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Residency Evil posted:Yeah I'll have to explore this when I get home. I have a few outdoor outlets, and they all work except for the one that these lights are plugged in to. My outdoor outlets are tied to the gfci outlet beneath my circuit breaker panel. If it's not letting you reset the outlet, definitely unplug the lights and check the outdoor outlets. The first year mine was really finicky, this year and last I just tape any connection, including the one to the outlet. Also use of boxes to cover the connections. I care this much because my fios router is on that outlet.
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Dec 2, 2020 00:50
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Yep, wrap every plug from your lights with some electrical tape to help keep the water out. I do that every year with my Christmas lights and I’ve never had a problem with breaker/gfci trips.
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Dec 2, 2020 01:32
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It helped my sanity to buy a bunch of GFCI outlets and rewire things so that every protected outlet was only protecting itself. Basically taking what had been a string of standard outlets downstream of a single GFCI one, replacing each with a GFCI outlet, and then reconfiguring the wiring such that every outlet was connected to the line side of the one before rather than the load side. Then no more tripping a GFCI in the basement bathroom from two floors up.Residency Evil posted:I don't think the indoor GFCI is protecting the outdoor outlets, since there's a separate GFCI outlet outside, but I'll try a few more things I guess. One possibility is that it is (mis?)wired with your outdoor GFCI double-protected by another GFCI outlet upstream of it and the upstream one has tripped. I think our house had one outlet in this configuration when we moved in. ChineseBuffet fucked around with this message at 01:43 on Dec 2, 2020 |
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Dec 2, 2020 01:41
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Hello thread. New homeowner here. Outdoor spigot has a drip leak even though the water is shut off. PO gave me a check for $200 even though our inspector didn't even mention it and we didn't ask for it to be fixed, how about that? Should I buy $300 in tools to avoid paying $100 to do a $30 job, or just pay someone $100 to do a $30 job? I am capable of watching YouTube plumbing academy, doesn't seem like I even need $300 in pipe wrenches and I have a MAP torch if I even need one. It's gotta be this valve, right? Do these things ever fail? Check it out.  Edit: drat I bet I could use my dremel to sand down the valve handle stop to get more clearance for shutting the valve off, like the valve clearance tolerance is out of whack. That idea seems dumb as hell, doesn't it? Smugworth fucked around with this message at 02:15 on Dec 2, 2020 |
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Dec 2, 2020 02:11
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That's a ball valve, it's basically a big marble with a stick on top, and a hole through the middle to let water through if everything is aligned right If the handle is in the closed position, and it's leaking, the seal between the housing and the marble is failed and needs replacement, I don't think "forcing it further" will help you "close the door further shut" as you're implying Probably just best to shut the upstream valve, then replace the whole thing. Yeah it's just a couple of wrenches and some teflon tape, probably. Make sure you have a plumber on speed dial in case you gently caress it up somehow, I take no responsibility if you flood your house though
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Dec 2, 2020 02:21
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I'd hire a plumber for that, but I live in a low CoL area and can get a plumber out for a job like that for $125.
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Dec 2, 2020 02:29
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Hadlock posted:Make sure you have a plumber on speed dial in case you gently caress it up somehow, I take no responsibility if you flood your house though And do not attempt this on a weekend
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Dec 2, 2020 02:35
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Smugworth posted:Hello thread. New homeowner here. Outdoor spigot has a drip leak even though the water is shut off. PO gave me a check for $200 even though our inspector didn't even mention it and we didn't ask for it to be fixed, how about that? How long has it been since you turned the water off? My outdoor spigots take a while to fully drain... I assume it's because of the insane way they were run. If it's not sloped entirely correctly, I can see it taking a few days to fully drain.
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Dec 2, 2020 02:59
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Looking at refinancing, got a rate of 2.875 on a 30 yr from a local-ish credit union, no points. I know rates have been low and essentially change daily, does this seem like an okay rate? I have great credit and will probably get another refi offer from another institution, just wanted to see if anyone here has done it recently.
