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CzarChasm posted:Oh that's dead simple. Don't know why I thought I would have to take the spout off the wall to fix it. Thanks. They're all built slightly differently so I'd take yours out first but yeah it's about as straightforward as plumbing gets. You can very gently turn the spout upside down to make it easier, but I wouldn't recommend that unless you know for sure your pipes in good health.
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Jan 2, 2024 18:55
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Water drains uphill right? There's definitely a valley where the two roof pitches meet. Pending roofers getting here, I have liberally coated the area in roof sealant 
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Jan 2, 2024 19:54
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devicenull posted:Water drains uphill right? There's definitely a valley where the two roof pitches meet. As far as roofing goes - sometimes yes. Like there. And with wind driven rain. Looks like that should hold for now.
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Jan 2, 2024 19:59
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Motronic posted:As far as roofing goes - sometimes yes. Like there. And with wind driven rain. Why would there intentionally be a valley there? Isn't rain going to sit there and slowly leak through the roof?
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Jan 3, 2024 01:15
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devicenull posted:Why would there intentionally be a valley there? Isn't rain going to sit there and slowly leak through the roof? It's hard to tell from the close-up photos, but I have a suspicion that the dormer roof is pretty flat. I typically recommend asphalt for 4/12 pitch roofs or greater, membrane for 2/12 or less, and pretend that 3/12 roofs don't exist. This is a conservative approach, a lot of asphalt gets installed down to 2/12. The problems associated with asphalt on low slope roofs is exacerbated by 'architectural' shingles like the ones you have installed because each shingle has a section where it lips over the shingle below where there slope is further reduced. That said, I'm pricing out a project with a 2.5/12 asphalt roof at the moment against my personal objections. The entire roof is getting peel and stick membrane before the asphalt goes on. That's a long way to say: I think you have a 'valley' there because the dormer slope is too low, but it's hard to tell from the photos. If you take an elevation photo of the house showing the slope of both roofs it would put the question to rest.
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Jan 3, 2024 01:30
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Tezer posted:It's hard to tell from the close-up photos, but I have a suspicion that the dormer roof is pretty flat. I typically recommend asphalt for 4/12 pitch roofs or greater, membrane for 2/12 or less, and pretend that 3/12 roofs don't exist. This is a conservative approach, a lot of asphalt gets installed down to 2/12. The problems associated with asphalt on low slope roofs is exacerbated by 'architectural' shingles like the ones you have installed because each shingle has a section where it lips over the shingle below where there slope is further reduced. This is the best one I have in my pictures atm:  The addition roof is very shallow, I feel perfectly fine walking around there if that's any indication. It looks to me like that where the addition is slightly higher then the main roof where the two meet, so it forms a valley down the length of the joint.
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Jan 3, 2024 02:04
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Jenkl posted:What's the best way to clean hand prints and other grease off a stainless steel range hood? There are more than a dozen compositions of steel and surface finish that can be sold as "stainless". Best way is to treat it like a dirty window. You wouldn't start with a bottle of Windex on a car windshield covered in bug guts and road tar, right? Get off the grime first. Dish soap and a microfiber rag to remove the grime and goo. If it's particularly stubborn, a soft nylon brush helps here too and MAYBE a brass brush/bronze wool (though they shouldn't, they may cloud or scratch certain finishes). The secret weapon here is a steam cleaner. I have used mine to remove years of caked on grease buildup on outdoor grills and restore them to a nice shine. From here, it will be clean but is going to dry with water spots or clouding and not look nice. Now you want a stainless steel cleaner. There are two types: water based and oil based. Water based is going to be better for hiding dust, but oily fingerprints are going to stick out on this surface. Oil based is better for hiding fingerprints and water spots, but the dust will stick to it and build up faster. We use oil based on almost everything in the commercial cleaning business (kitchen fixtures, elevator panels, bathroom fixtures). I keep a water-based one in my kit for outdoor grills and outdoor surfaces that are cleaned 1x per week or less and/or gripping surfaces (like grab rails in accessible restrooms or hand rails on stairs) I've used a dozen different products, and the two oil based ones we keep in stock are Sprayway SW841 in aerosol and the Weiman one in the trigger sprayer. Follow the directions! Spray a small amount onto a clean, dry microfiber cloth and then polish the surface. You can tell by feel from the friction of the cloth gliding over the surface whether you've applied the right amount. It's difficult to over-apply if you are spraying on the rag instead of the surface. The layer of mineral oil will help bead water drips off, and you can blend in fingerprints with your hand or a clean rag between cleanings.
