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How do we keep these pipes from freezing? They're in an uninsulated mud room, on an exterior wall, and supply water to our clothes washer. A previous owner cut the sheet rock and apparently attempted some insulation, but it's not enough. These freeze if it's below 20F overnight, which didn't really used to happen here, but now is happening multiple times a winter. They generally don't seem to freeze too badly - a hair dryer sorts them out after a few minutes. I remember we used to wrap a heating cable around pipes growing up, but these are kinda caked in foam so I'm not sure that's the best idea. There's an outlet we could plug stuff into a few feet away. Sorry for the potato photo - the dryer got moved back in front of the pipes so I had to angle over it.  Are we going to have to remove all the foam to wrap the pipes up in heating cable? Or is there another product we could put along the exposed side? (Pulling out the dryer and sticking a space heater in the area has been nixed already.)
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Jan 2, 2022 23:43
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I assume if the mudroom is not insulated it's probably unheated as well. A converted porch or something similar? If the mudroom is attached to your home and you keep the door open, there will be enough heat in the room to keep those pipes warm. The problem is getting the heat to the pipes, and keeping it there. You could use heat tape, but it's a bit of a brute force solution and you'll be running up your electric bill when the heat is already in the room, just not in the right location. Have the supply lines cut, patch the drywall (after filling the cavity with insulation, even a few cans of spray foam would be fine) and then run the supply lines on the surface of the drywall inside the room. That gives you a reasonably good air barrier (painted drywall) and a cavity of insulation behind the pipes, as opposed to what you have now which is a spotty inch or two of spray foam behind them. If this is a problem since you were young, it's time to just fix it for good if you can.
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Jan 3, 2022 00:05
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Tezer posted:I assume if the mudroom is not insulated it's probably unheated as well. A converted porch or something similar? Unheated, it's essentially just garage space. We have kept the door to it open but it's not enough at 11F for hours. Your solution sounds nice but it also sounds like a project I won't be able to do until spring for a number of reasons. Is there anything I can do short term to help? Especially since it's supposed to get that cold again in a few days? (The house when I was young with the heat cable was a different house in a different climate and I have no idea what the rest of it was like.)
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Jan 3, 2022 00:12
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effika posted:Is there anything I can do short term to help? Especially since it's supposed to get that cold again in a few days? Short term (if you can't keep the door open) is space heater or heat tape. I'm personally more comfortable with space heaters, even though they pose their own hazard. The key with heat tape is to buy it from a reputable supplier (ie - order from a real supply house or at least a brick and mortar hardware store) and install it exactly as directed by the instructions. People online will tell you to double wrap the tape, or install insulation over the wrap. You can only do this if the instructions say you can! Some tapes you cannot do this! Only use the manufacturers instructions. https://www.mcmaster.com/heat-tape/ https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1996/CPSC-Re-Issues-Heat-Tape-Guidelines-In-Wake-Of-Zoo-Fire
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Jan 3, 2022 00:23
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H110Hawk posted:Paint the whole thing. Have a wet terrycloth rag in your pocket and immediately wipe along where you just painted. Rinse as needed. Baseboards are supposed to float, so one could also slide some butcher paper under them to mask the floor.
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Jan 3, 2022 01:17
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My house is built on a slab on grade, and the ground around the house is sloped away from the foundation. However, in one corner of the ground floor, the inside flooring has suddenly dropped approx 1/4 inch, separating from the baseboard. There is a gap, over three feet in each direction from the corner where I can fit my thumb into, and I can see the plastic vapor barrier and insulation within. There is also a window nearby the corner, and there is a large diagonal crack in the drywall that has opened up from the lower corner of the window frame heading toward the house corner. It's about 1/8 inch wide and about 18 inches long. Do I call a structural engineer? If so, what am I asking them to do? Or do I call a builder, and have them call an engineer if they need?
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Jan 3, 2022 03:54
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Call a foundation repair company.
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Jan 3, 2022 04:00
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I can't offer a ton of advice, but a company that does both structural and geotechnical engineering would simplify things slightly as you will likely need the services of both for this situation. The ground has settled at this corner, or has washed away so you'll likely need a borehole drilled close to that corner, and maybe another one further away to get an indication of what the soil *should* be like. The engineer may recommend a contractor or contractors who can do the repair work, but you are obviously free to choose your own contractor if you wish. E: do you have any downspouts near this corner?
