Octopus Overlords

The control board came last night for the dishwasher. It took 12 minutes to disassemble the door, remove the old control board, and install the new one. It then took 50 minutes to get the stainless steel door housing back in place - so frustrating!! It is just supposed to slide up into place and catch on 4 hooks - but one side would not slide into place stopping about 1/4" short of where it needed to be. We couldn't find anything obstructing it or anything to pinch or bend to get it that last quarter inch. Finally, while I was working on the stuck side and I was on the other, it gave an audible "pop" and everything slid into place. We still don't know what she pinched differently to get it in place. We ran it through a quick rinse cycle and everything seems to work.

Next up - snaking a slow draining tub. Never done this before...

buy or rent the snake?

Unagi wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 12:31 pm buy or rent the snake?

Plan is to buy. Lowes has one for 9.97 and one for 19.97. I'll check both out, but am leaning toward the $20 one assuming slightly better quality.

Oh I thought these things were way more expensive and elaborate.

Unagi wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 12:44 pm Oh I thought these things were way more expensive and elaborate.

As did I. Youtube showed me the error of my ways.

Here's the Lowes one.

I went through and snaked all our bathroom drains at some point during the pandemic. This was the first time doing so since we moved into the house, which meant I got to figure out how to remove a few of the bath drains. Sinks are super easy (watch one youtube video and you've basically seen how to get the stopper out of all your bathroom sinks), but tubs can be a bit individualistic.

Wear gloves.

Drain snaked! Didn't even need the big snake I bought - ended up only needing the Cobra. Pile of hair about the size of a large hamster extracted. Drain works surprisingly well now.

Drains are disgusting places. You think it all goes in and never comes back out. Wrong!

stessier wrote: ↑Sun Dec 06, 2020 11:57 am Drain snaked! Didn't even need the big snake I bought - ended up only needing the Cobra. Pile of hair about the size of a large hamster extracted. Drain works surprisingly well now.

You missed the obligatory ‘these pipes are clean!’ reference ...

Does anyone have any experience/advice/warnings about installing an enclosed fireplace? We're not going to do the work ourselves (as there is gas, fire, and the chimney involved), but we've just begun to look around and estimate the cost.

Our situation:

We have a large, gorgeous brick fireplace with a beautiful wooden mantel. Right now it's occupied by an ancient gas burner that might or might not work--we've never tried it.

What we'd like to do (not immediately, but perhaps by next winter) is cut off the gas line, remove the old fixture, and install either a wood-burning fireplace insert or a cast-iron stove, using the existing chimney to vent. Such units are enclosed in ways that prevent draftiness and keep all the smoke out of the house, and some even have a catalytic combustor that captures and burns much of the ash, making the whole thing much cleaner than a traditional fireplace. Our chimney appears from outside to be in excellent condition, but it will likely need to be re-lined.

It's a big job and might run as much as $6,000 (including the pro labor). Any comments or warnings?

Holman wrote: ↑Sun Dec 06, 2020 5:01 pmIt's a big job and might run as much as $6,000 (including the pro labor). Any comments or warnings?

I did this in my other house and miss it tremendously - it provided so much heat and I actually used it to heat my whole house thanks to the fans and center-hall construction.

It's a lifestyle. Meaning, do you like the idea of maintaining a wood supply? That is, getting, splitting, stacking, keeping dry, etc... lots of wood? If you're just getting it for fun (you'd use it 1x a week), I'm not sure you're going to recover your costs. But I ran my 5+ days a week from November through February each year and it without question reduced my heating costs (oil fueled forced hot air).

That price seems about right, but we also had to upgrade/replace the mantle as it wasn't to code and needed to be higher. Add that into your cost estimate as well if your current mantle isn't going to pass inspection (too low to the door opening to the insert).

You just reminded me that there's a gas bar in my fireplace, which is in the back of the house, so I have the option of hiring someone to provide a fitting to use the house gas rather than propane tanks for the wife's new griddle. Eventually.

Holman wrote: ↑Sun Dec 06, 2020 5:01 pm Does anyone have any experience/advice/warnings about installing an enclosed fireplace? We're not going to do the work ourselves (as there is gas, fire, and the chimney involved), but we've just begun to look around and estimate the cost.

Our situation:

We have a large, gorgeous brick fireplace with a beautiful wooden mantel. Right now it's occupied by an ancient gas burner that might or might not work--we've never tried it.

