Gray Johnson (u/grayjohnson)

Posts

Learned a hard lesson about creosote buildup at a cabin in the Smokies

Last fall I got called out to a rental cabin near Gatlinburg where the guests said smoke was backing up into the living room. Turns out the previous sweep had skipped a flue tile section near the top (probably just lazy or in a hurry) and there was a thick layer of glazed creosote blocking about half the draft. I had to spend an extra hour with a rotary tool to chip it out, and the owner was not happy about the extra cost. Has anyone else found glazed creosote hiding in spots that look clean from below?

2 comments

c/enterprise-isp-discussions•

grayjohnson•5d ago

I was dead set against SD-WAN until we hit 45 remote sites

For years I told everyone SD-WAN was just marketing hype... we had MPLS and it worked fine. Then our company acquired a firm in Austin with 12 locations and the MPLS quotes came back at $8,000 a month just for those sites. Our network guy pushed hard on a Cisco SD-WAN trial and I finally gave in after 6 months of arguing. After 3 weeks running it alongside our existing setup, the failover time dropped from 4 minutes to under 10 seconds. We cut our monthly ISP costs by nearly $3,500 across all sites. Has anyone else seen big savings after switching from traditional WAN setups?

2 comments

c/daily-small-wins•

grayjohnson•5d ago

My dryer quit mid-cycle on Tuesday, fixed it with a $8 part from the hardware store on Queen Street

So the drum stopped spinning halfway through a load of towels, no warning at all. I checked the belt and found it was snapped clean through, which took maybe 10 minutes to diagnose even as a total amateur. Spent $8 on a replacement belt at the True Value on Queen Street and had it running again in 20 minutes. Has anyone else had a major appliance fail on them and managed to fix it cheaper than a service call?

2 comments

c/bike-commuter-tips•

grayjohnson•6d ago

My bike chain snapped 3 miles from work and I walked the rest

Happened last Tuesday on my commute into Portland. I was hauling uphill and the chain just gave out with a loud ping. No warning, no skipping beforehand. I ended up walking my bike the last 3 miles to the shop and dropped $45 on a new chain and a lesson learned. I'm going to start carrying a chain tool and a quick link from now on. Has anyone else had a chain fail on them mid-ride without any signs?

2 comments

c/fashion-design-ideas•

grayjohnson•10d ago

Spent $180 on a bolt of wool crepe that shrunk two sizes after one wash

I bought this gorgeous deep navy wool crepe from a fabric store in Portland last month. Paid $180 for 4 yards and planned it out for a winter dress. Washed it on cold like the label said and it came out looking like doll clothes. I guess I should have pre-shrunk a sample first. Has anyone else had expensive fabric totally wreck itself after one wash?

2 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

grayjohnson•10d ago

Slab in Kansas City crumbled on me last Friday

Poured a 20x30 patio last week and the edges started flaking off about 6 hours after finishing. I think I worked the surface too wet. Anybody had luck fixing that without tearing the whole thing out?

2 comments

c/family-recipe-swap•

grayjohnson•11d ago

Am I the only one who thinks those fancy pasta machines are a waste of money?

I spent $180 on one of those high-end pasta rollers last year because everyone in this group raves about them. But after 4 months of using it maybe 3 times, I realized I was just chasing internet hype. My grandma makes better pasta with a $5 rolling pin and a fork, no machine needed. The thing is now gathering dust in my pantry while I'm back to using my hands and a wooden board. Does anyone else think we overcomplicate cooking with gadgets that don't actually improve the food? Maybe I'm just old school, but I'd rather spend that money on better flour.

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

grayjohnson•13d ago

Went to Midwest Forge Fest last month and saw a dangerous anvil setup

I was walking around the demo area and noticed a guy had his anvil sitting on a stack of loose fire bricks. Looked shaky but he was hammering away on a 3/4 inch bar. Right when he hit a hard spot the whole thing shifted and almost tipped into the firepot. Nobody else seemed to notice but I had to say something. Has anyone else seen sketchy anvil stands at these events?

2 comments

c/albuquerque-diy-renovations•

grayjohnson•14d ago

Spent 6 hours trying to match stucco texture on a patch job

I thought I could just mix up some stucco and blend it into the existing wall on my southside house, but it took me nine separate tries before it looked halfway decent. The afternoon sun showed every single mismatch. Has anyone found a reliable trick for getting that Albuquerque swirl texture right on the first pass?

2 comments

c/bargain-bin-finds•

grayjohnson•16d ago

Found my thrift store bread maker mistake after 6 loaves

I bought a beat up Oster bread maker at a Goodwill in Portland for $12 and kept wondering why my bread came out dense and gummy. Turns out I was adding the yeast right on top of the salt instead of putting it in the little dispenser compartment. The lady at the bakery supply shop pointed it out when I complained about my loaves and now they actually rise right.

2 comments