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nwin posted:Indirect water heaters-thoughts? Estimated costs? I love hvac companies. One of them is coming for a quote but they mentioned that maybe some internal pieces of my boiler are on the way out, which would explain my lack of hot water. Then she said even if I get the indirect tank, I might still have issues. She then mentioned my boiler will die within 1-5 years, regardless.
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Jan 8, 2024 19:22
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I think the worst thing about owning a home is the two big ticking time bombs you will inevitably have to fall on: Replacing the roof and the HVAC. Both are extremely expensive and it’s only a matter of time.
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Jan 9, 2024 06:11
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Invalid Validation posted:I think the worst thing about owning a home is the two big ticking time bombs you will inevitably have to fall on: Replacing the roof and the HVAC. Both are extremely expensive and it’s only a matter of time. And the sewer, although people usually just let it fail almost completely then sell the house
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Jan 9, 2024 07:34
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All of the core house functions are right in a row in the storage area in the basement - hvac, water softener, hot water heater, and sump pump. Since owning this house I’ve replaced everything starting from right to left. And the hvac is a hybrid heat pump going on 13 years so yeah, it’s just a matter of time.
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Jan 9, 2024 11:28
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I will probably be too old and decrepit to do it myself when my roof needs replacing. Metal roofs last a long while. Our heat pump is 10 years old now, it's probably the most suspectible thing in our house to fail. Our hvac is very simple for being a heat recovery unit, some motors and fans really. Already replaced the bearings in one motor. Was 10€ for F.A.G. bearings vs 400€ for a new fan. I hope to be able to keep it going for a long time. What I am most worried about is the floor heating might fail, start to leak. I have no real idea for how to deal with that. Just hoping it'll keep working for my lifespan so it can be somebody elses problem. Maybe they'll install radiators.
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Jan 9, 2024 12:06
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My grandfather's furnace was installed in the 60s and is still going. The tradeoff here is that it's comically inefficient Sirotan posted:I recently had a sliding patio door put in where only a window was previously. I went to a local window and door showroom and talked with a sales guy, picked out the door I wanted and had one of their installers come by to give me a quote for install. After I signed the contract they drew up plans to send to the city to pull the permits, then cut the hole in the side of the house and installed the new door. It only took the guy two days to do the install after the door came in ~8 weeks after I signed the contract. Thanks!
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Jan 9, 2024 13:56
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Invalid Validation posted:I think the worst thing about owning a home is the two big ticking time bombs you will inevitably have to fall on: Replacing the roof and the HVAC. Both are extremely expensive and it’s only a matter of time. Trick for the roof is living in a climate with frequent hail and windstorms. I think every homeowner around here has had their roof replaced by insurance at least once.
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Jan 9, 2024 14:53
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Yep this is the way.
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Jan 9, 2024 15:09
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His Divine Shadow posted:What I am most worried about is the floor heating might fail, start to leak. I have no real idea for how to deal with that. Just hoping it'll keep working for my lifespan so it can be somebody elses problem. Maybe they'll install radiators. I can tell you what they do here in the US. After WWII Levitt built entire neighborhoods with this extremely thick-walled copper pipe gridded into the slab. The lime worked on the copper, and after 30-40-years or so they all started to fail. Most were replaced by forced-air units installed in the attic space and blowing down from the ceilings. Not ideal, but the least invasive; only other reasonable option was to drop wiring down the walls and go with electric baseboard heat, for which the walls have to be opened somewhat to at least chase wire. They buried the water & sewer in/under the slab too; those failures were fun. Enos Cabell posted:Trick for the roof is living in a climate with frequent hail and windstorms. I think every homeowner around here has had their roof replaced by insurance at least once. Paid $1000 to have my roof replaced in 2019. Roof was 37-years old I’d been repairing wind damage since ‘92. Wind took four shingles in 2018; the shingles were so brittle by then, they snapped like crackers. Enter Usaa, paid to replace it. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 15:38
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PainterofCrap posted:
When we had that 2" of rain a couple of weeks ago, I popped into my attic and noticed a small amount of water coming in (just enough to wet the joists). I know you work in insurance, so I'll ask, is that generally enough to get a claim made? My roof is one of those stupid mcmansion style ones with multiple angles and poo poo, so I'm easily looking at 15-20K for a new roof, if I can ease some of that burden I'd love to find out how.
