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I've got air leaking into the house from a couple holes where coax cable used to run through the brick exterior, and into the wall cavity then into the basement. What products do I want to use to seal that up before I get a bee nest or worse in my walls? I also want to mount some wood on the cinderblock basement wall to screw down some low voltage stuff like punchdown blocks. Will any old sheet of wood do and should I just use tapcon screws to adhear it? Any need for sealant in the screw hole (below grade)?
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Apr 1, 2016 05:50
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Vulcan posted:I've got air leaking into the house from a couple holes where coax cable used to run through the brick exterior, and into the wall cavity then into the basement. What products do I want to use to seal that up before I get a bee nest or worse in my walls? Coax holes are usually 3/8". Silicone caulk should be perfect for that. Just make sure that all of the dust and crap is clear from the hole before you start. For my basement, I did a 3/4" piece of plywood with some tapcons, but I used some 1/4" thick nylon washers as spacers too. That had the added benefit of allowing me to use longer screws to screw down anything to the drywall. How wet is the wall where you want to put the wood? Any leaks?
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Apr 1, 2016 07:37
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No leaks, I was thinking about putting a couple furring strips on the sides of the wood sheet but I'll check the store for some thick washers, I guess I don't really need it to be that far off the wall surface.
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Apr 1, 2016 17:04
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Vulcan posted:No leaks, I was thinking about putting a couple furring strips on the sides of the wood sheet but I'll check the store for some thick washers, I guess I don't really need it to be that far off the wall surface. The plastic part is the important thing to take away from the washers idea. Anything at- or below-grade in contact with masonry is basically equivalent to submerged in salt water. Tapcons are powder-coat enamel for a reason, and it's not to look pretty. Furr the wall out with wood, but even galvanized metal is going to turn into streaks of rust in a year.
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Apr 2, 2016 00:31
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I have these thin plastic containers, maybe 2 inches tall, and I want to put custom sized dividers in them (or a tray with custom dividers).. Whats the best way to go about this? Right now I've just glued strips of foam to the container but its not a great solution. A 3D printer? Some other material I can cut and glue other than foam? Or some way to make a custom tray full on instead of just the dividers?
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Apr 2, 2016 13:01
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XmasGiftFromWife posted:Rest or a finish. Start lighter than you think and remember you can always make it darker but it's really hard to go lighter. OSU_Matthew posted:I think it's Rejuvenate that makes wax crayons for just this purpose. Just fill in the scratch with the crayon and buff it down, that should cover it up nicely I'll check into these options - thanks for the advice!
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Apr 2, 2016 14:17
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FateFree posted:I have these thin plastic containers, maybe 2 inches tall, and I want to put custom sized dividers in them (or a tray with custom dividers).. Whats the best way to go about this? Right now I've just glued strips of foam to the container but its not a great solution. A 3D printer? Some other material I can cut and glue other than foam? Or some way to make a custom tray full on instead of just the dividers? Is this to hold minifigs? Check out tackle boxes, but if you really want the boxes you have just cut strips of 1/8" poly to height and notch each piece so they fit together in the grid you want.
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Apr 2, 2016 14:40
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I dont even know what a minifig is! Haha ok so it looks like this stuff can be cut pretty easily with a knife?
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Apr 2, 2016 14:50
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Would anyone have any suggestions for the best easy to go about pulling some wiring around the corner where a wall meets the ceiling? The house is balloon framed construction with plaster and lathe. I'm trying to install a ceiling fan in my living room, and I've already drilled a 4" hole in the center of the room to install my joist bracket/electrical box. From the hole, it's a straight shot along the ceiling joist cavity to the wall, and straight down to the light switch box I'm planning on tapping for the electric. It's a two gang box, with a disconnected switch already in there, and the circuit has plenty of capacity for an extra .5-1 amp ceiling fan. The other switch in there is part of a two way switch for the front porch light. The dud switch and disconnected knob and tube wiring I found when I drilled the hole point to there having been a ceiling light already in that exact location, but there's no way I can use the old wiring to pull new stuff since it's too small for the 14-3 romex I'm using, and it's secured with porcelain insulators (house was rewired in 2007). How do I get my fish tape around the corner where the ceiling meets the wall? Do I need to cut out holes on each side of the corner? What's the least destructive way to cut through plaster and lathe? Circular bi metal hole saw, angle grinder with diamond tipped blade? I think my oscillating multi tool would rip out and shatter the lathe. The more I think about it the more stuck I get... Any advice is appreciated!
