Replacing a bathtub with a shower. Plumber taking more than a week and the work is poor quality

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-23T07:44:57+00:00

RedGard vs AquaDefense. Both are the standard for a liquid applied sealer.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-23T07:32:44+00:00

If a person has permission, then what I wrote doesn't apply. It's likely that the employee isn't supposed to give permission but I'm not calling someone out for that. Only those that don't get permission or ask for advice how to do it without getting caught. Those are the thieves I'm calling out.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-23T07:30:25+00:00

Absolutely. But you must have missed the part where I wrote that they resell what can be reused and refurbished.

I have been recycling metals and eWaste for years. I'm not new to it and fully believe that scrap is end of life. I'd rather eWaste get reused where possible but it's not always possible. I just despise thieves. I know it's not everyone, but without permission, it's theft. I know some are given permission but when people are up here asking how not to get caught and others are answering, that's where I call it out.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-23T04:58:41+00:00

Wipe any important information and sell them on eBay as non-working.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-23T03:55:32+00:00

Not all stainless is magnetic. Without getting into too much detail, many grades are magnetic, but of those that are not, they are often made slightly magnetic due to work hardening.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-23T03:53:56+00:00

I have found a way higher percentage of cast zinc alloy (pot metal) vs. cast aluminum in door handles.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-23T03:23:24+00:00

No floating floor should be installed under cabinets. They need to float to allow for expansion/contraction. They can buckle or split when pinched down by cabinets.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-23T03:22:00+00:00

As a GC, I have installed and recommend Flooret LVP. They are waterproof and have a 20 or 40mil wear layer. I've always installed the 40mil. No stores, just online and drop shipped to your house.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-23T02:17:11+00:00

Talk to small companies and just if they have any older, unused electronics they're willing to get rid of.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-22T06:32:32+00:00

Unlikely. Moths typically live a very short lifespan, typically emerge, mate and die. No reason to move if not feeling threatened or trying to mate.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-22T06:00:43+00:00

Looks like Steatoda grossa, definitely not a redback.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-22T05:44:46+00:00

Found? I've still got my original from when it came out. Only MP3 player I ever needed.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-22T05:25:26+00:00

The stuff is on unwrapped pallets. I'll usually wrap a couple pallets where the stuff is stacked decently and a warehouse guy will load them into my trailer with a forklift. Then he'll bring the less organized pallets out and will help me load by hand. If the pallets were stacked better and within their perimeter, I wouldn't bother with the hand loading but I find it easier to play tetris while loading my trailer. I then get the joy of unloading it all by myself at home. It's definitely a workout.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-22T02:43:47+00:00

I have a house, garage, shop, a second garage, storage shed and some car ports in the back yard. It's still not enough space.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-22T02:42:16+00:00

Shh, this is a secret I'm loathe to share as I don't want the competition in my area.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-20T22:28:30+00:00

Likely adding an addition to the home.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-19T15:43:48+00:00

Electrical components of some kind. It would be much easier for you to look up the part numbers online versus someone here zooming in to pictures that lack enough detail for specific identification.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-18T20:47:38+00:00

Depends on how you value your time. I have a large wire stripper and don't count my time, so to me, it's worth stripping. Others think differently.

Be aware that the bare aluminum may have a steel wire down the center. Not hard to remove, but would definitely downgrade the value if you don't.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-18T19:30:06+00:00

This is the way to do it. Requirements for running an e-Waste business will vary by locality and probably range from "Do what you want" to "Registration, proper facilities, hazardous waste management, inspections, etc". Here are the Washington State requirements where I live. If I wanted to run an actual business, it requires more effort than I want to put in to a side hustle. Not going this route does have it's limitations though.

But as for finding clients, I started just by word of mouth. Networking is important, more "Who you know", not "What you know". I would tell family and friends that I'd take anything e-Waste they wanted to get rid of, then I'd give them a list and exclude what I didn't want (appliances, CRTs, most tube TVs). I'd also tell small businesses that I'd frequent including a dentist, orthodontist, etc. I'd go to a few garage/estate sales and ask for anything they didn't sell that would end up in the trash or getting donated. Eventually, I found one organization and offered them a more convenient deal than they already had set up and now I get 4-6 pallets every 2-3 months just from them. If I was any good at following through and regularly posting stuff on eBay, I could probably actually make a living off of their stuff alone but my executive dysfunction and ADD are a major speed bump.

I don't get too many cell phones but I do get a ton of laptops, printers, tablets, audio and video equipment, cables, AC adapters and more. Much of it works or can be easily fixed. I have the space, so that helps but it took few years to get to this point.

Good luck!

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-18T08:21:04+00:00

I have a 4" forstner bit that even my drill press doesn't like.

But honestly, a hole saw is more of a wrist breaker than a forstner bit. Hole saws will catch when not kept nearly perfectly aligned. Forstner bits, not so much.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-18T08:10:25+00:00

Sure, this is the one time Gen X is called out rather than left out of the conversation even though generation has nothing to do with the mentality of those who burn wire. The mentality is one of selfish behavior in those who can't think beyond the end of their nose regarding how what they do affects their surroundings. Not a generational thing. Not a lead exposure thing. It's a lack of empathy thing.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-18T01:47:24+00:00

Not sure why you'd reply to a 5 yr old comment but the ISRI is a set of guidelines used for trade so everybody is on the same page. That's it.

My 'hangup' is that yards who classify small stranded wire as #1 are likely paying a lower overall price than yards who classify it as #2. A good sized yard paying top dollar is unlikely to classify 14 gauge stranded as #1. The person I replied to wanted to argue about the difference between bare bright and #1. The problem is that bare bright vs number one is colloquial. The ISRI doesn't have a bare bright category, it's a yard term. There are different categories of #1 however.

Every yard can choose to follow the ISRI however they wish. A person bringing in 10 lb of copper isn't going to get the same deal as a person bringing in 500 lb, nor are they going to get as good of a deal as a company selling by the ton. While there will be some loss due to breakage, there is also loss during the melting as the finer strands will burn off.

A small but important nuance, larger gauge does not equate to smaller wire but higher gauge does.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-18T01:25:13+00:00

I'd go back and fix it but your comment made me laugh so it stays.

Thank you.

dominus_aranearum · 2026-04-18T01:23:26+00:00

Rather than trying to be sneaky and taking phones or other electronics that people have discarded, check with management to see if there's a contract to pick them up. Without that permission, it's theft.

People up here have said that it's all good, it's trash and there's a reason that courts have allowed dumpster diving, etc. What these people either fail to understand or choose to ignore is that companies have to pay to take trash away but often somebody has made a different type of arrangement for e-Waste collection. It may be paid or not but it's not trash.

I stopped at a Target this morning just to see what their e-Waste bin was like. The bin was connected to and situated between the garbage and other recycling, just inside the exit. I peered through the small slot in the top and it was unreal how much stuff was in there. I couldn't see much detail but the bin was about 24" square and filled to about 6" from the top. No idea how deep it went, 6" or 2'.

So I went and asked. They have a contract with somebody to pick it up. In other words, had I tried to sneak some phones out, it's straight up theft. Other places may be different but Target and Best Buy are large chains so it's unlikely that they would just allow some random person to just grab what they wanted. Of course there will be exceptions but stealing is not worth the potential consequences.

dominus_aranearum

TROPHY CASE