We bike ride the Redondo Beach to Dockweiler and of course along the way we stop at Hermosa boardwalk.
If you like Ice Cream have you been to "Milk"?? If not, you really need to go and experience them.
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The Home Improvement Q&A Thread
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We bike ride the Redondo Beach to Dockweiler and of course along the way we stop at Hermosa boardwalk.
If you like Ice Cream have you been to "Milk"?? If not, you really need to go and experience them.
Yes, I have. Numerous times. Not great for the waist... but you only live once. Years ago there was a place in Santa Barbara that did an ice cream cake version of a Rafaello. And, no, I don't mean it was Ted Cruz flavored. I mean Rafaello the Ferro Rocher made candy. The coconut and almond one. It was to die for.
Any update on the spraying, @rhett7660? By the way, it looks like you guys are in for a few years of major construction by the port. NYT ran an article this morning on it.
Edit: And the above conversation made me instantly crave ice cream...
Edit: And the above conversation made me instantly crave ice cream...
Spraying has been great. Did our house and my Mom's and have had great success! No issues with the animals, haven't seen any of the creepy crawlers, and the best part we were able to cancel all of our contracts with that company!
When it comes to the port, we stay far away! It is a nightmare right now with all of the construction, detours, and closures. Yeah we tend to stay away and take the long way around if possible!
I just have Terminex's termite coverage which is about $250 a year for the warranty. For bugs around the house I spray Ortho Home Defense twice a year in crucial areas of the house. Apologies if I mentioned this already.
We have a rental and observed some tenants attract pestilence and some dont.
In between leases, we scrub all areas like the kitchen with TSP & paint. After that; +1-2 weeks the structure is de-bugged.
Establish a small perimeter around the property. Cut the grass rake up leaves and trash. Keep all moisture away from the foundation.
funny how it works?
In between leases, we scrub all areas like the kitchen with TSP & paint. After that; +1-2 weeks the structure is de-bugged.
Establish a small perimeter around the property. Cut the grass rake up leaves and trash. Keep all moisture away from the foundation.
funny how it works?
I’m looking into a possible alternative to Terminex such as doing my own application of anti-termite chemicals. The big advantage is that their product that is sprayed into the dirt is that it bonds with the dirt, is not washed away, and they claim it remains effective for 10 years*.
*However, that maybe questionable.
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Proof of coverage is sometimes necessary for insurance, buying, or selling.
I’d never go with Terminex around here though. It’s a racket that upsells and takes advantage of people’s ignorance and fear. There are local more trustworthy alternatives.
for the kitchen: something new something old:
I re modeled (4) mid century kitchen florescent ceiling light fixtures.
Well made but sooo old they came back into style; space ship sputNick design with heavy glass and brushed nickel
-re using them leaves original house wiring un disturbed.
-The wall board is un disturbed too and I dont have to re plaster paint
I replaced the existing round florescent tubes & ballast with a 110vac ~8" square metal retro fit plate with 30watts of LED's glued on. it comes in 2 colors 5000K (white light) or 2400K (traditional yellow brown light) and it is super bright (3000 L) The original fixture was rated 1500 luminous. the new fixture has no flicker, immediately power up, no fuss. I used self tapping sheet metal screws to attach the retro fit metal plate. There was a center knock out for fixtures with a center support situation. Purchased the thingy from amazon as "Worbest 8" 30W LED retrofit kit" $20usd.
We cant wait to see the difference the efficient LED lights make on the utility bill and the new brighter lighting really makes the existing white marble counter tops stand out. Some effort to polish the existing counter top; used a diamond grit compound and a small hand held grinder in its very most slowest speed. The polishing compound got every where but this was done before re painting the room. White marble so used a light colored polishing past. Cut out and glued a section of commercial floor scrub pad onto the grinder.
I re modeled (4) mid century kitchen florescent ceiling light fixtures.
Well made but sooo old they came back into style; space ship sputNick design with heavy glass and brushed nickel
-re using them leaves original house wiring un disturbed.
-The wall board is un disturbed too and I dont have to re plaster paint
I replaced the existing round florescent tubes & ballast with a 110vac ~8" square metal retro fit plate with 30watts of LED's glued on. it comes in 2 colors 5000K (white light) or 2400K (traditional yellow brown light) and it is super bright (3000 L) The original fixture was rated 1500 luminous. the new fixture has no flicker, immediately power up, no fuss. I used self tapping sheet metal screws to attach the retro fit metal plate. There was a center knock out for fixtures with a center support situation. Purchased the thingy from amazon as "Worbest 8" 30W LED retrofit kit" $20usd.
