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When filling in this blank: I have a temperate difference of ___ degrees between upper and lower levels of my house What's the cutoff point between 'normal and expected' and 'there something wrong with my insulation/ducts', for dead-of-winter Minnesota?
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Jan 14, 2017 18:11
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wukkar posted:When filling in this blank: This is a big loving problem for older 2 level houses with single furnace/duct systems. Heat rises and it's often impossible to get into any crawl space (because there isn't one!). That's all I got.
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Jan 14, 2017 18:25
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wukkar posted:When filling in this blank: Mine is about 3 degrees in the winter, not sure about the summer yet because I just had insulation added in the attic and air sealing done. In a 140 year old solid brick house.
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Jan 14, 2017 18:49
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I have a plaster ceiling that isn't quite organized swirls but pretty close in terms of texture. It looks like the previous owners tried to cover up some smoke stains or something with white paint that was too bright and glossy. The section is probably 12" W x 3' ft L We got flat ceiling paint that Lowe's tinted to match a chip from the ceiling, but its still noticeable. I'm assuming the rest of the ceiling is unpainted plaster, that's why. If I wanted to replaster that section, is that a. A smart idea / better than painting the ceiling? B. Is there variation in plaster tone and Do I need to try and find the type of plaster originally used? It's only a 3 year old house in a development, so I expect it to be pretty standard.
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Jan 14, 2017 19:45
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Crazyweasel posted:I have a plaster ceiling that isn't quite organized swirls but pretty close in terms of texture. It looks like the previous owners tried to cover up some smoke stains or something with white paint that was too bright and glossy. The section is probably 12" W x 3' ft L If that is exposed plaster you must paint it. I doubt it is though. You can test it pretty easily, soak a q-tip in water and twist it in a spot on the ceiling. If it's unprimed plaster it will dissolve the plaster. I bet it's flat primer or something similar. Ironically using a chip instead of just a can of "ceiling white" may have screwed you over. Get the purple->white stuff. Painting a whole ceiling doesn't take that long with a roller and a bulk box of 0.3mil plastic tarping. You don't even have to cut in the edges if it's actually ceiling white.
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Jan 14, 2017 20:34
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Mr. Mambold posted:If it's low to no pressure, which I'm assuming it is, try smearing silicone all around the joint. Pure silicone, not caulk. Well the line is my main so there's definitely pressure there, the drip isn't like a crazy spurt or anything. At any rate, I did try some pure silicon and it seems all the handling turned it from a drip to a stream. It was worth the effort though. I've moved on to trying to get some epoxy into that area, but the attempt is definitely imperfect. I couldn't get deep inside it to apply the solvent and epoxy inside the joint, so I had to just kind of run it back and forth from the outside. My final backup is a two-part sealant putty before I have to just rip the whole thing out.
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Jan 14, 2017 20:38
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Gounads posted:I don't really understand why construction adhesive would be significantly quicker. It's just a bit easier to outsource work to my wife. We can get going pretty efficiently when she lays down a bead of adhesive as I stick the tiles to the wall. It's also just easier to manage your time when you don't have to worry about the thinset drying out and mixing up another batch. Also, my house doesn't currently have (easily accessible) running water or waste right now, so cleanup is a lot easier/quicker. CoolBlue posted:Thinset is extremely simple to use, not sure why you wouldn't want to use it? I'm certainly no tiling expert, but I have laid down a couple small floors and a backsplash using thinset. Using the Loctite to install the thin brick on the fireplace was a much more enjoyable/easy process in my experience. For my wife and I, it was definitely worth splurging the extra ~$30 dollars worth of adhesive as compared to thinset. Basically, if you take the cost difference out of the equation, and you assume I have no hands with which to work a trowel, is there a reason why I shouldn't use glue? Am I going to need to wear a hard hat in my kitchen? couldcareless posted:As a person that did a whole brick facade in a living room using liquid nail instead of thinset, go with the thinset. I'm guessing it wouldn't be worth it if you were working by yourself or were semi-competent in handling thinset. It worked pretty well to install the brick facade on our fireplace, which is pretty similar to the area we'll be tiling on the backsplash.
