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I took the mantle off the fireplace to paint, and I can feel cold air rolling in from the crack between the top of the bricks and the wood framing that the wood paneling is mounted on. Can I seal it with foam, or is it too close to the stove and chimney? I can fit my finger in some of the gaps 
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Feb 13, 2022 17:19
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What tool do I need to get this extremely tight nut unscrewed? It’s part of a desk lamp. It’s not really “stuck” but I think it was tightened extremely hard at the factory for no reason. It holds a steel weight against the aluminum base of the lamp with a threaded brass rod. I tried using an adjustable wrench but there’ll not enough room to turn it. I bought this lovely offset wrench but I can’t even get it to budge and the wrench kept slipping off, maybe partly because the nut doesn’t have a lot of thickness to engage with.   
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Feb 14, 2022 18:18
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Ratchet, appropriate sized socket, and using a lot of downward force over the socket while turning counterclockwise.
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Feb 14, 2022 18:26
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Something like PB blaster or WD-40 may help free it is if it is seized. Sometimes turning it in the tightening direction first can break things free too. Also make sure it's not reverse threaded.
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Feb 14, 2022 18:54
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vise grips
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Feb 14, 2022 18:57
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Stick it in the freezer overnight to shrink the metal a little.
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Feb 14, 2022 20:27
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The hinge for the closet door in my partner's apartment just ripped out of the frame, screws and all. Given that it's a rental, suggestions on minimally-invasive repairs?
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Feb 14, 2022 22:05
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Buy longer screws
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Feb 14, 2022 22:14
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Airconswitch posted:The hinge for the closet door in my partner's apartment just ripped out of the frame, screws and all. Given that it's a rental, suggestions on minimally-invasive repairs? White glue and toothpicks in the holes, let dry then install screws.
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Feb 14, 2022 22:15
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Rexxed posted:Stick it in the freezer overnight to shrink the metal a little. wait would that actually do anything? Both the threaded rod and the nut are brass so I didn’t think it would get me anywhere Time to figure out what ratchet set I want to buy, thanks all
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Feb 14, 2022 22:27
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kreeningsons posted:wait would that actually do anything? Both the threaded rod and the nut are brass so I didn’t think it would get me anywhere Yeah, but sometimes it's not enough if the metal is galled or whatever, but that and penetrating oil are both good solutions if you have a little time. It's probably worth getting a little socket set, though. They're not that expensive and good to have on hand. Brass doesn't gall that easily so it's likely that getting a solid grip, being sure not to round it over, and using one of the helpful tips will get it going.
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Feb 15, 2022 11:15
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If I learned one thing working on cars, is that it can't be stuck if it's melted  It's probably stuck because it's pressed against the washer/steel weight so hard, not because the nut is rusted to the rod or something, so freezing might help if the weight contracts more than the rod. Also a 6-side socket/wrench might work better
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Feb 15, 2022 11:32
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I have a 70s-vintage Zinsco breaker panel attached to my meter outdoors. 3 30A and 1 100A 240V circuits all connected directly to the meter, with no main breaker. Also 2 60A circuits that are still wired but I've never found the other ends of the cables. I've been keeping those switched off. The 30A circuits are all for appliances and the 100A circuit runs a big auxiliary panel, also outdoors, with all of the lighting and other 120V circuits and, for some reason, the water heater. The 100A breaker recently just started flipping under what I assume to be less-than-100A loads, and it seems to be getting worse. The GE auxiliary panel is itself a disaster, and I've already had to replace the 30A breaker for the water heater on it and one of the 15A breakers, but if there were enough of a short in there to trip a properly-working 100A breaker I assume it would be getting quite warm or there'd be evidence of sparking. My long-term plan is to have all of these 30-to-50-year-old fire-starters replaced with a new modern panel located indoors maybe a foot from the existing one and for the short term (as far as I can tell it's impossible to get an electrician fast at the moment) I bought a modern replacement for the Zinsco breaker ($$$!). So, um, is my long-term plan to completely replace and move the panel remotely reasonable or should I just buy 3 new 30A breakers for the existing panel to replace the aging ones, make peace with it, and go on with my life? On a related topic, if I do keep the panels for a little while, is there a good way to cover the gaping holes in the covers where breakers used to be? I'd feel a little better if the bus bars weren't so visible when I step outside in the rain to flip a breaker. Also do electricians really spell it "buss" bar or is that just a very common misspelling? E: why not include some photos...  
Stack Machine fucked around with this message at 15:19 on Feb 15, 2022 |
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Feb 15, 2022 14:54
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Any tips on how to deal with lime on a faucet? My current plan is just to electrical tape a ziplock of CLR to it, but if there's a more... elegant way, I'm all ears.
