Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Jan 22, 2018 15:36:19 GMT -5
The electric bill is in, and this past month set a new record. Gonna get that pellet stove. Also going to look into laying pink fiberglass insulation on top of the blow-in junk in our attic. I ordered this earlier this morning as work on sealing up my drafty old shack continues. I discovered some fun spaces around the basement egress window where cold air just rushes in, so that's nice. I get to tear out more drywall to get to those... I bought one of these the other week to seal up the rim joists, I need to finish tearing out all the old basement ceiling drywall before I can do it, though. I won't get it done this weekend, but I'm hoping I can get to it next weekend. The attic is (thankfully) pretty well insulated but I'll probably blow some losse-fill cellulose into all the corners and weird anglespots that fiberglass batts don't cover too well some time when I can wrangle a helper. All this responsible stuff is really getting in the way of doing fun stuff like crown molding and picture rails. Fuck crown moulding.
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Post by Buon Funerale Amigos on Jan 22, 2018 20:46:48 GMT -5
The first cosmetic change I made to our house was to rip down the shitty extruded polystyrene crown molding that was attached with an odd combination of silicone caulk and Liquid Nails. Thanks, idiot POs for making me patch ceiling plaster.
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Jan 23, 2018 0:27:58 GMT -5
The first cosmetic change I made to our house was to rip down the shitty extruded polystyrene crown molding that was attached with an odd combination of silicone caulk and Liquid Nails. Thanks, idiot POs for making me patch ceiling plaster. Polystyrene should only be used for disposable cups. It always looks like crap. It's worst when used in really visible places, like quoins and pillars.
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Post by Floyd Dinnertime Barber on Jan 23, 2018 20:16:43 GMT -5
The first cosmetic change I made to our house was to rip down the shitty extruded polystyrene crown molding that was attached with an odd combination of silicone caulk and Liquid Nails. Thanks, idiot POs for making me patch ceiling plaster. Polystyrene should only be used for disposable cups. It always looks like crap. It's worst when used in really visible places, like quoins and pillars. Let's have a little respect for Polly Styrene
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Jan 24, 2018 9:25:10 GMT -5
Polystyrene should only be used for disposable cups. It always looks like crap. It's worst when used in really visible places, like quoins and pillars. Let's have a little respect for Polly Styrene As a teenager, "Bondage Up Yours" was one of the songs everyone would cover or sing along too
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Post by Not a real doctor on Jan 27, 2018 17:52:58 GMT -5
I finally got around to spraying expanding foam on the rim joists and holy crap did it work great! I was a little hesitant about the price (~$300) but compared to cutting rigid foam, putting the pieces in and "window framing" around them with canned foam...it was worth every damn penny and then some. Okay, now with pictures: My original plan was to do something like this, but with it being old construction, and the basement being finished made doing it with rigid foam a nightmare. (this whole project was precipitated by me tearing down pats of the drywall ceiling looking for the Mooch cat, and realizing what a shit show it was up in there weatherproofing/plumbing/electrical-wise and tearing down the rest of the ceiling): I bought a Dow "Froth Pak 200" kit which is a 2-part expanding foam. It looks like this and it mixes in a removable nozzle that goes on the gun so you can start and stop and only need to replace the nozzle in the gun (versus the spray cans that are "once you start, you gotta use it up because it cures in the nozzle"). It wants to be applied with the chemical temperature between 75-90F so I put it in front of the space heater while I suited up: Speaking of suited up, this stuff is fairly toxic so a full suit, nitrile gloves, glasses, and an organic vapor respirator are required: No pictures of the actual application but holy crap it was fun. There are a few different nozzle patterns, I used a fan nozzle and it was as easy as spraying paint. The tanks have a metal handle that hooks to both of them and you just carry it around as needed (they're ~2/3 the size of a 20lb propane tank). I went around the space once, then went around again to hit what I didn't get fully covered the first time. (my house footprint is very small so it's not a big deal to get around and I could reach everything using a short step stool. So, what's it come out like? Here's looking into one of the joist bays, there's floor joist on the left and right, the far end is the rim joist, top is the first floor subfloor, bottom is the top of the basement wall. I'll fill these spaces with a wad of fiberglass insulation for more R-value but the point of all this was to fill in all the gaps where all these pieces come together and let air in. It really shines in places where heat ducts come up through the floor that are right next to the rim joist. I could just stick the gun up in there as far as possible, let loose, and let the expansion do its job (messy, but IDK, it'll be back under drywall eventually). Here, the duct makes a 90 o turn to a floor register above it so there isn't any space to get in there and work but now it's filled: I'll take a picture of where I sprayed it in a more open area around the egress window but I was a sweaty mess at the end (tyvek suit, heat cranked up), but I'm really happy with it and would recommend paying the dough for one of these kits if you're thinking of doing the same thing. Doing it with rigid foam like above would have easily taken me 40 hours of actual work, this was 30 minutes from starting spraying to peeling off the suit. Oh, the downside? I had to shave off my beard so the mask would seal.
