Home Zone: I see a baseboard and I want it painted black.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Home Zone: I see a baseboard and I want it painted black.

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Subjunctive: Sep 12, 2006; ✨sparkle and shine✨

Magnus Praeda posted:

It's vinyl siding and it seems to have about 1/4" of air gap between it and the actual wood of the house. Which means if I did attach anything to it, it would either distort the siding or possibly break it.

Is that the case? If you mount well into the wood I wouldn't expect it to move much. Maybe cut slightly larger holes in the siding and use small pieces of wood (slices of wide dowel?) as offsets if you don't want it the latch directly resting on the siding itself.

# ? Jun 5, 2017 18:01

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# ? May 10, 2024 10:49

Squashy Nipples: Aug 18, 2007

Where do you guys buy pool supplies?
Walmart had liquid bleach 10% super cheap.

Hubis posted:

pH is the acid-base balance, Total Alkalinity is the quantity (in ppm) of dissolved alkaline substances. This difference matters because if you have a balanced pH but a low TA then a small shift in chemistry (from chlorine, gross sweaty goon bodies, etc) can cause a big pH shift. Buffer chemistry can get kind of complicated, but basically you want to make sure your TA is at a level that will give you a stable pH, then balance the pH itself.

http://orendatech.com/total-alkalinity-role-water-chemistry/

Ah ok, that helps a little. I have an engineering degree, but chemistry was always my worst topic.

Maybe you could explain the difference between Chlorine and Free Chlorine?

High Lord Elbow posted:

Strips or kit is a matter of preference, in my opinion. Kits are more accurate, but a time consuming pain in the rear end. I'm content to dip a strip, dump some poo poo in the water, and enjoy the summer. I probably use more chemicals, but the water is fine. Some people prefer to play mad scientist poolside and get it exactly right. Up to you!

Good advice. I'm much more of "poolside mad scientist", but it's my buddy's pool, and he is more of a you. So when we were at Walmart yesterday, I made him buy a bottle of strips.

We cleaned it out, added in 6 pounds of DE, and shocked it with two bottles of bleach. After running over night, the water is nice and clear, and tests as follows:
Very high: total chlorine, free chlorine, and total hardness (we added about 1/3 of the pool in fresh water, and our water is HARD)
Very low alkilinity, ph, and stabilizer

so, the plan is:
1. Fix Alkalinity
2. Fix the PH (if necessary)
3. Fix the hardness (if necessary)

Then once the chlorine hits an acceptable level, add some stabilizer. Then just monitor Chlorine and PH for the rest of the summer.

Squashy Nipples fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Jun 5, 2017

# ? Jun 5, 2017 20:12

Squashy Nipples: Aug 18, 2007

Hubis posted:

Also, skip the strips and get yourself a Taylor kit: https://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-TECHNOLOGIES-INC-K-2006-CHLORINE/dp/B004BGF7TI

Holy crap, the full kit is $56? The one we ordered was $18.

And you have to throw the whole thing out every year? That's way more pricey then the 6-way test strips.

# ? Jun 5, 2017 20:16

Magnus Praeda: Jul 18, 2003; The largess in the land.

Subjunctive posted:

Is that the case? If you mount well into the wood I wouldn't expect it to move much. Maybe cut slightly larger holes in the siding and use small pieces of wood (slices of wide dowel?) as offsets if you don't want it the latch directly resting on the siding itself.

It'll move at least 1/4", though, if I tighten down the screws to hold it even a little firmly and that'd be enough of a deflection to cause a noticeable warp in the corner board.

I actually did think about cutting an oversize hole and using a backer block of some kind but I'm worried about water ingress behind the siding if I do. I'd have to treat it like a very tiny window or door and figure out a way to add flashing, etc.

# ? Jun 5, 2017 20:23

Subjunctive: Sep 12, 2006; ✨sparkle and shine✨

Magnus Praeda posted:

I actually did think about cutting an oversize hole and using a backer block of some kind but I'm worried about water ingress behind the siding if I do. I'd have to treat it like a very tiny window or door and figure out a way to add flashing, etc.

Could you just hit it with spray foam on the inside so that the water couldn't get anywhere?

