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Perhaps you could tape over the gaps at gas o'clock and cut the tape each morning so you can open the window. Would also work to reseal a full plastic wrap and would be relatively inexpensive.
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Jun 3, 2020 15:12
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Elitist Bitch posted:I live in an urban apartment. My windows are so poorly insulated/sealed I can smell weed, cigarettes, and every restaurant on the block. It's a rental so replacing the windows isn't an option (and we're moving out in four months anyway). The urgency is due to the fact that I have asthma and don't want to breathe in tear gas/pepper spray. Does anyone have any suggestions that don't involve plastic wrapping the whole window (the building has no AC and summer is coming) and is either removable or is something the landlord won't notice? They aren't doing "nonessential maintenance" due to the pandemic so I don't think I'd be able to get them to do anything about this. When I lived in an apartment I used DAP Seal and Peel removable caulk to seal up leaky windows. Once your lease is up you can just peel the caulk out easily. I also used this rope caulk to temporarily seal leaks, it’s like a clay that you push into gaps. This one tends to leave a residue behind when you remove it though. Nothing permanent, but it’s another thing to clean when you’re moving out. https://www.amazon.com/18354-Seal-Removable-Caulk-10-1-Ounce/dp/B001QFZS6E https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-E-O-1-8-in-x-90-ft-Rope-Caulk-Wood-Tone-B2WT/100666131
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Jun 3, 2020 15:13
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I'm looking for some flexible epoxy to use to repair a slash in a plastic panel. Was considering getting West System 650, as I know they are a respected brand, but I'd love to see any recommendations. I already have thickeners and other fillers.
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Jun 3, 2020 19:36
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We have been visited by the travelling kitty pic sixer thread, post for kitty sixers https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3917226
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Jun 3, 2020 19:51
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AFewBricksShy posted:Glue and screw the backer to the plywood. (comb out thinset (get the premixed stuff) onto the plywood and then screw it down with a screw every 8". I'm going to add to this and say that it's really important to use the right screw. Use the screws made for backerboard, not drywall screws. Screws need to be property countersunk so your tile isn't resting on the screw heads. And don't screw to the joists. You want the plywood and backerboard to have the same level of flex, and screwing into the joist will throw that off. There's a minimum coverage that the backerboard wants, so don't tetris a bunch of little pieces to fit around a sink or toilet. You want to make the sheets as big as you can.
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Jun 3, 2020 20:10
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canyoneer posted:I'm going to add to this and say that it's really important to use the right screw. Use the screws made for backerboard, not drywall screws. Screws need to be property countersunk so your tile isn't resting on the screw heads. It's a small bathroom (the tiled area is like 60x66") so hopefully I can get away with just a couple big sheets. The plumbing is weird if you look at the pics but those are the only cuts I am planning on making. Will do with the screws, thanks.
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Jun 3, 2020 22:24
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Deadite posted:When I lived in an apartment I used DAP Seal and Peel removable caulk to seal up leaky windows. Once your lease is up you can just peel the caulk out easily. Rope caulk for joints that need to move, foam tape at the top and bottom of the window, clear silicon caulk (or white if the surfaces are already white) around anything that doesn't move. If you spend some time on the caulk you won't need to undo it (and no one will ever notice). I wouldn't expect anyone to notice the foam tape either. Make sure you caulk around the trim on the windows too, air could be coming in under that. Note that tear gas is powder, and will linger around for several days (or until it rains)
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Jun 3, 2020 22:59
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TheManWithNoName posted:It's a small bathroom (the tiled area is like 60x66") so hopefully I can get away with just a couple big sheets. The plumbing is weird if you look at the pics but those are the only cuts I am planning on making. Self quoting for what NOT to do canyoneer posted:
Very bad planning! 6 pieces, including tiny little 5 inch slivers on the sides and end
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Jun 4, 2020 00:50
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Wow holy poo poo I've never done that and would use 2 close to 1/2 sheets to make it fit better not just drop in tiny slivers those fuckers will be prime for cracking.
