Home Improvement: "Just pout six gallons of bleach down the drain and let it sit overnight." |
- "Just pout six gallons of bleach down the drain and let it sit overnight."
- I just paid $10,000 to have my house (interior) painted and I’m not thrilled.
- Can I patch a hole in drywall without using mesh tape?
- Range hood ducting
- Normal cracks from settling or potential structural issue?
- 600 grit to clean thermocoupler?
- Not sure what the issue is with the wall
- Basement Home Pub Build
- How do I fix these cracks at the bottom of my wall?
- Skim Coating Help
- Is this what water damage looks like?
- Can I cut out a section of plaster wall and replace with drywall?
- 2cm vs 3cm quartz countertop - home resale value
- Water heater busted- now cold water runs “dirty”?
- Dormer near end of roof / water flow question
- Mold in the shower help
- How do I stop water getting in here?
- Broken(?) Wright pneumatic storm door closer
- New homeowner here. I can't find studs in my plaster wall.
- Hardwood Refinish Dust
- Fixing furnace pipe
- Chimney Cleanout Door?
- Carpet underlayment was particleboard, switch to plywood?
- Outdoor storage shed recs?
| "Just pout six gallons of bleach down the drain and let it sit overnight." Posted: 04 Feb 2021 08:26 AM PST The above was said to me by a plumber about my slow-running shower drain. I know very little about plumbing, but it feels like terrible advice. I had called him out to fix a separate issue, and I mentioned the shower hoping he'd be able to snake it while he was here. He turned the water on briefly, saw the slow drain, and told me to buy bleach. My guess is that he wanted to get on with his day and didn't want the hassle of getting the drain snake equipment out of his truck and dealing with the mess. Am I right to think six gallons of bleach sitting overnight in my pipes is a bad idea? [link] [comments] |
| I just paid $10,000 to have my house (interior) painted and I’m not thrilled. Posted: 04 Feb 2021 03:17 PM PST Keep in mind this is a 100-year old plaster wall house. I paid 50% upfront and owe 50%. To me, there's a lot of touch up needed. I'm a first time homeowner and would appreciate some insight and advice. The main thing that jumps out at me is general sloppiness and the lack of straight lines where the wall meets the ceiling. [link] [comments] |
| Can I patch a hole in drywall without using mesh tape? Posted: 04 Feb 2021 06:37 PM PST I am renovating my workshop and I need to patch a small hole in the drywall. It is slightly smaller than a fist. I am not too, too worried about the overall finished look as it's located near the floor and will be hidden behind a cabinet once everything comes together. I used to have a roll of mesh drywall tape but it has gone MIA and I really, really do not want to buy a whole new roll for a small hole that isn't even going to be noticeable in the grand scheme of things. I am wondering if I can just use masking tape or painters tape or if there is anything else that I can use to just help get some plaster over it? Like I said I am going to be painting over it and putting a cabinet in front of it so my main concern is to just seal the hole up before I paint. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2021 07:44 PM PST Will this janky implementation of my range hood air duct set my house on fire? https://i.imgur.com/qhDDy4E.jpg. I know smooth ducting is best but the positioning of the cabinet would require custom ducting that would take longer to make than I'm willing to wait. 4" semi flex duct, 300cfm range hood. Duct is more rigid than it seems. (I didn't cut the garbage hole in the cabinet BTW don't judge me for that please) [link] [comments] |
| Normal cracks from settling or potential structural issue? Posted: 04 Feb 2021 09:31 PM PST I bought my house new in 2015 and I just noticed some cracking around the entrance to the master bedroom which is worrying me. The door to the bedroom no longer locks because the bolt no longer fits in the hole, which was my first clue that something was going on. Looking above the door before entering the room, you can see a big vertical crack starting from the door frame and going up to the ceiling - you can also see a crack at the seam where two parts of the frame were joined together: Here's a closeup of the vertical crack: Just inside the door, there's some cracking above the frame: Then a little further in, there's a large amount of cracking at the top of the wall: There's a bathroom on the other side of that wall....there's cracks where the ceiling meets the walls in the bathroom too: I'm also seeing some worrying cracks around the inside of a couple of window frames: Are these typical settling cracks or are they something worth having someone take a look at? If so, what sort of specialist should I hire, maybe a structural engineer? Any feedback would be much appreciated, thanks! [link] [comments] |
