Fix It Fast: Start here for DIY help! (You'll know when it's a problem by smell.)

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Fix It Fast: Start here for DIY help! (You'll know when it's a problem by smell.)

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

Thanks to Home Depot selling my information to a third party, I watched a sales pitch for $9,990 worth of water softener, reverse osmosis, ozone generator and a 5 year supply of soap from a brand not sold in any store because it sucks (salesman exact words, "if you don't have a water softener this soap won't work"). I'm livid that Home Depot thinks I would be stupid enough to ever buy that.

That said, Lowes has water softeners for $300-400, and under sink reverse osmosis for a couple hundred, not sure about the ozone generator but I think I can survive without that for a little while. Are water softeners a good decision? All my faucets have a poo poo load of build up. My water is pretty hard according to the salesman test and what all of my neighbors say about the water. I think there could be some value to what the salesman said, but definitely not $10k worth of value.

Are there disadvantages to water softeners? I believe I will need a reverse osmosis system for my kitchen sink andy fridge since i think drinking soft water is unhealthy.

# ¿ Nov 20, 2023 17:08

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 04:33

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

Thanks for the information, I found the CCR, and it does say chlorine is 3.4 (softener guy said anything above 1.5 is bad), hardness is 130 out of 400 and TDS is 380 out of 500. So, I still think it's bad but not terrible, I'm just not going to have rich people hair. Also my city is building a new water treatment plant.

Running reverse osmosis to my kitchen sink and fridge is possible, I have a pex manifold I'm sure I could tap into somehow.

Motronic posted:

And if the decision is "yes, water softener" do not buy a $300 joe homeowner special from home depot. They are garbage.

What is a realistic price for a decent quality water softener? The softener alone (well, plus all the soap, install fee etc) was going to be $6500 and if that is the price then I'm not doing it.

I'm absolutely not buying a Home Depot softener, I want one from Lowes. After 9 years with Home Depot I don't really want to go back in there store again, they gave my personal information away and I got a cal the very day after I ordered a dishwasher. I cancelled the dishwasher and bought the same unit from Lowes instead since Home Depot was unwilling to do anything. Even better, Lowes had a $100 off $800 or more appliance purchases and I told Home Depot about my experience and they didn't care at all to even try to price match Lowes.

# ¿ Nov 20, 2023 19:47

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

Motronic posted:

Like most things water treatment related, they were trying to rip you off. A standard quality media tank with the control head everyone uses along with a brine tank can be had for under $1300. It shouldn't cost more than $2k all in installed including enough salt to last you for your first year.

Of course, you're not likely to find a plumber who's willing to do this depending on where you live because they're all in on the scam too.

(this is the kind of thing I'm talking about : https://www.supplyhouse.com/Pentair-35961-Whole-House-Water-Softening-System-1-5-Cubic-Foot-3-4-NPT-11-9-GPM That is not a recommendation, but an example.)

Thanks! I could swing $2k, but like I said, my city is building a new treatment plant right now, maybe the water will be better. I know one thing, when I grew up in Texas or visit my relatives I have (*would have if I wasn't bald) rich people hair after I shower.

# ¿ Nov 20, 2023 20:02

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

So I'm starting to think the scam was really elaborate. At first, I assumed the science might be true just a ridiculously priced product.

The first demonstration was washing my hands using a bar of soap, and rinsing one hand with soft water and t.other with hard water, allegedly my skin felt softer because hard water minerals were clogging my pores and preventing my skins natural oils from doing their job. The truth looks more like the soft water was not rinsing off all of the soap.

Salesman also claimed store bought soaps include softening agents to help the soap work better, but the chemist in the thread basically said the exact opposite. This explains why I would need to buy custom soaps with my water softener, they are "concentrated" and thus need to be watered down like 10:1 before use (yeah I'm too lazy for that). More likely they probably just want it watered down so that I would use less soap.

The next demonstration involves shoving a corner of one of my clean towels into a flask of water. I can't remember the full magic trick but I think the hard water bottle made a lot of bubbles and changed color because my hard water can't rinse all of the soap out of my towel, but I think the logic there is the opposite of what the chemist said.

