I bought a replacement breaker for a Zinsco panel. I have never removed a Zinsco breaker before. Is there a special tool or procedure? The breaker is quite old and brittle. My dad and I did this when I was younger but I forget the details. With POWER OFF you shouldn't need ahy tools, it should pull out, then klip in. With POWER OFF. Zinsco are notorius for arcing at the bus connections and welding themselves to the bus.If your panel has a Main breaker make sure it is turned off and test with meter to be sure power is off before attempting to remove the faulty breaker.Remember that the wires attached to the main breaker will still have power to them. Once you do have the old breaker out,inspect the bus bars and make sure that it is not damaged from arcing.If it is damaged,do not install a breaker at this location,have the panel replaced.If there is not a main,have a licensed electrician do the work. Above about main off is crucial-- that said, there is bar that runs across all breakers (except main) that fits into recess of breakers.This bar must be raised tor the breaker to be removed. Bar should slide freely up and down on screws at each end. BE SURE MAIN IS OFF! chuck The information you have been given is real good. Especially the part about the bar that may be holding the breaker in place. The only thing that I would add here additionally addresses what texsparky said. Zinsco is notorious for arcing and burning of the bussbar. As instructed you should inspect the bussbar the only thing I would add is that if the bussbar is damaged, you may have two options. First, look and see if there are any other spaces in the panel where you could place that breaker and the bussbar is not burned or clouded in that location. Second, there are replacement bussbars available for most of those panels. These are a listed aftermarket product manufactured by Challenger. The last time a purchased a set they were less than $ 50.00. They are extremely easy to install and removal of the old bars is just as easy. This may be an option for you short of replacing the whole panel. I have used the replacement bars in about ten panels that I can think of, as far back as 9 yrs ago. These people are still my customers today and I have not had a single call to go back and replace any breakers since I put the new bars in. Again, this is just to explain another option. I know that a lot of people on here will tell you to replace the panel and I tend to agree but, sometimes things like this can be a burden at a time that is not the best financially and this would give you a safe and less expensive option. Good Luck!! Short of having FPL turn on main, I decided against removing breaker on my own. I just paid an electrician to do it and it did come out after some 3 mins of pulling with channel locks but it was so melded into those bars I dont think I could have done it. Thanks for all the excellent advise. With all the bad news about Zinsco I have found on the net I am going to take the advse to have whole panel replaced. The guy said he would eliminate the inside panel, not Zinsco but another bad brand since he says that is what is done now days. I like having the option of turning off different rooms with the inside breaker box so I may have him replace that too. Oh, he did move the new breaker down to a non-scared part of the bars. Is he right to elimate the inside panel? Also we have a lot of Aluminum high gauge wiring he says should get replaced which I had been reading about for years. Again, thanks for the expert advise and warning. I do Computer consulting if anyone above had a question. Dave
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I purchased my 60 gallon gas whirlpool flamelock in 2005. I have replaced the thermocouple 3 times and the gas control once. Water heather quit working yesterday so I installed a new thermocouple. When lighting, while holding the red button the pilot stays lit, but once I release the button the pilot is out. Since it is a new thermocouple, could it just be defective? There isn't much more I can replace on the water heater. I have limited knowledge of how a gas water heater works, therefore I am cautious of making repairs on my own. Should I call in a professional?? I should mention that we have been having pretty severe wind the last couple of days, could this have been the reason for the pilot not staying lit? Thermocouples can be faulty out of the package. Another source of the problem could be the gas control valve. Had a repairman out today, he said it is the gas control valve. It seems unusual to have so many repairs, since I have owned it for only 3 years?!? The water heater was purchased new from Lowe's. I went their today to get a new gas control and now they no longer carry the one that fits the model that I own. Now it looks like I will be ordering the part and waiting several more days before it even arrives. Is it safe for an amateur to replace a gas control valve?? Is there anything I can do to have this problem corrected? The repairman said that with a 3 yr old water heater to have had 3 thermocouples and 2 gas control valves replaced means that the heater is faulty. With the time zone difference, I have called as early as 3pm Alaska time to find out that they are already closed, and conveniently Whirlpool customer service is unavailable on weekends. Looks like I will be going at least 8 days without hot water!! It is very unusual to go through 3 thermocouples and 2 gas control valves in 3 years. It would make me thing that there's an underlying problem causing this to happen. Sure, the water heater could be faulty, but, you already changed the gas control once, it's not likely that another would go bad so quickly and there's nothing in the water heater that would make it go bad which is leading me to believe it's something else going on. How is the water heater vented? Is vented properly or does an elbow attach directly into the water heater causing inadequate heat rise. Where does the vent pipe exit the house and where does it go once it exits the house? Is there proper pitch on the vent pipe (no less than 1/4 inch per foot lateral rise)? Any of these things could prematurely burn out a thermocouple on these flamelock water heaters. As far as a DIY'r changing the gas control, it's not very hard at all. You need to: -Shut off the gas to the water heater -Drain the water from the water heater. There should be a shut off on the cold water side. Then attach a garden hose to the drain. When draining the water heater, open a hot water faucet so there's no vacuum created with in the water heater. -Disconnect the theremocouple, pilot tube and main burner from the gas control valve. Note the thermocouple will likely have left handed threads on it. -Disconnect the gas line entering the gas control. At this point every thing should be disconnected from the gas control. -Unscrew the gas control valve from the water heater. This too may have left handed threads depending on the model. Reverse the process to install the new gas control valve. Before you screw in the new control, wrap the threads with some silicone tape. Turn the water back on to check for leaks before you start attaching all the other gas fittings. Once the gas line (apply pipe dope suitable for gas on the threads), burner tubes, and thermocouple are reattached and the gas is turned on, put some soapy water (dish soap seems to work the best) on the gas inlet to check for leaks. Then with the water heater operating put some soapy water on the main burner and pilot burner fittings at the gas control valve. For more detailed instructions refer to the owners manual. http://www.whirlpoolwaterheaters.com...ll_manuals.php is the link for the Installation Instruction Manuals webpage. I also recommend checking the warranty on the water heater. Note, if the water heater isn't installed with in the spec's outlined in the installation manual pertaining to venting and combustion makeup air in the room of the water heater, the warranty could be voided. If you had it professionally installed, I would be knocking on that contractors door. If Lowes installed it even better (er, worse) as then the liability of an incorrect installation is on them (IF that's the problem). Apparently you have missed out on all the news about the Lowes/Whirlpool ongoing fiasco: http://www.waterheatersettlement.com/ Best advice: get rid of that WH , because even the retrofits provided have not solved all the problems. Similar problem with Whirlpool Flameguard. Sure fire-yuk yuk - fix is bending thermocouple so that it is directly in the pilot light. Will not work if it is not in the flame.
