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Arsenic Lupin posted:I ordered an impact driver, Hell yeah. They work so much better for driving screws, I’d imagine that will solve your problem. Also seconding the soap/wax recommendation, that’s a good one. Very old school but effective
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Jun 18, 2022 18:01
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Welp. Just spent a solid hour measuring, leveling, mounting brackets for, and installing two roller blinds, using the hardware provided. Mr. Phillips has a lot to answer for. Yes, I'm getting the Spax screws, but I had to mail-order them; small town.
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Jun 18, 2022 18:40
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Phillips screws are trash, but especially Phillips screws that are included as part of the installation kit for something are trash. Those are made out of the cheapest possible materials, to save half a cent per unit. The screws can only be driven at most once before the head is irreplaceably damaged.
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Jun 18, 2022 18:55
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I am not sure this is the right thread for this, but I am making a homemade freestanding climbing wall and am curious for some advice. I’m basically roughly following this guide: https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/how-i-built-backyard-climbing-wall-at-home The nice thing about this guide is that you basically just build the wall onto an existing swing set A-frame. I feel reasonably good about my ability to build a swing set A-frame using brackets, and I feel pretty good about my ability to build the frame/climbing wall panels. The connecting the two part I’m a bit shakier on, for reasons I describe below. The main differences are that I’m hoping (1) to get a climbing surface which is 8’ wide by 12’ tall (so 3 8’x4’ things of plywood), and (2) I’d like to be able to remove the climbing panels from the swing’s A frame structure during the (Northeastern US) winter and store them inside. I feel reasonably confident that the swing frame will be fine through a winter with appropriate lumber/treatment/a big tarp on top, but much much less confident about the panels being ok. For (1), I’m planning to just get brackets to make the swing set frame with, like these: https://a.co/d/gDjdmhO. It seems like the support legs are intended to be 8’ 4”x4”s, so my initial thought was just to use 12’ 4”x4”s instead, and then maybe add some 2”x6”s running across as extra support. I am not really sure if this is a reasonable sounding change to make though- maybe 8’ is just like the limit of a viable swing set and the lumber will like crack in half or something? If need be I can just make the climbing surface 8’ by 8’ instead so I follow the swing set guide exactly. For (2), my thought was basically that in step 3, where he attaches the frame with metal “L” brackets, I would just use bolts to attach the L brackets to the swing set frame. Then I can theoretically take the panels on and off at the start/end of each summer using those bolts. Does this seem like a reasonable idea? Is there some much easier method I am missing here, or some clear issue with what I am planning that will make this all fail horribly?
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Jun 18, 2022 19:28
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Apropos of the screw topic, here’s a cool chart I found Nice to see the double square head, glad I’m not the only one who gets frustrated w the traditional square drive
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Jun 18, 2022 19:43
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I was introduced to Robertson/square by my Canadian in-laws and migrating to those primarily has been a huge reduction in annoyance on projects
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Jun 18, 2022 20:01
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Qwijib0 posted:I was introduced to Robertson/square by my Canadian in-laws and migrating to those primarily has been a huge reduction in annoyance on projects Similar situation here, to the point that I'm slowly replacing the Phillips screws that are prevalent around my new house whenever I have to interact with them. The problem I have is that now I had to order a pack of 100 screws for a specific application from McMaster Carr whenever I need to fix something.
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Jun 18, 2022 20:50
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BIG-DICK-BUTT-gently caress posted:Apropos of the screw topic, here’s a cool chart I found Spax has introduced their own special head, the T-Star Plus, which I thiiiink is compatible with normal stars?
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Jun 18, 2022 21:15
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Anybody use any floorplan apps for iOS? About to head to our house to take some measurements for stuff and it’d be fun to mess around and do some room planning. Willing to pay a little cash.
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Jun 18, 2022 22:44
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So, we've had a problem with drywall staining and crumbling at the bottom of one of our sunroom's exterior walls. We had roofers in to look for a leak, and they concluded it was probably because of the in-wall drain spout in the area. The drain has since been capped and replaced by an exterior spout. I have taken off the bad drywall and insulation in the area, and discovered that the bottoms of several studs in the area are rotten, and the base plate is rotten as well. The backer board in the area of the pipe is also still soggy and easily pulled off in chunks. Is this something I might be able to repair myself, or is this "call a carpenter and warm up the checkbook" time? (The white PVC pipe in the center of the area is the now sealed downspout.)    
