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Bad Munki posted:Know anyone with a drill press or a dremel? It'd be a 1-minute job to open those holes up. I'll have to find someone with one. Didn't know a dremel would work.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 03:55 |
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# ? Jun 12, 2024 20:34 |
Just need the right bit. Most rotary tool kits I've seen come with a grinder or two in various profiles. e: DO NOT HOLD THE KEY IN YOUR HAND will using a rotary tool to grind it out, grab it in a vise. Otherwise, you will lose your grip, the key will suddenly be spinning at a few thousand rpm, and then it will fly off, stab your eye, and pierce your brain. You'll only be able to post in FYAD after such an injury. Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 03:58 on Oct 13, 2013 |
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 03:56 |
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PaganGoatPants posted:Dunno if this is the right thread but... Maybe I'm oversimplifying this, but most hardware stores sell small-diameter spring-steel rings for keys. Thread them onto these keys, and there should be plenty of room to get them onto your special ring. Like so: VVV well, there is that. VVV PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 05:10 on Oct 13, 2013 |
# ? Oct 13, 2013 04:42 |
Personally, I hate that because then my keys don't lie flat against each other. I am very picky about my keys fitting nicely and not being a huge wad as pictured.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 04:52 |
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Insane Totoro posted:Okay let's assume that I actually want to purchase a new washer and dryer.... Any recommendations? Well, speaking from a repairman's perspective, I recommend Sears Kenmore. First off, they last forever. Second, they are probably the easiest brand of all to fix. To take apart their washers, you just need to remove 2 screws, then 2 clips and the entire case comes apart.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 04:57 |
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Is there a reason why front loader washers seem to be the most prevalent now? They seem like they have a much larger potential fail point with the gasket at the front which can wear out and leak.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 05:05 |
I think they're supposed to be more efficient. For me, I like them because I can safely put things like a quilt in without worrying about the agitator loving everything up. But yeah, some of the bearings are more fail-prone just because of the physics of the situation.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 05:09 |
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priznat posted:Is there a reason why front loader washers seem to be the most prevalent now? They seem like they have a much larger potential fail point with the gasket at the front which can wear out and leak. Front load washers can be stacked with dryers once you use the front instrument panel conversion kits for both of them. The other advantage is that since you're turning the drum on its side, the washer doesn't have as much of an urge to start dancing across the floor with an unbalanced load. Other than that, they're "new" and "different". I still prefer top loaders for the very reason you mentioned. Bad Munki posted:Personally, I hate that because then my keys don't lie flat against each other. I am very picky about my keys fitting nicely and not being a huge wad as pictured. The only thing I can think of is to get copies made at a Minute Key automated copy machine. They have one at my local Lowes. They use their own blanks for key copies, so you might get lucky and get a slightly wider key ring hole. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 05:19 on Oct 13, 2013 |
# ? Oct 13, 2013 05:14 |
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kid sinister posted:Well, speaking from a repairman's perspective, I recommend Sears Kenmore. First off, they last forever. Second, they are probably the easiest brand of all to fix. To take apart their washers, you just need to remove 2 screws, then 2 clips and the entire case comes apart. We bought a Kenmore (rebadged GE) washer & (gas) dryer around 1996. Nothing's yet sprung on the washer. I've had to replace one igniter, one high-limit switch (can't remember the actual name but it's a small, $3 capsule located on the back that burns out & keeps the igniter from lighting), and one belt tensioner on the dryer. Love 'em. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 05:20 on Oct 13, 2013 |
# ? Oct 13, 2013 05:18 |
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Our next set will be stackable, are there decent full sized top loader stackers out there? I know there were smaller ones for condos etc back in the day but probably those are front load too nowadays. We have a Bosch front loading pair right now that got passed down from the inlaws and I think the seal is almost ready to go. It looks like both a royal pain and expense to replace it. I don't think they can even be converted to being stackable either.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 05:20 |
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priznat posted:Is there a reason why front loader washers seem to be the most prevalent now? They seem like they have a much larger potential fail point with the gasket at the front which can wear out and leak. That was why I was looking at a top loader too. Are the Speed Queens really that good? Or is the salesperson talking out of his rear end? I mean I don't think Sears even carries these.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 05:25 |
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Insane Totoro posted:That was why I was looking at a top loader too. He's talking out of his rear end. You could get a name brand washer and dryer for a fraction of what he wants. FWIW, I've been repairing these things for over a decade for people and I've never heard of a Speed Queen before. Tell you what, if you're interested in what Sears carries for brand new stuff, then find out your local Sears "scratch and dent" store. That's perfect for washers and dryers since everyone just sticks them out of the way in closets or mud rooms.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 05:38 |
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Speed Queen makes commercial washers and dryers, though it looks like they also have a home line. The washers and dryers in my apartment building, for example, are Speed Queen.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 05:41 |
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The idea of a commercial quality washer and dryer appeals to me. But is that worth the premium?