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Jan 14, 2017 21:11
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nielsm posted:Ended up filling the hole with bits of larch wood. Supposedly larch resists rot somewhat better than plain fir or pine, so I'm hoping it'll hold up at least two or three years. If not it's no big deal, I can fix it better at that time. Nice! I'm sure that'll hold great, I'd be surprised if you ever think of it again. Crazyweasel posted:I have a plaster ceiling that isn't quite organized swirls but pretty close in terms of texture. It looks like the previous owners tried to cover up some smoke stains or something with white paint that was too bright and glossy. The section is probably 12" W x 3' ft L If it were a smoke stain, it'd probably be over a wider area... I'd be worried that it could be a water stain from a leaky roof, bad flashing, or pipes. Make sure the spot isn't soft or bowed out from the rest of the ceiling. I'm assuming you're talking about drywall and not plaster. If so, that's standard and you can just cut out a section, screw a new one on to the joists, tape, mud, and sand. Difficult part would be matching the paint texture swirls. Nomatter what, you're almost certainly looking at repainting the whole ceiling.
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Jan 14, 2017 21:24
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Crazyweasel posted:I have a plaster ceiling that isn't quite organized swirls but pretty close in terms of texture. Is it a fish scale pattern that's been painted over 10 times?
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Jan 14, 2017 22:06
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wukkar posted:When filling in this blank: Assuming pretty normal design and construction and that the house is not unusually large, I'd say 3-5 is possible with no major mechanical problems. You should check every duct register and make sure that they all supply or return air as expected since that's so easy.
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Jan 15, 2017 14:49
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wukkar posted:When filling in this blank: You know, you can mitigate that somewhat by closing registers. Remember that heat rises, so close off your upper registers in the winter when the heat is on and your lower registers in the summer when the AC is on. The location of your thermostat will affect this method though.
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Jan 15, 2017 18:30
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I have the sharp end of a screw coming out of my hardwood floor at an angle and I'm not sure how to remove it. Please advise.
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Jan 15, 2017 19:38
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Dazerbeams posted:I have the sharp end of a screw coming out of my hardwood floor at an angle and I'm not sure how to remove it. Please advise. I assume you can't access the screw head? Because if you could, back the screw out, then fill the hole in with wood-filling putty. Assuming you can't, use a file or a dremel to wear down the screw shaft. But avoiding damaging the hardwood floor will be tricky, and the screw will probably still protrude a bit.
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Jan 15, 2017 19:44
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Dazerbeams posted:I have the sharp end of a screw coming out of my hardwood floor at an angle and I'm not sure how to remove it. Please advise. Oscillating tool
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Jan 15, 2017 19:47
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kid sinister posted:You know, you can mitigate that somewhat by closing registers. Remember that heat rises, so close off your upper registers in the winter when the heat is on and your lower registers in the summer when the AC is on. The location of your thermostat will affect this method though. I have natural gas coming in baseboard heaters. I rent, but it looks like the LNG heats up the tankless water heater and then the water warms up the radiators in each room. Would your method work the same on this kind of setup?
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Jan 15, 2017 19:53
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sex swing from IKEA posted:I have natural gas coming in baseboard heaters. I rent, but it looks like the LNG heats up the tankless water heater and then the water warms up the radiators in each room. Possibly, but the problem is that radiators don't adjust as quickly to control changes as forced air. It would probably take you several days to get them adjusted right. That's also assuming that all your radiator valves still function properly and aren't stuck.
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Jan 15, 2017 23:55
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Is there any way to turn these switches: Into this combo?:  My electrical experience is limited to replacing fixtures, I've never messed around in boxes before. How difficult would this be?
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Jan 16, 2017 02:42
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Do you want the switch to control the outlet? Or for the outlet to be always on? Do you plan on still being able to control the old switches at all?
