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Is there a small engine thread somewhere? I have a snowblower that won't start. New last year. I am dumb and left the gas in over the summer. That is now drained and replaced with fresh gas, but it won't fire. If I spray ether into the chamber, it will turn a couple times and then die, so it seems like it's not getting fuel, but I don't know. It's a craftsman, 26". MTD engine, I think.
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Dec 28, 2016 14:55
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Does it have a fuel shutoff? Is the fuel filter clogged? Could also just be gunk in the jets and/or a stuck carb. Get some seafoam in there, that stuff is magic.
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Dec 28, 2016 16:28
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gvibes posted:Is there a small engine thread somewhere? I have a snowblower that won't start. New last year. I am dumb and left the gas in over the summer. That is now drained and replaced with fresh gas, but it won't fire. If I spray ether into the chamber, it will turn a couple times and then die, so it seems like it's not getting fuel, but I don't know. Jets are clogged. Try to get seafoam in there as previously suggested, or pull the carb off and clean it.
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Dec 28, 2016 16:52
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gvibes posted:Is there a small engine thread somewhere? Yeah, over in AI. I'm on mobile, otherwise I'd link you.
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Dec 28, 2016 18:03
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Nthing seafoam, that should do the trick Your carburetor is probably clogged, hopefully the fuel didn't gum up and varnish it too bad. The problem is ethanol additive in gas, it makes things break down faster. If seafoam doesn't do the trick, check your air filter/replace if necessary. Your plugs are probably fine. I would take your carburetor apart, and clean it out with some carb cleaner and a tiny bristle brush or dental pick to clean the pilot jets, followed by a good blast of carb cleaner till you see it go through the hole. Also make sure you prime the entire if necessary. Also drain out all the old gas and dispose of that, you'll want fresh gas in there to begin with. E: forgot to mention you should probably change the oil as well, I'd assume that yearly is the minimum recommended service interval Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Dec 28, 2016 |
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Dec 28, 2016 18:38
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gvibes posted:Is there a small engine thread somewhere? I have a snowblower that won't start. New last year. I am dumb and left the gas in over the summer. That is now drained and replaced with fresh gas, but it won't fire. If I spray ether into the chamber, it will turn a couple times and then die, so it seems like it's not getting fuel, but I don't know. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3302145&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 Also, your jets are clogged. I just went through this.  See that white stuff in the float bowl? It's everywhere. Including here:  After a thorough cleaning it's back to starting and running like new. You could probably get away without pulling the entire carb to do this job, but you'll spend most of the time on your head trying to take it apart/put it back together. Yeah, it takes a bit more time but I'd rather do the work on a bench. It's kind of a pain. You need to pull the fuel tank and all kind of other crap that's in the way:  I'm assuming that's the one you have or something very similar. Edit: Seafoam is great, but mine was WAY beyond seafoam as it was completely clogged. No way to get fresh fuel+seafoam through those jets. Starting RIGHT NOW don't even get a gas can filled before putting StaBil in it. That's what I always do, but this was a new to me machine that I got last spring and totally forgot to drain. Wouldn't likely have been a problem with fuel stabilizer in it. I'm considering going to avgas (10 year shelf life) or Tru Fuel for everything because I hate taking carb apart and ethanol gas is the devil for small engines. Motronic fucked around with this message at 18:45 on Dec 28, 2016 |
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Dec 28, 2016 18:40
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I've heard that using premium gas cuts down on gunk buildup in small engines like mowers and blowers. Any truth to that? I mean I don't mind splurging for $4 two to three times a year if that's the case.
