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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:Lots of coax Those probably aren't all cable runs to outside the house. I'd be willing to bet that some of those runs are just to other jacks in the room. Other signals can be run over coax besides cable TV if you have the appropriate jack-adapting wallplates, like 1 speaker or 1 RCA. Mthrboard posted:I remember reading somewhere that as concrete mix gets older, it loses its strength. Just the opposite, in fact. If you leave concrete mix to sit around, it will start to absorb humidity from the air and start curing.
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Aug 7, 2010 00:29
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kid sinister posted:Just the opposite, in fact. If you leave concrete mix to sit around, it will start to absorb humidity from the air and start curing. For the type of things people typically use bagged concrete for, I doubt this would matter a whole lot. Even if it weakens 4-fold from 4000psi to 1000psi, it's still going to hold a mailbox up just fine.
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Aug 7, 2010 01:10
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kid sinister posted:Just the opposite, in fact. If you leave concrete mix to sit around, it will start to absorb humidity from the air and start curing. So if it's still powder and not a solid block, I should be fine, right? I poured a bag into my mixing tub and it's still all powder, no large clumps or anything. I guess I'll just use it and hope for the best. And then if it fails I'll just blame my wife for telling me the Kerdi system is too expensive.
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Aug 7, 2010 01:11
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Mthrboard posted:So if it's still powder and not a solid block, I should be fine, right? I poured a bag into my mixing tub and it's still all powder, no large clumps or anything. I guess I'll just use it and hope for the best. And then if it fails I'll just blame my wife for telling me the Kerdi system is too expensive. If it makes you feel better, I used 1-year old cement mix with sandy gravel I scrounged from my driveway when I poured the pad for my AC unit. No cracks! I've used much much older concrete mix for fenceposts, too. Gets really hard to break up and mix if it starts to cure.
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Aug 7, 2010 01:13
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If you want strong concrete pour it very early on a very humid day. The more slowly it dries the stronger it will cure. If you don't need a smooth finish for an application or are willing to babysit it off and on, you can even use wet burlap or something similar over the top of it to force it to dry extremely slowly. Concrete that dried too quickly and/or that was poured in too large of slabs are the main reasons for cracking.
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Aug 7, 2010 15:32
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Well, everything seems to be OK with the concrete. It's still a little damp on the surface, but otherwise it feels firm. The only issue I had was that the recommended water/concrete ratio made a very dry mix which was hard to work, but I got it moved around eventually. Now I just have to wait for the boss to decide how she wants the tile laid out.
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Aug 7, 2010 16:57
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After completing another repair job, I now have sticky spots on my desk and a double fistful of change, screws, etc coated with half of a binary epoxy because the cap leaked. Various household cleansers and rubbing alcohol all have failed to take it off. I pitched the leaking tube, but it occurs to me that I may need to know what kind of resin/hardener I'm dealing with before I can identify a solvent. Is there any certain go-to chemical for this kind of thing? That won't eat my desk, and my hands?
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Aug 7, 2010 23:34
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Epoxies can usually be thinned with denatured alcohol, but if the rubbing alcohol didn't do anything to it I'm not sure the denatured alcohol would. Maybe try naphtha(zippo fluid) first, then lacquer thinner, then acetone. Test the lacquer thinner and acetone in an inconspicuous place on your desk first.
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Aug 8, 2010 00:02
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Anybody know where I can find plans for something like this, or where it originated?
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Aug 9, 2010 02:07
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WorkingStiff posted:Anybody know where I can find plans for something like this, or where it originated? It's a painted wooden box to hide the cables. Do you really need plans for something like that?
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Aug 9, 2010 04:44
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wormil posted:It's a painted wooden box to hide the cables. Do you really need plans for something like that? I'm curious as to whether it is free-standing. I can't mount anything to the walls.
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Aug 9, 2010 08:10
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You could make it freestanding, just throw 100 pounds of free weights in the bottom.
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Aug 9, 2010 08:35
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That has to be fastened to the wall; the CG is pretty clearly hanging over empty space, it would have fallen over if it wasn't.
