Home Improvement

Steve Jackson

14:16

I'm going to miss PUT today. That's ok, I have no interesting PUs anyway: I installed a magnetic door stop twice. The first time with drywall anchors, the second time with toggle bolts (no anchor survives contact with a two year old).

JoeFish

16:18

G'morning

Karl Katzke

Howdy

JoeFish

How's tricks?

Karl Katzke

Life'd be a lot better if I could just work on my own house for a living. :)

JoeFish

hah!

So what're you working on?

Karl Katzke

16:35

For the past four months, nothing due to work, travel, holidays. :( I finished up my tile floor in my kitchen, still need to grout it though.

Been living at my girlfriend's; tough to get back up to my house to work on it.

JoeFish

Aahhh

That's a bummer

Karl Katzke

17:01

On the bright side, my girlfriend cooks and cleans her place. ;)

JoeFish

Silver linings

Steve Jackson

18:34

Boom: lifehacker.com/5875184/…

Looks like @Aarthi has been busy

JoeFish

Kablam?

Steve Jackson

JoeFish

...

BMitch

19:58

I get the feeling this will be a quiet week

but I'll kick it off anyway

Welcome to Project Update Thursday

Karl Katzke

Zzzz... huh?

;)

BMitch

Welcome back @KarlKatzke, long time no see

Karl Katzke

Thanks. :) Been a busy winter so far. With everything except the house.

auujay

I finally finished the tile tub/shower surround in my bathroom.

BMitch

anything DIY related in all that busy-ness

@auujay ohh, do tell

Karl Katzke

20:03

I hung curtains at my girlfriend's? I told my girlfriend she has crummy taste in home furnishings? ;)

auujay

The last day or two were pretty hard simply because the wet saw is outside and we had some very cold temps

JoeFish

Ohai

Karl Katzke

Oh, brrrrr

BMitch

let me fill in for @Aarthi: pics please

Aaron

so my question was about tracking down sounds in a house that are most likely not water related, but sort of sound like it

auujay

20:04

one day I had to get out the hair dryer to defrost the water line in the wet saw because it had frozen up.

the rest of the day we left it running a little bit so we it would not keep freexing

BMitch

@auujay cold wet tiles are no fun

auujay

it was brutal on my hands

my finger tips were raw for days

plus.google.com/photos/115012618361752306736/albums/…

that link should be visible for everyone

we also had the granite guys come out and install the vanity top recently

which let me hook up the sink so now we at least have a working sink to go with the toilet

(the shower is not grouted yet)

JoeFish

Holy crap I thought that was the bathroom in my old house

We did the exact same thing, with the fiberglass tub surround over a window.

Karl Katzke

@auujay You should wear thick heavy duty nitrile gloves when working with tile. You'll go through about a box of gloves, but $10 is not much to pay for not bleeding.

auujay

that's a good tip :)

the porcelain is really sharp but the thinset just sucks all the moisture out of your hands

and then trying cut tiles in freezing temps is even worse

Karl Katzke

20:09

Precisely. I got the tip from a tile board. The guys swear by the purple or black really thick ones. The ones I got at CVS didn't work as well, but I just had to change them frequently.

And I mean disposable nurse's style nitrile gloves, btw.

auujay

yeah, my wife is a nurse I could have had her swipe a box from work

we actually have some in the house for when she cuts chili peppers in the kitchen

so this weekend the plan is to grout the surround

i am a little concerned because I think I will need to use box sanded grout and unsanded

BMitch

I don't have any problem cutting chili peppers until I forget what I'm doing and rub my eyes

auujay

if you have cuts on your hands it can hurt...

BMitch

ah, good point, this is why I have gloves for everything else :)

auujay

the spacing between my large tiles is 1/16" so I need to use unsanded, but the smaller square tile in the strip are larger than 1/8" (my 1/8" spacers wiggle around between them)

Karl Katzke

20:14

Don't worry about using sanded grout in small joints.

The only place I wouldn't use sanded grout is in a shower or on a countertop where you have to clean it a lot.

auujay

so I am thinking I need to use unsanded between my 9x12 tiles and then sanded grout between the mosaic strip

Karl Katzke

I would just pick one or the other. The grout joint thickness doesn't really matter.

I'm putting sanded epoxy grout in 1/16 in my kitchen and it's fine.

auujay

my concern is that if I don't use sanded grout between the >1/8" joints that it will crack when it dries

(it shrinks when it dries)

Karl Katzke

It actually doesn't matter as much as you think it does.

Your real concern should be, "How much is my wife going to kill me when she tries to clean the shower or countertop that has sanded grout on it and it chews up the sponge?"

Because that's really all that matters.

auujay

If I use unsanded and then I see cracks in it the next day, can I add more grout? will it bond to the dried grout?

