Do It Yourself

AspieEgg , in Caps(?) for upside-down galvanized fence?

I’m no fence installer or anything so I don’t know if it’s possible, but instead of replacing the fence, could the chain link part be removed from the posts and flipped over and reinstalled?

Drusas OP ,

Sadly does not appear possible.

lazynooblet , in Caps(?) for upside-down galvanized fence?
@lazynooblet@lazysoci.al avatar

Sure it’s not sharp on purpose? Could be anti animal or anti climb?

Drusas OP ,

I thought of that, but considering the location, definitely not.

rhythmisaprancer , in Caps(?) for upside-down galvanized fence?
@rhythmisaprancer@kbin.social avatar

Is this what you are working with? If so, you may be able to purchase lengths of wood trim and sandwich the edge of the fence between them. You can also get extruded aluminum in channel form and perhaps attach it with wire. You may even be able to put heavy duty shrink wrap over each sharp point.

Or maybe you have a different type of fence and this won't help haha. Let us know 🙂

apis ,

Assumed OP meant this type of thing, but yours seems more likely as it would be cheaper to buy & to install.

Drusas OP ,

Yes, that's the type I meant.

Tristaniopsis , in Caps(?) for upside-down galvanized fence?

Timber strips?

Creesch , in Running Electrical Wire through insulation

If everything you have read is saying that it is fine, then why does it not feel right for you? Looking around I do get the same impression, it is non-combustible so there is not really a concern there. Basically from what I gather as long as you use the proper wire for use in walls/isolation, leave enough space and generally take good practices in account like using conduit where needed you should be good to go.

I am not an electrician though and certainly not aware of your local code and regulations.

Talking about electricians, if you are worried about doing it not right, why not hire one to do it for you?

Uprise42 OP ,

I’ve been through 6 electricians and 3 general contractors. Probably more but I can’t keep those numbers straight. They all show up to give a quote then never actually do the work. I’m tired of it.

That being said, the insulation just feels flammable to me. It’s clearly marked otherwise but the paper backing and stuff just made me want to double check

admiralteal ,

Romex on a 15A breaker is simply not going to get meaningfully hot, even under worst-case scenario loads and even fully insulated in something entirely flammable. If you're very nervous, size it up to -- it will cost slightly more but be even more totally safe. Overbuilding is (should be) the DIYer's creed.

Uprise42 OP ,

12/2 is what I bought for the basement lights I’m working on. Everything I read said that was the appropriate wire to use so I never even co sidered

AspieEgg ,

Make sure you’re buying 14/2 or 12/2 that has a ground wire and running that back to the breaker box. I saw the job you did with the big cable in the floor and it didn’t look like you ran a new cable that had a ground wire. It’s best to replace the old shoddy stuff with circuits that are up to code, even if you’re doing it DIY and your area doesn’t require homeowners to get it inspected. The codes are designed to prevent fires and loss of life.

Uprise42 OP ,

That was a 240v circuit. It didn’t have a ground because it was 10/3. I had the money to get the stuff with a ground, but they were sold out and I couldn’t get anything for a few weeks so I went with the no ground but it is still up to code and manufacturer approved.

This does have a ground and black is going to the breaker with white and ground going to the ground bar.

admiralteal ,

white and ground going to the ground bar.

This is the main panel, right? If it is a sub panel, it is a meaningful shock hazard to have neutral and ground bonded together.

SubArcticTundra , in Running Electrical Wire through insulation
@SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml avatar

I know this insulation is fine but just watch out for asbestos, I don’t know how old your house is

Uprise42 OP ,

Ya, there is asbestos in the house. It is wrapped around the HVAC in the basement. We were told to get it removed now because it’s not yet a health hazard so I’m working on getting that done. It’s still in good condition and it’s not dangerous until it starts to flake away. But the insulation is newer from a remodel when the last owner turned it into a duplex. So within the last 10 years I am pretty sure

deegeese , in Running Electrical Wire through insulation
@deegeese@sopuli.xyz avatar

Regular modern romex wire is fine.

You can’t insulate over old knob and tube since the cloth insulation degrades and flakes off.

Nemo ,

Tell that to the maniac who wired my house 95 years ago.

deegeese ,
@deegeese@sopuli.xyz avatar

The guy wiring with knob and tube was probably not the maniac who put insulation over it at a later date.

Nemo ,

AFAICT it was all done in a four-year period from 1926 to 1929 and untouched until I ripped the ceiling open in 2018.

Uprise42 OP ,

This is thankfully not knob and tube. The house is old enough for it though. Going in the attic you can see where the wires used to run

Etienne_Dahu , in Older houses are fun to renovate

I feel you man. Let’s not forget about hacked up electricity, shoddy repairs from the previous owners, lower building standards back then and other surprises that make a somewhat doable project turn full teardown.

Yeah, I also bought an older place recently.

LallyLuckFarm OP ,
@LallyLuckFarm@beehaw.org avatar

<3

Please please please go through and double check wiring and housing for your light fixtures if you haven’t. We’ve been here a while and have been renovating as we’re able to afford to (there’s a reason we bought an older house) but that was one of the first things we did and there were nightmares hidden in the ceiling

Wahots ,
@Wahots@pawb.social avatar

One of our friends found that wall severely browned and crisped behind the oven after it was improperly installed for decades, lol. Terrifying wiring mistakes too, the type that make your hair stand on end. They were remodeling after bad water damage and found all sorts of terrible surprises.

LallyLuckFarm OP ,
@LallyLuckFarm@beehaw.org avatar

I’m glad they found that and (hopefully) rectified it! Surprise reno and remodels are never much fun.

Terrifying wiring mistakes too, the type that make your hair stand on end

This particular turn of phrase has me in stitches, well done!

