Topic: What you Buy or DIY show off thread

[tortoise]

They say good fences make good neighbors.  So I built a good fence.

[KD]

^ Good job!  Is that cedar?  I'd like to build one to keep the deer outa my yard, but it would have to be 4 feet higher if we get any more winters like last.   

[tortoise]

It's just pressure treated, but it's a brown colour vs. the traditional green. 

[Brig]

Got me one of these a few weeks ago.  Love it!  One neat feature is the "Relive" option.  After you've uploaded your ride, it plays a video of where you went, with music, with images taken from Google street view!  It also functions as a fitness and daily activity tracker.  I was in a 90-minute meeting today, and looked at my watch to check the time.  Instead, there was a message:  TIME TO MOVE.  So I got up and walked around.   

Mine is white, and cost $260+ tax at MEC.  My brother gave me a $150 gift card for my birthday, and that's what I used it for.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/polar-m400,review-2506.html

[Solstice2006]

It's just pressure treated, but it's a brown colour vs. the traditional green.

Looks good.  Last year we said we would redo ours, and add a gate with the neighbours, but due to $$ this has been put off.  Old one still works, but had to strengthen some areas. 

[Snowman]

It's just pressure treated, but it's a brown colour vs. the traditional green.

I like the new brown, it blends better with the 20 year old grey when doing repair work 

[Ex-airbalancer]

I did not do it , but I did remove the liner etc
Pool at 8 am

4 pm

They used a stone slinger to put the c- gravel into the back yard , it was worth $350,000




Mark

[quadzilla]

Got me one of these a few weeks ago.  Love it!  One neat feature is the "Relive" option.  After you've uploaded your ride, it plays a video of where you went, with music, with images taken from Google street view!  It also functions as a fitness and daily activity tracker.  I was in a 90-minute meeting today, and looked at my watch to check the time.  Instead, there was a message:  TIME TO MOVE.  So I got up and walked around.   

Mine is white, and cost $260+ tax at MEC.  My brother gave me a $150 gift card for my birthday, and that's what I used it for.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/polar-m400,review-2506.html

I like the looks and features of this watch, very nice. I also use my bike computer (Garmin 500) to record my hikes but would be nice to have something like this that I could wear on my wrist instead.

[Brig]

I like the looks and features of this watch, very nice. I also use my bike computer (Garmin 500) to record my hikes but would be nice to have something like this that I could wear on my wrist instead.

Yes, I've set up both Cycling and Hiking as GPS activities.  So much easier to have it on your wrist!

It's quite a versatile device; you can pick what you want the display to show you (duration, distance, pace, average pace, HR, lap time, etc.)  It also automatically pauses when I'm stopped for whatever reason, like a traffic light.  Since it's got Bluetooth, I can sync to the app on my phone, as well.  Haven't tried the HRM yet, but that's next.

I compared it to the Garmin Forerunner 15, but I found the display on the Garmin a little harder to read in daylight, plus it had no BT.   

[Ex-airbalancer]

Toys to play with this weekend


Mark

[Solstice2006]

Making me a pool?

[KD]

Toys to play with this weekend

I could really use that mini-excavator for a few days to dig a few hundred feet of trenches for some drainage. 

[Snowman]

Making me a pool?

  

[X-Traction]

Replaced the main bearings in a front-load washing machine.  $12 worth of Chinese-made ball bearings plus 6 hours of work, guided by YouTube instructions, was very satisfying and saved spending $1000 for a new machine. 

One hitch extended completing the repair by more than a day.  The washer blew a gfi outlet every time I started it.  Extensive troubleshooting ended when I stumbled across a website mentioning a "Master Reset".  Apparently this is some sort of secret appliance repair knowledge.  You unplug the appliance for over a minute, plug it in, then open and close the tub door 6 times in less than 12 seconds.  Problem solved. The thing works like new now.

The amount of stuff we waste rather than build it properly to begin with, or repair, is obscene.

[Solstice2006]

Replaced the main bearings in a front-load washing machine.  $12 worth of Chinese-made ball bearings plus 6 hours of work, guided by YouTube instructions, was very satisfying and saved spending $1000 for a new machine. 

