DIY home improvement projects

[Clonedogg]

ugh. yeah my basement was definitely wired by a DIYer without a clue or a contractor that didn't give a flying f. I'm changing all of mine from the round style to the square so I can tell what I've replaced. so far found unlanded wires, grounds snipped off, and loose connections or trying to fit 3 wires on a screw and janky shiz like that.

I'm probably 2/3rds of the way finished. I agree I think the back stab connection just isn't as good and makes it seem like amateur hour.

Similar, I could notice a difference between the quality of work between the basement and the rest of the house. Basement definitely had a poor DIY feel.

 

[Clonehomer]

Similar, I could notice a difference between the quality of work between the basement and the rest of the house. Basement definitely had a poor DIY feel.

I’ve seen that with basements that get flooded. A lot of DIY to repair drywall and electrical when they tear the bottom half of the drywall out when basements get wet.

 

[HOTDON]

Same. When you choose the emergency sump pump, make sure you get the version that draws water from the very bottom of the unit so it sucks down the water as much as possible.

And if you have enough space, I'd support looking into some kind of emergency automatic backup sump pump that will cover you if the power goes out and/or you're away and don't catch it.

Had a power outage situation about 15 years ago. Basement was soaked. Just stood there and watched helplessly trying to route water with towels. Mattresses and carpet sitting out in front yards up and down the block the next day. Neighbor gets home from vacation while I'm out on my garage, told him to check his basement since we lost power for 24 hours. He came back out and said they installed a battery backup that showed it had been active, but everything was bone dry. I drove straight to Menards and bought the Ace In The Hole or whatever he had. Had to Frankenstein some piping to get it into the 18' sump hole, but it was well worth the investment for the 4 or so years until I sold the house.

 

[Clonedogg]

I fit in two sumps into our well, and they are on a generac circuit.

 

[MeowingCows]

99% it will be threaded

just get a towel and small pipe wrench,... unscrew it from as close to the wall as possible. reapply threadtape and or dope

like AllIn said, you definitely don't have to ... but I at least put a piece of masking tape on the shower handle so I remember not to have a stupid moment - works with light switches too if you're wiring a fixture. you would not believe the times I forget and go to the switch to get more light only to think "why is this tape here... Oooh!"

Got it down, cleaned, taped and back up. Couldn't actually grab it well with tools but was able to loosen and put back on be with hands only. Wall side of pipe was untaped it appeared, or it all disintegrated over time. Just ran 10 mins or so of water and no more pooling on the wall or condensing on the pipe, at least not that I could tell in that scenario.

So...now what should I do with the cover and wall? Caulk the wall and send it? I'm not terribly concerned about making it look perfect. Just want it to be safe.

 

[FerShizzle]

The weekend of 7/12 my sump pump stopped working a flooded out my basement. We are now working through the insurance process, but before I start fixing everything, I want to add an alarm or monitoring system for my sump. Anyone on here have something, or have had success with something in the past?

You need a battery backup.

 

[cyfan92]

Sherwin Williams is advertising a 30% off paint sale right now. Did they just mark up prices or can I finally afford to re-paint the interior of my house?