The "What the heck was I thinking?" thread

[MNBobcat]

We've all done it. Done something stupid and found ourselves asking, "What the heck was I thinking?"

I thought this would be a fun topic where we can laugh at ourselves. Please share your "What the heck was I thinking?" experiences.

I'll start. I just installed a water-to-air heat exchanger in the plenum of my forced air furnace. I need to run pex to the HX. I thought it would be a good idea to place a valve on the supply and return sides of the HX along with threaded unions in case I ever needed to shut the water off and remove the HX from the furnace. Didn't want to have to un-solder anything. This is on a secondary circuit so no need for a bypass in front of the HX.

So I run to Menards and I buy all of the fittings and the valves. I get home all anxious to start soldering stuff together.

I'm looking at the fittings and it's then that I realize that the way I had designed it would result in the valve being attached to the HX and the threaded union would be installed in the lines ABOVE the valves. In other words, if I unscrewed the union the pipe would be disconnected from the heat exchanger and the valves would be left on the heat exchanger! What the heck was I thinking?

So back to Menards I go. Exchange fittings and come back home and install them so that the valves stay on the lines (stopping the water from spraying all over) after the heat exchanger is disconnected via the unions. Duh.

 

[billb3]

You didn't need to return anything, you just needed two more shut-offs.



Assumed hot on the right, cold on the left when installing a shower mixer valve.
The rather large H and C right on the casting should have been a tip-off.

The sweating wasn't picture perfect the second time.


* yes I tested the valve before mudding the sheetrock access.

 

[Flatbedford]

I got married in '03.

 

[Flatbedford]

Just kidding. I am happily married to a wonderful gal. I'd say dropping out of college for one year in 1989 would qualify. I extended that "one year" by about 19 years.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Bought a Mustang instead of Microsoft stock in '87 when I turned 16.

 

[Highbeam]

My latest moment was when I added a 6' sliding glass door to an existing wall. I had just cut in a new exterior door for practice, 32" door plus 2 inches on each side for the jamb, it turned out great. So I have this fancy tape measure that lists 1' and then 1thru 12 inches and 2' and then 1 thru 12 inches and so on instead of just straight inches 1 thru 1000. So anyway my 6 foot door rough in need to be 73 inches. I found that 7 on the tape and then added 1 inch for the rough in. Well once I got it all in and done I measured and found that I had cut the opening for a 7 foot door. You can't buy 7' doors at HD. You can buy 6' doors at HD for 429$. A 7' door is special order and costs about 1100$! I just blew the measurement, there's no excuse. Turns out we like the extra big door but now there's a story with it.

 

[Flatbedford]

Measure twice (or more), cut once.

 

[EKLawton]

Measure twice (or more), cut once.

and its still to short :ahhh:

 

[Danno77]

shoot, i ain't got enough time to tell half of it.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

This is a true story...
Husband of one of my wifes friends...not a do it your self type chap....anyway, ...they bought a new house....and they kept getting this strange smell inside...maybe a dead mouse or something like that....so the husband decided it must have been a dead mouse inside the wall cavity. He started using a small hammer to make a hole inside of the wall going downstairs to into the basement...a little later, he looked inside a "hidden" room.....he started yelling at his wife to come see the secret room....and the secret room was the upstairs dining room from a different perspective.....again, this is a true story. (Wouldn't have believed it myself, but like I said my wife was cracking up when her friend told her the story)
I guess I have some of my own...will kepp those to myself for now