|
Entangled posted:Is this a double basin vanity? If so I might be over-thinking this, and you might be better off using a kitchen sink style drain trap. It is, but there are drawers in between the two sinks. The trap adapter sticks out just barely enough to be easily tightened, so that part isn't too big of a deal. I suppose I'll go with the slip joint 90 and get a professional to fix it up when I've got something important to call them out for.
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2013 19:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 07:55 |
|
|
Question for the green-thumbs out there. I purchased a 2ft tall miracle fruit tree/plant that's not due to start fruiting for another two years. I recently re-potted to a bigger pot (about 2" bigger) after about 8 months with it and I used the recommended 50/50 sphagnum peatmoss and perlite soil. It's been a week and my ph readings are still about 7-6.5 which is not good. I've google searched ways to make the soil more acidic but I was hoping there was an expert here that could provide me a definite fix. It's too late to add sulfur to the base and I don't want to mess with the root ball or remove it from pot. Please help! Also some of my leaves have red spots which I read are due to not enough water. Should I be worried?
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2013 19:57
|
|
|
Can anyone tell me what the hell this thing is? It was installed at foot level in a bedroom of my house I bought a few years ago. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2013 21:09
|
|
|
Place to plug in a speaker, maybe? That looks like the back side of an old phone jack, with a high wattage resistor wired in.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2013 21:26
|
|
|
Two of the polycarbonate drawers in my freezer are cracked. Replacements are half the price of a new freezer and if we continue to use these they'll pretty much shatter in someone's hand. Are there any repairs that will withstand stress at -18'c?
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2013 21:29
|
|
|
Zhentar posted:I suppose I'll go with the slip joint 90 and get a professional to fix it up Alternate plan: 1 1/4" threaded to 1 1/2" PVC bushing, 90 degree turn, 1 1/4" trap adapter. Bad idea?
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2013 21:57
|
|
|
a forbidden love posted:Question for the green-thumbs out there. I purchased a 2ft tall miracle fruit tree/plant that's not due to start fruiting for another two years. I recently re-potted to a bigger pot (about 2" bigger) after about 8 months with it and I used the recommended 50/50 sphagnum peatmoss and perlite soil. It's been a week and my ph readings are still about 7-6.5 which is not good. I've google searched ways to make the soil more acidic but I was hoping there was an expert here that could provide me a definite fix. It's too late to add sulfur to the base and I don't want to mess with the root ball or remove it from pot. Please help! Well, I don't know anything about miracle fruit trees/plants specifically, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Lots of precipitation (even artificial precipitation) can slowly lower the pH and create more acidic soil, and that will also help if you are having problems relating to not enough water. It's not a quick fix though as you just keep moistening the soil. You can add a bit of compost to it as decomposition tends to lower soil pH. If you want a really quick fix, you can try adding a tablespoon or two of vinegar to a couple litres of water. However, make sure you keep a really close eye on the pH if you try this as it is really easy to do it too quickly, lower it too much, or just screw up the soil balance in general. Honestly, creating a new soil mix that you test beforehand and know is acidic and removing some of the current mix without disturbing it too much is probably your safer course. However, like I said, I don't know anything about caring for miracle fruit or what they might specifically like or if they can tolerate slightly less than ideal conditions (or even what their ideal conditions are), so that's just a very general guideline about lowering soil pH. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will come along who can help you in more detail 
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2013 23:53
|
|
|
Dragyn posted:Can anyone tell me what the hell this thing is? It was installed at foot level in a bedroom of my house I bought a few years ago. Judging from the age of that ceramic resistor and the wiring, I'd wager it was a place to plug a radio into an antenna lead-in.  I'm guessing your house dates to the 1920s or before?
