c/abq-home-maintenance

Finally hit 10,000 views on my adobe repair tutorial video

I posted a quick video about patching a crack in my interior plaster wall a few months back and it just crossed 10k views. Super surprised since I figured nobody would care about my shaky phone footage of me messing with joint compound. Has anyone else had a random how-to video or post take off way more than you expected?

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rowan2•3d ago

Warning: Ignoring your water heater anode rod for 5 years

Pulled mine out yesterday and it was just a rusty wire nub. The tank started leaking 2 days later and cost me $800 for a new install. Check yours before it's too late, has anyone else dealt with a rusty rod?

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rileyellis•4d ago

Comparison of sprinkler timers: old dial timer vs new smart timer, and the old one wins every time

I spent $80 on a fancy smart sprinkler timer last spring thinking it would save me time and water. But after 6 months of fighting with the app, losing wifi connection, and it glitching out during our monsoon season, I swapped it for the old school Orbit dial timer I had in the garage. That thing cost maybe $25 and I set it in 5 minutes, no phone required. It's been running fine for 4 months now without a single hiccup. Anyone else ditch the smart tech and go back to simple stuff for their yard?

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hart.mark•5d ago

Tried using pine needles as mulch under my piñon trees last fall

After three months of heavy snow and wind, every single pine needle stayed put while my store-bought bark mulch washed into the street, so is there some trick to making regular mulch stay in place or do I just switch to pine needles for good?

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logan705•6d ago

Went to the Bosque tool library and found a drainage snake I needed

I stopped by the tool library off Mountain last Saturday to grab a post hole digger for a fence repair. Turned out they had a 50 foot electric drain snake too, which saved me from renting one for $60 at Home Depot. The guy at the desk even showed me how to use it without messing up my PVC pipes. Has anyone else borrowed something random from there that actually worked better than expected?

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the_nina•7d ago

Caught my sprinklers watering at 2pm on a 95 degree day and wondered why my grass looked like crap

Ran the system manually for a year before I noticed the timer was set to noon start. Water was evaporating before it hit the roots. Anyone else find out their irrigation schedule was backwards?

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thomas275•7d ago

I used to scrub my stucco with a pressure washer every spring until my neighbor who flips houses stopped me

I was out there last May blasting the south wall of my place near Wyoming and got told I was probably driving water behind the paper and causing rot. He showed me his own house where the stucco was bubbling up from years of that same mistake. Anybody here use a chemical wash instead or just stick to a garden hose with a soft brush?

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samwalker•7d ago

Hit 20,000 square feet of drywall mudding this week and my arms feel like noodles

I've been patching up my old Albuquerque house from the 70s and finally reached 20,000 square feet of mudding and taping across all the rooms. It surprised me because I didn't think I had that much wall space until I added up the garage and pantry areas. Anyone else get shocked by the actual square footage of drywall in their home when doing a big project?

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hollyg59•12d ago

I finally stopped using concrete mix with too much water

Kept getting crumbly patches in my driveway repairs until a neighbor pointed out I was adding way more water than the bag says. Dumped a batch last weekend and measured exactly 3 quarts for a 60lb bag, came out solid. Anyone else struggle with getting the right mix consistency?

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terrybennett•14d ago

Warning: that simple drip edge fix ate up my whole Saturday

I figured replacing a 10ft section of rotten drip edge on my south-facing eave would take maybe an hour tops, but after fighting with rusted nails, mismatched flashing, and two hardware store runs it took over 6 hours. Anyone else have a "quick fix" turn into a full day project?

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hayes.jake•17d ago

The time a plumber told me to stop using chemical drain cleaners and I argued with him for 10 minutes

I used to swear by Drano for slow drains, used it like once a month in my bathroom sink in my house off Central. Then a plumber came out to fix a leak under the kitchen sink and saw the bottle under there. He told me that stuff eats away at the pipes over time, especially the older cast iron ones we got in ABQ. I laughed and said it was fine, I had been using it for years. He showed me a section of pipe he pulled from another job that was all pitted and thin, right where the cleaner sat. That got me thinking, so I stopped using it cold turkey about 6 months ago. Now I just use a snake and some hot water, and my drains actually seem to flow better. Has anyone else had a pro tell you to ditch something you thought was totally fine?

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elizabethtaylor•18d ago

Can we talk about those cheap pex crimp tools from Harbor Freight?

I spent $45 on one last summer because I didn't want to drop $150 on the name brand. After 3 bathroom rehabs the handle snapped clean off on a 1/2 inch fitting. Replaced it with a Milwaukee unit and the crimps come out perfect every time now. Anyone else try the budget route and regret it?

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grant.sam•19d ago

Just realized my swamp cooler was way overdue for cleaning after a chat with a neighbor

I was out front last Saturday trying to get my cooler ready for summer when my neighbor Carlos walked over. He said he noticed water staining on my roof and asked when I last changed the pads. I told him probably two years ago and he just laughed and said that's why my electric bill was so high. He showed me how to pull the panels and sure enough the pads were caked with dust and hard as a rock. Has anyone else had a neighbor save them a headache like that with a simple tip?

3 comments

victorb74•20d ago

Paid $300 for a warranty on my water heater and found out it doesn't cover the most common failure points

The fine print excluded the thermostat and heating elements so I ended up spending another $150 on parts anyway, anyone else get burned by these home warranty policies on appliances that always seem to have an exception?

