Questions tagged [outdoor]
For questions generally relating to exterior spaces of property, including yard maintenance, pest and weed control, exterior home maintenance, etc. Questions which deal mainly with gardening and aesthetic landscaping will be migrated to the Gardening and Landscaping SE.
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What is the best cleaning solution to prepare an outdoor fountain for fresh paint?
I have two outdoor fountains that we purchased about two years ago. They're in very good shape. But we never liked the color from the start. We now want to paint them the color we want. What is the ...
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How might I clear out my pool’s filter system pump of debris?
I found the pool's filter cup dislodged and floating around the inlet tube, letting debris run straight into the pump system. Since then the outflow rate has been reduced severely. How may I be able ...
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Breaker trips only after daylight sensor turns OFF driveway lights [closed]
My driveway lights have worked flawlessly for years with the outdoor dawn to dusk sensor. Recently, they’ve been coming on at night with no issues BUT upon shutting off at daylight it trips the ...
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How to wire outdoor post lamp if power comes via two black wires?
Strong winds damaged one of my post lamps so I am replacing it. It comes with three wires: black, white, and bare.
The top of my column however only has two black wires coming out of it. How should I ...
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2
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I want to run power outlets and lights down my driveway, and ideally I could do it using the same cable, is that safe?
Goal
Use one electrical cable to power lights and outlets through a conduit down a driveway where a light switch could turn power on/off to the lights, without turning power on/off to the outlets.
...
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What is this white stuff on an outside pillar of the alfesco?
Is on one side of a pillar that's holding up my alfesco.
Is this an indicator of water or something serious? This wall occassionally gets wet if it rains heavy enough and the rain blows sideways into ...
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Pipe under outdoor faucet leaking. Any ideas?
my outdoor faucet seems to be leaking. My gf wrapped it up with tape to try to reduce the flow (bless her) I don't know what pipe or piece seems to be connected under the actual spigot. Does anyone ...
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Outdoor kitchen cold water supply hookup and housing
I need to hookup a recently installed outdoor kitchen faucet and two (total) hose bibs from an existing 1/2" galvanized pipe to the exterior.
In summary - 3 locations:
hose bib attached to home
...
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How to build a personal watercraft lift using a simple lever
A personal watercraft lift sits in about 1 to 2 ft. of water. The platform or rails are about 4 ft. high. Enough for the waves to go under the craft and keep it dry and safe until it is launched.
Most ...
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GFCI for outdoor outlet?
I’m looking to add an outlet outside. The circuit I’d like to tap into currently has a gfci 2 outlets “up” line from where I’d add on. It’s a small circuit without a lot of real load draws. Can/should ...
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Peeling paint on Window Sill
First DIY project so please excuse my ignorance. How should I fix peeling paint on a window sill - is the process: scrape off the paint, primer and paint?
What is a paint and primer that is resistant ...
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Strain relief and box type when installing external outlet on house with aluminum siding
I am planning on installing a external outlet on the side of my house using a surface mount to reduce the size of the hole I need to make. The easiest option appears to be using a plastic box and in-...
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How to protect wheelbarrow from rust while still working on it
TLDR: How do I protect metal projects from rusting when they take more than a day to finish?
I’m restoring our old wheelbarrow. Stripping all the metal parts clean, filling holes, primer, paint, top ...
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How do I troubleshoot my outdoor porch light?
My outdoor porch light will not work after a storm. Every other light and plug all came back on but this one light won’t work. Replaced the bulbs still nothing. My voltage pen doesn’t go off when ...
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Can't remove outdoor security light fixture
first time poster and home improvement newbie here, please be gentle.
My husband and I are trying to replace a broken outdoor security light that was installed by the previous owner. My husband ...
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Concrete steps sinking
I’m wanting to raise my concrete steps. I noticed there is wood exposed where the steps would be aligned with the house. Do I need to cover the wood with anything before raising the steps?
Should ...
