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I moved into a new apartment yesterday, and after restoring the lighting and cleaning the poo poo out of it, it's looking a lot better. There's a couple home improvement issues, though:
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Jul 31, 2016 21:09
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porkface posted:Try life without a microwave. As long as you have a stove and an oven you can do anything nearly as fast and it will taste better. I found this out when an outlet in our house fried 2 straight microwaves and we went a year without. The only reason we have one now is excessive amounts of counter space and my wife's love of buttery microwave popcorn. Normally, I agree, but I do use the microwave for smaller things and just generally making frozen meals. It's nice to have one, but economy of space means I'd benefit a lot from mounting it. I might just hire someone to do it. quote:Post a photo of the breaker box, or better yet have it inspected. Proper breakers should let you know when you're overloading a circuit. Are the outlets grounded? Don't have access to the box, at least not that I know of. I'll just have to trust that I'm not running too much at once. The outlets are all grounded, just that there's only a couple of sets of outlets per room and they're all in really awkward places. Some way to run extension cords across the room and stick a power strip on them would suffice. Except in the case of the kitchen, where it might work better to run the cord through the cabinets... Are there like wall-covers or something for running extension cords around a room? quote:Do the floors creak, or is it just stomp stomp stomp? If the latter, then I suggest: Mostly stomp, some creak. Reason I ask is cause my sister and I woke up the boyfriend of the last below us, and the last asked us to try not to make noise (and then gave me beer as an apology  ). Even without shoes, though, it gets pretty stompy. If a rug works, then that'll do. The bathroom and kitchen don't have this problem, since they're tiled.
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Aug 1, 2016 20:29
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kid sinister posted:Extension cords aren't allowed for permanent use, but surge protectors with 8 to 15 foot power cords are. The cable management, I can figure out. I wasn't aware of the difference for permanent use, though. So surge protectors are what I want? Something like this? hogmartin posted:Are they really grounded, or just 3-prong? It's not uncommon to have 3-prong sockets that aren't grounded, especially in a house of that era. You can get a cheap tester like https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/ if you aren't sure. No way of knowing if they're grounded, unfortunately. I'd have to test them. quote:These work well on hardwood floors, I think they're the kind of thing kid sinister is talking about : Thanks, this is the kinda thing I had in mind. The only place where outlets are an issue has rough popcorn/stucco-type walls, so nothing's getting done to those. Things are looking up for this place.  I just need a rug or something.
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Aug 2, 2016 01:56
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If I want to install an air conditioner on a horizontal sliding window, what do I use to take up the rest of the vertical space? Is plexiglass or something good enough? Alternatively, is it possible to buy an AC for a 20-inch window and only install one side of the accordions? I can't quite find any units that fit exactly 20-inches. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Aug 12, 2016 |
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Aug 12, 2016 20:45
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minivanmegafun posted:Yep, you sure can, the accordion is a separate part on most units. Sealing that side of the window will take a little creativity though isn't impossible. I was thinking of just lining the side of the window with the foam ACs come with. Like this: https://www.amazon.com/M-D-Building-Products-2311-Density/dp/B000052030/ref=pd_bxgy_201_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AWJKP44W20CGSVAHEPJG although I don't know how it'd work out immediately. Is there something special I would need?
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Aug 13, 2016 00:35
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I want to install a key lockbox for friends, family, etc. to come by if I need them to check up on my apartment/petsit. I have the option of either mounting a lockbox on the outside/vestibule wall via screws, or using a magnetic lockbox to stick on my mailbox instead. Which option should I go with? I feel a little worried that my landlord would be kind of annoyed at me installing a key lockbox with screws outside my apartment, but I don't know if that's a reasonable thing to worry about, and I don't see many magnetic lockboxes out there either. Edit: Problem solved, doorknob lockboxes exist! Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 23:00 on Nov 20, 2016 |
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Nov 20, 2016 21:25
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One of the screws holding a cabinet door hinge in place seems to have failed, and it won’t hold a...what’s the word? Screw-in? The screw moves freely in and out of the wood, I mean, so it pops out if I open the door. How do I fix that?
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Oct 1, 2019 15:28
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Ashcans posted:You can either fill the hole with a wood filler or (cheaper and more convenient) dip a bunch of toothpicks in white glue/pva and stuff them into the hole. Once it's try, you can screw into it again, the filler/toothpicks will give the screw a grip again. Thanks, this worked beautifully! Used Gorilla Glue and some toothpicks and it's like new.
