If you've ever despaired of getting your vacuum cleaner fixed or thought that your broken lamp was a lost cause, there's hope. A worldwide movement is trying to reform our throwaway approach to possessions.
The movement's foundation is the Repair Cafe, a local meeting place that brings together people with broken items and repair coaches, or volunteers, with the expertise to fix them.
[...] "One of the things that makes it challenging and interesting is that we don't know what people are going to bring," Ray Pfau, an organizer of a Repair Cafe in Bolton, Mass., said in an email.
Lamps top the list of items brought in to be repaired, followed by vacuum cleaners, Mr. Wackman said. The types of repairs offered vary by location and reflect the particular talent in a community, he said.
New Paltz [in upstate New York] has a repair person with a national reputation as a doll expert. It also has a "Listening Corner" with a psychiatric nurse "because being listened to is a 'reparative act,' " he said.
The cafes invite people to bring their "beloved but broken" possessions to the gatherings, which are hosted in church basements, libraries, town halls and senior centers. The cafes make no guarantees that items will be fixed.
"All we can guarantee is that you will have an interesting time," Mr. Wackman said.
The gatherings tend to draw professionals, retirees and hobbyists who volunteer as repair coaches.
None in my area but I would be tempted to show up and help. I like to fix things and have a decent success rate, just coaxed some more life out of our ~30 year old garage door opener.
Similar article at: http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/repair-cafe/ and the main website is at: https://repaircafe.org/en/about/ (also available for NL, FR, DE & ES)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ledow on Tuesday January 24 2017, @01:07PM
Though I agree with the concept, actually the amount of things that can be effectively repaired is shrinking quickly.
I'm sure vacuums are okay for little breakages and things, but once the motor goes, or an odd-shaped bit of plastic, then you're throwing it away.
I'm sure you can repair some things like toasters and stuff but generally the cost of liability if you get it wrong is prohibitive - in the UK, most charity shops don't even offer donated electrical products (even if working) due to electrical safety regulations on sales. Unless they can afford a PAT test on an appliance, they won't sell it on, and in a charity shop it probably costs more than the item's worth to get it tested.
And despite being a tinkerer, a repairer, a wirer, there are so many items in my house that I just can't approach, that I often sigh and just buy another. Even when you can get the parts, or an identical replacement, the hassle involved often isn't worth it.
And as stuff gets more and more technological, it gets worse and worse. I can't even look at my washing machine, it's far too complex. The dishwasher I could change bits inside but wouldn't be able to do anything if a pump stopped or the program didn't work. Even lamps - which were traditionally a hard-wired bulb - are now touch-sensitive, dimmable, LED-compatible, etc. so have electronics that blow and you can't replace.
It used to be the same with cars - everything was replaceable, bodgeable, etc. Now it's just a case of buying a whole new module or nothing.
And "broken" items don't break in the ways you might expect. Plastics are my biggest nightmare. If the plastics on your toaster goes, you're stuffed, or potentially using it unsafely. There's no proper way to repair it. Same for everything - every laptop I've ever had die has died because of broken hinges and plastics destroying themselves. I have a stock of old laptop screens which still function find if you plug them into the accompanying laptop board, but they aren't compatible with others, and you can't fabricate or source the plastics to make them a whole item again.
Though I applaud the initiative, as well as the community spirit of such a venture, there's not much you can do nowadays. And the kind of thing that can be done, any passing guy who's "handy" can do for you. Everyone I know has someone like that already.
I work in a school and I've repaired the children's spectacles when they break them. But only if they break in a fortunate way (i.e. losing a screw we can replace, or metal frames we can bend back into shape). It's the same kind of thing.
The amount of things that I take one look at and just say to people "get a new one" is getting more each day.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday January 24 2017, @01:27PM
Just imagine this: Sex doll repair.
Somebody gotta do it.
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(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday January 24 2017, @01:32PM
Shit, sex robots are far more complicated and the unpaid volunteer maker faire can't repair it. Gotta save up through my next few basic income checks.
