/diy/ - Do It Yourself

My toilet leaks around the base.

My shower has randomly reduced water pressure. Leak maybe?

>>593899
replace the wax ring, for the love of god don't grout around it. use silicone once the leak is fixed. make sure you level the toilet with shims BEFORE you set the ring cause once it rocks one time, you're fucked.

has you shower always done that? could be poor plumbing, washing machine kicking on, pretty much any other water source turning on.

>>593910
plumber here, i grout toilets all the time and have no complaints. cant help but be curious why you seem so opposed to it.

>>593910
no started a week ago and has consistently been lower pressure.

pressure seems okay out of the bathtub faucet but switch to shower and it's noticeably worse than last week.

never replaced bathtub faucets/diverters so hoping that's not too tough

Hello /diy/,

/k/ here; I assume this is the right place for my question. If not, let me know.

I have a small puncture in the shoulder of my tire. Some local tire shop refused to fix it which is reasonably understandable although they did widen the hole slightly. I could afford to drop 250 on a new tire, but I drive an AWD vehicle and don't want to destroy my differential. I have been using a fullsize spare that is significantly more worn than the other three.

I need to patch the punctured shoulder of the tire. How can I safely do this?

Before you suggest I buy a new set, let me say that I am living off of flour, eggs, rice, beans, and some veggies here and there. I won't have enough money or time to make money for another five months.

Thanks for your advice, once again, if this is not safe, please just tell me what the least dangerous method of repair is.

>>593913
try cleaning the screen where the showerhead screws on. check shower head for debriss

>>593913
without my trips this time....

try cleaning the screen where the showerhead screws on. check shower head for debriss

>>593923
also, tub and shower faucets can be a huge pain to replace. i could tell you more if you post a pic of the faucet.

>>593925
it's basically that pic, and with two separate handles.

>>593928
ok. when you remove the shower head to check for debris, try turning the water on and see how much flow comes out of just the shower pipe. that will tell you if its the shower head or the faucet. also, sometimes a lot of flow can be lost if the diverter in the tub spout doesnt fully divert the flow (water still coming out the spout).

>>593918
>How can I safely do this?
You can't. The reason they won't repair it is there IS no way to repair it that leaves you with a safe tire. It's toast, replace it.

Cheapest, safest option to fix your tire would be a patch plug. Also called mushroom plug. This just coming from a Im-broke-&-need-to-fix-this-shit-pov.

Patch plugs pic.

>>593935
It's one thousand to buy a new set. I can't do that. I drive a relatively nice car that will last at least ten more years if I take care of it. Fucking the differential by driving on tires with uneven wear is not taking care of it. Thanks for your input, but I know that there is a way to fix this in a reasonably safe manner.

>>593936
I read that I should not use a patch for some reason. What you suggested is both a patch and a plug, I think. It's sort of like the best of both worlds? Thanks. I am sure I can buy this off of an autoparts store. Would I need to take the tire off of the rim for this repair or is the procedure similar to video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCdAdxtfIX8

>>593936
>>593953
Oh fuck me, it looks like I need to follow this procedure: http://www.artsautomotive.com/publications/8-automotive/66-tires-patch-or-plug

Now, I resurrected a very old POS bronco from the dead, so I am somewhat handy, but I have never messed with tires before. Am I capable of doing this with nothing but a hammer?

I don't know much about wheel weights or altering valve stems. At all.

>>593953
i've used whats in the vid quite a few times even on side walls in a pinch you can do it with out removing or deflating the tyre make sure you cover the reamer in rubber cement
USE AT YOUR OWN RISK though

>>593973
How long did they hold up? / How long did you use them?

I think I am going to use a regular plug. I have an '87 bronco that is sitting on fifteen year old tires which have sat deflated for 10+ years, rotted, and been plugged in various places including the sidewall. Granted, it hasn't been above fifty yet.

I think I will plug it unless someone goads me into using a mushroom patch/plug.