| 600 grit to clean thermocoupler? Posted: 04 Feb 2021 10:38 PM PST The thermocoupler in my furnace has been not working. Originally a technician that came out a few years ago told me to clean it with a dollar bill (which it seems is used for the glass eye sensor, mine is definitely a copper thermocouple). It started not working a few days ago, cleaned it with a dollar for quite some time and it started working. It has since stopped working again (pilot light comes on, and then shuts off after a few seconds). I have read to use steel wool to clean it but I do not have any. Can I use 600 c metallurgic paper instead? TIA for any help [link] [comments] |
| Not sure what the issue is with the wall Posted: 04 Feb 2021 06:51 PM PST How do I fix this? Do I need to take it down and redo it completely? It's the top of the wall. I'm guessing the drywall tape has come loose? https://i.imgur.com/FwpRr3t.jpg https://i.imgur.com/AybcstW.jpg [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2021 12:49 PM PST My wife and I decided to finally get around to building our long discussed home bar since we can't go out during the pandemic lock downs. Link to the album https://imgur.com/gallery/NlgnF8O We saw this room when we first did the home tour before buying it and knew we needed to turn it into a modern British style pub. We used to live in the UK for 3 years and pub culture is one of the things we missed the most, other than easy travel. With the lock downs here we figured now was as good of a time to tackle this project as ever. The pub is named to evoke the style of British pubs and is named after an animal native to my wife's home of Guam and the state bird of PA, where I am from. We started by ripping all the carpet up and lay click together LVP before building the bar itself, as has been pointed out to me in the DIY thread I made, I probably screwed up by building the bar structure over the LVP but time will tell. This project was done entirely by myself with the exception of hooking up the sink, I've never done plumbing so a friend came over to help with that (payment made in 2 for 5 whopper lunch and beer). We started laying the floor at the end of October, and the framing and rough built counters were done by Thanksgiving. The main bar was finished just in time for NYE although there are some additions and changes made after that, mainly minor details like the 2nd magnet holder and the shelf on the fireplace. Finally the pool table was acquired through FB market place the last week of January and at that point I consider it finished. I'm sure there will be minor changes and decorations added but all major components are in place and done. The single most expensive item was the flooring where we spent about $1500 on the LVP and T-moulding. Although we bought extra to floor two other smaller areas of the basement, the entryway on the other side of the room and my office in the basement. When everything was done we have 11 boards of LVP leftover. Lumber and plywood was about $350 for both the bar frame and the various shelves and magnet holders. Walnut bar top was $225 for 7.5' of kiln dried 1.5" thick slab. Various plumbing supplies were a total of $108 All the black Iron Pipe used for the foot rail, bar supports, magnet holders, and paper towel holder came to about $140 Pool table was a steal at $400 for 8' slate The rest of the items and links are below Bar Stools we got them on sale for $70 each total of $280 Beer Fridge was on sale for $499 Ice Maker $138 Led Strip Lights for liquor shelf and under bar $30 Bar Sink $80 Faucet $107 Total was about $4,000 although I'm sure there are a few things I forgot to take into account. We've used it a few times with a couple of our friends that we trust through covid and it has turned into quite the popular hangout spot. We're really looking forward to being able to have lots more friends over and do plenty of drinking here. [link] [comments] |
| How do I fix these cracks at the bottom of my wall? Posted: 04 Feb 2021 04:52 PM PST |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2021 11:22 PM PST I'm currently in the middle of redo-info the ceilings in our house. Approx 1300 sq ft. I'd say about 60-75% of the house I have already gone through and removed the texture that was applied and painted over. That was the easy part! Made an attempt to do some sanding, and gave up on that super quick... and decided that skim coating the ceilings would be easier, and look better with flat ceilings throughout the house. I originally started in our hallway, then moved to the spare bathroom, and am now tackling the dining room/kitchen area. I've watched so many diy videos on how to skim ceilings etc, but I'm lost! After all the videos I've watched - why can't I do it the same way I see it done in the diy videos!? I've been able to do some areas of the ceiling almost perfect, but other areas it seems like the mud is drying so quick, that when I go back to add more mud and pull the mud to extend the skim coat, the mud in the previous area seems to "catch" and start to ripple and clump - if that makes sense. The last bit I tried to skim tonight, I did the thinnest coat I could, and that's where this happened a lot. Mud too dry? Skim too thin? I'm using a blue blade 8" taping knife, putting the mud up in a small section and smoothing it out. Any pointers, tips, tricks? [link] [comments] |
