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Good deal, I found a place in town that has the belt. I'll keep an eye on the tensioner. Just making sure this wasn't an obvious sign of trouble instead of a normal wear issue. Thanks!
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May 9, 2012 22:29
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internet inc posted:FAKE EDIT: While I'm on to plumbing, what would get rid of odors in the various sink drains around the house? Drano? Why do I have the mental image of using Drano and waking up in a nightmare of leaks all over the place? If you're talking about rarely used drains, make sure the traps are full by running some water down them first. You can kill anything stinky left in the trap water with a little shot of bleach.
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May 10, 2012 01:20
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kid sinister posted:If you're talking about rarely used drains, make sure the traps are full by running some water down them first. You can kill anything stinky left in the trap water with a little shot of bleach.
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May 10, 2012 02:58
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Little question for those who hopefully know more than me. Recently moved into a new apartment in an older building, and the bathroom has one of those shaver only electrical sockets. I noticed that the metal plate thing around the socket is pretty warm to the touch. Some googling shows me that these kind of sockets have a built in transformer to make them safer in case the shaver or whatever gets dropped into water, but I can't find anything about them generating heat. Is this thing malfunctioning/a fire hazard, or is this normal? 
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May 10, 2012 03:23
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http://www.electrical-online.com/how-to-replace-a-razor-only-receptacle-with-a-gfci/ They are warm because they are connected to the light switch, so turning the light on would cause power to go through it.
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May 10, 2012 04:46
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Bank posted:http://www.electrical-online.com/how-to-replace-a-razor-only-receptacle-with-a-gfci/ Still stays warm a good while after the light has been off. And is humming if I put my ear close. I think this thing probably needs to get changed, and is too retro anyway.
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May 11, 2012 07:46
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I recently bought a house and started using the central A/C this weekend. It seems the A/C drain line comes out of my attic as shown by these 2 pvc pipes: My problem is that this is directly above the patio door on a 2 story house, making the great impression of rain if you dare venture to the backyard. How can I best remedy this? Can I just redirect the pvc someplace else? I wish I could connect this into the existing rain gutters but we're looking at a 15' run or so.
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May 11, 2012 09:05
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How long after painting the ceiling of a bathroom do I have to wait until I can take a shower??? Latex semi-gloss, if it matters.
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May 11, 2012 17:41
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Associate Christ
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FCKGW posted:How can I best remedy this? Can I just redirect the pvc someplace else? I wish I could connect this into the existing rain gutters but we're looking at a 15' run or so. You already solved your problem. Redirect the pipes away. Go to the hardware store and get some more pipe, cutter and pvc glue. You can either drill new holes and redirect the pipes away from over your door or redirect them externally with some 45's and pipe lengths. Kaluza-Klein posted:How long after painting the ceiling of a bathroom do I have to wait until I can take a shower??? When it dries. Use a portable heater and turn it on max in the enclosed area to speed drying time.
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May 11, 2012 19:02
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keykey posted:When it dries. Use a portable heater and turn it on max in the enclosed area to speed drying time. Do you mean dry to the touch, or like 24-48 hours or however long it takes to fully cure? Also, I am not sure it is actually latex. The store was selling a gallon of it for $5 because it was premixed. Benjamin Moore "Natura waterborne" paint. I can't seem to pin down whether it is latex or acrylic or something else? It is actually quite impressive how odorless it is, but it was very thin stuff that dripped all over.
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May 11, 2012 19:37
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The Dave posted:drat. I'm not worried about damage I just really would like to have the door shut, is it really my best bet to just try to rig up my own? grover fucked around with this message at 19:44 on May 11, 2012 |
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May 11, 2012 19:42
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Kaluza-Klein posted:Do you mean dry to the touch, or like 24-48 hours or however long it takes to fully cure? Dry to the touch is fine. Paint takes a while to fully cure. As far as the type of paint you used, I've never used it myself so maybe someone else can give you more insight. In a shower, I always use Behr paint with a mold/mildew primer/sealer on an undercoat. It's a bit overkill since the anti-mold/mildew primer is on there but you can get Behr paints and I'm sure other brands that also are mold/mildew resistant which is key in a bathroom situation.
