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I did however tell all my roommates that a) if i find out you're lying i'm going to rub this on your face while you sleep b) if the cost of the repair happens to magically appear on my desk in cash, i will not ask questions. and yeah the worst part is that i'm in that plumber's bar stories forever. Deviant fucked around with this message at 20:44 on Jan 9, 2023 |
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Jan 9, 2023 20:42
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quick question -- I'm in Chicago and have to do a bunch of electrical work in a (framed, but unfinished) basement. It's going to be expensive one way or another but the price difference between 12AWG and 14AWG and 3/4 and 1/2 metal conduit is, while not negligible, pretty small. Cost aside, is there any reason I shouldn't get everything at 12AWG in 3/4ths conduit? It's not strictly necessary because it'll be new work on an otherwise unused 15A circuit (so I could get away with the 14, technically) but the price difference is small enough to where I wanted to double check to make sure I'm not missing something obvious.
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Jan 10, 2023 04:49
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Pentecoastal Elites posted:quick question -- I'm in Chicago and have to do a bunch of electrical work in a (framed, but unfinished) basement. It's going to be expensive one way or another but the price difference between 12AWG and 14AWG and 3/4 and 1/2 metal conduit is, while not negligible, pretty small. they're just going to put a dildo in it so i say do whatever. EDIT i apparently do not know wiring so i am redacting this Deviant fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Jan 10, 2023 |
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Jan 10, 2023 04:56
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Pentecoastal Elites posted:quick question -- I'm in Chicago and have to do a bunch of electrical work in a (framed, but unfinished) basement. It's going to be expensive one way or another but the price difference between 12AWG and 14AWG and 3/4 and 1/2 metal conduit is, while not negligible, pretty small. 12AWG is more of a pain to work with. In particular, it's harder to bend into the little hooks you need to attach it to outlets. I also dimly recall there's some kind of issue with misrepresenting what kind of load a circuit can handle if you use too-large wire. Like, someone looks at the wire, says "oh this must be OK for 20A because the wire's so thick" and then burns their house down or something. But I'm no expert. Ask the wiring thread.
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Jan 10, 2023 05:08
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Pentecoastal Elites posted:quick question -- I'm in Chicago and have to do a bunch of electrical work in a (framed, but unfinished) basement. It's going to be expensive one way or another but the price difference between 12AWG and 14AWG and 3/4 and 1/2 metal conduit is, while not negligible, pretty small. Whenever possible, go with 12/2. It's the old standard and I've never seen an issue with it even with old non-metallic...although 14/2 is acceptable but as an old-head I always worry about things other than light fixtures finding their way onto the circuit.
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Jan 10, 2023 05:24
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Deviant posted:they're just going to put a dildo in it so i say do whatever. EDIT i apparently do not know wiring so i am redacting this I think a 12AWG dildo is more like a sounding rod but that is likewise beyond my experience TooMuchAbstraction posted:12AWG is more of a pain to work with. In particular, it's harder to bend into the little hooks you need to attach it to outlets. PainterofCrap posted:Whenever possible, go with 12/2. It's the old standard and I've never seen an issue with it even with old non-metallic...although 14/2 is acceptable but as an old-head I always worry about things other than light fixtures finding their way onto the circuit. Didn't realize there was a wiring thread, thanks for the heads up, I'll ask there too! This was kind of what I was thinking too -- I have no plans to do anything in this basement that can't be easily handled by 14/2 or a 1/2" conduit, but it's a blank canvas so to speak so might as well. Happy to see I wasn't missing anything very obvious (so far!)
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Jan 10, 2023 05:45
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Goons, I got a leak in my attic that is hard to find. It's a 2 story house with 14 ft vaulted ceilings and sounds like it's dripping in the section with the vaulted ceilings. I had a roofer over to do maintenance who caulked all of the pipes, replaced a few tiles, and cleaned the valleys. I got on the roof and noticed he did a poor job cleaning out the valleys. I called him back after the leak persisted, but he claims he can't find it. He was $2400. At this point, I'm unsure what to do. I still hear dripping in my attic. I'm unsure if I should hire someone to inspect my attic or call another roofer. I'm unable to inspect the whole attic myself due to the area with the vaulted ceilings being a significant drop from the 2nd floor attic. Should I be calling another roofer or dedicated attic people? oh rly fucked around with this message at 09:31 on Jan 10, 2023 |
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Jan 10, 2023 07:26
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Call a shaman
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Jan 10, 2023 09:52
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oh rly posted:Goons, I got a leak in my attic that is hard to find. It's a 2 story house with 14 ft vaulted ceilings and sounds like it's dripping in the section with the vaulted ceilings. Call another roofer. If you're in my area (Phila/south Jersey) I have someone that will find the source. Are you seeing water damage or wet spots inside anywhere?
