What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

From reading this newsgroup and talking to people, it seems that
electrical is the most feared. But there is good reason for that, since
electricity can kill. I always tell people that if they are afraid of
it, dont touch it, or get an education about it first.

Plumbing seems to come in second. Although plumbing is unlikely to kill
anyone, it can do a lot of property damage if a pipe breaks and there is
no way to shut off the flow. The bigger problem with plumbing is that
the jobs regularly turn into "a can of worms". Old pipes tend to break
or leak, and replacing one bad pipe often turns into replacing a lot
more, ripping open walls and so on. Plumbing requires skills, proper
tools, and a supply of parts on hand, or it can become a nightmare.

I'll include auto repair in this topic, and this is often a fear. Again,
there are dangers involved, for example, when working under a car it
must be jacked and supported properly or you can be killed. and then
there is always the busted knuckles, cuts, bruises and other accidents,
not to mention that one wrong move can do a lot of damage to the car.
Other machines in the home, such as furnaces fall into this same
category.

The other fear is anything involving heights, such as roofing. Some
people are just not comfortable with ladders and heights in general. I
have to admit that this is my own fear. I will work on anything
electrical or do plumbing and auto repairs without fear, but I dont do
well with heights.

What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto and even
small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

From reading this newsgroup and talking to people, it seems that
electrical is the most feared. But there is good reason for that, since
electricity can kill. I always tell people that if they are afraid of
it, dont touch it, or get an education about it first.

Plumbing seems to come in second. Although plumbing is unlikely to kill
anyone, it can do a lot of property damage if a pipe breaks and there is
no way to shut off the flow. The bigger problem with plumbing is that
the jobs regularly turn into "a can of worms". Old pipes tend to break
or leak, and replacing one bad pipe often turns into replacing a lot
more, ripping open walls and so on. Plumbing requires skills, proper
tools, and a supply of parts on hand, or it can become a nightmare.

I'll include auto repair in this topic, and this is often a fear. Again,
there are dangers involved, for example, when working under a car it
must be jacked and supported properly or you can be killed. and then
there is always the busted knuckles, cuts, bruises and other accidents,
not to mention that one wrong move can do a lot of damage to the car.
Other machines in the home, such as furnaces fall into this same
category.

The other fear is anything involving heights, such as roofing. Some
people are just not comfortable with ladders and heights in general. I
have to admit that this is my own fear. I will work on anything
electrical or do plumbing and auto repairs without fear, but I dont do
well with heights.

What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto and even
small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

I am lefty, always afraid of wood working. Any thing else is fine.

wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?
What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto and
even small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

I don't do automatic trannies . Just finished changing the oil in the
Harley , looks like I need to pull the jugs and replace the base gaskets .
Not that it's losing a lot of oil , but that mist attracts dirt which rubs
off onto the inside of the left leg of my jeans . Hasn't been too long ago I
did a near-complete rebuild on the Kohler motor in my tractor - including
welding a patch into the hole the connecting rod made in the crankcase when
it grenaded .

--
Snag

On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:22:09 PM UTC-6, Terry Coombs wrote:

I don't do automatic trannies...

H-O-M-E repair!

On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:08:43 PM UTC-6, wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

Not afraid, but the biggest PIA is plumbing!

brought next idea :
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

From reading this newsgroup and talking to people, it seems that
electrical is the most feared. But there is good reason for that, since
electricity can kill. I always tell people that if they are afraid of
it, dont touch it, or get an education about it first.

Plumbing seems to come in second. Although plumbing is unlikely to kill
anyone, it can do a lot of property damage if a pipe breaks and there is
no way to shut off the flow. The bigger problem with plumbing is that
the jobs regularly turn into "a can of worms". Old pipes tend to break
or leak, and replacing one bad pipe often turns into replacing a lot
more, ripping open walls and so on. Plumbing requires skills, proper
tools, and a supply of parts on hand, or it can become a nightmare.

I'll include auto repair in this topic, and this is often a fear. Again,
there are dangers involved, for example, when working under a car it
must be jacked and supported properly or you can be killed. and then
there is always the busted knuckles, cuts, bruises and other accidents,
not to mention that one wrong move can do a lot of damage to the car.
Other machines in the home, such as furnaces fall into this same
category.

The other fear is anything involving heights, such as roofing. Some
people are just not comfortable with ladders and heights in general. I
have to admit that this is my own fear. I will work on anything
electrical or do plumbing and auto repairs without fear, but I dont do
well with heights.

What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto and even
small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

I quite agree with your sentiments.
But what annoys me more is the petty bickering and pedantic replies
from people whos only knowledge of the subject is what they picked up
in the street.
Often the answer given by somone who likes too see his name in print is
not even safe.
The total lack of understanding of US electrical systems is
frightening.

Another annoyance is Self Appointed Xsperts who offfer a couple of
integrated cct numbers or similar to fix the problems of people who
come to groups like this from a position of not knowing anything and
expecting some basic answers to their problem. :-?

--
John G Sydney.

John G wrote:
brought next idea :
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

From reading this newsgroup and talking to people, it seems that
electrical is the most feared. But there is good reason for that, since
electricity can kill. I always tell people that if they are afraid of
it, dont touch it, or get an education about it first.

Plumbing seems to come in second. Although plumbing is unlikely to kill
anyone, it can do a lot of property damage if a pipe breaks and there is
no way to shut off the flow. The bigger problem with plumbing is that
the jobs regularly turn into "a can of worms". Old pipes tend to break
or leak, and replacing one bad pipe often turns into replacing a lot
more, ripping open walls and so on. Plumbing requires skills, proper
tools, and a supply of parts on hand, or it can become a nightmare.

I'll include auto repair in this topic, and this is often a fear. Again,
there are dangers involved, for example, when working under a car it
must be jacked and supported properly or you can be killed. and then
there is always the busted knuckles, cuts, bruises and other accidents,
not to mention that one wrong move can do a lot of damage to the car.
Other machines in the home, such as furnaces fall into this same
category.

The other fear is anything involving heights, such as roofing. Some
people are just not comfortable with ladders and heights in general. I
have to admit that this is my own fear. I will work on anything
electrical or do plumbing and auto repairs without fear, but I dont do
well with heights.

What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto and even
small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

I quite agree with your sentiments.
But what annoys me more is the petty bickering and pedantic replies from
people whos only knowledge of the subject is what they picked up in the
street.
Often the answer given by somone who likes too see his name in print is
not even safe.
The total lack of understanding of US electrical systems is frightening.

Another annoyance is Self Appointed Xsperts who offfer a couple of
integrated cct numbers or similar to fix the problems of people who come
to groups like this from a position of not knowing anything and
expecting some basic answers to their problem. :-?

Knowledge gained without an actual field experience is useless. I met a
guy who graduated with degree in aeronautical engineering who said he
never set a foot in an airplane or worked on anything to do with an
airplane. Another indication, big mouth usually is useless too. His head
is usually near empty.(this is from real life working experience)

On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 2:28:49 PM UTC-8, bob_villain wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:08:43 PM UTC-6, wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

Not afraid, but the biggest PIA is plumbing!

Agreed!
Fix one leak, but make two more and adding a few ounces of traveling rust to the system

wrote:

What home repairs are you most Afraid of?


Fear of a plumbing or electrical inspector showing up

On Tue, 1 Dec 2015 15:14:54 -0700, Tony Hwang wrote:


What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto and even
small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

I am lefty, always afraid of wood working. Any thing else is fine.

