Home Repairs

[GoodKarma]

So we woke up today to basically zero water pressure throughout the house. We just had our water heater replaced, and while they were down there, I had them install a home water filtration system. But the filter in that thing is barely a month old. Is that what happens when you need to replace a filter? The pressure just goes to crap? There's zero evidence of water on the floor in the basement. I've asked the people on either side of us (row houses) if they're experiencing a drop in water pressure (not heard back yet), so I'm left to think its:

1) The pipe leading to the house from the water meter is ruptured.
2) Something went wrong with the newly installed equipment, and a failsafe kicked in to minimize water flow.
3) It's a neighborhood thing.

Check with the neighbors first; if no one else is having a problem then there is a good chance the filter is clogged somehow.

[Gunpowder]

Anything with a filter on it is going to lose flow when it clogs so it's probably just that.

[EnochRoot]

So it was the water filter. Apparently all the work that had been done at the intersection about 50 feet from my house basically inundated the filter with sediment. So much so that it became a clog. I’m not replacing the filter until I talk with Baltimore DPW to ascertain when they’re going to be finished with the upgrades to the neighborhood.

[mister d]

Is it like a brita filter where you can shake it and give it all new life?

[A_B]

Anyone ever done a fence/deck rail? Our back deck needs the rail replaced, and I'm thinking about doing the "wire cable" for the between-the-posts part..like this:



Wondering how much headache/pain I'm setting myself up for...

I think if you have the tools this shouldn't be terrible. Getting everything level would probably be the hardest part, but I have faith in you, now that the concussion has likely passed.

[EnochRoot]

Is it like a brita filter where you can shake it and give it all new life?

No clue. I doubt it though.

Filter housing.

Carbon block cartridges. The material went from off-white to dark orange / siena.

[EnochRoot]

So the filter cartridge on the right clogged nearly 100% of all water coming into the house.



So freakin gross

[The Sybian]

Back to my favorite thread...

Been having some sewer line backup issues. Every six months or so we have to have them snake out the line from the back end of the house. Initially a shower or flush upstairs would come out through the downstairs toilet, but now that we added a shower to the downstairs bathroom, cleanup is much easier as it comes up through the shower drain. Easier, assuming we realize it before the spillover goes above the lip of the shower floor. Had them run a camera through the pipes, and it was the worst case scenario the guy guessed last time they were out. The pipe runs outside at the back of the house, runs for 45 feet, then takes a right angle into the front of the basement where it connects to the rest of the plumbing and out towards the sewer. I was hoping the problem was where it enters the house, as there is a cleanout right there, and I can pull through clogs, run 2 showers and push it out. Looks like the problem is where they put the concrete slabs for the air conditioner units is directly over the pipe, so it pushed down the pipe in a few spots causing dips that allow accumulation. He was also saying we need to add a cleanout in the front yard, as it's too long of a run to snake from the house, and there is some accumulation in the sewer line that should be cleaned. I don't have an estimate yet, but I'm guessing I'm looking at $15k-$20k on this. On the plus side, he told me to reach out to my insurance and find out what they cover, and he will tailor his report to their coverage. Really hoping Farmer's helps me out.

[Steve of phpBB]

OK, here's one.

Power to half our house has been going off intermittently for the past few hours.

But if we turn the dryer on - the power comes back.

If we turn the dryer off, the power goes out. But it will also go out after about 15 minutes even if we leave the dryer on.

When the power is out in that half of the house, the dryer is still getting power: If the lights go out while the dryer is running, the dryer keeps running, and if the lights have gone out while the dryer isn't running, the control lights work when we press buttons on the dryer.

And like I said, when the lights have gone out to half the house, we can turn them back on by starting the dryer.

Also while the dryer is running in the sense of having the control lights work and the drum rotate, no heat is being generated. So it's not actually drying clothes.

Finally, we've had days of light rain and wet snow around here. But nothing too heavy, and it basically stopped snowing hours ago. And part of the house hasn't lost power at all. And the neighbors' power doesn't seem to have gone out.

