Home Repairs

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P.D.X.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by P.D.X. »

DC47 wrote:By any chance, could this be water hammer? I wouldn't describe this as like an engine. But perhaps in some cases some would. Probably a lot on this common problem on ye olde internet.
No, the sound is clearly coming from the heater itself.
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DC47
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by DC47 »

This is beyond my experience. But I have heard of a defective upright tube (which have some technical name) in water heaters. Perhaps if the tube fails in some way, water moving through it would create a bad noise.

I believe there was a massive recall on this issue several years ago. But this doesn't mean that new ones won't fail. Just that a particular brand does not have a (yet) recognized mass design or manufacturing defect on it's hands.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by P.D.X. »

Yeah, it'll "turn on" at random times — I'm assuming when it needs to apply heat to the tank, like 5 am.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by BSF21 »

P.D.X. wrote:Yeah, it'll "turn on" at random times — I'm assuming when it needs to apply heat to the tank, like 5 am.
Do you put your water through treatment/softening before it goes into your heater? You could be dealing with a corroded anode rod, which you can remove and replace, but likely not worth the hassle.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by mister d »

Pee on it. See if anything changes.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by P.D.X. »

BSF21 wrote:
P.D.X. wrote:Yeah, it'll "turn on" at random times — I'm assuming when it needs to apply heat to the tank, like 5 am.
Do you put your water through treatment/softening before it goes into your heater? You could be dealing with a corroded anode rod, which you can remove and replace, but likely not worth the hassle.
Nah, it's a new system. Installed last fall. Anyway, I got a guy coming out Monday.

Thnx Swampateers.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Sabo »

Last week, I woke up to use the bathroom and noticed water coming through the ceiling. So, at 3 a.m. I went into the attic and saw a constant drip drip drip coming from a joist adjacent to a vent pipe. Lovely. I got a 5-gallon bucket, put it under the drip and went back to sleep. Woke up the next morning and found an inch of water in the bucket, so the leak isn't too bad.

We called a handyman we've used before to take a look, but he wouldn't go on the roof because of the recent rain and ice, which is understandable. He said he'd call me when the weather was nice and he'd feel safe going onto the roof. Since we didn't have rain for a couple of days, this was fine, but it wasn't so fine Monday and yesterday, when we had rain and a lot of wind.

While searching for a solution online, I found this: The Perma Boot. Reviews were surprisingly positive, with almost all of the negative reviews coming from people who bought the wrong size. Went to Home Depot, bough the Boot and some adhesive, and waited for this morning.

I have a ranch-style house, so the roof has a gentle slope. But my desire to get on a roof falls somewhere between getting a root canal without anesthesia and quilting. Actually, being on the roof isn't so bad, but it's the transition from climbing the ladder and stepping off it onto the roof is what freaks me out. My first try up resulted in me getting near the top and getting dizzy, so I wasn't off to a great start. I got down and looked again, and realized I could get on the roof easier if I went onto it near the porch. My roof has two different levels, so I could put the ladder in that corner, climb up, step onto the lower roof level and then step onto the top level.

Once on the roof, I pulled up a bucket of tools, the Perma Boot and adhesive and went to work. Installation took about 15 minutes, but a lot of that was because I had to cut the pipe a few inches to get the cap to fit properly. Once secured, I lowered the bucket, got back on the ladder and climbed down.

Mission accomplished, at least for the installation. Now we wait to see if the Perma Boot stops my leaking vent pipe. It will get a good workout because it's supposed to start raining at 6 p.m. today and will continue to rain for about 24 hours straight. One inch of rain is expected. Fingers crossed!
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Sabo »

CURSE YOU PERMA BOOT, YOU PIECE OF SHIT.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by GoodKarma »

So I'm guessing the negative reviews were warranted?
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DC47
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by DC47 »

Water is notorious for traveling unseen within a roofing system. The location of a leak inside a house (e.g., underside of plywood on top of joists) is often not the same as where the water actually is entering the system. I've applied gallons of sealant looking for the source of a roof leak. Seal, rain, fail, seal other places. Repeat.

