Questions tagged [discussion]
The question you're asking is designed to solicit opinions or best-practices on a particular topic, with the goal of reaching community consensus.
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Should read-the-manual questions be closed, or even answered?
Case in point: Can I install an under-counter electric hot water tank on it’s side rather than vertically?
This type of question is so easily answered that it reflects lack of effort on the part of ...
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Tile layout question closed, but I think it shouldn't have been
I asked this question, which was subsequently closed for being off topic as I guess the moderator saw it as decorating advice. I would argue that my question falls under "Questions you would ...
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Add "delayed close"?
Some of our close reasons include a request for additional information, with the implication that this might allow them to reopen. That strikes me as somewhat off-putting to newcomers, so I tend to ...
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Do I need to do anything about a reviewer that consistently rejects my edits?
Follow-up to Do we need do something about tis reviewer - with image enhancements
I've been adding Imgur thumbnail resize options to a lot of the oversized pictures, and a particular reviewer doesn't ...
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When is a question considered duplicate?
Given the interactions I had with the mods on this question, maybe this is very obvious to the more experienced, but I would appreciate some clarifications on what's considered a duplicate.
Several ...
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No low rep voting, please!
There is a system-wide plan to test lower voting threshholds - basically 1 point for up or down voting (so any new registered user) with no downvote penalty. The full details are here on Meta SE..
The ...
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New Tag: Canonical
I have a brilliant idea...I think.
We have extremely commonly asked duplicates/near-duplicates. Examples include:
Basic procedures for replacing receptacles - this already has a post, now tagged ...
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Multiple Yearling badge awards
Why have I been awarded the yearling badge multiple times in the last few months?
I see the badge can be awarded multiple times, however, my understanding would this badge should only be awarded ...
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Is it acceptable to answer old questions?
I've been using the search feature to find unanswered questions and if possible answer them.
One question I found today is answerable, however, the question is 3 years old.
Is it acceptable to answer ...
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Tags for things that aren't on topic?
I asked this question - How to get rid of tiny brown ants?
Simple question, chose ants and pest-control as tags.
Then was told that question is off-topic? What? How can a question be off-topic if ...
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Are "what kind of contractor should I hire" questions on topic?
This is just the most recent example of the "what kind of contractor should I hire" questions that we sometimes get here.
Is this considered on topic?
From the Off-topic page, "You ...
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Do we need do something about tis reviewer - with image enhancements
For example this one
https://diy.stackexchange.com/review/suggested-edits/163822
The images do not need enhancement, and don't look any different. I am rejecting them, but others must be approving ...
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I misled some users into closing my fence post question. What can be done?
A couple of days ago I posted this question: How can I make a post base support fenceposts (gateposts) on top of concrete?
The form of the question is basically: "How can I do X?" with ...
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Why was my post about improvising filter grilles closed as needing details/clarity?
I have a question about my Home Improvement Stack Exchange post: How can I improvise Filter Grilles, rather than buy the manufacturer's Coarse Dust Pre-Filtration Kit?
Apologia, English ISN'T my ...
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How to unsubscribe from a thread?
How can stop receiving notifications on a thread that I started and it's now resolved?
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Why are so many comment-answer flags being declined lately?
My mouse gets half its wear on any given day from flagging comment-answers here. It's a veritable plague. Lately I've seen across-the-board rejection on flags on certain questions.
Here's an example: ...
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Can we do better with question closures?
This question got closed inside of 3 hours.
I get that it was grossly underspecified, and I get the frustration with abandoned questions, but are we educating new users enough? Can we include a note ...
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Hardware issues with 2 series condensers with heat pump in heat mode [closed]
I am planning to use a second heat exchanger to added inline to remove heat from a standard mini split heat pump system. The refrigerant will flow from the compressor to an added water coil exchanger, ...
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Poor quality reviews
I'm trying to determine how this question could have possibly made it through the "First Question" review queue without any sort of comment or flag.
Let's be honest, this question is ...
- 43.1k
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What is the recommendation for ChatGPT-like answers?
We have had a couple of users spring up over the last few days that seem to be posting ChatGPT/AI type answers that are vague enough to be useless, but close enough to be almost useful and are (...
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2022: a year in moderation
As we say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new one, we have a tradition of sharing moderation stats for the preceding calendar year.
As most of you here are aware, sites on the Stack Exchange ...
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How do I get a question or answer into the "low quality" review queue?
I recently flagged an answer as "very low quality", thinking that would put it in the review queue for others to look at to decide if it needed to be deleted. However, the flag was declined ...
- 43.1k
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StackExchange web sites DOWN
are all StackExchange sites DOWN.
Lost all profile information, the scores ect.. on multiple pages
https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/ask
- 16.9k
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Response to Sock Puppets
There's probably nothing that can officially be done, but we have a new user who seems determined to violate NEC by rewiring their apartment themselves who has created at least 6 sock puppet accounts (...
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What is being done and what should be done when particular users routinely post answers as comments?
This isn't a question of comment-answer policy. It's about users who feel the need to answer many questions in comments. One such user is compulsive about it lately, often posting the first comment on ...
