Home Improvement Thread

[mac5155]

Speaking of oven/range cleaning, my wife got a pumice stone and it made our gas range top look brand new.

[mac5155]

I have an AFCI breaker tripping from the recessed can light in my shower. Worked fine for many years. Hoping that the bulb is the culprit because I don't feel like ripping anything else apart

[robbiestoupe]

I have an AFCI breaker tripping from the recessed can light in my shower. Worked fine for many years. Hoping that the bulb is the culprit because I don't feel like ripping anything else apart

I know the industry is moving towards AFCI's being a must have in new builds, but I wonder if cases like yours are going to cause some backlash. If these things are super sensitive and trip when they shouldn't, I can see a lot of issues.

My first thought in reading your post is that you're getting condensation up there. Maybe the caulking has gone bad? Or is it just sealed with the gasket that comes with the can?

[mac5155]

Just the gasket that comes with the can. This circuit is sensitive and I've already had another AFCI go bad. I pulled the lightbulb and I still get the trip (I've read that sometimes a bulb is the cause). It's odd it's still tripping when the circuit is obviously not completed, which makes me think maybe it's the switch? I have it isolated to the one light and switch but haven't gotten any, further.

I may just switch back to a normal breaker if I can't figure it out. This breaker seems to need reset every time there is a blip in the power too, so it may be on its way out. I agree with you the AFCI are junk.

[robbiestoupe]

I'm wondering if the AFCIs detect shorts and open circuits? Even just a small lapse in that circuit could cause it to trip. I have no idea how the things work, but they were most likely designed to be cheap and "affordable" which means they're probably unreliable.

[mac5155]

I'm wondering if the AFCIs detect shorts and open circuits? Even just a small lapse in that circuit could cause it to trip. I have no idea how the things work, but they were most likely designed to be cheap and "affordable" which means they're probably unreliable.

Well, it's not the breaker. Swapped with a working one and it still tripped. There's obviously some moisture in the can, so I'm just chalking it up to that being my culprit with the hot shower and cold Temps outside. Now that said I have two options I guess, rip everything apart and try and seal/insulate a little better, or do what I did the last time this happened and just swap with a traditional non AFCI breaker...

[robbiestoupe]

I'm wondering if the AFCIs detect shorts and open circuits? Even just a small lapse in that circuit could cause it to trip. I have no idea how the things work, but they were most likely designed to be cheap and "affordable" which means they're probably unreliable.

Well, it's not the breaker. Swapped with a working one and it still tripped. There's obviously some moisture in the can, so I'm just chalking it up to that being my culprit with the hot shower and cold Temps outside. Now that said I have two options I guess, rip everything apart and try and seal/insulate a little better, or do what I did the last time this happened and just swap with a traditional non AFCI breaker...

I don't know what type of cans you have, but the ones I have I could see this happening. I'd look into updating/modifying your cans if you could. Some kind of caulking around the electrical enclosure or placing the electrical connection inside an IP rated box should help. Any IP rating above IPX1 should be OK as I don't think you'll be getting direct spray, just protecting against condensation. Make sure it has a small weep hole on the bottom in case condensation builds up inside and needs to escape.

I would advise against the non-AFCI/GFI route. There's a reason they are installed in bathrooms/kitchens.

[mac5155]

I have GFCI protection on the bathroom outlets, and they're on their own circuit. The bathroom lights are on the same circuit as the master bedroom. So I'd not be losing GFCI protection, just AFCI

[Dickie Dunn]

Any of you fine people have experience with whole home humidifiers? Models depending on house size, diy vs. professional installation, manufacturers, etc? The sudden (at least it seemed like it to me) move to **** WINTER has murdered all of our sinuses. Humidity level upstairs was below 30% last night, which is not helping anyone.

[NTP66]

Any of you fine people have experience with whole home humidifiers? Models depending on house size, diy vs. professional installation, manufacturers, etc? The sudden (at least it seemed like it to me) move to **** WINTER has murdered all of our sinuses. Humidity level upstairs was below 30% last night, which is not helping anyone.

I installed an Aprilaire 600 last summer, and thought it did a nice job. My hands were cracked less than previous winters, which was my only real goal. Mine's connected to my ecobee, and I have it set at 50% (highest settings). No moisture issues on our windows, so I know I'm safe. Here's a screenshot of the latest data from beestat:



As for the installation, I think if you're comfortable with DIY, you can install this unit. You definitely need tin snips, and must be comfortable with plumbing. My BIL (HVAC guy) told me to avoid steam units, as he sees the most issues with them. Aprilaire has been the defacto gold standard forever, so it was a no brainer to me.