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(Score: 3, Informative) by lentilla on Wednesday January 25 2017, @12:12AM
Sex doll repair is the starting premise for film Cherry 2000. The main character's sexbot short-circuits and he takes her in for repair. The repairman is somewhat of a connoisseur and is a particular aficionado of the Cherry model. He laments to his client:
"They don't make them like this any more. [...] I know how it is, you're like me, you're a romantic. [...] But you and I both know, each one of these honeys is special, got her own special magic, her own special way, ain't that true."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 25 2017, @01:44AM
at my house we use a watermelon. when we're done we feed it to the pledges
(Score: 2) by nobu_the_bard on Tuesday January 24 2017, @01:38PM
What about 3D printing? Is that a solution to fabricating some of these things? I have no experience with 3D printing personally so I honestly do not know if it is impossible or simply impractical.
(Score: 2) by ledow on Tuesday January 24 2017, @02:12PM
Not really.
Getting the part shape needs a model, or an existing part to 3D scan.
Doing so commercially is likely a patent violation.
The plastics used in anything affordable aren't going to last long at all, especially as the original parts are likely to have broken because they were under great stress in the first place.
And even if there was a readily-available bunch of 3D models of every part from the manufacturer in question, which worked, and you could print them out, the cost of the machine to do so + the plastic + the time is likely to be greater than just buying a replacement part.
Maybe for things that aren't available ANY other way, but they'll never match the quality of the original component with current tech, without spending orders of magnitude more money than it would ever recoup.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday January 24 2017, @06:04PM
Which is the advantage of having multiple "repair cafes" in a big city.
If, every week, you get tens of replacement parts to make (fitting the 3D-print constraints you explained), you might end up getting the economies of scale you need, eventually.
If it's done on a voluntary basis by people helping those who can't afford to buy new stuff, or just by people fighting our growing garbage piles, and the costs keep plummeting, there's a point where it will make sense.
I don't think you'll get many judges to agree that replacing a piece of a 10-year-old vacuum is a punishable offense, given the rate of design changes, and especially if you're on the West Coast.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Fnord666 on Tuesday January 24 2017, @06:04PM
What about 3D printing? Is that a solution to fabricating some of these things? I have no experience with 3D printing personally so I honestly do not know if it is impossible or simply impractical.
It is indeed. I have done it for several appliances. One part for a toaster and another part for the icemaker in a refrigerator for example. Many of the plastics that you can print with are the same plastics that were used to create the part in the first place. They may have a slightly different finish since they are printed layer by layer rather than injection molded, but it will be functional. As for design, unless the broken part is mangled beyond recognition it doesn't take too much to measure it and model a new one. That could even be a part of a Repair Cafe if it was held in a Maker Space for instance, where 3D printing and software might be available.
(Score: 1) by purple_cobra on Tuesday January 24 2017, @08:41PM
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 24 2017, @01:40PM
Even lamps - which were traditionally a hard-wired bulb - are now touch-sensitive, dimmable, LED-compatible, etc. so have electronics that blow and you can't replace.
Who is buying these complicated lamps? Most of the ones in the stores are still the plain ol' hardwired type with no electronics.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Unixnut on Tuesday January 24 2017, @02:18PM
> Who is buying these complicated lamps? Most of the ones in the stores are still the plain ol' hardwired type with no electronics.
People with more money then sense. Same as it always was.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 24 2017, @03:13PM
Indeed. I only have simple lamps. The most complicated one I have is on a dimmer switch and the dimmer switch is really just based upon resistance.
The complicated and expensive bit of my lighting set up is that I'm using Phillips Hue to handle that. Not user fixable, but they should last long enough that it doesn't much matter.
(Score: 2) by tekk on Tuesday January 24 2017, @06:35PM
Even those lamps can be....interesting.
One particular model of lamp you get from Walmart will die if you unplug it after it's been plugged in for too long. Don't ask me how. All the connections are solid, my only possible thought is that they do something fucked with the wiring inside the case to self-destruct. Something something planned obsolescence...
(Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Tuesday January 24 2017, @07:31PM
Well the filament in the bulb could be damaged by moving, but I assume you would have checked that.
(Score: 2) by tekk on Tuesday January 24 2017, @08:18PM
Yep, tried with different bulbs. I'm keeping it around until I finally bother to pick up a multimeter to test continuity.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Corelli's A on Tuesday January 24 2017, @04:41PM
I agree that design for repairability seems to be less important now. However, all is not lost.
The internet has brought about two significant changes for non-professionals who fix things: parts and forums. Now I can find all sorts of replacement parts that were not accessible to the average person 30 years ago. I found handles for our countertop electric griddle, an intermittent-pilot for my furnace, and a thermostat for my coffee maker, just to pick a few examples.