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Hi, My wife and I have recently become very interested in antique furniture and purchased a rare, old secretary desk from a bargain barn. After pulling it out from under the boxes and behind other stuff and dusting it off, it revealed a beautiful (well, not in its present condition) solid Tiger Oak. I had never seen a wood like that before. I stripped it and stained it with a Red Mahogany oil stain which I feel like I left on for too long and made it darker than I would have liked. Then, I applied Formby's tung oil finish in two coats which I did not wipe off. The result is still a beautiful shiny,dark,red mahogany antique secretary desk that looks great to someone who knows nothing of the sort, but I would like to be able to have a true conniseur be able to view it and observe it as a true masterpiece! I am already planning for another weekend of stripping-drying, re-stripping-drying, paint thinner then mineral spirits, staining-drying and finally refinishing. I would like the desk to keep its old antique look but making it look nice and in good shape as well. Mainly, I want the Tiger Oak itself to do all the work in showcasing it's natural beauty. I want the woods black,orange and brown colors to show, not just the whole thing looking reddish, but I dont want it to be a light color either though. I need for you to suggest a few different types of stain that I could use to achieve the results that I am looking for. Or maybe I should'nt stain it and just finsh it? Like I said before, amateurs think it looks great, but that is not the crowd that I seek validation from. Help! My favorite finish for natural oak is a linseed oil, poly, mineral spirits blend. It soaks into the grain, leaves a natural finish and really brings out the grain. It's a hard finish and resist water, etc. It requires six coats, and I don't know the exact recipe (its in an old post, but if you can't find it I can go through my files). The first 3 coats are cut by 1/2 with additional mineral spirits, and slathered on and then wiped off. The second three coats are put on with VERY fine steel wool and rubbed in, then wiped off before getting too sticky. Fab finish for oak and heart pine--okay for mahogany too. Try the following chemistry lab on some scrap red oak (which is all tiger oak is--- see below). This will give you the antique look ***real*** fast. Take a cup of vinegar and a wad of steel wool, soak the wool for a couple days to make this disgusting reddish soup. Filter it with a paint filter (cheap at paint supply places). Oak reacts very starkly with ferrous oxide (rust), which replicates the aged look. Wipe a small amount on a scrap piece of oak. It will quickly darken to nearly black. If this is too dark, dilute it with 25% water, do it again. Dilute again, and again, and again (keep good track of your dilutions so you can replicate it). Select a color that is a shade or two **lighter*** than you'd want, b/c polyurethane will darken it a bit more. Sand the whole table raw (don't get over anal, leave a few darker spots here and there, make it look nice and aged and well used). Apply your swamp crud, wipe clean. Allow to dry, topcoat with three coats of polyurethane. NOTE that you will no longer be able to sell this as a true antique without disclosing to the purchaser that it was refinished with a modern finish. To be called a true antique, so I've been told by a friend that refinished, an antique MUST be refinished with the same stuff it was done with to begin with, which is usually shellac or some oil. Tiger oak is the same as red oak, but it's quartersawn. All red oak has those striking markings, you just can't see them! To get the ray flitches to show, you have to cut the wood a certain way. If you find some oak, particularly a 4X4 post, two of the sides may well show the flitches and the other two won't. Tiger oak is more pricey because it's pretty and b/c when you quartersaw a tree you get less wood (b/c more waste) and the wood tends to be more narrow. Enjoy your table--- I rarely see a quartersawn table in my area, and it lookes lovely when done properly!
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Hey Guys! I recently purchased an Ademco Vista-15P with a couple of wireless doors/windows contacts and motion sensor. In the package include an Ademco 6150FR keypad and someone told me that in order to program I would need to get the 6160 keypad witch I just got it. Now, I follow the programming from the 6160 by using *56 program code and then turn on the wireless keypad showing me the number 100 and then 1 fire and it counts up to 6. I don't know what is it that I am doing wrong but, I really need help. Have you set the addresses for both keypads? Look carefully at the instructions for the 6150Rf keypad, the procedure for setting the address is a little different from the ones for addressing the 6160. Yup!, is 24 but still showing numbers and not ready message. There's your problem: You need to set the 6160 to address 16, and the 6150rf to address 17 and activate address 17 in the system programming. On a vista 20p _there_is_no_keypad_24_. Well...I am only going to use the 6150RF keypad. The reason why I bought this 6160 is for programming purpose. Now, in programming number *24 is for RF House ID Code and that is set to 24 and I just don't know if is correct. On the actual display I have the following codes error: 100 check 1 fire check 02 check 03 check 04 check 05 check 06 check What I am trying to do is use this vista-15p system along with wireless devices only. My house is not pre-wire. I also notice that there is a red light in the back of the panel 6150RF and is on. I am telling you guys this system is driving me Thanks!. No, the RF ID code has nothing to do with the keypad address. Did you not read what was previously posted? What you are doing wrong, is failing to read your installation instructions. Just in case you don't have them: http://www.alarmsuperstore.com/ademc...ads/6150rf.pdf To activate address 17 once you go to system programming with [installer code] + 8 + 00 enter *190 10 then exit programming with *99 Once you set the keypad address in the keypad itself, you will be able to use _both keypads_ Your zones are showing open because you have neither resistors on the zone inputs, nor have you yet disabled the hardwire zones. Check 100 shows because you have no transmitters enrolled into the system yet. Thanks for your replay MrRonFL, it really helps me to figured it out. I made the programming as you recommend me and it works then, I follow the next step witch is setting up the 6150RF keypad by pressing 1 and 3 at the same time after programming. Then, I enter into the first option witch is 1 to setup the keypad address (witch I program to be 17) then, option 8 witch is the wireless key auto enroll with their respective serial number. Now, the high security mode witch is option 0 is off because the manual says that non encrypted wireless keys will not function. After all, the only message showing is the check 100. hi if i may but in the check 100 may be from (6150rf) 1. the keypad is not on it's back plate right you must hear a snap when you put the keypad on the back plate 2. or a bad keypad The OP enrolled the keyfob into the wireless key function built into the keypad, not into the wireless receiver, proper. If a 5800 series wireless receiver does not receive a transmission from a supervised transmitter within 12 hours, you get a check 100. They need to either enroll a device into the receiver via *56 programming, or turn off the receiver via the keypad programming.
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After reading some of the previous posts I'm realizing how easy it is to mess up when you don't know what you are doing. I've come up with a design for a privacy fence that is like a shadow box without any space between. I've gone and purchased 81 6 X 6' western cedar pickets. These are not what I'd call boards because they are only 1/2 inch thick (from Lowes for only $2.60 a piece). Some of these are heavy and wet. Others are bone dry and very light. I'm attempting to dry the pickets right in the sun in my back yard. I'm watching them to make sure they don't warp as they dry. So far so good. But maybe I'm just asking for trouble. A previous post mentioned that you don't force wet wood to dry in the sun unless you want warping. You are supposed to lay them flat, cover them, and wait for months I guess. So my first question is about the correct way to go about drying fresh wood boards. Keep in mind these 'boards' are only 1/2 inch thick. My second question is whether or not I should use 8 (7 1/4 actual) or 6 (5 1/2 actual) wide horizontal boards for the fence. The top image shows the fence using 7 1/4 wide horizontal boards. The second image shows a bottom up view to reveal how the the fence is constructed. It consists of offset pickets that are sandwiched between a pair of cedar boards on the top and the bottom. These are real boards with an actual thickness of 3/4. I'd like to use 5 1/2 wide horizontal boards but am not sure if that will be strong enough for a 8' wide panel. So do I really need 7 1/4 boards horizontals for structual strength ? Thank in advance for your thoughts and suggestions. You need a solid surface to mount your verticle boards to. 1x material used as horizontal stringers inset into the 4x4 posts will not be strong enough in my opinion. You have to toenail the 1x material into the 4x4 to get the inlay. The fact that you want to use cedar, a relatively soft wood, also adds to my concerns from a structural perspective. It will probably split at the nail holes when you add weight to it. jjtbay, Sundrying your boards is going to create problems for you. They will warp, twist, crack, bend, and everything else that a board can do to create headaches for you. Best bet is to install them in the fence, regardless of wet or dry, and let mother nature take her course. At least installed, both ends of the boards are anchored in place. What happens in the middle is what happens. czizzi, I see you point about the 1 X1s. To the extent possible I'm planning on fastening with screws and not nails. I'm hoping that pre-drilling pilot holes for the screws will avoid the problems of splitting. Would I be able to use