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Boogeyman posted:a new dimmer switch ($22, guess regular dimmers don't work with CFLs). Nope, they don't. Dimmable CFLs claim to work OK with the old type dimmers, but YMMV with those. The newer style dimmers work a lot better with CFLs. Your picture sure looks like one of the ceiling fans I replaced in my house. I took it down and discovered that the fan's support bracket was screwed directly into the wooden box support spanning the joists and the ceiling box just poked up and into the hole. Worse, they put the support directly against the drywall, leaving no room to put that box back in properly. Luckily a saddle box suited me just fine.
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Oct 11, 2011 03:19
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kastein posted:Idiots shouldn't be allowed to touch plumbing. God, that reminds me of my own bathroom. My place was built in the '50s so it has steel stacks with lead branches. A previous owner changed out the vanity and sink then broke off the old lead branch at the wall. How do you join the new PVC drain to the old broken off lead line? Use an interior coupling then JB Weld the poo poo of the exterior!!! I had to smash open the wall under the vanity to put in a new elbow and proper coupling. It's alright, that 1950s peach tile had it coming. No wonder it drained so slow. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Apr 15, 2013 |
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Apr 15, 2013 17:13
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SkunkDuster posted:Is that a reference to the movie House, or something else? no, this book.
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Apr 28, 2013 03:23
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Vindolanda posted:My great grandfather had an idea for an all-tiled kitchen with totally waterproof fittings, to be cleaned with the sort of high pressure steam hose you find on ships. There would be a drain in the floor for the condensing water. A bonus is that you could put down mutinies from the central steam system. That was a common idea in the '50s for the "House of the Future! Hose off all your rooms into the drain on the floor!" It turns out that it's a terrible idea since waterproofing still hasn't been perfected, plus all that humidity promotes mold growth and things like electronics actually need to be open to the air to radiate heat. I can see that failing in the kitchen since it would be near impossible to get every surface sloped correctly for drainage and to keep water out of your cabinets with perishable groceries.
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May 4, 2013 21:30
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Mercury Ballistic posted:No mortar. Normal brick construction. We had people sign off on buildings with no mortar at all. In their defense, were they Incas?
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May 10, 2013 03:40
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My Lovely Horse posted:the one labelled "toilet" was hooked up to a circuit properly but flipping it on or off did not make any difference anywhere in the apartment. I have a mystery breaker now. I can think of 3 possible culprits. 1. Do you have a porch/patio? Is there a GFCI out there? 2. What about exterior lights, including by your front door? 3. Does your apartment have its own water heater? Also, it's normal for all lights to be on their own breaker, especially for small living areas. For apartments, all bathroom GFCIs are typically on one circuit throughout the apartment and exclude bathroom lights/fans, but there does exist an exception in the code for a single bathroom to have one dedicated circuit including GFCIs, lights and fans.
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May 12, 2013 21:44
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Jeherrin posted:I now have the overwhelming urge to rig up a dummy breaker in my apartment that, when flipped, plays the Portal turret soundbite that goes, "...are you still there?" Nah, rig it up to whisper "Hey, come up to the attic" at random times of the night.
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May 18, 2013 21:24
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Dragyn posted:This is nightmare fuel for me. Thanks. That was on Reddit a few days ago. Here's the imgur post that picture is from. What's wrong is that the cheap rear end landlord only used 1/4" drywall for the bathroom ceiling, which apparently isn't strong enough to support a beehive full of honey that fell from the roof joists overhead. What sucks is that it fell 3 hours before the beekeeper showed up to take it away. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 19:10 on May 19, 2013 |
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May 19, 2013 19:07
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longview posted:Never mind code, that thing seems to be defying the law of gravity. It's a swag chandelier. "Swag" means that it comes with a longer cord covered in chain so that you can move and hang a light from the chain where you want using ceiling hooks. Swag chandeliers are usually used in retrofits since you don't have to move the existing box. If the fixture has just one bulb and has a plug instead of being hardwired, it's usually just called a swag lamp. I should have snapped a picture at my ex's house. She has a partially-swag ceiling fan. 
kid sinister fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Jun 8, 2013 |
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Jun 8, 2013 15:32
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Shifty Pony posted:There are also a pair of mystery valves in the house. What kind of valves? Also looking at that panel, I'm pretty sure now that one of our stores has a Stab-lok panel. It's the same store that our employees have been complaining that their hair clippers have been frying lately...
