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What are some routine home maintenance tips? We just built a new home, and I'm wondering what routine things need to be done to keep everything working, well maintained, and happy. I can think of a lot of things, but the problem with any question like this is you never know what you don't know. So... I'm thinking a community wiki would be a helpful resource for everyone, and a good way to find things I may have missed. To that end, I'm not going to explain features that went into our home. Our home may not have features which other people would need to ask about, and I may forget a feature which needs maintenance anyway. Please try to keep answers in roughly the form of "Home Feature, Maintenance Required, Frequency." Then a brief description of what might be helpful to know about performing that maintenance. I'd like to encourage links to other questions, and if a particular piece of maintenance needs deep discussion, creating a new question and linking to it. <Q> Change your furnace air filter regularly <S> (frequency depends on filter type). <S> Check for water leaks regularly. <S> This means checking the attic for roof leaks, the basement/first floor for flooding from outside, the water heater, sinks, etc. <S> Not all water damage happens with a major failure. <S> A lot of damage can happen from a small leak that goes unnoticed for a long period of time. <A> This would be a really long list... <S> - repaint/stain outdoor wood regularly- <S> clean furnace- drain water from hydronic heating systems- <S> inspect all plumbing- replace HW heater each decade and/or replace anode rods - yard maintenance ( <S> whole other list)- seal asphalt- patch concrete- check fire alarms/smoke alarms/CO2 alarms- <S> charge/replace extinguishers- <S> replace bad switches- update inefficient appliances- check for insect intrusion/damage- <S> clean siding <A> Smoke Alarms and their batteries. <S> The most recent advice I've seen is to check them every six months. <S> Do it when you shift the clocks for Daylight Saving, as that happens roughly every six months. <A> I charge $250 for a complete home maintenance inspection and use a 6 page checklist to do it. <S> There are so many different needs and specifics to each house, that it would be difficult to answer your question here. <S> Each house is somewhat unique in its subsystems, age, and state of repair. <S> I suggest you browse the shelves of your local book store and find a good reference text that better meets your specific needs. <S> I have several books that help me deal with the many different situations I find. <S> Many of these books will guide you through the inspection process and also give you good instructions on the maintenance you will need to do, and the best time and intervals to do them. <S> "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Good Luck <A> Here's a good one: air conditioning condensation lines. <S> These are drainage tubes that lead from your central A/C unit(s) in the attic to somewhere outside your house <S> (mine are on the side of the house, just under the eaves). <S> Make sure they are not <S> clogged-- <S> if you don't see any water dripping out when your A/C is running, you might have a problem. <S> Also, you can check the overflow pan under your A/C unit. <S> You've also got to pour a little bleach in those lines from time to time to keep stuff from growing. <S> If you have never heard any of this before, you should probably call your local A/C place to come by for a checkup and see what he does.
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clean and inspect gutters- check caulk around all window and door frames- retuck brick when needed- inspect roof yearly- clean chimney-
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Is there a reasonably priced dog door that allows dogs through but stops cats? I have two dogs and two cats. The cats are indoor only and I want the dogs to be able to come and go at will. I've researched online and found electronically keyed very expensive Star Trek style dog doors that are $500+, which is too pricey for me. Does anyone have an alternative or DIY method for achieving this? <Q> PetSafe SmartDoor <S> Dog Mate Electromagnetic Dog Door <S> - Has settings for locked, in/out, in-only, and out-only. <S> Up to 14" shoulder height. <S> There's lots of small selective cat doors, they do seem to get much more expensive as you go bigger. <S> As far as DIY, there are several ways to do this, and the complexity will really depend on exactly what you do, and how much experience you have doing electronics and embedded programming. <S> An instructable on an RFID cat door may get you started. <S> Effectively, you just need to buy/build the actual door, which is capable of being locked by some mechanism (I would suggest not using one of the flexible flap ones). <S> Then you need a lock mechanism that can be controlled electronically, such as a solenoid, linear actuator, or servomotor. <S> Finally, you need the sensor and control circuitry. <S> An Arduino is probably a good staring place for the controller. <S> For the sensor, RFID has a lot of benefits, but as some of the off-the-shelf products show, you could also use infrared and/or magnetic sensors. <S> I would think those would be more finicky to get working reliably, whereas RFID is pretty simple: just mount the antenna so it can pick up the tag attached to the dog's collar when close to the door. <S> Here's another instructable on interfacing RFID to the Ardunio . <S> All that needs is an output hooked up to the lock mechanism you build, and the software to hold the lock open for a few seconds after detecting a valid RFID tag. <S> Note that the hardware to do this DIY isn't necessarily cheap, and in fact, probably approaches the $100-200 price tag on some of the off-the-shelf doors. <S> Great learning experience but don't expect to save much cash DIY here. <A> Very interesting problem. <S> It seems to me that if you REALLY want to keep the cats inside (no slip ups, as we would want with our cats) then there is not a simple solution. <S> If the cats get along with the dogs (I am assuming they do), then when the dog with the magnetic collar (or RFID, or whatever) gets near and activates the door, the cat could quickly dart out through the open door/flap. <S> If you wanted the pet "valve" to work the other way, it would be simple - the dogs are larger, so you can use a smaller door. <S> But the opposite is the trick. <S> Dogs are bigger, but cats can easily stretch up or jump up to a higher door. <S> For fifty pound dogs, maybe that is not a worry, but again, the cats could still dash out. <S> Put the trigger collars on the cats. <S> Then the door allows free entry/exit for the dogs at all times, but if the cats approach it locks. <S> That seems it would work and might only require minimal DIY, a little rewiring of the door mechanism, and maybe not too involved for a simple magnetic sensor door. <S> Hope this helps. <A> I trained my dog from darting out the front door by placing a spray bottle full of water by the door. <S> Every time I left and the dog was too close, I sprayed just a little water on his face. <S> I placed the water bottle on my porch so that when I got home and he was right at the door, he got a little spray on the face and backed up. <S> It worked perfectly, and I no longer have to carry a spray bottle. <S> I used this same method on my cat. <S> Now when I open the door to let the dog out, I don't have to chase the cat, and no one gets hurt. <A> Not that this is necessarily a pet-friendly solution, but perhaps some good old fashioned Operant Conditioning is in order. <S> The trick is to keep the cats away from the door. <S> Perhaps you should rig the cats up to an electronic pet boundary. <S> After a few zaps for getting to close to the door they are bound to become averse to the idea of approaching it. <A> We have just gotten an indoor kitten and already have an indoor/outdoor dog. <S> The current "doggy door" is inside a cabinet whose doors have been removed. <S> If the product described above was produced, it would answer our problems. <S> The other idea we've had is to create an electronic field around the opening of the cabinet which allows the dog entrance but the cat doesn't have the required tag for entrance. <S> But that seems opposite of how the electronic field would work. <S> = <S> = <S> >If you attach the wires around the outside of the opening of the cabinet, you are keeping things inside that space (including the cat.) <S> Opposite of our goal of allowing the dog in, the cat out....
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A weight sensitive mat might let you discriminate between the dogs and cats, but if both cats get on the mat at the same time, that might be enough to trigger the door (depends on how big your cats are). A search for "electronic dog door" and/or "selective dog door" turns up several products ranging from $80 to $200 (though they are others that go up to $500), depending on size you need, for example: It almost seems you need a dog door with the wiring reversed, so that when the trigger mechanism on the collar comes near the sensor, the door locks.
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What is the best product for repairing expanding gaps in a brick wall? I am trying to do a structural repair to a brick wall that has some large gaps - 1-3" between some of the bricks due to some foundation movement over the last 300 years. The gaps are essentially vertical cracks where the mortar has broken loose and the bricks are separating. I know that any foundation movement will cause more cracks but I want to at least stabilize the cracks so that the wall does not collapse. I am thinking that a mixture of something like sand or pea gravel and a strong adhesive will provide the support I need. I have tried Gorilla glue in matrix material but the foaming and expansion just doesn't work well. I think a tube adhesive with a high tensile strength will work, I just have little experience with the new ones out there. Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated. I always do a "proof of concept" before going full scale so I can try several ideas. <Q> Three inch gaps seem quite large - even for a 300 year old wall. <S> You just need to use a good mortar mix (sand and cement) on the narrower gaps. <S> Clean out all the old, lose material first to make sure that you get good adhesion and then push the mortar right into the gaps as far as it will go. <S> Work on a small area (1 m 2 ) at a time. <S> Adding pea gravel to give the mix more "body" might work on the wider ones. <S> However, I'd get a professional to have a look at the wall first to make sure you're not going to have to redo this work in a couple of years time. <S> If the foundations have gone it might need something more substantial work doing. <S> Is the wall part of a house or just a garden wall? <S> If it's the latter then dismantling and rebuilding might be the best long term option. <A> I don't think you can 'repair' the cracks. <S> You'd have to repair the wall or foundation. <S> Please be aware that bricks don't 'stick' to the substrate as with a glue or bonding agent. <S> A mechanical agent, like a brick tie, is used to keep bricks 'stuck' to a wall. <S> The main force keeping bricks in place is gravity, and if you've got other forces working against it (like wind or soil load), you need mechanical help. <S> Very often products made to fill cracks are designed to work wide but not necessarily deep. <S> Backer rod is a dense foam product that simply occupies space so that your filler material doesn't have to. <A> The real answer to your problem is to dig out the dirt on the other side of the wall. <S> Then drill 1/4" to 1/2" holes thru the wall. <S> Use long threaded rods stainless preferred with nuts and large washers. <S> Get some 1/4" steel plates, about 2-4 ft. length by 8" wide. <S> Drill holes to match holes drilled in wall, put steel plates on both sides of wall tighten nuts cut of extra rod ends after nuts. <S> Gaps should be filled with cement morter and then paint walls with flex seal both sides to keep moister out. <S> Larger lengths of steel can be used but you will need to drill more holes. <S> Multiply the amount of holes in plates to keep them from bowing or bending. <S> You must reduced any water pressure that is pushing against wall drain tiles or drainage system to draw all water away from wall. <S> Good luck lots of work and try and make it look good.
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If you want to fill a large crack you may want to start with a backer rod or material of some sort.
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What primer and paint should I used for a solid-core wooden front door? I recently purchased a new pre-hung exterior door for my house. We opted for a solid-core Douglas Fir instead of the fiberglass models as the wooden door was substantially cheaper. We want to paint it and I'm not sure what kind of primer and paint to use. What would you recommend? If it helps, the weather in my area is relatively mild -- temperatures average around the 70's with winter lows reaching the mid 40's and summer highs reaching the 90's. We get rain and fog during the winter months. Here's a picture if it helps. <Q> This primer bonds well, hides wood grain well and gives a very smooth surface for top coats. <S> If you prefer to stay with a latex product, then Kilz premium is good too. <S> Remember prep is of the utmost importance for a good finish. <S> Sand everything and clean it well before applying primer. <S> On a new piece, I like to lightly sand the first coat of primer. <S> You will feel the difference, trust me. <S> I like to use two coats of primer, then sand it again very lightly to make it super smooth: 220 grit used lightly is fine. <S> Clean it well with a tact cloth or <S> very slightly water dampened rag. <S> Now for the top coat. <S> Use <S> a premium quality 100% acrylic exterior trim paint. <S> Usually a gloss or semi gloss looks great, but that's a personal preference. <S> Don't skimp on the brush: get a good Purdy Glide, poly/nylon 2½" angled, soft chisel tip. <S> Apply nice smooth, thin coats, and expect to do three coats for a good solid fill. <S> Start in the panels and work your way out to the rails and stiles. <S> If you can take the time to remove the door after it is installed, (never remove door from frame before installation!!!!) <S> lay it flat to paint. <S> Laying it flat will really help avoid drips and runs. <S> Pay special attention to the panel corners and details for drips and puddles a few minutes after you apply the paint. <S> Use long smooth strokes to finish each panel, rail and stile. <S> BTW, a really good latex 100% acrylic is every bit as durable as an oil based product. <S> Oil based paints are going away and have been compromised greatly in recent years due to VOC laws. <S> I stopped using oil paint several years ago. <S> The only oil based product I use now is urethane. <A> One coat of primer, one or two of undercoat and then probably two gloss. <S> You don't want to apply the paint too thickly as that can led to runs and rippling if it dries unevenly. <S> By going with thinner coats of paint you often have to apply more coats than the tin suggests will do the job. <S> More, thinner coats of paint are also less likely to chip when knocked which is a real consideration for doors that get a lot of traffic. <S> Having said that the last lot of gloss paint we used on our windows didn't last as long as we would have liked so we're now using, what in the UK is called "Trade paint". <S> We'll have to wait and see if it's more durable, but you can get this in gloss or satin finishes and either oil based or water based if you need the quick drying. <A> I say oil based primer & paint. <S> And the reason is, most of the manufactured doors these days are veneered & not solid. <S> Water based Acrylic primer & paint are okay on a solid wood door , but is is bad for veneered doors. <S> I sell both types of doors. <S> And my customers are all told to use oil based products when finishing their doors. <S> If they don't the water based products make the veneers delaminate & they have to glue them back on & clamp them. <A> For a natural wood door, (Cedar or Teak) wood I would recommend because the satin is a smooth finish and the wood grain is rich:SIKKENS PROLUXE CETO 1 <S> RE WOOD <S> FINISH (NATURAL) STAIN and SIKKENS PROLUXE <S> CETOL 23 <S> RE WOOD FINISH (NATURAL) <S> STAIN <S> I highly recommend the new line by Benjamin Moore; "Aura Grand Entrance Satin (147)". <S> The paint is smooth, rich and creamy, color is vivid and the paint is exceptionally durable. <S> It has a drying time of 4 hrs. <S> I found this paint easy to apply with incredible results. ! <S> Ben Moore Aura Grand <S> Entrance.jpg
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My favorite primer for wood doors is Bins Bullseye, pigmented shellac. I'd usually go for oil based paints.
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How do I install a new exterior GFI outlet? I have an interior outlet. I would like to place an exterior (GFI) outlet in approximately the same position on the outside wall. How should I do that? approx. loc. of desired outlet-| |-------------------------------------------------------- [Exterior of wall]------------------------------[ ]----------------------- [Interior of wall] ^ | current outlet Specifically, What's the best way to locate and cut the exterior hole? What's the best way to cut into the existing wiring? Any considerations for exterior mounting? <Q> You have a fairly simple project. <S> Assuming you intend to tap the interior outlet for power, here are the steps and materials: <S> First, check that you have enough room in the interior outlet box to introduce one new piece of 14/2 or 12/2 NM, whichever is the same size as in the box now. <S> I will assume you know how to make a parallel electrical junction in the interior box. <S> Next, run that short piece of wirethrough a clamp in that box,across/through the wall cavity andout of a 1/2 to 3/4 inch hole in theexterior wall close by. <S> I don't knowwhat kind of siding you have, so Ican't tell you exactly how to makethe hole, but a spade type wood bitworks well on many types ofmaterial. <S> Minor fishing of thecable will be required, but notdifficult, especially if theinterior box can be removedpartially to improvevisibility. <S> Feed the wire into an exterior surface mounted box using the proper grommeted fitting. <S> Caulk around the back edges of the exterior box with silicone (to make the back water tight) and fasten it to the wall. <S> Now you can connect your new GFIC outlet and install your weatherproof cover. <S> Of course, use proper safety procedures: <S> turn off power at breaker panel before working in the interior box and doing any wire connections . <S> BTW, if you have vinyl siding, there are special exterior boxes that will fit nicely. <S> These are available anywhere. <S> I know this is a long answer and maybe a bit confusing, but it is really a simple task. <S> Good Luck <A> Another thing to keep in mind as well is that you will need to have enough power available on your breaker. <S> I.E. <S> if your interior outlet is on a breaker with several other outlets and there are numerous things plugged into those outlets, depending on the amperage of the breaker for that room, it may be better to run a dedicated line. <S> This would especially be the case if you are planning on operating any high amp drawing equipment by plugging it into the external GFI. <A> Just did this. <S> A few tips: Making the connections in the interior box may require more room, potentially upgrading to a bigger box. <S> Use a hammer drill if you're going through brick/mortar. <S> A PVC surface mount box for the exterior works great if you don't want to cut out a big chunk of brick or whatever your exterior is. <S> It's good to know ahead of time which direction the circuit runs. <S> If not, test after you've broken the circuit to see which side is closest to the junction box. <S> I ran 2 wires through the wall to my GFCI, one for line, one for load. <S> This way the outlet is in series with the other outlets in the circuit, and provides GFCI protection for those downstream outlets. <S> See note above about having enough power available on your breaker. <S> I ran 15A, which is what everything else on the circuit uses. <S> Fortunately I barely have anything plugged in on the circuit, so one extra outlet was no prob. <S> This is probably a very good thing. <S> I used UF-B wire to the outside of the house. <S> Not sure what the difference is from interior wiring, but think UF is for underground applications. <S> Not sure if interior wire will work going from an interior outlet to an exterior one- <S> maybe somebody has an opinion?
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Once you have fished the wire from inside the interior box to the exterior, made your interior electrical connections and secured the cable inside, caulk the exterior hole around the wire with silicon. I saw somewhere that you should use same wire as is currently in use (same gauge).
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Should I attach the fence post(s) where my fence meets my house? How do I do it? I'm going to be building a 6 foot tall cedar privacy fence in the spring (with pressure-treated posts) and need to determine what to do with the two posts that meet the side of my house. In order to ensure that my 15 lb dog can't get through any cracks, I want to get the posts as close to the house as I can. If I make an 8 or 12 inch diameter hole for the post, that leaves a 2-4+ inch gap by the house, the latter of which I'm sure she could get through. Quick specs that might help:- My siding is vinyl. - The fence posts are 4x4 pressure-treated wood.- The posts will extend 3 feet into the ground, with 6-8 inches of gravel beneath (the Rhode Island frost line is 40 inches).- The fence is 6 feet tall. Is the best thing to do still to dig the standard hole and set the fence post in there, or should end posts at the house actually be attached via lag bolt or something along those lines? If they are attached to the siding, should I still dig a hole or should the entire post be attached to the house? <Q> Don't attach the fence to the house. <S> Aside from putting holes in your siding (not a good thing), your fence and your house will most likely move differentially. <S> The attachment could result in a tear of the siding, which would be a bad thing. <S> Place the fence post close to the house, then run the fencing top and bottom supports up to within an inch or so of the siding (do leave a little gap, for that differential movement). <S> Place the slats on the supports, allowing the slats to get just a bit closer to the siding. <S> You could even install a flexible membrane, similar to a product used to seal the bottom of a garage door at the floor, between the fencing and siding. <A> Common advice is to not attach them to the house. <S> For no other reason, the less holes you punch in your siding, the better. <S> I'd dig the hole a foot way from the house, then extend the fence panel past the house that extra 1 foot. <A> My parents' fence had a few gaps our 10 pound dog could get through along the bottom and one along the house. <S> My dad bought some cheap wire mesh and stapled it between the slats of the privacy fence in those areas. <S> It worked great and you can't even see it unless you are up close to it. <A> Another thing that is not mentioned is that fence posts can frequently be an avenue for vermin (termites, ants, mice, etc.) <S> to get up into a house if they are directly attached. <A> I actually had some fencing completed this week. <S> There is one point where the (vinyl) fence meets the corner of my house. <S> The contractor was able to place the 4x4 post within 2" of the house. <S> It took him quite a while to dig the hole for it since there was poured concrete around the foundation. <S> It is do-able! <S> My house has vinyl siding, but the post does not attach to it in any way.
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Don't attach them to the house.
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Why can I see roller marks after I painted? I just painted a wall and now that it is dry I can see roller marks. Not ridge lines where I got too much paint, but it looks like two different shades of the same color. What did I do to cause it and how can I prevent it? <Q> The later strokes have less paint, so you're seeing some of the underlying color come through, whether it's primer or another layer of paint. <S> Some tips that might help: go back to the roller tray more often. <S> FWIW, I generally do four to five strokes with the roller between dunks, and do three overlapping sections over the height of the wall, so <S> maybe 10-15 sq.ft. per dunk. <S> I always count on doing a second coat. <S> I prefer a couple of thin coats to one thick coat; after the first one has dried, it gives you a chance to see where you need to pay special attention on the next coat, and (for me anyway) <S> it's difficult to get an even coat. <S> with a freshly-dunked roller, I will start a couple of feet over from where I stopped the previous time, roll back towards that point until I overlap, then change direction and roll until I've gone a couple of feet past where I started. <A> It seriously helps to paint in different light. <S> Paint a section, then quickly turn the light off, (assuming your windows are open the ambient light should be sufficient) and look at the section you just painted as a few different angles. <S> And repeat. <S> Also change the roll length and angle <S> , don't just paint in vertical strips( this will make deformities more obvious) but instead paint in a curve and roll back under it. <S> Still cover all the area that you would normally cover in a small section, but change up the direction, all while without over coating an area. <S> This a fairly complicated maneuver, but I have gotten away with painting a thin white coat in a room without a second coat and it appears prefect, even under direct light <A> Some good tips here. <S> My 10th coat has shown roller marks, probably because I have used too short a nap on the roller <S> so it holds less paint, and I tried back-rolling to even out the marks but that only served to make the final surface more aggressive to the touch <S> - it's a flat paint so it starts out like a blackboard <S> anyway - I think low sheen is easier to paint as it doesn't tack off immediately like the flat. <S> SO: agreed - load the roller <S> well, lap it wet and don't go back over the job: those new track marks you are making will dry just like that. <S> Secondly - use the best quality roller you can with the more difficult paints. <S> Finally - do your prep <S> so you aren't taking time to fiddle around lights, switches and whatnot whilst the paint is drying everywhere else. <S> Good luck
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Most likely, you tried to cover too much area between dunks of the roller in the paint.
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Good technique for squaring-up hardwood edges? I'm building a small shelf for organising my desk, using sections of 42mm*19mm hardwood. I've cut the pieces to appropriate length using a hand saw, allowing some tolerance for the kerf. Now I'd like to ensure the cut ends are square. Using a sanding block with some garnet paper, and a try square for checking, I'm trying to shape the cut edges. However, I'm finding it difficult to get a good perpendicular line with the sanding; it seems that I'm rounding the end off too much, rather than sanding perfectly perpendicular to the piece. Back in high school woodwork class, we'd do this with a disc sander mounted into a solid table, ensuring that the sanding is done in a flat plane. Unfortunately, having left high school some 13 years ago, I no longer have access to one of these. So, does anyone have a good technique for sanding the edges square? Or should I give up on sanding and use some other method? Or bite the bullet and buy a small disc sander? <Q> You don't say what saw you used to cut the wood, but if you use a tenon saw you should get a cleaner cut in the first place that requires less sanding. <S> This is because the saw has finer teeth for a smoother cut and a stiffening spine that means you get a straighter cut. <S> Clamping a second piece of wood to use as a guide is another alternative. <S> Alternatively you could use a plane to remove the excess wood - but make sure that you clamp a piece of scrap wood to the end of the plank to avoid it splitting: ------ <S> > direction of plane+---------+---+| <S> | || <S> ^ <S> | <S> | < <S> - Scrap| <S> | | || <S> | | <S> | direction of grain <A> If you don't have access to a chop saw, (miter saw) <S> then you could use or make a cheap manual miter box. <S> The only sanding you should be doing on the cut ends is for smoothing or removing small burrs. <S> A fixed sanding disk machine would work, but you don't have access to one. <S> I use the sander to adjust for small angles or custom fits. <A> If you are keen on doing this with hand tools, then you might have better luck with a planer than sandpaper.
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Another technique you could use in the absence of the proper power tools would be to clamp a guide board to your work piece perfectly square and use it as a guide for you hand saw. Cutting the ends square really should be done in the cutting process, not the sanding stage.
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Can a mix of receptacles and light fixtures be installed on a single circuit? A while ago we had some renovations done in our house. After the electrician was done, we realized we now had one light switch in our kitchen that was no longer connected to anything. It is in a 2-gang box. The other switch in that box still is connected to a light in the kitchen. Suffice it to say that this isn't exactly what we wanted, but the electrician is done and won't be coming back. So, now we have this useless switch and are trying to decide what to do with it. It happens to be above the counter (and it's more than 6 feet from the sink -- if that matters). So, we thought it might make sense to replace the switch with a receptacle, giving us an extra place along the counter where we can plug in small kitchen appliances (toaster, food processor, what have you). My question is, are there any problems with mixing receptacles and light fixtures on the same circuit? Does it make any difference if it is in a kitchen? I realize that this means that if an appliance plugged into the receptacle trips the breaker, the lights will also go out. I'm personally not concerned about that. <Q> To directly answer your question about the unused switch in your kitchen, you have to check a couple of things before you install a receptacle in it's place: <S> Is there a source voltage feed in the box? <S> In this configuration, there is no neutral and you cannot install a receptacle. <S> Technically, if the source wiring is not 12/2wg, AWG and controlled by a 20 amp breaker, it does not meet current code for use with a receptacle. <S> Determine if the wires on the unused switch are energized and where they go. <S> If you use the line side (source) wires for your receptacle, be sure to safely terminate the unused switched load side wires in wirenuts. <A> Personally when I'm wiring I prefer to avoid it if I can (sometimes the extra wire just isn't worth it though), mostly because you can shut off power to receptacles without losing lights, and it's easier to isolate signals if using smart switches (like Insteon). <S> I believe to meet current code in most areas you need to have the receptacles on your counter <S> all duplex 20A plugs (though some places still do duplex 15A). <S> Kitchen appliances (toasters, microwaves, blenders, skillets, etc) all tend to be fairly large consumers of power, and so if you run eg. <S> your coffee maker and toaster at the same time from the same circuit <S> , you're likely to blow the breaker. <S> An option for you if you don't want <S> two switches is just to use a blank face plate (check this question ). <A> Basic answer to your question of can a mixture of lights and receptacles be installed on a single circuit is yes. <S> Check with local authorities on those limitations <S> but yes it can be done. <S> The groundwork for all AC circuits which are wired in what is known as parallel circuitry. <A> In your case it is okay to install a receptacle alongside the switch. <S> However you need a neutral as well as a hot wire which you may not have. <S> Test to see if you have a neutral with a test light or meter. <S> The neutral will be white but some switches are wired up with a white wire that is not a neutral. <S> Also be sure to install a GFCI receptacle, not a conventional duplex receptacle. <S> Be careful. <S> The kitchen, with all its grounded metal and water, is a good place to get shocked. <S> This is not a job for an amateur. <S> If your electrician is reputable he will fix this for free. <S> If I did this job I would have explained the situation to you and suggested fixes. <S> What this electrician did reeks of an unprofessional and nonchalant attitude. <A> The answer is yes. <S> Would I do it in my home? <S> Maybe. <S> Generally a properly wired home should have dedicated lighting circuits that are apart from receptacles. <S> Overloaded neutrals are fire hazards. <S> I see this weekly and loose neutrals. <S> For the love of God don't be a lazy residential electrician and use the stab-ins in the back of the receptacle or go in and out on the tabs. <S> Pig tail your wires. <S> Enjoy your plug.
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If there is only one cable entering the box and both the black and white conductors are connected to the switch(es), then the voltage feed is coming through the light fixture. The biggest concern is that if you plug in a heavy enough load, your lights might dim due to the in-rush current. You would be well advised to call in a qualified electrician. If you do find that you can install a receptacle, be sure to use a GFCI type. It is normally fine to mix circuits. In a kitchen however, things are a bit different.
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How can I safely get rid of fire ant mounds in my backyard? I've got around 8-10 fire ant mounds in my backyard, and a puppy that has recently discovered a love for digging in them. We haven't let her out in the backyard unsupervised for the past week since the weather started warming up and the ants are now active. I tried using Spectracide Fire Ant Killer Mound Destroyer a few days ago. It kind of worked. I followed the directions to the letter, and waited for the ensuing ant apocalypse. As of today when I checked on the ant mounds most of the ants were dead, but there were a few dozen survivors milling around when I poked a stick in half the mounds. The Spectracide claims to kill the entire colony and the queen in 24 hours. :/ Does anyone have a better product to recommend, or another method of killing them? I'd prefer something that's relatively pet-safe, since the ultimate goal is to let our dog roam free in the fenced backyard. This is somewhat related to How can I get rid of ants in an environmently friendly way? , but I'm not too concerned about environmentally friendly. Just something that won't be hazardous to pets a week or so after it's applied. <Q> I am a huge fan of Amdro . <S> I find it works most of the time in a day. <S> Every now <S> and then I get a mound that needs a second application. <S> I find good results if I don't mess with the mound <S> and I hit them in the morning. <S> Having a pet I do spread some bait outside of his play area even when there are no mounds. <S> I have even gone into my neighbors lot and hit their mounds (with permission). <S> I try to get as large of perimeter as possible. <A> If the product you used mostly worked, you may want to try a second application to wipe out the rest of the colony. <S> After doing some research there doesn't seem to be any tried and true solution to killing the ants (at least none I could find, I'm sure there are tricks exterminators use that they don't want to share), but most solutions seem to involve drowning the ants (in hot possibly soapy water). <S> You may want to contact your local pest control specialist, as I'm sure they have dealt with this problem before and no doubt have their own methods. <S> The least desirable solution I read about was to dig up the mounds, and "fling" the ants as far as you can. <S> They did mention to make sure you fling the ants down-wind, but I wonder how many times they got a face full of ants before they came up with that little tip :). <A> Boiling water is safe and works well. <A> Though I'd second the Amdro <S> It doesn't require watering in, and doesn't use much material at all. <S> Though it can't be broadcast (so you can't do a whole yard) <S> it'll usually wipe out a mound in a few hours. <A> Bayer make a terrific product called Top Choice. <S> It is a one time application for year long Fire Ant control. <S> It is a restricted use product so you licensed <S> pest control professional will have to apply it if it is allowed on the label for your area. <S> Spread rate is 84 lbs. <S> per acre and may run around $300.00 an acre. <S> Rate is 2 lbs. <S> per 1,000 sq. <S> ft. <S> Re-Entry time is after application, but check the label. <S> The label is the law! <S> The best time of year for an application is when daytime temps are around 75 degrees. <S> First, it will kill fleas and ticks for the first month <S> it's on the ground. <S> And this is a peak time for fleas and tick activity. <S> Secondly, it will be at its peak performance during the late spring when Fire Ant activty is peaking also with the spring rains. <S> But, it can be applied anytime of year and will need watering to activate. <S> It should be noted that Fire Ants may still trail into your yard from surrounding areas. <S> If they try to establish a mound in your yard, they will all die in about 3 days. <S> It's not perfect, but I have been applying it for 6 years. <S> We applied it to a cities 34 acres of park lands due to heavy fire ant activity. <S> The next year we only found 6 Fire Ant mounds. <S> Best product I have used on Fire Ants in 23 years. <A> If you only saw a few dozen with that many mounds, I'd say it worked pretty well. <S> I would walk the yard once a week and treat any new mounds. <S> You can also do a broadcast spread. <S> I like the Orthene powder. <S> One spoonful kills a mound. <S> Keep at it and evtually the fire ants will go to your neighbors yards.
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Also having somebody else mess with the ants keeps you safely away from angry fire ants. I'm a big fan of the Ortho Orthene .
