Fix It Fast: Start here for DIY help! (You'll know when it's a problem by smell.)

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Fix It Fast: Start here for DIY help! (You'll know when it's a problem by smell.)

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tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Maybe a plumbing question but it�s pretty basic.

My kitchen tap is wiggly and hard to turn off from the hot water side. The bolts securing it to the counter are tight. Here�s a video with sound:

https://imgur.com/a/Kw3zz7E

My landlord won�t answer his texts so that won�t work. What do I do to fix this?

# ¿ Mar 16, 2022 03:17

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 03:38

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Thanks for all the help about the faucet. I guess I�ll try reaching out to the landlord even harder.

# ¿ Mar 16, 2022 15:07

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

I have a wasp nest in my barbecue. What do I do???

All the articles I googled were just recursive ai garbage that described bees turning your barbecue into their kingdom and poo poo. I would like to not use insecticide if that�s possible.

# ¿ Sep 2, 2023 14:24

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Blowjob Overtime posted:

How big a nest is it, and how easy access do you have directly to the nest?

It�s only a little one and I�m going to deal with it tomorrow for sure! There will be pictures maybe.

It�s only a little thing in the barbecue burner shelf thingy, under a metal cover. I would light the nest on fire but it would burn the cover if I leave it closed and alert the residents if I open it first.

Maybe I just put the barbecue in the woods and forget about the whole thing.

# ¿ Sep 2, 2023 19:58

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Anne Whateley posted:

What do you mean burn the cover? If it�s all metal, it�s just going to get hot and then it will cool down again. You won�t be the first to have a flare-up on your grill.

But also, if you�re in an area where it gets cold and you don�t want to grill for awhile, you absolutely can just ignore it for awhile. Once it gets to 50�, they�re barely active, and when you have a good freeze, they all die except the queen.

e: if you�re in Canada I would absolutely 100% just ignore it for a few weeks. I would way rather do that than try to deal with wasp poison residue where you put your food

I believe this is what I must do, thank you winter!

I did make a video for folks though. https://imgur.com/a/Sytd9Co

# ¿ Sep 3, 2023 16:32

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

I have huge baseboards and they interfere with furniture. Look!

What are the options to like, have furniture against my walls?

# ¿ Sep 13, 2023 14:35

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Dr. Lunchables posted:

Are they single piece? Sometimes folks add that quarter stripping for aesthetics, but it�s separate from the rest of the trim

I think that quarter-round is just stuck on there, yeah.

devicenull posted:

Well, I see 3 choices:

1) Notch the furniture
2) Remove the baseboards
3) Extend the wall out

# ¿ Sep 13, 2023 14:54

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Regarding baseboard drama, it does kind of sound like the easiest option is to attach some wood to the wall and paint it, then put the shelving against that.

But I can�t cut a notch into these Kallaxes, eh? They�re just full of cardboard hexagons inside right?

# ¿ Sep 13, 2023 20:18

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

tuyop posted:

I have a wasp nest in my barbecue. What do I do???

All the articles I googled were just recursive ai garbage that described bees turning your barbecue into their kingdom and poo poo. I would like to not use insecticide if that�s possible.

I used a spray. Things were getting real with those wasps.

So much drama for such a tiny thing!

# ¿ Sep 25, 2023 02:43

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

I started recaulking my shower because it was cracked and leaking.

This is my shower. Pretty gross but the former occupants were disgusting so.

Under the right side. I noticed some rot as I was stripping the caulking there, so I ended up pulling off the baseboard to see what I could see. The drywall there is just crumbling and lovely. Looks like some reinforcement was added at some point.

So then I checked out the other side. This is way better because it's slightly higher on this side of the room.

Getting the poo poo inside the shower is hell and the drain stank real bad.

I guess I'm wondering what I do when I get this stripped, cleaned, and dried. What do I do? How bad is this? Should I hire someone? This is very hard on my body but if it's almost over I can probably persevere.

# ¿ Sep 26, 2023 16:26

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

It hasn�t been too bad but the caulk deeper into the structure is like, quite sticky and fouls up my tools. I�m going to take a break and see if letting it dry out for a couple hours makes a difference. Also going to go grab some caulk remover spray.

# ¿ Sep 26, 2023 17:49

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Why was the keypad lock extraneous?

