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Inner Light posted:The hard truth of it is that the forums have a fairly skewed income curve compared to the general population of USA. When income goes up certain things are correlated or elastic to that, housing expenses tend to go up and people tend to move further from city centers, that’s part of it anyway IMHO. In what way? Outside the homeownership threads it’s mostly renters and the occasional person talking about how everyone should be forced to live in dense megablocks. I’ve had more than my fill of cities. I had anxiety about living on well and septic but I’m pretty comfortable with it now.
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Sep 9, 2023 21:15
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kreeningsons posted:Yes there is likely a causal relationship but are the mushrooms causing your trees to die, or is it your trees dying that is causing the mushrooms to fruit? I'm no expert but lots of mushrooms fruit after trees die, but don't cause their deaths, like morels are known to fruit around recently dead tulip poplars. Generally speaking, one theory is that the mushrooms have a symbiotic relationship with the trees through their roots/mycellium, and that after the trees die the mushrooms have to fruit to release spores and reproduce before they die. Well the cypresses are in a row and these are at the far end from the dead trees. I am not sure about the causality. But the ones I'm showing you are at the base of the still living trees and I'm seeing some signs of poor health on the whole row, so I'm wondering if it's still a good time to do something. No other symptoms I've been able to figure out. But the ones that died last summer died pretty quickly. The only thing I'm seeing so far is some kind of copper solution, just a generic antifungal and I'm hearing you have to use it in the early spring. My wife wants me to destroy the mushrooms and I've argued that they are just the flower on a massive plant and destroying the flower won't do that much.
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Sep 9, 2023 21:18
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road potato posted:Any quick diagnostics for this? How worried should I be/how urgently should I flip the breaker switch to off so my house doesn't burn down? This is what cheap LED fixtures do. That is the absolutely cheapest box box store light in the cheapest style available that passes the "is there a light in here?" test. It's fine. If it does anything it will just stop turning on. Or strobing all the time. Replace it at your leisure. Or don't. Tiny Timbs posted:In what way? Outside the homeownership threads it’s mostly renters and the occasional person talking about how everyone should be forced to live in dense megablocks. I would say more like "outside of BFC" (and some AI threads).
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Sep 9, 2023 21:22
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Pigsfeet on Rye posted:Anybody want a fixer-upper in Jersey City, NJ? Needs some TLC. That's the Monarch's house. It has a supervillain lair under it.
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Sep 9, 2023 21:26
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Tiny Timbs posted:In what way? Outside the homeownership threads it’s mostly renters and the occasional person talking about how everyone should be forced to live in dense megablocks. It’s just something I’ve noticed when people mention where they live or move to. Sometimes it’s cities, but if people have the income to support a McMansion in the exurbs 50 or 75mi from a city center, that’s often what they choose. And they are often septic vs. sewer. Not a rule or well considered theory or anything.
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Sep 9, 2023 23:27
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Inner Light posted:It’s just something I’ve noticed when people mention where they live or move to. Sometimes it’s cities, but if people have the income to support a McMansion in the exurbs 50 or 75mi from a city center, that’s often what they choose. And they are often septic vs. sewer. Not a rule or well considered theory or anything.
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Sep 10, 2023 00:43
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VelociBacon posted:What kind of bulb is it? I ask because I wonder if it's a problem with the LED bulb they used or if it's something with the electrics in the home. You can swap in a normal bulb if you can find one and see if the problem remains. Motronic posted:This is what cheap LED fixtures do. That is the absolutely cheapest box box store light in the cheapest style available that passes the "is there a light in here?" test. Good to know. That lines up with the other recent upgrades, we'll swap it out... when there's time.
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Sep 10, 2023 00:48
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Worth remembering that a microwave is one hell of a load, and triply so when you first start it up. Even a high-end LED would dim noticeably if it shared the circuit, and a cheap one won't play nearly as nice. Also quick question: I'm going to replace the receptacles thought out the house. is there a good, reliable, online source for receptacles or am I best off going to Lowe's or the local electrical supply place and picking up a bunch there? Looking at around 35 receptacles and faceplates.
