Anyone have kitchen fridge recommendations? Currently I have a samsung french door with a bottom freezer. The layout is fine. the [mechanical] design has flaws. if my latest attempt at preventing some issues fails, I'm getting a new fridge. and not a samsung.

12/12/2017 1:32:09 PM

I have a Samsung. I'm pretty sure my next fridge will be a Whirlpool.

The coil inside my Samsung wasn't sufficiently defrosting and it starting icing up and failing to cool about 2 weeks after the warranty expired. After some trials and tribulations, I found a service manual for the thing. I've since relocated the ice sensor and learned how to put it into defrost mode manually. That's prevented any more icing issues.

Recently, the ice maker iced up and the bin wouldn't rotate or come out. Turning off the ice maker and letting everything sublime and then getting all the ice build up out seems to have fixed things for the moment.

The Samsungs and LGs seem to have identically designed cooling systems.

12/12/2017 3:07:55 PM

I, too, have a Samsung french door with bottom freezer. It's got two ice makers and has been really good as far as I know. Had an issue with the bottom freezer gathering frost at the tracks, but that since cleared up after lowering the temperature of the freezer a few degrees. go figure.

[Edited on December 12, 2017 at 4:57 PM. Reason : ]

12/12/2017 4:56:48 PM

^^^

I'd avoid Samsung and LG manufactured fridges. The house we bought when we moved to Richmond had a Kenmore fridge made by LG. The appliance repair guy diagnosed a failed compressor. Good news, it's a pretty straightforward fix. Bad news is it's going to be at least a month before he can get the part. Apparently there's some supply chain weirdness with Korea, so parts for Samsung and LG fridges are really hard to come by.

I was already 50/50 on replacing it as the fridge was 10 years old dinged the hell up from the previous owners. I asked the guy if he was buying a fridge, what he'd buy based on what he's seen from repairing em, and he said whirlpool without question.

I called a few other repair shops and got corroboration on the challenges in getting LG/Samsung parts, and that whirlpool is the way to go. Also to avoid sub zero unless you want a fridge that costs a fortune, looks really nice and is completely unreliable.

So we ended up with a Kitchenaid, which is made by Whirlpool. No issues in 5 years.

12/13/2017 1:57:43 PM

i'm 99% sure the fridge in our rental was samsung, we had to replace it because the door ice dispenser would constantly freeze up and stop working or get clogged with ice

12/15/2017 6:05:18 PM

Thankfully selling out of my HOA and into a home not managed.

Hallelujah

12/16/2017 2:58:27 PM

^ nice.

I looked at realty sites for a while this afternoon for the same reason.

I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to avoid it. I'd like to build a nice custom home on > 1 acre of land, not in any sort of neighborhood. Within the confines of the school districts my daughter is required to remain within (court order), though, I haven't seen any lots come up within the few months that I've been looking that don't have some fatal flaw (most commonly, being surrounded by shitty houses or trailers. All the non-shitty property remaining in this rapidly growing area seems to be either zoned commercial or already bought up by residential developers for more subdivisions. That, and a little of it is still actively used farmland).

If I end up moving into another subdivision, I'm probably just gonna say "fuck it" and actually downgrade somewhat, buying a basic track-builder house or even a starter home. If I can't have what I want, I'll at least save money and put it towards airplanes/boats/motorcycles/stocks instead. Cheaper mortgage, cheaper insurance, cheaper property tax, cheaper furniture, cheaper appliances, etc...It'll be the only $160,000 cookie-cutter house in town, furnished from the PX on the Navy base, with a $10,000 stereo in the living room and a Tesla or Porsche and Ducati in the garage . Oh well, it'll be good rental property as soon as I can get out of this town in 7 years.

There are fucking tons of starter homes to choose from around here, though. That's why I lived in a fucking hotel for 7 months when I moved back down here...it took forever to find a decent house to buy in the right school districts.


[Edited on December 16, 2017 at 8:03 PM. Reason : ]

12/16/2017 7:54:41 PM

You should be able to find a few acres and put a good side house built by schumacker like you said...

They let you get a little creative with their plans and builds.

12/17/2017 6:41:09 PM

Random question:

1) Anyone had any fixes to their bonus room insulation and want to provide a reference for the cary area? I think the culprit of freezing cold bonus room over garage is lack of insulation on the knee walls...but also possibly penetrations in the garage ceiling. Anyone have someone they recommend for such a thing ?

2) Any recommendations for air sealing and cellulose blown insulation in the attic?

12/18/2017 2:21:23 PM

Evergreen Foam & Insulation

12/18/2017 3:00:48 PM

^ Thanks....i'll likely give them a shout

12/18/2017 4:40:33 PM

Quote :

"he said whirlpool without question. "

Interesting, Whirlpool (and its offpring) is the 3rd brand I've been told to stay away from (after Samsung and LG, or their illegitimate offspring). But you like yours?

[Edited on December 20, 2017 at 9:06 AM. Reason : .]

