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DrBouvenstein posted:There's one supplier for the brand of tile I got near me, so... Not really any other options. I got the whitest white tile they have, so hopefully if there's one that's most likely to be consistent it's that color? You're in Vermont, right? "There's one near me ... not really any other options" is basically vermont.txt. I grew up there, I'm kind of familiar with it. Also the reason I left. The only one I'm familiar with is Best Tile of Vermont - the owner sold off the business to do installs a few days a week instead of managing retail employees. He does good work, at least that was true 10+ years ago.
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Sep 17, 2022 05:36
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spf3million posted:In our area there are a bunch of smaller companies and a couple nation-wide companies. We went with a smaller local outfit that had good reviews on the various online websites. If you happen to be in the bay area I can give you a referral. I think that makes sense. I’ll do some more digging around here. Unfortunately I’m on the other side of the country. But thank you for the offer.
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Sep 17, 2022 13:05
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Just got back from replacing some flex duct at a relative's house... how does a vent even get like this? I had to use a brush to get it out, the leafblower wasn't touching it.
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Sep 17, 2022 21:23
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devicenull posted:Just got back from replacing some flex duct at a relative's house... how does a vent even get like this? A dryer vent? They all get like that when you don't clean them. They get that way faster when the dryer isn't providing enough airflow. And flex duct is the worst idea for dryer vent. Followed by having too many bends in it so it slows down the airflow leading to this...... Also, clean your lint trap in the dryer. Every time. And put on a secondary if you have a long run like this.
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Sep 17, 2022 21:25
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Motronic posted:A dryer vent? They all get like that when you don't clean them. They get that way faster when the dryer isn't providing enough airflow. I just don't understand how lint is so sticky! It's all been replaced with rigid pipe except for a 1ft section where it connects to the dryer. It's only a 10ft run or so w/ two elbows. I'm sure the sock they put on the exterior dryer vent to "keep animals out" isn't helping! (They claim they remove it when drying stuff, but I doubt it)
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Sep 17, 2022 21:37
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devicenull posted:I just don't understand how lint is so sticky! The lint wants to be dry and not sticky. It's the many cubic feet of wet air that comes with it that's the problem.
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Sep 17, 2022 21:45
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devicenull posted:I'm sure the sock they put on the exterior dryer vent to "keep animals out" isn't helping! (They claim they remove it when drying stuff, but I doubt it) Sigh. So the thing is, there shouldn't be anywhere to put a sock on a proper dryer vent exit. It should be self closing. And covered. And they make them with hardware cloth/mesh over the covered self closing opening to keep animals out of there. Because a sock sure as hell isn't going to keep "animals" out anyway. This is a fire hazard. I've put out too drat many dryer fires. Feel free to send pictures of where the dryer vent exits if you want suggestions on what to replace/repair it with.
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Sep 17, 2022 22:06
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devicenull posted:I just don't understand how lint is so sticky! So I mean the lint is flying out in moisture laden air... so it's not like it takes much for it to cling to things. And... uh, it's not exactly a leaf blower. The "critter guard" should be wire mesh, and there should be a super light self-closing flap (or series of flaps) that only requires the barest of air pressure to open. A duct cleaning kit is cheap, I have this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014CN8Y8/ And since my duct is like 25' long, I also have this extension kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001652LO6 Mounts to your drill. For 10' of duct, it'll take you no time at all to do this... should be done yearly. Dryer lint fires are real, you need to keep the vent clear. To be sure, people literally take dryer lint with them camping as a survival aid. poo poo's super flammable. DaveSauce fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Sep 17, 2022 |
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Sep 17, 2022 22:51
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ptier posted:I think that makes sense. I’ll do some more digging around here. Unfortunately I’m on the other side of the country. But thank you for the offer. I had a good experience getting our system from Solar Energy World, which works in a bunch of east coast states (I’m in the dc area). I actually found them through my county, which has a program each summer encouraging solar with things like free energy audits and preferred vendor/solar pricing.
