home improvement and maintenance

[flyfish]

SLBunge - yikes.

 

To quote Mr. Fly and our house inspector as they wandered around our place prior to the purchase.

 

"Hmmm. Interesting. Wrong, but interesting."

 

(There weren't any "Oh my god what IS that thing"s or "Back away slowly, then RUN"s so we did buy it)

 

(Are those wire connectors called Marrettes® where you are?)

[splinky]

SLBunge - yikes.

 

To quote Mr. Fly and our house inspector as they wandered around our place prior to the purchase.

 

"Hmmm. Interesting. Wrong, but interesting."

 

(There weren't any "Oh my god what IS that thing"s or "Back away slowly, then RUN"s so we did buy it)

 

(Are those wire connectors called Marrettes® where you are?)

wire nuts and marr connectors, i think

[SethG]

The wires appear to be wrapped in cloth insulation, which suggests they're very old. Maybe 1940s or early 1950s old. By the 1950s a lot of wire was wrapped in plastic. I'd suggest ripping them out and replacing them with heavier gauge wire.

 

I do believe you're mistaken, Paul, since Minnesota wasn't even settled by humans until long after that.

 

[SLBunge]

I've never heard Marrettes or Marr connectors.

 

Wire nuts is always what I here.

[splinky]

I've never heard Marrettes or Marr connectors.

 

Wire nuts is always what I here.

"wire nuts" is the trade name for connectors made by ideal. generic ones are called wire connectors. marr is another brand name. ideal and generics are the most common here in the us. can you tell i once had to have an entire home rewired?

[SLBunge]

The wires appear to be wrapped in cloth insulation, which suggests they're very old. Maybe 1940s or early 1950s old. By the 1950s a lot of wire was wrapped in plastic. I'd suggest ripping them out and replacing them with heavier gauge wire.

 

If you'd rather delay that project, you may want to carve away several outlets, and put them on their own, new circuits. The practical result is far less drain (and risk) placed on the old wires in the downsized circuits. Some old circuits are rated for as few as 10 amps, which is pretty low by today's standards.

 

The preferred installation for ceiling fans is to put a 2x4 between two studs (ceiling beams, not hunky guys for others who may be reading) and support the fan from the beam, rather than using the iron threaded nipple as the main support. The 2x4 also gives you a place to put a junction box for your wires, too.

I replaced all of the wiring shown in the photos this weekend. And I'll get to the dining room next weekend. Note that the original wire was properly sized (#14) but the cloth coated wire and the twist/tape connections are something I tend to replace when I run into them. I've replaced a lot of wiring in old houses.

 

The house is from 1925. I would have thought that any original wire would have been knob and tube but this appears to have either originally been strung with flexible conduit to the wall boxes or that was an addition not long after the house was built (1940ish).

 

I don't have to worry about the blocking for a ceiling fan, it is gone and the new fixture will not be a ceiling fan.

[mongo_jones]

oooh, slbunge has just elected himself our handyman. to be paid in food.

[Abbylovi]

Any pointers on repairing window screens? There's one tear right at the bottom near the window.

[splinky]

Any pointers on repairing window screens? There's one tear right at the bottom near the window.

screen patch kit from tarzian or pintchik's. takes 2 minutes. you need to know if you have metal or nylon screen to get the right patches

[mongo_jones]

in the past we've ended up re-screening the entire thing. and then the dogs claw huge holes in them again.

[Abbylovi]

Any pointers on repairing window screens? There's one tear right at the bottom near the window.

screen patch kit from tarzian or pintchik's. takes 2 minutes. you need to know if you have metal or nylon screen to get the right patches

I got a screen patch kit from Home Depot but since it is right at the base, there would only be one side for the patch to adhere to. Does that matter? I guess I could actually take the kit out of the bag and read the instructions but I thought I'd procrastinate instead.

[splinky]

Any pointers on repairing window screens? There's one tear right at the bottom near the window.

screen patch kit from tarzian or pintchik's. takes 2 minutes. you need to know if you have metal or nylon screen to get the right patches

I got a screen patch kit from Home Depot but since it is right at the base, there would only be one side for the patch to adhere to. Does that matter? I guess I could actually take the kit out of the bag and read the instructions but I thought I'd procrastinate instead.

you can actually glue the other side that has no screen to latch into. needs to be a glue that works metal on metal. on second thought clear silicone would also work. you should stock up on clear and white silicone. better than duct tape. you can replace the whole screen if it's really bad. buy new screen slightly larger than the opening in the screen frame, buy spline and a spline tool and some good scissors.

[SLBunge]

you should stock up on clear and white silicone. better than duct tape

I hate using silicone. I feel like I'm the only person who can't seem to get it to stay and look decent.

 

 

[Abbylovi]

Thanks. I might just have to replace the whole screen.

[splinky]

you should stock up on clear and white silicone. better than duct tape

I hate using silicone. I feel like I'm the only person who can't seem to get it to stay and look decent.

did you know you can buy silicone in a spray can like cheez whiz? i can't recall if it's a ge or a dap product but i will check and report back. much easier than the gun in tight places