Wet. Cool or warm, but probably wet. Yesterday started with an inch of rain and thunderstorms. The day cleared with occasional short spatters of rain, but ended with a beautiful sunset, and a pleasant night. Today might get rain, might get lots of rain, or might not. I’m hoping ‘not’.
I didn’t get a lot done, but I did finish one repair. Got the sprinkler pump connected to the piping. The local hardware store didn’t have the exact replacement fittings, but I was able to make a combination that got the job done. I wasn’t the only one standing in front of the limited stock holding pieces up and trying combinations…
Since I was chatting with my fisherman buddy, and working on the dock anyway, I decided to work on a low priority but also low involvement project- fixing one of the propane patio heaters. SHOULD have been straightforward. The gas pipe that goes between the tank and the burner assembly rusted through at the tank end. Yes, the chinese made all the rest of the commercial grade product from stainless steel, brass, and copper, but chose to make the one crucial tube out of steel. Fuskers. I figured to replace the pipe with a hose. Simple fix. Except that out of 20 pounds of gas fittings, I don’t have the miniature one they used at the top of the pipe. So there is a box of parts waiting for next time.
I mention it because that sort of design cheapness really chaps my nether regions. The pipe could have been a rust resistant metal like all the other pipes in the heater. Or it could have been a stock or semi-stock hose assembly. But they chose to make a custom part, and made it from inferior materials. It’s very far from a “green” or renewable approach, and probably didn’t even make economic sense compared to a stock part. And it failed, rendering the entire multi hundred dollar device unusable. I’ll fix it, because I like fixing stuff, but it should have lasted for years longer.
Oh, and there was ONE steel screw in the whole heater too, and of course it was rusted solid. Quittin’ time in Shenzen, ‘just get it out the door’ mentality.
In the plus column for me, while I was poking at the heater, my buddy was fishing, and giving me a lesson on baits and hooks. Staying on the dock so I could chat with him was a big part of my decision to spend time on a low priority task.
It’s also an example of how even if you buy quality (and it’s a very heavy duty commercial grade patio heater) you aren’t guaranteed long service life or repairability.
It’s Spring, time for spring cleaning and all the start of the season maintenance tasks. Take a good look at your stuff and make sure it’s in good repair. If not, fix it, or make sure you have access to the parts you’ll need. Or plan to do without if it breaks. That’s why “two is one, and one is none.”
Stack some backups.
nick