Next, I was asked to hold a small amount of water in my mouth to show chlorine absorbing into my body. After holding it for about 30 seconds, a chemical was added which would make chlorine cloudy, original tap water turned cloudy but the water I had in my mouth was not cloudy, allegedly because my body absorbed all the chlorine. I'm not sure how this trick works but I don't believe it was a demonstration of my body actually absorbing chlorine.

Pulling a rabbit out of tap was a genuine magic trick to try to con me into signing the paperwork that very night without googling the price of water softeners.

I'm not certain I need or want a water softener now. I definitely would like to find a way to cut down on all the scale on my sinks, appliances and dishes, and I think a water softener might help with that. I also want my hands to be less dry, I wash my hands A LOT (dog slober + kids constantly asking for snack after snack + snacks for myself etc) and have very dry skin, but I'm not sure a $2000 water softener system is the right solution for my dry hands. Similarly, in the summer I like to swim a lot, and my HOA pool uses salt, and I think my skin feels dry afterwards, is this how my skin will feel after a water softener? I showed after swimming, but often I think my skin feels even more dry after showering.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2023 17:09

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

IOwnCalculus posted:

Nah it's cool just put this in your mouth

Yeah, it was a pretty hosed up experience which I am trying to forget about. It was my tap water, from my sink, into my glass. He couldn't have slipped anything into, my room always spins after drinking a glass of tap water.

To be fair, I thought it was mostly parlor tricks but possibly a tiny bit of real science, now it seems obvious it was all lies. But I still think there could be some benefits to legitimate water softeners.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2023 18:02

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

H110Hawk posted:

Shower before and after getting in the pool - literally wet down your hair, then when you get out do the same. Rinse your hair out and your entire body with water. No soap needed. You will feel better after swimming.

Also you fell hook line and sinker for the shyster you let in your door. Good job not paying them.

With a water softener you can actually use the "one pump of body wash" you see in the commercials, and if you lather your body straight from the bar you're gonna have a bad time.

If hardness is causing problems with scale then sure, soften it a bit, but do it from a plumber who can talk maintenance and how to know if it's working well. Not from someone going door to door. Your local consumer confidence report should help you. Or ask some neighbors who have a basic system like Motronic linked how they like it, what changes they had to make (re: soap/slimy feeling) and how much they pay. You can get salt (either sodium or potassium salts) at Costco.

Thanks! To be honest, the reason I let them in is because they said they were from Home Depot, where I ordered (and cancelled) a dishwasher, and they said they had to do a water test, 30min max. The con artist didn't reveal themselves until 30min before the test when they said they were another company (Home Depot can contract out an water test, right?). I told all of this to Home Depot customer support and they didn't give a gently caress at all, thus I bought and installed a dishwasher from Lowes.

Thanks for your tips, I didn't know you could adjust the level of softening on a water softener. I will look around and try to find a supply house and/or legitimate plumber if I go with a water softener. I think the biggest thing is I should wait and see if the city's new treatment plant makes the water any better or not, so I've at least got time to save up for a system if I go that route.

Not Wolverine fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Nov 21, 2023

# ¿ Nov 21, 2023 19:15

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

H110Hawk posted:

I don't know what they are installing but I imagine it's not going to gently caress with the hardness / minerality, they're doing like coarse filtration, chlorination, and government mind control serum aka fluoridation. You can probably look at the plans.

Either way, that scam artist worked - they have told you a solution to a problem you didn't have bev they walked in the door.

My city is abandoning the current 80 year old water treatment plant and building an entirely new facility so I think the water quality might possibly change. Granted, the water is all within spec now so maybe it will be exactly the same, but I still think it would be a good idea for me to wait and see what the water is like.