| Is this what water damage looks like? Posted: 04 Feb 2021 09:14 PM PST See images here: https://imgur.com/gallery/KOkdSuQ Just moved out of a rental I suspect has a mold issue. Thoughts appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Can I cut out a section of plaster wall and replace with drywall? Posted: 04 Feb 2021 06:33 AM PST I am new to plaster walls. I wanted to tile a backsplash between countertop and upper cabinets. The plaster is a bit of a mess with holes and cracks. Can I just cut out the plaster and replace with drywall to give me a decent surface? Thanks in advance [link] [comments] |
| 2cm vs 3cm quartz countertop - home resale value Posted: 04 Feb 2021 10:12 PM PST Hi all, We are buying a new house and we have a dilemma what quartz thickness to choose for kitchen and bath countertops 2cm is already included into the house cost but 3cm requires $4k extra We definitely prefer thicker option in terms of the look Do you think it is worth spending extra amount for +1cm and will it increase the resale value of the home? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Water heater busted- now cold water runs “dirty”? Posted: 04 Feb 2021 07:41 PM PST My electric water heater bit the dust yesterday, sprang a leak and is going to be replaced. To stop the leak I turned off the main water supply in my house, then turned the water heater switch in the circuit breaker to OFF. Then turned off water supply to the heater itself, so I could turn main water supply back on to be able to flush my toilet at the least. Now, when I turn the cold water on in any faucet in my house, the water runs dirty... I get my water from a well, there is a lot of iron in my water but I have a filter and it usually isn't a problem until now. What going on? Is it a simple matter of changing the filter or is it something more? [link] [comments] |
| Dormer near end of roof / water flow question Posted: 04 Feb 2021 07:40 PM PST We are currently in process of building a home with an attached garage. We are going to put a dormer type gable on the far right side of the attached garage. Rough Drawing: https://i.imgur.com/KQSWL9M.png It would be a BIT smaller than the pic shows, the dormer would kind of "hug" the 16' garage door, where the pic shows it extending past the 16' door a bit. Does this allow enough room for water flow to the right of the dormer? My father is concerned that it will be too much water due to the dormer meeting the roof and channeling water too fast and wants to make the dormer smaller to give more "gutter space" on the right. To me, it doesn't matter, the gutter will run across the whole 32' wide garage and as long as we use 6" K gutter and 3" downspout it should be fine... as the water will just move down the gutter if the flow gets heavy. Who is right? Any thoughts welcome. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2021 08:01 AM PST It appears that whatever we do, we cannot prevent mold growth in the shower, specifically the grout and the curtain. I clean the grout weekly with bleach and a tooth brush. We also make sure to turn on the exhaust fan during showers and leave it on for at least 15 mins post shower. We live in Houston where it's always warm and humid, but I'm hoping y'all can give me so tips to help out EDIT: y'all are awesome. I got some things to try out. Thanks for the advice! [link] [comments] |
| How do I stop water getting in here? Posted: 04 Feb 2021 01:25 PM PST On the other side of this is my electric panel, and the wood behind it is wet. When I poke the black stuff it looks wet. What is it? How can I make it stop letting water through? [link] [comments] |
| Broken(?) Wright pneumatic storm door closer Posted: 04 Feb 2021 06:30 PM PST Hi all, Storm door had a pneumatic door closer on it which is now stuck in the open/extended position due to the metal tab/lock, which absolutely will not budge... The door closer and lock/tab had been working perfectly, keeping the door open for moving things into the house and then sliding to allow closure, then the lock/tab suddenly got stuck in the open position. I've removed it so I can close the door. Any idea how to get the lock/tab unstuck? Vaseline and twisting as hard as I could* had no effect. Edit: twisting as hard as I could, not gently! Too sleepy to be writing this lol. [link] [comments] |
