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I've got a basement with a fieldstone foundation. I often get a lot of dust on the floor, that come off the walls, right where the floor meets the wall. Is there any sort of sealent that will prevent this from happening? Maybe something I can spray up on the wall?
BoyBlunder fucked around with this message at 00:47 on Aug 14, 2013 |
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Aug 14, 2013 00:43
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BoyBlunder posted:I've got a basement with a fieldstone foundation. I often get a lot of dust on the floor, that come off the walls, right where the floor meets the wall. Is there any sort of sealent that will prevent this from happening? Maybe something I can spray up on the wall? It might be efflorescence. Is it white? If so, that means that you have a water drainage problem right up against your foundation and that's a bigger problem than the dust. Fix the drainage and it should stop.
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Aug 14, 2013 01:21
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dwoloz posted:I bought one second hand but never use it; just doesn't seem to have a suited task. If I want to cut a hole in drywall, I grab a jab saw. If I want to cut a hole in wood, I grab a jigsaw. I don't know about the rotozip but an oscillating multi tool is pretty drat good for drywall. Easy to plunge straight in, very thin cuts, with little dust.
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Aug 14, 2013 02:50
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My wife noticed our washer is dripping from the fill spout between loads. I blotted some water up with a paper towel, but it started slowly dripping again after a minute or two. There's no indication of any leaks on the intake hoses or from underneath. I'm thinking it's probably a leak in the intake valve assembly. Any ideas what else to consider? I'm not sure if there are any O-rings or whatever in this part than can be replaced or if I'd have to get a new part entirely. It looks like it's around $50. I think I could live with a slow drip inside the tub for that much, but what are the odds that it would eventually fail entirely and start dumping water on the floor as well?asdf32 posted:I don't know about the rotozip but an oscillating multi tool is pretty drat good for drywall. Easy to plunge straight in, very thin cuts, with little dust. I'm sure they work great on drywall, but be prepared to blow through blades pretty quick if you've got plaster. I cut a hole in my ceiling for a vent fan a few weeks ago, 12" square or so. By the time I was done the teeth on my blade were completely worn away.
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Aug 14, 2013 20:39
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stubblyhead posted:I'm sure they work great on drywall, but be prepared to blow through blades pretty quick if you've got plaster. I cut a hole in my ceiling for a vent fan a few weeks ago, 12" square or so. By the time I was done the teeth on my blade were completely worn away. This is true. It took me two blades to do that exact same job (bathroom fan vent). I thought maybe it was me but a review in a woodworking magazine confirmed that some blades last only one cut. If I remember correctly bosch was near the top as far as blades. I'll be buying them from now on.
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Aug 15, 2013 00:11
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asdf32 posted:This is true. It took me two blades to do that exact same job (bathroom fan vent). I thought maybe it was me but a review in a woodworking magazine confirmed that some blades last only one cut. If I remember correctly bosch was near the top as far as blades. I'll be buying them from now on. The blades aren't cheap either, so it's definitely something to consider. Especially when you can get a drywall saw for less than $10 that'll last quite a while. I have a Craftsman rotozip-type tool that I've hardly used at all, so maybe I should give it a try. How long do the bits generally last? Also, while we're talking about drywall, any suggestions on cutting thin strips from a whole sheet (or much larger piece anyway)? I'm replacing some windows and need some pieces like this to finish the interior trim. Scoring and snapping doesn't work well with thin pieces like this, and they'll just tend to crumble instead of breaking cleanly. I've tried a circular saw as well, which worked reasonably well, but created a shitton of dust and left very ragged edges on the paper facings.
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Aug 15, 2013 00:24
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stubblyhead posted:The blades aren't cheap either, so it's definitely something to consider. Especially when you can get a drywall saw for less than $10 that'll last quite a while. I have a Craftsman rotozip-type tool that I've hardly used at all, so maybe I should give it a try. How long do the bits generally last? I had to do something similar recently and I found the best method was to score and just keep scoring deeper and deeper until you're nearly through it, then snap. It takes some muscle, but the results are better.
