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PremiumSupport posted:The contractor that installed my system offered a lifetime warranty on the furnace as long as I go through them to get my annual inspection. So a one year warranty? NerdyMcNerdNerd posted:I would love to put some real HVAC systems in this old house, but I just don't have that kind of capital to throw around at the moment. If I did, I would likely move to a better house. Get three bids, ask your friends who they used to do their work and get the good, bad, and ugly from them. Once you have 3 bids compare and contrast them. Why do you use brand A over brand B? Why is your bid $6,000? Why is your bid $3,000? etc. The other posters advice is good, check the state website to see if they have complaints against their license, their bond status, workers comp status, etc.
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Nov 2, 2017 18:03
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H110Hawk posted:So a one year warranty? Nope, they even call to schedule the inspection every year. The inspection is something that experts recommend and I'd do anyway, so having the lifetime warranty based on getting it done is not a problem for me.
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Nov 2, 2017 18:30
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Cheers. Got two more guys coming around to give me an estimate soon. I wish I knew how to do more of this work myself, but at least I can do minor stuff. Gonna unfuck this house piece by piece.
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Nov 2, 2017 18:58
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NerdyMcNerdNerd posted:Cheers. Got two more guys coming around to give me an estimate soon. I wish I knew how to do more of this work myself, but at least I can do minor stuff. Gonna unfuck this house piece by piece. Even if you know how to do it you generally want a pro to do heating and cooling work, otherwise manufacturers get obnoxious about their warranties. Some (most?) even refuse to warranty (or sell) appliances to end users. There are a bunch of easy to hit pitfalls with it plus lumping around heavy things, potentially into your attic, is just hard to do solo.
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Nov 2, 2017 19:12
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Raised by Hamsters posted:The 10" with sliding table? I snagged one of those off of Craigslist, brand new, and yes it is a hell of a saw. Don't know how long it will last, being harbor freight and all, but for a few tile jobs around the house buy that thing in an instant. Get it for the first job and stuff it in your garage rafters or something. Helluva snag. It stands up with no apologies to the MK Diamond saws that cost 7-800. Sliding aluminum table, miter gauge if you need it, saw tilts to 45. Nicely built.
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Nov 2, 2017 19:49
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My HVAC came with free parts and labor for a year and free parts for 10 years. The brand to be installed should be in the quotes.
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Nov 2, 2017 23:41
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I have a run of cat5 from my basement to the 2nd floor, and it seems to not be working. I bought a cable tester, but assuming it does not bafflingly approve of the cable, I’ll have to figure out how to replace it, ideally without opening a wall. What are good approaches for the cases where it is or isn’t stapled down? I don’t see a wire pull run through there, unfortunately. Related: is there any reason I can’t splice cat5 cables in the obvious way (splice matching wires together, electrical tape)? I’m not sure if I’ll run afoul of some shielding requirement.
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Nov 3, 2017 12:05
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Mr. Mambold posted:They made the gauge lighter when copper got expensive, the holes got tinier in the newer ones, and good luck with that poo poo, folks. I kinda forgot about that too. Thinner wire is easier to wrap around the screws though. You don't bend the wire with needle nose pliers into a hook shape and then slip it over the screw?
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Nov 3, 2017 14:15
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For anyone who doesn't already know, the holes in wire strippers up toward the stripping blades are for bending wire into the loops for under screws so you can do both steps with the one tool pretty fast and easy.
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Nov 3, 2017 14:27
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Subjunctive posted:I have a run of cat5 from my basement to the 2nd floor, and it seems to not be working. I bought a cable tester, but assuming it does not bafflingly approve of the cable, I’ll have to figure out how to replace it, ideally without opening a wall. The first things to check if the tester doesn't approve the cable are the terminations at either end of the run. 99% of the time a cable run failure is due to an incorrect, loose, or just plain missed punch for one or more of the 8 wires. With the proper tools the terminations can be replaced or redone in a matter of minutes. The standard pattern for male terminations is Orange-White, Orange, Green-white, Blue, Blue-White, Green, Brown-White, Brown. For female terminations the pattern (Style B) is usually marked on the terminals. On the off chance that the problem is in the cable run somewhere and it's not stapled down, you might be able to attach a new cable to the old one and pull it back through the wall. If it's stapled down or you're unable to pull it back for some reason you'll have to cut holes in the walls and go cable fishing or use those surface-mount strips to put in a new run. It's generally not recommended that cat-5 or cat-6 cable get spliced. It will work electrically, but the cable is designed to have a certain number of twists per inch in each wire set to prevent interference and maintain data transmission speeds.
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Nov 3, 2017 14:49
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Doctor Butts posted:You don't bend the wire with needle nose pliers into a hook shape and then slip it over the screw? I do. Do you occasionally short the hot and neutral wires with your needle nose pliers, because if you haven't you're missing a real thrill.
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Nov 3, 2017 15:13
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I always shut of power at the breaker as soon as I've determined for certain which wire is hot and which is neutral before doing that sort of thing because I am definitely not a thrill seeker.
