i have a bunch of ryobi batteries i havent used in months. i believe i need to discharge then recharge them. what would be a fast way to do this? hit a stump of wood with a sawzawl and circular saw? should i utalize angle grinder and/or hammer drill as well? what uses up the most power?
I have batteries i can rotate through as i do this? i suppose it would be good to rotate through batteries and tools to not overheat anything, ya?
>I have batteries i can rotate through as i do this?
excuse me, that should have been a period at the end of that sentence
>i need to discharge then recharge them.
Not with lithium.
internet says i do need to recharge them
I am the internet and I am telling you you do not need to do this.
i am also the internet and i say he does.
I'm getting a chest freezer. I already have a normal fridge and a mini fridge on the same outlet. Is there a difference between putting the freezer on a different outlet (but the same breaker) vs putting them all on a surge protector from one outlet? Would the latter cause issues whereas the former wouldn't?
plugging them all directly into outlets is marginally better than adding another connection with the surge protector. On the other hand you have surge protection. But finally, some devices like my fridge say to not use surge protection.
Did that answer your question? No. I'd say frickit and plug them into individual outlets if you have them within reach.
I looked this up and it says from some manufacturers that they essentially have a built in surge protector in the fridge that automatically turns back on. The problem with the external surge protector is that if it turns off, it won't turn back on on its own and the food will go bad. That's going to depend on the exact model of the fridge however and more basic models probably don't have that. For that reason
needs to look at the specifics of his refrigerators. They don't draw that much power, so it's unlikely that you will run into issues with overdrawing through the extension cords. Depending on how your stuff works it might be better to get a splitter with no surge protection.
This happened to me before. My uncle with cancer went on one last hunt and stored the venison in our freezer in the garage since he lived in a camper. It was on a surge protector that didn't switch back on and 80% of the meat spoiled. I felt awful.
not well-versed on televisions, just trying to do a favor for my parents. the t-con board is beneath this grey shield, yes? I just wanna make sure before I take it off
it's a Philips 55PFL5402/F7F
https://elektrotanya.com/philips_15mf227b,15mf237s,19mf337b,19pfl5402d,19pfl5422d,19pfl5622d_chassis_tpm1.0u_la.pdf/download.html
Only manual I could find for a PFL5402
>that pic
OH MY LOVE MY DARLING I HUNGER FOR YOUR TOUCH
>i have a bunch of ryobi batteries i havent used in months.
Typical
Any recommendations on resources to learn basic manual machining and/or CNC? Worked in an office environment for the last 5 years of my life, and just got into auto repair and watch repair about a year ago. Now I'm thinking I want to try my hand at learning how to make some basic parts and see if I enjoy machining. Just wondering if there's a highly recommended source for absolute beginners. Never had shop class in highschool.
Check some local community colleges for manual machining classes. Could be a relatively cheap way to dip your toes in the water, and having somebody knowledgable looking over your shoulder is typically more helpful than youtube or the like.
reposting from the old thread: there's a single shit ass bulb lighting up my entire 2-car garage. as a result it's dimly lit and shadowy after sundown.
can I replace that single bulb with 2-4 fluorescent light fixtures? do I need to do anything besides mounting the fixtures then wiring them with the same wire that currently powers the bulb?
That's probably just fine, but there's actually no way for anyone here to tell you without knowing what else is on that circuit.
But it's probably fine.
Before you do though, I put something like picrel in my garage (not this one specifically, but one that had good reviews on Amazon).
It screws in to the single bulb socket, and it's surprisingly effective at illuminating the whole garage. I don't have any desire to install fluorescent tubes, which I was considering before I got this LED bulb.
I was also considering these, but they seem like a lazy cheap temporary solution. If I'm going to have to eventually replace that socket, I'd rather just do it now.
As for the circuit, I'm pretty sure the only other thing is the garage door openers, but it's been a while since I looked at the panel. The washer and dryer are in the garage but have their own breakers, of that I'm sure.
I think you can get fluorescent lamps that have a plug cord, so a simpler method would be to replace the bulb socket with a recepticle outlet, then just hang the fluorescent lamps and plug them in.
Or just hard wire them in, that's easy too.
I got one and it’s actually decent, I’ve had it for a couple years and surprisingly the ~$15 Amazon thing hasn’t died.
This too, would be easy to stick an outlet in and get a few 48” faux-flourescent LED strips,
issue: want solar setup for my offgrid wanking cabin
need: be able to run laptop, charge phone (for hotspot), and ideally a second monitor
If I should start a whole topic for this pls advise
Anyone have an existing dummies guide to setting this up?
I only have to be in the office for work 2 days a week so it'd be great to be able to spend 5 days at my bush block (even if I have to do some waging for 3 of those days) and log in remotely
to clarify I only need to work during daylight hours. at worst the laptop battery will last for a couple of hours
You still need a battery to act as a buffer for the solar charge controller, even if it's small. Youtube gas hundreds of videos for what you describe. Expect to spend at least $200 for a decent setup
>Expect to spend at least $200 for a decent setup
thanks fren.
$200 is a fair price to be able to spend more time in my shack
Excellent. Thank you. Have pasted your post into a text document so I can read about these more.
Jackery 1000/1500 Pro w a couple of the 8mm to MC4 connectors, and 4 residential solar panels. The 1000 Pro accepts an 800w input, but the max voltage is 60v, and the max amp per port (that it will take in) is 11amps. It has two 8mm DC input ports. If you team, in parallel, two pairs of residential 250w or 300w panels, each pair will provide in excess of 11 amps, but on overcast days, not as much. You'll have some unused solar capacity on sunny days (100%), but having a more full charge on cloudy days (15%), makes up for it.
The Pro lists for $1100, and residential solar panels can be had for around 33 cents per watt. You'll need two pairs of MC4 splitter/combiners, and two 8mm to MC4 adapters. And a couple of pairs of 10g MC4 extension cables.
OTOH if you want something larger and more expandable, a Growatt 3k ES can be had for about $750 (watts247 is a dealer. Always buy from a dealer, never from ebay). It can operate with or without batteries. EG4, Trophy, Riuku and other brands of LFPo batteries run around $1500 for 5kw, and a single battery is enough to start up the GW3kES. The full name is a Growatt SPF 3000 TL LVM ES.
Wiring the solar panels is simpler on the Growatt: Get a single MC4 cable, cut it in half. Strip the ends. One goes in NEG one in POS on the growatt (observe polarity!), and the other ends plug into your panels. If you took up to 6 of those above panels in series, they'll generate up to 200v open-circuit. The ES needs 150v to start it's charging circuit.
For the power output, it can be as simple as a power strip that you cut the plug off of, and wire into the Growatt.
DiySolarForum and Mobile-solarpower websites.
is there a way to use a jackery as a control panel to transfer power to/from ryobi 18v batteries to other devices?
Use the 120v AC outlets on the jackery, and plug your Ryobi battery charger, etc., in there. Yes, there is some conversion loss, but LFPo's are about 99% efficient. Vs older equipment using lead-acid is maybe 80% efficient, tops.
You'll end up twisting your brain to try to charge the Cryobi any other way. There is a 12v cigarette lighter type plug-in, which Ryobi might make a car charger for, but the conversion loss would be the same or worse, and then you're getting into the weeds of weird converters.
Stick with using the inverter on the Jackery for everything. It also has the usual USB/USB-C charging ports for phones and small devices. I don't remember the specs and can't look it up rn, but maybe the USB-C are PD100, which means you could charge/run a modern laptop from that.
>There is a 12v cigarette lighter type plug-in, which Ryobi might make a car charger for, but the conversion loss would be the same or worse
I have the 12v ryobi charger,
i guess i am surprised that the 12v to 18v DC conversion has higher losses than the DC to AC back to DC conversion
anyways, my main question would be, how to pull charge from ryobi batteries to other devices by using the jackery as some sort of control panel. could this be easily done?
>Stick with using the inverter on the Jackery for everything.
man, i was under the impression that you should avoid inverter and AC appliances due to efficiency loss and instead focus on trying to get 12v DC appliances and devices
im a vanlifer, btw
Yeah, if you already have a 12v ryobi battery charger, then 'ok', I guess. Instead of concerning yourself with AC losses, and trying to avoid the:
Solar to jackery dc-dc converter, to battery to jackery's inverter to charger to ryobi battery
by going to a:
Solar to jackery dv-to-dc to battery to jackery's 12v dc-dc converter to ryobi 12v-to-20v dc-dc converter to ryobi battery,
generally, AC losses will be the least of your concerns.
As for the second concern, you can get e.g, ryobi-to-usb converters. They are oftentimes included in tool adapters made by 3rd parties. Ryobi probably has an inverter that also has USB ports. I know they have one for their 40v batteries. The 40v OP403 charger, has a USB port, that if you press the (only) button on the top, without it plugged into the AC input, will turn on the USB port for a minute to wait for a USB load. [That port is always active when the charger is plugged-in]. It's then a high capacity USB battery pack. It won't really fit in your pocket.