Karl Katzke

20:17

Yeah, it'll bond. You can just pack it.

For a floor though, I would always use sanded. For a shower or a countertop I would use unsanded. I can't tell from the pic what you need to work on.

auujay

yeah, I used sanded on the bathroom floor with 1/8" spaces

I was going to use the same color in the shower, so I have sanded grout in the color (left over from the floor)

but I was worried I would not get the color to match anyway since I would have to be use a different bag for the unsanded grout

Karl Katzke

nod

auujay

even if they say it is the same color they also say that if you need to use more than one bag you should mix it all up so it hides any variations

Karl Katzke

Yeah.

auujay

i will just do it all with unsanded and not worry :)

Karl Katzke

20:19

Sounds like a good plan. :) Unsanded is waaaay easier to clean. Don't forget to seal it, too.

auujay

yeah, I have a bottle of sealer that I need to use on the granite too

I already used it on the floor

Karl Katzke

I really wish I could find unsanded spectralock grout.

auujay

does the spectralock have the sealent mixed in already?

Karl Katzke

Nobody down here in Tejas seems to have heard of it, and every time I've ordered it online, it's turned out to be sanded.

Yeah, it does.

And it doesn't crack, it doesn't stain, the color always matches, it makes all your tile jobs look good no matter how much of a rube you are...

the last part, of course, being what I need help with most.

auujay

is it an epoxy grout?

Karl Katzke

20:23

yep

auujay

i heard those can be tough to work with because they setup so fast

Karl Katzke

Yes and no ... I had no problems the couple of times i used it, but wasn't doing large areas. The pro varient of it takes an hour or more to set up, so that isn't a big deal, but the homeowner mini units that they sell will set up within 20-30 if you're not careful. You can also put it in the fridge and it'll delay the setup tme.

Or slow it, rather, because it's a chemical reaction. It's just harder to work cold too, so I never bother.

auujay

so any other project updates?

anyone?

Karl Katzke

crickets

Tester101

5

Q: How can I contribute to the DIY community blog?

I'd like to contribute to the blog, how do I get started?

JoeFish

20:28

heh

Nothing much going on here. Mostly been working on my beer brewing rig. It's all DIY, so I guess it fits :)

Tester101

@JoeFish You should write a blog entry about it.

Aaron

@JoeFish there is a homebrew.SE!

JoeFish

I'm an active participant in homebrew.se :)

@Tester: I may do that. I've been trying to get off my lazy bum and do a writeup for my website

There's a lot to talk about - it's a scratch-built electric system that uses 2, 5500watt water heater elements.

They're controlled by fuzzy-logic PIDs.

I learned to solder stainless for all of the fittings, which was fun.

That's a pretty old pic, but it gives you an idea

The control panel takes 50a service, and breaks it into 240 and 110 inside.

Aaron

I don't think I'll ever get tired of this question

1

Q: How many kilowatts (or amps) can I safely draw from the AC grid?

I rent a house in the SF Bay Area. The house is not exactly new, but it's in good condition; hopefully the AC installation is the same. Most AC outlets are without grounding; but fortunately, there are two outlets in the backyard that do have ground connectors. I am thinking to build a kiln to f...

ac

Karl Katzke

How much you wanna bet he has a liberal arts degree?

Tester101

20:44

@KarlKatzke What's wrong with liberal arts degree?

I know lots of smart people with no degrees at all.

Karl Katzke

@Tester101 Nothing, unless it's a quick way to identify that you are without common sense.

Tester101

I know lots of people with really advanced degrees, with no common sense at all.

Karl Katzke

True. And it was a biased comment, but one that working at a university I dealt with all the time. The people that couldn't find their own posterior with both hands invariably were in a liberal arts college or "general studies" -- most of the other focuses tended to at least google the question first.

It's sort of like you tend to notice that in general it's either a Lexus SUV, or a subaru of some sort, going 55 in the left lane.

Tester101

@KarlKatzke if it wasn't for dumb people, who would run our fast food joints, scrub our toilets, collect our trash? Not saying you have to be dumb to do these jobs, but it helps.

Karl Katzke

hehehe.

Now, now, Tester, get with the program. Those are not dumb people, those are disadvantaged people, aka the 99%. And those of us in the plutocracy need to be careful to keep them in their places.

Jay Bazuzi

20:53

I have a few partial project updates, since it seems to be a slow news day.

We added some studs to the yurt.

The yurt wall is a lattice of lathe strips, which is fine...

Tester101

The wife must be happy about that!

Jay Bazuzi

but it's really hard to find a place for receptacles, and I would like it to be stronger in case a tree falls on us (we're in the woods)

(This isn't sexuality.SE...)

Tester101

The rim shot machine must be broken today.

Jay Bazuzi

The manufacturer offers a "snow and wind kit" which is mostly 2x4s that you put under each rafter, with metal brackets to tie everything together...

