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That saga perfectly captures the anxiety of home ownership. Oh god there's a hole in the ground, a sink hole's gonna swallow my house!  Wait maybe it's just a mud dobber. The internet- no it's probably a sinkhole
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Jun 7, 2020 14:40
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| # ? May 27, 2024 23:48 |
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I googled the symptoms and it's definitely house cancer.
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Jun 7, 2020 14:51
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Jaded Burnout posted:I googled the symptoms and it's definitely house cancer. BRB, registering webgc.com
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Jun 7, 2020 15:24
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Jaded Burnout posted:I googled the symptoms and it's definitely house cancer. Symptoms may include: Strange odors Creaking noises Wall cracks Back pain Low water pressure High water pressure Loose flagstones Flickering LED bulbs Black mold Insomnia Wall bees Attic squirrels Feelings of dread and in rare cases: Death
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Jun 7, 2020 16:55
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Is there a major difference in cooling costs for a house that has a modern "kitchen-dining-living room" blob versus an older-style "all of our rooms are actually rooms" type floorplan? I know the former style frequently has vaulted ceilings which are certainly worse, but if both of them had vaulted ceilings would the extra walls be helping or hurting?
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Jun 7, 2020 20:09
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Corla Plankun posted:Is there a major difference in cooling costs for a house that has a modern "kitchen-dining-living room" blob versus an older-style "all of our rooms are actually rooms" type floorplan? You'd be able to better separate climate zones, e.g. keep the kitchen cooler than the bathroom or whatever. Means you could focus your energy where it's most needed.
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Jun 7, 2020 20:48
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I’ve got an old window air conditioner on a shed in my yard. It blows cool, but not cold, air. Coils, radiator, air filter all seem clean enough. When it runs, plenty of condensation drips out the back. Does it need a recharge? Something with the thermostat? Should I just dumpster it and get another one? Will it be able to keep up with a 12x20 uninsulated space and keep it bearable in a TN Summer?
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Jun 7, 2020 23:06
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Recharging is probably not worth it if it's not working. We'd need to know the BTUs and age. How insulated is this shed?
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Jun 8, 2020 01:53
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I'm installing an anti-tip device for a gas range. Fastening it to the kitchen floor. Floor is ceramic tile, with wood subfloor. Should I be using masonry screws (like Tapcon), or wood screws? "Most" of the screw will be biting into wood subfloor since the tile is comparatively thin (standard 13x13inch tiles). \/ I thought that might be the case. Thanks! melon cat fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Jun 8, 2020 |
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Jun 8, 2020 04:50
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melon cat posted:I'm installing an anti-tip device for a gas range. Fastening it to the kitchen floor. Floor is ceramic tile, with wood subfloor. Should I be using masonry screws (like Tapcon), or wood screws? "Most" of the screw will be biting into wood subfloor since the tile is comparatively thin (standard 13x13inch tiles).
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Jun 8, 2020 13:23
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tater_salad posted:Recharging is probably not worth it if it's not working. We'd need to know the BTUs and age. How insulated is this shed? Kinda figured that. 8000 BTU. Shed is uninsulated - just plywood. I’d like to insulate it eventually, but we have other house priorities first. I wouldn’t want to cool it full time, just while I’m tinkering. Heck, if working from home continues, I may set it up as my office for the 1-2 days a week I don’t need to be on the shop floor at work.
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Jun 8, 2020 13:24
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Fanged Lawn Wormy posted:Kinda figured that. a big question is what is the temp differential.. IE the air coming into the unit vs going out of the unit.. if the shed is 90°F, you're not going to get ice cold air blowing out of it you'll at best get like 70°F air coming at you
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Jun 9, 2020 11:41
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I have an issue with a small garden fence. It's about 20 feet long and 4 feet high, with 8 posts and 4 horizontal boards between each. We've only been here 2 years, and the white paint on it has started to badly chip and peel. I am concerned about how much paint has gotten into the soil around it and also with repainting the fence safely for the garden. I'd appreciate any spontaneous  but also I have a few specific questions1. do i need a special kind of paint or stain? I am not sure what they used but obviously it didnt hold. in my basement is some exterior white paint and also some rustoleum "hammered" paint and primer spray that the previous owners left. I assume they used one of these. 2. any particular extra precautions I need to take other than covering the ground around the fence while I sand/chip the old paint and apply whatever new stuff? 3. would I be better off taking the boards between the posts down and painting or staining them separately in a more appropriate environment?
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Jun 9, 2020 17:05
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2 questions: 1. 1947 house in Seattle -- did they typically have tile drainage around the foundation, or something similar? I was looking at what's needed for a basement egress window and for drainage they usually tie into that. Is there any way to tell otherwise? 2. If there is a floor drain in the basement, and it goes to a 4" sewer line, can a toilet be put there without a pump? The rest of the toilets (from upstairs) go to a sewer on the other side of the house. This one is for the kitchen and laundry.
