c/Amarillo-home-repairs-and-diy

5

lily_torres31•1d ago

Neighbor told me my fence post holes were way too shallow after watching me dig for an hour, now I measure every time

I was just eyeballing it like I always do until he walked over with his own shovel and showed me how the 2 foot mark on his post hole digger made a world of difference for keeping things straight in this Amarillo clay soil, has anyone else had a random neighbor save them from a wonky fence?

4

vera195•1d ago

Appreciation post: glueing PVC vs using those slip couplings

I used to always use those rubber slip couplings for fixing sprinkler lines cause theyre fast and easy. But after a blowout last spring in my backyard near Coulter Street I switched to proper PVC primer and glue on every repair. The slip coupling let go at 3am and flooded half my lawn. Now I take the extra 10 minutes to glue everything and havent had a leak since. Which side are you on for underground repairs, quick fixes or permanent glue jobs?

6

blake792•1d ago

That old timer at Lowe's got me thinking about drywall mud

Was grabbing some compound yesterday and this older guy maybe 70s overheard me asking the clerk about setting-type mud. He said back in the 80s he'd mix his own drywall mud from a powder sack with just water and a paddle bit, none of this premixed bucket stuff. Said it cost him about 4 bucks a bag versus the 15 I just paid for a bucket of premix. Got me wondering if we've lost something by not mixing our own compounds anymore. Has anyone here tried going back to the powder mix and found it worth the elbow grease?

13

ivanbell•5d ago

Thought re-caulking the tub would take an afternoon, ended up spending 3 days

I figured just scraping off the old stuff and slapping new caulk on would be quick, but the black mold underneath was way worse than I thought and I had to bleach, dry, and wait. Took me three full days to get it done right. Anyone else find a tub re-caulk job turns into a bigger project than you planned?

14

the_max•5d ago

Threw $50 down the drain on that 'easy' plumbing snake

Picked up one of those cheap plastic drain snakes from Lowe's last month to clear a clog in the kitchen sink. Worked okay for maybe 2 minutes before the coil totally snapped off inside the pipe. Had to call a real plumber anyway who charged $120 to pull out the broken piece and snake it proper. The plastic handle broke on the second twist too, thing was a total waste. Anyone else had trouble with those budget snakes from the hardware store?

3

leehall•6d ago

Wasted $150 on a cheap tile cutter from Amazon

I was retiling my kitchen backsplash last month and figured I'd save a few bucks with a $150 tile cutter off Amazon. Big mistake. It couldn't handle the ceramic tile I got from Lowe's in Amarillo. Chipped every single cut. Looked like a beaver chewed on the edges. Lost about four hours fighting with it before I drove down to the tool rental place and got a proper wet saw for $45. That thing cut through everything like butter. Lesson learned - sometimes you just can't cheap out on tools. Has anyone else had bad luck ordering masonry gear online?

19

brianm66•6d ago

Fixed my 1978 AC unit for $47 instead of $2,500

My old Rheem unit finally died last Thursday and the HVAC guy quoted me $2,500 for a new one. Figured I'd open it up myself and found the capacitor was just bulging, ordered one off Amazon for $47 and it's been running ice cold for 3 days now. Has anyone else saved this kind of money by just looking at the simple parts first?

23

gavin365•6d ago

Found out my old breaker box was a time bomb

I was looking into adding a new outlet in my garage and stumbled on a 2017 NEC code article. Learned that my Zinsco panel was actually recalled for fire risks. 30 bucks for a home inspector to confirm it. Anybody else find scary stuff hiding in their walls?

7

cole_flores44•7d ago

That one weird trick for fixing a squeaky floor without ripping up carpet

So I had this spot in my hallway near the bathroom that squeaked every time you stepped on it. Drove me nuts for like 6 months. I tried a bunch of stuff: baby powder, screws from the crawlspace, even those expensive floor repair kits from Home Depot. Nothing worked. Then I remembered something from a forum post about using a syringe to inject wood glue directly into the seam. Picked up a 10-pack of syringes at Tractor Supply for about 8 bucks. Mixed up some Titebond III, stuck the needle right through the carpet backing into the subfloor gap, and pumped it in. Let it dry for 24 hours and it hasn't made a peep since. Has anyone else tried this or found a different trick for tricky spots?