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Aug 15, 2013 16:55
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I have a house that sits beneath a canopy of 100-foot trees. They're awesome, but they constantly bombard the roof with leaves. My gutters have these godawful screens that collect leaves like magnets:  It seems like I have to scrape leaves out of them every week or so or I get a soggy mass of bio-slop clogging the screen and making a dam that sends water under the shingles instead of into the gutter. I've found lots of solutions for cleaning gutters from the ground, but I'm looking for something that will work well on these screens without blasting compressed water/air under the shingles in the process. I imagine a sort of small, stiff broom on a U-shaped handle that attaches to an extension pole would do the trick, but I can't find such a thing. Does it exist? What other options do I have, short of climbing a 25-foot ladder every week?
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Aug 15, 2013 17:47
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So the new place I'm buying definitely has some issues that need to be sorted; but most are very discretionary (e.g. wont affect quality of life or safety). However, one issue is (in my mind) that it doesnt look like it was graded too well (and needs new gutters). As I plan to use the basement, ensuring drainage is done intelligently is quite important to me. 1) Gutters I'm having a contractor do immediately; too much to fuss with the ladder on a two story with just me and my lady. 2) For the grading - is this a job I can swing myself? Is there a good guide or approach? The lawn is pretty nice but I'm not against killing grass and replanting it. Just looking to move in the right direction; if I have to I'll have a contractor look at it - but I'd prefer to address it myself if I can.
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Aug 15, 2013 18:38
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High Lord Elbow posted:I have a house that sits beneath a canopy of 100-foot trees. They're awesome, but they constantly bombard the roof with leaves. only $300!  http://store.irobot.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13081876
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Aug 15, 2013 20:20
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High Lord Elbow posted:I have a house that sits beneath a canopy of 100-foot trees. They're awesome, but they constantly bombard the roof with leaves. I have had great success with gutter filters.
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Aug 15, 2013 20:42
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How thick should you generally brush on primer? I'm refinishing a dresser, and I have the first drawer front stripped and sanded. I'm priming it for paint now. After the second coat of primer, I can still clearly see the underlying wood grain, not in relief (it's sanded flat), but because the primer layer is translucent. Is that normal? It will be painted semi-gloss black to match my other furniture, if that matters. I'm thinking it's probably not a big deal, since I don't have to really worry about anything showing through black paint, but I was under the impression that primer was usually opaque. If I'm brushing it somewhat thin to avoid drip marks, can that create any adhesion problems for latex paint, or will the latex bond just fine because it's on wood anyway?
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Aug 16, 2013 01:47
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You're fine. Primer doesn't have to look uniform. It will look good when the paint goes on.
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Aug 16, 2013 13:23
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 I was getting water in my basement and after getting a drain specialist to check out my yard he determined that the drain was clogged. He unclogged it and said I should take care of it so that it didn't happen again, but provided no further details. The area marked "area in question" in the picture is where the drain comes out in the middle of my yard; it just comes out directly onto the grass, slightly below grade. What's the proper way to take care of this so it stays free of junk and drains properly? The pipe itself is just open without any screen or cover or anything, but the area around the pipe is filled up with water. I was thinking of just digging a ditch a little farther out and filling it up with gravel but I suspect that's completely wrong.
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Aug 16, 2013 20:39
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Dolphin posted:
Why not put an extension on that pipe all the way to the street below grade?
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Aug 17, 2013 00:14
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I want to replace these godawful recessed lights that are all over my house. They provide poo poo light and are ugly as sin, not to mention the asbestos box o' death. Two questions: Any suggestions for alternatives to booblights that will provide decent illumination without requiring me to cut up the plaster ceiling? And if I go with booblights, is it kosher to just mount them over the recessed units?
