Octopus Overlords

Surprised you can find parts for a 13 YO dryer these days, wow.

stessier wrote: ↑Sat Nov 06, 2021 1:42 pm Dryer stopped drying. After complete disassembly, it looks like the internal fuse blew. The heating coil is intact, but the sheet metal it is mounted on is charred and split both length and width wise. It's possible when it heated and expanded, the cracks grow and cause the short. Anyway, new parts ordered and will be here Monday. Only $36 - which make me question how good they are, but for a 13 year old dryer, there don't appear to be a lot of choices.

I've done this once before and in that case the coil had actually broken. Doesn't look like I documented that though. With this comment, I'll now be able see how long it lasts until the next time I need to fix it.

Finished installing the new parts last night. Took one hour and 22 minutes - but that included a break for a pizza dinner - so likely did it in just under an hour. It heats and runs without squeaking. We haven't run a load yet as it was bed time and didn't want to burn to death in our sleep if I messed it up. Hope to run a load this afternoon when we can keep an eye on it.

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Sun Nov 07, 2021 4:43 pm Surprised you can find parts for a 13 YO dryer these days, wow.

From what I can tell, Samsung has been using essentially the same parts for the heating element for years.

It looks like I'm going to have to invest in a shed, since I have a sister, cousin and mother-in-law that all want me to store stuff for them and I have no space in my garage. I'm thinking of getting a 10x10 or 12x12, since that's what I have room for in my sideyard. Anyone ever built a foundation for a storage shed? It looked like maybe 2 or 3 feet on center with 2x6 on edge when I saw the demo models at Lowes, but I have no idea if that's correct.

gbasden wrote: ↑Thu Nov 11, 2021 1:25 am It looks like I'm going to have to invest in a shed, since I have a sister, cousin and mother-in-law that all want me to store stuff for them and I have no space in my garage. I'm thinking of getting a 10x10 or 12x12, since that's what I have room for in my sideyard. Anyone ever built a foundation for a storage shed? It looked like maybe 2 or 3 feet on center with 2x6 on edge when I saw the demo models at Lowes, but I have no idea if that's correct.

When I bought my house, there was already a (crappy) shed and a cement slab. So, sadly, I can't help you. I imagine that there are resources that will give you recommendations for thickness. In my case, the shed I put up wasn't exactly the same size/shape, so it's not idea. If you can, you might consider doing a slab larger than you need. Having some on the side and front, especially might prove useful. I run into problem opening the doors because they catch on the gravel.

This is sort of a deep subject. I recommend at least talking to someone in person about it. Just to give an idea of the complexity, shed material matters a ton in the design and it'll impact the foundation design. Concrete is not always the best option for a foundation as an example. If the shed has wood flooring members then placing it on a properly installed gravel foundation is almost always a better move.

Thanks! I appreciate the advice!

Decided to replace the crappy bathroom fan.

After fighting with it, I can't get the mounting box out, and the duct for the new one is 4" while the old one is 3".

So there's a trip into the attic and at least one more trip to Home Depot in the immediate future.

So I wanted to build a bird perch out of PVC, as the second pigeon is searching everywhere for a place to sit that isn't the top of the cage, leading to him landing on the TV, the monitors, the window ledges, you name it. I went to the hardware store, bought a bunch of PVC pipe in 3/4" and 1", and a bunch of fittings in 3/4" and 1". I get home, cut up the pipe, and nothing fits.

It turns out that there are two kinds of PVC sizes, so 1" PVC from type A won't fit the fittings from 1" PVC of type B. And yet the hardware store I went to carried only type A pipe and only type B fittings. Why in the hell are there two standards, and why would store stock it that way?

I've been trying to replace my kitchen faucet. Like every fixture in my house seemingly the shut off valves just don't work. In this case, the angle stop for the hot water works fine. The cold water line will slow to a trickle at best. However, if I back it off and retighten it the water jets out. A quick job just turned into a much bigger job -- sorta. I could just shut off the house and ignore it. I should fix it and I'll pay if I don't. The plumbing and electrical issues always bite me in the end.

Second story furnace is out. Was working fine earlier in the week. Temps are in the 20s with highs in the 40s. Thinking we're going to try to make it to Monday to avoid the weekend service fee.

stessier wrote: ↑Sat Jan 08, 2022 12:57 pm Second story furnace is out. Was working fine earlier in the week. Temps are in the 20s with highs in the 40s. Thinking we're going to try to make it to Monday to avoid the weekend service fee.

