There's no permeable paving for residential use. Those permeable concrete and asphalt are ugly and hard to install. Usual permeable paving for the home are stone (or similar material) slabs, relying on the gaps between stones to drain water.
Why you want permeable paving? The big issue is to prevent urban runoff, with the rain and storm carrying dirt into the ocean. Soil around your home absorbs the excess water, and then release it up on sunny days.
But for the home owner, leveling a pavement is the big issue. That's impossible if you pave an old path or area with things there at different levels over the years. I tried to lay the stone directly on grass and let the grass die and let the stones sink a bit into the soil at different degrees. If your pavement or patio is not perfectly level (with a few degrees off to drain water), water puddles can form every time after rain or washing.
For home paving, you make a level bed of rocks and sand, then add the top layer of stones, brick or other slabs. Finally you fill the gaps with something.
I'm using like thin tiles of stone modules hold in place in a plastic grid. The untended side effect is that it can go up and down to fit my irregular base. With some modifications it would be a pleasure to install. Though you still need a good base. Sadly, the current design is unpopular because of a few flaws. I managed to get it cents for dollars.
Permeable gap fillers are aggregates of stone fragments or sand. If you don't fill it it will be filled with soil or dirt. The problem is that you can't brush it, you can't hose it. And if you don't fill it, insects such as ants like it very much.
Other ways to fill the gaps are more like mortars. The popular way is to use polymeric sand, easy to apply and some retains it's soft sealing property. But they are not permeable. I found about two permeable types on the web, but only available in Europe or commercially.
Modern mortars are impermeable, they will make sure of it to prevent water seeping into the whatever base.
My perfect permeable mortar is lime and sand mix, which is actually used for old buildings. Here it is:
1 cup water
2 cup Type S hydrated lime (~$14 / 50 lb)
2 cup washed plaster sand (~$3 / 50 lb)
Type S hydrated lime is the most common lime you can get from building material suppliers, except for the home improvement hardware stores because they don't think people will mix their own mortar. Any hydrated lime will do but you ,may have to vary the ratios. Standard lime allows the builders to mix consistence mortars.
Any sand will do but beware that if they are not properly graded (filtered), any large particle will block your grout bad tip, and you have no easy to unblock it but to empty your whole bag. Sea salt will affect the long term chemical reaction of lime reverting to lime stone, but you probably don't really need that. Play sand is probably OK - washed and safe to play on. Paving sand will not be OK because my grout bag was blocked.
The exact ratio is not critical. The above amount will give you mortar for some 10 sq ft of 5 mm shallow gaps. Add 1 cup of water to 2 cup of lime will give you a soft paste that will not drip. Without sand the lime will be very soft. More sand the finish will be rougher, may be stronger and may be more permeable.
Features
The mix is brilliant white. The color of sand is immaterial unless you have a very high proportion of it.
The lime sand mix is soft. You can crack it with your finger nails. But you can brush it or hose it without anything noticeable falling off. That's a big advantage over any aggregates. Even if you brush a little lime (and a little sand) off the surface, it just lime stone and sand, perfectly environment friendly.
The lime sand mortar is strong enough to glue lose stone or fragments into position.
I cannot guarantee that the mortar is permeable. But for me it's highly permeable. The mortar do not have strong adhesive properties attached to the stone, and pure lime shrinks a lot when dry leaving a lot of tiny cracks. As a result I tend to create a lot of tiny cracks during the filling process. They look beautiful with my natural stones anyway. If you use pure lime with little sand, the minute cracks due to shrinking when dry will certain be highly permeable. The other extreme is to use very little lime so basically it's all sand so it must be permeable.
Procedure
You have to use a grout bag, like apply cream to a cake. Lime will stain everything brilliant translucent white. Lime is soft and the stain will eventually fall off but fine dust takes time.
For 5mm gaps or larger, the tip of the bag should go inside the gap and you should fill the gap without the mortar overflowing out of the gap.
Then use a pointing knife to "point" the mortar. It's basically a sharp object to smooth out the mortar. If no mortar overflow outside the gap, you are done. Or you have to remove the excess mortar with a putty knife, which is like a pizza server, or anything with a thin strong edge. Excess mortar will stain the edge with a white haze. It doesn't look bad and it will wear off with time.
You should let the pavement from sun and rain for a couple of hours or days. The proper way is to keep it moist under a wet blanket. I don't do any of these, which defeats the purpose of easiness. The mixture dries out in a few hours at most, and good enough to brush and rinse the next day for certain. The carbonate process is a long term process.