As far as I can tell, it's impossible that the dryer going *on* would cause the lights in half of the house to also go on. It's even more impossible for that to be true when the dryer is still getting power even after the lights have done out.

But it's happened too many times, and the correlation is instant, so I am 100% certain that turning the dryer off causes the lights to go off and also that turning the dryer on causes the lights to go back on.

[Sabo]

Call an electrician. You might have a short circuit and if so, you’ll want that corrected immediately.

[EnochRoot]

OK, here's one.

Power to half our house has been going off intermittently for the past few hours.

But if we turn the dryer on - the power comes back.

If we turn the dryer off, the power goes out. But it will also go out after about 15 minutes even if we leave the dryer on.

When the power is out in that half of the house, the dryer is still getting power: If the lights go out while the dryer is running, the dryer keeps running, and if the lights have gone out while the dryer isn't running, the control lights work when we press buttons on the dryer.

And like I said, when the lights have gone out to half the house, we can turn them back on by starting the dryer.

Also while the dryer is running in the sense of having the control lights work and the drum rotate, no heat is being generated. So it's not actually drying clothes.

Finally, we've had days of light rain and wet snow around here. But nothing too heavy, and it basically stopped snowing hours ago. And part of the house hasn't lost power at all. And the neighbors' power doesn't seem to have gone out.

As far as I can tell, it's impossible that the dryer going *on* would cause the lights in half of the house to also go on. It's even more impossible for that to be true when the dryer is still getting power even after the lights have done out.

But it's happened too many times, and the correlation is instant, so I am 100% certain that turning the dryer off causes the lights to go off and also that turning the dryer on causes the lights to go back on.

How old is your house? I'm in a row house and the lights in the back bedroom upstairs are on the same breaker as my desk in the living room. Spaghetti wiring.

[Steve of phpBB]

OK, here's one.

Power to half our house has been going off intermittently for the past few hours.

But if we turn the dryer on - the power comes back.

If we turn the dryer off, the power goes out. But it will also go out after about 15 minutes even if we leave the dryer on.

When the power is out in that half of the house, the dryer is still getting power: If the lights go out while the dryer is running, the dryer keeps running, and if the lights have gone out while the dryer isn't running, the control lights work when we press buttons on the dryer.

And like I said, when the lights have gone out to half the house, we can turn them back on by starting the dryer.

Also while the dryer is running in the sense of having the control lights work and the drum rotate, no heat is being generated. So it's not actually drying clothes.

Finally, we've had days of light rain and wet snow around here. But nothing too heavy, and it basically stopped snowing hours ago. And part of the house hasn't lost power at all. And the neighbors' power doesn't seem to have gone out.

As far as I can tell, it's impossible that the dryer going *on* would cause the lights in half of the house to also go on. It's even more impossible for that to be true when the dryer is still getting power even after the lights have done out.

But it's happened too many times, and the correlation is instant, so I am 100% certain that turning the dryer off causes the lights to go off and also that turning the dryer on causes the lights to go back on.

How old is your house? I'm in a row house and the lights in the back bedroom upstairs are on the same breaker as my desk in the living room. Spaghetti wiring.

The house is old (1927 or 1928). But the dryer appears to be on a separate breaker than the other things - the dryer takes 220 volts, and even when the lights go out in half the house, the dryer is still powered (though not producing heat).

[EnochRoot]

OK, here's one.

Power to half our house has been going off intermittently for the past few hours.

But if we turn the dryer on - the power comes back.

If we turn the dryer off, the power goes out. But it will also go out after about 15 minutes even if we leave the dryer on.

When the power is out in that half of the house, the dryer is still getting power: If the lights go out while the dryer is running, the dryer keeps running, and if the lights have gone out while the dryer isn't running, the control lights work when we press buttons on the dryer.

And like I said, when the lights have gone out to half the house, we can turn them back on by starting the dryer.

Also while the dryer is running in the sense of having the control lights work and the drum rotate, no heat is being generated. So it's not actually drying clothes.

Finally, we've had days of light rain and wet snow around here. But nothing too heavy, and it basically stopped snowing hours ago. And part of the house hasn't lost power at all. And the neighbors' power doesn't seem to have gone out.

