Miss Fix-it
Want cheap home repairs? Do it yourself. Don't hire a plumber.
Yep, it has been 1 year since I owned my home, meaning my warranty expired. No more free repairs. No more freebies like a furnace or an air conditioner (yep I was very lucky, got new furnace and A/C (new motor and evaporator, not condensator).
My toilet has been running for 1 month straight. My outlet in my bathroom is broken. Call a plumber? Eek, I am a single young woman who knows nothing about household repairs (except if your furnace is broken - call me).
Sigh. Plumbing service can run above $65 or more. Determined, I went straight to Home Depot (advice: if you want to be frugal, do not go to Home Depot. That store sells insane prices.), asking for help. I bought a new GFCI and a new flapper. Went home. Shut off the main water valve. Replaced the flapper. Tada, I fixed it!
Now about the GFCI.. um. I removed the panel and realized it was more complicated - all of those wires "screwed" on the GFCI. Uh oh. I decided to leave it alone. Then I returned back and decided to play with it (do not ask me why - curiousty is what killed the cat) and sure enuff I got electrocued. Wow. That was when I decided to start reading the instructions...
The point of the story - fix stuff yourself. And have an interesting story to tell to your coworkers.
Yep, it has been 1 year since I owned my home, meaning my warranty expired. No more free repairs. No more freebies like a furnace or an air conditioner (yep I was very lucky, got new furnace and A/C (new motor and evaporator, not condensator).
My toilet has been running for 1 month straight. My outlet in my bathroom is broken. Call a plumber? Eek, I am a single young woman who knows nothing about household repairs (except if your furnace is broken - call me).
Sigh. Plumbing service can run above $65 or more. Determined, I went straight to Home Depot (advice: if you want to be frugal, do not go to Home Depot. That store sells insane prices.), asking for help. I bought a new GFCI and a new flapper. Went home. Shut off the main water valve. Replaced the flapper. Tada, I fixed it!
Now about the GFCI.. um. I removed the panel and realized it was more complicated - all of those wires "screwed" on the GFCI. Uh oh. I decided to leave it alone. Then I returned back and decided to play with it (do not ask me why - curiousty is what killed the cat) and sure enuff I got electrocued. Wow. That was when I decided to start reading the instructions...
The point of the story - fix stuff yourself. And have an interesting story to tell to your coworkers.
posted by Pamela at
7:11 PM
2 Comments:
Nice work on the home repair. I find it very satisfying to do home repairs, even if they're somewhat complicated.
Here are a few tips that have helped me in this area. Two local stores to check for supplies and especially tools:
Cummins Tool. They carry all types of tools and great prices. Usually less than 1/2 the cost of those at home depot etc. They also sell many replacement parts for home repairs.
Harbor Freight. Same idea as cummins tool. You can find most any tool at one of these stores.
Autozone. I know...it's a car store. But they have a tool-loan service that comes in handy sometimes when doing home or auto repairs. Usually saves you hundreds in tool expenses. And it's free!
Also, ask co-workers about home repairs. Lots of un-tapped experience to be found there. :)
Thats awesome. I never heard of those stores. I definitely will check them out next time. BTW my GFCI isnt fixed yet. Still getting around to it, ugh...
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