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Post by ganews on Jan 31, 2018 12:16:51 GMT -5
I'm just going to make a goals list here for the next five months: repair the cold water handle stem on the downstairs bath faucet - I have the socket set at work for this, I just have not done it despite months of thinking about it Well this one is off the list, and I'm pretty proud. It was not as simple as replacing the faucet stem. The stem that was there was ground up as hell; when I shut off the water and got it out of there (finally remembering to borrow a socket set from work) it came out with about a pound of sheared-off brass dust. I hopelessly took the step to Home Depot, but not only was there predictably little selection, I couldn't match my stem to one from the book. Nor could I use the method of counting ridges, because all those were sheared off. So rather than go a a real plumbing specialty supply store to hope someone could match it (there isn't even find a brand name on the faucet), I used the drill press at work to pop a little orthogonal hole in the brass. Then I got some steel pins to size from McMaster, which insert in the hole to form a T - so turning the knob levers against the pin instead of just gripping the stem by tension. I also finally put an actual toilet paper holder in that bathroom - all in advance of houseguests this weekend.
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Post by ganews on Feb 18, 2018 21:21:04 GMT -5
We live pretty close to the Riversdale Mansion, center of the hereditary estate of the six Lords Baltimore. We went there for their Christmas open house, and in poking around the cellar gift shop I bought a poster for $1. This poster is reprint of an 1853 survey of the descended owner's property (which was pretty much all the land around here) and you can follow the local rivers and streams and major roads in comparison to a modern map - neat! Well I finally bought a nice frame and put it up in the living room, sort of tying us to the area. Which feels nice, seeing as I have lived here for years longer than any place other than my parent's house.
Amusingly, all of the art we have hung in the house (upstairs anyway) are illustrations by Wifemate or art that we acquired for basically nothing. The exception will be when I get those antique medical illustration posters hung. We may have bought them at auction for just $100 each, but it's going to cost big bucks to frame those massive things.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Feb 18, 2018 23:43:07 GMT -5
We're planning to replace at least one of our toilets this year. It's a decidedly un-sexy reno/replacement, but, well, the toilets we have suck. We have three (powder room, guest bath, master bath) and the two most-used clog regularly. (They're all 20 years old and builder grade.)
Anyone had any experiences with this? brands to recommend, or avoid? Home Depot, Amazon Services, local plumber?
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Feb 19, 2018 0:33:32 GMT -5
We're planning to replace at least one of our toilets this year. It's a decidedly un-sexy reno/replacement, but, well, the toilets we have suck. We have three (powder room, guest bath, master bath) and the two most-used clog regularly. (They're all 20 years old and builder grade.) Anyone had any experiences with this? brands to recommend, or avoid? Home Depot, Amazon Services, local plumber? I used Lowes and had a good experience. I got a simple Aquasource 2-flush comfort height model for the basement to replace the truly deplorable round seater left by the previous owner. The toilet itself cost $125 and then I think $140 for installation? The whole thing took 4 days from the time I purchased the toilet to the time they installed. In other homeowner news, what's everybody doing with their tax refund money? I'm finally going to replace the two side windows in my front bay window and I'm getting a nice wooden storm door. I'm also hoping to touch up my concrete steps and put a pergola over the back window overlooking the yard.
