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canyoneer posted:One of our friends in the neighborhood got a visit from an A/C contractor in the area. I guess the company that used to service their unit got bought by another so they called down the list offering free A/C system diagnostics. Their system has been a little weak (not as bad as yours), and they're worrying that their 15 year old unit is about to go. I don't know much about hvac systems but my guess is that they're more likely to fail on a hot day, meaning everyone will be calling for service at the same time and you might have to go without AC for awhile. Some people might willingly shell out extra to prevent that sort of thing I would also expect an older unit to consume more power, so maybe there's some savings to be had there to help justify it? No idea if that's accurate
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Jul 19, 2016 02:13
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QuarkJets posted:I would also expect an older unit to consume more power, so maybe there's some savings to be had there to help justify it? No idea if that's accurate Posting this to help you out. My AC died in the middle of a heat wave, even with that as a variable, my bill, following the fix and installation, was cheaper then what I had paid before. When you replace a major appliance, you have to take the long view. Yes, it's costing me this much up front, but, over such a span of time, the bills are cheaper then my previous unit. I do not remember the exact date I had my AC replaced, but every month, since I had it done, Until This month, has been less electricity used.
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Jul 19, 2016 02:40
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I went through my attic over the weekend and covered some ceiling gaps with insulation and duck taped some rips in the duct work. I was surprised to find so many tears from wires that had been pulled tight from an old security system, and whoever last replaced the hot water heater and HVAC unit seemed to not care about ac efficiency at all. Anyways, crossing my fingers that this unit keeps up for a few years so I can sell without replacing.
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Jul 19, 2016 04:38
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I've never actually gone around up in my attic. It's not finished or anything and I haven't really had much reason to. Maybe just to do a brief inspection? What's the general rule, stick to the wood beams and you'll be fine? Bring wood planks?
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Jul 19, 2016 07:19
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Stick to the wood beams. Although if you're going to be working for a bit, wood planks help a lot.
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Jul 19, 2016 13:31
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QuarkJets posted:I've never actually gone around up in my attic. It's not finished or anything and I haven't really had much reason to. Maybe just to do a brief inspection? What's the general rule, stick to the wood beams and you'll be fine? Bring wood planks? When I was fiddling with my attic I put together some 2x4 cleats and handles on two sheets of plywood and then inched them along carefully.
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Jul 19, 2016 13:52
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Just buy a 19th century home, they put down a floor up there back then.
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Jul 19, 2016 14:03
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Yeah, if you're happy with the insulation you can throw down a plywood platform. It's a bit of work but so much nicer for inspecting/working in the attic. Then you have some extra storage space as well, at least for temperature-tolerant items.
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Jul 19, 2016 14:07
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My new house doesn't have attic access. Like, not even one of those holes you can stick your head up into. What the gently caress? Is it possible/worthwhile to add a hole somewhere?
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Jul 19, 2016 16:34
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My attic is super shallow. I have maybe 3 feet of clearance at the peak. Climbing to the other end to find the roof leak was the least fun experience in my life.
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Jul 19, 2016 16:57
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GameCube posted:My new house doesn't have attic access. Like, not even one of those holes you can stick your head up into. What the gently caress? Is it possible/worthwhile to add a hole somewhere? Yes, you always want attic access. You don't want to be trying to cut a hole because you need access right now. Most people put a person sized hole in a closet, laundry room, or garage so that it's out of the way.
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Jul 19, 2016 17:37
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Finally picked out the tile we wanted this weekend and had the place over to give us an estimate. My wife way underestimated how much it would cost (even with me doing some of the demo, moving poo poo, etc that nickel and dimes you to death), looks like we're not putting in more hardwood and tile for a couple more months, gotta get that sweet 2% cash discount.
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Jul 19, 2016 19:53
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devmd01 posted:Finally picked out the tile we wanted this weekend and had the place over to give us an estimate. Depending on the house and tile selected, DIY tile install can range from "somewhat tricky" to "real easy". I did a ton in my house, but I did it over the course of many weekends. There's something to be said about just paying for the install and having it done in 3 days.
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Jul 20, 2016 00:23
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canyoneer posted:There's something to be said about just paying for the install and having it done in 3 days. I wish I had just done that with the dishwasher I just installed. My hands and somehow feet are covered in lacerations from razor sharp loving edges, and I had to make a number of trips to the other end of town just to get replacement parts for stuff missing/broken on the unit (never buying ding and dent again) and the whole installation just sucked. A lot. But hey, at least it's done now, and no longer do I have to dick around with a portable dishwasher! 
