The Swamp

speaking of tool rental

needed to do some serious drainage work around a corner of the house to help the sump pumps in the basement out (I found out during the course of this adventure that we bought a house between a shale bed and a major creek tributary for the lake about a half mile away, hence why I have a wet backyard). got up at 5:30 and went to HD right at 6 to rent a trencher.

the guy added the protection plan on to my order without asking. I thought about saying something and then decided not to. drove home and got started at 7:30 after doing some stuff that wasn't lound like "running a trencher."

had to remember how to use it from last summer when we did a french drain at my old house but got it running pretty good. decided to go into the always wet back corner of the house to get that party started. (basically running 200 feet of corrugated pipe to the storm sewer) aaaaaaaaaaaaaand the trencher slipped down the slope into just a pool of peanut butter mud

well fuck! called my brother and told my "brother in law" (for lack of a better term. LA's sister's longterm boyfriend) who was going to help me today what had happened. they both arrive on the scene and we simply can't fucking get the thing unstuck even though we can rock it back and forth.

my neighbor is the No. 2 in the police department of my tiny suburb and i was like well I might as well see if he can help? he has a cable attachment/hitch thing on his truck. so we attach that to the trencher and he tries to pull it out of the ditch. nope! that doesn't work.

after 2+ hours of trying to dislodge it with 4x4s, steel poles, shoveling dirt... you name it, I called a tow service. and apparently tow services are desperate in pandemics! they only charged me $125 and were there in 20 minutes. 30 minutes and another truck later ... it was dislodged. and they ripped the fuel tank off the trencher in the process and broke the brass nipple that connected it to the line.

ok, this sucks but whatever. I can fix that. went and bought the $4 part ... except the connector was glued into the connection, meaning that I broke it when I tried to unscrew it from the gas tank. so after taking the gas tank back to HD and saying "yeah this happened" they had to send a tech out to basically ziptie the fuel line to the broken connector. yes, it now leaks fuel a little bit. and yes, he was examining the fuel tank when he got to my house while smoking a cigarette.

anyway, it's like 2:30 now but we're back in business. I get back at it and have a nice trench dug heading from our house to the storm sewer (our front yard is at least a half acre and this is a L shape and not straight across the yard. and I decide that I should go try to dig out on the flat part on the side of the house.

and I got stuck again! this time, the neighbor was able to drag me out of the mud. and I immediately took the trencher to the trailer where I had to take it to my parents' house to do some work on the house they're flipping.

anyway, that $35 for the damage policy may turn out to be the best money I've spent this spring.

I saw that picture and it just seems umfathomable that it was that stuck. Crazy.

I would have just used a rope and pulled it out myself.

Great idea.

And bronto, you probably weren’t using proper form while pulling. Put your legs into, not your back.

I almost responded that I was too weak to get rental tools out and back into my vehicle. That is always as much of a problem as the tool solves. Guess it's saved me from rental tool destruction. I did get the stumps out (save one). I am down several hand tools, a shovel, level, stool and a pole saw to diy destruction. Makes me wonder how much I'm saving. My hammys quads biceps and palms are all stronger though. Yard coming along nicely too.

Has anyone ever upgraded their electrical box and, if so, is there anything to know or any variables beyond hiring a good electrician? The two options we were given is a whole house surge protector and a generator interlock switch. The former we're getting, as we've had some surge issues in the past, but the latter is up in the air. We've had no issues with power outages but there was also Sandy less than a decade ago and I assume crazy weather isn't going to be decreasing. Our plan has always been to flee in that sort of situation, so I'm torn if its worth $500 for the install plus another whatever for the actual generator. Thoughts, especially my NJ boyz?

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:00 pm Has anyone ever upgraded their electrical box and, if so, is there anything to know or any variables beyond hiring a good electrician? The two options we were given is a whole house surge protector and a generator interlock switch. The former we're getting, as we've had some surge issues in the past, but the latter is up in the air. We've had no issues with power outages but there was also Sandy less than a decade ago and I assume crazy weather isn't going to be decreasing. Our plan has always been to flee in that sort of situation, so I'm torn if its worth $500 for the install plus another whatever for the actual generator. Thoughts, especially my NJ boyz?

Did it at my first house. Upgraded from 100amp to 200amp service and put a new box in. Zero issues for 5.5 years. IDK about any of the generator/surge stuff.

