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I would use woolite or dish soap (:iamafag:), soak/agitate it by hand a bit in the bathtub and then rinse a couple times. I tore the hell out of a rug like that in the washing machine one time.
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Apr 8, 2014 02:42
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The back leg of our antique sideboard cracked, right below where the wood is slotted to make a joint with a cross piece. Here's a pic of the damage: I couldn't get a really good picture of it, but the back leg is one piece of wood up to the top, and is not turned or fancy like the front legs. It would be beyond our capacity to replace it and we'd need to hire a furniture expert to do that. Any way to repair this without replacing the entire piece? Wood glue and some sanding? We don't plan to put anything especially heavy on this, but would like it to last.
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Apr 8, 2014 02:43
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BgRdMchne posted:Just looked at the tag and it says do not machine wash, handwash only. Well my washer has a "handwash" setting... What's the slowest setting your washer has? newts posted:The back leg of our antique sideboard cracked, right below where the wood is slotted to make a joint with a cross piece. Here's a pic of the damage: We do have a woodworking thread. They would probably know best.
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Apr 8, 2014 02:44
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kid sinister posted:Well my washer has a "handwash" setting... What's the slowest setting your washer has? Delicate. It's one of those high efficiency top loaders.
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Apr 8, 2014 02:45
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No agitator? That might do ok by your rug, then.
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Apr 8, 2014 02:47
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BgRdMchne posted:Delicate. It's one of those high efficiency top loaders. Then what is so delicate on your rug that would require a "handwash only" label? Does it have tassels all along the edges?
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Apr 8, 2014 02:49
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kid sinister posted:Then what is so delicate on your rug that would require a "handwash only" label? Does it have tassels all along the edges? It has tassels and where the pattern changes color on the horizontal there is a kind of gap for five or six "threads."
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Apr 8, 2014 02:59
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stubblyhead posted:The pump only runs on demand, so in theory only when one of the hoses is running (they're all turned off). Yes, anything that could be called a "well pump" has a pressure switch and only runs on demand. What I'm telling you is I've seen well casing run dry and pumps get trashed due to leaks. It doesn't matter if all of the hoses are turned off if one of supply lines is weeping somewhere other than in the two places you've looked. You eliminate potential problems like that wil valving, which you very likely have if this was installed by someone competent. It's a guess based on too little information, but you need to evaluate it a bit deeper than "faucets are off, must not be using any water." stubblyhead posted:There's a small reservoir in the pumphouse Yeah, I doubt that's a "reservoir" and if it is I doubt it has a switch on it or really anything to do with switching. It's probably a pressure bladder tank. There's really no way to help you without specifics, as it's pretty clear you don't know what you've actually got out there which makes suggestions little more than shots in the dark.
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Apr 8, 2014 03:17
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newts posted:The back leg of our antique sideboard cracked, right below where the wood is slotted to make a joint with a cross piece. Here's a pic of the damage: Glue, clamp, drive a couple of screws through it.
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Apr 8, 2014 07:40
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Motronic posted:There's really no way to help you without specifics, as it's pretty clear you don't know what you've actually got out there which makes suggestions little more than shots in the dark. You got that right. I know a lot about a lot of things, but unfortunately pumps aren't one of them. Here's some pics of what I've got:  The entire pumphouse. Maybe 3' square.  The actual pump. I'm told the little grey box on the side is a pressure switch.  Pump boilerplate. This is kind of a lovely picture, and I apologize. I can try to read out what's stamped in it if necessary.  The tank thing. I would guess it's about 5' tall. The label is just from some local company who I may be calling to help me with this eventually saying that they tested the water when the house was for sale last year. and here's the sound it makes when I turn it on: 
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Apr 8, 2014 07:49
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I think this is probably the best place to ask this. I recently got my mothers old car, which is good and the interior is in great condition except for the fact it went though 15 years of windows up balls out chain smoking. I also quit smoking about the time I got the car and the smell is really starting to drive me nuts. I'd like to at least reduce the smell since i know its pretty much impossible to remove it completely. What can I do about it? Is there a magic bottle of stuff I can put in a carpet cleaner? Whats the best stuff to use to clean the vinyl/plastic/windows? Giant pipe cleaner in all the vents? Febreeze bomb? Theres also a lot of carpet-like upholstered areas that I dont think I can get in with a carpet cleaner, Is there something I can just pretty much soak it in that will neutralize most of the stank?
