AMA: Got a project?

AMA: Got a project? I've been a tradesman for over 10yrs doing everything from carpentry, woodwork, plumbing, auto, home reno, home construction, landscaping, etc. I'll help if I can.

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LifeStraw Water Filter for Hiking and Preparedness

250 Piece Survival Gear First Aid Kit

  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I'm trying to make friends but so far the ones I've met seem like fairweather friends, or just not that good of people, any tips with that?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Read a book called How to Win Friends and Influence People, for some good perspective development. Enrolling in a toastmaster's course is also a good way to learn new social structure and skill that assists in developing friendships. Actively involving yourself in a community or a hobby with a community surrounding it is a good place to start. Getting a mental health assessment to better understand your social tendencies will help in identifying how you socialize and what you can do to improve.
      Also standing on a busy bridge for an uncomfortable amount of time tends to generate social attention.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >Also standing on a busy bridge for an uncomfortable amount of time tends to generate social attention.
        absolute kek
        the rest of the post is very kino and good advice. Thanks tradesmananon. I've got no real projects going on, but look forward to the rest of your answers.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Start sucking dick on Grindr. You will be popular as frick in 2 weeks and never be lonely.

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    is a 1inch main water service line sufficient for 4 1bdrm apartments

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      That's dependent on what your local building code dictates and it does vary. Where I am you typically step down to 3/4 or 1/2 line to service your fixtures. Toilets and sinks are 3/8 here.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Also to expand on your question, it's dependent on what water service you have. Town water pressure will easily supply 4 1bed apartments from a utility room junction no problem. If you are on well, it's a different scenario. As your interior service lines you may likely run your apartments with 1/2" to lower capacity but maintain pressure. A licensed plumber will and should calculate it for you based on the specific layout and needs of the apartments.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        everyone I've talked to has given me a different answer.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          I would default on what your specific area building code requires. You can typically google this and may even find information specific to your city/town.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        the existing is 3/4" but ancient. the interior plumber wants 1.25" and the excavator/installer is insisting on 1".
        it's 90psi at the tap about 40ft from the apt.

        I would default on what your specific area building code requires. You can typically google this and may even find information specific to your city/town.

        they don't seem to say

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          That honestly sounds like a shit show, it's not fricking open to interpretation, your excavator can stfu. 3/4" main line is still used to this day, changing size in the ground where it can't be serviced is asking for additional pressure calculations. Besides, it's 3/4" coming from the town, whatever pressure you get from 3/4" is what you get, sizing up the pipe doesn't magically create more pressure, it's creates more capacity which can be done inside. Run it same size as original into the house and then let your licensed plumber do their thing.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            how can you get more capacity inside?

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            >3/4" main line is still used to this day
            3/4" is the *minimum* for any service. For a fourplex it has to be sized for peak demand flow.

            is a 1inch main water service line sufficient for 4 1bdrm apartments

            Short answer, do what your plumber said.

            Longer:
            1" main connection is probably fine but go with 1.25" like the plumber said, you will have almost certainly more than enough capacity. Who cares what the excavator says, he's not the plumber.
            I don't know what your city is like, but lots of cities have high water pressure and those dwellings require a pressure regulator.
            You can't frick up by going bigger than what you strictly need, but you can frick up by going smaller.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      4 single bedroom apartments

      >worst case scenario 4 couples equals 8 people. Maximum water usage possibilities. 4 showers, 4 sinks, 4 dishwashers, 4 washing machines all running at the same time.

      Read the specs on the appliances and see what it adds up to. See if you municipal water pressure will create the required flow through 1 inch pipe. Do this with an onlime calculator.

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    noticed you havent done electrical. thats okay, doing electrical requires an iq above 100. the rest of your trades you listed are filled with functioning (or not) alcoholic morons. suck my electric wiener

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I relegated electrical under, etc since a monkey can do it 😉

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      He also didnt understand a water supply formula. 4at2wk

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >4at2wk

        Not the formula, dont know why that shit posted. It fricking nothing. Ignore it.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        4 single bedroom apartments

        >worst case scenario 4 couples equals 8 people. Maximum water usage possibilities. 4 showers, 4 sinks, 4 dishwashers, 4 washing machines all running at the same time.

