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Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

tsywake said:
I've got a lighting question.

We've got a large open room that currently has some light fixtures from the 1960s. We want to go brighter, but want to do something nicer than a standard T8 style light. Anyone have any experience with lights comparable in brightness to a T8 but look better? This is what we've currently got:
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Tsy, do you have regular incandescent bulbs or circular fluorescent bulbs in those fixtures? If so, what bulb size diameter? That gives a starting point for the amount of light (number of lumens) that you currently have. see the chart below. Once we know the starting point, then we know how much light you need to make the room brighter.

Standard 60 watt bulbs are about 800 lumens

12 inch diameter FC12T9 bulbs typically have outputs around 2000 lumens. 8 inch diameter FC8T9 bulbs are around 1000 lumens. With 6 fixtures, you could have a current light available of either 12000 or 6000 lumens.

If you want more, T5 type circular fluorescents give about 50% more light for the same physical size bulb (12 inch or 8 inch circle size)

in a different configuration, it will take multiple bulbs per location. Here is a link to a wiki table of light bulb outputs:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp

I tried to reproduce it here:
Minimum Electrical power consumption (Watts)
light output
(lumens) Incandescent Compact LED
fluorescent
450 40 9–13 4–9
800 60 13–15 10–15
1100 75 18–25 17
1600 100 23–30 22
2600 150 30–52 Not available
3100 200 49-75 Not available
4000 300 75-100 Not available

The compact fluorescent bulbs and LED bulbs come with the regular screw in base. You would need fixtures with multiple bulb capability, at least two, probably three or four to give you more light.
Go to a lighting store and find fixtures you like and it should be an easy one for one swap with what you have.
 
We've got standard incandescent 100 watt bulbs, 2 bulbs per fixture. We've got white frosted coverings on the lights now, and we're thinking about going to something with a clear dome. The other option was to go with a tube fluorescent light, but those look too industrial for the style we're going for.
 
tsywake said:
We've got standard incandescent 100 watt bulbs, 2 bulbs per fixture. We've got white frosted coverings on the lights now, and we're thinking about going to something with a clear dome. The other option was to go with a tube fluorescent light, but those look too industrial for the style we're going for.
Click to expand...

So you've got about 19,200 lumens of light in there now. 100 watt Incandescent bulbs will be unobtainable shortly, as production and import is ending for energy reasons. So tis wise to plan ahead. Spiral fluorescents in clear fixtures are a look some people don't like. There are also enclosed compact fluorescents that don't look too bad. LED lighting is allowing some more creative design for light fixtures, because most of them require multiple small LED's to equal the light output of current bulbs. Therefore, with more pieces to arrange, the arrangement can be more creative. Go to a lighting store. Take a look at what's out there. Big drawback currently to LED lighting is price. LED bulbs are ten times the price of current incandescents. But you probably will never need to replace them unless you stay in that house a long time.

You also have a lot of heat being generated by those bulbs- almost the equivalent of a portable electric heater. Dropping that load will make the room easier to cool in the summer.
 
A few months back, the light at the end of our driveway went out. It's nothing fancy, just something like this mounted on a post inside a homemade wooden case with frosted plexiglass. Naturally I thought it was just the bulb that burned out, so I tried three bulbs (of varying wattage -- 20W CFL, 60W incandescent, 200W incandescent) and still no light. The 200W bulb has clear glass and I can see the filament glowing ever so slightly, so I know it's getting juice. I tried wiring in a new fixture (similar to the one above) and it's the same problem. The new fixture says max wattage is 150W, and the old one I think says 120W, FWIW.

I ripped up the wire leading to the street post and found a couple splices, and about 20 feet from the post there is a mushroom light at the bottom of our stairs, under which four wires were spliced together. Wire 1 is the power source, wire 2 feeds the mushroom light, wire 3 feeds another landscaping light (i think), and wire 4 feeds the street post. Wire 2 and 3 are connected just fine, as the lights are shining bright. I replaced all the wiring on wire 4 and it still is giving me the same problem on both fixtures.