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Oct 3, 2019 02:00
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It's getting cold, and that means I'm turning the heat up again soon. There's still a shitload of dust and crap in the vents, and it blows all over my poo poo when it turns on. The landlord says to just run it and get it all out of the system - will that work, or do I need to do something more drastic?
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Oct 4, 2019 01:51
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Is there something I need to do for a dishwasher after the water heater gets replaced? My landlords installed a new one recently, and my dishwasher stopped getting any water afterwards. I made sure that the water intake valve connected to the dishwasher (the one under the sink) was completely open by screwing it all the way to the left, but no dice. Letting it run afterwards hasn't changed anything, it sounds like it's just either blasting air or not blasting anything at all. I can't find much on the internet about post-heater replacement steps, so maybe something got damaged during the replacement? Even though the water heater is way far away from the dishwasher. What can I do to diagnose the issue? It's an Amana dishwasher, if it matters. Things I checked: - Door is not obstructed and the normal cleaning cycle does engage - Float moves up and down freely - Other faucets are no longer pushing any air bubbles through - Water valve from water pipes to dishwasher is completely turned counterclockwise, to the left (I assume that means it's open)
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Nov 17, 2019 16:21
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Nevets posted:Pour a gallon or three of water back into the spout on the bottom. If the washer isn't used for a while and completely dries out it stops being able to pump water. Yours probably was drained / dried completely when they replaced your heater. You mean the drain thing under the arms? I'm not sure which spout we're talking about here.
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Nov 17, 2019 18:45
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Yeah, I'm a little confused. I assume we're not talking about the drain here (the mesh at the bottom), since the water would just drain into the same place the dishwater goes without being used to wash. And from what I know of how dishwashers work, it pulls cold water from the same source as the sink faucet, heats it, and sprays it. Not sure where kickstarting comes into play. EDIT: Pouring a couple gallons of water into the drain didn't do much. It pooled on top of the drain until I closed it and tried to run the cycle again, where the water got drained out as normal. Still no water from the jets as far as I can tell. I assume the problem here is that there's no water coming through the vents on the side. If I understand correctly, that water comes into the dishwasher via the water inlet valve, which as far as I know hasn't changed or been adjusted at all between now and when the heater was replaced. I would try and inspect it, but I have no idea what I'd be looking for anyway, and there's a bunch of scary "ELECTRICAL SHOCK WARNING" signs all over it behind the bottom panel. I don't know how the water inlet valve would be affected by the water heater replacement and the air bubbles that form as a result - could that have potentially broken it? EDIT 2: More info, the same water pipe/lead that (AFAICT) feeds the dishwasher also feeds the hot water for the nearby faucet. Closing that lead stops hot water from coming out of the faucet, opening it brings it back. Neither position does anything for the dishwasher. Both leads feed from the same splitter from what seems to be the hot water pipes. The faucet works, the dishwasher doesn't. I am at a loss. Tried putting some tissue paper in the water grate inside the dishwasher, tried running a cycle. Tissue paper did not move from the valve, so that implies that there's no water exiting the grate. The only thing I can think of is that the inlet valve is hosed somehow, but inspecting it requires killing the power to the dishwasher and 1. the breakers are unlabeled so I have no idea what's kitchen and what's not 2. the dishwasher seems to be permanently connected to the electricity so there's no unplugging it, so I'm hosed. God dammit. F it, I'm asking the landlords to send maintenance people. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Nov 17, 2019 |
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Nov 17, 2019 19:05
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Nevets posted:Pour a gallon or three of water back into the spout on the bottom. If the washer isn't used for a while and completely dries out it stops being able to pump water. Yours probably was drained / dried completely when they replaced your heater. The more I look around on the internet and research how dishwashers work, the less and less sense this makes. I have no idea what you're referring to here, nothing I can find matches up to this description.
