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PainterofCrap posted:Underwriting issues such as this are not well-known by me. I can say that reporting a claim is noticed by underwriting, since it is their job to assess risk accurately and that risk is partially based on "loss experience," which means: as many events as we know about that are occurring at the insured premises. To build on this, in my case, the first flood event was to be charged against me, since it was a large loss that they paid out. The second flood event went through the contractor's insurance, but I notified my insurance and made a claim just to make sure I was covered. That claim never went anywhere. From what my agent tells me, since the claim was 100% recovered through subrogation, and they didn't pay out anything on the second claim, there are currently no strikes against me. I've been through one renewal without a rate increase, and was told that any rate increase would hit the renewal after the loss, so fingers crossed. In my brother's case, though, his flood was the first in his house that he had owned for about a year and a half. However, this counted as his second strike, since he had a roof repair handled through insurance at his previous house. So, even if you move, insurance keeps score.
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Feb 12, 2022 21:09
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EVERYWHERE 
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I have the most cursed water heater ever developed: The Rheem XR90 In May 2018 I bought the damned thing. In April 2019 the flame sensor failed and Rheem gave me a whole new water heater because they were out of replacement burner assemblies. In January 2022 the draft inducer blower motor bearings gave out and stalled requiring a new inducer assembly. Today the flame sensor has once again failed identically to how it did in 2019. Thank god this thing has a 12 year parts and tank warranty. I'm going to bankrupt Rheem with all these warranty parts orders. I guess I'll keep swapping parts out until they cut me off, but I'm definitely never buying another Rheem. E: fixed it by polishing the pilot hood and flame sensor real well. There wasn't enough/any voltage getting across for flame rectification. SpartanIvy fucked around with this message at 17:00 on Feb 13, 2022 |
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Feb 13, 2022 00:18
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Was investigating the source of some wet drywall next to the tub when I reach around this stud and surprise! Thankfully not too surprising, it seems to be dead. No obvious source for the moisture, however. I think it's just running off the curb/around the curtain whenever someone showers.
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Feb 13, 2022 16:10
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PainterofCrap posted:In other words, it's not the size of the claim that affects your premium; it's that a claim is reported at all, whether or not a single dollar is paid out. Wish I had known this six months ago. Had a tree branch fall and hit my roof. I dutifully called my insurance company to open a claim just in case there was damage, took pictures, and waited for the rain. A week later, it rained and no damage. Problem is, sticking my head up caused them to look at my policy and jack my rate almost 40%. Ended up over $8000 a year. I ended up having to reduce coverage to be able to not get completely hosed, and I’m still up more than 20% over what I was paying before. I can’t shop for a new policy because my roof is more than 15 years old, and even if I had a brand new roof, most companies are no longer writing policies in my area anyway. (My current company no longer writes policies in my area.) gently caress this hell-state, is what I’m trying to say. 
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Feb 13, 2022 17:05
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I reckon that's only going to get more and more common as weather gets more and more volatile and/or weather events get more and more frequent.
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Feb 13, 2022 17:32
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Dejan Bimble posted:If you’re on Septic and so are your neighbors, it’s the right choice if you don’t love drinking fecal bacteria. I certainly agree that a UV / other appropriate system isn't a bad idea, but you should not be regularly drinking from a well with known harmful biological impacts as a homeowner well, regardless of treatment systems installed. Your local governing authority will have regulations in place regarding wellhead & aquifer protection, which will ensure your well isn't contaminated by your neighbors septic. Even when they wind up with literal turds floating in the garden, like the goon previously. This doesn't mean it's impossible - improper well maintenance (your animal proof cover is in place and appropriately sealed, right?), 100 year storm event + your neighbors not maintaining their septic (see the wonderful goon in I think it was this thread or the fix it fast one), etc., can potentially impact your water quality, but the likelihood is incredibly low. However, even if you have a UV/whatever system you should be testing your well water regularly (preferably seasonally) because whatever system you put in place will not have appropriate redundancy and testing to ensure it's appropriately removing biological contaminants. To be clear, I'm not talking about systems that are in place to remove things like iron/sulfur, but specifically biologicals - crypto (no, the bitcoins aren't in your well, cryptosporidium), e.coli, giardia, etc., as these will make you sick. Your municipality / region likely even offers free well testing - though they'll probably only test for e.coli / other indicators of biological contamination for free. The solution here is to address the issues with the well that are resulting in frequent biological contamination (well maintenance, sick the governing authority on your neighbors if they're loving with their septic system, drill a deeper well, etc.) - the treatment system for biologicals in a residential well system should be a 'just in case' not a 'full time treatment required' kinda thing, specifically because of how harmful biological contamination can be.
