I came up with this question right after I wanted to take apart a microwave to see why it wasn't heating anything before I remembered that that's a very, VERY bad idea

  • dan1101@lemm.ee
    ·
    33 minutes ago

    I had a problem with the control panel in my Panasonic microwave and was able to fix it pretty easily. Everything I needed to get to was inside the right front of the microwave; the control pad membrane and the sticker that goes on the front of it.

  • CaptainBasculin@lemmy.ml
    ·
    3 hours ago

    DO NOT backfeed your house's electricity with a generator when your electricity gets shut down. You might electrocute someone working on those lines.

    • Sam_Bass@lemmy.ml
      ·
      edit-2
      18 minutes ago

      At least have it set up downstream of the main shut off and make sure that main is off before firing up the generator. There are devices available commercially that do that for you but they aren't cheap and require professional installation.

  • dumbass@leminal.space
    ·
    15 hours ago

    If you're gonna take a washing machine apart and you cut all the wires, make sure you cut the main electrical plug off as well or your dumbass son (me) will plug it in and electrocute himself with it.

  • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
    ·
    15 hours ago

    I'll expand the microwave to anything that can carry a large electrical charge without you really knowing. I had a UPC that started acting weird, that was one I just sent right back to the manufacturer. I'll swap out batteries, but I'm not cracking open something with that much potential energy stored in it without me fully understanding everything about it - and unless I helped build the thing I do not know enough about it.

  • culpritus [any]
    ·
    edit-2
    15 hours ago

    I heard once that old smoke detectors have some radioactive isotopes in them. Not sure how true or dangerous but sounds bad.

    • DefinitelyNotAPhone [he/him]
      ·
      12 hours ago

      Ionization chamber smoke detectors have a tiny grain of Americium in them, which is radioactive. However, the radiation is almost entirely alpha particles which are relatively low risk as they don't penetrate skin particularly well.

      They are also still sold, though you should buy the other kind (which use light beams instead) because they're significantly better at their jobs.

    • KittenBiscuits@lemm.ee
      ·
      13 hours ago

      Of course I understand caution with ⚡️, but just about everything has a 'do not open' label on it (in the litigous US anyway). Do we not care about right to repair?