texts: How can I prevent or remedy "bio slime" accumulation in a sink drain?

texts:
The drain in the sink which we use for mouthwash consistently gets clogged by a very  repugnant slime. I've tried all the common drain unclogging products (Drano, Liquid Plumber) as well as some non-standard remedies (e.g., boiling water, vinegar + baking soda), but none of them seem to help. Which means that once a year I have to disassemble the entire drain/trap assembly and manually scrub out the pipes. Can anyone offer another remedy?

(Note: as I've mentioned, this only happens to the sink where we use our morning mouth wash. We tried using a different sink -- to confirm the theory -- and sure enough, the bio-slime began to build-up in that sink instead. It is apparently caused by the bacterial discharge that is expectorated with the mouthwash.)

UPDATE: I've discovered that the slime only seems to grow in the presence of water. So my initial habit of running the faucet after spitting was actually counter-productive. I now resist the urge to rinse out the mouthwash and it seems to have solved the problem.


texts: Can I add a second dishwasher to an existing power circuit?

texts:
Our current dishwasher has a dedicated 120v 20A circuit breaker (KY, USA). We are thinking of adding a second one. We will likely be alternating the use of the dishwashers but may use both concurrently (after parties, etc.). Should I wire a second dedicated circuit from the breaker (a job as it's a finished house) or can I get away with the existing circuit?
Thank you,
David


texts: Do you have to vent the space between wall and drywall for a finished basement?

texts:
The ceiling in my furnace room is open.
I have been chasing the source of the bad smell in my basement for about a year when I finally realized that the smell is coming out of that room. Here is a quick description of the situation:

-ceiling in the furnace room is not finished. Batt insulation was stuffed between joists to close the openings toward the finished ceiling of the adjacent rooms
-there is an opening that used to connect an old furnace to the chimney. For some reasons this was not closed and the layers of insulation (foam, batt and plastic barrier) can be seen through this
-the insulation was broken in two smaller areas where the rails that take the fan out of the furnace hit the wall

The smell is more like the smell of the air trapped for a long time in a basement that has just batt insulation (no drywall or vapor barrier)

I am not sure what I should do about these. Is it a good idea to actually try to use these openings and this room to try to ventilate the space between the basement walls and the insulation by let's say installing a fan and venting out the air that I evacuate from this space ? I guess that air from the upper floor will be sucked in through the top floor and somehow some form of ventilation will occur ...
Of course with these I am also hoping to eliminate the smell from that room too
Is there a standard practice for situations like this?


texts: Is there any study or calculation on how much money I save if I buy door/window X with a certain R value vs door/window Y with a different R value?

texts:
Is there any study or calculation on how much money I save if I buy door/window X with a certain R value vs door/windows Y with a different R value?

I am afraid that this whole thing with better and better doors for which you pay more is just like with the electric cars, the cost difference offsets the savings

Please if you are aware of any article or webpage share it here, my google fu is letting me down, I could not find anything


texts: Can I use ProPEX for Pressure Relief and Steam Generator Drain?

texts:
I'm installing a steam generator and a tankless water heater.  I want to know if I can use ProPEX for the P&T relief and for the steam generator's auto drain valve.

The googling I did on the P&T valve was that the plumbing needed to be secured and that it was hard to secure PEX.  for the tankless I was going to use a PEX to Brass threaded fitting with ears and secure that to the wall and exit the side of the house.

The steam generator P&T and drain is going to be plumbed into the grate of a 10x10 floor drain and secured to the drain cover. Of course with the 1" air gap to where the actual water drains.

Thanks!


texts: Splitting one main low voltage power line into two

texts:
I'm installing under cabinet lighting and haven't worked with low voltage wire before and trying to determine the best option. I'm using 18 gauge wire (stranded) to wire LED lights. In my particular situation, I have my wires coming from the power supply under one of the middle cabinets. I have about 4 more feet on the right side than on the left, so to protect against potential voltage drop, I want to run the wire from the power supply straight up, and then from that wire, connect to two separate runs (one for the left side and one for the right). My question is how to best connect the wires. I was initially thinking of using wire nuts to connect them - for example, the two positive wires on each run tied in with the positive wire from the power supply...so 3 positive wires wire nutted together. Same with the negative wires. I then read something where I'm now a little concerned in using wire nuts for stranded wire. If I do end up going that route, I'll also wrap electric tape around the nuts to help prevent any possible movement. And yes, I have nuts for the proper gauge, but I think those are always rated for solid and not stranded, but I could be wrong.

The other consideration I had was heat-shrink butt splices, but it would basically be 1 wire in one side and two wires in the other. This may be problematic because the best size I can find is 16-14 gauge. That would work I think for the side with the two 18 gauge wires going in, but maybe not for the side with just one 18 gauge wire.

Hopefully this makes sense. Any suggestions on this?

Thanks!

Chris


texts:
I am trying to figure out whether wall is load bearing or not.
I am in 2nd floor of 3 storey condominium building.

To figure out which way joists run, I cut rectangle in ceilling near the wall. I can see metal piece behind ceilling drywall as shown in first picture ( along the side of rectangle, facing  bottom right corner of picture). That is definitely not duct work. I placed my cellphone inside and took its picture along it's length.  (2nd picture)

I did find 2x4 or 2x6 running parallel to the wall, around 24 inch away but its wider side is facing toward sky. Is that joist ? I thought joists are placed wider side facing sideways and shorter side facing sky.


texts: How should I deal with sediment in my water lines? Whole-house filter?

texts:
I've had on-and-off problems with sediment in my water lines due to really old city infrastructure. It has clogged the inner workings of the dishwasher, blocked shower heads and faucets, etc. Although the city periodically flushes the lines (or perhaps because they do), particulate still makes its way into my pipes.

Because this is a rental property (I now live about 700 miles away), I'm looking for a solution that would require little intervention once in place (changing filters periodically is fine - I just don't want my tenants to have to constantly clear the sediment traps on faucets or have to worry about appliances that don't have any traps/filtration of their own).

So is a whole-house water filter my best bet? Are there other options I might not be aware of?

Edit: Talked to a plumber, who pointed out the possibility that I may have severely corroded galvanized supply lines after the meter and into the house (which I do). If that were the case, placing a filter before a run of oxidizing steel probably isn't going to do much. It could also be both (the city and my side of the meter).


texts: What are the pros and cons of a cultured marble tub?

texts: I'm in the middle of a bathroom remodel (tear-out done), and the next step is to choose a tub. From a materials perspective, what are the pros and cons of using a cultured marble tub? For instance, resistance to scratching and chipping, noise, color-fastness over time, etc.


texts: is it common not to have wood under the stucco on walls on a new home ??

texts: Is it common not to have wood under the stucco on walls on a new home ?? my builder has left 4 or 5 4 x8 sections with no wood under the stucco and says this is very common to just wire lathe and stucco over the insulation?


texts: EMT or PVC Conduit For Exterior Above Ground Electrical Run

texts: I'm installing a garage on the side of my house furthest from the electrical box. I don't want to trench the entire distance (60 ft), so I am planning on running conduit along the exterior of my home to the wall nearest the garage. From there I would dig my trench to run to the garage (~ 10 ft), and transition from an above ground to a below ground installation. I'm planning on a 60 Amp circuit to power the garage. EMT can be placed underground according to 358.10.A.1. If I read correctly it only needs to be buried 6 inches, where I need to go 18 with PVC. Am I understanding this correctly or off base in my analysis? What would be the recommended choice in this instance.


texts: Are there pet friendly insecticides that kill only spiders?

texts: Is there a insecticide that only kills spiders?  I have  a cat and a dog.  So, I have to be careful what I use.


texts: I have a cement patio that I would like to install some type of tile (likely a hardwood look tile) over. Is there any special consideration or installation methodology I should use to install it? Do I have to use a special tile? Special mortar?


texts: How should I bond two pieces of metal without a welder?

texts: I'm unable to access a welder at the moment as advised by my doctor but I'm needing to weld a couple of pieces of metal together for my grand daughter's birthday gift. It needs to be quite strong, able to support at least 150 kg (for multiple kids) so I'm feeling skeptical as to whether it's possible. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Thanks


texts: Why did my refrigerator fail and then work properly again?

texts:
I have a frost free fridge-freezer which failed three weeks ago, the fridge would not get down below 12C, although the freezer seemed to get down to -20C or so. The compressor pot would get pretty hot and the condenser was hot down near the compressor but not elsewhere. Switched off and left for a day or so, but same again on restart.

As the unit was quite new, the suppliers offered a rebate on a replacement if it could be verified as a manufacturing fault, so I had an engineer come out to verify the fault, which he did quickly by observing that the wet wall felt loose on one side. He said "The wet wall has blown, it's degassed and it's not repairable". Great, I was able to take advantage of the rebate and have ordered a replacement.

However, I left the fridge switched on after the engineer left, and it has been running perfectly ever since! That's about a week ago. The wet wall regularly frosts up and defrosts itself, and it has been stable at about 5C in that time.

Can anybody suggest a mechanism for why it appears to have resurrected itself? Could just pressing the wet wall back by hand have somehow fixed it? If so what are the chances of it packing up again?

I hate the thought of dumping the old one if it was a temporary glitch which has resolved itself, but I can't be sure that the fault won't return.


texts: How to secure outlet boxes to studs when running surface mount EMT

texts:
My workshop is not finished (i.e. walls are open) and I plan to keep it that way.  My plan is to surface mount the EMT and outlet boxes to the wall studs as opposed to running EMT through the studs.  But I wonder if this is a bad idea for the following reasons:

Some of the outlet boxes (mainly 1-gang) look to have no back holes through which I can run screws to secure to the studs.  If there are holes, they are off center, which means they will get a lot of torque when plugging/unplugging.

Some 2-gang boxes have center holes in the back, but I think the boxes will wiggle a lot with just two screws right in the middle.  Again, there will be a lot of torque on these screws.

