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What item in your house is broken ?

102 replies

Hyacinthandrichard · 13/10/2024 08:35

A while back I had a thread on what is broken or needed in your house that everyone just thinks is normal now. I wondered if anyone fixed anything yet.
I thought of this because our tumble drier handle is broken and we have been opening it with a butter knife for about 9 months now. It's just become normal. Our toilet only flushes once every 10 minutes but we just all put up with it.
The tumble drier would be relatively low cost to fix but we just don't get round to it
I think my original thing I posted about was a broken Pyrex jug ( where the lip is chipped and it doesn't pour cleanly ) Still got it but I do have a new smaller one that's too small so I keep the broken one still!
Anyway. Before anyone suggests i am a journalist , I'm really not. Just wondering at my life and why I haven't fixed the easy ish things yet! Sunday musings I guess.

OP posts:
Em3978 · 13/10/2024 14:16

Me

(also)

EngineEngineNumber9 · 13/10/2024 14:19

The kickboards in the kitchen aren’t attached (previous owners botched self-installation) and fall down every time I sweep, hoover or mop. And spiders live behind them 😫

BlackCatsAreBrilliant · 13/10/2024 14:19

The shower in the en suite sprung a leak. It may be as simple as a hose needing replacing, but it's been like it for months and we're squabbling over the one in the main bathroom. I really ought to look at it.

And the tumble dryer tumbles but doesn't dry. I need to get it mended. Or replace it. But it still sits there being ignored.

Hyacinthandrichard · 13/10/2024 14:47

To those saying they are broken I sending Flowers

OP posts:
Pascha · 13/10/2024 14:50

The oven light doesn't work. We changed the bulb and it started shorting the element so we've decided to leave it in darkness as the oven works perfectly well otherwise.

BlueEyedLeucy · 13/10/2024 15:20

Downstairs bathroom toilet flushes for too long cause the overflow bit of the flush mechanism is lower than the inlet float…should be an easy enough fix, but because it’s an easy fix I just can’t be arsed fixing it!

I started removing the grout in the downstairs shower floor because it was wearing away and needed redone, broke the dremel while doing so, haven’t got round to finishing the job since then…and that was 2 years ago. We don’t use that shower. But it would be good to finish the job so we COULD use the shower if the upstairs one ever broke.

Started painting a radiator cover several months ago. Need to finish it.

Airing cupboard door needs fixed.

All easily doable DIY. I just can’t be bothered.

NormaLouiseBates · 13/10/2024 16:17

Oneblindmouse · 13/10/2024 09:34

Nothing. If something is broken it gets thrown out if not fixable or fixed as soon as possible. My house is too small to keep broken stuff.

Same here. I know it's not in the spirit of the thread but some of these would drive me crackers and I wouldn't be able to relax until they'd been sorted.

Irridescantshimmmer · 13/10/2024 16:57

Had to recently replace an old sewing machine because it siezed up, so I open it up and it was knackered.

The new one is better.....will not be opening ths one up, have banned myself from doing so.

My wardrobe is leaning......hahaha thats my fault for being stupid enough to buy flat pack.......never again!!

NeverDropYourMooncup · 13/10/2024 17:23

You need to chuck that Pyrex jug, otherwise it'll shatter into evil shards at some point, probably when washing it up or holding hot gravy. One means much blood and water, the other means much blood and sticky burns over the cut bits.

Our broken - the oven. Two airfryers were cheaper than to buy a replacement, get half the kitchen taken out, rewiring to code, redoing the gas pipes so another one will fit, removing the old one, installing, rebuilding the kitchen and disposal (and then being billed by the landlord for 'destroying' the old kitchen).

Then there's the cracked sink. Landlord says it's not necessary to replace it. We'll be billed in any case.

Shower downstairs - again, an necessary repair, apparently.

Back door step has crumbled. I'm to jump 3 foot to miss it.

Part of front wall where local kids are allowed by their parents to climb and walk on it. It's unfair to the kids to expect them not to have fun, according to the parents.

Electric meter cupboard outside. Was smashed open to change the meter despite my being in at the time. Now only held shut by overgrown Ivy.

Wardrobe keeps falling apart and chest of drawers stays together as long as you don't open it.

The bed frame is split and can't be repaired anymore.

The hardboard floor upstairs is uneven and there's a crack in the ceiling below. Perfectly normal building settling - but told not to put carpet down because if the crack widens, they'll tear it up to get to the shifting beams.

I hate renting.

Spendysis · 13/10/2024 17:26

The grill on the oven has been broken a few years also the temperature markers have wiped off
We have a grill in the microwave and a George Forman grill so use them. Haven't replaced the oven as can't find one I like it's a built under oven and I want to redo the kitchen and have eye level built in ovens but I want to extend the kitchen when i redo it so am just ignoring the oven for now

Boobygravy · 13/10/2024 17:29

BlackCatsAreBrilliant · 13/10/2024 14:19

The shower in the en suite sprung a leak. It may be as simple as a hose needing replacing, but it's been like it for months and we're squabbling over the one in the main bathroom. I really ought to look at it.

And the tumble dryer tumbles but doesn't dry. I need to get it mended. Or replace it. But it still sits there being ignored.

Is it a Bosch?
Mine tumbles away but stays luke warm.

Boobygravy · 13/10/2024 17:33

NeverDropYourMooncup · 13/10/2024 17:23

You need to chuck that Pyrex jug, otherwise it'll shatter into evil shards at some point, probably when washing it up or holding hot gravy. One means much blood and water, the other means much blood and sticky burns over the cut bits.