2 comments

the_nina•21d ago

Rant: That one week in June when my swamp cooler decided to quit during the heatwave

It was 98 degrees on a Tuesday, the motor seized up, and I ended up on the roof three times with a multimeter before finding out the capacitor was just dead, has anyone else had their swamp cooler fail at the worst possible moment?

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robertgreen•21d ago

Found out my water heater anode rod was totally gone after 5 years

I was reading a forum post about home maintenance and someone mentioned checking the anode rod in your water heater. I pulled mine out last weekend and it was basically just a wire with nothing left on it. Has anyone else had theirs rust away faster than expected in ABQ?

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johnson.jesse•24d ago

Hit 30 years in my ABQ house and finally learned about swamp cooler maintenance

I've lived in my home near Old Town for three decades and always just let the swamp cooler run until it broke. Last summer my neighbor showed me his maintenance log and he replaces the pads every single spring. He said he spends $40 a year on pads and his unit lasts 15 years. Mine dies every 5 years and costs $800 to replace. So I changed my mind about being lazy with it. Anybody else have a number that surprised them about their house costs?

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kevin_dixon•25d ago

Swapped out my old swamp cooler pads for the rigid mesh ones and the difference is wild

I finally gave up on those flimsy aspen pads after 3 summers of swapping them out every year and fighting the dust buildup. Picked up a set of the rigid cellulose mesh pads from Lowe's for about 45 bucks for my 5500 CFM unit. The air coming out of my vents feels noticeably cooler, like a good 5-7 degrees difference on a 95 degree day. Plus I haven't had to fiddle with the water distribution tube clogging up because the mesh lets water flow way more even. My electric bill dropped around 20 bucks last month compared to this time last year with the aspen pads. Only downside is they're a pain to cut down to size if you don't have a good sharp utility knife. Anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference in their water usage too?

3 comments

jordan_anderson90•27d ago

TIL: my neighbor's advice about swamp cooler pads was totally backwards

My neighbor Rick has been living here in ABQ for like 40 years so I figured he knew what he was talking about. He told me to use the cheap blue fiber pads instead of the expensive aspen ones because "they last longer and work better." So I bought a whole stack of blue pads from Home Depot back in March and swapped out my old aspen pads. Well fast forward to this heat wave in July and my swamp cooler just could not keep the house below 80 degrees. I called out a local HVAC guy and he took one look at those blue pads and said those are for cooler climates, not the high desert. The blue pads trap dust and don't breathe right in our dry air. Spent $60 on the right aspen pads and now my house actually gets cool when it runs. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from a well meaning neighbor about their cooler setup?

3 comments

hayes.jake•28d ago

Ngl, replacing a water heater took me 3 weekends instead of 1 afternoon

Figured it'd be a simple swap out. Old one was 15 years old and finally leaking. Got the new one home from Lowe's, shut off the gas, drained it, pulled it out. Then realized the new unit was 2 inches taller and didn't fit under the furnace duct. Had to cut and reroute the gas line, then the flex connectors were the wrong size. By the time I got it all hooked up and the pilot lit, 3 Saturdays had gone by. Has anyone else hit a random measurement issue like that?

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tarar27•1mo ago

Our shaded backyard turned into a dust pit in just 3 months

I planted new grass seed last spring and it looked great for about a month. Then our neighbor trimmed their big cottonwood tree and suddenly way more sun hit the yard. The grass just browned out and died, dirt started blowing everywhere. We're talking a 30 foot patch of bare dirt now, right next to the patio. Has anyone else had a tree change mess up their lawn like this, and what did you do to fix it?

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rowanellis•1mo ago

Shoutout to the guy who warned me about blown-in insulation settling

When I moved into my 1970s house in Albuquerque six years ago, a contractor told me the attic insulation was probably only half as effective as when it was installed. I figured he was just trying to sell me a new job, so I ignored him. Last winter my heating bill hit $320 in January, and I finally crawled up there to check. The blown-in cellulose had settled down to about 4 inches deep, where it should have been 12 inches. I added another 8 inches myself for $180 and my bill dropped by 40 bucks the next month. Has anyone else dealt with settling insulation in older ABQ homes?

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rowanellis•1mo ago

I used to think gutter guards were a scam but after cleaning my neighbor's clogged gutters for the 3rd time this spring I bought a set for $150

What convinced me was watching a 20 minute youtube video from a guy in Santa Fe who showed the mesh stopping pine needles during a monsoon and now I'm wondering if anyone here has tried the stainless steel ones vs the plastic kind.

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josephl67•1mo ago

Swapped out my swamp cooler for a mini-split last summer and folks thought I was nuts

Everyone in ABQ swears by evaporative cooling for the dry heat, but I got tired of the humidity and maintenance every spring. Two summers in now, my electric bill actually dropped $35 a month and the house stays cooler without that damp smell - anyone else ditch their swamp cooler for something different?

3 comments

hollyg59•1mo ago

Found out my way of bleeding radiators was wrong for 12 years

I always just cracked the valve til water came out, thought that was it. Last month my neighbor watched me do it and laughed. Said you gotta let the air hiss out first til it's a steady stream of water, then close it. Went back and did all 6 radiators in my house proper like. House heated up way faster after. Has anyone else been doing it wrong this whole time?

3 comments