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Apr 8, 2014 11:47
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stubblyhead posted:and here's the sound it makes when I turn it on: It's time to pull it apart and see if the shaft is seized or if this is electrical because it sounds like it's seized or has a bad statup cap (and I seriously doubt that pump has or needs a startup cap) or even possibly is only getting one hot leg (if it's a 220v split phase pump). If you need to ask a question about any single word of that last sentence it means you should not do this yourself but hire a professional.
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Apr 8, 2014 14:55
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Long Francesco posted:I think this is probably the best place to ask this. I recently got my mothers old car, which is good and the interior is in great condition except for the fact it went though 15 years of windows up balls out chain smoking. I also quit smoking about the time I got the car and the smell is really starting to drive me nuts. Take it to a detailing place with an ozone generator. Get them to steam-clean all the upholstery and carpet, then run the ozone generator on it and it will kill the smell. You might get some lingering odor crop on warm wet days, but short of replacing the entirety of the seat foam/taking everything down to bare chassis and powerwashing it you're pretty much stuck having to deal with the odd smoker funk every now and then. It'll fade in frequency over time though. It'll cost a bit to have it done by a pro, but they will do a far better job than you ever will be able to. Consider it part of the money you always have to pay on "new-to-me" cars. e: \/\/That reminded me, you can get little spray can of this Ozium stuff you can use for a band-aid at the moment. You close the windows, turn the recirculation on, and spray a bunch of that stuff into the car and it will temporarily nuke smells. Kilersquirrel fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Apr 8, 2014 |
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Apr 8, 2014 18:30
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Long Francesco posted:Smokermobile In addition to the steam/ozone cleaning, go to your local auto parts store, home depot, or larger box store and smell all the air fresheners to find one you don't hate. Toss that in the glovebox/under a seat to keep the "it's hot and/or wet out" smells down a little. A lot of the "odor neutralizer" smells are relatively not too bad, kinda orangy. I had an old car that would smell like dog/puke if it got damp and one of the little can air fresheners worked pretty well for keeping the smell at bay.
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Apr 8, 2014 19:08
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http://bluemagicusa.com/index.php/blue_magic/products/89/carpet_stain_and_spot_lifter_22_oz/ I got a car for $300 that had been smoked in for over 15 years, and two cans took that and probably 5 gallons of coffee out of the white carpets and upholstery. Use a brush to really work it in and a wet/dry vac or carpet cleaner to pull it out. I suggest unbolting the front seats to really get the carpet underneath and pulling the back seat out if you can. Do the trunk too. Wipe down every smooth surface and consider popping off the dash and cleaning as far inside the vents as possible. You won't get everything out, but I have asthma and I was able to drive the car pretty regularly until it died. That stuff really does deserve "magic" in its name, just make sure you're in a well ventilated area when you use it because it's mostly ammonia. Thoroughly cleaning with that stuff is the best thing short of having it professionally done, and an ozone generator is really the only thing that has any hope of completely removing the smell.
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Apr 8, 2014 21:48
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Thanks, I'll try that ozium stuff and that blue magic as a bandaid. I was gawking at how much the detailing places wanted to do it, but it's looking like that's probably the best way to go now.
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Apr 8, 2014 22:10
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Let me preface my question by noting that I am not particularly handy, and my spouse is potentially less handy but highly motivated. Lately we've had a lot of rain, the most rain we've had since I moved into my (first!) house. We have a basement; all the windows have been covered over with plyboard by previous owners and painted over on the exterior. We do plan to change that eventually. That's not really the issue concerning me right now. Yesterday during yet another long rain we noticed about an inch of water pooled by one of the basement windows, probably due to a slight, incorrect grade on that side of the house. That spot has some concrete by the window (looks a bit like sidewalk) and then turns into yard. The gutters are directed away due to some magic use of PVC and those accordion spouts pointed into the yard. My idea was to dig a deep drat hole, fill it with gravel packed down, and then cover it back over with sod to contain water away from that window. I haven't done this YET. Is this extremely stupid, or a viable solution? Water has come in on that side of the basement, as the carpet there is wet. (Thanks previous owners, your remodeling work is BRILLIANT.)