Yea, power tools can be a fear for many, especially power saws. I'm glad
I took all the woodworking classes available when I was in high school.
I learned both skills and safety. In 45+ years of doing construction
since HS, I did manage to take the flesh off the tip of a thumb once, on
a table saw. That was the first and last time, and was many years ago. I
also ran a pole barn metal screw into my hand once, and that hurt like
hell. Since then, if I'm driving screws into metal, I spend the time
making a pilot hole first. (usually just hit the screw with a hammer,
then power drive it in).

Probably my most accidents over the years were stepping on f##king
nails. I learned to NEVER leave boards with nails laying around. I
remove the nails or bend them over. But just a few years ago, I was
helping someone demolish a shed, and he left a naily board on the ground
with a piece of drywall on top. I stepped there and that damn spike came
thru the drywall and right into my foot. I came close to punching that
guy after ripping that nail out of my foot. I had clearly told him to
remove nails, or stack boards with nails in a pile. (I did not punch
him, but I did not help him finish the job either, since I spent the
following week staying off my painful foot and watching tv).

On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 2:28:49 PM UTC-8, bob_villain wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:08:43 PM UTC-6, wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

Not afraid, but the biggest PIA is plumbing!

Agreed!
Fix one leak, but make two more and adding a few ounces of traveling rust to the system

On 12/1/2015 7:13 PM, Bob(but not THAT Bob) wrote:
wrote:

What home repairs are you most Afraid of?


Fear of a plumbing or electrical inspector showing up


I'll admit, I don't much enjoy roofing.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On 12/1/2015 5:05 PM, wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

From reading this newsgroup and talking to people, it seems that
electrical is the most feared. But there is good reason for that, since
electricity can kill. I always tell people that if they are afraid of
it, dont touch it, or get an education about it first.

Plumbing seems to come in second. Although plumbing is unlikely to kill
anyone, it can do a lot of property damage if a pipe breaks and there is
no way to shut off the flow. The bigger problem with plumbing is that
the jobs regularly turn into "a can of worms". Old pipes tend to break
or leak, and replacing one bad pipe often turns into replacing a lot
more, ripping open walls and so on. Plumbing requires skills, proper
tools, and a supply of parts on hand, or it can become a nightmare.

I'll include auto repair in this topic, and this is often a fear. Again,
there are dangers involved, for example, when working under a car it
must be jacked and supported properly or you can be killed. and then
there is always the busted knuckles, cuts, bruises and other accidents,
not to mention that one wrong move can do a lot of damage to the car.
Other machines in the home, such as furnaces fall into this same
category.

The other fear is anything involving heights, such as roofing. Some
people are just not comfortable with ladders and heights in general. I
have to admit that this is my own fear. I will work on anything
electrical or do plumbing and auto repairs without fear, but I dont do
well with heights.

What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto and even
small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....


Getting older, with bifocals and osteoarthritis there are things like
roofing and plumbing I like to leave to the professionals.

Starting to skip the car things too.

At an age, where I have most of the tools and knowledge but declining
physical abilities.

wrote:
On Tue, 1 Dec 2015 15:14:54 -0700, Tony Hwang
wrote:


What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto and
even small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

I am lefty, always afraid of wood working. Any thing else is fine.

Yea, power tools can be a fear for many, especially power saws. I'm
glad I took all the woodworking classes available when I was in high
school. I learned both skills and safety. In 45+ years of doing
construction since HS, I did manage to take the flesh off the tip of
a thumb once, on a table saw. That was the first and last time, and
was many years ago. I also ran a pole barn metal screw into my hand
once, and that hurt like hell. Since then, if I'm driving screws into
metal, I spend the time making a pilot hole first. (usually just hit
the screw with a hammer, then power drive it in).

Probably my most accidents over the years were stepping on f##king
nails. I learned to NEVER leave boards with nails laying around. I
remove the nails or bend them over. But just a few years ago, I was
helping someone demolish a shed, and he left a naily board on the
ground with a piece of drywall on top. I stepped there and that damn
spike came thru the drywall and right into my foot. I came close to
punching that guy after ripping that nail out of my foot. I had
clearly told him to remove nails, or stack boards with nails in a
pile. (I did not punch him, but I did not help him finish the job
either, since I spent the following week staying off my painful foot
and watching tv).

