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Leperflesh posted:That camerawoman's laughter is super-infectious. Also it's hilarious. I can't figure out how the hair dryer's switch activates the lamp without actually turning on the hair dryer. I assume the reduced voltage works perfectly fine in the heating coils and the light but fails to start the motor.
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Feb 28, 2015 15:14
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Leperflesh posted:I can't figure out how the hair dryer's switch activates the lamp without actually turning on the hair dryer. The hair dryer has a total resistance of around 8 ohms on high. A 100 watt incandescent light bulb is 150 ohms. With 120v across the two of them, the hair dryer gets 6v and the light bulb gets 114v.
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Feb 28, 2015 16:48
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PainterofCrap posted:Travesty of the week: AGGGHHH Where in Philadelphia is that? We had a sprinkler pipe burst at work a few weeks ago -- someone apparently left a window open in an old shower room. I was outside before my shift and saw someone gesticulate toward a window. Then I saw one of the nurses look up shake his head, and get on a cell phone. Then I looked up ... and saw water pouring out of a second-floor window. The mess inside was epic; my boss sent out a video of water streaming down over the elevator doors.
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Mar 1, 2015 13:26
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canyoneer posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69yswP-MSvQ When he said I wonder what happens if I trip the breaker?" I half expected his head to burst into flame for no apparent reason. That's some magic show stuff right there.
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Mar 2, 2015 01:11
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Zhentar posted:The hair dryer has a total resistance of around 8 ohms on high. A 100 watt incandescent light bulb is 150 ohms. With 120v across the two of them, the hair dryer gets 6v and the light bulb gets 114v. If the hair dryer and light bulb are in parallel, how does the hair dryer's switch turn the light bulb on and off? Maybe if someone could draw a rough circuit diagram to explain it for us idiots?
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Mar 2, 2015 04:22
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They are in series.
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Mar 2, 2015 04:44
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It's a switch/outlet combo wired incorrectly
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Mar 2, 2015 05:20
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baquerd posted:Hypothetically, assuming someone has unlimited funds and wants to create a home with all of the modern conveniences that won't need structural maintenance for at least 200 years, is it doable? I know this is a bit late but thought I would share. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145073 Concrete contractor decides to build his home to last. This is probably the closest I have seen to what you are asking about.
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Mar 2, 2015 18:58
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Tindjin posted:I know this is a bit late but thought I would share. Built like a
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Mar 2, 2015 19:23
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I'm looking at purchasing the house that I'm currently renting. It's in a good location and even if I don't end up staying here for residency I should have no problem renting it out for around 1500 a month, based on what other, crappier properties go for. There are about 120 medical students a year that show up needing housing and my house is in sight of the hospital, maybe a 5 minute walk. I'm already getting 720 a month for just subletting one bedroom. The owner has flat out said he wants to sell since he's getting out of the rental business and entering semi-retirement. The fact that he lives over an hour away from the property also makes it kind of a pain in the rear end for him. I know the house has issues since I've lived in it for two years; the electrical system dates to when the house was built maybe a century ago and the plumbing and gas lines while safe and functional could stand to be replaced. There's also the matter of sealing and insulating the house, replacing windows and all that. To give an idea of the problems the house has I've had to permanently tape up one outlet in the room that I sublet because the wall got hot when I plugged something in. I don't know much about houses but I know that's a Bad Thing. Structurally the house looks OK, termites would be the big thing to worry about here and I don't see any evidence to my utterly untrained eye of any damage or structural failures. None of the wood appears soft and the property stayed bone dry during Katrina and Betsy, the big hurricane in the 1960s. There are some dumb things that have been done by previous tenants/owners like drilling holes in the floorboards to run coax cable. I checked with the owner and caulked them since I could see straight to the ground underneath the house, but nothing I've seen says it would threaten the integrity of the house. My big worry about doing the electrical is that the walls are plaster which either means it's a pain in the rear end to work on or it has to be replaced with drywall. My problem is I'm in New Orleans and honesty and competence are two traits among the contractors here that are incredibly difficult to find, alone let alone in tandem. I'm talking to people I know in the construction and real estate business for recommendations already but I thought I'd ask here. I'd like to get the place inspected and appraised before I seriously talk about buying it; I've just never bought a house before and am not sure where to start. I'm assuming the process would go inspection, appraisal and then contacting plumbers and electricians for an estimate on getting any needed work done. This might end up as a purely rental property too; even if I stay I might move in with another future medical resident who rents from the hospital since the house is dirt cheap and is even closer to the hospital, close enough that things like pagers and house phones all work. Doesn't sound like much but it's a huge deal to be able to sleep in your own bed when on call. Rhandhali fucked around with this message at 22:02 on Mar 2, 2015 |
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Mar 2, 2015 21:59
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I just sat here for 10 minutes drawing different diagrams with no luck, I really hope someone figures it out.