a hardwood just for the 1x1s ? As for drying the wood, isn't dry wood a pre-requisite for any kind of staining or waterproofing treatment? When I called up Cabot paints they also suggested it's a good idea to clean the wood before applying any kind stain / preservative to kill off any mold spores. I also have to confess the design is not really my idea. It came from a place called Rustic fences http://www.rusticfences.com/. Here is their fence: I think this fence is built entirely of 8 X 8' boards. And it looks like high grade cedar. That's way too expensive for me so that is why I'm using the 5 1/2 wide boards from Lowes. I wish I could see how they have fastened this fence to the 4X4s. I am going to guess that there is a 2x4 stringer set at the extreme top and bottom located dead center on the 4x4 and screwed or toenailed in place. This 2x4 is then faced with a 1x6 to hide the 2x4 top and bottom. The pickets are then set on top of the 2x4 and nailed to the 1x6. Once the pickets are up, the opposite side gets the 1x6 added top and bottom with a 1x4 top cap to dress it out. All the endcuts of the pickets are then sandwiched between 1x6 decorative boards but the strength comes from the 2x4's hidden top and bottom. Finish off with nice post caps and you should have a beautiful fence. So a slight modification to your design and you should be good to go. Is the cedar from the box store square cut, or is it bevel cut. The only ones I have seen are used for siding and they are tapered along the width. Dry them on the fence, not as individual pieces. czizzi, That is some great insight you have. I'd never have guessed or thought of there being a hidden 2X4 support. As for the box store boards they are the same width with no tapering. But they do have a dog ear on top. But that is going to get covered up by the top horizontal board. What I'm wondering now is how the pickets will positioned on the 2X4. If they are on top then 2X4, as shown below, then that will make the fence a shadow box which won't have the 100% privacy I'm looking for. So I'm wondering if it's possible to have the pickets fastened to the board and then have the board fastened to the 2X4 like this: another view Of the 81 boards only one ended up with a bad warping after two days in the sun. The others all seem to look OK. They are now laying flat on my porch, covered, and away from the direct sun. It's going to be awhile till everything is ready to go for building them. My suggestion was your second drawing. Follow the steps I've previously outlined. 2x4's up first, then one side 1x6 (top and bottom), then pickets, then other side 1x6 (top and bottom), finish with 1x4 on top. Use the appropriate sized nails depending on which board you are putting up to prevent blow through of the nail out the other side of the fence. Make sure your 4x4 posts are accurately spaced so that each fence panel looks balanced with the same approx. end cuts on the pickets on both sides of each panel. Glad that you meant the second drawing ! That is the one I like best. Everything is looking good now except for one hopefully final dilemma. I've put two pickets next to a 2X4 and can see they are not as thick as the 2X4. The 2X4 is about 1/4 thicker. Should I put something between the pickets to make them as thick as the 2X4? Or maybe it would be better to see if I can have 1/4 taken off the 2X4s with a planer? Of course if these were real boards instead of cheapo pickets then I wouldn't have this problem. Putting material between the pickets sounds good because it would not weaken the 2X4s but then I'm wondering what material would be best. If I used thin hardwood laminate, which I think comes in 1/4 thickness, then over time might that decay away? That would especially be the case for the lower edge of the fence which is not protected from the elements. The inlayed pickets while functional from a visual perspective are not structural from a practical perspective. They are merely there to provide a screen. The strength comes from the 2x4's. Think of a kitchen cabinet door, many have a frame with an inlay in the middle that floats, you can actually move and wiggle them. They are there to provide a closed structure but do nothing as far a structure. In fact, you can replace this panel on a door with glass if you want and it would not effect the function of the door. If you feel better with a spacer, then rip down a piece of PT lumber to fill the void rather than reducing the size of the 2x4. Make the piece small enough that it is well hidden under the 1x6 siderail. Czizzi, Thanks very much for the guidance you've offered. You obviously know what your talking about. Once the fence is up I'll post some photos. Of course that is assuming I don't run into more problems along the way ! Put the last screw in yesterday. Fabulous Job!!! What a beautiful looking fence, you should be quite proud of your accomplishment. Yeah, that is one beautiful fence - great work! Hopefully the neighbors will find it agreeable as it affects their view more directly than me. But on the other hand I can finally go in my back yard and not feel like I'm on a stage for them anymore ! And don't get me started on their crazy dog's barking which this fence will hopefully control. On a final note I think this forum (and the people on it) are great ! How about some post caps on that pretty baby? Copper? Wood? That the ONLY minor finishing touch I could see. It looks great as-is though! After seeing the ideas, drawings and photos here, I went out today to get started on mine. I've been hunting a style for ages and this one and drawings just clicked. I've got 17' on the side of the house to do, and I figured I'd give that a shot before tackling the other 140'... next year... I'm going for the true shadowbox fence however (pictured in one of the suggested drawings) and am using 6x6 posts with post caps above the top rail for this section facing the street, otherwise same construction. I went 6x6 for aesthetics, but also because one could be supporting a 4' iron gate (a real iron gate, not this Lowe's and HD microguage crap). I don't need any warping posts. I also believe the 6x6 will allow the supporting 2x4 runners (well, the top one is a 2x6 for added strength and anti-sag), 1x pickets, and 1x facing boards while still leaving the facing board slightly recessed to the face of the post (um, that's 1.5+.75+.75+.75+.75= 5.75). The longer 70' segments on either side of the backyard yard I'll use 4x6 to save $. I also said phooey with toenailing and am going with bracket/hangers for the 2x4-to-post connection. Figure they'll hide easily under the pickets and facing, last longer, and be much stronger to the random kid climbing the fence. Thanks for the great ideas and diagrams to make my imitation of your work so much easier. I'll try to post up some pics once I get finished. Keith Nice job! Home is the place we should do our best work! I used deck brackets to hold the horizontal 2X4's to the post. There was another style of bracket that was designed for fences but I decided not to use these because they didn't seem like they were as sturdy as the deck bracket. I need to modify the brackets before I could use them because they had areas that were sticking out for nail openings. I used a vise to squash these areas flat. I'm somewhat concerned that I've caused the zinc coating on the bracket to flake off in the places where I did this squashing in a vise. So the brackets may start to rust in these areas. I guess time will tell. This bracket was designed to have the 2X4's toe nailed into the post. But I didn't want to do toe nailing as it would make it more difficult to take the fence apart and it seemed like overkill. I figure having four 2 1/2 wood screws holding each bracket to the post would be plenty strong as it is. Another benefit is that it will be easier to replace the 2X4 if needed because it will simply slide out. As the photo shows the deck brackets stick out. Another problem is the screws stick out also. But I decided the extra strength of these brackets was worth these negatives. If you have a router than I suppose you could route 1/4 or so from the fence post area where the bracket is mounted to the post and that would recess the bracket so the screws would not stick out. I ended up chiseling and routing out the area where the brackets touched the inside of the 1X6X8' horizontal facing boards. That way the bracket was flush with the surface of the wood. It was a pain to go through this step because I don't really have a 'real' router but a Dremel tool with a router bit. This job was too big for this small of a tool. My design has a flaw because the water will not readily drain out of the cavities along the bottom edge. If you look at the 'another view' photo from my 05-25-08, 11:02 PM post, and turn that upside down, then you'll hopefully see what cavities I'm talking about. If you building a shadowbox design then you shouldn't have this problem because there will be a way for the water to drain out. I've done some tests to see how fast the water does drain out and in the worst case it takes a few minutes for it to seep through and find an exit. Water is the worst enemy of wood so I'm more than a little concerned that this might cause the structural 2X4 in the middle of the sandwich, along on the bottom edge, to go bad. These 2X4s are pressure treated so that should help but only time will tell. But since everything is held together with screws it I can always take the fence apart and replace the bottom 2X4 at some point in the future. I have some post caps which I'm putting on for cosmetic reasons but also because the exposed grain on the top of a post is susceptible to damage over the long term (or so I'm told). So a post cap is protecting the post and hopefully prolonging it's useful life. We did stain/treat the fence this week. It was hard to do because it covered up much of the subtle color variations going from white to brown and red. However I felt like it was the right thing to do because those subtle colors would fade away and turn to gray in a few years anyway. I used the clear Olympic brand 'Maximum waterproofing sealant' product. So now the overall color tone is amber but it still looks nice. And now the appearance should stay the same for much longer than if I just let it go gray.
