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I used 5/8" thick scraps of wood on either side of the window threshold. Make sure it's tilted out the window slightly so that all of the condensate water doesn't drain back into your house. :/ I installed central A/C last year (after 18-years; had a friend charge it for me) and am glad to be rid of those damned window units.  The 18K BtU one was breaking my back 
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Jun 9, 2011 22:57
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kafkasgoldfish posted:I want to remove the texturing on this wall but I've been watching too much Holmes Inspection and now I'm paranoid about asbestos. What is the likelihood this texturing has asbestos considering its type and that the house was built in 1958? Highly unlikely. The paint might contain lead, though!  That style of texturing looks much newer than the 1960s. It may be latex. IIRC some hardware stores sell testing kits; you can test a chip. Asbestos is most typically a hazard when it's friable (powdery & airborne). My house, for example, is sided in asbestos shingle siding The only time I have to wrap myself up is if I am cutting it with a saw.
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Jun 10, 2011 02:00
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Don't abandon the shop-vac yet! Get one that both sucks (from one side) & blows (out the other), and get the 2" hose (they come with a 1-1/4" hose). On the blow side, hook up the 2" hose & run it out a window to vent all of the dust out. I do this with great success when I vacuum out the woodstove during the winter.
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Jun 16, 2011 03:02
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Splizwarf posted:Tell me where I can find a standard-sized wall plate with two electrical outlets and an ethernet jack. There's certainly enough room inside a standard box, and on the face; why can't I find anyone making them? Here  http://www.ethernetwallplatecoupon....B0012DMBGA.html
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Jun 18, 2011 23:24
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kid sinister posted:When you're drilling down into a wall void, look for the cap board of the wall. It should be pretty easy to find, just look for a long 2x4 along where that wall should be. One way to easily find where along that cap to drill down is to poke a thick wire like a clothes hanger up through the ceiling drywall nearby, long enough to rise above the insulation. Find that wire in the attic and you'll know where to drill down. Patching a hole that small in the ceiling drywall is super easy anyway. Before poking holes: While you're up in the attic, pull back any insulation & follow the electrical wire from the ceiling fixture (light)...you'll see junction boxes for them...if you turn the light on, you may see the light leaking through the box. follow the wire; it'll drop down to the light switches. Where it drops is the wall void!
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Jun 26, 2011 23:56
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FunOne posted:So, I have a condo (renting) that appears to at one point had the garage finished so it was 2 AC Registers and a return in there. At later point it was returned back to garage duty and it appears they just shoved some cardboard in behind the vents and closed them. There should be a damper somewhere on the duct between where it splits off of the main trunk and the vent exit in the garage. It's a butterfly door inside the duct, controlled by a little lever on one side. Each duct run should have one. If all else fails, sealing off the end of the duct in the garage will be the best you could do, and should be plenty; you are stopping air movement through the duct & main trunk air it will just bypass the duct entirely and move off to some point of less resistance. Raviv posted:New homeowner here. We just moved into a house built in the 50s. We have a mix of two and three prong electrical outlets. What color is the wire behind the receptacle? If it's black & fabric-covered, there may be no ground. If it's green & fabric-covered, there may be a ground wire cut off flush...you may have to try to pull some more out (depends on whether or not there's any slack...be gentle) & strip off some of the outside sheath & see what's there. After that: it depends on how accessible your wiring runs are. My house has all of the wiring coming up from the unfinished basement, I can trace it back to a junction box & replace it. If you are not set-up this easily, it could get difficult & expensive as you may have to open walls to get at the run or chase a new one. Mine was built in 1930 and was a mix of knob & tube from then, and Romex installed in 1974 & joined to the knob & tube in an unholy shotgun wedding. I wound up rewiring the house myself in 2004. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Jun 30, 2011 |
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Jun 30, 2011 22:26
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kombatMedik posted:I'm a first-time homeowner, and I Just bought a dehumidifier for our basement... Ja I would glue in a wye on the top end of that open pipe. If you're concerned about backwash (which shouldn't be an issue with an open standpipe like that) put an extension on the vertical side of the wye and drop the drain in there. As kid sinister noted, though, you have to mount the unit above the drain. My mom has a dehu - I built a shelf to one side of & slightly above the laundry tub sink & it drains right in. However, the tub sink suggestion is your best option if you have the room. kid sinister posted:That isn't right, all basements need at least one floor drain in case of water leaks. Numbnuts posted:
Butter it up with joint compound & re-paint. Mesh first would help resist new cracking... but you'd better have the art; I don't. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 23:22 on Jul 6, 2011 |
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Jul 6, 2011 23:12
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kid sinister posted:Then what does your AC drain? Or do you have window units that drain out the window? I have a condensate pump & pump it up to the rafters & over to a sink on a side wall.
