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EssOEss posted:I've got really cheap laminate flooring in a fairly large large area (living room + hallway + kitchen area all one connected floor). The problem is that in summer, it expands and because the builders did not leave enough expansion space near the walls, the floor pops up and becomes wavy. I imagine the size of the floor area and the corners/walls in various places also componds the issue - it's not a simple rectangle. Sounds like you have a floating floor that's not floating. The problem with pulling up boards to do this is that 1.) you'll only get 2 sides of the room done that way and 2.) The side they started with will likely be difficult to remove and replace without breaking tabs because the tabs go in the other direction. One way to go about this would be to remove the quarter round from around the room and cut back the floor in place with some sort of rotary cutter like a Dremel. How much to cut back is the real question. I've seen many floating floors put into large areas that buckle just like yours because they were cut close enough hide the edge under 1/2" quarter round. Chances are good that's what you have, and you can just throw it away once you pull it up: you're gonna need some bigger stuff like 3/4". The bigger the floor area, the bigger gap you need. It's tough to suggest how much to cut without an idea of how big the room is, how much the floor buckles at it worst, and what your flooring is made of (some of the really cheap stuff is very flimsy particle that picks up humidity). Also of concern is whether a proper vapor barrier was installed (if this floor was put on a slab) and if a proper underlayment was installed to allow the floor to float properly (some of the cheap stuff has this permanently attached to the floor). If you could get one side up and lift a single board it would tell you a lot. Getting all the quarter round up and seeing the gaps may tell you even more. You might even get lucky and find that a small section is flush with the wall and you only need to trim that part, either on an end of a long side.
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Feb 25, 2011 20:43
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Richard Noggin posted:A toe-kick saw would be perfect for this. A Dremel isn't nearly big enough for the job. (S)he should be able to rent one, or, worst case, Harbor Freight has one for about $70. Absolutely on the toe-kick saw. I couldn't remember the name of it. But you'd be surprised what you can do with a Dremel on one of these reconstituted sawdust floors. Any rotary tool can rip right though them with the appropriate bit. The better materials take a bit more oomph.
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Feb 26, 2011 18:13
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jackpot posted:the bottom ten inches or so is unusable due to the sludge that tends to accumulate on the bottom. If you let the furnace start sucking in that sludge it gums up the works and wham: no heat, call the repairman. That sludge usually starts as water from condensation inside of the tank, and is the number one problem with those goddamn outdoor tanks. Do you have a valve on the bottom of it? If so, you can open it to check for water and drain off that ungodly mix of water/sludge/oil. Sure, you could have someone come out and clean the tank, but its going to be expensive to do it right (empty the whole thing, send the contents to recycling, clean the tank, re-fill it) and it's just going to happen again and again. Also, I'm assuming you have a good screw-on type filter on the line inside of the house. If you don't: get one. And spare filters. Some people even put another filter or a water separator in front of that. Have spares of your filters and know how to change them. You can save yourself the repair call. If you don't have the space inside and want to keep the oil heat my only suggestion would be to look into an underground tank. Floating suctions and "tank mittens" either don't work well enough, or simply not at all in some situations.
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Mar 2, 2011 22:42
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VikingKitten posted:I backed in to the garage door last night and dented the bottom panel. The bottom panel is off the rail. It's a cheapie Sears door. Can I replace the bottom panel myself? Should I, shudder, call a Sears repairman? Or just buy a new door? Argh. While you CAN replace it yourself, be aware that you really do need to know what you're doing. The springs/counterweights are attached to the bottom panel and will mess you up big time if you don't remove and replace them properly. You need to be both sure of what you are doing and careful. Once those are off, it's an easy job.