What we'd like to do (not immediately, but perhaps by next winter) is cut off the gas line, remove the old fixture, and install either a wood-burning fireplace insert or a cast-iron stove, using the existing chimney to vent. Such units are enclosed in ways that prevent draftiness and keep all the smoke out of the house, and some even have a catalytic combustor that captures and burns much of the ash, making the whole thing much cleaner than a traditional fireplace. Our chimney appears from outside to be in excellent condition, but it will likely need to be re-lined.

It's a big job and might run as much as $6,000 (including the pro labor). Any comments or warnings?

We have a fireplace insert that was installed when the house was built. I think we paid an extra $4k or so for it. That was 27 years ago. It still works great although we have replaced the fan. Because of where we live (Central California) and the age of the insert we are only allowed to burn now very rarely. We are thinking of replacing the old unit with a new pellet insert which would allow us to burn more often and we would get a credit for replacing the old one. At this point a pellet stove would be much easier to use and to get pellets for.

I'm not sure of how much of a lumberjack I'm willing to be, but we do have a covered back porch that would keep a cord of wood out of the rain, and I have a good axe.

One point that attracts us is that our friends installed a cast-iron fireplace a few years back, and they say that it brings the family together. People reading or working on a laptop or even just scrolling their phones prefer to do it in front of the fire rather than off in their own rooms. Nothing would make the dog happier.

Our fireplace is in a wide foyer inside the front door and next to the living room and kitchen. There are already chairs and a table there (it's where we play family boardgames), so it's a natural gathering spot. Since it's right next to the big stairway, I believe it could be very good at adding heat to the whole house.

Our current insert will pretty much heat the whole house, in fact in my experience unless you have a big place the real problem is making the place too warm. The nice thing about pellets is, much like a pellet BBQ, you can run a timer and burn for longer periods without fooling with the stove.

I think I've finally figured out my 19th-century house.

I've lived here for 18 years now, and I've always had one hell of a time attaching anything to the walls. The walls are plaster, which makes small picture-hanging nails a pain in the ass as they just crumble the plaster. I've never had any luck with anything bigger, mostly because I can't hang them directly in the plaster. I've really wanted to hang some high shelves to alleviate the storage problems, but I can never manage to figure out how. The main problem is that I cann never find the studs. I've tried everything. I've asked for advice, and tried that, too. There are no exposed nails. Tapping is pointless on plaster, as it doesn't sound hollow. The outlets are mounted externally on the baseboard with conduit running externally between them. Super strong magnets find absolutely nothing. Electronic stud finders finders show that the entire house is one big stud. Drilling a hold never revealed a hollow that I could stick a coat hanger in to spin around. At the same time, some of the internal walls are exceptionally thick - less than 4". Toggle bolts won't work, as they don't have room to go in and expand.

I think I've finally figured why.
At least knowing the actual problem means I can go looking for the right answers.

...and the plans are back on hold. It seems that a regular drill won't work, and I have to have a specialized drill (a 'hammer drill.') I'd hoped to get by with a few new screws and a new drill bit.

masonry drill bit

Every one I saw specified that it required a hammer drill.

I tried a regular drill and the bit wore out in seconds.

That's what I've read. Amazon has most of them at $200+ and a few under $50, which is always concerning. Then again, I doubt I'd need it for more than a couple of dozen holes. A couple of shelves up high, two 'picture rail' style boards behind my painting desk to hang other things on (I really want to get my paints off of my desk surface, as I don't have enough room to actually work. I end up with about one square foot to actually work in.) An odd or end now and then. I don't need something that will help me build a house.

In my experience, when drilling into masonry or brick, if you DON'T use a hammer drill, you will likely regret it. Ask me how I know this.

I refused to accept that for MANY projects until I finally just broke down and bought the correct tool for that specific task. Massive, huge difference.

Side note, probably not going to be an issue for what you are doing, but when drilling into brick or masonry (primarily exterior), note that depending on WHERE you are drilling, careful about lintels. They are usually steel, are oftentimes not visible, and will wreck your masonry bit. Almost always (always?) around openings.

I mention this only because
1. not realizing that a lintel was even a thing and
2. trying and failing to drill fully into my exterior brick wall for two different projects

almost drove me crazy this past summer, until I figured out what the problem was. It didn't help that the lintel was not visible from the outside, nor even when looking into the hole I had drilled into the brick.

Fuck you, lintels.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Jan 27, 2021 2:48 pm That's what I've read. Amazon has most of them at $200+ and a few under $50, which is always concerning. Then again, I doubt I'd need it for more than a couple of dozen holes. A couple of shelves up high, two 'picture rail' style boards behind my painting desk to hang other things on (I really want to get my paints off of my desk surface, as I don't have enough room to actually work. I end up with about one square foot to actually work in.) An odd or end now and then. I don't need something that will help me build a house.

