texts: Why won't my A/C turn on after I replaced the thermostat batteries?

texts:
Our thermostat died yesterday, but after replacing the dead batteries with fresh batteries, and confirming the LCD screen was operable, our AC no longer turns on.

I have attempted a factory reset on the thermostat, and I do hear a quiet but definitive "click" when I believe it is attempting to activate the HVAC unit, but that's as far as it gets.

One theory I have is that the batteries were long dead, and the thermostat was getting it's power from the wiring directly, which means it could be the HVAC unit that died. However, it's one of the first times I've had to deal with a HVAC unit personally, so I'm guessing. I reset the breaker a couple times to see if that would do it, but it's a no go (it is clearly marked on my panel with a aluminum bridge between both breakers).

Anything else I can try before I call a pro?


texts: Bathroom window block joints getting green

texts:
I am a first-time homeowner and I started seeing the color of the material between window blocks of my bathroom turn green over the 6 month time period of moving in. I am wondering:

what is the cause
what type of material is that
how to possibly fix it

P.S, I live in an upper midwest of the U.S. so it gets very cold during the winter.


texts:
I was going to remove my toilet angular shut off valve to add a 1/2 inch PVC T fitting. When removing it I noticed that it is a what I believe a compression fitting.

What would you recommend I do to be able to attach a 1/2 fitting; one for a PVC pipe and the other for the toilet shut off valve.

The pipe extends about an inch from the wall and the nut freely spins and cannot remove it.


texts: Is it safe to "cap" a disconnected doorbell wire using electrical tape?

texts:
I recently decided to disconnect my doorbell to stop it from waking up the family. I removed the doorbell from the outside of the house and disconnected one of the two pairs of wires that were connected to it (two pairs of two wires, each pair connected to one screw). This disabled the doorbell just fine, but I am worried about the way I "capped" the live wire using electrical tape. Since the wire nuts I have don't fit inside the doorbell this was the best I could come up with. Once wrapped in electrical tape, I tucked the wire back into the doorbell casing, screwed the one screw back in, and reattached the whole thing to the house. Is this safe? Everything I have found online mentions that it is safe due to the wire being low voltage. This is a new doorbell on a new home, if that makes a difference.

Reference

  All doorbells have a transformer that changes 120 volts of household
  electricity into 24 volts of electricity.or less. This low voltage is
  not dangerous and wrapping the wires that come off the transformer
  with electrical tape is a safe way to seal the wires. Tiny wire nuts
  can be used for the same purpose.

Edit

I am in the United States, MN specifically.


texts: I have to run 135'power cord from my cabin to my boat lift and my 2 boat battery chargers will also run off this.  I was told to make my own cord using 10/3 SJOOW wire so I don't have an issue with voltage drop.  This is on a 15 amp 125 V GFCI outdoor outlet so I need a standard male plug.  My question is I can't seem to find a male end that will handle the larger 10/3 wire.  I see all kinds that will handle 12/3 but nothing larger.  Any suggestions.


texts: How should a plumbing system that contains underfloor heating and a back boiler be designed?

texts:
How should a plumbing system that contains underfloor heating and a back boiler on a wood burning stove be designed? I read the an similar answer to the question on another site that said:

Back boilers must only be used with open vented systems
Underfloor heating should not be directly connected to open vented systems because of air bubbles
The way to combine the two is connecting the back boiler to a thermal store. The thermal store has a coil in it which can be used for a pressurised circuit for the underfloor heating

This seems to make sense but I trust the Stack Exhange community and wanted to confirm the three points above are correct and see if there are sensible alternatives to consider before progressing.


texts: Bedroom Install of a Takagi T-H3-DV-P - 199,000 BTU Propane Indoor Condensing Ultra-Low NOx

texts:
I'm in the process of a remodel, though I need to do it in phases. third or 4th phase down the road is to use part of the Master bedroom and make a Laundry room with some of the space.  Though I cannot build the laundry room yet, though I need to move the water heater to its new home in the Master bedroom so I don't have to have to roof patched at the old location.

The Laundry room won't be built till the beginning of the year.   Its a Direct vent unit and I will have two 3" ABS Pipes (sealed/glued) to a Concentric vent through the roof above the install.

Is there any reason to not have the unit in the bedroom where we sleep? We would have a CO2 detector of course.

Thanks!


texts: Suddenly spongy/creaky floorboard patch. What's going on?

texts:
We've owned this house for about 2.5 years. All hardwood floors upstairs. We put a new bedroom set (considerably larger and heavier than before) in one upstairs room a couple of months ago.

In the past week, I've noticed a patch about 2'x2' that suddenly creaks and sinks slightly when you step on it. This is definitely a new thing.

The room is close to the upstairs bathroom, but none of the pipes really run near it. We have a pull-up bar in a door frame below that area, but it's been there for a year or so.

The patch is not particularly near the exterior walls or structural walls.

I am mystified. What could cause such a sudden change?


texts: How much can I safely suspend from ceiling joist? Which screws?

texts:
I want to hang a motorized projector screen on my basement ceiling. I'd like to know how much weight I can safely hang from the ceiling (joists? See picture below. Arrow marks the spot I'd like to drill/screw at). There's one such structure in the ceiling every 20 inches.

The screen weights 50 lbs and would be hanged from each end. So, 25 lbs on each end.

How do I determine if it safe to hang that and how do I pick the right screw size and length ?

If it makes any difference this is a Montreal house and there's 2 more stories above the pictured ceiling. The room is 18' long, but I don't know if there's a beam or anything midway to hold this joist.


texts: Would a 1/2x3/8 Dishwasher Tube to Pipe Elbow, 90 take a 3/8 flex connect for a shower pannel?

texts:
To give an example here is such an Sharkbite elbow and here is what I know about the supply lines of my shower panel. The shower panel manual is here
Update: Please if this does not work point me to a similar elbow (compression or push in) that will work. This will sit out of the wall behind the shower pannel

And this is the elbow

Here is a picture of the shower end

Update: the picture showing the thread and the plastic cap attached to it

Fits perfect on this guy


texts: Furnace Troubleshooting- Inconsistent Error Codes

texts:
My American Standard furnace ("Standard" Model, year 2003, 12 or 13 SEER) gave an Error Code 2 when first turned on- "External lockout, retries or recycles exceeded."  (4 fail to ignite cycles observed.) I turned off the switch for maybe 30 seconds and turned it back on.  It ignited in the second cycle, heated the house, and shut off.  When it came back on later, it was not blowing hot air.  No flame, Error Code 3- "Pressure Switch Error."  This has happened several times.

The pressure switch reads open at rest.  If I use a straw to suck on the tube, there is a reading of about 3.9, trending down to about 3.2 before I have to stop to exhale.  I think this rules out a bad switch.  The inducer motor runs, and the fins on its fan appear to be clean.  There don't seem to be any obstructions in the air flow, but I can't take the vent sections apart, as they are snapped firmly together.  I went up on the roof, and the vent was clear.  If I turn on the furnace and let it run without igniting, should I be able to feel a definite air flow when I go back up on the roof, or a suction on the tube from the inducer motor? And is it a bad idea to jump the 2 pressure switch wires to mimic a closed circuit?  I want to rule out everything else before I try to replace the circuit board.


texts: GFCI in kids' room...good idea or not necessary?

texts:
We are updating the receptacles in our kids' room. The current ones accept two prong plugs so I doubt that there is a ground wire.

Since we're upgrading, for the kids' safety, does it make sense to put GFCI's in the room?


texts: Wiring a 3-way dimmer/fan control switch with two 14-3 cables in the switch box

texts:
I have a 3 way dimmer/fan control switch that I need to install in a box with two existing 14-3 wires. I want the other 3 way switch to control the light only.

In the box, I have a 14-3 (on the left side) that comes from the existing 3 way switch. The red and black are live when the breaker is on. The other 14-3 (on the right), goes to the fan/light.

Could I please get some details explaining which wires from the box connect to which wires on the switch?


texts: Help with installing the Honeywell T5 - RCHT8610WF2006

texts:
I recently bought the Honeywell Lyric T5 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat - RCHT8610WF2006 and am having a hard time installing it. As far as I can tell, the heating works but the cooling doesn't.
Instead of blowing cool air, the compressor turns on (or at least its fan runs) and it blows air that's a little cooler that the outside air but still way above what it's set to.
Edit: after leaving the thermostat on cool over night I believe the thermostat is running the heat instead of AC because we also left the windows open and the house was hotter inside than outside when we woke up
Below are the current configurations I have:
App settings

heating stages: 2
cooling stages: 1
heating system: compressorHeat

I thought we set this to heat pump?

Firmware version: 4.0.0.0

Heater and compressor

Heater
compressor

Old thermostat configuration

old model number
old wiring

New thermostat configuration

new model number
new wiring

Furnace wiring


texts: Installing 15" deep wall cabinets on a 14" deep soffit

texts:
I'm remodeling my kitchen which has a soffit/bulkhead that is 14" deep.  I've been looking at ikea cabinets but all of their wall cabinets are 15" deep.

Now, I understand the mechanics of hanging the cabinets should work out fine, but what I'm not sure how to make the 1" overhang look natural.  I'm thinking of just getting a decorative trim of some type and running it along the top to kinda hide the overhang.

Anyone have any experience with this or recommendations?  Thanks


texts: Top of stairs wood tread to carpet transition level issue

texts:
I'm doing a DIY project converting my carpeted stairs to stained 1" think red oak treads and painted poplar risers.  My issue is at the top of the stairs where I'm placing a narrow stair tread, this stair tread then transitions to carpet.  This top stair tread sits on top of the plywood sub-floor (existing carpet has been cut back) that the existing carpet is installed on.  To make sure that this top stair tread is level I'm going to have to place shims under it, the plywood sub-flooring is not level.  I'm concerned that this is going to create a trip hazard due to the height difference between the carpet and stair tread.  New carpet will be installed, so some sort of transition piece can be used if possible.  I believe here are my options to correct this:

1) cut the sub-flooring in that small area and replace it so the transition between the carpet and stair tread is level and acceptable.

2) bevel cut the back edge of the stair tread to minimize the height difference

3) use some sort of transition piece between the stair tread to carpet when new carpet is installed.

