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I have a weird corner in the laundry room I want to put some floating shelving in. Its only about 24" on each side. If I take some wood slats and anchor them into the studs will that be enough to support it without using a bracket? Sort of like a french cleat but I'd just screw them into the horizontal slat.
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Feb 17, 2021 18:58
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tater_salad posted:Furnace wired to a plug that plugs into that outlet. this way in the event of a power loss you can now pug your furnace into a properly rated extension cord. I redid my furnace like this so I can plug into a generator safely and have heat, at least. Short length of wire comes out of the box and plugs into a switched outlet normally.
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Feb 17, 2021 19:04
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Teabag Dome Scandal posted:I have a weird corner in the laundry room I want to put some floating shelving in. Its only about 24" on each side. If I take some wood slats and anchor them into the studs will that be enough to support it without using a bracket? Sort of like a french cleat but I'd just screw them into the horizontal slat. Yes, that should work fine. Before you cut your shelves to sit on those cleats though, you might want to get a protractor AKA angle finder or a T bevel. Corners are never, ever 90 degrees.
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Feb 17, 2021 19:21
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kid sinister posted:Yes, that should work fine. Before you cut your shelves to sit on those cleats though, you might want to get a protractor AKA angle finder or a T bevel. Corners are never, ever 90 degrees. Good idea! I need to cut quite a bit of trim at some point so I'll need something anyway
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Feb 17, 2021 19:39
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I’ve got some open walls and ceilings in my basement (not actually underground, it’s just a crappy room off the garage being used as a laundry room); my electrician just informed me that we have to cover them (and the exposed wires) in order to pass final inspection. I’m not sure yet what I’ll want to cover those surfaces with in the long term, and I plan on finishing them properly once I’ve figured that out. Later. What’s the simplest acceptable material for this meanwhile? I assume cardboard won’t cut it, what’s the closest thing to cardboard I could get away with?
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Feb 17, 2021 23:11
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glynnenstein posted:I redid my furnace like this so I can plug into a generator safely and have heat, at least. Short length of wire comes out of the box and plugs into a switched outlet normally. My dad bought one of these things and had me wire it in for him: https://ezgeneratorswitch.com/manual-generator-switch/ Now he just runs a proper (male-female) extension cord inside and flips the switch when he loses power to keep the house warm. I thought it was pretty slick.
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Feb 17, 2021 23:43
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PENETRATION TESTS posted:I’ve got some open walls and ceilings in my basement (not actually underground, it’s just a crappy room off the garage being used as a laundry room); my electrician just informed me that we have to cover them (and the exposed wires) in order to pass final inspection. I’m not sure yet what I’ll want to cover those surfaces with in the long term, and I plan on finishing them properly once I’ve figured that out. Later. Poorly installed unpainted unmudded drywall. Whatever thickness your jurisdiction requires. Or replace the wires with something that counts as conduit/protection.
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Feb 18, 2021 00:06
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PENETRATION TESTS posted:I’ve got some open walls and ceilings in my basement (not actually underground, it’s just a crappy room off the garage being used as a laundry room); my electrician just informed me that we have to cover them (and the exposed wires) in order to pass final inspection. I’m not sure yet what I’ll want to cover those surfaces with in the long term, and I plan on finishing them properly once I’ve figured that out. Later. H110Hawk posted:Poorly installed unpainted unmudded drywall. Whatever thickness your jurisdiction requires. Or replace the wires with something that counts as conduit/protection. If your jurisdiction is that nitpicky you'll probably need to slap some mud on the seams too, that "cover all walls" is usually a fire thing.
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Feb 18, 2021 02:46
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Elviscat posted:If your jurisdiction is that nitpicky you'll probably need to slap some mud on the seams too, that "cover all walls" is usually a fire thing. In that case it's the easiest mud job ever, leave your fucks at the door.
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Feb 18, 2021 02:54
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H110Hawk posted:In that case it's the easiest mud job ever, leave your fucks at the door. I've seen it done, just slap some mud and run a knife on it and it doesn't even look half bad. Good idea to spray it with a layer of primer to prevent mold if it's in a damp climate.
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Feb 18, 2021 04:08
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Our dishwasher started slowly filling up today even while it was not turned on. Last time we had a dishwasher leak, it was due to the drain hose falling down underneath the sink, causing the air loop to fail. I thought that might be the problem again but then I noticed a trickle of water coming out of the intake hole on the interior side of the dishwasher. I turned off the valves underneath the sink and the trickle stopped. A little research indicates this problem is probably caused by a faulty inlet valve. Does this sound correct? Anything I should know before replacing the inlet valve? There wouldn't happen to be a quick fix I could try first, would there? I'm a little worried about not being able to replace it myself. We're in the middle of winter weather in my area, too, and every plumber in the city is probably responding to problems like burst pipes.
