Your recent repair? 2013 - 2020

[SpinDr]

My Kenmore heavy duty dryer started making a few noises awhile back, went away for a time, then came back with a vengeance. Some squealing and other unnatural noises. Well, using my favorite repair friend, YouTube, I took the dryer apart and found a whole lot of coins and detritus adjacent to the motor and air fan mechanism.

Shocked at how much stuff had gotten past the lint filter! At least $5.00 in assorted change, a $5 and two $1 dollar bills, paper clips, and, I think the final straw, a ballpoint pen. Was keeping my fingers crossed that all the junk was the cause, buttoned it back up, and to my relief, now working perfectly. Still amazed at all the stuff that made it's way deep into the machine.

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes, pans with alarm should be required everywhere in new homes. Under the sink, the fridge, the cloth washer, dishwasher, the potted plants, etc... Potted plants you ask? Yes, my wife overwatered her plants once, and the water overflowed the pan, and spilled onto my speakers that she used as a stand. The floor was flooded in another watering occasion. Water, water everywhere...

Back on to my own problem, it turned out that it was not the water overflown from the ice maker that got down to the floor. It was the cracked tubing that went from the water solenoid at the bottom of the fridge up to the ice maker.

The solenoids and part of the tubing were tucked into a rear bottom corner near the compressor. The heat from the compressor caused the tubes to get brittle and crack with age. I happened to see water spraying in a mist from the rear of the fridge when the new ice maker cycled, and the fridge was still pulled out from its position. Once I saw that, replacement of the tubes was not hard, except that I would have to turn the fridge on its side to replace the tube going to the cold water dispenser. Oh well, I can make my old cold water if I have ice cubes.

A poster once pondered here that perhaps it was not such a good idea to bring water under pressure into the home, and running water might be overrated.

Just as Gilda Radner famously declared more than once:

"It’s always something — if it ain’t one thing, it’s another.” -- Gilda Radner

 

[ERD50]

Yes. In the case of a leak, the pan by itself won't make much of a difference if it's more than a gallon or two. But a pan provides a great place for a water alarm and assures the alarm's sensors will get a chance to detect the water and let folks know that there is trouble.

And then there is the hose that bursts, and sends a spray across the room, away from the pan!

You can't win for losing.

I don't like to run DW or dryer when we are out, or even when going to bed. I saw pictures (friend of a friend) of a DW that got stuck in the heat cycle and started burning. The fumes/smoke caused a horrific amount of damage. Had someone been in the house, and awake, they would have noticed, probably before it got very far. Maybe just shutting it off would have stopped it from getting worse, and all they would have is a DW repair/replace bill. And if not, they would have called 911 and the damage would have been far less.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

... Potted plants you ask? Yes, my wife overwatered her plants once, and the water overflowed the pan, and spilled onto my speakers that she used as a stand. The floor was flooded in another watering occasion. Water, water everywhere...

Similar events have occurred in the ERD50 household, and unfortunately more than once. I was not pleased, to say the least.

A poster once pondered here that perhaps it was not such a good idea to bring water under pressure into the home, and running water might be overrated

.

Hmmm, this got me thinking. With PEX manifold systems (a separate run for each faucet back to the source), it seems it would be possible, with modern technology, to keep the lines un-pressurized. Turning the faucet would control a valve remotely, back at the source. The only time there would be any pressure is when you 'opened' a faucet. The faucet would just be a Bluetooth-like controller - no plumbing connection at all, the faucet would just bring the hot/cold lines together.

" Honey, I'm not getting any water in the bathroom sink - did you forget to change the batteries in the faucet controller again?" Of course, the controller would be recharged from the water flow, and we would never need to worry about this.

-ERD50

 

[NW-Bound]

So, I looked in the garage and found an almost full left-over box of the laminate floor I used in the kitchen. My memory is not that good any more. I used a different type of better engineered planks in the other rooms, and did not remember how much leftover I had of each type.

Anyway, just one morning of pulling off the bad boards, cutting new ones, and replacing them, and everything is back to normal. The drywall behind the fridge had blisters from the water leak, but who can tell when the fridge is pushed back into its spot? No problem!

 

[travelover]

+1 on asking on a Leaf forum.

 

[scrinch]

So, I looked in the garage and found an almost full left-over box of the laminate floor I used in the kitchen. My memory is not that good any more. I used a different type of better engineered planks in the other rooms, and did not remember how much leftover I had of each type.

Anyway, just one morning of pulling off the bad boards, cutting new ones, and replacing them, and everything is back to normal. The drywall behind the fridge had blisters from the water leak, but who can tell when the fridge is pushed back into its spot? No problem!

So I guess it is worth keeping all those leftover tiles and planks and vinyl and paint and caulk and carpet cutoffs and... [emoji50]

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[NW-Bound]

Yes, if you prefer not having a section of the floor with a different color because the old plank style is discontinued by the manufacturer.