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Mar 19, 2011 15:01
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SkunkDuster posted:I didn't explain myself well, sorry. What I'm looking for is something that is a bit nicer looking than toe nails on the top and L brackets on the bottom. I have a hammer drill, lag shields, and wood screws of every shape and size, so the fastener part isn't a problem. I was thinking along the lines of L brackets on the bottom then making some trim out of lumber to hide the brackets, but was wondering if there was some premade brackets available that would be easier and last longer. Just go with the ugly, use a 4x4 post, and put some post cladding up over it. You should be able to find a footer section to cover any reasonable bracket, and you should also be able to find any color you want. Vinyl post cladding is your best friend in this type of situation.
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Mar 24, 2011 19:24
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Poknok posted:One of my tenants was a smoker and he left the apartment with slightly yellowed walls from tobacco smoke. The yellowing is insignificant, but here and there are smudges on the walls (unrelated to smoking) that need to be painted over. I'm afraid that if I cover the smudges with fresh white paint, it'll stick out like dog's balls. Is there a quick remedy for this? It makes no sense to have the entire apartment painted over, plus, I'm strapped for cash. Help? Have you tried a Magic Eraser/Easy Erasing Pad (big white foam thing). You should be able to find one in a grocery store or a hardware store. Just barely wet it and give it a shot. I'm assuming you're asking because this is something other than gloss paint. It its gloss, just scrub it. But it's probably matte/semi/whatever, so try the eraser.
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Mar 25, 2011 21:05
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eddiewalker posted:I'm trying to rescreen my front door, armed only with Youtube instructional videos, but the old "spline" that jams into the channel to hold the screen material is in square, flat plastic strips unlike the round plastic "string" I see in the hardware store. Its also like 3/8" wide so the roller tools I see don't look like they'd work. Sounds like you have flat spline. If you can't find the right tool for it, you should be able to put it back in the the handle of a screwdriver anyway. Just pry it up, replace the screen (get a screen roller to help push the screen into the channel) and then shove the spline in, either with a proper wide spline roller or by slowly working it in bit by bit with the back of a screwdriver or similar. I find the flat spline easier to work with for someone who only does this kind of thing occasionally. The guys who know what they are doing seem to prefer the round spline and can absolutely fly through jobs with it.
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Apr 15, 2011 19:40
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:The only people who seem to be at all decent marking is Natural Gas. Unless you live in a place where plastic gas lines from the 80s are buried. They put metal tracer tape around them so they could locate them with a metal detector which has pretty much all rotted off by now. I went through a fun summer of responding to gas leak calls when they were installing new water lines in my town that had a mostly late 70's to early 80's gas line infrastructure. Every. drat. Weekday. Morning. For months.
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Apr 16, 2011 04:36
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Phummus posted:I'm installing a Basement Watchdog backup sump pump in my new (new to me) house. That's probably not a good idea, and probably not to code. Why not just drain the condensate into your sump hole (if that's allowed in your jurisdiction) and pump it out with your sump, using the now-former condensate line to the outside? This reduces the complexity of the system (check valves) and reduces the chance that you're going to end up with a clogged check valve causing problems for you when you least expect it.
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Apr 28, 2011 17:29
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Rhiley posted:It looks like you can go to home depot and get 4 pounds of damp rid for $10 which stacks up pretty favorably to buying generic online. But 4 lbs of damp rid can only remove about 1/2 a gallon of water from the air. Ever run a dehumidifier? You're talking GALLONS a day in most places.
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May 2, 2011 21:30
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fuzzy_logic posted:tl;dr: how do I get screen mask off a silk screen without destroying it? Does the paint you used list a solvent? What do they suggest you clean it up with? It's likely acetone will take it off. I remember using that years ago on screens (it was pretty typical at the time) but I believe commercially there are safer/less toxic alternatives now.
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May 31, 2011 15:56
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King Nothing posted:
I'm not from the area, but it was my understanding they were not sealed at all.......that's how you get that nice classic weathered look you see all over the southwest. They look great as they are. Do people really seal them? And, if so....what do they end up looking like?