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Jan 10, 2023 15:40
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If you can hear it, it must be a pretty good leak. If I understand you right, the attic drops and your access precludes you access from getting your head in there - can you use a snake camera or something to take a look-see from inside the attic? Also, been away from this thread for several months and a finally caught up yesterday. Steam Cleaners that were the rage several pages back - people were talking about using them in bathrooms. Do they pull off soap scum from tubs/surrounds without chemicals quite well?
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Jan 10, 2023 15:47
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Edit: nm, floors not walls but this might help anyway For drywall cracks I use this stuff: https://www.lowes.com/pd/DAP-ElastoPatch-32-fl-oz-White-Patching-Compound/50198043 It's not sandable so just use enough to fill the crack and then put joint compound over it Tiny Timbs fucked around with this message at 15:53 on Jan 10, 2023 |
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Jan 10, 2023 15:48
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I had a pipe freeze and burst in the upstairs bathroom of my '40s cape cod and gently caress up the carpet upstairs and also about 1/3 of the walls, plaster ceilings, bathroom tile and wood floors on my first floor. The demo and drying is done, but now I gotta decide who to use for the rebuild; the contractor selecting service my insurance uses that they describe as an Angie's list kinda thing, the contractors that ServePro - the demo and drying crew - recommends (ServePro was great during the demo, but the only reason I had them was because Farm Bureau works with and recommended them), or someone I select myself. Any general advice on picking contractors for an older house rebuild? My plan is to ask for pics or references for jobs they've done, and for the bathroom I might try to use a guy who did my friend's bathroom, but I have no idea about plaster, flooring, electrical or other stuff. My understanding is I'll get a replacement value on a square foot basis for everything being replaced and that's my budget and if I want I can change anything during the rebuild (I don't plan to), but I can go over budget and pay the difference which I might do in the bathroom since the tub wasn't damaged (be hard to get water damage in a tub) but I want to replace it while the rest of the bathroom is redone. And I learned my lesson and will dribble that upstairs faucet as long as it's not being used to keep this from happening again.
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Jan 10, 2023 17:29
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Dance McPants posted:I had a pipe freeze and burst in the upstairs bathroom of my '40s cape cod and gently caress up the carpet upstairs and also about 1/3 of the walls, plaster ceilings, bathroom tile and wood floors on my first floor. The demo and drying is done, but now I gotta decide who to use for the rebuild; the contractor selecting service my insurance uses that they describe as an Angie's list kinda thing, the contractors that ServePro - the demo and drying crew - recommends (ServePro was great during the demo, but the only reason I had them was because Farm Bureau works with and recommended them), or someone I select myself. Everyone sucks and will try to rip you off at every turn. Hop on Nextdoor or any FB groups and ask around if people have used [contractor] as well. The references they give you themselves have the potential to.... not be authentic. But people like me will pipe up constantly on social groups about who sucks so that will be a better barometer.
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Jan 10, 2023 17:47
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ty, I'll give it a try. I'm sure a few other people around me are dealing with this after the bomb cyclone and the few weeks below 20 we had.
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Jan 10, 2023 17:54
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oh rly posted:Goons, I got a leak in my attic that is hard to find. It's a 2 story house with 14 ft vaulted ceilings and sounds like it's dripping in the section with the vaulted ceilings. Did your agreement with the first roofer cover leaks? I don’t know what standard statements of work / contracts look like in the industry but I wouldn’t be coming out of this happy $2400 later. From what a guy said earlier some leaks are as simple as a $500 roofing caulk and extra shingle fix. For $2400 to not even find the cause of a continuing leak sound pretty rough.
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Jan 10, 2023 17:55
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Dance McPants posted:ty, I'll give it a try. I'm sure a few other people around me are dealing with this after the bomb cyclone and the few weeks below 20 we had. Do you know any architects in your area?