What is typically done in this situation?  Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks


texts: From where does gas oven get combustion air?

texts:
My gas oven is only partially heating while I run my evaporative cooler.  I can also smell gas when both these appliances are on.  My first thought is that perhaps the combustion air intake is partially blocked, and the air movement from the cooler is enough to suffocate the flame.  However, I can't find where the oven draws combustion air from.

From where does an oven draw combustion air?


texts: Can I use a three wire cable to feed a whirlpool tub?

texts: If I'm required to add 2 dedicated GFCI circuits for a whirlpool tub and inline heater, can I run 3 wire cable (red,black,white,ground) or do I need 2-2 wire cables?


texts: 3-way light switch mysteriously works, then stops working, then starts working again

texts:
I have a three-way light switch that is exhibiting really odd behavior.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. For example, just now the following happened.

Lights are off. I go to switch A and flip it back and forth. Nothing happens.
I then go to switch B and flip it. The lights come on.
I then return to switch A and flip it twice. The lights first go off, then come on again.

For about a week, neither switch was working and lights just stayed off.

It is very strange. What might be the problem here?

Note that these are dimmable lights and that there are a lot of light switches in the house so it is possible the circuit is tied into something else. Can you have a 4-way light switch?


texts: I can only dig 25” deep for a vinyl fence post . Is that enough with concrete? The fence is 6”

texts: Can I get by with a 25” deep fence post for vinyl fence post ? It’s for a 6’ vinyl fence


texts: How can I repair and repaint a deck whose planks were caulked?

texts:
So, parent's deck was looking ok, until for some reason some painters convinced my mother to "seal" the deck so water wouldn't fall down to the patio furniture below.

They applied some sort of caulk between the planks, and I supposed the idea was to paint over that with some sort of "glossy" water-resistant paint.

Well, the painters never finished the job! And so from November to July the caulking between the planks caused more harm than good. Moisture seems to have done some damage to the wood surface. See pic below.

Anyways, I'm trying to repair this mess and the first thing I did was with a spatula/knife remove all the caulk, so that water does not accumulate, but I'm afraid even if I clean, sand and re-paint, that the wood has already been compromised/damaged too much. I see lots of rusted nails, and some planks are a bit raised.
BTW this deck was built in 2006, and has been re-painted about 2 times already. Last time being 2010.

What can I do repair this deck and re-paint it well?
PS: Has anyone ever heard of such a crazy idea as caulk-sealing a deck?! I wanna kill those darn painters, removing that caulk took forever!!

Here's some pics:


texts: What type of ethernet cable do I need for outdoor use?

texts:
I want to run about 100 meters of Ethernet cable out my attic and down a drainpipe. The cable will be exposed to the elements, and attached to a gigabit switch (indoors) at both ends.

What kind of cable do I need? Can I get a basic Cat5E bulk cable, or does the length and exposure mean I should opt for Cat6? Or is there some other outdoor-rated specification of wiring that I should be using?


texts:
I have an odd-sized wooden back door.  The outer layers of wood on the lower half of the door are suffering water damage, but the core and inside of the door are fine.
Is there a good way either to resurface (or completely cover) the outside of the door?  Or is it too far gone and should be replaced entirely?


texts:
I have double hung windows with top sash falling down when unlocking. I figured I’d prob need replacement on the channel balance, but I’m not sure how to take the sash out of the frame. All I can find online is the ones with latches, which my sash doesn’t have. Here are the pictures

As you can see, it has two double-hung side by side, and the center seems to have been painted over. Im wondering if I need to cut open the center? The make of the window is PRIMECEL but cannot find any information online. The place is built in 2001 and I believe the windows have never been replaced.


texts: Why doesn't my freshly painted door fit back in the frame?

texts: I took off a hollow core interior door to paint it. Very thin coats (this is only the second time it's been painted since contractors built house. I know they only sprayed 1 very thin coat). Now the door doesn't seem to fit as well. I did new hinges -same size just different color. I know I can plane it for better fit but I want to know why the door doesn't fit right back in. The new coats of paint are not too thick so it's not the paint job. Ideas?  I have more doors to redo so I want to avoid this problem again.


texts:
I am building a simple aquaponic system by learning from this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqe3IqPisns

at 1:24, we will a media guard is implemented; which is basically fat tube with lots of holes drilled through.

I think it functions as a filter to keep objects that is larger than the holes from being drained to the lower level.
I am not sure if I interpreted its purpose correctly.


texts: Are all stainless steel plumbing fixtures lead free and safe for potable water?

texts:
Typical (brass) plumbing fixtures will explicitly state that they are lead free and be certified NSF-61, potable water, etc.

However, most stainless steel plumbing parts (like ball valves and schedule 40 pipe and fixtures, etc.) make no mention of potable water, lead, drinking, etc.

Assuming I source from US distributors (mcmaster, for instance) is it safe to assume that stainless steel plumbing fixtures are lead free, or even "zero lead" and are totally safe for drinking water ?

Thanks.


texts: How do I change lights bulbs that are 20 feet off the ground and pointing up (in a vanity fixture)?

texts: How do I change light bulbs that are 20 feet off the ground and pointing up (in a vanity fixture)? Does anyone know of a bulb changing kit that has some kind of arm attachment that will allow me to reach down inside and unscrew the bulb?


texts: How do cement boards and Kerdi boards for wall tile compare?

texts:
I came across an interesting product the other day, and thought it might be perfect for an upcoming project.  I'm redoing the tile back splash in my kitchen and was planning on using cement board behind the tile, but now I'm not so sure.

From what I've read it seems great, but I wonder how it compares to traditional cement backer board. So has anybody used KIRDI-BOARD?  What advantages/disadvantages does it have?


texts: How can I drill through small thin hardened steel wrenches?

texts:
I have a couple wrenches that came with my mini air powered die grinder.  I want to put a hole into the top so that I can attach a wire or string so I don't lose them.
I used a punch to put a dimple into the wrench.  I am trying to drill a pretty small hole maybe a bit bitter than 1/8".  I put a cobalt drill bit into my drill press but it just doesn't seem to make any progress.  I don't have a cutting liquid - was thinking of getting one.  The wrenches are probably 1/8" thick.
Any other thoughts?  What are the best bits for drill metal? What type do they use in heavy industry to drill through hard metal?  Carbide?  I probably have the drill press going too fast but I got it used and have never adjusted the speed.  Given the size of the hole I am trying to drill it just seems like I shouldn't need the perfect setup to get a hole.
I adjusted the drill press speed to 620 rpm ( the slowest it can go - it was set at 3100 ) and I tried using a new cobalt bit with some spit on the wrench I had not previously tried to drill but it didn't seem to make any more progress than my previous attempt.  I have some cutting oil and the HI-Molybdenum M7 Drill Bit Set on order so either I'll give those  a try or next up I might try diamond or carbide bits.
I tried cutting oil - oatey 30201 -, setting the drill press at 3100 rpm, using a new cobalt bit, using a new spot and apply significant downward force - ending up breaking the bit.
I used my MAP torch to heat one of the wrenches to red hot and let it cool over night.  The next day I used the same 3100, new cobalt bit, cutting oil and similar force.  The drill bit went through !  You can see the line of the heat on the wrench.  I didn't get around to trying a few of the other options yet.  I'll probably give the diamond option a try on the wrench I haven't heated.  Nice to have more than one trick in my bag.
Thanks for all the suggestions!  I feel like I used a bit from each answer.


texts: Can I vent my portable air conditioner into my garage?

texts: I have casement windows and venting through the window is funky at best.  This portable AC is a single room unit, and I am considering a direct vent into the garage.  The garage is large (3+) with a large window.  During hot weather at least 1 garage door plus the window are open.


texts: How to remove a 40mm shower head without extra tools?

texts:
My shower as displayed below needs a wide mouth wrench (at least a 40mm) and the jaw of my adjustable wrench can open up to 30mm. I have a number of other simple tools.
I do not want to buy another wrench only for this shower and it's not easy for me to find a tools shop here. Is it possible to detach the current shower in any other way?

Update: thanks for all answers. I came up with opening it with a pair of slip-joint pliers.


texts: No power to circuit after coffeemaker plugged in for random amount of minutes

texts:
I've got an outlet in my kitchen that I have several appliances plugged into: a microwave, a cordless phone, and a Keurig coffee maker. If I leave the Keurig coffee maker plugged in to the outlet, after a few minutes the power will cut out on the circuit.  It happens anywhere from 3 to 30 minutes after I leave it plugged in.  Usually that's enough time to make some coffee in the morning, and then I just unplug it.

It does NOT trip the circuit breaker - if I unplug the coffee maker and leave it alone for a few hours, the power comes back on.   If I leave the coffee maker unplugged, the power stays on indefinitely, as evidenced by the clock on the microwave continuing to keep the correct time.

It's seemingly not related to the load - I can run the coffee maker and the microwave together just fine, which is the highest load the circuit would get, if the power is on; and it happens even when the microwave, phone, and coffee maker are idle -essentially just running the clock on the microwave, a small light on the phone base, and the touch screen for the coffee maker.

I'm using a six-port adapter over the standard wall outlet (like so).  I've already replaced this with a brand new one, and it still happens (I suspect there was nothing wrong with the old one, but I've since thrown it away anyway).  I've also already replaced the outlet.

What could be causing this?  I have to think it's related to the coffee maker since it doesn't happen if it isn't plugged in, but I'm hesitant to get rid of the coffee maker since Keurig machines are relatively expensive, and more importantly, my wife "really likes it".  I don't understand how one device could cause a power outage not related to the circuit breaker, and then keep the power off after it's unplugged, and then have the power recover.


texts: Can I feed a sub-panel from a sub-panel?

texts:
here is what I have.

On the corner of my house, I have the main breaker box.
I also have a 2nd sub panel that was installed later on the other side of the house which has 240V ac running to it. This panel has one breaker for a 120V ac light. That is it. Nothing else is connected.

I have a undeveloped area (about 140 feet away from the sub panel) that I would like to run 240V ac service to via underground conduit so I can use a 240V ac electric stove for outdoor kitchen.

My question is: Can I install a new sub panel from the undeveloped area utilizing the existing sub panel or do I need to go directly from the main panel? If I can then can I just run 2 wires from the panel and install a ground rod at the new area?

