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My girlfriend moved in to a new apartment with less than desirable lighting around her doorway. I'd like to add either a motion sensor light or one with a photoelectric sensor since she will often walk home after dark. Is this something I can easily swap out on my own? I priced fixtures at Wal-Mart and they were very affordable. However, I have never actually done this kind of work for real (I took a residential wiring course when I was in high school). Thoughts?
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May 18, 2009 21:25
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Briggs and Stratton 17hp. I left my mower parked on a slight hill with the nose pointed down the slope. I may or may not have left the choke on, in this position, but it was probably definitely full throttle. A few hours later, it would not restart. The starter could barely crank it, and it would stick hard on the compression cycle, yet I had no trouble turning the flywheel by hand past it. I gave up for the day, and came back to it today. Same deal, really hard to turn over. Noticed gas dripping from the exhaust, lots of it. I took the plug out, and gas pretty much poured out. So someone how my cylinder, and them came out the exhaust when I spun it over. So I guess my question is... is anything wrong, or is this just the result of an idiot leaving a mower parked on a slope with the throttle open? Or do I have some kind of carb issue like a stuck open jet?
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May 18, 2009 23:57
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ZentraediElite posted:My girlfriend moved in to a new apartment with less than desirable lighting around her doorway. I'd like to add either a motion sensor light or one with a photoelectric sensor since she will often walk home after dark. The owners might not be too keen about you messing with their property... Ask the office first. ease posted:So I guess my question is... is anything wrong, or is this just the result of an idiot leaving a mower parked on a slope with the throttle open? Or do I have some kind of carb issue like a stuck open jet? Nothing is wrong, it happens with our riding mower all the time. This is a problem with a lot of gravity-fed lawnmowers, where fuel will work its way into the cylinder if the mower is left to sit for an extended amount of time. Eventually it will fill the cylinder and it becomes difficult to compress. My dad got around it by putting a valve on the fuel line.
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May 19, 2009 03:30
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kid sinister posted:The owners might not be too keen about you messing with their property... Ask the office first. I intended to do that. My question, however, was would I be able to do this work myself?
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May 19, 2009 15:00
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kid sinister posted:Nothing is wrong, it happens with our riding mower all the time. This is a problem with a lot of gravity-fed lawnmowers, where fuel will work its way into the cylinder if the mower is left to sit for an extended amount of time. Eventually it will fill the cylinder and it becomes difficult to compress. My dad got around it by putting a valve on the fuel line. Yep. I had to actually drain the crankcase because it was full of gas/oil. Took about 15 minutes of running at full throttle to stop the thing from smoking (exhaust was full of gas/oil mixture), but at least I could mow my lawn. I'm going to get a petcock for the fuel line I guess.
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May 20, 2009 21:19
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ZentraediElite posted:I intended to do that. My question, however, was would I be able to do this work myself? No, not safely. The breaker box for that circuit is probably in a locked closet, or the box itself has a lock on it. That means that you couldn't turn the circuit off and safely work on that circuit.
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May 21, 2009 02:28
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What's the best thing to use to fill a hole around a pipe that goes into a wall and also can stop noise passing through? Some sort of expanding foam, perhaps? Something I can get at home depot? Would the hole on the other side of the wall have to be filled up for extra effectiveness? I can't stand listening to my neighbour blabbering on vent or xbox live or whatever the gently caress he's doing. My bedroom wall borders on his dining room/living room area. And he's not really being loud, but it's annoying when I'm trying to fall asleep.
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May 21, 2009 06:36
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ZeeBoi posted:What's the best thing to use to fill a hole around a pipe that goes into a wall and also can stop noise passing through? Do you own the property in question or do you rent? That sort of dictates what you can do. Until then get some of these ----------------
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May 21, 2009 07:14
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GeeVeeBee posted:Do you own the property in question or do you rent? That sort of dictates what you can do. I rent. I guess if it's not something I could do myself with the foam I'd have to bug the landlord.
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May 21, 2009 19:19
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ZeeBoi posted:I rent. I guess if it's not something I could do myself with the foam I'd have to bug the landlord. Don't use foam. Expanding foam sealant is messy and a bitch to get off of basically everything. You can do something with it, it just means your solution has to be non-permanent, non-damaging, and safe. By safe I mean like if the pipe is a steam pipe for a radiator packing the area around it with something that doesn't care for heat is probably not ideal. Anyone in DIY can walk you through a something as basic as "A sheet of loving plywood" to actually building a fitted nice-looking removable facing backed with sound insulation. Post pics and it will help people think about the solution spatially. ----------------
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May 21, 2009 21:09
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 Story of this hole: When I moved in I found out my neighbour loves pot. The goddamn stench of it got into my room by way of that hole. A combination of my first landlord stuffing some poo poo into the hole plus numerous requests for the neighbour to open his window when he smokes fixed that. Then later on, the pot smell came back, so my second landlord had a guy come in who did actually spray in some foam, and then they stuffed that black stuff back into the hole. So now I still hear him, quite clearly, as if he were in my living room. My lease renewal is actually coming up, and I'm gonna tell them I'll only renew if they properly sound proof that hole (and fix another unrelated issue).
