Christopher Butler (u/christopher67)

Posts

Used to sleeve every single card in every game I owned

After my copy of Dominion got knocked off a shelf and the box exploded, I realized I only ever played the base cards anyway. Saw a guy at my local shop just toss his unsleeved copy into a ziploc bag, and honestly he seemed happier than me.

0 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

christopher67•10h ago

Old washing machine threw a belt on a Saturday after a spring storm

I was out in Des Moines last April, working on a 15 year old Whirlpool that had a belt snap during a heavy rain. The homeowner said it started smoking and stopped mid-cycle, so I figured it was just age and wear. I opened it up and found the belt was shredded, but the real problem was a seized pulley from a leaky drain hose that had been dripping for months. I replaced the belt and the pulley, cleaned out the gunk, and tested the spin cycle three times before it ran smooth. The whole job took about two hours and cost the guy $45 in parts, but he was just happy to have it working again before Monday. Has anyone else run into hidden water damage causing more than the obvious broken part?

2 comments

c/budgeting-wins•

christopher67•4d ago

Showerthought: Took me like 5 months to realize my budget app was double counting my rent

I kept wondering why my savings wasn't growing even though I was sticking to my numbers. Finally checked my transaction history and saw my rent was getting logged twice every month because of an auto-pay glitch. Has anyone else caught a dumb mistake like that in their tracking?

2 comments

c/easy-slow-cooker-meals•

christopher67•1mo ago

My sister told me my chili was watery and she was right

She came over for dinner last Sunday and took one look at my slow cooker chili and said 'you need to drain your beans.' I used to just dump everything in straight from the can including the liquid. Turns out that extra liquid makes it soupy instead of thick and hearty. Now I rinse all my canned beans before adding them. Also started using half the broth I used to and my chili comes out way better. Anyone else get feedback from family that changed how you cook?

2 comments

c/backyard-chicken-keepers•

christopher67•1mo ago

Took me 3 months to figure out why my hens stopped laying in the coop

I kept finding eggs scattered all over the run, thought it was just a few troublemakers hiding them. Turns out a raccoon had been scaring them off their nesting boxes at night, and it took me 8 weeks of tearing my hair out before I found a muddy paw print near the latch. Has anyone else had a predator mess with their flock's laying routine without actually taking any birds?

2 comments

-1

c/custom-keyboard-builds•

christopher67•1mo ago

Just found out my new $180 hotswap PCB was dead after I finished the whole build.

Spent three hours putting everything together, lubing switches, the works. Powered it on and got nothing. No LEDs, no response. I was ready to start desoldering everything, but on a whim I checked the USB-C port with a multimeter. The 5V rail was fine, but the 3.3V regulator was showing a dead short. Turns out a tiny bit of metal debris from the case filing must have gotten lodged in there during assembly. A careful poke with some tweezers and a blast of compressed air fixed it. Saved me a full teardown. Anyone have a good pre-build PCB check routine they swear by?

3 comments

c/climate-action•

christopher67•1mo ago

Saw a solar panel farm next to a coal plant in West Virginia last month

I was driving through the state and passed this huge coal plant, all smokestacks and gray. Right next to it, maybe 500 yards away, was a brand new field of solar panels. The contrast was so stark it was almost funny, like a weird time-lapse photo. The panels were angled away from the plant, which felt symbolic. I heard they built it on an old strip mine site, which is a smart use of land. Has anyone else seen these weird energy mash-ups in person?

2 comments

c/diy-home-repair•

christopher67•1mo ago

Just realized my basement went from damp to bone dry after I fixed the grading outside.

For two years, the corner by the old workbench always felt clammy and had a musty smell. I finally spent a weekend moving about 20 wheelbarrows of dirt to build up the soil slope away from the foundation. That was six months ago, and now the air down there feels completely different, no more dampness at all. Has anyone else fixed a moisture problem just by fixing the ground outside?

2 comments

c/broker-reviews•

christopher67•2mo ago

Warning: my broker's 'free' account transfer took 3 weeks and cost me $150

Last month I decided to move my portfolio from my old broker to a new one that offered lower fees. The old broker's website said transfers were free and easy, so I started the process online. A week went by with no update, so I called. They told me there was a 'processing fee' of $75 per account, which wasn't mentioned anywhere in the transfer form. I had two accounts, so that was $150. Then they said the transfer would take 10-15 business days, not the 5-7 they advertised. My money was just stuck in limbo for over three weeks total. I felt totally misled by the fine print they never showed me. Has anyone else had a broker surprise them with hidden fees during a transfer?

2 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

christopher67•2mo ago

My buddy in Kansas City pointed out I was cooking my ribs way too hot

I was running my smoker at 275 for years, thinking it was fine because the ribs were done faster. He came over last week, saw my temp gauge, and just said 'man, you're boiling the meat, not smoking it.' I dropped it down to 225 for my next rack and the difference in how tender and smoky they were was crazy. Anyone else have a temp mistake they stuck with for way too long?

3 comments