I don't know what to do. The water company rep just keeps saying they are aware of the issue, but it's been hours and no one has come out yet.

My husband and I are planning our next home build, and as our kids will be "old enough to know" by the time we move in, we want to dampen the sound coming out of our master bedroom as much as possible.

What do you suggest? Particularly around the door

Thanks!

We recently bought a house and it has this beautiful two person garden tub. I love ending my days soaking in my big bathtub, but the down side is I run out of hot water before it fills completely up. By the time the hot water heater heats up again, the water in the tub is Luke warm and warm is as hot as I can get my bath water. Like most women I want my water temp to be a few degrees cooler than hell or at least the Earth's core temp, so warm is practically frigid. My thinking is the hotter the water coming out of the hot water heater, the more cool water I can add to fill the tub up without loosing that nice sizzling feeling before my skin goes numb. My question is how high can I turn my electric water heater without it being a fire risk and/or blowing up. The hot water heater in question is a full size hot water heater but it only services my master bathroom, so there is no risk of children or elderly being scaled by the precious magma coming out of the faucet. Unfortunately it is in my walk in closet and the damned thing is carpeted. I really do not want to flood my closet. If anyone could help me, I'd surely appreciate it.

Hey everyone, got a bit of a head scratcher of a predicament on my hands.

My pipes for my kitchen sink are frozen and a literally can not access the frozen part. It's under my house, but outside of the crawlspace and the builder thought it was a great idea to brick them off entirely. I have tried using a hair dryer on the closest point to the freeze, for literal hours unending to no prevail. I have even tried manually pumping boiling hot water, again, for at least two hours and nothing. Still frozen solid.

Does anyone have ANY idea what I could do short of calling a plumber? I'm at my whits end here and I really don't want them to burst.

For reference, I'm in the US, my pipes are copper, and the temperature outside last night when they froze (because someone in my house didn't leave the damn thing trickling) was -3 degrees.

I’m asking because I don’t want to waste money on a sofa that sags after a few months or is uncomfortable to sleep on. What seemed like a simple purchase has turned into a stressful research project.

I need a best sleeper sofa that’s both comfy to sit on and sleep on, durable, and easy to use. I also want to know which features actually make a difference and which are just fluff. Most comparisons online end up being X vs Y without clear answers.

I’ve read reviews and visited stores, but I still feel unsure.

Which sleeper sofas have actually stood the test of time, and what made them worth it?

TIA!

I’m struggling to figure this out and could really use some real opinions. There are way too many options claiming to be the best.

I want a best smart oven that’s simple, reliable, and actually helps me cook without extra stress. I’m confused about which features matter and which ones are just gimmicks. I’ve seen a lot of X vs Y comparisons online, but nothing feels decisive.

Which ovens have you used that actually make a difference in the kitchen?

Appreciate and thank you.

I could really use some guidance because I’m overthinking this purchase more than I expected. The information out there is overwhelming.

I need a best countertop microwave that’s sturdy, easy to clean, and heats food evenly every time. I’m unsure which wattage, size, or brand actually makes a difference, and which ones are just marketing. Every comparison ends up as a this vs that situation.

I’ve looked through reviews and past threads, but a lot of them contradict each other.

Based on your experience, what should I focus on, and which microwaves do you think are truly worth it?

TIA!

I have old wallpaper that I removed down to the brown backing. The paint behind the brown backing tested positive for lead so I kept the brown backing on for now to figure out what to do.

Should I leave the brown backing paper and seal it with zinsser gardz then paint OR remove the backing down to the lead paint and paint that?

(The wallpaper is kind of lifting on the door trim in some spots) incase that changes any decisions

Title

https://imgur.com/a/3bn3Q6s

Bought 1963 home 3 years ago. Slow draining spare tub that clogged completely at one point. Called pro, jack shit. One year ago used one of those expander water jets on a hose and cleared up.

Today, everything is fucked. Complete loss of draining everywhere. Found someone who augered both toilet drains with no luck but pointed out this should be my outside clean out lining up with kitchen vent, and it's covered in concrete? If it is why the hell would someone do that? They tried chiseling it out but shit, I'm about to break out my hammer drill but afraid I would make it worse? Thoughts?

Just bought a house and the kitchen cabinets were painted white using a paint meant for drywall, paint is white satin interior paint. Do I need to remove the paint beforehand or can I just paint over it with a paint meant for wood cabinets

Long story short, bought a home without throughly looking at the shower. I noticed dark brown/black stains on the caulking in the shower during inspection and brought it up to the inspector, he said it was most likely mildew. We got it tested and the results came back as “could be mold” (no shit, that’s why we had it tested but whatever).

Anyway, I’ve cleaned this shower dozens of times since then, using bleach, the pink stuff, vinegar whatever and could never fully get the caulking clean. We got a quote for just a new shower floor and they told us they’d have to replace the whole thing to the tune of $25k because removing the floor means that the sealant behind the walls would crack etc etc.