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:00 pm Has anyone ever upgraded their electrical box and, if so, is there anything to know or any variables beyond hiring a good electrician? The two options we were given is a whole house surge protector and a generator interlock switch. The former we're getting, as we've had some surge issues in the past, but the latter is up in the air. We've had no issues with power outages but there was also Sandy less than a decade ago and I assume crazy weather isn't going to be decreasing. Our plan has always been to flee in that sort of situation, so I'm torn if its worth $500 for the install plus another whatever for the actual generator. Thoughts, especially my NJ boyz?

I am having a full house generator installed this week. They ran the gas lines through my house yesterday, hooking up the electric tomorrow. We had 3 storms where we were out for more than 10 days during Sandy, Irene and the October blizzard. We had a portable generator, which worked in the old house as I could hook it up to the furnace and run extension cords to the fridge and a few other items. New house wouldn't be feasible to use a portable generator. Fear of losing power and all of our frozen food during the pandemic pushed the wife into pulling the trigger.

It's a little over $10k all in. I really like this system (Generac), as it hooks up to my wifi and sends an email to the electrician and me if anything isn't working right. He can do diagnostics remotely. Much better than realizing it doesn't work when you need it. He said when there is a power outage, the system waits 10 seconds, then automatically powers the entire house. When the power comes back, it switches back to the grid automatically. Not sure if you ever used a portable generator, but they need gas refilled constantly, and it was damn near impossible to get gas during Sandy and the blizzard. I remember driving deep into PA with a neighbor to fill up tanks for several neighbors.

Portable generators powerful enough to power a house are also loud as fuck.

Replaced a box about 3-5 years ago. Surge/generator issue didn't come up here either. We had some interior wiring issues and that came up. Was supposed to do permitting but bailed. House hasn't burned down yet and no issues. Hard to say anything when you know nothing so I cut the check and derived zero enjoyment from my purchase.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:33 pm Portable generators powerful enough to power a how are also loud as fuck.

Surely they aren't doing portable generators.

Have a whole house generator that came with the house. Runs the fridge, wifi, fios, a few lights, etc. Direct to the gas line. The cost to maintain is way more than the cost of ruined food for the outages we have had. It is LOUD and the gas smell when it runs is not ideal (also runs once a week to test itself). Only once in my time has it been super to have.

We have underground electric lines in our neighborhood so less frequent outages.

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:38 pm Have a whole house generator that came with the house. Runs the fridge, wifi, fios, a few lights, etc. Direct to the gas line. The cost to maintain is way more than the cost of ruined food for the outages we have had. It is LOUD and the gas smell when it runs is not ideal (also runs once a week to test itself). Only once in my time has it been super to have.

We have underground electric lines in our neighborhood so less frequent outages.

My town is horrendous with power outages. Almost every day someone is posting on FB asking if anyone else lost power. Been extremely lucky, haven't lost it once since moving. I asked neighbors if this hood is better, they all said they get as many random outages as other neighborhoods. Almost all hoods have above ground wires and trees that have gotten way too big. Electric company trims above wires every year, still get limbs taking out wires frequently.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:33 pm Portable generators powerful enough to power a house are also loud as fuck.

Yes they are. Mine couldn't do half the house, but it is loud as fuck.

So, taking all this in, the gas running out fast thing is interesting. Like I think I said, our original thought was flee if there's another massive storm, so I'm not sure what we'd need a generator for besides the fridge/freezer stuff. I guess if there was a winter storm for the pipes, but people seem to survive without that. I guess I'm leaning no?

(There's no way we're doing one of those super generator deals, its portable or nothing.)

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Jun 09, 2020 4:03 pm So, taking all this in, the gas running out fast thing is interesting. Like I think I said, our original thought was flee if there's another massive storm, so I'm not sure what we'd need a generator for besides the fridge/freezer stuff. I guess if there was a winter storm for the pipes, but people seem to survive without that. I guess I'm leaning no?

(There's no way we're doing one of those super generator deals, its portable or nothing.)

Were you looking to have one plug to put in a portable generator that connected to the necessary things in house, like fridge and furnace? Not sure what that costs, might be worth it. The portable generator is great for a day or two, but if there is a severe storm and you can't drive to get gas (blizzard took 2 or 3 days before they removed a giant oak tree that blocked off my street), getting refills for your gas tank can be problematic. We bought it during the last major outage that lasted 3 or 4 days. After a couple nights at my inlaws, we had enough and bought the generator. Not sure what the switch costs, but it is extremely easy to wire a generator to your furnace.

I agree with just running away

geebus. it ain't hard.