There are forums for any specific kind of car, for appliance repair, etc. I don't think I have needed to use a mechanic for diagnosis in fifteen years, and I only use them for tire installs/alignment and air conditioner work (2 cars from the 90's and 2 from the 00's). I learned just about all of my car knowledge from other people on the net who shared their experience.
A great way to build competence is to take your broken stuff apart and see how it works. It's an easy decision if you are already planning on buying a replacement appliance or whatever. After a while you begin to know what sorts of things commonly go wrong.
Vacuum cleaner motors: I have replaced the brushes on mine twice. Toaster ovens and coffee makers: I have lost count of the times I have restored these after the thermal fuse blew. Those fuses are made with a spring and wax. Over time, the wax gives way and the fuse opens. They are about a dollar and attach with a crimper. As for "modules," my experience has been variable. I was able to jumper around a failed electrical weld on an ABS module; still working 10 years later. I found a failed solder joint in another car's HVAC module; reflowed it and restored function. Home furnace control modules are fairly standardized, and there are lots of third-party solid-state replacements for when yours fails due to mechanical relay wear.
It's not all sweetness and light. Whirlpool/Maytag/Kenmore can eat a big bowl o'dicks for its short-lived dishwasher racks, their exorbitant cost to replace, and discontinuation less then ten years after the brand new unit was installed.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Grishnakh on Tuesday January 24 2017, @05:50PM
It's not all sweetness and light. Whirlpool/Maytag/Kenmore can eat a big bowl o'dicks for its short-lived dishwasher racks, their exorbitant cost to replace, and discontinuation less then ten years after the brand new unit was installed.
Kenmore doesn't make dishwashers, or anything else for that matter. They just rebadge stuff made by other companies (like Whirlpool, though I saw some laundry machines recently that sure looked a lot like LG units). So some might be good, others might be crap, it just depends on who really made it and what it really is. I have a ~10-year-old Kenmore washing machine, but it's really a Whirlpool Duet.
Whirpool, Maytag, and Frigidaire are all the same company now. They're the last American appliance maker (though much of their stuff is now made in Mexico). And their stuff is short-lived crap. Avoid. Get stuff from Samsung or LG now. Samsung might make an exploding washing machine once in a while, but it's still a lot better than the Whirlpool/Maytag crap.
Your post is great, and should be modded up instead of the "new stuff all sucks! you can't fix anything any more!" old-fart drivel you replied to. You're exactly right: the internet has made it much easier for DIYers to fix stuff: it's so much easier to find parts (thanks Ebay!), and you can find Youtube videos showing how to fix many things. Forums for specific things (like car brands) are also invaluable. And much of this stuff is Googlable, and failure modes are usually common to a certain product, so if yours failed, it's quite likely a bunch of other people have had the exact same problem, and you can learn from them what the problem is and how to fix it. You couldn't do this 30+ years ago.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 24 2017, @06:14PM
A great way to build competence is to take your broken stuff apart and see how it works. It's an easy decision if you are already planning on buying a replacement appliance or whatever. After a while you begin to know what sorts of things commonly go wrong.
Yes. By the third time I had to dismantle a leaf shredder that kept breaking down I discovered a design flaw, namely that the power switch had a rubber cover on the outside to keep out dust but there were holes in the back of it inside the unit and that is where dust kept getting blown in where it would coat the contacts and jam the mechanism. Some silicone caulk over those damn holes and the thing never malfunctioned again. I wonder how many other people simply got fed up with theirs and threw it away.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday January 24 2017, @05:20PM
Odd shaped bit of plastic -> 3D printer (yes, yes, I know the structural limitations...)
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by jcross on Wednesday January 25 2017, @05:29PM
It's not just the structural limitations. Someone will need to reverse-engineer that part and create a CAD model of it, which unless it's a very very simple part is going to be time consuming. I guess it could be laser-scanned, but for anything with specific mechanical functions or tight tolerances my guess is that scan data will be too dirty and/or inaccurate to be used directly.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday January 25 2017, @08:13PM
All depends on how important the widget is to you. Start with a laser scan, print a prototype, identify the problems (too big here, too small there, maybe needs to be thicker somewhere for strength), then refine the 3D model and do it again. Time consuming, but not impossible, or resource intensive. Decent 3D printers are under $1000, and you can use them to print out a rotary table that enables a cellphone to become a 3D scanner, small parts are usually pennies worth of plastic, it's all in the time cost.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by jcross on Wednesday January 25 2017, @08:28PM
Yeah I guess the cost of the time depends on the other possible ways you might like to spend it.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday January 25 2017, @08:47PM
I'm not suggesting that this in any way makes repair a cost-attractive option. People with 3D modeling skills are in demand and can earn enough per hour that the time spent futzing around with a part-model could easily amount to enough lost income to just buy a new whatever-it-came-from and send the old one to the landfill.
