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Ugh. After a bunch of rain here (almost 3") in the twin cities last week, my basement got wet. There wasn't a whole lot of water - maybe half a gallon total - and we didn't have any wetness issues at all when the snow melted. It was only around the 2 sides of the basement against the walls, there wasn't any wetness on the walls at all, and nothing dripping from the ceiling. The grading around the house is good, and the gutters all empty out away from the house, so I'm not sure where the heck the water is coming from. Any ideas what I should check for, or things I can do to prevent this? Did we just get too drat much rain and the groundwater seeped up through tiny craps and I should just learn to live with it?
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Jun 30, 2010 18:56
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Got a question for a smaller scale project. Could superglue, once it's dry, make anything weird happen with a PCB?
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Jun 30, 2010 20:01
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ImperialGuard posted:Got a question for a smaller scale project. Could superglue, once it's dry, make anything weird happen with a PCB? No.
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Jun 30, 2010 20:19
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Last year I had a 40ft pear tree in my front yard split in a storm, and was forced to cut the rest down. I had the stump ground down, and waited until this spring to patch up the 3ft diameter hole in the grass left behind. All the sudden the grass patch has turned completely brown and a zombie pear tree is taking over my lawn. I've got pear tree fingers sprouting up all over the lawn as far as 15ft from the ground stump in all directions. There are a ton of them and they're so fast that they stand 6 inches above my grass just a couple of days after mowing. What do I do?
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Jun 30, 2010 21:47
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eddiewalker posted:What do I do?
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Jun 30, 2010 22:24
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grover posted:Wait 3 or 4 years, and enjoy your pears? If only it had been a fruiting tree.
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Jun 30, 2010 22:35
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It's an omen. That was most likely a Bradford pear, which is considered by some to be invasive. If you keep mowing them, it might be enough to kill the root system after a while because it can't leaf out and produce energy.
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Jun 30, 2010 23:21
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eddiewalker posted:What do I do? You can buy shrub killer, brush it on the leaves and it will die off.
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Jul 1, 2010 06:05
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This is kind of a medium question, but I still don't think it warrants its own thread. I'm going to be adding a significant amount of weight to my roof via a PV array (I'll post a project thread when I'm done), and while I've been told my existing construction is fine, I like to over engineer things for piece of mind. That said, I want to build a knee wall in the attic to add some extra support to the roof under where the array will be located. I use the same area for storage, and want to restrict it as little as possible. Instead of building a standard 2x4 16" OC wall, can I build a 2x6 24" OC wall and get similar support? Also, I know knee walls are usually built over load bearing walls, and there is one running the length of the attic I want the knee wall to be in. I'd like to put the knee wall closer to the gutter part of the rafters, which would be about 3-4 feet over, parallel to the load bearing wall below. Is this ok to do?
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Jul 2, 2010 00:46
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Hillridge posted:Also, I know knee walls are usually built over load bearing walls, and there is one running the length of the attic I want the knee wall to be in. I'd like to put the knee wall closer to the gutter part of the rafters, which would be about 3-4 feet over, parallel to the load bearing wall below. Is this ok to do? http://www.awc.org/pdf/STJR_2005.pdf
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Jul 2, 2010 01:02
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edit: nm
wormil fucked around with this message at 07:38 on Jul 3, 2010 |
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Jul 2, 2010 02:10
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grover posted:Load-bearing knee-walls have to be able to directly couple that force into a load-bearing wall, or else you will break your joists, or at least get giant cracks in your ceiling. Measure the span of your ceiling joists and look it up on tables like the one below; see how much weight your roof is structurally capable of, and you'll be fine so long as you don't exceed it. If your roof is typical asphalt shingle over plywood, Dead load would be (roughly) 10lbs + whatever your panels weigh+snow load. Live load is usually 10-20lbs for a roof. Don't those tables count snow load as live load? What is a typical rafter wood for a 1976 house in New England? I'm going to guess some kind of Fir, but there is a huge variety and a wide range of grades. Mine were just stamped "Kiln Dried". I believe the snow load for my area is roughly 50 psf, though the solar panels will actually lessen that since snow melts off them quickly. The roof is almost 16' from gutter to peak on a 20° slope, and overhangs the outer wall by 18". Rafters are 2x6 16"OC. I've calculated that the solar panels and racking will add roughly 3.1 psf to the dead load (# of panels * panel weight/panel footprint). Since dead load would be rougly 13psf, would I use values between those in R-16 (50psf live, 10 dead) and R-20 (50 live, 15 dead)? Is adding 3psf of deadload to an area just over 50% the size of the roof even worth worrying about? Does the overhang detract from the span? Sorry for a million questions, electricity is more my thing. Hillridge fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Jul 2, 2010 |
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Jul 2, 2010 02:46
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I got a question regarding insulation: I'm under agreement to buy a pretty nice house in SouthWestern PA, and it's a reasonably big place built in the 30's. The attic has about 6" of the fiberglass insulation in between the slats across the attic, which is then covered in small 1x4's to allow you to walk across the attic/store poo poo there. From what I read, in the particular area I live in I should have about twice as much insulation in the attic, about 12 inches instead (equivalent of R-40). I know you can blow/roll in insulation over old insulation with no big problems. However, what I'm curious about is if I should pull up the floor in the attic and add the new stuff directly on top of it. Can I just blow/roll new stuff over the existing attic floor, or do I need to do it insulation on insulation? I have no real plans to ever use that attic aside of installing a large fan in it for a whole house vent, possibly summer of 2011, so the space means nothing to me. What's the best way to proceed?
