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Wagonburner posted:I need something a friend told me about but don't know the name of it. Low voltage wall plate bracket. We use them for network/phone drops. Obviously, they're not for AC wiring.
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Nov 18, 2009 12:40
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Richard Noggin posted:Low voltage wall plate bracket. We use them for network/phone drops. Obviously, they're not for AC wiring. These are alright, but if you have thick horsehair plaster walls, the tabs might not be long enough to really curl under correctly. I have one that worked well and another that falls out.
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Nov 18, 2009 15:29
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Dragyn posted:These are alright, but if you have thick horsehair plaster walls, the tabs might not be long enough to really curl under correctly. I have one that worked well and another that falls out. They do make plastic ones with flip tabs like what are used in remodel boxes. Not sure on the length of the screws though.
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Nov 18, 2009 15:42
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Richard Noggin posted:Low voltage wall plate bracket. We use them for network/phone drops. Obviously, they're not for AC wiring. sweet, thanks.
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Nov 18, 2009 16:38
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hielonueve posted:A/V Room Wiring - You're looking for Smurf Tube, AKA Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing. Easy rough-in, easy pulls. It comes in 1/2" and 3/4" trade sizes. I'm pretty sure HD and Lowes both carry it and its fittings; it'll probably be cheaper to run than plastic pipe of any other flavor.
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Nov 18, 2009 20:19
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We are installing a hot tub in our backyard, and are currently working on the fence to surround it. We just put in a post support, as seen here:  It's a bit small, but you get the idea. It's steel construction, and the top square is 4x4. We put in a 4x4 piece of scrap wood and pounded it into the ground, but now we can't get the wood out. One of the corners is open and you close it with two bolts, plus there are slits around the bottom. We've tried prying it out, pushing it out through the bottom, and prying the open corner enough to pull it out, but nothing has worked so far. Any ideas?
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Nov 19, 2009 01:27
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Koskinator posted:We are installing a hot tub in our backyard, and are currently working on the fence to surround it. Destroy it. Cut it down to the metal edge with a circular saw and drill it out with a hole saw or various other useful bits.
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Nov 19, 2009 02:58
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How hard is it for someone with NO plumbing experience to remove and replace the toilet in a condo? I need to take the toilet out to get to the wall that has wallpaper behind the toilet and I'd like to put down new tile as well.
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Nov 19, 2009 03:37
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Dandy Cat posted:How hard is it for someone with NO plumbing experience to remove and replace the toilet in a condo? Not at all. Just make sure to turn off the water, flush to train the tank. Flush again to be sure. Disconnect the water, unbolt it from the floor and lift it up. Stick a rag in the sewer pipe to prevent gases from coming up. And peel the wax ring up from the floor/bottom of the toilet. Get a new wax ring, put it down, seat the toilet on it. Bolt it to the floor, connect the water supply, turn on the water. Also, make sure the toilet is straight. I've seen quite a few go back in crooked.  If you're tiling the floor, you may have to get longer bolts if you're increasing the height of the floor--ie ceramic tile. If it's just peel and stick, you'll be fine. Keep some towels around because there will still be some water coming out of the thing.
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Nov 19, 2009 22:20
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monkeybounce posted:Not at all. Just make sure to turn off the water, flush to train the tank. Flush again to be sure. Disconnect the water, unbolt it from the floor and lift it up. Stick a rag in the sewer pipe to prevent gases from coming up. And peel the wax ring up from the floor/bottom of the toilet. I'd like to add that the wax ring is a pain in the rear end to clean up. Use a putty knife and a pair of gloves (preferably disposable) to remove as much of the big pieces as you can, then use paper towels on the rest. The real kicker is that wax intentionally resists dissolving in water, so you can't use water to clean it up... Also, the easiest way to lift a toilet is to first drain out as much water as you can to lighten it. Turn off the water supply and flush like monkeybounce recommended to empty the tank. You can also use a cup and scoop as much water out of the bowl as possible, then stuff a ratty towel in there to sop up what's left. Remove the 2 nuts from the bolts at the bottom, then lift the toilet straight up and off those bolts. The easiest way to lift a toilet is to straddle it, then grip underneath the bowl in between the seat and tank. Most toilets are well balanced right in that spot. Installation is a little easier if your new toilet is a 2 piece model with separate bowl and tank. You can put the wax ring and bowl down first, tighten that down and then install the tank. Otherwise you got to lift a heavy rear end toilet, aim and set it down precisely on the 2 bolts. Last piece of advice: when tightening the new toilet down, do not overtighten the nuts! If you overtighten and crack the porcelain at the base, then you will have to buy a new toilet! kid sinister fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Nov 20, 2009 |
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Nov 20, 2009 00:51
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Just one last little note, if you have a shopvac or know someone with one, it's a handy way of removing the remaining water from the toilet.