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Feb 18, 2021 08:20
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Sounds like the inlet valve. I'd give it a go.
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Feb 18, 2021 15:58
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DaveSauce posted:Reminds me of someone on my local Nextdoor who was asking about punching a hole through their house to mount a Ring flood light over their garage door, and then power it by running a 16AWG extension cord back to the garage door opener receptacle on the ceiling. I'm a noob so I'll ask; what's wrong with this?
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Feb 18, 2021 20:07
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floWenoL posted:I'm a noob so I'll ask; what's wrong with this? 1. Extension cords aren't allowed for permanent use. 2. 16 AWG is too small for mains wiring. 3. Ceiling outlets in garages usually aren't GFCI protected. 4. I doubt that the hole made will be weatherproofed.
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Feb 18, 2021 20:15
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I was in my attic crawl space and noticed that some snow is blowing into the attic: Looks like a poorly-installed roof soffit vent is allowing snow to blow in. I'm going to have my roof looked at in the spring, but in the meantime what can I do to: a) dry up this wet area b) Temporarily waterproof it for the next couple of months? I don't want this issue to cause rot issues.
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Feb 18, 2021 22:03
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melon cat posted:I was in my attic crawl space and noticed that some snow is blowing into the attic: Suck the poo poo out with a shop vac maybe, and then put a fan on it. To keep poo poo out, maybe shove some plastic in there.
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Feb 18, 2021 22:49
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melon cat posted:Looks like a poorly-installed roof soffit vent is allowing snow to blow in. I'm going to have my roof looked at in the spring, but in the meantime what can I do to: a) dry up this wet area b) Temporarily waterproof it for the next couple of months? I don't want this issue to cause rot issues. Did you just install the vent last season? If it's an old vent and there aren't any obvious issues already, just let it ride until you talk to a roofer. It could just be one weird windy storm combined with super light snow. Just keep an eye on it, maybe remove the snow that's already there if you're really dedicated.
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Feb 18, 2021 22:52
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wesleywillis posted:Suck the poo poo out with a shop vac maybe, and then put a fan on it. I have a fan that fits the space but since it's so drat cold I don't think it'll actually dry the area. Any harm in using a space heater? Tezer posted:Did you just install the vent last season? Just moved into this place so I have no idea when it was installed. We did just have a big snowstorm which could explain the snow getting in, but the roofing work we inherited seems a bit... shoddy. Had a leak last year. I ended up scooping the snow out by hand, so all that's left now is a wet patch of structural beams that I'd really like to dry out.
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Feb 19, 2021 00:30
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That appears to be a roof vent; soffit vents are located along the soffit (the flat underside of where the roof extends past the wall, behind the gutter). Either the vent is not properly sealed where it interfaces with the roof deck/shingle, or you had some freaky winds blowing snow in. Since it's chunks of actual snow: I vote freaky winds. I'd put the largest pan with the highest sides (like a large automotive drip pan, with a large roasting pan centered in it) under that vent to catch whatever comes in & let the ambient air evaporate it until you can assess it better in warmer weather. If you're really paranoid, spread a small tarp first, then the pan(s). edit: Do not put a space heater in a combustible, hidden, unsupervised space You attic space is vented to the outside. It will dry out. You just need to contain what little is getting in long enough for it to evaporate. I do have to question the use of giant brick (and extremely shoddy masonry technique) to close the rake openings betwen the roof joists. Are the exterior walls brick? PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Feb 19, 2021 |
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Feb 19, 2021 00:33
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PainterofCrap posted:That appears to be a roof vent; soffit vents are located along the soffit (the flat underside of where the roof extends past the wall, behind the gutter). Yeah most likely freaky winds. But is there a such thing as a better quality roof vent that can prevent this from occurring? Because I do live in a snowbelt region and we can have windy, snow weather for 4-5 months. Your tarp + drip pan is a very good idea and should help until I can get an actual roofer to come out and look at it. quote:edit: Do not put a space heater in a combustible, hidden, unsupervised space The only thing of flammable concern is pink fiberglass insulation, which is very close by. I was actually going to use the space heater and literally sit next to it to closely monitor it (I paid too much for this dumb house and don't want to burn this poo poo down). That small crawl space just seems to have very poor air circulation in general, which is why I don't think it'll evaporate very well naturally and am entertaining the idea of running a fan/space heater up there. As for the brick and shoddy masonry- it's a double-brick century home. No idea if the masonry is original or done at some point later in this house's life. 
