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Crotch Fruit posted:On a less related outlet topic, does anyone know why a lot of hospitals install the outlets upside down with the ground prong at the top of the outlet? The best reason I can think of is maybe if the plug was loose and a piece of metal somehow fell between the outlet and plug it would contact the ground pin first but that just doesn't seem like a good enough reason to install the outlets upside down. The electric code actually doesn't ever mention a 'correct' method of orienting outlets, but the method with the ground prong at the top is the slightly safer one for the reason you mentioned. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 05:48 on Apr 28, 2014 |
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Apr 28, 2014 05:34
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Crotch Fruit posted:If that had grounding plugs that would be a pretty awesome idea, I would love to have an extra outlet without having to resort to either a dongle or a big double-wide outlet cover. Triplexes exist, but they need nonstandard covers.
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Apr 28, 2014 05:46
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So I thought that my 60 year old house was built well and it was just the yahoos who owned it in the meantime were the ones that screwed up all the things wrong with it since then. Well, last summer I was repairing all of the cracks in the concrete on the outside. After 60 years, the concrete foundation of my house had cracked at all 4 outside corners where it met the brick, and injected some polyurethane into every crack to keep them from going anywhere. Anyway, my back door is partially cut out of the foundation and I noticed cracks on either side of it too. So I started cleaning out the crack, getting it ready to shoot in some more polyurethane, when a whole chunk popped off the surface, followed by another one. When I removed them all, I found this: The problem is, I have no idea how I should go about fixing that. I did clean out the crack as best I could and caulked it. Honestly, the caulk for all the cracks wasn't absolutely necessary right now, I just wanted to keep a little problem from becoming a big one in the future.
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May 20, 2014 01:20
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Motronic posted:You found a structural brick. What's the problem? Just parge that section again. Oh good. I just thought my "structural brick" looked very... improvised. I used caulk because these weren't severe cracks at all aside from this one. In fact, this one is the worst by far. They were hairline cracks on the inside with some chunks popping off the surface. I ended up doing damage more severe with the chisel when I tried it on the other cracks. So just pull the caulk out and mortar it all over?
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May 20, 2014 18:05
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Motronic posted:That was my point. It's like rust: what you can see is only the tip of the iceberg. The "damage" was already done, you were just pulling off weak spots that were already bad. You didn't do that damage: water did by getting into the cracks. That's just it, I did a hell of a prep job: prying, scraping, chiseling and wire brushing out every single loose piece I could find along those cracks. When I was done, except the one pictured, all that was left were cracks I couldn't even fit a razor blade in and maybe a 1/8" by 1/8" triangle missing from the surface. That's why this whole "notching out the hairline cracks" business still doesn't sit right with me, but I'll go back and fix them all if you say so. This "V" you're talking about, I assume it's similar to the notch you're supposed to cut out along a crack for hydraulic cement?
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May 20, 2014 22:14
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PainterofCrap posted:This was in a basement in West Philadelphia, and had been like this for at least 20-years. I have no idea where they went or what they powered. Duh. They went to Bel Air. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 00:24 on May 28, 2014 |
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May 28, 2014 00:22
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PainterofCrap posted:I have been saving this showerhead for when money is no object and I have a 100-gallon water heater. They still do! Speakman still makes shower heads, I have one. In fact, the S-2251 is still available.
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Jun 11, 2014 00:21
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djhaloeight posted:some of the walls have a wobble/wave to them if you look lengthwise down them Drywall or plaster? That's common with long walls made of drywall taped ceiling-to-floor. All those layers of mud to hide the tape over the board joints add a slight depth to the wall surface.
