Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT The **** Shack

[Toothaker]

BD, I have a patio that is cracking and not level, and I got a couple of quotes for somebody to mudjack it level. The price was about the same as tearing it out and putting in a new patio. I did learn that a local rental place rents the equipment to do it myself, for a fraction of the cost. But this is a patio, and no foundation is involved, which might be more complicated for you in your garage.

And thank you for the welding hood. I received it this week. You are very generous.

 

[bdbecker]

Life is good.

Power has been out for 12 hours now after nearly 100mph winds ripped through this morning. Utility company says it could be 3 days or more before we get power restored throughout the metro, so I made an emergency trip up to my parents' to borrow Dad's generator.

I've got a pile of limbs in the yard, but no damage to the house. The Rona food stockpile in the freezer and fridge is now safe, the kids have fans so hopefully they can get some rest. I've got plenty of fuel, some lukewarm beer, and the best stargazing I've ever had living here.

View media item 105804

 

[XJSuperman]

I had some cleanup due to a neighbors tree, but nothing really bad. Minor roof damage. Crops took a huge hit, as did grainbin sites and trees. I haven't seen a tree between Ames and DesMoines that didn't have damage. Grain bin companies and crews better have their cranes/operators booked, they have a very short window until harvest when they need em.

You didn't have any damage bdbecker?

 

[bdbecker]

Glad to hear you got through it okay. I took the diagonal up to my folks' and saw similar damage to what you describe along the way.

I feel very fortunate despite everything. My neighborhood got hit pretty hard - several close calls with big trees and limbs landing right next to houses, but thankfully not on them. No damage to my place - already went on the roof to grab a few branches and check everything out. Work and daycare still have power, so life can still be halfway normal. My folks weren't affected by the storm so I was able to borrow the generator. Even though it was humid, at least the temps were cool enough so the house wasn't stifling hot and we could get some decent sleep. Things could be a lot worse.

This is the wake-up call I needed to finally get generator of my own. For whatever reason, we actually lose power a couple times a year in our neighborhood. Its usually never been more than 6-8 hours, so we always make due. This time around, Wife is feeling pretty vulnerable about it and told me to do what I need to do so that we don't have to worry about this again. Luckily my neighbor across the street is a retired electrician who still has his license and does some side jobs to stay active. Once everything settles down, I'm going to talk to him about wiring up an inlet box and getting an interlock installed so we can just tie directly to the house panel and not have to deal with a bunch of extension cords.

 

[racer-john]

That's a very sensible move. Glad you have some help. Keep safe.

 

[burger]

This is the wake-up call I needed to finally get generator of my own. [...] wiring up an inlet box and getting an interlock installed so we can just tie directly to the house panel and not have to deal with a bunch of extension cords.

When I bought my present house, I noticed a generator sitting in the garage and figured that meant the house needed it, so I asked if they'd include it in the sale. I spent the first few storms dealing with extension cords. Not ideal to say the least. So I installed an outlet (inlet?) box on the back of the house and a transfer switch. Definitely worth it! Only regret is that I built my garage afterwards and there wasn't room on the transfer switch to add it. I think maybe an interlock may be a better bet in that regard, that you can switch the whole panel over.


Ed

 

[ronjon1190]

We had a storm last Tuesday, and the power was out till Sunday afternoon. we always had a small generator that would power the esentials, but After Irene and a freak blizzard on halloween that left CT without power for a week, in 2011, and Sandy, in 2012, my dad decided to get a pto generator for our tractor. From 2012 to now, it has been doing what generators do best, insuring AGAINST losing power for an extended time.

Anyway, I got tired of listening to the 5000w screamer, and sweating in my apartment, so We pulled the big generator out of the shed, and it powered my barn / apartment and my parents house totally including minisplit ACs in both houses for 4 days straight.

It is totally worth it to get setup right, and not have to worry about it.
Hope you get your power back soon!

 

[amkluttz]

...my dad decided to get a pto generator for our tractor. From 2012 to now, it has been doing what generators do best, insuring AGAINST losing power for an extended time.

...so We pulled the big generator out of the shed, and it powered my barn / apartment and my parents house totally including minisplit ACs in both houses for 4 days straight.

