The Home Improvement Thread

[zzibradleyizz]

Sorry, I misunderstood, I thought your outdoor hose bibs were the ones leaking.

I'd simply replace the two faulty valves with new ones with bleeders. Putting one in between the tee and the two valves wouldn't hurt, but isn't really needed, it's more a convenience factor like you said for servicing the valves without shutting down the whole home and only draining down one line instead of two come winter time. The plumber was nice and ran two separate lines to the exterior, where typical it would be one then tees somewhere outside the mechanical room!


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[Wormius]

Originally Posted by zzibradleyizz

Sorry, I misunderstood, I thought your outdoor hose bibs were the ones leaking.

I'd simply replace the two faulty valves with new ones with bleeders. Putting one in between the tee and the two valves wouldn't hurt, but isn't really needed, it's more a convenience factor like you said for servicing the valves without shutting down the whole home and only draining down one line instead of two come winter time. The plumber was nice and ran two separate lines to the exterior, where typical it would be one then tees somewhere outside the mechanical room!


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Well, the house is almost fully plumbed with PolyB, so maybe not *that* nice - and I missed out on the class action lawsuit for that. Oh well, knock on wood - no deteriotation of the lines yet.

[FlamesAllTheWay]

Quick question and this seemed the best place to ask rather than start a new thread.

Anyone know of any place in Calgary to get replacement condensate pump switches? I have an Everbilt pump that is otherwise perfectly fine except for the switch, which suddenly stopped working. Everywhere I look it seems you need to buy a completely new pump, which seems excessive given it's just the little switch that needs replacing.

This is what it looks like:



Thanks!

[Fuzz]

You could try Active Tech Electronics on 32 ave NE.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Wormius

So, both of the lines for the outdoor front and backyard faucets divide at the same point and the individual shut-offs are literally right next to each other in my mechanical room.

I have attached a picture. So, I guess the question might be whether I should replace just the 2 shown in the pic, or add a 3rd before the split, because the one pain is having to shut off water to the whole house if at some point I need to service those at all. And it also makes winterizing the lines simpler by turning off that one.

NSFW!

I was thinking of using these, as they were the only ones I found at Home Depot with the bleeder on them.

NSFW!

I would definitely just go with 2 valves. Personally, if you're tapping into polyB, I would use a Sharkbite ball valve that has a drain (see link). I cant find one on HD's website, but might be worth looking for; they for sure carry the drain-less 1/2 ball valve in stores. Rona carries another brand of Sharkbite like connectors, so they might have it as well.

Regardless of which valve you pick, I would recommend the Sharkbite since it works with PolyB (its not listed as approved piping for them, but it works). If you want to use that PEX valve you have the picture of, you'll need the Poly B to Pex coupling from HD, and then the valve, and then another coupling back to the polyB.

Plus, since you have some "give" in your lines I see, you can just cut the old valves out and slide the new sharkbites in between and be done in about 15 minutes.

http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/in...c74/R-I3241526

I'm in my second home with Poly B, and consider yourself lucky that yours isn't the variety that leaks. Ended up redoing the entire plumbing myself in this house rather than wait for more leaks.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Ducay

I would definitely just go with 2 valves. Personally, if you're tapping into polyB, I would use a Sharkbite ball valve that has a drain (see link). I cant find one on HD's website, but might be worth looking for; they for sure carry the drain-less 1/2 ball valve in stores. Rona carries another brand of Sharkbite like connectors, so they might have it as well.

Regardless of which valve you pick, I would recommend the Sharkbite since it works with PolyB (its not listed as approved piping for them, but it works). If you want to use that PEX valve you have the picture of, you'll need the Poly B to Pex coupling from HD, and then the valve, and then another coupling back to the polyB.

Plus, since you have some "give" in your lines I see, you can just cut the old valves out and slide the new sharkbites in between and be done in about 15 minutes.

http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/in...c74/R-I3241526

I'm in my second home with Poly B, and consider yourself lucky that yours isn't the variety that leaks. Ended up redoing the entire plumbing myself in this house rather than wait for more leaks.

Is there more than one variety? I have no idea if this is a time-bomb waiting to go off, or if there are other factors at play. I thought there was something to do with water composition that could cause it to degrade and leak. I was a bit unhappy to learn all of this when I started working on the plumbing a few years ago. I had been using the polyb->pex adapters with crimp rings. I thought the SharkBite products were still pretty new on the market, and wasn't sure if the reliability has been vetted enough over time.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

You could try Active Tech Electronics on 32 ave NE.

Princess Auto might have them too.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Is there more than one variety? I have no idea if this is a time-bomb waiting to go off, or if there are other factors at play. I thought there was something to do with water composition that could cause it to degrade and leak. I was a bit unhappy to learn all of this when I started working on the plumbing a few years ago. I had been using the polyb->pex adapters with crimp rings. I thought the SharkBite products were still pretty new on the market, and wasn't sure if the reliability has been vetted enough over time.

Sharkbite vs. Pex Valve
If you're comfortable doing the PEX to PolyB coupling (and crimp rings), then you can for sure go that route with a PEX ball valve.

Sharkbite have been around over 10 years and have a good reputation. Long-Long term, no I don't know, but as long as you're not putting them behind drywall I wouldn't be too concerned going that route. I used a number of them in my old house (copper) before I got proper soldering equipment. I also used a few in a friends house with Poly B whenever minor leaks needed to be repaired.

