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howdoesishotweb posted:Since it’s starting to cool off but still humid my AC is not running much. House humidity is 72-75% now. Should I be getting a whole house dehumidifier? Are you running your AC at all? Some of them have a setting where they'll run the fan at a slower speed while air conditioning. This decreases how fast it'll cool, and increases it's ability to function as a dehumidifier. Depending on thermostat and such, this might be as simple as connecting a wire and moving a jumper on the furnace (that's what I had to do for mine, with an Ecobee). It's not a complete solution because eventually you'll hit a point where it's super humid and not hot where only a dehumidifier will really work. I'd definitely suggest a whole house dehumidifier though, it's made a pretty impressive difference to comfort here.
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Sep 12, 2018 02:04
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I bought a baller rear end roto-tiller a while back. Finally got around to tilling up some areas so I could throw down some seed. Tilled TOO well and nicked a sprinkler line. 
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Sep 12, 2018 13:38
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Double post, but gently caress it. Anyone know of a good resource to learn basic framing? I want to build my chickens a bigger coop but I haven't built any structure since high school.
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Sep 12, 2018 19:15
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Ghostnuke posted:Double post, but gently caress it. This book is a good visual guide to how all kinds of housing components are constructed. It's overkill for a chicken coop, but I'd recommend it if you're interested in how to do things right.
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Sep 12, 2018 19:29
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Ghostnuke posted:Double post, but gently caress it. I don't know if I learned anything but I found watching Larry Haun videos kind of relaxing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-mS76qjI0g
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Sep 12, 2018 22:05
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I had to load that video just for the satisfaction of watching him drive nails in a single hit.
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Sep 12, 2018 23:11
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Power was off when we took the keys and now my fridge/freezer has fruit flies. Bleach and kill? or do I have to worry about flies getting into stuff like the ice maker area and what not? I'm thinking just apple cider bottle to catch them all as they hatch and just waiting it out, but any advice is appreciated.
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Sep 13, 2018 10:08
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We're hosting an outdoor party in an area that recently flooded. Do any of the area of effect anti-mosquito products work? Is there something we can spray, or have out that will keep them away?
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Sep 14, 2018 01:17
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Having a dog of a time trying to troubleshoot my 7 year-old gas dryer (Maytag Centennial Dryer - MGDC300XW0) issue. Was working just fine and we annually clean out the lint trap and vent line thoroughly (clean the pull out lint trap every load also) and now when we go to start it it justs buzzes. According to repairclinic.com (which is SOOO convenient being on the way to work so I can just pick up the spare parts!) here is the order of troubleshooting: 1 - Thermal Fuse: "The fuse should be closed for continuity meaning it has a continuous electrical path through it when good. If overheated the fuse will have no continuity meaning the electrical path is broken and the fuse has blown." - We checked it for continuity with a multimeter, it's fine 2 - Start Switch: "To determine if the start switch is defective, attempt to start the dryer. If the dryer hums but does not start, the start switch is not at fault. " - We are humming, so no problem there 3 - Door switch: "The door switch activates when the dryer door is closed. On most dryers, the door switch makes an audible clicking sound when it activates. To determine if the door switch is working, try starting your dryer and then listen for the “click.” If the door switch makes a clicking sound, it is probably not defective." - Well, it doesn't click when I try to turn on the dryer, but when I open the door the light comes on. When I press it, the light goes off (with a click!). Possible opportunity here? Doubtful unless there's a separate path of electricity that is disconnected from the light functionality 4. Drive Motor: "If all of these parts are working properly, but the motor is making a humming noise, remove the belt from the motor and check the blower wheel for obstructions. If the blower wheel is clear of obstructions, the dryer motor might be at fault. If you suspect the motor is defective, replace it." - Bought a replacement motor after checking 1-3, replaced the blower wheel when I broke it trying to wrench it off of the motor. Thought this would be the magic bullet but after replacing both of those and reassembling the dryer, I was met with a very disappointing hum again. 5. Drive Belt: "Check the dryer belt to determine if it is broken. If the belt is broken, replace it." - Really strange this is number 5, you have to remove it to get to the drive motor. Mine is very much intact and working. 6. Incoming Power Problem: My washer is on the same outlet and is working fine. I even swapped plugs to see if it for some strange reason one went bad. Nope 7. Timer: "The timer might be defective. However, this is very rarely the case. Before replacing the timer, check all the more commonly defective parts. If you determine that all of the other components are working properly, test the timer by using a multimeter and consulting the wiring diagram. If the timer is defective, replace it." - I haven't troubleshot this yet, and I suppose this is my next step. The high rarity of it though doesn't have me thinking it's the cause I wanted to solicit the goon hive mind to see if there were any ideas that weren't covered here. I'll take the timer out this weekend and test it, but I'm at a loss. So is my super-handy neighbor who is a sage when it comes to this poo poo. But he doesn't know it all. Thoughts? Thanks!