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May 22, 2009 03:16
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ZeeBoi posted:
Patch it yourself. People are too paranoid of landlords. Most don't give a poo poo as long as you don't do a crap job or make things worse. I had a hole like that in our bathroom that bugs would come through, just got some thick "hole repair" spackling and filled the poo poo out of it. They wouldn't fix it so I did. No big. If you want to do a little more of a sound insulation job check any dumpster near and jobsite anywhere and pull out some scrap drywall and stuff it back in there then cut a piece to fit and screw/spackle that in.
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May 22, 2009 03:25
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Would the spackle actually shut out the sound, though?
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May 22, 2009 04:22
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ZeeBoi posted:
Well having the landlord do it would be best. You can either make them do it, or do it yourself. Hell, maybe they'll comp for your materials and time. My suggestion if you want to DIY in a not ugly way: Alright, that's a gross hole. You have a gross hole. Congratulations on your gross stuffed-up hole that's all surrounded by a filthy matted carpet and penetrated by hard steel pipe. Aaand it's a radiator pipe. So, congratulayions on your hot sweaty gross plugged-up filthy matted hole. Your corner is like the self-loving crotch of a filthy transvestite prostitute. Vacuum your carpet and wash your walls. Get all that black poo poo and everything else out of there. Clean your hole. Clean it. Keep your hole clean. Get the carpet as far away from your workspace as you can so you do not get a rash. Run the vacuum around again. Get a piece of acoustical insulation board and a piece of drywall, layer them together with adhesive or tack them with fasteners. Shape them in two sections to fit tightly around the pipe inside your gross steamy hole. Now follow these instructions on how to get the patch in up to step three. Stop there. Then get some fire-resistant foam cord or fire-resistant foam weatherstripping in the appropriate size to stuff into what space is left between the sweaty steamy hard steel pipe and your freshly patched hole. Stuff that hole. Stuff it. Stuff it. Stuff it up real good. Then you'll want some variation of a two-piece pipe trim collar to mask the meeting between pipe and drywall patch. Poke around at a hardware store; explain what you want, the staff will probably point you to it. Affix trim collar. It protects the chastity of your hole. Proceed with step 4 of the drywall patching instructions: spackle, sand, and paint. Gonna want a screwgun and a countersink. Everything else you'll want for sealing up your nasty hole real tight, oh yeah, is either listed in the drywall patching article or listed above. ... Now here's the hitch: that's a radiator pipe, so everything you use needs to like, not loving melt and catch on fire when exposed to heat. ----------------
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May 22, 2009 04:48
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^^^ Yeah, all of that stuff would be good, too.ZeeBoi posted:Would the spackle actually shut out the sound, though? When it comes to sound insulation, there is a big difference between a small hole and no hole. Put your hand loosely over your ear, and then stick your finger in your ear and listen to the difference. Just putting spackle in there won't be amazing sound insulation, but I think you're imagining that there is a lot more behind the rest of your walls than there probably really is. You want to cut the potential for vibration. Doing other stuff like putting a laundry hamper there or hanging fabric on the walls can help, too. Not Memorable fucked around with this message at 04:52 on May 22, 2009 |
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May 22, 2009 04:50
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edit: Will move to the right forum
JediTalentAgent fucked around with this message at 07:04 on May 22, 2009 |
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May 22, 2009 05:42
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JediTalentAgent posted:Hypothetical: If I'm about to do something risky and I have some money in the bank that I to make make arrangements for in case of a worse-case scenario. In case something happens (killed, coma, etc.), I want certain key family members to be able to access portions of that money. Uhh, this is the DIY forum... Do this the right way and get a will.
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May 22, 2009 06:17
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Had an accident with a cabinet door in the kitchen that left a pretty nasty crack running about 3/4 from bottom to top on both sides of the center panel and another on the back side of the frame that's sort of visible in the top photo. Click here for the full 512x768 image.  Click here for the full 512x768 image. If the images don't make it clear the construction is particle board with veneer which is where the problem is as I have no idea to repair that sort of material, especially in a way that would be non-obvious to the landlord. I'm mainly after just fixing that center panel is there a way to does this on my own or would bowing to professional skill be the better option?