12/20/2017 9:05:31 AM

^ After that, who's left? Frigidaire? Last time I went shopping for a refrigerator, the non top-of-the-line Frigidaire models all seemed super low quality.

12/21/2017 12:12:26 PM

probably. it's hard to keep up with actual manufacturers.

I think the major brands are:

Samsung
LG
Whirlpool
Haire (GE Appliances)
Bosch
Frigidaire (Electrolux)
Sub Zero

I thought GE used to be good, but I think the sell off to Haire lead to a dive. Bosch use to (still does?) make high quality tools and dishwashers; no clue on fridges. Samsung / LG are pretty much identical; a ton of their machines are rebranded to something else. I never thought much of Frigidaire, but maybe they aren't bad. As stated before, I've read a lot of posts about staying away from Whirlpool; but BD's experience seems positive. Never knew much about Sub Zero other than expensive.

[Edited on December 22, 2017 at 7:29 AM. Reason : /]

12/22/2017 7:27:52 AM

Our house is on a slab, and we had termites come up from the ground along a plumbing pipe and eat the hardwood floors around the toilet. The wood frame of the house is treated and wasn't damaged, but the ground never was treated. My mistake for not realizing there's two different levels of treatment. Cautionary tale for those of you on a slab who think they can't come up through the ground. They can get it from anywhere, and it's an expensive thing to exterminate them. Plus need floor repair.

12/27/2017 3:25:05 PM

just one more reason to never ever buy on slab construction

12/27/2017 5:50:06 PM

^Man you are everywhere on this site

12/29/2017 12:13:25 PM

Did they have to drill holes in your slab to inject the treatment, or did they burrow in from the sides?

12/29/2017 3:23:46 PM

Unless the footprint is really small, I'd think they'd drill through the slab. It would certainly be easier.

12/29/2017 4:01:53 PM

They had to drill down through the slab. Straight through the floors

12/30/2017 12:19:14 AM

Quote :

"Evergreen Foam & Insulation"

So I've called these guys twice. The 2nd time I said no one ever called me back to schedule an appointment and the lady apologized and re-took my info.

5 days later, still no call.

Any other suggestions?

12/30/2017 1:19:40 PM

I have a buddy who works for LiveGreen off of ACC Blvd near BC

12/30/2017 6:23:48 PM

I’m looking to sell my house in suburbia hell and get something in the middle of no where. The logistics of this is a nightmare though, I want to get the best price I can for my house but I also can’t handle two mortgage payments for very long. I’m thinking I’m just going to list my house high and talk to work about staying in company housing if mine sells that way I can take my time selling and looking. I guess that means I’m going to have to keep the house ready to show at all times though

1/9/2018 11:08:58 AM

The realtor should be able to let you know well ahead of time when they are showing it.

I've seen real estate pics lately with some of the worst pics and most cluttered homes and wondered to myself who the hell thought this was a good idea. Put it up for sale...you never know.

____

Currently looking at a property to do a live in flip, it has Masonite siding on it
Believe I am going to go Vinyl since its cheaper and I won't be on the property in 2-3 years...unless anyone can recommend something like Hardiplank that is as cheap as vinyl.

1/10/2018 4:56:11 PM

if there were a cement fiber board product that was as cheap as vinyl, no one would use vinyl

1/10/2018 7:05:26 PM

Realtor came this evening to talk about listing it. I’ve seen listing prices in the neighborhood but I don’t know what things have actually been going for. After talking to her, I think I’m gonna list it for 13k over what I paid, and take 10k over as bottom dollar. I’m actually pleasantly surprised, I might come out ok on this

[Edited on January 10, 2018 at 9:17 PM. Reason : Now I’ve just gotta hope the 25+ acres with an old farmhouse stays on the market till I can buy]

1/10/2018 9:16:14 PM

go ahead and put an offer on the property you want and make it contingent on selling the house your in, home sale contingencies are common. it will make your offer less competitive against someone who can come in and close fast with no contingencies, but it's better than just hoping that no one else buys that property before you are under contract for yours

1/11/2018 9:26:06 AM

Anyone have experience with ductless HVAC for home use?

1/21/2018 7:56:41 PM

We've put a couple in additions (a room above a new garage, a sunroom, a finished garage/shop)

They work and look like a hotel room AC unit

1/21/2018 8:38:20 PM

Ohhh I might be interested in this...have a back room housing gym equipment that may eventually become a living space. There's a natural gas heater back there, but no AC. Room stays mostly shaded by neighbors' trees, but it does get warm back there in the peak of summer (and those trees won't last forever, I guess).

1/22/2018 8:45:35 AM

old ass brittle cpvc under my sink busted yesterday (well technically I busted it) and had a mini-flood. that was fun.

1/22/2018 8:59:56 AM

^^^^ They're awesome for smaller spaces. Just get a reputable Asian brand and an installer with some experience.

1/22/2018 12:59:40 PM

^^^^ are you replaceing any traditional HVAC systems for homeowners?