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Sep 10, 2023 01:30
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Shifty Pony posted:Also quick question: I'm going to replace the receptacles thought out the house. is there a good, reliable, online source for receptacles or am I best off going to Lowe's or the local electrical supply place and picking up a bunch there? Looking at around 35 receptacles and faceplates. Local electrical supply would be my first choice, but there are nice (Levitton, etc) contractor packs available at the big box stores. There are also TERRIBLE quality contractors packs there as well, so beware.
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Sep 10, 2023 01:35
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Motronic posted:Local electrical supply would be my first choice, but there are nice (Levitton, etc) contractor packs available at the big box stores. There are also TERRIBLE quality contractors packs there as well, so beware. Seconding your local electrical supplier. Big box stores usually have 10 packs though. Keep in mind all of the outlet restrictions you'll have, like TR outlets everywhere, GFCIs where necessary, WR outside, etc.
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Sep 10, 2023 03:00
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I'm one of those weird people who thinks TR and such is a plus, especially with a 3 year old running around. I've never had much trouble getting plugs into them, maybe because I haven't had to deal with the cheap ones. I'm a big fan of Eaton's back-clamp design, so I was thinking about using these throughout the house.
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Sep 10, 2023 13:12
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Bad TR outlets make me want to stick a screwdriver in there and break them. 💩
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Sep 10, 2023 13:36
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a dingus posted:Bad TR outlets make me want to stick a screwdriver in there and break them. 💩 Is this why some outlets are so hard to use? I had no idea these existed 
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Sep 10, 2023 14:17
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petit choux posted:Well the cypresses are in a row and these are at the far end from the dead trees. I am not sure about the causality. But the ones I'm showing you are at the base of the still living trees and I'm seeing some signs of poor health on the whole row, so I'm wondering if it's still a good time to do something. No other symptoms I've been able to figure out. But the ones that died last summer died pretty quickly.
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Sep 10, 2023 14:38
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Yep. I have some leviton ones with USB c ports that are so good you really don't even notice but the cheap ones my electrician installed in the garage are infuriating.
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Sep 10, 2023 14:39
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The only issue I have ever had with a TR outlet was plugging in a cheap WHARRGARBL-brand extension cord from Amazon which had a hot blade slightly but noticeably longer than the neutral. Everything else has been fine, but I'm sure the cheapest builder-grade outlets are lovely.
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Sep 10, 2023 14:47
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Are they Leyland cypress? I’m assuming so since you said there’s a row of them. They are not very long lived and prone to suddenly dying for a myriad of reasons. It’s very possible and indeed indeed even likely that there is no relationship to your fungi. How old are the cypresses? What was there before? You said the mushrooms were only at one end-did there used to be a tree or something there? Even 7 years after I took down a big water oak, I still have a lot of mushrooms where it used to be as they are slowly eating it’s roots. And thank you, you may well have it here. And this house is about 100 years old and those cypresses don't look very young so I imagine there hasn't been any other tree there for years. I may replace them with poplars, which also don't live very long but they grow fast as hell. BTW, I'm sure this house would be a nightmare for a lot of you folks, the wiring and the plumbing both leave a lot to be desired. I believe I posted many weeks ago about replacing the fan motor in my AC heat exchange (under my BIL's supervision, he's a HVAC guy) I finally finished it last night and started 'er up, now the whole house is cool for the first time in weeks. (My wife is kinda handicapped since she recovered from cancer, doesn't like coming down stairs and so we mostly just use the upstairs with a couple window ACs and let the downstairs stay warm.) I'm sure after the initial thrill of a cool house wears off we'll probably let it get warm again. petit choux fucked around with this message at 15:49 on Sep 10, 2023 |
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Sep 10, 2023 15:42
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petit choux posted:I may replace them with poplars, which also don't live very long but they grow fast as hell. Don't do this. Poplars are absolute garbage landscape trees. There is not a single time of the year where they aren't dropping some kind of garbage below and around them, whether it's the expected and reasonable flowers and leaves to "Leaves? Now? Why?", sharp needles in the early summer for tulip poplars, and all year around random branches of varying sizes.
