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FunOne posted:So, I have a condo (renting) that appears to at one point had the garage finished so it was 2 AC Registers and a return in there. At later point it was returned back to garage duty and it appears they just shoved some cardboard in behind the vents and closed them. There should be a damper somewhere on the duct between where it splits off of the main trunk and the vent exit in the garage. It's a butterfly door inside the duct, controlled by a little lever on one side. Each duct run should have one. If all else fails, sealing off the end of the duct in the garage will be the best you could do, and should be plenty; you are stopping air movement through the duct & main trunk air it will just bypass the duct entirely and move off to some point of less resistance. Raviv posted:New homeowner here. We just moved into a house built in the 50s. We have a mix of two and three prong electrical outlets. What color is the wire behind the receptacle? If it's black & fabric-covered, there may be no ground. If it's green & fabric-covered, there may be a ground wire cut off flush...you may have to try to pull some more out (depends on whether or not there's any slack...be gentle) & strip off some of the outside sheath & see what's there. After that: it depends on how accessible your wiring runs are. My house has all of the wiring coming up from the unfinished basement, I can trace it back to a junction box & replace it. If you are not set-up this easily, it could get difficult & expensive as you may have to open walls to get at the run or chase a new one. Mine was built in 1930 and was a mix of knob & tube from then, and Romex installed in 1974 & joined to the knob & tube in an unholy shotgun wedding. I wound up rewiring the house myself in 2004. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Jun 30, 2011 |
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Jun 30, 2011 22:26
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Raviv posted:New homeowner here. We just moved into a house built in the 50s. We have a mix of two and three prong electrical outlets. First thing's first: get yourself a 3 prong outlet tester for under $10, and run around and test all of your 3 prong outlets. That will let you know which outlets aren't actually grounded. Second, what kind of cable do you have: NM, AC, or individual wires in conduit?
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Jul 1, 2011 00:18
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peepsalot posted:I had my A/C blower replaced recently, and while the new unit works very well, it seems a lot louder than I remember the old unit being. I'm not sure if it'sbecause it's actually pushing more air or just the fan in it is not as quiet. Either way I'm looking for some ways to silence it a bit. Just a follow-up, I bought some of this stuff . Lined the whole cavity with the stuff. Recorded sound clips from my laptop before and after, from the same position. Analyzed the spectrum in Audacity.  I'm pretty satisfied with the results.
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Jul 1, 2011 07:57
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I just had AT&T U-Verse DSL installed. A big hassle as only one of the phone lines in the house actually worked, so the modem is set up in an awkward place. I have no desire whatsoever to rewire the telephone cabling inside the walls. Thus, I want to run telephone wire from the telephone network interface around the side of the house (under the eave) strapped to and alongside some existing unused cable line, and bring the wire in through an existing cut through for the cable, replacing the cable cover with a phone jack. The run will be about 40 feet long. My question is should I buy a particular grade or quality of telephone wire for the outdoor use? Is there some shielding the wire should have that would improve the DSL strength/reliability? There's some old telephone wire that is already there (it continues running around the side of the house to a back bedroom), but I figure that it would be best to just replace it. My do-it-yourself skills are near sea monkey level, but I figure I can handle this....
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Jul 1, 2011 16:07
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Seventyfour posted:I just had AT&T U-Verse DSL installed. A big hassle as only one of the phone lines in the house actually worked, so the modem is set up in an awkward place. I have no desire whatsoever to rewire the telephone cabling inside the walls. You do want to use outdoor cable. Just get some cat5 networking cable that is outdoor-rated like this and maybe some staples to hang it too. Modern homes use computer networking cable in place of phone lines. The cat5 will have 4 pairs, but you only need the blue pair for phone. Attach the blue wire to red screws and the blue-white wire to green screws. Better yet, don't lose your cable jack. They do make combination phone/coax wallplates.
