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KariOhki posted:Need opinions that aren't skewed by what type of website I'm looking it up on - what's better to do first, interior wall painting or carpet replacement? If you're replacing carpets and painting down to the carpets (baseboards) rip that crap out, paint, then put in new carpet. You won't even need to tarp the floors.
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Jul 16, 2021 22:25
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KariOhki posted:Need opinions that aren't skewed by what type of website I'm looking it up on - what's better to do first, interior wall painting or carpet replacement? Paint before flooring. If there are any areas that will be painted but won't get new floors, you'll want to get luan down with taped seams before the painting starts.
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Jul 16, 2021 22:33
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Tricky Ed posted:Paint before flooring. If there are any areas that will be painted but won't get new floors, you'll want to get luan down with taped seams before the painting starts. Luan for protecting floors while painting? Maybe ram board if you need to put up scaffold over hardwood, but......why not just a tarp otherwise?
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Jul 16, 2021 22:42
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079775ZZQ/ This smart switch says it's for a single pole setup only. I have a non-single pole light with a switch in 2 locations (3 way switch). 1 of them is currently on a dimmer. Since this light is not controlled with a single pole, I cannot use this switch? Is there any way to set it up on a smart switch? Inner Light fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Jul 16, 2021 |
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Jul 16, 2021 23:37
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Inner Light posted:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079775ZZQ/ What kind of "smart" do you need? I'm using zwave and for 2/3 way switching I use these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B3HY74L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B3M2G9R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 No matter what, if you're trying to do what I think you're trying to do (change only one switch on a 2/3 way circuit) it's likely you won't find a single smart switch that will work, but will need to replace all switches on the circuit with something compatible. Or rewire so it only has a single switch (which is possible with just wire nuts and a different cover plate....we're not talking running new wire).
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Jul 16, 2021 23:44
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Motronic posted:What kind of "smart" do you need? I'm using zwave and for 2/3 way switching I use these: That makes sense thanks. I'm trying to avoid Z-Wave for now, no big usage or desire for it personally, so I think I will make due with this fixture (it's actually 1 switch for 6 recessed cans) being non-smart. Any 'killer feature' for Z-Wave that you really like that could push me towards it? I know we have the smart home thread too.
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Jul 16, 2021 23:48
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Inner Light posted:That makes sense thanks. I'm trying to avoid Z-Wave for now, no big usage or desire for it personally, so I think I will make due with this fixture (it's actually 1 switch for 6 recessed cans) being non-smart. There's not really killer feature, it's just a thing that works for a lot of situations. I like that all AC powered zwave devices work as mesh repeaters for everything (because my house it stupidly large) and I have zero desire to connect my home automation to the internet. So I use Home Assistant + a zwave stick and things just work. I also 100% require that everything works manually with zero internet/home automation running just using switches manually. Not everyone seems to care about that. If you have different goals or needs I'm sure you can find <your preferred home automation protocol> switches that also have "add on" switches to make the 2/3 way work. Some will also cover some/all of the things I mentioned. Motronic fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Jul 16, 2021 |
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Jul 16, 2021 23:55
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Motronic posted:Luan for protecting floors while painting? Maybe ram board if you need to put up scaffold over hardwood, but......why not just a tarp otherwise? Knee jerk general renovation answer. It's overkill for just paint.
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Jul 17, 2021 01:59
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Inner Light posted:I finished baby's first electrical job with the fan replacement  FFS, follow instructions when dealing with electrical stuff.
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Jul 17, 2021 03:02
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biracial bear for uncut posted:
That was a stupid, unnecessary, not workmanship like instruction. If you can't put a wire nut on properly electrical tape isn't going to save it. No qualified electrician would have ever done this, even if it was on the install instructions.
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Jul 17, 2021 03:14
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FWIW, I followed this video and did exactly as it says. I've seen 'twist first' before but this worked quite well, wires side by side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLUD7YfUf7Q
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Jul 17, 2021 03:33
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Inner Light posted:Since this light is not controlled with a single pole, I cannot use this switch? Is there any way to set it up on a smart switch? If you want wifi, Leviton D26HD + DD00R-DLZ combo if you have a neutral+traveler. Most of the big players have equivalents. Motronic posted:I also 100% require that everything works manually with zero internet/home automation running just using switches manually. I am really liking homekit for its local-only functionality without computer janitoring. It was a pleasant surprise. KS fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Jul 17, 2021 |
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Jul 17, 2021 04:43
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KS posted:If you want wifi, Leviton D26HD + DD00R-DLZ combo if you have a neutral+traveler. Most of the big players have equivalents. Hmm, these look good. What's the difference between the two ones you posted btw? Trying to figure it out. And if I have more single poles I want to replace should I get more of one of these or the TP-Link Kasa thing?
