Fix It Fast: Start here for DIY help! (You'll know when it's a problem by smell.)

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Fix It Fast: Start here for DIY help! (You'll know when it's a problem by smell.)

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

Ask the property manager whether the lines belong to the park or their utility. If they are utility lines, have the manager call the power company and they'll come out and clear the tree from their lines and you can work safely on the RV from there.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2020 21:05

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 20:20

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

H110Hawk posted:

A roof, furniture pads, rope, and a flag. Tie the front and back to the bumpers, lash the rear doors shut. Put a red flag on the tail end, for safety.

I was thinking this is what I would do, but I didn't know if groupthink here would approve.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2020 15:04

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

If I can make a suggestion, the modular aluminum ramps work very well, are extremely nonslip, and can be installed quickly while remaining removable in the future, where a wooden ramp is basically a deck (unless built on skids, dunno if that's a thing though). At current covid-19 lumber prices, it may even be competitive in price.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2020 00:32

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Yeah, that's a good thought, thanks. I spoke with my parents and they're OK with spending more on materials if it makes the job easier. Do you have any specific recommendations as far as brands or models?

No, sorry I'm not that much of an expert. Just my observation, and seeing many wooden ramps in poor condition.

If your dad is a veteran or has medicaid he may qualify for financial assistance, though. Also just FYI, there are prefab 10' aluminum wheelchair ramps with handrails for under $1k. It would be slightly under spec per ADA for a 13" rise, but may be useful for other exits (or this one temporarily).

# ¿ Dec 6, 2020 05:15

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

HycoCam posted:

You have stain grade casings and jambs ('cause they're stained ) and it looks like that is a 2x6 wall supporting the stairs? The door next to the opening looks like a steel exterior door? Do your other doors match the trim and jambs? i.e. Are your interior doors solid wood and stained?

If your other doors are solid wood--my vote would be to get a raw door and mortise in the hinges. Check the hinge side of the jamb and see if it is plumb. If it is, there is no reason to tear everything apart. Plus, you don't want to replace your trim--it is really nice. If your market is big enough, your big box will stock solid wood doors. https://www.lowes.com/pd/ReliaBilt-...0-in/1001860512. Grab a door, three hinges that match your others--and here is where it gets dicey--either a template and a handheld router or a nice set of sharp chisels. If you are going to DIY the project and have never worked with either set of tools--you'd better practice on both a horizontal and vertical pieces of scrap before showtime. If you screw up the jamb with a wayward router, the worst case is having to tear everything out and install a pre-hung. Hang on to that receipt for the solid wood door!

I just wanted to second all this, because it's really not that hard, and at the end you'll have a nicer door and trim. I used this $32.99 trim router and mix n match of hinge templates and a door lock installation kit from whatever was in stock at Lowe's.

Actually, I got A LOT of use out of that cheap router and (ab)used it with jobs it was not at all intended for - handy tool to have.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2020 04:41

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

How are you determining 60% charge? What's the battery voltage when it trips off?

Also how is the inverter connected to the battery? If it's via alligator clips, swap those for ring terminals on the conductor and marine battery terminals (if not so equipped already).

# ¿ Dec 20, 2020 04:11

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

Sylink posted:

The charger I have for it will show a percent when charging. Though I can't say if it's accurate. It's attached via ring terminals but loose without proper terminal nuts.

Maybe bad surface area?

Definitely get those terminals on there tight, you're running a pretty large load. I suspect this may get you some more runtime, but whether the charger % is accurate is unknown.

If it is accurate, you're taking it close to the point where you need to stop anyway. Generally you don't want to take even a deep cycle battery below 50% (~12.2V). Some may advertise the ability to go to 20% but I think general wisdom is that's not good for the battery's lifespan.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2020 14:49

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

PainterofCrap posted:

Nothing happened for at least thirty seconds. I was wondering aloud about its condition, when it suddenly started running. Couldn't find (i.e. figure out) a cancel button, and it was slow to respond to any pushing on the control face.

Could it have been filling, and you just couldn't hear it cause it's well insulated? 30 seconds is about how long it takes to fill before the pump kicks on. Also, I think holding "Start" is your cancel/triggers the drain pump to cycle, though usually it's noted as such on the control panel so maybe not.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2020 22:40

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

Rocko Bonaparte posted:

Field fencing

An H braced corner as described is definitely the strongest. A quicker solution, but better imo than setting in gravel/concrete alone, is to notch in a diagonal brace to the ground, with the foot of the brace pole against another line (upright) pole. Or if your ground is hard and dry, you could possibly get away with burying a brick or rock as a foot for the brace.

