I get an inordinate amount of pleasure repairing my own stuff – especially when it is something that I never tried to repair myself before. My latest repair attempt was with my 24 year old fridge.
At times, I have noticed that the fan in my freezer gets really loud and sometimes the temperature in the fridge feels warmer than other times. Not trusting myself to be a human thermometer, I bought thermometers to monitor the temps. The good news is that everything is nice and cold.
The bad news is the fan got so loud recently that it was disturbing my sleep.
And so, I turned to the internet to find solutions. Several videos later, I had narrowed it down to a problem with the evaporator fan or evaporator fan motor in the back of the freezer. It could be the fan, the motor or ice buildup.
Yesterday afternoon I investigated by dissembling the freezer (a first for me) so I could get a good look at the components. I found nothing amiss. But I did realize that I had packed the freezer more than usual because I’d done two grocery store runs in a week and had overstocked.
When I reassembled the freezer, I moved some of the meat into the fridge to free up freezer space in the the hopes of improving air circulation.
It worked!
My fan has hummed quietly ever since.
In the meantime, I’ve searched online for replacement parts just in case the noise happens again. I also traipsed down the appliance aisle at Home Depot to price a replacement fridge. Due to the pandemic (of course), a basic new fridge will now cost $700-$800 vs. the $500 it was pre-pandemic.
But, whatever. Now I know.
One day this fridge will die. 24 years is quite a lifespan. When it does, I might call an appliance repairman to fix it. But eventually I’ll have to bite the bullet and replace it.
Until then, I will enjoy the pride I feel by “fixing” it myself.
I started doing DIY projects many years ago because to try to save money. It was frustrating because I sucked at it.
Plumbing projects turned into leaks I couldn’t stop. Paint and patching jobs looked like a toddler had smeared paste on the wall. Doors wouldn’t close tightly. Light fixtures hung crookedly. And I was left frustrated and feeling incompetent.
Even worse, sometimes I had to hire a pro to come in and clean up after me.
As I got older, two things changed:
- The Internet became a resource. User forums and YouTube have become a treasure trove for “DIY” how to information.
- I learned to be patient. Instead of expecting everything to go fine the first time I attempted a fix, I recognize that it is likely to be harder than the videos show me. I know it will take longer than expected and that I will run into unforeseen problems – stripped screws, broken parts, items that don’t match my videos, etc.
A a result, I’ve started to enjoy doing DIY projects – especially after I finish them.
I love walking around my house and looking at the walls I’ve painted, the ceilings I patched, the washing machine I repaired, the leak I fixed, the faucet I replaced. Not a single one is as “good” as a professional would have done. And yet, every single time I look at one of them I feel a little burst of pride because I did it.