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Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

WilmingtonDeac said:
Anyone have any experience replacing french doors? I have 2 sets of french doors that need replacing and I'm considering tackling the job myself.
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separating interior rooms, or going from interior to exterior?
If the former, go for the gold.
If the latter, I guess it would really depend on your handiness. It's not so much that it's difficult (though getting doors plumb/level/square is a PITA), but any exterior opening gone wrong (or just not done well) has big ramifications down the line with water damage, exposure, etc.
 
lbE08 said:
separating interior rooms, or going from interior to exterior?
If the former, go for the gold.
If the latter, I guess it would really depend on your handiness. It's not so much that it's difficult (though getting doors plumb/level/square is a PITA), but any exterior opening gone wrong (or just not done well) has big ramifications down the line with water damage, exposure, etc.
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I'll second the above. If you don't get the plumb, level, molding and sealing correct on an exterior door, many problems can follow.

Even inside doors are hard because you can't reach across. You need a helper just to span the width side to side. The newly available metal clips for getting the door plumb and straight are very helpful. But I still like to put the shims in afterward to insure that the frame doesn't bow when screwing the door frame to the rough opening framing.
 
Thanks for the input. They are both interior to exterior doors. One set off our bedroom and another set going from a different room to the back deck.

I'm fairly handy so I was hoping to do it myself but given the comments I think maybe I'll hire out the set we want to do first and try to pay close attention to how they handle the installation before deciding whether or not I want to tackle the 2nd set.
 
I have some lights outside that aren’t working so I went and got new light fixtures and such and tried to install them and they too aren’t working. Using a voltage detector it seems I have live wires for both the black and white wire, does this mean there’s probably a leak somewhere that the two wire must be touching? Makes sense why the lights aren’t working as there’s no way to completely the circuit. I’m assuming this is a job for an electrician to figure out?
 
are you sure there aren't two light switches ? is it a landscaping light that needs a transformer?
 
Not a landscaping light, one is a flood light the other is just a side door light. Now two switches might be possible as like most houses there are some switches that I have no idea what the hell they do.
 
Louis Gossett Jr said:
I have some lights outside that aren’t working so I went and got new light fixtures and such and tried to install them and they too aren’t working. Using a voltage detector it seems I have live wires for both the black and white wire, does this mean there’s probably a leak somewhere that the two wire must be touching? Makes sense why the lights aren’t working as there’s no way to completely the circuit. I’m assuming this is a job for an electrician to figure out?
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Some questions.
Did you get actual voltage numbers from the "voltage detector?" If so please share. Voltage should be between 110 and 125.
Did you put the new light fixtures in with correct polarity and good ground? LED fixtures require this. Old ones didn't.

I know it's 50-50 if you just randomly attach, but Murphy says you get it wrong 99% of the time if you don't pay attention to polarity. Usually it is black to brass and white to silver, but manufacturer of the fixture may have done something different.

Do your new fixtures have built in photocell switches? If si, are they adjusted properly?

Is there a photocell somewhere else? I have a post lamp with the photocell controller 30 feet away by the house.

If none of the above solves the issue, then you probsbly need an electrician.
 
More outdoor light questions!

I have two direct wired (120v AC) path lights that terminate at a light pole. I'm trying to replace the path lights with 12v LEDs rather than rip out the buried lined or run a new low volt line from a transformer.

I bought a couple of these and tried it on one last night.

fvndX2q.jpg


The LED wouldn't turn on but the pole light was still functioning. Is this possible or do i need to do the transformer and new line
 
Anyone have a brilliant idea to increase the water pressure of a fridge line, beyond getting a bigger line?
 
is it a samsung? we had one and the water dispenser was fucking pathetic, no matter how often i changed the filter. There are some filter bypass hacks online that seem to help. I never tried, just went with tap b/c the taste is fine in our area.
 
Anyone here purchased a handheld shower head in the last year or so that they really like or highly recommend?

Thx
 
ImTheCaptain said:
More outdoor light questions!

I have two direct wired (120v AC) path lights that terminate at a light pole. I'm trying to replace the path lights with 12v LEDs rather than rip out the buried lined or run a new low volt line from a transformer.

I bought a couple of these and tried it on one last night.

fvndX2q.jpg


The LED wouldn't turn on but the pole light was still functioning. Is this possible or do i need to do the transformer and new line
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Picture is too fuzzy for me to tell what is going on. Output voltage from this is??? pos and neg wires are???

Some possibilities: polarity is wrong to LED. They are called "diodes" for a reason.

output voltage of the thing you pictured is wrong for the LED lighting you have.

there is a photocell somewhere that is not letting the landscape light turn on.

It's easily possible the pole light could work, as long as the 120 V AC is passed through.
 
that's what's crazy - i installed it in every permutation and it did not work. It is a 12v light, though lower wattage than this transformer puts out. There are no photocells b/c it's wired to a switch and the light that was there before worked (an old school path light, direct-wired lightbulb)
 
We had a big oak come down on the house. Long story short, they are repairing the inside now, and there are a couple areas where the old plaster wall/ceiling was damaged. The insurance company and contractor will pay for either drywall or plaster to be used as a replacement. Plaster would take much longer due to cure time. Is there any good reason to choose one over the other?
 
i believe drywall usually has higher R value but is less sound proof than plaster there are some 'durability' advantages but essentially plaster looks better and that's about it.

also difficult to DIY repair well vs drywall if you have smaller/spot damage
 
DeaconCav06 said:
Is it the water filter?
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ImTheCaptain said:
is it a samsung? we had one and the water dispenser was fucking pathetic, no matter how often i changed the filter. There are some filter bypass hacks online that seem to help. I never tried, just went with tap b/c the taste is fine in our area.
Click to expand...

It's an LG, but I'm wondering if it's the filter. We haven't thrown out our Brita just yet for this specific reason.
 
ImTheCaptain said:
that's what's crazy - i installed it in every permutation and it did not work. It is a 12v light, though lower wattage than this transformer puts out. There are no photocells b/c it's wired to a switch and the light that was there before worked (an old school path light, direct-wired lightbulb)
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Do you have a meter to check that the device is working properly. Are you getting output as stated?

Is the LED light operable, or did it get fried by one of the permutations you tried?

Two white wires on what I guess to be the input side are concerning. I would expect one white and one black to connect to the corresponding white and black of the 120 V line.

The ouput side should be clearly marked for the pos and neg wires of the 12V DC it provides.
 
We have an older house. The light in the closet went out. After trying four different bulbs, I discovered that there is no electricity in the socket or at the switch. I flipped the breaker, and there is still no electricity. Thoughts?
 
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