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Post by nowimnothing on Feb 19, 2018 6:52:33 GMT -5
We're planning to replace at least one of our toilets this year. It's a decidedly un-sexy reno/replacement, but, well, the toilets we have suck. We have three (powder room, guest bath, master bath) and the two most-used clog regularly. (They're all 20 years old and builder grade.) Anyone had any experiences with this? brands to recommend, or avoid? Home Depot, Amazon Services, local plumber? www.lowes.com/pd/KOHLER-Elliston-White-WaterSense-Labeled-Elongated-Chair-Height-2-piece-Toilet-12-in-Rough-In-Size/50034688I just put this one in my bathroom. It is on the lower end price wise but the flush reminds me of one in an airplane with how fast it empties. We have only had it a few weeks so I cannot speak to clogs yet, but the suction alone seems like it would take care of most anyone could throw at it. I don't know about your skills, but replacing a toilet is really one of the easiest DIY tasks. You don't even have to fool around with the messy wax rings anymore, there are rubber ones that work great. The only tricky part is not tightening the bolts too much that you crack the porcelain. The old toilet can go right in the trash, maybe after breaking it up into a few smaller pieces with a hammer.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Feb 19, 2018 8:28:28 GMT -5
We're planning to replace at least one of our toilets this year. It's a decidedly un-sexy reno/replacement, but, well, the toilets we have suck. We have three (powder room, guest bath, master bath) and the two most-used clog regularly. (They're all 20 years old and builder grade.) Anyone had any experiences with this? brands to recommend, or avoid? Home Depot, Amazon Services, local plumber? www.lowes.com/pd/KOHLER-Elliston-White-WaterSense-Labeled-Elongated-Chair-Height-2-piece-Toilet-12-in-Rough-In-Size/50034688I just put this one in my bathroom. It is on the lower end price wise but the flush reminds me of one in an airplane with how fast it empties. We have only had it a few weeks so I cannot speak to clogs yet, but the suction alone seems like it would take care of most anyone could throw at it. I don't know about your skills, but replacing a toilet is really one of the easiest DIY tasks. You don't even have to fool around with the messy wax rings anymore, there are rubber ones that work great. The only tricky part is not tightening the bolts too much that you crack the porcelain. The old toilet can go right in the trash, maybe after breaking it up into a few smaller pieces with a hammer. Thanks for the rec! Truly we're not handy, smoke detectors are about the most complicated thing we’ve installed. And it’s an excuse to also have a plumber install a kitchen faucet we’ve had for three years. Can’t do that ourselves because there’s a garbage disposal.
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Post by Not a real doctor on Mar 6, 2018 20:56:13 GMT -5
The window trim in the entire house is super boring and looks like this, but the windows are only 6-7 years old, so to pinterest I went: I wanted to dress it up a little bit with a deeper stool and a little bit of an upper casing detail so I started in the living room with the two big windows. I stripped the old trim off and filled all the gaps with expanding foam to replace all the "jammed in there fiberglass insulation" from the window replacement: Everything went back on so the only new material is a 1x6 that I ripped down to 4 3/4" to make the stool and a 1x3 that I ripped into two pieces to make the cap detail: Slapped on a coat of primer, I'll sand and paint when I do the whole house this spring and can have the windows open: Welp, the two big ones are done (the two in the living room are the same), so only...17 more to go!
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Post by Lurky McLurk on Mar 12, 2018 11:04:52 GMT -5
LITERALLY WHERE IS ARE ALL THE SHOES I THINK THEY’RE UNDER EVERYTHING I DON’T KNOW HOW TO GET AT THEM *cries* we have hit maximum trashed house oh god so twitchy Late, sad upvote of recognition.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 12, 2018 21:01:10 GMT -5
Ugh we seem to have an ant problem and I don’t know where they’re coming in... little tiny ones. I swear I keep the kitchen clean. Time for ant traps and then a super cleaning I guess.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 15, 2018 20:15:50 GMT -5
Ugh we seem to have an ant problem and I don’t know where they’re coming in... little tiny ones. I swear I keep the kitchen clean. Time for ant traps and then a super cleaning I guess. Oh my god they’re everywhere. We just got traps today and they better work because I keep seeing more ants. Not just near the immediate food sources either, they’re in the living room too!
