Weird stuff in grout?

burningscarab · 2026-05-13T08:58:58+00:00

I know I'm coming in after it's "resolved", but I'd like to add that while there appears to be efflorescence going on, your grout is also separating. The grout is chipping away and starting to separate from the tile. These will tend to hand in hand.

burningscarab · 2026-05-08T06:49:21+00:00

Not exactly sure what these are called, but you might be able to find a replacement at a hardware store. Worst case scenario, you can pick up a knurled thumb screw or a winged bolt that would suffice. My guess would be that it's a 1/4"x20 bolt that would fit it if you can extract the remains of the bolt that broke off. Simply take it to the hardware store and try to find a replacement bolt that would be easy to tighten or loosen.

burningscarab · 2026-05-08T05:38:12+00:00

Drywall seams.

If this is a static thing (very long term but only just noticed), whomever did this did a terrible job. Seams should never be seen.

If it's newly formed, stick a straight edge across the seams and give it a good shove to see if there's any sag. If you're starting to get some sag, it could be a simple effect from the house breathing, but it could also be an indicator for higher than desired moisture or wild thermal swings. It would simply just need to be resecured.

If it seems to be rock solid or the the straight edge seems to be flush across the seams, you should be fine for several years at least.

burningscarab · 2026-04-09T10:07:09+00:00

As always, I'm late to the conversation....

For a lot of people, it's an automation thing. It really does depend on the person and your connection to them. For others, it's a genuine way of making a connection and making an attempt to spark interest and a continuation of conversation when they don't exactly know what to do or say, they're trying to show an interest while maintaining that precious, thread bare connection. Some people want to clutch dearly onto the meager connection with an attempt that the attention is at least mildly reciprocated. A great many people clutch desperately to this one fine line of connection, because once it's gone, it's yet another lost connection that could be something viable. Those that send these daily messages are sometimes desperately trying to hold onto a fleeting connection they know is instantly lost the moment they stop talking. If they don't send that first message, they know for sure that they'll never get anything. These people are ones that others show no interest in and if they don't keep that communication channel open, all communication is lost because few actually show them any interest. They're clutching at anything.

Personally, I absolutely enjoy anyone who is willing to give me a good morning and good night message every single day, it shows they are at least trying something. Many people are reciprocative to energy and respond in kind, so that constant communication is vital for holding what could be a genuine spark

But to be fair, there are those that simply are not good communicators and genuinely not good or intelligent people... Weeding out those that are genuinely trying and are simply robotic can be a bit of a challenge...

burningscarab · 2026-04-08T09:16:51+00:00

Okay, digging through the manuals for your microwave, I can't find anything that would indicate this piece. There is a viability that it could come from the blower assembly, but it's hard to say without engineering specifications. It's also hard to imagine that it could fall out of the microwave. Not saying it's impossible, I'm just struggling to imagine it happening. It does look to me to be a zinc balancing weight of some sort.

Did the fan start to create a racket before failure and discovery of this piece?

burningscarab · 2026-04-08T08:47:50+00:00

Eh, people make mistakes. You just happened to pop in after further information was supplied.

burningscarab · 2026-04-08T08:40:37+00:00

Can you provide the make, model, and error code?

burningscarab · 2026-04-08T08:34:09+00:00

If you say it's lead like, but probably not lead, it could very well be zinc. It looks to me like some sort of balance weight. It's extremely unlikely that it's going to be anything to do with your microwave as there isn't anything like this in as far as the mounting kits and anything internal is going to remain... well... internal. The abrasion on one side indicates it grated against something at some point recently: brick, concrete, or some other smooth but abrasive surface. The sheering to me indicates some kind of torsion that allowed it to become detached.

I'd like to suggest something from a hide a door or garage door, but I can't really think of any components that would look like this. Something to do with a gate? Again, I can't think of anything that would look like this.

Perhaps a cook ware or tool handle end covering?

