The Home Improvement Q&A Thread

[willmtaylor]

Hmm, don't see wainscoting on houses after a certain decade here. Are you in the midwest or east coast/south? I'm usually wary of early 90s builds because at the time there was some tomfoolery with contract home builders across the states. But any quality inspector would have picked up on cheaping out of materials.

Looks good!

Southern Midwest. We’ve always thought it had a classic/timeless look we like. Made our front two rooms on either side of the entryway/foyer look upgraded.

House was a custom build and we personally know the inspector who’s also a local builder, so we trusted his eye. So far so good.

Thanks!

 

[0388631]

Southern Midwest. We’ve always thought it had a classic/timeless look we like. Made our front two rooms on either side of the entryway/foyer look upgraded.

House was a custom build and we personally know the inspector who’s also a local builder, so we trusted his eye. So far so good.

Thanks!

Figured. Yeah, it can look good depending on the pattern. There's a lot of traditional patterns and of course old European style patterns for larger rooms that add a richness. I've seen it in some luxury home builds out here for the entrance/foyer and just beyond. Used wisely, it looks good.

There's always a beautiful contrast between the white and a rich color like that play room or say a deep red or green. Doesn't really work with lighter colors like seafoam or butter yellow in say a southern home.

 

[willmtaylor]

Figured. Yeah, it can look good depending on the pattern. There's a lot of traditional patterns and of course old European style patterns for larger rooms that add a richness. I've seen it in some luxury home builds out here for the entrance/foyer and just beyond. Used wisely, it looks good.

There's always a beautiful contrast between the white and a rich color like that play room or say a deep red or green. Doesn't really work with lighter colors like seafoam or butter yellow in say a southern home.

The room to the right is a deep forest green on top with wainscoting on bottom. It’s a piano room/guest room.
The room pictured is technically supposed to be the formal dining, but it’s the kids’ playroom (obviously) for now, and is a dark navy on top.

The rest of our house is painted with shades of grey and blue tones, so those 2 rooms pop. We’re pleased with how they turned out.

 

[0388631]

but it’s the kids’ playroom (obviously) for now, and is a dark navy on top.

I can confirm nearly every room has become a playroom for ours... Who knew kids can take up thousands of square feet.

 

[willmtaylor]

I can confirm nearly every room has become a playroom for ours... Who knew kids can take up thousands of square feet.

They definitely take up more than their share.

I thought once we got rid of diapers, formula, and other infant accouterments, it would improve. Alas, it has not.

 

[jeyf]

I got lucky and thankfully didn't need to replace the pump. While this is a shallow well pump for sprinklers...

-i would look into getting a filter (made for residential irrigation) if your using water from a shallow irrigation well.
-remember this type of well water is NOT portable for humans or animals.
-Have the pump intake down 2/3 into the expected water level so it will not in take big chunks of rock or mud.

major drought here so:
Most "shallow" irrigation wells around here are 30-40 feet and have a standard well pump down in the casing. Either way these wells are not dependable and go dry during the summer. Than the pump motor over heats. There is a "pump minder" unit you can get to monitor when the motor is running w/o water.

 

[Huntn]

I got lucky and thankfully didn't need to replace the pump. While this is a shallow well pump for sprinklers, #4 zone valve quit working and the pump was dry pumping creating the heat that distorted the PVC as well as the burnt color on the intake. Problem was low volt electrical wires from controller/timer to valves and when installing the new AC unit workers cut the wire. I had patched it but after a year or so, it stopped working. Valves are in two boxes (3 and 3) and the impacted wire was not the one next to the pump where easy to dig to, but the other side of the house and buried in the original trenching. Ran new wires for zones 4, 5 and 6 but up the house, through the attic and back down.

The good news is, while I knew the pump ran, when I replace the damaged intake line and re-primed it, it pumped a geyser out the open outtake. Then just had to rebuild the outtake line.

View attachment 806448

FMI, does the zone valve come after the pump, or is it before pump where the pump handles the single zone?

 

[0388631]

They definitely take up more than their share.

I thought once we got rid of diapers, formula, and other infant accouterments, it would improve. Alas, it has not.

I'm finding toys, bits and bobs, and more in places I didn't think they could get into.

 

[tizeye]

FMI, does the zone valve come after the pump, or is it before pump where the pump handles the single zone?

