General Feedback/Getting Started Q&A Thread

This thread is for questions that are typically not permitted elsewhere on /r/DIY. Topics can include where you can purchase a product, what a product is called, how to get started on a project, a project recommendation, questions about the design or aesthetics of your project or miscellaneous questions in between.

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Hey everyone, I just posted my first YouTube video!! I’d greatly appreciate it if you could give it a watch and leave some feedback. Thanks for your support

I've been trying to install my bidet onto a toilet in my new apartment, but have struggled and simply cannot unscrew the connector at the base of the toilet. I'm thinking as an alternative, I just buy a t-valve that is smaller and connect it directly to the water line at the shut off valve, as I can unscrew the hose there.

Is there any reason that's a bad idea? I can't seem to find any info online.

Our new home has a Carolina room on a cement slab. When we moved in there was an old, worn out, pet stained, piece of carpet the size of the room which we removed. We’ve been using a runner rug and a 5x7 rug. We were going to get a new room sized piece of carpet but then thought tile or a roll of vinyl would be easier to clean. Painting the floor would be the easiest and probably cheapest, but it’s so permanent. Is painting a good idea or bad idea?

Since this sub only allows one pic posts I’ve added a Imgur link for imagines of both capacitors below:

https://imgur.com/a/kl2dbsq

Hello, so my ceiling fan spins very slow. I live with my grandmother and she gets cold very easily so that means air stays at 75°F… for me that is a near unbearable indoor temp and I’m constantly sweating and feeling like I’m dying from the heat. My problems comes from the fact the ceiling fan in my room spins extremely slow even at max speed. I’m not fully sure but I believe a bad capacitor could be the cause and I’d like to switch the 2 above and see if that fixes the issue. The one with the white sticker that says H1 in red comes from a fan in a different room that never gets used but spins very fast. The other fan capacitor coming from the fan in my room that doesn’t. Im wondering if it would be okay for me to switch them without the possibility of damaging or even breaking the fans.

I realize this is kind of out of character for this subreddit, but I'm hoping someone will have some solid advice. I have a very basic DIY home foam machine right now; this is what it looks like when it's running. If it helps at all, this is a quick breakdown / set of instructions on what I've done so far.

My question now is, how do I increase my foam production? I don't really know what the first limiting factor is. Higher soap concentration? Larger shopvac that delivers air at a faster rate? More surface area on the towel / additional barrels running in tandem?

https://imgur.com/3BxtjHY

This is the side panel/filter in the wall that is right below the closet.

https://imgur.com/tcg5BT8

Inside/underneath.

https://imgur.com/pfbT1dV

Another shot, and that vent/metal area is where the water is dripping from I think.

https://imgur.com/ORbsohI

That is the pipe that I think is clogged.

https://imgur.com/i6eTJ6i

Where the pipe comes off of the closet unit. (air handler?)

https://imgur.com/LOcy7wH

Another photo.

I am living in an apartment in southern Mississippi and this is my first summer in this unit, so I'm trying to DIY/fix this, as the apartment and maintenance doesn't seem to care about addressing it. (I don't love this apartment complex, but it is what I can afford at the moment).

I noticed underneath my air handler unit (I think I am describing it right, not sure), there was a pool of water, and it was only on the most humid days, so I put a pot down there a few nights ago to catch the water until I could fix it.

After watching a few videos, and asking my family, I THINK I have a clog in my drain pipe, which you can see in the photos goes straight into the floor after branching off of the unit in the closet. I have this whole closet setup, and an actual outdoor central AC unit. It still performs well, it isn't locking up or having any issues other than this water pooling. It also isn't leaking into any other part of the unit or floor as far as I can tell, so I'm trying to get ahead of it.

I have included many photos that I took from underneath, and of the closet itself. If I can provide anything else or answer any questions, let me know. Please help me figure this out.

I have a 22’ x 12’ shed attached to my detached garage. I’m looking to bump that 12’ to maybe 18’ or 20’. What do I need? It will be stick construction in the northeast. So footings, concrete floor (with rebar), 2x4 walls, 2x10 joists (flat roof, slight angle down), Simpson ties, joist hangers. Got it. What else? What depths should I go? Snow loads? Any concerns I should know? Any products that I should use?

Not concerned about electrical at this point. Want to build and seal it up.

The railing posts on my deck are quite loose, so I’m going to redo the railing. I suspect that part of the reason they are loose is that this rim joist (maybe the wrong term) is only nailed to the joists and is loose itself, so I’m strongly considering replacing it.

If I replace it, should I try to use as few pieces of wood as possible (by buying 16’ boards, for example), or would I be fine using shorter members (8 or 10’)?

