What kind of handle do you have that turns on the water? Some of the single handle units have stops so you can only get so much hot water. I know some can be adjusted. And are you in a house or a duplex or apartment?
Most of what he said up there is correct, but generally 12/2 (hot, neutral, ground) is used strictly for outlets. You can use it for lights, but its more expensive then 14/2. Since its in an attic, and you wont go up there that much, dont bother drilling holes in the joists (not sure if that was your plan or not, but also theres Code for hole drilling so as a newbie I wouldnt deal with it) and just run BX-14/2 (that armoured cable). The armoured cable is code for unfinished walls or celings, but id defenitely reccomend it in an attic, because critters cant chew through it. With armoured cable remember to use "anti-short bushings" on the ends of the cut cable, as well as use the box clamps. Other then that its extremely straight foward. Just about any 15 amp lighting circuit in that house should be able to sustain the draw from a 15 amp ceiling fan (unless of course the last electrician put like 35 fixtures and outlets on each circuit to save money). And pulling wire through insulation is actually pretty easy, all you need is to be good with a fish tape. And if you're wondering what my qualifications are, Im a 3rd period apprentice with a year and a half of that time spent in residential.
I'm in a new townhouse. I've got a single handle that rotates to the left. It's silicon sealed so I'm reluctant to tear it off the wall. Is the idea that if I remove the handle there is a stopper I can remove? What's the best way to remove something that has been sealed with silicon?
You can normally remove just the handle without removing the entire fixture from the wall. Oftentimes there is a screw hidden under a snap-on cover or a set-screw in the side of the handle. The stops are usually just a plastic piece that can be removed entirely without damaging the fixture.
Culprit was one of these fuckers: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.peerlessfaucet.com/customersupport/faq/Water+Temperature/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.peerlessfaucet.com/customers ... index.html</a> Sweet sweet hot water. My Vila index just went to 1.2/10
Plumbing Problem My home has recently developed a plumbing issue - when I run the washing machine, the laundry room wastewater drain pipe can't handle the discharge of used wash water. I'm getting nasty drain water coming up through the nearby kitchen sink, and water also sprays out where the washing machine's drain line connects to the drain pipe in the wall. What I think is happening, is that there is a partial blockage in the main drain line after laundry room drainpipe connects with it, and that the main drain line cannot handle the volume of water discharged by the washing machine, thus causing a backup of the laundry room drain pipe and also pushing up water in the kitchen sink. I tried pouring a strong solvent into the laundry room drain pipe, and into the kitchen drain just for good measure, but the problem remains. As background information - This is an older house (mid-50's) which was renovated a few years ago, I bought it almost 2 years ago and haven't had any plumbing issues until now. Also, no other water use (including showers, dishwasher, etc.) is causing drain backup. I've asked around, and the only suggestion I have heard (other than hiring a plumber) is to rent a heavy-duty plumbing snake from Home Depot. Does this a) sound like main drain blockage, b) is it something I could fix myself, c) how would you recommend doing so? Thanks.
Unless you know where the actual blockage is and are familiar with using a power snake your best bet is to call in a drain cleaning professional like Roto Rooter. What could possibly take you 1/2 a day plus the cost of renting a snake, not to mention the grief and aggravation factor will be solved in an hour for less than $200. I have had many a drain issue with my house and as many times as I have tried to fix it myself, I always end up call a drain professional. Hell, my brother-in-law is a plumbing contractor and he even tells me to call a rooter guy! $.02
Delta type shower handles mix the water in the handle before it goes to the shower head. Pop off the cover on the center of the handle. Remove the screw underneath the cover. Now before you remove anything else, take a good look at where the water temperature dial is set. Pull out and then rotate left or right depending on which direction the arrows tell you to move it. Replace screw and then snap on the cover. You should be done and it should take all of 5 minutes.
As a postscript to my sad plumbing tale: I hired Rotorooter to come out and camera the blocked sewer drain line; after several hours of snaking and flushing the line, he told me that the line could not be unclogged. I then hired another plumber to fix the drain line - turns out the the cast iron pipe dating back to the '50s when my house was built had rusted out, the whole thing had to be dug out and removed. Then, for good measure, I hired a third plumbing company to replace the sewer line to the street and my water supply line from the street, as they were also vintage '50s pipes which were in bad shape. Moral of the story: generally speaking, if you buy an older house, you'll inevitably be in for unexpected expenses like I had. More specifically, if you're buying an older home, check for information regarding the age of the plumbing system. The exterior plumbing lines are not part of the home inspection (since they're underground and the inspector can't get to them) but you may be able to get information from the seller. Also, check to see if there are clean outs installed; these are plastic tubes with caps that you'll see in front yards that are installed entry points so that plumbers can access the sewer line to clean things out without having to dig down to the line and cut it open. If you see clean outs, you can assume the house has had sewer problems which have been worked on (and hopefully fixed).
Sometimes, DIY is just not for everyone. I can't believe this. Never mind that the cord has been painted to match the surroundings in some areas, indicating this is not just some quick-fix temporary thing... it's been there for a while.
