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Opopanax posted:but it's low on the list of things for me to do when I have time/money PainterofCrap posted:Keep in mind that every time it freezes you risk it rupturing. Bears repeating; if that pipe freezes and then bursts, that's a lot of time and money you get to spend dealing with the damage without getting to plan for when it occurs.
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Jan 15, 2024 17:30
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For sure, I'm going to make sure that next time it drops below zero that cupboard is going to stay open the whole time and if it starts to dip really low I'll throw a space heater in the room or something. I just mean the renovation is low on the list of priorities, they used a hideous tile for the floors and walls that we would love to just gut and redo, the freezing mitigation that I will get on right away
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Jan 15, 2024 17:35
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The Top G posted:Doesn’t look like any termite damage I’ve ever seen, that’s likely just water intrusion from the window. Looks like the eaves of the roof are pretty short so not much protection from rain. That wall is drywall, not textured plaster. I think the concern about termite damage is because of the loose "dirt", which could be chewed-up wood that was digested by termites. Is that accurate? Here's a close-up, as Kaiser Schnitzel requested:  Note that this was after I went in there with a paper towel to try to wipe it up. I stupidly did not take "before" photos. Also, here's a photo of the other wall from that corner, showing more miscellaneous insect debris that I hadn't got around to cleaning up yet. The water-damaged part of the floor had similar crap all over it before I wiped it up.  All of the large bits are either pillbug corpses or spider eggs. I poked at the baseboard with a screwdriver a bit; it's not mushy. The drywall also seems sound. My guess is that, to the extent that I have water issues, it's being driven by the plants holding moisture up against the exterior wall. That causes the concrete slab foundation to stay damp, and that's then transmitting moisture up through the sole plate and into the adjacent floorboards (the floor is on top of an underlayment, which in turn rests directly on the concrete). Assuming that guess is accurate, I don't think there should be serious water damage; the sole plate should be treated lumber, and the studs shouldn't have major issues because they're elevated. Whether I have termite damage is a separate question, and I'm really hoping the answer is "no".
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Jan 15, 2024 20:38
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I've discovered a probable cause for why there were plants clustered around the downspout at that corner of the house. Way back when I bought the house, the inspector recommended that I clear the area around the foundation to keep plants from growing there. My response at the time was to put pavers down directly on the soil. I think what happened here is that the pavers gradually compressed the soil under them, until it was lower than the soil further from the house. Combine that with the downspout dropping water directly next to the foundation, and you create a nice, moist environment. I went out there today with a shovel, removed the plants and pavers, and put in an extension on the downspout: Obviously this is far from complete, because I still need to re-grade the soil so that the area under the downspout is higher than the rest of the yard. But my back was giving me warning signs, so I had to stop. I pulled a lot of succulents and their matted roots away from direct contact with the foundation, just beneath the siding. No wonder it was damp! I also noticed this around the corner of the house:  I am absolutely not an expert on foundations, but this looks to me like someone put an extra layer of cement or mortar on the side of the foundation (possibly to cover earlier foundation damage), and that layer is either incomplete at the top, or is cracking off. I'm not sure what to do about it. Finally, I bought a 22-pint dehumidifier, put it in the room, and told it to target 50% humidity. It claims that the current humidity is 60%. We'll see if that does anything. TooMuchAbstraction fucked around with this message at 22:16 on Jan 15, 2024 |
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Jan 15, 2024 22:14
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Yeah that just looks like a fuckton of spider poop, not termite mud tubes or anything, so that’s good.
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Jan 15, 2024 22:50
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Is this the right thread to ask about diy'ing molding/baseboards/etc? I am trying to figure out what is my best option for doing some crown molding and picture frame molding myself. I have done lots of small projects but I am new to doing stuff that's larger scale. I live in a high rise condo built in the 80's and the two things that are gonna make the crown molding annoying are popcorn ceilings and small metal wall studs, which make me want to do something that avoids going into the studs altogether. I do want to keep the crown small and subtle though, so I have considered just using the same stuff I'm using for the panel molding and butting it up against the ceiling which would make it simple cause it could just be adhesive and finishing nails into the drywall. I'll be painting the crown the same color as the walls cause my ceilings aren't very tall. Thoughts??