Even if your main storage is all at 12v, an e.g. low-frequency Victron inverter, has very good efficiency. You'd be best to look at mobile-solarpower and diysolarforum. I know there are sections on both, having to do with vandweller systems {12v vehicle based}. And ampere time/LiTime have a newer version of their 12v100ah LFPo, with their own custom BMS, that can handle 300-500 CCA's for 5 seconds. That might be enough to turn over your van engine, replacing your 80% efficient lead-acid. And practical experience from forum members, has been that the alternator doesn't fry on LFPo. The LiTime is ~$300. A Dakota Lithium DL+ is like $550... See if you can get away from using any lead-acid, due to it's inefficiency and short lifespan.
Lead acid isn't inefficient and it doesn't have a short life time. Lies.
Dollar for dollar it is amazing.
thanks for this suggestion. seriously. I thought I was going to have to home brew something and I'd probably electrocute myself or start a fire
Alright. By 'not fry on LFPo', I need to be more specific: True if you have that one LFPo 12v100ah i mentioned, and use that as a starter / engine battery. But:
Your other 12v stuff, 1 or 2 additional 12v100ah, while they can be neg ground to the chassis, are never charged directly by the engine alternator. Charged by a 120v AC (from the jackery), or charged by a super-quiet EU2000i Honda genset (spendy but ya know), or charged by an MPPT, powered by solar on the roof. Or, lastly, charged by a DC-DC converter designed for LFPo, from the alternator.
That last part is important. You can check the forum to verify. If you deep cycle those cabin 12v100ah's, say with a chest fridge/freezer that runs directly on 12v, then you do need something like a 20amp Renogy DC-to-DC which will limit the input via the alternator to the discharged cabin batteries to 20amps.
The starter battery is fine to direct wire, same as a lead-acid, because you're only taking a few amps off to start it, even if your starter's AH draw is 250-300 amps. Then, the alternator kicks on and taper-charges it back to whatever (it may only be 80% because LFPo needs a higher top-charge voltage). But even a 50% discharged single 12v100ah will look like a dead short to the alternator, when wired directly, and damage the alternator due to the very high C-rate of LFPo's. That's where the Renogy DC-DC converter, both limits the current draw, and isolates the cabin batteries from the engine. As they draw-down from your fridge etc, the engine battery is unaffected.
If, for whatever reason, you find that the engine battery is below say... 60% (with a nominal resting charge of 80%), try to charge it first with a dedicated LFPo charger before starting the engine. That should never happen, unless you left your lights on, or some other excessive parasitic load. Same is really true with lead-acid: an alternator is not a charger, and overloading it with excessive low battery will kill it prematurely.
A $50 charge controller, marine battery, inverter and 400 watts of panels should cost around $600 and would run your equipment 24/7.
A dumb question, but I swear I can't find an answer easily:
Does upgrading your remote increase the range of a garage door opener? Compared to other people with actual problems, my opener works fine, but I'd like to boost the signal range just a hair.
Each remote would have its own range
The bottom bit of drywall blew apart from moisture transmission from the slab and then the moron who repaired it ran spackle/mud all the way back down
The cracking is just the mud they used shrinking and cracking
You want to remove the bottom 1/2" to stop moisture transmission from the concrete, finish the wall and then trim to the floor with PVC or polystyrene trim
>The bottom bit of drywall blew apart from moisture transmission from the slab and then the moron who repaired it ran spackle/mud all the way back down
lol no. nothing "blew apart" and nothing was "repaired". A drywall guy got carried away, that's all.
>The bottom bit of drywall blew apart from moisture transmission from the slab
The bottom plate is 1-1/2" the stud is 92-5/8" the two top plates are 3" (1-1/2+1-1/2) for a total of 97-1/8".
The 5/8" ceiling drywall reduces this to 96-1/2" of wall to be covered.
Drywall covers 96" leaving a 1/2" gap.
The drywall is pushed up against the ceiling drywall leaving a 1/2" gap at the bottom.
It's usually covered by baseboard but since the garage has no baseboard, it was unnecessarily filled the mud.
>any way I can fix this?
I just looked at his second pic. There is a step in the slab but the ceilings are going to be at the same level as the rest of the house meaning he used cut-to-fit studs adding the height of the step to the already 1/2" gap.
Anyone ever used one of those 'ladder hoist' shingle lifts (pic related)? Never seen one in use, but I can rent one for a whole week for less than what I pay for a day with a telehandler.
Sounds like a good idea.
Rent one and tell us how it was.
Is housing insulation electrically conductive? If someone else somehow lost a wire into an insulated wall that will have 120V and then I turned the electricity on, will it likely ignite the insulation? This is a house made in US 2004.
Insulation is generally somewhere between flame moronant and fireproof. If you got cellulose wet it might be conductive enough to cause problems, but even then I doubt it. Fiberglass is not conductive or flammable.
Why don't you just pull the wire back out?
Is this screw common in hardware stores? I'm moronic and I can't find it online. I haven't a clue on screw sizes.
im surprised no one has an answer for you as i have seen this type of screw head and threading often.
maybe just go to the junkyard and search around random cars and the floor until you find one?
Good idea.
Thanks, I'm really no good with this kind of stuff.
I just wasn't sure about the exact size and measurement.
>d I can't find it online.
sometimes the obvious answer is obvious. it's a screw with a washer at the head so I googled washer head screw. whether or not it will be easy to find an exact replacement is another story, but that sort of crude fastener is not always too particular about exactness.
with that logic, then OBVIOUSLY this must be double thread type screw
checked
aren't they though?
I was talking about this 'double thread' screw type
Kind of looks like a small cabinet screw
Those are upholstery screws.
https://www.alcosales.com/products/50932.asp
I have a million of them, you can just borrow some.
Where do you live? kek
They are really common I've seen them just didn't know what type. I must have a few laying around the house
homosexual depot calls it a lath screw: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-8-x-3-4-in-Phillips-Drive-Truss-Head-Lath-Sharp-Point-Screw-1-lb-Box-215-Piece-116102/205142852
Any tips on building a small "dust removal" system for my desk?
I work with small bits of resin, and the dust is really nasty. I usually work outside to avoid it, but I'd like to work indoors instead.
Btw, I'm talking about parts that are 15cm max. Not large tables/crafts.
I don't really know what sort of suction to use, or how to build the collector properly.
Get a desk fan and wrap some kinda material around it
you'll need the blades to run backwards for this to work
or you could turn the fan around
Get a pc fan and wrap panty hose around it. My front panel of my pc is wrapped and it actually works
>it actually works
Not very well. You'd be better off using the cheapest furnace filter you can find, cut to size
I got my filthy hands on a FLIR uncooled vox microbolometer sensor that I would like to hook up and see how it works. The issue is I am moronic and electronics is for non-smoothbrained people.
Pic related, board A was connected to B via the J4 connector on the top left. The only cable leading out was a white flexcable from nr 2 on bottom right. What could I connect the white flexcable with to make it work? Can I get video out and power in some other way?
Easiest way I could get this fricker working?
is there any reason the bimetallic thermostat in a steam iron should stop functioning why does the strip end up being in contact with both points
https://www.mechanicaleducation.com/bimetallic-strip-definition-working-advantages-and-disadvantages-uses/
>The repeated bending motion of the bimetallic strip can cause fatigue and eventually lead to failure over time.
How clean does this have to be?
If you are using it to process human blood plasma for transfusions then it looks ok as is.
Question. Looking at upgrading from our 7 Inch Masterforce Tile saw to the Masterforce™ 10 inch Sliding Tile Saw. We can't find any reviews on it outside a few comments on Reddit. Wanted to know if anyone here has anything to say about it. Is it worth it?
wtf happened here and how do I fix it? this is inside my garage, at the base of the wall. I'm guessing it's just drywall mud piled up to cover the gap between the floor and the wall. can I just put more mud over this and sand it down to be level with the drywall above it? I want to paint my garage but I have to finish the shit drywall job first.
Could be the earth underneath shift? Im not an expert and it's hard to tell just from that image what the cause is.
But you could get trim and caulk it.
here's a better view of the surrounding area. the entry to the house is a bit higher, you can see it's elevated a few inches by that white slab. on the left however is the cracked drywall mud. behind the left wall is an interior closet, meaning it must also be on the taller section of the slab, right? so behind the drywall mud is concrete?
In any case, I'm just going to brush off the mud, lay more on top, and sand it level with the wall above, then paint over it.
If you're going to re-mud it be sure to use a low shrinkage joint compound with humidity resistance like Sheetrock Durabond or Easy Sand, otherwise you're going to get cracking and shrinkage again since the application is so thick.
You're probably not going to find it at Home Depot, though. Smaller hardware stores which focus on having more options might have it. Last time I had to get a couple bags I found them at an Ace Hardware the next town over.
>wtf happened here and how do I fix it?
garages are often left unfinished to one degree or another. That's what you said, mud covering the sill plate and is not an issue, just some drywall guy doing something pointless. To "fix" it, you trim it out with baseboard if you don't like the way it looks, but structurally it looks fine.
I'm about to order a full mattress to replace the queen mattress I currently have because I need more space in my rental room. I want to store the queen mattress in the basement of the house, but it isn't dehumidified and smells pretty musty.
If I were to get a plastic mattress protector for the queen mattress, does it have to be airtight or vacuum sealable? Or can I just use a zippered mattress protector to keep the smell off?
What's a good forum for discussing DIY electronics, so I don't have to keep coming here?
There are no good forums anymore. If PrepHole isn't good enough for you, reddit might be more for you.
