texts: How should I hook up my WiFi thermostat given my current wiring situation?

texts:
I've upgraded a few thermostats before, and they have been quite straightforward; i.e. take pictures and connect the wires as the the original. However, this is my first attempt at a "smart" WiFi-enabled thermostat and as I've read, I'd need a common connection to power the device (I was expecting battery-powered). So that's my very first obstacle as I don't have a 'C' wire coming from the wall. Then when I head down to the furnace and opened it up hoping to see a 'C' wire that might've just be hidden behind the wall, I encountered a non-typical connection (see pictures).

As you can see, there are no connections to the 'Y' terminal, there's no yellow wire at the wall or the furnace. The blue wire is capped with a red wire that I haven't been able to trace to see where it goes (some A/C connection I suppose).

Hence, I'm baffled and don't know where to go from here. Should I just run a C wire down to the furnace or replace the whole bundle with a 5-wire? Even if I do I'm not really sure what that capped blue wire is suppose to do. I'd truly appreciate any help anyone out here can offer.


texts: What size Generator and what voltage and amps to power a large 3 phase well pump?

texts:
I recent obtained my dads old place and since it sat for so long the generator was stolen and so was our water tank, and now I am in the process of replacing the large generator and I wanted to see how I can find out exactly how large of generator I will need. The generator he had was a 25kw 3 phase generator. The pump is a 10 HP that is fairly old and pumps 100 gallons minute. According to the Arizona Dept Water Resources my "Well Depth is 340ft, Water Level 250, and casing depth 200ft, and casing diameter is 8 inches. And I am completely off grid with no power. I guess I have a few questions.

What size generator do I need just for this pump?

How can tell what voltage it is, I see generators of this size for sale that vary on voltage i.e. 208 240 120. I have pictures of the electrical box and how it is wired but I dont understand what it means..

Is there a better option for my type of well that would still allow me to pump 100 GPM? i.e. new generator and pump/motor combo?

Maybe these are questions are better answered in a electrical forum but I found this post and decided to give it a try.


texts: How can I avoid wiring when drilling into walls?

texts: i'm going to drill into a wall interior and avoid the wires immedietly above the socket and horizontally near it below If I remember my dad told me that wires are normally found travelling vertically above and below the socket. The socket is near the floor should I worry about any horizontally running wires either side?


texts: how critical are distances between studs?

texts:
I'm in the process of finishing my basement (east-central Minnesota, US). So far, I've put up a couple of wood stud walls... non-load bearing, simple partition walls.

One one of these walls, the studs aren't exactly vertically plumb, and one in particular is about an inch out of whack between top and bottom fastening.

Note that this is in what will eventually become an inside corner of a bedroom (around a foot inward, actually), and I don't expect that I or future owners will really struggle too much to find the stud, if at all required.

How critical is the actual 16" between studs? Should I sister this stud up with another one next to it, just to make sure a mounting surface can be found in the future, or is this not a big deal?


texts: Can screwing too far (about 1.5 inches) into a stud can weaken it?

texts:
I put up some IKEA cabinets (using their suspension rail). I used a 5mm (#10) x 50mm (2 inch).  Minus the drywall and rail it probably went in about 35-40mm (1.5 inch) into the stud.

After all was said and done, I realized that the screws didn't need to be that long (or thick).  I understand now that by using longer screws it increases the chance to hit wires or pipes running through a stud.  However, I don't think there are any pipes or wires in the wall where I drilled.  Given that I didn't hit any pipes or wires, is there any concern that the larger screws I used could weaken the stud or foundation?


texts: How to patch siding half covered by electrical panel

texts:
When I had solar panels installed, they removed an old electrical box, leaving a hole in the siding. For no apparent reason, they installed the new electrical panel over half of the hole they left. I'm not sure how to fix this.

It looks like I could cut a section of matching composite siding, screw that in and caulk around it with silicone on the exposed sides, but since half of the hole is behind the electrical panel, it looks like I'd also need to caulk the top and sides of the electrical panel to prevent water from dripping down into the opening. Is this the right approach for solving this problem?
Update:
Here are some additional photos.

It doesn't appear that any wires go into the house from the back of the panel. If you look carefully, it looks like there's a gap in the siding that goes all the way to the soffit. I'm not sure what that's about. Would I need to caulk that as well?


texts:
So here's the situation. I've got a water main that is gravity fed from a spring into a cistern in my basement (and from there pumped to a pressure tank and the house). The main, black plastic and presumably either 1" or 1 1/4" HDPE is leaking somewhere very close to the stone foundation wall. I'm guessing that abrasion by movement of the stones over time or even during the initial installation by the previous owner maybe caused this. In any event, it's causing water to slowly seep through that section of the foundation and into my dirt basement.

