Happiness is....

[Constantin]

• .... discovering a refrigerator with a mind of its own after a recent electrical fire next door (kids, don’t play with backhoes near overhead power lines).
• Calling the OEM, speaking to humans, getting directed to the right help on the first try, and better yet, a competent professional! Whoohoo!
• Diagnosing the issue together in a matter of minutes and getting the local service company dispatched
• Having the local service company follow up by telephone within a day, attempt to schedule a repair, realize they cannot come out before Jan 20, and so now what... I don’t want to wake up to rapidly decomposing food.
• Well, the door alarm beep location suggests that the controller lives inside the fridge... so take a look, find the controller under the light cover, order the part, receive same next day, install, and all is well.
  
  now the spouse is happy, the fridge no longer turns off randomly and we can enjoy Christmas.
  
  Happy holidays to all of you. I hope you and your loved ones are safe and sound.

 

[Jailer]

It sure is nice when you can fix your own things. I try to repair as much of my own stuff as possible. I've tried my best not to become part of the disposable item society that manufacturers push you towards with so many things being cheaper to replace than they are to repair.

 

[Constantin]

Yup. Depends very much on the OEM though and how long they want to keep parts in circulation. This fridge is 16 years old and the motherboard is shared across many models with the model being “set” by clipping the right resistors off the motherboard. I too try to repair as much as I can or preserve....

... you may recall my rants and complaints about Sonos intentionally bricking perfectly functional controllers way back when. That’s one way to get me interested in setting up effective firewalls.

 

[Arwen]

After owning my old truck for 23 years, (and it was 12 years old when I bought it), it was time to stop repairing it. I did not mind paying for local labor, or dealing with the lack of vehicle during the repair. But, it was getting a bit too un-reliable, so bought another used vehicle.

I also tend to keep my electronics a lot longer than others seem to do. My current laptop is 7 years old, (and used 1-2 year old technology). But, it too is getting a bit long in the tooth, and is getting replaced. (Mr. Meltdown and the ever elusive Ms. Spectre have really done a number on it's speed.)

 

[HoneyBadger]

This is why things like the "Right to Repair" are so important.

 

[Jailer]

Where I live cancer gets the vehicles before they wear out mechanically. My truck is 14 years old and I plan on getting at least another 10 years out of it if not more. Its starting to rust out but I dont care about that as long as its mechanically sound.

 

[Constantin]

My car is old enough to vote and have a drink at the same time. Some things are easy to repair yourself and the cost difference can be astounding.

a few winters ago, I accidentally left on the wiper when it was snowing like crazy. During snow clearing I turned on the car to help I melt the windshield. Not a good idea since the motor did not stall gracefully but burned itself to a crisp.

IIRC, the OEM part was $350, the OEM supplier part (without the OEM stamp on it) was $105 and eBay had a used assembly for $29. The least expensive part has been working fine ever since.

I did get some rust removed and treated thanks to harsh Boston area winters. But nothing dramatic and the car puts a big grin on my face every time I get to drive it.

 

[Redcoat]

a few winters ago, I accidentally left on the wiper when it was snowing like crazy. During snow clearing I turned on the car to help I melt the windshield. Not a good idea since the motor did not stall gracefully but burned itself to a crisp.

I'm very much in tune with the underpinnings of this thread - I'm an old guy with an old house, lots of still-completely-functional old stuff, and a preservation attitude (both for the objects and my bank account).
This story reminded me of an incident when I was a penniless undergrad back in the UK in the late 60's. The windscreen wiper motor on my 1956 Standard Super 10 had crapped out. One of my best pals worked for his dad's family's used car lot where they employed, as mechanics, ex-RAF airplane mechanics "because they could fix anything" based on their experience in war-time or post-war service where parts and resources were short.
Ex-RAF mechanic Geoff showed me how to open up the motor and pointed to the edge of the commutator with the stem of his pipe to identify for me the melted solder joints between the copper bars and the rotor windings that were supposed to be attached to them. An hour or so work by me with a soldering iron had that motor fully serviceable again.
I've been cursed with a "fix-it" mentality ever since...