We cant wait to see the difference the efficient LED lights make on the utility bill and the new brighter lighting really makes the existing white marble counter tops stand out. Some effort to polish the existing counter top; used a diamond grit compound and a small hand held grinder in its very most slowest speed. The polishing compound got every where but this was done before re painting the room. White marble so used a light colored polishing past. Cut out and glued a section of commercial floor scrub pad onto the grinder.
I’ll look into this. I may actually be able to save $150 a year. Then I can weigh if the insurance part of Terminex’s coverage is worth that extra amount.
My guest bathroom tub drains slowly. I've made several attempts to use a Liquid Plumber type product to improve drainage, no help. There are no issues with the sinks and the toilet that are close by.
I do have a snake, but I've never tried to clear a tub drain before. My impression is that it is difficult to navigate a snake through a tub trap. My question is could the snake be put down via the overflow drain located at the top of the tub below the faucet?
Or any other ideas?
Thanks!
![Guest Bathtub.jpg]( "Guest Bathtub.jpg")
I do have a snake, but I've never tried to clear a tub drain before. My impression is that it is difficult to navigate a snake through a tub trap. My question is could the snake be put down via the overflow drain located at the top of the tub below the faucet?
Or any other ideas?
Thanks!
Go to the store and buy a product called "Instant Power Hair and Grease." Use that, let it sit for a couple hours and then flush it with hot water unless your tub is porcelain. I've been using that product for many years. It has never ever failed me. It will also rid your drain of any compound smells like sulfur from 'rotting' hair and soap.
I'd suggest buying a "zip it" ... only costs about $3 and does a great job of pulling hair and gunk out of the drain pipe.
I figured this would include home electronics/appliance type fixes, so I've got a recent one 
We have a nice, high end (cherry metallic red!) LG washer/dryer set, about 7 years old, out of extended warranty. Last Thursday, out of the blue the front display goes dark, so I immediately check the breaker panel, nothing is tripped, not to mention when I open the door, the interior light comes on.
OK, so we pull it out from the wall so I can reach the rear top screws, I confirm some disassembly online, simple to remove the rear bracket, top, access the front panel logic board. I remove it, inspect it for damage. specifically the caps, looks OK, smells a little funky (DC converter looks a little black), board level repair would be a PITA as it's sealed in a thick layer of epoxy (I guess for heat and/or moisture resistance).
However, you don't need full on board level diags on something like this, there's really 4-5 major systems in a dryer, ID and replace.
So dryers have a couple of sensors, one is the thermostat, if that goes, everything else should work, just no heat, clearly this wasn't the case.
A second sensor located right near the thermostat is a thermal fuse, this is a safety switch in case it overheats (due to outlets being blocked/clogged, etc.) FYI, for the aforementioned sensor access if you research via YT, recommends removing the front, the drum/belt: *however*, on our model (and apparently most models), you can reach them through the rear duct cutout, and that's way less disassembly! FYI#2, you can reset them, even though they might be spec'ed as "single use".
So I take out the thermal fuse, to check it with a meter, then I thought to check the front door light, it still works. So I'm thinking if the fuse was some kind of global shutdown, there wouldn't be power to anything, and on top of that, cutting display power seems like an odd behavior, I re-install it, go back to the logic board.
So the board assembly is really two components, the rear board with most of the components, including power, and a daughter board with the switches and LEDs that connect to the external facing front panel. I decide if it is something, it's 95% likely the main component, and it's easy separated (two connectors, 3 screws).
I hop onto Appliance Part Pros who I've used in the past, find the part (they have a terrific search system, that also shows related components). I read a few comments, a few seem to suggest I'm on the right path, so I place my order, $98, the cheaper shipping puts it around 5-6 days, I pay just an extra $12, for next day delivery (and this was at 3p in the afternoon).
Get it around 1p the next day, pop it in, we have sounds and lights! Take some time to clean out a few things while it's away from the wall and I have partial interior access, put it back together, done. Resolved in under 24 hours, no service call, reasonably low cost fix (I would've saved another $30 if I wanted to wait for delivery from a slower source). It's been running for a week and a few days, perfect.