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Hello All, I was looking at getting my father-in-law a compound miter saw. He currently has an off-brand 8 1/2 miter but, as you surely know, it does not cut all the way through baseboard. He is not a woodworker or in construction. The use of the saw would be occasional home-ownership needs such as cutting baseboard, trim molding, 2x4's, etc. Last year I bought my father a 10 Delta for just this purpose and I thought of getting the same for my father-in-law. However, I noticed at Minards that they have a Tool-Shop brand, 10 radial arm compound miter saw for $99.00. Good price for a more versital saw, but is Tool-Shop any good, or should I stay away. Better name brand saws or, a 12 saw are out of my price range. I am basically limited at $100 or so. My other thought was a laser level. Those come in prices from $20 - $200 though and I have no idea which are any good. Ask if there is a place to get repair parts for the saw. Grab the handle on the saw, is there ANY wobble there. I understand the occasional use theory however I don't believe he wants to make off cuts, even occasionally. Just my opinion. Laser levels are getting better. Read the package and see how far off they are in set number of feet. Most I have seen tell you. Price will give you an indication. Most are quite close though. I checked out the saw and, well compared to the $450 makita 10 radial arm miter saw next to it, it was not as sturdy and heavy, the arm did not slide as smoothly. However, the Tool-Shop did not wobble between the handle and the rest of the unit. I'll have to look more into it. I was in two of my favorite tool stores today, and noticed that almost every major maufacturers tools have near copies with different colours and lesser known names - Tool-shop, Superior, Canwood, King, etc. If you look closely you can identify frame parts, slides, motor mounts in both well known and lesser known. My personal guess is that manufacturers in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia (at least) make many 'generic' parts that are used in many tools, possibly with better machining and bearings instead of bushings on the more expensive brands. I have purchased several ToolShop brand hand tools and find them to be worth what I paid. I knew they would not be a top quality tool, but they were good enough for my needs. I have a buddy who is a manager at Menards and he claims ToolShop is junk and will not buy it. I think you're on the right track so far - if the tools seems to be as accurate (ie, no wobble) as more expensive models and you are aware and ok with it not being able to stand up to heavy use day in and day out like a professional quality tool, go ahead and get the ToolShop saw. If it looks for any reason like this saw will not be as accurate or precise, pass - these are the main attributes of this kind of saw and without them the saw is not worth having. Try to find out who actually makes the Tool Shop brand. Lots of brand name tools get on the market under another name if they don't pass the quality tests during production. You should also look into warranties (store and manufacturer), parts availability, and locations of repair facilities. If any (or all) of these are nonexistent, I would pass on this brand. You should also look into a Ryobi saw. Ryobi tools are pretty good out of the box and should last a DIY'er several years. Prices of laser levels vary with their accuracy. Every one that I've looked at has accuracy information on the package and it's a question of how much accuracy you need and how much you're willing to spend to get it. I have bought a few Tool-Shop hand held power tools. It seems to depend on which tool your buying. I bought a couple of them, because I'm basically a cheapskate, but you definitley get what you pay for. I bought the belt sander, because I don't have too much use for one, needed it for a one time project, and it worked OK. Random orbital sander, I will not use at all, that thing isn't even going to be in the same room with any veneered plywoods . The jigsaw seems to work OK. Heck, if it stops working, there cheap enough to just toss it, and go get a new one. Each of the tools I mentioned were $9.95. I'm not familiar with the compound MS, but if he's not going to do any cutting that requires it to be extremely accurate, it may be fine. Dave- this may be of interest to you. I saw a tv program last year about three factories in Taiwan and two in China that all make generic power tools. They're very 'average' cheap tools, and are made so that the final shapes of casings, colours, labels, etc, will suit the US and European buyers ordering them. Apparently the demand is such that buyers can literally say exactly what they want , and get them for 5-10 per tool. (At that price, I can't imagine spare parts even being available. ) Yeah their stuff is cheap, and guaranteed, but it's a guaranteed piece of inexpensive tool. If you want a reasonably priced, quality mitre saw go with Pro-Tech or Ridgid. I bought the 12 Pro-Tech Mitre saw and have put it through a great deal of hard work, and it's holding up well after slicing through 3 summer's worth of 4x6 landscape timbers...and then some. Inexpensive tools (as my father and I refer to it) is worse than flushing your money down the toilet, because you end up wasting time repacking tools to return to the tool store. Moderator edit: Welcome to diy.com NervousRex! Your comments are welcome but I must tell you that this is a family oriented site and the use of profanity is not allowed. - we all know that Ridgid, DeWalt, Bosch, etc, work just great and are the best. Sure there's a place for them in everybody's shop. - - point is that's not necessarily the tool you want banging around in a work van, - or being used by help who've never seen a decent tool in their lives, -or lying around on a building site unless you're Hawkeye ! As many users have noted, cheap 'throwaway' tools have their place. Guys like me, Slickshift and MangoMan are not building pianos out there -we just want something that'll do the job ! Do it Right - Do it once. The problem with these cheap tools is that folks that used to buy the better ones can no longer justify spending the extra money because the cheap ones are almost as good. Now manufacturers of better tools are forced to compete with slave Chinese labor to meet Big Box Store wholesale price points. Any one notice that Sears Craftsman now has the cheap junk Companion tool line? Menards has their Tool Shop, Lowes has a cheap tool line and Home Depot has Work Force and Husky. Remember when Husky hand tools first came out and they would trade you even for a Craftsman tool? The Husky stuff used to be made by the same folks that made Craftsman. Now the Husky stuff is made in China, has no warranty, and all those folks that bought the advertising and traded their Craftsman stuff are SOL. DeWalt used to be a quality US made tool, now it is not. If I remember right, it was originally a spinoff from Black and Decker to create a professional line of tools. Ridgid power tools sold by Home Depot used to be made here (by the same folks that used to make the Craftsman power tools), now they are made by the same folks that make Ryobi. Contract Chinese manufacturing is taking over, retailers are laughing all the way to the bank, more jobs leave the good old USA for good. If more people knew the markup on that Chinese garbage, then they wouldn't buy it because they are being robbed. I hope more folks spend the money on good tools because product sales are the only thing that will keep those tools from being made elsewhere for cheaper. There may come a day when the Skil Mag 77 worm drive saw is no longer made here in America because the Ryobi is cheaper and almost as good. The easiest way to get the help to respect the tools is to make them sign for them, with a disclaimer on the paper that states the tools will be replaced at their expense if damaged through negilgence. Unfortunately, because of fraud, it is not economical to insure tools on a jobsite. At least business owners and tradesmen can write off tool purchases. I couldn't agree with you more danski0224. I am tired of seeing quality go down while over seas profits go up and in the meantime we are the ones getting screwed. just go to your local pawn shop and you can find any of these tools very cheap and have the big name brand.the thing about cheap things are the copper in the motor is not the same and the brushes are not the same.i use to work for a man that got all the old stuff from stores and we would take them apart for the copper.when you get inside one you can see a big difference. Danski, - I can't fault anything you said. I agree completely. Nevertheless, I'd still rather carry around 5-700 $ worth of 'cheaper' tools in my workvan, than 3000 $ of good tools. I still buy the good tools, they just stay safe in my shop and are used only by me. .... Unfortunately simple economics gets the best of us sometimes. Do it Right - Do it once. FYI...I'm a high school art teacher in a setting where we use a lot of wood to construct sculptures. I recently bought a Tool Shop miter saw, model JS 2105. Wow! What a piece of junk. Of course, use by students can test any equipment, but, after just a few days, I heard a loud noise and went to find the fence broken in two. Today, another loud noise, and smoke coming out of the motor housing. I got it from Menard's and I'm seriously considering just dropping it into the nearest dumpster. Why did I buy it in the first place? Because getting any school to cut loose with more than 5ў is like trying to find gold in your back yard. Live and learn. [QUOTE=art7895guy]I got it from Menard's and I'm seriously considering just dropping it into the nearest dumpster. QUOTE] Take it back - Menard's will take anything back, I've tested them on that more than once. Don't want to beat this Tool Shop issue into the ground but I have been looking at purchsing a combo 6 belt and 9 disc sander. Although I have told myself never to buy Menards crap tools again their machine is $100 cheaper than the alternative. Anybody use this sander??? Countrymac Nobody ever washes a rental car. I replied to this thread when it was newer, saying that I had purchased several toolshop hand tools and found them to be worth what I paid for them. I took stock recently and realized that I had replaced about half of these with more expensive brands. Buy toolshop if you want, but keep the receipt. Menard's will take it back if you have the receipt. Has anyone had luck finding where to get replacment for broken tool Shop brand tools? I have tried eveywhere I could find that linked from the internet, no avail. They must change names and stores monthly or seasonally.. Would pass on this brand if you want a ligitimate warranty.. FYI In my experience, junk, still waiting on a call back. Bought a sander model #241-9801. It does not work, the timing belt was never installed from factory. This is an 8 year old post. Sorry you had a problem. Never heard of a timing belt on a sander.