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Jan 16, 2024 06:15
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My advice for everyone who wants to do crown moulding is to do two piece. It's not that much extra work and it lets you hide a lot of bullshit going on with your walls and ceilings, and it looks really nice. If you're not familiar, two piece is when you just take a piece of baseboard and hang it upside down against your ceiling, so the decorative part is closest to the floor. and then hang your crown on top of that so the ogee's match up. One of the reasons I like it is because you can nail the baseboard into the studs and then when you come back with the crown, its nailed into the base which is really secure. so it's not just being nailed into drywall. Just make sure you use fine thread drywall screws that made for going into metal studs and you should be fine. If you do like I said with the baseboard you should be able to have a really beefy connection to your wall, and then cover it over with the crown and not have to go back over them with putty. makes life a lot easier. As for your popcorn ceiling, idk of anything specific, but I hung crown on a brick wall and just left the texture of the bricks alone. ended up looking nice. I know brick != popcorn ceiling, but if you hate it, you can always come back later, tape it off, and fill it with caulk/putty and paint it so it's smooth.
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Jan 16, 2024 15:39
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Your crown, cove and baseboard trim nails should always be hitting wood.
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Jan 16, 2024 16:05
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Which is all well and good until you're in an old rear end place like my house where the studs are randomly between 13 and 22 inches on center, whatever the frame crew felt like doing that day.
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Jan 16, 2024 18:51
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Is it a problem if a cheap ikea bookshelf is mounted up against a radiator pipe? In theory it could hit 70 C. The bookshelf is of course made of particle board stuff with a cardboard back. Surely this is fine, right?
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Jan 16, 2024 19:12
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Associate Christ
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I feel like the warmer it gets would either weaken the binder in the MDF, or expand the fibers, making them more ready to take water from the atmosphere, so it might deteriorate faster there. But like breaking anything? I doubt it.
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Jan 16, 2024 19:19
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Cosmik Debris posted:Just make sure you use fine thread drywall screws that made for going into metal studs Why not a finish/brad nailer? This is like the one perfect time for a nail gun.
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Jan 16, 2024 19:26
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well i imagine there wouldn't be much to resist the natural tendency for the nails to want to pull out. metal isn't spongey like wood is. the threads ensure a good grip, but i defer to other's expertise in the matter. and then idk if a brad/trim nail could even penetrate a steel stud. probably would an aluminum one. idk much about metal studs, only worked with them once and i used fine thread drywall screws and it worked a treat.
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Jan 16, 2024 19:49
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Wasabi the J posted:I feel like the warmer it gets would either weaken the binder in the MDF, or expand the fibers, making them more ready to take water from the atmosphere, so it might deteriorate faster there. hehe okay, thank you. Really I was more thinking about starting a fire but I guess that's just not possible at 70 C .
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Jan 16, 2024 21:07
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Ok, spooky question  I have an Arrowhead brass 460 Series 'Arrow-Breaker' frost proof wall hydrant on my house, and it seems to like turning on by itself. We just noticed some water in our basement, and I went to go check and the hydrant on the side of our house, which I just winterized a few days ago, was running. A similar thing happened in November, but it was moderated as it was connected to a closed hose. The water was draining into the ground and seeping through our foundation. Thankfully it's not a lot of water, and we must have caught it pretty early. The real question is why this is happening -either the hydrant is doing something weird, or I have a sneaky neighbor who keeps turning it on. Google/reddit have not been much help. Anyone have ideas? I replaced the innards on this like a year ago and it seems fine, but perhaps there is some intricacy that I missed in the installation? Bone Crimes fucked around with this message at 01:51 on Jan 17, 2024 |
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Jan 17, 2024 01:44
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By "hydrant" do you mean like a hose bib? Like, a winterized version of one of these things? My first thought, honestly, was some local animal is using it as a water source. I don't know if there's, like, child-proof water knobs or something, but I'd look into some way of physically securing it so that it can't easily be turned on in the winter.