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Jun 22, 2014 21:31
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djhaloeight posted:blah blah free electricity. Oh we definitely need a picture of that for this thread. CopperHound posted:Does some drywall not come with recessed joints on the long edge? Or is this more of a case of the tapers not checking their work with a task light after sanding? (Not that I'd blame them for track home work) Nope, none does. All drywall sheets have a cross section of a big rectangle. Anything you slap on top will show up once dry. That being said, for completely new work, it's hardly noticeable unless you get out the light like you mentioned and even less noticeable the more skilled your mudder was. It's more of a problem joining up new work with existing drywall/plaster, especially when that old work has been painted over 50 gazillion times.
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Jun 22, 2014 22:30
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Motronic posted:What the hell are you talking about? Every piece of drywall I've bought in way more than just the last decade has a recess joint. Huh. I never noticed. Actually that would make a lot of sense why I always noticed old work never matching up flush with an new non-cut joint.
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Jun 22, 2014 23:31
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Linguica posted:Huh, you just made me look up "backstab" outlet wiring and it looks like it's pretty universally reviled compared to using the screw terminals. I'm sure I've backstabbed wires when replacing outlets and never even considered it as any worse or better because, like, it's right there on the outlet so why not? If they're generally considered worse, why are they allowed / why do normal consumer outlets have them? Because they save a whole minute? Did you use the actual backstab holes, or was it one where you poked a straight wire under a plate on the side and screwed the plate down? Because those are OK. Also, there's a difference between "UL listed" and "a good idea". For instance, cheater plugs are UL listed. edit: the way I phrased that sounded like "UL listed" is always a bad idea. That's not true. In fact, a lot of the time electrical devices up to code depend on that certification. I'm just saying that it isn't 100% of the time safe and to not take that cert as gospel. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Jun 30, 2014 |
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Jun 30, 2014 06:18
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And now for your viewing entertainment: the coastline of Sao Paulo, Brazil! There are a couple more pictures there too.
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Jul 1, 2014 00:44
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Motronic posted:Yeah, a lot of TVs use switched mode supplies. Just look at the back of it.....the rating plate will tell you what it will take for voltage/frequency. This. If the ratings plate says "100-240V 50-60Hz", then it will work in any plug in the world, with a prong adapter if necessary. Hey, copper pipes are good for grounding!  Also, the I've only red labeled NM I've ever seen like that had aluminum wires. 
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Jul 4, 2014 03:22
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gently caress, my wife showed me a picture of a bridge that collapsed back home in Vietnam the other day after a truck drove over it. Upon closer inspection of the rubble, the concrete was reinforced with... bamboo, not steel rebar. lovely construction is par for the course in the 3rd, err, 2nd world according to her. I need to bother her to find that picture.
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Jul 9, 2014 05:09
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Man, that predatory remodeling guy can't catch a break! Aside from the remodeling crime, a tree falls on his garage, raccoons move in the attic, his replacement basement floor leaks, then he even drops a can of Great Stuff and it ruptures all over the carpet? It's like someone managed to build a house out of Kelsey Grammer's personal life.
kid sinister fucked around with this message at 23:50 on Jul 10, 2014 |
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Jul 10, 2014 23:47
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c0ldfuse posted:I hope you all laughed as hard as I did when I read this in the blog. How do you not just throw yourself off the next bridge at that point (which is something like post 20 of suicide worthy problems). I know I would! Have you guys seen The Incredibles, where Mr. Incredible trips the alarm and is captured by expanding sticky balls fired from cannons? Yeah, "Great Stuff" is exactly like those balls.
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Jul 11, 2014 06:24
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All of you guys wanting to build houses that last a long time are thinking way too high tech: And those have stood for 5,000 years. 
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Jul 14, 2014 21:17
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Yeah, but the roof is clearly going. Give it another 10k years or so and your resale value will be totally shot due to all the deferred maintenance. Yeah, but look at how much acreage you got. It will always be worth something.
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Jul 14, 2014 21:30
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kastein posted:Lot setbacks are insufficient Good luck with fining or arresting a mummy.
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Jul 14, 2014 22:21
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The Human Cow posted:Here's a neat thing I saw today. Hmmm, using the wall itself as the wall plate!
