The satisfaction of fixing something yourself

[disneysteve]

Our Dyson vacuum stopped working a few weeks ago. I kept forgetting about it and we have another vacuum so it wasn't a huge deal. I finally remembered today that it was out of commission and decided to take a look. I took it apart section by section and finally found the problem.

A small piece of wood that broke off one of our door frames (which I kept meaning to glue back on) had gotten sucked up. It got lodged at one of the junctures and forced open a connection so that the system was no longer closed meaning no suction was being generated.

Fortunately, we have a high-end X-Acto knife set with a bunch of special blades including a tiny little saw blade. I was able to use that to saw the piece of wood in half which then allowed me to remove the pieces. As soon as I did that, everything snapped right back into place and we were back in business. I made the vacuum suck again .

It's a stupid little thing but the alternative would have been to take it to a repair shop where they probably would have charged at least their minimal service fee to do the same thing. Two points for the DIY repair.

[Singuy]

+1

My wife LOVES professional pictures. She of course wanted the engagement shoot, maternity shoot, honeymoon shoot, baby shoot etc etc. We all know that doing these photo shoots will cost an arm and a leg.

My solution? B&H photography lessons free on youtube. Listened to about 4 hours of lectures and now I do everything myself with a tri-pod. Created my own "studio" and also did some photo shoots for her friends(at no charge). People have yet to tell the difference between my pictures and the professional ones that charges $500/session.

I also do my wife's payroll and set up her corporation instead of hiring a CPA who charges 80/month + a 300 dollars initiation fee(instead intuit's online software charges 30/month).

The joy of DIY Saving money AND learning a boat load about taxes and photography!

[QuarterMillionMan]

Great thread, I like it.
1) Had some old, dead watches. Revived it all by learning on youtube how to remove the back cover and replacing the batteries.
2) Knife sharpening also learned from youtube. Scary sharp knives now.
3) computer building barebones, yes again from youtube.
4) surfboard ding repair, mixing resin/catalyst, fiberglass, etc.
5) plumbing repair, previous occupation.
6) sewing minor repairs.
7) car repairs, brakes, time belt, radiator/hoses, etc.

[greenskeeper]

I honestly can't remember calling on help for any type of repair or service....DIY all the way for me.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

replacing hose on spot bot.

[msomnipotent]

I think I've learned more from Youtube than my parents! I have rebuilt the carburetor and replaced the gas and oil lines in our go kart, only to have some sort of rod blow. I'm replacing the whole motor once I have some free time. It doesn't seem too complicated on the videos. I have fixed some wiring in our old minivan so that stupid sliding door would open and close. I bought a $300 lawn mower that was practically new for $50 because the guy didn't know how to fix it. It took longer to search the internet than it did to fix. I have also learned to tune up the lawn mower and snow blower.

Any time anything gives me a problem, I look it up before calling a pro. You would be surprised how simple some fixes are if you can find a video. Not only does it save money, but it gives you a boost of confidence for the next job.

[QuarterMillionMan]

replacing hose on spot bot.

Let me see if I got this correct, "replacing hose on spot bot." Is that replacing a garden hose on the spigot?

Some other things for me;
1) tinted all of my car windows
2) bike repair (fix flats, broken cables, etc.)
3) moped high performance. No longer doing this but when I lived in Hawaii lots of people there like to modify and turn mopeds into speed demon machines. Unmodified mopeds reach top speeds of 30 mph. High performance mopeds can be made to go in excess of 60 mph by replacing the carburetor, exhaust, pistons, crank, gears, etc. Got mine to hit 60 mph.
4) car stereo, amp/equalizer, speakers installation but not anymore (I leave that to the younger crowd now).

[creditcardfree]

I've replaced several dishwasher parts. Dishwashers are pretty simple machines. I replaced our disposal. Replaced a laptop screen.

I have done more than I can possibly remember. My first instinct is to try to figure out how to fix it myself. And YouTube is a big help usually.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

spotbot is a mini portable steam cleaner.

I forgot to mention watching a ton of youtube on how to fix stuff. I replace the air filters on our cars myself or windshield wipers. Doing the water filter on our old refrigerator. DH rewiring the house for different light switches or self-installing the nest thermostat. Putting a new seal on the toilet. installing cabinets ourselves and organizers in closets. Flooring ourselves.

We try to do as much as possible ourselves. But some stuff like car repairs we tend to leave to professionals.

[JoeP]

Perfect timing!

