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AFewBricksShy posted:Edit: Would glass be a cheaper option? Check if there is a glass place nearby. They should also sell a variety of clear plastics. Tell them what you need and go from there.
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Jun 12, 2015 17:18
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Pucklynn posted:So, I have two outlets in my bedroom that can't hold a plug anymore. Anything I plug in just falls right out. The internet says that the easiest fix is just to replace the outlets with new ones. They're 69c at home depot, so that's not an issue, but I'm renting this apartment and I'm wondering if this is a simple enough repair that I can do it myself, or should I hold off and have maintenance take care of it? Ask the office. You're right though, swapping an outlet is as easy as shutting off the breaker and turning 5 or 7 screws.
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Jun 12, 2015 17:20
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Pucklynn posted:So, I have two outlets in my bedroom that can't hold a plug anymore. Anything I plug in just falls right out. The internet says that the easiest fix is just to replace the outlets with new ones. They're 69c at home depot, so that's not an issue, but I'm renting this apartment and I'm wondering if this is a simple enough repair that I can do it myself, or should I hold off and have maintenance take care of it? For any rental property, unless your landlord is a total dick, I don't see any benefit in not having them do the work. Yes, it is a dead simple thing to do, but you're paying rent for a reason.
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Jun 12, 2015 18:10
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I found a place that would sell me a new capacitor for my air conditioner, but after I installed the new one, I tested the old one and it tested fine (35/5 whatever farads). The new one has the same numbers (35/5/440V), but the one I removed has a resistor soldered across one pair of contacts. The new one lacks this, should I remove it and put the old one back in? I haven't turned the power back on yet.
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Jun 12, 2015 18:37
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AFewBricksShy posted:For any rental property, unless your landlord is a total dick, I don't see any benefit in not having them do the work. Yes, it is a dead simple thing to do, but you're paying rent for a reason. Gotta contact the landlord and convince him there's a problem, gotta schedule a contractor, gotta be home when the contractor's there. Sure you shouldn't have to pay for this kind of thing because you're renting, but the time cost of doing it through the rental system can be expensive. Maybe you can convince the landlord to pay for your materials? 
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Jun 12, 2015 19:15
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The first part can be tricky if you've got a dick landlord... but an apartment building is going to have at least one maintenance person on staff who has access to your apartment. Where I used to rent, I would've spent a few minutes explaining the problem to the office staff and then come home to find new outlets a couple days later.
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Jun 12, 2015 19:39
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I would rather handle a couple screws myself than have strangers in my apartment when I'm not there, but everyone's gonna be different on that. For $1.50 I would definitely do it myself, you can easily do it with no problem even if you're clueless (just remember to flip the breaker).
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Jun 12, 2015 20:01
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i like nice words
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Gotta contact the landlord and convince him there's a problem, gotta schedule a contractor, gotta be home when the contractor's there. Sure you shouldn't have to pay for this kind of thing because you're renting, but the time cost of doing it through the rental system can be expensive. This is really the issue, I have to call a central line, arrange maintenance through the owner company, who then sends the request out to my apartment complex, then there's waiting for it to get done and a rando in my apartment with my cats, and if it's that easy then I'd rather do it myself and get the experience, and materials add up to about $1.50 so it's not a big deal. I'll give it a shot. If you see me posting about needing a place to live, you'll know it all went horribly wrong.
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Jun 12, 2015 20:56
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Squashy Nipples posted:I found a place that would sell me a new capacitor for my air conditioner, but after I installed the new one, I tested the old one and it tested fine (35/5 whatever farads). The new one has the same numbers (35/5/440V), but the one I removed has a resistor soldered across one pair of contacts. The new one lacks this, should I remove it and put the old one back in? I haven't turned the power back on yet. can you post pictures of them both? Usually only a start cap has a resistor, not a run cap.
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Jun 12, 2015 23:48
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YAY fixed! Contactor was bad. Thanks for all the help. kid sinister posted:Take the side panel off and check the capacitor(s) as someone previously recommended. You can also check out the contactor while you're in there, but if the fan is working, it should be fine. Nope, fan was running, but there was no voltage on the other side of the contactor, so that was the culprit. Maybe this is because I have a variable fan? Put the original cap back in, replaced the contactor, and it started right up. Qwijib0 posted:can you post pictures of them both? Usually only a start cap has a resistor, not a run cap. Pic on previous page, you can see the resistor in the pic of the cap. Blue, axial type resistor. When I went back to the Trane dealership to buy the contactor, they told me that I can take the resistor off of the old one if I want to, but that I don't really need it.