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Jan 10, 2023 22:41
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Nope, would I be hiring an architect or a general contractor who'll sub out the electric and plumbing?
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Jan 11, 2023 01:05
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oh rly posted:Goons, I got a leak in my attic that is hard to find. It's a 2 story house with 14 ft vaulted ceilings and sounds like it's dripping in the section with the vaulted ceilings. Do you have evidence of water damage? This can be condensation dripping in the plumbing vent stack if it’s nearby. It’s much louder than drips onto most surfaces.
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Jan 11, 2023 02:11
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Dance McPants posted:Nope, would I be hiring an architect or a general contractor who'll sub out the electric and plumbing? Unless you’re moving walls and stuff around (can’t tell from your post) probably not, but architects are good sources of contractor recommendations, especially if the architect has experience working on old houses. If you had a working relationship (or friendship) with one, you could ask them is all I was thinking.
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Jan 11, 2023 02:16
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Thanks goons for your thoughts. We got a new roofer coming on Thursday and another next week. I'm in SoCal so am expecting more storms shortly starting next weekend.PainterofCrap posted:Call another roofer. If you're in my area (Phila/south Jersey) I have someone that will find the source. Are you seeing water damage or wet spots inside anywhere? The first leak which triggered the first roofer to be called was through an exhaust fan. The most recent ones I only hear are in my living room and master bedroom. There is no visible water damage from this 2nd potential leak. slidebite posted:If you can hear it, it must be a pretty good leak. You're right about the sounds. The first leak I mentioned was very loud because the water hit the bathroom floor. The 2nd leak is drops I feel are coming from the attic. I'd have to purchase a camera to explore the entire attic, but not opposed to it. Do you have one you recommend? Inner Light posted:Did your agreement with the first roofer cover leaks? I don’t know what standard statements of work / contracts look like in the industry but I wouldn’t be coming out of this happy $2400 later. From what a guy said earlier some leaks are as simple as a $500 roofing caulk and extra shingle fix. For $2400 to not even find the cause of a continuing leak sound pretty rough. The agreement with the roofer was more of a gentlemen's agreement that he would come back twice. He came back once already because the exhaust fan leak was still occurring. He wasn't able to find the leak again, but did other things like power wash the roof. I went on the roof on my own to inspect the work from the 2nd day and found broken tiles along with the valleys not being cleaned out. I asked him why he didn't finish the original work and why I had to climb up myself to inspect it. I ended up looking his license and found it expired in the year 2000. At this point, I don't want him back because his willingness to lie about completing the work and his inability to fix the exhaust fan leak. California has favorable laws for consumers regarding unlicensed contractors. I plan to ask him for money back at this point, but I don't anticipate that going smoothly. KS posted:Do you have evidence of water damage? You could be right. A person at work today was telling me the same thing. I have a long black pipe in the attic from the platform looking down on where I hear all the dripping coming from. I don't actually have ceiling damage yet for this 2nd leak I hear.
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Jan 11, 2023 03:21
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The loudest leak I ever had was in my chimney, it echoed so loud at night.
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Jan 11, 2023 03:37
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oh rly posted:Thanks goons for your thoughts. We got a new roofer coming on Thursday and another next week. I'm in SoCal so am expecting more storms shortly starting next weekend. Wait wait wtf? Isn’t what this guy is doing harmful and illegal? Obviously I know it’s done a lot, but I would kinda feel some obligation to be an anonymous Karen rat about this guy am I mistaken, he’s building roofs totally unlicensed? Suppose it depends on if your jurisdiction requires a license for roofing, mine 100% does, no idea elsewhere.
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Jan 11, 2023 04:11
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PerniciousKnid posted:The loudest leak I ever had was in my chimney, it echoed so loud at night. Bachelor thread is that way ===>
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Jan 11, 2023 04:13
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Inner Light posted:Wait wait wtf? Isn’t what this guy is doing harmful and illegal? Obviously I know it’s done a lot, but I would kinda feel some obligation to be an anonymous Karen rat about this guy am I mistaken, he’s building roofs totally unlicensed? Suppose it depends on if your jurisdiction requires a license for roofing, mine 100% does, no idea elsewhere. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but a large percentage of folks claiming to be contractors or carpenters are unlicensed and uninsured. Amongst that cohort, jobs where you can't easily inspect their work - and especially roofers - are bad, and the absolute worst are roofer in cities with a lot of rowhomes with flat roofs. The amount and types of things left on 2-story or higher flat roofs in urban areas is almost as astounding as the shittiness of so-called repairs. Though one of my favorites is selling 're-sealing' of a flat roof with silvercoat..