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Nov 17, 2019 20:05
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Motronic posted:Don't sweat it - it doesn't make any sense. But the same feed gets hot water to my kitchen sink and to my dishwasher, as far as I can tell. At the point where I'm under my sink, shutting off the feed stops hot water to my faucet, and opening it back up returns the hot water to my faucet. There's a line that's T'ed off of the hot water line that goes into my dishwasher, and it does not fill. That would imply that the problem is either at or past the splitter leading to my dishwasher. It might be the "some crap got into the feed line" part, though I'm not 100% sure. Yeah, gently caress it, I'll email them. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Nov 17, 2019 |
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Nov 17, 2019 21:39
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PainterofCrap posted:All of my supply lines are copper. Sometimes, a bead or three (or some flux paste that reconstituted itself when cold water hits it) winds up downstream. There is likely a screen filter on the intake side of the valve solenoid...try unscrewing the line at the solenoid & see if you get flow. Can I do that without having to take the dishwasher off of the power? I'm blocked on that step.
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Nov 18, 2019 05:53
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PainterofCrap posted:I do not recommend swinging a steel wrench around in the enclosed space of the underside of an energized dishwasher; however, if you plan to forge ahead, note where the electrical supply comes into the unit (usually a small junction box at the front of the unit, should be one of the first things that you see when you pull the front panel) and avoid sticking tools in it. Yyyyyyeah I’ll let maintenance handle this. Thanks tho! Should be useful if I ever own a house. Edit: main reason I’m not willing to handle this is because I see no power switch or power plug for the dishwasher, so it’s probably hardwired. Dealing with that sounds awful as an untrained individual. Killing it either requires removing the dishwasher and some electrician-only steps, or flipping all the (unlabeled lol) breakers and hoping that the dishwasher also dies. I might just flip the breakers when I get home. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Nov 18, 2019 |
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Nov 18, 2019 13:54
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My nightmare scenario is I flip a breaker, I confirm that the dishwasher has no power by trying and failing to turn it on, and electrocuting myself via some charged up power or whatever. When I put it that way...maybe I’ll wait for maintenance after all.
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Nov 18, 2019 19:17
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My gas furnace has a large set of screws of some sort that have a roughly 1-inch wide straight (i.e. not Philips) head on them securing the front panel. It looks like they're meant to be unscrewed with some sort of coin or something, but two of the screws are so tight that they're nearly impossible to actually remove without something that has more leverage than a screw. Are there any heavy duty tools that can remove screws that look like large versions of these? I was not the one that installed the gas furnace, if it matters.
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Dec 7, 2019 19:48
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Is there like, a lever or something you can use for a screwdriver then? Cause those are pretty loving stuck on there. And no, I'm not turning the wrong way.
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Dec 7, 2019 21:52
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Not really hardware, but house-relevant. I had a stain on my mattress, and through the advice of the internet, poured some vinegar on it. Now the stain itself is gone, but it left a gross-looking ring like three times as large: Why did this happen? I thought vinegar was supposed to get stains out! How do I remove this ring thing, and also the vinegar smell? Ashcans posted:I am not an expert but I feel like taking a torch to your gas service is maybe not a good approach for amateur home repair. I needed to check and if possible replace the filter. I don’t see any other place for a filter other than inside the furnace itself. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 13:56 on Jan 10, 2020 |
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Jan 10, 2020 12:57
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I have been informed that I’m not supposed to literally dump vinegar onto a mattress so there’s that fuckup.
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Jan 10, 2020 14:00
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Fuckkkkkkk. I guess that makes sense. Alright, I’ll give the vinegar spray + rubdown a shot. If it doesn’t work, I’ll try an upholstery cleaner. Thanks!
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Jan 10, 2020 14:59
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H110Hawk posted:Once you have it dry put a mattress protector on it, then a fitted sheet over that. Et voilà: the stain is gone. It’s still there and it’s still ruining my OCD 
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Jan 10, 2020 15:55
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 gently caress  how do I fix this?
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Apr 15, 2020 22:18
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Is that a countertop? You can probably epoxy the chips back in, and maybe use some kind of putty + sanding to fill in the cracks? Or maybe you can get white epoxy (or white coloring for regular epoxy) and use that as the fill. Yep, countertop. Any directions on using that? I don't know where to start.
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Apr 19, 2020 18:15
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In the past couple days, I’ve seen a handful of solitary big black ants with thin waists, the ones that look like dumbbells. I assume those are carpenter ants, and the house my apartment is in is certainly old and lovely enough to have them. They commonly show up around May, and they’re just about on time this year. I’m renting, but my landlords suck, so I’ll alert them while also pursuing my own options. Any tips on finding where they’re coming from/preventing them from coming in? Edit: if it helps, it’s not just my apartment. I’ve seen them in the hallway too. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 20:04 on May 8, 2020 |
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May 8, 2020 19:59
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That...will be tough, I think. I can try, though. Prolly gonna look for a better place next year tbqh.