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Jul 1, 2011 16:24
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Thanks! That's very helpful. EDITED: to strike question I pretty easily googled.... Seventyfour fucked around with this message at 16:33 on Jul 1, 2011 |
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Jul 1, 2011 16:29
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gently caress gently caress gently caress Today I picked up a bottle of floetrol when buying paint. I have never used it before, but have heard good things. I added 1 tbsp (0.5 fl oz) to a full gallon of BM Flat (their standard contractors stuff, not Aura or anything fancy), and stirred for quite some time to get it to blend in (the paint colour is a rich brown). I go to cut in, and it is like smearing a watery mud puddle over the wall! It is ridiculously thin. I don't know how else to describe it. It isn't covering anything. I am so very confused! I have been using this same brand/type of paint (without using floetrol) in other rooms and it has never been like this. From what I understand, 0.5 fl oz is a tiny amount of floetrol, as I have read you can stick 1/2 pint in 1 gallon of paint. Is this the floetrol's fault, is there something otherwise wrong with the paint, or is it something I'm doing wrong? I am just baffled! I don't know what to do. I've just ruined an entire can of paint  . I am too mad/embarrassed/confused to go buy more paint right now.
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Jul 1, 2011 21:58
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Associate Christ
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I didn't wire these in myself, but I've got three light sensitive outside lights wired into the same circuit. Two are the same design and are flat against the wall. The other is a lamp style design. The bulb in the lamp style one went, so I replaced it and it works fine. But after I turned the circuit off at the switch and turned it back on, the two other lights don't work. They flicker a little like lamps do when they're warming up, but they never get further than that. I don't think it's that the bulbs have gone, as it'd be a weird co-incidence for them to go at the same time. Anyone got any ideas? I'm at a loss.
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Jul 3, 2011 23:14
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Quick framing question: When I put in my concrete slab I was told to put a 2 degree slope for drainage. My slab has just under 2 degrees of slope but over 20' the slope is probably more than 2" end to end (it's also sloped right to left about 1.5 degrees but it's only 10' wide so the slope is less noticeable). Now, my 'how to build a shed' book tells me slab slope will cause me to have trouble framing the doors. Will I have trouble? I was prepared to resurface the slab but the slope is so tiny that my 2x4x10s I bought to form the concrete aren't straight enough to fix a 2" drop. I thought I did a bad job making the slab but after careful measurement it's as flat as I can get it with wood forms (I just don't have any luck picking up perfectly straight pieces of wood). I'm afraid of starting my framing and not able to frame my doors and windows.
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Jul 4, 2011 15:03
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Badmana posted:Quick framing question:
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Jul 4, 2011 17:05
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Might be overkill but I would make the sole plate with pressure treated and then use a second plate of regular wood over that and shim in between the 2. Seems like it would get you better results and less pain in the rear end that way. I would think it would be a real bitch to shim the bottom plate when joining wood to concrete, with masonry nails or tapcons etc.
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Jul 5, 2011 13:40
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emocrat posted:Might be overkill but I would make the sole plate with pressure treated and then use a second plate of regular wood over that and shim in between the 2. Seems like it would get you better results and less pain in the rear end that way. I would think it would be a real bitch to shim the bottom plate when joining wood to concrete, with masonry nails or tapcons etc. I think the major problem is shimming over that distance is going to be trouble. It's 2 inches over 20 feet (the shed will be 8 x 16 so the slope is probably 1 and 3/4 inches). I think making a shim that long will probably exceed the tolerance of my table saw. I think I might just have to live with the fact that the doors (and to some extent the windows) will not sit perfectly. I will try my best to level the top plate. I have a laser level that I used to level my deck joists but working on the top plate (8 feet up) will be a little bit more difficult than working on a deck 4 feet high.
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Jul 5, 2011 20:58
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A couple quick questions: 1. Does anyone know any good alternatives to Dryvit to repair a wall that is finished with it? 2. Should the AC coil moisture tray be tilted towards the drain so not water sets in it? Mine has water that sets in it. Thank you.
