Simple joy from repairs?
Simple joy from repairs?
Our washing machine broke last week and the first thought was to buy a replacement but I wanted to at least attempt a repair first.
The machine would still fill and empty water, but the dishes remained dry and there was a burning smell. So, I unplugged it, tipped it over and popped open the bottom cover.
Aside from the controller, the dishwasher was very simple: a drainage pump, a circulation pump, a heating element and some solenoid valves. A multimeter showed the (main suspect) circulation pump still had continuity which narrowed the search down to the pump’s starting capacitor. Seven euros and a few days later and it’s back in action!
The simple fix really gave me a sense of joy and satisfaction. It feels great to extend the use of something that I already have rather than need to consume more.
Can anyone relate? Any good repair stories?
I’m a big fan of the right to repair movement.
The simple fix really gave me a sense of joy and satisfaction. It feels great to extend the use of something that I already have rather than need to consume more.
Also sometimes it feels like cheating the system. A new purchase will be postponed.
Back when I had a printer I have bought ink refill kits off of ebay and refilled the empty ink cardridge with a syringe. It worked well and I could extend the lifespan up to three time for each cartridge. After the third refill cycle I had to buy new cardridges. Meanwhile the manufacturer re-designed the label and switched the colors on that label - imagine it like this: when looking from above the compartment of the cartridge, the colors were: cyan - yellow - magenta. After the re-design of the label the colors were: cyan - magenta - yellow, indicating that the locations of said colors were different. When refilling with a syringe it happened that now the wrong ink was applied (magenta got mixed with yellow and vice versa), rendering the cartridge unusable. I was forced to buy the expensive original ink. Anyway, the printer later became unrepairable when a tiny piece of plastic broke inside the printer because I was moving it into a different place. I don't own a printer anymore.
Another time I replaced the battery of my 2010 macbook pro, along with a RAM upgrade an a cleaning of the fans. I used the tutorial on ifixedit. I also bought their tool set - which I can strongly recommend when working with delicate hardware.
And then there was this super cheap bluetooth mouse which came without a power switch. As long the two batteries were inserted, it was ON! I managed to place an old switch from an old computer tower case at the underside of the mouse so the mouse could be shut off without losing battery charge. I still have that mouse as an emergency backup. Given its price the left click switch has been worn off after just one year of usage - it somtimes double-clicks.
Repairing things can be good for the budget and also good for the enviroment - but it makes you a bad customer ;-)
I was able to replace a light in the bathroom with an energy saving led version and although the result isn’t perfect it gave me a lot of satisfaction knowing I had succeeded doing that for the first time and saved a few hundred to the electrician.
That's amazing, well done, it's such a feeling of pride when you fix something yourself, & you learn more about your own applience, & also save yourself a lot of money!
I agree, I'm also a fan of the right to repair movement!
I keep having better salaries in time. I noticed, I still manage to not save any money from one year to the next. Why? Objects require maintenance/repair/cosmetic care a lot faster than I can afford to keep replacing them. Buying something new feels profoundly shallow and ungrateful based on what good objects I have. Example: i had a xiaomi robot vacuum. Almost replaced it when I realised I'm better off replacing the battery (that's what I assumed was broken). For 20$ i extended its life for another 2-5 years. Respect for the object, respect for the time I spent earning how much it cost, and by extent, respect for myself and my life.
I relate. I like working on my car for similar reasons. As others have touched on, you feel like you’re cheating the system when you do it yourself and save money. Very satisfying.
What a great story, and such a cheap fix too.
The best repair story I have is replacing my top case and battery for my MacBook. I had to replace the top case (As my keyboard was broken) and figured out a new battery would be good too, given that I had to remove it anyway to install the top case. It took me a couple hours (so many screws!) but I did it, and now my 9 year old MacBook is still running rather smoothly.
Breathing new life into a computer feels great!
I'm terrible at repairs, but I do get that same sense of accomplishment from lawn work. I'm initially annoyed if I have to do a big project like pruning bushing and clearing shit out. But when it's over there is a very zen, "I did that and it was good" feeling.
Even the fixes that aren't successes can be a good learning experience. If the item is totally screwed i give it to my child with a screwdriver and let him have fun before the inevitable dumpster.
Congrats, I hope it stays fixed! I can't repair anything, but I support the movement in principle. I usually try to take good care of the things I own and buy things which with replaceable parts (think headphones) or things which are more ecological (think traditional wet shaving with a DE razor). Actually, come to think of it, I might try to repair my headphones. Something that can't be replaced broke -- part of the headband near the ear cups but I think I can fix it with tape.
DE razors are sooo material efficient!
Yeah, they're pretty good! I've been shaving with DE razors for two years. But there is a danger of starting to hoard equipment, especially shaving soaps. I currently have five, but I know people who have dozens, even hundreds. Good thing my budget doesn't allow that... 😅
As an autistic person I like to minimise change. I'm also good at learning how different appliances/equipment works and how to repair it. So I always try to repair things first before replacing them. I get the double satisfaction of not wasting an otherwise perfectly good appliance and also getting to keep the appliance that I am familiar with and like instead of having to try to find a different one.
All the time. That and maintenance. I got so much joy from finally having the supplies to change my car oil at home.
friend brought a sat controller, or something like that to me saying it didn’t work anymore.
The symptoms were the supply voltage dipping when powering on. Narrowed it down to a small, chipped ceramics SMD condenser. Removed it with the intention to replace it, but shit just worked again with the short being removed.
Regarding on the right to repair, I actually don’t know exactly what it is about. In general i feel the manufacturer should have the right to decline warranty if one opened the device and tried to repair it. However, since in my opinion the device belongs to the buyer, he should be able to do with it whatever the heck he wants.
Good call on the washing machine! I can totally relate.
My knowledge of some things is quite limited, but I love a repair when I can do one. The dishwasher fix sounds quite complex to me, so kudos for being able to sort that!
Usually for me they're quite little, like fixing a button on the dryer (a plastic dobber snapped and became lose, not having the rigidity to press). A bit of superglue and it works fine.
Similarly, things like u-bend replacements, light pendants being changed, dowels put into loose cupboard screw holes and re-drilled.
All quite low level stuff, but it is satisfying to do it all for a fraction of the cost of professional repair or replacement.