Any issues with the tractor overheating after running that long? I have a MF 1020 and the TEMP light came on after running it for a couple of hours moving mulch the other day. When I tried to run the PTO chipper at 2000 rpm it started spitting coolant out of the radiator because I missed seeing the temp light.

At what RPM do you have to run the PTO to generate enough power?

 

[bdbecker]

...I think maybe an interlock may be a better bet in that regard, that you can switch the whole panel over...

From what I've been reading, it seems like an interlock is the way to go. Install is pretty straightforward and you get the flexibility to choose any circuit in the house depending on need.

-----

...Anyway, I got tired of listening to the 5000w screamer, and sweating in my apartment, so We pulled the big generator out of the shed, and it powered my barn / apartment and my parents house totally including minisplit ACs in both houses for 4 days straight.

It is totally worth it to get setup right, and not have to worry about it.
Hope you get your power back soon!

That is my only hangup right now - trying to find the right setup. The big issue I have with Dad's generator is that, while it's considered "quiet" per Honda's advertising at 67 decibels, its really loud. I've got the generator about 15' from the house with exhaust pointed out to the yard, and you almost have to yell to have a conversation with the kitchen window open. All the conventional generators I'm looking at are rated similarly, so I can't imagine they'd be much different. This has me looking at inverter units because they are supposedly more efficient and quieter, but they also are more expensive. So now I'm just trying to choose between a big, loud, conventional unit that will run the AC and a few other items, or a smaller, quieter one that will require more careful power management.

Then there is always the nuclear option - a permanent NG powered standby unit that would make a power outage a complete non-issue. Our panel would need to be updated if we went this route, so rip the band-aide off and upgrade our service at the same time. This is really tempting because, just like a politician trying to get a pet project passed by attaching an amendment to a bill, I'd use the fact that I have an electrician and plumber on site to also run utilities to the garage. However, that is also a financial commitment I'm not sure I want to make at this moment as we are less than two years away from being debt free aside from the mortgage, so I think I'm going to stay the course and save this option for a later date.

In classic fashion, I know I'm probably overthinking this. Either way, I'm setting a goal for myself to make a decision by this weekend and get something ordered while the inconvenience of this situation is still fresh in my mind.

 

[amkluttz]

This time around, Wife is feeling pretty vulnerable about it and told me to do what I need to do so that we don't have to worry about this again.

Then there is always the nuclear option - a permanent NG powered standby unit that would make a power outage a complete non-issue. Our panel would need to be updated if we went this route, so rip the band-aide off and upgrade our service at the same time. This is really tempting because, just like a politician trying to get a pet project passed by attaching an amendment to a bill, I'd use the fact that I have an electrician and plumber on site to also run utilities to the garage. However, that is also a financial commitment I'm not sure I want to make at this moment as we are less than two years away from being debt free aside from the mortgage, so I think I'm going to stay the course and save this option for a later date.

In classic fashion, I know I'm probably overthinking this. Either way, I'm setting a goal for myself to make a decision by this weekend and get something ordered while the inconvenience of this situation is still fresh in my mind.

It's hard to make the right decision when your wife says the above quote. When you're told to spend money to fix a problem it's easy to jump on the train and go straight to the nuclear option. There is certainly something to be said for being debt free if you can hold out for another couple of years.

 

[XJSuperman]

My power doesn't go out enough to justify any of that. I'd just go pick out a quiet generator and be done with it. There are plenty of quiet options out there that people use in campgrounds and at cattle shows and such. I thought Honda made some super quiet ones?

Anyhow, I'd like to get one of the old setups that mounts to my garden tractor. Then I don't have to deal with another small engine that only runs a couple times a year, if that.

I got a good chuckle the other night after the storm went through. The two gas stations I went to were sold out of gas. The catch was that the station that offers ethanol free 87 was out of the normal ethanol 87, but still had plenty of ethanol free. All those generators that run once a year just got filled up with ethanol fuel that will eat their fuel lines and gum up the filters and tanks. A storm this winter or next spring will have people wondering why their generators won't start/run.

 

[bdbecker]

It's hard to make the right decision when your wife says the above quote. When you're told to spend money to fix a problem it's easy to jump on the train and go straight to the nuclear option. There is certainly something to be said for being debt free if you can hold out for another couple of years.

