Your recent repair? 2013 - 2020

[Tetto]

You can also remove rust from metal using aluminum foil. Fold a piece, shiny side up and dip in water then rub on the rusted spot aggressively, the rust just disappears. I did this on two motorcycle rims and it did a really nice job, the rims were pitted so that remains. It works fantastic on light surface rust, the kind you see on chromed motorcycle pipes, etc.

 

[USA]

My KitchenAid French Door bottom drawer ice maker. User instructions didn’t help, YouTube got the brain working. Didn’t see a video that related. But it
ended up being a water supply issue from when the filter cartridge was removed and a bypass improperly installed. I’m more mechanical than DH. He’d settle for an ice chest.

 

[Dash man]

Replaced a problematic KOHLER toilet that cost me over $500 (we were out of town) last month in leaking water after having replaced its guts twice. Bought a Toto and hoping for better results.

 

[zinger1457]

My GE SxS refrigerator would only dispense crushed ice (no cubes). Quick google search pointed to a solenoid that pushes down on a metal rod that opens a slot for cubes to come thru. Wanted to get a close look at the solenoid to make sure I ordered the right part so removed the dispenser motor assembly attached to the rear of the freezer. Removed the solenoid from the motor assemble. There's a metal rod that slides freely inside the solenoid, the metal rod is attached to a plastic plunger. It became apparent quickly what the problem was. The pin that holds the metal rod to the plastic plunger had completely backed out. Hammered the pin back in place and reassembled everything. Quick fix and now have ice cubes again.

 

[wmc1000]

Local sewer utility notified us that we had a couple of loose connections on the lateral line from the house to the main sewer line that allowed groundwater to flow into the line. Had to hire one of the authorized sewer line contractors to repair. $3900 to dig a hole and replace 2 bad connections! Oh well, should have in Blow that Dough 2018 post!

 

[davebarnes]

Replaced a 6.5 year-old RadonAway RP145 Radon Mitigation Fan.
It turns out that the expected life of these fans is 5 years. Just like sump pumps.
So, I can look forward to 4 more replacements.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Local sewer utility notified us that we had a couple of loose connections on the lateral line from the house to the main sewer line that allowed groundwater to flow into the line. Had to hire one of the authorized sewer line contractors to repair. $3900 to dig a hole and replace 2 bad connections! Oh well, should have in Blow that Dough 2018 post!

I hear you

my plumber used to be an attorney

 

[Hermit]

Replaced a 6.5 year-old RadonAway RP145 Radon Mitigation Fan.
It turns out that the expected life of these fans is 5 years. Just like sump pumps.
So, I can look forward to 4 more replacements.

So why is it that I have a 60 year old large oscilating desk fan that works fine and new fans can't seem to make it 5 years??

 

[SumDay]

Not really so much of a 'repair' as a preemptive strike. Last year we had a very pregnant mama skunk excavate ALL the construction gravel and chat out from under our front porch. We had to have it mud jacked. But, she moved four doors up and give birth to six babes up there. That neighbor is still not speaking to us.


She's back! Now she's trying to tunnel under the sidewalk. We found these Dig Defence things, and have installed them right up against the sidewalk, then covered up with the existing mulch. Below is one pushed all the way down, and not yet mulched.

We got them here: https://www.wayfair.com/brand/bnd/dig-defence-llc-b42298.html So far, so good. Just thought I'd share in case anyone is also getting skunked.

 

[SumDay]

Replaced a 6.5 year-old RadonAway RP145 Radon Mitigation Fan.
It turns out that the expected life of these fans is 5 years. Just like sump pumps.
So, I can look forward to 4 more replacements

So how does one know when a sump pump expires? Or do you discover it when you need it the most?

 

[wmc1000]

SumDay this is the reason for a backup battery sump. When it goes off it pumps out the sump and sounds an alarm to let you know there is a problem.

The Radon Mitigation Fan has a water tube on the outside of the vent that goes outside and if the fan isn't running, the level of the water tube on both sides will be even because there is no negative pressure being created by the fan sucking the air in the sump to the outdoors.