As far as I can tell, it's impossible that the dryer going *on* would cause the lights in half of the house to also go on. It's even more impossible for that to be true when the dryer is still getting power even after the lights have done out.

But it's happened too many times, and the correlation is instant, so I am 100% certain that turning the dryer off causes the lights to go off and also that turning the dryer on causes the lights to go back on.

How old is your house? I'm in a row house and the lights in the back bedroom upstairs are on the same breaker as my desk in the living room. Spaghetti wiring.

The house is old (1927 or 1928). But the dryer appears to be on a separate breaker than the other things - the dryer takes 220 volts, and even when the lights go out in half the house, the dryer is still powered (though not producing heat).

OK, I build websites, but maybe they tied the dryer into a box before the circuit breaker.

Is it a gas dryer? Does the gas require any electricity? Probably stupid questions.

[A_B]

That's unfortunate, but it does sound like a wiring issue. Luckily those are super easy to fix! (They are rarely easy to fix). But if you get a decent electrician to take a look they may be able to add another breaker to your box and move some stuff.

[Gunpowder]

Yeah somebody definitely tied something together that they shouldn't have. First time I tried to install my own stereo unit into my car, I somehow connected it to the power for the headlights.

[Steve of phpBB]

Yeah, I do think it has to be some kind of wiring problem - but it's the strangest damn wiring problem I've ever heard of.

Another wrinkle - if I start the dryer on "air dry", it does not cause the lights to come back on. I have to use one of the heat settings (which don't work) in order to restore the power to those other circuits.

And even if I just "pause" the dryer, it causes those other circuits to cut out.

We have the electrician coming in a couple of hours. We are not looking forward to this, especially after we've just had to spend nearly $10K replacing our kitchen appliances.

(Our new kitchen appliances are not on the circuits that are getting knocked out, and they still work when those other lights are out.)

[EnochRoot]

Yeah, I do think it has to be some kind of wiring problem - but it's the strangest damn wiring problem I've ever heard of.

Another wrinkle - if I start the dryer on "air dry", it does not cause the lights to come back on. I have to use one of the heat settings (which don't work) in order to restore the power to those other circuits.

And even if I just "pause" the dryer, it causes those other circuits to cut out.

We have the electrician coming in a couple of hours. We are not looking forward to this, especially after we've just had to spend nearly $10K replacing our kitchen appliances.

(Our new kitchen appliances are not on the circuits that are getting knocked out, and they still work when those other lights are out.)

They’re heeeeere…

[Steve of phpBB]

I do think it was a Poltergeist. Nothing else makes sense.

Anyway, the lights magically came back on about an hour before the electrician was supposed to come.

The dryer started generating heat, the heater in the bedroom started working too. Turning the dryer on and off didn't affect the lights at all.

Except ... the (tankless) water heater has a blown fan motor. Not sure if this was a cause or effect of the outages. Or just something unrelated, because why the hell not. But either way, no hot water here until Friday afternoon.

[Steve of phpBB]

Except ... the (tankless) water heater has a blown fan motor. Not sure if this was a cause or effect of the outages. Or just something unrelated, because why the hell not. But either way, no hot water here until Friday afternoon.

So, turns out that while the water heater had a blown fan motor, that wasn't the only problem. We waited all week, and all day Friday, for the motor to be replaced, and then it still didn't work. The guy who replaced the motor didn't really know enough to go beyond that, so we had another guy out all day Saturday. The control board and other parts were also ruined. They were going to make us wait longer until we bitched enough and they got us a new heater under our warranty.

They told us to put the heater on a surge protector.

In the process of all this, we had an electrician out who told us that we should get our electrical panel rejuvenated since it was more than 15 years old. Does anyone know about this? Google sent me to lots of websites saying this is something we should do - but those are all electrician websites, so I don't know how much to trust them.