A friend parked his car where someone had dumped a pile of used lumber. The
friend was working his way around it in the dark and stepped on the end of a
board. The other end swung up, and a nail in it stuck firmly into his forehead.
Fortunately, the ER was only 1/4 mile away.

On Tue, 1 Dec 2015 17:40:20 -0800, "Bob F" wrote:


Probably my most accidents over the years were stepping on f##king
nails. I learned to NEVER leave boards with nails laying around. I
remove the nails or bend them over. But just a few years ago, I was
helping someone demolish a shed, and he left a naily board on the
ground with a piece of drywall on top. I stepped there and that damn
spike came thru the drywall and right into my foot. I came close to
punching that guy after ripping that nail out of my foot. I had
clearly told him to remove nails, or stack boards with nails in a
pile. (I did not punch him, but I did not help him finish the job
either, since I spent the following week staying off my painful foot
and watching tv).

A friend parked his car where someone had dumped a pile of used lumber. The
friend was working his way around it in the dark and stepped on the end of a
board. The other end swung up, and a nail in it stuck firmly into his forehead.
Fortunately, the ER was only 1/4 mile away.


Just thinking about this is painful !!!!!!!
*OUCH* *OUCH* *OUCH* *OUCH*

wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 2:28:49 PM UTC-8, bob_villain wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:08:43 PM UTC-6, wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

Not afraid, but the biggest PIA is plumbing!

Agreed!
Fix one leak, but make two more and adding a few ounces of traveling rust to the system

Learning process, LOL!

On Tue, 1 Dec 2015 19:39:26 -0500, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 12/1/2015 7:13 PM, Bob(but not THAT Bob) wrote:
wrote:

What home repairs are you most Afraid of?


Fear of a plumbing or electrical inspector showing up


I'll admit, I don't much enjoy roofing.
No fear of it unless it is a steep pitch, but my knees don't let me
on the roof any more.
No fear of electrical, no fear of plumbing - but I'll do electrical
over plumbing any day of the week.
No fear of gas fitting either.
What gives me the most trepidation is final finishing of woodworking.
Getting the colour and finish I want is more of an art than a science.

bob_villain wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:22:09 PM UTC-6, Terry Coombs wrote:

I don't do automatic trannies...

H-O-M-E repair!

The OP included cars and small motors . Suck it up .

--
Snag

On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 9:07:25 PM UTC-6, Terry Coombs wrote:
bob_villain wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:22:09 PM UTC-6, Terry Coombs wrote:

I don't do automatic trannies...

H-O-M-E repair!

The OP included cars and small motors . Suck it up .

--
Snag

Right...but you were bragging. It's trannies you're afraid of (I'm not talking about Mormon).

Tue, 01 Dec 2015
22:05:12 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:

The other fear is anything involving heights, such as roofing.
Some people are just not comfortable with ladders and heights in
general. I have to admit that this is my own fear. I will work on
anything electrical or do plumbing and auto repairs without fear,
but I dont do well with heights.

An employer had a semi cure for my fear of heights. He forced me to
go on high arse ladders and hang light fixtures, run wire, setup
junctions, etc. [g] He expected us to be willing to do anything he'd
do. He was willing to do anything he asked of us, so... we complied.
we as in, those who worked on his crew. After a couple of months, I
got used to the feeling of being up high. I still don't like the
idea, but, my fear concerning it has been greatly reduced.

Electricity has never bothered me. I've messed with it since I was a
kiddo. Strangely enough, when I was a kid, I used to climb jagged
rock walls over cliffs and things with my brother. I don't know where
my fear of heights later came from, I don't remember having any bad
falls or having the sh*t scared out of me. Could be the fact that as
you become an adult, you realize how dangerous some of the things you
did as a kid were.

