Hi Everyone:

I've been having electrical issues in my home the past few days and wanted to see if I can DIY or need an electrician.

It started on the weekend. I went to use the microwave and the lights in the kitchen started flickering. Then everything shut off for a few seconds came back on then shut off and stayed off. Power was out to probably half the house or so. I went to the breaker box nothing was tripped. I turned off all the breakers and the panel waited a few minutes turned everything back on and it was fine. Later I went to use the microwave again and everything just shut off and stayed off again but this time flipping breakers didn't help so the power stayed off but for the breakers that weren't working you could still see lights flickering like they were trying to come back on. Since then power seems to randomly go off and come back on depending. When it goes out it stays out for 10h+. This morning I turned on a lamp in my bedroom and everything went out.

I do have extra breakers probably enough to replace all the ones that are going out. Beyond that can anyone recommend anything else I can try or need electrician?

Thank you for your time!

I have an outdoor faucet that when opened leaks heavily from inside the brick. I cut a peephole into the drywall from the other side, and that side seems dry. The faucet is connected to a copper pipe, and the line inside is PEX. I'm guessing the connector between the two failed somehow, though I can't see it. I'm wondering what is the best way forward; can I just cut the PEX from the inside and pull it from outside to replace the connector? Here's a gallery of the issue, sorry for the low quality of some of the pictures.

https://imgur.com/a/leaking-outdoor-faucet-sH1ZCx5

Appreciate any advice y'all can give!

I picked up these https://raptorgutterguard.com/flat-roof/ and and trying to figure out how to install them best on my roof. I've got a rool roofing in a section thats looks to be glued down into the gutters. https://imgur.com/a/K50YWAg

I think if I follow those directions I'd bend it at an angle and secure the top by screwing through the roofing material into the fascia behind it and then the front edge on the gutter. I'm reluctant to screw through that, I'd actually think these would hold fine if bent and screwed on the front edge but guidance is appreciated. Would of course hate to be wrong and have like a loose fit cause abrasion and rub through of the material.

I've seen a few DIY aquarium stands on here and I was think of doing the same! Hopefully, I can get some answers for my specific needs.

I have a 15 gal AIO Waterbox Peninsula. I thought of using a 60x40x128 cm Besta structure and adding a 2x4 wooden structure inside it.

I've seen emscaping on YT make a DIY with a smaller Besta, but bigger aquarium (23 gal). So I was wondering if it was a reasonnable project, or if I'll flood my entire house?

To be honest I'd prefer a slightly smaller stand (1m), but it's either 128cm or 60cm with Besta. I'm open for ideas, I just want to stay in the same aestetic.

Thanks!

The shaft is a skinny metal rod, as it comes down close to the blade it's bent a little so the blade runs level to the ground. I'd like to say 'scythe' but that's a totally different design. Edit: 'grass whip' (or 'weed whacker' or possibly 'yo yo' and many more names) is what I'm thinking of, thanks everyone.

We are building an office in our third bedroom. We have bought a 2.6m wide 70cm long Sequoia desk top that almost stretches from wall to wall.

The company that is machining the timber can fit legs but we cannot afford what they are pricing for this. They also mentioned that they would put a pair of square steel legs on either side. I think it’d need a middle support.

We aren’t going to have much weight on top of the desk, going to mount the screens to the wall and only have a few light weight items on top.

How do I find out whether I would need a middle support?

Is there any way to find some good legs for the desk that aren’t over £150?

Edit: How do you determine how much weight the desk can hold?

Any ideas? Water dispenser works fine

tried searching and could not find a single post or video about making one of these from scratch

want to DIY build a rotary clothsline, and it seems that the tubes dont need to be as thick as i thought, and id like help to size them

the size im considering to make mine:

- 180cm tall (100cm underground, so 280cm in total) each arm 150cm long

- its going to be fixed (not foldable)

- will use M10 hex head, 8.8 steel bolts and weld to hold it together

I'm looking for advice on where to safely hang a chair swing on more of a chambered vaulted ceiling. The room was an addition and is currently a 3 season room. nothing but sheathing and shingles on the top of the trusses (roof). the top trusses are 2x6 boards leading up to the peak. i've included pics of where i was thinking, but open to suggestions. i've included a pic of the swing to get an idea. Please help me make this work. If it's just not possible, would be good to know as well.

Link to the pics: https://imgur.com/a/6VraVzF

Edit: I found some additional info on another fourm here (https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/108785/hang-item-from-top-chord-of-2x6-roof-trusses)

If i was to run a 2x6 board across 3 or 4 top cord trusses, it would distribute the weight enough to make this safe. Something like this: https://imgur.com/RfyhsJK

Also, can I just install drywall directly to the bottom chord as well?

Thanks!

I live in an apartment that has a gas water heater and gas stove. The walls are completely tiled. Where would you suggest I mount them? I can’t* (edited to change to can’t) drill into the tiles. Do you think I can use command strips? Their manuals say they need to be mounted, but I just don’t know how I can do it without drilling which I’m not able to do.

