Whitewater Woman's Equipment Maintenance and Repair

[Outdated]

I'd go with the metal sheeting or with more fly screen as you suggested. I wouldn't waste my time with plywood, even what they call "marine ply" is rubbish and it will just rot.

Those metal sheets are roofing sheets with a brand named coating called Zincalume. You can buy it in two trays wide as can be seen in your picture, and also 3 trays and 4 trays, it sort of took over from the old corrugated iron. This roofing is especially popular in commercial buildings, if you talk to some builders they'd probably be able to give you enough offcuts to do the job you want.

Side note: It always spins me out seeing houses made of timber, most of Australia has termites so everything's made of concrete and steel.

 

[Forest Cat]

Yeah that's not a good spot for plywood. You'll have to replace it again and again. I would not use plywood there. There is something called exterior vinyl siding panel. Very durable and looks nice. Lots of different options and colors, these are just some examples:




https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-vinyl-siding-brands/

 

[Shevek]

The outdoors also has dogs, and raccoons, and other critters that might get through a low screen, if that is a concern. There are old plywood boats - longevity is a function of coating and care. In many cases the "best material" is the one you have on hand that fits easily, or the one you are familiar with working. Metal is also used for siding, generally with fewer and shallower stiffening bends. If you are only finding short offcuts, you can use them like shingles.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

The ply wood is rotting due to mold. the metai is siding, most likely aluminum, could be galvanized and painted steel. Aluminum is light in weight.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

I'd go with the metal sheeting or with more fly screen as you suggested. I wouldn't waste my time with plywood, even what they call "marine ply" is rubbish and it will just rot.

Those metal sheets are roofing sheets with a brand named coating called Zincalume. You can buy it in two trays wide as can be seen in your picture, and also 3 trays and 4 trays, it sort of took over from the old corrugated iron. This roofing is especially popular in commercial buildings, if you talk to some builders they'd probably be able to give you enough offcuts to do the job you want.

Side note: It always spins me out seeing houses made of timber, most of Australia has termites so everything's made of concrete and steel.

Excellent. I agree about the plywood, but don’t trust my judgments being new at this game.
Most everything in Florida is concrete. I don’t know why they made my house with wood. There have been some termite infestations, but the only reason it got bad was….well, let’s not go there. I will need to keep a sharp eye out for termites.

Yeah that's not a good spot for plywood. You'll have to replace it again and again. I would not use plywood there. There is something called exterior vinyl siding panel. Very durable and looks nice. Lots of different options and colors, these are just some examples:


View attachment 129676

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-vinyl-siding-brands/

I like the shake pattern. I’ll look into it. Thank you.

The outdoors also has dogs, and raccoons, and other critters that might get through a low screen, if that is a concern. There are old plywood boats - longevity is a function of coating and care. In many cases the "best material" is the one you have on hand that fits easily, or the one you are familiar with working. Metal is also used for siding, generally with fewer and shallower stiffening bends. If you are only finding short offcuts, you can use them like shingles.

Good point about wild animals outside wanting to come in. In the past there has been dog food stored on the porch, which attracted possums. I could put the roofing or vinyl siding where the external porches are and screen the rest. Usually, they just go through the cat door if I forget to close it or they pry open the screen doors if I don’t lock them. Haven’t had any try to go through the screens and I will not store pet food on the porch.

However, I did have fire ant poison on the porch and a possum got in and ate half a big bag. I never saw that possum again.

THANK YOU ALL.

 

[Shevek]

I'd go with the metal sheeting or with more fly screen as you suggested. I wouldn't waste my time with plywood, even what they call "marine ply" is rubbish and it will just rot.


Marine plywood is no more waterproof or rot-resistant. The money goes into making sure there are no internal voids to help a leak do more damage. Aircraft plywood is the same, except that it is guaranteed that no grain is more than 10 degrees from flat.