| New homeowner here. I can't find studs in my plaster wall. Posted: 04 Feb 2021 07:29 AM PST I have tried the following to no avail:
Am I doomed to just tear open the wall to find them? If I did that I would need to learn how to plaster as well and that sounds like a chore. Would love to hear your advice. Thanks! Edit: Forgot to add stud finder. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2021 07:41 AM PST Hired hardwood refinisher and they left my vents uncovered the whole time and did not turn the furnace off. Should I hire a professional to clean my air duct? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2021 09:59 PM PST Hi all! Hope you can give me some advice on how to fix something. Today in my furnace room I noticed something... not good. Basically I have a high efficiency furnace with two pipes, so I guess that means one exhaust and one air intake. When I look behind the furnace, it seems the air intake pipe is broken! Note I'm pretty sure it's the air intake (and not exhaust) because I went outside and I could feel air blowing out of the other one but nothing from the one that it broken (And the furnace has been running and I'm not dead). It's the left side that's broken. Pic attached. You maybe can't totally tell from the pic but that pipe is movable and it's just now facing flush against the wall, and beside it is the other pipe piece it fell off of I guess. Question is how do I fix this? Can I just find a way to reach back there and jam it back in to the other pipe, or is there something more involved to fix? And is it really bad that this thing has been broken all winter when the furnace is running 6-8 hrs a day? It's my first winter in this house. I will call in the experts if I have to but if the solution is just shove it back in and no big deal then better to save a few hundred bucks. Thanks for your help! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2021 09:56 PM PST Newer homeowner, just noticed the chimney cleanout door. Never seen one before and not clear on its purpose in our house. We have a ~07 gas boiler w radiators, converted from oil. The water heater is about 1in from the chimney cleanout, and the door is super old and rusted, and there's gaps around the hinges. Also some soot on the ground. 1) does this door even serve a purpose anymore? Water heater and boiler vent out the chimney but above that door. We do not have a fireplace, not sure if there may have been a fireplace or pellet stove or something prior to us (built in 1930) 2) if it does serve a purpose, I imagine the gaps in it could be dangerous? Is this like a fix today emergency problem or can I figure this out next week? 3) is it ok that the water heater is so close to that door? I guess I'd have to have someone move the water heater to get to that door and replace it... some googling showed a recommended 16in from any combustibles which is a bit concerning. But again, not sure if this matters if the door no longer serves a purpose. Thanks in advance for any advice! Got to love finding possible home issues at 1am. [link] [comments] |
| Carpet underlayment was particleboard, switch to plywood? Posted: 04 Feb 2021 09:47 PM PST Hello, I remodeled a bedroom and removed the carpet and 1/2 in particleboard that was over the plywood, and now want to recarpet but am concerned with replacing the particleboard and potential problems with that. But the rest of the entire hallway + bedrooms are carpeted with this particleboard underlayment so would there be issues butting 1/2 in plywood against the particleboard (expansion?) If I were to go with particleboard, what fasteners should I use? (Link to them? and the airgun?) Is it common to see plywood underlay carpet? TIA! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 04 Feb 2021 09:42 PM PST The wife and I are looking to covert one of our bedrooms into a craft room, but we don't have a lot of in-house storage and that is the bedroom where all seasonal items go to hibernate in their off seasons. To solve this problem, I'm wanting to get a stand-alone shed where we can store these items. I basically just need to keep the wet weather out, since it's nothing that needs climate control. Anyone have any suggestions on where to start looking? I've poked around Lowes and Home Depot sites because they have some in the $1000 range about 6ft by 8ft. We have a huge concrete pad where it would sit, so no foundation work is needed. Any suggestions, thoughts, warnings, etc. would be appreciated! [link] [comments] |
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