>>593976
only used them for burnout tyres did a few patch ups for mates never had any issues

I have 10 high power LEDs (10w each, 12V) and I plan to run them from 36V driver in series of 3. How good is my plan?

>>594113
i see no flaws in ur plan

>>593976
If it's still on the tread like it is in that video, just plug the fucker. The tire shops are just cunts about trying to make you buy new tires all the fucking time for no reason. It will most likely last as long as the tire,

>>593918
You might want to check to see if you can get a tube for your tire. Not a permanent solution, but possible. You need to make sure there is no burr on the inside of the tire obviously.

>>594139
Ha HA! This is the questionable reassurance I was looking for. Love ya man. You probably gave me another year on this wonderful hellhole due to reduced cortisone levels.

>>593918
Like >>593935 said, If it's too close to the sidewall, there's no way to safely repair that. It'll easily cause a blowout, and if that happens, the guy who fixed it is either going to lose his job, or be facing negligent manslaughter charges because you died in a wreck.

With the tube thing, I definately would not put a tube into a tubeless radial.
They're called "tubeless" for a reason.
If the bead doesn't seat properly, ar the tire is offset, there goes your tube, tire, and probably the front end of your car.

What you could do though, is check the tread depth of your other tires. If there within 3-4/32 of an inch, (compaired to the new tire) you would be able to put a new tire on without doing much damage (if any) damage to your vehicle.

>>593957
Okay okay okay. BEFORE you go out and buy a patch plug combo, (which only come in boxes of 25 or so) You're going to need a few things.
1- A pneumatic drill with a steel bit, and copper/brass grindwheel.
2-some WD-40 or pre buff (reccomended)
3-needlenose pliers
4-a roller to roll the patch
-5 (the most important part) Some Quality rated Chemical Cement and Bead sealer.

above all, a patch plug isn't going to make any diference in repairing a sidewall puncture.
the plug will fit the hole, yeah, but the patch (the important part) isn't going to grip to the tire because it's being bent on the sidewall.

There's really no use in trying if a shop say's its not fixable.

Tire shops don't want to deal with shoulder/sidewall repairs because it takes a tire tech who knows what the fuck they're doing (which means they want to be paid better) and takes more time than slapping a new tire on the wheel (which is more profitable for the shop).

OP, have a real tire shop shoot a plug in there. One that deals with industrial and semi tires. They'll stick a decent Rema boot-plug in the hole and you'll be fine.
Shops not wanting to do those fixes has more to do with economics than safety.

>>594196

The tires are about half way through their life. The spare that I am currently using is damn near the end of life. It has too little tread and a new tire has too much for safety (of my car). I could try and get it shaved, but frankly I can't afford a new tire for another 60 days with out going into debt. Fuck me, I won't be this pitiful for too much longer.

>>594197
It is not a sidewall puncture. It is over an inch from the edge of the part of the tire that contacts the road. What I mean to say is that the puncture contacts the road and has over an inch before the sidewall. Apologies for my lack of clarity.

I could scramble to beg these items from people I don't know, but even then I don't know what I am doing and frankly don't trust myself beyond a simple plug. I am capable, but very inexperienced; do you think I could do that?

>>594202
The man that I spoke to was not being honest with me. He wanted to sell me a new set of tires. If I were in my home state, I would have had this fixed by my local tire shop. (Shout out to Bill's Tires for doing questionably legal things)


I will post a pic of the offending puncture as soon as I can. Thanks to all of you trying to help. Times like these make me wish I lived in another time / place.

>>594211
do you have a picture of the tire? I'd be able to understand what you mean a lot easier.
Also, what kind of tire/size is it?
I can always walk you through the process, a trained monkey could do it.
(That's basically what us techs are. Hahaha)
Do you live anywhere near a Sams Club by chance?

>>594211
Good luck, being on the road means you have to deal with the occasional snake in this regard, til you figure out how to do it yourself.

Tire work requires tools most people simply don't want to invest in, let alone lug around.

