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Bank posted:I..honestly am not even sure how to describe the crawlspace. I guess we're on a concrete slab, but with a ~1.5ft crawlspace? The walkway I want to cover up is about a foot wide. Just a foot wide? Just stick some flowers in that little garden like it was intended for. Unless there is some huge slope off camera that causes mini floods down that walkway, you'll be fine.
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May 1, 2012 17:45
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kid sinister posted:Just a foot wide? Just stick some flowers in that little garden like it was intended for. Unless there is some huge slope off camera that causes mini floods down that walkway, you'll be fine.
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May 1, 2012 17:56
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Bank posted:So there shouldn't be any foundation issues when it rains? My side is just dirt, and when it rains the water just sticks around (2-3 inches deep) with nowhere to go but stay next to the foundation. 2-3 inches sounds excessive, but why not just slope it away from your house with dirt?
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May 1, 2012 19:07
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I agree, 2-3" of standing water is a massive amount. Where does all the water come from? Are you missing gutters on the roof above that, does the paver walkway slope toward the dirt / house, etc? You could put in a perimeter drain, but I'd try to tackle where the water is coming from first.
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May 1, 2012 19:12
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It just comes from the rain. The best way it sounds like is just grab some dirt from my backyard and slope it. The paved area will get to 1-2cm, but since there isn't that much dirt in that dirt area, the rain water will just fill that area up until it levels off, which is 2-3".
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May 1, 2012 19:26
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Richard M Nixon posted:Example: amazing Why wouldn't you put glass over it? There are shops that could cut it to just the right size and round off the edges for pretty cheap. My roomate and I did a fabric top for our porch table and even being super careful it got ruined real quick. Rings from coffe mugs, ashes from cigs, etc etc don't take long to make a fresh table look real poo poo real quick.
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May 1, 2012 20:02
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Bank posted:It just comes from the rain. The best way it sounds like is just grab some dirt from my backyard and slope it. The paved area will get to 1-2cm, but since there isn't that much dirt in that dirt area, the rain water will just fill that area up until it levels off, which is 2-3". It now sounds like that area is a small garden where the dirt just settled and sank. That can happen. You got the right idea, the fix is to fill it up and slope it away from the house. Keep the new soil level against the house lower than the siding. How good is the dirt there? Throw some plants in that garden.
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May 1, 2012 20:50
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I don't know how good the dirt is. There are plenty of weeds on my side as well so I guess things can still grow. I'm going to take my new action hoe and destroy the weeds then compact some dirt to slope it away from the house. Cheap and fast; just the way I like it.
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May 1, 2012 21:45
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If it grows weeds then it will grow flowers since they need hardly anything from the soil. You could put in California poppies from seed if you like them. They are very hardy and will reseed themselves forever.
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May 1, 2012 21:46
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My wife loves poppies so maybe we'll grab some. Not sure how well they grow around here (I live in the fog bank so it's foggy 50% of the year; even summer), but I'll check it out. Anything (other than weeds) beats dirt.
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May 1, 2012 22:18
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Bank posted:My wife loves poppies so maybe we'll grab some. Not sure how well they grow around here (I live in the fog bank so it's foggy 50% of the year; even summer), but I'll check it out. Anything (other than weeds) beats dirt. You might want to check with your local laws before you go planting california poppies, a.k.a. opium plants. When we bought the land we live on, there were some california poppies where the home site is. When the city came out to survey/do inspections they told us we couldn't build where we wanted because they were native to our area. So, a little bit of talking and some greased palms and the conclusion we came to was we could "relocate" them. One of the interesting city arguments during the whole shitfit was is we didn't have them, we weren't allowed to plant any because of the whole opium thing, but since we already had them we weren't allowed to remove them. CA, making home owners facepalm 1 incident at a time. I also have this shiny new water meter that's never been hooked up/monitored since they told me I had to buy it 13 years ago and they'd get around to hooking it up.
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May 2, 2012 17:04
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That's actually a good point. I just remembered this ad from McDonalds about it: http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2012/02/06/mcdonalds-new-insanely-effective-viral-ad-is-actually-illegal-to-remove/ Code enforcement isn't too strict where I am, but I'll just avoid the potential headache altogether.
