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Relevant Elephant posted:Ask/Tell referred me here. I just busted my toilet tank's lid. It's a Crane, but I don't see any other numbers. Is there a way to mend it so it won't look like crap? Conversely, does anyone know of a retailer who could sell me a new one? What kind of info do I need off this toilet to get the right one? I imagine you could contact Crane directly and they would be able to tell you what to look for in terms of serial numbers. http://www.craneplumbing.com/company.aspx Alternative these guys seem rather dedicated to toilet lids: http://www.plumbingsupply.com/freetoilettanklidssearch.html
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Dec 30, 2009 21:36
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Vaporware posted:Before I forget again. I just installed new garage door springs, wheels and such and it's great. But the door won't go down when I hit the remote button. it'll go up and stop on it's way up, but never down. I can force it down with the wall button, but it keeps trying to reverse up. I suspect the door may have been mis-weighed and I put springs that are too strong on, or the motor is going and it's too weak for the door weight. I've tried adjusting the down/upforce and it doesn't affect it at all. It's an old screw drive genie. 3/4hp from 1995. This sounds more like the time my gargage's electric eye got kicked out of alignment. I didn't remember hitting it at all so I was baffled why "up" and "stop" were fine, but "down" was now forbidden, and wasted several hours with the motor before I realized it was the eye. You might try testing that first, just to eliminate a potentially simple fix, before redoing the hard stuff.
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Dec 30, 2009 23:20
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Relevant Elephant posted:Ask/Tell referred me here. I just busted my toilet tank's lid. It's a Crane, but I don't see any other numbers. Is there a way to mend it so it won't look like crap? Conversely, does anyone know of a retailer who could sell me a new one? What kind of info do I need off this toilet to get the right one? Depends on how many pieces it broke into and how clean the edges snapped. What color is it? You might be able to just superglue it back together. You'll have to be quick in applying it before the glue starts setting, but it can be done. You'd also have to figure out how to lay it out so the joint stay together once glued, probably with rubber bands. I'd use the brush-on kind of glue, that should be easiest to work with on something that large.
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Dec 31, 2009 00:55
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I'm almost to the point of installing engineered hardwood floors in my basement, but I'm a bit puzzled on what to do with a cleanout hole in the floor. This is what I'm dealing with:  With its proximity to the exterior wall, I'm guessing it may be the cleanout for the interior drain tile, but I'm not sure. I don't want to open it in case it's a sewer cleanout. Anyway, what I'm wondering is, is there some sort of decorative cover out there I can use to cover this above the flooring? Lord Google isn't giving me any worthy results, and a look around the local home center's plumbing department yielded no answers either. I have to imagine there's something out there for my situation, other than the cracked bright red plastic cover they had covering it. Preferably something in a chrome finish, low profile, heavy-duty enough to stand up to people walking on it, and removable in case I ever do have to open the cleanout. The closest thing I've found so far is a thin-gauge bowl shaped plate thing with a hole in the center for a screw, and a bar wider than the plate for holding it in place via compression. That would work, but it was way too thin, it would never stand up to foot traffic. I do like the concept though...if I could find a plate that's heavy-duty enough, I could drill a hole in the square block on the cleanout plug, glue in a threaded insert, and screw the plate directly into the plug. The other idea I had was like those chrome gas caps you see on some cars, with an outer ring that's screwed in place and a removable center disc. So yeah...any idea where I can find something like that, or something else that will work? Thanks in advance.
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Dec 31, 2009 03:40
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What about a small trap door? It could either be hinged or just a removable panel.
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Dec 31, 2009 03:46
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:What about a small trap door? It could either be hinged or just a removable panel. Oooh...I like that idea...maybe cut some hi-density foam to cover the plug and make it flush with the concrete, then just cut the piece(s) of flooring around it. Add a couple of rare earth magnets to make sure it stays put, and you probably won't even notice it unless you look right at it. Thanks for the idea.
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Dec 31, 2009 03:59
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alucinor posted:This sounds more like the time my gargage's electric eye got kicked out of alignment. I didn't remember hitting it at all so I was baffled why "up" and "stop" were fine, but "down" was now forbidden, and wasted several hours with the motor before I realized it was the eye. You might try testing that first, just to eliminate a potentially simple fix, before redoing the hard stuff. Actually the eye was out of alignment so I just unplugged it, thinking that would get rid of the signal. Hmm, maybe it's stuck somehow thinking the eye is blocked
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Dec 31, 2009 13:42
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Mthrboard posted:This is the perfect opportunity to build a secret compartment.
