the "I'm too cheap for my own good" thread

[Beagle]

Sister dropped off a Roomba for inspection. Dead battery, check, front wheel falls off, check. Not much I'm gonna do for the battery, it's cheap enough to replace. The wheel, however, was 8.00 something and I'm way too cheap for that. There must be a reason why I kept all those tiny screws from dead laptops right? I can barely see these things, much less the little bitty one at the bottom that makes a 4/40 screw look like it could hold up a bridge. Anyway, I got amused and thought I would share the "Repair of a Roomba"

[Beagle]

Oh, it's a good day in the "I'm too cheap" which is probably even worse than "You might be a redneck" somehow. The faucet exploded at dad's old house. Watered down my chainsaw pretty good, I hope it grows.

Have you ever tried to find just the cap for a vacuum breaker type spillcock? It's not as easy as you would think to get a replacement part and they are also stupid expensive starting at around 8.00 (seeing a trend?) and up... if you can find the right one.

Of course it leaks, but so does the other end of the hose... kind of by design.



At least it's a stainless bolt. :|

I know I'm not the only one this bad, or am I? Spill it!

[pdub]

One of my favorite repair stories...it was infuriating at the time, but...about 36 years ago I was working in the basement at the paper mill. I had to stand there working a hydraulic device for 3 or 4 hours a day. It was leaking. It had filled up the catch tray and had overflowed into the bucket under the tray's overflow hole and the bucket was overflowing into the sewer and I had to stomp through all of that to get to the controls for the thing. It was a union environment and they had oilers. I had called the oiler every day for a week to fix the danged thing so I called him again and insulted him as best as I could...well, I tried to shame him, it was a union environment and I was in the union also.

This time he showed up on his bicycle. He looked at the mess and said with great confidence, "I can fix that." He left on his bicycle. About two hours later after his morning break he came back with a shiny new bucket. He slid the full bucket out of the way and put the new one underneath the overflow on the tray and he left, grinning.

I didn't forget that, not ever. Under our sink in the kitchen the hot water line going over to the dishwasher has a one drip per hour leak in the valve.



Notice that's copper going into steel into plastic and then back into steel. That's about three grades above my plumbing ability and a plumber would charge double or three digits to repair it properly. So I fixed it, permanently. That black mark on the wall shows me where to put the cup.

[oldsman496]

One of my favorite repair stories...it was infuriating at the time, but...about 36 years ago I was working in the basement at the paper mill. I had to stand there working a hydraulic device for 3 or 4 hours a day. It was leaking. It had filled up the catch tray and had overflowed into the bucket under the tray's overflow hole and the bucket was overflowing into the sewer and I had to stomp through all of that to get to the controls for the thing. It was a union environment and they had oilers. I had called the oiler every day for a week to fix the danged thing so I called him again and insulted him as best as I could...well, I tried to shame him, it was a union environment and I was in the union also.

This time he showed up on his bicycle. He looked at the mess and said with great confidence, "I can fix that." He left on his bicycle. About two hours later after his morning break he came back with a shiny new bucket. He slid the full bucket out of the way and put the new one underneath the overflow on the tray and he left, grinning.

I didn't forget that, not ever. Under our sink in the kitchen the hot water line going over to the dishwasher has a one drip per hour leak in the valve.

Notice that's copper going into steel into plastic and then back into steel. That's about three grades above my plumbing ability and a plumber would charge double or three digits to repair it properly. So I fixed it, permanently. That black mark on the wall shows me where to put the cup.

]

I have one under my kitchen sink...the dishwasher line , it just drips once a day if its closed. when opened it SPEWS water. I'd rather fix my ride. and i rent. Lanlords a crackhead, been this way for 2 yrs now....

[DanStokes]

Being plumber in previous life (I still have my apprentice card releasing me to my own supervision) I just fix plumbing stuff. I actually enjoy plumbing.

Dan

[oletrux4evr]

Looks to me like all it needs is a new 1/4" compression seal under the silver nut on the copper line where it leaves the shutoff. Turn the valve off, loosen the nut, remove the nylon seal, steel wool the copper to get it smooth, install a new nylon seal and tighten the nut. Turn valve back on and if it still leaks, tighten the nut a little more. Then remove the 'cup'.

[Redline04]

I didn't forget that, not ever. Under our sink in the kitchen the hot water line going over to the dishwasher has a one drip per hour leak in the valve.



Notice that's copper going into steel into plastic and then back into steel. That's about three grades above my plumbing ability and a plumber would charge double or three digits to repair it properly. So I fixed it, permanently. That black mark on the wall shows me where to put the cup.

Tie a short piece of old shoe string to the copper directly in line with your mark on the wall. Leave one end a little longer and hanging downward, inline with your cup. It will stop the drip at that point and the water will follow down the string to drip directly into the cup... don’t ask me how I know, just try it...

