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peanut posted:Our kitchen sink faucet needs to be replaced. The sink is perfect, we reused our 20-year-old kitchen unit in this new house, but the head of the faucet is leaking from rust spots and the hot water is weak af. I'm confident the pipes were done well when it was installed last year because our builder is an autistic perfectionist who only hires other autistic perfectionists.
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Oct 14, 2017 12:17
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Vulture Culture posted:Obvious locks on interior doors are a great visual indicator that something in that room is worth stealing. That's where I keep my pit trap though.
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Oct 15, 2017 18:19
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Hello so I bought a house last year with a brand new irrigation system. I had it winterized (ie air blown through) last year but can't remember exactly when. Well it just hit me that it is now fall in New England, so I call the local place and the soonest they can do is Nov 9. We usually don't get cold snaps before then, but we will see overnight temps around/below freezing in late October. Should I be worried about lines bursting or do they have some flexibility? The company on the phone (a reputable local one) didn't seem too concerned but I'm hoping to get a service or third opinion... e: Google tells me lines are usually 8 to 12 inches down, so probably enough ground insulation... Crazyweasel fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Oct 18, 2017 |
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Oct 18, 2017 19:16
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Crazyweasel posted:Hello so I bought a house last year with a brand new irrigation system. I had it winterized (ie air blown through) last year but can't remember exactly when. This really seems like something you should be able to do yourself, but I guess not everyone has a compressor lying around for it... Crazyweasel posted:e: Google tells me lines are usually 8 to 12 inches down, so probably enough ground insulation... Not in New England. It's enough to give you some time, certainly, but the frost line will go below that by mid-winter. You also have to worry just as much (if not more so) about water trapped in the actual heads, which will be closer to/at the surface and are probably more subject to freeze damage. Some heads won't hold water, but newer "rotor" style heads can retain enough to be a problem.
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Oct 18, 2017 20:06
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Hubis posted:This really seems like something you should be able to do yourself, but I guess not everyone has a compressor lying around for it... Harbor freight surely sells a compressor for the same price as having a company do it. Assuming you even want to to try and DIY it.
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Oct 18, 2017 21:20
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You have to have a gently caress off huge compressor though, like one of those trailer mounted ones you see at construction sites
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Oct 18, 2017 21:32
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Crazyweasel posted:Hello so I bought a house last year with a brand new irrigation system. I had it winterized (ie air blown through) last year but can't remember exactly when. Yeah, you should be good until there have been consistently cold temps, I would think you're fine for November 9. Next year don't wait so long, young (wo)man!
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Oct 18, 2017 21:59
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Ghostnuke posted:You have to have a gently caress off huge compressor though, like one of those trailer mounted ones you see at construction sites Right, upon further reading it sounds like you generally need a lot more air volume than most home compressors can deliver.
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Oct 18, 2017 22:46
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Ghostnuke posted:You have to have a gently caress off huge compressor though, like one of those trailer mounted ones you see at construction sites Also, I believe your supposed to blow it out with only about 40 or 50psi but I accidentally did 90 my first time with no issues.
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Oct 18, 2017 23:15
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Been looking to winterize my new windows for the season, and was wondering if what I have for curtains is enough? They are listed as thermal but I'm not exactly sure if that's marketing or what. Material doesn't seem particularly thick but I'm not sure if that's what's important Live in Calgary if that gives a rough idea of the weather. curtains on amazon
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Oct 18, 2017 23:23
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Ghostnuke posted:You have to have a gently caress off huge compressor though, like one of those trailer mounted ones you see at construction sites lol, no you don't. I've been blowing out irrigation with a 20 gallon compressor for quite literally my entire adult life which includes a decade of professional landscaping. Just make up something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Winterize-Sp...ressor+air+hose Let the tank fill all the way, crank the air line open and let it go for a while. Once the steady stream of water is out close it, let the tank fill and crank it open with a full tank a few times until you get the all the water out of the low spots.
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Oct 19, 2017 16:04
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huh, my landscaper was lying all along! 
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Oct 19, 2017 16:45
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Are any of those attachments for power washers actually useful for clearing gutters? Or should I just suck it up and use the ladder and my hands...
