Home Improvement

McCheese · Jan 4, 2022

HVAC died this morning, meaning no heat. Earliest repair appointment we could get was tomorrow afternoon. Temps are going to drop down to low 20s or high teens tonight. We have a baby so we are going to spend the night with friends.

My question: to avoid pipes freezing, is it better to drop all the faucets in the house all night, or shut off the main water and drain the faucets before we leave?

Hateyou · Jan 4, 2022

McCheese said:
HVAC died this morning, meaning no heat. Earliest repair appointment we could get was tomorrow afternoon. Temps are going to drop down to low 20s or high teens tonight. We have a baby so we are going to spend the night with friends.

My question: to avoid pipes freezing, is it better to drop all the faucets in the house all night, or shut off the main water and drain the faucets before we leave?

I’d just have them dripping. Open up your cabinets containing pipes to help with ambient air keeping them warmer too. One night in the 20s your house interior shouldn’t get into freezing temps unless you have really bad insulation and heat loss. You could also run some small heaters nearby any pipes that are on outside walls. Anything that is further interior you shouldn’t have any problems with.

BrutulTM · Jan 4, 2022

McCheese said:
HVAC died this morning, meaning no heat. Earliest repair appointment we could get was tomorrow afternoon. Temps are going to drop down to low 20s or high teens tonight. We have a baby so we are going to spend the night with friends.

My question: to avoid pipes freezing, is it better to drop all the faucets in the house all night, or shut off the main water and drain the faucets before we leave?

Your pipes aren't going to freeze in one day at those temperatures. You could leave the faucets dripping if you want but you aren't going to have a problem if you have any insulation at all in your house.

LachiusTZ · Jan 4, 2022

Looks like I'm going to have our water line dug up.

Water pressure went to complete shit, checked the line in and water is nasty as hell (have a whole house filter, can't tell anything at the faucet).

Fuck

Lanx · Jan 4, 2022

whoo said:
Do you cover everything in the room and wrap all fixtures and mask off the windows? I'm seriously curious if that's doable and saves you time.

I can't imagine spraying a 10x10 bedroom and a fine mist of paint dots *not* settling on everything. IANAPainter, thoug, hso YMMV

my first time i did, then when i got more confident and went to other rooms i just used a spray shield

i'm not saying you can or should be this fast, but a nice aluminum (you can of course use cardboard, but it's floppy and you don't get nice clean lines) shield, you could be done with a room in no time and use a nice brush to cut in to more precise areas (which is really just the moulding cuz you'll tape off the outlets anyway, it's easier to remove the cover and tape it up)

Lanx · Jan 5, 2022

Lanx said:
dryer no heat, either fuse or heating element is blown, no time to check, just bought both will replace when return.

idk why this would have happened, theres no lint in the trap, i vacuum it out and theres no lint on the exhaust, i saw a nice video on repair and most likely there is a bunch of lint inside (didn't buy dryer came w/ the house)

heat element came in

followed this exact guide took 1hr (honestly i spent more time vacuuming up all the fucking lint inside the machine, my dyson was empty when i started and it's near full), can't complain about this almost new free dryer tho, now clothes coming out super hot, either from new element or a cleaning and even removing the drum wasn't bad, just kinda hairy trying to get it back to re align

Thaloc · Jan 5, 2022

How do I know I want an arrestor?

When my washing machine switches off, it makes a loud noise in the pipes(this is prior to the water softener installation)

Thats water hammer, you'll want to have one of the above arrestors or an expansion tank installed. If you already have an expansion tank it's probably water logged and needs replaced.

Foler · Jan 5, 2022

Maybe a dumb question but here it goes. I’m looking at landscaping around my ole cabin I own. Not sure what the plan is for it yet. Obviously would need sprinklers and Id like French drains as well..

Ideally I guess you would have all this done by one person? I’d like to out in sprinklers and French drains first but is that a bad idea if you have nfc where/what your landscaping will be?

Hateyou · Jan 5, 2022

Usually the landscapers do the drains too. When we had a concrete pad put it the drains were part of the landscaping conversation.

The sprinkler system companies around here pretty much just specialize in that though. That’s probably a separate conversation with a different company after the landscaping is all in.

lurker · Jan 5, 2022

Deathwing said:
Got my water softener replaced recently. What was originally copper is now partially PEX. I think the previous install depended upon the rigidity of the copper. When the valve opens and water flows out of the softener(into the house), that pipe gets a bit wobbly for a few seconds. What would be the best way to secure an insulated pipe for all(or I guess vertical) directions of motion?

Please ignore the water damage on the ceiling tile, it's looked like that since we moved in and hasn't changed. It's the pipe on the right and the horizontal part is about 6 inches away from the joist.

