Not a Thing of the Past

Do you remember the days when a little percussive maintenance (a hard smack) to the side of the TV set cleared the screen?  Or if the flashlight batteries gave out, a good shaking or just slapping it a couple of times got it glowing again?  I do.  And I thought these were a thing of the past in these days of modern electronics.

Twice this week percussive maintenance has bailed me out.

Headlights and Compressors

I was backing out of the garage Thursday night, 23 year old grandson in the passenger seat, flipped on the headlights. The driver’s side was out.  Without thinking, I got out of the Jeep, balled up my hand and one carefully measured thump dead centre on the lamp … just one, and it was good to go.  Grandson was impressed, “Never would have thought of that”!

“Stripes” © Cheryl Andrews

Yesterday I awoke for the second time this week to a flooded kitchen floor.  Two days earlier I had forked out a few hundred dollars for a new relay switch on the compressor.  Did I mention I have a short fuse?

Reflex took over and I landed one solid, satisfying kick with the ball of my soggy, stockinged foot to the bottom right corner of the fridge door.  Voila!  The compressor kicked in immediately.

Doubting the long term effectiveness of percussive maintenance, I called a different appliance repair service and related my sad story and the angry, iffy solution.  After he stopped laughing, he advised compressors sometimes seize up and when they do he gives them a gentle slap with his hand, which will usually dislodge whatever got it stuck.  “You don’t need my help.”

Fingers crossed!  But I know who to call if it breaks down again.