[additional pictures from OP's link added in:]


texts: Nasty edges when spreading drywall compound

texts:
I'm using 20 minute setting compound to cover a large rectangular patch. I mixed 1 lb of powder with about 1.5 cups of water, and am using a 12" knife. This picture:

shows the the result I'm getting when spreading the compound on the wall. The ~1/8" holes (green outline) from some internet research seem to be air bubbles (I guess I'm supposed to whip/mix the mixture better to prevent those?), but what's the deal with the crazy jagged edges (red outline)?

I get those same types of very large (~2") holes in the center of the area when I go back over the area with the knife as well, so I keep going and going pressing harder and harder and eventually the big holes go away... but I'm back to having no compound on the wall haha.

How do I make this compound spread more smoothly?


texts: Can I use a 240/120 transformer and adapter cable to connect a generator to my house?

texts:
Tornado took out power around here for a good while. Parents aren't here and I'm stuck with the task of hooking up a generator. I'm not savvy with this stuff very much at all.
Here's the issue. The connection coming out of the house is L14-30P. The generator has L14-30R. In my head we just need a 30a cable between the two.
The only stuff we have right now is an adapter L14-30P to L14-20R. My dad says this adapter is needed because it puts the voltage down to 120v. It's literally just an adapter. He says at 240v it would fry our equipment and appliances in the house. Doesn't make sense to me to have this adapter, then have a L14-20P to L14-30R cord connected between the adapter and the house. Seems like an extra useless step right?
I'm not worried about breaker positioning and all that. I just need to make sure I have the cords done properly between the generator and the house. I've got the rest done.
Feel free to correct everything that is incorrect about what I just stated, logic and all.
Here is the front of the generator:


texts: What's the standard height for an outlet?

texts: I am installing outlets in my patio room.  What is the standard height recommended above the ground for these to be installed?


texts:
Our house has a raised corner shower stall in the downstairs bathroom. Just by doing a quick search and going off of looks, I'm pretty sure it's this model:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/38-in-x-38-in-x-78-in-Shower-Kit-in-White-455000/204311534

The floor in the shower has these stick on leaves that covered the majority of it and in the last couple days started to peel off. I've noticed before that the floor feels soft in places and sometimes almost has the sound of creaking wood in others. My original guess was that maybe the base was even framed with 2x4s and filled between. This is what the base looks/feels like. The blue circle is the drain. The brown lines feel like possible the supports as they are were it'll creak, but has the most strength. The areas between the lines are were the floor feels "squishy"/has some give to it. It was most likely installed in like 2006/2007 when the home was renovated, so now I'm almost guessing it might feel that way over water leaking into the base.. but I'm not sure of anything on it.

Originally I thought it was maybe just made to feel soft, but now that the leaves have started to peel off, we see that it appears to have cracked/been cracking before and the owners attempted to patch it with some sort of square white tape? I've marked them in the picture below with the black line around them. I'm not sure that it's leaking and I haven't removed all of the leaves yet to see the rest, but based on the feel and sounds of the base.. I believe there is an issue and I don't know that I trust that tape to be holding out water. What options do I have here to possibly stop any future cracking or water from leaking? Does anyone know why the shower would be making these noises/feel soft, is it accurate to blame water damage? Preferably I'd like to apply some sort of whole-coverage on to the base rather than continuing on with patches here and there.


texts: How to shut off water valve to outside faucet?

texts:
I mentioned in a previous question that either our pipe burst or our outdoor faucet broke. It leaked into the house. Our main water line is shut off currently. We can't locate a shut off valve to the outside faucet.

The main water line comes into our utility room. It branches off into 3 lines(2 cold and one hot). Is there a  chance that one of the colds is for the exterior faucet only? Is there a "typical" scenario?


texts: Problem replacing Slater Pilot Switch with Leviton

texts:
I have an existing Slater Pilot Switch with two terminals on each side (dismissing the ground).

An existing black is split in the box and wired into either side, a separate black and white are wired into the other terminals on each side. The switch controls a single light in an attic and the pilot is on when the light is on, which I want to replicate. As far as I can tell, there are no other lights or switches, so I believe it to be a single pole.

The new switch I purchased is a Leviton with just three terminals. . I am at a loss as to how to translate the existing wiring of the Slater to the Leviton. I suspect I need to eliminate the split black wire, which appears to be no longer necessary. Thoughts? Many thanks.


texts: I am moving my range. I need an extra 4 feet. It is very difficult to run new wire. It is 8 gauge aluminum wire (says on sleeve 2-8). Can I connect 6 gauge aluminum to the 8 gauge aluminum  in a junction box for the extra 4 feet?


texts: Multiple switches on a linked system of strip lights

texts: Is it possible to link 4 strip lights together, with only one cord plugged into a wall, and then install what I think are called in-line switches between each strip light, and be able to turn each light on or off as needed? It seemed impossible when I thought about it, but I don't completely understand how electricity works, so I thought I'd ask here. Since two of the three wires are not affected by an inline switch, I thought that may cause it to be possible to do what I want to do, but I don't want to spend $160 or so on the lights and switches and cord link connectors without knowing if this would work. Thanks in advance.


texts: Wiring issue with 3-way switches and FEIT smart dimmer and T1/T2 lines cross-talk

texts:
I am trying to install a FEIT Smart Dimmer switch with a 3-way switch. It is an interesting installation where the 3-way switch (works as a single pole in this installation) has 120V line. One of the traveler lines T1 actually gets shorted to 120V line.
The dimmer uses this to get the 120V hot via T1 and the T2 line tells the dimmer whether to "toggle" the state of the switch. In principle this works but not in my house.
The 3-way (single pole) switch had no effect on turning off the lights so I used a multi-meter to see that if I connect 120V to one traveler light T1, then the T2 traveler had 45V on it. Strange, It was triggering the NCV tester as well.
Any idea why this might happen?
I used a continuity tester and confirmed that the traveler wires T1 and T2 are not shorted/connected. But still T2 has some 45V AC voltage on it when T1 is connected to live/hot wire.
In the following diagram T2 is what always has some potential of ~45V.


texts: How do I to choose a new light fixture for the bathroom?

texts: I've got a bathroom that has a single 75 watt bulb light fixture. It's wall mounted. Unfortunately, it's old and there isn't enough light. I'd like to replace it with a sconce that has 2 or 3 bulbs. How do I determine what type of sconce to get? How many watts? How do I know if the circuit will be overloaded? I'm going to hire an electrician to do the work, but I want to buy the right fixture for him to install. The home was built in the '60s.


texts:
Merry Christmas!

After lengthy research, still looking for some input.

New sub panel in basement. Thinking Square D QO Plug-on neutral. Neutral and ground isolated, adding 2 ground bus bars - bonded to case. (HOM2448M100PC)
Basement sub panel fed from and directly below 150a sub panel in garage, about 15 feet.
Garage is dry-walled but not finished yet and would be easy to cut, basement not yet dry-walled.
Thinking to fuse it at 90a @ garage sub-panel
Looking at 310.15(b)(16) @ 75 degree Celsius column, given that all terminals (and wiring) are rated for 75'C (is the basement panel? are the breakers?)

Question 1: Am I correct by looking at that table and column. And if so, can I use 2-2-2-4 AL SER with no conduit from garage panel to basement panel?

Question 2: Can I place basement panel in framing between a finished and unfinished space? (i.e. inside a utility room between wall of living space). 2x4's and back of panel would butt up to drywall of living space.This wall is not insulated.

I am in Colorado.


texts: Can I screw a wall light mounting plate directly into the pine wall covering the junction box?

texts:
I have 3/4" thick pine rough-cut paneling covering my wall studs.
I'm attempting to replace three dated wall-mount candelabra sconces attached to boxes underneath the paneling. (Picture 1)

The old lamps are attached to the box via a middle threaded pipe. (Picture 2)

The new lamps have conventional side-mount screws. The mounting plate wants to screw into the box, but the hole cut in the paneling for the box isn't big enough to allow for this.
Can I simply screw the mounting plate into the 3/4" paneling itself? (Picture 3)

I'm trying to determine if this is a safety issue, and I can't for the life of me figure out why it would be any less safe than the current fixture.


texts: How do I keep the door jamb moulding from pulling away from the wall when hardware is screwed in?

texts:
Total novice here. My wife wants one of those security door guards (a hinged arm that swings open to a point) on the door. I had bought the hardware, but put it off when the provided screws turned out to be for wood only, unable to penetrate the front door, which was painted metal. I finally got around to buying metal screws. The latch bit went in fine, but when I tried to attach the bolt to the jamb, the moulding started pulling away from the wall. It went back a bit when I finished screwing it in (after a brief panic, thinking that I'd just ruined our door in the start of winter), but not all the way. Is there any trick to keeping the moulding down? Or is this cosmetic and I just need to bridge the gap with a little caulk and paint?

Where the jamb moulding is pulling away

A section which hasn't yet pulled away a little below

The security door guard, in case it's relevant

I have since removed the jamb part of the door guard because it only had one screw and we're expecting company later tonight. The jamb is still a little bit off of the wall, enough that the door squeaks up against it when opening. I'm beginning to suspect that the moulding has probably been this close to pulling away for a while now, possibly due to expansion over the years, and I just lucked into it. I think I have some nails downstairs that I can probably use to try to tack it down.

I tried wood screws on the jamb after tacking it down with finishing nails and drilling guide holes. No dice. At this point, I think I must be hitting something harder just past in the door. Given the sheet metal screws didn't go through, I'm not sure what to do short of maybe trying concrete screws.


texts: What's the best way to connect two separate generators to a well pump?

texts: I need to have a generator run 240 volts to a well pump, and want it switched off when the generator is started.  I also want a second (back up) generator that can be switched on if/when the main generator doesn't work.  What's the best kind of switch?  And how should it be wired?


texts: How long does Kilz need to dry before skim coating?

texts:
How long does oil based Kilz need to dry before I apply a skim coat texture to my ceilings?

I've recently scraped a popcorn texture down to drywall. Now I want to seal the porous surface before applying a skim coat.

My assumption is a full 24 hours is plenty of time to wait.


texts:
Where would wrenches go?
Does it need to be cut?


texts:
I have scoured the internet for answers to this but can not find one. However I think I can ask a more intelligent question now that I have more information.

