20
votes
20
votes
"Hire a professional" answers
As long as the answer explains why you need to hire a professional then it should be OK, for example domestic electrical and gas work must be signed off by a registered person in the UK.
However, ...
ChrisFMod
- 16.8k
16
votes
15
votes
15
votes
Accepted
OK to ask a series of related, but specific questions?
Yes.
Each question should be about one specific problem (with the necessary background) otherwise it runs the risk of being too broad.
There's nothing wrong with posting a follow-up question, but it's ...
ChrisFMod
- 16.8k
14
votes
Can we get the close vote threshold lowered to 3?
I support this proposal to lower close vote count to 3.
- 61.2k
12
votes
Accepted
Why 10k views and 2 upvotes?
Voting seems to be a bit different on this site (diy), as most of the users are not experts. This is especially true with plumbing, HVAC, and electrical questions. It seems that a majority of the ...
- 128k
12
votes
"Hire a professional" answers
My standard response when someone suggests hiring a profession is:
"While this may be accurate, just about every question on a DIY site can be answered "get a professional." If a project is ...
BMitchMod
- 41.9k
12
votes
How to tell a user their answers are great, but unreadable?
If you'd like to bring it up to a user, try posting a comment or two. Not everybody here is a "computer person", so they just might not understand how grammar/formatting can improve their posts, or ...
- 128k
12
votes
Accepted
Redact, or leave idiocy for moderators?
In cases of spam please flag as spam and leave the link in place. It makes it easier for other users to see and flag as spam as well. Stack Exchange links are "no followed" so the spammer won't be ...
ChrisFMod
- 16.8k
11
votes
2018 Moderator Election Q&A - Questionnaire
A user posts something that is incredibly dangerous (i.e. Just nut the wires together, but more dangerous that just a tripped breaker). Do you delete it, publicly moderate it, or just leave a comment?
...
- 19.7k
11
votes
Accepted
Closing because question "abandoned"?
tl;dr no, we shouldn't be closing well-written, on-topic questions.
The longer answer:
Judge each question on its own merits. If it's on-topic, and has enough detail to get good answers, then it ...
Niall C.Mod
- 20.5k
10
votes
Accepted
What should we do when we see something in the OP's situation that is dangerous, but not necessarily the subject of the question?
Answer the question they've asked, and include a warning about the equipment.
Leave a comment warning about the equipment.
Down vote any dangerous answers you see, and leave a comment why it's ...
- 128k
10
votes
How to answer DIY question when OP wants the cheapest, not best option?
Sometimes a cheap fix that last a few years is what is needed.
For example if a shed roof is leaking, but the shed is going to be replaced in a few years time.
Sometimes the questions can still have ...
- 5,913
10
votes
Accepted
What should we do with our blog content?
My personal preference is to freeze the content, no new post, no comments, but the content itself remains.
BMitchMod
- 41.9k
10
votes
Accepted
Does image data get erased when uploaded?
According to this Imgur help page, it should be.
Due to privacy concerns, EXIF data/metadata is removed on upload. There is no setting available to retain the data.
According to this post ...
- 128k
10
votes
Accepted
Is using notations like “cluster F” or f*** acceptable?
It's unnecessary and distracting and should be edited out.
Swearing and profanity is not professional and we're supposed to be a professional site.
ChrisFMod
- 16.8k
10
votes
Should "how do I DIY electrical work" questions be banned from this site?
Your outlook is incorrect/misguided in a few ways:
Millions of people around the world do their own electrical work, legally, every year. Just because you don't feel comfortable doing it, or it's ...
- 962
9
votes
Is a question off topic when asked by professionals or corporations?
My own opinion is that decisions to close a question should be based on only the question and not the person asking it. In the above linked question, it was asking about gaps in floor boards. Answers ...
BMitchMod
- 41.9k
9
votes
Should questions about smells be off topic?
My thoughts:
How to solve a known smell problem is on topic.
Techniques a homeowners can use to track down the source of a smell could be on topic (but only needs a single question of which all ...
BMitchMod
- 41.9k
9
votes
Accepted
Should the hot water heater be replaced?
"Water heater" is probably the best term to use.
See Google Ngram Viewer
- 128k
9
votes
Remove "Carpentry and woodworking" from the "Ask about" section of help page
Per the usual division between them, Carpentry belongs here. Though "finish carpentry" starts to get fuzzy, and when you get to the point of built-in furnishings others fuzzier still. It's really more ...
- 16k
9
votes
Should questions about sizing plumbing for outdoor fixtures be on topic?
I think it is on-topic.
Questions about what size wire to run to a detached garage or lamp post are on-topic.
I don't think there would be any debate if the pipe was running to a detached garage. ...
- 28.3k
9
votes
Should "Is this wall load bearing" questions be considered off topic?
You can vote to close them as a duplicate of this this question. Disclaimer, I've got the accepted answer on that one.
Or if they are different than that question, but not enough detail is available ...
BMitchMod
- 41.9k
9
votes
Please stop with the robo-greetings
Comments are for requesting further information from the OP, not for gratuitous chat.
Simply saying 'welcome' is pointless.
Simply saying 'read the tour' on an on-topic question is patronizing and ...
- 1,075
9
votes
Change a "Vote to Close" default option
I disagree, but for a different reason.
"Needs Clarity" is the old "Unclear" reason. It's a stock closure across all sites. Our "Not enough information" one is indeed too ...
- 19.7k
8
votes
Accepted
For Safety's Sake, how do you answer an electrical question?
I can't answer for you, but I can tell you how I try to handle this. First, I try to answer questions at the same level of detail that they were asked. For example. If the OP asks a very general broad ...
- 128k
8
votes
What should be done with the word "Romex®"?
In my opinion, using the form "Romex®" feels a bit like advertising. Because of this, I would lean towards using the generic term instead.
Secondly, I think in most cases folks are not specifically ...
- 128k
8
votes
Accepted
We have too many [ceiling-fans] in our Stack
Yes it should!
It was an obvious synonym, so I went ahead and merged them. You should only see ceiling-fan from now on.
As I write this, we have 36 questions tagged with both ceiling and fans... ...
Niall C.Mod
- 20.5k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible