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Had massive wind come through today. Caught a piece of fascia ( ? ), I guess? Some kind of metal strip between the roof of the house and the siding. It's half on, half off, flopping in the wind. Do I call a handyman, or do I call a roofer? Edit: Also, I'm looking to have a central station fire alarm put in but I've learned from the thread to stay away from ADT. Is this largely the domain of security system companies and only them, or are there other options? NerdyMcNerdNerd fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Mar 2, 2018 |
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Mar 2, 2018 20:23
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Sounds like a drip edge; it keeps water from slipping underneath the roof shingles (or tiles or whatever) and damaging the deck. Properly reinstalling the drip edge will mean lifting up the edge shingles enough to hammer/screw the drip edge down to the deck (given that it's already come loose once, screws would probably be preferable to nails). If it's just shingles then that should be doable by anyone with a ladder, but with a fancier roof you'd want a roofer. That's my amateur opinion, anyway. I'll defer to the people with more professional experience in this domain.
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Mar 2, 2018 20:28
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PainterofCrap posted:Yeah, that is some wild, old, soldered-in cast waste lines that you have, there. The drain is above the middle of the downstairs kitchen so there's tile flooring. This is what's to the right of the earlier photo: 
Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Mar 2, 2018 |
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Mar 2, 2018 21:32
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NerdyMcNerdNerd posted:Edit: Also, I'm looking to have a central station fire alarm put in but I've learned from the thread to stay away from ADT. Is this largely the domain of security system companies and only them, or are there other options? But a used DSC Power Series or Ademco Vista alarm panel and an Eyezon Envisalink module. Bam. Free self-monitoring forever. It will send texts/emails to as many addresses/phones as you want. It monitors AC and network connectivity so if you lose power in your house or your internet goes down you will know immediately. It has a phone interface too, so with the DSC you can arm/disarm from your phone and even activate outputs such as a door lock or garage door opener. I would just make sure you have a UPS on your router and modem so if the power DOES go out you still have active monitoring. If you have good basement/attic access you can install wired sensors (cheaper and more reliable). If you don’t, you can buy wireless sensors (more expensive and you have to buy expensive non-common lithium batteries every ~3 years) And there are literally millions of forum pages on programming these panels. I have a stockpile of old used Power Series PC1616 panels and keypads in my basement I really should sell off. Spagghentleman fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Mar 2, 2018 |
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Mar 2, 2018 22:49
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Josh Lyman posted:Well, that's... not encouraging. One thing I'm confused about is why you say removing the cleanout cover could be an issue. Doesn't it just cover a pipe that goes down to the trap? By my naive understanding, the only risk is if it isn't put back properly which could allow splashing water to leak through, but that's what the caulk is for. He's saying that if it's never been removed then it's probably effectively one piece of metal at this point due to corrosion and crap building up behind it over the years.
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Mar 2, 2018 23:58
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Thumposaurus posted:He's saying that if it's never been removed then it's probably effectively one piece of metal at this point due to corrosion and crap building up behind it over the years. One step further: Attempting to apply torque to it sufficient to open it is likely to make your problem much, much worse.
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Mar 3, 2018 00:09
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Thumposaurus posted:He's saying that if it's never been removed then it's probably effectively one piece of metal at this point due to corrosion and crap building up behind it over the years. H110Hawk posted:One step further: Attempting to apply torque to it sufficient to open it is likely to make your problem much, much worse. What about devicenull's suggestion of removing the overflow? Any concerns with accessing the trap that way? Google seems to say that method is fairly safe. I guess if the linkage is corroded, it could break apart while I mucking around and drop the plunger down the pipe. It does make me wonder why the water heater plumber didn't suggest that method though. (Also I misremembered and what I thought was the cleanout cover isn't even caulked) 
Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Mar 3, 2018 |
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Mar 3, 2018 02:47
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Josh Lyman posted:My noobness has sabotaged the conversation once again. I though you guys were talking about what I now understand to be the overflow plate that's located near the brim of the bathtub, not the screw/plug thing that's at the bend of the trap. I agree that attempting to remove the cleanout is probably a disaster waiting to happen. Yes take it off and see what gunk you can remove. I unclogged my bathtub that way just a few months ago (it wasn't leaking but it is a very old house).