I just miss vBulletin
What's a good brand for a diamond file? I need one for a titanium tool I want to debur without risking ruining something with an angle grinder
Need something like this but the hose it's replacing has female ends. Am I likely to find something for cheap? Would I be better off getting fittings that'll fit the male ends on this?
https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-compressor-accessories/air-hoses-reels/3-ft-x-3-8-eighth-inch-air-hose-lead-with-1-4-quarter-inch-18-npt-91294.html
Fixing up my grandpa's old DIY air compressor if anyone wants to know.
>Am I likely to find something for cheap?
I wouldn't want to cheap out on an air hose unless you just plan on using it for a short while. Adapter fittings are fine or you might find a hose with one or more female fittings. I guess pic related would break the bank.
Well, if the compressor was higher quality or more heavily used I might be willing to spend 4x as much. Right now it's just a tire pump that gets used maybe once a month.
The whole thing is a scrap pump hooked up to a scrap tank. Not even a power or pressure switch. It's probably unsafe as hell. But it's hanging in there except for the dry-ass hose that broke off and needs replacing.
That HF one looks fine. Go over there and look at the air fittings and adapt it to whatever you need, put quick connects if you want. If you want to go longer, 25ft 1/4” or 3/8” hoses aren’t that expensive at all, and the cheap coil hoses will last awhile at one use a month
What better : DIY by hang myself or jump under the car, so DRIVER will kill me?
And what rope should I buy if I will make it by myself?
go take out some parasitic corporate elite!
If someone flipped out and shot up the boardroom of a big pharma company instead of a school or church everyone would love that guy
How good are insulated concrete forms? I live in the desert and want to make a decent house. Is it worth it to do ICFs?
ICF is basically just a tool that is used for doing poured concrete walls and attaching insulating foam at the same time. If you're already familiar with poured concrete walls and the have the sorts of tools and supports that go along with it, you can pick it up pretty quickly and it speeds things up since the forms don't have to be built and then torn down. If not, the first DIY with them is going to be painful. Would suggest instead doing cinder blocks, and then filling with concrete and applying insulation. Far more labor / manhours, but less equipment required and less chance of futzing it up.
How well would this work as a dust collector? A box with 6 pc fans and a hepa filter attached on the back? How much airflow potential if all 6 fans = roughly 300 CFM. Consumer air purifiers are stupid expensive and I have a bunch of pc fans laying around
5 filters made into a box, box fan blowing out of the box, duct tape around the edges, and some cardboard covering the parts of the box fan the blades don't actually swing past. That is the design I used and for about 40$ in parts I have a box fan that will clear the house of dust in about an hour. Pc fans could work but it would be a lot weaker.
PC fans are terrible with filters.
https://www.amazon.com/Delta-TFC1212DE-PWM-120mm-Speed-Sensor/dp/B008NZSUPQ
Get 6 of these.
Simple and easy way to manually drill straight while having skewed left-right spatial perception?
They sell cheap block guides.
There’s also some “drill press jigs” made for hand drills and I guess some of them aren’t horrible. But by the time I spend ~$50 on a decent drill holder thing, I would just spend $80-$90 on a small drill press.
What are these called?
I've allways called them "buffed and polished solid brass pedestals type 90", but I've also heard people call them candlesticks.
What do I use to poison birds? Invasive species shifting on my gym equipment
kys
I wrapped this tap in towels with vinegar to try and get the lime scale off. It damaged the top layer of the tap which left these copper stripes on there. is there any way I can fix this?
You would need a tiny and extremely powerful buffing wheel to polish it and by the time you are done you will wish you had just bought a new one.
Honestly it looks kind neat.
Does anyone have a video of someone falling in a cage ladder?
I did lighting protection for 2 years (EU) and the safety regulations are crazy you need falling protection even when falling is impossible, but when you're climbing a cage ladder >picrel
you don't need to be tied down and I can't image that piece of cage is helping you when falling.
I am in the process of converting a room into my office. I deleted a closet and will put my desk in its place and I want to install recessed lights above it. What are some guidelines for placements/spacing of them? Pic related. The desk is 72” wide.
Forgot to mention I’m planning to install crown moulding as well. Nothing too fancy/bulky, maybe some simple but nice looking pine. I don’t think it would impact placement but if I knew for sure I wouldn’t be asking.
It can vary quite a bit depending on the style/size of the fixture and the ceiling height. If you check the manual for the light fixtures, it will probably have tables that list the recommended spacing. If they don't provide a cheater chart but only list the photometric specifications, look for the 'spacing criterion'. This provides a ratio of luminaire (light source) height to work plane height which provides 60% of rated lumens to the work plan. The formula is SC * (MH - WP), where SC = spacing criteria, MH = height of the lamp above the floor, WP = height of the work plane above the floor. e.g. pic related spec sheet says that if the lamps are 96" above the floor, and the work surface is 28" above the floor, the recommended spacing is 84" between lamps at a 0-180 degree rotation (for can lights the 0-180 and 90-270 values will be very close).
Good to see that this chart accommodates inverse square criteria.
You need a recepticle outlet on that wall.
I'm not an electrician, but I'm pretty sure code requires an outlet on any walls over a certain length. Since you removed that closet, now you need to install an outlet.
(assuming USA)
Oh oh, here comes the robotic vacuum cleaner extension cord fight again.
How do I keep my drills and tools from rusting?
Don’t leave them somewhere super humid
But if you have no choice, you can give them a quick spray of something like Fluid Film or even WD. I do that on like my full drill indexes(indicies?) and taps & dies that are prone to rust and don’t get used a ton.
The rest of the stuff sort of gets greasy from doing automotive work and it’s enough to survive in a Florida garage.
What is the best option for a Window AC unit on a sliding (opens left-to-right) window? Nobody seems to sell any that accommodate this short of those portable standing ones.
>Window AC unit
these things are worthless. like, in every way possible. consider all other options before these pieces of garbage.
>worthless in every way possible
????
Those portable ACs like the one anon posted and typical window units both work great. What are you talking about?
Unless you want to replace the entire window, there is no pretty option. In my situation, I found a window unit that fit pretty close the size of my window, took out the glass (which should just lift up and pop out), forced one of those support brackets to fit, and mounted the AC in the window. Then I very carefully cut some plywood and filled in the rest of the window area. I added some spray expanding foam for sealing and a panel of insulation in the middle to keep the heat out. It looks ugly as shit from outside but the inside actually looks nice and my big ass bedroom stays whatever temp I set it too now even on the hottest days.
I hate those because they end up sucking ij outside air from every crack in the house.
working as an apprentice with a mechanic thats a real nazi about memorizing the sizes of fittings and picking out the right wrench the very first time and if I get the wrong wrench I get yelled at.
Long story short, is there a table that tells me what wrench size I need for fittings that go in certain sizes of stainless steel tubing. Anyone know of one?
I need to level the floor of a small bedroom (11'x12'). I removed the carpet and the subfloor (concrete) feels lumpy as frick, how can I tell whether I can install laminate over the slab without having to grind down the high spots or pour leveling compound?
the method that makes the most sense to me for checking floor level is using a laser and a ruler to measure the height at a bunch of points around the room. has anyone used this method? it kind of seems like overkill, but it also seems like the most precise way to get a truly flat floor.
Swipe a six foot level around, a lot cheaper. You could also get leveling compound for less than a laser by far. But lasers are fun and cool, make it as overly complicated as you want.
Such as... ?
Why wouldn't you just make a normal shelf why does it have to be special
And yes, Shirley.
So, I have a bathroom ceiling which is completely black, it's really really bad, worse than pic related because you can't even see the white beneath it. Can I scrape it off or will applying bleach in multiple intervals take care of it? Should I paint it over with some rubber based paint after cleaning so it doesn't grow back again?
lmao. Take another picture with a shoe in it to prove its actually your bathroom ceiling.
that's from google, the bathroom I'm talking about is my father in law's, and yes, it is worse than pic related
I have a bunch of storage bins like pic related. I've seen some shelving where they hang from the lip under the lid. Instead of doing that or just normal type shelves, I've been thinking of using 2x4 as vertical posts and then using rebar for the horizontal section. The bins would sit on the rebar, which would slide through holes drilled in the posts. Rebar is somewhat soft so I was thinking of having a post between each column of bins. Perhaps also use a pair of 2x4s to crown the top of posts together.
Am I going to die doing this?
the second you start buying these you might as well just throw out whatever you're planning on storing. the next person to open those totes will be your kids when they have to clear all your shit out of your house after you die
I literally have one in my garage labeled “Assorted Shit”
Grim
What sort of soil and rock is best for digging an underground lair? I saw something on YouTube about an Italian who built an underground house 100 years ago in California by digging in hardpan with a pickaxe.
I think starting on top of a hill in a desert or Mediterranean climate would be easiest since the dry soil would weigh less than wet.
Limestone, just be sure to get the supports right.
Why, because it's soft?
Should I ask a geologist?
i have this gap on the right top side of my door that lets alot of dust and noise come through into my apartment. is it possible to fix with the adjustment screws on the door. should i buy thicker weathering strips or is there an alternative way to fix this issue?
