Home Improvement Thread

Postby **Trip McNeely** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 3:40 am

If your exterior plug isn’t a GFCI (an outlet with two buttons on it), order a GFCI extension cord like below. Any water intrusion will cause the power to switch off

Postby **skullman80** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 5:40 am

My kids really want me to buy big Christmas lit-up animals (they would love this: https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-mark ... d=pdp_cart though I believe local Sam's Club would have an option for just one of those crazy creatures).

I am *extremely* scared to set up anything that requires electric plug outdoors. However, I bet that some 5AF posters have experience with installing stuff like this.

Is there a reasonably safe way how to make the above happen? Thanks!!

We set up stuff all the time outdoors at Christmas time (halloween too) that use plugs. I got a bunch of extension cords going everywhere from those plugs. As long as your outdoor outlets are properly installed (gfci etc) and you use properly rated outdoor extension plugs I don't see why the worry.

I also have an outdoor wifi plug that plugs into my main electrical boxes so everything is set to timers and can also be controlled by my phone.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 6:18 am

With this:

And this (for extensions):

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 6:19 am

I can't find the exact one I have, but I also use a digital timer for all of my outdoor decorations, similar to this:

Postby **count2infinity** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:17 am

Speaking of christmas decorations... what do you guys do? Light outlines on the house? Colored spot lights? Inflatables? Lasers?

Postby **LITT** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:22 am

miter saw recommendations? currently borrowing a 7 1/4" kobalt slider. i like that it's light so i can set it up were needed but not super useful. i have 350 store credit for lowes so would spend more if needed. probably going to end up with a dewalt 10 or 12 but they are so big

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:30 am

Speaking of christmas decorations... what do you guys do? Light outlines on the house? Colored spot lights? Inflatables? Lasers?

95% inflatables. We have two inflatable Minions that we put on either side of an LED tree, a massive polar bear inflatable with penguins riding on top, and a huge Frosty inflatable. We also put an LED candle in each front window.

Postby **skullman80** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:30 am

Speaking of christmas decorations... what do you guys do? Light outlines on the house? Colored spot lights? Inflatables? Lasers?

Lights outside, inflatables, some other yard decorations. I plan to go clark griswold this year at the new house as people will actually see our decorations where as before..no one saw them cause we live on a dead end street.

We ran power and installed outlets out front this summer just for that reason ha.

Postby **dodint** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:31 am

Yup, new house for us too. Which means we don't have all of the nails up where we already hung things every year.

Postby **meow** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:36 am

miter saw recommendations? currently borrowing a 7 1/4" kobalt slider. i like that it's light so i can set it up were needed but not super useful. i have 350 store credit for lowes so would spend more if needed. probably going to end up with a dewalt 10 or 12 but they are so big

I have a Kobalt 10in 15amp slider that I love. It is a bit of a pain to move around because the fences are large and it is awkward to carry, but I would recommend it. It has never given me any problems.

I can’t seem to find it on their website, so I don’t know if they make them. This one is probably 4-5 years old

Postby **skullman80** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:36 am

I even found some gutter hooks that work with the gutter guards we have installed so my wife can finally have the icicile lights she has always wanted. The roof on our old house was way too pitched for me climb up, but the new house isn't as bad.

I actually plan on doing the lights on the house this weekend before it gets cold and just won't turn them on other than testing them, then do the rest of the yard decorations the day after Thanksgiving.

Postby **Beveridge** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:39 am

I put mine up in 70 degree weather on Saturday and decided to screw it and started the timer with them each night already.

I don't go all out. Run a strand of 58 foot lights across the gutters on the side. A row of icicle lights across the porch and some rope lights around the porch railings. Wanted to put something up the front arc of the house, but didn't have the lights for it.

Hoping this will be the last year at this house for decorating.

My dream is a light show to TSO music, but that might be a retirement project.

Postby **LITT** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:41 am

miter saw recommendations? currently borrowing a 7 1/4" kobalt slider. i like that it's light so i can set it up were needed but not super useful. i have 350 store credit for lowes so would spend more if needed. probably going to end up with a dewalt 10 or 12 but they are so big
I have a Kobalt 10in 15amp slider that I love. It is a bit of a pain to move around because the fences are large and it is awkward to carry, but I would recommend it. It has never given me any problems.

