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I have a problem in my walk out basement. The house was a foreclosure when I bought it, so its guaranteed to have its share of problems. When I moved in there was a section of ceiling near the addition to the house where there was no drywall. Figured out that the water pipe leading into the house addition was leaking. Fixed the pipe, hung the drywall, matched the wall texture, and then I noticed something. Out of the hole for the recessed lighting I noticed a cold breeze. Now this section of ceiling is next to an exterior wall. I'm not a home builder but I figure that I should not have a cold breeze blowing into my ceiling, especially around a water pipe(which has no insulation). Right now I'm assuming that the pipe was leaky before because it froze. Is a draft in the ceiling normal? Is the real issue that the people who built the addition put the water pipe in the wrong spot? I'm really stumped what the right thing to do here is, but I know I can't leave it like this for the next homeowner to worry about. dinozaur fucked around with this message at 06:18 on Nov 30, 2009 |
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Nov 30, 2009 06:12
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I am going to put special anti-mold paint on my bathroom's ceiling. Also I will use silicone-kit on the edges where the ceiling meets the walls. Which one should go first? The kit or the paint?
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Dec 1, 2009 17:58
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What is silicone-kit? Caulk? Normally you would caulk the gaps with paintable caulk and then paint over it. Actually normally you would tape and mud the joint if it's drywall. Is it drywall? And have you improved the ventilation so the mold won't come back?
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Dec 1, 2009 18:28
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slap me silly posted:What is silicone-kit? Caulk? Normally you would caulk the gaps with paintable caulk and then paint over it. Actually normally you would tape and mud the joint if it's drywall. Is it drywall? And have you improved the ventilation so the mold won't come back? So much for the language gap. (think a dutchflagteartdopsmilie here) Okee, so mud/kit first and then paint at the joints. The walls are tiled to the ceiling and the ceiling is drywall. Ventilation is fine and there is no mold, just a very worried girlfriend who wants anti-mold paint. Thanks!
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Dec 2, 2009 09:13
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Oh, ok. The tile-drywall joint needs caulk, not tape and mud. And hmm, since there's a surface transition anyway, you could do it either way you like. Just depends whether you want to paint onto the caulk a bit.
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Dec 2, 2009 18:06
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The cold water in my bathroom sink sometimes drips so I decided to fix it... but there's no valve to shut the water off - just tubes that run to a couple of pipes that are sticking out through holes cut in the drywall. Suggestions? edit: Nevermind! I turned some knobs on and around my hot water boiler and now there's no water flowing to the sink. Yay! Newf fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Dec 2, 2009 |
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Dec 2, 2009 21:27
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I am giving far too much advice for some guy who has only fixed 3 things in his life... you need to find the nearest shut-offs, wherever they are. There might not be any for the sink. Worst case, you have to shut it off for the whole house. Edit: There you go!
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Dec 2, 2009 21:30
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One of my outlets makes a clicking sound intermittently. Doesn't do it for a while, then clicks a bit for 20 seconds maybe, then stops again. It isn't a GFCI outlet, just a normal wall outlet. Am I going to die of a terrible fire? edit: Breaker's never tripped; also, I realized I think it started doing it around when the building started turning the baseboard heat on. Hopefully it's something with that. kalicki fucked around with this message at 20:59 on Dec 4, 2009 |
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Dec 4, 2009 20:00
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Over Christmas vacation I’m planning on building a ‘super’ window planter box. Well, actually it’s going to be a box 18x40x32” with an inside depth of about 17” with the bottom being about 14” off the ground. Currently I’m not planning on using pressure treated wood since I’ll be moving in about 2 years and it only needs to last that long (I live in an apartment with a patio that I’m going to be putting it on). The basic question I have to ask is metal related. I’m holding it together with threaded rod, nuts, and washers. I would actually like to keep these parts from rusting so I can use them again after the box falls apart. What I would want the steel coated with to slow rusting? I haven't built stuff that was going to be outside all the time so I've never had to deal with this problem. EDIT. I don't want to buy stainless steel. Too expensive.
