![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Doing it myself....
Apr. 7th, 2019 04:38 pmI have a stubborn streak and I'm somewhat compulsive. When I do something myself, I don't want it to either look or work like it was jerry-rigged. That means a repair is both functional and not readily apparent. My husband isn't the same about this.
I have never studied electrical stuff. I currently would not trust myself to replace an electrical outlet, without some serious reading. LJ however has had the experience and does not hesitate. Over the years he has replaced electrical cords when they've frayed or broken, and they work, but a thick knob of electrical tape with a cord of one color going in and another color coming out, just annoys me when I look at it. Yeah the lamp works, but I'm stuck figuring out how to hide said cord.
The lamp on my nightstand is one such. I found an attractive table lamp with a brass external harp from which a very attractive stained glass shade hangs probably 15 years ago. It was one of those where you touched the lamp to turn it on or increase the brightness of a three way bulb. The internal mechanism failed. 8 or 9 years back and my husband offered to fix it. I came home that night to find he had cut the cord in two, grafted a white cord, with an inline switch to the black cord going into the lamp and voila, working lamp. No more three way touch switch, grafted cord with a knob of electrical tape. I've lived with it since. It works and most of the time I try to ignore the cord. I haven't taken the time to figure out how to do it myself. It's remained something on my get to someday list. *sigh*
I'm grateful he took it on himself to fix. He wanted me to have a working lamp. It was sweet of him. AND more, I don't ever want to appear ungrateful and unappreciative. Even though at a low level, it grates on me every time I look at it. I married him, I love him and I have no desire to undermine his ego.
So, for the last couple of months the cord on the Dyson has been hinky. I got into the habit of holding the cord when I vacuumed because if I didn't there were times the thing would stop working. It turns out just inside the rubber cord cover where the electric cord entered the body of the machine, was wearing through and about to completely break. The rubber cover extents roughly 3 inches off the body of the vacuum and the break was inside that section. LJ offered to fix it, but5 I knew what that meant - a knob of electrical tape over a graft in an area where the rubber cord cover would not have permitted that. I declined and said I'd take that on.
Amen for YouTube. I found a fix it video in short order, telling me how to take the vacuum apart. Once I'd dissembled the top part of the vacuum, I was able to slide the cord cover off its attachment to machine, and down the cord itself,to reveal where the copper wire had snapped through completely. Finding what I needed to replace, the Dyson went into the attic for the week, until the part arrived, courtesy of Amazon. Cost? $13.25, shipping included. I've just finished putting the vacuum back together, and having just vacuumed to living room, which needed it badly after the week the Dyson sat up in the attic. Moreover, the vacuum looks like it did before the repair was required.
I'm now pondering taking on my lamp sometime in the not too distant future.
I have never studied electrical stuff. I currently would not trust myself to replace an electrical outlet, without some serious reading. LJ however has had the experience and does not hesitate. Over the years he has replaced electrical cords when they've frayed or broken, and they work, but a thick knob of electrical tape with a cord of one color going in and another color coming out, just annoys me when I look at it. Yeah the lamp works, but I'm stuck figuring out how to hide said cord.
The lamp on my nightstand is one such. I found an attractive table lamp with a brass external harp from which a very attractive stained glass shade hangs probably 15 years ago. It was one of those where you touched the lamp to turn it on or increase the brightness of a three way bulb. The internal mechanism failed. 8 or 9 years back and my husband offered to fix it. I came home that night to find he had cut the cord in two, grafted a white cord, with an inline switch to the black cord going into the lamp and voila, working lamp. No more three way touch switch, grafted cord with a knob of electrical tape. I've lived with it since. It works and most of the time I try to ignore the cord. I haven't taken the time to figure out how to do it myself. It's remained something on my get to someday list. *sigh*
I'm grateful he took it on himself to fix. He wanted me to have a working lamp. It was sweet of him. AND more, I don't ever want to appear ungrateful and unappreciative. Even though at a low level, it grates on me every time I look at it. I married him, I love him and I have no desire to undermine his ego.
So, for the last couple of months the cord on the Dyson has been hinky. I got into the habit of holding the cord when I vacuumed because if I didn't there were times the thing would stop working. It turns out just inside the rubber cord cover where the electric cord entered the body of the machine, was wearing through and about to completely break. The rubber cover extents roughly 3 inches off the body of the vacuum and the break was inside that section. LJ offered to fix it, but5 I knew what that meant - a knob of electrical tape over a graft in an area where the rubber cord cover would not have permitted that. I declined and said I'd take that on.
Amen for YouTube. I found a fix it video in short order, telling me how to take the vacuum apart. Once I'd dissembled the top part of the vacuum, I was able to slide the cord cover off its attachment to machine, and down the cord itself,to reveal where the copper wire had snapped through completely. Finding what I needed to replace, the Dyson went into the attic for the week, until the part arrived, courtesy of Amazon. Cost? $13.25, shipping included. I've just finished putting the vacuum back together, and having just vacuumed to living room, which needed it badly after the week the Dyson sat up in the attic. Moreover, the vacuum looks like it did before the repair was required.
I'm now pondering taking on my lamp sometime in the not too distant future.