I think I need a better way of securing the boxes to the studs, but I just don't see it right now.  Are the problems I listed above real problems and is there a better way of doing this?


texts:
I have a unit that is installed in the attic and is about 2 years old. For the first year everything was fine and then one day it wouldn’t run.  So I hooked up the shopvac and sucked the condensation line outside and it started up.  This worked for about a week and then I had to redo, then it became a daily occurrence.
I have cleaned out the drain pipe, poured bleach in it and still no luck. I put some anti-algae tablets a few inches away from the primary condensation opening.  I have checked the outside drain and nothing. It seems to be just draining in the secondary overflow pan under the unit which is a pain because it fills up and hits the overflow switch and shuts off.


texts: Second-story floor leveling question for new home

texts:
We recently purchased a new home (yes, new construction); the home is a modern-style three story 1800 sqft detached home with a cantilevered section. There's a carport under the cantilever, and then the second and third floor sit above the first floor + carport. It's slightly similar-ish to this home, but with two support posts instead of one:
https://photos.hgtv.com/photos/viewer/cantilever-/modern-home-with-garage-and-cantilever-carport

Anyway, the floor of the second story has a small slope over the cantilevered portion (3/8" total recession over 10 feet). Apparently this was due to a builder mis-measurement, and is not a foundational problem with the home (the third floor is perfect and has no slope). We put a clause in our purchase agreement that if we find that the floor slopes further, they will fix everything, and we negotiated the price down significantly after the inspection uncovered this, assuming we could live with it.

Furthermore, the beam right where the cantilever begins is obvious and forms almost a small "mountain" in the floor, which would make leveling more complicated since we'd have to level the entire floor to this top point instead of just the cantilevered portion.

I guess you could visualize a cross section of the floor (very roughly!!) this way:

_________________________---___
                               ---------
                         /\
                         |
                  cantilever starts here

The floors are all engineered hardwood.

So, finally to my question:

While I am able to live with it, It's definitely been on my mind to go and fix this someday if possible, and I was wondering what options we have and if this is even possibly a DIY project?

I read a few interesting posts mentioning the use of "purlins" like here, here and here.

Could I conceivably use the current engineered hardwood and do a 'leveling' project, or would I almost certainly need to replace the flooring on the whole floor?

Is this a reasonable-ish DIY project, or should I run far away from the idea and just hire people? In that case, would I be looking at prohibitive crazy-costs? Is this all just a wild idea?

If it is useful as a data point, I'm in Seattle, and the floor area is about 33'x20'.

Just looking for perspectives and advice. Thanks all!


texts: How can I wire a switch into an extension cord?

texts: i am trying to make a extension cord with a kill switch in the middle thats going to be mounted to my desk, the cord has red(phase), black(neutral) and green(earth) wires, but the light switch has loop, 1, 2 and common holes, what wires go where?


texts: I want to replace this old shutoff valve under my sink, but I don't know what kind to get or what precautions to take

texts:
I have this valve under my sink that is meant for a dishwasher, but it has a weird size to the outlet and its old, and I want to replace it. The two lines above this one lead into the sink (hot/cold)
A few specific questions:

Is the water supply line going into it a PEX supply line or pvc? I'm not sure how to tell.
Is what is there currently there compression with a ferrule? What can I expect to see when I remove it?
Can I, should I, reuse the ferrule (if that's what is under this old one)? If not what is the safe way to remove it without damaging the pipe?
What should I do if I reach some point of no return and can't attach a valve? I don't want to leave my house's water off forever, and because of covid calling a plumber CAN happen but I want to try and prevent that. Can I cap it off temporarily if something goes wrong?
Is there a specific type of valve I should get? I know quarter turn are preferred. I also don't want to get the wrong kind of connection for this kind of supply line

Edit: I realize I have another question about this same valve,  but that question was "what kind of outlet fitting can I get" and the answer was "you probably can't get it, so replace it". This question is about replacing it without making a mess of things, because its hard to tell what kind of pipe is there (appears to be painted copper)


texts: Mounting a TV to Concrete Through Wood Paneling and Air Gap

texts:
I have a bit of a tricky question in regards to mounting my 65" TV.

I have 3/4" knotty pine tongue and groove vertical wood paneling on my basement interior wall. The wall divides my finished and unfinished basement, so I can see on the other side that the wall is concrete blocks. I am wanting to mount a TV to the wall (finished wood paneling side) but for the life of me cannot find any studs - even after using a stud finder, drilling test holes, and even removing the outlets (seems the outlets are attached to the paneling at the tongue and groove connections?) I have also not even been able to find any nails in the paneling.

I'm assuming that since it is a concrete block wall behind the paneling, there are no studs and just horizontal furring strips (picking up hints of these with the stud finder maybe). My other assumption is that these furring strips are not strong enough to hold the TV (65" so say about 40-50 lbs on the high side) and I can't tell how they are attached.

To make matters even more complicated, there is a 1.5" air gap between the paneling and the concrete block wall...

So my question is, can I mount the TV to the concrete through the wood paneling or will the overhang (air gap and paneling) cause an issue since I'm actually mounting to the concrete underneath? Hope this makes sense, I did find a similar post here with some good illustrations that seem to match my issue, except it is talking about drywall and mine is wood paneling.

Thanks for any help!!

TLDR: Can I mount my TV by anchoring it to the concrete wall behind my wood paneling and an air gap? (3/4" knotty pine paneling + 1.5" air gap + concrete wall)


texts: What corrosion protection for nails, screws and bolts?

texts:
Would someone please care to explain the pros and cons of galvanized (hot & electro), stainless, zinc plated, spray (cold) galvanized, and (paint?) coated fasteners?
There seem to be different preferences and prohibitions for the type of wood (PT, ACQ) and the environment. For instance, carriage bolts come hot dip galvanized, but play structures come with coated bolts. Roofing nails come both hot dip and electro. Even indoor framing is done with galvanized nails.
Some last longer, others have better threads, some loose their protection upon driving/striking  etc... and I am not sure what is hype, what is real, what I can get away with, and what is required.
For those willing to put in the effort of a good write-up, I appreciate a thorough and balanced answer. This forum still beats all sorts of blogs and other writings because readers here can follow-up with questions, rebuttals, and clarifications.


texts: GFCI breaker trips only when weather is very cold

texts:
I have a microwave that works great except when the temperature outside is something like 15 degrees F or cooler outside. When this is the case, it more or less reliably trips the GFCI breaker in my basement, requiring me to turn it back on to try to get a few more seconds of heating out of it.

This never happens when the weather is warmer.

I’m only able to do proper tests when it is cold like this. What i did today was after the breaker tripped and I flipped it back on, I plugged the microwave in with a kill-a-watt meter in order to monitor the voltage. I conducted the same test (heating one hot pocket) and it completed a full minute without incident. So it may be possible that the kill-a-watt meter introduced some difference that prevents it from tripping now. Although, this is only one data point.

I just wonder what are some other things that I can test. And if I plug the microwave on a different circuit (having a regular breaker) it runs fine.


texts: 12vac Landscape Lighting Transformer - 12vdc?

texts: I have a dead outdoor lighting transformer.  Not realizing it was VAC I looked on Amazon for a replacement.  The bulbs are what I thought to be 12vdc.  I received the new outdoor lighting transformer and it didn't appear to work, nothing lit up.  Thinking it was a 12vdc supply that died, I hooked up my battery charger to the various view feeds and voila, the lights came on.  So I continued to think DC.  So my conclusion was that the unit I purchased was DOA.  Digging a little deeper I found that outdoor lighting power supplies are 120vac to 12vac, not 12vdc.  I get the advantage of AC over DC for range.  So now I'm confused, why are the lights working with a 12vdc power supply?  Perhaps the new unit I purchased was DOA.  Lastly, dumb question, is it possible to power 12vdc bulbs with a 12vac power supply?  Thanks


texts: Old recessed radiators with reflector foil

texts:
I just bought a home built in 1960. It has old recessed radiators. I've noticed that behind the radiators is some sort of reflector foil which I'm guessing is backed with insulation.

Should I replace this or leave it alone?

It looks original to the house.


texts:
I purchased this faucet and it seems like an easy enough installation. The bottom of this new faucet looks like this:

Seems like all I have to do is screw something in and it will attach the faucet to my counter top.

My old faucet:

Doesn't seem like it has the same mechanics. This is what I see under my kitchen counter top:

How do I get that off? I've tried twisting it as if the shaft is threaded but I don't think it was loosening at all.


texts:
I am replacing these two switches and not positive how the right switch is wired. The left switch is the only switch that runs to our porch light and the right switch is the only switch that run to the interior room light. It looks like it is a three way switch, but I am not sure since each of those switches operate as single pole switches.

Second question, even though the switch is grounded to the box, how can I tell if the box is actually grounded?


texts: What to use to fill a small HOLE in my concrete patio

texts: I have a 4" x 4" x 6" deep hole where a post had been on my cement patio.  The post rotted out and now I want to fill the hole and then place a post holder in that same spot.  What do you recommend to use to fill the hole?


texts: Anchor for insulated double plasterboard

texts:
I have 20mm previously drilled holes in double thickness insulated plasterboard.
I think a toggle bolt will be the most appropriate, but I’m struggling to find something that will be appropriate given the thickness of the wall and the insulation.
Any recommendations welcome!
Edit: I’m hanging a 12.5kg mirror, but the large holes are already there.


texts: Is it safe to assume a wall is not load bearing if the studs are on 24” centers?

texts:
I am looking at remodel options in a 2003 built townhome.
In considering which walls may be load bearing is it safe to say that when walls are interior and have studs in 24” centers they are not load bearing?
Or is 24” spacing code compliant with both load bearing and non load bearing walls?


texts: Battery terminal in wireless light switch corroded

texts:
I have a wireless light switch in my garage which uses 4 triple-A batteries. When the switch quit working recently, I took off the cover to replace the batteries and saw that the terminals were all corroded but the batteries themselves had no sign of corrosion on them.

I cleaned the terminals with vinegar, washed and dried them, and put the old batteries back in and the switch worked again.