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May 22, 2009 08:13
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Warp Spectre posted:Had an accident with a cabinet door in the kitchen that left a pretty nasty crack running about 3/4 from bottom to top on both sides of the center panel and another on the back side of the frame that's sort of visible in the top photo. If I'd have done that to my own door I'd do one of 3 things: 1/ thin some PVA glue, feed it into the crack, clamp & compress the door & let it dry. 2/ take the door apart & do the same to just the inner panel, or replace the inner panel. 3/ Take the opportunity to buy new, nice doors. Looks like option 1 is the closest for you...
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May 22, 2009 17:30
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I'd just try to find some stain that matches the stain on that door, and stain the exposed unstained wood. I doubt anyone will ever notice.
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May 22, 2009 17:36
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Warp Spectre posted:Had an accident with a cabinet door in the kitchen that left a pretty nasty crack running about 3/4 from bottom to top on both sides of the center panel and another on the back side of the frame that's sort of visible in the top photo. The entire fronts of most cabinets are real oak. In fact, the center panel is usually 1/4" oak plywood. That means that you should be able to fix it. First off, your pics aren't that good. Is that center panel actually bowed out? Do the pieces still fit back together well if you push on them, but they won't stay there? ease posted:I'd just try to find some stain that matches the stain on that door, and stain the exposed unstained wood. I doubt anyone will ever notice. You could try this first, as you'd need to stain first before gluing and bracing. I recognize that stain color as "Golden Oak". It's a very popular stain for cabinets.
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May 22, 2009 18:10
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I am dealing with a really wide double hung window (46") and want to put a window AC unit in it. Most that I have found don't expand to nowhere nearly that wide. What can be used other than cardboard to bridge the gap to the window sill?
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May 22, 2009 18:57
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ZentraediElite posted:I am dealing with a really wide double hung window (46") and want to put a window AC unit in it. Most that I have found don't expand to nowhere nearly that wide. What can be used other than cardboard to bridge the gap to the window sill? I saw someone around here cut a large sheet of 1/2" thick plywood to fit in the window with a hole for the AC to slide into.
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May 22, 2009 19:28
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JediTalentAgent posted:I saw someone around here cut a large sheet of 1/2" thick plywood to fit in the window with a hole for the AC to slide into. The window I am dealing with is a hilarious bastard child of a window that looks like it was made by hand. There are no counterweights so lifting the pane is a son of a bitch. My girlfriend attempted to lift it by herself and wound up almost losing a hand.
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May 22, 2009 19:31
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ZentraediElite posted:The window I am dealing with is a hilarious bastard child of a window that looks like it was made by hand. There are no counterweights so lifting the pane is a son of a bitch. My girlfriend attempted to lift it by herself and wound up almost losing a hand. Can the pane be removed? What about removing the lower pane and seeing if a window shop could make you a custom pane based around its dimensions with essentially a hole in it to slide the AC into? In short, make you a glass-free solid/reinforced pane, maybe? Or, I wonder if you could find something like this adjustable window screen to customize something yourself? http://www.amazon.com/MARVIN-MFG-1545-15x25-45Wind-Screen/dp/B00004Z13G/ref=pd_sim_misc_2 or http://www.qualitywindowscreen.com/store/adjustable-window-screen-20-tall-25-to-48-wide-p-194.html?zenid=1a170c6be4ddc198ec85e38b404571e8 Granted, it's a screen, so you'd still probably have to seal it up with something like cardboard or wood.
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May 22, 2009 19:43
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Well we started with an adjustable screen and a piece of cardboard, but realized we needed to add ventilation. From there, we got one of those window exhaust fans with the dual blades, but it was still too hot so we're pricing AC units. We want to have a solution in place before we buy it, so it isn't a fiasco.
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May 22, 2009 19:45
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ZentraediElite posted:Well we started with an adjustable screen and a piece of cardboard, but realized we needed to add ventilation. Given that you haven't bought the AC yet, how big are you looking at? I know I have a bunch of strange windows and strange locations and about 6 years ago I forced to buy a portable AC for a specific person/location in the house. It doesn't need to be put in the window, it only requires a window to run a vent hose out of. Admittedly mine is not the best machine at only 7500BTU, but it made a single room tolerable for a few Summers in a row with no other AC able to reach it. The downside to the portable AC is that it won't be as good as a window unit and it also loses some efficiency due to heat radiating from the exhaust hose. So, if you'd get by with a 10KBTU window unit, you'd probably have to go slightly higher with a portable to get the same effect. All in all, despite the price and the flaws, I like my portable unit for what it can do. Besides, on a really hot day I was able to quickly wheel it out and supplement another Window AC to keep some family members comfortable, then put it back that night.