That is a lot of space to take out without having to re-mortise the hinges. I'd go the adhesive foam weatherstripping route myself.
yeah i figured. the gap is ~6mm at the widest part. the maintenance guy came a few months ago and put some bullshit 3mm thick adhesive weathering strip which did absolutely nothing. just hope that it fits on the left side which doesn't have as bad of an issue.
Some of the round silicone weatherstripping is solid for big gaps too. Go to the Home Depot and see what looks like it will mount the best. The one annoying thing is the adhesive on some of those strips is complete trash so make sure you clean everything well to give it the best chance of sticking.
>fridge is making weird sounds again
>not hooked up to water
>no icemaker thingy
>just making weird clicking sounds
I'm going to buy an old table saw to make cool shit with. I don't have anywhere to put it except outside (for now), later this year I'm planning on building a small workshop in the corner of my backyard.
But if that ends up not happening, can I just store it outside? I'll obviously cover it, and it's not going to be on dirt. It should be fine, right? It won't fit in my garage thanks to my home gym setup.
>It should be fine, right?
Yes. No. Maybe. WTF do you live so we can at least get an idea?
central valley. hot, dry summers and the last few winters have been very wet. that's why I'm worried about storing stuff outside for too long, but if I keep it covered with a tarp it should be fine, right?
>central valley
Of.... Switzerland? Norway? Arizona? Swaziland?
I keep my table saw outside, I bought large lockable wheels to make moving it easier. I found a catering table cover on amazon that was the right size to cover it. I oil the top before covering it, and put a shower curtain on it since the catering cover turned out to be not 100% waterproof. this arrangement seems to be fine.
My 12v lithium dewalt batteries are getting worn out and the tools are in okay shape. just a drill and impact. worth getting new 12v 3ah at $40/ea? or if I'm spending nearly $100 on batteries should I just get a new 18/20v kit
How many tools do you have on the 12V? The DeWalt Atomic kits have been dirt cheap lately and it will be a big step up compared to old 12V tools, plus you can finally use those batteries on real tools like a circular saw.
You could probably even get cheap ebay knockoff 12v batteries if you wanted to keep those as a backup, or wait for a sale. Lowes has DeWalt 12V on sale from time to time but it’s such a slow mover that the deals don’t pop up as much.
How to poison birds
Put the poison on a piece of cloth. Sneak up behind the bird. Quickly put the cloth over their beak so they are forced to inhale the poison.
I bought this replacement motherboard, but has the processor and its screws offset by like 5mm, now I cant close the laptop because the fan things get in the way
the other side is balls deep against the chasis and the heat dissipation thing just wont fit
what options do I have to make it fit besides cutting the side of the laptop?
>what options do I have to make it fit
Return it and get the correct motherboard for your laptop.
Alternately, get the correct laptop for your motherboard.
Oh, and to be clear, even within a same manufacturer model there can be variations on the motherboard and heatsink design.
Are you sure the heat sink is properly mounted on the processor?
If so, and if you're sure everything is where it should be and clearance is the only issue, I'd trim those little fins on the outside of the fan shroud instead of trimming the case itself.
These 'U' shape air conditioners are mini mini-splits (micro-splits?) which makes me wonder if they could be somehow operated in reverse to be used as a heater. Obviously you could just install it backwards but the side designed to face the interior probably isn't weather resistant.
>Obviously you could just install it backwards
It's 0C/32F outside. What setting do you use to force cooling mode?
If the temp outside if that low, an AC unit like that will probably be iced up in just a few minutes.
If you're trying to heat a single room, I think you'll find it would be vastly time/money/trouble to just buy an oil-filled radiator heater. Good units are right around $100, and they have very high (>99%) efficiency.
ALL SPACE HEATERS ARE PERFECTLY EFFICIENT!!!
Efficiency is just a measure of how much heat is generated by an appliance in the course of performing its duty. The duty of heaters is making heat.
Furthermore, they're all the same. I know, they market them differently, but look at the boxes side by side. They're all 1500 watts. Some may be less, but even the tiny ones tend to be 1500 watts. You feel like big heaters make more heat, but they're all effectively perfectly efficient at heating the air. Oil style heaters are harder to start fires with than coil or quartz heaters. They're not more efficient. They just take longer to transfer energy into the room.
I watched one fricking video about this and now I am mad.
Some energy is emitted as sound, particularly by space heaters with a fan.
While yes, the sound energy is also dissipating as heat in the environment, some of the sound energy may transmit outside of the area you want to heat and be transferred there. If you can hear your space heater's fan from the next room, that tiny amount of heat energy hasn't stayed in the room with the heater.
But of course, the amount of energy I'm talking about is extremely small anyway, and this is more of a "well, technically" kind of post rather than pointing out anything actually incorrect about what you said.
Yes, space heaters are practically 100% efficient.
If you weren't a blithering idiot you would have mentioned the losses in the wires from the meter to the receptacle on the wall.
Well I assumed we were talking about from the receptical outlet.
Otherwise where do you draw the line?
How much energy is lost (again, as heat) to the atmosphere via the power lines from the power station to your house?
How much energy is lost (again again, as heat) from the fossil fuel when it was burned at the power plant?
I mean let's not get silly with it.
I assumed the OP was talking about "space heaters are 100% efficient" at generating heat within the "space" that it's trying to heat. And assuming we start at the plug in the wall, the only energy I can think of that immediately exits the space is sound energy.
>If you weren't a blithering idiot
Why would you say something hurtful unprovoked?
Does it make you feel pride or contentment to try to make another person feel sad?
I can only imagine how miserable you must be to think that's acceptable and necessary.
I hope your mental health improves and you're able to overcome this. Namaste.
>Otherwise where do you draw the line?
>How much energy is lost (again, as heat) to the atmosphere via the power lines from the power station to your house?
>How much energy is lost (again again, as heat) from the fossil fuel when it was burned at the power plant?
If you weren't a blithering idiot with thin skin you would realize that nobody includes those losses when discussing a residential heating device.
Got it.
So the "line," so to speak, is at the meter.
I suppose that makes sense.
Yes, I neglected the power line loss from the meter to the receptacle in my first comment.
I guess your first "blithering idiot" response was supposed to be hyperbole or humor? It came off as an unnecessary insult. Maybe English isn't your first language.
I enjoyed your input.
Frick that guy.
I just wanted to rant about the spectrum of options that all do the same job, practically speaking.
>https://www.amazon.com/Delta-TFC1212DE-PWM-120mm-Speed-Sensor/dp/B008NZSUPQ
This problem could be mitigated almost completely if you made it an anechoic chamber.
Inexpensive adhesive substance that can be molded and solidified to look like poop? Seems all the modeling compounds are expensive and all the construction adhesive colors are too light.
If only there were some way to dye things
I failed to word my question to my intention to exclude added coloring. There must be a dirt simple way without having to do that.
How the FRICK do I lower my electric bill? It's 170$ and I'm 10000% sure it's because despite my A/C being set to 76 degrees, it doesn't stop blasting. Set it 77 it never turns on. Is this just what happens when you own a home, is there no reprieve?
>170$
Stop complaining lmao
WTF are you guys running servers?
It is always the A/C that runs up my electric bill. During the winter my electric bill is like 70-80$. Most of my doors are closed. If I turn off the AC house gets really hot. I just can't win.
>170$
You're electric bill is a 10th of mine.
Lmao, my electric is one tenth of this. And I have an electric water heater and ac running.
Maybe turn off the gayming peesee and unplug your dildos, also try using the ac to cool one room instead of your whole house which it almost guaranteed is not rated to do. Close your doors instead of leaving them open. Turn lights off.
Get real about it if you're real and measure your kWhs at utilities of concern
I want to put a cellar in my backyard, although it won't really be a full-size cellar, it'll be more like an underground compartment under my shed. what would be considerations for something like this?
I'm thinking I can just dig out a hole (it won't be any deeper than 3-4'), line the walls with cinderblocks, pour a slab for the floor, and then cover it with a panel. is it really this simple?
Think about water. Assuming you're in an area where basements are even practical due to groundwater, you'll want to make sure that your shed has gutters that deflect rain away from the base. Also make sure when you backfill to have the ground slope away from the shed.
Are you on a hill?
As anon already pointed out, water exists. And I assume you probably don't feel like paying for a sump pump or proper waterproofing for something that small, so do your homework and see if it'd be practical to build without immediately flooding. If you have good conditions it's possible that yeah it is that easy, but better safe than sorry.
>move into new apartment today
>within two hours see about 8 roaches
What the frick do I tell management? They already have my money. Should I ask for a fumigation or to cancel my lease? I have no idea how bad the problem is or if it can even be fixed
Yup, tell the landlord to come fix that shit or withold rent til they have a pest control guy come.
Thanks, they said they get someone to spray the place Friday. I'm staying elsewhere until then. I start a new job in the area Tuesday and if this place is just infested I don't see how it's going to work out. It is just wild to me how bad it was. I saw more roaches in 2 hours here than in 6 months at my previous place.
I figure though that they most likely sprayed this place before renting it to me and they were just dug in so deep there's no fixing it. I really need to exhaust all my options here before it fricks up this job for me
>I don't see how it's going to work out
It certainly won't as long as even one of your neighbors is a roach-harboring slob.
>I saw more roaches in 2 hours here than in 6 months at my previous place.
even seeing 1 roach is a problem......I had a friend who was in your situation and it was me who discovered it while helping them move in. the management was spraying literally every week, and they had to clean frequently.....so safe to say you won't be back there for at least a month.
