Papa Mo – pro diy projects done by a noob (aws)

October 31, 2026

Lead testing

We moved to Walnut Creek 10 years ago. My wife has never drank the tap water. She is from Thailand and Germany and she has always used bottled water at home. I drink from the tap. I told her the water is clean. She said she isn’t concerned about the water but about the pipes in our 1959 Eichler. Nevermind […]

Uncategorized 0 1 min read

February 24, 2024

2005 Honda Pilot – Battery Cleanup

On our roadtrip to Solvang, we went through the drive through at McDonalds (family road trip tradition) and parked in the parking lot to eat. We were watching YouTube on my iPhone while it was plugged into the car. The audio from the phone was going through the bluetooth receiver. The headlights were inadvertently still on. The engine was off. […]

Car 0 2 min read

January 26, 2024

K&K Sound Pure Mini guitar pickup installation

I’ve been using a Fishman Rare Earth pickup (pictured below) in my Taylor 810 for over 20 years. It started developing a hum when plugged into the amp. Usually changing the batteries fixes the issue. But not this time. I called tech support to ask if they can fix it and they said it is normal that a single coil […]

Music 0 3 min read

July 14, 2021

Teak furniture

Overview We got a new teak patio set from Uchi House in Berkeley . A week after the furniture arrived i noticed two large cracks. I called Uchi House and they offered to replace the damaged furniture but i would have to wait two months for the new ones to arrive from Indonesia. Or they said I could try to […]

Patio 0 3 min read

July 9, 2021

Standup Paddleboard Conversion

I got a standup paddle board last year for our camping trips last summer. This year, I wanted to add a seat to the paddleboard so i have more leverage to pull an inner tube. My paddle board doesn’t have d-rings to support the kayak seat so i would have to install the d-rings. Materials HH-66 vinyl cement glue rubbing […]

Camping & Outdoor 0 2 min read

June 24, 2021

Camp Shower

I love camping. Car camping in state parks, backpacking in wilderness areas, canvas tents at curry village. My wife never camped before she met me. For her camping is all-things not joyful in life combined into one activity, but she still comes with us because she knows how much my son and I enjoy it. I try to identify the […]

Camping & Outdoor 0 8 min read

May 20, 2021

Outdoor Kitchen Sink

I love to cook, but my problem is that I make a huge mess in the kitchen. This is a source of great stress for my wife. I’ve worked hard to change my bad habits (no sponges left in the sink, lean cutting board against the wall so it can dry properly, no cooking greasy food in the morning). But […]

Outdoor Kitchen 0 7 min read

October 31, 2020

Minisplit: 4. Testing and Refrigerant

I called several HVAC companies and told them I installed a minisplit system and need a pro to come over and to add the refrigerant and do the high pressure test and vacuum test. Both the charging and the testing requires specialized HVAC tools and expertise. No contractors wanted to take on this work, because they don’t want to be […]

Minisplit 0 7 min read

October 30, 2020

Minisplit: 3 Connection

Lineset hook up The lineset (copper pipes) need to be connected to the wall unit and to the condensor. Each side has two pipes, one for the liquid and one for the suction. A total of 16 connections because I am installing 4 wall units. Each connection needs to be vacuum tight so no gas or liquid leaks out. This […]

Minisplit 0 2 min read

October 29, 2020

Minisplit: 2. Construction

Condensor Placement The 4-zone condensor is 220 lbs and 2 feet by four feet. I considered placing the condenser on the roof. Advantage of roof placement is that you don’t have to use valuable space around the house and the lineset distance is shorter since the condesnor is in a central location to all the wall units. The drawbacks are […]

Minisplit 0 4 min read