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Dec 2, 2020 03:02
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Removing that ball valve requires spinning one of the pipes connected to it, otherwise as you try to loosen one side, the other will tighten. So keep in mind you'll probably need to cut and sweat some new pipe/fittings if you go that route.
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Dec 2, 2020 03:03
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All great advice. It's definitely a leak, I've turned the knob on both ends multiple times and it's steadily dripping 15gal/mo according to my crappy calculations. Makes a nice little icicle stalagmite in the pit of soil I put underneath the spigot. I'll probably try to fix it on a weekday. If I gently caress up tremendously, I will report back so y'all can have a good laugh.SpartanIvy posted:Removing that ball valve requires spinning one of the pipes connected to it, otherwise as you try to loosen one side, the other will tighten. So keep in mind you'll probably need to cut and sweat some new pipe/fittings if you go that route. poo poo maybe I'll just pay someone
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Dec 2, 2020 03:06
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Spring Heeled Jack posted:Looking at refinancing, got a rate of 2.875 on a 30 yr from a local-ish credit union, no points. IMO yes. We just did a refi a few months ago to exactly that rate and dropped a whole 2% from our rate, which is gonna end up saving us a stupid amount of money on top of being able to pay it off in 20 years by attacking the principal with the savings difference.
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Dec 2, 2020 03:14
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devmd01 posted:IMO yes. We just did a refi a few months ago to exactly that rate and dropped a whole 2% from our rate, which is gonna end up saving us a stupid amount of money on top of being able to pay it off in 20 years by attacking the principal with the savings difference. Yeah I bought in early 2019 with a rate of 4.5% so I’m just looking to drop the rate. The calculation from the loan officer said I would be saving about $260 a month which is great.
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Dec 2, 2020 03:17
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Smugworth posted:Hello thread. New homeowner here. Outdoor spigot has a drip leak even though the water is shut off. PO gave me a check for $200 even though our inspector didn't even mention it and we didn't ask for it to be fixed, how about that? What's the pipe go to directly on the left? If it just goes to the hose bibb that's a cake job. Shut off the water, unscrew the hose bibb from the valve and then the valve. Install is the opposite of disassembly. Use fresh high quality Teflon tape. I suspect this because that's the only reason to use a threaded valve from a logical standpoint. The other reason would be because that's what you have on hand. Note on the shutoff step, shut off the main valve, open the outside valve, then open a cold sink tap upstairs to let air in and let the water drain out.
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Dec 2, 2020 03:24
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Also I'm now reminded my valve to the sprinkler system leaks as well. It has a little drain on it so I took the lid off and set a bucket down below. It drips just a little more than evaporation rate. It's a 1" ball valve that's sweated on and next to a joist so I'm not looking forward to it.
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Dec 2, 2020 03:28
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Hot water had been intermittent for weeks. Tankless gas Noritz hot water heater finally breaks yesterday with a flashing status light. This is of course my luck going back to work after a week off for Thanksgiving where I could've tried to fix it myself, so I hire a guy instead. Guy comes out to fix it, flushes it, turns it off and back on again and it works. Am I an idiot? Are hot water heaters supposed to fix themselves if you turn them off and back on again? What is this world coming to? The guy took pity on me at least and left me the hot water remote control so I can at least diagnose the status code if it happens again. $150 well spent for future hot showers, I guess.
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Dec 2, 2020 08:30
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Evil Robot posted:Hot water had been intermittent for weeks. Tankless gas Noritz hot water heater finally breaks yesterday with a flashing status light. This is of course my luck going back to work after a week off for Thanksgiving where I could've tried to fix it myself, so I hire a guy instead. Guy comes out to fix it, flushes it, turns it off and back on again and it works. We've got a tankless and was told by our plumber guy that they tend to build up some sediment so you should flush them out once a year. He also charges $150 for this service.
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Dec 2, 2020 15:02
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MrLogan posted:We've got a tankless and was told by our plumber guy that they tend to build up some sediment so you should flush them out once a year. He also charges $150 for this service. You're supposed to flush all water heaters, tankless or not, once a year. It takes like 30 minutes and greatly prolongs their life and efficiency. Protip: take a sharpie and write the date you flush it out on the heater itself.