After the pump. On a straight system (as opposed to a pressurized tank system with cutoff) components in order are Timer/Master Controller, 220v and low voltage line to pump which turns the pump when the other low voltage line(s) from the controller open the switch at the zone located past the pump. It could be a single switch, or in my case 2 groups of three switches on a manifold that starts the zones. One is located 3 feet from the pump with the oother placed on the other side of the house. Large supply line (1" or 1 1/4") that drops down to 3/4 at each zone, then half inch at destination. (Handles the fiction loss of pressure over distance). Unfortunately, unlike a pressured system, there is no feedback to the controller to stop it when a switch/zone valve doesn't open, so it still tells the pump to pump and the water can't go anywhere but heats up with the spinning pump turbine.

 

[Huntn]

After the pump. On a straight system (as opposed to a pressurized tank system with cutoff) components in order are Timer/Master Controller, 220v and low voltage line to pump which turns the pump when the other low voltage line(s) from the controller open the switch at the zone located past the pump. It could be a single switch, or in my case 2 groups of three switches on a manifold that starts the zones. One is located 3 feet from the pump with the oother placed on the other side of the house. Large supply line (1" or 1 1/4") that drops down to 3/4 at each zone, then half inch at destination. (Handles the fiction loss of pressure over distance). Unfortunately, unlike a pressured system, there is no feedback to the controller to stop it when a switch/zone valve doesn't open, so it still tells the pump to pump and the water can't go anywhere but heats up with the spinning pump turbine.

So because the valve did not open, water could not flow through the pump? I wonder if there could be an easy design, so that if the valve malfunctions again or the pump would just dump water back into the well or vent it out?

 

[Huntn]

Can anyone recommend a good brand of water leak alert system? I’m thinking about this for my water heater in the attic. Right now I have a cheap battery powered one that sits in the water heater pan and makes a racket if there is water in the pan. But I’m thinking hard wired with a battery backup that alerts you on your phone, would be good if they make something like this?

I like both the idea of hard wired electrically, but also a battery backup. But as I think about it, the thing is that if you power goes out, so does your network and the phone warning whether it is hard wired or battery powered. -_-

 

[willmtaylor]

Can anyone recommend a good brand of water leak alert system? I’m thinking about this for my water heater in the attic. Right now I have a cheap battery powered one that sits in the water heater pan and makes a racket if there is water in the pan. But I’m thinking hard wired with a battery backup that alerts you on your phone, would be good if they make something like this?

I like both the idea of hard wired electrically, but also a battery backup. But as I think about it, the thing is that if you power goes out, so does your network and the phone warning whether it is hard wired or battery powered. -_-

Save up and get an on-demand tankless system? Sorry, I couldn’t help it.

I don’t have a leak detector suggestion, but after ours went out and we got our tankless, I’d never go back.

 

[Huntn]

Save up and get an on-demand tankless system? Sorry, I couldn’t help it.

I don’t have a leak detector suggestion, but after ours went out and we got our tankless, I’d never go back.

I read enough negative things about tankless, including expense, I decided against them, and note, they can leak too.

 

[willmtaylor]

I read enough negative things about tankless, including expense, I decided against them, and note, they can leak too.

Fair enough. Each to his own!

 

[jeyf]

stay with the battery unit you have but:
-get a 110vac battery eliminator module off of eBay or amazon. be safe; plug the unit into a standard receptacle where you an keep an eye on it and run the lo voltage wire up to the sensor
-install a drain, for the water pan. Maybe just to the outside or could plumb the pan drain into an existing wast water vent pipe going through the roof.

you may not want to go with a smart home system just for a water alarm. Unless you intend to expand into alarms and video. just seems like another tech mouth to feed.

 

[Weaselboy]

Can anyone recommend a good brand of water leak alert system?

https://www.macrumors.com/review/fibaro-homekit-compatible-flood-sensor/

News article just popped up that might interest you.

 

[Huntn]

Soak your foundation or else!
We have a friend who lives just North of Fort Worth, Texas who bought a new house. The builder told her when it gets hot that if she does not soak the dirt around her foundation, that it would void her warranty on the foundation. Have you ever heard anything like that?

I’ve lived in quite a few places that get hot, and never heard that before. My impression is that if a proper foundation is installed, it should not matter how hot the dirt gets if it is properly compacted before the founation is poured, and, the dirt does not get that hot under the foundation. I wonder how deep the footers are for the foundations in new houses in the Fort Worth area. Did they go cheap?

My initial impression is that if the city building code goes along with this, they are basically giving the builders a pass on their foundation prep, and putting the burden on the home owner. So before I call BS on this, I’ll ask for opinions. What do you think?

 

[Weaselboy]

The builder told her when it gets hot that if she does not soak the dirt around her foundation, that it would void her warranty on the foundation. Have you ever heard anything like that?