>>593918
You don't need a new set of 4 tires. If you are told you do, you are being lied to.
You may need a pair of tires, to keep the balance, left and right, but that's it.

I destroyed my front right tire (big knot on the sidewall) going over a pothole, total cost <$300 for two tires on a front wheel drive car.

>>594221
There's where you're wrong.
On a front wheel drive car, sure a set of two tires will be just fine and dandy.
But when you're talking about a 4x4 it's a completely different story.
Since it's a four wheel drive, you're going to want each tire to be in proper alignment/rotation with one-another, otherwise you're going to completely fuck your car. (straight scientific speak right there)
I can't think of a good way to explain it right now, but truth-be-told, You'll have to pay more than the cost of a set of tires if you if you don't do all four on a 4x4.
Trust me. I'm a NASCAR driver.

>>594222
lol, I'm the guy with the 3 wheeled 4x4. How long can I drive on one wheel with considerably more wear than the other three before I do any real damage. So far I've driven 200 miles; I don't plan on driving more then ten more until I get this fixed. I haven't fucked myself yet, have I?

>>594214
45 miles away.

http://www.dunntire.com/products/view/grandtrek-at23-2856018-290014840

Dunlop AT23 p285/60r18 114v M+S

If there is anything else, let me know.

I have a shark bite pipe fitting that I cannot get off to replace a burst copper pipe. There is not enough play on the plastic ring to pull it off with a crescent wrench nor can I brute force it off with hammer and channel locks. Is there any other way I could get this thing off without the tool?

>>594230
Since you're replacing pipe anyway, why not just cut it off? Are they expensive?

>>594236

They are a bit pricey actually after googling a bit. Dunno the prices in my area though. I was planning to cut it in half and slide one half of it down the good section of the pipe and replace it with a new one. Whoever did the plumbing in this house before I got here should be beaten.

>>594236
They are relatively expensive. I used to work at a hardware store and they would run 5-10 times the price of the copper equivalent.

That being said, they are handy as fuck to have around when its -10 out and your pipes break.

>>594226
I wouldn't drive to terribly much more on it.
I mean, It's not going to be a catastropic faiure if you put another 50 on it, but it's not helping.

As for the nail, I'd totally give it a shot (professionally speaking) doing an at home no clue what I'm doing fix, I'd so it would be a no go.
If you can find a shop that will at least give it a shot, I'd so go for it.
It would definitely have to be a patch plug, maybe even the smaller size patch plug if they have one would cover it.
If it holds, and doesn't leak, you're good to go.

I'm sure any tech at sams club would give it a go, just talk em into it. We usually don't give no shits anyways. (I was a tech at sams for 4 years before i moved into a better shop)
Just for the love of god, don;t blame it on the tech if it fails.

Over all though, I'd say its worth a shot if done by a professional.

>>594268
I had my gall bladder removed without reason and I didn't sue because I thought the doc was doing his best and not just cutting on me to improve his record.

I wouldn't blame the tech. Issue is, I can't find a tech. I'll give sam's a ring.

I can't patch plug it without removing the tire from the rim correct? If i do need to remove the tire from the rim, do I have to mess with wheel weights or valve stems?

I am confident I could build a single shot 12 gauge with scraps; as random as that is, it gives you an idea for my competence. I'm pretty desperate here.

>>594275
I get ya man,
You would have to take the tire off, otherwise how is the patch going to get onto the inside of the tire, and be glued/beadsealed down?

Either way by taking the tire off, you're going to muff up your balance, so there's really no point.
If you do take it to sams, they'll take care of all that stuff for you anyways, It just comes with any work we do to a car.
Do you have a membership by chance?
If not, there's ways to get work done for free (more or less)

>>593879
how does something like that picture happen? I've seen it many times on this site. what kind of dipsticks pee in a toilet when it's covered in a bag like that?

>>594284
>If not, there's ways to get work done for free (more or less)
..intriguing..

