The Home Improvement Thread

[stang]

Buy a new one. Cheap enough for a basic model.

[Fuzz]

Check you don't have loose connections on booth ends first.

If you need to replace it get one on the government rebate list.

[PaperBagger'14]

Going on and off quickly is called cycling. Usually cycling happens when a thermostat is too close to a heat register as it reads a false positive on reaching the appropriate temp in the room. It seems like you didnt move your thermostat recently, so it probably just crapped out.

[DylanScores]

Question for painters:

Planning to paint staircase wall (15-20 feet tall) but unsure how to cut next to the ceiling. I found some tutorial videos online and they suggested using a step ladder box where a ladder would sit on? Any thoughts where I can get the step ladder box that would go in the stairs? TIA.

[sa226]

Looking for some opinions on some water stains appearing on our first floor ceiling.

A few months ago I noticed a yellow water stain in the corner of our first floor ceiling. I was concerned but couldn't remember seeing it before or if it was there all along. The master ensuite shower is the crappy old 90s one that is due for a reno in the upcoming year. It is also directly above the stain. There is a crack in the acrylic of the shower that had been patched with silicone, so I repatched it. Occam's razor would suggest that it is the culprit, but I don't see it. Its a small crack that has a ton of silicon around it and it doesn't really get much direct spray from the shower.

After that Im a bit stumped. I have 2 ideas. 1 is a leaky shower drain seal. 2 im wondering if it is a roof or flashing issue where the back 1 story mudroom meets the house. The roof for that mudroom meets the house 2 feet from where the stain is.

I have a couple questions. I have never dealt with this before, if anyone else has, what is usually the culprit in these cases? Pex is pretty reliable, so im doubting a leaky supply pipe. Maybe a connection somewhere? Toilet wax ring?

The other thing im wondering is if the leak is as slow as it seems, and I plan on completely gutting the ensuite within the year anyway. Can I just wait and address it then?

Thanks y'all.

[Fuzz]

If it's from the 90's, wasn't there a plastic type piping used that did fail, and their was a big class action about it?

[sa226]

That was Poly-B. We do have PEX.

[rohara66]

Originally Posted by sa226

Looking for some opinions on some water stains appearing on our first floor ceiling.

A few months ago I noticed a yellow water stain in the corner of our first floor ceiling. I was concerned but couldn't remember seeing it before or if it was there all along. The master ensuite shower is the crappy old 90s one that is due for a reno in the upcoming year. It is also directly above the stain. There is a crack in the acrylic of the shower that had been patched with silicone, so I repatched it. Occam's razor would suggest that it is the culprit, but I don't see it. Its a small crack that has a ton of silicon around it and it doesn't really get much direct spray from the shower.

After that Im a bit stumped. I have 2 ideas. 1 is a leaky shower drain seal. 2 im wondering if it is a roof or flashing issue where the back 1 story mudroom meets the house. The roof for that mudroom meets the house 2 feet from where the stain is.

I have a couple questions. I have never dealt with this before, if anyone else has, what is usually the culprit in these cases? Pex is pretty reliable, so im doubting a leaky supply pipe. Maybe a connection somewhere? Toilet wax ring?

The other thing im wondering is if the leak is as slow as it seems, and I plan on completely gutting the ensuite within the year anyway. Can I just wait and address it then?

Thanks y'all.

If its a roof issue (ice damming or attic rain most likely) you'll know for sure by next weekend when it warms up to plus temperature. If its a roof issue its going to get a lot worse come next weekend. Can you use a different shower/bathroom for the week because that will rule out one or the other.

[sa226]

Yeah we can. I would be impressed if it was ice damming or attic rain. The stains are on the ceiling of the first floor, directly underneath the master ensuite.

Our house is basically a giant 2 floor cube. Then with a little 1 floor mudroom cube off the back, when I look out the window of the ensuite I can see the roof of the mudroom. So my one guess was that maybe where the mudroom roof meets the siding, the flashing has failed or something. But the timing of the stain and the outside temperatures don't really line up. Its been too damn cold for any of the snow to melt.

