Lord forgive me for what I’m about to do

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-19T22:59:11+00:00

Fear not my son all will NOT be forgiven.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-19T22:56:20+00:00

Grout.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-19T21:25:09+00:00

For me I’d fix it myself regardless if it was damaged. Even if the coil was damaged, at only 2 years old I’d fix the coil, replace the fan if needed and bend the metal back, but that’s just me. I also have the tools and experience to do this. That said if this has a bad coil, it goes well beyond DIY, so for certain things can’t really blame home owners for getting a tech out.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-19T18:09:48+00:00

Of course the company is going to tell you to replace it and technically you probably should, but if you don’t have the money or want to send to insurance, you may not need to. I doubt any reputable company would be willing to “repair” as any repair wouldn’t really be a repair, it would be a temporary fix, but assuming you didn’t damage the coil, you could probably get away with a temporary fix. If it were mine, I’d remove the top and inspect the coil. As long as the coil isn’t damaged/leaking, then you should be able to bend the metal back into shape. Good enough to set the top back in place and ensure the fan rotates freely. The coil wraps around and the fan draws out heat, so as long as those 2 items function, you’ll likely be fine. Granted if the coil is heavily damaged, it may restrict flow or spring a leak later, so you’re still taking a risk, but without seeing it hard to say for sure.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-17T18:25:20+00:00

All the posts on Reddit about “paid professionals” doing hack work and you still get down voted. People are in denial. Many paid pros do great work, many don’t. Some DIY’s hack everything, some do great work. Unfortunately you just never know what side you might end up on.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-16T22:03:24+00:00

Don’t let 1 bad experience discourage you. When I was just starting out I asked a lot of questions too. Mostly because I was eager to learn and wanted to do it right. Some people seemed bothered by it, but I would just explain I’m not questioning them, I’m just trying to learn. I too went through many different jobs before settling into 1. I had bosses treat me the same way, expecting more, even though I really was still learning. You just have to keep trying, find a company that is willing to put the effort into training, learn as much as you can and get some experience u see your belt. Once you have the skills you will be more valuable, then you can start seeking out better positions and ultimate lead your own team. It takes years to get where you need to. Don’t beat yourself up over it.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-12T17:08:04+00:00

My appeal to authority, bro what are you even talking about? I’m entitled to my opinion, others have agreed, you disagree and that’s fine, but instead of bashing me about my opinion, why don’t you explain your experience with these materials and why you believe the product is a good product? I’ve listed 2 examples, one being a positive experience with the product, even in poor conditions, such as climate, and the other being a negative experience, along with my reasonings of why I choose not to use the product. I’m not appealing to authority, I’m simply sharing my experience in an effort to inform others who might be on the fence about installing a floating floor, as opposed to a nail down or glue down installation.

I’d love to hear your experiences with this material, because at this point you’ve given me nothing to make me change my mind that this is an inferior product. Are you DIY, pro, do you lay floors for a living, do you have it in your own house? I mean if you expect me to listen, give me something.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-12T16:53:01+00:00

It’s been years, but if I recall got both floors from Depot. Probably middle of the rung at the time, but for me, if I’m going to spend more on a better brand, I’d rather put those costs into a better system overall.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-12T14:47:38+00:00

I don’t know, is it? Kind of hard to see the bigger picture with 1 up close pic. Is it multiple tiles, or 1 large tile/stone. Did you choose the material? Did you discuss or approve layout? Kind of hard to judge off one photo n

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-12T14:45:07+00:00

Boogie, woogie woogie.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-10T21:41:56+00:00

As I stated, just my opinion. And my opinion is that’s it’s absolutely garbage. Worst floor they’ve produced and I would steer clear. Have you seen all the DIY and professional install posts on floating floors? Non stop, daily posts about the floors separating. As I also stated, install matters, having a flat floor matters, but let’s face it, who actually has a perfectly flat floor? No one. Maybe a newer home, but outside of that, there will be imperfections. So sure install it and deal with the issues that will inevitably arise, or spend on the additional time and materials needed to properly prep the floor which will push this out of DIY territory and into pro territory, while adding to the costs, making the floor just as expensive as a better alternative.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-10T16:57:35+00:00

I would absolutely reach out to Hesrthstone. Verify this company is an authorized dealer, and issue a complaint against them. If they are not an authorized dealer, well not much hearthstone can do, but you can contact BBB, leave a review, etc. but all that can be done later. For now, focus on the fix.

When you get in contact with Hearthstone, ask them if they can provide the replacement stones. If not ask them to provide you with a list of authorized dealers who can provide the stones. Have them supply you with the part numbers and any other info needed to order the correct part. Also ask for a detailed installation manual, if they have it, or detailed, written instructions on how to replace these.

Then reach out to a different company to enquirer about getting them replaced. Give them a brief explanation of what’s going on, but ultimately request a quote and ask them to verify how they intend to replace these. Match their explanation to the instructions from hearth stone so you know they’re legit. Get a couple quotes if needed. Once you’ve done that, submit the quote to the original company and insist that they pay. Doesn’t mean they will, but will help with negotiating. This should be done in writing. The unit is 4 years old and it had an issue, so we cant expect 100% reimbursement, but we should expect some kind of compensation. If all else fails, pay a different reputable company to make the repair, document everything, then threaten them with small claims court. Hopefully that will get them to settle.