 

[Ronstar]

My air compressor hadn't run in years. Motor ran fine. A little air came out of the line, but the gauges didn't move. I explained the problems to a car nut buddy over the winter. He said that we could fix it. We finally got together today. We took it apart and found the aluminum air line from the motor to the tank was severed. We got some braided vinyl tubing with a 350 psi rating, spliced the tubing into the line, and put it back together. Fired it up, ran fine until 60 lbs and the vinyl tubing had a blow out. The air line gets very hot when the motor is running and the vinyl line could not handle the heat. So we replaced it with a car fuel injection line. It takes the heat just fine and the air compressor is now running fine.


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[travelover]

As a recovering engineer, I still find myself fixing things that are not actually broken.

Case in point: Last winter I added a booster duct fan to bring more heat to an upstairs register. I wired it to a long cord and plugged it in next to the furnace humidifier so that it ran automatically when the furnace fan did.

Now that I'm using the air conditioning, I noticed the booster fan is not working. Checking the outlet, I find it has no power when the furnace is running. Chasing down the wiring, I see that the outlet is powered off the control board, which has been replaced once and is big bucks. Uh oh.

On further research I see that the control board has two taps - one for the electronic air cleaner and one for the humidifier - so it is smart enough to not power the humidifier in AC mode.

Another non-broken gadget repaired.

 

[travelover]

Fixed my double hung window springs today. The windows have a coil spring on each side secured with a plastic clip to counter balance the windows. The clips are devilishly hard to duplicate because they fit in a tight space and, by design, rub against the aluminum track. I've looked for replacements literally for 15 or more years.

Recently I did a Google Images search and actually found a specialty store that sold them. It wasn't easy to fish out the spring ends, but with some makeshift specialty tools, I did the job and the windows stay in position now.

 

[imoldernu]

Wooden sea wall at my place on the lake....
Will probably not mean anything to you, but suffice it to say that the 110 foot wall, which was built back in 1973, has changed in terms of cost to repair/replace. Neighbor across the lake had a wall replaced two years ago, at a cost of $15K. latest estimate is closer to $20K. Change from the original because of the lake level increase.
That would cause me to rethink my ownership, as my current annual cost to own the site... including taxes, insurance, membership dues and all utilities, is less than $2400.
Solution... not the best, but the most cost effective, was to dig out behind the wall, and use concrete blocks (free from neighbor who had been hoarding them) to back up the old wooden wall.
A major, major repair, which has required removing the base rip-rap by hand, 3 feet deep in the water, and replacing it with blocks at the base (no metal or concrete/cement allowed).
Heavy duty bend and stoop repairs for an old man, but nearing completion. Fingernails gone, and many scratches and bruises, but a soul satisfying and healthy project. Will finish off with about 25 'downhill' wheelbarrow loads of road gravel. (over the next two or three weeks).

Have already started the next project... A total rebuild of my pontoon paddleboat
older pic:

 

[Sunset]

Any photos of the repair as you were doing it ?

 

[samclem]

Any photos of the repair as you were doing it ?

+1. I want to see how this big dig was done, to live vicariously through imoldernu's sweat and achy back.

On a semi-related note: I just came across a concrete product I'd never seen before that seems pretty handy. It is "Cement-All", (cool video with irritating soundtrack here) I guess it has been available in some parts of the country for a long time, but I think Home Depot just started stocking it this year. It's a very high-strength, quick-setting grout. Like most grouts, it is made with sand and cement, but in this case the cement is not portland cement, it is different stuff. It can be laid as thin as a feather-edge or up to 4" thick, and it is far less subject to cracking than portland cement (thus, the reduced need for aggregate in the mix). It sets fast--about 20 minutes of working time at 70 deg, and it can be walked on in an hour or less. 9000 PSI ultimate strength--regular Quikrete is about 3500 PSI. It will actually set up under water (are you reading this, imoldernu?), so be sure to clean your tools and buckets quickly as you go or you'll be buying a lot of trowels. It costs about $20 for 55 lb bag, about 4x the cost of regular Quikrete, but it's pretty amazing stuff. I'm using it to repair some concrete stairs. They also sell chemicals to slow down the setting time (I recommend it--it can be slowed to provide over an hour of working time) and to improve the flow/plasticity (my wife has used it to make some intricate stepping stones).
Maybe this stuff is old news, but I'd never seen it before and it's pretty handy for some projects.

 

[Sunset]

Ordinary Portland cement will harden underwater, actually becomes stronger than if hardened on land, but you have to protect it from wave agitation so it does not wash away.

But perhaps there is a building/environmental code reason for not using cement ?

 

[NW-Bound]

Repaired my boat-anchor HP spectrum analyzer with a 50-cent Zener diode.

I am still working on setting up my new electronic hobby room upstairs. This old analyzer was in the garage, and has not been fired up in at least 12 years. Turned on, it worked like a charm. Turned it off, and went downstairs for lunch.

Came back upstairs, fired it back on. Nothing. What the heck? A bit of examination revealed that two internal fuses had blown. Replaced fuses. Worked again.

Next day, blew fuses again. Damn! Told myself I'd better get to the root of this intermittent problem, and not spending more money on fuses.