 

[Constantin]

Being able to fix things is one reason I designed and built my own whole-house humidifier. The parts are readily available, everything is set up to be easily fixed and most importantly, it just works, which is not what I could say about the Nortec that preceded it. Funnily enough the whole HVAC industry is now embracing steam with Aprilaire, Trane, Carrier, and others apparently either private-labeling the Nortec design or copying it. No thanks, the operational costs are a killer (both in terms of electricity and the consumables).

On the other hand, I can also see why my ultrasonic approach requiring a RODI water supply would not be palatable to the broader HVAC industry or its customers. There is no free lunch but on the other hand a 350+ PPM TDS water supply is hard on anything you try to use with it. (ha ha, very punny Mr. Bond).

My spouse waffles between apprehension and happiness every time I tackle one of these projects, as she fears the appliance / car / etc. might turn out worse afterwards. Thankfully, so far, that usually is not the case.

For example, a simple condenser fan replacement (two-speed ECM, private-label-only Lennox series) was supposed to cost me over $1k. I replaced that motor with a similar one-speed ECM (so no low-speed mode, boo-hoo) and saved $800. Took some time to get the sicle blade assy off, mounted to the correct depth, etc. but that motor is still out there today, works fine and no one can tell the difference to the neighboring condenser.

I suppose ripping appliances and commercial equipment apart for a living has imbued me with a false sense of "it must be possible...".

Some circuit design experience also helps overcome some of the biggest headslapping issues in the home such as genius control system implementations (i.e. imagine three HVAC controllers over one another - one for heat, one for cooling, the third for humidification, with ample room for multi-system fights for dominance). Consolidating that mess into one controller per zone (along with external signal massagers to curb the worst built-in instincts of my Honeywell controllers) finally brought some peace to the home HVAC ecosystem.

 

[Jailer]

Some circuit design experience also helps overcome some of the biggest headslapping issues in the home such as genius control system implementations (i.e. imagine three HVAC controllers over one another - one for heat, one for cooling, the third for humidification, with ample room for multi-system fights for dominance). Consolidating that mess into one controller per zone (along with external signal massagers to curb the worst built-in instincts of my Honeywell controllers) finally brought some peace to the home HVAC ecosystem.

I like to keep my stuff going as much as I can but you are WAAAAAY more ambitious than I am.

 

[Constantin]

A better description may be “hartnäckig” aka stubborn.

besides, tools like EaglE combined with PCB resources like OSH Park, stencil makers, and so on have made DIY PCB design and fabrication much much easier than it was 20 years ago.

 

[Redcoat]

My spouse waffles between apprehension and happiness every time I tackle one of these projects, as she fears the appliance / car / etc. might turn out worse afterwards. Thankfully, so far, that usually is not the case.

For me also, but I still have a basement corner stacked with non-functioning devices to fail upon when I get to them...

 

[Constantin]

I have the same issue. There is a Nintendo Wii that I have had to repair twice and which now awaits its third repair. The grandkids in the in-law household are hard on it. Unfortunately, it takes a long time to do so. For whatever reason, Nintendo took a page out of apples playbook and littered the thing with 4+ different security fasteners (some inside deep sockets), etc.

Given that it takes over an hour to disassemble the thing properly, I’m not super motivated to keep fixing something that the kids then abuse to destruction. It’s at the bottom of the honey-do list.

Then there is the HRV controller I’m working on in conjunction with a remotorizarion of same. That’s an ongoing project. Structuring the thing with a PID feedback loop, active wind speed measurement, etc is not as simple as I would like. On the other hand, it will allow better control and perhaps some free cooling.

 

[Arwen]

My car is old enough to vote and have a drink at the same time. Some things are easy to repair yourself and the cost difference can be astounding.
...

I take your vehicle's right to vote and drink, and top that with my old truck being old enough to be President!
(For our foreign friends, in the USA, the President must be at least 35 years old.)


