|
Kaiser Schnitzel posted:I’m far from expert, but the cracked mortar in that corner looks like a previous attempt at repointing. Something is moving a little bit and probably isn’t a problem, but it’s going to keep cracking in that corner. I’d fill the crack with good heavy duty masonry caulk so it can flex a little. Oh something is definitely moving, and it’s the concrete pad/front step that the column is attached to. It’s settled a bit sloping away from the house in the 25+ yrs of its existence, which has caused that gap. It’s on the list of things to deal with, for sure.
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2022 16:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 16:41 |
|
|
Not to discourage people on mini splits, but I hung out with my brother in law who manages HVAC service last week. I asked him about installing mini splits and if he thought it was a good idea. His feedback was along the lines of "You need an expert installer. These devices are so advanced that if the installer makes one tiny mistake, a little bit of moisture can get into the system and wreck havoc in a few years. When we quote repair costs, we do it in days instead of hours because again, one little mistake by the repair tech and the whole procedure had to be started all over again." Customers lose their minds at the repair costs and there isn't anything we can do about it. So think of mini splits as extremely high tech devices with high tech maintenance costs. Just food for thought.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2022 18:18
|
|
|
Awesome, thanks for the all the dehumidifier info. One last question -- I also have a sump pump down there (there's no actual crock; the pump is just at the lowest point in the crawlspace). Is there any reason I can't put the dehumidifier hose at that low point and let the pump take care of it?
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2022 18:19
|
|
|
Ive got a heat pump thats on the back of my house. 2 questions about it. Can I blow out this cottonwood stuff with a leaf blower? Or should I hose it down?   Looking up the model it says it can work for heat down to -4F, but I cant seem to find any info for temp on the wall units themselves. The remote has a heat button on it looking up the manual for it, is it safe to assume it could provide some heat so long as outside temps stay above -4f?
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2022 20:32
|
|
|
Use a shop vac to suck up all of that poo poo, I think that'd work better than a leaf blower; a leaf blower may be my second choice though Yes you should be able to use your heat pump for heating or cooling, ideally that's what you'd use instead of gas heat until temperatures get too low to use it.
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2022 20:40
|
|
|
daslog posted:Not to discourage people on mini splits, but I hung out with my brother in law who manages HVAC service last week. I asked him about installing mini splits and if he thought it was a good idea. i’m not going to claim to know all the details of mini split maintenance but i’ve stayed in apartment blocks in developing countries that were cooled entirely by individual mini splits in each unit so the idea that they’re high tech or difficult to install is mind blowing and are you sure your brother doesn’t just employ a lot of meth addicts?
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 00:02
|
|
|
hypnophant posted:i’m not going to claim to know all the details of mini split maintenance but i’ve stayed in apartment blocks in developing countries that were cooled entirely by individual mini splits in each unit so the idea that they’re high tech or difficult to install is mind blowing and are you sure your brother doesn’t just employ a lot of meth addicts? Yeah I feel like this is more fud. The multi-head units do require more attention to detail and have more valves and stuff but it's in the end the same basic premise. They would take longer to do things to the sealed system by basic increased complexity but it's not witchcraft.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 01:38
|
|
|
Arsenic Lupin posted:You may have heard me bitching That's incredible, hanging poo poo on your walls must be so easy. You could put a shelf up and basically drive lag bolts into your wall.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 01:47
|
|
|
hypnophant posted:i’m not going to claim to know all the details of mini split maintenance but i’ve stayed in apartment blocks in developing countries that were cooled entirely by individual mini splits in each unit so the idea that they’re high tech or difficult to install is mind blowing and are you sure your brother doesn’t just employ a lot of meth addicts? He does commercial and not residential if that matters. Pretty sure he doesn't hire meth heads though.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 01:48
|
|
|
Hey folks, I've got an century old apartment building wall where the "drywall", which seems to be plaster and horsehair, is separated from whatever's behind it as the building has settled the last few years. It caused a couple splits to run down the wall, so I took out a chunk to see what's behind. Now, most of the wall if if I push on it with my hand will go in about 1/8 inch before it rests flat against that inner layer of backing. I tried putting in some drywall screws there to see if it holds if flush to the backing, but the backing isn't sturdy enough for the screw threads to have bite. I would have expected the screws to pull through the plaster but it's the opposite, the plaster holds them but the backing doesn't grip the threads. The hole in the backing in that picture is from a drywall screw pulling out. This is a single flat wall maybe 15 feet long by 8 tall. Any ideas? Are there some kind of lagbolts that might be designed for this where the threads are more substantial but they can still lie flush in the plaster or be countersunk? Or, could I cut sections out, apply construction adhesive, and stuck them back on? I'm just trying to get the wall solid so i can spackle/paint and not have it crack again. One of my painters suggested just ripping off the baseboards and applying sheets of fresh drywall on top of these existing layers, but he said it would add $1500 to the job, which like, for a single wall, anything I can DIY would be a lot more cost effective.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 03:42
|
|
|
Zero VGS posted:Hey folks, I've got an century old apartment building wall where the "drywall", which seems to be plaster and horsehair, is separated from whatever's behind it as the building has settled the last few years. It caused a couple splits to run down the wall, so I took out a chunk to see what's behind. Why is a 100 year old building 'settling'?