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Jul 15, 2014 02:11
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mind the walrus posted:For the non-handy, can someone please explain to me what the deal with those staircases are? For the first one, there are no balusters on the hand rail. Leaving aside the "sideways exit" danger, that makes for a bouncy hand rail. The second one has cleats, the little pieces of wood nailed into the stringers that are holding up each step. Most stairways are held up by the stringers, which have right angle cuts out of them that the stairs are directly nailed into. With that method, the stringers are directly supporting the weight. With cleats, the only thing holding up the stairs is the nails driven sideways into the stringer. Plus if you look closer, those cleats only appear to be 1x lumber.
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Jul 22, 2014 21:15
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:(thanks again, Motronic!) What he said. I thought I knew a lot of DIY stuff, but you're the man, Motronic.
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Jul 24, 2014 03:48
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His Divine Shadow posted:We still don't have polarized plugs in europe, I dunno it seems there are other just as effective ways to make devices safe. Isn't that because Europe is on 220v, where both legs are hot? In other words, there's no neutral prong to mark as different?
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Jul 24, 2014 19:43
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Arrath posted:I once did some work for a guy who dropped 30k extra to buy a swanky fuckin gate and landscaping for the entire neighborhood to buy his way out of the HOA when he bought his property. He has the right idea. And way too much money, drat. ...but did he give them the pass code to said gate?
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Jul 26, 2014 05:44
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Mercury Ballistic posted:Any idea how it will fare after 50 years? 75? Mine is another 1950s brick and cinder. The biggest thing you need to watch for with any masonry building is cracks forming and mortar falling out. That can all be repaired fairly easily, except for maybe basement wall cracks. Those take a bit more effort to repair and seal properly. The 1950s was the the balancing point for drywall becoming more popular than plaster, so you got a 50% chance of having either. Plaster cracks a bit more easily than drywall, and 6 decades is plenty of time for your house to settle and plaster to start cracking. Still, walls are easy to repair, they just take time and patience. Plumbing might be a worry, particularly drains. That was a popular time for steel pipes, and steel rusts. 60 years of rust can make your pipes narrow and snaggy on the inside. Supply pipes were all copper then, those should all be fine except for things like rubber washers inside valves. Electric should be fine too. Ground wires only first started becoming used in the 1950s, so you might get super lucky and be able to have 3 prong outlets. If you have lots of electric toys, then you might need to split some circuits into 2 circuits (they really liked to overextend circuits back then), or even upgrade your entire service. 60 years is old enough for all your major appliances to have been replaced 1-3 times, so there is no telling how well off your furnace/water heater/whatever are. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 22:15 on Jul 26, 2014 |
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Jul 26, 2014 22:13
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Chemmy posted:Who could expect a house to last forty years with Godzilla around? No kidding, you've got, what? Tsunamis.... Nuclear reactors melting down.... Godzilla....
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Jul 29, 2014 04:18
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Babygravy posted:There's a few new developments of high rise where I live funded by Chinese buyers. The oddest thing I heard is them wanting to skip every level with a 4 in it turning them into dual level apartments, mechanical floors or just renaming the http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraphobia I suppose that isn't too odd. I have been in some older high rises that skipped floor 13.
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Jul 30, 2014 01:30
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Crotch Fruit posted:You forgot the dozer rental. . . Or is that what the 5 ton is for? No kidding. That's not a fixer-upper, that's a blower-upper.
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Aug 14, 2014 02:39
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c0ldfuse posted:My brother lived in a studio while he was teaching English in Korea that had a wet room. Was novel as gently caress until you realize everything in the bathroom gets wet every time you shower, including the toilet (hope you took that poo poo before you showered), so you can't leave anything out. Last year my wife and I stayed for a month in Vietnam and we had a wet room. Yes, everything gets wet, especially when the exhaust fan is broken. Usually they have a plastic cover over the toilet paper or place the dispenser around a corner from the shower head, but if the paper gets wet, you can always use the sink sprayer next to the toilet for your own bidet... They're... different, plus they use cold water.