On the other hand, if you have free time that you don't want to spend "working" and your 1967 blender that has served you faithfully for 50 years just needs a simple plastic piece to get it functional again, maybe spending 20 hours repairing it isn't about the money, but more about doing it because you can.
I think that's pretty much the capstone statement on thingiverse.com : because we can.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1) by charon on Tuesday January 24 2017, @05:57PM
I work in a store that does repairs. We see this problem a lot. My mechanic identifies the part that needs replacement, but the manufacturer does not offer it, only the larger sub-assembly that contains it. So we, that is, our customer, have to buy a bunch of extra parts that go unused. Or parts of a machine that was new two years ago that are no longer available. The culture of planned obsolescence is strong.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 24 2017, @06:10PM
To tangent into economics: this is a perfect example of the failures of capitalism. I don't advocate another failed system, just that we need to find ways to fix the current problems. When a company intentionally designs a product to break we have a real problem. The planet is getting trashed, and putting a profit motive behind creating more trash is insanity with regards to the large scale of humanity and long term planning.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 24 2017, @06:39PM
> ... the amount of things that can be effectively repaired is shrinking quickly.
We must buy different kinds of things? My experience is diametrically opposite yours. First, things fail for stupid reasons, I've fixed many things by opening them up, cleaning out accumulated dust, unplug & reconnect connectors to clean the contacts.
Or maybe we use/abuse things differently? Have never had any problem with laptop hinges, have been using them as my main machine for nearly 20 years now. I will admit that most were ThinkPads (bought from IBM-Used), these are tougher than average.
When I was in high school and broke the bridge of my glasses (plastic frames), I fixed them with a bit of wire threaded through two small drilled holes that lashed the two sides together--worked for quite a long time.
When the leak from our older clothes washer got out of control, I looked it up on YouTube, found that it was easy to open the cabinet. Bought a replacement pump online for $15 and it was working after roughly an hour's worth of work. The motor shaft was pretty rusty, so there was some extra time cleaning that off before the pump would snap into place. Similar repair time for the dryer that was squealing like a stuck pig -- just needed clean and lube of the idler wheels that supported the drum.
A big part of the repairs at Repair Cafe are to soft goods -- clothing, stuffed toys, all kinds of fabrics. One of the lead photos shows someone teaching the use of a sewing machine. I was hoping (but didn't see) someone also repairing a sewing machine!
You sound resourceful, maybe you just give up too soon?
Or do you expect perfection? Not everything has to look perfect to be serviceable.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Tuesday January 24 2017, @06:56PM
Or maybe we use/abuse things differently? Have never had any problem with laptop hinges, have been using them as my main machine for nearly 20 years now. I will admit that most were ThinkPads (bought from IBM-Used), these are tougher than average.
Yep, I only buy used Dell Latitudes, and they're quite durable.
But even my relatives with cheap consumer laptops don't have that many problems.
(Score: 1) by toddestan on Saturday January 28 2017, @06:28PM
I've dealt with Dell Latitudes. The laptops are pretty solid, at least the older ones, but they chip the power supplies and if the laptop doesn't recognize the power supply it will then throttle the CPU way back and even refuse to charge the battery. The problem is after a few years something goes wrong (usually in the power supply but sometimes the laptop itself) and it no longer recognizes the power supply. Smells like planned obsolesce, but even if that wasn't the intent it's still customer-hostile.
Unfortunately my Thinkpad after 10 years is starting to have some issues with the plastic case cracking. My guess is the plastic is just getting brittle. Annoying but after 10 years I can't really complain too much. I guess I should have sprung for the more expensive T series rather than getting the cheaper R series. Oh well.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Monday January 30 2017, @04:40PM
Yep, I've had those problems with the Dell power supplies (and also one laptop where something failed inside the laptop and it wouldn't charge). That does seem to be their weak point. Luckily the power supplies are ubiquitous on Ebay (avoid the Chinese clones though), so it's an easy fix.