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Apr 2, 2016 15:08
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FateFree posted:I have these thin plastic containers, maybe 2 inches tall, and I want to put custom sized dividers in them (or a tray with custom dividers).. Whats the best way to go about this? Right now I've just glued strips of foam to the container but its not a great solution. A 3D printer? Some other material I can cut and glue other than foam? Or some way to make a custom tray full on instead of just the dividers? If you want it to look super clean, get some acrylic laser cut from your local makerspace. It shouldn't be very expensive (< $30) and will be sexy and professional looking. If you want cheaper than that, buy a cast sheet of 3mm HDPE on Amazon and cut it with a table saw.
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Apr 2, 2016 16:55
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Safety Dance posted:it looks like there are a bunch of flappers that connect with a chain instead of a metal rod  Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:Urgency is relative. It is likely leaking a little bit, which could cause problems over the long term. But if it's moving, every movement could be the one that finally displaces a good chunk of wax ring, and it could suddenly turn into a big leak. By the time we moved out*, it was listing to the point that we shut the water to it off between uses -- turn it on, let it fill up enough to flush, turn it off, because the leave at the bottom of the tank was so bad and when it did fill up it leaked out the top as well. When using it, we could lean so that it rocked back upright (I guess there was a joist under one side of it), but as soon as you stood up, it'd fall back over against the wall. Oddly enough, it never got stinky -- the leak was from the tank bolts rusting away, and I guess the bit of floor with the wax ring stayed attached to the toilet and the drain pipe was flexible enough that it never leaked there. Or, knowing the landlord, they just replaced the wax ring with a couple tubes of silicone caulk to flexible drainpipe last time the wax ring wore out. *the landlord was extremely hands-off, and didn't fix anything unless we threatened to sue, like the time our A/C went out in the middle of summer in Texas, and they finally got around to fixing it after three weeks of calling every day, took a week for them to get a plumber to fix a burst pipe, and there was one problem -- rotten subfloor just inside the back door -- that we noticed when taking the tour that they promised to have fixed before we moved in and never did, so we didn't even bother trying to get the bathroom floor fixed because it didn't endanger our lives. Actually I think we did call once when it was at the "rocking a little bit" stage, and then just gave up on it.
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Apr 2, 2016 17:04
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Bad Angus! Bad!
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I bought a "3M Half Facepiece Respirator 6000 series" with an "OV/P100" cartridge set so I can do things like get up into the attic and work with liquid pesticides without irritating my lungs more than they are on as a baseline (yay chronic bronchitis.) I've read everything I've found in English in this thing and I can't find specific replacement guidelines for the cartridges beyond "Hard to breathe through" and "40 hours/30 days whichever is shorter if working in an oily environment." Is it that simple? The printed expiration date on the sealed cartridge packaging is "10.2020" which I assume is otherwise the upper limit. I've done the inhale/exhale fitment tests as listed in the instructions and it appears to fit correctly.
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Apr 3, 2016 17:39
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Does anyone know what this Marconi radio is worth? Not great con but just checking before we sell it for 50 bucks Apparently it's model number 188 or something like that. http://imgur.com/a/bqnDO
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Apr 3, 2016 20:03
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Nierbo posted:Does anyone know what this Marconi radio is worth? Not great con but just checking before we sell it for 50 bucks Nope! But I did buy a very similar thirties philco radio for fifty bucks off my local craigslist 
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Apr 3, 2016 20:47
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H110Hawk posted:I bought a "3M Half Facepiece Respirator 6000 series" with an "OV/P100" cartridge set so I can do things like get up into the attic and work with liquid pesticides without irritating my lungs more than they are on as a baseline (yay chronic bronchitis.) I've read everything I've found in English in this thing and I can't find specific replacement guidelines for the cartridges beyond "Hard to breathe through" and "40 hours/30 days whichever is shorter if working in an oily environment." Is it that simple? The printed expiration date on the sealed cartridge packaging is "10.2020" which I assume is otherwise the upper limit. I usually replace cartridges when I can faintly start smelling whatever I am not supposed to be smelling.