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Jun 19, 2022 19:24
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Give it a couple weeks to dry out. If the framing is not deforming, and remains reasonably solid (I.e. will take a nail or screw), you could spray it with Kilz and leave it be. Sure, it looks like poo poo, but it’s function is structural, not aesthetic.
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Jun 19, 2022 20:20
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I have to dig a large 3 foot pit in my front and back yards by hand. And lucky me my soil is very sticky and clay heavy.  Aside from hiring a mini excavator (not an option) any tips for making this job any easier, aside from sharpening some higher quality long handled shovels? Qwijib0 posted:I was introduced to Robertson/square by my Canadian in-laws and migrating to those primarily has been a huge reduction in annoyance on projects melon cat fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Jun 19, 2022 |
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Jun 19, 2022 22:16
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A mattock can do wonders for cutting into that poo poo, and since you said “3’ pit” you might actually have room to swing it a fair ways down.
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Jun 19, 2022 22:21
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melon cat posted:I have to dig a large 3 foot pit in my front and back yards by hand. And lucky me my soil is very sticky and clay heavy. Got any neighborhood youths who like white washing fences? Is your budget literally $0? Because I would bring home some folks from Home Depot to dig. This is perfect day laborer stuff. Stake it off with twine, hand them a yard stick, tell them when it's that deep they're done. Have food and water and all that available. Call 811. Have it staked off. How many bodies are you burying?
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Jun 19, 2022 22:24
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Standard load out around here for hand digging is a digging bar like this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Truper-Tru-Pro-72-in-Pencil-point-Digging-Bar/3055439 Give you quite a workout but still better than trying with just a shovel. Also, a miniex is always an option (mine fits though 28" doorways when configured the right way).
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Jun 19, 2022 22:25
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H110Hawk posted:How many bodies are you burying? That seems more like a back yard pit job instead of a front one.
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Jun 19, 2022 22:25
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H110Hawk posted:Got any neighborhood youths who like white washing fences? Is your budget literally $0? Because I would bring home some folks from Home Depot to dig. This is perfect day laborer stuff. Stake it off with twine, hand them a yard stick, tell them when it's that deep they're done. Have food and water and all that available. The goon lives in Ontario, so it's on1call.com Also might be worthwhile to get a private locate done as one call only marks on public property and the water line is private between the shut off valve and the house. Some other stuff may be private at a certain point that isn't at the meter/ right at the house.
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Jun 19, 2022 23:01
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Unfortunately day labourers aren't an option out where I live. It's gonna be chain gang style labour all done by me. Maybe a couple of friends if I can rope them into it. Thanks for introducing me to the mattock and digging bar. I'll head out and buy those Motronic posted:Also, a miniex is always an option (mine fits though 28" doorways when configured the right way). Ambassadorofsodomy posted:Also might be worthwhile to get a private locate done as one call only marks on public property and the water line is private between the shut off valve and the house. Some other stuff may be private at a certain point that isn't at the meter/ right at the house. melon cat fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Jan 15, 2024 |
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Jun 19, 2022 23:07
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melon cat posted:Unfortunately day labourers aren't an option out where I live. It's gonna be chain gang style labour all done by me. Maybe a couple of friends if I can rope them into it.
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Jun 20, 2022 00:46
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Ambassadorofsodomy posted:That being said, you can use mechanical/ powered equipment to do your digging, just make sure to stay at least one metre away from any paint marks. A proper locate will also give you depth also. Staying 24" away in any plane is more than enough. When you're good at this it means digging deeper to the convenient side while you knock soil into the trench with a shovel until you fine the located line and emptying the trench with the machine.
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Jun 20, 2022 00:51
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Motronic posted:A proper locate will also give you depth also. Staying 24" away in any plane is more than enough. When you're good at this it means digging deeper to the convenient side while you knock soil into the trench with a shovel until you fine the located line and emptying the trench with the machine. Private citizens aren't necessarily obligated to obey the regulations as much as contractors are (yes they are but you catch my drift I assume) but I've never seen a locate here that said any less than 1 meter unless you're hand digging. Even then hand digging excludes swinging a pickaxe/ mattock because they can still gently caress poo poo up before you know it. There's a bunch that will say 2, 3 or more depending on various poo poo that I can't think of right now. Also never seen a locate that's says anything besides "depth of plant may vary, use caution" With hdd (horizontal dIrectional drilling) they have a beacon in the head that can be used to determine depth of the bit, but I don't think I've ever seen a locate that had a depth measurement unless a vac truck had been there first, sucked the poo poo out and visually measured, and recorded depth from surface. I was working at and old gm plant in Windsor one time and they sucked the hole out to verify the location of the main gas line that fed the plant. Had to drop my rods in and use a jackhammer type dealie to pound my sampling tools n to the ground whilst a giant rear end boulder hung precariously over the biggest gas line I've ever seen that wasn't part of a legit gas pipeline. I didn't like seeing little bits of dirt falling around the sides of the home while I was drilling. It was a bit unnerving! But anyway, crotchety old driller tangent over with for now.
