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All parents, but especially moms, need the picture book Five Minutes' Peace. Kids don't necessarily appreciate it, but i sure did.
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Dec 30, 2022 06:33
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H110Hawk posted:It's sodium polyacrylate. Whatever that is. You can basically advertise anything as non-toxic until there is a huge amount of evidence it IS toxic. I am familiar with sodium polyacrylate! It was available years ago as an early Internet / local news demonstration kid product. I imagine it probably still is. There is a formulation of it that looks cool as fake snow  I have played around with it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vais8pL0w8U Haven't grown an extra appendage that I know about yet. Check with me in 20 years.
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Dec 30, 2022 06:54
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I'm not sure if this should go in this thread or the "post awesome ai poo poo" but there's a lot of population overlap in the two threads so here's a thing I found. This is a Mazda Miata engine block Pretty sure this is not a Bosch 800 but just imagine if it were
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Dec 30, 2022 14:35
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Gotta run it at least three times with the dry cycle off to really get it clean. I've done this with my Pontiac hubcaps, but only after my wife was well-asleep.
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Dec 30, 2022 15:43
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Friend has gotten very yelled at for getting caught by his wife with a valve cover (or head? I forget, not important) in dishwasher. Works like a charm. She said if she found it again she would make him buy her a new one and that one could live in the garage.
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Dec 30, 2022 16:10
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Does anyone else get builder's remorse? Cousin of buyer's remorse? Like why did I start this project? Now I have to finish it. Or why did I open this up and reveal this concealed bullshit?
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Dec 30, 2022 17:34
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Guy Axlerod posted:Does anyone else get builder's remorse? Cousin of buyer's remorse? Like why did I start this project? Now I have to finish it. Or why did I open this up and reveal this concealed bullshit? Everytime. When something ends up being more challenging or more work than expected (almost always), gently caress this sucks why didn't I just pay someone to do this. Then when I'm done, ok that wasn't so bad or if I had to do it again it wouldn't be as bad.
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Dec 30, 2022 17:44
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Hoping to do a couple home tasks myself instead of contracting them out, looking for advice: * We have tile countertops in the kitchen, with grout between the tiles. Would love to have flat countertops/seal in the grout since it can get nasty. Is there some material I can put on top that will set and be a clear, flat cover? * The PO did a sloppy job painting and got bits of paint on the 100+ year old wood built ins / railing. Can I gently sand this off or something like that?
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Dec 30, 2022 17:45
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Thom Yorke raps posted:Hoping to do a couple home tasks myself instead of contracting them out, looking for advice: For the paint, you can try a latex paint remover. Hopefully it's not been there long, it gets harder the older it gets. Test somewhere inconspicuous. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Krud-Kutter-24-oz-Latex-Paint-Remover-336249/305457504
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Dec 30, 2022 18:01
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Alright, I pulled up the toilet. From YouTube videos I clicked through, it looks generally fine? It looks like someone extended the flange by gluing PVC together rather than using some of the extension kits I was seeing around, but maybe that’s okay? Wax seal seems excessive    The only thing I see to my layman’s eye is a hairline crack around a pipe joint. 
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Dec 30, 2022 18:26
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House Ownership: I stared into the abyss, and a hairline crack stared back at me
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Dec 30, 2022 20:12
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Absent any epiphanies from looking at the flange, I went ahead and cut a hole in the subfloor. Look at that, it’s the toilet sewer pipe  And the sink sewer pipe  So I did an experiment. Wrapped a yard stick in paper towels and dumped a couple gallons of water down the toilet flange, making sure to splash around those hairline fractures. Also ran the sink for a minute or so.  No evidence of water dripping down either pipe. I think my next steps are to get a selfie stick and take some pictures of the crawl space with my phone, and to pour water down the vent stack with a hose and see if there’s any dripping then. I suppose if I can’t find anything wrong at all I’ll just put the toilet back with one of those fancy new seals instead of a wax one and hope the mysterious smell goes away.
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Dec 30, 2022 21:23
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Guy Axlerod posted:Does anyone else get builder's remorse? Cousin of buyer's remorse? Like why did I start this project? Now I have to finish it. Or why did I open this up and reveal this concealed bullshit? It's a natural part of the DIY addiction cycle. Pretty much every major project ought to induce this at some point or you're not going hard enough.
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Dec 30, 2022 21:38
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hattersmad posted:Absent any epiphanies from looking at the flange, I went ahead and cut a hole in the subfloor. Do you not have a crawlspace access hatch already? I have one in my house, it's in a closet floor, 3/4" plywood. It's super helpful for getting down there if something comes up, seeing your systems from below etc. I would be shocked that a house with a crawlspace wouldn't have one.