        Read the specs on the appliances and see what it adds up to. See if you municipal water pressure will create the required flow through 1 inch pipe. Do this with an onlime calculator.

        That honestly sounds like a shit show, it's not fricking open to interpretation, your excavator can stfu. 3/4" main line is still used to this day, changing size in the ground where it can't be serviced is asking for additional pressure calculations. Besides, it's 3/4" coming from the town, whatever pressure you get from 3/4" is what you get, sizing up the pipe doesn't magically create more pressure, it's creates more capacity which can be done inside. Run it same size as original into the house and then let your licensed plumber do their thing.

        why does everyone have a different answer? you'd think there'd be a standard.
        online calc says 3/4" at 90psi offers 17GPM. 1 inch is 30. 1.25=45.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          ok well there you go, if you think 30GPM is enough then you are good to go.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            i mean if you are actually getting 90 fricking psi, thats pretty high. your probably getting 40 ish.

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              I'm not getting anything but was told that was the pressure of the main under the street which is about 40 feet from where the meter will be.

              ok well there you go, if you think 30GPM is enough then you are good to go.

              >if you think 30GPM is enough
              is it? it probably is right?

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          yeah except it comes in to the meter at a much larger main line, so if if it comes from the town pump at a 4 inch branch then you will increase flow by using a larger pipe on your side of the meter. If it comes in even at a half inch from the city you can still increae flow by reducing friction on your side of the meter from using a large pipe.

          TLDR your a fricking idiot and your projecting your 3rd grade math skills onto the world

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            >you're
            illiterate and that makes it very hard to follow what you're saying

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              seriously you cant read it cuz of that? You uh, you might have two problems.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >Doesn't do electrical.
      That's because all of his other jobs required a sense of cleaning up after himself, sparky.
      Don't make me post a broom to spook you.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Any moron can do electrical work honestly, plumbing is much harder with impossibly balancing both metric and imperial fittings together, soldering pipes, removing nasty sinks etc
      t. Electrician

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Electrical is the easiest shit in the world what are you talking about
      >Have to remember what size cables to use on what type of circuit and breaker size
      >That's basically the entire job
      >No skill needed to run cables from a panel, cut holes and screw boxes on

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        I'd love to see you work on 3 phase.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          whatever b***h I work on 6 phase yeah thats 3 phased squared

          >but 3 squard is nine this guys an idiot

          you you dont know how it works. go fuk urself homosexual

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Electrical is simultaneously the easiest thing and most dangerous thing. Plumbing requires the most patience and experience. Framing is just legos with wood.

      Managing the Mexicans is what requires the IQ over 100.

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I want to build a new, smaller deck. Roughly 8x6, with a 3x4 extension going to stairs. It'll be 12ft off the ground. Do I need to sink the supports in concrete, or can I use adjustable post saddles attached to concrete at ground level? IE dig, use form and pour 2ft of concrete to ground level with saddle.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      The posts should be 6x6 fastened to post saddles that are set in concrete footings and the footings sized correctly for a 12' high deck. 10-12" sonotubes for footings are no longer recognized in my region to meet code. 14-16" diameter sonotubes would be minimum and they should be 6' deep into the ground but I'll say 4' deep because if you're renting the machine to auger the holes yourself, 6' is a b***h. These posts will require hangers connecting the deck beams to the posts. The posts will also require diagonal bracing 3-5' diagonal from beam to post. Your stair sections could be 12" sonotube footings. If fastening a ledger to the building, ensure it fastens through and into framing, ideally fastening to the rim board in the joist bay. If you research your local building code and bylaw, it will likely be all kinds of fricked up and nothing like I said, it really changes depending where you are. While researching you'll probably find span charts for beams, post spacing and joist spans as well.