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Nov 20, 2009 21:55
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My rolling chair has worn into the hardwood floors of my rental apartment. What's the easiest way to fix it up? Some kind of wood polish?
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Nov 20, 2009 23:06
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brad industry posted:My rolling chair has worn into the hardwood floors of my rental apartment. What's the easiest way to fix it up? Some kind of wood polish? If you're looking for a "get your damage deposit back" fix, lightly sand, match a poly/stain mix and apply. If it's deep, sand, use wood filler (if deeper than it is wide), then stain and poly.
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Nov 21, 2009 04:20
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gently caress! FLOOD! My water heater was making a lot of noise, so I looked inside and it looks like it's out of salt. I turned off the water softener, and then hit the bypass valve behind the softener. Two hours later, there's water all over the floor. I think the water is coming from he drain in the wall that the washing machine and water softener drain into. What happened? How can I fix it? Prompt answers would be appreciated.
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Nov 21, 2009 04:30
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Local Yokel posted:gently caress! FLOOD! There are typically two bypass valves on a water softener. Your bypass may be going into a drain that's never been used and is full of blown-off lint and spiders. Take the thing off bypass and run it without salt for a day. It won't kill anything.
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Nov 21, 2009 04:40
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I did that, and the water started coming out faster. Also, the drain is used several times a week when we do laundry. Thanks for your help. Any other ideas? edit: Ok, I turned off the bypass again, and no surge of water came out this time. Maybe it's ok. Most of the water has been mopped up. Still...what the hell? Local Yokel fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Nov 21, 2009 |
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Nov 21, 2009 04:42
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Blech, had to plunge a toilet, and now the laundry room drain is backing up everytime we use running water. I assume we've got a block somewhere in the line. This is disgusting. I've also got a nice flu right now, so I'm drugged up and have diarrhea. Oh, and my wife just dropped an unbaked pumpkin pie on the floor. This is turning out to be the best weekend ever. I've no idea what to do, so I've called a plumber to come out tomorrow morning. DIYer defeated.
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Nov 22, 2009 00:59
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Local Yokel posted:Blech, had to plunge a toilet, and now the laundry room drain is backing up everytime we use running water. I assume we've got a block somewhere in the line. This is disgusting. I've also got a nice flu right now, so I'm drugged up and have diarrhea. Oh, and my wife just dropped an unbaked pumpkin pie on the floor. This is turning out to be the best weekend ever. Yep, you just pushed the clog a little further down the line. Time for a snake or power auger.
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Nov 22, 2009 07:56
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 Click here for the full 1452x1944 image. I have a bit of wood that has been getting wet over the past few rains. I just checked it last night and it seems to be rotten now and I need to have it replaced. Is this something that requires a lot of work or someone with a skilsaw and some nails can do? If I do get a handyman to come out and look at it, about how much would be a normal cost?
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Nov 22, 2009 19:06
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Today I notice that our toilet has sunk into our floor about 1/8 of an inch. The 30+ old linoleum has also sunk around it. I'm pretty sure the floor below it is rotted out as we recently replaced some 50 year old pipes under the house with multiple holes in it, bathroom has foot-long holes in the drywall, mold is everywhere, etc... Basically the bathroom is a disaster. We're planning on gutting and replacing everything sometime early next year, but what can be done in the mean time to make sure we don't fall through the bottom of the house? (BTW this is probably the worse bathroom you've ever seen. I really should get some pictures and start a thread just about our bathroom.)
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Nov 22, 2009 19:30
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BorderPatrol posted:We're planning on gutting and replacing everything sometime early next year, but what can be done in the mean time to make sure we don't fall through the bottom of the house? If you have a basement underneath, you could go with a floor jack. Dobermaniac posted:I have a bit of wood that has been getting wet over the past few rains. I just checked it last night and it seems to be rotten now and I need to have it replaced. Is this something that requires a lot of work or someone with a skilsaw and some nails can do? If I do get a handyman to come out and look at it, about how much would be a normal cost? That? There's hardly a problem there... Still, for damage that small, it's an easy fix. Get yourself a utility knife and cut out the damaged wood. Use an exterior grade wood putty to fill in the gaps, wait for it to dry, then sand flat and paint. I'd also run a fresh bead of caulk in the corners once everything is dry.
