c/abq-home-repair

Neighbor swore by baking soda for his drain, I thought he was nuts

My neighbor in Rio Rancho told me to dump a half cup of baking soda and vinegar down my slow tub drain every month, and I laughed at him. 6 months later, I've done it twice and haven't touched the auger once, so has anyone else had this actually work or did I just get lucky?

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the_dakota•9d ago

Furnace swap at the Heights taught me to measure twice, order once

Pulled a 20-year-old Carrier out of a house near Tramway last month and the new unit's supply duct was 3 inches off because I trusted the old specs, so now I sketch every plenum opening before I even email the supplier, has anyone else gotten burned by outdated builder paperwork?

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seth_martinez21•11d ago

Rant: My $45 harbor freight caulk gun made me regret diy trim work

Used a cheap squeeze tube for baseboards in my living room and it took 6 tubes of caulk and 4 hours of redoing blobs, then I borrowed my neighbor's dripless gun and finished the whole hallway in 30 minutes. Has anyone else wasted a full Saturday on the wrong tool before realizing it?

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johnb95•11d ago

Serious question about those expanding foam sealants in adobe walls

I used that big gap filler around a window frame in my 1940s place near the North Valley and the foam pushed the whole frame out of square by almost a quarter inch. I had to shave it all down with a knife and redo the weatherstripping, which took me the better part of a Saturday. Anyone know a flexible caulk that won't do that but still seals big gaps without the pressure?

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xenan64•13d ago

The landlord who argued with me about a 40 year old breaker panel

Last month I was replacing outlets in a rental off Central Ave and the owner showed up to question why I wanted to swap the whole panel. He said it worked fine for decades and I was just padding the bill. I showed him where the bus bar was charred and the main lug was loose enough to wiggle with my fingers, then he went quiet. I get that people hate big costs, but that thing was a fire waiting on a bad winter morning. Has anyone else had to talk a property owner out of keeping dangerous old gear just to save a few hundred bucks?

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emmajackson•16d ago

The plumber who refused to fix my drip gave me a better answer

Last month a guy from Rio Rancho looked at my bathroom sink, said the valve was fine, and told me it's cheaper to just replace the cartridge for $18 than pay him $150 to rebuild it, so has anyone else had a pro talk themselves out of a job like that?

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skylerm55•18d ago

That big box hardware store quote made me walk out last Tuesday

Went in for a new water heater install quote and they tacked on $180 for a permit fee plus $95 for a 'supply line kit' that's like $30 at the plumbing supply. Has anyone else just bought the parts and hired a local handyman instead?

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nora_park72•18d ago

That plumbing forum comment about re-piping old galvy changed my mind

I was reading a thread last week about a guy in the Heights who kept getting rusty water after every monsoon. Someone replied that his 1968 galvanized pipes were beyond saving and he should stop patching. That hit me because I've been doing the same thing for 3 years on my place near Nob Hill, just replacing one section at a time. I finally called a plumber for a full re-pipe quote, it was $4,200, but the pressure difference is night and day. Has anyone else made the jump from band-aids to full replacement, and did you regret the cost later?

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oliverbailey•19d ago

The swamp cooler drain line clogged mid-August, water everywhere

Woke up to water pooling around the base of the cooler on the roof. 2 inches deep in the pan, overflow running down the stucco. Found the drain line plugged with mineral crust. Spent an hour with a wire hanger and vinegar. Fixed it, but my ceiling has a stain now. Anyone else deal with hard water buildup in these things every damn year?

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faithf77•20d ago

The old timer who said engine block heaters are a scam in ABQ

He told me at the Doña Ana Auto Parts counter that our winters never get cold enough to need one, and after I skipped installing that $150 unit on my 2001 F-150 for two winters now, it fires up fine every single morning, so was he just lucky or is he right about dry climate cold not being the same as humid cold?

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jamiegreen•21d ago

Old school mud taping vs. the new lightweight stuff

Used to mix my own mud from powder, took forever but got that rock hard finish. Now I grab the premixed buckets, way faster but it dries soft and cracks if you look at it wrong. Anyone else think the new stuff is just for patch jobs, not full drywall hangs?

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avery_carr57•23d ago

Why I changed my mind about spray foam insulation

I had a guy from FoamWorks out to quote my 1950s adobe on the west side, and I was ready to talk him out of it because I figured those old walls need to breathe. He pulled out a thermal camera and showed me the cold spots along my north wall, then explained how a closed cell layer actually stops moisture from hitting the mud bricks. Has anyone else tried it on an older home, or did you stick with blown in fiberglass?

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harper_smith•26d ago

Question about that 1/4 inch gap I found under my baseboard trim

I was swapping out an outlet cover in my kitchen yesterday and noticed a 1/4 inch gap between the baseboard and the subfloor where the old caulk had cracked open. Turns out there was a tiny ant highway running through it - has anyone else found random critter paths hiding behind their trim work?

