Home Improvement
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Small animals dying in the window well of my basement
I work in a basement office. There is a below-grade egress window, with a 3-4ft ladder and a large plexiglass dome that you can push out of the way.
I noticed a terrible smell when I opened my window the other day, and it was because of a dead mouse that presumably couldn't get out of the recess. On inspection, I found the remains of several more dead rodents there, so this has been a problem in the past too.
Any ideas on how to prevent this? I both feel bad for the dead animals and am disgusted by the smell when they decay. The plexiglass dome has chicken wire for airflow, so I can't necessarily block those off. Maybe there's some method to repell them, or help them escape?
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Suggestions for above ground sprinkler valve enclosure?
I'm currently working on my sprinkler valve box. It sucks ass. It's dug in the ground. I'm on my knees trying to replace a Hunter valve. This is the second time I'm back here this week because replacing the diaphragm didn't fix the leak. I think I'm gonna have to replace the whole valve, but the stupid valves are in the stupid valve box. So now I have dig out the box anyway (which is something the valve box is supposed to save you from).
I don't get why people think valve boxes are a good idea... It's making maintenance a bitch. It also hid the leak from me for a while. I only found this problem because I had a HUGE helldivers2-style bug breach here. Which makes sense: the box provides shelter and water.
I'm thinking of redoing this part of the Irrigation system and having the valves stick up out of the ground. Obviously now I have to protect against the weather, but that seems like a decent trade off for easy maintenance, easy malfunction discovery, and less potential for a bug infestation. (Don't give a crap about looks.)
Does anyone have any recommendations for above ground enclosures? The main weather I have to protect against is sun. I don't get snow or crazy wind. I just need something like a wooden crate or something to cover the valves.
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Should I insulate my garage attic?
So it’s currently 100 degrees F in my garage today. I’m sure it will only get worse as the summer goes on. I added some of those insulated garage door panels, but I don’t think they did anything.
Now I’m wondering if I should add fiberglass insulation to the attic space above the garage. Would this help, or just lock in the heat? Would using a radiant barrier up there work better?
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DIY hot / bath tub in shed?
This is probably a dumb one, but here goes.
I've got a tiny house with one bathroom, and it only has a shower. I love taking hot baths, used to do it 2-3 times a week, more often when I'm sick, and I miss that. I have a pretty big shed in my back yard, think one of those pre-fab things... it's got some tools and stuff but it's mostly empty space. It's pretty close to a hosebib and an exterior electrical outlet on the side of my house, so I've got cold water and extension cord access.
Is it even reasonable to consider ways to set up a tub in the shed? Maybe freestanding? maybe something I build from fiberglass? I'm pretty confident I can drain the water out into my backyard with no issues (big yard, neighbors won't see / care), but is there anything obviously impossible or really stupid about this idea? Is it possible to use an electric water heater or should I figure out something with propane / butane? Anyone tried anything like this before?
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Options for equalizing temperature between the basement and the rest of the house in summer?
I live in a pretty old house in the midwest, built 1929, bought in '21, single-story, ~1300ish sqft, and with a large, spacious basement. Every time summer comes around I've had issues with the basement getting MUCH colder than the rest of the house (like >10 degrees F difference), presumably due to poorly-insulated floors and cold air sinking. The HVAC is still capable of keeping the main floor at the temp set on the thermostat, but the temperature differential indicates it's working quite a bit harder than it really needs to be, and is probably wasting quite a bit of money.
I'm planning on getting an insulation specialist in at some point to go over options for shoring up the insulation, but I'm wondering if there's anything else I could do to recirculate air in the basement through the rest of the house - even with good insulation, I feel like the laws of thermodynamics would still result in a basement at least fairly colder than the rest of the house.
Is there anything I could look into that is reasonably cost-effective for circulating air from the basement to the rest of the house so my HVAC doesn't have to work so hard in the summer? Thanks
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Replacing moldy sealant
There are a few spots I've neglected to replace old brittle sealant (around the kitchen sink) or never sealed at all (new faucet I installed 8 months ago). Now there's black gunk accruing under and around the sealant.
When I go to replace the sealant, how do I kill the mold so it's safe to seal over again?
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
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How do you find contractors?
We have a couple big projects that I'm not comfortable doing myself (mainly roof/foundation repair).
I've had a couple contractors out that I found on google and have been very displeased. Their work might be good but jesus the salesmen they send out.
They range from overly aggressive to incompetent.
So how do you find good contractors? I've noticed the bigger the company, the worse the impression.
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Looking for some HVAC suggestions to better cool my stifling second floor
Hi all. I have a 2 storey, ~1200 sq ft home in a hot climate. I have a single HVAC unit...central air and ductwork, electric AC/heat. There is no zoning to the system. The thermostat is downstairs.