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2
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2
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Convert Brick Flower Bed Into Sandbox?
I have a long wall flower bed made of brick. I was hoping to take a small section of that to convert into a sand box for my little. Any suggestion on how to separate the soil from the sand? Should I ...
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2
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Number of posts needed? [closed]
I have no idea what math needs to be done to figure this out, but let me set the stage for you.
I'm building a BIG planter box in my yard. 27ft X 54ft X 5ft high. We want to utilize our whole yard to ...
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2
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1
answer
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What are the code requirements for outdoor plumbing and electrical surface-level conduits?
I'm planning to re-design my yard, and I'm looking to decouple the dependencies between contractors.
I am planning to add some outdoor appliances (e.g. hot tub, sauna) which would require adding new ...
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Should I lay artificial grass over pavers or sand?
We have limestone paving slabs throughout our entire garden but I'm hoping to do some artificial grass now in an area to break it up a bit. The slabs are 22mm thick.
My question is, shall I just lay ...
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Can I leave the grill outside over winter (snow and cold in western Europe)?
Can i leave the grill outside over winter (snow and cold in western Europe)? I have a cover for the grill.
I don't have much space in the cellar and the grill is quite heavy.
this is my grill (a hype ...
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2
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Advice for building simple poles to hold up a tarp above firewood storage
I have a bunch of recently chopped wood on a few racks now located on the side of my shed. I'm looking to set up a semi-temporary sloped tarp canopy above it to keep the rain off but make sure there's ...
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R11 rated porcelain tiles for outdoor use
I across the idea of "Anti-Slip Tile Ratings and Grades". Has anyone had R11 rated Porcelain tiles installed outdoors? I am interested to know if they are safe to use in the UK where it ...
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3
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105
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Mounting a board to a tree without screws [closed]
I'm looking for suggestions on permanently mounting a board vertically to a tree but without drilling into the tree or harming it. I was looking for some type of bracket or strap that would withstand ...
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What concrete mix product to use to fill retaining wall’s sleeve
I have a 6' retaining wall and as per code, it requires railing for safety.
While building the retaining wall I ask the contractor to install a sleeve every 4 to 6 feets.
Now we have sleeves installed,...
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3
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What's this thing by my front door?
It's covered in paint and I realized I can pull it out a bit. Really have no idea as to its intended function. This is a house in Boston built in the 1800s.
It pulls out to about 1 and a quarter ...
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41
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How to keep standing water our of old cement pond/fountain
We are renting a property that has an empty cement pond/waterfall feature in the front yard. Its about 5 feet wide and a 1.5 feet deep. Removing the pond is not an option. My concern is standing water ...
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Derusting and protecting the inside of a steel fence tube
I have some fence and gate posts made of square steel tubing that were left open on the top. Rain happily collects down the holes so I drilled a weep hole to let the water that collects out. More than ...
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What size posts are needed for a triangular pavilion?
I'm building a triangular pavilion that will be 18x24x30ft with a 1 foot overhang. The roof will be corrugated metal and the wood will be western red cedar. The posts will be anchored to concrete ...
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How should I repair this metal gate lock?
The latch on our metal gate rusted and snapped off. I'm having trouble finding a latch similar to this one that bolts onto itself rather than being screwed/bolted into the gate. Since I cannot find a ...
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Choosing materials for an outdoor storage box
I'm planning to build an L-shaped storage box to keep outside, and I'm interested in your thoughts on suitable materials.
It'd look like two steps of a staircase, with the top of each step liftable ...
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Need help finding Display stone to finish Off the French Drain
Where can I find stone like this to help finish off this French drain.
Can I find this at a big box store, or do I need to go to "stone seller"?
Also any other comments to make it look nicer....
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PG&E's Groundline distribution system [closed]
The other day I saw an article reporting how PG&E is planning to use "tech" to achieve its target to underground 10,000 miles.
They demo'ed something called a "Groundline ...