I have a some acrylic LED wall pieces like this that I need to mount on a concrete wall. They're both a bit under 2.5 lbs. They come with a standoff screw wall mount set similar to this that aren't really meant for concrete walls. I'm hoping for suggestions that are easy and require simple tools, if there are any. The included standoff screw sets go into pre-made holes in the acrylic base board holding the LEDs.

My preferred idea is a concrete nail like this but I'm worried one hammer miss/bounce will land on the artwork itself and I'll damage it.

I usually use adhesives/command strips as the artwork I've had up is pretty light and would withstand a fall. I've also used concrete hooks like these semi-successfully for much heavier/fancier framed stuff. I say semi-successfully as the hooks have bent and I've had to find a different wall patch to put it on. I'm starting to wonder if we have metal behind the walls as well but the need hasn't arisen again to hammer in something.

I don't have a hammer drill or a concrete wall scanner, just tools for drywall, unfortunately. I don't mind getting a scanner but the hammer drill seems much as nothing I hang is terribly heavy (over 5 lbs). I'm also wary of making holes I'll have to patch later. However, I'm open to suggestion if what I'm looking for doesn't exist.

TL;DR: Can I use something simple like these concrete nails to securely mount acrylic/fragile artwork or do I have to go the full hammer drill route? I'd prefer not to make huge holes in the wall to patch later but I don't want to damage the acrylic base board with a missed hammer hit. Thanks for the help!

Hi all,

Not sure if I'm in the right group but I'm sure someone will have some idea.

So with the nature of the yard (brick layed - with steps into the yard....... natural drainage has become overly saturated), poor flood defences and the current weather - my grans yard is now water logged (thankfully due to the step into her house it's not invaded yet). However apart from a bucket and wellies ..... has anyone got a smart solution? I've had less than 12 hours of this problem and if the weather persists her property may become flood damaged.... Obviously trying to avoid that.

I've thought of siphoning it back over the exterior "sea wall" but that would take a few days even if it worked at all.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I have a small mesh tent that is see-through for eyes, but an IR camera has problem seeing through. I don't think there is a way for me to paint it with some paint to meke the mesh not appear white on the camera. So I had an idea - I could put a small IR light inside of the tent to make the inside more visible to the camera sitting outside. But since the tent is zipped up I can't conveniently run a cable into it. So I'm wondering - are there any convenient ways of powering a small USB light through the fabric? The best solution I found so far was using some magsafe QI charger and receiver. I haven't tried it yet, I wonder if there are any more convenient options out there...

Has anyone ran a USB power through fabric?

A second floor bedroom cantilevers about a foot over the inside of my garage on one side and the back yard on the other. During the winter, cold air flows right through, comes up through the hardwood floor, and the room gets very cold. The exterior side is sealed up and I would have to cut to get in, but the garage side is unfinished and I can remove the drywall on the bottom to get access. What I found was just some pieces of 1/2" foam board, daintily sitting there doing next to nothing. I would like to seal it up and insulate it the best I could from at least this one side. I figure if at least one side is done better, air would have a harder time flowing through. Since this is r/DIY I would like to do this myself and would prefer not to use spray foam (toxic to do myself and expensive to pay someone else.)

Any suggestions?

Hello guys,
my friend is a big fan of the Krefeld Pinguins (1st division ice hockey in Germany). They just got promoted this season. I’ve brought “Playercards” of the whole team and got most of them signed at the season opening. Now I want to display 3 of them in frame with some cut out pictures of the players (action shots and some from celebrating winning DEL2). How would you design the background? Which tools, apps? Any tips for the design, maybe even a prompt or a sketch?

Thank you for your input :)

I'm using 6 cinder blocks as a foundation by a 6x8 shed (holding push mower and bicycle and gardening stuff - in other words, nothing heavy duty or heavy). I'll bury the cinder blocks to grade, sitting on paver base. A smaller she used to be on the spot for decades and frost heave didn't cause any major shifting, so I'm not too worried about that. I just ordered adjustable polypropelene joist holders to place over the cinderblocks. I'm assuming that, because the cinder blocks have hollow openings, that it would be smart to put a paving stone on top of the cinder block so that the joist holders have a more solid base. However, I'm concerned about the paver slipping on top of cinder block. Should I be concerned? Do I use something like Loctite PL Concrete Self-Leveling Polyurethane Sealant or Type S mortar?

I'm contamplating on buying a saw table to cut the wood and mdf to make Wainscoting in our house. And then of course we need a shop vac.

Can I just buy any industrial vacuum cleaner, does it need to have at least an hepa filter or is there anything else I need to look for.

We are in Spain and I don't want to spend a fortune on the equipment.

TIA.

