r/DIY

The bathroom door of the house my wife and I live in had a non-functional door knob for the bathroom. To make this interesting the door itself is likely from the seventies, appearing to be a wood resembling finish glued on top of the interior door frame. The actual problem we are having is that the door knob, is glued in place on both sides (they are two different door knobs).

How can we remove a glued on door knob without damaging the likely old doors finish

I bought this 50ft drain snake: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GMFTTCQ1

Not only did it not unclog the sink, it actually seems to have made the problem even worse. Now, water seems to be coming UP from inside the drain and actively filling up the sink (albeit very slowly, like an inch since yesterday) even though the faucet is off and the plate that's currently on top of the stack of dishes is dry!

Any ideas on what to do next?

Hey Reddit, I wanted to ask, is it really that complicated to make a Cyberdeck without buying all those things that pop up on TikTok, but rather using things I already have at home since I have a laptop and two tablets?

i wanted to check with the DIY hive mind just in case i’m about to do something ill advised.

two days ago i noticed a weird new “dimple” in the tar walkway leading up to our side stairs. with a little pressure the tar walkway gave out in that spot, revealing a 6 inch deep hole. about 4 in diameter. bottom feels sandy.

there were two thick layers of tar layered on top of the walkway/hole, so i’m really not sure if it’s a new thing or has been slowly developing over time.

my inclination is to clear it out, fill with gravel and/or sand and/or cement, and then keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t get worse… but i don’t have a ton of knowledge/experience with paving issues or repairs. but i would love to know if i’m thinking about this the right way.

edited for clarity

I’m going to start building a tiny home (12x40 shed conversion). And I have some questions about concrete piers.

Here’s what I know, I know I’ll need to dig and I know I can buy the tubes

What I don’t know, how do I use the rebar, Is there really any method? Do I need to weld it together? Can I just pour a little concrete at the bottom, set in a bunch of rebar pieces and then pour over them?

And I tend to overkill these kinds of things so I’m sure I’ll probably pour a few more than what i necessarily will need.

Plumbing question, since I’ll be doing all the framing and nothing will be load bearing can I run my plumbing thru the walls?

I rent an apartment with thin walls, creaky floors, and neighbors who seem to forget other people exist after 10 PM. Soundproofing would be great but drilling, permanent panels, or anything that costs real money is basically off the table when you're renting.

I've seen the usual suggestions: rugs, weatherstripping, heavy curtains, bookshelves against shared walls, acoustic foam. Open to trying some of that, but genuinely curious what actually moves the needle versus what just feels productive.

Part of me thinks the smarter starting point is just a decent pair of noise isolating sleep earbuds or budget noise canceling ones for work and winding down, rather than trying to acoustically treat a place I don't own. But I also don't want to drop money on earbuds if the real problem is impact noise or vibration coming through the ceiling, because no earbud really fixes that.

For renters who've actually dealt with this: what would you try first? Cheap DIY fixes, earbuds, white noise, rearranging furniture, or just some combination of all of it until something works?

As the title suggests... this has happened 4 times since I installed a Rheem Performance Platinum 65 gallon Heat pump water heater last year. It typically occurs when our clothes washer is pulling hot water. The rest of the house will suddenly lose hot water, and the washer will also eventually throw an error code as the hot water will shut off to it as well.

My only solution is to go downstairs to my water heater, shut off the cold water to the water heater, and open the drain valve on the bottom to relieve a huge rush of pressure. Once that occurs, I then close the drain valve, open the cold water inlet valve, and hot water is restored to the house.

I'm at a loss. My pressure relief valve is not leaking out any water, and performing a test on the valve reveals that it still works just fine. Is there some sort of internal 1-way trap door on the hot water outlet side that's getting blocked? I input and output the water from the top connections (there are side connections available, but they are unused). I'm not using a recirculation pump, and I have an expansion tank installed (though it's the smaller 2.5 gallon model - might need to move to 4.5) that I installed new with the water heater. There is no leak detection or auto-shutoff feature in this model.

Any thoughts? I was going to contact Rheem, but haven't managed to yet. Thanks!

I'm taking apart a bookcase. How can I remove this fastener or screw-type item? Thanks!

https://preview.redd.it/n3ijub4qpq2h1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=976de966359d62d325579db0ae48ba1971f6dd0f

I am thinking about building a custom desk frame for a heavy 160x72 cm, 36 mm MDF top.

Specs:

• Frame: 140x60x71 cm
• Legs: 40x60 or 60x60 mm steel tube
• Wall thickness: 1.5 mm
• Matte black powder coat
• Adjustable feet
• Top mounting holes included

First iteration uses a single lower crossbar.
Would this be rigid enough, or should I switch to two separate lower supports for better stability?

Here are the images of two different iterations

1st iteration

This was the first iteration I came up with (I am using ChatyGippity)

And here is the second, the language is different, but hopefully the shape will give you ideas

This has two separate lower supports under the table instead of one.

and... I am also eyeing IDASEN, it is a bit more expensive than my current setup and I really dont need the standing part of it. I just need something that will not vibrate when type or wobble.

Appreciate all the input and help

Hi all,

I am trying to do a DIY project using transfer paper where I use an inkjet printer to print an image onto the transfer paper, and then iron it onto a t-shirt.

I don’t own an inkjet printer and the places who I have called (Staples, FedEx) only use laser printers which don’t work with the paper.

Does anyone have any advice on where I could print? TIA!!

Located in Boston area.

My girlfriend has an exercise bike. The seat is already adjusted as low as possible, but it’s still a bit too high for her.
So I’d like to shorten the tube (the seat post) slightly.