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Dec 28, 2016 18:50
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CzarChasm posted:I've heard that using premium gas cuts down on gunk buildup in small engines like mowers and blowers. Any truth to that? I mean I don't mind splurging for $4 two to three times a year if that's the case. Premium gas just has higher octane, so an engine designed for higher compression can do that without igniting. Marine grade fuel or other specialty fuels do not have ethanol though, if that's what you're looking for. Regular gas (with the mandated ethanol additive) is only really a problem if you let the engine sit for extended periods with non stabilized fuel in the tank, because it breaks down. It's completely fine otherwise, and you can just add seafoam to regular gas if you're planning on letting the engine sit for awhile. Ethanol free gas breaks down too, fyi. It just does it at a slower rate. Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 13:12 on Dec 29, 2016 |
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Dec 28, 2016 18:56
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CzarChasm posted:I've heard that using premium gas cuts down on gunk buildup in small engines like mowers and blowers. Any truth to that? I mean I don't mind splurging for $4 two to three times a year if that's the case. You'd be better off putting that extra cash toward a big bottle of Stabil. I treat my gas can every time I fill it up and never worry about stale gas.
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Dec 28, 2016 18:59
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Not entirely sure where to put this. I want a display case for a set of cards. I don't mean something that holds the card box with the cards in it, I mean I want to display every individual card. I'm thinking the way to accomplish this is to have a frame with a backing that has a recess in it for each card. I don't want to permanently affix the cards to the backing though. I have no idea how to accomplish this. Could someone point me in some direction that might lead me to the answer?
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Dec 29, 2016 06:22
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Playing cards? Personal cards? There's a ton of them: https://www.amazon.com/Trading-Card-Display-Frame-9-cards/dp/B003SEWS6Y for smaller card size, if you mean the other type, try multi-picture frames
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Dec 29, 2016 06:30
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Can't you use Seafoam instead of stabil for fuel stabilizer as well?
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Dec 29, 2016 12:10
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sex swing from IKEA posted:Can't you use Seafoam instead of stabil for fuel stabilizer as well? Supposedly, but I don't have any experience with that. I know StaBil has worked for me for years and years and it's what we've used at every fire department I've been at.
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Dec 29, 2016 16:54
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I've never used self-leveling cement before. How smooth does the surface need to be in order to apply subway tile over the top? In some tutorials I've watched, people basically just sweep the floor, mix the cement, pour, and wait. Others mention laying down a primer as well as troweling etc afterwards. If I'm just going to lay down mortar and ~2" subway tile mosaic sheets, I'm guessing I don't need a perfectly smooth surface. This is for the laundry room floor in my basement. The floor drain was moved, and the old floor drain was located near one wall of the (new) laundry room. About half of the floor in the laundry room still gently slopes towards where the old drain was.
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Dec 29, 2016 20:26
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Synthbuttrange posted:Playing cards? Personal cards? There's a ton of them: https://www.amazon.com/Trading-Card-Display-Frame-9-cards/dp/B003SEWS6Y for smaller card size, if you mean the other type, try multi-picture frames No kidding, there are tons of different sizes of cards: baseball cards, playing cards, greeting cards, business cards... If yours are one of those first 2, then I bet you could find a nice frame that's normally used to display sports memorabilia.
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Dec 29, 2016 20:28
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Mr Executive posted:I've never used self-leveling cement before. How smooth does the surface need to be in order to apply subway tile over the top? In some tutorials I've watched, people basically just sweep the floor, mix the cement, pour, and wait. Others mention laying down a primer as well as troweling etc afterwards. If I'm just going to lay down mortar and ~2" subway tile mosaic sheets, I'm guessing I don't need a perfectly smooth surface. You're eliminating the original grade then? It doesn't need to be crazy smooth, just no lumps or yuge hills. You can keep control of it with a flat trowel, I reckon. The mortar you're using on top of that is going to forgive the texture of the floor.
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Dec 29, 2016 20:38
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Mr. Mambold posted:You're eliminating the original grade then? It doesn't need to be crazy smooth, just no lumps or yuge hills. You can keep control of it with a flat trowel, I reckon. The mortar you're using on top of that is going to forgive the texture of the floor. Yeah, I should have clarified. The drain has been moved outside of where the laundry room is now located (though it's close enough that the rest of the basement still generally slopes toward it). I'm trying to level the flooring just inside the new room, which no longer contains a drain. I figured the mortar would be relatively forgiving for the small imperfections.