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Dec 5, 2009 03:21
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Earth posted:EDIT. I don't want to buy stainless steel. Too expensive. Get galvanized steel then. It's a zinc-based coating that prevents rust.
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Dec 5, 2009 04:57
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kid sinister posted:Get galvanized steel then. It's a zinc-based coating that prevents rust. Wow, that was really quick. I'll be able to put my order in this weekend. Thanks much!
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Dec 5, 2009 05:47
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Earth posted:Wow, that was really quick. I'll be able to put my order in this weekend. Thanks much! No problem! Keep in mind that a galvanized coating only prevents rust where it is... If you cut that threaded rod, then those cuts won't have the coating and will rust.
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Dec 5, 2009 06:57
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kid sinister posted:No problem! Keep in mind that a galvanized coating only prevents rust where it is... If you cut that threaded rod, then those cuts won't have the coating and will rust. But the stores sell a can of stuff called "cold blue" that's spray-on galvinizing that works OK for a couple of years.
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Dec 5, 2009 13:41
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So I'm trying my first circuit on a breadboard and it needs 6v of power. Can I plug in two 3v (2 AA Battery containers) into the + and - rails or do I have to go all the way downtown to get a 4AA battery container?
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Dec 6, 2009 16:10
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FamousThomas posted:So I'm trying my first circuit on a breadboard and it needs 6v of power. Yes, if you plug them in series. Plugging a pair of 2xAA battery containers in parallel would still give you 3V, but at twice the amperage.
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Dec 6, 2009 17:25
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Actually twice the ampere hours.  Also if you put them in parallel and some of them aren't fresh, they will start charging/discharging each other, get hot, and waste energy.
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Dec 6, 2009 17:50
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So it's probably best to get get a 4 seater then?
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Dec 6, 2009 17:56
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No, no, wiring in series like he suggested will work fine. Sorry for the confusion.
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Dec 6, 2009 18:07
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Like this, and you get a 3V point as well:
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Dec 6, 2009 18:16
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slap me silly posted:Like this, and you get a 3V point as well: Ah! Thanks. I'm much more of a visual learner.
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Dec 6, 2009 21:31
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Thermal imaging cameras! I would really like to have one. Firstly, hey fun. Secondly, my house is half 2002 and half 1945, and the 1945 part is cold. But the cheapest one I can find that looks decent is the FLIR I5 for $2k: http://www.amazon.com/FLIR-Extech-I5-Thermal-Imager/dp/B001DK93ZO/ Has anyone used the cheap digital infrared thermometers? Are they useful? Example: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-TLD100-Thermal-Detector/dp/B001LMTW2S/
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Dec 7, 2009 05:14
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We just replaced our thermal cam at work with one of the cheap FLIR models, and it's absolutely useless. My mechanic buddy uses an infrared thermometer for his work, and it's super accurate. Seems like it'd be a pain to use for finding drafts though.
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Dec 7, 2009 18:36
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Unfortunately good thermal cameras are expensive. Unless you plan on making a business out of it, find someone who does thermal surveys, not as much fun but much cheaper. Cheap thermal cameras are generally 'nightvision' type, not true 'heat vision'
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Dec 7, 2009 22:04
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How would you guys fix this wall? My wife and I cut down the top half of a wall and currently have this: Click here for the full 768x1024 image.  Click here for the full 768x1024 image. On the left of the gap is plaster over drywall, on the right is a 75 year old chimney made out of some sort of stony blocks. I was thinking of ripping boards to fit in the gap and using some sort of glue to keep them in place, because I'm not sure I can put any fasteners into the chimney. After getting the boards in the space I'd just smooth it over with drywall compound. Does that sound good? Any specific adhesives I could try?
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Dec 7, 2009 23:54
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dyne posted:I was thinking of ripping boards to fit in the gap and using some sort of glue to keep them in place, because I'm not sure I can put any fasteners into the chimney. After getting the boards in the space I'd just smooth it over with drywall compound. Does that sound good? Any specific adhesives I could try? "Liquid Nails" construction adhesive is pretty good stuff. It comes in a caulk tube, and is pretty much designed for your situation. You could also get some Tapcon fasteners. They need a hole pre-drilled, but I've done it with just a masonry bit in a normal drill, no hammer-drill.