Unused mortar dries very slowly with a lid on. You can do a little bit everyday or every weekend. The tools are easily washed clean with water. There's no environment impact because it's lime stone and sand. I pour the used water into other parts of the permeable pavement.
Hydrated lime is very alkaline before turning back into lime stone with carbon dioxide in the air. The lime is fine as dust. Maybe for this reason the package says there are cancer causing agents. I doubt if they have to add any chemical to lime.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
GILA Mirrored Privacy Window Film
I recommend it because it's cheap for 3' x 15', and looks good too. However, there's a lot of if's and but's. The Lowes review system is pretty useless. So here it is.Privacy
First of all, the privacy is not absolute, and varies depending on time of the day. To understand how it works, a piece of glass reflect a small fraction of the incoming light and let others through. With the film on, the incoming light is reduced to some 15% (check), and the reflection is increased to 85% (assuming no absorption).
So on the outside of the house you see two light sources. A 85% reflection of yourself, and 15% of whatever source from inside the house. The brighter the outside, the stronger the reflection of yourself and the less you can see inside. In day time even without bright sunlight, you can hardly see inside even when you are a few feet from the window.
After dark outdoors, you don't see any reflection of yourself at all. All you see is the indoor lighting, reduced to 15%. Although dim, you can see clearly how many people are there and what they are doing. In addition, people indoors don't see anything outside at all. All they see is a beautiful reflection of the living room or wherever they are in. They can't see even if someone is right outside the window.
It's not for you if you want absolute privacy at night. But it's wrong to say there's no privacy. The indoor lights is reduced to 15% and that's an improvement, thought not very useful. For me there will not be visitors and door to door salesmen at night and any pediatricians then will be far away from the windows.
Appearance
It really looks like that from the outside as in the picture even if your installation is not perfect. Of course it depends on how good looking is your environment. It's hard to see the flaws when you are at the outside. Unless you have huge windows like that, other people from afar will not easily notice that it's a mirror, because the reflections will be other parts of the external architecture, the sky, and trees. Even normal glass will reflect a lot in bright sunlight.
Looking indoors you see a beautiful reflection of your room at night. Your room will be brighter and hence another energy saving advantage. In daytime you can see the flaws of your installation if you are a few feet away or closer. Form afar the windows looked like it has dark stinted glass instead of plain glass with film on.
From indoors you can see the about 2mm gap that the film does not cover. It's a bit like a dark stain glass with unstained, polished edge as in some mirrors. Clear films do not have this feature. It can look good inside architecturally in bright sunlight. It's likely that your first installation do not have perfect straight edges and perfect corners. But you won't notice it if you are a few feet away. And if that imperfection bugs you, don't put it on a window you sit next to all the time.
Energy saving applications
I would put the film on all windows wherever I can. It's a pretty good cooler in summer and has official ratings to prove it. Clear energy saving films are more expensive. Check that some films are not desirable for double glazing.
Blinds and curtains do not have the energy saving efficiency of the film against the sun.
Blinds/curtains/shutter replacement
With this film blinds will not be necessary in many windows. I believe UV light is filtered by the film so furniture are safe. This film is like a sun glass so no more glares when you are working next to the windows.
It's suitable for a TV room, unless you often close all the blinds and curtains in daytime. At night it's a mirror indoors so you won't be disrupted by a passing car (likely).
It's great for architectural windows like arch windows, where blinds are impossible, curtains are awkward. The only decent way to "close" arch windows is to use custom arched shutters. Imagine the expenses compared to a piece of film. With the film on, you can sleep in day time or wake up late with must less disruption by sunlight. It's like sleeping on a dull rainy day, which makes you sleepy anyway.
Window that I will not use on
I will not use the film on windows that have a great view. The view is improved by the film with bright sunlight, due to the anti-glare effect. On rainy cloudy dull days, the effect is marginal. The view certainly get worse as the light reduces from evening to night.
If you have a sunny climate, the glass patio door is probably OK if you don't have a far view from there, and you don't have fancy flood lights in the yard at night.
Installation
Installation isn't at all difficult if you do not need perfection. If it's an arch window near the ceiling no one will ever notice.
The films are on for a few months now. I did a rather poor job but the films stay on mostly like part of the glass, not like a film on glass. Even when the film is scratched by a sharp object, it looks like the glass get scratched. The edges and corners do not peel off by itself. Actually the edges and corners got better when all the moisture are driven out, sticking to the glass perfectly.
