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tater_salad posted:They won't work or they'll flash and do weird poo poo This. I ordered some dimmable LEDs, they sent me the wrong model, I tried the ones they sent me anyway. They just flickered terribly. Leperflesh posted:LED bulbs are expensive and that might be a fast way to ruin one. We might not be talking about the same thing, but the ones I got cost just $16.44 AUD. But these are like LED replacements for ordinary light bulbs, they didn't require special wiring or anything. It was an LT409TC/B22D (they initially sent me the non-dimmable LT409TC/B22).
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Jul 19, 2022 13:25
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I've got 4' fluorescent lighting in my pottery workshop. I'd like to slap some LEDs in there. do I need to anything other than just that? I'm seeing a bunch of stuff about bypassing ballasts, but then some other stuff that suggests that the 4' ones don't have the same problem as 8'. these fixtures are reasonably modern, iirc.
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Jul 19, 2022 16:04
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Empty Sandwich posted:I've got 4' fluorescent lighting in my pottery workshop. It's going to depend on the bulb and the fixture. Some tubes are direct replacement, others require a ballast bypass. It should tell you on the packaging what the requirements are, or at least give you a "type" rating. "Type A" are direct replacements while "Type B" require a ballast bypass. Keep in mind that not all ballasts work well with "Type A" tubes.
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Jul 19, 2022 16:24
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PremiumSupport posted:It's going to depend on the bulb and the fixture. Some tubes are direct replacement, others require a ballast bypass. It should tell you on the packaging what the requirements are, or at least give you a "type" rating. "Type A" are direct replacements while "Type B" require a ballast bypass. Keep in mind that not all ballasts work well with "Type A" tubes. thank you! jfc, I could not find anything this straightforward online. I'll pick up a 4-pack pack and try them in all 6 fixtures, maybe
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Jul 19, 2022 16:43
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Empty Sandwich posted:thank you! jfc, I could not find anything this straightforward online. That's because it's not straightforward. Ballasts vary a lot, so some of the "direct replacements" won't. Most reliable is ballast bypass, but of course that means you have to use LEDs unless you rewire again. I did the bypass option on some super-cheap ($7 years ago) 4' fluorescent fixtures that didn't even have proper ballasts to start with, I discovered. No wonder they sucked with the fluorescent bulbs.
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Jul 19, 2022 17:24
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Hyperlynx posted:We might not be talking about the same thing, but the ones I got cost just $16.44 AUD. But these are like LED replacements for ordinary light bulbs, they didn't require special wiring or anything. It was an LT409TC/B22D (they initially sent me the non-dimmable LT409TC/B22). Yeah, $16/bulb is expensive compared to a $1.50 incandescent or a $5 flourescent. It's still not a ton of money, but it's better to just not put non-dimmable LEDs into a dimmed fixture and then see them burn out in a few weeks or something.
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Jul 19, 2022 17:29
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General LED bulbs Are less that $2 a pop here unless I'm missing something? Lowe's has an 8 pack of dimmable LED bulbs by GE for $24 and a 16 pack of regular ones for under $20
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Jul 19, 2022 18:34
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BonoMan posted:General LED bulbs Are less that $2 a pop here unless I'm missing something? For one, they said AUD and a beer there also costs $15. LEDs are simply much more expensive than incandescent for similar performance.
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Jul 19, 2022 19:29
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16 AUD is like 11 dollar american and the linked bulb seems to have a switch to set one of three color temperatures.
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Jul 19, 2022 19:43
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Darchangel posted:That's because it's not straightforward. Ballasts vary a lot, so some of the "direct replacements" won't. Most reliable is ballast bypass, but of course that means you have to use LEDs unless you rewire again. I did the bypass option on some super-cheap ($7 years ago) 4' fluorescent fixtures that didn't even have proper ballasts to start with, I discovered. No wonder they sucked with the fluorescent bulbs. This. I personally wouldn't worry about having to rewire to go back to fluorescent as I would never go back. It's more about how comfortable you are with safely bypassing the ballast in the first place. Direct replacements are nice if they work, but you're leaving a point of failure (the ballast) in the circuit.
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Jul 19, 2022 20:24
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And ballasts do simply wear out eventually, so you're guaranteeing that at some point in the future you're still going to have to bypass the ballast and replace the bulbs, or replace the ballast just to keep your bulbs, which is relatively expensive, and you're doing the ballast wiring then anyhow. That is to say, either way you're gonna have to gently caress with the ballast, so why pay more now for the privilege of also spending more later with the same effort?
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Jul 19, 2022 20:28
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thank you all for the straightforward answer that it's not straightforward. exceedingly helpful.
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Jul 19, 2022 21:06
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Leperflesh posted:Yeah, $16/bulb is expensive compared to a $1.50 incandescent or a $5 flourescent. It's still not a ton of money, but it's better to just not put non-dimmable LEDs into a dimmed fixture and then see them burn out in a few weeks or something. Fair enough
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Jul 19, 2022 23:07
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Empty Sandwich posted:thank you all for the straightforward answer that it's not straightforward. exceedingly helpful. The most straightforward approach is to bypass the ballast or replace the entire fixture. Anything else is looking into specifics of your exact ballast and led bulbs. We would need make/model of both (or a picture of the diagram from the ballast. While you're up there bypass it. Then delete the picture.)
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Jul 20, 2022 00:03
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When my the fluorescent lights in my mom’s house started to go it was cheaper to have an electrician come out and bypass/remove the ballasts than it was to buy new fixtures.
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Jul 20, 2022 00:53
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I have a tree in my yard currently holding a gutter downspout (due to the position of the gutter drainage, and it has to stay up high as it crosses a pathway), the tree is getting cut down and I obviously need a replacement. I'm looking for what would be 'best practice' on putting a post in my yard to replace the tree holding the downspout. Would digging a hole, filling it with bagged cement from home depot, wetsetting the post (with bracing) be the right way to do this? I also really don't want to spend the money to change the position of the downspout to the more logical option so it runs along my house as it would have to change the entire slope of the gutter system and running just the downspout from it's current position back across the front door looks stupid to me. 
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Jul 20, 2022 01:36
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Khizan posted:When my the fluorescent lights in my mom’s house started to go it was cheaper to have an electrician come out and bypass/remove the ballasts than it was to buy new fixtures. How long ago was that? Because LED fixtures are really cheap these days. If you need an electrician for bypassing a ballast anything like that is going to be expensive, even if you get new LED fixtures for free (which are overwhelmingly going to be most easily installed by having an outlet put on the ceiling in place of your old FL fixture.
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Jul 20, 2022 01:41
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Chillyrabbit posted:I have a tree in my yard currently holding a gutter downspout (due to the position of the gutter drainage, and it has to stay up high as it crosses a pathway), the tree is getting cut down and I obviously need a replacement. Sounds plausible to me. You're basically making a freestanding fencepost here, so the same practices would apply. You'll probably want to use pressure-treated lumber, since it'll be in continuous ground contact. I'm not at all an expert on gutter pipes, but I seem to recall that you can basically buy prefabricated shapes and piece them together to meet your needs. So when you go to the hardware store, I'd look at that. It may be that doing it properly is easier than you think. Or maybe the post you set up can also be useful as an endpoint for a clothesline, or a hammock? 
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Jul 20, 2022 01:45
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Chillyrabbit posted:I have a tree in my yard currently holding a gutter downspout (due to the position of the gutter drainage, and it has to stay up high as it crosses a pathway), the tree is getting cut down and I obviously need a replacement. Hard to say without some more info about the yard/not yard/etc. situation, but can it be routed closer to the house and buried with a pop-up somewhere nearby? Would probably be my preferred method, but going on the rather limited amount of info available.
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Jul 20, 2022 01:58
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Mini split/ductless unit question. I live in an old 2.5 storey house. We have ducted central air conditioning and forced air heating. Baseboard heating for the finished attic (it is terrible and inefficient). Brand spanking new furnace and and AC condenser unit. But we’ve been finding that very little heat and conditioned air goes to our second floor and finished attic which is where our bedrooms are. Just old house limitations since the ducting is old and leaky and there is no cold air returns upstairs. Super common issue among similar houses in our neighborhood. So we’re thinking of getting ductless heating/AC units for the second floor and attic. Mainly because it sucks to be so damned hot at night in our bedroom during the summer and freezing cold during the winter. And I am concerned about the attic pipes freezing and bursting. Is this a good or bad idea? melon cat fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Jul 20, 2022 |
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Jul 20, 2022 03:15
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melon cat posted:Mini split/ductless unit question. I live in an old 2.5 storey house. We have ducted central air conditioning and forced air heating. Baseboard heating for the finished attic (it is terrible and inefficient). Brand spanking new furnace and and AC condenser unit. But we’ve been finding that very little heat and conditioned air goes to our second floor and finished attic which is where our bedrooms are. Just old house limitations since the ducting is old and leaky and there is no cold air returns upstairs. Super common issue among similar houses in our neighborhood. There are more or less two options - 1. fix your ducting, adding a return and sealing the leaks; I would try sealing any leaky ducts anyways if you can access them. It's cheap and easy to do with direct access. 2. Minisplits. You can also try half hearted stuff like turning off all your downstairs vents to force more air upstairs. Another option in the interim if you're really sweating it is to open a downstairs window and the window in your bedroom while the AC is running. It will draft conditioned air out into la la land but should also cut the temperature in your bedroom. Even if you only do this for a few hours and close the windows almost all the way when you go to bed it should help, but it is obviously expensive and not environmentally friendly.
