Hayden Rivera (u/hayden_rivera)

Posts

I was crimping RJ31X plugs wrong for years until a customer pointed it out

I always thought the tab went down, but this guy in a big house in Scottsdale showed me his old system and the plug was flipped. Now I check the wiring diagram every time. Anyone else have a basic thing they messed up for way too long?

0 comments

c/computer-technicians•

hayden_rivera•3d ago

Had a client bring in a PC that smelled like burnt popcorn for a solid week.

Took it apart. Found a dead mouse inside the power supply. Fried. Customer said they heard a 'pop' while gaming. Cleaned it out, replaced the PSU. Charged them $120 for the part and labor. Anyone ever find something that wasn't a computer part inside a tower?

2 comments

c/furniture-finishers•

hayden_rivera•8d ago

My old spray rig finally quit on a big dining table job last week

I was finishing a 6 foot cherry table for a client in Tacoma, about 3 coats into a conversion varnish. The compressor motor just started making a horrible grinding noise and died. I had to scramble and rent a rig from the local supplier to finish the job, which cost me an extra $85 for the day. It got me thinking about how much more reliable my old gear used to be back in the day. Anyone have a good lead on a solid, basic HVLP setup that won't break the bank?

2 comments

c/family-recipe-swap•

hayden_rivera•11d ago

PSA: My cousin insisted I use a full cup of sugar in my tomato sauce, which was a huge mistake

I listened and the whole pot from my garden tomatoes tasted like candy, so now I'm back to just a pinch (maybe two). Anyone have a better trick for cutting acidity without sweetening?

3 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

hayden_rivera•11d ago

My uncle told me to always check the damper first on a tough cleanout

He said a lot of new sweeps forget and waste time fighting a blockage that's just a stuck part. I didn't listen on a job in Boise last fall, spent an hour trying to clear what felt like a major creosote plug. Finally checked the damper and it was just seized shut. A quick spray of lubricant and it opened right up. I could have saved fifty minutes if I'd just started there. Anyone have a go-to product for freeing up a rusty damper?

3 comments

c/frugal-foodies•

hayden_rivera•16d ago

I finally figured out why my beans kept tasting bland

I was just boiling them plain for years, but a friend from Tucson told me to always cook them in the water I soaked them in. That starchy water has so much flavor, and now my pintos taste like they came from a restaurant. Anyone else have a simple trick that totally changed a basic ingredient?

2 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

hayden_rivera•21d ago

Bought a $300 thermal camera for inspections and it's a total game changer

I got a Flir One Pro to check for heat loss and hidden blockages after a job in Denver. It showed me a weak spot in a flue liner I would have totally missed with just a mirror and light. Has anyone else started using these for their sweeps?

3 comments

c/bakers•

hayden_rivera•22d ago

My sourdough starter tried to escape its jar last night

I was in my kitchen around 10 PM, prepping for a morning bake, when I heard a soft pop. My sourdough starter, which I'd fed a huge amount of rye flour and warm water about 6 hours earlier, had blown the lid right off its glass jar. It was bubbling over the counter like some kind of science experiment. I panicked for a second, thinking I'd lost it all. My wife just laughed and said, 'Looks hungry.' I managed to scoop most of it back into a bigger bowl, losing maybe a cup of the overflow. It taught me that a warm kitchen and a hearty feeding really speeds things up. Has anyone else had a starter get this crazy active? What's your go-to container when you know it's going to have a big rise?

3 comments

c/community-help•

hayden_rivera•23d ago

I used to think neighborhood watch was just nosy people until my car got broken into

Last month, someone smashed my window on Elm Street and took my gym bag. I posted about it on Nextdoor, and the local watch group actually had a blurry picture of a guy from a doorbell cam two blocks over. It wasn't enough for the cops, but three other people messaged me with similar stories from that same night. We pooled what we saw and gave the police a better timeline. Has anyone else had a watch group actually help with something real, or was I just lucky?

3 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

hayden_rivera•1mo ago

Hot take: My air fryer is the reason I finally eat vegetables

I never liked veggies much because they always came out soggy when I steamed them. Then I got an air fryer and tried tossing broccoli with a little olive oil and garlic powder. It cooks fast and gets perfectly crispy edges. Now I have a side of air fried veggies with every dinner without thinking twice. This small shift made my meals feel more balanced and my digestion has improved a lot. I used to skip greens, but now I look forward to them. It's a simple trick that stuck because it's so easy. My energy feels more steady throughout the day too.

3 comments

Posts

I was crimping RJ31X plugs wrong for years until a customer pointed it out

Had a client bring in a PC that smelled like burnt popcorn for a solid week.

My old spray rig finally quit on a big dining table job last week

PSA: My cousin insisted I use a full cup of sugar in my tomato sauce, which was a huge mistake

My uncle told me to always check the damper first on a tough cleanout

I finally figured out why my beans kept tasting bland

Bought a $300 thermal camera for inspections and it's a total game changer

My sourdough starter tried to escape its jar last night

I used to think neighborhood watch was just nosy people until my car got broken into

Hot take: My air fryer is the reason I finally eat vegetables

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