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Are cracks on exterior walls serious and can I fix them myself? I recently noticed some mostly-vertical cracks present on some exterior walls. In case it is relevant, this is a South Florida home built in the mid 50s. The downstairs walls are CBS ( Concrete Block Structure ) and the upstairs bedroom/bathroom walls are wood frame. EDIT: Added images. Sorry for the quality (camera phone). Downstairs: East wall (front): Crack that starts about 3 feet from the ground and is about 6 feet long. The crack itself is about 1mm wide. I am not sure how deep is is. There are some spots where there's a little bit of the wall chipping off, but the chips are not deep and are maybe 2mm wide on either side of the main crack. This part of the house was added on a while before we bought it as an expansion. The crack seems to have surfaced in close proximity to where the old wall would have ended. East front East front (closer) East wall (rear): Crack starting in the corner of a window and working its way down about 3 feet. Same thickness as east wall (front) crack. Nothing chipping off yet. East rear Rear wall: Crack same as East wall (front) description. Rear wall West wall: Tiny cracks... thinner than the others I mentioned and not even a foot long, but there are 3-4 of them joining together. Upstairs: Larger crack (between 1mm-2mm) starting at the corner of one window, going down about 3 feet and halfway across to the other window corner. The other window corner has its own crack starting there which works its way down about 3 feet as well, but doesn't join with the other crack. My neighbor tells me that a few months before we bought the house, the upstairs window was actually a sliding glass door (yes, a sliding glass door to nowhere) and was replaced with a regular window. This crack has me most concerned. Upstairs Those are the major cracks I've noticed. I'm hoping to find out two things: How serious is this? I mean, really, is my house falling apart? Is this something for which I can perform a quality repair job (if so, how) or should I seek a professional? <Q> From the pictures it looks like the cracks may only be in the stucco, and the underlying structural wall may be unaffected. <S> It's hard to tell without actually inspecting the wall, but my guess is that these cracks are only skin deep. <S> However, you will want to treat them to prevent them from spreading. <S> Here is a good article about Cracks in stucco . <S> Here are some excerpts from the article. <S> All buildings are subjected to a variety of stresses in various forms and this stress is often transferred to the plaster stucco membrane. <S> Stucco is not and never was intended to be a structural material. <S> Cement stucco is a relatively thin, brittle shell over a framed structure and can crack if the stresses are transferred and overcome the strength of the plaster membrane. <S> SHRINKAGE STRESS <S> All Portland cement shrinks as it cures. <S> Controlling and minimizing that shrinkage is critical to minimizing cracks <S> Shrinkage cracking tends to have a map-like cracking pattern. <S> OUTSIDE SOURCES <S> Structural loads, lateral force racking, thermal changes, wind, lumber shrinkage and seismic events are all examples of outside sources of stress. <S> HOW HARMFUL IS A HAIRLINE CRACK? <S> a hairline crack does not automatically mean the stucco is faulty, failing or will not function for the service life of the building. <S> MAKING REPAIRS <S> Once the decision is made to make repairs, there are several options. <S> Option 1: <S> Treat the joint with the same finish material. <S> Option 2: <S> Paint the wall or ceiling after treating the crack with an acrylic paint or paint designed for stucco. <S> Option 3: <S> An elastomeric paint coating. <S> Option 4: <S> Recoat the wall from architectural break to architectural break with the same finish material. <S> Option 5: <S> A new basecoat and mesh over the wall area. <A> I also would like to see some pics. <S> In general, anytime I see a crack starting from the bottom corner of a window and preceding down diagonally, I am concerned. <S> The other crack that may be at the joint of a new addition to the old structure is also concerning. <S> I always accurately measure the distance between the actual blocks to determine if the crack is simply mortar aging or if there is actually a shift in position of the blocks or bricks. <S> Don't panic, some stress or settling cracks after 60 years is not uncommon. <S> The key is to keep water and vermin out of the cracks and closely monitor these areas for any more movement. <S> (job security...lol) <S> Short of having the cracks re-pointed professionally, there are sealants specifically designed for masonry that can be applied with a caulking gun. <S> Filling these cracks with such a product will not cure the root cause or stop any future settling, but it will keep water out and possibly slow any other water related problems. <S> I'll wait to see your pics <S> , should tell more of the story. <A> I'd just add that the important thing with cracks is to monitor them over a period to see if and by how much they are growing. <S> Both length wise and width wise. <S> Small cracks that don't get any bigger are less of a concern than large cracks or cracks that are growing at a "visible" rate. <S> You could mark the current ends of the cracks and then check back in a couple of weeks to see if they've grown. <S> Also marking across a crack and then measuring the distance between the sides will tell you whether they are getting wider. <S> If there is rapid change in the cracks then this means that the house is currently and actively moving and getting to the root cause becomes more urgent. <S> If the cracks aren't growing then you can approach the job at a more leisurely pace. <S> It also indicates that the problem may be just on the rendering rather than being a deeper more serious structural issue. <S> From your pictures the only crack I'd be immediately concerned about is the one in the last picture. <S> I'd still want to get them all checked out though. <A> Your last picture is definitely more concerning than the others as it appears to be going through the entire wall, however it still might not be any major cause for concern if there is no noticeable expansion over a period of time. <S> Cracks in walls are most worrying if they can be clearly shown to have a large amount of separation between the two sides. <S> Minor cracks or surface cracks are not typically of major concern to the structure though. <S> With some obvious caveats. <S> If you have any cracks that show a reasonable difference on both sides for north south direction, ie one side appears to be lower than the other side <S> then it might be more concerning as it would indicate that there has been a drop or lift in either side. <S> It is always recommended though if you are seeing a lot of cracks that you get a building surveyor to inspect them and make any recommendations.
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Small cracks in the mortar of Block walls is not uncommon, however the placement of the cracks is a very important clue as to whether or not it is a structural concern. Obviously, as a contractor, I'd encourage you to seek a professional opinion. However settling could be a reason and also not a major concern.
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How can I quiet a noisy downspout? Possible Duplicate: How do I stop the dripping noise from my gutters? I have metal downspouts that come down from by gutters. One of them happens to be right by my bedroom window. When the rain is just right this downspout will often make an extremely loud pinging sound when water is coming down slowly (think someone hitting a coffee can with a spoon ever 2 seconds). For some reason this rhythmic sound seems to wake me up and then drive me mad. Has anyone else had this problem and found a good solution? I tried stuffing rocks up the down spout in the hopes that they would quiet things down. This works for a short time, but every big storm they seem to wash away. Suggestions? FYI - the downspout comes down perpendicular to the ground and then angles out 135 degrees from perpendicular. <Q> Then water only drips inches to the next link, rather than all at once, the height of your downspout. <A> You are trying to solve the wrong problem. <S> The problem is not the water coming down, the problem is the sound. <S> Stuffing stuff inside the downspout will only clog it one day anyway. <S> The downspout makes a sound when water drips down inside. <S> But it is the sound that is the problem. <S> Take any drum. <S> Bang on it with a drumstick. <S> It makes noise, lots of it. <S> (Ok, when someone else applies drumsticks to a drum, perhaps they make music. <S> When I do it, I make noise.) <S> The point is, now, hold your hand on the surface of the drum. <S> Apply those same drumsticks. <S> What noise results? <S> The answer is a great decrease in the amplitude of the sound, and probably the frequency of that sound too. <S> Essentially, my solution would be to find something that will wrap tightly around the downspout, deadening the sound that is produced. <S> At least you want to change the natural frequency response of the downspout. <S> You might buy a section of PVC pipe, 5-6 inches in diameter. <S> Slip it up around the downspout in the offending area. <S> Then fill the space between the downspout and the PVC pipe with an expanding foam. <S> (Fill with foam slowly, as it expands by a large amount, and it can be messy.) <S> There are many other ways to do something like this, but the point is clear. <A> I think you need to increase the angle of the vertical piece just slightly so the drips can't fall the entire length of the spout and then hit the angle portion at the bottom; instead they will silently wet themselves to the side of the spout and then roll down. <S> Detach the bottom end from the house and play with the angle while you have a slow trickling hose feeding into the gutter. <S> When you find the best angle, reattach the spout to the house in that position using a block spacer if necessary. <A> I recently installed the third gutter system on my house in 40 years. <S> The dripping sound was maddening! <S> Having had two others, I knew that it was this particular downspout. <S> When I filled the gutter with water, I found a leak at the top of the downspout, where the water starts down from the gutter . <S> The water was leaking out there and dripping down on the outward curve at the bottom. <S> It wasn't even getting into the downspout. <S> I can't get the company to come back and fix it <S> so I'm on my own. <S> I thought about that black rubber stuff that I've seen on a TV commercial. <S> That might work as an insulater too. <S> Hope this helps! <A> Maybe if you replaced the elbow at the bottom of the downspout with a plastic gutter piece <S> the noise wouldn't be so pronounced. <S> Of course, this assumes you have metal gutters now. <A> I have the same problem, right now. <S> I thought about a chain in side of it, but found a patent online for an elbow with artificial turf nailed inside! <S> I can't find it for sale, but it may be worth a try. <S> (http://www.docstoc.com/search/rain-gutter-downspout-noise-attenuation-apparatus)Since I rent a condo, I have to be stealth!Good luck!
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Replace the downspout with a decorative downspout chain. So my solution is to kill the sound!
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How do I rust-proof a metal pole? I have a steel pole holding up part of my house. It is bolted to concrete footings. I am about to build a deck around but would like to rust-proof the bottom before I do this to prevent any future issues. Given that the bottom 30cm will not be visible, what is the best way I can ensure it will not rust? I was thinking some Kill-Rust primer and possibly some bitumen paint to keep the water away. <Q> DA01 is correct about direct contact with concrete to a point. <S> If the steel and concrete are above ground grade and the concrete is beveled enough for any water to run off or not collect around the pipe, then serious rusting will take a very long time. <S> Sand off any paint or other materials. <S> Prime the steel with a zinc chromate primer. <S> This is available in spray cans from Krylon. <S> After 24 hours, coat the surfaces with truck bed liner. <S> You can buy truck bed liner in either brush on or spray on cans. <S> Use a couple of thin coats and overlap the bed liner down and over the concrete. <S> This will give you a great water/moisture proof covering. <S> Good luck <A> If it's in direct contact of the concrete, note that you may eventually have issues there (as concrete can easily wick up ground moisture). <A> If you lay concrete, ensure that the concrete laid with the high point against the post. <S> this will ensure that water pooling does not happen around the metal pole.. <S> you will still get rust, this is one way to prevent to a degree. <A> You can get different sizes too - like a caulking tube size. <S> Apply it with a putty knife. <A> Do you have anyone locally who does powder coating? <S> Powder coat paint can sometimes be cheaper than you might think and will really help keep the rust away for a while.
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As far as rust proofing the steel pipe, clean the metal very well. I would coat the bottom part of the pole with roofing tar, similar to what can be done when setting wooden posts for decks.
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Can I use a 6 foot long table as the base for a stand up desk? I am looking to create my own cheap stand up desk. My current idea is to take one of the cheap $40 6 foot tables where the legs fold up and buy 4 plastic crates to put on the corners of the desk which will hold a piece of wood the same size as the desk or a little larger. Is this a good design? One of my concerns is there is no center support on these tables that have folding legs, all in all I don't think the top porting of the desk would ever have more than 100 lbs on it at a time (although I have no idea how much the wood itself would weigh) Another related question, how can you determine a good relative stand up height to your own body height? Update , some great suggestions so far, however I want to keep the project to under $100 <Q> I use 2 3-drawer file cabinets with a 8 foot door. <S> It works really well. <S> Adjustment higher can be done with some 1/4"-1/2" pieces of plywood but the height works well for me. <S> It has the added benefit of storage. <A> Using crates to support the desk is more of a hack than a DIY project. <S> What may be useful is a recently-asked question about spanning long distances with shelves , many of the answers apply here. <S> If you're going to create your own legs, there are many ways to do it. <S> Using standard dimensional (2x4 or 4x4) <S> lumber would be one way. <S> A relatively easy way that comes to mind is to use Ikea stuff - they have many desk parts, including adjustable legs. <S> If they don't go high enough for you, you could always build a mount from plywood/dimensional lumber to give an extra foot or so on the bottom of the desk, them mount adjustable legs to those. <S> Here's a couple things to help inspire you from Ikea hackers : <S> Standing desks on the cheap Wide standing desk <A> Obviously you're looking for the Really Cheap™ solution. <S> At the minimum, I would put a spreader across the two back legs. <S> I'm thinking of a 2x4, drilled to 1" depth to receive the legs, and then bolt these to the tops of the milk crates. <S> A better design would have two more spans, across each end, and then angle brace it to the rear support. <S> At this stage, you could look for better options to raise it up. <A> Ikea has parts that will likely be as cheap but a tad sturdier for your needs. <S> The best way to figure out the height you want is to grab some books and start playing with different heights. <S> Ideally, it'd be an adjustable desk but those aren't that cheap. <A> I'm currently using a normal desk (a terrible desk we were about to stick out on the curb) with adjustable wire shelving (I might have the longer shelves, this link may be for the wider ones, but you get the idea) plopped on top.
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Since the shelves can be raised/lowered to any height, the monitor can be raised so that the top 1/2 of the screen is at eye level (I believe that's the favored ergo-spot), and another shelf can hold the keyboard so that fingers & wrist are parallel to elbows when typing.
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How do I keep my carpet edges from curling upwards? A brand new rug that was put in under the coffee table has one corner that seems to keep lifting up and people keep stumbling on it. How do I fix this? <Q> They make a product called Rug-Gripper that is specifically designed to hold a throw rug down. <A> I'm not sure what your rug is on - carpet or wood or stone floor. <S> Also, how often you want to move it or remove it for cleaning. <S> I suspect the curl is a result of how the fibres in the weave are tightening. <S> If that's the case, you could try soaking that corner and rolling it around a pipe of sorts in the opposite direction to how it curls, and let it dry or blow dry it. <S> This might force the fibres to stretch in the direction you want. <S> If that fails, and provided it's on a solid floor, you could opt for double-sided carpet tape. <S> The down side is that you'll have to apply it again every time you remove it for cleaning. <A> The solution that works best for me is a small piece of cardboard and either double sided tape or just staple the rug to the cardboard (not floor)
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As a last option, if the rug is thick enough, you might be able to thread some wire into the edge of it around the corner and then bend the rug (and wire) flat.
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How long will a treated post last in the ground? The power company says I can put my permanent service entrance on a 6" x 6" pressure treated post. My friend suggested I consider a metal post sunk in concrete, for greater longevity. How long should I expect a treated post to last in the ground? Here's the diagram the power company gives: <Q> A PT post will last a long time in concrete, maybe 5 to 10 years in soil alone. <S> I suggest you embed the post in concrete, trowel a peak around the post <S> so water runs off, and don't let the PT post come in contact with the ground. <A> It will not last long (7 yrs max) if the bottom of the post is wet. <S> If you place stone at the base of the post, it should last 20+ yrs. <A> The length of time will also depend on whether it has been cut after manufacture or not as well. <S> The treatment does not always deep seep into the timber, therefore making any post delivery cuts may expose any untreated timber. <S> Always best to retreat a fresh cut before installing. <A> I am an experienced fencing expert and decking master.
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If you find the RV posts I mentioned earlier, they are steel, treated and when put in concrete will last 25 years or more. I know 100% that a spruce timber post will not exceed 4 years before collapsing with rot once buried in the ground.
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Is having a window in a room that is below grade a requirement? This would be in Charlotte, NC, Mecklenburg County. I vaguely remember hearing somewhere that rooms that are below grade are required to have a full size window in them or they can't be considered part of the square footage calculation or are a safety hazard or something like that. Any truth to that statement? <Q> I can't speak for your local codes, but in general codes (in the US anyway) require a minimum ratio of the area of window to area of the room for it to be called "living space". <S> An egress window has to meet minimum requirements for area and either width or height of the opening, and with a basement window, you have to have a window <S> well that's large enough that you can climb into it from inside the house. <A> The only requirement for egress windows are in bedrooms for new construction, rental properties and second floor bedrooms without a second door and stairway. <S> There are lots of "grandfather" rules as well. <S> An under grade casual living space has no such requirement. <S> I pull permits all the time for cellar rooms and no window specs are in effect in the newest IRC. <S> You must check your local ordinances which may exceed IRC requirements. <A> Mecklenburg County refers to the North Carolina Residential Code, which requires not only a second means of egress from any bedroom, but also a smoke detector in the room or immediately outside the room. <S> Here is a document where the county makes an interpretation of the residential code: http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/CodeEnforcement/ResidentialBuilding/Documents/Sleepingroom.pdf <S> (PDF) <S> The City of Charlotte also has ordinances that impact your ability to use a basement as a legal bedroom. <S> Part II, Chapter 11, Article III: http://library.municode.com/HTML/19970/level3/PTIICOOR_CH11HO_ARTIIIMISTFIPLHA.html
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There are also requirements for egress in that you should have two ways to get out of any "living space" room, usually satisfied by a door and a window.
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How do I fix a sinkhole in my backyard? I have a sinkhole in my backyard along the fence line which began expanding during the last few months. There's a slight depression in the ground about 6' in diameter centered around one of the fence posts which is set in concrete. The fence post at the center of the hole is about 6" lower than the other posts. A hole just opened up on my side of the fence that's about 1' in diameter, and kind of shoots down at a 45° angle into my yard. My neighbor actually pointed it out, because the hole is more noticeable on her side of the fence. How can I fix this? My neighbor says they've put a truckload of dirt down it without any real results. She told me yesterday that I needed to go stomp on my side of the fence and pack the sinkhole in, which sounded like a very bad idea to me. She also wants to pour concrete down the hole in an attempt to fill it up. I'm worried that if dirt didn't solve the problem, concrete won't either, and we'll be stuck with an area that we can't excavate because there's a giant man-made concrete boulder in the way. What are the general steps involved with identifying the underlying cause of the sinkhole and the best solution to fill it in? Follow Up: Our fence got mostly destroyed by high winds from a nearby tornado, so I went ahead and had the fence company repair the sinkhole while they were replacing the fence. They brought in a mini-backhoe (good call @shirlock) and started digging. The sinkhole was filled with all sorts of construction debris, and something that may have once been part of a port-a-john (gross). Five feet down, it seemed like the debris was thinning out, so they stopped digging and poured a concrete footing to support the fence post. We'll see if it holds up. I just hope we found the bottom of the sinkhole. It's hard to know since we couldn't excavate on my neighbor's side of the fence as well. <Q> How old is the house? <S> If it's fairly recent, do you have any idea of what the property was like before being built on? <S> It's possible that the builder put down a lot of fill, and there was a large amount of organic material in that fill, or that he just dumped fill on top of what was there - stumps, trees, etc. <S> You might want to get a local plumber to come out and "scope" the hole to see if you can tell whether or not this really is your problem. <A> Sinkholes need to be professionally investigated. <S> The size and depth can vary but it could be part of a complex underground system or just a hole in the ground. <S> To put it in context <S> I know of one sinkhole that was filled with concrete <S> and it took over 145 cubic metres of concrete to fill it. <S> You really shouldn't try and fix it yourself because there is a good chance that you will think you have fixed it, but there remains an underlying problem which is putting your house or yard at risk. <S> Similarly don't try and excavate it without professional advice because there is a good chance you could destabilise it further. <A> The problem varies depending on where you live. <S> If you live in Florida, for example, the bedrock would be limestone, which tends to have underground rivers and caverns. <S> This type of topology would require professional inspection. <S> I just thought I'd put that out there since you didn't give (roughly) your location. <A> Depending on the cause of the sink hole, filing it with concrete may be a viable solution. <S> If I had to guess (which I am), I would say it is either caused by an under ground spring, or the collapse of a drainage pipe. <S> What could have happened is the top of the spring/drain pipe collapsed, this caused the soil above to continue to drain down into the spring/pipe and be washed away. <S> Filling the hole with concrete could solve the problem, or make it worse. <S> Once the concrete is cured it will not drain into the spring/pipe so it will not be washed away, however, if the concrete blocks the spring/drain it could cause flooding and/or other problems up/down stream. <S> The best solution here would be to excavate the area, to determine and fix the underlying cause. <S> Here is some good information on causes of sink holes from Wikipedia . <S> Sinkholes also form from human activity, such as the rare but still occasional collapse of abandoned mines in places like West Virginia, USA. <S> More commonly, sinkholes occur in urban areas due to water main breaks or sewer collapses when old pipes give way. <S> They can also occur from the overpumping and extraction of groundwater and subsurface fluids. <S> They can also form when natural water-drainage patterns are changed and new water-diversion systems are developed. <S> Edit: <S> The first thing you could try is to disconnect the fence from the post, then try to pull the post and concrete 'root ball' out of the ground (this may require a group of friends, or machinery). <S> Once the post is removed you may be able to see the cause of the sink hole, if not you could at least sure up the hole to reset the post. <A> If you have to guess and fill without digging to find the real cause, I'd try gravel. <S> There's almost certainly some sort of underground water movement that's taking the soil away - if you fill with gravel, there's some chance that the water will move through the affected area without issue. <S> Of course, even if that works, it might only move the sinkhole.
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Depending on the composition of the fill used, you might be able to get away with just dumping earth or sand into the hole, but it sounds like a large area - which means that digging it up, removing the rotting organic material, and replacing it with fresh fill is really the only way to permanently fix it.
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How do I clean stainless steel? We have just finished building a house and we have some small stains on a stainless steel door handle. I was wondering what was the best way to remove them? Unfortunately I'm not sure what's caused them. They appear as small "smudges" along the handle. <Q> Use some Flitz . <S> I used to have a tube of the paste that worked really well on stainless knives. <S> I need to pick up some more from the hardware store. <A> I use isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) to remove oily fingerprints, fatty deposits, etc. <S> Works great on the range hood (extractor hood) above my cooktop, which accumulates fatty deposits quite fast. <A> I'm a big fan of Barkeeper's Friend for stainless steel (it brings new life to cookware). <S> Just make sure there isn't a finish on top of the metal that would get damaged, and test it in a non-visible location first. <A> I have tried various things that claimed to be stainless cleaners and have been disappointed. <S> The best success has been with an all-surface cleaner like Windex. <A> We have several stainless steel appliances, and little kids that smudge them every day. <S> We have tried dozens of cleaners, and the best we have found is Weiman's . <S> The have several varieties, but we like the one in the aerosol spray can. <S> You can find it anywhere, we get it at the local mega-mart. <A> Believe it or not, WD-40! <S> Always polish with the grain. <S> I used WD40 (which worked on the smudges) <S> but I didn't like the residue of WD40. <A> I use Method general purpose cleaner to get stainless steel clean. <S> The trick is to rinse it really well because any soap left on will streak. <S> After it's clean, I maintain my stainless steel surfaces by just wiping them down with a damp microfiber cloth. <S> The polishes are a maintenance nightmare, avoid them all!
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So I took the WD40 Residue off with Dawn and water - wiped with a clean towel and all the prints are gone and the WD40 residue as well.
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How do I cut a channel and plaster television cable work in a brick chimney? I am buying a new TV, which I intend to mount on the wall. The wall is a brick chimney breast, early 1900's house. I have heard mentioned on a few sites the idea of cutting a channel, and plastering the cable work in within some sort of trunking. What I want to know is: Is this sensible? What is required to do the job? Is it something an average skilled layman can do, or strictly a pro job? I am in the UK, what is the likely cost of the pro? Any other tips or advice? <Q> The brickwork on a chimney breast of a 1900s house will be solid brick (not veneer). <S> Cutting a channel, fitting trunking and replastering is eminently sensible if that's the only way to go. <S> It's also a job you can do your self with a masonry drill and cold chisel. <S> Using an SDS drill with a chisel attachment will be quicker if messier. <S> Make sure you take the cable vertically (if possible) never diagonally across the wall. <S> This will make it safer for future owners of your house. <A> If the brick is vaneer (i.e. decorative, and not part of the load-bearing structure of the wall) you could scour out some mortar and run a 1/4 flex conduit between the bricks and mortar over the conduit; however, the gaps between the bricks need to be wide enough to accomidate the conduit, and you need to get the conduit 'deep' enough into the wall so that the mortar that you apply over the conduit is sufficiently thick that it stays (as opposed to crubling away when dry). <S> Also, it might be difficult to match the new mortar to the old mortar. <A>
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Perhaps a better way would be to drill a single 1/4" hole through the brick into the wall cavity and run the cable thru the wall.
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What are the pros and cons of engineered hardwood? Are there any downsides to engineered hardwood? I'm looking to install hardwood in dining room and kitchen areas. <Q> Generally speaking, the only downside is that you can typically only refinish (sand down and re-stain) <S> engineered hardwood two or three times, because there is usually between 1/32" to 3/16" (0.6 to 4.5mm) of the actual hardwood layer, and the rest is plywood, fiberboard, or another hardwood. <S> You'll typically pay more for a thicker top layer, which means you're more likely to be able to refinish it more times, and more importantly, it will last longer. <S> Like most things though, you get what you pay for. <A> A good grade of engineered hardwood flooring is an excellent choice. <S> Far better than laminates and much easier to install than true 3/4 inch hardwood slats. <S> As mentioned before, be careful in wet areas and always pick up spills immediately. <S> I recently did a living room job with a Shaw product that was the newer style of "click lock" engineered hardwood. <S> The fit and ease of install was amazing. <S> The flush joints were extremely tight, even without the micro-bevel you see on most click-lock and engineered flooring. <S> The three row pieces were 7'4" long, 9 inches wide, and it took less than 3 hours to install a 21ft X 14 ft area. <A> Any engineered floorboards will be more susceptible to water damage in a kitchen or bathroom type of environment, obviously more so in a bathroom. <S> Having said that, an engineered hardwood floor is better than a cheaper laminate floorboard and as @gregmac says, at least gives you two to three refinishes before it may need to be replaced. <S> I certainly used engineered hardwood (oak 5mm) on our heavier traffic areas and it has stood the test very well. <S> Also damage from dents etc can typically be repaired easier.
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With cheap engineered hardwood there are likely to be other problems (just like with cheap laminate or even real hardwood) including not using a good quality base, which will warp or absorb moisture, poor manufacturing quality causing the top layer to come off at the ends, or the tongue-and-groove not to fit together nicely.
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Can I do anything with this gas fireplace? No gas service When I bought my house (it was bank owned and empty for 2 years), the home inspector said that we had a gas fireplace insert, and not a "real" wood burning fireplace. We do not have gas service in this neighborhood, nor could we get it if we wanted it, so there is no pilot and no gas line to worry about. My question is, is it ok to burn wood in this fireplace? There is a flue that goes up through the second floor and out the roof. There is a small amount of creosote buildup, so I can tell it's been used before but either was installed shortly before the house was siezed by the bank or was not used extensively, however the home inspector told us that we should keep fires "small" since it "probably" couldn't handle the temperatures of burning wood. We have yet to build a fire in it because the home inspector sounded rather unsure, and we don't know if he was just covering his butt from liability, or if it would actually be dangerous to light a fire. We also have no idea what it means to keep a fire "small" in a fireplace. I'd really appreciate some guidance on this, I'd like to enjoy my fireplace if it's at all possible! Hopefully without the cost and hassle of installing a tank outside. <Q> The advice your home inspector gave you is ridiculous and he should have his license revoked. <S> Either a flue is safe to use with wood, or it is not. <S> Don't guess at this or just try a "small" fire before getting a real inspection. <S> Better safe than sorry. <A> Other factors that affect the safety of a fireplace are the entire surround of the insert, not just the flue. <S> The question didn't mention just the flue. <S> It may be a decorative fireplace designed just for gas inserts, and lined with fibre-board or bricks and mortar that are not fire-rated. <S> Is the lining purely exposed brick? <S> My parents bought a farmhouse which some idiot had lined the bottom of the fireplace with normal cement, filling in some gaps. <S> This exploded the first time they burned a hot fire and they had to replace all the carpet due to embers being flung across the room. <S> I would get an expert in to examine the material of the fireplace before burning. <S> If you're not prepared to pay for that, run a small blowtorch across the surfaces and observe how they react (wearing safety goggles etc). <A> Or... check if that's indeed a propane burning gas fireplace. <S> With a tank outside. <S> If the flue was designed for a gas insert, it's almost certainly not ready for a wood fire. <S> This is a case where you want a professional to look at the situation.
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Get a good chimney cleaning company that also inspects flues to clean it well first and run a camera down the length looking for any problems that might need attention and assure you it is safe for a wood fire.
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How to get rid of a burned coal smell that's coming to my flat? I live in a semi-urban area, where most surrounding houses use charcoal or black coal to heat them. Since my flat is on the top floor (2nd), the outside chimneys are not that much above my roof and, in consequence, during the few months of winter, depending on the wind I'll get an unpleasant smell of burned coal in my apartment. So, how to get rid of it? The obvious answer is to close all gravitational ventilation inside the flat, which is what I do at the moment and which is cumbersome and not a permanent solution as the gravitational ventilation needs to be turned on at least periodically. I was thinking about buying lots of plants. In the vain of this TED presentation and blog post: http://mattnt.com/2010/08/15/air-filtration/ The question is - what kind of plant/plants would deal with this problem most efficiently? Or maybe there is a better solution? <Q> In terms of plant answers, mother in law tongue is one of 15 plants recommended by NASA for air purification. <S> Plus this plant releases oxygen at night as well as during that daytime(good plant to keep near your bed). <S> I have this plant in my dorm room, works wonders. <S> Additionally this site will give a basic outline of a few others that work well. <S> In case you need more evidence, this is a CAM plant which means the plant separates the two photosynthesis pathways and performs all light dependent reactions during the day and stores the products up for use at night when the light dependent reactions take place, called Calvin's cycle. <S> Ergo, this plant is awesome. <S> *Verdict, get some mother in law tongue plants, they look good, NASA proven, they can take some neglect, and they don't rack up your electric bill. <A> You might try an electric air filtration machine - basically a fan that blows your air through a filter of some sort (e.g. activated carbon) and absorbs odors. <S> These can be quite good at removing odors from the air. <S> There may be a way to hook a filter into the existing ventilation loop also. <A> Basically, what you do is select one opening (eg, window, vent, etc.), and place a fan drawing air in through a filter. <S> In your case, you'd want to draw it in from the least contaminated area, which might be through the plants, or from an interior door (eg, if it's an apartment building with an interior hallway, from the main door). <S> The only problem with this is that there's a continuous cost (electricity from running the fan), as compared to just plants. <S> And you can't have too large of openings (eg, no windows open), or it won't work.
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You need a high volume of air coming in; basically, you want enough air being pushed into the room that it's going out any other opening, so you won't have any air coming in that's not going through the filter. I can't answer the bit about plants, but based on work I've done constructing clean rooms (not professional, just for hobby stuff), I'd consider building a positive pressure system.
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How soon can I use my shower that I recently grouted and tiled? Should it cure first? We have been retiling my tub surround area and finished grouting the tile last night. I used non-sanded PolyBlend grout (sold at Home Depot) and added a bottle of Grout Boost Advanced Pro . Everything went okay, especially considering this was my first time tiling or grouting. My question actually has to do with how soon we will be able to take a shower. I've been finding what I think is mixed information. The Grout Boost Product Data Sheet (pdf link) says: Protection Protect the finished installation from traffic or impact for at least 24 hours; from water immersion or freezing for at least 10 days or per grout manufacturer’s instructions, whichever is longer. No need to seal grout. Clean up spills immediately upon occurrence. If a stain remains after initial cleanup, follow the recommended cleaning procedures provided at www.groutboost.com And the Grout Boost FAQ (pdf link) says: How long after installation do you need to wait before using the area grouted? The installation can be walked on at 24 hours. Grout mixed with Grout Boost needs to cure for 10 days after installation before exposing it to water from mopping, showers, rain, etc. I also saw a few comments online in forums saying that getting the grout + Grout Boost wet before the 10 days will only impact the stain resistance, not it's waterproofness. So, how soon can I get it wet? <Q> It sure looks like you did a beautiful job on your shower, be a crying shame to see all that hard work ruined with stained grout. <S> The glazing agent in the grout needs 8 to 10 days to harden completely. <S> I suggest that you tape up some poly to protect the new grout if you really need to use the shower before the prescribed cure time. <S> A few days of inconvenience is definitely worth not having to scrub and look at stained grout for years to come. <A> It's not realistic to wait that long. <S> Most people are like myself who have no way to shower while they were building one. <S> Let the grout dry for a day, seal it, wait another day, go for it. <S> People on the internet will always tell you things need to cure for about 20 times longer than in reality. <S> Also, the product manufacturers put WAY overboard cure times on the labels so that when something fails they can always say, "Oh you didn't let it cure long enough. <S> Not our fault." <A> Grout should CURE for up to 2 WEEKS. <S> It is not just a manufacturer cop out. <S> Getting water on the grout before then SLOWS the curing and allows breakdown, leading to cracking and chipping - the grout failing. <S> READ AND FOLLOW the directions. <A> We have soft water and we've never had any of it crumble or crack.