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Nov 3, 2017 15:57
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PremiumSupport posted:The first things to check if the tester doesn't approve the cable are the terminations at either end of the run. 99% of the time a cable run failure is due to an incorrect, loose, or just plain missed punch for one or more of the 8 wires. With the proper tools the terminations can be replaced or redone in a matter of minutes. The standard pattern for male terminations is Orange-White, Orange, Green-white, Blue, Blue-White, Green, Brown-White, Brown. For female terminations the pattern (Style B) is usually marked on the terminals. Excellent, thank you!
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Nov 3, 2017 16:20
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I bought this cord channel kit for cord management and babyproofing: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015EDVVU/ We have a number of cords in our kitchen (fridge, toaster oven, coffee maker) that are plugged in at a mid-wall outlet and I wanted to keep them flush with the wall and away from grabbing hands. But for virtually every single one of them, the adhesive has not held up. Looking to either use a better method of adhering these to the wall (we have a stupid textured finish on our walls that probably makes it hard to stick, also babies) or some other method of organizing cables along a wall so that they're not such appealing handles. Hopefully the solution is relatively cheap and not super ugly. We rent so am not looking for a perfect solution. When we move out the apartment is going to be gut renovated so not worried about needing to drill holes in the wall. I would happily just nail these suckers into the wall if that's the easiest solution, but looking for a not-stupid method.
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Nov 3, 2017 16:33
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I've actually had really good luck with wiremold, but my walls are pretty smooth. If you're not scrubbing your paint with alcohol or another solvent before sticking it, do that, but if it's textured you're probably SOL. IIRC the large wiremold is pretty flexible before it gets snapped down, maybe you can tack it into the wall before you clip the wire in?
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Nov 3, 2017 16:38
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minivanmegafun posted:I've actually had really good luck with wiremold, but my walls are pretty smooth. If you're not scrubbing your paint with alcohol or another solvent before sticking it, do that, but if it's textured you're probably SOL. IIRC the large wiremold is pretty flexible before it gets snapped down, maybe you can tack it into the wall before you clip the wire in? Yeah, i wiped everything down with rubbing alcohol before applying. At this point the adhesive is no good anymore. Figure my options are: 1) Buy some additional adhesive strips and try again? Maybe some 3M stuff? 2) Tack/Nail the back end of the channels into the wall. My concern there is that if my kids pull it off the wall theres a chance they now have a sharp object in their hands, but this might be more sturdy 3) Find some other product and use that instead
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Nov 3, 2017 17:18
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Subjunctive posted:I have a run of cat5 from my basement to the 2nd floor, and it seems to not be working. I bought a cable tester, but assuming it does not bafflingly approve of the cable, I’ll have to figure out how to replace it, ideally without opening a wall. Unless you bought a TDR (You didn't) it's going to tell you at best which pair is broken. If you bought (or can borrow) a TDR it will tell you how many feet away the problem is on the wire through loving magic. Assuming your walls (and things right on the walls) aren't a electrically noisy hell hole you can probably get away with a dirty splice. It's low voltage and it will be fine. Solder those suckers together, insulate the wires from each other, then wrap it all up. Otherwise punch blocks and stuff would come at a huge premium. Your cable length is probably <20m (out of a theoretical 100m), including the penalties for any intermediate terminations. As the other poster said though it's 99% of the time the spot where a human was involved is the fault, and 1% of the time a rat in the walls. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-domain_reflectometer
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Nov 3, 2017 17:20
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E-Money posted:Yeah, i wiped everything down with rubbing alcohol before applying. At this point the adhesive is no good anymore. Figure my options are: Maybe magnets or magnetic tape?
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Nov 3, 2017 17:58
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E-Money posted:I bought this cord channel kit for cord management and babyproofing: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015EDVVU/
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Nov 3, 2017 19:04
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H110Hawk posted:Unless you bought a TDR (You didn't) it's going to tell you at best which pair is broken. If you bought (or can borrow) a TDR it will tell you how many feet away the problem is on the wire through loving magic. there are really cheap TDRs on the market - I have the Pyle PHCT70 which I think I snagged on woot one day for like $20. For $20 it’s great.
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Nov 4, 2017 00:15
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minivanmegafun posted:there are really cheap TDRs on the market - I have the Pyle PHCT70 which I think I snagged on woot one day for like $20. For $20 it’s great. No poo poo. I thought they were still materially more expensive than that.
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Nov 4, 2017 01:34
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H110Hawk posted:No poo poo. I thought they were still materially more expensive than that. Looks like $20 was a steal for it though - the cheapest I can find it at a reputable retailer now is ~$70, and ~$45 from aliexpress. http://s.aliexpress.com/MRrMb2I7 Still a lot cheaper than you’d expect though!
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Nov 4, 2017 02:54
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Yeah, I expected like $1000. Thanks, friend!
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Nov 5, 2017 01:18
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I'm a going to lay down a strip of artificial turf on some concrete. There is one spot where the concrete is a bit wavy. In order to not have there be a noticeable dip while walking over this spot I was thinking of just putting sand in the depression and then laying the turf right on top of it. Is there some reason I shouldn't do this?