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May 2, 2012 17:45
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keykey posted:You might want to check with your local laws before you go planting california poppies, a.k.a. opium plants. When we bought the land we live on, there were some california poppies where the home site is. When the city came out to survey/do inspections they told us we couldn't build where we wanted because they were native to our area. So, a little bit of talking and some greased palms and the conclusion we came to was we could "relocate" them. One of the interesting city arguments during the whole shitfit was is we didn't have them, we weren't allowed to plant any because of the whole opium thing, but since we already had them we weren't allowed to remove them. CA, making home owners facepalm 1 incident at a time. I also have this shiny new water meter that's never been hooked up/monitored since they told me I had to buy it 13 years ago and they'd get around to hooking it up. California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are not the same as Opium poppies (Papaver somniferum). Bank posted:That's actually a good point. I just remembered this ad from McDonalds about it: It's a common myth that you aren't allowed to pick/dig/whatever state flowers. There are probably rules about damaging any plants on state property like along roads and on private property that isn't yours without permission, but on your own private property you should be able to do whatever you want. See Wikipedia and Snopes.
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May 2, 2012 18:30
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Cpt.Wacky posted:
Depends entirely on the state in question. It's a myth in regards to the two you posted; try doing that with a saguaro in Arizona, even if it's on your property, and you'll wind up in trouble with the law. Check your local laws. Not Snopes.
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May 2, 2012 19:13
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I have a set of in-ear headphones with little removable (swappable between 3 sizes) rubber cups around the speakers. This is great on the day you buy them and want to make them fit just right. After that, trying to not lose them because they come off easily and are crucial is a big source of stress. I realize that might sound dumb but whatever, in addition to normal chillin' I need them almost every day for the gym and for editing at work. I've already lost a cup several times and gotten really lucky (sometimes days later). What might stand a chance of sticking hard plastic to soft rubber (might be silicone)? Superglue, Plasti-weld, epoxy, and Gorilla glue don't work, so far.
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May 2, 2012 19:47
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Splizwarf posted:I have a set of in-ear headphones with little removable (swappable between 3 sizes) rubber cups around the speakers. This is great on the day you buy them and want to make them fit just right. Depending on the particular in-ear headphones you can usually buy those rubber cups fairly cheap. (The ones from etymotic research that I used to wear are ~2 dollars a pair from amazon.) Replacing them every so often is also a bit more sanitary than permanently attaching them to the headphones.
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May 2, 2012 19:52
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I'd need to buy them by the pound.  Staples are cheap too, but I'd rather have my clothing sewn together; I need these attached, one way or another. Sanitation's a weird concern, what about all the bud headphones?
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May 2, 2012 20:03
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Splizwarf posted:I'd need to buy them by the pound. I got an ear infection from mine eventually, which is what prompted me to start replacing them more often. They were the kind that inserted all the way into the ear canal to provide sound dampening though. Anyway, if that isn't a problem for you google seems to indicate something like a cyanoacrylate glue which is used to bond rubber tires to plastic models would be good. Search for CA glue.
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May 2, 2012 20:43
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CA glue is superglue & he already tried that.
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May 2, 2012 21:23
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I moved into a new house recently. I was mopping the kitchen floor and noticed some lighter colored patches where I had mopped. Upon closer inspection, I found that if I scratch at the tile a bit with my finger nail, a dirty, waxy substance comes off. You can see the scratches in these pictures:  I know that sometimes kitchen tiles like this are waxed to protect them, but I'm not sure if I'm picking up wax or just years of accumulated dirt and grime  . If this is wax that's supposed to be on there, then I guess I'll need to re-wax the tiles, but I don't want to keep scratching up the current coat of wax in the meantime. If it's dirt and grime, then I'll apply some elbow grease and get that poo poo off.I'm kinda new to this house thing. Help?
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May 2, 2012 21:44
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Use finish stripper to remove it then apply new wax
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May 2, 2012 22:50
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Phanatic posted:Depends entirely on the state in question. It's a myth in regards to the two you posted; try doing that with a saguaro in Arizona, even if it's on your property, and you'll wind up in trouble with the law.