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Apr 3, 2016 20:50
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I have a few doors that I need doorknobs on that have the same key as our nice Schlage deadbolts. It seems like most budget brands take Kwikset keys, are there any cheapo brands that have Schlage SC1 style cores on them that I can rekey to match? Hopefully in "satin chrome"? We found ourselves locked out of our garage when our contractor dropped some stuff off there and just happened to have a matching key for the lovely Defiant lock which we don't have. We were on the way to the vet, the cat was not pleased 
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Apr 4, 2016 01:44
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minivanmegafun posted:I have a few doors that I need doorknobs on that have the same key as our nice Schlage deadbolts. It seems like most budget brands take Kwikset keys, are there any cheapo brands that have Schlage SC1 style cores on them that I can rekey to match? Hopefully in "satin chrome"? You're right in that most cheap locks now take Kwikset keys. As far as I know, only Schlage makes Schlage locks and knobs. Sorry! I'm pretty sure that Defiant is a house brand for Home Depot. They take Kwikset keys. If you don't have a key for it, if you can remove the lock from the door and take it to a locksmith, they can make a key for you, even if you don't have one. They may have to make a new key for it though, so any existing keys that turn up won't work anymore.
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Apr 4, 2016 02:04
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I have a big bag full of brand new Defiant locksets that we used for a short period of time between closing and moving in, so if we can't final any Schlage sets we'll just install them, though I'm just as likely to tear one apart and see if I can neuter it's lock before we install them.
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Apr 4, 2016 02:34
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OSU_Matthew posted:Would anyone have any suggestions for the best easy to go about pulling some wiring around the corner where a wall meets the ceiling? The house is balloon framed construction with plaster and lathe. Ugh. I did the same job (actually re-wired the house with 12-2), but had a finished attic above. I cut a 3" hole in the floor of the attic directly above the wall box which gave me room to re-route along the ceiling to the fan box. Lacking that luxury, you need two people. You should pull the switch box; you'll need all the room you can. You can try running the wire up the wall from the box cavity with a big-rear end loop on it, and try to catch it with the fish tape. Keep in mind that since you have lath, the wall cavity will be porcupined with a million sharp tips from lath brads. Your wire will likely find every one all the way up. If you succeed in catching the tape, it's pushme-pullyu time. Failing that, you can use a standard carpentry hole-saw on the plaster. It'll go straight through it while producing an unimagineably huge quantity of dust.
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Apr 4, 2016 03:50
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PainterofCrap posted:Ugh. I did the same job (actually re-wired the house with 12-2), but had a finished attic above. I cut a 3" hole in the floor of the attic directly above the wall box which gave me room to re-route along the ceiling to the fan box. Thanks! Kid sinister and baby eating psychopath recommended the same thing in the wiring thread, so I went ahead and used a bi-metal hole saw, which worked great to punch a few more holes at the corner. You hit upon exactly my next problem though, I suck at running fish tape and keep coiling it in upon itself. I can't get it through an 8' long cavity that's roughly hvac duct sized--I keep bumping into plaster keys on the bottom as well as old knob and tube wiring/insulators on each joist, so I'm trying to figure out plan B. So far I'm literally debating tying strings to clocky (an alarm clock with wheels) and shoving it up into the ceiling and crossing my fingers
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Apr 4, 2016 04:23
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Completely unrelated, but I'm also looking at installing gutter guards and I was wondering if anyone here had any advice or experience with what kind would be best to buy? The lady at the local hardware store recommended foam wedge inserts, but googling around it seems like consumer reports like the simple cheap screens best? I
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Apr 4, 2016 04:31
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OSU_Matthew posted:Completely unrelated, but I'm also looking at installing gutter guards and I was wondering if anyone here had any advice or experience with what kind would be best to buy? I did the cheap screens myself last year after cleaning out the gutters fully. They've worked very well thus far, no clogs, no garbage in the gutters. Installation was pretty easy and I was lucky in that my gutters didn't need to trim the guards to fit. If I did I could probably do it with tin snips. Going to do my garage gutters this year once the weather finally stays warmer
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Apr 4, 2016 16:03
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OSU_Matthew posted:Completely unrelated, but I'm also looking at installing gutter guards and I was wondering if anyone here had any advice or experience with what kind would be best to buy? I installed these a couple years ago. Dead simple to install and work great, assuming you don't install them upside down (the fine screen should be on top). http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amerimax-Home-Products-3-ft-Snap-In-White-Gutter-Guard-85270/100009044 You can trim them with regular old scissors.
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Apr 4, 2016 20:57
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n.. posted:I installed these a couple years ago. Dead simple to install and work great, assuming you don't install them upside down (the fine screen should be on top). drat, I definitely can't disagree with the price on those! That's gently caress-it-why-not money right there. That's perfect, going to pick up some of those, a few flip up discharge extenders for easier mowing, and redo a section that doesn't drain very well with an additional downspout. There are few things I hate more than getting up on a 25ft ladder to clean gutters. Thanks!