What makes it even harder is she was actually the one who suggested it! She said "lets just get this taken care of... the panel, the garage, everything... lets just get it done so we don't have to think about it anymore." I think if I showed her the estimated cost of doing all that, she'd probably retract her statement.

-----

My power doesn't go out enough to justify any of that. I'd just go pick out a quiet generator and be done with it. There are plenty of quiet options out there that people use in campgrounds and at cattle shows and such. I thought Honda made some super quiet ones?...

The smaller ones are very quiet, but they also don't have the power I'm looking for. Main thing here is being able to backfeed the panel (safely and legally using the interlock) and be able to run the AC or gas furnace, along with a few other circuits as needed. Honda does make a portable 7kw "super quiet" inverter model that sells for $4900. For $200 less, I could buy a 20kw Briggs standby generator that comes with a 200amp auto switch.

I'd like to keep the price at or below $1000 for a 6-10kw unit, which would give me 25-40 amps of 240 service. This puts me in the "consumer grade" for brands/options, but for the ~20 hours a year I'd typically need this, I'm okay with that compromise.

...I got a good chuckle the other night after the storm went through. The two gas stations I went to were sold out of gas. The catch was that the station that offers ethanol free 87 was out of the normal ethanol 87, but still had plenty of ethanol free. All those generators that run once a year just got filled up with ethanol fuel that will eat their fuel lines and gum up the filters and tanks. A storm this winter or next spring will have people wondering why their generators won't start/run.

That does not surprise me at all. I wonder if my neighbors think I'm some sort of magician because I never have issues starting my mower or snowblower? The secret is that I only run non-ethanol fuel treated with Sta-Bil through my small engines. I started adding Sta-Bil to every can of gas because its cheap enough and I don't ever have to think about whether or not I treated the fuel at the end of the season.

 

[ronjon1190]

Amkluttz- no issues with overheating, I used the generator with just the compressor on, and used an air hose and blew all the **** out of the radiator right after I powered it up. I But we did have the fuel filter plug up from using dirty heating oil. (I ordered a filter setup for my transfer pump after that)
The other draw for us to the PTO powered one is that we don't need another small engine to maintain, and we usually have at least 300 gallons of fuel for the tractor on hand, (fuel oil for the boilers). It's still loud, but I would rather listen to a 3 cylinder diesel run at 2100 RPM to produce 540 pto rpm, which is 1800 rpm at the generator (which gives 60 hertz out of the genset) than a gas single cylinder engine scream along at 3600 rpm.

 

[amkluttz]

What makes it even harder is she was actually the one who suggested it! She said "lets just get this taken care of... the panel, the garage, everything... lets just get it done so we don't have to think about it anymore." I think if I showed her the estimated cost of doing all that, she'd probably retract her statement.

Several years ago my wife and I were ready to sign papers on having a 30x40 three car red iron garage built on our property; I was ecstatic. We met with a financial advisor who gave me, what I considered to be, bad advice on how to handle my money with the garage purchase. This caused me to look a little harder at our finances and to make the gut-wrenching (to me) decision to pull the plug on the garage project. We had just had our first child and were expecting to have more. I told my wife that I just didn't think it was wise for our family to dump that kind of money in to a garage at that time. She later told me how much she respected and appreciated the decision that I made to place our family above my own needs. Fast forward and I'm so glad I did. It hasn't been easy but because we don't have a lot of financial burdens my wife gets to stay at home with our three children and be their mom and teacher. While it's difficult to still not have a garage or workspace right now I can see the benefits of how we have chosen to live our lives and not to have a garage payment hanging over our heads.

The secret is that I only run non-ethanol fuel treated with Sta-Bil through my small engines. I started adding Sta-Bil to every can of gas because its cheap enough and I don't ever have to think about whether or not I treated the fuel at the end of the season.

This! I only use non-ethanol fuel in small engines at both work and home. I take the Sta-Bil with me to the gas station when I fill up the containers. I never have to worry about how long the gas sits.