As for repairs to vehicles, I once had to repair my starter motor. (Yep, I was poor at the time.) It was getting flaky such that every now and then would not start. Waiting or moving the vehicle, (it was a manual transmission), helped. Turned out the solenoid plunger thing had carbon crude on it after years of use. A bit of sand paper and all better. Took longer to remove and re-install than it did to fix it.

 

[joeschmuck]

I'm impressed by all the stories from our routine experienced and dedicated forum members but not surprised at all. Most of us are older which makes us wiser through our experiences. It's good to see that we have people that are not just technical junkies but also mechanics, electricians, HVAC competent, etc... I too share the same types of stories but my backhoe story was when I was only 16 and I was not use to the backhoe (had foot peddles to move the boom side to side) and I accidentally moved the boom to the left at a high rate of speed, the bucket clipped one of the workers (my old mailman, and I do mean he was old) and he lost a tooth. I was ordered off the backhoe, to return a few hours later and to never make that mistake again.

My father instilled in me curiosity about electricity and repairing things he would bring home from work. He was a HVAC/Plumber/Electrician as a daytime job and built/flew U-Line Airplanes, Fishing, Hunting, Automotive Repair, etc... Jack of all trades. I learned from him. Unfortunately the one thing he didn't teach me was to unplug something when you are working on it (where applicable). I have been hit by the juice more times than I can honestly recall. When I was 2 years of age (I don't recall it but the stories were told to me) I stuck a fork and knife into an electrical outlet, it burned the crap out of my hand. My uncle was a doctor who took acre of me and over time my claw became a normal burn free hand. I would get a phonograph my dad would bring home and tell me to try to fix it (I was in 2nd grade). I'd plug it in and it didn't come on. I'd flip it over, remove the bottom, and somehow I would find the hot wires and light my butt up. I never learned, I almost always work on things with power applied. When I was in 9th grade there was this round metal light pole (about 3" pipe) near where we lived and if you turned the pole you could turn the light on or off. We being kids thought there was a switch in the pole, nope that was not the case, it was an electrical short. And becasue all the kids played around the pole there was a recess where water would build up after the sprinklers or rain. Yes I was standing in water and twisted the pole with both hands, the light did not turn on, I twisted it more and I could not release the pole, I was actually being electrocuted. Thank god I has some friends there who pushed me off the pole. They thought I was messing around at first until the touched it and felt the shock. Believe it or not, those were some good memories. I never claimed that I was the sharpest tool in the shed. And to prove I haven't learned my lesson, I replaced 8 electrical switches in my new house a few months ago with smart switches, I never turned to power off. Never got shocked either. I'm better I guess now. But if it's 240VAC, I always turn off the power, that stuff is no joke. I do respect electricity.

HVAC is super easy, the one thing that blew my mind was when I was in 2nd grade I went on a service with him and we worked on an Air Conditioner that used LP Gas to heat the unit which made cold air. Wicked! Years later I would learn how that actually worked, it was a smaller version of the air conditioning system on a submarine (I had to learn about all submarine systems to at a minimum operate then basically for an emergency). I have repaired my own and my sons HVAC system, both electrical, freon, expansion valve replacement, fan motors, etc... The only bad part is when you need to braze a part and you need to evacuate the air. I have a pump for that but brazing tools are gone. I'm old so I will probably let some youngster do it. Better yet, I should train one of my sons how to do it like my dad did for me. When I was in 9th grade my best friend and I would grab a 50 Lb cylindar of freon, flip it so the valve is on the bottom (liquid, not gas), and chase each other trying to freeze each other. He got some frost bite on his arm one time, so funny, not sure he didn't do it to himself by accident. Yes, I'm partially to blame for the hole in the Ozone.

Getting back on the theme of this thread, Happiness is:
Retirement with money in the bank. I have about 6 years before this happens, I hope.
My wife telling me the red light thingy turned on in her car, and not waiting for me to find it myself. (BTW, I just changed the oil and rotated the tires today)
Not being called for Technical Support. That can get old very quickly, I'm sure you all can relate.
Happiness is a huge pay raise! I would be very happy.
Happiness is when I taught my grandson how to replace rotors and brake pads 2 weeks ago. Good times.