# ? Jun 5, 2017 23:16

peanut: Sep 9, 2007

Can you drill a hole and inject foam or glue or something to fill the gap under the siding? My builder said they add filler boards anywhere they want to screw something to the exterior walls (porch roofs, lights etc.) even with our rugged fiber concrete siding (similar to Hardi Boards?)
I might just slam a post in away from the corner and have an ugly diagonal gate with a stupid longass hook.

# ? Jun 5, 2017 23:36

Hubis: May 18, 2003; Boy, I wish we had one of those doomsday machines...

High Lord Elbow posted:

Strips or kit is a matter of preference, in my opinion. Kits are more accurate, but a time consuming pain in the rear end. I'm content to dip a strip, dump some poo poo in the water, and enjoy the summer. I probably use more chemicals, but the water is fine. Some people prefer to play mad scientist poolside and get it exactly right. Up to you!

Absolutely -- the best test kit is the one you're going to actually use regularly and correctly. Strips are super simple, but in my experience they were hard to read and highly variable in their results/limited in range. In my case I was dealing with a hot tub, however, where the smaller total volume of water means small additions one way or another make for much bigger swings; for a swimming pool where you can afford to be a bit less precise it's maybe less of an issue. The Taylor kit was like a 10m/week ritual for me so it never really seemed like a big deal, but if your pool is fairly stable such that you don't need to do regular adjustments and just want to do a quick dip to test then that might definitely be a better fit.

Squashy Nipples posted:

Holy crap, the full kit is $56? The one we ordered was $18.

And you have to throw the whole thing out every year? That's way more pricey then the 6-way test strips.

I don't throw mine, although testing once a week I found I'd go through some chemicals by then (although you can buy individual refills). I threw that out as an example but I make no assertion as to whether it's the best price. One nice thing about the Taylor kit I got was that it came with a very detailed guide not just on how to do the tests but water chemistry basics and how to use the tests to adjust more indirect things. It definitely is much more for the "chemistry set" type owner who enjoys maintaining the pool as a hobby ( :spergin:

) but I really feel like I learned a ton starting from zero when we bought the place. Just in time for the spa to develop a terminal leak :smith:

The Taylor Kit also comes with a big set of tables in a waterproof book that lets you index test results to what you need to add for a given pool size, as well as a pocket calculator that accounts for temperature, pH, alkalinity, and Calcium Hardness to help you figure out your TDS level. In general it feels like it really helps you do proper corrections as well as get accurate test results.

Squashy Nipples posted:

Where do you guys buy pool supplies?
Walmart had liquid bleach 10% super cheap.

Wherever. Big box stores are as good as anything else -- you can find giant bags of baking soda that's great for pH balancing, as well as bulk epsom salt at places like Costco, which is what I did.

For the other chemicals I never quite got to the point of buying often enough that shopping around was worth the effort so I just ordered from Amazon. I don't know if it was the cheapest, but it was affordable at the rates I was using it. A lot of the pool/spa stuff is available through Amazon's "Subscribe and Save" program where you get things delivered at regular intervals (1-6 months, your choice) and get a discount if you get enough delivered all at once (I think it's 5% off base, 15% off if you have 5 or more items scheduled that month).

Squashy Nipples posted:

Ah ok, that helps a little. I have an engineering degree, but chemistry was always my worst topic.

Maybe you could explain the difference between Chlorine and Free Chlorine?

Like I said above I was working with a hot tub so I was dealing with Bromine chemistry so I'm not as familiar with the ins and outs, but from memory:

Free Chlorine (FC): Unbonded Chlorine dissolved in the water that is available to do sanitization work
Combined Chlorine (CC): Chlorine bound in compounds produced as a byproduct of Free Chlorine reacting with nitrogen compounds like ammonia. Smelly and irritating to eyes (ex: chloramine)
Total Chlorine (TC): All Chlorine dissolved in the water, including both Free and Combined forms -- TC = FC + CC

Basically you can test for "Total Chlorine" and "Free Chlorine" and then the difference is how much "Combined Chlorine" you have. If CC is >= 0.2 ppm you want to break it down by doing what is called Super-chlorination (AKA breakpoint chlorination or "shocking"):