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Jul 5, 2011 23:17
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Quick drywall repair question - I got some cracks in the drywall at the part where the window meets the wall. I looked around but didn't see anything like this. What's the best way to repair it? Should I remove the cracked portion and put a new sheet of drywall in? Or should I just use mesh tape and some compound? I have no idea, any help would be greatly appreciated! Here's what it looks like - http://i.imgur.com/juO4T.jpg
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Jul 6, 2011 01:33
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Numbnuts posted:Quick drywall repair question - I got some cracks in the drywall at the part where the window meets the wall. I looked around but didn't see anything like this. What's the best way to repair it? Should I remove the cracked portion and put a new sheet of drywall in? Or should I just use mesh tape and some compound? I have no idea, any help would be greatly appreciated! Is that the gap where the drywall meets the window frame? Use some paintable caulk to fill that.
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Jul 6, 2011 07:19
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kid sinister posted:Is that the gap where the drywall meets the window frame? Use some paintable caulk to fill that. Yeah, it's where the wall regresses a bit. It's just a crack in the drywall, there isn't a gaping hole or anything. So to the left of the crack there's a stud and to the right is the window frame.. From the crack over to the window the drywall is kinda flimsy - will the paintable caulk be enough to keep it in place?
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Jul 6, 2011 12:18
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I'm a first-time homeowner, and I Just bought a dehumidifier for our basement, which is doing great things. It's sucking a crapton of moisture out of there, and it smells a million times better. The only thing is that we have to empty the bucket. A lot. There's a hose hookup on dehumidifier, but there's only one place to drain it to- the washer standpipe. There's no other drains down there, and it's underground. Problem is that there's no room in the washer standpipe with our washer hookup- here's a picture of it.  I was curious if it would be a good idea to put in a PVC Y-type fitting, so I could hook up the hose for the washer and the dehumidifier at the same time, or if it could screw things up.
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Jul 6, 2011 13:08
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It should be fine, but you wouldn't want any soapy water pumping back up your dehumidifier line, try to keep your dehumidifier line near the top of the run. Also does you dehumidifier have a pump to pump the drainage upwards? That's usually a bonus feature.
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Jul 6, 2011 15:57
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kombatMedik posted:I'm a first-time homeowner, and I Just bought a dehumidifier for our basement, which is doing great things. It's sucking a crapton of moisture out of there, and it smells a million times better.
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Jul 6, 2011 17:50
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Numbnuts posted:Yeah, it's where the wall regresses a bit. It's just a crack in the drywall, there isn't a gaping hole or anything. So to the left of the crack there's a stud and to the right is the window frame.. From the crack over to the window the drywall is kinda flimsy - will the paintable caulk be enough to keep it in place? I still can't tell from your picture. Could you get one better lit at a higher resolution please? Is that the drywall corner bead popping up? Drywall around window frames will always be "kinda flimsy" due to heat transfer from the window. That window frame will expand and contract slightly with the seasons. That's why I recommended caulk, it expands and contracts better than drywall mud. kombatMedik posted:there's only one place to drain it to- the washer standpipe. There's no other drains down there, and it's underground. That isn't right, all basements need at least one floor drain in case of water leaks. Stagnant water in a dark basement is a surefire recipe for mold and mildew. Look over by your furnace and water heater for a floor drain. Water heaters need them in case they need to relieve pressure, and air conditioners need to drain off the water they accumulate. Find the hose attached to your furnace/AC and follow it to the drain. Your "Y on the washer's drain" wouldn't work because the dehumidifier would need to be higher than the drain opening to drain properly. Buy yourself the shortest, cheapest garden hose that will reach, then run it to your floor drain. Cut it to length with a utility knife and use a plastic zip tie to tie the hose down to the drain cover. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 19:14 on Jul 6, 2011 |
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Jul 6, 2011 19:01