Amkluttz- no issues with overheating, I used the generator with just the compressor on, and used an air hose and blew all the **** out of the radiator right after I powered it up. I But we did have the fuel filter plug up from using dirty heating oil. (I ordered a filter setup for my transfer pump after that)
The other draw for us to the PTO powered one is that we don't need another small engine to maintain, and we usually have at least 300 gallons of fuel for the tractor on hand, (fuel oil for the boilers). It's still loud, but I would rather listen to a 3 cylinder diesel run at 2100 RPM to produce 540 pto rpm, which is 1800 rpm at the generator (which gives 60 hertz out of the genset) than a gas single cylinder engine scream along at 3600 rpm.

I must have some issues with my cooling system on my tractor. I moved about 20 yards of mulch around the other day and that TEMP light came on so I shut it down. I need to clean the radiator off. I did top the coolant off the other day but this tractor has not been well maintained most of its life. At 2000 RPM I don't think it could handle 40 minutes in this summer heat, much less 4 days of continuous run.

 

[Pressingonward]

You might be able to fab up a quiet exhaust system for a cheap generator - especially if you don't need it to be compact and portable

 

[bdbecker]

Pulled the trigger on this guy...
https://westinghouseoutdoorpower.com/products/wgen9500-generator

Pushed the budget a little when you factor in tax and shipping, but I figured it was worth the extra expense to have a full 50 amps at 240 volts. Should be able to run the whole house with no AC running. With AC we'll have to be a little more careful. Luckily we have a gas furnace, so the amp load to keep the house warm pretty low, which is good because winter is when we usually have the most issues. Obviously in any scenario we can't just throw caution to the wind, but it should make future outages quite a bit more tolerable. This unit in particular seems like a good blend of features, power, and warranty.

You might be able to fab up a quiet exhaust system for a cheap generator - especially if you don't need it to be compact and portable

That is exactly what made the decision for me. I read a post somewhere where a guy did this using an old motorcycle muffler and had really good luck. Basically, I'm working on the idea of turning this into a poor-man's standby generator that lives in a garden storage shed style enclosure on the side of the house. I like this idea for a few reasons... it would keep it out of the weather, close to the point of use, and most importantly, out of the garage. The enclosure would also serve to quiet it down even further. At the same time, there are some risks I need to make sure I can address to do something like this safely.

We'll see where it goes, either way, I'll have a generator.

 

[ronjon1190]

bdbecker- That looks like a good unit. You will be happy to just have to plug it in, and flip a breaker or two. Be careful about your enclosure, you will need plenty of airflow to keep everything cool, as well as routing your exhaust out.

Amkluttz- I did not run it constantly for 4 days, more like 6 hrs at a time, then 4 or more off. I did not want to leave it running when I was not home, or in bed, because unlike the portable gas units, I can't just let my tractor run out of fuel. It would probably take me an hour to get the fuel system bled!

Start by blowing all the debris out of your radiator. Good airflow is key. After that if it doesn't make any difference, I would look at your water pump / thermostat. Something is not working properly if it overheats in a short time while moving.

Sorry for going off the rails here BD!

 

[bdbecker]

bdbecker- That looks like a good unit. You will be happy to just have to plug it in, and flip a breaker or two. Be careful about your enclosure, you will need plenty of airflow to keep everything cool, as well as routing your exhaust out...

Yep, those are the "risks I need to make sure I can address" that I mentioned in the post. Probably going to build it myself since the off-the-shelf options are either too small, too expensive, or made of plastic. DIY would allow me to get the exact size needed and make provisions for exhaust, airflow, and take some additional sound and fire mitigation measures like drywall and rockwool.

Rolling around a bunch of ideas right now... use a remote temp sensor and and weather station to keep an eye on the temps in the enclosure, looking at the electrical diagram I believe I'll be able to use one of the 120v outlets to run a powered exhaust fan even if I'm using the 240v/50amp outlet, thinking of making a quick attach exhaust pipe that I can connect to the outside of the enclosure to get the exhaust up high and pointed at the sky for even quieter operation... basically just trying to anticipate and solve problems before they happen.

...Sorry for going off the rails here BD!

Don't ever feel the need to apologize for these sidebars - I enjoy them. Its kind of how my brain works anyway.

 

[bdbecker]

Made some good progress on the fence around the stairwell over the last two weekends. Started with this...

View media item 105898
Used 6x6 posts for the corners, 4x4 in the middle. The 6x6's are more for looks than strength. Here she is all framed out. Really happy to not have hit any rebar when I was drilling in the anchors.

