# Forum More Stuff Oops!  Could only happen to me

## Bros

A couple days ago I decided to change the flex hoses on my toilets. An easy job for someone proficient with hand tools. So I bought a couple of hoses from my local plumbing suppler. 
Well the first one went OK but the second also went OK as far as replacing the hose went but when I opened the isolator water was leaking out of the spindle. I turned off the water and let it drain down while I went to get a new valve. OK so far but when I tried to remove the old tap I swear it was sealed with araldite as I couldnt move it and I didnt want to use any heat so I decided to repair the valve leak. I unscrewed the valve and the seating washer fell apart. So off to the shop again for a new seal and the rest of the repair was uneventful. 
Just goes to show how a quick simple job can be anything but quick or simple.

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## droog

Yep sounds familiar, have had many “simple” jobs bite and turn into half or full day jobs.

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## InsaneAsylum

story of my life... undoing 10 bolts or screws, 9 undo fine and the 10th gets rounded off or stripped. always the last one  :Smilie:

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## droog

> 9 undo fine and the 10th gets rounded off or stripped.

  And then breaking a drill bit off while drilling to remove it ?

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## Bros

> And then breaking a drill bit off while drilling to remove it ?

   A bit off topic but some outboard repairers won’t touch a motor over 5 yrs old due to the problem of seized screws.

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## John2b

Even more off topic, my retirement pass-time for pocket money is repairing things that other repairers won't touch, which is a surprisingly satisfying persuit.

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## Bros

> Even more off topic, my retirement pass-time for pocket money is repairing things that other repairers won't touch, which is a surprisingly satisfying persuit.

  Trouble with those jobs you can’t charge what the job is really worth.

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## John2b

> Trouble with those jobs you can’t charge what the job is really worth.

   I've been repairing stuff for customers for just on twenty years now. The satisfaction of successfully restoring something to function is worth as much to me as the money, yet more often than not I am embarrassed by how much people want to pay me over and above what I've asked. Perhaps there is a pent-up subterranean desire to keep good things working.

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## FrodoOne

Most of the above are my sentiments also.

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## Bart1080

> Perhaps there is a pent-up subterranean desire to keep good things working.

  Its flamin unbelievable when you find someone like that.  Ive a mechanic that's so much more (electronics, fitter & turner, welder, home engineer!), stuff that breaks and others throw out, he will get it working again.  Parts hard to source, he'll pull out the lathe and turn out a part..could be as simple as a bushing that will get a few more years out of the "thing" he fixed. 
Back on topic, Had to change the oil on a tractor, in a reasonably easy spot.  It was the first time I was changing the oil on this tractor and couldn't budge the oil filter and is usually a nice 20 minute job.  Thought what the hell, in all my 30 years of vehicle maintenance never come across a filter so tight. 
Took many days!!!   Filter wrenches bent, tried 3 different styles back and fourth to "autobarn", used a pipe wrench with a thick canvas strap and the pressure was just crushing it like a soft drink can.  Finally a few hours on Utube guided me in driving a screwdriver through it.  Looked so simple!!!! 
Well, the first go, started twisting with a lot of force and it was peeling/ripping open like a can opener.  A few (lots of) choice words and in the end drove 2 of the biggest  screwdrivers I could find through it as a last ditch effort.  Sprayed WD40 on the filter seal over many days until I finally spent 45+ minutes doing short sharp pulls and more WD40 trying not to peel/rip the filter open any further (which it did) until the rubber seal finally let go when it looked like it was going to fail again.

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## Marc

Ha ha, Bart ... as I was reading your story i was thinking ... big screwdriver and a hammer ... but you got there in the end. The importance of oiling the seal before installing the filter.  :Smilie:  
John, I have a Delonghi 4 slices with only 2 slice working, can you fix it? :Biggrin:

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## John2b

> John, I have a Delonghi 4 slices with only 2 slice working, can you fix it?

  It's a crumby job but I can have a go. Things like that pop up from time to time. Most likely a slice in the nichrome element wire. The repair is to crimp a join somehow, or else it's toast.

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## Marc

Yes, I didn't even try. Actually had a go at another 4 slice toaster I really wanted to save, a Sunbeam sort of expensive. 
The difficulty is not in fixing the heating element, used to do this as a kid all the time with those old time toasters with one fixed and exposed element in the center ... the difficulty is to get in there, pulling apart parts that are not made for dismantling. i found hardly any screws, mostly crimped spot welded or twisted metal banged together by a robot. I did fix it but it did not last a week. 
Still ... there are those who are good at fixing hopeless things. You can see them on you tube, mainly asian countries like Vietnam or Philippines. Thy can fix anything at all.

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## John2b

In Hanoi, Vietnam, I saw a guy with a market stall who only sold repaired throw away cigarette lighters.

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## METRIX

> story of my life... undoing 10 bolts or screws, 9 undo fine and the 10th gets rounded off or stripped. always the last one

  Yep same here, I always look at something now as say which one is the last one I'm going to undo, and do it first, so you can deal with the last screw problem first  :Smilie:

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## JB1

Oil filter installed by mechanic removed with screwdriver. Check. 
I'm a big fan of European cars that use a cartridge type oil filter. 36mm socket so easy to tighten or untighten, especially if the the oil filter.  
I remember changing to new quarter turn wall stops in the shower. 
New taps was a fraction too short for the breech (previously had 5mm tiles, changed to 10mm). Wasn't confident the thread had enough meat to for a proper seal. 
Had to then buy brass extenders for the breech outlets. 
Of course the extenders were too long so taps didn't sit flush with the tiles.  
And as I wasn't living there at the time, I didn't bring my angle grinder or hacksaw. Why would you carry them to just change some wall stops? 
10 minute job turned into a 1/2 day job driving up and down.     
Sent f

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## Cecile

> It's a crumby job but I can have a go. Things like that pop up from time to time. Most likely a slice in the nichrome element wire. The repair is to crimp a join somehow, or else it's toast.

  I see what you did there.

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