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Jul 17, 2021 04:59
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The DD00R is a wired remote that coordinates with the D26HD master when you have 3-way or more switches. It's lag free and incorporates the dimmer. The traditional 3 way switch setup is a little tough to adapt to smart switches since they need continuous power, hence the need for distinct remote units. I am cautiously happy with the ~25 Leviton Gen2 products I've installed so far. They've been reliable and look like normal decora switches. No experience with the Kasa, but it's for sure less expensive.
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Jul 17, 2021 05:11
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I think you may have sold me on a couple switches...  probably going to pick these Leviton ones up. Seems a better pick than Kasa if I want to go up in cost a bit.
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Jul 17, 2021 05:48
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Motronic posted:That was a stupid, unnecessary, not workmanship like instruction. If you can't put a wire nut on properly electrical tape isn't going to save it. No qualified electrician would have ever done this, even if it was on the install instructions. It's not needed on a connection using well-made wire nuts, but if the instructions tell you to do it you're dealing with cheap poo poo.
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Jul 17, 2021 09:18
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Use WAGOs!
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Jul 17, 2021 15:40
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More in the fan debacle. I realized I made an unsafe wiring mistake  my handyman was more correct than me. (3 wires coming from ceiling, the green wire is from the fixture and it's just hanging) Realized from reading online that ground should always be green or bare copper, I thought with my place's weird wiring it was the blue wire, obviously not the case in hindsight. So, I wired the blue wire to the fixture's ground. That blue wire is probably a traveler load wire of some sort from a 3 way switch. Thankfully I kept that switch off after turning on the breaker so there was no current to it. It was one of those phantom switches that 'controlled nothing' or so I thought. As soon as I turned on that phantom switch as a test, breaker tripped. That is also why my handyman didn't wire the fixture ground. In my region, conduit even in residential is metal. The electrical box is metal. So, the fixture is PROBABLY grounded through the screws that mount it to the grounded box. But, not wiring up that ground wire is still probably a code violation. No ground wire in the electrical box. I will need to see if the box has a spare hole for a ground screw.... or I might simply leave the fixture ground wire unattached, like it was originally. Would this be very stupid without using a multimeter to confirm the fixture is grounded through the screws? Inner Light fucked around with this message at 16:06 on Jul 17, 2021 |
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Jul 17, 2021 15:55
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3 wires to a fan box are 99% of the time two hots and a neutral so you can switch the fan and light independently. You connected a hot to ground. Call a professional at this point, please.
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Jul 17, 2021 16:10
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Qwijib0 posted:3 wires to a fan box are 99% of the time two hots and a neutral so you can switch the fan and light independently. You connected a hot to ground. Call a professional at this point, please. Ah, so that's what it is, of course. I can finish wiring it up myself, why do I need to call a pro? I'll just terminate one of the hot wires with a nut which is what the guy did. Yes I was a moron connecting hot to ground but lesson learned.
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Jul 17, 2021 16:32
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Inner Light posted:Ah, so that's what it is, of course. I can finish wiring it up myself, why do I need to call a pro? I'll just terminate one of the hot wires with a nut which is what the guy did. House Ownership Thread: Started an electrical fire but I saved $100!
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Jul 17, 2021 16:34
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I envy the self-confidence it takes to recognize that you've made a basic but potentially very serious electrical wiring mistake but also insist that there is no need to let a professional finish the job.
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Jul 17, 2021 16:41
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Paint vs stain So our porch build is coming along. The contractor brought some finish guys came by this morning to discuss a few items, one of which being the ceiling and how to install/trim it out. This ceiling will be stained, so they're asking for colors (that we haven't decided yet). The conversation moved to the posts for the porch as well. These guys were trying to propose that we stain those, rather than paint them. I had assumed they would have been painted (white to match house trim), but their concern is that the wood hasn't had a ton of time to cure. I guess the questions are: how long is enough time to cure, and will stain work better if the wood isn't fully cured? The posts were put up around the 4th of july, and they'd been sitting in the yard for about 4 weeks prior to that (covered by plastic for the most part). Might be at least a week before any painting/staining could be done, but possibly sooner if electrical gets done. In any case, long term is stain better or is paint? I had assumed a quality exterior paint would hold up better and require less maintenance than stain, but I honestly have no clue. For the posts we're not trying to achieve a certain look or anything, just white and durable are the only real requirements.