And with Christmas almost being here, I hope everyone does have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Cheers!
-Mark

 

[Jailer]

Retirement with money in the bank.

Yes it is, I officially retired on 11-13 after 31 years of working in prison. I couldn't wait to get out and couldn't be happier now that I am.

 

[Constantin]

I'm impressed by all the stories from our routine experienced and dedicated forum members but not surprised at all. Most of us are older which makes us wiser through our experiences.

You know, if my spouse heard that, she'd be rolling across the floor laughing.

But learning the how is important to me. So many folk just delegate stuff and then wonder why there is a giant gaping hole in their pocketbook. Plus, sometimes, you simply are on your own. You either figure it out, or you'll have to do without. Learning how to think problems through is one of those life skills I work super hard to impart on my kids, along with a healthy dose of respect for tools, appliances, and the folk that service them.

I also got shocked pretty good as a kid in Germany (on 240VAC) since our electrician didn't believe in covering junction boxes or the live wires within. Thankfully, that was across my hand and I didn't cramp in place like you did.

I do turn off power consistently, but I'm also aided in that when we rebuilt this house, I went whole hog re: power outlets. We have a 400A service not because it's a big house but because I had them put in three full-size circuit breaker panels as I wanted all lights and outlets to be on separate breakers... and that takes up a lot of panel space! I love good infrastructure and a gut job gives you the blank canvas. Thats the core of the house above me after we pulled out the old foundation. The tool bag next to me was for the 5-axis self-stabilized laser to "fix" the house corners on the ground below.



The new foundation is reinforced with #4-60 rebar, 12-14" COC. Phillip Brooks, our wonderful structural engineer laughed when he saw the specs and and observed that the commercial foundations he usually worked on weren't built that strongly. May he rest in peace, the 2017 Halloween spider crab was dedicated to him. I wired a bunch of the rebar in that foundation.

I'm unlikely ever to get into sealed systems due to the tools required, my lack of understanding re: super-cooling, sub-cooling, etc. combined with the licensing requirements and the good enforcement in MA thereof. One time I wanted to buy coil cleaner at a local URI outlet and the folk behind the counter debated whether they could sell me coil cleaner (a spray-on foam) without a EPA section 608 license. They finally relented after I pointed out that the cleaner had nothing to do with refrigerant handling.

I'm glad that you and jailer are on track to a happy retirement. My kids are still in school, so the work requirements will only continue to ramp up as I deal with tuition, room, and board. Passing on knowledge is also a huge passion of mine. This spring I'm scheduled to teach a remote class at my old school about federal energy efficiency policy.

 

[Jailer]

so the work requirements will only continue to ramp up as I deal with tuition, room, and board.

If you haven't priced college lately hold on to your socks. That may be all you have left if you are going to float the bill for your kids schooling.

 

[joeschmuck]

@Constantin That is a lot of cribbing in that photo! Impressive to say the least.

 

[Constantin]

By then we had gotten used to a house in the air and backhoes below. Was really scary in the beginning watching guys sledgehammer gaping holes into a sick foundation and needle 9 sideways I beams and 2 larger front to back I beams through it all. Then Jenga blocks from below and then the lift began, 17” at a time. Two towers per main I beam, 4 towers in total.

once the house was up 4’ 11” we called it a day and watched as some of the remaining foundation walls collapsed on their own without the house compressing them from above. Between clay soil, bad water management, and a rubble foundation below ground, there was little in the way of failure.

also instructive was pushing the mud sills back together as the joists for the ground floor had fallen out of the main beam. That was done as soon as the lift was complete. The house jumped when the joists and the main beam finally got back together. No nails had been used for the joists way back when, they relied on gravity. It’s a bit different now.

Plus, the main beam no longer has anything but a compressive load as the LVL below it carries all other loads.