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Dec 31, 2009 14:26
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Vaporware posted:Actually the eye was out of alignment so I just unplugged it, thinking that would get rid of the signal. Hmm, maybe it's stuck somehow thinking the eye is blocked Nice try, but it doesn't work that way. Garage doors assume that if they get no signal at all from the sensors, then the door is blocked. They need to be plugged in for the door to close. Mthrboard posted:
You got the right idea, but you're making it too complicated. Get yourself a round cover plate, then drill a shallow hole in the center of that plug and screw a wood screw directly into it. Like one of these: http://www.scholzenproducts.com/vmchk/Plumbing/C/O-Cover-Plugs-Test-Balls/Clean-Out-Cover-Plates/View-all-products.html
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Dec 31, 2009 17:47
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edit never mind
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Dec 31, 2009 17:54
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kid sinister posted:then drill a shallow hole in the center of that plug and screw a wood screw directly into it. That plug's probably only 1/8" thick right there. Not sure if he wants to be drilling any holes in it, especially if it's septic/sewer.
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Dec 31, 2009 18:08
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Mthrboard posted:Oooh...I like that idea...maybe cut some hi-density foam to cover the plug and make it flush with the concrete, then just cut the piece(s) of flooring around it. Add a couple of rare earth magnets to make sure it stays put, and you probably won't even notice it unless you look right at it. Thanks for the idea. No problem. Show us how things turn out! Once you've finished putting it together you may want to add a little note to the underside of the trap door. Something to explain what it is, or at least what you think it is.
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Dec 31, 2009 19:24
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Ok I have another question about building walls in my loft. My roommate and I have been brainstorming how to partition off our bedrooms without having to build permanent walls (so we can reconfigure the space to have parties, art shows, rent it out for photo shoots, etc.). Anyone have any ideas for something non-permanent, not extremely expensive, doesn't attach to anything load bearing, and something that will at least give us a little bit of privacy? I'm mostly worried about sound (big space, concrete floors) - I like to stay up late and work and my roommate has a real job. Our "bedrooms" need to only be big enough to fit a mattress. I found a guy on craigslist giving away 20-ish hollow core doors, I was thinking of getting a bunch of hinges and daisy chaining them together, and then hanging some kind of heavy fabric circus-style for a "ceiling". My roommate just wants to put some poo poo on casters but I don't think that'll do enough to block sound (I've lived in spaces like this before and I know how loud/annoying it is when you don't have a real room). Anyone got any other ideas?
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Dec 31, 2009 20:13
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ease posted:That plug's probably only 1/8" thick right there. Not sure if he wants to be drilling any holes in it, especially if it's septic/sewer. Probably not, PVC cleanout plugs are pretty thick because they have to survive getting twisted with a big rear end monkey wrench without breaking. In fact the square nub is usually solid because of this, regardless of what material the plug is made from. fake edit: crap, I forgot a HUGE help! They make cleanout plugs with threaded centers already put in them! http://www.plumbingsupply.com/cleanoutplugs.html Get one of those along with the round cover. The screw length you'll need depends on the how deep the plug will be from the surface once screwed in, so you might want to get a couple screw lengths, then use the one that works without poking through the new plug.
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Dec 31, 2009 22:04
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kid sinister posted:Nice try, but it doesn't work that way. Garage doors assume that if they get no signal at all from the sensors, then the door is blocked. They need to be plugged in for the door to close. Hah! well then there's my solution. I'll get the eye re-leveled, thanks!
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Jan 1, 2010 17:13
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I'm building a shooting gallery for use with airguns. Right now, it's just in the planning and scrounging supplies stage. it will have the Coney Island "swimming ducks",jumping rabbits, spinners, etc. It is also to have a set of NRA metal silhouette targets. I'd like them to be auto-resetting. I have plenty of plans for string resetting targets (basically a bar behind the paddles lifts them all back in place), but would like to have this be string free and would like to use small electrical motors to raise the bank of targets. I don't know how to do this. I'd love some motor sources (battery or plug-in electric) as well as ideas on how to make it work. I'll also need a motor to run the swimming ducks and the jumping bunnies. help??