I just bought 2x4s at the lumber yard and put them in convenient spots, under about 1/2 of the rafters.

JoeFish

instantrimshot.com

Jay Bazuzi

20:56

The other project going on here is an expansion of electrical system in the yurt.

Before, I had 4 studs (at N, E, S, W), and a duplex recep on each stud.

A single 20A circuit.

Enough to get us going, but now I want more. Much more.

So of course .... I'm adding a subpanel.

Karl Katzke

I'm imagining lightning crackling down as Jay yells "MOAR!"

demonic laughter, etc.

JoeFish

Sounds like my house. Previously owned by a licensed electrician, who, when he finished the basement, wired the 8 outlets and 3 banks of flourescents to the same circuit as the living room lights (8 hi-hats) and outlets.

A 15-amp circuit, I might add.

Jay Bazuzi

Soon I'll have 2 20A circuits of general purpose receps, a 15A to a ceiling fan, 15A of lighting. And maybe a dedicated circuit, right next to the subpanel, for a space heater, which is a convenient backup to the woodstove.

Later on, we may add a kitchen in the yurt, so being able to pull a few circuits for that will be nice.

Or we may build a separate kitchen building, in which case it will get... another subpanel, yay!

Tester101

@JayBazuzi you are going to have 5 circuits total, and you want to run a sub panel?

Jay Bazuzi

Of course. -)

Tester101

21:00

You should put each circuit on it's own sub.

Jay Bazuzi

ooooh

Tester101

Then you wouldn't need light switches.

just flip the breaker

JoeFish

Noted.

Tester101

@JayBazuzi I guess I can understand it in your situation. Your main panel is outside, right?

Jay Bazuzi

They do make some small load centers that are really cheap. If I ever build a house, I'm sure I'd be tempted to add one in each room. <grin>

Main panel is on a 6x6 post about 10' from the yurt. It's smallish (8 spaces).

Tester101

21:02

@JayBazuzi one in each room is extreme, but one per floor in a large house can be useful.

Jay Bazuzi

2-space panels are under $20, so price isn't really a problem.

Tester101

@JayBazuzi So the new sub panel will be in the yurt?

Jay Bazuzi

@Tester101: correct, new sub in the yurt.

Tester101

That makes sense.

Jay Bazuzi

The distance from main to the new sub is short, but there's underground conduit between them. Putting one /4 cable in the conduit is easier than one cable per circuit.

Tester101

21:04

@JayBazuzi are you going to move the current circuit into the new sub?

So you'll basically be using the main panel as a service disconnect?

Jay Bazuzi

Yes, I will move the currenct circuit.

No, the system is a little more complex than that.

The real service entrance / main panel is 150' away. It has a 200A breaker and the meter, etc.

One circuit runs to a convenience recep on the same post. (I used to put my wifi AP and DSL modem in a bucket on top of that post)

There's a circuit running to a subpanel at the septic system (240V/15A pump circuit, controller circuit, and a convenience recep.)

Then there's a circuit running to a subpanel next to the yurt.

Tester101

@JayBazuzi Are you planning to feed the new sub, from the old sub or the main panel?

Jay Bazuzi

from the old sub

Steve Jackson

21:37

@JayBazuzi What you're doing is a little strange for a traditional house, but that's pretty much how it's done in industrial settings.

Jay Bazuzi

No traditional houses here :-)

Steve Jackson

Question is - what do you do with all this wiring when the mongolain nomadic urge takes you elsewhere?

JoeFish

A reasonable question.

Jay Bazuzi

While yurts are traditionally mobile, this one is pretty well fixed here. I suspect it will be here for a long time, even if we leave.

Tester101

Timeshare!

Steve Jackson

21:45

Do yurts have an established lifespan? I'm guessing with all the modern materials it would last awhile...

Jay Bazuzi

The canvas cover is supposed to last 10-20 years. The wood structure should last a very long time.

My deck structure is all pressure treated, so it'll be here a while.

JoeFish

G'night DIYers

BMitch

22:14

Thanks for joining us for this week's Project Update Thursday!

Project Update Thursday - 12 Jan 2012

2 hours ago, 2 hours 15 minutes total – 162 messages, 8 users, 0 stars

Bookmarked 7 secs ago by BMitch

I've got to walk faster so I can close this thing on time :)

Jay Bazuzi

23:46

Looking at the feeder to this new subpanel. I have a piece of 2-2-2-4 Al that is 5' too short.

Should I:

Splice in this scrap of 2-2-2 Al I have, plus buy a #6 Cu?

The splice point would be in a crawlspace, not in conduit. So I could use a junction box.

there's no good source of wire nearby, so buying another 5' of 2-2-2-4 means a long drive.

Project Update Thursday - 12 Jan 2012

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