With ever-increasing frequency of "periodic."
[Other] General Home Maintenance
- Thread starter Gared
- Start date
Home ownership adventures:
When we had the house built, my wife wanted a "premium" shower. It is real tile (not acrylic), with a bench where you can sit and shave your legs.
She never uses the bench. And friends have told us that those kinds of setup tend to leak. Well, we've got a leak. After more than a year of re-caulking, re-grouting, putting waterproof silicone, etc, we've just decided to bite the bullet and remodel the bathroom. We're gonna pull all that stuff out and have it redone.
Since we have a hard water problem up here, we're going to install a water softener about the time the bathroom is completed, so that we can keep the new shower looking as nice as possible.
Goodbye, yearly bonus.
When we had the house built, my wife wanted a "premium" shower. It is real tile (not acrylic), with a bench where you can sit and shave your legs.
She never uses the bench. And friends have told us that those kinds of setup tend to leak. Well, we've got a leak. After more than a year of re-caulking, re-grouting, putting waterproof silicone, etc, we've just decided to bite the bullet and remodel the bathroom. We're gonna pull all that stuff out and have it redone.
Since we have a hard water problem up here, we're going to install a water softener about the time the bathroom is completed, so that we can keep the new shower looking as nice as possible.
Goodbye, yearly bonus.
Bathroom remodels are expensive - and have a nasty habit of holding hidden expenses in reserve just to make things worse. But I can't think of anything I'd like more than to redo our bathrooms so I could put in a good sized tub, and a nice new shower.
Water softener was installed today. the guys did a great and professional job.
Lessons learned:
1. Educate yourself as best you can before starting a project like this. We have very hard water (291mg/l or 17gpg), but we only use 139 gallons a day in the house (considerably less than the average of 80-100 gal/day per person). I estimated that a 24,000 or 30,000 grain peak system would work fine, and shopping around online, I saw that they were about $750-1000 depending on the brand.
The first guy that came out (from Mr. Rooter) looked at my house (largish and fairly expensive) looked at my basement, and quoted me a price of $4400 without asking a single question about our water usage. I knew this was way more than the job should cost, so I told him "I was really looking for something under $2000". He then said he didn't know anything about water softeners, and he was just going to install whatever they put on his truck when they sent him out to quote the job. He took my information, and promised me that someone in the office would call me back.
I didn't wait.
2. Home Advisor is your friend. Every time I've needed to get something done (shower leak fix, bird removal, bathroom renovation, water softener, etc) I've first tried to find the "best local" on the internet via google. Every time, I've been unhappy with the results. Finally, I turn to Home Advisor, and I've been very happy every time. You'd think I'd learn this one already and go to Home Advisor first.
The guy that ended up doing the installation asked me specific questions about my water usage, was knowledgeable, answered all of my questions without dumbing stuff down (once I let him know that I had done some research and was able to understand the technical speak). He told me the brand of system they'd be using, and I was able to google it while I was on the phone with him so I could ask questions about it. I got a 30K grain peak system plus installation for $1500. It's a nice system that monitors usage (demand initiated regeneration) rather than one that is on a timer, which I was hoping for.
Mr. Rooter guy never did call me back, nor did anyone from his office.
Lessons learned:
1. Educate yourself as best you can before starting a project like this. We have very hard water (291mg/l or 17gpg), but we only use 139 gallons a day in the house (considerably less than the average of 80-100 gal/day per person). I estimated that a 24,000 or 30,000 grain peak system would work fine, and shopping around online, I saw that they were about $750-1000 depending on the brand.
The first guy that came out (from Mr. Rooter) looked at my house (largish and fairly expensive) looked at my basement, and quoted me a price of $4400 without asking a single question about our water usage. I knew this was way more than the job should cost, so I told him "I was really looking for something under $2000". He then said he didn't know anything about water softeners, and he was just going to install whatever they put on his truck when they sent him out to quote the job. He took my information, and promised me that someone in the office would call me back.
I didn't wait.
2. Home Advisor is your friend. Every time I've needed to get something done (shower leak fix, bird removal, bathroom renovation, water softener, etc) I've first tried to find the "best local" on the internet via google. Every time, I've been unhappy with the results. Finally, I turn to Home Advisor, and I've been very happy every time. You'd think I'd learn this one already and go to Home Advisor first.