Any idea what would make the terminals corrode without the batteries having any corrosion on them?


texts: What do you do if the rough in plumbing is supposed to stick out of the wall where you have two studs?

texts:
I am installing a 48" floating cabinet and the sink
This is the manual of the cabinet I will install.
https://www.baindepot.com/media/ftpbaindepot/pdf/VW4818-23WAL-127.pdf
The cabinet has slots for the ptrap and arm trap assembly but I am not sure if I can use a 45 degree elbow to avoid the collision with that group of three studs
There is no room to maneuver to the right or left of the cabinet as the shower glass door starts within 1" from the cabinet's left side as in the second picture

Here is a diagram for the drawers


texts: 3 white wires & 3 black wires coming from ceiling box

texts: I am replacing an old light fixture with a new one, which normally I do pretty easily.  However, when I took down the old fixture, there are 3 black wires all tied off with a wire nut, 2 white wires together and 1 single white wire, plus 2 ground wires.  I know the fixture was older (1983) and had black and brown wires, but none were attached to the black wires.  I'm confused on how to proceed as the new fixture only has 1 white, 1 black, and the ground.  Does anyone know how to do this?


texts: How do I position roof trusses without using a string line?

texts: How would I be able to install trusses on the building walls in which the tails were pre-cut to length, and have them come out perfectly straight to one another, without using a string line, mainly because of wind?


texts:
I'm trying to find out if this is a Bosch dishwasher problem or plumbing problem before making call to right repair shop.

My dishwasher does not have heating coil.

We moved dishwasher from left of kitchen sink to right of kitchen sink. Almost mirror, but I think water line could be longer by a feet or two.

Hot water connection is still same existing connection that we used before moving the dishwasher. Kitchen faucets get hot water. Dishwasher gets lukewarm water. I have experimented this starting dishwasher, let it do cycle for few minutes so that water is filled and then opening it to check the temperature inside multiple times. Water heater kicks in, but looks like dishwasher does not get enough hot water. At least its not as hot as kitchen faucets. Flex plumbing gets warm, but not hot as copper pipe it's connected to. Don't know if it has insulation that prevents it getting hot.

We have tried running kitchen faucet so that cold water is drained. No luck. Dishwasher water temperature always feels like luke warm.

Other pointers I have noticed is dishwasher has a "sanitized" indicator that turns on only if receives water at certain temperature. It does not turn on anymore. Counter top used to get warm earlier after usage, but no more. Cleaning quality after the cycle is questionable.

No other hot water issues anywhere in the house.

Could it be because of couple of feet of extra long flex plumbing?


texts:
I'm looking to install some floating shelves (I originally wrote "cabinets", sorry) in my apartment and want to put some moderately heavy things on them (likely under 100 pounds over a 48 inch long span).

I'm 95% sure there are metal studs and I can reasonably identify their location (though not necessarily their center) via my magnetic stud finder.

My only real question is how would I know which length toggle bolt to purchase?

I know I'd need 1/4 inch width bolts but I'm uncertain on the optimal length (presumably 3 or 4 inch)

Also, if the shelving bracket has 3 holes

should I use three toggle bolts per bracket or is that overkill (or perhaps would just weaken the drywall/stud?)?


texts: How to insulate brick gap behind steam radiator?

texts:
On my bathroom floor I can feel a ton of cold air coming through right behind my steam radiator when it is off. Here is a picture of the radiator with the cover on.

Below is a picture with the radiator cover off. I can feel a ton of cold air coming through the vertical gap that you can see in the picture. How can I insulate the gap while making sure that any insulation is heat resistant due to the proximity of the steam radiator? For any solutions proffered, should the metal grate be removed first? It is held in place with nails which I would rather leave in place if at all possible.

Would insulating foam in a can work here? If so, any specific brands I should use?


texts: My LG washing Machine Model F1203CDP has error DE

texts: I read online that DE error is due to Door Not Locking properly. I also read its  because of drain hose which I don't understand. Can any one help me in this regard how can drain hose cause DE error and how to resolve it. Also let me know if I'm  doing wrong by draining the washing machine water directly into the floor trap in kitchen. is this causing DE error??


texts: Should the bottom of a shower enclosure be watertight?

texts:
I have a newly-installed shower that leaks like crazy. As soon as the water level exceeds the depth of the low-profile tray, I end up with water all over my bathroom floor.

Is this gap in the enclosure the culprit?:

... and if so, do I just need a generous squirt of sealant or is there a component which our builder forgot?

(I'm also looking at why our trap is draining so slowly but that's another topic).


texts: How can I make self-tapping sheet metal screws go into metal studs more easily?

texts:
I am framing metal stud walls to hang drywall in my basement.

When using self-tapping sheet metal screws to secure the metal studs to the top and bottom stud tracks, it seems like the screws often try to veer off-center when I am getting them started.

Connecting the plate to the stud on the side that faces the interior of the room are straightforward since I have no obstructions and can keep the screw at a 90 degree angle as I drill through the stud track into the stud.
However, to connect the stud to the plate on the side facing the foundation, I have to drive the screws at a slight angle as I am driving screw from the inside of the stud out toward the foundation wall secure to the stud track and I have found I can spend as much as 5 minutes trying to get a single screw in.

Is there anything I can do to make the screws go in easier for scenario #2 above? I have tried using a hammer and center punch to create a dimple to keep the screw from moving around while I am trying to get it started. However, often there is too much flex in the metal stud to create the type of pin-point dimple that would help keep the screw on center.

Additional details:

I am currently using a good quality battery-powered impact driver with a magnetic bit holder and a #8 phillips bit to drive in self-tapping sheet metal screws.
The screws are #8 phillips pan-head self-tapping screws with a 1/2" screw depth.
The bit holder is the following basic Makita magnetic bit holder for impact drivers: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Impact-GOLD-Torsion-Magnetic-Insert-Bit-Holder-B-35106/203696938


texts: What should I do if the AFCI breaker neutral pigtail is too short?

texts:
I am wiring a house that I built, and code says I need an AFCI for the bedroom circuit.

The panel that I will be installing this AFCI breaker in is a subpanel, so my ground/neutrals are on 2 separate buses on opposite sides of the breaker panel.

Can I tie the AFCI white pigtail wire in to the ground bus, or does it need to go over the neutral bus? The reason I'm asking, is because the wire is kind of short. To run across to the neutral bus, I would have to splice an extension to the the AFCI white pigtail wire, and run the extension over to the neutral bus. How do you guys work with a situation like this?

I have all my 120v breakers on the left side (where the ground bus is), and my 240v breakers on the right side near where the neutral bus is.


texts: How to remove some unknown sticky dirt from a window?

texts:
This happens on my car, but it could happen in any home window. Therefore, I post here.

My car has some unknown sticky dirt on the window. I have no clue what it is. I can remove some of the dirt by my finger nail but not completely. I tried to use wet paper towel but does not remove any at all.

Note: I took two pictures. One is from the inside of the car. The other one is from outside of the car.


texts: How to detect concrete or brick behind plasterboard

texts:
I'm trying to hang a 4Kg electric guitar on a wall that sounded hollow however when I drill in after just under 4cm the drill head hits what sounds like either brick or concrete. I've bought expanding metal rawplugs that are 4cm long that look like:

But these now can't be flush with the wall to expand correctly. I've also bought self drill metal plugs which are 31mm in length and look like:

Apparently these can hold 8Kg per screw (and the guitar mount has 3 holes) so that should be fine but there's nothing on the packaging that says they will hold 8Kg per screw, that was just what I was told in the store so I'm not too confident.

I know the general consensus would be to mount these with a longer wall plug and screw into the concrete or brick behind but how do I know I am actually hitting masonry? I have a wood and metal stud finder which is not detecting any studs or live electrics but I want to be confident before attacking this with a hammer drill


texts: What is the right way to connect 7 conductors in an electrical box?

texts:
What is the "right" way to join 7 different wires in a single electrical box?

Here's the situation. I opened up a four-gang light switch. There were four switches controlling five lights.

As expected, the four switches were interrupting the hot (black) wires.

The neutral (white) wires also went through this box.

The previous electrician had connected all the neutrals together--five lines going off to the lamps and the house neutral source--all told, 6 conductors. The solid copper wires were stripped about 1 inch, twisted together, and shoved in a wire nut that was probably intended to be used with about 3 conductors.

I had never seen 6 conductors twisted together like that.

I was replacing one of the switches with an RF switch so that I could control a patio light remotely from the car. The RF switch required neutral itself so that it could operate even when the circuit was open. So I had to add another pigtail from this neutral mess, and now there are seven neutrals all just twisted together in one big heap and shoved in a wire nut that was probably intended to be used with about 3 conductors.

Is there a "proper" way to do this or is this pretty much the state of the art?


texts: What should we do about stained hardwood floors that are still wet after three days?

texts:
My husband and I made the mistake of applying too much stain to our freshly sanded hardwood floors.  After learning this mistake we wiped them with extra stain and wiped them off immediately. This helped remove much of the tackiness. However they still felt sticky after 48 hours so we scrubbed them with mineral spirits which seemed to help a little more. Twelve hours later they still feel slightly oily.  I feel like we have done everything at this point.

How much longer do we wait?  How do we know they are actually dry?  Besides resanding, what else can we do?


texts: How to fix leaking basement window in foundation

texts:
I am trying to fix leaks in a basement window.  After running water to determine the spot it is leaking, it appears to be leaking between the metal frame and the foundation.

The concrete is chipping under the metal framing.  I went to Lowe's and they said to 1) break away the chipping concrete, 2) clean it well with alcohol, 3) put on a concrete bonding adhesive, 4) put on Quickrete Hydraulic Water Stop cement, 5) spray on a liquid rubber sealant coating called Flex Seal.

I chipped it as far down as it would easily, but it doesn't seem to be far enough to add more cement.  I suppose I could a little bit, but I worry it will not create a good seal against the metal framing. Ideas?


texts: what substance should I use to refill a hole in wood?

texts:
I have a small wooden table (ikea) where the legs screw into the table top.

The hole - into which one of the legs screw in - became wider, so now the leg is wobbly.

How would I fix this?

Is there a substance which I can refill the hole with and then drill a [narrower] hole into so that I can re screw the leg in tightly?


texts: Why do I have low voltage and backfeeding between circuits throughout my whole house?

texts:
If I plug a hairdryer or anything else into a outlet, I lose voltage in the whole house. If I plug the iron in, the stove surges. This is a nightmare. I can't run the fridge; I can't even get the TV to come on. This just happened all of a sudden.