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 04:05
|
|
|
Tezer posted:Why is a 100 year old building 'settling'?
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 04:31
|
|
|
hypnophant posted:i’m not going to claim to know all the details of mini split maintenance but i’ve stayed in apartment blocks in developing countries that were cooled entirely by individual mini splits in each unit so the idea that they’re high tech or difficult to install is mind blowing and are you sure your brother doesn’t just employ a lot of meth addicts? Every 3rd house or so I see here in Finland has one of these mini splits nowadays. Guy who did mine was done in a few hours.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 04:32
|
|
|
Motronic posted:People who personally have experience with doing so don't doubt that this works. Well no it doesn't have to be powered, but it seemed the best solution for the guy asking tho. Maybe I am not aware what sealing up means in this context, I took it as plugging all the vent holes and sealing up all leaks. Which I could not see how it would reduce the rate of moisture ingress, just reduce the rate at which natural air exchange can remove it. Are we talking about adding vapor barriers like around the foundation in addition? If so that changes how I understood the situation. e: I just realized places in the US can be humid as hell, this a situation where the air is so moisture laden it's whats carrying most of the moisture inside the crawlspace? His Divine Shadow fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Sep 8, 2022 |
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 04:41
|
|
|
Zero VGS posted:Hey folks, I've got an century old apartment building wall where the "drywall", which seems to be plaster and horsehair, is separated from whatever's behind it as the building has settled the last few years. It caused a couple splits to run down the wall, so I took out a chunk to see what's behind. That 'whatever' is plaster over oak lath. By now, the lath is as hard as rock, and you'll have to drill a pilot hole in order for screws to get purchase - although it may split, in which case you'll get momentary purchase before free-spinning. As is normal after a century, the plaster has separated from the lath & is bellying a bit. When this happens to ceilings & you can catch it before the sag gets too great, you can suck the plaster & lath back up with sheets of drywall screwed into the actual floor joists/framing members above. In the case of a wall, you can try to suck it back with a poo poo-load of carefully-placed drywall screws, but if the plaster is off the lath, it's pretty fragile to corrections like that. My first thought is to get a length or three of 1x1 or 2x2 and screw it in to the wall over the plaster, to get it back against the studs, then fix it in place with a shitload of screws laid into the studs (with pilot holes) throughout. Just be sure to hit all of the studs. His Divine Shadow posted:Well no it doesn't have to be powered, but it seemed the best solution for the guy asking tho. Maybe I am not aware what sealing up means in this context, I took it as plugging all the vent holes and sealing up all leaks. Which I could not see how it would reduce the rate of moisture ingress, just reduce the rate at which natural air exchange can remove it. Are we talking about adding vapor barriers like around the foundation in addition? If so that changes how I understood the situation. No, and the vents should not be blocked. The issue is evaporation of groundwater boosting the basement's humidity beyond ambient (outside air). Keeping the humidity lower than ambient in an un-insulated non-living space is a fool's errand. The plastic sheet won't prevent groundwater moisture, but it will seriously mitigate its ability to out-gas into the atmosphere, substantially easing the load on the dehumidifier. Tezer posted:Why is a 100 year old building 'settling'? No matter what humans build, gravity and nature will eventually return it to the soil. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 05:11 on Sep 8, 2022 |
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 05:04
|
|
|