Research on the Web and perusal of the service manual revealed the likely culprit. This analyzer is all solid-state, but has some high voltages for the CRT. The reference for the +100V section is a little neon bulb with a voltage of 82V. The +248V and -100V for the CRT, as well as the 12.6V for all electronics are then referenced off that +100V.

This type of neon bulb was filled with a bit of radioactive gas to help the ionization. I wonder what the half-life of this gas is, but over time the stuff wears off, and the bulb is slow to fire. The reference voltage soared up past 82V, raising every voltage rail. HP engineers were smart, and put in an over-voltage crowbar on the 12.6V section to protect the expensive electronics. This SCR crowbar fired, and blew the fuse.

So, a quick trip to the nearest Fry's Electronics fetched two 82V Zener diodes for $0.99c. The Zener diodes are not as stable as the neon bulb, and the voltage ramps up from 80V cold to 84V when fully warmed up. The neon bulb on the other hand is rock solid at 82V. Oh well, it's better than replacing fuses every other day.

I next spent the rest of the day playing with this boat anchor. Old as it is, it beats my newer spectrum analyzer, with a resolution bandwidth of 10 Hz instead of 30 Hz of the new one. The phase noise of the old analog design is also superior to the new synthesized design.

It just took more work to set up a measurement with this old equipment, compared to punching in some parameters on a keypad. But, its internal oscillators sing so sweet and beautiful, like a Stradivarius violin.

 

[papadad111]

I decided to de-clutter and so stopped dragging boat anchor stuff home for future repair projects none of which ever got started. Stuff like this - this came out of a 1943. B17 when it was being scrapped jn 1958.




And I finally upgraded my PC ...



It's bad enough my 2 boys have cars and car parts all over the place now that they both drive.

This past week. Monday, infact (isn't fire cool...do stuff on a week day) we replaced the half axles and transfer case seals on my 22 year old Subaru ! Can't get rid of it - best snow car ever.

Dealer wanted $ 650 -- we did it for less than $300 - parts and includes some consultation exchanged for beer money to a local mechanic on best way to remove old axles without risking damage to the 22 year old pinch bolts that often strip and break on these cars ... ruining your day...



We got it all done in just under 3 hours.

I like to tinker. Great for brain cells ...

 

[ronin]

Washer overfilled this morning. Apparently 30+ years of gunk in the hose from the tub to the water level diaphragm switch is a bad thing. Blew back through it to get it cleared enough to function for now. If parts are not still available, may have to try an emergency angioplasty on it when it cools down. Fortunately ermm, it'll be 107 or higher today in the pleasant SG valley so everything should dry out quickly.

 

[akck]

Our old Golden Retriever is having trouble going up and down our deck stairs (likely arthritis). Over the years, a slight sag to the steps caused them to slope down, which adds to their use. So this weekend, I tore down the old steps and built a new set, adding one step which dropped the rise by 1". About $600 later for materials, we have a new set of steps and hand rails. Now, the old deck looks shabby in comparison, a future project. One added benefit is that the new stairs are much easier on our old knees too.

[/IMG]

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I fixed a router that stopped working but the lights were still flashing. I called customer service and they spent a long time with me on the phone but it didn't help. In the end realized I realized they were giving my the wrong URL for my model number to redo the set up routine.

 

[travelover]

I fixed a router that stopped working but the lights were still flashing. I called customer service and they spent a long time with me on the phone but it didn't help. In the end realized I realized they were giving my the wrong URL for my model number to redo the set up routine.

My router quit working but I realized that when I changed the bit the last time, I forgot to unlock the armature.

 

[MichaelB]

My router quit working but I realized that when I changed the bit the last time, I forgot to unlock the armature.

All my router needs is a password and occasional firmware update.

 

[ls99]

My ancient Murray mower second hand to me had a hard time starting. The starter would engage then drop out. Removed battery. Removed and cleaned all power wiring, cleanded contacts on the starter switch, the B terminal was really rusty. Literally rusty.

Put battery back in, turn key to start, same problem. Dang it. Looked at the starter solenoid, wiggled it a bit, and it moved. Hmmm.

The coil is grounded via the mounting bolt. The bolt was loose and corroded. Removed bolt, the thread was gone just below the bolt head. Some scraping to bare metal add some conductive grease, a new bolt is installed.

Turn ingnition key to start and immediate crank, and fired up. All is well now.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

All my router needs is a password and occasional firmware update.

Midday one day I just started getting a not connected to the Internet message, but I could get to the Internet just fine bypassing the router with a direct cable connection, so it had to be the router.

Travelover - I had issues with the wireless kind of router.

 

[ScottS]

Our old Golden Retriever is having trouble going up and down our deck stairs (likely arthritis). Over the years, a slight sag to the steps caused them to slope down, which adds to their use. So this weekend, I tore down the old steps and built a new set, adding one step which dropped the rise by 1". About $600 later for materials, we have a new set of steps and hand rails. Now, the old deck looks shabby in comparison, a future project. One added benefit is that the new stairs are much easier on our old knees too.

[/IMG]

The look on his/her face tells me "you forgot the ramp or elevator during your upgrade, Dad!" :-D Goldens have such expressive faces!

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