Ask HN: What are household items that can be repaired but people often replace?
My original question (but had to shorten): What are some common household items that are easy to repair but that people usually replace?
For example I often buy a new shower mat when it inevitably gets moldy and they're relatively cheap, but I appreciate I could clean it instead, which would be less wasteful.
121 comments
[ 4.6 ms ] story [ 157 ms ] threadI just repaired a dresser that had both of these issues with wood glue and finish nails for the fascia and bondo and a drill for the failed MDF foot mounts.
Cheap furniture will not stand up to many moves but you can definitely repair a lot of it for very little time and money.
So it shows up, and it's quite handsome - but then this random thing intersects the corner, was it a vacuum cleaner? A box? And now there's a blemish, and it no longer feels 'new', it feels like cheap veneered furniture I got as a hand-me-down. I was incensed with myself for causing the blemish so early in my ownership of this overpriced thing.
My wife heard me grumbling, and she came to see what the fuss was. A moment later she re-appeared in my office with a single walnut from our pantry. And then a moment after that, I couldn't find the blemish on my credenza, for the walnut had completely rubbed into it and covered it!
There are some things that require extra attention, like a microwave oven
So when this hurried connection made in an awkward place turns out to have been poor and breaks after a few years; "the dishwasher is broken" and a repair shop charges half the cost of a new one to come out and look at it... It made sense to these folks to just go ahead and get a new one without the stains etc.
Lots of electronics get that treatment, its too complicated to think about what's inside it; so the whole unit is either working or broken but not considered repairable.
My mother had a washing machine for 25 years and it had only had a couple of belts replaced.
Her new washer failed within a year, and has been replaced by a washer that has also failed within a couple of years.
Electronics failure in both. The control board is expensive. Not like a $25 belt.
Anything built in the last few years is simply going to be less reliable on average.
On the other hand, appliances that require too much power (more than 13A) e.g. double oven and some hobs, or cookers do not come with anything and must be wired with an adequate cable, circuit, etc. In general circuit, switch, etc. should already be installed (otherwise you're majorly out of luck) and you only need to buy a 1-1.5m length of adequate 3-core rubber flex to connect your new oven. It's very simple to do as long as you know how to strip a cable and use a screwdriver.
When I bought my house, the (nimrod) flippers didn't hook up the stove, they just pushed it into place. Never having installed an electric stove, they didn't know you order the plug separately. As it turned out, the connection was so old that I had to special order a plug.
Edit: see https://www.askmediy.com/220-volt-plugs-receptacles-configur...
(scroll down to the bottom for a look at the full spectrum)
So they from that perspective a janky power cord and burnt out motor both fall under the same category of "it doesn't turn on".
I didn't try to figure out if it's also the case with any presently available models.
1. You need a specific and large socket wrench. (A big adjustable wrench wouldn’t work because the head was recessed.)
2. Mine was really stuck in there, so it took a lot of torque to get it loose. Had to get someone else to hold the water heater in place while I pulled on the wrench.
3. My water heater was up in the attic underneath the angled roof, and there wasn’t enough clearance to get the new one in. Got kind of sketchy tilting the water heater over so I could get it inserted.
I'm starting to think this is the real reason I pay people to fix things for me (if I don't do it myself). YouTube makes most fixable things pretty easy. It's the climbing over/under the house, getting in hard to reach places, etc... that makes a repair a pain.
The claims of extending the life of the heater indefinitely are dubious. There are also 2 heating elements that can burn out and 2 mechanical thermostats that can fail. Cheap parts, but the heating elements can become fused into the body of the heater from rust/corrosion.
In my opinion, tank water heaters are one of those things where tank failure can lead to catastrophic damage: you have 40+ gallons of water that can dump out, and then full water pressure behind it. You have no way of identifying the condition of the tank from the outside; it could fail suddenly. Basic electric models aren't particularly expensive, either (~$600.) It's generally accepted that 15 years of life is a good run. It's not worth the risk/expense of a leaking tank to squeeze another few years out, especially if it's in an area where even a small leak could cost thousands in damage.
The lifetime of a house is measured in centuries. Perhaps you mean the lifetime of the person who installed the water heater?
Perhaps a better measure is the life of the plumbing system, where pvc, copper have 30-50 year life expectations.
More related: the service person who looked at it charged about half of what a new one would have cost, so I understand how the economics often lean towards just replacing stuff.
Cell phones are much more repairable than they seem. You can replace screens, batteries, USB ports, antennas, etc. A new battery and factory reset makes it seem completely new.
Laptops can often be repaired or upgraded, especially earlier MacBooks or current Dells. I've upgraded my old (2014?) MacBook pro and used it for daily use for years. You can even get NMVe converters and I've thought about making a usbC charge plug for them.
I've heard that swapping out the capacitors in TVs can bring them back to life. Haven't tried it.
I've brought baby equipment back to life, fixed janky strollers with 3d printed parts.
Try just repainting furniture. It'll feel new and costs maybe 10 bucks. Get some plastic wood to fill in cracks or holes, and you won't believe how much better things look.
I once got a baby high chair for free because they sent two left legs instead of right and left. I drilled out the appropriate screw holes to convert one to the right side and filled in the existing holes. That saved enough money to pay for the drill press I used.
Ifixit.com has become one of my favorite sites.
Tangential, but I’ve found this type of thing occurs pretty regularly. Where the economics of the industry have pushed the maintenance cost down to only a bit over the labour, and the actual equipment cost is somewhat negligible, so for an enterprising homeowner you get do the work yourself and end up with some equipment that you can use in the future for effectively nothing.
