How to Fix Stuff

zoiDman

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... They're a little squirrely but they work.

The Cold Water stub, which I did 1st was a Breeze. The Sleeve just Pulled Right Out. And it took Longer to figure out how to get the Sleeve Off the Inner Guide piece (you Turn the Inner Guide around 180 and the Pull it Off using the Old Compression Nut) than it did to Remove it from the Stub.

The Hot Water side was a Different Story. It was a Long Vertical stub strategically placed behind the Garbage Disposal for Maximum Wrench Interference. In the end, I cheated by Cutting the End of the Stub off using an Imp.
 

Bronze

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The Cold Water stub, which I did 1st was a Breeze. The Sleeve just Pulled Right Out. And it took Longer to figure out how to get the Sleeve Off the Inner Guide piece (you Turn the Inner Guide around 180 and the Pull it Off using the Old Compression Nut) than it did to Remove it from the Stub.

The Hot Water side was a Different Story. It was a Long Vertical stub strategically placed behind the Garbage Disposal for Maximum Wrench Interference. In the end, I cheated by Cutting the End of the Stub off using an Imp.
Oh yeah, I have never done any kind of plumbing job without implementing MacGyver tactics. With this new faucet installation, the weights (using two cuz one is too wimpy) on the retractable wand get all tangled up with pipes and other hoses such that the wand doesn't pull or recede without adventure. Tried rerouting hoses to less than perfect results. My latest seems to be working good for now. Consists of rerouting hoses and MacGyvering a goofy homemade deflector to the top of the plumbing air vent. Gets ridiculous! :facepalm:
 
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zoiDman

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Oh yeah, I have never done any kind of plumbing job without implementing MacGyver tactics. ...

I think using MacGyver Tactics is almost a Prerequisite to doing Plumbing. Especially on Old Houses.

I've got a Bunch of Modified Tools in my Plumbing fast attack bag. Things like Wrenches that have been Cut in Half or Vise Grips that have the Jaw Teeth ground off. And Tommy (Silicone Stretch) Tape. Lots of Tommy Tape.
 

CMD-Ky

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Wow, that's nice. I didn't know such existed.

I just Replaced my Mom's Moen Kitchen Faucet about a week ago. The New Moen was dead simple to install.

The Hardest part wasn't doing the Faucet. It was removing the old Shut-Off Values from the Copper Pipes to put on New Ones. Unreal how Tight they were. And, of course, where they were in a place that Didn't give me much room to put a Cheater piece of pipe on the end of my Wrench.

At least this little 10 Dollar Tool made Removing the Compression Sleeves a Snap.

 

CMD-Ky

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"Imp" is what?

The Cold Water stub, which I did 1st was a Breeze. The Sleeve just Pulled Right Out. And it took Longer to figure out how to get the Sleeve Off the Inner Guide piece (you Turn the Inner Guide around 180 and the Pull it Off using the Old Compression Nut) than it did to Remove it from the Stub.

The Hot Water side was a Different Story. It was a Long Vertical stub strategically placed behind the Garbage Disposal for Maximum Wrench Interference. In the end, I cheated by Cutting the End of the Stub off using an Imp.
 

zoiDman

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Wow, that's nice. I didn't know such existed.

It you have 1/2" Copper Pipes, that Compression Sleeve Puller is a Must Have.

"Imp" is what?
An "Imp" is a Compact Tubing/Pipe Cutter. It is designed to be used in Tight Places where you Can't Rotate a Full Sized cutter.

51L-JUa3aSL._AC_UL160_.jpg




https://www.amazon.com/RIDGID-32975-Quarters-Tubing-Cutter/dp/B000LDGNCU

Another Very Handy Item to have in Your Plumbing Bag o' Tricks.
 

zoiDman

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Wow, that's nice. I didn't know such existed.

BTW - If I worked on 1/2" Copper Pipe more than once in a great while, I would probably buy a Better Sleeve puller than that Husky. Something more like this...



I like that it has Wrench Flats so you can Hold/Twist it with a Wrench or a Socket. And it is probably made out of Better Materials.