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Dec 2, 2020 16:05
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SpartanIvy posted:You're supposed to flush all water heaters, tankless or not, once a year. It takes like 30 minutes and greatly prolongs their life and efficiency. I'm getting a new water heater soon because I bought my house when the unit was end of life anyway and I'll be draining it regular from then on.
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Dec 2, 2020 16:35
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Man, being home while your roof gets replaced sure sucks!!
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Dec 2, 2020 17:44
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Hot water heater dead again today. Error code 760. Time for a replacement control board?
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Dec 2, 2020 17:45
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I have yet to successfully flush a tank or line anywhere without having to replace a damned valve immediately after. I've reached the point that I consider anything but full port ball valves to be single-use until proven otherwise. I'm planning on putting in a line to my fridge soon and I'm going to go buy a new cold water valve just to have on hand until the job is done because my luck has been just that good.
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Dec 2, 2020 17:49
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ChineseBuffet posted:It helped my sanity to buy a bunch of GFCI outlets and rewire things so that every protected outlet was only protecting itself. Basically taking what had been a string of standard outlets downstream of a single GFCI one, replacing each with a GFCI outlet, and then reconfiguring the wiring such that every outlet was connected to the line side of the one before rather than the load side. Then no more tripping a GFCI in the basement bathroom from two floors up. Don't ask me why the master bath is on the same circuit as our porch lights, but here we are, and replacing the bathroom GFI plug worked! I spent more time trying to get the plug flush against the wall plate and failed at that, however.
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Dec 2, 2020 17:54
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BRAKE FOR MOOSE posted:I have yet to successfully flush a tank or line anywhere without having to replace a damned valve immediately after. I've reached the point that I consider anything but full port ball valves to be single-use until proven otherwise. I'm planning on putting in a line to my fridge soon and I'm going to go buy a new cold water valve just to have on hand until the job is done because my luck has been just that good. I've heard that as well. The water heater in my house is 12(?) years old and I have no clue when it was last flushed. Working good for now and I don't think I want to jinx it so I'll probably just let it keep trucking until it dies.
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Dec 2, 2020 17:54
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Man, being home while your roof gets replaced sure sucks!! Yes, especially if you have a dog
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Dec 2, 2020 17:57
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rt4 posted:Yes, especially if you have a dog I vaguely recall having three cats, but I sure ain't seen em lately and also all the memories have been vibrated out of my brains
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Dec 2, 2020 18:01
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Residency Evil posted:I spent more time trying to get the plug flush against the wall plate and failed at that, however. Yeah so far I’m: 20 percent of time: wiring new outlets and replacing switches 80 percent: going back and fixing drywall or j boxes so that it’s not immediately obvious what horrors are behind the faceplate
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Dec 2, 2020 18:04
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We just moved into a home that has new Anderson double hung and double paned 200 series narrow line windows. We are about a mile away from a freight train line but it honestly sounds like this train is right outside our house when it blows its horn (which is usually around 1 and 4am) so you can imagine our frustration. We asked a neighbor if it bothers them and they said they don’t hear it unless their windows are open so they are either insanely deep sleepers or our windows are poo poo. Problem is, I have no idea how good these windows are or if there’s better options geared toward noise proofing. Does anyone know how to find out if what these windows are rated for in terms of sound insulation/dampening? We're potentially thinking about replacing the windows unless someone knows of a good bandaid solution for noise proofing windows somehow.