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How do I run power to a treehouse if I can't bury the wire?
I put in a treehouse and would love to get power to it, but my property is very rocky. Burying the wire is just not practical as digging a trench would require equipment that can get through rock on ...
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Any way to salvage this Wayfair gazebo roof? [closed]
A few years ago I picked up a gazebo from Wayfair. Hail has not been kind to the roof. The roof is made from these thick sheets of mostly hollow plastic that's similar in cross-section to cardboard.
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1
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Do I need reinforcement mesh or bar in concrete slab?
I've done a bit of searching and found conflicting answers: do I need reinformenent in my concrete slab?
I am planning on putting down a 12ft by 8ft concrete slab for a shed (just for garden storage, ...
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5
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Best way to re-route the water from AC drip line
After the contractors installed the heat pump near my house, they pulled the drip line (that is connected to the condensate pump near the furnace) right next to the outdoor unit, which results in:
...
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Hooking up a concrete statue with umbrella to water for 'rain'
I have a statue with a smooth copper pipe coming out of bottom center. At the center above the umbrella is a fitting with holes (like a sprinkler on a watering can (except its about 1" diameter). ...
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1
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Running power 200 ft from house to dugout to power a 13.8 Amp irrigation pump
I'm in Canada and from my research into the electrical code I need 6/2 direct bury wire to accomplish this task and keep the voltage drop under 3%, it seems excessive and I don't even know if 6 AWG ...
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2
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Outdoor staircase's connector seems to be barely latching on anymore, tips to fix it?
I have tried bolting the hexes with a wrench. The lower screw is now tighter, but I have trouble tightening the first one as the connector (not sure what this fastener is supposed to be called) looks ...
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How to cover exposed OSB flooring
I built a playhouse for my daughters a few years ago and it has a porch that is just part of the flooring (OSB housing floor) - I had painted the floor and that seemed ok for a while but now it's ...
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How to seal gazebo post bases already installed?
First time homeowner as of this week. During our inspection, inspector raised concerns over the rot occurring at the base of the posts on the gazebo located on our back porch. He recommended sealing ...
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Mount a ceiling fan to a metal gazebo
I'm going to mount a ceiling fan to a metal gazebo. Should I ground the gazebo frame to the ground wire? Plan on conduit from the house to a switch in a sealed environmental type electrical box. ...
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Have Screen Door that doesn't fit in rail frame
Recently rented a home and the screen door was taken off by the previous rentee. I want to put it back but when I tried, I noticed that the screen door's frame was taller than the rail frame that it ...
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How to extend my current elevated deck which is 12'x 12' with a 1-foot lower deck of 12'x12'?
The new deck will be 12'x12' ( less than half will be carved for the pool ).
It will also be about 1 foot lower to fit with the pool.
The existing deck is attached to the house and have 2 commercials ...
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How to locate Water from Weeping Hill?
We have a hill in our backyard. When we started to take out some room for a retaining wall, we found that the hill is leaking water about a foot off of the ground level. We turned off the sprinkler ...
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3
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Using a pressure washer to prepare a deck for refinishing
I have an ironwood (ipe) deck which has weathered to grey where it is exposed to the elements. Previously I have refinished it by sanding (very laborious) before reapplying stain/finish. I am ...
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2
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Can I convert a double rocker combination switch to a single switch?
I have a double rocker switch controlling two sections of LED potlights on the outside of our home. I'd like to convert them to a single switch because I can't find a programmable double rocker switch ...
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2
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Remote Fix for Always-Hot Outdoor Lighting
Our electrician inexplicably wired outdoor floodlights attached to side of house over driveway as "always hot", no switch. We don't want them always on, nor timed and also not with motion ...
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Fix/seal outdoor polystyrene foam
A few years ago I purchased three large wooden plant pots for our outdoor communal yard. The size is about 60 x 60 x 60 cm. At that time, I was advised to add thermal insulation, because the winters ...
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