This might be the easiest way to install a hammer arrestor.

LINK to Lowes

It will just screw on between your bib and hose.

BrutulTM · Jan 5, 2022

Deathwing said:
Not sure I have the tools or knowledge for installing that. I'll admit I get anxious in this area because I know I don't know enough. Like until an hour ago, the concept of a water arrestor was completely foreign to me.

If you use the shark bite version don't be scared of installing it yourself. The only tool you will need is a tubing cutter. You could use a hacksaw or a sawsall but it's worth picking up a cutter for $15 at any hardware store. You literally just jam the pipe into the sharkbite connector, make sure it goes all the way in, and you're done.

This is what you need if you're cutting a copper pipe.

Ace Deluxe 1-1/8 in. Tubing Cutter Black/Silver 1 pc - Ace Hardware

Most tube cutter designs cut only one kind of material. These usually differ between cutters that can cut softer metals like copper and aluminum, cutters that cut plastic and composite pipes and cutters that can cut through hard metals like steel and stainless steel.Find the ACE TUBE CUTTER...

www.acehardware.com

Or maybe this version if it's tight quarters.

Superior Tool 1 in. Tubing Cutter Gray 1 pc Mfr# 36000 - Ace Hardware

Superior Tools 1 inch OD Mini Tubing Cutter is specially designed for use in tight spaces on small diameter tubing. This trade tough cutter is preferred and used in many applications by plumbers, HVAC technicians, auto mechanics, electricians, and DIYers. The heat-treated proprietary SXT alloy...

www.acehardware.com

If it's PVC or Pex those cutters will still work but something like this would be better...

Ace PVC Pipe Cutter Red Mfr# PST002 - Ace Hardware

Used to cut copper, brass, aluminum, PVC and thin-Find the ACE PIPE CUTTR PVC1-5/8 at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

Deathwing · Jan 5, 2022

I'm pretty sure I should still anchor the output from the water softener regardless.

Is it better to use an expansion tank(I think that's what my heating system has) or water arrestor? If the latter, a lot of the reviews and guides are based at the appliance instead of a more centralized location. Is this because arrestors work better the closer they are to the valve that is shutting off? Or because, like me, a lot of people don't like/want to cut pipe and just screwing in an arrestor at the appliance is more fool proof? Or do arrestors have a load limit and installing one centrally isn't always feasible?

lurker · Jan 5, 2022

Deathwing said:
I'm pretty sure I should still anchor the output from the water softener regardless.

Is it better to use an expansion tank(I think that's what my heating system has) or water arrestor? If the latter, a lot of the reviews and guides are based at the appliance instead of a more centralized location. Is this because arrestors work better the closer they are to the valve that is shutting off? Or because, like me, a lot of people don't like/want to cut pipe and just screwing in an arrestor at the appliance is more fool proof? Or do arrestors have a load limit and installing one centrally isn't always feasible?

An expansion tank and a hammer arrestor serve two different purposes. The expansion tank gives the expanding hot water room to expand because there is most likely a check valve on the city water supply to prevent you from back feeding and you can burst a rigid pipe or your water heater if the expanding water has no place to go. A hammer arrestor absorbs the shock induced by a rapidly opening valve like on a washing machine.

whoo · Jan 5, 2022

Lanx said:
my first time i did, then when i got more confident and went to other rooms i just used a spray shield

i'm not saying you can or should be this fast, but a nice aluminum (you can of course use cardboard, but it's floppy and you don't get nice clean lines) shield, you could be done with a room in no time and use a nice brush to cut in to more precise areas (which is really just the moulding cuz you'll tape off the outlets anyway, it's easier to remove the cover and tape it up)

What spray system do you use?

Lanx · Jan 5, 2022

whoo said:
What spray system do you use?

i use a graco magnum

the more expensive models like the x5 offer more quality of life for a pro painter like it's tall and has a direct feed into a 1gallon bucket or the x7 is super tall so it can direct feed into a 5 gallon bucket.

Foler · Jan 6, 2022

BrutulTM said:
If you use the shark bite version don't be scared of installing it yourself. The only tool you will need is a tubing cutter. You could use a hacksaw or a sawsall but it's worth picking up a cutter for $15 at any hardware store. You literally just jam the pipe into the sharkbite connector, make sure it goes all the way in, and you're done.

This is what you need if you're cutting a copper pipe.