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Dec 30, 2022 23:01
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There’s an accessible crawl space under the house, except for under this bathroom. It’s walled off 
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Dec 30, 2022 23:13
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Amontillado storage, most likely
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Dec 30, 2022 23:15
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If you spot a cask get out of there OP
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Dec 30, 2022 23:34
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hattersmad posted:Absent any epiphanies from looking at the flange, I went ahead and cut a hole in the subfloor. Cut that hole a little bigger and shimmy your Stockton rear end in there.
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Dec 30, 2022 23:48
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Ha, it says Colton actually. No idea why, I don’t live there, either. Will keep a eye out for casks  
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Dec 31, 2022 01:05
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hattersmad posted:Absent any epiphanies from looking at the flange, I went ahead and cut a hole in the subfloor. ... Did you notice any blast of foul air down there? If not, the problem ain't down there. Nice, perfect cuts, by the way, You'll have no issues closing that back up. Inner Light posted:If you spot a cask get out of there OP But dude! it's Amontillado! (too late; he's already seen a pipe...  )
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Dec 31, 2022 03:49
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Plot twist: A leaky cask is soaking his subfloor with wine.
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Dec 31, 2022 04:47
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Dionysus is destroying my life AMA
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Dec 31, 2022 04:57
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Fix it yourself. Are you not of the Masons?
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Dec 31, 2022 05:02
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PainterofCrap posted:Did you notice any blast of foul air down there? If not, the problem ain't down there. I actually didn’t smell anything under there. I had a subtle fear that once I opened the floor, whatever was down there was going to be putrid. Turns out it’s just dirt and old fallen insulation. I’m beginning to think the evidence of water damage is old and unrelated. We’re getting rain tomorrow. I’m going to pick up a waxless toilet seal in the morning and keep an eye on the pipes during the storm. If I don’t see anything, I’ll put the toilet back and cross my fingers. Still sad I didn’t find some old person’s gold down there.
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Dec 31, 2022 05:16
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Stuff a (big) rag in that flange while you have the shitter off.
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Dec 31, 2022 05:48
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Put the big rag in a plastic bag, stuff the bag into the pipe like it's a little trash can, rubber band the edge of the plastic bag around the pipe to seal imo. Those gases are no joke!
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Dec 31, 2022 05:59
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Man, I'm behind on this thead and I've actually enjoyed reading it lately, but skipping the last hundred posts to give you all a link to the feedback thread for the new year - https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=4020879 Appreciate any and all of your thoughts.
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Dec 31, 2022 23:49
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The finish line is in sight for the wall repair but ugh at mudding and sanding. Finish sanding, primer, paint, then this stupid thing is done. Well, that and paying off the 0% for 12mo on the masonry bill.
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Jan 3, 2023 00:39
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Didn’t see any water or smell any smells during the storm yesterday, which makes me think the vent stack is fine. I’m chalking up evidence of water around the sewer pipe as some previous issue the PO had. Sealed the subfloor back up without issue. Put the toilet back on with a waxless seal. While I was at it, I noticed that the flange is unlevel, and the toilet sits unlevel in the opposite direction. I figure there’s nothing simple I can do to level the flange out, but I can at least level the toilet so the mate to the flange isn’t as bad as it would otherwise be. Snugged everything up, put silicone around the toilet (except for the back) and the smell seems to be gone. Thanks for all of the helpful tips, I learned a few things and actually fixed something (so far at least). Now that the bathroom has baseboards and part of the flooring missing, the wife is now asking if we can remove the little wall next to the toilet. So maybe that’s the next project. hattersmad fucked around with this message at 01:40 on Jan 3, 2023 |
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Jan 3, 2023 01:37
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So the old Frigidaire refrigerator that came with my house is dying, and given past problems we had, I'm using it as an excuse to replace it. What's the general consensus on the likes of Frigidaire's Gallery line, and also anything made by Whirlpool or GE? We previously had an LG at our old house that we only got 3-ish years out of thanks to their horrible Linear Compressor design, and I'm not about to take their word for it that they've finally, truly, corrected the engineering flaws it has. I'm also going to avoid Samsung like the plague, and I've seen before where people said to avoid Bosch, though I did see a 500-series French Door model that seemed ok. Ideally though I think we'd stick with a side-by-side since we have young kids who would probably love to make a bottom freezer their playground.