If you follow the instructions, tiny bubbles are not noticeable, and big ones are rare. Small bubbles are more noticeable at night, but the effect is like ancient bronze mirrors with imperfect flat surface.
Tips and procedures
The window glass must be free of deposits especially at the edges and corners. For problem areas in old windows I use CLR cleaner, the biodegradable version, which is as acidic as it can be safe. I use a putty knife to scrap off the stains and deposits. They I rinse or wipe off the window with clean water. It's also important to clean the outside of the window to the same degree if possible. If both sides of the window is clean, you can see the imperfection when you are installing the film and then correct it before it's too late.
Pick small windows nearest to the ceiling to practice first. Anything larger than 2'x3' become non trivial to handle. When you work on the lower windows later on, the fluids will not drip on the installed windows.
Do not leave 1" margins for the films as the instruction says. For small glass panels like part of a mosaic, cutting to exact size (with gaps) is possible and easier way to install.
The rule of thumb is to cover the glass panel plus a few mm of edge for the cutting tools to work. The nominal margin to leave depends on how accurate you can cut. You leave large margins if you are not sure how square you can cut. There's no penalty to leave large margins, but it would be very inconvenient to work on a small, deeply recessed window.
Large windows do not make a lot of difference but you need two people to handle the film before it's in place. For one person, I hang the film on the two supporting arms of a shelf with miniature clips. Then I peel the film and spray the GILA soapy solution on it as I go along. With enough soapy solution the film will stay straight. If it's not too large I can carry the film myself and paste it on the window.
I will use a clean edge straight from the factory, cutting three edges instead of four, unless you will notice the slight variation of the gap.
Don't worry too much about tiny bubbles. You won't notice them that much.
The only way to cut is a single strong cut splitting the film in one go, without ever lifting the knife from the film. It's not possible at the corners. You have to learn to use the slots in the tool to cut the corners, then turn the tool around so you can continue the cut right down to the next corner without lifting the knife. Basically start the cut at a corner and continue in a clockwise or anticlockwise sequence. Don't cut the adjacent edges first and then the corner, or vice versa.
Actually the tool is rather reasonable if you at least try as I suggest. The alternative of cutting to exact size is out of the question for most. You need to have a big cutting board that also holds the curling film steady during cutting.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Paving joint / gap filler / mortar
I chose a paving system that allow non-level uneven surface. It was uneven beautiful. I assumed to fill the gaps with sand, but soon find out that you will have sand all over the place all the time. Wind and rain and runoff can move the sand. You can't clean the pavement with high pressure jets or strong brushes, or you will have to collect a lot of sand as waste and replace the sand in the gaps.
If you do not fill the gaps, it will be filed with garden waste and soil. It's the same story when you try to hose it or brush it. And if you don't fill it, it's a heaven for insects especially ants.
My problem is, the pavement must drain a lot of water. It's on the bottom of a large slope. Even without the slope, my pavement will collect water here and there because it was not level nor even.
All fillers and mortar are sealants, non permeable. One exception is Ecofil from UK, and Rompox from Germany, but not available anywhere else. There are permeable concrete and asphalt, but even if they are available in gap filler form, they are ugly.
I stumbled upon lime, hydrated lime. You can find a 50lb bag in building materials / landscaping supplies stores for less than $15. It's not in the big chain hardware stores because it's for custom mix of mortar.
Hydrated lime is like white flour. It will turn back to limestone gradually, reacting with carbon dioxide in the air. The proper way is to add enough water to completely hydrate the lime into a putty form. When the water dries the lime will "set" like a mortar, though complete setting will takes years when the lime all turn into limestone. Lime is vapor and moisture permeate. It can drain water fast if sufficient channels are formed.
Round 1: dry brush fill
I applied the lime like sand or polymeric sand. I brushed it in when dry. Then I added water. It doesn't work. Unless added slowly, water rinse away the lime. And when the lime absorbed enough water, it shrinks a lot, leaving large gaps in the joints.
No harm done. Lime is just limestone, caulk, calcium hydroxide. It's totally organic or natural but the bag carries cancer warning. I suppose you shouldn't breath in the dust, and an active, highly alkaline chemical will do some harm. And lime is easy to clean. It's soft and do not adhere to stone strongly. You can just scrub off the surplus lime even when set.
