioner units come with a tray on the bottom. If possible, remove the tray and clean, and, if it has one, also clean the drain hole that is connected to the hose at the back of the unit.

If you're purchasing a new window air conditioner this year, look for those with a high EER, or Energy Efficiency Ratio, of 10 or more, but the higher the better. If it also comes with an Energy Star label, then your unit will be eco-friendly as well, a big plus all around.

Probable Circuit Overload

2010-05-11T15:03:00.000+04:00

Microwave, clothes washer, tumble dryer and watercooler on single 13-amp circuit.

Customer complained that the plug for her Beko washing machine was became very hot and melted when plugged in to the power bar with the rest of the mentioned appliances. Note that the plug-in nearest the source electricity on the power bar is burned.

Plug for the Beko washing machine also burned from overload causing high amperage draw.

Installed new plug an receptacle and advised customer to not run all the machines at once on the 13 amp circuit. Best to run only one appliance at a time and prhaps run an extension cord from the next nearest plug-in to relieve the electrical load.