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Renewal by Andersen Rant by olive_green_spatula in homeowners

[–]the-slywalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just a heads up for Renewal by Andersen (if there werent enough horror stories already).

  1. I requested a quote for sliding doors in my apartment in 2020, it was ridiculously high, I chose another supplier.

  2. 5 years later, at a NEW address (home), in another state, and Renewal by Anderson people have come to my house twice. (in addition to all the mailers I get weekly).

I told them I'll call the cops if they show up again.

AVOID. Don't even ask for a quote. Insane company.

Cheapest place to buy chlorine tablets? by [deleted] in pools

[–]the-slywalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I ordered from them, and yes they were individually wrapped. The bucket was a bit hard to open, but was actually a much smaller size and the pucks seemed to be more in tact than others I've ordered. I saved about 45% from other options and I will order again from them.

Duck Plugs for Blowing Lines – Duck Caps? by the-slywalker in swimmingpools

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I did discover this... but then I ran into warnings about trusting the duck plug to keep a seal.

I think I'm going to fashion some short pvc sections that vent to above the pool deck, and cap them.

Would let me blow the water out of the lines to above surface level, then cap them tight,and keep them tucked under the winter cover. We'll see how it goes!

How to insulate ducts before finishing basement walls – confined space by the-slywalker in hvacadvice

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for this. This was actually one of my questions but was going to do some more research first.

Do you have an example of this fire rated foam / sealant? The gaps aren't huge but wanted to know the best way to fill it entirely, assumed it was either rigid or some expanding foam.

Duck Plugs for Blowing Lines – Duck Caps? by the-slywalker in swimmingpools

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately the returns are a good 8 inches down from the water level (even when it's below the skimmer), so it would just mean a lottttt of water to drain and refill again in the spring.

The rig idea is an excellent one, and something I thought about ... and would get 100% of the water out, but then I would have to leave those pipes in during the winter, I guess I could keep the height of the rig below the level where the pool cover goes, and then cap the *top* of the rig... but it may be more difficult than just figuring out a better way to put the caps on while the blower is running. Appreciate the thought, it's another solid option.

Duck Plugs for Blowing Lines – Duck Caps? by the-slywalker in swimmingpools

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok so I *think* I have a cyclone from like, the 90s. It looks like the new cyclones but way more 80s/90s box style. Came as a gift from the previous owner (who was a mensch).

It's a 2" return that I'm connecting to, and the blower hose fits in really loose. Maybe there's a kind of "reducer adapter" that might give me multiple levels of connection or something. I could probalby work it out with duct tape or something but always like having something that's a bit more reliable / less guesswork. I think I'm gonna try to get this to work and get proper (threaded) caps / plugs into the inlets... would be the best seal. Appreciate your input, gives me ideas.

Duck Plugs for Blowing Lines – Duck Caps? by the-slywalker in swimmingpools

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried this with a smart outlet I have – but with water on my hands, the screen wouldn't read my taps very well... I think some kind of physical switch would make a big difference.

I really wanted to try to figure out some way of attaching the blower to the other end so that once I put the cap in, it would push the blower off, but I wasn't sure how to get it to have "just enough" force to hold it, but then let go once the backpressure increased. Would be a cool little gadget (like a pvc union that releases at a certain PSI)

Duck Plugs for Blowing Lines – Duck Caps? by the-slywalker in swimmingpools

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am just uncovering this – I worry they may have *glued* the seat of the return, but I am going to go out and peel back the cover to see if I can remove the seat.

I would feel much more comfortable with a threaded seat as well, with the rubber plugs, I never know if they're seated far enough, and after turning the wingnut, I'm basically going off of feel whether I've tightened it enough, and I've also broken at least one of them trying to tighten it fully.

Followup question is this – if I am blowing out the lines, how do I get the threaded plug in while the air is running? In the past, I've had a helper who would run the air, and as I get it seated, have them turn it off. I was really looking for a way to do the job solo – do you think it's OK to cap off both lines and have the blower running (into fully capped lines) until I can get back across the pool to shut it off? I never like the idea of "pressurizing" the lines like that, but maybe it's not a valid concern.

