Diagnosing in Jack of All Trades: Can You Fix It?

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GuideWes Dunbar3 Oct 20267 min

Hang a Pre-Hung Door So It Doesn't Drift Open at 2 a.m.

Most bad door installs get decided before the first nail. Diagnose the opening, set the hinge side first, and the latch takes care of itself.

Unclog a Drain With a Plunger, a Snake and Ten Minutes

Skip the caustic bottle. Diagnose the clog first, then work through the stopper, the plunger and the trap in that order.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Your Mower Won't Start. Check Spark, Fuel, Air In That Order

Most no-start mowers come down to five dollars of parts and forty minutes. Work the order and you'll find it before lunch.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20267 min

Reglue a Wobbly Chair So It Outlasts the Rest of the Set

Squirting glue into a loose joint buys you about four months. Taking the chair apart and cleaning it properly buys you thirty years.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

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6 min read

Your Garbage Disposal Hums But Won't Spin

The 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.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Why Your Garage Door Stops Halfway and What to Fix First

Five minutes of diagnosis tells you whether this is an eight-dollar can of lubricant or a call to a spring guy.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Fix a Sticking Door Before You Reach for the Plane

Nine times out of ten it's a loose hinge screw, not a swollen door. Find the rub, then fix it in the right order.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

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GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Your Dishwasher Won't Drain. Do This Before You Call Anyone

Four 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.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Fix a Dryer That Runs But Never Gets Hot

Three 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.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20265 min

A Dead Outlet, Diagnosed in the Right Order

Before 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.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

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GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

A Dripping Faucet Tells You Which Part Failed

Where 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.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Your Furnace Won't Fire. Check These Three Things First

A 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.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Patching Drywall Without Making It Worse

Nail pops, doorknob holes and the four-foot disaster behind the couch, fixed in the order a working guy actually does them.

Fire Without Matches Is a Tinder Problem, Not a Spark Problem

A ferro rod, a bow drill and a 9-volt battery will all make fire. Only one should be your plan, and none of them work without the boring part.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

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StoryHistoryMarcus Vale1 Oct 20266 min

A Hundred Years Ago, Christmas Started With a Catalog

Raccoons at the White House, candles on the tree, and a whole country waiting on the mail. What the holidays of 1926 can still teach your family.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

Travel6 min

Same lake, same week, every summer

Life6 min

Stop saying "we should get together" and pick a Tuesday

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideRecipesWes Dunbar30 Sept 20266 min

Big-Batch Chili for Twelve, Finished in the Oven

Tripling a chili for four in one pot is how you burn the bottom. Brown in batches, finish it at 300 degrees and make it the day before.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

Food6 min read

Run a chili cook-off the guy with the most friends can't rig

Blind cups, a real score sheet, one breaker you'll definitely trip, and a trophy people will actually fight over next year.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

Older articles

Diagnosing in Jack of All Trades: Can You Fix It?

Latest news · Diagnosing

Hang a Pre-Hung Door So It Doesn't Drift Open at 2 a.m.

Sweating a Copper Joint Is Mostly About Getting the Water Out

A warm fridge is usually dirty coils or a dead fan

Straightening a Leaning Fence Post Without Tearing Out the Fence

What to check when the hot water quits

Fix a Flat and Dial In the Brakes on Every Bike in the Garage

Unclog a Drain With a Plunger, a Snake and Ten Minutes

Your Mower Won't Start. Check Spark, Fuel, Air In That Order

Reglue a Wobbly Chair So It Outlasts the Rest of the Set

Your Garbage Disposal Hums But Won't Spin

Why Your Garage Door Stops Halfway and What to Fix First

Fix a Sticking Door Before You Reach for the Plane

Your Dishwasher Won't Drain. Do This Before You Call Anyone

Fix a Dryer That Runs But Never Gets Hot

A Dead Outlet, Diagnosed in the Right Order

A Dripping Faucet Tells You Which Part Failed

Your Furnace Won't Fire. Check These Three Things First

Patching Drywall Without Making It Worse

Fire Without Matches Is a Tinder Problem, Not a Spark Problem

A Hundred Years Ago, Christmas Started With a Catalog

Same lake, same week, every summer

Stop saying "we should get together" and pick a Tuesday

Big-Batch Chili for Twelve, Finished in the Oven

Run a chili cook-off the guy with the most friends can't rig