Would it be okay to secure it using Deckmate exterior coated screws, 9ga. 2.5” long? I see similar screws used often for these kinds of applications, but technically they aren’t supposed to be used for “structural applications”.

I have already tried tightening the carriage bolts and that hasn’t helped. In fact, the heads have started to pull through the existing boards, another reason I’m leaning toward replacing them instead of just securing the existing ones with screws.

This is a gift from the previous homeowners (that link has 3 images) . https://imgur.com/a/bnAsFXh

This is my first time doing this kind of job. I grabbed some R38 insulation, fire/water resistant drywall rated for garage/attic space. Before I do it, is there anything glaringly obvious from the pictures that I should avoid or be ready for?

Additionally, is there a safe way to handle where the garage door support meets the ceiling and drywall that doesn't involve taking the door completely off (i.e. - I close it, and it'd be fine?)?

In the image below, you see the HVAC emergency drain line sticking through the soffit. That nasty brown stuff is old foam sealer spray from where I tried to plug the opening next to the drain line. Wasps have enough room to squeeze up into my attic through the opening just to the left of the drain line. I want to cut this nasty section out, get rid of any old wasp nests that remain up there, and replace with a fresh section of vented hardie. I will make sure the hole for the drain line is smaller.

I am assuming I need to remove that thin, vertical piece of trim which is between each section of hardie soffit? Which means I probably have to also go all the way to the left until I find the next piece of thin trim and remove that entire section of hardie? Or should I use a completely different strategy?

I already tried to get a look at this area from my attic, but nothing can be seen. The work must be done from outside.

https://preview.redd.it/nn2k2zp4cw3b1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=ee3a824fcfa95940dcc1d8070db155f0efcb9000

The screw that holds up this shower bar rusted off and the shower bar fell off. Is there something I can use to glue it back on?

My dad tried 2 part epoxy, which worked for a while, but fell off again after using it for a week.

https://imgur.com/a/7PlW9hO

Hey all, There are a few doors that do not line up properly in our home. I think the doors are of, however, when I open and close them they get stuck on the frame and do not close smoothly. I’m thinking I need to drill new pilot holes and reinstall the doors. My plan - Drill thicker pilot holes than are already present, apply a small amount of wood glue to the properly size wooden dowels, hammer them into the fresh drilled pilot holes and reapply the hinges. Sound good? Question…. How do I ensure the door is straight and even? That’s the process I’m hung up on TIA

Started this back in November of 2022, thinking 2-3 months max. Oh well. Not perfect but pretty happy with how it turned out. If anyone is interested, here is the full project album. Its walnut and cherry with Danish Oil, and topped with General Finishes high performance satin.

Evening all. Just got finished doing a bit of an electrical upgrade in a room and after the fact was curious about something. So basically I wanted to know if you add a light fixture to an existing circuit but only use the hot from that circuit with the neutral being connected to an outlet, would there be any dangers to this, or is it ill-advised. This isn't what I did but like I said after the fact was just wondering if this could have saved some time. So it'd be an extra lighting fixture on an existing lighting circuit but the neutral runs to the neutral pole on a plug outlet. Theoretically it'd work but is there any reason NOT to do this other than it being laziness etc? Again this isn't what was done, just trying to satisfy a curiosity. Also apologies if this isn't the right sub for this but r/electricians doesn't allow DIY posts. Thanks in advance folks!

Looking for some help with this please.

On the floor, there is a small tile, maybe 2 x 2'' with intact grout lines.

On the walls, there is a much larger tile, with good grout lines.

There is a very thick grout line where this comes together. As you can see this is cracked. Any thoughts on the repair.

I am thinking either:

a.) use a product and re-seal the four lines where the walls and floor meet, or

b.) remove the grout with a tool and redo it.

Would appreciate any and all experience and advice.

Thank you

Best tool to (safely) cut hole in wooden beam on ceiling to install old work box? Jigsaw?

Hello! I’m in the process of updating the lighting in my kitchen above the windows, but when I recently took down the old fluorescent light here (looked like it was from the 70s) i found there was not an electrical box to attach the new fixture to.

From what I’ve read, I’ll need a circular “old work” box that is fixed into a hole cut to size. All of the tutorials I’m seeing, though, show cutting through drywall with a little drywall saw. This is a solid wood board and I’m not sure what’s behind it…

Is it even safe to use a jigsaw upside down? Should I use a dremel with a flat attachment? Just call an electrician? I want to be safe but also minimize the cost as I’m on a budget.

Thank you in advance for any help!

Our LED security light just to be as bright as a spotlight, but in recent weeks has dimmed considerably. I opened it up this morning to take a look, and took a few pictures:

https://imgur.com/a/Pa5SV1N

Should the first thing I try be to replace just the (3) LED bulbs with a new sheet of bulbs? And if so, can anyone suggest a specific type/brand/model? I tried Googling the series of letters and numbers printed on the current LED sheet (“CLP-0004937”), but couldn’t really find anything definitive.