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Mar 3, 2018 03:30
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Josh Lyman posted:Well, that's... not encouraging. One thing I'm confused about is why you say removing the cleanout cover could be an issue. Doesn't it just cover a pipe that goes down to the trap? By my naive understanding, the only risk is if it isn't put back properly which could allow splashing water to leak through, but that's what the caulk is for. I am referring to the one right in the side of your trap. You open that, hello, inside of your 3” cast trap. It’s there so that you can literally clean out whatever collects in the U, there...and yours is probably loaded. Those side-mounted covers tend to get corroded in place and stuck fast. They’re typically brass, and that square crown nut is sometimes hollow, so when you get on it with a monkey or stillson (auto-tightening) wrench especially with a length of galv pipe for extra leverage, you can rip it right off the face. Ask me how I know. You can try penetrating oil for a few days and see if you get lucky. I will gladly take abuse for the gloom & doom if you are able to wrench it off without great difficulty. This still leaves the leak at the top of the trap. However, with a clear-running line, silicone smeared in the joint real thick may be enough of a seal to hold you for several years. The proper repair is to get in on it with a blowtorch, heat it evenly all around, melt a pot of lead solder, and pour it in around the bell from above. That is also a dying expert trade, lead-sealing cast...I have done it, and poorly; which is why I’ll take a cast-cutter & a sawzall any day & build it back out of plastic. (Edit) should’ve kept reading...the overflow pipe ties into the drain assembly ahead of the shoe. Yes, you can try snaking down through there, but you’re starting out with a very tight 90-degree bend at the tub & working down to the cast-iron...it will take a lot of patience & a deft hand to make any headway to clearing out that trap. I would soak the side cap in the penetrating oil of your choice for several days, and make a go at opening up the trap from below. Just recalled another method I worked successfully, once (I am old & my memory ain’t what it was): you can use a cut-off wheel/drill/saw to just...cut the cap off; slice up the cap & section it out, avoiding the threads on the cast; you can then tap out the brass remnants/use implements of destruction...because they still sell those caps; you could even go back with a PVC cap - the threading’s the same. This removal method is messy as all hell - high-speed rotating tools and grey water + sixty years of hair & Christ knows what else will turn the area into the Jackson Pollock from hell - but if you can open and clear the trap, chances are you’ll have very little, if any, leakage up-stream at the bell...especially if you silicone it up good. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Mar 3, 2018 |
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Mar 3, 2018 04:54
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Have any of you guys used compressed air in domestic drain clearing? Is it a bad idea?
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Mar 3, 2018 05:29
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It's a hilarious idea if it's not your house
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Mar 3, 2018 11:07
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Yeah; US drain lines are not really designed to handle substantially more than 1-atmosphere of pressure. In Europe (at least, Switzerland) they used to sell this large aerosol can with a big rubber tip that you could press into a drain and it would blow out the trap. Then again, the Swiss bring the same kind of anal-retentive overbuilding philosophy to their plumbing infrastructure as they do to their buildings and tunnels. The sewer lines are glazed vitreous inside & out and designed to last a millennium. The spec for sink drains looks like it would pass for supply lines in the US. I mean, you can try it, but treat it as a fail-test of the circuit you’re using it on, and for ceiling modern-artwork elsewhere. Have lots of old bath towels on hand. Hmmmm...With respect to the tub trap conundrum above: sealing off one of the openings, and blowing the trap out may clear it (I doubt it) but at least would remove standing water, which would substantially increase the odds of getting sufficient torch heat to bear on the trap to loosen the cap. Once it starts to move, it will come off. Watching the toilet bubble may be entertainment enough to try it. Drape a bath towel over the bowl & sink first. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 14:59 on Mar 3, 2018 |
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Mar 3, 2018 14:50
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PainterofCrap posted:
gently caress that poo poo, post a video!!