1) Measure your CC level
2) Wait until after sundown (sunlight breaks down FC quickly which would prevent this reaction from working)
3) Add enough new chlorine to raise the FC level to 10x the measured CC levels (you need to make sure you hit or exceed this level, otherwise you could end up with just increasing your CC level)
4) Wait until sunlight reduces FC levels to normal the next day, or add a chlorine neutralizer like sodium bisulfate/sodium sulfite to drop it if you can't wait

This super-charges the pool with enough chlorine to completely blow apart and oxidize the compounds the Combined Chlorine is bound to. You are essentially chemically scouring the pool.

Note that all of this is different from Chlorine stabilization, which is where you add Cyanuric acid in varying amounts to help the chlorine stabilize in the sunlight.

Squashy Nipples posted:

We cleaned it out, added in 6 pounds of DE, and shocked it with two bottles of bleach. After running over night, the water is nice and clear, and tests as follows:
Very high: total chlorine, free chlorine, and total hardness (we added about 1/3 of the pool in fresh water, and our water is HARD)
Very low alkilinity, ph, and stabilizer

so, the plan is:
1. Fix Alkalinity
2. Fix the PH (if necessary)
3. Fix the hardness (if necessary)

Then once the chlorine hits an acceptable level, add some stabilizer. Then just monitor Chlorine and PH for the rest of the summer.

In theory that's correct; in practice, you'll probably have to do a few passes as you zero in on a balance since all those adjustments will affect the other factors. So get your Alkalinity/pH/Chlorine into the ballpark, then re-test again to do some fine adjustments. After replacing a lot of water you may have to do 3 or 4 rounds before it all balances out. Make sure you give the water time to circulate and fully mix after additions before trying to continue adjustment. There's also a maximum limit to how much you want to adjust the Alkalinity/pH before correcting for the other: If you need to add a lot to correct your alkalinity, you are better off cutting the amount in half and then adding it and correcting the pH before adding the rest.

Unfortunately as I understand it there's not really a whole lot you can do to reduce hardness aside from using a water softener when you fill. On the plus side the hardness isn't inherently a problem in itself -- the big issue with hardness is the buildup of scale, which you can avoid if you keep the pH properly balanced. High pH = Scale Build-up, Low pH = Corrosion.

# ? Jun 6, 2017 18:03

cakesmith handyman: Jul 22, 2007; Pip-Pip old chap! Last one in is a rotten egg what what.

Magnus Praeda posted:

It'll move at least 1/4", though, if I tighten down the screws to hold it even a little firmly and that'd be enough of a deflection to cause a noticeable warp in the corner board.

I actually did think about cutting an oversize hole and using a backer block of some kind but I'm worried about water ingress behind the siding if I do. I'd have to treat it like a very tiny window or door and figure out a way to add flashing, etc.

Can you drill a hole in the concrete floor/ground for the dragging bolt to drop into? No house damage, secure gate, cheap.

# ? Jun 6, 2017 18:23

Magnus Praeda: Jul 18, 2003; The largess in the land.

cakesmith handyman posted:

Can you drill a hole in the concrete floor/ground for the dragging bolt to drop into? No house damage, secure gate, cheap.

I'll have to figure out how to re-secure it to the gate as well (probably just a u-bolt), but this may be the best of limited options. I may see if I can find a slightly thicker dragging bolt/rod to limit the amount of potential deflection at the top of the gate.

# ? Jun 6, 2017 20:28

Squashy Nipples: Aug 18, 2007

Hubis posted:

Absolutely -- the best test kit is the one you're going to actually use regularly and correctly. Strips are super simple, but in my experience they were hard to read and highly variable in their results/limited in range. In my case I was dealing with a hot tub, however, where the smaller total volume of water means small additions one way or another make for much bigger swings; for a swimming pool where you can afford to be a bit less precise it's maybe less of an issue. The Taylor kit was like a 10m/week ritual for me so it never really seemed like a big deal, but if your pool is fairly stable such that you don't need to do regular adjustments and just want to do a quick dip to test then that might definitely be a better fit.