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Jan 3, 2022 04:04
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wesleywillis posted:I can't offer a ton of advice, but a company that does both structural and geotechnical engineering would simplify things slightly as you will likely need the services of both for this situation. Thanks. No, the downspouts are at the other three corners, and I believe they drain underground out to the street away from the problem corner. I dug a 6ft deep fence post hole about 6ft away from that corner of the house about 18 months ago. The soil is mostly loose rocky fill down to that depth. A previous owner laid a concrete path beside the house, which has a very thin crack radiating away from the problem corner. It has been unchanged for the 2 years we've owned the house. There are no water pipes in this part of the house. We've had two weeks of exceptionally cold weather, and the ground here will be well frozen. Do I call them now, or wait for it to warm up a bit? It'll be below freezing for another month at least.
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Jan 3, 2022 05:37
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effika posted:How do we keep these pipes from freezing? They're in an uninsulated mud room, ... The quickest, cheapest short-term solution: An incandescent bulb- 60-100-watt, in a trouble light or other wire cage, aimed at the pipe and at least 6-8 inches from anything paper-like that could ignite. Heat tape would be safer. This on a slab or a crawlspace?
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Jan 3, 2022 05:41
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JimbobDobalina posted:Do I call them now, or wait for it to warm up a bit? It'll be below freezing for another month at least. Just out of curiosity- what kind of house do you have? Like is it a detached home with basement or a crawl space. And do you know what kind of foundation you have? eg. concrete, block, wood PainterofCrap posted:
melon cat fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Jan 3, 2022 |
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Jan 3, 2022 05:43
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melon cat posted:Call them now because every half-decent foundation repair company is booking months out. Two storey detached home. No basement or crawlspace. Building inspector described it as 'slab on grade' when we bought it. Don't know how thick the slab is.
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Jan 3, 2022 06:31
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melon cat posted:How safe is heat tape nowadays? Because the previous owner of my house wrapped heat tape around our water supply line behind the basement drywall to prevent it from freezing during the winter. But its insulation melted off and created a fire hazard so we ended up removing it. Been wary of heat tape ever since. Follow the directions to the letter. As previously posted, their design varies somewhat, and mis-application can cause more problems than it solves.
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Jan 3, 2022 06:56
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I have a sump pump in my basement that I need to swap out, the switch is starting to go. The hurricane earlier this year had it running pretty much every 3 seconds, and I think that was the straw that broke the camels back. The problem is that the backup system (water driven sump) is in the way of removing the old sump.  My thought is to cut the backup pipe where the red line is, then use one of those rubber couplers to join it back together so in another 5-10 years when I need to do it again I can just do the same thing. Aside from a leak risk, is there any reason I should be wary of doing it this way?
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Jan 3, 2022 13:45
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If you don't have a Sharkbite release tool, get one. You can release it from that fitting without cutting it. e: OK, discharge line. Ja, a fernco coupler would be the way to go. Your post has reminded me to get & install one of these. We don't often have power outages, but peace of mind is worth it.
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Jan 3, 2022 17:14
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PainterofCrap posted:The quickest, cheapest short-term solution: It's slab on grade. Thanks for the reminder about incandescent bulbs-I forget those exist. I might be able to rig something up. Would heat tape that I can get at Lowes or Home Depot work, or would I need to order from a real place like McMaster-Carr? Looks like I'd want a self-regulating kit with the plug already on it. Would I want one or two lengths for the hot & cold pipes? I'm sure I will need to dig that contractor foam out too if I get heat tape, if anyone has any advice.
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Jan 3, 2022 17:51
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effika posted:It's slab on grade. Lowes/Home Depot is fine, just want to avoid aliexpress and such. It's a device that can malfunction and cause a fire, so you just want to be careful about where you source it from. You don't need to separate the hot and cold wraps, but you might find it easier to install if you do as you won't need to 'bridge' between the two with your install. For the foam, utility knife, go slow, don't get frustrated and cut yourself, just take your time. The utility knives with snap off blades are nice because you can 'over' extend them and get further into the cavity without needing to make room for your whole hand. https://www.olfaproducts.com/olfa-construction-and-utility-cutters/olfa-snap-off-utility-knives/olfa-heavy-duty-snap-off-knives.html
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Jan 3, 2022 18:08
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Would a drywall saw work for cutting out that foam? Just a suggestion that might (not) work.
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Jan 3, 2022 18:15
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You could use a butter knife if you wanted to. Serrated blades (like a drywall saw/keyhole saw) create a bit of a mess. A non-serrated blade will create fewer fine particles to clean up.
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Jan 3, 2022 18:33
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I'd probably just use a lovely old kitchen knife.
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Jan 3, 2022 18:53
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Khizan posted:Fix It Fast: I'd probably just use a lovely old kitchen knife.
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Jan 3, 2022 19:26
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Khizan posted:I'd probably just use a lovely old kitchen knife. Oh, hey, that's definitely something I have! Awesome. And yeah, thread title right there. Thanks goons. I feel better going in to this week, having some ideas and tasks to work on. And when we can we'll get someone out to redo the mud room/laundry pipes!