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Jul 7, 2011 03:18
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grover posted:Per building code, you need to have soffit vents- there's a mandated soffit vent area based on the size of the roof. If someone sealed them up, it needs to be fixed. If he has exposed rakes, I'm doubting they were ever there. I'd make the gable openings larger & install a fan Fun dealing with pre-code construction, ain't it? When I built my garage in 2003, I had to use 2x8x12 joists tied together with 2x6 rafters, 24" on-center, and bolted 2x4 purlins to minimize joist deflection & translate the load to the top plate (so I could walk up there with 7' of clearance). Also used 3/4" plywood as a roof deck. The loving 5/8" nuts, bolts & washers cost over $100.  My neighbor's garage, about the same footprint & roof pitch, but built in 1941? Two-by-four joists, each 16' long, 24" on-center, with a couple of 24' long 2x4 rafters (as an afterthought) and no purlins. No sag after 70-years. Go figure. theangryamoeba posted:My cat decided that my Bose headphones have a delicious cord. At this point Bose is willing to ship me a replacement for $60 or upgrade me to noise cancelling phones for $200. Radio Shack sells cord & jacks. Solder away! PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 04:47 on Jul 12, 2011 |
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Jul 12, 2011 04:39
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grover posted:If that's the case and there's nowhere to put vents low in the roof, there may not be any other way. Heat is one thing, but moisture is the real threat- there absolutely must be flowing ventilation to remove the moist air that would otherwise be trapped beneath the roof. I've seen the results of that after thirty years, and it's ugly. Best part is homeowners are puzzled as to how their roof rotted from the inside out. jackpot posted:Is there any kind of paintbrush that's built to get in between the slats of wood on a porch? Fairly deep, like 3" or so, with about a .5" gap. Spray. Or just pour the paint on & mop  No, really. Spray.
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Jul 14, 2011 03:31
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particle409 posted:I realize my post was somewhat vague, let me clarify: So you want to block out the light box with drywall, and install a pair of recessed lights instead. Then have a separate switch for each light? If I read this right, then it is not difficult to block off the box area, and install the lights. If you want separate switches, then you may need to widen the opening in the wall far enough to install a larger box that can hold two switches. Did the original fluorescents each have a wire run down to the one switch?> Or were they tied together at a junction box in the lightbox, with a single run from there down to the awitch? (edit) OK it looks like you'd have to run a second wire down to the light switch so that you could operate each light. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 13:28 on Jul 24, 2011 |
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Jul 24, 2011 13:25
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Rythe posted:So I have a under the counter Whirlpool dishwasher model # DU810CWDB5 that stopped working mid wash cycle and has not drained the used water out yet. I'm guessing the timer motor took a dump. If you close it tight & hit the CANCEL cycle & nothing happens...then the motor's not running. To get to the module, you have to take the door apart. Could also be the valve solenoid, which is where the water connection is attached...that white or blue nylon block. Sometimes that stops everything dead.
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Jul 31, 2011 22:44
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ElectroSpecter posted:I just moved into an apartment with disgusting lovely window screens, and I desperately want to remove the screens (and the storm windows) and clean them. However, they aren't like other screens that come easily out. I can get the bottom out of the track normally, as you can see here, and it swings as far as the arrow shows: The only way I know of is to swing the bottom out, slide the top down until the screen is horizontal, then rotate one end up & the other down & remove it.
