Your recent repair? 2013 - 2020

[Palmtree]

It's been a plumbing kind of week. First problem was in the kitchen. We have a pull out faucet and the hose sprung a leak. It's an off brand from Costco so there was not a handy replacement at the big box stores. Thanks to Google I found a customer service phone number. A five minute call got me a free replacement, shipped FEDEX next day!

About 24 hours after that was fixed we noticed that sink in the bar was not draining well. Since it's only two years old, it was puzzling. I pulled the P-trap and it was clean. What the... With the trap removed, I shined a light back up towards the sink. Ah Hah! There was a disc of solid growth about 1/8 inch thick plugging the drain pipe. It must have been created by left over beer and wine that was poured down the drain. Somehow it "floated" on top of the water in the P-trap and turned into a hard plastic like mass.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palmtree It's been a plumbing kind of week. First problem was in the kitchen. We have a pull out faucet and the hose sprung a leak. It's an off brand from Costco so there was not a handy replacement at the big box stores. Thanks to Google I found a customer service phone number. A five minute call got me a free replacement, shipped FEDEX next day! About 24 hours after that was fixed we noticed that sink in the bar was not draining well. Since it's only two years old, it was puzzling. I pulled the P-trap and it was clean. What the... With the trap removed, I shined a light back up towards the sink. Ah Hah! There was a disc of solid growth about 1/8 inch thick plugging the drain pipe. It must have been created by left over beer and wine that was poured down the drain. Somehow it "floated" on top of the water in the P-trap and turned into a hard plastic like mass.

Leftover beer and wine......not acceptable! LOL!

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nvestysly Not exactly a repair, but sort of... DW and I had a solid oak front door installed in 2011. We decided to stain the door to bring out the natural grain and then apply a clear polyurethane finish to protect the door. Having done all that back in 2011 I was pleased the finish held up for nearly 9 years. The finish was beginning to show its age but had not peeled or blistered. A light sanding and some prep work the other day and I applied 6 more coats of polyurethane over a period of 3 days. Looks good. Hope it last for another 9 years. The before and after pictures don't do it justice - the new finish looks really good! A side note... DW and I purchased the door way back in 2003 for a wedding anniversary gift for ourselves. I procrastinated with the installation as DW and I discussed the merit of staining the entire door (exterior too) versus staining only the interior and painting the exterior. Well, that very large, heavy door stood in the garage for over 7 years before we finally took the plunge and had it installed. We originally planned a DIY install with a friend but instead lucked into having Ask This Old House guru Tom Silva perform the installation. I've attached an abbreviated YouTube clip of the installation. The ATOH episode is actually quite a bit longer. BTW, ATOH staff wanted only DW in the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kAccMi-kGQ

Nicely done - back then and now!

[jollystomper]

The end of last week was one of those wonderful "when a planned enhancement leads to an unexpected repair" situation.

I simply wanted to install a TV/monitor wall mount in the "audiophile" section of my basement man cave, where I play records, do my vinyl-to-mp3 conversion, and am re-establishing my recording "studio" for various hobby purposes. The mount location turned out to be directly on a stud, which are metal. The TV and monitor (both have the same mount template so I can choose to switch between them) each weigh under 16 lbs, so I could have made it simple and just mount it to the drywall. However, to quote the late John Belushi line on SNL, "But noooo...." .. I decided to install the mount to attach to the drywall studs. Who knows, some day I might want to have a larger TV or monitor there.

Little did I realize how much vibration occurs when drilling through studs... enough that I noticed the sound of something falling behind the wall, which seemed strange. Looking behind the drywall from a nearby closet, sure enough, there was a pile of something on the ground that was not there before...

I was puzzled until I realized this section of the man cave is below the family room fireplace. Fortunately, when the basement was finished, they put an access port in the drywall to get to the ash dump cleanout. When I opened the access port I was now staring into the ash dump... yep, the ash dump clean out door - which was 40+ years old, thin, and rusty, had fallen out (along with some of the cement holding it in place) and broken up.