Motronic is also right about the deer being able to clear 6' easily. You may have more luck using the posts and poles to hang some pie plates or something else to scare them, than fencing.

There's an old guy here who finally got mad enough at the deer to put up an 8' chain link fence with another 12" of barbed wire at the top. Funny thing to see out in the middle of nowhere.

# ¿ Dec 28, 2020 18:50

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

Imasalmon posted:

We had a power outage at our place, and when the utility provider said they fixed it, our lights were very dim, and the major appliances weren't functioning. After cycling every breaker on or panel (at the recommendation of my dad) nothing changed, so I called the provider, and 8 hours later I have power. Yay.

Problem is, the lights are all now brighter in every fixture, except the ones that have LED bulbs, than they have been the last few years.

The utility people on the phone said something about one leg probably having been out (before they actually showed up), and I conceptually understand how two phase wiring is a thing, but I'm not sure how this would mean that all the lights are now brighter. I don't have a multimeter, nor do I have readings from one before the outage, but I'd like some opinions from more knowledgeable people that my house isn't about to burn down with my wife and I in it. I will be calling an electrician in the morning, unless otherwise

Would the utility company fixing a loose connection (or whatever they did) cause my lights to be brighter than they have been in a few years, or will I be waking up to my smoke alarms going off?

Incandescent bulbs are dimmer when the voltage is lower. It sounds like you had a bad connection on one leg, that has been getting steadily worse over the years. A bad connection is higher resistance, causing lower voltage. It sounds like they repaired it.

Now, that's assuming that the "brightness" is steady. If it's going dim-bright there is another issue, but I think you would have noted that.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2021 16:51

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

If by "open hot" you mean it's not lit up, that's not necessarily a receptacle or wiring issue. It means there's no power. So the breaker could be off, or somewhere a GFCI is tripped. Or as Hycocam said, if one plug on a receptacle isn't working, it's probably switched.

I think it's generally the advice of experts that the built in USB receptacles are a bad buy. They're not necessarily well designed, and when it dies you have to change the whole thing out. They're also bulky compared to a regular receptacle and can be a PITA to install.

Better off just using high quality wall warts.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2021 19:17

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

I gotcha. I was just mentioning that, because it makes sense to start at the simplest solution.

Something else to think about is that generally speaking, the receptacles are daisy chained. I mention that because of what you said about the ceiling fan. I wouldn't assume that the power for the receptacle with an issue comes straight from the ceiling fan junction box. If one receptacle in a room isn't working, my first move would be to pop the cover off and make sure it isn't a bad connection right there (bad backstab or pigtail). Next would be to see how many conductors are entering the box and try to figure out how the circuit is run, and start pulling off more covers to eliminate other bad connection locations, while mapping the circuit(s) as I go. That part is where deduction and experience help.

If you have a decent electrician on site already, it may be worthwhile to pay them to troubleshoot it and observe.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2021 20:17

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

Big Dick Cheney posted:

Can you get a generator that runs on your home natural gas connection? Is that a bad idea, since if your electricity is gone due to a natural disaster, natural gas might be gone too?

In most areas, long term power outages are due to wind or ice. In those events, NG is usually unaffected. For most people, NG is the easiest and most reliable energy source for backup power where available, especially if you intend to get a whole house auto transfer setup.

# ¿ Jan 12, 2021 00:20

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

KKKLIP ART posted:

Looks exactly like I need. Standard wood screw for the areas where I can actually hit a stud?

Yes.

For anchoring in open drywall I prefer the Toggler brand. They're nice because they don't fall into the wall if you need to remove the bolt.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2021 16:36

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

Serenade posted:

I have some 4ft T8 LED tubes someone left behind. I believe they are these. I know that existing florescent fixtures needed their ballasts bypassed before using these bulbs.

I do not know how to find fixtures that can use these bulbs. Ideally, I want a way to use these such that they plug into an outlet and can be chained, but while only using one bulb per fixture.

What am I looking for that doesn't already come with LED bulbs?

They make linkable strip lights that would be a lot easier and safer, assuming you're looking for a temporary installation. There are several styles of these available.

They also sell LED-ready strip lights that would use your bulbs and are pre-wired, but these would need to be permanently installed. They could be chained together on one circuit, but you'd be hardwiring them in a code-legal manner.