Would like to avoid digging right near the stone foundation as well as disturbing the foundation in any way. That would be both costly and risky.

I've come up with what I think might be a decent plan - dig out farther away, maybe 20 feet from the foundation, and feed a new narrower pipe (with OD < ID of current pipe through the old one. This has the advantage of using the old one as a protective sleeve to prevent further damage. The disadvantage would be a slight decrease in pressure of the main, but because of the cistern I dont think this is a problem (probably why the cistern was used to begin with).

Here's a schematic :

My questions are:

good idea of bad idea?
Do I use HDPE or PEX as the replacement material? Depending on the current pipe ID I may be forced to use PEX since it looks like HDPE is hard to find in narrow diameters.
How to i make the best possible connection? I can't quite figure out the best way to join HDPE to PEX... would they both use similarly sized barb fittings and clamp rings? Would compression fittings be better?


texts: How can I easily and accurately perform a small-scale landscape survey?

texts:
Summary
Is there any equipment that I can rent 'inexpensively' (less than $400) that would allow 1-2 people to accurately (+/- 6") capture the topography of hilly terrain of perhaps 250' on a side in an afternoon?
Details
My wife and I are about to embark upon a redesign of the landscape around our home in the mountains. Our lot started out on what's generally a 1:3 slope, and this has (of course) been changed in many interesting ways during building. There are small hills, patios, semi-flattened areas followed by large falloffs.
As part of our designing, we want to capture exactly what the landscape looks like now, digitally. (Then we'll sculpt in the computer what we want, taking into account existing boundaries and surrounding contours, and see roughly how much dirt we need or will need to remove.)
We performed a "ghetto" survey this weekend with strings and poles, roughly sampling a grid of elevations every 10'. The results we got produced a reasonable-looking representation of the terrain. However, the 10' sampling was a bit too coarse for my tastes and—more importantly—we were only able to sample about 1/4 of the area we need before our measuring poles weren't tall enough or we ran out of reference objects.
So... What hardware exists that I can rent to make this task easier? Ideally, I'd like to take a pole, walk all over the property, and every few feet stick it on the ground, press a button, hear it go "beep!" and have it record an XYZ sample that is accurate within +/- 6". After doing this for a couple hours I'd plug it into the computer and download some DEM, CSV, or other accessible data of all the points in a non-proprietary format.
It looks like Trimble offers some neat gadgets in this arena, and I see that some companies rent this sort of gear out, but as I'm not a landscape survey engineer professional, I cannot figure out exactly which, if any, products meet my needs.
Can someone who knows this product space please help suggest what I should be looking for?


texts: How can I tell if these pipes are gas lines or water lines?

texts: I recently moved into an in-law unit of a large old house.  In the kitchen, there are two pipes coming out of the wall (one protruding out a little more than the other).  I had assumed they were gas lines to connect my stove.  But since the stove only connects to one pipe, I'm now wondering if they're actually water lines. Can anyone explain how I can tell the difference? On the other side of the wall is a large closet with the air conditioning system, water heater, and what I think is the gas shutoff valve.


texts: How can this older-style irrigation tee be replaced?

texts:
This reducer tee had a right-angle piece break off inside of it for a feeder line.

I tried cutting the black broken piece inside of the reducer section without success. I'm used to schedule-40 PVC, not the black line shown in the picture. Is it possible to replace only the right angle piece? These black lines are very stiff and I'd rather not have to dig further back along them to gain the flexibility to replace the reducer tee, not to mention I haven't seen a piece like this at the big-box store from which I've sourced all the parts for this project so far.

If I can't salvage the tee, what's the best way to get it out? I've already cut off the hose clamps, but haven't gone so far as to destructively remove anything from the hose or the tee itself. I can easily replace the clamps - I'm just not sure if I can replace the tee via standard retail channels, and if that replacement would be such a pain that it's worth it to try replacing just the elbow.


texts: When switched on a ground fault outlet cuts when reset it holds

texts: When light is turned on by switch outlet trips, but when reset it holds.


texts: What's the appropriate cable type along exposed rafters?

texts:
This is a followup to my previous, more general question.

I installed (exposed) 2"x4" studs at strategic locations. These provide a mounting point for metal boxes, and EMT carries the wire up from the crawlspace, through the metal boxes, and up to ceiling height.

Example: (click for full-size)

I want to wire light fixtures in the ceilings. Bending EMT between fixtures' boxes is one option, but because of the unusual shape of the ceiling, I think I'd rather use something flexible. I believe the options are:

NM cable (aka Romex).
AC cable (aka BX).
MC cable.

