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Zyme posted:I just use one of those foam mop on a stick things with some bleach and clean it up. I have lived in plenty of places without vent fans so I can't imagine they are required by any kind of code. Most of the time they are vented into a wall cavity or something retarded anyway so at least you can see the mold that is forming instead of it being hidden and you breathing it unkowingly for years! Try opening a window when you take a shower. That is usually more effective than any vent, unless you live in Florida or something. Vents should always be vented to the outside. It's code in most places. Vents move a lot more air when compared to an open window as long as they are properly done. You always want to set your vent fan on a timer. Run it for 30 minutes after you are done taking a shower to remove the moisture.
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Jun 24, 2013 00:49
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Backov posted:
A vent or an operable window. Your unit may be grandfathered, of course.
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Jun 24, 2013 01:27
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Backov posted:I'm in a basement apartment, and the landlord hasn't seen fit to install any kind of vent in the bathroom. I had to go with one of these:  http://goo.gl/rc2LA Not sure how old my bathroom is since it's not original, but the house itself is about a little over a 110 years old now. All it has is one window that I keep a window fan in when it's possible. There's not really any way to wire a ventilation system that I can figure out. There's only one electrical plug in the room, and the wall lights are based from that, and the ceiling has about a foot of clearance in the center of the room. I started noticing the same things on my ceiling. Since getting the dehumidifier it's no longer a problem. I just had to be careful with the power block since some people have reported it gets extremely hot, so I have it on a wire wrack so it'll have plenty of ventilation.
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Jun 24, 2013 03:37
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Hey all, So I'm in the midst of a major exterior renovation and I am taking the opportunity to start fresh with my gardens. I'm looking for recommendations on software/apps to plan out the entire yard putting in everything from the big existing trees to pathways to flowerbeds etc. Something that can do 3d projections would be nice too. Doesn't have to be free if it is a good app, but would like to have a demo mode to try it out at least..
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Jun 24, 2013 05:27
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Doesn't Visio have a garden/architectural tab?
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Jun 24, 2013 08:02
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Backov posted:I'm in a basement apartment, and the landlord hasn't seen fit to install any kind of vent in the bathroom. If I'm not mistaken, code requires every bathroom be ventilated by either a windows of at least 3sqft, or via mechanical ventilation conforming to the specifications found here. That link specifies that it cannot vent to an interior space or be recirculated into the air system. It also has minimum movement requirements. Now, the question is whether or not the landlord has to do anything about this. Probably not. I mean, if they want to keep the place nice and not have to deal with more expensive mold remediation and renovations, they definitely should. But if the home was built before there was a solid code requirement, then homeowners don't have to update their homes to remain current or anything. Unless they renovate, anyway. Even then, if they do it themselves and don't pull permits, chances are no one will notice until they try to sell the place. Even then, home inspectors miss things sometimes.
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Jun 24, 2013 16:45
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I'm prepping to paint a bedroom. After pulling the trim, it looks to have two coats: an ugly light green (primer?) and a creamy white. The weird part is that the paint that's currently on the wall has large sections where its like, not really bonded to the wall. It's kind of "scabbed up" and cracking. I can take a utility knife and cleanly scrape it off, leaving the clean outer paper edge of drywall. I obviously can't just paint over it. Sanding, even with a palm-size random orbital and 80 grit is going really slow, and the utility knife scraping would be even slower. How do I deal with this?  
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Jun 24, 2013 23:58
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Drywall sanding screen with a pole mount. Going to be hell on your arms!
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Jun 25, 2013 00:46
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Tried a sanding screen on a hand sander. Gummed up with dry pain rubber almost immediately.
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Jun 25, 2013 00:48
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Throw some 1/4" drywall over what's there. Mud and tape it. Prime and paint it. or You could also use a paint scraper to get everything loose off that you can. Sand the wall lightly to give a good adhesion and then run a skim coat of drywall joint compound over the wall. Prime and Paint Or Same as above but texture before painting
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Jun 25, 2013 00:58
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Anyone know where I can find something like this: but about 8-10 inches in diameter? I don't really care what the material is (plastic, wood, metal seem like they would all work fine.) I want to make an automatic cat feeder and have a servo motor that I want to use to spin an offset opening. I was thinking about attaching it to the end of this pipe piece:   (size comparison dvd is 4.7 inch diameter.)