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Jul 31, 2011 22:49
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Raised by Hamsters posted:Just bought a house, and I'm trying to decide if I should be removing a major branch from one of the trees on the lot. The landscaping here was pretty neglected. Googling for tree maintenance tells me that V-shape branch crotches with bark subduction are a bad thing, compared to the much stronger W-shape. I would contact your local agricultural extension service. http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/ they will usually meet with you and give free advice about stuff like this. Your tax dollars at work! I used them several years ago here in New Jersey when I found ants colonizing one of my ash trees. My first concern off-hand is that removing a large limb from a tree can stress it; the larger the limb, the worse it is.
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Aug 4, 2011 15:35
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Thirding. I've handled dozens of small, contained basement fires and at least three fully-involved house fires that were the direct result of lint buildup in gas dryers, although one of them was because a previous owner had vented the dryer into a wall cavity which had built up lint for 20+ years...that house went up like a Roman candle. I take mine apart annually and vacuum it out.The Spookmaster posted:I've pretty much had the AC on constantly all summer (Chicago) but in just the last few days my basement ductwork has been sweating like crazy... Try checking your furnace filter...sometimes, if they're near the end of their life (i.e. clogged), they can cause this. Seems to me that it shouldn't matter that much, but I've seen it solve this problem. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 14:59 on Aug 8, 2011 |
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Aug 8, 2011 14:55
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This is a public information video, for folks who don't know crap about A/C. For this audience, his basic technique is correct: remove the cover, spray from the inside out. This reminds me I have to check mine - installed it a year ago.
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Aug 11, 2011 14:42
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Totally TWISTED posted:So I have been using a grout remover with the plan of redoing the grout in one of my bathrooms since it needed to be done. I don't really have the money to spend on re-tiling but I do need to at least have a proper barrier against moisture so the bathroom can be used. It seems that grout has been the only thing holding some of this stuff in place. That looks from here like a wet bed installation, not Wonderboard/Hardiebacker In either case, if you want to sorta keep it limping along for awhile without replacing the entire floor, pop up as many of the loose tiles as you can. Then, scrape or chip off the adhesive on the back of the tile (or buy new tile, which, while clean, probably won't match...unless that's just white tile in need of a cleaning) You can then reset the tile using just grout (instead of mastic) as an adhesive and as a leveller. You can butter the grout on the back of each tile & press 'em in. If you load 'em up good, excess grout will squish up through the gaps and you can install & grout in one step. The marble threshold is shot. They're less than $20 at Lowe's or HD, you just have to get it cut down to the correct width if you don't have access to a wet saw. I replaced my floor in late June, and bedded the threshold with grout.
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Aug 20, 2011 04:39
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Bank posted:So I broke a couple of kitchen tiles, and since the old owners were the ones that put it in, I have no idea what kind of tile it is. Is there some kind of secret way to finding an exact match, or will I just have to bring part of a piece with me and shop around to find something satisfactory? There's a company called ITEL http://www.itelinc.com/ that could probably find out what they are, and if they're still available. I've never paid for this service (I am an insurance adjuster), so I'm not sure what it would cost...although with UPS shipping & testing it should be less than $100.