Also I have backfeeding on multiple circuits. No breakers have tripped.  On my main breaker I'm pulling 170V with nothing on. Also I can shut all circuits down and still loose voltage on that circuit.

What could be happening?


texts: Which type of solid wood flooring would be most scratch resistant?

texts:
My research so far indicates that lacquered floors are most maintenance free. Meanwhile simple brushed finish will need occasional 'top-up' with oils.
I'm not aware of what other finishes are available there, but I would like to know which would last better against scratches, specifically from pets.


texts: can I change the galvanized nipple going into drain to PVC or other type of plastic?

texts:
Can you switch put a galvanized drain nipple with plastic?
And of so would you use tape instead of pipe dope?
The guy at Lowes said pipe dope but many have said tape. Confused


texts: Can I replace a shower door that has one edge joining with another glass pane?

texts:
I had a shower door that wouldn't close anymore and the hinges were generally rotting and it was falling apart. The original construction was shoddy.

The shower consists of a door with one edge of the frame against the tile/wall, and the other partially on a standalone wall piece, and the other half against a piece of glass that covers the rear of the shower. I apologize for describing this terribly but I don't know the correct terms for these types of showers (or anything home related). It is best seen in the pictures below.

My question is, is there any hope of just replacing the door part without also tearing out the other piece of glass? The frame at the top that looks seamless does break apart. If not, can you buy combination door/side glass piece sets at Home Depot or something?


texts:
I purchased a TV for our bathroom remodel that is to be flush mounted in the wall - my question is can I install an outlet inside the wall to power the unit. It would be accessible if I lift the tv (it is gravity seated - no bolts - just lift it up to pull tv off wall).

So since code is that it must be accessible without demolition - would this be within code?

Here is a picture of what it looks like installed and a link to the install instructions which are vague at best.

[Watervue TV install][3]


texts: Check valve for high pressure water flow

texts:
For irrigation, we have about more than 50000 L of large tank and the outlet of 2 inches (thick red - high pressure) goes through the ground for drip irrigation. Now I need another small tank of 200 L with some liquid(nutrient for soil) to be added along with water. Though the outlet of tank B will be 1/2 inch, the water pressure(in drops) will be control using a gate value. Since the existing water flow is very high pressure, just directly connecting the outlet from tank B to the existing water pipe may result in water being pumped into tank B.
Though in picture, the position of the outlets are in middle, actually it will be in bottom.
Will check valve be the solution here? Since the outlet flow from tank B will be drops and the from tank A it will be very high pressure, could the valve open so that those drops will get mixed with existing water flow?
If check valve is not the right one what should use here?


texts: I've got a two-story balloon frame house that is gutted.  I have to install fire blocking between studs in the wall cavity.  Do I install the fire blocking wherever there is a floor, or wherever there is a ceiling?  (Or both?)


texts: Do I use all grounding screws in a metal box?

texts: I'm wiring a 4-gang, metal box to hold multiple switches. It has 4 grounding screws. Do I need to pigtail around each of the box's grounding screws? My plan is to splice all the grounds together with additional grounds to go to each switch and have one of the grounds pig-tailed around a single grounding screw. Would this be allowed by the NEC or do I need to pigtail around each of the box's grounding screws?


texts: Typical high amperage applicance power cord age

texts:
This question on high amperage/power cords used with appliances such as dryers and ranges. I am curious to know typically how long these cords are good for. 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? 40 years?

I know they're expected to last at least 3 years because Home Depot in the US tells me this product http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-4-ft-4-Prong-40-Amp-Range-Cord-WX09X10035DS/203438714 has some kind of 3-year extended warranty I can get.

I saw this question and it seems 40-60 years is pushing it.


texts: The existing texture is not orange peel, stipple or popcorn. I believe it is roll on texture. I have the mud but do not know what kind of roller or design I need to use to match. Help greatly appreciated.


texts:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a thinner thickness of hardwood for stairing/flooring?

We are considering getting hardwood stairs as a replacement for carpet stairs and we found wood with varying amounts of thickness.   Is there a difference between a "thin" thickness and thick thickness?  Does it affect anything towards how long the wood will last, etc?


texts: Why new 32W circular fluorescent light bulbs keeps getting blown?

texts:
Recently one of my ceiling light's bulb just got blown after lasting for quite a few years. I tried to replace it with a new one and the moment I turned it on, the bulb would blink once quickly say for half a second and couldn't work any more. I went on to get another bulb and install it. The same thing happened again.

Could it be the ballast that it's linked to has spoilt? I've changed the starter for the unit but it's still the same. Thanks in advance!


texts: Trying to finish a full basement but footers arent deep enough?

texts: I have a full basement that we are wanting to finish, we hired a contractor to come out and estimate and he said we couldn't do it at all because of the slope of the land the footers weren't deep enough to finish the basement.. is there anything I can do? Any suggestions


texts: My landlord will soon replace inside doors with new ones that he'll have covered with some varnish. I told him I'm concerned about VOC (I remembered using a high VOC paint on inside door in some previous home and it spoiled our lives for 3 days). He reassured me that the varnish is quick drying, but is the problem about drying speed? Can a paint/varnish be dry yet still produce VOCs?


texts:
Just wanted a quick opinion on lay out for my under slab plumbing before I start gluing.  Top left 4" pipe is for toilet (17" from each foundation wall, top right 2" is for the vanity.  The P-Trap stage center is for an emergency floor drain as the hot water heater is in this room, and the bottom 4 incher will go up to the vertical stack.

All of the fittings are long sweeps except and I have two 45*s in there (one in the center 4" line and one on that P-Trap).  This isn't sloped yet, that will hopefully be tomorrow morning.


texts: When do galvanized pipes in NYC residential water delivery pipes need to be upgraded?

texts:
It was suggested that I ask here.

Some residential properties in New York City still have galvanized pipes for the inlet water line.  Since heavy metals from the galvanization can leach into the water, this kind of pipe is no longer specified as an allow building materials according to NYC plumbing code.

§ PC 605 does not specify an allowance for galvanized parts, in
piping, fitting or joints.
$ PC 605.3 has a table that does not specify galvanization as an allowed material.  This is in context to [the containing] Section 6, which regards Water Supply and Distribution.
§ PC 702 does allow galvanization in drainage.
All other usages in this doc deal with non-water systems, or non-inflows.

But in the plumbing code I cannot find a clause section for grandfathering existing galvanized piping.

Does a grandfathing clause exist in a superseding city code or law?
Where might I find the change in law that first disallowed galvanized pipes in this usage? (Wherein may also have been specified how to handle existing installations)


texts:
I am installing an electric panel. NEC 110.26A providing for 30" x 36" x 6'6" is met EXCEPT for the main water supply line which will runs against the wall and underneath it at floor level. There is no other equipment. Is there no way around this problem?
@ThreePhaseEel Surface mount. I thought about rerunning the pipe over the panel to clear the 6'6". But the idea of putting a water line above the panel is just wrong!


texts: What does "architectural" really mean when used to describe building products?

texts:
Various types of building-related materials and products are often described as being "architectural". I have seen windows, doors, roofing tiles, etc. all described this way.

Example 1
Example 2
Example 3

One possibility is that this is just meaningless marketing gobbledygook meant to convey an impression of high quality.

Or it might have real meaning, but not necessarily a consistent meaning in all cases.

But if there is a real, meaningful definition that would help navigate through myraid product choices - what is it?

Thanks


texts: Will concrete poured over wet ground be more likely to crack and disintegrate?

texts: What if you’ve had lots of rain & humidity. Our area is slightly sloped. The ground is clay, rocks & some sand. I’m concerned about having concrete poured on a wet ground. We need to have the area graded and sloped slightly in the opposite direction, away from the house. If it’s too wet, will the new patio be unstable? I’m worried about cracking & flaking if the ground isn’t dry enough.


texts: Should I include an expansion joint between steps and a foundation?

texts:
I am building this retaining wall that ends with steps. The steps will be on one side against the foundation of the house.

My question is should I use expansion joints between the step units (SRW concrete units) and the foundation or it'd be over-engineering?

The 2 options I found are:

SAKRETE Concrete Expansion Joint
QUIKRETE 4-in x 60-in Concrete Expansion Joint

If yes to the above question, which option is better?
Any other suggestion would be very much appreciated.


texts: Please reassure me about basement french drains

texts:
I understand the principles and practice of putting in a basement perimeter drain... but I've got a slightly irrational paranoia about the concept of cutting the basement floor free that way. Intuitively, it feels like I'd be removing part of the support for the walls... and these aren't even the fielstone and brick walls at the other end of the house; this is poured concrete, probably with rebar, so I'm sure I'm worrying unnecessarily.

Well, pretty sure.

I'd just feel better with a "yes, the floor is just a floor; stop worrying" consensus... thanks.

For what it's worth: The leakage isn't so much a general problem, but two specific sources -- somewhere in the bulkhead stairs enclosure or how it joins the foundation (coming in past the door), and from somewhere between the new basement of the 1945 extension and the bulkhead that stabilizes what was originally the back wall of the 1890 brick-over-fieldstone foundation. Of course the small sump pit is on the middle of the wall opposite both of these, so on the relatively rare occasions when I do get some water, it travels across the floor. I'd rather find a way to direct it to the sump and pump without making a mess. If the door wasn't involved I'd consider just trying to channel it, but.... This is starting to turn into another question, isn't it.


texts: If my heat pump does not have a neutral, do I still need a neutral wire?

texts:
I had a friend wire 10-3 line for a new heat pump. He connected the red and black conductor wires in the house to the 2-pole 60 amp breaker and the neutral white to the neutral bus bar. The outdoor disconnect box (pictured) has terminals for 2 conductor loads, a terminal that the neutral ends at neutral. The heat pump condensing unit only has 3 terminals (L1, L2, GRD).

My question is: why don't I have to run the neutral to the unit? Should I disconnect it from this terminal and breaker  neutral bus bar? My friend said I can land the ground to it but didn't explain why. Thank you for your help in this matter.


texts:
What can I do to protect my whole-house from power surges and outages?
I have two problems: unregulated voltage coming to my house, and my lights flicker when the electric on-demand hot water heater is being used.
 I want to fix both of these issues with one solution.