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Mar 3, 2018 16:42
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shovelbum posted:Have any of you guys used compressed air in domestic drain clearing? Is it a bad idea? i did something like this with my bathtub in my old apartment. i think that product had something in it that produced huge amounts of gas when exposed to water or something. i mean it did technically work but it's fair to say it was not 'as seen on tv.' you want that poo poo lined up REAL good.
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Mar 3, 2018 18:56
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I have three small lights that hang over the counter in my kitchen. While changing the bulb in one of them I accidentally separated the little metal bit with the threads that screw it onto the base from the ceramic shade. It looks like it was attached with glue or an epoxy or whatever so I'm guessing the fix will be relatively easy. However these shade get relatively hot so I'm slightly concerned that ordinary super glue will either melt just be unsafe to use due to the heat. Is there something special I should look for?
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Mar 4, 2018 00:01
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shovelbum posted:Have any of you guys used compressed air in domestic drain clearing? Is it a bad idea? Pneumatic clog blasters can work great in the right conditions. It’ll make an insane mess if you aren’t careful and won’t work with heavy sludge buildup. It is best if you have a good idea of what is clogged and how the lines are run. They’re apt to blow apart sink traps but I use one in my commercial building frequently for minor sink clogs that I know will clear easily.
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Mar 4, 2018 00:55
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 I have a mighty mule gate opener that is "push to open" due to how my yard slopes. Picture shows how the opener attaches to my gate. I've only opened/closed the gate maybe 10-20 times and noticed this today. The red arrow on the silver metal shows the direction of pull when the gate is closing. The smaller red arrows show where the muffler clamps are sliding down the tube gate. Trying to determine what to do/what combination of things to do: 1. Tighten muffler clamps more (to some degree of more that doesn't collapse the hollow tube). 2. Loctite the muffler clamp nuts. 3. Some sort of rubber between clamp and gate tube to provide friction and hopefully a better clamping job. (what would I even buy for this?) 4. Some magical other solution presented by a smarter goon than I.
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Mar 4, 2018 02:03
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AKA Pseudonym posted:I have three small lights that hang over the counter in my kitchen. While changing the bulb in one of them I accidentally separated the little metal bit with the threads that screw it onto the base from the ceramic shade. It looks like it was attached with glue or an epoxy or whatever so I'm guessing the fix will be relatively easy. However these shade get relatively hot so I'm slightly concerned that ordinary super glue will either melt just be unsafe to use due to the heat. Is there something special I should look for? Can you post a picture?
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Mar 4, 2018 02:25
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tangy yet delightful posted:
Does the bar part of the muffler clamp have teeth? If not, if you're able to cut a few notches in with a grinder, that would help. Also yeah tighten the poo poo out of it. I don't think loctite will help - I doubt the nuts are loosening here, I would imagine they have "lockwasher" style teeth on their friction surface right?
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Mar 4, 2018 03:52
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kid sinister posted:Can you post a picture?  
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Mar 4, 2018 04:15
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angryrobots posted:Does the bar part of the muffler clamp have teeth? If not, if you're able to cut a few notches in with a grinder, that would help. Also yeah tighten the poo poo out of it. I don't think loctite will help - I doubt the nuts are loosening here, I would imagine they have "lockwasher" style teeth on their friction surface right? The bar does not have teeth. I don't have a grinder but I can maybe imitate it with a small file and time. I am not sure on the friction surface of the nuts TBH but I will check tomorrow before I make my home depot run, maybe get a lock washer and use loctite if no teeth are present.