[A_B]

Was it new construction when you bought it? If so, how long ago? It's good to have it looked at every once in a while. Of course the electrician wants some billable hours, but when you consider potential issues (electrical fires, breakers giving out at a bad time, which could lead to busted pipes/water damage or just a constant inconvenience of having to go flip it) it's not a bad idea to just have it refreshed if you can afford it. But if it's new construction in the past 15 years or so I think you could stretch it out unless you keep having problems.

[HaulCitgo]

I've gotten two new panels recently. Neither seemed particularly expensive, especially as compared to the wiring costs and the GFCI boxes/breakers. Those were really expensive for each one and local codes seem to require more and more of those breakers. I think the second one put in a separate whole house breaker to apparently avoid that issue. Overall I'd say 15 years is young and no need. The house was built in 1978 and still the original panel when I changed it initially in maybe 2017. No problems though. Want to say I only changed it cause it showed up as a defective model and a hazard on an inspection report and I ignored it for 5 years before I replaced it. Original replacement maybe less than $2000 but I'm sure the guy was not fully licensed or insured. Absolutely brilliant guy that rebuilt my entire house from studs last year.

[Sabo]

In the process of all this, we had an electrician out who told us that we should get our electrical panel rejuvenated since it was more than 15 years old. Does anyone know about this? Google sent me to lots of websites saying this is something we should do - but those are all electrician websites, so I don't know how much to trust them.

I've never heard of a 15-year rule when it comes to electrical panels, but it's something you should have checked every few years. Do NOT remove the front panel of the electrical panel. That is something that a qualified electrician or inspector can do but should not be done by the homeowner.

There are multiple things that go wrong in a panel, including circuit breakers failing, installing wrong sized breakers for the circuit it's protecting, water intrusion, dust/debris, heat, etc. Also, upgrading the panel - especially if you're increasing your service size from say 100 amps to 200 amps - usually requires upgrading the service mast (the pole that protects the exterior line as it enters the house and service laterals (the wiring that connects the home to the electrical grid), so keep that in mind if cost is a factor. Some electric companies will pay for that exterior work if you're increasing your service size (I didn't pay for anything exterior when I upgraded my panel last spring).

As AB said, a new panel will reduce the number of potential issues, especially if you're still having issues like you described earlier.

[The Sybian]

I've never heard of rejuvenating a panel, but it looks like a legit thing. My previous house I had an electrician do some work before we sold. He told me our panel was 30 years old and not up to code. He said it was not a safety issue, but an inspector would bring it up and buyers would ask for it to be replaced. I left it, and figured I'd pay to replace if the they asked. Their inspector missed it. I doubt the panel was ever rejuvenated, I certainly didn't have that done. I guess if there is wear to wires, connections or whatever else, it probably is legit. I saw price range of $500 - $4,500, depending on the amount of components that need replacing.

[HaulCitgo]

If you need to deal with the power company you may need up with a nightmare. They were slow with the digging and then needed city approval to reconnect and then needed a crew to reconnect. That alone delayed me about 3 months with no power.

[Steve of phpBB]

Was it new construction when you bought it? If so, how long ago?

It was new construction ... 95 years ago.

We put in central air conditioning about fifteen years ago, and they did work on the panel then. Right now we're not planning any electrical upgrading. (We just bought a new gas range instead of electric to avoid needing an upgrade.)

However, we have been looking into installing solar panels, which I believe would require some kind of work on our box anyway.

[A_B]

Was it new construction when you bought it? If so, how long ago?

It was new construction ... 95 years ago.

We put in central air conditioning about fifteen years ago, and they did work on the panel then. Right now we're not planning any electrical upgrading. (We just bought a new gas range instead of electric to avoid needing an upgrade.)

However, we have been looking into installing solar panels, which I believe would require some kind of work on our box anyway.

Natural gas, solar. Why do you hate AB?!?!?!?!?!

[Steve of phpBB]

Was it new construction when you bought it? If so, how long ago?

It was new construction ... 95 years ago.

We put in central air conditioning about fifteen years ago, and they did work on the panel then. Right now we're not planning any electrical upgrading. (We just bought a new gas range instead of electric to avoid needing an upgrade.)