Got the humidifier installed last night. I have a new found respect for anyone using tin snips on a daily basis - my forearm was on fire after cutting out the box in the plenum. I was 99% of the way done, and went to complete the water connection at my manabloc only to find that I don't actually have any available 1/2" ports on the hot side. So I had to order 3/8" parts, and will have to go from 3/8 up to 1/2", and finally down to the 1/4" OD connection for the polyethylene tubing. So stupid that nobody makes that adapter.

Anyway, here are some pics.

As for the plumbing, I had to use a number of adapters for my pex system:

[robbiestoupe]

We have an Aprilaire as well, but questionable as to whether it does anything. We had our furnace serviced last week, and the guy said that somebody didn't have the correct lead wire connected to the humidifier, so it wasn't doing anything. Not sure if this is something the last guy did last year, or if it's been this way for the 7 years we've been here.

[NTP66]

Should be simple to check, honestly - check the drain tube for water. When running, that'll be flowing the entire time.

[Dickie Dunn]

Nice. That was the post I had vague memories of. That's the unit I was looking at. We're at roughly 3,300 sqft so it should be more than large enough. Are you duel zone or single zone? Just wondering how running it through the thermostat works if I'm dealing with two thermostats. Maybe just have the humidity level monitored upstairs where we sleep with the assumption that the impact will be felt all over the house.

My uncle is a retired HVAVC guy so I'll probably ask him for help.

[NTP66]

Nice. That was the post I had vague memories of. That's the unit I was looking at. We're at roughly 3,300 sqft so it should be more than large enough. Are you duel zone or single zone? Just wondering how running it through the thermostat works if I'm dealing with two thermostats. Maybe just have the humidity level monitored upstairs where we sleep with the assumption that the impact will be felt all over the house.

My uncle is a retired HVAVC guy so I'll probably ask him for help.

Single zone, so it may be different for you. No idea how it would work running through multiple thermostats, and I doubt it'd be advisable to split the connection between the two. Your idea is what I'd go with, too - use the upstairs thermostat. I didn't install my Aprilaire humidistat, instead relying on the ecobee, but it's definitely a more accurate option if letting the thermostat handles things isn't working out. The biggest PITA would be running the probe to the exterior, unless you're lucky enough like me to have an area around the copper lines running to the condenser where you could snake it through.

[Dickie Dunn]

You should track down whoever built your house and given them a hug because your furnace setup is a hell of a lot more accessible than the disaster I just compared it to. Definitely gonna need some kind of help with this as all four sides of my duct stack are either blocked or have something coming out of them so **** needs to be reworked. Comes out the top of the furnace and goes three directions. Left and center is Zone 1, so main floor and basement. Right is the big stack for Zone 2 which goes up into the attic and covers upstairs with ceiling vents. I would want it on that Zone 2 stack but about a foot into it is the damper to direct flow based on which thermostat is calling for air, so I either need to move the damper or add to the ductwork so the humidifier can fit. Gonna need some kind of professional opinion.

[CBear3]

Huh, hot water line for the humidifier. Pretty sure mine have always been on the cold side.

[NTP66]

Hot water evaporates faster, and should always be the preferred method if possible.

[scb147]

My BIL (HVAC guy) told me to avoid steam units, as he sees the most issues with them.

I have a spray humidifier (not sure if that is the same as a steam), but I had it installed because those Aprilaire units were too large to fit in the tiny space my HVAC area has (#townhouselife). It works well after I bypassed the thermal switch on the humidifier, which was preventing it from ever turning on due to my furnace being a high efficiency model.

[meow]

“Your appointment window is between 8am and 5pm. Your DRYER repairman is estimated to arrive between 5:45pm and 7:45pm”

What the actual ****

[NTP66]

[willeyeam]

Sometime today if they feel like it in other words

[tifosi77]

So the various home improvements here in the home improvement thread............... how have you all paid for them? Out-of-pocket? Financing? If the latter, what type?

We are starting the process of planning for 2023 expenses, and they will include renovating both of our bathrooms. (Like full bore down-to-the-studs in both spaces) (We're also favoring including buildouts of all three bedroom/office closet spaces at the same time, but that's a detail question.) We're debating whether to just pay for stuff that we can, or finance some or all of the costs with a home equity loan. (Of which we have a healthy amount to tap into)

[meow]

Big ticket needed upgrades (HVAC) with 0% 24 month financing through various different loan agents

Small ticket items (hot water tank) is purchased out of pocket

Full renovation projects are HELIC

I’ll pay up to $5k out of pocket before looking for financing options

[DigitalGypsy66]

Yes

New roof was paid by insurance, but otherwise spot on for us as well. We've owned two new homes, so we haven't had to do any big remodels though. And likely won't for a long time...

[robbiestoupe]

$5-15k is usually same as cash cc. Less than that cash. Haven’t gone over 15k yet but probably would go HELOC