PainterofCrap posted:No, and the vents should not be blocked. The issue is evaporation of groundwater boosting the basement's humidity beyond ambient (outside air). Keeping the humidity lower than ambient in an un-insulated non-living space is a fool's errand. Right if sealing up means adding vapor barriers to the foundation to slow down moisture coming in from the ground then that sounds fine to me. Sounds like it'd be fine using natural ventilation in most cases. Though if using a powered solution like a dehumidfier in addition to the above, I wouldn't be afraid of closing up the vents, that just means the dehumidfier doesn't also have to deal with the ambient air bringing in moisture as well. Fools errand maybe but it's commonly done here so I know that works too. Just makes it easier for the dehumidfier.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 07:54
|
|
|
Crawl space encapsulation is absolutely a thing, but it's involved. You need a tight seal for that to be effective, but the downside is you must then condition the space (either by tying it in to your HVAC or adding a dehumidifier). Similarly, I wouldn't dream of adding a "powered" solution without sealing things up. It's utterly pointless to throw a dehumidifier in to a crawl space if it's still open to outside air or the ground isn't covered. It's like bailing out a sinking boat with a teaspoon. A vapor barrier is always the first step, and if there are continued moisture problems then you can consider stepping up to encapsulation. edit: so to be sure, if you have standing water issues, then that's a wholly different problem and needs to be addressed separately... vapor barriers aren't going to stop that. DaveSauce fucked around with this message at 13:08 on Sep 8, 2022 |
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 12:43
|
|
|
His Divine Shadow posted:Well no it doesn't have to be powered, but it seemed the best solution for the guy asking tho. Maybe I am not aware what sealing up means in this context, I took it as plugging all the vent holes and sealing up all leaks. Which I could not see how it would reduce the rate of moisture ingress, just reduce the rate at which natural air exchange can remove it. Are we talking about adding vapor barriers like around the foundation in addition? If so that changes how I understood the situation. The conversation you responded to was in regards to literally covering a dirt floor with plastic in a crawlspace. The moisture is coming in from the dirt. This alone along with NOT plugging up the vents - because that would be converting an unconditioned space to a half rear end conditioned space and cause more problems - is typically sufficient. If it's not then fans are next up. And if that's not good enough and it's not a grading issue maybe MAYBE one would start to consider fully encapsulating the space.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 14:21
|
|
|
Honest to god didn't see that post when I replied.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 18:32
|
|
|
There's one corner of my bathroom ceiling that is popcorn (inside a tiny closet that is getting removed.) I'm like 90% sure it's not asbestos containing, BUT on the off chance it is (plus I have old kitchen flooring and mastic I would like tested) what's a good recommendation for one of those "mail away" testing kits? I definitely am wary of random $30 ones I see on Amazon.
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 19:09
|
|
|
DrBouvenstein posted:There's one corner of my bathroom ceiling that is popcorn (inside a tiny closet that is getting removed.) The Schneider Lab tests on Amazon are legit. If you have multiple samples you can buy one test kit on Amazon, use your own ziplocks for additional samples, and pay a reduced rate on their site to get the additional samples processed. I've had them sample like 7 different things in my house so far and they've been great. 2 of my samples came back as containing asbestos. One at like 5%, the other like 90%. E: this one Asbestos Test Kit 1 PK (5 Bus.... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008J3ZK8M?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share I can also post a report I got if it helps your decision. SpartanIvy fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Sep 8, 2022 |
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 21:05
|
|
|
DrBouvenstein posted:There's one corner of my bathroom ceiling that is popcorn (inside a tiny closet that is getting removed.) If the Amazon one quoted above is fine then that could be a good option but you could also look for a local asbestos testing lab and send the samples to them. If you have one near you they should have a chain of custody form on their website and would help you fill it out if you needed help. EMSL is one option who has labs across the country but there are millions of them https://www.emsl.com/
|
|
#
?