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Jun 13, 2015 13:56
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Pucklynn posted:This is really the issue, I have to call a central line, arrange maintenance through the owner company, who then sends the request out to my apartment complex, then there's waiting for it to get done and a rando in my apartment with my cats, and if it's that easy then I'd rather do it myself and get the experience, and materials add up to about $1.50 so it's not a big deal. Pay the extra and get tr receps
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Jun 13, 2015 14:58
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Squashy Nipples posted:YAY fixed! Contactor was bad. Capacitors sort of work like batteries, but with opposite qualities: caps charge to full capacity extremely fast, but don't have near the capacity of a chemical battery. They also don't have near the shelf life of a battery: they discharge extremely quickly too. The bigger a cap, the longer it can hold a charge, while still giving up that charge in an instant. If you got a shock from a cap that big across your heart, it could screw up it's rhythm and, if you're having the worst luck of your life that day, kill you. Well, the resistor is there to slowly discharge the cap while the unit is turned off. So yeah, the resistor is there to prevent an extremely unlikely occurrence. I got a contactor story. I once had a ant colony move into my condenser outside. Now a contactor is an electromechanical device, with moving parts. Well, those ants had built up so many of their dead bodies on the contacts of my contactor that the circuit couldn't complete. After an ant eviction and filing on the contacts a bit, it worked once more.
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Jun 13, 2015 19:46
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Pay the extra and get tr receps I have no idea what this means.
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Jun 13, 2015 20:31
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Pucklynn posted:I have no idea what this means. Tamper resistant recepticals, so you can't just jam a fork into the outlet and zap yourself. Pain in the rear end to use because you often have to wiggle the plug to get it to open up but great for keeping kids from zapping themselves.
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Jun 13, 2015 20:47
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Also, take the old receptacle or faceplate to the store with you so you can match the colors, especially if yours are beige. Most stores have 2 shades of beige.
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Jun 13, 2015 21:17
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kid sinister posted:Capacitors sort of work like batteries, but with opposite qualities: caps charge to full capacity extremely fast, but don't have near the capacity of a chemical battery. They also don't have near the shelf life of a battery: they discharge extremely quickly too. The bigger a cap, the longer it can hold a charge, while still giving up that charge in an instant. If you got a shock from a cap that big across your heart, it could screw up it's rhythm and, if you're having the worst luck of your life that day, kill you. Well, the resistor is there to slowly discharge the cap while the unit is turned off. So yeah, the resistor is there to prevent an extremely unlikely occurrence. Don't catch anything anybody throws at you in an HVAC shop. Fun prank: wrap one of those bigass starter caps loosely in a ball of foil and toss it at the new guy; he'll most likely instinctively catch it, crushing the foil onto the contacts. Makes a hell of a bang. quote:I got a contactor story. I once had a ant colony move into my condenser outside. Now a contactor is an electromechanical device, with moving parts. Well, those ants had built up so many of their dead bodies on the contacts of my contactor that the circuit couldn't complete. After an ant eviction and filing on the contacts a bit, it worked once more.
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Jun 13, 2015 23:00
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Bad Angus! Bad!
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sirr0bin posted:Tamper resistant recepticals, so you can't just jam a fork into the outlet and zap yourself. Sup sirr0bin posted:Tamper resistant recepticals, so you can't just jam a fork into the outlet and zap yourself. Super easy to use, just put the plug in squarely. It's in a bedroom and code says it should be tr.
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Jun 13, 2015 23:44
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Sup What? Since when?
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Jun 14, 2015 00:02
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Phanatic posted:What? Since when? 2008 NEC - so whenever your jurisdiction adopted that version of the code or it was included by reference in whatever other code book they might use.
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Jun 14, 2015 00:09
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kid sinister posted:I got a contactor story. I once had a ant colony move into my condenser outside. Now a contactor is an electromechanical device, with moving parts. Well, those ants had built up so many of their dead bodies on the contacts of my contactor that the circuit couldn't complete. After an ant eviction and filing on the contacts a bit, it worked once more. My buddy has a cabin that's on well water, and this happened with the switch that engages the pump once. We were going through everything piece by piece until we discovered that.
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Jun 14, 2015 04:02
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New house owner with simple (I think) problems checking in, trying to avoid ending up in the terrible construction thread.  Anyway, bought a new top load washer and gas dryer, and Home Depot came to install while I was gone (Fiancee was there) and complained about several things and didn't install anything in the end. Washer: Wouldn't install because the standpipe height is too low at 30ish inches vs. the required 39" for the washer. Do I simply throw a couple 2" diameter 90 degree PVC fittings on here to get the added height and call it a day since it's built into the wall? The top of the box is at 39" or so, so it would have to come forward and out of the box a bit. Previous owner had a front load which I think has lower requirements for this height.  Dryer: They also complained about the gas supply line not being a hard line and needing to come out from the wall more. I checked the basement and the whole branch of that line is the yellow flex line, no hard line is piped to that area of the house. It has the shutoff valve at least. Some say this isn't a problem? Are they just being picky? Also complained the dryer duct wasn't metal and 4" diameter. I think it's 3.5" and they wouldn't attach it unless it was metal and that diameter.  
