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Any advice on the best sort of water-leak detection I can put in my basement? Really looking to solve/be alerted to two separate problems since my basement's flooded twice in a year and a half now. 1) Water alarm to put in the sump closet. Either a high water alarm in the sump pit itself or a sensor on the floor after it's overflowed. Some way to know "sump isn't working get this fixed ASAP" anyway. 2) Water alarm to put in the utility area in case of the water heater or water treatment equipment leaking that could automatically shut off water to prevent further leaks. I'm on a well if that makes any difference. We had a power failure during a large storm in October 2019 that led to our sump overflowing and our basement needing to be gutted. I've got a generator now so I can cover that if I'm home and alerted to a sump failure condition. The second flood was improperly installed drain line for a water treatment filter that backwashed ~200 gallons of water all over our recently refinished basement floor in April. Thankfully it was part of the backwash cycle and stopped rather than just being a free-flowing leak until we discovered it, but if some sensor had been able to kill water, I wouldn't be looking at having to re-do my basement yet again. gay_crimes posted:More new home owner question stuff. Is repairing parging a DIY task, or should I hire a mason? Theres a 3 foot long bit out front near a corner that’s got some cracks and a bit has chipped off, and there’s a loose brick near the corner as well. Its the only section of the front of the house that gets rain on it occasionally, the rest of the front has stayed pretty dry in the few heavy rainfalls that have happened since moving in, which explains the disparity and why this corner of the house has a little more wear. The parging and bricks are in good shape around the rest of the house. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jYPp9w-0Uk
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May 28, 2021 14:23
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Last spring, I spent about three months installing a new floor and all the associated trim and doors and painting in our basement. Hard to find time juggling both of us wfh with two toddlers, but I got it done in bits and pieces. Then in April this year our basement flooded due to a plumber's gently caress up. Their insurance fully covered it, so I hired the repairs out rather than doing the exact same work again. Had to replace flooring, trim, a door, and then the caulking and painting of the trim They were done in like a day and half, two days tops total, lol.
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Jul 26, 2021 03:43
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Why the urge to cover your house in cameras though
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Aug 4, 2021 14:03
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high concentrations of chlorine will turn copper things blue
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Aug 5, 2021 15:20
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That is 100% the key. We fought mice for a couple of months in one room until I figured out where they were coming in and sealed it up. Now it's been fine for a couple of years.
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Aug 6, 2021 02:10
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Motronic posted:Thirding there is a good chance nothing was done with your fireplace other than removing the flue. It's also a very good time to shop for high efficiency inserts because there is a new and better biomass heat tax credit: https://www.hpba.org/Advocacy/Biomass-Stove-Tax-Credit What's the cost on a unit like that?
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Aug 19, 2021 15:54
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Cutting up a giant fallen limb of a osage orange/hedge apple tree sucks. So many thorns.
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Aug 19, 2021 18:06
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Vim Fuego posted:Fun fact: Osage oranges were eaten by the now extinct giant ground sloth, an animal that could reach up to 4 tons in weight and stood 12 feet tall. Squirrels love 'em!
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Aug 19, 2021 18:48
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My county's public health department offers water testing for a reasonable fee. Water treatment companies can come out and test your water with a limited battery of tests. They can pick up iron, hardness, etc. You can do a full panel via mail but it isn't cheap. I've used https://www.watercheck.com for my well a couple of times.
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Aug 27, 2021 17:08
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Ikea cabinets/storage stuff have something similar. May even be Blum since some of their fancier drawer hardware is Blum the days. It's fine, and I guess helpful if you want to go handleless. I had to add extra support in a cabinet or two when I went to full overlay doors/drawers in my kitchen, but it wasn't a ton more labor. Cut a piece of maple 1x stock, glue and nail, sand and paint with the rest of the frame.
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Aug 28, 2021 19:45
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It is an aesthetic nightmare
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Aug 29, 2021 23:44
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If groundwater is getting into your 5" riser don't you have some serious flooding issues anyway? I've got an aerobic system that is definitely not sealed and isn't designed to be. Just concrete lids on risers and the air inlet for the aerator. If I have 5" of water overtopping my riser, it's also overtopping my foundation.