>safe to say you won't be back there for at least a month
I really hope that won't be true. I'm going back tomorrow to set traps and take pictures like anon said. I feel like the number I saw in that time frame means there must be hundreds of them. I'm going to let them spray on Friday and if it's still a problem by Monday I'm going to get out of the lease. I can't live like that and I need this job
I'm thinking about saying something about it being caused by another tenant. Most have been in my kitchen and on the other side of the wall should be the kitchen of the adjacent apartment. The area looked so nice though I hoped the neighbors would not be scum. This whole situation has me fricked, I'm about to spend my whole day tomorrow taking pictures of these roaches.
Sorry, but as someone with personal experience with roach infestations growing up poor, a month of cleaning and spraying is your minimum if you want them completely gone. If you're seeing as many roaches as you are saying just leave. If you see ANY roached in the day time, do not stay there. Do not stay. I say this as someone who lived in it, it's miserable killing roaches every day and being paranoid they're in your food or clothes or shoes.
The property management should never have given you that place and if they cannot give you a new roach free place, find somewhere else. Renting a room at a friends place is 10000 better than dealing with an infestation that you didn't even cause.
It sounds like I have it really bad. I spent a couple hours there moving things in before going to get lunch. An hour after that is when I saw the first roach. It was in a very well lit area (sunlight and kitchen light) so I killed it and sprayed the moulding and frames of the entire apartment. That's when at least 5 more came out, one at a time. I'd kill one, dispose of it, then come back to find another.
I've looked into it a lot more and it seems like you are right. I'm going to have another good look at it tomorrow. I am pretty sure these are German roaches. A lot of people say an exterminator won't help. Everyone recommends the poisoned gel bait. I have no problem covering my kitchen with that for a week while I live elsewhere. But I'm going to inform management Monday that I want out of the lease if this isn't resolved.
I'm also going to call the local health department and see what constitutes uninhabitable conditions. Then contact a tenant later that will give a free consultation
From what I've read, in Georgia only "extreme" infestations count as uninhabitable. But if I can prove it's that bad then I can at least get a prorated return of my rent
Thanks for the advice, anons. This has been a horrible day and it's probably going to get worse before it gets better
>Then contact a tenant later
Tenant lawyer*
If you have any belongings in there remove them immediately, check them for roaches. When you leave out the traps do not pick up the carcasses. Those will be your evidence. Also check the reviews on the place and maybe talk to other tenants see what the truth is. If the entire building or some other tenant's apartment is the source, the infestation won't be fixed. I'm sorry you are going through this good luck.
tell them they have to fix it, and if they can't/don't fix it fast enough -- then move and sue them for relocation expenses. They're obligated to have made the place fit for human habitation before renting it to you, and that kind of pest problem this early on is 100% a justifiable reason to break the lease and demand your money back + expenses.
You should be documenting the issue though, and also it's best to communicate in such a way that you can document the timeframes and responses etc
I'm a high school graduate with a very poor gpa. Been working since graduation at my dad's blue collar painting business. What are the odds, given my experience, of switching blue collar careers to say, electrician or HVAC. Will I be able to get an apprenticeship right off the bat? Or would I have to go to a school
Nobody ever asks your high school GPA when applying for jobs. And I doubt many trade schools have GPA requirements, community college only cares if you graduated.
You don’t have to do trade school. Pretty sure apprentices are still things. You still may need do some certifications like the EPA license for HVAC, but you can study that on your own time. I know people who have gone to school, I know people who just started working with a guy until they knew it and became a tradie, and I know people who took the union test when it popped up (studied by themselves) and got into it that way
Dont listen to Bepis, hes a fricking truck driver and has no clue what it takes to get into actual tradework.
Good advice
I’m just speaking from friends. If you want to waste a couple years at UTI, go for it. Or try to be social and go start working with somebody.
I'm an orphan and the only experience I got for PrepHole stuff was when my foster father beat me with the jumper cables
How do I learn actual crafts and trades without selling an arm and a leg to pay for classes and shit?
Youtube and the interwebs in general.
are you the actual jumper cable gay from reddit or just copying¿
making a gravel driveway tomorrow, got a truck dumping 5 tonnes. I've put a pipe down for drainage underneath it. Thoughts on drilling holes in the pipe/not drilling holes?
>Thoughts on drilling holes in the pipe/not drilling holes?
How is the water supposed to get into your pipe?
culvert
Fair enough.
So, how steep is your driveway? Where are you? Do expect torrential rains often?
How and why in the frick does fuel get into a lawn mower's oil reservuar?
The big ones, I mean, tracktors we call 'em here in the eastern bloc.
I've got a Yard Machenes mower for over a decade and it never had such problems, I'd left it sitting for a long while and it hadn't been maintained for a long while prior, so I sent it to a shop to fixeruper the darn thing.
So they do the full maintinance routine amongst which they install a fuel shutoff valve (open when running, close when not), the reason they gave eludes my fickle memory, however it became very apparent when the engine would take longer to start, the couple times I'd forgot to open the fuel line it would still start, though the exhaust would be smoke and engaging the blades would cause knocking in the engine to the point I feared to use the mower.
after an oil change she cranked twice and was purring like she'd just rolled off the assembly line, the oil was mostly gasoline because I'd forgotten to shut the valve a couple times and also explains how roughly a pint of gas up and dissapeared from the tank.
Though again, this has never hapened before and is now a common occourance with newer mowers how and why does this happen?
am I shadowbanned or some shit?
are my questions really that moronic that they don't deserve even a
>moron
not a single question I've asked has ever been answered, am I really that dumb?
>moron
You're questions are specific enough that only a competent mechanic can answer you. PrepHole is full of armchair quarterbacks.
see
>How and why in the frick does fuel get into a lawn mower's oil reservuar?
stuck open needle valve in carb, fuel fills carb fuel goes in to cylinder then leaks in to oil reservoir.
Are those older craftsman worth it? The seller sent me some videos and pictures, it seems to be in good condition, from what he told me it wasn't used much. I'm not in the US, so anything in this price range is generic Chinese crap or very abused with parts missing name brands like Makita/DeWalt.
I don't need anything fancy, just need to cut square and not burn after using it a dozen times.
>to cut square
This will come down to your skill and patience. In my experience those craftsman tools have a lot of slop in them. Even if you set them up square you can easily pull your cut out of square.
>and not burn after using
Get a sharp blade.
Looked it up in person and although it was very heavy, wasn't very precise and was a pain to set up angles due to lack of positive stops. I'll bite the bullet and buy something newer.
not strictly PrepHole but thought you guys might now.
picrel is my unit and want to know where's the best place to put the vornado so that the heat from the gas heater is distributed evenly in the house, especially bedroom.
Right now heat mostly stagnates in lounge. I don't have ceiling fan in unit.
Also I use a humidifer (gets very dry here) and also friend gifted me his old purifier so wondering where that'd be good to put.
>where's the best place to put the vornado
Ceiling mounted in the doorway to the bedroom, blowing hot close-to-the-ceiling air into the bedroom.
Why do boomers feel the need to wipe everything with water, mang? My dad did that to his cheapass wood shelf and there's water stains all over. Is it an asbestos thing?
was he born and raised in a third-world country
He'd know not to wet the wood if he was.
Is it normal for weed killer to also kill the grass around it?
Yes, it kills everything. Even the “grass safe” stuff does a lot of damage on most species of grass.
How much do they want for it? Craftsman was always homeowner stuff, so it’s about on par with Ryobi. Sucks it’s not a sliding miter saw, but if it’s $100 or less and in good condition, I guess go for it. If it’s closer to $200, you can get Ryobi 10”/12” sliding miter saws for another $30z
what's the fastest or easiest way to paint 68 blocks of bare wood (2x4, 11" long), all sides? its for a giant jenga game
can a water float valve be installed on a PVC pipe or can it only be installed on metal water pipes?
For like an on/off switch? Air conditioners have em on the air handler for the condensate
If you use the submersible type, you can mount it either way. HTH.
thanks
please excuse my moronation.
pic related or its equivalent but at the end of a PVC pipe.
So you want to put your pic related into a PVC pipe? Is the float ball supposed to be outside of the pipe? I think the threads are the same on all that plumbing stuff, but I may be moronic. If the pic is 1/2” NPT and 3/4” NPT, then go get a 1/2” or 3/4” female PVC fitting and put it on whatever pipe your using and you’re good. Brass plumbing threads go into PVC threads all day.
>So you want to put your pic related into a PVC pipe?
yes
>Is the float ball supposed to be outside of the pipe?
yes
>If the pic is 1/2” NPT and 3/4” NPT, then go get a 1/2” or 3/4” female PVC fitting and put it on whatever pipe your using and you’re good. Brass plumbing threads go into PVC threads all day.
thanks, bro!
Bring the part to Home Depot or wherever and check it.
Just remember I’m moronic and never take important advice from PrepHole.
But yeah, the house I bought last year has gay PVC plumbing and there’s a difference between PVC and CPVC sizes and shit, but when it comes to the threads, it’s all NPT and a 3/4” male PVC fitting goes right into a 3/4” brass garden hose spigot or braided steel or rubber lines with a 3/4” female fitting. And you can adapt the sizes all real easy, getting 1” PVC down to 3/4” brass with either a PVC fitting or brass.