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Dec 2, 2020 18:10
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SnatchRabbit posted:We just moved into a home that has new Anderson double hung and double paned 200 series narrow line windows. We are about a mile away from a freight train line but it honestly sounds like this train is right outside our house when it blows its horn (which is usually around 1 and 4am) so you can imagine our frustration. We asked a neighbor if it bothers them and they said they don’t hear it unless their windows are open so they are either insanely deep sleepers or our windows are poo poo. Problem is, I have no idea how good these windows are or if there’s better options geared toward noise proofing. Does anyone know how to find out if what these windows are rated for in terms of sound insulation/dampening? We're potentially thinking about replacing the windows unless someone knows of a good bandaid solution for noise proofing windows somehow. The term you are looking for is "STC Rating". Here are the docs: https://www.andersenwindows.com/for-professionals/documents/performance/
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Dec 2, 2020 18:14
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Man, being home while your roof gets replaced sure sucks!! Are they in the taking it off stage or putting it back on stage. One is louder than the other lol I went through that 2 weeks ago, I was not prepared for the noise.
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Dec 2, 2020 18:18
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mattfl posted:Are they in the taking it off stage or putting it back on stage. One is louder than the other lol Taking it off at the moment. I'm sure the installation is far louder!
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Dec 2, 2020 18:22
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:Taking it off at the moment. I'm sure the installation is far louder! It at least goes quicker, my take off was a full 8 hours of that noise, put on they did in about 5 or so.
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Dec 2, 2020 18:23
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Can't wait to spend $20k on a few hours of work.
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Dec 2, 2020 18:33
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today I realized that the PO didn't really do a very good / smart job tiling where the front door is. They just plopped the tile down on the bare 1960s subfloor that use to have hardwood over it. Now I have damaged ceiling tiles in my basement, and I get to do the floors properly with a little better protection than gappy pieces of wood laid over the joists. not even aspenite under this tile.
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Dec 2, 2020 19:11
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Alright, the cats have been gabapentin'd (thank god for highly food-motivated creatures) Time to get baked and join them on or under the couch for some netflix while we tough out this roof project
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Dec 2, 2020 19:16
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SnatchRabbit posted:We just moved into a home that has new Anderson double hung and double paned 200 series narrow line windows. We are about a mile away from a freight train line but it honestly sounds like this train is right outside our house when it blows its horn (which is usually around 1 and 4am) so you can imagine our frustration. We asked a neighbor if it bothers them and they said they don’t hear it unless their windows are open so they are either insanely deep sleepers or our windows are poo poo. Problem is, I have no idea how good these windows are or if there’s better options geared toward noise proofing. Does anyone know how to find out if what these windows are rated for in terms of sound insulation/dampening? We're potentially thinking about replacing the windows unless someone knows of a good bandaid solution for noise proofing windows somehow. Something you could check is if they are window and door spray foamed in, that would be key because they can be the best windows in the world, but with fiberglass poorly shoved around them there would be noise. I'm most familiar with renewal by andersen replacement windows, but I installed their products for like 4 years. One time a guy was bitching at us that the windows were leaking and it turns out his mcmansion apartment didn't have insulation on that side of the house! So there could be other factors as well. Pulling a piece of side trim to look would probably be easier than from outside, or for the walls, if it's an old house you can pull an outlet and look inside the wall cavity if you may be poorly insulated. Or it could just be lovely windows, I don't think I'm super biased towards them... Edit: Or maybe get a home energy evaluation, a basic one is free in my state, but you could have them thermal image as well and see your "leaks" where noise could get in. We literally installed similar products to prevent noise like that for people so I'm puzzled. Quaint Quail Quilt fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Dec 2, 2020 |
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Dec 2, 2020 23:55
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Day 1 of the roof replacement is over with! One half of the roof is untouched. The other side had all shingles removed, plywood installed, and membrane put down, just waiting for the new shingles to go up. Seems like they're on track for a 4-5 day project unless they really pick up the pace tomorrow. Kitty did not love it but she took her gabapentin like a champ and tripped balls all day 10:00 AM  4:00 PM 
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Dec 3, 2020 01:53
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Very 
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Dec 3, 2020 02:12
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Just to confirm, your cat has an electrically adjustable height cat bed
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Dec 3, 2020 02:45
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Hadlock posted:Just to confirm, your cat has an electrically adjustable height cat bed Gahaha no no no... it's a standing desk for a human. I just put a blanket and an old sweater up there to keep her calm today.
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Dec 3, 2020 03:28
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