DIY Home Improvement Thread..

[skinsmarydu]

Question re water pressure in the kitchen faucet.

 

Everywhere else my house has noticeably good water pressure.  The showers are great, and faucets in bathrooms have a strong flow as well.  The one exception is the kitchen sink, where the water pressure is fair at best.  It has a separate sprayer, and water pressure through that is poor.  Is there anything I can do to improve it, short of replacing the kitchen faucet entirely?

Even that may not do the trick...where is your kitchen in location to your water heater? If downstairs, even cold water can come slowly. (I'm learning now in a multi-level house...I could run washer, shower, and dish with no probs in my ranch, lol)

[zoony]

Unscrew the head of the faucet you will find a small screen

It is clogged with debris. Rinse it out and put it back. Very common problem

Larry nobody knows the answer to your question. However I see a lot of very high end homes with the plastic stuff nowadays

[Bliz]

Unscrew the head of the faucet you will find a small screen

It is clogged with debris. Rinse it out and put it back. Very common problem

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  I tried that last night and did notice some improvement, but still not where I think it should be.  Wondering at this point if it's just the faucet.

 

 

 

Even that may not do the trick...where is your kitchen in location to your water heater? If downstairs, even cold water can come slowly. (I'm learning now in a multi-level house...I could run washer, shower, and dish with no probs in my ranch, lol)

 

Don't think that's it.  Bathrooms on all 3 levels have no problem.  House is only 15 years old.

[SoulSkin]

Not a DIY question but I'm looking for some HVAC advice. We've been getting quotes for central air and the two we got are pretty far apart. One is from a contractor type and one is from a full-blown you are gonna pay a lot, but very reputable type company. We're also having to relocate our service panel (the actual power meter-not the circuit breaker panel; it's a very old house) from the basement to outside We've got a quote for Goodman Seer 13 heat pumps, one in the attic and one downstairs. This guy is telling me he wants to put the one downstairs in our half basement. Am I right that this is a bad idea? Won't that create noise, temperature, and moisture issues? 

Edited October 21, 2014 by SoulSkin

[zoony]

I would stay away from Goodman

Go with a quality mechanical contractor. You will pay a little more but you won't have to touch it for 20 years. One that also does commercial would be my choice. The quality of the tech will be higher.

Hvac is all mechanicals do. They know the answers. Many mechanicals especially commercial guys will be able to relocate your panel

I would call or contact a few commercial distributors in your area like Ferguson etc and ask if they have contractors they recommend

Now you have two points of contact with something to lose, the distributor and the contractor

Do not pay your friends friend to do this job on the weekend. You will not save anything in the long run

[SoulSkin]

Thank you zoony. If it looks like a duck...

[zoony]

I think Costco has some kind of service too. Not sure about it but I would think that a company with as much to lose as Costco would run a tight ship with a good value

[Slateman]

So currently, the washer and dryer in my house sits in the kitchen. My wife and I both hate it there.

My question is, how far can you run the drainage for the washer and the vent for the dryer?

We live in what amounts to a basement unit of a townhome. It's a separate residence with a separate address and entrance, but underneath our floor is concrete. I would prefer not to have to dig up the floors/concrete to install a new drain for the washer.

[grhqofb5]

Anyone ever built a stone archway?  Thinking about making an outdoor fireplace on my patio, with a free standing arch.  From what i understand I'll need a plywood semi-circular scaffold secured with 2x4.  From the front, arch will consist of 9 stones.  From above there will be 7 rows, making the depth approximately 35".  Diameter of arch is about 28".  Planning on using standard mortar, and there will also be 3 blocks removed from rows 3, 4, and 5 for a chimney. Arch sit upon two 30 inch sidewalls.

[TheGoodBits]

Greetings all. I have recently joined the ranks of homeowners. I'm glad to see this thread being used for DIY home repairs as well as improvements, because well that's what I'm going to be mostly focused on for the foreseeable future. 

 

I didn't exactly buy a fixer up type house, but we've certainly had our share of issues in the first two weeks. Both real and imaginary. 

 

Here’s the saga thus far.. and a question under Day 17 that I’d appreciate someone advising me on.

 

 

Day 1: hear leaking noise from fridge. Look under fridge, see water leaking. Experience mild panic attack. Investigate further, and the water is dripping under the drain pan like it’s supposed to. Water came from the freezer thawing as we loaded our food into it. Exhale. Deep breaths.

 

Day 2: figure out that GFIs in the master and half bath do not reset properly. Still need to replace them. On my list. Will be my first time doing that. Youtube tutorial here I come.