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Aug 21, 2014 21:22
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MisterOblivious posted:
I liked the exchange on Reddit for that the other day: "That looks awesome. What channel is that 'jellyfish getting electrocuted' show on?" "Every channel."
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Aug 22, 2014 21:27
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Motronic posted:There is nothing hazardous there. So no reason to regulate the hell out of it. Not that that hasn't stopped building/property maintenance codes before. No kidding. If you want to see how dangerous a low voltage shock is, stick a 9V battery to your tongue. Better yet, look up on YouTube how many 9V batteries you would need to attach together to weld with.
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Sep 7, 2014 23:12
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Fruits of the sea posted:
From the thumbnail it looks like they have an eternal flame in their crapper.
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Sep 17, 2014 03:13
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I got a heat gun. I use it for... heat shrink tubing.
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Sep 20, 2014 18:09
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Fo3 posted:I got a heat gun, I use it for nothing. Lighters are tough to use outside on a windy day. Depending on the angle, you can't always cup the flame like smokers do. Even if you get the lighter started, sometimes the wind will still blow all the heat away.
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Sep 27, 2014 18:40
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Collateral Damage posted:Found on imgur: That's not too bad... Either pop the hinge pins out or just unscrew the hinges from the door frame, then maneuver the door around to the right way and put it back on. Plus, you'd better lock that door, otherwise someone is going to jam all of your toes when they come in.
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Sep 29, 2014 18:05
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Leperflesh posted:This also turned out to be a 20A circuit, with correct gauge wire, but with a 15 amp three-prong outlet. FYI that is allowed, due to a 15A outlet not allowing in a 20A plug because of the different prong configuration. Also, there is no mention at all in the code book about the correct way to mount an outlet. It's entirely one's personal opinion. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 00:18 on Oct 1, 2014 |
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Sep 30, 2014 23:51
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Leperflesh posted:If that is true, that is a very dumb reason, because extension cords and octopuses exist. It's trivial to plug enough things into a single outlet to draw more than the 15A rated current. Actually, the code book says that extension cords and multi-outlet adapters aren't allowed for permanent use. Well, multi-outlet surge protectors are allowed to always be plugged in, but that's it. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 01:06 on Oct 1, 2014 |
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Oct 1, 2014 00:52
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MrYenko posted:This is a little outside the norm for this thread, since it doesn't involve horrific construction practices or borderline-dangerous electrical work, but is still horrific in a different way: That's the Good Luck Phallus, put there to wish fertility upon the house, as long as you change the batteries regularly. It's an ancient Czech belief.
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Oct 3, 2014 00:14
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Motronic posted:The insulation on your wires appears to be smelling a but off. Hah, this reminds me of my dad's extension cord that I had to throw away last week. My dad bought it at an auction, and this was a pretty nice cord in its time: 40 feet long, 14 gauge, industrial 3 prong, super thick exterior rubber insulation. The first thing I noticed was that the insulation was cracking around the outlet end, so I decided to take the outlet off and move it back a few inches. When I took the outlet off, I noticed that all the exposed wire insulation was gone. No biggie, I stripped the outer insulation back further. Well, the inner insulation on the individual wires literally flaked off when I touched it. Oh, and there wasn't a ground wire inside either, despite having a 3 prong plug and outlet. Into the trash with the whole thing! It took a long while, but my dad is starting to understand my safety paranoia.
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Oct 3, 2014 03:36
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PopeCrunch posted:I used to have a gig inspecting houses for insurance companies, and "there is a stab-lok panel in the house" was one of the few things that was a nope gently caress you that got a letter of policy cancellation from the insurer. They would literally rather you have multiple holes in the roof, lead paint, and broken or missing blocks in the foundation. Interesting. What about Zinsco panels?
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Oct 6, 2014 23:39
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