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Sep 14, 2018 01:33
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Grumpwagon posted:We're hosting an outdoor party in an area that recently flooded. Do any of the area of effect anti-mosquito products work? Is there something we can spray, or have out that will keep them away? I don't remember the exact product because it was years ago, but one of the area sprays you attach to your hose and spray on your yard worked wonderfully when my parents hosted a party. A quick Google search and I think it was Cutter Backyard Spray.
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Sep 14, 2018 02:53
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Grumpwagon posted:We're hosting an outdoor party in an area that recently flooded. Do any of the area of effect anti-mosquito products work? Is there something we can spray, or have out that will keep them away? This: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019N258M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 or any similar garlic based spray works nearly instantly and lasts for a couple of weeks depending on weather. The smell is gone in hours (and honestly smells pretty good). You need a proper pressurized sprayer to apply it. I bought a cheap backpack sprayer that I use for just that.
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Sep 14, 2018 04:39
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Don't the little bastards eat the garlic oil and then can't eat your blood or something magical?
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Sep 14, 2018 11:33
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I sprayed the cutter stuff around a day before a party. I definitely didn't use as much as I was supposed to, but the party went basically bug free. They did pop up about a week and a half later though, I still have a bottle and half left definitely going to try it again at the first sign next season. However the idea of spraying garlic around my house sounds fantastic.
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Sep 14, 2018 12:12
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Elephanthead posted:Don't the little bastards eat the garlic oil and then can't eat your blood or something magical? I don't know the method that it works by, but my brother in laws yard used to be a mess of mosquitoes and then one time they were just gone. I asked him what was up and he found some service that charges him $50 every 2 weeks to come by during the summer and spray "some garlic stuff." When I moved into my new house I realized I had the same kind of problem, but worse. Being the cheap bastard that I am, I looked around and found what they were using. For about $60 I got a backpack sprayer and a bottle of this stuff, which works for 3 applications ($20 a bottle if i recall). It takes me 15 minutes to spray the yard, so we're at that plus $7 per application. Much better than $50, and I haven't been bit once in my backyard since I started using it.
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Sep 14, 2018 14:24
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Grumpwagon posted:We're hosting an outdoor party in an area that recently flooded. Do any of the area of effect anti-mosquito products work? Is there something we can spray, or have out that will keep them away? https://www.biogents.com/ You're welcome.
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Sep 14, 2018 14:36
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MrLogan posted:https://www.biogents.com/ I've found that traps 1.) do not work immediately 2.) require participation from your neighbors to be anything more than moderately effective. I've been through multiple traps, including the expensive CO2 ones over the course of many years. They all suck for spot treatment because you as an individual actor will not break their breeding cycle (unless they are all coming from your own yard, in which case stop leaving old poo poo filled with water outside). They are a good and valid neighborhood/community wide approach and have been getting used for many years as such to reduce malaria carrying skeeter populations.
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Sep 14, 2018 14:50
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Thufir posted:I don't know if I learned anything but I found watching Larry Haun videos kind of relaxing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-mS76qjI0g Larry will also teach you the proper pronunciation of 2x4s ("tubafors").
