Things to NOT do in the garage

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Sep 17, 2008
Messages
772
Location
royal oak, mich
There's got to be something that the word oops covers while you were in the garage. NEVER pull out all your drawers on the top tool box to see if you can stop it from toppling.
 
Don't grab the 2 liter bottle that you have cut in half to catch the last little bit of oil that is draining when you have oily hands. Big black spots on the floor upset the wife.
 
Never fill the gas tank on your lawn mower, which is sitting directly next to your natural-gas water heater, with the continuously running pilot light. I was lucky that I didn't burn my house down.
 
Don't set up 15 sticky mouse traps to catch those little buggers for 2 reasons.

1. Dog lives in the garage and makes a whole lot of noise at 2 AM when she steps in one.

2. You will realize that you have a copperhead living in your garage, at least he was near death by the time i found him.
 
Quote:
You will realize that you have a copperhead living in your garage, at least he was near death by the time i found him.


Or a water moccasin in your toolshed that you almost step on barefooted... {shudder}
 
If you're doing your own auto transmission flush make sure you disconnect the right line at the radiator, othewise the bottle intended to catch the transmission fluif will just be providing air while the fluids spreads all over the garage floor. I haven't done this, but the fear of it makes me double the lines.
 
Originally Posted By: wavinwayne
Never fill the gas tank on your lawn mower, which is sitting directly next to your natural-gas water heater, with the continuously running pilot light. I was lucky that I didn't burn my house down.


..and along those lines..


1)Don't spray brake clean on a running engine scoffing at the warnings about being a high volatile agent ..thinking that warnings are just for sissies.

2) invest in a CO2 fire extinguisher and don't rely on the almost empty 2 liter bottle of diet soda to quench the residual flames of the stuff you provided the initial combustion for.

3) If going dry chemical ..get the gold BC rated type. It's alkaline instead of acid.
 
While you're gloating about how well your homemade bent metal on the drill paint stirrer is working don't let people interrupt you and you stand up, drill still going, spraying paint everywhere.

Don't split wood, sending large pieces long distances into fragile things or surfaces.
 
don't spray a lot of paint or cleaner with the garage door shut. Those fumes can cause an incredible amount of harm.

If you are going under you car, make sure your drink is nowhere you can knock it over. I have burned myself with coffee far too often.

Wear eye protection. I have had to stop many jobs, because something bounced off my face, then bounced off the lens of my glasses, and caused me serious pain.
 
Make sure all the fluids are labeled on your shelf so you don't put mineral spirits (from an old brake fluid container) in your brake fluid, resulting in seized brakes down the road.

Don't let people interrupt you while you're working, which can result in you forgetting to put the drain plug back in before recharging the engine with oil.

Don't store corn (or other wild animal feed) in your garage, where mice will take it and stash it in every corner of your stored car, make warm nests from the interior and hood insulation, and have a party all winter.
 
Don't use your welder near the gas cans (just realized I was welding without about 6-7 feet of gas cans yesterday).

Never start a project on you're wifes car, without leaving the hood up. Or she may drive off if you step away.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas

Don't store corn (or other wild animal feed) in your garage, where mice will take it and stash it in every corner of your stored car, make warm nests from the interior and hood insulation, and have a party all winter.


I learned that one the hard way. Stupidly left around a bag of corn meal which had been used as an organic brown-patch treatment. Rats decided that since they needed a home anyway they might as well pick one with a good buffet. Tried lots of things to keep them from coming in the house. What worked was leaving the garage door slightly open so the neighborhood cats could follow the rat scent.
 
Don't back over gallon-sized almost full can of white paint can in a black car. If you do, don't assume it's the large brick you use to prop the side door open, only to go back hours later to realize that it indeed was NOT the brick.
 
Last edited:
1. Don't leave your soldering iron plugged in all night, and lay a new seat cover (in plastic wrapper) on it the next day. (I also could have burnt the house down). Never did tell the wifey about this one.

2. Don't close the garage door while your SUV hatch it still open (did this twice!). (Luckily -- no paint damage).
 
Oh, I almost forgot about the best one ever. When parked on the left side of the garage, don't back out of the garage with the left rear door of the Ford Expedition standing wide open. If you do, all sorts of bad things will happen very quickly. My wife did that very thing a few years ago. I had the pleasure of fixing the garage, and replacing the door on the Expedition.

I was sitting in the living room watching TV, when from the garage I heard this awful metal on metal screeching, followed by a loud PING!!! My wife was very embarrassed. I held my temper as well as I could possibly have done. I wanted to go friggin ballistic!
 
Reminds me. The wife tried to move up to stop from tearing off the pass side outside mirror on the garage door frame. Would have worked in fwd than reverse. Common problem. Dealer quoted parts and labor from memory.
 
Don't walk barefoot into the garage before bedtime to turn off lights/equipment after you spent a day with sheet metal and shears, but not the broom and dustpan.
 
Make sure the garage door is propped totally open, with a screwdriver stuck in that little hole you drilled in the track specifically FOR that purpose, before trying to drive through said door in your tractor. The tractor's ROPS will fit with about 1/2" clearance if the door actually IS propped completely open; it doesn't fit, otherwise..
frown.gif


Interesting ones about the corn - bears like corn, too. They've been known to tear the siding off the garage to get at it. Quite, ummm, 'invigorating' if they come in to get it while you're in there.
crazy2.gif

Note: it is impossible to hear a bear walking on concrete while your head is jammed in the wheelwell of an F150. Bears walk VERY quietly.

Don't practice chipping golf balls anywhere near the windows of your garage.
smirk2.gif


Don't be distracted by the neighbor's shouting match with his wife, and forget you left the full oil drain pan under the car, where it will snag on the front air dam (darn low cars, anymore) when you back out, simultaneously spilling the oil and destroying the drain pan
frown.gif
but not damaging the air dam, amazingly enough.
banana2.gif


A vice is a very good accessory to have on a drill press. You CANNOT hold a piece of steel tighter than a vice, nor does the vice have skin, which the steel will tear off your hand when the drillbit grabs and rips the steel from your hand.
frown.gif


Don't forget a well stocked First Aid kit, and a heavy duty Fire Extinguisher (or 2, or 3).
grin2.gif


Almost forgot, if you have a truck cap, be sure the cap's rear door is closed when you pull out of the garage, so you don't tear the door off the cap or the handle off the garage door.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom