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Ok this is sort of a general question, but I've never hired a contactor before. Is it acceptable to call some guys up and have them come give me an estimate (does that cost money? a lot?) even if I have no real intention of using them? (i.e. I probably can't afford the actual work right now?) The house I bought has a very 70's basement -- wood paneling, ugly orange carpet, push up ceiling tiles, etc. I'm just curious what it would cost to remove then drywall everything, put in new carpet or laminate, etc, so I know how much I need to target to save. Or is it really bad form to waste a guy's day like that if I know I'm just in it for the information? e: or is it the kind of thing a knowledgable guy can tell me after peeking around for 5 minutes?
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Jul 20, 2008 18:33
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Asking for an estimate is fine, you aren't expected to know how much everything will cost without one, but they will charge you (at least they do in Australia). It shouldn't take more than half an hour in house time, but he may need to look up some prices before giving you a figure. Honestly though, for the sort of work you're describing, do it yourself. It's all eminently doable, and even if you decide to pay someone to do the installation, you can save some money by doing the removal of the old stuff yourself. So far nothing you've described has any legal requirements for a contractor (again from an Australian viewpoint), as you aren't looking to run new electrics or change the structure of the house, it's all cosmetic. Get together some mates, and do it over a few weekends. My estimate: a couple of cartons of beer + materials.
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Jul 20, 2008 21:10
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I am an apprentice electrician but do not get to deal with phones much. So i was wondering if someone could give me a few tips before I go cutting into my line. I ran 2 runs of CAT5e to my study and kitchen under the house to where i would like to make a new main phone junction. I am making a new main phone junction as the existing wiring is pretty dodgy! I have established that the main phone line is 4 core. I have existing 610 sockets that I am going to reuse. I am wondering if I can connect the 4 core main line to my 2 runs with 3 way scotch locks, making not of the colour code, and re-using the same colour code with the CAT5 to wire into the 610 sockets?
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Jul 21, 2008 10:08
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Carousel posted:I am an apprentice electrician but do not get to deal with phones much. So i was wondering if someone could give me a few tips before I go cutting into my line. Yes, you can. It's convention to use colors in a specific way when doing comms. 1st pair is blue, then orange, then green, then brown. The white with colored stripe is "tip" with the color being "ring." I don't know how to wire 610 sockets, but that information should get you going fine.
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Jul 21, 2008 12:25
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Carousel posted:I am wondering if I can connect the 4 core main line to my 2 runs with 3 way scotch locks, making not of the colour code, and re-using the same colour code with the CAT5 to wire into the 610 sockets? Not quite sure what you are asking here. As long as you maintain the same colour arrangement (so that any future installation work is easy, not for any technical reason), or close to it, you should not have any problems using CAT5 in a telephone socket, trimming away the cores you don't use. Not sure if this is what you are asking though. Keep a terminal diagram of what you are disconnecting so that you don't mess it up. Probably suck eggs stuff for you though. Can you run 4 core telephone cable along with CAT5? Depends how long your run is, you could end up with interference over long runs. If you have the option to, I'd keep about 100mm clearance between them to limit any interference in the telephone cable. Does this answer?
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Jul 21, 2008 12:31
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FYAD KNIGHT posted:Does this answer? Yeah that helps sorry it was kinda unclear. I just wasn’t sure if i should not use 610 sockets, or buy some cat5 termination thingies and use a Krome tool. And also with the Scotch Locks that it was OK to split it just with a 3 way scotch lock and not have to use a Krome box or whatever they are, but I assume that doesn’t matter because its only 1 phone line, and that’s all I will ever need. babyeatingpsychopath posted:Yes, you can. It's convention to use colors in a specific way when doing comms. I believe the standards are a bit different with the colour code for where I’m from. I will just make sure the wires in the socket match the wires I reconnect them to and I will document what I have done on the top of the junction box I’m using. I’ll do it tomorrow afternoon after work and let you guys know! Thanks
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Jul 21, 2008 13:11
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Carousel posted:Yeah that helps sorry it was kinda unclear. Phones still use 610's so you shouldn't have a problem there, unless you are installing new sockets in which I would go for RJs as they seem to be what everything is moving too, and they fit the standard pattern. Not sure about scotchloks, I haven't done much with them, but they seem to be a simpler solution to a Krone block.
