Old timer told me to use brake cleaner on O2 sensors

Guy at the shop swore by it. Said it cleans them good as new. Fried two sensors before I figured out it ruins the ceramic element. Cost me $180 to learn that lesson.

Update: Saw a huge difference after switching to solid copper drop wire

I replaced about 200 feet of copper clad steel on a run in Austin last week and the signal loss dropped by almost 8 dB. The old stuff had been up for maybe 5 years and was corroded near the connectors. Has anyone else seen that big of a jump just from changing the wire type?

My neighbor said my cheap meals looked sad and I got mad, but she was right.

She saw my bowl of plain beans and rice, said 'You can eat for less than $2 a day and still have color, Hugo.' She showed me her fridge. A bag of frozen corn, a red pepper, a bunch of green onions. Stuff that costs maybe $4 total and lasts a week. She chops a little into everything. That red pepper went into three meals. It's not about fancy stuff. It's about not letting your plate look beige. My food tastes better now and I don't feel poor eating it. Who else has a cheap trick to make meals look less depressing?

My old sleeping bag just hit 200 nights out and I'm honestly shocked it's still warm

I had to choose between parchment paper and a basket liner for my air fryer chicken wings

I was making wings for the game last weekend and got stuck on this. I had a roll of parchment paper with holes and a silicone basket liner I got on Amazon for $12. The parchment lets air flow but can burn at high heat, and the liner is safer but makes things less crispy. I went with the parchment at 400 degrees for 22 minutes, flipping halfway. Big mistake. The edges charred black and smoked up my kitchen, setting off the alarm. The wings were okay in the middle but had a bitter taste. I should have used the liner and just cranked the heat at the end. Has anyone found a good middle ground for keeping things crispy without the fire risk?

Our walk-in fridge was always 5 degrees off until I tried a $3 trick

Taped a small computer fan near the thermostat to move air better. Anyone else fix a temp swing without a service call?

Fixed a stuck governor rope in a tight shaft in Cincinnati

I was on a call at an old office building downtown last week. The governor rope had jumped its sheave and was jammed against the wall, stopping the car. The shaft was so narrow I could barely turn around. I had to use a small pry bar to lift the rope just enough to guide it back onto the groove, working by feel more than sight. Has anyone else had to deal with a rope jam in a space that tight?

Got into it with the building manager over a 1998 Dover governor adjustment in a Chicago high-rise.

He insisted the old spec was fine for a full speed test, but I found a worn pawl spring and refused to sign off until we replaced it, so has anyone else had to push back hard on a safety call like that?

Shoutout to the barber in Portland who showed me how to use a hot towel before a straight razor shave

I used a 3:1 ratio on a big maple removal and the hinge snapped early

The tree kicked back hard and nearly hit my ground guy, so now I'm rethinking my hinge geometry on leaners. What's your go-to ratio for a heavy side lean?