Anybody I used to know still post around here??????
POSTED BY: 6ixStringJack
UPDATED: Thursday, May 23, 2024 14:59
VIEWED: 53454
PAGE 7 of 32
Hey Wishimay!
You haven't met anyone around here who's an HVAC guy, have you?
I was wondering if I could show pics of the damaged wiring to someone who was and they could point me in the right direction.
The furnace, like a few other things in this house, was sabotaged by the previous owners before getting evicted.
Until this afternoon, I didn't even know how to light a pilot on a furnace. After doing some research on the subject I figured out the reason that gas wasn't getting to the pilot light had nothing to do with the sabotaged electric and that it was just clogged up.
So..... I unclogged it. 
After that though, the pilot wouldn't stay lit, even if I held it down for 2 minutes.
So.... took another trip to my favorite store Lowes and got a universal thermocouple for 8 bucks and viola! A pilot light that stays lit!
Now I just need to figure out which wires go where for the thermostat and the blower.
I had planned on paying somebody to do this, but it turns out that I don't know anybody in that trade and none of my friends and family have any close relationship with somebody who might give me a discounted rate. When I called around today, the cheapest rate I could find was $110 bucks an hour plus parts and they would not tell me how long they thought this would take.
So..... I skipped raking out the extra dirt by my driveway today and got half of the furnace working.
I'm hopeful that I'll have a working furnace by the end of the weekend. 
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book
BTW... I love my General Discussion Peeps. If you feel a strong need to judge me on RWED discussions I've had in the General Discussion, I welcome it, but I also say that they are two different worlds......
And while my core never wavers and though I may say things you don't like in the RWED, I'd never say them in General Discussions and I hope you would do the same.
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Sorry no...electrical is my one weakness.
Did they rip off the 'stat, or did they mess with the wires from the furnace? 'Cause that last one is just freakin diabolical....
I do know that anytime I've had to fix an appliance I've been able to find manuals or troubleshooting repair sites by typing in my make and model on the internets(if ya didn't already know). Sometimes it's easier having older equipment 'cause everybodys already posted problems and resolutions. Fixed my fridge few months ago, they had the diagrams and even told me where ta get the parts, heh. Regulater switch is a nothin part...'till you ain't got one
Also, reminds me of a 'stat problem I had a few years back...one died so I had a top of the line model put on and a few months later started having problems...Finally figured it out and went and put on a cheapie, not a problem after that... Just K.I.S.S- keep it simple stupid!
And I bought 3 gallons of Sherman Williams paint(brown 
)at a flea market for $5 a piece- so ha ha paint snob! (required to say I'm just poking fun, sometimes I get mistaken for being confrontational on the interwebs..)
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Sweet find on the Sherwin Williams paint!
If the color works for you, it's great paint. I don't know if you've ever used it before, but you'll have to let me know what you think when it's up.
(No worries: I didn't find that confrontational at all 
)
As for the furnace, they cut wires in the actual furnace. (bastards 
)
The good news.......?
I fixed it today!
Once I had a solid pilot light, I was able to tinker around with a few wires here and there and got the burners fired up.
When I put the fan position to "ON" on the thermostat, it works fine.
The only problem now is that the blower doesn't kick in when the burners are going before they go out. I'm not sure at the moment if it's because it's just too hot in the house and the burners aren't on long enough, or if there is still another wire that needs to be connected, or if the timing mechanism is shot (hopefully not that, because it's an 80 dollar part).
I may have to go up and unclog the chimney as well because I was feeling a little light headed being by that furnace for a few minutes while the burners were going off and the blower wasn't working. There may be more carbon monoxide released indoors than you would want.
Damn carbon monoxide and it's deadly but odorless properties!!!!!
But hey.... at least at this point I know I won't freeze to death during the winter!
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book
BTW... I love my General Discussion Peeps. If you feel a strong need to judge me on RWED discussions I've had in the General Discussion, I welcome it, but I also say that they are two different worlds......
And while my core never wavers and though I may say things you don't like in the RWED, I'd never say them in General Discussions and I hope you would do the same.
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Hehe......