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Aug 17, 2013 00:22
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Dolphin posted:I was getting water in my basement and after getting a drain specialist to check out my yard he determined that the drain was clogged. He unclogged it and said I should take care of it so that it didn't happen again, but provided no further details. The area marked "area in question" in the picture is where the drain comes out in the middle of my yard; it just comes out directly onto the grass, slightly below grade. What's the proper way to take care of this so it stays free of junk and drains properly? The pipe itself is just open without any screen or cover or anything, but the area around the pipe is filled up with water. I was thinking of just digging a ditch a little farther out and filling it up with gravel but I suspect that's completely wrong. Do you have gutter guards on your house? Typically drainpipes will clog because of debris getting pushed down from above. Install gutter guards then install a popup drain emitter on the end of your downspout pipe. It is buried flush with grade and stays sealed until water pressure causes the spring loaded top to pop up. http://www.homedepot.com/p/NDS-4-in-Polyethylene-Pop-Up-Drainage-Emitters-with-Elbow-422G/100153624#BVRRWidgetID
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Aug 17, 2013 00:40
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High Lord Elbow posted:You're fine. Primer doesn't have to look uniform. It will look good when the paint goes on. Thanks. I don't have much experience painting, so I tend to get worried about things. I'm also not familiar with all the solvents you have to use. Stripper strips but doesn't clean brushes. Mineral spirits clean primer off the brush but not paint. Soapy water cleans paint off the brush but not primer. Do everything out in the garage with the door open because literally everything you're using is poisonous. I've read more fine-print labels in the last week than in the year before that. I think it'll be worth it when it's all done, though. This dresser was free and I'll have lots of stuff left over. And even without lots of stuff left over, it would still be cheaper than buying a dresser that matches my other furniture.
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Aug 17, 2013 02:31
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High Lord Elbow posted:I want to replace these godawful recessed lights that are all over my house. They provide poo poo light and are ugly as sin, not to mention the asbestos box o' death. I have seen a few of these type lights with a piece of plywood set in where the cover would go, and a ceiling fan or other light fixture attached to a standard ceiling box inset into the plywood. No idea if it's up to code though.
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Aug 17, 2013 04:27
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Elbow- look for led retrofits. They plug into the light socket and hide the ulgy. Ain't cheap $25-50 US for what you want. So my neighbors bike was stolen and I want to lock up my family's 3 bikes independently instead of cable running through frames and my snow blower. They are housed in an enclosed patio with concrete floor. What type of bolt/anchor should I use? Illinois if freeze thaw matters. EvilMayo fucked around with this message at 14:40 on Aug 17, 2013 |
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Aug 17, 2013 14:35
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First time home owner trying to install window shades on two drywall framed windows. Here's one of them in question:  Here's what I found when I took off the original roller-blind brackets:  There's some expansion anchors set in old crumbly plaster/drywall(?) but its so loose you can just pull it out with your fingers. Here's one of the four clips I've got to mount to this old crumbly plaster/drywall:  Either side mounting by the bracket, or taking the small clip off and screwing to the top of the window frame. This is what I thought I'd use to top mount it:  This is the big rear end hole it made in the top of the window frame and didn't secure poo poo:  Any advice? Cornuto fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Aug 17, 2013 |
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Aug 17, 2013 15:44
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Cornuto posted:First time home owner trying to install window shades on two drywall framed windows. Screw into window frame, not drywall/plaster? If the shades are wider than the frame, then plastic anchors should work, although anchoring into plaster/lathe can get tricky- you have to drill the pilot holes near perfectly, which is not easy when you need to drill a few of them in close proximity to each other. socketwrencher fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Aug 17, 2013 |
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Aug 17, 2013 16:55
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socketwrencher posted:Screw into window frame, not drywall/plaster? Its drywall/plaster all the way around. There's no wood frame save for the bottom of the window. e: NvM, I suppose you mean the window itself.
