Another nice house surprise (NA)

[mikea]

I spent the day doing house chores.

Installed two smoke detectors. I had had both on hand at the old place for so long the batteries were dead.

Got the second washer connected, hadda to engineer connecting both hoses with a garden hose Y-connector (I asked the guy at Ace how to do it, but he was mystified. It seems that I'm the first person in history to do this. Couldn't find a thing on the web either. ) and of course managed to get both hot and cold lines backwards. I was scared to death that the hoses are cramped and slightly kink in the homemade box, but nothing leaks, and both washers work, even at the same time.

When I get a round tuit I'll solder up two single handle shutoff valves. I plan to put in the water shut-off solenoid thing so burst hoses won't cause too much damage.

Then I drew up a contraption out of galvanized pipe to attach the washer drain tube. The utility sink doesn't have a rim for it to clip to. I had to dig through the misfiled supplies at Home Depot. It fits as I planned but I'm gonna tweak it some. I'll post a picture of the monstrosities when I'm done. I still have to level the washers and the dryer.

Earlier I replaced the bleach cartridge in my toilet tank. It finally sunk in that the water in the tank is warm. I had seen on an episode of "Ask This Old House" that there is a mixing valve thing that adds hot water to put warm water in the tank to prevent dripping from condensation. While I in the basement I spotted mine. At least the two upstairs toilets get warm water. I didn't check the third. Pretty cool. Is that a rare thing? I'd never seen it before.

I had hired a professional plumber to run the gas line for my kitchen stove. He also replaced my kitchen faucet and a few problems with the work of the amateur builder. I asked him if two washers a dryer was the hot setup in luxury homes as I remembered when I used to service them. He nodded.

No disasters yet. I'm knocking on wood.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I asked him if two washers a dryer was the hot setup in luxury homes as I remembered when I used to service them. He nodded.

Wouldn't a washer and two dryers make more sense, since the dryers take twice as long to finish?

 

[gprellwitz]

I spent the day doing house chores.

Installed two smoke detectors. I had had both on hand at the old place for so long the batteries were dead.

Did you remember to install a CO detector? Remember, that the new IL law that took effect last year mandates a CO detector in a certain proximity to sleeping areas.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Did you remember to install a CO detector? Remember, that the new IL law that took effect last year mandates a CO detector in a certain proximity to sleeping areas.

I saw an ad this week for a "deal" at Menards where they'll sell you a COMBINATION SMOKE AND CO DETECTOR. Whose dumb-ass idea was it to invent that?

OK, so the inventor must be a marketing guy.

Smoke rises, CO sinks... Where do you put the detector?

 

[Skip Miller]

At least the two upstairs toilets get warm water. I didn't check the third. Pretty cool. Is that a rare thing? I'd never seen it before.

It is not rare, but it is not common either. Think energy cost to heat your toilets! There are other ways to prevent condensation.

Here is a novel solution: A temperature moderating tank. This provides room temp water to the whole house. Take an old water heater, strip off the metal cover and the insulation so you just have a metal tank. Install it in the basement, or better, in the garage where condensation won't bother anything. Plumb the water directly from the well into the tank, and then from the tank into the rest of the house.

Water sits in the tank and gradually comes from well temperature (close to 50 where I lived) to room temperature. When you draw water, this room temp water will not cause condensation. Unless, of course, you have a house full of little kids or a bad case of the trots...

Caveat: Water heaters do spring leaks. Plumb this baby in with shutoff valves on both supply and discharge lines. Also plumb in a bypass valve, and some unions in the to and from tank lines. Then, if (when) you get a leak, flipping three valves will bypass this tank, and then undo two unions and the tank can be removed.

It worked great! But I did not live in that house long enough to experience a leak......

-Skip