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Dec 8, 2009 04:51
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dyne posted:How would you guys fix this wall? That's a 2x4 wide with walls on either side, right? Cut a new one to fit in there, then screw it into the short wall and ceiling, then fit drywall over that. You might want to remove more of a section to the left in order to find something to attach to. Don't forget the corner strip! Also, it's possible to screw into masonry, but I wouldn't do that your case. Basically you use a masonry bit to grind a hole in it, then use a fastener or anchor in that hole. But in your case, you don't want to go poking any holes in your chimney. Flue gases could escape into your living space, which is a bad idea.
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Dec 8, 2009 05:51
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kid sinister posted:That's a 2x4 wide with walls on either side, right? Cut a new one to fit in there, then screw it into the short wall and ceiling, then fit drywall over that. You might want to remove more of a section to the left in order to find something to attach to. Don't forget the corner strip! Thanks for the advice guys.
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Dec 8, 2009 15:48
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dyne posted:It's not quite a 2x4 width do I'll have to rip a board. I think i could probably screw the board into the short wall stud and glue the plaster wall to it, as the plaster wall is unsupported for 15 inches or so right now. That might be a 2x3 then. I've seen those get used over time to build out walls where the contractor wanted to save a few bucks.
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Dec 8, 2009 16:15
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Oh, the studs themselves are 2x4s (the real actual 2"x4"), but the space between the wall and chimney is smaller
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Dec 8, 2009 18:30
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Anyone ever put a trampoline together? I just bought one for my babbys and hoping to find a time to get it put together before christmas. The frame seems simple enough, but once it's up there are 80 springs that hold the mat on and you have to do them in order like #1, then #40, then #20, then #60, then next do like #10, then #50, then #30 then #70 and on and on. I saw a video of a guy on youtube putting one up himself and I'm afraid that's going to be me. The missus says she can handle hours out in the cold putting it together with me since it's "for the kids" but I'm not believing it. Any tips on assembly? The manual is kinda engrish and it says something about painting, but then says something else about painting "sleeve welds" every year. (I don't see any welds anywhere on it) The frame looks like it's galvanized steel, does that really need to be painted? what would be best to use? How much would a powdercoating place charge you think to do 30 4' - 8' long pieces of tube? Vin BioEthanol fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Dec 10, 2009 |
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Dec 10, 2009 16:40
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Wagonburner posted:Anyone ever put a trampoline together? I just bought one for my babbys and hoping to find a time to get it put together before christmas. I don't think there's any shortcut to putting on the mat, but it goes pretty quick if you can find someone reasonably strong to help. My parents never did any maintenance to our big round one growing up, and the frame was the last thing to wear out. The cover that goes over the springs only lasted a year or two because we left it on year round. There's no escaping it being in the sun since its a summer toy, but I'd definitely suggest folding it up for winter. The mat would be a pain in the neck to take off and put on every season, but ours lasted 8-10 years of unprotected abuse before a fatty cousin popped a hole in the middle and ended up wearing the trampoline like a hoop skirt. That was actually pretty entertaining, so no regrets. We didn't have any of that new fancy safety netting on vertical rails, so I can't comment there.
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Dec 10, 2009 17:14
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I have some drafty windows happening, and it's getting pretty cold out. I'm thinking caulk for the seams and that plastic sheet w/ two sided tape - is this the way to go? What kind of caulk do I need?
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Dec 10, 2009 20:09
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Quick question. Fort Worth is doing a special program where they'll give you free toilets to replace super high-flow outdated toilets. (http://www.fortworthgov.org/savefwwater/info/default.aspx?id=69538 for details) The problem is I can't tell how old or what kind of toilet I have. Here's some pics if they make sense to anybody else: the tops of both toilets  close up of the only information I can get from it  Back of inside of the toilet, anything readable?   Anybody able to interpret these for me? I tried just taking the measurements and converting from cubic inches, but I ended up getting a weird answer that doesn't match any standard gallons per flush. Appreciate any help you guys can offer. Edit: Searching online for American Standard 4049, it looks like it's a 3.5 gallon per flush deal, so I guess I won't qualify. Discospawn fucked around with this message at 07:20 on Dec 11, 2009 |
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Dec 11, 2009 03:45
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Got no clue about the vintage of your closet, but if you want an inkling of the usage: turn off the water supply, flush it normally, see how many gallon jugs it takes to fill the tank and bowl back up to normal levels. That is a lower bound, because more water could be lost during the bowl refill. Note that if you overfill the bowl, it just goes invisibly down the pipe.
