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melon cat posted:On the topic of potlights and bulbs- we're replacing all of our crappy incandescent bulbs with LEDs. Our basement has about 8 of these potlight fixtures: I have 4 potlights wayyyy up on an 18 foot ceiling, so I considered LED floods so I wouldn't have to go up there as often to change them. I ended up buying cheaper CFL floods instead. Although LED lifespans are nominally longer, they don't fail in a binary way like incandescent and fluorescent bulbs do. They start to get dimmer, and worse, their color shifts. If you've got multiple fixtures, that process will not happen at the same rate because of individual variability. So when one of them starts to go (maybe at 80% of the rated life), you're probably going to want to replace all of them. Granted, 80% of rated life might still be 10+ years so maybe you won't care.
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Oct 3, 2015 00:33
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canyoneer posted:I have 4 potlights wayyyy up on an 18 foot ceiling, so I considered LED floods so I wouldn't have to go up there as often to change them. I ended up buying cheaper CFL floods instead.  (your house sounds pretty awesome).I didn't know about the variability in lifespan. Good to know. Do the floods offer better light output for recessed fixture versus the conventional "bulb" types? Because I'm thinking that the bulb-type ones will radiate light outwards and into the recessed fixture, depriving me of their light output.
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Oct 3, 2015 01:15
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If you went with the flood style it likely wouldn't use nearly as much of the reflector and might end up widening the beam of light. Some might also be way too fat so looking in person would be important.
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Oct 3, 2015 01:25
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melon cat posted:Well look at you, Rich Uncle Pennybags and your 18-foot ceiling! Don't be jealous. My house is like 1600 sq ft and it's only 18ft ceiling at the very peak of the living room/kitchen.
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Oct 3, 2015 05:51
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melon cat posted:On the topic of potlights and bulbs- we're replacing all of our crappy incandescent bulbs with LEDs. Our basement has about 8 of these potlight fixtures: Have you thought about retrofitting LED fixtures on there instead? It's pretty easy and looks sharp, but it's a little more expensive per light.
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Oct 3, 2015 16:41
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I am having a hard time googling for this question: I have an house with aluminium siding and equally old, single pane windows. Water seems to be collecting on the sill of the window between the window and the storm window, which in the winter, creates these nasty ice problems. This occurs when the storm window is closed. Assuming the storm window makes a tight seal in its track, how else could water be getting into the space between the storm window and window?
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Oct 4, 2015 17:39
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That's either condensation, or there is some crack somewhere that water is getting in. I would recommend closing your windows as tight as you can and giving each one a good spritz with your garden hose. Shut it off and see if any water made it in. If there is a crack, wait for everything to dry and caulk that crack shut. Is it just one window or several?
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Oct 4, 2015 19:38
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There are 2 or 3. Also I'm having water come into the house on the main level but can't seem to figure out where. One of the windows that is encountering the ice problem is also above where the water is coming into the house. The floor above the ceiling where the leak is occurring is dry. I've taken a hose and sprayed the roof and walls to try to recreate the problem, but I haven't been able to. I had a couple of people out to look at the water leaking issue and their response was "I don't know, here is a quote for a new roof".
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Oct 4, 2015 22:57
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Well since the lovely tires weren't going to get any more lovely anyways I tried the Great Stuff filler idea. Unfortunately the lovely tires had a lovely bead seal so the majority queefed out over time. I'm going to see if I can fill the remaining voids with more but so far no dice. They're marginally better than they were before but still kinda soft all considered.
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Oct 4, 2015 23:12
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llamaperl2 posted:I am having a hard time googling for this question: Do you get water in the summers or just only when cold? My suspicion is that you are pulling moisture out from inside the house into the void between the window and storm. The plastic and tape kits to seal your windows could really help this winter. Storm window should allow for drainage along the bottom. Did you caulk or seal up the bottom?
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Oct 5, 2015 01:45
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Having a problem with Baldwin privacy door knob latch system. This is probably more an indictment of my IQ than of the hardware. Check out the image below, this is the latch system that came with my new knobs. Look at the direction of the latch in relation to where the "Privacy Pin" (lock button) is located, it's wrong!! (right?). For a bedroom door, where the door opens into the room, the beveled part of the latch bolt face outward, so that the bevel hits the strike plate and pushes in when you close the door. So why is the privacy button on the same side!? Obviously you'd want the lock button to be on the interior side of the door, but the only way that works in the image below is if your door swings outward. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a bedroom or bathroom door that swung out though. It would seem that no matter how you flip or rotate this thing, the lock pin is always going to wind up on the exterior side of the door. Short of trying to open up the latch mechanism and reverse something, i'm stumped... There has to be something i'm just missing... there's no way Baldwin would build these just to confound 99% of the people who are buying door knobs. HELP! 
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Oct 5, 2015 17:52
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Just a quick survey of doors I can see from my desk: the bedroom door opens inward, but the bathroom door opens outward. You might be able to reverse the direction of the curved face of the latch, though.