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Nov 5, 2017 05:00
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Elysium posted:I'm a going to lay down a strip of artificial turf on some concrete. There is one spot where the concrete is a bit wavy. In order to not have there be a noticeable dip while walking over this spot I was thinking of just putting sand in the depression and then laying the turf right on top of it. Is there some reason I shouldn't do this? It's unlikely to stay in place. How long depends on a lot of things like how much traffic, the turf, water, etc.
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Nov 5, 2017 06:05
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Well, the turf is heavy, like really really heavy. Also pretty lightly trafficked, as it's just me for to exercise on, and also indoors.
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Nov 5, 2017 14:52
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Elysium posted:Well, the turf is heavy, like really really heavy. Also pretty lightly trafficked, as it's just me for to exercise on, and also indoors. Yeah, the sand is gonna come through the turf. If it's inside why not just level the concrete? Depending on how big of a dip this is it shouldn't be all that bad of a job. You're basically cleaning, brushing on some bonding enhancer, mixing up some leveler and pouring it in the hole with a little bit of light finish work (it largely self levels).
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Nov 5, 2017 18:09
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FYI everyone, a few days ago Kidde released a recall for their plastic handled extinguishers going back over 40 years. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2017/kidde-recalls-fire-extinguishers-with-plastic-handles-due-to-failure-to-discharge-and
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Nov 6, 2017 00:04
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I have zero not-recalled fire extinguishers now 
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Nov 6, 2017 02:03
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Motronic posted:Yeah, the sand is gonna come through the turf. They should market some leveler called dipshit. I'd buy it. Hell
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Nov 6, 2017 02:52
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Mr. Mambold posted:They should market some leveler called dipshit. You won for this month's million dollar forum idea. You may now log on to kickstarter.
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Nov 6, 2017 03:59
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minivanmegafun posted:I have zero not-recalled fire extinguishers now Same...wondering how long it will take to actually get replacements sent out, given the size of the recall. I'll probably go get myself another one in the meantime. Like...yeah, odds are my two will work if I need them to and not kill me, but in an emergency I don't want to have to rely on "odds are will work."
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Nov 6, 2017 15:02
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DrBouvenstein posted:Same...wondering how long it will take to actually get replacements sent out, given the size of the recall. So, speaking of fire extinguishers are there go to brands? Completely avoid brands? I have never had one, and I feel like a moron. Every time I'm at Lowes I think - "oh and I should pick up a fire extinguisher".
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Nov 6, 2017 15:08
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DrBouvenstein posted:Same...wondering how long it will take to actually get replacements sent out, given the size of the recall. Last time I had to deal with a defective Kidde smoke alarm replaced under warranty they had a new one at my door in less than a week, but I think this might throw a wrench in their ability to do that
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Nov 6, 2017 15:09
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You can pick up a 5lb rechargeable Amerex ABC extinguisher for like $40. A real institutional , all-metal son of a bitch.
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Nov 6, 2017 15:11
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eddiewalker posted:You can pick up a 5lb rechargeable Amerex ABC extinguisher for like $40. A real institutional , all-metal son of a bitch. This is the correct answer. That type of extinguisher, while more expensive to begin with, is actually serviceable and with maintenance will last for decades.
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Nov 6, 2017 17:21
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Assuming the extinguisher is not used, what kind of service does it require? If the needle is pointing at the green region, is the extinguisher still good? There's a big ol' metal bastard in my garage that was here when I bought the house, I have no idea how old it is, but its indicator is in the green, so 
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Nov 6, 2017 17:24
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Assuming the extinguisher is not used, what kind of service does it require? If the needle is pointing at the green region, is the extinguisher still good? There's a big ol' metal bastard in my garage that was here when I bought the house, I have no idea how old it is, but its indicator is in the green, so I'm curious about this as well. I have a (non-recalled) metal Kidde 8.5lb ABC "~*pro*~" model. I take a gander at it every year to make sure the pressure is in the green and hasn't moved, nothing looks rusty/corroded, hose is still flexible, and connection between the valve and cylinder appears clean. Is there anything more or less I should be doing? Walk it down to my local FD and ask them to have a gander?
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Nov 6, 2017 17:54
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Depends on type of extinguisher, non-rechargeable models should be replaced after 12 years from date of manufacture and rechargeable ones should be tested by an approved fire extinguisher company (not a fire department, usually) every 5, 6, or 12 years depending on type and model.
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Nov 6, 2017 20:15
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The Gardenator posted:Depends on type of extinguisher, non-rechargeable models should be replaced after 12 years from date of manufacture and rechargeable ones should be tested by an approved fire extinguisher company (not a fire department, usually) every 5, 6, or 12 years depending on type and model. Ok, thanks. I have one of these, date stamped 2009: http://www.kidde.com/home-safety/en/us/products/fire-safety/fire-extinguishers/for-home/pro-340/ Looks like it's 5.5lbs of agent, oops. 6 year warranty, so I presume that means it's past due for an inspection? The manual does not say when to have it tested.
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Nov 6, 2017 20:37
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