What Do You Fix?

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Our damn 'over the stove' microwave stopped working. I bet the fuse blew on it. Should I try to replace it? The microwave is 22+ years old, but I have an even older microwave (circa 1995) in my office that works! What would you do?

[clean]

Depending on the problem, at 22 years old, it would be hard/expensive to even get the parts!
In my own example, I had a microwave with essentially a broken handle!  The repair really needed a new door.  The new door alone was half the price of a new machine, and they didnt have any anyway!

My father used to repair appliances as one of his last jobs, and even he decided to replace rather than repair HIS microwave when it had a similar problem. 

And pay what they want to install the new one!  You dont want to have to try to help leverage that big machine over a stove. They are heavy and you will be off center, and trying to attach to brackets that are not easy to see or find!  And IF you have a working vent fan, that is even more particular to install! 

At some point, you recognize that an appliance has lived its full, useful life.  This may be that point!  (Unless you can find and fix something easy without having to take the old one off the wall to work on it, go new!)  They just are not that expensive and may be more efficient and have less of a radiation leakage rate!

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I went ahead and bought a new microwave. :(

I still plan to take apart the old one and see if I can figure out what happened to it.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Well, we took apart our leaf blower because it stopped working. Cleaned it out with some canned air, put it back together and now it works!

[Parasaurolophus]

I changed a tire today. In the middle of an enormous downpour.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I changed a tire today. In the middle of an enormous downpour.

Yikes! Sorry you had to deal with that.

[Parasaurolophus]

Well, it's nice to know I can. Easy as it is, the last time I did it I was around 8 or so, so it wasn't a foregone conclusion. ;)

[FishProf]

I replaced the deadbolt on our back door.  Why?  Because someone lost the only key and we could no longer open the door.

Yes, it might have been cheaper to get a locksmith to make a new key, but it was a better idea to change out the lock type as well

[fishbrains]

I found an old Kindle that we had confiscated from my daughter on some allegedly trumped-up charges about 6 or 7 years ago. Anyway, it was totally dead; so I ordered a new battery, installed the new battery, installed updates to the Kindle, and now it works like a charm!

Pretty cool.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Well, we took our 26 year old dryer apart and removed a disgusting amount of lint from the inside. Actually, SO showed me that the cord (where it attaches to the dryer) was so corroded that the contacts were bad and I decided that this was an opportune time to disassemble the dryer for shits and giggles. We also cleaned out the line to the vent. Long story short, we bought a new cord and a new hose to the vent.

[clean]

Any reports on if it works better?  (or was that lint what was keeping it from flying apart?)

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Any reports on if it works better?  (or was that lint what was keeping it from flying apart?)

It works as it should. I did some dangerous stuff with it (bypassing things I shouldn't have and using a fan- I know very stupid). Sometimes when you get a big clog that blocks the exhaust vent, it will heat up and cause the thermal fuse to blow (which is what it should do). That should have been my indicator, but I wasn't thinking. I will say that I cleaned out the entire exhaust portion and it works fine. It's a simple machine since it's from 1997.

[ergative]

I had a doorknob that was loose because the plate was missing a screw. I unscrewed the knob, replaced the screw, replaced the knob, had a crisis of faith when the replaced knob failed to engage with the shaft and the door was latched shut (I'll never get in my bedroom ever again!), but it turned out I just needed to screw the knob in a little bit more, and now it works and the doorknob is secure.

I have a couple of screws in other places that keep coming undone. Emboldened by my doorknob success I'm about to order myself some loctite threadlocker and teach those suckers not to move unless Ergative tells them to move.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I had a doorknob that was loose because the plate was missing a screw. I unscrewed the knob, replaced the screw, replaced the knob, had a crisis of faith when the replaced knob failed to engage with the shaft and the door was latched shut (I'll never get in my bedroom ever again!), but it turned out I just needed to screw the knob in a little bit more, and now it works and the doorknob is secure.

I have a couple of screws in other places that keep coming undone. Emboldened by my doorknob success I'm about to order myself some loctite threadlocker and teach those suckers not to move unless Ergative tells them to move.

Yay! That reminds me that I need to fix one of our door locks (keeps getting stuck).

[Juvenal]

A Yankee of New England heritage here: "Use if up; wear it out; make do; do without."  A saggy mattress and a falling-apart frame?  Well, what's Ambien for?  Drugs are more easily managed than furniture.  Snooze.  I don't yet think a bedroom full of corn shucks is yet in prospect but, well, shuck this...mmm, Beatles, "Golden Slumbers."