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The Wonder Weapon posted:I've got a bunch of bushes that grow along the edge of my property line, pictured below. Once they're in bloom, they end up 6 or 7' at their tip. I want to rip them out and replace them. What's the easiest way to get them out of the ground so that I can plant privacy trees? That's the kind of thing a landscaper would wrap a chain around and pull out with the bucket of a skid steer or backhoe. Absent having one of those around you're gonna need to dig.
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Mar 18, 2020 20:48
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Motronic posted:That's the kind of thing a landscaper would wrap a chain around and pull out with the bucket of a skid steer or backhoe. Absent having one of those around you're gonna need to dig. But don't use a shovel. I have taken out innumerable bushes, small trees, etc. with a mattock. It's one of my favorite tools and will cut through even thick roots like butter. Plus, you get an upper body workout and relieve tension. Speaking of tension. loving HOUSES. I'm nearing the end of a $60k+ rebuild/reno after a dishwasher drain leak last August. I just got the kitchen functional again and it was great... until the sink plugged again. Now during all the drama, I found the reason that I've had so many lovely problems with the kitchen sink over the years -- it jogs through a number of fittings and through the floor, but in the basement, it runs for 15', turns 90', then goes another 15'... all within the vertical space of the floor trusses. So there's like 6" of fall over a 30' run with a 90. And I have 2" of fall. Two loving inches. Other than dropping straight down into a pump and pumping it into the main sanitary line, do I have any other options? As I said, it's a truss floor system, so one of the runs is inside the triangles of the truss, so there's not really any room for adjustment.
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Mar 19, 2020 01:37
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EVERYWHERE 
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falz posted:Joke answer: light them on fire. Real question: why do you have half of a cement driveway fenced in (vs the yard)? Motronic posted:That's the kind of thing a landscaper would wrap a chain around and pull out with the bucket of a skid steer or backhoe. Absent having one of those around you're gonna need to dig. meatpimp posted:But don't use a shovel. I have taken out innumerable bushes, small trees, etc. with a mattock. It's one of my favorite tools and will cut through even thick roots like butter. Plus, you get an upper body workout and relieve tension.
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Mar 19, 2020 13:28
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The Wonder Weapon posted:I've got a bunch of bushes that grow along the edge of my property line, pictured below. Once they're in bloom, they end up 6 or 7' at their tip. I want to rip them out and replace them. What's the easiest way to get them out of the ground so that I can plant privacy trees?
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Mar 19, 2020 14:02
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I have replaced my lovely builder grade bathroom fan with a HIB cyclone, issues I found during removal of the old: 2x2m lengths of expandable hose were used, there is a little over 60cm between the vent in the bathroom ceiling and the vent in the soffit, so it was all crushed/crunched up. The crappy fan wasn't secured to anything, explaining why it was so loud (vibrating off the plasterboard). It was the cheapest lovely fan clogged with spiders. New one is louder in the bathroom but can't be heard anywhere else and you can actually see condensation being pulled up the vent. Couldn't install it with the recommended 1m of straight uninterrupted pipe unless I added 2m of pipe and a 180°, thought that was a dumb idea. Wish I'd changed it as soon as we moved in.
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Mar 19, 2020 14:14
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:The lazy option: cut the bushes off at ground level, immediately paint the cut parts with undiluted glyphosate to kill the plant, and mulch over the stumps. Plant your trees between the bushes, and let the roots of the bushes rot in place. Or just rip off any buds immediately. They can only bud new leaves so many times, they aren't bamboo/banana. If you have a shovel you can probably damage the roots easily once cut off.
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Mar 19, 2020 14:40
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Petrol / gasoline, matches, garden hose, comfy chair and some beers. Maybe some marshmallows too.
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Mar 19, 2020 22:18
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hambeet posted:Petrol / gasoline, matches, garden hose, comfy chair and some beers. Not if that siding is vinyl, you don't!
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Mar 20, 2020 00:15
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My bathroom sink is still draining slow despite hairball removal and foamy de-gunker. The next step is taking off and flushing out the trap and ewwwww I'm not ready.
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Mar 20, 2020 01:27
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mutata posted:Not if that siding is vinyl, you don't! That’s his neighbours house though...
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Mar 20, 2020 03:40
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peanut posted:My bathroom sink is still draining slow despite hairball removal and foamy de-gunker. The next step is taking off and flushing out the trap and ewwwww I'm not ready. Poked around down there with a long wire? Like a straightened out coat hanger?
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Mar 20, 2020 03:41
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peanut posted:My bathroom sink is still draining slow despite hairball removal and foamy de-gunker. The next step is taking off and flushing out the trap and ewwwww I'm not ready. It's not as bad as you think unless non-poop pipe goo grosses you out. I did it yesterday as my wife is in the latter category of skeeved out. Wear gloves, put a bucket under the trap, and have at it. Stuff a rag into the sewer side. It is probably just more hairball and some mysterious grey goop. Flush some water through the drain into the bucket and it will help cover it up for you.
