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Dadliest Worrier posted:I should take some photos of all the hilarious corners he’s cut. You definitely should, we even have a place just for that: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3431884
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Feb 21, 2018 20:15
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my blinds broke! I was sitting at my desk and all of a sudden the left side of my blinds dropped off, followed shortly by the middle. Luckily I was actually boxing up some stuff to ship so I patched things with packing tape before the whole thing collapsed. I've taken photos of the part of the cord that appears to have broken (none of the exposed cording seems to even be frayed from what I can tell); can I fix this on my own? 
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Feb 21, 2018 20:36
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GobiasIndustries posted:my blinds broke! I was sitting at my desk and all of a sudden the left side of my blinds dropped off, followed shortly by the middle. Luckily I was actually boxing up some stuff to ship so I patched things with packing tape before the whole thing collapsed. I've taken photos of the part of the cord that appears to have broken (none of the exposed cording seems to even be frayed from what I can tell); can I fix this on my own? This seems like You could fix it, but the time involved > $ buying replacement It appears that the cord in the middle and left end just snapped. I wouldn't trust myself to tie a knot that would both hold, and be even so it didn't look like crap. Unless these are some odd custom sized blinds, you can probably go to any Home Depot and get a replacement for $20 or so. $50 if you want some nicer ones.
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Feb 21, 2018 21:14
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CzarChasm posted:This seems like You could fix it, but the time involved > $ buying replacement
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Feb 21, 2018 21:16
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Dadliest Worrier posted:Thanks, and yeah, I had mixed up a 3000k I found online with the 4100k in my current place. Does this look like I'm buying the right thing? 3000K will be a huge improvement. In my commercial buildings we (generally) put 2700K in bathrooms which gives a very favorable light so people will be happy looking in the mirror, 3000 in offices, 3000-3500 in common areas, and 4100 in back-of-house work areas and parking garages.
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Feb 22, 2018 01:31
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H110Hawk posted:Yeah, this is my guess as well. I can turn it by hand but it feels really snug. Not sure if it's supposed to feel snug though, so I have no idea if that's normal. In theory the inducer creates the draft, the pressure sensor closes signaling adequate draft, and the furnace moves on to gas+spark, then blower. Either way I have a HVAC person coming out later today to have a look-see. The dramatic conclusion: It was the draft inducer motor. He was able to source one locally. 
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Feb 22, 2018 01:33
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H110Hawk posted:The dramatic conclusion: It was the draft inducer motor. He was able to source one locally. Thanks for the followup, I'm trying to get better at troubleshooting things without looking at them in person.
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Feb 22, 2018 01:48
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Bad Munki posted:3000K would be "warm", not "soft." Soft refers to whether or not the bulb has a diffusion layer on the glass. Frosted, vs. clear. gently caress all that. Daylight bulbs everywhere. DrBouvenstein posted:I've heard that's a terrible idea because there's no way to know how "clean" the ice is. I've been doing it for a couple years now, haven't really had any problems yet! I can't say I'd use a propane burner in the basement.. So there's another fun option.. see if you can cobble together sufficient parts to install something like this: https://www.plumbingsupply.com/quick-tee-adapter.html with a valve on the tee, and some type of adapter to go to garden hose fittings. The only question I'd have is what kind of flow you'd get out of it. devicenull fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Feb 22, 2018 |
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Feb 22, 2018 02:41
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DrBouvenstein posted:The water from the hose doesn't go INTO the beer/wort, it goes through a wort chiller: It's more to buy, but I've used a submersible pump in a spare brew bucket full of ice water. Sink to chiller works better, especially if you have good, cold water, but recirculation isn't terrible.
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Feb 22, 2018 02:48
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Alarbus posted:It's more to buy, but I've used a submersible pump in a spare brew bucket full of ice water. Was just going to suggest the same thing about the pump and bucket. I use this pump https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018X2XT4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Feb 22, 2018 15:34
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It appears the lid switch on my washing machine has poo poo the bed. I ordered a replacement, which will be here Saturday. In the meantime I saw a video on how to bypass the switch - would this be OK to do very temporarily to get the machine to drain out the nasty water before I replace the switch? I need to take off the body to fix it and it seems it would be easier/safer to do if the basket isn't full of water.