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Mar 4, 2018 04:17
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kid sinister posted:Remove the little wooden shelf thing and take another picture. I broke the front off because the top would require taking apart the pipe that comes out of the sink and that's waaaay beyond my limited skill set. https://imgur.com/a/kkXwb That pipe runs down from under the sink and into the floor there, pipe itself seems to be dry all the way along, so the water looks like it's coming from where it joins the floor. Running the taps doesn't seem to make any difference though, there's no visible obvious leaking the water is just "there" and if I lay a towel down to soak it it'll soak right through in a couple of hours. Edit: did some further investigating for where this pipe goes https://imgur.com/a/yOZIo Yellow is where water from the toilet drains, blue is where the sink drains. Both flow freely when I run them. There's no water backed up down there at all as far as I can see so it's not like the drain is backing up. I'm stumped. Edit edit: a bit more investigation suggests it could be coming from the underside of the boiler tank in the cupboard next to it, which if the case lol gently caress my life this is going to be hideously expensive to fix. The only other option is it's coming through the wall in which case that's another story because the house is still under warranty with the company that built it and I will eat them alive. Gonna get the boiler checked out and keep the receipts! Edit edit edit: turns out the water tank wasn't installed properly when they built the house, so when there's a problem with the water level (which the plumber is fixing now) it overflows and runs down the wall (and under the flooring!) instead of out to the outside of the house. Gonna take this up with the building company! History Comes Inside! fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Mar 4, 2018 |
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Mar 4, 2018 12:49
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Anyone ever make a concrete countertop? Can you use conventional sealer for granite, or does it have to be concrete specific? I know you can't use the stuff that's meant for outdoor patio.
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Mar 4, 2018 19:14
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FogHelmut posted:Anyone ever make a concrete countertop? Can you use conventional sealer for granite, or does it have to be concrete specific? I know you can't use the stuff that's meant for outdoor patio. We used Behr stain/sealer for concrete, and then went over that with a concrete countertop wax.
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Mar 4, 2018 21:04
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Yeah the thing is that the counter is only going to be 31" x 25" . I start adding up all the sealers and waxes and it costs more than the concrete and the forms.
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Mar 4, 2018 22:06
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No poo poo. A concrete countertop is kind of like having a pet.
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Mar 4, 2018 23:03
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Then what's the point? I thought it was supposed to be some kind of economical alternative to granite.
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Mar 4, 2018 23:06
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FogHelmut posted:Anyone ever make a concrete countertop? Can you use conventional sealer for granite, or does it have to be concrete specific? I know you can't use the stuff that's meant for outdoor patio. We poured epoxy on top so we didn't have to wet-sand everything.
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Mar 4, 2018 23:08
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FogHelmut posted:Then what's the point? I thought it was supposed to be some kind of economical alternative to granite. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than getting custom cut granite my man. Same care routine, but can also be repaired infinitely if damaged. devicenull posted:We poured epoxy on top so we didn't have to wet-sand everything. My wife said she considered this, but building forms on the sides to keep the epoxy from dripping seemed intimidating. How'd you deal with that? She also mentioned that the epoxy is pretty easy to damage with heat, any issue there with it? angryrobots fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Mar 4, 2018 |
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Mar 4, 2018 23:09
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JB Weld should work.
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Mar 4, 2018 23:51
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Welp water heater started pouring water from top.
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Mar 5, 2018 02:41
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Wasabi the J posted:Welp water heater started pouring water from top. Pics? I’m not sure I understand the issue.
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Mar 5, 2018 02:56
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Wasabi the J posted:Welp water heater started pouring water from top. You didn't properly cap the pressure valve.
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Mar 5, 2018 03:01
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Sorry. Turned off water and disconnected with help. Looks like it started leaking around the top rim.  Also the pressure relief line like janky as gently caress. And does not drain too well.  I never serviced it, and I'm not sure how it leaked specifically since my wife was the one who discovered it. I have a water softener that only goes to the heater, wondering if that had something to do with it.
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Mar 5, 2018 03:52
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Manufacturer warranty replaced for full original purchase value, got a higher quality unit with a 9 year warranty for $175 on top. Sorry to poo poo up the thread earlier without asking any real questions or providing information. I don't like how janky the releif valve line is set up. Is there a way to run that more cleanly outside throufh the garage wall.
