Home Improvement: Installing duct dampers totally changed the game |
- Installing duct dampers totally changed the game
- Dear the future buyer of my house, I swear I won't leave you crap, literally and figuratively
- Mirror mirror on the wall...and the ceiling, and that wall, and this one, and that wall over there... How would you remove Enter the Dragon level mirrors througout a house?
- What are these in my basement??
- Replacement windows: grids (or muntins) vs no grids
- Nest vs Ring
- My fireplace remodel from start to finish.
- Worth gutting, sectioning, or patching rock lath and plaster walls to add lighting, update electrical, and upgrade HVAC?
- how do you get rid of drain flies?
- Laying laminate flooring on top of existing floor.
- Keep a room cool
- Attaching heat pump water heater to existing HVAC system.
- Tips on cleaning wood floors
- Remove odd “box” above cabinets for kitchen remodel.
- Simple Q: is a kitchen faucet replacement DIY?
- Painting this ceiling is killing me!
- Musty smelling bathroom issues
- Help with wanting to remove kitchen soffits
- How to get rid off tree stumps. Anyone know an efficient way minus digging.
- How to find the right AC Unit Start/run capacitor
- Cutting an old one piece shower in half, what mask/filter do I use?
- Can you use regular Pex fittings with radiant flooring tubing?
- Recommendations for cool flush LED lighting?
- Asbestos In A PA Home Built In 1987?
- Wallpaper over bad drywall joint? Should we fix the drywall first or can we put wallpaper on top?
| Installing duct dampers totally changed the game Posted: 19 Jul 2020 06:50 AM PDT A little background— this is my first summer in my first house, and I've been at war with the hvac system since I bought the place. It's a single zone system for a three story rowhome and is wildly inefficient. Keeping the third floor at something tolerable (76 degrees or so) means the first floor is in the 60's. Keeping the first two floors around the mid-70's means the third floor is in the mid-80's. Cooling the third floor means the system runs indefinitely. Some rooms get ice cold. A couple weeks ago I caved and got a window unit for the third floor. Even with the window unit, I wanted to solve this puzzle. After doing some research, I stumbled on the idea of installing duct dampers to better control the distribution of airflow. This seemed to be a more efficient way to redirect air than solely vent dampers, as I could immediately redirect air out of the AC unit before it makes its way all the way through the duct to the register. I know this has the potential to add a lot of pressure and strain on parts of the system, but the issue at hand certainly seemed to be inequitable airflow. With the goal of adding pressure to the 2nd and 3rd floor front bedroom ducts, I spent yesterday cutting three air ducts (kitchen, office on the 2nd floor, and 2nd floor bathroom) about a foot from where they connect to the furnace in the basement and installing a simple galvanized steel damper ($6 each at Lowe's) inside. I'm incredibly impressed with the results. The pressure on the 2nd and 3rd floor front bedroom ducts has improved A TON and with a little tweaking of the dampers I'm now able to get all three floors consistently cool within a couple degrees. Last night, I was able to cool the third floor from 83 degrees down to 76 in under an hour..something that was all but unachievable before. This was a rewarding (but sweaty and exhausting) project for a total novice.. but 10/10 results would recommend Some pics: [link] [comments] |
| Dear the future buyer of my house, I swear I won't leave you crap, literally and figuratively Posted: 19 Jul 2020 08:19 PM PDT Dear Future Buyer, Just another "gift" we found today in a kitchen cabinet. Not hidden or anything. Plainly there. This goes into the crap collection the sellers left us, both literally and figuratively (before you ask, yes, we did a walkthrough 2 days before closing, but as first-time home buyers, we asked our agent to tell the sellers' agent to tell their clients to remove all their stuff without another walkthrough, and we trusted that they would clean the house somewhat decently before closing - I know, I know). So Future Buyer, I swear that I will clean the house well before you take over. No dog poop soaked in rain water in a broken trash bin. No other broken trash bins. No mysterious colorful liquid "potions" in jars around the house. No spilled-on laundry cabinet with black goo all over it. No hurrily-slapped-on-quarter-inch-thick compound and paint on the walls (why bothered at all, really?). No smelly fridge. No greasy range. No dusty floors. No overgrown grass. No other broken crap we don't want/bother to take with us. I know these are probably very small in the grand scheme of things, but I do believe in basic decency and respect. We will do our best to make the house look as nice as when your agent shows it to you. Sincerely, Me, the husband, and 3 cat overlords who trained us well [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 19 Jul 2020 01:17 PM PDT House hunting has brought me to a great house with tons of potential in a great neighborhood. It needs plenty of updating but one project is scariest of all. There are mirrors literally everywhere. Dining room ceiling? Mirrored. Living room walls? Mirrored. 