Goofy/Shoddy Home repairs

[GalaxyBoy]

Am I the only one who keeps seeing Green Acres and Oliver Douglas climbing the pole to make a phone call to yell at the Monroe Brothers?

 

[ERD50]

They probably didn't use that many couplings originally. But the house has probably had the water heater replaced several times. Each time, the plumber cuts the pipe to get the water heater out, then adds another coupling when he puts the new one in.

Kinda like counting the rings on a tree!

...

And that toilet flange, no problem just put the toilet back in but rotate it 90 degrees....

Oh, I missed that. Is that the problem? The toilet bolts go in the elongated key-hole slots right? But it looks like they got the toilet on anyhow (judging from the caulk/dirt line)?

-ERD50

 

[Ronstar]

Kinda like counting the rings on a tree!







Oh, I missed that. Is that the problem? The toilet bolts go in the elongated key-hole slots right? But it looks like they got the toilet on anyhow (judging from the caulk/dirt line)?



-ERD50

Looks like they drilled their own slots when they found the problem.

 

[Music Lover]

We have owned 2 different homes where prior owners painted over wallpaper. What a pain that is to remove!

I would rather rip off the drywall and put up new drywall than try to strip painted wallpaper. I'm dead serious.

 

[akck]

I kinda like the way the wire snakes out from behind the wall board to the heater.

And that toilet flange, no problem just put the toilet back in but rotate it 90 degrees....

That was exactly the solution my plumber son said. The only question is should the tank face the tub or the vanity.

 

[akck]

They probably didn't use that many couplings originally. But the house has probably had the water heater replaced several times. Each time, the plumber cuts the pipe to get the water heater out, then adds another coupling when he puts the new one in.

Not likely, as the house wasn't that old for multiple water heaters to have been replaced (maybe 1 at most).

 

[akck]

Where I live they use flexible couplings from the supply pipes to the water heater, so you just need to unscrew the coupling to change the water heater. I am surprised that plumbers don't do that on any water heaters that don.t have such a feature.

That was going to be one of the projects we'd do on a future visit. Alas, my son was transferred, so that will be the new homeowner's project.

 

[kcowan]

I would rather rip off the drywall and put up new drywall than try to strip painted wallpaper. I'm dead serious.

In our second house, the owners teenage son's bedroom had posters mounted on the walls. After moving in, we discovered that he had use contact cement to attach them to the drywall. I learned how to plaster. It turned out to be a useful skill.

 

[Grabberson]

Our gas water heater is in our unfinished basement. The previous owner moved the water heater and ran the flue pipe through the corner inside the kitchen. Comes right out of the floor and exits through the ceiling. This was then covered by a floor-to-ceiling cabinet with the shelves removed. This cabinet is, of course, not usable as an actual cabinet.

 

[RE2Boys]

I know - those flexible couplings are the best.

Yep, but I've had two develop leaks after about 10 years, the water heater is outlasting the couplings, but at 12 years old, I'm contemplating having the water heater replaced just do to age (gas).

 

[Music Lover]

I'm an avid DIYer and have helped a lot of family and friends over the years. I have seen:

- went to a friends to see why the bathroom floor sagged when you walked over a certain spot. Someone had replaced the subfloor but rather than joining two pieces of plywood over a joist, they joined the pieces between the joists.

- flickering pot lights in the kitchen. I went into the attic to inspect the wiring and discovered that they were cheap plug in type under cabinet lights not rated for attics. Rather than making the proper connections in an electrical box they plugged into a badly wired electrical outlet located under the insulation that had no cover plate. The insulation was 4 or 5 inches of dry wood shavings covered by batt insulation and because there was no cover the box was full of dry wood shavings that were in contact with bare wires.

- frozen pipe that had burst and flooded a basement. The pipe was originally located an inch or so away from the foundation wall, but then the basement was finished and rather than move the pipe, they left it in place and insulated and drywalled over top of it, thereby putting the pipes on the cold side of the insulation.

 

[Chuckanut]

Our gas water heater is in our unfinished basement. The previous owner moved the water heater and ran the flue pipe through the corner inside the kitchen. Comes right out of the floor and exits through the ceiling. This was then covered by a floor-to-ceiling cabinet with the shelves removed. This cabinet is, of course, not usable as an actual cabinet.

Can you add a cheap shelf and use the cabinet to raise bread dough? It sounds like it would be a warm place.

 

[Boho]

A professional painter or his assistant patched my wall like this before painting over it. I fixed it myself years later.

The plaster on a large part of my ceiling fell down and the regular plasterer wasn't available so a substitute did a similarly bad job. The super said he won't paint over it so he got the good plasterer to fix it but it's still not so good so I intend to sand it down and re-plaster it myself. I have to decide whether to prime it and use pre-mix joint compound or to use actual plaster which I've never used and wouldn't be featherable once set.

