Home Improvement: My water heater lasted 32 years, and died 3 days ago. |
- My water heater lasted 32 years, and died 3 days ago.
- I know painted brick is going to be millennial's biggest regret but what about painted tile? Any suggestions what I can do? Link to pics
- Is it OK to run the fan on my HVAC continuously?
- 105 Year Old Duplex Renovation (Canada)
- So I just spent the last 3 hours fixing my lawn-mower because I filled the gas tank with old homebrew. A warning...
- Modern fireplace & mantel renovation
- How to deal with neighbor's rain runoff?
- I need privacy
- Least expensive way to fill in a dry wall anchor hole so I can re drill the area?
- Test for a burst pipe without turning on water, nor opening drywall?
- I'd like to wrap my 2nd floor balcony with mosquito netting to keep angry bugs away. Any advice?
- Need help figuring out how to replace this hose bib
- What material to use to repair window trim?
- Downstairs toilet overflows when upstairs shower runs
- I want to remove the chimney from my house. Who do I call?
- basement toilet
- Remodeling : First 10 Things That Need To Be Done
- If I like the layout, should I leave my cabinets alone?
- What to do about condensation in finished attic
- How to fix my pilot light
- Disc swing bolt
- Cutting hardie siding during a pandemic
- What are some neat features or innovations in new HVAC units we should look for as we get quotes?
- Damaged outlet - priority level?
| My water heater lasted 32 years, and died 3 days ago. Posted: 08 Apr 2020 10:23 AM PDT I purchased my home in 2011, the house is on a small reservoir, and it was originally built in 1995. The rest of the homes in my neighbor were finished in the 50's and 60's, so it turns out the folks next door bought a double lot, and finally sold to the owners I bought it from. Anyway during the home inspection I was told that the water heater was original to when it was built. But when the Plumber came by, he said the water heater was actually made in 1988, and was installed in 1995. So I don't know if that was a cost cutting manuever, or how it played out. This is a 50-gallon natural gas water heater. The Plumber was amazed that it still worked. He even was willing to repair it, saying the valve failed. Yet I was ready to get a new one. I did a fair amount of research on the Internet and came across a company that had gotten a ton of reviews all over the area, but concentrated within a mile of my home. The cost of removal and replacement of the new water heater was $1975, including the permit for the county to come out and inspect. One of my chief complaints of the old water heater was that in some of the rooms farthest from the water heater it would take a good 5 minutes for the water to get hot enough. Can anyone tell me with a new water heater if I will see a dramatic improvement on water usage and water heating costs? TIA Edit 1: To answer some questions, I did get a couple quotes both came in around $150 of each other, I opted for the guy that said he recommended a county inspection after the job was complete, it needed to be reinspected because the venting had to be updated to todays code, even though it was a like/kind replacment. I had done a few searches on google for replacing a 50-gallon gas water heater in VA including permit and updated venting. While the range I got was between $1600-$3000, and two quotes landing near the lower side, I thought it sounded reasonable. The guy I went with, also offered to do it for $125 less if I didn't want it inspected, but I wanted it to be up to code and done right. As far as getting ripped off, I sell real estate in VA and when I heard the quotes I thought it was a little high like some of you, but I wasn't blown away by the prices. While I am only speculating, justn now several plumbers I called weren't even taking jobs because of the Coronavirus, so that may have also been a factor. Overall the company that I had do it, had several positive reviews from reputable sources, and the plumber was pleasant, and got the job done quickly. I'm happy with the work. If you are a plumber in VA and want to DM me what you would of charged for my job, I'd love to hear from you, because as a Realtor I can refer you to my clients. Thanks for reading! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 08 Apr 2020 06:59 AM PDT This tile goes around our fireplace in a wood paneled room. We want to brighten it up, it's dark and we do not like the color. Any suggestions what we can do? We have other big ticket items to get to first so we were thinking paint or some kind of wash technique would be the easiest/quickest/cheapest way to update for now. Edit: More pictures Edit2: Thanks everyone for the helpful suggestions!! I was only hoping for a few responses but now I have so many options to explore! As a new home owner, I appreciate all the tips!! [link] [comments] |