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Jun 9, 2020 23:20
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How do you deal with things that are painted shut? In this house, some idiot way back when painted everything without tape, including several wood-frame windows and the loving gas shutoff valve for some reason. I'd like to be able to open windows and shut off the gas.
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Jun 10, 2020 08:52
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HolHorsejob posted:How do you deal with things that are painted shut? In this house, some idiot way back when painted everything without tape, including several wood-frame windows and the loving gas shutoff valve for some reason. I'd like to be able to open windows and shut off the gas. Stanley knife down the edges to break the paint, rubber mallet or prybar to persuade it open, expect to repair & touchup the paint afterwards.
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Jun 10, 2020 09:42
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Yeah depends on how delicate you want to be, you can start with a little heat or stripper before scrape or hitting with a wire brush/wheel.
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Jun 10, 2020 13:27
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Is there any meaningful downside to cleaning stuff with vodka instead of isopropanol? Because I need to clean stuff and I have vodka but I sure as heck don't have any isopropyl alcohol lying about.
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Jun 10, 2020 13:33
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3D Megadoodoo posted:Is there any meaningful downside to cleaning stuff with vodka instead of isopropanol? Because I need to clean stuff and I have vodka but I sure as heck don't have any isopropyl alcohol lying about. There's water in it, for sure. I suppose that's also true of iso? Is it diluted with water or something else? I don't know.
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Jun 10, 2020 13:36
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In the US at least, vodka is 40% ABV, so while it's still a reasonable disinfectant/solvent it's more than half water by volume. Isopropyl is available in 92% and 75%.
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Jun 10, 2020 14:20
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Stack Machine posted:In the US at least, vodka is 40% ABV, so while it's still a reasonable disinfectant/solvent it's more than half water by volume. Isopropyl is available in 92% and 75%. This backs up the claim that some water dilution is a good thing for disinfection and 70% is the sweet spot. https://blog.gotopac.com/2017/05/15/why-is-70-isopropyl-alcohol-ipa-a-better-disinfectant-than-99-isopropanol-and-what-is-ipa-used-for/ I haven’t seen anything for sale lately except the 50% junk Menards sells. https://www.menards.com/main/p-1488352854408.htm
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Jun 10, 2020 14:30
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eddiewalker posted:This backs up the claim that some water dilution is a good thing for disinfection and 70% is the sweet spot. https://blog.gotopac.com/2017/05/15/why-is-70-isopropyl-alcohol-ipa-a-better-disinfectant-than-99-isopropanol-and-what-is-ipa-used-for/ This is what I've heard too, though for cleaning rather than disinfecting I don't know which is better. I prefer to keep high percentage stuff because I can use it more easily on electronics (evaporates quickly) and dilute it if I really have to homebrew some hand sanitizer.
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Jun 10, 2020 14:58
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I'm very out of the loop so forgive me if this is a dumb question: are there decent stud finders out in the market now? I remember reading years ago people complaining about density based finders being shite, but is something like this reliable now? Thanks!
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Jun 10, 2020 16:17
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Just use a big fuckoff magnet to find the screws on the studs. Also works on steel obviously. I keep a 1” dia 1/2 thick neodymium magnet for this.
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Jun 10, 2020 16:25
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Fanged Lawn Wormy posted:Just use a big fuckoff magnet to find the screws on the studs. Also works on steel obviously. Oh yeah I'm already planning on buying a super fuckin strong magnet because the last 3 apartments I've lived in were all drywall  Just wondering about recs/people's experiences with electronic stud finders, since they would be a godsend if they worked.
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Jun 10, 2020 16:27
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Johnny Truant posted:Oh yeah I'm already planning on buying a super fuckin strong magnet because the last 3 apartments I've lived in were all drywall This appears to be the thread favourite, so much so I bought one myself, and while I've not used it in anger yet it seems to do the job well when testing. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0195K8OT4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Jun 10, 2020 17:15
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Slow drain in kitchen sink only but nothing in the trap, what’s a cheap starting point in trying to asses this?
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Jun 10, 2020 17:41
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Next step is a small pipe snake. You can use that to make sure the sink to trap line is clear then plunge it into the wall and see if you feel anything or can clear it. If that doesn't work find a bigger pipe snake. Beyond pipe snake land it's time to call a plumber IMO because they'll have someone operating a borescope/auger setup that can visually locate the clog. I had this done once on a washing machine drain and the cast iron pipe was clogged with rust like 20 feet in.