Great job, by the way

# ¿ Sep 28, 2023 12:08

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Sir Sidney Poitier posted:

What's the best way to get rid of old silicone sealant before replacing it? I've got a plastic scraper thing but it doesn't seem to remove it all and leaves plenty of tiny bits attached to the surfaces. Will steel wool damage tiles and shower tray?

Doing this as well right now and the answer is �fire�

# ¿ Sep 29, 2023 12:21

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Anyone ever use an oscillating tool as a scraper? I just took up a shitload of adhesive from an old floor using an 18 volt one with a scraper attachment.

I�m wondering if there exists a multi tool attachment for scraping caulk off things since like, all the caulk in this house is horrible and has human filth mixed into it and just cracks and doesn�t stop water.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2023 00:48

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

I feel really reluctant to use metal on tubs and showers because it sounds like it�ll scratch the poo poo out of them. All this stuff is just porcelain and vinyl at this point. Am I stuck with plastic scraper things?

# ¿ Sep 30, 2023 00:58

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Three simultaneous projects wearing me down bad. Shower caulking. Replacing flooring. Staining deck.

The deck has just completely ruined my body. All day yesterday on my knees in the hot sun. I have drill blisters. I never want to feel a screw head break off 1-1/2 inches into a half-rotten board again.

All this because I pressure washed it and we decided it would be cool to sand and stain next, give it like five years of life before we reevaluate. What a terrible idea!

# ¿ Oct 3, 2023 00:59

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

If I�m sanding my deck to stain it before winter, will I do any harm with my 5� random orbit sander? I just did a board with 60 grit to see how long it would take and it was only like 10 minutes, probably too small to justify a floor sander rental. I think the deck would only take a few hours to sand that way.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2023 19:53

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

I do have 40 of those boards to sand, so probably six or seven hours with an orbital sander in one of our hands.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2023 20:07

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Whoa you guys were right. That sander is no joke after like 45 minutes. I�ll rent the floor sander tomorrow

# ¿ Oct 4, 2023 00:57

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Seems like I�m going to have to go over the spots the big guy is missing anyway. Should I be worried about mixing the tool marks of this drum sander with a random orbit? Should I use my belt sander with similar grit? Tear apart the railings so I can get to them with the drum sander?

gently caress there are so many kinds of sanders

# ¿ Oct 4, 2023 18:56

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

I�ve been doing deck stuff. I wonder if you�d do better just swapping out the nails for screws and sanding then staining the deck.

I just sanded a deck that�s in way worse shape than yours. It was an extreme pain in the rear end but once I was done the wood looked great!

Then it rained all weekend lol

# ¿ Oct 11, 2023 03:30

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

A picture would help but you tighten a rivet by hammering on the domed end, opposite the head of the rivet. Maybe you need a nail setter and a block of wood because of the way the pan is.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2023 03:13

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

What happens if I�m half an inch short of the 8� minimum on my luxury vinyl plank? I just don�t want to take apart this whole row to shave half an inch off the end, there�s a corner cut in this one too :qq:

# ¿ Oct 18, 2023 18:26

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

mutata posted:

8" minimum what? Length?

Yeah, it can be at least 8� long and/or 2� wide.

In the final accounting it�s like 7-5/8�. I would have fixed it better but the contractor we hired for the plywood hosed it up pretty good so the floor is imperfect, despite my best efforts.

Also, there�s no way someone could do a good job of our wonky-rear end rooms in one day. It�s taken me two just to do one of the 4 rooms and it�s hard!

# ¿ Oct 18, 2023 22:44

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Jenkl posted:

One of the great mysteries of our time.

In all seriousness, the floor doesn't just like, explode if you go shorter than 8".

The shorter it is, the more likely the seams will pop. This is amplified in highly trafficked areas or those with more uneven the subfloor, or where you have greater than average temperature changes.

If you really had that much trouble with it, it's probably worth just letting 'er ride. If it pops open you'll fix it then... Or probably not.

I suspect it technically voids your warranty. To what degree this matters, I don't know.

Thanks, that�s really helpful!

Motronic posted:

Nobody can predict where LVP will end up.

That�s what my dad said!