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Dr. Rumak
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Post by Dr. Rumak on Mar 16, 2018 7:07:28 GMT -5
Ugh we seem to have an ant problem and I don’t know where they’re coming in... little tiny ones. I swear I keep the kitchen clean. Time for ant traps and then a super cleaning I guess. Oh my god they’re everywhere. We just got traps today and they better work because I keep seeing more ants. Not just near the immediate food sources either, they’re in the living room too! We had that problem like 2 years ago, and I found a professional service that sprayed some pet safe stuff which attracted and killed the ants. We have not had a problem since.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 16, 2018 7:55:22 GMT -5
Oh my god they’re everywhere. We just got traps today and they better work because I keep seeing more ants. Not just near the immediate food sources either, they’re in the living room too! We had that problem like 2 years ago, and I found a professional service that sprayed some pet safe stuff which attracted and killed the ants. We have not had a problem since. Blergh. We'll try the traps and a good spraying after, but if that doesn't work, will definitely have to keep pros in mind. We have pet-safe bug spray, it smells strongly of peppermint oil, which isn't the worst smell in the world but it lingers so much... I feel like 12 hours and a shower later I still smell like it.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Mar 16, 2018 19:45:35 GMT -5
We had that problem like 2 years ago, and I found a professional service that sprayed some pet safe stuff which attracted and killed the ants. We have not had a problem since. Blergh. We'll try the traps and a good spraying after, but if that doesn't work, will definitely have to keep pros in mind. We have pet-safe bug spray, it smells strongly of peppermint oil, which isn't the worst smell in the world but it lingers so much... I feel like 12 hours and a shower later I still smell like it. I'm pretty sure diatomaceous earth is pet-safe and I can tell you it's been quite effective in my basement. Plus it's cheap and easy to find at a home/garden store. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth#Pest_control
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 16, 2018 19:53:00 GMT -5
Blergh. We'll try the traps and a good spraying after, but if that doesn't work, will definitely have to keep pros in mind. We have pet-safe bug spray, it smells strongly of peppermint oil, which isn't the worst smell in the world but it lingers so much... I feel like 12 hours and a shower later I still smell like it. I'm pretty sure diatomaceous earth is pet-safe and I can tell you it's been quite effective in my basement. Plus it's cheap and easy to find at a home/garden store. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth#Pest_controlThanks! Saw that was an option too. so far the traps, which use borax, seem to be working. And we figured out that the ants are coming out of, get this, our under-stair coat closet.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 17, 2018 20:22:15 GMT -5
The ant traps worked like a charm and I haven’t seen a live one in 24 hours after putting them out Thursday night. I almost wish I hadn’t opened all of them.
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moimoi
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Post by moimoi on Mar 27, 2018 18:41:07 GMT -5
Anybody have experience with amateur roofing?
The last big snowstorm reactivated two small leaks: one under the flashing of the front bay window and one made by an old hole drilled for a satellite dish in back. The latter was patched a few years ago, but it looks like a new patch is in order. Normally for something on the roof I'd just pay a pro, but what I've found with roofing is that the quotes are crazy high (like, $1000 without even getting on a ladder and looking). I think this is because they expect you to use your homeowners insurance for storm-related roof damage. I've never used my homeowner's insurance and I don't really want to for small sections of roof that are going to be replaced within five years anyway. So I'm thinking of getting on a ladder (my bungalow is 1.5 stories and neither leak is on the main roof) and just sealing/patching. What do you guys think?
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Post by nowimnothing on Mar 28, 2018 7:11:23 GMT -5
Anybody have experience with amateur roofing? The last big snowstorm reactivated two small leaks: one under the flashing of the front bay window and one made by an old hole drilled for a satellite dish in back. The latter was patched a few years ago, but it looks like a new patch is in order. Normally for something on the roof I'd just pay a pro, but what I've found with roofing is that the quotes are crazy high (like, $1000 without even getting on a ladder and looking). I think this is because they expect you to use your homeowners insurance for storm-related roof damage. I've never used my homeowner's insurance and I don't really want to for small sections of roof that are going to be replaced within five years anyway. So I'm thinking of getting on a ladder (my bungalow is 1.5 stories and neither leak is on the main roof) and just sealing/patching. What do you guys think? Sounds pretty doable, you might be better off replacing some of the flashing or shingles than just spreading some liquid patch all around, but in a pinch that should get you a few more years. You can even get some spray type patches that are a lot less messy than the cans, but they don't last too long. If you use liquid or spray patch, use more than you think you need and pay attention to how water should flow off the roof. Look for areas where water may collect or seep under the flashing, patch or shingle and try as much as possible to create a slope that eliminates or avoids that area.