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Jan 16, 2017 03:08
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FCKGW posted:Do you want the switch to control the outlet? Or for the outlet to be always on? I'd like for the two new switches to control the same lights as the old ones. The outlet should always be on. I don't have to have two outlets in this spot, so I'm thinking replacing one of the switches with an outlet/switch combo would be easier. https://www.zoro.com/leviton-wall-switchreceptacle-5-15r-120v-5225-wsp/i/G2511214/?gclid=CM2msMrTxdECFRBEfgodIlwPTw&gclsrc=aw.ds
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Jan 16, 2017 03:50
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Maybe, but you'll need to show us pictures of the wires before we can explain how. And a non-contact voltage detector will help you quite a bit. The short answer is, there is a hot line coming into that box - It goes through the switches, and then up to the lights. That's a given. The question is whether there's a neutral in that box that you can tap into for your proposed outlet. Also, the switch combo you posted is a double 3 way switch, are the existing switches 3 way? Slugworth fucked around with this message at 04:26 on Jan 16, 2017 |
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Jan 16, 2017 04:22
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[edit is not quote ]
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Jan 16, 2017 04:22
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I fixed up my main last night using a pair of PVC sleeve connectors that use compression fittings. I had a slight drip out of one, but it was easy enough to tighten it up with a ratchet. I also give my loyalty to the mom & pop store that was still open late Saturday afternoon that recommended the solution and had everything. My one error is forgetting to shut off my water heater amidst the repair because I have air in my hot water lines now.
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Jan 16, 2017 04:25
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TheManWithNoName posted:Is there any way to turn these switches: With that switch, yes. So would your outlet/switch combo idea. You'll need a couple more inches of wire. Luckily it's sold by the foot. Go buy yourself 2 feet of 14-2 NM, a.k.a. Romex. You could probably do with one, but you might screw up. Get a faceplate to match too. The hardest part will be that 3 way switch on the right. As long as you keep track of the wires attached to it before you detach them from the switch, you'll be fine. It will have 3 screws attached to it, with two being the same color and one different. Do a test first. Turn off that circuit. Did it kill both of the switches in that box? Slugworth posted:Also, the switch combo you posted is a double 3 way switch, are the existing switches 3 way? The one on the right is. You can tell because it has no lettering on it.
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Jan 16, 2017 04:32
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kid sinister posted:The one on the right is. You can tell because it has no lettering on it.
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Jan 16, 2017 04:39
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Yep the one on the right is a 3 way for the living room ceiling fan (just the light part). Never knew that about the lettering. Here is a picture of the inside: They are on two different circuits. EDIT: Also, I do have a voltage tester that has a sweet flashlight on it. McGurk fucked around with this message at 05:22 on Jan 16, 2017 |
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Jan 16, 2017 05:17
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What's the best method for getting the rain from my roof elsewhere? My house doesn't have gutters, and the area I am trying to get the rainwater from doesn't seem like they'd be of much use due to the shape (on he left and right of the front of the triangle stoop.) When it rains heavy, its pouring down with a lot amounts of water than I can get from a hose pipe, maybe 2~3 the amount. There also is some overhang of the metal in the valley that makes me think that a gutter might not work right there since it'd overshoot it; or splash horribly if one of those corner shields were put there. I'd prefer not to do a rain chain drain -- sorry for the triple word rhyme!  Would any of these to catch rain, and let me run it through piping, either PVC or corrugated elsewhere? One some, like image 4, it'd probably need to be PVC since it doesn't look like it'd support it's weight at a height of about 10 ft. Depending on the amount of rain, that can change the direction of the water -- light rain straight down like | ; but heavy rain is can kind of go side ways like / so something not pretty close to where the water comes off may not work all the time. I don't think I have any pictures of what it looks like raining, but I can try when it does if that helps at all. I'm thinking something like image #1 or #3 may work the best.     And other details that may or may not help: 1890 built, sheet metal roof that is about 12 years old, 3 ft from the ground to the porch floor, another 10 feet from there approximately to the bottom of the roof (13~15 ft), and then the roof above it catching water is about another 20 or so ft up, so it gets a lot of rain at times.
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Jan 16, 2017 06:00
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#1 and #3 will miss a lot of the water and anyway will block up with tree litter in the first storm. #2 is for a specific situation that you don't have, and #4 is for putting in the ground. That inside corner is a bastard for drainage and the siding, fascia, foundation in that location are all at risk of leaks or water damage. If you hack up some random thing out of spare parts you could easily make it a lot worse. What might work ok is actual gutters, if correctly installed. You might need gutter on the upper roof part as well, to move most of the water away before it even gets to the porch roof.