But when the Guts of your Sink are laying on the Floor and you are Washing your Hands form water in a 1 Gallon Milk Jug that you Thankfully remembered to Fill Up before you turned of the Water, a trip to Home Depot and that Husky Puller did get the Job Done.
 

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BTW - If I worked on 1/2" Copper Pipe more than once in a great while, I would probably buy a Better Sleeve puller than that Husky. Something more like this...



I like that it has Wrench Flats so you can Hold/Twist it with a Wrench or a Socket. And it is probably made out of Better Materials.

But when the Guts of your Sink are laying on the Floor and you are Washing your Hands form water in a 1 Gallon Milk Jug that you Thankfully remembered to Fill Up before you turned of the Water, a trip to Home Depot and that Husky Puller did get the Job Done.

Better than the awkward ones you find at the home impr stores.
 

UncLeJunkLe

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2 years ago I bought one of the el cheapo Glacier Bay (Home Depot brand) kitchen faucets for $100 (Model: "Market"). Says it has a lifetime warranty like the more expensive brands.

It also has the fast mount system which is really nice to install. Worst part was removing the old faucet.

About 15 months later the stem valve started getting a little hard to pull-push so I contacted HD and they sent me a new valve which is very easy to replace. So far so good. Bought another one on special for $80 for the upstairs kitchen about 6 months ago.

I absolutely hate all plumbing work.
 

Bronze

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2 years ago I bought one of the el cheapo Glacier Bay (Home Depot brand) kitchen faucets for $100 (Model: "Market"). Says it has a lifetime warranty like the more expensive brands.

It also has the fast mount system which is really nice to install. Worst part was removing the old faucet.

About 15 months later the stem valve started getting a little hard to pull-push so I contacted HD and they sent me a new valve which is very easy to replace. So far so good. Bought another one on special for $80 for the upstairs kitchen about 6 months ago.

I absolutely hate all plumbing work.
That’s the other thing. These newer faucets make it easier to swap out the valve cartridges. Would hope to get more than 15 months out of one though.
 
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UncLeJunkLe

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That’s the other thing. These newer faucets make it easier to swap out the valve cartridges. Would hope to get more than 15 months out of one though.

Yeah, I wasn't happy about that so I'm hoping it was just a bad one. I can tell you that it looked no worse made than the Moen valves I have replaced at my aunt's house. That one seems to go every 2-3 years.
 
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Fall cleanup is officially OVER! With that, I will do a Part 1 review of the Raptor Gutter Guards. I purchased half from Amazon and the other half from Home Depot. These are the guards I believe KAS originally posted on this thread awhile back. I settled on these because they had the best reviews. We both, obviously, came to the same conclusion. :)

https://www.amazon.com/Raptor-Gutte...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

I live among the trees. Red oak, white oak, poplar, maple, hickory, pine, sweet gum, ash, holly, on and on. My roof gets buried every fall with leaves. I get plenty of tree trash throughout the year. So, as usual the leaves fall on the roof and collect on top of the gutters. I have a ridge of leaves that range from a foot to three feet wide all around the perimeter of the roof and in the valleys. They remain there for the better part of two months before I clear them off in mid December when all the leaves have finally come off the trees. On occasion I get lucky and we have a big wind event and it blows most of them off. But that is rare. Without the guards, my gutters would get clogged and the rainwater would just cascade over the sides. The fascia is rotting and I have the makings of a river bed along the house. Cleaning gutters is nearly futile. Even in the summer they'd clog quickly rendering the gutters worthless. I cleaned gutters a good 8 times a year and it still was not enough. So I relented and installed these Raptor gutter guards on my house earlier this year. I must say, they have been very effective. I was afraid the leaves would still collect on the gutters (and they do) and the rainwater would cascade over the top of them. That does not appear to be the case. The rainwater still largely found its way into the gutters. And cascading was reduced to drips that never made its way to the fascia. So I give a thumbs up to these gutter guards based on my Fall experience. Nothing got in my gutters. They function as designed. Installation was easy. I did sweep/blow them off as there was some remaining debris. Also some roof granules. I had a new roof put on in April so there were lots of loose granules (seems to be subsiding). No gutter guard can claim you'll never have to clean your gutters. That's horsefeathers! But you certainly don't have to clean often, maybe once or twice a year. And more importantly, your gutters work the entire time! I suspect this will slow down the rotting of my fascia.

