What home improvement work did you do today?

Reddit lied to me. The relay is actually normally closed so it's good. I found the only thing that could shut my heat pump fan AND compressor off from running constantly was to pull the thermostat off the wall. Even commanding it off from the thermostat wouldn't shut it off.

Scored a pallet sale replacement for $35 on FB marketplace this morning! Did a pin to pin continuity check on both thermostats and the old one has a short between two pins while new one doesn't. Installed and testing new stat but not going to call it a win just yet. Something had to short all this stuff out originally so it's back to wire inspection for rubs in the outdoor unit.

 

Thats what she said!

 

Replaced the rollers in one of my garage bays and used silicone spray all over. Didn’t know this was even a thing until I saw a video on it. Was surprised the rollers are about 25-30$ a set for 10 or 12. Took all of 25 mins to replace 10 and spray. Took a before and after and wow the door is silent, now the chain/opener is the noisiest thing. The annoying screech sound is all gone which I had assumed was just part of garage door life haha.

 

Awesome!
Where did you get the poly rollers?

 

These guys over on Amazon, can’t vouch for them long term but the ones I took out were from 1995 and never had a bearings to begin with haha. Definitely measure your pin length and count them as it appears to vary alot.

The easiest method to replace them is to remove the track bar on one side and do the bottom rollers then the top roller usually can be unbolted by itself. No bending or removing the “red” bolts.

 

Out with the old, in with the new. Had to call a plumber friend over to help stuff this cumbersome thing into place and do the copper. I’m inept, and cannot sweat copper proper. I was also out of romex so I couldn’t route that power line better. HVAC dude wrapped it around the back of the water heater.

 

Mine had these cheesy mounts and I replaced them with these.

 

The govee? I just installed those before Christmas. Kept the cheesy mounts, where did you get those nice ones?

 

Kattshop3DPrinting on Etsy. Yes, mine are the Govee Outdoor Permanent lights Elite which is the same as the Outdoor Permanent Lights 2.

 

okay, I have the 2. I might look those up, they look nice and long lasting. As I was attaching mine I remember not being impressed with the stock ones.

 

Question for those of you who have a generator backup. Is it whole house or just specific panel switches? As I've never looked into how to connect the genie I'm pretty much a five yr old on any knowledge of how it works. Off to google I go to do some research. Because my power was out this am in -38 temps. Not a good problem if I don't have anything in place to mitigate it...

 

I have 3 generators, and they are all full house/building. Not the cheapest approach, and prices have basically doubled or more since I had to buy them. But I've got young kids and a business that relies on having power at important times, so it had to be done.

You can have them just power certain aspects, like your furnace, easily enough. There are a lot of videos on youtube, but electrical is something I hire out, plus I needed to get someone to instal the gas line after trenching from the tank.

 

You could do a transfer switch or an inlet box. Inlet being the cheapest, it can also be the most dangerous/less fool proof. Main thing here is that you want to make sure you kill the main breaker and you have an interlock kit (With inlet box) so you cant back feed the grid. The transfer switch does this automatically for you.

 

Thanks for pointing out some aspects to consider when looking further into this process. I know a few electricians so I'll also give them a call and ask all the questions I have as well. Just wanted to get some basic understanding beforehand. Again, Appreaciate the feedback.

 

I have a portable 5500 watt generator that powers 10 'important' circuits when needed. I had an electrician wire the sub panel (or whatever it's called), then I just plug in the generator to an outlet outside which feeds that subpanel. Certainly not as convenient as a whole house backup system, but it'll allow you to stay in the house for a fraction of the price.
Obvious drawbacks are that you have to be home to hook it up, it's loud, and my wife has a hard time starting it (they do make ones with electric start). I've had it for about 12 years and probably use it 8-10 times per year (we lose power way too frequently...). After going without power for a week twice in the first 2 years in the house, it became a necessity.

 

They make basically the same thing but all electric now too, and the price to match. But it would also allow it to be inside in his basement with no fumes. The downside is, if you lose power for more than a few hours regularly, you can't refill it!

 

Forgot to mention that with the inlet box, you then can/have to turn off the breakers you dont want to power (220v circuits or misc stuff) and leave those you want on. Once power is restored, you simply shut off your generator, kill the 30 or 50a breaker you installed and flip your main disconnect back on.

An electrician should be able to propose whats best for your current setup, needs and budget

 

Damn a week at a time. And here I am complaining when I lose it for hours. Every winter we seem to lose power for up to 12 hours. When this happens we lose our water too as the well pump is connected
to the panel. I'm more concerned with pipes freezing because of losing power than anything else.

 

I live in an old a frame cabin and it has a crawl space where it would be installed. Also in the crawl space is my tankless water heater and well expansion tank.

 

Exactly. Luckily both of the week long outages were in the fall, but if it had been the middle of winter I would have been in trouble. Ours powers the well pump, ignition for the furnace, outlets in the kitchen (coffee pot/ microwave/toaster oven), refrigerator, and lights in a few rooms. I got lucky that my router and TV are on the opposite side of the wall from my kitchen, so I have wifi and can watch tv too!

 

That's basically what I'd want to power as well. We also have a lock off detached from the main house that only has electric for heat. So in the winters I'd want to have power to that unit as well.

Thanks again to everyone here giving me some good pointers to get me headed in the right direction. Waiting for a call back from my electrician for his advice as well.

 

I rewired a new entryway ceiling light yesterday; trying to figure out the wiring in this house (45 years old) is sometimes confusing. This entryway has switches at two different parts of the house. When I removed the old light, it wasn’t attached well so the wires easily slipped out of their connections and I couldn’t figure out which wire went to which lead. The house wiring has red/black/white and the new fixture only had black and white. Let’s just say I got a little buzz on my first attempt……all is well that ends well. Much more light in the entryway now

 

Let me know if you want a hand figuring anything out.

 

Sounds like those were your travelers for the 3way switches.
Fun times!

 

for sure. Electricity is still one of my "I'm not sure I should be doing this" fixes. Once I have more questions I'll for sure reach out. Im tied up in work and kid life today.

 

Taped up the doors that open out between the camper and the bedside to eliminate a draft and replaced the propane gas detector.
I wasn't using that useless storage area for anything but the jack tripods anyways.

 

that’s exactly what it was!!!!