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Post by Sir Trevor on Feb 12, 2018 19:17:48 GMT -5
Well, today I got good news and bad news. Good news, the gas lines passed inspection! The wife will call the gas company tomorrow to set up an appointment to get the gas turned one. Bad news is the guys from Burdick's found out the gas control valve on the furnace is shot. Lines hold pressure just fine when the furnace shut-off is engaged. When it's open I am loosing pressure. After checking all the joints and connections, the only thing left is the control valve. I could have them do it, but it's like a $400 job if they do it. They called the office to find out how much a new valve is. $175 their price. I hopped on ebay and found one for $90 that is supposed to be here by Thursday. So, I am not quite done with gas work yet (actually, I won't be done for a while, but running the line for the gas stove in the kitchen will be quite a bit down the road.)
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Post by bunbun / Hank on Feb 12, 2018 21:33:42 GMT -5
Sounds like you've really opened a can of whoope ass with this new house. What ever made you decide to move anyway? You mentioned the new house has more sq footage, but with both kids grown and on their own I would think that would open up more room at the old place, besides, you've lived there since I've known you so I would think the mortgage would be pretty much paid off by now.
Well, good luck with all this gas line repairs. That's something you CAN'T do half ass else there could be a big KABOOM somewhere down the road. With all those leaks I'm surprised the place didn't blow up on the former owners.
HANK.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Feb 13, 2018 18:17:43 GMT -5
Yeah. Our mortgage has been paid off for years now. We've been wanting out though. Between the big yard, the annoying road and driveway, and the horrible layout this house has, we just wanted a change. As far as all the leaks go, I am sure a lot of that was caused by expansion and contraction from just sitting for years. If the house was lived in the whole time, I am sure a lot wouldn't have happened. Just like a car. You let it sit for a few years and lots of things that normally aren't an issue, suddenly become one. Anyway, the gas is on now. Though the guy from the gas company didn't want to have anything to do with lighting that furnace . So, I will replace the valve this weekend, and get Burdick's in to do a cleaning and adjustment on the furnace next week. Once we have heat, then things should start rolling along.
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Post by bunbun / Hank on Feb 14, 2018 10:45:54 GMT -5
"The annoying road?" What was annoying about your road? The couple of times I stopped by your house traffic didn't seem that heavy. Not like Chardon Windsor where we have crotch rockets flying down the road at 300 MPH in the Summer.
Yeah, once you have heat in the place things will go easier. I don't know about you but I HATE working in the cold. Sure you can bundle up, but you have on so many layers of cloths you can't move.
HANK.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Feb 14, 2018 18:50:28 GMT -5
The road didn't used to be too bad. At one time they topped it with crushed asphalt and graded it properly. Lasted for years and wan't bad at all. Then they had to dig up part of it to work on water lines, and apparently no one on the street crew knows how to crown a road anymore. Water doesn't shed into the ditch, it just runs right down the road and washes it away on a regular basis. Now we are constantly dealing with ruts and craters, and it's dusty as hell in the summer.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Feb 18, 2018 17:57:59 GMT -5
Well, we now have heat!
I took the valve out last night, while I had Dale over to investigate some bare wires inside the furnace box. Today I vacuumed everything out, and reassembled with the new valve. Lit the pilot, then fired her up. Right now, everything looks good. Nice blue flame, not affected by the blower motor so no issues with the heat exchanger. Since we are so close to the end of the heating season right now, I think I will wait until fall to have Burdick's come in and do a cleaning and adjustment.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Feb 22, 2018 19:28:34 GMT -5
This house is gonna make me start drinking heavy. Yesterday, I went over and turned the water on. Initially the only thing actually 'open' was the cold to the kitchen sink. Everything else was off so I could test each section individually and asses them. That looked good, no leaks. Open the valve to fill the hot water tank, and opened the hot valve to the kitchen. Went upstairs and turned on the faucet so I could purge the air as the tank filled. Eventually started getting water out of the faucet, so I shut that off and went back down to the basement. Damn! One of my couplings has a small spray coming from it. Shut off the valve to the tank again, then drain some water out of the tank, so I could drain that line. Then I open the cold to the 1st floor bathroom. Looks good. No leaks. Go upstairs and flush the toilet after the tank was done filling. For some reason I had to plunge it, but eventually it went down, and works fine. Not sure what could have been the hold up, except whatever they put in the trap to winterize it. Called it a night. Stop after work today, to redo that coupling that was leaking. Get down the basement, and I hear water dripping. Oh great. That cobbled together mess of a patch in the line just after the main is leaking. Well, I was planning on getting to that, guess it can't wait any longer. First I fix that coupling. Let it cool, and test it. Great! No leaks. Shut the water back off, and disassemble the water meter connection and cut out off the bad section of pipe. Take the parts with me to JR Lumber to make sure I get what I need and it all fits. Go back to the house. Cut the sections of pipe I need, clean the ends, flux, clean the fittings, put it all together. Sweat all the joints. Let it cool for about 5 minutes. Turn the water back on. No leaks! None of my joints had a problem. Then I stand up, and feel this fine spray hitting me Moving the pipe around caused a pin-hole. Great! That's going to have to wait until Saturday. We're going to Home Depot anyway to buy paint. Now I need a new length of pipe too, and some more couplings. Just going to replace the whole section from the meter up to the floor joists.