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Jun 9, 2013 00:05
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Shifty Pony posted:My thinking is that it is a CO2 supply for the bar. Put the cylinder and regulator in the closet and have more room at the bar for delicious drink storage. This is my guess too. The previous owner must have had his own tap.
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Jun 9, 2013 15:31
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Leperflesh posted:OK I'm not a contractor or a lawyer or whatever, so this is just my understanding. But basically there's kind of a rule where you can leave horrible old wiring in place as long as you don't touch it at all. But if you modify any of it you have to bring all of it up to code. Pulling out the old breaker box would presumably involve touching the ends of all of the wiring connected to it, so I assume that could mean replacing all of it. That's the code in most places: if you upgrade one piece of an electrical system, then everything downstream of it has to be brought up to code too. That would mean even more necessary upgrades: ground wires everywhere, AFCI and GFCI protection, a couple more kitchen circuits, exterior outlets at the front and back doors, certain appliances now needing dedicated circuits... And of course you can turn off the main breaker to turn off outlets. However, most people don't like going around resetting all of their digital clocks when you just have to turn off one breaker. Do the old single-person electrician's trick. Plug in a radio to the offending outlet, turn it up loud enough to hear at the panel, and start flipping breakers until you hear it turn off. Shifty Pony posted:Mystery valves were natural gas, for anyone genuinely curious. That's where I recognized those valves from! The old ones for chemistry class Bunsen burners. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 20:26 on Jun 10, 2013 |
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Jun 10, 2013 20:20
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Leperflesh posted:Can you explain what this means, in basic layperson terms? Like, should I only turn off certain breakers in pairs, or shoudl I go buy a tie for some of them? If so, which ones specifically? I want to be safe. A multiwire branch circuit is where 2 or more circuits on different phases share a neutral. It's mainly for safety reasons. Usually, those 2 circuits would be bundled into the same /3 cable on the red and black wires along with the white neutral. Well, that cable runs somewhere in the house. Suppose that someday you have to do work on the box where that /3 cable ends, so you shut off the circuit with the black wire at the panel, thinking you're safe. Then you go to untwist the red wire also in that box and you get shocked. The new code tries to fix that from ever happening. By tying those two circuits together, shutting one off forces you to shut the other off as well. This has been code for major appliances using multiple phases for decades. Depending on the manufacturer, either all the levers on that multiphase breaker are tied together, or that mulitphase breaker only has a single handle. Here's the simple version of tying breakers together... ignoring individual wires run inside conduit anyway. That can take awhile to figure out. Anyway, Find out where every cable enters that box and go through them one at a time. If that cable has just one black wire, ignore it. If it has a black and a red, then follow both colors to their respective breakers, because they need to be tied together. If those 2 breakers aren't next to each other, then you will have to swap around some breakers until they are. I recommend using some numbered tape and a notepad while doing this. If you do need to swap breakers around, don't forget to update the labels on the panel.
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Jun 13, 2013 19:28
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Leperflesh posted:Thank you for this explanation. You can always shut the power off by pulling the meter. Basically a meter is a big jumper with prongs on the back that bridge connectors for the mains lines to your house electrical system. Pulling a meter isn't as ideal as flipping a switch or breaker, but it works. Sometimes they're locked on and you have to call the power company for them to do it. Well yes, anytime the power is still on there's always danger. However, it can be done without shutting off the main if you're careful. With the electricity on, the only energized portions are the busbars in the back, and the screws for the wire clamps on any breakers connected and turned on. You're lucky, you have one of the easier breaker types to remove. Yours have a little tab hinge toward the box's outside and a metal clip on the box's inside that grab onto the busbar. To attach, turn off the breaker, fit the breaker's tab under the hinge bar in the box and push down until the breaker's clip attaches on the busbar. Removing is a little trickier. Stick a flathead screwdriver between them, use one hand to hold down the breaker opposite the one you want to move and pry up the other one.