It seems like it's a very basic problem that I can't figure out. Is it as simple as having the wrong bulb? Why wouldn't the three bulbs I've tried work? Or is there something else going on?
 
I didn't, all I have is a non-contact voltage detector, but even that was not really registering anything with the breaker on. That's why I thought the problem was more upstream, so I redid the 4-wire splices twice, once with the old wiring (thinking the old splice was bad) and once with brand new wiring (thinking the old wiring was bad). The splices are working, as evidenced by wires 2 and 3 working well, so I'm pretty sure the problem isn't with the wiring or the splices (or the two fixtures). In theory, what would cause the voltage to be that low on one of the three wires being fed by the source?
 
smallbigtall said:
I didn't, all I have is a non-contact voltage detector, but even that was not really registering anything with the breaker on. That's why I thought the problem was more upstream, so I redid the 4-wire splices twice, once with the old wiring (thinking the old splice was bad) and once with brand new wiring (thinking the old wiring was bad). The splices are working, as evidenced by wires 2 and 3 working well, so I'm pretty sure the problem isn't with the wiring or the splices (or the two fixtures). In theory, what would cause the voltage to be that low on one of the three wires being fed by the source?
Click to expand...

Kraken-cthulhu.jpg
 
Throughout my Home Improvement DIY career, finding studs have been a real pain in the ass. I started out with the bang on the wall method and listening to find studs, or tried hitting a small finish nail trying to find them. I've had a few cheap studfinders over the years, and nothing seemed to work to my satisfaction. After reading countless reviews, I ordered the Franklin Sensor studfinder this morning. Its one of the highest rated studfinders out there, so hopefully my woes are over.

88N8710s1.jpg
 
I use a combination of a high end electric one and a bunch of rare earth magnets to confirm
 
I had to climb up on the roof this past weekend to replace some shingles that were damaged in the thunderstorm last week. This is a miserable experience for me because I don't like heights or the feeling of falling and pitch of my roof is pretty steep. Here's a great tip I got from neighbor. Find some thick pieces of foam to put under you. They will not slip on the shingles. I had an old foam mattress from a sailboat that I replaced years ago and cut it into 2 pieces about 3'x5' each. Sit on one and move the other behind you and slide up. Worked great and once I was convinced the foam is not going to slide it got a lot easier. I still hated being up there but it had to be done.
 
sbt, you replaced the wire going to the lamp post? is it buried UF cable? thhn pulled through pvc?
 
tsywake said:
Throughout my Home Improvement DIY career, finding studs have been a real pain in the ass. I started out with the bang on the wall method and listening to find studs, or tried hitting a small finish nail trying to find them. I've had a few cheap studfinders over the years, and nothing seemed to work to my satisfaction. After reading countless reviews, I ordered the Franklin Sensor studfinder this morning. Its one of the highest rated studfinders out there, so hopefully my woes are over.

88N8710s1.jpg
Click to expand...

I am an excellent stud finder.

:rimshot:

(no really, though - I'm pretty good at the tap/listen method)
Hope that works for you!
 
For someone who isn't all that handy, how difficult is it to install a screen door?
 
wfudkn said:
For someone who isn't all that handy, how difficult is it to install a screen door?
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As long as you get the correct sized door for the opening and are pretty good at measuring to center, it shouldnt be a problem at all.
 
So my house (built 1978) has the original casement windows which were produced by a company who is apparently no longer in business (Caradco). I've got several where the gears appear to be stripped out. If I take the whole mechanism off and buy a replacement mechanism (like this one) even though it looks a little different from the original, should it work?
 
BullDeacLaw said:
sbt, you replaced the wire going to the lamp post? is it buried UF cable? thhn pulled through pvc?
Click to expand...