>never take important advice from PrepHole.
i always take important advice from here.
anons are fricking amazing.
>the house I bought last year has gay PVC plumbing and there’s a difference between PVC and CPVC sizes and shit, but when it comes to the threads, it’s all NPT and a 3/4” male PVC fitting goes right into a 3/4” brass garden hose spigot or braided steel or rubber lines with a 3/4” female fitting. And you can adapt the sizes all real easy, getting 1” PVC down to 3/4” brass with either a PVC fitting or brass.
thanks
Basic wooden porch/deck
4x4 posts
4x4 to double 2x brackets(strongtie bcs)
Sistered 2x8 beams
???
2x6, well joists I guess, framed like a floor 16" on center.
2x6 joists run perpendicular to the beams, bottom edge on edge
How should a secure the joists to the beams? Seen boomers online toe nailing deck screws, can't find 2x to double brackets that are the same style as the bcs(aside from cut and welded ractangle tube welded together that are $60+ each). I think the weight will help keep it against the beams, screws seem just to keep it from moving so the beams continue to hold the bulk of the load. Saw hurricane straps, seem alright but maybe overkill, but it'll only cost me like $50 more so whatever. Just looking for ideas, city didn't specify a method to join them, they only cared about hole depth, how the posts are joined to the beam, what I use for a handrail on the stairs and that I have some kind of railing.
Something like this was what I was looking for except 3 inches wide on the large side, not 3 1/2. Ignore the perforated plate behind it. I can't even find those ones locally because I'm not in hurricane territory so I can't even find them. Lots of decks around so I know no one is using them for that.
>How should a secure the joists to the beams?
Toenail them with galvanized nails. Pic related. Or if you're worried about wind uplift, then use rafter ties like something similar to Simson H2.5A or H1Z. The tie doesn't have to straddle both sistered 2x8's-- it's okay to simply fasten to one side. They're engineered to deal with loads like this.
There's a prescriptive deck code that you can look up for joist span charts etc if you're interested. DCA 6-12. https://awc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/AWC-DCA62012-DeckGuide-1405.pdf
Be careful-- if you show your local inspection guy that you're using a code book, he'll immediately get wetter than a slip-n-slide and try to marry you.
Exactly what I was looking for, thanks.
Oh God no, not really in a situation where I could but it's going to be free standing.
>but it's going to be free standing.
I forgot to mention that before, but most large injuries and deaths from deck problems result from the failure of the attachment to the ledger on the side of the house.
Glad to hear you're not going to end up like pic related
Do *not* attach your deck to your house. You will regret it.
Hey bros. So I work at a place where part of my job is working with these little 3x6 inch pieces of cut slabs. They come in different types of stones including marble, quartzite, limestone, soapstone, granite, dolomite, and I think a few others. Depending on the material their finish could be polished, honed, or leathered. What would be the process of changing or fixing the finishes of these little pieces of stone? For example going from honed to polish and vice versa? Or furthering a polished finish? From what I've read online, for turning a honed to a polished finish, would be taking a sander and starting at a lower grit like maybe 200? Then going up to like 500, then 800 then 1200 or 1500? For a polished finish I would want a nice mirror look. For a honed it's just the opposite right? Start at 1000 maybe and then make my way down to 200? I also read I should use water from a spray bottle for doing a polish. Would that also include a honed? Could the vendor use of certain tools methods, or chemical processes make it difficult for me to achieve my desired results? Seems fairly straight forward but I just wanted some input from people who might know. Pic is an example of what I'd be working with. A little piece of marble.
The only sander I have at my disposal is this old black and decker 1/4 sheet/finishing sander. Most of what I read online suggested using a random orbital sander or a proper polishing sander for several reasons but that was mostly for larger tile, slabs, and countertops. Since what I'm working with is very small I'm assuming this would work fine no? I'm not gonna try a leathered finish for now since that would require some type of rotary device with brush attachments with diamond infused bristles.
Is it an easy fix to get this flush? I have maybe 10 I would need to do it to
If you are lucky, you can take the cover off, reseat the socket, then screw the cover back on.
If you are unlucky, the box is in crooked so you are going to have to spend a fun hour or 3 reattaching the box to the stud. You want the box to be square with the drywall and not flush but sunk in 1/8 to 1/4 from the drywall.
hmm toothpaste, maybe caulk
Putting in a gas fireplace. Does this pilot light flame look too large?
Any tips for house ventilation? Was considering applying trickle vents to all the windows as a quick fix for condensation/mold.
Use your ceiling fans or turn on the furnace fan to circulate 30% of every hour
Check joist spans, footing load limits and don't forget your deck flashing or your house's rim joist will rot
Just look in the structural hardware aisle at Menards. They have the braces you're looking for
My neighbor decided to trim grass over my fence line in my backyard. Should I confront them about it? They could've knocked on my door and asked when I was going to trim it. Now it just feels weird to see them doing it as if I don't have a trimmer myself.
Should I engage with my neighbors about this? I wish my lawnmower came sooner so I could have done the trimming myself. I noticed that someone is also trimming the line of grass where the mailboxes are. Do you think they'll continue when I get my lawnmower? I really don't want people doing work on my behalf, I'm been doing my best with limited equipment to take care of my front and back lawn. It's giving me anxiety.
>Should I engage with my neighbors about this?
Yes, You say,"Thank you."
I don't actually know which neighbor is trimming the grass near the mailbox, only the one who has only trimmed my fence line once. I also don't want to look strange trying to figure out where their front door is or what time to stop by.
Is watching them from my windows and then going outside when I see them a good approach? I have really bad anxiety and all of this is freaking me out.
is it against code to use a outside rated electric service box inside?
>is it against code to use a outside rated electric service box inside?
According to the footnotes on section 110.28, outdoor enclosures can be used indoors as well. This is something where your box has to be "greater than or equal to" the required environmental resistance for its installation location.
thnx. got one free intend to make a sub panel out of.
>buy 1940s house
>previous owner re-did the old plumbing
>decide to replace the guts in the terlet because it doesn't flush well
>turn off the water supply line
>water starts leaking downstairs immediately after
>have a hunch that turning the supply line back on will stop the leak
>finish the job
>turn on the supply line back on
>the leak stops
Do any anons have any idea why turning off a water supply line would cause a leak, but having the line open, but not flowing would not cause a leak?
I have a feeling I'm going to have to replace all the supply lines anyways, but I'm curious.
The incoming mains pressure forces the pipe fittings to be tighter, thus creating a better seal. So when mains shut off the pipework "relaxes" (for want of a better term) then leaks. Its kind of the mechanism of how sharkbites/push-fit works. Either way, you have a problem that needs addressing
Thanks anon, I figured it was something I could blame on the previous owner, looks like I have more plumbing to do this weekend.
I've just come here to complain now that I'm sufficiently drunk
today I was playing handyman for my elderly neighbors. they have a decorative post light in their front yard that used a 150w sodium bulb. the ballast had failed and the bulb died, they did not have a replacement ballast and didn't really want to wait for a new one......... so I bought a cheapo led wall mount security light, affixed it into the place where the bulb went with tape and wire, wired it up and called it a day so now that entire security light assembly is functioning as the bulb inside the larger housing. and they loved it. and it's so fricking stupid and I'm so mad at what a dumb Black person-rigged fix that is but its not really my problem anymore
Don't feel bad. It's an elegant solution.
Sober up tho.
I'm shopping for a new set of tools and I'm concerned about corrosion. They will be frequently exposed to saltwater and stored in a high-salinity environment. Will standard chromium-coated high-carbon steel on cheap harbor freight tools be up to the task, or should I look into a different material?
They'll rust to shit in no time. Un Ironically have best luck with Wera as they're stainless steel, despite all the haters. Use them in Canada in winter when everything is coated in salt without issue.
I do not wires. In the diagram, the blue wires are actually white. all other colors are correct.
The switches in junction box 1 and 2 control the outlet in box 3.
>I want to have the outlet wired hot all the time.
>I want the switches to control my can lights.
>Ideally, I would be able to accomplish this entirely in the attic.
Easy enough
Just put in a junction box somewhere in the line to the switched outlet and get it hot all the time
Then in that box, just run the can wires into it and attach to the switch wires
You have a 3-way situation it appears so you'll have to be mindful of that but pretty simple overall
Worked great, thanks.
So I'm gonna braze some cast iron shit I have laying around instead of nickel 99 like I usually do, are you supposed to use a rosebud to do it or the welding tip?
What happens if I move over tiny pieces of dog poop?
Nerve gas
What the frick is this bros? Is it something to do with cameras or phones? It's in the back off my office.
Internet/network? The 4 wires are normally phones I think, isn’t ethernet 6 wires? But those blue cables look like ethernet.
Ethernet is four twisted pairs, so 8 wires though some old standards could run on fewer. The same cable has been used for both phone and ethernet, and considering how disorganized the terminations look I'd assume phone.