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Jan 9, 2024 16:25
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AFewBricksShy posted:When we had that 2" of rain a couple of weeks ago, I popped into my attic and noticed a small amount of water coming in (just enough to wet the joists). I know you work in insurance, so I'll ask, is that generally enough to get a claim made? My roof is one of those stupid mcmansion style ones with multiple angles and poo poo, so I'm easily looking at 15-20K for a new roof, if I can ease some of that burden I'd love to find out how. No; there has to be wind / hail damage to the roof. Roofs can leak due to wear & tear or a build defect, neither of which HO insurance will cover. The resulting water damage inside your house, however, is covered. To get at least the affected slope replaced, the shingles have to fail a “brittle test,” or not be able to be lifted up at least 40-degrees, the minimum required to get far enough under the shingle to remove the damaged one / nails with a flat-bar, and to swing a hammer or get a roofing nailgun into the seal strip of the replacement shingle. Start around 3:35: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB-D_NwJz2I By the way, using roofing cement like Karnak (get a Heavy Metal vibe!) is a requirement for laminated shingles on pitches steeper than 12/12; because they’re composed of multiple layers adhered together, the adhesive on laminate shingles is insufficient to hold their mass in place as the installation approaches the vertical. On such vertical faces (like mansard roofs and little pent roofs over bay windows and the top of the front elevation of rowhomes), it’s very common to see laminate shingle tabs dropping away from horizontal like rotting teeth, because the extra adhesive wasn’t used. Roofers love laminates because they don’t require quite as much care to align them on the installation; the ‘jumbled’ look makes less-skilled roofers look good. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 16:37
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PainterofCrap posted:No; there has to be wind / hail damage to the roof. I'm surprised to hear insurance would cover a new roof in this situation, why wouldn't that be rejected as expected wear and tear and the cost of replacement be considered regular house maintenance? I don't live in a heavy hail area myself and have never heard of anyone getting insurance to replace their roof for wind storm damage.
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Jan 9, 2024 17:39
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PainterofCrap posted:Paid $1000 to have my roof replaced in 2019. Roof was 37-years old I’d been repairing wind damage since ‘92. Wind took four shingles in 2018; the shingles were so brittle by then, they snapped like crackers. Enter Usaa, paid to replace it. Roofing deductibles are way up in my area. Most insurance companies are pushing 2% wind/hail deductibles, some are still offering 1% right now. If anything happens to my roof I'm writing a 5K check Also why are roofs so expensive? I'm guessing roofing company margins are insane.
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Jan 9, 2024 18:35
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Lol *** bearings
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Jan 9, 2024 18:41
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I’m getting quotes right now for a re roof, one roofer can get me in this winter for $37K, the rest of the roofers have 18 month lead times but are only quoting mid 20s. But my roof is leaking now
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Jan 9, 2024 18:42
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PainterofCrap posted:By the way, using roofing cement like Karnak (get a Heavy Metal vibe!) is a requirement for laminated shingles on pitches steeper than 12/12; because they’re composed of multiple layers adhered together, the adhesive on laminate shingles is insufficient to hold their mass in place as the installation approaches the vertical. On such vertical faces (like mansard roofs and little pent roofs over bay windows and the top of the front elevation of rowhomes), it’s very common to see laminate shingle tabs dropping away from horizontal like rotting teeth, because the extra adhesive wasn’t used. Huh! That explains why 2 shingles just fell off my shed roof. Exactly as you described.
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Jan 9, 2024 18:44
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A MIRACLE posted:I’m getting quotes right now for a re roof, one roofer can get me in this winter for $37K, the rest of the roofers have 18 month lead times but are only quoting mid 20s. But my roof is leaking now You must have a complicated roof. We are paying $50k cdn for a metal roof, but if it was just an asphalt one, it would be like $15k Roofing during the winter is the worst though, I wouldnt' want to do that.