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Jun 14, 2015 23:21
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Did the previous homeowner install that stuff? I mean a cutoff valve on a flex line just sticking through the wall seems a little halfassed. And places are going to have policies against installing in situations where what their attaching to isn't up to code. They can't take that liability. It doesn't stop you from attaching to it, but I don't know how to quantify what risks might be involved.
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Jun 15, 2015 00:30
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Please please please replace your horrifying deathfire PVC dryer vent line (the entire thing) with 4 inch metal duct before you vent any more dryers through it. For the standpipe, the right solution is to cut into some drywall and make it a foot taller in a straight line. Maybe you can do that without loving with the supply, maybe not, but putting two 90 degree bends is not the way to go. I don't know about gas lines but if there's any chance it's at the same general level of fuckery as the dryer vent you should definitely get it looked at.
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Jun 15, 2015 00:42
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Look at the washer on homedepot.com - it will have installation instructions that specify the height required. 39 is what I was able to find looking around at a couple top loaders.
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Jun 15, 2015 03:41
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:Did the previous homeowner install that stuff? I mean a cutoff valve on a flex line just sticking through the wall seems a little halfassed. I'd assume so. He redid most of the house which the home inspector said was "done right" so we'll see what else I find... I don't blame them for not wanting to install it for the liability, though. slap me silly posted:Please please please replace your horrifying deathfire PVC dryer vent line (the entire thing) with 4 inch metal duct before you vent any more dryers through it. For the standpipe, the right solution is to cut into some drywall and make it a foot taller in a straight line. Maybe you can do that without loving with the supply, maybe not, but putting two 90 degree bends is not the way to go. I don't know about gas lines but if there's any chance it's at the same general level of fuckery as the dryer vent you should definitely get it looked at. I was really hoping to avoid cutting drywall (baby's first house, but not afraid to get my hands dirty) but if that's what needs done then so be it. Maybe I can graft together a couple of those boxes (suggestions for a cleaner solution?) and just make the tube a foot taller like you said and try to avoid touching the water pipes. As for the vent, I think it runs about a foot or two into the wall, then does a 90 degree turn upwards, then eventually does a 180 to vent (down) outside on a little overhang. Seems like it could be a pain in the rear end to fix correctly but I shouldn't let that stop me if it's a safety hazard. stuxracer posted:Look at the washer on homedepot.com - it will have installation instructions that specify the height required. I did, 39 is what the one I bought suggests as well.
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Jun 15, 2015 04:02
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Larrymer posted:I was really hoping to avoid cutting drywall (baby's first house, but not afraid to get my hands dirty) but if that's what needs done then so be it. Cutting drywall is easy and doesn't generate all that much mess unless you're using a rotozip to cut it. Something that size you could do in about ten minutes with a drywall saw. It's unlikely there is any wiring in that space with the water lines right there and all, but considering the rest of this nightmare fuel anything is possible. That dryer vent system is especially  . This isn't pipe dream, you don't get bonus points for using as much as possible.
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Jun 16, 2015 18:00
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I'm gonna put up some loving awesome wallpaper in my house. Any suggestions on who to buy from? (U.S. goon here) Also, some mother fucker popcorned every loving painted surface in my mother loving house. It's all plaster walls, too. Any suggestions on how to smooth the walls out without destroying the plaster? I'm gonna need to do it in order to put up my awesome wallpaper.
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Jun 16, 2015 18:06
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Does anyone have any basic tips/pointers for assembling a cedar swingset? From the factory it's stained but not sealed, and the instructions say Apply a sealant or semi-transparent stain with sealant within the first 90 days of owning the swing set. If applicable state laws allow, an oil based product will penetrate and protect the lumber better than a water based product. The goal is to put this thing together right and have it last. I've read tips such as trying to get the wood off of/out of the ground, that opaque stains/sealers are going to do better over time, things like that. The current plan is to seal the thing before assembly. I'd like to start with a clear or colormatched sealant. If I use oil-based, does that preclude ever going to water-based? Could I switch if I sanded down to bare wood? How about the other way (using water-based initially, then switching to oil)? I can't think of why I'd want to switch, but in 3 years when the thing I'm not thinking of now makes me want to switch (like maybe going from transparent oil-based to water-based opaque?) I don't want to be kicking myself. Should I do anything to the hardware such as threadlocker/lube so that it doesn't straight corrode together over time? I've never understood all the thread compounds, I know some are like supposed to make it easier to remove in the future, some are supposed to make it impossible to remove (in vibration applications maybe?). I'm having a couple landscaping places come out to see if I want to do some light grading and put down pea gravel in a short retaining wall to make a good, level area. Could probably plop it down but the grade is like between 0.5 and 1 inch per foot, so I would probably wind up trenching some of the base lumber into the yard (thus getting it constantly wet) and the mowing/quickly looking like poo poo aspect of the lawn under the swingset would piss me off. Basically what aren't I thinking of to get this thing started out right?