And, �I don�t like a floor that�s in a different spot every time I see it�

# ¿ Oct 19, 2023 00:02

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

For mains power I use one of those little live wire detecting pens. Also doubles as a gcfi tester on the back. Pretty much all I want to know about the power lines in my house is whether they�re safe to touch at the moment. What would the multimeter be for in this case?

# ¿ Oct 19, 2023 14:50

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Oh that�s cool, I was wondering what the ten amp plug on mine was for, thanks!

# ¿ Oct 19, 2023 17:18

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

The Top G posted:

If it�s bucket mud, do not use - it shrinks as the water evaporates. If it�s the setting/hot mud (aka easy sand or durabond), great. Wood filler or painters putty is what I�d probably use .. The Dap wood filler has worked well for me. Bondo is overkill.

Maybe you know this already but for shallow indentations it can be hard to get the thin layer of compound just right. Hitting it with the back of your putty knife to deepen the indentation enables you to place more compound, making it easier to work with and sand flush.

Do you mean hit it with the hammer side of the knife or like, a part of the blade?

# ¿ Nov 2, 2023 18:31

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

the yeti posted:

Do we have a masonry thread?

Nah I think the term in masonry is cement

# ¿ Dec 7, 2023 17:39

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

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.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2024 01:42

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

The Top G posted:

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.

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!

# ¿ Jan 4, 2024 15:16

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

The Top G posted:

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

That�s really helpful, thanks!

# ¿ Jan 4, 2024 23:46

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Maybe a bigger post for a different thread. Today on my list I have diagnosing this heater.

I have gathered my cat to help but all she does is roll around so I thought I'd ask here.

It doesn't display anything on the thermostat LCD or generate heat. The manufacturer suggested swapping the thermostat for $82.

I'd like to repair it instead, possibly understanding it so I could someday add an ESP32 into the circuitry to make these heaters "smart". I have another one.

This is the thermostat.

The rear where the heater's spade connectors (4 of them) interface

And the PCB. Looks like the filthy POs may have spilled something bad on the big glob of solder there.

I went through with a multimeter and found all the components to be functional as far as I could tell, but one resistor gave me a 500megaΩ reading while its markings seem to be for 50kΩ. Unless I'm measuring wrong, is that the culprit and all I need to do is replace it?

tuyop fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Jan 10, 2024

# ¿ Jan 10, 2024 18:31

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Cosmik Debris posted:

You can certainly try to replace a single resistor but imo if you value your time even a little bit, buy a 30 dollar thermostat at Lowe's and move on.

Trying to fix modern PCB electronics is very often a fools errand.

ante posted:

Speaking as a professional with domain experience: I agree with this

Also you're almost certainly measuring the megaohm resistor wrong

Thanks for the feedback, the replacement part is $82 though, plus shipping I assume since it's not a standard part. Not a ton of money or anything, I just also want to play with this object and maybe customize it at some point. I'm in no hurry, the heater doesn't seem to be that necessary.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2024 20:18

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

H110Hawk posted:

Slap a 2x4 on that ceiling and mount the projector to that. Or however deep you need it. You only need it at the attachment points but I would be generous with how much extra space you put. Gotta have room for the anchors plus moving around your hooks.

Got a make and model? Have you metered the inputs and outputs from the unit itself to that thermostat? For example, are you sure this thing is getting the power it needs out of the wall? You say you have a second one - what happens if you swap em? Do their boards look identical? What's with that big crack looking bit in the upper-left trail-o-solder?

Oh yeah I did the swapping around and troubleshooting before calling the manufacturer and they agreed that it�s almost certainly the thermostat.

Do you mean this bit here?

Those two blobs of solder don�t seem to have any issues despite the grossness, the components along the whole blob have continuity. Pulling the other one is a great idea and I�ll check that out next.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2024 21:25

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Thanks everyone for all the help!

Cosmik Debris posted:

Why do you need to pay 82 dollars for a thermostat, exactly? Simple programmable thermostats at Lowe's are 29.99.

H110Hawk posted:

That is a integral custom control module for that heater. I assume. Still no make/model.

It�s this, the part is the little thing on top of the heater where I select the temperature.

And the product info from inside the heater.