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Jan 3, 2024 02:09
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devicenull posted:The addition roof is very shallow, I feel perfectly fine walking around there if that's any indication. Hard to get a perfect measurement from a photo, but the main roof is somewhere around 6:12 and the addition is less than 3:12. So the addition isn't something I would recommend installing asphalt shingles on (personally, because I take a conservative approach), and with asphalt shingles at 3:12 the roof needs to have a 'waterproof' underlayment membrane at the transition if not the entire roof. Here is GAF's guidance for example: https://www.gaf.com/en-us/document-...Low_Slopes_.pdf Owens-Corning guidance is similar but buried in a large install document and uses their proprietary material. Generally roofers I work with just layer everything on low-slope roofs with a third-party 'ice and water shield' stick-on product because they already have it in stock and you don't need to double layer it. And ya, when they installed the new roof sheathing they may have messed up, over-roofing the existing roof and not beveling the sheathing or something. A small hump means a lot at 3:12. Something to figure out when you re-roof in the future.
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Jan 3, 2024 05:45
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Thanks y'all for the stainless steel cleaning advice!
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Jan 3, 2024 14:43
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devicenull posted:This is the best one I have in my pictures atm: unrelated to your issue, but I really like your house color.
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Jan 3, 2024 19:11
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I'm picking up the keys to my first house in a half hour (oh God what have I done) and first up: the place I'm renting now has a electronic deadbolt aka a pushbutton pin kind with no phone app nonsense, no fingerprints. It's honestly pretty handy and I'd like to put one on my house. Can anyone recommend one that is similarly not-too-smart (I really don't need to use my phone as a NFC key), but also not vulnerable to Lockpicking Lawyer with a paperclip?
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Jan 3, 2024 22:59
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Arrath posted:I'm picking up the keys to my first house in a half hour (oh God what have I done) and first up: the place I'm renting now has a electronic deadbolt aka a pushbutton pin kind with no phone app nonsense, no fingerprints. Buy the one your current place has? Otherwise the Samsung ones used to get high marks.
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Jan 3, 2024 23:12
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H110Hawk posted:Buy the one your current place has? Otherwise the Samsung ones used to get high marks. I've looked into it briefly but it seems to be old enough to have been discontinued in favor of more IoT-ey models.
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Jan 3, 2024 23:24
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Any reason this kind of J bend is a bad idea? https://www.lowes.com/pd/Keeney-1-1-2-in-Plastic-J-Bend/1070065 My garbage disposal discharge is just even with the top of a normal one and an extension is too long without shortening the discharge. I need the J bend a hair taller than it currently is for the disposal to reach inside.  Ignore that it isn't lined up, it pivots to be under it fine. If that kind of J bend isn't ok what should I do? Just cut an inch off the garbage disposal so the extension clears the nut?
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Jan 3, 2024 23:30
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Arrath posted:I'm picking up the keys to my first house in a half hour (oh God what have I done) and first up: the place I'm renting now has a electronic deadbolt aka a pushbutton pin kind with no phone app nonsense, no fingerprints. My recommendation is always Emtek because they only use the battery to engage/disengage the bolt and not to actually retract it (you do that with a thumb turn) so the battery last forever. I’ve also installed Yale and Baldwin for clients.
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Jan 3, 2024 23:35
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Tezer posted:Hard to get a perfect measurement from a photo, but the main roof is somewhere around 6:12 and the addition is less than 3:12. So the addition isn't something I would recommend installing asphalt shingles on (personally, because I take a conservative approach), and with asphalt shingles at 3:12 the roof needs to have a 'waterproof' underlayment membrane at the transition if not the entire roof. Roofer is suggesting redoing the addition with membrane (? he was talking about the pitch being inappropriate for shingles) in order to fix the valley, and going up a few rows of shingles to ensure they line up properly. I'm of the opinion this is the correct way of fixing it, and trying to patch just where it's leaking now is a mistake. He's also quoting me just doing the entire back half of the roof (there's some sketchy part in the back of one of those pictures that's bowed in). With just the work needed to do the addition, we're already over 50% of the total roof area. The front half of the roof has a bunch of solar panels, so we're not touching that. The roof is the only remaining thing in the house that we haven't replaced yet, so I'm leaning towards just getting the whole back done, pending pricing. AFewBricksShy posted:unrelated to your issue, but I really like your house color. Thanks! We got complements on it for a couple months straight when we first had the siding done, from people that have never talked to us before.