# ¿ Jan 24, 2021 04:45

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

Wallet posted:

You could try looking for used shop lights, but the cheapest ones with integrated LEDs are about the same price as buying them without as stated, and while they make LED ready lamps they aren't notably cheaper. I went through all of this recently because I don't really like fixtures with integrated LEDs and ending up just buying the cheapest shop lights I could find and removing the ballst, which takes all of 5 minutes a fixture (less if you're pulling them open anyway to wire them or put a plug on, which I was).

Curious because I'm helping a friend light up his new shop, how much were the fixtures you found? Cheapest I see is $18/ea from Lowe's.

That's cheaper than the LED ready fixtures I've found, annoyingly.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2021 02:43

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

actionjackson posted:

okay thanks. i'm in a condo, and there are two outlets on the wall in question. so the location of the nearest outlet is relevant? I have no idea what a stud bay is, sorry!

If it's right over an existing outlet and can be powered directly from that, it's a pretty easy job.

How are your going to switch this sconce on and off? Like do you intend to use a pull chain, or a fancy WiFi connected bulb, or do you want to control it from an existing wall switch or a new one?

# ¿ Feb 26, 2021 22:34

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

redreader posted:

I have a dishwasher that's not cleaning well. I thought I'd checked the spray arms before but checking them again, there's grains of rice and nuts stuck in there. I think Ive got everything out apart from it seems one grain of rice. I take the arm off and stick (it fits well) the sink nozzle into the spray arm intake and then water starts going out of the spray arm and the rice clogs clearly cover the nozzles. I managed to get everything out with a pin but I can't get the final piece out, and I've spent like 10 minutes on this and wasted tons of water.

How do I dissolve rice in the spray arm? tweezers are too small for the gap but a pin will go in. I managed to put the pin through the side and sort of pull out all of the other pieces but this one piece is stuck. If I put the pin in the hole it always pushes the rice, it's just the wrong shape. I tried making the water go in through the out holes and hopefully the rice would go out through the main water-in hole but that doesn't seem to work either.

edit: fixed: submerged the entire thing in water and swished it around a bunch. The top green part of a cutie orange fell out.

Check your strainer - nothing that size should be getting pulled into the system. Either the strainer basket isn't sealing or there's a hole in it.

# ¿ Mar 5, 2021 16:59

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

Has the AC at any point been serviced, like had the pressures checked? Could be a worthwhile service call.

But yes, you need to call an insulation contractor, and right now is the time to do it, before it gets hot again.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2021 02:16

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

erosion posted:

gently caress replied to wrong thread xposting here

Uh, are you checking voltage at a panel, receptacle, or something else? You should probably post pictures of the slapdash wiring in any case.

Also what brand of voltmeter are you using on mains voltage?

# ¿ Mar 20, 2021 04:56

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

PainterofCrap posted:

Jesus! Your neighborhood built on a landfill or something?

I had a loss with an inground pool in the back yard of a house built in the late 1950s. The coaming and sidewalk around the one corner & short side closest to the back property line kept cracking. Finally, the wall started to fail. The pool was installed in the mid-1970s. So they contracted for a new liner.

Pool guys pull the liner and find the short wall is failing. They start digging and immediately hit a steel-spring mattress and a spoked steel wheel from a '32 Ford. Later they found livestock bones (horse or cow)

Turns out that the development was built partially on & alongside what used to be the town dump (a couple miles out of town), in the middle of nowhere - at least up until the mid-50's, it was.

The developer had to know about it, since the rear yards on the block all stop at this little 'wilderness area.'

I think the original pool installers had to have known when they dug the pool, they were probably too far into the job & just hurried up & concreted the thing before anyone could see.

There's several new subdivisions here that we've hit compacted garbage when installing utility power. Dug up a 4cyl engine block on a ~$220k custom built house lot, one time.

I think it's potentially fine, and a good use for a former landfill, so long as it's planned for. Another common uncool thing that developers do, is to clear forest and either leave or bury large roots and stumps. Hard for utilities to install, and obviously a problem for any structures built over them when they inevitably rot.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2021 19:57

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

# ¿ Apr 1, 2021 14:00

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 20:20

angryrobots: Mar 31, 2005

Concrete is expensive. Good reinforced concrete that will both last a long time and not crack under heavy load (delivery truck, utility truck, contractor, someone turned into the wrong driveway...) is very expensive.

I notice a lot of busted up concrete driveways.

# ¿ Apr 7, 2021 00:19

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Fix It Fast: Start here for DIY help! (You'll know when it's a problem by smell.)