View media item 105897
Made a trip to Menards with the van. The DGC was meant for hauling lumber...

View media item 105896
A lot of sanding and oiling later, I got the main section done. The pattern of the board coloring was purely accidental. A happy accident, to quote Bob Ross.

View media item 105895
The cedar boards for the 4' section are cut, just ran out of time to get them sanded and oiled. Should be able to get to them this week and cross this project off the list. Very happy with how it turned out. I've always felt that we were pushing our luck with not having a fence around the steps, both with the old patio and this new one. The day I started working on it, Stinker nearly rode her scooter into the well. I guess the timing was about right.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

That looks great. I like that accidental striping.

 

[rixtrix1]

Terrible to hear about , and see pics of all the storm damage there! Appreciate all the generator talk. We've have a couple of outages here in the Phoenix area this summer and since our son is on a ventilator and needs A/C, a gen is getting high on the list. So far we've been able to get by on battery power for the vent and the outages weren't long enough for the home to get unbearably warm. I'm looking at getting a dual fuel unit as I have a lot of propane storage available. Did the thought of running yours on NG come up?

 

[Sifan]

Just an FYI, when derecho hit Southern Illinois in 2009, they shut down all the NG until they could check all the lines, 4-5 days in some areas.

 

[bdbecker]

BD, I have a patio that is cracking and not level, and I got a couple of quotes for somebody to mudjack it level. The price was about the same as tearing it out and putting in a new patio. I did learn that a local rental place rents the equipment to do it myself, for a fraction of the cost. But this is a patio, and no foundation is involved, which might be more complicated for you in your garage...

One of the quotes I got the first time around was jaw dropping and the other places I called weren't even interested in coming to give me a free estimate. I honestly think the high quote it was the "we don't want to deal with this" price. In their defense, the garage looked like a sh*thole when I had them come through - this was before I ever started putting any work into the place. I'd like to think that if they see a workshop instead of a mountain of garbage, they might be a little more interested in the project.

I will weigh that against the option of replacing it all together. Now that I've got a concrete guy I like, I'll see what he'd charge to do it. Might be a good filler/off-season project for them since it'll be under a roof. With the generator purchase and some bad news from the plumber this morning, I'll probably have to push this back down the list.

-----

That looks great. I like that accidental striping.

Definitely a "forest for the trees" moment. I was so focused on making sure that I was minimizing the visibility of the flaws in each board and getting the gaps consistent that I didn't even realize what I'd done until I went to hang the last board.

-----

Terrible to hear about , and see pics of all the storm damage there! Appreciate all the generator talk. We've have a couple of outages here in the Phoenix area this summer and since our son is on a ventilator and needs A/C, a gen is getting high on the list. So far we've been able to get by on battery power for the vent and the outages weren't long enough for the home to get unbearably warm. I'm looking at getting a dual fuel unit as I have a lot of propane storage available. Did the thought of running yours on NG come up?

Yes, that is definitely under consideration. I'm looking at the tri-fuel kit from this company, looks like they've got just about every brand covered.

https://centuryfuelproducts.com/generators/conversion-kits

I've already bought a few extra gas cans so that we can run for a few days before needing to refill. I figure I'll stick to gas for now and if it becomes too much of a PITA, I'll get the adapter kit and hook up NG.

-----

Just an FYI, when derecho hit Southern Illinois in 2009, they shut down all the NG until they could check all the lines, 4-5 days in some areas.

That is a good reason to stick to the tri-fuel option I suppose - keep the fuel options flexible.

 

[nicholam77]

The stairwell fence looks great!!

 

[bdbecker]

Well, the generator was dropped off yesterday. And when I say "dropped off" I'm pretty sure it was literally dropped off the back of the truck.

View media item 106023
I knew I was rolling the dice by buying this off Amazon. This is not an uncommon issue based on so of the reviews I read. Most of the damage complaints were for the smaller version of this, the model that I was purchasing sounded like it usually shipped on a pallet. The reason I took the risk was I wanted this particular unit, and they were the only place that could ship immediately while everyone else is back-ordered for an unknown amount of time.

When I unboxed it, my fears were confirmed, it was beat up pretty bad. The lower frame rails are bent, the battery box was bent, and the battery actually had a hole it and had been leaking acid gel for some time.