I have a pool shed (refrigerator, bench and changing area) maybe more than a shed but certainly not a house. There is electric but no climate control. I am in the North East where temperature can fall to 10 Degrees and rise to 95 degrees in a typical year. The shed is approximately 10 X 14 that is divided into two rooms. (4 x 10 and 10 x 10)

The subfloor seems like cement but I am not 100% sure. I want to paint and put flooring down. The old flooring was these tiles that were paper thin (vinyl?) that all buckled. Flooring is my question:

I would be happy with anything, carpet, rubber, vinyl plank or anything that is easy to install up to $2 a square foot. I looked at those vinyl planks but apparently they will have major contraction during winter (when it is unused) and can buckle, not to mention that all the instructions say not for outdoor non-climate spaces. I am not worried about the warranty just wether it will hold for five years at least. https://www.homedepot.com/p/LifeProof-Sterling-Oak-8-7-in-x-47-6-in-Luxury-Vinyl-Plank-Flooring-20-06-sq-ft-case-I966106L/300699284?cm_sp=BazVoice-_-QA_PQRDR--300699284--x

The floors people use for garages and or gyms that are rubber, I get the feeling they are not made to be trimmed. And with the wall dividing into two rooms I need a tighter fit than giant 12 x 12 tiles I can not trim.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/BlockTile-12-in-x-12-in-Modular-Interlocking-Garage-Floor-Tiles-Set-of-30-B0US4630/301985773

I heard people recommend sheet vinyl but that does not seem like it would hold up and I was thinking about outdoor carpet.
Anyone have any suggestions? I looked at questions about garages, cabins, sun-rooms and nothing seems to fit.


texts: What kind of wood is recommended for replacing kitchen cabinet shelving?

texts:
We have kitchen cabinets with removable plywood shelves.  They are 1/2" thick and 10.25" wide.  The lengths are 19.25" (short) and 31.25" (long).  We want two more short, and one more long one.

They look like a standard size.  Does anyone sell pre-cut shelves like this, or do I have to buy a 2' X 4' X 1/2" sheet of plywood and get it cut?

Googling did not reveal any pre-cut.

EDIT: I am in San Francisco. We went to a local hardware store and they did not have any good equipment. They said they would have to "hand cut" it (circular saw?) because they do not have space for power tools in their stores.  We are going to try Discount Builders Supply.


texts: What kind of screw is this and how do I open it?

texts:
These are screws all over my pc casing. I would like to open them but I dont know how, sorry for the bad quality picture, but I cant take a better one.

How do I open them?

EDIT:
As people have suggested I found the proper way to open some parts, they were hidden behind a big plastic cover, that was attached with many clickable sections. After open the cover there were the final screws I needed to open.


texts:
An attic has been converted into a bedroom and it's very uncomfortable to sleep in, the air is very dry. I bought a humidifier but it didn't come with instructions. This may be a silly question but I want to make sure: how do I use the humidifier? I filled it with water and plugged it in. Nothing has happened after 30 minutes. A sticker on it says that if it doesn't work the first time to add salt to the water and to refer to the (non-existing) instructions. On the box it says warm mist vaporizer, are vaporizers the same thing as a humidifiers?

EDIT: I added salt and now it's going a little bit, hardly any steam is coming out of it, should there be more?


texts: How to remove the "new carpet smell" (VOCs) from new carpet?

texts:
My wife is pregnant. We just had new carpet installed in the soon to be baby's room. We didn't realize until after it was installed that the "new carpet smell" is actually a bad thing. From what I've read online, new carpet gives off harmful fumes, which contain VOCs, for months.

What can I do to expedite the process of removing these harmful VOCs and air out the carpet?


texts: Is a 6 foot 5 inch ceiling height ok for a basement bathroom?

texts:
When I had my house built, we had a bathroom roughed in for a future bathroom in the basement.  Where they roughed in the bathroom is right below the heat and cold air ducts, which is below a sunken living room, so at that point my ceiling would be at 6' 5".  Other places would be 7' 3" due to the support beam and 8' to the joists where the sunken living room is not.

Will a 6' 3 ceiling be ok?  I should mention that it will only be a 3' by 5' section.


texts: How should I paint accents over oil-based stain?

texts:
[I apologize in advance if this sounds more like an art question; looking across SE this site seemed to be the best fit for my question.]

I'm refinishing a bass guitar that I stripped down to the bare wood.  The wood itself appears to be alder, from what I can tell.  The current plan is to give it a single coat of Minwax Golden Oak to bring out the grain and then add some accents with oil paint, finishing with a few coats of clear satin thereafter.  While I'm pretty comfortable with the staining portion of it, the paint raises a few questions:

Should I sand where I intend to paint after it's been stained (e.g. with 000 or 0000 steel wool, perhaps)?
Should there be a clear coat between the paint and the stain?
How soon after painting can I put a clear coat over it?


texts: Trying to understand "smaller" in 334.15 Exposed Work and across joists

texts:
I'm trying to understand 334.15 Exposed Work:
"Where cable is run at angles with joists in unfinished basements and crawl spaces, it shall be permissible to secure cables not smaller than two 6 AWG or three 8 AWG conductors directly to the lower edges of the joists. Smaller cables shall be run either through bored holes in joists or on running boards".
Question:

When they say smaller do they mean in diameter or by gauge number? I want to run 6/3 with ground NM on the ceiling of an unfinished basement.
Are they also saying that I can run 6/3 perpendicular to the joists attached to their underside without running boards?


texts: What parts do I need to get this outdoor light working?

texts: I'm sure I need a light bulb of some type, but I do not know what kind or what else I need.  I just bought my first house and I am a DIY rookie.


texts: Do I need joist hangers for deck frame on gravel pad? What is the nail size?

texts:
I am building 12'x14' detached deck in backyard and away from the house. Frame will be of pressure treated wood sitting on gravel pad. Essentially a rectangle build of 4x6 with one 4x6 in the middle and 8 2x6 joists spaced 16" OC.

Since I have solid support under the entire frame, do I still need joist hangers or is it ok to just use nails at the angle from inside (toe-nail)?

If so, what is recommended nail size? Ideally, I would like to use nail gun to quickly attach those joists.


texts: Alternating breakers have power and no power

texts: I noticed I had an issue with no power in parts of my house. Both lights and receptacles affected. I go with my multimeter to the panel, and I have on the  8 breakers on the left and 7 on the right, in thleft side,I have power to 1,3,5 and 7. No power to 2,4,6 and 8. On th right side No power to 1,3,5,7 and power to 2,4 and 6. I see a clear pattern, but don't know what to do going any further.


texts: If you got 120 volts of current on each leg of a 50amp breaker but only 25v on each wire going into the stove outlet ,what could be the problem?

texts: If you got 120 volts of current on each leg of a 50amp breaker but only 25v on each wire going into the oven outlet what could be the problem?


texts: Motorizing a manual crank-type casement window

texts:
I've got a couple of crank-open casement windows that are rather annoying to get to.  I would like to motorize them.  I searched for existing solutions and found them all to be ludicrously expensive.  So I want to make my own.  I would like some general advice on how to go about this, but I also have a specific question.

Using a luggage scale, I measured the torque necessary to turn the crank and found that it's about 18 kg cm with the window half open, and about 36 to open the window when it's been tightly shut.  Shopping around on Amazon shows plenty of motors that can do that with ease.  But how do I attach a motor to the crank stud?  That's where I need advice.

Removing the crank shows that the crank stud is splined with 12 teeth.  What sort of coupling do I use to attach to that?


texts: I have a lamp designed for 6 12v g4 bulbs. I replaced all the bulbs with LED bulbs and the lamp only flashes on when I flip the switch. I replaced one of the LED bulbs with a halogen g4 and the entire lamp now works fine. The lamp is on an ordinary switch. What is happening? I would like to be able to use LED bulbs in all 6 positions. Thanks in advance.


texts: How can I calculate the yield strength of steel tube?

texts:
There's a lot of information -- and even some debates -- on which has a stronger yield strength between square and round steel tube.  The majority points to square when the dimensions are equal at the same gage (1"x1" square vs. 1" diameter round).

However, what about square vs. rectangle?  Assuming same gage, is the yield strength of a 1" x 1 1/2" that much stronger than 1" x 1"?  What about 1/2" x 1 1/2" vs. 1" x 1"?  Do you have to be a physicist to be able to make this calculation on your own or is there a layman's method of determining this?


texts: Irrigation system B-Hyve with manifold away from the faucet

texts:
I am using 3 B-hyve Smart Hose Faucet Timers to schedule watering. The current system is connected as:
Faucet ---- ~35 ft garden hose ----- backflow preventer ---- 4-Way Hose Faucet Splitter --- 3x (pressure regulator + Smart Faucet Timer)
This setup is problematic because of the garden hose. At the faucet there used to be pressure regulator but it broke and the water was sprinkling for days before i noticed. Now the hose disconnected from the faucet (it is connected to the faucet using 5/8 in. Metal Female Mender from Homedepot).
The problem is that the system above is always connected directly to the faucet without the hose in between but I do not want to uselessly drag 3x ~35 ft irrigation tubing. Also it is at the side of the house where wifi is not accessible.
Can someone suggest a better setup that would be affordable (max 30 USD). I am considering a new hose which would have a factory fitted connector to the faucet. I was thinking about running a PVC tube up to the manifold but I have no idea how to connect the PVC to the faucet (I am limited with tools and do not want to buy things just for single use). But the PVC is white (the current hose is black) and I am in central Florida, the water from the hose in summer is over 150F in the afternoon.


texts: Help: Replacing a Leviton Dimmable switch with a Regular Switch

texts:
I'm a newbie when it comes to installing light switches. My staircase light would randomly turn on in the middle of the night and it has 3 dimmable Leviton light switches that control the staircase light. I've already successfully changed one of the three light switches to a regular light switch. However, when I'm attempting the second light switch, I'm super confused on how to connect the wires and screws.

2 black wires connected to the black screw
2 Red Wires connected to a copper screw
1 white wire connected to a silver screw
1 Copper Wire connected to green screw

Here is the original setup of the Leviton Dimmable switch:

Here's my new switch that I'm trying to install:

What I have attempted so far (I know I'm doing something wrong here). Please advise.
Light Switch 2 Attempt

Back of Dimmer

Thank you!


texts: Is it OK to leave the thermostat unwired?

texts: So I went to replace the batteries in my thermostat and when I pulled it off I noticed a black wire was unplugged. I'm not sure if it's suppose to be like that or if I accidentally pulled the black wire out since the screws on the backplate were loose. It's a white and black wire. The white wire is still connected to the W and the black wire is not connected. Is it alright to leave it this way until I get back from school? I'm already late trying to figure out where the damn black wire goes. Thanks


texts:
I have a mouse problem in my house. I have put out mouse traps and they have been mostly successful. Five mice have been caught within a week. My predicament is that there are still mice and I would like a method that I can use to catch multiple mice with the same trap so I don't have to keep checking/setting them all the time.

