The DIY Home Improvement Thread

[dDUBb]

Sweating pipe ain’t hard, mine ain’t pretty but it don’t leak.

We have a saying in my field .. "If you're not getting leaks, you're not soldering"

Last year thr flex copper on the water heater developed a pinhole and I was like well it was a fluke.

If you're developing pinhole leaks; you should test your waters pH. It will leak in the slab eventually.

 

[Grog6]

I did the whole house in 2017 to replace the galvanize from 1950; I did 3/4" supply lines, 1/2" to the fixtures,and a 80 gallon water heater. I had the sewer lines redone after I moved in in 05. I ended up replacing the water heater a year later, as there was no ground in the water heater wire, so new wh, new 10awg wire, and 30A breaker, I can take a 45 minute shower,lol.
None of the og outlets have a ground, so I have a 250' roll of wire to do new runs. The previous owner added a 200a box to replace the 60A box, with fuses. I have room for a few more breakers, so the LR and MBR are going to get their own breaker.

So far, none of my soldered joints have leaked.
The original drains were black iron,slip fit, leaded together.

 

[CDsDontBurn]

Will this stuff also work on ground squirrels? Ground squirrels and gophers are a big reason why I've let my front and back yards go. 5 of those motherfuckers are here (just to the left of leftmost lemon).

Between these fuckers and my dogs digging out the yard to chase them, I've lost interest in making my backyard pretty. But I want to change that, and step 1 is to take out these fuckers quickly and effectively.

 

[Vicinity]

Ive heard of someone placing chickenwire down flat to stop his dog, sounds a bit messy though

 

[Kidd-7]

Sometimes I wish I wasn't a diy everything as it sucks time and my list keeps growing

I feel your pain, I struggle with this all the time. Contractors are so expensive and being perfectly capable of doing the job myself makes it that much more difficult to spend that money.

 

[Irv]

I feel your pain, I struggle with this all the time. Contractors are so expensive and being perfectly capable of doing the job myself makes it that much more difficult to spend that money.

I look at it as a balance of time, money, risk, hassle, and desire, and I also relate my time to money. Either I believe that I want to do something or can do it better than anyone else would with minimal risk to my health, or fuck no I won't.

For instance, I have some carpenter bee damage to repair all across my second story eaves. I've decided I'm not going to do that because I'm not getting on a ladder and moving that across the entire back of my house a few feet at a time, and I don't particularly like being up there in the first place. I could rent a scissor lift, but then I have to deal with transporting it and it would end up costing as much as paying someone else to repair and paint over the bee holes.

The bigger issue I have with contractors these days is that a bunch of them will completely flake out on you, even if they actually show up to give an estimate. Good luck getting them to follow up with you because they ghost harder than the Gen Z online dating scene. This is something I generally respect about the aftermarket automotive trade, and that's probably because those businesses don't want your car in their lot or garage indefinitely.

 

[Kenz]

Will this stuff also work on ground squirrels? Ground squirrels and gophers are a big reason why I've let my front and back yards go. 5 of those motherfuckers are here (just to the left of leftmost lemon).

Between these fuckers and my dogs digging out the yard to chase them, I've lost interest in making my backyard pretty. But I want to change that, and step 1 is to take out these fuckers quickly and effectively.

View attachment 12013

I tried those Gasser bombs to kill moles, they did nothing at all. The moles here are really bad on the yards. They will dig everywhere in the sandy soil and put a mound about a foot tall every several feet.
Only way I got rid of them was with a shotgun. I knock a few of the mounds down, wait for them to start digging.... When they get close to the surface of the knocked down mound blast them with a slug. Even if I don't get a direct hit the shockwave seems to kill them.

 

[White Lincoln]

I can sweat copper if I have to. Last year thr flex copper on the water heater developed a pinhole and I was like well it was a fluke. My ktr friend at church said get ready as he's replumbed 15 in town. I'm on a slab so no access short of a demo saw and I'm not interested in doing my hardwood floors a 4th time. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a diy everything as it sucks time and my list keeps growing . I'm on the 5 yr maybe 7 retirement target so I can get some of my stuff finished.

When we first bought the house, I was lucky enough to befriend a plumber that was willing to teach me a lot of what he knew. Like sweating copper, using PVC, sizes, regulations and all that crap. He passed years ago, God rest his sole. His famous words were "can't find good plumbing parts any more, everything is made in China, and its all crap". He was a plumber out on the base and did plumbing on the side. He never charged me much either, he knew we were struggling with a new home, jobs, etc.

 

[Generalee0527]

I tried those Gasser bombs to kill moles, they did nothing at all. The moles here are really bad on the yards. They will dig everywhere in the sandy soil and put a mound about a foot tall every several feet.
Only way I got rid of them was with a shotgun. I knock a few of the mounds down, wait for them to start digging.... When they get close to the surface of the knocked down mound blast them with a slug. Even if I don't get a direct hit the shockwave seems to kill them.

We had armadillo problem which is worse than moles. County ag service said they are after grub worms. A good dose of 5% seven dust and water it in will wipe out the grubs and the armadillos left. I imagine moles would too. A good mouser cat has been known to catch a few.

 

[Grog6]

My mom's cat ,Trouble, wore the moles out, I haven't noticed any in years, but 10 years ago I'd find mole heads daily, left as a gift.
The current cat doesn't leave gifts, But he terrorizes birds and dogs.