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quinnm90•26d ago

Took me 5 years to learn you can't just shove insulation into a wall cavity

Spent last weekend tearing out a wet, moldy mess I packed in behind our 1950s plaster because I thought more insulation = better. Anyone else learn the hard way about leaving an air gap?

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jamiew83•26d ago

Drove past that fancy HVAC shop on Central and noticed their work trucks all have mismatched doors

I was grabbing breakfast near Central and San Mateo last weekend and saw like 6 vans from Apex Heating and Air all parked together. Every single one had a different colored door panel, some white, some gray, some blue. I get that it keeps costs down but for a company that charges premium rates for AC repairs, it makes them look like they just grab parts from any junker. Has anyone else noticed this or am I being too picky about aesthetics?

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rivera.jake•27d ago

Spent $300 on a roof patch that lasted 3 months

I bought that rubberized roof coating from Home Depot thinking I could save money on a leaking flat roof over my garage in Albuquerque. Put two thick coats on and felt like a pro. Then the monsoon hit last August and water was dripping through the same spot. Had to call a roofer anyway and he said the coating just traps moisture under it. Anyone else get burned by those DIY roof repair kits?

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kellyg14•27d ago

My neighbor told me I was ruining my adobe walls with the wrong paint

I moved into a 1950s abode in the North Valley last year and used regular latex paint on the interior plaster, thinking it was fine. After a humid monsoon season, I got huge peeling spots and the neighbor stopped by to say I needed lime wash or something breathable instead. Has anyone else dealt with moisture issues after painting old Albuquerque plaster wrong?

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chen.jenny•27d ago

Three day toilet flange repair turned into two weeks

I had a leaky toilet in my rental off Central and figured it'd be a simple wax ring swap. Pulled the toilet and found the flange was completely rotted out, like crumbling to dust when I touched it. Spent a week watching YouTube videos and making three trips to Lowe's because I kept buying the wrong repair kit. Finally had to cut out a section of subfloor and replace the cast iron piece, which took another 5 days. Has anyone else dealt with a flange that just disintegrated like that?

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leoyoung•28d ago

That leaky pipe at Lowe's on San Mateo finally made me stop using those cheap flex lines

I was standing in the plumbing aisle at Lowe's on San Mateo last month, trying to pick between a braided stainless steel line for $8 and the basic rubber one for $3. This older guy next to me, looked like he'd been fixing stuff since the 70s, just shook his head and said 'you'll be back in six months if you grab that cheap one.' He told me about a rental property he has where a rubber line burst at 2 AM and flooded the whole downstairs. Cost him like $4,000 in water damage and drywall. I grabbed the stainless one and now I'm going through my whole house replacing every old flex line under sinks and behind toilets. Has anyone else had one of those rubber lines blow out on them, especially in an older ABQ house?

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evangarcia•1mo ago

Overheard my neighbor say his wife won't let him touch the thermocouple on the water heater anymore

That made me think about all the times I've messed with gas fittings without turning the gas off first. Has anyone else gotten overconfident with basic gas repairs and then had a close call?

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patricia_hayes•1mo ago

Picked a mid-grade faucet over a cheap one for my kitchen reno last month

Went with a $95 Delta instead of the $35 builder special and so far no drips or plastic parts cracking, has anyone else noticed the cheap stuff just doesn't hold up past a year?

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sarah_brown•1mo ago

I finally stopped ignoring the flashing on my roof after a neighbor's warning

I was out last Saturday cleaning gutters on my place off Montgomery and my neighbor Mike walked over. He told me his cousin spent $4,000 on water damage inside his walls because the old step flashing around his chimney was shot and he kept putting it off. That hit home because I noticed a tiny rust spot on mine last fall and just figured I'd get to it later. Has anyone else here had to replace their roof flashing and found a good local supplier for the material?

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jamiegreen•1mo ago

Threw $400 into a drywall patch job that failed in 2 weeks

I tried to fix a hole in my living room ceiling last month. Watched a few YouTube videos and bought all the mesh tape, joint compound, and a 12 inch knife. Spent a whole Saturday mudding and sanding until it looked smooth. Two weeks later a crack showed up right along the patch line. Turns out I needed to use a backer board and the mesh tape wasn't strong enough for a ceiling. Anyone have a better method for ceiling patches that actually holds up?

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carr.blake•1mo ago

Debate: Should we patch drywall in stages or all at once on big holes?

I tried to fix a 2-foot hole in my garage wall last Saturday and thought I could mud it all in one go, but it cracked after drying. My neighbor says layering thin coats over four days is the ONLY way, but that feels like a waste of time. What's the real trick here, do you guys stage it or just send it with hot mud?

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nina_butler•1mo ago

Pro tip: don't buy cheap PEX crimp rings from Amazon

I tried saving some cash and bought a 50-pack of plastic PEX crimp rings for $12 online instead of the brass ones. First time I turned the water back on, one blew off under the sink and flooded my laundry room before I caught it. How much did you guys lose learning the hard way on cheap plumbing parts?

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