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I don't know where the water in the air is coming from, but have you tried a dehumidifier?
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Jan 18, 2013 19:22
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vulturesrow posted:I'm currently renting a home and any time the weather is cold (or relatively so, it doesnt get that cold where I live) we get serious condensation on the inside of the windows to the point where the windowsill is covered with moisture and will basically soak a hand towel cleaning it up. Is there anything we can do that is fairly cheap and easy to prevent the condensation or should I get the property manager involved (they are terrible)? We dont keep our house particularly warm, the thermostat setting for the heat is generally at 68/69. Check the furnace to see if it has a humidifier attached. Turn it off and see if that addresses the problem. Do you have a vent in the bathroom? Be sure to use a cleaner that will kill mold/mildew when you mop up around the windows. Also use a dehumidifier near the bathroom.
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Jan 18, 2013 19:35
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Yes the bathrooms all have vents. I guess we will try a dehumidifier. I don't think our furnace has a humidifier attached but I'll poke around and see if I can figure it out, I'm not all that knowledgeable on heating/cooling stuff but I have a relative who does it for a living so I can call and ask him how to check.
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Jan 19, 2013 07:52
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vulturesrow posted:Yes the bathrooms all have vents. I guess we will try a dehumidifier. I don't think our furnace has a humidifier attached but I'll poke around and see if I can figure it out, I'm not all that knowledgeable on heating/cooling stuff but I have a relative who does it for a living so I can call and ask him how to check. It usually looks like a breadbox grafted onto the side of your furnace.
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Jan 19, 2013 16:40
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What is the useful lifespan of opened latex paints? Cleaning the basement and wondering if it is worth keeping 1/2 or quarter full cans or just the lids.
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Jan 19, 2013 17:53
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:What is the useful lifespan of opened latex paints? Cleaning the basement and wondering if it is worth keeping 1/2 or quarter full cans or just the lids. I used latex based house paint for a huge art project/installation back in 2005. When finished I properly resealed the lid. When I needed paint again in 2010, all but one of the paint cans were good to go. And I think dirt got into the can before I sealed it or something so that was more on my part than the paint. I'm looking to install curtains in the room I'm renting. I think the best option is to get some large 3m hooks. I have a couple questions; The distance width of the individual windows is about 28" a. Should I get poles for the hooks or just drape the fabric over the hooks? b. What type of fabric provides the best opacity:weight ratio? c. The M hooks are strong enough, right? d. Should I consider something besides M hooks?
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Jan 19, 2013 18:12
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:What is the useful lifespan of opened latex paints? Cleaning the basement and wondering if it is worth keeping 1/2 or quarter full cans or just the lids. Most of the manufacturers will tell you roughly 2-3 years, stored in finished indoor space, resealed properly, and preferably with plastic wrap pressed against the top of the paint. Garages and less-finished/unfinished basements will tend to shorten the usable storage time, especially if you're hoping to use the paint for touch-ups as opposed to a whole fresh coat.
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Jan 19, 2013 18:31
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Molten Llama posted:Most of the manufacturers will tell you roughly 2-3 years, stored in finished indoor space, resealed properly, and preferably with plastic wrap pressed against the top of the paint. I don't know what to say in response to this except in my personal experience they have lasted a lot longer.
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Jan 19, 2013 18:34
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BRB MAKIN BACON posted:I don't know what to say in response to this except in my personal experience they have lasted a lot longer. At my last theatre we had cans that were over ten years old and still usable when we had to touch up walls and trim. And that was just with the lid on tight.
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Jan 19, 2013 18:45
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vulturesrow posted:I'm currently renting a home and any time the weather is cold (or relatively so, it doesnt get that cold where I live) we get serious condensation on the inside of the windows to the point where the windowsill is covered with moisture and will basically soak a hand towel cleaning it up. Is there anything we can do that is fairly cheap and easy to prevent the condensation or should I get the property manager involved (they are terrible)? We dont keep our house particularly warm, the thermostat setting for the heat is generally at 68/69. The window film they sell at the hardware store helps with this. Just the moisture generated by you guys breathing and cooking and other every day activities could be adding enough water vapor to the air if there's enough temperature differential between inside and out.