Sep 8, 2022 21:51
|
|
|
So we're (finally) getting the ball rolling on our kitchen remodel and ordered our fridge and stove, taking advantage of our dealer's Labor Day sale (which saved us like 2k). We ended up going with the Sub-Zero and the BlueStar. If feels like we're jumping the gun a bit, but I think that'll only be for the range, which should arrive in six months. So depending on our timeline, we might get to plop it in our old kitchen for a while (current stove is a total piece of poo poo that I can't wait to kick to the curb). However, we can expect delivery of the Sub-Zero in 12-18 months, which means that it's extremely likely that we will be installing our little old Frigidaire in the Sub-Zero-sized nook in our new kitchen. I think I'm most excited about the BlueStar. It's pretty intense and the closest you can get to a commercial range (we actually cook a lot and are serious about it). Really cool burner design that can accommodate a wok without a wok ring, and has interchangeable griddle and grill tops. Also comes in literally any color you want, which is a really nice change of pace from the monotony of stainless steel everything in the high-end appliance space. Ours is going to be red.  Oh yeah, a word of warning to anyone in the market for a new range: Avoid Viking. I didn't see any in the showroom and asked about them (my parents have a 90's one and it's great, so I had a positive impression), and it turns out the dealer has ditched them because in the past few years, their customer service and support has gone to poo poo, there have been significant quality control problems and recalls, and the company has in general become extremely unpleasant to deal with. So now that we have the significant appliances ordered, we will start exploratory demo in the kitchen, which should be interesting. There's very little in the way of built-in cabinetry and the stove, sink, and fridge are kind of just there by themselves, so after moving the freestanding shelving into the dining room or wherever, it should be feasible to keep the kitchen more or less fully operational while taking the walls apart. Also, the workbench, which has been posing as an island, is already in place:  This is the Husky adjustable height workbench that a goon recommended in one of these house threads a couple years back. We bought one and set it to proper counter height and it's been fantastic. I'm really happy it came in white because it seriously tones down the industrial aesthetic and makes it look right at home in the kitchen. I had been thinking about one of those fancy kitchen cart thingies, but they were as or more expensive and would have been made obsolete once we had a real island. With the workbench, we can just move it into the basement and use it as a proper workbench.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 00:13
|
|
|
PainterofCrap posted:That 'whatever' is plaster over oak lath. By now, the lath is as hard as rock, and you'll have to drill a pilot hole in order for screws to get purchase - although it may split, in which case you'll get momentary purchase before free-spinning. Oh, so behind that first plaster layer is more plaster, and then oak lath? My drywall screws were only an inch and a half and never hit anything feeling like wood even though they sunk in all the way. Should I try with longer screws? I was just worried if I went overboard that I'd eventually hit the neighbor's apartment but I have no clue if I'm anywhere close. This is an old brick 30-unit in Boston if that gives any insight, you sound like you know your stuff.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 02:19
|
|
|
Zero VGS posted:Oh, so behind that first plaster layer is more plaster, and then oak lath? My drywall screws were only an inch and a half and never hit anything feeling like wood even though they sunk in all the way. Should I try with longer screws? I was just worried if I went overboard that I'd eventually hit the neighbor's apartment but I have no clue if I'm anywhere close. This is an old brick 30-unit in Boston if that gives any insight, you sound like you know your stuff. Should be a single layer of plaster (although it can be quite thick) over lath. If you're popping plaster off and finding a rough-textured concrete-looking surface under that, then you have a prehistoric type of drywall that is actually concrete/gypsum board; sheets would be put up like drywall, then the walls would be plastered over it. Have seen it in wartime & post-WWII construction.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 04:37
|
|
|
PainterofCrap posted:Should be a single layer of plaster (although it can be quite thick) over lath. I have this in my house and it's called Rock Lath if that helps anyone looking for more info.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 05:19
|
|
|
I have a flat membrane roof and masonry walls with limestone caps on the parapets, built in 1927 but well-maintained. Not sure if the roof membrane is I had a couple masons look at it, and a roofer. I'm not sure I like the answers, but wondering what better experienced people in here might think. One mason says there's damage and to take the parapet walls down to the roof line. Rebuild that and then tuck about six rows beneath it. He hammered his hand on the wall and said, "see? sounds hollow" which I have no opinion on. I suppose then the membrane gets re-attached to the parapet using more tar or something more modern. The guy did seem knowledgeable, but is advocating for a much bigger job than I think is warranted. This and another mason said those bricks look fine and don't even need tuckpointing.  The roofer wants to extend the membrane above the parapet, and have it overhang by 1 inch. I get why this would prevent leaking, but I think it'd look like total poo poo, and affect the look/value of the building. When I look at other masonry/parapet buildings in my neighborhood, so far I see exactly zero with an overhanging membrane. I guess another option is for me to PO it up and either try to tar the membrane back together, use some tape I don't know much about or some kind of silicone sealer. I think this is at the edge of my "being handy" skillset and the risk of loving up the roof and causing leaks makes me shy away from that plan. My analysis is that the mason wants a big enough job worth his time, and the roofer is giving me a quick and dirty solution. Keep looking for contractors?
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 15:29
|
|
|
bort posted:I have a flat membrane roof and masonry walls with limestone caps on the parapets, built in 1927 but well-maintained. Not sure if the roof membrane is In my experience with roofs like that there’s flashing that sits under a course of brick partway up the parapet and that covers/integrates with the roof membrane. Do you just have your roof membrane adhered to the brick with no flashing? In your case if it’s not a 5’ tall parapet or something I might want the flashing right under the cap stone?
