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I have 10 smoke detectors in my house all tied together with battery backup. They nuisance tripped this morning at 2am and I've been up since. Any troubleshooting I can do to minimize this happening again? Possible voltage sag or solar storm?
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May 10, 2024 10:59
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| # ? May 27, 2024 00:43 |
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I am already growing tired of fighting this perpetual war against my neighbours poison ivy farm. Do I have any other options, here? I've never met the owners and they don't live at the property. Dont even know how to get ahold of them.
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May 10, 2024 20:10
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Are there renters there? Is the property abandoned? If there are renters you can talk to them about it, but any solution that involves them doing anything besides turning a blind eye while you do whatever will fail. If the property is vacant then I would consider jumping the fence or whatever and doing what needs to be done. But that is a call you'd have to make based on local factors.
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May 10, 2024 20:25
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Its vacant. Doesnt even currently have an interior. Apparently got bought by flippers earlier in the year, but they havent even stopped by since they bought it to my knowledge and who knows when they will or if they will, since they bought it from other flippers who never did anything.
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May 10, 2024 20:33
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Sacks and sacks of salt. Time to literally salt the earth.
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May 10, 2024 20:47
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Please do not salt the earth. Glyphosate will do the job just as well and not make the area completely inhospitable for anything else to grow for a long time.
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May 10, 2024 20:55
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i would have no shame about hopping the fence to deal with it if that's the case. but, thats completely a personal decision im curious though if there are channels with the local municipality to resolve issues like this, especially when they start posing potential health concerns like with poison ivy.
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May 10, 2024 20:56
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GlyphGryph posted:Its vacant. Doesnt even currently have an interior. Apparently got bought by flippers earlier in the year, but they havent even stopped by since they bought it to my knowledge and who knows when they will or if they will, since they bought it from other flippers who never did anything. Sirotan posted:Please do not salt the earth. Glyphosate will do the job just as well and not make the area completely inhospitable for anything else to grow for a long time. Mods please change OPs name to GlyphosateGryphosate
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May 10, 2024 21:12
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One of my neighbors once got some sort of citation for having a big poison ivy vine on his tree (except it wasn't even his tree, it was the house around the corner). I think my other (bad) neighbor called it in.
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May 10, 2024 21:22
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Some states definitely have programs for things that are listed as noxious weeds or invasive species, but as poison ivy is native to pretty much all of north america idk how much luck you'd have with that. But yeah, glyphosate. If there are large vines, cutting them and then immediately brushing them with concentrated glyphosate will usually kill the entire thing, however this is much less effective in spring since the sap is generally flowing up away from the roots.
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May 10, 2024 21:30
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The glysophate is a good suggestion. I'd previously rejected it for clearing my own yard because from what I understand dead poison ivy is still pretty noxious and it would have have made it harder to identify and clear - but none of that applies to poison ivy in the neighbours yard, which I have no desire to fully clear. GlyphosateGryphosate I shalle become, then.
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May 10, 2024 22:00
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Make sure to wear protective clothing and a mask when laying it down. I don't necessarily believe all of the negative media about RoundUp but poisons of any type are typically not something you want to slather yourself with or breathe in any more than you have to. It'll also make you look more professional and anybody that sees you probably won't ask questions.
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May 10, 2024 22:15
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Sirotan posted:Please do not salt the earth. Glyphosate will do the job just as well and not make the area completely inhospitable for anything else to grow for a long time. If you can still get generic Roundup in your state.
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May 10, 2024 22:51
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kid sinister posted:If you can still get generic Roundup in your state. You're only out of luck if you live in Alaska: https://www.domyown.com/eraser-41-weed-killer-herbicide-p-1535.html Sirotan fucked around with this message at 23:40 on May 10, 2024 |
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May 10, 2024 23:36
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Well I feel a bit better about the virginia creeper trying to reinfest my bushes from my neighbor's yard, at least it's not poison ivy! But also, gently caress virginia creeper.
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May 11, 2024 00:01
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Please, do not gently caress the virginia creeper.
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May 11, 2024 01:36
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I smelled a sulfur-like smell in the basement today. I've smelled it here and there before but it was pretty bad for an hour or two today. I looked it up and it may be a gas leak, but I have a handheld combustible gas sniffer (Klein Tools) that I used shortly after most of the smell dissipated with no gas detected. I also have a gas sniffer that's plugged into the wall (Techamor) near the boiler and HVAC unit that never read above zero nor beeped. (The handheld sniffer did seemingly pick up something at first in the upstairs bedroom and kitchen but I think that I didn't calibrate it properly the first time.) The smell seemed to have been coming from here (and I've smelled the sulfur-like smell from here before):   First of all, what is this, anyway? A pipe that goes from the wall, into the HVAC unit, and then into the ground. What's going on here? (I know that if I dump a lot of water into the nearby sink, it drains down and can overflow, like it did once when I saw all these soap suds outside.) Is there still a chance that there is gas?