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Sep 14, 2018 19:24
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Motronic posted:I've found that traps 1.) do not work immediately 2.) require participation from your neighbors to be anything more than moderately effective. I tried something this summer that I'm excited about, and which seems to have worked very well: NyGuard (or NyGuard Ez1 for a smaller, pre-mixed application) is an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) which means it doesn't kill mature bugs, but prevents immature ones from developing. Aside from being much more targeted to specific pests and less hazardous in general, NyGuard's pitch is that it will actually stick to mosquitoes who shelter in areas where it's applied (under dense foliage, in grasses, etc.) and then be transported to whatever water site the mosquito uses to breed by the insect itself. This means that it can effectively inoculate wherever your mosquitoes are coming from regardless of whether you have access to it (or if it is even on your property). I also used Altosid in some known hazard spots (stair wells that don't drain super well, gutters, yard depressions). Of course it has no knock-down effect. I paired it with Bifenthrin to reduce the adult population while simultaneously breaking the life cycle. For maximum immediate knock-down apparently Malathion is the way to go (although it is a heavy hammer to use). If the garlic stuff works for you (I've heard mixed results, but that does mean both positive and neutral) then give it a try.
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Sep 14, 2018 20:04
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Hubis posted:If the garlic stuff works for you (I've heard mixed results, but that does mean both positive and neutral) then give it a try. I'd say this is a good point: it's not so much whether it works for me, but rather that it works on the varieties fo mosquitoes in this general area. I don't know anything about breeds and differences, but I came across this stuff because it's what the professional applicators are using in this particular area. So looking into what they use in your area is likely a good starting point for anyone looking for this type of solution.
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Sep 14, 2018 23:58
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TraderStav posted:Thoughts? Thanks! Can you check power at the motor plug with a DMM? Also, run the motor on your bench if you can. Humming is probably a stall or bad connection. Like the starting circuit isn't working and it's trying to run continuously with no rotation so just buzzing in one position.
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Sep 15, 2018 00:27
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Motronic posted:I'd say this is a good point: it's not so much whether it works for me, but rather that it works on the varieties fo mosquitoes in this general area. I don't know anything about breeds and differences, but I came across this stuff because it's what the professional applicators are using in this particular area. So looking into what they use in your area is likely a good starting point for anyone looking for this type of solution. Thanks for all the advice. So I got the stuff and a sprayer. Where all do I spray it? Just around the yard in general? Never done anything like this before.
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Sep 15, 2018 01:54
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Grumpwagon posted:We're hosting an outdoor party in an area that recently flooded. Do any of the area of effect anti-mosquito products work? Is there something we can spray, or have out that will keep them away? See if your town/county has some type of mosquito control program going on. The one near me came and did an inspection + treatment, for free. I think I remember reading they'll come out and spray a day or two before an outdoor event as well.
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Sep 15, 2018 01:58
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Grumpwagon posted:Thanks for all the advice. I followed the label instructions: dilute properly and then spray the shrubs and grass in the area you want protected in the early morning or evening. I've been doing it around 6 PM when the wind dies down (so you don't end up covered in the stuff) and spray enough that I can see the grass or shrub is slightly damp.
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Sep 15, 2018 03:02
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bred posted:Can you check power at the motor plug with a DMM? Also, run the motor on your bench if you can. Humming is probably a stall or bad connection. Like the starting circuit isn't working and it's trying to run continuously with no rotation so just buzzing in one position. I haven't pulled this yet and need to figure out how to. I just pulled everything apart and tried to power it on with no tension from the drum and belt. Still the same buzzing and it's almost certainly coming from the control panel and not the motor. Starting to think it isn't the motor but maybe the timer in the control panel. Going to pull that shortly and test it with a multimeter. Edit: and the timer is rattling. Something is loose in there. Seems like the likely problem. Gonna swing down to repairclinic today and pick one up. TraderStav fucked around with this message at 16:34 on Sep 15, 2018 |
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Sep 15, 2018 16:09
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Has anyone had experience using a lawn care service like TruGreen or one of those? This year was my first spring/summer in this house, and it quickly became apparent to me that the yard is an awful condition. There are a bunch of patch spots, and there're weeds/clovers/crabgrass everywhere. I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate yardwork, it's my absolute least favorite household chore by a mile, but I really like the look of a nice lawn and I miss it. I've been reluctant to even spend time on my patio because I don't want to look around at weeds everywhere. I can't imagine spending the time to turn my yard around, but I do know that I can maintain it if it gets to a good place. Doing a year's plan with a lawn care service makes sense to me, but it would also be a first, so I was just curious if anyone else could speak to their experience with that stuff and how it went.