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Mar 20, 2020 04:01
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peanut posted:My bathroom sink is still draining slow despite hairball removal and foamy de-gunker. The next step is taking off and flushing out the trap and ewwwww I'm not ready. Our shower and bathroom sink periodically get clogged, and after faffing about a few times with a drill-driven snake with mixed results I've found that just getting a (clean!) plunger and giving it a few good heave-hos seems to consistently work best. I imagine it just knocks the loose enough that it can fit past the pipe restriction and then flush clear.
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Mar 21, 2020 17:52
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Nice I'm gonna try that first.
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Mar 22, 2020 00:47
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I keep reading that the sill joists should be insulated with foam or spray foam insulation. Wouldn't that trap moisture against the wood if water gets behind it?
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Mar 22, 2020 01:05
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just another posted:I keep reading that the sill joists should be insulated with foam or spray foam insulation. Wouldn't that trap moisture against the wood if water gets behind it? It would, and it also hides any rot issues affecting the sill plate. The risk/reward is too high, IMHO. I run a bead of spray foam around the edges and stuff some fiberglass in there. Gets you 90% of the benefit, and you can pull out the batts occasionally to check for water, rot, or bugs.
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Mar 22, 2020 02:30
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B-Nasty posted:It would, and it also hides any rot issues affecting the sill plate. The risk/reward is too high, IMHO. Just regular stuff like you put around your windows and such? It's sticky enough to stay put when you apply it around the edges?
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Mar 22, 2020 02:34
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just another posted:Just regular stuff like you put around your windows and such? It's sticky enough to stay put when you apply it around the edges? Great stuff is perhaps the stickiest substance in your house.
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Mar 22, 2020 02:51
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just another posted:Just regular stuff like you put around your windows and such? It's sticky enough to stay put when you apply it around the edges? Yes. The hardest part is angling the gun (or can if you must) around obstructions while keeping it in the proper orientation for dispensing.
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Mar 22, 2020 03:34
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B-Nasty posted:It would, and it also hides any rot issues affecting the sill plate. The risk/reward is too high, IMHO. To add to this, if you are in a termite-prone area, do not put spray foam on or near your sill plates (or anywhere under your house) without checking with your pest control company first. It will usually invalidate any damage replacement portion of your termite bond.
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Mar 22, 2020 04:39
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No termites, just ~97 inches of rain a year. I'm tired of living in a drafty house with cold floors but I'm also paranoid about rot.
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Mar 22, 2020 05:19
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B-Nasty posted:It would, and it also hides any rot issues affecting the sill plate. The risk/reward is too high, IMHO. I'd love to see a picture of this, like I think I understand but maybe not.
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Mar 22, 2020 05:34
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Any suggestions for flooring for a screened in porch? Currently it's carpet over plywood, the carpet being pretty messed up from the previous owner's dog.
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Mar 22, 2020 14:08
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fake wood laminate hail satan
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Mar 22, 2020 16:22
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Vinyl plank. That'll get wet from rain and snow, and vinyl will hold up better than laminate.
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Mar 22, 2020 16:26
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good advice
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Mar 22, 2020 16:26
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Stone would be traditional if you're after something a little higher class, likewise a porcelain tile, otherwise vinyl plank sounds reasonable.
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Mar 22, 2020 16:32
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I'd like to run ethernet from my house to my detached garage as it's just far enough away the wifi doesn't work well out there. Fortunately, the previous owner put in a PVC conduit between the two buildings while he had a trench dug for something else. The obvious easy thing to do here is just pop the caps off the pipe, drill small holes in the walls of the garage and crawl space, and run cat5e. Any particular things I should be concerned about with this simple plan, or things I can do to make it a bit more tidy / professional? Should I be worried about debris/water getting into the conduit?  
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Mar 22, 2020 16:53
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Steve French posted:I'd like to run ethernet from my house to my detached garage as it's just far enough away the wifi doesn't work well out there. Fortunately, the previous owner put in a PVC conduit between the two buildings while he had a trench dug for something else. Yes, you should be worried about debris and dust getting in. In fact, I would take the caps off and put a nice box on each side. Something plastic that you can put weathertight nuts into, and make your runs through those. The biggest problem with conduit runs like that is usually water intrusion, because they are just gonna fill up and stay full. Also, extend that one that basically ground level up a foot or two. And always, always, always put another pull string on whatever you are pulling. That way you have a replacement pull string and, in real lovely situations, you have a "pull the line back out with some more help" plan. Belt and suspenders approach: do what I said AND plug the conduit entrance inside the box with some duct seal putty. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gardner-Bender-1-lb-Plug-Duct-Seal-Compound-DS-110/100212441
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Mar 22, 2020 17:40
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To add on, once there is water in there it's going to gunk up your cable eventually. They make various weather rated cables, inner duct sleaves, and various fiber products which are more resistant (and expensive) to water intrusion. I would try as hard as you can to keep the water out though through gaskets and goop and caulk etc. If you put a fish tape through and it comes out damp you can do an initial drying by leaving your shop vac taped to one end with the other open.
