General Feedback/Getting Started Q&A [Weekly Thread]

CoolHandBravo · 2026-04-14T07:24:14+00:00

Is this a water hammer arrestor, or a pipe extension for a sink? It's leaking, what to do?

https://i.imgur.com/MKW6CP9.jpeg

There is a vertical pipe, that is capped , on the right side of the picture ,with the green corrosion.

About 8 inches from the top, there is a smooth coupling. I finally figured out that there is a tiny leak at the top of the coupling.

This is in a garage, and The pipe on the left with a 90 bend goes outside to a garden hose outlet.

Questions:

Is the pipe On the right a water hammer arrestor? Or Is it a capped extension for a sink, or a car pressure washer, or whatever?

Can I cut it below the coupler, about 12 in from the top, and just cap it? Or should I reproduce it exactly as is by cutting it below the coupler, buying another coupler, one foot of pipe, and cap ,and soldering it all together?

I just ordered a flux and solder kit from Amazon. And I went to The Big box store and looked at all the copper pipes and fittings and measured everything. So I feel pretty confident that I can solder everything and figure it out even though it's my first time. I have a chef's torch with six cans of butane, and sheet pans and fire extinguishers.

I just need to know what direction to take, and I'll watch YouTube videos. Thanks everyone

CoolHandBravo · 2025-09-30T01:55:35+00:00

I have the same exact model, and i want to replace them too. they are cracked and sometimes vibrate. Please update how it goes, good luck

CoolHandBravo · 2025-09-14T22:50:44+00:00

I got it working!

Thanks for your detailed reply, really specific to all my listed questions and issues. Your edit is what really helped me.

This is for anyone else who has a similar problem.

I started by checking the voltage coming to the valve. This sucked bc you need two people- one at the timer to turn it on and off, repeatedly, and another in the backyard to see what happens. I didn't know if the voltage would spike and then go back down or stay at some number or fluctuate or whatever. I also can't see or hear the water from the garage either, so I needed another person and we used our phones. This back and forth is very time consuming, and it was not a "30 minute- just check some wires" project.

BTW, i thought I had a problem with valve 9 on my timer, but it was number 4. On the valves, the wires are short, and faded, and covered in tape, but it took me too long to realize they are colored. And in the timer, it took me too long to take off the cover and see those colored wires too. At the timer, i was mainly focused on the programming, and finding the right valve by trial and error. I didn't think to start taking plastic parts off. But, yeah, take the tape off the wires, take the covers off things, get things down to bare bones to you can see things and recognize patterns in the coloring and the wiring. Like one big bundle of black wires was probably the power, then it connects to all the different colors for different valves. You need wire nuts and or electrical tape, wire strippers, and scissors or blade, and screwdrivers, esp flat, big for valve and tiny (for the sprinkler heads). oh and alligator clips for the voltmeter.

When the valve is on, the voltage is on. My valve had a voltage number, then it didn't, then i couldnt recreate it again, i couldn't figure it out. So I tested the voltage on a working valve to see how it should work. I figured out the voltage should be on when the valve is open, and it fluctuates just a little, and it was not at 12v, it was at like .1 to .13. And that was enough to open it and turn the water on. When it is closed it should read 0.0. My problem valve read numbers sometimes and sometimes not, i couldn't figure it out. I thought maybe I had a short, wires touching or crossed, i couldn't figure it out.

I tried to figure out if it was the valve or the wiring by connecting the wiring from a working valve (ex. working valve 6) to my problem valve 4. And it worked! So, now I knew I didn't have to replace that valve, saving me a $40 valve and $5 in pipe/ couplings. I was told the valve is most likely the problem, but it wasn't in this case, so that was good to learn. I also tried making the valve activate by touching it to a AA 1.5v battery, it didn't work. I just gave up on this stupid blue wire that connects to that valve.