17

mark_ward•9d ago

Talking to my neighbor Frank about his 30 year old water heater changed my mind on everything

I was over at Frank's place helping him move some furniture and noticed his water heater in the garage. It looked ancient, like from the 80s or something. I told him he was crazy for not replacing it before it floods his whole garage. He just laughed and said he replaced the anode rod twice and flushed it every spring like clockwork. Said that old tank will outlast any new plastic lined junk they sell at Lowes today. Drove me nuts hearing that because I just bought a new Rheem last fall and now I'm wondering if I got played. Frank's unit is still humming at 32 years and mine already has a weird rattle when it kicks on. Makes me think all those YouTube videos pushing brand new installs are just feeding the consumer machine. Has anyone else gone the route of nursing an old heater along instead of swapping it out?

25

kai_webb91•9d ago

Vent: That cheap caulk I bought at Jerry's Hardware ruined my whole bathroom project

Last month I grabbed a $4 tube of caulk from Jerry's Hardware on 34th because I was in a rush. Put it around my tub on a Tuesday, by Friday it was cracking and peeling off in chunks. I had to scrape it all out with a razor blade and start over, took me 4 hours more than the first time. My neighbor who flips houses said they only use the 10-year silicone stuff from Ace Hardware now. Has anyone else had bad luck with those bargain brand caulks?

23

drew_jones31•9d ago

The day I stopped using a crescent wrench for everything

I used to be that guy who thought one crescent wrench could fix any plumbing job under the sink. For about two years I just tightened and loosened every nut with that thing, even if it meant rounding off the edges a bit. Then last spring I had a pipe burst under my kitchen sink in Amarillo and I couldn't get the fitting off without slipping. My neighbor came over, took one look at my wrench set, and handed me a proper pipe wrench. He said, 'You're fighting the metal, not working with it.' That one change saved me an hour and a call to a plumber. Now I keep a set of basin wrenches and channel locks in my garage. Anybody else have a tool they stubbornly refused to swap out for way too long?

4

amy_craig28•13d ago

Split decision on patching stucco vs calling a pro after my wall crumbled

I was trying to fix a small crack in my stucco out by the back porch near Amarillo Blvd last Saturday and the whole section just fell off, about 2 feet wide. Patched it myself with Quikrete stucco mix for $15 but now the color's off and it looks worse than before. My neighbor says I should have hired a guy from Triple J Stucco for $200 and saved the headache. You guys rough it out yourself or call someone for stuff like this?

1

wendy820•16d ago

That week I replaced all my own PVC plumbing under the slab

Three days of jackhammering concrete in my Amarillo garage to fix a busted pipe, saved me $1,800 but my back still hurts a month later. Anyone else take on a slab leak and regret not just calling a pro?

7

evan_cooper73•17d ago

Just noticed my attic insulation settled way more than I expected in 18 months

I checked my attic in June 2023 and the blown-in cellulose was about 14 inches deep. Checked again last weekend and it's down to maybe 9 inches in some spots. Pretty sure it's from wind leaks and just gravity over time. Has anyone else in Amarillo seen that much settling with their insulation? I'm wondering if I need to add more or just leave it.

25

blake792•17d ago

Finally figured out why my attic fan wasn't kicking on after 2 summers of guessing

Last month I climbed up into my attic for the fourth time this year to stare at the fan motor. I had replaced the thermostat switch twice (wasted about $60 total) and checked all the wiring connections. Turned out the humidistat was set way too low for Amarillo summers (like 30% instead of 60%). Soon as I cranked it up to match the outdoor humidity the fan started running like new. Has anyone else had trouble with those digital humidistats reading wrong over time?

