|
Churchill posted:Any suggestions on a quick and easy fix for these holes? The wall is concrete. If I just needed that sealed and I didn't have to live or work there and it would never come back to me I would use expanding foam, cut it flush with the wall, and paint it to match.
|
#
?
May 4, 2021 21:31
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 21:32 |
|
|
Hah, well I've always thought it looked like poo poo but didn't realise it was THAT bad. It's been like that since I moved in about five years ago, it's in a part of the flat that you don't really see but I'm about to sell so I thought I might as well fix it. I live in Sweden so exposed wiring is fine. Edit: also that is conduit, but like a flexible plastic tube thing Churchill fucked around with this message at 21:49 on May 4, 2021 |
|
#
?
May 4, 2021 21:46
|
|
|
Churchill posted:Hah, well I've always thought it looked like poo poo but didn't realise it was THAT bad. It's been like that since I moved in about five years ago, it's in a part of the flat that you don't really see but I'm about to sell so I thought I might as well fix it. I live in Sweden so exposed wiring is fine. Yeah it's pretty hilariously bad. I've got so many questions about how and what that wiring is doing. If i were to approach this without first fixing the wiring i think what I'd do clean out the holes and chisel them a bit cleaner, get a split conduit to go over the existing wire, build a small form with cardboard that sits on the inside of the hole, and then carefully pack it with some gravel-mix concrete. Once that's all set you can try to match paint over the whole thing.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2021 03:30
|
|
|
If you're going to patch it with mortar, use a vertical or overhead repair mortar. They're designed to not sag,assuming you mixed it correctly. Sika has decent repair mortars like that. I think I've used Sika123 for something similar, but it has corrosion inhibitors and I doubt you need that. Since you're selling the place, I'd avoid patching it with something that's hard to dig back out in case the new owner doesn't like the exposed wires, so that foam and paint idea seems pretty good to me.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2021 03:57
|
|
|
Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'll probably just eat the cost and have someone do it properly. The previous owner is actually my dad's current neighbour, I'll ask him about it if I get the chance. I've added some more pictures for your viewing pleasure/horror.  
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2021 12:23
|
|
|
Do you live in a repurposed bunker type of thing?
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2021 21:58
|
|
|
A goodly percentage of Western Europe and Scandinavia built with concrete. I’m surprised that there are even painted door trims, rather than steel. There is a huge market in extension cord technology in Switzerland, given the logistical (let alone legal) hurdles to moving, let alone adding, an internally-chased wall outlet or ceiling fixture PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 23:31 on May 5, 2021 |
|
#
?
May 5, 2021 23:29
|
|
|
I like the expanding foam idea. The problem is that stuff is messy as all hell if it touches anything else. I'd be tempted to just mix up some mortar and apply it in there. It will take several coats.
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2021 03:24
|
|
|
Quick update, I was round my dad's and spoke to his neighbour (the previous owner), apparently the mason who was ment to come after the electrician was done (the wiring is fine and common practice in Sweden) never showed up, a few weeks went and he just thought gently caress it and learned to live woth it basically. Turned out the electrician who did the wiring is a different neighbour, he has a mason buddy who'll do it at a discount and the previous owner offered to split the cost so everything worked out pretty nicely! Now on the other hand the ventilation failed inspection but hey that'll be a fun problem for next week
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2021 12:12
|
|
|
I'm thinking of putting down some peel-and-stick vinyl tiles in my kitchen. I'd like to do something nicer, but this is more of a temporary "fix" than anything, since I want to do a fuller kitchen reno in a year or two. I'm honestly just sick to death of looking at this ugly piss yellow, stained, faded, etc... linoleum (or maybe vinyl) floor. But there are several gouges, a few humps from a fridge or stove getting pushed, etc... What's the best way to even the floor out? I was thinking of cutting out the humps and lumps with a knife, but what's the best way to fill in the gouges and scratches? Small ones I don't imagine will matter, but there are some that are almost 1" wide and a few inches long, I feel like that would be visible under one of those peel-and-stick tiles.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2021 17:05
|
|
|
DrBouvenstein posted:I'm thinking of putting down some peel-and-stick vinyl tiles in my kitchen. I'd like to do something nicer, but this is more of a temporary "fix" than anything, since I want to do a fuller kitchen reno in a year or two. If you're going to put tiles over tham, maybe get several extras and cut out pieces roughly the size of the gouges to match, then stick them in the holes?
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2021 17:29
|
|
|
AmbassadorofSodomy posted:If you're going to put tiles over tham, maybe get several extras and cut out pieces roughly the size of the gouges to match, then stick them in the holes?  Should work as long as the tiles are close enough to the thickness of the existing flooring. And with thin vinyl, I can't imagine there's that much variation.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2021 18:20
|
|
|
Is blue loctite good enough to keep bolts on outdoor wooden furniture from loosening? Or should I go buy a bunch of lock washers? edit - I went about bought a bunch of lock washers and used loctite. The furniture had like baby lock washers that didn't work, and I installed the proper size. FogHelmut fucked around with this message at 22:56 on May 7, 2021 |
|
#
?