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 05:56 |
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Bad Munki posted:Personally, I hate that because then my keys don't lie flat against each other. I am very picky about my keys fitting nicely and not being a huge wad as pictured. Have you never owned more than one key before? They all go on the little jump ring. Then you attach the little jump ring to the big key ring.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 07:30 |
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I keep all my keys on a little key ring on my swiss army knife
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 17:46 |
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SpartanIV posted:I keep all my keys on a little key ring on my swiss army knife And you haven't broken off that little keyring loop on your knife yet? What sorcery is this? Insane Totoro posted:The idea of a commercial quality washer and dryer appeals to me. But is that worth the premium? Considering residential grade units will last just as long, no they aren't worth the premium. I could see maybe needing some if you had enough kids to have your own reality TV show on TLC or you lived in some commune, but that's it. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 18:32 on Oct 13, 2013 |
# ? Oct 13, 2013 18:23 |
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gently caress, doublepost
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 18:31 |
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wormil posted:First thought was bad capacitor, second thought is tripped thermal switch. kid sinister posted:If sounds like both motors are fine, it's just that their circuit breakers got tripped. Motors do that to protect themselves if they can't spin. Did you ever check to see if the blade spins freely by hand? babyeatingpsychopath posted:I concur. If there's power at the motor, try to spin the fan with a stick. If it starts up, bad starting circuit: cap, centrifugal switch, contact, something like that. It ended up being that the belt was too tight. Not sure why it suddenly became an issue after a summer of running fine. Maybe cooler temperatures caused the rubber belt to contract? Either way, reseating the motor to put a bit more slack in the belt has it running again. Thanks for the help everyone.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 19:01 |
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The only place I really have to do woodwork that's under cover and not inside my small flat is the shed, which is all well and good, but that's where the tumble dryer is. Am I likely to set fire to the shed if wood shavings/sawdust get in the tumble dryer air intake?
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 22:05 |
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Yup, that would worry the poo poo out of me.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 22:29 |
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Rather what I thought, so nice to have confirmation. Sigh. Working out in the garden it is then. Weather, be kind.
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# ? Oct 13, 2013 23:48 |
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The shed is a terrible place for a tumble dryer. Is there anyway you can relate it? Rust, spiders etc y'know.
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# ? Oct 14, 2013 22:22 |
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Not that I can think of. It's an old crappy tumble dryer and a reasonable quality, dry shed, so I'm not too concerned on that score (I take my cue on this from my folks, who have kept theirs in the shed for longer than I've been alive without problems, albeit not used much). Space is at a premium in the flat due to fiancee being a wheelchair user. Floor space is valuable. Long run, I'd kind of like a washer/dryer to save space and to save going out into the garden to dry things, but it's not huge issue. Or, it may be that I just don't bother with it. But it has been handy since we got hold of it.
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# ? Oct 14, 2013 23:47 |
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We just bought our first home and although we are having a general contractor sub out most of the work for the next 6 months while we're still on lease at our rental place we will be having a lot of decisions to make coming up in short order. I was hoping to find some recommendations on appliances. Namely the seller just took and decommissioned a leaking oil tank for us so we're thinking we should probably get a gas furnace in the house before winter starts coming in full effect. What are the best name brands in furnaces? I was looking at Trane, Carrier, and Rheem. I like the Trane thermostat they have, the ComfortLink II, does anyone have experience with it? http://www.trane.com/residential/products/thermostats-and-controls/comfortlink%E2%84%A2%20ii-thermostats-and-controls Is it dumb to purchase a furnace based on a thermostat you like all other things being equal?
