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Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?

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Re: Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?

#81

Post by dsr_ »

eternityforest wrote: post #40
nibbleshifter wrote: post #13

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…

Sharpening is one of the few things on all those life skills lists that's actually worth it. Stones aren't expensive, it's reasonably doable although way harder than people say.

Sandpaper and a flat surface is even cheaper than stones, and easier to boot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scary_sharp

Re: Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?

#82

Post by sokoloff »

ChoGGi wrote: post #62
BostonEnginerd wrote: post #34

I've repaired multiple gas stoves for people. The SiC element which heats up to ignite the gas fails over time. My neighbors were just replacing their stove every time this happened until I showed them how to do it.

Could I ask for some more info, I think I might be having the same issue?

Google your oven model and “hot surface igniter”. (I haven’t seen any on stove/cooktops, but usually on ovens. Stovetops seem to mostly use spark ignition.)

Re: Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?

#83

Post by sokoloff »

NotYourLawyer wrote: post #54
voisin wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that a relatively easy project for an average homeowner?

I’ve done it. It’s not a big job, but the issues I ran into were: 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, a…

For 3, they make segmented rods designed to make getting the new one in easier. (The old bends easily if the magnesium has been consumed.)

Re: Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?

#84

Post by vruppert »

keiferski wrote: post #30

Instead of disposable plastic razors (Schick, Gilette, etc.) I recommend getting a safety razor and a big pack of blades (I use Merkur). You will save yourself thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime - and avoid generating a ton of waste. Maintenance is pretty much just cleaning the razor with vinegar every few weeks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_razor If you have the time/desire for it, a straight…

Am I the only one who uses their disposable 3 or 5 blade razor cartridges for months at a time? I shave probably once a week and they last almost 5 months for me. I only need to buy a warehouse replacement pack every decade,

Re: Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?

#85

Post by zabzonk »

h2odragon wrote: post #71
zabzonk wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

out of interest, where is "here"?

USA, where almost everything else does come with a power cord.

seems strange - do you know why this is? in the UK i'm pretty sure they come with a cable, though i've just realised that i've never actually bought one! washing machines definitely do.

Re: Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?

#86

Post by pchangr »

vruppert wrote: post #84
keiferski wrote: post #30

Instead of disposable plastic razors (Schick, Gilette, etc.) I recommend getting a safety razor and a big pack of blades (I use Merkur). You will save yourself thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime - and avoid generating a ton of waste. Maintenance is pretty much just cleaning the razor with vinegar every few weeks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_razor If you have the time/desire for it, a straight…

Am I the only one who uses their disposable 3 or 5 blade razor cartridges for months at a time? I shave probably once a week and they last almost 5 months for me. I only need to buy a warehouse replacement pack every decade,

I moved to Europe 5 years ago and I just changed my last cartridge from the first package I bought

Re: Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?

#87

Post by keiferski »

vruppert wrote: post #84
keiferski wrote: post #30

Instead of disposable plastic razors (Schick, Gilette, etc.) I recommend getting a safety razor and a big pack of blades (I use Merkur). You will save yourself thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime - and avoid generating a ton of waste. Maintenance is pretty much just cleaning the razor with vinegar every few weeks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_razor If you have the time/desire for it, a straight…

Am I the only one who uses their disposable 3 or 5 blade razor cartridges for months at a time? I shave probably once a week and they last almost 5 months for me. I only need to buy a warehouse replacement pack every decade,

If you’re only shaving once a week, then yeah I imagine they would last awhile. The default usage is probably daily for most men.

Re: Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?

#89

Post by onewheeltom »

zo1 wrote: post #33
djbusby wrote: post #17

Our 65" Samsung faded out (blue/purple). Just needed to replace the white back-light LEDs. $60 in parts. About 1h labour (mine).

How much time spent diagnosing the problem, researching the fix, and finding the right part? Also, what about the time spent learning all the info and knowledge necessary to be able to do the above? There is always more to the cost equation than immediately obvious.

In my experience, similar devices fail in similar ways, so simple Internet searches turn up lots of information. That knowledge is something that you keep forever and can assist others in fixing their devices. Otherwise, its just more repairable devices in the landfill.

Re: Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?

#90

Post by onewheeltom »

h2odragon wrote: post #4

I've seen two people replace dishwashers because the power cord wasn't connected well and failed. They don't include a power cord with the appliance, here; you buy your own and wire it up yourself, or the installers do it for most people I guess. So when this hurried connection made in an awkward place turns out to have been poor and breaks after a few years; "the dishwasher is broken" and a repair shop charges half…

I had a dishwasher installed by a "professional" that used an ordinary wire nut to connect the copper dishwasher wire to aluminum wire in my house. Which later resulted in smoke billowing from my dishwasher. Fortunately caught it before anything else was damaged. Then rewired the cable properly.
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