Ace Deluxe 1-1/8 in. Tubing Cutter Black/Silver 1 pc - Ace Hardware

Most tube cutter designs cut only one kind of material. These usually differ between cutters that can cut softer metals like copper and aluminum, cutters that cut plastic and composite pipes and cutters that can cut through hard metals like steel and stainless steel.Find the ACE TUBE CUTTER...

www.acehardware.com

Or maybe this version if it's tight quarters.

Superior Tool 1 in. Tubing Cutter Gray 1 pc Mfr# 36000 - Ace Hardware

Superior Tools 1 inch OD Mini Tubing Cutter is specially designed for use in tight spaces on small diameter tubing. This trade tough cutter is preferred and used in many applications by plumbers, HVAC technicians, auto mechanics, electricians, and DIYers. The heat-treated proprietary SXT alloy...

www.acehardware.com

If it's PVC or Pex those cutters will still work but something like this would be better...

Ace PVC Pipe Cutter Red Mfr# PST002 - Ace Hardware

Used to cut copper, brass, aluminum, PVC and thin-Find the ACE PIPE CUTTR PVC1-5/8 at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

Deathwing these tools are awesome. I just used this rigid one to cut galvanized stainless pipe for a shelving project. Highly recommend.

1/4 in. to 1-3/8 in. Model 35S Stainless Steel Tubing Cutter with Quick Cutting X-CEL Knob, Contoured Frame Tubing Tool

Foler · Jan 6, 2022

So my cabin is concrete block then transitions to wood for roof. I’d like to prep it to have someone paint it as I don’t trust a painter to do all the work to restore the wood prior to painting

Abatron woodepox seemed like an ideal solution so grabbed some.

Epoxy Wood Filler | WoodEpox | Abatron | U-C Coatings

Shop Abatron's WoodEpox epoxy wood filler at U-C Coatings. Permanently repair, fill & replace wood indoors & outdoors with a strong, shrink-free formula.

www.abatron.com

Requires a clean surface - I.e. sand off old paint etc. Thing is it’ll take me maybe a few weeks to finish making this wood not look like shit so some painting can just come in and paint it. I’d like to sand the wood but would it be a bad idea to piecewise this project to where I have sanded wood exposed to the elements over weeks time before painting?

Fucker · Jan 6, 2022

Foler said:
So my cabin is concrete block then transitions to wood for roof. I’d like to prep it to have someone paint it as I don’t trust a painter to do all the work to restore the wood prior to painting

Abatron woodepox seemed like an ideal solution so grabbed some.

Epoxy Wood Filler | WoodEpox | Abatron | U-C Coatings

Shop Abatron's WoodEpox epoxy wood filler at U-C Coatings. Permanently repair, fill & replace wood indoors & outdoors with a strong, shrink-free formula.

www.abatron.com

Requires a clean surface - I.e. sand off old paint etc. Thing is it’ll take me maybe a few weeks to finish making this wood not look like shit so some painting can just come in and paint it. I’d like to sand the wood but would it be a bad idea to piecewise this project to where I have sanded wood exposed to the elements over weeks time before painting?

View attachment 391453

Funny how your house and cabin have the same bricks painted in the same color. I guess Miguel did that?

Hateyou · Jan 6, 2022

Foler said:
So my cabin is concrete block then transitions to wood for roof. I’d like to prep it to have someone paint it as I don’t trust a painter to do all the work to restore the wood prior to painting

Abatron woodepox seemed like an ideal solution so grabbed some.

Epoxy Wood Filler | WoodEpox | Abatron | U-C Coatings

Shop Abatron's WoodEpox epoxy wood filler at U-C Coatings. Permanently repair, fill & replace wood indoors & outdoors with a strong, shrink-free formula.

www.abatron.com

Requires a clean surface - I.e. sand off old paint etc. Thing is it’ll take me maybe a few weeks to finish making this wood not look like shit so some painting can just come in and paint it. I’d like to sand the wood but would it be a bad idea to piecewise this project to where I have sanded wood exposed to the elements over weeks time before painting?

View attachment 391453

Just pressure wash each section the day before you paint?

Foler · Jan 6, 2022

Hateyou said:
Just pressure wash each section the day before you paint?

Sorry for the confusion but what would that solve? Plus wouldn’t pressure washing just possibly damage the wood I’m trying to fix (gouges etc)

edit

Hateyou I think I understand now. Looks like you’d pressure wash then fix any gouges and stuff in wood. So ideally this isn’t the kind of project you span out over a month or two..

How to Prep and Paint Wood Siding | Performance Painting

Wood siding can last for years if it is well maintained and properly cared for. Applying a fresh coat of paint every few years will keep your home looking beautiful. Knowing how to properly prepare and paint your wood siding will make the process go smoothly. Power Wash the Siding Adjust the...

www.performance-painting.com

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