View media item 106024
You can see how the motor sits at an angle in the frame in this pic:

View media item 106025
I was kind of kicking myself because I knew this might happen. I considered just fixing it because its the generator I want, its sold out everywhere, so I might as well just bend it back and get on with life. After thinking about for a few hours, I eventually decided that I should probably file a claim in case the damage is more than just the bent frame. I contacted the shipping company first because there was a big sheet of paper taped to the top of the box to contact them if there was any issue with damage. So I filled out their online form and waited a few more hours. Crickets... not even a confirmation email. They said that any claims had to be made by 8pm eastern time the day the package arrives. I wasn't going to let them off the hook so I called the 800 number and got placed on hold.

Not just any hold, the absolute lowest priority hold. The one where they don't even bother to give you a sales pitch or some BS "your call is important to us" interruption every few minutes, they just loop the same 30 seconds of garbled muzak over and over again hoping you'll just hang up. After about 10 or 15 minutes, I started poking around the website and found a little customer service online chat button. That ended up being the ticket to communicating with an actual person, who immediately told me to take it up with Amazon.

If I was just supposed to take it up with Amazon, why put the paper on the box at all? Thanks for wasting my time.

Thankfully the Amazon experience was the exact opposite of the shipping company. Within a few minutes, I was on the phone with a very nice guy from customer service. I tell him about the damaged box, the bent frame, and the battery acid. He said they'd issue a full refund even though I'd opened the box, and that someone would be contacting me to pick up damaged generator. Okay, at least I got my money back. About 20 minutes later I see an email come through from Amazon. I open it thinking it would be about arranging a pickup time. To my surprise, they don't even want the generator back! They explicitly state in the email that I'm free to do with it as I please - keep, donate, or dispose.

So after spending the better part of yesterday afternoon feeling a little frustrated and disappointed, I ended up getting a free generator. I gave the frame a little "gentle" persuasion last night with the old deadblow and made some progress - enough that I feel comfortable running it to make sure it works as it should. I think it's going to take a press or portapower to get the frame back to where it should be. I've got an email in with the manufacturer to see what a replacement frame would cost. If its cheap enough, I'll probably just swap everything over instead of trying to bend it back. I'm planning on running/testing it this weekend to make sure everything works before I get too deep into the project. Trying to remain cautiously optimistic...

 

[fourbyford]

Free genny... too cool!!

If you have access to a shop press, I'd think you could straighten the frame. Even if you end up using a BFH, I'm thinking it'll straighten. The whole frame/roll cage concept is primarily there for protection as the genny is moved from one job to the next. Since you plan to pretty much install it in some sort of an enclosure, all the frame needs to do is keep the engine and generator aligned...

If this were my project, I'd straighten the frame and make sure everything is operating as intended and get on with life. A few weeks from now, you won't even be able to find the "flaws" in the frame... lol

Oh, by the way... you ****... hahaha

...D

 

[amkluttz]

My first question when reading was "It's Amazon, why didn't you just contact them?" They pride themselves on customer service to a fault.

That being said be careful with the Amazon "We don't want it back". Keep all documentation they send you stating that fact. They did it to me at work over some bad water heater igniters. Amazon sent replacements for the defective igniters and then a month or so later I get an email stating they were charging me for the replacements if the old ones weren't sent back (after being told to dispose, donate, etc.). I ended up putting the new ones back in the package and sending them back because I had disposed of the old ones and they didn't understand my story.

On the flip side I ordered three car seats to see which one fit best in our car. I returned one immediately that we didn't like. When I went to return the second I noticed they had refunded the car seat we decided to keep, the most expensive of the bunch. I called to straighten it out and they were so confused by me telling them I owed them money that they ended up giving me two free car seats. I was so frustrated by the end of that call even with two free seats.

I think most of my problems were with verbal "Dispose, donate, etc." directions. If you've gotten an email you're probably okay. Also, congratulations on a new generator and it also not breaking the budget. Things work out sometimes... Keep on that path to being debt-free in a couple of years.

 

[bdbecker]

Got the fence wrapped up today.