If that's all you're going to use it for, I would definitely try asking a neighbor or buddy to borrow one instead. Please don't spend $200 on something that you will use once!

Worst case scenario, rent one, and failing that, get a cheapo from Harbor Freight ($23-$30):

https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-45a ... 64119.html
or
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-75a ... 62383.html

You might call Meny's True Value in Jasper and see what they have for tool rental (or closer hardware store).

Im still working in the brush as days and health permit. 2 days ago I got 30 min of work in and today I got 10 or 15. I just cant physically do it now but it has to get done. My two biggest 'kill me' problems with this brush is its a decade old or more and vines and kudzu wrap around it all. So I cut for 10 min then pull and rip for 10 then the second bad thing comes in...I have to drag what I cut and yank out from the front yard to the back field in the back of the house..up hill. Im give out and dying for breath in 10 min flat.

But after a long time I have a peek hole to the road now. And I still have the big stuff to go. Ive been working around the big stuff.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jan 27, 2021 2:58 pm You might call Meny's True Value in Jasper and see what they have for tool rental (or closer hardware store).

I've looked at rentals. The closest (and Jasper is about 70 miles away) is about 25 miles from here. The shortest rental plus the gas cost of two round trips (~100 miles total) would be more than the cheaper options on Amazon (~$40.) And I'd have for about three hours after driving time, so I'd have to have everything ready, and if I ever needed to make another hole, I'd be paying a second time.There's no way I'd get a full priced one.

Current home project, and it's a biggie: outdoor shed replacement

I've had my eye on a resin Lifetime shed for YEARS, both for this house, and our prior, but never pulled the trigger. I think I am going to finally try one if I can find it for a good price.

Sam's Club carries a 15x8 model with two doors, which would be perfect for my needs. Unfortunately, I failed to get wife buy-in to buy this monster ($1600, on sale, normally $2K) in time, and they sold out before I could buy.

A few issues:
1. The place where I would put this has an interesting "ground" - it's within my backyard gate, and the concrete from the driveway extends past that gate, for about 10' I guess. Current (toast) 8' shed is just off the concrete, so its platform is fully on dirt. Buying a 10' (width) shed and putting it there (I really don't have a better location option) means that part of the shed would be on that concrete slab, and part of it off. I'm no Bob the Builder, but even I can see that that is likely going to cause problems, or require some serious pre-rigging for it to be and stay, stable and level.
2. By the time this shed I want comes back in stock, the sale price will likely not be valid. I refuse to pay $2K for a plastic shed!
3. I broke my elbow (BADLY) at the end of December, and am still recovering of course. Everything I read online says you need at least two people to build the shed, and that it could take several full days (with two people). Time varies wildly on that, of course, depending on how newb or not you are to building I guess, and what you run into (missing pieces, warped parts, trouble levelling, etc). Wife has agreed I can get the shed IF it doesn't "sit there for 6 months in the box" (I have NO idea where she gets that idea! ) So point is that with my current gimped chicken wing, this project will be challenging, to say the least (and likely would just be me for 95% of the build).


Back story for any interested:

I've gone through this once at our old house (built an 8x10' shed (stick-built) with "attic", which IIRC, was around $2K. At the time, I was working 50+ hours a week and travelling constantly, so I hired someone to build it. I believe it took two guys about three days, which really surprised me at the time.

FF to 2021, and a different house. There was a shed here when we bought this in 2013. Very typical 8x8", again stick-built, with shingles and the whole works. The platform they built it on has collapsed completely (from rot, it seems), and one of the big side panels has warped, leaving a massive hole at the bottom. Doors are loose and lots of the non 2x4, 2x6 wood is ruined at this point. A smart man with the time that I have currently, would probably just fix this unit by building a new platform, and just repairing the issues. After all, the actual lumber that makes up the framing is still good. All the other stuff (mostly plyboard) is toast.

2 issues with that:
1. It's TINY for my needs. I really need something at least 15x8, or even 15x10. So that means I would have to add on to the existing, which would be a HUGE pain, with the roofing part, and especially the shingles (would probably end up just having to rebuild this)
2. There is really not that much lumber in the existing shed, due to the size. While lumber has increased 3x in price in the past...6 months or so, it's still not a lot of money if you keep JUST the good stuff that's not rotten.

