Retirement Shop (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter WarDamnEagle
- Start date
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WarDamnEagle
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I use 25% of the thickness of concrete to determines the depth of control joint.
My floor is 5” so early entry saw was set to 1.25” DOC.
Another option if you can’t find the correct foam caulk rod is to use silica sand. I used a cheap plastic Ketchup/Mustard squeeze bottle to fill 75% of the saw cut. The tip can be cut large enough to broadcast the sand with good control.
My floor is 5” so early entry saw was set to 1.25” DOC.
Another option if you can’t find the correct foam caulk rod is to use silica sand. I used a cheap plastic Ketchup/Mustard squeeze bottle to fill 75% of the saw cut. The tip can be cut large enough to broadcast the sand with good control.
WarDamnEagle
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- Thread starter
- #64
Instead of further mucking up @Michael B 's thread, I thought I would further the cell signal booster, etc. discussion here. @Waorani and @waiting for time , my first thought when we bought this place was to use a point to point bridge but you do need clear line of sight. I don't exactly have that as you can see from the photo. That photo was taken on a ladder at the corner of my house nearest the shop (~350' away). I marked up where the shop is located on the second photo. I can go higher on the house but it doesn't help with the trees. The other issue with these bridges is you loose data capacity but that might not be a huge concern if it's just one point to point.
@thatcabledude and @1911 , great to hear that the cell signal boosters work well. Going to get on top of my shop shortly to see how good a signal I can get. I have a rather tall pole already that I can use to further extend the antenna. If this solution works then I might be able to avoid running fiber to the shop and just stream off my phone. Regardless it would be great to have cell service inside the shop.
@thatcabledude and @1911 , great to hear that the cell signal boosters work well. Going to get on top of my shop shortly to see how good a signal I can get. I have a rather tall pole already that I can use to further extend the antenna. If this solution works then I might be able to avoid running fiber to the shop and just stream off my phone. Regardless it would be great to have cell service inside the shop.
WarDamnEagle
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #65
Went onto the roof of the shop and got about the same signal as I do at my house......2 bars. At my house I was able to assess the actual dBm on my phone and it's pretty poor at around 114 dBm. Of course any signal inside the shop will be better than what I have now. Researching signal boosters and cell tower locator apps. It appears that most or maybe all of the signal booster external antennas are directional so you need to know where to point said antenna. So this subject and a pilates class I went to with my wife is pretty much how I've spent my day. 
WIFI bridge might still be worth a try despite the trees. When researching a couple years ago I found a lot of comments about going through short wooded distances ok. I'm only 150ft and clear line of sight so no issues but a couple of weeks ago I had to remove the house antenna from it's mount in guest room so blinds could be closed. Laid on floor not even pointing towards shop and signal was still good as ever in shop. More powerful than they would seem. Heck, buy a set from Amazon and return if they don't work. I didn't have any luck w/ pre-configured units so had to muddle through setup.
Give these guys a call about cell boosters. They set me up with what I needed for my house and shop. Went from 1 bar inside house to 3-4. Shop from 0 to 2, but probably could get more if I put my antenna higher up.
Cell Phone Signal Boosters | Powerful Signal - https://powerfulsignal.com/
Cell Phone Signal Boosters | Powerful Signal - https://powerfulsignal.com/
WarDamnEagle
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- Thread starter
- #68
@samc2447 there's certainly a lot to choose from on their website. I didn't call but did do some chatting with two of their agents. From the roof of my shop I can get pretty decent data (which was a concern of theirs) that I tested with various websites including YouTube videos. That's a pretty good indication that I will be able to stream data through my phone and onto my laptop once I get a boosted signal inside the building.
The agent recommended this system with an omnidirectional antenna (too many trees line of sight for directional):
powerfulsignal.com
Of course I wouldn't be me if I didn't want to spend more money so I'm currently toying around with one of these two systems. The more expensive one has an external signal booster in addition to the inside one.
powerfulsignal.com
powerfulsignal.com
The agent recommended this system with an omnidirectional antenna (too many trees line of sight for directional):
2X SolidRF Signal Plus Home & Home Office Cell Signal Booster | Top Signal Series
The Top Signal 2X SolidRF Signal Plus cell phone booster has twice the gain of other boosters in its class and provides excellent cellular coverage in homes and home offices.
Of course I wouldn't be me if I didn't want to spend more money so I'm currently toying around with one of these two systems. The more expensive one has an external signal booster in addition to the inside one.
Rural Top Signal Cell Signal Booster with High-Gain Antenna | Top Signal Series
The Top Signal Rural cell phone booster has twice the gain of other boosters in its class and a high-gain outside antenna for the best reception in remote areass.
Rural SureCall Fusion4Home Max Cell Signal Booster with High-Gain Antenna | Top Signal Series
The Rural SureCall Fusion4Home Max cell signal booster for small and midsized homes features upgraded outside and inside antennas to reach more distant cell towers and provide more indoor coverage.