Round 2: pure lime mortar
It's obvious you have to apply lime already wet. So I mix lime powder with water. You have to add a lot of lime to water to get it into a thick paste. Mine wasn't thick enough but a paste nevertheless. I applied with a putty knife.
The good thing is, it sets into a brilliant white joint. Somehow broken stones are glued together.
The bad thing is that it shrinks a lot when dry, creating a lot of cracks. If you push the joint with your finger, part of it will break from the rest and settle more into the gap.
All is not that bad. The cracks look beautiful. They drain water fast.
Round 3: lime and sand mortar
Actually this is standard for repairing historical buildings, which used permeable lime rather than impermeable cement. The mix ratio for me is academic. I can use a lot of sand, as long as the sand are glued together and not blown away by wind or brushed away easily. The lime paste has to be thick enough to stay on the putty knife.
I am supposed to use washed sand so as not to affect the chemical reaction. But imperfection with cracks is always desired. I wanted very coarse sand up to half of 5mm (the gap size) for good drainage. I ended up using the base sand for paving, as I got it in the yard.
The paste seemed to be a lot thicker with sand thrown in. It feels like a mortar and looks like a mortar with a little grey color.
There are still cracks, but a lot smaller, which is a good thing. I think the cracks can be controlled by the thickness of the lime putty. The more lime content the less it will shrink and the smaller the cracks. The full result isn't available yet.
The bad thing is that it's difficult to clean up the paving stone. Walking on it will certainly clean up the excess dry mortar, but it takes a long time. I thought of applying the mix like a caulk gun. Then I just point the mix and there will be no mess. Interestingly there is such a thing as a fillable caulk tube. It's only about $3 each but it's only available over the internet.
Then I think of using my wife's cake making bag. Surprisingly, there is such a thing as a grout bag. It's available on some hardware stores too.
If you do not fill the gaps, it will be filed with garden waste and soil. It's the same story when you try to hose it or brush it. And if you don't fill it, it's a heaven for insects especially ants.
My problem is, the pavement must drain a lot of water. It's on the bottom of a large slope. Even without the slope, my pavement will collect water here and there because it was not level nor even.
All fillers and mortar are sealants, non permeable. One exception is Ecofil from UK, and Rompox from Germany, but not available anywhere else. There are permeable concrete and asphalt, but even if they are available in gap filler form, they are ugly.
I stumbled upon lime, hydrated lime. You can find a 50lb bag in building materials / landscaping supplies stores for less than $15. It's not in the big chain hardware stores because it's for custom mix of mortar.
Hydrated lime is like white flour. It will turn back to limestone gradually, reacting with carbon dioxide in the air. The proper way is to add enough water to completely hydrate the lime into a putty form. When the water dries the lime will "set" like a mortar, though complete setting will takes years when the lime all turn into limestone. Lime is vapor and moisture permeate. It can drain water fast if sufficient channels are formed.
Round 1: dry brush fill
I applied the lime like sand or polymeric sand. I brushed it in when dry. Then I added water. It doesn't work. Unless added slowly, water rinse away the lime. And when the lime absorbed enough water, it shrinks a lot, leaving large gaps in the joints.
No harm done. Lime is just limestone, caulk, calcium hydroxide. It's totally organic or natural but the bag carries cancer warning. I suppose you shouldn't breath in the dust, and an active, highly alkaline chemical will do some harm. And lime is easy to clean. It's soft and do not adhere to stone strongly. You can just scrub off the surplus lime even when set.
Round 2: pure lime mortar
It's obvious you have to apply lime already wet. So I mix lime powder with water. You have to add a lot of lime to water to get it into a thick paste. Mine wasn't thick enough but a paste nevertheless. I applied with a putty knife.
The good thing is, it sets into a brilliant white joint. Somehow broken stones are glued together.
The bad thing is that it shrinks a lot when dry, creating a lot of cracks. If you push the joint with your finger, part of it will break from the rest and settle more into the gap.
All is not that bad. The cracks look beautiful. They drain water fast.
Round 3: lime and sand mortar
Actually this is standard for repairing historical buildings, which used permeable lime rather than impermeable cement. The mix ratio for me is academic. I can use a lot of sand, as long as the sand are glued together and not blown away by wind or brushed away easily. The lime paste has to be thick enough to stay on the putty knife.
I am supposed to use washed sand so as not to affect the chemical reaction. But imperfection with cracks is always desired. I wanted very coarse sand up to half of 5mm (the gap size) for good drainage. I ended up using the base sand for paving, as I got it in the yard.