I have never heard of such a thing. We bought our house new and live in the desert in California and the builder never said anything about that.

Is it just for the first few months or something to help the concrete cure maybe?

 

[Huntn]

I have never heard of such a thing. We bought our house new and live in the desert in California and the builder never said anything about that.

Is it just for the first few months or something to help the concrete cure maybe?

Hmm, that sounds like a good question, but the house was built in 2015, in a housing development, the original buyer backed out or financing fell through, and no one bought it until our friends in 2017. So you would think that would not be the issue as an ongoing precaution. She was told in the heat of the year to put a soaker hose around her foundation and to run the water 30 min, 3 times a week. And if not, it would void the warranty on her slab not cracking.

But that seems like it would be a difficult thing for a builder to prove that is what happened as a reason to not honor a warranty.

 

[jeyf]

30min of water is a lot of water

is this written in her warranty
oh wait
if there is not written warranty...

 

[Huntn]

Anyone have a WiFi doorbell camera? My wife does not like answering the door. My questions center on power required. Can it run off a doorbell circuit? I suppose there are brands that you can access with your phone. On Amazon the prices run from $50 to $300. Here is a less expensive one. Thoughts, suggestions? Accessing with an iPhone would be nice.

30min of water is a lot of water

is this written in her warranty
oh wait
if there is not written warranty...

I don’t know, it just sounds like BS to me.

 

[Weaselboy]

Anyone have a WiFi doorbell camera? My wife does not like answering the door. My questions center on power required. Can it run off a doorbell circuit? I suppose there are brands that you can access with your phone. On Amazon the prices run from $50 to $300. Here is a less expensive one. Thoughts, suggestions? Accessing with an iPhone would be nice.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DM6BDA4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Doorbell-Tra...x=doorbell+,amazon-devices,190&sr=1-1-catcorr

I have this Ring Doorbell Pro and I'm happy with it. It uses the existing doorbell wiring. It draws more power than most doorbell transformers provide, so you probably want to just go ahead and order this new transformer at the same time to save yourself the hassle. Ring charges $30 a year for online storage of captured videos and you can access those videos or see the camera real time with the iOS or Mac apps.

https://ring.com/share/6682896540518942545

Here is a sample video that caught a package delivery.

 

[willmtaylor]

Anyone have a WiFi doorbell camera? My wife does not like answering the door. My questions center on power required. Can it run off a doorbell circuit? I suppose there are brands that you can access with your phone. On Amazon the prices run from $50 to $300. Here is a less expensive one. Thoughts, suggestions? Accessing with an iPhone would be nice.


I don’t know, it just sounds like BS to me.

Yes, that’s all the power it needs. YouTube is really your friend here. E.g. Do a YouTube search for “Nest Hello install.” There are quite a few detailed and thorough walkthroughs.

 

[Huntn]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DM6BDA4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Doorbell-Transformer-Compatible-Video-Hardwired/dp/B07GND8RMQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3T7J7ENATZEJA&keywords=doorbell+transformer&qid=1556208650&s=amazon-devices&sprefix=doorbell+,amazon-devices,190&sr=1-1-catcorr

I have this Ring Doorbell Pro and I'm happy with it. It uses the existing doorbell wiring. It draws more power than most doorbell transformers provide, so you probably want to just go ahead and order this new transformer at the same time to save yourself the hassle. Ring charges $30 a year for online storage of captured videos and you can access those videos or see the camera real time with the iOS or Mac apps.

https://ring.com/share/6682896540518942545

Here is a sample video that caught a package delivery.

Yes, that’s all the power it needs. YouTube is really your friend here. E.g. Do a YouTube search for “Nest Hello install.”

Thank you both for this info.

I’m not sure it I want video recording, but acknowledge that it might be good for a security incident. However, I could imagine how easy it would be to wear a mask and smashing the item, before attempting to come in through the front door. Fortunately, I have a monitored security system, and I guess I could ask them how much it would cost through them, but I anticipate more than $30 a year.

The cool one is the one you answer through your phone, regardless of where you are, home or not.

 

[willmtaylor]

Thank you both for this info.

I’m not sure it I want video recording, but acknowledge that it might be good for a security incident. However, I could imagine how easy it would be to wear a mask and smashing the item, before attempting to come in through the front door. Fortunately, I have a monitored security system, and I guess I could ask them how much it would cost through them, but I anticipate more than $30 a year.

The cool one is the one you answer through your phone, regardless of where you are, home or not.

Also great for deliveries or even a check-in system for kiddos, curfews, etc.