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May 11, 2024 02:26
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small butter posted:First of all, what is this, anyway? A pipe that goes from the wall, into the HVAC unit, and then into the ground. What's going on here? (I know that if I dump a lot of water into the nearby sink, it drains down and can overflow, like it did once when I saw all these soap suds outside.) That is a condensate line. You should have your furnace serviced and tell them you're smelling something that smells like gas coming out of there. There are multiple things that could cause this, none of which should be a big deal to repair. E: I suppose it could also be the trap drying out. But whatever, make sure the furnace is in good shape. Motronic fucked around with this message at 02:31 on May 11, 2024 |
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May 11, 2024 02:28
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If you haven't been running your AC recently (and thus generating condensate) it's most likely that your drain dried out. There's no water in the p-trap blocking sewer gasses. IMO sewer gas and natural gas smell different, so out of an abundance of caution yeah maybe call an HVAC company. Leave the house and get some fresh air to let your nose reset; you can go nose blind to natty gas very quick.
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May 11, 2024 12:41
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Motronic posted:That is a condensate line. You should have your furnace serviced and tell them you're smelling something that smells like gas coming out of there. There are multiple things that could cause this, none of which should be a big deal to repair. Thanks. I haven't had the HVAC unit serviced or checked since moving in last spring (it's pretty new from 2019) so I guess I should do that soon. What are the possible causes of this? NomNomNom posted:If you haven't been running your AC recently (and thus generating condensate) it's most likely that your drain dried out. There's no water in the p-trap blocking sewer gasses. I don't think I smelled natural gas and it certainly smelled like a sewer or something kind of organic and garbage-y. There's no smell now. I understand the caution, but: if it's a natural gas leak, wouldn't it be smelling nonstop? Also, neither sniffer picked up anything (if it did, I would have called the fire department yesterday).
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May 11, 2024 14:20
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Very much sounds like you're describing the smell of sewer gas from a dried out p trap. Because now I can smell it again after your description. A rarely used floor drain is a prime candidate for a dried out trap since water doesn't regularly run down into refill the water blocking the sewer gasses coming back up. Pour some water down the white waffle stomp hole and problem solved. You'll have to do it again when you smell it again, maybe twice a year. Less if your AC condensate line replenishes the trap.
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May 11, 2024 15:27
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How often does that sink get used? If it's used on a regular basis, and you're sure that the sink drain connects to this floor drain, then it would be unlikely that the trap would dry out. But if the sink isn't used then it could dry out.
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May 11, 2024 15:48
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Well, owing to improvements and appreciating value, I was able to get PMI off my home loan after a re-valuation.  Still paid it for 4 years, but what can you do?
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May 11, 2024 15:51
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FISHMANPET posted:How often does that sink get used? If it's used on a regular basis, and you're sure that the sink drain connects to this floor drain, then it would be unlikely that the trap would dry out. But if the sink isn't used then it could dry out. Maybe about twice a week. When I smelled it yesterday, it wasn't used for about a week.
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May 11, 2024 16:12
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FISHMANPET posted:How often does that sink get used? If it's used on a regular basis, and you're sure that the sink drain connects to this floor drain, then it would be unlikely that the trap would dry out. But if the sink isn't used then it could dry out. The floor drain should typically (depends on code, age, location) have it's own trap directly below that the sink will not replenish. A jug of water down the white drain hole is a no cost solution. Even cheaper than the sticker a previous occupant had over the drain to block the smell when they had this same problem lol.
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May 11, 2024 16:26
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small butter posted:What are the possible causes of this? Your AC will only eject condensate if it's running. Depending on your weather you may not have run your AC in weeks/months, so there hasn't been any discarge. small butter posted:I understand the caution, but: if it's a natural gas leak, wouldn't it be smelling nonstop? Also, neither sniffer picked up anything (if it did, I would have called the fire department yesterday). Our noses get used to smells pretty quickly. If there actually was a natty gas leak you could smell it when you first enter the house, and twenty minutes later no longer perceive it. But in any case I'm betting dried out p-trap.