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Aug 23, 2011 02:25
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eddiewalker posted:Should I be concerned about this water heater control? It wasn't like this last time I looked at it. Shut it off. Now. The ring under there ain't burning right. You may also have debris/dustballs/fried mice etc in there. You may also have a blocked flue line. Been experiencing lots of headaches latelty? That regulator's now dangerous, and should be replaced. If the water heater's more than five years old, it would be better to replace it entirely. Which will run you $500-$800 if you don't DIY. Water heaters got expensive in the past five years. A 40-gal gas unit used to be less than $200 for a low-end. Now, they're closer to $450. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 13:29 on Aug 23, 2011 |
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Aug 23, 2011 13:24
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If it's always wobbled, the blades probably need to be balanced. On the other hand, my bedroom fan just started wobbling after years of smooth operation; I'll be checking it later & will advise if anything weird turns up
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Aug 30, 2011 20:10
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Dragyn posted:I took the whole thing apart and cleaned everything, blades included. I didn't see any deformities or anything. Is there a trick to balancing them? They do sell blade weight kits. The anal way is to weigh each blade & adjust the mass. The normal way is to try to pinpoint which one's doing the pulling & try to put weights counter to it ny trial & error, using duct tape and loose change (really). Once it's balanced . swap out the tape & change for the weights. Here's a useful ink: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/740357.html edit: one fan blade was loose; it still wobbled a bit after I tightened it. I then rotated the fan motor housing & tightened it against the ceiling mount - it was a bit loose there as well. It's good now. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 12:35 on Aug 31, 2011 |
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Aug 31, 2011 02:33
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I think you have finally hit on the one thing that wood studs have over metal. I wouldn't try it; the window/door casing may be wood, but they may also be attached to more steel stud. The only way I can see attempting that is to attach a vertical wood stud to the channel, then fabricate rigging that translates as much of the force as possible of the hammock straight down rather than outward. The really awkward way would be to attach wood stud on opposite walls all the way to the ceiling, then run a stud along the ceiling between them as a brace. It's impractical as hell and would look like poo poo.
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Sep 6, 2011 13:45
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Local Yokel posted:Stopped at one hardware store, one smoke shop, and two gas stations looking for the right butane to refill an old Calibri lighter. Found some "Bernzomatic" and some "Ronson" butane, for soldering and refilling lighters (respectively). They seem like they have the same nozzle on the end, neither of which will refill my lighter. Some butane is sold with a cap containing a number of different adapters. Otherwise, I would search Calibri + adapter + butane & see if someone sells something for that online. Such as: http://www.elighters.com/c1.html?gclid=CILZzqSLlKsCFc465Qod7BiWfA
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Sep 11, 2011 02:55
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mdf posted:Is there any sort of convention for which side a porch door is hinged with respect to the front door? I just found it easier when they're hinged opposite. Pull open the RH storm door, it's easier to reach across to the LH main entry door. Especially if you're carrying groceries or something. ease posted:Can anyone tell me what Bamboo plant would spread the quickest, and be the thickest, making a fence like area? Also, cheap? I'm in Connecticut. You're biggest problem will be containing it. Bamboo is a Pandora's box. Buy a machete & a whetstone.
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Sep 30, 2011 02:34
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As an insurance adjuster who seems to spend most of his time handling basement floods in South Philadelphia, I can offer these: Floor: vinyl sheet or ceramic tile. If you want carpet, get the cheapest and don't use pad. Nothing will kill your back faster than lugging saturated carpet & pad. Use area rugs/remnants Walls: Build off of the block/concrete/brick/rubble & mortar foundation with metal stud. If you must insulate, use styrofoam, NOT batt. Wall covering: if you want to use straight sheetrock, start at least 1" above the floor and break the installation 2'-4' up. Do not tape this horizontal joint; rather, cover it with a chair rail or wallpaper border. That way, if you do get a flood, you're only replacing the bottom 2' or so. Cover the gap at the floor with cheap baseboard or MDF. Wood will just warp. If you can afford it, use AZEK PVC trim board as a baseboard; it's waterproof & reuseable. I would recomend though, for the bottom course: greenboard, mold-resistant drywall, or wonderboard/Hardiebacker. Screw it in; it's easier to remove it later. Furniture: either put cheap crap you don't care about down there, or put EVERYTHING you value up on plastic pucks or sacrificial squares of stud/plywood. Leave NOTHING absorbent (including electronics/computer towers) in contact with the floor. If you're storing stuff in the basement, hang it at least 1' off of the floor and/or build shelving; anything in contact with the floor must be in Totes. And finally: If you have a French drain/sump pump system, contact your insurance agent and see if they offer a water backup endorsement. It'll provide coverage (sometimes limited only to structure & not your belongings) if the sump pump fails or is overwhelmed. Without it, you'd have no coverage for any damage stemming from a basement flood. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 23:24 on Oct 9, 2011 |
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Oct 9, 2011 23:19
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A picture might help clarify things, but is there some reason you can't mount the faucet assembly on the wall on the long side of the tub?