However, we have been looking into installing solar panels, which I believe would require some kind of work on our box anyway.

Natural gas, solar. Why do you hate AB?!?!?!?!?!

They were fresh out of coal stoves.

[mister d]

There’s no great winter night to lose heat and not be able to get the part until tomorrow but the day before your kid’s birthday party is on the worse side of the median. Luckily it’s not a house party.

[sancarlos]

There’s no great winter night to lose heat and not be able to get the part until tomorrow but the day before your kid’s birthday party is on the worse side of the median. Luckily it’s not a house party.

Well, that sucks.

[rass]

Could be colder.

[mister d]

Weird shit. Kicked back on at 12:30 AM then died again sometime during the party. Guy came out, opened up the low water cutoff box thing and asked me if I messed around in there. I didn’t because a quick google said I’d likely fuck it but the issue was a wire coming loose that he said can’t happen on its own. Looking at how he reattached I get why he’d think I was a liar but also I know I didn’t and it’s been working fine. Best guess is it was never right but touching(?) and he made it right. Who knows. Weird day.

[EnochRoot]

So we need to install a dryer vent into our house. The house is 110 years old and nobody ever installed a vent. Go figure. Or it was installed and since removed.

Anyway, we need a new washer & dryer, and the dryer options really open up when you don't need a ventless option. Anybody have any advice to impart re: installing a vent on the side of a house? I guess the duct/hose will have to be insulated in some safe/compliant fashion.

We're in the market for a stackable washer/dryer solution, and would like to stay under $2k with both installed (this isn't including the vent installation, which for the life of me I have no idea what will cost me). Anybody have any recommendations? I'd like to avoid LG if at all possible. Whirlpool? GE? Samsung?

[govmentchedda]

Not sure if they have stackable, but we love our speed queens.

[Ryan]

- Trump when the Olympic team visited the White House

[Gunpowder]

So we need to install a dryer vent into our house. The house is 110 years old and nobody ever installed a vent. Go figure. Or it was installed and since removed.

Anyway, we need a new washer & dryer, and the dryer options really open up when you don't need a ventless option. Anybody have any advice to impart re: installing a vent on the side of a house? I guess the duct/hose will have to be insulated in some safe/compliant fashion.

We're in the market for a stackable washer/dryer solution, and would like to stay under $2k with both installed (this isn't including the vent installation, which for the life of me I have no idea what will cost me). Anybody have any recommendations? I'd like to avoid LG if at all possible. Whirlpool? GE? Samsung?

Hmm...sounds like you've had a bad experience with LG. I have an LG stack and we're happy with them (I'm told, that's the one chore I rarely ever do).

I've heard bad things about Samsung (which surprised me) and I personally don't like Whirlpool. No idea on GE.

[EnochRoot]

So we need to install a dryer vent into our house. The house is 110 years old and nobody ever installed a vent. Go figure. Or it was installed and since removed.

Anyway, we need a new washer & dryer, and the dryer options really open up when you don't need a ventless option. Anybody have any advice to impart re: installing a vent on the side of a house? I guess the duct/hose will have to be insulated in some safe/compliant fashion.

We're in the market for a stackable washer/dryer solution, and would like to stay under $2k with both installed (this isn't including the vent installation, which for the life of me I have no idea what will cost me). Anybody have any recommendations? I'd like to avoid LG if at all possible. Whirlpool? GE? Samsung?

Hmm...sounds like you've had a bad experience with LG. I have an LG stack and we're happy with them (I'm told, that's the one chore I rarely ever do).

I've heard bad things about Samsung (which surprised me) and I personally don't like Whirlpool. No idea on GE.

Yeah, the unit we're replacing is LG. TBH, we are replacing a washer/dryer combination unit. As in, not stackable. The same basin performed both tasks. It lasted like 8 years and I think it might explode if we were to run it again. The unit was stupid from the get - a wash and dry took about 4 hours (45 minute wash, and about 3+ hours to dry your clothes (ventless dryer). That says as much about me thinking it was a decent option as much as it does the company for putting their name on the product though.

I'm looking at this LG. I know I have to get a handyman in to install the vent before I order it though.