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Feb 22, 2018 22:13
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SubponticatePoster posted:It appears the lid switch on my washing machine has poo poo the bed. I ordered a replacement, which will be here Saturday. In the meantime I saw a video on how to bypass the switch - would this be OK to do very temporarily to get the machine to drain out the nasty water before I replace the switch? I need to take off the body to fix it and it seems it would be easier/safer to do if the basket isn't full of water. Yes, it's fine, doubly so if you don't have small children. If you do, I would secure the lid. Put a piece of masking tape on the lid that says something like "DANGER: Lid safety broken".
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Feb 22, 2018 22:17
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Yeah. It's just there so you don't stick your hand in it when it's in a spin cycle. If you know not to do that, it's fine. Just don't leave it unattended while its spinning if you have kids around or whatever. edit: So beaten.
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Feb 22, 2018 22:17
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No kids, lucky me. Thanks!
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Feb 22, 2018 22:27
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Fill it with ice and beer bottles and add a fun challenge to your next party
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Feb 23, 2018 02:14
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SubponticatePoster posted:It appears the lid switch on my washing machine has poo poo the bed. I ordered a replacement, which will be here Saturday. In the meantime I saw a video on how to bypass the switch - would this be OK to do very temporarily to get the machine to drain out the nasty water before I replace the switch? I need to take off the body to fix it and it seems it would be easier/safer to do if the basket isn't full of water. Yeah go ahead. I work on Kenmores a lot. For them, I very carefully bend a big paperclip and short the contacts of the switch plug up by the instrument panel, just to make sure that it is the lid switch that is the problem. Be very careful doing this. If you short to the case, you'll trip the breaker and make magic smoke. If you short to yourself, hopefully you'll live long enough to regret it. Also, do all of this while the washer is unplugged! Only plug it in when you aren't touching the washer.
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Feb 23, 2018 02:41
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Hi I was sent here from another thread, hopefully someone here can help me. I am looking for advice on how to fix my driveway. It is a dirt driveway that has some big holes in it and so far I have been unsuccessful in filling them in where they do not just come back. I can't afford to pave it or anything so I want to know what the best "cheaper" alternatives are to try. I have tried just using dirt from other places in the yard (i made a huge garden that I replaced the original with good topsoil) and also tried small sized stone fill but the dirt turns to mud and gets all over and the stones don't stay in the holes. I was thinking maybe going with a larger sized stone would work better than the small stuff. Here are some pics of what it looks like. After a good rain or when the snow melts the big area gets to be a huge puddle.   The drive is a two track which is fine but there are some big depressions there too.  The pictures don't do a lot to show how bad it really is. I wish i had one with the puddles when it is really wet. The big one is probably about 4 - 5" deep of water.
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Feb 23, 2018 22:04
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Whats your budget for doing anything? Filling dirt potholes with dirt doesn't do anything as you've noticed. If it were me, I'd rent a roller, roll the fuckin poo poo out of it a day or two after it rained, then get several yards of gravel, like say 3/4" throw that poo poo down. If you want to keep it cheaper, buy a wheel barrel, stone rake and shovel, spread that poo poo yourself till it *looks* even-ish. Then get the roller, roll the gently caress out of it again. Renting a roller won't be cheap, but you can probably pick up a yard of gravel (you will need several likely) for less than 30 bucks, plus delivery. It may or may not cost the same to deliver one yard as it does for several. Thats quick and dirty. If you've got a bit more money to spend, you should put down smaller gravel, like say 3/8" first and the 3/4" on top. Expect that you may have to add more gravel over the coming years, due to settling, getting pushed in to the ground as you drive over it and "shove". Eventually, you probably won't have to do it as much. E again: the stuff thats in the middle of your tire tracks, the higher part, you can bust that up with a pick axe and use it to level out the ruts, before you roll it. You need to be a baller though and roll that poo poo hard as gently caress. wesleywillis fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Feb 23, 2018 |
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Feb 23, 2018 22:59
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Put down some driveway width geotextile cloth. Your Lowes probably won't have it, you'll have better luck with a landscaping or builder supply. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuQL2Sp8Xjk
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Feb 24, 2018 02:48
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Thanks for the suggestions guys. I am not sure on budget yet but I don't want to be spending thousands on it. I was hoping someone would say that using larger stone would work better and then I could just get a few yards of that for a few hundred. I am ok having to add another yard of gravel every year or two if needed as that cost would be spread out. I just don't have the money to do something big right now as I have to replace some windows and appliances too real soon. The driveway is bad and makes a mess but the windows and appliances are a bigger priority for me. I don't have any heavy equipment so not sure about digging out the entire thing to put down that fabric stuff. I would probably be doing any digging and moving rocks (other than delivery) by hand with a shovel and wheel barrow. What do you mean by roller? Is that like the big things they use for pavement, steam roller thing? Or is there something I can do by hand or maybe attach to a lawn tractor or trailer hitch?