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 06:27 |
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Insane Totoro posted:Okay let's assume that I actually want to purchase a new washer and dryer.... Any recommendations? I just bought LG front loaders. I guess they're the most popular brand now. They're awesome so far, although the washer now causes a water hammer that I'm going to deal with this weekend. You might be able to service 20 year old machines but they won't clean/dry your clothes as well or as efficiently IMO. They also look a lot better in your home than the old stuff if they are visible in your basement bathroom because you own a 50s split level like I do.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 13:44 |
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MMD3 posted:
Yes. I guarantee you can find an equivalent @ hd/lowes. I replaced a furnace from the 50s with a Goodman. For furnaces things to consider: High efficiency (and rebates from gas co) Variable speed fans- this could be anything from just 2 settings to full range Are you planning to install yourself? Also at this time think about -filtration (airbair) -whole house humidifier -insulation -windows/doors
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 14:12 |
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MMD3 posted:Is it dumb to purchase a furnace based on a thermostat you like all other things being equal? Yes. You can use whatever thermostat you want on any piece of equipment. What matters a lot more than the brand name of the equipment are it's actual specs (variable speed fans, multi stage compressors, AFUE and SEER ratings), it's capacity and how it's installed. You mentioned the big names that are typically though of as high quality. XMasGift mentioned Goodman which is typically though of as "cheap". I have a Goodman gas pack in my barn and it's fantastic. Sure, the Traines et. al. are going to have nicer cabinets, but past that I'm not sure there is a significant difference worth paying for. You can have the nicest/most expensive furnace available and still have it heat your house unevenly, insufficiently, or be noisy if it's not been installed properly. In fact, reliability probably has more to do with the installation than the brand/model. TL;DL: Spend your time looking for a reputable installer rather than choosing a brand of equipment.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 15:31 |
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stupid puma posted:I just bought LG front loaders. I guess they're the most popular brand now. They're awesome so far, although the washer now causes a water hammer that I'm going to deal with this weekend. You might be able to service 20 year old machines but they won't clean/dry your clothes as well or as efficiently IMO. They also look a lot better in your home than the old stuff if they are visible in your basement bathroom because you own a 50s split level like I do. I ended up with the Speed Queens that I mentioned earlier. They're being delivered on Friday. It was like feeling a Hi Point versus a Glock if anyone gets that.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 19:10 |
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Motronic posted:Yes. You can use whatever thermostat you want on any piece of equipment. good info, thanks. I'll definitely be looking for a good installer, hoping to borrow a friend's angie's list account. We are certainly going for high efficiency and have budgeted for premium appliances, but I understand that w/ hvac more than anything the efficiency is going to be more a factor of the installer than anything else. I'm glad to hear you can use whichever thermostat with whichever furnace, I hadn't realized that. I'd like to get the furnace in soon to keep the house from getting too damp in the winter but possibly install the thermostats nearer to the end of the remodel. How do gas packs work? Are they preferred over getting a separate furnace and A/C unit? That had been our plan, but I wasn't aware of gas packs. For washer/dryer we just went with the Samsung 457 front loaders and they're being delivered next weekend. Best Buy was having a 30% off columbus day sale so it seemed like a good time to shop for them. We were also looking at the LG 8000 series but they would have been on back order and taken longer to arrive, I'm hoping the Samsung touch screens don't act up at all or my partner probably won't let me live it down since she was leaning towards LG.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 19:28 |
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So I'm going to be taking to refinishing a bathroom soon. It's definitely got some issues with being out of square (1920s house). Should I just pick a tile pattern that's going to minimize the effects of being out of square, or should I consider having someone in to actually adjust the framing for me to get things a bit more squared up? Just not sure what I should be focusing my energy and money into while I'm at it.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 19:34 |