What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto
and even small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

No fears (other than roofing; I don't want to fall off the damn
thing) that I know of excluding major auto work -- I'm not
knowledgeable enough on my own with those if it's a mechanical/body
issue and not electrical. If it's an electrical problem, I can
usually repair that fine on my own. I have to rely on my mechanic
friends for everything else. except changing the oil or something.




--
Error: Creative signature file missing

Tony Hwang Wed,
02 Dec 2015 02:53:42 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:

wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 2:28:49 PM UTC-8, bob_villain
wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:08:43 PM UTC-6,
wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

Not afraid, but the biggest PIA is plumbing!

Agreed!
Fix one leak, but make two more and adding a few ounces of
traveling rust to the system

Learning process, LOL!

Doesn't that describe life in general? rofl


--
Error: Creative signature file missing

Wed, 02 Dec 2015 02:56:31 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:

No fear of electrical, no fear of plumbing - but I'll do
electrical over plumbing any day of the week.

I'm with you 110% on that!



--
Error: Creative signature file missing

On 12/1/2015 9:56 PM, wrote:


I'll admit, I don't much enjoy roofing.
No fear of it unless it is a steep pitch, but my knees don't let me
on the roof any more.
No fear of electrical, no fear of plumbing - but I'll do electrical
over plumbing any day of the week.
No fear of gas fitting either.
What gives me the most trepidation is final finishing of woodworking.
Getting the colour and finish I want is more of an art than a science.


I'd have a fear of a steep pitch roof, but I'm not doing any roofing.
Some things I'm willing to pay a pro to do.

I don't have a fear of doing anything else, but I know there are some
things I don't know enough to do without help.

On 12/01/2015 03:22 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
I don't do automatic trannies . Just finished changing the oil in the
Harley , looks like I need to pull the jugs and replace the base gaskets .
Not that it's losing a lot of oil , but that mist attracts dirt which rubs
off onto the inside of the left leg of my jeans . Hasn't been too long ago I
did a near-complete rebuild on the Kohler motor in my tractor - including
welding a patch into the hole the connecting rod made in the crankcase when
it grenaded .

I did a Torqueflite rebuild when I was a kid. I was stupider then. I had
all the right tools, a couple of ice picks for the snap rings and so
forth. There's an overrunning clutch in the rear of the tranny that you
can assemble backwards. Don't ask me how I know.

Is it the base gaskets that are blowing vapor? Mine's getting a little
loose and that theory about the blow by from the heads being fed into
the air cleaner wasn't cutting it. I put one of those breather kits on
so now the mist makes sure the underside of the frame doesn't rust.

I have know people that just put a maxipad in the air cleaner cover but
that seemed a little primitive.

On 12/01/2015 03:26 PM, bob_villain wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:22:09 PM UTC-6, Terry Coombs wrote:

I don't do automatic trannies...

H-O-M-E repair!


What? You don't live in an RV?

On 12/01/2015 03:28 PM, bob_villain wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:08:43 PM UTC-6, wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

Not afraid, but the biggest PIA is plumbing!


+1. I've been putting off replacing the spud gasket on the toilet.
Simple job, empty the tank, take out the two screws, lift it off, put
the new gasket on, and bolt it back together, right? I can think of
about 35 ways that can go wrong.

On 12/01/2015 07:56 PM, wrote:
What gives me the most trepidation is final finishing of woodworking.
Getting the colour and finish I want is more of an art than a science.

I'm easily pleased. Rub a few coats of turpentine and linseed oil on,
call it rustic.

On 12/1/2015 11:23 PM, rbowman wrote:

+1. I've been putting off replacing the spud gasket on the toilet. Simple job,
empty the tank, take out the two screws, lift it off, put the new gasket on,
and bolt it back together, right? I can think of about 35 ways that can go wrong.

No, there are *36* -- you will discover the 36th when you finally
undertake the job!

And, having discovered it, you will slap yourself up-side the head
at how OBVIOUS it was!