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Jun 4, 2020 03:21
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Another subfloor question. So this is the low spot that was right next to the tub. I tore out the thin section and it looks like the 2x4 isn't connected to anything but the other piece of plywood? I have no idea how far under the tub the larger section of plywood goes at this point. My first thought was to replace the 2x with a piece that actually connects to the other 2xs and connect those to the beam on the left. Is that too janky? edit: gently caress is this some beammaster j poo poo what the gently caress McGurk fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Jun 4, 2020 |
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Jun 4, 2020 04:28
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Deadite posted:This is probably a stupid question but can you buy lengths of hose to use as a drain? I bought a dehumidifier that has a hookup for a hose drain, and all the photos just show a cut garden hose. I don’t have an old hose to cut up though. Do I just buy a new hose for this? Speaking of dehumidifiers, one came with my home purchased last fall. Used it the remainder of fall (half of sep, and oct and nov, stopped for winter when it was dry) and starting to use it again now. Only now, for some reason, it keeps icing over. It didn't do that before. The temp in my basement is about the same as it was i nthe mid to late fall, like upper 50's to 60, so I don't think it's too cold down there. I don't want to have to put it on a timer, cause it already just goes on and off based on humidity levels, but even with that it runs forever until it ices so much it triggers some sort of alert.
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Jun 4, 2020 17:44
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DrBouvenstein posted:Speaking of dehumidifiers, one came with my home purchased last fall. Used it the remainder of fall (half of sep, and oct and nov, stopped for winter when it was dry) and starting to use it again now. What do you have the target humidity set at? It's not great if you set that lower than can be (reasonably) achieved by the dehumidifier. That is, it shouldn't be running the compressor 24/7. About the only other thing you can check is airflow: clean the filter, check the fan, and if possible, clean the coils inside with compressed air.
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Jun 4, 2020 18:33
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It's probably much more humid now than it was in the fall, so it's running more often. Also you might have something new adding to the humidity, like water coming in through the foundation.
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Jun 4, 2020 18:33
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Sometime later this year or even next year I'm going to be removing all my concrete walkway and putting in a new stone path. And maybe next year I'll be starting building a garage with a cement pad. So I was looking at cement mixers, and then only thing I could find that I could get for less than about a hundred bucks is this:  Off an auction site, old as poo poo, but it looks big. But I've never used one before, and have no idea if that's gas-powered or not. Should I just ante-up and drop three hundred on a low-end mixer, or do you think this thing will work?
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Jun 5, 2020 01:48
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Killed a Girl in 96 posted:Sometime later this year or even next year I'm going to be removing all my concrete walkway and putting in a new stone path. And maybe next year I'll be starting building a garage with a cement pad. So I was looking at cement mixers, and then only thing I could find that I could get for less than about a hundred bucks is this: That thing is hacky and homemade. It doesn’t even have a power source, so add the cost of a motor or small engine. Just pay HF $175 then recoup most of your costs unloading it on Craigslist when you’re done. https://www.hfqpdb.com/best_coupon/3-1_2+CUBIC+FT.+CEMENT+MIXER
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Jun 5, 2020 01:57
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eddiewalker posted:That thing is hacky and homemade. It doesn’t even have a power source, so add the cost of a motor or small engine. Okay that is super helpful. I wasn't sure if that thing had a power source, so if it doesn't it, no thx.
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Jun 5, 2020 02:08
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Yeah, looks like there’s a place to bolt a motor on the left side and connect the belt to.
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Jun 5, 2020 04:09
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I posted this in the HVAC thread but that doesn’t seem to move much: I need some help understanding a humidistat and a whole-house humidifier. I just moved into a rental in northern Virginia with one and the landlord says he just leaves the setting at 30% all year and it seems to work fine. But going by the directions on the humidifier, that doesn’t seem correct. It gets very humid here in the summer and my old townhouse without a humidifier would get very dry in the winter. As I see it, I don’t need the thing on in the summer, right? What effect would that have on the AC unit though?   Last, there’s an electronic air cleaner:  I’m used to just putting an air filter in every 3 months. Is this different at all? What changes with it being electronic?
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Jun 5, 2020 13:03
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Caveat that I'm not experienced with HVAC systems, assuming it's capable of increasing and decreasing the humidity I'd suggest sticking it on whatever setting gives you 50%RH in your most-used rooms of the house, especially the bedroom. You may want to get some independent hygrometers for each room. 50%RH is commonly the target for human comfort regardless of the temperature (the R in RH is "relative to the temperature"). 40 to 60% is usually a good target range.