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Jan 19, 2013 20:05
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BRB MAKIN BACON posted:I don't know what to say in response to this except in my personal experience they have lasted a lot longer. Those statements were not connected. Could have been a lot clearer. lovely storage conditions will reduce the usable time, period, not specifically beyond the manufacturers' 2-3 year recommendations.
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Jan 20, 2013 00:47
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The only thing I've ever seen spoil a can of paint is rust on the inside of the lid. It probably would have been fine if I hadn't shaken it.
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Jan 20, 2013 02:28
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Sorry if this is the wrong place, but it seems like it would fit here. I have an early 50s house that needs some work. I've almost completely redone the interior and landscaping, and it's in good shape. The roof looks rough -- it's 10 yrs old on its third layer of 15 yr shingles, has several nail pops and 3-4 missing shingles, but doesn't leak. The windows and doors are original and need replacing. The wood surrounding the west-facing windows has just begun to show signs of rotting (it's a little soft). The paint on the wood siding and soffits, especially on the west-facing side of the house is starting to look chalky and peel and is in the same condition as the window surrounds. I have ~$5000/yr budgeted for repairs. In what order should I tackle the repairs? Roof estimates are coming in $6-8000. Window/door estimates are coming in about the same. Siding/soffit replacement/repair is coming in at $4-5000 including a whole house repaint. I'm inclined to do the siding/soffit replacement/repair last as the window/door replacements will require painting. For what it's worth, all 3 roofing estimates said I should be able to get another 3 years out of the current roof without leaks if I address the missing shingles/nail pops. Any input is appreciated
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Jan 20, 2013 04:05
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The moisture that leaks in through the bad window frames could rot out your framing, plus new ones will probably save you a lot of money in energy costs (assuming you live in a temperate climate). Then I would patch any problem areas with the siding to make sure your house is weatherproof, then do the roof, then have the siding repainted. So: windows->roof->siding. That's assuming that your roof will actually last three more years and doesn't currently have any leaks at all.
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Jan 20, 2013 17:54
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Do the roof first. Then the windows. This will stop ongoing water-damage issues (actual & anticipated). That roof estimate doesn't sound too bad if they're going to tear it down to the plywood deck and replace the tarpaper, ice shield (if you're in an area that freezes). They may also have to re-do the soffit & fascia trim because the new (single layer) roof will be at least an inch thinner than three layers. I also have the original double-hung windows in my house (built around 1930). I intend to keep them because they are fully functional (i.e. not paited shut), attractive, and structurally sound, but it takes a ton of labor to maintain them, reglaze them, disassemble them to fix sash weight lanyards/chains, etc. Most normal people would tear them out, install replacement windows, and have the exterior trim capped with aluminum. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Jan 20, 2013 |
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Jan 20, 2013 19:20
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Also include the cost of gutters in your roofing/siding quotes. They tend to get damaged quickly during those tasks.
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Jan 20, 2013 20:02
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 I'm looking at fixing this mess on my back door and I was hoping to run it past someone who might know what they're doing. I'm currently thinking I'm gonna remove the door and brick molding from the jamb and frame, then cut out up to 8" of the bottom where it's rotted and replace it with new wood. After that, i'd like to install a storm door to prevent this from happening again. Sound like a good idea? pseudonordic fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Jan 20, 2013 |
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Jan 20, 2013 20:08
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Could you please post a picture of the entire door & frame? Are we looking from the outside in in the picture you posted?