I have a problem with the front of my house. All the rainwater that falls on the front runs into two valleys and pours into only two points...outside corners. There are ways to rig inside corners (most common) but none I have seen for outside corners. Tree trash accumulates in these two points and makes these guards less effective. Not the guard's fault. It's the design of the house. So I have to clean these two points more often. Even then, it remains a challenge. I will continue to look for a solution for this problem.

Part 2 of my review will come in Spring, post-pollen season. We get huge plumes of mostly pine pollen and the crap gets over everything. When it rains, it becomes pasty. So I'm thinking this will be a challenge for those gutter guards. Stay tuned.
 

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I don’t know how well the seams where the screen sections meet on your particular system, I have a neighbor that has a similar system though, every spring at least one baby bird will find its way into the gutter somewhere at one of the connections. If you hear a bunch chirping and a sound like a mouse running in a gutter this spring, it’s a baby bird, try not to let them make to the downspout if you can, it was difficult getting that one out! The others we’ve always been able to corner near a seam and let them escape. Also, squirrels can, and sometimes do get in, they can let themselves out through the downspout, at least so far they always have.
Thank you for your review also!!
 

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I don’t know how well the seams where the screen sections meet on your particular system, I have a neighbor that has a similar system though, every spring at least one baby bird will find its way into the gutter somewhere at one of the connections. If you hear a bunch chirping and a sound like a mouse running in a gutter this spring, it’s a baby bird, try not to let them make to the downspout if you can, it was difficult getting that one out! The others we’ve always been able to corner near a seam and let them escape. Also, squirrels can, and sometimes do get in, they can let themselves out through the downspout, at least so far they always have.
Thank you for your review also!!

Once I heard a noise but couldn't figure out what it was. When I realized it was coming from the downspout I tapped it a little and about 2 seconds later a chipmunk shot out of the bottom like a bat outta hell. I've never seen a chipmunk (or actually anything) run so fast in my life!:lol:
 

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I don’t know how well the seams where the screen sections meet on your particular system, I have a neighbor that has a similar system though, every spring at least one baby bird will find its way into the gutter somewhere at one of the connections. If you hear a bunch chirping and a sound like a mouse running in a gutter this spring, it’s a baby bird, try not to let them make to the downspout if you can, it was difficult getting that one out! The others we’ve always been able to corner near a seam and let them escape. Also, squirrels can, and sometimes do get in, they can let themselves out through the downspout, at least so far they always have.
Thank you for your review also!!
I already caught squirrels running in the gutters. I have two sections that drain on the roof below (no downspout). So the ends of the gutters are open. Easy access. So I’ll need to seal those off. Only problem is I’ll need to get on the roof and those days are over for me. I’ll have to hire some young guy who has no sense of mortality.

So far no birds but thanks for the head’s up.
 

CMD-Ky

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I am looking to my experts once again. I have a propane un-vented Empire Comfort VFSR-30-3 gas fireplace. My problem began with a pilot light that would not remain lighted. You Tube being my friend, I got that fixed with a new thermocouple. The pilot now stays on.

Now another problem arose. My next problem is what I think may be a bad switch. I have a rocker on-off switch which controls when the fire is on. The pilot light is on and I move the gas valve from pilot to on. The fire is always on, I can't turn it off unless I use the burner gas valve to shut it down and, of course, the pilot goes out as it is supposed to do.

Last year, all was well, I get up flip the rocker on-off to on and the burner lighted just fine. I am supposing that the rocker is bad. When checking the company web site I can find nothing that addresses an "always on" condition. No You Tubes on this either. You ask why I don't call someone who knows what they are doing? Where we live is so far off the beaten path and just finding someone who will consent to out here carries with it a premium price. Of course the part needed is not on the truck requiring another round trip, personal experience.