PolyB Leaking in Calgary
That takes us to our next subject; PolyB leaking. If you google, you'll find 95% of cases are in the US (where theyre run in hot areas), and most people will say not to worry elsewhere.
But I think there was a particular manufacturer of the pipe that was used in a couple developments in Calgary (Strathcona, Hawkwood/Edgemont). Build dates around 1985 - 1988 seem to be the ones I've seen leak personally. My house had 1 leak before I tore it all out, and I know all my neighbours have had at least 1 leak. If you have the bad stuff; it is basically just a mess waiting to happen.
But that said, not all of it is bad, and there is no way of knowing. If your house is newer (say 90s before they stopped using), yours could be totally fine and never leak. I'd chat with neighbors and see what their experiences have been. If some of them start leaking, chances are they'll all be susceptible.

[Wormius]

When I was at Canadian Tire looking for some lawnmower parts, I noticed they sell a de-thatching attachment for regular lawnmowers. Anybody try these out? Is it worth a try, or is it better to hire the guys who do the power-raking?

[Fuzz]

The one with the bar and springs? I use that myself every year. It's great. If you put your mower low you can take off more than you would ever want with it. I've never hired someone, so I can't compare it, but it works fine.

A couple tips. Buy spare springs. Sucks to break one and not have a spare.

Don't pull backwards! That's how I always break my springs. I haven't actually broken one in a few years since I learned that. Keep going forward. Never pull it towards you.

It's also a good opportunity to sharpen your blade while you have it off. A quick Dremmel works wonders.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

The one with the bar and springs? I use that myself every year. It's great. If you put your mower low you can take off more than you would ever want with it. I've never hired someone, so I can't compare it, but it works fine.

A couple tips. Buy spare springs. Sucks to break one and not have a spare.

Don't pull backwards! That's how I always break my springs. I haven't actually broken one in a few years since I learned that. Keep going forward. Never pull it towards you.

It's also a good opportunity to sharpen your blade while you have it off. A quick Dremmel works wonders.

The one that originally caught my eye was this:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/po...l#.Vi2iR2uAqV4

I see the one that you're referring to with the spring tines. It looks like a better quality one. I had seen those but thought the springs and everything were just a special method for mouting the blade for a specific lawnmower, so I didn't really look into that any further.

My main concerns were that it a) works, and b) doesn't mangle my lawn. It looks like the one that you are using seems to be the better choice though.

[Fuzz]

I'm not sure those plastic tines would hold up, or do nearly as good a job as the ones with the springs.

But yes, it does work, and yes, it can mangle your lawn if you set it to low. The thing is, I always run it early spring and even if I hit a high spot in the lawn and get a bit deep by the time things turn green it will all have fixed itself. I've never done any long lasting damage, and my yard is pretty rough. If you have a smooth surface it wouldn't be an issue at all.

Oh, a couple other things. The blade is smaller, so you have to do closer passes than normal mowing. It also won't direct the raked up grass into the bag so you still have to either given a manual rake after, or I usually put my normal blade on and "vacuum" up the lawn after, so you need to do 2 passes. You also want to get out early while it is dry. I don't think it works well on a green lawn.

I do think doing this yearly though has really improved the lawn.

[calgarygeologist]

We have an older split level home and the upper level of our home, where the bedrooms are, overhangs the basement level/foundation by about 4 to 5 feet. In one of our bedrooms which sits on top of that overhang I've noticed that the floor is quite cold but the other bedroom is fine. I'm assuming that the insulation in that overhang area/floor space is insufficient. I'm planning on pulling off the wooden sheeting on the underside of the overhang to check it out either tomorrow or Thursday. Should I put house wrap on the underside of the floor joists before putting the wooden sheeting back on?

[YYC in LAX]

Can anyone please recommend a good high gloss sealer for slate shower tiling? Thanks.

[Madman]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

We have an older split level home and the upper level of our home, where the bedrooms are, overhangs the basement level/foundation by about 4 to 5 feet. In one of our bedrooms which sits on top of that overhang I've noticed that the floor is quite cold but the other bedroom is fine. I'm assuming that the insulation in that overhang area/floor space is insufficient. I'm planning on pulling off the wooden sheeting on the underside of the overhang to check it out either tomorrow or Thursday. Should I put house wrap on the underside of the floor joists before putting the wooden sheeting back on?

You should get all that sprayed, best thing ever.

www.beyondfoam.com

[GreenLantern]

I am going to insulate my garage this weekend, just curious if all of the wiring is done all of the outlets hooked up is there anything else major I should check on before I fill it in?

The house wall and roof are already done, I have the side walls and garage door wall.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

I am going to insulate my garage this weekend, just curious if all of the wiring is done all of the outlets hooked up is there anything else major I should check on before I fill it in?

The house wall and roof are already done, I have the side walls and garage door wall.

Do a general check for structural issues like leaks, cracks or mold in the walls before you close em up. Personally, I would consider running some Cat5e cable in the walls incase one day you are doing work in your garage that requires a laptop but your wifi signal sucks. Always good to plan ahead when the walls are open.

Also, since you'll most likely be installing shelving to the walls, throw on a couple of these suckers to protect the existing electrical in the walls.

I recommend using acoustic sealer when installing the vapor barrier as well.

Spoiler!

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Madman

You should get all that sprayed, best thing ever.

www.beyondfoam.com

I was planning on having spray foam done at some point but that will be at a later date when I feel like pulling down the dry wall and having the full exterior walls done. In the meantime I just want to check on that one spot where the floor is cool.

[Fuzz]

don't forget to leave somthing like this in the wall, for when someone renovates in 50 years...

Spoiler!

[Fuzz]

double post