We have a nice, high end (cherry metallic red!) LG washer/dryer set, about 7 years old, out of extended warranty. Last Thursday, out of the blue the front display goes dark, so I immediately check the breaker panel, nothing is tripped, not to mention when I open the door, the interior light comes on.
OK, so we pull it out from the wall so I can reach the rear top screws, I confirm some disassembly online, simple to remove the rear bracket, top, access the front panel logic board. I remove it, inspect it for damage. specifically the caps, looks OK, smells a little funky (DC converter looks a little black), board level repair would be a PITA as it's sealed in a thick layer of epoxy (I guess for heat and/or moisture resistance).
However, you don't need full on board level diags on something like this, there's really 4-5 major systems in a dryer, ID and replace.
So dryers have a couple of sensors, one is the thermostat, if that goes, everything else should work, just no heat, clearly this wasn't the case.
A second sensor located right near the thermostat is a thermal fuse, this is a safety switch in case it overheats (due to outlets being blocked/clogged, etc.) FYI, for the aforementioned sensor access if you research via YT, recommends removing the front, the drum/belt: *however*, on our model (and apparently most models), you can reach them through the rear duct cutout, and that's way less disassembly! FYI#2, you can reset them, even though they might be spec'ed as "single use".
So I take out the thermal fuse, to check it with a meter, then I thought to check the front door light, it still works. So I'm thinking if the fuse was some kind of global shutdown, there wouldn't be power to anything, and on top of that, cutting display power seems like an odd behavior, I re-install it, go back to the logic board.
So the board assembly is really two components, the rear board with most of the components, including power, and a daughter board with the switches and LEDs that connect to the external facing front panel. I decide if it is something, it's 95% likely the main component, and it's easy separated (two connectors, 3 screws).
I hop onto Appliance Part Pros who I've used in the past, find the part (they have a terrific search system, that also shows related components). I read a few comments, a few seem to suggest I'm on the right path, so I place my order, $98, the cheaper shipping puts it around 5-6 days, I pay just an extra $12, for next day delivery (and this was at 3p in the afternoon).
Get it around 1p the next day, pop it in, we have sounds and lights! Take some time to clean out a few things while it's away from the wall and I have partial interior access, put it back together, done. Resolved in under 24 hours, no service call, reasonably low cost fix (I would've saved another $30 if I wanted to wait for delivery from a slower source). It's been running for a week and a few days, perfect.
I’ll look for this, thanks!I'd suggest buying a "zip it" ... only costs about $3 and does a great job of pulling hair and gunk out of the drain pipe.
![zip-it-drain-cleaner-elegant.jpg]()
[doublepost=1530465523][/doublepost]
You made that sound easy.I figured this would include home electronics/appliance type fixes, so I've got a recent one
We have a nice, high end (cherry metallic red!) LG washer/dryer set, about 7 years old, out of extended warranty. Last Thursday, out of the blue the front display goes dark, so I immediately check the breaker panel, nothing is tripped, not to mention when I open the door, the interior light comes on.
OK, so we pull it out from the wall so I can reach the rear top screws, I confirm some disassembly online, simple to remove the rear bracket, top, access the front panel logic board. I remove it, inspect it for damage. specifically the caps, looks OK, smells a little funky (DC converter looks a little black), board level repair would be a PITA as it's sealed in a thick layer of epoxy (I guess for heat and/or moisture resistance).
However, you don't need full on board level diags on something like this, there's really 4-5 major systems in a dryer, ID and replace.
So dryers have a couple of sensors, one is the thermostat, if that goes, everything else should work, just no heat, clearly this wasn't the case.
A second sensor located right near the thermostat is a thermal fuse, this is a safety switch in case it overheats (due to outlets being blocked/clogged, etc.) FYI, for the aforementioned sensor access if you research via YT, recommends removing the front, the drum/belt: *however*, on our model (and apparently most models), you can reach them through the rear duct cutout, and that's way less disassembly! FYI#2, you can reset them, even though they might be spec'ed as "single use".
So I take out the thermal fuse, to check it with a meter, then I thought to check the front door light, it still works. So I'm thinking if the fuse was some kind of global shutdown, there wouldn't be power to anything, and on top of that, cutting display power seems like an odd behavior, I re-install it, go back to the logic board.
So the board assembly is really two components, the rear board with most of the components, including power, and a daughter board with the switches and LEDs that connect to the external facing front panel. I decide if it is something, it's 95% likely the main component, and it's easy separated (two connectors, 3 screws).
