The Home Improvement Thread

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

I'm not sure exactly what you're up to and where you're at in the process but you don't want plastic over your concrete basement floor and under any finished flooring. It will just trap water and cause problems. You need it to breath. That's the idea of Dricore. Short of Dricore, you can get roll out underlayment that functions as a vapour barrier as well as padding and insulation. Every flooring manufacturer will tell you to protect their product from water coming up through basement concrete. However the way they tell you to do it is usually wrong.

I just followed all the instructions I had. It's a small bathroom(no shower) so I wasn't to concerned either way.

[photon]

Anyone have any experience with a good closet system and/or guy for a walk-in closet? Something like California Closets but maybe not that expensive. Probably don't want to do it myself either.

[Madman]

I think Costco has pamphlets at the exit for closet systems - never used them myself, but might be an option to look into.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

1) Motor sounds fine - the dishwasher is actually very quiet in general, so we are happy with that



2) There is some build-up of something - as disgusting as it is, it's likely ground up old pieces of food. I've already tried a new drain line to avoid the build-up, but I feel like a hose should last longer than 6 months



3) Maybe this is the crux of the issue. Our old place had a built-in garburator in the dishwasher, so we never bothered much with cleaning off plates. Maybe it's just as simple as that.







I'll give this a try. How much do you use? I'm assuming you just dump a bunch of it in the bottom prior to starting the cycle?

Had a similar problem with mine not getting dishes clean. Check the spraying wands / arms.

If you can remove the arms / wands, you can further disassemble them and clean them out. I found some of the holes had been clogged with bits of melted plastic and various non-organic matter that got out in. If enough or those holes get plugged on the wands, your dishes won't get sprayed or rinsed. Our Maytag was pretty easy to get apart and cleaning that up helped. Also the little compartment door where the soap goes occasionally would become stuck and not release the detergent for the load and the dishes wouldn't be cleaned very well; I just started throwing in the the detergent pucks onto the bottom of the dishwasher instead and that also helped / mitigated the risk of going through a wash cycle without any of the detergent.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by photon

Anyone have any experience with a good closet system and/or guy for a walk-in closet? Something like California Closets but maybe not that expensive. Probably don't want to do it myself either.

You could try Home Solutions / Simple Spaces.

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Had a similar problem with mine not getting dishes clean. Check the spraying wands / arms.

If you can remove the arms / wands, you can further disassemble them and clean them out. I found some of the holes had been clogged with bits of melted plastic and various non-organic matter that got out in. If enough or those holes get plugged on the wands, your dishes won't get sprayed or rinsed. Our Maytag was pretty easy to get apart and cleaning that up helped. Also the little compartment door where the soap goes occasionally would become stuck and not release the detergent for the load and the dishes wouldn't be cleaned very well; I just started throwing in the the detergent pucks onto the bottom of the dishwasher instead and that also helped / mitigated the risk of going through a wash cycle without any of the detergent.

I did that procedure when we first moved in since the drain hose was pretty dirty then. There didn't seem to be much, but I think it did help. Wouldn't hurt to do it again I suppose. I already took it apart once, so it should be much easier this time.

I'm thinking its a combo of issues. Not cleaning the filter often enough, a bit lazy with rinsing the dishes before putting them in, long drain hose, ect. I'll try the take apart and clean out soon, and maybe get a new drain hose to make sure it's clean to start. Then just get diligent with the filter.

[MoneyGuy]

My wife called to say that the tap feature on our Grohe kitchen faucet has stopped working. It turns on with the handle but it won't turn on when she taps it. It was installed a few months ago when we renovated so it's new. Do these things have a battery somewhere?

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

My wife called to say that the tap feature on our Grohe kitchen faucet has stopped working. It turns on with the handle but it won't turn on when she taps it. It was installed a few months ago when we renovated so it's new. Do these things have a battery somewhere?

Yes they do, probably under the sink. If it's like mine, should just be AAA or AA.

[MoneyGuy]

Yeah, I came home and found it. It's 6v lithium, Panasonic. I've never seen one that shape before. I got out out and now must find one. Sucks that it lasted only a few months when they're supposed to last a few years, according to what I found online. Thanks.

[Buzzard]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

I'm having issues with my dishwasher where they dishes are just not getting clean. I checked out a few things and it looks like the drain hose is very dirty, and likely not pumping out all the dirty water before it bring in new water for the next wash / rinse cycle.

My issue is I don't really know why this is happening. I've got the high loop installed under my sink so I don't think that's the issue. Is it possible the drain hose is too long? I need to buy two standard ones from Home Depot (10ft I think) to make it reach from the dishwasher to the sink. That's the only thing I can think off, but I don't want to try a somewhat difficult solution (where I simply extend some plumbing behind the dishwasher so the drain hose is shorter) if that's not the issue.

EDIT: I did replace the dirty drain hose about 6 months ago as I thought it was just the fact that the old owners hadn't done that in a long time. However, it's just as dirty again in that short amount of time.

I don't know if this will help...you may have something else going on there, but worth a try.

We never seemed to have any luck with dishwashers until we had a repairman over a couple years ago. His advice to keep a dishwasher working best is that it's all about the soap and to only ever use Finish Quantum Max powerball. Specifically, not just the Finish powerball, but make sure its the Finish Quantum Max powerball. Also to run it on the longest settings.