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Mar 28, 2018 8:23:25 GMT -5
Anybody have experience with amateur roofing? The last big snowstorm reactivated two small leaks: one under the flashing of the front bay window and one made by an old hole drilled for a satellite dish in back. The latter was patched a few years ago, but it looks like a new patch is in order. Normally for something on the roof I'd just pay a pro, but what I've found with roofing is that the quotes are crazy high (like, $1000 without even getting on a ladder and looking). I think this is because they expect you to use your homeowners insurance for storm-related roof damage. I've never used my homeowner's insurance and I don't really want to for small sections of roof that are going to be replaced within five years anyway. So I'm thinking of getting on a ladder (my bungalow is 1.5 stories and neither leak is on the main roof) and just sealing/patching. What do you guys think? Sounds pretty doable, you might be better off replacing some of the flashing or shingles than just spreading some liquid patch all around, but in a pinch that should get you a few more years. You can even get some spray type patches that are a lot less messy than the cans, but they don't last too long. If you use liquid or spray patch, use more than you think you need and pay attention to how water should flow off the roof. Look for areas where water may collect or seep under the flashing, patch or shingle and try as much as possible to create a slope that eliminates or avoids that area. The liquid (ish - the thick stuff has the consistency of taffy and you put it on with a trowel) patch stuff works well. We had ice dam problems before we got our roof replaced, I keep a can around just in case. Because the stuff is so thick, it sticks proud of the surface - like nowimnothing said you want to minimize how much it traps or channels water, which can pretty much be done by going over your finished patch by smoothing it flat in the direction of the slope of the roof. It cleans up well with mineral spirits, but don't wear any clothing you wouldn't mind burning afterwards.
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Post by WKRP Jimmy Drop on Mar 29, 2018 18:55:01 GMT -5
My water bill has doubled over the past two cycles. On my bill, it shows my consumption up to 18 from 1, which is what it has been for literal years ( I don’t know what the numbers actually mean tho).
They did replace the plumbing in my house when all the other work was done, but I am one person,I have no dish washer I do about one load of laundry a week, the same actual tub-full baths, & the idea of me watering the lawn, even in summer, is to laugh haHA. I went & looked at the meter in the hole in the front yard, and it didn’t so much as twitch.
Now the toilet was running constantly, just a little bit, fairly quietly, & I turned it off when I realized because I have been too lazy to go put in a new ...um...thingie in the tank. The floaty thingie. I turn it on when I need it, off when I don’t.
So a) would that be enough to jack my bill up SO high? and if not b) any other ideas?
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Post by nowimnothing on Apr 1, 2018 4:22:01 GMT -5
My water bill has doubled over the past two cycles. On my bill, it shows my consumption up to 18 from 1, which is what it has been for literal years ( I don’t know what the numbers actually mean tho). They did replace the plumbing in my house when all the other work was done, but I am one person,I have no dish washer I do about one load of laundry a week, the same actual tub-full baths, & the idea of me watering the lawn, even in summer, is to laugh haHA. I went & looked at the meter in the hole in the front yard, and it didn’t so much as twitch. Now the toilet was running constantly, just a little bit, fairly quietly, & I turned it off when I realized because I have been too lazy to go put in a new ...um...thingie in the tank. The floaty thingie. I turn it on when I need it, off when I don’t. So a) would that be enough to jack my bill up SO high? and if not b) any other ideas? You could have a leak somewhere. Try to visually inspect all the pipes. The hidden ones such as going underground to the meter you would just have to check the area around to see if it is more moist than usual. You may contact the water department. They can give you tips and may even come out to check for you. They don't want wasted water any more than you do.