300 sq ft bathroom? Mirrors on closets, doors, ceiling, and walls. Second bathroom? Mirrors (and carpet). Basement? Mirrors again! Normally I'm eager to do renovations but this is a new one for me. Before I put in my offer, how tough of a project would this be to remove wall to wall mirrors in a 6,000 sq ft carpeted house? EDIT: here's pics for half of the master bathroom as an example [link] [comments] |
| What are these in my basement?? Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:21 PM PDT Not near the electric panel, cable comes in on the other side of the house, door bell is far away from here, HVAC wires are on other side of basement. House was built in the 50s. I am lost.... http://imgur.com/a/XsSee89 [link] [comments] |
| Replacement windows: grids (or muntins) vs no grids Posted: 19 Jul 2020 07:10 PM PDT Recently moved to this house. Current windows are aluminum double but wife wants to update windows. We're torn between grids (single line at the top, not complete) and unobstructed view. House by a creek with great views. We won't go with full grids (current style) as the frames of vinyls are much thicker than the current double aluminum. Me and wife disagree on the style: I think it's ranch house and will look great with no grids and she thinks it's craftsman so it needs some sort of grids. Based on research grids are on the way out. We don't know what to do with that large arch/radium window, too. Got three estimates and they didn't offer much in the way of advice. We're in Vancouver area. Thanks for the input. We'll likely go Pella 250 or milgard Tu [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:06 PM PDT Seeking everyone's opinions/advice/knowledge on the Google Nest Doorbell vs the Ring Doorbell. What is your experience with either? What are the pros and cons to either? [link] [comments] |
| My fireplace remodel from start to finish. Posted: 19 Jul 2020 12:44 PM PDT |
| Posted: 19 Jul 2020 08:15 PM PDT Home is mid-century brick exterior with rock lath plaster walls. Ductwork is original tin and holding up well with supply lines on the inner walls and returns on the exteriors. Wiring is first gen cloth Romex with ground conductor. I'd like to add recessed lighting, replace fixtures, add outlets to meet modern code, and replace any old wiring wherever possible, and add 20A lines to bathrooms. The thing is, the plaster walls are in pristine condition - arguably better than drywall. I'm considering replacing minimum sections as necessary or patching up cut ins. Even thought about hiding runs in crown mounding. There are trade offs to doing that. Another problem is ceiling fixtures I can't access from the attic. Per NEC, 3ft of the old 60C wire at the fixture should be upgraded to 90C. If I did a full gut job, I'd feel safer knowing I've got new romex secured to studs and routed just how I want it. Again, I feel reluctant tearing out perfectly good walls and replacing all of the trim. At the moment, Im leaning towards gutting just enough sections to get to everything I want. But leveling out skim coats of plaster might be more work than tape+mud on the whole room. Recommendations appreciated. [link] [comments] |
| how do you get rid of drain flies? Posted: 19 Jul 2020 07:43 PM PDT already contacted maintenance for my apartment i've been pouring a lot of stuff down the drain, the flies are in the shower drain i've poured vinegar, boiling water, and one time boiling water + bleach right after. now i'm just pouring 1-2 liters of boiling water down the drain 1-2x a day. is there a better way to get rid of these flies? [link] [comments] |
| Laying laminate flooring on top of existing floor. Posted: 19 Jul 2020 06:56 PM PDT I have a rental unit that I'm remodeling and I'm looking for advice on laying down the new flooring. The existing is almost all vinal planks glued to the slab. However in the kitchen is tile on top of rolled vinal which is also glued to the slab. My question is can I remove the tile, cut off any pealing pieces of vinal and then lay the laminate on top of it? Will you notice a change in the floor if I put a barrier between it? I realize it's cutting corners, I'm just trying to avoided taking up all that glue if I can help it. Below is a picture showing the transition. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 19 Jul 2020 04:32 PM PDT So The previous owners of our house turned the attached garage into a bedroom, and that is where I stay. During the summer it gets insanely hot even though we have a ceiling fan and a Honeywell fan. Does anyone know of any ways to keep it cooler in here? There is an air conditioning vent but the room is so big that it barely makes a difference. And the washer and dryer are in here as well making it 10x worse when they are running. [link] [comments] |