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Feb 15, 2022 21:23
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Wet a cloth or a paper towel in CLR and then use one or several rubber bands to wrap it tightly about the tip of the faucet. You can also do the sandwich bag trick, I think rubber bands will hold it better than electrical tape though.
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Feb 15, 2022 21:29
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what brands sell screws with white painted heads? hillman only has a few, and I need 6-32 thread slotted, white head, 1 1/8" or longer. one of my outlet boxes is a bit more recessed into the wall than the others, so the painted screws that came with the leviton blank wall plate won't reach.
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Feb 16, 2022 00:17
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actionjackson posted:what brands sell screws with white painted heads? hillman only has a few, and I need 6-32 thread slotted, white head, 1 1/8" or longer. one of my outlet boxes is a bit more recessed into the wall than the others, so the painted screws that came with the leviton blank wall plate won't reach. https://www.kyleswitchplates.com/2-long-screws-for-wall-switch-plates/ Google came up with this for "extra long switch plate screws", can't personally vouch for the website
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Feb 16, 2022 00:28
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thanks! this one is perfect https://www.kyleswitchplates.com/long-screws-for-switchplates-6-pack/
actionjackson fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Feb 16, 2022 |
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Feb 16, 2022 01:54
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Silly Q: what is this kind of sidewalk material called? Seems like the last freeze did it in and I need to know what kind of company to get it repaired (note it's considered the homeowner's responsibility and not the city)
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Feb 16, 2022 18:42
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It's very broken concrete with pea gravel aggregate that has been spalling from freeze/thaw cycles, improper drainage and possible even a bad mix to begin with. That's not a repair, that's a replacement. It needs to be above the turf line or that's just going to keep happening.
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Feb 16, 2022 19:08
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Motronic posted:It's very broken concrete with pea gravel aggregate that has been spalling from freeze/thaw cycles, improper drainage and possible even a bad mix to begin with. Oh wild, it's about 70 years old so figured it breaking after all this time is reasonable. I mean it doesn't freeze much here. OK I'll look for concrete people
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Feb 16, 2022 19:12
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Charles posted:Oh wild, it's about 70 years old so figured it breaking after all this time is reasonable. I mean it doesn't freeze much here. OK I'll look for concrete people Once the surface breaks down and cracks it doesn't take more than a few freezes to cause that kind of spalling. I mean.....if it's 70 years old it's had a good run and may have been breaking down for other reasons anyway. And when I say "above the turf line or that's going to keep happening" I mean on a scale of decades. As long as the surface is still in good shape it won't happen. But eventually it will and it goes downhill quickly from there if it's not draining properly.
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Feb 16, 2022 19:17
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Sounds pricey 
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Feb 16, 2022 19:18
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How long is the sidewalk, and how handy are you? Pouring your own sidewalk is a doable homeowner task, but it's a lot of manual labor. The materials aren't terribly expensive.
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Feb 16, 2022 19:26
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But if you go that route practice framing, mixing and finishing a block of concrete ahead of time. It doesn't require a tremendous amount of expert knowledge but there's some simple ways to really gently caress it up that become obvious after one or two pours.
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Feb 16, 2022 20:08
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That slab is about 7 or 8 feet I think but yeah I can't really play around with a sidewalk and my health is bad so gotta pay I think.
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Feb 16, 2022 20:16
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Also check with your municipality. I would bet they have Requirements for how that sidewalk is supposed to be. (Setback, materials, width, who knows.) You really don't want to have to do it twice.
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Feb 16, 2022 20:29
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I have white painted floorboards in my flat that are in need of repainting in places. I've tried Googling a few articles but the touch-up articles are all for walls, and the floor articles assume you are starting with bare wood. Assuming I bring in a paint chip to Bunnings and get them to match it, can I get away touching up specific areas, or does the whole thing need to be redone? It doesn't need to look 100% catalog perfect; my landlord is pretty chill and it was it was fairly ordinary when we moved in*, but I want it to leave it as least as good as we found it when we eventually move out. Being on the floor it needs to be reasonably hard-wearing, which seems like oil-based paints were the way to go. A potential sticking point is the fumes; we are living here and although the painting would all be done downstairs (our bedroom, the main living space, and a second toilet are all upstairs) the only ventillation in the bathroom** is opening the door to the kitchen, and then the kitchen door to the outdoors. We do have a decent HEPA filter if that helps. *The main reason I want to repaint is I stupidly opened a secondhand jar of silver nitrate in the bathroom (normally do all of that outdoors), and a bunch of grains caught in the threads fell on the floor and left some black stains, which got much bigger after trying to scrub it out using sodium thiosulfate solution like I was recommended. It looked 90% gone at first so I kept going, then the next day had blackened out an even bigger area. ** The landlord's chillness also extends to residential building codes. Ethics_Gradient fucked around with this message at 02:13 on Feb 19, 2022 |
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Feb 19, 2022 02:11
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Ever hear that old idiom "don't paint yourself into a corner"? Don't do that.
