c/abq-home-maintenance

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?

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?

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?

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.

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?

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?

Lost $200 on a bad roof patch kit from a big box store

I tried that rubberized roof patch in a bucket from Lowe's to fix a leak near my chimney. Followed the directions exactly, cleaned the area, let it dry 24 hours. First rain came two days later and it peeled right off. Had to pay a roofer 200 bucks to clean it all off and do it properly. Anyone else had a DIY roof repair fail that ended up costing more?

Switched to foam backer rod for my stucco cracks and now I'm getting water behind it

I read all the time that foam backer rod is the way to go for stucco crack repairs because it lets the caulk flex better. Tried it on a crack along my east wall last month and after the first big rain I noticed the stucco bubbling up. When I poked at it water just ran out from behind. Went back and pulled it all out, stuffed the crack with the old school fiberglass mesh and patched with stucco patch. That held fine through the next storm. I guess my cracks are narrower than most people's or something because the foam was just pushing the caulk out too far. Has anyone else had this backfire?

I finally figured out why my garage door kept sticking in the summer

So last July I was at Lowe's buying weatherstripping for the third time, and this old guy in the parking lot saw me struggling with the roll. He said 'bet your door's getting stuck when it's hot out, right?' and I was like yeah how'd you know. Turns out I was using the wrong type of seal for ABQ's heat, the rubber was expanding and catching on the track. Swapped to a silicone one from the hardware aisle for $12 and haven't had a single jam since. Has anyone else dealt with that weird summer expansion thing or was I just being dumb?

My 15 year old water heater finally gave up on me last Tuesday

Hit 15 years in my house this spring and it got me thinking...

My place just turned 15 years old and I realized I've replaced the water heater twice now for a total of around $2,400 sunk into that one thing alone. Never thought I'd spend that much just to keep hot water running but here we are. What's a home expense that surprised you when you added it all up over time?

PSA: That plumbing supply place on Lomas saved my bacon last week

I had a 30 year old toilet valve snap clean off at 10pm on a Saturday. Called a few places and Bob's Plumbing Supply on Lomas and 12th stayed open 15 minutes late for me. Old dude named Mike walked me through replacing it in the parking lot with his phone flashlight. Anyone else have a go-to local spot that bails you out after hours?

That $15 pipe clamp from Ace saved my bathroom remodel last weekend

I was swapping out the sink in my half bath off the kitchen, and the old drain pipe just crumbled when I touched it. Took a trip down to the Ace on Menaul, grabbed a new PVC setup and one of those cheap pipe clamps for the p-trap. Got home, got everything threaded, and realized the new trap was a quarter inch off from lining up with the wall pipe. That little clamp was the only thing that let me bend it into place without cracking anything. Now I'm wondering if I should've gone with a flexible drain pipe instead... Has anyone else run into this where nothing lines up in these old ABQ houses?

Three years of fixing my own sprinklers and I finally saved enough to redo the whole system

Last month I finished replacing all the old pipes in my front yard off Juan Tabo. It took me three summers of patching leaks to finally learn how to trench and glue PVC right. That first year I flooded the neighbor's driveway twice and felt like a real idiot. Anyone else find that DIY irrigation work just takes forever to get the hang of?

Decided to go with foam insulation instead of fiberglass for my crawl space

I spent three weekends last month trying to decide between foam board and fiberglass batts for under my house in the North Valley. The foam cost me around $600 more, but I figured it would seal better against the dust and moisture we get here. Installation was a pain since I had to cut every piece to fit around the pipes and vents. A month later, my floors are noticeably warmer, and I haven't seen any condensation issues. Has anyone else tried spray foam down there, or did I overspend for no reason?

That time my swamp cooler dumped water through the ceiling vent

Last summer during that 100 degree stretch in July, I came home to water dripping from my living room ceiling vent. Ran up to the roof and found the float valve on my swamp cooler had completely failed, so water was just overflowing for hours. I shut off the supply line, vacuumed out the pan, and replaced the valve with a brass one from Lowe's for about 15 bucks. Has anyone else had a float valve fail at the worst possible time, and did you switch to a metal one after?

Spent 3 hours trying to patch a pinhole leak in an old copper pipe

I figured I'd be done in 30 minutes with some epoxy putty, but the pipe was so corroded the patch kept blowing off. Finally gave up and cut out a 2-foot section for a new coupling - what a hassle. Has anyone else fought with an old house's plumbing like this?

Heads up about that roof leak repair place off of Coors by the strip mall

I stopped by to grab a quote last Wednesday and the guy straight up told me they just slap flex seal on everything and hope it holds through one monsoon season, so has anyone else dealt with that spot near the old bowling alley?

My neighbor's tip about swamp cooler maintenance saved me $200

Old guy named Dennis next door told me to swap out the water pads every April without fail. I skipped last year thinking they looked fine. Ended up with a burned out motor in July and a $250 service call. He was right, those $40 pads make a huge difference in Albuquerque's hard water.

Just realized I was over-tightening my faucet supply lines for years

My neighbor Dave came over to help with a leak under the kitchen sink and said 'you're cranking these like lug nuts' and showed me the cracked ferrule I'd caused. Has anyone else been tightening plumbing connections way too hard without realizing it?

Found out my gutters were backwards for 5 years

I watched water pouring over the edge during a monsoon last week and finally noticed my gutter guy installed them with the slope going the wrong way toward the house. Anyone else have a contractor mess up something this basic or am I just unlucky?

Learned that my swamp cooler needs to be drained weekly during monsoon season or it gets algae

Found this on the UNM extension office website last night, and I had no idea the standing water could grow that stuff so fast in our humidity. Has anyone else wrecked a cooler motor from not draining it enough?

That one week when my swamp cooler flooded the utility room twice

Last July during the monsoon I had to pull the drain pan three times in five days because the float valve kept sticking from hard water buildup, and now I always keep a spare valve and a wire brush on the shelf has anyone else had this issue with ABQ's water?

I finally quit caulking with my bare finger after 15 years of doing it wrong

For the longest time I used to just run a bead of silicone and smooth it with my wet finger like my dad taught me. About 6 months ago I bought a $3 set of those little plastic caulk tools from Home Depot on a whim and honestly the difference is insane. No more messy cleanup and the lines come out way cleaner especially around my bathtub where I used to have to redo it every few months. Has anyone else switched from the finger method to a tool or am I the last one to figure this out?

Update on my garage door opener situation

My old chain drive opener was so loud it would wake up my kid during naps, and it finally gave out last month. I decided to try a new belt drive model instead of just replacing it with the same kind. The difference is crazy, the new one is almost silent and runs way smoother. Installation took me about 4 hours last Saturday, but it was worth the extra $50 over the basic chain model. I should have switched years ago. Anyone in the NE Heights have a good local source for garage door parts if I need them in the future?