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    i think i want to make my own gun safe after seeing how it's all 1/8" sheet metal at the local stores. is this possible with a ac/dc stick welder? i want to do it with 1/2" to 1" plate steel but not sure where to get that stuff.also not sure what's involved with doing multiple layers (or if i should?) - the way you see old safes have a stepped wall structure - are those welded all around the edges? how does that come together

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      no one, not even the government, wants your guns that bad to require 1 inch plate.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        i know, but i like overbuilt things. safes from the 1800s are close to 1000 pounds just for a little 20x10x10 cubby hole

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Why is there OSB on that "chimney?"

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      the "chimney" is a gas fireplace, the box frame just houses the vents. The box frame is literally just for the brick facade to look like a traditional chimney

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Ohh, I know. I'm just mocking it.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      They use it as a form to lay the bricks against, then when the fireplace is first used it all just burns off.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        I really hope you are trolling as hard as I was with the original comment.

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    How do amer*cans live like this?
    I wouldn't make a fricking cupboard out of OSB, let alone a HOUSE.
    Why not brick?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      A brick only home is brittle and drafty as hell and hasn't existed in western construction since the ye old times. The home is framed, sheathed in osb or plywood, wrapped in a weather barrier and either sided or cladded in brick. The pictured home is cladded in brick with a air gap behind it to keep the home and brick dry and lasting longer. The brick is fastened to the home with brick ties.

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I have a big one I'm planning. tldr; planning to jack up upper story of house on acroprops, excavate, and then re-pour a storm damaged slab at a lower level and rebuild downstairs. want to avoid knock down rebuild costs so scoping alternative.

    bought on a sloping block and the upper level (which is 1500mm above road height) is fully refinished and ideal. at the time of purchase, from a dude going bankrupt, downstairs had been partially refinished and sheeted but was not 100%. plan was to do the same downstairs as upstairs, with an extension across the block for a second open plan area.

    got hit with storms and water came up through ground from an aquifer above us on the mountain-side. slab edge was damaged but insurer didn't come to the table as previous owner had did substantial work himself.

    upstairs is 12.5m by 8m, with room down the side for a further 12.5 by 5 extension. want to prop up the top level, gut downstairs and pull back earth to retain properly, go big with LVLs and then refit the bigger downstairs option. seems enormous, but we have another property to live in we haven't sold yet.

    how scary does this sound to a tradie? I've only worked high rise and sky rise with jumpform (I'm a project manager with some practicality to me, and a network), so small jobs are fricking weird to me.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      if the slab is not cracked into a million pieces just get it mudjacked

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        site doesn't make sense unfortunately. although it's an opportunity to raise ceiling height for lower level from 2700mm, will go up to 3350mm.

        If an Aussie is asking if a job is scary, there's a frickin problem xD yall are naturally insane. But really, the scope of the job sounds reasonable. I've only worked with hydraulic jacks and cribbing. Cribs are outside of the foundation perimeter and the house is set on steel beams. Pad or foundation is removed and poured. Probably worth doing the retaining wall first to get the work site opened up. I have no idea what plan submission is like down there so good luck, in Canada rarely anyone in the building department encounters this kind of project and know less than the people doing it.

        haha to me it's logically a simple job, but I'm wary given the moving parts to it. until I find a builder to trust manage permits and purchasing it feels huge.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      If an Aussie is asking if a job is scary, there's a frickin problem xD yall are naturally insane. But really, the scope of the job sounds reasonable. I've only worked with hydraulic jacks and cribbing. Cribs are outside of the foundation perimeter and the house is set on steel beams. Pad or foundation is removed and poured. Probably worth doing the retaining wall first to get the work site opened up. I have no idea what plan submission is like down there so good luck, in Canada rarely anyone in the building department encounters this kind of project and know less than the people doing it.