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Feb 19, 2022 03:07
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What is this idiotic style of toilet flusher called?  For some reason every toilet in my house has some kind of stupid plastic flusher that breaks all the time. This one in particular is constantly letting that big yellow gasket slip off and fall into the hole, breaking the seal and making the toilet leak for ages. Can I glue it back in place or is it supposed to be a tighter fit and just needs to be replaced? On a related note, is it possible to retrofit a toilet with a normal rubber flapper and chain or is there some special reason why new toilets have all this plastic poo poo in here?
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Feb 19, 2022 18:14
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That one in particular is Kohler AquaPiston, dunno if there's a generic name.
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Feb 19, 2022 18:26
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Ethics_Gradient posted:Assuming I bring in a paint chip to Bunnings and get them to match it, can I get away touching up specific areas, or does the whole thing need to be redone? It doesn't need to look 100% catalog perfect; my landlord is pretty chill and it was it was fairly ordinary when we moved in*, but I want it to leave it as least as good as we found it when we eventually move out Generally, I think, you'll want to redo the whole thing, or you'll have obviously new spots in a floor that is obviously not.
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Feb 19, 2022 19:49
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My windows need blinds. Problem is I got the windows replaced recently and the installer put this bumpy, molded trim along the entire inner frame to hide the damaged paint incurred during the installation process: Is there a such thing as window blinds that can be screwed into or attached to such a bumpy surface? I was thinking of cutting a strip of wood then screwing it on top of each window then attaching blinds to the overhang, but that brings the blinds "out" a few inches and I don't want that. And it's a bay-style window with 3 separate windows with shallow depth. And with this being a bedroom window the blinds need to lay flat against the window and clear some casement window hardware at the bottom. melon cat fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Feb 20, 2022 |
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Feb 20, 2022 00:40
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melon cat posted:My windows need blinds. Problem is I got the windows replaced recently and the installer put this bumpy, molded trim along the entire inner frame to hide the damaged paint incurred during the installation process: Could you do your idea inside the window frame?
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Feb 20, 2022 03:27
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wesleywillis posted:Could you do your idea inside the window frame? I just don't want to come home to these temporary paper blinds any longer. melon cat fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Feb 21, 2022 |
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Feb 20, 2022 17:12
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I just installed like 12 sets of cordless blinds from Lowe's last weekend so I get the issue -- Could you cut two little custom shims that will go between the bracket and that trim to provide a flat surface? I'd be pretty tempted to cut that top trim out and attach the blinds to the framing above it, knowing the top of the blinds will cover that up anyway.
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Feb 20, 2022 17:37
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The Dave posted:
100% what I’d do, but I like tearing things apart.
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Feb 20, 2022 18:34
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So I've replaced the weatherstripping around the doors of this house for the first time, and in doing so I noticed something about the door from the garage to the outside. It seems that there's something that making the door not fully close at the top: Here's the view from the outside:  The door stops meeting the weatherstripping about 2/3 of the way up. There's no obvious warping in the door or around it that I can see, but I'm new at this and I'm guessing that even a slight mismatch can make the door end up like this. I also took the door off the hinges to replace the weatherstripping at the bottom of the door, so it's possible that I may have hosed something up while doing so, or when putting it back on the hinges. (I'm happy to take more pictures if it would be useful.) Anyone have ideas for next steps for how to troubleshoot this? Does it look like something that can be easily fixed, or something that would require a carpenter?
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Feb 20, 2022 21:08
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Looks like the doorframe might be out of square. My house likes to shift and do that (crappy soil on my region with lots of clay - amount of rainfall changes the soil a lot, despite having piers installed.) Easy to check with a square. The trim can be removed and the frame re-shimmed to square, but if the interference isn’t a lot, you can also plane down the door as long as you realize that now your *door* will be permanently out of square. I am just a hobbyist DIYer, though, so someone with more experience may have a better idea. I like doing stuff “right”, so I’d re-shim. Bit more work with removing trim, and possibly repainting/replacing same.
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Feb 20, 2022 23:41
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| # ? May 28, 2024 21:05 |
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Ja whoever installed that door probably used a square & measured & used a level, etc assuming it was all plumb & square. You will need to detach the door casing from the rough opening & shove it back until the door contacts all four sides. Re-secure. Then the creative trim cutting will commence.
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Feb 21, 2022 01:03
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