Most recently, I bought a house with an irrigation system. Learned that in our cold climate they need to be blown out before winter to avoid freezing. Called around and was quoted $250. Went on YouTube and learned the general concept, went to Home Depot and bought an air compressor and an irrigation system adapter for $275, and did it myself in an afternoon.
Admittedly, it took quite a while to diagnose the problems and get everything updated, but I consider that stuff a hobby.
A friend once got an old PowerPC iMac off eBay, and it perfectly ran Ubuntu 12.04 IIRC.
He set it up as a remote testbed for PPC benchmarking, since the Mars rovers use the same generation of PPC processors.
Same goes for washing machines/drying machines, or pretty much any other large appliance.
I've seen people throw out perfectly good soft furnishings simply because they didn't know how to clean them, and let outdoor furniture go to rot because they didn't bother treating the wood every year or so by oiling it.
Cookware also often goes to waste due to neglect or lack of maintenance - I know a few people who buy pretty expensive kitchen knives and never sharpen them, instead replacing them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scary_sharp
My refrigerator 'failed', and it just needed a new logic board. Way easier than building a computer. Risk was medium because it's hard to go too long without a refrigerator.
I had a tankless hot-water heater fail, so replaced most of the parts inside. Eventually, figured out the exchanger had cracked which was about 1/2 the cost of a new heater. Lots of time wasted, though not much money. Bought a new one b/c the one was 10 years old. Risk was low because we could survive without hot water for a bit. I installed the new one with the help of a friend - saved about $3k.
This cold caused an outside pipe to fail. I did PVC joins for the first time yesterday and they seem to be good. Cost was very little in both money and time. Risk is also low since it's outside. If what I did fails, I can always call a plumber.
Furniture items I reuse all the time. It's amazing what a quick repaint and/or buying new upholstery can do. When I buy new furniture now, I try to only buy things with slip covers/easy to replace parts.
Also, what about the time spent learning all the info and knowledge necessary to be able to do the above?
There is always more to the cost equation than immediately obvious.
The video was published by a parts supplier, their site had a model search. 5min.
Knowing how to fix things, handy with tools and stuff...been working on that a little over 40 years.
1. Time to call the repair service
2. Being home to greet, escort, and explain the problem
3. The additional cost if sunk cost leads to replace instead of repair.
4. Effort to pay the bill
Moral of the story: hubris is expensive.
However, if you do have skills and tools to do it, you may be surprised how much crazy money you can save by just maintaining the same product way past its expected lifetime. Especially true for various electronic appliances that often break down because some wire has gone bad somewhere.
I think the key point in your question is 'easy to repair' and that depends on your skills, knowledge, and whether you feel comfy around electrical stuff if that's the case.
[0] https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/BCG800XL+Grinder+Jamming+due+to...
Eg Blenders all seem to have proprietary connections between the motor base and the jar, often in plastic. When a small connection tab breaks, the whole thing is junk even though it still 'works' as 3d printing, glue, etc is usually not strong enough.
That analysis can depend on how well total costs are captured. Often what seems cheap is only cheap because you externalize the actual costs elsewhere and don't factor them in.
I often host small get-togethers at home and very often use disposable plates (sometimes plastic) as well as utensils, cups, etc. It's quite cheap in terms of my time when it comes to cleanup, broken item replacement, no water for cleanup usage, etc. but I suspect using durable reusable utensils and dining ware are actually cheaper holistically because they can often be used for many years and require very little to clean up beyond time and access to some clean water which is already a requirement and soaps. Factor in costs of recycling, how recyclable those goods are, transport costs to get those goods to my home, waste disposal and long term effects of non-recyclables on the environment... at some point its not so cheap, I'm externalizing my time costs in other forms on the rest of society.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_razor
If you have the time/desire for it, a straight razor is also an option. It takes much more expertise and time, though, so I would start with the safety razor first.
I purchased my razor about 15yr ago now, and am still working through the first $25 worth of razor blades.
I have been meaning to drill out the head and use a bolt in the spirit of this thread, but will probably just buy a new one.
It's also possible to repair them to some extent. I've taken the body apart to clean it out, and it seems like it'd be easy enough to replace the battery.
I will use a real razor if I'm going to a formal event or something, but for daily use the clippers work fine.
I've replaced the blades once. Normally I'm pretty good at sharpening stuff, but I wasn't satisfied with my attempt on the clipper blades (too many tiny blades, and if they aren't super sharp they pull the hair instead of cutting it... not fun).
[1] https://www.parkershaving.com/p/sr1-barber-razor/sr1-barber-...
I bought a bulk pack of 3000 blades for about $30 from eBay. I got those when my kid was 6 and now he's old enough to be using them. It's a staggering saving.
I have had to replace my handle once though, they don't seem to be made that well, the outer shiny layer bubbled and peeled.
It’s about a one hour repair on most ovens if you haven’t done it before. A ten minute job if you have.
There are still vacuum cleaner repair shops in many cities. But they're often hard to find because they don't have the money to advertise or a web site.
If you're a DIY person, look at Dyson. People on HN like to complain about Dyson vaca because they're expensive. But they're also a good example of right-to-repair.
Mine recently had a problem and I found out that almost every part of it can be ordered online, even though it's older. And when my part arrived, disassembly was simple, and the instructions clear. It even came with new screws.
Today even though most such repair is not worth my time per se, I want my son to grow up seeing dad figure out how to do stuff so he also expects himself to be able to figure out whatever comes up.