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Jan 16, 2017 06:25
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I've got a home buying-related question and I'm not sure where it fits, so my apologies if it's in the wrong spot: I had a sewer scope done on a house I put an offer on as part of the inspection and it revealed a 1" horizontal offset at one of the pipe joints in the main sewer line and a couple areas of root growth. Since it was just a private inspection the guy wouldn't give me a quote to fix it or even a good estimate of the severity, but so far what I'm getting back from actual plumbers is that they want to run their own scope before giving me any kind of consultation. How do I deal with this when the deadline for inspection negotiations is 2 days from now? Lean on the seller to figure it out and hope they don't say no?
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Jan 16, 2017 18:44
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That's a significant issue. Replacing the sewer line from house to street is the right solution and that is a solid four figures. Cheapest I've ever seen it done in my city is $3000 - that was the cheapest guy who would actually show up and the whole thing was kinda sketchy. I would expect more like $6-8k for a proper job around here. Maybe more if there is a long yard or fence or whatnot to deal with. Just counter with a longer timeline so you can get some estimates, or require the seller to get a licensed, bonded plumber to replace the line and repair the yard. Do you have enough cash to cover this if you do it yourself after purchase? If not, you have to get the seller to do it or walk, anyway.
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Jan 16, 2017 19:01
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slap me silly posted:That's a significant issue. Replacing the sewer line from house to street is the right solution and that is a solid four figures. Cheapest I've ever seen it done in my city is $3000 - that was the cheapest guy who would actually show up and the whole thing was kinda sketchy. I would expect more like $6-8k for a proper job around here. Maybe more if there is a long yard or fence or whatnot to deal with. I do have the money to cover it, but since the home is pretty close to the top of my price range I'm not willing to eat a major repair right off the bat. Thanks for the advice - I'll put it my list for negotiations for them to get a plumber out there.
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Jan 16, 2017 19:13
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Well, if you have the cash you could just knock 10k (or the actual estimated cost including time value of money) off the offer. Then it's a wash as far as your dollars are concerned, and you get to choose the plumber. Of course you also have to deal with the mess then.
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Jan 16, 2017 19:20
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I would definitely negotiate closing costs based around that. That's a lot of cash for something that's non optional. If the seller didn't at least lower their asking accordingly I'd definitely walk on the deal. That might be serious enough that your insurance company or mortgage company would require it be completed before they'll sign off on the purchase. A main line backup can be very costly.
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Jan 16, 2017 19:45
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TheManWithNoName posted:Yep the one on the right is a 3 way for the living room ceiling fan (just the light part). Never knew that about the lettering. Here is a picture of the inside: So, if you're going with the switch/outlet combo, make life easier on yourself and use it to replace the existing regular switch. Wiring it up is pretty straightforward. Use your meter to determine which of those two wires is the hot and which is the leg (the hot is the one that is always energized, the leg is the one that goes on/off with the switch. The package for the combo device will have a wiring diagram, but usually there's a black screw that your hot goes into. Opposite of that there's a brass screw that your leg goes to. Then there's a silver screw that your neutral goes to. Take a small length of white wire of the appropriate gauge (12 for 20 amp, 14 for 15 amp), connected from the silver screw to whichever bundle of neutrals in that box go up to the light in question. It will work regardless of which bundle of neutrals you hook it up to, and code allows different circuits to share neutrals in some cases, but I'm not an electrician, and all I know is its better to not share neutrals when you can avoid it. So try to figure out which of those white bundles goes up to the switched light if you can. (Edit: Also make sure to run a ground wire for your new switch/outlet) Slugworth fucked around with this message at 20:23 on Jan 16, 2017 |
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Jan 16, 2017 20:17