What evidence do you have that your boot was bad? Have you closely inspected the roof uphill from the leak location?
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by rass »

Sabo wrote:CURSE YOU PERMA BOOT, YOU PIECE OF SHIT.
I laughed. Sorry.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Sabo »

rass wrote:
Sabo wrote:CURSE YOU PERMA BOOT, YOU PIECE OF SHIT.
I laughed. Sorry.
That's fine. I was going for that reaction.

I thought the leak was coming from the rubber gasket around the vent pipe, which is why I bought the Perma Boot. But it looks like I'm wrong. My current theory is the tar paper next to the vent pipe has eroded or somehow been perforated, and that's where the water is coming in.

I'm leaving for a business trip this afternoon, and my wife isn't strong enough to lift and carry a full 5-gallon bucket of water from the attic, so I tried to figure out a way to make it easier for her. So last night, I went to Home Depot and bought a faucet that would fit a garden hose, drilled a hole in a 5-gallon bucket and installed the faucet at the end. Used plumbers putty to seal the faucet so it wouldn't leak. I attached the hose and put the bucket under the leak, and ran the hose from the attic to another bucket on the ground floor. That way, the Mrs. could empty it without having to climb up and down. It worked just fine ... until the drip migrated from its original location to about six inches away, which was not over the bucket. So this morning, I found another water stain in the ceiling, but at least this one is minor compared to the one I had last week.

Fortunately the leak isn't a major one, and the rain is supposed to stop this afternoon and be gone until early next week. I abandoned my faucet-rigged bucket and instead put a 70-quart plastic storage container up there to catch the drips. If 70 quarts of water come through the roof in the next six hours, then I have a pretty awful situation.

And DC, I looked all over the surrounding rafters and joists for leaks and couldn't find anything. It's definitely leaking near the vent pipe. And based on the water stains on the wood near the vent pipe, it's leaked quite a bit in the past. When my in-laws bought this house 11+ years ago, there was a large water stain on the kitchen ceiling, but it never got worse while they lived there.

Eventually I'll just need to fix it properly by removing the vent pipe and some shingles and tar paper around the vent, replacing any boards underneath it if necessary, then putting new tar paper and shingles on top of it. The roof is 15 years old and should be replaced soon, but I'd prefer to put the roof replacement on hold for a couple more years.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by mister d »

I'm going to need a week or two to ... that one.
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DC47
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by DC47 »

Your new diagnosis may well be right. But my point was broader. The leak that you see at point X may be actually coming through from the outside of the roof system at point Y, which could be 10 feet away. Water can get through the first layer (shingles) and then travel through lower layers (e.g., older shingles, tar paper, plywood) to emerge -- at a weak spot in the lower level(s) of the roofing system -- within the house at a somewhat distant location.

Congratulations on your temporary leak catching innovations! Great stuff.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by mister d »

So apparently a fishy smell can mean burning electrical. JFC. Anyone know if this is a product (space heater) problem or an outlet problem?



(Everything is unplugged from the socket now, first time we'd smelled it.)
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by sancarlos »

So, it's expected to rain cats and dogs here soon, and I've got a clogged gutter drain that I can't get at. At least not in time to beat the rain. So, it might come off the roof in sheets. Sigh.

(I snaked the downspout from its bottom, which is on top of the first floor roof, and couldn't get up to the clog. And don't want to put a ladder on the sideways pitched roof to get to the top of the downspout, with is on the second floor roof, too high to reach otherwise.)
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by sancarlos »

I forgot to regale you guys with my adventure from the past week. So, pour a cold one and read on.

It rained hard here for a week straight, just ending on Tuesday. Was pretty windy too. Last Thursday, my neighbor pointed out to me that he could see from his second floor window that my electrical drop was all bent over, where the power line coming in from the main power line connected to our house:
Image
I called the power company and a guy got up on the roof and tried to pull on it, but the power line was completely taut and he couldn't budge it. He pointed out that two branches of the oak tree of the neighbor across my back fence was pulling on the line, causing the connection to nearly pull off of my roof. That happened as a result of the rain and wind. Amazingly, we never lost power. The power company guy said he'd call their in-house tree trimmers and they'd come out right away.