Everything is great in the winter months. But in the summer months, the upstairs is absolutely stifling. I don't have a thermostat upstairs, but it feels like it stays at least 10 degrees hotter than downstairs. I get that hot air rises, but considering the bedrooms are upstairs, it makes things unbearable.
My HVAC air handler and condenser are from 2008, so they are rather old and I'm likely to have to replace them soon. When I do so, I want to figure out how to keep the upstairs more comfortable.
Before I start asking companies for quotes, I want to figure out what I'm doing first. Some things I've come across...
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Install something like a Nest system with a remote temperature sensor. Place the temperature sensor upstairs and have the Nest use that to figure out when to cycle the AC on instead of the downstairs thermostat. I could install something like this myself instead of needing an HVAC company, though it isn't necessary very efficient.
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Consult with an HVAC company about having dampers/a zoning system installed. From what I've read online, it seems like people are saying this isn't really financially worth it. But if I'm at the point where I want a new system anyway, would it make sense?
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Window AC units are an obvious "solution", but I can't have them due to the HOA.
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I have read of suggestions of people saying to close the vents downstairs in the summer, but it seems like this is bad advice, as supposedly it will stress your HVAC and cause it to fail prematurely.
Edit: Just found a new one...setting the fan on the thermostat to "on" instead of "auto". Although some people seem to warn of mold growth.
Would love to hear any and all suggestions. Thanks!
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Wall framing question: stud spacing between openings
I'm framing up a non-load-bearing wall that has two closet doors on it, close together (the king studs for the two openings are 13" apart). Unfortunately, they are aligned such that one of the 16" OC common studs would fall within that gap. In fact, it would only be 1/2" away from the left king stud, so not even anywhere near the middle of the space.) Is it still normal/expected to include that stud, or can I omit it?
(BTW: both doors will go to the same closet so there's no perpendicular wall teeing into this one, in case that matters.)
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What's the best way to fill these holes in my laundry room?
My goal is to keep hot/cool air from seeping between floors. Is canned spray foam the way to go? Any recommendations? Pest resistance is a bonus.
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How would you lay the floor in this case?
Id do it like this but two people told me other way... Not sure?
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How often do I actually need my heat pump system tuned up?
I had a heat pump installed about a year ago. It came with one free service and the installing company has been calling me almost every week to come out and do the complimentary tune up. I know that I obviously should take a free tune up, but it made me wonder. How often do I actually need this done? What are they actually "tuning up"?
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Checking and charging HVAC: Plausible DIY?
I am very much a DIY'er and doing my own HVAC repairs have never been out of the question. Actually, I have rebuilt a couple of systems, less the pressurized parts of the system.
HVACs are great until they aren't and the need for repairs always comes up at the worst possible time. It would be nice to know more details for those reasons.
If you ignore the direct question about charging an HVAC, there could actually be a small, slow leak in my system as it stands. That'll get troubleshot in due time. (Still, I don't think I have ever had a system that didn't need the system to be topped off after a few years, even with no detectable leaks...)
It doesn't seem difficult: Ensure system is at correct temperature; attach a gauge; depressurize/pressurize as needed.
There has to be some "gotchas" in there somewhere. The equipment is cheap enough and I am fairly sure I can source the correct refrigerant easy enough.
Aside from needing to store and manage a small supply of refrigerant and that there are some annoying risks (like a system freezing over, etc..), what cost factor and equipment am I not taking into account?
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Sewer Vent Through Middle of Standing Seam
Recently had a new standing seam metal roof installed. Roofers could talk the talk but I was not impressed with the quality of work overall. My main complaint is that they installed the roof so that most of the sewer vents go right through the middle of a seam. The boots are clearly not designed to accommodate this and they've succeeded in creating more work for me in the future; which is what I was trying to to avoid by spending the extra money to upgrade to metal. The boots are going to leak. In fact, they already have.
I was pretty pissed about this initially and told the owner of the roofing company that if they had bothered to tell me this was going to happen, I would have moved the damned vent pipes myself if they weren't going to. The right fix would be to replace the panels and move the vent pipes but I have a feeling getting them to do that is going to be difficult if not impossible.
Is there a boot that's designed for this kind of install or a better way of sealing these? Or, am I going to be stuck checking and resealing them every couple of years?
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Chimney Gaps
Edit: Resolved. Decorative brick is actually a chase and doesn't need to be completely filled in. Thanks to @[email protected] for advice on rebuilding the crown.