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Oct 19, 2017 17:27
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Motronic posted:lol, no you don't.
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Oct 19, 2017 17:34
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This seems like a good place to ask this. One side of my house has a sidewalk adjacent to the foundation wall. My basement is carpeted (I'm planning to rip this out very soon though), and I noticed during a recent storm that the carpet had a wet spot on it. My assumption is that I'm getting some water seepage from the outside into my basement. I bought the place about 18 months ago, and I was talking to my neighbor and he mentioned that the old owner had caulked all along the foundation wall and the sidewalk maybe a year before I bought the place. I went down and looked and did see a pretty big caulk joint. I'm trying to figure out if there is a better way to waterproof this spot besides recaulking this joint every few years. I only have maybe 6" of foundation wall exposed until you get to siding. I have to double check, but I believe the sidewalk is sloping away from the house slightly, but during a very heavy rain, I'm still going to get water up against it. I could paint on some sealer, but not sure if that's really going to do me any good because water could still seep through in between the sidewalk and foundation wall. Any ideas, or do I just suck it up and caulk it? I've only noticed one small water spot, so it's not like my whole basement got wet. I am planning to replace the carpet with tile, or some other hard surface. I don't like a carpeted basement, although I see it quite a bit.
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Oct 19, 2017 17:49
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Crotch Fruit posted:Assuming that's what he needs, here is a cheaper option: Menards $6 Well, that's like - one piece of it. And I should have been clear I don't actually think anyone should buy that overpriced one from Amazon - you can totally build that with a trip through the hardware store for 1/2 of what they are charging.
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Oct 19, 2017 20:27
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Bird in a Blender posted:This seems like a good place to ask this. One side of my house has a sidewalk adjacent to the foundation wall. My basement is carpeted (I'm planning to rip this out very soon though), and I noticed during a recent storm that the carpet had a wet spot on it. My assumption is that I'm getting some water seepage from the outside into my basement. Wet carpet suuuuuucks. We started getting water in the unfinished side of our basement soon after moving in (and there was nothing we could do about it, as it was noted that the basement "got damp sometimes" and apparently this provides way too much coverage to lying sellers). It wasn't too big a deal for the most part so long as we laid down some towels, but then we had three big storms secondary to hurricanes further south come up and hit Philadelphia in one year (one still technically a hurricane), and water would pool between the sidewalk and the house, because the front landing of the sunroom didn't allow drainage. The water would saturate the stone wall, and once it built up sufficient pressure it would literally begin shooting out of holes in the parge. There's no floor drain, so that was a long, wet night. ... and then we noticed that the finished side of the basement had sprung a leak. I had to rip up about an eight by six foot portion of wet carpet and padding. The first solution was to make a white-trash water-displacement system with tarps to prevent water from getting in the house in the first place while we figured out the rest. Our Google Maps image might still show those loving tarps. The next part was to spend $16k to fully waterproof the front half of the house down to the foundation -- excavation, application of a tarry membrane, some thick plastic over that, exterior drainage, and then backfill it all. Finally, we ripped out all of the carpet and replaced it with fake wood planking.  Other than the repetitious grain and being a bit too shiny to be real wood, it's got good texture to it and looks pretty reasonable.  It also will not cause any problems if the basement gets wet again. In your case, yes, caulking will provide some degree of protection provided that you are really good about keeping up on it. If you get real winters, though, freeze-thaw will destroy that stuff pretty quickly. I wonder if applying a seam of mortar and then a liquid waterproofing membrane might help in your case? You might also consider chiseling out a channel six inches out from the wall to divert the water to the sides if it's your sidewalk and not the city's.
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Oct 19, 2017 21:37
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I sold a house that got seepage in the partially finished basement when it rained hard. We disclosed it, and their inspection found evidence of it as well, but to this day every time it rains in the area, I still sort of grimace and hope the new owners aren't cursing me as they cleanup water.