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May 8, 2020 20:49
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Anybody have any idea how to get the grill off of this thing, or maybe take it off the wall? And/or how to clean and empty it?     This is one of the heating supply vents to the apartment and it's completely disgusting, full of dirt and dust and probably caked in mold. I want to get rid of the crap stuck in it, and I've been trying to take it apart so I can get at it all. You'll notice some of the screws have lot a bit of the paint, and that's cause I took them off once. But I don't think the screws actually do anything, cause nothing loving changed when I undid them - the thing is still completely and utterly stuck. I tried unscrewing the one in the very middle, but it just kinda spins in place and does nothing. How do I clean this thing out? Pipe cleaners? Paperclips? A jigsaw?
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Oct 12, 2020 19:19
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Oh I don’t give a poo poo about the paint, it should have never been painted over anyway. I’ll try working it over with a razor, but the screw in the middle I have no idea what the gently caress, cause it’s not coming out and it would stop the cover from coming off. Maybe I’ll work it even further...it’s a screw, so as long as I keep trying to turn it left, it’ll come out, right?
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Oct 12, 2020 21:29
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Naw, I mean it like gets stuck at some point when I’m turnjng it left. Prolly just needs more force.
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Oct 12, 2020 23:10
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It looks like it actually might be the latter! Absolutely not a heater or a fan, looks to be some sort of knob for opening or closing the vent somehow. There's definitely no cover to speak of, I think I'd have to take the whole thing off. I'm considering doing that, actually, but I have no idea how. I get that this is technically the landlord's problem, but the landlord is effectively absent and is not conscious of anything going on with this property, really. So I think I'm going to just rip this out and replace it because I hate this loving apartment so much I want it to die a horrible death. How do I get rid of this thing?
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Oct 13, 2020 03:00
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I had a big ol' post typed up and then I hit back and I lost it all. gently caress. But I got the cover off, and I cleaned out all the dust bunnies and hopefully I'll sneeze less this winter. ---  I still need some advice. There was a register here. It's gone now. Well, I put it back afterward, but it wasn't actually screwed or otherwise secured into the wall, just glued (taped?) onto it.  Raggedly glue seal on the right of the register.  Sorry, you're gonna have to tilt your head. The register when reinstalled. Identical to how it was before, but the glue/tape seal is obviously broken. (Those screws don't actually do anything but screw into the ground, they're just to prevent the register from moving forward.) Not like this register was actually properly sealed before, cause the corners are sagged in and I had to plug them up with foam. So, you know. Penis. This is godawful construction and I hate it and I want to make it not suck. What's the best way to replace this piece of poo poo and actually affix it to the wall, with proper sealing? Do I need a replacement like this? If so, what's my best option for installing this? Should I maybe just say gently caress it and buy a caulk gun and glue it back because I hate this apartment and I hope it burns down after I move out? Should I challenge my landlords to mortal combat with the deed to this dungeon on the line? Should I just buy my own loving house at this point because I have more household experience than some trust fund dipshits playing at feudalism????? Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Oct 13, 2020 |
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Oct 13, 2020 04:15
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Also should I be worrying about getting lead poisoning from all this paint dickery I'm removing? I'm washing my hands but I sure do hope I'm not inhaling lead dust.
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Oct 13, 2020 04:23
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 how long have i been living in a poisonous hellhole then oh god im gonna die and/or become a boomer
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Oct 13, 2020 06:19
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Yes, yes, I know. I would like advice on the above vent thing, though.
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Oct 13, 2020 19:20
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 11:44 |
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kid sinister posted:Registers don't seal too tightly. You're over thinking this. Just put it back and screw it to the wall. Baseboard registers like that used long rear end screws in the holes on either side to attach to the wall. Sounds good to me. The one problem is that loving weird setup where the wall has like a chunk cut out of it - I might need to screw a piece of wood to the wall or something to get it to stick via the screws. Bah, I’ll figure it out. Elviscat posted:Wear a respirator if you have one, but if you're not making paint dust you're not inhaling lead. I had to scrape off paint to get at these screws, but it’s definitely recent paint - this whole place used to be purple instead of white. Maybe since it’s new paint there’s no lead. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Oct 14, 2020 |
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Oct 14, 2020 15:02
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