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Sep 10, 2023 15:58
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If you're willing to consider a tall hedge rather than trees, there are some excellent fast-growing varieties. Hawthorn and philadelphus are no-prune; C. sasanqua can be grown unpruned. Most of these, unpruned, grow at least 8 feet, some to 12 feet. You wind up with tall wide shrubs, nothing that you have to prune to keep in shape. Skip sasanquas, they're disease-prone. Zones 3-7: for a border only, consider Hawthorn. Native plant (multiple varieties), gorgeous spring blooms, wildlife habitat year-round and food for much of that period. Thorny as hell, which is why I say border only. One interesting variety is C. viridis; https://www.gardenia.net/plant/crataegus-viridis-winter-king Search gardenia.net for "hawthorn". Zones 4-7: Philadelphus (also known as mock orange). Amazingly sweet-smelling blossoms in summer, grows 2 feet per year. Many varieties; go to gardenia.net and search "philadelphus". An East coast native is P. pubescens. The West Coast variety https://www.gardenia.net/plant/philadelphus-pubescens P. Lewesii is https://www.gardenia.net/plant/philadelphus-lewisii is hardy zones 1-24 (24?!?!?) If this idea interests you, I can find more for whatever your zone is. Arsenic Lupin fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Sep 10, 2023 |
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Sep 10, 2023 16:49
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Kylaer posted:Is this why some outlets are so hard to use? I had no idea these existed Try angling the plug slightly towards the neutral side when you press it into the outlet. We had a couple that needing "breaking in" but now they're fine. Neutral is the largest prong, top left if you have ground (the circle) on the bottom. Otherwise sometimes you just gotta want it and then the outlet works fine. Shifty Pony posted:I'm one of those weird people who thinks TR and such is a plus, especially with a 3 year old running around. We rewired our house when our oldest was 6 months old. Knowing that every outlet was baby proof when empty was such a great feeling compared to trying to keep a thousand little plastic covers on them. We put in-use covers and power strip covers on everything even remotely accessible to them, what a pain in the butt. I wish power strips had the same TR requirement, but then they might cost more than 2/$7. Basically all receptacles should have it.
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Sep 10, 2023 17:30
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Arsenic Lupin posted:If you're willing to consider a tall hedge rather than trees, there are some excellent fast-growing varieties. Hawthorn and philadelphus are no-prune; C. sasanqua can be grown unpruned. Most of these, unpruned, grow at least 8 feet, some to 12 feet. You wind up with tall wide shrubs, nothing that you have to prune to keep in shape. Super cool. BTW, I am in a very interesting zone, the Delmarva peninsula is a mix of temperate and cooler. Now, most hawthorns have massive thorns, I imagine you aren't pointing me toward those. For the immediate present I am going to make a large old-fashioned composting bin from old freight pallets and put it where the dead trees are. I will probably replace the cypresses as they go, if they do. Motronic posted:Don't do this. Poplars are absolute garbage landscape trees. Yeah, but a row of them is still pretty. I remember how it was last time I did this though, and definitely, they drop a lot of crap and a lot of small branches die. I may not revisit the poplar idea. Depending on how "poplar" it is with the wife.
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Sep 10, 2023 17:52
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Lol my neighbor picked a tulip polar off the town tree sale list as one of the trees I’m buying him. Not my yard, not my problem!