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Jul 20, 2016 02:17
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canyoneer posted:Depending on the house and tile selected, DIY tile install can range from "somewhat tricky" to "real easy". I did a ton in my house, but I did it over the course of many weekends. We're actually doing three different areas. Hallway bathroom gets some nice dark grey tile to kick off a bit of a remodel in there. Our garage entryway (where the washer/dryer is) which then leads into the kitchen is all this old, nasty linoleum that has tiny grooves in it, so no matter how hard you scrub that poo poo just never looks clean. Gonna take the portion from the garage entry door up to the pantry and put in a different lighter colored tile, then hardwood the rest of the way that matches the hardwood I installed in the office (officially dining room) a couple of years ago. A few years ago I would have balked at the labor costs and learned how to do it myself but at this point in my life I'm fine with paying someone to get it done right, especially since we'll likely only be in this house another 3-4 years.
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Jul 20, 2016 13:36
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Anyone ever laid out a stone patio? Any tips or anything especially noteworthy to look out for? All of my research thus far makes it look imminently doable, but I'm always open to advice from someone with experience.
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Jul 21, 2016 15:55
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FakePoet posted:Anyone ever laid out a stone patio? Any tips or anything especially noteworthy to look out for? All of my research thus far makes it look imminently doable, but I'm always open to advice from someone with experience. Cement pavers or actual stone?
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Jul 22, 2016 03:26
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Wandering Orange posted:Cement pavers or actual stone? I'm open to either, though certainly not looking to break the bank. Most likely some form of paver.
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Jul 22, 2016 05:28
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FakePoet posted:Anyone ever laid out a stone patio? Any tips or anything especially noteworthy to look out for? All of my research thus far makes it look imminently doable, but I'm always open to advice from someone with experience.
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Jul 22, 2016 06:15
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What do people here do for fire/smoke alarms? We had a minor scare the other night and are now looking at what we can do for real protection. The nest product looked perfect, although pricey, but by all reports they straight up don't function effectively and have a high in incidence of false alarms. Does anyone have a central station fire alarm? If so what did it cost and how difficult was the install? Does anyone know of any non nest IP enabled system? Trying to find all my options to evaluate.
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Jul 22, 2016 12:14
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emocrat posted:Does anyone have a central station fire alarm? If so what did it cost and how difficult was the install? Does anyone know of any non nest IP enabled system? Trying to find all my options to evaluate. I think your best overall option would be to find a basic central system that works with all the "GE Crystal" aka interlogix sensors. You would have the added benefit of additional alarms (door/window sensors, motion sensors, etc) in the future, and you would have relatively inexpensive sensor options all over eBay that you can install yourself. It looks like there is something called Ultrasync, which used to be called ZeroWire, that has built in internet connectivity, interlogix sensor support, and also Z-Wave built in so you can add wireless light switches, thermostats, outlets and door locks too. Hard to figure out a price but it seems like the control panel itself would be about $300 and from there you can presumably add things yourself fairly cheaply: basic sensors $10-$15 smoke alarms $50 outlets $25 light switches $30 Specifically, here are the GE crystal smoke detectors that are completely battery operated so easily installed: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XTX-6010-01-1.TRS0&_nkw=TX-6010-01-1&_sacat=0
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Jul 22, 2016 12:43
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Droo posted:Snip This is good stuff, good place to start researching. Thanks.
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Jul 22, 2016 17:29
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FakePoet posted:I'm open to either, though certainly not looking to break the bank. Most likely some form of paver. moana posted:Like with most DIY stuff, the prep work is 90% of the job. If you do a good job tamping down and leveling, your life will be much easier. I did a flagstone patio once and it was hell because the stones were different thicknesses. 'Avoid natural stone' is the most noteworthy tip I can think of. Paver patios are a well documented and straightforward project that will break your back and knees well before your bank. How many square feet are you planning to do?
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Jul 22, 2016 18:55
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Wandering Orange posted:'Avoid natural stone' is the most noteworthy tip I can think of. Paver patios are a well documented and straightforward project that will break your back and knees well before your bank. How many square feet are you planning to do? Nothing that's crazy, at least in my mind. 12x16, give or take? I'm sure the labor involved will test that statement. Do you think manually tamping the ground, labor aside, will be "good enough", or is renting one of those automatic tampers going to be practically necessary?
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Jul 22, 2016 19:06
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The DIY option I heard of was using a trash can filled with gravel to roll over the ground but not sure how well that works - I already had a landscaper out to do things so I had him do the tamping as well (which didn't even help that much, drat flagstone!)