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Jan 11, 2023 04:36
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I don't see an appliance repair thread, so I'll ask about my dryer problem here. Model: Amana NED4655EW1 1. the timer doesn't advance on automatic cycles, it just runs and heats forever until the thermal fuse blows. 2. I confirmed the fuse did not have continuity, replaced it, and the dryer runs. 3. I confirmed that the timer motor is good, because the timed cycle advances. 4. I confirmed the thermostat has continuity. I'm assuming it's not breaking continuity properly, so it allows the dryer to heat but doesn't stop the heating. 5. I thought it would be safe to run timed loads, but the dryer died again today at the end of a load, and it was really hot. Maybe there's a thermostat check at the end of that cycle too? I'll check in the morning but I'm pretty sure I need a new thermal fuse and a new cycling thermostat. I'm not an expert though, just figuring things out on the internet. Anyone have opinions on this?
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Jan 11, 2023 06:00
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Depending on how much you needed your drier, either replace the most likely culprits in order: https://www.partselect.com/Models/NED4655EW1/Symptoms/Too-hot/ or grab the top three and knock it out all in one go. Also don't order the cheapest parts you can find on Amazon or you'll open yourself up to a lot of frustration.
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Jan 11, 2023 06:45
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I did the cheap amazon part order 4 months ago, and here I am  thanks for the link, I'll take this info to the parts store tomorrow.
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Jan 11, 2023 07:11
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I couldn't find a solar thread so I guess I'll post here. I'm interested in outright purchasing solar for my house and had a few questions mulling in my head. Just for some background, I'm in NJ, the roof was replaced about 10 years ago, and the power company does net metering.
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Jan 11, 2023 15:52
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oh rly posted:I'd have to purchase a camera to explore the entire attic, but not opposed to it. Do you have one you recommend? A plumbing camera snake might even be an idea because they have lights on the end but I don't know how you could control the direction of it. You might be able to rent one from a tool place instead of buying something. Do you have any potential access into the vault to just stick camera thru to take a look? Like maybe removing a junction box from a ceiling light? Just throwing ideas out here.
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Jan 11, 2023 15:53
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c355n4 posted:I couldn't find a solar thread so I guess I'll post here. I'm interested in outright purchasing solar for my house and had a few questions mulling in my head. Just for some background, I'm in NJ, the roof was replaced about 10 years ago, and the power company does net metering. Question for you: why do you want solar? Is this to cut costs? Provide some emergency backup power? Is it purely an environmental statement?
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Jan 11, 2023 16:55
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Motronic posted:Question for you: why do you want solar? Is this to cut costs? Provide some emergency backup power? Is it purely an environmental statement? hey, they pay for themselves over thirty...lifetimes.
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Jan 11, 2023 17:03
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bees x1000 posted:I did the cheap amazon part order 4 months ago, and here I am My latest drier adventure involved a trip to the "Reputable" local appliance store where I bought a "quality" thermal overload that I thought was bad. It was not bad, so I ordered the Amazon kit with all the overloads, switches, and heating element. The "quality" unit I bought was identical, right down to the chemical etched part number style and tooling marks on the Amazon one. I don't mind paying extra for better parts, but it's frustrating when it's all the same garbage.
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Jan 11, 2023 17:15
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"I wanted quality" and "I bought Amazon" are no longer compatible statements. Amazon is full of cheaply made goods at best, outright forgeries and dangerous knockoffs at worst.
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Jan 11, 2023 17:26
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That's what they're saying, except that now "quality parts" from local retailers are the same crap as on Amazon.
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Jan 11, 2023 17:27
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https://www.repairclinic.com/ is good, y'all should shop at Repair Clinic.