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 15:53
|
|
|
BigFactory posted:In my experience with roofs like that there’s flashing that sits under a course of brick partway up the parapet and that covers/integrates with the roof membrane. Do you just have your roof membrane adhered to the brick with no flashing? Parapet is 2-4 feet, depending. So the job would be detach membrane, remove capstone, install/repair flashing, re-adhere the membrane and the reinstall the caps?
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 16:26
|
|
|
bort posted:I don't think it's adhered to the brick, but I'm not certain about flashing. The membrane is adhered right up under the capstone, maybe 1-2 inches below. I might head back up there and see if I can figure that out, not sure the cracking is bad enough for me to see inside the membrane to look for flashing. I’m not saying that’s the best or even correct way to do it, but that’s usually how I see flat roofs with parapets flashed. That or the silver mop-on dumdum that’s almost always 125% asbestos.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 16:32
|
|
|
PainterofCrap posted:Should be a single layer of plaster (although it can be quite thick) over lath. It was popular for bathrooms around here even after more traditional sheetrock was being used in the rest of the houses. And since we're talking about this I am going to make you all watch this because it's mesmerizing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tti-PyT5KE
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 16:35
|
|
|
Motronic posted:And since we're talking about this I am going to make you all watch this because it's mesmerizing:
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 16:39
|
|
|
bort posted:Freehanding the outlet, wow. The first thing I would do on that job is put the hatchet side into my body someplace. It was a different time we still had old growth drywall, it was much easier to work with.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 16:46
|
|
|
Motronic posted:It was popular for bathrooms around here even after more traditional sheetrock was being used in the rest of the houses. That's pretty rad
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 16:53
|
|
|
BigFactory posted:I’m not saying that’s the best or even correct way to do it, but that’s usually how I see flat roofs with parapets flashed. That or the silver mop-on dumdum that’s almost always 125% asbestos. It's just gooed up to the capstone. This is where the worst of the crackcing is:  I feel like what I really need is a dude with a half hour and a bucket of tar. This isn't bad enough to do a lot of work on yet.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 17:38
|
|
|
bort posted:It's just gooed up to the capstone. This is where the worst of the crackcing is: This type of stuff I like to keep on top of. In my experience crack repair gets a lot more expensive the longer you let it go.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 17:57
|
|
|
Motronic posted:It was popular for bathrooms around here even after more traditional sheetrock was being used in the rest of the houses. Seen that a few times on Reddit, it's always a fun watch. Around 38 secs you can see he holds multiple nails in his mouth and slides one out with his tongue when he's ready for the next. Anything on those nails carcinogenic over the years?
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 18:03
|
|
|
daslog posted:This type of stuff I like to keep on top of. In my experience crack repair gets a lot more expensive the longer you let it go.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 18:09
|
|
|
Apologies for more bathroom tiling questions. If I do cement board for the wall portion that's getting tiled (again, bathroom but not in the shower, so cement board might be overkill?) is there any prep it needs before thinset? It's hard to research well, because it seems every site/video I go to assumes it IS for a wet area so mentions to prep it with like Redguard or something similar. And for the corners and seams between boards, I use fiber mesh tape and then coat that with thinset? Do I need a second type, or is the same one I use for the tiles ok? And then the transition between cement board and green board...the cement boards are 3x5, and im tiling up about 45 inches...so I'll either tile over the transition and up a bit onto the drywall, or the cement will extend above the tile. If it gets covered by tile, I assume I treat it like two cement board seams, with thinset? And then I will need some sort of primer on the bit of greenboard getting tile on it for the thinset to adhere to? But if I do the other way (I probably will because if the cement board goes up 5', all I have to do is cut a foot off the greenboard panels to fill the height of the wall) how do I do the transition then? Mesh tape and drywall mud ? Appreciate the help, might make a whole thread on the bathroom reno when it starts if anyone is interested (or just wants me to stop clogging up this thread.)
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 18:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 16:41 |
|
|
Inner Light posted:Seen that a few times on Reddit, it's always a fun watch. Around 38 secs you can see he holds multiple nails in his mouth and slides one out with his tongue when he's ready for the next. Anything on those nails carcinogenic over the years? Given that it was the height of atmospheric nuclear testing, decades before any real emissions regulation, regularly exposed to lead and asbestos particulates had very different social norms about alcohol and tobacco, and possibly seen combat, the nails were likely the least of his worries.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2022 18:43
|
|