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May 11, 2012 21:39
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FCKGW posted:I recently bought a house and started using the central A/C this weekend. It seems the A/C drain line comes out of my attic as shown by these 2 pvc pipes: Use less garish clamps than the previous owners of my house, though: 
coyo7e fucked around with this message at 02:53 on May 12, 2012 |
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May 12, 2012 02:48
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Kaluza-Klein posted:Do you mean dry to the touch, or like 24-48 hours or however long it takes to fully cure? I would wait a day or two before taking a shower. Also, you should always use flat paint for your ceilings. Up close, flat paint gives a bumpy orange-peel finish to hide imperfections in your drywall and joints because ceilings are particularly hard to plaster and sand, hence why you should try and hide those imperfections. Mildew resistant paint is cool, but not necessary, unless you live in a poo poo-hole and barely clean, or if you have grossly inadequate ventilation. If mildew or mold is going to form inside the coats of your paint, you can be sure it will form in your drywall, wood structures and whatever else is behind the paint anyway. Latex, acrylic, and water-based paints are mostly synonyms. What varies is the amount of vinyl-to-acrylic ratio and additives (like mildew resistance or micro-plastic beads that enhance wash resistance). Finally, the best ceiling paint is also the cheapest, because it runs thicker hiding imperfection and preventing droplets all over your face as you apply it! Fake edit: Never use fans/heaters to dry your paint quicker, unless you like applying more coats for some reason, because it won't have time to level as it dries, creating peaks and crevasses. It will look like poo poo and you won't be able to wash it as efficiently, either. The only exception is, you guessed it, ceilings, since a) no one can see up close and b) you want those little peaks to hide the imperfections I mentioned earlier.
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May 12, 2012 03:15
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Dammit. I was trying to re-caulk our bathroom sink, but when I attempted to remove the old caulking the drywall finish came off with it  : Really irritating- I tried to remove it as gingerly as possible and it came off, any way. What kind of paint should I be using to fix this? And should I be using small paintroller, or a brush to patch it up? And on an added note- what's the best way to store an opened tube of caulk? melon cat fucked around with this message at 20:32 on May 12, 2012 |
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May 12, 2012 20:18
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melon cat posted:Dammit. I'm not sure on the way to fix the wall, but I store caulk by putting a high gauge nail in the open end to prevent air movement/drying inside the tube. My grandfather was a general contractor, and that's what he always did. I would be interested to hear the other answer though, as I have a similar problem at my gfs to fix.
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May 12, 2012 21:11
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I had a similar problem with the drywall finish and I just trim the edges off with a utility knife and put some plaster on it, then paint. No big deal.
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May 12, 2012 22:32
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Bank posted:I had a similar problem with the drywall finish and I just trim the edges off with a utility knife and put some plaster on it, then paint. No big deal.
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May 13, 2012 00:01
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melon cat posted:Okay, I'll try that. What kind of paint is best to use for this? The same paint that's already on there. Also, it looks like your walls are textured so don't forget to get some texture spray for after the plaster dries. Most likely you're going to have to paint the whole wall, that's probably too big to do a touch up without noticing.
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May 13, 2012 00:06
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It probably wouldn't hurt to put primer on first, then use whatever paint matches your bathroom. I have semigloss in my bathroom because of the moisture.
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May 13, 2012 00:06
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melon cat posted:Okay, I'll try that. What kind of paint is best to use for this? Bank is right. Use a utility knife to cut it down, then feather drywall mud over it. Preferably use e curing (powder) kind vs the drying (bucket) kind. Just don't pour the curing kind down your drain. After that, throw a semi-gloss on for a bathroom. E: just saw the texture comment. That does make it tougher, but you can get rollers that lay out texture. You use them on the mud, not the paint. let it mellow fucked around with this message at 00:10 on May 13, 2012 |
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May 13, 2012 00:08
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Has anyone seen a low profile intercom buzzer for an apartment front door that just has an "answer" and "buzz in" button on it? I will never have a landline and just need to buzz people in now and then by hitting "6", so I don't want to have a telephone hanging around. I could try to do this as an electronics project, but I'd rather just buy it if it exists already. Something that doesn't look like it's 30 years old would be ideal.