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Sep 18, 2022 00:56
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DaveSauce posted:So I mean the lint is flying out in moisture laden air... so it's not like it takes much for it to cling to things. There's a bunch of e/n stuff going on here, but my options for going back to make further changes are fairly limited. The only real reason I was allowed to do the work I did was because they went through two dryers over the course of ~18 months presumably because the exhaust was so blocked. Even if I were to change the exterior vent, they'd likely continue to put a sock over it, regardless of anything I told them. These people arguably should be in some sort of assisted living place, but they don't want to leave the house they've been in for 60+ years. They're my uncles in law, and I've only met them in person twice so it's not really my place to start pushing for that. I have to settle for harm reduction here - I've replaced some probably 30 year old flex duct with rigid, and I'm going to attempt to get them to get someone out there yearly to clean out the vent. (to clarify re leafblower: I put a leafblower in there and it didn't do a ton to dislodge anything, I ended up going at it with a brush)
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Sep 18, 2022 02:45
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I'm trying to replace some kitchen cabinet hardware but match the period of the kitchen (50s-70s) and I've found everything I need except cabinet hinges. The hinges I have and am looking to replace with like are, as far as I can tell, called semi-concealed full-inset hinges, and they need to be for 3/4" deep cabinet doors. From what I can find online these do not exist anymore, and were never really popular, despite me seeing them all the time in houses in our area. Everything I can find is loving semi-concealed 3/8" inset. Basically these are exactly what I'm looking for, except they only have 2 pairs in stock which is not going cut it. I would probably settle for anything chrome and relatively mid century looking though. https://westwoodscabinethardware.co...hinges-e7660-26 If anyone has any idea where to find these or similar, please clue me in. I've checked Ebay and Etsy like crazy.
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Sep 19, 2022 02:54
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Send this guy an email with a photo. If anyone has a bunch of these, it'll be Bob Roth in Adamstown, PA: https://renningers.net/bob-roths-antique-hardware/ I go to Adamstown a couple.3x / year. This guy salvages all types of door, lock & bathroom hardware.
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Sep 19, 2022 03:18
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SpartanIvy posted:I'm trying to replace some kitchen cabinet hardware but match the period of the kitchen (50s-70s) and I've found everything I need except cabinet hinges. The hinges I have and am looking to replace with like are, as far as I can tell, called semi-concealed full-inset hinges, and they need to be for 3/4" deep cabinet doors. From what I can find online these do not exist anymore, and were never really popular, despite me seeing them all the time in houses in our area. Everything I can find is loving semi-concealed 3/8" inset.
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Sep 19, 2022 06:24
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i like nice words
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DaveSauce posted:So I mean the lint is flying out in moisture laden air... so it's not like it takes much for it to cling to things. When we moved into our new-to-us house, we noticed that our brand new dryer did a generally poo poo job of drying things. It was a longer run than our previous house, so we ordered a longer duct cleaning kit. We pushed out approximately a 5 gallon bucket full of lint from that vent, I don't think it'd been cleaned since the 80's when the house was built, and I'm shocked the house hadn't burned down. It was incredibly hard to even push that much out with the tool and we thought it was stuck initially until I poked a flashlight down the exit and saw what was happening about 15 feet away. Clean your dryer vents, people!
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Sep 19, 2022 12:45
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Here's my dryer  
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Sep 19, 2022 12:51
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His Divine Shadow posted:Here's my dryer I do that too and then toss it in the dryer for a bit after to kill the ticks
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Sep 19, 2022 13:19
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How in the hell do you get ticks from that? You have to walk in dense foliage here for that to happen.
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Sep 19, 2022 13:28
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His Divine Shadow posted:How in the hell do you get ticks from that? You have to walk in dense foliage here for that to happen. Welcome to the northeast US
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Sep 19, 2022 13:37
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My stove is surrounded on two sides by kitchen walls and on another by the fridge, with a slight gap on both sides. Cooking is messy and takes its toll on the walls and fridge, and it’s difficult to clean cooking debris off of them. I’d like to do two things: 1. Hang some easy-to-clean, oil-and-crust-resistant panels on the kitchen walls and the side of the fridge - possibly via magnets on the fridge, and via screws or nails on the kitchen walls (or maybe tape?) 2. Place some sort of “wings” on the side of the stove to prevent food and oil from dripping through the side gaps onto the floor, so I don’t have to deal with cleaning a tight, difficult-to-clean strip of tile Has anyone done this before? If so, any instructions on doing this and recommendations on what products to use? I can provide photos if it helps.
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Sep 19, 2022 15:12
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What kind of "debris" are we talking here? If it's oil/grease residue that's one thing, but the larger problem might be the amount of spatter you're getting if it's noticeable on the walls. That is like a tools or technique problem. If spatter is absolutely unavoidable the answer is to clean it as soon as it happens (i.e. immediately after you finish cooking, before you eat) and not let it harden in place. The dripping down the side of the stove also raises questions. I could see a few specks of something getting down there if you accidentally let a thick sauce come to a boil or something and a drop lands just right, but that shouldn't be enough to raise serious concerns about cleanliness.