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I have red oak floor throughout my house. We also have rugs we put in certain places. In some of the high traffic areas the corners of the rugs get bent upwards when people catch their foot on the corner. What adhesive would be safe (for the long term) to put between the rug and the floor to keep the corner of the rug from sticking up? My main concerns are how hard the adhesive is to get off and will it discolor/change the apperance of the floor after it is removed. Thanks. Joe. Several companies (most notably 3M) market a 'carpet' tape. It s atape with adhesive on both sides. It works well (apply to a CLEAN surface). Any residue is usually easily removed with a soft brush or rag and paint thinner. The paint thinner will not hurt the finish on the floor. As someone who has sold probably around 1000 rolls of carpet tape in my time I must comment on the suggestion.1) There are several different types of carpet tape.Various retailers will carry what they consider to be the types that sell at their location.Talk to the sales help for advice and go to a hardware store not a big box retailer.2) Carpet tape works fine on smooth backed somewhat stiffer carpeting however on throw rugs and the like,uneven flexible materials and for rugs that are made of materials that can be pulled or torn away,carpet tape will be,at best,a very temporary solution and will give way eventually.If the rug is regularly pulled at by being walked on or caught at the edges the tape will eventually lose it's adhesive qualities.3) Getting back to the multiple types of tape situation,this also will effect the ability to remove it at some later point.Some carpet tapes are extremely difficult to remove and are designed to be permanent.Don't assume they will all remove easily.Also don't assume that the tape won't leave a residue that is difficult to remove. I can't offer you an adhesive alternative that doesn't carry the risk of being difficult to remove and/or could damage the floor.Carpet adhesives are all designed to be permanent and are solvent based. Tape may help you but you'll likely be replacing it regularly. i would forget the tape/adhesive idea and either 1) turn the rug around to where the upturned corner is in a less trafficked area, or 2) try to bend the corner under for a while to retrain it to be flat again (which probably won't work), or 3) get rid of that worn out rug buy a new heavy rug that is nice flat. i, too, have area rugs on wood floors. my newer, nicer, heavier rugs are nice and flat. one of the old ones that the previous owners left for us is obviously worn out one corner is all flipped up. no amount of curling it under will keep it down for long. it's worn out. we need to replace it. i wouldn't think to adhere it to the wood floor as a solution. one reason is that you're supposed to rotate your rugs occasionally to keep the wear even, and when you mop/sweep/clean, you need to move them to get underneath, don't you? as tempting as it may be, i just can't imagine that you'd really want to permanently attach the rug to the floor, although right now, the flipped up corner is very annoying, i know! Here's something that seemed to work for me... 1. Use the flat 90-degree metal braces used in woodworking 2. Cut strips of carpet tape just a bit narrower shorter than the brace's width and length. 3. Line one side of the brace with the tape. 4. Remove the other side of the tape, and adhere the brace to the corner of the rug that's curling. 5. Cut small pieces of the fuzzy part of a velcro strip (loop), about 3/8 x 3/8 and place one on the corner and one on each end of the brace. The weight rigidity of the brace keeps down the corner curling. The velcro fuzz protects the floor without any adhesive in contact with the floor. And it's thin enough to not show when in place. Good luck. GREAT IDEA!!!!! but instead of using only one part of a velcro set, just use those self-adhesive protector felt pads. they come in various sizes of circles or in strips. the strips would be perfect! Annette- I'm a BIG fan of felt pads for protecting floors (chair legs), protecting walls (back of dressers), and other sundry uses. And lighter duty felt pads might be a good way to go for the bracket/rug thing. But my initial assessment was that the higher density (and greater thickness) of the felt pads would raise the bracket off the floor to a greater degree. The Velcro fuzzy seemed sleeker. But I'll experiment and see how it goes. Thanks- FHamilton58 actually, if a rug PAD is being used, neither one may be necessary. Annette- Excellent point! The first rug I did (small area) didn't have a pad, and it was over a laminate floor. But the second, larger rug next does have a pad, and your trick will definitely work. Thanks!
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I'm in the process of refinishing my kitchen cabinets. Currently: golden oak look. I applied extra strength stripper from ACE. It removed the poly cover and got rid some of the stain. I used my sander to have a reference how the would should look like. I applied the stripper twice with not much difference. I also tried to apply some household Clorox. When wiping off I noticed some color in my rag. This procedure removed a little bit more of the stain. However not entirely. Am I using the wrong stripper? Or are there other methods I should consider? I don't do a lot of stripping so others may have better advice. Stain is the hardest coating to strip off of wood. It goes on thin and penetrates deeper into the wood. I don't know if another stripper would help any but expect that the rest will need removing with sandpaper. Scrubbing it with thinner may help to remove more of the stain. Strippers remove surface finish, not stain. As you say, it may lighten it somewhat. To remove stain and get back down to bare wood requires sanding. I saw in the local wood worker store that they have a wood-bleach product. Would that be an alternative to sanding? doubtfull - all the easy ways are taken There is an aerosol stain stripper, but depending on the stain it may not work. If it does, spray it and gently scrub with the grain using a brush (a nylon scrub brush works as its fairly gentle). The analine (sp) dyes and some other stains are virtually impossible to strip out. The bleach may take it down to a lighter color, but you do run the risk of having the old stain resurface when you finish it. I've used the wood bleach with some success, but clean and neutralize well. You may be able to use a sealer/varnish to seal the old stain after bleaching. Beware though, test in a small spot as sometimes you'll get splotchy removal of the color because of the stain--particularly on oak. Of course, all of these products will severely raise the grain of your wood, so you will be sanding alot regardless. What color are you wanting to use? If you are going to stain to a darker color you might test such on the back of one of the doors to see if the new darker stain makes the present stain marks disappear. Just a thought. I have very serious doubts that you are going to be able to completely remove the old stain. There are some companies that have large pressure cabinets that HIGH PRESSURE spray strippers on doors, etc, but whether such will work for your problem is an unknown. You might give them a call. The frames of your cabinets of course can't be put in a cabinet for spraying, TO BIG, so you would still have that to contend with. I wish you well. Dale Indy In the meantime I decided to go with a dark stain from General Finishes: Either the Java gel, or the Espresso water based. This covers the old leftovers fine and gives me a contemporary look I like. I am just a day late on this one.. So as a future reference try Oxalic Acid.. Just google it for more info ! MU Do you really need to get all the stain out? I used a refinisher, that took off all the varnish, poly and some stain. Left the wood with a consistent lighter finish. Originally Posted by jfrano Do you really need to get all the stain out? It depends on what you intend to do with the piece. Stain can only be obsorbed by unsealed wood. If some of the wood still has stain on it, it won't let any new stain obsorb in those areas. May not be a problem with all colors but has the potential for not allowing the finished piece to look good. A non issue if you intend to prime and paint. If you wipe the wood down with a wet thinner rag - while the wood is still wet with thinner it will give you an idea of what it would look like with varnish applied.