Silver lining: could have been July/August like when all of mine have failed!

gbasden wrote: ↑Thu Nov 11, 2021 1:25 am It looks like I'm going to have to invest in a shed

Don't buy an Arrow shed, unless you want to store the relations stuff poorly so they don't want to impose on you ever again. I helped a friend put an Arrow shed together. Looked nice, and then it started to rain. We had to go back and disassemble the entire roof putting putty between each of the panels and silicon on every screw penetration. They give you these little cheap plastic washers that are supposed to seal the screw penetrations, but nooooo. It wasn't terrible after we were done the second time. Lasted about 10 years before it was pretty rusty. They come painted, but it should have had a good coat of good paint right away, might have lasted twenty years that way. They sell a metal kit for the floor that you then put plywood over, but you'd be much better off building one from pressure treated lumber with pressure treated plywood.

Personally, I'd get or build a better shed.

I'll avoid them, thanks!

Yeah, good info. I’ve been in the shed market for a year now.

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Sat Jan 08, 2022 9:52 pm Yeah, good info. I’ve been in the shed market for a year now.

We have two manufactured sheds we bought from a local dealer, they were delivered and set up for us. Being Florida there have to be hurricane tie-downs, that kind of thing. One is thirty years old, the other fifteen years old. Both are in excellent shape, although the older one was a bit better quality and so the finish on the aluminum is nicer than the newer one. It's been worth the investment.

So, quick one, I hope.

Is there an easy way to put in an 'emergency backup' option for a hanging picture without a workshop/massive numbers of tools/expertise? We have two hanging, framed, glass photographs, fairly large ones, that normally adorn our walls (they're autographed pieces Michelle owns.) When we got the new pigeon in we discovered that he liked to land on them from time to time. Them falling would likely break the glass and damage or destroy the photographs inside. We took them down and they've spent the last three months wrapped in a blanket and just generally being in the way.

Is there a way I can hang them such that if they're knocked off of the wall by a pigeon landing on them the backup will 'catch' the picture before it falls? This is on one of the few drywall walls we have in the house, but it doesn't have enough studs to use them to hang the pictures from directly (it's a very short section of wall, about 3-4 feet long, added at some point as a room divider, and only has one stud as far as I can tell.)

Blackhawk...what kind of hanger is on the back of the frame right now?

If it's a wire (or something else that sticks out a bit from the frame, I'm a big fan of Monkey Hooks. They can hold a lot of weight very securely thanks to the deep hook, and they don't leave big holes in your wall. The only problem you might run into is your old plaster walls. The hooks poke through drywall easily, but your walls might be more of a problem. In that case, you might need to rely on more of a wall anchor that requires drilling a larger hole.

I will look into those. I mentioned above that this is on one of the only walls in the house that isn't slats and plaster. There are a few sections that were added with drywall to divide the rooms up many years after the main walls were built.

disarm wrote: ↑Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:44 pm Blackhawk...what kind of hanger is on the back of the frame right now?

One is wire, the other is the toothy bracket style.

Blackhawk wrote:

disarm wrote: ↑Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:44 pm Blackhawk...what kind of hanger is on the back of the frame right now?

One is wire, the other is the toothy bracket style.

Monkey Hooks aren't so great for the sawtooth hangers because they might not stick out enough to go all the way on the hook. They're great for wire though.

BH look into OOK products

Yeah, I would strongly suggest 'investing' in the hanging solution itself vs a backup in case it fails.

A water line near us broke the other day, and as a result we lost water for a few hours (not completely, but down to a trickle out of all faucets), Interesingly the water dispenser built into the fridge showed the reduced pressure well before anything else - I noticed it was REALLY low many many hours before the pressure drop in the rest of the faucets - hell, maybe even the night before? But when the pressure returned after the main was fixed, the dispenser pressure still stayed super low.

First, and obvious thought: well, when the water was cut, then came back on, sediment built up, or was lodged loose, and ended up in your water filter. This is pretty common. I wish it was that simple, but nay. I removed the filter and replaced it with an old one that I know worked well. Same issue.

And now it's actually making a nasty sound when I use the dispenser - something, somewhere has built up pressure either in the water line to the fridge or maybe in the fridge itself (although IIRC the water lines generally run outside the back of the fridge, no?) The internets all point me to the filter, as if there is no other solution, but it's not that. So now what?

Anyone else ever have this problem?

A couple of weeks ago we had a nasty leak in the bathroom. Dealing with it involved unsealing the water heater drain pipe. This is a 4" section of 1" PVC sticking vertically out of the floor into which the overflow (a 1/4" section of copper pile) from the water heater runs. The leak problem was solved, but now the bathroom smells awful due to that pipe standing open.

Before it was covered with some sort of pliable black rubbery... stuff.