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Aug 9, 2010 10:44
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WorkingStiff posted:I'm curious as to whether it is free-standing. I can't mount anything to the walls. The only way I see that type of setup free standing is to add a foot to the structure and add 100+ lbs of ballast to the bottom. It can be done, it just won't look exactly like that. edit: something like this,  Click here for the full 500x626 image. Hide the lead weight on the inside of the box. Also, don't make it crazy tall, the taller it is, the more unstable it will be. You know, leverage and all. keykey fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Aug 9, 2010 |
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Aug 9, 2010 18:28
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Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I am going to try to mount an omni-mount on to a movable pedestal of some sort where I can route all the cables through it and weight the base. I'm eye-balling the portable basketball hoop outside for ideas... Thanks again.
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Aug 9, 2010 18:39
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Do you specifically want something in that style, or just looking for having a TV wall mounted without the wall? Because they make TV stands that have a wall mount on them and then a couple shelves for AV equipment. Example: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Whalen+...3&skuId=8760307 FCKGW fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Aug 9, 2010 |
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Aug 9, 2010 18:43
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You could try making it the height of the room, and use adjustable feet to hold it to the floor and ceiling, similar to this but with the box sort of built around it:  Put a pole or whatever in each corner and it should be pretty stable. This obviously wouldn't work so well if you have a suspended ceiling, though.
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Aug 9, 2010 20:40
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I recently bought a house that has a few doors that are equipped with lovely glass door knobs, but all but one of the interior latches are all missing. I really want to reuse these, but without the latch the doors do not stay closed. I tried looking for replacement interior latches online but the only stores that seem to provide them are in the UK and don't ship to the US. Perhaps someone out there may know of a place where these can be purchased. I'll include an image of what the latch looks like. It is 2.75 inches long and has a round bolt and round striker plate. Any help would be appreciated, thanks! Edit: After some more searching it seems this is called a "mortise latch" and while there are many square ones out there I am having trouble finding a round one. I guess I answered my own question then but on the off chance anyone knows where to buy round that would be helpful. 
Opera Bitch fucked around with this message at 00:45 on Aug 10, 2010 |
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Aug 10, 2010 00:24
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Opera Bitch posted:I recently bought a house that has a few doors that are equipped with lovely glass door knobs, but all but one of the interior latches are all missing. I really want to reuse these, but without the latch the doors do not stay closed. I tried looking for replacement interior latches online but the only stores that seem to provide them are in the UK and don't ship to the US. Perhaps someone out there may know of a place where these can be purchased. I'll include an image of what the latch looks like. It is 2.75 inches long and has a round bolt and round striker plate. Any help would be appreciated, thanks! Do you have a local locksmith? They would be the ones to turn to here I think.
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Aug 10, 2010 03:52
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I have to cut a four inch hole through my foundation for a dryer vent. It appears to be some sort of cement, about eight inches thick. I have a 5/8 inch mason bit, and a masons' chisel. I am going to do the old "bore holes in a circle around the inside circumference of the four inch hole and then chisel out the rest". How much of a pain in the rear end is this going to be? Any tips? I am afraid of having a very ugly hole in my wall.
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Aug 10, 2010 12:52
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^^^ Go to your local big box store and look for a longer mason drill bit, that will at least speed up the process. It's still going to look ugly but there's nothing short of an industrial concrete saw that you can use to get the job done and the ones at home depot rent only go to a depth of, I believe, 5 inches.
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Aug 10, 2010 16:11
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I would be bending over backwards to find a route for the exhaust that took it above the concrete. Is it not wood a few feet up?
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Aug 10, 2010 16:53
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keykey posted:^^^ Go to your local big box store and look for a longer mason drill bit, that will at least speed up the process. It's still going to look ugly but there's nothing short of an industrial concrete saw that you can use to get the job done and the ones at home depot rent only go to a depth of, I believe, 5 inches. Sorry, 5/8 inch is the diameter, it's 13 inches long. I've seen lots of neat wide diameter grit hole saw bits online that could do the job very quickly, but they usually have a max depth of only 1.5 to 4 inches. I guess I could drill a pilot hole and then go in from both sides? The other issue is that they are usually $80 or so. I am apprehensive about cutting into the foundation without much recourse if I gently caress things up! It's not something I want to have to patch! It's also not something I want to have to pay some one to do, so I should probably shut up and do it already.
