Home Improvement Today?

or the 4th hole could be a disposal air switch

 

Follow up!
Finally got the shed stocked for the winter. Due to fire season running super late and a bunch of hunting that turned into the holiday season I just got behind. My dad and I took two full days to go cut around a devastating burn that happened a couple of years ago in my community. Almost every log we cut has been sitting for the whole 2 years and is prime for burning.





There’s a good mix of Doug fir and alder. My moisture meter says most of the wood sits at around 17%. Some pieces need to season a bit more, but if I check most of the pieces before I burn I should be able to use this immediately when the surface moisture dries.

The big update is I finally got my insert installed. This was a massive pain in the ass. My smoke shelf was realllllly tight to the opening and I had to order 2 different fittings to get this thing in. Yesterday it finally came together


The chimney liner fastens to the insert from the inside. It’s just a big wing nut that makes sure it’s not going anywhere. I strategically put the wing nut on the edge so I can clean the liner when the time comes. I just need to remove the air tubes and baffles.


Look how stupid this bend is:


The liner is insulated starting immediately after the bend. Then runs to the top of the chimney with a cap I cut to shape, broke over, and siliconed. I guess you don’t want to drill these things down — you just friction fit and seal with silicone. The chimney needs to breathe or something.


All ready for the cold (and finally some baseboards?)

 

Looks great
I think they don’t want you to screw it down so the whole system can move a lil with heat/cold. This movement is also supposed to help flake off any creosote deposits.

I just finished installing my insert last month and ran into the same problems getting everything lined up. Even after cutting the damper and a bunch of firebrick out of the way I couldn’t fit any elbows in there so I went with this: Seems to be working fine

Did u do the blanket or the pour-in insulation around your liner?

 

That last sink looks good from a budget friendly perspective. Others are saying to put a soap dispenser in that 4th hole. My experience with soap dispensers hasn't been so good. Mine lasted about 6 months and then quit working. After replacing them a bunch of times I finally got fed up and put a pull up sprayer in that hole.

This sink is not a budget friendly option and if anyone reads this post and thinks, yeah I'm going to replace my sink too. DO NOT buy a sink with square corners or any sink made by Kraus. I have one that looks like this:


Sexy, right? NO! Schmoo gets stuck in the corners and the slope is so flat all the "bits" just settle instead of moving to the drain. On top of that, Kraus uses cheap stainless steel that looks like this after a little while.




F Kraus sinks. Mine is an under mount and to replace it is a big deal that requires a new counter top. The wife is violently opposed to anything surface mount, so until I win the lottery I'm stuck with that damn sink

 

Converting my track house wood burning fireplace that's useless to a gas unit with decorative fire rocks. Just in time for the doubling of gas prices in Southern California thanks to
SCE and SDG&E! Our toothless Public Utilities Commission (PUC) says they are going to investigate the there is a natural gas shortage as claimed. Yeah right! Maybe our wanna be President Newsom will take the gas & electric company to task. (Kick me gently when I pass out from holding my breath)

 

I miss real oak floors. Maybe you can sand and refinish them?

 

To be fair, there are different grades of Kraus sinks and they list both material thickness and corner radius in their product specifications. I saw a review similar to yours which made me dig and settle the the model we did. I pull the tray and clean monthly, which I should do today.

 

well avoid Price Pfister, mom put one in about a year ago and I just had to replace the cartridge because it would turn itself off
4th hole would be used for a dishwasher backflow preventer if required in your jurisdiction
I dislike built in soap dispensers
other options for the 4th hole would be an Instant Hot and/or Filtered Drinking water dispenser(s) or a glass rinser

 

https://notinggrace.com/how-to-replace-an-undermount-sink/

 

Very, very nice! My Mother In Law has a fireplace insert like yours in a 100 year old house. Heats up the house nicely.

 

Just about to wrap up this kitchen project. Walls were primed yesterday and two coats of paint today. Just need to clean up the trim with some Goof off or the like to get rid of the old paint splatter from years ago.

It came out darker than I would have liked, but as much as I spent on the paint it's not getting changed for quite some time.

 

Did you try taking the doors off the fridge?

My entire house is Delta fixtures except the kitchen sink which is Moen. I believe both have lifetime warranty on parts? Plumbing fixtures used to be a lot cheaper.
https://www.moen.com/products/Brant...ndle-High-Arc-Pulldown-Kitchen-Faucet/7185SRS
Sink is a Franke Ellipse 62f granite onyx.

 

That makes a lot more sense now . I put so much silicone under there that I don’t know how much it’s going to move, though.

I saw that offset bracket you got! Seemed like a good solution. The manual I have (I guess the instructions = what qualifies as code) says this insert shouldn’t have one unless the chimney is over 15’ tall because of the extra draft needed to make that corner. We’re at 10’ on the dot.

Our liner is pre insulated with blanket wrap and an aluminum jacket over it. Makes it not so flexible anymore . That was part of the reason why I cut that the insulation back to the bend — it instantly made it more flexible.

Thank you! They are a huge step up from a regular fireplace.

 

Since I bought that sink I've seen similar reviews too. Just wish I'd seen them before I bought it. The problem with Kraus sinks is you have to be an expert in sinkology to know which one to buy. Other brands maybe similar, but I've purchased like 3 sinks in my life, so I need to trust the brand. Kraus let me down.

Long story short the installers did a crap job installing the sink. So, I decided to replace the Kraus since it had to come out anyway. However, it is a funky size (too big) and nobody else makes an under mount that will work with that hole. I did use these to make sure the re-installation went well. Working alone I'm not sure how I would have done it, but they made it easy.

$34 Never Fall Complete Sink Repair system

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FDRTXR

 

I gotta real stupid one today.

I bought a powered bidet during the great toilet paper shortage of two years ago. Last week the thing decided it wasn't going to deliver water in the right places anymore. So I took it apart and cleaned it from the inside out, then gave it a good flush with CLR.

The funk that collects on the interior electronics of this thing... I only thought it was clean until I took it apart. But hey. If it saves me from spending another three bills to buy another, then glove up and scrub up. Surprisingly/not surprisingly, that seemed to fix it. It once again transports water exactly where it should.

Fortunately there's enough alcohol in the house to make the rest of the day pleasant.

 

Yep... I think the fix and flippers put the fridge in, then installed the exterior door to the carport. I have no clue how they couldve gotten it in otherwise.


Anyways...


6 hours to get that far. I think Ill recruit some help when I do the dining room. Those leveling spacers are a Godsend with the unlevel floor. Couple places Im not thrilled about, but not bad overall.

 

What spacer/levelers are you using

 

The cheap 1/8" ones on Amazon. It was $30 for 200 of em I think.

 

I got a question for all you DIYers

When installing a water supply line to a faucet.
Do you use a wrench and get it good and snug? (I do)

The guy at Home Depot was trying to be helpful.
I asked where the supply lines were, he showed me, and the said, “Don’t get them too tight. Put on finger tight and then a 1/2 turn more”.

Never heard that before, I paid attention when putting the the new on on.
Ehhhh, 1/2 turn more seemed awful loose. So I used a wrench got it until it was just snug, and then then a tiny bit more. (Like I always have)


On a toilet, it’s a different story. Too tight it will turn the whole fill pipe in the tank.

 

I always tighten down with wrench. Whether its right or wrong