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Jul 17, 2021 17:28
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biracial bear for uncut posted:It's not needed on a connection using well-made wire nuts, but if the instructions tell you to do it you're dealing with cheap poo poo. Whatever thing it is you think you're demonstrating knowledge of here is wrong. You should not be doing any electrical work nor should you be giving advice on it. Inner Light posted:Ah, so that's what it is, of course. I can finish wiring it up myself, why do I need to call a pro? I'll just terminate one of the hot wires with a nut which is what the guy did. Yes I was a moron connecting hot to ground but lesson learned. Because you have so little idea what you are doing you don't know even what question you even need to ask. It's fine to want to learn things. But you don't learn electrical over the internet with people like the above giving you lovely "advice". If the outcome of doing it wrong were something like "room looks ugly" then whatever, but the possible negative outcomes of incorrectly done electrical are a whole lot worse than that and can even take years to cause a severe issue.
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Jul 17, 2021 17:43
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Motronic posted:Because you have so little idea what you are doing you don't know even what question you even need to ask. It's fine to want to learn things. But you don't learn electrical over the internet with people like the above giving you lovely "advice". Appreciate it man and I agree, I would get a pro if I reached a point where I felt I could make a mistake and not understand at all or if it gets to be too complicated to learn from reading. This is just a fan and light switch stuff, I wanted to learn by doing here (after having some base knowledge), and I still think I can do it without crossing into 'unacceptable risk' territory. Here's the box, no ground wire:  I'm guessing one of those holes is sized for a 10/32 ground screw so I might pick one up and try it. Though, I still think the screws will ground the fixture so I doubt it's entirely necessary. Unrelated, I am also taking a look at the wiring for the switches/dimmers elsewhere to understand how to replace them:  This theoretically should be easy stuff for a non-idiot. (Not a huge deal but I spotted the electrician or whomever put these in, probably did not tighten the wire nuts enough)
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Jul 17, 2021 18:02
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Inner Light posted:Appreciate it man and I agree, I would get a pro if I reached a point where I felt I could make a mistake and not understand at all or if it gets to be too complicated to learn from reading. This is just a fan and light switch stuff, I wanted to learn by doing here (after having some base knowledge), and I still think I can do it without crossing into 'unacceptable risk' territory. Lol Thanks for the advice I’m going to ignore. I’m pretty sure I’m right about this super important thing. Can you also give me advice on how to double down on my dangerous amateur electrical work?
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Jul 17, 2021 18:16
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Pilfered Pallbearers posted:Lol I dunno what you want me to say here. I'm never going to try simple electrical again and will always hire a pro? Look, I've been led to believe from everything I've read that fan and light switch poo poo is generally easy for an amateur, and good to learn. Most people don't need to hire a pro for it. If that's not right I'm open to admitting the mistake. Plus I did a hire a pro, the handyman guy! I'm guessing most people don't hire a licensed electrician for switch or fan replacements. And I'm proposing doing it safer than what the handyman did by trying a dedicated ground beyond just the screws. e: it seems conventional wisdom is more in line with what you're saying. As someone with not a lot of experience, I probably shouldn't be doing the dimmer replacements. I thought I had read otherwise but I'm used to reading stuff from people that actually know what they're doing. Sorry for being an idiot :-/ Inner Light fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Jul 17, 2021 |
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Jul 17, 2021 18:30
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Inner Light posted:I dunno what you want me to say here. I'm never going to try simple electrical again and will always hire a pro? No. We want you to say you're going to hire a pro for this job and any other electrical job unless and until you find someone who can teach you how to safely do this type of work and look over your work until they're sure it's being done properly.
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Jul 17, 2021 18:42
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Good to see the Goon in a well stereotype is alive and well
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Jul 17, 2021 18:45
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How many people are killed every year by fires caused by shoddy ceiling fan installation jobs? It's probably less than a hundred. If you think about it you really just need to do a good enough installation job that you're killed by esophageal cancer or heart disease before your house burns down.