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Oct 12, 2011 03:39
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jcschick posted:We are in a rancher 3-bedroom house that was built in the 60s but that was gutted and completely redone after a fire in 2005. All of our appliances, toilets, showers are brand new but apparently our plumbing is hosed (although we might be the reason). Is your home on a slab, a crawlspace, or over a basement? Ja more nightmares from my South Philadelphia claims experience (daily!)...You have a partially or fully clogged main sewer line. It's backing up and coming out of the lowest point in your sewer circuit. If you're lucky, it's just, you know, crap. Once it's cleared you should be OK. And yes, the flushable wipes take a while to break down. You may find all kinds of interesting stuff in your lines. One time I was with the plumber I called out & he was running a sewer camera downstream to see where the clog or break was. Rounded an elbow...and were staring straight at a Barbie doll head, smiling back at us through the muck. Gave us both a hell of a start. The good news is that if the house was built in the 60s and does have cast-iron sewer line, it should be intact. I have stuff that was installed in 1930; my street service was installed in 1968 and is fine, and in the Phila rowhomes I inspect the lines tend to be from way from earlier than that (although they are pretty much shot after 80+ years). If, however, they used terra-cotta or orangeburg pipe, it's probably shot and you may have to replace it from your foundation wall out to the street connection  If you're REALLY lucky, you have a whole-house trap (a big, 4" cast-iron P-trap, in your basement (or crawlspace) that is finally trapped to the limit. It has an access plate on one side that can be a bitch to remove. Home Depot has a tool rental that'll rent out a power router. I would start at the cleanout, which should be somewhere between the front of your property and the street, in line with where your sewer lateral exits the front wall. You may have to poke & dig through turf to find it, but it should be near the surface. It maybe above the lawn with a dome on it. If you can't find it then you may have to pull the closest toilet to the exit of the sewer line. It sounds dramatic but is fairly simple unless you are unable to lift 45-lbs straight up for a moment. First, go to the hardware store and pay $4.00 for a wax ring seal. Next, get a lot of rags and old towels that maybe you don't want any more (they will wash up; just wash 'em by themselves) Shut off the supply to the tank, flush the toilet, and use either a wet-vac or old rags/towels to remove as much water as possible from the bowl & tank. Unscrew the supply line from the underside of the tank, unscrew the nuts on either side of the base at the floor, and lift it with two hands on the bowl as close to the tank as you can get. DO NOT lift it by the tank, or with one hand on the tank & the other on the bowl. It's easiest to just carefully put it in the tub; I put a couple pieces of cardboard in there first to protect the tub and the toilet flange from chipping, since there is a flange cast in the bottom center of the base which sticks out below the plane of the base that sits on your floor, so a removed toilet can't sit up straight by itself on it's base. Run your router. To reinstall the toilet, first clean all of the old wax off of the bottom of the toilet. The easiest way is to take a plastic trash bag and a plastic paint scraper. Put the bag over your hand, hold the scraper, and scrape off the wax, which is somewhat sticky. When you have it all, just pull the bag off your hands and everything will be self-contained. Wipe down the toilet flange with a rag - you want it as clean as possible and DRY. Put the new wax ring on the floor hole (it'll fit over the flange there) and carefully lower the toilet directly onto the bolts & hole. Sit on the toilet to crush the ring (I then stand on the bowl & rock it a bit), bolt it up, reconnect the supply, and away you go. Plumbers'll charge $250 for this and it won't take you an hour. If you're not lucky, the line collapsed somewhere, or is full of tree roots. You'll find out when they pull the router claw back and it has roots, or pieces of orangeburg or cast-iron with mud stuck to the business end. FINALLY*** If you have had some water damage as a result of this backup, your homeowner's insurance should cover the damage, More importabtly, even if the damage is less than your deductible, you should be able to talk them into bringing in a plumber on their dime to diagnose the problem. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Oct 14, 2011 |