I live in Boquete, Panama, where there are frequent brown-outs, power surges, and lightning strikes within a few hundred meters of my house.  Usually, the power is only cut off for 5-300 seconds at a time, but it happens about 5-20x/week.  I have two floors.  Each floor has a 220V Titan on-demand electric hot water heater. Currently, we're renovating the lower floor to be 3 studio vacation rentals, each with their own private bath.  They are unoccupied for now, but they will be occupied starting within 30-60 days so I'm hoping to find a solution before then.  I have two UPS devices for my internet routers, but I don't want to buy 20+ more of these so that all the high quality appliances and things are protected from surges and outages.  Besides, this would not protect the lighting.

I understand just enough about electricity to be dangerous- I've wired an off-grid solar powered cabin I lived in for 4 years. So, any help is appreciated.

Should I get a battery bank and inverter, to setup in-line between the utility and my house, so the utility charges the battery bank, and my house draws directly from the batteries?

Should I only do this for the 220V hot water heaters, and set them up on a separate utility line? (this would be very difficult, because my house is 100% concrete and I don't have the original plans so I have no idea where the wiring is run.  Setting up gas hot water heaters is not an option- the water lines are inside, and I can't set up a gas heater indoors.

Ideally, there is some sort of whole-house surge protection with built in small battery bank to supply power for brief periods of time when there is an outage, that I can have installed where the utility power supply enters my house, that can also regulate 220V so the lights no longer flicker when the electric hot water heater is being used.  Is this possible?  What would it look like? What are my options?  I'm asking for design advice, not specific brands.

I'm not interested in the answer: "Ditch those water heaters".  Come on, this isn't impossible!  For all of you living in first world countries with high power bills and cheap tank heaters... please remember that I am not in your situation.  My electricity is $10/mo for a 4K sq ft house because Panama is 80% hydro power, and I can't get tank heaters here.  I really want to use these tankless heaters (they're heavenly) and have reliable power, and I'm willing to pay thousands for it if need be.

What are my options? I can order anything online and have it shipped here from the US.  I have a local electrician who is very experienced and capable of modifications.  The only problem is that everyone here just says 'it's not a big deal, just deal with it the way it is' and nobody knows of any locally available solutions (there are solar pv stores nearby though).  However, at the same time, many people have had to replace their $2k+ refrigerators, washing machines, etc due to dangerous surges.. so, we're not okay with that.  He said if I find a solution then he'll install it.  Help!  Thanks in advance.


texts: Can I put two 30A double pole breaker s and a few other 15A breaker s

texts:
Can I put two 30A breakers and a few 15A breaker s all in my 60A subpanel ?

The pic shows the existing breakers and I want to put one more 30A and one 15 A for a laundry set.   Thanks for your suggestions.


texts:
I have a banister post that can tilt toward the stairs. It is pretty sturdy when pushing away from the stairs. I have cut the carpet around it to try to see how it is attached, but cannot. On the stair side, there seems to be shims that may have been crushed or something, which is why it seems to be loose now. The only solid piece of wood near the post is on the stair side, that I can see when peering between the floor and post. Any ideas on how to fix it?

Video of tilt here

Overview of post:

Shims:

Solid piece of wood:


texts: Can a room be very cold because of the floor?

texts:
My house has a very small kitchen which is actually an extension of the house with its own roof.

I suspect its roof insulation is old and not effective, because this kitchen is quite cold (8 degres celsius sometimes in winter).

Landlord says the room is cold because the floor is made of concrete with tiles on top of it. I personally find the roof explanation more convincing, but I admit that the floor in this kitchen is extremely cold. Sometimes I get out of the kitchen just because my feet are cold.

So is it possible that the landlord's explanation be correct? Can the floor make a room cold? And if so is there a way to make the room less cold?


texts: Is it better to leave the door open or run the fan while showering?

texts:
I want my bathroom door open while showering, and I don't want to have to turn on the fan. My husband wants the door closed and the fan on.  Our bathroom seems to accumulate mold regardless of which approach we take.

Which approach, his or mine, is the right approach to take and why?


texts: Why does the blower in the attic vibrate during heating when it is really cold?

texts: We have a Carrier heat pump system in our home, and the blower is located in the attic. When it is especially cold, the blower runs on high (there are three levels: high, medium, low). During this time, the blower vibrates the upstairs walls and doors so that we hear constant rattling noises. Is it possible for a technician to adjust the blower so it can't run so hard? Or is it possible that the ducts are not big enough to handle the air flow? (This is a system that replaced the original one a couple years ago) We can temporarily resolve this problem by removing the air filter at the return air vent, but that is not ideal. We do not have this issue during cooling.


texts: How to shield or cover floodlight for christmas

texts:
I just bought one of these flood lights from amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OJOMMYK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The flood light is staked to the ground to light up a joy sign I have (this can be seen also here: https://www.amazon.com/Teak-Isle-Christmas-Nativity-Yard/dp/B00CFNFD5M/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1482256657&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=joy+christmas+sign&psc=1).  It does a good job of lighting the sign up but...

I also don't want the extra light hitting the house as I have a few of those laser lights that light up the house.  Is there a top cover or shield to eliminate the extra light from this flood light?

In addition, what can I do to stop the extra light hitting the house and only focus it mainly on the sign.  Can I build or use something to stop this?  Please note I am in Michigan with extremely cold and snowy weather so I cannot use anything to cover the top.


texts:
I've got a crew of workers at my house putting on a new roof, in 25 degree weather.

The contractor said it wouldn't be a problem, although part of me wonders if he just didn't want his crew sitting idle.

Is this an issue?  Will the shingles be able to seal properly?

The weather is expected to warm to the low 40s in a few days.


texts: Smoke detector placement in long open concept space

texts:
I've just moved into a new house and it doesn't have a smoke alarm on the main floor yet. The main floor is a long rectangular open concept design, with living room at the front near the front door, kitchen at rear with rear door, and dining in between. About 37 feet long, and 12 feet wide for the most of the length. I'm trying to figure out a good number of fire alarms and where to place it/them.
Here is a rough sketch, side and top view, not to scale:

Those stairs go up to the second floor and have an alarm at the top already, i.e. in the upper hallway. I see three candidate locations: A,B, and C. Based on what I've read online, it seems alarms are not recommended right in the kitchen area (too many false alarms?), so I'm leaning away from A. I'm seeing recommendations to have an alarm in both the dining and living room, but in my case those are one continuous space. So I'm wondering should I do B (middle of the house length-wise), C (front of the house, further from kitchen, or both? Or all three?!?
Note that there's a bulk-head with some duct work that segments the ceiling of the kitchen from the rest of the floor. It spans the width of the main floor.
Thanks in advance.


texts: What considerations do I need when wiring a string of light bulbs in parallel?

texts: I want to build a hollywood style mirror light for my wife (as pictured below). I'd like it to be powered by mains electricity (230v where we live in the UK), but I understand the bulbs will take mains voltage so any exposed wiring can be dangerous. What considerations should I take about wiring? Should I calculate an appropriate fuse for aproximately 15 lightbulbs?


texts: best choice of material for exterior window casing

texts: I installed fiberglass new construction windows 15 years ago on the front of the house. I used finger-jointed casing around the windows that measure about 1-1/2" square to fill the cavity around the window. The tops and sides are pristine, but the bottom pieces are crumbling! The eaves protect all of the upper wall and casing, but the lower wall takes a tremendous beating from rain and sun. Bottom line, I'm looking for a material that will hold up better. Thinking vinyl, but not seeing those dimensions without building it up. Starting to think about some sort of vinyl or composite wood decking that I could rip. Any ideas? thx!


texts: Getting 120v single phase & 240v three phase out of 240v single phase receptical

texts:
Will the following wiring diagram work? This 240v single phase NEMA L14-30R receptacle is right off the main panel with a 30amp breaker. I want to obtain both 120v single phase and 240v three phase off of this receptacle using 2 separate circuits in which only ONE of the TWO will be used at a time.

The first circuit having a NEMA L14-30P plug will utilize both hot wires and a ground wire, leaving the neutral not connected. It will feed into a VFD (assuming already sized for the application) which will provide 240v three phase.

The second circuit again having a NEMA L14-30P plug will utilize only 1 hot wire, a ground, and neutral leaving the 2nd hot wire not connected. It will then be connected to a 20 amp breaker. From the breaker, it will be connected to a 120v single phase receptacle.

Assuming all wired connections are made properly at both the receptacle & main panel, all wire is the correct guage, and that the VFD & 20amp breaker are in a proper NEMA electric box, will this set up work safely?

I'm sure many will think this is an odd set up (because it is) but I want to have the 240v single phase receptacle as my starting point instead of the main panel. Again, please note the assumptions made.

Thanks for looking at this thread but I would only like answers to my question leaving out the personal comments of why you guys would never do something like this even though it may work.


texts: how can I reduce manganese, hardness, radon, and prescence of coliforms in well water?

texts:
I'm purchasing a home in NH and just received my comprehensive water test from the inspector. Here are the marks I'm most alarmed at.

Hardness 264 (want it under 75)
Manganese: .51 (want it under .05)
Coliforms: Present (want it gone)
Radon: 6306 (would love < 2000)

I'm investigating different solutions to reduce or eliminate the three figures above but am running into some dead ends. I would love to DIY these issues, but there are so many different options and solutions that I am unsure which is best or most cost effective.

Does anyone have any advice or experience on ways to reduce these measurements?

Here are the other measurements in case anyone else sees another value that could be a problem that I'm simply not understanding.


texts: Brass tub overflow pipe stuck in brass tee. How can I remove it?

texts:
I am repairing a tub overflow. The screws for the cover plate were very corroded and broke off. I am trying to remove the overflow fitting and pipe but it is stuck. The pipe is brass and slides into a brass tee and then has a gasket and compression nut holding it in. I have removed the nut and gasket but the pipe is still stuck in the fitting.

The overflow pipe and tub drain are connected to the tee with compression nuts. The tee connects to the P-trap with a soldered joint.