[SuperBuickGuy]

One of my favorite repair stories...it was infuriating at the time, but...about 36 years ago I was working in the basement at the paper mill. I had to stand there working a hydraulic device for 3 or 4 hours a day. It was leaking. It had filled up the catch tray and had overflowed into the bucket under the tray's overflow hole and the bucket was overflowing into the sewer and I had to stomp through all of that to get to the controls for the thing. It was a union environment and they had oilers. I had called the oiler every day for a week to fix the danged thing so I called him again and insulted him as best as I could...well, I tried to shame him, it was a union environment and I was in the union also.

This time he showed up on his bicycle. He looked at the mess and said with great confidence, "I can fix that." He left on his bicycle. About two hours later after his morning break he came back with a shiny new bucket. He slid the full bucket out of the way and put the new one underneath the overflow on the tray and he left, grinning.

I didn't forget that, not ever. Under our sink in the kitchen the hot water line going over to the dishwasher has a one drip per hour leak in the valve.



Notice that's copper going into steel into plastic and then back into steel. That's about three grades above my plumbing ability and a plumber would charge double or three digits to repair it properly. So I fixed it, permanently. That black mark on the wall shows me where to put the cup.

rookie, I calculated the evaporation rate on a drip I had in my basement then put a larger-then-that-number bucket there (in this case it was a one gallon leak and I used a 5 gallon bucket). Best part, the local mouse had issue with it and fell in. Thus it was a drip bucket and a mouse killer. I challenge you to do better

[SuperBuickGuy]

and lest one of you doubters think this isn't the God-fearing truth
the bucket


the remnants of the last mouse


and for those curious - the valve dripped just a bit because of the manganese problem we have... eventually the manganese builds back up and it stops dripping.

[pdub]

rookie, I calculated the evaporation rate on a drip I had in my basement then put a larger-then-that-number bucket there (in this case it was a one gallon leak and I used a 5 gallon bucket). Best part, the local mouse had issue with it and fell in. Thus it was a drip bucket and a mouse killer. I challenge you to do better

SBG for the overwhelming blowout win! I tried a bucket that size to kill a rat on purpose and even baited it and it didn't get him. I am in awe.

In truth, at the rate of our undersink leak, a folded up paper towel left under there will wick it off and stay dry. I found that out when I put the cup in the wrong spot one time. But Unit would still know it's leaking and that'll drive her crazy so I make sure she sees me empty the cup about once per week. It's all about routine upkeep.

At our lake house in SC the bathtub faucet leaked. Not a steady flow but a real steady drip. The lady we bought the house from left us a brand new faucet kit still in the package, she said she didn't find time to get it replaced. The drip was steady like a clock ticking, something you get used to and never hear after a day or two. But for Unit it was about wasting water and besides, we already had the parts. So after about a year we got the local repair guy to do the job. He charged us $250 because he was pricey and he had to tear out the wall in the bedroom closet to get to the fixture and it took him all day.

I figured at the rate of the drip and the cost of city water per gallon it could have dripped for 1530 years before we broke even on the bill.

[pdub]

Looks to me like all it needs is a new 1/4" compression seal under the silver nut on the copper line where it leaves the shutoff. Turn the valve off, loosen the nut, remove the nylon seal, steel wool the copper to get it smooth, install a new nylon seal and tighten the nut. Turn valve back on and if it still leaks, tighten the nut a little more. Then remove the 'cup'.

Unfortunately it's the valve seal.



I got under there and tried to tighten the seat cap as much as I could. With two wrenches under there grunting and looking at that plastic line...boy if I break that plastic line torquing on it, that's the main line to the water heater and then we'd be... No. Just no. Leave it alone.

[tardis454]

Amateurs

I battled a weeping leaking drain trap tailpiece under the kitchen sink for years.
I replaced the strainer basket and the tailpiece with new stuff and it still leaked!
This is where Cobra tape comes in. Cobra tape is very strong, sticky, & flexible.
I wrapped the tailpiece and basket over 2yrs ago and it hasn't leaked since.



This stuff is the poop..



Our bathtub drain pipe (the one buried in the ground has a hole rotted in the side of it.
I cleaned it up with a wire wheel on my angle grinder, sleeved it with PVC, and Cobra taped it.
It don't leak no more..

[Thumpin455]

Man my whole house is a case of "There I fixed it and being too cheap to do it normal" The shop is like that too. You guys win though. Might use some of these plumbing fixes when i get to having running water in the house next month. you have good ideas.. not to code or anything, but if it works....

[SuperBuickGuy]

Amateurs

..

I don't see where you killed mouse with the same bucket that was place there to solve a leak problem..... and frugal? my fix was zero dollars and zero cents because I'm fairly sure I inherited that bucket when I purchased this house.... well, either that or the house was cheap and that was the most expensive bucket ever.... resolved: my story, it's a cheap bucket.

[Barry Donovan]

I like the 8 dollar stories.
..and some times a leak is just a flush of something nasty anyway.
this one was 7.95 delivered. did not even need to leave the house.

nah. that would be crazy.






I have had a broken hood release for about 6 years now. a magic trick with a couple of fingers..works every time anyway.

realizing the truck has reached a plateau of 5 years in maine hardly needing anything but my torture.

I fixed with tin snips and scrap metal...1000 times stronger (plus minus a little).
if it went 24 years first round.. I wonder what it will do now.