I don't throw mine, although testing once a week I found I'd go through some chemicals by then (although you can buy individual refills). I threw that out as an example but I make no assertion as to whether it's the best price. One nice thing about the Taylor kit I got was that it came with a very detailed guide not just on how to do the tests but water chemistry basics and how to use the tests to adjust more indirect things. It definitely is much more for the "chemistry set" type owner who enjoys maintaining the pool as a hobby ( ) but I really feel like I learned a ton starting from zero when we bought the place. Just in time for the spa to develop a terminal leak

The Taylor Kit also comes with a big set of tables in a waterproof book that lets you index test results to what you need to add for a given pool size, as well as a pocket calculator that accounts for temperature, pH, alkalinity, and Calcium Hardness to help you figure out your TDS level. In general it feels like it really helps you do proper corrections as well as get accurate test results.

Wherever. Big box stores are as good as anything else -- you can find giant bags of baking soda that's great for pH balancing, as well as bulk epsom salt at places like Costco, which is what I did.

For the other chemicals I never quite got to the point of buying often enough that shopping around was worth the effort so I just ordered from Amazon. I don't know if it was the cheapest, but it was affordable at the rates I was using it. A lot of the pool/spa stuff is available through Amazon's "Subscribe and Save" program where you get things delivered at regular intervals (1-6 months, your choice) and get a discount if you get enough delivered all at once (I think it's 5% off base, 15% off if you have 5 or more items scheduled that month).

Like I said above I was working with a hot tub so I was dealing with Bromine chemistry so I'm not as familiar with the ins and outs, but from memory:

Free Chlorine (FC): Unbonded Chlorine dissolved in the water that is available to do sanitization work
Combined Chlorine (CC): Chlorine bound in compounds produced as a byproduct of Free Chlorine reacting with nitrogen compounds like ammonia. Smelly and irritating to eyes (ex: chloramine)
Total Chlorine (TC): All Chlorine dissolved in the water, including both Free and Combined forms -- TC = FC + CC

Basically you can test for "Total Chlorine" and "Free Chlorine" and then the difference is how much "Combined Chlorine" you have. If CC is >= 0.2 ppm you want to break it down by doing what is called Super-chlorination (AKA breakpoint chlorination or "shocking"):

1) Measure your CC level
2) Wait until after sundown (sunlight breaks down FC quickly which would prevent this reaction from working)
3) Add enough new chlorine to raise the FC level to 10x the measured CC levels (you need to make sure you hit or exceed this level, otherwise you could end up with just increasing your CC level)
4) Wait until sunlight reduces FC levels to normal the next day, or add a chlorine neutralizer like sodium bisulfate/sodium sulfite to drop it if you can't wait

This super-charges the pool with enough chlorine to completely blow apart and oxidize the compounds the Combined Chlorine is bound to. You are essentially chemically scouring the pool.

Note that all of this is different from Chlorine stabilization, which is where you add Cyanuric acid in varying amounts to help the chlorine stabilize in the sunlight.

In theory that's correct; in practice, you'll probably have to do a few passes as you zero in on a balance since all those adjustments will affect the other factors. So get your Alkalinity/pH/Chlorine into the ballpark, then re-test again to do some fine adjustments. After replacing a lot of water you may have to do 3 or 4 rounds before it all balances out. Make sure you give the water time to circulate and fully mix after additions before trying to continue adjustment. There's also a maximum limit to how much you want to adjust the Alkalinity/pH before correcting for the other: If you need to add a lot to correct your alkalinity, you are better off cutting the amount in half and then adding it and correcting the pH before adding the rest.

Unfortunately as I understand it there's not really a whole lot you can do to reduce hardness aside from using a water softener when you fill. On the plus side the hardness isn't inherently a problem in itself -- the big issue with hardness is the buildup of scale, which you can avoid if you keep the pH properly balanced. High pH = Scale Build-up, Low pH = Corrosion.

Great stuff, thanks!

One last thing we don't understand: the intake valve

The pool has simple plumbing, only three lines in the concrete:
1 a return line from the filter, this goes to an outlet nozzle in the pool
2 an intake line that goes to the skimmer
3 an intake line that just sucks directly out of the pool, with no skimmer?