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Jan 9, 2024 19:24
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they laughed at me when I asked about a metal roof. its a 100 year old house with dormers, skylights, and extensions / additions
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Jan 9, 2024 19:34
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Elem7 posted:I'm surprised to hear insurance would cover a new roof in this situation, why wouldn't that be rejected as expected wear and tear and the cost of replacement be considered regular house maintenance? If there’s a covered loss (wind, in this case) and the roof cannot be repaired because it’s so old & brittle, then we owe for at least the slope (because the ridge cap / shingles can be removed without affecting the adjacent/opposite slopes). Sometimes it’s the southern slope that's hammered, and the other slopes are still repairable. In any event, it’s not cost-effective to try & slip repairs in on a ritz cracker roof. Just a losing proposition, breaking more as you go. I have written to replace a roof down to the rafters because there 2 or 3 or more layers of shingles on top of a shake roof on furring strips that was installed sometime before 1962 and there has to be a plywood decking. My roof has plywood on top of the furring strips. I lost seven shingles; four on one slope, three on another. The adjuster got up there and it crackled when he walked it. That was enough for him. This is why you’re seeing this emphasis on underwriting inspecting roofs, wanting proof of roof replacement, etc. also predatory hail/storm chasers signing up whole neighborhoods. skipdogg posted:Roofing deductibles are way up in my area. Most insurance companies are pushing 2% wind/hail deductibles, some are still offering 1% right now. If anything happens to my roof I'm writing a 5K check Roofing is a young man’s game but still requires some skill, unfortunately wanting, especially since Covid. Roofers will hire day laborers out of parking lots & pay them maybe $100 for a 12-hour day. If they get injured they’ll try to dump them outside of an ER or doc-in-a-box. Sayonara! So yeah: insane margins. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 21:12 on Jan 9, 2024 |
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Jan 9, 2024 21:05
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I am on the last legs of my year long home efficiency project. The last thing I have to do is to figure out how to best insulate these pipes. They appear to be old iron pipes, roughly 14 inches in diameter, needless to say I cant find easily available foam insulation for these.  My thought was that Im basically stuck with something like this - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-3-in-x-1-2-in-x-25-ft-Fiberglass-Pipe-Wrap-Kit-SP41X/100032413 The R value will suck but its better than nothing since I will likely never find any foam pipe insulation in the right size.
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Jan 9, 2024 22:48
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BaseballPCHiker posted:I am on the last legs of my year long home efficiency project. The last thing I have to do is to figure out how to best insulate these pipes. They appear to be old iron pipes, roughly 14 inches in diameter, needless to say I cant find easily available foam insulation for these. Do you mean circumference? Those pipes aren't over a foot wide. Take some string or something and wrap it around, straighten it out, measure it, then divide by pi. That is your diameter. Amazon has 6" diameter r7 for $35/ft. Also use something faced so the outside of the insulation has a cover on it. Even putting "r1" on there will help prevent draft from blowing the heat off. H110Hawk fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Jan 10, 2024 |
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Jan 10, 2024 00:05
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Sorry yeah circumference! Do you have a link? I had a hard time finding anything but 1 or 3/4 inch pipe insulation.
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Jan 10, 2024 00:19
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Literally slap "6 in pipe insulation" into Google and you will get a ton of options. This was $351 for 10x 3' sections. (I am on mobile right now.) And 14" / pi ≈ 4.5"
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Jan 10, 2024 00:38
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Sorry yeah circumference! https://www.mcmaster.com/products/pipe-insulation/insulation-type~tube/id~4-1-2/
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Jan 10, 2024 00:39
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I am dumb. I just scrolled through pages of inch foam pipe insulation without actually putting in my size. I blame sleep desperation due to toddlers. Thank you all. I'm sure I won't get the money back in effeciency gains that I spend but oh well. This is the last part of my expensive project so may as well see I through.
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Jan 10, 2024 02:41
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BaseballPCHiker posted:I blame sleep desperation due to toddlers. I assume you meant deprivation but with young kids this is still technically correct
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Jan 10, 2024 16:11
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BaseballPCHiker posted:I am on the last legs of my year long home efficiency project. The last thing I have to do is to figure out how to best insulate these pipes. They appear to be old iron pipes, roughly 14 inches in diameter, needless to say I cant find easily available foam insulation for these.