On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 4:08:43 PM UTC-6, wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?

From reading this newsgroup and talking to people, it seems that
electrical is the most feared. But there is good reason for that, since
electricity can kill. I always tell people that if they are afraid of
it, dont touch it, or get an education about it first.

Plumbing seems to come in second. Although plumbing is unlikely to kill
anyone, it can do a lot of property damage if a pipe breaks and there is
no way to shut off the flow. The bigger problem with plumbing is that
the jobs regularly turn into "a can of worms". Old pipes tend to break
or leak, and replacing one bad pipe often turns into replacing a lot
more, ripping open walls and so on. Plumbing requires skills, proper
tools, and a supply of parts on hand, or it can become a nightmare.

I'll include auto repair in this topic, and this is often a fear. Again,
there are dangers involved, for example, when working under a car it
must be jacked and supported properly or you can be killed. and then
there is always the busted knuckles, cuts, bruises and other accidents,
not to mention that one wrong move can do a lot of damage to the car.
Other machines in the home, such as furnaces fall into this same
category.

The other fear is anything involving heights, such as roofing. Some
people are just not comfortable with ladders and heights in general. I
have to admit that this is my own fear. I will work on anything
electrical or do plumbing and auto repairs without fear, but I dont do
well with heights.

What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto and even
small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

The first thing to learn about utilities is like what you would teach someone about guns. Know how to make them safe. With utilities, show them how to turn them off and how to make them safe. I have locks I used to lock out valves and electrical disconnects to make things safe to work on. Of course knowing how to remove an electric utility meter when doing major repairs to the main breaker panel or replacing the main breaker is a good thing to learn. Because it's possible for someone to flip a breaker on while you're on the other side of a building working on that circuit, turn off the breaker, remove the wire from it and put a wire nut on it. When I was doing major repairs to the gas lines or anything connected to the gas service in a home or business, I'd put a lock on the shutoff valve because I've actually had someone fooling around the meter who turned the damn thing on. It's a lot of fun to be replacing water lines and have someone turn the water on at the meter. When working on utilities, trust no one, lock it out.

The best piece of advice I can give to anyone about working on an electrical power circuit is to get into the habit of treating it like it is energized even when you know it's turned off. When you have gained enough experience with wiring electrical power circuits, you can hold the wires in your mouth.
Seriously, a shirt pocket sized non-contact AC voltage tester is something you should have with your electrical tools. Many of them are dual range and will also detect low voltage AC like what's on a doorbell circuit. The flat plastic insulated tip will fit into the slot of an electrical outlet and can also be touched to an electrical outlet or switch to indicate if it's energized. The tip can also be touched to the insulation of a wire and it will light up and beep if the wire is connected to a power source. The detectors are inexpensive and available everywhere electrical tools are sold. ʘ€¿Ê˜

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moad9c1wTwk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9rSEkqI-h0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e28kYPi6Bpo

http://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-NC.../dp/B004FXJOQO

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrica...vZboffZ1z1180x

[8~{} Uncle Electrical Monster

On 12/1/2015 5:22 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
wrote:
What home repairs are you most Afraid of?
What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto and
even small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

I don't do automatic trannies.

Might be considered home repair for those who live
in a RV or motor home. I also don't do much with
AT, except check fluid. And also replace leaky
cooling lines as needed.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

Anything involving a ladder.
--
Pete Cresswell

Per (PeteCresswell):
Anything involving a ladder.

.... or a chain saw.

In fact, I got rid of my chain saw years ago and have used hand saws
since....

The perceived risk did not come close to balancing out the time saved.
i.e. The chain saw was just too scary for a marginally-competent
occasional user.
--
Pete Cresswell

On 12/2/2015 7:04 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per (PeteCresswell):
Anything involving a ladder.

.... or a chain saw.

In fact, I got rid of my chain saw years ago and have used hand saws
since....

