Projects/Home Improvement Thread

[Wild Bill]

Need to buy appliances for my kitchen and I'm thinking about going with Cafe. I've read some reviews online and every brand has their fair share of negative reviews. Speed Queen washers and Miele products overall are the only appliances out there that are seemingly bullet proof. I'm not buying a washer and Miele will run me over $20k and that's not happening. Cafe is made by GE so at least I can get parts or service done on them with relative ease.

Just curious if any of you fools have Cafe appliances and what's your take on them. Open to suggestions for other brands as well. Thanks in advance.

 

[Irish#1]

Thanks guys. Insurance should pick up all but the deductible,

We built the house in '88 and the furnace is less than a year old. The feed from the service panel to that disconnect box is a large cable (combination of aluminum and copper). It's one run on a 100 amp circuit. I was told aluminum contracts and expands more than copper and the connection may have become a little loose over time and began arcing. Could have been the neutral, but to melted to know for sure. I thought it was illegal to use aluminum, but apparently not. HVAC guy and electricians said now everyone runs two 60amp copper circuits. The rest of the house is copper and when they do the panel, I'm going to have them replace that run with two copper runs.

Update.............Apparently finding the replacement panel is not as easy as one thinks. The electrician has been trying to locate the same panel for easy replacement, but no one has them. I even started searching via the google machine with the same luck he's had, so he had to order. It won't be in until early April.

Last week I notice the heat pump is frozen. HVAC guy recommended replacing given its age. Big hit in the wallet I'm thinking, but turned it into the insurance and they are covering it under the claim. I had a check in less than a week.

 

[Irish#1]

Need to buy appliances for my kitchen and I'm thinking about going with Cafe. I've read some reviews online and every brand has their fair share of negative reviews. Speed Queen washers and Miele products overall are the only appliances out there that are seemingly bullet proof. I'm not buying a washer and Miele will run me over $20k and that's not happening. Cafe is made by GE so at least I can get parts or service done on them with relative ease.

Just curious if any of you fools have Cafe appliances and what's your take on them. Open to suggestions for other brands as well. Thanks in advance.

I have a hard time spending $2K of a fridge let alone what those cost.

I do know someone that used to manage a Best Buy and an HH Gregg. He might be able to offer an opinion.

 

[Wild Bill]

I have a hard time spending $2K of a fridge let alone what those cost.

I do know someone that used to manage a Best Buy and an HH Gregg. He might be able to offer an opinion.

Not sure when you bought yours but the prices have increased dramatically in the last year or two. You can certainly spend less than the prices Miele charges but most 36 inch french door refrigerators are north of $3k.

 

[NDdomer2]

Has anyone put any sort of rubber flooring down for in home gym/workout area?

 

[Wild Bill]

Horse stable mats from tractor supply are cheaper and basically the same.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Plan on replacing my garage GFCI outlet this weekend but before I do, I have a question for anyone with electrical background:

I have two outlets in the garage, one of which is the GFCI, and it's currently tripped with a solid red light. What's odd, is in my checking of load outlets, I found that there is an outlet in my unfinished basement* that is tripped. Why would electricians put a random outlet in the basement on the same circuit as the garage? And what should I do about this?

*Basement is unfinished and only has two outlets, one of which is by the mechanicals. Could this one be on it's own circuit? Which would leave just one other in the basement.....that just so happens to be near a shared wall that runs up to the garage where my GFCI is? Laziness? Practicality? Economical?

I'm assuming this will get fixed down the road when the basement gets finished. Guess I was just wondering why they'd do it in the first place. It's not even labeled correctly in the breaker panel.

If I can just leave things as is for now and replace the old outlet in the garage, great. If not, then I need to call an electrician.

 

[NDdomer2]

really wnat to get moving on yard spring cleaning but snowing and "wintry mix" forecasted for saturday

wth

 

[Irish#1]

Plan on replacing my garage GFCI outlet this weekend but before I do, I have a question for anyone with electrical background:

I have two outlets in the garage, one of which is the GFCI, and it's currently tripped with a solid red light. What's odd, is in my checking of load outlets, I found that there is an outlet in my unfinished basement* that is tripped. Why would electricians put a random outlet in the basement on the same circuit as the garage? And what should I do about this?

