Mila White (u/milaw14)

Posts

Had a customer show me his homemade alarm panel last Tuesday

Guy in Phoenix built his own system using old car batteries and a raspberry pi, said he didn't trust any of the big companies. He rigged it to text him through some script he wrote, and it actually worked fine for 3 years. Anyone else run into customers who think they can build a better system than what we install?

3 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

milaw14•8d ago

Hot take: Stop blaming cheap parts for loose wheel bearings

Everyone says buy Timken or SKF but in my experience 90% of premature bearing failures I've seen on customer cars here in Austin come from improper preload, not the part itself. I've had a set of generic Chinese bearings last 60k miles on a 1998 Civic because I actually torqued the spindle nut correctly. Has anyone else found that basic installation mistakes cause more comebacks than component quality?

3 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

milaw14•10d ago

Switched to a sleeping pad with a foam layer after years of just air pads

I kept waking up cold even with a high R-value air pad on trips in the Rockies. Tried adding a 1/4 inch foam pad underneath and it made a huge difference for warmth and stability. Has anyone else tried this combo?

3 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

milaw14•12d ago

Rant: Wasted 8 hours on a show that went nowhere

I just binged 8 hours of 'The Lost Flowers' on Netflix thinking it'd have a big payoff, but the ending was so vague and disappointing I felt cheated. The main character just walks off into the woods and that's it, no resolution at all. It's like they ran out of budget or something. Has anyone else sat through a whole season only to get a flat ending like that?

3 comments

c/babble-finance•

milaw14•13d ago

Pro tip: using a cheap pumice stone on my copper pipes saved me from a $300 plumber bill

My ancient hot water line had this crusty green buildup near the joint and after trying vinegar and sandpaper I just scrubbed it with a $3 pumice stone from the hardware store and the leak stopped completely, has anyone else fixed plumbing with random stuff like that?

3 comments

c/daily-dog-walks•

milaw14•14d ago

Tried the loop trick for pulling my dog away from distractions

My golden retriever Leo has this habit of fixating on squirrels during walks. He'll plant his paws and refuse to budge for like 5 minutes. I read somewhere about making a loop with the leash and gently guiding them in a circle instead of pulling straight back. Tried it yesterday at the park near my house on 3rd Avenue. First time he actually followed me away from a tree without dragging. Has anyone else had luck with this trick for stubborn pups?

3 comments

c/cable-installers•

milaw14•15d ago

Visited a data center in Phoenix and noticed all their cables were color coded by department

Walked through a 50,000 sq ft facility and every single run had matching colors per floor. I'm thinking about doing this on my residential jobs now, anyone tried color coding by room?

3 comments

c/book-club-debates•

milaw14•16d ago

My book club hated 'The Midnight Library' and I still don't get why

Last month in my Portland book club, I pitched 'The Midnight Library' by Matt Haig because I thought the whole multiverse thing was cool and deep. But everyone tore into it, saying the message was too cheesy and the main character was annoying. Has anyone else had a book you loved get totally trashed by your group?

3 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

milaw14•16d ago

Wasted $60 on silicone air fryer liners that melted everywhere

I saw those round silicone liners on Amazon and thought they'd save me scrubbing the basket. Big mistake. First use at 400F and the thing melted into a sticky mess all over my fries. Had to toss the whole batch and scrub burned silicone off the basket for an hour. Anyone else have luck with parchment paper circles instead?

3 comments

c/carpenters•

milaw14•1mo ago

The debate over using pocket screws vs traditional joinery for cabinet face frames

I spent last weekend building a set of kitchen cabinets for my daughter's house. I planned for 3 hours of assembly time for the face frames. It took me 8 hours start to finish because I kept second guessing which method to use. Pocket screws are fast and strong enough for most work, but an old timer at the lumber yard told me I was cutting corners. I ended up doing half with pocket screws and half with dowels and glue just to see which held better. Now I'm not sure which way to go going forward. Has anyone else run into this debate and found a clear winner for daily use?

3 comments