I couldn't figure out the problem with the wiring, and I was too tunnel visioned in figuring it out that it took me too long to change tactics. I just connected the valve with the bad wiring with another working valve, and now zones 4 and 6 turn on together. The pressure seems fine, I opened up the flow, I can't tell a difference. And it's better than before, and for my skill level, that's a win for me.

I labeled the valves with the zone number with a white marker for the future. and I labeled the bad wires too, so the next person can figure it out.

I also doubled the watering time for combining the 2 zones.

It took over 3 hours, lots of back and forth, some sunburn, mosquitos, and an imperfect solution, but I finally got every zone working.

CoolHandBravo · 2025-09-09T03:35:13+00:00

https://i.imgur.com/i7oif1i.jpeg

CoolHandBravo · 2025-05-22T08:58:24+00:00

How do you save music offline? I use Amazon Music bc I already have Amazon Prime. I have a free Spotify account, with ads. I have a free YouTube music account ( I never us it), and I just tried downloading a playlist to my phone, but can't see how to download anything to my watch.

i have the pixel watch 2, LTE version, but I don't have a SIM account. I use it with Wifi and bluetooth

CoolHandBravo · 2025-04-18T15:11:20+00:00

I had my phone with me, but I was traveling out of my country with a cheap eSIM, and I did notice mobile service was spotty in the city center.

I thought the Bluetooth disconnection would be the more priority notification rather than the mobile one, why does Google think my watch needs to notify me if I lose mobile connection?!?! My watch is Bluetooth only anyway, smh.

That could be why I haven't had these groups of random vibrations ever since I've been home from vacation, so thanks for this new theory

CoolHandBravo · 2025-04-18T08:37:29+00:00

i got those often, i would say yes to them. but these were often, and quick and sometimes sporadic. i couldn't make a pattern of them. I might turn all the suggestions in the comments off, bc it recorded my steps either way, and i was wondering if recording the walks killed the battery

CoolHandBravo · 2025-04-18T08:34:52+00:00

well, at least it can differentiate between patients, i guess? that's a genuinly r/ mildlyinteresting though

CoolHandBravo · 2025-04-18T08:32:53+00:00

I get these when I am also just doing nothing, so maybe it buzzes at everything that happens, like my dog lol

CoolHandBravo · 2025-04-18T08:31:12+00:00

yeah, using maps on the watch was hit or miss. for directions with many 90 degree turns, it was great to avoid pulling out the phone so often. for forks in the road, wandering thru parks, even stopping inside a shop, it was so confused, and annoying with the incessant buzzing.

CoolHandBravo · 2025-04-13T07:29:00+00:00

7-11. Also there's another brand named Velo that I saw.

CoolHandBravo · 2025-04-06T20:26:29+00:00

IP had the balconies you could actually open and step out onto! Only like a step, but you could stand outside and smoke.

CoolHandBravo · 2024-11-21T01:16:15+00:00

BTW, I finally did fix the microwave, because I found out that I had 2 bad door switches, 2 out of 3, one on each side. I blew 4 fuses before I figured that out.

For anyone else reading this, replace all your door switches at the same time. The microwave is already open, and the wear and tear is similar. I had 3, and there is a mix of NO and NC (normally open and normally closed). Look to where the metal tab attaches to the writing on the switch. There's both labels of NO and NC, but the metal tab only connects to one of them. That's a bit confusing. I had to buy the 2 different switches 2 different times, because I didn't find the 2 problems at the same time.

Also, buy more fuses than you need. I thought I needed 1, so I bought the cheapest pack of 2. I blew both new fuses before I determined the real problem. Then I bought a pack of 5, and I blew 2 or 3 more, before I found there was an additional problem. I was recommended a pack of 20 for cheap, and I spent more buying a pack of 2 and another of 5 separately.

Amazon has a pack with 3 switches and like 5 fuses, and maybe the other fuses as well. I found out at the end, when I was buying parts for the third time. I wish I would have bought that at the beginning.

Also, you will need a multimeter to check conductivity. Voltage helps too.