Wahots ,
@Wahots@pawb.social avatar

Omg, haha. I didn’t even realize the unintended pun xD

And yes, they are now properly wiring and insulating their house and oven :)

The_Sasswagon ,

We had a mold issue stemming from a shower vent not connecting to the roof and just dumping humid air into the attic so we wanted to fix that. Found rotten newspaper from the late 40s as insulation mixed with vermiculite under a thin layer of cellulose, which we treated as asbestos and had that professionally removed. Under that found a whole spiderweb of live knob and tube which wasn’t connected to any devices, was disconnected from many of its knobs, and was missing insulation in many places while it was draped loosely over some metal plumbing up there.

The project started as a disconnected shower vent causing mold, and ended up with a whole rewire of the lighting and outlet circuits in the house. Wild stuff.

We were also swapping out the breakers for ones up to code since we had messed with the circuits, and one a/gfci breaker just kept tripping. Found a light fixture that had evidentially been sparking away up there for who knows how long.

Feels really good to have had eyes on every box in the house and know that what’s there now is leagues safer than what was there before.

zephr_c , in Running Electrical Wire through insulation
@zephr_c@lemm.ee avatar

If it helps any fiberglass isn’t called that for funsies. It’s actually made of glass fibers in a resin. It’s not any more flammable or conductive than any other kind of glass/resin combination. The most important safety advice for using it is to wear gloves and protective glasses, because having lots of tiny glass fibers break off in you is super itchy, and your hands are right up in there, and itchy eyes are just the worst.

Uprise42 OP ,

I knew it had glass in it but I wasn’t sure if that’s all it was made of. That and the paper backing just made me want to be cautious. But I do know how to handle insulation from tearing a room off my grandparents house a few years ago.

NoLifeKing , in Running Electrical Wire through insulation

Modern insulation is basically fireproof and the probability of just cables causing a fire is pretty low nowadays as well.

infinitevalence , in How to pass low voltage ethernet cables through drywall with insulation
@infinitevalence@discuss.online avatar

discuss.online/comment/212555

So I did a detailed write up on this comment about how to run cable.

Doing it in a wall with insulation requires a little more work when fishing with a fish tape, but is totally something a normal person can do.

jkrtn ,

Hey, what do I need to do to meet code if I run ethernet like this? Fire blocking where it goes through the plates? If I do a tube, is there a code limit to number of cables running in it since they’re PoE?

infinitevalence ,
@infinitevalence@discuss.online avatar

They make fire block spray foam that you can spray where tubing penetrates between floors and exterior walls. Most internal walls don’t require any additional fire protection.

For low voltage even poe they’re is no limit I know of other than the physical number of cables that will fit.

jkrtn ,

Nice, thank you!

infinitevalence ,
@infinitevalence@discuss.online avatar

Np good luck!

Wahots , in Newly purchased house - Hardwood floors stained dark in some spots
@Wahots@pawb.social avatar

Just out of curiosity, what did you do in the end?

pokemaster787 OP ,

Honestly just left it. Debating on putting carpet in the room where it’s pretty bad. But decided if I couldn’t do it well myself I’d just wait until I was ready to fork over money to have it done correctly.

ApathyTree , in Older houses are fun to renovate
@ApathyTree@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

I feel your pain. 140 year old house with 3 additions and several remodels over the years. Still had a coal cistern when I moved in!

The middle bedroom has a partial window where the addition was tied in but they couldn’t be bothered to seal up the hole fully… it’s about 8 inches wide and made of a custom storm window and nothing else (currently sealed up well with insulation until I can re-do siding).

Fireplace hearth (way overbuilt thing for a pellet stove -previous owner was a mason) was installed over a layer of hardwood flooring, which they didn’t realize wasn’t subfloor because there were 2 layers of hardwood flooring, old kind that was thick - the house sighed with relief when I ripped it all out and I gained 4 inches to my ceiling height.

Had to drill through a 4-inch thick cement wall to install my dishwasher. Someone moved the entry from one side to the other at some point, probably when they added the driveway and garage, and the walkway is still under my lawn. And my cabinets are different internal heights for some reason?

Weird stuff. Every project becomes 5-15 projects to do right.

LallyLuckFarm OP ,
@LallyLuckFarm@beehaw.org avatar

Every project becomes 5-15 projects to do right.

Ugh, this is it entirely. And then add to the 15 that the final product is going to require imperfections to make it look like it fits the rest of the space.

And my cabinets are different internal heights for some reason?

Our ceilings are made for someone shorter than six feet tall, but our cabinets have spots that my 6’8" friend has to go on his toes to reach. Cabinet logic in old houses is bizarre.

jkrtn ,

You need some of those rolling ladders like in old timey libraries.

Devi , in Kinda DIY, Kinda Pets

You can get some premade pieces to add to this, I have one of these which they use to climb up and as a scratching post, and this bed which acts as a resting point along with my standard shelves. Neither were very expensive.

Vodulas OP ,

I dig that scratching post! The bed looks nice too, but I think I could make something like that. We don’t want to put anything quite that wide in the hallway though

Devi ,

You definitely could. Theres also these hammocky type beds. They look too small for my cats but don’t stick out from the wall very far and if you’re DIYing it then you could make them bigger.

Vodulas OP ,

We were thinking about doing a hammock in some other spots in the house. One of our cats loves the one on their big scratching post

meowbotage , in Kinda DIY, Kinda Pets

I love this idea, it’s really cute! I like the secret doorway, it’s probably good for them to have a secondary escape path.

Vodulas OP ,

Yup! We keep the dogs in the bedroom at night, and there is a cat portal in the door as well. That way they have 2 exits. I’ll post pics of the stairwell one when we get it done

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