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Feb 13, 2022 18:48
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mutata posted:I reckon that's only going to get more and more common as weather gets more and more volatile and/or weather events get more and more frequent. Yeah, we're already heading towards state programs for things like wildfire and wind being the norm now. I can't imagine in 20 years as natural disasters get worse.
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Feb 13, 2022 19:05
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I can't express how much I love going to do what should be a simple vanity lighting fixtre replacement, only to find the fixture secured with drywall screws, no box, and the romex going right into the existing fixture. So now I get to grab a couple old work boxes, cut out and clean up the previous builder's mess. Again.
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Feb 14, 2022 17:54
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I tried caulking the gap between the floor and baseboard in one of my rooms and it looks lovely. It’s okay looking where the gaps are smaller, but there’s a section that’s maybe 1/4” wide. Is my technique bad and/or do I need to go back and install shoe molding along the baseboards in this particular room? Is removing the caulk and trying again going to make a mess?
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Feb 14, 2022 19:42
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meatpimp posted:I can't express how much I love going to do what should be a simple vanity lighting fixtre replacement, only to find the fixture secured with drywall screws, no box, and the romex going right into the existing fixture. Secured with drywall screws.. to what, the drywall? cool. At least you can center the fixture if it wasn't already? Or perhaps that's exactly why it's that way now already.
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Feb 14, 2022 19:43
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bi crimes posted:I tried caulking the gap between the floor and baseboard in one of my rooms and it looks lovely. It’s okay looking where the gaps are smaller, but there’s a section that’s maybe 1/4” wide. Is my technique bad and/or do I need to go back and install shoe molding along the baseboards in this particular room? Is removing the caulk and trying again going to make a mess? You should not caulk this joint because your floor may need to expand and contract due to the season, humidity, etc. The caulk will also become an absolute magnet for dust. Unfortunately yes shoe or quarter-round is what you'd need to put there to cover up the gap.
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Feb 14, 2022 20:24
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falz posted:Secured with drywall screws.. to what, the drywall? cool. Not that bad, but not good, either. They used the nice, chunky auger-style drywall anchors, but those usually use a fairly fine threaded bolt, not a drywall screw. Either way... more fun.
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Feb 15, 2022 01:55
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Sirotan posted:You should not caulk this joint because your floor may need to expand and contract due to the season, humidity, etc. The caulk will also become an absolute magnet for dust. Unfortunately yes shoe or quarter-round is what you'd need to put there to cover up the gap. Fortunately it came out easily with a hair dryer and a utility knife. I didn’t like the way it looked. Time for quarter rounds
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Feb 15, 2022 02:33
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Anyone have any trip reports for screening in an existing covered porch? Our PO put in insect nets that run on tracks around the perimeter of the porch. They do a pretty poo poo job of keeping bugs out, plus wife wants the porch to be a more self-contained area since we have a kid coming and she already spends a good six months working otu there as is. We've gotten pretty outrageous quotes for just about any work involving a contractor at our place, so I want to at least explore doing it myself. Particularly curious if the kits are worth it.
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Feb 16, 2022 23:29
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Chad Sexington posted:Anyone have any trip reports for screening in an existing covered porch? Our PO put in insect nets that run on tracks around the perimeter of the porch. They do a pretty poo poo job of keeping bugs out, plus wife wants the porch to be a more self-contained area since we have a kid coming and she already spends a good six months working otu there as is. Screen itself isn't that hard to install. Picture of said patio? Materials it's made out of? If it's all wood you have the option to literally just staple it to the wood, maybe putting some kind of trim over it with finishing nails. What kits? I always worked on aluminum channel framed stuff which is obviously the hardest part to install, but the screen is like 15-20 minutes of work per panel once it's in place. Tools are heavy duty sheers (like tin snips but... scissors), screen, rubber gasket, and the roller thingy. Cut to size within tolerance, put the screen in, put the gasket thing in, use the roller thing to press it into the groove so the screen is wrapped around the gasket stuff like 3/4 of the way. Continue all the way around. Your first one will take an hour to get "flat" and then it's pretty easy to do the rest once you get the hang of it.
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Feb 16, 2022 23:50
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H110Hawk posted:Screen itself isn't that hard to install. Picture of said patio? Materials it's made out of? If it's all wood you have the option to literally just staple it to the wood, maybe putting some kind of trim over it with finishing nails. What kits? In its chaotic winter state. Not super big, wooden framing, concrete floor. Door would probably go on the right side where there are steps to the grill.  There are all kinds of sites offering their "systems." I haven't gotten as far as pricing or checking availability yet: https://www.screenporchliving.com/screen-porch-kits/ https://screen-house.com/screenhouse.htm https://www.screentight.com/screening-systems/fast-track/ Seem to be all kinds of fancy materials too offering increased visibility or pet resistance or what have you.