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Oct 14, 2011 01:07
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FCKGW posted:I have a water heater I need to strap per California Earthquake Code. What's on the other side of the wall from the stucco? Inside drywall? Get a stud finder and try the outside wall first. If it's vague, try the same area of the wall from inside, if possible. When you locate a couple of studs, use a tape measure to locate them to something you can reference from inside & outside, like the edge of a door or window, then transfer the measurements outside, and drill away. Plastik posted:Somebody somewhere along the line hosed up and used grout where they should have used caulk in my bathroom. Nobody really noticed until now. What do I use to dig out the grout cementing my tile to the bathtub so I can caulk it instead? The grout is breaking up severely is why I am asking. There should be grout between the tub & the bottom course of tile, with a thin layer of caulk over it. This area, though, can be prone to quick wear (cracking) of the grout; I tiled my bath in November 2009 and just re-grouted the same area (tub/wall joint) this summer. My tub, however, had never had ceramic tile before, so some settlement was expected. The vertical corners tend to crack as well. There are hand-held as well as power grout removal tools (Lowes & Home Depot). I used a hand-held grout chaser and it took about 20-minutes to remove it all. I then re-grouted, let it cure up 24-hours, then put a skin coat of silicone caulk on it. The most important thing to remember is to be sure the gap is as clean and dry as possible before re-grouting and caulking. I use alcohol, liberally, to prep the area. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 15:17 on Oct 30, 2011 |
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Oct 30, 2011 15:10
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Plastik posted:Okay, so if what little grout is there is breaking up, should I put more grout in before I re-caulk? Ants are definitely coming in through the holes in the grout, which is frustrating. You have to clean out all of the old grout first. Otherwise you'll get crappy adhesion and you'll be doing it again in a couple months.
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Oct 31, 2011 02:41
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emocrat posted:I was hoping to get some knowledge about drywall anchors, maybe pros and cons of a few different types. I am mounting a motorized projection screen to my ceiling, and unfortunately it is in line with the joists and where it needs to fall is close to the middle of the bay between them... I know it will probably look weird, but were it me I would get two pieces of 5/8" trim board no more that a couple of inches wide (or wider, if you prefer) that are long enough to reach perpendicularly across the span between the joists, and screw them to the joists on top of the drywall, and them mount your screen to those. Drywall is not really stable for forces pulling straight out of it; drywall anchors count on the fact that they are used on vertical surfaces which can distribute the load parallel to the surface. Sand, finish & paint or stain the trim boards to pretty them up as much as possible.
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Nov 10, 2011 15:49
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You need a giant-rear end fan to do that. Unless you duct-taped your house to protect it from 2003's inevitable chem attacks...