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Jan 2, 2012 17:05
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Mr. Crow posted:Not sure where to ask this, but how much loss would I expect (if any) from connecting a bunch of generic cable (tv) wires together via female-to-female connectors? Just moved, I have a bunch of random cable wires, trying to decide if I should just connect them all together to wrap a cable around the living room edges or buy a really long set of contiguous wire and trash the old cables. If you get an appropriate signal you get an appropriate signal (the beauty of digital). No one can really answer this as we don't know how good it is at your service entrance or how crappy the cables are that you might be using nor how much loss the F to Fs you find may induce. Most cable modems/routers have a diagnostic page you can get to so see relative signal strength. If it's good enough it's good enough, but that's entirely dependent on a lot of things. You could use the exact same cable, connectors, and modem in a different house and have the opposite results depending on the relative gain at the service entrance. But, yes, the fewer connectors the better assuming you aren't substituting really crappy wire for high quality patch cords and F to Fs. But better doesn't mean faster. It just has to be good enough to work consistently. Anything past that doesn't matter.
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Jul 2, 2013 01:48
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Oxford Comma posted:So my dishwasher seems to be broken. It doesn't clean anything. Water runs, but it appears that it just rinses and doesn't do anything else. How do I troubleshoot what the issue is with this? Digital control panel or old style rotary cycle knob? Does it sound correct when it runs and/or does the cycle last as long as it should? A make and model number would help also (usually found on a sticker inside the door).
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Jul 5, 2013 21:15
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Oxford Comma posted:Its a digital control panel. As far as I can tell, it sounds correct and runs for a fully cycle. So by "appears to just rinse" do yo mean there is still soap in the dispenser cups on the door? Anything wrong other than low input water temperature/pressure and not loading the racks properly (cover up the soap cups and it's not gonna come out) should end in an error code/flash and beeping on a unit like that.
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Jul 6, 2013 15:36
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PainterofCrap posted:- improper rack loading (really?) Yes, really. If you load the racks so it can't spray onto the door cups many kinds of detergent won't come out. When you read "improper" in this context it's either totally bonheaded loading or gross overloading. That's one of the reasons I specifically asked if there was still soap in the cups. PainterofCrap posted:- no air gap and/or no high drain loop I don't see how any of the air gap stuff applies. I believe you that it's listed as a possible cause in the manual, but that effects drainage. Unless this thing isn't draining properly it's unlikely to be related and I'd think the complaint would be parts of the bottom rack not getting clean or leaking out of the door seals (or the tub full when it's opened for those that don't run a dry cycle). PainterofCrap posted:Low water pressure my also be due to restricted delivery to the pump due to a clogged intake. The screen is usually located underneath the lower spray arm at the bottom of the tub. If they didn't know that they need to clean this it's a reasonably likely cause.
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Jul 6, 2013 17:27
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Is there any reason you aren't just bringing the entire wall out the extra 3/4" with furring strips or similar (or is that a 2x I'm looking at..I can't really get a scale)?
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Jul 7, 2013 01:23
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ohjoshdarnit posted:You're close- its about 7/8". I could bring it out more but I'm only replacing the wall up to the height I want to tile to - 52". If I did this I'd need to pull off the rest of the drywall up to the ceiling and redo it. Sounds like a job for 1/4 and 5/8 pieces of drywall (or 1/4 strips with 5/8 on top) to make up the difference to the ceiling. That leaves you with one ceiling joint and whatever else on the wall. I may be fundamentally misunderstanding this because I haven't seen the overall picture, but in general I would always try to avoid hinky poo poo on the walls, and especially when it ends up making ledges that end up being dirt (and even worse in a bathroom...water) magnets.
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Jul 7, 2013 04:04
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ohjoshdarnit posted:Good idea, thanks.. I didn't think of varying the thicknesses of the wallboard. That may work. And reading this the next day I'm just making sure you know I didn't mean drywall and meant green board or similar. But you're far enough into this that it looks like you know what's up, and also based on your phrasing in the reply.