The guy that ended up doing the installation asked me specific questions about my water usage, was knowledgeable, answered all of my questions without dumbing stuff down (once I let him know that I had done some research and was able to understand the technical speak). He told me the brand of system they'd be using, and I was able to google it while I was on the phone with him so I could ask questions about it. I got a 30K grain peak system plus installation for $1500. It's a nice system that monitors usage (demand initiated regeneration) rather than one that is on a timer, which I was hoping for.
Mr. Rooter guy never did call me back, nor did anyone from his office.
Is there a decent brand of drywall anchor out there, or am I pretty much going to be limited to toggle bolts for drywall and mounting everything else to a stud? All I wanted to do was hang a couple brackets to hold up the closet rod that broke off of its end-cap a couple weeks ago, but noooooooooo. I can hang the bracket just fine, but the screws that came with these anchors don't actually cause them to burst open enough to anchor, so even just the weight of the wooden bar causes the brackets to pull back off the wall - screw, anchor, and all.
This product line has never failed on me, though I've never exceeded 50% of the anchor's rating:
I think I got them at Lowe's? Got two bags 5+ years ago, I have 1 left in the first bag (I re-use them between houses if they don't look fatigued/damaged). Looks like they might be called "Snapskru" now.
Anybody have a recommendation for a good portable, indoor air filter device? I usually just go with the Amazon choice, but I'd really like to only have to replace the filters quarterly, not the device, and sometimes Amazon's recommended devices wind up being made of pure Chinesium. Like the chair I'm sitting in, for example. It is extremely dry here, and the amount of dust that the dogs bring in (especially the long-haired one) is truly astounding. Watching Luca shake himself out when he's been lying under the butterfly bushes is like watching a tardy student clap out erasers. There's also a fair amount of smoke indoors all times of the year (and wildfire smoke in the summer). None of the inhabitants of the house have lung diseases, so there's no extraordinary need for the best filtration in the world - just a good device with relatively easily changed filters (which can preferably be sourced from multiple retailers).
The range hood will handle cooking residue, this is just for dust/dander/smoke.
Well you are going to be rather disappointed. Even the highest-quality air filters (ULPA-rated, even more stringent than HEPA) are only rated for particles down to 0.03micron, but smoke goes all the way down to 0.01micron.
So if you're willing to just settle for "good enough," that'll probably mean getting something HEPA or Semi-HEPA, and that means spending 150-200ish dollars* for something that'll clean about 400-500ft^2, plus the cost of the filters as they need replacing.
That's what I found from about 15min worth of searching.
--Patrick
*Based on a quick check of Home Depot pricing.
So if you're willing to just settle for "good enough," that'll probably mean getting something HEPA or Semi-HEPA, and that means spending 150-200ish dollars* for something that'll clean about 400-500ft^2, plus the cost of the filters as they need replacing.
That's what I found from about 15min worth of searching.
--Patrick
*Based on a quick check of Home Depot pricing.
Eh, it's not the smoke that I'm really concerned about so much as it is the dust. Dusting weekly almost keeps up with it. Almost. Though, realistically, what I should be looking at is a whole home HVAC replacement/upgrade with the installation of a heat pump and an A/C system. But that's for the long term and this is for the (preferably) short term.
Consumer Reports' top model is the BlueAir Blue Pure 211+, which is available on Amazon for about $250 new, and which will go through an additional $120-180 (2-3 changes @$60 per) in filters annually. We have one of their Classic 605 units at work, and I can say that it is effective...though its highest setting is noticeably louder than any of the other settings.
--Patrick
--Patrick
About 18 months ago, our upstairs bathroom developed a drip leak somewhere. We first noticed a discoloration in the kitchen ceiling, which eventually became obvious after a few days. So, we cut a hole in the ceiling drywall in order to let the drip come down onto the kitchen counter rather than continuing to spread/ruin the ceiling. We were able to determine then that the dripping was happening while we were showering.
A note about the master bathroom: We sprung extra $ to have a 'deluxe' bathroom: Real tile (not acrylic) with grout with a shaving bench in the shower (also made out of tile). We were really happy with the look of the thing. But everyone told us (after the fact) that those shaving benches tend to leak.
Between then and now, I hired no less than 4 different people to re-seal, re-caulk, investigate and fix. None of them were able to fix it. I brought in a plumber to check the drains and fittings. No deal. I resealed it myself. I ripped out the caulking around the shower pan and filled the space behind it with waterproof silicone before re-caulking. Nothing would fix the damn leak.
Every time we'd think we had it fixed, the leak would return a few days later. It was really driving me and my wife into some deep fits of depression.