Hey, I just bought an automatic litter box, but due to my apartment being a studio and my apartment having not many outlets, one of the few places I can put this automatic litter box is in the corner of the bathroom but i’m worried about getting the coord from where the bathroom outlet is (on one side of the bathroom and right next to the sink) to where the litter box is which is about 5ish feet away on the other side of the bathroom, my best thought is to get a weatherproof extension cord, run it up the side of the wall and across the ceiling and then down and have the litter box plug in right next to the other end of the extension cord, (so I don’t have an extension cord running across the middle of my bathroom). But being in a bathroom, in an old building with no HVAC for ventilation, i’m worried about having it plugged in 24/7 and with possible water splashes and moisture in the air/rusting. Is this a good idea? what should I do differently? Is this safe?

​

Does anyone know how to make an F1 front wing from cardboard? I tried to find a video but I only found this https://cz.pinterest.com/pin/799811215118624759/ with measurements and how to make it can someone please help? I just want to make myself a cardboard front wing as decoration to my room.

I'm sorry, but I did have to use some AI to help me with this. I tend to both over explain and under provide on the details...

Hopefully the pictures will show up here shortly in this link. I thought I attached them but apparently not.

I'm looking for advice on the best way to properly mount and level exterior light fixtures on vinyl siding given a messy existing setup.

​The Situation & Issues:

​Existing Sloppy Cutouts: A previous installer coarsely cut directly through the vinyl siding around the light bases rather than using proper siding mounting blocks, filling the gaps behind/around the base with expanding foam or sealant (visible in photos #2 and #3).

​Electrical Box Condition: The electrical boxes behind the fixtures are cramped, misaligned, or slightly bent/twisted inside the wall cavity, making standard mounting brackets difficult to sit flush.

​Siding Angle / Tilt: Because the fixtures sit directly against the overlapping vinyl lap siding, they tilt back slightly rather than sitting plumb/vertical (photo #1).

​Mounting Blocks Don't Line Up: When looking at aftermarket vinyl mounting blocks (built-in siding lap profiles/J-channels), the preset profile contour/cutout does not align vertically with where my electrical box and fixture centered points currently land. Additionally, retrofitting a full surface/recessed mounting block under already installed siding without tearing apart whole courses seems tricky.

​My Plan:

I am replacing the two front porch fixtures (photo #1) with new ones. I want to relocate the old fixtures to other spots on the house (including the location with the bag cover in photo #2).

​My Questions for the Community:

​Retrofit Siding Blocks vs. Wedges: Is it better to cut away more siding and slip a 2-piece retrofit siding mounting block (like an Arlington Siding Box / Surface Mount) behind the lap, or should I use standalone vinyl wedge leveling shims / custom PVC spacer plates on top of the siding?

​Dealing with Misaligned Box Heights: If the electrical box sits right on a siding lap joint rather than centered in a flat profile, how do you cleanly bridge or mount a surface block without creating massive weather-sealing gaps?

​Box Cleanup: What’s the safest, cleanest way to clean out old expanding foam around tight junction boxes without damaging existing wiring or expanding the siding hole unnecessarily?

​Any tips on specific hardware (brands, mounting kit models, or DIY adapter plates) would be greatly appreciated!

​(Attached Photos: 1. Front porch setup, 2 & 3. Close-ups of sloppy siding cuts & foam, 4. Ring camera mount for reference)

One note: If anything is added besides the light, color advice would be appreciated as well.

Hi everyone! My bf just bought new apartment and we were thinking of installing some ceiling lamps ourselves.
Some of them are pretty light, but I have a heavier one, linear, maybe around 5kg.
However, we are stuck in the first step, to drill the holes for hanging it.
I made couple of holes, but I could just drill for 2 cm. I guess I found the steel as this is a concrete ceiling. So I moved few cm, but same problem occurred.
We bought a Bosch easy drill thinking that this would have been enough for the kind of easy job we will need to do in the apartment, so the lamps installation.

We don’t really want to buy other tools or make any damage. Any suggestion?

Thanks!

Ive got this thing in my cistern.

Theres a SMELL leak from the sewers into the cistern. When I open the top of the cistern i can smell the gas that flows up the soil pipe.

AI is telling me the smell might be coming up the overflow tube but but even if the flush seal is compromised, which it isnt - looks ok, surely the overflow and flush both go into the toilet which is protected by the U bend.

so what is causing the smell? The only thing I can think of is that the gasket around the toilet waste pipe is not sealed. is that the case? If it is, how is it getting up into the cistern?

I need to make a 37.5mm diameter hole though about 100mm of wood (for a metal pipe of that diameter to sit snugly into). My best idea at the moment is that I purchase an adjustable spade bit and borrow a friends drill press. I'm a beginner so I'm wondering if there are any other ways to do this, like use a 36mm bit and sand away the rest or something. No one I know has an adjustable spade bit and the guy at the hardware store made me feel stupid for asking for one, definitely going to have to buy one from overseas (I'm from a small country). Maybe there is a way to do this with more accessible tools, or is this the only way?

Edit: Thank you for the responses everyone, lots of good ideas. Will have to do some thinking and planning to see which way I want to go.

It’s my teammates and I first time building a DIY rov machine for a STEM competition.

It moves too slow, and sinks to the bottom of a 12 ft pool.

In order to win, your ROV machine must move fast and go through obstacles. Any advice?