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We have only ever let our grout cure 24 hours.
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Is there an easy way to remove silicone sealant? Is there an easy way to remove silicone sealant? Having had mouldy sealant have replaced with MicroBan to stop the mould coming back but is there any tips on getting the stuff off for next time? My best tool seemed to be a sharp chisel. <Q> I've used a craft knife to cut out most of it (being careful not to damage the surface), then a small (2") putty knife to scrape out the rest. <S> Nylon scrubbing pads (the ones made for cleaning non-stick cookware) are great for getting rid of any last traces of the old caulk. <S> A putty knife isn't as sharp so it would take more work on your part to do any damage. <A> I've used one of these before with success. <S> http://www.amazon.com/Hyde-43620-Caulk-Away-Plastic-Removal/dp/B001HHB0K4 <S> If the sealant is on tile you should be fine. <A> Mechanical means - plastic or metal depending on your surface. <S> They also now make a cleaning solvent which will desolve residue <S> BUT I suspect it contains mineral spirits and/or rubbing alcohol - which with the elbow grease method will help with residue. <S> Commercially they can use lye dissolved in tetra hydro furan - nasty nasty stuff and NOT for ANY homeowner. <S> Explosive stuff - <S> Above flash point 7F/-14C, vapor-air mixtures are explosive. <S> May form explosive organic peroxides when exposed to air or light or with age. <S> Vapors can flow along surfaces to distant ignition source and flash back. <S> Sealed containers may rupture when heated. <S> (Brown glass or steel drums) <A> A glass scraper can also be helpful up against tiles or glass.
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A chisel would work, but chisels are supposed to be very sharp, so I'd be very careful not to scratch whatever surface the caulk is applied to.
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Does wifi have any effect on one's health? Does wifi have any effect on health in home? <Q> Compared to holding a mobile phone against your head, the exposure levels are very low. <S> So, even if non-ionizing radiation is found to be a health concern in the future (current studies show no reason for concern), wifi isn't going to be the primary source of exposure for most people. <S> Some router configuration software also allows you to set the transmit power level, so you can lower the power levels to a place where you still get acceptable bandwidth in the areas of the house where you use wifi. <A> There is no detectable effect. <S> In double blind studies where people who claim to be sensitive to electric fields have tried to detect whether a wi-fi source is on or off their results have been no better than chance. <S> What does affect their health is their anxiety over possible health effects. <S> This isn't to belittle that as anxiety can cause real health problems, so anything you can do to reduce the anxiety is worth the effort. <A> No. <S> The harmful part of a Wifi signal strength can't even break the outter most layer of your skin. <S> Unless you're eating a wifi router a day for lunch and somehow turning them on you're fine.
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If you are concerned, locate your router somewhere other than directly next to a desk. Beyond a doubt not even possible.
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How can I fix electrical outlets that don't "hold" plugs that are plugged in to them? In short, most of the outlets in my house have one working receptacle and one that any cord plugged in will immediately slip out of. Some of my outlets don't have any working receptacles (I hope I'm using the right terminology here). Is there any way I can repair these, or am I going to have to go through and replace every outlet in my house? <Q> Replacing sockets is a straightforward job: <S> Turn off the power to the receptacle. <S> Verify that power is off at the receptacle. <S> Unscrew the old socket from the box. <S> Make a note of which wires go where. <S> Remove the wires from the old socket. <S> Wire up the new socket - double checking that live -> <S> live, neutral -> neutral and earth - <S> > earth. <S> Screw the new socket onto the box. <S> Turn the power back on. <S> This is still a job a householder can do in the UK. <S> However, if you are uncertain about any of the above steps or you think there might be something more serious wrong with the electrics then get an electrician in. <A> Replacing is straightforward. <S> See ChrisF for the details. <S> However, I just wanted to add the following (Since you appear to be from Wisconsin, I'll assume 120v 60hz wiring) : <S> 1: Standard wiring for an outlet is <S> Black wire - Gold coloured screw.(HOT) <S> White wire - Silver screw(Neutral) <S> Bare or green - Green screw(usually connected to the metalmounting flange) <S> Put a post-it on any that doesn't test properly. <S> That way, you'll know to check it when you're wiring. <S> Three things you need to watch for: <S> Chained outlets - This occurs when there are two blacks attached to the hot (gold) terminals. <S> They may be attached to the same screw or a different one on the same side. <S> What is happening, is the hot is being carried over to another outlet or to a switch on the same wall. <S> (same for white) - rewire the same way. <S> BUT - Make sure it isn't a SPLIT! <S> SPLIT outlets - These are most common in the kitchen. <S> There should be two blacks to separate terminals, two whites (also to separate terms) and two greens (to same terminal). <S> The difference here is that there is a small knock-out removed between the screws that electrically separates the upper and lower receptacle. <S> This allows you to wire each receptacle to different circuits, allowing you to plug in the toaster and the kettle at the same time without tripping the breaker. <S> -- <S> Edit based on comment to another answer: Beware of splits because one outlet may be de-activated at the breaker, but the other could still be live. <S> Switched outlets <S> - These usually are splits, with one receptacle wired black & white (always on) and the other wired red or blue and white. <S> The red wire is a switched hot, coming from a wall switch. <S> The knockout should be removed, but they may not be on separate circuits. <S> If they are on the same circuit, they will often only have a single white on the neutral side, and the knockout on the neutral side will not be removed. <S> If you come across any other creative wiring, call an electrician to sort it out. <A> In addition to the other answers, here is some advice on selecting receptacles. <S> Choose heavy-duty models. <S> Cheap ones will break sooner, and the contacts will wear out sooner, like your current units. <S> Prefer a contoured face to a flat face. <S> When you go to plug in a lamp at night, or something behind furniture, it's easier if the contours guide the plug in. <S> (If you try to use your finger to find the hole, you can easily shock yourself.) <S> Prefer screw terminals to quick-connect push-in terminals. <S> However, good units let you push wires in the back and then secure them by screwing down to clamp them in place. <S> Consider tamper resistant ("TR") receptacles. <S> Code requires these in many areas today. <S> (They may require replacements in existing work to be TR, too, I'm not sure.) <S> If someone tries to push a knife/screwdriver/paperclip in to one slot, it won't go in, protecting from a shock. <A> The only way to repair your receptacles is to replace them. <S> Chrisf glosses over a point that I consider the key to such a project: "Wire up the new socket". <S> You have likely never done this before <S> so I want to caution you to make sure you have a good solid connection when connecting the wires to the new receptacles. <S> Any kind of connection which is loose or can become loose is a fire hazard. <S> With this in mind, I highly recommend you consider the Leviton Spring and Clamp receptacles. <S> They make it much easier to get a good connection. <S> Please see the following article for more details. <S> http://www.handymanhowto.com/2011/01/17/electrical-outlets-side-wire-versus-back-wire/ <S> It shows you the difference in quality between residential and industrial grade and also why "quickwire" is not as good as the alternatives. <A> Often, contractors use the least expensive materials they can find. <S> That includes outlets. <S> The cheap outlets ($1 USD) often have less metal to press against the plug and so don't hold as well. <S> An outlet for only about twice the price ($2 USD) hold better. <S> This information comes from a wikipedia search and of course, everything on the internet must be true or it wouldn't be on the internet . <S> . . <S> right?
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You will need to replace them (or get an electrician to replace them). If the plugs aren't holding in the sockets then the sockets are potentially dangerous. Get a three pronged wiring tester and test the wiring BEFORE removing the outlets. Always check both outlets before opening. When buying receptacles, ask the hardware guy to show you where the knockout is, and when you remove the old one, check for a split.
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How do cement boards and Kerdi boards for wall tile compare? I came across an interesting product the other day, and thought it might be perfect for an upcoming project. I'm redoing the tile back splash in my kitchen and was planning on using cement board behind the tile, but now I'm not so sure. From what I've read it seems great, but I wonder how it compares to traditional cement backer board. So has anybody used KIRDI-BOARD ? What advantages/disadvantages does it have? <Q> I haven't used KIRDI-BOARD itself, but I have used similar products. <S> Mostly, the biggest advantages are found in weight and longevity of the material. <S> The synthetic foam will last longer than traditional concrete and produce significantly less dust when cutting and installing. <S> The biggest disadvantage will be the cost. <S> Synthetics (KIRDI-BOARD and similar products) tend to run on the expensive side. <S> Some quick Google-ing turned up about $10/sheet for 5'x3'x1/2" cement boards. <S> KIRDI-BOARDs in a similar dimension (4'x5'x1/2") would run about $77. <S> So ... if you're working on a DIY project, stick with the less expensive, traditional building materials. <S> If you can afford to buy massive quantities in bulk (or know a contractor willing to do it for you), look into the more advanced stuff. <A> Unless you've got a lot of intricate cuts (tough with concrete board) or expect to have a LOT of water on your backsplash on a regular basis, it's probably just simpler to go with backerboard. <S> I have used a Kerdi-board competitor, Wedi , for a shower and found it very easy to work with. <S> Easy to cut and seal. <S> Comes with sealant (caulk tubes) and fastening bolts (might be tricky to drive in small backsplash places) <S> To avoid flex, you want to use a thicker board. <S> It's pretty strong stuff (particularly for a kitchen backsplash, which shouldn't bear much (any?) <S> weight or pressure. <S> I have also used the original Kerdi membrane (not the newer board you mention) for a shower. <S> I have a lot of confidence in the quality of the seal with the Kerdi membrane, but it's quite a bit of extra work if you haven't done it before, and is probably overkill for a backsplash <S> (I assume the counter top runs below). <S> As for cost - my personal opinion is that small jobs are precisely the place to spend the extra money (assuming the quality is better for what you need). <S> If I had to do 100 bathrooms, the added cost of the these newer products would really add up. <S> If I'm doing 1 or 2, then the difference is relatively small. <S> As a bit of history: The Kerdi membrane (from Schluter Systems) is one of (the?) <S> original products in this space. <S> Wedi board came as a competitive product, eliminating the need to put up drywall and then apply the membrane. <S> Schluter responded with the Kerdi board. <A> I haven't used it myself but a co-worker is currently remodeling a bathroom and has done a lot of research on how to tile his bath surround. <S> His impressions of Kerdi-board: <S> it's slightly flexible, so tiles may work loose over time if it's not reinforced properly. <S> he saw a video showing it being submerged in water, and the surface layer wicking it up. <S> That shouldn't be a real-life problem unless you do something <S> really wrong with the grouting and caulking. <S> the manufacturer recommends unmodified thin-set, which might an issue for certain types of tile. <S> making a corner sounded similar to the process for drywall, only using Kerdi-band and thin-set in place of tape and mud. <A> when doing a simple backsplash for a kitchen you would not need to use a backerboard for a project like that.. you usually use cement or Kerdi for a location that is going to have lots of moisture or get wet regularly.. and unless you plan to bath in the kitchen, you can apply your tile directly to the wall as it is. <A> I believe using 1/2" Kerdi-Board is much better than Kerdi Membrane over 1/2" Drywall Its cleaner (no gypsum dust etc.) <S> It’s <S> probably more water proof (moisture will not deteriorate Kerdi-Board) <S> Its only about 30% more in cost (about $440 for at large 4 foot time 8 foot shower or 96 sq. <S> ft. of wall space, which is a big shower) <S> 1/2" inch Kerdi board is $3.60 sq. <S> ft. assume about another $1.00 for Kerdi Band or96 sq. <S> ft. <S> x <S> $4.60 = <S> $441 <S> Using wallboard 3 x $10 = <S> $30 and Kerdi membrane $2.10 sq. <S> ft. <S> x 96 = $201 + $96 Kerdi-Band= $30 + $201 + $96 = <S> $327 <S> This means you pay $114 for a better resultGiven <S> your shower overall cost is around $2000 <S> this is a good investment.. <A> I ended up tackling my basement bathroom renovation by myself. <S> I started out with cement board and a close cousin to it. <S> Halfway through putting up my walls I discovered Kedri - Board while in a tile store. <S> You won't see Kedri-Board system i Home Depot or Lowes because most of the sales do not know how to install it.. <S> I can lift 2 of these boards where I was struggling with one cement board. <S> I pretty much left up my moisture barrier but took down the half way job of cement board. <S> Its about 9 months since the completion of my bathroom. <S> I can't wait to start another project and to work on my learning curve. <S> It's like getting a new toy. <S> That light.
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But the big upside to the Kedri-Board system is the weight.
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How can I fix a Moen faucet that is still leaking after replacing cartridge? I had a leaky Moen faucet (Moen 4600) so I removed the old cartridge and replaced it with a new brass replacement cartridge (model 1200.) Since replacing the cartridge I now have a leak from the valve stem, that leaks faster the more I open the valve. It appears to be coming from the outside collar of the cartridge. Here is a video of the leak so you can see exactly what I am talking about: Video of the leaky faucet Is this caused by a poor fitting cartridge / o-ring or is it possibly due to wear on the faucet itself? What can I do to stop this leak? <Q> I contacted Moen directly with this same question and they let me know that they recommended a model 1225 replacement cartridge instead <S> (that's what I get for trusting the guy at the hardware store to look up the matching part for me). <S> Technically either one will work but apparently the plastic 1225 offers a tighter fit than the brass (and more expensive) 1220. <S> Moen also recommended cleaning out the inside of the valve with an old toothbrush or bottle brush and then flushing thoroughly before installing the new cartridge. <S> I will update this once I know if the new cartridge resolves my leak. <S> Update: After the installation of the model 1225 cartridge, the faucet works without any leaks from the stem. <S> With the addition of a new knob the whole fixture is working better than new. <S> The moral of the story here is, when in doubt, try to contact the vendor (and post your results!) <A> The same thing happened to me when I tried to replace the original Moen brass cartridge with a new brass cartridge (1220). <S> I went to Lowe's and bought the plastic cartridge (1225) and put it in. <S> No leaks, and the valve works with a finger tip touch. <S> No more pulling on the knob to get the water started. <S> Who would have thought the plastic valve would be better than the brass? <A> I had the same problem. <S> The new one I found had a point in the top o-ring because there was a plastic defect where the seams came together like extra plastic or blade. <S> I scraped that off <S> and then the o-ring was flat all the way around. <S> No leaks. <A> The inside of our kitchen faucet rusted out and they sent us a brand new one even after we had used the old one for 10 years! <S> You must be the original owner and have proof of original purchase (I keep all our home improvement receipts for things like that). <S> Moen stands behind their products. <S> Based on our family's positive experience and having grown up a plumber's daughter, I wouldn't buy anything else. <A> The housing has some particles in it; take out the housing and clean the inlets. <A> I had this same issue. <S> A new Moen faucet in my bathroom and after a few months it started leaking from the tap. <S> Rather than run out and get a new cartridge I attempted to see what may be causing the problem <S> so I pulled off the cold water handle (which was leaking, hot water handle seemed fine) and using my hand <S> I slowly turned the top of the cartridge and found that with a very slight adjustment the water stopped so I put the handle back on gently and screwed it back down while holding the handle to prevent it from moving. <S> I'm telling everybody in the house to be gentle when turning the water on and off <S> but my leak is fixed without replacing any parts. <S> I'm on a well <S> so leaks are bad <S> and I hope this helps some people. <S> Just a quick update on my tap situation. <S> The leak was back again today and I thought for sure <S> I was going to have to replace the cartridge <S> but I'm trying to avoid it as the taps are only 2 months old. <S> I took the handle off and turned the tap 180 degrees and the leak stopped. <S> My gut feeling is that there is something keeping it from sitting completely down <S> but the handles were not touched <S> as they were pre-assembled when purchased, I just sat the new faucet where the old one was after I used a razor blade to make sure the entire sink was clear of obstruction and then cleaned it. <S> It's okay again <S> but I'm sure I'll have to replace the cartridge <S> but as I stated, the taps are only 2 months old and for what I paid it's hard to figure the cartridge is bad. <S> I also checked for hairline cracks and didn't see any in the brass. <S> I do agree that plastic might be the better option so long as you're cautious as to how tight you go. <A> OK for me this happened when replacing a cartridge on a moen kitchen sink faucet -- gushing water! <S> Turns out that the instructions list the "alignment angle" as having one large hole at the top, and the two smaller holes at the bottom. <S> But on my faucet it was the large hole at about 5 o'clock <S> so I inserted it to match and voila, no leaks. <S> That was scary though, it was leaking more with the replacement than with the original :)
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In addition, with the original valve removed, I cleaned the inside of the housing with Lime-Away and a toothbrush so that it would be extra clean. Whenever we have had any problem with any Moen faucet that we purchased we just returned the faucet to Moen and they sent us a new one.
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What records should I make of underground infrastructure, before covering it up? We're putting utility services (water, electrical, sewer, telco) in trenches to and on my land. Before we bury everything, what records should I make? Maybe I should take some photographs or draw some maps. ( Accurate mapping is difficult , though!) EDIT: I learned today that the utility company is only responsible for the stuff in they ground that they own. If you have a sub-panel for electricity to a garage, for example, they won't mark that. Same for a water line to a spigot in your garden. So, it's particularly important to keep your own records, etc. ALSO: Even though code doesn't require it here, I'm going to put a strip of CAUTION tape a few inches under the soil as we fill in the trench. <Q> There are several things you can do: <S> Pictures, with clear reference points (eg, natural features of the land such as rock cuts, streams, as well as man-made structures). <S> Drawings using graph paper, and with GPS marking locations For non-metallic water pipes (anything without a metal wire in it), bury a metal wire alongside (really, any kind of continuous wire will do). <S> This will allow you to use an inductive cable locater to trace that line later. <S> Inductive cable locator: <A> I would at least take some pictures. <S> Make sure to get some landmarks that will likely be around for a while, so someone else can orient the pictures, if needed. <S> If you have, or know someone who has, an Android phone, <S> the My Tracks <S> app will record a GPS track, upload it to Google Maps, and show it laid on top of their imagery. <S> There is probably something similar for iPhones. <A> If you could map it out on graph paper, that would be a good start. <S> Try to be as accurate as you can - you want to think about trying to read and use this later. <S> What this map will do is tell you where you need to "Hand-dig" if you are digging up the area in the future. <S> There also might be an organization that is setup the local utility companies that keeps track of these things. <S> In Virginia, it's called "Miss Utility", and if you give them 48 hours notice, they will come out and mark your property of where the utility lines are for free. <S> The utility companies save money by doing this, because it helps them prevent costly repairs. <S> In Virginia, in fact. <S> its the law that you have to call before you dig. <S> The consortium like this in your locale may be interested to find out what was buried where before you cover it up.
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Another possibility is to get GPS readings of the locations of the tracks. There are also some newer RFID-based tags you can get that specifically indicate types of cable/pipe (power, water, waste, gas, telephone, etc), and can be read by a special receiver.
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How far from the sink can we install the dishwasher without major remodel? We are buying an old house built in 1935. We do not want to do a major kitchen remodel but we would like to replace the old portable dishwasher (that you roll over to the sink and hookup) with a regular dishwasher. There is no spot next to the sink and we would be putting the dishwasher on the other side of the kitchen. Is this possible? Can we somehow run the plumbing under the kitchen in the basement to reach the sink for disposal? If I had to guess it would be about 10-15 feet of hose to reach the dishwasher. <Q> There are no code regulations concerning the placement of a dish washer. <S> As AWMoore mentioned, you will need to supply a hot water feed and a drain, with a trap. <S> You will have to see where you can tie the drain into the system being sure to meet the drop to run ratio. <S> To save head space in the basement , the trap can be installed above the floor behind the dishwasher, and the dishwasher drain hose install there, kinda like a washing machine. <A> I would say you should be fine. <S> Normally the dishwasher hot water and drain lines tie right into the sink hot water and drain lines, but you could give it a separate hot water and separate drain of its own. <S> However, usually the dishwasher is right next to the sink so you can rinse major food stuff off in the sink and then put the dishes right into the dishwasher, so across the room might be a bit of a hassle. <S> I don't know if there are any building codes about this, someone else may be able to comment on this. <S> Hope this helps. <A> You can pump water as far as you want below and side to side of the pump. <S> Your limitation is how high you can pump. <S> I did this in my house. <S> It took a 3 universal 6' rigid dishwasher drain kits with 6 hose clamps and a 1' length of 7/8 PVC pipe cut into 3 4" lengths. <S> You also need a 1' 1 1/4" spade bit. <S> Don't tie into a trap in the basement unless you put a 16"-18" loop on the line above the sub floor otherwise you will drain the water to fast, run the pump dry, make a loud obnoxious noise, and possibly over heat the motor. <S> I did that first. <S> But didn’t fry the motor. <A> If your basement is open, then it's pretty easy. <S> Cut the kitchen drain in the basement and install a T-connector. <S> Run copper or ABS to a location under the dishwasher. <S> You should also do something similar with the hot water supply. <S> Mine has an 18" braided hose into the basement, which then threads onto the copper supply. <A> Since there are no code regulations directly concerning dishwashers, your best place to ensure correct operation is probably the dishwasher's installation manual. <S> For example, in the installation guide for my particular dishwasher , it mentions, among other requirements: use a new drain hose with a maximum length of 12 ft (3.7 m) that meets all current AHAM/IAPMO test standards, is resistant to heat and detergent, and fits the 1" (2.5 cm) drain connector of the dishwasher. <S> Make sure to connect drain hose to waste tee or disposer inlet above drain trap in house plumbing and <S> 20" (50.8 cm) minimum above the floor. <S> It is recommended that the drain hose either be looped up and securely fastened to the underside of the counter, or be connected to an air gap. <S> Of course, your particular dishwasher model may have different requirements! <S> I would say if you think your drain line is going to be much longer than 10' (depending on your dishwasher), then shirlock's answer of installing a new trap behind the dishwasher is likely the best advice.
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You can most certainly find a place to make this connection in a basement. Most dishwashers tie into a sink trap so they are designed to pump only 18-20" high.
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cleats vs. staples for hardwood flooring I'm installing a new hardwood floor, and I'm thinking about using cleats rather than staples. Are there any advantages to using cleats over staples? <Q> Yes! <S> Cleats are pretty much the standard in hardwood flooring. <S> Typically, hardwood floors have 'tongue & groove' joints that interlock. <S> First, some definitions of terms that I've used in my answer: Tongue: the part that sticks out of the hardwood piece is called the 'tongue'. <S> Groove: <S> the slot it fits into is the 'groove'. <S> Face: <S> the part of the piece that will eventually be the floor is called the 'face'. <S> Floor joists: <S> these are horizontal panels that run from one end of the room to the other and rest on beams under them. <S> These provide support and you'll install the flooring on the joists, perpendicular to the direction in which they run. <S> CLEATS <S> With cleats, you drive the nail through the tongue onto the floor joists at a 45 degree angle. <S> The cleats (which need to be set in) get hidden by the next piece that overlaps the previous one. <S> The advantage is that all except the last piece in the room will have no nail markings on the surface. <S> The only con is that you'll need a specialized hardwood floor nailer, that can be pretty expensive to buy ($400-500 for a pneumatic one and $200-300 for a manual one). <S> Needless to say, the pneumatic one is less work (but then again, you'll need to get a compressor for it) than the manual (you'll need a 5lbs mallet to drive a 1.5"-2" cleat in fully). <S> However, these tools are easily available for hire at your local HomeDepot/Lowes (assuming you're in the US). <S> STAPLES <S> Now, I've never heard of anyone using staples for hardwood floors. <S> It's more a carpet layer's tool. <S> With staples, you'll also have to nail in through the face, thereby leaving marks all over the floor and ruining the appearance. <S> Using them on hardwood floors is a terrible idea, and wouldn't recommend it under any circumstances. <A> Either or is fine, it is up to the installer. <S> I have used more expensive pneumatic nailers that cost 4-500 USD as well as cheaper ones that are 150-180. <S> If you are DIY then get the cheaper one. <S> Keep your fasteners/nails oiled or drip oil in the male end on the nailer as you reload. <S> They will work fine. <S> If I was laying more than 4000 sq. <S> ft a year I would consider a more expensive nailer. <S> If I was laying a single room I would consider renting or connect with others who may do a room or two and join together and buy one of the cheaper models. <A> I have been using staples on all solid wood <S> 3/4 <S> in.flooring accept exotics for 25 yrs <S> never had no call <S> backs.pressure is key 80 to 85lbs <S> is perfect for most applications.on large jobs <S> I never allow more than 2 guns on compressor will use 2 compressors <S> .when <S> pressure is right staples are fine for most solid floor applications. <S> I use (18 g) <S> cleats on exotics-bamboo some engineers.(20g) <S> on others always check nail procedure per manufacturer espechilly engineered.
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You can probably use staples to lay down the backer board under the hardwood floor (if you're in a cold weather/windy area, this will help insulate the house by preventing airflow through the slots in the floorboard).
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How do you maintain good posture when working on things on the floor? Over the past few days I've been working on some aluminum frames which are fairly large and don't fit on any tables (without stuff piled on them) I have. Now, my back is starting to hurt from being hunched over for so long. (How) can I work on things on the floor without causing myself much pain? <Q> Don't spend more than 15 minutes in that position at a time. <S> Get up, stretch your back, take a drink of water. <S> Roll your shoulders forward and back. <S> Stretch neck in a similar pattern. <S> See https://fitness.stackexchange.com/q/153/234 <A> Generally, I find the following tips helpful, depending on the job: <S> A mover's dolly makes a great seat <S> Never kneel. <S> Kneeling kills. <S> Sit Cross legged. <S> Go down and stay down. <S> It's the transitions that kill. <S> Don't lean and stretch. <S> Move. <S> See bullet #1 <S> There is a spot, about 8 inches from your "Plumber's cleavage" that will not be searched by any blind hand sweeping. <S> This is where all the tools you put down will end up. <A> Squat. <S> Squat with your heels flat. <S> Trust me, everything else will fall into place. <S> In the meantime, wear 1 knee pad and take a break on your knee, then the other. <S> Do yoga, from now until you die. <S> Also, strengthen your lower abs or resign yourself to a life of back problems. <A> The easiest solution is where you're helping re-distribute the weight. <S> You can find short height adjustable work stools that you can lean forward on. <S> The less time you spend in that position the better for your back. <S> Make sure you're doing the more obvious things such as not working in the same position for an hour without a break. <S> Another might be to think about a solution that is similar what mechanics do lying flat on their back, except you want to be suspended above. <S> You could also build a custom 'table' that you lay upon(maybe with 2x4s, a wood pallet, and a sheet of ply on top). <S> If you don't mind sharing the exact purpose and circumstances of the project, people may be able to give more specific tips.
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It might worth building custom work tables that would hold the work to a height where you do not have to bend over. Stretch forward, backwards, side-to-side, and twist both ways. Be gentle to yourself. Also, you can do some back-strengthening exercises (when you've recovered from this project) to get you ready for next time. There's also the idea of reducing the amount of work by upgrading to more task specific power tools.
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Are push in connectors up to code? Just came across a neat product at the local hardware store, but I wonder if they are up to code and safe to use. They are a wire nut that allows you to simply push the wires in, instead of twisting on a traditional wire nut. They cost slightly more, and you have to keep a wider variety of connectors on hand since they vary by the number of wires that can be connected. they accept 12-22 AWG solid and 12-22 AWG stranded wire, and are rated at 600 VAC. They come in a variety of sizes from 2 - 8 'ports', so they should be up to any job. Has anybody ever used these, and are they code compliant in the United States? Is there any danger of the wires slipping out over time? electricalbasics.com Found some standards information: (Ideal Industries IN-SURE(TM) PUSH-IN CONNECTORS) UL 486C, UL 467 GROUNDING CSA C22.2 #188 IEC 998-2-2 CE CERTIFIED RoHS COMPLIANT UL 94V-2 FLAME RATING US PATENT 7,507,106 US & FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING UPDATE: I finally got my hands on some of these things, and I'll tell you what. If you can pull the wires out through normal means once they're locked in, you deserve some type of prize. I did find a way to pull the wires out, but I doubt they'll ever see enough movement while in use to allow the wires to slip out. If you spin the wires back and forth while you pull, they will eventually work their way out (this is the official way to remove wires according to an IDEAL spokesperson ). Doing this chews the wire up pretty bad, leaving a bunch of nicks along the length of the wire. They say not to reuse them, and I can see why. Removing the wire can leave fairly deep gouges in the wire. If you ever have to remove them, you'll likely have to trim the wire back and restrip it. However, Even after torturing them (including taking them apart), they still held the wire when it was reinserted. So as long as your wiring is not subjected to constant twisting and pulling, you should have no problems with wires pulling out of these things. UPDATE: I think I finally found the relevant section in the code that would apply to these devices. National Electrical Code 2014 Article 110 - Requirements for Electrical Installations I. General 110.14 Electrical Connections. (B) Splices. Conductors shall be spliced or joined with splicing devices identified for the use or by brazing, welding, or soldering with a fusible metal or alloy. Soldered splices shall first be spliced or joined so as to be mechanically and electrically secure without solder and then be soldered. All splices and joints and the free ends of conductors shall be covered with an insulation equivalent to that of the conductors or with an identified insulating device. Wire connectors or splicing means installed on conductors for direct burial shall be listed for such use. I would say these devices fit both criteria. They are identified for the use, and they provide insulation equivalent to the conductors. <Q> I will not speak to the code issue as other already have. <S> But, I did use them when building my new home a few years ago and, for me, they passed inspection. <S> While the package does say they can be used for stranded wire, I did not find that they worked that easily with stranded wire (I was using some computer controlled switches with pigtails instead of screws). <S> But, they did work. <S> I just had to twist the strands fairly tight first. <S> As far as coming loose? <S> Not the ones I was using. <S> If memory serves me correctly, I think there is a little hole that you can push the spring up with to release the wire because it is so tight. <A> In the UK they are allowed, see https://www.wagobox.com/ <S> However they must always be in some sort of box and the correct connect must be used. <A> A quick Google search suggests you would need to look at NEC 2002 articles 545, 550, 551 and 334-40B. <S> Also, look at the answer on this site: <S> Is there a way to simply splice in an additional length of 12/2 NM-B cable? <A> I was exited to try these Wago connectors as I don't really like wire nuts. <S> But the wire rotates in the connector pretty easy <S> : I did not feel comfortable using them. <S> I feel that any contact that can rotate or move will eventually generate a problem. <S> Others may feel differently: I won't use them again. <A> But as always the NEC is a minimum standard that gives the AHJ (authority having jurisdiction) the ability to make requirements over and above the guidelines in the NEC. <A> In my professional experience with push in connectors tbe verdict is always the same... give it 5 to 10 years and the pressure plate holding the wire in loses it strength and lets the wires come loose. <S> Next comes a bad connection at best. <S> My advice would be to throw the butt connectors in the trash and use a wingnut instead
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I know there are some types of butt connectors that are suitable for in-wall splicing of NM wires, but I don't know if the particular types you are looking at would be acceptable. I haven't found anything in the 2014 NEC that would make push-in connectors illegal to use as long as the manufacturer's instructions are followed and the ones used are UL listed for the application.
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How can I clean calcium deposits off my mirror? I live in Denmark and water is containing high amounts of calcium so my bathroom mirror has all these white spots which are so hard to remove, any ideas for a dissolver or something? <Q> Here is a little known secret, don't tell anyone!!!! <S> "Bar Keepers Friend" powered cleaner works miracles with fogged, rain stained and calcium covered glass. <S> It contains acyclic acid and a mirco fine abrasive. <S> It cleans glass, head light lenses and fiberglass like crazy and give you a very smooth polished finish. <S> you can also use it with a buffing wheel or by hand. <S> You can find this product at most any grocery store. <A> In Central Texas, we have very hard water (high calcium levels). <S> I cope with this by using white vinegar. <S> The 5-7% acid level will react with the calcium to make water-soluable salt which is easily removed. <S> Let soak for 30-45 seconds, then wipe away with a clean dry cloth. <A> Put full strength vinegar in a spray bottle. <S> If you can lay the mirror flat, this will work the best, otherwise make sure you keep the mirror wet. <S> Never do this with a dry mirror. <S> Take a BRAND NEW single edge razor blade and angle it downward 50-80 degrees or so. <S> Using a small amount of downward pressure, start sliding the blade back and forth across the glass. <S> You'll feel or hear it cutting off the buildup. <S> When the blades feels smooth on the glass then move along to the next spot. <S> KEEP the mirror WET! <S> If you don't trust yourself holding the bare blade in your hand, just get a slide-in type blade holder. <S> This worked far better for me than any of the commercial sprays I tried. <S> This also works fantastic on ranges with glass tops. <S> In fact, Samsung recommends this method over any & all abrasives.