Yes and yes, but I took the light fixture off and before stringing/burying the wire again, just tested it in the middle of the driveway to get the same results. Buried solid 10ga ( I think) copper. Its all ripped up now, when I get it working I'll put the fixture back on the post and restring the wire through the piping
 
smallbigtall said:
A few months back, the light at the end of our driveway went out. It's nothing fancy, just something like this mounted on a post inside a homemade wooden case with frosted plexiglass. Naturally I thought it was just the bulb that burned out, so I tried three bulbs (of varying wattage -- 20W CFL, 60W incandescent, 200W incandescent) and still no light. The 200W bulb has clear glass and I can see the filament glowing ever so slightly, so I know it's getting juice. I tried wiring in a new fixture (similar to the one above) and it's the same problem. The new fixture says max wattage is 150W, and the old one I think says 120W, FWIW.

I ripped up the wire leading to the street post and found a couple splices, and about 20 feet from the post there is a mushroom light at the bottom of our stairs, under which four wires were spliced together. Wire 1 is the power source, wire 2 feeds the mushroom light, wire 3 feeds another landscaping light (i think), and wire 4 feeds the street post. Wire 2 and 3 are connected just fine, as the lights are shining bright. I replaced all the wiring on wire 4 and it still is giving me the same problem on both fixtures.

It seems like it's a very basic problem that I can't figure out. Is it as simple as having the wrong bulb? Why wouldn't the three bulbs I've tried work? Or is there something else going on?
Click to expand...

2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
Did you check the voltage at the end of the wire going into the light that isn't working?
Click to expand...

smallbigtall said:
I didn't, all I have is a non-contact voltage detector, but even that was not really registering anything with the breaker on. That's why I thought the problem was more upstream, so I redid the 4-wire splices twice, once with the old wiring (thinking the old splice was bad) and once with brand new wiring (thinking the old wiring was bad). The splices are working, as evidenced by wires 2 and 3 working well, so I'm pretty sure the problem isn't with the wiring or the splices (or the two fixtures). In theory, what would cause the voltage to be that low on one of the three wires being fed by the source?
Click to expand...

BullDeacLaw said:
sbt, you replaced the wire going to the lamp post? is it buried UF cable? thhn pulled through pvc?
Click to expand...

smallbigtall said:
Yes and yes, but I took the light fixture off and before stringing/burying the wire again, just tested it in the middle of the driveway to get the same results. Buried solid 10ga ( I think) copper. Its all ripped up now, when I get it working I'll put the fixture back on the post and restring the wire through the piping
Click to expand...

SBT: Get a simple multimeter volts-ohms-amps!!!!!

they are cheap enough- I find them 9.99 on sale or less.

I don't touch circuits without one. Saved me some nasty shocks several times, when a circuit should have been dead (breaker off) but...two circuits, on two separate breakers in the same box.


from reading what you did, the only thing that comes to mind from the results you reported is that the one wire is corroded somewhere between the last splice to the good lights and the lights not working. This could have happened because the insulation on the wire was damaged at some time, could have been when it was installed, and over the years moisture got through some cut or break in the insulation around the wire. Could have been a bad place in the original wire, it could have been cut by someone digging, by a stone against the when it was installed and ground its way through over the years (ground movement from frost heave/driving etc. or any number of causes. Only way to find that is to dig up the wire.

When you redid the splices, were all the wire ends you connected bright and shiny copper? Sometimes if you have a bunch of corrosion (usually green on copper) the wire will carry some electricity, but not enough. Steel wool is great for cleaning wire ends before splicing. Also check the inside of the wire nuts you use, same issue. Sometimes everything in a precarious situation will work until it is disturbed by something as small as the movements involving changing a bad bulb.

I would be surprised if the wire is as big as 10 gauge. 12 or 14 most likely.
 
Looking to buy a circular saw. Think I'd prefer to stick with a corded model, more curious about what size would be best for general DIY stuff. Seems like a 6.5" is a good compromise in terms of weight and capability?
 
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