It's this last one that confuses me.. what is it for?

The switch has two positions, and the direct intake line is always on. Which means that the switch allows you to turn the skimmer off? Why would you want to do that?

# ? Jun 7, 2017 15:57

n0tqu1tesane: May 7, 2003; She was rubbing her ass all over my hands. They don't just do that for everyone.; Grimey Drawer

Magnus Praeda posted:

I'm not sure what you're suggesting, unfortunately. Are you suggesting just putting in a post next to the house? I could, but I'd have to tear up the walk to do so and it would reduce the width of the opening by at least a couple inches and it's already fairly narrow.

Here's some pics I took of the gate this weekend:

You can see that the metal rod doesn't even connect at the bottom of the gate properly anymore (though it wasn't exactly a secure latching mechanism when it did).

As for nudes, how about a handsome man laying on his back seductively?

Cut away a small square of the vinyl siding, attach a block of wood into the side of the house, then use flashing/j-channel around the block and finish it out like you would a window or other opening in the siding, with some silicone caulk. Use the block of wood to anchor the latch.

EDIT: Or drill a hole through the siding and into the stud at the corner, and epoxy in a small pipe, and use that to receive the latch. Silicone caulk around the opening in the siding, and fill the end of the pipe with epoxy, so that water doesn't get behind the siding through the pipe.

n0tqu1tesane fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Jun 7, 2017

# ? Jun 7, 2017 17:20

Magnus Praeda: Jul 18, 2003; The largess in the land.

n0tqu1tesane posted:

Cut away a small square of the vinyl siding, attach a block of wood into the side of the house, then use flashing/j-channel around the block and finish it out like you would a window or other opening in the siding, with some silicone caulk. Use the block of wood to anchor the latch.

EDIT: Or drill a hole through the siding and into the stud at the corner, and epoxy in a small pipe, and use that to receive the latch. Silicone caulk around the opening in the siding, and fill the end of the pipe with epoxy, so that water doesn't get behind the siding through the pipe.

So for a block backer you'd treat it like a very small window. I thought that might be the case.

Your pipe idea got me thinking, though, that a lag bolt of the right diameter might work even better. I wouldn't have to do any epoxying--just some caulk around it to prevent water ingress.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 17:31

n0tqu1tesane: May 7, 2003; She was rubbing her ass all over my hands. They don't just do that for everyone.; Grimey Drawer

Magnus Praeda posted:

So for a block backer you'd treat it like a very small window. I thought that might be the case.

Your pipe idea got me thinking, though, that a lag bolt of the right diameter might work even better. I wouldn't have to do any epoxying--just some caulk around it to prevent water ingress.

Yeah, depends on the type of latch you want.

I was thinking one like this, with the bolt half on the gate itself. Then you can cut the pipe fairly flush with the siding, and not have anything sticking out into the walkway.

But, one like this would work with the lag bolt, but then you've got something sticking out 3-4" from the wall, waiting to catch on your clothes, etc.

# ? Jun 7, 2017 17:38

Hubis: May 18, 2003; Boy, I wish we had one of those doomsday machines...

Squashy Nipples posted:

Great stuff, thanks!

One last thing we don't understand: the intake valve

The pool has simple plumbing, only three lines in the concrete:
1 a return line from the filter, this goes to an outlet nozzle in the pool
2 an intake line that goes to the skimmer
3 an intake line that just sucks directly out of the pool, with no skimmer?

It's this last one that confuses me.. what is it for?

The switch has two positions, and the direct intake line is always on. Which means that the switch allows you to turn the skimmer off? Why would you want to do that?

Hmm, that's above my head. I guess you'd want to turn off the skimmer intake temporarily so that you could remove/clean it without sucking down any debris?

# ? Jun 7, 2017 17:41

Suspect Bucket: Jan 15, 2012; SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR

Pollyanna posted:

I feel better about this now. Is there a particular kind of bedframe that's easy to disassemble? Or just get one that looks simple? The Brimnes daybed is a bitch and a half to disassemble, such that I have no idea how the movers got it up here in the first place when I moved. I saw that one Floyd platform bed and although it looks pretty convenient to lug around, I'm not sure what to think of it. And I'm a big fan of good mattresses, too - that'll be top on my list. Might get this Malm frame with some storage, the storage is super useful.