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Feb 17, 2022 01:03
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OK, that's a project. That it's wood is a plus. You want openings that do not exceed 4' in one direction as that is the widest roll you can get and manage it alone. So you'd need to add some posts in between the columns that you have. About this columns: they're beautiful - and part of the reason is, there are those style elements nailed to them that will have to come off of the outside to give you a straight stapling surface for the screen. You could nail them back on after you screen it, although it may look weird. So: remove the trim from the outside face of the existing columns. You may have to cut back the trim, as it's probably mitered. Add more posts in between the columns Make sure everything's plumb and level. If you want a screen door, you have to frame that up as well. Then, staple on the screen, and nail 1/2-round or s4s lath over the staple line, and zip off any excess screen material with a razor knife. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Feb 17, 2022 |
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Feb 17, 2022 03:24
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PainterofCrap posted:Make sure everything's plumb and level. Plumb and level! In a house! Gosh, that's a good one.
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Feb 17, 2022 07:22
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tracecomplete posted:Plumb and level! In a house! Gosh, that's a good one. dang PO. I pointed out the mismatching trim, window, and curtain heights in our ‘bonus room’ to my partner and he still hasn’t forgiven me. 
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Feb 17, 2022 14:53
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It will take less time to fix that than it just took to post that. It's got enough adjustment (at least on that one side) that all you have to do is loosen the screw and push the bracket up......or the other one down, then do the same on the other side to level. All you need is a screwdriver.
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Feb 17, 2022 14:57
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We finally replaced the old aluminum single frame windows in the upstairs with some modern ones. For the first time since we have lived here the temperature upstairs is the same as downstairs and I couldn't be more thrilled.
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Feb 17, 2022 15:04
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you know I never really stopped to consider it before but vinyl windows really are ugly as sin aren’t they? even on new construction.
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Feb 17, 2022 15:06
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kitten emergency posted:you know I never really stopped to consider it before but vinyl windows really are ugly as sin aren’t they? even on new construction. There are very nice looking vinyl windows and very lovely looking vinyl windows.
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Feb 17, 2022 15:17
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This is my bath tub's drain knob: I've lived in my house for a year and a half now, and had been trying until yesterday to get this thing free. See, the previous owners of my house had this strange milky white half transparent plastic cover over the knob:  The little indentation is there to give room for the protrusion at the bottom of the knob. It looked hideous and the only thing it did was catch tons of grime, grey gunk and possibly mold, as water would sit in there for days. This picture was taken after I cleaned it thoroughly and allowed it to dry out. Why would anyone use something like this? Could it be something that was installed for protection during transport that they didn't think to remove?
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Feb 17, 2022 15:22
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BigFactory posted:There are very nice looking vinyl windows and very lovely looking vinyl windows. Most of the nice ones you'll hardly be able to tell they are vinyl. All that really means is the frame. You can get vinyl or fiberglass (better, less movement) clad with all kinds of things inside and out. Higher end ones tent to be powdercoated metal on the outside and potentially even wood trim on the inside. The only place you'll see the base material after installation is in the tracks.
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Feb 17, 2022 15:23
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Motronic posted:It will take less time to fix that than it just took to post that. It's got enough adjustment (at least on that one side) that all you have to do is loosen the screw and push the bracket up......or the other one down, then do the same on the other side to level. All you need is a screwdriver. Oh, I can adjust the bracket, but the actual trim and windows are not level to each other, too.
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Feb 17, 2022 15:41
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BadSamaritan posted:Oh, I can adjust the bracket, but the actual trim and windows are not level to each other, too. Oh lol, not obvious from the picture. There is a cheat for that: curtains with enough height over the bar that it hides the trim. But at the very least, getting the rods at the same height should help.
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Feb 17, 2022 15:45
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EricBauman posted:This is my bath tub's drain knob: If that is the overflow drain for your tub they probably stuck that thing on there so that the tub would fill up a couple more inches to make it halfway useable for anyone over 5' tall.
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Feb 17, 2022 15:58
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meatpimp posted:I can't express how much I love going to do what should be a simple vanity lighting fixtre replacement, only to find the fixture secured with drywall screws, no box, and the romex going right into the existing fixture. But wait, it gets better. I grabbed a couple round old work boxes and took the rest of the fixture down. Went to trace around the box for the cutout and... wait, what's that immediately to the left? The vent stack.  ... but what's immediately to the right? A stud.   No place in town has shallow or pan old work boxes, so I had to order them. Project delayed another 4 days for delivery. 