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Jan 17, 2024 01:57
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No idea about the product but A cheap trail cam will catch if its someone turning it on. If you catch a chupacabra you have to let the thread name it
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Jan 17, 2024 02:05
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yeah, sorry the company that makes them calls them hydrants, but I think of them as faucets or hose bibs. Here's a picture:  The first time this happened, I thought we just forgot that we turned it on, but this time is was covered by the styrofoam thing, so I'm thinking now that it has to be something about the faucet itself. There are a few posts about faucets turning on by themselves, but no consensus on why, and no solutions.
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Jan 17, 2024 02:14
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Is it frost proof by somehow turning itself on to a trickle if it starts to freeze up? 
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Jan 17, 2024 02:27
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Arrath posted:Is it frost proof by somehow turning itself on to a trickle if it starts to freeze up? No, it has a very long inset into the wall, when you turn it off, the water is actually turned off deep in the wall, and the water drains out past that, so there is no water near the exit to freeze. They sell different lengths for different wall thicknesses - my is 8" https://arrowheadbrass.com/product-category/arrowhead-brass/wall-hydrants/frost-proof-wall-hydrants/480-series/?v=f24485ae434a
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Jan 17, 2024 02:31
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Oh cool, that's pretty clever.
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Jan 17, 2024 02:34
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It's fine now, but I think I might call a plumber at some point, I could maybe see a combination of temperature change outside (large recently) and pressure change in the pipe might have nudged it open or something. I also might not have installed it quite right when I replaced the innards a year ago. Still it's really a mystery, and I'd love to have a better idea of how it might happen.
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Jan 17, 2024 02:34
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I have a bathroom fan that was dripping water, I was able to access the box and found a puddle in the vent hose. I sponged out the puddle and I plan to run the fan more, previously j didn't run the fan while showering. I also suspect it might need a vent cap, but I am not crawling on my roof in sin zero weather so I'm hoping the handyman who comes out Friday will climb up there for me. That said, this fan is it's own switch beside the light switch, Google search said I can wire the fan to the same switch as the light. My only concern with doing that is simply that the fan is loud, would it be possible to wire it in such a way that it would have a low speed when the light is on, and a high speed when the old switch is on? I doubt that is possible so I think my next best option might be a dimmer switch. I found a couple low high fan switches, but they are decora which I don't want.
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Jan 17, 2024 17:04
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Not Wolverine posted:I also suspect it might need a vent cap, but I am not crawling on my roof in sin zero weather so I'm hoping the handyman who comes out Friday will climb up there for me. Wait how does it come out of your roof now? Is it easy for rain to enter through the exhaust and just sit there? Because you may just need to solve that and not worry about the switch stuff. Though people here have linked to timer switches they like so you can keep the fan running when you leave the room.
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Jan 17, 2024 17:13
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Not Wolverine posted:Google search said I can wire the fan to the same switch as the light. Depends on if the fan is on the same circuit and as the light. If the wires are in the same box and on the same circuit it's a pretty simple matter. Not Wolverine posted:My only concern with doing that is simply that the fan is loud, would it be possible to wire it in such a way that it would have a low speed when the light is on, and a high speed when the old switch is on? No you can't do that (easily). It's literally possible but you're talking way out of diy range unless you're an electrical engineer. Dimming is actually fairly complicated, you need to make sure you match the type of dimmer to the type of device. You probably have the ubiquitous shaded pole fart fan, so you'd need to find a fan dimmer switch and not necessarily a light dimmer switch. Light dimming is different nowadays. But you have to confirm that it's the same. A fan dimmer will cut the voltage and hum, though.