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Apply vinegar to a damp, clean cloth, or use a spray bottle to apply vinegar to the affected areas. Never try a used blade as any imperfections on the blade could/will scratch the mirror.
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Why is my AFCI breaker tripping and my surge protector clicking? I've really got two possibly related issues here. We have a basement office that we wired ourselves. Code required that we put in an AFCI breaker. From what I've read these can be pretty temperamental and that has been the case with us. The breaker will trip as often as once a day but it is usually less often. We replaced the original AFCI breaker and for about a month after we were good. However, now it has started tripping often again. I have a surge protector hooked up on one outlet with a PC and monitor attached. It is the kind of surge protector with the master outlet that can control the other devices so they turn on/off when the master device turns on/off. I've noticed that anytime we run the garbage disposal upstairs and also at many random times throughout the day, the surge protector will make a clicking sound, like the power has come on/gone off of the main device (the PC). The PC isn't turned on. Any ideas what might be going on here, both with the breaker flipping and/or the surge protector clicking? I know we have mixed wiring of 15A (14 gauge, white) and 20A (12 gauge, yellow). The AFCI breaker itself is 15A. Could either of those be a possible problem or does it sound like this is something else? Bad outlet(s) along the circuit? <Q> I've had some issues with AFICs in the past, and one quick thing you should check (which ended up being my problem):Is <S> the insulation on the wire coming into the outlet box pinched and causing a loose/flaky connection? <S> That will still give power to the outlet (under a normal breaker) and won't trip a normal breaker, but it'll drive an AFCI nuts. <S> If the GFCI trips, it's a grounding problem. <S> If it only trips on the AFCI, then there's arcing somewhere along the circuit. <S> Check junction boxes, the outlet boxes and the connections to the plugs in the boxes. <S> Happy & Safe Debugging! <A> I wasn't sure what an AFCI was, so I did a quick google search. <S> I came up with this page: <S> http://www.thecircuitdetective.com/afci_circuit_breakers.htm <S> which gives lots of info and a detailed procedure for troubleshooting this issue. <S> In particular, it sounds to me like your issue might be the shared ground problem, ground from one circuit mistakenly connected to ground from another circuit. <S> That said, the troubleshooting procedure is rather involved. <S> See the page above, and then decide if you want to attack it yourself or call an electrician. <S> Hope this helps. <A> Your AFCI is behaving as it should. <S> That clicking you hear in your power strip is a relay clicking. <S> A relay is a mechanical switch activated by a magnetic field. <S> The act of opening an closing the switch will cause an arc. <S> A tiny one, but still an arc. <S> Opening and closing a bunch of times in a row means more arc. <S> It might be sensitive to under-voltage, and when your disposal is running, it might lower the voltage in your entire house just a bit. <S> I suggest replacing your power strip with a band-new, no frills type and see if that solves your problem.
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You need to figure out why the power strip clicks. Another technique you can try to debug this is by swapping in a GFCI breaker, and see if that trips too.
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What would cause a clothes dryers thermal cutoff to keep tripping? I have Kenmore dryer model 110.96588210. For about 10 years it worked flawlessly. Then, its thermal cutoff started blowing in an unreasonable frequency. Since the hi-limit thermostat must be replaced as well when replacing the thermal cutoff, I now have a collection of about 10 perfect (but useless) thermostats... The replacement kit is the so called 279769 kit. You can see an example here . The rate at which this component has been failing is unreasonable, and in my search for explanation I eliminated the following possible causes: I verified the the vent is notblocked in any way. I verified the lint screen istotally clean. I verified that the blower wheel isgood. What possibly could explain a situation that has gotten worse to a point where the cutoff does not even last one full drying cycle? <Q> How did you check the vent? <S> Mine had an open airway, but after years of use, I picked up a cleaning brush and was amazed as how much lint came out of the vent. <S> If your dryer is anywhere other than on an outside wall, I'd pickup a cleaning kit just because they are nice to have and reduce your fire risk. <S> Here's one from Amazon : <S> That reminds me, I should clean it again soon. <A> You might have to take the dryer apart and check the entire vent path, there may be some lint buildup inside it. <S> Sometimes the front panel is easily removable and you can get to the air path that way. <S> Also, take the hose off and check it all the way to the outide. <A> Check the heating element...look at the coils inside and make sure they are not touching the frame of the element.. <S> this will cause the entire duct to heat up and thus blow the cutoff every time... <S> very common problem <S> good luc <A> Any blockage can result in exhaust and heat build-up in the system, and the thermal fuse popping.
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You need to clean the entire duct from dryer to outside vent.
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What is my drill hitting and not penetrating when I hang curtains? I'm living in an apartment. So far I've put up 2 sets of curtains and had the same troubles with both attempts. One set was over a sliding mirrored closet door (tacky!) and the other set was over a window. What's happening is there's something behind the drywall that's very solid and I can't seem to get my drill into it. In the last apartment, self-drilling anchors like a metal version of these did the trick but in this apartment they couldn't penetrate either. My first thought was some kind of stud, but I ought to be able to drill into wood, right? My next thought was perhaps the doors/windows had some frame that jutted into the wall for support, but the last set of curtains was 4" above the windows. I've never seen a window that had 4" of metal surrounding it. What the devil could it be? Is this something common? How would you approach this? <Q> Are you sure the walls and headers are wood? <S> It is possible <S> if the construction is new, it is built with steel studs. <S> Check with your landlord. <S> If they are steel, you can pilot a hole with a titanium bit or use self drilling screws made for steel framing. <S> It would be very unlikely to find wiring and nail guards that close to the edge of a window or door frame. <A> If there is wiring being passed through the studs at that level, then it is likely that the studs would have been protected with nail plate. <A> A corner bead is installed over drywall (and then covered over with mud and/or texture), so if you're hitting metal within the first eighth inch of drilling, that's probably it. <S> I've been hitting metal around all of my windows; once I realized that corner bead was my problem, I drilled through it with the smallest drill bit I own. <S> Wood screws will go through corner bead just fine once a pilot hole has been drilled. <S> Note that corner bead is very thin, to protect against everyday wear and tear, while nail plates that protect wires are thicker (at least 1/16"). <S> If your small drill bit punches straight through the metal plate, then it's most likely a corner bead. <S> But if your small drill bit takes some time to drill through the metal plate, then it's likely a nail plate <S> and you should not be installing screws through it.
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If you're drilling within about an inch of a corner, then the drywaller may have put a corner bead there to protect it from damage.
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Standard height from floor to ceiling? Is there a standard height from floor to ceiling. I want to install some false ceiling (plaster board) ... I seem to remember there was a standard but i don't remember it Any help really appreciated <Q> Simple answer, If your community subscribes to the the national IRC building codes, then the minimum ceiling height is 7 feet for living spaces. <S> Some towns will allow less in basement rec rooms, but rarely is it more than the 7 foot min. <A> In the US, it's right around 8' ... <S> most lumber yards in the US will sell 2x4s just a bit under 8' so that when you build out a wall and add the top and sill, you'll end up pretty close to 8' high walls. <S> But that's a rough guide for a modest sized room. <S> Most people are okay with basements being a little shorter (so long as you don't get much below 7' tall, or it'll start to feel cramped, and might affect your resale ability to tall people). <S> Also, any lower than that, and you have problems fitting standard sized door openings. <S> In the US, 6'8" ... so it'd leave you with 4" for trimming it out. <S> If you have a really larger room, though, a lower ceiling is going to feel more restrictive ... on a small room <S> it's cozy ... <S> on a larger room, it's odd and unsettling. <S> (and I'm relatively short ... <S> I don't know how it feels for people whose heads are scraping the ceiling) <A> I greatly prefer a ceiling height of 8' 4". <S> Many new homes have a higher ceiling height on the first floor. <S> 9' 0", 9' 6", and 10' 0" are not unusual. <S> Standard doorways have a height of 6' 8". <S> Building codes strongly encourage a minimum stairway height (from a plane tangent to the corners of the treads, vertically to the nominal ceiling surface) of 6' 8". <A> Italian standard is 2,70m, and I find it almost claustrophobic, so I graterly prefer 3m. <S> PS: I've seen the post was quite old, but was only about US, So I added an answer for my country.
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In the United States: Standard ceiling height is 8' 0". Most building codes consider a "habitable room" (such as a living room or bedroom) to only have the square footage that has an average height (from nominal top of floor to nominal bottom of ceiling) of at least 7' 0".
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How do I trace the cabling in a “Ring Main” I have a " ring main " with many sockets on it, it is clear that it has been extended over the years. How do I trace the cabling to. Check that it is a single ring That only one socket is on each spars That there are not any other issues. I am hoping for a testing method that I can just apply “set by set”; assume I have access to a good quality resistance meter Is there any software I can type all the resistance readings into that will “solve” the system and will then tell me: What additional readings it needs Or how all the sockets are connected. Related but a much easier problem: Are there any “easy” ways to trace a home electrical system? Update: The issue I have with the standard test method and all current answers is that they assume that the sockets are connect in a single ring – I don’t know how they could detect for example two rings that have their ends joined just before the consumer unit. Or a spars that is connect to anther spars rather then directly connected to the ring. The test in the wiring standard is very good at finding common errors like a wire that is not connected, or a live that is connected to a neutral; however the test seems to assume that the wiring is basically a valid single ring to start with. This is not a valid assumption on an old system you don’t know the history off! <Q> i don't know if this is the right way, but here's what i came up with. <S> THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PROCEDURE. <S> DO NOT ATTEMPT UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER TRAINING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING DESCRIBED HERE. <S> what i'm going to suggest is that you bridge the hot and neutral on one outlet in the ring. <S> then. <S> obviously, before you even think about attempting anything like this, you must turn off and disconnect the hot and neutral from the consumer unit. <S> disconnecting the hot and neutral from BOTH sides of the ring is very important to the accuracy of your readings. <S> once you have bridged an outlet, you can take resistance readings between hot and neutral. <S> here's an example: <S> the black lines are wires. <S> the red X's mark where the wires should be disconnected. <S> notice the outlet on the right is bridged and a multimeter is connected to the outlet on the left. <S> the green numbers are the resistances of the wires. <S> obviously the numbers are not realistic, but this is just an example. <S> in the picture, the multimeter would be reading 58: 12 + 17 + 17 + 12 (that's the wires to outlet on the right and back). <S> the outlet on the bottom of the ring would read 34: 17 + 17. <S> since none of the outlets on the spar are bridged, they will not affect the reading above. <S> if you can't identify the outlets at the end of the ring, you can connect the hot/neutral on one side of the ring at the breaker, then measure the resistance of each outlet. <S> the one with the lowest resistance is the outlet closest to that end of the ring. <S> the tricky part is identifying spars using this method. <S> it might be obvious based on the resistance readings, but it might not be. <A> if you can get your hands on a TDR (time domain reflectometer) you can use it to measure the distance to the end of the ring from an outlet. <S> turn off the power to the ring and disconnect the hot from both ends at the breaker. <S> using the TDR, measure the length of the hot circuit from where you just disconnected it at the breaker. <S> that is the total circumference of the ring. <S> connect the TDR to the hot of an outlet. <S> the TDR should return two "open" or "end of wire" values. <S> this will tell you how far this outlet is from each end of the ring. <S> back at the consumer unit, take a short piece of wire and temporarily attach it to one of the live wires you disconnected and measured in steps 1 and 2. <S> then remeasure the same outlet from step 3. <S> the new measurements will tell you which "leg" of the ring goes to which wire. <S> repeat step 3 (and step 4 if needed) for each outlet. <A> To work on complex house wiring in the UK you are required to be 'competent' and my feeling from your questions is that you are not and that you need to get a qualified electrician inspect the wiring.
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if you have one outlet that you can be fairly certain is the first or last outlet on the ring, you can use that as your bridged outlet, then figuring out the order of the ring is as simple as sorting the list by resistance. I bought a decent book on house wiring with good diagrams and checked many website before attempting small jobs but still know that only a qualified electrician has the complete knowledge to test house circuits properly for faults.
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What are Automatic Garage Door Options for a Garage with a Low Ceiling Clearance? I have a tuck under single car garage in my bungalow that currently has carriage doors that have seen better days. I would like to replace the carriage doors with an automatic (and insulated) door, however, everything I've seen seems to require a minimum of 7" of clearance between the top of the door opening and the ceiling of the garage. My garage only has 5" of clearance. Does anyone have experience with garage door solutions that will work for this small amount of available clearance? <Q> One of the custom door manufacturers should be able to make you something. <S> Yes, it's not a typical application being that small, but there's no major issues in the design. <S> Doors are assembled from panels, so they can select the right size and quantity. <S> Track frequently has to be cut down to fit anyways. <S> Custom springs are no big deal (a surprising percentage of what's out there is custom). <S> However, you're not going to be able to walk into a local big box hardware place and pickup off the shelf components to DIY. <A> most of the major door manufacturers have a low-clearance kit. <S> When mine was installed, i found it to be mostly a set of special hinges for the top door panel; whose operation depressed the arc of the top door panel. <A> check out http://www.buydoorsdirect.com/ <A> Jackshaft Direct-Drive openers may be helpful in a low garage, if the opener itself presents a clutter or clearance problem. <S> This does not change the issues at the door opening. <S> If there's 5" from ceiling to door opening, you can block the opening down to 7". <S> You get lower clearance on entry, but then a standard door works. <S> Or get an opener for your carriage doors: they're all the range in multi-million dollar homes.
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you might consider a roll-up garage door.
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Repairing bubbling (blown) plaster on an interior wall I have no idea what kind of wall this is. Both my walls that are near radiators have this bubbling plaster look. I have read that painting with temperature differences may cause the bubbling (such as painting in the winter and then the heater is turned on). It was recommended to paint in the summer when the windows can be left open to equilibrate the temperature as the paint dries. Not sure what to do about the bottom. How do I repair this wall? It seems to be paint --> very thin layer of plaster --> concrete. Does the whole wall need to be taken down? Should I just scrape off the plaster and respackle? I was thinking of sanding down the bubbles, respackle, and repainting. Does the whole wall need to come off? Bottom of wall Top of wall <Q> I suspect that it is caused by moisture migration through the plaster. <S> I would definitely scrape off the damaged paint and sub material first. <S> Check for moisture, better to use a moisture meter if possible. <S> Look for other areas below the floor for any evidence of water infiltration. <S> May have been a one time thing, but I would be looking for the root cause, which I think may be water. <S> Once you are satisfied the area is dry, remove all loose or crumbly plaster down to a solid base. <S> If the voids are deep, I would use a thinset, setting type filler first, then a Spackle or drywall compound to get a smooth finish. <A> I'd second Shirlock... <S> that appears to be a moisture problem. <S> Is the plaster bubbling, or just the paint? <S> Are those solid concrete walls? <S> If not, I don't think that's concrete <S> you're looking at, but traditional old-school plaster. <S> Plaster was put on in two layers...scratch coat and finish coat. <S> That can be a much different beast to remedy. <A> If there is moisture in the plaster, heat will vaporize it and this creates pressure that blows the outer plaster and paint off. <S> Similar with old clapboards ( <S> unpainted on inner side) after you insulate a house - in winter the clapboards absorb moisture (because relative humidity is high then) and on the first sunny day in spring the heat will blow off the paint (in other words it will peel). <S> This <S> according to Building Science Corporation in MA.
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If it's just the paint, and ALL layers of paint are pealing off as a whole, I'd say the issue is moisture.
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How to tell if your locks are bump proof? I was reading about lock "bumping" where burglars buy 'bump' keys and can open locks very quickly. I was also reading that some locks are bump proof (double chamber perhaps?). My question is: how can I tell, by looking at the locks currently on my door, if they are bump proof or not? I don't see any brand or manufacturer name on the locks but they were replaced 3 months ago when we bought the house. If you are not familiar with bump keys or locks take a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM <Q> If your lock is a just a simple pin tumbler <S> then its vulnerable to bumping. <S> There are some pin tumbler locks that say they protect against bumping, but in practice it might be a little more difficult, but still very vulnerable . <S> In fact the only deadbolt lock that I know of that isn't vulnerable to bumping, rakeing or other simple attacks. <S> Is the Shalge Primus or another Hybrid key type. <S> The pin tumbler on the primus is 100% vulnerable to bumping, however, the "side-bit milling" isn't vulnerable. <S> Defense in depth security in layers. <A> I ordered a set of bump-keys and tried my doors. <S> It was $15 (with shipping). <S> What's particularly interesting (at least to me) is that the method of 'bumping' open a lock has been around since the 1930s. <S> It just wasn't well known by the general population until it was picked up by some TV shows/News stations in the 2000s. <S> Anyway - read the countermeasures section here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_bumping <A> Have a good look at Toool's website - these guys brought bump picking to the public. <S> Their video, whatthebump <S> is very revealing :-) <A> Basically, if your key looks regular (=standard) then it is likely that it is not a bump proof key. <S> The cheap advice if you want a "bump proof door", is to couple a security (=hard to bump) <S> mechanic key with a magnetic lock (with a RFID card for instance). <S> However, you can find some really resistant keys. <S> I guess the most well known in North America is the second generation Bilock key. <S> Another star key is the anker magnetic key, almost impossible to copy, very difficult to lock pick. <S> To tell the truth, if you have an anker key, an armored door and a 12 points lock, most thieves will prefer destroy the wall next to the door to enter your house (I actually saw that at the office). <A> First look at your key, then your windows and finally your door frame. <S> If your windows are made of glass or door frame of wood, then don't bother with extravagant locks. <S> As a locksmith, I do appreciate selling high priced locks, but always inform my customers that forced entry is primary means of entry. <S> (A chain is as strong as it's weakest link.) <S> Most burglars are not picking locks. <S> Yes, lock bumping has been around for a long time.... <S> my suspension is locksmiths brought it to light to sell more expensive locks. <S> A burglar doesn't have the knowledge to look at locks and say it's not pickable(generally).(they're more worried about it being kickable) <S> If a thief is looking at your place and has that knowledge of locks.... <S> then you have some fantastic and expensive stuff. <S> They aren't coming after your flat screen tv. <S> High security locks are used more widely in Europe than US, either European criminals are more sophisticated, or Americans are more practical. <S> There are steps that can be taken to strengthen a wood door and wood frame....but windows still need bars if you want any level of security. <S> We sell high security locks primarily as a means of key control, with pick resistance as a secondary concern. <A> Test to see if your lock is bump-proof by putting your key in, give it turning pressure and push it all the way in. <S> If the key jams, it's bump proof. <S> If the key turns you need new locks. <S> I am a former thief, but I'm now a lock smith. <S> Look out for lock snapping on the useless PVC doors -- it's much more common than bumping. <S> Lock snapping is what you need to protect yourself from. <A> This technique is very efficient and it's scary to learn how easy it is for burglars to enter your home this quickly and virtually without any noise or sign of forced entry <S> .Anyway <S> , there are some things you can do to prevent this from happening to you:-Modifying your existing locks and deadbolts is a cost effective way to make your locks more secure. <S> A certified locksmith is able to make modifications. <S> This option makes bumping somewhat more difficult but not impossible.-If security is paramount and you want to sleep comfortably with the knowledge that your house is officially bump-proof, you can install new high security locks.-Another option is installing non tumbler locks such as rotating disk locks, or magnetic / electronic locks. <S> These are just a brief introduction, for more detailed info visit this . <S> link <A> Assume all types of pin tumbler cylinder lock (including dimple, cruciform, tubular) are bumpable, more or less easily. <S> Withing the last few years, some bump-resistant cylinders have appeared, at higher prices. <S> They are not bump-PROOF. <S> In the USA, burglars are unlikely to know either how to pick or drill lever locks. <S> A lever lock bought from Britain conforming to British Standard BS3621, or a double-bit lever lock bought from eg Italy, (there are Internet suppliers) would be reliable security.
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Lever key mechanisms, and disk detainer mechanisms, for example, are BUMP-PROOF.
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Can a tub and shower share the same drain? Can a shower and tub share the same drain? <Q> Of course they can as long as you have proper drainage angle and double venting and traps. <S> If this is an installation of a new fixture, you need a permit and a master plumber to sign for the permit. <S> Get a plumber and do it right. <S> Just asking the question tells me you don't know what to do and could get into trouble. <S> Saving a few bucks and doing it wrong will cost you so much more in the short and long run. <S> Some things have to be left to the licensed professionals. <A> But the the pipes must join well below the level of both items or the pipe <S> must be large enough for the combined flow, otherwise when you put water down one of them, it will flow out of the other! <A> yes sir. <S> most modern home are build to allow both to share the same drain.
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Yes, they will both be using the same drain pipe at somepoint inside or outside of your house.
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Converting from Oil to Gas heat. Any recommendations? I've received news that I'll need to get a new boiler. My wife and I want to take this opportunity to switch to natural gas from oil. I'm a technical guy, but I'm having trouble deciphering the power output of my current boiler to size a replacement. I'm looking for a useful calculator to convert from steam volume output, to BTUs. This is merely as a budgetary exercise for information when a contractor comes to provide an estimate. Any recommendations? <Q> <A> I'm in the same boat. <S> One helpful resource I found was this: http://www.energykinetics.com/savingsHeatingFuelComparisons.shtml <S> It gives you the various conversions of units based on BTUs. <S> If your gas is measured in therms, you can convert the number of gallons of oil to therms by multiplying them by 0.721. <S> There is also http://www.peco.com/pecowebsite/peco/html/oil.htm which I found to give me a savings estimate pretty close to what I calculated myself based on actual oil and gas bills from the last 5 years. <S> Overall I agree with the other suggestions though: get a pro to come out and tell you what to get. <S> There is a lot of labor involved too: probably you are going to want to have your existing oil tank removed if it's above ground. <A> I found this calculator, which also provides units of conversion. <S> http://www.cbboilers.com/scc/BoilerSteamCostCalculator.html
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instead of sizing your current boiler, i would instead have a heating professional visit your home and calculate the heating requirements of your home from scratch.
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Can I erect a barrier to keep water out of my garage? Within the last year, I have purchased an 80+ year-old house. The house has a sealed blacktop driveway that runs parallel to the house. The house has an integrated garage with swing-open (horizontally opening) doors. The garage floor is about 2-3 inches lower than the driveway, with the bottom of the doors being below the drop-off where the driveway meets the garage floor. The garage gets some water in it, and when it storms it gets a lot of water. For the first time, we realized that the water may possibly be coming in through this gap since there's nothing to stop it (as opposed to general foundation leaking). Is there a barrier method we can employ on the outside of the garage? Installing a french drain or similar mechanism would be extremely difficult due to the placement of the driveway and the garage, but laying those water-inflatable barriers would not be an option for freezing temperatures. How would I build such a barrier, and of what material? I'd like to keep the profile of the barrier as low as effectively possible to be able to use the garage from time to time. <Q> Strangely enough, I have had to deal with this same problem a few times. <S> Short of raising the garage or pouring a second higher floor, the solution is in the driveway. <S> We had to excavate apx 6 feet of asphalt and create a gradual dip draining away from the house and garage to exit water. <S> Obviously, they screwed up big time when the driveway was installed. <S> Installing drains in the garage won't work, especially in freezing, thawing etc. <S> All you will get is an ice covered floor. <S> That is going to mean reforming the driveway to self drain away, not into you garage. <S> There is no quick cheap solution to your problem. <S> Gravity rules! <A> Create a trough to a sump hole and put in a sump pump. <S> It won't keep the water out, per Se, but will manage it so it doesn't get any farther than the entrance. <A> since you already have a 2-3 drop-off, take advantage of that and install a french drain inside the garage, but on top of the garage floor. <A> I had the same problem with rain water coming into a garage floor. <S> I used silicone spill guards about 1/2 inch high with a silicone base and glued them to the floor with silicone adhesive. <S> It redirected the rain enough that it no longer spills into my garage. <S> An inexpensive way to do it yourself and save money. <A> The right answer all depends on the local slope of the area. <S> For example you could get some blacktop mix and lay a 3 inch high speedbump of asphalt just in front of the door, draining to.... <S> somewhere else. <S> Or a channel drain: <S> You you can use a water level for this, or a laser pointer and a bubble level.
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The only solution is to stop the water from getting in. Very helpful to get a good answer is to make an elevation drawing, showing the side view of the property and what slope there is.
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Storing riding lawnmower under deck I have a ceiling system under my deck so that no water gets to anything under there. I'd like to store my riding lawnmower under there. The surface of the ground isn't wet, but I wanted to put something down over the dirt, to park it on. I can't afford to put concrete in, but I was thinking of putting in gravel. If I understand correctly, some types of gravel drain water and some don't. Should I make sure to get a type that drains well? What kind should I choose and why? edit : I should probably ask about stone dust. Should I consider using it instead of gravel? <Q> Since you say you have a ceiling system and no direct rain in this protected area, I would think you want a material that will pack down firmly so wheels of equipment and walking won't depress into the material too much. <S> I have used 3/8" stone dust, which is a by-product of the stone crushing process mixed with 3/8" pea stone. <S> This material is heavy, forms grade and packs well. <S> These mats are available at many box stores and auto supply places. <S> Another good reason to use a parking mat is that oil or fuel spills can be cleaned up before they seep into the soil. <S> You can also sweep it clean occasionally <S> so it looks neat as well. <S> Good Luck <A> Gravel is just a collection of small rocks, so water will just run through it. <S> If the area under the deck is already dry, and the ground is graded so that it slopes away from the house and water <S> doesn't pool there, you should be fine. <S> See the question Type of gravel to use to "pave" areas over dirt/grass and its answer for information about the use of some different gravel types. <A> For this purpose I would lay down a pair of pressure treated planks, maybe 2" x 10". <S> Make them long enough to hold all 4 tires, and wide enough that it's easy to get the tires on the planks. <S> Make sure you park so the tires don't hang off an edge, but are fully supported. <A> the dust will be impermeable. <S> of course, if it has particle size of 0.2mm or smaller (like clay), so don't use dust. <S> maybe a combination of the two planks and some permeable gravel (over 1cm size) for drainage.
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Another good solution is to use a garage mat over the base to park heavy objects on. You could also use a clean "packing gravel" which is a very coarse sand used under concrete slabs etc.
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How can I improve the cold floor in my ground-floor unit? My home is a ground-floor unit in a condominium. The floor is really quite cold and I'd like to do something about that. I saw in another question the suggestion to use Platon. Would I be able to put laminate on top of that? Or is there something else I should be using? The floor is currently laminate, I'm not sure what's underneath but I suspect it's probably just the bare concrete, perhaps with a thin layer of foam, but I'm not really counting on it. Maybe laying down some thicker foam underneath would help? Update: Some more details. I live on the west coast of British Columbia, near Vancouver. I'd like to avoid installing anything that requires power to operate, so some sort of passive solution would be best. I could probably spend up to $10k on the project, but of course less is better. My unit is about 1000 sq ft. <Q> On the cheap end, I'd suggest laying down 2" XPS (The pink stuff), being sure to tape all the seams, and then laminate flooring on top of that. <S> If you have heavy furniture, you may need to put plywood down prior to the laminate. <S> If you can forgo the laminate, shag carpeting would probably offer more insulation on the feet. <S> On the 10k side, you may be able to get a heated floor as Asaf suggests, but that'd depend on all sorts of variables. <S> OH, <S> and of course, the REALLY cheap option: invest in some really nice slippers. <S> ;) <A> If you are on slab, the planton (or DeltaFL) should be a good option. <S> As I commented in that answer , I re-did my basement a couple years ago and used DeltaFL, <S> and it's been great. <S> It really does feel like a regular above-grade floor, and isn't cold at all. <S> It's reasonably cheap to install, my cost (for the membrane and plywood) worked out to about $0.83/sqft, so at that price it would cost you $830 (plus some tapcons, tape, etc). <S> This only gets you to a subfloor, so then of course you need to add on the finished floors. <A> It depends on what amount of money are you willing to put in, your desirable outcome, your climate, and many other variables but the bottom line is that in very cold climates, just isolating the floor wouldn't be enough. <S> i recommend to consider sub-floor heating . <A> I once owned a town house here in Massachusetts that was built on a slab.
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The result was actually quite comfortable, even at sub-zero temperatures (in F). If you're not on slab, and there is an unheated crawlspace or basement below you, and your floor is a wood floor, the best option is to insulate from underneath (something presumably your landlord should be doing). The may electrrical heating systems you can tile on (typically for bathrooms) as well as hydronic systems that would require another layer of concrete on top of. I ripped out the pink carpet in the living room downstairs and had oak hardwood floor installed over 1/2 plywood in its place.
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How do I paint a basement ceiling and heating pipes? What is the best way to paint a basement ceiling? Can I paint the copper baseboard heating pipes? Do I have to use special paint? <Q> Take a look at the other questions in the painting tag here for lots of good tips. <S> Definitely invest in an extension pole for your roller handle so that you're not holding your arm over your head for the entire time, and enough drop cloths to cover the ground in the area you're painting. <S> If you have bare copper heating pipes, you might want to think about wrapping them in insulation and painting that. <S> I've got some of the regular pipe-wrap insulation in my house that the previous owner got paint on and it doesn't look any the worse for wear; I think it was regular latex paint, either gloss or semi-gloss. <S> You can also get wraps that are specifically marked as paintable. <A> We've got steam heat, so the pipes get up north of 190F. <S> In my basement, I ended up painting them with Rustoleum high-heat spray paint. <S> Took a couple of coats, but they look good and made it through a cold northeast winter without any issues -- most notably, zero paint fumes when the heat is on. <S> I agree with @Niall that insulation is a much better option than paint. <S> I just wanted them bare to add some warmth to the finished basement. <A> Painting the heat pipes with regular latex paint is not a problem or a fire hazard. <S> I'd be sure the pipes were cool when you paint them just so the paint goes on smoothly and doesn't dry so fast it looks "clumpy". <A> I'm planning on doing the same thing for my basement and based on my research it looks like using a spray gun of some sort will save tons of time and aggravation. <S> Take a look at this too <S> http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/painted-basement-ceiling-how-to-tips-and-lessons-learned/ <A> If it's a flat finished ceiling, your typical roller will work. <S> If you're actually wanting to paint the underside of the floor above, the joists, and all exposed ductwork and plumbing, then Vitaliy has your answer... <S> you want to use a spray gun to make quick work of it.
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Painting a ceiling is not that much different from painting any other surface.