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Sep 10, 2023 17:54
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devmd01 posted:Lol my neighbor picked a tulip polar off the town tree sale list as one of the trees I’m buying him. Not my yard, not my problem! I like tulip poplars 
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Sep 10, 2023 18:59
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petit choux posted:I may replace them with poplars, which also don't live very long but they grow fast as hell. Don't do this. Poplars are awful unless you live on a farm and need a wind break. This is coming from someone who just spent tens of thousands to have two 130' Lombardy poplars removed. They grow super fast, shed leaves and sticks all year, get diseased easily, and break large branches off in wind. The wood is also useless as it's super light, brittle, and burns too fast. Literally like all the worst qualities for a tree. It's more of a woody weed than a tree. They'll get so large that they're unmanageable in just a few years. 6' of growth in a year. According to my neighbor, these trees were topped at 15' two owners ago, about 15-20 years ago. There's a young one in my neighbors yard that is about 30' already. It was maybe 10-12' when we moved in 2 years ago.   Verman fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Sep 10, 2023 |
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Sep 10, 2023 19:24
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petit choux posted:Super cool. BTW, I am in a very interesting zone, the Delmarva peninsula is a mix of temperate and cooler. Now, most hawthorns have massive thorns, I imagine you aren't pointing me toward those. devmd01 posted:Lol my neighbor picked a tulip polar off the town tree sale list as one of the trees I’m buying him. Not my yard, not my problem! All poplars are Populus [something]. e: I did the Googling, so you're stuck with me. Poplars are in the willow family, Salicaceae. Tulip poplars are in the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae. ee: A thing that I think is funny: both apples and roses are in the rose family. In fact, nearly all stone fruits (plum, cherry, apricot, ...) are also in the Rose family. It's a big ol' family. Arsenic Lupin fucked around with this message at 19:39 on Sep 10, 2023 |
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Sep 10, 2023 19:26
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I love tulip poplars. Coppiced one about 12-years ago from a mature tree that we had to cut down because it rotted down the middle due to improper pruning...in 1982. It's about 40' now and starting to hang branches over my patio like the previous tree. It drops pistils & blooms & the occasional leaf. If this is a 'dirty' tree, I'll take it over a black walnut, johnny smoker (northern catalpa) or a sweetgum any day. Just planted another adjacent to the century-old ash (last of three that were here when we bought the house in 1992) in anticipation of either borers or disease taking it.
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Sep 10, 2023 23:18
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That story is great. Glad you were able to save the tree. I do love tulip trees, in and out of bloom. They have such a graceful shape.
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Sep 10, 2023 23:28
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PainterofCrap posted:I love tulip poplars. Coppiced one about 12-years ago from a mature tree that we had to cut down because it rotted down the middle due to improper pruning...in 1982. It's about 40' now and starting to hang branches over my patio like the previous tree. It drops pistils & blooms & the occasional leaf. If this is a 'dirty' tree, I'll take it over a black walnut, johnny smoker (northern catalpa) or a sweetgum any day. Yeah my yard has multiple mature sweetgums in it, kind of a pain in the rear end.
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Sep 10, 2023 23:33
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Mostly in the foot. Ouch.
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Sep 10, 2023 23:34
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Just cleaned my gutters out. Ten times this year so far goddamnit. It's not even fall! I gotta either get some sort of gutter guards, cut down all the trees (I can't)... or just move. Leaning towards just moving
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Sep 11, 2023 01:59
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You forgot “remove the gutters”
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Sep 11, 2023 03:01
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That, or these foam gutter guards: https://www.homedepot.com/p/GutterFoam-5-in-x-48-in-K-Style-Foam-Gutter-Filter-GF100040-S/203318223 I installed these about 12-years ago and they've been great - easy to install, and nothing gets past them into the gutters. BUT During a really hard rain, heavy water-shed can go right over it. Leaves will sit on it here & there, and while they eventually get swept off, they can at times create a surface overflow if they get 'stuck' during rain. The problem mine have developed in the past couple years: Moss is growing in the pores, and overgrowing areas, affecting the porosity here & there. I have manually ripped what I can off, but am wondering if there's something I can spray on it to kill it. Still a better experience than mesh guards.