One thing's for certain, next frame I get will definitely have a headboard. I have learned this lesson.

edit: For non-IKEA stuff (which I'm perfectly happy to move on from), this one from Zinus looks pretty good - I like how it's packaged. Unfortunately, I don't know if it comes with a headboard...or if I'll even be able to fit one up here.

Agggh this is old but I gotta go ahead and warn against the BRIMNES Storage headboard. It sounds like a great idea, but I don't use those little deep cupboards for anything. The top is nice to have, I put lamps and cups of tea up there, but the headboard storage is just too deep and narrow for much use. Maybe if you find a drawer or bin that fits it, it would be good underwear storage, but that's it. The under-bed storage is great though, I live out of those two drawers.

My sister got a really nice bedframe and headboard for a decent price, gotta find the manufacturer. One of those veteran owned and run, made in the USA dealies.

edit: https://www.eluxurysupply.com/collections/bed-frames-platform-beds is where it's from. The mattresses are also really nice.

Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Jun 9, 2017

# ? Jun 9, 2017 00:54

sephiRoth IRA: Jun 13, 2007; "Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality."

-Carl Sagan

I don't know if this is the right spot for this but hopefully so. We got a home inspected today, and there's a foundation issue in one corner where water has been accumulating in the soil. The inspector was really good, pointed out exactly where the damage was. He talked about how contractors could go in and jack up the corner that's sagging with hydraulic jacks. The foundation damage doesn't necessarily put me off the house if it's fixable and they can prevent further damage. I was looking into rough pricing to help us figure out how to modify the offer and it looks like the starting cost is 10k+.

Has anyone had anything like this done? How much did it cost? Were you satisfied with the result? I'm trying to figure out if this repair is feasible and we can just drop our offer price, or if I should just walk. Thanks all.

# ? Jun 9, 2017 05:05

Ghostnuke: Sep 21, 2005; Throw this in a pot, add some broth, a potato? Baby you got a stew going!

It's called piering, pretty common. My house had it done before I bought it. It's not really a big deal as long as you're comfortable with whoever is paying for it.

# ? Jun 9, 2017 17:21

peanut: Sep 9, 2007

Our deck gets a big stupid puddle underneath every time it rains, and rainy season has begun. I bought materials to make a sloping roof thingy in a way that we can still store gardening stuff on the concrete slab. I hope?!

Only registered members can see post attachments!

# ? Jun 12, 2017 13:34

TraderStav: May 19, 2006; It feels like I was standing my entire life and I just sat down

peanut posted:

Our deck gets a big stupid puddle underneath every time it rains, and rainy season has begun. I bought materials to make a sloping roof thingy in a way that we can still store gardening stuff on the concrete slab. I hope?!

The perspective of this photo is messing with me. It looks like a big section underneath a deck, but that would mean that you have a comically oversized novelty spray cleaner stored under there.

# ? Jun 12, 2017 14:24

peanut: Sep 9, 2007

It's a 6x9 foot deck supported by 3 rows of 4 pillars. (old pic with newly laid grass... and a puddle!!!)

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# ? Jun 13, 2017 07:49

Pollyanna: Mar 5, 2005; Milk's on them.

peanut posted:

It's a 6x9 foot deck supported by 3 rows of 4 pillars. (old pic with newly laid grass... and a puddle!!!)

That is adorable. I want to retire to Japan someday and own a nice little house. :unsmith:

Since I'm staying at my current apartment, now might be a good time to go ahead and upgrade my bedframe. Looking into ones with headboards, and I was wondering if I should stay away from the ones that aren't solid panels? e.g. slotted headboards like this one.

# ? Jun 14, 2017 05:50

peanut: Sep 9, 2007

If it keeps the pillows on, you're good. Horizontal bars look nice for tying on a magazine pouch or slipping an extension cord through.

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# ? Jun 14, 2017 08:10

His Divine Shadow: Aug 7, 2000; I'm not a fascist. I'm a priest. Fascists dress up in black and tell people what to do.