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Jul 21, 2008 13:47
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Priming new apartments walls that have already been painted a dark blue so I can paint them white. My girlfriend says if we put two coats on the latex primer will serve as a good enough coating. For some reason, this doesn't sound right at all. What would happen if I just left latex primer and didn't put a paint coat over it?
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Jul 22, 2008 01:55
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I hosed up my plumbing. I was rerouting some pipes for my kitchen remodel and I stuffed some toilet paper in one of the pipes to stop with the solder/steam issue (Iwas told this was ok by a coworker..dumb-rear end). Now the toilet paper has traveled to my shower. I thought it would dissolve in a day or two, but I am on day 4. I pulled the valve stems thinking it would blast the toilet paper out. No luck. I cannot pull the valves without doing some major tile removal. I am desperate, is there anything I can try?
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Jul 22, 2008 03:35
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I assume you're pulled the shower head off? If you've pulled the valve stems, you could try to stuff stiff wire in there to break up the clump. Next time, use white bread. 
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Jul 22, 2008 04:53
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Can anyone recommend a budget soldering iron that isn't a massive piece of poo poo?
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Jul 22, 2008 05:13
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Tai-Pan posted:I am desperate, is there anything I can try? 1. Tile removal 2. Turn off water, Un-solder the pipe, remove shower head, open valves and blast air or water down the pipe from the shower head down. Cakefool posted:Give me all the details, I'll look it up in the 16th edition (you are in the UK right?)  More guessing than anything else. I could likely get away with 60a, but I don't want to go much lower. I am planning for the future, in case I decide to upgrade to a better TIG welder and air compressor (those alone are rated at 240v/20a and 120v/20a respectively). Yeah, I was getting retardedly high numbers too, in the 4/0 range (200a service AL wire). The transformer looks like it's 3-phase (3 wires at the top for input)(doesn't it need a neutral/return? too?), and maybe I'll post a photo later. As for accounting costs, I'll have to check and see. Might be worth it.
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Jul 22, 2008 05:38
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Pissingintowind posted:Can anyone recommend a budget soldering iron that isn't a massive piece of poo poo? http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4Z766 is what I use. Under $60, and it works great on everything from electronics to copper pipe. Just be careful not to burn up delicate circuits with it. My question is this: is there any way to attach a Kitchenaid garbage disposal that doesn't make you want to strangle someone? I've tried and tried and can't get that compression fitting thing to seat properly. I wish there was a more effective way to do this than me twisting the fitting while my friend looks under the sink and tries to seat that heavy piece of poo poo.
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Jul 22, 2008 17:36
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click click posted:http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4Z766 is what I use. Under $60, and it works great on everything from electronics to copper pipe. Just be careful not to burn up delicate circuits with it. Yikes, that's still kinda pricey. I was under the impression that you can get a decent (read: not total poo poo) one for around $20 as long as you don't go to a retail store. Is this not the case?
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Jul 22, 2008 17:40
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Pissingintowind posted:Yikes, that's still kinda pricey. I was under the impression that you can get a decent (read: not total poo poo) one for around $20 as long as you don't go to a retail store. Is this not the case? Well, you should be good as long as you find a soldering iron that gets hot enough. I've tried working with cheap ones, and at 5-10 watts, they just don't get hot enough to get solder to adhere to stuff, aside from super-thin wires. You could always go the butane powered route with this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CBJBQ?smid=A3ONVYY4BUAORQ&tag=yahoo-tools-mp-20&linkCode=asn I'm pretty sure that would get hot enough for most applications. Or if you don't like butane you could go for a standard weller 25 watt iron, http://www.amazon.com/Weller-SP23LK-Marksman-Watt-Soldering/dp/B0009ZD2AG which is probably the best bang for your buck.