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2013 01:03
|
|
|
Grave $avings posted:Judging from the age of that ceramic resistor and the wiring, I'd wager it was a place to plug a radio into an antenna lead-in. I think you're right. The house is from 1910 and there was an antenna just outside the other side of this room. Mystery solved. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2013 01:48
|
|
|
Zhentar posted:I got one sink hooked up and working, yay! Progress! We've been without a sink in the master bath for almost a month now, so it's pretty exciting. My opinion is the avoid the flexible pieces. They easily load up with crap and clog. You can use rigid pieces cut to fit
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2013 03:39
|
|
|
Anyone painted on Mapei Aquadefense? Want to ceiling plwyood above my shower...
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2013 04:52
|
|
|
I am finally installing my condensate pump, and I don't know if I am reading the Philadelphia plumbing code correctly. It looks like page 83 in this pdf talks about AC condensate, and it sounds like it is permissible to run it to where the laundry drains. http://www.phila.gov/li/PDF/Plumbing%20Code%202004%20Fourth%20Printing%20%28April%202012%29.pdf I can't find anything about high efficiency furnace condensate, but I am running mine through a neutralizer to bring the ph up if that is a concern. Could someone chime in as to whether it seems "ok" in Philly for me to drain into the washing machine drain? If it's permitted by code, I would prefer it so that I don't have to worry about the line freezing up if I run it outside. Right now I have it going into the basement storm drain, but that's in the middle of the floor and there's no good way for me to drain it there without putting a groove in the concrete for it to run through.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2013 16:27
|
|
|
That section isn't talking about the type of condensate you are generating. Why don't you call them? You should be able to get an accurate answer pretty quickly.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2013 16:48
|
|
|
That's a remarkably straightforward option. I will do that, thanks!
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2013 16:53
|
|
|
Is there any kind of oil burner monitoring packages? I want to be able to check and log things like stack temp, o2 levels and what not. Basically all the things a combustion analyzer can do, but installed in the boiler.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2013 18:46
|
|
|
Zhentar posted:Alternate plan: 1 1/4" threaded to 1 1/2" PVC bushing, 90 degree turn, 1 1/4" trap adapter. Bad idea? It could work, but you would need to prime and glue those all 3 PVC parts together (purple primer stains everything), then use teflon tape on the marvel adapter on your wall, then screw it on. Another idea would be to lose that extension you put on, leave your trap in place and get 2 waste arms. Cut them to length and you should be able to get your drain over far enough to the trap.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2013 23:20
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:Consider yourself lucky, it looks like you got a 1/2" compression valve. Those can be removed and replaced easily. kid sinister posted:It could work, but you would need to prime and glue those all 3 PVC parts together (purple primer stains everything), then use teflon tape on the marvel adapter on your wall, then screw it on. Man, you're some sort of crazy! Replacing the compression valves was way more time & effort than gluing a couple PVC joints.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 00:20
|
|
|
armorer posted:I am finally installing my condensate pump, and I don't know if I am reading the Philadelphia plumbing code correctly. It looks like page 83 in this pdf talks about AC condensate, and it sounds like it is permissible to run it to where the laundry drains. YES, Philadelphia is in it's own universe. Roof drainage runs down the downspout and through a rain leader (which drains the rear patio slab in rowhomes) and directly into your sewer lateral, which runs out into the street. You may absolutely run your laundry drain, condensate line and your sump pump into the sewer lateral just remember to put a trap on it so your basement doesn't smell like sewage and you wind up with clouds of sewer flies). By the way, that basement storm drain is also tied into your sewer circuit. See Chapter 4, page 59: P-901.3 Required. Every building, structure or other premises in or on which liquid or water-borne wastes accumulate shall be equipped with an approved drainage system to convey all liquid or water-borne wastes to a public sewer, provided that, where a public sewer is not available, other approved provisions shall be made for disposing of such waste in conformance with applicable laws, ordinances, rules and regulations. Where a public sewer is not available, residences which connect to an approved private sewer through a house trap shall be approved. Motronic posted:That section isn't talking about the type of condensate you are generating. You're calling L&I (Licenses & Inspections), or the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD). Their respective response times (providing he doesn't off himself whilst navigating the Byzantine bureaucracy/phone tree), can be measured with a sundial. L&I hasn't changed; if anything, since the fatal Salvation Army collapse on Broad, they're even more ossified in their response times. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Dec 17, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 05:28