During Sandy we lost power, like most of the state. no generators to be found anywhere, i drove down to MD and took my parent's genie out of the garage. Had about 10 gas cans - only used the generator for the fridge and occasionally fans... shared it out w neighbors.. was lucky to find a couple of gas stations in the area that were open and had gas - although it was usually about an hour wait in line, but only every couple of days.
ended up keeping the generator - built a shed for it outside.. start it every few months. next house will make sure we have the built in. or solar.

elflaco2 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 8:50 am geebus. it ain't hard.

During Sandy we lost power, like most of the state. no generators to be found anywhere, i drove down to MD and took my parent's genie out of the garage. Had about 10 gas cans - only used the generator for the fridge and occasionally fans... shared it out w neighbors.. was lucky to find a couple of gas stations in the area that were open and had gas - although it was usually about an hour wait in line, but only every couple of days.
ended up keeping the generator - built a shed for it outside.. start it every few months. next house will make sure we have the built in. or solar.

It is hard when your street is blocked by an 80 foot oak tree laying across the road and no gas stations open within walking distance. I feel like the whole house generator is overkill, but if it makes the wife happy, sometimes it worth it.

I'm leaning towards no switch and just running a cord from a cheapie generator to the fridge if necessary. When the power grid here fails, know its my fault for not investing.

elflaco2 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 8:50 am geebus. it ain't hard.

During Sandy we lost power, like most of the state. no generators to be found anywhere, i drove down to MD and took my parent's genie out of the garage. Had about 10 gas cans - only used the generator for the fridge and occasionally fans... shared it out w neighbors.. was lucky to find a couple of gas stations in the area that were open and had gas - although it was usually about an hour wait in line, but only every couple of days.
ended up keeping the generator - built a shed for it outside.. start it every few months. next house will make sure we have the built in. or solar.

Yeah, I need to buy a generator for backup, myself. Beware of thinking that solar will bail you out (if the process works the same way for you as it does for us). I have solar panels that generate enough electricity to make that part of our utility bill negligible. But, out here - you don't use your own solar power. It goes back to the grid and the utility gives you an offset on your bill for selling it to them. So, it doesn't help you keep power if the grid goes down.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 11:07 am

elflaco2 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 8:50 am geebus. it ain't hard.

During Sandy we lost power, like most of the state. no generators to be found anywhere, i drove down to MD and took my parent's genie out of the garage. Had about 10 gas cans - only used the generator for the fridge and occasionally fans... shared it out w neighbors.. was lucky to find a couple of gas stations in the area that were open and had gas - although it was usually about an hour wait in line, but only every couple of days.
ended up keeping the generator - built a shed for it outside.. start it every few months. next house will make sure we have the built in. or solar.

Yeah, I need to buy a generator for backup, myself. Beware of thinking that solar will bail you out (if the process works the same way for you as it does for us). I have solar panels that generate enough electricity to make that part of our utility bill negligible. But, out here - you don't use your own solar power. It goes back to the grid and the utility gives you an offset on your bill for selling it to them. So, it doesn't help you keep power if the grid goes down.

I think you need one of those house batteries to power your own house in a power outage. Last I checked, they were about $6,000 and not very effective.

In a twist of irony, the electrician was supposed to turn of the power at my house at 1:00. Power went off at 12:50, I was a little annoyed he was early, as I was on a Microsoft Teams call, and didn't switch to my phone's hotspot. Turns out, my neighborhood lost power. First time since I moved in. It'll be great if he gets the generator running before the power comes back and we actually get use out of it right away. Also lucky the town inspector stopped by early, as he can't run the generator before it passed inspection.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 12:35 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 11:07 am

elflaco2 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 8:50 am geebus. it ain't hard.

During Sandy we lost power, like most of the state. no generators to be found anywhere, i drove down to MD and took my parent's genie out of the garage. Had about 10 gas cans - only used the generator for the fridge and occasionally fans... shared it out w neighbors.. was lucky to find a couple of gas stations in the area that were open and had gas - although it was usually about an hour wait in line, but only every couple of days.
ended up keeping the generator - built a shed for it outside.. start it every few months. next house will make sure we have the built in. or solar.

Yeah, I need to buy a generator for backup, myself. Beware of thinking that solar will bail you out (if the process works the same way for you as it does for us). I have solar panels that generate enough electricity to make that part of our utility bill negligible. But, out here - you don't use your own solar power. It goes back to the grid and the utility gives you an offset on your bill for selling it to them. So, it doesn't help you keep power if the grid goes down.

I think you need one of those house batteries to power your own house in a power outage. Last I checked, they were about $6,000 and not very effective.