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Post by bunbun / Hank on Feb 23, 2018 14:24:13 GMT -5
Based upon the photos you posted I would scrape the whole damn mess and replace EVERYTHING! Pex would be cheaper then the number of fifths you will need to buy to correct this mess. HIC! And what in Gods name would you put in a toilet to winterize it that would require you to plunge it? RV antifreeze is a liquid for God sakes. What did they use, cement?
Go to the library and see if you can borrow a copy of an old movie called "The Money Pit" cuz I think you bought one. Hell, it might even be online. You're computer savy, look it up. Good luck, I think you're gonna need it.
HANK.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Feb 23, 2018 20:06:59 GMT -5
Nah. It isn't "The Money Pit'. So, far, we are only into this house for $34,000. And the house is structurally sound. It needs cosmetic work, and still needs a few tweaks to the mechanicals, but it isn't any more a money pit than any other house. There are always things to fix, upgrade, or redo when you own a house.
As for the toilet, like I said, not sure what they used. But whatever it was was in there for over 3 years. So who knows. I know when I ran the water lines I was getting some pink foamy stuff out of the taps for a minute or two until they ran clear.
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Post by bunbun / Hank on Feb 24, 2018 20:21:00 GMT -5
34 grand for a house ain't bad, hell, cars cost more then that these days. Certainly NOT as bad as some of these house I see from time to time on all the HGTV shows my wife watches. The house cost 450 thousand dollars and "only" needs 60 thousand dollars in renovations. YIKES!!! I spend almost half a million dollars on a damn house it better be move in ready. I don't want to hire Mike Holmes to fix the damn thing.
HANK.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Feb 24, 2018 23:49:56 GMT -5
I hear ya.
I knew I was in for some work when the wife decided on this place. I don't think she knew how much as she was just thinking of all the fun cosmetic stuff. But I think we are really going to like it there once we are in the place.
And they really don't build them like this anymore. Even if we end up putting another 20 grand into it, it will be worth it. And we may by the time I am done, as over the next few years I am thinking a new heating/cooling system, maybe a few window replacements (I don't like the looks of some of the windows). Like to put an awning over the windows on the front porch. And a few other 'down the road' projects. Also, I'd like to redo the roof in about 5 years or so. It may last longer, but I don't want to push my luck.
But a lot of that is just the same work on a different house. This one needs a roof, and gutters, and a sump pump, some window repairs/replacments. Just like a car. Doesn't matter what you're driving, you still end up doing brakes, and tires, and batteries, etc.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Feb 24, 2018 23:50:47 GMT -5
Oh yeah. Almost forgot to mention. Water is buttoned up and not leaking. At least not when we left there earlier tonight will know for sure when I go back tomorrow to light the hot water tank.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Mar 5, 2018 18:48:23 GMT -5
Well, I never made it back there Sunday to light the tank. Took until Wednesday until I had a chance to get over there.
Finally a little progress. The wife started painting the entranceway. The walls are prepped in the front room for paint. I got the worst part over with, and painting the ceiling in the stairway. Oh, and almost done gutting the laundry room.
I've got a few pics I will post soon.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Mar 6, 2018 18:29:42 GMT -5
Pictures of the entrance now. Still some work to do, but looking better. www.tylisaari.com/me/house/entrance.htmToday I got the floor pulled up in the upstairs bathroom. Now I just need to do some prep work so I can use some self-leveling compound on it before we tile.
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Post by Sir Trevor on Mar 8, 2018 18:28:30 GMT -5
More trim painting today. Man, this house has a lot of trim. Thank god it doesn't have crown molding too.
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