Home Improvement Thread

NTP66
Posts: 60742
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Home Improvement Thread

Postby NTP66 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 9:57 am

While on the topic, I did replace the factory metal rollers with nylon ones. Huge improvement in noise, and worth every penny.


meow
Posts: 30451
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2015 8:53 am
Location: I have four degrees and am a moron. Don’t let that fool you

Home Improvement Thread

Postby meow » Tue Jul 19, 2022 9:58 am

I basically spray some WD40 on the tracks periodically and use my spider brush on it in the fall and spring. The garage door is definitely on my list of “non-maintenance, it works til it don’t” list

DigitalGypsy66
Posts: 19681
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:33 pm
Location: Iodine State

Home Improvement Thread

Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:36 am

The garage door installer recommended WD-40 white lithium grease for the rails and wheels. Seemed to quiet our old door down a bit.

NTP66
Posts: 60742
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Home Improvement Thread

Postby NTP66 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:40 am

Nylon rollers require nothing...

meow
Posts: 30451
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2015 8:53 am
Location: I have four degrees and am a moron. Don’t let that fool you

Home Improvement Thread

Postby meow » Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:44 am

I could spray the rollers 1,000 times in the time it would take to replace the rollers with the nylon ones. It’s not worth the time

NTP66
Posts: 60742
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Home Improvement Thread

Postby NTP66 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:46 am

Maintenance free, considerably quieter... worth the time, ya dunce.

meow
Posts: 30451
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2015 8:53 am
Location: I have four degrees and am a moron. Don’t let that fool you

Home Improvement Thread

Postby meow » Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:50 am

You’re right. I lay awake at night contemplating how to make my garage door quieter

NTP66
Posts: 60742
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Home Improvement Thread

Postby NTP66 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:58 am


shafnutz05
Posts: 50381
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 7:27 pm
Location: A moron or a fascist...but not both.

Home Improvement Thread

Postby shafnutz05 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 12:17 pm

There is specific lubricant spray for garage doors that I buy at Home Depot, it does a great job and keeps it running quietly for another month or two.

Nuge
Posts: 1233
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:56 pm

Home Improvement Thread

Postby Nuge » Tue Jul 19, 2022 12:21 pm

Anyone have a belt instead of a chain? I replaced ours with a belt because we have a bedroom right above our garage. It's way quieter.

robbiestoupe
Posts: 11556
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2015 3:27 pm

Home Improvement Thread

Postby robbiestoupe » Tue Jul 19, 2022 12:32 pm

Anyone have a belt instead of a chain? I replaced ours with a belt because we have a bedroom right above our garage. It's way quieter.
yes, huge difference

tifosi77
Posts: 51514
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 1:07 pm
Location: Batuu

Home Improvement Thread

Postby tifosi77 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 12:44 pm

Our Google Maps view is an empty lot currently. They did get the street in there a week before we moved. :lol:
The apartment building we lived in when we first moved to SF was like that. We were given the list of properties to consult, and based on location we sort of settled on this one place. I hopped on Google Maps/Street View to check out the surrounding blocks, and the building didn't exist yet. The address was just a big dirt hole.

This is what narrative storytellers refer to as 'foreshadowing'.

DigitalGypsy66
Posts: 19681
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:33 pm
Location: Iodine State

Home Improvement Thread

Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 12:46 pm

Anyone have a belt instead of a chain? I replaced ours with a belt because we have a bedroom right above our garage. It's way quieter.
yes, huge difference
Yes, we replaced our original one with a belt driven model because of a bedroom above the garage. Almost silent, and then with the white lithium, even more so (hinges and wheel bearings).

NTP66
Posts: 60742
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Home Improvement Thread

Postby NTP66 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 12:46 pm

Anyone have a belt instead of a chain? I replaced ours with a belt because we have a bedroom right above our garage. It's way quieter.
yes, huge difference
This has been on my to-do list for a while.

Shyster
Posts: 13099
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:08 pm
Location: Nullius in verba

Home Improvement Thread

Postby Shyster » Tue Jul 19, 2022 2:52 pm

What maintenance should be done on garage doors/openers/springs? Because I don't do it.
The chain-drive door openers made by Chamberlain (brands include LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Sears, and Craftsman) have plastic gears inside that must be lubricated with grease or they'll shred themselves into fine plastic confetti. This video shows what the plastic gears look like:



Replacement gear sets are like 20 bucks, but I know from experience that it's a PITA to change them out because you have to disassemble quite a lot of the opener to do so.