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Jun 25, 2013 04:54
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eddiewalker posted:I'm prepping to paint a bedroom. After pulling the trim, it looks to have two coats: an ugly light green (primer?) and a creamy white. Was this a kid's bedroom before? Check the drywall first for damage in those sections where the paint is popping off. Paint can sometimes pop loose from drywall in sections where the drywall has been physically damaged. Try pushing in those sections with your hand and see if they aren't as solid as other sections of the wall. Basically, the drywall gets pushed in so far that it cracks and the paint can't stretch enough to accommodate, so it takes the shortcut of following that new, longer curve: it cuts the corner i.e. popping loose from the drywall. Anyway, replace any damaged sections first then do what ShadowStalker recommended. ascii genitals posted:Anyone know where I can find something like this: Why not just make one yourself with a compass? Get some plastic sheeting at your local art store or even some plexiglass from a hardware store and cut it as needed. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 05:13 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 05:01
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kid sinister posted:Check the drywall first. Paint can sometimes pop loose from drywall in sections where the drywall has been physically damaged. Basically, the drywall gets pushed in so far that it cracks and the paint can't stretch enough to accommodate. Was this a kid's bedroom before? Master bedroom. Drywall is solid. The wife went nuts tonight with a razor blade wrapped in e-tape today and has cleared several large enough where we can cleanly see transitions from drywall paper to joint compound, back to drywall paper. She's scrapped to points where paint seems to be holding better. I'm hoping I can just skimcoat and prime those holes she's made, as long as there's not an underlying problem that will spread later. It's an outside wall, and there was some rot on the outside before I sealed it up with vinyl siding a few years ago. I'm wondering if there was moisture in the wall that cause this. The idea of adding a 1/4" of new drywall got me excited, but then I realized I'd have to scrape and retexture the ceiling to tape the top edge of new drywall, and I don't want to deal with that.
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Jun 25, 2013 05:14
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eddiewalker posted:Master bedroom. Drywall is solid. The wife went nuts tonight with a razor blade wrapped in e-tape today and has cleared several large enough where we can cleanly see transitions from drywall paper to joint compound, back to drywall paper. She's scrapped to points where paint seems to be holding better. So basically the first layer of paint failed taking off all the layers above with it. Moisture can cause that like you mentioned. Are you absolutely sure that you fixed the rot from the outside? Did you strip wall down to the studs from the outside?
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Jun 25, 2013 05:23
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All the rotten wood siding was cut out. I don't know what was put over the hole besides the fanfold insulation that's nailed up under vinyl siding, and since vinyl is hung from the bottom up, I'm not going to pull it all down the whole side of the house to check.
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Jun 25, 2013 05:29
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kid sinister posted:Why not just make one yourself with a compass? Get some plastic sheeting at your local art store or even some plexiglass from a hardware store and cut it as needed. Yeah that was going to be where I went next if I can't find something nice looking and pre cut. I can probably use a friends tools but don't have something to cut it myself. Anyone have an idea if I'll have enough torque to be able to turn the "door" with the pressure of the cat food with a generic 5 V arduino servo? I figured for 10 bucks I'd just give it a try. http://lifehacker.com/5993919/please-your-pets-with-a-raspberry-pi+powered-feeding-system This design uses a little rotor type thing found in cereal dispensers, so I figured it would work.
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Jun 25, 2013 05:40
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ascii genitals posted:Yeah that was going to be where I went next if I can't find something nice looking and pre cut. I can probably use a friends tools but don't have something to cut it myself. At 8-10" diameter, I think no. Those 5V servos are usually a small number of oz-in of torque, like 10-20. So at 10" away from the center, you can move like 1-2oz.
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Jun 25, 2013 09:16
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Yeah I'm sure you're right, I'll just need to come up with a different mechanism  . Thankfully even if it doesnt work the servo was super cheap and I can use it for another function. I saw one where someone is using an auger/worm gear type design, that may be better at controlling the amount dispensed anyway.
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Jun 25, 2013 14:21
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eddiewalker posted:All the rotten wood siding was cut out. I don't know what was put over the hole besides the fanfold insulation that's nailed up under vinyl siding, and since vinyl is hung from the bottom up, I'm not going to pull it all down the whole side of the house to check. I ended up punching a hole in the drywall to see what was underneath. From the inside out: drywall, paper backed insulation between the studs, then just a layer of fanfold foam insulation covered with vinyl siding. Is this stuff keeping my walls sealed tight enough? 
