Repairing & Servicing Fan

Don't throw out your fan if it suddenly stops without any burnt smell.

I have an i-stand fan that I have used for more than ten years. One day it suddenly stopped turning, while still switch on.

 I was contemplating to cannabalise the fan for parts, which can be salvaged for other repair jobs. I have dismantled all removable components of the fan.    

After brushing  away the dust in the motor, I discovered there wasn’t any burnt mark on the motor coil.

The fan is a very simple electrical appliance. The heart of the fan is only the motor with a capacitor. If the motor is not burnt, then the  whole fan can be serviced and repaired. Either the carbon bush is worn out, the wiring is broken or disconnected or the spindle has jammed due to dust and dried grease. I sent the motor to my colleague, who is a qualified chargeman, for checking. He tested and confirmed that the motor is not burnt. He helped me to clean and grease the motor.

 

I re-installed all the components to the stand and now I have a fan that is working perfectly.

Most people would have discarded the fan as it is not justifiable to repair. The repairman would easily charge RM90.00 (USD28.00). That is RM60.00 (USD19.00) for transport and RM30.00 (USD9.00) for service charges. A new 16” stand fan costs only RM130.00(USD40.00). My own repair cost threshold for any appliances is below 30% of the cost of the new appliance of equivalent specifications.

 

If you are a DIY buff, you can repair at your own leisure hours, without costing a cent. 




WARNING!!! For safety  reason, always switch off the power and disconnect the power supply cord before dismantling any electric appliances.

Modifying Light Fixtures.

I like things unique and exotic. “Visibility and standing out amongst the rest” is being practised by many to get a sense of satisfaction and contentment. Houses in the upmarket areas have unique facades. They have lots of rare designs and fixtures in them.

I have the privilege of visiting some of these exclusive houses.  It gives me a sense of euphoria when I am inside the house. 

I cannot afford exotic cars or houses but I have some exotic light fittings in my house.  

The manufacturer of these exotic lightings only produced a batch and there is no re-run. Breaking any of the components is like breaking the whole light fittings. There is no spare part. Cleaning is another problem. The parts, some in fragile glass sticks and moulded glass panes, have to be removed piece by piece to clean. The bulbs and the fluorescent tubes used in these light fittings are also non-standard type.

 

One of the fluorescent tubes in my kitchen blew out recently. I dismantled the tube and took it to numerous lighting and electrical shops in town. Unfortunately, none of the shops that I visited has the fluorescent tube. It was an uncommon and non-standard tube. 

I have two options. One is to discard the whole light fitting and buy a new one. That would be costly. The light fitting comes in a pair. So that means discarding two units.

 Being a DIY buff, I chose the second option to modify the light fitting.

I changed the fluorescent tube holder from the 4-pin to a standard 2-pin type and replaced the choke (ballast) as well. 

The 2-pin fluorescent tube holder cost RM4.50 (USD1.35) each while the standard fluorescent cost RM9.90 (USD3.00) each.  With this modification, I need not worry about replacing any blown-out fluorescent tubes again. 

The only tools required for the job are test pen, screw driver, wire stripper/cutter and a ladder.

Replacing Kitchen Counter-top Water Filter

I used a stand-alone counter-top water filter that was easily connected to the water tap (see the picture). This type of water filter is available at any supermarket or hypermarket. Anybody can fix this with a screw driver.

The disadvantage of this type of water filter is the high maintenance cost. The filter cartridge cost RM80.00 (USD24.00) each and last about six months only. Another problem with this type of filter is the adapter for connecting the filter to the tap. Water frequently leaked from the adapter. Once the filter cartridge is clogged,  water will sprout from the adapter. The original adapter from the manufacturer is very expensive. It cost RM60.00 (USD18.88), whereas the common adaptor from the hardware shop cost RM15.00. (USD4.50) but this will not indicate if the cartridge is clogged. Moreover, the filter cartridge is not serviceable. Once clogged, it must be replaced. The filter housing is also bulky and occupied the limited space at the sink counter.

In order to overcome the high maintenance cost and the leakage problem, I have decided to replace it with a stainless steel ceramic cartridge filter. This type of water filter is slim and aesthetic for the kitchen. It cost RM128.00, (USD18.00) for the standard wall mounted type. Because I wanted a counter-top mounting(sitting on top of the kitchen counter), I have to add in a brass counter-top tap and an adapter to change the mounting.  Accessories are available at the bathroom & kitchen fitting shop for you to modify whatever fittings you so choose.

Unless you are a handyman, you may required a plumber to fix this.  You can DIY with just two pieces of wrench and a roll of sealing tape. I have added a stop valve under the counter-top.