*Basement is unfinished and only has two outlets, one of which is by the mechanicals. Could this one be on it's own circuit? Which would leave just one other in the basement.....that just so happens to be near a shared wall that runs up to the garage where my GFCI is? Laziness? Practicality? Economical?

I'm assuming this will get fixed down the road when the basement gets finished. Guess I was just wondering why they'd do it in the first place. It's not even labeled correctly in the breaker panel.

If I can just leave things as is for now and replace the old outlet in the garage, great. If not, then I need to call an electrician.

Is the one in the basement a GFCI as well? If just a standard, could it be on the same circuit as the GFCI in the garage? Does the one in the garage keep tripping when you reset it? If so, my guess is something somewhere on the line is causing it to trip and replacing the GFCI probably isn't going to fix the issue. Outlets usually don't go bad unless you had something plugged in that caused it to burn out.

 

[Wild Bill]

Plan on replacing my garage GFCI outlet this weekend but before I do, I have a question for anyone with electrical background:

I have two outlets in the garage, one of which is the GFCI, and it's currently tripped with a solid red light. What's odd, is in my checking of load outlets, I found that there is an outlet in my unfinished basement* that is tripped. Why would electricians put a random outlet in the basement on the same circuit as the garage? And what should I do about this?

*Basement is unfinished and only has two outlets, one of which is by the mechanicals. Could this one be on it's own circuit? Which would leave just one other in the basement.....that just so happens to be near a shared wall that runs up to the garage where my GFCI is? Laziness? Practicality? Economical?

I'm assuming this will get fixed down the road when the basement gets finished. Guess I was just wondering why they'd do it in the first place. It's not even labeled correctly in the breaker panel.

If I can just leave things as is for now and replace the old outlet in the garage, great. If not, then I need to call an electrician.

More than likely done by a prior owner b/c it was cheaper and easier but hard to tell without being able to see it all. I'm not sure I would pay to fix an "issue" that hasn't been an issue so far if you intend to finish the basement soon. I would use a tester to make sure the plug is wired properly and maybe just avoid using it if it concerns for you any other reason. I am not a licensed electrician. I taught myself with the help of a friend who is a licensed electrican and have more experience with it than most but please take this as an opinion with limited knowledge of the actual situation rather than advice.

Call a local electrican and they may be able to tell you whether it's an issue that needs to be addressed immediately or not free of charge.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Is the one in the basement a GFCI as well? If just a standard, could it be on the same circuit as the GFCI in the garage? Does the one in the garage keep tripping when you reset it? If so, my guess is something somewhere on the line is causing it to trip and replacing the GFCI probably isn't going to fix the issue. Outlets usually don't go bad unless you had something plugged in that caused it to burn out.

Outlet in basement is a regular outlet that has a treadmill plugged into it. Usually it handles the pull just fine.

The one in the garage doesn't regularly trip. What happened is that last weekend my power washer just quit working in the middle of using it. When I investigated, I found the gfi outlet it was plugged into was tripped. Breaker switch was fine but the outlet will not reset. It's locked in the tripped position with the solid red light. I was told that a solid red light usually indicates the outlet (which is about 15 years old) has probably gone bad and needs replaced.

Randomly, my wife realized the treadmill wasn't working and that's when I remembered that the basement outlet is loaded with the garage gfi. I need to try unplugging the treadmill and then resetting the gfi. Maybe the treadmill is going bad and pulling more electricity than it should? Idk.

**To our knowledge, we were not using a pressure washer and treadmill at the same time.

UPDATE: appears the treadmill malfunctioned and tripped the outlet. After unplugging it, the outlet reset like normal. So instead of a $20 outlet...now I have to find a new treadmill. Awesome.

 

[Irish#1]

Outlet in basement is a regular outlet that has a treadmill plugged into it. Usually it handles the pull just fine.

The one in the garage doesn't regularly trip. What happened is that last weekend my power washer just quit working in the middle of using it. When I investigated, I found the gfi outlet it was plugged into was tripped. Breaker switch was fine but the outlet will not reset. It's locked in the tripped position with the solid red light. I was told that a solid red light usually indicates the outlet (which is about 15 years old) has probably gone bad and needs replaced.