WarDamnEagle
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- Thread starter
- #69
So after a lengthy call with a rep, I didn't go with any of those systems. He recommended a different booster that has the best data transmission capability. Hopefully it will be enough to quell my fiber optic connection desires/needs.
powerfulsignal.com
I/we chose the omnidirectional external antenna and an internal dome antenna. I have an HVAC duct running through the middle of my shop under the ridge but it doesn't look too difficult to mount this small antenna underneath the duct. Ideally it needs to be in the center of the room and free from obstructions.
SureCall Fusion5s 2.0 Cell Phone Signal Booster with 1 or 2 Antennas
The Fusion5s 2.0 is SureCall's most powerful cell signal booster for small to midsized homes and small offices. Improve your cellular reception with a SureCall Fusion5s system from Powerful Signal, the leader in improving cellular reception.
I/we chose the omnidirectional external antenna and an internal dome antenna. I have an HVAC duct running through the middle of my shop under the ridge but it doesn't look too difficult to mount this small antenna underneath the duct. Ideally it needs to be in the center of the room and free from obstructions.
WarDamnEagle
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #70
Took me a day or two to settle on exactly how I wanted to mount the internal antenna. This morning I mounted the external antenna on the 28' pole and leaned it against the shop for a "soft" install (just ran the cable under the door). Unbelievably I now have 4 full bars inside the shop! No issues with internet, calls, FaceTime, etc. Thanks again @samc2447 
Waiting on some pole brackets to finish the installation but happy to post more details if anyone has interest. Wife says she wants one for the house now.
Waiting on some pole brackets to finish the installation but happy to post more details if anyone has interest. Wife says she wants one for the house now.
Last edited:
1911
chupacabra
Took me a day or two to settle on exactly how I wanted to mount the internal antenna. This morning I mounted the external antenna on the 28' pole and leaned it against the shop for a "soft" install (just ran the cable under the door). Unbelievably I now have 4 full bars inside the shop! No issues with internet, calls, FaceTime, etc. Thanks again @samc2447
Waiting on some pole brackets to finish the installation but happy to post more details if anyone has interest. Wife says she wants one for the house now.
Thanks for reporting on these guys/this setup. I may have to upgrade to this system for my house. I like that you can have more than one inside antenna on the same system.
WarDamnEagle
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- Thread starter
- #72
Made a lot of decisions last week. Definitely installing water closet with toilet, sink and small hot water heater. Will install a largish shop sink just outside the toilet as well. Decided on lights, placement, and mounting design. Going to use 16 (4x4) of these: Lithonia IBE 15000L 5k. Turns out there are these handy Z-Purlin clips that hammer onto the Z-Purlins. Will make for a very tidy installation. Just waiting on pricing from a local electrical supply before I resort to ordering them online. Ordered the lift, Rotary SPOA10 with trio arms and flip-up adapters. Lift is in stock locally but 3 weeks or so out on installation. Will need to sort electrical after the lift is installed.
On the other hand, still having some paralysis regarding walls. Definitely want to use metal studs framed up inside the wall girts. Leaning toward just using 5/8" sheetrock and then installing some vinyl or stainless slatwall, 4'x8' sheets in strategic locations rather than trying to cover whole wall sections. That would at least allow me to get my cabinets installed so I can get a lot of the clutter put away.
Hope to be posting some progress photos soon; if nothing else lift and lights.
On the other hand, still having some paralysis regarding walls. Definitely want to use metal studs framed up inside the wall girts. Leaning toward just using 5/8" sheetrock and then installing some vinyl or stainless slatwall, 4'x8' sheets in strategic locations rather than trying to cover whole wall sections. That would at least allow me to get my cabinets installed so I can get a lot of the clutter put away.
Hope to be posting some progress photos soon; if nothing else lift and lights.
Michael B
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Greg do you already have power for the lift available?
WarDamnEagle
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- Thread starter
- #74
I have room in the breaker panel. It's a 220v 2 HP motor so not much amperage. I will have to get the line pulled though. Because the overhead horizontal and vertical needs to be in conduit, the lift vendor recommends to pull the power after the installation. Makes sense to me.
Michael B
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HMMM my installer insisted on power being available before installation. He needed power to complete the alignment and to ensure the pump was working properly. It did require a 40 amp braker.
WarDamnEagle
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- Thread starter
- #76
This guy supplies all the dealerships. He will install and apparently has a way to ensure everything is good with 110. He said he would/could come back by once power was installed. We’ll see.
Michael B
SILVER Star
Roger that!
The installers typically use a pigtail off a 110 plug to prime and test the pump as they set it up. When you get your electrician in after have him branch off the 220 next to the pump with dual gang 110 plug. Having power right at the lift is handy for trouble lights, tools, etc. and you're not running extension cords from a wall or wherever.
Is that nec compliant? The 110v plug would be subjected to whatever that leg's Amp rating is (usually higher than 20a) and the 220v breaker may not trip if a single leg goes over current.
I had a licensed commercial electrician do it. I assumed he branched off, but am wrong, there is a separate 110 breaker in one of my panels that says lift plugs so he must have run a separate wire in the conduit with the 220.