Update: You inspired me to make another round of calls to local tire shops and I got lucky with a guy at jiffy lube of all places. The guy was new and had been working with tires for 20 years. He charged me for a 25 dollar tire rotation, I assume because what he did was against company policy. I tipped him a fiver.

Thank you all very much. I wish I could repay y'all for your 5 minutes of typing here and there.

>>594305
If you need something done at sams tire centers, you can always buy a membership (45$, which is refundable) and just get the refund when you;re done. simple as that.
but included with the membership in all TBC's is Rotation (like15$ if the tires arent purchased at sams) free flat repairs, and they cover all warranties for whatever you buy there.
it's not a bad buy at all.

>>594310
Good info. Thanks.

>>594285
>thinks people got close enough to a garbage bag full of urine almost to the point of bursting so they could add their urine to it
It's pretty obvious that it is backing up from the sewer. Judging from the fact that it's mounted lower than the other urinals, it's probably due to a clog/restricted drain down the line from the bank of urinals and overflowing every time the other ones flush.

>>593918
dont listen to these retarded pussys
tire shops wont do it because of insurance reasons

dismount the tire from the rim and put a truck tire patch on the inside
works 9/10 times
if it fails tube the bitch

>>593911
well i'm not a plumber but it doesn't seem to make sense to me, may I ask the benefits of grouting around it?

>>594230
not sure which part you mean. the olives you can cut with a craft knife. just saw through it. the brass parts you just need a bigger wrench.

>>594230
nvm i suck cocks. why would anyone invent this kind of BS? whats wrong with normal compression fittings? could you maybe cut the pipe off leaving enough pipe on the end to attach a normal compression fitting to the sharkbite fitting? then you can just join the end of the pipe to a new run of pipe.

>>594518
it's all about labor cost now. plumbers don't care about how much the fittings cost cause it allowed them to do the job substantially faster. also in all fairness sharkbite fittings are pretty badass. they're super easy, require not brazing and work with pex tubing which is the new standard pretty much. more durable and flexible than pvc, better conduction properties than copper i'd guess, no corrosion, and again just faster. as a hobbiest I still try and do it the traditional way though like you say mainly cause cost.

>>593879
Isn't that against the law?

I have a /diy/ case for a miner (basically, a PC with many GPUs) made of 4cm diameter PVC, and the GPUs are supposed to reside on the top beam. However, the bit of the GPU circled in red, the part that can be screwed to to other parts for support, is really small and I'd rather not bend it just to screw it on directly on the pipe, so I'd like to create a small ring/extender of some sort for the pipe. I was thinking of using thin sheet metal and bend it around the pipe and leave an open end, drill holes for GPU screws at the green marks and secure it to the pipe with screws at the black marks to avoid sliding around. The back of the GPU rests on another pipe (R), most of the weight is there. Risers are used to connect the GPU to the motherboard below.
Are there any issues with what I want to do or maybe better alternatives? I've been thinking about cutting thin holes in the pipe's front (from pov) and sliding the GPU in there, but then how do I secure it? I'd need screws running through the frontal side, again the bit where you can screw the GPU on is pretty small, around 1cm.

>>594400
Seconded.
If you have the basic spoons and duckbill hammer, you can sometimes just bust one side, dismount half, wedge the bead with a wood block and do the repair on the vehicle.

If you chalk/crayon the stem/tire location and any weights, balance wont be an issue either.

>>593879
your doing it wrong

that picture is supposed to be used with the text "you bore me"

and then a fat dolphin says deal with it

>>593918
The junkyard near me sells used tires for $25.

>>593899
Looks like the guy who did the renovation did a crap job.

>>594503
You're both right and both wrong.

You definitely do NOT want to grout it to the point where it makes a water-tight seal around the base of the toilet. I've taken off toilets that had small leaks around the wax ring, and the moisture builds up around the toilet in side and through the floor. You open it up and... OMFG...

You DO want to grout it enough so that it minimizes the stresses on the flange... grout or silicone (which is what I actually use in practice) will keep it stable and wobbling. Even the slightest wobble will actually ruin the wax ring seal.