I have a double sided wood burning brick fireplace which is honestly just a big collection of code violations. It was converted to propane shortly after -- I'm assuming -- the people who built the house 50 years ago discovered that it smoked badly in the house. I fixed all the major issues with the firebox and smoke chamber and converted it back to wood burning this past winter.
I had a new steel cap fabricated to replace the old brick and concrete cap, which I removed. During this process, I discovered that the brick is basically just a facade. There are huge gaps on either side of the flues which are encased in 4" cinder blocks. My understanding of fire code (at least in the US) for masonry fireplaces is that the material surrounding the flue is not permitted to have any gaps in it. NFPA says all gaps in the brick should be filled with mortar. However, I'm not sure what to do with a gap this large. I'm not sure if filling it with mortar or concrete is an option. I've considered installing a steel flue liner but those are expensive and there are two flues. I'm also concerned about steel liners changing the draft characteristics since the chimney is on the short side.
If money were no object, I would tear this thing out and put a more efficient steel insert in but that is cost prohibitive.
Anyone have any experience fixing something like this?
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[RESOLVED] The plastic cylinder in my soap dispenser is loose and the soap no longer pumps. What's the best way to fix this? Super glue didn't hold.
EDIT: I ended up using epoxy. Thank you for the help.
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How do I permanently get rid of this discolouration in my bathtub? (I have hard water)
I've tried scrubbing it several times with bar keepers friend soft cleanser and although it improves, it never goes away completely and it always comes back.
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Hose timer/valve that is on/off for specific time?
We have a motion activated sprinkler to deter deer from eating our tomatoes and I'm looking for a timer that will shut off the water flow during the day. The ones I've seen at the store seem to only want to water intermittently, instead of completely off/on. Does anyone know of one?
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I’d like to build a ducting system to actively push air from one room to another. Is that a thing?
So my home office is in our basement while my wife’s is in a finished attic space. We have a mini split system, but it has to be all heat or all cooling, and many days it’s cold in my office, but hot in my wife’s office.
Thanks to a defunct chimney, I have a pretty decent path from the attic to the basement that could easily accommodate some kind of ducting.
I’d like to make a system that can push air from my office to hers or vice versa as needed. I think this would really help the house in general as cold air tends to pool in the basement.
I’ve seen plenty of ducting booster fans, but I’d like something with a speed (or at least direction) control accessible from the outside.
Does something like this exist? It would need to force air through maybe 30-40’ of ducting.
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Home Ownership is Just One Persons Fight Against Water
Had a nice little foundation leak during the last rain storm. Installed a drain line last fall to divert two downspouts and front walkway run off away from the house which helped a lot. Front walkway and a big retaining wall next to it ultimately need to be removed and reinstalled with proper grading and drainage. That's going to be a huge and expensive project so for now I'm just replacing all the worn out concrete sealant and hoping for the best.
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Faucet removal assistance - *SOLVED
I am not familiar with this bronze colored nut that is holding my current Grohë Ladylux kitchen faucet to the counter. Does anyone know the best way to remove this? Thanks very much in advance!
EDIT: I figured it out. You CANT unscrew the bronze colored piece from below. You have to Disassemble the upper part and then there's an internal threaded bit in the upper part that you have to unscrew. The guy in the video whips out some special tool that hasn't been seen or mentioned before in the video and uses it to unscrew the interior threads. I don't have that magical tool, so I just used pliers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRZ1QOinJsE
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Is this discoloration a problem?
Renovating the bathroom and found these dark patches in the joists and roof lumber surrounding the old vent pipe. The PVC part is new.
Anything bad here? Anything we need to address?
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Handyman suggested cutting hole in 1330 sq. ft. attic for second attic ventilator. Does this make sense?
General info: Looking to get current attic ventilator fan replaced. The attic is about 1400 sq. ft. Current attic ventilation fan is a foot from the ridge of the roof. Live in USA.
Handyman wants: To install two 1500 CFM fans. Two 120 volt 20amp dedicated circuits, one for each fan. He wants to install the second fan 4 feet away from the current fan. He stated that the attic ventilator fan would need to be replaced within 6 years.
My questions: Would two fans be better than one fan? Would I need two 120 volt circuits to run two fans? Is there an attic ventilator that has a user replaceable fan?
Thank you in advance for any help.
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Just used spray foam for the first time...
It's on everything, my fingernails are glued to my skin underneath, I hate everything and most of all I hate spray foam.
Thanks for letting me rant. I normally read instructions before using a product and now I'm avoiding the room where it's on everything... How fucked am I?
Update: We've cleaned most of it up from the room... Our hands, not so much lol. I appreciate the advice and support, hopefully y'all got a good laugh on our behalf :)
Ps. It works great as a diy wax for hairy arms!
