Fix It or Pitch It……

A friend of mine recently showcased his handyman ethic with a ceiling fan that he had taken apart and repaired. Another friend tore in to a clothes dryer and made an internal repair that was impressive. It occurred to me that we have raised a couple of generations that find it much easier to fill a landfill with appliances and gadgets that, for want of ability, would be serviceable. These generations prefer to simply replace the offending devices with a new one.

A recent news article showcased the enormous waste in America, all the result of folks challenged by anything more sophisticated than a flat blade screwdriver. We pay enormous fees to have the “guy” come and fix something. This nonchalance is being capitalized on by manufacturers who build damned near everything under the credo “planned obsolescence”.

This new attitude was driven home this summer when our central air capacitor shot ace-deuce on a scorching day. I called and every service business in town was on a call and they were charging accordingly. I mentioned this to my neighbor, Mike, an accountant who is afraid of nothing mechanical, who then hopped over and tested the capacitor with a volt meter, and produced a spare that he kept on hand. Presto, I was back in cool air. It isn’t at all unusual to see him hunkered over a lawn mower or working on his RV repairing a tricky plumbing issue even tracing an electrical problem with the unit’s A/C and repairing it. He reminds me of a Patrol colleague, Lee Plunkett, who could repair damned near anything in existence.

We were in Florida when the instant hot water heater quit working in our RV. We called a mobile tech, a terrific guy, who found a leak in the system but had no idea what the part was that was leaking. He jumped on his cell phone, identified the part, which was not available, bypassed the system and left us with cold water. I should have been able to do what he did and keep my money in my pocket. To this end, I intend to attend a week long RV repair and maintenance school currently available. Even Apple is getting in on the action. They are now building certain cell phones that cannot be cracked open for repair, necessitating a replacement.

I am not without a few skills. I am handy with wood and have developed an ability to trim houses. I can paint, a skill that I developed after retiring, even forming a one man company, “IPC Painting”. (I Paint Cheaply”) I quickly discovered this work was physically exhausting, if done correctly, and abandoned this experiment in favor of trim work. My first car, a 1967 GTO, was easy to work on. I changed the plugs, condenser and points, and learned to set time with a timing light. I learned to do body work, amassing a great deal of time wet sanding for a local body shop. I could work on old tractors, changing belts and swapping out implements.I have a collection of basic tools and once upon a time changed my own oil and rotated my own tires. I am a hopeless idiot with any electrical issue, do not do anything on a roof, and can turn a basic plumbing issue into a monumental project that is laughable.

In short, we “call the guy” for stuff that I should be able to do. If you are one of those gifted folks who can dive into any repair, my hat is off to you. We are spoiled. There is a guy for everything and they are worth every penny when you are clueless. My grandfather, Mr. EC Cooke, a farmer, could repair anything in sight. I sincerely hope he isn’t judging me harshly from his lofty perch. I regret my ineptness and should know better. Meanwhile……if it involves wood, I’m “your guy”.

Have a great week!

SR