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Jan 3, 2023 08:53
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I've purchased two side by side Whirlpool Frigidaires in the last 10 years and been happy with them. Only reason Ive had two is because I've moved and they've replaced older existing refrigerators in the house. I always get one without a water line or ice maker as its the most common thing to break on a fridge. I vacuum the coils on the back 1-2 times a year and also put a foam block in the back to give me the required gap between the wall. They've always ran fine and I've had no issues. This was the model I bought for reference - WRS315SNHM
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Jan 3, 2023 15:48
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SourKraut posted:So the old Frigidaire refrigerator that came with my house is dying, and given past problems we had, I'm using it as an excuse to replace it. I had a basic Whirlpool french door model (no ice or water in door, really plain, paid like 899 for it I think back in 2010) that was fine for 8 1/2 years. I left it at my old house for the new owner. I have a few family members with Frigidaire Gallery kitchens and they're all happy with them. I currently have an LG that has been repaired. On my model it was a bad filter drier that gets clogged up and eventually burns the compressor out. The compressor is actually fine. I caught it pretty early and LG replaced the bad filter drier and recharged the system and it's been fine for the last 2 1/2 years. That being said I don't have much faith in the fridge lasting 10 years, no idea how much premature wear was done to the compressor before it stopped cooling properly and I got it repaired. LG warranty service was good though. It turns 5 in July and that's when the warranty runs out, so we'll see how long it last after that. I have no anecdotal data about GE. I know Haier bought GE appliance division a few years ago, but I don't know anyone who has anything good or bad to say about them. I do have a cheap Haier chest freezer that does its job just fine fwiw. It seems like the key to getting modern appliances with fewer problems is to buy as basic a model as possible. The more bells and whistles the more there is to break.
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Jan 3, 2023 16:30
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I've had a GE french door for a year and a half that I've been happy with (so not really long enough to know the long-term reliability. One of the things I like about it is that the water dispenser is inside the fridge, and there's no ice dispenser, just an ice maker that dumps into a bucket in the freezer. One of the most common failure modes I saw from reading here over the years has been water lines freezing because the water line runs through a freezer section, but the way my dispenser/ice machine are constructed, the water doesn't run through the freezer section, so the simplicity there of having to use a scoop to get ice feels like a perk.
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Jan 3, 2023 16:36
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We have a Frigidaire Gallery side-by-side that'll hit 7 years later this month. It's been fine. The only real issue is the LED display panel started losing some lights a year or two in, the ones that display the fridge temp. We have the panel off all the time anyway so we don't even notice it. The ice maker is meh but what one isn't? e: The water coming out of the fridge is maybe slightly colder than straight from the tap but definitely not cold. I've never noticed noise from the unit at all except when it's dumping ice. brugroffil fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Jan 3, 2023 |
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Jan 3, 2023 17:24
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Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the responses. One of the challenges has been sifting through the various online reviews available on store sites, weeding out the obvious sponsored/etc. ones. I also have a Consumer Reports membership but lately I feel as if they're not that great of a resource anymore due to the limited time and nature of their reviews. Here's a couple of the models I have been considering, in case anyone knows anything or sees obvious red flags. GE Profile: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ge-profile-25-3-cu-ft-side-by-side-refrigerator-with-led-lighting-stainless-steel/6445487.p?skuId=6445487 - Seems to get good reviews - Might have a water tank/tubing for chilled water (hard to tell - some GEs do, some don't) - 5-year limited warranty on the cooling system (1-year for overall unit) Maytag: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/maytag-24-5-cu-ft-side-by-side-refrigerator-stainless-steel/6319615.p?skuId=6319615 - Reviews seem ok, but some about a noisy ice maker/etc. - 10-year warranty on the compressor, but 1-year overall - Styling matches the KitchenAid microwave we have (FWIW, our microwave and oven both went out during the pandemic, and due to supply chain constraints, we settled for what we could get with the features we wanted. Of course now we have four kitchen appliances from four different brands and each has its own aesthetic obviously). - Ice maker in the freezer door - I've heard this is worse than when it's just in the general freezer space, but haven't seen anything conclusive? Obviously it's less total stored ice than the Frigidaire and especially the GE, but we do use a lot of ice. - Also has chilled water storage of some kind. Whirlpool: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/whirlpool-28-4-cu-ft-side-by-side-refrigerator-stainless-steel/5811900.p?skuId=5811900#anchor=productVariations - Reviews seem ok, although on this and some other Whirlpools, there are a few complaints about the wiring harness on the freezer door hinge becoming damaged and then