Archive
Can You Fix It: every article
17 articles, newest first.
23 September 202617 pieces
- Can You Fix ItA warm fridge is usually dirty coils or a dead fanWork the problem in order, with a thermometer, a nut driver and a shop vac, and you'll fix most of them in an afternoon for under fifty bucks.
- Can You Fix ItStraightening a Leaning Fence Post Without Tearing Out the FenceMost leaning posts don't need replacing. Find out which kind you have with a screwdriver, then fix it in an afternoon for under fifty bucks.
- Can You Fix ItWhat to check when the hot water quitsStart at the breaker or the pilot light, not at the parts counter — a step-by-step diagnosis for gas and electric tanks, and the point where you stop.
- Can You Fix ItFix a Flat and Dial In the Brakes on Every Bike in the GarageFour bikes, one Saturday morning, about sixty dollars of tools. Diagnose the flat before you patch it, and never skip the brake check.
- Can You Fix ItUnclog a Drain With a Plunger, a Snake and Ten MinutesSkip the caustic bottle. Diagnose the clog first, then work through the stopper, the plunger and the trap in that order.
- Can You Fix ItYour Mower Won't Start. Check Spark, Fuel, Air In That OrderMost no-start mowers come down to five dollars of parts and forty minutes. Work the order and you'll find it before lunch.
- Can You Fix ItReglue a Wobbly Chair So It Outlasts the Rest of the SetSquirting glue into a loose joint buys you about four months. Taking the chair apart and cleaning it properly buys you thirty years.
- Can You Fix ItYour Garbage Disposal Hums But Won't SpinThe hum means the motor is fine and something is jammed against the impeller. Fix it in twenty minutes with a $3 wrench, in this order.
- Can You Fix ItWhy Your Garage Door Stops Halfway and What to Fix FirstFive minutes of diagnosis tells you whether this is an eight-dollar can of lubricant or a call to a spring guy.
- Can You Fix ItFix a Sticking Door Before You Reach for the PlaneNine times out of ten it's a loose hinge screw, not a swollen door. Find the rub, then fix it in the right order.
- Can You Fix ItYour Dishwasher Won't Drain. Do This Before You Call AnyoneFour inches of gray water in the tub is almost never a dead machine. Work the blockage points in order and most of these fix themselves in an hour.
- Can You Fix ItFix a Dryer That Runs But Never Gets HotThree parts cause almost every no-heat dryer, and one of them costs twelve bucks. Diagnose in the right order and you'll be dry by dinner.
- Can You Fix ItA Dead Outlet, Diagnosed in the Right OrderBefore you buy a receptacle or call anybody, work the circuit from the cheapest cause to the most expensive. Most dead outlets die from three things.
- Can You Fix ItA Dripping Faucet Tells You Which Part FailedWhere the water shows up decides whether you need a 50-cent washer, a $6 seat kit or a $28 cartridge. Diagnose before you buy anything.
- Can You Fix ItYour Furnace Won't Fire. Check These Three Things FirstA cold house at 6 a.m. usually comes down to a dead thermostat, a choked filter or a flame sensor with a film on it. Fifteen dollars and an hour.
- Can You Fix ItPatching Drywall Without Making It WorseNail pops, doorknob holes and the four-foot disaster behind the couch, fixed in the order a working guy actually does them.
- Can You Fix ItFix a Running Toilet in Twenty Minutes for Under Twenty DollarsThe sound your toilet makes tells you which part died. One costs eight bucks, the other costs fifteen, and both swap out with your bare hands.