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Feb 19, 2021 05:50
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melon cat posted:I was in my attic crawl space and noticed that some snow is blowing into the attic: lol wtf is happening here everything in that photo looks insane to me
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Feb 19, 2021 07:22
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melon cat posted:Yeah most likely freaky winds. But is there a such thing as a better quality roof vent that can prevent this from occurring? Because I do live in a snowbelt region and we can have windy, snow weather for 4-5 months. Change it out for a turtle or mushroom vent. Another alternative is to do away with the hole in the roof and install gable vents...not knowing the layout of your roof vs. the exterior elevations, I can't tell if that is feasible. There should be at least two up there, as far away from each other as possible, to promote air circulation. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 07:26 on Feb 19, 2021 |
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Feb 19, 2021 07:24
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El Mero Mero posted:lol wtf is happening here everything in that photo looks insane to me PainterofCrap posted:Change it out for a turtle or mushroom vent. Another question while I'm at it: this attic crawlspace has some electrical cables running through it (!!!). I'm in the process of stapling it to the upper side to keep it off the ground but is there some sort of sheathing/insulation that I can add onto it to protect it against leaks and moisture? melon cat fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Feb 19, 2021 |
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Feb 19, 2021 16:03
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melon cat posted:Another question while I'm at it: this attic crawlspace has some electrical cables running through it (!!!). Is there some sort of sheating/insulation that I can add onto it to protect it against leaks and moisture? I sincerely hope you don't mean there's bare metal wires in the attic. Assuming you meant romex, it's already sheathed and insulated, that's what the rubber/plastic coating (and the further coatings inside that coating) are for. You can buy flexible metal conduit to run wiring inside of, but you're supposed to put the conduit on the wire prior to installation. If I recall code correctly, doing this is only a requirement in places where the cable is readily accessible, and an attic doesn't count for that. You're probably fine.
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Feb 19, 2021 16:18
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I sincerely hope you don't mean there's bare metal wires in the attic. Assuming you meant romex, it's already sheathed and insulated, that's what the rubber/plastic coating (and the further coatings inside that coating) are for. \/ Cool I can live with that, then. Thanks guys. melon cat fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Feb 19, 2021 |
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Feb 19, 2021 16:21
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melon cat posted:Another question while I'm at it: this attic crawlspace has some electrical cables running through it (!!!). I'm in the process of stapling it to the upper side to keep it off the ground but is there some sort of sheathing/insulation that I can add onto it to protect it against leaks and moisture? Eyeballing this there is nothing dangerous there.
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Feb 19, 2021 16:37
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H110Hawk posted:Eyeballing this there is nothing dangerous there. Yeah I agree with this, you're more likely to cause issues with the staples IMO.
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Feb 19, 2021 16:55
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melon cat posted:Century homes, yo. One of my neighbours opened up a wall for some renovations and found it to be insulated with... pants. Lots and lots of pants. The perimeter of my attic is insulated with hundreds of tightly-packed 1830s newspapers.
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Feb 19, 2021 17:15
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I just went to take a shower, was clearing out the cold water in the pipes, when I heard a "thunk" sound and stopped getting hot water to my shower. The sink still gets hot water, the shower still gets cold water, but when I transition the shower from cold to hot water, the flow rate slows to a trickle. The upstairs bathroom sink also has hot water...upstairs shower seems to be totally nonfunctional (can't get any water at all), but it hasn't been used in years (it's a really cramped and crappy shower stall) so that might be unrelated. I really don't want to be without a shower. I'm guessing what I heard was a breakdown in a mixing valve or something? How hard is this likely to be to fix? EDIT: for that matter, I can't even see how to get the front off.  There's no openings in the perimeter of this that I can see. Do I have to slip a spatula in there and just pry it off? TooMuchAbstraction fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Feb 19, 2021 |
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Feb 19, 2021 17:25
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I just went to take a shower, was clearing out the cold water in the pipes, when I heard a "thunk" sound and stopped getting hot water to my shower. The sink still gets hot water, the shower still gets cold water, but when I transition the shower from cold to hot water, the flow rate slows to a trickle. handle should unscrew somehow. Maybe unscrew the actual handle part by twisting, and find a set-screw for the rest behind it? tater_salad fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Feb 19, 2021 |
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Feb 19, 2021 17:59
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I got the crosspieces off (but not without stripping the antique-bronze surface coat off  ), but that doesn't seem to help me with the rest of the assembly: If I twist the whole thing, then it turns the water on, of course. Did you mean twisting something else? I'm leery of applying too much force opposite the direction it's supposed to move in. EDIT: I can rotate the kind of conical thing between the base and the tip, but if I do that, the water comes on TooMuchAbstraction fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Feb 19, 2021 |
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Feb 19, 2021 18:07
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I got the crosspieces off (but not without stripping the antique-bronze surface coat off Somewhere on the handle assembly there's a hole. In that hole will be an hex head set screw. Loosen that and the whole handle should just slide off.