| Attaching heat pump water heater to existing HVAC system. Posted: 19 Jul 2020 09:58 PM PDT I have a new heat pump water heater in an unconditioned space in basement (shares a room with HVAC system). The exhaust air is very cold, and the room gets to around 53 degrees F when its running. Seems like a waste in the summer to not exhaust that cool air into a conditioned space. Is it possible to "piggyback" on the existing HVAC ducting to dump air upstairs? For example, find the duct that leads to the living room register, and add a wye fitting to it and exhaust the water heater to the living room. I'm sure an installation like this is not typical or recommended, but is there a convincing argument as to why it shouldn't be done? Thanks [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 19 Jul 2020 09:56 PM PDT Anyone have any good tips on cleaning and keeping wood floors clean? I've been using a mop and water, but it gets really dusty in a few days. I tried adding pine sol and water and that helps it last a few days longer. After 2-3 days of mopping, I would use the Rejuvenate cleaning spray and that makes the floor feel very clean, but it just last 2-3 days. This is the first time I've had a house with hard wood floors so I'm not sure if this is normal or not. Also, the previous owner spray painted the walls and left spray paint specks. Anyone know what's the best way to clean this besides getting on my knees and start scrubbing? [link] [comments] |
| Remove odd “box” above cabinets for kitchen remodel. Posted: 19 Jul 2020 07:03 PM PDT Hello. I am looking to remodel the kitchen with new cabinets. Our current kitchen has this strange "box" the goes around the kitchen ceiling only above the current cabinets. I'm guessing it was just a 1970s aesthetic design choice. Anyways, we want to get rid of it. Once we remove the current cabinets; do you think it would be difficult to remove that section above? How do you think this section was built? My guess was they used drywall to make a box and then attached it to the top corner of the walls. Maybe I'm wrong. Do you think if we tried to remove it then we would just have an open hole in the top of the wall and ceiling? My wife and I have talked about it and are trying to come up with any problems we'd run into. The section we want to remove starts at the top on the far left and is flush with the cabinets. Then is follows along with the cabinets in a "U" shape and ends just above the refrigerator. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Simple Q: is a kitchen faucet replacement DIY? Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:18 PM PDT Long story short, wife wants a nicer than builder grade faucet. House is three years old (new build) and I'm actually pretty handy and have a nice arsenal of tools. The thing is, I haven't tackled anything plumbing-connected before but I'm good at following instructions and understand general mechanics of things. We have a single hole faucet and the replacement is the same. Much like most kitchen faucets it's tough to get to because of the sink. But it seems a basin wrench seems to help with that. To add to difficulty, this is an Alexa Moen unit (7594evc) which seems to have the water flow into a junction box (includes) of sorts then a single output back out. That all being said, how tough is this as a DIY? Or is this one of those "you COULD but it may be really best to let an expert do it"? Thanks y'all for your help during this quarantine home improvement period. Edit - here's the underside of the faucet now - it's a Moen. [link] [comments] |
| Painting this ceiling is killing me! Posted: 19 Jul 2020 03:27 PM PDT I am in the process of remodeling my house and I'm trying to paint the kitchen ceiling with white semi-gloss (Behr Marquee - Ultra Pure White). I am spraying and have significant flashing and overlap (or lines of some kind). I've tried back-rolling and had terrible overlap lines. I've tried a 517 and a 515 tip. I've added Texanol (an additive intended to extend dry time) and that seemed to help a little (not much). Any advice? Would upgrading my 12 year-old Wagner "Paint Crew" sprayer help? [link] [comments] |
| Musty smelling bathroom issues Posted: 19 Jul 2020 06:08 PM PDT So I live in a 3 story townhouse with the main level on the 2nd. On the basement/1st floor is a full bath. I think the owners converted it into a full bath because I heard from our neighbor that one of their parents lived on that floor. You can tell it it wasn't built up to standard. So I rent from the owners, going on 2 years now. This summer that bathroom started to smell musty. I was thinking it was the drains, with mold, because we don't use it ever. We run the water a but weekly but no actual use. Because I thought it was the drains I poured some bleach down the sink and shower drains and into the toilet. Since I've done that the smell has gotten worse. I can't see any mold and I have no idea where it would be coming from. The bathroom itself is bare and we have nothing in there decoration wise. I also can't find any obvious signs of a leak in there. [link] [comments] |
| Help with wanting to remove kitchen soffits Posted: 19 Jul 2020 06:02 PM PDT Hi, in my kitchen I have soffits, however, unlike what I've seen online, they aren't attached to the ceiling. There's a gap between the Ceiling and them. I haven't drilled into them to see if there's any wires or pipes or anything, but with them not even being attached to the ceiling does anyone think it's more likely that they are there just for the aesthetic at the time? Thanks, Reddit!photo below https://imgur.com/gallery/SoOOE3U These are the other 2 soffits [link] [comments] |
| How to get rid off tree stumps. Anyone know an efficient way minus digging. Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:59 PM PDT I have alot off stumps is there anyway besides digging to eliminate the stumps.(Tree stumps). [link] [comments] |
| How to find the right AC Unit Start/run capacitor Posted: 19 Jul 2020 04:23 PM PDT My AC went out last night and I believe it is the capacitor. I opened up the panel to look at which capacitor I should buy for a replacement and couldn't immediately see a sticker. It's possible the writing is on the side I can't see, but I couldn't see any indication of a sticker or printed lettering. I could take it off and check, but I wanted to see if there is any way I can test it with a multimeter or something to find the right replacement capacitor. I'm not an electrician or HVAC tech, but I feel confident changing that capacitor. Now that I can't see the exact model/replacement part I need, I'm not sure how to check. Additional note: The model name/number of the AC unit is illegible due to weathering over time. [link] [comments] |
| Cutting an old one piece shower in half, what mask/filter do I use? Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:22 PM PDT I have a 34" square corner shower that needs to come out a 24" wide door, so need to cut it. It's fiberglass, so was trying to think about what I could do to protect myself. I wonder if I could cut it with shears instead of a recipicating saw to minimize the particles? I probably already took a few years off my life from the mold behind it. added fun Huge former (I hope) rats nest under the corner shower. [link] [comments] |
| Can you use regular Pex fittings with radiant flooring tubing? Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:16 PM PDT Can I use the same fittings and clamps for radiant heating Pex that I would use for water supply lines? If so, are both the plastic and brass fittings OK, or should I stick with brass? The water in my system will be about 165 Fahrenheit, in case that matters. [link] [comments] |
| Recommendations for cool flush LED lighting? Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:13 PM PDT In the process of planning out how to finish our basement. Ceiling height's about 7 feet. The previous owner, who started the process of finishing the basement but did not finish it, installed track lights beside two, opposite walls--not really a fan of them, aesthetically, to be honest. To preserve vertical space, I was thinking of flat LED panels. I've seen modular geometric panels that plug into each other, can be arranged in custom shapes, and can be dimmed/change color, but they all seem to be for lamp/accent purposes, not ceiling size. Anyone come by anything cool? Any thoughts or other recs? [link] [comments] |
| Asbestos In A PA Home Built In 1987? Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:05 PM PDT Hey everybody, So I'm currently looking at homes in PA. We found one we liked that was built, according to county records, in 1987. I was all happy thinking "yay, no lead!" And "yay, no asbestos!" Then I read the county data on the property and it says the house had asbestos shingles. Look up asbestos shingles and it seems like that could plausibly be the case even for a house built in 1987. My questions are:
Obviously no one can know 100% the answer to questions 1 or 2 without seeing and testing the house, but any general information about likelyhoods given the year and state of construction would be much appreciated to help me gauge risks. Thanks! Edit: the house is also an artificial stucco construction. Something tells me that's gonna be a culprit for asbestos as well. Amirite? [link] [comments] |
| Wallpaper over bad drywall joint? Should we fix the drywall first or can we put wallpaper on top? Posted: 19 Jul 2020 05:02 PM PDT |
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