We have not used the fireplace in several years. It is not very efficient and our plans are to have a wood stove and pipe installed in it.But I still needed to repair the opening. Fortunately it is a standard size opening, and I was able to get a replacement (and much sturdier) cast iron clean out door in a couple of days (thank you, Amazon). Though I have to move all of my audio stuff out of the way to better access the repair area via the access door, I was able to remove the old, loose cement and use fireplace cement to install the new clean out door. It is good for now, but when we do get a wood stove install I will have the installers double check it.

[Out-to-Lunch]

I realized my washing machine was barely agitating. So a few minutes of googling suggested that there were cogs (or AKA “dogs”) on Kenmore/Whirlpool/Roper washing machines that have been used with an unchanged design for like, for-evah! They limit the motion of the agitator to one direction, but they, of course, can wear out. I “risked it” and ordered a replacement set of cogs for the princely sum of $4 delivered.

After prying off the agitator cover, expecting to find a nut to engage with the socket, what do I see but a square hole? Kinda big square hole. I quickly surmised that it fit a 1/2” square drive tool. I looked around, and the thing that came to hand was my 24” breaker bar, which conveniently had an extension on it already. So, bottom line, I used a damn breaker bar to unscrew the plastic threaded piece, that probably needed about 0.0004 foot-pounds torque to unscrew. I held the bar vertically and used it like a screwdriver. Good thing I had a breaker bar!

The job took less than 5 minutes. Unscrewed the retainer, found 3 of 4 cogs broken, popped ‘em out, replaced them, screwed back together, snap the cover back on. When I first discovered the problem with the agitator, I honestly thought I would need to replace the 22-year-old washing machine, but I guess I saved another $600 or so.

[homestead]

Replaced the battery in my Iphone 6S plus. Bought battery kit off Amazon for about $20. Took about 45 minutes. Very small screws. There was a Youtube video to show you how to change it. No soldering. The tools they provided weren't great but they worked. My phone now lasts about 24 hrs before it's down to 50% charge. Much improved. Most time was spent scraping the old gasket off the phone.

[Chuckanut]

I don;t know if this counts as a repair or maintenance, but I am going about the house with paint and a small artist's brush painting over chips, stains, blemishes etc. that are on the painted surfaces. Those things really accumulate after a while.

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Out-to-Lunch When I first discovered the problem with the agitator, I honestly thought I would need to replace the 22-year-old washing machine, but I guess I saved another $600 or so.

I did the same repair a few years ago but thanks to your post now I feel ripped off. Those parts cost me $12.

[Telly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Out-to-Lunch The job took less than 5 minutes. Unscrewed the retainer, found 3 of 4 cogs broken, popped ‘em out, replaced them, screwed back together, snap the cover back on. When I first discovered the problem with the agitator, I honestly thought I would need to replace the 22-year-old washing machine, but I guess I saved another $600 or so.

I think I've replaced the dogs three times on our 30+ years old Kenmore by Whirlpool. The last time I bought them, I bought a quantity 2 set, so I have a ready spare set... which increases the lifetime of the parts presently in use

Just as an FYI, over the years I eventually replaced:
The solenoid fill valve 'round back, just got weak over many years.
The pump, easy to replace with the 3-sided cabinet taken off, it's bearing went, rounded out the seal, which caused it to leak into our handy utility room floor drain.
The pressure switch that senses water level for Low-Medium-High, it became finicky, I suspect the rubber diaphragm inside wore out.
The timer assembly, because the clutch in it became problematic and finally could not push/pull to start it up, this one was at the ~25+ year point.

It has gotten a lot of use all these years, and I would like it to outlive me. Can't get a heavy duty machine like those anymore. There are people in the appliance business who look for the old Whirlpool/Kenmore direct-drives with the tub tri-mount setup, who replace a part or two in them and then sell them as used machines in good condition.

We bought a used one for one of our kids in college from a lady who was living in a mobile home, she was moving out to live with her daughter. That machine (replaced the dogs once) soldiered on through college, rental houses after college, into a permanent home, where it was eventually replaced (it was still working fine) by a new fancy LG washer with all sorts of bells and whistles... The new fancy machine after a couple years blew up on spin, breaking drywall on two sides, luckily no one was in the room when it's tub suspension failed miserably. Piece of crap. Both LG and Samsung had the same idiotic design. Newer top-loader Whirlpools also went to top tub suspension from four corners, but they use all-steel suspension, with heavy steel rails up top where the shock absorbers hang from, they won't rip out.

