Digital Cafe@Harbourfront
Discussion: DIY (Do It Yourself)
Date: 9th March (Saturday)
Time: 2PM to 4.30PM
Venue: library@harbourfront (Vivo city)
Facilitator: Hewlee Ho
Registration: https://go.gov.sg/toyl (scroll down to date to register. NLB membership is required).
Admission: Free
Interested, please register with link given below …
https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/digital-cafe-harbourfront-time-of-your-life-tickets-814667401127?aff=eivtefrnd&utm-campaign=social%2Cemail&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=strongmail&utm-term=listing
The Topic:
This session is to acquire basic knowledge of DIY, including safe guarding yourself on personal safety. Remember, age and experience DO matters in the performance on DIY job in hand and not getting trouble yourself (including your eyes, hands, feet, back, etc). Even not interested in DIY, at least you can be aware why things don’t work the way it said should. So, when engaging any repairman, you are well informed whether he is overcharging you or experience enough to offer you the right solution.
Safety Matters:
Before even starting to lean how to rectify, replace and/or repair anything in the home, ensure you understand and be aware of the following:
a) User understanding in climbing heights, like having as assistant in holding the ladder, personal mental capacity in managing oneself at heights, the skills of balancing oneself at heights with using the right tools required, etc. One must accept as we aged, our mental and physical capacity is reduced. Chances of making a mistake is higher (e.g. missing the last step on the ladder of nothing to hold on to during periods of unbalanced at heights).
b) Climbing up a ladder is like riding a bicycle – we have to train our body and mind to coordinate and balance a) for cycling, to move with two wheels and b) to balance while working at heights with both hands. If when young have never change a ceiling lamp on ladder before, then don’t try when you are older (>50 years). It’s not worth to take such high risks.
c) User understanding in electrical works. Do you know the meaning of properly earthed, double or total isolation and 240 volts (AC) ~ in your house can kill!
d) Before complete failure, most devices or equipment do give alarms or signals that something is not right. Do you know how to observe these signals?
e) Do you know the meaning of maintenance and preventive maintenance? Maintenance is repairing a device/equipment “after” it is not working. Preventive maintenance is having a discipline to use the device or equipment properly and implemented steps to avoid a device or equipment getting into trouble. For example charging our smartphone batteries with the 80/20 rule or putting a filter (in the bathtub) to “trap” and dispose of all the hairs after each bath. This discipline also applies to all drainage systems.
f) Understand all moving parts create friction, heat and also fatigue. Understand when and where these parts can be oiled.
g) If you are a DIY person, after sometime you will know the strength and weakness of most brands (of device & equipment) in the market. Sometimes is good to pay a bit more for the right device or equipment. This will help to save money later in the need to service the device or equipment in its expected life span. (for electrical equipment, it may save lives). Please note, sometimes the design of the equipment is good, but the company you selected has lousy or inexperienced workers who installed the system or equipment badly for you. Good example is the air-con system. This is also valid for renovation contractors whose workers installed your equipment or kitchen cabinets and kitchen basin/sink badly.
h) Have the right tools for the right job. Always remember, tightening any screw or nut or a water tap, it is always turning “clockwise”. Un-tightening any screw or nut or a water tap, it is always turning “anti-clockwise”. This also applies to any electric (screw) bulb.
i) Get a ladder that is properly designed for the job. Has some means to hold at the top and the right height that suits the job at hand.
Common household problems:
a) Tap leaks (wash basin, kitchen tap)
b) Forget to bring main door key when going out.
c) Room door locked, cannot open. Can’t find the key
d) Bought an electrical appliance with two pins. Difficult to put in to existing 3-pin socket.
e) Sliding windows difficult to open
f) Standing table fan very dirty, don’t know how to open up to clean
g) Kitchen sink or wash basin choked
h) Ceiling lamp not working
i) Refrigerator can’t form ice overnight
j) Air-con not cold
k) Wi-Fi signal very weak in bedroom
l) Smartphone battery can’t last a day
m) Microsoft base computer (laptop/desktop) running very slow. Can do some Windows 10/11 preventive maintenance
n) Microsoft base computer (laptop/desktop) not starting. Do a recovery
o) When boiling water on electric kettle, the kettle plug is very hot
p) Toilet water tank makes noise after every flushing
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