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Jul 22, 2008 22:16
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click click posted:Well, you should be good as long as you find a soldering iron that gets hot enough. I've tried working with cheap ones, and at 5-10 watts, they just don't get hot enough to get solder to adhere to stuff, aside from super-thin wires. Thanks for the help. I picked up the Weller SP40LK for $17 at HD on my way home. I'll let you guys know how it works out for me.
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Jul 22, 2008 23:16
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FYAD KNIGHT posted:Phones still use 610's so you shouldn't have a problem there, unless you are installing new sockets in which I would go for RJs as they seem to be what everything is moving too, and they fit the standard pattern. I got it all working, but I'm still having the same old trouble for why i ran the new cables anyway. I think it must be a problem up on the street, I will have to call my telco
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Jul 23, 2008 09:22
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Carousel posted:I got it all working, but I'm still having the same old trouble for why i ran the new cables anyway. what is the problem? Fire Storm: A 3 phase tranny for a powercompany will only have a neutral cable coming in from the homes it supplies due to the tranformer setup they will likely use. This saves money on a whole cable if they had a neutral in the transmission side. It is done sometimes, but not often.
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Jul 23, 2008 10:26
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Is it OK to use PVC pipe in my engine bay? I have some R-3 rated insulation I was going to wrap around the PVC, but couldn't find any temperature specific data about it. It's going to be used to direct air, I may not use any insulation at all and just return the insulation and paint the pvc black to make it look better.
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Jul 25, 2008 15:41
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After using a bottle as an outdoor ash tray, we managed to spill it inside my house, causing a horrific stain with a nasty smell. Any tips on removing this asap?
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Jul 25, 2008 18:06
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Soup and a Sandwich posted:After using a bottle as an outdoor ash tray, we managed to spill it inside my house, causing a horrific stain with a nasty smell. Any tips on removing this asap? Put straight borax down on the stain while it's wet then vacuum it up. Should come out smelling like nothing.
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Jul 25, 2008 23:22
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tokki g posted:Is it OK to use PVC pipe in my engine bay? I have some R-3 rated insulation I was going to wrap around the PVC, but couldn't find any temperature specific data about it. It's going to be used to direct air, I may not use any insulation at all and just return the insulation and paint the pvc black to make it look better. i would get solid core ABS (NOT CELLUlAR CORE!!!) They use this on intake and ehaust on some furnences. The only problem is solid core is hard to find.
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Jul 26, 2008 18:47
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I painted the PVC using DupliColor high-temp engine enamel, gloss black. This stuff is normally used to paint intake plenum and stuff. After like a 1hr drive on the highway, the PVC was warm but not hot. So hopefully this'll work out.
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Jul 27, 2008 20:46
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FYAD KNIGHT posted:what is the problem? Sorry for late reply. My internet would always drop out whenenver I got a phone call on the house phone, when answering the phone, and hanging up (would reconnect if on the phone for a few minutes chatting away). I did a little reading and found out that some types of phones don't like to play with some types of routers. Changed my phone to one of my old phones and it has fixed the problem, now I need to buy a new phone, but I want the brand i use to have but I'm not sure if the problem will happen again or it was just that phone model. It was a Uniden phone, and I have a D-Link. I was thinking of buying a Panasonic.
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Jul 28, 2008 08:20
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Not an Anthem posted:Priming new apartments walls that have already been painted a dark blue so I can paint them white. My girlfriend says if we put two coats on the latex primer will serve as a good enough coating. For some reason, this doesn't sound right at all. What would happen if I just left latex primer and didn't put a paint coat over it? This one got skipped, so I'll answer it. You're going to want to hit that with two coats of Kilz before you paint on a new color. Not only will it give you a properly primed surface, but it will seal off that blue underlayer so whatever color you paint on next won't be all skewed.