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Feb 24, 2018 18:53
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TheGreasyStrangler posted:Fill it with ice and beer bottles and add a fun challenge to your next party kid sinister posted:Yeah go ahead. I work on Kenmores a lot. For them, I very carefully bend a big paperclip and short the contacts of the switch plug up by the instrument panel, just to make sure that it is the lid switch that is the problem. e: update - 90 seconds of work and it's spinning fine  The replacement switch will be here sometime today but at least I got the nasty water out.
SubponticatePoster fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Feb 24, 2018 |
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Feb 24, 2018 19:50
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Trastion posted:Thanks for the suggestions guys. Yeah, a steamroller type dealie. The heavier the better. Ideally you'd want one that you can sit on and drive. But there are walk behind ones too. A regular lawn roller would *probably* be sufficient, but barely. For the time you'd spend pulling that poo poo by hand, or pulling behind a lawn tractor, you'd probably be best off getting a walk behind vibrating roller. Yeah, it might cost you a few hundred bucks to rent vs a lawn roller that you'd probably pay 50 bucks a day to rent, but the heavier one would do a much better job in a lot less time. The fabric suggested would definitely help, especially in the long run, but isn't absolutely needed. The important thing is to compact the poo poo out of the soil before you spread the gravel. If you want to do it over the course of a while, then I'd level the ruts, compact, then put down smaller gravel. Next year, or six months from now or whatever, add the bigger stuff.**** **** Thats what I'd do in your situation. But prioritize as needed, appliances, windows etc.
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Feb 24, 2018 21:12
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Basically if you don't compact it, then nothing'll stay where you put it; the ruts will just open up again. Compacting is acting like a kind of glue here.
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Feb 24, 2018 23:19
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Shower stall door question, if I may? Well, 2 questions... 1) is the inner rubber seal that goes around the glass door flush against the metal frame swappable? The bottom half of it on the inside of it has tons of mold/mildew “under” it. I sprayed vinegar and water. May try Clorox. But it seems like it might be beyond cleaning. It’s rubber, not caulking. Know what I mean? 2) I need to replace a broken door sweep on the shower door, but I can’t seem to figure out how it’s attached. Anyone know of a good site/guide/resource for that?
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Feb 25, 2018 01:58
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You don't need any heavy equipment for the textile cloth. The textile cloth keeps the rock from sinking into the mud. I'd have to check my invoices, but I think I get a 100' roll for about $250 (might be a 300' roll/can't remember if it comes in yards or feet.). Lots of municipalities require the underlayment. Besides the fact you'll get several more years out of the rock using the cloth--it also stops weeds from growing through the gravel. A bag of landscaping staples is about $10--roll out the fabric, staple it down, drive the dump truck over the top, tilting and pouring---poof, done. Think of it this way--spend $600 and have a nice driveway for three to five years before you'll need to think about more rock. Or spend $300 every year plus $40 on weed killer.
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Feb 25, 2018 09:01
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One more rando question: My stove has a Broan Elite pull out range hood. It has a T12 20 watt fluorescent 2ft bulb. It’s fine but it has that fluorescent hum/whine. Apparently you can get LED T12 bulbs but pretty much all I am coming across is T8/T12 hybrids that apparently require a ballast modification in the light. Has anyone ever come across a non-hybrid T12 2 foot led light?