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Jun 25, 2013 14:40
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eddiewalker posted:I ended up punching a hole in the drywall to see what was underneath. From the inside out: drywall, paper backed insulation between the studs, then just a layer of fanfold foam insulation covered with vinyl siding. That should be plenty. There are 3 ways that paint pops off drywall: physical damage, water penetration, and failure of an underneath layer. You ruled out physical damage, and it sounds like any water penetration has been fixed. That underneath layer failure is usually because of not using a primer undercoat. Primer is stickier than regular paint and there are some surfaces that paint just won't stick well to without a primer undercoat, like bare metal or wallpaper (I got no loving clue why people paint wallpaper). Speaking of painted wallpaper, that's one more possible underneath layer problem. I actually had paint on top 2 layers of wallpaper on one wall in my own house. The glue on the middle layer failed, taking the paint on top with it. Luckily it was just a single accent wall that I had to fix. Actually your wife is right to scrape off all the loose paint first. If any sections of paint have come loose from the wall, then the only thing those sections can do from now on is cause problems. Double check to make sure that you got them all first, then fill them in with a drywall mud skim coat. Mix water into it to make it thinner so it will spread easier and smoother. If this is your first time skim coating, then expect to do 2 or 3 layers. How big is that hole you made? You will have to do more work to fix that than just skim coating. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 19:55
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The walls are 8 foot, 6 inches tall, and the damage is all over a span just under 12 feet wide, mostly near the bottom of the wall. Right now I'm thinking it would be easiest to leave the top 6 inches of drywall, then tear out 3 full 4x8 sheets worth of damage. That way I can be sure I've got a solid, mold-free surface, and not have to tape and mud onto the textured ceiling. Reasonable?
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Jun 25, 2013 20:35
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Ugh, this loving outdoor carpet. One place quoted me about 750, which seemed high, but completely installed. I decided just to see what Home Depot would say-the dude in flooring was like 'Oh, we install for $37, that's it. You pay 35 for us to come out and give an estimate, but if you decide to go with us, that 35 goes towards the 37, so you really only pay $2 for install' I went over this with him three times as I couldn't believe it. We then walked through the flooring and he said I would need it glued down, so with the price of carpet, plus adhesive plus install, we were looking at about 450 total. I was happy with that so I scheduled the estimate guy to come out. He came out and took measurements and I Just got the quote-$890. I was loving floored by this and then the dude on the phone told me "oh, we charge extra for gluing carpet down ($380 for the labor) plus you need a rubber padding on the edging because the carpet doesn't butt up against anything-That's $54/12 foot section, and I need 5 of those, so 250 there. Welp I told him that wasn't correct according to the sales guy, so I had to call the store. The dude straight up admitted to being completely wrong and he's going to talk with his manager tomorrow and explain it to see what they can do. It'd be great if they would eat the cost, but I'm not really expecting that. If I can't get a good deal from them, then I'll just ask for a refund on my estimate and do this poo poo myself.
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Jun 26, 2013 02:36
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I know this doesn't help and is just anecdotal but I've been told by a couple of people to avoid Installs from Home Depots / Lowes because they just use random sub contractors and there's little liability for them and you have no clue about the quality of work you're getting.
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Jun 26, 2013 02:58
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nwin posted:Ugh, this loving outdoor carpet. Yup. This is why I generally advise people away from big box stores for carpet. This, and their selection. If you look at it from their perspective, the profit margins on carpet are going to be low. The product is huge, takes up a ton of space in the store, and requires constant turnover lest it becomes outdated. You can't mark up the materials too much and stay competitive. So they can't make a profit on sales, and they can't keep a large stock. So, they need to make it worth their while on installs. They lure you in with an incredible deal (Carpet AND pad for just the price of carpet, $37 installation + $2 per stair, free estimates, etc.) but then there's the add-ons. "Oh yes, the estimate is free, but the fine print says the estimate only covers 500 sq ft or less. Your home is 2000 sq ft so that'll be $200, please." "Yes, THIS pad is free, but you have floors made out of side-grained worn spur Tabasco oak, so you need THIS pas instead. That'll be $500, please." "You home isn't directly in line with magnetic North, so that will cost extra." By the time they're done, the cost will be as much or more than it would have been if you'd just gone to a local dealer. The difference is that by going local, you'll get a better selection, more options, and the install will be done by someone that ONLY does carpet installs. Hell, they usually have sales all the time for free installation, and the job will probably come with a warranty. This is opposed to going to a big box store, where the install will probably be done by a sub, or worse someone they were able to find from the store willing to do it. Nothing against those subs, but big box stores hire subs the way satellite and cable companies hire their subs. They put out an ad, make them watch a corporate training video, make them buy some tools from whichever manufacturer they have a deal with (Dish Network has a deal w/ Rigid, Sears obviously w/ Craftsman, and Home Depot w/ Ryobi I think) and that's it. They don't really check their qualifications, experience, or competency. So, it's a mixed bag. Sometimes you get a good one, sometimes you don't. Either way, there is little accountability.
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Jun 26, 2013 14:43
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I'm looking for a good resource for opening/closing/maintaining/cleaning a 24' above-ground pool. It seems like a lot of my searching gets me to small, contradictory articles on what to do. If it is useful: this is my first summer with a pool, which is like 15 years old. I had the wall repaired and a new liner put in, and will need to get it running well and know how to open/close it correctly. The prior owner is no help, as his instructions were "call the pool people." Well, the pool people are expensive and moderately unpleasant. I'd rather know what I'm doing. I've maintained a reef tank before so I'm not afraid to dig into the chemistry a bit.