 

Day 4: Sitting in my living room at 11:30pm, about to head to up to bed.  Suddenly, “tap.. tap… tap tap tap…” And there is water. Coming into my house. Leaking onto my hardwood floor. What. The. Hell. Onto my roof I go, trying desperately to put some plastic sheets down wherever I think it might be coming from and get them to stick  to the shingles with electrical tape. Fail at that. Bucket is put down, we go to bed stressed and a bit overwhelmed.  Later have roofer come out, locate spot where the aluminum siding that is overlayed on the fascia that the gutter attaches to has come loose. The gap appears to be the source of the leak. Sealant put down, and I’m only $100 poorer. Still to be done: cut into drywall where the leak occurred, remove wet insulation, kill any mold, replace insulation, replace drywall. Father in law does drywall for a living. Thank god. Materials only fix to come.

 

Day 7: sitting in my living room at night, wife is upstairs washing her face, getting ready for bed. Suddenly, “tap.. tap… tap tap tap…” coming from inside the walls where the drain pipe from the sink is. Panic attack. Again. Stop using upstairs sinks for a few days until a plumber comes out. Plumber immediately informs me that I’m an idiot, that noise is the pipes expanding with hot water running down them. Run the hot water for 5 minutes, noise stops, confirming his diagnosis. I’m $75 poorer, but it was a $75 learning experience.

 

Day 17 (last night): down in the utility room feeding my cat and notice about a 3 inch diameter puddle of water on the floor. Investigate, find a half inch copper supply pipe with a very tiny hole in it that is slowly dripping. One drip every 10 minutes or so. Researched, and I think this can be fixed easily with a 0.5” copper pipe repair clamp. Could someone confirm that? Same time I noticed burn marks on the floor joists above my head where hot water pipes are connected. Another brief panic attack (“is my house at risk of burning down?”). Research more, seems to be more likely the result of a plumber welding the pipes together.

 

 

All in all this has obviously been a trial by fire. The amount of responsibility has been a little overwhelming, but I’m trying to learn as quickly as I can. Comes with the territory though, and I still absolutely love my new home despite what I’m calling its “quirks.” J

 

[GoSkins0721]

Greetings all. I have recently joined the ranks of homeowners. I'm glad to see this thread being used for DIY home repairs as well as improvements, because well that's what I'm going to be mostly focused on for the foreseeable future. 

 

I didn't exactly buy a fixer up type house, but we've certainly had our share of issues in the first two weeks. Both real and imaginary. 

 

Here’s the saga thus far.. and a question under Day 17 that I’d appreciate someone advising me on.

 

Day 2: figure out that GFIs in the master and half bath do not reset properly. Still need to replace them. On my list. Will be my first time doing that. Youtube tutorial here I come.

 

Day 17 (last night): down in the utility room feeding my cat and notice about a 3 inch diameter puddle of water on the floor. Investigate, find a half inch copper supply pipe with a very tiny hole in it that is slowly dripping. One drip every 10 minutes or so. Researched, and I think this can be fixed easily with a 0.5” copper pipe repair clamp. Could someone confirm that? Same time I noticed burn marks on the floor joists above my head where hot water pipes are connected. Another brief panic attack (“is my house at risk of burning down?”). Research more, seems to be more likely the result of a plumber welding the pipes together.

 

 

Congrats on the new home. 

 

Day 2: What do you mean "they don't reset properly"? I thought I had a problem with a GFI outlet resetting and found out from a friend that these are typically controlled by a couple of "master gfi" outlets elsewhere in the house (at least I think that's what they call them). In effect, the GFI in our garage needed to be reset in order to correctly reset the ones near the bathroom sinks. I'm not an electrician so maybe someone on here who is can explain this better. 

 

Day 17: Not sure this won't work, but my advice is to cut it out & replace it with new piece of copper pipe. Find a friend who can teach you how to properly sweat a joint. Pretty easy fix & cheap to do. 

 

Remember: DIY projects are mostly about 2 things: Getting new toys (tools) & learning how to fix a similar issue in the future 

[TheGoodBits]

Congrats on the new home. 

 

Day 2: What do you mean "they don't reset properly"? I thought I had a problem with a GFI outlet resetting and found out from a friend that these are typically controlled by a couple of "master gfi" outlets elsewhere in the house (at least I think that's what they call them). In effect, the GFI in our garage needed to be reset in order to correctly reset the ones near the bathroom sinks. I'm not an electrician so maybe someone on here who is can explain this better. 