I don't think there's any perfect laptops out there; I just think Dell Latitudes are the best I've come across so far. The Thinkpads aren't what they used to be and are too plasticky IMO, and I really hate HP gear.
(Score: 1) by toddestan on Tuesday January 31 2017, @03:13AM
Luckily I have a spare power supply for the Latitude I have. Unfortunately both of them behave the same. I've been debating whether it's worth trying another brick, or maybe take the laptop apart and see if there's anything obviously wrong like a broken solder connection.
I agree Thinkpads aren't weren't they used to be, though they are still one of the better choices out there for a new laptop. I've been kind of waiting to see if the "Thinkpad Retro" becomes a real product, though pretty much all signs point to it not happening. And I have to agree about HP, they just don't last very long and I've used a few of their "high end" models and they really don't seem to perform anywhere near what their specs suggest they should perform at.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Tuesday January 31 2017, @09:39PM
Luckily I have a spare power supply for the Latitude I have. Unfortunately both of them behave the same. I've been debating whether it's worth trying another brick, or maybe take the laptop apart and see if there's anything obviously wrong like a broken solder connection.
I have 3 Latitudes (one is my employer's), and I think at least 4 power supplies of different sizes, so it's easier to figure out where the problem is like that. I had one Latitude (I still have it, but it's in pieces and not counted above) which doesn't work with any power supply; the problem is on the motherboard. So it's entirely possible you have a problem there. FWIW, I looked for broken solder connections and other easy problems and couldn't find any; it looks like some kind of component failure in the power section on the motherboard. Since I don't have a schematic and don't feel like taking apart an identical machine, I didn't bother searching any further, and just bought another one. Keep in mind, this was an old E6400 which was already probably 5-6 years old when it failed so it's not like I was out any real money. I ended up buying a used E6420 on Ebay which I use now. I loaded Linux Mint on the other E6400 I had and loaned it to a friend who doesn't have her own computer and couldn't afford a new Mac like she wanted, and so far she loves it and hasn't had any problems, and it's been probably 6 months now.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Tuesday January 24 2017, @06:52PM
This post is absolutely pathetic, especially for a "tech news" site. It sure is a good thing the non-techies out there are actually rolling their sleeves up, buying tools, and fixing stuff themselves, as they show on all their Youtube videos for fixing everything you can imagine. Meanwhile, all the "techies" and "engineers" here on SN and on the green site are throwing their hands up and saying "this newfangled stuff is too complicated for me! I have to either throw it away or hire a professional to fix it now! Waaaa!!". Meanwhile, the middle-aged regular Joes, the 20-something with art degrees, etc., are out there taking things apart and figuring out how to fix them, whether it's their car or their washing machine, and writing about it in forums or posting videos on Youtube. Or they're building all-new stuff out of Arduinos and Raspberry Pis, while the "techies" here sit around and moan that "I can't work on anything any more!" and getting modded up for saying so. I'm truly disgusted.
And despite being a tinkerer, a repairer, a wirer, there are so many items in my house that I just can't approach,
You're no tinkerer or repairer. You're a loser. You've given up.
I'm sure you can repair some things like toasters and stuff but generally the cost of liability if you get it wrong is prohibitive
You call yourself a "tinkerer" but you're worried about liability??? On a toaster? Are you that unsure of your abilities? If so, you're right, you shouldn't be repairing anything. Put your broken stuff up on Craigslist and give it to someone who can.
Even when you can get the parts, or an identical replacement, the hassle involved often isn't worth it.
Here again, lame excuses. It's true: for some things, repairing just isn't worth the hassle because you can buy a newer, better one so cheaply. This is the case with toasters IME. Why would I spend a lot of time fixing a 15-year-old toaster if I can just go buy a nice digitally-controlled one for $30 that does a much better job? (Incidentally, I do have one of those digital toasters now; I've had it for at least 3 years I think, and it still works great and looks like new even though I've moved a couple of times. It's a lot more accurate than the old ones ever were too.) But if it's not too old and crappy and the fix is cheap and easy, why not? There's always a repair-or-replace evaluation to be made when something fails; this isn't anything new, but the numbers have changed because a lot of consumer items are much cheaper (as a fraction of your salary) than they were decades ago. But cars and large appliances are still quite expensive and worth repairing usually.
I can't even look at my washing machine, it's far too complex.