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Jan 4, 2024 00:26
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Tezer posted:My recommendation is always Emtek because they only use the battery to engage/disengage the bolt and not to actually retract it (you do that with a thumb turn) so the battery last forever. I’ve also installed Yale and Baldwin for clients. Thanks I'll take a look!
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Jan 4, 2024 00:34
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I have some parts of the roof without gutters and I think it’s definitely not helping our basement problems, but we just got quoted $1800 to install gutters and lengthen some downspouts. Does that sound close to reasonable? It’s like maybe a quarter of the total length of our gutters, but pretty high up.
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Jan 4, 2024 01:42
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devicenull posted:Roofer is suggesting redoing the addition with membrane (? he was talking about the pitch being inappropriate for shingles) in order to fix the valley, and going up a few rows of shingles to ensure they line up properly. I'm of the opinion this is the correct way of fixing it, and trying to patch just where it's leaking now is a mistake. I have a similar thing, a section of roof without much pitch that was shingles, but when we did the roof had it replaced with EPDM membrane. I agree this is the correct way to fix it. It's worked well for us and all the research I did at the time confirmed it as appropriate.
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Jan 4, 2024 13:21
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I have slick laminate floors and an aging dog that’s slipping on them. I am considering applying a non-slip coating for the sake of my dog (I wanted to replace the floors anyways so a permanent coating isn’t an issue). I’ve found this: Which looks like it should do the trick, it’s just expensive at $155/gallon. If that’s what I gotta pay, fine, but maybe another poster knows of a less-expensive alternative? I’m looking for a clear, reasonably durable coating or paint. Nonslip socks/booties just make her walk funny and covering the floor with carpet or rubber mats would make cleaning a hassle so I’m kinda set on a nonslip coating. tuyop posted:I have some parts of the roof without gutters and I think it’s definitely not helping our basement problems, but we just got quoted $1800 to install gutters and lengthen some downspouts. Does that sound close to reasonable? It’s like maybe a quarter of the total length of our gutters, but pretty high up. Sounds pretty high to me unless your gutters are like 40’ up and/or they have to modify the roof/soffit/fascia to install the gutters. Maybe that’s just the market in your area but I’d get another quote.
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Jan 4, 2024 13:36
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The Top G posted:I have slick laminate floors and an aging dog that’s slipping on them. I am considering applying a non-slip coating for the sake of my dog (I wanted to replace the floors anyways so a permanent coating isn’t an issue). I’ve found this: I know you mentioned rubber mats already, but when I was in a similar situation, I bought a bunch of cheap yoga mats and used those. I suppose something like this might work for les money and a more permanent solution: Anti Slip Traction Tape with Roller, 12 Inch x 35 Ft Non Slip Grip Tape for Skateboard, Waterproof Anti Skid Grit Roll for Stair Steps Outdoor/Indoor, High Traction Non Skid Abrasive Stair Tread Black https://a.co/d/hNfXCQ4 Note, I've never used that product or one like it, it was just something I thought of.
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Jan 4, 2024 14:31
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tuyop posted:I have some parts of the roof without gutters and I think it’s definitely not helping our basement problems, but we just got quoted $1800 to install gutters and lengthen some downspouts. Does that sound close to reasonable? It’s like maybe a quarter of the total length of our gutters, but pretty high up. I had seamless gutters installed on my garage a couple months ago along the two sides (each side 40 ft long and 10 ft off the ground) for $800 (the other quote was $1000).
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Jan 4, 2024 15:00
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The Top G posted:
They are about 30’ in the air and the fascia is slanted in a way that’s incompatible so they have to fashion some kind of wooden wedge to get a vertical surface for mounting them. I should have mentioned that as well!