 

[Forest Cat]

Hi, did you find a solution for the plywood problem? Just wondering how it is going.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Regarding the front porch. I went with using screen all the way down to the base. I did hire a young couple to help me with this. The screen I salvaged from the trailer Hurricane Irma destroyed. I LOVE IT. I always wanted it to be all screen. We put plying on the narrow width of the porched which was rotting, leaving about an inch at the front for water to drain out, should it come in. In theory with the new gutter system in place, the amount of water entering the porch should be minimal. Then we covered the gap with screen to keep out the mosquitos. I haven't got the water barrels set up yet, but the gutters are up and water will drain instead of skiing off the top and running into the porch. But I am pleased at how it is going. The floor should get a coat of paint because the first painting has rubbed off in many places. I am thinking of painting it a very deep dark purple.

NEW PROJECT: The door to my NEW refrigerator is sagging and even when closed there is a tiny bit that is letting the cold air out. I have emailed the company to request help, but I thought I'd also run it by people here in case there are some good suggestions. I'm not wild about opening it up, unless so directed by the company because that might void the warantee. This is a mini-frig, just 5.5 cu feet and no freezer. I love it. It is perfect for one person. It keeps things cold better than the big refrigerator which I gave to the couple who is helping me. When you look at the picture, note that the door is completely closed, it just isn't "up" where it should be.

NEXT NEW PROJECT: In browsing through Pinterest (where I do get lots of good ideas), I found the following fruit catcher:

This would be PERFECT for my mango trees. My "garden" is kind of wild and it is hard to see and find the ripe mangos which have dropped off the tree. (Think Easter egg hunt.) But this is 8 feet square and I probably would need it to be more like 16 ft square to fit my mango trees. Also I have now 7 producing mango trees and doing it for all would be prohibited. But I'd like to try it. does anyone have any ideas how I could make something like this only much, much bigger?

THANK YOU!

 

[Outdated]

Most fridge doors are adjustable, simply a matter of loosening the screws, shifting the door back up to it's proper position, and then holding it there while you retighten the screws.

Also, with many of these little bar fridges the doors are reversable and it looks like this is the case with yours as well. Three plastic lugs covering screw holes. If sagging is because the body of the fridge has warped and changed shape (rust) then try shifting the hinges to the other side so that the door opens on the right.

I have a similar setup to you. A small bar fridge with no freezer section in it. That little freezer section they put in most of them is mostly useless, takes up valuable space, and because of the frost that builds up on them it always leads to an early death of the fridge. So I have a little bar fridge, and separately I have a small chest freezer. That works out most practical for a single person.

As for catching mangoes, it should be a simple enough job to buy some shade cloth and spread it around in a similar fashion. That stuff isn't cheap though. It comes in 6 ft and 12 ft widths.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Most fridge doors are adjustable, simply a matter of loosening the screws, shifting the door back up to it's proper position, and then holding it there while you retighten the screws.

Also, with many of these little bar fridges the doors are reversable and it looks like this is the case with yours as well. Three plastic lugs covering screw holes. If sagging is because the body of the fridge has warped and changed shape (rust) then try shifting the hinges to the other side so that the door opens on the right.

I think that is the case, but the screws are covered with something and I sort tried to pry it off, but I don't want to break it. I didn't know I could adjust the door with the screws. I knew it was supposed to be convertible to the other side and I actually wanted it on the other side, but it came the way it is and I couldn't easily figure out how to use it.

I have a similar setup to you. A small bar fridge with no freezer section in it. That little freezer section they put in most of them is mostly useless, takes up valuable space, and because of the frost that builds up on them it always leads to an early death of the fridge. So I have a little bar fridge, and separately I have a small chest freezer. That works out most practical for a single person.

Exactly!

As for catching mangoes, it should be a simple enough job to buy some shade cloth and spread it around in a similar fashion. That stuff isn't cheap though. It comes in 6 ft and 12 ft widths.

The neat thing about the posted item is that it catches the fruit off the ground and keeps it off the ground. The fruit bruise less and the ants don't get into them so fast.

Thank you!