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Jul 7, 2013 16:16
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stubblyhead posted:A multimeter will test your voltage, but doesn't generate any load (pulls very little current) so it's possible that when that circuit is under load its voltage is dropping for some reason. I can't really think of what would cause that to happen that would be limited to that circuit/outlet. And that can be tested by testing another outlet in that box (or using a power strip if there is only one) while to roaster is going. This will give you your voltage sag. Then test on a completely different circuit in the house with the roaster running to see if the sag is present there as well.
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Jul 17, 2013 20:11
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hooah posted:My wife and I just moved in to an apartment that has an old (i.e. yellow-was-in old) dishwasher. Do you mean harvest gold? Because if it's harvest gold it's so old it needs a new rubber everything, and none of those parts are available anymore because it's ancient in dishwasher terms. Maybe you can find a nice avacado refrigerator to put it next to in the scrap yard.
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Jul 23, 2013 02:16
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kid sinister posted:And you are correct, gravity fed drainage won't drain upward to a roof, at least not by itself. You would need a pump. You guy have him all set on the condensate pump, but I want to add that I've never seen a standalone AC unit that DOESN'T have a condensate pump built in. They are typically pretty weaksauce, but the manual will tell you what rise they can safely handle. If it's not enough, an external standard condensate pump should be about $50, and you can order them on Amazon and such if you don't have a good supply house nearby.
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Jul 28, 2013 16:02
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eddiewalker posted:3 years. Two years of light single guy use. Are all the things that are supposed to move able to move? Most dishwashers have sprayers that come up through the bottom rack and stuff under water pressure. If one of those is stuck and not extending all the way a simple fix could be to simply pull that crap out a few times until it breaks whatever crust off that's been holding it hostage. Also, have you cleaned out the hell hole in the bottom? Maybe that's just so clogged you aren't getting good waterflow.
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Jul 30, 2013 22:50
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ntd posted:My old dishwasher did that when I used the liquid stuff and the packets that dissolve. I switched to the Finish tablets and they worked perfectly though, I just went with it and assumed it was some issue with my hard water. My dishwasher used to do that no matter WHAT I used in it before I put in a water softener. Of course, my water is hard enough that you'll get a concussion while taking a shower. (seriously....pre softener with a totally clean and dry sink you could wash your hands once and then it would have white crap in the bottom as soon as it dried)
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Jul 31, 2013 01:07
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socketwrencher posted:Got a sloped backyard that I'm trying to de-weed. What are you trying to get at here? As in, what's it supposed to look like once it's been "de weeded"......because it's certainly not going to stay that way if it's just dirt regardless of how thorough of a job you do. Is this going to end up being replanted with grass? Landscape beds?
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Aug 4, 2013 18:11
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socketwrencher posted:All options are being explored, and plans are in flux due to a variety of circumstances. This discussion is very helpful and appreciated. I'm not one to use a lot of chemicals unless they're really necessary, but this sounds like a job for some 2,4-D and glyphosate (50/50 mixture). It will need to be reapplied probably monthly. The only other chemical option that would last longer is Gramoxone, which I absolutely do NOT suggest in this situation. If/when you decide to seed any part of a yard that has been treated with 2.4-D and/or glyphosate you should be safe within 10 days to do so. socketwrencher posted:On a different note, we used diatomaceous earth (food grade) in a dirt crawlspace and got rid of a huge community of fleas. So much better than pumping in chemicals. We tried bowls of water with a bit of liquid soap, and those sticky traps that come with a small light bulb, and they both worked in a limited way, but the D.E. seems to have completely resolved the issue. DE is awesome. I keep a sock full of it in my greenhouse. Yes, a sock. Hold it over where you need it and tap/shake. It's a perfect dispenser.