Cast half of the concrete countertop last weekend but it didn't go so well, hard to screed it when there's a wall on one side, and the round cutout for the grill is sticking up higher so I wasn't able to get with the trowel at it's back. Result is low and high spots in places. gently caress.

Plan now is to just keep going, cast the other half, goto town with a diamond grinding blade and get down all the high spots and see if I can use self-leveling concrete to fill up the low spots. The 2nd part of the top is atleast accessible from both sides so screeding it flat is going to be easier.

# ? Jun 14, 2017 13:08

Pollyanna: Mar 5, 2005; Milk's on them.

Today I found out that it is not actually possible to re-roll those roll-packed spring mattress that IKEA sells. There goes that idea :saddowns:

# ? Jun 14, 2017 18:34

Skutter: Apr 8, 2007; Well you can fuck that sky high!

I'm glad I found this thread. We just bought a house back in October and are slowly working on random projects around the place. Right now we are trying to decide which major project we should do, as far as energy costs go... Our living room was built as an addition in 1985 and has 0 insulation, so we need to get some blown in. It also has a giant sliding glass door that lets in a lot of heat as well, plus our two other doors could stand to be replaced. Also, all of our windows are from when the house was first built in 1956 (they look similar to this: https://windowtintfl.com/wp-content/uploads/front-of-home-window-tinting-Debary.jpeg), so they are not very good efficiency-wise either. For anyone with any experience with or knowledge of this, what would you take care of first? Is it just a matter of the cost and going from least expensive to most? Or is one more important than the others?

# ? Jun 14, 2017 19:14

Jaded Burnout: Jul 10, 2004

I've found that some nice thick (usually blackout) curtains that go all the way to the floor do wonders to keep the heat in, perhaps that could tide you over for the windows / sliding door until you get around to replacing them?

# ? Jun 14, 2017 20:17

Neon Noodle: Nov 11, 2016; there's nothing wrong here in montana

Arachnamus posted:

I've found that some nice thick (usually blackout) curtains that go all the way to the floor do wonders to keep the heat in, perhaps that could tide you over for the windows / sliding door until you get around to replacing them?

Can confirm. We went nuts in our apartment with not only curtains on every window, but also curtains between rooms at night. Our thermostat is in the central room of the apartment, and there are a couple of poorly-insulated rooms beyond that. So at night we close curtains between each room to create a kind of cellular heat trap.

# ? Jun 14, 2017 21:28

cakesmith handyman: Jul 22, 2007; Pip-Pip old chap! Last one in is a rotten egg what what.

Pollyanna posted:

Today I found out that it is not actually possible to re-roll those roll-packed spring mattress that IKEA sells. There goes that idea

I'm now imagining the machine they invented to compress and roll a spring mattress :allears:

# ? Jun 14, 2017 21:42

Pollyanna: Mar 5, 2005; Milk's on them.

cakesmith handyman posted:

I'm now imagining the machine they invented to compress and roll a spring mattress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS5pBeZehtI

# ? Jun 14, 2017 23:32

w00tmonger: Mar 9, 2011; F-F-FRIDAY NIGHT MOTHERFUCKERS

Skutter posted:

I'm glad I found this thread. We just bought a house back in October and are slowly working on random projects around the place. Right now we are trying to decide which major project we should do, as far as energy costs go... Our living room was built as an addition in 1985 and has 0 insulation, so we need to get some blown in. It also has a giant sliding glass door that lets in a lot of heat as well, plus our two other doors could stand to be replaced. Also, all of our windows are from when the house was first built in 1956 (they look similar to this: https://windowtintfl.com/wp-content/uploads/front-of-home-window-tinting-Debary.jpeg), so they are not very good efficiency-wise either. For anyone with any experience with or knowledge of this, what would you take care of first? Is it just a matter of the cost and going from least expensive to most? Or is one more important than the others?

Might be worth contacting a pro and doing an energy audit. Some guy will basically show up and make a report for you of expected cost savings of the various things you can do to improve things.