NOTE: I am open to either fatal/live traps.


texts: How do I diagnose light dimmers that have become erratic after installation?

texts:
I used to have light dimmers in my house that worked just fine; but after an electrical panel upgrade they became erratic and/or noisy.  All the dimmers are powering LEDs which claim to be dimmable and the dimmers claim to be LED-friendly.  And this used to be true, before the panel upgrade.

The first one we noticed, and which we tried to show the electrician who did the panel work, would become flickery when the vacuum cleaner or the toaster oven were running (both on different circuits) but it would only do it sometimes and of course it never when he was looking; so he shrugged and said to just keep an eye on it.  Eventually we gave up and removed the dimmer.

Another light started buzzing after the panel was upgraded, and we assumed the light was faulty and replaced it but the new one also buzzed, and I only realised the other day when I decided I didn't want a dimmer there that removing the dimmer fixed the light.

Other lights on dimmers struggle to start when they used to have no trouble starting at all.

I can't think what could happen at the panel that could make this sort of thing happen... or what other environmental factors might happen at around the same time


texts: How to remove very stuck stripped screws?

texts:
These things are caught in hard wood. I made the dumb mistake of not drilling pilot holes.
Rubber band trick failed
Screw drill and removal bit failed
JB welding a bolt worked for 2/5. Trying again, failed for the remaining three a third time.
Anything tougher to get these out? Any tricks to get more hold on the jb weld?


texts: What is this?  The metal strip is 7 inches long.  There is a small hook in the end.  The other end is just a plastic handle.


texts: Dropping wire from attic through existing interior drywall wall

texts:
I need to put an outlet in an existing interior wall. I can get to the top plate of the wall from the attic, and I can connect to the supply for the other outlets in the room from there too.

My question is if it's ok to just drop the wire through the empty space and into the new outlet box. I.e. the wire would just be dangling, and not fastened to the stud.

Can I use regular romex, or do I need armored wire?


texts: Questions about DIY on cedar siding and maybe new windows

texts:
Admins, this might be too much for 1 post, but they're all related so if it needs broken up, just let me know.  Also anyone reading this, please feel free to speak to just one part because it's a lot.

My house is wrapped in cedar siding, built in the mid 80s. Someone painted the front in latex paint (cracked, split, cupped, name it) and needs replaced, but the rest was stained rather well -- a lovely green I might add and looks fantastic, outside of a board or two that has split for who knows why.  I'll be replacing those soon.

Anyway, I'm considering replacing all the siding on the front of the house myself (I have a miter saw, circular saw, a good ladder ... plenty of tools to do this) and had a few questions about doing it in a way that means business and I REALLY don't like doing things twice, so I want to do it right.  I also hate paying 3-4x more for someone else to do it.

My first set of questions is regarding the siding.  My house is facing south, so it gets baked in the Georgia sun.  Bad.  I have some really large trees that protect the rest of the house, but the front gets sun for 8+ hours and for this reason I've considered concrete (hardy) siding.  My questions -- 1, should I do it (hardy) or the cedar and 2, would it look stupid?

My next questions are around replacing the particle board panels and adding a layer of that house wrap stuff.  I figure if I'm ripping off all the siding, I should replace the particle board with plywood and add house wrap. The way it's done now is with that thin, really crappy stuff and I have a feeling I'm going to find problems.  I've watched a few videos on doing the wrap and it seems stupid easy.  Any reason why I shouldn't do the house wrap?  Other than cost, any reason not to do the plywood and how thick should the plywood be?  Has to be exterior rated too right??

Final set of questions -- should I replace the windows while I do this?  My current windows are 14 years old, some don't open real well, hazed up, etc so they're due but the framing of the windows I have is metal and there's no screws on the inside of it for removal.  It makes me think there's no easy way to do replacement windows (vs new construction) but I'm not sure, so I ask :-)


texts: I recently purchased a portable closed hyundai electric generator for home use, 6,3 kva, 8000se, diesel.  The generator is on wheels.  I have put it in a well ventilated storage shed more than 15 feet from my house. The shed has a concrete floor covered with tiles.  What material do you recommend that I place between the tile floor and the generator?


texts: what is the temperature rating for typical wire nuts?

texts: What is the temperature rating for normal wire nuts, not specialized high-temp ones?


texts: What to use for huge exterior window gaps?

texts:
What do I need to do in order to caulk this huge gap above an arched window?
Should I put some sort of barrier on top of the wood window frame and pipe cement to fill the gap.  It is too large for even the biggest backer rod I can find.  I am using Quad caulk and various sizes and lengths of backer rod on the other windows as their gaps are much smaller.


texts: I have a ceiling fan that's wired to two switches, one to control the fan and the other to control the light. Turn both on individually or together and all works well. Turn off fan from either switch or pull chain and the light goes out. But, the light might go out on the first time or the 10th time switch/pull chain is turned off. Pull chain for light twice(to turn light off and then on) and the light comes back on. Same goes for wall switch(turn off and back on), and the light will come back on. When I took the light kit off the fan and allowed it to just hang there, there were no issues with either wall switch or pull chain for fan cutting the light off. There is nothing that looks out of the ordinary with wiring inside the fan. But as soon as light kit is close to being put back on fan, the issue starts up again. What could be killing power to light when all wiring appears to be correct? What is it about the light kit just hanging and no issues arise?


texts: What does it mean when my dryer's 240V supply is 110V?

texts:
My electric clothes dryer recently stopped providing any heat. Today a service-technician arrived and diagnosed two problems: that the heating-coil was broken (3 months after warranty) and that the electrical supply was only 110V instead of 240V and said I should replace the breaker. He didn't speak English very well and I didn't press him for details, but he did say that both issues would need to be corrected in order for the dryer to work again. He replaced the heating element in the dryer but did not say what was wrong with it, this leaves me with just the breaker:

My dryer is connected using a NEMA 14-30 connection and my breaker-box has a two-pole 30-amp circuit breaker, currently the reset switch is in the On position and indeed, my dryer produces no heat - only moving cold air around.

My understanding of electrical systems is limited, but I understand the dryer's 240V (is it 230, 240 or 250?) has two 120V AC supplies that are 180deg phase-separated, giving a total potential of 240V.

The technician did not go into detail about the electrical problems, I don't know if he meant that both phase supplies were both giving only 65V (unlikely, but possible?), or if one phase was not delivering any power at all, and if so, which connector wasn't delivering power.

Surely the circuit-breaker would indicate if there was a fault and perhaps enter some kind of failure-state or at least trip.

I'm about to head out to my hardware store to buy a replacement breaker and see if replacing it fixes it, but this doesn't seem right.

I'd hate to call out an electrician for this - I got a $350 quotation just to replace the breaker, hence why I'm doing it by myself.


texts: I got home a few days ago after being gone for a couple months and I noticed one of the lights (CFL) in my kitchen isn't working late at night. If I try to turn it on after around 10:30 PM it almost certainly won't turn on. I just tried it around 10:45 PM and it turned on at about half brightness for about half a second and then went off. It works fine earlier in the evening, and it's been doing this for the past 4 nights (since I got home). What could be causing this? I don't think it's the temperature, it's about 74f in my house right now (11PM) and it didn't get hotter than 80f today.


texts:
I have decided to decorate the bedroom and have now gotten around to do the painting. I initially gave all four walls one coat of a light grey soft sheen paint which covered nicely. I then gave 3 walls a second coat of the same paint which covered all the odd patches nicely.

I figured I would use a darker color paint for the feature wall so I got a darker grey, still soft sheen but is a different brand. The wall just doesn't want to take at all. I am trying to cut in with a brush but unless I lather it on thick, the paint just comes back off when I try to brush it out.

Has this got anything to do with the different brands of paint or its being soft sheen? I have tried multiple brushes but it just seems to keep pulling away and I end up with patches. I used a 12-inch medium pile roller to do the main body of the wall which works great, but I can't go around the edges with a brush. Any idea why?


texts: How do I fix aluminium edging onto an MDF board?

texts:
I bought a 12mm sheet of melamine-faced MDF to use as a (black) whiteboard (chalk pens, works nicely) and some aluminum angle to use as edging (hoping to attach it to the sides and the front).
I was planning to screw the aluminum into the sides of the MDF but I have read some horror stories about splitting MDF that way.
I was wondering if anyone could advise how I might approach screwing it together safely, or else suggest any better ideas?


texts: How many wires can I fit in 1" schedule 40 PVC conduit?

texts:
I have a pool sub-panel with four #6 AWG running in 1" schedule 40 PVC conduit in ground under the pavers. We are planning on adding some solar panels above pool equipment. I was thinking, instead of tearing up all of our pavers to lay new conduit, to run those four #8  over the same conduit.
My question is, Can I run four #6 and four #8 stranded THWN Wire over 1 inch schedule 40 PVC conduit?

EDIT 1:
I can run the ground wire to the pool sub-panels bus bar and that will eliminate an extra #8 wire over conduit. Would that work? BTW. the pool sub is 40A circuit but it runs #6 wire over 70'. I was trying to use conduit calculator mentioned in the link but it's no longer available. I was thinking of back-feeding the solar to the pool sub (it's 100 amp rated) but I'm facing an issue when (pure sine inverter 8000W) generator is on and it will turn on the solar which is not what I want. My main solar array is interconnected on the service side and shut down when there is power outage. What I want, is to run that little array back to the solar junction box where it would be monitored and manage just like the other panels.
Now that I think about it, I can probably getaway with #10 or even #12 wire for the solar as it's only 4 panels 330w each but microinverters are rated at 240w 240V.
Any suggestions?


texts: Some time ago, I bought a second-hand table saw.  The original owner had extended the table with a section where he mounted a router.  The holes are in the pattern of a Group C router and I recently bought a Porter-Cable 7518 which should fit.  The holes line up but the screws holding the sub-base on the router base are 5/16"-18 and have a head about a 1/2" across.  The countersink holes in the table are much smaller.  Are 5/16" machine screws available with smaller heads?  It doesn't seem that a reducer (a 5/16"-18 outside thread and something smaller inside) would work well here, if such a thing is even available.  I could get smaller machine screws which would fit inside the threads in the base and then put a nut below but that would certainly make mounting and unmounting a chore.  I could get a larger countersink bit and make the holes fit the larger heads but that seems hard to get right.  Any thoughts?


texts: What can I do if the sink tailpiece is too close to the wall?

texts:
I have a small Porcher brand, Elfe model, sink, whose tailpiece is only 4 inches [OC] from the finished wall.
One solution is a non code compliant bottle trap, but is there a code compliant solution?
Are there any devices like a tight radius trap?


texts: furnace blower motor vibration when working hard

texts:
A few weeks ago my furnace developed a vibration that can be heard throughout the house.  If I remove the side panel of the furnace or if I remove the filter, the vibration goes away.  My theory is that the fan works fine when it doesn't have to work hard but when pulling air through the filter (which is new) it has to work harder and vibrates.