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Jul 17, 2021 19:11
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Wow thread, back off this guy. This thread also has countless examples of lovely "pro" contractors also loving up basic stuff.
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Jul 17, 2021 19:34
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I think this thread is pretty good about helping people learn, and nobody is saying "don't learn", bit the bit-too-care-free attitude is what prompted me to jump to "hire someone". If inner light wants to get a multimeter and start doing things slow and methodical, I'm sure many of us here are happy to answer questions. gently caress around and find out isn't really an ideal learning method with house wiring.
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Jul 17, 2021 19:39
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Qwijib0 posted:I think this thread is pretty good about helping people learn, and nobody is saying "don't learn", bit the bit-too-care-free attitude is what prompted me to jump to "hire someone". It’s this. I don’t know anything about electric work, other than that you don’t gently caress with it unless you know what you’re doing, because the risk is too drat high. If I were to do any electrical work in my place on my own, it wouldn’t be possible for me to wire a ground to a hot line because I would have checked it drat near 20 times. And would have immediately given up if I wasn’t 100% sure about it/somebody who absolutely knows was able to confirm it was right. Imo doing dangerous stuff for the first time/to learn is alright as long as you’re properly respecting the danger there.
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Jul 17, 2021 19:59
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I changed a pull string light to a switch light. I watched like 3 different youtube videos describing how power goes first or switch goes first to confirm what my configuration was and then was watching this video while I connected it. Only took like 4 hours (2 hours trying to pull wire without a fishtape and managing it by cutting 2 holes in drywall.)
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Jul 17, 2021 21:00
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Hit my first supply issues with SW paint, they don't offer the small $7 samples, wamp wamp.
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Jul 17, 2021 21:18
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Inner Light posted:I'm guessing one of those holes is sized for a 10/32 ground screw so I might pick one up and try it. Though, I still think the screws will ground the fixture so I doubt it's entirely necessary. You don't know the box is grounded. You need to test that before you go assuming it is. Don't attach the ground wire to a screw on the box unless you know it's grounded. Your handyman may have known it's not, so he didn't attach it.
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Jul 17, 2021 21:27
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Johnny Truant posted:Hit my first supply issues with SW paint, they don't offer the small $7 samples, wamp wamp.  went in yesterday and they told me that the texas freeze put a huge dent in the supply and that they weren't doing sample cans until it the supply unfucks itself.
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Jul 18, 2021 07:37
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Motronic posted:Whatever thing it is you think you're demonstrating knowledge of here is wrong. You should not be doing any electrical work nor should you be giving advice on it. I'm not the guy saying "actually, the manual is wrong" on the internet when someone else said "the manual said do X and I didn't do it, was that a bad idea?" X in this case doesn't matter. If you don't follow the directions in the manual for something that ties into mains electricity in your home, you are always asking for trouble.
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Jul 18, 2021 22:10
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biracial bear for uncut posted:I'm not the guy saying "actually, the manual is wrong" on the internet when someone else said "the manual said do X and I didn't do it, was that a bad idea?" Good thing, because you clearly aren't qualified to critique a manual that obviously has not been reviewed or approved by the relevant safety bodies. This is an increasing problem in all manner of fixtures and appliances being imported. I can nearly guarantee the only label on that thing is "CE". biracial bear for uncut posted:X in this case doesn't matter. If you don't follow the directions in the manual for something that ties into mains electricity in your home, you are always asking for trouble. Assuming you aren't buying non-certified garbage, but non-certified garbage is exactly what we're talking about here. I only needed one line out of the manual to know that. Are you seriously trying to argue with someone who's spent a couple of decades as a code official and fire investigator who's literally trained in this poo poo? Your av is spot on and obviously well earned.
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Jul 18, 2021 22:20
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Motronic posted:I can nearly guarantee the only label on that thing is "CE". I'm not going to weigh into the rest of this discussion because I'm not qualified. However I won't pass up an opportunity to be pedantic on the internet, the fan (Home Depot brand) is UL certified, if that means anything regarding what you meant Motronic? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-De...roduct-overview The manual in question: https://images.thdstatic.com/catalog/pdfImages/31/31433804-6f3b-435a-a881-be9eda685c90.pdf
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Jul 18, 2021 23:45
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