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Aug 17, 2013 16:57
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Cornuto posted:Its drywall/plaster all the way around. There's no wood frame save for the bottom of the window. The window trim itself is drywall/plaster? (Sorry I'm slower than usual this morning, waiting for the coffee)
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Aug 17, 2013 17:00
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socketwrencher posted:The window trim itself is drywall/plaster? (Sorry I'm slower than usual this morning, waiting for the coffee) Nah that was my mistake, I figured out you meant the white metal trim around the window about half a second after I posted.
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Aug 17, 2013 17:02
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Cornuto posted:Nah that was my mistake, I figured out you meant the white metal trim around the window about half a second after I posted. I'm guessing that the shades are wider than the trim, but can the brackets be secured to the trim? Easier to screw into metal than plaster. If it's drywall though, those plastic anchors (the green type) should work, probably better than the white ones in the box, because those white ones make a larger hole which may not work with the pre-drilled holes in the brackets.
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Aug 17, 2013 17:10
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If it's plaster, you might try one of these anchors (the ones on the right):
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Aug 17, 2013 17:22
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So I bought a house with a wee radon problem. It has a system installed, but it didn't get it below the 4.0 level. Things took so long to get worked out I got an escrow to fix it myself. Can anybody recommend a good company in norther new jersey? Price is not an object, I want this done right and permanently.
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Aug 17, 2013 19:33
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Cornuto posted:Its drywall/plaster all the way around. There's no wood frame save for the bottom of the window. That's very unlikely. The way that framing is built around windows, there should be wood all the way around the window behind the drywall/plaster.
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Aug 17, 2013 20:08
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Does anyone know what this thing I just pulled out of my wall is for? Two resistors, a capacitor and a trim pot. One screw terminal, two holes next to the terminal that banana plugs fit nicely into, but both connected to each other.  I thought maybe a twin lead to coax antenna balun, but there were just two hacked off coaxes inside the box, no sign of twin lead.
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Aug 17, 2013 21:52
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eddiewalker posted:Does anyone know what this thing I just pulled out of my wall is for? Two resistors, a capacitor and a trim pot. One screw terminal, two holes next to the terminal that banana plugs fit nicely into, but both connected to each other. Is that from an intercom system?
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Aug 17, 2013 22:55
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It was mounted low next to an outlet. The trim pot is covered by the faceplate, and all that protrudes from the wall is an F connector.
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Aug 17, 2013 22:56
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Air Conditioning Question! Yesterday I came home to the world's unhappiest condenser-- the fan wasn't spinning and the compressor was short-cycling. I killed the power, did some research and ended up buying a new dual run capacitor. Hooked it all up, prayed, and turned it back on. Success! Condenser fan spun up, compressor ran, house cooling off. Fast forward 6 hours, the house is cool and the a/c is doing it's thing, kicking on and off. Then in the heat of the day, I notice it's just running, but the air isn't cool anymore. gently caress. I go outside and nothing is on. No fan, no compressor. I remove the new dual run cap and run it back to the store preparing to yell obscenities. They test it and say it's fine. I come home, and try the original cap I thought was bad. Compressor fires right up, fan is making an awful racket so I stick-start it and it's working fine. Now wanting to know WTF, I take the new cap and put it back in (after which it has cooled down, I think this is important?) and it works like a champ. So, my question. Did I just buy a lovely cap (rated for 70c but who the gently caress knows) and _another_ better cap [already on its way from Amazon] will solve my problem, or is there some other thing that swapping caps and cool-down time will also fix and I haven't actually identified the real issue yet?
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Aug 18, 2013 02:30
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Have you checked an cleaned the fins outside? Remember to spray from inside or angle such that you dont push dirt in. Sounds like some part is overheating and causing a problem. Is your unit near trees or bushes? E: outside temp? Thermostat set to what? House size?