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Jun 26, 2013 17:58
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uwaeve posted:I'm looking for a good resource for opening/closing/maintaining/cleaning a 24' above-ground pool. It seems like a lot of my searching gets me to small, contradictory articles on what to do. Find a local pool chemical supply store and ask what they recommend. Most of them have a service where you bring them a water sample and they can analyze it and tell you what you need.
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Jun 26, 2013 18:22
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Can I recharge NiCd AAs in a NiMh charger?
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Jun 26, 2013 23:20
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Facial Butter posted:Can I recharge NiCd AAs in a NiMh charger? THE FIRST RESULT IN GOOGLE posted:http://www.greenbatteries.com/bachfa.html#NiCD%20charger%20for%20NiMH%20batteries
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Jun 27, 2013 02:37
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I bought some IR LEDs and one of the LED types in the bag has a wavelength of "870mm". Is this a typo or are there IR LEDs with that wavelength? I can't find any on google and the brand is some no name cheapo stuff with no more info.
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Jun 27, 2013 17:54
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MrOnBicycle posted:I bought some IR LEDs and one of the LED types in the bag has a wavelength of "870mm". Is this a typo or are there IR LEDs with that wavelength? I can't find any on google and the brand is some no name cheapo stuff with no more info. That has to be a typo. 870mm is in the range of radio waves. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 18:51 on Jun 27, 2013 |
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Jun 27, 2013 18:49
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Yeah it's "mm". I figured it was a typo but wanted to be sure. Thanks!
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Jun 27, 2013 19:12
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Update on my wall with failing paint: I pulled down an 8ftx8ft section of drywall and found this: You can clearly see the back of vinyl siding through the larger vertical gap in the foam board.  I filled all the gaps in fanfold foam with aerosol expanding foam, and squirted some more in between where the fanfold overlaps undamaged wood siding. Hopefully that's sealed enough and I'll be ready to put up new drywall once I staple the fiberglass insulation back in.
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Jun 27, 2013 20:44
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Is that your lens playing tricks, or are you studs really that bowed?
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Jun 27, 2013 20:50
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I'm renovating a home with some relatively minor foundation issues, there are some cracks in the drywall etc. Should I get that repaired first before I do any major renovation (replacing drywall, studs) to prevent stuff not sitting right after it IS fixed or can I just start now and it will probably work out ok? FYI I think it's a slab foundation if that matters.
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Jun 27, 2013 21:12
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kid sinister posted:Is that your lens playing tricks, or are you studs really that bowed? Definitely that bowed.
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Jun 27, 2013 21:27
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I bought a really beat up Milwaukee router that didn't work. Brushes were toast so I replaced them. With the brushes replaced it runs now but sounds rough and arcs quite a bit. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT6iN2wFtt4 Took it apart further and noticed this bit of damage on the armature:  How big of an issue is this? Any fix besides replacing the whole armature (costs as much as a new router, of course)
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Jun 28, 2013 01:45
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kid sinister posted:Is that your lens playing tricks, or are you studs really that bowed? Maybe this is just me...but I am more concerned that there is no sheathing there, a piece of foam directly behind the siding  . I know this is common in older homes with wood siding, but not vinyl (that I know of anyway)VVVV...I was thinking the same thing with my parent's house , built in 77, sheathing and house wrap (poly I think) behind the aluminum siding.
ntd fucked around with this message at 13:05 on Jun 28, 2013 |
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Jun 28, 2013 12:51
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ntd posted:Maybe this is just me...but I am more concerned that there is no sheathing there, a piece of foam directly behind the siding My thoughts too, no sheathing and no housewrap. Even my parent's old house that was built 25 years ago had sheathing behind the siding.
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Jun 28, 2013 13:00
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dwoloz posted:I bought a really beat up Milwaukee router that didn't work. Brushes were toast so I replaced them. With the brushes replaced it runs now but sounds rough and arcs quite a bit. Video: You sound like you know what you're doing, so I don't mean to second guess you, but are you sure when you replaced the brushes that you set them in the neutral plane? If it's contacting commutator sections outside that it'll cause arcing. Double check that and try it again. If that's correct, then the arcing is either the new brushes or the damage on the armature. As for how big of an issue it is - a little arcing is not abnormal, especially with new brushes. As the brushes wear, it should subside. As long as it's not arcing to the case, you can run it a bit, and I don't see any of that in the video. I also don't see any shorted turns. Otherwise, the armature looks pretty clean. Given that, other than replacing it, unless I smelled smoke I'd just run it a bit and wait for it to die or subside.
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Jun 28, 2013 15:12
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eddiewalker posted:Definitely that bowed. Yikes. Good luck fastening your new drywall to them!
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Jun 28, 2013 17:20
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