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Jun 16, 2015 19:49
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Anorexic Sea Turtle posted:I'm gonna put up some loving awesome wallpaper in my house. Any suggestions on who to buy from? (U.S. goon here) First, we'll need to see the wallpaper.
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Jun 16, 2015 19:50
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Bad Munki posted:First, we'll need to see the wallpaper. I need to find some first. I want something Victorian and regal as gently caress. Versailles will bow to my walls when we're done.
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Jun 16, 2015 20:15
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Is there popcorn on the walls too or is it just sand texture?
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Jun 16, 2015 20:22
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Anorexic Sea Turtle posted:I'm gonna put up some loving awesome wallpaper in my house. Any suggestions on who to buy from? (U.S. goon here) http://www.yorkwall.com/
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Jun 16, 2015 22:43
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Alright, I'm looking at putting in some foam insulation in my attic to assist with the batt insulation to help reduce heat. Basically my roof is: Metal on top of slats (which used to have cedar shakes, and have a 3" gap between each one) on top of the joists. Should I put the insulation up there with the roof joists, or should I put it behind the batt insulation? I figured putting it on the walls would cause moisture problems. If I put it on the ceiling, should I just put it on the bottom of the joists or nail it to the wood under the metal itself? Not too worried about ventilation there as the metal should have plenty of it.
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Jun 17, 2015 01:35
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Anorexic Sea Turtle posted:some mother fucker popcorned every loving painted surface in my mother loving house. I love that your response to this is to be the mother fucker who wallpapered every loving wall surface in their mother loving house.
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Jun 17, 2015 01:49
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Gothmog1065 posted:Alright, I'm looking at putting in some foam insulation in my attic to assist with the batt insulation to help reduce heat. Basically my roof is: Metal on top of slats (which used to have cedar shakes, and have a 3" gap between each one) on top of the joists. Should I put the insulation up there with the roof joists, or should I put it behind the batt insulation? I figured putting it on the walls would cause moisture problems. If I put it on the ceiling, should I just put it on the bottom of the joists or nail it to the wood under the metal itself? Not too worried about ventilation there as the metal should have plenty of it. Your attic is a cold zone. Do NOT insulate the roof or anything around there. If more insulation is needed its going to be on top of the ceiling of your house, presumably where the batt insulation you speak of lives now. Anything like insulating the roof is a loving disaster of not understanding hot/cold zones and massive amounts of mold. This isn't to say you can't improve the efficiency of your home above that insulation, but it's just not likely to be with more insulation. Depending on what you have now it could be something more like more soffit venting and/or an attic fan.
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Jun 17, 2015 04:07
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Motronic posted:Your attic is a cold zone. Do NOT insulate the roof or anything around there. If more insulation is needed its going to be on top of the ceiling of your house, presumably where the batt insulation you speak of lives now. Hip style roof covered in metal. Again, the subroofing isn't solid sheets of anything (or even closed tongue and groove), it's open slats that used to hold cedar shakes. So looking up I can see wide gaps then see the metal roofing while standing in my attic. Without adding attic fans, I don't see how I could get much more ventilation up there (Of which I'm told I don't need). Something about Batt sucking rear end at radiated heat and that foam insulation would help. So do I just take my foam boards and cover the batt on the walls then? I still need to finish under the house too. Bleugh.
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Jun 17, 2015 13:29
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The best thing for knocking down radiated heat (and the "correct" way to install metal siding) is with double bubble insulation under the purlins (those slats you are talking about). This is typically done from the outside before the purlins are put on, but in your case you can cut and fit it into the rafter bays. It has a minimal R value, but make a big difference in reflecting heat.
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Jun 17, 2015 15:43
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Gothmog1065 posted:So do I just take my foam boards and cover the batt on the walls then? Yup. Just put it up over the batts like sheathing.
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Jun 17, 2015 16:32
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Thanks for this site. I needed some vintage style wallpaper for a project. I don't suppose you know how big a "sample" is from them, do you?
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Jun 17, 2015 20:45
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Motronic posted:The best thing for knocking down radiated heat (and the "correct" way to install metal siding) is with double bubble insulation under the purlins (those slats you are talking about). This is typically done from the outside before the purlins are put on, but in your case you can cut and fit it into the rafter bays. They're not purlins, it's a sheathing, if I'm not mistaken. . They're nailing strips for cedar shakes. However, can I just staple the double bubble insulation into the rafter bays onto the wood sheathing? I'll take a picture tonight, I might be getting terminology mixed up.
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Jun 17, 2015 22:01
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