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Jul 29, 2008 03:10
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Whoops, I missed that one too. If I understand the question correctly, you're asking what would happen if you just left the primer bare, and didn't put a topcoat on. The answer is, it would probably look ok for a while, if a bit flat, but it will get dirty very quickly, and won't be very hardwearing. This goes double if it is in a bathroom or kitchen where it will get steam or grease. Primer is designed to make other paint adhere to it. It does the same with dirt. If you don't put the topcoat on it will look crap within a few months.
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Jul 29, 2008 04:59
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My toilet doesn't fill up enough. Round a year ago it was making this high pitched noise and wasting water, I figured the stopper plug was not sealing properly. I looked at that and it was the case. So I bought a new stopper plug and installed it, and everything worked good, no more wasted water, except now the water fills about halfway where it should. I've ignored the problem for a year and just used my other bathroom, but I'm getting tired of doing that. It's one of those toilet's with the big floaty ball thing on the inside, and the plug attached to a chain attached to the flushing handle. Any idea what I could do to adjust water level? I've tried messing around with tightening the screws and loosening them on the floaty ball thing, and that does change the water level in the tank, but the water level in the bowl doesn't seem to go any higher.
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Jul 30, 2008 00:44
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greatn posted:My toilet doesn't fill up enough. The stopper plug is not quite right for that toilet. If it's seating early, you won't get as much water in the bowl. If there's a hole in the top of the plug, make it smaller. If not, glue something mildy floaty to the stopper to keep it open longer. If you get too much water, take some floaty bits off.
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Jul 30, 2008 03:46
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:The stopper plug is not quite right for that toilet. If it's seating early, you won't get as much water in the bowl. If there's a hole in the top of the plug, make it smaller. If not, glue something mildy floaty to the stopper to keep it open longer. If you get too much water, take some floaty bits off. The chain between the handle and the stopper is not taut. Would shortening the chain fix it, making it stay open longer?
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Jul 30, 2008 22:14
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greatn posted:The chain between the handle and the stopper is not taut. Would shortening the chain fix it, making it stay open longer? probably not. making the chain shorter (and thereby lighter) might help. That chain just pulls the stopper open. Is the toilet not flushing properly, or do you just not like the look of the amount of water in the bowl?
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Jul 31, 2008 03:40
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Any idea why hard wired smoke detectors would go off at random for no apparent reason? There is no fire in the building, no smoke, half the ppl aren't home... I'm in the basement apartment of a converted duplex. First time was about 3 hours ago, the one in my apartment and the one above me went off for about ten seconds. Second time was about an hour ago, same thing. They just went off for a third time... Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I looked on google - could be battery backup...don't think so...can't find one. Could be that they were all installed at the same time and all need to be replaced at the same time...doubt it, they're only about a year old. Could be carbon monoxide...possible...I'll call the landlady after I post this. Any thoughts or opinions? Edit: Landlady on the way. Does carbon monoxide make any sense tho? The furnace isn't running in the summer. I read something that said maybe the hot water heater, but I'm not sure of that either. Xoobee fucked around with this message at 01:50 on Aug 1, 2008 |
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Aug 1, 2008 01:17
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Odd question. I am breaking in a new backpack and the zippers open too wide. What's the best way to make them stop at certain points. Both before and after the zipper, if you know what I mean. Zipper and slide are plastic.
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Aug 1, 2008 04:45
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EVERYTHING I SAY ABOUT JAPAN OR LIVING IN JAPAN IS COMPLETELY WRONG, BUT YOU BETTER BELIEVE I'LL 
ABOUT IT.