  9. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I want to improve my communal piss bucket. We currently just have a square piece of plywood that we put on top to trap the smell. I was thinking about drilling a 2" hole on the bottom and run some kind of pipe to another sealed bucket. The pipe will be shaped like a horizontal S and use water as a seal to keep the piss fumes in the sealed bucket. I would use a third bucket above the main piss bucket and fill it with water. I would then drill a small hole at the bottom and plug it with some sort of rubber. Whenever someone took a piss they would just unplug it and flush the dirty water out of the main bucket into the sealed bucket that could then be removed and emptied into a container outside. My question is how can I improve this further to accommodate for poops?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >Whenever someone took a piss they would just...
      The answer is nobody.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        We are 3 using the current version of the communal piss bucket and the problem is that clients have started to complain about the smell

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          Also I would like to upgrade it to allow for pooping on the job

  10. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I have a power cage in my bedroom that I would like to mount to some type of plywood platform. This would be on carpet. How would I bolt it down? It has holes already, but would I need 2 pieces of plywood, one of them with a space for the head of the bolt, facing down?

  11. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Just bought a house and it has bumps on some of the walls. Home inspector said they were dry wall nails coming through due to the house settling and were nothing to be concerned about. Was he bullshitting me?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >dry wall nails
      >nails
      Drywall is hung with screws.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        That was my mix up, I am sure he told me screws.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        drywall is hung with nails in residential

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        How shit are you? Drywall used to be nailed for years..

        Just bought a house and it has bumps on some of the walls. Home inspector said they were dry wall nails coming through due to the house settling and were nothing to be concerned about. Was he bullshitting me?

        Nail pops could also be from vibration and the wood drying out...

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Depends on the age of the house.

        Just bought a house and it has bumps on some of the walls. Home inspector said they were dry wall nails coming through due to the house settling and were nothing to be concerned about. Was he bullshitting me?

        Are they evenly spaced 16 inches apart? It's pretty easy to tell if they are. Nail/screw pops are usually the exact size of the screw/nail head so they are pretty uniform. It's also a easy fix so it's not that big of a deal.

  12. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    If you've done that many trades in 10 years, I can't imagine you ever took the time to get good at any of them.

  13. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Spray foam insulation. Just a fricking memescam? Or should I give up humming the theme to the Pink Panther to myself and pay some butthole to jizz on my construction?

  14. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I am toying with geo block. I have a step gradient hill bout 23% grade at a length of 100yards. I will use geo screen to build a mse wall, but i am hesitant to use geo block. I do not think the geo block will transfer load laterally without horizontal compaction,
    how da faq do I compact horizontally?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >geo block
      did you mean geo foam?
      horizontal compaction is not done to my knowledge, but when you are digging down you can stabilize the earth on the side to prevent it from becoming lose, tie rods are a popular method you can drive piles before you start digging. look for people complaining about msha they are osha for mines and because of the immense power and little visibility of mining companies there is a lot of practical stuff compared to the bloated osha regs

  15. 1 year ago
    Kevin Van Dam

    Asked this one in the other thread…

    Wife wants to do a backsplash in the kitchen. Just got my babby tile saw and I want to do those little 12”x12” mosaics of smaller tiles on backing.

    Two things: what type of backing if any do I need to do before the mortar?

    And the second, there’s at least half a dozen outlets and switches along the wall, what’s the best way to pull the outlets out ~1/2” so they’re level with the backslpash?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Re wall, easy, Prime first, then glue on the tiles.
      Re plugs, unscrew and cap off, there should easily enough wire behind to reattach post tiles.
      Silicon not grout at the edges!

  16. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I live downstairs. There is wood floor upstairs, no rugs. Insulation and drywall downstairs. Footfalls are unbearable, gonna do three 1/2 layers of sheet rock with green glue on the ceiling downstairs sealed corners before texture with acoustic caulk.

    1. Seems to be an effective solution unless I’m missing something

    2. Should I build a small drop or just go for broke with the drywall.

  17. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    How can I get contractors to actually give estimates for two rooms worth of drywall, paint, and caulk work plus exterior sanding and painting? It's one thing to get "frick off" estimates but none at all?

  18. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    which trade is the easiest one to start if you're a total newbie and has never done any job?

