51–60 of 122 posts
Breville coffee grinders. The company does not sell parts, and so 3D printing was necessary to bridge the gap when mine broke a few years back. It ended up being one of the small victories over entropy for me, and I wrote it all up on iFixit here[0] [0] https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/BCG800XL+Grinder+Jamming+due+to...
Water heaters; supposedly, if you replace the anode rods every 5 years, most water heaters would last the lifetime of the house, versus many replace the whole unit in 10 years.
Is that a relatively easy project for an average homeowner?
1. You need a specific and large socket wrench. (A big adjustable wrench wouldn’t work because the head was recessed.)
2. Mine was really stuck in there, so it took a lot of torque to get it loose. Had to get someone else to hold the water heater in place while I pulled on the wrench.
3. My water heater was up in the attic underneath the angled roof, and there wasn’t enough clearance to get the new one in. Got kind of sketchy tilting the water heater over so I could get it inserted.
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That analysis can depend on how well total costs are captured. Often what seems cheap is only cheap because you externalize the actual costs elsewhere and don't factor them in.
I often host small get-togethers at home and very often use disposable plates (sometimes plastic) as well as utensils, cups, etc. It's quite cheap in terms of my time when it comes to cleanup, broken item replacement, no water for cleanup usage, etc. but I suspect using durable reusable utensils and dining ware are actually cheaper holistically because they can often be used for many years and require very little to clean up beyond time and access to some clean water which is already a requirement and soaps. Factor in costs of recycling, how recyclable those goods are, transport costs to get those goods to my home, waste disposal and long term effects of non-recyclables on the environment... at some point its not so cheap, I'm externalizing my time costs in other forms on the rest of society.
Water heaters; supposedly, if you replace the anode rods every 5 years, most water heaters would last the lifetime of the house, versus many replace the whole unit in 10 years.
The lifetime of a house is measured in centuries. Perhaps you mean the lifetime of the person who installed the water heater?
Breville coffee grinders. The company does not sell parts, and so 3D printing was necessary to bridge the gap when mine broke a few years back. It ended up being one of the small victories over entropy for me, and I wrote it all up on iFixit here[0] [0] https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/BCG800XL+Grinder+Jamming+due+to...
Then why would you recommend a device that breaks and the company offers no support for repairs?
Refrigerators can usually be repaired for much less than the cost of replacing it. Same goes for washing machines/drying machines, or pretty much any other large appliance. I've seen people throw out perfectly good soft furnishings simply because they didn't know how to clean them, and let outdoor furniture go to rot because they didn't bother treating the wood every year or so by oiling it. Cookware also often goes…
My refrigerator 'failed', and it just needed a new logic board. Way easier than building a computer. Risk was medium because it's hard to go too long without a refrigerator.
I had a tankless hot-water heater fail, so replaced most of the parts inside. Eventually, figured out the exchanger had cracked which was about 1/2 the cost of a new heater. Lots of time wasted, though not much money. Bought a new one b/c the one was 10 years old. Risk was low because we could survive without hot water for a bit. I installed the new one with the help of a friend - saved about $3k.
This cold caused an outside pipe to fail. I did PVC joins for the first time yesterday and they seem to be good. Cost was very little in both money and time. Risk is also low since it's outside. If what I did fails, I can always call a plumber.
Furniture items I reuse all the time. It's amazing what a quick repaint and/or buying new upholstery can do. When I buy new furniture now, I try to only buy things with slip covers/easy to replace parts.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That means there was a higher level problem in the dishwasher that caused that part to repeatedly break. Why couldn’t the higher level problem be solved?
likely inherent to the design
I tend to try and fix everything myself OR if I hire someone I make them teach me how to do it (and pay them a bit more cash). I’ve rebuilt faucets (usually a gasket fails, that’s like $5 to replace).
Biggest repair was a dryer where the toroidal transformer failed on a 40-50 year old washer (it’s a component used in motors). I found the manual on eBay for a few bucks, got the specs of the transformer, bought a new on and rigged it up. Worked, still works.