pinchvalve
pinchvalve UltimaDork
7/23/12 3:46 p.m.

Check out the shine on that floor boy! All it took was a clogged drain and 3 inches of water. Doh!

ransom
ransom GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
7/23/12 4:28 p.m.

I got the same level of polish on my basement floor at one point. All I had to do was rig the washing machine drain hose to fall down so the washer attempted to fill the basement to "wash" level...

You've got a pretty good gloss going on for not having used any specialized equipment

(Seriously, bummer. I hope the cleanup isn't too bad, and nothing got damaged by the rinse...)

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
7/23/12 4:55 p.m.

Perfect time to change the oil -> No stains.

poopshovel
poopshovel PowerDork
7/23/12 5:16 p.m.

That reminds me, I've been meaning to have a catastrophic water heater failure for a while now....

nicksta43
nicksta43 HalfDork
7/23/12 8:08 p.m.
poopshovel wrote: That reminds me, I've been meaning to have a catastrophic water heater failure for a while now....

LOL

Basil Exposition
Basil Exposition Reader
7/23/12 8:20 p.m.
nicksta43 wrote:
poopshovel wrote: That reminds me, I've been meaning to have a catastrophic water heater failure for a while now....
LOL

I ain't laughing, mine's in the attic!

pinchvalve
pinchvalve UltimaDork
7/24/12 7:50 a.m.

I had to cut a chunk of the driveway up to fix the collapsed pipe. Did you know that a 4" angle grinder with a $20 blade will go through concrete like a hot knife through butter? Neat, no rental fee for a specialized saw.

4cylndrfury
4cylndrfury UltimaDork
7/24/12 8:03 a.m.

Wish I coulda got as nice a sheen in my basement when the plumbing upstairs let go. Too bad all the carpet kept the surface from having that nice glossy look

Glad the damage wasnt too extensive in your garage.

pinchvalve wrote: Did you know that a 4" angle grinder with a $20 blade will go through concrete like a hot knife through butter? Neat, no rental fee for a specialized saw.

Same thing for tile - grinder plus diamond blade = no wetsaw necessary

Ian F
Ian F UberDork
7/24/12 8:24 a.m.
pinchvalve wrote: I had to cut a chunk of the driveway up to fix the collapsed pipe. Did you know that a 4" angle grinder with a $20 blade will go through concrete like a hot knife through butter? Neat, no rental fee for a specialized saw.

Hmm... thanks for the tip... now I'm back to the "recess the lift in the floor" idea vs. "building a platform around the lift" plan I've been toying with for awhile...

To keep this from happening again, google: Automatic Leak Detection systems. There are a number of options available. Having had the 8" of water in the basement experience, I'm planning to add one when I renovate my house and re-do the water piping.

akamcfly
akamcfly HalfDork
7/24/12 8:33 a.m.
4cylndrfury wrote: Wish I coulda got as nice a sheen in my basement when the plumbing upstairs let go. Too bad all the carpet kept the surface from having that nice glossy look Glad the damage wasnt too extensive in your garage.
pinchvalve wrote: Did you know that a 4" angle grinder with a $20 blade will go through concrete like a hot knife through butter? Neat, no rental fee for a specialized saw.
Same thing for tile - grinder plus diamond blade = no wetsaw necessary

In both cases, how was the dust level? I have a cheap wet saw that works very well for tile

z31maniac
z31maniac PowerDork
7/24/12 8:37 a.m.
poopshovel wrote: That reminds me, I've been meaning to have a catastrophic water heater failure for a while now....

Our's happened last year.............morning of the wife's, fathers funeral.

poopshovel
poopshovel PowerDork
7/24/12 8:59 a.m.

Tick...tock....tick....tock....

How long do they typically last, anyway? Ours is 11 years old. Wondering if I should be proactive here. Also, our septic tank hasn't been pumped in those 11 years. Keep forgetting.

Strizzo
Strizzo UberDork
7/24/12 9:12 a.m.
poopshovel wrote: Tick...tock....tick....tock.... How long do they typically last, anyway? Ours is 11 years old. Wondering if I should be proactive here. Also, our septic tank hasn't been pumped in those 11 years. Keep forgetting.

quick google says 13 years. i lived in a condo in austin that was built in 1980 i think it was, still had the original water heater - it was 25 years old at that point! still worked fine, wasn't even silted up. was still in there when we sold it too.

z31maniac
z31maniac PowerDork
7/24/12 9:18 a.m.
poopshovel wrote: Tick...tock....tick....tock.... How long do they typically last, anyway? Ours is 11 years old. Wondering if I should be proactive here. Also, our septic tank hasn't been pumped in those 11 years. Keep forgetting.

Personally, I think I would. Most water heaters aren't warrantied that long, and while you might have it last longer waking up to no hot water and the garage floor covered is no fun.

We went ahead and put the cheapest one back in we could.

In a few years we are likely going to go solar or tankless.

4cylndrfury
4cylndrfury UltimaDork
7/24/12 9:19 a.m.
Ian F wrote:
pinchvalve wrote: I had to cut a chunk of the driveway up to fix the collapsed pipe. Did you know that a 4" angle grinder with a $20 blade will go through concrete like a hot knife through butter? Neat, no rental fee for a specialized saw.
Hmm... thanks for the tip... now I'm back to the "recess the lift in the floor" idea vs. "building a platform around the lift" plan I've been toying with for awhile... To keep this from happening again, google: Automatic Leak Detection systems. There are a number of options available. Having had the 8" of water in the basement experience, I'm planning to add one when I renovate my house and re-do the water piping.

I sprayed each tile with a little hand sprayer full of water before I cut it. Dust was minimal - was louder than hell though - hearing protection is a must. It did allow me to make easy cuts for outlets, switches, fixtures, plumbing etc etc etc

Ian F
Ian F UberDork
7/24/12 9:19 a.m.

I think it depends some on the water in your area, but 11-13 seems about right. My water has a high iron content, so things rust quickly. I've lived in my house for 20 years and have replaced the water heater twice. Once back in '95 or '96 (the previously mentioned 8" of water episode) and again this past spring when I noticed some water around it. When I tried to isolate it, the damn gate valves started leaking too, so I had to replace those as well. Fortunately, the main shut-off didn't leak.

4cylndrfury wrote: I sprayed each tile with a little hand sprayer full of water before I cut it. Dust was minimal - was louder than hell though - hearing protection is a must. It did allow me to make easy cuts for outlets, switches, fixtures, plumbing etc etc etc

Well, I'd be looking at chopping out a large section of my garage floor for a ~5" recessed pit. The other option is to do an insulated raised floor consisting of PT 2x4's, sheet foam and a couple of layers of 3/4" T&G ply topped with pergo. Both options have their advantages.

But I think we'll be doing some tiling in the g/f's house reno so I'll keep that in mind.

From years of playing a Les Paul through a half stack, my ears ring easily, so I always keep hearing protection handy.

Sonic
Sonic SuperDork
7/24/12 10:47 a.m.

My water heater blew after 15 years, the night before we left for a lemons race weekend, fortunately I caught it before it ruined my finished basement, and before we left for the weekend.

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