17
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, providing an answer that explains what the professional will do is providing a benefit. It means that:
You've educated someone about a system they may have to ...
15
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 probably best to wait until you've got an answer on the previous one first. After all the answer could have a material impact on the question you want to ask ...
13
Shopping recommendations are normally off topic anywhere on Stack Exchange as outlined in this blog post:
Q&A is Hard, Let’s Go Shopping!
However, there are circumstances in DIY where you need to know what tool you need to complete a job - two out of my three questions on the site fit into this:
What can I use to drill dowel holes down the end of a ...
12
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 community doesn't really know what the right answer is, and so does not vote.
"Common knowledge" type questions seem to get more votes, since you don't have to ...
12
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 how to use the interface/markup. Just make sure the comment is polite, helpful, and respectful. You can even include a link to this question in the comment, so ...
12
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 getting any SEO juice from them.
In cases of trolling and offensiveness, if it's editable edit it out and move on. If the post still makes sense then there's no ...
11
I'd approve that edit when the question or answer would be the same in other locations. But for some measurements, like 16 inch studs or 4x8 foot sheets of plywood or drywall, the equivalent in another country may be different to make the measurements easier in the local units.
11
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 impractical for DIY (such as requiring specialized tools or a license to handle the equipment, e.g. HVAC coolant) then be sure to explain that. Otherwise, the answers we ...
11
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?
In most cases, I'd be inclined to leave terrible questions up so we can explain the error. Remember, "no" is a perfectly valid answer and we should seek to ...
11
I support this proposal to lower close vote count to 3.
10
Definitely not. Banning questions doesn't make anyone safer. It's much better to let them ask so that they can be told if something may be unsafe. Think about this: if someone is searching for info on doing something dangerous, would you rather they found a similar question with an answer clearly spelling out the danger, or would you rather they found no ...
10
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 dangerous.
Aside from those options, there's not much you can do.
10
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 a great answer for example “How can I soundproof my door?” could have a great answer starting off with the need to seal air gaps round the door, then explaining ...
10
My personal preference is to freeze the content, no new post, no comments, but the content itself remains.
10
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 over on Meta, the meta data is indeed removed.
On the side note, I would also like to point out that imgur will strip the EXIF data once the image is uploaded ...
10
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.
9
I would consider these as spam and just delete them.
9
Why would it be in bad taste? It's another way of giving positive feedback -- beyond commenting, upvoting and accepting -- to the people who helped you with the problem you were having.
In the related question, Something to encourage? Photos/followup to questions., they talk about doing it either as an update to the question, or posting a separate answer....
9
I'm not sure whether I'd go all the way of calling it off topic, but the answer here is likely "get professional help." Part of DIY is knowing when you can't do it yourself. Perhaps a generic question of "when/where can I work on gas lines without hiring a professional" could be asked, and redirect everyone asking a similar question there would be ...
9
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 to this question are useful to other homeowners experiencing the same problem and so the question should be considered on topic.
9
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 others would be dups).
Asking "what is this thing I'm smelling" I'd recommend as off topic for not having enough information to answer.
9
"Water heater" is probably the best term to use.
See Google Ngram Viewer
9
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. What difference is it if it's a backyard pond, fountain, barn or water trough?
8
When we started out, I had thought that the site would become more international in nature, but in retrospect I should not have been surprised that an English-language home-improvement site is dominated by people from English-speaking countries, with especially many users from the United States. It is important to keep in mind that many of those who will ...
8
I see three basic categories of these questions, in decreasing order of usefulness:
"I need to do a specific task; what do I need to buy?" Recent example:
What kind of light can I install in a small, low-ceiling coat closet?
"I have a specific product in mind, can't find it, but really I just want to do whatever the product is designed to help me with." ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