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Dec 29, 2016 22:07
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Mr Executive posted:I've never used self-leveling cement before. How smooth does the surface need to be in order to apply subway tile over the top? In some tutorials I've watched, people basically just sweep the floor, mix the cement, pour, and wait. Others mention laying down a primer as well as troweling etc afterwards. If I'm just going to lay down mortar and ~2" subway tile mosaic sheets, I'm guessing I don't need a perfectly smooth surface. Self-level is pretty watery after it's been poured. It'll flatten out nicely, and you don't really have to do anything to the top of it to tile on it. We've always used the primer beforehand, and both rooms we've leveled have come out good. I'd definitely suggest renting a drill to mix it, it's not really feasible to do by hand. And buy more then you think you need.
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Dec 30, 2016 14:54
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Thanks all.CoolBlue posted:Jets are clogged. Try to get seafoam in there as previously suggested, or pull the carb off and clean it. And where do I place it? Gas tank? How much? OSU_Matthew posted:Also make sure you prime the entire if necessary. Also drain out all the old gas and dispose of that, you'll want fresh gas in there to begin with. Motronic posted:http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3302145&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 And yeah, I already picked up some stabil as well.
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Dec 30, 2016 18:31
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gvibes posted:Yeah, that looks a lot like mine. If seafoam doesn't work, I'll do this. I already pulled the bowl and it looked pretty spotless, but I stopped there. I can easily pull the float as well. But it's kind of not clear to me what I need to actually remove/clean at that point. Do you just unscrew whatever the float needle is inserted into? Then is there something else in the middle that needs to be unscrewed? I think I could do all that pretty easily. You can pull the float, and there is a needle valve under it. It's gonna fall out when you do this - I don't think it will be much fun to do upside down. Removing the float is simple: push the pin out. But don't do that yet. Take that bowl back off. There is a thing sticking down in the middle. Put a flat head screwdriver in it and unscrew. You'll get the 2 pieces in my second pic. Make sure you keep track of which way they go in. Clean those pieces. Bunch of holes in the longer piece the need to be clear as well as through the middle (long ways). Some carb cleaner will do just fine for this. That's probably all you actually need to do to get it running somewhat. Perhaps the seafoam will do the rest once it can run at all. gvibes posted:Thanks all. Yes. And in this situation the gas tank. About one ounce per gallon of fresh fuel will do it.
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Dec 30, 2016 20:34
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I'm following up on this earlier post of mine about the dumbly-arranged lightswitches on our main floor:melon cat posted:Help me not burn my house down. I opened up the light switch, and it looks like the wiring arrangement's more complicated than I (we?) expected:   I labeled all of the black wires in the first image since they seem to have a more complicated arrangement. So are these single pole light switches or 3-way ones? And I tried to physically change the switches position, but some of the wires are too short and I don't have enough maneuvering room. If I were to go ahead and try to exchange the wires between the switches, would the correct steps be: 1. Switch the two red wires positions (this seems simple enough. There's only two of 'em) 2: Switch Black Wire B with Black Wire D I'll be posting this in the Don't Burn Your House Down thread as mentioned by H110Hawk, but definitely want to know what you guys think. EDIT: SA user Mimesweeper confirmed that I have to: Just swap Switch A's black wire with Switch B's black wire, then Switch A's red with Switch B's red, but only where they involve a gold terminal. Just thought I'd share the solution in case anyone was wondering. 
melon cat fucked around with this message at 01:25 on Dec 31, 2016 |
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Dec 30, 2016 21:57
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I have a small wooden (pine) box with a latch screwed onto it. Sadly, the latch is ever so slightly misaligned, by like half a millimeter or something like that. I want to align it properly since it's loving with my OCD. Is it a terrible idea to take a hammer to it and softly hammer the latch parts from the sides to align with each other, or is that just asking for trouble? Any other ideas to correct it if that's a bad idea?