| Is it OK to run the fan on my HVAC continuously? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 05:11 AM PDT We have a heat pump with traditional ductwork, etc. It's around 8 years old and we get it serviced annually. At this time of year, it's too warm to have the heat on and too cool to have the AC on, but we like to have air circulating in the house. (Wife doesn't like having the windows open.) So we often leave the HVAC set to Off (meaning, no heat or AC) but the fan set to On. Is that OK, or are we doing any harm to the system? [link] [comments] |
| 105 Year Old Duplex Renovation (Canada) Posted: 08 Apr 2020 03:47 PM PDT Sharing some photos and details from our renovation! Background: We bought the property with plans to do a light renovations (paint, tiles, etc.). 6 months later, our duplex has a new structure, new plumbing, electric, insulation and interior. We spent and learned a lot. The project was 85% DIY. I did home renovations with a family friend as a University job, so I know the basics. However, I refuse to touch structure, gas, plumbing or electric. Safety is paramount. I work a full-time desk job (45-50 hours/week) and worked an additional 50-60 hours at the duplex. Every night, every weekend. At the end of 6 months, I was pretty tired. I could not do this again. Given the magnitude of the project, I'm going to post some details, then a before/after of some of the rooms. You'll quickly see how the scope exploded! Structure Notice the hole in the ceiling - no big deal we thought, the previous owners paid to patch it up before we moved in! Wrong - it was the first sign of plumbing leaks and major issues throughout the building. We opened a hole in the closet and found mold everywhere. Yuuuuck. Two days into our "light" renovation and the ceiling had to come down. This was unfortunate, as the textured ceiling & plaster mouldings were original. Lots of beautiful details were thrown in the dumpster. With the ceiling down, the mold remediation company came and did a great job. So a week into owning our home and we have to make the second biggest financial decision of our lives. Do we: 1) Fix the leaking plumbing, drywall the ceiling, redo the bathroom, paint and move in; OR 2) Fix everything and change the layout. A picture is worth 1000 words! I demolished everything (fortunately, no asbestos) and a contractor redid the building structure. 6" square steel posts sit on a 36" deep, 48" X 48" concrete base. Every joist was cut, levelled (when possible) and attached with Simpson joist hangers onto recessed 12" custom length LVLs, 5 wide. At three weeks in, our initial budget was completely obliterated - but, we have a blank canvas :) I'll show a few highlights from the projects, followed by specific before/afters. Radiators I love radiant hot water heating and really wanted to keep the system - but, the 105 year old radiators needed love (we pressure tested them @ 50 PSI and no leaks before/after). I found a powder coater with great reviews who claimed he could do them - two weeks into the job, he said they were the heaviest rads he's ever seen, and his electric oven couldn't handle them. I found another guy, who did an amazing job: Primed: https://imgur.com/ruJFpR5.jpg After: https://i.imgur.com/WTsyqHz.png The details really pop - very happy with the results! We also installed a Lennox ducted heat pump that's efficient to -20*C and a high efficiency Gas Bosch boiler (on demand hot water + radiant heat). Skylight No mold here due to lots of air circulation So we put full length pieces of v-notch pine, and a few coats of exterior paint https://i.imgur.com/1w4Sya9.jpg Much better! Getting in there and painting was no fun :) Insulation Well, at this point we may as well insulate the exterior walls. We started by sealing all the cracks with expanding foam (check out the old school carpentry structure!): Then we put foam board, tuck taped it, and strapped it for drywall. Trying to retain as much space as possible, only 12' wide in the back room! We also spray-foamed the rim joists. https://i.imgur.com/1umYIzY.jpg Ceiling Fire/Sound insulation We chose not to level the second story joists, as I wanted to preserve the upper apartment (100% original). We used 2x6" lumber to level the ceiling joists. Then, 2 layers of safe & sound, resilient channel @ 12" oc (you can apparently do 16", but it seemed a little flimsy). Followed by 1 layer of 5/8" type X drywall. Then we drywalled the walls, plastered, furrings, then put another 5/8" on the ceiling. We put safe n sound everywhere: 80 bags of it. It's a good product, but not magic. We got 50-60 STC in the end - decent for an old building! Exposed