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Sep 15, 2018 16:27
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surf rock posted:Has anyone had experience using a lawn care service like TruGreen or one of those? We pay a local small business $65/month and our landscaping is... Fine. Twice a month mows and around once a month they also trim stuff and maintain it. First setup was a few hundred to get rid of the weeds that were as tall as I am. We have a "postage stamp" sized yard so 3 guys knock it out in under an hour. I would do that over a big business.
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Sep 15, 2018 18:14
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H110Hawk posted:I would do that over a big business. Why is that?
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Sep 15, 2018 18:18
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Subjunctive posted:Why is that? Call me a sucker but I like using local entrepreneurs. You get a more personal interaction and I feel they are flexible. There is definitely a bit more setup time on research, trial/error, tuning but in the end it is worth it to me. Same reason I see a 1-2 dentist shop and not Chain Dentist R Us. Less upsell.
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Sep 15, 2018 18:23
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It was the timer on the dryer. Just replaced it and even put the old motor back in. Fired right up!
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Sep 15, 2018 18:49
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TraderStav posted:It was the timer on the dryer. Just replaced it and even put the old motor back in. Fired right up! 
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Sep 15, 2018 18:52
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H110Hawk posted:We pay a local small business $65/month and our landscaping is... Fine. Twice a month mows and around once a month they also trim stuff and maintain it. First setup was a few hundred to get rid of the weeds that were as tall as I am. We have a "postage stamp" sized yard so 3 guys knock it out in under an hour. TruGreen doesn't actually do mowing, they just do massive amounts of chemicals (if they do anything at all)
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Sep 15, 2018 19:14
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Subjunctive posted:Why is that? Americans have always preferred small over big businesses, for a variety of sociological and psychological reasons, some good and some bad.
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Sep 15, 2018 21:42
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Tangentially related lawn talk: I find my typical mowing/edging of the lawn to be therapeutic, but like the poster who first brought this up, I also have a yard that is essentially 70% crab grass and those weeds that don’t grow up, but get really long and snake along the ground. If I have a landscaping company come out and rototill/resod my lawn for me, would they be liable for any sprinkler or water lines that could potentially end up being clipped in the process? That’s the only thing holding me back from doing it myself, after already having to swap out my old school quest line for a PEX line. My back yard is really hilly/bumpy too, so I would need this done at some point either way so that I can level out my terrain and get better grading put in.
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Sep 19, 2018 15:22
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Gin_Rummy posted:Tangentially related lawn talk: How deep are the lines? That's the sort of thing you want to get in front of, make your concerns clear, and get it in writing either way.
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Sep 19, 2018 16:16
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Gin_Rummy posted:If I have a landscaping company come out and rototill/resod my lawn for me, would they be liable for any sprinkler or water lines that could potentially end up being clipped in the process? Unless you can clearly (spray paint, flags) indicate the runs and depth then expect repairs to be extra. Does any part of your system need to be upgraded or improved? Now is the time.
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Sep 19, 2018 17:11
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Unfortunately I don’t have jack poo poo info on the system. It was installed by a previous owner and they didn’t pass any documentation along... I know where some of the lines out front run because we had to dig under them to replace the main, but that’s about it.
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Sep 19, 2018 17:32
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Gin_Rummy posted:Unfortunately I don’t have jack poo poo info on the system. It was installed by a previous owner and they didn’t pass any documentation along... I know where some of the lines out front run because we had to dig under them to replace the main, but that’s about it. No landscaper is going to take on that liability. Why do you feel the yard needs to be rototilled? Or sodded for that matter? There are plenty of ways to handle this without such intrusive methods, and assuming you are in the US you're coming up on the right season to establish a new lawn.
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Sep 19, 2018 17:51
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Motronic posted:No landscaper is going to take on that liability. Mostly because I need to regrade either way. The back yard is incredibly “bumpy,” and I see it as a two birds with one stone situation.
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Sep 19, 2018 18:13
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Gin_Rummy posted:Mostly because I need to regrade either way. The back yard is incredibly “bumpy,” and I see it as a two birds with one stone situation. If it needs more than being rolled flat or some light backfilling/top dressing your sprinklers will need to be relocated anyway.
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Sep 19, 2018 18:22
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What makes you say that? Why would the positioning of the sprinklers need to change if my yard is made more level?
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Sep 19, 2018 18:24
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