I think NM is prohibited by code because the rafters are exposed - the cable needs to be protected, right?

Which is the right choice?


texts: Can I attach corrugated steel to cinder block for added privacy?

texts:
After looking for ways to help improve privacy between me and my nextdoor neighbors I thought about buying 8ft long panels of corrugated steel and fastening them to our six foot cinder block wall. I plan on just setting them at the ground level and having the corrugated lines run up and down vertically. I'm going for a very modern austere look so this would not only function well for privacy needs but also work with my design style.
It's against city code for me to build anything on top of the fence but there's nothing that states I can't attach anything to the fence on my side. I wanted to know what is the best type of anchor screw for this type of application and if anyone has done this before and how successful they were.
I live in the desert with an average rainfall of only four inches yearly so I don't think I'd have to worry about water and moisture causing damage to the cinder block with a piece of metal in permanent contact with it over the long haul.
Lastly, would an anchor bolt with nut and washer added at the top provide me with more support?:
What I'm thinking of doing is drilling a hole in the corrugated panels so that the hole allows me to thread this anchor through it. The hole would be in alignment with the very top of the cinder block wall. I'd have the hook end on the opposite side grabbing onto the wall and on my side I'd tighten the bolt. I would want to add something like this for added strength since we get some high winds in the area from time to time. I think an extra two feet isn't much to worry about but I'm by no means an expert. Hence why I'm here asking for input.
Any suggestions for anchoring these panels to help me create my project would be appreciated.


texts: Run 12/3 through insulated wall to surface mounted electric panel

texts:
Should/can I run the 12/3 wire inside the wall or just run a conduit up to the attic?

The project:

I want to install split receptacle 20 amp outlets in my garage. The subpanel in the garage is surface mounted to a finished and insulated wall. The other walls in the garage are not finished. So my plan is to run the wire up to the attic and then feed it through the unfinished walls to the outlets.


texts:
So, my father-in-law just recently bought a camper/trailer and the bathroom light was busted. He disconnected all power to the trailer, removed the busted light, and then ordered a new one off of eBay. The new one didn't come with a wiring diagram and he's older, so he doesn't remember how the previous light was wired up.

Currently, out of the ceiling, we have two lines, each with one white wire and one black/white wire (so two white and two black/white out of the ceiling, in two different lines). The light itself has one black wire and two white wires and the light has a switch on it. There's a fan to the left of the light/lightbox and it looks like one of the wires coming out of the ceiling goes to that. The fan has its own switch, so I don't think the switch from the light controls it.

Any idea what I should do here?


texts: Can I connect copper wire to aluminum wire?

texts:
I'm installing additional light bulbs in my basement. I have an older house with aluminum wiring.

Can I do this:

[new light bulbs]<--copper-->[old light bulb junction box]<--aluminum-->[main circuit]

Is it safe / does it comply to code ?


texts:
I need to make an air vent for a tumble dryer hose on an external structural wall.

Is there any chance to compromise the wall structure because of the hole for the vent?

Should I add a structure such as a metal frame, etc?


texts: Lutron Caseta smart dimmer with Pico remote in 4-way switch set up

texts:
I would like to install a lutron caseta smart dimmer switch in a four way switch line that has two 4-way switches and the obvious two three-way switches. I want to put the dimmer in place of one of the two 4-way switches, and I will put remotes in the place of the other three switches. I am not entirely sure how to close the loop to just make a single switch set up. Here are some pictures of the actual switches with which I am working.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6eq6gpG6uLyXHLnM9


texts: Flatness requirements for bamboo laminate flooring

texts:
I'm installing Lumber Liquidators' Morningstar XD bamboo laminate flooring in my basement. According to their tech support, they have the following flatness requirements for the underlayment:

  (1) no more than 1/8" over 6', and (2) no more than 3/16" over 10'.

A contractor friend thought that sounded excessively stringent. And to meet those requirements I'd need to smooth out the existing concrete floor, so I want to be sure.

Are those tolerances overkill?


texts:
I'm hoping someone can identify what type of metal this outside balcony rail is and offer advice on how to polish it.  I tried Brasso.  It did not seem to really do anything.  Possibly I need to scrub with brush?  I used cloth.

So,
1. Anyone know what kind of metal this is?
2. How does one make it look nicer?

Thanks,

Dave


texts: What is the easiest way to install multiple 5A BS546 sockets next to one another?

texts:
I intend to replace a wall light fitting with two or three 5A BS546 sockets for table-lamp-style lights:

As far as I know there is no 2- or 3-gang variant for this socket, but I assume that it will fit onto a normal BS1363 box (right...?).  So I assume I would have to install two or three of these boxes next to one another.

