alx9r

589 reputation

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visits	member for	9 months
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	589 reputation	bio	website		visits	member for	9 months
10 badges		location			seen	May 16 at 16:07

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77 Comments

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Feb 15	comment	Can a wet vac be effectively used as a pump? ...and if you're trying to siphon a basement, it won't work because you'll have negative hydraulic head.
Feb 14	comment	What should I look for when diagnosing electrical circuit gremlins where load is much less than capacity? you're welcome.
Jan 31	comment	How come the hot water comes out irregular but there is nothing wrong with the sprayer in our shower? Do you mean uneven over time, or uneven across the width of the spray head?
Jan 31	comment	How can I stop exhaust fan vent condensation problems? @bcworkz :) I don't want belabor the (dew) point. But dew point actually has a concrete definition. It is defined as the temperature below which condensation occurs, and is given in degrees C or F. So the higher the RH the lower the dew point, not higher as you say in your comment and imply in your answer. (All puns intended.)
Jan 28	comment	How can I stop exhaust fan vent condensation problems? +1 Although I think you meant either "bathroom exhaust has a very low dew point" or "bathroom exhaust has a very high relative humidity".
Jan 24	comment	What could be causing this leaky evaporator problem? "do you think he is on the right track?" is a pretty vague question to answer. "Do you think this is part of the problem?" makes me wonder what, exactly, you mean by "this". I'm pretty sure somebody here can give you help, but it will be much easier for everyone if you could focus your question(s).
Jan 24	comment	What kinds of dimmers do I need? Reading this answer I'm left with the impression that the Insteon solution would require a PC to work. This is not true. The solution using three Insteon switches can be programmed and put to use without any PC involved.
Jan 23	comment	How do I remove a drill bit that is stuck due to an overtightened chuck? I've had success with channellock pliers. They usually leave marks on the chuck, but they're also more common than strap wrenches.
Jan 23	comment	How do I hang a 500lb bed swing? A picture or diagram of the swing and your porch would also help. If it's under tension like a hammock, there may well be forces much higher than 500lb involved.
Jan 15	comment	Duct and fan requirements for stove hood You're welcome.
Jan 14	comment	Where can I find strong magnetic strips? This seems like a "let's go shopping" question. You might want to review this post about 'shop for me' questions and see if you can reword it. A quick google search yields lots of hits for strong magnets. You'll need to explain why the google results are inadequate for you question to be accepted.
Jan 14	comment	What could be causing this washer to rattle very loud sometimes? It's not really clear from your question what, exactly, the symptom is. Is it the predominant high frequency sound in the video? If so, I'm not confident that I'm hearing an earnest reproduction of it which makes it difficult to offer second opinion. Or, is it the amount or nature of motion of the basin you are concerned about?
Jan 13	comment	How can I reduce the noise from a bathroom fan? +1 just replace it. Good mounting of a vibrating fan might lessen the noise, but the only proper solution is to eliminate the vibration in the first place. Good fans don't vibrate - they may make audible white noise, but they don't vibrate.
Jan 11	comment	Will I see any performance gains if I reconfigure my thermostat to control the second stage of my 2 stage furnace? This is a good answer. In my suite, the thermostats are set back to about 50F when we leave (there's an automation interlock with the intrusion detection system). When someone arrives back home, the HVAC controller calls for both stages of heat. This heats the suite at about 9F for every 7 minutes. With only one stage, it takes about 4x as long. So, with two stages of heat we can allow the temperature when unoccupied to drop further, thereby reducing waste heat while absent, and still return to a comfortable temperature in the same amount of time when you get home.
Jan 8	comment	What are the proper materials and method to hang heavy-duty shelves in a garage for storage? @oscillatingcretin I've had luck with specialty heavy duty casters at mcmaster.com. I just retired three of the same shelves as your pictures with swivel casters. You might want to consider that casters increase the risk of toppling significantly for two reasons (1) the offset design common to most casters can move the contact point with the floor closer to the center of gravity, and (2) rolling means that you now have a live load whose center of gravity is much higher than a braking force that would typically be applied at the bottom of the shelf (think caster running into a stick).
Jan 1	comment	Why is the first shower of the day is colder than the second? +1 for digging up the manual and suggesting over temp + mixing valve.
Dec 31	comment	How can I center a drill bit so that it drills absolutely straight down rather than perhaps a little off to the side? Are you pilot drilling first? Whether or not you use a guide, a drill press, or freehand, pilot drilling will result in more precise starting position and path of the hole. Even CNC machines are usually programmed to pilot drill holes beyond a certain depth and usually center drill all holes before running the final bit through.
Dec 31	comment	Options for adding “C” wire to thermostat Couldn't you repurpose one of the existing conductors to be common then "add-a-wire" to replace that conductor?
Dec 13	comment	Is there a technique to make a shower mirror fog-free? @sharptooth - That's not the heart of my claim at all. Rather, my claim is that water heaters have a metal chassis in contact with water in close proximity to the electric heating element that is meant to provide a good path to ground in case of failure. And that in a normal installation where the chassis is grounded a la electrical code, that grounding is the primary means of electrocution prevention. And that similar electrocution prevention by grounding is not possible for a heated mirror because there is no chassis to ground.
Dec 13	comment	Is there a technique to make a shower mirror fog-free? @sharptooth - Good point about plumbing not necessarily being grounded. But are you saying that the tanks/drums of water heaters aren't grounded either?