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Slugworth posted:So, if you're going with the switch/outlet combo, make life easier on yourself and use it to replace the existing regular switch. Wiring it up is pretty straightforward. Use your meter to determine which of those two wires is the hot and which is the leg (the hot is the one that is always energized, the leg is the one that goes on/off with the switch. He's got a bigger problem. Those are backstabs. They're known to be a bit... flaming. Basically the spring clamps inside them don't make good connections, creating a gap that electricity likes to jump. Well, electricity creates heat when it does that. I'd replace both switches regardless, or at least remove their wires (insert a small flathead screwdriver in the slot next to the hole to release the clamp) and attach them to the screws next to where they went in. Do them one at a time so you don't lose track of which wire goes where. I'd just swap the switch on the left too. The neutral he would need to connect to would be that bundle of 3 neutrals together. That white wire on the right actually isn't being used as a neutral. It's being used as a traveller for the 3 way switch. In fact, it should have some electrical tape on it to signify this. Finally, ground both of the switches. That didn't used to be code for devices in plastic boxes, but now it is. Remember that you can turn any spare wire into a ground if you strip it completely. Also, pay attention to the wiring diagram that comes with the switch/outlet combo. If you accidentally swap the 2 black wires attached to it, you will actually make the switch control the outlet too as well as the light. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Jan 16, 2017 |
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Jan 16, 2017 22:50
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kid sinister posted:I'd just swap the switch on the left too. The neutral he would need to connect to would be that bundle of 3 neutrals together. That white wire on the right actually isn't being used as a neutral. It's being used as a traveller for the 3 way switch. In fact, it should have some electrical tape on it to signify this.  And yeah, I hate backstabs. Glad to hear an electrician badmouth them too. Every device I've replaced in my new house so far has been backstabbed, and it just motivates me to keep replacing. Slugworth fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Jan 17, 2017 |
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Jan 17, 2017 00:17
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stupid puma posted:I would definitely negotiate closing costs based around that. That's a lot of cash for something that's non optional. If the seller didn't at least lower their asking accordingly I'd definitely walk on the deal. That might be serious enough that your insurance company or mortgage company would require it be completed before they'll sign off on the purchase. A main line backup can be very costly. It's a VA loan and I hear their inspectors are pretty meticulous. I'm not sure if they'll run their own sewer scope but I'll definitely make this info available to them. Here's the offset I'm talking about, btw: 
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Jan 17, 2017 01:05
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Your sewer situation can be translated as "broken as gently caress".
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Jan 17, 2017 01:14
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My girlfriend wants to buy a new bed and mattress, upgrading our Queen to a King I don't really want to buy a new bed and box-spring and have been tossing around the idea of making my own simple wooden platform How realistic is it for me to create a large, bread-board/ butcher's block style wooden platform similar to this? 
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Jan 17, 2017 12:47
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Professor Shark posted:My girlfriend wants to buy a new bed and mattress, upgrading our Queen to a King I'd ask here. Are you talking about just the headboard? I think it's technically feasible, but for the quantity of wood you're looking at I'm betting it's going to be expensive. You'll need a bunch of like 6 to 8-foot clamps, a 5-gallon bucket of glue, a couple planes and a lot of sandpaper I think. I'm not a woodworking expert, I just know that people make workbench tops by gluing up a bunch of dimensional lumber so I think larger structures are probably within the realm of possibility. Again I'm betting it's a shitload of time and money. That thread may also be able to come up with a technique to have you make the whole thing out of something sane, then get the butcher block effect in a reasonable fashion just for the visible or surface parts. For what it's worth, people in that thread do make beds so you can probably window shop just by browsing the thread.
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Jan 17, 2017 12:55
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uwaeve posted:I'd ask here.I think it's technically feasible, but for the quantity of wood you're looking at I'm betting it's going to be extremely expensive. You'll need a bunch of like 6 to 8-foot clamps, a 5-gallon bucket of glue, a couple planes and a lot of sandpaper I think. I'm not a woodworking expert, I just know that people make workbench tops by gluing up a bunch of dimensional lumber so I think larger structures are probably within the realm of possibility but again I'm betting it's a shitload of time and money. They may also be able to come up with a technique to have you make the whole thing out of something sane, then get the butcher block effect in a reasonable fashion just for the visible or surface parts. Yeah, I just came back into the thread to C&P my op into that thread, I'll see if they can help
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Jan 17, 2017 12:56
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