 

[Cobra9777]

This was a repair of a mistake I made... I'm installing a new toilet as part of our master bath remodel. First, I wanted to shorten the copper pipe coming out of the wall, which for some reason was sticking out about 8-9". Shut-off the water, removed the shut-off valve, and cut the pipe about 3" from the wall using one of those small tube cutters that you twist around the pipe as you slowly tighten the knob. All good so far.

Cleaned up the copper pipe and tried to slide on the nut for the compression fitting on the shut-off valve. It would not slide on. I tried cleaning up the pipe some more with emery cloth. Still would not go on no matter how hard I tried. I know it fits on this pipe because I just removed it.

Got my dial calipers and measured the opening in the back of the nut... 0.630" (just big enough to slide easily over a 5/8" (0.625") OD pipe. Then I measured the pipe... 0.605". WTH?! ...that's smaller than the opening in the nut. Then I realized the problem. Turned the dial calipers 90 degrees on the pipe and remeasured... 0.650". Yep, my round pipe was now an oval. Evidently I squeezed too hard with the cutter, plus I always tightened the knob in the same spot after a few twists around the pipe. I won't make that mistake again.

Now to the fix... I found a 1/2" wooden dowel and stuck it inside the copper. It fit fairly snug. I then used a crescent wrench to slowly go around the pipe and reform it into a round tube. I was a little worried that the brass ferrule on the shut-off valve might not seat correctly after this, so I was very careful and tightened the wrench in extremely small increments. After a minute or so, the dial calipers read 0.625" all around and the nut and ferrule slipped right on. Cleaned up the copper again, tightened up the cutoff valve, turned the water back on, and no leaks. Whew! Five-minute job turned into an hour... and just because I didn't like the copper pipe sticking out so far. But, I learned a lesson that I will never forget about using those cutters.

 

[jazz4cash]

Replaced a 6.5 year-old RadonAway RP145 Radon Mitigation Fan.
It turns out that the expected life of these fans is 5 years. Just like sump pumps.
So, I can look forward to 4 more replacements.

I'm curious why you need this and how does it work? Does it run all the time or is there some type of sensor to activate it? We just have a passive vent with no fan. I had the builder do it but it's not typically done around here.

 

[jazz4cash]

So how does one know when a sump pump expires? Or do you discover it when you need it the most?

I listen out for ours whenever it's raining and during the summer the AC drains into the sump pit so I check that also. If it's been a while since I've heard it run, I put a bucket of water into the pit to verify that it's working. A neighbor told us sump pumps only last 5 yrs around here but they must have a high water table cause ours is still working after 20 yrs. I really gotta get a spare to keep ready for quick replacement but I do have a submersible utility pump I could use temporarily.

 

[travelover]

I'm curious why you need this and how does it work? Does it run all the time or is there some type of sensor to activate it? We just have a passive vent with no fan. I had the builder do it but it's not typically done around here.

It runs continuously to create a negative pressure under the basement floor. That prevents the radon from seeping up into the living area.

 

[Jerry1]

So how does one know when a sump pump expires? Or do you discover it when you need it the most?

When I had a sump pump, I dropped a cheap water sensor into the pit at a level that was higher than normal. That way an alarm went off if the level got to be higher than normal. I also kept a direct replacement on hand in case of a failure. In my case, the typical failure was in a switch and the pump would not shut off. So I kept the old one that worked but would not shut off for a backup. Had I needed it, I could have turned it on and off buy plugging it in and in plugging it for about two minutes every hour until I could get a replacement. A pain for sure, but better than a wet basement.

 

[John Galt III]

Still wondering why the rain water still keeps coming in at the French door that opens onto my second story back deck. With an East wind, even a light rain that blows against the door results in water dripping down into the floor below. There's an area of rotted wood in the lower left of the door. I've sprayed it with water from a hose and confirmed that it then leaks into the lower floor. I temporarily sealed up that lower left rotted area with tape and plastic bag, and the rain comes in anyway! Obviously coming on somewhere else, or the seal isn't working. Water is seeping through the plastic bag, maybe ?? I've taped up or caulked every possible other opening (I think) that could let water in. Frustrating.

