Home Improvement Thread

[mac5155]

That's what we have. I think I'm just going to go grab about 10 more of them.

[Kane]

@NTP66, you still have the website for christmas lights? Ours have gotten pretty dim, time to buy some new stuff.

At least, I think it was you who posted about it once.

[NTP66]

NTP66, you still have the website for christmas lights? Ours have gotten pretty dim, time to buy some new stuff.

At least, I think it was you who posted about it once.

Yep - https://www.christmasdesigners.com. Can't recommend them enough, these lights are super bright and high quality. The ones I bought are all the 5mm wide angle conical LEDs, but they have a massive selection.

[Kane]

NTP66, you still have the website for christmas lights? Ours have gotten pretty dim, time to buy some new stuff.

At least, I think it was you who posted about it once.

Yep - https://www.christmasdesigners.com. Can't recommend them enough, these lights are super bright and high quality. The ones I bought are all the 5mm wide angle conical LEDs, but they have a massive selection.

Excellent, thanks!

[NTP66]

I'm thinking that promising my daughter that we'd paint her bedroom over the Thanksgiving holiday (Fri-Sun) was a bad idea. I really won't be able to relax at all.

[NTP66]

Decided to replace the faucet in our powder room downstairs last night. All was going well until I tried installing the new drain - it was a solid 2" too short somehow. Off to HD for a new P-trap and an extension. Cut the extension to the size I need, go to install it, and that's when I notice - and subsequently remember - that plastic traps and metal traps are not the same lengths. The plastic trap is too long by almost an inch. Whoever decided to use different standards for metal and plastic can get smacked in the face by a monkey.

Ended up putting the old drain back in, but not before I went to Lowe's to buy a basic wrench, which didn't work, and then pulling the bolts off the vanity top to move the pedestal out of the way to enable me to tighten the nut. Got it all done last night, and am taking a vacation from plumbing for at least a year.

[willeyeam]

If a utility comes and digs up your whole front yard, I know you have to let them. But are they supposed to give you a heads up?

[NTP66]

If a utility comes and digs up your whole front yard, I know you have to let them. But are they supposed to give you a heads up?

Can't answer this, but when you say yard, do you mean your actual yard, or the patch of grass between the curb and street (assuming you have one)? They are only legally allowed to disturb the easement, which varies.

[willeyeam]

no curb, I assume it's in the easement though I don't have a survey. Just figured even if it's in the easement, they should let you know. Maybe not. Shrug

[NTP66]

My guess is that they don't have to notify you. I've had Comcast try and come onto my property to trench before (not my easement, my actual property), so it wouldn't surprise me that they don't want to deal with people by giving them a heads up.

[robbiestoupe]

and am taking a vacation from plumbing for at least a year.

Said everybody after tackling a plumbing project

[NTP66]

and am taking a vacation from plumbing for at least a year.

Said everybody after tackling a plumbing project

My wife bought faucets for our master, so guess who will hate life tomorrow

[robbiestoupe]

Your wife?

[NTP66]

lol, she saw the new ones I picked out for our daughter’s bedroom and the downstairs bath and liked them. “Might as well get it over with”.

She’s not wrong, but I ache everywhere because of the contorting you need to do to access everything. At least the vanity in our master bathroom has much more room to work.

[DigitalGypsy66]

... I ache everywhere because of the contorting you need to do to access everything.

Brother, you ain't lying. Over the weekend, my wife complained about the dryer not drying. So that means cleaning the dryer ducts out, which hasn't happened since we moved in here 2+ years ago. This house, compared to our old house) has a very short run to the outside wall. But it has a weird 2 foot run up to the external vent (why not a straight run? Animals?)