Not so much a project, but for any homeowner that lives in a state that has to deal with decent snowfalls, this is a must have as I have recently found out.



I've never experienced an ice dam, but have heard horrific things about them.
Not sure if raking a good portion of the snow off my roof will prevent that, but it cant hurt.

Currently dealing with ice dams and water streaming in around window framing and plumbing in my garage. Water...water finds a way.

Any thoughts on frozen pipes? Wife thought maybe some fish heads stopped things up like they did before, but that was post-disposal, in the trap. We ran a snake 15 feet until it wouldn't go any further, it came out clean, no sign of crud. We tried one of those in-line water balloon things that are supposed to put pressure on a clog, but all it did was force water through weak joints in the pipes, resulting in water dripping in 3 locations in the basement. Hot water it the kitchen sinks haven't done anything yet, I exchanged the water once and will do so again in the morning if the sinks are still full.

All I can say is that growing up, people in Indiana always kept a light bulb or two next to the pipes. That's a lot harder to do these days when the pipes are plastic and buried, and light bulbs aren't hot.

Water pipes are deep underground and enter the house thru the cellar. It has to be very cold for a long time for the ground to freeze that deep. Freezing becomes a risk if your pipes are shallow or exposed to air temps. Bury those pipes, people!

Jeff V wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 11:55 pm Any thoughts on frozen pipes? Wife thought maybe some fish heads stopped things up like they did before, but that was post-disposal, in the trap. We ran a snake 15 feet until it wouldn't go any further, it came out clean, no sign of crud. We tried one of those in-line water balloon things that are supposed to put pressure on a clog, but all it did was force water through weak joints in the pipes, resulting in water dripping in 3 locations in the basement. Hot water it the kitchen sinks haven't done anything yet, I exchanged the water once and will do so again in the morning if the sinks are still full.

Do you have sewers(I am guessing yes, because of where you live), or septic? If it is septic, you could have a bigger issue.

Drain lines don't usually freeze, unless you have a slow trickle of water constantly..Then it can freeze over. And almost all drains merge into one big drain outlet before leaving the house. Supply lines are the ones that usually freeze because the water is just sitting in the pipes.

If 15ft and nothing is coming back from a snake, you mightl need a plumber to help out with one of those video cameras, as it might be something underground outside the house...

RMC wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 9:00 am

Jeff V wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 11:55 pm Any thoughts on frozen pipes? Wife thought maybe some fish heads stopped things up like they did before, but that was post-disposal, in the trap. We ran a snake 15 feet until it wouldn't go any further, it came out clean, no sign of crud. We tried one of those in-line water balloon things that are supposed to put pressure on a clog, but all it did was force water through weak joints in the pipes, resulting in water dripping in 3 locations in the basement. Hot water it the kitchen sinks haven't done anything yet, I exchanged the water once and will do so again in the morning if the sinks are still full.

Do you have sewers(I am guessing yes, because of where you live), or septic? If it is septic, you could have a bigger issue.

Drain lines don't usually freeze, unless you have a slow trickle of water constantly..Then it can freeze over. And almost all drains merge into one big drain outlet before leaving the house. Supply lines are the ones that usually freeze because the water is just sitting in the pipes.

If 15ft and nothing is coming back from a snake, you mightl need a plumber to help out with one of those video cameras, as it might be something underground outside the house...

You could be right. This particular drain pipe runs along the outside/foundation wall. We filled the sinks with hot water, which ought to have melted any small ice obstruction.

Wife is working a double-shift today after working last night, so I can't call anyone in until she's left for work (1 pm).

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Feb 15, 2021 12:58 pm Currently dealing with ice dams and water streaming in around window framing and plumbing in my garage. Water...water finds a way.

Speaking of water finding a way, today I learned about the "overflow elbow and nut" on my water softener brine tank.

Because having a random flat tire on my car wasn't enough.

Can this month just end already?

My stroke of insight that mildew spray would kill the mold on the bathroom ceiling was right.

Kraken wrote: ↑Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:56 am Water pipes are deep underground and enter the house thru the cellar. It has to be very cold for a long time for the ground to freeze that deep. Freezing becomes a risk if your pipes are shallow or exposed to air temps. Bury those pipes, people!

+1

the water pipes are supposed to be securely buried underground. maybe six feet, at least? that's the only right way to do it. shallow surface water pipes is the lazy and cost-cutting way.

Its the pipes under your home that freeze. They are in an open air environment under there. If there is a way for air to blow on them its worse but simply being cold enough and them not dripping inside a faucet it enough to burst them. They have to come up and around in your house sometime.