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Sep 19, 2022 15:19
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Pollyanna posted:My stove is surrounded on two sides by kitchen walls and on another by the fridge, with a slight gap on both sides. Cooking is messy and takes its toll on the walls and fridge, and it’s difficult to clean cooking debris off of them. I’d like to do two things: Sounds like some peel and stick backsplash and some of these would be a quick and easy solution depending on how you want it to look. https://a.co/d/f3AFx8E
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Sep 19, 2022 15:20
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Tremors posted:Sounds like some peel and stick backsplash and some of these would be a quick and easy solution depending on how you want it to look. https://a.co/d/f3AFx8E I was JUST thinking about looking for some of these this weekend, thank you 
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Sep 19, 2022 15:22
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Also if you are getting that much splatter (pat things dry before frying) you will want to pull out the stove and wipe down the 3 surfaces around it. For the back splash peel and stick can work but also semi gloss paint. Clean it thoroughly with a grease cutter, water, tsp, then paint. A small can of high quality paint should be enough.
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Sep 19, 2022 15:30
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Cyrano4747 posted:What kind of "debris" are we talking here? …  Maybe I’m just bad at cooking, or at least way too messy. Part of it is old oil/grease, part of it is like tomato/sauce spatters that have stained into the walls and the side of the fridge. quote:If spatter is absolutely unavoidable the answer is to clean it as soon as it happens (i.e. immediately after you finish cooking, before you eat) and not let it harden in place.  oh god im a slobI’ll look into my heavy-duty cleaning solution options. And also not being so goddamn sloppy. Tremors posted:Sounds like some peel and stick backsplash and some of these would be a quick and easy solution depending on how you want it to look. https://a.co/d/f3AFx8E H110Hawk posted:For the back splash peel and stick can work but also semi gloss paint. Clean it thoroughly with a grease cutter, water, tsp, then paint. A small can of high quality paint should be enough. Peel-and-stick backsplash works! Painting would be too involved and I doubt the landlord would be happy. Not that I care much because this place is a dump. quote:Also if you are getting that much splatter (pat things dry before frying) you will want to pull out the stove and wipe down the 3 surfaces around it. I’ve tried to pull out the stove before but it’s either stuck or way heavier than I can handle  I can try that.
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Sep 19, 2022 15:45
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Yeah, you need to pull the stove out to do that cleaning. As for the spatter, sounds like you're probably cooking on too much heat in general. Most things that are going to fling bits of sauce if they get too hot don't want to be on a high enough temp to do that in the first place. Oil and grease, though, that's easy: get some basic grease cleaner, put it in a spray bottle, and wash that stuff off periodically. In our last apartment we had just an awful gally kitchen with a loving garbage hood that meant using even tiny amounts of cooking oil would lead to a grimy coating on everything over time. Paper towels and cleaner every so often, it's just part of living in that kind of crappy cooking space. My recommendation is the ZEP All-Purpose. Big, green bottle. I think we dilute it 3:1in a cheap Target spray bottle. edit: and I doubt your landlord will be thrilled with peel-and-stick backsplash stuff either. You're running the risk of taking off whatever paint/paper/etc is back there when you try to un-stick it. It's not meant to be a temporary product.
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Sep 19, 2022 15:50
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The classic extremely cheap rental solution is long sheets of regular tinfoil held up by painters' tape. It looks like what it is, but it does a good job, won't catch on fire, and costs pennies.
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Sep 19, 2022 15:58
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I’m never getting my deposit back anyway. Chunks of paint and wall have already been ripped out and filled+painted over in this apartment, and that reminds me to report the frame damage from the back door getting kicked down. And if the other units are any indication, they’re gonna rip this place apart once I leave.Anne Whateley posted:The classic extremely cheap rental solution is long sheets of regular tinfoil held up by painters' tape. It looks like what it is, but it does a good job, won't catch on fire, and costs pennies.  I meannnnnn. This is a very attractive option.God, I can’t wait to move.