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How can I repair scratches in engineered hardwood floors? I have two large dogs, of which one has nails that any woman would kill for, and the energy of a nuclear power plant. My home's primary living areas are all hardwood floors: kitchen, bath, living room, dining room, and staircases. I have an open floor plan. My hardwood floors are engineered Bruce Oak with a high gloss finish have areas that are severely scratched and grooved from the dogs' nails. Around columns and corners the finish is gone from my female dog who runs laps up and down the stairs and around the breakfast table and snack bar area. I have had so many un qualified friends give me advice on repairing these areas that I am very confused on what to do. Can anyone tell me what is the best way to fill these groves below the finish and put the finish back down without having a professional come in to do it? I am fairly self sufficient and do a lot of my own home improvements. I can fix almost anything except the furnace and have done everything from auto, appliance, and home repairs for friends as well as myself. I just need to know what the best filler/putty or compound is for filling, and what type of polyurethane I should use. I would also like some type of technical assistance, step by step, on how to do the repairs. <Q> I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there is really no magic putty or filler for shallow scratches and gouges in hardwood flooring. <S> Even though there are a lot of colored wood fillers on the market, they are not designed for high traffic flooring or nuclear dogs. <S> Most engineered flooring has 3/16" to 1/4" of hardwood veneer over a plywood base. <S> If the scratches have not gone through the veneer, then you can sand the scratches smooth, stain to match, and refinish with 3 to 4 coats of urethane. <S> I would recommend an oil based urethane. <S> Apply 3 to 4 thin coats rather than 1 or 2 thick coats. <S> Remember, the veneer is fairly thin and usually can only be sanded and refinished 2 or 3 times at best. <S> Once the scratching penetrates the plywood base, your floor is unrepairable. <S> My advise would be to protect the floors with area rugs, runners, etc or keep the dog's nails cut short, or better yet, train them to behave in the house. <A> My sister recently started to use some silicone covers for her dogs nails. <S> She trims the nails <S> , the puts drops of glue in the nail covers, then slides them on. <S> She says they are a god-send. <S> I have no idea what brand she uses or <S> where she finds them, but they were surprisingly not too expensive. <S> Added Link: http://www.softpaws.net/colors.html <A> A high-gloss finish and energetic dogs (or kids, for that matter) probably make a bad combination. <S> It may be too late for your floor, but if you have to replace it and want more wood, I would recommend something with a texture to it. <S> There are a number of wirebrushed engineered floor choices that do a great job of hiding scratches; in fact, they only give it more character! <S> A light-colored wirebrushed engineered floor might be the perfect thing. <A> I'm confused. <S> Why are you going to go to the trouble of repairing the floors, if you are keeping the dogs <S> and they are still going to be tearing around? <S> The repaired floor will just get ruined again, so waste of money and time. <S> You say rugs are not an option. <S> Why? <S> Slippage? <S> The other option is broadloom installed wall to wall, although aesthetically that's not always a preference...
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If it was just a couple of scratches you might be able to sneak by with a filler, but not for a refinishing job in a larger area as you describe. You could use a non-slip underpad.
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What are some computer interfacing electric energy meters on the market? Does computer interfacing electric energy meters exist? With possibilities to get/log current power usage and monthly used kilowatt hours. With ethernet/rs232 etc interface. I am looking for this for European current 3phase, 230V. Looking for affordable options. <Q> Google Power Meter is one good place to start: <S> AlertMe makes a product for the UK market specifically. <S> It's also possible to DIY. <S> For 3 phase power, you'd need 3 current transformers , and then something to interface them to (an arduino may fit the bill). <S> Note, be sure you actually have 3-phase: <S> most residential buildings use split-phase (in which case you only need 2 transformers). <S> There's several projects to look at as well: <S> DIY Interent-connected whole house power monitor <S> Not so tiny power meter Arduino Kilowatt meter <A> You should check KWh meters that support the S0 interface that provides a pulse output. <S> I have something like this http://www.produktinfo.conrad.com/datenblaetter/125000-149999/125363-an-01-ml-WechselstrZaeh_Geco32_230V32A_LCD_de_en_fr.pdf <S> i think this one is as well able to do it <S> http://www.iskra-mis.si/catalogue/20071212152244/20071212153441/2008041510314899/ <S> after that you should just follow these steps with arduino http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Main/EEM12L-32AKWhMonitoring <S> I did it using a data logger shield and then exporting it to excel. <A> http://www.theenergydetective.com/store/ <S> http://www.etherbee.com/products/ECM1240/packages/plugAndPlay.htm
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On top of the hardware, you'd have to write all the software for logging and viewing the data, or interface into the Google Powermeter API .
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Understanding water and sewer In my water bill (in U.S.), thereare two charges, one for waterconsumption and the other for sewerconsumption. I was wondering whatthe difference between water andsewer is? This month, our water and sewerhave the same amount of consumption.I was wondering if theirconsumptions are supposed to be the same generally? Is the water from bathroom sink orbathtub supposed to be drinkable? If further after being boiled, is the water frombathroom sink or bathtub safe for drinking? <Q> Water is the amount of water coming into your house. <S> Sewer is (usually) the portion of it that you use inside the house and that goes out through your drains, toilets, etc. <S> See #2 below. <S> Sewer charges may also include a portion for storm water if your downspouts feed into a municipal sewer system. <S> During the summer, it's expected that some of the water will be used for watering your yard, so your sewer usage will be less than your water usage. <S> During winter, the two should be very similar. <S> In general, water in bathroom fixtures should be safe to drink, boiled or not; there's only one water main coming to your house, after all. <S> You may have additional filters on the water lines going to the kitchen faucets, which would make that water taste better (by removing chlorine, say). <A> My county has the option to have a deduct meter installed on your irrigation system, so the amount of water used for irrigation is not charged on the sewage. <S> They used to automatically deduct a portion of the sewage for water used during the summer that exceeds the average of the three winter months. <S> They have discontinued that program. <A> Despite what folks think, water charges are not based on the price of water, and only loosely based on consumption. <S> Water prices are based on the annual infrastructure cost to maintain the water supply AND waste management systems divided by the predicted total annual water usage. <S> What you get charged for supply vs sewage is fairly simple math based on the municipalities relative costs for each of the above. <S> The portion YOU pay vs. your neighbor is calculated from the water meter reading. <S> It is a VERY common occurrence in districts where you are asked to conserve water for reasons such as contamination, or drought, for the water rates to GO UP <S> so you end up paying the same amount. <S> Why? <S> Because it costs the city pretty much the same amount to maintain the services regardless of usage. <S> Now if we could only figure out how to make them bring it down again after....
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So to answer question 2, it is possible in some locations to have a different amount of consumption depending on the rules of the water and sewage municipality.
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Has anyone ever used IdeaPaint? Someone sent me the link to IdeaPaint which appears to be a paint that turns any surface into a whiteboard. It looks pretty appealing, but I was wondering: Whether anyone here has ever used it and if so whether they are happy with it? What if I want my wall to be a magnetic whiteboard? What might I do tothe wall (and how) before applyingthe whiteboard paint, to makemagnets stick to it? <Q> I'm not familiar with this product , but it seem like the thing that you're looking for... <A> I haven't used Ideapaint yet, but my wife is a teacher and I have used other similar products before to make dry erase boards for her. <S> I did notice a display at Lowes last week in the paint dept of a dry erase paint. <S> I had to play with it, and it seems to work great. <S> So my point is, you can stop by a Lowes and actually try it out and check competitive prices etc. <S> If you want a magnetic board, you have to use a ferrous back board. <S> Something made of or has a layer of steel foil. <S> Aluminum or stainless steel is not magnetic and won't work, so ask for a ferrous material. <A> I haven't used whiteboard paint, but I have used chalkboard paint. <S> One note from this experience: <S> The texture in any previous layers of paint is very significant if you're trying to write on the wall. <S> The texture in this case was from a standard paint roller; it was quite palpable even after the chalkboard paint was applied. <S> You'll want to apply primer to the surface in thin layers with a sprayer if you have access to one, or sand thoroughly if your surface is already painted and not smooth. <S> Also, drywall and layers of paint aren't very durable for day-to-day use. <S> My low-use chalkboard is weathering fairly well. <S> After 8 months of writing the last time someone took the dog out, there are wear patterns where it doesn't erase or take the chalk as well as it used to, but it's not chipped or worn through anywhere. <S> I erase the times once a week. <S> If you intend to use this frequently, consider choosing a different product. <S> Most real whiteboards are on hardboard or steel backing layers. <S> The different option I'd suggest is to use tileboard. <S> Here's a 1/8" thick 4x8 panel from Home Depot for $13. <S> It's prohibitively expensive to coat your walls in commercial whiteboards, which run from $150 to $300 for a 4x8 sheet, but panelboard or tileboard is cheap enough to coat the walls in. <S> (Some would argue that IdeaPaint is also prohibitively expensive, but that could be debated). <S> You can mount the panels with screws, but it will bubble. <S> You should glue it to the wall or to a thicker piece of MDF or hardboard that won't bubble. <S> You can also get plastic strips that clip across the gaps to make the joints less obnoxious. <A> I once worked at an office that had a very large IdeaPaint wall. <S> I didn't do any of the painting, but I did use the wall as a whiteboard. <S> I was pretty impressed; it erases approximately as well as a real whiteboard, and has a nice bright white color. <S> When they first put it in, there were a lot of signs warning us not to use it yet -- <S> apparently it takes a few days to cure, and if you use it before it's cured, you can stain it permanently. <S> So, have fun but read the directions! <A> Rust-Oleum offers these two magnetic primers: here and here . <S> I belive they can be used together with IdeaPaint. <A> I have seen systems like " Magic Whiteboard " used in the UK and have been very inpressed with them, not a paint but does the same job. <S> Magic Whiteboard is made from statically charged polypropylene film. <S> It allows you to create a whiteboard from a roll anywhere, in seconds.
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After 14 months of fairly heavy use as a daily whiteboard in my home office, I can say that I'm quite impressed with this stuff and will never pay the ridiculous sums that others charge to buy real whiteboards.
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What is the best way to clean your clothes dryer exhaust? My dryer exhaust goes out of my laundry room, into my attic, and runs for about 15 feet before it gets outside. Over time the lent has built up quite a bit. What is the best way to clean this? The sections in the attic are connected via duct tape. If this isn't an easy task, what type of local places would do this service. Would heating and air conditioning places have this type of service? <Q> You can probably do it yourself cheaper than hiring it out. <S> You could try something like this vent cleaning system . <S> It seems to have fairly good reviews on Amazon, and for $25 it's worth a shot. <S> It claims to have a 12' reach and the ability to navigate turns in the vent, so you may have to go at the last 3' from the other end. <S> Note: <S> You'll need a drill to attach it to. <S> A shopvac would also be helpful, but if you don't have one, the kit includes an attachment to use with your dryer. <A> You're supposed to clean your dryer duct once a year or so to prevent a fire hazard. <S> The standard thing to clean a dryer duct is a brush with a long flexible handle. <S> They make ones specifically sized for dryer ducts. <S> Here is a typical one : Disconnect your dryer and push the vent into the duct. <S> Run it back and forth a few times. <S> Keep a vacuum handy. <S> You will make a mess. <S> If your duct is vented somewhere on the ground level, you could easily sweep from both ends. <S> Since it sounds like yours vents to the roof, you will probably want to sweep from the inside only. <S> However, you should probably check out the outside vent to make sure it isn't plugged, and opens/shuts properly. <S> If your duct has a lot of sharp bends or is very long (longer than the brush handle can reach), you will need to disconnect sections of the duct and clean them individually. <S> Once you have swept the ducts, you may also want to think about how you can re-configure the duct to make things easier for next time. <S> Your dryer duct may not be up to code either (many homes are not). <A> I know you already have this problem and are asking about clearing it up. <S> However, to prevent this from happening in the future, consider installing one of these lint traps near the exit of your dryer: <S> I have one and it seems to work very well. <S> You'll need to pop open the top and clean out the lint every few weeks depending on how much drying you do. <A> I have used the tool made for dryer vents, my vent goes under my house and across the width of this room. <S> It does take a power drill, and you can buy an extra 12 feet to add to the 12 feet that comes with the kit <S> I found this product in the dryer appliance sections. <S> I has to repeat the process several times actually until it came out ckean <A> If it doesn't bend, then you could use a chimney brush, which is essentially a long stick with a wire brush on the end. <A> The chimney service company I had install a liner in my chimney also did dryer vent cleaning. <A> I know it's a funny answer <S> but I have used a brick with holes in it and a rope tied to it to get the clog out <S> a then used the brushes that was recommended. <S> Only of course if it is a straight vent from attic.
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I believe some air duct cleaning companies also do dryer vent cleaning as well.
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Mild water damage on drywall from leaky roof We have a fairly new house (built in 1997). Cheap roof and we had a big windstorm a few years back that resulted in some lost shingles that I had patched -- no major problems. Recently we had a much more mild windstorm that stripped off some more shingles. I was lazy, didn't check the roof for about a week or two and I noticed some water damage on walls. I went up on the roof, found a missing patch (that was clearly leaking) and patched it. The damage is basically just a darkening along the top edge of the wall along 3 walls in the house. It's not immediately noticeable but it's fairly obvious upon close inspection. The areas around screw heads are darker and the screw heads themselves are in a few places slightly bulging. What's more concerning to me is that some walls (and some ceiling joints) have become very visible. There's no obvious sagging or bulging, it just looks as if it was painted and someone someone didn't tape the joints at all. I don't know if this is normal water damage... Because of the type of damage, it took me a while to notice much of it. Although I don't see any sections getting worse, I'm concerned that the leak may not be resolved. Two questions: Assuming that the leak is stopped, is this sort of damage somethingthat I can simply prime over andrepaint (and in the case of thejoints and the screw heads, just add a little jointcompound to level things out). Orshould I be cutting stuff out andreplacing entirely? Theperfectionist in me wants to replaceeverything, but this is going tocost a lot... Are there are tips or tricks that I can take advantage of to test whether I do in fact have any additional leaking? I feel kind of stupid asking, but it's a real pain to crawl around in the attic trying to feel for dampness when it's a bit damp everywhere (we live in the Pacific Northwest). What should I be looking for to identify "chronic" leaks? I hate to wait until additional damage is apparent in the walls and would like some "assurances" if possible. There are what appear to be discolored rafters in the attic, but I'm assuming that that's from previous water damage -- not ongoing leaking. <Q> A few additions to Jeff's advice if you decide to replace the damaged drywall. <S> I'd suggest you look into waterproof drywall or mold resistant drywall. <S> There are various products that do a better job than the typical green board that you would use in the bathroom that will help if you are installing in an area that has a lot of exposure to the elements. <S> Double check the thickness of your drywall if you are patching. <S> If you replace a 5/8" with 1/2", you'll notice it. <S> Use screws, especially on the ceiling. <S> They take more time, but hold better and are less likely to cause the nail pops that you are seeing. <S> That being said, I think it's entirely possible that you're just more aware of drywall issues and there may not be anything wrong. <S> To know for sure, I'd go up to the attic, pull up the insulation where you suspect damage, and look for water rings or other mold growth. <S> Use a flashlight <S> , no need to feel with your hands (and risk falling through). <S> Your ability to see the joints between the drywall is just a sign of not enough paint and/or primer. <S> And popped <S> nail heads are normal as a home moves. <S> My personal plan is to replace all the popped nails with screws and double up on the spacing the next time I paint to minimize this issue. <A> make sure that you isolate all thedamaged areas, dont miss any ofthem. <S> (damaged coloring) cut out the damaged areas and use adehumidifier and large fan to dryget the moisture out of theremaining if you still notice moisture after aday, you will probably want toremove more of the dry wall - moldcan end up developing Replace the drywall once everythingdries out by re-installing any studsthat may have been compromised andplacing a new drywall patch over thehole. <S> If the hole is very large,first install a plywood backer boardonto the studs that will hold thenew drywall in place. <S> Nail in your drywall patch(preferably a water-resistant type)to the backer board <S> and then spreadjoint compound over the edges usinga putty knife. <S> Sand down anydepressions that appear. <S> If the leakoccurred near the floor, leave asmall clearance between the drywalland the floor to protect your wallin case of another leak. <S> Tape off the joint where the drywallmeets the existing wall usingdrywall tape that can be purchasedat your local hardware store. <S> Onceyou have a smooth finish, you canpaint the new drywall to matcheverything else. <A> I think Jeff is technically correct. <S> The best way to do it is to cut all of the affected areas out and replace it. <S> If you run your fingers lightly over the area, you will hear any spot that has air underneath it, and that needs to come out. <S> If you can hear it, but the six inch knife does not catch it, then you should use your utility knife. <S> Then level it out with joint compound, sand and paint. <S> I have done this with quite a few spots, (I have kids that like to overflow the second floor tub and toilet) without the spots reappearing. <S> The other answers were correct about mold. <S> That can be a very serious issue. <S> You will need to make sure that there is no mold in the attic. <S> If there is you will have to remove bigger chunks of the drywall. <S> It is not that expensive tho, and really easy.
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While you're there, check the insulation for blackening that would indicate mold is growing there, and if so, replace any damaged pieces. However, I would just take my 6" drywall knife (get a nice metal one), and scrape out anything that is bulging.
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Water level gets lower and lower in toilet The water level in the bowl of our toilet has slowly and steadily gotten lower over the last year or so. I replaced the flapper last year, could changing anything in the tank affect this? Or would that be looking at the wrong end, and I need to replace the wax seal? Any ideas on what would cause this? <Q> There is another reason why it seems that improper venting is the cause - you noticed that the water level was getting lower over a year period. <S> It could be that over that year your plumbing venting clogged slowly & steadily. <S> Also, contrary to what is said in the link above (that in a case of improper venting you need to call a plumber), I think that if you've noticed the change over a long period, this is also reversible (bird nesting or something similar). <S> If the problem was very low but steady water level, then it could be a problem that require a plumber's work. <A> I think Asaf nailed it with the vent. <S> Here's why I doubt it's anywhere else: <S> Flapper: if this was leaking, you would likely see more water, not less. <S> And if it was mis-adjusted, the problem would likely be an insufficient flush, rather than a low water level. <S> Supply line that runs into the overflow tube: if this stopped working, it would likely be a quick change. <S> Though it wouldn't hurt to check this since it would be a quick fix. <S> Wax seal: when this goes, you'll smell it, but the water level shouldn't change. <S> The reason the vent seems to be the most likely reason is because when the vent doesn't allow the pressure to equalize, the water going down the drain creates a suction that pulls water out of the traps, and the toilet is just a big open trap. <S> The same thing will happen in high winds, I'll see water in the toilets going up and down after a strong gust. <A> I solved this problem with 1/2 cup Metamucil slurried into the bowl after a flush (crazy, I know). <S> Apparently, the bowl overflow had an internal crack.
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The only possible reason for the water loss, and that if you're not getting any noticeable leakage, is improper venting, as described here .
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What is this mysterious odor from the kitchen sink and how do I fix it? The kitchen sink in our home has recently been producing an odd aroma - depending on the day, it's a mix of boiled eggs, sulphur, brackish water, or old food. What we have tried garbage disposal cleaner clorox ajax regular dish soap After any of our attempts so far, the smell returns within 1-2 days - even with no dirty dishes anywhere to be seen. What we can't do* (it's a rental home) replace the sink major plumbing What can we do to address this issue? * if it requires anything "major", it will need a maintenance request, but we're hoping to avoid that and find something simpler <Q> you could try removing the disposal and p-trap and cleaning those out. <S> also, if your sink has an air gap under it, check to make sure that it's not stuck closed. <S> if it is stuck closed, then when you sink drains, the water that's supposed to be in your p-trap is sucked out and sewer gasses can come up the sink. <A> Get a couple of boxes of baking soda. <S> Run the hot water, and gradually pour the soda into the drain. <S> Let it sit for a couple of hours, then pour some vinegar down the drain. <S> Run the hot water for a few minutes to flush everything out. <A> Chop some lemon (with peel), throw into sink, run hot water and switch on the garbage disposal. <A> It might be your dishwasher, since it is hooked to the waste/garbage disposal line under your sink. <S> If you don't use it enough, the water stays in the bottom and begins to stink like stagnant water. <A> maybe an active biological solution will help, like this - bio-friendly sludge eating bacteria. <S> personally, i prefer those products over those harsh chemicals. <A> Do you have a reverse osmosis water filter system? <S> Does it drain the waste water into this sink or drain that your smelling this order from? <S> If so, it sounds like bio-fouling in your filter usually due to high content iron in your water or just due to a lack of filter maintenance. <S> The filter manual it should tell you how to clean and change the filters. <S> Once you take the filter apart for cleaning you'll see a black/red "dusts" inside the systems 1st and 2nd stage filter (not mold). <S> Amazing your water will still taste fine because the RO filter is the last thing this water goes through but the waste water smells like nasty sulfur eggs. <S> Otherwise. <S> do some of the above techniques. <A> <A> I have just had the same problem. <S> I found out there was a problem with piping under the house. <S> The garbage disposal was broken and I found a pile, and I mean a big pile, of old food and water under the house. <S> Get a plumber out <S> ASAP <A> I had this same problem. <S> I tried the same thing you tried also with no lasting result. <S> First plumber acted sleazy and said I needed a new hot water heater fast about $900. <S> No thank you. <S> Second plumber (good reputable company I'd used before) said it might be that the water heater needed cleaning. <S> A little over $100. <S> Okay. <S> They cleaned it. <S> Worked for a couple of days then the stink was back. <S> Then someone told me that if the water evaporates from the drain (p trap maybe) then the odor from the sewage can back up into pipes because there's no water barrier to keep the odor from drifting up the pipes. <S> Sure enough now I run some water into the sink on the right that I rarely use <S> and there's no odor any more. <S> Back in the day...if water stayed in the p trap it started stinking. <S> Completely different now.
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After a minor plumbing disaster a couple months ago, it was discovered that the drain from the garbage disposal to the main pipe was not installed properly - after it was replaced, the smells have completely disappeared. Throw some baking soda in it and turn it on.
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Why do I have two parallel gas pipes? I've got a water heater and a hot water radiator furnace sitting next to each other, both on gas. The strange thing is that there are two parallel gas lines feeding each one of these which come from across the basement but branch off from the same gas line. Why was there a need for two lines? Cant they "tee" at the last moment right before the appliances? I've seen a lot of strange, stupid and crazy things in my house so it wouldn't surprise me if this is one of them. But before I combine the lines I'd like to get some feedback from people. What does the code say about this? Edit: I should have added this detail in my original questions but all my pipes are 3/4" including the shared pipe before the "T". Basically there's one 3/4 pipe that goes out of the meter (I have the gas meter in the basement) and there are 4 branches (each is 3/4 as well) out of that. But two of those run in parallel across the whole basement. I think it's insane. <Q> The concern that I know of is about the size of the pipe and all appliances that can be running at the other end. <S> So if they ran out of a larger dimension pipe (or just had a lot of the smaller dimension) <S> this would almost make sense. <S> But I'd think any normal installer would try to minimize the parts cost and split it closer to the appliances. <S> However, if the second appliance was added later, the existing line may have been too small, and then it would be cheaper to run a separate small line rather than replace the existing one with a new large line. <A> It's got to do with the volume of gas delivered to each appliance. <S> The gas coming into your home is at some standard pressure, through a large-diameter pipe (2 inch or so diameter, perhaps). <S> That means that some particular volume of gas can come into your home per second. <S> If you simply tee off an existing 3/4" pipe from an existing appliance, then if BOTH appliances run at once, there may not be a sufficient volume of gas in the 3/4" pipe for them to run correctly. <S> If you're installing everything new, you'd just run one bigger line over to where the two appliances are, then tee off to the pair of them. <S> In an existing house, however, where you've got the smaller lines going to the appliances, then proper installation requires running new lines from where the larger pipe is. <S> I had to have this done when I installed a gas stove <S> - the nearby line for the dryer was right on the other side of the wall, but I still had to run 3/4" line a fair distance in order to make sure I'd have sufficient gas volume. <A> Before anyone can answer this you would need to know the length from the meter to the appl. <S> and the BTU's of each appl. <S> also is there a reg at the tee as is your system 7" wc or <S> 2 psi del. pressure. <S> It sounds like it was a good install - may have run 3/4 so you would have a easlier time finishing the ceiling. <A> I would think the extra pipe might give a bit better earthquake safety.
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Each appliance has a certain volume of gas per second that it needs to operate, but it usually works on a smaller pipe than the one that enters your home (most of the stuff in my house is on 3/4" pipe).
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Is there a standard height for wall mounting flatscreen TVs? Is there a standard height for wall mounting flatscreen TVs? <Q> Eye level <S> The center of the TV should optimally be lined up to your eyes. <S> In the kitchen, our TV is about 6 feet off the floor over the counter top because we do a lot of cooking / baking; so we're standing when watching TV. <S> In the family room, take this measurement when you're sitting on the couch. <S> Same thing with speakers: place <S> surround sound speakers at roughly the height of when you're sitting down from the floor to your shoulders (for a 6' individual, that's about about 26"). <A> This is an answer not to the question you asked, but to the unasked portion that was (imho) incorrectly answered in Mario's otherwise great answer. <S> That's about where to position the speakers. <S> The general guidance for TV placement at eye level is great, because every one instinctively will sit somewhere where they can see the screen. <S> Sitting relative to the speaker placement is rarely something they think about, so whoever is doing the installation needs to. <S> A generally accepted pattern is to mount the speakers just above head level for a small intimate space, or significantly above head level for a large space. <S> About the only time you can really get away with them at shoulder level is if you have only a very limited number of seating positions and you have clear lines of projection from every speaker to every ear. <S> (sub excluded.) <S> It's also important to keep all of the speakers in a single plane throughout the room. <S> Getting them wildly off plane can really mess with some people's sense of balance while watching movies with heavy spatial mixes. <S> (i.e. movies that fully use surround sound and push different sounds to different far corners of the room.) <A> My general rule on the height of wall mounted <S> Of course in some cases you need to also take into account climbing access. <S> But eye level is also good. <S> Most of the time my TVs are at eye level when you are standing directly in front of the TV. <S> The distance for sitting in front of the TV also plays a part as it will naturally change your angle of viewing using this method. <S> Further away is better.
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This will change based on the purpose of the TV. TVs is that it must be higher than the kids can reach, but not to high that it looks like you are looking up at the sky all the time.
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Should I have multiple cable runs for a room, or just one? My girlfriend is finishing up her basement and has set up a good layout for electrical outlets throughout the rooms (family room, bedroom, and office), but she's only accounted for a single coaxial cable run to each room for her ideal furniture arrangement. I talked her into at least running a phone line along with the cable to match the rest of her house (and at least an ethernet connection as well for when I move in to accommodate my geek projects), but I'm trying to talk her into more than one run per room. I've rented for several years and most apartments have at least 2 cable/telephone outlets on opposite walls/corners of the room to widen the options for furniture arrangements. Since she's looking at putting her place on the market in a few years I'm trying to convince her it will be a helpful selling point, but my Google-fu is failing me at finding supporting or negating evidence. Is there any evidence one way or the other, or are my geeky more-is-better ideas influencing me? <Q> Today, everyone uses a cordless telephone, wifi for networking, and any cables are just run around the baseboard. <S> And I say this as a geek that ran conduit through the walls when I redid my basement. <S> Speaking of which, if you ever remodel (or build) something you plan to stay in, run conduit through the walls. <S> The key point you need to keep in mind is that it should be possible to get to a majority of the walls along the baseboard from your wall jacks without passing a door or closet. <S> If a large wall could be used for a TV but requires running the wire over the door, then I'd put a second jack on that side. <S> My guess for apartment owners is that two jacks results in less wires over carpets or nails holding wires everywhere, so they do this more to reduce damage than to make your life easier. <A> If you're going through the trouble of running cables, go all out. <S> The difference of 3 cat5 versus 1 cat5 is minimal, but can make a huge difference in usefulness in the future. <S> If later you find you need them in a room, it is much more work to add them then. <S> I would personally allow for the possibility of at least 3 internet enabled devices in every room. <S> You might look at pulling 4-5 in the main room of the house. <A> How many of them have I used since then? <S> 0. <S> Ethernet/phone = nice to have <S> but, really, everything is wireless now. <S> Coax = likely useful for a few more years, but <S> that, too, will eventually be wireless (we're close already as most of our watching is done via Amazon Streaming or Hulu now). <S> Speaker = <S> well...this could be useful. <S> I had dreams of a massive surround sound system. <S> But then I got my new TV and realized the sound quality of the TV was great. <S> So didn't need the surround sound. <S> So...I'd suggest that rather than running all that cable, she run smurf tube with a fish line to blank outlets in each room. <S> It's cheap, and makes it easy for any future cable pulling without having to invest in it all now. <A> I wouldn't worry about the resale value of running the extra lines. <S> Just do it for your own convenience. <S> Yes, you probably will not ever use many of the extra runs, but you'll be happy for the ones you do use. <A> I recently did my house, and only put a single port in each room thinking, "I can just use an ethernet switch. <S> You might just have to say that networked devices are going to become more and more prevalent in the future, and <S> just as people want plenty of A/C outlets, they will also want plenty of RJ-45 jacks.
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I finished my basement a few years ago and ran two coax, two ethernet, speaker and phone lines to each room. It doesn't mean that there will be that many in every room, but it allows that any given room should be able to accommodate most needs that way. " I have found from experience though that when you have a TV, Wii, XBox, Cable Box, Media PC, Audio Receiver, and a Subwoofer, adding an extra A/C plug, extra device and all of the RJ-45 cable running to that device just adds to the clutter. I doubt most buyers will even notice or care if it was pointed out to them. You can get faceplates that can mix and match connections so you can have up to 4 RJ45, 1 RJ14 and 1 coaxial all in the same spot on a wall.
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Mowing a badly inclining lawn I've got a lawn with a rather steep drop that I'm finding difficult to mow. My wife thinks we should get a self-propelled push mower, but I don't think anything in a consumer range is going to be mighty enough to go up that hill. What are my options? Am I wrong to think a mower in the $300-$400 range can't handle this? <Q> Several options come to mind: <S> Mow across the slope instead of directly up and down the hill, assuming it's not so steep that the lawn mower would tip over. <S> Use a weed eater to trim the grass on the slope. <S> Regrade the yard to reduce the slope. <S> Replace the slope with a retaining wall. <S> Replace the grass with a mulched bed. <S> I suspect <S> if the slope is so steep that a self propelled mower would tip over, then a more expensive mower will just give you something more expensive to break. <A> If you want to do the self propelled push mower, make sure its rear wheel drive. <S> A front wheel drive will have zero chance of making it up the hill especially if you have a bag. <S> That being said I don't really know how well a rear wheel drive will do either. <S> I have a Toro Super Recycler (been many years <S> but I think it was close to $500). <S> It does great and moves quick <S> and I have never had a problem with traction. <S> However I don't have any large slopes. <A> What about tying in with a rope anchored at the top and mowing across the slope in decreasing arcs. <S> I think I've see guys doing something similar on motorway verges. <A> When I was younger and mowing my parent's lawn (with a fairly steep hill out back), I always just went across the hill, starting at the top and working my way back and forth and moving downward with each sweep across. <S> At the time I was using a gas mower that wasn't self-propelled, <S> and I didn't find it much harder than doing the flat parts of the yard <S> - you just need to be careful that the thing doesn't tip over toward the downhill side. <S> The only real downside is that when you hit the bottom, you then have to drag the thing back up the hill, but it's only once for the whole job. <S> The important mower characteristics are that it have a nice low center of gravity (keeps it from wanting to tip over too much), and that it have a working kill switch (modern mowers all have some kind of lever or bar that you have to hold in order to make them keep running). <S> Also, don't cut when things are muddy or wet - you don't want to risk slipping and ending up with a foot in the blade.
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If you can't hold the mower upright as you walk across the hill, then my only suggestion is to rig some kind of winch at the top of the hill, and slowly drop the down the hill, then winch it back up for the next pass.