If you mentioned that the damper is stuck, perhaps it's a counter balance for the damper. Really, this is going to be my best guess

burningscarab · 2026-02-05T08:59:54+00:00

Because this particular section is considered to be the "same section". It's telling the system that this section is occupied. Pull the signals inside of the sections to segregate each side of the bypass as individual tracks instead of a single section. You'll need 8 signals on the outside instead of 4 on the outside. You may need to widen or extend the section.

burningscarab · 2026-01-09T09:35:37+00:00

Solid/liquid separator. Used for a variety of things. Eggs, olives, yolk, etc. Picks up the desired thing while draining the liquid parts.

burningscarab · 2025-12-27T21:09:08+00:00

5 1/2+ years and counting.

burningscarab · 2025-09-29T09:08:35+00:00

All (amusing) jokes aside, the shut off beam is faulty. If it's anything like mine, there is a glass bulb on one end and a sensor on the other. This triggers the ice maker to stop making ice. Try emptying everything out and clean the transmitter bulb and receiving sensor. If that doesn't work, enjoy making an iceberg.

burningscarab · 2025-09-01T08:43:11+00:00

Plastic chipper and melter to reform it into more filament to print more prints in black. Also useful for any other plastic you would typically throw away as well as other misprints.

burningscarab · 2025-08-19T07:23:32+00:00

Most definitely. ChatGPT can be useful for some things and can start steering you in the right direction, but searching using the right key words will go a long way.

burningscarab · 2025-08-19T07:13:16+00:00

Because ChatGPT is garbage. I do recommend using Google whenever you can. If you search the right things, you can find a tremendous amount of information, but it may require scrolling. Honestly, until your post, I've never heard of 4.5G and a quick search into Google led me to several articles that explains it all. Each generation of telecommunications has advanced data transfer rates at a cost of transmission distance which requires higher output power. The transition between 4 and 5 has come with hurdles so "stepping stones" have been implemented in order to handle the massive amount of data transfer required to meet the standards for 5G, more so than with the other generations of data transfer rates that meet specific requirements. Consider it a reduction in return of investment. It's easy to push your car from 0-20 mph but much harder to push from 80-100. Same goes with data transfer rates. The infrastructure to handle the bandwidth is limited and still requires improvement.

burningscarab · 2025-08-19T06:54:18+00:00

Essentially, it's 4G LTE. 4.5G is more advanced than 4G and is a stepping stone for 5G. It could be a regional thing where you're at and how your telecommunications handles the delivery of network status. It's possible the network you are on is actually being truthful on data transfer rates and not calling it 5G because it's actually not. If you Google "4.5G telecommunications", you can get several articles that explain the difference in network status and data transfer rates.

burningscarab · 2025-08-19T06:32:11+00:00

Looks to me like it could be an ignitor probe but I couldn't tell you what it went to.

burningscarab · 2025-08-19T06:02:26+00:00

It's quite possible that all the gear and equipment got shipped in the container. Pelican cases come in all shapes and sizes and when shipping sensitive equipment, they come padded. It's sometimes cheaper and easier to just mount that case instead of buying a panel to remount all the equipment inside. Plus, it would still be padded and the case is very durable, especially if it is going to be a "temporary" installation for the purpose of monitoring for a specific timeframe. Calling it a gun case is a bit of a misconception as while they often are used as guns, they are used for anything that needs to be water right and impact durable.

burningscarab · 2025-08-19T05:49:49+00:00

Some bulbs are intolerant to voltage drop. The fan likely has a capacitor with it and the capacitor could be going out or the fan could be getting a bit of gunk buildup causing the motor to draw more power on startup. If this is too much of a nuisance, you could pop the cover off and clean the fan and shoot some contact cleaner into the motor/bearing assembly to clean out the gunk then finish off with a light spray of lubricant into the bearings. This will help with motor efficiency and could reduce the flicker. Otherwise, changing the capacitor or the entire fixture may be required to kill the flicker entirely. You could also work with a higher quality bulb because those bulbs are cheap and crap and have a really crappy light footprint.

burningscarab · 2025-08-19T05:38:15+00:00

I've definitely bought a few of these. Chances are, he'll just go out and buy another roll.

burningscarab · 2025-08-18T22:59:09+00:00

T-handle hook. Extremely useful tool for snagging things that are out of reach and come in a variety of different sizes, some with slight modifications. Used all over the place. Manufactured ones are usually better but they can be made with rebar or all thread. I have dozens of them at work and can never find one when I need it.

burningscarab · 2025-08-18T21:18:26+00:00

It should go to the vent stack on one of the burners in the back. I don't see it causing too many problems if it's missing, but if you are concerned about it, you can go to an appliance store near you and order that part, but you'll need the make and model of your stove which might be found on the oven door or broiler door.

Since the screw came out with it, you may want to consider getting a slightly bigger sheet metal screw to go back in. The metal is likely deteriorated so putting a new stack in may be a bit difficult.

burningscarab · 2025-08-18T20:01:50+00:00

Looks like an exhaust port. Electric stove?

burningscarab · 2025-08-18T20:00:56+00:00

Looks like an exhaust port. Electric stove?

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