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Jun 20, 2022 01:10
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Ambassadorofsodomy posted:With hdd (horizontal dIrectional drilling) they have a beacon in the head that can be used to determine depth of the bit, but I don't think I've ever seen a locate that had a depth measurement unless a vac truck had been there first, sucked the poo poo out and visually measured, and recorded depth from surface. If you can physically clip something to a metal gas line you can use an electrical locator to get depth (you'll need to use a ground spike somewhere else to make the circuit but that's not a big deal). They're super rad and work great. Very expensive. But just home gamer expensive, any pro should have one.
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Jun 20, 2022 01:37
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I won't disagree with you but a poo poo load of gas service lines and even mains these days are plastic. They may or may not have functioning tracer wires. There are still lots of steel lines out there, but 1/2"PE is what I see typically for the plastic lines. I'm sure they could give a more precise depth since the public locators have the actual utility records to go by and don't just scan blindly for signals but public guys get paid by the ticket here, not by the hour, so it's easier to say "depth may vary use caution" rather than take 5 more minutes and record the depth via measurements or records (which may vary due to landscaping or other grade changes etc).
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Jun 20, 2022 01:48
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Ambassadorofsodomy posted:They may or may not have functioning tracer wires. They overwhelmingly do not as I assume you already know. These always seem to rot off long before anyone would need to locate them again. When it's a pinch you can turn them off at the curb and open them up at the house, feed a fish tape in there and use that to power up for the locate. I know this isn't practical everywhere/every time.
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Jun 20, 2022 01:53
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Motronic posted:They overwhelmingly do not as I assume you already know. These always seem to rot off long before anyone would need to locate them again. "We can't do it, we don't have the budget!"  At that point it would probably be more practical to just get a vac truck, but see my first sentence.
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Jun 20, 2022 02:07
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Alright, have my own fix it fast question. Just got back from the pub and my kitchen light is not working. A few hours ago it worked and now it does not. Its probably the cheapest bullshit builder grade crap from when my condo was built and uses 2 x round fluorescent light bulbs I don't recall when but a few years ago I replaced at least one of the bulbs. Possibly both, but I don't recall for sure. I know I still have one of the old bulbs that has some darkening around the "ends" (where the electrical connections are) but I think I kept it because it still worked. The current bulbs don't have that darkening. I tried to replace one bulb with the old one, but no luck. From what little I recollect, they *probably* aren't wired in series, so if one goes out, the other will still work but in this case both are out and that was not the case a few years ago IIRC when one completely died. Checked all the breakers and poked the wires with a volt meter, switch on, and got 120 v AC at the wire nuts coming in to the fixture. I have no idea how to check the ballast, but based on my experience with fluorescent lights, thats usually the problem. There were no noticeable symptoms of the ballast going bad that I noticed. The light went on a few hours ago and didn't come on half an hour ago. Is the most likely culprit the ballast or should I check for something else? What else is there to check assuming the bulbs are still good? First pic is with one of the bulbs removed, but thats what it looks like with the cover off.  Second is, I presume the ballast? 
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Jun 20, 2022 03:09
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It's the ballast. It may have blown the bulbs too. None of this is worth repairing. Find an LED fixture to replace it with.
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Jun 20, 2022 03:16
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Fuuuuuuuuuck. Well I can survive for a couple weeks with this till I have some time off and can get to a legit lighting store. One thing I've learned from HCH is to stay away from lowes-depot etc for this type of thing. I don't necessarily need a top of the line fixture, but any brands I should avoid? Or will real lighting stores typically not carry lovely brands?
