Household Repair Correlation
Household Repair Correlation
Over the past several weeks I have had to do several household repairs. I have always been pretty handy around the house and pride myself on being able to save a few bucks by fixing something myself. I learned by watching and helping my father, and in turn, require my son to work with me when playing Mr. Fix-It around the house. Some repairs are easy, some hard, and the worst ones are the I-can’t-seem-to-figure-out-what-the-problem-is repairs.
What I noticed while doing the repairs was that there is a correlation between ease, cost, and time.
The easier the fix…the more costly. The cheaper the fix…the more time consuming.
Microwave Oven Door Handle – 0.5 hours – $65
Daddy!!! My daughter decided to open the microwave oven door and pulled the handle off the door. No problem I thought, just get the manual, go online, and order the part. All I had to do was to wait for delivery. The handle came and of course it did not have the screws to attach it to the door. Dig through the hardware boxes in the garage, find two screws that fit, and install new handle. Cost $65 plus shipping. Okay, so it really took only 20 minutes on line to find and order the part and 10 minutes to install.
Dishwasher Soap Door – 2.50 hours – $17
Honey!!! The little door that holds the soap for the second cycle was not opening. So of course I am asked right away “why isn’t it working”. Well to tell you the truth…it beats the hell out of me. So I called the nearest Maytag store and went to visit the loneliest repair man in the world. Sure enough, the guy was all alone in the shop. I explained the problem, purchased a new solenoid switch, went home and installed it. Cost $15 plus tax and one trip to the store.
Garbage Disposal Leak – 3.25 hours – $34
Honey!!! There’s a leak under the sink. Now if there is one type of repair that drives me nuts, it’s fixing a leak. First empty the “crap” from under the sink. Second is to clean up the water. Third was to track down the leak. It was coming from the sink strainer unit that the disposal attaches to. No problem I thought, just go to the store, get a new one, install it and be done. Right? Wrong! Go to the store, get a new one, bring it home, have wife decide she wants a “white” one to match the inside of the sink. Go back to the store, get a “white” unit, come home and install. Cost $34 plus tax plus two trips to the store.
Outside BBQ Light – 4.5 hours - $$$ Frustration
Me!!! This is the one that drove me nuts. The spot light by the BBQ wasn’t working. Yes, the bulb was good. I checked the socket = good. I checked the wires to the light fixture = good. I checked the breakers = good. I climbed into the attic and looked at the wire to see if it was broken = good. Back to the breakers = still good (duh). I had given up when my daughter, who was cleaning her car, came and told me that the outlet in the garage wasn’t working. So off to the garage I go and look at the outlet. The breaker in the protected outlet had popped, so I reset it. Guess what? Yup, the light came on over the BBQ, on the other side of the house.
I can’t wait to see what this coming weekend brings.
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