Do you think a hacksaw would be enough for that, or should I borrow an angle grinder?

https://preview.redd.it/sskudlt3yj2h1.png?width=1016&format=png&auto=webp&s=0063ba40f40731825baadb5b0204294e307daca4

TLDR: Pouring a back patio that will be partially covered and I’m wondering the best way to support the post.

I’m adding a patio on the back of our house and I’m not sure the best way to add the posts that will support the roof. The posts will 5’ off the house and carry a 3ply 9 1/4” LVL and then part of the roof load that comes off the house then overhangs a foot.

My frost line is 32”. Can I get away with a thickened slab 12” or so with rebar grid at the bottom or do I need to do more of a sonotube? I’ve assumed sonotube to this point.

Simpson makes a post base you can elevate out of a sonotube or whatever foundation you have so I’ve thought about that then pushing concrete in those 2” that are elevated when we pour the slab. This would allow me to get the Amish framers in the quickest.

I’ve also thought, and probably prefer since it will be easier to make sure my post will be level and plumb, about doing a monolithic pour then bolting through the slab and into a pier. I could also use a longer anchor bolt, J hook or that squiggly Simpson thing, and let it extend enough to still be above the slab.

I could also do the anchor bolt if poured separately.

I’ve seen arguments for both separate pours and monolithic but I really just want what will be the strongest foundation in the end.

Kennt jemand ein Klebeband welches sich so gut wie nicht ausdehnen lässt?

:)

I love my steam controller so I know this is a privileged post, but I seem to have a loose joystick wire causing clicking. I’d RMA it but I don’t want to have to wait weeks if I don’t need to, so I I figured I’d try opening it myself. Unfortunately it seems like one of the back Torx 6 screws is stripped because the rest come out except for one that only spins in place. Is it possible to get it out since its recessed into a hole?

I attempted to flush my water heater today for the first time and the water coming out of the hose attached to the drain valve was a slow dribble. I turned off the water, opened a faucet, and opened the pressure relief valve.

Quick google says sediment may be blocking but when I turned the water back on, the water pressure coming out of the drain was strong. Turning the water back off it went back to a slow dribble. is this expected? thanks.

Alright, this was a fun one. The heated seat stopped working on our Kohler Innate toilet so I ordered a replacement seat. I had assumed it would come with some sort of instructions, but none were provided. I searched *everywhere* to try and find some sort of help and only came across one photo of a plumber working on one on insta. So i thought I'd write this for the next person in my shoes.

Unplug your toilet. Prepare a platform (a sturdy box, stool or garbage can) that is close to toilet-seat height and place it on the right-hand side of the toilet.

On the bottom sides of the plastic section of the toilet, locate the small plastic covers. One of the screws is behind the carbon filter cover. Use a plastic spudger or trim tool to pop these covers off cleanly without scratching the plastic housing.

Use a Torx T25 bit to remove the 4 screws (2 on the left side, 2 on the right side).

The base has small clips on the front that will need to be gently popped off from the toilet bowl.

Carefully lift the unified upper seat/cover/rear section and move it immediately to the right, resting it on your pre-staged platform.

A word of warning: Do not attempt to move the section to the left or far away from the bowl. The internal wiring harnesses are incredibly short and will tear out if stretched.

With the top section of the toilet on the platform, start disconnecting the following connections from the control board:

The Green 2-wire clip (depress the tab to pull it cleanly from its socket)

The Blue 2-wire clip (depress the tab to pull it cleanly from its socket)

The Main wiring harness (depress the tab to pull it cleanly from its socket)

The Ground wire (unscrew from toilet base with a #1 Phillips screwdriver)

Once these 4 connections are free, the entire integrated seat, cover, and rear housing assembly can be completely lifted away from the porcelain base.

Locate the two electric motors that control the automatic open/close and seat functions. Use a #2 Phillips screwdriver to remove the 3 screws holding each motor in place.

There is a seat position sensor located on the left side. It shouldn't need to be removed in order to remove the motors.

Slide both motors inward toward each other to disengage them from their mounting positions and slide them out of the seat and cover.

Unroute and remove the wires routed through the right-side motor shaft. Since your old toilet seat is likely going in the bin, it's probably easiest to cut the connectors off before removing the wires. I finessed them through, but it really is wasted time.

Manipulate the plastic housing and seat cover to the precise angle where the interlocking hinge sections align, then slide them apart.

Slide your new replacement seat onto the housing mechanism, reinstall the motors, route the shaft wiring exactly as it came out, and reverse the steps to reassemble and secure the upper section.

Good Luck !

P.S. this is a very gross process ( i am not a plumber, hats of to them ). While you have everything apart, I suggest cleaning the hell out of it. I'm a little disappointed in the design that it can get so filthy without any way to access the parts you need to clean without taking it apart. i guess now that i know how to do this, ill probably do it every 6 months. but damn/

shitty job, but someones gotta do it

We have a room that is sharing a wall with the garage. When attempting to hang a coat rack in drywall, I was able to get the first fastener in no problem. On the second fastener though I ran into a literal block in the form of an electrical sub panel that's on the opposite wall in the garage. I'm going to go out on a limb and think that maybe it's not a great idea to drill into an electrical sub panel that's handling roughly 60 amps.

So, I now have a hole in the drywall that's approximately 1/4 inch in diameter and is exactly the depth of the drywall and hits the metal of the panel. It's your standard garden variety breaker panel which means a steel enclosure. I am toying with the idea of embedding a super magnet into the hole and have it hanging off the back of the breaker box, but I'm not sure how much sense this makes and how big of a magnet I would need for a coat rack that could hold 4 or 5 adult sized winter jackets at the worst case. Keeping in mind I can only go as deep as the thickness of the drywall, are there any other clever solutions that would work here? Perhaps gluing something to the back of the electrical panel versus a magnet?