Minorkos fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Dec 31, 2016 |
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Dec 31, 2016 17:02
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Minorkos posted:Is it a terrible idea to take a hammer to it and softly hammer the latch parts from the sides to align with each other, or is that just asking for trouble? Yes Minorkos posted:Any other ideas to correct it if that's a bad idea? Nope. If it's only off by a smidgen, you could unscrew the latch and drill new adjacent holes slightly to the left where it should be and fill in the old hole with toothpicks so the screws have something to bite into (if the old holes are so close they merge in to the new ones), but that's a lot of work with no guarantee it'll even look good or wind up being more off than they are now, and honestly no benefit, especially if it's as close as you say.
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Dec 31, 2016 18:43
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Alright, time to find a cure for my OCD then
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Dec 31, 2016 19:15
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Minorkos posted:I have a small wooden (pine) box with a latch screwed onto it. Sadly, the latch is ever so slightly misaligned, by like half a millimeter or something like that. I want to align it properly since it's loving with my OCD. Is it a terrible idea to take a hammer to it and softly hammer the latch parts from the sides to align with each other, or is that just asking for trouble? Any other ideas to correct it if that's a bad idea? Depends on how snug the screws are in their hinge holes. You might be able to loosen one or pull it, put a sliver of wooden toothpick down the offending side, and redo.
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Dec 31, 2016 19:22
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Getting ready to pull up some linoleum and replace it with ceramic tile. Plywood beneath the linoleum on top of whatever the base floor is (house has a crawl space so it's wood). Reading up suggests the best route is to lay down concrete board and then tile on top. Won't this create a noticeable "step up" from the adjacent rooms though? Just want to make sure I have the right process in mind before I get in too deep here
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Jan 1, 2017 00:10
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I have a gas furnace with ducting that isn't insulated running through my garage. Can I use insulated duct board to cover the surface and stop heating my garage? I had purchased fiberglass foil backed insulation but it is a giant pain in the rear end and I'm going to need 6 rolls to cover the length of it. It seems like the board is generally used to create ducts out of, not necessarily to cover existing steel ducts, I want to make sure that I'm not doing something dumb. Something like this: http://insulation.owenscorning.com/homeowners/renovation/products/quietr-duct-board/
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Jan 1, 2017 00:31
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E: never mind.
Huxley fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Jan 1, 2017 |
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Jan 1, 2017 01:33
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uwaeve posted:Fortuitous wall heater chat. Cadet is one I've been happy with. This is the one I have: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cadet-Com-Pak-Twin-4-000-Watt-240-Volt-Fan-Forced-In-Wall-Electric-Heater-in-White-CSTC402TW/100094225 Well, two of actually. After about 3 years, one of the heating elements went out on one. I went ahead and bought a new one since it was supposed to be cold very soon. After I had already replaced it, I contacted the company asking about a price. With no receipt, or exact date mentioned when I bought it, they overnighted me a replacement heating element so I then had two of them. I do have a very old house, with the interlocking wood wall, so I didn't want to cut into the wall so I got the exterior wall mount can for it. They do a great job warming too. 4000W (4kw) each with rooms that are about 250 SQ ft each, and 13ft ceilings (so if my math was right almost 3000 cubic ft) each room. I have it hooked to two thermostats, one wifi, one Z wave with smartthings controlling both.
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Jan 1, 2017 06:07
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Rubiks Pubes posted:Getting ready to pull up some linoleum and replace it with ceramic tile. Plywood beneath the linoleum on top of whatever the base floor is (house has a crawl space so it's wood). Reading up suggests the best route is to lay down concrete board and then tile on top. Won't this create a noticeable "step up" from the adjacent rooms though? After pulling the tile you'll have to determine how many layers of plywood or planks or whatever you have and what the total thickness is. The required subfloor thickness for tile depends on your joist spacing so you'll have to plug your measurements into an online deflection calculator to see if you need to add a layer. If you're thinking you could have transition issues you may want to look at using Schluter Ditra (1/8") instead of 1/2" cement backer board. If there's a transition issue you can always use a metal or wood transition piece. Pretty common in older homes.
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Jan 1, 2017 15:43
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Rubiks Pubes posted:Getting ready to pull up some linoleum and replace it with ceramic tile. Plywood beneath the linoleum on top of whatever the base floor is (house has a crawl space so it's wood). Reading up suggests the best route is to lay down concrete board and then tile on top. Won't this create a noticeable "step up" from the adjacent rooms though? It will. The tile is going to raise things by itself probably 3/8 to 1/2" including mastic.