I believe it�s one of their �convectors�.

https://www.ouellet.com/en-ca/products/onc-en.aspx?cat=/Produits/Produits-RESIDENTIELS/Convecteurs

Product sheet: https://www.ouellet.com/ouellet.com/files/be/be75beac-c736-4fbd-9d58-fcb2a72c84c3.pdf

It sounds like it might be possible to remove the integrated thermostats altogether and have the heaters controlled by a separate thermostat. I would love that since it�s a bit stupid to have both independently controlled. But what�s involved in that?

# ¿ Jan 11, 2024 15:06

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Cosmik Debris posted:

yeah dude that's a dead basic heater. on/off, nothing crazy. the thermostat is nothing more than a switch. it closes a contact when it gets below the temperature setpoint, otherwise it's open.

as for what's involved to swap it out with a thermostat, there's only two wires that actually do anything in there (typically red and white for heat in the US, not sure about what looks like canada). you short them together and the thing should come on. Sometimes there's a common wire (typically blue/black) that provides a ground reference for the 24V (not sure if red or white is 24 v, either way a volt meter should tell you). The C wire as its called provides a circuit for powering thermostats. If you don't have a C wire, then your thermostat runs on batteries, as the red/write circuit is just a switch leg.

congrats, you're now a certified hvac tech.

Thanks! Sounds potentially promising. It does have four wires, two red and two black. Here�s a shot with the labels from the controller thingy.

And here are the components in the heater body. The power comes in through a special plug in the middle of the box where I�ve labeled everything. I don�t know what that puck with the copper wire coming out is.

How would I control this from a box on the wall though? There�s no C wire but I assume I would just splice the red-red and black-black to run the heater all the time. Are there relays that hook up to thermostats for this kind of thing and then I run a wire to each heater�s relay?

# ¿ Jan 11, 2024 15:41

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

Cosmik Debris posted:

ok, so, I'm having kind of a hard time making out what's going on in your pictures.

Thanks, that's all very helpful. It does sound like setting up a single external thermostat for these guys will involve some cutting of walls and running of wires to power the thermostat and control the relays. I do see some wireless relays though.

Something like this sounds reputable and possibly what I need. However, this little project to save $82 is now looking like a $300 project involving cutting some drywall and wiring a thermostat so maybe I should think on my goals a bit here...

# ¿ Jan 11, 2024 19:27

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

IOwnCalculus posted:

This does not look like there is any easy way to safely control this with a commodity thermostat. The label you posted earlier says this is a -TH model, and none of the wiring shown looks like it would be appropriate for 24V low-current. That all looks like it's sized for mains voltage and full load current, and in the photos posted earlier the longer descriptions of the four connections on the thermostat are shown as line 1, line 2, load 1, and load 2.

Wow, that�s really impressive attention to detail. Thank you!

Back to fixing or replacing this control module it is!

Speaking of, they did give me the model number of the control module on the phone. Totally slipped my mind. It�s this. https://www.inventex.com/1194-part-electronic-thermostat-mod-oce.html?page=4

With more info here https://www.guillevin.com/product/thermostat-replacement-kit-oce-white-oue-ocebmh-th-dbl

quote:

The OCE can be equipped with a built-in electronic thermostat (TH) or
teamed with a wall-mounted electronic thermostat (OTH).

Ooo maybe I want that OTH.

drat they only have the DAM model
:drat:

Edit:

There is this thing,

https://www.guillevin.com/product/thermostat-non-progr-2000-3465-4000w-120-208-240v-white-oue-oth4000-a

which sounds an awful lot from the installation manual like a device I would wire the heaters into directly after shorting the old thermostat wires (I don�t want to do this, just thinking). It could even run both, apparently. But it�s dumb, no timer even, and I�d have to reroute the wires from both heaters to wherever the thermostat ends up.

tuyop fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Jan 11, 2024

# ¿ Jan 11, 2024 22:08

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 03:38

tuyop: Sep 15, 2006; Every second that we're not growing BASIL is a second wasted; Fun Shoe

facialimpediment posted:

I have the video just for you!

https://youtu.be/AcgErpZ_D0c?si=pggHaMFrOBKzt4eO

Since I am absolute poo poo at making clean caulk lines, the painter's tape trick has helped me several times. Lots of different opinions on cleaners to spray/put down before recaulking.

There was so much debate online about taping or not I�m so confused

# ¿ Jan 25, 2024 00:50

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Fix It Fast: Start here for DIY help! (You'll know when it's a problem by smell.)

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