best mechanical fail hacks
- Thread starter Bruce Jibboo
- Start date
cars, I've only worked on my own stuff or family's cars. I don't get to see the YouTube mechanic DIY fixes. My last BMW had some wiring that was twisted together then electrical taped with some cheap crap harbor freight tape.
in my professional life: copper pipe in disconnects where there should be fuses, great way to kill someone or start a fire. Another time I actually ended up getting shocked from someone's lazy work. A disconnect had fried one of the contacts so some dumbass wired one of the legs on three phase hot, right through the box. I've seen a couple split condensers piped into a rooftop unit when the coil or compressor went out on the RTU. All my work was commercial/industrial so other techs were the only people who ever touched the stuff. Fortunately most are just lazy and not total morons.
in my professional life: copper pipe in disconnects where there should be fuses, great way to kill someone or start a fire. Another time I actually ended up getting shocked from someone's lazy work. A disconnect had fried one of the contacts so some dumbass wired one of the legs on three phase hot, right through the box. I've seen a couple split condensers piped into a rooftop unit when the coil or compressor went out on the RTU. All my work was commercial/industrial so other techs were the only people who ever touched the stuff. Fortunately most are just lazy and not total morons.
You may get a kick out of this, considering you're in engineering/facilities...this was at my current site, and was discovered during a thermal imaging check....6 wires going into 1 20 amp breaker
the electrician said it's the worst he's seen in 30 years
Oh I love this stuff, my house is an endless treasure trove of this shit.
The woman I bought the place from was the daughter of a contractor. As if that means anything because she was dumb as fuck.
Lets see,
The Kitchen
The kitchen was sort of updated with an ikea kitchen. Not all that bad but everything is white laminated MDF and I think she was going for the Martha Stewart kitchen look.
While taking the kitchen apart I discovered a dog treat (small button of green) being used as a spacer for the back of a cupboard. The cupboars from ikea are mounted on a sliding rail that is bolted to the wall. There apparently wasnt a long enough piece so someone decide to cut it and just dry wall screw it in. This meant that a 4 foot talll, 2.5 foot wide mdf cupboard was being held up by one bolt in the other half of the track and the fact that it was leaning on the microwave that was thankfully bolted in correctly. THAT was a surprise when I was taking it down.
ALso found drywall patches that were literally duct tape that was painted over failing, and a few hidden junction boxes in the ceiling.
in the basement I smelled... spearamint? thats wweird... where could of... oh gawd.. the junction box above my head.... yes guys, someone used bubblegum in a junction box on some wires, and i could smell it because it was warm.
Man, people sometimes.
The woman I bought the place from was the daughter of a contractor. As if that means anything because she was dumb as fuck.
Lets see,
The Kitchen
The kitchen was sort of updated with an ikea kitchen. Not all that bad but everything is white laminated MDF and I think she was going for the Martha Stewart kitchen look.
While taking the kitchen apart I discovered a dog treat (small button of green) being used as a spacer for the back of a cupboard. The cupboars from ikea are mounted on a sliding rail that is bolted to the wall. There apparently wasnt a long enough piece so someone decide to cut it and just dry wall screw it in. This meant that a 4 foot talll, 2.5 foot wide mdf cupboard was being held up by one bolt in the other half of the track and the fact that it was leaning on the microwave that was thankfully bolted in correctly. THAT was a surprise when I was taking it down.
ALso found drywall patches that were literally duct tape that was painted over failing, and a few hidden junction boxes in the ceiling.
in the basement I smelled... spearamint? thats wweird... where could of... oh gawd.. the junction box above my head.... yes guys, someone used bubblegum in a junction box on some wires, and i could smell it because it was warm.
Man, people sometimes.
I just replaced two light fixtures in my house and the one in the bathroom was the fun one.
Here's what I found behind the light fixture, which just pulled straight out of the wall with very very little force.
Best part is? There's attic access right behind that wall...I went in the attic, put up a junction box and mounted the new light the right way.
Sometimes....
Here's what I found behind the light fixture, which just pulled straight out of the wall with very very little force.
Best part is? There's attic access right behind that wall...I went in the attic, put up a junction box and mounted the new light the right way.
Sometimes....
My house came with plenty of jerry-rigged hacks and DIY comedy from the nice elderly Polish couple that owned it for 48 years. Thankfully I've resolved most of the things, but my god, some of the ideas for repair 
My favorite find of all was the electric eyes for the garage door mounted directly next to the opener motor, facing each other with all the wire coiled up
Other than that, electrical hacks include switching the neutral wire, and electrical tape in place of wire nuts.
My favorite find of all was the electric eyes for the garage door mounted directly next to the opener motor, facing each other with all the wire coiled up
Other than that, electrical hacks include switching the neutral wire, and electrical tape in place of wire nuts.
Large bathroom or closet cut in half and turn into the other at some point?
Microwave in my house was held to only the cabinet bottom by 2 threaded rods that were at least 6" long and poked thru the internals of the microwave with no shielding between the rods and the cooking portion. How it didn't start the cabinet on fire is a small miracle.
Bucket truck I used every day and went to heights of 50-60 feet regularly was acting up and the boom would randomly stop rotating, rotate on its own or lower a few feet then stop. Not a big deal until you consider I place cables from that bucket while the truck is moving and I have to keep the cable from going into traffic and not put myself into trees or power lines all at the same time. The bucket completely stopped functioning, emergency lower did nothing and I was stuck 30' in the air with no way down until my partner came by with a ladder that was only 28' high. After waiting a half hour for a "rescue truck" we pulled the panel on the base of the turret to find out that ALL OF THE FUSES were replaced with #6 ground wire by the previous lineman or the mechanic. (one of many examples of why I should be dead from dumb shit at work).
Hydraulic lines on trenchers replaced by garden hoses and hose clamps.
Control levers replaced by vice grips. My idea, yes it worked and I finished the job like that.
Steering wheel stolen off a trencher we were using........I used bigger vice grips.
Bucket truck I used every day and went to heights of 50-60 feet regularly was acting up and the boom would randomly stop rotating, rotate on its own or lower a few feet then stop. Not a big deal until you consider I place cables from that bucket while the truck is moving and I have to keep the cable from going into traffic and not put myself into trees or power lines all at the same time. The bucket completely stopped functioning, emergency lower did nothing and I was stuck 30' in the air with no way down until my partner came by with a ladder that was only 28' high. After waiting a half hour for a "rescue truck" we pulled the panel on the base of the turret to find out that ALL OF THE FUSES were replaced with #6 ground wire by the previous lineman or the mechanic. (one of many examples of why I should be dead from dumb shit at work).
Hydraulic lines on trenchers replaced by garden hoses and hose clamps.
Control levers replaced by vice grips. My idea, yes it worked and I finished the job like that.
Steering wheel stolen off a trencher we were using........I used bigger vice grips.
Thread Info
-
Created -
12Replies
-
621Views
-
Participants list