>The 4 wires are normally phones I think
Phones are white/blue, and only need 1 pair. you can use that 110 to run multiple phone lines down 1 category cable by also using white/orange
That's a distribution panel for category cable before keystone jacks became the norm. The top pannel looks like a 110 block (or BIX if you're in the UK) where you cut the ends of the cat5 and punch them down. that is a Honeywell model MDX88300. The bottom plugs are for coax, and basically let you take one incoming connection and split it out to multiple for multiple TVs. Looks like the bottom plugs are "IN" and the top are "Out" so a 1 to 4 split with 2 of them.
The top 110 blocks probably connect to station ends in the house? Like each of those 110 ports is going to a wall jack I imagine.
Do you think it would be used for coax internet? We haven't changed anything so it's all intact. Say if I wanted the internet in the back by this box, how would that work?
Thank you anon.
Yeah wherever the coax comes in should terminate by this box, and you can plug your modem in and run out through the ethernet cables. I would make sure the ethernet is at least cat5e and not cat3.
the top 8 blurry connectors are blurry network cable connections, the bottom blurry connectors are probably for blurry cable going to each blurry room.
My garage has unfinished floor.
Is it worthwhile to attempt pouring concrete floor myself in small sections, or should I hire someone to do it?
All depends on you, brother. Get a quote from some Mexicans or Poles, depending where you live, and determine if it's worth your time. Me personally, I would pour it myself. Worst that can happen is that it's uneven or not smooth.
I have a situation with a 6" well casing that has water starting 44' down. The total depth is 100'. Would a regular hand pump ordinarily rated at 25', get any water up, at all? I looked around and there is a Baker 11HD that can draw water up from 150'+, but there doesn't seem to be anything inbetween. The common 25' foot pump is $25-50. The 'deep water' pumps, like I said good to 125' starting depth, run $1000. There doesn't seem to be a pump inbetween the two, although I don't think a ~50' depth is that uncommon for a well.
It currently has one of those shuttle systems for getting water: you crank it down from a spool of paracord, and at 44' it hits water. It has a built in stopper, so when you raise it up, you lift about 2 gallons of water. It looks like a 4" galvanized stove pipe on the outside.
When you squeeze a release, it dumps the water out the bottom. I imagine they went with this to: A) have water when power was out, and B) because they didn't think the cheap pumps could lift that far, even w a foot valve.
Obv the other possible solution is an electric pump at the bottom. I'm trying to have a manual backup water system. One inhabitant is an old man, and if he's at home and there's no power, I want him to be able to get water.
{The local terrain means the water district has to pump water up, and when the local power goes out, that means the water supply ceases to work in that area, as it's not gravity-fed and there's no water tower above. Besides, the 'treatment' process poisons the water, and cancer is a huge killer around here, obv in part due to the terrible water. I'm trying to get the family to switch to their own in-house well, which is really good water.}
>water starting 44' down. The total depth is 100'. Would a regular hand pump ordinarily rated at 25', get any water up, at all?
If you're looking at a regular, cheap, pitcher pump or similar which operates using vacuum, then NO you cannot draw water from deeper than that via suction. The idea is that the pump has to 'suck' harder and harder to raise the water further up the pipe, and even a 100% perfect theoretical vacuum will still top out at around 33 feet of lift.
It sounds like you already have a cheap manual emergency backup plan, but if you put a soft start type submersible pump in there, then you can easily run it on any generator during an outage.
A 12V DC submersible pump could accomplish the same while being hooked up to a car via jumper cables.
you could do something like https://www.instructables.com/Make-an-O-ringer-PVC-Manual-Lift-Pump-for-Your-Wel/
If you have a 6" well casing, then you can probably install one of these in addition to a submersible pump so that you'll be covered for day-to-day operation and for emergencies too
> 12v submersible pump
Yep. After writing that, found some on ebay for a reasonable price, with exactly the same idea, that some common battery could be used to lift water out.
100 year old house has this on the top floor. Brown shit underneath the paint turns into dust when I touch it. I think it's from previous eater damage. How do I fix it?
Slowly plaster it with some filler and sand corners to make it smooth edges
So I don't expect to get any real help just from this shitty doodle, but I don't have access to photos right now.
Can you recommend me to a resource for determining how bad a concrete slab floor is for what seems to be a fairly generic pole barn? It looks like the poles themselves are rather well anchored still, but the concrete floor is bowing as shown and has some cracked in half, (though not bowing beyond that crack)
Want to determine if the entire frickin polebarn is a timebomb or if the concrete floor can just be replaced in places. I know how to do most basic carpentry and plumbing shit but don't really know anything about foundations, but I imagine it's likely relevant to note that there's a drainage pond maybe ~10 meters from one corner of the polebarn which might be part of the erosion problem. (However note that the concrete bowing is as pictured, fairly even and not leaning toward the pond. It may simply be settling from the slabs squeezing moisture out and if the floor is redone now it might stay stable, or it may be a sign the whole thing is about to implode, but I don't know enough about foundations to say.
And if anyone knows enough about foundation work to comment on how bad it seems just based on that description/sketch I'd appreciate it. (The picture has the angles exaggerated because it's a doodle, but it's definitely still visible to the naked eye)
Unrelated and may be more relevant to PrepHole, but if I plan to make a big ass freezer area for hunted elk/raised animals/etc would you suggest a big ass walk in freezer or a bunch of chest freezers? Seems like a bunch of chests might be better due to redundancy. (Not some kind of prepper going off grid thing, it just seems to me like losing a ton of prepared frozen meat to a single freezer taking a shit would be a real shame)
Can I use these LED replacement tube lights without a ballast?
Help.
I opened a brand new can of interior primer for walls and its all separated and shit. I guess its been sitting around. do I need to take it to the hardware store to get shaken or can I just stir the shit out of it?
Just stir it real good.
What oil or additive do I put into a spindle speeder?
It's a planetary roller set - think planetary gears but without the teeth. All contact surfaces are hardened steel.
I tried different viscosities of oil, but I am getting a ton of slip in the unit, generating a lot of friction. The supplier does not exist anymore.
I've been trying to fix my mom's shitass German fixture but I can't figure out which of these is supposed to be where. Do I use the middle screw as the neutral because right now it just flips the breaker.
Yes I've turned them around
Is it missing something to insulate the screws and wires from the body of the lamp? Like if you turn it on with it taken apart like that and the wires aren’t touching the metal body, does it still trip the breaker?
Yeah. I want to say it's too old to fix but it has power coming from the 2 wires. Here's the old body. Ignore my banana
I'm going to try hooking this up to something and seeing if this old body is even broken
the insulating cardboard is missing pieces, it should cover the screws.
It flips without touching the metal bracket anyways. I wrapped it in electrical tape too.
I'm moron
Bought a rubber air hose for a tiny compressor, and there was a "soft spot" not far from a connector. Seems like it was kind of kinked?
Should I be worried? It's rated 300 psi and won't likely ever be over 100psi.
how can I diy a dust boot for this thing?
I feel like a rubber dust boot would impair performance. Maybe four soft bristles all around the hole?
It can’t be any worse than it is right now completely full of flaming hot cheetohs.
Magnum condom or universal cv boot kit.
How can I make a box that'll hold a 30°C inside temp, in a 45-50C environment?
I want to make a fermentation box to keep outdoors, but any insulated box eventually turns into an oven in our environment...
Heating a box is easier than cooling it.
>want to wire up a 3.5mm TRS connector in my headphones (MDR-V6) so I can have a detachable cable
>no markings or documentation stating which terminal is which on the connector
>do not possess a meter to test them with
Is there any risk of harming my headphones/PC if I connect audio and ground lines by mistake, or am I safe to identify through trial and error by just touching wires to the terminals and playing audio into it?
The specific connector is this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0108KTKPW
It has one long terminal and two short ones, so logic has me assume that the long one is the ground and the two short ones are the two audio channels, but I'm not experienced with this stuff and not sure if I want to test that theory if I could damage something as a result.
The trs is extremely standard. Poke your old wire and connector with a multimeter to figure out what color is which. If they aren't insane it should be red right. Ground is usually also obvious because it's bare or being used as a shield on the cable.
Thanks for the response, but like I said, I'm afraid I've not got a meter I can use for testing the connector with; the only alternative method I can think of is to just touch a speaker wire to a contact and play audio into it to see which channel I get.
I guess a better way of phrasing my question would be: what would actually happen if I put one of the headphones' speaker wires onto the ground terminal and tried playing audio with no other wires connected? Would there be any risk of damaging the speakers or device playing audio, or would it be harmless and just do nothing?
the electrons will build up and the wire will EXPLODE! jk
>or would it be harmless
yes
Thanks for the confirmation then; I didn't see any obvious reason why it could be harmful, but I've also got no experience in the matter so didn't trust my judgement enough to try.
i tip my hat and also my fedora
Is there a special name for the filter that sits just underneath a gas cap?
I've got a generator and rototiller that need them.
What size wire do I need for a 115v, 8.8A motor? to plug into the wall I mean. I'm looking to salvage one from something else.
even though this is literally the stupid question thread, I still have issues figuring out how people manage to post on this board but they cannot comprehend how to do a simple google search
I used a calculator before posting this. I wanted a human to corroborate the results.
Depends on how long you want it to be
There’s a million charts on
I opened up my electrical box and this is what the last breaker looks like. It was clearly broken somehow. Obviously I shouldn't put a breaker in there, but should I be replacing this whole thing?
Anyone?
How can I repair this rot? I found it while replacing a door.