  19. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Op is kind, thanks for being a decent anon.
    My request: painting concrete slabs for a footpath. First coat of oil based masonry paint is great but very slippy and water pools on top of the slabs now.
    Any ideas how to texturise the paint to prevent slips and trips ?
    I looked at mixing fine sand into paint for second coat or is there a better way to make it non slip ?
    Thanks anon !

  20. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Beat way to set-up a shotcrete pour for a pond where the bottom of the wall curves into the slab?

  21. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I'm thinking about buying a fixer-upper as my first home. What are some dealbreakers you would look for while shopping for a house that needs a lot of work?
    Water damage?
    Foundational issues?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      foundation and structural issues are my only absolute deal breakers. Major plumbing and electrical problems can be pricey, but they'll almost never affect the actual structure of the home, so can be done without much issue and generally don't take that long. Everything else is cosmetic and well within the homeowners ability to renovate.

      My home was a tiny a shitbox foreclosure. It's still tiny, but only half a shitbox now. Big ticket items up front were water not being potable, and screw in fuses making my home uninsurable. 4k to tie into city water, 2k to update my electrical service. Now I'm chugging along room by room with occasional breaks for landscaping and other projects. It'll probably be another 4yrs before the house is done, so your biggest issue may just be underestimating the amount of work and the time it takes to get done.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Nice little home you got there. Is it a manufactured home? How much did you pay for it at foreclosure?
        I'm thinking it might be a good idea to live in a trailer while I renovate the home. I get the feeling that I'll be less inclined to work on things If I'm living in the home

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          just a little ranch, 72.5k. Your living situation is personal preference. I'm living in it as I renovate, the only danger being I get used to things. Like the bathroom sink hasn't worked since I moved in, and I still don't care enough to fix it. Living in while renovating also probably won't fly if you got a girl with you

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            >just a little ranch, 72.5k.
            Living the dream. I have a similar budget, hoping to swoop up something in the next year or two in Missouri. Really looking forward to not pay rent anymore.

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              with this rampant inflation and people locked into their already over budget mortgages after the covid panic buying, I'm thinking housing prices are gonna drop hard within the next couple years, youll be in the perfect position to snag something

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      the condition of the roof. a house can have all the windows knocked out and be fine but as soon as the roof goes the house is done
      when the roof goes everything rots from the top down and from the inside to out

  22. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Have you ever done a curb-less shower? I am trying to redo my bathroom and it has a recessed floor that was designed for a curbless shower. The previous install just put in a 4 inch thick base that I took out. I bought a schluter shower base but I am not sure how high it's suppose to be relative to the actual ground level.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Have you seen this guy? he's got a few vids on it

  23. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >carpentry, woodwork, plumbing, auto, home reno, home construction, landscaping, etc
    What's a good place to start to learn all that except cars and with a very low budget? Don't need super specific stuff, but well rounded knowledge to pass down to my kids and fix more shit at home than the occasional loose screw or flat tire on the bike.

  24. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    V02jd

  25. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I have no experience with foundation work. I'm closing on a house soon and want to put in an egress window for a basement bedroom.
    Should I just pay a contractor who can guarantee the work? I feel like the money I would save by DIY isn't going to offset the risk of screwing it up and hours spent on top of that.

  26. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I noticed my bathroom sink is leaking into the cabinet, who knows for how long. However, the p-trap is intact and it appears the water is coming from somewhere inside the faucet itself, running down the lift rod, and dripping from there (pic related). I have to run the water for a few seconds before water starts collecting.

    the faucet is a dingy piece of crap anyways so I want to replace it, but will this definitely fix the issue? what else could it be besides the faucet?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      It could be leaking from the faucet itself, the basin, or from the pop up drain assembly (particularly the little ball on the lever rod)
      You could replace the faucet and drain assembly and find out, or you could pour water into the sink for a few seconds and determine if the drain/basin is the problem or if it's just the faucet. Sometimes nicer faucets come with a matching pop up drain assembly so that you can replace the whole works in one go.

      >auto
      Best car for $5k or less? Are torque specs a meme?