Finally, I said "fuck it", and hired a company to come out and completely rip out the shower and replace it. I told them that once they ripped up all the tile, to come get me so I could at least know where the leak WAS, for my own peace of mind. Turns out there was a crack in a tile directly underneath the shower door--a place where nobody had looked. The water was dripping under there and then running down a slight incline to eventually come thru to the ceiling about a foot away, giving the false impression it was coming from somewhere else.
grr
At least the new shower doesn't look half bad. They still gotta come out and put in the glass walls, do some cleanup, and do some drywall repair (esp from where they moved the shower heads over about 6 inches) but I'm not regretting the new look.
A note about the master bathroom: We sprung extra $ to have a 'deluxe' bathroom: Real tile (not acrylic) with grout with a shaving bench in the shower (also made out of tile). We were really happy with the look of the thing. But everyone told us (after the fact) that those shaving benches tend to leak.
Between then and now, I hired no less than 4 different people to re-seal, re-caulk, investigate and fix. None of them were able to fix it. I brought in a plumber to check the drains and fittings. No deal. I resealed it myself. I ripped out the caulking around the shower pan and filled the space behind it with waterproof silicone before re-caulking. Nothing would fix the damn leak.
Every time we'd think we had it fixed, the leak would return a few days later. It was really driving me and my wife into some deep fits of depression.
Finally, I said "fuck it", and hired a company to come out and completely rip out the shower and replace it. I told them that once they ripped up all the tile, to come get me so I could at least know where the leak WAS, for my own peace of mind. Turns out there was a crack in a tile directly underneath the shower door--a place where nobody had looked. The water was dripping under there and then running down a slight incline to eventually come thru to the ceiling about a foot away, giving the false impression it was coming from somewhere else.
grr
At least the new shower doesn't look half bad. They still gotta come out and put in the glass walls, do some cleanup, and do some drywall repair (esp from where they moved the shower heads over about 6 inches) but I'm not regretting the new look.
GasBandit
Staff member
My understanding is that yes, it is the same ducts. But it will still cost a few thousand dollars and take a couple days. That's still cheaper and easier than having to install ducts, though.
Forced air heating fills rooms with warm air via vents located near the ceiling and returns the colder air that drains from the room via cold air returns located somewhere along the bottom. You can piggyback A/C onto this delivery system, but then it will be less efficient because you will dumping cold air from up high where it will just drain right back out the bottom vents again. To do it right there would have to be some way to reverse that
—Patrick
GasBandit
Staff member
Have you tried reconfiguring the main power coupling?
Like putting too much air into a balloon!
AC is also much more picky about vent placement and sizing. Ducting and vent placement on older houses isn’t always as big as it should be, so you could run in to the issue of having to redo your venting and duct work.
Also, the AC unit will sit in the plenum on top of your furnace. So make sure there is enough room above it so it will fit. I probably won’t be able to fit an AC unit in mine because after adding an off peak electric heater, I probably won’t have room to make my plenum any taller to fit the AC unit.
Also, the AC unit will sit in the plenum on top of your furnace. So make sure there is enough room above it so it will fit. I probably won’t be able to fit an AC unit in mine because after adding an off peak electric heater, I probably won’t have room to make my plenum any taller to fit the AC unit.
Not yet, but I did already try sounding the alertness horn and decalcifying the calcium ducts.
—Patrick
Every time I try to plug the vacuum cleaner into my kid's outlets, the power goes out when I turn it on. (their rooms also share a breaker) Any idea what could be causing this, outside of needing to call a professional? I don't think it's anything being overloaded outlet wise because it just happened in my son's room and nothing is plugged in other than the vacuum, and I think my daughter only has a phone charger plugged in.
A good question to ask is what else goes off when you turn on the vacuum?
Most household circuits (and so the attached breakers) are rated for 15 Amperes, which in the USA is about 1800 Watts. Your vacuum should have its electrical requirements printed on it or in its manual, but if I take a Dyson Ball vac as an example, that needs 12 Amps by itself, so if you have an additional 300-400W anywhere else on the same circuit (which doesn't even have to be in the same room!), then that's gonna be enough to trip the breaker. As an example of a "hidden" draw, a fish tank heater can draw 100W, or a computer can pull 200-300W while under full gaming load.
There's also the possibility you have a breaker that has "arc detection" built into it, in which case it is DEFINITELY time to get a professional involved.
--Patrick