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What good storage rack or furniture are there? What considerations should I have to build one? I'm thinking of buying a new furniture for my consoles. I've got a NES, Super Nes, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and probably a Wii in the future. I'm thinking of maybe having a carpenter make a custom furniture for my "entertainment center": consoles and TV. The furniture should have space for a 24' or 32' TV, the consoles (in a comfortable manner so that I can play any of them without having them archived) and cartridge storage. Do you know of any such furnitures available? What good storage racks do you know? What considerations should I have to build such a furniture? <Q> Turn a 2x4 Ikea Expedit bookcase on its side. <S> Add more units if you need more storage. <S> It's deep enough to easily hold up to a 60" or so TV on top. <S> http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10103088 <S> I'd say go for the ones with the varying sized cubby holes, but I guess they're not on the website anymore. <S> You can also get handy little boxes that fit into the holes, so that your actual games are tucked away. <A> Plan for a lot of controllers as well, storing the wired ones is a consideration you'll have to deal with seeing as you have older consoles. <S> Leave room for air to flow around the consoles. <S> Don't customize the opening for the TV specifically to your brand of TV and make it tight around that. <S> A 32" in one brand may not fit a 32" in another brand, just leave yourself a bit of room in case your existing television fails <S> and you want to change it out with another brand. <A> How about something like this? <S> I'm not sure where the original picture came from, but it doesn't look that hard to construct. <S> If you're handy with a saw, it should be fairly easy to make. <S> From looking at the tower, I'd say you'll need the following tools to replicate it exactly: <S> Jigsaw for the cooling fan holes <S> Drill with a 1/2" bit for starting the hole for a jigsaw cut and for the controller dowel holes and one of the following options <S> : Circular saw (or a REALLY good straight-cut jig for your jigsaw) AND router for grooves <S> Table saw - regular blade for simple cuts and a dado blade for cutting grooves for the adjustable shelf track and shelf standoffs for air circulation. <S> If you don't mind so much about replicating it exactly, (no fancy inset track for adjusting shelves, no cooling fan ports, and using screws to assemble rather than dado joints) <S> you could probably get away with using just a circular saw and a drill. <A> Hear me out on this - working up a plan for my house. <S> Although no where near the amount of consoles as you have, i have the 3 current (ps3, wii and 360) - tack on an apple tv2, dvr and PC (for various movie reasons) and the fireplace mantal is getting a bit crowded- <S> it spans the width of the room; brick fireplace in the middle flanked by a built in bookshelf on each side. <S> so i'm gonna gut the entire thing; granite over the fireplace - leave the tv in place on top of the mantal and on the left hand side <S> will go a 19 inch network rack. <S> 4 post shelve's aren't terribly expensive (the rack is, but i have 2 from gutting an office) <S> - cover with oak panels and doors and she can have a bookshelf on the other side for books and pictures. <S> the rack is a good idea IMO because the shelves are adjustable; slits cut in for ventilation; will hold any console you can put on it (some of them are rated for 85lb) as well as any AV equipment you have put a rack mounted network switch in there for the newer consoles and leviton (or amp, forget) makes patch panels with jacks that have rca / hdmi connections in them. <S> hell, score a rack mounted power distro block (Amp) and leave them all plugged in. <S> go crazy and get a APC UPS - but those are pretty loud (by far the majority of the noise in my server room) its gonna cost more than anything u can even think about getting from ikea or the like so this is gonna be a bit on the more extreme side. <A> Wire shelves? <S> I admit <S> , I have an old school CRT TV (and let's face it, LCDs aren't the greatest for gaming, anyway), on a set of wire shelves. <S> I can relatively easily get to all of the connections behind, use the shelving itself as something to tie cables down to, have a shelf above the TV for stuff <S> I access all the time (eg, DVD player), and stuff down below for most of the game machines, UPS, computer, audio, PVR, satellite receiver, etc) <S> (I say 'most' game machines, as I keep the N64, NES and Intellivision <S> stored away <S> so they don't get too dusty ... <S> so I guess that might be a consideration with the open shelf approach ... <S> although, I don't need to worry as much about an overheating xbox360 ... <S> but I've still had to have it serviced)
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If you build your own, or have someone build one for you, I would suggest the following: Give yourself room for more consoles to add to your collection unless you plan to switch them out at some point Leave plenty of openings and space in the back for cables and possibly even some built-in cable management.
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What size posts do I need to use to build a wooden driveway gate? I have just built a 6 foot fence all the way around my property. To finish it offI need to build a driveway gate. The gate will be 15 feet wide and have two swing gate sections. I have used 4x4x8 foot posts buried approximately 26" and cemented. I was considering bolting two posts together and burying them at the same depth, but I am concerned that it still may not be enough support. The gates will have wheels on the bottom also. <Q> The rule of thumb <S> By preference I'd go for a single larger post and go deeper than you suggest. <A> Wheels help, but wooden gates are VERY HEAVY. <S> I would definitely use 6x6. <S> Free tip <S> : I had a fencing contractor build gates for me last year, and they are already warped because they only did diagonal bracing in one direction. <S> Be sure to do an "X" configuration with the bracing. <A> Would NOT Swing 10' wood gates @ <S> six foot height wooden gate on a six by six doug fir or southern pine treated wood post. <S> If you want to use a wood post for a big gate 10ft at 6 ft high you can, <S> and u should it looks better than steel, but you have to use steel for big spans. <S> install a plate 2 <S> " x 1/2" <S> thick along the opposite edge of the gate from the way you want it to swing. <S> Rip a small channel in the post (2"x 1/2" deep) and place the steel (full length) screwed every few inches offset into the post. <S> The steel has to run the FULL Length of the post and if its six feet high it needs to be buried in well-mixed concrete 3 feet deep <S> and you need to make sure that Your Post hole is narrower in diameter at the top then the bottom. <S> if board is 5.5 x 5.5 you need to dig the hole 17" <S> x 17" at the bottom and however wide but less than 15"x15" <S> so that its at least that 17" x17"at 40" down in the ground. <S> Two bags of redimix aint gonna cut it. <S> You need (5) 80lb bags. <S> ( I would throw some metal in the mud and lag some steel or at least big nails into all four sides of the post below grade for the concrete to grab the post. <S> don't forget to put some gravel in the bottom of that 40" post hole for drainage. <S> probably a third rail in the gate frame. <S> you do need a cross brace from the end of the gate at the top down toward the bottom hinges <S> wear it attaches to the post preferably <S> a cross-cut <S> so the load is transferred to the bottom rail right at the corner where it can be picked up by the steel hinges. <S> You can swing a 6' high 10' gate on a 8"x 6" treated post as long as the 8" is in the direction that the gate will be swinging. <S> You can also bolt two 4x6 together and use them without steel. <S> the post needs to placed so the 7" is in the direction that the gate will be swinging.
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I know that applies here tells me to use at least 6"x6" posts for wide gates concreted into a 3ft deep hole. You might get away with firmly bolting the two posts together, but I would be wary about compromising on the depth...
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How do I reduce how much the sun heats up a front room of my house? My office room is in the front of the house and facing south. It gets hot very fast during hot days (even in spring). It is a fairly small room and I have computers there attributing to heat. There's a small double pane window with cloth blinds. There's a central AC but running it full time just cool a small room does not seem very efficient. What are the ways to reduce amount of heat from the direct sun hitting the wall? Special paint? Drapes? Tent? Fan? <Q> Just be sure not to plant it too close to the foundation. <S> Light blocking blinds are very good at blocking both heat and light. <S> This may not be good if you're trying to work in the room. <S> Insulation helps if you have an attic above, just don't block the ventilation from the soffits. <S> However, the important thing to realize is that cooling systems spend a significant effort overcoming the heating effects of people themselves. <S> And a couple computers doesn't help. <S> No matter how much you block the outside heat, the heat being generated is still there. <S> Therefore, make sure your vents are adjusted to cool the rooms you use (closing doors also helps), and direct most of your cooling to the upstairs. <S> If that still isn't enough, try a small fan in the doorway blowing in cool air from the floor (which will push out the hot air above). <S> Edit: <S> Couple other thoughts. <S> You may discover a patch of uninsulated wall or find that the window it letting in more than you thought. <S> Second, check your thermostat to see if it has a setting for how much the temperature will vary before it cuts on. <S> Mine is an odd key combination that's buried in the back of the manual. <S> If you're going well over an hour between AC cycles, you'll reduce hot spots by reducing this setting. <A> There are several options. <S> One of the easiest ways is a shade or awning over the window. <S> (This is why Australian outback homesteads have deep verandahs.) <S> Another method is an external shutter, but this will reduce the light a lot, as well. <S> You could also go for a window coating. <S> There are a number to choose from, ranging from an aluminium film to a fine mesh. <S> The goal is to reflect away the heat whilst not losing too much light. <A> with a small room, it could be very efficient to use a small window A/C unit to localize the cooling and reduce the workload on your main A/C. <A> as far as i know, the best affordable result is passive solar shading that will use the warmth of the winter sun and rejects it in the summer. <S> the specific design is dependent on your latitude and the method of construction, but it should look something like this , and this sketch can also clear the general idea. <S> solar passive techniques are the best way to handle this issue, and it will save you a great amount of money for the long run, & don't forget to mention the co2 emissions and environmental impact. <S> here <S> you can find some reference to a bunch of ideas in this field, and i recommend you to read the passive solar energy book . <S> it is a MUST. <S> edit: i'm not talking about shading the windows, but really shading the walls. <S> and you can consider also covering the wall with a deciduous vine that grows fast (like passion fruit) <S> - of course, it depend of your latitude, soil and etc. <A> My office in my old house was on the west side of a brick house. <S> The sun would shine on the bricks all day. <S> The bricks would heat up and make the room warm even when the sun had gone down. <S> I put a ceiling fan in the room. <S> The slight circulation of air in the small room helped tremendously. <A> Consider window film. <S> As another strange answer -- consider adding thermal mass. <S> Some solar passive homes use stone or brick, but you can also use large containers of water so the room won't change temperature as fast. <A> Whatever it takes to shade the wall is the most effective solution. <S> Also use blackout window drapes ( <S> when you close them the room is completely dark). <S> Trellis panels with vines, trees or even consider relocating the office to another room.
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There are ones on the market that are UV blocking that will help cut down the heat in the room without affecting how much visible light comes through. Get an IR thermometer to check all your walls and various other heat sources. A good deciduous tree helps, but it will take a while for that to work.
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Should I seal my granite countertop? I recently redid my kitchen and brought new granite countertops. The company that did the installation was crappy and I had to put in my own supports and other odds and ends that I thought was standard for installation. I asked if the granite was sealed, and they said they didn’t know. I have two questions, how can I tell if the granite is sealed, and if I find it isn’t, do you know of a product that I can use myself? <Q> There are a lot of bad fabricators installing granite these days. <S> I have seen everything from edges that are waxed instead of polished and tops that are dyed to make them look like a more expensive stone than the fabricator purchased. <S> If they did a bad job there is no reason to believe any of it is done right. <S> Do the water test suggested above. <S> It will tell you if it needs sealing. <S> It likely does. <S> I would also watch the edges. <S> If they start to go dull in a few months then you really got taken. <S> Polished edges will last a lifetime. <S> Waxed edges a few months. <S> Polishing takes about 15 minutes a foot with very expensive tools. <S> Waxing takes seconds with cheap wax. <S> This is only one example of many tricks to pass off bad granite countertops. <S> All granite countertops are not created equal. <S> If you purchased from a guy with lawn sign working with only a cell phone as many today do you got what looks like a good price for a countertop but wait until you try and get warranty work. <S> Good luck because if your installer did not know if it was sealed and you are already doing corrective work you are likely to be even more disappointed in the future as the top ages. <A> you can leave some water for an hour and see if the granite gets darker. <S> If it does -then it's not sealed. <S> It will dry in a day or so. <S> I personally prefer not to seal it, because the sealant changes the color of granite. <S> If you clean up the liquids right away it will be fine. <S> Especially oils, wine and tomato juice. <S> It's very easy to apply yourself, just wet the countertop and let it dry. <S> The first time you may need to do it a few times. <S> Usually you have to reseal the granite every year or so <S> but i hear the new sealants last for years. <A> Yikes!!!! <S> OMG!!!!! <S> I cannot fathom a granite supplier not knowing if a permanent sealer was applied in the polishing process of their product. <S> I would be talking to the owner of said company for answers. <S> The granite comes to all fabricators from the miller <S> and they know what finish is on them. <S> Ask the right questions and you will get he right answers. <S> There is no test that can tell you if it is sealed or not. <S> Unless you paid way less that common market value I have to believe it is sealed. <S> Absolutely no suppliers that I do business with would dare to supply unsealed, polished granite. <A> Also if you already noticed some water spot on your granite it means the sealer is weak. <S> If you notice this happening it is time to reseal your granite. <A> I recently did research when we had new counters installed and the overall recommendation was to use 511 impregnator sealer-at Lowes or home depot. <S> Afterwards I found out that our granite installer uses that. <S> Spend but it soaks in and lasts a very long time.
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To know whether your counter needs sealing, try to sprinkle some water on it and see if it beads up, if it doesn't, it time to seal your granite. Many stores sell granite sealers, usually the companies that sell granite have high quality things.
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What should I do with abandoned cinder blocks? I recently moved to my first home (with a modest yard). The previous owners left behind about 20 cinder blocks. I'd like to build something constructive with them in lieu of discarding them. Any suggestions? I was thinking about a BBQ smoker. Is that possible with cinder blocks? Any ideas or useful links will be much appreciated. <Q> Depending on your location, build a planter. <S> This included the base and the wall surrounding it. <S> You could do a traditional rectangle or something modern like these... <S> http://pocketgrow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/HLIC/8ba626a0e2155abfa3bd213bdbba202e.jpg <A> Be sure to check with your local fire regulations first; depending on your location, the fire pit might not be allowed, or there might be restrictions on when you are allowed to use it. <A> You could make a small seating area with benches made from cinder blocks and blocks for side tables; it'll be nicer if you top the cinder block structures with something comfortable to sit on. <S> A quick web search turned up: cinder block furniture projects , hand make outdoor furniture A smoker might work, but the blocks are very porous; you're going to build up smoke in the walls, and you're going to have a hell of a time sealing the gaps between.
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You could build an outdoor fire pit.
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What is your top tip for painting? Simple really - add your best tips for painting (a room, that is). Ideally one tip per answer for ease of voting. <Q> Take off outlet face plates, unscrew light fixtures, etc. <S> Bag the light fixtures. <S> I've seen a lot of painted-over receptacles. <S> There's no reason to do that, since it's so easy to do it right. <S> I've seen edged-in face plates and light fixtures. <S> Again, easy to do it right. <A> The key to getting a good finish is preparation. <S> Fill any cracks with a suitable filler and prime this before applying the colour. <S> Sand the surface first, then wash and finally brush. <A> Don't wash brushes out between coats, and don't leave them sitting in thinner. <S> Wrap them in a plastic ziploc bag. <S> If they'll fit in the bag, then great. <S> If not just bunch the bag around the handle and tighten a cable-tie around it. <A> Damp it with the right solvent for the type of paint you are using. <A> For crisp lines: after taping, paint along the tape with the color that is under the tape and let it dry. <S> Some will leak under the tape (which is ok, because it's the same color) and seal it. <S> Then paint the new color. <A> Whenever possible, try to work into a wet edge. <S> Don't cut in edges too far ahead before rolling. <S> Painting over a dried area produces overlap stripes! <A> Use quality materials and professional grade brushes and roller covers. <S> Use the right brush or cover for the job and type of paint you are using. <S> Add in a knowledge of proper techniques, and you will get a good paint job. <A> Get a good sash brush and practice edging without tape. <S> (For me) it's faster <S> and there's no chance of it bleeding past the tape edge. <A> Where carpet meets baseboard, run 2" masking tape along the edge of the carpet. <S> Then use a broad scraper (or something similar) to push the tape down right where the carpet meets the baseboard. <S> This compresses the edge of the carpet, keeping it well out of the way. <S> When you paint the baseboard, there's no chance of a) getting paint on the carpet, b) getting carpet fluff onto the brush, and c) best of all, then you peel back the tape (careful, do it by pulling back at a shallow angle, not straight up or you can accidentally lift the carpet) <S> the carpet bounces back up totally hiding the bottom edge of the new paint. <S> I worked as a decorator for many years, and this was one of the trick that took my work to a whole new level of leaving a room looking crisp. <A> Brush and roller care: If you're doing a lot of painting, get a brush spinner. <S> The spinner both grips brushes by the handle, and can have roller sleeves slid over it as well. <S> That way, when you wash out a brush, you can spin it dry, then wrap the bristle in kitchen roll. <S> When the brush dries out fully, it's kept its shape rather than splayed out all over the place. <S> You can "cut in" - paint a straight edge - with it straight away next time you use it. <S> Keep a five-gallon bucket on hand for this, btw! <S> Spin inside the bucket to catch the spray. <S> You can also do this to clean a roller sleeve. <S> I know that they are cheap, but they shed fluff when you're first using them. <S> For a first class finish, wash the roller before you use it, then spin it dry. <A> Enlist the help of a friend. <S> Pay him or her in beer. <A> Time spent taping the edges is time saved later. <S> You only have to tape once, and you get the benefit for each coat of paint + each coat of primer. <S> Since you only have to do each edge once, you can afford to do it very carefully. <A> Use a power roller. <S> Rolling paint isn't hard for a DIYer but rolling unpowered is tedious compared to using a power roller. <S> These days, power rollers are not that expensive--less than $60 <S> --which is a whole lot less than a full air-compressor/sprayer set up. <S> Buy a power roller now and you'll save time and also your back. <A> See this post's answer for how to put paint on evenly to give a nice sheen. <S> https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/2151/34 <A> Maybe this hasn't been mentioned because it's too obvious, I don't know. <S> If you're trying to get a crisp line without tape (maybe between wall and ceiling, semewhere non-critical, or maybe you have steady hands), orient the brush correctly for best results. <S> This means all the fibers of the brush are reinforcing the same crisp edge. <S> You'll get a solid edge that you won't need to go over again, thus avoiding further opportunities to drift off the line.
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Make sure that the surface you are painting is clean and dry, free from any loose flakes of old paint. Tape over the outlets and switches. For a short break, wrap brushes and rollers in saran wrap, and squeeze it tight. Keep a damp rag in your pocket for the odd drop here and there. Instead of orienting to use the width for a wide stripe, turn it 90 degrees so you are painting a narrow stripe.
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How to prep existing floor for installation of self-adhesive vinyl flooring? Some quick background to preempt some discussion about quality, longevity, rental issues, etc.: I'm in a rental that is literally "anything goes". It's a long story, but suffice it to say if it does not require a building permit (or does but you can hide from the inspector), it's good to go. This is an open layout where the bulk is laminate flooring that I installed myself. I have an area that's approximately 18' x 8' that's an entrance and kitchen area and a bathroom that's about 6' x 6' where the original floor is still exposed. The original floor is the old fashioned "linoleum" (asphalt/asbestos 12"x12" tiles) flooring. It's in OK shape, but looks horrible - there's no cleaning of it at this point - it will never be white again. My main goal is to put the cheapest vinyl solution on top of this that I can. A lifespan of 5 years would be beyond what I'm aiming for. Tearing up the old floor is not an option, nor is any floor prep that involves sanding (I am not wanting to kick up asbestos). I assume I need some type of stripper, but I'm not finding any good specifics about that online. My second goal is ease of installation. I can't see myself doing a good job with a large sheet - the kitchen/entryway is sort of an elongated "U" shape ( | __ | ), and the bathroom is small, but I have to go around the toilet and a small vanity. And having an open floorplan like this, I'd like to avoid stinking the place up with the adhesives required for sheet flooring. So I'm aiming for the self-stick stuff. Any recommendations on cheap stick-on that will stick, and probably even more importantly the materials to prep the existing floor are welcome! <Q> I have run into the same situation many times. <S> I always prefer to do quality work, but occasionally budgets make it necessary to do a quicky fix. <S> In your case, the most important thing is to strip away all old wax and dirt on the existing tiles. <S> Tack down any loose tiles, especially around the edges with ring nails or a power stapler. <S> There are many de-waxing products and can be found at any box or hardware store. <S> An alternative cleaner is ammonia and water. <S> Cheap and effective, but smelly. <S> (BTW, never mix bleach and ammonia!!!!) <S> Clean the existing tile with one of these products and scrub the surface well with a mesh type pad, like a 3M green scrubbie. <S> Be sure to rinse the area well with clean water and allow to dry. <S> You may also consider a tile primer. <S> This product is a bit pricey at over $30 a gal, but when applied over most any hard surface gives an excellent base for any self adhesive tile product. <S> When you get to the bathroom, remove the toilet and cut your tile around the closet flange, then reinstall the toilet. <S> It is only two bolts, one water connection, and a replacement wax ring. <S> It will look 100% better and avoid tiles coming up due to the toilet sweating and wetting the edges of tiles cut around the base. <S> Only takes a few extra minutes, but will make a big difference. <A> We just prep the old tile by sanding it with 120 or 160 grit paper. <S> Or you can peel them up and use floor filler to fill in that spot. <A> Fill all cracks, holes, uneven spots with floor leveling compound. <S> Otherwise those defects will wear through and cause your top layer to crack.
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Get the floor clean, dust-free, and dry. Any loose old tiles, you have to glue them down or staple them with heavy duty staples. You can also use a mix of regular bleach, TSP, and water. Let me say first, that I don't condone doing work that requires permits without them, as it often leads to crappy quality or safety issues.
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What is the best way to seal this old fireplace vent? I am doing some minor renovations to my basement with the drop ceiling and found that one of the geniuses that owned the house before me, used fibreglass ceiling tiles to seal off an old vent for a gas fireplace. Obviously this will not do. I'm thinking of building a section of 2x4's around the old exhaust and then filling it with rigid foam and spray foam. I can't take the old exhaust off the side of the house, since it is a condo and I doubt that I'm going to convince them to replace the siding where this exhaust vent is, not to mention it will probably cost me. Open to any suggestions. I would post a pic but the settings don't allow it, kinda odd. <Q> Not sure exactly where this vent is, but here in the UK it's pretty much essential to include a vent whenever a fireplace is blocked off. <S> Otherwise the air inside the chimney goes stale and damp takes effect. <S> Generally the vent is to the room in which the fire used to be situated. <S> Just be sure that there is ventilation to the chimney before (more thoroughly) sealing the vent. <A> Then you can just place a standard piece of fiberglass insulation with the vapor barrier (paper backing) facing inside the home. <S> The expanding spray foam can make a big mess, and should someone want to use this vent in the future, it would be a serious pain to undo. <A> You can probably buy a metal cap the correct diameter for the pipe inlet, you can screw it on with sheet metal screws. <S> I would stuff a few handfuls of fiberglass insulation in there first. <S> This is a lot nicer if anyone ever wants to use it in the future, and still seals it up nicely. <A> Spray foam might sound appealing as a quick fix, but will be a pain in the a <S> ** if you ever want to remove it! <S> Here is an alternative solution: <S> If you are convinced that building a small section around the old vent will work if you could make it waterproof, then try this instead: Similar to the way for building a fish tank, go out and get somethick plastic, ideally polycarbonate. <S> Next, begin building the structure you were going to make out of2x4, instead out of the plastic. <S> Thirdly, glue the edges together using the proper glue, and thenseal it making it waterproof using a liberal amount of waterproof silicone. <S> Lastly, install around the old vent, and using a liberal amount ofwaterproof silicone make it watertight all the way around. <S> This should do the trick. <S> Let me know if this works, or if there are other factors that I need to elaborate further on.
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If it's really not being used, I'd cover the vent itself in plastic from the inside wall (staple and caulk it to make it weather tight) or some other seal.
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Do I need an egress bedroom window if I have a walk-out exterior door? I have a basement with three hopper windows and a walk-out door. There's also a staircase that connects the basement with the upper (main) floor of the house. If I build a bedroom, do I need an egress window or is the basement walk-out door acting as such? (Note that there probably be an internal door between the bedroom and the walk-out exterior door.) <Q> You need an egress window in any bedroom. <S> The purpose is to provide an alternate point of exit from inside a bedroom in the event of an emergency. <S> Having an exterior door located nearby but still outside of the bedroom will not qualify. <S> If the bedroom doorway is blocked, the occupant still cannot exit the room. <A> I don't have an answer based on any existing building code other then to relay my experience dealing with my attic remodel. <S> I think the point the egress route is a secondary exit if the primary (door) is blocked due to smoke/fire. <S> If it is not "up to code" you may be able to work with your local building department/fire marshal. <S> The only accessable windows that you could crawl out of where three stories above the ground (too far the jump, at least that is what the fire marshal said). <S> We filed, and received, a variance from the city, it was contingent on the installation of inteconnected smoke detectors on all the floors. <A> It will highly depend on your local codes. <S> In Ontario, Canada, as an example, an egress exit simply needs to be on the same level as the bedroom - not located directly within it.
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I would imagine if your door to the outside is in a different location than the stairway to the upstairs (main floor) you may be OK. We turned our attic into a bedroom and only had 1 exit (the main stairway).
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Why is my dishwasher causing the dishes to have an odor? I have a GE Profile Triton XL dishwasher and the dishes come out clean but have an odor to them, it's a metallic/sour smell. Any idea on the proper way to clean it? There is no built in clean cycle. There's no food trap either (as far as I can tell). <Q> Dishwasher cleaners are available - I use this one <S> every six months or so - it has a range of chemicals in it which get in around all the bits that might be moldy and gives them a good clean. <S> Once cleaned, the following tips I found over at wikihow will help prevent this in future: <S> Run the garbage disposal before starting the dishwasher. <S> The dishwasher drains into the same pipe as your sink, so that drain must be clear. <S> Run a bit of hot water in your sink before running the dishwasher. <S> You will get cleaner dishes if the water starts hot. <S> You can collect the water you run and use it for watering plants or other purposes. <S> Run the water until what comes out of the tap feels hot. <S> Make sure your water starts hot enough. <S> Set the thermostat on your water heater to 120F (50C). <S> Water that is cooler than this won't do a good job cleaning. <S> Water that is hotter could scald. <S> Load your dishwasher properly, stacking items facing downward and inwards. <S> Check that all the arms can spin freely before running the dishwasher. <S> Run full loads to conserve water and energy, but don't pack dishes too tightly. <S> Dishwashers wash dishes by spraying water over them, so the water needs to be able to get to the dishes to clean them. <S> Don't wash containers with labels that could come loose. <S> Scrape heavy debris and large particles off dishes before placing them in the dishwasher. <S> Don't pre-rinse too much. <S> Dishwashers and detergents have both improved. <S> If you haven't tried putting dishes in dirty lately, try it again. <S> You may be pleasantly surprised. <S> Not all dishwasher detergents work the same. <S> The next time you buy a new container of detergent, try a different brand and see if you get better results. <S> Look for ratings and reviews, too. <S> At the very least, favor powders and tablets over gels and liquids, and keep them dry and free of excess moisture prior to use. <S> Wash small items in the basket with your forks and knives so they don't slip through the racks and end up in the bottom. <S> Some dishwashers even have enclosed baskets just for small items. <S> For dried-on gunk, get the area wet or spray the cleaner, then let it sit and dissolve for a few minutes before wiping. <S> You'll save yourself a lot of scraping and scrubbing. <A> I had this same exact problem. <S> Then I noticed that if I poured water out my sink faucet (which was also connected to the line going to the dishwasher), that it had this funny smell too. <S> It was almost like sulphur, but you had to know to smell it <S> or you might not notice it. <S> I then smelled my ice cubes and they didn't have this smell. <S> The problem also went completely away in the winter, then came back after the thaw. <S> The cause? <S> Yeah, turns out the faucet had two issues. <S> One was the hose attachment to it would trap water in it. <S> So, I removed that. <S> I then cleaned the faucet parts and piping with bleach, then rinsed thoroughly, and put it all back together again. <S> This lasted for about 2 months, and then the smell came back. <S> That's when I learned from my dad that some delta-type faucets trap water in them. <S> I replaced the delta-type handle faucet with a dial-type, and the problem went away because the faucet wasn't trapping water. <S> Anytime you have trapping water in the line or some part of the line, it breeds smelly bacteria that spreads to other parts of that line. <A> Is that your new dishwasher? <S> some newly purchased product, will produce an odor when it is operated. <S> And you do not need to be too worried about the smell, because it will not damage your dishwasher, and do not degrade the performance of your dishwasher. <S> To keep the dishwasher still smelled fresh, addition still perform periodic cleaning on several critical components such as, spray arms , door seals , filter system , be sure to unhurried when the washing process is completed. <S> Leave the door open in a few minutes, let it also all the dishes and cutlery in a few minutes, this will make a plate to cool down, and facilitate air circulation in the dishwasher.
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One of the best ways eliminate the odor is, empty rack and run the dishwasher by using a normal cycle.
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Do I need to sand this unfinished table? I've gathered that the step immediately before staining a table is to sand it. However, I wonder how to tell when the table is smooth enough? Can I skip the sanding step? In my case I bought an unfinished pine table (new, not antique) which, to my touch, is rather smooth. Running my finger across the tabletop, I can only feel the largest grains. I even see some sawdust around the drawers, which makes me think it was already sanded. <Q> A nice trick (learned as a wood turner) is to spritz some mineral spirits on the wood. <S> I usually use rubbing alcohol, as I keep that around. <S> (Not mineral oil, as that will not evaporate.) <S> Anything that will "wet" the wood, but evaporate quickly without leaving a residue, and without raising the grain as water would do. <S> Water is bad of course in this context, since it causes the cells in the wood to expand, raising the grain. <S> The idea is to see what the wood looks like when wet. <S> It will often bring out scratches that remain from sanding, or other tool marks. <A> I'd give it a once-over with 180 or 220 grit. <S> I've made the mistake of assuming surfaces were smooth enough to paint/stain and found rough spots while in the process of finishing. <S> Nothing will make you want to kick yourself more than realizing that first coat of paint/stain you just applied needs to be sanded back off so you can properly prep the surface. <S> Alternatively, you could call the furniture store you got the table from and ask if they recommend sanding it before finishing. <S> They should know how (if at all) <S> the table was prepared for the finishing process. <A> Well, this has a lot to do with personal taste. <S> I'm assuming you don't want a rustic feel or anything of that nature. <S> To see if you want to sand more, take some 600-800 grit sandpaper and sand a test spot. <S> If the wood seems appreciably smoother then sand the entire table. <S> A heavy urethane or latex based finish will fill in more imperfections than a stain will. <S> So if you feel the table is smooth enough, then stain it. <S> Had the table been finished, you would have had to sand it down to the wood and go from there.
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The amount of sanding required for a good looking finish you put on any wood depends on the type of finish.
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How can I get my sprinkler / home irrigation system to not ruin my car with water spots? I have a sprinkler system (i.e. irrigation system) at home. Occasionally I park my car too close and it gets hit with the water. This causes horrible water spots. I've seen that some do-it-yourself car washes have a "spot free rinse", that is to say water that does not cause water spots. I assume they use some sort of filter. Is it possible to add such a filter to my system? Where would I get it? How would I install it? Does anyone know a good way to remove water spots from a car? <Q> Consider replacing the pop up onmi-directional heads closest to the drive way with directional heads that will direct the water in a pattern that won't spray on your car. <S> Short of that, don't park there! <A> Conditioning all the water to your irrigation system is probably not the right approach. <S> For one thing, it's expensive, and for another, the conditioners might hurt the plants. <S> If you're that concerned about car appearance <S> it's probably worth going to a place that does good solid waxing. <S> You might also ask this in the Mechanics site. <A> The spot free rinse uses deionized water. <S> This will not hurt your plants but is far too expensive to be used for agricultural purposes.
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More frequent car washes might be--a good coat of wax can help the water slide right off, rather than sticking and then drying in place.
