DA01

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Oct 12	comment	How do I seal a large gap between slabs to avoid freeze/thaw heaving? or worse...maybe it's your house sliding down the other side! (I hope not!)
Oct 12	comment	How do I seal a large gap between slabs to avoid freeze/thaw heaving? that seems excessive for a freeze/thaw issue. Sounds like the slab is sliding down a hill!
Oct 12	comment	What tools are required to unclog sink drain with garbage disposal? WHY DOES YOUR HOA HATE THE PLANET!? Oh, that's right HOAs hate EVERYTHING. ;o) Well, you can get in-house compost systems, so that's an option. You may also find community mulch piles as well as those used by restaurants in the area. Worst case, the garbage may still be less of a pain that dealing with a garbage disposal. (I just find them loud, smelly, and always breaking down and needing replacing).
Oct 12	comment	What tools are required to unclog sink drain with garbage disposal? If it's hard-wired certainly make sure the circuit is cold before doing anything. However, if it's a plug-in type, just switch it off first.
Oct 11	comment	How do you determine the slope of a floor? The level of your floor is actually a binary concept. It's either level, or it's "rustic and charming with its own unique quirks" ;o)
Oct 11	comment	How to run electircal wire underground? I believe galvanized is an option (again, check local codes) but the challenge with metal is that it's more work to seal the connections. As Greebo points out, you do want to seal the PVC with PVC cement which is easy to do and makes a complete seal.
Oct 11	comment	How do I fill cracks between stone steps and mortar? I'd consult with a place that sells mortar and bricks. There's specialty places that would know the exact product that wuld be best of that. I assume there may be some sort of latex based product that could work.
Oct 11	comment	How do I fill cracks between stone steps and mortar? It's good/noble to keep them, for sure! That just means you'll have to get out the elbow grease. ;)
Oct 11	comment	What tools and techniques are available for sanding without machinery? Budgets typically have two factors: Money and time. If you have plenty of one, but not the other, it makes the decision that much easier.
Oct 11	comment	Are there manual pumps that can be use to drain water from a toilet prior to uninstalling it? Hence the two tubes. You're not sucking the tube with the water in it...you are just making a vacuum in the jar to start the syphoning.
Oct 10	comment	How do I seal a large gap between slabs to avoid freeze/thaw heaving? I'm 99% certain that slabs don't require any sort of footer in MN. In fact, floating slab buildings are built quite regularly (with proper bases, of course)
Oct 4	comment	What is better for a roof, plywood or OSB? OSB is more water resistant? That doesn't seem to be correct. Most any OSB I've used turns into a sponge once wet. (I take that back. See my answer...I guess OSB has come a long way...)
Oct 4	comment	How do I level a basement floor but not the slab underneath? sand is heavy and acts like a sponge...so it will only trap any moisture. Plus you'd need a TON of it.
Oct 4	comment	How do I level a basement floor but not the slab underneath? @tester101 he's using a sub floor. Granted, I have no idea how stiff that Delta product is, so you may have a point.
Oct 3	comment	How do I install a ceiling fan without creating holes in the ceiling? Hanging a ceiling fan from a decorative hook sounds like a pretty major safety issue.
Oct 3	comment	Should I have multiple cable runs for a room, or just one? 0a0d: it's a flexible plastic tube used to allow easy pulling of cables through. It happens to be blue, hence the term 'smurf tube'. It looks like this: google.com/…
Oct 1	comment	Are standard light bulb bases being phased out? We've phased out gas lanterns but you can still buy them. As Keith states, codes are changing, recommendations are changing, seller and buyer incentives are changing and we'll eventually get through the CFL phase into the LED phase. But filament bulbs will always be an option. CFLs are the 8-track of light bulbs. They'll only be around for a few years. Then 95% of lights will be LED (ie the CD/MP3) and the other 5% will be all flavors of old fashioned incandescents (The Vinyl) savored by collectors and touted for their (arguable) 'superior quality'.
Oct 1	comment	Should I have multiple cable runs for a room, or just one? @aphoria...the purpose of the smurf tube is to avoid the reality that home A/V/Networking technology changes fairly often. The Smurf tube helps future proof things a bit.
Sep 27	comment	Why are my smoke detectors going off when I cook? When was the last time you cleaned your oven? Do you have an exhaust fan (that actually exhausts to the outdoors)? Do you prefer your steaks blackened?
Sep 26	comment	When waterproofing my basement, should I apply 11 mil plastic in addition to the dimple board? I wish I could say there was a direct correlation between cost and quality of work, but in my experience that isn't the case. That said, if it seems implausibly cheap, do be wary. In your situation, I'd find out exactly what product both contractors are using to parge the exterior. If one of them says something like 'tar' then maybe be wary.