Home Improvement Thread

shafnutz05
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Postby shafnutz05 » Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:29 pm

Date with the plumber on Tuesday, going away for the weekend so fully expect house to be underwater when we return.
Shut the water off at the main.

Beveridge
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Postby Beveridge » Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:59 pm

And don't tell the kids before you leave.

NTP66
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Postby NTP66 » Thu Sep 23, 2021 7:07 pm

This is really only for our downstairs, mainly the hardwood, though the model I just bought (Roborock E4) does well on carpet, too. Seems like all of them are compatible with Alexa now. I think we’ll probably just set a schedule and keep to it, but we’ll see.
A week after buying this model, I saw a newer model that was consistently called their best bang for your buck robot vac (S5 Max) on sale, so I picked it up. Superior in every way, namely thanks to its use of LiDAR for navigation and mapping. Sent back the E4 last week.

The mapping feature is easily the best feature:

Image

Shyster
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Postby Shyster » Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:16 pm

A full day of installation and around $9,000 later, and I have a brand-new Trane furnace and air conditioner. Now I don't have to worry about whether my creaky 20+ year old HVAC system will last another year.
Last edited by Shyster on Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

dodint
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Postby dodint » Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:17 pm

Sweet. Open the windows and crank it. Break that puppy in.

DigitalGypsy66
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Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:50 pm

Enjoy the lower energy bills, too.

mac5155
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Postby mac5155 » Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:59 pm

My mother in law asked me to do vinyl plank flooring in her kitchen. I was gonna use lifeproof but figured I'd check if there are any other recommendations? I'm thinking the thinner the better (it's about 8mm thickness) for trim purposes but also expecting to redo all of it also.

Nuge
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Postby Nuge » Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:15 pm

I 100% recommend lifeproof. I put it down on our whole first floor and basement and it’s held up well.

mac5155
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Postby mac5155 » Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:24 pm

Yeah, and it's something like 144 square feet. So getting a $4 sf isn't going to break the bank either. Plus it's easy to work with.

robbiestoupe
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Postby robbiestoupe » Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:19 pm

Thinner is not better. Check the wear layer thickness. You want at least 8 mil, probably more like 12 mil. I did a little research on this last week and while not top quality, Lifeproof is fine as long as you pay attention to the wear layer thickness.

I have a bunch of HD samples sitting around and plan to do some destructive testing. Hammers, box knives, cat claws, soak them in water, etc

NTP66
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Postby NTP66 » Thu Sep 30, 2021 6:46 am

Source of the post I have a bunch of HD samples sitting around and plan to do some destructive testing. Hammers, box knives, cat claws, soak them in water, etc
Perfect content for a YouTube video.

DigitalGypsy66
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Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:29 am

Will it blend? :lol:

NTP66
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Postby NTP66 » Fri Oct 01, 2021 1:27 pm

Moving this conversation...
We have an Aprilare unit ...it was installed when the furnace was back in like 07. I'd have to check the model, but it seems to do the job from what I can tell as far as humidity in the house.
It's an Aprilaire but can't say which model. It came with the house when we bought it 6 years ago. Pretty sure it's manual, as there are no wires going into it.
I've read both sides of this coin - a) ecobee controlling it is outstanding, don't need to do anything else, and b) Aprilaire's humidistat is virtually set it and forget it.

I'd have to read up on it a bit more, but I wonder if I could/should run it on both the heat mode and fan mode. My ecobee circulates air in the system every 15-20 minutes for a short time.

NTP66
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Postby NTP66 » Fri Oct 01, 2021 1:48 pm

Just checked and I have a spare wire in my thermostat cable, so I can use that for the humidifier, saving me the trouble of running a new line. Score.

skullman80
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Postby skullman80 » Fri Oct 01, 2021 1:51 pm

Moving this conversation...
We have an Aprilare unit ...it was installed when the furnace was back in like 07. I'd have to check the model, but it seems to do the job from what I can tell as far as humidity in the house.
It's an Aprilaire but can't say which model. It came with the house when we bought it 6 years ago. Pretty sure it's manual, as there are no wires going into it.
I've read both sides of this coin - a) ecobee controlling it is outstanding, don't need to do anything else, and b) Aprilaire's humidistat is virtually set it and forget it.

I'd have to read up on it a bit more, but I wonder if I could/should run it on both the heat mode and fan mode. My ecobee circulates air in the system every 15-20 minutes for a short time.
I can't say I've ever messed with it on the thermostat. There is a dial on the furnace itself. During winter I set it at 35%, during summer it's at 0.... basically go off what my furnace/AC guy tells me. Set it and forget it. There is a filter I swap out for it once maybe twice a year.

I just went and looked and its a model 550 on the actual separate unit part where the drip hose is, and a model 2200 on the part that sits where the actual furnace filter goes by the intake of the furnace (I think that is just an air purifier though). Probably not a good description, but yeah haha.

robbiestoupe
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Postby robbiestoupe » Fri Oct 01, 2021 1:54 pm

Before I poo poo the Aprilaire unit completely, I will say that I haven't paid much attention to whether the system was working properly or not. It's definitely a manual unit, so I'll flip the dial in the summer and again in the winter. There's water getting in, as there is mineral deposit buildup on the evaporator unit.

All I can say is that my hands get seriously chapped in the winter. Perhaps the humidifier is working, but it's doing nothing to help my dry hands.

nocera
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Postby nocera » Fri Oct 01, 2021 1:57 pm

Will it blend? :lol:
Don't breathe this!

NTP66
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Postby NTP66 » Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:05 pm

I think for under $300 for everything, it's worth a shot. I'm still back and forth on what I want controlling it. It'd be nice to use the ecobee, but I'm reading problems from other users who say it's biggest issue is that it uses local weather data and not an actual temperature sensor. The unit does come with an outdoor sensor that I I think can snake into the house next to an existing wire, so I could still have it set to auto on the Aprilaire humidistat.

eddy
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Postby eddy » Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:09 pm

We got one when we put in the new furnace/AC. It does seem to help a little, but the main problem is I feel like I'm at work more than home so I dont know what's what. We have hard water so that pin size hole into the water pipe clogs up frequently

NTP66
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Postby NTP66 » Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:21 pm

Ah, you're using one of those vampire clamps. I'm going to be connecting the 1/4" line directly to my pex water manifold.

robbiestoupe
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Postby robbiestoupe » Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:34 pm

Ah, you're using one of those vampire clamps. I'm going to be connecting the 1/4" line directly to my pex water manifold.
It's a barbed fitting, IIRC. And if there is a clamp, it's over the plastic male fitting on the filter. Mine gunks up too

eddy
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Postby eddy » Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:34 pm

No idea what you just said

skullman80
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Postby skullman80 » Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:47 pm

Our has some kind of clamp its attached to a pipe near the hot water tank and runs around the furnace to the actual unit on the other side and then I have it draining out into the laundry tub.

NTP66
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Postby NTP66 » Fri Oct 01, 2021 3:28 pm

The technical term is saddle valve, FWIW. This (don’t use them if you can avoid it):

Image

meow
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Postby meow » Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:02 pm

Put your D in it

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