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I got a moen shower stall kit. It's got a head, handle, trim and valve. the instructions however are ALL pictures and really not clear. 1. How deep do I need to mount this shower valve back in the framed wall? 2. any sense in switching from copper to cpvc to run to the shower for the purpose of cost reduction and easy of installation? It's all copper right now, I just figured maybe it would be cheaper and faster to convert it over for the run to and in the shower stall. 3. returning my moen $128 kit. It's really more then I wanted to spend. any problem with something cheaper like american std? any recommendations? Answers: 1. There should be a black round plastic piece that is attached to the diverter. This should be flush with finished wall. So if your down to the studs, mount the diverter so that black piece will be flush with the stall kit walls. Dry fit the walls and measure from stud to surround. If sheetrock and tile you would extend the diverter 1. 1/2 for rock 1/2 for tile. 2. If copper is already there leave it. If its a new bath and there is no water pipe, and your running from the basement to upstairs, then I would run pex. But then you need the pex tools. 3. Keep the moen. If posible you should get a moentrol and not a posi temp. You will tank me when you need to change the cartridge. I have all moentrols. The home stores dont sell them. Allthough moen goves lifetime warranty. Make sure you register the product on line. Mike NJ Thanks! Just what I was looking for. Mike, on my new Moentrol the 'plaster ground' is white... and boy do I agree that those little 'comic books' that Moen supplies as so-called instructions are ridiculous. I talked to tech support at Moen today about that... the instruction sheet they supply with the Moentrol valve is WRONG! There's a mistake in panel #4 ... it says to cut a 4.5 hole in the wall... this works for the POSITEMP valve, but NOT the Moentrol. The plaster ground for the Moentrol is FIVE and a half inches. It says to REMOVE the plaster ground before trimming out... so apparently the ONLY reason for that plastic part is to set the depth of the valve behind the wall... it serves no other purpose apparently. If that's true, I don't understand why it has holes in it to access the stop valves and such. Why wouldn't they just make it a solid flat piece of plastic? Do you have any 'tricks' for accurately placing the holes that need to be cut in the cement board / Swanstone / etc ? I'd REALLY be pi55ed if I messed that up. I was thinking about making a template... is that a good plan? It says to REMOVE the plaster ground before trimming out... so apparently the ONLY reason for that plastic part is to set the depth of the valve behind the wall... it serves no other purpose apparently. If that's true, I don't understand why it has holes in it to access the stop valves and such. Why wouldn't they just make it a solid flat piece of plastic? Because it usually stays in place for a while. When the plumbers get the water line inspection it gives access to the stops while leaving the cover in place. Once the cover is lost the sheet rockers come in and crude it all up. The opening does not have to be as big as the plastic. Its only that big to access the stops. I never used the stops in any shower valve I ever serviced or installed. ( Turn the main off ) I only use them to make sure they are open on installation. Why? They like to leak.. Some guys use them. I dont. Worst thing to have a slow drip in the wall. Do you have any 'tricks' for accurately placing the holes that need to be cut in the cement board / Swanstone / etc ? I'd REALLY be pi55ed if I messed that up. I was thinking about making a template... is that a good plan? Well the old saying is measure twice cut once. You need to have confidence...LOL What I would do if it was me, and I did this with my upstairs surround, is install everything but the faucet. Then I stood in the tub/shower and measured center of drain horizontal and vertical at a height for me. The last diverter was way down by the tub. I wanted it higher so I could operate the valve at arms length while standing. Well anyway drill your hole then install the diverter from the back. You cant miss... I usually drill a 3 hole. If you cant install from the back then, and you make a template or whatever, drill a very small hole first. Then if your off some then you can drill a bigger hole over some. Ya know what I mean? Once you drill a big hole theres no moving it. You would need a big remodel plate to cover it. I like things centered so I drill first then install. Hope this helps. Mike NJ Thanks Mike... I usually measure like 10 or 20 times before I pick up a saw! Since I'm gonna put up cement board with the surround material on top, and I have access to the back side via a closet, I think I can get a pretty good shot at marking the back of the dry fitted surround material then take it down and cut it out. I don't care if I mess up the cement board a bit, nobody will see it! I took the 'guts' out of the valve before I soldered... didn't wanna take a chance at overheating something... and I lernt sumpin innerestin about the 'stop valves' on the Moentrol valves. They are actually SPRING CHECK valves! They work sorta the same way the boiler flow checks with the weighted disc work, except they are spring loaded. The 'disc' in the Moen valve has a rubber washer on it, then a very light spring, then the screw mechanism. When the stop valve is fully CCW, the spring holds the disc and washer against the seat. When the valve is opened, water pressure pushes the disc up. When you close the stop valve (fully CW) the screw mechanism pushes and holds the disc and washer against the seat. This exploded parts diagram does NOT show the individual parts. It looks like a normal stop valve guts, but it's not. Three pieces... spud, spring, disc with washer ( # 12318, notice they call it a 'stop-check' assembly): http://www.moen.com/shared/docs/expl...ews/3550pt.pdf I think the reason for it being a check valve is to prevent flow across the valve from cold to hot or vice versa when the tub/shower is not in use, and in the event that the pressure is different on either side for any reason... which could happen if one were to say flush a toilet... After perusing the web and seeing numerous postings by folks complaining that the valve handle sticks out too far when in the off position, I have to concur... after 'dry fitting' the escutcheon and handle to my newly installed valve. There is in fact a full half inch between the back of the handle and the escutcheon when in the OFF position, and the valve installation was followed to the LETTER, and questions answered by the Moen tech support group. The 'plaster ground' is a plastic part that screws onto the valve and stays there until the valve is trimmed out after the wall surrounds are completed. It's purpose is to protect the valve from getting 'schmutzed up' with mortar, grout, drywall compound, whatever AND to provide a guide to setting the valve depth into the wall. This 'plaster ground' is CLEARLY embossed on the front that the valve is to be installed deep enough in the wall that the surface of this plaster ground is FLUSH WITH THE FINISHED WALL. Moen tech support INSISTED that this was correct, so even though I 'felt' it wasn't, I did install the valve at a depth that would put the plaster ground flush with the finished wall. Following the instructions is definitely, absolutely, NOT CORRECT. If the plaster ground were 3/8 THICKER, setting the valve deeper into the wall, the rear of the handle would have 1/8 clearance from the escutcheon when in the OFF position, which would look and operate perfectly. Bottom line is that if I ever install another one of these, I will mount the valve such that the plaster ground is THREE EIGHTHS OF AN INCH BEHIND THE FINISHED WALL SURFACE... OR place 3/8 spacers on the screws behind the plaster ground so that it sits higher on the valve. It's not too late or difficult for me to move the valve back, there's enough play in the pipes to do so, but unless you want a 'washcloth hanger' on your bathroom wall, DO NOT follow the 'comic book' instructions that Moen supplies with this valve! What happens Troop is when the escutcheon is screwed on it puuls the body towards the wall board. I dont know if this is your case but alot of guys go to town tightening the escutcheon. The design I think is to allow leeway. Its not set in stone. I think there is a tolerance 1/2 each way. That chrome sleeve that the handle rides on is somewhat adjustable. That acts as a stop also for the handle on the Moentrol. If the diverter sticks too far out and that sleeve is all the way against the diverter, the handle will just spin. Hey good job anyway. They came along way in the stops. I never took the newer ones apart. Its good info. I remember just stem and washers, then they came out with 1/4 turns. Now this check stops....Hmmmm. Mike NJ Welllll... this valve body ain't gonna pull ! I absolutely garonteee you that! If I gorilla the screws, the escutcheon is gonna bend before that valve moves! I mounted a 1x3 between the studs and used the four screw holes in the valve to secure it to the 1x3... solid as a rock. I absolutely detest valves and pipes that wiggle around inside the wall. I'm sure there is some 'fudge' built into the design, and the biggest problem is the cheesy comic books that they call installation instructions. Can you imagine if BOILERS came with such crappy instructions? Dang we would be busy! I'm going up now to move it back into the wall 3/8... maybe by the weekend I'll have the rest of the cement board up and ready to move on to the next phase.