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Aug 18, 2013 23:26
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Qwijib0 posted:Air Conditioning Question! Were the lines frozen? Did you see ice built up on the refrigeration lines at the condenser? The dual cap in an AC condenser is used only to start motors, i.e. the fan and the compressor. Did the compressor and fan turn on when they got the calls from your thermostat?
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Aug 19, 2013 00:08
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Have you checked an cleaned the fins outside? Remember to spray from inside or angle such that you dont push dirt in. Sounds like some part is overheating and causing a problem. Fins are clean, unit stands alone (in the sun) with 2' clearance on the one side to the house and no obstructions on any other side. Normally I keep the thermostat set to 78, the resulting duty cycle during the heat of the day is about 66%, 40 min on, 20 off. 1400sq ft, 4 ton unit. It was 110 here last weekend but it was hotter in June and July. kid sinister posted:Were the lines frozen? Did you see ice built up on the refrigeration lines at the condenser? No frozen lines, the fan and the compressor _try_ to start but can't. I keep assuming the contactor is good because things try and start, but if its causing a voltage drop then I would also get stalling motors, I think. More often than not the compressor starts with the old cap so does the compressor just need less start inrush because it has its own start cap? New failure mode to go along with that, I tried to kick start it like I got it going that last night, and got it all fired up then 5ish minutes later the fan motor started sounding weird like it does when it won't start and then just slowed to a stop. After killing the power the blades on it still spin freely. Could bad run cap drift out of tolerance and cause that or is the only option bad fan, and would bad fan have repercussions for starting the compressor.
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Aug 19, 2013 15:09
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Dolphin posted:
Looks like you're in a good position to use a dry well. Here in Wisconsin, having your run off go into the street is considered a pretty lovely thing to do because the cold weather means your run off turns into icy sidewalks and roads. This might not be a problem for you, but I'd still say a dry well is the best way to go since your drawing makes it seem that it would be so easy to put one in. If you do it right, it will also all but eliminate the odds of clogging up again. The only other advice I'd offer is that you should consider getting one with an overflow nozzle on top. We had a really bad downpour here, and our drywell filled up and backed up a little bit. Since then, I've added an overflow. Just somthineg good to have for that "storm of the year" type weather that we seem to be getting 3-4 times per year.
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Aug 19, 2013 16:21
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Let's talk garage door openers. I have a Genie screw drive garage door opener for a single two car garage rolling segmented metal door. It's probably original to the house, so 11 years old. I had a scare mid last week when it wouldn't run more than a few feet (up or down) without engaging the emergency stop. That is, when it rolls and meets resistance, the safety measure kicks in and stops the door. I adjusted the little knobs to maximum tolerances, and it ran just fine. Phew. I also figured that it would probably be a good time to grease the screw and oil the wheels. Well, during many cycles of up/down positioning the door to where it needed to be for the screw grease and wheel silicone spray, it just quit. Would't run more than a couple inches. I was incredibly frustrated, and just quit, and went to go look up a new opener unit online. Then the next day, I hit the open/close button on a whim and it ran just fine. It's run just fine for the last 3 days now  My question is: is it possible that the aging motor was "worn out" or overheated from cycling a dozen times in 20 minutes, and that now it's fine? Or did garage door elves break in at night and fix it?
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Aug 19, 2013 17:04
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canyoneer posted:Let's talk garage door openers. Cheap garage door openers aren't rated for that kind of duty cycle with the typical weight of the doors they are attached to. You put it in thermal fault and it shut off to protect the motor from getting spanked. Now that you've actually lubed it properly you should readjust it so it doesn't crush a car/child/whatever if things go sideways.
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Aug 19, 2013 17:32
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canyoneer posted:Let's talk garage door openers. Motronic's got the right answer here, but alternatively - Does this door also make use of the obstruction detection sensors? Because if so maybe something was blocking them which has since been moved. Don't want to insult your intelligence or anything, but it happens.
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Aug 19, 2013 17:41
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