What home hack or fix-up job are you most proud of?

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BlueShift

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#220354 7-Aug-2017 14:21

What have you done around your place that has made it more liveable/likeable for you? Bonus points if you had to build it!

I made an automatic door closer for a cavity slider. The cat was very good at opening the door, but crap at closing it, making for nasty draughts in winter. With some sash cord, a small pulley and some electrical conduit I built an unobtrusive, hook-on door closer. Now the dog (who replaced the cat many years ago), and children can open and get through the door, and it closes right after them. I've still never seen its like available commercially.

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#1840591 7-Aug-2017 14:29

Do you have a lead weight in the conduit?

BlueShift

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#1840593 7-Aug-2017 14:37

kryptonjohn:

Do you have a lead weight in the conduit?

Yup, a dirty great bolt with a couple of fishing sinkers attached.

The whole setup cost me like $25.

gehenna

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#1840595 7-Aug-2017 14:41

It's a very simple hack but I usually run a length of guttering along the back of an entertainment unit to manage the cables so they're not all over the floor.

afe66

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#1840606 7-Aug-2017 15:17

I made a small false wall 6 inches high that sat behind the av cabinet so that all the cables sat behind it. Now when I sit in front of av cabinets I can't see any cables under the legs of the av cabinet.

Also wired a PC case fan into the powered screen socket of amp so that when the amp turns on, the fan blows air across the top of amp (clearance only 3cm)

Dingbatt

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#1840608 7-Aug-2017 15:24

I guess along similar lines, I have a PC case fan running off a power supply to extract warm air from the AV cupboard and send it to the hot water cupboard via flexible ducting in the ceiling.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Wheelbarrow01

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#1840618 7-Aug-2017 15:33

I made a home HRV unit out of a bar stool and a pedestal fan. Positioned the fan on top of the stool, then angled it forward, using the electrical cord to secure it. I then positioned it in the doorway to the hall. It takes the hot air from high up in the lounge and pushes it down through the doorway and along the hall. It works beautifully.

Like @BlueShift I haven't yet seen it commercially available lol

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kingjj

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#1840629 7-Aug-2017 15:42

Got despondent at the price of bench seats for a dining nook so decided with no experience/skills/sobriety to build one myself. Cost around $350 for materials (2x4's were a slight overkill I'll admit) and a good 20 hours for labour. Several hours were spent shaving the bench down as I didn't measure the width correctly. The seats are lids so the internals can be used for storage - unfortunately I didn't account for the bench overhang so one section of lid can only open part way while the other section gets caught on the first one due to the wood expanding... I could fix these issues, but as long as I don't look at it I don't see the need to.

rscole86

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#1840631 7-Aug-2017 15:48

I cannot think of anything at the moment.... but surely this thread should include pictures!

mugs2000

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#1840649 7-Aug-2017 16:33

The garage door was always opening by itself when the remote in one's pocket accidentally activated.

So with 2 microswitches (door_open and door_closed), a relay and an Atmel board if the door opens accidentally, it will close again after a short period unless the door_closed microswitch is operated which extends the time that the door is open. An alarm is set off if any non-standard condition occurs.

Aredwood

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#1840819 7-Aug-2017 21:48

I got given some double glazed window panels. So I used them to replace the hail damaged and cracked plastic roof sheets in the 80s Nebuliye conservatory on my house. I had to remove the aluminium roof support rails and reinstall them. As the DG panels were slightly wider.

Pictures to follow when I can take photos in the day.

I'm going to be posting a lot in this thread.

josephhinvest

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#1840864 8-Aug-2017 06:06

gehenna:
It's a very simple hack but I usually run a length of guttering along the back of an entertainment unit to manage the cables so they're not all over the floor.

Good idea! I have a spare piece of matching carpet, tacked onto a length of timber, (carpet stands up vertically) that fits under my entertainment unit, hiding everything behind.

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kryptonjohn

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#1840879 8-Aug-2017 08:29

mugs2000:

The garage door was always opening by itself when the remote in one's pocket accidentally activated.

So with 2 microswitches (door_open and door_closed), a relay and an Atmel board if the door opens accidentally, it will close again after a short period unless the door_closed microswitch is operated which extends the time that the door is open. An alarm is set off if any non-standard condition occurs.

What if the door was supposed to be open and there's a valuable object in the way of the closing door?

Rikkitic

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#1840918 8-Aug-2017 09:14

I have been doing this for years. I couldn't begin to list all of them. I can't even remember all of them. I hacked my bathroom with a custom-designed bathtub shower (see DIY). I always hack my cars with a manual door switch because I can't stand the automatic crap that dings at me. I also rewired the central locking so all doors unlock when I open the driver's door (no children). I rewired some light switches in the house because the original set-up from the 1950s was so stupid. I have modified many devices and gadgets and computers over the years, too much to mention. Etc., etc.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

mugs2000

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#1840929 8-Aug-2017 09:31

If there was a valuable, or any object in the way of the closing door the door would open upon contact and sound the alarm.

Azzura

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#1840949 8-Aug-2017 10:12

Keep the birds out...

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