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Sep 13, 2021 04:29
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We got the 4" option which was a little bit more for materials but allowed for lower velocity and reduced noise. I haven't heard a sound from the system in 18 months. We could have gone with a variable speed fan for a few hundred more dollars that would have let them dial in exactly how much flow was needed, potentially saving electrical costs. But I calc'd it out and it wasn't ever really going to pay for itself. e: they sealed both sump pits, core drilled a 4" hole in one corner, and sucked out a couple buckets worth of gravel immediately below the hole. They drill a couple of test ports on the other side of the basement to test suction draw of the system to make sure it was pulling enough. brugroffil fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Sep 14, 2021 |
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Sep 14, 2021 01:33
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Yeah how is that not on the demo crew for not doing proper determination on what they're actually removing instead of just letting 'er rip and tearing out part of the house? You find something abnormal that's additional work, you document and present beforehand. You don't just blunder ahead and then demand the owner pay to fix the damages you caused.
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Sep 16, 2021 03:10
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Johnny Truant posted:Lol well this was already gonna happen cause POs royally hosed up basically all the trim, like dig this: Incredible
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Sep 16, 2021 23:21
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Do you live next to a dust factory
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Oct 9, 2021 19:18
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I did my ~800 sq ft basement last summer. Took a few weeks of an hour here, two hours there to get it done but not too bad. I had installed probably 2-3k sq ft of various laminate and LVP snap together floors previously so I had at least a little experience. I did my 100 SQ ft dining room in a couple of hours a month ago. After my basement flooded this recent summer thanks to contractor negligence and their insurance was paying for everything, two pros did the entire floor in about two hours. Lol at the diy skill set compared to actual pros. It's not a hard job and doesn't really require any specialized tools beyond the edge puller bar thing, a plastic or wood block to tap the boards together as necessary, and an undercutting saw to cut under door jams where necessary to get the flooring underneath. As with most everything, prep is key to a good finish, so make sure your floor is good and level beforehand. brugroffil fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Oct 25, 2021 |
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Oct 25, 2021 03:44
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Inner Light posted:I don’t understand a thermostatic mixing valve at all. What’s the benefit over just…. Mixing cold and hot water at the tub? You have to mix in less 140 degree water than you do 120 degree water to get a nice 98 degree bath temp. Your 50gal of 140F water will make you more 98F bath water.
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Oct 27, 2021 15:23
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Lol if you always remember to lock your door and close your garage
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Oct 29, 2021 18:19
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Johnny Truant posted:I cannot understand people who don't lock their doors Laziness/forgetfulness. But also the most likely home invader would be a deer so whatever.
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Oct 29, 2021 19:17
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My washer just decided to fail. What's the best options for basic models these days?
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Oct 31, 2021 15:12
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MrYenko posted:They’re not wrong, either. They’re fantastic machines, but decidedly not the budget option. their hilariously low capacity rules them out since we have two small children that need near constant laundry thanks everyone!
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Oct 31, 2021 19:44
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While you're at it, make a little circuit map of what turns off with each breaker as you go. Less guess-and-check in the future.
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Nov 3, 2021 15:55
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They also have access to a little bit better stuff than you'd get at Lowes Depot through contractor supply houses, right? e: we replaced our is 20 year old 40g hot point with a Bradford White 50g unit last winter, no complaints
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Nov 6, 2021 03:15
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FHA 30 year rates peaked at over 18% in 1981. Same year my parents bought their first house, 16.5% rate! e: Freddie Mac historic rates http://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/pmms30.html
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Nov 15, 2021 15:24
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Jesus, to be so lucky to have that sort of stability
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Nov 16, 2021 04:13
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 Halp my yard is burning e: controlled burn on adjacent public lands brugroffil fucked around with this message at 23:21 on Nov 26, 2021 |
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Nov 26, 2021 20:23
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Drywall kicker
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Nov 30, 2021 02:55
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Me sawing wood: Haha gently caress yeah!!! Yes!! Me sawing metal: Well this loving sucks. What the gently caress.
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Dec 12, 2021 22:22
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I do not care for cleaning up fallen branches from these trees
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Dec 15, 2021 21:11
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Speed queen capacity is absurdly small. Something to consider if you have children and thus absurd amounts of laundry.
