[rant] The really bad design thread

Sac Arrow

Sac Arrow

Touchdown! Greaser!
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fridge.jpg

Note the location of this switch, which turns the inside light on when the door is opened. It is placed in exactly the worst possible location possible. This is probably the third time this month I have gashed my hand on the sharp protrusion while either reaching for or placing an item in the fridge. It shipped with the door opening from the left, but that doesn't work with the kitchen layout so the hinges and handle were reversed so it would open from the right. If they just would have located it near the top or near the bottom it would be fine.

That cole slaw better be worth it.
 
I have a lawnmower (honda push mower, in fact) that has a rather sharp edged (designed that way) cable guide directly along the path for your hand when you pull the starting rope. It has gashed me a couple of times.

That's not the the only poor design feature, but it is the one that gets your attention most abruptly.
 
Sac Arrow said:
View attachment 134996

Note the location of this switch, which turns the inside light on when the door is opened. It is placed in exactly the worst possible location possible. This is probably the third time this month I have gashed my hand on the sharp protrusion while either reaching for or placing an item in the fridge. It shipped with the door opening from the left, but that doesn't work with the kitchen layout so the hinges and handle were reversed so it would open from the right. If they just would have located it near the top or near the bottom it would be fine.

That cole slaw better be worth it.
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Remove the switch, drill an appropriately-sized hole in the other side, and reinstall the switch there. Run the wires around the inside and cover them with duct tape.

“If the women don’t find you handsome, at least they should find you handy.”

(Hey, at least it didn’t get to the point of me suggesting that you iron a birthday cake.)
 
MauleSkinner said:
Remove the switch, drill an appropriately-sized hole in the other side, and reinstall the switch there. Run the wires around the inside and cover them with duct tape.

“If the women don’t find you handsome, at least they should find you handy.”

(Hey, at least it didn’t get to the point of me suggesting that you iron a birthday cake.)
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Don't think I haven't thought of it.
 
I had to reverse a fridge door about 20 years ago, and as I remember it, the switch was designed to be move too.
We popped the switch out of one side, popped a plug off the other side and swapped them.
If that's not possible with your fridge it is probably because each improvement is designed to make it cheaper, not better, so they left out the pre-wiring on the other side.

But look at the same location on the other side and see if you see a plastic plug covering a hole.
 
JOhnH said:
I had to reverse a fridge door about 20 years ago, and as I remember it, the switch was designed to be move too.
We popped the switch out of one side, popped a plug off the other side and swapped them.
If that's not possible with your fridge it is probably because each improvement is designed to make it cheaper, not better, so they left out the pre-wiring on the other side.

But look at the same location on the other side and see if you see a plastic plug covering a hole.
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I did. No such luck.
 
JackL-3J said:
And checking the sumps is sooo much fun.
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On mine it is. I have only one gascolator sump under the cowling that I can check as I pull the wheel chocks. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy & no diamond forehead scars ...
 
Tape the switch closed and stick motion sensor cabinet lights.

IMG_2088.png


Or replace the switch with a flush mount and manually turn the light on and off. That also helps you hide those midnite fridge raids from others in the house.

IMG_2089.png
 
Oh, this thread really triggered me. There are SO many things that have been designed (or worse, "redesigned") poorly that I can barely count them. Everything from vegetable peelers to jar openers to ice cream makers to this..... Fortunately, some kitchenware stores seem to have returned to the kind of vegetable peelers that actually work, but the other stuff? My mom had a wonderful jar opener that had a handle and a gripping mechanism. With a turn of the handle, the gripping mechanism would grab onto that sucker and twist the lid right off. I liked it so much that I bought one, except that the new one couldn't grip--something to do with the design of the gripping mechanism. When my mom passed away, I grabbed it (sorry, brother). I once bought an ice cream maker and when I went to make ice cream, after a certain point and WAY before the ice cream was solid enough, the gear for the handle started slipping. I looked at it and it was nylon, not metal! Nylon! I bought what seemed like a pretty good blender with a solid base. When I try to use it, it vibrates its way across the counter, so I have to hang onto it--my mom's old blender (which she got rid of when she moved to a senior living community with a dining hall and which I failed to snag) would never do that. :mad3::mad3:
 