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Aug 10, 2010 17:04
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Kaluza-Klein posted:Sorry, 5/8 inch is the diameter, it's 13 inches long. You're going to have all kinds of fun if you hit any rebar. For that I'd recommend a reciprocating saw with a metal blade. You might be able to use an abrasive blade to help out with the concrete cutting too.
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Aug 10, 2010 18:01
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Kaluza-Klein posted:Sorry, 5/8 inch is the diameter, it's 13 inches long. Look into renting a core drill, or getting a core drilling company. Usually they charge about $100 per hole, but they can drill an 8" diameter hole through solid granite in an hour. You are going to have a whole day of heartache and pain with the multiple holes method.
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Aug 11, 2010 01:22
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Kaluza-Klein posted:I have to cut a four inch hole through my foundation for a dryer vent. An angle grinder and diamond blade wouldn't cut very deep but it would make a nice clean edge and you could chisel/drill out the center.
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Aug 11, 2010 11:18
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My ~10 year old fridge has a recurring problem: periodically it will refuse to stop running and cool everything down to subfreezing temperatures. I've been able to "fix" this problem in the past by leaving the fridge unplugged for a day or two, and when I restart it it seems to work fine for a few months. But it's just done it again and it's starting to drive me crazy, so I'm interested in a more permanent solution. Is there anything I can do?
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Aug 13, 2010 15:40
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dokmo posted:My ~10 year old fridge has a recurring problem: periodically it will refuse to stop running and cool everything down to subfreezing temperatures. I've been able to "fix" this problem in the past by leaving the fridge unplugged for a day or two, and when I restart it it seems to work fine for a few months. But it's just done it again and it's starting to drive me crazy, so I'm interested in a more permanent solution. Is there anything I can do? If I had to guess, I'd say it needs a new thermostat.
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Aug 13, 2010 19:00
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Last week my central air stopped working. The thermostat says its on, but the condenser fan wasn't turning, and I couldn't hear any noise. I called a repairman, but they can't get here until Monday, and we're getting high 90s temperatures this weekend. However, I then noticed that the furnace blower was running continuously, even though the thermostat was set to auto. I tried turning the heat on, and it also doesn't work. Google tells me it is likely a faulty limit switch, but I can't locate the limit switch in the furnace. I did test some things: AC run capacitor and fuses are fine; furnace control board transformer is fine (outputting 27V); batteries in digital thermostat are fine. I contacted a furnace repair guy, but he can't get here until Tuesday. Is there anything else I can check and safely fix myself, given that I'm not an electrician or HVAC repairman? Is there anyway I can safely jury rig the AC to run temporarily, even if it means monitoring it manually (so I can bring the house temperature down in the evening to make sleeping inside bearable)? The furnace is a carrier 395BAW036080.
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Aug 13, 2010 19:44
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Your Lottery posted:Last week my central air stopped working. The thermostat says its on, but the condenser fan wasn't turning, and I couldn't hear any noise. I called a repairman, but they can't get here until Monday, and we're getting high 90s temperatures this weekend.
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Aug 13, 2010 21:20
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Dragyn posted:If I had to guess, I'd say it needs a new thermostat. Is this the kind of thing I can repair myself, or do I need someone with actual expertise?
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Aug 13, 2010 21:25
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dokmo posted:Is this the kind of thing I can repair myself, or do I need someone with actual expertise? I managed to do a thermostat myself with no prior appliance repair knowledge last year. A little bit of mechanical/electronic know-how would help. You'll likely be opening the back of the freezer to get access to the cooling parts.. the thermostat is likely attached somewhere on the piping in there. If you own a multimeter or some sort of continuity tester, you can test either end of the wire from it, if you find it's continually closed, then you might have found the culprit. Will someone better versed than I please step in here? I feel like I'm inevitably going to be quite wrong with something I've said.