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May 4, 2012 00:26
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coyo7e posted:Big, big difference between a hundred year old saguaro and a bunch of weeds that happen to be a state flower, especially considering that the poster sounds like he was going off of some bizarre hearsay about cali poppies producing opium. I'm not a specialist on plant species by any means, nor do I pretend to be. I'm just going off what the inspector told me I had to do to get him to sign off on my building permits. He gave me misinformation about the type of plant, but the main point here is after much groveling and inflating his ego, we reached an agreement where I could move the drat things so I could build where they infested the land. Point being, check with local/state laws before planting things you may not be able to move/relocate very easily. And even more importantly, talk with a city inspector before doing things like that to make sure it's no problem. It's better to have them in your pocket than going against you.
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May 4, 2012 17:36
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keykey posted:You might want to check with your local laws before you go planting california poppies, a.k.a. opium plants. When we bought the land we live on, there were some california poppies where the home site is. When the city came out to survey/do inspections they told us we couldn't build where we wanted because they were native to our area. So, a little bit of talking and some greased palms and the conclusion we came to was we could "relocate" them. One of the interesting city arguments during the whole shitfit was is we didn't have them, we weren't allowed to plant any because of the whole opium thing, but since we already had them we weren't allowed to remove them. CA, making home owners facepalm 1 incident at a time. I also have this shiny new water meter that's never been hooked up/monitored since they told me I had to buy it 13 years ago and they'd get around to hooking it up. CA poppies are not "opium". They are related and can be used medicinally but don't yield the kind of effect opium does and are completely legal to consume, purchase, transport, etc They're the state flower so they're protected but you are free to plant them or remove them if it's your own property
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May 4, 2012 18:03
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dwoloz posted:they're protected but you are free to plant them or remove them if it's your own property Maybe I just drew the reject building inspector that cost me an additional $1000 a 2 days of work to replant poo poo so I wouldn't be uprooting something that apparently was protected in the valley or maybe even the law has changed in 12 years. I'm simply stating that's what happened to me and it's better to err on the side of caution than to have problems later on, especially in CA since they're looking for revenue any way they can right now.
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May 4, 2012 20:50
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It's possible. Building inspectors are very individualistic and your experience can vary wildly.
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May 4, 2012 23:43
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PainterofCrap posted:Building inspectors are very individualistic This is probably true, but so, so lovely. By definition, the opposite should be true. 
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May 5, 2012 03:19
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For a hobby project that has nothing to do with fencing, something like this vinyl post sleeve would help me immensely. However obtaining something like this here in southern Arizona at a reasonable price seems impossible. If you check the UPS shipping calculator, it costs over $400 to ship anywhere in the US... for one 6"x6"x10' long sleeve. I can understand the shipping cost if I ordered a whole bunch, but I just need 1 freaking sleeve. I'll call them up Monday to see if I can get away with normal UPS ground. I'm wondering if anybody knows any other company/website with an item similar to the sleeve. I prefer at least a 5" diameter and at least 5 feet long. It needs to be made of pvc or vinyl material. I'll check to see if there's anything up in Phoenix I can drive to, but I'm getting frustrated with pretty much no options.
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May 6, 2012 01:31
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ijii posted:For a hobby project that has nothing to do with fencing, something like this vinyl post sleeve would help me immensely. However obtaining something like this here in southern Arizona at a reasonable price seems impossible. If you check the UPS shipping calculator, it costs over $400 to ship anywhere in the US... for one 6"x6"x10' long sleeve. I can understand the shipping cost if I ordered a whole bunch, but I just need 1 freaking sleeve. I'll call them up Monday to see if I can get away with normal UPS ground. I know Home Depot used to have that, but not in 10' (nor 5') lengths at the store. It is kept in the lumber/insulation/deckparts area of the store. http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202950601/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=post+sleeve&storeId=10051 You could just go place a special order with the front desk they normally keep by the lumber section (I'm having a brain fart as to the name they call it), it likely would not be $400.
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May 6, 2012 13:19
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PainterofCrap posted:You could try removing the basket, using an X-Acto knife or razor to trim back the covering, sand off he rust, and try applying a few coats of this: Thanks PoC, got around to this last weekend. Applied 3 coats and ran my first load today. No rust!  Wife left a paste of barkeeper's friend (oxalic acid) on this overnight accidentally while cleaning off the rust from the problem above. It's 18/10 stainless (now that I look at it, it says 18/10 stainless handle), is it salvageable or is the plating toast?