I kinda broke several of my rules today, but I think it just might pay for itself if I still don't have a job this winter.
I was ordering some light bulbs at Lowes for a beautiful chandelier I got from goodwill last Monday (10 bucks) and the front page mentioned that they had 15% off their entire stock of snow blowers until 10/10.
So....... I ordered a TroyBilt blower with a Briggs and Straton motor (just like my awesome lawnmower I mentioned before). It was normally $599 before taxes, but when you order online you can stack the discounts.
1) 15% off sale
2) 10% off Movers discount (from post office change of address packet)
3) 5% off Lowes card.
4) only 7% taxes here rather than 10% plus in Cook County.
After the discounts it was only $464 with tax!!!!!
When I went to pick it (and the light bulbs) up, the guy said just bring my truck around and they'd load it up......
Uh.... Oh.......
How big is it, I said......
IT IS HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(and the bonus is, they assemble all blowers and tractors as part of the price, so I won't have to assemble it like I thought I would)
Good thing my stepdad was already coming around on Monday to haul the sub-facia that needs to be replaced on the garage and house as well as about 20 sheets of drywall and two interior doors in his cargo van. Now I can just pop that sucker into his van at the same time.
I hear we're about to have the worst winter of our lives thanks to El Nina or whatever the name of our newest hurricane. There are plenty of elderly people on my block as well as 2 income households who I'm sure would appreciate the help.
I'll just have to put on my early-bird cap and wake up at 4AM and get all the driveways done before the normal people go to work
That's what Foldgers was made for.....
I love my coffee almost as much as I love my beer....
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book
BTW... I love my General Discussion Peeps. If you feel a strong need to judge me on RWED discussions I've had in the General Discussion, I welcome it, but I also say that they are two different worlds......
And while my core never wavers and though I may say things you don't like in the RWED, I'd never say them in General Discussions and I hope you would do the same.
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You are ambitious, aren't ya? Even tryin' ta work ahead of Mother Nature...
Now that they've said we'll have tough winter, see if she won't do her best ta prove us wrong...
Still I hope you get a chance ta use yer new toy at least once...
I probably would've bought one at an auction...If you think ahead and buy off season you can pick 'em up for pennies...Bet they'll go big now, though!
I love auctions...It's soooo much fun ta poke around in other people's stuff, and they encourage it, heh. Not recommended for people who can't control themselves, and first timers should always take someone experienced and not exciteable along. I know people who couldn't and they came home with boatloads of crap( that mostly went ta goodwill a few days later 
)
I'm thankful we don't have a sidewalk...but don't have a porch yet either...Next weekend, in all probability.
Do be careful with all the cold weather stuff. My gramps had to do everyone else's driveways too, and got an aortic dissection and a steel box from it many years ago. 
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Quote:
Originally posted by Wishimay:
You are ambitious, aren't ya? Even tryin' ta work ahead of Mother Nature...
Now that they've said we'll have tough winter, see if she won't do her best ta prove us wrong...
Still I hope you get a chance ta use yer new toy at least once...
I probably would've bought one at an auction...If you think ahead and buy off season you can pick 'em up for pennies...Bet they'll go big now, though!
I love auctions...It's soooo much fun ta poke around in other people's stuff, and they encourage it, heh. Not recommended for people who can't control themselves, and first timers should always take someone experienced and not exciteable along. I know people who couldn't and they came home with boatloads of crap( that mostly went ta goodwill a few days later
I'm thankful we don't have a sidewalk...but don't have a porch yet either...Next weekend, in all probability.
Do be careful with all the cold weather stuff. My gramps had to do everyone else's driveways too, and got an aortic dissection and a steel box from it many years ago.
Yeah..... probably would have done well at an auction, but there is something about buying a motorized unit that is new (unless it is a car... because, damn those things are REALLY expensive!!!!)
Sure... I saved myself about $150 back in August on a reconditioned Troy-Bilt mower, but it looked brand new (probably DOA and never used once) came with the 90 day return policy and the 2 year manufacturer's warranty. The only thing was they wouldn't allow me to buy the 4 year extended warranty I wouldn't pay for in the first place.