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May 14, 2012 16:53
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sund posted:Has anyone seen a low profile intercom buzzer for an apartment front door that just has an "answer" and "buzz in" button on it? I will never have a landline and just need to buzz people in now and then by hitting "6", so I don't want to have a telephone hanging around. I could try to do this as an electronics project, but I'd rather just buy it if it exists already. Something that doesn't look like it's 30 years old would be ideal. Does the guest at the panel down by the front door need to dial a code based on a room number to "call" that room for them to buzz the guest in? You might not actually need a landline, just a phone to press 6. edit: if you really want to make something yourself, you might be able to juryrig together a Mini B telephone along with a "doorphone" or "door station". You would have to add a second button for the "buzz in" feature. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 17:48 on May 14, 2012 |
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May 14, 2012 17:35
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Bathroom sink stopper is unsightly and needs replaced. It is the type that you have to push in with your finger to close and then push again to pop back open. Do I have to buy a whole unit, like this: http://www.amazon.com/Bathroom-Stopper-Without-Overflow-Brushed/dp/B002QCSZSE/ Or is there some way I can just replace the visible top bit? The finish is rubbing off and it doesn't look very nice.
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May 14, 2012 18:04
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kid sinister posted:Does the guest at the panel down by the front door need to dial a code based on a room number to "call" that room for them to buzz the guest in? You might not actually need a landline, just a phone to press 6. Yeah, I just need a phone to answer the call from the panel at the building entrance. I currently have an ugly one sitting there that I'd like to replace with something low-key and white. I think the way to go may be hacking apart a cheap speakerphone, enclosing it in something more nondescript and only wire up the '6' and answer buttons to the front panel. Or just buy a cheap phone that doesn't look terrible. Thanks.
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May 14, 2012 20:21
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I couldn't find a NERF thread (Thinking about making one) but I figured this question is small enough to go here. When you're painting over plastic, is there anyway to get a nice shiny coat? No matter what kind of spray paint I'm using it almost appears matte. Is there a sealant I can use that would be safe?
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May 14, 2012 21:58
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LumpyGumby posted:I couldn't find a NERF thread (Thinking about making one) but I figured this question is small enough to go here. One thing I used to do when I painted models was to put them in the microwave for maybe 5 seconds at a time. Doing this once or twice would get a really smooth paint finish. There's also clearcoat that you could put over the spray paint if you wanted.
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May 14, 2012 22:04
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For a smooth coat gloss or satin spray varnish will do, also protecting the paint from scratching.
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May 14, 2012 22:36
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Window Air Conditioning Unit Question: Last fall my lab pup chewed on the cord for a window AC unit (it was unplugged, was lazy about storing it for winter). The outer insulation is pretty screwed up, including some damage to the foil shielding around the outside of the insulation for the conductors in the wire. The damaged section is about 6-8" long. I was going to just cut the end off the cord and replace what I thought was the big GFCI plug on the end of the cord, but upon closer inspection it's not a GFCI... the plug end says LCDI on it, and with some research it's some sort of AFCI/arc flash plug-end. LCDI/AFCI is apparently designed to trip a breaker in the event of some sort of electrical failure which could cause a fire, so the internet tells me. Problem is, I am not having any luck finding an LCDI/AFCI plug-end to replace this one. Inside of the LCDI plug, the connections are soldered and there's a fourth uninsulated conductor strand that is epoxied in place inside the plug. I don't have experience soldering and I feel like I probably would not be successful in trying to re-use the existing plug. I'm not interested in throwing away a $120 window AC unit that is now only 1 year old just because the cord is damaged, so how can I fix this? I could obviously just replace the LCDI plug with a standard plug or a GFCI plug, but a proper fix is preferred. One note: The A/C unit still works. If the risk is minimal and other options do not exist, I am not opposed to wrapping it up with electrical tape and calling it a day... but again a proper fix is preferred. `Nemesis fucked around with this message at 00:16 on May 15, 2012 |
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May 15, 2012 00:14
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`Nemesis posted:One note: The A/C unit still works. If the risk is minimal and other options do not exist, I am not opposed to wrapping it up with electrical tape and calling it a day... but again a proper fix is preferred. That plug is probably worth $120 on its own, and should trip if arcing, sparking, voltage-dropout, sag, overheating, or ground-fault occurs. If the conductors themselves aren't exposed, then just tape the cord, and trust the plug to do its job.