]Hello all. I recently closed on my first house and earlier this week the prior owner moved out. My girlfriend who will be living with me thinks the hardwood needs to be re finished. I know nothing about this. I'll attach a picture (its not great I don't live there yet) the house is about 1500 square feet. What kind of money am I looking at here? Could I do it myself? Is she nuts for thinking this is needed?
Crown Royal would be a better person to respond than me, but here are my thoughts: Does it need to be redone? That's entirely up to you. From that picture it's almost impossible to tell. How badly scuffed is it? Are there big scratches or grooves? Water stains? Why does she say it should be redone? Also, ask yourself what you want to gain out of it. Are you in this house for 15 years, or do you think it will greatly help resale value? As to CAN it be redone, that's another question. If the nails are showing through and some of them are actually poking out of the floor, it may have already been redone too many times. You'd have to see about that. Should you do it yourself? I would advise not. And here is my STRONGEST advice: DO NOT live in the house while it's happening. I had my hardwood redone in 2008, and after a complete renovation (read: entire house gutted), it was by far the most disruptive thing that happened. Obviously nothing can be on the floor while it's happening, so all the furniture is crammed into whatever space you can find that is not hardwood. The smell of the Varathane is toxic, and when we did ours it was in the humid summer heat, so the whole process took about three weeks (sand, woodfill, sand, stain, sand, clear coat x3). Our rooms were about 12x20, 10x10 and 12x12 and the total cost for a stellar professional was $1600.
Sorry about the delay reading this. It can be refinsihed, but you need sheet plastic to cover up doors and windows, a shop vac to vaccuum up the mess, and three-count 'em- THREE different sanders- the floor "stand up" sander, and edger sander for along the walls and a corner sander for you-know-what. Make sure you wear coveralls and a dust mask as well as closed-in safety glasses (the kind that fog up every ten fucking seconds) because this shit will fly EVERYWHERE. Clean-up must be as spartan as humanly possible. One fleck on the newly plained wood when you re-finish will be instantly visible and felt forever by feet. Hardwood is a goldmine for re-sale, especially the old style straight-planks you can't buy anymore. If you want my opinion, look around and hire somebody. A screw-up doing this (which many first timers make) will fuck EVERYTHING up (like sanding too deep into the planks). If you're handy with tools you can give'er, but in the end shelling out a bit of extra coin so somebody who guarantees a good job will be best. And a new finished floor will boost your house value. You could pay anywhere from (very rough guess here) $500-$1500 for this, but a new hardwood floor would probably cost you $5000-$15,000 depending on the wood for a space your size.
I sent this in a PM to D26, figured it might be worth pointing out, just in case you weren't aware. It seems that a lot of the ethanol in gas these days totally fucks with the cheap (usually plastic) carbs and plugs the fuel lines in lawn mowers, weed eaters, etc. This year I've had to take apart and rebuild every single fucking small gas appliance I have and rebuild/clean/replace fuel lines and carbs; chain saw, weed eater, lawn mower, pressure washer, etc. And that's WITH having all the bullshit fuel stabilizers, etc., and having them stored properly for the winter. They're also all new within the last 3 years. I've now switched over to local 94 octane only because it's the only one that doesn't have ethanol in it. Found out last weekend from a friend who owns a landscaping company that they've done the same thing over the past few years. The more expensive gas is still way cheaper than replacing/repairing all the shit that ethanol eats and fucks up.
When I was 14, my parents bought an old house to rennovate it. The first thing my dad and I did was refinish the floors, which dad decided to do himself. The equipment rentals were expensive, it was time consuming and a fucking miserable bastard of a job, and despite being pretty good at that sort of shit - Dad made a bunch of fuck ups during the process like sanding too deep into the planks. Even as a stupid 14 year old, I was looking at the physical cost and the amount of work - and it didn't seem like he saved much by doing it himself compared to getting a contractor in. It was honestly more hassle than putting in an entirely new 21'/30' roofed deck extension that we did a year later - and it came out somewhere between just ok and mediocre. It looked and felt like an amateur job every day they owned the place. When they sold the place a few years back, a qualified builder bought it - did the floors properly and a few other things and flipped it for a pretty nice profit. The real estate agent who sold it for the builder was a friend, and with the same agency that sold it for my parents. He estimated that the redone floors added $10k alone to the second sale price. I'd hire someone.
Trying to install a baby gate at the foot of my stairs. The side with the hinge is secured to a stud, but the other side is drywall. I've used a few plastic anchors and they keep coming out. Any suggestions?
Just a little inspiration for home maintenance types. For reference, sandbagging around your house when a flood is inbound is now officially a piss weak effort.
I don't know how it's sitting in the drywall - leaning against it or sitting flush to the end or whatever - but try getting some 1x4 and screwing that to the drywall (you might even find some studs the screws can bite to), then anchor the hinge to the 1x4. You'd have to paint it to match the wall so it didn't look ghetto.
Get some toggle bolts. These guys: You drill a hole in the drywall, stick the bolt in and as you tighten it, it spreads out and anchors the bolt.
What he said. Also and this is for everyone, never use the plastic ones, they are SHIT. I use the metal toggle bolts for all plasterboard hanging jobs.