So I bought this brush gadget for my cordless drill, but I have to pull the dryer off the wall which requires moving all of the baskets and drying racks my wife has in the laundry room first. Then I have to contort myself behind the dryer to disconnect the dryer duct from both ends. Then the cleaning takes no more than 5 minutes, inside and outside the house. But reattaching the dryer duct took 30 minutes because I had to blindly tighten (on a flathead screw, so it kept slipping) only to have the other end slip off because the duct has just enough slack. Turns out the duct was torn at the top of where it attaches to the wall, so I had to trim that piece off.

So about 50 minutes of prep work/clean up for 5 minutes of cleaning and duct trimming, and I am sore as hell two days later.

I probably need rigid ducts for the dryer, but that seems like an enormous pain in the ass.

[NTP66]

... I ache everywhere because of the contorting you need to do to access everything.

Brother, you ain't lying. Over the weekend, my wife complained about the dryer not drying. So that means cleaning the dryer ducts out, which hasn't happened since we moved in here 2+ years ago. This house, compared to our old house) has a very short run to the outside wall. But it has a weird 2 foot run up to the external vent (why not a straight run? Animals?)

So I bought this brush gadget for my cordless drill, but I have to pull the dryer off the wall which requires moving all of the baskets and drying racks my wife has in the laundry room first. Then I have to contort myself behind the dryer to disconnect the dryer duct from both ends. Then the cleaning takes no more than 5 minutes, inside and outside the house. But reattaching the dryer duct took 30 minutes because I had to blindly tighten (on a flathead screw, so it kept slipping) only to have the other end slip off because the duct has just enough slack. Turns out the duct was torn at the top of where it attaches to the wall, so I had to trim that piece off.

So about 50 minutes of prep work/clean up for 5 minutes of cleaning and duct trimming, and I am sore as hell two days later.

I probably need rigid ducts for the dryer, but that seems like an enormous pain in the ass.

That's brutal. We're lucky in that they used a straight, solid 6" duct from the upstairs laundry to the front of the house, so there's really only two 90's inside (all straight ductwork). I actually turn on the dryer from my phone while I'm outside, and then run the brush gadget on my drill from the outside. Easy peasy.

I went to HD today to get the rest of the parts for these two faucets. Four shut off valves (plumber must have run out when installing these, as every other water line has them) and four braided ss lines, $75. Crazy, but I want the convenience. I love my pex manifold, but having to run to the basement to shut off a line is dumb.

[NTP66]

Master bathroom faucets are done. It really is so much better having space to work in, as this was much easier on my back and neck.

That said, my New Year resolution is no more plumbing projects for the next year, minimum. If something leaks in this house, I'll buy a boat.

[NTP66]

In other news, for anyone who ever needs to do drywall repair, this stuff is God tier. I will never use anything else.

[NTP66]

Orbital sander isn’t knocking down the painted mural in my daughter’s room enough, so I had to skim coat on top of the coral, fish, etc. Just need to go over it all once dried with some 220 and I think we’ll be ready for primer and paint next weekend.

[count2infinity]

Gonna buy a dehumidifier for our basement. Pretty humid down there throughout the year. There’s a drain in the adjoining room that I’m planning to run a hose to. Any suggestions on brand?

[NTP66]

Spackling and sanding is done. I don't know how people do that for a living, because it's truly awful. Primer next Saturday, and then, finally, paint on Sunday.

[mac5155]

Gonna buy a dehumidifier for our basement. Pretty humid down there throughout the year. There’s a drain in the adjoining room that I’m planning to run a hose to. Any suggestions on brand?

I think we have a Haier. They all work pretty decently though

[Nuge]

Gonna buy a dehumidifier for our basement. Pretty humid down there throughout the year. There’s a drain in the adjoining room that I’m planning to run a hose to. Any suggestions on brand?

I have two Hisense dehumidifiers in my basement. No complaints. They seem to work pretty well.

[Willie Kool]

Oh honey, he's teasing you. Nobody has two dehumidifiers.

[Willie Kool]

I have a 10 year old GE that's been great. Basement shower with no exhaust fan and it still keeps it below 50% down there.

https://www.geappliances.com/appliance/ ... r-ADEL70LR