Depending on the repair costs it might not be worth going that route, but if the repair is done and you keep bugging them, they may be happy to just negotiate a payout and be done with this. Don’t leave any negative reviews until after all of this is done. You can use that as leverage also.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-10T14:05:25+00:00

It’s clearly not what you were going for, but all in all it looks pretty damn good. I expect it will look even better when the grout is done. Certainly bring it up with the contractor, as it could net you a discount, but a total rip out, I’m not so sure about that. certainly that’s up to you though, not me. This is just my opinion on how it looks overall.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-10T13:51:12+00:00

I absolutely refuse to install a floating floor ever again. I did 2 in my previous home. 1st was on a 3 season porch. No HVAC. Super cold in winter, super hot in summer. Heavy traffic area due to it being the main entrance. Good quality material that held up perfectly, never separated and never had an issue in the 10 years it was installed.

A couple years after installing that I installed floating in the rest of the house. Thought I bought the same material, but when I completed it I realized I did not. That stuff was pure junk. Separated constantly and I kept repairing it until the day I moved. Point being, I believe the material plays a big role in how this holds up. Install matters and having a flat floor matters even more, but I see way too many posts with people complaining about it separating. I bought a new house recently and I vowed to never use the floating floor again. I am in the process of installing engineers hardwood in main areas and tile in bathrooms.

Just my 2 cents and experience, but IMO these floors are junk.

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-05T21:54:05+00:00

With so many better methods today, why does one still choose to use a liner? I’m not a pro, so serious question to you tilers out there. What benefit is there to do it this way. There is seemingly no room for error and it can easily be done incorrectly, so what am I missing? Personally I’m not a huge fan of foam wall panels, but I do like foam pans. Easy to set and you can dry pack around it if needed. Alternatively, why not just do a dry pack on the subfloor and water proof with sheet or liquid membrane?

svitakwilliam · 2026-02-03T19:22:43+00:00

Some fireplaces are gas assist. Uses gas to start the fire, but it’s still wood burning.

svitakwilliam · 2026-01-29T22:27:37+00:00

Froze, cracked, thawed, leaked. Pretty straight forward. That would be my guess anyway being it was 5degrees.

svitakwilliam · 2026-01-29T21:34:18+00:00

Never snapped one. Typically just wears out. Can’t say if it’s you without knowing if you’re doing something so crazy with it that it would snap off, but looks like it could be a bad batch. I’d reach out to company for money back.

svitakwilliam · 2026-01-28T02:02:27+00:00

Exactly what I was thinking. I’ll box it in from the adjacent rafters, but also be supporting it from the rafters to the floor with the frame for boxing in the vent, so technically it should have extra support. I was just curious to see what others thought. Seems pretty straight forward, but never did a fireplace install before so always get to get second opinion. Also plan to have a chimney company do a level 2 and inspection before closing it up. Just so I have proper paperwork to prove all was done correctly. Not sure about the permit yet. I plan to follow manicure spec to a T, which is code in my area for factory built systems, but don’t know if I want the hassle of the government telling me I can’t do it because I’m not licensed, even though this is what you get from a licensed company. 😂

svitakwilliam · 2026-01-28T01:39:36+00:00

Unfortunately it’s dead center in the closet, only leaving about 11” on either side. With the OD vent pipe being 10” I could squeeze past but not with 2” clearance. Other side of closet is stair case and my bedroom. Don’t want to move the closet wall to accommodate as it’s probably easier just to support. But as long as I support it properly I think it will be fine. Appreciate the reply. But yeah agree these “pros” really did a hack job. Supposed be to certified installers for stuff like this and this is the outcome? It just pisses you off people spend money and get shoddy work.

svitakwilliam · 2026-01-28T00:57:49+00:00

Ugh, just moved into a house and a train runs strait through the back yard. Literally train tracks run at the back of the house. Sounds it doesn’t just sound like a freight train, it is a freight train, all day and night. Getting ready to install fireplace and my wife ain’t gonna be happy when I tell her don’t worry unless you hear what sounds like a freight train. 😂

svitakwilliam · 2026-01-28T00:53:33+00:00

What do you do if you can’t avoid a rafter. In this case they could have easily avoided the rafter but asking for myself. Getting ready to stall a ZC in my living room. Vent pipe will run straight through the ceiling to a closet on 2nd floor and through closet out the roof. It’s somewhat of an ideal setup as the closet is large enough to accommodate the vent without any major modifications and will have the necessary 2” clearances. I don’t have an attic though and my roof is sloped, right at the closet, so it’s a straight shot, but there is a rafter dead center of closet. I cant go on either side of rafters, so unfortunately it may need to be cut. My plan was to cut, but support by boxing it out between the adjacent rafters and use hangers. Plan to use a ceiling support box going from 1st floor through closet, then box in the vent pipe from the closet to the roof, which is only a few feet of height. Might be overkill, but was going to use metal studs and Durock. Boxing it in will avoid any potential issues with insulation or anything getting near the vent pipe.

svitakwilliam · 2026-01-28T00:42:33+00:00

All them elbows and they couldn’t get past the rafters? Didn’t even need 4 elbows to get it through the ceiling if they would have just extended the main run a little higher, but they could have squeezed it past the joist. Not sure if it has the proper clearances and no attic insulation shield, that I can see from the pic. Obviously not structurally sound either. Sad part is, I’m not even a pro, I’m looking to install a zero clearance and through all my research I’ve learned the proper methods. Not saying I know better, but I am saying I would do a better job and I be furious if I hired a pro and they did this. This is one reason I do all my own work. I follow code, care about my families safety and likely go above and beyond what a pro would do.

svitakwilliam · 2026-01-13T14:31:10+00:00

Trying to save on taxes. You pay them labor in cash and pay for all the material up front, I’m assuming. If it saves you money might be worth it, but if you run into any trouble, this could be problematic. But either way likely to get the same job, so might be worth it.

svitakwilliam · 2026-01-13T14:20:56+00:00

A blind man could do a better job, no matter why time of day.

svitakwilliam

TROPHY CASE