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I am interested in sealing the stucco exterior of my home which currently approximately 80 years old and is porous. I have discussed this with a number of exterior specialists who have provided differing proposals as to the best method of sealing the exterior. These are the different proposals that I received. 1. 2 coats of Thoroseal 2. 2 coats of Thorocoat 3. 1 coat of Thorocoat (on bottom) and 1 coat of Thorolastic (on top) Does anyone have any experience/knowledge as to what the proper treatment/sealant is for my stucco exterior (i.e. What type of sealant should be used? How many coats? Whether the cost of the sealants varies significantly?) Thank you for your help All of the Thoro products are good and proven. They have been specified by architects for years for use on architectural concrete and precast. Thoroseal seal is a great waterproofer for basements. I feel it is far superior to Drylok type products. The claims for the Thoro products seem to be understated and not flashy. All of the materials you mentioned are very similar. I believe the differences are in the additives such as bonding agents. The bond to and become part of the concrete. Thoroseal is the basic product. Often Thorcoat is used as coating on Thoroseal. I am not familiar with the details of Thorolastic. It is interesting that the specialists all recommended similar products from the same company. Check out the Thoroseal site to find the differences between these products. Dick I have always used elastromeric paint to seal stucco. If unpainted - prime with a slightly thinned coat of ext latex and then a full coat of elastromeric. If already painted - skip the prime coat.
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I have a Rheem Criterion II, Plus 2 furnace. It is barely a year old. The flame sensor needs to be cleaned every few days. The place I bought it it from says there is no cure for the flame sensor problem. Even if they installed a new one it would still have the same problem. Now they won't even come out when the thing won't fire up. The last tech who came out, showed me clean the sensor, but this is practically a new furnace. Are they correct in saying the problem can't be cured? Am I stuck with a POS? I thought Rheem was a quality product. Would another dealer work with me on this problem? I have to clean this thing every week, sometimes a couple of times a week. I'm afraid to go on an overnight trip, because the thing might not work and the water pipes might freeze. Can anyone give me a clue? i would have a piece of somebody at the hvac co. call rheem, file a complaint. sounds like you may have a bad ground Thanks for the reply, hvac4u. I have noticed the flame sensor moves a little when I clean it. Could this be the source of the bad ground? If not, where would I start looking? I'm gonna call a different dealer if I can't do a simple fix. This outfit did lose another sale, as I am gonna get a new cac unit, but it won't be from them. I've seen some pretty bad enviroments in rentals and I never have to clean a flame sensor weekly. This is not a common problem and it sounds like you may have an uneducated company working at your home. They don't give you a reason why this is a problem even a bs reason? What kind of enviroment is your furnace installed in? I own the house. The reason they give for the flame sensor needing cleaning is that during the combustion process a coating develops on the sensor which causes it not to function properly, and if it is replaced, the same thing will happen. The prior reply mentioned a bad ground. I think that is the problem, as the probe end of the sensor moves around when it is touched. It locked out again this morning, and instead of cleaning it, I jiggled it around and the furnace fired up again. I suspect the turbulence produced by the burner causes it to move as well. Is there a way to tighten it up, or will it need replacing? Definitely you should not have to clean it every few days. Once a year should be good enough. Can you see if the movement may cause the rod to move outside the flame. If this happens of course no flame will be sensed and the unit will not operate. Cleaning may just be moving it back into position. Also check that the leads from the sensor to the control board are tight. Fiddling with the sensor may be improving the worsening the connection resulting in the problem. I have a Criterion II furnace and it works fine - I just clean the sensor once a year. I did notice this morning that the thick wire looking probe can move to the very outer edge of where the flame forms. I moved it down to the middle of the flame path, and it fired up. I suspect the only cure is a new one, as the thing will most likely continue to move due to the flame turbulence. Is there only one screw holding it in? Is it moving due to a loose screw or is the sensor itself warped. If it is warped then you will probably need a new one. Can you not stop the movement by tightening the screw. I guess the unit should still be under warranty so I guess they should fix it. Maybe you should find another dealer given the advice these people have been giving you!! It's just the probe end that moves. The base is tight, as I stuck a nut driver on the screw to see. You don't buy the explanation about the combustion gases forming a coating on the probe? I believed it for awhile, but it kept on happening, and I knew that couldn't be right. Yes, I'm gonna try another dealer. Yep I don't buy that - if that were the case how come most furnaces work fine. There may be some truth in that but it will not happen so quickly. I guess the tech really has no answer to the problem so he tells you something so as to not look stupid. As far as I know the coating that affects flame sensing tends to be particle based such as dirt and dust. Gases can only form a coating if they react with the metal and I believe these sonsors are designed with stable metals to prevent this kind of thing. I really don't understand why people do this - if they don't have the answer they should say so rather than misleading other people. Good luck and hope you get it fixed this time. if the base is tight and the sensor moves it is broken, should be 5 yr warranty on that part. i would have a piece of that install company, they give the rest of us a bad name. where are you located? I'm located in Louisville, KY. I was surfing around the web, looking for info on flame sensors. This particular one has the 90 degree bend on the end. I noticed these seemed to be a pretty standard part, used by different brands. It got me to wondering if they are all the same? angle of sensor, length, and mounting....other than that they are the same. be sure mounting is proper position to put the sensor into the flame Basically the flame sensor is nothing more than a piece of metal that conducts electricity. It is made to withstand high temperatures since it has to sit inside the flame. Current is passed between the burner plates, through the flame and out to the sensor. This is how flame is sensed - by passing current through the flame. The criterion II uses flame rectification (conversion of an full wave AC to a half wave AC) to sense flame. The actual physics of the sensor and the burner plates form a diode. However, the actual shape as pointed out by hvac4u may be different depending on your furnace model so you need to get the extact replacement specified in the installation/service manual. You can buy these parts online and do the work yourself - it not difficult. However, you should be able to get it done under warranty for free. I replaced the flame sensor today. I went ahead and bought one, as it was only $8.00. So far so good, but time will tell if that fixed it. I could move the metal rod in the one I removed about 180 degrees in the porcelain/ceramic holder. I'm sure it isn't supposed to move, as the new one doesn't. I didn't break the holder open to see, but I was wondering if there was an actual ground from the sensor rod to the holder to the chassis of the furnace? I'm not sure that there is a ground involved in this. As far as I know the control board sends an AC current through the flame sensor, which then passes through the flame and returns to the control board. I believe the return path is through the burner so it may well be the ground. I will check the schematic when I have an opportunity in the future. I am thinking that you mean the connection from the sensor to the control board - yes it may well be that the connection was not good due to the movement and so it could not sense the flame. The sensor, flame and burner assembly act like a diode (you can think of it as a one way electrical valve). The control board then detects that current is not only being passed but that it is only one way and uses this info to say a flame is present. Hopefully you have fixed your problem. I am still puzzled by why it was broken in the first place - unless the install company broke it during installation. Who knows for sure how it was broken. Having had experience with assembly line operations, I know people will put defective parts in a unit. Whether they knew it was defective is the question. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes it's not. It's possible it was only a little loose, and all of the cleaning I was doing eventually finished the job. I'll just have to wait and see if this fixed it. I hope so.