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Jun 5, 2020 13:20
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Jaded Burnout posted:Caveat that I'm not experienced with HVAC systems, assuming it's capable of increasing and decreasing the humidity I'd suggest sticking it on whatever setting gives you 50%RH in your most-used rooms of the house, especially the bedroom. You may want to get some independent hygrometers for each room. That’s how I’m interpreting it...if it’s set for 30%, that means the AC would have to run more in the summer to get that low.
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Jun 5, 2020 13:29
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nwin posted:That’s how I’m interpreting it...if it’s set for 30%, that means the AC would have to run more in the summer to get that low. That being said, leaving it at 30% during the summer means that it probably won't ever turn on anyways. Keep in mind, the humidistat doesn't *drop* your humidity, it only kicks on when it gets below the set level. Slugworth fucked around with this message at 13:41 on Jun 5, 2020 |
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Jun 5, 2020 13:37
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Slugworth posted:AC is a dehumidifier, so unless your air is getting unbearably dry with the ac running, you shouldn't be re-humidifying your house. Ah.... So in reality, I can leave it at 30% during the summer, it during the winter I’ll probably bump it up to around 40%. I need to see if this thing has a filter or anything to clean. The owner said he changed the air filter every 6 months which seems like a long time (he also had 3 dogs), but he just left the humidifier alone, so I’m worried zero maintenance has been done to that part.
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Jun 5, 2020 14:18
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Turn your humidifier off in the Summer is what I was told by my havac installer. Then set it in the winter for comfort.
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Jun 5, 2020 14:23
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Honestly I’d be surprised if either of those were actually still working. I have both an electronic air cleaner and a humidifier on my furnace and neither work. Just use a nice filter. It’s very humid here so I have no desire to add more humidity to the air, even in winter. They seemed to be in fashion for a period of time but not used anymore.
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Jun 5, 2020 14:43
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B-Nasty posted:What do you have the target humidity set at? It's not great if you set that lower than can be (reasonably) achieved by the dehumidifier. That is, it shouldn't be running the compressor 24/7. Well, you were right. Previously, even if I turned it on and off, it would go to the level I set it at (55%,) but I guess unplugging and plugging it back in reset that setting to it was set to the max (well..lowest...you know what I mean) of 30%. With the rain we've had lately, and just one dehumidifier (so far, I need to get a second, and then get them to auto-drain so I don't lug up buckets of water) no way can it get to that level. It's been fine in the couple days since setting it to 55%.
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Jun 5, 2020 15:13
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So, I had a problem which was solved, but it lead me to another question. The lights in my garage door opener started to slowly burn out and fail, even when they were new in box bulbs. Eventually they stopped working all together and my garage was very dark. I called the company that (presumably) installed the door originally and very kindly, before I wasted any money, they advised me to try incandescent bulbs instead of LED. That worked, and I'm pretty happy with that, but I'm kind of surprised. First, why would LED bulbs not work in a garage door opener (or any other fixture for that matter)? I asked the woman on the line about it and apparently the garage door industry has been very slow manufacturing LED compatible units, but what's so special about the fixtures inside those versus a lamp? They both plug in to standard grounded outlets (120v?) and I don't think these bulbs were deformed or differently shaped from incandescent. Just a curiosity.
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Jun 5, 2020 22:10
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I could see the motor playing merry hell with LEDs. Incandescent-replacement LEDs, especially cheap ones, expect a clean 120v 60Hz sine wave, and really don't like voltage sags or noisy power. Same reason you need dimmer-rated LEDs or LED-rated dimmers, they just don't work the same way incandescents do. e. Also, unheated garage I assume? LEDs don't like cold, at least not for long. Incandescents don't either, but at least they're self-heating. rndmnmbr fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Jun 5, 2020 |
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Jun 5, 2020 22:34
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CzarChasm posted:So, I had a problem which was solved, but it lead me to another question. Is the garage climate controlled? If not, perhaps outdoor rated LED bulbs would fare better. Temperature cycling and humidity/condensation is tougher on circuit boards than it is on incandescent bulbs. The outdoor rated ones will usually have conformal coatings or wider spacing or other design considerations to try to combat this. Stack Machine fucked around with this message at 22:51 on Jun 5, 2020 |
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Jun 5, 2020 22:34
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Well it wasn't asbestos so that's good
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Jun 5, 2020 22:55
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LargeHadron posted:Well it wasn't asbestos so that's good  Anything else you found?