View media item 106044
Also straightened out the frame on the generator. Ended up using a piece of chain wrapped around the frame and a crowbar. The lower channels have a little bit of a wrinkle in them, but the motor is straight now so I'm happy. Gave it a test run - started on the first pull. A lot quieter than I expected, which was a nice surprise. All in all, a pretty good day.

 

[fourbyford]

The fence looks AWESOME!! Nice job!

Glad to hear all is well with the genny... I'm sure it's a relief knowing you have the power outages covered...

...D

 

[pat9198]

That fence looks great!

 

[bdbecker]

Thanks guys! Cross one off the list, start in on another...

View media item 106052
Long story short, we're lucky we didn't have bigger issues with the toilet in the main bathroom. Plumber will be in this week to get everything fixed. I really like my plumber - he cuts me a deal if I do the prep work for him, which I'm happy to do. Hopefully this project doesn't balloon into a complete floor replacement as well. I don't have any spare tiles so I'll really be testing my luck in trying to track down some replacements.

 

[amkluttz]

Is that cast iron? It's hard to tell from the picture. I take for granted too often that my dad is a plumber and we redid everything under my house in PVC drains and PEX water lines.

Glad to hear you got the generator straightened out and it was quieter than expected.

 

[bdbecker]

I'm no plumber, but I believe it is cast iron - house was built in 1960. The plumber is going to take it back to the connection with the main line and replace with PVC. He was worried that we'd have to open up a wall and/or ceiling to access it, but because of how my house is configured (split level) that could end up being a nightmare because of where the main line is routed (behind the kitchen cabinets). I'm cautiously optimistic that he'll be able to get it from the top - the main line and the fitting is plainly visible from the hole I cut and there appears to be plenty of room around it to work. Thankfully, while you can see that some water (that's what I'm going to call it) did seep under the floor, we caught it in time and the original decking and joists are dried out and do not appear to be rotted.

As it was explained to me, at some point someone used a flange designed for a PVC pipe on the cast iron. To add to the problem, the hole they cut in the floor was too large, and the flange wasn't attached to anything, it was just floating in the cast pipe. When I saw some seeping water on the floor, I figured I needed to replace the wax ring and tried to fix it myself. I believe the original cause of the leak was the wax ring, but I knew something wasn't right because when I tightened the flange bolts to the toilet I just couldn't get it to snug up and it seemed to move way too easily. Knowing my limitations, I called in the pros... glad I did, as this could have been a lot worse if I just let it go.

Ah, the joy of owning an old house. What I was hoping would be a $5, one hour fix has led me to a 2'x2' hole in the floor with the possibility of needing to replace the entire bathroom floor. Oh well, that's life. The bathroom isn't that big, so we're not looking at a huge expense for new tile anyway. Plus, my friend/next door neighbor who does tile already offered to give me a hand patching/replacing the floor, whatever ends up being the case. I feel pretty blessed to have a friend like him.

 

[Pressingonward]

Cedar wall looks great!

And a hearty "you ****!" on the generator

Plumbing is never fun, glad you caught it before it got any worse

 

[thetastelingers]

Here's another compliment to the fence. Looks GREAT!!!

 

[amkluttz]

Thankfully, while you can see that some water (that's what I'm going to call it)...

Good luck on the repair. I dislike cast iron very much. By the way, the cedar railing is looking awesome!

 

[bdbecker]

Plumber came through yesterday morning, only took him an hour to get everything swapped out. I had a piece of ply and a couple of 2x4's for extra support cut and ready to drop in before he installed the flange. Happy to say it couldn't have gone more smoothly.

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[Finallygotit]

Don't you love it when a plan comes together??

 

[XJSuperman]

Nice, now come do mine! Im in the same boat and slightly terrified Im going to be fully gutting and redoing the only working bathroom in the house. I too have a plumber buddy but his sidework schedule is busy and he's working on getting married so availability will be next to nothing.

Hopefully you get your tile back down where it needs to be in one piece! Job well done!

 

[fourbyford]

Sounds like the bathroom situation was more of an inconvenience than anything... good to hear that you realized the problem before major damage occurred.

Good thinking to have the plywood ready to go ahead of time... made the plumber's job quick and easy.

You obviously have a bit of work to repair/(replace?) the floor... but, yet another job is checked off the list!

Well done!

...D