NTP66
Posts: 60742
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Home Improvement Thread

Postby NTP66 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 2:57 pm

...and if you need 100% silicone for damn near any application, SIL-Glyde or get ****.


King Colby
Posts: 17853
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:35 pm

Home Improvement Thread

Postby King Colby » Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:29 pm

Help.

Highest my electric bill has ever been is $250. Last month it was like $400 but I had been hearing electric prices were going up (looks like 45% for my provider).

This month it was $608 but I was out of town for 10 days and without AC for a week. How can this be?

Shyster
Posts: 13099
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 6:08 pm
Location: Nullius in verba

Home Improvement Thread

Postby Shyster » Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:34 pm

Do you have outdoor outlets? Do any of your neighbors own really long extension cords?

mac5155
Posts: 13841
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 12:47 pm

Home Improvement Thread

Postby mac5155 » Tue Jul 19, 2022 11:30 pm

Compare monthly KWH usage, see if there was a huge jump.. Presumably this was not an estimated bill. Do they even still do those?

NTP66
Posts: 60742
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Home Improvement Thread

Postby NTP66 » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:29 am

I couldn't even imagine what would need to be running to generate a bill like that. Even if you tripled my electric rate, there's no chance I could hit that. I'd have them check the meter, too.

DigitalGypsy66
Posts: 19681
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:33 pm
Location: Iodine State

Home Improvement Thread

Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Wed Jul 20, 2022 8:36 am

We are in a new house with new utilities and we are anxious to see what our new electric and water bills are going to be. We're on sewer for the first time in 15 years (we had septic in our previous home), so really cheap water bills especially with the irrigation well. That will likely double, at least. And we haven't had to water our lawn yet. Electric bill...no idea. Hopefully, with the new (and smaller) water heater, single HVAC, and new insulation the bill is similar to what we've been paying.

NTP66
Posts: 60742
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Home Improvement Thread

Postby NTP66 » Wed Jul 20, 2022 8:44 am

Better insulation, newer appliances, etc. all add up. Here's our last 12 months. June is an outlier, since we spend 2 weeks on vacation, and had the AC set to 78 (normally set between 70-72 all day long). I have a **** of electronics, nearly all always powered on. Gas cooking/dryer, though.

Distribution charges $0.07530/kWh
Generation charges $0.06571/kWh

Image

DigitalGypsy66
Posts: 19681
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:33 pm
Location: Iodine State

Home Improvement Thread

Postby DigitalGypsy66 » Wed Jul 20, 2022 8:51 am

I can't wait for the kids and wife to go back to work/school in a few weeks so I can set the A/C to 81 during the day. :lol:

Speaking of the fridge, we got a Samsung French door, bottom drawer freezer model. It's great, looks nice, etc. The ice maker has twice dumped ice while the drawer was open, dropping ice behind the drawer. It happened to me this morning, which in a quiet house with 3 of the 4 occupants still asleep, it sounded like someone dropped boulders on the roof. :lol: You'd think they would have a catch enabled so when the drawer is pulled out, the ice doesn't drop, like what happens with a coffee maker with the carafe removed while brewing. It's not overflowing with ice, which is a problem with other models, just drops the ice at the same time we have the drawer open. Uncanny timing tbh.

NTP66
Posts: 60742
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: FUCΚ! Even in the future nothing works.

Home Improvement Thread

Postby NTP66 » Wed Jul 20, 2022 8:53 am

Samsung french door... reminds me of our one neighbor who got the really expensive one with a screen built into it. And doesn't use the screen.

skullman80
Posts: 19205
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 5:02 pm
Location: Monroeville, PA

Home Improvement Thread

Postby skullman80 » Wed Jul 20, 2022 9:08 am

Our bills are similar to what NTP has above. We have the A/C set to 70 all day long/night. Never even change it. Jun-Sept are heavier due to A/C but nothing crazy. Normally top out like 170ish in those months at the very high end. During the winter out electric bill can be under $100 sometimes.

Really though the change in gas bill evens things out. In the summer our gas bill is maybe $20-30 while the electric bill is higher. In the winter our electric is lower, but the gas jumps up to like 60-70 from furnace use. It tends to even itself out.

Our house isn't huge (just under 2000 sqft). We do have newer windows, and decent insulation.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 105 guests