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Jan 1, 2017 16:54
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stupid puma posted:After pulling the tile you'll have to determine how many layers of plywood or planks or whatever you have and what the total thickness is. The required subfloor thickness for tile depends on your joist spacing so you'll have to plug your measurements into an online deflection calculator to see if you need to add a layer. If you're thinking you could have transition issues you may want to look at using Schluter Ditra (1/8") instead of 1/2" cement backer board. If there's a transition issue you can always use a metal or wood transition piece. Pretty common in older homes. What's the best way to do that? Drill a hole big enough to drop the tape measure down?
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Jan 1, 2017 19:42
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Well good news I guess, I pulled up a section of already peeling linoleum and found that there was a small section of board underneath it that could be easily removed. It is particle board on top of plywood, so I am going to have to remove all the particle board and put plywood in its place which should help with the height difference issue. More work but I'd rather do it right and not have to redo it.
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Jan 2, 2017 01:54
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Cable guy was running some line in our crawlspace and said it was the warmest one he's been in this winter. Warm enough that there's still black widows alive down there. He said it seemed to be coming from the center of the house where the furnace is. I don't really want to be paying to keep spiders alive all winter, any ideas on why it's like this and how to fix it?
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Jan 2, 2017 03:38
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uapyro posted:Cadet is one I've been happy with. Thanks for the info I'll check Cadet out.
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Jan 2, 2017 04:15
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TheManWithNoName posted:Cable guy was running some line in our crawlspace and said it was the warmest one he's been in this winter. Warm enough that there's still black widows alive down there. He said it seemed to be coming from the center of the house where the furnace is. I don't really want to be paying to keep spiders alive all winter, any ideas on why it's like this and how to fix it? Do you have ductwork running down there?
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Jan 2, 2017 06:25
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TheManWithNoName posted:Cable guy was running some line in our crawlspace and said it was the warmest one he's been in this winter. Warm enough that there's still black widows alive down there. He said it seemed to be coming from the center of the house where the furnace is. I don't really want to be paying to keep spiders alive all winter, any ideas on why it's like this and how to fix it? 
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Jan 2, 2017 06:48
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Speaking of keeping houses warm, my house leaks heat like mad. It was built in the 50's and it wouldn't surprise me if it never got new insulation. What's the best way to figure out how the heat's escaping, though? Buy an FLIR camera, heat up the house, and look around to see where the cold spots are?
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Jan 2, 2017 16:00
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Speaking of keeping houses warm, my house leaks heat like mad. It was built in the 50's and it wouldn't surprise me if it never got new insulation. What's the best way to figure out how the heat's escaping, though? Buy an FLIR camera, heat up the house, and look around to see where the cold spots are? ... you go up into the attic and inspect the insulation? An old house is unlikely to have much in the walls, but you have to tear out either the drywall or the exterior wall, so most old house insulation projects focus on what's in your attic, and any leaks/drafts you might have. You can hire guys to drill holes and inject foam into your walls, but that can be expensive. Best advice, check and see if your state does free energy audits. The one in Mass is awesome, they check your whole house, give you advice, and a few free LED bulbs, too. EDIT: better URL http://www.masssave.com/en/residential/home-energy-assessments Squashy Nipples fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Jan 2, 2017 |
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Jan 2, 2017 16:15
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| # ? Jun 12, 2024 22:57 |
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Speaking of keeping houses warm, my house leaks heat like mad. It was built in the 50's and it wouldn't surprise me if it never got new insulation. What's the best way to figure out how the heat's escaping, though? Buy an FLIR camera, heat up the house, and look around to see where the cold spots are? You can rent one: http://www6.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/Thermal_Camera/FLIR_i7/ Squashy Nipples posted:Best advice, check and see if your state does free energy audits. Highly recommend this. They paid for something like 60% of my insulation job last year and did air-sealing for free.
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Jan 2, 2017 16:28
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