This may not work for any but the laziest, and may not work at all for anyone but me, but it seems to be working just fine for me: whenever I’m instructed to maintain something at a certain level of attention, whether medically or just around the house, I find I can apply no more than half the attention to it than I am instructed without any longterm signs of failure. Example: I live in a region of the U.S. that requires more or less constant air-conditioning, and I’m instructed by the company that maintains my A/C system to change filters every month, and to pour a vinegar solution into the A/C system monthly to prevent algae from forming. (Or something—I forget.) But I’ve neglected to keep up this regimen. I change filters and pour vinegar when I remember to, which is about once every two or three months, and so far I see no signs that I am suffering for my laziness.
Basically, I view the instructions as deliberately over-conservative, and made by the people who sell me air filters besides. That is to say that my using up these (rather expensive) filters makes profit for them, and is not harmful to me. I could change them daily and it wouldn’t do me harm, and the only reason I suspect they don’t recommend daily filter-changes is that more people might suspect them of price-gouging. I figure the company’s instructions are geared mostly by the maximum frequency they can get away with rather than the frequency the A/C system actually requires to function well.
And my rate of changing air-filters seems to be working okay. Some things I do this with, like washing out the mask and tubing on my CPAP system, I’m a little less lazy with but still I definitely perform the maintenance less often than instructed. And some things I actually maintain at the level instructed, like oil changes for my car, simply because oil changes are cheap enough and my mechanic sometimes finds issues with my car as he changes my oil that I haven’t noticed need attention (last time, he noticed that my wiper blades are getting worn down. The time before that, he pointed out that one of my tires has a slow leak—stuff like that which I don’t tend to notice.) But mainly I don’t do the maintenance on things at the levels of attention that are recommended and I don’t seem to be suffering any for my laziness.
Would anyone care to opine that I’m just lucky or that I’m being wise in my skepticism of instructions? I do have a mild form of Oppositional Defiant Disorder, that’s gotten tempered over the decades, but sometimes that works out well for me. I mistrust Authority instinctively, and while that trait has earned me some animosity at work, for example, I’d say that overall it’s done me more good than harm, and one of my larger regrets is not trusting that instinct more than I have.
You’re probably right with your theory about excessive conservatism in the recommended maintenance schedules. The main downside that I see is a legal one: You can forfeit potential claims against the manufacturer for defects if you don’t adhere to the “suggested” maintenance protocols.
I have had many people tell me they change their car’s oil every 3000 miles. I never paid it the slightest heed. I tell people I change it every 5000 miles since it is easy to remember but in reality it often goes 7000 miles or more. My Scion xB has 215,000 miles on it and runs perfectly, still gets the same great gas mileage and doesn’t use much oil. Although for the robust xB this is typical judging from the members on the Scion forums.
As for my lawn mowers, I have never changed the oil. I had a Sears push mower for 20 years and when I went to sell it I decided to change the oil for the first time. That made it start smoking! I have had my Honda riding mower since 1996 and it was used when I bought it from the dealer. No oil changes. It has never used any oil at all. The oil on the dipstick looks clean. I’m a petro-heathen, I guess.
However, since I have decided to keep my 2021 Toyota Rav4 forever, I have started changing the oil every 5000 miles. The official factory recommendation is an astonishing 10,000 miles. I only drive 10,000 miles a year now.
My HVAC system (which I just had replaced) has a separate humidifier which I have been told needs to have an outlet tube scrubbed out periodically. The system is located in a basement which is only accessible from the outside back of the house; in order to get there I need to walk down a flight of stairs from my deck, which with the current shape of my knees is a PITA. Fortunately I have a service contract which includes semi-annual inspections, so I just have the servicemen rake care of it for me.
My water heater is in a storage unit off the deck. I haven’t done anything to service it since it was installed over ten years ago. Every so often I wonder if I’m asking for trouble.
My mom is still using the same furnace that was put in the house when it was built in 1962!!! My dad worked for the city Water & Gas department as a repair guy. He died in January,1993 so the last time any work such as an inspection or needed repair was done to it would have been in 1992. She has my BIL change the filters but that’s it.
I’m too lazy to read all that OP…very long. Can you distill it down to a sentence or two? I assume it is about doing the bare minimum for house maintenance but that is a whole lotta words to weed through.