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Mar 6, 2018 09:41
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I have a sump well in the back corner of my basement, and Mister Pumpy (the sump pump in it) has been going off every three or four minutes. I dealt with it last year because I had other things to worry about but this year, I'm getting a little concerned. It hasn't rained in a few days, it's not wet outside, but since the big thaw a few weeks ago he's been going on like that. I took the pump off and made sure the check valve wasn't leaking back into the well, and it's not that. My own guess is that it's two things: 1) it's just wet enough to cause that to happen. I talked to the neighbors and their pumps hardly go off, so I don't think it' sthat 2) the gutters aren't working. I've walked my house, and there's no huge pools of water now since it hasn't rained in a few days. There's a pool that builds up during really huge storms on the opposite corner of the house, but it's downhill from the pump corner, and it's actually draining sort of towards a neighbors house. And it's about four feet from my house, so maybe during a storm it doesn't help, but again it's three days since a storm and it's all dry. 3) the pump exit pipe is leaking right outside the house, causing water to just go back into the foundation. I really think it's #2. The pump exits out a wall, where it goes under my patio. There's also a gutter that goes down right above it into a drain pipe, so I'm guessing the two meet up. About 25 feet away in the back yard is a dry well, with a drain going to it. I theorize that the sump and gutters all dump there. However, given the frequency and amount of water Mister Pumpy is pushing, I figured it'd be wet there, but there's nothing. Adding to my theory that the drain isn't doing it's job. I really don't want to have to pull up the patio stones, but I think I have no choice. In the meantime, since I'm home today I unplugged Mister Pumpy and I'm using my shop vac to suck it up, and then just dump it down the regular old drain. I know it's against code for that, but I figure for a day it's not so bad to just make sure the water is all gone. After a day of doing that, I'll see if there's still a ton of water. My shopvac holds about 8 gallons of water, and I've taken about 10 out. The sump is already filling up a little slower, so that's good. With that in mind, when we bought the house, the sump was dry. And it was about the same time of year and weather. However the previous owners had the pump connected to the sewer drain, and when they sold the house, the town made them disconnect it and connect it outside. They had a Y with a valve so you could select to dump it to the sewer or to the outside, and they just replaced the Y with a straight so it just goes out. With that in mind (they were clearly dumping into the sewer, I have a picture of the valve to that position from when we checked out the house), it seems that they didn't have the issue since they were properly (although incorrectly) removing water. My wife wants me to call someone to give us an opinion, but I'm not sure who to call. I see some "basement dry" companies, but I'm not sure. Any suggestions?
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Mar 6, 2018 14:43
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Wasabi the J posted:Manufacturer warranty replaced for full original purchase value, got a higher quality unit with a 9 year warranty for $175 on top. First off, ditch the galvanized nipple screwed into the brass relief valve before they are welded together by corrosion. Get rid of the flex hose and run copper or PVC through the wall to wherever it’s terminating (if the material is permitted and that’s code where you are - should be to the outside, if memory serves)
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Mar 6, 2018 14:52
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DrBouvenstein posted:I've heard that's a terrible idea because there's no way to know how "clean" the ice is. A bit late but just make your own ice. Use empty plastic gallon jugs, boil water, pour into jugs, put jugs in freezer. The hot water is sterile and will kill anything in the plastic gallon jug, and if you're really paranoid you can wipe down the outside of the jug with bleach or Star-san. When it's time to cool the wort, cut the plastic away, and you've got nice one-gallon units of ice to dump into your wort.
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Mar 6, 2018 17:57
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Just bought our first home and I anticipate sending a lot of time in this forum now. First on the agenda is removing a large mirror. From what I can tell it's glued/plastered to the brick wall. I know to cover it in packing tape before trying anything and I've read using cutout wire is a good way to go about this. Any other tips/suggestions/warnings would be appreciated. I'd like to keep the mirror in one piece if possible but I won't be heart broken if it breaks. 
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Mar 6, 2018 18:02
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PainterofCrap posted:First off, ditch the galvanized nipple screwed into the brass relief valve before they are welded together by corrosion. 1 - done 2 - yeah it's outside, but I tested the line and it's clogged up good somewhere. Water barely dribbles through, so looks like I have to open up that wall. Is there a specific PVC spec that it has to be? I know it shouldn't go uphill at any point but is there any other rules I need to know? I'm in Las Vegas, Clark county. Wasabi the J fucked around with this message at 18:25 on Mar 6, 2018 |
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Mar 6, 2018 18:22
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