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kid sinister posted:I still can't tell from your picture. Could you get one better lit at a higher resolution please? Is that the drywall corner bead popping up? Hopefully these are better, in the first my hand is on the wall and the window is on the right of the picture. It sounds like I should probably caulk it, sand it, and then paint over it though. Sorry for the lovely explanation, if I knew how to explain it then it probably would have been the first result on google haha. http://i.imgur.com/6rj7h.jpg http://i.imgur.com/jwmLs.jpg
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Jul 6, 2011 20:22
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kombatMedik posted:I'm a first-time homeowner, and I Just bought a dehumidifier for our basement... Ja I would glue in a wye on the top end of that open pipe. If you're concerned about backwash (which shouldn't be an issue with an open standpipe like that) put an extension on the vertical side of the wye and drop the drain in there. As kid sinister noted, though, you have to mount the unit above the drain. My mom has a dehu - I built a shelf to one side of & slightly above the laundry tub sink & it drains right in. However, the tub sink suggestion is your best option if you have the room. kid sinister posted:That isn't right, all basements need at least one floor drain in case of water leaks. Numbnuts posted:
Butter it up with joint compound & re-paint. Mesh first would help resist new cracking... but you'd better have the art; I don't. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 23:22 on Jul 6, 2011 |
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Jul 6, 2011 23:12
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kid sinister posted:
There isn't a drain at all down there. I know this, its not a big basement, and there's no room to install a sink sadly. Putting the dehumidifier above the line is no problem- to the right of the washer/dryer is a crappy homebuilt work bench that the people who owned our place before us built. It would be extremely easy to toss the dehumidifier on that and run a 4 foot hose.
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Jul 6, 2011 23:39
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Numbnuts posted:Hopefully these are better, in the first my hand is on the wall and the window is on the right of the picture. It sounds like I should probably caulk it, sand it, and then paint over it though. Sorry for the lovely explanation, if I knew how to explain it then it probably would have been the first result on google haha. Don't mesh a crack like that. Mesh is only for cracks that go all the way through the wall, like where 2 drywall boards butt edge to edge. Numbnuts, can you push it in just barely? That is the drywall corner bead coming up. Drywall isn't very strong at inside corners, so it needs an L-shaped metal strip nailed over the corner edge to protect it. The corner bead is then mudded over on both sides. Over time these nails can come loose and the strip can pop off the drywall. This happens a lot near windows because of their extra temperature variance causing shrinkage and expansion. Anyway, the proper fix is to nail it down again with wide-headed short nails, like roofing nails and mud it over again from the window to the corner. Chip out a spot for the nail down to the metal wide enough for a nail head, then nail it in. Don't go overboard, just make it tight to the drywall. Don't drive the strip into the wall. Do this every 12" or so until it's tight and you can't push it in anymore. Then keep mudding and sanding until it's ready to paint. kombatMedik posted:There isn't a drain at all down there. I know this, its not a big basement, and there's no room to install a sink sadly. Putting the dehumidifier above the line is no problem- to the right of the washer/dryer is a crappy homebuilt work bench that the people who owned our place before us built. It would be extremely easy to toss the dehumidifier on that and run a 4 foot hose. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Jul 6, 2011 |
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Jul 6, 2011 23:54
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kid sinister posted:Then what does your AC drain? Or do you have window units that drain out the window? No a/c down there, its an older condo, so theres only one small window at ground level, which is about 5 feet off the floor. It stays cool enough down there.
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Jul 7, 2011 00:06
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kombatMedik posted:No a/c down there, its an older condo, so theres only one small window at ground level, which is about 5 feet off the floor. It stays cool enough down there. I meant upstairs.
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Jul 7, 2011 00:09
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kid sinister posted:Don't mesh a crack like that. Mesh is only for cracks that go all the way through the wall, like where 2 drywall boards butt edge to edge. Yup, the portion to the right of the crack can be pushed down just a bit. So I want to chip away a bit of the drywall, put a nail in, and then mud over it? Awesome, thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it.
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Jul 7, 2011 00:37
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kid sinister posted:I meant upstairs. Ahh yeah we have window units.
