Site & forum update & face lift.

Repair help for the do-it-yourselfer.
For mobile home parts, click here.

Moderators: Greg, Mark, mhrAJ333, JD

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Greg
Moderator
Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

I talked to Mark tonight and a site upgrade is past due. He is thinking that in the near future a major overhaul should take place.

I know many of you have asked for features in the past. I know the photo album is one section that is missed.

If anyone has ideas or suggestions, Please add to this thread and we will see if we can make it happen.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
HouseMedic
Posts: 342
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:14 am
Location: Delaware
Contact:

I think the phpBB boards are outdated. This board software is pretty good. It has a lot of options that others don't. http://www.invisionpower.com/apps/board/

If you want to see it in action I am on this board a lot. http://www.adamsforums.com/index.php?app=forums

Just a thought.

Ron
remodelgirl
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:27 am

Good search engine, photo album
ponch37300
Posts: 622
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:12 pm
Location: wisconsin

I'm a member on a few forums and I have to say that uploading pictures on this one is the least user friendly. Most of the other forums you can upload directly to the post you're making and it will resize the picture to the right size for a post. When I try to upload directly now they are way to big . I have to use a hosting site to resize them and even then they don't always come out right. It would be a lot easier and faster to be able to just upload right to this site in the post I'm making. I have a ton of pictures that would help show certain things when I'm posting but I don't always have the time to resize them so I skip posting the pictures a lot of the time. Also I think more forum members would upload pictures to their posts when asking for help. A picture showing the problem really helps others to see exactly what the problem is and give the best advice.
countrydan
Posts: 82
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2013 3:51 pm
Location: s/w michigan

Awesome news.

I'm all for the "show off your mobile and lot/land" etc, section. Also it would be nice to give and get electrical and gas advice.

Maybe some outdoor sections like patio bonfires, hunting, offroading, fishing. How about a section to post some weekend vids on the quads or golf carts. If there's room why not a gearhead social area with car racing, tractor racing, lawn mowers, etc..

Also it would be nice to have a section that has a list of referred and recommended contractors in different areas. And also ones to steer clear of...

If were dreaming, we're dreaming big. Hehe
ponch37300
Posts: 622
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:12 pm
Location: wisconsin

countrydan wrote:Awesome news.

I'm all for the "show off your mobile and lot/land" etc, section. Also it would be nice to give and get electrical and gas advice.

Maybe some outdoor sections like patio bonfires, hunting, offroading, fishing. How about a section to post some weekend vids on the quads or golf carts. If there's room why not a gearhead social area with car racing, tractor racing, lawn mowers, etc..

Also it would be nice to have a section that has a list of referred and recommended contractors in different areas. And also ones to steer clear of...

If were dreaming, we're dreaming big. Hehe
I like the contractor referral idea, not sure how many it would help since most of us don't live in the same area but it may help some.

There is an "off topic" section now that you can post non MH topics in now. That's kind of a catch all section.

As to electrical and gas I personally am mixed on this one. When I first joined the site I gave some electrical advice and was reminded about the rules. I see where the site is coming from as far as not wanting bad or plain out wrong advice giving to others that could end up hurting them since anyone can post here. We don't know user's qualifications, for all we know a 12 year old could be giving bad gas repair advice just to mess with someone for fun. Say someone posts a question and the first one to answer tells them to do something wrong and they jump to it before anyone else comes along with correct advice and they burn their MH down. But at the same time I like to give advice and help others do it right so they don't get hurt. My personal thought is if they are coming asking for advice then they most likely are going to do the repair themselves. So I like to share what I can to guide them the best I can so they hopefully don't do it wrong and get hurt. But the biggest thing is users have to know their limits and decide when to make that call to a pro when something is over their head.

When I am doing something I'm not sure about I search the internet, it's how I found this site years ago. But you have to know how to decipher the bad info from the good. I can go to youtube and watch 10 videos of the same repair and each one is different and will tell you the other way is wrong. It's my job to try and figure out who and what to believe!
countrydan
Posts: 82
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2013 3:51 pm
Location: s/w michigan

I agree for the most part.
But if the site gets upgraded there should be plenty of bandwidth to support multiple sections. The off topic section is too generalized for my taste.

I'd love to give and get electrical and gas advice as the owner and admin are not liable legally. So there's kinda no reason not to allow it unless I'm missing something. People should know to use their good judgement in weeding thru the bs. People are mostly trying to help even if they give bad advice because they don't know any better is my thought.