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Aug 4, 2013 18:44
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Tourette Meltdown posted:Is there a better way to break up and remove a 1-3" thick cracked concrete pad (about 10' by 20') than renting a jackhammer and going to town? About a third is salvageable and will stay there as a small patio, but the rest needs to go. I don't think there's any rebar or support mesh or anything in it. Better than a jackhammer? No. Possible to do without one? Sure. You've seen old prison movies where the inmates punishment is to break rocks all day with a pick? You could do that. Also, you'll need to saw cut at the section you want to keep. Tourette Meltdown posted:Related, what's the best way to till up the ground under the pad once it's up? Basically our back yard is a mess and it would be cool if we could tear it up this winter to seed/plant in spring. We have a small gas-operated tiller, but this is going to be hard frozen red clay compacted by concrete sitting on it for 60 years. If it's really all red clay you don't need to break it up so much as you need to get rid of it and put down some topsoil What size of an area are you talking about? If it's small you can beat it into submission with a digging bar and a shovel. If it's a significant size it's worth the money to rent a bobcat (or hire someone with one). You'll need a topsoil delivery anyway, and also somewhere to put all that concrete and clay. Having a machine around will speed up the process immensely. Also, fall is the perfect time to get new grass started. Much better than spring. By next summer you can have a great law there if you do the right stuff.
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Aug 8, 2013 13:46
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Tourette Meltdown posted:I think the section we want to keep is fairly well preserved just by not being broken up with tree roots, but I didn't think about having to saw it. That's a good point. It will still work in the spring, just not quite as well. So if you can't get to it by the fall it's not a big deal. That's just the optimal time to seed, and most people don't know that. And, yeah....depending on concrete depth and what else you find under there you may be down far enough to just top dress it.
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Aug 8, 2013 15:54
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grapey posted:This may not be the place to ask, so if not, let me know and I'll remove this. A lot of that depends on how far you are from a quarry (hauling fees) but figure that they need to lay fabric and spread all of this stuff so it's going to be about 10 man hours. So figure $350-500 at least depending on the market out there (for labor). This is assuming the best case scenario job site.
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Aug 10, 2013 13:18
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stupid puma posted:I've cut open walls with a sawzall and a drywall blade before without any problems. Is that not a preferred method? Once you go rotozip you never go back.
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Aug 13, 2013 18:38
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dwoloz posted:I bought one second hand but never use it; just doesn't seem to have a suited task. If I want to cut a hole in drywall, I grab a jab saw. If I want to cut a hole in wood, I grab a jigsaw. I bought one when I was putting low volt rings into a combo drywall and plaster/lathe building. I'm not sure what else I would have used on the plaster walls. Since then, it's just a useful go-to tool for that stuff. I suppose it depends on what you are doing and if you already have power around, but I'll sure as hell never jab saw another hole for a can in a ceiling again. Also, having "no brainer" depth control is quite useful.
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Aug 13, 2013 20:20
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canyoneer posted:Let's talk garage door openers. Cheap garage door openers aren't rated for that kind of duty cycle with the typical weight of the doors they are attached to. You put it in thermal fault and it shut off to protect the motor from getting spanked. Now that you've actually lubed it properly you should readjust it so it doesn't crush a car/child/whatever if things go sideways.
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Aug 19, 2013 17:32
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Walked posted:New house question. In the process of buying this home, 1925 built with a number of issues that I'm entirely comfortable with and expected from the onset. Where does the pipe go? Sounds like it's being used for the correct things, it's tied into in an ugly patch-and-fix way. It's obviously old and metal and probably should be replaced. And contractor with a mini-excavator can do that job in no time, depending on how far the pipe goes. It would likely get replaced with something like schedule 40 PVC, depending on what it might run under and how deep it goes.