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Apr 5, 2016 00:07
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OSU_Matthew posted:Thanks! Kid sinister and baby eating psychopath recommended the same thing in the wiring thread, so I went ahead and used a bi-metal hole saw, which worked great to punch a few more holes at the corner. Nierbo posted:Does anyone know what this Marconi radio is worth? Not great con but just checking before we sell it for 50 bucks GWBBQ fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Apr 5, 2016 |
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Apr 5, 2016 00:17
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What's a good recommended garage door opener? Ours is busted and I'd rather just buy install a new one that pay almost as much or more for someone to come out and fix the old one that came with the house. Budget is $100-250 Also side question: I was looking at this Ryobi model on gizmodo (modular with gadgets and poo poo) http://gizmodo.com/this-modular-garage-door-opener-has-more-features-than-1769116418 I'm not going to buy it because, well, Ryobi - but I did notice that in the comments several folks mention "2HP? That's not enough at all to open a 2 car garage door!" Mine is a 2 car garage, but I notice most openers on Amazon and what not are from .5 hp to 1.5 hp. So are those gizmodo folks just being idiots? Or is 2 HP really enough for a standard 2 car garage door?
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Apr 5, 2016 20:56
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GWBBQ posted:Get a set of fiberglass pull rods, use them to push a plumb bob with a long string from the ceiling hole to the wall cavity, and slowly let the string out until it's at outlet level.Tie a string to the hook attachment and pull on it to bend the rod around if you have trouble pushing it through clear. Hmm, that's a good idea. I may have to steal that. Actually, that reminds me of a tool I've seen for pulling cable in drop ceilings. Basically, it's a golf ball with an eye screw... screwed into it, and a string tied to that. Free up enough slack, then throw the ball. This assumes you have good aim though. A golf ball with an eye screw would be a lot cheaper to replace than a plumb bob too, in the event it got stuck in the wall where you couldn't reach it and had to cut it off.
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Apr 5, 2016 20:56
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kid sinister posted:Hmm, that's a good idea. I may have to steal that. Actually, that reminds me of a tool I've seen for pulling cable in drop ceilings. Basically, it's a golf ball with an eye screw... screwed into it, and a string tied to that. Free up enough slack, then throw the ball. This assumes you have good aim though. A golf ball with an eye screw would be a lot cheaper to replace than a plumb bob too, in the event it got stuck in the wall where you couldn't reach it and had to cut it off. I've used a 3/4" nut (for 1/2" bolts) for that purpose. WAY cheaper, and magnetic. I've also used a nerf dart attached to a fishing reel and very light fishing line to shoot through spaces above drop ceilings.
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Apr 5, 2016 21:56
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BonoMan posted:I'm not going to buy it because, well, Ryobi - but I did notice that in the comments several folks mention "2HP? That's not enough at all to open a 2 car garage door!" Mine is a 2 car garage, but I notice most openers on Amazon and what not are from .5 hp to 1.5 hp. So are those gizmodo folks just being idiots? Or is 2 HP really enough for a standard 2 car garage door? It depends on how quickly you need to open it. A 2 HP motor is insufficient to open doors in less than a second.
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Apr 5, 2016 21:57
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baquerd posted:It depends on how quickly you need to open it. A 2 HP motor is insufficient to open doors in less than a second. Ha, I'm assuming that's a joke? Because goddamn that's blazing. Considering mine took a good 10 seconds to open 100%. edit: Actually I went back and read the gizmodo comments and the guy corrected himself (after people were like "what the hell? 2 HP is plenty.") saying "what I meant was there is no way it can be 2 HP on a 120v circuit." BonoMan fucked around with this message at 22:16 on Apr 5, 2016 |
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Apr 5, 2016 22:12
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Opening a garage door in 1 second is easy. Closing it again is the hard part.
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Apr 5, 2016 22:13
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Bad Munki posted:Opening a garage door in 1 second is easy. Closing it again is the hard part. That's even if you find all of the pieces. edit: But seriously garage door tech is something I was totally unfamiliar with. Like those liftmaster jack shaft openers. Didn't even know that was a thing.