Our broken - the oven. Two airfryers were cheaper than to buy a replacement, get half the kitchen taken out, rewiring to code, redoing the gas pipes so another one will fit, removing the old one, installing, rebuilding the kitchen and disposal (and then being billed by the landlord for 'destroying' the old kitchen).

Then there's the cracked sink. Landlord says it's not necessary to replace it. We'll be billed in any case.

Shower downstairs - again, an necessary repair, apparently.

Back door step has crumbled. I'm to jump 3 foot to miss it.

Part of front wall where local kids are allowed by their parents to climb and walk on it. It's unfair to the kids to expect them not to have fun, according to the parents.

Electric meter cupboard outside. Was smashed open to change the meter despite my being in at the time. Now only held shut by overgrown Ivy.

Wardrobe keeps falling apart and chest of drawers stays together as long as you don't open it.

The bed frame is split and can't be repaired anymore.

The hardboard floor upstairs is uneven and there's a crack in the ceiling below. Perfectly normal building settling - but told not to put carpet down because if the crack widens, they'll tear it up to get to the shifting beams.

I hate renting.

You have a shit LL.
We had shit tenants, we repaired everything immediately.
Didn't stop them from not paying rent and letting pet rats urinate on the carpets.

NeverRunAfterAManOrABus · 13/10/2024 17:35

The door between kitchen and freezing cold utility wont shut. It seems to have swollen, but just in parts, so there’s huge gaps down parts of the length where as the swollen bits just rest against the frame. The draught blows through from there something shocking.

I think a couple of the windows need re sealing between the brickwork & the frames as I’ve occasionally seen wet if the winds blowing the rain in a certain direction.

The bathroom windows doesn’t seem to be sitting right when I close it and it’s draughty & noisy. I can’t find anyone who does adjustments so I’ve put excluder around it.

SqueakyDinosaur · 13/10/2024 17:37

@CharlotteStreetW1 can I ask how much it cost to get your radiators replaced? Mine are old and horrible and I'm gradually trying to improve the worst things in my flat. I have 3 large, 2 medium and 2 small ones.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 13/10/2024 17:41

My entire kitchen. It is a secret mess, from afar it looks perfect but it’s not! but because it’s so big, I can’t possibly afford the price it would cost to get a new one.
The integrated fridge freezer door is knackered so I unscrewed it so I now have to open the door first and then open the fridge, this caused the door to hang open all the time, which annoyed me, so I bought some little catches off Amazon and now it’s fine, it just takes people by surprise if they’re not used to opening my fridge!

The espresso machine and milk frother trips the electrics if I use it, so I’ve probably only bothered with it a couple of times, mainly during the pandemic and I made fancy coffees for the family.

The under cupboard lighting is out of date, the bulbs are knackered and they can’t be replaced because they don’t do them anymore. The attached cable that’s wired into the mains is also no longer in production so it’s just sort of sellotaped to the bottom of the cabinets so it’s hidden.

The tap leaks.

One of my ovens doesn’t have a light and it’s the one I prefer so I have to shine my phone torch into it if I’m checking on stuff.

The soft close on one of the pull up cabinet doors is fucked so you have to push it slightly other wise it doesn’t close all the way.

coxesorangepippin · 13/10/2024 17:42

Shower

CaribouCarafe · 13/10/2024 18:15

One ring on my induction hob doesn't work - broke shortly after buying our house last year but no point replacing as we'll fit a new kitchen...in about 5 years.

The horn on my car doesn't work when the lights are on, but we barely drive in the dark and I'm not prepared to spend the quoted £350 to sort it out...

BlackCatsAreBrilliant · 13/10/2024 19:12

Boobygravy · 13/10/2024 17:29

Is it a Bosch?
Mine tumbles away but stays luke warm.

Nope. A Hotpoint. One of those that needed the emergency fix a few years ago. It's not really worked since.

OldTinHat · 13/10/2024 19:13

Erm, me?

Justploddingonandon · 13/10/2024 19:21

Our utility room floor has had a big crack in it since before we moved in 5 years ago. I'm sure it was mentioned in the survey, but due to the chain from hell that was a long time before moving in, and as it was covered by a large doormat it took me about 3 months to notice. I put the mat back and decided to ignore it if it had taken that long to notice.

AutumnLeaves24 · 13/10/2024 19:44

Kitchen tap drips.

its a very old tap & it needs replacing, but so does the entire kitchen

its on the list, but so are a lot of things & it makes sense to do the kitchen last.

i could explain, but we'd run out of internet!!

im not sure whether to try to fix it or buy a new kitchen tap & get it installed on the old sink or whether to just keep leaving it dripping onto a sponge (best way to reduce the water torture!!). I'm not sure the old sink will take the new tap I want??

tinytemper66 · 13/10/2024 20:10

Bloody dishwasher

NeverRunAfterAManOrABus · 24/10/2024 15:39

Adding to my earlier list, my bathroom sink is now leaking from the waste pipe connection. I can’t move the pedestal out so can’t get to it to fix it. 🙄

SirChenjins · 24/10/2024 16:08

Another addition to the list - the locking mechanism on one of our bedroom windows is broken so the window’s now taped shut with black duct tape. Stylish AND practical.

DilemmaDelilah · 24/10/2024 19:40

Me 😭.
Nothing apart from that I think, although my favourite knife has had a broken tip for about 20 years... Does that count?