 

 

Thanks man. The GFIs in those locations do not reset. I can push in the reset button but it does not stick. They are either faulty or there's something on that (or those) circuit that is causing them to trip. As far as I can tell anyway. I've been trying to read up on it as much as possible. 

[S.T.real,lights,out]

Thanks man. The GFIs in those locations do not reset. I can push in the reset button but it does not stick. They are either faulty or there's something on that (or those) circuit that is causing them to trip. As far as I can tell anyway. I've been trying to read up on it as much as possible. 

 

Did you happen to check the Electric Panel? Sometime there may be a ground fault in there that may need to be reset. 

[TheGoodBits]

Did you happen to check the Electric Panel? Sometime there may be a ground fault in there that may need to be reset. 

 

Yep, everything appears good there at first glance.

[Elessar78]

I'm cleaning out my garage, noticed gaps in the garage door around the sides and top. What is the stuff called to close up these gaps? Is it called "weather stripping" as well? Cold air and insects are getting into the garage. Boo. 

 

Also, noticed gaps around pipes that lead up into the house, I want to seal those up as well. Is that just more caulk action or do I need to do something else.

[GoSkins0721]

I'm cleaning out my garage, noticed gaps in the garage door around the sides and top. What is the stuff called to close up these gaps? Is it called "weather stripping" as well? Cold air and insects are getting into the garage. Boo. 

 

Also, noticed gaps around pipes that lead up into the house, I want to seal those up as well. Is that just more caulk action or do I need to do something else.

 

Get a can of this stuff. Just be careful when spraying it as it will really expand (a little bit goes a long way). You might want to spray some on a piece of cardboard to see how little you actually need to spray to fill a gap/hole. 

 

Also, wear disposable gloves. The stuff is impossible to get off your skin. 

 

Dow Chemical Co. Gaps & Cracks Insulating Foam Sealant

[PCS]

Yep. That's the stuff. I've got that stuff or some version of it well represented in this house. New window I cut in and installed in the laundry room? You bet. That is one stable,insulated widow. Same for the door going in to the garage,(one previous owner of the place used newspaper to insulate around the door). Pipes coming in from the outside in to the house from the water heater remodel/move? Yep.  Great stuff and GoSkins0721 said it. Been using the stuff for years now and it's.....regretful getting off the skin. Also. Know where you want to use it before using it. Save you some time with a clogged straw. 

[Elessar78]

Is there a less expensive way to finish a garage? I have exposed cement block right now on three sides and I want to start getting it to look nicer without going to the extent of framing it and drywall. Any tips?

[MattFancy]

Is there a less expensive way to finish a garage? I have exposed cement block right now on three sides and I want to start getting it to look nicer without going to the extent of framing it and drywall. Any tips?

 

Maybe try painting the cement blocks?

[GoSkins0721]

Is there a less expensive way to finish a garage? I have exposed cement block right now on three sides and I want to start getting it to look nicer without going to the extent of framing it and drywall. Any tips?

 

Are you saying it's cement block from floor to ceiling on 3 sides? There's no framing at all?

[Elessar78]

no framing yet, unless I put it in.

[zoony]

I used wolverine garage floor coatings on my floor. Incredible amount of work that involved me hand grinding the entire floor on my hands and knees. Just for the epoxy it was $800 but well worth it. Do not use the crap at home cheapo or lowes. Buy a quality epoxy. Just do a google image search for wolverine floor coatings for some examples. Doesn't have to be that brand, any quality epoxy will work.

There are some epoxies you can use on vertical surfaces too but it is tricky. Honestly I would hit the walls with two coats of drylock and maybe a top coat of some semi gloss latex for appearance

[TheGoodBits]

Maybe try painting the cement blocks?

 

Yep, should look better with just this. I half-finished a room in my parents basement, had the ceiling done with drywall and just painted the cinder blocks. 

[Elessar78]

Painted Beadboard: Does this stuff look cheap in real life execution? I saw some nice examples online (Houzz.com)

 

I will explore the floor issue at some point in the garage but it gets really muddy in the winter as we have a gravel driveway. Once we get the driveway done, then I'll probably spend some money on the flooring otherwise the nice floor will get beat up with grit and mud and salt. 

[Elessar78]

. Honestly I would hit the walls with two coats of drylock and maybe a top coat of some semi gloss latex for appearance

Looked into that Drylok stuff and it may just be the direction I go with. Easier plus has a waterproofing effect—can't beat moisture control.