the ice/water dispenser losing power, so that seems like a concern. It may have been fixed now though? And I can always reinforce it after delivery. - Also has the ice maker in the door, so unsure of this. - This styling actually then matches our Whirlpool oven we bought during the pandemic. - Largest capacity of any of the ones we're looking at, which is nice for a house with 3 young boys who can or will eat a lot... Frigidaire: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/frigidaire-gallery-25-6-cu-ft-side-by-side-refrigerator-stainless-steel/6461530.p?skuId=6461530 - Has a half-size ice bucket, so a little more freezer space, which is nice. - Also doesn't have the ice in the freezer door itself. - Reviews seem decent, but Consumer Reports has it scored poorly on "noise", and actual reviews aren't clear on it, partly because I know noise is subjective. - It also apparently no longer has any length of tubing for "chilled" water, which isn't too big of a deal, except that I'm in Phoenix and in the summer, it can take several minutes to cool our water down at faucets because our piping is through the attic. - Only has a 1-year warranty overall FISHMANPET posted:I've had a GE french door for a year and a half that I've been happy with (so not really long enough to know the long-term reliability. One of the things I like about it is that the water dispenser is inside the fridge, and there's no ice dispenser, just an ice maker that dumps into a bucket in the freezer. One of the most common failure modes I saw from reading here over the years has been water lines freezing because the water line runs through a freezer section, but the way my dispenser/ice machine are constructed, the water doesn't run through the freezer section, so the simplicity there of having to use a scoop to get ice feels like a perk. Yeah, when I was researching, I actually found a GE model like you described (https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-24-7-cu-ft-French-Door-Refrigerator-in-Fingerprint-Resistant-Stainless-Steel-ENERGY-STAR-GNE25JYKFS/319236498), which does have me intrigued because it does eliminate the external dispenser, so one less thing to fail like you said. And scooping our ice wouldn't be a big deal. My wife pointed out that our two oldest boys now like to get their own water/etc., so that'd go away, but I also pointed out that the younger two also like to push the water dispenser and make water go everywhere in front of it, so...
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Jan 3, 2023 19:47
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I have the non-ice maker version of that whirlpool. Model WRS315SNHM $900+ in March of 2020, very happy with it. Our old one died just before a kitchen remodel so it survived being bumped around and running in my sunroom while the kitchen was tore up. 
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Jan 3, 2023 21:08
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My washing machine seems to be miscalibrated. A load on the hottest setting is barely luke warm and everything else is cold. The washer seems to pull cold water first and then purely hot water second and the ratios seem off, but I could be wrong about all of this. Has anyone encountered something like this, or know what I would even want to search for?
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Jan 3, 2023 22:45
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vs Dinosaurs posted:My washing machine seems to be miscalibrated. A load on the hottest setting is barely luke warm and everything else is cold. The washer seems to pull cold water first and then purely hot water second and the ratios seem off, but I could be wrong about all of this. Turn off the water, disconnect the hoses from the back of the washer. Now one at a time run each hose into a bucket for say 60 seconds. Does it fill up as much from the hot side as the cold side? If the volume and pressure is about equal now that you have those hoses off check the inlet screens on the washer where the hoses hook up. Make sure there isn't a bunch of gunk on them, especially the hot side in this case.
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Jan 3, 2023 22:53
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tomapot posted:I have the non-ice maker version of that whirlpool. Sup Whirlpool bros, here is mine, WRS325SDZSS with the dispensers, no issues yet. 
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Jan 3, 2023 23:30
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Motronic posted:Turn off the water, disconnect the hoses from the back of the washer. Now one at a time run each hose into a bucket for say 60 seconds. Does it fill up as much from the hot side as the cold side? If the volume and pressure is about equal now that you have those hoses off check the inlet screens on the washer where the hoses hook up. Make sure there isn't a bunch of gunk on them, especially the hot side in this case. Not the OP for this, but this made me think. My condo has the reverse, but all throughout the house. Cold water comes out low-pressure from every tap, but hot water pressure is fine (and high-temp, too). We have a standard gas hot water tank/heater, nothing special, and my understanding is that the refill on that should be coming from the same general water source as the cold water, at least to fill the tank. As such, shouldn't the pressures be the same? Or (I haven't tried this) is it going to peter out to the same pressure once the tank level runs down and refill rate matches drain rate? I'm not used to having more hot than cold, so it's odd to me. My last few apartments, at least, I was lucky to get a full five minutes in the shower before it went cold. My apartment on the other side of the bay had an under-sink hot water tank, total capacity like 5 gal or something. 
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Jan 4, 2023 00:06
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