Also considering GE and Whirlpool (and their companion stackable dryers)...The LG is actually rated higher. So I just gotta get over the mental block.

[GoodKarma]

So we need to install a dryer vent into our house. The house is 110 years old and nobody ever installed a vent. Go figure. Or it was installed and since removed.

Anyway, we need a new washer & dryer, and the dryer options really open up when you don't need a ventless option. Anybody have any advice to impart re: installing a vent on the side of a house? I guess the duct/hose will have to be insulated in some safe/compliant fashion.

We're in the market for a stackable washer/dryer solution, and would like to stay under $2k with both installed (this isn't including the vent installation, which for the life of me I have no idea what will cost me). Anybody have any recommendations? I'd like to avoid LG if at all possible. Whirlpool? GE? Samsung?

Installing a vent should not be a big deal. I had a handyman do it at my house when we had to relocate the vent/opening due to getting a stackable unit. If you can find someone like a handyman, it shouldn’t be more than a couple hundred dollars, my guy did it when he was doing a bunch of other stuff so I can’t tell you exactly what that I want to cost me. It should literally just be cutting a hole in the house… The vent itself should have all of the required fittings, etc.

[EnochRoot]

So we need to install a dryer vent into our house. The house is 110 years old and nobody ever installed a vent. Go figure. Or it was installed and since removed.

Anyway, we need a new washer & dryer, and the dryer options really open up when you don't need a ventless option. Anybody have any advice to impart re: installing a vent on the side of a house? I guess the duct/hose will have to be insulated in some safe/compliant fashion.

We're in the market for a stackable washer/dryer solution, and would like to stay under $2k with both installed (this isn't including the vent installation, which for the life of me I have no idea what will cost me). Anybody have any recommendations? I'd like to avoid LG if at all possible. Whirlpool? GE? Samsung?

Installing a vent should not be a big deal. I had a handyman do it at my house when we had to relocate the vent/opening due to getting a stackable unit. If you can find someone like a handyman, it shouldn’t be more than a couple hundred dollars, my guy did it when he was doing a bunch of other stuff so I can’t tell you exactly what that I want to cost me. It should literally just be cutting a hole in the house… The vent itself should have all of the required fittings, etc.

I'm curious about how to secure it with insulation though. Do I create a drywall barrier for it and just insulate that? Am I overthinking this?

[GoodKarma]

So we need to install a dryer vent into our house. The house is 110 years old and nobody ever installed a vent. Go figure. Or it was installed and since removed.

Anyway, we need a new washer & dryer, and the dryer options really open up when you don't need a ventless option. Anybody have any advice to impart re: installing a vent on the side of a house? I guess the duct/hose will have to be insulated in some safe/compliant fashion.

We're in the market for a stackable washer/dryer solution, and would like to stay under $2k with both installed (this isn't including the vent installation, which for the life of me I have no idea what will cost me). Anybody have any recommendations? I'd like to avoid LG if at all possible. Whirlpool? GE? Samsung?

Installing a vent should not be a big deal. I had a handyman do it at my house when we had to relocate the vent/opening due to getting a stackable unit. If you can find someone like a handyman, it shouldn’t be more than a couple hundred dollars, my guy did it when he was doing a bunch of other stuff so I can’t tell you exactly what that I want to cost me. It should literally just be cutting a hole in the house… The vent itself should have all of the required fittings, etc.

I'm curious about how to secure it with insulation though. Do I create a drywall barrier for it and just insulate that? Am I overthinking this?

I think you’re overthinking it. Once the hole is cut, there should be a pipe/vent cover that you put in its place and then the hose will run directly to the dryer.

[Brontoburglar]

we have stackable samsung washers we bought from costco when we bought our house. been happy with them so far and the costco customer support came in handy after we had torn washer seal (it was user error). they came out and fixed it and even briefly offered to fully refund us for the unit before I took the repair for logistical reasons. I've started to buy from costco whenever prices are comparable elsewhere to get the extra years of service and support

((I might have asked about the refund thing upthread a couple years ago))