The Handyman

Hey girls, gather round
Because of what I'm puttin' down
Oh, baby, I'm your handy man
I'm not the kind that uses pencil or rule
I'm handy with the love and I'm no fool
I fix broken hearts, I know I really can

James Taylor-I'm Your Handyman


Today's Post lead is is not about fixing "broken hearts" but about fixing a broken Ice Machine which was something we discovered the first day back in our Stowe Condo.  Yes I like to consider myself quite the "Handy Man" particularly when the solution seems so "simple" .  Somehow nothing is ever as simple as it first appears, particularly to a guy who is not the kind to use a "pencil or a rule".

Having noticed that our ice machine no longer worked I first suspected it was a clogged filter so on to Amazon to buy a new filter.  This arrived two days later...oops wrong size.  No problem we returned it  and ordered the correct one which arrived the same day that Barbara's sister Maria and her husband Vern arrived for an impromptu family reunion!  Time spent on "Filter" 2 hours.

it did not solve the problem.

 Pulling out the refrigerator Vern and I quickly determined a simple "splice" of my ice makers cracked tubing would solve the problem.  Confident of an easy solution we went to the local hardware store purchased some new tubing, and a couple of in-line fittings spliced the line and promptly "restarted" the refrigerator's ice maker.   So what if the tubes were a slightly different size the splice held up just fine..for an hour or so.

 No problem I assured my brother in law-I would order a new correct size tube on Amazon and install it when it arrived.  Time spent splicing 1.5 hours.

Three days later the tube arrived and I promptly pulled out the refrigerator. I removed the entire old tube from the valves and installed the new tube and bingo I soon discovered (via a new leak) that when I removed the old tube from the electronic valve at the base of the Refrigerator  I destroyed the valve's simple plastic fitting.   Time spent 2 hours.

Back to Amazon where after about 40 minutes of research (including a U-Tube video) I found and ordered the part (a new valve) that I now needed.

Three days later my part arrived, I pulled out the refrigerator removed the old part and...wait a minute this is not the same part.  S0 back on line , cursing my stupidity,  I found I inadvertently ordered a part for the top valve assembly.  Back to Amazon where with further research I found that I typed "A" instead of "B" in the part number.  I told Amazon I was returning, and ordered a correct part.  Time spent 2 hours including a trip by my faithful and obedient companion to the post office to return the part for a refund.  

Three days later my faithful and obedient companion advised me my part was "In'.  OOPs, I had it sent to Winter Park by mistake.  No problem-Eric my son was going up to our Winter Park Home (unbeknown to us he got engaged to his girlfriend "Erin" on that trip! This is my first official announcement of that!).  They took  some time out of their big weekend to mail the part to us in Stowe.  Thanks and Oh by the way congratulations Eric and Erin (I wonder what Erin's thoughts are about her future "handyman Father-in law are?)  Their time spent remailing from Winter Park (estimate )1.5 hours

Finally the part arrived a couple of days ago and I actually successfully finished the job!  Time spent 1.5 hours

I was so proud of my accomplishment (all in a "days work" so to speak) that at a meeting with our property manager here yesterday I bragged that we now had an ice machine again!  Her response- that's great but all you really needed were a few ice cube trays for renters.  

My takeaway from this whole experience maybe I need to think "outside the "(ice))box".

With that I bid you a "Handy"

 Adieu





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