"Honey, you need to take a chair and adjust the humidifier setting, there is condensation forming on the windows".
That was from my vertically challenged wife, she needs a chair to reach anything that's more than 5 feet off the ground. Why would I, standing 6' 2" need a chair?
I go to the garage and look at the humidifier for the first time since we moved to this house, and then I understand why I would need a chair: The control box is 8' 9" off the ground! Yes, I actually measured it as I couldn't believe my eyes.
Well, she was right: I needed a chair, both to stand on and set the humidifier and to sit at the table and eat the crow she had just served me.
Had it been a new construction I would have called the contractor, given him/her a piece of my mind and had it fixed. As it is, this is not a new construction and I have to figure out a fix myself.
Back when I was young and had the patience for this kind of thing I would have purchased the necessary parts and would have moved that control box myself. But the truth is, I'm a cranky old man now and am happy to settle for something quick and simple that works.
As luck would have it, I still had some chain left over from my motorized shade project - discussed in my previous blogs "to servo or not to servo, that is the question" - which should just do the trick.
Off I go to the trusty old CAD and a new doohickey is created: A 3 piece knob assembly, held together with 2 stainless steel screws, to accommodate a chain. Just pull off the original knob and stick in the new, no tools or fasteners required.
I call it the Darth Vader knob.
Of course I couldn't pass the opportunity to show off my cool water softener salt level gage on the right!
One more widget added to the showroom at www.mtrdesigns-usa.com, in line with the idea that if it helps me it might help others as well.
Be sure to place your comments/opinions below and browse the web site for other ideas that might make your lives easier.