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Mar 2, 2015 22:09
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Rhandhali posted:I'm looking at purchasing the house that I'm currently renting. It's in a good location and even if I don't end up staying here for residency I should have no problem renting it out for around 1500 a month, based on what other, crappier properties go for. There are about 120 medical students a year that show up needing housing and my house is in sight of the hospital, maybe a 5 minute walk. I'm already getting 720 a month for just subletting one bedroom. The owner has flat out said he wants to sell since he's getting out of the rental business and entering semi-retirement. The fact that he lives over an hour away from the property also makes it kind of a pain in the rear end for him. If you are feeling like buying a house in your area, you should definitely check out all of your options (that is, all available properties) rather than fixate on this one property you happen to live in. Obviously there are advantages to buying that one property, in that you probably know more about any issues that exist with it, but you won't have a good sense of what to offer for the house unless you see what comparable properties are going for. Moreover, you might well find another property that suits your needs better or that you like better, for the same money. Moving is annoying but the expense of moving is not so high that it should deter you from considering all your options. The other thing I will caution you about is that the general plan to rent out a property does not quite boil down to just "rent - mortgage = profit". See the Lets chat about the wonderful world of owning rental property thread in BFC for more information. e. Oh! And this is the Crappy Construction thread, I thought you had just posted in the Housebuying megathread, which is where you should post this question to get the best/most responses! 
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Mar 2, 2015 22:25
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Leperflesh posted:If you are feeling like buying a house in your area, you should definitely check out all of your options (that is, all available properties) rather than fixate on this one property you happen to live in. Obviously there are advantages to buying that one property, in that you probably know more about any issues that exist with it, but you won't have a good sense of what to offer for the house unless you see what comparable properties are going for. Moreover, you might well find another property that suits your needs better or that you like better, for the same money. Moving is annoying but the expense of moving is not so high that it should deter you from considering all your options. Thanks, I'll head on over there and see what advice I can mine. I have been keeping an eye on property values around here; several houses have sold since I've been here and I've made a point of finding out the sale values. I've also asked pretty much everyone who rents how much they are getting which is how I arrived at the rough rental estimate.
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Mar 2, 2015 22:33
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Gounads posted:I just sat here for 10 minutes drawing different diagrams with no luck, I really hope someone figures it out. Seriously, if someone thinks they can sketch out how that hosed up electrical system is wired I'd love to see it.
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Mar 2, 2015 23:05
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I suck at drawing, so no diagram, but I think both light switches are wired in parallel with the GFCI outlet, using the load hot/neutral (as if they were daisy chained outlets), and then the light bulb is wired up in the middle of the line neutral.
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Mar 2, 2015 23:36
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Zhentar posted:I suck at drawing, so no diagram, but I think both light switches are wired in parallel with the GFCI outlet, using the load hot/neutral (as if they were daisy chained outlets), and then the light bulb is wired up in the middle of the line neutral. Something like this:  Lots of guesswork and supposition (how the hell is the other light hooked up so it never turns on?). Also, showing that the hair dryer is a couple of switches and a resistance.
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Mar 3, 2015 00:49
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Does that explain why the light would change brightness when the second switch was turned on/off? Is there any real resistance in the switch/wire?
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Mar 3, 2015 02:48
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Maybe Sw2 is on a separate hot leg?
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Mar 3, 2015 03:03
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Unless the wiring's undersized, we can pretty much ignore resistance in the wires and switches. I can't fully explain the two switches making it brighter, but hooking into the second phase in the house is the most plausible explanation. No matter what, I'm just glad I'm nowhere near that bathroom.
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Mar 3, 2015 03:15
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Explosionface posted:I can't fully explain the two switches making it brighter, but hooking into the second phase in the house is the most plausible explanation. Could be that the switches are set up to control something else, and someone got the bright idea to splice in the fan into the neutral to run when you turn on the lights or something.
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Mar 3, 2015 15:19
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There was a fan there, likely 2 separate wires, and what are the chances that he wired them to 2 individual bulbs? That explains the increasing brightness.
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Mar 3, 2015 15:25
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Yeah, the super cheap boob lights have pig tails for each socket.
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Mar 3, 2015 16:04
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Hard to tell, but also might be using non dimming CFLs which get quirky when voltages fluctuate. Might explain the brightness part.