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Dec 11, 2009 04:40
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Newf posted:I have some drafty windows happening, and it's getting pretty cold out. Caulk really is better for keeping out moisture. It's something that goes under/behind the molding around the windows. If it's your molding/casing that's letting in air, you can replace it so that it fits right, or you can get a paintable caulk from the hardware store. Check the labels or ask someone who works there for something that will take paint. Just caulking it up might look kind of halfassed, depending on what you have going on and how you do it. If you're getting a leak from the sash, get yourself some weatherstripping and that will probably seal up the worst of it. You may still need the plastic sheeting after that, depending on the windows and what you can do with them. Replacing wood and doing caulk is probably more labor intensive than you're looking for. Good weatherstripping can do a lot. e: I guess caulk is going to block air too, but it just seems like such a weird thing to go to first. Someone more handy than me might think otherwise, though. BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Dec 12, 2009 |
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Dec 12, 2009 07:24
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NancyPants posted:Caulk really is better for keeping out moisture. It's something that goes under/behind the molding around the windows. If it's your molding/casing that's letting in air, you can replace it so that it fits right, or you can get a paintable caulk from the hardware store. Check the labels or ask someone who works there for something that will take paint. Just caulking it up might look kind of halfassed, depending on what you have going on and how you do it. Caulk is good for fixed gaps, like between the window frame and the wall. Weatherstripping is good for moving gaps, like between a window or door and their respective frames. For windows I'd use any kind of latex caulk. Be sure to cut out any old caulk in that gap with a utility knife first so the new stuff will stick properly. In addition to keeping your home a tiny bit warmer in the winter, keeping that warm air in will help lower your utility bill that same tiny bit. Add together those tiny bits from a few years and that caulk will pay for itself. However, caulk doesn't last forever... Your home expands and contracts with the seasons while the dirt underneath it settles, moving your home (and that gap) ever so slightly over the years. The good news is that they make longer lasting, more flexible caulks now, some of which are guaranteed for decades. I'd spend the extra dollar and get a tube of the 50 year stuff. It probably won't last that whole 50 years, but by then you'll be dead or in another house. edit: Weatherstripping in general lasts shorter than caulk. What happens is that just by repeatedly opening said window or door, either the weatherstripping slowly loses its hold on the frame, or the weatherstripping itself will tear. For the stuff that goes up with adhesive, make sure you give the frame a good strubbing with a rag first to get all the dirt and dust off, it will help the glue adhere much better. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 17:33 on Dec 12, 2009 |
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Dec 12, 2009 17:19
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hey guys, quick question that I don't think deserved its own thread: I want to rig my girlfriend's Christmas gift to shoot confetti when she opens the box. Is there a low tech way to manage this?
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Dec 12, 2009 21:30
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bison wings posted:hey guys, quick question that I don't think deserved its own thread: I want to rig my girlfriend's Christmas gift to shoot confetti when she opens the box. Is there a low tech way to manage this? Not safely, no. Do you really want to drive her to the ER on Christmas because you scratched her cornea with flying paper?
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Dec 12, 2009 22:13
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bison wings posted:hey guys, quick question that I don't think deserved its own thread: I want to rig my girlfriend's Christmas gift to shoot confetti when she opens the box. Is there a low tech way to manage this? Mouse trap under a box of confetti.
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Dec 13, 2009 00:11
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bison wings posted:hey guys, quick question that I don't think deserved its own thread: I want to rig my girlfriend's Christmas gift to shoot confetti when she opens the box. Is there a low tech way to manage this?
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Dec 13, 2009 02:44
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