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1500 questions
19
votes
2 answers

What is this sticking out of my wall?

I've got this small thing (see attached pictures) in my third-floor bedroom wall that previous tenants have simply painted over. It's about 1 inch in diameter, sitting about 5 feet off the floor, and has two smaller bumps on it. It also has two…
zephyr
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1 answer

What is this balloon with "eyes" printed on it, hanging from the eave on this house?

I have seen this, or something very similar on various houses in the city I live in. It is rare enough to be remarkable, but common enough to make me think it is a "thing". Any ideas?
zeeple
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19
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3 answers

Why would you use copper over CPVC or PEX?

Are there any advantages to using copper rather than CPVC or PEX?
jlpp
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19
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7 answers

How to deal with broken compact fluorescent (and its mercury) without breaking the bank?

We're now out of the compact fluorescent era, fortunately, but we wound up with 3 or 4 broken CF bulbs from somebody not being careful with a box of them in the garage ... We're moving and I want to handle this stuff responsibly but I don't have…
Mark McWiggins
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19
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1 answer

How to add on to a concrete patio?

I would like to add on to my existing concrete patio with more concrete. I will about double the size of the patio. My question is, should I have the new patio free floating from the existing or should I attach it (as in drilling into it and have…
Kellenjb
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19
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3 answers

Is it permissible to have exposed mains conductors in holiday lights?

I've just had a holiday lights company install some outside tree lights, and I found they had done it so that at several places the prongs of mains cable plugs had been left exposed, and carrying mains voltage. I've put a couple of pictures here:…
tkp
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19
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12 answers

How can I repair a puncture in a hollow-core wooden door?

Someone punched my wooden door. Now it has a giant dent in it. The dent is similar to this one. Fortunately, it's a bit less severe than this. How can I "pop" the dent back out?
Shaun Wild
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19
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5 answers

Can anyone help me identify this old audio cable?

I have this old Bang & Olufsen vinyl record player, with a old connector for the speakers. Do anyone know what type of connector this is? And if there exist some converters? Looks like DMX, but it can't be that? Would love to get this to work again.…
eivindml
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19
votes
5 answers

How do I optimally cut a bolt to length?

Once in a while I need a bolt of exactly the right length and it is not one of the lengths available in stores. So I get a longer bolt and cut it to length. Here's the procedure I follow. I screw one or several nuts onto the bolt so that they are…
sharptooth
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19
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3 answers

Damage when drilling a mirror — normal or not?

I've just had a bespoke mirrored bathroom cabinet installed. The mirrors have had holes drilled for the knobs, and one of the holes has a white mark around it and generally doesn't look very clean. The mark is visible even when the knobs are in…
Simon K
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19
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5 answers

Should my toilet flange sit on top of the backer board or the tile of the floor?

The bathroom model saga continues. The old toilet flange was rusting, and the subfloor was rotting, so I pulled up the subfloor around the toilet, and replaced the drain pipe with ABS, and an elbow. The plan is to tile this bathroom. So my…
MarkD
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19
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3 answers

New home with gaps in stairs

The stairs in our home being built (production builder) is concerning. The gaps in risers and treads doesn't seem right. When seeing all other homes in same neighborhood under construction they do not have gaps and risers are plywood allowing a butt…
T.Tautfest
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19
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4 answers

Disable the LG washer/dryer melody at end of the cycle?

Title is the question, the loud melody is obnoxious. This is a last ditch effort, the manual doesn't provide any information, surprisingly this fairly comprehensive machine doesn't seem to be designed to disable a sound? Is there a cord to cut or…
user289394
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19
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2 answers

Can you identify this receptacle?

I was walking through a house during the middle of construction and came across what appears to be a recpticle attached to a pvc pipe that seems to pass a low voltage wire. Also connected to the receptacle was a 14 gauge wire.
bigmike7801
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19
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2 answers

Is there supposed to be a gap between the wall and the roof?

We bought a new house last year. Going up to the loft we noticed there is a considerable gap (5-6 cm) between the roof and the wall, like this: Is it supposed to be like that? It's freezing up there but I'm more concerned about animals entering the…
algiogia
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