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Jul 2, 2010 03:14
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Ripoff posted:I got a question regarding insulation: My experience... Our house is further south but had almost no insulation when we moved in. We added 8" of blown insulation. Invariably you will need to go up there and make repairs or do electric work and you'll end up with big craters in the insulation. You can try to rake it back but it's difficult. My point being, try to construct a walkway through the attic so people aren't kicking trails of insulation trying to find rafters and electric lines. Definitely insulate though.
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Jul 2, 2010 05:42
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I have an old mid-90s TI-82 graphing calculator that has served me well, but after exposing it to some conditions that probably ruined it, there are several columns of pixels that randomly stop working. Other than that, it STILL WORKS. I'm wondering how difficult it might be to just use a non-functioning TI-82 with a hopefully working screen and just switch it out. Yeah, I know, probably a lot cheaper/easier to just get a new TI-8x and toss this one away, but I still think I can save it and thought someone might have some input before I go and open up my old TI-82 just to get in and look at it.
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Jul 2, 2010 07:33
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I just did some measurements, and in order to be over the load bearing wall, my knee wall would only be a couple feet from the peak of the roof. Is that going to add much support?
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Jul 2, 2010 12:41
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Hillridge posted:I just did some measurements, and in order to be over the load bearing wall, my knee wall would only be a couple feet from the peak of the roof. Is that going to add much support? Now, 2nd question. The wall below. Are you sure it's a load bearing wall, with solid pier foundations beneath it? Non-load bearing walls are common within houses, and just sit on the floor or floor slab, etc. grover fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Jul 2, 2010 |
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Jul 2, 2010 16:22
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Sorry it took me so long to get a photo. This is what I need. It holds a towel bar in the shower. My roommate broke the other one. Click here for the full 1280x960 image.
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Jul 2, 2010 18:35
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grover posted:Yes, it would. Span deflection is a function of the 3rd power of length. Reducing that 16' span to just 14' will allow the same joist to support about 50% more weight with the same deflection! I'm not sure. This wall makes up one side of a hallway, and directly under it is another wall for the hallway in the basement. Directly under that is the concrete floor, and I don't know what is under that.
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Jul 2, 2010 19:51
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Hillridge posted:I'm not sure. This wall makes up one side of a hallway, and directly under it is another wall for the hallway in the basement. Directly under that is the concrete floor, and I don't know what is under that.
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Jul 2, 2010 20:04
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I just bought a standalone upright freezer on Craigslist for $50. I would love, LOVE to have an ice maker, but this is an old model without the appropriate holes or existing kit. Is it possible to take any old ice maker kit and install it? Is there somewhere it is generally safe to drill an appropriate hole, without breaching to cooling system somehow? Edit: Eh, gonna cross post this in the plumbing thread. I like turtles fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Jul 3, 2010 |
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Jul 2, 2010 23:09
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Yeah it does sound like the wall is more trouble than it is worth. I figure if I can walk around on the roof without noticing it flex (200psf), it should be fine. It's the south roof anyway, so the snow load is a lot lighter. On a related note, has anyone found a stud finder that can reliably find rafters through a layer of shingles and plywood? I have one with a deep scan mode, but it hasn't been finding much of anything. Edit: I just had an amazing idea for solving this. Hillridge fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Jul 3, 2010 |
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Jul 3, 2010 01:54
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JediTalentAgent posted:I have an old mid-90s TI-82 graphing calculator that has served me well, but after exposing it to some conditions that probably ruined it, there are several columns of pixels that randomly stop working. Other than that, it STILL WORKS. The LCD screen is connected to the main PCB by means of a conductive "comb-like" rubber strip. If the calculator gets wet or dirty, the rubber can lose contact with the screen in some places and you get random nonworking pixels as a result. Disassemble the calculator and the screen assembly, clean everything with isopropyl alcohol and your calculator should be like new.