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Sep 19, 2022 15:58
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Pollyanna posted:Peel-and-stick backsplash works! Painting would be too involved and I doubt the landlord would be happy. Not that I care much because this place is a dump. I mean if you paint it semigloss apartment white and don't say anything... Overall lovely hoods do wind up with grease on surfaces. The upper cabinets above our stove are... Disgusting. We clean them not frequently enough but anything stored in there can only be rare use stuff which always needs to be washed before use. We also use an air fryer on the regular so that aerosolizes [sic] oil. Once you get back to baseline literally a soapy sponge will pull it off nightly. If you can't pull it out so be it. Just use some grease cutter (as above) to get it off.
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Sep 19, 2022 16:47
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Splatter screens are your friend
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Sep 19, 2022 17:07
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Phil Moscowitz posted:Splatter screens are your friend Was going to post this. The amount to cleaning I needed to do after convincing my wife to always use these is an order of magnitude less than before…
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Sep 19, 2022 20:12
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Since we're on cleaning, will zep degreaser (edit: or all purpose) hurt stained/varnished wooden cabinets, and is there a clear tell if that's happening beyond suddenly seeing bare wood? All the wood near the stove is sticky, but regular cleaners and the old "let fresh oil sit in it and clean it up" trick isn't working either. I really don't know how to clean wood without wrecking it. Or is it likely that it's the varnish itself that's sticky? BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Sep 19, 2022 |
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Sep 19, 2022 22:22
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Hasn’t hurt the lovely wooden cabinets in my kitchen but  Usual recommendation is to test it in an inconspicuous area.
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Sep 19, 2022 22:26
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We've been using this Dawn Professional Degreaser on our stove adjacent wood cabinets when they get grimy. Works well and has yet to affect the finish. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Dawn-Professional-32-fl-oz-Degreaser/1000488399
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Sep 19, 2022 22:42
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So my bathroom's sink's hot water has always been pretty weak after a new faucet was installed a few years ago. I decided to look under the sink and saw that both lines' knobs were turned to full on all the way to the left. While the hot water was running, I turned it all the way to the right and then back all the way to the left and now the hot water is just a drip. What could have happened? Obviously messing with the knob made the hot water turn off but how? It's all the way on!
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Sep 20, 2022 03:51
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small butter posted:So my bathroom's sink's hot water has always been pretty weak after a new faucet was installed a few years ago. I decided to look under the sink and saw that both lines' knobs were turned to full on all the way to the left. While the hot water was running, I turned it all the way to the right and then back all the way to the left and now the hot water is just a drip. What could have happened? Obviously messing with the knob made the hot water turn off but how? It's all the way on! It's broken and needs to be repacked or replaced. It is stuck closed (or nearly closed.) replace it with a quarter turn or repack it.
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Sep 20, 2022 04:21
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Any goon recommendations/opinions on silicone bathroom caulk? Going to be re-caulking my whole tub insert in just a few days. Dunno if it matters but the base of the tub between the tile has an ~1/2" gap - going to just caulk fill it as a stop-gap (pun intended) until I redo my entire bathroom floor. A cursory search pulled up GE Advanced Silicone 2 as a pretty decent looking mid-range caulk?
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Sep 20, 2022 12:47
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H110Hawk posted:It's broken and needs to be repacked or replaced. It is stuck closed (or nearly closed.) replace it with a quarter turn or repack it. Thanks. What is repacking?
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Sep 20, 2022 13:41
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small butter posted:Thanks. What is repacking? Replace the seals and guts of the thing. For a little valve like that Id just replace the whole thing.
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Sep 20, 2022 15:06
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small butter posted:Thanks. What is repacking? I feel like sometimes you can buy kits to redo the guts of those. Never done it, never seen it done. Your best bet is to have a plumber swap those out with quarter turns. Regardless you need to have the main water to your house off while it's done.
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Sep 20, 2022 15:07
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Johnny Truant posted:Any goon recommendations/opinions on silicone bathroom caulk? Going to be re-caulking my whole tub insert in just a few days. Dunno if it matters but the base of the tub between the tile has an ~1/2" gap - going to just caulk fill it as a stop-gap (pun intended) until I redo my entire bathroom floor. Your assessment is accurate ge 2 is a great choice. If you really want to save a couple bucks and don't mind the smell or cure time ge 1 is fine. A 1/2" gap may call for some backer rod or a couple applications of the caulk. Most kinds of elastomeric or silicone-modified product will be easier to apply and clean up after but isn't likely to work as well or last as long (most grout-colour matched caulks fall into this category). I'd avoid for your primary tub, even if some of them stretch better (so could be useful for that big gap).
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Sep 20, 2022 15:17
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