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Jan 4, 2024 15:16
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tuyop posted:They are about 30’ in the air and the fascia is slanted in a way that’s incompatible so they have to fashion some kind of wooden wedge to get a vertical surface for mounting them. I should have mentioned that as well! Ah, in that case that’s likely fair. Also - it you can swing it financially, see if they can cap the soffit & fascia with aluminum trim while they’re up there. Otherwise with wood trim you’ll have to repaint in like 5-10 years
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Jan 4, 2024 16:08
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Imasalmon posted:I know you mentioned rubber mats already, but when I was in a similar situation, I bought a bunch of cheap yoga mats and used those. I appreciate the suggestion and I’d be open to it except for in the kitchen, which is just too much space and mess to keep covered with mats. The grip tape is a good idea for our steps though 
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Jan 4, 2024 16:09
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devicenull posted:Roofer is suggesting redoing the addition with membrane (? he was talking about the pitch being inappropriate for shingles) in order to fix the valley, and going up a few rows of shingles to ensure they line up properly. I'm of the opinion this is the correct way of fixing it, and trying to patch just where it's leaking now is a mistake.
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Jan 4, 2024 16:51
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devicenull posted:Roofer is suggesting redoing the addition with membrane (? he was talking about the pitch being inappropriate for shingles) in order to fix the valley, and going up a few rows of shingles to ensure they line up properly. I'm of the opinion this is the correct way of fixing it, and trying to patch just where it's leaking now is a mistake. Your roofer is probably proposing an EPDM membrane (the material emocrat also mentioned) and it's a solid choice. Technically there are 'better' membrane roofs like TPO, but since your roof is visible due to the slope and low height I think you'll want to go with a black color and TPO isn't available in black. It's a very small functional difference, it really comes down to color preference. I also agree that you should just replace that entire back slope of shingles on the primary roof, it will keep everything looking right, reset the 'wear' clock on that entire slope, and make it easier to engage with your contractor regarding warranty issues. Kaiser Schnitzel posted:This is definitely the right way to fix it. You can still have shingles over the ice and water shield if you want it to look consistent. Around here the FORTIFIED standard for hurricanes has peel and stick membrane over the entire roof so if shingles blow off in a storm where is still a waterproof barrier. This brings up a good point - there are two products regularly called 'membrane' in this context. The first is a low-slope roofing membrane that is the primary roofing material (EPDM, TPO, etc.). The second is a membrane installed under asphalt shingles (also often called 'peel and stick membrane' or 'ice and water shield'). Either works for your roof, but a low-slope roofing membrane is the better product (more durable, fewer seams) and easier to inspect for leaks in the future because the 'leak proof' material is exposed for visual inspection instead of being buried under a layer of shingles.
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Jan 4, 2024 17:11
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Tezer posted:Your roofer is probably proposing an EPDM membrane (the material emocrat also mentioned) and it's a solid choice. Technically there are 'better' membrane roofs like TPO, but since your roof is visible due to the slope and low height I think you'll want to go with a black color and TPO isn't available in black. It's a very small functional difference, it really comes down to color preference. I also agree that you should just replace that entire back slope of shingles on the primary roof, it will keep everything looking right, reset the 'wear' clock on that entire slope, and make it easier to engage with your contractor regarding warranty issues. Just got the quote this morning - they're suggesting 'GAF Liberty Flat Roof Material' for the flat area, and 'GAF Timberline HDZ' shingles for the rest.
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Jan 4, 2024 18:58
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devicenull posted:Just got the quote this morning - they're suggesting 'GAF Liberty Flat Roof Material' That's fine if by that they mean the entire system, which is a peel and stick base layer (base/ply sheet) plus another peel and stick top layer (cap sheet).
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Jan 4, 2024 19:10
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Teabag Dome Scandal posted:Any reason this kind of J bend is a bad idea? Looks like Lowes has a garbage disposal tailpiece that is longer than what comes with the disposal so I'm going to grab that. I got a Badger 5 so hopefully it fits.
