Halogen Light bulbs - Sizes

I installed a motion detector light above my garage about 6 months ago. One of the bulbs recently went out. I removed the old one, took it to the hardware and bought what I thought was a replacement. Do yourself a favor. Avoid causing your lamp to smoke and exploding not 1, but 2 bulbs. Notice the packaging.

Notice the blue vs yellow G rating? I never knew this existed and apparently neither did the hardware employee who helped me find the incorrect replacement. I really thought there was something wrong with my fixture after 2 failed attempts to replace it. I highly recommend taking your old bulb with you and camparing not only the wattage, but the width of the prongs too. Hope this helps you avoid a fire hazard and an additional trip to the hardware!

Mysterious drip behind the toilet?

***WARNING: This job takes some body contorting.

I kept noticing a drop or two of water behind the toilet. At first I thought the water line was just "sweating" in the humid, fall air, but I do not think that is possible and was obviously in denial about a little problem. Later I realized the drip was from the tank bolt. (Yes, I am just getting around to fixing this in February!) Apparently the bolts and washers that hold the tank on to the toilet are not made to last forever. So I found this replacement Plumb Pak kit at Lowes for about $5.



Plumb Pak, 1/2" wrench and large flathead for removal and install, old, rusty bolt and washer


First, turn off the water line to the toilet and flush. Sponge out the remaining water in the tank. You will just need a large flathead screw driver to hold the interior bolt inside the tank and a wrench, probably 1/2" to unscrew the bolt on the bottom of the tank. Strong contortion factor here. Once removed, just replace with the new. The new one has a rubber and metal washer for inside the tank as well as underneath. The butterfly bolt makes it easy to tighten everything by hand. Yeah! No more drips!

New and improved with butterlfy bolt

Now when people make fun of that workout they call "stretches" aka yoga/pilates, you can be proud you are strong and flexible enough to contort your body to fix your toilet without huffing and puffing!

Valspar Duramax Exterior Paint

I finished repainting the house exterior a couple weekends ago. I am hoping this paint lasts twice as long as the previous paint I used. It has to withstand a lot in the Lowcountry considering the hot, humid summers and salty air. Duramax was the paint recommended for withstanding these conditions. It is super thick paint and almost feels like you are painting on pudding. I am very happy with the results so far. I'll revisit this in a year or so and let you know how its looking.