Teaching the Kids - There will come a time when there will be nobody to help you, child...

[Jet Fuel Johnny]

Tonight, me and the daughters are working on a dryer. It's not a super-deluxe all new dryer with all the bells and whistles, it's about 15 years old, industrial strength, extra-large tumbler dryer with chipped enamel and signs of age. It's the first time I've had them help me with industrial electronics. My daughters are adults, so it's time for them to learn adult things. Remind them of electrical appliance safety, then have them help take off the back, get the voltmeter, teach them to run connectivity checks across thermal switches with a meter. Found the bad thermal switch. Show them how to get the correct numbers, how to go online and order it. We went through the steps to isolate a fault. Dryer timer still runs. Dryer still tumblers. Blower still works. That leaves the elements or the thermal switches. Showed them how to test everything to run down the fault. (I was pretty sure it was one of the thermal switches anyway)

This isn't the first thing I've taught them. How to change a tire, how to check and change the oil, transmission fluid, filters, how to flush a radiator and refill it. How to replace headlights, taillights, fuses. Steps to take to secure the house after an earthquake or other major even that may have damaged natural gas or electrical lines. First aid. How to set up wireless networks and wired networks. How to configure signal boosters, how to run coaxial cable. How to repair vents and ducting. How to replace stovetop elements. How to install a garbage disposal. How to replace a damaged electrical wall socket or light socket. How to remove the piping under the sink to clean out the grease trap. How to remove hair from the bathtub drain easily. How to set up a computer from random parts.

You know, basic stuff.

Now we live in flyover country in the sticks. The last year I've taught them about drying your laundry on the line, how to make sure ants don't get in, more land navigation in an area where landmarks aren't immediately apparent like they are in the shadow of the Cascades, emergency snow routes to the hospital, all that good stuff.

My daughter mentioned what she was doing to a coworker when the coworker called, and they were surprised she didn't just call an appliance repairman. Sure, it's only $80/hr + parts, I mean, yeah, instead of taking an hour out of your own schedule and ordering a $8 part on Amazon, just pay someone $100 to fix something you can do quickly and easily. Her coworker suggested just getting a new dryer since the current one blew that part it'll do it again. Yeah, that makes sense. $500 is much easier than $8.

I've taught them stuff since they were little. Basic stuff to me. Just basic maintenance and trouble-shooting.

My daughter's coworker asked her why she'd need to know all of that stuff and then thought her answer was very morbid and kind of disrespectful.

"My dad's not going to be around forever and I can't count on other people to be there when I need them."

I guess I'm just proud of her.

 

[Synthetic Smug]

That's both heartwarming and forward thinking.

If the timer is mechanical, you may also find it useful to have a spare on hand.

 

[The Fool]

based

 

[ThePurpleProse]

How to remove hair from the bathtub drain easily

Care to share your knowledge? replaced the piping on my bathtub a week ago and the bloody thing seem like a hair magnet now, even found my dog's hair in there and she's never around that part of the house.

 

[The Last Stand]

I think it's great that you're teaching your kids skills you know. She's right; you're not going to be here forever. Plus, it gains independence and character. Who knows, she could teach her kids (if she wishes) skills you taught them. There's nothing better than a self sufficient adult.

 

[Jet Fuel Johnny]

Care to share your knowledge? replaced the piping on my bathtub a week ago and the bloody thing seem like a hair magnet now, even found my dog's hair in there and she's never around that part of the house.

The big thing is hair gets tangled around the 4 "petals" under the plug. (If you have a pull knob to plug up drain that's more of a pain in the ass) A popup/pull down "plug" for the tub can be easily unscrewed.

The big thing is unscrewing the plug, use an old plastic crotchet needle to pull up the hair that's hanging down, then using a good stiff bristle brush to scrub those petals. Worst comes to worst you can use your fingers, it's pretty quick.

Honestly, the best thing to do is get one of those little wire baskets that can be dropped between the petals and the plug, if your drain is the type that handles that.

I think it's great that you're teaching your kids skills you know. She's right; you're not going to be here forever. Plus, it gains independence and character. Who knows, she could teach her kids (if she wishes) skills you taught them. There's nothing better than a self sufficient adult.

The grand-daughter sits on her little chair and watches while we do stuff. We even sometimes let her get up and look close if it isn't dangerous. Kids learn by seeing (Monkey see monkey do) and hearing it. Plus, teaching someone else has the tendency to teach yourself things.

 

[oldTireWater]

Indoor plumbing is the root of all household grief.

I remember "helping" my father when I was little. To this day I remember him being pissed at everything (and me) and saying "you can't beat fucking water." It's all been downhill from there.

 

[Jet Fuel Johnny]

Most modern PVC plumbing can't handle any type of pressure or it pops loose at the joints is one thing to remember.

Sometimes it might be better to measure out and rebuild under your sink then keep putting it back together all the time. You need at LEAST a half-inch overlap on the pipes before you twist the pressure clamp down to ensure that it can handle any pressure.

If your house is old enough you might want to check for any plumbing loops, especially going into the kitchen. It isn't uncommon to find dead end pipes that are still hooked up, or a weird loop. All of that damages pressure. Drains sometimes have that too.