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Oct 5, 2015 19:05
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Safety Dance posted:Just a quick survey of doors I can see from my desk: the bedroom door opens inward, but the bathroom door opens outward. You might be able to reverse the direction of the curved face of the latch, though. Baldwin would have to configure these for the most common application, I cant imagine that outward opening is the winner.
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Oct 5, 2015 19:22
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Sointenly posted:Having a problem with Baldwin privacy door knob latch system. This is probably more an indictment of my IQ than of the hardware. Pull the bolt out and rotate it.
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Oct 5, 2015 19:38
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Do you get water in the summers or just only when cold? My suspicion is that you are pulling moisture out from inside the house into the void between the window and storm. The plastic and tape kits to seal your windows could really help this winter. In the winter this is happening. I haven't done anything to trap moisture by sealing or caulking the bottom. The amount of ice that forms also points to a water problem not a moisture problem; there is like 3 inches of ice on the sill.
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Oct 5, 2015 19:47
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Two things: I really need to buy a proper two-stage snowblower for the coming winter, and I've just begun my research. Is this the proper thread to discuss this in? Second, what happened to those attic stair insulators that were one-piece pink-foam caps? That design seemed really simple. I've had this thing for the last 6 years, and it's starting to fall apart. Duct tape is keeping it alive for now, but even that won't last forever. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corning-25-1-2-in-x-54-in-Attic-Stair-Insulator-II-AS2/100676399 Any recommendations for a replacement?
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Oct 5, 2015 19:53
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llamaperl2 posted:In the winter this is happening. I haven't done anything to trap moisture by sealing or caulking the bottom. The amount of ice that forms also points to a water problem not a moisture problem; there is like 3 inches of ice on the sill. This is warm moist air seeping out your single pane window and the condensing and freezing when it hits the cold air. Solutions: Replace the windows Reglaze the windows if applicable Add interior single piece storms You can try the tape and plastic film kits Comedy option: Install roof deicers on your sills
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Oct 5, 2015 19:53
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The button is on the outside so you can unlock the door from the outside. My bedroom doors have this style of doorknob. If you want better security, you should get a night latch or other lock.
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Oct 5, 2015 23:49
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Squashy Nipples posted:http://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corning-25-1-2-in-x-54-in-Attic-Stair-Insulator-II-AS2/100676399 That thing looks like a piece of crap. Practically no air sealing value, and attic hatches are usually leaky as hell. http://www.amazon.com/22x54-Attic-Stair-Cover-Insulation/dp/B001GFSWYO/ is probably pretty decent.
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Oct 6, 2015 00:45
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Speaking of winter prep chat, what's the proper caulk to use around doors and windows/other gaps in my exterior? My house has wood siding
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Oct 6, 2015 02:10
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I have a box bike with a dynamo headlight that keeps getting knocked off due to lovely placement. Is it possible to install some sort of weatherproof LED cable to the wires presently powering the dynamo light? I do not presently have a way of testing the output of the dynamo.
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Oct 6, 2015 15:24
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Squashy Nipples posted:Two things: You should have started looking at craigslist a few months ago, but you can still find awesome deals on old ariens snow blowers from the 70's-I picked one up last year for about $250 and it's a loving tank.
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Oct 6, 2015 16:26
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Omne posted:Speaking of winter prep chat, what's the proper caulk to use around doors and windows/other gaps in my exterior? My house has wood siding That's really up to you and how much work you want to put in. Latex caulk is easier to use since it cleans up with water (if you're not a dummy and get to it before it starts curing). Paint also tends to stick to it well. The cons is that latex caulk doesn't last forever. The most expensive formulations are guaranteed to last several decades though. Silicone caulk is the biggest alternative to latex caulk. When the surfaces are properly prepared and the caulk is applied smoothly, silicone caulk will last as long as your house does. The cons for it are that silicone caulk doesn't clean up easily. Your best bet for it is to wipe up as much of it as you can with something you can throw away, like rags or paper towels. Because of this, it's easy to make a mess with silicone. That being said, getting good results for caulk is just like getting good results for paint: it's all about the preparation. Clean those lines. Clear out all of the old caulk that you can. Tape off either side of the gap that you're going to caulk so that cleanup is as easy as peeling the tape away (pull it off before the caulk cures). Also, whichever material the caulk is made from, manufacturers make grades specialized for certain tasks, like windows and doors, kitchens and baths, roof flashing, concrete cracks, etc. Buy the type for your situation. Also, consider each tube you buy to be sacrificial. Caulk's shelf life is measured in months. Take back what you don't use. Unless you're planning to do some more work within the next few weeks when you're done, then don't bother holding onto the partially used tube you finished with and throw it away. If you are however, then wrap the tip in a plastic bag.