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Jun 20, 2022 03:38
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This weekend I cleaned out my garage a bit, and came across some extension cords that I needed to re-do the ends on, so I popped over to Ace and grabbed the 2 20 volt female ends they had left, and then just grabbed a 15 volt for the third one, which I figured I'd use for a little lovely 3' cord I had around. I really wasn't thinking about what I was doing, I just stripped the wires, got everything nice and tight and plugged it in to make sure it would work. That's when I looked in my hand and saw I was holding a male plug. Apparently I grabbed the wrong plug while in the store and made the forbidden extension cord while not paying attention.
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Jun 20, 2022 13:27
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melon cat posted:I have to dig a large 3 foot pit in my front and back yards by hand. And lucky me my soil is very sticky and clay heavy. rent a demo hammer and a clay spade, it'll carve the clay up real nice e: I can dig a 16"x16"x16" footing in sticky clay in like 15 minutes with mine, for reference.
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Jun 20, 2022 16:34
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AFewBricksShy posted:This weekend I cleaned out my garage a bit, and came across some extension cords that I needed to re-do the ends on, so I popped over to Ace and grabbed the 2 20 volt female ends they had left, and then just grabbed a 15 volt for the third one, which I figured I'd use for a little lovely 3' cord I had around. Pics or it didn't happen. Also your christmas lights better be ON POINT this year.
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Jun 20, 2022 17:25
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Cross-post from the HVAC thread: Like much of the US it is unseasonably hot outside and the fan motor on my AC system's compressor picked this morning to apparently seize up. The AC calls for cooling, I hear the unit straining for about 30 seconds, but the blades don't spin and the unit then kicks off. I've called the HVAC people, but they're booked two weeks out. Anything I can do to kick-start this thing?
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Jun 20, 2022 17:29
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The first thing to check would be the start/run capacitor. I'm assuming your fan isn't actually mechanically seized. That's just unlikely.
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Jun 20, 2022 17:31
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The fan being seized is more likely than you'd think, as it's already been replaced once for the exact same issue a few years ago. I have to admit though I did not try spinning the blades by hand before leaving for work this morning as it was already piss-off hot outside.
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Jun 20, 2022 17:42
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PremiumSupport posted:The fan being seized is more likely than you'd think, as it's already been replaced once for the exact same issue a few years ago. I have to admit though I did not try spinning the blades by hand before leaving for work this morning as it was already piss-off hot outside. Pull the disconnect before you try that. It's supposed to be right there or your main panel if it's line of site and close. But yeah try the capacitor. Hopefully it's not another seized unit that sucks.
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Jun 20, 2022 17:55
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BonoMan posted:Anybody use any floorplan apps for iOS? About to head to our house to take some measurements for stuff and it’d be fun to mess around and do some room planning. Willing to pay a little cash. Quoting myself to say I ended up using the Magicplan free tier and it was pretty awesome. I have an older iPad so I wasn't able to utilize any lidar stuff from an iPhone, but the AR still did a decent enough job. Supplemented with some laser measure readings and it's really quick to get an accurate floorplan made of your house. (it even has an option to integrate directly with a bluetooth enabled laser measure if you have one - I didn't).
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Jun 20, 2022 17:57
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H110Hawk posted:Pull the disconnect before you try that. It's supposed to be right there or your main panel if it's line of site and close. Was planning on using a stick. I like my fingers attached to my hand...
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Jun 20, 2022 18:13
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AFewBricksShy posted:This weekend I cleaned out my garage a bit, and came across some extension cords that I needed to re-do the ends on, so I popped over to Ace and grabbed the 2 20 volt female ends they had left, and then just grabbed a 15 volt for the third one, which I figured I'd use for a little lovely 3' cord I had around.
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Jun 20, 2022 19:13
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So turns out there IS a capacitor in the washing machine, just not where I was expecting it to be. Local appliance place says $80 and they won't get it in until end of the week at earliest. Online amazon/ebay looks like they're about $30 but I assume that's a piece of crap. Online random parts vendors from googling, looks like $60ish. Any reliable online vendors you all would recommend with quick shipping? Or should I just have the local shop order it for me?
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Jun 20, 2022 20:25
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Tyro posted:So turns out there IS a capacitor in the washing machine, just not where I was expecting it to be. End of the week? You're not getting it any faster AND high quality than having your local shop buy it. You might try other supply shops - shop by spec not "maytag part 1234" but "x-volts, y-microfarad" and you might get better hits. They might knock off $5 if you pay cash. Have that cash with you as exact change when you ask.
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Jun 20, 2022 20:47
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