We have hard water and if up to me we'd have a softner, but my wife really really doesn't like how the water feels. I did look at conditioners, but the more I read about them, the more I'm dubious of their efficacy. The science is valid, but small changes in any variable cause a significant drop in effectiveness.
I didn't really have a choice. It's hard to bathe when the soap and shampoo don't lather, but clothes washer really doesn't work well if the detergent isn't sudsing. You can adjust the settings, length of time, number of gallons for recirculation, filter requirement and all that jazz.
Oh, I'm with you. I've already had to replace a few faucets due to scale build up, but my wife won't budge
"experts" So, I don't live in a big city. But, I've talked to the original well installer who happens to be a friend of mine, I've talked to his competition, and I've talked to a water company that is basically a softener specialist. They agree it's a common problem. The well guys are like "what're you gonna do" in the sense that, they'd be happy to sell me something to help, but in the long run, it's the same cost to replace stuff, and not worth it for their time to stock and install other solutions. And the softener specialist will definitely sell me an acid neutralizing system to balance my pH, but only if I install their softener system, and agree to their monthly maintenance service. I talked with my neighbors at one of our cookout meetings, and those of use that have been there for more than 15 years talked about the pros and cons of options. Do you buy a $400 appliance and replace it every 6 years, or do you buy an $800 appliance and replace it every 12 years? (for example) I know one of my neighbors was using the softener specialist company for a few years, and hates them, and switched to doing everything himself. All that is why I ended up with my original question, where I was trying to extend the life of the rack by making the factory coating thicker.
Yeah... figured as much. This is the kind of thing where you wish you knew a chemist or something that really understood this shit and could explain it to you to the next level, rather than being an "expert" that knows how to read a brochure and replace shit they just sold you. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for you.
I have an issue I need to take care of and maybe you guys can help. We live in an area with a high water table. On an average day, you won't have to dig down far to hit groundwater. But when our addition was built in 2016, it was the dryest year I've ever seen so when the guys were digging out the new basement, the ground was really dry all the way down. Because of that, it never occurred to me to say, "Hey, let's put a floor drain in here." They did a good job waterproofing the walls, I remember that much. But the water issue stems from the seam between the footers and the poured floor. When they were finishing the floor, they went right over the footer with cement as well. However, in a short time, the pressure from the groundwater pushed that up and broke it all off after a few good rains. Because there's no floor drain, and the floor is slightly uneven, the water pools in a corner of the room until Walt comes along with a push broom to sweep it out into the other part of the basement where there is an existing floor drain. That and a dehumidifier have been my only tools so far. I'm tired of dealing with it, and I'd like to add more shelving to store vegetables and other items. But right now, I need to keep the floor open so I can sweep the water out. A French drain is out of the question now. I've given thought to having a sump pump or maybe a floor drain installed. Either would require me to hire someone; there's no way my shoulders can take that abuse of digging down through the concrete with a jackhammer. But what I'd like to try first is to find an easier and cheaper way to fill the seam between the footer and the floor, which is where the water is coming from. I know it is, as I've watched it happen. I just need something that will bond to the floor and withstand the hydraulic pressure from the groundwater pushing up. Do any of my fellow Idiots have any experience with this kind of problem and/ or know of a good, reliable product?
I've only ever seen that kind of thing fixed/sealed from the outside of the foundation. I'd have to think that anything you did inside wouldn't do a good job, as it would just dam up the water that's coming in and force it to weep in through the concrete on each side of the crack, which is naturally porous. That being said, something like an expansion joint caulk might be worth trying.
No idea. Just wanted to chime in that I'm jealous that you have a basement. They're virtually unheard of around here.
Yeah, and to be clear, in case it wasn't obvious, I'm talking out of my ass here and have zero experience with your issue.
Thats kind of my thinking too. The likely solution here is a sump pump so the water has somewhere to go, and is easier to get out of there.
Do you seriously mean to tell me that you had a basement built with no sump? Because that's what you need.
I say go rent yourself an excavator and dig around your foundation, slap some sealer on it, call it a day. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? You get to play with heavy machinery, all in the name of fixing your house.
Those things are pretty tough, you have to try pretty hard to damage them. The throttle spools the hydraulics so you just keep a low throttle until you get used to it.
How is that not the EXACT SAME THING? As to what could go wrong, a friend of mine did his own foundation fix on a house he'd just bought, and it went incredibly well... except that the heavy excavator was causing too much vibration and he knocked over his neighbour's chimney. It was already shitty and falling apart, but he was the final straw to it collapsing. At least he found out early that his neighbour was a good guy and worked with him to fix it.
Does anyone have any quick and dirty tips or tests we can do to make sure a gas cooktop isn't a lemon? I found a supposedly new and unused 30" GE Cafe gas cooktop for sale on Facebook marketplace. We need a replacement cooktop. Currently have an electric but are plumbed for gas too. I'm trying not to get burned while getting a good deal on this.
Yep. Had a shitload of other things going on at the same time and it got completely overlooked. I figured another sump pump will be the end fix, but was hoping for something cheaper. Impossible now due to surrounding stuff like geothermal pipelines. The entire outer walls of the foundation were sealed, that much I remember them doing. The walls are bone dry. The water getting in is whats running under the house and coming up from underneath. I've looked high and low for some easy fix, but apparently there isn't one. It's all good, we'll just have to spring for the sump.