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Oct 6, 2015 18:52
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Speaking of caulk-related items, I had to remove an old flag pole bracket on my house's exterior. Now there are three holes in the aluminum siding that are also a little "torn" (the screws were rusted and stuck so it took a little "oomph" to get them out.) I plan to flatten out the small pieces of the siding that are ripped a little bit, but what's the best way to fill in those holes? It goes through the siding into the exterior wall a little bit. I was thinking just fill it in with caulk and paint, but I'm wondering if there's something better. Luckily, I do have some of the paint the previous home owner used and left behind, so even though the paint is almost certainly no good (they painted one or two summers ago,) at least I can get the same brand, color, finish, etc...
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Oct 6, 2015 21:34
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DrBouvenstein posted:Speaking of caulk-related items, I had to remove an old flag pole bracket on my house's exterior. Now there are three holes in the aluminum siding that are also a little "torn" (the screws were rusted and stuck so it took a little "oomph" to get them out.) That paint is probably fine if it was closed up properly and stored indoors.
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Oct 6, 2015 22:02
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DrBouvenstein posted:Speaking of caulk-related items, I had to remove an old flag pole bracket on my house's exterior. Now there are three holes in the aluminum siding that are also a little "torn" (the screws were rusted and stuck so it took a little "oomph" to get them out.) You wouldn't happen to be familiar with car body work, would you? If you're willing to spend the time, you can get a perfectly flush surface again using Bondo or a similar epoxy compound. Seconding the paint should be fine.
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Oct 7, 2015 01:28
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Looking for heating element advice. I'm making a device similar to a solar still. Unfortunately, I'm now located in a sunless place, but am continuing my experiment. I have an empty space that runs 3'x2'x2" that normally contains insulation. I'd like to replace that with an electric heating unit I'd plug into the wall. It needs to control temperature somewhat precisely, in the range of about 50 - 100C. No idea how to approach this. Buy a heating element of the right shape, figure out how to connect it to the mains, use a rheostat to control temperature, make a housing so the element doesn't directly contact the wood housing it'll be in?
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Oct 7, 2015 12:27
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Dominoes posted:Looking for heating element advice. Cheap thermostat?
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Oct 7, 2015 13:00
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I think there's some cheap diy sous vide type controllers on ebay that will have some kind of temp sensor that shuts on or off a household plug. But that only solves the temp control part, not the heating element part. No idea what you'd have to use for that kind of space.
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Oct 7, 2015 14:44
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kid sinister posted:You wouldn't happen to be familiar with car body work, would you? If you're willing to spend the time, you can get a perfectly flush surface again using Bondo or a similar epoxy compound. Familiar enough. I've used it once for a Halloween costume a number of years back. I never did get it perfectly smooth, but it was globbed over a large area, not just a few small holes. Thanks for the tip.
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Oct 7, 2015 15:02
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Dominoes posted:Looking for heating element advice. It sounds like you could use a cheap thermostat hooked up to an electric space heater to maintain the air temperature you want. E.g. : http://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Itc-3...ermostat+outlet
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Oct 7, 2015 16:12
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Homebrewers live and die by the stc 1000 thermostat. It is like 15 bux on eBay.
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Oct 7, 2015 16:35
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Thanks dudes; that solves part of the problem. Perhaps I could solve this by coupling that with an appropriately-sized heater and power supply. What type of power range should I look at?
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Oct 7, 2015 20:54
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Is there a decently priced really low profile light fixture that puts out good light? I was looking at some LED ones but the ones I've found are stupid expensive right now.
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Oct 7, 2015 21:05
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Peak solar irradiance is about 1000w per square meter. So if the dimensions you gave are the same as the solar collection area would be, about 500w would be equivalent or better than the solar input would be. Infrared heat lamp bulbs can be a cheap, easy to use and reasonably safe heat source, if you can find one the right size.
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Oct 7, 2015 22:59
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Zhentar posted:Peak solar irradiance is about 1000w per square meter. So if the dimensions you gave are the same as the solar collection area would be, about 500w would be equivalent or better than the solar input would be.  Surprising fact: England measures building materials in mm, but available sizes all correspond to feet. Ie you don't buy a 6x2' of plywood; nor 2x1m; it's 1829x607mm. Dominoes fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Oct 7, 2015 |
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Oct 7, 2015 23:20
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Hand me that "102 mm x 51 mm" doesn't have the same ring as "tubafour"
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Oct 8, 2015 05:51
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Gothmog1065 posted:Is there a decently priced really low profile light fixture that puts out good light? I was looking at some LED ones but the ones I've found are stupid expensive right now. We have something that looks similar to this: http://www.grainger.com/product/ACU...er/22LU35_AS01?$smthumb$ I can't go banging around in the office right now, but it was installed before we moved in. It's my favorite light in the house.
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Oct 8, 2015 06:36
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Can someone recommend a good resource for DIY exterior house painting?
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Oct 8, 2015 14:44
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Question regarding bathroom extractor fans: 1. Once you are done with a shower, should you leave the bathroom door open or closed for the extractor fan to work best? It seems like you would want it to be closed since opening the door would allow the steam to migrate to other rooms. 2. How do I figure out where my bathroom extractor fan is venting? Is there something on the roof I should look for?
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Oct 8, 2015 17:07
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