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Jan 11, 2023 17:35
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c355n4 posted:I couldn't find a solar thread so I guess I'll post here. I'm interested in outright purchasing solar for my house and had a few questions mulling in my head. Just for some background, I'm in NJ, the roof was replaced about 10 years ago, and the power company does net metering. Roof - unless your roof is in poor condition, there’s no reason to replace it. A ten year old roof could be in amazing shape or falling apart based on a lot of conditions. Installers and parts - focus on finding a good installer vs parts. The good installer will use good parts. I would categorically recommend against national chain installers and use someone whose business exists and relies upon local reputation. Now the hard questions. Why do you want solar? Do you have expectations around financial outcome or payback? The question about batteries will be answered by this. A battery backup is almost certainly never going to pay for itself unless you have exorbitant energy cost like in Hawaii or something, but it may be able to backup your house under limited circumstances. Generally a dedicated standby generator will accomplish that more effectively and cheaper. Do your own cost/ROI estimates, based on your historical usage data, utility rates, net metering, and production estimates. Do not rely on the installer’s estimates. I installed a solar system a little under a year ago. It’s likely mine will pay for itself and give me a modest savings in the equipment lifetime. But I also get a lot of satisfaction watching my house use power from the sun.
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Jan 11, 2023 18:21
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Motronic posted:Question for you: why do you want solar? Is this to cut costs? Provide some emergency backup power? Is it purely an environmental statement? A good question that I should have answered previously and hopefully my answer isn't wishy washy. I have funds that I'd like to put into the house and hedge against electrical usage/bills going up in cost in the future. The various federal/state tax incentives are also playing a bit into this. I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm probably staying here until my kids get older. I currently have A/C, a natural gas furnace, and an electric hot water heater which needs to be replaced. I'm also planning to replace the insulation in the attic. I'm not concerned about emergency backup power. We don't really lose power often or for very long unless its some natural disaster like Sandy. Environmental statement isn't a factor in my decision; but I like the "idea" of solar and believe its good for the future. Just to give some ballpark numbers of natural gas/electrical bills. Gas - ~$90/mo averaged over the year (~54 Therms) Electric - ~$170/mo averaged over the year (~1000 KWH) Majority of the gas bill is for the furnace. Generally, that bill is like $20/mo to just run a dryer and the gas range/oven during the summer. If I went solar, would it make sense to replace this with a hybrid furnace or heat pump? Electric goes up in the summer obviously for the Central A/C. It is an older unit. The electric hot water heater needs to be replaced as stated earlier. I got quotes to convert it to natural gas that would require running natural gas lines or relocating the hot water heater and rerouting plumbing. I should probably look up the specs of the current units when I get a chance. Infinotize posted:Roof - unless your roof is in poor condition, there’s no reason to replace it. A ten year old roof could be in amazing shape or falling apart based on a lot of conditions. Thanks, actually had a roofer out over the summer to fix the holes left after we removed the defunct solar hot water heater panels and piping. He said the roof was in good condition. I'm too scared to get up there and look myself. c355n4 fucked around with this message at 18:39 on Jan 11, 2023 |
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Jan 11, 2023 18:35
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c355n4 posted:A good question that I should have answered previously and hopefully my answer isn't wishy washy. I have funds that I'd like to put into the house and hedge against electrical usage/bills going up in cost in the future.......... I'd like to suggest that you find a nice index fund to stuff this money into. Because your system will be in need of replacement long before it's anywhere close to paying off. Or at least do something that will make your life measurably better, like remodel your kitchen or master bathroom if you must put money into the house.
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Jan 11, 2023 18:43
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we're on well water so I've thought about solar as a backup, and then looked at cutting power costs to make it more feasible as a primary power source I've got a coworker who lives a bit further out from the city who has geothermal, well water, solar, backup batteries, uses zero utilities most months, and runs a propane backup furnace like three days a year its extremely appealing until I got a $40,000 quote to replace my dying heat pump with geothermal, and started crunching the numbers and realized it would cost tens of thousands of dollars to get enough battery power to keep basic stuff running for even a few days
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Jan 11, 2023 19:16
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Fellatio del Toro posted:we're on well water so I've thought about solar as a backup, and then looked at cutting power costs to make it more feasible as a primary power source I went through something similar when I decided to settle for a non-geo heat pump. Still not sure what to do about backup power, maybe just connect my refrigerator to a car battery, and sleep in the van if I need heat.
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Jan 11, 2023 21:22
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