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Jul 22, 2016 19:14
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All the outlets in my house are old and very loose. I can't plug anything in without it falling right back out. How much of a pain in the rear end is it to replace the outlets? Caveat: I am a filthy renter but I have been told I can do any upgrades to the house I want within reason and with prior approval while I'm here since they're going to put it on the market to sell when I move out. If they say no to replacing the outlets, which is likely because they are cheap (they denied my request for a fireplace inspection/cleaning and to upgrade the security system already), is there anything I can do without replacing the whole outlet to tighten it up?
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Jul 22, 2016 19:36
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Buy a bunch of small washers or nuts, or some other kind of circular spacer. Take off the outlet cover and unscrew the outlet and pull it out of the wall while being careful not to touch the metal on the side of the outlet. Use the washers between the outlet screw and the box hole to create a solid area at whatever depth you want the outlets to be.
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Jul 22, 2016 19:41
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/\/\/\Don't do this with a live outlet. In theory you can gently caress around inside an outlet without electrocuting yourself, but in practice if it's old, improperly done, or there's some problem, it's not safe. Turn off power to the circuit before you do anything beyond removing the faceplate. Replacing outlets is very easy. You need to have access to the circuit breaker panel, though, because you absolutely must turn off power to every outlet you're going to work on, and in a shared building it'd be better if you can secure the panel while you're working (that is, proactively lock out everyone else but you from turning those breakers back on). You will need: a non-contact voltage tester. They look like this:  Each time you work on an outlet, you verify your tester is working (test it first on a line or outlet that is live) and then verify that the outlet and wires you're about to touch are not live. You will also need a flathead screwdriver. A wire stripper may also prove useful, although you can make do with a sharp knife. You should open up the outlet you're going to work on, pull stuff out and take a cell phone picture, just so you have something to refer to if the wires wind up being confusing. Evaluate whether the wiring is fine and you can just swap in a new outlet, or if the wiring is hosed in some way. Assuming everything is fine, you can just disconnect the wires from the old outlet and connect them to the new one. New outlets are cheap. Most or all of your outlets are 15A. You should install new, 15A, tamper-resistant outlets. You may want in some or all cases to upgrade to GFCI outlets for added protection: in some locations that is required by code, including kitchen and bathroom outlets. It doesn't hurt to use them everywhere. If you are at all uncertain, there's the DIY Wiring thread. Don't electrocute yourself or burn your house down. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Jul 22, 2016 |
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Jul 22, 2016 19:48
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My problem isn't the outlets themselves being loose, it's the holes for the prongs having zero grip. I can plug something in and it will literally fall back out of the outlet. Vacuuming is an overwhelmingly frustrating experience since the tiniest tug of the cord has it tumbling out of the wall. Trying to charge something? Come back after a few hours to find you have zero charge after several hours because the charger fell out of the wall. I've done small amounts of wiring before (replacing thermostats and the like) so I think I can handle it. It's a single family home I live in by myself at the moment so if I turn off a breaker it stays off. I'm mostly worried that I'm going to open up an outlet and find some sort of  wiring since most of this house seems to be half-assed and that which isn't half-assed is old (house was built in mid-70s).
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Jul 22, 2016 20:10
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Yeah you'd need to replace the outlet for that but having a safe and effective electrical system is a primary function of a modern home so this would generally should be in the landlord. It's not a "minor upgrade", it's general maintenance. At the very least he should buy you the materials.
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Jul 22, 2016 20:17
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FakePoet posted:Nothing that's crazy, at least in my mind. 12x16, give or take? I'm sure the labor involved will test that statement. moana posted:The DIY option I heard of was using a trash can filled with gravel to roll over the ground but not sure how well that works - I already had a landscaper out to do things so I had him do the tamping as well (which didn't even help that much, drat flagstone!) I've always heard the DIY option as a 55 gallon plastic drum full of water but never used it myself. You'll need it at two different stages - compacting the base aggregate (class 5 or crushed limestone) and then compacting the pavers with sand at the end to set them in place. Renting the vibratory compactor around here is about $60 for 4 hours, $80 for a day, and that is an impossible price to beat considering the alternatives and their results. When I've done pavers myself, I excavate and get the aggregate spread on day one which includes setting a slope away from a foundation/building if you need or want to. Day two, I rent the compactor for the day as soon as the rental place opens in the morning, compact the aggregate, lay out the sand bed, place pavers then edging, and finally compact the pavers with sand so lock them in place. Day two can be a long one if you're alone or if your pallet of pavers is in the driveway on the other side of the house. Or if you want curves and need to cut pavers to match!
