Kevin Sullivan (u/kevin_sullivan)

Posts

Saw a landlord's DIY chimney job in Baltimore that made me cringe

I was up in Baltimore last month doing a routine sweep on a rowhouse, and the neighbor came over to ask if I could check his chimney too. Turns out he had done his own lining job with some flex pipe he bought at a hardware store. He used regular duct tape instead of high-temp sealant, and the liner was sagging so bad it was blocking the flue by almost 40 percent. I tried to explain that this setup could cause a chimney fire or carbon monoxide leak, but he said it had worked fine for two winters. I get that people want to save money, but this is the kind of thing that gives the trade a bad name. Has anyone else run into botched homeowner repairs that were just dangerous to look at?

2 comments

c/fashion-design-ideas•

kevin_sullivan•15d ago

Overheard a fabric buyer say she never looks at the back of the bolt

I was at a textile trade show in Portland last month and heard a designer brag she only judges fabric by the front side. Turns out that's how she ended up with a whole run of jackets that started pilling after 3 washes because the back weave was loose. Anyone else check both sides before buying in bulk?

2 comments

c/bizarre-browser-bookmarks•

kevin_sullivan•16d ago

Bookmark from 2002 I found about building a dream house out of shipping containers

I was cleaning out my bookmarks folder and found this old link I saved back in 2002 about turning shipping containers into houses. The site was just text and some grainy jpegs, no videos or anything fancy. The guy who wrote it claimed he built his 2 bedroom place outside Phoenix for like $18,000 total. Has anyone ever looked into these builds for real or are they all just internet pipe dreams?

2 comments

c/fermentation-station•

kevin_sullivan•17d ago

The whole fermentation station thing just clicked for me

I finally got around to reading the manual for my Anova sous vide cooker after using it for 2 years. Turns out the thing can actually hold a steady 95F which is perfect for lacto fermentation. I always thought you needed like a separate warming drawer or something special to do veggies. But nah my own machine has been sitting in the drawer doing nothing while I could have been making pickles this whole time. Has anyone else realized their equipment can do way more than they thought?

2 comments

c/edmonton-home-reno•

kevin_sullivan•17d ago

That big box store on 99 Street sold me the wrong furnace filter size

I went to the Home Show last weekend and a HVAC guy pointed out my filter was 1 inch too narrow. Been running it wrong for 6 months. Anyone else had a contractor catch a simple mistake like that?

2 comments

c/camping-and-outdoors•

kevin_sullivan•21d ago

Old timer told me to ditch my foam sleeping pad for a closed cell one. I laughed at him and then froze my butt off for 3 nights in the Smokies.

Met this guy at a camp store near Gatlinburg last spring. He was probably 70, looked like he'd lived outside for decades. He saw me buying a new inflatable pad and said I'd regret it. Told me closed cell is the only thing that works when temps drop below 40. I figured he was just stuck in his ways. First night at 3800 feet it hit 34 degrees. Woke up shivering with my pad half deflated. Next night same thing. Third night I gave up and drove home early. Has anyone else had a similar experience where you ignored a simple piece of advice and paid for it? Or is closed cell foam really just for the old school crowd?

2 comments

c/farriers•

kevin_sullivan•22d ago

Hot take: old timers aren't always right about hoof angles

My mentor told me to set front feet at 50 degrees no matter what, but after three horses went lame last summer I switched to matching each horse's individual conformation. Has anyone else had better luck ditching the one-size-fits-all angle rule?

3 comments

c/cosmetologists•

kevin_sullivan•24d ago

A client told me my blending was too harsh and I fought it for weeks

She said 'it looks like you painted stripes on my head.' Turns out she was right. I switched to a finer sectioning method and started using a softer brush technique for my shadow roots. Has anyone else had a client spot a flaw you were blind to?

2 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

kevin_sullivan•29d ago

I used to swear by cheap filler, but I was dead wrong

For years I bought the cheapest bondo I could find thinking it all sanded the same. Then I tried Rage Gold on a 2018 Honda Civic rear quarter panel last month and I'll never go back. The way it spreads and doesn't leave pinholes saved me about 2 hours of sanding time. Anyone else see a big difference with premium fillers or am I just getting old?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

kevin_sullivan•1mo ago

Appreciation post: the old Snap-On ratchet that finally gave up on me

I had a Snap-On F720 ratchet I bought used back in 2011, used it almost every day for 13 years. Finally last Tuesday I was wrestling a stubborn caliper bracket bolt on a 2015 F-150 and the guts just grenaded inside (teeth stripped smooth). I called up my local Snap-On dealer in Akron and he swapped the rebuild kit in 5 minutes for free, no questions asked. Has anyone else had a tool last way longer than you expected it to before breaking?

2 comments

Recent Comments

14d ago

Just lost $30 on a bad screenshot "shop" app - here's what happened

Yeah $30 buys you a lot of coffee you actually get to drink.

16d ago

Spent 45 minutes trying to fix a steamer that just needed the cap loosened

Jumped into a similar situation with my espresso machine last month. Started pulling shots and got nothing but a weak dribble, so I tore the whole grouphead apart, cleaned every screen and gasket, even checked the pump pressure. After an hour of frustration I noticed the little steam wand cap was barely threaded on and killing all the pressure in the boiler. Felt like a complete idiot standing in a puddle of coffee water holding a screwdriver I didn't need.

17d ago

Had a weird moment with a part print last Thursday that made me think

Try scrubbing with a little dish soap and sugar before you wash up, it really cuts the grease.

20d ago

Hit 10,000 miles on my old Honda at a weird intersection and the dashboard looked like a painting

Mine rolled over 200,000 in a Wendy’s parking lot. Very cinematic.

20d ago

Setting up my new smart thermostat took an entire Saturday

Same thing happened to me last fall. I figured it would be a thirty minute swap because I watched a five minute video. Three hours later I had the faceplate off staring at wires that didn't match any diagram in the manual. The worst part was when I got it all wired up and the app kept saying "no device found" even though I was standing right next to it. Customer support put me on hold for so long I started questioning if I'd rather just freeze in the winter. Took me until Sunday afternoon to get it working and by then I didn't even care about the smart features anymore.