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Feb 17, 2022 16:00
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Oh, for that space you need a pyramidal work box with a concave curve on one side.
Vim Fuego fucked around with this message at 16:35 on Feb 17, 2022 |
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Feb 17, 2022 16:18
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Sirotan posted:If that is the overflow drain for your tub they probably stuck that thing on there so that the tub would fill up a couple more inches to make it halfway useable for anyone over 5' tall. Yeah, the overflow drain is behind the knob. But the cover does nothing to close it off, there's still a 1/4 inch gap. The tub is actually five and a half feet long, and I fit in there kind of comfortably at 6'1. I guess it helps that it's a relatively high edged tub. It just looks very small in the reflection because of the round knob.
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Feb 17, 2022 16:23
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EricBauman posted:Yeah, the overflow drain is behind the knob. But the cover does nothing to close it off, there's still a 1/4 inch gap. Hmm. Well, that cover does seem very purposefully designed to fit that fixture exactly, you're probably right that it's something that was attached during shipping and delivery and the previous owners never took off because they couldn't figure out what it was either.
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Feb 17, 2022 16:27
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Motronic posted:Most of the nice ones you'll hardly be able to tell they are vinyl. All that really means is the frame. You can get vinyl or fiberglass (better, less movement) clad with all kinds of things inside and out. Higher end ones tent to be powdercoated metal on the outside and potentially even wood trim on the inside. The only place you'll see the base material after installation is in the tracks. To add, last weekend I went to a small home renovation convention with some friends. One friend was looking to replace some crappy windows in his not super old house within the next couple years, so we stopped at all the window booths. Pella in particular had some very nice windows, including several lines in not-stark-white fiberglass or metal cladding, and the wood-clad Reserve line, which is probably the best looking and most convincing SDL historic replica window I've seen. Looked great from both inside and outside. If I didn't have access to the local millwork shop that can make really good looking old house windows, I'd probably go with the Pella Reserve for my house. Also it had a cool retractable screen thingy attached to the bottom sash so you could have a screen up while the window was open but not have it visible while the window was closed. In general, lines of windows from big name national manufacturers that are even a step or two above bottom shelf (and in a good color that goes with your house) will look exponentially better in your house than the builder grade garbage-tier white vinyl that folks in here tend to poo poo on. And a side note: the guys at the Pella booth were super chill and took the time to answer all my friend's technical questions despite his stated two year timeline. Good vibe. Then over at the Renewal by Andersen booth, their sales lady was uncomfortably pushy about trying to set up a design consultation at my friend's house ASAP even after he'd explained his timeline. Windows seemed nice but we didn't get a good look because we we had to run away from their aggressive sales tactics. I think he's going to get the Pella windows.
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Feb 17, 2022 16:39
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Vim Fuego posted:Oh, for that space you need a pyramidal work box with a concave curve on one side. Or, I should stop being a wuss and take a normal full-depth box, heat it to the point of plasticity, then mold it into the space.
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Feb 17, 2022 16:49
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meatpimp posted:Or, I should stop being a wuss and take a normal full-depth box, heat it to the point of plasticity, then mold it into the space. Look up ceiling saddle boxes. It's basically the same thing!
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Feb 17, 2022 17:02
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EricBauman posted:Yeah, the overflow drain is behind the knob. But the cover does nothing to close it off, there's still a 1/4 inch gap. It appears to be a child-proofing thing to keep a kid from getting their fingats stuck
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Feb 17, 2022 18:30
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Some of the grout in my shower is old and starting to break away: Is it paranoid to worry about mold from this? Would a bead of basic silicone caulk do the job, at least for a few years till we redo the shower overall? Relatedly, the seal seems to have broken on the ornamental piece around the shower's handle:   Water can clearly get through there, too. Same question - any thoughts on what adhesive to use to re-attach/seal it?
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Feb 18, 2022 01:54
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You can get sanded caulk that intended to repair grout. Just get a color that matches well enough.
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Feb 18, 2022 02:51
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Academician Nomad posted:Some of the grout in my shower is old and starting to break away: Silicon to seal that handle is the correct call.
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Feb 18, 2022 02:54
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Slugworth posted:Grout should never be used in corners where two planes meet. It will always crumble as the walls shift over time. Find a caulk that matches the grout color as close as possible (it'll be sold in the same aisle as grout). Yeah, not sure where Academician lives, but Floor & Decor has a really large selection of grout-colored caulks, and Lowes has a decent selection too.
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Feb 18, 2022 06:20
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