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Oct 19, 2017 23:25
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Slugworth posted:I sold a house that got seepage in the partially finished basement when it rained hard. We disclosed it, and their inspection found evidence of it as well, but to this day every time it rains in the area, I still sort of grimace and hope the new owners aren't cursing me as they cleanup water. I have an unfinished basement with what I'd call "minor" seepage when it rains hard, like spots on the floor are damp to the touch but no standing water. It was dank when I moved in but I hooked up a single dehumidifier 24/7 and smells fresh now. I want to finish the basement, but I'm stumped at what to use to seal the concrete. There's a ton of "Sealkrete" and "Radonseal" paints, two-part epoxies, and Liquid EPDM Rubber options, but every single one has mixed reviews. I just wanna use whatever is most cost-effective and will keep the place bone-dry. Anyone have experience with that?
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Oct 19, 2017 23:32
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^^^ I don't yet, but I might soon. I also need to do block filler for some exposed CMU on a different part of my house, so that's one more thing I need to get. tetrapyloctomy posted:Wet carpet suuuuuucks. We started getting water in the unfinished side of our basement soon after moving in (and there was nothing we could do about it, as it was noted that the basement "got damp sometimes" and apparently this provides way too much coverage to lying sellers). It wasn't too big a deal for the most part so long as we laid down some towels, but then we had three big storms secondary to hurricanes further south come up and hit Philadelphia in one year (one still technically a hurricane), and water would pool between the sidewalk and the house, because the front landing of the sunroom didn't allow drainage. The water would saturate the stone wall, and once it built up sufficient pressure it would literally begin shooting out of holes in the parge. There's no floor drain, so that was a long, wet night. It is my sidewalk, it's on the side of the house. I'm in Chicago, so freeze/thaw cycles are definitely an issue. I could try mortar or grout and then waterproofing over that like you said, but the freeze may screw that up too after a few years, and the sidewalk will move differently from the house, but as long as it doesn't completely fail it would probably be good enough with the waterproofing in place. The leak is so minor right now that I don't want to go crazy trying to fix it, so I'll give that a shot. Dehumidifier all the time is good idea too.
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Oct 19, 2017 23:55
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Bird in a Blender posted:^^^ If the drainage situation behind the house is better, I'd totally just cut a channel to funnel the largest amount of water away, and then deal with the seam. I wonder if bentonite might work well at the seam as well?
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Oct 20, 2017 02:41
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SouthShoreSamurai posted:Are any of those attachments for power washers actually useful for clearing gutters? Or should I just suck it up and use the ladder and my hands... Get up on the roof and use a leaf blower?
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Oct 20, 2017 05:59
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Don't have trees higher than your roof?
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Oct 20, 2017 06:24
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SouthShoreSamurai posted:Are any of those attachments for power washers actually useful for clearing gutters? Or should I just suck it up and use the ladder and my hands... Get a gutter hedgehog (UK link), just stick it in your gutters and then you don't have to worry about leaves and poo poo blocking them up anymore.
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Oct 20, 2017 11:09
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tetrapyloctomy posted:If the drainage situation behind the house is better, I'd totally just cut a channel to funnel the largest amount of water away, and then deal with the seam. I wonder if bentonite might work well at the seam as well? Unfortunately I can't really channel it away to a better place. Bentonite waterstop is a good idea though, that's more flexible and durable than caulk usually is, and I can probably stuff it into the joint between the sidewalk and foundation wall.
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Oct 20, 2017 12:59
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tetrapyloctomy posted:Wet carpet suuuuuucks. Wall to wall carpet in general loving sucks. Hard floors and area rugs are the best.
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Oct 20, 2017 14:26
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so i'm looking for a humidifier. i live in a loft in a converted brooklyn warehouse, and winters are so dry and i have a lot of musical instruments that i don't want to ruin. ceilings are about 12' high, and i think i have about 600 ft^2. heat is provided by gas via an extensive amount of floorboard heaters. any models i should look for? most ratings i see are for way smaller rooms. i imagine there are some industrial options? abelwingnut fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Oct 23, 2017 |
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Oct 23, 2017 00:03
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Abel Wingnut posted:so i'm looking for a humidifier. i live in a loft in a converted brooklyn warehouse, and winters are so dry and i have a lot of musical instruments that i don't want to ruin. Every humidifier I've seen that isn't legit part of the HVAC system is a dumpster fire of poor performance and high maintenance. If anyone has any new ideas on this I'd be very interested to hear them.