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Jul 22, 2016 20:20
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emocrat posted:What do people here do for fire/smoke alarms? We had a minor scare the other night and are now looking at what we can do for real protection.  The International Association of Fire Fighters recommends that people only use Photoelectric smoke detectors, going so far as to recommend that you replace your Ionization and Dual-Sensor detectors with Photoelectric smoke detectorsIf you have gas hookups then it's also important to have carbon monoxide detectors, at least one near the bedrooms but more is preferable. Beyond making sure that you have photoelectric smoke detectors, the recommendation is that you check the batteries each month. That's it. There are many smoke alarm brands that can be interconnected so that they all go off when one goes off, some of them are very affordable (~$20 each, or cheaper if you buy a bundle). If you buy hard-wired smoke detectors, it's better to get the low-voltage kind. You don't need to connect your smoke alarms to the internet, that doesn't convey any safety advantages; the Nest is trendy but it's seriously overpriced.
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Jul 22, 2016 20:25
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LogisticEarth posted:Yeah you'd need to replace the outlet for that but having a safe and effective electrical system is a primary function of a modern home so this would generally should be in the landlord. It's not a "minor upgrade", it's general maintenance. I'd go further to say don't loving do it in a rental without a contract for time and material. Particularly if he's already planning on booting you.
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Jul 22, 2016 20:28
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LogisticEarth posted:Yeah you'd need to replace the outlet for that but having a safe and effective electrical system is a primary function of a modern home so this would generally should be in the landlord. It's not a "minor upgrade", it's general maintenance. It's $1 for a 15 pack at Lowe's. If they don't cover that cost then they are officially the cheapest people I know. The homeowners are out of state and want to get rid of the house but can't find buyers so they're past the point of giving a poo poo about it and the property manager is pretty awful so I'm not gonna hold my breath over being reimbursed $1. I'm guessing there's something very wrong with the house that turns up on inspection that's driving buyers away but it's not my problem since I'm just a tenant. If I do it anyway it's not like they'll notice or care. I'll probably replace a light switch while I'm at it, the kitchen light is on a dimmer on one switch that only allows me to turn it off but not on. It's so dumb.
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Jul 22, 2016 20:32
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:My problem isn't the outlets themselves being loose, it's the holes for the prongs having zero grip. I can plug something in and it will literally fall back out of the outlet. Vacuuming is an overwhelmingly frustrating experience since the tiniest tug of the cord has it tumbling out of the wall. Trying to charge something? Come back after a few hours to find you have zero charge after several hours because the charger fell out of the wall. I would get a couple of these outlet splitters where you have the most trouble. They should screw into the faceplate of your outlets and fix your issue. https://www.amazon.com/Cord-Protector-Outlet-Wall-Splitter/dp/B00QQMMA1I https://www.amazon.com/GE-Grounded-Adapter-Spaced-Six-Outlet-Tap/dp/B0009HKEXM Edit: Replacing the outlets themselves is very slow and annoying.
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Jul 22, 2016 20:33
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You should probably not go trying to fix a bunch of poo poo for free in a place that you rent. Even if the outlet covers are $1 do you really not value your time at all? You're also making yourself liable if something goes horribly wrong.
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Jul 22, 2016 20:38
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:I would get a couple of these outlet splitters where you have the most trouble. They should screw into the faceplate of your outlets and fix your issue. Oh that looks like the perfect low effort solution to my problem. In fact there's already one installed upstairs now that I think about it. Thanks! Edit: QuarkJets posted:You should probably not go trying to fix a bunch of poo poo for free in a place that you rent. Even if the outlet covers are $1 do you really not value your time at all? You're also making yourself liable if something goes horribly wrong. I was trying not to change anything but after 6 months of flying into a rage every time I try to vacuum I was ready to take things into my own hands. Those outlet splitters seem to be good enough to last till the end of my lease. We're gonna buy (not this house) once my lease is up so I can save all the pain in the rear end projects for then.
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Jul 22, 2016 20:39
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Aquatic Giraffe posted:It's $1 for a 15 pack at Lowe's. Huh? No way they're that cheap for outlets. Did you misread "15 amp"? I'm not a regular buyer of these things but typically they're at least a buck a piece. But yeah, the screw-on splitters are the safes option, and you can take them with you.
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Jul 22, 2016 20:55
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LogisticEarth posted:Huh? No way they're that cheap for outlets. Did you misread "15 amp"? I'm not a regular buyer of these things but typically they're at least a buck a piece. Sorry, 10 pack. But still. http://www.lowes.com/pd/Cooper-Wiring-Devices-10-Pack-15-Amp-125-Volt-White-Indoor-Duplex-Wall-Outlet/1099255
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Jul 22, 2016 21:13
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FakePoet posted:Nothing that's crazy, at least in my mind. 12x16, give or take? I'm sure the labor involved will test that statement.
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Jul 22, 2016 21:17
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