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Jan 2, 2010 22:04
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A PC powersupply will get you 12 & 5 v, scrounge motors from cd & floppy drives & vcr's etc, think about solonoids for resetting individual targets, you'll need to detect when they're down (proxy switches or just microswitches) then trigger a pulse to raise them again. You could do the whole thing in electronics (ask our electronics megathread) or get clever & run the lot off an arduino microcontroller (see makezine for an aurduino-wankfest)
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Jan 3, 2010 00:23
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My fiancee and I are redoing our guest house's (tiny) bathroom so we can rent it out and we're looking to replace the tub with a metal one. We're going to have to take the toilet and the vanity out to get this done and I wanted to see if anyone could give me a ballpark figure of how much it might cost to do this. The house's water heater is behind the tub, just out of frame on the right in the second picture. I have a guy I use for these types of things, but I wanted some number to compare to what he's going to tell me. Crummy cell phone pics of said bathroom:  Click here for the full 1600x1200 image.  Click here for the full 1600x1200 image.  Click here for the full 1600x1200 image.
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Jan 3, 2010 23:56
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toomanyninjas posted:
What's up with the creepy bag of hair?
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Jan 4, 2010 03:10
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It's just some hair extensions!
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Jan 4, 2010 16:39
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I'm moving in a couple days, and I'd like to epoxy seal the garage floor before I put stuff in it. Unfortunately it needs to be applied when the air and cement are over 50F, but it's going to be in the 30s and 40s for a couple months at least. Are there alternatives that will produce similar results? I'd like to get something locally, at Home Depot or Lowes, instead of ordering it and having to wait.
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Jan 5, 2010 05:58
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Loztblaz posted:I'm moving in a couple days, and I'd like to epoxy seal the garage floor before I put stuff in it. Unfortunately it needs to be applied when the air and cement are over 50F, but it's going to be in the 30s and 40s for a couple months at least. Are there alternatives that will produce similar results? I'd like to get something locally, at Home Depot or Lowes, instead of ordering it and having to wait. Is the garage interior exposed to the elements? If not, have you eliminated the possibility of setting up some portable heaters in the space to get it to the right temperature? (Checking of course that there is no safety issue with regard to the epoxy being close to a heat source)
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Jan 5, 2010 15:27
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Vaporware posted:Hah! well then there's my solution. I'll get the eye re-leveled, thanks! Problem Solved. Replaced the eyes because the connector had been damaged. Ok now how do I use that third button on my garage door opener to turn on the garage lights? What sort of switch do I need?
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Jan 5, 2010 15:57
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Mark Kidd posted:Is the garage interior exposed to the elements? If not, have you eliminated the possibility of setting up some portable heaters in the space to get it to the right temperature? (Checking of course that there is no safety issue with regard to the epoxy being close to a heat source) It would take a significant amount of heating to get the cement to 50, nevermind keeping it there while the epoxy cures.
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Jan 5, 2010 16:21
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Window trim! The last couple of freeze-thaw cycles have made it blindingly obvious that the guy who owned my house before me painted over some rotten trim instead of replacing it (rear end in a top hat). I have to replace several feet of exterior trim. I think I've got a handle on the job, but I'm worried about drying it out once I get the bad bits off - that wall gets sun, but it's barely getting above freezing during the day here. Any thoughts as to how much I need to worry about this?
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Jan 5, 2010 17:26
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Begging post: Anyone know of a cheap (free??) place to get sheet steel cut into shapes?? Plasma, laser, waterjet, I don't care. Looking to have pieces cut out of 1/8" thick or preferably 3/16" thick steel. In the best of all worlds, it would be stainless steel, but hot rolled steel is fine.
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Jan 5, 2010 17:54
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slap me silly posted:Window trim! The last couple of freeze-thaw cycles have made it blindingly obvious that the guy who owned my house before me painted over some rotten trim instead of replacing it (rear end in a top hat). I have to replace several feet of exterior trim. I think I've got a handle on the job, but I'm worried about drying it out once I get the bad bits off - that wall gets sun, but it's barely getting above freezing during the day here. Any thoughts as to how much I need to worry about this? It's nothing that can't wait till warmer weather.
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Jan 5, 2010 18:01
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NosmoKing posted:Begging post:
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Jan 5, 2010 18:32
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I'm finishing part of my lower floor into an office and have the drywall installed and ready to be taped.. What I'm not sure about is the window space. Between the drywall and the window frame, and between the drywall and wooden sill is a corner.. Is this normally filled with silicon like around the basin and walls of bathtub/shower? or is there some other material used to fill these types of intersections? I can't tape it since its not drywall->drywall.
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Jan 5, 2010 18:50
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Richard Noggin posted:It would take a significant amount of heating to get the cement to 50, nevermind keeping it there while the epoxy cures. Yeah, this is what was keeping me from just pointing a big propane heater at the garage. I did a little more research, and found some polyurethane based solutions, but they require specialized equipment to apply. Looks like I'm waiting until spring to do it.
