Saving the Microwave at Work

Project:
Fixing the start button on the microwave from the kitchen at work

Difficulty Level (Easy, Medium, Hard, Insane):
Easy

Process:
For about two and a half years the one microwave at work has been giving everyone a hard time in starting. After some time we all found the way to push the button just right (on the left push towards the center and down a bit) to get it working, sometimes after up to 15 seconds of fiddling around.

Well, I was off on leave for the last 9 months and kinda gotten used to getting stuff done so when I came back and saw that the microwave was still being a pain in the butt (well, a pain in the "finger" would be more accurate because you had to push that silly button so bloody hard...), I decided to have a "look" at it once and for all.

Out came the Swiss army knife during my lunch break and I took that thing apart just to find out that the soldering connection of one of the little metal connectors had broken loose. So I took the electronic display module off and took it home with me over the weekend, soldered it back in place and put it all back together Monday morning.

The lunch room conversation has been quite the entertaining event to say the least. I'm very pleased, not only that we saved the citizens of canada about $130 bucks but that we can now get through the lunch wait line twice as fast! Yeah for Swiss army knives and soldering irons!

Pictures:

The broken microwave in all its glory

After I took the case off

After I took the keypad module out

The keypad module

The broken connection (red circle)

Another view of the broken solder connection (red circle)

After it was soldered back on

Back in the kitchen fully functional

A nice coworker even made me a sign

Tools:
Swiss army knife
Soldering iron

Materials:
1/4" of soldering rod

Cost:
$0.00

Time:
20 minutes

Savings:
$130.00

Conclusion:
It better last or they'll be laughing at me during lunch time...

Bedroom Window

Project:
Fix our bedroom window

Difficulty Level (Easy, Medium, Hard, Insane):
Easy

Process:
After one of our ridiculous snow storms back in February I was out on the back snow blowing my deck and noticed that somehow the bedroom window was cracked. We put a piece of black plastic on the inside to block out the light which (I'm assuming) heated up the window to such a high temperature that it cracked. That would also be the reason I didn't notice it until looking at it from the outside.

On one of my trips to Home Depot with my two oldest kids I asked the window guy if there was a way to just replace the window pane and not having to take the entire window out of the house so he showed me and it was actually remarkably easy to do.

Ordering the window took a little while, but the guys at Mitten (formerly Procana) have always been excellent in helping me out. And, they charged me less than $50 bucks. Way less than any other window place (the highest quote I got for the same window was $180 + tax)

All I had to do is jam my Swiss army knife can opener between the frame and the trim of the window, remove the 4 plastic trims, pull out the old pane, put the new one in and re-install the trim.

Aside from the double-sided tape that made it a little bit tricky to get the old window out and a few minutes of cleaning up that tape it went pretty smooth and was done in under an hour and less than $50 bucks.

Pictures:

The broken window pane

The plastic trim holding in the pane with some black duct tape residue

After the trim was removed 

After the window frame was cleaned up

Putting new double-sided tape on the frame

A view from the bedroom

The new window pane

After it was installed and putting the blackout plastic pieces back on

Tools:
Swiss army knife
Screwdriver
Hammer

Materials:
New window pane
Double sided foam tape

Cost:
$47.53

Time:
1hr

Savings:
Probably at least $100 bucks

Conclusion:
New and shiny now!