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Jun 10, 2020 18:06
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One kitchen sink clog we tried using a plunger. Seemed good, sink drained again. Apparently it just moved the clog further down though, cuz then the next time we ran the washing machine, when it hit a drain cycle the drain hose wall connection started fountaining. The landlord came with a snake and fixed it.
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Jun 10, 2020 18:55
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HolHorsejob posted:How do you deal with things that are painted shut? In this house, some idiot way back when painted everything without tape, including several wood-frame windows and the loving gas shutoff valve for some reason. I'd like to be able to open windows and shut off the gas. As others suggested a razor blade for things where that makes sense. For metal things such as gas shutoff you might find better luck in a wire brush, solvents (careful if there are gaskets), and a cheater bar/wrench to lever yourself free. If it's thick you might be able to literally cut and peel a good chunk of paint off. Latex paint peels really well once liberated from the surface.
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Jun 10, 2020 19:00
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Does Lowes not sell rubbing stones to recondition a wetsaw blade? I'm about to start cutting tile and my blade is pretty well glazed over, but I'm not finding any on the website, just whetstones. Am I using the wrong term?
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Jun 10, 2020 19:05
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Roof question / reality check: After opening the blinds in my bedroom for the first time in like a year, I discovered a water stain on the ceiling. A quick trip to the attic revealed no leaking pex or anything, but the water spot is directly under the roof penetration for the dryer vent damper. On the roof, the problem was immediately obvious. My damper is busted. You can see along the top corner and the entire left edge that the spot welds or whatever are undone:  (this photo was taken after I scraped away some dried, old caulk that was previously applied, which means it was broken when it was installed and they didn't bother replacing it which is infuriating. My house was built in 2013 and no one has been up there since). Anyways, I happened to have an opened tube of this stuff laying around for some reason so I went up there and put a gently caress ton of it in the gap, basically sealing it to the shingles:  Is this repair likely to hold at all, or should I just go ahead and call up a roofing company to replace the damper? CheddarGoblin fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Jun 11, 2020 |
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Jun 11, 2020 02:16
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It will hold for a non-zero amount of time by the looks of it  I'll leave it to more seasoned eyes for further assessment. I think another possible way to repair it a bit stronger would have been to JB Weld/Epoxy the seam back together before then sealing the joint with some sort of exterior rated caulk (I think your roofing stuff would be fine here). I would also suggest that you check your attic space to see what water damage may be up there from this leak. The ceiling spot in your house sounds like it's not too bad so perhaps after the area dries for a few weeks a coat of Kilz primer and then paint would take care of the drywall.
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Jun 11, 2020 02:38
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I did see the back side of the drywall from the attic, it's very minimal and completely dry right now. No sign of mold or anything. It's hot here and hasn't rained for a while. I thought about trying what you suggested with epoxying the metal seam back together but it's really warped or something, even sitting on the damper i wasn't able to get the seam back down flush. I think it's because the vent is rigid but the base plate is nailed down to my not-perfectly-flat roof surface. That's when I said gently caress it and filled the whole thing up with roof cement.
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Jun 11, 2020 02:49
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Johnny Truant posted:Oh yeah I'm already planning on buying a super fuckin strong magnet because the last 3 apartments I've lived in were all drywall I don't think I've ever had one work when I needed it to. Either the wall was lovely and had too much moisture, or it was lath and plaster, or who knows what the gently caress else. I've tried a few different stud finders over the years, all of them equally terrible.
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Jun 11, 2020 06:10
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I've got some exterior wood (porch, stair rail, door frame) that I need to sand down and repaint. There's some cracks and gaps in parts, is there a good wood filler I can buy to fix them up before I paint? This is in New Jersey, so there will be a good amount of seasonal freeze-thaw.
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Jun 11, 2020 13:38
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My crawdad friend may have perished. Unless they sleep on their side...   Also in order for it to be house cancer, wouldn't they have to be crabs?
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Jun 11, 2020 16:05
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Toebone posted:I've got some exterior wood (porch, stair rail, door frame) that I need to sand down and repaint. There's some cracks and gaps in parts, is there a good wood filler I can buy to fix them up before I paint? This is in New Jersey, so there will be a good amount of seasonal freeze-thaw. In my experience most wood fill is the same. If these are small cracks you should be fine, even for outdoors. If your paint has a sealing component, great. Otherwise use a sealer after painting and you should be golden.
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Jun 11, 2020 18:32
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Stack Machine posted:Also in order for it to be house cancer, wouldn't they have to be crabs? womp womp
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Jun 11, 2020 22:03
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| # ? May 27, 2024 23:48 |
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Tell me about removing the texture on my orange peel walls. We want to put up some decorative trim for a feature wall, but need to get rid of this first. House is a year old, wall is painted white
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Jun 12, 2020 03:13
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