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Jan 5, 2010 21:25
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Loztblaz posted:Looks like I'm waiting until spring to do it. I've used the Quickrete kits from Lowe's with fantastic success (Not a single lift or tire pull), but this was east coast August, so 70-80F.. One thing I found out in all my research before doing my garage was to not skimp in the slightest.. Clean that floor 100%, acid etch, etc and follow all directions. If it says not under 60F, then make sure you wait until spring.
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Jan 5, 2010 23:14
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Loztblaz posted:I'm moving in a couple days, and I'd like to epoxy seal the garage floor before I put stuff in it. Unfortunately it needs to be applied when the air and cement are over 50F, but it's going to be in the 30s and 40s for a couple months at least. Are there alternatives that will produce similar results? I'd like to get something locally, at Home Depot or Lowes, instead of ordering it and having to wait. You want a kerosene heater. Not just a normal kerosene heater, but one of those that looks like a torpedo. I'm not sure if you can rent them from the Depot, but I do know that I use one in our 50000 sq ft garage to keep it at a temp to paint trucks in the dead of winter. If you put stuff in your garage first and wait until springtime to do the floor it will never get done.
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Jan 6, 2010 08:18
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dinozaur posted:You want a kerosene heater. Not just a normal kerosene heater, but one of those that looks like a torpedo. I'm not sure if you can rent them from the Depot, but I do know that I use one in our 50000 sq ft garage to keep it at a temp to paint trucks in the dead of winter. If you put stuff in your garage first and wait until springtime to do the floor it will never get done. I think the thing to worry about here is that the trucks may adjust to the temperature of the room, but a concrete slab will try its drat hardest to keep to ground temperature. You may raise it with kerosene heaters, but heat rises and concrete is drat stubborn. Plus I've read enough horror stories of self epoxied garage floors when conditions are not perfect. Better to wait until spring now then put it down and have to diamond grind it all off come spring and start again. Especially when dealing with store-bought water based epoxies.
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Jan 6, 2010 14:14
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dinozaur posted:You want a kerosene heater. Not just a normal kerosene heater, but one of those that looks like a torpedo. I'm not sure if you can rent them from the Depot, but I do know that I use one in our 50000 sq ft garage to keep it at a temp to paint trucks in the dead of winter. If you put stuff in your garage first and wait until springtime to do the floor it will never get done. Trust me, it's not gonna work. The ambient temp AND the concrete need to be above 50. Plus, he has to wash and etch the floor first, which means the water needs to evaporate. You can't do that with the garage doors open and keep the place heated at the same time. You also need to exhaust the fumes from the heater which will need to run for days, so you have to leave a garage door cracked, and preferably a window too.
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Jan 6, 2010 14:18
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FidgetyRat posted:I think the thing to worry about here is that the trucks may adjust to the temperature of the room, but a concrete slab will try its drat hardest to keep to ground temperature. You may raise it with kerosene heaters, but heat rises and concrete is drat stubborn. Yeah, I'm going to be waiting on this. I'll have a shed to store most of my crap in, so the garage is just going to have tools and plastic tubs in it. It won't be that much work getting it out, and I care a lot more about getting a perfect finish than I do about extra work. Thanks everyone for the input.
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Jan 6, 2010 20:28
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I have a massive garage/barn with a loft that I use as a hangout in the summer. Problem is, it gets extraordinarily hot because it isn't ventilated at roof height at all. I want to install some sort of ventilation, but I don't know what to go with. Any suggestions? For the record, the roof is nearly flat the entire way across the structure, and it's probably about 30'x 40'
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Jan 6, 2010 21:34
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Hey Electrical people: Can someone tell me what this strange thing is used for? It is located near (above) my circuit breaker panel and when the wires are plugged in, emits a terrible buzzing. From online, I gather that it is a type of transformer, but when unplugged, nothing in my house seems to notice, everything works fine. It has the following written on it: Class 2 LR 103499 Line 120v 60hz  Click here for the full 2048x1536 image.
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Jan 6, 2010 23:56
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axia posted:Hey Electrical people: Id guess either doorbell or alarm system transformer
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Jan 7, 2010 00:34
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It's a doorbell transformer. I have had to replace them about every 12 months in our house. When it is working, it is usually hot and makes a hum noise.
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Jan 7, 2010 05:30
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| # ? May 11, 2024 14:59 |
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I use a lot of epoxies and heavy adhesives and I'm starting to get worried about what I'm breathing. What type of face mask / respirator should I get to keep me from going all Mad Hatter?
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Jan 7, 2010 16:21
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