In a twist of irony, the electrician was supposed to turn of the power at my house at 1:00. Power went off at 12:50, I was a little annoyed he was early, as I was on a Microsoft Teams call, and didn't switch to my phone's hotspot. Turns out, my neighborhood lost power. First time since I moved in. It'll be great if he gets the generator running before the power comes back and we actually get use out of it right away. Also lucky the town inspector stopped by early, as he can't run the generator before it passed inspection.

I'm not getting one of those house batteries. Just want a generator to keep the refrigerator running.

I've had some issues with my double oven. It's not an in-wall unit. normal sized range with two ovens, smaller one not as high. A couple of months ago, the bottom oven went out. Well, It would work, but only if the whole oven was situated in just the right way. Close the door too hard and it shut the whole thing off. The upper seemed to work fine, so we just kind of went to using one oven like frigging paupers or some shit. Well, two days ago same thing happens to the upper oven. If you get it angled just right, seems to work, but that is a little frightening and seems to hint at something related to the power supply. It never trips the breaker. The rangetop still works with no issues.

Anyone ever try to fix an oven issue like this (I've replaced a couple of elements but this doesn't seem to be that - it heats up but then turns off). Youtube searches often mention the power control board, but I can't find a video or link that deals with my specific oven (Frigidaire Gallery). One promising thing I am going to try tonight is the overheat breakers on the oven.

I really don't want to 1)buy parts that may or may not fix the issue or 2) pay someone to come out and look at it and then have to overpay for the parts and the fix. It's only seven years old, but am I better off just buying a new oven?

They're starting my large landscaping project today. I'm very excited and will share pics once they're done in a couple weeks.

...Then we're getting a new roof.







....then I'm crawling in my hole and being poor for a while

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 7:17 am I've had some issues with my double oven. It's not an in-wall unit. normal sized range with two ovens, smaller one not as high. A couple of months ago, the bottom oven went out. Well, It would work, but only if the whole oven was situated in just the right way. Close the door too hard and it shut the whole thing off. The upper seemed to work fine, so we just kind of went to using one oven like frigging paupers or some shit. Well, two days ago same thing happens to the upper oven. If you get it angled just right, seems to work, but that is a little frightening and seems to hint at something related to the power supply. It never trips the breaker. The rangetop still works with no issues.

Anyone ever try to fix an oven issue like this (I've replaced a couple of elements but this doesn't seem to be that - it heats up but then turns off). Youtube searches often mention the power control board, but I can't find a video or link that deals with my specific oven (Frigidaire Gallery). One promising thing I am going to try tonight is the overheat breakers on the oven.

I really don't want to 1)buy parts that may or may not fix the issue or 2) pay someone to come out and look at it and then have to overpay for the parts and the fix. It's only seven years old, but am I better off just buying a new oven?

The only part of an oven I would replace myself is the Control Board (or Power Control Board is another term I've heard). It seems to be a catch-all for problems. My specific issue was that the thing made a funny noise then just shut off...no power to the clock or controls or anything. I'm assuming the range top is part of the oven unit so I would guess that the control board is not the issue but it might be worth investigating the symptoms.

BSF21 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 8:21 am They're starting my large landscaping project today. I'm very excited and will share pics once they're done in a couple weeks.

...Then we're getting a new roof.







....then I'm crawling in my hole and being poor for a while

We got our house painted on Friday and got a quote for a new A/C system which we're getting put in in the fall and then we're going to be poor for awhile.

GoodKarma wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:04 am

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 7:17 am I've had some issues with my double oven. It's not an in-wall unit. normal sized range with two ovens, smaller one not as high. A couple of months ago, the bottom oven went out. Well, It would work, but only if the whole oven was situated in just the right way. Close the door too hard and it shut the whole thing off. The upper seemed to work fine, so we just kind of went to using one oven like frigging paupers or some shit. Well, two days ago same thing happens to the upper oven. If you get it angled just right, seems to work, but that is a little frightening and seems to hint at something related to the power supply. It never trips the breaker. The rangetop still works with no issues.

Anyone ever try to fix an oven issue like this (I've replaced a couple of elements but this doesn't seem to be that - it heats up but then turns off). Youtube searches often mention the power control board, but I can't find a video or link that deals with my specific oven (Frigidaire Gallery). One promising thing I am going to try tonight is the overheat breakers on the oven.

I really don't want to 1)buy parts that may or may not fix the issue or 2) pay someone to come out and look at it and then have to overpay for the parts and the fix. It's only seven years old, but am I better off just buying a new oven?

