A Few Repairs of Possible Interest
1. The Atwood propane stove had one burner that would not light anymore when turning the sparker on the left of the row of dials.
Took the top off the stove and found the three burners, a wire to each burner's own sparker to the main sparker dial (three wires). Swapped wires at the burner end, and now the bad burner worked and the other didn't. Hmmmm. Checked burner connection tubes, and orifices, all clear. Swapped wire sets between main sparker and burners, found that it was one of the three main sparker outlets that was the weak sister, wires ok.
Bought a new three- sparker gizmo ($29 Can.) that fits in there behind the dial you twist, installed using same wires, BAM! Each burner now fires up big on the first twist! Like magic. OK, so lesson is the sparker gizmo gets tired after 11 years, and you don't need a new stove top or whatever. :)
2. Awning going up-- the arms don't match up for fitting over one another. PITA to squeeze and bang each side till they finally fit. Read on here or somewhere you can shift the top of the awning itself over to cure that. Finally got fed up enough to be brave enough to try that.
-Raised awning, took out the two screws that hold the top of the awning in place in its slot.
- shoved it all over so now the outer arms fit over the inner arms--that made the awning top slide over in its slot an inch or so.
-screwed the two screws back in where they were before. Didn't need to drill-the screws went through the material in the slot with a bit of shoving down on them. Ta da! Way too easy. Wish I had done this long ago and saved myself some agony.
3. Day/night shades getting bad. Plastic holes the string goes through worn through so wide slots created and wide ugly holes in the day shade string runs, and strings fraying outer shrouds, jamming the strings and breaking. :( Hate all that! Bought lots of new string, fixed some blinds several times (solved the IQ test on how they are to be strung criss-cross, etc.) No good, new strings don't last. Fed right up!!!
Decided since we only use the night part (blinds are either up or down, never use the day see-through part, and all the trouble was that day part, just get rid of that, and make the night part go up and down no fuss no muss.
Tried it on one and it worked! The middle metal bar stays on, the bottom bar is no longer used, but the end clips with the string holes in them are needed for the new bottom bar (old middle bar) Just use the two middle strings down so those holes are filled for better privacy (end string holes are near valcances anyway) Criss cross the two strings at the new bottom bar (was four) and secure as before on wall each side. Use one plastic insert bar upside down in the new bottom bar but no strings through its holes--just to keep it all in place.
Blind (night part only now) goes up and down, stays up, no more fraying strings. Ta da! Too easy.
Took the top off the stove and found the three burners, a wire to each burner's own sparker to the main sparker dial (three wires). Swapped wires at the burner end, and now the bad burner worked and the other didn't. Hmmmm. Checked burner connection tubes, and orifices, all clear. Swapped wire sets between main sparker and burners, found that it was one of the three main sparker outlets that was the weak sister, wires ok.
Bought a new three- sparker gizmo ($29 Can.) that fits in there behind the dial you twist, installed using same wires, BAM! Each burner now fires up big on the first twist! Like magic. OK, so lesson is the sparker gizmo gets tired after 11 years, and you don't need a new stove top or whatever. :)
2. Awning going up-- the arms don't match up for fitting over one another. PITA to squeeze and bang each side till they finally fit. Read on here or somewhere you can shift the top of the awning itself over to cure that. Finally got fed up enough to be brave enough to try that.
-Raised awning, took out the two screws that hold the top of the awning in place in its slot.
- shoved it all over so now the outer arms fit over the inner arms--that made the awning top slide over in its slot an inch or so.
-screwed the two screws back in where they were before. Didn't need to drill-the screws went through the material in the slot with a bit of shoving down on them. Ta da! Way too easy. Wish I had done this long ago and saved myself some agony.
3. Day/night shades getting bad. Plastic holes the string goes through worn through so wide slots created and wide ugly holes in the day shade string runs, and strings fraying outer shrouds, jamming the strings and breaking. :( Hate all that! Bought lots of new string, fixed some blinds several times (solved the IQ test on how they are to be strung criss-cross, etc.) No good, new strings don't last. Fed right up!!!
Decided since we only use the night part (blinds are either up or down, never use the day see-through part, and all the trouble was that day part, just get rid of that, and make the night part go up and down no fuss no muss.
Tried it on one and it worked! The middle metal bar stays on, the bottom bar is no longer used, but the end clips with the string holes in them are needed for the new bottom bar (old middle bar) Just use the two middle strings down so those holes are filled for better privacy (end string holes are near valcances anyway) Criss cross the two strings at the new bottom bar (was four) and secure as before on wall each side. Use one plastic insert bar upside down in the new bottom bar but no strings through its holes--just to keep it all in place.
Blind (night part only now) goes up and down, stays up, no more fraying strings. Ta da! Too easy.