Any hints about what I need to reseal this thing before I start improvising badly?

Flex Seal works for me.
It comes in a paint by brush, aerosol, tape and slabs.

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 29, 2022 11:10 am Flex Seal works for me.
It comes in a paint by brush, aerosol, tape and slabs.

I'm not seeing the slabs, but they do have a 'paste' that may or may not do the job. We're talking about filling in a 1" hole. Is it removable once applied? Permanently sealing access to the drain for repairs is probably a bad idea.

I guess what I call slabs is actually giant rolls of tape. Like a foot wide. Not designed to be removable.
The stuff works good but probably any of those brands would do as well.

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:30 pm First, and obvious thought: well, when the water was cut, then came back on, sediment built up, or was lodged loose, and ended up in your water filter. This is pretty common. I wish it was that simple, but nay. I removed the filter and replaced it with an old one that I know worked well. Same issue.

And now it's actually making a nasty sound when I use the dispenser - something, somewhere has built up pressure either in the water line to the fridge or maybe in the fridge itself (although IIRC the water lines generally run outside the back of the fridge, no?) The internets all point me to the filter, as if there is no other solution, but it's not that. So now what?

Anyone else ever have this problem?

The sediment might not have made it to the filter. It might be in the small pipe or tube that attaches to the back of the frig. I'd turn the water to that off, disconnect it at the back of the frig and put it into a bucket then turn it on for a few seconds to blow out anything in that small pipe or hose whichever you have. Then connect it back to the frig again.

Yep, did that earlier today. That was it! Just had to pull fridge out, unhook hose from wall and fridge, ran some tap water through hose, and back on.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sat Jan 29, 2022 10:51 am A couple of weeks ago we had a nasty leak in the bathroom. Dealing with it involved unsealing the water heater drain pipe. This is a 4" section of 1" PVC sticking vertically out of the floor into which the overflow (a 1/4" section of copper pile) from the water heater runs. The leak problem was solved, but now the bathroom smells awful due to that pipe standing open.

Before it was covered with some sort of pliable black rubbery... stuff.

For posterity, I'm pretty sure it was duct seal. At least the 50 cents worth I just mushed on there was the same color and consistency.

Wife wanted a new shower door so I installed got one to install. Getting down to business, I decided to re-caulk the shower. Taking a closer look, I decided to clean all the grout. Doing this I noticed that the lighting sucked. 2 weeks later, I finally used the sparkling shower with the new door under new lights.

Now she wants to replace a ceiling fan in the living room...

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Tue Feb 01, 2022 12:54 pm Wife wanted a new shower door so I installed got one to install. Getting down to business, I decided to re-caulk the shower. Taking a closer look, I decided to clean all the grout. Doing this I noticed that the lighting sucked. 2 weeks later, I finally used the sparkling shower with the new door under new lights.

Now she wants to replace a ceiling fan in the living room...

Should be a piece of cake compared to the bathroom project!

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Tue Feb 01, 2022 1:23 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Tue Feb 01, 2022 12:54 pm Wife wanted a new shower door so I installed got one to install. Getting down to business, I decided to re-caulk the shower. Taking a closer look, I decided to clean all the grout. Doing this I noticed that the lighting sucked. 2 weeks later, I finally used the sparkling shower with the new door under new lights.

Now she wants to replace a ceiling fan in the living room...

Should be a piece of cake compared to the bathroom project!

If the person who did it in the first place used an "actual" ceiling fan bracket, then yes.

Heh. When I got my current chandelier, I pulled out the previous one. That's when I discovered that it wasn't attached to anything. They'd cut a hole in the drywall ceiling that was slightly bigger than the base, and had a couple of screws providing a "lip" to prevent it from falling through. Luckily it was light enough that it worked. But one mild tug would have yanked it through. Some people, eh? </smh>

Is a 15/16th wrench / socket the same as a 1" one?

I need to fix my mower blades but the largest socket or wrench I have is 7/8 and its too small for the blade nuts.

15/16 is in inches, so no - definitely not that same.

Well now Im back to looking for that nut size. one video said it called for a 1" but a 15/16 seemed to fit and work. Being so different Im not sure how he managed it.

EDIT: Found this....Using 15/16 in. socket, tighten 5/8 in. blade nut.

Not sure why those sizes aren't the same.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Mar 24, 2022 6:47 pm Well now Im back to looking for that nut size. one video said it called for a 1" but a 15/16 seemed to fit and work. Being so different Im not sure how he managed it.

EDIT: Found this....Using 15/16 in. socket, tighten 5/8 in. blade nut.

Not sure why those sizes aren't the same.

Sounds like a How-To guide for stripping a nut.