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Jan 4, 2024 19:17
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devicenull posted:Just got the quote this morning - they're suggesting 'GAF Liberty Flat Roof Material' for the flat area, and 'GAF Timberline HDZ' shingles for the rest. Ah, bitumen roll roofing has largely been replaced with EPDM/TPO in my market, so it didn't come to mind. Among other things, bitumen roll roofing has much narrower roll widths which increases the total number of seams. It's still a good roofing choice and the 'right' selection for your low-slope roof, and available at a lower price point than EPDM/TPO. Agreed with Motronic re: making sure they're installing the full system.
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Jan 4, 2024 20:03
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The Top G posted:Ah, in that case that’s likely fair. That’s really helpful, thanks!
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Jan 4, 2024 23:46
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finished replacing the boards on my lower deck! looks good feels good. First time doing anything like this. Demo'd them and replaced by my lonesome. the deck backs up against my other deck. This house was a crazy swing pad when it was made I'm sure. Plan is to get rid of that lattice, replace it with some tasteful horizontal boards, and maybe even frame out the right side with a door and build out some storage in the underdeck area. I'd also like to build some planter boxes and get some vining plants growing up the side.  there's about am inch gap here between the two that is bunch of random cinder blocks with gravel tossed on top.  You can kinda see some of these are sunken in.  I tried to pull up some stuff but it's full of bags that were presumably holding the gravel  Does anyone know what this is or why it would be there? Did they just half rear end something decorative? Is there any reason for me not to pick it up and see what's underneath it? Sorry if this is a stupid question. It's my first time doing anything like this and I don't want to grover it.
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Jan 4, 2024 23:57
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Motronic posted:That's fine if by that they mean the entire system, which is a peel and stick base layer (base/ply sheet) plus another peel and stick top layer (cap sheet). They've got the GAF "presidents club" certification, so I can't imagine they'd halfass it. I'll confirm before I sign the contract though. They're quoting just under $10k to do 400sqft of flat roof plus the rest of the back of the house... oddly didn't list a total sqft though. That includes adding a ridge vent, replacing the attic fan, etc. Going to get another quote though.
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Jan 5, 2024 00:15
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devicenull posted:They've got the GAF "presidents club" certification I encounter a lot more contractors who are certified in DGAF instead
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Jan 5, 2024 06:49
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Kind of a niche question but I guess it won't hurt to ask: Is there a way to "refinish" bakelite? I have some old cutlery I'd like to use sometimes but the black handles have gone gray over time, with some being still rather shiny black as originally but with very light gray splotches. (Picture below not mine.) Is there a way to make bakelite a) black and/or b) shiny again? 
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Jan 5, 2024 11:05
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devicenull posted:They've got the GAF "presidents club" certification, so I can't imagine they'd halfass it. I'll confirm before I sign the contract though. You want it in writing for the purposes of the GAF warranty when this contractor stops taking your calls.
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Jan 5, 2024 15:51
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Motronic posted:You want it in writing for the purposes of the GAF warranty when this contractor stops taking your calls. And this can be as simple as "Install complete GAF SBS Self-Adhereing Roofing System to manufacturer specifications on North roof approximately 400 sqft" - They don't need to spell out a ton, and in fact being a little bit generic as long as it references the whole system, workmanlike quality, to manufacturer specifications can get you further than if they specify 3/4 of the system and skip the hard part. "I mean, you agreed to them installing these three things, but without the top coat the warranty is 1 year." (Reading the title from here which seems to imply 4 elements to the install: https://www.gaf.com/en-us/document-...em_RESLB100.pdf ) The presidents club certification probably means they only sell GAF products so GAF gives them improved pricing on materials which they don't pass on to you.
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Jan 5, 2024 16:07
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H110Hawk posted:The presidents club certification probably means they only sell GAF products so GAF gives them improved pricing on materials which they don't pass on to you. It means exactly that plus one person went to GAF school (or an online 4 hour training) that explains how each system must be installed to qualify for warranty. That person no longer works there.
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Jan 5, 2024 16:09
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3D Megadoodoo posted:Kind of a niche question but I guess it won't hurt to ask: Comically was looking at an antique radio forum yesterday and ran across this recommendation for bakelite radios: http://www.greygate.com/product/paste-polishing-no-5/
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Jan 6, 2024 02:39
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