Any thoughts on the problem or diagnosing the switch?
 

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I am looking to my experts once again. I have a propane un-vented Empire Comfort VFSR-30-3 gas fireplace. My problem began with a pilot light that would not remain lighted. You Tube being my friend, I got that fixed with a new thermocouple. The pilot now stays on.

Now another problem arose. My next problem is what I think may be a bad switch. I have a rocker on-off switch which controls when the fire is on. The pilot light is on and I move the gas valve from pilot to on. The fire is always on, I can't turn it off unless I use the burner gas valve to shut it down and, of course, the pilot goes out as it is supposed to do.

Last year, all was well, I get up flip the rocker on-off to on and the burner lighted just fine. I am supposing that the rocker is bad. When checking the company web site I can find nothing that addresses an "always on" condition. No You Tubes on this either. You ask why I don't call someone who knows what they are doing? Where we live is so far off the beaten path and just finding someone who will consent to out here carries with it a premium price. Of course the part needed is not on the truck requiring another round trip, personal experience.

Any thoughts on the problem or diagnosing the switch?
Sounds like the switch could be the problem. Is it a regular wall switch (like mine) or is it a switch that came with the fireplace kit? Where is it located?
 

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    I am looking to my experts once again. I have a propane un-vented Empire Comfort VFSR-30-3 gas fireplace. My problem began with a pilot light that would not remain lighted. You Tube being my friend, I got that fixed with a new thermocouple. The pilot now stays on.

    Now another problem arose. My next problem is what I think may be a bad switch. I have a rocker on-off switch which controls when the fire is on. The pilot light is on and I move the gas valve from pilot to on. The fire is always on, I can't turn it off unless I use the burner gas valve to shut it down and, of course, the pilot goes out as it is supposed to do.

    Last year, all was well, I get up flip the rocker on-off to on and the burner lighted just fine. I am supposing that the rocker is bad. When checking the company web site I can find nothing that addresses an "always on" condition. No You Tubes on this either. You ask why I don't call someone who knows what they are doing? Where we live is so far off the beaten path and just finding someone who will consent to out here carries with it a premium price. Of course the part needed is not on the truck requiring another round trip, personal experience.

    Any thoughts on the problem or diagnosing the switch?

    If you can get to the contacts of the switch, use a multimeter and do a continuity check when you flip the switch. If it checks good then is there an ignitor or something else that could be causing the issue?
     

    zoiDman

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    I am looking to my experts once again. I have a propane un-vented Empire Comfort VFSR-30-3 gas fireplace. My problem began with a pilot light that would not remain lighted. You Tube being my friend, I got that fixed with a new thermocouple. The pilot now stays on.

    Now another problem arose. My next problem is what I think may be a bad switch. I have a rocker on-off switch which controls when the fire is on. The pilot light is on and I move the gas valve from pilot to on. The fire is always on, I can't turn it off unless I use the burner gas valve to shut it down and, of course, the pilot goes out as it is supposed to do.

    Last year, all was well, I get up flip the rocker on-off to on and the burner lighted just fine. I am supposing that the rocker is bad. When checking the company web site I can find nothing that addresses an "always on" condition. No You Tubes on this either. You ask why I don't call someone who knows what they are doing? Where we live is so far off the beaten path and just finding someone who will consent to out here carries with it a premium price. Of course the part needed is not on the truck requiring another round trip, personal experience.

    Any thoughts on the problem or diagnosing the switch?

    Is the Switch something that you can get a Multimeter on to test if it is working or Not?

    You can also get Part Numbers for the Part(s) that you think are Bad from the User Manual parts list.

    Exm: Page 21 of Empire Comfort Systems Electric Heater VFSR-30-3 User Guide | ManualsOnline.com

    Once you have a Part Number(s), you can check Part Houses for Replacement Parts.

    Exm: Empire Comfort Systems Parts | Dey Appliance Parts

    Sometimes getting the Parts Yourself and having a Pro do the Install Isn't a Bad Call.
     

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