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Should I buy a drill or an electric screwdriver? I wanted to buy a drill, but some friends suggest I buy an electric screwdriver instead. They say you can use an electric screwdriver more than a drill, but I'm still unsure which to buy. I think a drill would be more useful than an electric screwdriver. Which would be more useful, if I could only purchase one or the other? <Q> The screwdrivers are designed to work at a much lower RPM which makes them much more controllable. <S> They also have a lot more torque than the drill. <S> I've used both and the difference is night and day. <S> With the high torque of the screwdriver I have often driven screws into wood without predrilling at all. <S> Also the good screwdrivers have torque limiters that let you set the maximum torque--set the cutoff where you want it and when the screw is fully driven the limiter kicks in rather than snapping the head off the screw. <A> I have a Black and Decker 14 volt cordless drill that I use as both a drill and a screwdriver. <S> I've had it for about 8 years now <S> and it's been one of the most useful tools I've ever purchased. <S> It is reversible and has adjustable speeds and torques. <S> It came with an extra battery... <S> I keep which-ever battery <S> I'm not using on the charger at all times. <S> There's nothing more useless than an electric drill/screwdriver with a dead battery! <A> (As an aside, I had a Black and Decker drill whose battery charger actually stopped working after 3 years or so. <S> I recently bought a Ryobi and am hoping that it will last much longer.) <A> Which would be more useful, if I could only purchase one or the other? <S> A screwdriver might be good if you are about to move into an unfurnished home and assemble a zillion items of flat-pack Swedish furniture and then never ever do DIY again. <S> Of course you'll spend a lot of time waiting for your screwdriver to charge up. <S> Otherwise, if I could buy only one, I'd buy a drill - <S> almost all consumer/contractor grade drills are drill/drivers with a variable clutch for driving screws. <A> I mostly use a corded electric drill these days for drilling and screwdriving, being a bit concerned about environmental and end-of-life issues related to cordless gear that gets abandoned by the manufacturer and needs to be replaced when the battery dies. <S> The only thing I miss is the torque control. <S> With an electric drill, you're in full control to under- or over-do things as much as you can handle. <S> It's nice to have the option of torque control where you may do damage without it. <S> However, this hasn't yet motivated me to buy an electric screwdriver.
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I would think that a drill is more useful since you can attach any type of bit to it , including all types of screw drivers (star, flat, philips, etc), actual drill bits of various sizes, and other miscellaneous attachments.
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How do I rehang a wooden door with worn screw holes? I have a wood door in one of my rooms where the top screws no longer hold the hinge to the wall because the screw holes have worn loose. I have tried slightly larger screws and filling with wood toothpicks, which usually lasts about a year. I would like a permanent fix. <Q> A few suggestions: <S> Are you using a wood glue such as Elmer's to hold the toothpicks in place? <S> The top hinge on my front door used to pull loose; I repaired it with toothpicks and wood glue (pretty much filling the screw hole) and haven't had any problems in several years. <S> How long were the original screws, and what did you replace them with? <S> When I installed a new interior door a few months ago, I replaced the 1/2" screws that came with the door with 2 1/2" or 3" (I forget which) screws of the same thickness. <S> Assuming normal framing, you have two 2x4s, possibly some shims and the jamb itself, so there's plenty of wood there for a long screw to grip onto. <S> Take the hinge plate off the jamb (support the door so it doesn't pull the other hinges out of the jamb) and drill out the screw holes that are giving you problems; the hole should be as deep as the existing screw. <S> Glue a dowel of the same thickness as your drill bit into the hole. <S> Before you replace the hinge screw, drill a pilot hole to ensure that the screw goes in straight. <A> Remove the top hinge from the frame side (don't take if off the door side). <S> Then remove the door at the other hinges. <S> Drill a 3/8" inch hole centered on each screw hole and plug and glue these with a wooden dowel. <S> After the glue dries, if not flush, shave the dowels down with a wood chisel to make them flush with the surface. <S> Putty, patch or sand if necessary. <S> Then replace the door on the hinges and hold the top hinge in place and re-drill the hinge screw holes and insert the screws. <A> Somewhat late to the party but a good solution I've just used goes as follows: <S> Buy some reasonably thick dowel (say, 10mm) and cut a length for each existing screw hole. <S> I'd suggest the length of the screw you are using (plus about 25% extra if your door is not solid wood). <S> Sand one end back <S> square - this is the end that will be exposed when the dowel is inserted into the hole you are about to drill. <S> In your door (or frame), drill out the old holes to the same diameter as the dowel. <S> Check the dowels for fit - there needs to be enough room for some glue around the dowel, but not too much. <S> Sand the dowel down a bit if need be. <S> Now using a good strong glue <S> (I had some 24 hour epoxy left over from a previous job), plug the holes with the dowels, being careful to push them in until they are level with the surrounding surface. <S> Leave to dry, for at least as long as the glue manufacturer recommends, and ideally for a bit longer - just to be sure that everything is properly set. <S> Now you can use your hinge as a guide to mark and drill new pilot holes in your door (or frame) before re-mounting the door. <S> I've just used this trick on a pair of old 2.1m solid pine doors and it works a treat. <A> Easy fix AND very permanent would be using a longer screw in one or two holes or the stripped holes. <S> Fine thread #8 3" long with Phillips head. <S> Drive through Hinge hole completely through jamb into the framing. <S> Do not over tighten paint screw head to match if necessary. <A> , they expand so should keep the hole plugged securely, You could put a drop of glue in the hole first, but I thought about that afterwards :-) <A> My bedroom hollow core door hinge holes on the door are completely stripped out and the screws fell out, my remedy I am going to try is as follows: <S> Remove the door, place hinge side up, apply Fiberglass compound , <S> (Type you get at a Auto. parts store) directly into the holes and also spread onto the area that is recessed for the hinge, set the hinges in place while wet, apply slight coating on top of the hinges as well. <S> If all goes as planned I hope to find the hinges fiberglassed in place for a very long time and for added security drill a pilot hole and put the screws back in please.
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I used the plastic wall plugs you'd normally use for brick or concrete walls, it worked perfectly, you need quite a small size so it fits into the existing hole, tap them in lightly with a hammer then screw hinge back on
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How to stop windows from sliding down? About 10 years ago I had all the windows in my apartment replaced. Four or five years later, when I would open them to insert a fan or an air conditioner, the top window would slide down 6-12 inches in a few of the windows. Is there anything that I can do to adjust the windows so they don't slide down? [update] I got a couple good answers for wooden windows. Can anything be done with metal? <Q> The counter balance is not working correctly, but repairing this or replacing it is non-trivial. <S> Instead, you can pickup a device like this that will create enough friction to hold the window in place. <S> It should be installed between the window and the frame and is a simple DIY job. <S> http://www.lowes.com/pd_128860-76018-F+2537_0__?productId=3010767 <A> Worked for me. <S> I think maybe it expanded the wood ever so slightly. <S> Also I "worked" the window up and down until it seemed dry to the touch and every 5 min afterward for 30 min. <S> Not exact time but close enough, I didn't want them to stick together. <A> An older and/or cheaper 100% metal window will have pressure springs similar to what BMitch referenced. <S> They are either missing, worn-out, or non-functional.
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Assuming the siding is wood, I have used wood hardener applied in small amounts, to the edges of the window and the length of the window track, with a q-tip.
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What is the best way to strip woodchip wallpaper? I spent a large proportion of a (glorious) Sunday stripping a relatively small area of woodchip wallpaper from my spare room in an ongoing war to banish the stuff from my house. I have a good steamer which is helping matters along, but due to five layers of paint and the fact that paper is very waterproof its not been easy. Does anyone have any tips on ways in which this process can be sped along? We're having the whole room skimmed when I'm done, so I'm unconcerned about the state of the plaster behind when I'm done. It's already in quite a mess anyway, hence the skimming! <Q> Unfortunately stripping woodchip can be a long, arduous process. <S> The way we've found best is to work in small(ish) <S> areas score the area with a knife <S> run a scraper across the surface to knock out some of the chips <S> The last two expose some of the paper and give a route for the steam to enter. <S> Then steam this area and scrape again - but don't expect to get all the paper off first (or even second) time. <S> Then steam the area again but don't scrape - leave the area to soak as you move onto the next area. <S> Then go back to the first area after 5-10 minutes and repeat. <A> I am attacking my woodchip coated walls with a powered multi tool fitted with a scraper. <S> This takes the painted layer off the woodchip in satisfying strips. <S> When this is complete, stage 2 is to use sponge to wet the paper, leave to soak or use a steamer stripper to wet the paper and scrape away. <A> Now, wait a minute! <S> Why would anyone ever want to get rid of woodchips? <S> This feels like a personal attack on me. <S> (Only kidding.) <S> Seriously, I would start with my carpenter's slick. <S> A slick is a LARGE, heavy chisel, perhaps 4 inches wide, weighing in at least 5 pounds with the cherry handle I made for it. <S> It is close to 3 feet long with that handle, with a blade that is perhaps 3/8 inch thick. <S> You can find them in old tool sales for a reasonable price. <S> The nice thing about a slick is it has some serious mass behind it. <S> So despite seeming a large cumbersome thing, you can use it with the bevel riding against a wall, and it would probably glide right through those woodchips and peel off a strip of paper. <S> That mass allows for a surprising degree of precision in getting a smooth result. <S> I've used it to peel up flooring once <S> and it did a very nice job. <S> And, when I was all done, I would give the slick some loving attention, and touch up any nicks I've left in the blade. <S> If this did not work, I'd go pick up my angle grinder. <S> Skim over the surface of the paper lightly, using a structured carbide disk that will cut through and carve wood like butter. <S> With a gentle touch, I'll bet you could do this without even giong into the plaster underneath. <S> Wear a dust mask though. <S> Having done that in strips, the steamer will now have an easy avenue to get under the paper. <S> So much for woodchips. :( <A> The two best and easy ways are either: take the plasterboard off the stud work and put new boards up, or screw new boards over the top and on the external walls stick new board over the top with dry wall adhesive. <S> A lot of time saved <S> and you don't lose much room space. <A> Yes if there are lots of coats of paint it is more difficult. <S> I use a water spray bottle and start soaking long before scraping. <S> So obviously start at the top about the width of a sheet of paper and soak, then soak again after 15/20 mins and continue. <S> It will take 1/2 to an hour before scraping but it will easily scrape off. <S> My wife used a steamer but it blew the plaster and lumps started falling off.
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I am stripping woodchip right now and I have found the best way is to soak, soak, soak.
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Wanting to make a frosted-glass dry erase whiteboard I want a frosted white glass dry erase board for my office. I can hardly find anybody who offers this without 'call us for prices'. I figured it can't be too difficult to make? Purchase sheet of glass (from where?) Cover the back with frosted spray paint or film Drill through the glass about 1-2" off from each corner Mount using mirror type of mounts Any advice, suggestions or know of how I can accomplish this? <Q> I've used Artscape window film with great results. <S> From what I remember, you just cut the film to size and use a squeegee and water with a bit of soap to adhere it to the glass. <S> I'm not sure if they have a solid frosted pattern though. <S> You'll most likely want to find a sheet big enough that you won't have any seams. <S> One alternative to drilling holes for standoffs is to get edge-mounted standoffs like <S> these : <S> Otherwise, if you like the look of something like this (note, you'll have to buy the bases separately) better, use carbide drill bits specifically for glass cutting. <S> Make sure you've got plenty of support for the glass sheet. <S> Make sure you're far enough away from the edge - I'd leave no less than 1" between the edge and the hole. <S> Start on one side and drill partway through. <S> Stop before you reach the other side and flip the glass over. <S> Drill through from the backside to avoid chipping or cracking the glass. <A> I think you could just ask almost any glass shop to cut and drill the glass for you. <S> That said, I'd probably want to use tempered glass for this <S> and you can't drill tempered glass <S> so you may want to come up with a different method for mounting. <A> I can't imagine why that wouldn't work. <S> Although I would avoid drilling through the glass. <S> Find a way to mount it that doesn't require cutting or drilling. <S> To get a big sheet, or a custom size, google "glass" plus the name of your city. <S> There are lots of shops set up to provide glass at various thicknesses at just about any size. <S> These are the folks that cut the glass for all the giant windows you see in shops downtown and at the mall.
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You can buy some glass at big box hardware stores.
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How do I remove the sink drain in this situation? I am replacing the faucets/drain in one of my bathrooms. I am trying to remove the drain, but I'm having a lot of trouble. I think it might be soldered on, but I'm not sure why it would be. What's the easiest method for removing the drain? (below sink) (above sink) <Q> Here's a diagram of the drain: <S> It looks to me like you've unscrewed the nut, but not the flange (which is a separate piece that screws to the inside of the tailpiece, while the nut screws to the outside of the tailpiece). <S> If things are not loosening easily, you can try some penetrating oil or WD-40 and letting it sit for a while, it may help if there is any rust or corrosion on the threads. <S> The place this would cause a problem if anywhere would be on the outside at the top of the tailpipe. <A> Adding a clarifying answer, only because I got stuck on this for a while. <S> The diagram for the checked answer was super helpful, but the flange on my drain (which I think is exactly the same design as the original poster) was much shorter than I expected (see photo below) and screwed to the outside of the tailpiece. <S> Hope that's helpful to someone... <A> The WD-40/3 in 1 oil failed to loosen the flange. <S> It continued to spin despite attempting to hold it with pliers as I turned the nut counterclockwise. <S> I eventually hacksawed the tailpipe and the flange was easily removed.
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I got it off by lifting the flange+tailpiece up from below the sink, and then sliding channel lock pliers below the flange.
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Has anyone here ever rented a trencher? What was your experience? I need to dig a 2 feet deep trench, about 100 feet long. Has anyone used one of these trenchers? The first one in particular? http://rentalsunlimited.com/catalog/trenchers/trenchers.html What was your experience? Any alternatives? Does Home Depot or any other US national chain offer something similar? Edit: The trench is for a french drain system. My soil is mostly clay underneath. I should also mention that I may be going trough roots of a big old tree that was recently cut. <Q> Most are self propelled. <S> You may check some local rental stores as well as HD, as you will probably need a trailer to transport the machine and most rental stores include it in the price. <S> Before you attempt to use one of these monsters, be absolutely sure to call DIG SAFE @ 1800-digsafe. <S> You must have the utility companies come and certify that there are no buried lines, wires, gas etc. <S> It is the law, so don't forget to get it done. <S> There is no charge for this service. <S> If you don't and hit something, you can be liable for huge costs and fines. <S> A Ditch Witch usually only digs a narrow path for laying wire or pipe. <S> The path width would be a bit shy for a good drainage system as you will not have enough width to add the proper crushed stone base and surrounding gravel bed etc. <S> Assuming you are installing wire or pipe, be sure to get some warning tape to install a few inches below the ground grade to warn future excavations that utilities are buried benieth. <S> Good Luck. <A> Simpler than the ones you've shown. <S> I only needed a 1" wide trench for 3/4" PVC pipe. <S> I found it very easy to use. <A> No. <S> I have not personally used any of the trenchers listed at that rental store. <S> There a variety of trenchers available for rent. <S> Many of the Home Depot stores will rent a smaller Barreto 18" trencher that, depending on local code, can accomplish much of what the homeowner may need done (irrigation systems etc). <S> However, if you want to trench deeper you will need to either rent a larger trencher (Ditch Witch, Toro, Barreto, etc…). <S> My personal preference is to rent a utility loader and trencher attachment. <S> The depth on the trenching attachment can then be controlled in order to vary the trench depth between 1" and 48" (depending on the length of the attachment).
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I rented a trencher at Home Depot that had a large wheel with teeth. A power trencher, or Ditch Witch, is a fairly easy machine to use.
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Building a raised wall for a pond We are looking to build a small pond (9'x18'x6'), but we want the edge to be raised up about 8". I am thinking about using CMUs ( Concrete Masonry Units ) which are 8x8x16. The entire pond will be lined with an EPDM pond liner. My question is that since some of the water will be pushing up next to the blocks, how do I figure out to engineer this so that the blocks don't push out? Concrete footing? Rebar in some of the blocks? Rebar in all of the blocks? Fill the openings of each block with concrete? So, I have a pretty good idea of how to over engineer this, but I don't want to waste time and money though either. If you don't have any concrete answers, but if you know where I can find this information, that would be great too. <Q> This website has a good explanation of hydrostatic forces on a dam surface. <S> You could build your wall with a submerged lip to help counteract the moment applied by the water pressure on the vertical face of the wall. <S> Image from TheConstructor.org <S> I did some quick calculations and got the following: So to sum up my incoherent scribblings, assuming a 30 lb cinder block holding back 8" of water and a coefficient of friction between the ground and the blocks of 0.4 (which I think is conservatively low), the blocks will not tip, but they will be pushed backwards by the hydrostatic force. <S> Reducing the water level to 6" results in the wall being able to withstand the hydrostatic force by a small margin. <S> Even so, you'd be risking high water conditions after a heavy rainfall destroying your wall. <S> It will need reinforcement. <S> You could do that by pouring concrete into the voids and increasing the weight of each block to greater than 46 lbs. <S> NOTE: <S> I did quick calculations and made a lot of assumptions. <S> This answer is an estimate and should not be considered professional advice. <S> (Translation: Please don't get pissed off at me and track me down if your pond floods your yard.) <A> Unbelievable good math for a block wall, but I think Jim is only going to have one block on the ground at the top of the pond. <S> The liner itself is very strong, and once laid up and over the block, that block is not going anywhere. <S> Not only would 6 inches of water have to move the block, but stretch the liner the same distance as moving the block. <S> The most i would do is drive a few 3 foot rebar rods in the holes of the blocks and fill the holes with dirt or concrete. <S> We have build 100 foot by 150 foot, 8 inch deep deep skating rinks out of standard concrete blocks with absolutely no extra support, just a little backfill behind the block, laid in the liner, the fire dept filled it up and nothing moved. <A> The liner itself is very strong, and once laid up and over the block, that block is not going anywhere. <S> Not only would 6 inches of water have to move the block, but stretch the liner the same distance as moving the block. <S> Reducing the water level to 6" results in the wall being able to withstand the hydrostatic force by a small margin. <S> Even so, you'd be risking high water conditions after a heavy rainfall destroying your wall. <S> It will need reinforcement.
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You could also drive a rebar stake on the inside of each block against the side holding back the water.
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White solid drain pipe vs black flexible corrugated pipe for a french drain Which one is preferable if you have a straight line 2 feet deep trench in mostly clay soil? I'll put either one in a sock with gravel. There are some roots around the trench so I thought the solid pipe would be sturdier. Any comments on this would be appreciated. Edit: I need more comments please. <Q> Tim Carter at AskTheBuilder.com has a lot of articles on French/Trench drains. <S> He likes solid pipe and I agree. <S> You are correct in that the holes point DOWN. <S> Here's why - the water won't magicially find the holes if they are pointed up, but if they are down, the water can fill the trench and then flow into the pipe. <S> Put a cleanout on the upper end if you can, if you don't want it sticking out of the ground, then come up with a 45 elbow and bury the cap right below the ground. <S> I would NOT put a sock on the pipe. <S> That will just clog. <S> If dirt gets into the pipe, most will flow out because its rigid, and hopefully you can put a cleanout on it, or you can run a snake in from the outlet. <S> I would put some straw or landscape fabric right under the top soil. <S> Use 3/4 gravel as filler, not smaller. <S> Read Tim's articles if you get a chance. <A> Use the solid pipe -- two feet of clay soil will be very heavy, especially when wet, and I can see the flexible pipe deforming as you fill in the trench, potentially causing a blockage in your nice new French drain. <A> The holes point down, below the pipe is a 2-3 in layer of gravel that the pipe sits on. <S> The pipe needs to drop 1/8 inch per foot of distance, if I'm not mistaken. <S> 80 feet distance equals 10 inch drop from the start of drain to finish (where it drains to). <S> I'm unsure which pipe is better to use overall <S> but I would assume solid PVC (with holes pointed down) <S> would work better if a lot of material is piled on. <S> (Deep trench, heavy soil). <S> Picture the trench without the pipe, just a thin layer of gravel in a trench sloping down gradually. <S> The water would flow just fine through the gravel and down the trench until it filled past gravel and eroded the dirt into the trench. <S> If there is very little water the pipe doesn't fill and just flows through gravel under pipe to the low end. <S> When there is a lot of water it fills the thin gravel layer and continues upward into the holes of the pipe which gives the water an easy path to follow in large amounts without eroding dirt on side of trench. <S> The sides of the trench wall and all sides of pipe have gravel around them to let water go through the gravel from the grass, dirt, sidewalk etc. <S> to enter the pipe. <S> If holes are up or on sides of pipe then the water has to fill the trench until it hits a hole to enter the pipe and drain away to low end. <S> Holes down keeps the water from having to fill so high before the pipe can do its job. <S> Socks on pipe and fabric in trench containing the gravel keep dirt and other small particles from mixing with gravel or entering pipe decreasing the likelihood of clogging or otherwise obstructing water flow. <S> It will make all your hard work last longer without issues and cleaning out. <A> Has ANYONE actually set-up various french drain configurations behind clear plexiglass (cut away-like an ant farm display) to see (for real) how it performs? <S> In my 'minds eye', the possibility of collapse (despite the corrugations (I've seen crunched perforated pipe at the store!)) and the idea of standing water within the corrugations makes the flex pipe less of a candidate behind a retaining wall 4ft or higher in a clay environment. <S> Solid perforated PVC: <S> Hmmm <S> ...Holes up lets water in directly above the pipe and that's it. <S> Holes down hopes water will find a path of least resistance and voluntarily enter the pipe on a journey to a desired outlet away from the retaining wall to alleviate hydrostatic pressure. <S> It seems best to combine the best attributes of both systems to use solid perforated pipe with holes drilled/punched all around to ENSURE water finds its way inside to travel down stream. <S> Regarding the water seeping out... <S> yes, water will seep out under low or zero precipitation conditions where water behind a retaining wall will not be an issue. <S> However, during moderate to heavy precipitation, water will be taking the path of least resistance, once it finds its way into the pipe, and since water is draining through the backfill stone everywhere, flow into and through the pipe downstream until precipitation subsides. <S> Keep in mind, appropriate airflow needs to exist for water to flow. <S> Keep the outlet above ground/water level taking into consideration for water pooling at the outlet. <S> None of this is proven... <S> just my minds eye perspective. <A> Sorry, I have to disagree to solid pipe. <S> Regardless of what type of soils surround the trench, the back fill for the drain must be pea stone or gravel. <S> If you use solid pipe, how is the water going to enter the pipe to be drained? <S> Use the flex pipe, point the holes up and cover it with landscape cloth, and backfill with a good draining material.
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Solid pipe would be fine for a floor drain etc, but by definition, a French drain is a continuous porous downhill drain.
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Any words of advice on dealing with termites? I have confirmed today that I have a termite infestation in my house. We found a recent tube build through the crack in the foundation and some termite activity outside.Any words of advice on treatment options? I already heard that the two major options are a liquid "perimeter" defence and bait stations that kill termite colonies. The latter seems the preferred choice of a couple of contractors I talked to. Pros and Cons? If you dealt with this problem before, I'd like to hear anything you'd like to share.I will post updates as I get treatment estimates and proceed with exterminating the colony. <Q> We just went with a pest control company after we found a bunch of the critters. <S> Very scary when you live in a log home! <S> They put down poison to get a beachhead and then went with bait stations since. <S> It seems to be working. <S> No new damage. <S> Some other advice those guys gave is: - Do not use wood mulch right up against the house. <S> - Make sure not to pile dirt up anywhere near the top of the concrete foundation of the house. <S> - pick up any lose wood or dead brush laying around the yard. <S> You want the minimum of wood-to-dirt contact anywhere near your house as possible, otherwise you are attracting the suckers and feeding them. <A> We treated our old house using the bait traps which seemed to work well, but it did take a couple years before all the traps were empty. <S> EDIT <S> The bait traps we used were installed by a professional exterminator. <S> He would check the traps monthly, and if he found termites he would inject a chemical poison into the ground near the trap. <A> You can pickup your own bait traps at the store. <S> I tend to use them as a preventative measure before the pests get to the house. <S> The only damage I've witnessed at this point is some bad boards in the fence. <S> The traps tend to last a year or so before needing to be replaced, so I personally like that over a liquid that I imagine <S> would be washed away in a storm. <S> You can also check the trap to get a feel for how well it's working. <A> I had one house treated with the injections around the foundation and holes drilled near pipes. <S> That seems to work. <A> Termite bait stations are generally not effective enough to treat an existing infestation. <S> If you already know you have a termite problem you're going to need to do a full on liquid perimeter treatment. <S> Liquid perimeter treatments can cost anywhere between $1-2,000, if you hire a company. <S> Doing it yourself will cost about $250. <S> I work for a do-it-yourself pest control supply store and we carry the DIY termite treatment supplies you will need - see here: http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/termites-c-3.html . <S> We also have a good article that explains how to do your own liquid perimeter termite treatment, here: http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/how-to-perform-termite-treatment-a-87.html . <A> You have two mostly used solutions for this. <S> 1) <S> Using terminators: <S> Whenever you are building any wooden furniture or even wooden door,etc, try to apply terminators(you will get many in the stores, which is in liquid state), and apply to the wood which you are using for building. <S> This will prevent termites for few years but is not 100% terminator of termites, as companies pose. <S> 2) Chemical treatment or insulation: <S> This is a new way in which the chemical treatment is done by injecting the chemical which kills the termites on contact, into the wall. <S> Suppose you have a window at 2 feet from the ground, then chemical treatment is done in between the window and the ground, by injecting the chemical in between. <S> This will keep the termites away and is a proven technique too.
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Termite bait stations are used more as a preventative measure, or for termite monitoring - to see if there's a problem.
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What wood to build a bath-tub tray? I'm new to wood working and I want to build my wife a bathtub tray that can hold a laptop (for Hulu watching) and a glass. It doesn't need to hold anything else really. But I don't know what type of wood to use for this. What wood would be good?! <Q> I would suggest using a hardwood like "teak" as it is commonly used in environments where it is exposed to water such as on boats and for outdoor furniture. <A> I would suggest a wood that dries and doesn't mold easily. <S> Something like a bamboo or cedar should work well. <S> Also, don't bother polyurethane'ing it, because the coating will just start to peel off with the humidity in the tub. <A> Teak, finished with tung oil, is beautiful and very humidity-resistant. <S> It is, however, insanely hard to work with. <S> Same for mahogany. <S> This is a bit more work than normal wood finishing, but the results are beautiful and very humidity/water resistant. <S> The varnish is available from boat supply stores, and the keyword to google the technique to apply it is "brightwork" - the art of finishing woodwork for marine applications. <A> I built one out of a knotty laminated pine panel, which looks good, was quite cheap, and doesn't warp easily. <S> Coated it with wax, and water hasn't been a problem for it.
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Another option would be any tight-grain, dimensionally stable hardwood, like cherry or birch, and finish with a marine-grade urethane spar varnish.
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What to do with small patch of wallpaper in middle of wall? I have a patch of wallpaper in the middle of a wall I am trying to paint. Its only about 18 inches tall and 6 inches wide. It doesn't seem to want to come off, I tried using a razor blade to take it off, but its on there too good. I believe it to be very old, and it probably wasn't put on right (it was there when I moved in) I do not want to damage the wall... What would happen if I just painted right over it? <Q> You can rent a steamer to remove the wall paper. <S> You might also try wetting it with a spray bottle and letting it soak. <S> It will be tough to not damage the drywall paper <S> so be prepared to spackle it. <A> The finish you get will depend on surface of the wallpaper. <S> If it's a smooth paper then you should be OK just to paint over it. <S> You will notice where the paper is though as it will have a slightly different texture to the rest of the wall. <S> If it's a textured paper then you'd have to use filler to smooth it out first. <S> However, most wall papers have (at least) two layers. <S> There's a backing layer and the surface layer (and possibly one in between depending on the quality of the paper). <S> Soak it (as uSlackr suggests) - scoring it first with a sharp knife or scoring tool will help the water soak through - and then use a scraper to take as many layers off as possible. <S> It's very easy to dig the scraper into the wall so you have to take care - don't rush. <A> I would try this before the steamer, or if you have a heat gun this may help. <A> Presuming that the wall is textured, I recommend texturing over the wallpaper and blending it with the existing texture.
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Try just taking a sponge of warm water and rubbing it over the patch and then scrapping it off. Even if you can't get the backing layer off the wall you should be able to get the top layer off.
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Why are there bubbles in my bathroom toilet and sink? I have had a lot of really odd things happen in my bathroom this weekend and I want to make sure it is nothing too serious. Ok so when I was taking a shower I heard the toilet bubble up. A few minutes later I noticed that my shower drain was going slower than normal. So when I was done with my shower I took a plunger to the shower and it pulled back some hair, etc. I also noticed that when I flushed the toilet it did not want to drain quickly. I immediately turned the toilet off and then I also noticed that some of the water had backed up into shower. With the hair I pulled out of the shower I figured I had a hair clog. I put some Drano down the shower to clear the hair and I don't have hair coming up when I plunge the shower now. However I still have some really odd stuff happening in the bathroom. When the shower gets used for more than a few minutes, the toilet bubbles up and the shower drain slows down again. The shower will eventually drain (very slowly) and when the shower empties, the water in the toilet appears to drop until I can hear air coming in from the bottom. When I use the sink the toilet bubbles up and when I flush the toilet I hear what I assume is some bubbles coming up from the sink. With a little research I have done on this it looks like it could be the drain pipe on my roof leaking or that my drain field is flooded (I live in Michigan and we have had a ton of rain over the last 3 weeks or so). I guess I am wondering if both of these ideas are plausible and/or likely and if something like this warrants a calls to a plumber to have them investigate? <Q> A drain clog would obviously slow down drainage. <S> The bubbling and interaction between your toilet and shower drains suggests that they may not be getting proper ventilation, and therefore sucking air from one fixture to the other. <S> Do other fixtures drain well? <S> If so, then it is probably a clog in the drain or vents connected to this bathroom only. <S> You can try some things to narrow down the clog's location, but getting a plumber's help sounds like a good idea. <S> I certainly wouldn't want to risk toilet drain water backing up into the shower! <A> There is a clog downstream from both of these drains. <S> If they are both at the lowest level of the house and you have a septic system, then it's conceivable that the problem is there, but you'd also see water backing up into that bathroom when you run any other showers/toilets in the house. <S> Most likely, the clog is in the joint in the drain lines where the shower and toilet join on their way out of the bathroom. <S> Get a snake to fish down the drain (probably best to do this in the shower to avoid damaging the toilet bowl) and expect to go down quite a few feet before you reach the problem. <S> Edit: Revisiting this question, I'd agree that there's also a likely vent blockage from the bubbling descriptions. <S> But the fact that toilet water backs up into the shower points to a drain blockage, too, and that will be easier to fix. <A> We have been experiencing this exact issue on and off for the last month and a half. <S> We have had a plumber out twice to resolve it. <S> Both times he ran a snake To clear the line and found no blockage through the entire 100ft line. <S> After doing some research I have noticed that the gurgling and backing up is very commonly linked to venting issues. <S> So rather than snaking the drain, I'd recommend checking for a blockage in the vent. <A> For me the septic tank in my house was full and needed to be emptied.
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Sounds like you have a clog in the drain system downstream of your bathroom, or an obstruction in your drain vents, or both.
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Why are homes wired using solid wire rather than stranded? If stranded wire can carry more power for a given wire gauge, why are homes typically wired using solid? If solid wire is less expensive to make, that provides a compelling reason why solid is used, but if an electrician or homeowner wanted to use stranded, is there any reason not to? For this question I am mainly referring to legs of U.S. home wiring for 15 and 20 amp breakers carrying 120 volts on a single phase. <Q> A few reasons: <S> Stranded wire is more expensive to make. <S> (it's the cross-sectional area of conductor that counts and there are going to be some air gaps between conductors with stranded). <S> This could make a big difference if you have several cables in a limited space like an electrical box. <S> The main advantage of stranded is that it's more flexible. <S> You generally don't need this in home wiring because it's all put in place once and hidden behind walls/floors/ceilings. <S> When you screw a solid wire into a switch or receptacle, you can tell if it's secure. <S> I could see individual strands coming loose as you fold wires back into an electrical box. <S> More information in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire#Solid_versus_stranded <A> The skin depth for copper wires is roughly 1/3" for 60 Hz. <S> So unless your wire is more than 2/3" in diameter (YIKES!), it won't come into play. <S> Therefore, solid copper wire CAN carry more power than stranded wire at 60 Hz, due to packing inefficiencies (empty space) that is inevitably between the individual strands. <A> Stranded is more susceptible to corrosion due to more surface area.