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When you do it yourself and it looks like you did it yourself lol
Okay, my first ever drywall and I know what I did wrong. I just didn't think that small indifference would make it look obviously bad.
But here it is, I will do it different on the rest of the walls but I'm just gonna leave it for what it is: me acting like someone who can do drywalls and wanted to save money lol
Didn't do the bottom part yet so I am def not done but holy moly...
How bad can someone mud? Me: Hm My wife: "Well atleast it's done. Not good, but done and we saved money for vacation"
What makes it even more hilarious is that in my mind I was sure if I use paint that has sand in it it's gonna cover that LOL. Fail....
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How to get wood sealant off of a window
So I was using a wood sealer (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AQTX3XU) on my newly built catio. Unfortunately I didn't notice how much I had sprayed on the adjacent window.
Now I have cloudy/foggy windows (https://imgur.com/a/TKD9wim). I've tried cleaning them with:- - - -
- water via the hose directly on the window.. very little progress
- windex.. very little progress
- dish soap followed by host.. very little progress
- vinegar.. very little progress
Any ideas for what might get this stuff off easily?---
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Door hinge pin keeps coming up. How to solve?
Looking for help in solving a problem where the lower door hinge pin on my entry door keeps creeping up and causing the deadbolt to become slightly misaligned making it more difficult to lock. Reading online, I keep coming across suggestions of tightening a screw that’s supposed to lock the pin in place but my hinges don’t seem to have that screw.
Anyone have any other ideas on how to fix this problem?
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Do ceiling fan motors from the same manufacturer and same time change based on the blade length?
Currently installed is a recent (about 10 years) Harbor Bay 5 blade ceiling fan with 44" blade diameter.
In a box I have a recent (about 10 years) Harbor Bay 5 blade ceiling fan with 52" blade diameter.
Yes, the large blades will run the motor harder.
Would these two fans likely use the same motor, so that I can just swap the larger blades and leave the current motor? Or is there a high chance the motors are sized specific to their blades, and I would need to fully swap the motor to use the larger blades?
The blades appear to use the same connection.
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How to repair peeling on cabinets
Hi folks,
I want to refinish and paint my kitchen cabinets, but before touching the doors I want to ask opinions on how to repair this peeling on edges of 3 cabinets. Looks like steam from the range and kettle did this.
I was thinking to trim off the excess bit that has peeled and expanded, then sand down and fill with wood/general filler before painting with bullseye 123. Is there a better approach?
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What kind of valve is this exactly? Never seen that exact connection type
I'm pretty new to this. I was considering replacing it with something else because it leaks slightly from the valve if it gets moved around at all, but I don't know what this connection is to start with. It goes to a dishwasher.
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Talk me out of an 18" dishwasher. (or into it)
I am currently redesigning my kitchen in a 1930's Midwestern USA house. The kitchen has a decent floor area but the floor plan is oddly restrictive.
My space next to the sink is such that I can either have a standard 24" dishwasher next to the sink and a slightly weird cabinet adjacent to it, or I could have an 18 inch dishwasher at 45 degrees flanked by two small but reasonably sized cabinet doors (or drawers), although the 45 degree plan would dictate a somewhat shallow custom counter depth on the flanks (like 18-20 inches).
I think I would be more proud of the accomplishment of building the angled design, and I think the ergonomics would be optimal.
But I'm not sure about the smaller dishwasher. I have never used a smaller one. It seems like it would be enough for my small family and still plenty helpful for gatherings.
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Latest rant...wiring by the PO
This is not the first time I've ranted about the previous owner's wiring jobs, though I think they were on the other site (and I had a different username there).
His greatest hits include:
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Above a drop ceiling in the basement, a wire that went into a metal box without a strain relief, so it eventually wore through (for whatever reason) and started shorting out. Since it was above the drop ceiling I had no idea why that breaker would occasionally trip, then reset without complaint. Also, there are other things on that circuit, but the offending wire was only live when the light switch in the room was on, so it was harder to diagnose. It wasn't until we demolished the room that we found the problem...black marks on the box and wires and all.
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A duct fan to route heat from the pellet stove into the master bedroom...with the wiring completely enclosed in the ceiling, with no access to the box. Said duct fan has started making noise, so I'm going to have to cut that ceiling open and replace it, and I'll probably install one of those spring-loaded covers so there is access in the future.
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A fascinating wiring job in the shed that is unnecessarily complicated and certainly a violation of the code on how many conductors can be in a box. I'm going to fix that some time this spring. This is actually a REALLY great one, so maybe I'll post it as a comment.