I was skeptical, but we've never had dishes not getting clean since. For a while we were running it on the extended length, pots and pans super wash, sanitize setting or whatver, but we don't even bother with that anymore, just normal wash.

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Yeah, I came home and found it. It's 6v lithium, Panasonic. I've never seen one that shape before. I got out out and now must find one. Sucks that it lasted only a few months when they're supposed to last a few years, according to what I found online. Thanks.

I second Table 5 - odd that it's not AA's - Mine is also a few AA's in a separate box under my sink. If it is a specialized lithium then it should last for several years.

That short timeline to failure, combined the fact that it worked to turn on but not off, would lead me to believe that there is a problem with the control module... But I'd try a new battery first, because otherwise it's a warranty claim on a tap...

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

I'm having issues with my dishwasher where they dishes are just not getting clean. I checked out a few things and it looks like the drain hose is very dirty, and likely not pumping out all the dirty water before it bring in new water for the next wash / rinse cycle.

My issue is I don't really know why this is happening. I've got the high loop installed under my sink so I don't think that's the issue. Is it possible the drain hose is too long? I need to buy two standard ones from Home Depot (10ft I think) to make it reach from the dishwasher to the sink. That's the only thing I can think off, but I don't want to try a somewhat difficult solution (where I simply extend some plumbing behind the dishwasher so the drain hose is shorter) if that's not the issue.

EDIT: I did replace the dirty drain hose about 6 months ago as I thought it was just the fact that the old owners hadn't done that in a long time. However, it's just as dirty again in that short amount of time.

Have you had anyone test the water quality in your home? We had a company come by the house the other day and told us about the poor quality water we get from the City of Calgary. These guys presented City identification and seemed very knowledgeable about water quality here in Calgary. I didn't get their number, but they're called Simply Green or something like that. They will probably visit your house soon so no need to hunt them down.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Have you had anyone test the water quality in your home? We had a company come by the house the other day and told us about the poor quality water we get from the City of Calgary. These guys presented City identification and seemed very knowledgeable about water quality here in Calgary. I didn't get their number, but they're called Simply Green or something like that. They will probably visit your house soon so no need to hunt them down.

This is a scam. Don't let them into your house.
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=152071

[trueimage]

I'm trying to replace the shut off valve for one of my toilets. I live in a condo which is a "stacked townhouse" so I have the top two floors and someone else has the bottom two, and there are several of these in a row and some other unit comprising our "building".

I cannot find a master water shut off anywhere in my condo. I have sent an email to the condo board, but is this lawful? I search for the "code" but the national plumbing code of canada costs money to view...

If there truly isn't one, should/could I get it shut off and then get a plumber to come in and install one in my unit? Or maybe there are multiple entry points...

Any advice would be appreciated. This seems a little ridiculous, this building is from the 80s it isn't a converted old house or something...

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by trueimage

I'm trying to replace the shut off valve for one of my toilets. I live in a condo which is a "stacked townhouse" so I have the top two floors and someone else has the bottom two, and there are several of these in a row and some other unit comprising our "building".

I cannot find a master water shut off anywhere in my condo. I have sent an email to the condo board, but is this lawful? I search for the "code" but the national plumbing code of canada costs money to view...

If there truly isn't one, should/could I get it shut off and then get a plumber to come in and install one in my unit? Or maybe there are multiple entry points...

Any advice would be appreciated. This seems a little ridiculous, this building is from the 80s it isn't a converted old house or something...

My condo once had a leak and they had to shut off everyone's water. Also we seemed to get water shut off notices every month for a few hours during the day. Apparently they didn't have separate water shut offs at my place so anytime any plumbing needed to be done they had to shut off to the whole building. Seems kinda stupid with a large condo complex.

[surferguy]

Your water shut off is likely in another unit. This was common practice at the time

[trueimage]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

My condo once had a leak and they had to shut off everyone's water. Also we seemed to get water shut off notices every month for a few hours during the day. Apparently they didn't have separate water shut offs at my place so anytime any plumbing needed to be done they had to shut off to the whole building. Seems kinda stupid with a large condo complex.

Originally Posted by surferguy

Your water shut off is likely in another unit. This was common practice at the time

ok thanks. I'll wait to hear back from my condo company. would having a plumber put on it be possible / smart?

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by trueimage

ok thanks. I'll wait to hear back from my condo company. would having a plumber put on it be possible / smart?

Smart - yes. Doing any of your own plumbing in a condo is a very bad idea, especially if it involves a supply line. Ive seen many bad things happen when people DIY in condos. My advice is get somebody else to do it.

Shut off valve - It depends on where the water is coming from. Some condos have multiple entries some have a single supply. Tough to say from behind my laptop

[REDVAN]

Any suggestions for shower doors/sliding doors?

I have a short shower (68.5inch tall) that I've put into a basement and don't really want custom glass... but the stuff available at Lowes/HD/etc is pretty ugly/plain.

Any ideas other than getting a custom door? Where can I find a decent plumbing supplier who might sell to the public?

[Fuzz]

you could check with Chinook Glass. I've ordered a few times from them before and it was fairly reasonable. They might be able to help.