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Jul 3, 2010 02:36
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I need to clean smudges of oil-based paint off the doorknob. The paint has since dried completely. Is there a good way of doing this, or should I break out my stash of sandpaper and a razor blade? There are several stains of paint on the varnished floor as well. I'm afraid to go there with a razor blade because I might damage the varnish. Any ideas?
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Jul 3, 2010 02:40
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dur posted:Ugh. After a bunch of rain here (almost 3") in the twin cities last week, my basement got wet. There wasn't a whole lot of water - maybe half a gallon total - and we didn't have any wetness issues at all when the snow melted. It was only around the 2 sides of the basement against the walls, there wasn't any wetness on the walls at all, and nothing dripping from the ceiling. The grading around the house is good, and the gutters all empty out away from the house, so I'm not sure where the heck the water is coming from. My house had the same issue when we got 1" of rain in a really really short amount of time. Otherwise the basement has been really dry. From what I was able to research since mine seemed to come up from the floor corners, is that it was seepage, and there really isn't any way to stop that short of installing a sump pump and a french drain around the outside of the house, which is crazy expensive. I guess this is normal for abnormal amounts of rain, and the majority of houses built have this happen at some point. It kind of puts a kibosh on finishing certain parts of a basement, though. Which sucks. What you can do is look to where neighbors eave spouts are emptying, and see if it's causing more water to come towards your house, double check the grading, check your gutters aren't clogged with leaves causing it to run down the side of the house, check your eave spouts again and maybe extend them even further. Not an expert on this, I just got my first house and we've had crazy amounts of rain this summer and noticed some seepage and this is what I came up with from friends and googles. When all our snow melted we didn't see a drop, either. We've even had some pretty bad storms, and a weeks worth of constant rain, and everything stayed dry. It's just when we get super downpours that cause minor flooding in the streets and such is when I see some water seep in. Which I'm guessing that is the same boat you're in. Philthy fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Jul 3, 2010 |
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Jul 3, 2010 19:16
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Does anyone have or know where I can find the 2003 ICC IRC (2003 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings) online or is it always something you have to buy? In particular I'm interested in the solar chapter to see if there are any limitations on where panels can be placed. Hillridge fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Jul 3, 2010 |
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Jul 3, 2010 20:15
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Poknok posted:I need to clean smudges of oil-based paint off the doorknob. The paint has since dried completely. Is there a good way of doing this, or should I break out my stash of sandpaper and a razor blade? You could try turps, just be prepared to re-varnish the door knob if the paint is long-dried on. Use a rag to dab the turps on.
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Jul 3, 2010 22:12
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Hillridge posted:Does anyone have or know where I can find the 2003 ICC IRC (2003 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings) online or is it always something you have to buy? grover fucked around with this message at 23:47 on Jul 3, 2010 |
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Jul 3, 2010 23:40
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Do I need a special machine needles for sewing vinyl (semi-stiff stuff, it's tablecloth vinyl) and if so, what are they called and where can I find them?
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Jul 4, 2010 22:03
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madlilnerd posted:Do I need a special machine needles for sewing vinyl (semi-stiff stuff, it's tablecloth vinyl) and if so, what are they called and where can I find them? 100/16?
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Jul 4, 2010 22:24
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I was trying to hang curtains in my new apartment and something terrible happened. The window is extremely close to the roof but has enough space to mount curtain rods within it. While trying to mount the middle support rod, I notice I was hitting something springing back the screw. From some advice it sounds like a corner bead around the window. I was told to pierce it with a nail and screw into it. I tried that but with the screw half in I noticed that instead of going into the drywall the corner bead was being ripped out, cracking paint and bowing outward. I stopped and reversed the screw. Two issues exist. With a screw in the corner bead will bow out, making a centre support impossible. I was able to do the corners of the window but a solution would be nice. Even without a screw the area around the corner bead is cracked slightly and pushed forward. It isn't extreme and I am thinking I can putty over it with some mesh tape holding it down. How the gently caress do I mount these curtains with corner beads at every window? There isn't enough space to go higher. Further, I've come to the conclusion my entire apartment is made of loving metal. Trying to mount a shelf within the closet. Measure out the holes and start drilling *DING*. Thinking its a metal stud I check with a small nail, instead of making a solid "I'm attached to the drywall" sound it makes a reverberating "guess what the gently caress I am, haha you have no clue" sound. I checked my stud finder and while two scout spots appear to be studs detected on the finder any other spot (not detected) I select does the same thing. What the gently caress.