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Aug 13, 2010 22:08
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Does anyone have experience with any of the less expensive(<$500) laser distance meters? I'd like to use one of these laser distance meters rather than a transit because of the ability to measure and calculate area, though I do need to be able to find elevations and work alone. The Leica D8 advertises "Altitude Profile Measurement" which would be fantastic and do exactly what I need and more, but $800 is a little bit more than what I want to spend. Most of the cheaper Bosch, DeWalt, Spectra, etc ones I've looked at don't advertise this feature, and might be questionable to use out in direct sunlight. Anyone have experience in this matter? Would splurging on a total station serve me better doing landscape designs and estimations? Help me out people! dinozaur fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Aug 13, 2010 |
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Aug 13, 2010 23:30
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grover posted:The fan is on because the thermostat is telling your system to provide cold air; the air handler really has no way of knowing if the coils inside are hot, cold or lukewarm. I betcha your compressor is burned out. If so, it can only be done by a professional, and is going to be costly to repair. You can open up your AC unit and check see if there is power going to the compressor or not, that might help you narrow it down if there's a loose wire or failed relay or something. Maybe I wasn't clear. The furnace blower stays on even when the thermostat is set to off (neither heat nor cool) and the fan is set to auto (there isn't an off setting for the fan). On auto, the blower should only turn on when there is a heating or cooling cycle on.
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Aug 14, 2010 04:54
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I've got a problem I can't figure out that I'd really appreciate any help with... See pics, I've labelled with A, B and C for ease of discussion. This piping under the kitchen sink was recently put in before we moved. Piece A (washing machine waste water thing) needed to be pulled out so we could drill a hole in the end, as it was new. Now, for some reason, it won't go back in to pipe C.   It only goes in as far as this  There's this black ring in there, that seems to be blocking it. It won't budge. Here's a cross section, although the red bit is actually the black ring:  Please note this in in the UK, but I assume the US must surely use the exact same kind of piping? I've gone to B&Q (home depot type place) to study the parts new, and I can't figure out where the hell this black ring has come from. As you can probably gather, part B just screw onto part C once part A is fully inserted. What the hell is going on? Any ideas?
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Aug 14, 2010 11:30
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The black ring is supposed to sit in part B. Pull it out of C, shove A all the way home then slide the black ring on, then the red ring then tighten up C. I have no idea how the black ring managed to get in there, looks like it would be too big to fit when I just checked on my sink but I suppose stranger things have happened.
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Aug 14, 2010 12:36
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Your Lottery posted:Maybe I wasn't clear. The furnace blower stays on even when the thermostat is set to off (neither heat nor cool) and the fan is set to auto (there isn't an off setting for the fan). On auto, the blower should only turn on when there is a heating or cooling cycle on. Color codes can vary from brand to brand, but here's a breakdown of which wire in your thermostat is which. Thermostats today are electronic, but the wiring dates back to very simple thermostats which were little more than mercury switches that opened/closed circuits, and can be activated with a bent paper clip or touching the wires together: http://highperformancehvac.com/hvac-thermostat-wire-colors-terminal-designations-and-thermosat-color-chart Your furnace fan should be stopped when everything is pulled. Someone here expert in HVAC may correct me, but I *think* this is your troubleshooting: Shunt R (red) to G (green). Your air handler fan should come on, and stop when you remove the shunt. Shunt R (red) to O (orange) or B (dark blue). Your air handler fan and outside compressor should both come on, and all stop when you remove the shunt.
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Aug 14, 2010 13:46
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icky posted:The black ring is supposed to sit in part B. Pull it out of C, shove A all the way home then slide the black ring on, then the red ring then tighten up C. I have no idea how the black ring managed to get in there, looks like it would be too big to fit when I just checked on my sink but I suppose stranger things have happened. Fantastic! It all works now! I got the black ring out with a knife, which took forever because it was wedged in right at the back, but now it's all plugged in properly. Thank you very, very much for your help!
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Aug 14, 2010 14:58
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I recently had to change some bulbs in my house and found that the ceiling fans with lights were using 3 different types of bases for the bulbs. Candelabra, medium, and normal. I found a socket reducer to go from medium to candelabra on Amazon which was very helpful. Now I need to find a socket reducer to go from normal to medium for a fish tank for my fiancee. I just spent 20 minutes searching Amazon and I can't find this. Does anyone know if this exists and if so, where can I buy it?
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Aug 15, 2010 02:34
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You could just buy the appropriate socket from your local hardware store, cut off the old one, and wire up the new one in its place.
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Aug 15, 2010 08:03
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