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Jun 17, 2013 20:28
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kastein posted:It's basically just plumbing for nerds, if you can do basic math and do a bit of reading on how it all works, it starts making a lot of sense. diode = check valve... And I always thought a water tower was a better analogy for capacitor: it's where water is put during times of surplus to maintain pressure during times of demand.
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Jun 20, 2013 01:45
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Nitrox posted:And here is a gift that keeps on giving. It swayed like a leaf. Try to guess why. Joists ran the wrong way?
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Jun 28, 2013 13:38
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Bad Munki posted:My understanding is that converting the neutral to hot to make a 240 line is entirely normal, as sometimes running new wires isn't really an option. You just have to clearly mark the neutral as being hot anywhere it's accessible. That in itself is fine. Repurposing a neutral wire to hot is OK. It's used for 220V hardwired appliances that don't need a dedicated neutral. It was also used in the past for switch legs, but the 2011 codebook says that all switch boxes need their own neutrals now for newer features that require neutrals, like motion sensors and such. However, using the bare ground wire as a neutral is a big no-no. Sadly I've seen it before. About getting shocked in other random places: you could only get shocked if they shared a ground with that 220V outlet. NancyPants posted:
They put in high kitchen boxes like that in the old days for clocks. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Jul 11, 2013 |
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Jul 11, 2013 18:02
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I remembered an old post of mine that would be a perfect fit here:kid sinister posted:Oh god... My grandpa, God rest his soul, should have never been allowed anywhere near electricity. I'm fixing up their place to sell it, and in about 18 inches wide of wall space in their master bathroom, I counted 13 code violations. Knockouts without clamps, clipping off the ground despite it being available, chipping out drywall to run non-listed cable around studs then spackling over it, you name it. Did I mention that he raised 5 children in this house?
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Jul 12, 2013 19:45
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evilnissan posted:I did help replace this breaker box a few years ago as the old one was a screw in fuse type.. But I did not help him add the extra circuits for his computer/radio/gray beard room in the basement. Granted I dont know anything about whats"up to code" but this does not look like it is. Eh, that job looks messy as can be and definitely not pro, but I only see one possible violation. The panel outlets aren't GFCI protected since they're in an unfinished basement, assuming they aren't on a GFCI breaker hidden behind the panel door. I can tell the old circuit cables were ran into those junction boxes for extensions then into the new panel one at a time of planning where which cable groups of should enter the box, instead of "the first knockout I see". Other than that, it could maybe use some NM staples to make it look cleaner and more organized.
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Jul 24, 2013 18:43
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FogHelmut posted:My grandfather seems to have had built his house with the intention of the sump pump being an active part of the building. During especially heavy rains, water just flows in through the bottom of the walls, across the basement floor, and straight into the sump. No puddles are left, and it dries out very quickly. It's been there for 60 years with no issues. That's one modern method used today for leaky basements, except that you dig/cut perimeter gutters that flow to the sump so that the no longer lowest-point floor stays dry.
