Recent content by Lou N

Re: Out of Plumb Post (Long) Bowed Post I should have described the problem better: the post is bowed in the center which is causing the out of plumb issue. I'll probably sister some 2x6s on each side and add another support on the 16' span. What would be the best way to anchor the top and...

Shiftless, well there have been a few other issues, but in general the house is built pretty well - compared to other I have seen. Never had a house that was perfect. TRWham, basically trying to prevent a problem from occurring. I see your point, but it bothers me that it wasn't done right to...

All, I have a post that supports our wrap around deck that is out of plumb by a 1/4" in one direction and approx 1/8" in the other direction. The other major issue is the lack of connection at the base. Background: House is 16 years old, we are the third owners, and we are situated in middle...

Thanks for the replies. I'll just put in one GFCI at the first receptacle and protect everything downstream.

All, I have recently installed a utility sink in my unfinished basement. I need a receptacle near the sink ( approx. 4' away) to power the sinks drain pump. I installed a GFCI outlet as per code (within 6' of any sink I believe). Since it's an unfinished basement, my understanding is all...

All, The house we just moved into has a natural gas furnace and a Hardy Outside Wood Boiler (OWB, not currently connected). The thermostat in the house is a non programmable Honeywell Heat Pump T8411R. It has settings for A/C, Heat and Emergency Heat. I believe the previous owners used the...

All, I want to build some soffits around my HVAC duct work so I can sheet rock for finishing. The duct work is wrapped with foil covered insulation. Should I leave the insulation in place or remove it? Seems like it would make sense to leave it for efficiency. Thanks

BTW the tanks are in series, not sure about the PVC vs CPVC issue, I thought the same thing in terms of potable water. May need to change that out at some point.

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately the previous owners were not much help on this issue, and I cannot find any numbers on the tanks themselves that would indicate what they contain or who installed them. I asked them to leave any manuals behind, but no luck. Looks like I'll be calling...

All, Just moved into a new place that is on well water. The water softener is in the basement and instead of one resin tank or two, there are three. Any reason to have that many? I was wondering if it's the size of the house, the hardness of the water or a combination of those two things...

When I was in the fire department, we had a house fire caused by linseed soaked rags left in a garage. Had another one caused by someone leaving what they though was cold fireplace ashes in a cardboard box in the garage. I always leave any oil soaked rags in a vented rag pail as mentioned or...

Thanks, appreciate the feedback. For what it's worth there is a battery backup built into the system and for $8 month cellular backup if the internet goes down. They also off professional monitoring on a temporary basis (vacation etc.) or full time if desired. Definitely still researching...

Matt, Yes it's a lap joint. Tool Fool, not sure I can picture the splice plate you referred to or how it would work on a lap joint. We negotiated about $1K in furniture, wire and ladders as part of the deal, not to mention that the property appraised about $40K more than we paid (for what an...

All, I'm looking for a DIY security system and one that looks interesting is from Abode. It works off a cloud based gateway system and sends alerts to your phone and sets off an alarm in the house. No monitoring contracts, but you can pay for professional monitoring if you chose. The gateway...

Thanks guys. I have a tendency to overthink things, obsess my wife would say, and I hate it when things are done incorrectly. I will bolt them together for sure, maybe sister some of the rafters and add some hangers. Since we are buying the house it was up to us to decide if we wanted to...