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May 22, 2009 19:59
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kid sinister posted:The entire fronts of most cabinets are real oak. In fact, the center panel is usually 1/4" oak plywood. That means that you should be able to fix it. Yeah there are some lighting problems in the kitchen that didn't help the pics, but that's another issue entirely. The center isn't bowed out there's just a knot of material keeping the two pieces split apart. It looks like if I chip it out it should mate back together, at 5 feet away in the day time the crack isn't very obvious. It does seem that the panel is MDF or some such should I try staining anyway? I was under the impression that doesn't work very well.
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May 22, 2009 22:53
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The crack runs with the grain, so it's not so bad! I would probably just paint it brownish with acrylic paint or whatever you have on hand.
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May 22, 2009 23:32
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I've just moved into a new place, and my shower floor drain is draining alarmingly slow. I've tried Dran-O, but that onlt temporarily relieved the problem. I've now picked up a bottle of Lye to attack the problem, but there are all sorts of warnings about not using it if other products have failed. Can I go ahead and try it, or am I potntially getting ready to create a mush of toxic mutagen in my plumbing?
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May 23, 2009 18:29
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Jake Gittes posted:I've just moved into a new place, and my shower floor drain is draining alarmingly slow. I've tried Dran-O, but that onlt temporarily relieved the problem. I've now picked up a bottle of Lye to attack the problem, but there are all sorts of warnings about not using it if other products have failed. Can I go ahead and try it, or am I potntially getting ready to create a mush of toxic mutagen in my plumbing? Put on some gloves, unscrew the drain cover, and fish out all the nasty hair. Chemicals only go so far and really should be a last resort anyway. This can help: http://www.zipitclean.com/
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May 23, 2009 21:22
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Jake Gittes posted:I've just moved into a new place, and my shower floor drain is draining alarmingly slow. I've tried Dran-O, but that onlt temporarily relieved the problem. I've now picked up a bottle of Lye to attack the problem, but there are all sorts of warnings about not using it if other products have failed. Can I go ahead and try it, or am I potntially getting ready to create a mush of toxic mutagen in my plumbing? Our one bathtub drain got stopped up, and it took my Dad and I about an hour of steady plunging to force the clog out. After trying multiple other nasty chemicals. The zipit thing did nothing to it either.
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May 24, 2009 15:27
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Well I ran over to the hardware store and grabbed a zip-it, but it didn't get the job done. I guess it's time to try plunging and/or finding a cable auger.
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May 24, 2009 16:07
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I use my air compressor for that. I made a little cap to blow drains out. Works awesome.
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May 24, 2009 20:03
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I generally: 1) Take drain cover off, pull out any large clogs near the drain entrance by hand (wearing gloves) 2) Zip-it 3)  (Accordian style plungers are the cats meow)4) Chemicals I rarely have to go beyond step 3 to chemicals, and I always hesitate to use compressed air in pipe runs you're aren't fully sure are structurally sound but it definitely works well when necessary (that'd be step 6, after auger). I also do preventative maintenance with a natural enzyme product every now and again to avoid the whole situation.
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May 25, 2009 23:51
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I've got this doorway in my kitchen, it's currently your standard quadrilateral with 90 degree angles, i.e. a "rectangle." We're in the process of painting the room, and it occurred to me that with just a little bit of effort I could take this ordinary doorway and give it some personality. What I want to do is give the roof of the doorway a bit of an arch. Not an all-the-way arch, just a little curve at the corners. And I figure the easiest way to do this would be to nail/glue/somehow attach a wedge in each corner, then just spackle 'em up and sand them to match the rest of the wall. See the before/after pics below. The question to you is, is this how it's normally done? Can I buy pre-made wedges at a hardware store? I can easily have some made, dad's good at woodworking. How would you go about doing this?
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May 26, 2009 06:32
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jackpot posted:Pre-made forms are exactly how it's done. fix them in, spackle, sand & paint as you say.
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May 26, 2009 08:34
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mcsuede posted:3) One of my buddies had a plunger that could be fitted with a compressed air cartridge similar to these guys. It blew the clog right now, or it blew up my plumbing. For now I'm going to assume it's the former!
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May 26, 2009 14:14
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Cakefool posted:Pre-made forms are exactly how it's done. fix them in, spackle, sand & paint as you say. You bet, that's exactly how I'd go about doing it. Head over to the home despot or your local wordworking store of choice and they should be able to help you out.
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May 26, 2009 14:16
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Excellent, thanks!
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May 26, 2009 20:46
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