BTW.... the 4 year extended warranty (I didn't buy) for the snow blower would have made the thing cost more than I saved with the stacked 30% off.
Besides.... If I can figure out how to fix a furnace in two days when I didn't even know how to light a pilot beforehand, I'm pretty sure I can troubleshoot a lawnmower and a snow blower with the good 'ol internet....
I've never been to one, but I totally need to go to an auction. When I get a job one of the first things I want to do is upgrade to a larger pickup truck that has a bed large enough to haul drywall and MDF. I figure after paying Carmax 40% of what was still owed on my Camry I could sell that even for a profit once I get my truck. I think an auction would be the place to go unless I find out another person I know is getting their large truck repo'd and wants to unload it in a bankruptcy.
So.....
In the last two days I got my car completely legal, and got myself registered for the vote (what luck!!!! Without even knowing it, today was the last day to register to be able to vote in the local elections in November!!!!), and I removed all the rotted wood outside the 3-season porch where previous owners (pigs) used to have a sauna that they let destroy the wood framing for the windows. I installed new wood to replace the old moldy rotten wood and caulked it all. Hopefully I get up early enough to primer everything now before it's supposed to rain tomorrow!
Got some friends coming by tomorrow for the first time and some family coming by for the first time on Thursday. I can't wait to show them everything I've done.
I'll have to spend tomorrow morning getting all of my pics off of my camera and organizing them.
Pics, or it never happend, right!!!!
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book
BTW... I love my General Discussion Peeps. If you feel a strong need to judge me on RWED discussions I've had in the General Discussion, I welcome it, but I also say that they are two different worlds......
And while my core never wavers and though I may say things you don't like in the RWED, I'd never say them in General Discussions and I hope you would do the same.
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Still working on getting pics....
But I got my furnace working today!!!!!!
In the end, it was just a matter of a clogged pilot, a shot thermocouple and some cut wires and some other wires intentionally wired wrong..... yes... according to a friend who is an operation engineer (granted... a different Union job than an HVAC technician), intentional sabotage is the only explanation in the end.....
Seriously... it's sorry what deadbeats who can't pay the bills will do to enact revenge for something they're entirely responsible for. But, I can't bitch about things.... the sabotaged furnace is one of the many reasons why I could even afford this awesome house in the first place. I paid just over 1/3 of what the previous owner paid for this house in 2005. Throw in the fact they removed both A/C units, let a flood destroy the downstairs furnace and water heater, ripped off all of the gutters for cash, destroyed a lot of the electric circuits, allowed mold to grow in the basement for 15 months while one of their kids lived in the basement bedroom where the mold was growing, and ripped out every single bush and hasta in the frontage, and it took me 5 hours to just remove all the burned 
all over all 4 of the burners of the stove.......
Wow..... these people were pigs.....
Thanks Pigs!!!!!!!
Thanks to you......
I'M RICH BE-OCH!
This furnace job would have cost me at least 220 bucks in labor and at least 8 bucks in parts (assuming, of course, the tech was honest about the price of a thermocouple to a novice). If the tech who came here was a "parts thrower" I may have had to pay for a Fan Limit unit that I didn't need which would have been another 80 bucks at least on top of that.
In the end, it was just several days of learning and troubleshooting and an 8 dollar thermocouple from Lowes and the problem is fixed.
The 300 bucks saved isn't worth half of what I learned though. I've already put the word out to the family that if they have ANY furnace problems at all that I have a good chance of figuring it out for free instead of paying a tech.
Not bad for a guy who couldn't even light the pilot 5 days ago.
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book
BTW... I love my General Discussion Peeps. If you feel a strong need to judge me on RWED discussions I've had in the General Discussion, I welcome it, but I also say that they are two different worlds......
And while my core never wavers and though I may say things you don't like in the RWED, I'd never say them in General Discussions and I hope you would do the same.
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Anybody know a good image hosting service where I could upload pics in album format? I'm putting together some albums of the work I've done on the house. I think that would be better than randomly linking to one or two pics here and there.
