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Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

Deaconblue said:
Hmm.

Did everything work before you changed the switch(es)?

What is the story of the three(?) black wires tied together in the orange and clear connector on the left side of the box?

One big puzzle for me is the statement that "There are multiple other switches spread across the basement that control the same lights."
How many is "multiple?"

Four way switches do exist.

There are two general ways switches are wired to lights.

1. The power comes from source to switch and then to light.

2. Power goes to light fixture box and wire goes from there to switch and back to the light.

When wiring three way switches, "travelers" (typically red wires, but sometimes other colors) connect the switches so power is available to turn on the lights from either switch.

With three way switches, one is "master" and one is slave. The master is the one that has the power come to it first, whether situation is #1 or #2 above. Slaves are wired differently depending on the situation.
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I think maybe they worked before I messed with them?

I have no idea what's going on with the wires tied together.

There are four lights outside. Two are operated together, and the other two are each independent. I know for a fact that one of the two switches in the picture controls the pair of lights, and at least one switch in another room also controls them. I suspect that one other switch does too, but I don't know that for sure. I believe that the other switch in the picture controls one of the independent lights, which is also controlled by another switch. There is at least one other set of lights in the house that is controlled by three switches, so it wouldn't be the first time they've done it here.
 
OldGoldBeard said:
I think maybe they worked before I messed with them?

I have no idea what's going on with the wires tied together.

There are four lights outside. Two are operated together, and the other two are each independent. I know for a fact that one of the two switches in the picture controls the pair of lights, and at least one switch in another room also controls them. I suspect that one other switch does too, but I don't know that for sure. I believe that the other switch in the picture controls one of the independent lights, which is also controlled by another switch. There is at least one other set of lights in the house that is controlled by three switches, so it wouldn't be the first time they've done it here.
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With all of the uncertainty about starting situation, and unusual arrangement of what is known, I think you need an electrician. This needs a knowledgeable person to put hands (and voltmeter) on the wires. Sorry I can't be more help.
 
Big project time. New garage door. No, I'm not DIYing this. Garage door springs are for professionals. They can kill you.
 
Deaconblue said:
Big project time. New garage door. No, I'm not DIYing this. Garage door springs are for professionals. They can kill you.
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Yeah...I don't mess with them at all.

We had golf ball sized hail 2 weeks ago. Filing claims for my metal roof on my house, my truck, my shop, and shed. Storm was the damndest thing I've ever been in the middle of.
 
Pilot light won't stay lit on our ~2 year old Rheem water heater. When I called about it, I got the impression that this is a known issue. They are sending a part that should arrive tomorrow and told me I could either install it myself or call my plumber.

I hope the fix is as simple as replacing the part (thermostatic gas valve), but we'll see.

[DEACONBLUE BAT SIGNAL]
 
At my old house I ended up getting really good at scrambling up the attic ladder at 6am to light the pilot with a match when it kept going out. That water heater ate thermocouples for breakfast.
 
DeacsATS said:
Pilot light won't stay lit on our ~2 year old Rheem water heater. When I called about it, I got the impression that this is a known issue. They are sending a part that should arrive tomorrow and told me I could either install it myself or call my plumber.

I hope the fix is as simple as replacing the part (thermostatic gas valve), but we'll see.

[DEACONBLUE BAT SIGNAL]
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If Rheem is considering this a DIY project, read and follow instructions. If any of the installation involves parts that have gas flowing though them, pay attention to and follow diligently the instructions about checking for gas leaks.
 
Deaconblue said:
If Rheem is considering this a DIY project, read and follow instructions. If any of the installation involves parts that have gas flowing though them, pay attention to and follow diligently the instructions about checking for gas leaks.
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Yeah, I'm no hero.

I'm going to enlist my uncle to come supervise... He's a general contractor (my own personal DeaconBlue).

I did think it was funny that the Rheem rep was like, "you can just do it yourself or call your local plumber." Lady, I work in finance. I'm going to blow my own home sky high if I try this myself.
 
@Deaconblue, we are looking to replace our wooden railings on our deck with stainless cables. Do you have any recommendations on a brand or a source that you prefer?
 
New water heater part arrived last night while I wasn't home and my wife installed it with my uncle. Apparently it was a really easy fix.

Took a nice, hot shower when I got home and I haven't been smelling a gas leak and our house hasn't exploded yet. So all good.
 
tsywake said:
Yeah...I don't mess with them at all.

We had golf ball sized hail 2 weeks ago. Filing claims for my metal roof on my house, my truck, my shop, and shed. Storm was the damndest thing I've ever been in the middle of.
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Guess I need to get someone to check out my roof. I'm in Clemmons and got a lot of hail but they weren't much bigger than a nickel in diameter. Guess it won't hurt to see if I can get a free roof.
 
deacfan78 said:
Guess I need to get someone to check out my roof. I'm in Clemmons and got a lot of hail but they weren't much bigger than a nickel in diameter. Guess it won't hurt to see if I can get a free roof.
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For sure. I knew we'd have damage so I went ahead and called a guy.

A couple days ago, I randomly received this mailing from a roofer in Durham. They have access to a radar that apparently shows hail impacts from a storm. Pretty wild.
443ca6a566025c85638b9444246a87f0.jpg
 
tsywake said:
For sure. I knew we'd have damage so I went ahead and called a guy.

A couple days ago, I randomly received this mailing from a roofer in Durham. They have access to a radar that apparently shows hail impacts from a storm. Pretty wild.
443ca6a566025c85638b9444246a87f0.jpg
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Yep, got that same mailer.
 
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