I hop onto Appliance Part Pros who I've used in the past, find the part (they have a terrific search system, that also shows related components). I read a few comments, a few seem to suggest I'm on the right path, so I place my order, $98, the cheaper shipping puts it around 5-6 days, I pay just an extra $12, for next day delivery (and this was at 3p in the afternoon).
Get it around 1p the next day, pop it in, we have sounds and lights! Take some time to clean out a few things while it's away from the wall and I have partial interior access, put it back together, done. Resolved in under 24 hours, no service call, reasonably low cost fix (I would've saved another $30 if I wanted to wait for delivery from a slower source). It's been running for a week and a few days, perfect.
My last laundry room repair was a dryer about 20 years ago.Why? Have you ever seen a professional plumber use one of these? fraid not.
Use the instant power because that will do the job and clear your pipes!
I'd suggest buying a "zip it" ... only costs about $3 and does a great job of pulling hair and gunk out of the drain pipe.
![zip-it-drain-cleaner-elegant.jpg]()
I tried this and discovered the clog is beyond the trap. I opened the overflow drain in the tub and ran a plumbers auger snake down there and about 24 " in ran into a big glob of hair.
I did not pull much out, but I did manage to get the water running again. I have a gallon of Drain Max Gel and because I had to get beyond the trap probably poured close to half of it down the drain. I'm letting it sit for 15 minutes with the hope the gel sits on the hair clog and dissolves it. Then I'll run about a gallon of boiling water down there and see what happens. I think we need to get a hair blocker for the drain.
They also have a sulfuric acid drain cleaner where the bottle comes wrapped in plastic and is only supposed to be left in the drain for 4 minutes and it's not to be used on a completely clogged drain. This is nasty stuff. But I I'd really like to get rid of this hair ball, which I think is still down there. I just poked some holes in it.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Theochem-32-oz-Sulfuric-Acid-Drain-Opener/3371170
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Anyone try MDF in drop panel ceilings?Most of the panels in my office ceiling are curling. I was going to go with new panels until I saw how much they cost. I figured out it will cost me less than half using 1/2" MDF sheets. Cut them down to size and paint them. I've got about 20 gallons of leftover paint from various projects so that adds no cost.
My chief concerns are weight and will they curl too? MDF is much heavier per square foot than whatever type of fiberboard is up there now. To avoid curling I plan on using 1/2" rather than 1/4" MDF.
I'll also be replacing the fluorescent light with can lights. I already know what I'll be doing for that. Just an FYI.
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sulfuric acid drain cleaner
-i got my hands on some and used it twice on a basement shower drain. First time was ok, got the job done w/o any bad effects Second time, different brand, it stank up the whole house.
Slow Drain:
-either way call a "$99 Router Man", really not that much money?
-chances are good the clot is gone, give it a second chance.
-the "zip it" product is great, plumbing supply houses have extra long ones
drop ceilings:
maybe attempt to replace only the damaged panels and or the whole area. Either way ck out a used seconds building supply for re-cycled or new left over panels. Even 20gal of paint now a days may not cover as much square feet as expected.
-You might weigh a 1x1' panel of each material and at least you will have a weight number to research.
-Are both materials fire rated?
Replacing Lighting:
ck out the new LED lighting. Look at the existing lighting and get the lumem and Kelvin color off the old tubes. For example; (2) old fashion T8 florescent tubes will emit ~2500 lumen each, 35watts each. A new replacement LED panel is $60.00 and will emit ~5500 Lumen. 5000K is a good white color.
-i got my hands on some and used it twice on a basement shower drain. First time was ok, got the job done w/o any bad effects Second time, different brand, it stank up the whole house.
Slow Drain:
-either way call a "$99 Router Man", really not that much money?
-chances are good the clot is gone, give it a second chance.
-the "zip it" product is great, plumbing supply houses have extra long ones
drop ceilings:
maybe attempt to replace only the damaged panels and or the whole area. Either way ck out a used seconds building supply for re-cycled or new left over panels. Even 20gal of paint now a days may not cover as much square feet as expected.
-You might weigh a 1x1' panel of each material and at least you will have a weight number to research.
-Are both materials fire rated?
Replacing Lighting:
ck out the new LED lighting. Look at the existing lighting and get the lumem and Kelvin color off the old tubes. For example; (2) old fashion T8 florescent tubes will emit ~2500 lumen each, 35watts each. A new replacement LED panel is $60.00 and will emit ~5500 Lumen. 5000K is a good white color.