Brick As the duplex is attached on both sides, brick was used as an old-school sounds and fire barrier. We chose a small section to clean up under the spotlight. As this brick was plastered over, it needed a lot of work. We cleaned it, ground out the joints, repointed the joints, then did an acid wash to get to this state: It was too high contrast for our taste, so we chose to whitewash it with a Benjamin Moore product. It's now our reading nook. Specific Rooms This post is already massive, so I'll show some before/during/after pictures of the rooms! Bedroom was a living room https://i.imgur.com/jUe0KeZ.jpg Added a pattern wall + custom built in shelves/laundry hamper https://i.imgur.com/ui5vGZN.png https://i.imgur.com/jaf9ueT.png Some paint and done! https://i.imgur.com/er6ft3S.jpg We installed a pax as a closet to the right - I only have a picture with the plastic wrap still on. Actually, funny story, I didn't measure the opening for the PAX correctly (1 CM too small). So the PAX we wanted didn't fit - that's why we added the custom shelves and bought a smaller PAX :) https://i.imgur.com/ZntlfbS.png Living Room We converted a bedroom into an open concept living room. We'll close it in the future if we need it. https://i.imgur.com/mxkve0H.jpg Bathroom Used to be a library connected to the living room https://i.imgur.com/oCYrGFI.jpg Not anymore (apologies for mess)! https://i.imgur.com/sj86ESV.jpg Tiled back wall with the directional potlights gives a unique look for a marginal cost. Also added custom shelves and storage https://i.imgur.com/EHZYqX4.jpg Dining Room / Kitchen Very segmented and cramped before https://i.imgur.com/Uv4KNVW.jpg Now it's open! Ikea Kitchen, Quartz countertop. https://i.imgur.com/WflmHPQ.jpg Front door view And that's it! Here's the view from the front door! before: https://i.imgur.com/NDrO3Em.jpg after: https://i.imgur.com/9uLsws9.jpg It was important to us to restore the previous look, so we made custom mouldings to match the prior look throughout the house. Unfortunately, we couldn't move a roof drain so we decided to make it a top mount bio-fuel fireplace between the dining room and reading nook. Not ideal, but better than a random column! And that's it! Thanks for looking at our "light" renovation! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 08 Apr 2020 04:33 PM PDT I pulled out the lawnmower because it's that time of the year. It didn't start. Huh, must be a dirty carburetor, I think. So I get to work removing the carburetor so I can clean it. I emptied the gas tank before I removed the carburetor. I didnt want to waste any, so I siphoned the gas into some empty old beer bottles I had laying around for my homebrew beer. Well, turns out there was some dried trub (yeasty beer residue common in homebrewing) at the bottom of those bottles. When I was done, I poured the gas I siphoned back into the tank.. It ran for about 45 seconds until I learned a mix of gasoline and old homebrew is not flammable. I had to take the whole thing apart again and clean the entire fuel flow. Im not entirely sure what the lesson is here... but there is definitely a lesson to be learned and I felt obligated to share. Maybe check your containers before you use them? lol [link] [comments] |
| Modern fireplace & mantel renovation Posted: 08 Apr 2020 04:47 PM PDT I was inspired by u/beerandpancakes's post about painted tile and wanted to share the fireplace reno that my husband and I took on last year. (Be kind... it's my first post!) Fireplace facelift & mantel addition We started around Thanksgiving of 2019 and finished Christmas Eve 2019 — just in time to get up my stockings, which was the main driver for the renovation. We opted to paint instead of retiling the hearth, since our house was built in 1954 and other contractors have suggested to us that there is likely asbestos throughout. Additionally, we explored adding an outlet behind the TV... but after talking to our electricians, we decided not to, since the whole wall is actually some sort of plywood or paneling that had been painted over. The electricians would have had to open up the wall and we didn't want to do a whole new wall of drywall. (Sorry, that first picture is a bit of a lie as far as lack of cords is concerned... but the cord covers shown in the "before" do pretty well for us!) The most complicated part was digging into California fireplace code to "design" the mantel. I really love the sleek modern look and originally wanted to cover the entire brick portion with wood to mimic a large one-piece stone surround, but realized that code requires 6" of noncombustible material from the fireplace opening, and there's also a thickness restriction on wood until 12" out from the opening. I love what we ended up with, though! The process:
It's been a few months now and everything's holding up pretty well. There's not a lot of foot traffic on it, we don't have pets, and honestly we don't really plan on using the fireplace for real fire (since we'd have to scrape off the paint on the inside of the firebox that was already there). The wood has settled a bit, leading to more cracking in the mantel finish, but we've thrown on some more wood filler and plan to cover it up with more paint. Eventually. :) It makes me really happy every time I walk into our main living space, so if you're thinking about painting your brick/tile because you think it's hideous, I highly recommend it! [link] [comments] |
| How to deal with neighbor's rain runoff? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 07:15 AM PDT I bought a house a year or so ago. The neighbor's lot behind mine seems to slope down towards my house, so when it rains the rainwater runs off his lawn and into mine. Over the years there has been so much erosion that there is several inches between the bottom of the fence and the ground, and the concrete the fence posts were set into is completely exposed. The problem is it runs into the back of my garage and causes flooding. With a decent-sized rain I have a pool of standing water on the backside of the garage. A previous homeowner had to do some repairs to the walls along the floor where the water runs in, but that doesn't solve the underlying problem. I put in some drain stone and dry wells along the edge of the garage to try and alleviate the problem, but it wasn't enough. My first thought was to build a "dam" with dirt along the fence to keep his water from running into my garage, but I'm sure the neighbor wouldn't care for that. I thought about a rain garden, but it's a very shady area, and I don't know if a rain garden would be enough to soak this all up anyway. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 08 Apr 2020 03:31 PM PDT My neighbors just decided to build an out of ground pool with a deck RIGHT beside my fence! They all sit up there now and can see right into my yard/house with ease. I feel uncomfortable to just walk outside because they are looking down at me. To make things worse, I only get sun in my house from the backyard so i like to keep the shades open. Before you ask, we have no HOA. Im thinking maybe i add some sort of trellis with vines on top of my fence? Ugh, i need help asap. [link] [comments] |
| Least expensive way to fill in a dry wall anchor hole so I can re drill the area? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 08:24 AM PDT I put the anchor in crooked and need to re use the same spot. [link] [comments] |
| Test for a burst pipe without turning on water, nor opening drywall? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 08:17 AM PDT We had a pipe burst due to freezing (outdoor spigot pipe) but it only leaked when we turned the valve on — the burst was in that outer portion just past where the inner valve closes but still WITHIN THE WALL — so hours later (after running sprinkler for a while) we see a pool of water in the basement. Our issue is now fixed and we know to turn off the water in the winter— BUT— Our neighbor has an identical house and also has not been turning off the water in the winter so MAY have the same burst but has not yet detected it bc he hasn't turned on that spigot in a while. Is there any way to test for this? Or should I just recommend he have a plumber come out to look? Pipe access is behind drywall. [link] [comments] |
| I'd like to wrap my 2nd floor balcony with mosquito netting to keep angry bugs away. Any advice? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 04:48 AM PDT I live in a 2nd story apartment with a small balcony. It's great for part of the year, but then the wasps and hornets come out and buzz around all the time despite there being no nests nearby (little bastards). Also mosquitos are a pain, but they are basically our state insect here in WI so it's just a fact of life. The balcony itself and the connecting wall are all plastic siding and flooring, and I'm thinking of cutting a "door" so we can open up the netting if we need to, kept closed with some sort of magnet door like those screen doors you can put in doorways (we already have one of those in the doorway to the balcony and it works great). That or clasps. I'm also not sure what would be a good way to secure it to the balcony as we're renting, but we've already been here a few years with a kid so I'm not 100% concerned with getting our entire security deposit back as that's not happening anyway. I'd definitely prefer something like command strips or something that's not a pain to remove or cause permanent damage. Does anyone have any recommendations where I could find a cheap source of a large amount of mosquito netting to surround a balcony roughly 3ft long, 12ft wide, 7.5ft tall. I have basic sewing skills and an overabundance of time. Also any recommendations for websites I can find magnet strips or other recommended ways of making the "door" (just in case we need to throw something off the balcony or jump off in case of emergency), like even snaps or something? If it's not completely perfectly sealed, I don't mind. I just want to heavily discourage those stinging bastards from ruining our balcony time again. Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Need help figuring out how to replace this hose bib Posted: 08 Apr 2020 12:03 PM PDT (New homeowner, not experienced with these repairs.) This hose faucet leaks at the handle when it's opened. The pipe is also stupid long, and it's tough to protect from freezing - so I'd rather replace the whole deal rather than just repair the leaking handle. I looked up some videos and it seems like there's either threaded or soldered connections. Trouble is, I'm unsure which of these this thing is. There's an obvious threaded part (covered in paint) right up against the wall, but the pipe going out from there doesn't seem like it's big enough to actually go over those threads. Thoughts on how to tackle this? I don't have access to anything inside the wall without making holes, which I'd rather not be doing right now. [link] [comments] |
| What material to use to repair window trim? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 05:26 PM PDT So I just moved into a new home that has some unique window trim that I can't find a replacement piece for. 30in of the edge of the trim is cracked off and I'm not sure what is the best material to try to fill it with. I have standard Bondo that I used to make a cast of the edge of the trim from another window frame. My thought was that I could apply more Bondo to the part where it is cracked off, apply WD40 to the inside of the cast I made and press onto the Bondo and let it cure a bit. The problem is Bondo is not as viscous as I'd like and I don't want it to look sloppy. Once it's on, it's on. Are there any similar wood fillers with comparable strength that I can use which is a bit easier to mold and work with? Some sort of putty or material with higher viscosity? I see Bondo makes a wide range of products but I don't have experience with them. [link] [comments] |
| Downstairs toilet overflows when upstairs shower runs Posted: 08 Apr 2020 09:47 PM PDT My downstairs toilet keeps overflowing. I have had a plumber out twice now. They accessed the main house pipe to the sewer and seemed to have cleared the clog. However, the problem has reoccurred now twice within a few days. Any ideas of what this could be? Why would I keep getting slow or no drain after the problem was corrected? [link] [comments] |
| I want to remove the chimney from my house. Who do I call? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 05:51 AM PDT Hi all, I have a chimney for a nonexistent wood or coal stove in my basement (1925 bungalow with 1 story and an unfinished attic). It's in good shape, but I I've lived with it for a year and decided I don't want the trouble and dirt from burning and storing wood, coal or pellets. The chimney runs right up through the kitchen along the wall by the doorway. If I remove it I can fit a bigger refrigerator ( 4 of us sharing a tiny one) and get a little more storage space. What kind of tradsperson should I call? A mason? A builder? A contractor? It seems like a complicated task (with the roof and all) and I want it done properly. Also does anyone have any idea what something like this costs? Any advice appreciated, thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 08 Apr 2020 09:33 PM PDT Hello all, I have a very old toliet in my basement. original post We are looking to install a new toilet. It looks like we need a "up flush toilet" or a "macerating toilet". From my research this means these toilets are needed when the toilet is below the sewage line. I looked where my pipes come in the house they are about 3 feet above the ground. Do you think I still need this special toilet even though it is only about 3 feet off the ground? I noticed up flush/macarating toilets are much more expensive then normal toilets. Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks :) [link] [comments] |
| Remodeling : First 10 Things That Need To Be Done Posted: 08 Apr 2020 04:28 PM PDT Just bought my first house, 3 bdrm 2 bath. It is an old town house that needs , what I seem to think, are just a few normal "Old House" repairs. I have worked for many people who do this and from what I learned these are the first 10 things to be done. I would like to know what are some of your first 10.