On to today's hilarity. A few weeks ago I noticed the UPS for my computer in the basement had a red light on the back warning of a wiring fault. I never noticed it before, or I did and forgot, and it's not very bright, so you almost have to be looking for it to see it. Well, I got out one of those testers that you plug in, with three lights that diagnose the issue, and it showed no ground. Odd.
I checked the other two outlets on the same wall, the one closer to the panel tested fine, but the one on the other side of the outlet in question also showed an open ground.
Today I dug in to find out what was up. It turns out the ground was cut on both wires in the outlet the computer was using (supply from the previous outlet and the wire to the next outlet). It was not connected to the metal box or the outlet.
WHY WHY WHY? Why did he do this? I can't fathom why you'd do this.
I replaced all three outlets on that wall with new ones and made sure the grounds were connected. Nothing really wrong with the original outlets and covers, but they were old and beige, and I like white.
Years ago I found an outlet in our closet that only had two prongs, no ground. The house was built in 1987, well after three prongs were standard. With some trepidation - what am I going to find here? - I opened it up and found that...there was a good ground there (to my relief) but he apparently just decided to use a two prong outlet. WHY? He had to have gone to special effort to find a two prong outlet to install. (Actually it is theoretically possible that was done by the builders, but everything else in the house is three prongs, and I can't believe it would have passed inspection.)
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Do the tiles Match or should I remove?
Hey... I bought tiles a year ago and they looked good in the store.
Please dont junge they dont lign up with wall tiles. Wall has 30x60 inch and floor 59,5x59,5 so I couldnt lign them up properly.
Are the colors from floor and wall "Okay" or should I find new wall tiles? Maybe it looks different when lights are installed and wall above is white and not just plasterboard grey?
What you all think?
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Advice on wall insulation
Hi all,
I am in need of some advice regarding diy wall insulation for my currently uninsulated house. The situation is like this: The house is 80y/o, wooden frame, stucco siding. My main concerns are minimizing wall damage, and minimizing fire-spread risk.
For these reasons, I had wanted to go with blown-in mineral wool, but the olny 2 brands I could find (Rockwool and ThermaFibre) have discontinued their blown insulation. I've heard about using perlite for insulation, but it seems that it's a bad idea for drywall due to how loose the grains are (drill a hole, lose your insulation), and the only advice for binding it is to use concrete, which is probably way too heavy (and permanent) for use inside drywall. I also can't add insulation externally because of the stucco siding.
I'm really at a loss here. I feel like my requirements aren't so unusual that there isn't already some product or technique out there to cover my use case, but I can't find anything still in production. If anybody has any ideas whatsoever, I'd love to hear them.
UPDATE: I did start looking into the sheeps wool recommendations, HOWEVER, in that time I found scrap mineral wool available from ATS that I'll be able to use as loose fill. Thanks for trying to help, everyone!
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About thermostatic radiator valves
I have recently moved to this place, and before winter I went to install trvs on the water circulated radiators in order to have some more control over the temp (there used to be manual valves).
Now that the colder days are about to end, I have a question on how would be the best (or recommended) way to maintain those valves when not used. I have read that the thermic piece on the valve may get stuck after a long period of no use, so I am wondering if it would be best to have the valve fully closed (if it gets stuck, should it loose after the circuit warms up again?), or to leave it fully open (so it looses by closing it when needed),
I am from a more tropical climate country where heating in winter is not really necessary, so I am a total strange on how these things should work. All advice is welcome.
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Shower curb standing water
This corner of the shower seems to be having some mold issues from regular use. Water seems to be collecting in that spot after a shower and doesn't seem to be draining properly. Is there anything I can do for a permanent fix?
I've tried keeping my bath fan on for an hour after the shower and don't want to have to squeegy it after each use.
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Smelly plumbing mystery - what is this? (extra pics in comments)
Our laundry room sink has this bizarre attachment to to the back of the drain line clean out. It would almost seem like it was or is supposed to be a vent. Recently it’s started to give off a foul sewer smell when our washing machine rinses.
Can I safely plug it? Maybe remove it if I can manage to pry it off? When I asked our plumber what it was, he just smirked and said it was a “crazy thing.”
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The flowerbeds in front of my house could use some work.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.crimedad.work/post/63959
> cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/675140687607015636 > > > The flowerbeds in front of my house could use some work. > > > > I'd like to replace what I've got with some colorful plants, but I'm not sure what to pick that's appropriate for the environment or even what sort of design guidelines to follow that will lead to a handsome result. Would anyone care to offer some suggestions? This side of the house gets plenty of sun and faces South. The location is in Essex County, New Jersey. > > > > \#gardening #landscaping #design #diy > > > > @[email protected]