>kept repeating a conversation of telling my neighbor I ordered a lawnmower over and over in my head
>the conversation finally happened today
>got to tell my neighbor I'm going to be moving my lawn
Oddly relieving. He also offered to have someone mow my front lawn, which is nice. I can just do my backyard this week. I'll have to give them my next batch of cookies.
I want to anchor a carport to the ground, what kind of rope should I use?
Thoughts on cleaning up these patio chair arms? Should I just sand the frick out of them and oil them up? The grain is super rough and I’m afraid just rough sanding might break them up. Any tips for smoothing out wood that is almost separating at the grain like this?
You could leave the super-defined grain and cover them in epoxy of some kind, might be a cool look.
That’s a cool idea, but I can’t think of a way of applying it evenly
You could probably do several thin coats of some Aerosol type, though I've never used any aerosol can epoxy/finish/whatever so no idea if that'd even be practical.
How difficult is it to run Ethernet cable through a house? My router is on the opposite side of the house and one floor lower (2 floor). I'm guessing running the cable up from the ground floor is likely the hardest but have no experience working within walls.
Also have some old telephone line running between the floors, I've seen some stuff online saying that it could be used to pull cable through, is it actually that easy?
>My router is on the opposite side of the house and one floor lower (2 floor). I'm guessing running the cable up from the ground floor is likely the hardest
Running it between floors is easy. Drill a hole, put cable through.
Running it to the other side of the house is the hard part. It all depends on what's in the floor or walls or whatever ... which way to do the joists go? Do you have access?
Do you have an unfinished attic or unfinished basement you can get the wire to, to make it easier to go across the house?
Or consider going outside with it.
There's not any "magic" to it. Figure out the easiest path.
Be sure to buy ethernet cable that's rated for in-wall use, and if you decide to run it outside or in an air vent or something, it'll also have to be rated for outdoors or plenum applications.
There is hole where the paper is. How do I cover this up with no airflow?
Looks like there was a larger fixture there at one point? Get a similar larger one? Twist a couple wires and you’re good
I went to change the showerhead in the basement stall shower (the only one in the house) and the head broke off. I can get what remains to turn but not come out. Did I completely screw this up?
My rental apartment's kitchen cabinets stink of paint/varnish smell. All glassware I put in there stinks and tastes bad until I wash it.
Is there some way short of repainting with better paint to get rid of this smell and any possible danger?
The paint isn't fresh it appears to have been painted over 2 years ago.
Thanks
anyone have any insight?
>pic unrel
What’s something that I could do to scrape up some cash?
I can’t hold down a job due to personal stuff I’d rather not go into. I don’t want a ton of cash, just some sort of way to earn money.
My brother buys and sells stuff at equipment auctions and stuff. That’s how he makes money, but it seems he doesn’t wanna help me get into it.
Do you guys have any ideas? Like something I could craft and sell on marketplace for a profit, or maybe some things I could buy and sell for a grand or 2 and turn over for a profit?
Raise goats? They literally just vibe until it's time to turn them into meat, though I guess if you live somewhere with "winter" you may need to feed them hay in winter.
is my masonry bit a tad too large for this anchor? Side by side they seem ok, but on the tape measure, the flanges of the masonry bit extend slightly further out than the width of the anchor
yes too big.
compare the two side profile not end, the flange of the plug is inconsequential.
did you get the plug with some product?
always throw away free plugs. buy a set so you know the sizes of drill (read the packet)
It will probably be a loose fit. Between the wobble of the chuck and user error and concrete crumbling, I’ll often go with one size smaller masonry bit for anchors just to see how they fit before going with the one they recommend
>You must be 18 to post here
I get it, you’re 29 and still live in your childhood bedroom and don’t work
But won’t the wall anchor expand anyways once I get the screw in there? Or am I thinking of something else?
They do expand a bit, but if you want it to hold much weight, the plastic bit should be snug in the hole before you ever put a screw in. The hole is going to end up larger than the bit because wobbles and such and you’re going to be knocking out chunks, and the anchor is going to be real loose. It may hold a bit, but not as strong as it should be.
I always like the holes for my anchors to be snug like you have to tap them in with the back of the drill or push quite hard with your thumb.
Like in that pic, depending what you’re drilling into, the hole is probably going to be another 1/16” wider than the head of the bit at least, and those types of anchors don’t bulge a ton and aren’t the strongest to begin with.
Hmmm ok. The wall anchors came with my Ring doorbell, so won’t be too much weight, but they did say use a 1/4” masonry bit for those wall anchors. Maybe I’ll buy a 3/16” bit as well just to be sure? If that ends up being too small, I’ll just widen it with the 1/4”. Just don’t want it to be too easy to yank out of the brick, or even worse, just fall out on its own.
If it’s a Ring, just wing it. If it doesn’t hold at all, stick some fricking caulk in the hole with the anchor or get a bigger anchor. A 6pk of slightly larger anchors or small tube of adhesive at Walmart is probably cheaper than a single name brand masonry bit at HD anyway.
Update: the other ring cameras I bought came with a masonry bit, this one labeled 15/64”. They didn’t include a masonry bit with the doorbell one, but they did with the other cameras. Would this be better, or should I still go for 7/32” or even 3/16”?
>hi dad can I help you with anything
>no I'm busy doing this
That's why I asked you dense moron.
I don't want to hear you again telling me that I do not do anything, when you don't care to teach me anything.
Thanks for reading my blog.
https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control
Yo there, I have a whole bunch of broken tiles on my house, but at least 50% are broken in ways the most are is fine, and it would be so much effort to remove the whole tile.
There is some grinder over there, so it's viable to cut the damaged are of the tiles, and cut the new tiles accord , like a jigsaw puzzle?
It wouldn't be as aesthetic as new floor but it's worst to have it cracked and rised.
Thanks.
>rised
I mean bumped, IDK why in the kitchen and a bathroom suddenly the tiles started to bump just like cards in picrel.jpg
I just got a lawnmower. Electric. It's in the box. Do I have to assemble it? How do you turn these things on?
How do I take it out of the box? I can't lift 90+ lbs.
Cut the box on a couple sides and roll it out
Use the smaller one and see if the anchor fits in the hole, even if it takes a couple small taps with a lighter hammer. If it’s too tight and you risk damaging the plastic anchor, go with the larger bit.
How thick steel can you reasonably saw by hand using a hacksaw?
I have a hacksaw at home with blades for sawing metal, but am I in for a world of hurt if I try to saw 3 mm L angle (don't know the English word, sorry, but see pic) made of steel?
The reason I need 3 mm is because I want to thread it and build a custom computer case frame.
You're only going to be sawing a small part of the metal at once, I've never really used any handsaws for that but I imagine the only real issue might be your blade getting dull as frick. (Assuming you're in decent physical shape at least and won't turn to jello at the slightest physical exertion)
Cool, thanks! Might grab a couple of extra blades just to be on the safe side.
My house is older and the previous owner converted the fireplace to a gas stove thing with the exhaust running up the chimney. I like it a lot, but now I've got a cat and a little 6 month old who crawls. I want to block off the space behind the stove so he can't get into the little alcove behind (and so critters can't sneak back out - I've seen a snail there once or twice) but obviously the stove gets hot. What sort of material should I use, and will I be able to cut it myself (no powersaws at my house, but my dad could bring some out next time he visits)? We were going to have someone out to reinforce the chimney due to some earthquake damage last year, is this something that sort of crew could handle, or is it simple enough I can do it myself?
I grew up in a house with a wood/coal furnace and cats, they quickly learn that going near it when it's on is not a fun idea and avoided it even in the summer.
As for your kid, either keep a better eye on them or just put a little baby wall up around it. If you're actually using the furnace for heat consider that it likely has space behind it deliberately, you don't want it to get too hot or anything. I remember once our furnace was left with it's air intakes on max for like a whole day and the entire furnace was cherry red, you don't want that in contact with your walls.
Fair point. Hopefully when they fix the chimney they can seal the base to make sure pests can't get in. Now the fun part, convincing the mrs I'm not just being lazy when I tell her I'm not doing anything to it...
Even if you don't do anything to it checking the chimney seems an obvious suggestion.
And I seem to remember an old Polish guy telling me once, "You don't need a kiddie wall around a furnace, they're only gonna burn themselves once at most."
I was supposed to do check up and insulation on this asynchronous motor but once i opened it (due to low resistance between phase and earth) to check for water damage it drenched me in transmision oil as it was chock full of stuff. Before i even bother to look for replacemnts seals is there even chance to wash all that grease with some solvent that would not strip off insulation from winding or am i gonna toos whole thing out?
I want to tidy up these used shift levers I bought. Can I get rid of the stains by polishing them or should I sand the spots down first? The dirty spots protrude out of the paint.
the 'spots' are corrosion of the aluminum
they appear to be anodized for protection
it will be difficult to make them look great
wire brush then sanding in the direction of the brush marks
if you get it looking to your satisfaction, clear coat it
How do I fix this?
>How do I fix this?
Lay the rest of the floor.
This
How do I build a desk? This will be my first time building something and I don't know use cases for stain and plywood and expoxy and what not. I was thinking of getting 2 sanded plywood boards, glueing them, staining them, and attaching a pair of standing desk legs from amazon. Is this a good idea and can you recommend good resources to read up on this sort of stuff?