"40% of people can't fix a problem without Google"
You act like that is a problem? Like something is wrong.
In the dark ages before Google do you know what happened to broke things for those 40%? Stuff stayed broke. Or they called a buddy that knew. Ask the hardware store guy for tips when you got the supplies.
But I'm pretty handy. I know a little bit about a lot of repair job. Self sufficiency with lots of little jobs is a survival skill. I know better than most computer geeks I work with. I've never patched a hole in the dry wall but I know the principles and could get the job done right now. But you know what I'd do if I had to patch drywall tomorrow? Google it. Review what I know, maybe pick up a new trick or two. Nothing AT ALL wrong with that.
I myself had a real household repair this past weekend. My bathroom sink wasn't draining. Drat. Been slowing down over time. Did all the usual fixed with plungers and chemicals, but that was no longer cutting the mustard. I am old, my knees are bad, I was not looking forward to this. Disassembled the drain pipes and saw what there was to see. Lots of calcification, no easy clog to attack, and the iron pipe's threads were crumbling. Well shoot. I didn't want put the effort in anymore at this point. Tapped out. Called the plumber.
Now I KNEW 60% of that plumbing job. Pipes in better condition? I might not have needed to bring in the pros. But. The pipe needed snaking, bad, and I had no snake. A specialized piece of equipment, to do it right. The cheap homeowner quality snakes aren't that good. And I needed about 21 feet of it, to do it right. And that job is filthy. I had no energy to hacksaw the pipe end, and I would have lost the usable threads I need doing the same. Though that cut would have been an excuse to buy a Sawzall, and a new tool is always nice. What I wouldn't have known, and youtube would probably not have helped, was what my plumber did. Use PVC in the specific way he did. I am unfamiliar with the doohickeys and connectors PVC offers that obviated the need for threaded iron pipe on this end. So snake, and some glue and, voila.
But the sink drains so fast now I want to get a plumber to snake my shower drain, replace the terlet with another real one, after snaking that drain, snake the kitchen sink and replace the water heater. For peace of mind, if not peace of bank account.
I tend to go to YouTube University only when I am 1). totally stumped or 2). will break something fragile if I don't know the proper way to disassemble it. For the most part, I can look at something and figure out the proper way to disassemble, repair, and re-assemble. A recent reason to look at an online video concerned the disassembly of the front fairing on my 2008 Goldwing. Although I have the complete shop manual, it is helpful to watch someone that knows what they are doing run through it one time. It is all ABS plastic and is a combination of screws, pins, and snap tabs. The screws must go back where they came from, and aggressive prying will break very expensive parts.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of plumbing here's a joke I once heard on a job-site:
Q: How can you tell the difference between a plumber and a pipe-fitter?
A: Have them both stand in a pool of shit up to their necks, and swing a baseball bat at their heads. The plumber will have no problem ducking.
I had a plumber tell me, "your sh!t is my bread and butter," and thought that that was a colorful set of imagery.
ReplyDelete