Home Improvement

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2:41 PM

@Tester101 Someone needs to make a fireplace cover made out of 1" foam board that seals all the way around (floor to mantle trim) and has a realistic photo or painting of a fireplace on it. I'd probably cover mine up and never open it again.

Next time I'm home shopping, a real fireplace will be a negative. A gas fireplace without a real chimney (just a small vent) would be fine, but otherwise, all the holes in the house are more trouble than they're worth.

Tester101

3:00 PM

I want to start using the fireplace, I just haven't had time to get it inspected.

The siding near the outside air intake is melted. I think the previous owner had a fire with the flue closed, but I'm not sure. So I want a professional to take a look, before I have a fire in it myself.

BMitch

Every time I use my fireplace, my house gets colder in every other room. The fireplace sucks all the warm air right up the flue and every drafty window leaks like crazy.

Tester101

I also plan to install a blower on the insert, so I can try to gain heat.

BMitch

I think an outdoor fire pit is more my style. Go outside on a 40F night, enjoy some marshmallows, and then head back into the warm house.

You could see about replacing the insert with a wood stove to get some real warmth out of the thing.

Tester101

Thought about that too, but I like to watch the fire, and most wood burners don't provide much of a view.

BMitch

I can't deny that fires are pretty. I'm just a penny pinching tightwad when it comes to heating my house in the winter. :)

Tester101

3:07 PM

Unfortunately due to the layout of the house, and the location of the fireplace, I don't expect to heat the rest of the house much anyway.

I have a source of free wood.

Though it is a limited source, so I can't rely on it completely for heat.

BMitch

my home office has the chimney running along the wall (it's above the fireplace in the living room below). This room is always cold because the entire chimney chase is uninsulated.

Tester101

Yeah. It seems insulation is one area most builders cheap out on.

If the homeowner can't see it, use the cheap crap!

BMitch

Yup, and I think I found almost all the other areas in this home. 2x3 construction, seriously, the extra 1" for a real 2x4 was going to break the bank?

Tester101

$1.00 x 1,000 = $1,000.00

BMitch

They take away 20% of the structure of the home to save 1% on their building costs. SMH

I'd pay an extra 10% to get a home that will last twice as long, be twice as energy efficient, and require half the repairs.

Problem is that most buyers don't know how to assess the structure of a home, and that's who builders are targeting.

Tester101

3:19 PM

That's why standards organizations and inspectors are so important.

That house should have been looked over multiple times during construction by a trained professional.

BMitch

Yup, but those are only minimum requirements.

Tester101

Low standards = low quality.

Yeah, but the minimum requirements could be changed.

BMitch

We were building stuff above code for Habitat (2x6 for exterior walls, lots of green certifications) to make the places more affordable to heat/cool.

Tester101

4:05 PM

I think Electronics hates me.

-2

Q: Can I shorten a length of C9 Christmas lights?

I have a string of 25 C9 LED Christmas lights, and I'd like to shorten the string. After untangling the string, they seem to be wired like this... simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab I've removed a few of the lights between D4 and D23, but when I plug the string in...

Not sure I understand why that's off topic for an "ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING" site, but whatever.

I guess if you're not using Raspberry Pi or Arduino, it's off topic.

2 hours later…

Chris Cudmore

6:35 PM

It appears that nobody has said anything interesting in chat since Nov 7.

It's been 27 days since a demonstration of insight or wit.

BMitch

6:52 PM

I used up all my wit on the electrocution sign.

Given that this question hasn't received a vote or answer, I think it's safe to say that no one really cares about PUT anymore. sad panda

Q: Is there still a need for Project Update Thursday?

The weekly PUT meetings have been fizzling lately, mostly because many of the regulars are busy with our lives. Do we still need to have a PUT, should it be changed (new time?), or is there something else we should be doing to attract more regulars to the chat (and to the blog)? If there's no int...

discussion site-promotion chat

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Q: How can I fix this portion of sliding screen door track?

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