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Jul 20, 2022 03:31
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H110Hawk posted:There are more or less two options - 1. fix your ducting, adding a return and sealing the leaks; I would try sealing any leaky ducts anyways if you can access them. It's cheap and easy to do with direct access. 2. Minisplits. 1 lol no 2 sure 3, Mini splits are absolutely not the only answer. I have an entirely different AC unit (in the attic) with it's own supplies (in the ceiling) and returns for upstairs. My house is exceptionally comfortable in every manner including consistent temperatures.
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Jul 20, 2022 04:08
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Motronic posted:1 lol no Our central AC is keeping up for now in a location that normally doesn't have AC. As climate change continues to build and get worse, I'm considering a mini split for the master bedroom upstairs over completely overhauling the central AC to support two zones.
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Jul 20, 2022 04:12
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Rakeris posted:Hard to say without some more info about the yard/not yard/etc. situation, but can it be routed closer to the house and buried with a pop-up somewhere nearby? Would probably be my preferred method, but going on the rather limited amount of info available. Thanks for the alternate solution, never even thought of that as first thought is burying downspout drainage won't work in Canada due to freeze and thaw, but then there are guides on modifications to make it work. Looks like I need to do more research. First problem is a double row of paving stones that would be in the way of digging it, and then the grade of the lawn being towards the front of the house meaning I might have to move like at least 5 paving stones I think or probably the whole bunch because if I'm moving some of them I should fix my stupid secondary suite entrance step (circled in red)  Still a fence post in my lawn is a little stupid but it is easy, and am I truly a homeowner if I don't pass on whacky DIY "fixes" to the next buyer?
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Jul 20, 2022 04:35
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How much does temperature in a fridge, as measured by a thermometer, normally fluctuate?
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Jul 20, 2022 05:17
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Chillyrabbit posted:Thanks for the alternate solution, never even thought of that as first thought is burying downspout drainage won't work in Canada due to freeze and thaw, but then there are guides on modifications to make it work. Looks like I need to do more research. what a weird rear end gutter downspout. You should get rid of that. Are you saying the low point is the inside corner or the middle of the gutter where the current drain is? If not, I'd just cap and remove the existing drain and put a rain chain on the corner (and maybe channel drainage at the bottom of the chain). If your gutter angles are so hosed up that water pools in the middle of the channel or in the inside corner you should just fix that angle (raise the inside corner slightly.) This would be easier than installing a drain-stand to show off your weird gutter.
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Jul 20, 2022 07:23
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Chillyrabbit posted:and running just the downspout from it's current position back across the front door looks stupid to me.
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Jul 20, 2022 14:12
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El Mero Mero posted:what a weird rear end gutter downspout. You should get rid of that. Are you saying the low point is the inside corner or the middle of the gutter where the current drain is? Low point is roughly around where the current downspout is more or less it could go further to the edge though, I don't know why they sloped it that way as if it went to the front of the house it wouldn't look as stupid. I never really considered underground drainage at all but I guess I'll have to look more into it and see how to do it properly with winter freeze thaw
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Jul 20, 2022 14:24
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Motronic posted:1 lol no 1. Lol right? 3. I sort of assumed that figuring out a ducted solution for those upper floors would be hard or impossible but it's certainly worth an ask.
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Jul 20, 2022 15:03
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Chillyrabbit posted:Low point is roughly around where the current downspout is more or less it could go further to the edge though, I don't know why they sloped it that way as if it went to the front of the house it wouldn't look as stupid. I never really considered underground drainage at all but I guess I'll have to look more into it and see how to do it properly with winter freeze thaw Not sure about the "proper" way to do this, but when I lived in IL, we just drilled holes in the elbow the popup was attached to and bedded it in gravel so any remaining water would drain into the soil. Never had any issues with freeze/thaw that I recall.
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Jul 20, 2022 16:23
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H110Hawk posted:1. Lol right? And to be less flippant about sealing/fixing ducts and adding a return: It's never this. The house in question is likely to have been "too hot" on the second floor for our modern expectations on the day it was built and the system was brand new. And the attic was probably never even considered as finished space. "Just add a return" is often logistically impossible without making a complete mess/boxing out weird spots on walls on the first (and maybe second) floor or losing closet space on one of both floors. I've seen so much money wasted on efforts like this up to and including booster fans, legit zoning at the unit when the trunks allow, "fake" zoning at the registers.........it's never satisfactory. What these places seem to always need are additional system(s) or completely upgraded and zoned central HVAC that can't be done without a to-the-studs reno.