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Nov 23, 2011 00:05
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You could also buy a box and transfer the cover over
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Nov 30, 2011 22:26
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Spitball Trough posted:OK, please don't hesitate to yell at me if there is a better place to post this on here. I have been in thousands of these homes. My territory includes South Philadelphia. If it is actually the smell of human fecal matter, then it could be: --your vent is blocked. That is the round or iron square 4" grate embedded in the sidewalk in front of your house, towards or at the curb. If you can't find one, then sorry, the sidewalk was laid over it (you should also find a round or square panel for your water shutoff within a few feet of it. Both should be inside the property line). If the vent is loose or missing, it's probably blocked with street debris (cups, cans, paper, dead kittens, etc). --- that "problematic" line section is probably original cast iron and they left it alone because going through the wall and out to the curb trap is a pain in the rear end & expensive. There may be cracks in that section of pipe which are emitting sewer gas. -- your neigbor's sewer line collapsed years ago and their basement is leaking raw sewage, They can't smell anything because either they're used to it because they never, ever leave the house or because it's masked by the crap odor from their Depends, or frankly, they don't care. This happens more frequently than you'd like to think. I have found lakes of poo poo in basements. The sidewalk there is collapsed because their sewer lateral has been leaking & undermining the soil there for years. If it smells "musty" or vaguely rotten, you are probably getting groundwater in your basement, Congratulations, you bought a house in a backfilled swamp/riverine environment! If your basement is unfinished (rubble & mortar or brick walls covered by concrete pargeting) then you'll notice areas where the pargeting is darker, or flaking, or has fallen off in chunks. This is normal If your basement is finished in drywall, it's likely any or all of this is lurking behind your drywall. If there is any access to unfinished areas, such as the back of utility room or closet pushouts, especially on the side that the sewer lateral runs on, get a flashlight (and a dose of intestinal fortitude) & have a look. You can PM me for more. I can also check it out. They're cool houses, but they're old, and they either have roof leaks or plumbing problems. Or crappy neighbors who haven't done maintenance since LBJ was president. Water is thine main enemy, though. (edit) I see you mentioned a floor drain. That is indeed tied into your soil line, in case you were wondering. In fact, it sounds like your line runs under the floor slab. Floor drains are an access to that. You also mentioned that the poo poo odor is vague. Sometimes when fresh water accumulates, it can get that way. It usually starts out smelling like cat piss (especially if you have carpeting in your basement) then moves on to a more crap-type odor within a couple of weeks. (edit2) Those Yankee candles will leave soot all over your house after about six months or so. You'll see it when you move a picture or change a clock battery. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 04:14 on Dec 2, 2011 |
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Dec 2, 2011 04:01
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Spitball Trough posted:Thanks very much. I will check for the drain in the sidewalk tomorrow. The groundwater is definitely another possibility. There is some occasionally darkness and some flaking of the pargeting, which is in an area where the smell is more noticeable then by the floor drain. I definitely am not getting any water or dampness in the actual basement, though, and the smell is not really happening when there is a lot of rain. Can it just be wafting through the basement walls? Could sewer gas do that? An issue at the next door neighbor's house is another real possibility. I'll try to compare notes with the people on the other side of them next time I have the chance. Masonry is absorbent, so yeah, it could be groundwater wicking up from underneath your home, as well as from your neighbor's homes. In addition to plumbing leaks, they may also have groundwater issues that will and do wick or leak into the adjacent homes. It's not uncommon for the elderly (especially those with little money and no nearby (or non-shiftless) younger relatives) to abandon the basement, either due to physical infirmity or by choice. God alone knows what's going on down there in such cases. By the way, Philadelphia has an odd code requirement that's actually illegal nearly everywhere else: your roof downspout is tied into your sewer lateral using what's known as a "rain leader," which is that oval-shaped cast-iron drain grate set into the slab at the back patio (either at the left or right corner of the rear wall, possibly around the corner if you have a li'l alleyway) or directly into a cast-iron bell at the front of the home, that your downspout terminates into, and which means that during a true Baptist downpour, thousands of gallons of roof drainage are blasting through your basement line! Nice! Especially if your line has some type of partial blockage, at which point it all winds up backing up through your cracked lateral/basement toilet/floor drain/washing machine drain standpipe or laundry tub sink and flooding your basement! Yay! Keep your lines clear and store NOTHING of value directly on the floor. Elevate EVERYTHING at least four inches, unless it's in a Tote or is otherwise waterproof. On the other hand, the last two years have been the wettest I can remember in a decade, and if this is all you;re