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Jan 3, 2022 23:49
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We like to keep this thread clearly labelled for newcomers and it's too long with 'Your starting point for all things DIY' 
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Jan 4, 2022 03:42
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I bought my house ~2 years ago it is a detached single story with a concrete basement. Since we've moved in we noticed that our house, especially the basement, has started smelling like mold/mildew. Not really sure if it was there before, or if it only started when we moved in. During the summer I ran a dehumidifer and it was pulling a LOT of water out of the air all day. It turned out that my main water line supply had a pinhole leak and there was water flowing around my sewer clean out pipe under the concrete slab (but not raising up far enough to get into the house). This is an issue my city has been plagued with for the last two years due to sodium hydroxide being added to the water treatment system, luckily my insurance covered this and has been fixed as of a few weeks ago.  Dry:  I'm hoping this was the source of the humidity, in turn causing the mildew smell. I finally decided to remove the carpet because that seemed to be a large source of the mildew smell. During the removal there were a few small mold spots, and a very large one in one of the rooms, in general though the carpet smelled absolute terrible during the removal and I think it will help with the smell a lot. Unfortunately, underneath is a little bit of a disaster. Before this carpet was installed, it looks like there was a glued on carpet that had foam backing and the old glue+foam combo is covering the entire basement, ~800 sqft. There is one room, and a little bit more where the person who installed the carpet I just removed tried to clean it up, but gave up.  My questions for you all: 1.What is the best approach to clean this floor up, and how far do I really need to take it? 2. What type of flooring should I use? This will probably also dictate how well I need to clean the cement. I've took cursory looks at a bunch of stuff: tile, vinyl, carpet, carpet tiles and paint. My impressions are putting carpet down again would be a bad move since the basement is so damp in the summer. Tile and paint might be tough because I'd have to clean the cement so well before. This leaves vinyl, which would be fine really, just not sure how it compares in price to the other options. Bonus question: Should I seal that drain clean out better? I can feel cold air coming from the ground under the slab. If I should, what is the best way to go about that?
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Jan 4, 2022 05:23
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 An attempt to hang some wall fixtures with tape(???) went wrong. These appear to be plaster walls (and this is probably leaded paint  ). Any ideas on how to patch this up? The place is a dump, so just something simple is enough.
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Jan 4, 2022 16:10
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Cutting sprayfoam? Dollar store bread knife ftw. Cheap, can bend it flush against the wall for a flush cut. And if it breaks- who cares.Pollyanna posted:
What kind of condition is the rest of the wall in? Wondering if it's worth patching up OR if the rest of the wall is coming apart you might as well re-do the entire wall.
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Jan 4, 2022 16:31
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Apartment, so the latter is so not happening. The rest of the wall is…I won’t say fine, but outwardly normal.
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Jan 4, 2022 16:37
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If you just want it to look nice for deposit etc reasons take a chip of paint off the hole (about the size of a dime) and most Home Depot lowes etc will be able to match the paint. It won’t be flawless but that’s enough to generally make it fade in with the rest of the typical random rental wall unevenness. If you dgaf about that I’d just hang a picture over it. Paints already hosed there so good place to put a nail! 
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Jan 4, 2022 16:43
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This deposit is never coming back to me, so I’ve already given up on that. I might as well hang something  works for me!
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Jan 4, 2022 16:54
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this might be an extremely dumbass question, but our electrician put in a bunch of 3 way switches with sliders around our house. there's one in particular in the living room where it would make a lot more sense to swap which of the two has the slider. can I just turn the power off and swap the two, or are there crazier things going on?
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Jan 4, 2022 17:53
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Time has come to replace at least one of my smoke detectors since it won't shut the gently caress up with new batteries and screeches when plugged in. I can't really find any good resources on the different types of connectors and would really prefer to avoid having to engage an electrician to change the plug itself. Any idea what kind of connection these are? 
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Jan 4, 2022 18:39
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Pollyanna posted:
Apartment? Deposit hosed? In the old days, we used toothpaste right at move-out. Get yourself a small jar of sparkle, a 3” knife, and a damp rag. Butter it on there. The next day, go over it with a damp rag to smooth it in.