One hitch extended completing the repair by more than a day.  The washer blew a gfi outlet every time I started it.  Extensive troubleshooting ended when I stumbled across a website mentioning a "Master Reset".  Apparently this is some sort of secret appliance repair knowledge.  You unplug the appliance for over a minute, plug it in, then open and close the tub door 6 times in less than 12 seconds.  Problem solved. The thing works like new now.

The amount of stuff we waste rather than build it properly to begin with, or repair, is obscene.

Good Job!  Hope my appliances hang on for awhile longer.  Sometimes the dishwasher is a little louder than previous times.  But I am impressed if a dishwasher lasts longer than 5 years.  (Mine is 5 years in the fall!)

[X-Traction]

Replaced the main bearings in a front-load washing machine.  $12 worth of Chinese-made ball bearings plus 6 hours of work, guided by YouTube instructions, was very satisfying and saved spending $1000 for a new machine. 

One hitch extended completing the repair by more than a day.  The washer blew a gfi outlet every time I started it.  Extensive troubleshooting ended when I stumbled across a website mentioning a "Master Reset".  Apparently this is some sort of secret appliance repair knowledge.  You unplug the appliance for over a minute, plug it in, then open and close the tub door 6 times in less than 12 seconds.  Problem solved. The thing works like new now.

The amount of stuff we waste rather than build it properly to begin with, or repair, is obscene.

Good Job!  Hope my appliances hang on for awhile longer.  Sometimes the dishwasher is a little louder than previous times.  But I am impressed if a dishwasher lasts longer than 5 years.  (Mine is 5 years in the fall!)

Both our dishwasher and washing machine are about 15 years. Both have needed occasional repairs, mostly done by me.  Same for the stove.  Electric dryer is at least 25, predates our purchase of the house. Seems to be good forever.  Fridge is about 12 years, grumbles to itself sometimes but basically ok.  No fancy do-dads on it.   No excuse for such expensive appliances struggling to last 5 years.

[tpl]

The annoying thing is that it seems impossible to buy 'HiFi' appliances. That is, ones built to last 10-20 years without failure.     I guess that appliances like that are not profitable to make and the public would find them too expensive to buy.

[Solstice2006]

The annoying thing is that it seems impossible to buy 'HiFi' appliances. That is, ones built to last 10-20 years without failure.     I guess that appliances like that are not profitable to make and the public would find them too expensive to buy.

Depends what you consider expensive I guess.  My $600 Maytag dishwasher cleans just as good as my neighbours $2000 Bosch.  And the control panel on his went after 3 years.  His may be a bit quieter, and it looks a little nicer (with hidden controls).  But I use the delay, and run it at 2 am anyway...

[tenpenny]

We have a frigidaire slide in dual fuel range/oven...eleven years old.  Now on it's second oven control panel, at like $500 a pop.

Love the oven, hate the electronics.  It's obviously a common thing among all ovens, because there are now people who will rebuild the controls, and the same control is used in many brands.

I'll probably get the old one rebuilt as a spare.


Sent from my Vic20 using Java Moose

[me_2]

The annoying thing is that it seems impossible to buy 'HiFi' appliances. That is, ones built to last 10-20 years without failure.     I guess that appliances like that are not profitable to make and the public would find them too expensive to buy.

Depends what you consider expensive I guess.  My $600 Maytag dishwasher cleans just as good as my neighbours $2000 Bosch.  And the control panel on his went after 3 years.  His may be a bit quieter, and it looks a little nicer (with hidden controls).  But I use the delay, and run it at 2 am anyway...

My dishwasher is 21years old, the blower fan/motor is being noisy but stil functional, the fridge, oven & CRT TV were bought the same 1994 year. The cloth dryer is dated 1983 (32) but the washer is almost new (8 years old).

Once I fixed the oven; maybe temperature was something like 32-35C in the kitchen, the 1994 oven's electronic control became crazy, decided to lock the oven while the souper was cooking. Did not notice until the smoke detector cried loud, smoke came out the oven but the door was stuck (locked), exact same as auto-clean cleaning cycle. Turn off the breaker but it has generated smoke for a while through the door... I Fixed it myself : I cut the *&%# door lock to avoid ever again to repeat that episode