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Aug 19, 2013 18:44
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Walked posted:Should I go my anticipated route an have it camera inspected, or just start getting quotes for replacement? I don't know that it's worthwhile to have it inspected based on how it looks. If it's not partially collapsed/rotted out now it will be soon enough. And, really......if you can run a hose through it for 15 minutes and have it not back up it's probably good enough for now. Just something to put on your to-do list. Someone with a track hoe and other equipment required to replace that would be in a position to do things like removing old tree stumps, extending/expanding a driveway, bringing in soil for a new garden or landscape beds, etc (if you need and/or are interested in any of those kinds of things). Maybe you can batch up your earth moving jobs and get them all done at once.
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Aug 19, 2013 19:53
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nwin posted:All I can guess is ballast? How much to replace one of those? I'm assuming it's not old enough to have a starter, so yeah. And if it's just a standard ballast it's gonna be under $30. Depending on the fixture it shouldn't be too hard to get at. Just tell the guy at the hardware store what size bulbs (T-8, T-12...whatever) and that it's a double 48" and you'll be handed the correct part (hopefully).
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Aug 26, 2013 06:56
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The Human Cow posted:Every so often my house's air conditioning system will decide that it's really feeling like being a butthole and not work. Usually, there isn't any air coming out of the vents, and the part that's outside goes nonstop. If I don't find out about it for a while, like today, the outside part gets frosty: You are low on refrigerant because there is a leak somewhere. How expensive it will be depends on what is leaking.
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Aug 28, 2013 00:22
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Kaluza-Klein posted:The manual push mower is nice and quiet and seems to be cutting something, but it really isn't getting the job done. I have no idea if this is just a matter of tweaking the blade height or what? It probably just needs to be sharpened. Call around and see who can sharpen a reel mower locally (not all places can). If your yard isn't too big to push that thing through a sharp one will make quick work of the grass and actually cut better than a spinning-blade mower.
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Aug 29, 2013 17:12
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Totally TWISTED posted:I have an Electric AC unit outside of my home, inside my home in the unfinished basement is the gas-powered heater as well as an electric water heater. This picture is of the gas-powered heater (which is right at the junction of all the ducting) today with the AC on, heat off. That is the condensate drain. It is going into a condensate pump, which has a float that makes it turn on when the reservoir fills up and pumps it out to.....wherever the (formerly) clear hose goes. First thing to check is if the condensate pump works. You can just fill it up with water and see if it turns on and pumps. If not, replace it (make sure it is plugged into an outlet that has power first). Any decent hardware store will have one for under $60. If the leaking is from the pipe itself (assuming it's not backed up because the pump isn't working).....which is likely because it looks like it's cracked and most condensate pumps will just leak all over if they fill up.....just replace the whole pipe run. It appears that you have the pretty standard 1" threaded PVC connector connecting to the evap coil. Just get one of those, some 1" PVC and a 90 degree bend along with some PVC primer, PVC cement, and a saw you can cut the pipe with and you'll be all good. This looks like a $20 fix.
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Sep 7, 2013 00:02
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Wagonburner posted:Edit: but I've never seen a pump like that. Anywhere I've ever been there's a floor-drain the ac condensate pipe point into as well as the water heater overheat drain pipe. Yeah....floor drains typically go to the sanitary sewer system, which is not supposed to get condensate put in it (by most codes). Condensate is supposed to be treated like a sump pump (and you'll sometimes find it put into sump holes). That little condensate pump is a bog standard unit that is used on drat near everything (at least near me). Wagonburner posted:Would the water heater drain point just to the floor or something since it's unlikely to ever happen? That's just fine, because not only is the water form the heater from the domestic water source, but it's alson unlikely to happen. Condensate happen all the time and isn't from the domestic water source. (they bill sewer based on on much water you use, so they get pissy about putting water you haven't bought from them into the sewer) Motronic fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Sep 7, 2013 |
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Sep 7, 2013 02:01
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SkunkDuster posted:I know a guy that is selling three pressure washers with bad pumps for $50 for all three. If it's anything like Karchers, a pump is worth more than you'll pay for a used but working full unit. I'd check pricing/availability as well as what they're worth before getting into that.
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Sep 8, 2013 00:53
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