The paste seemed to be a lot thicker with sand thrown in. It feels like a mortar and looks like a mortar with a little grey color.
There are still cracks, but a lot smaller, which is a good thing. I think the cracks can be controlled by the thickness of the lime putty. The more lime content the less it will shrink and the smaller the cracks. The full result isn't available yet.
The bad thing is that it's difficult to clean up the paving stone. Walking on it will certainly clean up the excess dry mortar, but it takes a long time. I thought of applying the mix like a caulk gun. Then I just point the mix and there will be no mess. Interestingly there is such a thing as a fillable caulk tube. It's only about $3 each but it's only available over the internet.
Then I think of using my wife's cake making bag. Surprisingly, there is such a thing as a grout bag. It's available on some hardware stores too.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Cleaning plumbing snake
I used everything to open the blocked drain in my kitchen. The clog is far from the U shaped trap under the sink. You have to understand that why restaurants need to use a grease trap. The blockage happens repeatedly at about 20 ft from the sink.
Everything works, but have their limits. Sulfuric acid openers are most powerful. But some say that they push the block further and further away from the sink. This seems to be true for my case. But the main problem is that if you pour a bottle of acid down 20 ft of 2in pipes, there's nothing much of it left to do the job. I already pour the acid down bypassing the U-trap. The trap itself holds about half the bottle. Also I left the acid overnight instead of 15 minutes. They are supposed to be safe if used as directed. I'm not sure for overnight.
The safe and effective alternative is gel. It's not supposed to be diluted by water. So the same amount that your pour down will get there, eventually. It works and I am happy to leave it overnight. But I have to pour 128 oz of strong gel down there.
Exploding bladder using water pressure is a good one. But it's messy and the blockage will come back soon if you do not do something else. But it's chemical free and it's free.
I used the plumbing snake once. It worked but I don't understand what's the problem. Because the tip of the snake captured some grease solid. I hate to clean it up and left it in a corner of the yard to rot. It did rot.
Now I understand that the whole 2" tube is deposited by grease solid, leaving a tiny passage for water. Therefore it clogs frequently and slow drain most of the other times. There's no way you can clear that up using chemicals down 20 ft of pipe.
Snake seems to be the only option now. And if recurring slow drain is your problem, you should not waste time on other methods.
A hand held snake using electric drill cost less than 3 bottle of sulfuric acid or gel. That's a bargain in my case.
Now I understand that the snake is corrosion resistant, but you need to oil it to prevent corrosion.
The problem is to clean it before oiling it.
Mine is a common cheap one. The important point is that it can be easily pry open so you can take out the snake to clean and put it back easily. There's almost no metal part except for the drill connector. It's isolated from the inside of the casing so you can keep it absolutely dry if you want. So you can wash the plastic casing in degreaser.
The snake itself is a terrible thing to clean. It's not just the foul smell. It's the grease accumulated on the pipe that got trapped into the snake instead. Of course you do not need to clean it. But then where do you store it? I have a garage but you don't it to smell of foul grease for days. You can store it outdoors but it would easily rot if you do not treat it well.
Degreaser doesn't do a thing on the snake. Not unless you polish the snake with a cloth repeatedly.
I had the idea to use brake cleaner. It's like a dust blower for computers but with solvent. It's a aerosol spray with tube, dries very quickly leaving no residue. It works pretty good depending how much you spray on the snake. A whole bottle only cost a few dollars. The best part is that I do not need to touch anything, except wiping the dirt off with a disposal rag towel.
The bad part - it's a cancer causing aerosol. Nowadays they contain no CFC and none of the more harmful chemicals. But it's still cancer causing (what isn't?). But if you do not inhale the vapour, there's shouldn't be any harm done to you. I do it in the yard stretching the snake on a foot path. When I have to breath I run away to the other side of the house.
There are other aerosols that may be safer. But the brake cleaner dries very fast without residues.
When it's dry I'll add WD40 to oil it. WD40 isn't a proper lubricant. It got some cleaning properties as well. But it's pretty safe - at least non cancer causing. It sort of "dries" fast but the smell lingers. I hang the snake over the swings until the smell is gone. Then I put it back into the casing ready for next time.
Everything works, but have their limits. Sulfuric acid openers are most powerful. But some say that they push the block further and further away from the sink. This seems to be true for my case. But the main problem is that if you pour a bottle of acid down 20 ft of 2in pipes, there's nothing much of it left to do the job. I already pour the acid down bypassing the U-trap. The trap itself holds about half the bottle. Also I left the acid overnight instead of 15 minutes. They are supposed to be safe if used as directed. I'm not sure for overnight.