On the other hand, the mayor told his golf buddies he was going to be very nice to them for a very long time before he awarded them the bid, so maybe the new water plant is yet another scam. I know the old facility did not have any available land nearby to expand. :iiam:

Not Wolverine fucked around with this message at 21:44 on Nov 21, 2023

# ¿ Nov 21, 2023 21:41

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

Vim Fuego posted:

Yeah. The cheapest ones are like $67 on Amazon, $75 at home depot, $80 at HF. If you can't rent just buy one

I'll second this motion, the cheapest answer might be to buy one from Hazard Fraught and then return it afterwards. This is kinda a slightly morally questionable thing to do, but so long as you're not abusing it and knowingly return a broken tool I personally don't object to it. Drilling 4 holes is more like just a burn in test, if you do release the magic smoke on 4 holes, at least be honest about it being broken when you return it since it's not polite to give the next shopper to get a busted tool.

As for what type of drill to buy/rent, an SDS drill vs a hammer drill is like a Prius vs a Cummins F-350, while technically the Prius/hammer drill can eventually get the job done, you will be laughed off of the construction site for showing up in one. Four 3/8" holes is probably doable with a good rotary, but easily doable with an SDS, let your wallet determine which fate you choose.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2023 14:47

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

I have a bathroom fan that was dripping water, I was able to access the box and found a puddle in the vent hose. I sponged out the puddle and I plan to run the fan more, previously j didn't run the fan while showering. I also suspect it might need a vent cap, but I am not crawling on my roof in sin zero weather so I'm hoping the handyman who comes out Friday will climb up there for me.

That said, this fan is it's own switch beside the light switch, Google search said I can wire the fan to the same switch as the light. My only concern with doing that is simply that the fan is loud, would it be possible to wire it in such a way that it would have a low speed when the light is on, and a high speed when the old switch is on? I doubt that is possible so I think my next best option might be a dimmer switch. I found a couple low high fan switches, but they are decora which I don't want.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2024 17:04

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

Took the cover off, I can confirm there are 4 romex lines for 2 circuits in the fa /light switch box. I guess the easiest option at this point would be to try to find a compatible dimmer, or 2 speed fan switch. 99% certain it's just a regular shaded pole fan motor, it looks exactly the same as the the motor on my desk fan and I didn't see any PCB on the motor itself.

As for the roof vent, I have no idea what it looks like. I might be able to see it from the ground after work, but it will be dark, and even if it is easy to fix j would rather let the handyman company climb up there since it's freezing cold and windy.

At least I doubt it's the roof itself since the roof was replaced 3 years ago by a now defunct LLC. I'm not sure they were the best most honest contractor but st least I haven't yet seen a signs of leaks anywhere else. I don't recall if the roofer mentioned anything about the vent or not. Regarding rainwater coming in, I have not seen rain dripping previously. I think the leaking fan might have sounded louder than the other ones during rain, but that's just speculation since it hasn't rained for months, but it did snow Sunday.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2024 19:36

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

Handyman came and looked at the fart fan. The roof vent is not present, it's just a piece of dyer vent style hose about 10ft long venting into the attic. The handyman said this is legal but he didn't have a solution to the problem besides running the fan more.

I plan to run the fan when showering and afterwards. If it still accumulates moisture, then I think my only future option would be to try to have a proper vent installed. The bathroom on the other side of the house is vented and does not have any moisture problems, but it's my kids bathroom and they do not shower as often or as hot.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2024 17:21

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

PainterofCrap posted:

Better vent them both through the roof before your kid turns 13. Get a bigger water heater while you're at it

Kid's fart fan already has a proper vent up through the ceiling. I suspect it was an aesthetic choice since the roof vented fan is on the back of the house and the non vented fan is near the front of the house.

Water heater poo poo itself a couple years ago, replaced it with the same size unit. It does pretty good supplying heat until the cartridges fail and stop requesting hot water.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2024 17:52

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

I have a spot on my ceiling, underneath a toilet. The good is I'm 99% sure where the cause of the problem is, the bad is this particular space is insulated ("soundproofed").

I think my deductible is a couple thousand therefore I think there is about a small chance that I can either pay out of pocket, or need to to file an insurance claim. Can I open my ceiling and look around before contacting my insurance?

# ¿ Feb 22, 2024 22:09

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

I pulled the toilet, the wax was present but half of the plastic cone in the middle of the wax disintegrated and vanished.