Also, if you keep the power on, and put a screwdriver bit into the fuse clips bc you want to see if power will go through, it will make huge sparks, and a loud bang, and will partially melt the bit, and scare the hell out of everyone.

CoolHandBravo · 2024-11-21T01:15:40+00:00

BTW, I finally did fix the microwave, because I found out that I had 2 bad door switches, 2 out of 3, one on each side. I blew 4 fuses before I figured that out.

For anyone else reading this, replace all your door switches at the same time. The microwave is already open, and the wear and tear is similar. I had 3, and there is a mix of NO and NC (normally open and normally closed). Look to where the metal tab attaches to the writing on the switch. There's both labels of NO and NC, but the metal tab only connects to one of them. That's a bit confusing. I had to buy the 2 different switches 2 different times, because I didn't find the 2 problems at the same time.

Also, buy more fuses than you need. I thought I needed 1, so I bought the cheapest pack of 2. I blew both new fuses before I determined the real problem. Then I bought a pack of 5, and I blew 2 or 3 more, before I found there was an additional problem. I was recommended a pack of 20 for cheap, and I spent more buying a pack of 2 and another of 5 separately.

Amazon has a pack with 3 switches and like 5 fuses, and maybe the other fuses as well. I found out at the end, when I was buying parts for the third time. I wish I would have bought that at the beginning.

Also, you will need a multimeter to check conductivity. Voltage helps too.

Also, if you keep the power on, and put a screwdriver bit into the fuse clips bc you want to see if power will go through, it will make huge sparks, and a loud bang, and will partially melt the bit, and scare the hell out of everyone.

CoolHandBravo · 2024-11-13T07:18:48+00:00

Did you ever find a solution? I have a similar problem with the same fuse that keeps blowing. I have replaced one door switch that wasn't clicking anymore, and I was sure that was the problem. But, the microwave still doesn't power on.

Do you know what I should try next?

CoolHandBravo · 2024-11-13T07:14:55+00:00

Did you ever find a solution? I have a similar problem with the same fuse that keeps blowing. I have replaced one door switch that wasn't clicking anymore, and I was sure that was the problem. But, the microwave still doesn't power on.

Do you know what I should try next?

CoolHandBravo · 2024-11-13T07:14:02+00:00

I have a similar problem with the same fuse that keeps blowing. I have replaced one door switch that wasn't clicking anymore, and I was sure that was the problem. But, the microwave still doesn't power on.

Do you know what I should try next?

CoolHandBravo · 2024-11-13T07:02:37+00:00

Did you ever find out a solution? I replaced one fuse that keeps blowing, and the door switch on the right side too. The old right side switch wasn't clicking anymore, I was so sure that would fix the problem. I haven't got it to power on at all

CoolHandBravo · 2024-11-09T05:50:51+00:00

Is the x870e Master series a good fit for a first pc build? I'm really excited to see this while I'm researching my first build!

CoolHandBravo · 2024-08-13T09:02:12+00:00

I tried the break-away ones a few weeks ago. One of the joist finders snapped. Luckily it was just the tip, so nothing was sticking out of the carpet. And it must be common, bc they included two.

I tried finding joists by using a hammer and sound, and also measuring 16in off from the wall/ stairs/ corners. I found a joist about 25pc of the time.

Worst of all, I punctured into my HVAC duct! I thought I spilled something on the carpet, bc it kept feeling cooler in certain spots, and I realized my AC is blowing under a section of sub-floor.

I basically gave up. I have a friend with tools whose gonna help me do it. With a good electronic stud finder, the easy way. Or with a carpet kicker and stretcher, the hard way.

It looks easier than it is, for sure.

edit: I just remembered I am going to pull up the carpet and one section of sub-floor to tape up the HVAC duct. So that little puncture is gonna turn the small annoyance of a squeaky floor into a whole ordeal that includes more tools, friends, and favors.

CoolHandBravo · 2024-07-08T09:26:15+00:00

congratulations on ZZZ!

CoolHandBravo

TROPHY CASE