So many screws, so many different screws. No fear of electricity and the scars to prove it.

My Project

Our steam mop, an ok steam mop, but not a great vacuum, took a tumble or two and started leaking water. I don't know how long these devices are expected to last but I had an idea it could be repaired. So, I took the time to figure out how to take it apart to investigate a home fix.

So many screws, so many different screws.

It was not the best execution. I should have taken notes and slowed down. That's true for about everything, isn't it? Follow me to my workstation.

I am sitting at the high counter of our kitchen with the steamer in front of me as big as a human leg. I am thinking I should take notes and use a muffin tin to separate the parts. That is a next-time opportunity as I dig in and start figuring out how to get to the water tank. I don't know much but now I know this steamer is not designed to be taken apart, much less put back together.

Start with the Logo

I have no fear of such situations. I used to repair cell phones which are also not designed to be taken apart. Most things use labels and logo badges to cover the key screw you need to get at to start disassembly. Twenty minutes later the dozen screws of distinct types and uses are rolling around with plastic parts and the wire harnesses spine that I am not sure how to fit back together. I dismantled it enough to get to the broken water bottle part. This thing is shattered, I fill the bottle with water to find the leak. It leaks from everywhere. I wish I could order just that part. or dip it in resin but those are not options. I pat it down dry, and I paint it with my medical-purpose ostomy silicon glue to seal up the cracked molded plastic bottle that is a reservoir for the steam head. I am finding it goes back together better than I expected. In the end, there are a few screws left over. However, it works okay with only a minor leak in the water reservoir. I want to call it 85% winner.

Von Schlieffen Plan, AKA, Plan B

To prepare for my probable mission failure in this repair project. I ordered a new steamer that cleans and mops. We are happy to have both. the new steamer comes apart. It changes from a stick-style steam mop into a handheld steamer I can use to clean counters, bathroom tiles, and the slimy inner workings of our dishwasher. Oh, the gays, and their fancy cleaning tools!

Confidence check. My upcoming project is to replace my car radio with a new head unit and backup camera. After the mop repair, I remind myself, that I have no fear of electricity, and the scares to prove it.

What am I reading this week?

Moloka'i | Alan Brennert

I was recently on vacation in Hawaii and downloaded this book to read. I did not get to start it until after I got home. A sad story of how a small child is sent to a lepper colony at Molika'i. She is fictional, but the colony is all too real. There was no cure for leprosy, or what we call in now Hansen disease. Leprosy is the name of a biblical illness, a god plague for the wicked. Hansens is a biological infection we can treat with drugs. The native Hawaiians had already been wiped out by other illnesses so when Hansen disease showed up the authorities established a quarantine on Molika'i where they sent people to die of all ages and ethnicities. (An effective cure was not found until the 1980s.) Fear of the unknown ruined families across generations. Siblings moved and changed names to avoid being associated with a family member with Hansens. I am kind of glad I did not read this book while I was on vacation. It reminded me of the stigma associated with Aids and being gay.

Two-Year Celebration - no hospital jellos

I have stabilized with my Crohn's. With drugs and IV fluids I have gone two years without a stay in the hospital. The trade-off is this, I have to stab myself with impossibly long needles that would make a dentist cringe in exchange for no hospital stays. I am going to rate this outcome a draw.