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Feb 25, 2018 16:50
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Feenix posted:One more rando question: The mod is likely a ballast delete, which is the thing making that hum noise regardless.
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Feb 25, 2018 17:20
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H110Hawk posted:The mod is likely a ballast delete, which is the thing making that hum noise regardless. Ahh well if that’s the hummer then the point is moot. Thanks. 
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Feb 25, 2018 18:42
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Lets talk about dryer exhausts. The previous owners of my house apparently had an issue with their dryer vent so they punched a hole through the dry wall into the garage and just ended the flex duct there. The original vent basically forms a large C, I'm assuming there was an issue with clogging given it had to push through two elbows on it's way to the outside. So instead of fixing they went for the easy fix. I hate that the dryer vents into the garage it makes it hot and humid and looks like poo poo. Given the location of the dryer there isn't a great way to vent it outside. The first floor of the house has a brick facade, and between the dryer and the outside there aren't a lot of good options. It does however look like I can easily pull the duct up into my garage attic and then add an exhaust vent to the roof. Based on reading venting your dryer out the roof apparently is met with mixed opinions. One of the big cons seems to be around ice dams, however I live in S. Texas and this isn't a huge concern. Aside from the ice issues any additional pros/cons from people that have done this or have their dryer vented thusly? Edit: I did find this which mentions the max run, however the way it's worded I'm not sure if transition duct is just referring to the duct from the dryer to the wall or if you have to use transition duct in between runs of metal duct? To be honest my plan was to use some semi-rigid flex duct for the entire thing since I'm going to have to get creative and fish it out of the wall from the attic. https://www.nachi.org/dryer-vent-safety.htm "The maximum length of a clothes dryer exhaust duct shall not exceed 25 feet (7,620 mm) from the dryer location to the wall or roof termination. The maximum length of the duct shall be reduced 2.5 feet (762 mm) for each 45-degree (0.8 rad) bend, and 5 feet (1,524 mm) for each 90-degree (1.6 rad) bend. The maximum length of the exhaust duct does not include the transition duct." Super 3 fucked around with this message at 17:03 on Feb 26, 2018 |
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Feb 26, 2018 16:42
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Our 40 gallon gas water heater has a structural leak so we’re gonna need to replace it. There was a guy recommended on Nextdoor who came by and quoted $1380 including installation but my friend, the homeowner, thinks that’s high for Atlanta; he Googled around and said he saw prices around $700 to $800. Normally I would say it makes sense to pay a little extra for a good job, but replacing a water heater seems like one of the easier plumbing jobs. Still, my guess is those are unlicensed guys and I feel like a licensed plumber is the bare minimum. I also have Sam’s Club and Costco memberships if it might be cheaper to go through them. Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Feb 26, 2018 |
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Feb 26, 2018 18:29
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Josh Lyman posted:Our 40 gallon gas water heater has a structural leak so we’re gonna need to replace it. There was a guy recommended on Nextdoor who came by and quoted $1380 including installation but my friend, the homeowner, thinks that’s high for Atlanta; he Googled around and said he saw prices around $700 to $800. Normally I would say it makes sense to pay a little extra for a good job, but replacing a water heater seems like one of the easier plumbing jobs. Still, my guess is those are unlicensed guys and I feel like a licensed plumber is the bare minimum. Does your municipality require a permit/inspection?