4

jamie804•1mo ago

Bought a $20 moisture meter from Lowe's and it saved my kitchen reno

Last month I was fixing a leak under the sink in my 1950s house over on Georgia St. Thought I dried everything up but decided to grab one of those pinless moisture meters on a whim. Good thing I did. Found a wet spot behind the cabinet that was starting to grow mold. Caught it early before it spread to the subfloor. Anyone else use one of these before painting or tiling?

15

daniel_gonzalez•1mo ago

Rant: My garage door spring snapped at 6am and I fixed it myself with a $15 harbor freight winding bar set

Saved $250 on a service call by watching three YouTube videos and taking my time with the tension, but has anyone else had those cheap bars bend on them after a few uses?

26

christopherw34•1mo ago

Just realized my whole kitchen sink was draining wrong for 2 years

Bought this house in Amarillo back in 2022 and always thought the slow drain was just normal. Last week I finally had a plumber out to fix a leak under the cabinet and he showed me the trap was literally installed backwards by the previous owner. Said it had been slowly collecting gunk since day one. Cost me $45 for him to flip it around and now it drains like a dream. How hard is it to install a p-trap the right way? Has anyone else found previous owner work that was just completely botched?

15

allen.iris•1mo ago

Pro tip: a plumber at Ace Hardware saved me $300 on my water heater fix

Last month my water heater started making this loud popping noise and I was about to call a repair guy. I went to Ace Hardware on Georgia Street to grab a part and this older plumber named Frank was in the aisle. He asked what I was working on and I told him about the noise. He said it's usually just sediment buildup and I could drain and flush it myself with a garden hose. I followed his steps and it took me about 2 hours on a Saturday morning. No more noise and I saved what would have been a $300 service call. Has anyone else had luck asking randoms at hardware stores for advice?

11

jamie_webb67•1mo ago

PSA: Stop using self-tapping screws on metal roofing. Just stop.

I was up on a buddy's new shed last week out near Canyon and saw he'd used self-tappers to put his metal roof on. Told him those things will pop or strip out in a few years with our Amarillo wind and heat cycles. I know cause I did the same thing on my barn back in 2016. Had to replace half the screws after two winters. The rubber washer on self-tappers just doesn't hold up like a proper stitch screw with the neoprene bonded on. Cost me about $80 and a whole Saturday to fix. Has anyone else had a roofer try to sell you on self-tappers?

20

grant478•1mo ago

Just swapped out my old garage door opener for a belt drive and wow what a difference

I used to have a chain drive opener that rattled the whole house every time I hit the button. Last weekend I put in a Chamberlain belt drive from Home Depot and now its dead quiet inside. Took me about 4 hours to swap it out but the instructions were pretty clear. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed less noise in your living room?

16

felix414•1mo ago

Finally got my fence post holes dug right after 3 tries in this Amarillo clay

Kept seeing folks use those flimsy auger bits and end up with crooked posts, but I grabbed a 12-inch manual post hole digger from Tractor Supply and set them plumb in half the time. Has anyone else had trouble with the clay here shifting after a rain?

18

nancyjones•1mo ago

That time at Lowe's off I-40 that changed how I patch drywall

I was over at the Lowe's near the airport about two years ago, picking up joint compound for a small hole in my hallway. An older guy, maybe in his 70s, came up to me and said I was grabbing the wrong stuff. He pointed me to a different brand and told me to skip the mesh tape for anything bigger than a quarter. I stood there for ten minutes while he explained how to do it with regular paper tape and a 6 inch knife. Turned out he used to do drywall work around Amarillo back in the 80s. I tried his method that weekend, and it came out way smoother than anything I had done before. That chance meeting honestly changed how I approach any wall repair now. Anyone else had a random stranger at a hardware store give them advice that stuck?

15

the_piper•1mo ago

That week I tried to fix a leaky pipe with flex seal and made everything worse

Last Tuesday my kitchen sink started dripping and I thought I'd be clever with a $15 can of Flex Seal instead of calling a plumber. By Thursday the whole cabinet was soaked and I ended up paying $300 to have the drywall replaced behind it. Has anyone else learned that the hard way with a quick fix that backfired?