Jim K said:
I find that squatting down to take a couple fuel samples is far easier than dragging a ladder over or climbing up the side of the airplane like a jungle gym.
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Even when it is 30 degrees outside, windy, spitting rain and snow with the rain dripping down your neck and the ramp is a giant muddy mess.?? :lol: :lol:

(and yes, I have pre-flighted in those conditions)
 
From the tankless water heater thread, I noted that the drain valve hose bib had plastic threads, which immediately stripped out the first time I tried to perform a maintenance flush. Why you would use plastic in a highly stressed part, on a hot water heater no less, is boggling to the mind.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Note the location of this switch, which turns the inside light on when the door is opened. It is placed in exactly the worst possible location possible. This is probably the third time this month I have gashed my hand on the sharp protrusion while either reaching for or placing an item in the fridge. It shipped with the door opening from the left, but that doesn't work with the kitchen layout so the hinges and handle were reversed so it would open from the right. If they just would have located it near the top or near the bottom it would be fine.
Click to expand...
Supposing the light was an LED that generated negligible heat, consumed negligible power and is expected to outlast the rest of the fridge, what would be the implication of removing the switch and leaving the circuit permanently on?
 
aterry1067 said:
Or replace the switch with a flush mount and manually turn the light on and off. That also helps you hide those midnite fridge raids from others in the house.
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If you’re gonna go to that trouble check out a proximity switch.
 
asicer said:
Supposing the light was an LED that generated negligible heat, consumed negligible power and is expected to outlast the rest of the fridge, what would be the implication of removing the switch and leaving the circuit permanently on?
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You'd look at an extra 60-100 Wh/day. The compressor uses 1000-2000 Wh/day, so roughly a 5% increase in power usage. A bit more, since the heat generated by the LED has to be pumped out by the compressor.
To put it in perspective, the average electric car could drive about 120 miles on the power used by that light if left on for a year.
 
Sac Arrow said:
From the tankless water heater thread, I noted that the drain valve hose bib had plastic threads, which immediately stripped out the first time I tried to perform a maintenance flush. Why you would use plastic in a highly stressed part, on a hot water heater no less, is boggling to the mind.
Click to expand...
I have a 37 ton log splitter from Northern Tool that had a nylon 2 inch connector to the reservoir. Its threads melted leaking hot hydraulic oil.
 
any table that has legs. you know, the ones that reach out and hit you in your shins. those tables suck.
 
GaryM said:
EVERY attempt at complying with the federal mandate that gas cans be ventless and have some sort of a shutoff mechanism in the spout has resulted in a bad design.

Every one
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I'm gonna chime in every time someone makes that assertion. I LOVE my current gas cans. By far the best I've ever owned. Easiest to use I've ever owned. Spills are a thing of the past. I still have multiple five gallon cans with pre-legislation tops, but I now only use them to refill the new ones.

1731277857692.png
 
AV8R_87 said:
You'd look at an extra 60-100 Wh/day. The compressor uses 1000-2000 Wh/day, so roughly a 5% increase in power usage. A bit more, since the heat generated by the LED has to be pumped out by the compressor.
To put it in perspective, the average electric car could drive about 120 miles on the power used by that light if left on for a year.
Click to expand...
You sure about that math? I come up with more like 10Wh...
 
Sac Arrow said:
From the tankless water heater thread, I noted that the drain valve hose bib had plastic threads, which immediately stripped out the first time I tried to perform a maintenance flush. Why you would use plastic in a highly stressed part, on a hot water heater no less, is boggling to the mind.
Click to expand...
Why would you want to heat hot water?
 
172andyou said:
You sure about that math? I come up with more like 10Wh...
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Typical fridge bulb is 40W, but I recall seeing 25W models as well. LED replacement is usually 10 times less in power, so 2.5 to 4W. Multiply by 24h and you get 60 to 96Wh. Just looked at what's available as LED replacements and they actually quote 6W, so that would add up to 144Wh/day.
 
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