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Apr 9, 2014 18:09
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Do you guys do your own pest control or hire it out? We bought a house a month ago, and found out a week or so ago we have some termites and maybe carpenter ants. They appear to be drywood termites, and not too bad but just to be sure we're going to get the house tented (<$1000 by some miracle, cheaper than spot treatment). However I want to be proactive and make sure we don't have subterranean termites, and don't get them in the future. I have read up online about buying Termidor yourself and doing the whole trenching treatment around the outside of the house. This doesn't seem too difficult, and a LOT cheaper than having a pro do it ($1500...). Both my neighbor and co-worker do their own treatment, and it appears to be working for them. Is there any reason (apart from termite guarantee offered by a professional to retreat in case of termites) that I shouldn't do that part of it myself? I was thinking about doing the Termidor treatment, then buying bait for carpenter ants and leaving it around in the attic to make sure anything that comes back into the house gets killed in the future.
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Apr 9, 2014 18:18
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GanjamonII posted:Do you guys do your own pest control or hire it out? There are many things you can do on your own, but for some parts you need chemicals that require a license (in most if not all states through their department of agriculture).
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Apr 10, 2014 02:23
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RedTonic posted:Let me preface my question by noting that I am not particularly handy, and my spouse is potentially less handy but highly motivated. That's called a dry well. I'm deailing with INSANE drainage issues with my house (lowest point in the neighborhood; clay soil; nowhere to direct stormwater) and its one item I've considered. A drywell will work well if you have soil that absorbs water well; but not if you have clay soil like mine (itll just turn into a slow draining underground puddle). Drywells work by giving the water additional space to go, and additional surface area to absorb into the ground. To give you a more detailed insight; I'd need to know more about the land, your soil, and what options you have to direct your stormwater. In short; maybe it's dumb, maybe its not. It depends. edit: Also you'd want to be sure to wrap the gravel somehow, otherwise itll eventually fill with dirt and youll just have rocky soil there now. GanjamonII posted:Do you guys do your own pest control or hire it out? We bought a house a month ago, and found out a week or so ago we have some termites and maybe carpenter ants. They appear to be drywood termites, and not too bad but just to be sure we're going to get the house tented (<$1000 by some miracle, cheaper than spot treatment). I do my own pest control for everything else. Haven't explored termite yet. The only downside (assuming you research adequately) I can see, is that there may be something in your insurance on that and/or make sure you're not violating your local laws.
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Apr 10, 2014 14:04
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There's not a lawncare thread, is there? I have a pretty small yard (less than 1/4 acre, about half of that is not-thick grass) and I'm trying to figure out what would be the best solution for mowing. If I had a standard mower the whole back yard would probably take no more than 8 passes, so I'm thinking smaller. Would a battery-powered trimmer like this do the job, or one of those oldschool unpowered mowers? It would be nice not to have to devote garage space to a full-size gas mower, but I also don't want to waste my money & make mowing a huge pain in the rear end. Any suggestions?
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Apr 10, 2014 18:11
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You could just get an electric weedwhacker. It's not the most efficient way to mow, but the tool is cheap and takes up very little space.
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Apr 10, 2014 19:53
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The Bunk posted:There's not a lawncare thread, is there? I have a pretty small yard (less than 1/4 acre, about half of that is not-thick grass) and I'm trying to figure out what would be the best solution for mowing. If I had a standard mower the whole back yard would probably take no more than 8 passes, so I'm thinking smaller. Would a battery-powered trimmer like this do the job, or one of those oldschool unpowered mowers? It would be nice not to have to devote garage space to a full-size gas mower, but I also don't want to waste my money & make mowing a huge pain in the rear end. Any suggestions? I'm in the same situation. I went electric plugin (homelite) and it's fine. I don't think a battery mower is worth it because the cost is pretty high, and why pay a lot for a tiny lawn. Honestly I think an old fashioned self powered would be fine and would be pretty neat too. Though it's not cheaper than craigslisting a small used gas mower. For cordless trimmers and yard tools in general Ryobi is a good option.