getting, that's not too bad. Also: save your rear end this winter. Get a roofer up there to check that the seams around your skylights, pipe jacks or whatever else is sticking through the roof are good, and that the scupper (the metal gutter box at one corner, that is at the top pf your downspout) is clear of leaves, twigs, tennis balls, dead kittens, etc. so that the roof can drain. If snow is forecast, it wouldn't hurt to chuck a bunch of Ice Melt in the six-feet or so around the scupper, since the damned things freeze up first and turn your roof into a swimming pool; at eight pounds per gallon, that's a lot of weight, and your roof seams (or any weak spots) will pop & leak. Once the water's gone (usually into your upstairs rooms and down through your expensive IKEA wall cabinets) and the sun hits the seams long enough, they will magically re-seal themselves, driving you nuts trying to find the source. Flat roofs are fun like that, and the roofers tend to be crooked as hell since there's no way for you to check their work. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 15:57 on Dec 2, 2011 |
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Dec 2, 2011 15:52
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Spitball Trough posted:Yeah, I am very aware of this, as there was a major basement leak due to it when I moved in, as well as in my previous rental. That's all fixed up now, and for much less than the discount they gave me because of it! If it's on the side with the neighbors with the collapsed sidewalk, and it occurs whether there's precipitation or not, then most of it is probably their sewage permeating the ground and soaking through your wall. Call PWD (Phila. Water Dept), tell them you have a mold issue in your basement and suffer from a health issue such as asthma (bumps you up the list a bit) have them come out, show them the sidewalk & the dampness in your basement, and they should write up an order for the neighbor to get their lateral & curb trap dug up & replaced. In the meantime, run a small fan at the wall and place a regular dehumidifier somewhere in the basement, preferably over your floor drain so you don't spend what feels like the rest of your life emptying the stupid tub every hour or two. While the drying may cause further wicking through the front wall, it should knock the odor down. Also, spray the affected walls with a 5:1 water:bleach solution in a regular Windex sprayer. Do not use straight bleach; in fact, if you mix it right, you'll barely smell anything. And just mist it, don't saturate it. *** I see hundreds of stray cats all over the city, and have seen more than my share of dead ones. I did rescue this tiny bag of bones in the middle of Hicks St two years ago: (taken ten minutes after I picked her off the street):  And Mehitabel, today:  Not quite five pounds. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Dec 3, 2011 |
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Dec 3, 2011 01:06
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That is moisture, and it's probably precipitating lime out of the mortar (if you're finding salt-like crystalline fuzz under the paint). If that's as bad as it gets, I would scrape or wire-brush off as much as possible to a solid surface paint can adhere to, and paint it with a moisture-locking product such as Drylok. The problem you may run into in the future is paint bubbling off in other areas where it's currently tight, and removing paint from masonry is a PITA.
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Dec 7, 2011 00:03
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thepedestrian posted:So it seems our crappy house is sinking and this has caused the door frame to shift so that there is a gap at the top of the door like so: Foam tape http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/foam-tape/tapes/adhesives-sealants-and-tape/ecatalog/N-85b
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Dec 7, 2011 02:53
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If they already have a roll-up door, the hardest part is hanging the motor and track. You need to have a mount that can handle the motor unit, which means attaching angle iron to framing lumber (NOT drywall), and attach the front end of the track above the door, also to framing. Once the unit is mounted it' s fairly straightforward to attach the track block to the door.
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Dec 11, 2011 01:06
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Sounds like the drum belt, belt pulley and/or tensioner took a dump. (Under the MOTOR section, look at parts number F23 (pulley/tensioner) and F25 (belt) (edit) the tension spring (F22) may have left the building as well. If you're lucky, it's only the tensioner and pulley, which can be replaced without removing the belt or drum. Had you noticed it squeaked rhythmically for some weeks or months before this happened? PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 00:51 on Dec 15, 2011 |
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Dec 15, 2011 00:47
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Can you run it and observe the area photgraphed? The timer motor is attached to the dial you rotatae to set your dryer type/time. You have to remove the top console to get to it. Could also be the drum bearing is seizing. No heat - the element has burned out? Usually when the timer goes, it just runs forever. It's odd that you would have spin and heat loss issues simultaneously. Try running it empty for a few minutes see if it heats up. If the drum is not spinning properly, it may trigger some type of limiter switch to shut off the heat. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 04:37 on Dec 15, 2011 |
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Dec 15, 2011 04:29
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