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At a given wire gauge, stranded is going to be larger than solid wire
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Can porcelain tiles be installed over ceramic tiles? We have a large portion of our house with ceramic flooring which is now looking very old fashioned. It has large grout lines (3/8 inch) which are white and almost impossible to keep clean. We do not want to have the entire floor taken up and replaced and were wondering if new modern porcelain with very minimal grout lines can be installed right over top of the existing ceramic floor successfully. <Q> Although I would never do this myself, eHow has a step-by-step for this. <S> Keep in mind that doing this will add thickness to the floor, so transitions into other rooms might be tricky. <S> According to <S> This paper "an abrupt increase inheight" of 1/4" (6mm) "is considered to be a threshold level for consideration of trip hazard for a pedestrian". <S> If this is done in a bathroom, the toilet flange (and/or other fixtures) will likely have to be raised to compensate for the new floor height. <S> Tile Over Tile Floors <S> 1 Inspect the tile floor and make sure there are noloose tiles; the existing tile must bein good shape for re-tiling. <S> 2 Clean the tile thoroughly to removeany wax or build-ups on the tilefloor. <S> Scuff or sand the tile to makethe surface a little rough; this helpsthe new tile bond to the old tile. <S> Rinse the floor after it has beensanded to remove any dusty particles. <S> 3 Apply a floor leveler to the wholesurface of the floor. <S> If you have araised area, begin there and work yourway outwards in a circular motion. <S> Thefloor leveler will fill in previousgrout lines and make the floor levelfor the tile over tile application. <S> Floor leveler is usually latex-basedcement. <S> 4 Use a screed to level the floor; ascreed is usually a long and verystraight board or level that will movethe excess floor leveler to lowerlevels and will help you level thefloor. <S> Allow the floor leveler to cureaccording to directions, usually 24hours. <S> 5 Buy thin-set mortar that has a latexadditive in it or replace the amountof water with a latex additive. <S> Latexor epoxy type mortars are best forinstalling tile over tile. <S> Mix andapply according to manufacturer'sdirections. <S> 6 Set the new tile in small enoughsections as the thin-set mortardirections call for. <S> After the wholefloor has been tiled, install thegrout according to instructions. <S> Sealthe grout if directions call for it. <S> Tile Over Tile Walls <S> 1 Clean theexisting tile thoroughly to remove anywax or soap build-ups. <S> Sand thecleaned tiles to rough up the surfacefor better adhesion. <S> Rinse the sandedtiles to remove excess dust fromsanding. <S> 2 Use a latex or epoxy based thin-setmortar to set tiles into. <S> Apply to thesurface of the existing tilesaccording to manufacturer directions,setting the mortar base at a mediumdepth. <S> 3 Install the tile <S> a small section ata time, according to the thin-setdirections. <S> Apply grout and sealeraccording to directions. <A> While I have never done this on a floor, I have done this to a back splash wall in the kitchen. <S> Granted what I did wasn't weight bearing, but it did hold when the cabinets over head suddenly broke their supports and rested solely on the 1/2 inch ledge on the back splash. <S> So the mastic will hold, the only question then is the porcelain tiles themselves. <S> You can test this, if you can spare losing a tile, just place a porcelain tile over the ceramic and add lots of weight. <S> If it holds, then I would go ahead and tile the entire floor. <A> Clean the surface, make sure it is free of all dirt and <S> any wax build up. <S> Use self leveling compound, e.g. Ardex or TEC. <S> Apply a liquid primer called "Grip" with a paint roller. <S> Grout after 24-36 hrs. <S> Seal the grout once it is cured within a week. <S> Happy installation! <A> flex bond! <S> It's perfect for tile over tile. <A> Although it's possible to do what you're asking I wouldn't recommend it. <S> Especially if the current tile is laid on a wood floor. <S> Although labor extensive you will be much better of and half a lot less potential for problems if you remove the old floor and start fresh. <S> The prep work for laying over existing ceramic is tedious, in the end of believe you will save yourself a lot of work and trouble by removing the existing ceramic.
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If the ceramic is curved or bulges in the middle, you may crack the tiles you put over it, when you add weight to them. Invest in a good setting material (superflex Thinset).
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Repairing a hole in a door I now have a wonderful hole in a bathroom door, as a result of door-stop not being installed in the proper place, and the door being shoved up against a towel rail (picture attached). As can be seen, this door is of the cheap variety and consists of plywood (right name?) front and back. My options at this stage are: Replace the entire door (expensive); Replace the entire back of the door (big job, and possibly pricey); Some "localised" fix (ugly, but maybe there's some "magic" of which I'm not aware). Any advice would be appreciated. <Q> Install a small piece of wood across the back side of the opening. <S> You need this to attach your patch to. <S> Use a strong glue (liquid nail perhaps) to have it stick in place. <S> Because of how thin the material is, you may want to install a few pieces to provide support at the edges. <S> If you don't have a small piece of wood, pickup a paint stirrer at the hardware store, they're usually free. <S> Glue the patch in place. <S> Wood filler or spackle around the edges. <S> Sand. <S> Prime and paint. <A> Some people cover such a hole with a thin wood board or metal plate that extends across the full width of the door.(Or most of the width, minus an inch <S> or so on one side or the other or both).The added material also reinforces the door, making it less likely the door stop will punch another hole in the door. <S> (illustration from Atlanta Lock and Key ) <A> Everything you do is going to look like a patch job. <S> Replacing the door is really not that expensive. <S> I think I saw some of those doors at home depot for $25-$30 . <S> You may have to buy the hole <S> saw for the door <S> handle tho.
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You can try something similar to the fix for a drywall hole, just with glue instead of screws due to how thin the material is: Cleanup and smooth the opening and make a replacement piece that fits the hole.
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How can I seal a below-grade window permanently? I purchased my home a couple of years ago and this year I am going to replace the deck and build a fence. The deck was in terrible condition so I completely took it down. To my surprise I found 2 below grade windows under my deck that had been dry walled over on the inside. In fact the previous owner even left the glass panes in the windows. I want to fix this permanently and fill it in so it won't ever be a problem again. What is the best way to do this? <Q> Jeff, you didn't say what material the windows were in. <S> poured concrete foundation wall, framed wall?? <S> Is there siding around the windows? <S> A concrete wall could be filled with bricks and mortar. <S> If it is a framed wall, build a framed box, shiething, then some flashing, lots of silicon caulk and match the siding. <S> A picture would be a great help on this one. <A> I then sealed around the opening and the screw heads using Lexel caulk . <A> If you want something relatively quick and easy, you could fill it up with a 2-part Polyurethane Foam ( info ). <S> and you're going to be covering it up anyway <S> , right? <S> A few months ago I had a home energy audit done on my house and the technician recommended this stuff to improve temperature retention and seal the house up. <S> I've re-insulated a fair amount of my house with this stuff <S> and it's great.
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In a similar situation, I cut a piece of flashing to the size of the window opening, then used metal screws to attach it to the (also metal) window frame. I thought about filling in the opening with concrete afterwards but never bothered. It's really easy to apply, is airtight as long as you apply it properly
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Is there any alternate of conventional Air Conditioner? Is there any alternate of conventional Air Conditioner, which are costly and increasing green house effect? <Q> Simpler alternatives are opening the windows, a house fan , swamp coolers - depends on how hot/humid it gets <A> geothermal ceiling fans larger overhangs <S> smart landscaping (trees for shade, etc.) <S> window awnings more efficient windows (that prevent solar gain) <S> passive venting strategic building positioning <S> increased insulation <S> reflective roofing surface below-grade <S> living <A> One simple additions to DA01's list: <S> Cellular light blocking blinds. <S> I'm amazed by the temperature difference on each side of these, and you can pick them up relatively cheap. <S> Outside of various types of insulation, to block the heat, and ventilation ,to get any heat out, AC units remain the standard way to cool a home. <S> That said, I'm interested in whether we'll see much progress in peizoelectric systems outside of the computer space: http://www.frostytech.com/permalinkArch.cfm?NewsID=54891 <S> There's quite a bit we can do to build homes better that DA01 summarizes very well, but it's a shame that hardly any of it is done in new construction today without custom building your home. <S> One other thought, I live in a townhouse with 3 stories. <S> We switch our bedroom in the summer to be in the basement. <S> If we were tight on space, we would simply be swapping the master bedroom with the guest room. <S> In some very old, but high end homes that I toured recently, they had a front and a back so that they used the north facing rooms in the summer and the south facing rooms in the winter. <A> There is no real alternative to achieve the same result and pay less money. <S> You can produce an air flow (fan of any kind) and help not to get to hot by using awnings <S> but you will not achieve the same cooling result. <S> You can try to buy ac units which use R410 coolant and are of inverter type, to ensure that the environment is less harmed.
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Geothermal Heat pumps are more efficent than a traditional Air Conditioner/Heat Pump - if they are possible/practical/cheaper depends on your circumstances.
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What types of flooring can be used with electric radiant heat? I am considering converting an old enclosed sleeping porch into a usable room year round (in Ohio). Currently the floor is a big slope to allow for drainage when it was still open, obviously I want to level the floor but was considering installing electric radiant heat in the floor at the same time because there is no heat in this room yet. What types of flooring materials work with electric radiant heat installed on a floor with wood joists (not a concrete pad)? I know tile is the standard choice that works well, however I am concerned that there may be some movement in this floor because it is an old porch and I don't want the tile to crack. PS - I ask because I am in the position to install it if it would work well. If it looks like it does not make sense on non-tile floors I may just install a small electric baseboard heater. <Q> Laminate might be a good option as it can flex and is easy to install. <S> Check with the radiant heating manufacturer to ensure you're using a flooring and adhesive that are compatible with the floor heat, but I doubt the temperature will be a problem -- <S> radiant floor heat probably doesn't get much hotter than your floor would naturally get on a hot summer's day with the windows open. <A> Radiant floor sellers will tell you that their systems work with any type of floor. <S> Contractors that do repairs will tell you stories of floors gone bad over radiant heat, like hardwood that warps or laminate that delaminates. <S> I will tell you that the performance of the system will be affected by the insulation value of the floor covering. <S> Carpet will hold some of the heat out, wasting some energy. <S> But exactly how much, and whether it will be enough to matter, are very specific to each situation, so I can't guess. <A> Wood is OK - we have underfloor heating installed in the top two floors of our Victorian house. <S> It's a water based system with pipes and heat spreaders installed just below the floor boards. <S> It's not as efficient as tile, but does heat the rooms quite nicely. <S> With new wood you'll find that it shrinks quite considerably as it dried out more quickly than you'd normally expect. <S> So I'd recommend screwing it down and then relaying it 6 months to a year later to tighten up the joints again. <A> I don't have detailed knowledge on this, so I'll defer to the other experts here. <S> However, I would get the specifics for the radiant heating system you are thinking of installing, specifically the maximum temperature that it can reach. <S> Then just double check any flooring you plan to install for any limitations, e.g. some glues may release above a certain point.
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Some electric radiant systems can be used with laminate floors, e.g. http://www.suntouch.com/mats/ , or even floating/engineered wood floors according to http://www.thermosoft.com/radiant-floor-heat/ . I've seen similar systems (water tubing based) installed under carpeting, though if there is any moisture potential, you would want to avoid that since heat and moisture will result in mold.
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Thin walls means lots of noise My bedroom is directly under my neighbors living room, he has crazy hours and I find myself waking up constantly. I tried talking to him and he's trying his best but it's just not good enough. What can I do (other than buying a white-noise machine which I did and is helpful but not helpful enough) to reduce noise coming from the top floor neighbor who admittedly walks around as if he weighed 5000 lbs.? <Q> During construction of multi-unit dwellings, we install homasote on top of the subfloor (in the unit above yours). <S> In the ceiling, we will add a layer of insulation. <S> Your options post construction are very limited unless you want to replace the ceiling. <S> Ear plugs, fans, white noise, etc, may be the best you can do until one of you moves. <S> Edit: If you have option to rearrange your floor plan, I'd move your bedroom to be under another bedroom instead of a living room. <A> Well, you aren't entirely out of luck, but post construction soundproofing narrows your options: <S> You can buy your loud-walker friend some thick slippers. <S> If you have hardwood floors in your room, put down some thick carpet. <S> Take your neighbor shopping for thick rugs he can put on his floor directly above yours. <S> Cut small holes in the drywall near the ceiling, between the studs. <S> Fill the space between the drywall with cellulose or expandable foam insulation. <A> What kind of floors are above? <S> What kind of noise is it? <S> Some options other than the proper 'install proper <S> acoustically separated ceiling' solution B Mitch suggests would be to maybe get the landlord to upgrade the tenant's floor above. <S> Maybe new carpet with a thicker carpet pad?
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And then before installing the drywall on the ceiling, we would install resilient channel that keeps the drywall from directly contacting the joists. Or, turn your bedroom into a day room and invest in a really nice futon/pull out couch for your living room. Check out this website soundproofing america ; they sell DIY products and offer a HUGE selection of sound proofing solutions for every room and situation.
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How much weight can you mount to a wall? I would like to mount a fairly heavy shelving unit (~150lbs) to a wall with a number of L-brackets. It being a shelving unit, I would be putting all kinds of books and random stuff on it, thus increasing the weight. This seems like a bad idea to me. I have no idea how heavy it could end up being with books, DVDs, art supplies, etc. Is there a limit to how much weight should be mounted to a wall? <Q> 150 lbs is a very heavy set of shelves, unless the bottom sits on the floor and you only need to secure it to the wall so it won't tip forward. <S> You will want to know what the rating of the "L" brackets are and if strong enough to hold your load. <S> They would have to be securely mounted to studs in the wall with some pretty large screws. <S> There are no anchors for drywall that I would trust for that much weight. <S> Perhaps you might consider some legs from the bottom of your shelf unit to the floor to support the weight. <A> The limit is effectively defined by brackets and fixings you use and the type of wall you are fixing it to. <S> Make sure you get brackets and screws that can take the expected weight (plus a little bit more). <S> If you've got a brick/breeze block wall then (generally) <S> the longer and fatter (size) <S> the screw the more load it can bear - as long as you've used the correct size of rawlplug and drill bit for the hole. <S> If you've got a drywall (wooden studs and plasterboard) then make sure you screw the brackets into the studs. <S> There are other questions on the site about how to find the location of studs. <S> Also using more brackets will spread the load so each bracket takes less of the weight thus allowing the shelf to hold more. <S> Real wood (or plywood) can take more weight than chipboard and thicker wood can take more weight than thinner. <A> If you want it off the ground consider bolting a steel L bracket to the wall and than placing the cabinet/shelf unit on this. <S> Also look at bolting the cabinet itself to the wall. <S> With something this heavy, try finding the studs and not using drywall plugs because the chances of them getting pulled out and <S> this weight crushing someone <S> it's not a good idea. <S> Even better if you're working with a foundation cement wall. <S> For extra hold look at the steel screw-in type drywall anchors... go overkill, better to be safe than dead. <S> Also consider using the twin rack shelving units: they can hold a considerable amount of weight. <S> I would imagine into proper studs and good long and thick screws and thick brackets not the cheap ones you can bend with your hands 150lbs would not be an issue.
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Finally make sure the material you choose for the shelf is capable of bearing the weight and won't bow (or even break) under the load. In any case, there is no written limit on weight, but a lot of common sense has to be used in this case.
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Remodeling a pre-1920's home with planks on the interior walls I own an older home in central PA; my guess it is pre-1920's and I was going to remodel the living room and insulate the walls and run new wiring. The walls are horse hair plaster; when I removed the plaster and lath there are planks that run horizontally on all the walls. If I remove them to insulate do I need to put them back on? Are they part of the structural framing? <Q> Most likely it is shiplap . <S> We just remodeled our kitchen in our 1935 house and underneath the drywall and paperboard, we had something similar. <S> Actually the order was: shiplap, cheesecloth, several layers of wallpaper, then either paperboard (lower half) or drywall (upper half). <S> I'm sure the vertical spacing of the studs in approach does not meet current building standards. <S> However, I am not an architect either. <S> At the very least, having it behind the drywall makes it incredibly easy to hang the drywall and anything else for that matter. <A> My house was built in several stage starting in the late 1800s. <S> Throughout most of the house, the shiplap was nailed to the outside of the exterior walls and the inside was lath and plaster. <S> In the stairwell to the basement, which runs along an outside wall, the shiplap is attached to the inside of the exterior wall and the outside only has the thinner wood siding. <S> I doubt that the purpose for the shiplap was primarily structural, but since there were no 2x4 braces in the corners of my walls and the walls are all still very plumb and square <S> , I suspect it does provide some lateral stability. <S> You might want to consider blowing paper insulation into your exterior walls. <S> It would only require you to remove the top-most shiplap board and reduce your risk of disturbing the lateral stability if you remove all the boards. <S> Do you know what's under the exterior siding in your house? <S> One other thing to consider: If you do decide to remove all the shiplap, you may have to drill pilot holes when nailing then back up. <S> It's not uncommon for older homes to have hardwood studs, and today's framing nails bend easily when hammered into old hardwood. <A> I have shiplap as well, in our circa-1910 home. <S> Yes, it is structural. <S> And if it's like ours, they are actually in a tongue-and-groove configuration, which makes them extremely difficult to remove without destroying them. <S> You can safely remove a run near the top and bottom to install insulation, new wiring, etc., but I definitely would not recommend removing them all.
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As far as whether or not it is structural, we went with the assumption that it was.
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What should I do with wires that are too large for back-stab terminals on a receptacles? I am replacing all my electicial outlets and only one has wires that are too big to put into the back of the new outlet. Any suggestions? <Q> As long as you are going through the trouble to replace your receptacles, I have some recommendations: <S> Choose high quality models, especially those labeled "commercial" or "industrial" grade. <S> They have tougher plastics that won't break as easily. <S> I've often seen cheap receps break and lose bits of plastic, and they are left in service for decades. <S> Choose receps that have a contoured face. <S> This makes it easier to get the plug in the right spot in the dark or behind furniture. <S> Otherwise, it's tempting to use your finger to guide the plug in to the hole, which makes it easy to get shocked. <S> These are easier to install than wrapping the wire around a screw; more secure than stabbing in the back of those crappy receps; easier to remove than both. <S> Install tamper-resistant receptacles. <S> These are code-required in many places, and they're a good idea. <S> As others have noted, it sounds like you're trying to insert 12ga wire in to a hole that only fits 14ga (for a 15A circuit). <S> Don't use that feature; see #3. <A> You probably have 12 gauge wire on that part of the circuit, which won't fit into the push-in connector on the back of a 15A receptacle (it's only good for 14 gauge). <S> Is that the only receptacle on that branch circuit? <S> If so, it might be a 20A circuit, so you'd need a 20A receptacle (otherwise you risk overloading the receptacle and damaging it, which could lead to a fire): <S> But as @DA01 says in his comment above, always use the screw terminals. <S> They give a much more secure connection. <A> A lot of older construction in NA (70s 80s) has push in receptacles and switches that accept 12 ga wire. <S> After reading code books and seeing push in failures I am a firm believer in screw connections. <S> My current residence (1983)is 12 ga 20 amp circuits and I am replacing all of the push in with screws (also changing color).Makes me sleep better <S> and I get a look at all circuits to find issues.
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Get receps that have screwdown clamps.
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How can I clean floor tile grout? Someone I know had tile laid in their kitchen and was supposed to seal the grout after the work was done. This never happened and now they have dirty grout. What's the best way to make the grout look new? Is re-grouting an option? By that I mean just putting a new thin layer of grout over top the old stuff to hide it. <Q> Don't re-grout, clean it! <S> Talking with a Home depot guy last year about this <S> and he was amazed I still had to use a brush. <S> He shows me this stuff called oxygen bleach from Ajax. <S> This was literally the easiest method I have ever used. <S> Make a solution with just enough hot water to dissolve it, apply and let it sit for 15-20 min and mop off. <S> That easy. <S> I will never use a tile brush again. <S> Once you get it sparkling white, you can upkeep it my adding a small amount every time you mop and you will have pearly white floors forever. <A> otherwise the new grout will be too thin and <S> even when sealed will be more likely to wear badly. <S> You don't have to get all of the old grout out - <S> just make sure you have 2-3mm depth to work with. <A> Yes, oxygen bleach is good. <S> Another brand I have used is Stain Solver . <S> I don't think you can regrout. <S> Grout is not designed to be a skim coat on top of other grout. <A> Our house has 2000 sq ft of grout (with tile in between). <S> I have tried oxygen bleach and almost everything else I heard about. <S> Finally found Acid Magic. <S> Dilute it with water, pour it on, wait about one or two minutes, rinse and done. <S> I use a floor mate to rinse and dry the floor. <S> I am thrilled with the results. <A> A concrete acid wash , well diluted, about 20 parts water to one of acid, will clean any grout on the floor. <S> But be certain to add the acid to the water, not the other way around, also its an idiot that doesn't use good safety glasses, gloves and caution. <S> Wash down thoroughly after wards with plenty of water.
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Regrouting is an option if all attempts at cleaning have failed, but I'd scrape some of the old grout away first
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Do I need a moisture barrier between my bedroom and attic? This is related to my other question about moisture barriers . There is an attic above the bedroom and there is insulation with paper backing in place. The attic area seems far more likely to get moisture as the bathrooms both vent directly in to the attic and not out through a vent. I'll address that issue eventually. So my question is, should I install a 4mil moisture barrier on the ceiling, or omit that from the ceiling? <Q> I completely disagree with BMitch here. <S> If you live in an area with sustained freezing temperatures, you should have a plastic vapor barrier between the drywall and the studs, wherever "warm meets cold" (exterior walls, top floor ceiling). <S> You want this vapor barrier inside your insulation so the barrier is toward the "warm" side of the thermal break provided by the barrier, thus reducing the amount of condensation that forms on it. <S> Paper, like the backing of your insulation rolls, is NOT a vapor barrier. <S> Neither is the insulation itself, even though its purpose is to "trap" a bubble of air and thus provide a buffer between warm and cold. <S> Moisture also soaks into paper. <S> 6-mil plastic vapor barrier, installed properly, has no way through it; it's sealed against the studs so the drywall screws don't break the barrier, and all J-boxes are sealed with Tuck Tape or similar vapor-proof adhesion. <S> As for mold concerns, there shouldn't be any, even on the back side of the wall. <S> The big concern is the drywall, which is a sponge for any condensation that may form on it. <S> It will trap this water and hold it for a long time, which along with the processed wood product (paper) on its skin, is a definite attraction for mold. <A> I wouldn't do anything that could trap moisture in the insulation, since that would result in mold. <S> The paper backing should be enough of a moisture barrier and, as with the walls, should be installed facing the heated/cooled portion of the home. <S> E.g. in the attic, it should face down, above a garage with a room over it, the paper should face up, and on exterior walls, the paper should be on the interior side. <S> Edit: I'm not sure where others are getting their information from, but I'll provide a few pointers to relevant sites. <S> First, the paper on insulation is a vapor barrier, and it's there by design. <S> In cold climates, it's essential for keeping warm moist air in your home from going through the walls and freezing inside of the insulation, which will result in mold and mildew issues. <S> The proper install method is to extend the paper tabs on both sides and pull back the insulation on the top and bottom so that the attached drywall seals the paper to the studs. <S> And regarding house wraps, they are to prevent weather from getting into the home. <S> Water that penetrates the siding cannot get through this, and it reduces drafts. <S> However, like Gortex, Tyvek can breath, and it allows moisture in the walls to escape. <S> Here's another site with more details on Tyvek. <A> Vapor Barriers are one of the more controversial subjects in the residential building worlds. <S> Some don't believe it in (especially in older houses, where nothing is usually airtight) <S> but there typically is going to be local building codes that will dictate if you need it (usually) and where it should be. <S> In colder climates (Northern US, for example) we (traditionally) have more cold days than warm, so we place the vapor barrier on the inside (behind the sheetrock). <S> In the south, where it's normally AC weather year-round, one would put it nearer the outside of the wall. <S> The idea is as much of the interior of the wall structure dry as can be. <S> Some feel that paint can act as a proper vapor barrier. <S> But that's tricky, as most walls will have holes (outlets, switches, nails, etc.) <S> The one thing everyone agrees on is that you never want to have more than one vapor barrier, as that will only trap moisture within the two of them. <A> Vapor barriers in ceilings seem to have caused more problems than they help. <S> Your discussion and conclusions fail to address blown in insulation, nor the results, in more than a few instances. <S> Since I am regularly do home visits, I count as one who gets to see the results, such as mildew and mold on the inside of the home; in every instance where I've seen mold on the upper part on the inside of the drywall, I assume a vapor barrier above the ceiling and feel for it in the attic <S> and yes, there it is! <S> The vapor barriers in the walls and ceilings are preventing moisture escape. <S> This is typical of a house that is too air tight; with all the new energy efficient remodeling products on the market, this has been a growing problem. <S> In my opinion, forget the vapor barrier in the ceiling and do a proper installation of blown-in fiberglass and vent the attic with intake air and exhaust capability to more than a 1:150 ratio. <A> Ok, vapor barriers on ceilings were a problem 20-30 years ago because of poor insulation standards in the attic space. <S> Most homes I've worked on that were built in the 80s have mold around the outer edges of the ceiling. <S> Heat and air conditioning from the inside makes its way through the drywall and cndenses when it meets the exterior air. <S> Yes, today's homes are more air tight <S> but they also treat the air much better with improved HVAC systems that keep the inside air at optimal humidity levels.
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Because the area behind the vapor barrier can still breathe, even with the insulation, there is little chance of there being enough water in the wall to damage the studs or cause mold to form on them. Neither of these are continuous; the insulation is cut to fit inside the studs, and so air and thus moisture can still get around the paper. See this site for more details. Typically vapor barriers are on the warm side of the wall as keith states.
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Should I install an indoor or outdoor sump pump, or both? I have a full basement in a cold climate (North Dakota). The previous owner had a raw hole broken out of the cement floor that must have served as an emergency sump pump hole. We haven't had water in 8 years and did landscaping around the house to slope water away from house. Due to Radon issues, we filled and sealed the hole and finished the installed a subfloor with Dry Core in the event of moisture in the basement. This year we have a really high water table and water is in the basement - had to rip up carpet, etc. Now I am wondering if I should break through the floor again to install a sump pump. A contractor said he could do an outdoor sump pump for us, but I do not have an electrical source nearby, which will raise the costs and headache. I am also uncertain if the cold climate will require me to remove the pump every year or what kind of hassles are associated with an outdoor sump pump. What would you do? Start over in the basement or put in an outdoor pump. My Radon mitigation system is also a worry if we install a pump inside the house-- not sure how this will effect the deal. <Q> I wouldn't even consider one or the other... both. <S> An outdoor sump pump in our could climate (I'm in Minnesota) is a real pain in the neck. <S> A good friend of mine has one in his old house and he has to bring it in every winter and put it back out when the snow starts melting, which often means a few hours digging to find the top of the sump pit, then every couple days checking and adjusting the position of the pump as the solid ice on the bottom of the pit melts. <S> Worse was the year it melted, then re-froze with the pump in it... <S> I recall he had a number of very unpleasant things to say about it the next day at work. <S> ;) <S> Depending on your levels of radon, the mitigation could be pretty simple. <S> Several of my co-workers have a small bathroom exhaust fan in the utility room <S> where there sump is located that ducts out of the house. <S> It's on a timer that runs it for X minutes every Y hours, depending on what the levels were in their house. <S> Most of us agreed that that was better than having to deal with flooded basements every few years. <A> A high water table also means a finished basement is going to be difficult. <S> If you are installing the sump pump to deal with the water table, and you also need to mitigate Radon, look at a sealed sump pump basin. <S> It is sealed from above <S> so Radon gas won't come into the house, but still has holes for the Radon vent pipe and the water discharge. <S> Note that you will want to install the sump basin in a location that works well for both the Radon vent pipe and the water discharge. <S> (This may not be where the previous owner's sump hole was installed before.) <S> Also, note that this style of sump basin won't give you an open pit that you can easily dump water into, because it's sealed on top. <S> For example, you can't run an overflow hose from your water softener over to the sump pit. <S> If you put open holes in the pit, you will undo the seal that blocks the Radon. <S> (You might be able to attach a drain line with a P-trap, but the radon vent pipe suction would probably empty the trap over time.) <S> Not sure about your state, but in a lot of places, Radon work has to done by a licensed contractor. <S> So, it would probably be a good idea to talk to a few Radon contractors and explain your sitution (which is a little more complex than a typical Radon system). <S> If you haven't researched Radon mitigation systems yet, <S> you really should do so . <A> I'm not understanding the connection between the two issues. <S> They really are different systems. <S> As for Radon, not sure if it varies from state to state, but in MN they come in drill holes in your basement slab, then run PVC pipes from that up and out your roof with a low-power fan continually venting the system. <S> The goals is to put negative pressure on your slab so that Radon doesn't enter your space. <S> Since it sounds like you want a finished basement, I'd definitely go that route. <S> As for the water issue, if you have a high water table, maybe finishing the basement isn't the best idea. <S> One thing I did with our old house is I didn't put down any flooring material and instead acid-stained the concrete. <S> Not a look everyone likes, but I'll never have to deal with tearing out wet carpet. <S> ;) <A> In Minnesota (a very similar climate), rarely are sumps installed outside the foundation. <S> Typically there's a drain tile network that runs to a lower area away from the home. <S> It's only when the home is in a low area that a pump is needed outside. <S> I would reinstall the interior pump, but its effectiveness may be limited by the lack of a proper drain tile network under the slab. <S> If you have good washed rock as a substrate it may work well. <S> Regarding the radon system, you simply need to install a sealed cover over your pit or pail. <S> By using rubber grommets around the exit pipe and power cord you allow the radon mitigation fan to create adequate vacuum under the slab. <S> Such covers are readily available from online radon specialty companies.
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If your basement is flooding, and you live in freezing climates, an indoor sump pump is a pretty important.
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How can I install the drain for my reverse osmosis water filter? I have purchased a Whirpool Reverse Osmosis Water Filter which installs under the sink. I am trying to install it and have run into an issue with the drain: the revers osmosis filter has a red tube which needs to be connected to the drain of the sink, so that the waste water from the RO system can be disposed of. The RO filter kit comes with an adaptor to install the drain, and the manual says that for a double-barrel sink (which is what I have, the drain should be installed as follows: However, I don't have enough room to install the drain adapter in the location they indicate (I have added a freehand circle for clarity). Here is an actual picture from under my sink: The inset in the bottom right shows the drain adapter (on perfect proportion to the rest of the image). As seen in the indicated areas, the drain adapter, if installed under the right sink, is too tall and I will be unable to connect the right sink's drain to the P-trap. How else can I install the drain for my reverse osmosis water filter? Can I somehow hook it up to the drain from the dishwasher? What is the cheapest and easiest way to install this RO filter without hiring a plumber? EDIT: To clarify, I want to do this in a non-destructive way if possible. I.E. no cutting the existing pipes :-) I need to be able to remove the filter and restore the plumbing back the way it was if I move out. <Q> I don't see any problem with installing it horizontally on the run between the two sinks. <S> You'll probably need a new slip nut (the part that goes on top of the trap) but otherwise it can probably connect into the existing union that's there now. <S> Just keep the piece that goes to the RO on the top (facing up). <A> An alternate approach is to install a second trap that leads to the right (it can share the same vent as the existing by splicing in under the existing trap with a 90° piece that's about 2 or 3 inches tall) <S> and then you can put a cap on the top of your new p-trap after you put this piece in. <S> That would definitely require the least amount of remodeling, but would be the safest as far as knowing that it would work, and would also cost the most (probably) since you would have to buy all the parts for a new p-trap. <S> I would probably go that way since it would be easier. <A> My reverse osmosis kit came with a drain adapter that looks like this: <S> It is kind of a cuff that wraps around the down pipe <S> and you drill a small hole through the pipe, then slide the drain line in. <S> There is a compression fitting at the hole to make it tight. <S> This is by far the easiest way to get the drain tube installed. <S> I know it involves drilling a hole, but in all honesty to get the drain adapter you show in your pictures on and off the plumbing you are going to do at least as much messing around with the pipes and a lot more work. <S> Drilling the hole is the easy solution. <S> If you remove the system you just plug the hole.
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If you can find a way to lower the trap and remount it closer to the floor, then you should have room to install the new piece.
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