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Apr 10, 2014 19:59
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Yeah, I don't really need cordless since I'll always be within extension cord-length of an outlet. It seems like most of the self-powered mowers get good reviews on Amazon as long as your grass isn't too thick or tall. I guess I just need to figure out whether I'll need an edger, since most of the electric weedwhackers can serve double-duty.
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Apr 10, 2014 20:19
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My mom has the old schooled push power spinning blades and for her extremely tiny yard it works great. You just have to make sure you stay on top of everything because if the grass gets long it might be a pain to work with it. I would recommend it though if you have a small yard and also want to get a baby work out from it.
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Apr 10, 2014 20:20
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The Dave posted:My mom has the old schooled push power spinning blades aka a "reel mower".  And they aren't that "old school". Powered ones are still popular on golf courses since they can cut shorter than rotary mowers without slicing into the dirt. That makes them handy for golf greens.
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Apr 10, 2014 20:29
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kid sinister posted:aka a "reel mower". They work best on really flat ground since the power comes from the wheels rolling against the ground. I have a fancy one I paid a lot for that struggles with my lawn because of the occasional small dip where a wheel loses traction. The Scotts Classic I picked up at yard sale for $15 is dramatically better, and cuts higher too.
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Apr 11, 2014 18:57
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I'm replacing my kitchen faucet with a used two-handle faucet. It's leaking from a weird peg that sticks out right below the faucet stem. The peg is textured like it might be intended for hand tightening, but I can't get a good grip on it to turn it at all. Before I undo all my hose connections, maybe someone could confirm that the peg can be tightened? Or at least tell me what it's for? I can't imagine what you would need water to come out of the bottom of the faucet for. Thanks! Edit because this isn't clear: The peg protrudes into the central hole cut for a kitchen faucet in the counter-top.
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Apr 11, 2014 22:57
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Gothmog1065 posted:I got a used battery operated swing for my baby. It takes 4 d batteries. Is there anyway to wire it or buy an adapter so I don't have to metro buying batteries? This is from a few days ago, but I looked into doing this a few months ago. After doing some reading, I decided that I'd rather not risk setting my baby or house on fire and decided on rechargables instead.
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Apr 11, 2014 23:48
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DavidAlltheTime posted:I'm replacing my kitchen faucet with a used two-handle faucet. It's leaking from a weird peg that sticks out right below the faucet stem. The peg is textured like it might be intended for hand tightening, but I can't get a good grip on it to turn it at all. Before I undo all my hose connections, maybe someone could confirm that the peg can be tightened? Or at least tell me what it's for? I can't imagine what you would need water to come out of the bottom of the faucet for. Thanks! That sounds like a hookup for a sprayer hose. Could you post a picture?
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Apr 11, 2014 23:51
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GanjamonII posted:Do you guys do your own pest control or hire it out? We bought a house a month ago, and found out a week or so ago we have some termites and maybe carpenter ants. They appear to be drywood termites, and not too bad but just to be sure we're going to get the house tented (<$1000 by some miracle, cheaper than spot treatment). I used termidor for carpenter ants last year. It was a loving ant apocalypse. For the ants you can just spray it around your house, so that any ants coming in or out walk over it and carry it back to their colony and spread it around. I'm sure it would be extremely effective for termites too if you did the trenching, since that was it was designed for. Don't bother with baits for carpenter ants, just spray the perimeter on the surface and up the walls a little. Most of the time the carpenter ants live in your house and go outside for food, so you will get them coming and going. You want to make it so there is no way the ants can get it or out without walking over the treated surface. The best thing you can do for carpenter ants is find where they live and spray the termidor directly on their nest. I couldn't find the nest in my house, so I just did the general perimeter treatment that I described above - but it is worth looking for the nest if you can. I only saw an ant every other day or so in my house, but within about 3 days of spraying there were hundreds of dead ones EVERYWHERE. It was pretty amazing, and morbidly satisfying.