How can I remove a  stuck brass pipe from a brass fitting?

I have tried some PB Blaster but that is probably the wrong chemical for brass corrosion.


texts: Do I need anything over the wall board around wood trimmed garage door openings?

texts: I am replacing all the wood trim around my garage door openings. The trim butts to vinyl siding with j-channel. The siding at the top of the doors had no flashing or trim cap and that is where the water got in. I am installing flashing above the door trim. The wall itself only has chip board (I guess it is really called OSB) behind the siding. Should I install some sort of tarpaper or plastic behind the siding a few inches along the top and sides of the opening before putting up the new wood trim? Seems like another disaster waiting to happen with just bare chip board behind the siding. I pulled out a bunch of soggy chip board where the leak occurred at the top. The chip board had soaked up the water like a sponge! North facing wall which gets snow and ice in winter. Moss growing in J-channel above door due to lingering moisture.


texts: We had an electrician come to do some work, and he had to move an outlet from one area to another, and do some other stuff on another portion of the wall.  I'm left with a square outlet-shaped cut out in my dry wall, as well as another cut out that he filled and nailed together. How can I fix these?


texts: Low AWG in long outdoor run, but with GFCI protection

texts:
I'm running a circuit out to our shed/chicken coop. We live in New Hampshire.  The electrical demand won't be high, so one 15 amp circuit will be sufficient.  We currently have 3/4" schedule 40 buried 12" deep.  Long story short, we tried to get it all 18" deep but the work wasn't done properly and about half ended up 12".  I'd prefer not to have to redig it, but that is an option if we absolutely had to.

I know that at 12" deep I have this limitation:

  "It has GFCI protection before it enters the ground, is limited to 120
  volts, and is protected by no more than a
  20-amp fuse or breaker."

Which our circuit totally fits, but . . . I did some calculations for the voltage drop, and the recommendation is that I use 8 gauge wire.  I am planning on having electronics at the coop (camera, smart light bulb), so i do want "good" electricity.

Trouble is, not only does that add a lot of cost, I'm not entirely sure how voltage drop "works".  Do I only have to have 8 gauge for the longest part of the run?  Only at the beginning? Fine to run 14 gauge after the connection to the shed?

Plus, the complication of a 12" deep trench makes it hard for me to understand how to combine the requirement for GFCI and 8 gauge wire.

I've made a diagram of what I've got to work with.  I could move the GFCI at the exit of the house onto this circuit and use that to my advantage.

My specific questions are on the diagram and I'd love to be directed/corrected on how voltage drop works and what the larger gauge is doing to prevent it.

Thanks!

Update: The most I'll possibly need at the shed/coop is 650 watts.  However, I use my shop vac or circular saw at the existing GFCI location.


texts: This piece of hardware looks similar with an eye bolt but there is no bolt there though. What's the name of this piece?


texts: why is the hot water coming into the washing machine coming in so slowly?

texts: The hot water that is coming into the washing machine is coming in very slowly.  I checked the screen in the hose connection and it was cleared.  What could the problem be?


texts: What is the least labor intensive way to clean these brass door knobs?

texts:
I have 14 of these to clean and am hoping there is some quick way to clean 30 years of accumulated kitchen muck off them.

Brasso occurred to me. But I'm wondering if there is some solution I can drop them in, and they will come out clean after a good soaking.


texts:
I've eliminated a DWV vent pipe during a bathroom remodel (consolidated fixtures and went from 2 vents to 1) but I don't want to mess with roof patching/repairing if I were to undo the penetration of the unused vent pipe through the roof. The vent is 2" galvanized steel pipe, could I put a rubber cap over it ("furnco"?), or would that deteriorate quickly in the sunlight?

Additionally, for the remaining 4" cast iron vent, I'd like to put some sort of cap or hat over the pipe that sticks out of the roof, to prevent the fir needles and other leaves from entering the vent pipe and clogging it up. This was a problem I noticed when reworking the vent stack, there was a large mass of fir needles at the first elbow in the vent. What would this cap/hat be called? I've tried searching around but I don't see anything that is like what I need...


texts:
The short version of this question is how can I reduce or eliminate the noise my plumbing makes when I run hot water in the two bathrooms on the 2nd floor?

Background: 20 year old two story house with basement. Water supply and heater (along with a inline whole house filter) are in the basement. Original plumbing is copper, some new add-ons in the basement (a 1/2 bath, wet bar, and laundry) are plumbed with blue and red plastic tubes, I think this is called PEX.

When I turn on any sink or bath to hot - I hear the pipes expanding... quietly at first (tick tick tick, tock!) then louder (tang, tang, tang, BANG) until the water is running at supply temp.

On a side note - after our offer to purchase was accepted and paperwork was put through the bank, the sellers (nice honest folks, downsizing their empty nest) had to have a plumber come in and fix a leak in the wet wall that goes to the second floor. Assumptions are - if it continues to bang like this, I'll have another leak... some day.

None of the plumbing is accessible in the wet wall or second floor without destroying drywall walls and ceilings in the first floor... what options do I have?


texts: Why is it acceptable to interlay felt with cedar tapersawn shakes?

texts:
My question relates to the difference in shape (not thickness) between cedar shingles and cedar tapersawn shakes, both of which are sawn (unlike standard shakes which are split), and therefore have a smoother surface than a split shake.

I think the shingle is a right-triangle and the tapersawn is an isosceles triangle. Is that right?

I am trying to understand which specific difference between a shingle and a tapersawn shake makes it unacceptable to interlay felt with cedar shingles but acceptable to interlay felt with tapersawn shakes.


texts: Under cabinet LED lighting on opposing sides of the kitchen - no wire in between

texts:
I would like to put LED lights under the cabinets of my kitchen, and have them controlled by wall switch.

Here is the situation, I have cabinets on opposing sides of my kitchen (facing each other).  For, the other opposing two sides of the kitchen, one side is open (i.e. no wall), the other has a massive window.

Additionally, the right side cabinetry used to have fluorescent fixtures under them which were controlled by the wall switch.  Therefore, since the right side cabinetry already has the wiring, it should be pretty easy to retrofit to LED.  The left side, had nothing, so here is where I am stuck.

How can I install and control LED lights under the left side cabinetry?  If possible, I would not like to not cut walls or have visible wires.  My wife will not allow it.

This is a challenging one, hence asking for the help.

Thanks!

UPDATE:

Adding two images to be more descriptive:

FYI: The red paint on the walls in Redgard since we will be tiling soon.

First picture shows the first set of cabinets.  The switch that has the blue tape (on the right, right of the top oven), controls the lights underneath the cabinets of this wall.  There is a wire that travels behind the wall (or the ceiling, I actually don't know) and comes out the bottom of the left most cabinet (the one next to microwave).
Picture of the cabinets on the opposite wall.  There are no wires going from the switch to this wall.  I know there are electrical wires going through the ceiling from the wall on picture 1 to this wall.

Further extra info: There are two more house stories above the kitchen, and I do not have an attic, so going through the 'attic' is not an option.


texts: What could cause only one radiator to not become warm?

texts:
I have gas powered hot water heat in a home I purchased. When I tested it this morning I got a lot of whistling and other noises that subsided for the most part. After the heat had run for 20-30 minutes, I checked it radiator in the house. All the radiators were at least warm, with the exception of one of the radiators upstairs.

What could cause this single radiator to not get warm at all? I noticed slight temperature variances between the other radiators, but this one seemed to not be warm at all. I assume it should get warm if the hot water is flowing through it, and I also assume the hot water must be flowing through it to complete the circuit. So, what gives?


texts: Are speaker wire output negative posts on receiver common-grounded?

texts:
I am buying a subwoofer (powered Sunfire HRS 12) that has high level inputs (bare speaker wire) and it says that it has it's negative posts joined (common-grounded) and that my receiver or amp also has to be common-grounded.

My question is, is this common to find in receivers? I have a Sony 2ch Receiver model STR-DH130 that I will be using with the subwoofer and I can't find this info on the manual.

I will check for continuity on the negative terminals on Left and Right speaker outputs on receiver, if there's continuity then is it safe to assume they are common-grounded?

thanks and have a nice day


texts: Changing garage light socket to outlet, found wiring problem

texts:
I want to change a light socket in my garage to an outlet, so I can hook some shop lights up to it. When I looked at the socket, I saw some really strange wiring.

When they built the house, they used a single 14-2 to go from the switch to the socket AND the outlet for the garage door opener. There's one too few wires...They ran the black wire from the switch to the socket, so it's a switched hot. The white wire is connected to hot and goes to the outlet. The GROUND wire is connected to neutral in the switch's box and becomes the neutral for the socket and outlet. That's obviously messed up. They used ground as neutral, so there is no real ground. The garage door outlet has both it's neutral and ground going to the same wire.

They should have used 14-3 or 2 runs of 14-2. I'm going to fix it. Would it be best for me run a single 14-3 or 2 separate 14-2 sections of Romex. Also, current code calls for GFCI everywhere in the garage. Can I put a GFCI outlets in the ceiling for both the garage door outlet and the switched outlet that I will use for my shop lights or does the GFCI have to be low enough to accessible without a ladder?

Thanks!


texts: Changing outlet with 3 live wires, 3 neutrals, and 1 ground. Question / seems kinda crowded?

texts:
Images: https://imgur.com/a/NbXxkFl

I was going to change out this outlet.

It was previously all shoved together in a back-wire type outlet (The kind you just stab in). Was going to replace with a new side-wire outlet, but wasn't expecting 6 total wires.

For now, I've just pig-tailed the 3 live wires together, & the 3 neutral wires together, so that the next several outlets down work (crucially, the refrigerator's outlet doesn't work unless these are all connected).

Couple questions:

So I'd just pigtail in 2 more wires - 1 white wire to the 3 neutral
wires, and 1 black wire to the 3 live wires, then connect those to
single posts in the new outlet?
Is this not...excessively crowded in that electrical box? Is that OK?
Anything else I'm missing that means I'm going to burn down my house?