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Hot water recirculation questions should be on-topic
I don't think this question should have been closed/marked off-topic. It's clearly a home improvement question, in fact the solution I personally ended up going with was DIY (the domain of this page ...
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I guess they changed the logo
Well, that's a different and not particularly good (or in no way graphically says "home improvement" to me, anyway) logo for Home Improvement today.
Some graphic designer is laughing all ...
- 201k
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Computer setup on topic?
I'd like to ask advice on desk/laptop + monitor arrangement.
(My eyes are aging and I find the laptop increasingly hard)
I had seen some funky arrangements at houses in Canada.
Would this question be ...
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Gas cans should be on-topic per the Help Center
As stated in the question, filling a gas can at a gas station is a common home improvement task that enables me to perform other home improvement tasks at home.
How to easily fill a gas can at a ...
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Are tool identification questions appropriate?
Noticing that there are no tool-identification or identification tags, I found this meta discussion where consensus was that such a tag wasn't needed or appropriate.
However, nothing in that question ...
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Can we clean up tags relating to air conditioning?
All of the following tags exist, with potentially overlapping topics:
air-conditioning, with 991 questions
air-conditioner, with 9 questions
air, with 45 questions
hvac, with 2654 questions
Some ...
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Are questions about safety-equipment testing off-topic?
A question I had asked about checking respirators awhile back was recently closed as "off-topic". From my understanding, it would fall under tools & best practices for home improvement ...
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Vandalism of good answers due to migration from related SE
A user seems to object to their (sometimes highly rated and accepted) answers on questions that were migrated to DIY from EE years ago (2016-2018), and is vandalizing these answers (editing them to ...
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Why was this question deemed "off-topic?"
This recent question was closed as off-topic. The question asked for help in removing a bathtub strainer, which seems to me a reasonable plumbing-related question.
I agree that the question is not ...
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Merge (delete) misspelled [celing-fan] with [ceiling-fan]
The [celing-fan] tag i misspelled.
It should be removed and where used instead be replaced by the [ceiling-fan] tag.
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Should this question remain in HNQ as a warning to others?
This question about testing a breaker by short circuiting it made it to the HNQ list. Looking at the edit history, I note that NialC removed it from that list.
I fully understand that action from the ...
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Reason for dupe closing seems invalid
My question How to remove glue from temporary paper shades on vinyl windows? was just closed as being a duplicate of what is the easiest way too clean adhesive residue from glass?
However my question ...
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Does SE understand what a pulse survey is?
Clicked on an SE ad from this site. Ensues a survey of my personal information which in the first 10 screens never attempted to talk about my view of SE or SE sites... Just mining personal details. ...
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Is it appropriate to ask how to fix a mechanical issue with an electric mulcher on this site?
I'm unsure whether a question like this would be appropriate for the home improvement site, so I'm clarifying first. The general nature of my intended question is described in the subject.
I expect ...
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2021: a year in moderation
As we say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new one, we have a tradition of sharing moderation stats for the preceding calendar year.
As most of you here are aware, sites on the Stack Exchange ...
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Do we need to require everyone to give a locale?
Let's go over how we got here. Harper posted this HNQ answer which says (in part)
Do you follow any of the warnings we give around here about the danger of 3-prong (groundless) range receptacles... ...
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Is mould removal from furnishings on-topic?
I'd like to raise a question about how best to remove mould from this armchair. The chair has been placed for several months in an area where we suspect there is damp.
Is this on-topic for Home ...
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There's no [us] in [usa]
There are two tags about questions pertaining specifically to the United States: us and usa. The latter is more popular (53 vs. 13 questions) and has a guidance excerpt; can the former be synonymized ...
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Should "this is what I did" be updates to the question or stand alone answers?
We get some people who will return to their asked question to post "this is what I ended up doing". Some update their original question, some post it as an answer.
When I see it as an update ...
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Change a "Vote to Close" default option
As noted in this question, we sometimes get a message in the close vote review queue that:
However, there is no "Vote to Close" system option stating:
This question does not appear to be ...
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Where does this "close question" message come from?
When working through the Close Vote review queue, I often see questions with this message above them:
Where does this text come from? It's not from any of the "not suited for [DIY]" close ...
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Anxiously looking over my shoulder for a [backstab]
There are currently 37 questions which specifically mention backstab connectors, and given that there are over 400 answers using the word "backstab," there are probably many more questions ...
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Is Automotive body work ever on topic?
What's the best way to cut a circular porthole window into the sheet metal of a van?
I VTC this as off topic as it is clearly a question about automotive body work, and not about home improvement.
...
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Should I delete/close this question and re-post?
In the following question I ask how to wire a switch/outlet combo. This is the question: Switch/outlet combo with constant power in outlet??
I guess the problem with the question was that it wasn't ...
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Duplicates that are a new view of an old question
This one Plumber drilled through exterior 2x4s - that's bad, right?
I kind of like, because it's new detailed pictures of an old problem.
It's like the answer is common but the question is unique ...
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