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MMD3 posted:How do gas packs work? Are they preferred over getting a separate furnace and A/C unit? That had been our plan, but I wasn't aware of gas packs. I'm not sure what you mean. A "gas pack" is a general term for a gas furnace. My "gas pack" is a forced air propane furnace. A/C is not "part" of a forced air fossil fuel furnace. It looks like it is once you're done, but it's actually just a coil slapped on top with a compressor/condensor outside attached to the coil and some control wire from the compressor to the furnace so they will use the same thermostat and so the AC can use the blower fan on the furnace. "Heat pumps" always use the coil and compressor, but have a reversing valve to make it go from hot to cold depending on what is called for. They also have electric coils to heat the air should it be too cold out for the heat pump to work. Then you have combo furnaces, which are fossil + heat pump or geothermal. What makes sense for you depends a lot on your average temperatures. A good installer will know this and know what to suggest. Motronic fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Oct 15, 2013 |
# ? Oct 15, 2013 19:49 |
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Regarding furnaces, what's the "sweet spot" with efficiency? I know once you get above a certain % the regular servicing gets more expensive and/or more frequent. I'd like to put a heat pump in the system too (perhaps later on to spread the cost) if that matters.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 19:53 |
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priznat posted:Regarding furnaces, what's the "sweet spot" with efficiency? I know once you get above a certain % the regular servicing gets more expensive and/or more frequent. My Goodman in the barn is 92 AFUE and I've not had to do much at all to it. It doesn't appear to have nearly the service needs of an oil furnace. I've also not needed any parts, so I don't know just how much more expensive they will be than a boat anchor 80 AFUE. But the bottom line is that the cost of service should be more than offset by energy savings. If not, you must not be running your heat much.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 19:55 |
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I live in the PNW so it doesn't get too terribly cold. Back when I looked into it a few years ago it seemed like 92 was pretty standard HE, but there were 96% ones out. The sales guy actually was steering me away from those because of the extra costs for servicing and I think the frequency you needed it regularly serviced was about doubled. First thing is properly insulating the attic though, it is severely lacking right now. The furnace is on its last legs so I just pray it lasts through the winter!
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 19:59 |
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Walked posted:So I'm going to be taking to refinishing a bathroom soon. It's definitely got some issues with being out of square (1920s house). You will need a wet saw no matter what. I used a larger mosaic pattern in a bathroom of the same age. I choose it because the unevenness of the subfloor. depending on the layout you will either snap a grid to the center of the room or, very rarely, start in a corner. Is you room a square or weird L shape/other? also ditra products are awesome.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 20:14 |
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:You will need a wet saw no matter what. I was planning on the wet saw; I'm not worried about the tools needed. What I'm curious about is if an out of square room is indicative of needing to be addressed, or if I can just work within the issue at hand to mitigate and not worry past that? It's a square room; but its out of square by a bit in at least one corner.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 20:18 |
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Walked posted:I was planning on the wet saw; I'm not worried about the tools needed. What I'm curious about is if an out of square room is indicative of needing to be addressed, or if I can just work within the issue at hand to mitigate and not worry past that? Unless you're pulling all the drywall for some reason I don't see why it would make any sense to attempt to square the room. Even then probably not. But that's all up to you, your tile selection, and how the room might end up looking with that tile. And how much that may or may not bother you. It's really mostly a judgement call and depends a lot on how the room is setup.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 20:28 |
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Walked posted:I was planning on the wet saw; I'm not worried about the tools needed. What I'm curious about is if an out of square room is indicative of needing to be addressed, or if I can just work within the issue at hand to mitigate and not worry past that? Define "a bit". One story? Center of house or exterior? Any cracks in walls/ceilings? Adjecent rooms have cracks? My money is on plaster walls. They were done by hand and were never even. So the framing may be more square than the actual wall.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 20:31 |
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# ? Jun 12, 2024 20:34 |
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Define "a bit". No cracks to be seen; no cracks I can find in adjacent rooms. Admittedly it's a newer home for us, so its possible theyve been painted over and not shown themselves yet. Second story bathroom, borders the exterior. About an inch out of square if I had to guess; but I havent taken exact measurements just yet - just starting to plan things.
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# ? Oct 15, 2013 20:35 |