(no subject)

[nolly]

So, the wishlist meme tht was going around recently. I wavered a lot on whether to post it, for all the standarrd reasons. Sure, there's plenty of Stuff I'd like, and no, I don't expect y'all to provide me with it. I've decided to post my own variation: I want (a subset of) your skills and knowledge. Specifically, here's what I'd like, should any of y'all be so inclined:

1. Sewing lessons. I have a machine, some patterns, and some fabric. I have insufficient notions, but may be able to snag some from my grandmother's stash over Xmas, and live close to a Yardage Town, a Jo-Ann's, two Michaels, two Wal-Marts, and probably more besides. I have sewn in the past, but not for years.

2. Basic plant/garden info. I have some flowerbeds, some large pots, and a rosebush. I would like to have a nice looking, low maintenance yard/porch. I could use assisstance with plant selection and installation, and knowledge on care and feeding.

3. Home improvement/maintenance info. As a first time homeowner, what do I need to know? (I've heard something on a radio home show about a "sacrificial anode" on water heaters, which should be replaced every three years or so. What is it, where do I find it, how do I know if it needs replacing, etc.? What else should I know about?) There are a few things that need doing, and more I'd like to do. For some things, I just need an extra set of hands; for others, a competent set of hands. (Ex: I tried to hang some mug racks, and fond that the fasteners I had just weren't working for that space, and also that it was hard to get everything lined up and level singlehandedly.)

All standard disclaimers re: expectaions, etc. apply, of course.

What other teachable skills/knowledge do you have that you'd be willing to pass on?

Comments

[fourgates.livejournal.com]

- Expanding foam is a one-shot, one-use product. Do not put the can aside, let the foam dry in the straw nozel, come back later, press the trigger repeatedly trying to get it blown out, then remove the nozel thinking you'll just un-plug it with wire hanger. No.
- Door knobs can usually be replaced in about an hour after some practice. Installation of the bolt piece may require some work with a chisel, but don't worry about that.
- A 1/4" gap above or below a door or window can double your heating bill. Having a fireplace usually means having such a draft.
- If you have a gas furnace and it seems to be blowing all the time, or turns on and off way too much, it probably means you need to replace the filter. In a pinch you can just remove it.
- If an electrical circuit-breaker trips in the main breaker box, that means there is a significant problem of overload. If the overload is too many appliances trying to draw power at the same time (by far the most likely scenario), just remove some of them and re-set the breaker. If that doesn't fix the problem, DO NOT force the breaker or bypass it. This includes the circular fuses that were used in houses before the 60s. One potential cause of a tripped breaker is a ground fault, where the electrical current is actually passing through the structure of the house. Forcing the circuit on in this situation is a good way to burn the house down.

Expanding foam.

[(Anonymous)]

I have the following comments regarding expanding foam:

This stuff is great, but: 1) makes an unholy mess if something goes wrong (I cannot emphasize this enough), and 2) involves a lot of unpleasant chemicals / vapors.

If you want to use it, and do not have (or are unwilling to use) eye protection (*not* normal glasses), gloves, and a respirator (a half mask activated carbon VOC mask, not one of those silly dust mask things) stop now. You are clearly too stupid to use this stuff, and will likely end up a drooling idiot (due to vapor inhalation) and / or blind (because you got it in your eyes). Before dealing with these foams I was really cavalier about safety stuff like this. I'm not any more. Luckily, I didn't manage to damage myself in the process.

There are actually three distinct types of foam available at HomeDespot:

1) Latex foam (sold under the DAP label); low expansion, medium adhesion, easy to clean up, squishy even after full cure.

2) Solid Polyurethane foam (the DuPont (?) 'Good Stuff' and HILTI foams): High adhesion (to just about everything), High and low expansion ('Good Stuff' is available in 'Gaps and Cracks' and 'Large Space' formulations. The HILTI foam is pretty much the same as the 'Good Stuff' 'Gaps and 'Cracks' (but the end foam is slightly denser)), difficult to clean up (even acetone doesn't cut this stuff well), very solid after full cure.

3) Elastic Polyurethane foam (DuPont 'Good Stuff: Doors and Windows'). High adhesion, medium expansion (but it expands less forcefully than the solid foam), has some give after full cure (but less than the Latex foams)

Good Stuff Gaps and Cracks is available in 6oz cans, which is pretty much more than you'll ever need for any one job (expands to about .75 cubic foot of foam). (I was going to post a technique that improves your odds of using a can after it's initial use, but cooler heads (and the maximum post length) prevailed).

If you have a really big volume to fill, work in layers, waiting for the previous layer to completely cure before proceeding, moisten the previous layer of foam with a mist bottle to improve the adhesion. If you do not do this you will end up with large voids in the middle of the foam. This may be a problem if you need to shape the resultant blob.

If it's really dry out, mist the foam with water to speed up the cure.

Foam-in-a-can (as opposed to 2 part) needs to out-gas to cure. The rate of cure is proportional to the amount of foam and the surface of the foam exposed to outside air. Big blobs of foam can take up to 24 hours to completely cure (poke it with a thin wire to tell if it has cured all of the way through (like testing a cake in the oven)).

I know it sounds like I went to HomeDespot, bought a single can of every style of foam, and tried them all out. I did.