regaphysics

Hi all,

I live on the puget sound and have my own beach area, which is great obviously but it has a bulkhead and stairs that I need to bring things up and down. I have a Hobie kayak which I like, but the issue is that it is heavy and a bit of a chore to lug down my beach stairs and across the tide flats into the water. I'm looking for something lighter weight that I can use when I just want to get out quickly. Doesn't need to be the fanciest or fastest, and doesn't need to be super sea-worthy (I'll just be using on nice calm days) - just something I can easily take out for an hour at a time that is comfortable, decent quality, and light weight (without falling apart if I beach on rocks).

Hi all,

Been trying to figure out some water pressure issues. Basically, the water pressure drops more than I would expect when I turn things on. Some data:

- the water coming into my house is 55 PSI, and the water company says they have a pump that keeps it above 40 PSI at all times. (It is a community well.)

- I have a fairly long run from the street, about 300 feet.

- The main trunk line in my house is 1" coming in, but then necks down to 3/4" pretty much immediately inside the house.

- I have a pressure gauge right near the inlet. When I turn on a shower, it goes from 55 to about 40. If I turn on a shower and something else, it goes from 40 to about 30. Again, pressure rea

Hi all,

I am changing my roof from asphalt shingles to standing seam metal. The roof assembly is an unvented cathedral style, as follows:

- 1.5" TNG decking

- 2x4 rafters at 24" OC filled with 3.5" of polyiso (IE - no air gap)

- 5/8" plywood (There is a gap at the ridge but it is covered by the ridge shingles.)

- tar paper / shingles.

As I said before - it is not vented. We did some exploratory cuts in the sheathing and the bottom of the sheathing is totally dry - indicating there is no condensation issues.

So - my question is this: when installing my metal roof, the plan is simply to add ice and water shield and then put the metal right on top. No gap or vents. The theor

Hi gents,

I had a leak repaired on my roof and while looking at it, they said I likely need an entirely new roof. While the shingles are just fine (they are only 11 years old), the nails are all rusted and leaking.

They said this was occurring because I live in an area with wind driven rain near salt water, causing the nails to deteriorate very quickly. Does that sound legit? Is it normal for roofs to fail in this manner?

If that is correct, what's the solution? I don't want to pay for a new roof that is basically limited to the length of time for nails to rust.

Thanks!

Hi all,

Noob question here (yes, I tried to search...).

I'm a homeowner looking to get a pressure washer and I was looking at investing in a 4 GPM unit. The issue is, I have a long property and when I get to the end of the property with my longest hose, it is about 3.5-4.5 GPM of supply (depending on time of year). So, if I am using my long hose in the summer, I'll need to be more like 3 GPM instead of 4.

So, my question is: can I reduce the flow rate on these machines so I don't starve the pump?

Thanks!

Hi all,

Sorry for another noob homeowner question, but I think mine is somewhat unique. I live on a property that is long (like 500 feet), on a slope with steps, but has a lot of concrete/asphalt that needs cleaning. I have heard that your standard homeowner grade equipment tends to wear out quickly, and I'm willing to spend to get higher quality (up to 1k). The issue is, the "higher" quality options (for instance, the harbor freight 4 GPM predator) weigh in at like 130 lbs. That is a lot to lug around up and down stairs on my property.

I think 70lbs or so is my maximum. I've looked at the Harbor Freight Predator 3200 PSI model, and also the Westinghouse 3400, but I've seen some peo

Hi all,

Attached is a photo of my issue. I have a gambrel style roof (which is unvented), and cedar TNG siding. The intersection of the roof line and the TNG siding leaks a good amount of heat.

My plan was to (1) great stuff spray foam the seam, (2) cut and glue on a wedge of XPS foam, (3) get some 8” siding sheets and run them horizontally from the side of the roof to the wall, essentially creating a channel to hide the insulation. I would then fill in any extra space in the channel with rock wool.

Thoughts? Ideas?

Hi all,

A year or two ago I ordered some TPS coils.  While I liked the coils overall, I found - like many others here - that they did not keep their shape and wanted to spread out.  When I told Matan this, he was nice enough to give me a review sample of the TPS premium cover, which he says should alleviate that issue.  Now, on to my review.  

Pros: 

• The top panel is a very stretchy fabric that does not restrict the feel of the underlying comfort layers.  Of the stand-alone covers for DIY'ers, this is the stretchiest I have tried. 
• The zipper at the half way point on the side is really great.  Not only does it do a better job restricting the coils (more on that below), but it also

Hi all,

I have a small area by my patio that will be where me and my kids play and I’m looking for the best grass variety. I’m in the PNW so it’s rainy in winter, but quite sunny in summer. It’s SW exposure that gets hot afternoon sun (although the house shades it during the morning). It has irrigation so water isn’t a concern.

I’m hoping to get the densest/softest grass for walking in and sitting in etc - appearance isn’t really a big concern. It seems PRG, fine fescue and kbg are my best options?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Hi all,

I’m putting up a shade sail and am installing 10 foot poles. Because of my application, the poles are going to be removable and ideally lower in weight. I’m thinking 3-4” diameter or so. So my question is this: what material (aluminum or stainless steel) and what geometry (circular or rectangular), would give me the most rigid pole for a given weight?

My intuition is that you’d want a rectangle with the long sides opposite of the tension of the sail, right? And it seems like aluminum is 3x less stiff but 3x lighter so it’s kind of a wash?

Thanks!

Hi all,

I am putting a concrete patio in behind my home, but the soil is clay and won’t compact. I plan on putting 4” crushed gravel, but even still it’s more squishy than I’d like.

I have read that one good option is to reinforce the soil with quicklime or Portland cement. My local store only stocks “hydrated” lime or Portland cement. Any ideas/suggestions of what would work best?

Thanks!

Hi all,

I am building a deck that will have a large clear span. The deck is 27' long, 16' wide. Half is supported at the house (ledger board), and the other half is supported by 2 posts at either corner, connected by a 27' long glulam. The main issue I am wanting you to check is the beam span. Is my contractor right that the beam can span the full 27 feet? It will be 5.5"x19.5", and the span table for them is here:

https://www.fp-supply.com/cmss_files/imagelibrary/Glulam/Span-Tables.pdf

The joists are 2x12 and run 15.5', and are spaced 12" on center.

Am I right in calculating this by saying the following:

Hi all,

I have a SVZ indoor ducted unit along with a mhk2 thermostat. Heating and cooling mode work just fine, but both “fan” and “dry” don’t do anything - unit doesn’t turn on.

Anyone know why that might be / how to fix it?