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Mar 3, 2015 16:13
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For this thread, this isn't that impressive, but it fits: This is the shiny new "wood shed" of an acquaintance.  Assembled from the finest of the scrap wood lying in the pile it now covers, the labor was performed by a gentleman with neck tattoos who was paid for his time with a negotiated quantity of marijuana. I know this because he was rather friendly and explained the workings of the deal while smashing apart a pallet to use in the roof portion. I mean, it will functionally hold up a tarp or at worst not fall on anything important when it collapses. But still.
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Mar 4, 2015 22:35
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Outing myself as a bad constructor here, but that is a totally fine  woodshed ! All it has to do is keep the rain/snow off and if he paid the guy in weed he most likely gets his weed at less than retail so he probably got it done pretty fuckin cheap
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Mar 4, 2015 22:46
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Javid posted:For this thread, this isn't that impressive, but it fits: I like how the right front leg is washed out in the photograph, making it appear as though it was simply forgotten.
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Mar 5, 2015 02:14
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 This support beam is getting in the way!
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Mar 5, 2015 02:22
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It's pretty scary how many people do not realize how supporting things works No, you don't cut that...no, see, it won't support anything if you cut it...no. I don't think you can get away with just cutting it in half 'a little bit'.
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Mar 5, 2015 04:22
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REAL MUSCLE MILK posted:It's pretty scary how many people do not realize how supporting things works "What's the big deal, I count like, what, 10 supports total holding up my house, I'm sure it can do without one measly support  "
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Mar 5, 2015 04:24
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Amykinz posted:I like how the right front leg is washed out in the photograph, making it appear as though it was simply forgotten. It's also a really light colored fir 2x4 as opposed to the reddish oval whateverthefuck used for the other three legs.
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Mar 5, 2015 08:56
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Parallel Paraplegic posted:"What's the big deal, I count like, what, 10 supports total holding up my house, I'm sure it can do without one measly support ... I know this because building codes are designed with some redundancy so the house doesn't fall down as soon as one thing goes wrong!
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Mar 5, 2015 18:14
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Javid posted:It's also a really light colored fir 2x4 as opposed to the reddish oval whateverthefuck used for the other three legs. Those are painted landscape timber. Not quite the way they were intended to be used.
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Mar 5, 2015 18:29
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Motronic posted:Those are painted landscape timber. Not quite the way they were intended to be used. They are half the price of a #2 PT 4x4, since this guy pays for labor in pot we shouldn't be TOO surprised 
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Mar 5, 2015 22:02
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REAL MUSCLE MILK posted:It's pretty scary how many people do not realize how supporting things works A chippy can't install your ac, and an ac guy is just pretending at knowing anything about roof or floor carpentry if they are cutting beams. E: Then there's the sparkies willing to drill holes through everything... Fo3 fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Mar 8, 2015 |
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Mar 8, 2015 18:38
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There was this home inspector recommendation somewhere in this thread, the guy with some amazing report that went in depth about everything, with costs to repair, and he's in Vancouver. I need that one and I know someone here knows which one I'm talking about
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Mar 9, 2015 06:07
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Wild EEPROM posted:There was this home inspector recommendation somewhere in this thread, the guy with some amazing report that went in depth about everything, with costs to repair, and he's in Vancouver. Dillbag posted:This guy did our home inspection. I got a 25-page report similar to this (without as many deficiencies, of course) and I got to watch him freak the poo poo out of my realtor. Best $650 I've ever spent. http://www.theco.ca/
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Mar 9, 2015 06:11
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That's him. Great inspector but one warning: he will freak the poo poo out of your realtor. Doesn't trust them, doesn't like them. Keep them separate if you have good relationship with your agent. Not cheap either but EXTREMELY thorough.
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Mar 9, 2015 07:04
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I had some email conversations that started by me asking if he could personally recommend any inspectors in my area of the USA. Very friendly, helpful guy, and extremely informative (even though I was just some random guy on the internet having an email conversation and not paying him a dime), but, from what I gathered, there was a zero left off of that $650 figure. Not to say that his report isn't worth $6500 (I believe he is worth every penny). From my conversations with him and the amount of time he puts into inspecting a house and creating his reports, I'm thinking there is no way in hell you are getting it for $650 unless his hourly fee is well below minimum wage.
Skunkduster fucked around with this message at 06:59 on Mar 10, 2015 |
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Mar 10, 2015 06:57
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He does have a price sheet.
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Mar 10, 2015 07:31
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I like that he notes that he's not telling you not to buy a place, but rather what will have to be fixed so you know what you're buying and can negotiate in good faith.
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Mar 10, 2015 09:16
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