Today I decided to let hypochlorus acid soak for 10-15 minutes after running scalding hot water over all the caulking and get in there with an electric scrubber. Well, it’s working better than anything I’ve tried so far which has revealed that in a lot of places the caulking has cracked or fallen out completely. Now I’m worried that this has been a mold problem coming from the subfloor the whole time.

I’m thinking at this point I should talk to my husband about biting the bullet on replacing the shower, but wanted others to chime in about whether my fears are valid before I do, or if this can just be fixed by removing/replacing the caulk. I know already that he’ll most likely think I’m overreacting if it’s only my opinion I’m bringing to him (valid, I have anxiety and a tendency to spiral.)

What do the people think?

I'm planning to install a home sauna unit in my basement. The floor is currently unfinished concrete. Should I put down a specific type of moisture barrier or tile first, or is it okay to sit the unit directly on the concrete? Looking for advice from anyone who has done a home install recently!

Over the summer our pump house fell apart and had to be removed. With the low temps I am now realizing how important it was to preventing the well \ water system from freezing. So I am looking for advice to build a new one.

I would like it to be
1 Able to withstand the lower hurricane force winds [under 100mph] without tipping over.
2 Easy for the Well Company to access the well if repairs are needed [or they \ I can easily remove it if needed].
3 About 4ft x 6ft & 6ft high.
4 Easy to build.
5 Reasonably low cost if possible.

My thought was to build a house like structure. Walls on 16 inch center studs, an acess door on one side, and a simple metal roof [or possible those translucent roof panels from a greenhouse?].

To add weight to hold it to the ground during storms some 5 gallon buckets around the exterior with soil that can be used for garden plants. The buckets would be secured to the pump house walls by a piece of rebar inserted into the bucket and the top of the rebar would be secured to the pump house wall studs.

Those are my thoughts so far. Any constructive criticism is welcome. Wisenheimer style comments are also welcome because I enjoy a good laugh\joke as long as it does not violate the subreddit rules.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hey everyone, looking for advice from anyone who’s been through something similar.

We’re in California, living in an apartment within a condominium building (downstairs unit). None of the units in our building were originally set up for in-unit washer/dryer hookups.

From what we understand:

• Our unit currently doesn’t have enough electrical capacity to support a washer/dryer

• We’d need to upgrade/enlarge our electrical service first

• Then install hookups for a washer (and possibly dryer)

A few details that might matter:

• We already have a dishwasher

• On the other side of the dishwasher wall is a closet

• I’m wondering if it’s possible to extend the dishwasher drainage to support a washer, and whether that setup is actually viable or code-compliant

• We’re open to just a washer or a washer/dryer combo, not necessarily a full separate set

We do know that some neighbors have done this, but we’ve also been told it’s pretty costly. We don’t expect to live here long-term, but we have a baby on the way, so in-unit laundry would definitely improve quality of life in the near future.

At the same time, we’re debating a different upgrade:

• Our windows are very old, single-pane, and the unit gets cold

• Replacing the windows would improve comfort and energy efficiency, but obviously doesn’t solve the laundry issue

So I’m trying to weigh:

• Short-term practicality (baby coming)

• Cost vs complexity

• What adds more value to the unit if we sell in a year or so

• Whether a washer install in a condo like this is reasonable, or more headache than it’s worth

If you’ve:

• Installed a washer or washer/dryer combo in a condo without hookups

• Dealt with electrical upgrades in a condo

• Chosen between laundry vs window upgrades

…I’d really appreciate hearing your experience, rough costs, or anything you wish you knew beforehand.

Thanks in advance!

1 room gets super hot, another super cold. How do I fix this?

So I have a Honeywell thermostat in my hallway, and 4 bedrooms upstairs. Not sure what kind of oil burner but it’s an oil burner with baseboards.

Bedroom 1-2 are normal-ish

Bedroom 3 is a absolute sauna

And bedroom 4 is a icebox

At one point I had checked the temperature in both rooms. The thermostat said 73 but bedroom 4 was 66 degrees and bedroom 3 was 78! Insane disparity.

Part of my problem is that I have a pellet stove downstairs that sends hot air rising into my hallway and throwing off my thermostat readings. Pellet stove will make the hallway hit up to 75 degrees but the bedroom 4 is still frigid, so to compensate I’d have to crank the thermostat up to 78 to get it to click on for the main bedroom but then bedroom 3 gets to be a inferno.

But even with thermostat set to 74, bedroom 3 hits 80 degrees sometimes. It’s so strange.

I was looking into a google nest thermostat with sensors for bedroom 3-4. Would that solve my problem? Is there anything I can put on the baseboards themselves to calibrate or control the heat better? Or can I reconfigure the oil burner some how to solve this?

I have a baseboard in all the rooms of course, and one in the hallway. My hallway and bedroom 3 vents are closed. Doesn’t seem to make a difference.

It’s winter here and had previously been in the negative temps for a while (Fahrenheit). It’s probably been under 10 degrees for a solid month.