My questions are:  does this make sense?  And if so, how can I troubleshoot it further?

-Edit- the old piece of junk ended up dying yesterday.  We are replacing the unit.


texts: Could bad grounding cause sparks and fire when connecting the cable box and TV?

texts:
I just moved into a home built in 1955. During inspection, it was noted that none of the outlets were grounded even though they had three prong outlets installed.

Per our agreement, the owner supposedly grounded all the sockets using a licensed electrician. During our final walk through, the owner's general handy man told us he rewired everything. I unfortunately didn't think anything of it.

Come to move in day. The cable installer shows up. When plugging the HDMI cable into the TV, the cable box sparks and catches fire and the TV is dead. Scorched and melted HDMI ports on both end.

The cable installer assumes a bad box, gives me a new box. We try again with new everything (cable box, power cords, HDMI cable, TV). This time we notice the HDMI sparks like mad when making contact with the HDMI port in the TV. Luckily we were wary this time and didn't actually plug the cable in.

At this point I'm suspecting the "unhandy" man botched the grounding on the outlets. I'm getting an electrician out here Monday to take a look. Right now I'm avoiding plugging anything in with a three prong power cord.

Any thoughts? Does my hypothesis sound correct?

Links to pictures. http://imgur.com/a/8sjx1

Suspicions confirmed. The guy didn't even cheat. He hooked the hot wire to the ground, he should of at least used the neutral cable to boot leg it.


texts: How do I fix stripped bolt holes in wood?

texts:
I have a wood futon that is assembled with threaded bolts screwing into holes in the wood that are threaded.  Over time the threading in the wood has worn and the bolts just slide in and out.  I've found plenty of info online on dealing with similar situations for screws, but nothing about bolts.

What are my options?


texts:
I was trying to replace my ceiling fan and well of course I didn't take a picture of how the wiring was before I tore it apart so I'm trying to figure out how to put it back together so everything works.  The only thing not in the pic is the fan/light so if you could also let me know where those two wires would go as well would help.

This is what I've figured out:

yellow circle has the power
red circle is the other bedroom
blue circle is the switch
green circle is the outlet in the room.


texts: I Replaced Pressure Relief Valve on Rinnai water heater (twice!!). New one does not hold ANY pressure

texts:
I just finished replacing the pressure relief valve on my Rinnai hot water heater. Everything went well, I turned on the cold input and wham, water just started gushing out of the relief valve. All the specs line up on the valves (150 PSI), in fact the new one has a higher BTU/HR rating by a long shot (500,000 old vs 934,000 new).
I have to ask now. Could I have done something wrong during installation? It was all so obvious what to do, teflon tape, screw the valve into the hole, put the drain pipe on the bottom and done.
After inspection of the new valve it appears that the inner gasket had come unseated therefore not letting the valve close. I assumed it was defective, so I exchanged it for a new one, the gasket looked good.
The replacement had a seated gasket, I opened and closed it manually and it seated nicely. I installed, same as before, as soon as I put some water pressure to it, it just started gushing and wouldn't closed. When I removed the 2nd new one, the same thing happened with gasket, it unseated and pinched in the valve.
Now, I know I installed it right, I know it's the "correct" valve, I had them double check in the catalog and specs for our Rinnai:
Valve specs:

Old Valve:

New Valve with defective gasket (on the bottom right inside):

Could the catalog be completely wrong? Could it be possible that 2 valves were defective? It's the only "Pressure Only" valve we could find in town. The rest are all "Temperature and Pressure" with the thermal probe that won't fit in our heater.
Separate question: can you use a T & P valve be removing the probe and have it still work?
EDIT:
The old valve still holds pressure for the most part, it just trickles/drips water out (which is why I'm replacing it)


texts: Honeywell thermostat hookup with No C wire with wires RC, RH, G, W, Y currently used, how How to hookup external wall adpater transformer

texts:
How Do I hookup Honeywell RTH8500 thermostat with No  C wire with wires RC, RH, G, W, Y currently used? I have an external wall adpater transformer but don't know where to connect it to. I have separate Heating and Cooling (Heating is a Weil McLain Boiler for Hot water baseboard and Hot water(no tank) and Cooling is a separate unit that was added later.)

RC Cool

RH Heat

W Heat

Y Cool

G Cool


texts:
Home improvement stores have been stocking products in the paint section that appear to put a thick coating on the deck boards, giving them the appearance of synthetic decking. They claim to offer superior protection to the lumber, and eliminate splinters, nail-holes and minor cracks, and they claim a homeowner can apply them over the course of a weekend.

Do these deck coatings work as claimed? How durable are they? How difficult is it to apply them? Will they cause the wood to rot by sealing in moisture?

What makes one coating product more desirable than another? What dangers or pitfalls should we look out for?


texts: Condensation on air con causing leak, best way to insulate

texts:
In the roof there is a large metallic air con box, the drip is coming from one of the corners, see photos. An engineer has said we need an external drip tray, and/or additional insulation.

WHats the best way to insulate, its dripping from one of the corners shown in pic.


texts: How do I optimally cut a bolt to length?

texts:
Once in a while I need a bolt of exactly the right length and it is not one of the lengths available in stores. So I get a longer bolt and cut it to length. Here's the procedure I follow.

I screw one or several nuts onto the bolt so that they are between the bolt head and the future cut. Then I grip the bolt in a vise and cut it with a hacksaw. Then I trim the edges with a file to get them to something like 45 degrees. Finally I ungrip the bolt and unscrew the nuts and that cleans the threading of any loose metal.

What I don't like is trimming the edges requires a lot of tedious work and usually the edges won't be as clean as they were on the original bolt and so the bolt will sometimes get stuck when I start to screw a nut onto it and I'll have to remove the nut and try to screw it again. This it not a problem when the connection is to be permanent, but is definitely a problem when it has to be disconnected and connected back rather often.

Also it's quite problematic to have a cut perfectly orthogonal to the bolt axis because the threading helps the saw blade to slightly drive away. This is not a major problem, but still would be better to avoid.

Is there a more efficient procedure for cutting bolts to length that would yield cleaner edges and more precise cuts?


texts: How can I store PVC pipe in the sun and prevent UV degradation?

texts:
I handle the PVC pipe storage system in the yard for my company. The yard  is a totally open area and pipe is directly exposed to sun light. In the summer the sun is high and due to this lots of pipe gets damaged due to sun burn/degradation and yellowish and brownish marks appear.
How can I save these pipes from becoming scrap without using any roof or shed?


texts: Light fixture with 2 hot wires, with switch off

texts: The light fixture had a fan on it, was fairly new, but above dinning table so removed it, the box has 3 lines with 2 being hot, even with switch off. Puzzled, the fan worked when I took it down but I left it a while and forgot how it was wired when i returned to it, any help would be great.


texts:
I was unable to get pilot lit by pressing button and using lighter. So I tried my torch on the thermocoupler and turned the gas knob on and it came on, hence the picture. Yet the pilot light still is not on. So I don't think it's a bad thermocoupler but maybe a bad gas line to the pilot light.

Anyone knowledgeable about this?


texts: How can I fill a gap between my new threshold and the hardwood flooring?

texts: The old exterior front door threshold 1 3/4 inch. The new exterior door threshold is 1 1/2. I would like to find a good looking way and nice looking way to fill the gap between the threshold and the beautiful flooring.


texts: Wiring of sub panel in a detached garage

texts: I have 240V service (40 amp) to my detached garage using 8-2 UF wire.  This was installed in the 90's.  It feeds 4 120V circuits. I recently was looking at the sub panel where the black and white are hot and the bare ground is serving as both ground and neutral back to the main panel.  I never has a problem but is it OK to use the bare ground in this way?  If not what should I do?  Also, there is no ground rod at the sub panel.


texts: Can Thinset be used for covering cement driveway or garage cracks and small holes?

texts: I have small holes and cracks in my cement driveway and garage floor. Can thinset be used to level these floors?


texts:
Alright so hopefully I can explain this properly.

I'm replacing a fascia board where the corner can't be a straight cut. There is one board that spans the "bottom" of the roof and one that goes up the gable.

The long board on the bottom I cut to a inner 45deg bevel. This board, due to the structure of the house, does not sit at a perfect 90 with the roof plywood.

I figured, with the "bottom" board installed, I can use a t-bevel with the long metal side flush with the inside of the roof ply and the back end against the back of the "bottom" board I can get the 2nd angle I need to cut the gable with.

As such the gable will be cut at a 45 bevel and a miter of whatever the t-bevel yields.

Is this a correct approach? Better ways?


texts: Why isn't my garage door opener button working on new installation?

texts:
I recently installed a garage door opener in my new home, it is wired as such per the installation instructions.

The garage was prewired with 20AWG, insulated and drywalled, and I identified which wires go where by testing continuity.  For the first couple days everything went swimmingly, then suddenly the button stops "working".  The opener is responding to the wireless remotes and it responds to the wireless keypad, however the button doesn't trigger an open/close event.

The button light is ON, and it switches off when the button is depressed, then switches back on when the button is released however the singal doesn't seem to be making it to the opener.  It is on warranty, so I called and they sent me a new button, however I am not sure thats the problem.

I tried shorting the red and white wire from the button because thats how I opened the garage door at my last house (the button was smashed, just had two wires hanging on the wall that I touched together), however shorting the wires did nothing.