Thanks,


texts: Both hot and cold tub knobs leaking behind the wall

texts:
Okay, so I may have solved this problem but I want to know if my solution even made sense. We recently bought a house and soon realized (due to the ceiling being soaked downstairs) that our upstairs  bathtub was leaking. I figured out that the leak was dripping from both the hot and the cold knobs inside the wall but only when the water was turned on and running. I removed the spout (which was on pretty darn tight) and continued fiddling and realized that the water was no longer dripping inside the wall and there was also no more water downstairs on the floor while running the water. So I reapplied the spout but did not tighten it to the point where it was so tight that the handles moved towards me.. and it’s still not leaking.

So I guess my question is if the spout is on too tight can it cause the handles to leak water behind the wall?

I don’t know if this is a completely stupid question but I let the shower and spout run full blast for 15 minutes after loosening the spout and there is no water dripping and my floor downstairs is dry.

Thanks so much in advance !!!!


texts:
We have double entry doors and when I removed our old handle set, it took away alot of the paint that was originally on the door near the handlesets.

Needless to say, I want to try to fix this issue myself if possible.

close up

Any suggestions how I would go about doing this? I purchased a wood filler and have not decided if that would solve this issue.


texts: Ceiling options when junction boxes are present?

texts: I know that traditional drop ceilings are an acceptable choice when junction boxes are present in the floor joists.  I was looking around at Home Depot for pricing and found this PVC system that allows for a flush mount type drop ceiling.  The tiles are removable, but it requires snapping out a couple of cross T's.  Is this specific ceiling still considered accessible?


texts: When should I consider using Plastic Round Cap Roofing Nails?

texts:
I'm getting ready to shingle a roof for a shed/outdoor office and I'm confused on if/when I should use plastic round cap roofing nails:

I haven't seen these used in any instructions (including the instructions that came with my shingles) or videos.  Are these nails a gimmick?  Or are there clear advantages to using them?


texts: How can you keep constant power to lights by removing switch but still keeping power to the switch?

texts: There are 4 can lights on my ceiling controlled by a switch. I just recently installed smart light bulbs in all of the cans (they require constant power), Is there a way to keep constant power to the devices and also get power to a smart switch (that will not control anything from wiring) where I will run an automation to turn the smart bulbs on from the same box?


texts: What tools and techniques do I need to recreate this piece of furniture? (pic in description)

texts:
I don't plan on making a chest of drawers but am interested in the techniques involved so I could apply them to other furniture.

EDIT: close up picture


texts: New water heater, now shower goes cold if hot water is used anywhere else in the house

texts: We just replaced a 40 gallon water heater, power vent.  The plumbing company said upgrading to code was needed for the plumbing of this water heater.  We replaced it with an almost identical model, eg; same capacity, brand.  This problem never happened with old water heater, you could use everything in the house and not effect the shower.  I tried replacing the cartridge, this did not fix the issue.  I've tested the water heater as far as how many gallons of hot water it puts out before the temp drops 30 degrees.  The hot water heater is working as specified.  The plumbing company says they are stumped.  All I know is, it didn't happen until the water heater was replaced.  Coincidence?


texts: How can I fix the mounting of these outlets in this box that is taller than the outlet?

texts:
I have 4 outlets in my garage mounted in an exposed box where they do not seem to be centered. (This seems to be a 4-11/16" box.)

Removing the cover plate reveals that each pair of outlets is only mounted to the box by one corner, which seems pretty sketchy.

How should I fix this so that the outlets are mounted properly? It seems like I have a few different options:

Replace the cover plate with a 4-11/16" cover with openings for 2 duplex outlets and mount the outlets to that.

Add a 4-11/16" 2-device mud ring, mount the outlets to that, and reuse the existing cover plate.

Replace the box with a smaller 2-gang 4" box, mount the outlets to that, and reuse the existing cover plate.

Replace the box with a smaller 4" junction box, replace the cover with a 4" cover with openings for 2 duplex outlets, and mount the outlets to that.

Are all of these acceptable options? What are some reasons to prefer or avoid any of these approaches? I assume that replacing the box would be more work since I'd have to disconnect and reconnect the outlets. If it matters, each pair of outlets is on a separate breaker, and I am in the US.


texts:
Which application produces the best results, with respect to mold prevention:

An all-in-one paint with primer
Apply plain primer, then regular paint

Is using either process better for mold and mildew prevention? I haven't tried it yet, and will be waiting until spring.


texts: Cable choice for kitchen. Maximum demand and diversity

texts:
I'm trying to calculate and chose the correct cable to rewire my kitchen. The general vibe for creating final ring circuits is to use 2.5mm Twin & Earth apart from the cooker.

I've been reading up the regs and I have a different answer:

List of appliances in the kitchen:

Total nominal current (forgetting the cooker) = 44.08A

Diversity = 100% x Hungriest appliance + 40% x remaining appliances

= 13.04 + 12.416 = 25.456A

Now consult the table on how the cables are installed:

Mine will be installed in a drywall with insulation = 18.5 amps

..Which is not enough, so am I missing something?

Edit: I'm based in the United Kingdom


texts: How bad is it for my A/C unit if I cut the power while it's working?

texts:
I have a rental apartment with two a/c units.

I installed magnetic contacts on the windows of each room and a small module (a sonoff basic flashed with tasmota firmware) that shuts off the a/c relay (25A) whenever a window is open.

It was a proof of concept project which turned out to be a success and it's working great. Now I'm thinking of installing similar modules to another apartments.

My concern is, what will be the effect of that (probably frequent) shut offs to my a/c unit.
I understand that it's not good for any device to shut its power off while it's working but what's the case with a/c units.
I ve seen several similar applications in hotel rooms, are they doing it differently?
What would be the correct way to achieve this result if any?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is it necessary to re-wrap the house when we tear off the siding?

texts:
We hired a contractor to re-side our house. We live in the Midwest in a suburb of Chicago. I'm not familiar with the materials, but I believe they first wrapped the house with a 1/2" foam board, covered that with a "paper" wrap, and then put the vinyl siding on top of that. The contractor did a great job, except for one little detail... they put the wrong siding up.

Thankfully, they owned the mistake, and plan to tear off the wrong siding and put up the right one. However, I'm not sure if they plan to re-wrap the house too. So I'm wondering, as a paying customer, should I expect that?

Obviously, the new wrap they put up the first time will now have nail holes and tears throughout from the tear-off process. Is it just as good/functional to nail up new siding over the holey wrap, or should they really be tearing off the wrap too and putting up new/clean wrap?  My main concern is if there are any leaks in the vinyl siding in bad storms, holes in the wrap will let water into the walls. I'm also not sure if those holes will compromise the insulating ability of the wrap in any noticeable way.


texts: Wemo Light Switch + Niko Dimmer Switch combined

texts:
In order for my smart lights to be on permanently, I need the light switch circuit to be "permanently on", while the light switch instead controls my Hue lights. While I know this is accomplishable by replacing the light switch with a blank panel and using something like the link below (A wireless battery-less switch), I wanted to be able to control whether the circuit is on or not at the same time.

In other words, I want a wemo light switch without the actual physical switch, instead just a blank panel with wifi-controlled electricity. Any ideas?

Link to wireless dimmer switch: https://www.niko.eu/enus/article/120-91004


texts: When installing backer board for wall tiles, do the screws need to be absolutely flush or even pushed into the backer?

texts: I'm asking because some screws will not go in fully flush. But I'm thinking the layer of thinset then tile will surely cover any screws that aren't flush, so tiles won't 'pop' out.


texts: What alternatives to Stab-Lok breakers are there?

texts:
After reading this article:

https://inspectapedia.com/fpe/Federal_Pioneer_Panel_Safety.php

and from it a link to this one:

https://inspectapedia.com/electric/Circuit-Breaker-Defects-Aronstein-IEEE-2018.pdf

  ABSTRACT Test results presented in this paper demonstrate that some
  brands of residential molded case circuit breakers do not operate
  properly within the limits specified by the applicable standard. The
  samples tested are both used, from homes, and new, purchased at retail
  sources. The minimum trip current is determined for each breaker. The
  test procedure encompasses the basic overload trip requirements of the
  applicable standard. Breakers that do not open the circuit at or below
  135% of rated current fail to meet the requirements of the standard.
  Test results vary substantially from brand to brand. The best brands
  are essentially failure free. The failure rate of the worst-case
  brands is in the order of 50% for both used breakers from homes and
  new breakers recently purchased. Some samples, primarily multi-pole
  breakers, do not open the circuit at any level of applied current.
  Failure of a circuit breaker in a home to operate properly when
  required poses an increased risk of fire and injury.

I am concerned. The second article written only a bit over a year ago says that the same defects in this style of breaker are still common.

I'm considering putting in a sub panel in my garage, and would like to do the right thing.  The second article is weasel worded and doesn't identify the various brands, but by implication all of the Stab-Lok type circuit breakers are flawed.

What is the best alternative type of breaker?


texts: What size grounding wire for a main lug?

texts:
I am replacing an undersized 35 amp main lug, so the panel, conductors and breaker in the main panel are all being replaced.

The new panel will be 125 amp rated, the new conductors will be #3 THHN, with an ampacity rating of 115, which will be protected by a 100 amp 2 pole breaker in the main panel.

What size does the grounding conductor leading back to the main panel need to be?

This calculator seems to indicate I need a #8 copper conductor, but I'm not sure this is the correct table for me to use.

This project must be done to code for Arapahoe county Colorado (2017 NEC)


texts: My kitchen sink(double sink) backs up, there is no clog I have removed the trap, I have also removed the basement trap and snaked both ways. Now the bathroom sink will also backup at same time, so I cut the pipe where I thought the sink drain runs, snaked it and rejoined. Things were good for a while but sink is backing up again and when I run dishwasher it backs up the sink and water pools at the bottom of dishwasher all the while creating a raining of water under the sink down into basement?!


texts: Can I use a regular E26 LED bulb as a replacement for a refrigerator light bulb?

texts:
The light bulb in my refrigerator burned out. It was a 40w incandescent appliance bulb like such:

I'm wondering if there is any reason I can not put a 9watt A19 LED bulb such as this one (home depot link) in the fridge?