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Post by Floyd Dinnertime Barber on Apr 1, 2018 18:34:23 GMT -5
Anybody have experience with amateur roofing? The last big snowstorm reactivated two small leaks: one under the flashing of the front bay window and one made by an old hole drilled for a satellite dish in back. The latter was patched a few years ago, but it looks like a new patch is in order. Normally for something on the roof I'd just pay a pro, but what I've found with roofing is that the quotes are crazy high (like, $1000 without even getting on a ladder and looking). I think this is because they expect you to use your homeowners insurance for storm-related roof damage. I've never used my homeowner's insurance and I don't really want to for small sections of roof that are going to be replaced within five years anyway. So I'm thinking of getting on a ladder (my bungalow is 1.5 stories and neither leak is on the main roof) and just sealing/patching. What do you guys think? I'm assuming this is s shingle roof. Concerning the hole leftover from a satellite dish install, the first rule of an installer is to never, ever remove any piece of the mount that is directly screwed to a roof. Normally this would mean leaving the bottom plate, or foot, of the mount, and possibly the attachment plates for the support Honestly, the best thing is to remove only the reflector part of the dish, and leave the entire mount. But, sounds like the dish is already gone, so I would suggest locating any holes from the install, and either covering each with a small patch of sealer (It looks like a stretchy, tar-like little square), or squirting some sealer from a tube (there is a formulation for shingle roofs) into the hole, then screwing a lag bold the proper size back into the hole. I am not a roofer, but usually this will work as long as there is just the screw hole, and the roof hasn't had further damage from moisture. If the area around the hold feels softer than the rest of the roof, you should consult someone knowledgeable in roof repair.
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Post by Floyd Dinnertime Barber on Apr 1, 2018 18:38:19 GMT -5
My water bill has doubled over the past two cycles. On my bill, it shows my consumption up to 18 from 1, which is what it has been for literal years ( I don’t know what the numbers actually mean tho). They did replace the plumbing in my house when all the other work was done, but I am one person,I have no dish washer I do about one load of laundry a week, the same actual tub-full baths, & the idea of me watering the lawn, even in summer, is to laugh haHA. I went & looked at the meter in the hole in the front yard, and it didn’t so much as twitch. Now the toilet was running constantly, just a little bit, fairly quietly, & I turned it off when I realized because I have been too lazy to go put in a new ...um...thingie in the tank. The floaty thingie. I turn it on when I need it, off when I don’t. So a) would that be enough to jack my bill up SO high? and if not b) any other ideas? Can you see the actual water meter? We had a leak a few years ago, and we were able to confirm it by shutting everything off and watching the meter. When we saw it still moving, we knew there was a leak somewhere. We were lucky in that it turned out to be an easy fix.
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Post by WKRP Jimmy Drop on Apr 2, 2018 8:51:52 GMT -5
My water bill has doubled over the past two cycles. On my bill, it shows my consumption up to 18 from 1, which is what it has been for literal years ( I don’t know what the numbers actually mean tho). They did replace the plumbing in my house when all the other work was done, but I am one person,I have no dish washer I do about one load of laundry a week, the same actual tub-full baths, & the idea of me watering the lawn, even in summer, is to laugh haHA. I went & looked at the meter in the hole in the front yard, and it didn’t so much as twitch. Now the toilet was running constantly, just a little bit, fairly quietly, & I turned it off when I realized because I have been too lazy to go put in a new ...um...thingie in the tank. The floaty thingie. I turn it on when I need it, off when I don’t. So a) would that be enough to jack my bill up SO high? and if not b) any other ideas? Can you see the actual water meter? We had a leak a few years ago, and we were able to confirm it by shutting everything off and watching the meter. When we saw it still moving, we knew there was a leak somewhere. We were lucky in that it turned out to be an easy fix. Yeah, it's out in the front yard, and when everything is off, it doesn't move at all.
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Post by Floyd Dinnertime Barber on Apr 2, 2018 14:44:56 GMT -5
Can you see the actual water meter? We had a leak a few years ago, and we were able to confirm it by shutting everything off and watching the meter. When we saw it still moving, we knew there was a leak somewhere. We were lucky in that it turned out to be an easy fix. Yeah, it's out in the front yard, and when everything is off, it doesn't move at all. If the meter's not moving, it's a pretty safe bet you no longer have a leak. If you wanted to do an experiment, you could turn on the suspect toilet for a while and check to see how much the meter moves from that. That could give you an idea how much water it's letting go by. Have you been turning it off long enough now to see if that has helped your water usage to go back down? Replacing toilet guts usually isn't very complicated, especially when you have a shutoff nearby. On ours, you shut off and disconnect the water supply, and there is one plastic nut on the bottom of the tank to remove. The whole thing comes out and the new one goes in, and you replace the plastic nut and hook it back to the water. I was able to pick up a new "flushing mechanism" at Menards (home depot knockoff) for around $10-15. First thing I'd do is take the top off the tank and see if you can see why it's leaking. It might just be the flapper stuck or something. Sometimes I was able to just jiggle a thing, and it would work for a few weeks. Anyway, good luck, and happy flushing!
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