[mckittri2000]

Replaced the defrost board and sensor on my heat pump last winter.

[John Galt III]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mckittri2000 Replaced the defrost board and sensor on my heat pump last winter.

Mckittri, I was thinking of doing this a few years ago when my heat pump was defrosting too often. But it fixed it self somehow after I just cleaned out some leaves and junk from around a sensor, and repositioned it. I called around and the board was about $300, I think. They would have charged $100 labor to install it. Where did you buy the new board? How much? How hard was it to replace? Thanks

[John Galt III]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Out-to-Lunch I realized my washing machine was barely agitating. So a few minutes of googling suggested that there were cogs (or AKA “dogs”) on Kenmore/Whirlpool/Roper washing machines that have been used with an unchanged design for like, for-evah! They limit the motion of the agitator to one direction, but they, of course, can wear out. I “risked it” and ordered a replacement set of cogs for the princely sum of $4 delivered. After prying off the agitator cover, expecting to find a nut to engage with the socket, what do I see but a square hole? Kinda big square hole. I quickly surmised that it fit a 1/2” square drive tool. I looked around, and the thing that came to hand was my 24” breaker bar, which conveniently had an extension on it already. So, bottom line, I used a damn breaker bar to unscrew the plastic threaded piece, that probably needed about 0.0004 foot-pounds torque to unscrew. I held the bar vertically and used it like a screwdriver. Good thing I had a breaker bar! The job took less than 5 minutes. Unscrewed the retainer, found 3 of 4 cogs broken, popped ‘em out, replaced them, screwed back together, snap the cover back on. When I first discovered the problem with the agitator, I honestly thought I would need to replace the 22-year-old washing machine, but I guess I saved another $600 or so.

Way to go, Man! Thanks for that info. My GE Hotpoint from 1986 is still chugging along. Fortunately, I only use it once a month at most these days. I assume it has the agitator dogs you mention, but I'm not sure. I had to replaced the pump once, that's it so far. I would hate to have to buy one of those overpriced pieces of new junk they sell these days, lol. It's great that you got a good price on the dogs, too.

[mckittri2000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Galt III Mckittri, I was thinking of doing this a few years ago when my heat pump was defrosting too often. But it fixed it self somehow after I just cleaned out some leaves and junk from around a sensor, and repositioned it. I called around and the board was about $300, I think. They would have charged $100 labor to install it. Where did you buy the new board? How much? How hard was it to replace? Thanks

My unit was icing on the outside so I definitely needed to replace it. I found my board (the next generation of it) on Amazon. It came with the sensor and it was less than $50. I took a pic with my cell phone so I could refer to it when hooking up the wires so I would have less of a chance screwing it up. Less than an hour replacement and I would rate my skills at moderate. It's gone up in price but it's still not bad https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

[John Galt III]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mckittri2000 My unit was icing on the outside so I definitely needed to replace it. I found my board (the next generation of it) on Amazon. It came with the sensor and it was less than $50. I took a pic with my cell phone so I could refer to it when hooking up the wires so I would have less of a chance screwing it up. Less than an hour replacement and I would rate my skills at moderate. It's gone up in price but it's still not bad https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

Well done! Good price on the hardware. And doing it yourself, you know it was done right. Thanks for the reply.