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Jan 21, 2013 01:50
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Could you please post a picture of the entire door & frame? Are we looking from the outside in in the picture you posted?  This is from the outside looking in. The center and inner jamb sections are rotted out up to about 5" high
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Jan 21, 2013 04:08
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My house is pretty cold in the 50s throughout the year. My thermostat in the house is usually 50-55F. I just added weatherstripping to all the doors, but is there anything else obvious I can do to keep the place a bit warmer? Not sure how good the insulation is in my house, but I know it exists on the exterior walls. Might be really old though (house was built in the early 60s). Our windows are all double pane too. Aside from replacing the windows and looking for obvious air gaps, is there anything else I can do? I'd rather not rip out existing sheet rock and replace the insulation as that'd be a nightmare of a project. It's a 1 story house and underneath there is a crawlspace -- is it worth adding insulation underneath the floorboards? I read online that it's better to insulate the walls of the foundation, but it's all concrete so I have no idea how I'd accomplish that. My family's skin goes crazy when I turn on the heater, so I'm trying to do as much as I can to keep the place manageable temperature-wise without turning it on. We do have space heaters when it gets really cold, but we try not to use them.
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Jan 21, 2013 06:54
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pseudonordic posted:
He said "entire"... What about the other side?
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Jan 21, 2013 15:31
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kid sinister posted:He said "entire"... What about the other side? The bottom of the south side of the frame is what's rotted. The bottom of the north side of the frame is just peachy, so I don't think you need a picture of that. Do you need to see the inside vs. the outside?
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Jan 21, 2013 15:40
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pseudonordic posted:
My biggest concern is there may be rotted wood and/or mold in the interior of the wall/floor. Probe for soft wood and use a good flashlight. After you pull the aluminium sill you may want to pry up what is underneath it to investigate the extent of the damage. Bank posted:My family's skin goes crazy when I turn on the heater, so I'm trying to do as much as I can to keep the place manageable temperature-wise without turning it on. edit: With insulation- start with attic, then windows/doors, exterior walls & crawl spaces. But seriously turn the heat up. EvilMayo fucked around with this message at 16:33 on Jan 21, 2013 |
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Jan 21, 2013 16:29
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Looking at both of your pictures here. It looks like a steel door, so there should be no issue with it. You need to pull the threshold and sill to see if it has rotted underneath. I do not see any "brick molding." I did remove the threshold and sill and the wood underneath was covered with what appeared to be a sheet of thin aluminum. The wood under the aluminum is still good. The term "brick molding" is what all the home repair sites use for the molding around the exteriors of door frames. There appears to be vapor barrier'd between the door frame and the frame of the house, so I plan to replace the rotted pieces, screw them into place, then caulk the whole thing to hell and back. I plan on trying the repair today, so I'll take pics!
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Jan 21, 2013 16:43
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Bank posted:I just added weatherstripping to all the doors, but is there anything else obvious I can do to keep the place a bit warmer? Plastic film on the windows and foam inserts for outlets. quote:Aside from replacing the windows and looking for obvious air gaps, is there anything else I can do? You can seal the outsides with butyl rubber. quote:It's a 1 story house and underneath there is a crawlspace -- is it worth adding insulation underneath the floorboards? Depends on how cold your winters are or, more importantly, if you're bothered by how cold your floors are. quote:I read online that it's better to insulate the walls of the foundation, but it's all concrete so I have no idea how I'd accomplish that. Dig up the foundation and line it with big sheets stiff foam, then gravel for drainage, IIRC. quote:My family's skin goes crazy when I turn on the heater The problem is almost definitely the level of humidity. And I don't think 55 is ridiculously low. I like it cold to sleep and don't see the point in see-sawing the thermostat back and forth, it's a waste of gas. Aggressive pricing fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Jan 21, 2013 |
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Jan 21, 2013 17:26
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Bank posted:My house is pretty cold in the 50s throughout the year. My thermostat in the house is usually 50-55F. I just added weatherstripping to all the doors, but is there anything else obvious I can do to keep the place a bit warmer? Have an energy audit done. http://energy.gov/public-services/homes/home-weatherization/home-energy-audits I just had a professorial one done a few months ago on my house that was built in the 1800's, needless to say my house was about as air tight as Swiss cheese. Whole process was really easy. I ended up getting a combination of close cell foam and dense pack cellulose insulation installed. The best part is the initial professional energy audit was free, New York state picks up the tab, they also picked up $5000 of the project cost. Check to see if your state offers a similar program. Even if your state doesn't (assuming you are in the US) it only costs ~$250, the money you will save will be more than that. Agreeing with getting a whole house humidifier.
