Page 1 of 1 [ 4 posts ] 

shortfatbalduglyman
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Mar 2017
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,792

29 Oct 2023, 12:28 pm

What kind of household repairs do you know how to do?

What kind of computer repairs do you know how to do?

Do you fix them yourself or hire someone?

I don't know how to do the slightest thing. Even though I got trained for Tool Rental at Home Depot, I didn't know how to use the drain snake to unclog the sink

Even though, at work, a supervisor made me watch a video about how to use a drain snake

I feel so useless worthless misunderstood stupid and helpless and hopeless



BTDT
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Jul 2010
Age: 60
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,152

29 Oct 2023, 8:07 pm

I do basic electrical. Replaced bad outlets. Wired up two ceiling fans and a stove. Hired an electrician to run power out to the garage.
I use a drain snake to clean out long hair that clogs up the drain pipes. I'll go down into the basement with pipe wrenches to open up the pipes to run the snake. Cheaper than using drain cleaner.

Hired professionals to do the roofing, driveway, and install a new furnace. Hired tree guys to cut down big maple trees.
I now cut down little trees before they get too big for me to cut down.

Refinished the wood floors of two rooms. Need to do the rest of the house.



DuckHairback
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 27 Jan 2021
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,425
Location: Dorset

30 Oct 2023, 8:18 am

I will give most things a go. Partly because I don't have the money to pay people to do things, partly because my landlord doesn't do anything without threatening to put the rent up and partly because I like learning how to do stuff. I have:

Laid a lot of laminate flooring
Painted
Hung wallpaper
Basic electrics (most serious electrical work has to be done by a qualified person in the UK, I don't touch much)
Fixed leaky taps/toilets
Replaced guttering
Replaced fencing
Built small outbuildings
Built basic furniture

When it comes to computers I can do most stuff. I've built computers from components. I find all that good fun. I can repair laptops usually, I don't mind getting the soldering iron out.

You shouldn't feel useless if you've never done this stuff. No one is born knowing how to do any of it. If you're lucky you have a friend or relative who can show you how, if not then Uncle YouTube can usually walk you through what you need to know. If something goes wrong, use it as a learning opportunity, try to fix it yourself and over time you acquire some skills.


_________________
Bwark!


ToughDiamond
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Sep 2008
Age: 71
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,524

02 Nov 2023, 1:29 pm

I used to be a dab hand at quite a lot of household repairs, but manufacturers started to fight back by making their products less user-serviceable. Even when I stick with traditional products, I can't get the spare parts so easily now.

Can't use old-school, user-fixable electrical appliances because the modern breakers don't like them.

Don't know if this counts, but new versions of Windows are harder to "repair" (i.e. take control of) because they tend to mesh important features with unwanted, invasive crap so the user can't remove one without losing the other.

Old-style wooden exterior doors could be trimmed and adjusted to stop them sticking, you could cut a hole to fit a cat flap, change the lock and latch mechanism, nail a dartboard to the inside. Not with the modern plastic-on metal type with the complicated closing mechanism. Apparently you can't even safely paint the outside a decent bottle green or royal blue, in case the increased absorption of the sun's heat ruins the door. So I'm stuck with boring stereotype white that shows all the dirt.

So my home repair confidence and skills are evolving backwards.