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May 8, 2012 01:30
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Quick question sort of. I have an old iron thumb latch on our master bathroom door. It's cool and I don't need that door to have a sturdy handle/lock, so I'll keep it. It's an old barn style door anyway. The problem is there's no keeper on the door frame so the door can't stay forced shut. It just sort of hovers shut and if my Corgi wants to push it open while you're trying to go to the bathroom she can (and will). Now I can really use any random thing to use as a keeper as long as the latch can clear it, I would really like to use a legit part though that looks like it's part of the set. I found one on ebay that looks similar to what I have, but it's not worth it to buy a whole thumb latch set for basically a small iron hook. This is a screen of what I need (pointed out with the red arrow):  Does anyone know somewhere I can get just that little keeper? Been having trouble finding it.
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May 8, 2012 15:19
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A blacksmith. Also, don't bother: at least right now the Corgi isn't damaging the door. She's going to get into the bathroom when you're in there no matter what, it's how they roll.
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May 8, 2012 15:38
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drat. I'm not worried about damage I just really would like to have the door shut, is it really my best bet to just try to rig up my own?
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May 8, 2012 15:41
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I was joking about the dog, but not about the blacksmith. That looks like just a piece of cut sheet iron, a local metal shop should be able to copy it, and a blacksmith will probably produce the nicest result. If you're handy, you could make it yourself with a bench vise, a hacksaw or aviation shears (for cutting), a file (for cleaning and rounding the edges), and some sheet metal strip.
Splizwarf fucked around with this message at 15:48 on May 8, 2012 |
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May 8, 2012 15:45
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My washing machine just burned up its drive belt a few minutes ago. Whole house full of smoke, lots of fun. I opened it up and removed the bad belt. It looks like it got eaten through in just one place, right where it was contacting the motor pulley. In addition to the motor there's a big pulley that turns the tub, and a tensioner pulley. All of these components spin freely and don't make any noises. I don't know anything about washing machines. It looks really easy to replace the belt, but I'm more concerned about what caused the problem in the first place. I don't want to start a load of laundry, go out for a while, and come back to my house on fire or something. Is there anything else I should be checking? Also, kind of a dumb question, but where would I find a replacement belt? Is this something I can just pick up at Sears/Home Depot, or would I need to find some kind of specialized retailer?
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May 9, 2012 04:33
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It's just like a car belt -- it probably just frayed over time and snapped. How old is the washer, and what brand is it? You could probably find the exact part at Sears Parts Direct for order, though it may be kind of expensive. At the least you could get the part number and search online to see if someone else sells it cheaper.
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May 9, 2012 04:39
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Most places have appliance parts stores. They're usually inobtrusive little places that you pass 1,000 times without realizing they're there...until you need something like a washer or dryer belt and tensioner pulley. Here's one by me: http://www.woodburyappliance.com/index.html My guess is that the tensioner bearing is going or gone. It may spin free now, but under load, it might be binding up. Either that or the belt just took a dump. Give 'em the model & serial number. If you can look it up, a part number might make their day. Try to fix it; you'll find it fun & satisfying & you'll save a fortune.
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May 9, 2012 05:21
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Belts will frequently stretch over time, without adequate tension the section around the motor pulley will slip, quickly resulting in that one section burning up. This is fairly normal as failure modes go.
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May 9, 2012 05:47
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How does one fix a toilet's weak flushing? Previous owner said something about the pipes having too small of an incline going out, meaning build ups are frequent. He's had to have them unclogged by professionals before. The upstairs toilet recently started to flush poorly, so I'm thinking there might be a small clog in there. I've read about hot water, Clorox, or even Drano. What's better? Is there anything I should NOT attempt? The downstairs toilet flushes a little better, but for some reason, it never refills the bowl completely after a flush. You have to push lightly on the handle to get water in, then flush. No big deal, really, but I'm thinking there has to be an easy solution to this. FAKE EDIT: While I'm on to plumbing, what would get rid of odors in the various sink drains around the house? Drano? Why do I have the mental image of using Drano and waking up in a nightmare of leaks all over the place? 
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May 9, 2012 19:17
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internet inc posted:FAKE EDIT: While I'm on to plumbing, what would get rid of odors in the various sink drains around the house? Drano? Why do I have the mental image of using Drano and waking up in a nightmare of leaks all over the place? We do have a plumbing thread. Baking soda and boiling water is reasonable first step to clean out stinky drains.
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May 9, 2012 19:31
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