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Feb 19, 2021 18:14
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DaveSauce posted:Somewhere on the handle assembly there's a hole. In that hole will be an hex head set screw. Loosen that and the whole handle should just slide off. Turns out the cap on the tip of the assembly slides off, and there was a Phillips head screw behind that. Removing that screw doesn't seem to have advanced my cause in any way I can tell. The whole thing is still very firmly attached to the wall.
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Feb 19, 2021 18:19
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Turns out the cap on the tip of the assembly slides off, and there was a Phillips head screw behind that. Removing that screw doesn't seem to have advanced my cause in any way I can tell. The whole thing is still very firmly attached to the wall. Now that you've removed the set screw, grab that poo poo and pull firmly away from the wall. E: if your screw was in line with the whole apparatus it might just be the screw holding the handle onto the valve (not the set screw). Did removing that part reveal another (tiny) screw hole on the side? That would be the set screw.
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Feb 19, 2021 18:29
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I've pulled as hard as I can without going full Hulk mode, and that thing isn't budging. If I had to guess, probably 50-60 pounds of force? It doesn't feel loose at all. I did however manage to loosen that pyramid thing by rotating it. It's on threads, apparently:  Unfortunately, it's blocked by the knob at the tip of the fixture, so I can't pull it all the way off. And I can't see any way to remove the knob; turning it just turns the water on, and if I turn it the wrong way, it lets a small trickle of water out too. I've looked all over for holes that might lead to set screws, but haven't found anything. EDIT: here's a close-up of where that Phillips screw was.  I feel like it could have been used to secure the aforementioned knob on, but yeah, I can't pull/twist it off as far as I can tell. TooMuchAbstraction fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Feb 19, 2021 |
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Feb 19, 2021 18:36
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Is that circular part on the side near the end a cap? Can you pry it off if so? I would take a brush or something and clean that whole area up because there could be a set screw hole hiding under the white grime. Or maybe it's just patina but in my phone that looks like stuff that could come off. E: from that second photo I would think the end piece is now able to come off, try reattaching the handle and give it some back and forth to see if you can free it up. Some light tapping on the handle from the wall side with a block of wood or mallet might do the trick.
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Feb 19, 2021 18:41
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I did reattach the handle and give it some really solid pulling; it's stuck. I think I've found a set screw hole...and I have no loving clue how I'm gonna access it without destroying that cone part, because even with said cone part screwed down as tight to the base as I can manage, the hole is still half covered by the tip of the cone. And it's also full of scale and grime. EDIT: and there's no part of the tip of the cone bit that's recessed to allow access if I align things. TooMuchAbstraction fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Feb 19, 2021 |
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Feb 19, 2021 18:54
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Is there a thread for generator discussion? After a few day power outage earlier in the week i'm starting to think about getting a little inverter generator to have around to run our sump pump and maybe kick on a heater or freezer ocasionally. The obvious reccomendation is one of the 2000w Honda units, but they're pricey at $1100. https://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/models/eu2200i The cheaper options are the Harbor Freight Predator 2000, which folks say is more or less a clone of the Honda, and is cheaper at $550: https://www.harborfreight.com/building-construction/gasoline-generators/2000-watt-super-quiet-inverter-generator-62523.html Cheaper still there's something like this WEN that's $388, which people say is essentially the same as the Predator, and is made by the same OEM: https://www.amazon.com/WEN-2000-Wat...29&sr=8-15&th=1 My better judgement tells me that if I need something to rely on then the Honda is the best option, but the price point of the other two make me curious. Anyone have any experience with any of these?
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Feb 19, 2021 19:12
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I did reattach the handle and give it some really solid pulling; it's stuck. I think I've found a set screw hole...and I have no loving clue how I'm gonna access it without destroying that cone part, because even with said cone part screwed down as tight to the base as I can manage, the hole is still half covered by the tip of the cone. And it's also full of scale and grime. It's possible that opening the valve might 'screw out' the piece with the hole in it, bringing it clear of the cone part. Get in there and clean it out as much as possible and try to unscrew it with probably a SZ 2, 2.5, or 3mm Allen key.
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Feb 19, 2021 19:21
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I decided, gently caress it, I'm gonna replace this fixture one way or another, and just cut a notch into it with my dremel: Granted there's a lot of grime in there (and this is after trying to wipe it out with a cloth), but it looks ridged. If there's a set screw hidden in there, it's very well hidden. My guess is that this is a registration notch so that the two parts align properly. God, I hate design trends that make poo poo impossible to service. Any other suggestions before I just start cutting the cone out entirely with my dremel? The main reason I delay is that it's liable to go through a bunch of cutting disks.
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Feb 19, 2021 19:48
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