Home Improvement Today?

Definitely not. reverse wouldn't have cut. Technically the hole dozer is a bi-metal hole saw, so it may be that the teeth were just too aggressive as it kept biting and stopping the drill. I had to ease off a lot and let it cut slowly but it just finally threw in the towel.

 

That’s why I was asking, because it seemed like it wasn’t cutting. That should of blasted right through the pine. That drill shouldn’t of stopped either. Were you drilling on a low speed torque setting or something? Just doesn’t make sense to me unless the drill was really old and on its way out anyway.

 

I sold my last house after 21 years and looking at new construction houses now and I see a lot of PEX plumbing.

I was always old school and did copper (wiped my sweat joints too ) ... and now I see PEX everywhere.

Do you guys trust PEX and do you have any suggestions and/or tips on it.

On drains, most new homes use Schedule 40 PVC and I like that much better that the old cast iron or ABS.

After working on houses for a long time ... time to sell most of the tools and this is the hardest thing to do in my life ... selling all of the tools that I have collected ... but I just don't need them now.

Thanks

 

I was a diehard copper fan , put it in my own house when we built it in 2007/8 but now I'm a full convert to PEX

 

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...^^^... Thanks

Any specific types of PEX or plastic brands ... I know nothing about it.

Any do's or don't to look for if I can watch it being installed ?

 

Don't sell any tools EVER, you'll regret it within minutes.
I've done a lot of copper in the past, however I'm really impressed with the PEX/clamp/expandable and sharkbite fittings, no leaky yet . Technology is good.

 

Do get copper manifolds

Don’t get the plastic ones

 

Thanks for the info ...

HA Ha on don't ever sell your tools ... I have maybe $50,000 in high end tools and new supplies ... good brands that I have collected and many never used.

Several 10" x 20" storage units I need to sell and move to FL probably.

I have a house & wife & daughter in Thailand and will sell that house next spring and we will move to FL and I will only keep some power hand tools, hand tools and a table and cut off saw.

I love my tools and only bought the best and kept them super clean and my buddies made fun of me. Some are still in the box ... lol.

I have a Honda EB 11,000 Generator with all the house hookup boxes and connections that was run for 1/2 an hour and put in storage several years ago. I love this stuff but have to get rid of it.

Have 3,500 sg feet of solid 3/4' wormy cherry flooring still in boxes in heated and cooled storage ... this stuff is holding up a move now.

Let me look for some pics.

Pics won't upload due to an extension problem? Will try later.

 

I think its so easy to work with pex. You just have to be Generally in the right direction. and theres a lot of forgiveness in it...as in flex. where as pipes had to be closer tolerance, fitting had to be sweated perfectly or it would leak. Pex you just clamp it and its sealed. I believe some even shrinks slightly over fittings and over time and that seals it even more. Shark fittings are a bit more expensive. But with the pex you can buy at home depot and if you know you have a big project just buy a bulk pack of elbow, bulk pack of T's, bulk pack of rings etc...still ends up being cheaper than buying a 5 at a time. I helped a friend run some and what would have been a two day job was about 2 hours.

 

I have grown to the expandable uponor pex. Milwaukee has a nice cordless set that I got years ago. Other crimp types are in cordless also I just choose the memory pex. I only use sharkbite slip on fittings for temporary use since I’ve seen them blow off and chlorine in city water eats the orings.

 

Unfortunately, I think that is normal. Not saying that is how it should be, however.

How old is the oven? Does it work properly?

If it is old enough and/or has some non-working functionality, I would replace it.

Actually, were it me, I would probably replace it anyway. I don't like the idea burned wiring and insulation in my house.

What brand is it?

 

Like others, I was a diehard copper fan. But we just finished building a new home and I decided to give PEX a chance. I am impressed with PEX and the Uponor expansion fitting system. Do yourself a favor and do some reading up on PEX and the various types of PEX lines and fittings. There is a lot of information out there to sort through. I am in the process of finishing my basement and I am using Uponor PEX and the Uponor expansion fittings.

So much easier to run



4BYTOY

 

That would be the Uponor PEX expansion system. I prefer to use the expansion system over both the crimp and the clamp pex systems, but that's me.

4BYTOY

 

Building a patio under the pavilion at my sister in law’s

 

^^^ View from patio to lake and from lake to back patio.


Here are some pics of the house I just sold. Had it 21 years and worked on it all 21 years as a retirement project.

Took it completely apart (TERMITES EVERYWHERE) did 99% of the work myself with a weekend helper (subbed out roof and counter tops) ... replaced all the stills and bottom plates, some walls, floors, removed all hardcoat stucco, Styrofoam foam brand sheathing and installed 1/2" plywood back in, blocked ALL edges of the plywood and nailed it every 8" around the all the edges, replaced all hardcoat stucco, windows, doors and flooring, new driveway, new xeon zoysia sod and stuff I can't remember.

Got a good deal on it and still lost money but had fun until I got tired in the end ...

I will find some construction pics later showing it apart in stages.



I didn't finish the back splash and did a cheapo light over the sink to finish it before the sale.

(Later, I added-replaced the end panel on center island to match other end panels)

The appliances were all Kitchenaid and got most of that stuff on sale.

Completely redesigned the kitchen and built a regular fridge into the wall (broom closet) to make it flush with counter tops.

Took out electric cooktop and put in gas, 2 new HVAC units, new H2O heater, installed 4 skylights in attic .. (1 skylight with a door-hatch to the top roof for no climbing on a ladder to get to the top).

New 20' x 35' back patio with rock wall and new front porch.

Had a lot of HVAC, electrical, plumbing and etc. to do to move a hot water heater from upstairs closet to garage and move HVAC unit #1 from crawl space to garage utility room.



Here is a pic of the front ... all the door and window trim was done in sculpted concrete over stainless steel mesh (not wood trim) ... had a Russian teach me how to do it using sculpting tools and making a whipped cream type concrete for 3rd and top coat.



Pic from the other side of the small lake ....

Got a good deal on the house because it was in bad shape from termites and etc .... worked on it 21 years ... did most of the work myself with a weekend helper and still lost a little money.

The project was fun at first, but got old in the end and I was glad to sell it and move on.

in the end ... it probably would have been cheaper and much easier to bull-dozer it and start from scratch. Termites were everywhere ...

I will NEVER to do a major remodel in my life again ... lol ...

 

Wow!! Just Wow!! I am impressed. What part of the country?

4BYTOY

 

Outside ceiling fan question - As you can see from the picture my new house has 2 outside seating areas. It also has a lake in the front yard and along with the fishing, boating, and recreation possibilities there are lots of flying bugs. The seating areas are pre-wired for ceiling fans and I'm hoping a stiff breeze from the fan will allow us to enjoy the space without the bugs.

The google is pretty useless when it comes to reviewing ceiling fans. I've had 5 bladed ceiling fans and they've been problematic with balance and noise problems at high speeds.

I'm wondering if a 3 or 6+ bladed fan might be a better option. Thoughts and comments?

 

It's not the number blades, but what the blades are made of.

Any composite blade will sage/warp due to the moisture. That will affect balance. As to the noise, the non-sealed bearings were probably affected by the moisture, and probably rusted.

You will need a fan specifically designed for outdoor use - if any are marketed that way.

 

That’s fine.. insulation discolors when it gets hot.

It doesn’t catch fire.