Randomly, my wife realized the treadmill wasn't working and that's when I remembered that the basement outlet is loaded with the garage gfi. I need to try unplugging the treadmill and then resetting the gfi. Maybe the treadmill is going bad and pulling more electricity than it should? Idk.

**To our knowledge, we were not using a pressure washer and treadmill at the same time.

UPDATE: appears the treadmill malfunctioned and tripped the outlet. After unplugging it, the outlet reset like normal. So instead of a $20 outlet...now I have to find a new treadmill. Awesome.

Nice job tracing it down. Sounds like the motor on the TM might be wearing out.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Nice job tracing it down. Sounds like the motor on the TM might be wearing out.

I still can't believe the tripped GFCI in the garage was because of a random outlet in our basement. Seems so illogical to load those together. At least the issue is solved. But now I need to see who can repair or haul away a giant old treadmill. Sigh. Homeownership....always something.

 

[Irish#1]

I still can't believe the tripped GFCI in the garage was because of a random outlet in our basement. Seems so illogical to load those together. At least the issue is solved. But now I need to see who can repair or haul away a giant old treadmill. Sigh. Homeownership....always something.

I was talking to the electrician who replaced my service panel. Showed him the bathroom remodel I started. Along with a switch and the light above the vanity there is a GFCI. Since I'm moving the vanity and using that space for a walk-in closet, there's not need for the GFCI. He recommended leaving the GFCI as it would be hard to trace without tearing out a lot of drywall. Your run from the basement probably happened to be convenient.

 

[Wild Bill]

I still can't believe the tripped GFCI in the garage was because of a random outlet in our basement. Seems so illogical to load those together. At least the issue is solved. But now I need to see who can repair or haul away a giant old treadmill. Sigh. Homeownership....always something.

A treadmill pulls quite a bit of electricity so it's not uncommon for them to trip a breaker, or in this case, a GFCI. If it ran fine before and it just went out randomly it doesn't have to be b/c of the power washer - it could have been anything in combination with the treadmill, i.e., garage fridge turns on at the same time as the treadmill. That triggers the GFCI to shut down, and that is exactly what it is designed to do.

My guess is that the GFCI in the garage is 15 amps, you have 14 gauge wire or a combination of both. You should have the treadmill connected to 20 amp outlet and 12 gauge wire.

Before you spend money fixing the treadmill try plugging it into a 20 amp outlet and see what happens. If there is an issue with the treadmill, then the GFCI did the job it's supposed to do. Could be a short in the treadmill or something easy that can be fixed.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

A treadmill pulls quite a bit of electricity so it's not uncommon for them to trip a breaker, or in this case, a GFCI. If it ran fine before and it just went out randomly it doesn't have to be b/c of the power washer - it could have been anything in combination with the treadmill, i.e., garage fridge turns on at the same time as the treadmill. That triggers the GFCI to shut down, and that is exactly what it is designed to do.

My guess is that the GFCI in the garage is 15 amps, you have 14 gauge wire or a combination of both. You should have the treadmill connected to 20 amp outlet and 12 gauge wire.

Before you spend money fixing the treadmill try plugging it into a 20 amp outlet and see what happens. If there is an issue with the treadmill, then the GFCI did the job it's supposed to do. Could be a short in the treadmill or something easy that can be fixed.

Thanks. Over the weekend, I spent some time looking into it and came to the same conclusion. Unfortunately, our basement is unfinished and currently only has two outlets, the only free one being the 15amp. It's definitely something we need to address when the time comes to finish the basement.

 

[Irish#1]

Finished Phase 1 of our bathroom remodel (still need to hang the vanity mirrors). Prior, we had his and her closets along the left wall, with the vanity across from the back closet. Moved the vanity up front and turned the back area into a walk-in closet. This gave us more closet space and we went from a 60" to 71" vanity. Since those walls were framed for closets, I had to rip out the ceiling. Rerouted electrical and plumbing. I hired the plumber. Next step is to rip out the fiberglass tub/shower enclosure and put in a tiled walk-in shower.

 

[Irish'15]

Looking for the best entry level riding lawn mower money can buy. I have read that the big box stores sell John Deere, but they're lower quality. However, I am not a brand guy. Want the best, lowest price, entry level lawn mower on the market, regardless of brand. I had a Craftsman and had nothing but issues. Any lawn mower experts out there?