|
|
|
Zhentar posted:Man, you're some sort of crazy! Replacing the compression valves was way more time & effort than gluing a couple PVC joints. That's because water pipes are at pressure, so they're more difficult to seal than drain pipes. And I was comparing replacing that compression valve to one soldered on.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 05:33
|
|
|
PainterofCrap posted:You're calling L&I (Licenses & Inspections), or the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD). Their respective response times (providing he doesn't off himself whilst navigating the Byzantine bureaucracy/phone tree), can be measured with a sundial. L&I hasn't changed; if anything, since the fatal Salvation Army collapse on Broad, they're even more ossified in their response times. You can just tow the funny/typical line here or you can make a phone call. I lived around and worked in/around Philly my entire life and sure.....you can end up getting blown off at times, but it's not as bad as you're making it out to be for a phone call. Want a sign off on anything or even worse a C of O? Sure it can be that bad.....because you need someone to actually show up. But a simple code interpretation question is usually not a big deal.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 06:52
|
|
|
Motronic posted:You can just tow the funny/typical line here or you can make a phone call. I lived around and worked in/around Philly my entire life and sure.....you can end up getting blown off at times, but it's not as bad as you're making it out to be for a phone call. I've been dealing with both of these agencies for the past fifteen years, and unless you have some pull with someone in the department, or City Hall, or the block captain, or you have an actual life-threatening emergency like a gas leak, they are slower than poo poo and not particularly helpful. Hell; it takes me six months to get a fire report.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 07:08
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:It could work, but you would need to prime and glue those all 3 PVC parts together (purple primer stains everything), then use teflon tape on the marvel adapter on your wall, then screw it on. It may be too late, but I'd teflon paste the threaded fitting first, tighten sufficiently, and then glue the PVC up. It'd never occurred to me that the trap adapter thread would be the same size as the treaded hub, but I can't imagine there's much thread engagement, so running it in tight and working out may be safer. I like the idea of ditching the tailpiece extension, if only to get the trap up higher and make a little more room for the crap that always ends up stuffed under the sink. Purple primer stains: Depending on the area inspectors, some insist on seeing purple primer, some trust that you used clear primer, and many plumbers use no primer at all. When I know I can get away with it, and will be able to see the joint from somewhere with a reasonable expectation of aesthetics, I just use clear.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 07:49
|
|
|
Another condensate pump question: Lets forget about where to drain it for the moment. I set up the pump and it currently drains into the floor drain. I will call them and get a solid answer there. My current issue is that the pump appears to be overflowing sometimes, but I never actually see it happen. Any time I go down to the basement, the pump is sitting in a puddle of water (which ultimately drains to the same floor drain). The pump works though, if I hang around for a while I can see it kick on and pump water down the drain. If I pour water into it through one of the other inlets, it kicks on and drains as I would expect. Right now I simply have the furnace condensate drain tube stuck down into one of the inlet holes. The other two inlet holes have little black plastic caps stuck into them. Short of waiting around in my basement to see what it's actually doing, I don't know how to approach this problem. Do I need to install a barbed fitting in the inlet hole and hook up the drain tube to that rather than just putting it into the hole? Is it possible that my furnace puts out condensate so fast that the pump can't keep up with it? Whenever I look at the water draining out it is a small trickle. I have not wired in the emergency cut off yet, so it's possible that it is overflowing I suppose. I just can't imagine that much condensate being put out at once. Edit: I am wondering if maybe the outlet I have the pump plugged into is switched on the same line as the basement lights? That would explain why it always works fine when I am watching it. I will test that theory tonight when I am home from work. In the meantime I know that if I just let the condensate overflow it doesn't make that much of a mess and it finds its way to the drain pretty fast. armorer fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Dec 17, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 15:15
|
|
|
armorer posted:I am wondering if maybe the outlet I have the pump plugged into is switched on the same line as the basement lights? That would explain why it always works fine when I am watching it. I will test that theory tonight when I am home from work. In the meantime I know that if I just let the condensate overflow it doesn't make that much of a mess and it finds its way to the drain pretty fast. This sounds like the most plausible scenario, followed by a defective pump. I've never seen a furnace drain at a rate to exceed that of even the smallest condensate pump, even on shared duty with a large basement dehumidifier. Grab a small lamp or radio to plug into that outlet, and turn the lights off.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 16:18