What is the best way of routing the wiring from one to the next?  Will surface mounting be easier than burying them?  They won't be easily visible and the wall is plaster on brick.


texts: In a crawl space how do i secure electric cables?

texts: In a crawl space, can I staple the electric 12/2 cable to the floor joist?


texts: What would be my best option for new wiring in my unfinished garage? It has concrete walls with trusses for the roof structure. There is currently MC cable ran. Would i be better off running THHN in conduit or just run new MC cable?


texts:
One of our floor boards is broken.  It looks like a bad patch job.  The patched-in piece is sunken into the floor slightly as well (between 1/16" and 1/8"); see pics for details.
Thankfully, I have access to a couple feet of original wood to use for a repair.  How do I patch this? More specifically, how do I secure the new piece to the subfloor?


texts:
I own an old 60s kit house that has tongue and groove 6" pine boards for the ceiling in the main floor room.

In the upstairs room above, they laid ¼ OSB as subfloor and secured it to the boards by placing random screws in the OSB.

As you guessed, I am getting a lot of noise from the joints of the tongue and groove every time you walk across it.

I'm looking for a solution to reduce that noise. I have three options so far:

Glue the OSB to be tongue and groove boards and add screws.
Put screws in every 6 inches on either side of the joints.
Both

Other questions, is there anything I should do with the tongue and groove boards now that I have them exposed?

Is there a different subfloor to use? Weight?


texts: Is there any corelation between housing and lamp data?

texts:
Is there any method, table, equation, mathematical procedure, computer algorithm, or data base to convert lamp data such as a Philips PAR30L flood lamp or LED Par38L flood lamp to minimum housing size? Simplified, what do PAR30L or PAR38L mean? I believe the 'L' is for long neck.
Also is there any table to calculate the housing, for Halo 6 inch new construction fixture, heat rise knowing the lamps dissipation in watts for a kitchen housing installed in the ceiling between the kitchen and attic. Typically on hot days the attic will see temperatures of about 120 degrees F.


texts: How can I repair an air conditioner drain line that is broken flush with the wall?

texts: As you can see below, I broke the drain line off flush with the wall.  There appears to be either a union or an elbow embedded in the wall with a broken off piece of pipe in the fitting. The joint appears to be glued because I can't remove the little fragment of pipe that is left behind. What are my options for fixing this? Right now the water is dribbling out of the broken pipe and running down the side of the house instead of being discharged from the end of the pipe two feet from the wall.


texts:
I have a pulldown faucet that I want to connect to a portable washing machine. The wand of the faucet can be removed, revealing a female 5/8-16 UN 2B connector.

The laundry machine uses a hose that has both an internal thread (diameter ≈ 13/16") and external thread (diameter ≈ 7/8"). I believe these are standard faucet aerator sizes?

What is the easiest way of connecting the two? Given the nonstandard faucet size, I'm having trouble finding an adapter (or chain of adapters) to make the two connect to each other.


texts: How do I hang a chair from a concrete ceiling using a single hook?

texts:
I'm putting in a "hanging chair" in the basement and it's supposed to hang from a single hook in the ceiling. The ceiling is reinforced concrete.

Now, I'm about 125 kilograms (275 lbs) so I reckon the hook should easily be able to bear twice that for safety. Is that a good enough margin?

What would be the easiest and best way to mount a hook in the ceiling that will hold about 250 kgs (550 lbs)?


texts: How do I attach vertical blinds to drywall with a half inch space then a concrete wall behind it. They are heavy

texts: How do I hang vertical patio door blinds on drywall with a half in space behind it then a concrete wall.  I cannot access the concrete directly to manipulate certain screws etc.


texts: Adding sink fixture to waste stack with existing sink fixture

texts:
I'm renovating our basement and I have a waste stack with a roughed in sink fixture trap arm. We are putting a wetbar on the other side of this wall probably around 2' to the left of this waste stack through the double stud (this is a load bearing wall). Please see the below picture:

Here's a picture of the wetbar on the other side (waste stack painted white for some reason):

questions:

I don't believe there is a problem drilling through these studs am I correct? I believe code says up to 60%? I live in BC, can anyone confirm this? pipe size is 1 1/2"
Can I direct vent into this waste stack? If so, I will will have to have to either go above or below the existing T fitting, but my problem is I have a deep sink, so I'll probably have to go below the existing T fitting. What do you guys think?
Do I need a cleanout on my wet bar fixture? or can the removable p trap be a sufficient cleanout?

thanks so much!