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Jul 20, 2022 17:33
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Motronic posted:And to be less flippant about sealing/fixing ducts and adding a return: Yeah, if they're accessible and obviously leaking slap some tape on it. But otherwise lol yeah what a disaster of a project.
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Jul 20, 2022 17:48
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Chillyrabbit posted:Still a fence post in my lawn is a little stupid but it is easy, and am I truly a homeowner if I don't pass on whacky DIY "fixes" to the next buyer? I think you should lean hard into what you have. Install a copper downspout mounted on an ornamental post, and terminate with something like one of these:   Bonus if you spiral the downspout line down around the post & terminate in a bronze snake or dragon head.
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Jul 20, 2022 20:55
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H110Hawk posted:There are more or less two options - 1. fix your ducting, adding a return and sealing the leaks; I would try sealing any leaky ducts anyways if you can access them. It's cheap and easy to do with direct access. 2. Minisplits. We did look at 1- re-ducting. But it's a century home that I've found asbestos in before. So re-ducting would almost guarantee another run-in with spicy cotton and significantly add to the work cost. Beef Of Ages posted:Our central AC is keeping up for now in a location that normally doesn't have AC. As climate change continues to build and get worse, I'm considering a mini split for the master bedroom upstairs over completely overhauling the central AC to support two zones. This is what one of my top concerns and the motivator behind considering ductless heating/cooling on top of our central AC/forced air. We've had non-stop heat alerts and we're not even in the dog days of summer, which for our region is usually August.
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Jul 20, 2022 21:21
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melon cat posted:
Yup. Forced air heating in my house during the winter is tits because of physics, but cooling in the summer is a different thing.
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Jul 21, 2022 02:39
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Not sure if this is the right thread, but I have a real dumb idea that would be cool if it could be done well. I have a Tudor revival style house that the previous owner/builder had built. Looks like it's 1920s but built in 2016. They made some odd choices here and there but all in all a great house. The issue is light. Since skylights and big bay windows weren't part of that architecture style, it's. A pretty dim house, which is great but not always. Especially in the winter when the sun is low. Skylights would also be a bit of a crime given the design of the thing. They have these things called sun tubes which is an acrylic sealed boot thing that goes on an asphalt roof, a high reflective tube goes thru the attic and what looks like a recessed light fixture is flush with the internal ceiling. Point obvo is to bring in more natural light without doing a skylight. BUT They use to do a semi similar thing on sailing ships of old called deck prisms. Which sounds exactly like it is. The main difference being deck prisms are sort of ornate and beautiful and prismatic in terms of light output and are just wonderful. The roof is like a 16/12 pitch and the interior ceiling is vaulted and if just the other side of the rafters or trusses. How horrible of an idea would it be to try and come up with a sun tube esque apparatus with a deck prism in the inside of the structure? They seemed to have figured out the exterior facing part okay... Here is an example of a deck prism. They also come in other sizes and flavors. Not something commercially available, mostly just for the antique boat restoration people https://www.greenboatstuff.com/dacobrandgld.html
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Jul 21, 2022 16:16
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You seem to be inventing a solution in search of an already solved problem. The point of a deck prism is to disperse light more effectively than a tiny hole otherwise could. Go see an installed solar tube and you'll understand that the way it disperses light is significantly better than a deck prism (because the inside of the tube is highly reflective and the inside cover is made to maximize this effect).
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Jul 21, 2022 16:53
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Do what you want with your house IMO. That said, keep in mind every time you pierce the roof you create another place where water will try to intrude; and every time you pierce the thermal envelope, you create another place that will slightly affect your heating & cooling. I have no idea how well a deck prism insulates, but it might be a lot worse than a solar tube? Or the same. Personally I'd just install some ceiling lights but I'm cheap that way.
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Jul 21, 2022 18:46
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We're looking into solar tubes as well. We're currently in a very shady spot which is great for our temps/cooling costs. But yeah it's a cave. And after living in two houses that have tons of natural light... It really does a number on your mental state. And artificial light just isn't cutting it. When we were looking at houses we saw one in a similar situation that had a solar tube and I really loved it both the look and effect were kind of cool
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Jul 21, 2022 19:06
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Yeah, it's really just about the piece and the age of the place. Canned lights and sun tubes look pretty modern and lack the cool prismatic effects of...well, a prism. If you've been in a boat with one on a sunny day, it's quite a wonderful light source. With a sun tube, they also put a while in your roof and I agree the inner tube is polished of chromed or aluminized mylar or something which is all fine, I just was thinking of putting a different lens on the business end.
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Jul 21, 2022 20:00
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