 

[Clone]

One of the goofiest things I saw was in a neighbor's house, soon after they moved in. This is even worse than painting over switch plates.

The previous owner had pointed the master BR to freshen it up before putting the house on the market. Nice, except they left the bedroom door open when they painted and just painted around the open door. When the door was closed there was a rectangle of the old paint color still left on the wall.

My folks helped a friend repaint a house he had bought. Previous owners (or renters) had repainted the living room. They did not move the couch, and just painted around it....

 

[Sunset]

Where I live they use flexible couplings from the supply pipes to the water heater, so you just need to unscrew the coupling to change the water heater. I am surprised that plumbers don't do that on any water heaters that don.t have such a feature.

In IL it is against the code to use flexible fittings on the water heater for both the water and the gas.
The gas has to be that black pipe.

Too bad as it would make it easy for a home owner to replace his own, oh wait, it insures a bunch of work for Union plumbers.

Either way you are supposed to get it inspected.

 

[pb4uski]

My folks helped a friend repaint a house he had bought. Previous owners (or renters) had repainted the living room. They did not move the couch, and just painted around it....

And we allow these people to vote.

 

[Backpacker]

.

First rental house we bought had old style screw in fuses. Previous owner had run out of space in the panel box so rigged this in for an additional circuit.

 

[travelover]

First rental house we bought had old style screw in fuses. Previous owner had run out of space in the panel box so rigged this in for an additional circuit.

Did it have a "UL Approved" sticker on it anywhere?

 

[kcowan]

In Mexico, wire nuts are not used even for outdoor connections. Just a little electrical tape or even duct tape! Wires are stripped using front teeth.

 

[GrayHare]

A friend added a bathroom. The sink faucet was installed too far back, meaning that only half the water poured into the basin while the other half fell onto the sink top where it then leaked onto the floor from around the fixture. It was that way for years.

 

[aja8888]

A friend added a bathroom. The sink faucet was installed too far back, meaning that only half the water poured into the basin while the other half fell onto the sink top where it then leaked onto the floor from around the fixture. It was that way for years.

He should have put a short hose on the faucet!

 

[ERD50]

Did it have a "UL Approved" sticker on it anywhere?

Oh man, that reminds me of a very long detailed aggravating discussion that I had on a 'green site'. A number of people (more knowledgeable than me in the specific codes) were agreeing with me (and the codes!), but a few 'greenies' just couldn't stand anything critical of their latest plan to save the planet.

It was about a modular 'plug and play' solar panel. The homeowner just mounts it, and plugs it into an outlet. No transfer switch needed, no electrician to call. If we all get a few of these, life will be wonderful!

Some of us pointed out, a user could plug in a panel that supplies 12 A to a 115 V North American circuit, and then might put two other 12 A loads on that circuit. Depending on where each is on the circuit, you could have 24 A draw on a segment of those wires that are rated for 15 A max, and never blow the 15 A breaker.

Some of these 'greenies' insisted we were wrong (we weren't), insisted that anyone who would use this would know the 'proper' way to use it (and then went on to describe the worst possible way to arrange the plugs!), and that these things have UL labels on the inverter, so they must be safe!

No, the UL label is for the inverter, not for the system wired this way. One component being 'safe' doesn't make a system safe.

While never admitting they were wrong, they then went on to say that well, anyone doing this would know to use a dedicated 115 V socket, not a socket with others on a circuit (as mentioned in the fine print somewhere, along with the generic "make sure you comply with all local codes", and contradicting their earlier claims it was safe no matter what). But we kept pointing out, that's not enforceable. If it has a standard plug on it, people will plug it into any socket. And then it's not safe!


"But, but, but, it has a UL label!"


"But, but, but, these go to eleven!"

BTW, it did seem to be safe as far as the 'no transfer switch'. It kept monitoring for power every second or so on the line while shutting itself down, and would stay off if it detected a drop.

-ERD50

 

[Sunset]

And we allow these people to vote.

And have children so they can teach'em the propper way two doo stuf

 

[euro]

Where I live they use flexible couplings from the supply pipes to the water heater, so you just need to unscrew the coupling to change the water heater. I am surprised that plumbers don't do that on any water heaters that don.t have such a feature.

I agree, I always put those in too when I replace a water heater. They ARE more expensive than a copper coupling though, so that's probably why plumbers don't tend to install them

 

[euro]

. The only issue I have found with it is that a sheet rock screw will puncture it easier than copper.

Probably true but you can definitely wreck copper with a well-placed nail or screw as well ( see my earlier post..... )

Pex is your friend