At first, I thought this was kind of funny. Sort of like a "real engineers use duct tape to fix problems" kind of situation. Yes yes, I think that's funny, but honestly I've never been in a position where I need to use duct tape to fix a problem. I seem to always find a better way to fix an issue. Relying on some plastic/paper/fabric and some glue simply doesn't fit into my "fix it the right way" place. Bolts, epoxy, wooden replacement parts, etc. - all seem better suited to the problem at hand.
Enter the RV. It was born in 1993 as a Chevy P-30 Chassis, and in 1994 was built into a Winnebago Brave. By my calculations, this makes it 17 years old. Based on the fact that I typically sell a car at 150K miles or 10 years (or so) this is a pretty old vehicle. Thinking about the repairs I've made on it, I've seen a fair amount of the entire vehicle, inside and out. I honestly can't think of a single part of the vehicle (that I haven't worked on) that is in what I would consider "above average" shape.
As we were about to pull out the driveway on our trip, I remembered that Sarah's window made really obnoxious noises when it was open. Something about the air flow over the window and the awning makes a horrible noise above 40mph. I thought about how to fix it, and then decided...
So yeah, now I've officially used duct tape to fix a problem. Not sure if I should be proud or not, but at least now I'm a stereotypical engineer.
The problem is that now I can't stop. I've fixed boxes and a drafty spot in the firewall with it now. After doing some research on some generator issues, I learned that one possible cause was an old/cracked fuel line. I reasoned that I could either replace the line (not so much fun) or wrap it in duct tape.
I hope I run out of duct tape soon.
Haha all I can say is the guy that got you the duct tape is one pretty awesome guy for finding flaming duct tape!!!
ReplyDeletePS. Did you know duct tape is actually for repairing duct work? Call me blonde, but I had no idea it had an actual purpose.
Yes, but Mike Holmes (of Holmes on Homes) says to use the foil wrap tape for ducts. The normal Duct Tape is typically good only for a few years on ducts and then it dry rots - the glue dries up and the tape becomes brittle. The foil stuff is awesome and is designed for high temperatures and humidities like that.
ReplyDeleteYou've obviously not worked in a manufacturing environment ;) We actually have a procedure (or at least had at one time) that states that duct tape may be used for repairs as long as the date of installation is written on the tape. We are talking awesome... So my question is, where do you plan to use bailing wire?!? I may look into the duct tape with flames for the plant. It doesn't get much better than that!
ReplyDelete