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Jun 5, 2020 23:06
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H110Hawk posted:
No
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Jun 5, 2020 23:33
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Stack Machine posted:So... does anybody have any experience with sinkholes and related phenomena? Mrs. Machine found like a 1 inch diameter hole in the yard and noted that the stick she inserted into it vanished and made a deep splashing sound. I excavated it with the post-hole diggers I bought to replace my mailbox and found a little water-filled hole. The water is only about 3 inches deep now. This is probably 20 feet from where the city very recently excavated and filled a large sinkhole. Could this just be a leftover from that? Should I be poking around down there and checking for a collapsed sewer lateral? Attache photo of a water-filled hole is probably not very helpful, but this is what I'm looking at. I've capped it off with a giant concrete block for now but I'm at a loss as to what to do long-term. Update: I've covered the hole with a massive concrete block I had on hand and today I peered in while walking the dog and there was a crayfish in it. Apparently burrowing crayfish are a thing here. Might be the source of the hole. Might be a victim of the hole.
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Jun 6, 2020 00:07
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My vote is "victim", otherwise that is one hell of an ambitious burrowing crayfish you have there. In other news, I could use some help. I've got a dryer problem that I've never seen before. It's a Kenmore and it runs, but it doesn't get hot. The last few times that happened at our stores it was the heating element burnt out. I tried a brand new heating element in it and it still won't get hot. Could that be the thermostat that mounts on the side of the heating element?
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Jun 6, 2020 00:17
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kid sinister posted:My vote is "victim", otherwise that is one hell of an ambitious burrowing crayfish you have there. Does it have a thermal fuse that could have popped? Final Blog Entry fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Jun 6, 2020 |
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Jun 6, 2020 00:49
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Final Blog Entry posted:Does it have a thermal fuse that could have popped? If the thermal fuse blew, then it wouldn't even spin. It spins.
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Jun 6, 2020 01:18
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How do you know it wouldn't spin? Mine had a thermal fuse out and it wouldn't ever turn on the heat, just like yours. That would be my first guess and the part was pretty cheap and easy to install if I remember correctly.
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Jun 6, 2020 01:41
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The service manual is likely available online from the manufacturer. That's the case with my washer/dryer. It'll give you a list of specific parts to check if the dryer doesn't get hot.
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Jun 6, 2020 01:44
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kid sinister posted:My vote is "victim", otherwise that is one hell of an ambitious burrowing crayfish you have there. There's a thermal fuse that blows if the vent gets too hot. There's also a high-limit switch that can go. Either or both will create the conditions you're seeing. The unit will run but not heat. The parts are cheap (about $11 each)an relatively easy to replace. The thermal is usually accessible from the back. The high-limit switch is in the vicinity of the burner flue. If you have a voltmeter that can read ohms, you can pull them off & check for resistance. Before you button it up, clean out all of the accumulated lint, especially in the vent line; flow restriction will blow the thermal bean pretty quickly.
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Jun 6, 2020 04:06
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kid sinister posted:My vote is "victim", otherwise that is one hell of an ambitious burrowing crayfish you have there. OP said he excavated the burrow with post hole diggers, so yeah mr crayfish is probably the victim of having his home dug out. :P
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Jun 6, 2020 04:20
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angryrobots posted:OP said he excavated the burrow with post hole diggers, so yeah mr crayfish is probably the victim of having his home dug out. :P Yes. That hole is the depth of the original, but apparently 2-3 feet is a normal depth for these guys. I think the whole complex was probably just dug by crayfish and coincidentally near-ish the city's sinkhole. There are clearly tunnels going off horizontally from that vertical bit and I really hope I didn't ruin it. I'm really excited by the prospect of having crustaceans in my yard and if I ever catch a glimpse of more than juat a claw or an antenna I'll try to get a photo.
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Jun 6, 2020 04:41
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