I can’t seem to find it on their website, so I don’t know if they make them. This one is probably 4-5 years old

like this?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-10-in-1 ... lsrc=aw.ds

Postby **meow** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:43 am

miter saw recommendations? currently borrowing a 7 1/4" kobalt slider. i like that it's light so i can set it up were needed but not super useful. i have 350 store credit for lowes so would spend more if needed. probably going to end up with a dewalt 10 or 12 but they are so big
I have a Kobalt 10in 15amp slider that I love. It is a bit of a pain to move around because the fences are large and it is awkward to carry, but I would recommend it. It has never given me any problems.

I can’t seem to find it on their website, so I don’t know if they make them. This one is probably 4-5 years old
like this?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-10-in-1 ... lsrc=aw.ds

Seems like it is the newer model. The fences are shorter and the miter locking mechanism is different. I like my version, but this may be an improvement.

Postby **count2infinity** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:56 am

Yup, new house for us too. Which means we don't have all of the nails up where we already hung things every year.

This was my other question... when hanging lights, how do you do it? Do the lights you hang have the braided wire that you just stick it on the nail?

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 9:00 am

I've used 3M clips for years, and while they work, they're unsightly and leave residue on the fascia when you pull them off. Gutter clips seem like a better idea, but only if your gutters are actually properly secured. I'd hate to have issues with them pulling away thanks to lights.

Postby **skullman80** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 9:05 am

I'm using these clips since we have gutter guards. I tested one out just to make sure it fit and it was secure and it seemed good. So we will see how things go this weekend.

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 9:08 am

Somebody in my SIL's neighborhood had a 20-25' inflatable Bumble, and I've been looking for over a year now and still cannot find it.

Postby **dodint** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 9:14 am

Yup, new house for us too. Which means we don't have all of the nails up where we already hung things every year.
This was my other question... when hanging lights, how do you do it? Do the lights you hang have the braided wire that you just stick it on the nail?

Yeah, braided. Hammer and nail. I should do the legwork and get something galvanized this time so I don't get little rust rings in the wood when I pull them out to sell the place.

We have some strings of regular lights, then my wife's snowflakes which are just regular white lights inlayed into plastic snowflakes.

Postby **Tomas** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 10:08 am

Thanks to everybody for the outlet recommendations! 5AF saved the Christmas!

Postby **NTP66** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 10:28 am

Thanks to everybody for the outlet recommendations! 5AF saved the Christmas!

No more election betting posts for 6 years.

Postby **tifosi77** » Tue Nov 10, 2020 4:42 pm

Anyone ever work with Jeld-Wen customer service? We have a double slider patio door and one of the latches is stuck in the 'lock' position, which means they are temporarily one door. No idea if it's the latch itself or the internal door mechanism that's borked.

So it turns out, JW CS is turds. They responded with, "Out of warranty, can't send a service tech," and then a paragraph of instructions for DIY fixes that clearly evidenced no attempt at actually reading the description of the problem. "Try jiggering the thing on the interior latch......." I. Can't. Open. The. Door. A-hole.

Postby **Willie Kool** » Wed Nov 11, 2020 11:52 pm

Technology has come a long way, and newer equipment can get the job done in less time using less water, gas/power, etc.
And electronics that will fail in a few years. No thanks - I'll keep repairing my 25 year old Whirlpool as long as I can.

So almost exactly one year later my washing machine is still going strong but my dryer motor crapped the bed. OEM Whirlpool motor not available for at least a month, so I ordered an aftermarket one on Amazon. Wiring has changed, so need to make wiring modifications. OK, that sucks but not a deal breaker. Luckily I spun the thing before I started anything because it appears that the shaft is bent. Sending it back and ordered a new machine. 26 years was a pretty damn good run.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Nov 12, 2020 6:47 am

Pretty damn good is an understatement.

Postby **mac5155** » Thu Nov 12, 2020 9:02 am

miter saw recommendations? currently borrowing a 7 1/4" kobalt slider. i like that it's light so i can set it up were needed but not super useful. i have 350 store credit for lowes so would spend more if needed. probably going to end up with a dewalt 10 or 12 but they are so big

I think that kobalt was on sale recently for under 150. I'm not a fan of Lowes, more invested in the ridgid line at HD but I don't think you can go wrong with it.