Home Improvement/Repair Questions

[jeb6294]

I did something above one garage door for a couple of the kayaks.  Being a single door, I had to put one on either side of the opener rail. I used lag screws to bolt some pieces of 2x4’s to the ceiling and then used some 1”x’s and 1/4” plywood for some gussets.  The kayaks actually ride on some pieces of conduit with pipe insulation on them.

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

I have garage envy

 

[jeb6294]

On a different note, just from the pictures, any idea what this thing is and how much power is available?

I don’t think either my wife or I would be against getting a real hot tub. We got a lot more use out of the inflatable one than we thought, but it sprung a leak and there’s enough air pressure that fixing it is almost impossible.  Finding an affordable hot tub is not the issue, it’s getting the required power in place. I was in the basement the other day and started looking at this thing wondering if we already have a power source in place.  Yes it’s in the basement but there are already a couple ways out of the basement from that room.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

That's a NEMA 5-30 outlet, so it can provide up to 30 amps at 240 VAC.  I would double check the breaker serving it, though.  If its just a 30 amp breaker, I wouldn't put more than 22 amps on it (the previous Jacuzzi used 17 amps).  You should never have a continuous load over over 80% of a breaker's rated capacity.

As for what that box is, it might just be a junction box, or it might have some other controls in it.  The sticker in the lower left says "steam bath equipment," so maybe a steam generator?

 

[Road Guy]

So I ended up going with using some screw eyes and cables (which was a total and complete pain in the F'n Ass btw) but I persisted   These pics kind of suck but the storage generated was great, put all the lighter weight stuff that takes up space (camping, sleeping bags, chairs, etc)  around 24 feet long by 24 inches..

 

[Supe]

I like that setup better than 2x4 struts.  If you ever want to do away with the U-bolts, the Harbor Freight hydraulic crimp tool that I use to make all my battery cables works great for crimping ferrules.

 

[Road Guy]

That would have eliminated a thousand little holes in my fingers from the cut ends of the cable piercing through my fingers.. that and dropping the small hex nut every 5 minutes, climbing down the ladder, up again, etc..I also didn't think about needing a small shackle (or similar) on both ends and the never ending trips back to the home depot..

Once I got a system down it wasn't too bad, just time consuming, but I think If I had to do again I would have used some angle iron and some metal straps,

 

[Dleg]

Looks cool - sounds like a pain in the ass to hang.

I've spent every weekend for the last month and a half either hanging new light fixtures, or repairing and painting the ceiling from where I removed the ****** old fixtures (tore the paint and drywall paper off when they were removed).  So tell me about going up and down ladders.  Now I see why my best remote maintenance worker retired on me when I was in Alaska, after 8 hours on a ladder to repair a garage heater (plus the dude was 72).  

 

[jeb6294]

Did you get a permit for that? 

 

[tj_PE]

@Road Guy you know you can have lowes/home depot cut your 4x8 ply into 2x8 right?  

 

[Road Guy]

But I own a table saw?

And then I have to track someone down who knows how to use the machine, etc, 

 

[tj_PE]

but they're less of a pain to get home which is what you saidddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

 

[Road Guy]

gotcha - I think only women are supposed to ask to get wood cut  

When I worked at Home Depot we all hated cutting wood for people because back then Home Depot was "nice" and jerks would be like, I need this one, 27 -5/16th, this one 24 -7/8", etc.. I think now they just cut to the inch..

But I was smarter this time and brought my 16 year old to help with putting the sheets on top of the tahoe.

 

[Road Guy]

so just thinking out loud here..

I found a propane heater for my garage that's rated for inside use on clearance at a ranching type store near the house.  I've been using one of those propane top mounted heaters and then cracking a door to keep from "dying" while using it.  I was thinking of buying a 50LB propane tank that I would keep outside and just run a hose through the side of the garage? Ive got one of those little 1/4 storage sheds by the house I could hide the tank in.

I didn't get a good look at the fittings as the heater was in the box, but I think this is meant to be permanently mounted inside the house but I am assuming I can buy or make the connections from the tank to the heater since this is a smaller version of what people in rural areas do for gas?

 

[Supe]

The 50 gallon tanks should have the same fittings as the small ones.  If it uses the small style service valve, there are adapters/extension hoses readily available.  I just question how you're going to hold the heating element up (assuming you're talking about the heater elements that look like those big flood lamps?)

 

[Road Guy]

So this actually looks like something you would (permanently)  install in your living room - trying to find the pic of the heater online.

I just wondered about the "running a gas hose from the garage to the outside" part was a bad idea?

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

So this actually looks like something you would (permanently)  install in your living room - trying to find the pic of the heater online.

I just wondered about the "running a gas hose from the garage to the outside" part was a bad idea?

why would it be?

my last apartment i had a propane heater mounted in the corner of the basement with the propane hose running across the basement ceiling since the tank was outside.

 

[Supe]

You could always just buy the corrugated stainless line instead.  In all honesty, if you blow up the house, they'll just deny your claim since it wasn't installed to code anyways, LOL.

 

[Road Guy]

yeah i actually regret not running a gas line to the garage from the basement before I finished the basement.  

Kind of wonder why its not the norm? I would like to think that I am not the only one living in a cold winter climate that like to work in the garage in the winter and needs some heat!

Like do I just keep using the propane top mounted heaters or try and go "half ass" legit?  After watching the guys cut the hole in my house for the (gas) wood stove in the living room I have actually thought about just doing the same thing in the garage - I had to disconnect and reconnect a lot of what they put in when we did the "hearth" around the stove so I dont think it takes a rocket scientist to put the chimney for a wood stove in + how cool would that be? 

 

[Supe]

If your building codes allow it, you could easily put a wood burning stove or heat exchanger in there.  Metal chimney with spark arrester on the garage exterior is easy, albeit not the prettiest thing to look at.  If the garage is well insulated, you could also consider a ductless mini split system.