|
|
|
Does anyone have recommendations for one of the garage storage track systems? Doesn't need to be like boutique level Ferrari collector stuff, just want something relatively functional and affordable that isn't going to make me want to rip it out. Also shower heads. It seems like every one I buy at lowes or home despot winds up leaking, cracking, or has maddeningly stiff hose and lovely slip rings. I'm willing to spend good money to get something that works and lasts longer than 2 years, any recommendations? On a well with non stellar recovery if that matters. It's workable, but noticeable that it's not town water I guess.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 17:13
|
|
|
The problem at lowes and home depot is all they carry is cheap plastic crap in the store since the average Joe will not pay for quality when the "same thing" is $80 less. You can get quality stuff through their websites though. I put in some stuff from delta (2 sink faucets, toilet paper holder, two towel hooks, hand towel ring, shower head and control system) and it was $750. The "same stuff" could have been had for under $200 off the shelf. Also se if you have an actual hardware store. Denver has a great place that you can find high end knobs, sinks, heads, etc. Again you will pay more but it is worth it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 17:48
|
|
|
For what it's worth, I put in a couple of Delta showerheads a year ago and have been happy with them so far. We have pretty high-quality water here though, so I don't know how representative that is, and a year isn't exactly a long time. At least showerheads are easy to install. You don't even need to turn off the water. Though I did get thrown off by one of my showers, where it turned out that the showerhead was permanently attached to the pipe going into the wall, despite being cast to look like it should be able to be unscrewed. Had to take the pipe off and put a new one in. Oh well.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 18:08
|
|
|
I rent. I'm on the third (top) floor of my condo building. I've lived here about 6 years now, and just recently the water from the kitchen faucet started coming out aerated: it comes out cloudy, full of tiny little bubbles which dissipate from the glass in a minute or two and leave clear water. I've lived in houses where this was standard. But this didn't use to be the case with my tapwater, does it indicate some sort of leak or other issue I should tell the landlord about?
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 18:33
|
|
|
Phanatic posted:I rent. I'm on the third (top) floor of my condo building. I've lived here about 6 years now, and just recently the water from the kitchen faucet started coming out aerated: it comes out cloudy, full of tiny little bubbles which dissipate from the glass in a minute or two and leave clear water. Have you looked on the faucet to see if there's now an aerator on it?
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 18:39
|
|
|
Phanatic posted:I rent. I'm on the third (top) floor of my condo building. I've lived here about 6 years now, and just recently the water from the kitchen faucet started coming out aerated: it comes out cloudy, full of tiny little bubbles which dissipate from the glass in a minute or two and leave clear water. This happens occasionally when they are working on the water mains near my house, I'd give it a few days to see if it stops before bringing it any further.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 18:47
|
|
|
Entangled posted:It may be too late, but I'd teflon paste the threaded fitting first, tighten sufficiently, and then glue the PVC up. It'd never occurred to me that the trap adapter thread would be the same size as the treaded hub, but I can't imagine there's much thread engagement, so running it in tight and working out may be safer. As far as I could tell, the difference between a trap adapter and a threaded coupling was just on the inside edge (where the slip joint washer goes). Thread engagement seemed to be pretty good, and the whole assembly worked as its own wrench, so it was easy to tighten. uwaeve posted:Also shower heads. It seems like every one I buy at lowes or home despot winds up leaking, cracking, or has maddeningly stiff hose and lovely slip rings. I'm willing to spend good money to get something that works and lasts longer than 2 years, any recommendations? On a well with non stellar recovery if that matters. It's workable, but noticeable that it's not town water I guess. I bought this showerhead recently and it's turned out pretty well so far, though I can't say if it will last longer than two years (the price & brand give me some hope, though). It does well with my low water pressure, and the 2GPM will go a bit easier on your well.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 19:26
|
|
|
Backov posted:Have you looked on the faucet to see if there's now an aerator on it? There's an aerator on it because I put it there after the old aerator rusted out and the faucet started spraying water instead of calmly dispensing it, but the aerator doesn't aerate water to *that* extent, it doesn't come out cloudy and then take a minute to clear. Or at least it didn't before a week ago.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 19:45
|
|
|
I know what you're talking about, it's the sort of thing you'll see if you run the water really really hot and fill a clear glass with it, right?