 

[Irish#1]

Looking for the best entry level riding lawn mower money can buy. I have read that the big box stores sell John Deere, but they're lower quality. However, I am not a brand guy. Want the best, lowest price, entry level lawn mower on the market, regardless of brand. I had a Craftsman and had nothing but issues. Any lawn mower experts out there?

I've heard the rumors about the John Deere's, but I bought one a few years ago from Lowes and haven't had any issues.

 

[Wild Bill]

Looking for the best entry level riding lawn mower money can buy. I have read that the big box stores sell John Deere, but they're lower quality. However, I am not a brand guy. Want the best, lowest price, entry level lawn mower on the market, regardless of brand. I had a Craftsman and had nothing but issues. Any lawn mower experts out there?

I bought a used Snapper with less than 20 hours for $1k on craigslist that retails for 2300ish. Great little tractor. They're built better than big box JD or cub cadet. Better cutting deck, metal hood, smoother ride and better seat. The seat quality and ability to adjust was oddly one of the biggest differences if you're willing to pay slightly more. I didn't really care but if you spend hours on it, I could see why it would matter.

I was surprised by how many good tractors I found on Craigslist that were very lightly used. May be an option for you.

 

[Wild Bill]

Finished Phase 1 of our bathroom remodel (still need to hang the vanity mirrors). Prior, we had his and her closets along the left wall, with the vanity across from the back closet. Moved the vanity up front and turned the back area into a walk-in closet. This gave us more closet space and we went from a 60" to 71" vanity. Since those walls were framed for closets, I had to rip out the ceiling. Rerouted electrical and plumbing. I hired the plumber. Next step is to rip out the fiberglass tub/shower enclosure and put in a tiled walk-in shower.

Looks good. Did you have closets installed or did you buy and install?

If you're installing the shower pan my advice is to buy a redi tile pan rather than mortar. They're not cheap but easier to install, perfect pitch and basically guarantee you won't have issues with leaks. Do a square drain to make the tile install easier.

 

[Irish#1]

Looks good. Did you have closets installed or did you buy and install?

If you're installing the shower pan my advice is to buy a redi tile pan rather than mortar. They're not cheap but easier to install, perfect pitch and basically guarantee you won't have issues with leaks. Do a square drain to make the tile install easier.

Thanks

Did the closet myself. Bought it through Easy Closets. You give them the dimensions of your area, tell them what you want and they design it. They provide drawings and 3D renderings and make adjustments until your happy. Arrived on two double size pallets. Everything is precut and labeled (on the boxes and on each piece). Not hard to build, just very tedious.

Ordering the pan from RediTile today! lol

I used the redi tile for the upstairs bathroom (pc below). You're right, a little pricey, but they are solid with no flex. I did the Wonderfall hidden drain for the upstairs bathroom. Think we're going with the redi trench this time.

 

[NDBoiler]

Finished Phase 1 of our bathroom remodel (still need to hang the vanity mirrors). Prior, we had his and her closets along the left wall, with the vanity across from the back closet. Moved the vanity up front and turned the back area into a walk-in closet. This gave us more closet space and we went from a 60" to 71" vanity. Since those walls were framed for closets, I had to rip out the ceiling. Rerouted electrical and plumbing. I hired the plumber. Next step is to rip out the fiberglass tub/shower enclosure and put in a tiled walk-in shower.
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Need pics of your one pair of Allan Edmonds in that closet so we will all think you are a high roller.

 

[ulukinatme]

If we hadn't just built a new house, I'd be asking for a quote on some remodeling work @Irish#1

 

[Irish#1]

Need pics of your one pair of Allan Edmonds in that closet so we will all think you are a high roller.

You're confusing me with Wizard.

 

[Irish#1]

If we hadn't just built a new house, I'd be asking for a quote on some remodeling work @Irish#1

With gas prices I couldn't afford the drive, so you'd have to put me up for a while. My wife might appreciate that, but I doubt yours would after a few days! lol

 

[NDBoiler]

You're confusing me with Wizard.

That was the joke lol.

 

[wizards8507]

Need pics of your one pair of Allan Edmonds in that closet so we will all think you are a high roller.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

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uhhhhh, WTF?

Is the Epcot-conceived, Ayn Rand-spawn truly posting?

 

[wizards8507]

Ayn Rand-spawn

Acton Institute