Aha! The Fix Up Project [link] [comments] |
| If I like the layout, should I leave my cabinets alone? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 11:52 AM PDT I feel dumb asking this, but figured it would be better to confirm my suspicion and not deal with a huge headache later. I'm planning on getting new counters installed, and I'm wondering if I have any reason to want to rip out the cabinets below and buy new ones. They're builders grade and the doors are incredibly cheap looking, but the cabinets themselves are still standing and don't seem to be in any danger of collapsing, they hold things and I'm not sure if there's anything else I should expect from them. I'm planning on just making new doors for them, but is there any reason I should consider just ripping them out and replacing them since I'm not going to have the opportunity to do it again anytime in the foreseeable future. [link] [comments] |
| What to do about condensation in finished attic Posted: 08 Apr 2020 10:47 AM PDT We purchase our home about a year ago, and have a finished attic room upstairs. Today, woke up to find a massive amount of condensation building up around the middle beam that runs over the center of the room, which was dripping down to the lights that line ceiling. Most of the water seems to be dipping to the east side of the house. Weather has been getting warmer here; we have an window AC unit upstairs (big AC unit doesn't run up there; only on the first floor), but have been keeping it off because it's been in the 60s to 70s, with today being our first 80 degree day of the year. No rain for these past week or so. Water is very warm to the touch. Water is leaking multiple places, the picture i posted is of the most extreme case. Can anybody provide some insight into why might be happening, and what I should do? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 08 Apr 2020 08:21 PM PDT Hope this belongs here if not please let me know a better place. Anyhow this is a relatively new water heater, I think 3-4 years old. Was installed a month or so before I bought the house. Anyhow I had to replace the thermopile on it last year but that was almost 6 months ago. No issues since. Yesterday the pilot was out again. Reignited it and went about my day. Today it was out again. This time I knew something was up so I watched it. After a min or two it went from the normal blue flame to an orange with some popping for a while. Finally back to blue where it stayed. 2 hours later pilot light was out again. Doing some reading it sounds like it's not getting enough air to make the proper mixture? Does this sounds right? Is this something easy for me to fix myself or should I call an expert on this one? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 08 Apr 2020 06:07 PM PDT We're installing one of those flat disc/saucer swings into a 6x10 beam for my niece. What size eye bolt should we use and should it be a bolt through the middle of the beam or a screw eye through the bottom? She's 3 though we can't guarantee teenagers won't go on it. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hey-Play-40-in-Dia-Saucer-Swing-with-Adjustable-Rope-HW3500100/309731533 [link] [comments] |
| Cutting hardie siding during a pandemic Posted: 08 Apr 2020 07:02 AM PDT I'm almost ready to start siding my new shed with hardie. Obviously right now it's damn near impossible to find N95s or other respirators (and I don't want to take them away from professionals and first responders who need them more than I do). If I am cutting them outside in the open air, and I'm not cutting a shit load of them at once, is a bandana face mask adequate? I'll be hanging the siding mostly myself, so it'll be a lot of cut one piece, hang it, cut another piece, etc etc. [link] [comments] |
| What are some neat features or innovations in new HVAC units we should look for as we get quotes? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 05:16 AM PDT Our 1991 Lennox Pulse 21 has crapped out (we were ready, it's been terrible) and we are calling for estimates on new units. Do any of the manufacturers have any unique features we should consider? Feels a little like buying a car, but we don't get to test drive and play around with the buttons! [link] [comments] |
| Damaged outlet - priority level? Posted: 08 Apr 2020 05:25 PM PDT Hello folks, One of the kids went a little wild with their pent up energy and smacked against an outlet and cracked the outer faceplate. Upon closer inspection I noticed it also cracked the receptacle off on the bottom - ie the plastic ramp that guides the ground plug in. I prefer not to venture out if not completely necessary, both for myself and the hardware store employees. Does the broken receptacle pose any sort of safety/fire risk if the outlet isn't used in the immediate future? Much appreciated! [link] [comments] |
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