The safe and effective alternative is gel. It's not supposed to be diluted by water. So the same amount that your pour down will get there, eventually. It works and I am happy to leave it overnight. But I have to pour 128 oz of strong gel down there.
Exploding bladder using water pressure is a good one. But it's messy and the blockage will come back soon if you do not do something else. But it's chemical free and it's free.
I used the plumbing snake once. It worked but I don't understand what's the problem. Because the tip of the snake captured some grease solid. I hate to clean it up and left it in a corner of the yard to rot. It did rot.
Now I understand that the whole 2" tube is deposited by grease solid, leaving a tiny passage for water. Therefore it clogs frequently and slow drain most of the other times. There's no way you can clear that up using chemicals down 20 ft of pipe.
Snake seems to be the only option now. And if recurring slow drain is your problem, you should not waste time on other methods.
A hand held snake using electric drill cost less than 3 bottle of sulfuric acid or gel. That's a bargain in my case.
Now I understand that the snake is corrosion resistant, but you need to oil it to prevent corrosion.
The problem is to clean it before oiling it.
Mine is a common cheap one. The important point is that it can be easily pry open so you can take out the snake to clean and put it back easily. There's almost no metal part except for the drill connector. It's isolated from the inside of the casing so you can keep it absolutely dry if you want. So you can wash the plastic casing in degreaser.
The snake itself is a terrible thing to clean. It's not just the foul smell. It's the grease accumulated on the pipe that got trapped into the snake instead. Of course you do not need to clean it. But then where do you store it? I have a garage but you don't it to smell of foul grease for days. You can store it outdoors but it would easily rot if you do not treat it well.
Degreaser doesn't do a thing on the snake. Not unless you polish the snake with a cloth repeatedly.
I had the idea to use brake cleaner. It's like a dust blower for computers but with solvent. It's a aerosol spray with tube, dries very quickly leaving no residue. It works pretty good depending how much you spray on the snake. A whole bottle only cost a few dollars. The best part is that I do not need to touch anything, except wiping the dirt off with a disposal rag towel.
The bad part - it's a cancer causing aerosol. Nowadays they contain no CFC and none of the more harmful chemicals. But it's still cancer causing (what isn't?). But if you do not inhale the vapour, there's shouldn't be any harm done to you. I do it in the yard stretching the snake on a foot path. When I have to breath I run away to the other side of the house.
There are other aerosols that may be safer. But the brake cleaner dries very fast without residues.
When it's dry I'll add WD40 to oil it. WD40 isn't a proper lubricant. It got some cleaning properties as well. But it's pretty safe - at least non cancer causing. It sort of "dries" fast but the smell lingers. I hang the snake over the swings until the smell is gone. Then I put it back into the casing ready for next time.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Using economic trash bags on trash carts
The trash carts for machine collection is usually a lot bigger than you normally need. Trash bags of that size are usually for thick enough for heavy duty jobs. Therefore those bags are way more expensive than what you get for your kitchen at Target.
I made an wooden frame adapter so my trash cart can use a smaller bag. The problem is that it's too good in securing the bags. You have to rip off the corner of the bag to remove the frame before you push the cart out for collection.
That was before I discovered those miniature metals clips, 50 for a few dollars. The plastic bags I use are deep enough for the cart, but the opening is not wide enough. So I just need to use 4 clips to hold the four corners of the bag to cover part of the cart opening. It's simpler than it sounds. It's pretty fast to do so. For the same bag, the trash capacity is larger than when I'm using the wooden frame adapter.
Addition:
Now I put in another trash bag to fill the void, in case someone throw things into the bin bypassing the main trash bag.
I made an wooden frame adapter so my trash cart can use a smaller bag. The problem is that it's too good in securing the bags. You have to rip off the corner of the bag to remove the frame before you push the cart out for collection.
That was before I discovered those miniature metals clips, 50 for a few dollars. The plastic bags I use are deep enough for the cart, but the opening is not wide enough. So I just need to use 4 clips to hold the four corners of the bag to cover part of the cart opening. It's simpler than it sounds. It's pretty fast to do so. For the same bag, the trash capacity is larger than when I'm using the wooden frame adapter.
Addition:
Now I put in another trash bag to fill the void, in case someone throw things into the bin bypassing the main trash bag.
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