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Apr 11, 2014 23:56
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I have a gardening/diy tool question, I hope this is the right thread. My girlfriend loves gardening and obsessively mows lawns, prunes plants and all that other green stuff I don't know about. She's constantly bemoaning our lack of a weedeater and having to hire one every time she needs one, so I've decided to buy her one as a surprise. I'm a mechanic so I'm pretty familiar with tool brands and stuff in general. What I want to know is, should I buy a petrol powered or electric weedeater? My gut tells me a petrol as there is no cord to get in your way/limit the range, it would (presumably?) be more powerful and if it does break down I should be able to fix it pretty easily. Is there some other benefit to an electric weedeater that I'm missing, or am I right in thinking a petrol one is superior in every way? I certainly wouldn't buy an electric lawn-mower, and this seems to be kind of the same thing? Sorta?
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Apr 12, 2014 01:30
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Electric is going to be a hell of a lot quieter, and when you need to pause, it doesn't keep idling. Very easy. It's also going to be lighter. Battery-powered electric will almost certainly be annoying on account of dead batteries or short battery life, while corded electric will run forever, you just gotta run that cord around. Not as much of a hassle as it may seem. Also, the corded version will be lighter than the battery version, since you're not carrying a big ol' battery around. Gas is going to be loud, produces exhaust, and weighs more, but will have more power. My advice would be if there's a LOT of weed whacking to be done, and the weeds are out of control, then gas is the answer, but if she's just trimming a few beds and trees and a bit of fence or whatever, I bet she'll be much happier with the quieter, lighter, less-involved corded electric option. Also, for the trimmer head, get one of those heads that has three arms and a swivel on the end of each one, through which you fish about 12" of standard trimmer string, bent in half at the swivel. They're awesome. No need to buy the precut lengths: just buy a regular coil of trimmer string, cut it into a few dozen 12" lengths, and when you go out to trim, stick a few in your pocket. She won't have to deal with a tangled head or special blades, you just yank the broken string out of the swivel and stuff the new one in. Don't get the "aero-head" type ones with the special orange and yellow blades, that poo poo's annoying as hell, I can say from experience. And don't get a head with the big white toothed blades, that's for brush and poo poo and will mar whatever she's trimming against (wooden fences beware!) Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Apr 12, 2014 |
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Apr 12, 2014 01:37
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I sold those heads when I worked at Lowe's. They're kickass.
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Apr 12, 2014 01:41
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Yeah, I was trying to find a link on lowe's for them, but couldn't get it to come up. They really are great, though. I went through a couple different heads before I finally tried that, I wish I'd started there instead.
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Apr 12, 2014 01:42
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Nice, that is exactly what I was looking for, thanks! She has no issues with weight, and the topography of the property (on a hillside, two yards with awkward trees everywhere) plus the overall condition would make me lean toward a petrol. There really are a LOT of weeds and after she uses one the place looks like a warzone for a while so I think petrol would be the way to go. I can't find any appreciable price difference between petrol and electric for the same brands, here. I will definitely get a three-armed trimmer head, I was completely unaware that such things existed. Thanks!
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Apr 12, 2014 01:44
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You might be surprised how fast your arms tire of carrying a gas-powered trimmer around, and using it on a hillside is even more annoying. If the topography is all over the place, that would make me loan more towards electric than gas, really. And remember, even if you're 100% comfortable maintaining it, a gas trimmer IS going to be more maintenance than an electric one. And some of the gas trimmers are downright cranky. If you can, consider renting one of each and letting her try them out? Not just fondling them at the store, actually using each style in the actual situation. Trimmers can be surprisingly tiring, and the vibration, noise, and weight of a gas trimmer accentuates all that. If she's been using gas, could be she tries the electric and pisses herself in amazement. Don't get me wrong: having an underpowered tool is more annoying than anything, and in general, electric is going to have less power than gas. But it's worth checking out. Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Apr 12, 2014 |
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Apr 12, 2014 01:46
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Renting both is a good idea, the last one she rented was a petrol so I'll see if I can sort out an electric one next time to see what it's like.
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Apr 12, 2014 01:49
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In the interest of full disclosure: I'm really pushing giving electric a shot, but I own a gas trimmer.  And while I am glad every time I let the weeds get out of control, I'm annoyed as hell every time it won't start, or it dies when I throttle up because it wasn't warm enough, or I run out of gas, or...
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Apr 12, 2014 01:51
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I enjoy the 'character' internal combustion engines have so I'm sort of a masochist that way, which is why I want to get a gas-powered one so I can play with it like a toy  I promise I will get her to try both.
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Apr 12, 2014 02:05
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