1/22/2018 6:34:43 PM

you don't need any experience to install them. easy diy installation. the systems come purged and pre-charged. you just wire the thing up and hook up the hoses.

1/22/2018 8:13:05 PM

^^ not with the ductless ones we've put in, if that's what you mean. They're over $1,000 and require a special outlet (240? Maybe, I don't know off the top of my head). So that'd be expensive.

1/22/2018 11:17:07 PM

The ductless ones I've installed all required sets of small diameter copper refrigerant lines connected to the indoor units. Then there was an outside unit. Variable fans and compressors. Very efficient. Not a job for amateurs because you need to braze the lines and charge the system.

http://www.fujitsugeneral.com/us/residential/what-is-a-mini-split.html

1/23/2018 6:18:59 PM

So i've been doing some research on home security systems and it seems that most all of them are based on the Alarm.Com system. Some offering free installation, others offering DIY options. The only real difference seems to be the contract time and monitoring fees. Is there any reason to choose one over the other? Is the DIY installation as easy as it sounds?

It also seems like the control panels just plug into an outlet now. They don't have to be hardwired into a circuit on the wall. Can I still hardwire it if i want to instead of taking up an outlet?

3/1/2018 11:45:27 AM

For the most part, you are correct. Most use alarm.com. Some have better customer service than others. Some make you pay for every little thing as you go along (e.g. a sensor or something stops working). The company I use has never charged me for anything(other than for monitoring and the initial equipment purchase); though the monthly rate is a bit higher than others. Customer service is great and speak english. When I signed up I did mention that I was considering another company because I could get all the equipment I needed for $x. They matched that price.

DIY is very easy and as easy as it sounds, assuming these are all wireless systems. However, if they include double sided pads / tape DO NOT USE THEM. They will ruin your walls. Get some command strips (those that claim to not damage walls) as you'll have a better chance of not decimating your wall. Or, drill some holes and mount with anchors (easier to patch a hole than a bunch of ripped up drywall paper).

By plug in, you mean the signal? Most are cell based; if not, I would get one that's cell based. there is no reason to have a phone line connected panel these days, unless you can't get a cell signal. Otherwise, if you are talking about power source, why would you want to hardwire? That's more work than an outlet plus a good outlet multiplier, if needed.

3/1/2018 3:40:21 PM

i read a little more into it. Yeah, i was referring to the 14 VDC transformer taking up an outlet but it won't be that big of a deal.

3/1/2018 4:02:12 PM

Different systems also have different levels of smart home connectivity and automation. For professionally installed plans, I've heard that Vivint is the top of the line for features but it also expensive.

I'm considering an Abode DIY kit. It seems they hit the sweet spot of features and price. I also like that they are very flexible with the monitoring plans. You can start or stop any time and can even have it set up for just a week while you're con vacation, for example.

3/1/2018 5:00:00 PM

I'm quite happy with Abode thus far. Been using it about 6 months. I've drunkenly tripped the alarm once or twice, so I know they're on top of things.

3/1/2018 5:31:35 PM

Good to know. Did you get any add-ons to their base system?

3/1/2018 9:20:36 PM

Stay away from Vivint, stay far far away. The smart home connectivity stuff is cool, and the system is functional but they are scam artists. The contract is like 5 or 6 years, the only way to terminate is to pay the remainder of the monthly payments. The contract auto renews with no notification and they make it extremely difficult to cancel service when your contract is up

3/2/2018 12:27:58 PM

^^ Nah. Did the motion sensor camera + flash, 2 window/door sensors, fob, + 12 months for a little over $400

I figured if anyone pics a side window to rob me the sensor + camera above to tv, dvd, speakers, etc will set off the alarm + notify me.

3/2/2018 9:24:22 PM

As of 3/29 I guess I am an official member of this thread.


What are the top 5 things that i'm probably forgetting I need to do as soon as i move in?

3/5/2018 8:27:23 AM

Only 5?

Good luck, you've signed up for a constant war on entropy.

3/5/2018 1:30:23 PM

^this

It's February, haven't mowed the grass in months. 70* week hits, weeds explode, fescue wakes up. Wait until the weekend to mow; it's 35* now.

Try to reorganize the closet. The closet shelf bracket has failed.

Try to install a towel rack. Chose a location such that the new hardware / anchor goes through a previously repaired (puttied) spot so the anchor won't hold.

Replace a ceiling light. Ceiling is damaged behind the current light and will show with the new light.

Touch the ceiling for replacing a light. Irremovable smudge on ceiling paint (damn cheap paint).

Bring in topsoil for establishing a new lawn. Hurricane washes the soil down the ditch.



Or maybe I have bad luck.

3/6/2018 9:00:39 AM

hahaha thanks guys. I'll try to enjoy the honeymoon phase before settling into the daily fear management of what will go wrong next.

3/6/2018 12:51:07 PM

Take all of your money out of the bank, burn the cash, then go back to renting. Basically the same thing.

3/6/2018 1:30:21 PM

3/6/2018 1:33:28 PM