 This is to enable any repair work to the counter-top filter without shutting down the water supply to the entire kitchen. Just disconnect the flexi-hose and fix the stop valve with a wrench. 

Then, re-connect the flexi-hose to the filter housing unit. Ensure that the filter housing unit is properly anchored on the counter-top before connecting the flexi-hose.  Connect the ceramic filter cartridge to the housing cap, insert the filter cartridge into the housing and close it securely.

This is a fairly simple job but can turn complicated if the joints are not sealed properly. There should not be even a single drop of water dripping from any joints.

See my new filter on the left and compare this with the old filter on the right.

De-Clogging the wash basin/kitchen sink.

“The wash basin waste water is not flowing out. Please call the plumber!” This is a common exclamation you will hear whenever a wash basin or kitchen sink is clogged.

No worry. You do not need a plumber nor any special tool to de-clog it.

Under every wash basin or kitchen sink, there is an L-shape outlet pipe with a bottle-like contraption at the elbow. This is called the bottle trap. The function of this device is to prevent cockroaches and other creepy crawlies from entering the wash room or kitchen through the outlet pipe.

Besides preventing insects from entering, this bottle trap is also a catchment for sediments and hairs.  Hairs and solid particles are the biggest culprits that caused clogging of the sink and wash basin.

To de-clog, just unscrew the bottle trap with your bare hands and remove the sediments and hair. Wash the bottle trap thoroughly and screw it back. It’s as simple as that.

However, this simple de-clogging technique can become complicated if any of the O-ring rubber seal is damaged. When this happens, the whole set of bottle trap should be replaced.

Recently I inadvertently damaged the O-ring rubber seal while removing the sediments and hairs in the bottle trap.  It was a chrome bottle trap and cost RM39.00 (USD11.00). This chrome-type bottle trap is slimmer and is more aesthetic but clogs easily. It was rusty on the inside and sediments and hairs got trapped faster.

So, I decided to change to the PVC type which costs only RM4.50 (USD1.30). However, I could only find a white colour PVC bottle trap which does not match well with my stainless wash basin.

To overcome this, I bought a can of silver colour spray paint costing RM7.80 (USD2.30)). The final result is an aesthetic looking PVC bottle trap that looks like aluminium and the total cost is only RM12.30 (USD3.60) as compared to the chrome version costing RM39.00 (USD11.50). Furthermore, no tools were used to fix the PVC bottle trap. Only one roll of white sealing tape (RM0.50/USD0.15) was required to seal the threaded joints.  

Re-assemble the bottle trap and putting the O-ring in correct position.

Re fix the bottle trap to the basin.
See for yourselves.  My new PVC bottle trap on the right and the same set re-sprayed with silver paint below.  

Completed job with the new PVCbottle trap. Q.E.D.                         

Mowing your lawn

Most landed properties, terrace/linked house, semi-D or bungalow would have a small plot of land with cow grass or special turf.. This area requires regular mowing every month. Otherwise, the place would look unkempt and wild.

You can pay freelance gardeners who go around the housing area with a grass cutter for their services. The gardener’s charges for a terrace house is about RM50.00. For a semi –D, you will have to pay about RM100.00 and a bungalow owner has to fork out something like RM150 to RM300.00, depending on the size of the garden.

However, if you are one of those DIY buff, you can save the monthly charges by investing in a small electric mower and trimmer. The cost of the mower is about RM450.00 while the trimmer costs about RM130.00 (Borsch).

I use a Borsch mower and a Black & Decker trimmer. Why do I need both a mower and a trimmer?  The answer is obvious.

 The mower cannot reach all corners and edges. The trimmer complements the mower to finish the job!

You can maintain the lawn yourself and recover the cost of investment in the equipment within one year. With the electric mower, you can cover 2,000 sq feet within one hour. So, if you have a terrace house with 300 sq feet of lawn, you can complete the task within 10 minutes!

You can save lots of money DIY lawn mowing and doing it at your own convenience. On top of this, paying a free lance gardener can be risky and troublesome. Why is it risky? The gardener can spy on your house while mowing the garden. Your maid can become the target for the gardener and your home can be burgled without any obvious break-in. How?  In many instances, your maid collaborates with the freelance gardener.

Engaging a freelance gardener can be troublesome too. Unless you employ the same gardener every month and he has good memory of your requirements and expectations, you have to personally supervise him. He has to know how short you want the grass trimmed and where to dispose of the cuttings. You could have completed the task yourself, for the same amount of time spent giving instructions and supervising him..

Invest in the right tools and you can save money and soon enjoy the immense satisfaction of doing it yourself. On top of that, you get plenty of exercise, sweating out.