The Home Improvement Thread

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

Thought I was going crazy replacing some lightbulbs. I was putting in new dimmable lightbulbs and I tried some new LED versions. After I installed them I couldn't figure out why they were not working, but it turns out they take probably 5-6 seconds to turn on (and I wasn't waiting that amount of time to see if they were working) Is this normal? I can live with it, but wondering if I have something weird going on.

Ya no, that's not normal at all, they should operate just as a normal bulb would. What bulbs did you buy?

[photon]

I need to get a new central vac hose with brush end and power nozzle, is that something that's pretty universal? Can I save some $$ buying online via Amazon or is local going to be very similar?

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by photon

I need to get a new central vac hose with brush end and power nozzle, is that something that's pretty universal? Can I save some $$ buying online via Amazon or is local going to be very similar?

I went to the Calgary North location when I needed some piping, and the owner was super helpful, and even gave me a few pieces free when I came back needing more, even though I had only spent about $20. Don't know about his overall prices, but might be worth visiting.


https://vacuumspecialists.com/

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Ya no, that's not normal at all, they should operate just as a normal bulb would. What bulbs did you buy?

Amazon basics. They look like all the other bulbs I buy (Sylvania) but they are dimmable. I found it hard to find any dimmable bulbs that were not crazy expensive. Is this what I get for trying to go cheaper?

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

Amazon basics. They look like all the other bulbs I buy (Sylvania) but they are dimmable. I found it hard to find any dimmable bulbs that were not crazy expensive. Is this what I get for trying to go cheaper?

Is your dimmer rated for LED's? You can't/shouldn't use an incandescent based one.

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Is your dimmer rated for LED's? You can't/shouldn't use an incandescent based one.

Hmmm - I'm not sure. How do I tell? This fixture was here when we bought the house. There were incandescent bulbs in there before, but they've since burned out. What's the risk with using LEDs?

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Weitz

So my washing machine has been leaking the last while. I think I have isolated the problem to be the door gasket. It doesn't quite appear to be set right anymore and there are some tiny holes in the bottom of it.

Anyone changed one of these before? Its an LG front loading model. Something I should take an attempt at myself? Or just get someone to come look at it for me?

As CarlLester says, Youtube is your friend. If you are anywhere remotely handy you should be able to do this one yourself. I changed ours last year and it wasn't too bad. It's a Samsung but they are all basically the same I think.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

Hmmm - I'm not sure. How do I tell? This fixture was here when we bought the house. There were incandescent bulbs in there before, but they've since burned out. What's the risk with using LEDs?

I think the biggest issue is they burn out the LED's much quicker. Some just don't work. Some don't dim low enough. But it might also be causing the issue you notice. If it came with the house and has incandescent bulbs, it's probably not an LED dimmer.


They are pretty easy to swap, just make sure you turn the breaker off, and look up some videos if you are uncertain.

[RichieRich]

Originally Posted by Weitz

So my washing machine has been leaking the last while. I think I have isolated the problem to be the door gasket. It doesn't quite appear to be set right anymore and there are some tiny holes in the bottom of it.

Anyone changed one of these before? Its an LG front loading model. Something I should take an attempt at myself? Or just get someone to come look at it for me?

Please let me know what you land on... where you get a new gasket from, etc... my front-load LG washing machine is still hanging in there over 10yrs later but the gasket seems to be on its' last legs.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

As CarlLester says, Youtube is your friend. If you are anywhere remotely handy you should be able to do this one yourself. I changed ours last year and it wasn't too bad. It's a Samsung but they are all basically the same I think.

I second this. YouTube has saved me at least 2 service calls on my washing machine.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I think the biggest issue is they burn out the LED's much quicker. Some just don't work. Some don't dim low enough. But it might also be causing the issue you notice. If it came with the house and has incandescent bulbs, it's probably not an LED dimmer.


They are pretty easy to swap, just make sure you turn the breaker off, and look up some videos if you are uncertain.

A normal dimmer simply turns down the voltage, but LEDs don’t work like that, so LED compatible dimmers physically turn the power on and off really fast.