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Jan 21, 2013 17:57
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Farside posted:Have an energy audit done. Also contact your local utilities. Nicor, for example, charges $40 for the audit, but they will replace up to 10 bulbs with CFLs, install aerators on faucets, and some other things. Nicor then offers discounts/rebates on services recommended by the audit.
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Jan 21, 2013 18:09
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pseudonordic posted:I plan on trying the repair today, so I'll take pics! Alllllllll right.  This is the corner of the frame that I'm aiming to repair. Turns out there was water damage/rot to the subfloor and a single piece of the hardwood flooring. I pulled off the threshold and peeled back the flashing (I assume) and vapor barrier and the 1x4 underneath the threshold was water damaged too on both ends.  This is the north side that I though was unaffected.  Edit: I replaced the 1x4 with a new one and I also put more 1x4 underneath it where the subfloor had rotted out. I now need to find or make the replacement frame/jamb and find a way to replace the part of the hardwood floor that rotted as well.
pseudonordic fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Jan 22, 2013 |
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Jan 21, 2013 19:36
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Aggressive pricing posted:
Do you keep cabinet doors open so pipes don't freeze? Pretty sure I'd have to at 55.
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Jan 21, 2013 20:08
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Had time to mess with the furnace again. Attempted to pull the blower out, but the blower housing is too wide and gets stuck on the pipe running up to the evaporator coils. Tried pulling the heating elements out again. Removing it wasn't too hard, just had to hold the mess of wires out of the way and wiggle the tray until it came loose. The coils of the elements look pretty clean, and nothing really came off when I tried rubbing the coils. I didn't see anything shorting coils together or any breakage. Resistance for the coils is between 10-11 ohms which seems about right for a 240v 20amp coil. This right here is the hard part. See the flat rod sticking out the back of the assembly? That has to go into a tiny slot at the back of the furnace with no angle to guide it into place. It's not possible to see inside the furnace while doing this, so I spent about 30 minutes just trying to get it back into the furnace. Whoever designed this thing is an rear end in a top hat. The last thing I checked today was the sequencer timing. From what I've read about sequencers, they have an H-xxx and a C-xxx printed on them where xxx is the time in seconds it should take to go from all stages open to all closed. The sequencer in my furnace is h-110, and it should take less than 2 minutes for all 3 stages to close. I got out a timer and multimeter to test with, and the timing I got was: first stage closed in <5 seconds, 2nd stage closed about 30 seconds after, 3rd stage had not closed by 10 minutes after start. At this point I think I need to get a replacement sequencer (20bux), and look for another way to pull out the blower to clean the thick layer of dust off of the hamster wheel. Here is an album of all the pictures I took while I had it open today. http://imgur.com/a/RDJGK Edit: BTW that big box hanging in front of the blower is the blend air control. It's almost completely empty other than a single small relay. :v brand engager fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Jan 21, 2013 |
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Jan 21, 2013 20:54
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Speaking of cleaning blowers, I removed mine thinking it was a squirrel-cage design but apparently it's of the mouse-cage variety. Then there were 5 more mouse-mummies in the return where it meets the furnace 
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Jan 21, 2013 22:42
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Shame Boner posted:Speaking of cleaning blowers, I removed mine thinking it was a squirrel-cage design but apparently it's of the mouse-cage variety. Did it work better after cleaning? I might just leave it as is if there isn't any improvement.
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Jan 21, 2013 22:46
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Account_Username posted:Did it work better after cleaning? I might just leave it as is if there isn't any improvement. It really wasn't as dirty as I thought it might be, other than the fauna. We haven't noticed any significant efficiency improvement, but it's also a 28 year-old furnace in a 100 year-old house so the least of its problems are dust in the blower. However, blower fans are at least supposed to be pretty well balanced so removing the furry counterweight couldn't have hurt.
