Universal All Purpose Troubleshooting Device
Sometime on Saturday, the garage door opener stopped working. We could raise and lower it manually; but the operator did not work. Closer inspection revealed several critical parts were completely worn out. Unfortunately, since it was a weekend, I wouldn’t be able to purchase the parts for a couple of days. This is was a big nuisance since the garage door is our main entry and exit point, especially for the kids. Plus, the door is difficult to operate manually since it doesn’t have any handles on it. The only good thing is that California Girl works at home and doesn’t have to go in and out as much as she would otherwise. I stopped at the garage door parts counter on my way to work on Monday and got the necessary replacement parts. I paid twice as much as I would have on the web; but I was very glad they had them in stock. I spent most all of the evening after I got home fixing the operator and giving the door a tune up. It was a late night; but everything was working properly when I was finished.
I am very thankful that I can troubleshoot and repair most electric and mechanical devices. With the current economic situation, we definitely have more time than money. It would be nice to be able to call someone and not have to work on things; but that is a luxury we can’t afford. The garage door is just the latest in a long line of things that I’ve had to fix recently. Every time I can perform the repair myself and avoid a service call is at least a $75 – $100 savings. The other thing that was nice is that The Boy helped. So I got to explain to him how things worked; and, more importantly, the necessary safety precautions. He probably could figure it out himself; but it was a good father son bonding experience. Now that he’s in college and only home for the summers we won’t have as many opportunities to do things together. Plus he seems to enjoy fixing things. He likes the challenge of troubleshooting things that don’t work and figuring out what’s broken. He spends a lot of time on the computer (like his parents); but he’s still “mechanically inclined” which will always be a very handy skill.
Technically, this wasn’t a “geeky” post; but, since I neglected publish any photographs in the last post, here are a couple of pictures of California Girl. I’m glad she’s around after both mechanical and electronic technical difficulties.
Sounds like it was a great experience for the boy although not something looked forward to.
My mother was a single mom most of my childhood and i learned many life lessons from her. Once she replaced the starter in our car and could take the keys out while driving down the road without the car shutting off so i learned a lot about what not to do too lol…
Ahh California Girl sure does look comfy and relaxed!
Viemoira: I am sure that he would rather be figuring out things on the computer; but he enjoys mechanical challenges too. He’s a long way from home ownership (or even car ownership) so he won’t be on his own when it comes to fixing things for a while. It’s fun if you don’t have to do it too often; but it does get tiresome when it’s all you do. Hopefully, by the time he graduates college the economy will have rebounded and he’ll be able to afford a service call if he doesn’t want to do it himself.
I have a lot of photos of California Girl just chilling. She is my favorite subject.
I wish my fiance could fix things. He likes to think he can, some sort of thing with him because I grew up white collar and he grew up blue collar, but at least I know when to call it and say I don’t know how to fix something.
He’s not so good at that. I don’t like paying for someone to fix something, but I’d also rather pay to have it done right than do it wrong, spend the time, and need to pay someone anyway. My dad, however, is mr. fixit, so thankfully he is around to save our butts when something else inevitably breaks in the apartment.
I’m hoping the repair gene kicks in before we go buy a house.
Good on you for having that kind of skill, though–it’s definitely a dying art to simply be “handy.”
Lauren: Being able to fix things yourself (or knowing someone who can help like your father) is especially handy when you first buy a house because it stretches your upgrade dollars. Unless you have it custom built there are invariably things that you’re going to want changed. We had weekend’s projects for years after we bought our first house.
So far as your fiancée goes, having a logical mind and the right tools is the most important thing. I’ve got a nice Craftsman rolling tool chest full of all of the common tools and many of the specially ones so I don’t have to do a lot of improvising. My wife purchased it in pieces over the years (for Father’s day, Christmas, etc.) and I eventfully filled it up with tools I acquired while doing various projects. So now I’ve everything I need for most basic repairs. Your future husband’s mechanical inclination might improve as is tool box grows.
In these times, it’s super good that you know how to troubleshoot such issues. I think saving 75-100 dollars for labor on a service call alone is an understatement. You’re saving yourself a hell of a lot more $ than that. I also think it’s cool that you’re passing on your knowledge to your son. He’s going to need too someday….
Rage: There are a few things that I don’t work on (like the torsion springs which are wound very tightly and extremely dangerous) but I usually get things fixed more quickly than a professional since there aren’t any other jobs ahead of ours in the queue. And California Girl is very patient with me on the occasions I need to make multiple trips to the parts store. So everything usually works out well. We haven’t had a service call in a long time so I’m not entirely sure what the current rate would be. Our son has really grown up over the past her and his interest in fixing things as opposed to calling someone to do it is another indicator of his maturity and understanding the value of money.