Advice The Home Improvement/Automation Thread

[fly]

So this is pretty cool. Some of you may recall, I bought a Dynatrap mosquito trap a few months ago. Well this morning the bulb was dead. And no one has any replacements. Anywhere. So I called the company today. They are sending me an entirely new trap.

 

[Domon]

was finally redoing the skirting on the back "room" of the house, which is really just an enclosed porch that they insulated at some point. Its held up with shit like this:



Most of em are solid, and im not gonna fuck with them for now, but this one corner just wasnt supporting shit. There was an entire 7x11 corner of the porch that was just floating in air.

Dug out 18 inches deep, geotextile, 15 inches of rock, then jacked up the corner with a farm jack and put 5 blocks in place to replace the crumbling bullshit above.

 

[Josh]

Why not a sonotube and short piece of pressure treated 8x8?

 

[Jehannum]

was finally redoing the skirting on the back "room" of the house, which is really just an enclosed porch that they insulated at some point. Its held up with shit like this:



Most of em are solid, and im not gonna fuck with them for now, but this one corner just wasnt supporting shit. There was an entire 7x11 corner of the porch that was just floating in air.

Dug out 18 inches deep, geotextile, 15 inches of rock, then jacked up the corner with a farm jack and put 5 blocks in place to replace the crumbling bullshit above.

View attachment 12614

You know that cinderblock is just going to disintegrate in the ground, right?

 

[Domon]

Why not a sonotube and short piece of pressure treated 8x8?

time. Also, compared to the 8 other piers that look like the one that fell apart, it would be overkill. one superior support and 8 poor supports doesnt make sense. So i did one mediocre support that i could put together in an hour.

 

[Domon]

You know that cinderblock is just going to disintegrate in the ground, right?

not with geotex and 15 inches of #57 under it it wont.

 

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

holy crap

 

[Domon]

amazingly the cantilever was rock solid. I couldnt lift it more than a 1/16 with the jack.

HOVERPORCH, new feature.

 

[Josh]

Honestly that's how most Maine camps foundations look. It's cheap. Every few years knock the old bricks out, jack it up, level it, and put new bricks and shims in.

 

[Valve1138]

Since we moved in 5 years ago I had thought a previous owner had left a big box of 12-2 UF because it was grey.

Finally looked at it to day because I want to run a line down to the farm.

Fucking wire is NM-B.

At least 12/2 UF isn't bad these days price wise.

Looking at $150 for wire, conduit, boxes, clamps, covers, etc.

And then the labor to get the wire the 120' down there.

 

[Domon]

Since we moved in 5 years ago I had thought a previous owner had left a big box of 12-2 UF because it was grey.

Finally looked at it to day because I want to run a line down to the farm.

Fucking wire is NM-B.

At least 12/2 UF isn't bad these days price wise.

Looking at $150 for wire, conduit, boxes, clamps, covers, etc.

And then the labor to get the wire the 120' down there.

Rent a trencher. ITs worth it.

Also, what the hell you gonna be running at the "farm" (lol). A fence charger? your bluetooth speaker?

 

[Valve1138]

Rent a trencher. ITs worth it.

Also, what the hell you gonna be running at the "farm" (lol). A fence charger? your bluetooth speaker?

Fence charger. Fan in the greenhouse.

This is way cheaper than solar.

 

[Domon]

Fence charger. Fan in the greenhouse.

This is way cheaper than solar.

unless your fan is huge its really not. Solar chargers are same price as electric ones these days

 

[Valve1138]

unless your fan is huge its really not. Solar chargers are same price as electric ones these days

And then the battery’s freeze.

 

[Domon]

And then the battery’s freeze.

you're not running the fence in winter. bring the battery inside, like any other batt if you're worried about that.

Or just buy a quality battery in the first place. The battery in your car doesnt freeze.

 

[Jehannum]

And then the battery’s freeze.

Use an AGM one then.

 

[gee]

you're not running the fence in winter. bring the battery inside, like any other batt if you're worried about that.

Or just buy a quality battery in the first place. The battery in your car doesnt freeze.

Provided there's a charge on it. If you let it discharge, it'll freeze.

 

[Valve1138]

Charge controller. Solar panels. Racking.

Not doing that for under $150.

 

[Domon]

Provided there's a charge on it. If you let it discharge, it'll freeze.

its gonna be continually topped up by a solar panel. Remember, snow here is rare.

 

[Domon]

Charge controller. Solar panels. Racking.

Not doing that for under $150.

ok, go ahead and spend 40 hours digging 150 feet of 48 inch deep trench then.

Or rent the trencher. For money.

If you're gonna trench, run some 1 inch poly water line (or pvc if you're feeling fancy, pex if doublefancy) at the same time, thats an actually useful thing to have at the garden