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Feb 26, 2018 18:38
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Josh Lyman posted:Our 40 gallon gas water heater has a structural leak so we’re gonna need to replace it. There was a guy recommended on Nextdoor who came by and quoted $1380 including installation but my friend, the homeowner, thinks that’s high for Atlanta; he Googled around and said he saw prices around $700 to $800. Normally I would say it makes sense to pay a little extra for a good job, but replacing a water heater seems like one of the easier plumbing jobs. I'd expect a good gas water heater in the 40-Gallon range to be around $500 - $800 just for the appliance. I think you're friend is full of it, or just looking at half of the cost. e: Or perhaps they're looking at electric, which are substantially cheaper to buy and install, but generally more expensive to run. PremiumSupport fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Feb 26, 2018 |
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Feb 26, 2018 18:39
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Josh Lyman posted:Our 40 gallon gas water heater has a structural leak so we’re gonna need to replace it. There was a guy recommended on Nextdoor who came by and quoted $1380 including installation but my friend, the homeowner, thinks that’s high for Atlanta; he Googled around and said he saw prices around $700 to $800. Normally I would say it makes sense to pay a little extra for a good job, but replacing a water heater seems like one of the easier plumbing jobs. Still, my guess is those are unlicensed guys and I feel like a licensed plumber is the bare minimum. https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/plumbing/install-a-water-heater/ Plug in your zip code. I used 30301 and it looks like your homeowner is perhaps closer to correct than not, especially if you're buying a builders-standard water heater vs. a high end model. Get 3 bids and all that, compare the models and install costs. Make sure they're going to go through the permit process. There might also be code upgrades that are triggered by this replacement, such as actually making the overpressure drain go outside. For example, the cheapest one Home Depot advertises online is ~$400, and I bet they have a super sketchy installation outsourcer who will do the install for $50/hour.
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Feb 26, 2018 19:05
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Super 3 posted:Lets talk about dryer exhausts.
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Feb 26, 2018 19:25
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Super 3 posted:Does your municipality require a permit/inspection? H110Hawk posted:https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/plumbing/install-a-water-heater/ Plug in your zip code. I used 30301 and it looks like your homeowner is perhaps closer to correct than not, especially if you're buying a builders-standard water heater vs. a high end model. Get 3 bids and all that, compare the models and install costs. Make sure they're going to go through the permit process. There might also be code upgrades that are triggered by this replacement, such as actually making the overpressure drain go outside. The original guy who came by and also looked at the bathub trap pipe leak I posted about last page quoted $1380, $1340 if we reuse our expansion tank. I called a couple others nearby that had good reviews on Kudzu. The larger company quoted $1400-1800 and the small (possibly) one man operation quoted $1150-1250 depending on the expansion tank. Costco quoted $1498 with no option to decline an expansion tank replacement. Home Depot has been recommended as an affordable option. They said they couldn't give me a ballpark figure, that only the technicians could, which goes to Hawk's theory that it's a potentially sketchy contractor. Still, if it's a lot cheaper, it'd be a nice option since we're planning to sell the house in the August timeframe anyway. I hadn't even considered permitting; the Costco people said they would handle permitting, as presumably would the other larger companies. Not sure about Home Depot though. If I'm not mistaken, the plumbing permit link on this page implies it would be $130 which seems crazy to me: https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/planning-and-sustainability/forms-0 Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Feb 26, 2018 |
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Feb 26, 2018 22:34
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Josh Lyman posted:If I'm not mistaken, the plumbing permit link on this page implies it would be $130 which seems crazy to me: https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/planning-and-sustainability/forms-0 $130 to pay for an inspector to drive out to your house, look at something, and fill out some paperwork doesn't sound that outlandish, to be honest.
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Feb 26, 2018 22:58
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I have a question about lead test swabs. They come in a 2-pack. How many locations can I test with each swab? The instructions sound like the swab itself turns red on lead, so can I swab multiple locations until one comes up as lead, and then that swab is done for?
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Feb 26, 2018 23:56
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alnilam posted:I have a question about lead test swabs. They come in a 2-pack. How many locations can I test with each swab? The instructions sound like the swab itself turns red on lead, so can I swab multiple locations until one comes up as lead, and then that swab is done for? Yes. I did the whole house with 1 stick. Once it turns red though it's done, and if you test it elsewhere you may contaminate that spot. Just make sure you can get more "juice" out of it, if it's dry then it won't test anything.
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Feb 27, 2018 00:14
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Josh Lyman posted:I didn't even think about permitting. I'm sure you'd check, but I want to emphasize that nobody should ever assume a contractor will handle the permit. Plenty will skip it if they can.
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Feb 27, 2018 00:31
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Drain update: Not going great.
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Feb 27, 2018 03:40
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