[Out-to-Lunch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Telly I think I've replaced the dogs three times on our 30+ years old Kenmore by Whirlpool. The last time I bought them, I bought a quantity 2 set, so I have a ready spare set... which increases the lifetime of the parts presently in use Just as an FYI, over the years I eventually replaced: The solenoid fill valve 'round back, just got weak over many years. The pump, easy to replace with the 3-sided cabinet taken off, it's bearing went, rounded out the seal, which caused it to leak into our handy utility room floor drain. The pressure switch that senses water level for Low-Medium-High, it became finicky, I suspect the rubber diaphragm inside wore out. The timer assembly, because the clutch in it became problematic and finally could not push/pull to start it up, this one was at the ~25+ year point. It has gotten a lot of use all these years, and I would like it to outlive me. Can't get a heavy duty machine like those anymore. There are people in the appliance business who look for the old Whirlpool/Kenmore direct-drives with the tub tri-mount setup, who replace a part or two in them and then sell them as used machines in good condition. We bought a used one for one of our kids in college from a lady who was living in a mobile home, she was moving out to live with her daughter. That machine (replaced the dogs once) soldiered on through college, rental houses after college, into a permanent home, where it was eventually replaced (it was still working fine) by a new fancy LG washer with all sorts of bells and whistles... The new fancy machine after a couple years blew up on spin, breaking drywall on two sides, luckily no one was in the room when it's tub suspension failed miserably. Piece of crap. Both LG and Samsung had the same idiotic design. Newer top-loader Whirlpools also went to top tub suspension from four corners, but they use all-steel suspension, with heavy steel rails up top where the shock absorbers hang from, they won't rip out.

Thanks. That is some good info there.

Prior to this, I have only had to replace the coupling between the motor and transmission. But I had to do that ~3 times, until I got smart and bought TWO of the couplers. Now, as with your experience with the dogs, having the spare makes the installed one last longer!

[Souschef]

Not a big deal, but a first for me. DW just ordered a vertical fire pit that uses 1 pound LPG bottles. I did some research, and viewed some YouTube videos.
I bought DOT legal refillable bottles and an adapter for the 20 pound tank.
I hooked it up, opened the little valve, and voila! it took about a minute each to fill the bottles

[Badger]

Got a leak in the ceiling at the fireplace that has been an ongoing headache for a few decades. About 6 years ago had the roof replaced (again) but this time with standing seam metal roofing. The chimney was expertly sealed and flashed so no water could ever get through. But it did. It appears that the cement cap on the top of the chimney from 1955 was the source of the problem.
I can't/won't climb a ladder up there to fix it anymore. It is frustrating that I have become a little too compromised and arthritic to take the chance. So a painter that has helped me before is up on the roof now with elastomeric paint. I called him yesterday, he came out an hour ago, and immediately went out and bought the paint to take care of it before the rains come. We are officially in hurricane season until October so he wanted to take care of it now. Every once in awhile you get lucky.


Cheers!

[NgineER]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badger Got a leak in the ceiling at the fireplace that has been an ongoing headache for a few decades. About 6 years ago had the roof replaced (again) but this time with standing seam metal roofing. The chimney was expertly sealed and flashed so no water could ever get through. But it did. It appears that the cement cap on the top of the chimney from 1955 was the source of the problem. I can't/won't climb a ladder up there to fix it anymore. It is frustrating that I have become a little too compromised and arthritic to take the chance. So a painter that has helped me before is up on the roof now with elastomeric paint. I called him yesterday, he came out an hour ago, and immediately went out and bought the paint to take care of it before the rains come. We are officially in hurricane season until October so he wanted to take care of it now. Every once in awhile you get lucky. Cheers!

Glad you found the problem,

Will the paint hold up to temperature and chemicals in the smoke NOx SOx etc? Would you be better off putting a metal chimney cap on it?

[mckittri2000]

Pulled P0353 on my OBD tester and had to change out the ignition coil on the wifes Corrolla.

[Badger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NgineER Glad you found the problem, Will the paint hold up to temperature and chemicals in the smoke NOx SOx etc? Would you be better off putting a metal chimney cap on it?

I couldn't answer you question. This cement cap is on the top of the chimney around the ceramic flue. I haven't use the fireplace in years. I live in North Florida and there just are not many cold days. The cement would not get hot anyway since it is not in contact with the rising smoke.

The painter finished in about 30 min. on the roof. With the initial inspection and then getting the paint maybe about 2 hours total. He only wanted $85 and I still have about 2/3 gallon of the paint left for another coat in maybe 5 years. I gave him a check for $100 to buy him lunch. Nobody would have come out that quickly to inspect and then do the job right then. He is also the best painter I have ever worked with. Anybody else would have charged more.


Cheers!