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Jan 4, 2022 19:49
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D34THROW posted:Time has come to replace at least one of my smoke detectors since it won't shut the gently caress up with new batteries and screeches when plugged in. I can't really find any good resources on the different types of connectors and would really prefer to avoid having to engage an electrician to change the plug itself. Any idea what kind of connection these are? Those are proprietary(?) connectors for smoke detectors. If you replace it with the same brand, chances are the new one will plug right in. If not, the new smoke detector will come with the connector. Swapping it out is easy if you've ever done electrical work... the new smoke detector will come with the connector, so you'd just wire nut that in. Hardest part will be finding which circuit breaker the smoke detectors are on... in my experience, they're not usually clearly labeled, nor is it typically obvious which circuit they're on. If you've never done electrical work, I'd hate to advise you to do it, but this is easier than installing a ceiling fan, so there's no need to call an electrician. Just make sure you turn the power off and have a meter or some way to verify the power is dead. A handyman would probably do it for cheaper than an electrician (even though in many places they might not legally be allowed to do it, they probably will).
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Jan 4, 2022 20:11
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PainterofCrap posted:Get yourself a small jar of sparkle spackle! Or wallboard patch, or similar. Any hardware store will have a bewildering array of different types of patching compounds. None of them will make that unpainted hole perfectly smoothly integrate with the rest of the painted wall, so it doesn't really matter which one you use IMO. But if you're giving up on the security deposit, I wouldn't even bother. Your landlord will need to strip and re-paint that wall regardless (and given the condition of the paint, you 100% shouldn't be responsible for it, but landlords routinely illegally hold their tenants responsible for normal wear & tear, so yeah). kreeningsons posted:I guess my budget is about $200. Not the bottom of the barrel for framing, but definitely not as expensive as the fancy framing shops around here. And a piece that has as many issues as mine might be more expensive. The cost of a frame is proportional to the size, and you didn't give dimensions, so it's tough to guesstimate. But any frame shop can put together a custom frame for you for probably $100 or so, depends on what frame you pick and whether a standard size will work or not and of course the sky's the limit in terms of frame styles and construction. But they're all gonna be built to roughly the same (not great) construction quality, basically four mitered pieces stapled together. That is considered archival these days. The nice thing though is they can also custom cut the matting etc. and will have glass or polycarbonate or whatever front you want on there. The truth is that nothing is truly "archival" in the sense that it will preserve an art forever. Museums replace matting and sometimes frames every once in a while. Art degrades over time no matter what. You can't afford the Mona Lisa treatment, so just get a normal frame, acid-free matting & backing, don't put the piece up in direct sunlight or somewhere that will get greasy or smoky like a kitchen, and it'll be fine for your lifetime. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Jan 4, 2022 |
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Jan 4, 2022 20:17
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Fuckin' autocorrect on my tablet. I'm leaving it. Sparkle's an upgrade!
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Jan 4, 2022 20:35
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PainterofCrap posted:Fuckin' autocorrect on my tablet. There is a segment of the population that would absolutely love spackle that sparkled.
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Jan 4, 2022 21:10
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PainterofCrap posted:Fuckin' autocorrect on my tablet. The Next Big Thing (tm) in rennovation-- Sparckle: Premixed spackle with glitter! specially formulated to transfer through multiple layers of primer and to get deep into all of your brushes and rollers.
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Jan 4, 2022 21:14
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Fix It Fast: Spackle That Sparkles!
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Jan 4, 2022 21:22
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DaveSauce posted:Those are proprietary(?) connectors for smoke detectors. If you replace it with the same brand, chances are the new one will plug right in. It's a Firex (FireX?) 120-1070B, and it looks like Kidde makes a FireX model along with a few others and a converter that looks like it'll fit my existing plug. Something like that work? I'm assuming at the very least the bases will have to be swapped out because probably none of them are universal. All of the detectors in the house came with the house, so they're minimum 6 years old. Should I just go ahead and assume the rest are near failure and replace them as soon as funds allow?
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Jan 4, 2022 21:35
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D34THROW posted:It's a Firex (FireX?) 120-1070B, and it looks like Kidde makes a FireX model along with a few others and a converter that looks like it'll fit my existing plug. Something like that work? I'm assuming at the very least the bases will have to be swapped out because probably none of them are universal. That adapter might work? Without seeing the new one I dunno, but if that's an Official Kidde Product then it's probably fine. The base will likely need to be swapped out, but that's just 2 screws. Smoke detectors shouldn't die that quickly... 10 years is when you're supposed to replace them. Not that you can't do it sooner, but you shouldn't NEED to. Either they fail pretty fast, or they'll last for 10 years. That said, if you were to hire it out, it'd probably be cheaper to do them all at once rather than pay someone for multiple trips. I looked again at your pictures and it looks like maybe there was a leak or something? The ceiling is stained a bit and the detector looks pretty grungy for being only 6 years old. I'd make sure to address that sooner rather than later, or the next one might die in a matter of months.
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Jan 4, 2022 21:49
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