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May 15, 2012 04:44
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I'll try a Kitchenaid mixer motor question here. Our stand mixer started to make some irregular grinding noises so I figured they put something plastic inside in the drive train and it was failing. This has turned out to be a common enough problem. Having taken it apart I see that the grinding sound is coming from the half with the motor itself in it, and not the drive train. Let's have an onomatopoeia just for good measure. When it's on, I basically expect: whurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr [etc] Instead I get whurrrrgggggrrrrrrggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggrrrgggrrrrrgggggrrr [etc] Looking into the motor, I can see the brushes spark a little during the "ggggggg" part and be generally clean during the "rrrrrr" part. I'm trying to decide if the motor is just screwed. It doesn't feel like there's any friction--regular or sporadic--when I turn the motor shaft manually. I had first assumed the brushes but they at least superficially looked okay. Any advice?
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May 15, 2012 05:03
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Can you replace the brushes?
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May 15, 2012 11:09
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Nemesis - where is the damage in relation to the plug? Right next to it? In the middle of the cord? It may be possible to cut out the damaged section, splice the wires back together & protect the join with heatshrink.
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May 15, 2012 11:36
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The brushes are losing contact. Since they're not doing it all the time, I wonder if you have a failed bearing or mount, making the rotation eccentric. Disassemble and report back.
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May 15, 2012 13:41
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Splizwarf posted:The brushes are losing contact. Since they're not doing it all the time, I wonder if you have a failed bearing or mount, making the rotation eccentric. Disassemble and report back. There's not much to how the brushes are installed in these mixers. They're even accessible right from the outside on either side through two slots that can be unscrewed with a quarter. It's a plastic cap pushing on a spring that pushes on the brushes. Do you mean to go poking around in the motor itself?
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May 15, 2012 16:06
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Well, if the contact is uneven, it's not the brushes. If the spring tension went bad or they wore down, it would be constantly bad. Since the motor is rotating and you have good/bad/good/bad contact, that argues for the motor rotating out of round (eccentrically). Either that or something weird spilled in there on a section of it, but you're probably taking it apart to find out either way. Alternatively, if it's under warranty, you can try that, but I hope it's not a spill in that case (because that won't be covered).
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May 15, 2012 16:18
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Cakefool posted:Nemesis - where is the damage in relation to the plug? Right next to it? In the middle of the cord? It may be possible to cut out the damaged section, splice the wires back together & protect the join with heatshrink. I do have enough room to do that, but it seems that the foil wrapping on the inner insulators is important and I would be concerned about making sure that connection gets re-established. It looks like a foil/plastic type of thing and probably hard to reconnect.
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May 15, 2012 18:38
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Rocko, the motor in my dremel went bad last week, spitting sparks & shrieking intermuttantly. At 30,000rpm it's quite interesting. A teardown revealed there was damage to the surface of the commutator so its wierd it ran okay for the odd second. Anyway, your issue sounds similar. If you can inspect where the brushes touch the commutator you might find damage there. Nemesis, I'm not familiar with that protective device so I withdraw my recommendation to cut out the damaged section cakesmith handyman fucked around with this message at 18:43 on May 15, 2012 |
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May 15, 2012 18:40
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Nemesis, could you post some pictures please? Also, soldering/desoldering are easier than you think. There are tons of tutorials on Youtube.
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May 15, 2012 20:33
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It's a 10- or 12-gauge wire, AC power lines are thick as poo poo; I wouldn't consider trying to cut and solder it. It sounds like he's talking about shielding around the wires, too.
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May 15, 2012 20:40
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