9 ms·
The breakdown of global supply chains and service workforces continues. My wife and I have embraced learning to build and fix things ourselves whenever possible
by nathanaldensr 5y ago
The breakdown of global supply chains and service workforces continues. My wife and I have embraced learning to build and fix things ourselves whenever possible. It's worked well for us but there is a limit--I'm not a licensed plumber or electrician, for example. How much longer before modern life is no longer possible, I wonder...
- bonniemuffin 5y agoIt seems like a pretty big jump from "wait a few days for air conditioner parts" to "modern life is no longer possible"!
- djitz 5y agoThis person lives in a mild climate zone
- boomboomsubban 5y agoThere's at least a billion people that live nearer to the equator than anyone in Europe or the USA and don't have air conditioning.
- tshaddox 5y agoNearness to the equator is not the only relevant factor to the importance of AC. If you turn off the AC in many places in the USA in the summer, lots of people die.
- boomboomsubban 5y agoThose places already have lots of people die from heat waves, and modern society still functions.
- tshaddox 5y agoNote that the original comment didn’t say “modern society.” It said “modern life” and was very clearly describing the commenter’s ability to keep their own household running.
- boomboomsubban 5y agoI didn't take "How much longer before modern life is no longer possible, I wonder..." to mean "how long until I'm forced to call in a specialist." The rest of their post is personal though, so I'm not confident in my interpretation that "modern society" would mean the same thing.
- dragonwriter 5y ago> Those places already have lots of people die from heat waves AFAIK; the pieces where lots of people tend to die from heat waves in are the places where there isn't a regular annual need for AC.
- boomboomsubban 5y agoI don't know where that would refer to in the US. Illinois? Oklahoma? Missouri?
- cratermoon 5y agoWhich, in the US, is Hawaii and some of the minor islands, and maybe parts of Alaska.
- nradov 5y agoalso Maine (in most years)
- cratermoon 5y agoI knew a guy who lived in Maine before he moved to Nevada. He said the weather was 'not fit for man nor beast'
- derefr 5y agoLatitude isn't the only thing that determines climate. Phoenix AZ is a lot hotter than Ecuador, Kenya, or Indonesia. Also, this isn't just about cooling; it's about heating, too. Imagine living in Saskatoon SK without a working heat source. Nobody does that. If you're not relying on electric/gas heat in such places, you're relying on fire.
- ahelwer 5y agoHeating is extremely simple compared to cooling. There will never be a part shortage for heating appliances. A space heater is basically some high-resistance wire and a fan.
- stenius 5y agoOne important factor is that there are design decisions made which are optimized for air conditioning such as buildings without any windows that open.
- neither_color 5y agoIm from a tropical country and houses are built with consideration for airflow, such as concrete walls with no insulation, gaps in the roof, etc. Also, days are shorter(no 8 pm daylight). American suburban homes are built with central AC in mind of course I dont expect people to know how to deal with heat without experience living in hot countries.
- lovecg 5y agoThis is somewhat true for older (say, 1920s) American houses. There’s some consideration for airflow and making sure that the tree shade on the roof creates a strategic sun heat gradient.
- dragonwriter 5y ago> There's at least a billion people that live nearer to the equator than anyone in Europe or the USA and don't have air conditioning. Nearer to the equator pretty consistently means less seasonal variation in temperature, it does not mean higher summer peak temperatures.
- kalleboo 5y agoThey're also less economically productive than people in cooler climate or with air conditioning. Lee Kuan Yew, founder of modern Singapore: "Air conditioning was a most important invention for us, perhaps one of the signal inventions of history. It changed the nature of civilization by making development possible in the tropics. Without air conditioning you can work only in the cool early-morning hours or at dusk. The first thing I did upon becoming prime minister was to install air conditioners in buildings where the civil service worked. This was key to public efficiency."
- dragonwriter 5y ago> It seems like a pretty big jump from "wait a few days for air conditioner parts" to "modern life is no longer possible"! Where there are delays, they aren't necessarily “a few days” but months, and, yeah, life in, say, California's Central Valley in a hot, dry summer without AC is somewhere between unpleasant and intolerable.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- mdip 5y agoNot just California. I live in Michigan -- about once every 7 years we get unseasonably warm summers. It's been 85-95 degrees through June with the sort of humidity that makes it feel like you have to actively think about breathing. People die from heatwaves; modern conveniences like A/C make that sort of thing a lot less common these days, so while the original comment writer's attitude that "modern life is no longer possible" may have been meant to poke fun at "first world problems" -- yeah, I get it, we all have it pretty good -- these "conveniences" do more than just "make quality of life a little better"[0]. [0] Not saying there aren't downsides, either, but I'm not willing to give up my A/C for 'em.
- nradov 5y agoThe 2003 heat wave in Europe apparently killed about 70,000 people. Home AC is somewhat less common in Europe. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2007.12.001 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2007.12.001
- mdip 5y agoNot just home A/C but many of the hotels I visited did not have A/C (or it was set for the whole building, and way too hot at that). We visited the UK in late May during one of those heat waves and got stuck on the London Underground in a very hot train. Lots of fun!
- vlunkr 5y agoIt's not like the supply chains just vanished. It's just a huge, slow moving machine that will take some time to catch up.
- ddingus 5y agoModern life is in no real danger, though more of us than usual may find ourselves tested! There are greater economic threats pushing people into these skills. Personally, since I have them, I am happy to share with others during these times. Just good to know. And one never really can know when it all will matter.
- bombcar 5y agoDepending on where you live much plumbing and electrical work can be done by the homeowners - sometimes a licensed tradesman is required to sign off before the inspector comes, other times not. Either way and in any case it is worthwhile learning what is being done, even if only to make sure corners aren’t being cut.
- R0b0t1 5y ago> sometimes a licensed tradesman is required to sign off before the inspector comes, other times not. It's typical if this is the rule for a tradesman to refuse to sign off on work, or charge you a high fee to do so.
- thatguy0900 5y agoAnd this is because they are accepting liability for that work, I would charge a decent fee myself.
- R0b0t1 5y agoThe amount of liability they are taking on is not that great. The fee is usually close to what the job would have cost. In any case, it means "you can do it yourself but..." is pointless.
- nradov 5y agoWhat inspector? Nothing gets inspected unless you apply for a building permit, or have some kind of obvious major damage. If it's just regular repairs or minor renovations then in practice you can pretty much do whatever you want.
- bombcar 5y agoYeah I was assuming a higher bar than simple repair (which should be done by all and sundry, even if you feel the need to hire someone to tell you you did it right)
- jimmytucson 5y agoIf you’re learning to repair things for yourself then why would a license come into play?
- SilverRed 5y agoIt's illegal to do your own electrical and plumbing work for pretty sound reasons. Not that it matters. There is no shortage of local electricians and plumbers.
- sokoloff 5y agoThat varies quite a bit by location. In many areas, a homeowner can do their own repairs. In slightly fewer areas, they can do new installs. In any case, doing the work safely and correctly trumps having a license in importance.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- ProfessorLayton 5y ago> In any case, doing the work safely and correctly trumps having a license in importance. Getting major work done without a license seems like a great idea until one tries to file a major claim with their homeowner’s insurance.
- codenesium 5y agoNo it's not. In a lot of places if you're the home owner you can do your own everything.
- SilverRed 5y agoOk where I am you certainly can not do it yourself and if there is a fault which causes a fire or electrocution, you could be criminally liable.
- hallway_monitor 5y ago