Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series. It is recommended… among them CNN staffers share their passions and appreciation for things, places, hobbies, arts and culture. Past essays include: Bird feeder, Classic Movies and Pick-up Basketball.
CNN
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If I were to design a family crest, I would depict a rusty lawnmower in a weed-overgrown field with the motto “If it's broken, don't worry” above it – in Latin, of course.
My father was an Army surgeon who operated on wounded soldiers, but he didn't understand anything mechanical, automotive, or electronic. He would drive miles with the oil light on, signaling the engine was about to seize up. We had a garage full of riding lawn mowers, tillers, trimmers, and other machines that needed repairs due to abuse and neglect.
And if a light goes out in your fridge, you're stuck searching for milk in the dark until the repairman arrives.
I have followed his example and spent most of my adult life replacing things that stopped working or calling in professionals for “big” jobs like flushing toilets and broken light switches.
The day television exploded, everything changed.
oh dear, whole The TV is a crucial piece of equipment, too large and expensive to drive all the way from my Brooklyn home to a Best Buy for repairs. Naturally, my first instinct was to find out how much it would cost to replace. The answer was around $1,000. However, while searching online for that particular model, I found several posts discussing a common problem: a part on that TV model called the color wheel was prone to failing spectacularly, with explosions of light and shattering glass.
Among the posts was a link to a YouTube video with step-by-step instructions on how to replace the problematic part. I clicked on the link and sure enough, there was a TV on a work bench, along with some tools like a screwdriver and pliers.
Watching the first of two videos, I removed dozens of screws, panels, and circuit boards, taking digital photos before and after each step and leaving a trail of breadcrumbs as the shattered color wheel emerged from deep within the TV. The second video showed the installation of the new wheel, followed by the work of replacing all the pieces strewn across the workbench and tightening the last screw. The total time for the job was 45 minutes.
At that point, I decided I had little to lose except my time and dignity, so I ordered a replacement part for a few hundred dollars, which arrived the next day. I placed the TV on the kitchen island next to my laptop, played a YouTube video, and grabbed a screwdriver.
Six hours later the job was done.
I took a deep breath, plugged the TV back in, pressed the power button, and said a prayer to the electronics gods. A moment later, the color wheel started to ring and Channel 4 filled the screen. I felt like I'd won.
That was about 15 years ago, but since that first foray into the DIY world, I've taken on a few similar projects. Instead of picking up the phone, I've scoured the Internet for videos, lost instructions or repair manuals, and even threads of questions posed in space like, “Does anyone know how to descale a Breville espresso maker?” (Yes, I know, I know, I know, but I know I know, … dozens There are countless tutorial videos on the subject alone.
Another benefit of a DIY project is that it saves you the embarrassment of having to stop a store clerk and ask, “Where is the device that turns off the toilet water (called a flapper)?”
After purchasing three flappers and returning two of them, I've learned not to take the word “universal” on a replacement part package for granted. Take a photo of the broken part and measure it, or you'll be sure to pick up the wrong part when you get to the right aisle at Home Depot.
After some trial and error (mostly failure), I discovered that most of the replacement parts could be found quickly and easily online and could likely be installed with just patience and a few simple tools like a screwdriver, an adjustable wrench, and pliers.
Seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Moment RF/Getty Images/File
Let's say you backed your minivan into your neighbor's driveway and hit your taillight twice. Ugh. Instead of making an appointment at a dealership, you can type “2016 Toyota Sienna passenger side taillight” into Google and get 12 websites selling new or used replacement parts called “taillight assemblies” that incorporate brake lights and turn signals.
A new replacement assembly will usually cost between $40 and $100, and again, you'll likely find a video made by someone sick of paying service department fees that will show you how to remove the broken assembly and install a new one.
I'm not exaggerating when I say that the last time I replaced a taillight, it took me less than five minutes, just the driver. Some parts, like a cracked side-mirror cover, literally click into place. An engine air filter that would cost $75 at the dealership costs about $20 online and installs in seconds.
Does all this make me sound like a miser? Probably. But installing a new dishwasher in the afternoon and having the dishes clean in time for dinner also makes me a household hero (with a lowercase “h” instead of “super”). It also fills me with the same sense of pride and accomplishment I felt when I completed the Lego Millennium Falcon with my boys (spoiler alert: they crashed it).
Are there any repairs you shouldn't recommend trying yourself? Absolutely. Don't mess with light switches or outlets unless you're 100% sure where the main breaker switch is. Same goes for installing a smart thermostat. Electricity will kill you. So will natural gas. Leave gas dryers and gas stoves to the pros.
Plumbing is hard. Putting on a new washing machine or unclogging a toilet is easy. A new dishwasher isn't hard either, once you know how. Just make sure you turn off the water valve before you start. anythingWhen you're done, slowly turn off the tap and “stop, look and listen” for drips or leaks. Water can do just as much damage to your home as fire.
When it comes to regular car maintenance like oil changes, be environmentally conscious and take your car to a shop that will responsibly store your old oil for future recycling, but feel free to tell them you're going to change your engine filter and cabin air filter yourself because you found this great how-to video online.
Have you ever had a project that went awry? Absolutely. After having new floors professionally installed, I thought I'd save some money and paint new baseboards myself. I spent two hours on my hands and knees applying blue tape, then got to work. After three hours my back was sore, my wrists were sore, and after four hours I lay down and swore, but the job was done.
The next morning, I peeled the tape off to find a thin border of white paint left around the edge of my new hardwood floors. I spent two hours carefully scraping it off with a razor.
One last thing on the path to becoming a do-it-yourselfer: Early on in my how-to journey, I stumbled across a video about plumbing that had the best advice I've ever received regarding a home repair or renovation project: “If the tools you need to make a repair cost more than the cost of hiring someone who already has the tools, hire that person.”
Now, is there anyone who can do the puttying?