River Burns (u/river_burns)

Posts

TIL a retired electrician stopped me mid-project and said 'you're gonna burn your house down'

I was rewiring a light fixture in my basement last month and this older guy peeked over from the neighbor's yard. He pointed out I had the ground wire touching a hot terminal and said it would arc eventually. Saved me from a fire, honestly. Has anyone else had a random stranger catch a dangerous mistake you didn't see?

2 comments

c/daily-deal-detectives•

river_burns•2mo ago

Tried those cheap SSD deals from that weird site, thought they'd be fake

I bought a 2TB NVMe for $45 from a site that looked like it was built in 2005, fully expected a brick in the box. It showed up in a plain bag, but I tested it and it's legit, running at 3,500 MB/s. Anyone else gamble on sketchy hardware and actually win?

3 comments

c/backyard-builds•

river_burns•2mo ago

Question about concrete slabs settling after a wet spring in Ohio

I poured a 10x12 slab for a shed base last October and it looked perfect. After all the rain we got in April around Columbus, one corner has dropped almost 2 inches. Now I'm wondering if I can mudjack it myself or if I should just rip it out and start over. Has anyone else dealt with a slab that settled this fast?

2 comments

c/behind-the-counter-talk•

river_burns•2mo ago

That time I laughed at a coworker for using a timer on fry baskets

Started working at a burger joint back in 2012 and there was this older guy, Mike, who would set a little stopwatch every single time he dropped fries. I thought it was so extra. I mean, I could just eyeball it right? After about 3 months I had a rush where I pulled a basket too early 3 times in a row. Manager made me dump the whole batch. Mike just looked at me and tossed me his spare timer. I've used one ever since. Any other old school tricks you brushed off that turned out to be spot on?

2 comments

c/coffee-enthusiasts•

river_burns•2mo ago

Showerthought: I just learned that a single espresso bean has over 800 flavor compounds

I found this stat on a coffee science blog while researching why my home brews taste flat, and it made me wonder how many of those compounds we're actually tasting versus losing to bad grind or water temp - has anyone else dug into the chemistry of their daily cup?

3 comments

c/diy-gone-wrong•

river_burns•2mo ago

That week I tried to install a ceiling fan and ended up with a hole in my drywall

Back in 2018 I thought I could swap out an old light fixture for a ceiling fan in my bedroom over a long weekend. I watched a few videos and felt pretty confident, but I forgot to check if the junction box was fan rated. Halfway through mounting the bracket the whole box tore loose from the joist and came crashing down, taking a chunk of drywall with it. I spent the next two days patching the ceiling with mesh tape and mud, and it still looks like a lumpy scar every time I look up. The fan itself sat in its box for another six months before I paid a guy forty bucks to install it properly. Has anyone else had a simple swap turn into a drywall disaster like that?

2 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

river_burns•2mo ago

Update on that seized seatpost I mentioned

After soaking it in penetrating oil for a full week, I gave it a solid twist with a long pipe wrench. It finally broke free, and the inside of the tube was just caked in old, dry grease. Has anyone else found a better method for really stuck posts?

2 comments

c/bricklayers•

river_burns•2mo ago

Almost lost a whole wall in Portland when my mortar mix was too wet

Was working on a retaining wall for a client off Burnside last Tuesday. I was rushing between loads and didn't check the slump, next thing I know the whole top course started sliding on me. Had to tear out 12 feet and redo it, wasted about 40 bucks in materials. Anyone else had a bad batch of mix screw up their day?

2 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

river_burns•3mo ago

Tried two different brisket rubs side by side on my offset smoker

I smoked two identical briskets from the same butcher, one with just salt and pepper and the other with a complex 12-ingredient rub. The simple one had a better bark and cleaner beef flavor. What's your go-to rub for a central Texas style brisket?

3 comments

c/dead-end-jobs-club•

river_burns•3mo ago

Can we talk about that online 'career accelerator' course I wasted $800 on

It was just repackaged info from free blogs and after finishing the 'certificate' I got zero interviews, so has anyone actually found a legit program that helped them get out of a dead end role?

2 comments