But I leave BIG GAPS for the moisture to escape and so that it keeps the area dry. I guess I probably leave roughly half of the circumfrence open.

Also if you grout it to the point of sealing, you wouldn't know there's anything wrong (until you have a big leak of this really gross shit, or sewer gas, which is what the wax ring actually prevents coming in, or the floor falls in under the toilet). Problems need to be identified immediately... if you're hiding a leak, by the time you find it, it's gonna be too late.

>>594113

Constant current or constant voltage driver? You need a constant current driver for an LED (unless you stick some resistors in series).

>>594881
a leak around the base is a fucked or missing wax seal. Your plumber done goofed.

>>593879

I need to split the audio from my computer into an arduino with a 3.5 mm jack and my amp.

Connecting a heaphone splitter breaks the signal into L and R channels so it sucks. My amp uses RCA cables so would this work?

Any other input is appreciated.

>>595644
If the PC is 3.5mm and the amp is 3.5mm then you'd need a single RCA to 3.5mm converter in addition to this, you have to figure out whether it'd be male or female based on how you want to wire things. They're all over ebay for like $1.

>>595644
your computer is producing a left and right audio signal anyway, the cable isn't splitting it?

The covering/plate you pull of my dirt clothing compartment in my bathroom broke (fell off, the guy who built it used screws to fix it to the structure in end grain. I don't know jack shit about woodworking but that can't be right). It was a simple thing to fix like two nails but I felt good afterwards.. Doing stuff by yourself is satisfying.

What the hell is the part connecting the strap with the bolt called? The guy in the guide I'm following calls it a tri-glide, but everything else on the internet says a tri-glide is this kind of buckle: http://i.imgur.com/gHcKpCV.jpg I've tried looking through online stores and catalogs from big box stores to tiny specialty outlets but I cannot find a part like this to save my life.

my league of legends doesnt work anymore and the guys at the support wont reply to me

What should I do about a squeaky/creaky computer chair?

>>597266
Seemed like a simple enough thing to find...
NOPE
Here it's just called a mounting plate
>http://www.baselinemarine.com/shopexd.asp?id=5563
Here it's called a steel buckle
>http://www.trail-gear.com/limiting-straps
Best I was able to find and good price, it's called a bolt-in bracket
>http://www.schrothracing.com/competition/hardware/bolt-in-hardware
How about a bolt–in wrap bracket?
>http://www.schroth.com/installation-instructions/en/05_restraint_installation.htm

Google will return some images with "bolt–in wrap bracket"
Good luck

>>597268

>>>/g/ or >>>/v/

Especially since you can't even be assed to describe your problem.

In my garage is a door that leads to the backyard. From the outside, the door sits a few inches above a paved rectangle that is surrounded by brick walls on three sides. When it rains, that area fills with water. The water seeps under the door and into the garage. I'm not sure how much a new rubber strip would help, since the bottom of the door becomes literally submerged.

>>597338
pic of back door
you should never have water up against your house
it can lead to all kinds of structural problems.

>>597338
I would recommend that you re-grade your "paved rectangle" so the water isn't trapped against the door

>>597311
Ah shit, thanks a ton, mate! A friend on facebook said they're often classified under D-rings sometimes. It's ridiculous, you'd think something that performs such a simple function would have a standard name but nope

>>597343
This, water should always be directed away from your house. the ground all the way around your house should be sloped away from the house.

great idea for a thread op. we need questions that don't need their own thread thread.

anyways I got moldy musty clothes and I think it was here that some anon said there was some sort if super vinegar. I was wondering if any /diy/hards could tell me where I could pick some up.

>>597371

As super as it gets, 99.85% glacial acetic acid. May want to verify that you actually need something that concentrated first. Regular vinegar or baking soda tossed in a load should help. If not... *shrugs*

>>597393
I fail. Link: http://www.amazon.com/950ml-Bottle-Glacial-Acetic-Safety/dp/B003EE8OY8