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May 11, 2024 16:59
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Thanks for the help. I poured a jug of water down there hole in the floor and after coming back down a few hours later, the basement had the most beautiful scent of nothingness. There was a slight smell this morning. I'll monitor it and see what happens. Will do an HVAC and boiler checkup later this year unless the smell comes back and then I'll do it earlier.
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May 11, 2024 19:59
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Poor some boiling water down it with some baking soda. Might help break up any gunk sitting in there.
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May 11, 2024 20:02
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Invalid Validation posted:Poor some boiling water down it with some baking soda. Might help break up any gunk sitting in there. What about an enzymatic clog cleaner that I use for my sink drains?
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May 11, 2024 20:10
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small butter posted:Thanks for the help. I poured a jug of water down there hole in the floor and after coming back down a few hours later, the basement had the most beautiful scent of nothingness. There was a slight smell this morning. Cool, best possible outcome. I've had luck with pouring a bit of mineral oil into traps like that to cut down on the evaporation rate. Going into the cooling season I wouldn't biother, but perhaps you'll want to do this in the fall when you're done with the AC for the year. I wouldn't worry about the furnace past routine maintenance. I was assuming you were getting the smell out of the heater portion of the condensate line because of how you described it but you've completely emliminated that as a source and it appear to be an AC condensate line. You furnace might not be the type (efficiency rating) to even have a combuston condensate line. Motronic fucked around with this message at 22:10 on May 11, 2024 |
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May 11, 2024 22:08
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Motronic posted:Cool, best possible outcome. I've had luck with pouring a bit of mineral oil into traps like that to cut down on the evaporation rate. Going into the cooling season I wouldn't biother, but perhaps you'll want to do this in the fall when you're done with the AC for the year. Thanks. What is routine maintenance in this case? There's nothing wrong with the HVAC or boiler. Should they be checked anyway?
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May 11, 2024 22:25
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small butter posted:Thanks. Routine maintenance on a gas furnace with an AC coil would include things like checking the burners for cleanliness as well as cleaning of the inside and outside coils for heat pump/ac efficiency. It should also include checking run/start capacitors to make sure they are in spec/will make it through the year and contactors to make sure they are in good shape. Cheap parts that wear out and cause no heat/no cool situations. Plus someone who knows what it should look like to look at it and make sure it's all good. There's value in that. How necessary is all of this? Basically essential with oil every year. Less important with gas like y ou have, but still something that should get done. As the units age it's even more important to not have emergency calls which are going to cost you a lot more than an annual service and replacing whatever small parts need doing then.
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May 11, 2024 23:00
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Thanks. Maybe I should do it before summer starts.
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May 11, 2024 23:04
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small butter posted:What about an enzymatic clog cleaner that I use for my sink drains? Probably be fine if you’re not on septic but I wouldn’t bother with something as caustic unless you really needed to.
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May 11, 2024 23:54
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Motronic posted:I wouldn't worry about the furnace past routine maintenance. I was assuming you were getting the smell out of the heater portion of the condensate line because of how you described it but you've completely emliminated that as a source and it appear to be an AC condensate line. You furnace might not be the type (efficiency rating) to even have a combuston condensate line. there is definitely a condensate line and trap coming out of the side of the furnace - but (honest question) - isn't the plastic flue a giveaway that it is a condensing furnace? I know condensing furnaces need PVC flues due to the acidic condensate, but I thought the flip was that non-condensing units needed a metal flue due to the exhaust temps? Or can a lower-efficiency non-condensing unit still use a PVC flue?
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May 12, 2024 05:25
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ROJO posted:there is definitely a condensate line and trap coming out of the side of the furnace - but (honest question) - isn't the plastic flue a giveaway that it is a condensing furnace? I know condensing furnaces need PVC flues due to the acidic condensate, but I thought the flip was that non-condensing units needed a metal flue due to the exhaust temps? Or can a lower-efficiency non-condensing unit still use a PVC flue? The best I can tell you is: probably. I'm not gonna pretend I've seen everything out there to know. But I do know there are PLENTY of tankless heaters that are PVC exhaust that are not condensing. So it's possible, I just don't know if it was actually ever done on full on furnace size things.
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May 12, 2024 14:41
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small butter posted:Thanks. Maybe I should do it before summer starts. I'll call today!
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May 12, 2024 15:36
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Probably a good idea to get someone here within the week, then.
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May 12, 2024 15:48
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Deviant posted:I'll call today! You'll call now 
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May 12, 2024 16:23
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| # ? May 27, 2024 00:43 |
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Our fridge has some condensation issues, where would I start troubleshooting it besides adjusting the temperature and the moisture control switch?
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May 12, 2024 16:43
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