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Sep 11, 2023 03:08
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Yeah I would say there's no perfect gutter guard solution for everybody. It all depends on what you're getting in your gutters as each system performs better for certain types of debris. The ez-on brand steel mesh at Costco are working great for me with pine needles and leaves. Some of the needles stick into but don't go through the guards. The gutters themselves are still clean and clear after 2 years. I go up and sweep them off, and give them a rinse with the hose once per year and that's about it. I'm surrounded by pine trees and poplars, but the poplar are gone now so it should be even better. I think with any system, you're reducing the flow of things into the gutters so whatever you choose, a super heavy rain will likely spill over depending on the slope of your roof and how much debris is up there. The few days it took me to install mine were worth it. My gutters would need cleaning every month from spring to autumn, probably every week in the autumn.
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Sep 11, 2023 04:58
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Arsenic Lupin posted:That story is great. Glad you were able to save the tree. I like alder trees and have decided to replace some pine trees on my property with those because they grow fast and don't grow tall so they will not throw too much shade with age or get dangerously tall. Black alder and Grey alder both are nice looking trees. Think they don't exist in america at all. In that same vein Rowan trees don't grow big and often remain more like bushes. But properly taken care of become a pretty decent tree that is not too tall.Great material for tool handles and one of the better firewoods too. Possibly the the wood with highest energy content that natively grows here.
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Sep 11, 2023 07:07
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What ARE the diy things we should be doing for septic maintenance as the homeowner? (Ie: not trying to be a diy Honey Truck)
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Sep 11, 2023 12:22
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toplitzin posted:What ARE the diy things we should be doing for septic maintenance as the homeowner? (Ie: not trying to be a diy Honey Truck) Cultivate an apocalyptic religion which considers putting anything other than water, soap, bodily waste, and toilet paper into the drains to be the ultimate sin. Every successful plunging requires that an effigy of the Wipe Demon be cast into a fiery trash bin to ensure the blessings of the plumbing gods.
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Sep 11, 2023 13:39
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road potato posted:Any quick diagnostics for this? How worried should I be/how urgently should I flip the breaker switch to off so my house doesn't burn down? Motronic posted:This is what cheap LED fixtures do. That is the absolutely cheapest box box store light in the cheapest style available that passes the "is there a light in here?" test. Out of curiosity, how old is the home? Does it have aluminum wiring by chance? slidebite fucked around with this message at 15:04 on Sep 11, 2023 |
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Sep 11, 2023 14:23
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Verman posted:Yeah I would say there's no perfect gutter guard solution for everybody. It all depends on what you're getting in your gutters as each system performs better for certain types of debris. The ez-on brand steel mesh at Costco are working great for me with pine needles and leaves. Some of the needles stick into but don't go through the guards. The gutters themselves are still clean and clear after 2 years. I go up and sweep them off, and give them a rinse with the hose once per year and that's about it. Yeah I gotta do something. I live under what feels like literally every type of tree. I'm in a very tree centric city and they basically let everything grow unchecked. I have pine needles, hickory nuts, giant leaves, small leaves, acorns, sweet gum pods and just a good ole layer of biologic detritus *constantly* in there. It's exhausting. Gonna try out some of those solutions and see how they go! I was looking at the steel mesh stuff... had never seen the foam that POC mentioned.
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Sep 11, 2023 14:55
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Do those pressure washer attachments clean gutters properly?
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Sep 11, 2023 15:05
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tuyop posted:Do those pressure washer attachments clean gutters properly? I used one at my last house and it was ok for cleaning some of dirt, etc but never really did a great job getting most stuff out. I have to get up on my roof and blow it off regularly as well so I tend to use my blower and get as much as I can with that. But do to the problem listed below it only works so well. I *did* see this thing at Lowe's that attaches to your drill... it's basically a big rotating fin/brush driven by the drill. Seemed neat. A bit "as seen on TV" but whatever. Unfortunately I have an issue where my shingles overhang my gutters by more than normal so nothing fits in there except for my hand really. I should get the shingles trimmed back or something. Don't even know if that's something you can do.
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Sep 11, 2023 15:11
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