I felled a couple of (large) trees, here, with just a "bow saw":
climb into the tree (ladder); tie a rope around the limb you want
to remove; loop that rope around another limb; cut; lower to ground;
lather, rinse, repeat.

OTOH, when I got to the 18" portion of the trunk, it was much easier
to borrow a chainsaw than spend a day with the bow saw cutting the trunk
into 18" logs!

The perceived risk did not come close to balancing out the time saved.
i.e. The chain saw was just too scary for a marginally-competent
occasional user.

shrug Lots of tools are easily misused. I've read reports of folks
using wood chisels and losing an eye (I used to work for a hand-tool
manufacturer). Neighbor (cop by trade -- I guess that automatically
qualified him to operate heavy/construction machinery?) rented a backhoe
and promptly dug up a gas line. Folks flip/topple ATV's. Get electrocuted
using electrician's pliers. Cut themselves with kitchen knives. etc.

I borrowed a sawzall from a friend many years ago. Went to return it a
few weeks later:
"Keep it!"
"No, I can always come by and borrow it, again, if need be!?"
"Judy doesn't like me having sharp things around"
at which point, he displayed the missing fingertips on his hand...
(something I'd already known -- but was a poignant way to end
the discussion! : )

IME, the problem with most "tools" originates in either ignorance
(I once watched a guy using a chainsaw -- running -- like a real
saw; as if moving it back and forth was the way to cut through
the log!) or being overly tired (and getting sloppy with your thinking).

On Wednesday, December 2, 2015 at 8:04:33 AM UTC-6, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per (PeteCresswell):
Anything involving a ladder.

... or a chain saw.

....user together, scares the crap out of me! ˜*

On 12/2/2015 1:23 AM, rbowman wrote:

+1. I've been putting off replacing the spud gasket on the toilet.
Simple job, empty the tank, take out the two screws, lift it off, put
the new gasket on, and bolt it back together, right? I can think of
about 35 ways that can go wrong.


My parents used to joke about the "ten minute job" which
turns into three days and calling a pro. Sounds like your
gasket job, I'd say.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On 12/2/2015 3:25 AM, Uncle Monster wrote:

The first thing to learn about utilities is like
what you would teach someone about guns. Know how
to make them safe. With utilities, show them how to
turn them off and how to make them safe. I have locks
I used to lock out valves and electrical disconnects
to make things safe to work on.

CY: Lockout is a good idea. I can think of two moments
when someone "almost" turned on the power while I
was working.


Of course knowing how
to remove an electric utility meter when doing major
repairs to the main breaker panel or replacing the
main breaker is a good thing to learn.

CY: Someone mentioned pulling a meter, and then
got a shock. Passing utility guy found the meter
on the ground, and helpfully put it back.



Because it's possible for someone to flip a breaker on
while you're on the other side of a building working on
that circuit, turn off the breaker, remove the wire from
it and put a wire nut on it.
CY: Good one. I'd not thought of that. Or, you can leave
the breaker on (wire removed and nutted) so the perp
does not have a turned off breaker to alert him.


When I was doing major repairs to the gas lines or
anything connected to the gas service in a home or
business, I'd put a lock on the shutoff valve because
I've actually had someone fooling around the meter
who turned the damn thing on.
CY: I did padlock my own meter one time, long time
ago. It can be done.


It's a lot of fun to be replacing water lines and have
someone turn the water on at the meter.

CY: No longer a profit maker, the job was a wash?


When working on utilities, trust no one, lock it out.

The best piece of advice I can give to anyone about
working on an electrical power circuit is to get into
the habit of treating it like it is energized even
when you know it's turned off.
CY: I've found that to be wisdom.


When you have gained enough experience with wiring
electrical power circuits, you can hold the wires in
your mouth.