I am thinking there is probably a bad relay in the opener.  Or maybe the door button for this model does something special?  What are your thoughts?

Model: Chamberlain LW3000


texts: What kind of light bulb does this lamp use?

texts:
It is an old lamp from IKEA

Here is a picture of the inside of it

I could not remember what kind of light bulb it uses. Can anyone able to identify the right kind?

It would be even greater if you link back to the IKEA catalogue.

Measurement of the socket: 1 inch at the widest

Edit:

Photo of a label at the bottom

Yes, I live in Australia


texts: When a ceiling fan is turned on I get 440v in the room circuit

texts:
I installed a new ceiling fan. When switched it on, I get 440v in the entire room circuit; I had stabiliser that showed the voltage. I was surprised. I took a multimeter and measured the voltage it too showed 440v. If I switch off the fan switch then the voltage comes down to 220v.
I removed the fan and connected a bulb over there and the voltage is not varying (it's at 220v as expected). Checked the Hot and Neutral line they seems to be fine as well.
Any idea on what could be going wrong here? How the fan can trigger this kind of voltage variation?
1 & 2 Are fan images & 3 is the switch.


texts:
I've got this same dang faucet, and it is leaky. There are some answers in the linked page, but there are some contradictory posts, so I thought I'd re-pose this query.

There is nothing to unscrew or put a hex wrench into up top.

Is the answer: pry with a screwdriver until handles are off? They're on there pretty good. Also, I'm not even sure what brand this guy is, so I'm fuzzy on exactly what cartridge to purchase to fix it.

How to remove the handles from this faucet


texts: Outside electric outlets should be 20amp or 15?

texts:
The previous owner ran a circuit for outlets in my unfinished basement but I have little use for them. It would be convenient to just tap into that circuit so I can have one electric outlet on the outside on each side of the house. Maybe even eliminate most of the outlets in the basement.

However, it's only a 15 amp circuit and, in the interest of doing it the right way, my impression is that a 20 amp circuit would be better cause "power tools". Also, the wife envisions a water feature and some outside lighting.

But then the question remains about what to use in the garage. It makes even more sense, to me, to run a 20 amp circuit for wall outlets there, including one on the outside by the garage door though I don't really use power tools or envision any kind of workshop out there. There is an office next to it and I thought I would just tap into that lighting circuit for a few ceiling lights in the garage.

This answers my question in part Don't know how I missed that but a few details are missing.


texts: Best way to secure a cat enclosure to the ground?

texts: I'd like to make a small outdoor cat enclosure for my cat.  I shouldn't have any problems securing it on the tops and sides but i'm curious if anyone has suggestions for securing it to the ground?  The bottom will be touching dirt and I want to make sure that my cat cannot get out AND that no critters can get in.  Suggestions?


texts: What options are there for door stops away from a wall?

texts:
I have a number of doors in different situations where opening the door fully will hit various things, in all cases I don't have a wall behind the door to fix a normal stop to.

The only solution I can currently think of are the stops you screw in the floor, but they would be a trip hazard.  I assume using those floor stops near the hinge would be a bad idea because it would wrench the hinges?

What other options are there for preventing a door opening too far?

For what it's worth these are the different situations:

Door corner collides with sloping ceiling when open 135deg
Door face collides with kitchen cupboard knob at 90 deg
Door edge collides with bookcase at 150 deg


texts: Do I really have to cut my wood flooring to a 1 inch width?

texts:
So my flooring in almost done, I have about 99% of it installed.

The only problem is that the gap between the last board and the wall is only 1 1/2 inches. Is my only option really to cut down these nice full pieces of flooring into strips?

Worse so is that it is Uniclic bamboo so that means I can't cut 1 piece into 4 strips but that I have to cut a full piece to get each strip (cut all the tongue sides off to fit into the grove of the piece before it)?!?!

Is there any work around for this? I have the same gap in all 4 rooms, that's going to be about $200 worth of flooring that will be 75% thrown away!


texts: 20amp afci breaker with gfci outlet tripping under 15amp load, but not lower loads

texts:
I have been switching my breakers over to AFCI a few at a time. I now have two AFCI breakers running to my garage, which are wired to two 20 amp gfci outlets (dedicated circuits). One of the outlets trips every time I try to run my 15amp miter saw, but runs fine when I have a 6amp drill press and 3amp heater running off it. Here is what I've done so far:

I checked the wiring of the breaker in the panel, and it's fine (neutral and hot from the circuit going to the breaker, and then a separate neutral going from the breaker to the neutral bus bar).
Since the other gcfi outlet works with the miter saw, I swapped the outlets, and it still flips the breaker.
Then I re-ran the 12-2 wiring (not that difficult in my case), which also caused me to re-do the wiring at the breaker anyway, and it still flips when I fire up the miter saw.

The gfci outlets seem to work fine, the miter saw works fine on other gfci outlets, I have new 12-2 lines, the wiring at the breaker is perfect... is it possible I have a bad aFCi breaker? Thoughts and ideas are appreciated.


texts: 50 champion generator plugged into a Generlink 40 Amp Meter Mounted Transfer Switch

texts: Hello and thanks in advance, I would like to buy the Generlink 40 Amp Meter Mounted Transfer Switch but my champion generator puts out 50 amps.  Will this overload the switch.  I know it will only let 40amps into my panel and I'm fine with that.  i just don't want to overload anything.  Thanks


texts: How much drainage pipe should I bury for a new downspout?

texts:
I've installed a new downspout to drain a section of gutter that was getting overloaded during heavy storms. The rest of the downspouts all terminate in corrugated black tubing that's buried in the ground, which prevents the water from simply being dumped onto the lawn where it might pool and work it's way back under the slab. For my new downspout:

How much pipe should I bury (i.e. how many feet)?
How much bigger than the pipe should be trench/hole be?
How much slope should the pipe/trench have?
Should I put gravel in the trench?

For background on my situation:

I live in the South. During heavy rains several inches can fall over in only a few hours.
Our soil has very high clay content so it drains poorly. During a heavy rain as described above the soil cannot absorb the water as fast as it falls so it just runs over top of the lawn.
The amount of water this downspout has to handle would is approximately a hose at full blast, or close to it.


texts: Air Conditioner Draws a Lot of Outside Air When Door Opens

texts:
If I open a door when home ac is running, the air blowing in is very noticeable. Not so if ac is off.  The air volume out the vents is also low IMO but 2 service guys said "no".
In a closed system like a home, there should not be a pressure differential with the outside to my way of thinking so I'm wondering if there may be a air leak in the attic on one of the runs and I'm blowing that expensive cold air into the attic. The blower wants to make up for the loss by drawing air from whatever opening is available.


texts: I am trying to install a Leviton IPS02-1LW  (Amazon link) motion sensing light switch. However, my current light switch does not have a ground. Can I run a ground wire from a nearby outlet, or could that cause issues?


texts: Is it possible to install a frost-proof sillcock on a steel plate?


texts: How do I remove an oil stain from my concrete driveway?

texts:
Anyone have tips for removing oil stains from a concrete unpaved driveway?  The spill was from a leaking car, now fixed, and they are a few months old.  There are so many products and spurious reviews at Amazon.  I'm not sure whom to trust...

Does anyone have personal experience with products to clean these oil stains?  Our driveway like most driveways has a slight slant to allow water to run-off to the street gutters.


texts: How do I replace one switch in a 2-gang box with a timer?

texts:
I have a box with 2 switches wired in it.  One switch controls the front porch light; the other at least one half hot outlet.  I want to replace the switch that controls the front porch light with a timer. The existing wiring is shown below

Currently, the black power wire is  stripped about 6 inches down from where it comes into the box.  The striped portion is bent into a u-shape and attached to the hot switch on the brass side of hot switch then  the other and is connected to the front porch switch light.

I hope this makes sense.   My neighbor thinks I should piggy tail the power wire to the two switches. What do you think?


texts: Is it possible to get my existing dimmer switch to dim lights further?

texts:
I have just replaced lower watt LED ceiling lights with new, higher wattage LED ones. I have discovered that I'm using a Lutron TG600P toggle with sliding dimmer that is meant for incandescent bulbs. The LED's work fine and are dimmable.
What I want to do is to control the dimmer to a lower range - with the higher rated bulb the low end is a little brighter than I would like.
Is there a another settable control on the Lutron other than the sliding control to lower the low end brightness?


texts: Where to start when standing oscillating fan motor wont turn on?

texts:
It is probably not worth fixing but I hate throwing things out when there might be a simple fix. My wife told me that one of our fans was not working. I took apart most of the simple parts and cleaned off all the dust to no avail. When plugged in and turned on nothing happens. No smell or sound that I have noticed. I suppose it could be something simple like the switch itself but I am not sure.

Do I try and bypass the switch to see if that is the issue? What is the unit on the right where the purple cable goes in and out of? Is this too dangerous to play with?


texts:
I would like to replace an existing retaining wall (pictured) which is falling apart with one that is as close as possible to the fence line to reclaim some of our back yard from the drive way. Our plan would be to then cut the asphalt back from 14' to the side fence to ~10' and increase the grass area. It is presently about 3' tall.

The look we are going for is Quikwall on cinder blocks, painted white.

We live in Canada and the frost line where we live is 48". My first question is if I want to build a wall of the similar height out of cinder blocks/mortar/rebar, do I really need to dig down 4 feet and pour a 16" wide concrete footing?

My other question is, when digging up the existing wall, should I brace the fence with 45 degree 2x4s?

I'm open to suggestions and have the manpower, time, and some friends who are landscapers to help out, but if I have to lay more than 2 courses beneath the ground I can see the costs escalating very quickly and would like to avoid that if possible.

Thanks.

http://imgur.com/a/fDVWCm3


texts: How can I clean and paint my basement floor?

texts:
The basement in my house I just purchased has remnants of paint on one half of the basement that is separated by a wall. The remaining paint is stuck down really well and I would like to paint over it. I have found some concrete paints at the store I could use, but was wondering if there was a cheaper and better option.

Before I get to the paint however, I need to clean the floor. There is a white powder on the floor that I can't seem to get up. I tried using soap, water, and a stiff bristled broom. I swept it all toward the drain, but apparently not enough or something. Now I see foot prints all over from myself as well. I'm wondering if the dirt is just being suspended in the water and isn't all going to the drain. Would doing the same thing with a shop vac be better? I'm looking for a cheap option because I have other projects in mind as well.


texts: How is this type of weather stripping replaced?

texts:
This weather stripping is about 20 years old, and obviously it's no longer doing anything. It seems like it's stuck between those pieces of wood, but I can't tell if it's glued in, or if there are nails holding it in, or if it's just a compression fit. Can anyone identify how it was installed? If it's really in there, I was thinking I'd just cut it off and grab some adhesive based stripping to replace it.

