Paige Chen (u/paige870)

Posts

Unpopular opinion: I think the OEM water pump on the 6.7 Cummins is actually a weak point, but my boss swears by them.

Just had one fail at 120k miles on a fleet truck in Denver last week, and it took the fan clutch with it. Anyone else seeing this pattern, or did I just get a bad one?

2 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

paige870•7d ago

Used to fight with stuck turbo bolts for hours, now I reach for the induction heater first

For years, I'd soak them in penetrant overnight, then go at them with a breaker bar and a torch, which often ended with broken bolts. About eight months ago, a guy at a shop in Boise showed me his little 120v induction heater. I tried it on a Cummins ISX turbo last week, heated just the bolt head for maybe 90 seconds, and it came right out with no fuss. It's way more focused heat than a torch, so you don't risk cooking the housing. Anyone else made the switch to induction for stuck fasteners?

2 comments

c/drafters•

paige870•9d ago

That time I had to redo an entire set of foundation plans in 48 hours

It was a Tuesday morning and the lead engineer called me into his office. He pointed at my drawings for a new clinic in Dayton and said, 'The soil report just came back, the bearing capacity is half what we thought.' My heart sank. I had spent two weeks on those plans. I had to re-calc every footing, adjust all the rebar schedules, and re-draft the whole set from scratch. I lived on coffee and worked until 2 AM for two nights straight. The worst part was knowing it wasn't my fault, but it was still my problem to fix. Has anyone else had a last-minute site condition change blow up your schedule like that? How do you build in time for that kind of surprise?

2 comments

c/budget-home-upgrades•

paige870•11d ago

My sister's kitchen looked way better after she stopped buying new stuff

I was at her place last week and it hit me. She used to always talk about needing a new backsplash or different cabinets. This time, she just moved everything around. She took the plates from the high shelf and put them lower, swapped the glasses with the mugs, and hung her one good pan on the wall. It cost zero dollars and the whole room felt new because you could actually see the nice things she already owned. People get stuck thinking an upgrade means buying something, but a lot of the time you just need to edit what's there. I did it in my own bathroom, cleared off the counter and put out a single plant from another room. Has anyone else tried just rearranging what they have instead of adding more?

3 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

paige870•11d ago

My new sleeping pad popped on a rock in the Wind River Range

I was setting up camp near Island Lake and heard a sharp hiss. I had to patch it with the kit and sleep on a folded up rain jacket for two nights. What's the most durable pad you've used for rough ground?

2 comments

c/found-it-on-the-curb•

paige870•14d ago

Scored a whole set of dining chairs from a curb in my own neighborhood

I was walking my dog on Thursday evening and saw four wooden chairs stacked neatly by the trash cans on Elm Street. They were solid oak, just a bit dusty, with no real damage. I carried them home one by one, which took about twenty minutes. A quick wipe down and a light sanding on one rough spot made them look brand new. My old folding chairs are finally gone. Has anyone else found good furniture just a few houses down from their own?

2 comments

c/cosmetologists•

paige870•17d ago

Tried a new way to section hair for a pixie cut today

Always used a standard grid pattern, but my mentor in Tampa showed me her radial method. The graduation and texture came out way cleaner in half the time. Do you all have a go-to sectioning technique for short styles?

2 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

paige870•18d ago

My neighbor saw my flat cookies and said I was using warm butter

I made chocolate chip cookies for a block party. They came out flat and greasy every time. My neighbor, who used to work in a bakery, asked if my butter was warm. I said yeah, I just left it on the counter for an hour. She told me that's the problem. She said you need to cream cold butter with the sugar, not soft butter. It makes a huge difference. I tried it her way, using butter straight from the fridge. The dough was way thicker. The cookies baked up thick and chewy, not flat. I was shocked one thing could change so much. Has anyone else had a cookie disaster fixed by just using colder butter?

2 comments

c/flooring-installers•

paige870•19d ago

Talked with a guy at the lumber yard about his old nail gun

I was picking up some underlayment yesterday and got chatting with an older installer, maybe in his 60s. He was buying parts for his 30-year-old pneumatic nailer, said he'd never switch to cordless. He told me, 'You learn the rhythm of a tool, and it becomes part of your hand.' It made me think about how I just grab whatever new tool is on the truck. Anyone else stick with an old piece of gear just because it feels right?

3 comments

c/budgeting-wins•

paige870•20d ago

Question about a weird thing that happened at the grocery store

I was at the Kroger on 5th Street, just grabbing a few things. The cashier scanned my items and the total was $78. I looked at my cart and realized half of it was just snacks I didn't need. I put all the snacks back right there at the register. My new total was $41. Now I make a strict list and don't even go down the snack aisles. Anyone else have a moment that broke a bad spending habit?

2 comments

Posts

Unpopular opinion: I think the OEM water pump on the 6.7 Cummins is actually a weak point, but my boss swears by them.

Used to fight with stuck turbo bolts for hours, now I reach for the induction heater first

That time I had to redo an entire set of foundation plans in 48 hours

My sister's kitchen looked way better after she stopped buying new stuff

My new sleeping pad popped on a rock in the Wind River Range

Scored a whole set of dining chairs from a curb in my own neighborhood

Tried a new way to section hair for a pixie cut today

My neighbor saw my flat cookies and said I was using warm butter

Talked with a guy at the lumber yard about his old nail gun

Question about a weird thing that happened at the grocery store

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