Well worth it when I did mine, and depending on where you live it may even be covered partially by an energy program

# ? Jun 15, 2017 00:06

peanut: Sep 9, 2007

Our (new) windows are both double-paned and tinted. Tinting was just a little bit more than untinted. I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference, but we're already halfway through June and haven't needed to use the a/c yet. The most expensive option we chose for windows was well-insulated frames for the downstairs where we spend most of the day. Usually windows here get nasty condensation problems but we got through our first winter without any dripping or mold :peanut:

Every house, even new houses, has bamboo/reed screens somewhere in summer. https://sk-imedia.com/sudareyoshizu-8249.html They work well for privacy from the inside, or you can cover the whole window (or porch) outside

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# ? Jun 15, 2017 06:15

peanut: Sep 9, 2007

And here's our bay window w cheap screens on a cheap expander pole. No fancy blinds there until babby gets less destructive.

# ? Jun 15, 2017 06:26

peanut: Sep 9, 2007

With newly-planted rice field.

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# ? Jun 15, 2017 06:27

Skutter: Apr 8, 2007; Well you can fuck that sky high!

w00tmonger posted:

Might be worth contacting a pro and doing an energy audit. Some guy will basically show up and make a report for you of expected cost savings of the various things you can do to improve things.

Well worth it when I did mine, and depending on where you live it may even be covered partially by an energy program

That's a really good suggestion, thanks! I think that our local electric company will do those for free.

# ? Jun 15, 2017 19:55

devicenull: May 30, 2007; Grimey Drawer

Skutter posted:

I'm glad I found this thread. We just bought a house back in October and are slowly working on random projects around the place. Right now we are trying to decide which major project we should do, as far as energy costs go... Our living room was built as an addition in 1985 and has 0 insulation, so we need to get some blown in. It also has a giant sliding glass door that lets in a lot of heat as well, plus our two other doors could stand to be replaced. Also, all of our windows are from when the house was first built in 1956 (they look similar to this: https://windowtintfl.com/wp-content/uploads/front-of-home-window-tinting-Debary.jpeg), so they are not very good efficiency-wise either. For anyone with any experience with or knowledge of this, what would you take care of first? Is it just a matter of the cost and going from least expensive to most? Or is one more important than the others?

Air sealing and insulation in the attic. I'd also get some window film for the sliding door (this is really easy to do yourself) If you have normal doors, they might just need weatherstripping, which is again pretty easy.

# ? Jun 16, 2017 01:05

Alereon: Feb 6, 2004; Dehumanize yourself and face to Trumpshed; College Slice

Skutter posted:

That's a really good suggestion, thanks! I think that our local electric company will do those for free.

I would note that you should check what kind of audit it is, around here they just look at your appliances and faucets and give you some LED bulbs. What is really worth the money is thermal imaging viewer checks of your insulation, blower door tests to quantify air leakage, and duct leakage testing.

# ? Jun 16, 2017 02:12

w00tmonger: Mar 9, 2011; F-F-FRIDAY NIGHT MOTHERFUCKERS

Alereon posted:

I would note that you should check what kind of audit it is, around here they just look at your appliances and faucets and give you some LED bulbs. What is really worth the money is thermal imaging viewer checks of your insulation, blower door tests to quantify air leakage, and duct leakage testing.

This is what we did specifically. A lot of places with give free bulbs and faucet aerators too which is nice, but cheap enough anyways

# ? Jun 16, 2017 06:06

His Divine Shadow: Aug 7, 2000; I'm not a fascist. I'm a priest. Fascists dress up in black and tell people what to do.

Done with the casting now, did each half over the last two saturdays:

# ? Jun 19, 2017 06:29

Vulture Culture: Jul 14, 2003; I was never enjoying it. I only eat it for the nutrients.

Any tips for locating a drywell on my property? My town doesn't require it to be on the survey so no one has any real idea where it is. My original plan was to grab a 4' Bully soil probe and follow the greywater line from where it exits the garage, but I'm not sure that jamming a metal-tipped thing at a PVC pipe is necessarily the best idea.

# ? Jun 19, 2017 21:07

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# ? May 10, 2024 10:49

peanut: Sep 9, 2007

I finished the under-deck drainage roof thingy. It's supposed to rain for a week starting tonight...

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# ? Jun 20, 2017 04:20

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Home Zone: I see a baseboard and I want it painted black.

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