[rohara66]

Originally Posted by sa226

Yeah we can. I would be impressed if it was ice damming or attic rain. The stains are on the ceiling of the first floor, directly underneath the master ensuite.

Our house is basically a giant 2 floor cube. Then with a little 1 floor mudroom cube off the back, when I look out the window of the ensuite I can see the roof of the mudroom. So my one guess was that maybe where the mudroom roof meets the siding, the flashing has failed or something. But the timing of the stain and the outside temperatures don't really line up. Its been too damn cold for any of the snow to melt.

That mud room roof should be vented and you can get attic rain from it. And if the stains are near that spot I’d bet it’s that for sure. Those smalll roofs are terrible for getting any meanigful ventilation.

And the moisture in that roof (frost now, soon to be melted water) can easily travel 2’ then leak down thought the drywall. It’s gonna collect in there on top of your vapour barrier then travel to a hole or seam and that’s where you’ll get your stain.

[Calgary14]

I just found out the tenants of my rental condo (apartment) have been smoking marijuana inside. Actually makes sense given how cold it's been the past month. It's a non smoking building though.

Is it possible to totally get rid of marijuana smoke smell and what are the best (cost effective) ways? I havent been there to inspect yet but will tomorrow.

[Nufy]

I need a recommendation on getting a garage door spring replaced ASAP.

Who has a guy ???

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by Nufy

I need a recommendation on getting a garage door spring replaced ASAP.

Who has a guy ???

Where do you live? I used this guy a few years ago. Chinook garage door service,
Robert G 7088836. Top notch work and good price.

[Nufy]

SE Calgary...

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by Nufy

SE Calgary...

Give him a try.

[d00little]

Just noticed a single hairline crack in the ceiling paint (about 3-4 feet long). My ceiling is vaulted, so there's no attic. Is this something I need to be worried about?

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by d00little

Just noticed a single hairline crack in the ceiling paint (about 3-4 feet long). My ceiling is vaulted, so there's no attic. Is this something I need to be worried about?

Probably not really. Depends a bit on exactly where it is relative to the structure of the house. But fixing it can be annoying. It will likely just crack again if you fill it and repaint. It could be that the building materials are drying out and shrinking a bit. Or the house settled a bit. Or the drywallers missed a couple screws in that area. Or humidity changes. Temperature changes. But every single time I've repaired something like that it just cracks again.

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

I just found out the tenants of my rental condo (apartment) have been smoking marijuana inside. Actually makes sense given how cold it's been the past month. It's a non smoking building though.

Is it possible to totally get rid of marijuana smoke smell and what are the best (cost effective) ways? I havent been there to inspect yet but will tomorrow.

In my experience weed smoke doesnt stick as badly as cigarettes, you could try the regular odor removers but I personally love the smell of incense, that's what I'd try.

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

I'm having a weird thermostat problem and I think I just need to replace it, but figured I'd ask here first.

Normally, when the temperature in the house got too low or too high you were hear a "click" from the thermostat and then the heat would either turn on or off a few seconds later. It was basically the thermostat saying "it's time to heat" or "that's enough heat".

Lately, it's been "clicking" rapidly when its time to have the heat come on. You can hear the clicking for 5-10 seconds sometimes and it'll click maybe 3-4 times per second, so its really rapid fire. Once it settles down the furnace comes on like normal and the house is still being heated fine, but the clicking is super annoying and I feel like its telling me to buy a new one.

Any ideas? Or just buy a new one. I have no idea how old it is - it was there when we bought the house about 5 years ago.

Just a follow up on this for anyone curious. I pulled the cover off to check the wiring underneath to make sure everything was good. There was a warning saying I need to shut off the main unit before replacing the batteries in it and I definitely did not do that when I replaced the batteries several weeks ago. So I turned off the furnace, took out the batteries and put them back in and then turned the furnace back on. This seems to have solved the problem and there is no more clicking.

So, yay that I don't need a new thermostat it seems, but I don't grasp why replacing the batteries with the furnace still hooked up would cause any issues.

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[keratosis]

Maybe the system needs to reboot?

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