The only part of an oven I would replace myself is the Control Board (or Power Control Board is another term I've heard). It seems to be a catch-all for problems. My specific issue was that the thing made a funny noise then just shut off...no power to the clock or controls or anything. I'm assuming the range top is part of the oven unit so I would guess that the control board is not the issue but it might be worth investigating the symptoms.

Yeah, this seems like a likely culprit apparently. It looks like i can get one for around $100 so I may try that first. Thanks

Reading about upgrading the electrical box reminds me that I have aluminum wiring throughout the house and that I'll eventually have to have it "pigtailed" with noalox if I want to sell it.

And ill also be buying a "forced air" a/c system soon. Luckily my buddy's father in law owns a company so I might be able to get a good deal. This swamp cooler life is blah.

Time to start getting bids on taking a room out of the basement and adding a bar. I'm really hoping it'll all come in at under $15K, but I have no idea what this stuff costs

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 11:10 am Time to start getting bids on taking a room out of the basement and adding a bar. I'm really hoping it'll all come in at under $15K, but I have no idea what this stuff costs

The cost of materials or the cost of labor or both? Is it a full remodel of the area or just adding something that exists? I'm curious.

Demo might be fun. And save some dough.

splurge for secret bookshelf door to hidden room

Johnnie wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 12:24 pm

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 11:10 am Time to start getting bids on taking a room out of the basement and adding a bar. I'm really hoping it'll all come in at under $15K, but I have no idea what this stuff costs

The cost of materials or the cost of labor or both? Is it a full remodel of the area or just adding something that exists? I'm curious.

both. basement is fully finished and bedroom and bathroom don't need to be touched. just need the weird room in the middle gone, the vent unboxed and then a bar installed somewhere near existing plumbing with a door moved. and then maybe the stairs modified slightly if there's money leftover

It's something that seems pretty straightforward, but I don't know just how much it'd be in terms of labor mostly. materials shouldn't be too bad (I'm thinking $3K total for the bar based on what we've seen at Ikea and price per sq ft of flooring and the limited drywalling that would need to be done)

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 3:02 pm

Johnnie wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 12:24 pm

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 11:10 am Time to start getting bids on taking a room out of the basement and adding a bar. I'm really hoping it'll all come in at under $15K, but I have no idea what this stuff costs

The cost of materials or the cost of labor or both? Is it a full remodel of the area or just adding something that exists? I'm curious.

both. basement is fully finished and bedroom and bathroom don't need to be touched. just need the weird room in the middle gone, the vent unboxed and then a bar installed somewhere near existing plumbing with a door moved. and then maybe the stairs modified slightly if there's money leftover

It's something that seems pretty straightforward, but I don't know just how much it'd be in terms of labor mostly. materials shouldn't be too bad (I'm thinking $3K total for the bar based on what we've seen at Ikea and price per sq ft of flooring and the limited drywalling that would need to be done)

Gotcha. Hopefully it works out easily, but don't be shocked by labor costs. It's basically half the costs of any project. If the area is small enough it shouldn't be too bad.

labor's definitely going to be like 75% on this one. I have a pretty good idea of material costs based on all the stuff I've done in my basement before. And I'm also fully capable of doing at least a portion of the demo -- maybe even the vent unboxing! -- so that could also save me some. we'll find out!

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 1:57 pm splurge for secret bookshelf door to hidden room

When we major remodeled back in 2005, I jokingly asked the architect what that might cost. Needless to say, it didn’t happen, but it gave the guy a good laugh.

Ended up fixing the oven somehow. Not sure how permanent, but basically I opened the back up and tightened up every connection I could find to tighten up. took out the control board and reinstalled as well. Been fine for over a week now.

Also managed to fix an icemaker issue that was confounding for several months.

Then of course, get home yesterday and the fucking TV is out. I guess it's the LED lights or something, because you can BARELY make out the screen but adjusting the brightness doesn't do anything.

That'll teach you.

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:38 am Ended up fixing the oven somehow. Not sure how permanent, but basically I opened the back up and tightened up every connection I could find to tighten up. took out the control board and reinstalled as well. Been fine for over a week now.

Also managed to fix an icemaker issue that was confounding for several months.

Then of course, get home yesterday and the fucking TV is out. I guess it's the LED lights or something, because you can BARELY make out the screen but adjusting the brightness doesn't do anything.

My last TV did that. It's fixable, but the part was almost as much as a new TV, and it gave me an excuse to get a bigger TV with a better picture, so fuck it.