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 19:47
|
|
|
Enfys posted:Well, I don't know anything about miracle fruit trees/plants specifically, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Lots of precipitation (even artificial precipitation) can slowly lower the pH and create more acidic soil, and that will also help if you are having problems relating to not enough water. It's not a quick fix though as you just keep moistening the soil. You can add a bit of compost to it as decomposition tends to lower soil pH. If you want a really quick fix, you can try adding a tablespoon or two of vinegar to a couple litres of water. However, make sure you keep a really close eye on the pH if you try this as it is really easy to do it too quickly, lower it too much, or just screw up the soil balance in general. Honestly, creating a new soil mix that you test beforehand and know is acidic and removing some of the current mix without disturbing it too much is probably your safer course. Yeah, I ended up going with the vinegar fix. I really don't want to touch the soil or the plant. The mix of soil I used is supposed to be really acidic so I'm really confused with why it isn't. I used about 1 tbsp with a cup of water and watered the edges. The plan is to add a little wait a week and repeat. Thanks for the advice :-)
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 19:50
|
|
|
Bad Munki posted:I know what you're talking about, it's the sort of thing you'll see if you run the water really really hot and fill a clear glass with it, right? Yes, but the water doesn't have to be really really hot for it to happen. Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4M7AKxh_vg
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 20:04
|
|
|
Yeah, I was just describing it for the other guy who was thinking just plain old aeration, apparently. As for why, I don't know, the mention of work being done elsewhere seems plausible enough, and it's probably harmless. I'll second waiting a little while to see if it persists.
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 20:08
|
|
|
edit: Shite, just noticed that there's an electrical thread. I'll move there.
Kaf fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Dec 17, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2013 22:51
|
|
|
armorer posted:I am wondering if maybe the outlet I have the pump plugged into is switched on the same line as the basement lights? That would explain why it always works fine when I am watching it. I will test that theory tonight when I am home from work. In the meantime I know that if I just let the condensate overflow it doesn't make that much of a mess and it finds its way to the drain pretty fast. If anyone was curious, this was the problem. Works great now that I have it plugged into something sensible.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2013 15:19
|
|
|
Not sure if this is a true DIY question but I couldn't think of where else to ask it. I collect fantasy maps, and found a copy of a book that has a map I've been looking for inside it, two actually. The problem is that half of the first map is printed on a page that is glued to the interior of the front cover (the other half is the first page of the book) and half of the other map is glued to the interior back cover (the other half being the final page of the book). I got lucky because it looks like the maps are just a single piece of paper, one half of which has been glued to its respective cover and the other half let to flap about. Any idea how I can get the map off the cover without damaging it? Edit for clarity: I'm ok with destroying the book itself, I just want the map unscathed. 
Millions fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Dec 19, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2013 23:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 07:55 |
|
|
Shower head chat: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006FYABAE/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1387409179&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40 This is the best shower head ever. It's cheap solid brass and if you have low water pressure it amplifies it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2013 00:28
|
|