I've read this question, but it is concerned with the heat from an oven. Heat obviously would not be an issue here. On the contrary I'm thinking that the LED would be helpful to the fridge (heat output of the incandescent bulb vs the LED).

Can I use a regular LED bulb as a replacement for an appliance bulb in a refrigerator?


texts: Water leaking into house through sliding glass door, could missing flashing be the cause?

texts:
Newly renovated house, after the last big rain here in Arizona, we noticed that our sliding glass door let water into the house.  It appeared to come into the tracks somehow, but I emptied 5 gallons of water on to the tracks outside and nothing came in.  I spoke to a door guy at Home Depot who just so happened to be hanging out and he said he was certain that the issue caused by not having a flashing installed under the sliding glass door.

Does this sound plausible?  How would flashing keep water out of the house?

I did notice that our patio got flooded when the water seeped in, but it didn't seem high enough to go up through the track and leak into the house.


texts: Do I need to add plywood underlayment over plywood subfloor?

texts:
I am replacing downstairs flooring that had three layers before the subfloor. Linoleum, Cement Board and Tile. All flooring had to be removed down to the subfloor due to water leak. Since the cement board was screwed it, it is causing uneven areas as the screws are pulled/removed. Should I lay 1/4" or 1/2" plywood underlayment on top of subfloor before installing LifeProof vinyl plank flooring?

If so, what do you recommend? Should I also glue this new underlayment on current subfloor and screw down as well?

The goal is to not have any transition pieces from room to room, while making sure flooring is level with no dips or valleys.


texts: I’m planning to upgrade the service in a detached garage, which is currently fed by a single 15amp circuit, and I wanted to confirm that I have my circuit sizing correct. The existing circuit runs through ¾” IMC buried under the driveway, which I’d like to re-use to run a new feeder circuit to a sub-panel in the garage. My read on the NEC is that per Table C.1, I can have a maximum number of 4 conductors in the 3/4" conduit for 6AWG THWN-2, Table 310.15(B).16, says I can run a maximum of 75amps on 6AWG copper THWN-2, and 310.15(B) states that I do not need to de-rate for 3 or fewer conductors. The rest of the circuit (main load center to buried conduit, then from buried conduit to the sub panel) will be run though 1” PVC conduit. Based on this, I believe I should be able to run a 70 amp breaker for this circuit. Am I correct on the sizing, or am I missing anything?


texts: Water heater working when flushing a toilet

texts:
I have a tankless water heater. After I finish to use hot water and I close the faucet, the water heater starts a fan and make a typical noise, it's very typical and expected. I guess it blows off excess moisture or similar.

I noticed however, that when I flush a toilet (only the one of the three toilets I have), the moment toilet valve stops the stream of cold water, my tankless heater starts the same noise as when you shut-off hot water. This leads me to believe that some hot water is pulled in when flushing a toilet. I closed the output hot water valve on the heater and - obviously - it does not make the noise when I flush that toilet. Also, the "in use" light of the water heater does NOT turn on when the toilet is being flushed, unlike when you open hot water "explicitly".

I also made another experiment and if I open the faucet of the tubs, fully on cold, when I shut it I also get the same reaction from the water heater.

I suspect I'm literally draining energy down the toilet every time I flush, and I'd like to understand what is going on.


texts:
I got guys doing some tiling and this is what it looks like before the tile.
How would you quality this work?


texts: Would a wall mounted TV count as an appliance for the purposes of tamper resistance outlet code requirements?

texts: I was reading this review on Amazon for a recessed outlet where someone points out that it isn't tamper resistant and, as such, is worthless.  There is a discussion between the rater and other people (including a Leviton rep) about this comment.  Someone points out that there is an exception for when there's an appliance that isn't easily moved in the way of the outlet.  There's also an exception if it is mounted 6 (or is it 5.5) feet high.  Contrary to what the Leviton rep suggests, most people do not mount there TV 6 feet high so that exception goes out the window very quickly.  On the other hand, it would be extremely difficult for a toddler to get their fingers in the outlet behind a mounted TV so I would think the TV blocking the outlet should qualify for the exception.  However, I don't think many people, in everyday language, would call a TV an appliance so I was wondering how this would shake out.


texts: how to properly remove these cable connectors

texts:
Do I twist or pull them off

I tried by hand and wasnt getting anywhere so next step is going to be the pliers and i just want to make sure im not breaking it.


texts: unauthorized usage of power, Locating source of excessive energy use

texts: my new neighbor has had many visitors since moving and now has unwanted visitors outside bv who are loud and trespassing and i believe they had used my outside power outlet. I'm asking if it is possible to determine if power was used from that outlet


texts: Does wire brought into the house have to immediately enter a box?

texts: I need to bring in a new 220v circuit to my basement. Once the conduit enters the basement does it need to immediately enter a box like this diagram or can I just continue the wire to outlet box 20’ away.


texts: Cutting and repairing drywall ceiling above shower stall

texts:
We just purchased a house and I want to run low-voltage cables (Cat6 + RG6) from the basement to the attic. I have a good route up a 10"x18" chase currently occupied by only a few water pipes, which leads to a second-floor utility closet from which I can run directly to the attic.

The problem is that getting up to the chase from the basement requires running the cables under the duct of a bathroom exhaust fan, and from the side of the wall where I currently have access, I don't think I'm going to be able to successfully pull the cables without inadvertently damaging them on a support bracket or ending up with too small a bend radius.

I can get access directly under the chase in order to pull the cables and ensure they clear the duct and have the proper bend radius, but such access from below will require cutting a hole in the ceiling at the back of a shower stall in a basement bathroom. Given the location, I have some concerns/questions:

1) Is this a really bad idea? Since I haven't cut it yet, I don't know yet what water/moisture-proofing measures are in place--my view from an inspection camera suggests there is nothing but drywall--but I don't want to create a world of pain for myself if making this hole is going to be hard to patch.

2) Since I would like the option to run additional cables in the future, I was thinking of putting an access panel in the ceiling rather than just patching the drywall. Are there products that would be appropriate for this environment, or is that asking for trouble as well and I would be better off cutting and patching drywall?

I hope I explained my situation clearly enough.


texts: Securing a new wooden floor to a steel framed horse box

texts:
I am currently working on a renovation project where I am converting a old Horse trailer (box) into a mobile bar. As part of this project I have had to replace the old flooring in the box. Previously this had been screwed down using self tapping screws directly into the steel frame and i could feel also that in the past someone had opted for nut and bolt.

I'm looking to get your opinions on how you think I should approach this. I am using a 18mm marine ply and it will have to sit on the 8mm steel frame. My question to the community is how do you think I should secure it down? What fitting to use and is it better to go top-down or down-top?

Just as a note, a lot of the old screws rusted, fused and then snapped off when removing.


texts:
My Whirlpool WDT720PADM dishwasher stopped functioning properly last night. It will run through a full cycle, filling, draining, heating, soap door opens and steam vent opens at the end. While running, the main pump never sprays water or makes noise. I hear a relay click when it should come on, but it does not. It does not hum, just does nothing. I ran the diagnostic check on the machine and no new fault codes have been recorded. The dishwasher's processor thinks all is good. I also left the breaker off all night thinking perhaps something would reset by the morning. No good.

So, I opened the cover and tested the main motor's fuse through some pins on the board, it had proper continuity and negligible resistance. I tested resistance through the main motor through the two large blue wires running to it and it registered between 11 and 12 Ohms. I also found no continuity from either motor lead to ground. Finally I gave the motor 120 volts AC through the two large blue leads, flipped to try both polarities and got no movement or noise.

I am not able to test directly against the motor so there could be other smaller wires going into it that I do not know about that could have an impact. I also tested resistance on an old, known working, dishwasher pump motor and got around 11 Ohms, so I figure that number was reliable. I was almost ready to call it a day and order a new motor assembly, but ran one other test with the dishwasher running and at a cycle where the motor should have been running. There was no voltage across the two blue wires that run to the motor and I expected there to be. Now I am confused.

Are there better ways of isolating the problem without taking the pump out of the machine? That is the next step I think, but I would like to avoid it if possible.

In the image below, two green lines point at the two blue wires I have been testing the motor with. One looks red; it is blue with a red stripe. Other is blue with a white stripe. They are next to the hot and neutral lines from the wall.


texts: I need to detect the in-wall PVC pipes for a central vac system. Apparently one port was covered up with drywall, so the vacuum is broken and the entire system is useless. I cannot find anything for sale or any method that detects PVC pipes with no water in them.


texts: How can I seal between siding and sunroom to block bee access?

texts:
I have a sunroom which is right next to the siding of my houses:

However, as shown below, there are some gaps between the siding and the sunroom, and some bees go inside the gaps and make holes.

I’d like to block the gaps so that bees can’t do any more.
I am not the original owner, and my house was built 25 years ago. I found that there is some sealant (a bit dark gray) between the siding and the sunroom, but the sealant between them is disconnected because the sunroom might have moved a bit, I guess.
Can you guess what the material of the sealant is?  Do you think Plumber’s Putty could be applied on top of the existing sealant? Would you recommend any products or any approach for my situation?
I am very worried about holes bees make because I found that some holes were very deep and the wooden post in the overview got a bit rotated for some reason.
Thank you so much for your advice in advance.
-Sam
====================================================================
(Added)
I bought this house about two years ago, and I am very new to house care even though I am trying to keep learning.
Many thanks to @FreeMan, @isherwood and @JRaef for recommending latex caulk, butyl rubber caulking, and duct seal. However, I am still very confused because they all seem very different to me.
Is there any way of me telling what the material of the sealant is (kind of) exactly? or all of them (latex caulk, butyl rubber caulking, and duct seal) should work well in my application and I can pick any of them? e.g., "latex caulk" with "backer rod" should work for gaps of 1.5 inches?
Let me add some more pictures for your understanding.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5gsehq24g95vosu/AADvSXLkL-GOhVRmSOjr1v5Ja?dl=0
gap_ruler.jpeg: gaps are wide up to about 1.5 inches.
shape1.jpeg, shape_round.jpeg, and shape_cracked.jpeg: the pictures show cracked, rounded and different shapes.
sample.jpg: I took a piece.
Please let me know if any more info needs to be provided.
Thank you so much again.