My son's car "needed" a lower ball joint according to the tire place that out on a fresh set of rubber. They wanted close to $400 for the job, with part of that cost being a $99 lower ball joint part. A quick google showed me the same part for $30, and a friend has a well-equipped garage was able to get it installed in about 2 hours (we took our time). Now I know what is involved next time this area needs service!

I've also repaired: car blower fans, brakes, fuel pump, spark plug wires, pretty much any small engine, plumbing, electrical, furnace, water heater, fridge, stove, washer, dryer, computer, sump pump, doors, windows...

[bennkar]

Certain appliances are always "ripe" for do it yourself repairs. I fixed my washing machine a few years ago. It wouldn't drain - I found it was the lid closed sensor that was cracked and stopped working. Put a zip tie on it to keep it closed and its worked ever since. I've done minor car repairs too. Items at yard sales can be great. Pick up an old fan, clean it off and pull lint out of the motor (or use high pressure air to blow it out), and presto - a like new fan for pennies.

[ua_guy]

A ceiling fan we have that's mounted 25' up in the air at the top of a vaulted ceiling stopped working one day. It's a nice fan, and, it matches the other fixtures in the house.

First, we bought a new control board for the fan on eBay ($100).

Then, we rented a huge step ladder ($25).

We scored bonus points for being able to set it up over the living room furniture without having to move anything.

30 minutes after setting up the ladder, taking apart the fan, and replacing the control board, we were pushing buttons on the wall switch, and it was blowing air again. Score! The new control board also has additional settings, delay, etc.

We saved a good fan from the dump, and money by replacing parts instead of the whole unit!

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

One of my best DIYs was refinishing our wood floors while my husband and kid were away on a long trip. It took a surprisingly long time because I did it under the tutelage and with the help of my brother who was a fine furniture maker. But I ended up with an amazing fine furniture type finish!

A couple months after we did the job, a stranger came to pick up some items I was giving away via Freecycle. When I opened the door, her eyes widened, jaw dropped --literally-- and she started talking about my floor! I guess we did a good job.

[JoeP]

We had a significant snow event here last week, and I took my truck into work (it is simply better for deep snow with 4wd). Before I got home, all at once: the speedometer was tweaking all over the range, the check engine light came on, the ABS light came on, and the brake light came on. It is a 2003 and has seen its share of NY winters, so it was not completely unexpected.

A quick google search told me that it could be one of a couple dozen problems, usually dealing with sensors going. But one guy wrote about a connector by the battery that accumulated water and shorts out. Sure enough, after about just 10 minutes, I had solved the problem!

If I had taken this to my mechanic, whom I trust, I'm certain it would have been at least a hundred.

[ua_guy]

Another satisfying DIY fix...

A week ago, the AC clutch pulley in our work truck started making awful noises, whether or not the AC was actually running. I don't really care about having AC, but something needed to be done because the pulley was shot and was going to destroy the serpentine belt, leaving me stranded somewhere.

The shop wanted $250 plus labor for install, evac, recharge for a new compressor, new serpentine belt. I was looking at a $500 job all said and done.

With some internet sleuthing and talking to the guys at our local Napa parts store, I was able to devise a $35 fix, for now. It involved leaving the compressor in place but removing the pulley, bypassing it in the serpentine loop all together, and coming up with a new path for routing. $27 for a new, shorter serpentine belt (the correct belt length was the subject of much debate...there was no non-AC belt listed). Plus, $8 for a pair of snap ring pliers so I disassemble the pulley. New tools...yay!

I got the new belt on, and the truck runs quiet again, just no AC.

Then I figured out a reseller will sell a refurbished clutch assembly for $100 if I want to restore AC again. The compressor itself is fine, so that's an option if I want AC again, just buy the new pulley assembly. But it's only 40 degrees outside...I don't need no stinkin AC

THEN I figured out I can probably just press the bearing out of the old clutch assembly and replace that for about $23. I might look into that this weekend, because it kind of bugs me that the AC isn't operational. I like everything in my vehicles to be in working order.

Of course, I had the week off, so I have probably 12 hours of my own time invested in this chase between research and figuring out how stuff comes apart. But dang...I went from knowing nothing relatively nothing about AC to pretty much being able to disassemble a Sanden SD7 series automotive AC compressor in the dark, upside down, with my hands tied behind my back

With a couple beers in a heated garage and some good tunes, I can't say it was a miserable experience at all. The $35 I spent fixing it was absolutely worth the entertainment, and having a working truck again.