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Oct 23, 2017 00:16
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Ebola Dog posted:Get a gutter hedgehog (UK link), just stick it in your gutters and then you don't have to worry about leaves and poo poo blocking them up anymore. Are these gutter brushes any good? Worthwhile?
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Oct 23, 2017 00:23
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Old school humidifier: kettle on the heater.
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Oct 23, 2017 03:40
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Check out this granite His friend's friend still has three more ready to be engraved. No delivery, pick up only.
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Oct 23, 2017 03:42
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I love the brutalist umbrella stand / pink umbrella juxtaposition. Needs more green frog face wellies.
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Oct 23, 2017 10:53
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Abel Wingnut posted:so i'm looking for a humidifier. i live in a loft in a converted brooklyn warehouse, and winters are so dry and i have a lot of musical instruments that i don't want to ruin. They sell pedestal humidifiers that you can refill with a pitcher, rather than taking the entire reservoir out and lugging it to the sink. You have to be much more on the ball about cleaning those types though. Honestly, even with 12 ft ceilings, 600 sq ft is not an unusually large space, and any average room humidifier will do the trick. It's not until you get into old school lofts with 20 ft ceilings that you have to worry about calculating room volume rather than just going by area.
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Oct 23, 2017 10:55
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do you have an example of one? i'm not sure what a pedestal humidifer is. i keep seeing this honeywell, boombox-sized, < $100 ones. those simply do not work. i tried one last year and it completely failed to humidify more than 20% of the space, if that.
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Oct 23, 2017 12:23
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"Whole house humidifier" will give you good search results. This one from amazon seems to have good reviews- https://www.amazon.com/URPOWER-Humidifier-Whisper-quiet-Ultrasonic-Adjustable/dp/B01M4O49V9/ but I couldn't vouch for the brand or anything.
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Oct 23, 2017 13:55
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beepsandboops posted:I've never heard of these before! We have a massive tree in our backyard and just recently took off some mesh gutter guards b/c a roofer said they might be causing leaks. Yeah they definitely work, my parents have tons of big trees around their house and since they put in gutter hedgehogs they haven't had to clear out the gutters since, and that's been a good few years at least no trouble with leaks either.
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Oct 23, 2017 13:56
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Yeah, I'll have to look into those too. We really need to clean the gutters of our new house before winter rolls around and, if affordable, install something to keep them clean. Until now I'd only ever heard of those mesh guards which I assume are relatively costly (not exorbitantly so, but still a "major purchase") and require professional installation. But we have an absolute crapload of trees that dump pine needles and leaves year round, so we'll have to do something for sure. (It is worth it for the cool shade they provide throughout the hot NC summer.)
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Oct 23, 2017 14:20
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Anyone else putting heat tape on their roof this winter? I don’t want ice dams again. Last year I was pouring boiling water down the gutters while standing on a ladder.
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Oct 23, 2017 16:08
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TheManWithNoName posted:Anyone else putting heat tape on their roof this winter? I don’t want ice dams again. Last year I was pouring boiling water down the gutters while standing on a ladder.
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Oct 23, 2017 17:07
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~Coxy posted:Get up on the roof and use a leaf blower? I ended up dragging my shop-vac up the ladder. The gutters were actually in pretty good shape, there was just a poo poo-ton of shingle particles from when the roofers re-did the roof a couple months ago. I had to finger-scrape a lot of it to get it loose, but the gutters are now pristine. I don't have trees near the house, so I don't think I'll need that hedgehog thing, but I appreciate the suggestion. TheManWithNoName posted:Anyone else putting heat tape on their roof this winter? I don’t want ice dams again. Last year I was pouring boiling water down the gutters while standing on a ladder. We have it installed due to the shallow pitch of the roof. It's ugly and I hate it, but I'll put up with it for no ice dams. Crumps Brother posted:I have a bucket of hockey puck sized tabs of salt that are made to be chucked on your roof from the ground. They've worked really well for me and are surprisingly cheap. Mind you, I only have ice dam troubles in very specific weather conditions so it's not like I'm constantly chucking ice on my roof. Does the salt not affect the roof?
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Oct 23, 2017 17:27
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