I'd love to chit chat not just our mobiles but also what I mentioned up there^ and How about grilling, guns, bow and arrows, Stuff like that which would surely benefit the community. I'd throw up some of my trail camera pics in hopes others would too.

As a community maybe we can try to expand..
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Greg
Moderator
Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

A big part of the Electrical policy is this. The person that you are originally giving an answer to may be fully able to take the advice and work with it, BUT who else is reading it and has no clue that there is a big difference between a ground and a hot wire. Oh was I supposed to shut breaker off first, I wonder witch one??? You have to remember that many people read posts, not just the original poster.

Trust me I deal with John Q Public every day and there are a LOT of clueless ones out there.


Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
Barb P
Posts: 104
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:51 am
Location: southwestern NY

I would love to see referrals also. There may be a poster in my neck of the woods, that could refer someone. My local small town paper has no ads for MH contractors/handymen.

Barb
BarbP
Norm Frechette
Posts: 193
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 7:34 am
Location: Norwich, CT

I am what you might call electrical and hvac challenged and I would prefer to have those areas addressed by a local contractor who is licensed to perform those functions rather than from someone I don't know and lives somewhere in the usa.

I fully understand that someone may be fully capable of answering a question and provide instructions on how to repair a problem but making errors do exist and I would have no legal way of going after that person should my house blow up or I am personally injured by their mistake.

please leave the electrical and gas rules as is if only for safety's sake

I also don't think someone on the west coast could recommend a contractor on the east coast or anywhere in between. you could always check out "angies list" or something equivalent for your area even the better business bureau or word of mouth in your community,
countrydan
Posts: 82
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2013 3:51 pm
Location: s/w michigan

Since you are admittedly challenged with electrical and hvac then yes, leave it to the pros.

Some of us, however, are far from challenged and do electrical and hvac, etc. for a living.

This is a repair forum!

There is no reason to censor the safety issues. You can easily make a fatal mistake performing a simple task of using a circular saw, a ladder, a razor knife, etc. and these are not censored. If you are not able to understand possible safety issues with a task as a DIY'er then you need not attempt such tasks. Many of us take pride in our abilities and could use a second opinion from others, from time to time. We will know the difference between safe and hazardous. I'm not here to be a babysitter, or be babysat. I'm here to gain knowledge and tips on my mobile home.

No one is asking a west coast resident for a contractor on the east coast? Many contractors have no problem traveling a couple hours for a project. I have plenty of contacts for my area and would gladly share them. I'm sure there are other members or guests from lower Michigan that would appreciate my experiences with these various contractors. I would appreciate other recommendations too.
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Greg
Moderator
Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

I can flat out GUARANTEE that one thing that will not change is the Electrical & Gas policy. My advice to those that WANT to give out advice would be to use the PM feature and deal directly with the person and keep it out of the forum.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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WildIrish
Posts: 144
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2008 9:00 pm

Please don't do one of those "upgrades" which is actually a downgrade for those of us who live in rural areas, and have slower connections that can't handle all the cutesy bells and whistles that are essentially useless.

The only upgrades that are worthwhile, are those which shorten loading times. Even people who have faster connections have better things to do than wait for a web page to load. :)
[img]http://i30.tinypic.com/2v9p75c.gif[/img]
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JD
Site Admin
Posts: 2696
Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:57 pm
Location: Fresno, CA
Contact:

It was the unanimous decision of the owner and all moderators at the time, to have a rule omitting electrical and gas advice. Our concern was for the users of the site more than a legal issue, since it really is not a legal issue to the forum. We also felt that electrical and plumbing forums run by professionals in those fields were already available and probably more accurate for the person needing that advice. When you have suggestions being scrutinized by a bevy of working contractors, there are more checks and balances as well as more time tested ideas. Personally, I would not be against questions about light electrical. Installs and moves are simpler than troubleshooting, but I have found from my own contractor experience, that you cannot depend on the wiring you are looking at has not been added on to by a hobby hack. I have seen some real messes, doing light electrical, in my time which would be very hard to talk a rookie through.
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!

All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
rstellico
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2014 8:40 pm

Wish I could have had this Forum and web site years ago. The info on here is great. If I had know all the info that has been supplied here I wouldn't have bought our mobile home :oops:
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