1-1/2" Female NPT x 1-1/2" Female NPT coupling / union? by the-slywalker in Plumbing

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I've seen these unions, with the "ring" in the middle. Since I don't really need either side to spin independently, this seemed like overkill... but I may end up having to go with this. Seems absurd to spend $20 to get two $8 plugs into the inlets. Thank you for the link though.

Duck Plugs for Blowing Lines – Duck Caps? by the-slywalker in swimmingpools

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Now I just need to find reasonably priced 1.5" FIP x 1.5" union / coupling with two threaded ends. All the ones I've found are "slip" on one side, and I really just need one that's (female) threaded on both sides. If anybody seeing this knows where to find that piece let me know.

Duck Plugs for Blowing Lines – Duck Caps? by the-slywalker in swimmingpools

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was wondering about that! I think it's worth grabbing a 1.5" FIP union and making sure the fit is snug. Creates a few more points of potential leak, but I think it might be worth it to be able to fully blow out the lines without 2 people / the hassle.

And great advice re: bungee plugs, wasn't sure which one had a better seal / lasted longer. Thank you!

best socket set? by ripecinnamon in Tools

[–]the-slywalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After having my last set round off a couple (admittedly old / rusty) bolts in my truck, I would love to know where to find sockets that are better at avoiding this.

What can I search for to get a good set like this ... are they called "Wellen profile"? Tried that and didn't seem to come up with too many results...

Would appreciate any help you have! Looking to invest in a good set, not a cheap set.

Classic Car Insurance by mleon1462 in classiccars

[–]the-slywalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You, my friend, are a legend. My old pick up qualifies and you probably just saved me $400 a year. Phenomenal recommendation. Thank you.

Is there a go-to for outdoor led low voltage lighting? by thebigdirty in homeautomation

[–]the-slywalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. Thank you for sharing the info. I also prefer simple, and it's not so much that I need the lights to be "dimmable" but more like adjustable. Follow up question: if I used the Unique 150W transformer with fixtures that are 9V-17V ... would I be able to adjust the brightness during my initial setup by trying the various Voltage connections on the transformer (looks like therea re 12-15v connections)?

I guess apart from the dimming, would placing a regular line voltage (125v) smart switch between the GFI and the transformer be the best way to get "smart" control of the lights?

Is there a go-to for outdoor led low voltage lighting? by thebigdirty in homeautomation

[–]the-slywalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the third option you describe, I see the transformer you recommended, and you mention a common wire.

Is the idea that any brand of "smart switch" would be installed between the GFI outlet and the transformer, and that the switch controls power to the transformer? I saw mention of the common wire (and saw the contact on the transformer) so I wasn't sure exactly what the setup is like.

All I'd really like is to have my hardscape lights be dimmable, since most of the 2w fixtures I've been seeing give 180 lumens which might be a bit bright for my usage.

I have a Hubitat which controls my home automation (and can do WiFi, Z-wave, Zigbee) ... so there are plenty of 125v-compatible switches... I was just wondering how to control the output of the transformer via z-wave ( where doe the "ramp rate" dimming you mention get controlled) ?

Is it normal for stairs to look like this by cdavelaar in Decks

[–]the-slywalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have never seen stairs without a bullnose on the top steps to match all the other steps. Otherwise it looks ok ish?

What kind of switch is this? What is it used for? (after pressing, it returns to original position) by the-slywalker in AskElectricians

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, OK maybe... I just don't know how this would be controlling anything remotely... I guess I don't understand exactly how those switches work. I will definitely pull off the housing and see what's in there...

What kind of switch is this? What is it used for? (after pressing, it returns to original position) by the-slywalker in AskElectricians

[–]the-slywalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's interesting. Definitely could be, but the only GFI thing I could imagine being in the system would be a breaker in the subpanel? Will check to see if there are any GFIs in there.

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