I suspect the floor is hosed, I think the vinyl flooring appears might be bubbling slightly around the toilet. My floor also has a light gray discoloration around the toilet, however the vinyl immediately that was under the toilet is not discolored. If this was mold, wouldn't it also discolor the vinyl under the toilet, at the source of the leak? The surface of the vinyl is dry. The subfloor around most of the flange appears black and felt a little soft.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2024 04:45

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

The seal didn't leave any wax on the flange. I am still concerned because the ceiling discoloration has a few black dots. There is a regular yellow water spot, then a small brown area with a couple black dots,

# ¿ Feb 23, 2024 05:06

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

canyoneer posted:

Is it one of those extended wax rings because the flange isn't sitting at the right height above the finished floor?

I never trust those extra thick wax rings. They're probably fine, but I just don't like them

Above the floor you say? The damned flange is level with the finished floor. The builder mounted the flange to the subfloor and then put a layer of 1/4" plywood on the subfloor to build up the height of the vinyl, and they cut a ring in the 1/4 layer around the flange. I was able to pull up some of the vinyl by hand, because I was tearing off a paper thin layer of the soaking wet plywood build up layer.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2024 13:53

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

I'm 99% certain the builders probably did the same thing in the other two bathrooms. My wife is adamant this must be fixed even if insurance is just going to laugh hysterically at my misfortune, so I'm going to call around and hope I can find someone to come out for an estimate today.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2024 14:55

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

Shitter's no longer leaking!

A contractor came last Friday and tore poo poo out, then took a sample of the vinyl to work on a rebuild estimate. Yesterday I was finally notified that it would be at least two months before someone to come patch the hole.

Not Wolverine fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Mar 7, 2024

# ¿ Mar 7, 2024 17:02

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

PainterofCrap posted:

Where are you located?

Kansas. I've got a new contractor in the picture now so hopefully this will be resolved in less than 2 months. I'm a little amazed they didn't even like try to put a board down over the hole, or at least some caution tape.

# ¿ Mar 8, 2024 04:43

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

PainterofCrap posted:

Uh, yeah; that's hosed up.

Any nearby goons that can help prevent a disaster?

Oh I covered the drat hole myself, I am just kinda livid at the OSHA violation they left behind.

# ¿ Mar 8, 2024 04:54

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

That looks perfectly usable with a flat head screwdriver. Besides the beveled edges, it looks exactly like a Rherm drain valve. https://parts.rheem.com/product/RPD...m0aAqS9EALw_wcB

# ¿ Mar 9, 2024 15:22

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

Kaiser Schnitzel posted:

Do we call this step-sistering instead of sistering? When you find out your dad was a sperm donor and you have a biological sister you have no emotional familial connection to?

It's always wild when people get it so close to right but its incredibly wrong

e: I guess since there's a concrete wall behind it the studs aren't even structural but it still just looks so wrong

I'm not sure that is a load bearing concrete wall. It looks like a concrete wall but there are a few things that seem off. What's going on at the base of the wall, there is a strip of something like right above the sill plate, and the white spots look like it could be drywall paper that came off. Also, why were some of the studs originally doubled?

# ¿ Apr 2, 2024 18:47

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

What parts do I need to fix this? The pipe says 1", how can I add a drain at the low point to prevent this next year? Previously, there was a tee fitting instead of the elbow, and the tee pointed outwards with a reducer that a plug screwed into. I know the size of the plug was the same size as my 1/4" air hose fittings, I haven't found the right search terms to find this type of reducer.

Does the type of PVC cement used matter?

Not Wolverine fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Apr 16, 2024

# ¿ Apr 16, 2024 18:33

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 04:33

Not Wolverine: Jul 1, 2007

TacoHavoc posted:

I would just replace the elbow with a T with the extra leg pointed down. The reducer you want is actually called a pvc bushing, like
https://pvcpipesupplies.com/1-x-1-4-pvc-schedule-40-reducer-bushing-spigot-x-fpt-438-128.html. The other option is to just throw a quarter turn valve on there you can open in the winter.

You can use any pvc cement, the blue stuff is faster setting which is why irrigation and pool guys use it a lot. If you use clear make sure you respect the drying time before use.

Thanks! I will do a tee pointed down with a 1/4 turn ball valve.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2024 20:50

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