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Jul 7, 2011 01:47
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kid sinister posted:Then what does your AC drain? Or do you have window units that drain out the window? I have a condensate pump & pump it up to the rafters & over to a sink on a side wall.
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Jul 7, 2011 03:18
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Numbnuts posted:Yup, the portion to the right of the crack can be pushed down just a bit. So I want to chip away a bit of the drywall, put a nail in, and then mud over it? Awesome, thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. It should be loose to the left of the crack, between the crack and inside corner. To the right of the crack there won't be the metal corner bead.
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Jul 7, 2011 03:35
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kid sinister posted:It should be loose to the left of the crack, between the crack and inside corner. To the right of the crack there won't be the metal corner bead. Oh, that part isn't flimsy though - only to the right of it (the part closest to the window) is where I can push down a bit. If I push down there then it becomes flush with the left of the crack. Should I nail on the right instead? Sorry, I'm pretty horrible with this.
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Jul 7, 2011 04:07
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kid sinister posted:That isn't right, all basements need at least one floor drain in case of water leaks. Stagnant water in a dark basement is a surefire recipe for mold and mildew. Look over by your furnace and water heater for a floor drain. Water heaters need them in case they need to relieve pressure, and air conditioners need to drain off the water they accumulate. Find the hose attached to your furnace/AC and follow it to the drain. As does the upstairs bathtub 
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Jul 7, 2011 19:13
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Do any goons have a surefire method for getting rid of ground-dwelling hornets? I've heard everything from basic raid spray and traps to pouring boiling water or gasoline down the hole, but I'd rather hear from a goon who's actually done it (or had to kill similar pests).
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Jul 8, 2011 03:55
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Numbnuts posted:Oh, that part isn't flimsy though - only to the right of it (the part closest to the window) is where I can push down a bit. If I push down there then it becomes flush with the left of the crack. Should I nail on the right instead? Sorry, I'm pretty horrible with this. I'd just mud that over, sand and paint.
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Jul 8, 2011 04:34
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gingrich posted:Do any goons have a surefire method for getting rid of ground-dwelling hornets? I've heard everything from basic raid spray and traps to pouring boiling water or gasoline down the hole, but I'd rather hear from a goon who's actually done it (or had to kill similar pests). I have tried the gasoline method (when I was a teenager) on the advice of my friend's dad and it got me stung. It probably works if you can withstand the stinging long enough to light it but I wouldn't try it again. I have used wasp/hornet killer on wasp nests and with great effect (without getting stung).
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Jul 8, 2011 07:03
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My trailer has bolts that stick out way too far and I want to cut them off. I've tried a hacksaw and a metal cutting blade on a saw but on both the teeth just grind down to nothing in a minute. What kind of blade do I need to cut hardened bolts or should I use a grinder. Last ditch effort I could replace all the bolts with shorter ones but there are a quite a few.
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Jul 8, 2011 07:05
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I'd go with a dremel and a pack of cut off wheels.
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Jul 8, 2011 12:10
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wormil posted:My trailer has bolts that stick out way too far and I want to cut them off. I've tried a hacksaw and a metal cutting blade on a saw but on both the teeth just grind down to nothing in a minute. What kind of blade do I need to cut hardened bolts or should I use a grinder. Last ditch effort I could replace all the bolts with shorter ones but there are a quite a few. $15. http://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-half-inch-angle-grinder-95578.html
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Jul 8, 2011 14:50
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I have a few tons of bricks laying in my yard that I'd like to crush up and use for driveway gravel, rather than paying to dispose of. Is there a machine I could rent/a service that does this? There's no way I can break these all up with a sledgehammer. I googled around, but all I could find were companies in the UK that do this type of service (I'm in SE Massachusetts).
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Jul 8, 2011 15:10
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Dragyn posted:I have a few tons of bricks laying in my yard that I'd like to crush up and use for driveway gravel, rather than paying to dispose of. Is there a machine I could rent/a service that does this? There's no way I can break these all up with a sledgehammer.
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Jul 8, 2011 15:18
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