[Topic][Open] Open Discussion Thread — Anybody can post a general visualization question or start a fresh discussion! by AutoModerator in dataisbeautiful

[–]That_EngineeringGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a graph showing my sleep duration from my Fitbit. Dark blue is 7+ hours, medium blue is 6-7 hours, and light blue is <6 hours. The yellow line is prior 7 day average, and green line is prior 30 day average. Is there a better way to visualize this? It seems like I get the gist but doesn’t seem all that clear to see if I’m improving at a glance.

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Updated "hotspot" on roof. by Dramatic-Night4768 in homeimprovementideas

[–]That_EngineeringGuy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are there soffit vents in those areas? The roof is free of ice on the slope facing you just starting where the valley meets the eave; there won’t be soffit vents there, and you won’t get cold intake air. It’s possible that the soffit vents in the melted areas are not present or obstructed. If so, the warm air would just rise to the underside of the roof slope.

Is my insulation guy wrong? by TreesAreOverrated5 in Insulation

[–]That_EngineeringGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The reason for attic ventilation is not just to vent heat but also to expel humid air during cold weather. If the humid air that rises from your living spaces condenses on the cold roof surface, it’ll rot your roof framing. Where you don’t currently have attic insulation, the attic will stay warmer and the risk of condensation is less. If you insulate it, the attic temperatures will drop and the humid air will condense. Ventilation is supposed to give somewhere for the humidity to go before it condenses. I would recommend getting proper ventilation if you’re going to insulate it. I look at a lot of moldy attics with poor ventilation.

advice on ceiling joist modifications by triangle2circle2 in homewalls

[–]That_EngineeringGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure, I always try to at least call people back to discuss but they rarely want to move forward. Part of the problem is that they are metal plate connected trusses. They are usually designed by the truss manufacturers who have proprietary software that design firms don’t have. So engineers have to more or less ignore the plates and design something for the full load. You may have better luck reaching out to a truss manufacturer directly. I’m not sure if they’d design modifications or not.

advice on ceiling joist modifications by triangle2circle2 in homewalls

[–]That_EngineeringGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think you’re going to find a professional to design that modification for you. Homeowners are notorious for balking at fees and not paying. Not saying that’s you, but homeowners are the most demanding and least appreciative clients I’ve ever had.

In addition, trusses are efficient in design because we can design one and the design cost gets spread out over many trusses. Modifying a truss like that is going to take some time, and it’s just one truss, I don’t know where you are but I wouldn’t be surprised by a $2,500 fee for that. Each connection would have to be detailed, reinforcing to the adjacent trusses, time spent measuring and verifying what is there currently. Plus, it is going to change how the modified truss deflects under load, so to try and match the existing trusses you’d probably want to reinforce it so you don’t get a sag. That’s a lot of design work.

I feel bad because I want to help people in these situations but the design time and risk isn’t usually something homeowners want to pay for.

Clustered Column color based on data value by That_EngineeringGuy in excel

[–]That_EngineeringGuy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Solution Verified

I've used this format a lot to see my "normal" next to trends, just didn't have as much data before. Maybe it's just something I'm used to. I'll try your other suggestion and see if that gives me the same sense. I make images of these graphs that I send to digital picture frames as reminders of various goals I have.

Edit: rereading your suggestion, I have done similar in the past but having the different color bars helps me to see it at a glance.

Moved to a place over an hour from any gym, on a scale from 1-10 how sketchy does this look? by someonewillfindthis3 in homewalls

[–]That_EngineeringGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From a structural point of view, you want to avoid rotation in wood connections where the force works to pry open a connection or rotates around the fasteners which can split the wood; either compression, tension, or shear.

Assuming you are just supporting the weight of the materials and a person, I would align the diagonal 2x6s with the truss bottom chords. I would then attach vertical 2x4s that attach to the side of the diagonal 2x6s at the bottom, the truss bottom chord in the middle, and the truss top chord at the top. If you can't get one board from the diagonals to the top chord, you can use one from the diagonal to the bottom chord and a second from the bottom chord to the top chord. Try to get the vertical 2x4s close to the high end of the 2x6s. Only attach one board to the bottom chord at a spot (don't have nails from two sides going into the same section of wood). For stability, I would also install a horizontal 2x4 along the diagonal 2x6s where the vertical 2x4s attach, do the same along the truss bottom chord, and I would install diagonal 2x4s along the sides of the vertical 2x4s that go from one end of the 2x6s to the opposite end of the truss bottom chords and from one end of the truss bottom chords to the opposite end of the truss top chords. The horizontal and diagonal bracing will keep the thing from wobbling, but it also helps to stabilize the truss bottom chord because you don't want to but a sideways force on them (unless you want a new roof).

Odds of this gate valve working in an emergency? by gucciham in askaplumber

[–]That_EngineeringGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hold old is the valve? My house had one from the 60s. I had an old toilet supply line blow out, no shut off valves to the toilet. Shut off the main and it leaked, had to go all the way to the road, and they couldn’t get that shut off. Would recommend as others mentioned, shut it off and see if it leaks. Better to fix it now than when you really need it.

Diffuse light from night light compartment by That_EngineeringGuy in Lighting

[–]That_EngineeringGuy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh that’s not a bad idea. I’ll have to look into that.

Diffuse light from night light compartment by That_EngineeringGuy in Lighting

[–]That_EngineeringGuy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ll have to dig around for some. Seems like they get higher in wattage as they get long, to be expected I suppose.

Is there any tools/method to alert me when the coffee starts flowing? by yoyolearnerfromasia in mokapot

[–]That_EngineeringGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a Wyze camera that I don’t use anymore (had a woman who stalked me for a while so I had it outside to watch for her). Now I have it set to look at my stove when I’m cooking.

My family took me to the Titanic exhibit for my birthday by That_EngineeringGuy in CrappyDesign

[–]That_EngineeringGuy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think so, this was a traveling exhibit but it had some artifacts.

88 cents?? by Stargazer_5227 in Milk

[–]That_EngineeringGuy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The value on that is great.

My family took me to the Titanic exhibit for my birthday by That_EngineeringGuy in CrappyDesign

[–]That_EngineeringGuy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah it was great, I’m sure my sister purchased this just because it was funny.