One of the things that has interrupted my blogging access this last week was the failure of the alternator in my ute. This led to some rather drastic measures to actually being able to get to and from work (with the subsequent time involved - :-) )
There were a few possible causes of this problem, starting with a blown fuse as the first check - none blown - but the worst case scenario was a blown diode pack, which was a real possibility as the ruggies had used the ute to jumpstart the tractor last weekend.
Come Saturday morning, I stripped the alternator and did the necessary tests to find (happily) that it was no more than a worn out set of brushes that was causing the problem , so off to the auto electricians for a new set of brushes, bearings and an oil seal (max $50.00). whilst they had the brushes etc in stock, they were most insistant that the only thing to do was to throw the old one away and buy a new (aftermarket) unit for $600 - $800. Funnily enough, I had been repairing these items when the people trying to tell me what I should do were still in primary school, and have decided that there will be no more dealings by me with that firm - I may not hve the tickets but I DO have the qualifications in this field.
It struck me most tho, that in this age of greenhouse effects, climate change etc, that to just trash a whole assembly for the sake of a small handfull of parts and an hours labour was a negative way of looking at things.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Waste (of natural resources)
Posted by Robert at 7:54 PM
Labels: enviroment, repairs, waste
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3 comments:
Im afraid we live in a disposable world.
I was just reading your 'about me' and you have 5 children, wow...
Hi tinoneetiger, yes sadly we do live in an increasingly disposable world, cars, fridges and other things that we take for granted as necessary are now built to a 5 year or so lifespan, totally alien to what was the norm when I was younger, and I often wonder how the younger generation will cope with still paying for these things on the "never never plan" or on their credit cards etc when the item is just a pile of plastic and scrap metal.
ps from your profile, you and I may have at least one mutual friend/ acquaintenance in Taree :-)
It is fortunate that you have the knowledge to know that it was something that can be fixed instead of being replaced.
Sadly, most of us don't have the "smarts" to understand such things, and we take the repairman or salesmans word for it. We're at their mercy!
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