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Jan 10, 2024 16:18
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More plumbing questions: Recently I had all the pipes under all 4 of my sinks replaced. One sink, a sort of dual vanity (two vanities side by side but technically divided by a wall - one is in main bathroom area and one is in enclosed toilet area), has a real earthy/dirt smell coming. Not methane/sewer gas. Just a fistful of fresh soil smell. We thought it was the gross old P trap but once that was all replaced the smell was still there and still strong. So at this point I'm guessing it's from the pipes outside or in the walls. It's only one single sink out of the whole house which is strange. What could be causing a very soil/earthy smell? My wife fears some sort of pipe root intrusion but surely we'd also smell it in the sink right next to it (we don't).
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Jan 10, 2024 16:58
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:I’m curious why are you insulating sewer/waste lines or why you have such massive pipes for supply lines? Those appear to be steam boiler heat runs.
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Jan 10, 2024 17:01
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shoeberto posted:I assume you meant deprivation but with young kids this is still technically correct God damnit.... So tired. Kaiser Schnitzel posted:I’m curious why are you insulating sewer/waste lines or why you have such massive pipes for supply lines? Those are just the pipes in my house. Motronic posted:Those appear to be steam boiler heat runs. I pulled all of the old building permits for my house and you are correct! The house, built in 1911, once had a steam boiler. Now these pipes just run standard radiators, and some of my water lines as well. I replaced the boiler as part of my larger renovation project as well, but the plumbers recommended leaving all of this piping in seeings how I had no plans to ever finish the basement and didnt need the head space. It wouldve also involved a lot of time and money.
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Jan 10, 2024 17:22
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Motronic posted:Those appear to be steam boiler heat runs. Oh neat! Radiators/steam heat aren't common here even in old houses so I'm not familiar with them-big cast iron pipe here is almost always waste lines.
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Jan 10, 2024 17:34
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They used the same type of pipe for the old gutters of this place too! They use to just go direct into the storm sewers back in the day, So I have a bunch of those remnants in my basement that are all capped off and filled with cement. If I'm ever feeling ambitious one day I'll take them out so I have some more storage room.
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Jan 10, 2024 17:43
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I'm a big proponent of ripping poo poo out that's no longer used or functional. I've removed old phone wiring, ducting, galvanized steel pipes, floor heater remains, old coax, etc. Less is more in the attic, crawlspace, basement imo.
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Jan 10, 2024 18:16
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Invalid Validation posted:I think the worst thing about owning a home is the two big ticking time bombs you will inevitably have to fall on: Replacing the roof and the HVAC. Both are extremely expensive and it’s only a matter of time.  (looks at thread title and sobs)No, we're still in limbo. The aggressive neighbor who is building new retaining walls in the garden has vowed to go to the other neighbor and negotiate her into selling us a more useful piece of land that is above us. slave to my cravings posted:First thing to do is go around the entire perimeter of your house and look for somewhere that they could be getting in. Any obvious holes, loose siding, etc. Seal it up with caulk, expanding foam, steel wool, etc.
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Jan 10, 2024 18:38
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Arsenic Lupin posted:Somebody earlier in the thread said that rat-resistant expanding foam exists. It does, but I still like to back it with patching the hole with hardware cloth (if its big) or stuffing it with steel wool before foaming. https://www.homedepot.com/p/GREAT-STUFF-16-oz-Pestblock-Insulating-Spray-Foam-Sealant-with-Quick-Stop-Straw-99053993/207077796
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Jan 10, 2024 18:40
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Arsenic Lupin posted:And the septic system! LOL you've got the neighbourhood bully on your side! Nothing yet from the engineer then?
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Jan 10, 2024 19:13
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Jenkl posted:LOL you've got the neighbourhood bully on your side! Nothing yet from the engineer then?
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Jan 10, 2024 19:25
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Arsenic Lupin posted:I thiiiink they're waiting to hear from us on whether the denial from the neighbor is definite. Wall-building neighbor isn't a bully, he just doesn't listen to opinions other than his own. He thinks I'm a pushover, and he's right. Tell him I'm gonna beat him up
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Jan 10, 2024 20:28
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Do not beat him up. He is my only hope.
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Jan 10, 2024 20:36
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Obi-wan kenobstinate.
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Jan 10, 2024 20:41
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