Today I ripped down the rotten sub-fascia on the east side of my garage. Boy am I glad I decided to do that before winter......
There was about 5 feet of missing soffit panels because the damage to the sub-fascia was so extensive. A lot of the rotten wood just came apart in your hands, and all of the nails were rusty.
The worst part though, was that there was a nest on both sides of the missing sofits. HUGE nests.... I don't know where all this "hay" came from, but there was a lot of bedding up there. There were also rather large and heavy fruit type things up in there, so it must have been squirrels or something large and not birds living up in there. I was worried I was going to get bitten doing the demo work, but fortunately the roommates either weren't home, or they already moved out before I evicted them.
Got some pressure treated wood up there now that I pretreated with Kilz and secured to the garage with 2 1/2" rust resistant porch/deck nails rather than the standard 8 penny rust bucket nails. That should get me through the winter even if I don't put the fascia up until spring.
There is NO WAY though that I'm putting any of those soffits back up until I buy the missing ones and have them all wrapped up in fascia again. I'll have another rats nest up there by spring time.
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book
BTW... I love my General Discussion Peeps. If you feel a strong need to judge me on RWED discussions I've had in the General Discussion, I welcome it, but I also say that they are two different worlds......
And while my core never wavers and though I may say things you don't like in the RWED, I'd never say them in General Discussions and I hope you would do the same.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Yuk!
The shower upstairs leaks into the bathroom downstairs when the shower is in use. Upstairs bathroom was one of the nicer things that didn't truly need any work to it otherwise for years. The entry of the shower head through the wall is packed to the gills with silicone, so unscrewing the top, adding some plumbers tape and screwing it back in to see if that fixes the problem will be about a thousand times harder than it should be.
It's obvious that the previous owner knew about this too because the bathroom was the only room that didn't have drywall installed on the ceiling, and there are about 7 holes drilled into the plywood above the joists where the leak occurs to let the water leak into the basement. (Looks like they used the bit you'd use to drill out a doorknob hole to achieve this). I can't believe I never noticed this leak before, but I haven't been in the basement much in the last 3 weeks with all the outdoor work and when I was going down there all the time I usually didn't go down after a shower and it was so hot it was all evaporating before I'd notice it.
Oh.... I've also been told since I've been here that a gate valve was installed to prevent backflow during flood conditions, but I could never find it. Well.... now I know what the 5 lbs of Great Stuff is sitting in the basement by the drain pipes at the back of the house. After I removed those walls for the mold remediation, I couldn't figure out why all of that gunk was back there.
My guess is, it was probably leaky and just needed to be serviced, but now who knows how much Great Stuff goes down into it and if I'm going to flood my basement by drilling it out. I think I'm going to have to have to pay a real plumber come early spring to see if it's even salvageable at this point. Heh.... If I didn't have to take out all the walls for the mold, this invaluable tool to keep water out of the basement would be buried right now. I just think it's funny that the previous owners buried the one thing that could have kept the basement from having mold crawling 5 feet up the walls.
Morons...
The previous owners sure loved silicone caulk and Great Stuff. All of the stuff they did wrong is going to take 10 times as long to fix because the bad work they did was practically "set in stone".
Bah.... whatever....
Got to keep reminding myself that these little joys are why I got the house in this great little neighborhood at the price I did.
Well.... the Furnace is working great so far anyways. Since I'm cheap, I have the thermostat set to 60 degrees and it hasn't kicked off much. Here's hoping my luck with that holds out....
Stay warm
~6
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." ~Shepherd Book
BTW... I love my General Discussion Peeps. If you feel a strong need to judge me on RWED discussions I've had in the General Discussion, I welcome it, but I also say that they are two different worlds......
And while my core never wavers and though I may say things you don't like in the RWED, I'd never say them in General Discussions and I hope you would do the same.
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Got porch
Got rain
You might or might not find ThereIfixedit.com funny.
Why is it idiots always use 30 lbs of great stuff? And you know they don't read the instructions fer anything so they gotta be walking around with hands encased in the crap...It has uses...but not for EVERYTHING. That's what duct tape is fer.
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