 

[Outdated]

The fruit bruise less and the ants don't get into them so fast.

I almost asked about that before. What sort of wildlife you have problems with.

Darwin is a bit of a weird place and pollination is not done by bees there. Pollination is done by ants, by fruit bats, by birds, and by small marsupials. Of course the fruit bats and the possums will come back when the fruit is ripe as well but if you put nets over your trees to try and keep them out you end up with almost no fruit.

There's a big kick up and stink in the southern states at the moment, we've had an outbreak of Varoa Mites that completely wipe out European Honey Bee hives. I think it's the best thing that could have happened in this country. The European Honey Bee causes so much damage to our environment that I'd like to see them outlawed here.

We have many species of native bee that are a natural part of the environment and they also don't have stings. Their honey is much sweeter and tastier than honey produced by the European Bee but most people will go with what they are already familiar with and don't like trying something new.

[Edit] our possums eat only fruit and nectar and look a lot cuter than yours:

 

[Forest Cat]

The floor should get a coat of paint because the first painting has rubbed off in many places. I am thinking of painting it a very deep dark purple.

I have a small tip for porch floors. Those types of floors are often exposed to water and sun and lots of wear and tear. So I like to use boat paint on them. The type of primer and paint they use on wooden boats. It's a little stronger and lasts longer I think.

 

[Outdated]

I have a small tip for porch floors. Those types of floors are often exposed to water and sun and lots of wear and tear. So I like to use boat paint on them. The type of primer and paint they use on wooden boats. It's a little stronger and lasts longer I think.

There's also a water based type of clear varnish you can get that does a fantastic job. It's mostly used on concrete floors to prevent them from getting stained but it seals timber really well too.

In South Australia it's also used to paint buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure. Graffiti just hoses off of it.

 

[Aspychata]

Great you are tackling all these issues, and checking them off on your "l can do this" list. I am dealing with rust, and will need to hire for this situation.

 

[Mary Terry]

I have a small tip for porch floors. Those types of floors are often exposed to water and sun and lots of wear and tear. So I like to use boat paint on them. The type of primer and paint they use on wooden boats. It's a little stronger and lasts longer I think.

Agree. We use marine paint for the lake dock and the chicken house.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Good news on the frig. Company says they are sending someone out to fix it. I don’t have an appointment yet, but I’m supposed to get a call in the next 48-72 hours. Yay!

Outdated: I love your possums! They are so cute.

The wildlife that goes after my mangos (and other fruits) are America’s possums, raccoons, squirrels and rats. Most of the trees are too big to cover with netting. I’ve tried tying - can’t think of the word - kinda like gauze, around individual fruits and they just chew through it.

I’ve also got a portable electric fence that when used properly keeps away the coons and possums. But I have to keep repositioning it and also cutting the grass and weeds away from it on a regular basis. But now that I’m retired, I’d have more time for that.

For squirrels and rats who get in from the top, I need to trim back branches high up. I could also spray with diluted Tabasco. Squirrels will not tolerate Tabasco.

Not sure about the rats. These are native rats that live in the woods, not your yucky Norwegian rats. (Oh, Forest Cat, I’m so sorry but that is their name!) And they will come into the house.

 

[Aspychata]

Our Florida rats wear aloha shirts.

 

[Forest Cat]

not your yucky Norwegian rats.

How dare you, such an insult.

 

[Outdated]

The wildlife that goes after my mangos (and other fruits) are America’s possums, raccoons, squirrels and rats. Most of the trees are too big to cover with netting. I’ve tried tying - can’t think of the word - kinda like gauze, around individual fruits and they just chew through it.

A common Aussie trick to keep possums out of particular trees is to wrap a sheet of perspex around the trunk. Very few animals can get past it.

 

[Outdated]

And another simple trick for keeping rats and other rodents away - go to your local wildlife park and ask if they sell bags of snake poo. Sprinkle a bit of that around and rodents will disappear for about 3 months. It doesn't hurt to throw a few chunks up in to your ceiling cavity either.