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Jul 30, 2013 00:39
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Heresiarch posted:That's kind of boring. I was hoping for something like "light fixtures full of water" or maybe something involving dangerous wildlife. I had something like that once. I got a call from the boss that one of our security cameras was out. So I drive over to that store and check it out. It was a dome camera hanging from the ceiling tile. The dome was completely full of water... Oh wait, you guys were running away with hyperbole. I mean it was full of water moccasins. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Sep 27, 2013 |
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Sep 27, 2013 00:37
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My wife and I are currently on honeymoon in Vietnam. I've never seen more half- and quarter-assed construction in my entire life. Don't get me wrong, all of the facades on the nicer buildings are absolutely beautiful, with their granite and tile work... The problem is that's the only thing that's nice, the surfaces. I saw some currently under construction. Underneath, it's just concrete pillars, beams and floors with brick walls. The rebar (if they have any) isn't fastened into place. You'll see some sticking out on the surface once they take off the forms. Plus I haven't seen one brick wall yet with every row level. And don't get me started on the wiring! I have absolutely no idea how people here aren't shocked at least once on a daily basis. Free hanging wires everywhere with some low enough for kids to reach, no grounds, no breaker boxes. Instead they have per-floor or per-room breakers, most are surface mounted with exposed terminals. Some are used as the switch for the room. At night you can hear the plugs in the outlets buzzing from loose connections. Did I mention that it has rained every day we've been here? They have wiring like this outdoors too. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 13:04 on Oct 28, 2013 |
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Oct 28, 2013 12:58
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Mercury Ballistic posted:When I was in Afghanistan my MRAP antenna shorted out some powerlines propped up on saplings. A big spark was the only result. That town was lucky to have power. I need to find my pics from some projects. Nice! I forgot to mention the wire splices mid-run on unfastened wires just covered with electrical tape. I should post a photo of a telephone pole here in Saigon. Each one looks like a Gordian knot.
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Oct 28, 2013 16:45
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:As a general rule, houses in the US have to meet certain standards (enforced by city inspectors) to qualify as "habitable" dwellings. This includes stuff like having adequate insulation, having appropriate fire escapes, having at least one wide door, etc. in addition to the usual "isn't an active peril to life and limb" kind of thing. That reminds me, I had an ex 9 years ago that lived in a duplex. Her upstairs neighbor had Alzheimer's and would forget to turn off the faucets... She finally had to stay at my place awhile because her duplex got condemned. Well, come the end of the month, she got her rent bill in the mail. Her landlord wanted her to pay rent for an apartment that she couldn't legally occupy. edit: and here's a Vietnamese telephone pole! Note that the one across the street is just as bad. 
kid sinister fucked around with this message at 13:07 on Oct 29, 2013 |
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Oct 29, 2013 06:14
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lorddazron posted:He did do that, but apparently he also dug down too far into some sort of pit or sinkhole, causing the entire building to collapse in upon itself, and also swallowing up part of the road outside as well. How the hell did the survey for the first building completely miss that sinkhole? It sounds like it was doomed to collapse regardless of the neighbor.
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Oct 31, 2013 16:41
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Here was my favorite wiring splice job from Hanoi, Vietnam. It was low enough to easily reach. Note the tomb marker store across the street. Convenient!
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Dec 8, 2013 19:18
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Bad Munki posted:How annoyed off would a contractor be if an owner he was building a house for showed up at the build site from time to time to have a look around? I'm not an inspector but I'd sure feel a lot better if I could actually watch the house go up in person. Maybe with a case of beer for the crew? Owners on jobsite are pretty common. One way owners can help keep down the costs of work is to do the cleanup work themselves. Still, that's at the end of the workday, right as they are leaving. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 20:44 on Jan 30, 2014 |
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Jan 30, 2014 20:41
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gently caress, a guy in my fraternity house did that trying to get cable TV in his room. He drilled through the paneling and managed to drill into a 1/2" copper water pipe in the wall. Imagine the angle that you would need to hit a 1/2" water pipe at with a 1/2" drill bit and not deflect off of it.
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Feb 4, 2014 21:59
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Toucan Sam posted:Found elsewhere but i have been in that spot. I took the fitting apart and did it right, wish i would have cut the wrench in half.  he cut off the box end of the wrench instead of using the other end???Also, I suppose that is to code, even if it's the hosed up way to do it. I wonder how many hacksaw blades he went through trying to cut tool steel? At least he cut it there and not at by the water line.
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Feb 16, 2014 21:48
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kastein posted:All I am saying is that I am drat near fed up with rotten sills. gently caress this noise. Mine aren't rotten per se, but it seems a water leak and a couple freezing winters times 58 years destroyed the plaster and mortar in one corner of my tiled kitchen window sill. Now I have a hole big enough to stick my finger all the way inside. I seriously need to go around and fix the caulk on all my windows outside.