May 7, 2021 19:10
|
|
|
Be aware that, if this furniture lasts and remains useful for more than a year or two - and sooner if you’re in a solid 4-season climate - that wood shrinks as it ages, especially what they use now, which isn’t kilned for as long as it probably should be, so that the ‘loosening’ will be due more that than to the fasteners, and that you should be checking & snugging them down at least once a year. They won’t all be loose, but some will.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2021 23:45
|
|
|
I bought it slightly used 5 years ago. I'm in socal which has two seasons. I've been tightening it every year, sometimes twice. All of the nuts/bolts are 5/16. I put 5/16 lock nuts on all of them. They had washers and lock nuts before, but they weren't full size 5/16. I don't even know how to describe them - like as thick as something you'd put on a 1/16. Tiny. I didn't even know they were there until I took it apart. Anyway, over this week I pressure washed them, gave them a light sanding, and today tightened everything up and stained/sealed them. 
FogHelmut fucked around with this message at 22:43 on May 8, 2021 |
|
#
?
May 8, 2021 06:37
|
|
|
I have a sliding mirror in our bathroom with a metal shelf behind it. The other side of the mirror slides too if you unscrew the hold screw but it’s surprisingly hard to find a similar in wall shelf. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2021 00:43
|
|
|
Any tips for building a stud wall on an irregular, sloped surface? Both the surface and the slope are irregular. Rough concrete pour for my basement wall underpinning. The underpin sections protrude from the main wall about 4”, and I’m putting a stud wall from their rough top surface up to the ceiling for finishing. I don’t want to pull the wall out farther from the masonry wall and extend it to the lovely smooth poured floor for reasons, so I’m just trying to put down a sole plate on sections that slope up to 6” over 10 feet, and are not very flat.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2021 03:39
|
|
|
The best way to do that is use a leveling mortar to make the surface flat. The easiest way is to cover the surface in construction adhesive and slam tapcons down through the bottom plate.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2021 05:51
|
|
|
Elviscat posted:The best way to do that is use a leveling mortar to make the surface flat. This is what I was leaning toward. And then cutting the studs angled at the bottom to match the slope of the sole plate. Sort of the opposite of building for a sloped ceiling. It won’t be carrying any real load, so just looking for a second opinion to tell me it’s not a stupid ineffective solution.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2021 15:57
|
|
|
What the hell is the name of the fastener used in this pic? I understand it's a smooth shaft with a flat, low profile head, held in place with an external retaining ring, but for the life of me, I cannot find a proper name for the actual fastener when I google for it. The only results I can seem to dredge up imply that apparently every single one of these things is somehow custom engineered for its own specific purpose, but there's no way that can be true, right?
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2021 18:25
|
|
|
neogeo0823 posted:What the hell is the name of the fastener used in this pic? I understand it's a smooth shaft with a flat, low profile head, held in place with an external retaining ring, but for the life of me, I cannot find a proper name for the actual fastener when I google for it. The only results I can seem to dredge up imply that apparently every single one of these things is somehow custom engineered for its own specific purpose, but there's no way that can be true, right?
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2021 18:37
|
|
|
Clevis pin with retaining ring.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2021 18:42
|
|
|
loving thank you! You would not believe how many different ways I tried to google "what fastener is a retaining ring used with" and for the life of me Google would not turn up a single useful result.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2021 18:48
|
|
|
TooMuchAbstraction posted:You can try using a screw extractor bit. The way that works is that you drill a hole in the screw, then stick the extractor bit in the hole. It's counter-threaded, so when you turn the bit counterclockwise, it grips the sides of the hole and causes the screw to turn. Update: the screw squished out halfway through drilling a hole in it. Also, upon closer observation these chairs are some cheap crap. Now I have extractor bits in case it happens again though, so thanks!
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2021 22:46
|
|
|
I'm trying to replace a kitchen sink sprayer, which is busted and leaking and has a tear in the hose. This quick connect piece is like 4" long and I can't find a manufacturer marked on it. Nothing in the plumbing aisle matches it and googling isn't turning up anything either. The black pieces on either side are pinched in to release. The quick connect piece itself buries way up into the faucet. Is there a name for this style, or does anyone have an idea who might have made it?
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2021 15:35
|
|
|
Ockhams Crowbar posted:I'm trying to replace a kitchen sink sprayer, which is busted and leaking and has a tear in the hose. That's not a standard part. It's going to be manufacturer specific, so you'd have to figure out who made the faucet and talk to them. Alternatively, now's a great time to replace the entire faucet!
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2021 20:35
|
|
|
I'm putting a GFCI outlet into a circuit. This circuit's breaker is 20A. So should I get a 20A-rated outlet? Or fo I need to get a higher rated outlet (e.g. 30A) to ensure the breaker would blow before the outlet?