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Nov 23, 2009 03:54
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kid sinister posted:If you have a basement underneath, you could go with a floor jack. I'll give that a shot, but when I felt and knocked on the wood from the bottom until 2 feet up it felt moist and sponge-y. The pieces of wood on the ground crumbled just by touching the wood.
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Nov 23, 2009 04:59
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Our radiators are leaking by the (*cylinder heads), where the bleed valve is. Tried tightening them but to no avail, whats the best way of stopping them from leaking? *Im unsure of the name of that radiator part but its in the top right and left corners.
A LOVELY LAD fucked around with this message at 00:39 on Nov 26, 2009 |
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Nov 26, 2009 00:33
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Dobermaniac posted:I'll give that a shot, but when I felt and knocked on the wood from the bottom until 2 feet up it felt moist and sponge-y. The pieces of wood on the ground crumbled just by touching the wood. No point in putty until you've removed all the bad stuff. Sounds like it might need a new piece of wood put in. Also be sure you figure out how the water was getting behind there and do what's needed to stop it happening again.
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Nov 26, 2009 23:37
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A LOVELY LAD posted:Our radiators are leaking by the (*cylinder heads), where the bleed valve is. Tried tightening them but to no avail, whats the best way of stopping them from leaking? *Im unsure of the name of that radiator part but its in the top right and left corners. Can't you just use teflon tape for this?
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Nov 26, 2009 23:41
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A LOVELY LAD posted:Our radiators are leaking by the (*cylinder heads), where the bleed valve is. Tried tightening them but to no avail, whats the best way of stopping them from leaking? *Im unsure of the name of that radiator part but its in the top right and left corners. You need to remove the bleed valve completely. Clean the threads out & ensure the blanking plug threads are in good condition, then as mentioned above, wrap in ptfe (watergrade) tape & re-insert. Somehow you'll have to remove the pressure from the system or you'll have a mini-gyser going on while you do this.
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Nov 27, 2009 19:35
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Hi guys, I don't have a lot of home-maintenance experience, so I hope you can help. In my apartment there are hardwood floors, one area of which has been damaged (scratched finish) by the plastic wheels of a rolling office chair. The area is lightly discolored due to the difference in texture. What is the easiest way to repair the damage caused by the chair? I'm thinking just putting some varnish down might cover it up, but I figured I should ask before I make things worse. Advice? e: ~MY GIRLFRIEND~ says she has some Johnson Paste Wax, which may work for this - would it? Upright Sloth fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Nov 27, 2009 |
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Nov 27, 2009 20:44
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Ugh. I was just working on putting up one of these in my garage and despite measuring repeatedly, I think I either managed to end up off-center on a joist or didn't drill my pilot hole deep enough, because when I was torquing down one of the lag bolts to hold the whole thing up, I heard the unmistakable sound of wood splintering. It's probably going to be a few days before I can find anyone willing to climb up into the crawl space (the garage is finished) to survey the damage. If I managed to end up completely off center or otherwise took a big chunk out of the ceiling joist there, how nasty of a repair am I looking at? Edit: I'll probably take out a piece of drywall tomorrow to see what I've done, since this is the garage after all and I don't care if there's an obvious patch anywhere. IOwnCalculus fucked around with this message at 00:14 on Nov 28, 2009 |
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Nov 27, 2009 23:25
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Double posting in the hopes of someone having an idea  Took out a section of drywall - yep, I hit the edge of the joist. My brand new Zircon studfinder was triggering "CENTER" at the edge. loving piece of poo poo. I'm going to have to take out at least one plug of drywall to see if I at least got the other joist proper or if I hit the edge of it too. Damage to that particular spot of joist is pretty minimal - I really did hit just the edge of it and drove in two 1/4" lag bolts about half of the depth, they look like 2x6 or 2x8 joists. It just split off a sliver of the wood that's still intact and bowed around the bolts. What's my best course of action - simply remove it and try again about 6" further towards the center of the garage? Do I need to repair the joist itself?
