Lee Lewis (u/lee847)

Posts

lee847•1d ago

TIL my fridge's 'eco mode' was making my milk go bad 3 days early

Looked it up after tossing a half gallon of milk that smelled funky. Turns out the algorithm in my smart fridge keeps the temp at 40-42F to save power, but that's right at the danger zone for dairy. Why do app-connected appliances care more about their energy rating than my cereal?

3 comments

c/chefs•

lee847•5d ago

The old walk-in was a different world

I was cleaning out the walk-in at this new place in Austin last week, and it hit me how much things have shifted. 3 years ago at my last spot we had to yell across the line to call out tickets, now it's all screens and headsets. Anyone else miss the chaos of the old ticket rail? Just me?

3 comments

c/declutter-support•

lee847•29d ago

Finally dealt with my junk drawer after it jammed shut with a loose battery

I was standing in my kitchen in Portland last Tuesday trying to get the drawer open to grab a screwdriver and the whole thing seized up because of a corroded AA battery that had leaked, so I dumped everything on the counter, threw out the old receipts and dead pens, and now I keep just six things in there - has anyone else hit that point where a drawer just stops working?

3 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

lee847•1mo ago

My miter saw station warped after just 3 months in my garage shop

I built a big miter saw station back in September using standard 3/4 plywood and it started bowing near the sliding portion within 3 months... pretty sure the humidity swings in my garage did it. I see all these fancy builds online but nobody mentions how much the environment can mess with things. Anyone deal with that and find a fix that doesn't mean tearing the whole thing down?

3 comments

c/butchers•

lee847•1mo ago

Shoutout to the old timer who told me to ditch my electric knife sharpener

Swore by that thing for years. Last week it ruined a $200 cote de boeuf by leaving jagged edges. Hand stones only now, takes longer but the cuts are clean.

3 comments

c/epiphany-exchange•

lee847•1mo ago

It took me 3 blown transmissions to realize I was shifting wrong

I run a small shop outside Cleveland and kept seeing these Honda Civics come in with shredded synchros. Finally had a 19 year old kid show me he was shifting into 1st while the car was still rolling at like 5 mph. Turns out I was doing the same thing for 15 years and never noticed because my old truck could handle it. Anyone else ever miss something obvious like that in their own shop?

3 comments

c/aircraft-mechanics•

lee847•1mo ago

Old timer at Piedmont told me to never bypass the ground straps on the APU

Back when I was still green at the hangar in Charlotte, got a rush job on a 737 APU swap and I was about to skip checking those ground straps to save 20 minutes. This old mechanic, Dave, yanked me aside and said "you skip that step and you'll be pulling that APU back out within three months." Sure enough, six months later a different crew skipped that exact step on the same fleet and that plane came back with generator surges that fried two control modules. Cost the company close to 12 grand in parts and labor. Any of you guys ever seen a shortcut like that blow up way worse than anyone expected?

3 comments

c/electricians•

lee847•1mo ago

I swore those fancy laser levels were a gimmick until I tried one on a commercial job in Denver

My old bubble level worked fine for years but after using a $200 Bosch laser on a 200-foot warehouse run I'm wondering if I was just being stubborn for no real reason, anyone else have a tool they thought was overpriced that turned out to be worth it?

3 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

lee847•1mo ago

PSA: Stop using those cheap fiberglass cleaning rods on every job

I had a talk with a guy named Greg over in Denver last month. He runs a crew that does nothing but commercial restaurant hood cleanings. He told me he stopped using fiberglass rods completely after his guys kept getting splinters that got infected. I always thought those rods were fine if you were careful. But he showed me how much more solid his poly rods are and how they don't shed fibers. Made me think about all the times I had a little itch on my arm after a job and just ignored it. Now I'm switching over for any heavy creosote work. Has anyone else had problems with those fiberglass rods?

3 comments

c/family-finance-planning•

lee847•1mo ago

Found a way to save $40 a month on groceries by switching to a discount grocery store

We were spending way too much at the regular chain store. I tried Aldi for the first time last month and our weekly bill dropped from $180 to $140. The trick is you have to bring your own bags and quarter for the cart. Has anyone else found a store that cuts their food bill like this?

3 comments