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Apr 5, 2016 22:16
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:I've used a 3/4" nut (for 1/2" bolts) for that purpose. WAY cheaper, and magnetic. I've also used a nerf dart attached to a fishing reel and very light fishing line to shoot through spaces above drop ceilings. I like your nut idea, but I could see a nut catching more snags than a golf ball. Also, was it the Cablecaster? BonoMan posted:Like those liftmaster jack shaft openers. Didn't even know that was a thing. Nor did I. I'm learning all kinds of new things in DIY today! kid sinister fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Apr 6, 2016 |
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Apr 6, 2016 00:28
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A garage door properly balanced and sprung can be lifted with one finger. It does not take a beast of a motor to lift one unless it's not balanced and sprung correctly. e. I'm exaggerating, it has to be amazingly balanced and sprung to be lifted with one finger, and actually they're usually designed to hold themselves closed reasonably well, etc. The point though is that the springs should be counterbalancing the weight for the most part, leaving the opener with a lot less work to do. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 01:38 on Apr 6, 2016 |
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Apr 6, 2016 01:35
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n.. posted:I installed these a couple years ago. Dead simple to install and work great, assuming you don't install them upside down (the fine screen should be on top). How do these cope with pine needles? That's mostly what collects in my gutters, and most reviews I've seen for these sort of things say they clog up from them pretty quickly.
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Apr 6, 2016 02:17
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The front side of my roof is starting to fail. The shingles are ~30 years old and i'm fairly sure that the underlayment on that side is roofing felt. The roof/house is a gambrel with three dormers on the front, and two years ago we had a few leaks in the winter. In the afternoon the top of the roof gets sun and the meltwater runs down past the dormers. The water on the north side of the dormer refreezes when it hits that cold/shady spot causing a small ice dam and providing an opportunity for water to back up under the overlapping shingles along the dormer. This past winter was pretty mild and we didn't have any visible leaks inside the house. The back side of the roof is, for the most part, fine. The shingles are in much better shape and it's my understanding that bituthene was used instead of felt. There is the occasional leak around a skylight that needs to be addressed on the back side, but it's less of an immediate concern. I would like to re-shingle the front side of the house myself in an effort to save money. The reason it has not yet been addressed is due to some ongoing family medical issues that have left us without much of a financial buffer. I would like to tackle it in sections to avoid plunking down the money for all of the materials at once and because i expect to be working mostly by myself. I do have a decent, if small, compressor and am planning on purchasing a coil nailer. I also will need some sort of scaffolding or staging and that is what i wanted to ask you guys about.  For the steep part of the roof i'm definitely going to need some kind of scaffold. I have a couple of aluminum ladders but they are probably older than the roof and not very stable. The way the roof flares out at the bottom also makes things a bit more of a pain when i put a ladder up because the bottom of the ladder has to be kicked out a bit so the top can rest on the roof. I know i'm going to have to plunk down some cash to do this safely, but i'm hoping i can get some suggestions so i don't end up spending any more than i have to. So what kind of scaffolding would you recommend? I'd also like some advice on what kind of coil nailer to buy. I was thinking waiting for a 20% harbor freight cupon and going with their 99$ nailer, but with their tools being so hit or miss i'm not sure about that. I also have the back side of the roof to do at some point and would like to buy something i can have around for that. With the timeframe i'm looking at renting one doesn't make much sense.
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Apr 6, 2016 15:10
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stubblyhead posted:How do these cope with pine needles? That's mostly what collects in my gutters, and most reviews I've seen for these sort of things say they clog up from them pretty quickly. Couldn't tell you since there are no pine trees near my house. It coped with the tiny leaves and other bullshit that my cedar elm constantly shat on my roof with no problem, but pine needles are a different story. If the ends of the needles get stuck in the screen then yeah I could see it being problem. Normal leaves get washed right off when it rains.
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Apr 6, 2016 17:57
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Jeff Gerber posted:] In addition to any scafolding, you are gonna need to buy a roofing harness and rope.
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Apr 6, 2016 19:07
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If you have decent home insurance I bet a roofing company can claim hail damage and get your roof redone for the cost of your deductible.
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Apr 7, 2016 02:12
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My dog was barking at a hole in the ground in my yard, there's a 2" or so black plastic pipe full of stagnant water hidden in the grass. It's concreted in, and the pipe is about 12" deep. I stuck a stick in it, the bottom is solid, holding in the water. I'm guessing it was for a clothes line or something similar. Should I ignore it? Dig up the whole concrete? Fill the pipe in with something? Use it? I wouldn't want to use it while the bottom is sealed up and full of water, but who knows how deep the concrete is below the pipe.
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Apr 7, 2016 03:07
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