Well... "right away" was three days later, on Sunday afternoon. While it was still raining of course. It took a two crews of tree-trimming guys and the power company guy directing them about five hours all told, to get various branches cut off the oak tree, freeing up my line from it's obstruction, and allowing slack in the line, so the connection on the house could be fixed. So, when everything was all wrapping up, I asked the guys about all the branches and brush in my yard (and my neighbor's yard). They said, "Oh, sorry, that is yours to deal with. We don't take any of that away - especially while it is dark and raining." So, then I ask the power company guy about coming back out to fix the connection on my roof. He said, "well, our job was to fix the obstruction of the line. You have to handle fixing the connection and your roof, yourself." Fucking A!

So, on Monday, I got out my wood lopper and cut up the small branches. Two bins worth! And, still have yet to deal with the larger branches. My aching back! And, on Tuesday, I paid an electrician $300 for getting everything back to the proper situation on my roof. Fucking A.
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DC47
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by DC47 »

Fast and cheap from my point of view. Even some free exercise. Instead, you could easily have a hole in your roof, serious water damage in your house, and no power for several days.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Pruitt »

Question - I'm hanging a heavy painting (well, a heavy frame anyway) must weigh 20 pounds or so, into a plaster wall.

Should I use anchors?
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by A_B »

Pruitt wrote:Question - I'm hanging a heavy painting (well, a heavy frame anyway) must weigh 20 pounds or so, into a plaster wall.

Should I use anchors?

I would, absolutely, or try to find a stud.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Pruitt »

A_B wrote:
Pruitt wrote:Question - I'm hanging a heavy painting (well, a heavy frame anyway) must weigh 20 pounds or so, into a plaster wall.

Should I use anchors?

I would, absolutely, or try to find a stud.
I found a stud in the mirror this morning!

Good advice - will definitely follow.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by mister d »

Any of you shitheads have washer/dryer recs? If its in the basement and out of sight, is there any compelling reason to go front load over top load?
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by govmentchedda »

Really like my Speed Queen set. No frills, American made, metal (not plastic) motor. A washer and dryer like Mom used to have.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Sabo »

mister d wrote:Any of you shitheads have washer/dryer recs? If its in the basement and out of sight, is there any compelling reason to go front load over top load?
When researching washers a couple of years ago, we learned front-load washers have a much higher repair rate than top-load washers. We ended up buying a Whirlpool Cabrio top-load washer from Sears and it's been a great purchase so far.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by rass »

HATE our front load washer.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Steve of phpBB »

We were told front load washers use far less water. Though maybe that matters less to you Easterners.

I like that with our front load washer, you can put more stuff in it and it get clean, without getting shredded.

The down side is that when you unload the clothes to move them to the dryer, clothes will fall on the floor if you aren't careful.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by mister d »

rass wrote:HATE our front load washer.
What reason? My deep, deep reading (starting around 10:45 AM) says they're more water + energy efficient and actually clean better.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by sancarlos »

Steve of phpBB wrote:We were told front load washers use far less water. Though maybe that matters less to you Easterners.

I like that with our front load washer, you can put more stuff in it and it get clean, without getting shredded.