      >Best car for $5k or less?
      A Camry or equivalent toyota, honda, or nissan with not much more than 100K miles on it will probably be the most reliable long lasting and inexpensive car you will find if your areas market is anything like mine. If you just want the absolute cheapest shitbox available then consider something like an old Crown Victoria or Ford Focus. But the reliability will likely be poor.
      >Are torque specs a meme?
      It's a good idea to respect them for critical stuff like cylinder head bolts, cam sprocket bolts, or internal engine stuff, but I tend to just use what feels reasonable on less critical stuff like alternator bolts or whatever. If breaking the bolt, warping something, or having it come apart and deal catastrophic damage is a strong possibility-- then you might want to consider the torque specs. I'm sure some galaxy brains will come along shortly to seethe about how wrong I am about this

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >nissan
        >reliable
        >crown victoria
        >reliability will likely be poor
        opinion discarded

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          >this
          I would add Kia as a possibility because you can or at least could get a 5 year old one for much less than others and they definitely last longer than Nissan
          just look into the exact models becaause I am not that familiar with every one of them and I would prefer to not have a timing belt
          timing belts are a bad idea in my opinion

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            >Kia
            Kia/Hyundai is worse than GM and Nissan combined. 2 major class actions for shit engines in the last decade. Plus they get stolen easily.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          >this
          I would add Kia as a possibility because you can or at least could get a 5 year old one for much less than others and they definitely last longer than Nissan
          just look into the exact models becaause I am not that familiar with every one of them and I would prefer to not have a timing belt
          timing belts are a bad idea in my opinion

          >Kia
          Kia/Hyundai is worse than GM and Nissan combined. 2 major class actions for shit engines in the last decade. Plus they get stolen easily.

          look up used vehicles in your area and see what commonly shows up with 300,000+ miles on them, still running and available for sale.

          You're likely to find a lot of jap brands and little else

  27. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >auto
    Best car for $5k or less? Are torque specs a meme?

  28. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Alright OP I got a dilly of a pickle for ya.
    First, thank you for your thread.

    Can you or anyone please explain wtf is going on with the piping for my water heater?

    Two concerns:
    1. I live in a townhouse next door to my landlord and I've begun to suspect because he own both units he's got himself connected to my hot water, so I'm paying his fricking electric bill. Anyway to tell or advice on how to check?
    2. How the frick is the cold water intake being split into the T connector thingo which the hot water output is also connected? The frick is going on here?

    Thank you again for your time or advice.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I think you have hot water tank expander, which makes shit run hotter and then mix in cold water so u have more hot water.
      Dunno.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      The line colored in orange is the pressure relief safety valve from the tank

      The black plastic T valve thing is a thermostatic mixing valve. It allows you to keep your water heater set to a higher temp while limiting the temp of "hot" water at fixtures. This effectively gives you a larger reserve of hot water to use at a time, while preventing scalding. This valve mixes some cold and hot water together and then distributes it to the house.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        thank you anon that makes much sense! I found the manufacturer's installation manual and itt says not to do that largely due to risk of scalding but idgaf, my water's so fricking hot I can wash my dishes with just a brush and no detergent. but damn even if you manage to not get burned while scrubbed that plate will be too hot to handle very quickly.

        now, how to test if my pipes are feeding into the adjacent unit... I doubt I'm supplying their whole house but I SUSPECT my hot water feeds to their laundry just on the other side of that wall

        I think you have hot water tank expander, which makes shit run hotter and then mix in cold water so u have more hot water.
        Dunno.

        yep this seems to be it more or less

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          thermostatic mixers are normally used (closer to the faucet) because if the water is cold enough not to scald you then its cold enough to grow legionella in your tank and kill you

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            oh. well that's good to know.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            >t. i watched a youtube video
            The vast majority of the population are not affected by exposure to Legionella. You have to have a very weak immune system and/or severe pulmonary disease to show sickness from it. On top of that it is ungodly unlikely to succumb to Legionella from drinking tap water as there is no realistic scenario where your tap water would evaporate in such a large amount to cause the requisite humidity for you to breathe in and get the bacteria in your lungs. This is why virtually all Legionella infections involve massive city bus sized cooling towers and improperly vented spas.