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Feb 23, 2014 00:45
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Jusupov posted:The electrical box is a photoshop. Reverse gis for source You'd be surprised how common this is.   
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Mar 4, 2014 19:07
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Found another one!
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Mar 6, 2014 00:26
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kastein posted:Last time soldering house wiring was OK was when knob and tube was still in use. The standard way to splice knob and tube was to do a western union splice, solder it, wrap the splice in unvulcanized natural rubber tape (which would adhere to itself and bond into a solid mass of rubber) then wrap the whole shebang in friction tape. So glad that's verboten now, what a loving mess. The original NM wiring in my 1956 house was joined like that instead of using wire nuts. They were legit joints too, always in boxes with a pigtail to the outlet. What's weird is that they used that ancient joining and wrapping method on NM with ground... When I found out my cables actually had the ground wire, I went back and corrected all those solder joints while also correcting the grounding paths all the way back to the busbar. Basically, I got super lucky. It wouldn't have killed the original electrician to leave more than 3 inches of wire in each box though. Also, don't ever let that old rubber tape touch your hardwood floors. It's like a scuff mark from hell. This is for all you 12V wiring guys. How good is that liquid tape stuff compared to heat shrink? kid sinister fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Mar 12, 2014 |
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Mar 12, 2014 23:53
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Slanderer posted:A soldered joint requires a soldering iron (and a small hot-air gun if you go with shrink tubing). I always used a lighter for heat shrink. Of course, that's a bad idea around an engine, let alone trying to keep it lit outdoors on a windy day. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Mar 13, 2014 |
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Mar 13, 2014 22:54
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Nitrox posted:
That reminds me of a deck that collapsed at a Grateful Dead concert near where I lived maybe 20 years ago? A couple dozen Deadheads ended up not going to the emergency room until the next day. Gee, I wonder why...
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Mar 18, 2014 19:04
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I could see having a normal outlet behind the cabinets (or maybe a spare socket on the one that drives your dishwasher or garbage disposal or whatever), and then running some extension cords to the backs of the drawers. The extension cords would probably wear out eventually, but that's trivial to replace. You also wouldn't have a traditional outlet faceplate, but that doesn't strike me as a huge concern. Extension cords aren't allowed for permanent use. As far as the code is concerned in houses, if you have a socket somewhere all the time, then it better be hardwired in a stationary box with stationary cable. In fact, the code expressly says "flexible cords and cables shall not be used for the following: (1) As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure" Sagebrush posted:Really all of the international plugs are stupid though. I've yet to hear a reason that there's anything superior to the American standard plug. USA #1  First international-standard power plug, which is weird since that use wasn't what it was intended for. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Mar 25, 2014 |
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Mar 25, 2014 20:29
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Slanderer posted:Mr Clean Magic Erasers are pretty clever. They're made of reticulated melamine foam, so they're basically a matrix of hard melamine fibers that act as both the abrasive and the carrier. Like 3D sand paper! And that's why I don't recommend them on painted surfaces. It will take the paint off while taking the stain off, or sometimes just the paint while leaving the stain.
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Mar 27, 2014 19:54
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Meatwave posted:In a long line of bad DIY decisions, one of the dumbest ones I ever made was to replace a dying bathroom fan with an expensive, whisper-quiet model. Meatwave sounds like a foghorn when he shits.
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Apr 8, 2014 02:28
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Someone needs to sneak over there in the middle of the night and put that thing out of its misery. Then when the fire dept. shows up to put it out, someone at the city eventually figures out that there wasn't a permit or inspection for it.
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Apr 25, 2014 05:00
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Mercury Ballistic posted:Wife and I are looking at houses right now. We live in the neighborhood we plan on buying in, and the houses are overall really good quality, just a little older, mostly built in the 1950s. Anyway we saw a nice one today, but in the kitchen near the sink I saw this interesting device: I've seen a couple of those before. They really predate the 1950s. I've also never seen one wired with a cord thick enough to support the number of plugs that could be inserted into it.
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Apr 28, 2014 00:57
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