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Jan 21, 2013 22:50
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eddiewalker posted:Do you keep cabinet doors open so pipes don't freeze? Pretty sure I'd have to at 55. Wow, I'm not sure where you live but here all our water pipes go below the frost line. 55 is chilly, I keep my place at ~60(17C  ), but 55 is fine as long as people wear sweaters. If it's -35 outside it doesn't need to be hot enough to wear shorts inside.
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Jan 21, 2013 23:02
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Thanks for the cold house concerns -- my family basically gets rashes from the heater, and my wife hates having a humidifier on all day, so much that she would rather wear a bunch of layers or freeze at home. To clarify, my thermostat usually says 55F (because that's what my house's temperature is) but it's set to "OFF" I'm going to buy a few rolls of insulation and do a room at a time to see if that helps any. Otherwise I'll see if I can get an energy audit done for a couple hundred to point out anything obvious I can fix. Understood that houses cannot stay warm in cold weather without the heater on, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't losing heat to anything obvious.
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Jan 21, 2013 23:50
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Account_Username posted:
Dude, I can't see poo poo. How about another picture, this time without the flash on a contrasting background? The coils sound good. What part goes in front of the coils circuit-wise again? Were they "limit switches"? Check if it's passing current to the coils.
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Jan 22, 2013 01:43
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kid sinister posted:Dude, I can't see poo poo. How about another picture, this time without the flash on a contrasting background? Yeah the limit switches are on the front panel of that assembly, and they seem to work. They are supposed to open at 150 and close at 100 (I don't know whether that's Fahrenheit or Celsius), but I haven't tried testing them for accuracy. The switch for the lower element on there will open after several minutes of running the furnace. It still does that on that same element if I swap the limit switches on each element, so I don't think the problem is with the limit switch.
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Jan 22, 2013 03:47
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Bank posted:Thanks for the cold house concerns -- my family basically gets rashes from the heater, and my wife hates having a humidifier on all day, so much that she would rather wear a bunch of layers or freeze at home. The whole house humidifier I have isn't one of those stand alone things that take up a bunch of space. The one I was referring to looks like this: http://swensonheating.com/products/humidifiers/ It attaches to your furnace and adds humidity only when the furnace is on. However, if you never turn your heat on it will obviously do nothing.
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Jan 22, 2013 05:13
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I'm stowing my bed on the ceiling but the winch I bought was made of cheap steel and the teeth wore out in a few months. I'm using a pulley system with mountain climbing rope: four pulleys directly above the bed connect ropes to the frame, two pulleys near the wall direct the rope floorwards & combine the four separate ropes into a thicker rope via epoxy and a wooden block, and one pulley on the floor directs the rope upwards to the winch, mounted at hand-level. Custom winch fabrication: 1) Drill a hole into concrete wall, insert a 16cm x 1cm solid metal rod 5 cm into said hole, use heavy-duty epoxy to lock it in place. 2) Attach an 11 cm coupling nut and a locknut. 3) Epoxy the insides of six 30 x 62 x 16mm bearings to the outside of the coupling nut. Epoxy some leftover metal rod to the outsides of all bearings to ensure they turn as one. 4) Epoxy rope onto the outside of all but two of the bearings. 5) Epoxy a large diameter wooden wheel to these last bearings for lowering/raising the bed. When raised for stowage, the bed locks in place onto separate ceiling clamps. Is this system structurally sound? The bed is a 120 x 200 cm mattress on a wooden frame, and as I don't know how heavy it is I want to over-engineer the system so that nothing will immediately break or eventually bend. The wear on the bearings and any bending of the central rod are my main concerns. Welmu fucked around with this message at 12:43 on Jan 22, 2013 |
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Jan 22, 2013 11:42
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I think you're better off screwing a bolt into the cement rather than gluing it. It sounds like the force will be trying to pull it straight out and you definitely want to anchor something in there that screws into concrete.
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Jan 22, 2013 15:26
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