  29. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I want to make a table for cheap, is pine okay for making a dining table?

    How about a work bench? What should I learn since I'm a total noob to this stuff. I've poured concrete and laid tile, but wood working is totally new to me and I'm sick of not knowing anything.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      pine is a softwood so it dings up easier, it also doesn't work as well with hand tools like planes and such, but since you're a newbie that probably won't matter. Oh and some say it doesn't take stain well, but I've never had that issue on my smaller projects.

      So it's not wrong, there are just better materials. For a workbench it's ideal, since you want something cheap you can beat the shit out of

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I recommend making a concrete top or steel if you have access to that. If you are trying to do it on the cheap then put a cheap frame together and attach 2 sheets of plywood to the top. The first sheet will be the throw away sheet once it's ruined. It all really depends on what you are trying to use it for to be honest. This would clearly not work for a welding surface.

  30. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I need to build a shed in LA (the state) near the gulf coast, so it needs to be like decently strong. I am also going to try and future proof it to be able to be converted into a den or work from home area, or similar. It's main purpose would be a wood workshop. Everyone around here seems to build like dumbfricks. GC lumber on the ground is the standard with nothing else being GC. Which is why I am replacing the shed in the first place, it rotted away. The floor literally fell out. Anyway, this will not be a forever home and I plan to be gone in 5 years TOPS.

    Should I spend the money on a concrete pad for the 10x16 building(I will DIY most likely), just lay GC wood and build the frame onto or use some-type of concrete form and build off it. The ground seems to be soft here btw. I am also at sealevel.

    Then on-top of that, should I frame it to local building codes as new construction would be vs a shed?

  31. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    My brother came to me for ideas on how/where put two bathrooms in pic related, I'm a literal moron, could you help me a little.

  32. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Ive never been this deep, started as repointing the diagonal brick sill because i would get water infiltration through the wall and dripping into the basement. I reckon just put some storm rated wood where i pulled out what was rotten, foundation tar paint the frick out of it, then lay the bricks back and caulk the flashing back on.....wat do

  33. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Well i tried

  34. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    My toilet is doing that thing where it leaks a bit of water, then refills itself, then repeats ad nauseum. Replaced the fill valve but it's still doing it. I guess the next step is replacing the flush valve but it looks hard. Should I just call a plumber?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >Replaced the fill valve but it's still doing it. I guess the next step is replacing the flush valve but it looks hard.
      I would have guessed the opposite of what you wrote.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        I'm hesitating because it's an older toilet that doesn't have a flapper but instead a big stupid cylindrical valve that will apparently require me to pull the tank off of the toilet completely, so I wanted to avoid having to do that. Sad days.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          I'm going to just say if you have $100 and a few hours just replace that thing with a low GPF unit. Unless it's some fancy ass toilet.

          post pic if you can of this toilet. I don't know what you're talking about with this cylindrical

  35. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I have a propane fireplace that no longer works/has connection in the living room of a modular home.
    What do I need to do to put a wood burning stove/oven in the spot, or can I even do that?
    I'm asking because internet searches havent yielded much.
    If the answer is too involved, a link to point me in the right direction would be nice.
    Thanks in advance.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      probably an insulated stove pipe

  36. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    do americans really make their houses out of mini wheats?

  37. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    can i use a fire sprinkler pump as a well pump?
    how do i tell whether or not it's a boost pump that pushes water that's already pressurized?
    the water is going to be for irrigation not drinking

  38. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I've got some walnut grips for a pistol that I'm thinking of finishing. There's a texture on them that might make it difficult to sand, or buff between coats. Is there a way to do that? Do I really even need to finish it at all. I will be carrying it, so it will be exposed to moisture, heat ect. thanks

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      linseed oil or similar would probably be sufficient as a finish on your grips, try fitting them to the piece and see how they feel in your hand, some sanding could make them more comfortable

  39. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Please build low cost swastika windmills and place them in random yards for America.

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