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Mar 22, 2020 17:52
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Thanks, that's helpful. Given that both ends of it are capped off right now, I'm hopeful that it's clear in there. For a box to put on, what should I be looking for? Not sure how clear it is from the photos but it's 2" PVC pipe, so it doesn't seem like a normal PVC junction box is likely to do the trick unless I cut it up. Not opposed to doing that, more curious if there's something more ready made for this.
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Mar 22, 2020 18:50
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Steve French posted:Thanks, that's helpful. Given that both ends of it are capped off right now, I'm hopeful that it's clear in there. For a box to put on, what should I be looking for? Not sure how clear it is from the photos but it's 2" PVC pipe, so it doesn't seem like a normal PVC junction box is likely to do the trick unless I cut it up. Not opposed to doing that, more curious if there's something more ready made for this. It's not something you're likely to find at LowesDepot, but it's definitely something that can be found at a well stocked electrical supply house. I'd also suggest something like this for where your cable enters/exits: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MW6F7S/ref=psdc_495304_t3_B017JES6ZA?th=1
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Mar 22, 2020 19:14
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Today my wire rope arrived and I can finally use my picture rail. I'm so happy to finally be able to unpack all my artwork: Door trim still needs paint but....awww yissssssss
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Mar 25, 2020 00:50
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I took out an old pension early and have around $5000 towards home improvement from it after taxes. My question is for anyone who has done either of these options: fix our awful well water (filtration, softener, etc) or use it to put a good dent in the price of a grid attached solar system in the Duke Power area. We're on well water but in an extremely high clay, high mineral area of the country. I replace our sediment filter about every 2-3 weeks and we have to shock the hot water heater with peroxide pretty much monthly to keep the water from getting funky. I've had estimates to replace the heater with a newer unit, powered anode, whole house filtration, and water softener that would be under what's left of the pension. My concern is that once the water isn't a constant annoyance we'll start looking at replacing bathroom fixtures, renovating, and just everything getting even more expensive. My aunts on the same grid worked with Duke Power on a really reasonable plan to have solar installed that should have them pretty much bill free on power for the majority of the year in 18 months. This is more intriguing to me personally but I'd like to hear an actual experience with anyone else that has tried something similar. Hopefully this is the right place to post, I don't get into DIY much out of the garden thread.
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Mar 25, 2020 01:33
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My water isn't half as bad as yours and a softener/appropriate other treatment was just a HUGE quality of life upgrade.
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Mar 25, 2020 02:25
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mischief posted:I took out an old pension early and have around $5000 towards home improvement from it after taxes. My question is for anyone who has done either of these options: fix our awful well water (filtration, softener, etc) or use it to put a good dent in the price of a grid attached solar system in the Duke Power area. Do you have natural gas or propane? And do you have/can you make a way to drain water not into your septic? The fuel question would be for a tankless hot water heater. (Electric can be an option for tankless.) And the drainage question is to back flush a water softener--which uses a bunch of water that is fine to drain "straight pipe"/ floor drains. (But it is so much water--you really don't want it going into your septic.) If those questions are easy to answer--water filtration/quality is not going to be overly difficult to achieve. But not having an electric bill...tough to pick the better one. I am in the South as well--Duke Progress gets my money too! Don't have solar panels--but do have soft water that never smells or stains toilets. (Orange rings in toilets and rotten egg smell are common in our area.)
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Mar 25, 2020 04:24
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HycoCam posted:And the drainage question is to back flush a water softener--which uses a bunch of water that is fine to drain "straight pipe"/ floor drains. (But it is so much water--you really don't want it going into your septic.) This is going to depend a lot on your softener setup. Mine only consumes about 30 gallons to do a recharge, which given our hardness/water utilization, is about every week and a half (at 2AM.) The discharge is also flushed through a small 3/8 hose, so the overall volume of water is about what a washing machine load uses, but the flow into the septic is going to be much slower than when a washing machine forcibly dumps its wash. I've seen research that he dissolved minerals in the flush water are pretty much harmless to a septic system, and unless your softener has to recharge constantly, the volume seems like a drop in the bucket for a well-functioning septic.
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Mar 25, 2020 17:42
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This is more of a despairing scream into the void than a serious question, but: Why are home smoke detectors all so relentlessly lovely now? Bought a house, smoke detectors started EOLing after a few years, went to replace them, and...all anyone in this province sells, it seems, are Kidde, and as far as I can tell after buying a set (and returning them, and then returning the replacements) is that they're all awful. The best part is the "hush" button that doesn't actually silence the alarm, just makes the detector slightly less sensitive, and thus doesn't actually do anything in practice; according to their customer support this is working as intended.
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Mar 25, 2020 20:09
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The people who make smoke detectors hate us as evidenced by continuing to use 9V batteries in 2020AD.
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Mar 26, 2020 02:15
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~Coxy posted:The people who make smoke detectors hate us as evidenced by continuing to use 9V batteries in 2020AD. You can buy them with 10 year lithium batteries inside. I haven't had a 9v battery since I threw out my old garage door remote.
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Mar 26, 2020 02:47
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