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Jan 17, 2024 17:18
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Took the cover off, I can confirm there are 4 romex lines for 2 circuits in the fa /light switch box. I guess the easiest option at this point would be to try to find a compatible dimmer, or 2 speed fan switch. 99% certain it's just a regular shaded pole fan motor, it looks exactly the same as the the motor on my desk fan and I didn't see any PCB on the motor itself. As for the roof vent, I have no idea what it looks like. I might be able to see it from the ground after work, but it will be dark, and even if it is easy to fix j would rather let the handyman company climb up there since it's freezing cold and windy. At least I doubt it's the roof itself since the roof was replaced 3 years ago by a now defunct LLC. I'm not sure they were the best most honest contractor but st least I haven't yet seen a signs of leaks anywhere else. I don't recall if the roofer mentioned anything about the vent or not. Regarding rainwater coming in, I have not seen rain dripping previously. I think the leaking fan might have sounded louder than the other ones during rain, but that's just speculation since it hasn't rained for months, but it did snow Sunday.
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Jan 17, 2024 19:36
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I just came into a stash of that rubber baseboard trim. we've got nowhere in the house or garage that uses it. Any alternative uses that you've seen or heard about? Or should I just find a recycler?
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Jan 19, 2024 02:56
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I don't have an alternative, but that stuff is typically called cove molding.
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Jan 19, 2024 03:41
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Ja, vinyl cove
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Jan 19, 2024 05:02
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Perfect candidate for my "poo poo I probably won't ever use but will be too baby to dispose of" box
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Jan 19, 2024 05:18
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Brute Squad posted:I just came into a stash of that rubber baseboard trim. we've got nowhere in the house or garage that uses it. Any alternative uses that you've seen or heard about? Or should I just find a recycler? Habitat ReStore if you've got one nearby.
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Jan 19, 2024 14:53
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Handyman came and looked at the fart fan. The roof vent is not present, it's just a piece of dyer vent style hose about 10ft long venting into the attic. The handyman said this is legal but he didn't have a solution to the problem besides running the fan more. I plan to run the fan when showering and afterwards. If it still accumulates moisture, then I think my only future option would be to try to have a proper vent installed. The bathroom on the other side of the house is vented and does not have any moisture problems, but it's my kids bathroom and they do not shower as often or as hot.
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Jan 19, 2024 17:21
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Better vent them both through the roof before your kid turns 13. Get a bigger water heater while you're at it
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Jan 19, 2024 17:25
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PainterofCrap posted:Better vent them both through the roof before your kid turns 13. Get a bigger water heater while you're at it Water heater poo poo itself a couple years ago, replaced it with the same size unit. It does pretty good supplying heat until the cartridges fail and stop requesting hot water.
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Jan 19, 2024 17:52
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I'm moving out of an apartment with through-wall air conditioner sleeves and have to cram insulation back into them. I can figure out which end the room plate go on but I wanted a quick reminder. I have a contractor bag with an unopened roll of insulation and a 3/4 piece of rigid foam board that fits the sleeve. I have a mask, gloves, glass respirator, and HEPA filter and vacuum in case any figerglass goes free. I assume unroll the fiberglass to fit the width of the sleeve (24.5) and leave it in the bag like the landlord instructed; do I put the rigid foam against the grille or the room plate when putting the plate on? GWBBQ fucked around with this message at 18:08 on Jan 19, 2024 |
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Jan 19, 2024 18:00
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Not Wolverine posted:Handyman came and looked at the fart fan. The roof vent is not present, it's just a piece of dyer vent style hose about 10ft long venting into the attic. The handyman said this is legal but he didn't have a solution to the problem besides running the fan more. Even if they're legal you don't want them. Venting a bunch of hot moist air into your attic is a surefire way to cause mold problems, or gently caress up your roof. Get that exhausted outside. This is not an "emergency get here now" sort of thing, but something to address when the weather turns around.
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Jan 20, 2024 00:51
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Fixed my HP 35S  which apparently now costs a few hundred dollars to replace  .
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Jan 21, 2024 04:58
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withak posted:Fixed my HP 35S The calculator? That’s my daily driver, it was like $60 new.
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Jan 21, 2024 08:06
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Treat it carefully because they are going for $150-200 on eBay now.
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Jan 21, 2024 11:14
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What is this called? It has a lovely little wheel on it that my shower door hangs from and slides. It does not slide
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Jan 21, 2024 21:59
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