The down side is that when you unload the clothes to move them to the dryer, clothes will fall on the floor if you aren't careful.
Co-sign this entire post. But, after 13 years of good work, we appear to be ready for a new set. Has to be front load, because our area is small and we need to stack them. My wife would want front load anyway, for the reasons Steve noted.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by BSF21 »

mister d wrote:
rass wrote:HATE our front load washer.
What reason? My deep, deep reading (starting around 10:45 AM) says they're more water + energy efficient and actually clean better.
Every person I personally know with a front load washer has had mold/mildew/smell issues with them. That's the #1 complaint I hear. Also, the sets you see at HD/Lowes are going to be 300-400$ more than marked, because they're sitting on 200$ bases.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by sancarlos »

BSF21 wrote:
mister d wrote:
rass wrote:HATE our front load washer.
What reason? My deep, deep reading (starting around 10:45 AM) says they're more water + energy efficient and actually clean better.
Every person I personally know with a front load washer has had mold/mildew/smell issues with them. That's the #1 complaint I hear. Also, the sets you see at HD/Lowes are going to be 300-400$ more than marked, because they're sitting on 200$ bases.
Ours sits on the floor. No base. Had it 13 years with none of the issues you note.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by rass »

I think they make high efficiency top loaders at this point, no?

The smell/mold thing is an issue. I'm willing to do some extra maintenance to keep it clean, but it's a real pain in the ass to get some of the trays out/apart to fully clean them. We've had clothes damaged by the seal/door and at this point do smaller loads to make sure it doesn't happen. We've had ours for maybe 8 or 9 years, so maybe they've gotten better, or we got a shitty model (though it had good CR reviews at the time).

Ours is on the floor, no base. Probably quieter than our old top loader. Clothes do come out less wet, so dryer needs to do less work. I never really analyzed water usage back when we switched.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Sabo »

rass wrote:I think they make high efficiency top loaders at this point, no?
Yes, ours is an HE washer.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by BSF21 »

sancarlos wrote:
BSF21 wrote:
mister d wrote:
rass wrote:HATE our front load washer.
What reason? My deep, deep reading (starting around 10:45 AM) says they're more water + energy efficient and actually clean better.
Every person I personally know with a front load washer has had mold/mildew/smell issues with them. That's the #1 complaint I hear. Also, the sets you see at HD/Lowes are going to be 300-400$ more than marked, because they're sitting on 200$ bases.
Ours sits on the floor. No base. Had it 13 years with none of the issues you note.
Just what I've heard secondhand.

Not to be nitpicky, but I thought the main selling point of front load is ease of use. Isn't it awfully low to the ground without the bases?

FYI I've got a GE Topload HE washer and front load electric dryer set that I believe was purchased on clearance for ~500$ Cleans great, low water usage, and still kicking after 8ish years.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by mister d »

I read a lot of the mold issues have gone away with newer models, but who knows if that's true.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Steve of phpBB »

A benefit of living in the desert - mold isn't a thing. If water spills, you don't have to mop it up, just spread it out and it will dry right up.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by DSafetyGuy »

Do any of these high efficiency machines finish washing or drying a tiny load of laundry in under three hours? Or was that just the experience I had with the shitty-ass one in my rental place last summer when working out of town?
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by BSF21 »

DSafetyGuy wrote:Do any of these high efficiency machines finish washing or drying a tiny load of laundry in under three hours? Or was that just the experience I had with the shitty-ass one in my rental place last summer when working out of town?
I probably average 1.5 hours per load start to finish but I also dry my clothing on low. A load of towels/sheets maybe takes an hour.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Sabo »

DSafetyGuy wrote:Do any of these high efficiency machines finish washing or drying a tiny load of laundry in under three hours? Or was that just the experience I had with the shitty-ass one in my rental place last summer when working out of town?
Washing cycles definitely take longer, but my washer is better at removing water during the spin cycle. It probably takes two hours to wash and dry one load of clothes.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by sancarlos »

We have front loading stacked Bosch washer and dryer. Takes 30-40 minutes to wash (depending on whether you do power wash or rinse-plus). Dryer depends what you are drying, but averages about 45 minutes. Never had a mold or mildew issue, but like Steve, we live in a dry climate. A big factor for my wife is that it is less hard on your clothes than a top loader.
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Re: Home Repairs

Post by Ryan »

Mine takes 12 minutes because no jeans
he’s a fixbking cyborg or some shit. The

holy fuckbAllZ, what a ducking nightmare. Holy shot. Just, fuck. The
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