Jim Correll, director Fab Lab ICC at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas 

In a previous life back in the late 1980’s, I was driving around Wichita in a 1979 Chrysler Newport. I can’t remember if it had electric windows or not—remember when you actually had to turn a crank to roll a car window up or down? Regardless, the driver-side window would not go all the way up to close; a bit of a problem during cold winter months. Although I grew up on a farm and gained a wide variety of knowledge in how things work, I’ve had a life-long fear of taking a vehicle door apart to try to fix something. I inquired of a local gas station (some of you will remember those) well-known for their attached auto repair shop. I said, “Do you have anyone that can take this door apart and fix the window?” The reply was “Any one of us could take the door apart, but I’m not sure we have anyone that could fix it and put it back together.” Fast forward to 2015 when a side mirror on my 2006 Dodge pickup was obliterated while backing out of the garage. On the Internet, I not only found a vendor from which I could buy the replacement mirror, but said vendor had a series of videos showing how to repair all kinds of things using their parts. The video gave me the confidence to tackle the job, taking the door apart to successfully replace the mirror. Just like that, a life-long fear cured by watching a 10-minute video. 

DIY Feared by Many 

In the past, the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project has been feared by many and avoided by some as not worth it. Before YouTube and the Internet, one had to go to a library and do actual research to find instruction on how to do things. So, for years, many of us have called in the professionals, sometimes to do even the simplest of jobs. Today, especially in rural America, calling in the professionals proves to be challenging. They are fewer and further between and some don’t return inquiries or show up when they say they will. They have a lot of expenses in keeping up with the people, tools and vehicles they need to serve their customers so they have to charge enough to cover not only their time in fixing your problem, but also the knowledge and overhead that enables them to do so. 

Farm Life and Fab Lab Require DIY 

Growing up on a farm in southwest Kansas, we did most repairs and construction projects ourselves, so I’ve always had a propensity for DIY, but in recent years, my confidence in tackling bigger and bigger DIY projects has grown like a muscle. The machines and technologies at Fab Lab ICC are so diverse that there aren’t many affordable options to call in professionals to keep things running. Most of the burden has fallen on Lab Manager Tim Haynes, who is charged with keeping everything running, but I stay involved too. 

In the past few years, I’ve engaged in DIY projects at home that I would have never attempted without the help of how-to videos on the Internet. This includes: 1. Repairing a microwave and window air conditioner we were ready to throw away and replace; 2. Flushing our tankless water heater after the plumber didn’t show up; 3. Purchasing a lock-pick kit and removing a padlock for which we had lost the key; 4. Jack-hammering a swimming pool hole to the correct depth after the contractor left when encountering the first layer of sandstone; and 5. Replacing carburetors on small engines. 

DIY Not Always Successful 

Our furnace worked during the first few cold nights this fall, then one morning would not run. I could tell the thermostat was sending the “call for heat” and flashing lights on the furnace unit indicated it was trying to process the call for heat, but nothing. The YouTube videos I found weren’t quite the same problem. I attempted to bypass the low-voltage wet switch (in an attic, the wet switch turns off the unit during A/C operation in the event the condensation drain is plugged-preventing messy flooding) thinking it might be faulty after 20 years of service. That didn’t work so I decided to go no further except to find a new HVAC company. Fortunately, I found one that returned my calls, kept me in the loop while they worked me into their busy schedule and showed up when they said they would. The first and only repair bill on this 20-year old unit was $457 but it again works as it should. 

Overcoming DIY Fear 

One of our hidden Fab Lab agendas in working with youth and members of all ages is to give everyone a sense and confidence that they can tackle many DIY projects in their personal a professional life, thus saving thousands of dollars over a lifetime. Even the cost of new tools required to accomplish these projects are by far outweighed by the savings. If you’re not experienced, you may want to avoid heavy duty electrical and plumbing work, but there are many, many things around the house, office or shop you can learn to fix on your own. So, the next time something breaks, and you are ready to throw away and replace or even call in the professionals, do a quick YouTube search and see if there are others who have successfully solved the same or a similar problem. Now that my furnace problem is fixed, I can search YouTube to find a solution for by electronic, automated, smart trunk latch which will not open. 

Jim Correll is the director of Fab Lab ICC at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Independence Community College. He can be reached at (620) 252-5349, by email at jcorrell@indycc.edu or Twitter @jimcorrellks. Archive columns and podcast at jimcorrell.com.