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2021 23:20
|
|
|
You can put multiple 15A receptacles on a 20A breaker, but it would also be fine to use the 15/20A version instead. You wouldn't want a 30A receptacle because a) that would require a 30A breaker and b) nothing you have would plug into it without an adapter.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2021 23:51
|
|
|
alnilam posted:I'm putting a GFCI outlet into a circuit. This circuit's breaker is 20A. So should I get a 20A-rated outlet? Or fo I need to get a higher rated outlet (e.g. 30A) to ensure the breaker would blow before the outlet? To be clear, GFCIs do not provide over current protection, they only provide protection against electric shock by tripping at a current imbalance* of ~6mA. GFCIs come in a NEMA 5-15 and 5-20 pattern, but they're all rated for 20A. *they measure the current flowing through the "hot" and "neutral" conductors, and trip if those two numbers aren't equal, on the assumption that any current not flowing through the circuit properly is flowing through a person.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 01:17
|
|
|
I wanted to follow up on something from a while ago - I assume this light fixture is using a circular junction box. The light I'm interested in requires a four inch octagon box (I emailed them to check and they said that was required). Is there any easy way for an electrician to install that light here? Or am I just out of luck? https://www.lightology.com/index.php?module=prod_detail&prod_id=880862
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 01:27
|
|
|
Elviscat posted:To be clear, GFCIs do not provide over current protection, they only provide protection against electric shock by tripping at a current imbalance* of ~6mA. I know that, i just know the breaker is supposed to be the weak point, like you might want to use 30A wiring and a 20A breaker to really ensure the wires never go over-current*. I didn't know if i was supposed to get a beefier outlet than i need, or just match the breaker rating. *Dunno if they actually do it this way but it would be extra safe
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 01:30
|
|
|
actionjackson posted:I wanted to follow up on something from a while ago - I assume this light fixture is using a circular junction box. The light I'm interested in requires a four inch octagon box (I emailed them to check and they said that was required). Is there any easy way for an electrician to install that light here? Or am I just out of luck? Don't assume anything about what's under there. For all you know they just poked the wire through the drywall. The only way to tell is to remove the (hideous) fixture
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 01:41
|
|
|
alnilam posted:I know that, i just know the breaker is supposed to be the weak point, like you might want to use 30A wiring and a 20A breaker to really ensure the wires never go over-current*. I didn't know if i was supposed to get a beefier outlet than i need, or just match the breaker rating. It’s kind of the opposite. You want anything running off that breaker to operate within the breakers limits. If you put a 20A outlet (or a 30A somehow) onto a circuit protected by a 15A breaker, you’re saying ‘hey you can plug 20 or 30 amps into me!’, which you absolutely cannot. If you put a 20A breaker with a 15A outlet, any user understand you’re not meant to load it with more than 15A. (Or 80% of that anyway) If you want to run heavier gauge wiring as added insurance, you can do that. It would also allow you to upgrade the circuit later with appropriate breaker and outlets.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 01:42
|
|
|
devicenull posted:(hideous) fixture lmbo
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 01:48
|
|
|
alnilam posted:I know that, i just know the breaker is supposed to be the weak point, like you might want to use 30A wiring and a 20A breaker to really ensure the wires never go over-current*. I didn't know if i was supposed to get a beefier outlet than i need, or just match the breaker rating. The fine folks at the NFPA and NEMA have done all the legwork for you already, 20A breaker, 12ga wire, 20A rated GFCI have all the oversizing and selective tripping principles baked right into the design and code to work together, you're way overthinking it. The only time you'd need to upsize the wiring is for voltage drop, and that is very rarely a concern in residential wiring. actionjackson posted:I wanted to follow up on something from a while ago - I assume this light fixture is using a circular junction box. The light I'm interested in requires a four inch octagon box (I emailed them to check and they said that was required). Is there any easy way for an electrician to install that light here? Or am I just out of luck? They're full of poo poo, and if they're not their product was designed by idiots, but yes it should be very easy to install an octagonal box in place of the circular one, they make old work octagon boxes that have spreader bars that grip onto the joists on either side that can be installed through the ceiling hole. Step 1: remove old light and wiring Step 2: cut nails/screws on old box, remove Step 3: insert wires into new box Step 4: install new box Step 5: install fixture. The reason the specify an octagon box may be that the canopy is too small to cover a circular box, in which case some patching and painting may be necessary. Sans patching I'd estimate about an hour for an experienced electrician.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 02:17
|
|
|
thanks! this is a galley kitchen so it seems like doing track lighting is probably the best option. But maybe I could do a different style as long as it was bright enough.
actionjackson fucked around with this message at 02:37 on May 11, 2021 |
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 02:31
|
|
|
I like the two massive toggle bolt holes from the original track that was up there
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 03:03
|
|
|
Elviscat posted:I like the two massive toggle bolt holes from the original track that was up there Yeah I should probably do something about that, I guess just put a bit of spackle and and brush on some white paint (the ceiling is textured so you can't really paint it normally, but it's better than nothing). I'll see if I can find a brush that handles texture better.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 03:08
|
|
|
Any ideas how this fixture is likely secured? Other than badly, i mean. There are no obvious fasteners, including under the bulbs. The only clue is these tabs on the top and bottom: 
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 03:24
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 21:32 |
|
|
The part around the base of the bulbs may be a nut that unscrews. I'm pretty sure those tabs are so you can feed it with wiremold E: like this: https://youtu.be/1r88rRSkB-c Elviscat fucked around with this message at 04:21 on May 11, 2021 |
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 04:19
|
|