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Nov 28, 2009 18:37
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Sounds like you've got it under control - just shift 'er over a bit, and now you know exactly where the joists are. Probably 24" centers? I don't think some minor damage like that is going to be a problem. For more significant damage you would nail a new piece of joist side-by-side with the existing for support. Drywall repairs aren't so bad. Home depot sells 2' squares of the stuff, joint compound is cheap, the garage is a good opportunity to practice your joint knife skills.
slap me silly fucked around with this message at 19:09 on Nov 28, 2009 |
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Nov 28, 2009 19:03
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Yeah, 24" on-center - or at least, it should be! I made sure to keep the removed piece of drywall intact - I think I'll take some scrap wood and back it up with that so all I'll have to do is fill in the cut lines and drill holes. Thanks for the reassurance. I'll have to move the other two mounts as well but now that I know a few tricks to this process, it should be easier. Still going to take out a plug next to the other joist I'm using, just to be safe.
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Nov 28, 2009 19:56
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IOwnCalculus posted:Double posting in the hopes of someone having an idea That's why you don't go with the first trigger. You mark the first detection of the stud from both sides, then use the center of those 2 marks. Drywall is easy to patch and is pretty forgiving, it just takes time to do a quality job. You don't "fill in the cut lines" too much, but rather tape over them and spread mud over the tape. The trickiest part is how far to drill in the screws. You're supposed to just "dimple" the surface with the screws. You don't want to tear the paper, otherwise there's nothing for the screw to hold up. They make special screw bits for driving drywall screws. They have a ring around the tip to keep the bit from going in too far. Also, as you progress in coats, make your mud thinner as you go. It will help your mud spread smoother. However for big gaps, diluting it will made it crack more readily as it dries. This is why you want a thicker first coat. Dilute it by adding more water a drop at a time until you get the right consistency. When I say a "drop at a time", I mean a drop at a time, especially for small amounts. Mud has a very abrupt point where if you add too much water, the consistency drops sharply and becomes more or less white water. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Nov 28, 2009 |
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Nov 28, 2009 23:01
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Since bumping seems to work, any advice for my floor-repair question a few posts up?
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Nov 28, 2009 23:30
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kid sinister posted:That's why you don't go with the first trigger. You mark the first detection of the stud from both sides, then use the center of those 2 marks. Yeah - the annoying thing is this one is supposed to be one that figures out the center for you. So much for that. Hell, it doesn't even reliably detect anything even at some points where I know there's a stud - I'm going to see if I can find the packaging and take it back to Home Depot tomorrow. One other thing that didn't help me - the two joists I'm working from? Yeah, 25" center-to-center.  Upright: Real hardwood, or laminate? If it's real hardwood, worst case you should be able to sand it and refinish it there. If it's laminate, and you've gone through the top layer, it's probably gone and the best you can do is make it less obvious.
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Nov 29, 2009 00:42
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Pretty sure it's real hardwood, this apartment is quite old. What kind of tools and supplies am I looking at for refinishing? I literally know nothing about this.
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Nov 29, 2009 06:16
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Take some pictures of the scratches. It's going to be pretty hard to match stains.
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Nov 29, 2009 14:25
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I took this just now - it shows up a little more clearly in this picture than it does to the naked eye, but you get the idea. You can really only see it in sunlight.
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Nov 29, 2009 18:29
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Upright Sloth posted:I took this just now - it shows up a little more clearly in this picture than it does to the naked eye, but you get the idea. You can really only see it in sunlight. Still can't see anything. Try shining a light sideways across the scratches so they'll make shadows. Refinishing is only for repairing scratches that go all the way through the finish and to the wood, or if you want to change the stain color. If your scratches are only in the finish, then you can just clean them then polish them out.
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Nov 29, 2009 19:19
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Ah, I guess I'm used to seeing them. Here, lemme Paint on some guidance around the arc of the scratches: They show up as a lighter area, the unscratched wood is dark like in the middle of the circle. So, these are pretty shallow - I should be able to just buff them out? What's the best way to do that, like I said I've never done anything like this.
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Nov 29, 2009 19:29
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Upright Sloth posted:They show up as a lighter area, the unscratched wood is dark like in the middle of the circle. So, these are pretty shallow - I should be able to just buff them out? What's the best way to do that, like I said I've never done anything like this. Mop-n-glow or whatever acceptable floor polish treatment will work on that finish. Mop-n-glow is pretty safe for most stuff, but "test on an inconspicuous area, note any discoloration," etc.
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Nov 29, 2009 20:32
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