Click any image for full size


texts: Acceptable joist depth for a second set of ceiling-only joists

texts:
Background

I'm installing a new ceiling in the kitchen of the bottom unit of a multi-family home.  The house is quite old and uses 2x8 (actually 2"x7.5", not 1.5"x7.5", due to era of lumber) over a 12 foot span, which experience more deflection than is ideal but is certainly acceptable.  This does create more transfer of impact noise (foot steps, dropping things, etc).  I have isolation clips for the ceiling furring (http://www.kineticsnoise.com/arch/isomax.html) but, now that we're not installing recessed lighting, I'm considering adding a second, separate set of joists to hang the ceiling from.

Problem

What is the minimum joist depth and maximum spacing needed for new joists that support only a ceiling (since there are separate existing joists carrying the load of the floor)?

My calculations for two layers of 5/8" drywall/blueboard and some mass-loaded vinyl come to just over 5 lbs/sqft.  There will be additional weight in veneer plaster and a trivial amount in light fixtures.  All span calculators I can find accept a minimum of 10 lbs/sqft of live load and an additional 10 lbs/sqft of dead load.  This situation seems to me to be around 6-7 lbs/sqft of dead load and essentially no live load over a 12 ft span.  Trying to figure out if I can get away with 2x4s or need 2x6s or can cut 2x6s down to 2x5s, etc and whether I can space them every 24" or need to stick with 16".  Not so much a matter of cost as of space for other sound proofing materials and considerations.  Deflection concern in this case is to avoid veneer plaster cracking.

To clarify, this image is roughly what I'm planning for, where the red joists are to be added and whose dimensions I'm trying to determine.


texts: Is there a keyed switch that can be used to power off a subpanel?

texts:
I'd like to be able to power off the sub-panel in my home workshop using a simple key-based switch. I envision a junction box just before the sub-panel with a key that can be turned "on" or "off", and removed.

(The aim is to make sure children don't have access to any of the electrical equipment in my shop.)


texts: Should I have replaced my water heater's shut-off gate valve with a ball valve?

texts:
I replaced my water heater's cold water shut-off gate valve with a ball valve...because the gate valve didn't close all the way and was dripping water while I was working (installing a sediment filter.)

I'm assuming that, since ball valves are superior to gate valves, pretty much every plumber would agree that doing this was a good thing, but if there are any professional plumbers present, I'm curious to know what your thoughts are.


texts: Old window installed inset from exterior

texts:
This is my old window (single pane glass) and it is inset / indented from exterior wall about 2-3 in

If I replace with modern double pane vinyl, it will sit flushed against exterior wall.

So what is the reason for such 2-3" indented like that? I noted that it is sloping down for water run off.

Is it just an old way of doing thing? Or is there specific reason?


texts: How much should you expect a painter to scrape off exterior of historic house?

texts:
Hundred year old house with wrap around porch and the porch ceiling was painted.
The porch ceiling was scraped, but only in certain areas. I am assuming these were the areas with loose or peeling paint. The problem is some parts of the ceiling look smooth and nicely painted and others look rough and uneven where the paint was not scraped because it wasnt peeling or loose. Some of the wood on the ceiling is much older and more blemished than other areas. I wasnt expecting perfection but the ceiling really only looks good in the areas where the wood is newer and where they scraped. Am I expecting too much of the painting contractor for them to have scraped and prepared the surface better?


texts: How do I stop my garage door from opening on its own?

texts: My garage door has opened twice in the last 2 weeks during the night.  Is someone driving by and opening it "accidentally"? How do I keep this from happening?


texts: Can I leave an unused conductor when running wire for an extractor fan?

texts:
Whilst wiring a new extractor fan, I’ve ran out of twin and earth but I have some left over three core and earth from the lighting (1mm^2). The fan doesn't have an over-run and only requires 2+e. It will be on a 6A MCB circuit with a 3-pole isolator with 3A fuse regardless of the cable used.

I don’t fancy buying a new reel of 2+e for such a short length, so besides the fact it’s a bit wasteful, is there any reason I can’t use the 3+e and just leave one core unused?

I can’t think of any reason why it would be a problem as long as the end is properly trimmed so it’s not touching anything.


texts: should I stain the bottom of exterior steps?

texts: When staining exterior steps should I also stain the bottom of the steps? I ask because I think it might better to leave the bottom unstained to let any moisture in the wood evaporate. There would be no stagnant water on the bottom surface of the steps to guard against, in any case.


texts: Does building insulation wear out and have to be replaced?

texts:
First, a little back-story.  I've been having trouble with the air-conditioning system in my south-Texas apartment home for almost two months so far this summer.  The apartment manager has been sending their "A/C Certified" (the certification a whole separate thing to be skeptical about) technicians to my apartment.  On each occasion that a technician comes to my home, he wants to just glance at it and tell me there's nothing wrong in spite of my explanation.  I nearly have to poke him with a stick to get him to give it more than a cursory examination even after I explain that the indoor temperature tops 80 degree Fahrenheit every day.

However, one of the technicians observed that there was an area above the living room where the insulation above the ceiling is missing (I confirmed this observation), and so the apartment manager called for an outside contractor to come service it.

He came to my apartment and told me that not only was a section of insulation missing, but that all the insulation above my apartment was old and needed to be replaced.  I am very skeptical of this claim because I've never heard of such a thing, and also I never had any trouble with the temperature in the winter time.  The apartment manager has not had time to act upon his recommendation AFAIK, but it sounds to me like we're being taken for a ride.

I've never heard of such a thing as building insulation needing to be replaced when it reaches a certain age.  Personally, I've nearly given up hope on the situation and have begun making plans to move my family to a new home.

My question:

Therefore, my question: is building insulation a thing that wears out and must be replaced eventually in order for my apartment home to stay cool in the summertime?


texts: How should I troubleshoot and unclog an outdoor drain?

texts:
Our back concrete patio directs water to a nearby outdoor drain.  The drain consists of what seems to be a 5 Inch green PVC pipe with a plastic grate cover that sticks out of the ground a few inches.

The drain pipe goes down into the ground 8 - 10 inches and then turns sharply so that the drain is parallel to the side of our house and going towards the front of the house (presumably exiting out towards the street). I'm not sure where the drain comes out (I've never seen this drain work and it's been clogged since we bought the house.

Since the drain doesn't work, water on the back patio has no where to go (fun fun fun).  I need help/advice on how to troubleshoot and correct this before rain season.

I was initially thinking using a hose or auger to see how far down the clog is. But if/when I do find the clog, I'm not sure how to fix it. Dig up the entire pipe?

I was also thinking of pouring water down the drain, trying to loosen it with the hose/auger, and checking the front of our house to see if I can find an exit point.

Any ideas, feedback, assistance would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Will I encounter problems after applying interior paint over exterior?

texts:
The usual story of grabbing the wrong thing off the shelf and only noticing after the work was done...

I'm not bothered by the short-term outgassing, but I'm concerned that exterior paint is often softer than interior, as it has to flex more in outdoor conditions.

I still have a coat to go on my skirting boards.

If I buy the equivalent latex paint in its interior form and use that for the final coat, will its strength be compromised by the softer first coat?  Would I be better off completing the work all with exterior paint?

Obviously the very best that I could do is sand it all down and start from scratch.  That's not going to happen.


texts: Wall Switch | Want to Install Rocker Switch

texts:
As I have mentioned in other posts of mine - I struggle with electrical work. Now, I have an issue. Today, I went to change a couple of switches from whatever they were to rocker switches.

Now when I opened it up in the first place I noticed, that the switches are connected by a wire going from the right switch to the left. When I went to change the switches I did my best to maintain whatever had been created in an attempt to ensure the new switches would work.

I then removed the wires from old switches and placed them as best I could on the new ones the one the left trips the breaker. Any ideas? I have tried everything I can think of...Before I changed the switches the lights worked, the breakers didn't trip and now they do and I am at a loss. Any suggestions or thoughts?

Below are pictures of the how they are currently.

EDIT 1:

As pointed out on the comments the red wire shouldn't be on the ground. Now, I have tried with it as described on the below photo. No matter where any of the wires have been connected it tripped. Thoughts?


texts: Why are British "shaver sockets" limited to using a single plug at at a time, and given this, how are you supposed to use two appliances?

texts: Is the only option either for everyone who needs another socket to get an adapter and charge things in their own rooms or constantly swap which appliance is plugged in? I live in a shared rental where everyone has different brands of electric toothbrush and shavers so even a single extra plug would be helpful but plugs without this shutter effect seem impossibly hard to find.


texts: What NEC section, if any, covers an owner wiring their own home?

texts:
A question answered by Karl Katzke said:

  you are allowed to pull an electrical permit on your OWN residence

Can anyone tell me if there is language in the NEC to this effect and if so what is the section number?


texts:
I have a water pressure problem (city line).  In our kitchen, which is the first physical stop (not counting washing machine) for hot water, the hot water flow pressure seems fine, but the cold water pressure is weak.  I'd guess about 25% of the hot water pressure.  Yet in the first bathroom (next in the chain), it's the opposite, but to a greater extreme.  The cold water gushes just fine, but the hot water is more a trickle in comparison, maybe 15% of the cold water pressure.  Not only that, but running the water in the bathroom or the washing machine causes the kitchen sink faucet to go from a drip to a steady stream leak for the duration of the use of water.

Is this something that the city needs to fix, since I do pay a water bill, or is it up to us as homeowners to hire a plumber or someone else to figure out what is going on and fix it?  This has been an on-going problem for years, I'm guilty of putting-off addressing it.


texts: Basement It's not wet just spots on concrete

texts: I would like to do something with basement floor it doesn't get wet just dark spots in area!  Our house built in 70's someone has said underground river in neighborhood not sure if true!  We tried commercial rubber backed carpet tiles in basement that lasted for about 2 weeks and we developed horrible smell!  Once we pulled tiles up and airing out we got rid of smell.  We run humidifier all time! Help I would like to use area as living space!