That doesn't seem to stop all the Youtube DIYers. There's tons of videos showing how to fix relatively recent washers. I took out the "boot" in my front-loader recently and cleaned all the mildew out of it and put it back in; it wasn't very hard.
Even lamps - which were traditionally a hard-wired bulb - are now touch-sensitive, dimmable, LED-compatible, etc. so have electronics that blow and you can't replace.
Citation needed. WTF kind of lamps are you buying? The lamps I see are as simple as ever for the most part: the same shitty old Edison socket, some cheap, simple switch, and some wire and a plug. No one's forcing you to buy a touch-sensitive lamp.
It used to be the same with cars - everything was replaceable, bodgeable, etc. Now it's just a case of buying a whole new module or nothing.
Wow, this is just plain dumb. Cars haven't changed much in decades. Disc brakes, wheel bearings, are all the same. Most of the parts don't look much different than the cars 20 years ago. The main thing that's changed is the addition of new electronic modules. And yes, when those fail usually people just replace the whole module, but that's nothing new either; it was the same 20-30 years ago. Mechanics never took apart ECUs or relay modules to repair solder defects, they just replaced the whole thing and charged you a ton for it. At least now you can buy scan tools on the internet for your car from China so you can fix things yourself.
And "broken" items don't break in the ways you might expect. Plastics are my biggest nightmare. If the plastics on your toaster goes, you're stuffed, or potentially using it unsafely.
What kind of cheap POS toasters are you buying?
Same for everything - every laptop I've ever had die has died because of broken hinges and plastics destroying themselves.
What kind of cheap POS laptops are you buying?
I have a stock of old laptop screens which still function find if you plug them into the accompanying laptop board, but they aren't compatible with others, and you can't fabricate or source the plastics to make them a whole item again.
And why would you want to? Those old screens probably have terrible resolution and color. If they're actually any good, you can resell them on Ebay to people who actually have a positive attitude about repairing things. I have no trouble buying any part at all on Ebay for the enterprise laptops I use. If your laptops were actually worth repairing, you'd just buy replacement parts on Ebay.
I'm honestly sick of this moaning and groaning and scare-mongering, especially from people who claim to be technical. Things are generally better than ever for repairing things, thanks to the internet, Youtube, pirated repair manuals, and message forums. It would be nice if there was a law requiring repair manuals to be freely available, but this is nothing new either; that stuff used to be impossible for anyone except "qualified technicians" to get their hands on (usually at an exorbitant price); this was how TV repair shops stayed in business.
(Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Wednesday January 25 2017, @12:55AM
By liability, I was assuming they meant that insurance companies would refuse to cover fire damage if any non-certified appliance is plugged in.
However, checking wikipedia:
- Portable appliance testing [wikipedia.org].
It appears that if you are competent enough to fix a toaster yourself, you should have the ability to do the PAT testing yourself as well.
In Canada insurance companies want UL or CSA certification. I looked into CSA certification a little bit: they essentially certify a production run. There is no way to certify one-off projects. For example, you need to give them a samples for (destructive) testing. Kind of pointless if it is the sole prototype.
The classic way manufactures get around that is wall-warts (Class 2 power supplies). All of the dangerous voltages and currents are regulated by a mass-produced commodity. That way, your insurance company does not go ape-shit if they find a single-board computer plugged in after a fire (unless it is obviously the cause).
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday January 25 2017, @04:25PM
If your toaster is UL certified, it doesn't magically lose that logo when you repair it. I'm not talking about building your own toaster here, I was only talking about repairing products you own.
Finally, most of us here are in the US, so we don't have the level of regulation you're talking about. As far as your "PAT Inspection", if "regular user checks and visual inspections are sufficient", I fail to see how the law is even necessary since there's no way to enforce that. Anyone could just claim they regularly looked at their toaster.
(Score: 2) by Sulla on Wednesday January 25 2017, @02:28AM
Going to have to agree with you on this. With the exception of anything that I would need to program I have not come across something that I could not fix or at least break until its completely irrepairable. There are some things that I do not feel I have the time to fix though. I recently had the brushes fail on a very old sander, my backup very old sanders wiring frayed and failed. Both are fixable, brushes were on backorder and not expected to be restocked and who knows how long fixing the wiring will take me. Had to get stuff done for christmas so bought another sander. I wll fix both of them, but my primary function is not fixing things it is doing things. I will always prefer to fix rather than be wasteful but if it is impeeding my other projects I will be buying a replacement and fixing it when I have time.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam