DIY Electrical Kitchen Range Hood Removal

Get rid of that old outdated oven range hood. See the steps on how to do it by watching my DIY Electrical Kitchen Range Hood Removal tutorial. The old oven range hood was a Nutone brand oven range hood. It really needed to be upgraded. Removing the old one and installing the new one was a lot easier than I would have thought. This style is not vented. Meaning, there is no sheet metal ducting going to the outside of the house. This style of range hood just blows it back into the kitchen. Some models have filters on them.

The first step is to shut the power off at the breaker. Ensure the power is off with a good voltage tester as well. Here is a link to a video I made on a good voltage tester used for this purpose: https://youtu.be/F1eoiFjvAO4. After you've verified that the power is off to the range hood, it's time to unscrew the lightbulb that in there and bust out your cordless drill to unscrew the electrical box screw to expose wiring. Couldn't hurt to verify again that the power is off just before touching any wires. Disconnect any the wires coming from the main power. Now unscrew the securing screws from the bottom of the overhead cabinets. Take note of the wiring and colors of wires. Most of them will be white to white, black to black, and then the ground. Now it's time to install the new one.



Amazon link to Braun-Nutone Range Hood: https://amzn.to/32Os8uM

GMC Sierra DIY Drive Shaft Removal Procedure

GMC Sierra DIY Drive Shaft Removal Procedure. This whole video was made due to my truck being stuck in gear. Tried everything to get it unstuck but nothing worked. Had to get it out of the way so it was necessary to remove the drive shaft and pull it out of the way.

If this happens to you or you need to disconnect your drive shaft for other reasons, then this video is for you. It's actually very easy and can be done with simple hand tools. 

The first thing I did was jack up the track and place jack stands under it so I didn't get crushed. 

Secondly, I disconnected it at the rear differential joint. This was easily removed by loosening the 4 bolts shown using a 7/16" socket. 

Before completely removing them I made sure to tie up the drive shaft so it didn't smack me in the face. I used a flathead screwdriver to pop off the little clips around the universal joint and the retaining rings. Once these are removed the drive shaft comes right out. 

Pretty simple. I did end up buying a new universal joint as the old one was a little rusty. It was fairly inexpensive at auto zone. 

Amazon link to new U-joint: https://amzn.to/2Hdz5gw

How to Remove a Nissan Frontier Tailgate

It is nice to know how to remove and reinstall tailgates on trucks. I figured I'd do a demo on this one since it was available. They are fairly easy to remove which is good and bad. The good part is that you can get them off fairly quickly but the bad part is dirt bag thieves and tweezers like to steal them. There are some measures you can take to make it a little harder to steal your tailgate.

How to Remove Security Ink Retail Clothing Tags-DIY Tutorial

There are many ways in which to remove these pesky retail security tags and I've been able to remove them using a few different methods. Often times, especially during holiday seasons, clerks often overlook the removal of these due to the crowds etc. So by the time you finish your shopping and drive home the last thing you want to do is turn around and drive back to the store where you purchased your item and have them remove it. The video above demonstrates the removal of a tag using a rotary tool or rotary file. Dremel makes a nice one and so does craftsman. I'll post some links below to some of these as they are not only useful in performing this job but I've used them for numerous other things.

The video above demonstrates on an old shirt what happens when the ink capsules of the security ink tag are popped and released onto the cloth. There's no mistaken what's taken place once the ink pours out and of course the garment is ruined.

The video above demonstrates the removal using an angle grinder. I admit this method of removal is somewhat overkill, however, it can be done if it's all you have. Your risk of damaging the clothing item goes up a little but if you are careful this method can be super quick and easy. Don't have an angle grinder? You should get one as they are useful for so many other things. I'll post a couple links below. I've used my angle grinders for cutting metal, tile, wood, you name it.



The below video demonstrates the bench grinder removal method. I think out of all of the methods shown this has got to be the easiest for this type of tag. I allows great control of the depth of plastic removed at a time allowing you to carefully peel away small amounts in a controlled fashion. There is some danger involved here though. Make sure any loose parts of the garment are secure as there could be a high tendency for this to wrap around the bench grinder. Same goes with the methods shown above. Know what your doing and be able before you go trying this or you could lose a finger or two.

DIY-How to Remove Countertop Ceramic Tile Backsplash

Thinking of removing tile yourself? It's pretty easy as long as you take some precautions. The goal is to leave the underlying surface suitable for re-installation of whatever you decide to install. In this case, I planned on installing mosaic pattern backsplash glass tile and granite countertops. I did not film it years ago, but I installed all of this countertop and backsplash tile so it was tough (emotionally) to remove it as it was a lot of work getting it installed years ago. That being said the idea of granite countertops and a more modern looking backsplash was encouraging during it all.



One tip when removing tile from drywall is that you don't want to use the underlying drywall as a pivot point for your removal tool if at all possible as it can just cave it or rip a big hole you'll need to repair. The chisel (pry bar) and hammer method is best for removal on this stuff. Also it's best if you are not in a huge hurry and can take your time removing this stuff as less collateral damage is likely to occur.



Be sure to wear eye protection as little chunks of sharp tile come flying off. You will get some in your eye if you don't.



This stuff does fly everywhere using this removal method so cover up any holes, crevices, appliances, or furniture you do not want to get tile particles in them.



It's a little intimidating at the very beginning when destructively removing ceramic tile but once you realize that it's all got to be removed, you will just keep pushing forward with the job. Grab yourself an empty bucket too in which to put the scraps of removed tile in as the edges are like glass so a bucket makes hauling it out of your removal location easier. A wheelbarrow would work well too.



Good luck and get to work!

Removing Old Baseboard Heaters and Upgrading to New Ones

Baseboard heaters can be very dangerous and are nearly the least preferred out of many heat sources available for use with a house. If you are wanting  to remove them the video up above shows exactly how to do that. The reason I took mine out was because the house nearly caught on fire because of them. I had to re-install new ones years later due to the potential of selling the house. I used wood heat in place of the baseboards for many years.
For baseboard heater removal:

Step 1: Turn off breaker and double check power is off w/voltage sensor.

Step 2: Unscrew panel to the right or left on the heater itself to expose wires.

Step 3: Unthread wire nuts and pull apart wires.

Step 4: Unmount the heater from the wall.

Step 5: Properly cap/disposition the wires. If you are not installing new baseboard heaters right away, install electrical box in wall and secure wires this way. If you are able to, leave the breaker/s off for the circuit until you are ready to install new heaters.

Installing upgraded baseboard heaters can be refreshing. They look new and there's a little extra confidence that they'll be a little safer and more efficient. Once you've made this decision to replace them, take a look at the two videos above. Installing them is very easy. Be sure you've double checked that the power is still off before messing around with any of the wiring. The first video shows you how to re-install the new baseboard heater itself. The second one shows you how to install the face mounted thermostat.
This is a nice feature because the temperature control itself is right on the face of the baseboard heater. This just gives you more options to adjust each heater individually. The cost on them is around $20 to $25 each. Using these can also provide some added safety reassurance in case the thermostat malfunctions and the heaters come on when not desired. This was the original reason I uninstalled the old baseboard heaters in the first place.
If you are performing all these upgrades, you may as well upgrade and install a new thermostat as well, if one exists. I want to emphasize safety here. Let me be clear, it is always best to hire a licensed electrician to do this work. If you choose to DIY, make sure to turn off the power and use a non-contact voltage sensor like the one in the link provided below.

Be careful and best of luck.

l