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Do you remove the top sash on a vinyl double hung window? I some scum on the inside of the glass on the top sash. Thought maybe I could take the top sash out and take it apart to clean it. I aslo tried cleaning around from the outside with bleach. Here's some numbers on the vinyl frame: H250717941, H010717942 BMDH Headtop Bal. top 336S Bot 336S Fullscreen Frame 1 side white 94 140B83 28 If you can't clean the scum off the inside or off the outside, then it's between the glass which means you need to replace the entire double pane insulating glass unit (IGU). How do I remove the top sash to replace the glass unit? Most people will let a glass company come and do it, since the IGU needs to be precision measured, then made, then installed. And I can't really tell you remove the window without knowing whether it tips in to clean or if it's a side load. A lot of vinyl windows are tilts that tip in. Some of them you just tip them down 90є then they lift out of the pivot shoes. Others you have to tip down 90є, then raise one pivot shoe and lower the other in order to get the sash out of the pivot shoes. Can't really say for sure without actually seeing the window and the balances. To remove the glass there are glazing stops that pop off of one side or the other (u don't have to remove the sash to do this) and then the glass is either siliconed or taped to the frame on one side. You have to cut that sealant to get the glass out. If you can get the glass out without breaking it, you can take it to a glass shop and have them make you another. Most vinyl windows have warranties, if you know the mfg and have the warranty or the transfer of warranty in the case of 2nd owners. The bottom sash will tilt in for cleaning. I assume the top sash will slide down to take it out? it will if you have a double hung (top opens) but a single hung will not (top is fixed). So is that how the top comes out by folding down the bottom for cleaning then slide the top down? Yes. The bottom sash gets opened halfway then tip it down. Then slide the top sash halfway down and tip it down. Then depending on the style of window it will either lift out or you will have to beat one pivot point down until the pivot bars come out of the pivot shoes. (they kind of difficult to remove, so like I said, you don't really have to remove the sash to get the glass out... removing the glazing strips around the glass perimeter is the way to get to the glass). Removing the sash and dropping it off at a commercial glass house is a good way to do it though if you don't want to mess with it. You just won't get it back for a week or so, so have a plan to cover the window if it rains or something. So I can go ahead install the double hung window unit then? I didnt want to install if it had to come out for sash removal.
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I searched, found nothing... has anyone used one of these? I'm thinking of replacing my stepping stone walkway with this. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...-32lpage=none http://www.quikrete.com/diy/WalkMake...akerMolds.html As far as quikrete goes, I remember back when I was at Lowe's, we had a quikrete vendor that demo'ed this once. He used what seemed like a 5 gallon barrel with a special lid on it, to mix quikrete. It seemed real easy since all he had to do was lay it down and roll it around. I didn't see one of these mixers while at Lowe's tonight. Is it best to just mix it in a wheelbarow? I would prefer not to do that, as it's only a small, junky 4cuft. I think I'll use the sand as a topper for abbrasion and then fill in between with sand also, or I could use dirt (have about half a load left). I would assume sand is perfered? It should be easy to prepar the base, as there's no topsoil present. I'll just remove the boards/steps/woodchips and level it out. This will be my first concrete type project and I'm looking to learn as much as possible before hand. anyways, just looking for thoughts and opinons. here's what I have now http://www.krawdaddy.net/misc/images/IMG_0011.JPG http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/c6/74/75_2.JPG Perhaps you could e-mail quikrete and get a list of vendors. These seem to be handy, but mixing a lot of concrete to make a lot of blocks seems to be a lot of work. This might enable you to make a few at a time. I woul use sand as a filler for its uniformity and lack of fertility to keep weeds at bay. It will pack somewhat more uniformly between the stones. Hope this helps. Originally Posted by chfite http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/c6/74/75_2.JPG Perhaps you could e-mail quikrete and get a list of vendors. These seem to be handy, but mixing a lot of concrete to make a lot of blocks seems to be a lot of work. This might enable you to make a few at a time. I woul use sand as a filler for its uniformity and lack of fertility to keep weeds at bay. It will pack somewhat more uniformly between the stones. Hope this helps. thanks.. that's exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, neither of our big box stores carry them I'll try emailing the company. Contingency plan? I guess it can be mixed in my wheel barrow? Are there any other tricks/tips to mixing? Hey Kraw, I just used the Walkmaker mold to do a patio behind our house. My project (15x15) is probably a little bit big for the Walkmaker, but it turned out well. I used 2 of the molds, rented a mixer, and used 50 80lb. bags of quikrete. I also colored the concrete with 2 different integral colors. A couple of my friends and my Dad helped me. It was a lot of work, no doubt, but the cost savings were pretty big. Just the 16 natural stone pavers I priced came to over $500. I was able to do my patio and pergola for around that price. I still need to finish the joints, and I have a product called Evirostone I plan on using. It's a polymeric sand product that sets up similar to a mortar, but stays more flexible. that should prevent any weeds, and help hold everything together well. Here's a pic. I still need to tighten up the joints in a couple of spots, and the lighter color towards the back is the section we poured on day 1 so it is a bit dryer than the stones in the front. http://img141.echo.cx/my.php?image=patio0dz.jpg You can contact me if you need any tips on using the molds, I'm pretty much an expert now. LOL! thx for the info We completed the first step. Took about 4 hrs to mix/pour it all. I think we used 10 bags of 80lb mix. First bag, we mixed in the Quikrete mixing bucket thingy. The lid was hard to get off and the mix was poor. Second bag, we couldn't get the lid off. Needless to say, the bucket is an 80lb brick now DON'T BUY THIS BUCKET MIXER finished up the old fashioned way... in a wheel barrow I'm pretty happy with the way it looks. We'll be putting sand in the cracks this weekend and grading the sides. I like it alot. http://www.krawdaddy.net/stuff/walkway.htm Kraw, if you can find it I highly recommend you use the Envirostone product . I swept it in between the walkmaker molds I poured and the stuff is great. Once it dries it is hard like a mortar, but if I need to repair a stone the Envirostone can be soaked with water and it becomes workable again. The color also worked well with my colored concrete. Here's a pic of the finished walkmaker molds with the Envirostone swept in. Your walk looks good by the way, good luck. http://img133.echo.cx/my.php?image=patiodone13hd.jpg where did you find that stuff from? I just used paver sand and watered it. It's supposed to work well I thought. One mistake I made was not using sand as a base. Some of the bricks move a bite and are uneven. But that's ok, the wife likes primitive look, so, uneven is good I've used masonry mix for the joints. I just swept it in and give a light spray down . You can also mix the masonry mix in with the sand to firm things up How large is the form? And how many pourings (sets of stones) can you get from a bag of mix? Does the mix you used have pebbles? I didn't see any in the photos. What is the texture on the surface of the stones? Do you smooth it with a trowel or leave it somewhat rough? I need to extend a walkway and this seems like a less expensive way. Originally Posted by hdtvluvr How large is the form? And how many pourings (sets of stones) can you get from a bag of mix? I got about 1 and 1/2 pourings from an 80lb bag. I had measured the length and the recommended bags was 17, but I only used 10. As far as how large the form is, I'll have to measure when I get off work. I'm thinking it's 2'x2'ish Originally Posted by hdtvluvr Does the mix you used have pebbles? I didn't see any in the photos. What is the texture on the surface of the stones? Do you smooth it with a trowel or leave it somewhat rough? I need to extend a walkway and this seems like a less expensive way. depends on the mix I guess. I got the regular ol' quikrete mix from Lowe's for about 2.85 a bag. It has everything in it. Just add water. I found myself adding more water then what it required, but it was in the 90's outside. I guess it could have been evaporating rapidly. I'm no expert and this is my first time using quikrete. As I went, I found that the wetter the top was, the easier it was to trowel smooth. Some of the stones are rough, especially the first few I made.
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