Sometimes dimmer switches can’t actually give 100% of the power, sometime only 95% or so. Perhaps the power drop was making the LEDs not turn on right away?

I’d try changing out the dimmer switch first.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by RichieRich

Please let me know what you land on... where you get a new gasket from, etc... my front-load LG washing machine is still hanging in there over 10yrs later but the gasket seems to be on its' last legs.

Its a $107 part from LG Canada. I'm going to see if its covered under the warranty.. If I can just get some money off the part I will be happy. I will be making an attempt to do it myself as I found some videos showing it to be fairly easy.

[keratosis]

Check here for prices.
https://www.partselect.ca/Appliance-...xoCSTUQAvD_BwE

[81MC]

I’ve found Reliable Parts to have much better pricing, and often in stock.

[PaperBagger'14]

There's a whole semi complicated reason why non LED dimmers won't work with LED bulbs which won't really help your situation. Long story short it has to do with the electronic components inside an LED bulb not liking the reduction in voltage put out by old dimmers.

On brand new dimmers it will say on the box if its LED compatible, and some are even stamped on the dimmers mounting bracket. You just have to pull the switch face plate off.

Check in the bottom right corner of the pic, this one is LED and compact fluorescent compatible

Spoiler!

[Madman]

So, complete window replacement - is there a company I should be looking at/staying away from?

I had MaxGreen in yesterday for a quote and was surprised to hear they are just a broker and don't actually build their own windows. Is is better to go direct to a window builder?

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by keratosis

Check here for prices.
https://www.partselect.ca/Appliance-...xoCSTUQAvD_BwE

This is the best site I have found and usually has walk through videos. If you have the part number, plug it into Amazon and Amre supplies websites to see if it maybe cheaper elsewhere.

As a former owner of all Frigidaire appliances, I have a tremendous amount of experience of replacing multiple parts on our old fridge, washer, dryer, and dishwasher. I used partselect for all of them except a dryer logic board that was cheaper at Amre and the fridge internal waterlines which was cheaper on Amazon. Frigidaire sucks.

[Shin Pad]

Originally Posted by Barnes

This is the best site I have found and usually has walk through videos. If you have the part number, plug it into Amazon and Amre supplies websites to see if it maybe cheaper elsewhere.

As a former owner of all Frigidaire appliances, I have a tremendous amount of experience of replacing multiple parts on our old fridge, washer, dryer, and dishwasher. I used partselect for all of them except a dryer logic board that was cheaper at Amre and the fridge internal waterlines which was cheaper on Amazon. Frigidaire sucks.

Especially their dishwashers. I ended up replacing a Frigidaire dishwasher after just 3 1/2 years. That is after having their service guy came out at least 3 times to fix it while it was still under warranty

[Voodooman]

Originally Posted by Madman

So, complete window replacement - is there a company I should be looking at/staying away from?

I had MaxGreen in yesterday for a quote and was surprised to hear they are just a broker and don't actually build their own windows. Is is better to go direct to a window builder?

I just went through this process, and ended up ordering from Ecoline Windows. More flexibility to provide the exterior finishes I wanted, MaxGreen basically said vinyl brickmold or nothing. I think this is due to the fact you mentioned, MG is just a broker, while Ecoline has ownership interest in a factory, which provides more options.

Pricing wise, MG was a bit cheaper, but for us, not worth it. Just FYI, the installation window will likely be January at this point. I think all companies are still busy from hail damage, and 10-12 weeks seems to be the standard. They say they can install up to about -5, so we'll see how it goes. Mine are tentatively estimated for the 1st week of December.

I did think about another quote, but our comfort level with Ecoline was quite high. We had Vlad as the PM, and he really took the time to explain the product and work with our installation parameters.

[woob]

Just my input on MaxGreen:

We used them back in 2016 to install some windows we got a super great deal on at Home Depot. They did really awesome, clean work and in the 4 years after we owned that house we had no issues with the windows they installed. One of the windows was very large and was on a wall that was 70s style stucco on the outside, and it looked great from the outside after, with no gaps/whatnot between the brick moulding and the stucco.