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Jan 1, 2022 02:44
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SpartanIvy posted:I'm a residential DIYer and you're missing a line item for alcohol. I recommend at least 3 figures worth. gas for 20+ trips to the hardware store
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Jan 4, 2022 22:04
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fyallm posted:Had to give the relator and builder a range and an upper limit on what we want, and we are meeting with them next week, but it looks like our upper limit comes out to around 35% of take-home pay. Def seems like a lot compared to the ~8% of my take home Im currently paying, lol. But I will no longer live in the boonies with nothing around Look at your current monthly expenses and figure out where that delta in housing costs will come from. You could more in detail and look at what your budgets have been the last couple of years to really determine where your money is spent/saved and figure out what you can adjust/cut to afford the home you want or to set a more defined max value.
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Jan 19, 2022 16:03
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You could go with something like a kinetico system but be prepared to spend several thousand dollars. e: worth reaching out to some local water treatment companies. They'll have far superior units to what you can get at the big box stores and will know the typical water conditions in your area. brugroffil fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Feb 5, 2022 |
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Feb 5, 2022 16:19
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We are looking to replace our pantry closet door, but of course it's an uncommon size: 22" width. I'm hoping to spend a couple hundred on the door. Is there anywhere online I should be looking? The big box options are limited to non existent for that size. We're not looking for anything fancy, but I'm wondering if we're going to be forced into the higher end options thanks to the sizing.
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Feb 5, 2022 16:28
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BigFactory posted:I was always under the impression that most doors require some kind of custom fitting. Maybe I’m wrong. I can buy pre hung or slab doors off the shelf in multiple styles in any size from 18-36" in two inch increments.... except 22". You've got to shim in and square up a pre hung door as you're installing it, or you've got to route in the hinges and cut holes for the lockset if you're buying a plain slab, but the doors themselves are typically stocked or available on short order. Home Depot and Lowes don't seem to even offer 22" doors. PainterofCrap posted:Depending on your experience, equipment and comfort level, you can absolutely buy a 24" wide solid-core door slab and rip it down to 22". you know, how hard could it really be to simply fab my own two panel door?? I would think a ripped down 24" door for anything but plain slab would look "off," though it's something to keep in mind if it's $150 for that option vs. $500+ to have someone custom build me a door. The fit and finish level of the rest of my home is not worthy of a $500+ pantry door. brugroffil fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Feb 5, 2022 |
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Feb 5, 2022 16:53
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It all depends on what you're trying to filter out. Different solutions for different purposes, from something as simple as a whole-house filter that's just a giant version of the one that was in your Brita pitcher, to your very own mini water treatment facility. If you just want to replicate the Brita, you could get one of the faucet-mounted ones. Or you could get a cartridge filter that you put inline with your incoming water that filters all the water coming into your house. You can buy different filter cartridges based on what you're looking to take out. https://www.discountwatersofteners.com/inline-filters/big-blue-style-filter-housing-20-inch/ e: if you want to get extremely deep in the weeds, you could always check out Terry Love's plumbing forums, and specifically the water softener section (really just a catch-all for all water treatment discussions) https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?forums/water-softener-forum-questions-and-answers.22/
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Feb 11, 2022 19:34
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That's typically what you do I think. Pull it out as much as possible, vice grip it at the bottom, cut off the top above the vice grip, and repeat. They make segmented replacement rods that unfold or screw together
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Mar 1, 2022 03:05
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CancerCakes posted:Radiator covers are the dumbest poo poo, they stop the room heating properly, don't counteract cold air effect from the windows (which is why radiators are positioned under Windows in the first place) so make the room feel draughty, and if you have the trv inside the cover the radiator will be closed nearly all the time. Visit somewhere like a Frank Lloyd Wright house and you will! e: the radiators in this room are beneath the windows 
brugroffil fucked around with this message at 22:11 on Mar 4, 2022 |
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Mar 4, 2022 16:52
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| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 17:22 |
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DELETE CASCADE posted:this looks... awful though? It's a UNESCO world heritage site
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Mar 5, 2022 05:07
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