Seriously, a shirt pocket sized non-contact AC
voltage tester is something you should have with
your electrical tools. Many of them are dual range
and will also detect low voltage AC like what's on
a doorbell circuit. The flat plastic insulated tip
will fit into the slot of an electrical outlet and
can also be touched to an electrical outlet or
switch to indicate if it's energized. The tip can
also be touched to the insulation of a wire and it
will light up and beep if the wire is connected to
a power source. The detectors are inexpensive and
available everywhere electrical tools are sold. ʘ€¿Ê˜

CY: Including Walmart, and Harbor Freight. Good idea
to test the tester on a known live wire, make sure
it works before testing your work. If you have a
dead battery, the beeper will give you a false cold
reading, and you could be working on hot conductors.

Diesel wrote:

Tue, 01 Dec 2015
22:05:12 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:

The other fear is anything involving heights, such as roofing.
Some people are just not comfortable with ladders and heights in
general. I have to admit that this is my own fear. I will work on
anything electrical or do plumbing and auto repairs without fear,
but I dont do well with heights.

An employer had a semi cure for my fear of heights. He forced me to
go on high arse ladders and hang light fixtures, run wire, setup
junctions, etc. [g] He expected us to be willing to do anything he'd
do. He was willing to do anything he asked of us, so... we complied.
we as in, those who worked on his crew. After a couple of months, I
got used to the feeling of being up high. I still don't like the
idea, but, my fear concerning it has been greatly reduced.

Electricity has never bothered me. I've messed with it since I was a
kiddo. Strangely enough, when I was a kid, I used to climb jagged
rock walls over cliffs and things with my brother. I don't know where
my fear of heights later came from, I don't remember having any bad
falls or having the sh*t scared out of me. Could be the fact that as
you become an adult, you realize how dangerous some of the things you
did as a kid were.

What fears do you have regarding home repair and including auto
and even small engine and other machines around the home, repairs?
I think everyone has at least some fears regarding home repair....

No fears (other than roofing; I don't want to fall off the damn
thing) that I know of excluding major auto work -- I'm not
knowledgeable enough on my own with those if it's a mechanical/body
issue and not electrical. If it's an electrical problem, I can
usually repair that fine on my own. I have to rely on my mechanic
friends for everything else. except changing the oil or something.




My BIL was a Kiwi in the air force. He is extremely afraid of height....

On 12/02/2015 07:20 AM, Don Y wrote:
I felled a couple of (large) trees, here, with just a "bow saw":
climb into the tree (ladder); tie a rope around the limb you want
to remove; loop that rope around another limb; cut; lower to ground;
lather, rinse, repeat.

Shoot arrow with fishing line attached over limb. Pull rope over the
limb with the line. Tie rope to bumper of '51 Chevy coupe. Drive off.
Works like a charm.

My mother went to visit my brother and left some cash for groceries and
instructions to do something about the dead elm in the backyard. We
immediately drove to Vermont and used the grocery money to buy booze.
Returning home, we worked out the limbing process.

My mother wasn't impressed when she returned home, noted the empty
bottles, the tire ruts in the lawn, and other ancillary damage. I really
don't know what the woman expected was going to happen.

On 12/2/2015 8:04 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per (PeteCresswell):
Anything involving a ladder.

... or a chain saw.

In fact, I got rid of my chain saw years ago and have used hand saws
since....

The perceived risk did not come close to balancing out the time saved.
i.e. The chain saw was just too scary for a marginally-competent
occasional user.


Word. They are useful but potentially very dangerous tools. Now that
I'm getting older, I limit myself to smaller electric chainsaws that
have less kickback. I leave the big cutting jobs for the younger folks.

On 12/02/2015 08:01 AM, Tony Hwang wrote:

My BIL was a Kiwi in the air force. He is extremely afraid of height....

That's different. I used to fly and there was only a few times I was
bothered. One was coming out of the little airport on the north side of
Ft. Wayne where you flew past a couple of radio antennas. It wasn't
being in the plane but my brain imagining me clinging to the side of an
800' antenna. I don't know how they put those things up and I don't want
to know.