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Edit: No advice needed! I went under the sink and pushed the metal hose through so that I could grab the metal ring that screws onto things. Then I screwed the spray nozzle back on, reapplying teflon tape to the threads, and used a tool to get it tight. Now it works perfectly. Yay! I left my question up so that others as dumb as myself might learn from it. Lame question posted:Um...I just broke my grandmother's kitchen faucet. It's one of those with an extendable hose and spray button on top; all I did was press the spray button while the faucet was in its retracted position and the part the water comes out just fell off(the water hit the ceiling - neat!). kapalama posted:Odd question. I am breaking in a new backpack and the zippers open too wide. What's the best way to make them stop at certain points. Both before and after the zipper, if you know what I mean. I solved a similar problem by stitching across the zipper using very thick thread and a heavy-duty needle, thus forming a barrier of sorts. Like so: >>>>>]]> The stitching ']]' is anchored in the zipper fabric on either side of the teeth. lemonlime fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Aug 1, 2008 |
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Aug 1, 2008 11:15
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lemonlime posted:I solved a similar problem by stitching across the zipper using very thick thread and a heavy-duty needle, thus forming a barrier of sorts. You should do this and then coat the stitching in super glue so that the zipper won't tear it up.
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Aug 1, 2008 18:28
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:probably not. making the chain shorter (and thereby lighter) might help. That chain just pulls the stopper open. It's flushing fine, but I don't like the look of how much water ends up in the bowl. I shortened the chain because I figured if it had less slack the stopper would be lifted higher and more water would get in as it went down, but that didn't really do anything.
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Aug 1, 2008 20:09
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We have two dogs and are in college, my roommate and I. Our townhouse has a back alley which is concrete and fenced in, we layed down some astroturf to immitate grass and their wastes attracted flies. I tried the sticky fly traps first, didnt catch anything but moths. I just a few hours ago searched the net for tips. I tried fabreezing them, though it helped weigh them down more than water I managed to stomp on a few. I then washed the entire thing down, threw out half of the astroturf[it was free], cleaned the other half and sprayed down everything minus the fence. I also put up some ziplocks with water, I placed one above the door[always in shade], and the other on the roofs edge where the sun would get it. Does anyone have any other advice to keep them away, besides them not going to the bathroom on the astroturf. Just for clarification, the astroturf is no where near the door where the flies are. The alley forms a kinda L shape with the short end being the roofed area and the long running along side the house fenced in.
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Aug 1, 2008 23:34
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I bought a fancy, expensive, really bright light for my bicycle that had four LEDs. Unfortunately, I thought it would hold up to regular conditions that a person might ride a bike in, such as rain. I took it apart and one of the resistors(I assume it's a resistor, judging by the high number on it and the fact that it's a series of LED's and 2 AAA batteries) appears to have rusted and I assume that's the problem, but I'm unsure if that's why it's no longer working. If it IS because the resistor rusted, where can I get a replacement? It's not a regular resistor, it's very small and soldered and attached directly to the board.
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Aug 2, 2008 00:23
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ashgromnies posted:I bought a fancy, expensive, really bright light for my bicycle that had four LEDs. Unfortunately, I thought it would hold up to regular conditions that a person might ride a bike in, such as rain. Pointless unasked for bit of advice. The best flashlights made are scuba dive lights. They are essentially bomb-proof, and they laugh at rain. I took apart a regular bike light to get the mounting hardware from it. I glued that to a Dive light (Actually two dive lights). They are expensive, and you will probably have to saw off parts of them. But I have used these for several years with no failures.
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Aug 2, 2008 01:44
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lemonlime posted:I solved a similar problem by stitching across the zipper using very thick thread and a heavy-duty needle, thus forming a barrier of sorts. The Human Cow posted:You should do this and then coat the stitching in super glue so that the zipper won't tear it up. Good call there, and easy to see explanation. Any idea on how to do the same on the far side of the zipper pull Bad drawing:  What would you do about the part that is not closed by the zipper on the far side?
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Aug 2, 2008 01:54
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kapalama posted:Good call there, and easy to see explanation. Any idea on how to do the same on the far side of the zipper pull What you can do is stitch some nylon webbing straps across the bag opening. Nylon webbing is very tough. Depending on you other requirements, you can then attach press button clips to the bag and webbing. If you need something longer, you can stitch something like this across the opening and use velcro to tidy any extra strap: http://www.gleasoncamping.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2248
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Aug 2, 2008 03:52
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