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Jul 6, 2010 02:49
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Corner bead is used on the the outside junction of two sheets of drywall, a corner, to prevent chipping. There should not be a corner bead near the ceiling. Possibly your apartment building is built with metal studs, in which case you would need self tapping sheet metal screws or to predrill.
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Jul 6, 2010 06:22
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If there is a bulkhead above the window, it also could be sheet metal from duct work.
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Jul 6, 2010 17:03
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NerdPolice posted:
Do you know if you have metal studs throughout or are there wooden ones as well? If you have wooden studs, you could probably pre-drill a hole in the metal sheeting so the screw has clearance. When the screw tightens into the wood, it'll suck the sheeting back in. You'll still have to fix the area that already cracked though. Some joint compound, little sanding, etc, etc.
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Jul 6, 2010 17:17
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It is a brand new building so I'm assuming only metal studs. There is no way it is duct work given its proximity to the outside, size of the gap and closeness to the window. I am almost certain its some sort of window corner bead given its shape is exactly like a corner bead and the area ripping out is perfectly straight. This is an example of what is happening. The red are areas I drilled holes into. The corners the screws went in once I pierced the metal with a nail. The centre portion, probably being less anchored, tried to pull the metal along the threads pulling it away from the wall. The crack above the drill hole is a perfectly straight line which is what makes me think it is a corner bead. Thinking since I can nail it down but screws aren't really an option I could put some heavy duty nails on opposite sides of the middle hole I drilled and hammer them in good. That should re-secure the corner bead. After that some compound, sanding and paint matching should fix it up. I would have liked to put the middle bracket portion up, curtains are staying up fine without it, but short of predrilling with a drill bit that can easily get through metal that isn't going to happen.
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Jul 7, 2010 00:36
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Gas dryer started to have problems a couple days ago. It's rotating and blowing just fine but it heats only about 1 in 4 times you turn it on. we've stopped using. Gas line and exhaust line are fine. Air ducting inside seems ok from what I can see but I haven't really torn into much yet and never have torn into a dryer. I've read a little bit online about them and it seems like they function just like a furnace. A glowing ignitor, flame sensor, thermostat and some kind of logic board or circuitry to control it all. What do I replace first and whats a good speedy shipping place to buy factory parts or factory equivalent (not chinese house-burnt-down stuff) online? (my wild rear end guess is flame sensor just cause furnaces act like this when the flame sensor is bad, I'd imagine an ignitor would fail completely and a thermostat if dryers have them would maybe cause problems mid-cycle rather than, hit the switch it works this time but not this time???) Vin BioEthanol fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Jul 7, 2010 |
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Jul 7, 2010 00:38
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Quick question, I checked this forums many many months ago, maybe a year ago, and I'm sure there was an electronics megathread or something like that, which ghave some basic info and a link to a comprehensive online textbook. Looking back through the few pages of this thread I couldn't find anything like that again. I had a look through the Science and Academics forum but couldn't find anything there too. I'm interested in looking into electric circuits and learning all about them as a hobby. I've got good grades in Maths and Physics, but nothing beyond the age of 18, and it seems like a practical and interesting thing to learn about and physically do. Are there any particular good books online or on Amazon to self-learn this, or any materials I can buy online to start learning all about it myself? I'm in the UK, if that makes any difference to anything. It's been a few years since I had to specialise for a uni degree and it maddens me how much I miss learning and wish I could carry on in other areas that interest me, so hoping to pick up some hobbies in my spare time.
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Jul 7, 2010 01:37
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Fat Turkey posted:Quick question, I checked this forums many many months ago, maybe a year ago, and I'm sure there was an electronics megathread or something like that... There is a learning electronics mega-thread on the first page of this subforum.
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Jul 7, 2010 04:29
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Oh look, there sure is  Don't know why I couldn't see it before, I'm sure I doublechecked each page before posting. Thanks for pointing out the obvious to silly me.
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Jul 7, 2010 09:56
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My furnace is connected to my programmable thermostat with two wires. I don't have A/C, but I'd like to be able to draw cool air from my basement and circulate it by turning the fan on manually. There is a switch for the fan on the thermostat, but it doesn't do anything when I turn it to 'on'. Is this a function of my furnace? Or does having a two-wire connection mean I don't have signals to control the fan separately? Can I change that?
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Jul 8, 2010 11:46
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