Another thing to check is an odd musty odor in the cabinets under the sink. That means underneath the baseboard you've got a leak that's going straight into the dirt full of nutrient rich grey water. One of the bends is probably leaking or you've got a disconnected/leaking joint dropping water straight into the dirt.

Also, and this one may sound like a no-brainer, but it's pretty common: If your toilet rocks, it's breaking the wax seal constantly. Tighten that shit down before it rots out your underboards around the toilet. And if you sit down and hear creaking every time, you might have had someone heavy living there before that cracked the support beam next to the toilet, or dry-rot or termites might have gotten it. (I learned this one the hard way)

You'd be surprised how many people never think about under their house.

Oh, another thing: If your house is older than 1985, consider hiring an electrician to redo your room wiring. Modern electronics in every room pull down a lot of amperage, something that the old wiring where 2-5 rooms are on the same 15A breaker can't handle. Your best bet, with the modern home electronic curve, is to put each room on its own breaker, that's been what worked best for me.

If your vents aren't throwing proper airflow for your HVAC, it might be time to crawl under the house or up into the attic. In the attic, you've got mice, rats, squirrels, raccoons. Under the house you've got stray cats, rats, raccoons. (Do NOT let blackberry bushes be near your house or you'll get rats) They can damage the vents. Age is another thing that a lot of people don't consider. Shit wears out, yo. Check your vents AND get your filters replaced in March and September. Cats will rip up the insulation around your vents, and if you have the more modern plastic ducting they might have even torn a hole in it. Stray cats will rip the fuck out of foundation venting.

Rats are another big one nowadays. A lot of major cities have rat problems and rural areas can have them if you have a lot of blackberries. One thing to know about poison is that it dehydrates them and they go looking for water. They WILL chew a hole in your furnace drip pan assembly and moisture/dew lines, which can shut your furnace right the fuck down as the vacuum hoses lose integrity. IF they damage the drip pans, especially the flow lines to outside, you can end up with water leaks. Once you get rid of your rat problem, check your ducting, piping, and furnace.

Another thing with older houses is check around your window CASINGS for drafts. As a house settles the frame can get small leaks. You'll need cauking, but you'll be good once it's done right. If you can, double-pane your windows, it'll cut down on HVAC power usage. Have your summer and winter drapes also that you change at the same time you change your filters. Good thick ones to keep cold from leaking in the windows, then get the light blocking ones on the outer rod and a nice thin gauzy one for the inside.

Check your doorseals too. Leaks around those can really hit hard.

Lastly, if you're like me and live in a 100+ year old house, put curtain-rods over side-room doors and hang heavy curtains and close the vents to those rooms. This can keep the rest of the house nice and warm or cool (depending on the season) while unused rooms can stay ambient temperature.

Another thing is your roof. Holy shit do people ignore the roof. All that moss on it? It WILL damage the integrity of your roof and lower the lifespan. Clean your fucking gutters and repair them as well as clean off that moss. Any branches hanging over your roof may look nice and scenic but get that shit cut off if it doesn't throw the tree too far off balance. (Any tree within 5 feet of your house, get that shit removed before you end up with heavy duty roots under the foundation, it WILL eventually crack your foundation)

Most of you probably live in more modern homes so you don't have to worry about some of this.

Another thing, real quick, is doorknobs. If you have little kids, make sure your locks on your bathroom and bedrooms all have the little pinhole on the outside. Put a little straw (if you don't have the L-key that came with the doorknob) on the door casing at the top. That way if a little rugrat locks themselves in the room you can just push the straw through the hole and press down on the lever, instantly unlocking the door. (You'd be surprised how many parents don't know this)

IF your house has a slight slant (some do due to settling or shitty foundation) and you find your cabinet doors always opening whenever you walk away like it's Poltergeist and Carol-Anne's about to go into the TV, then get the little child-safety things for cupboards. That'll keep them only open an inch or so. Really handy.

Another thing, and this seems to surprise people, is to check your utility lines. Even have the power, water, and gas company come out and mark where the lines are. Have your sewage line marked. Now, look for any bush within 3 feet and any tree within 5 feet. Those are currently trying to infiltrate your pipes with roots. If your house is more than 50 feet from the pole (150 feet from the repeater box) for cable and internet, consider asking for a signal booster, you're getting signal degradation.

Lastly, if you park your car on a slope, always park engine up, but check your oil and fluids on the street, not on the angle.

And never, ever, ever, light a fire in the fireplace if it hasn't been lit in 3 or more months until you either check it (assuming you know how) or hire someone to check and clean it. (You can do it with a burlap bag full of snow chains lowered on a rope if you don't mind standing on your roof like your waiting for Mary Poppins to float by and blow you)

(Yup, there goes the sperg again)

That's all shit everyone should know.

EDIT------------

If you're going to teach your children, remember, first of all, that they don't know what you do. They're going to make mistakes. Don't ask them to do something that you haven't repeated at least 3 times to them. (Three seems to be some kind of magical number) Don't get mad when they hand you the wrong wrench or tool, calmly correct them. Yelling won't teach them anything except that maintenance turns people into dicks. Once you discover inside yourself how to teach your kids/nephews/nieces how to work with you there's a certain joy in home repairs and maintenance.

Plus, remember, you aren't going to be around forever to do it for them.