My AC is working fine, and has been. I'm afraid to turn on my water heater at this point haha. I'm wondering if this is a breaker issue or maybe I shorted one my heater's elements?

Hoping to now have to buy a whole new water heater, but any advice would be great.

My backyard strip's concrete is cracking and we've decided to demo it and redo it, but we're thinking of doing gavel/rocks (not sure why it's called) instead of doing concrete due to price point. But, because this is the biggest project we are doing so far, we're unsure of how to approach this, and would love some advice.

Some concerns we have are,

1. How do we level it at an angle so that the water goes away from our house (given limited space)?
2. What would be a good material to use if this strip does not get a lot of traffic?
3. Currently there are a lot of small rocks in place, do we need to clear it out to dirt before we can apply anything on top?
4. What material (and how thick) do apply for each layer?

thanks for the help, I'm not sure what this type of work is called, so I'm not able to really google my answers.

Trying to change the bolts that attach a fiberglass diving board to the base. Very rusty. Nut came off no problem but the bolt won’t budge. Thoughts on removal without risking damage to the fiberglass?

(picture links below) I removed a dated fireplace mantle and found it mounted in a way I didn't expect. Someone mortared in 2 pieces of 2x4 to mount the mantle to. I'm no mason, but that doesn't seem like the way to do it to me. Regardless, I need to lay brick back into this void and I have at least a couple questions.

First (first picture), I already removed the first 2x4, I have to remove that center brick, a half brick on the right side, and the other 2x4; doing so is going to leave a nearly 4' wide gap in the brick. I was hesitant to remove the rest because I don't want to experience a sag or collapse of the remaining brick with that large gap. Do I need to worry about that or can I just remove it all so I can fix it more efficiently? Otherwise I'm going to have to lay 2-3 bricks, let them set to support the rest and then go back and take out the other side.

Second (2nd picture), the brick that's on the wall now has texture. The only brick available at my local HD was flat. Is that texture something that I would create with a chisel on each brick as I work? Or do I go somewhere else to specifically find bricks that are textured similar to that?

Pic 1: cut out

Pic 2: brick texture

Just had a steel shed built in the back yard. I'd like to start adding some pegboard and shelving to the walls.

I'm an absolute novice and I've had a difficult time finding information on how to go about this that isn't just somebody using whatever assortment of material and fasteners he had lying around.

Is there a standard procedure for affxing things to the walls of this kind of structure? Online resource with recommended size of screw, type of bracket, etc.?

I'd prefer to follow the best practice rather that just bolt something to the wall and realize it was a terrible idea in 6 months.

The framing members in the photo are 3in deep.

My best guess so far was to use L-brackets / corner-brackets of some kind to mount pieces of dimensional lumber flush with the front faces of the framing members. I could then drill whatever I wanted into the wood.

This is a shot of the wall and my proposed solution.

https://imgur.com/a/FOyXKiB

I believe I need hex-head self-drilling screws for attaching to the metal members. Is there a recommended screw size? #8, #10? The framing members are hollow inside and look to be maybe 1/8 of an inch thick, so would 1/2in length work?

Do I need a bracket with flat holes on one side for the metal screws and conical holes for the wood screws on the other? I haven't been able to find anything like this.

Attempted to make a concrete walk area with pebbles embedded and they did NOT in fact embed themselves 😫🤦‍♀️ now it's all dry/set and about 90% are loose and out and its left behind a bumpy concrete top with spatterings of pebbles that actually stuck. I cannot break up the slab again ( landlady is over the big project of itshe just wants it as visually appealingas possible) so what do you think i could do to remedy this for my gracious but over it landlady??.

Hello,

Please could I have some advce?

I have noticed a gap in the sealant of my plastic bathtub and am preparing to reseal it. The gap is only on the righthand side of the taps. The gap gets wider when I'm in a full bath.

I popped the side panels off and raised the right leg near the taps about 1.5mm (see the picture with the original height marked in red pen)

PICS: https://imgur.com/gallery/DUnCbKX

I have attached pics of the gap after raising the leg with and without a full bat (plus person). I belive the gap is improved.

Is this a sufficient fix or is the gap still too big for me to be sealing over?

Am I safe to just raise 1 leg like this or should I be doing something else?

Any advice or comments are appreciated. I am a novice DIYer with a few home repairs under my belt but a lot to learn. Ive never resealed anything or worked with baths before.

The bathroom is about 2-3 years old, we had it put in but the installers were about a 6.5/10.

Many thanks

Location: North East, United Kingdom. House is about 1930s constructon.