 

[Bir48die]

Microwave oven as part of a unit that shares control panel with the oven. Took me five calls to get someone out. Three different appointments to diagnose and finally fix. The lower oven has to come totally out to fix. Cost $389 but saved $3,000 for buying a whole new combo.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

... In my case, the typical failure was in a switch and the pump would not shut off. I kept the old one that worked but would not shut off for a backup. Had I needed it, I could have turned it on and off buy plugging it in and in plugging it for about two minutes every hour until I could get a replacement. A pain for sure, but better than a wet basement.

Yes, that's the way my sump pump failed too. In my case it was the pump in a graywater sump that sends water from the basement laundry and water softener to the septic system. I also chose to replace the pump rather than just the switch because the sump is sealed and kind of a pain to open. I didn't want to repeat the exercise in six months or even a couple years.

You can buy a separate float valve that comes with a piggyback power plug that opens and closes the pump circuit depending on water level. In fact, the new pump I installed uses just such a system. The float switch clamps onto the discharge pipe so you can set it at the level and position that's best for your purpose.

 

[ownyourfuture]

So how does one know when a sump pump expires? Or do you discover it when you need it the most?

I pull my garden hose into the basement, & fill the pit with water every spring.

 

[always_learning]

Still wondering why the rain water still keeps coming in at the French door that opens onto my second story back deck. With an East wind, even a light rain that blows against the door results in water dripping down into the floor below. There's an area of rotted wood in the lower left of the door. I've sprayed it with water from a hose and confirmed that it then leaks into the lower floor. I temporarily sealed up that lower left rotted area with tape and plastic bag, and the rain comes in anyway! Obviously coming on somewhere else, or the seal isn't working. Water is seeping through the plastic bag, maybe ?? I've taped up or caulked every possible other opening (I think) that could let water in. Frustrating.

Is there any way the water can be coming in from way up above? We had a first-floor window that had a small, periodic leak and it wasn't until we added caulk to the (exterior) bathroom fan vent about five feet directly above it that it stopped. Talk about odd. Over a decade in this house and there has never been caulk around that vent, so we have no idea what changed. It was a "well it couldn't hurt to try" thing as we were really stumped and it worked, so we aren't complaining.

It could be that the water has two entry points and you only found one of them, as you have wondered.

 

[always_learning]

My recent repair isn't even a repair anymore.

We had two ceramic tiles on the kitchen floor that were "popping" all winter. I waited until it was a bit warmer to pull them up and reglue them.

Well, I got the grout out of the one line where it had started disintegrating and lo and behold, no more popping. And then we couldn't remember which two tiles were needing TLC!! It has been about three weeks now and still no popping. I guess I'll just regrout the line and make sure to mark an X when the tiles decide to speak up again. They are huge tiles, too, so I was afraid of them cracking and I would rather fix them now, but I also don't want to mess with the wrong tiles. How frustrating!!

 

[2soon2tell]

Installed solar powered outdoor floodlight with motion detector. So far it works fine.

 

[Keim]

Bought a summer cabin built in 1972 as a foreclosure. It had been abandoned for about 10 years, and used sparsely for the years immediately before that.

It has a looooong list of repairs to do. I hired out for replacing the plumbing and thinning some surrounding forest. After sitting unused the plumbing leaked badly. So far I personally have removed paneling, removed a rotten deck, replaced the front door, and replaced a missing window. Friday will begin painting the outside, and replacing the front deck. Will also need to replace 5 rotten timbers in the back deck, and the safety rail. Lets not talk about the inside...

Plan is to do outside stuff this year, inside next year. I'll have lots of updates here.

 

[braumeister]

Installed solar powered outdoor floodlight with motion detector. So far it works fine.

I put one of those in a couple of weeks ago. The deer like a light over their salad bar.