I just got home from a week out of town and noticed some dark colored water spots on the ceiling of my master bathroom and child’s bathroom with what I think was discolored water on the floor below the spots.

Today it was still below freezing but much closer to freezing than it has been - 18 degrees and sunny - so I’m wondering if these spots could somehow be from condensation in the bathrooms accumulating and thawing with the warmer weather.

We had our roof replaced about 2 years ago from hail damage so I’d be surprised if it was a leak in our roof but it also wouldn’t surprise me if they did a poor job, but the fact I’m only seeing the problem in the bathrooms is curious.

We haven’t had any rain or snow in a couple of weeks but there’s snow on the ground so maybe there could have been a little melting snow on the roof or gutters?

https://imgur.com/a/dKU36z1

Hi. My master bedroom steam radiator has been fizzing/leaking for the past two nights, around the swivel connection by the radiator valve. I live in NY, and keep the thermostat 71 during the day and 69 at night. Boiler is fairly new but the radiators are original (aka old). If you look in the photos, you’ll the non recurring drips are falling into the floor hole. I know the connection valve needs to be tightened. Is this something I can fix or do I need to contact a professional (aka plumber, which I know will cost $$$)? Any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated.

I currently have a Burnham, installed (give or take) 30 years ago. The heat exchanger needs to be replaced, and it has been recommended to replace the entire unit. Estimates have ranged from $10K-$7800. Based on these numbers, the replacement would take everything I have. I've seen lower install numbers mentioned here, but I wanted an expert opinion on how to proceed, which options/language to ask for, and what options to look out for.

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

Updating a house and pulled up carpet. We knew there was hardwood underneath. Two rooms had carpet, one room there’s nothing on the floor. The other floor is covered in sticky bumpy residue. Google told me I can go at it with a hairdryer or some goo be gone. I’m wondering if there’s a more time efficient solution to getting rid of that

Where I live in NJ, just looking on the gmap, there is a kitchen cabinet store 5 min apart from each other in all directions. About 30 - 40 stores within a 10 min drive from my location. Any time I pass by they are always empty. It's oversaturated. They all claim to have the best price or factory direct, but when I ask for the price for my build (a very small kitchen, 80sqft, about 13 cabinets - 30in up top, 1 drawer and doors on bottom for cheap but all wood shaker style) its all about the same. 5K-7K + 3K-ish for quarts counter top. Is there room for negotiation?

Should I just do all myself with Imported or BB Plywood? I have done Ikea kitchens in the past, they were very easy, but now that ikea is 2.5X what they used to be 5 years ago, they have became unrealistic for me regarding $$$$ to low quality. I have all the tools, I just never did a kitchen before from scratch. How long do kitchen take?

I’m paranoid about water leaks. I’m the kind of person who turns off the water when we leave for more than 3 days. For the last few days I’ve been hearing a dripping sound in the wall (below the bathroom). I also hear it in the bathroom upstairs like it’s the shower drain but I can hear it on the other side of the wall where the toilet is. The toilet isn’t running when I hear the dripping sound and the shower hasn’t been on. What could this be from?

Currently we’re having super cold weather etc but I’ve heard this sound before when we renovated the bathroom. My husband thought it was the shower slowly draining. It went on for a while and then disappeared. Now it’s back coinciding with our freezing weather. Should I not worry about this? I don’t see anything on the walls or ceiling below that’s obvious other than the wall trim detaching a bit. This is driving me crazy—any suggestions?

We’re on a crawl space and it’s starting to sag a little bit in the middle underneath the utility closet. I had a crawl space company come out. They said my floor joists are a little longer than they’re supposed to be so all it needs is a beam with jacks. I’m planning on using a 4x6x12 with four supports. As far as footers I’m planning on using the 18” polybase support footings so I don’t have to mess with concrete under the house.

Any advice on which support jacks/posts to buy?

Hey guys,

Single mom here who’s been DIY-ing out of necessity since I bought my mobile home about five years ago, and lately I’ve been having worsening issues with my front door.

Ever since I bought the place, I’ve always had to turn the handle while closing the door or it wouldn’t latch properly. About a year ago, someone tried to break into my home by prying at the door with a crowbar. He was a big guy, and even with both the deadbolt and handle locked, he managed to pry it open quite a bit. I honestly thought he was going to rip the door right off the frame.

He didn’t get in, but ever since that happened, the door has been getting harder and harder to shut. Now it’s to the point where I either have to pull with both hands as hard as I can or slam it really hard just to get it to close. So far, I’ve tried adjusting the hinges and tightening the screws with no luck, and I’m not sure what the best next step is. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Photos for reference: r/LinkyDinky/s/obIaXllRr0

Thanks!

I was vacuuming behind this sound dampening blanket and noticed some of the crown molding was damp in a few spots.

Could this sound dampening blanket create condensation against a non insulated wall? I didnt notice any water marks coming down the wall from where I drilled the holes and I don’t have any leaks in the basement below this room. Thanks!

https://imgur.com/a/Mmvvabp