Just realized my "quick 15 minute" oven repair took 4 hours yesterday

I tried replacing the heating element in my Whirlpool and stripped the mounting screw, then spent 3 hours trying to drill it out without ruining the oven wall. Has anyone else had a simple fix spiral into an all-day project?

4 comments

4 Comments

jesse_smith101mo ago

That exact thing happened to me with a dishwasher pump swap. The old pump came out fine but the new one didn't line up right with the mounting bracket. Ended up taking the whole lower rack out, then the spray arm, then the filter housing just to get enough room to wiggle the thing in place. Three hours gone and I had to watch an hour of YouTube videos just to figure out I had the bracket upside down. The worst part was when I finally got it all back together and found a random screw sitting on the floor with no home. Still in the drawer to this day waiting for its purpose.

lucashenderson1mo ago

Noticed that same pattern with pretty much anything you fix around the house. There's always one leftover screw that just stares at you from the drawer while you pretend it's fine.

robin8961mo ago

Oh man, the leftover screw is the worst feeling... you know it went somewhere but you just cannot figure out where. I did the same thing with a ceiling fan install last summer, had three extra screws when I was done... just sat there in my hand like a little metal accusation. Now they live in the junk drawer too, all mixed together with buttons and random keys. Every time I open that drawer I see them and get that little pang of guilt, wondering if the fan is going to crash down on someone's head someday...

knight.uma1mo ago

Keep checking the junk drawer every time I open it, wondering if that screw is gonna magically reveal where it belongs. @lucashenderson hit it spot on about that pattern too. It's like every home repair has this hidden rule that if you don't end up with at least one mystery screw, you probably didn't do it right. I've got a whole collection of them now, they just sit there staring at me from the drawer like little metal ghosts of failed projects. One day I'll just throw them all out and pretend they never existed.