Eric

Update:

For those that come across this, this is what I ended up doing:


texts: Does NEC apply to temporary structures, container homes, trailers, houseboats, etc.?

texts:
A question from Owain I thought worth asking:
Does the NEC apply to structures like temporary buildings, shipping container homes, trailers or even houseboats?
I don't plan to self-answer.


texts: toilet slow to flush with bubbles from the jet

texts:
There are 3 toilets in the house and the one in the master bath when flushed bubbles come out the jet and the bowel is slow to empty. The tank empties well from the tank. No other issues with the other toilets, sinks or tubs.

any ideas


texts: Honeywell L6006C Aquasta wiring to a Taco 006-BC4 Hot water Circulator Pump

texts: I have a Taco 006-BC4 hot water circulator pump installed on a mechanical timer and its been working fine. However, I would like to install a Honeywell L6006C Aquastat to drive the pump so I could eliminate the timmer. The aquastat will only be working with the hot water circulator pump. It appears that I would only use 2 of the 3 terminal screws of the aquastat. I am looking for some help with the wiring of the aquastat to turn the pump on/off?  Also, what would be considered typical high, low and differential temperature settings to start with? I greatly appreciate any help. Thanks!


texts: How can I conceal an over-the-range microwave?

texts:
We are in the process of remodelling our kitchen, and are going from an electric to gas stove. Because of this, we are going to need a vented range hood.

One thing that we are certain about is that we'd like the microwave oven to be concealed in the kitchen. This can be accomplished by putting it inside a roomy cabinet. What I'd like to do, however, is install an over-the-range microwave, but somehow conceal the thing. eg: install doors in front of it (or something).

Has anyone done this, or have any advice on how I might go about doing it?


texts: How to hang curtains drywall with no gap

texts:
How can I hang curtains on an exterior wall that only has 1/2" between the interior(painted) drywall surface and the beginning of the exterior wall?

I tried to use a hollow wall anchor #6-32 x 1-1/4", but I wasn't able to hammer it into the correct depth. I don't want to go into the exterior wall.

I measured the depth of the hole and it only made it  1/2" into the wall. I know how to repair the wall if I need to start fresh.


texts: What Type of Caulking will adhere to Composite Decking for water proofing?

texts:
I need a sealer Caulk to fill a approx. 3/8" gap between my Composite Decking boards to waterproof
and prevent water from dripping between the boards and going on to a deck below. I want the rain water to flow over the composite decking boards to the edge of the deck and run off onto a roof that will take the water away.
What is the best product for this application?
What product will adhere to and seal to Composite Decking?


texts: Can I bolt over an existing ledger board?

texts:
I am rebuilding my pergola and all that remains of the previous structure is the 2x10 ledger board, which is bolted through the fascia into what I assume must be the brick wall behind.Taking the thing off will be hard - it's on there pretty good.

Assuming that the existing board itself is sound (so far it appears to be) is there a good reason not to keep it in place and use it to anchor a new (and actually lighter) structure? Would it be preferable to bolt a new board through the existing one?


texts:
so we’ve bought our 2 by 6s C24s treated.Tbh anywhere we went the timber was outside, I think it had been a wet the past few days.
is it still ok to drill our timber into the brick wall to be our ledgers with them a bit damp? Throughout our works for the next few days I’m assuming they’ll dry up a bit or we can use the dehumidifier in the room, but just wondering if it’s ok to put them on.
Will be using big bolts with resin.
They will be used for floor joists in a bathroom.
see pictures for a piece we cut.
thanks!
https://ibb.co/Ht9N4vB
https://ibb.co/TqxHNXn


texts: I'm trying to mount a TV into a brick wall covered by 2"-2.5" of drywall... is this doable?

texts:
I'm trying to mount a 39" TV that I have previously mounted (with no issues) into typical wooden studs with an arm mount. The mount uses two vertically oriented 5/16" bolts. After stopping by my local tool rental, I picked up a hammer drill and some lag shields, for which they recommended a 1/2" masonry bit. The bit was obviously too large as I cannot get the lag shield to stay in place.

So now I have a few 5" long 5/16" bolts, 5/16" lag shields, and a brick wall with somewhere between 2.25" and 2.5" of drywall covering it.

Provided that I go get the right (smaller) masonry bit, should the wall support my TV or am I fighting a losing battle? Should I buy even longer 5/16" bolts?

Thanks,

Kevin


texts: How do we prevent air in the water lines from our well?

texts: We receive our water from a spring fed well. There is approximately 125 feet of pipe from house to spring house. We have obvious air in our line. We have replaced 2 check valves and foot valve as well as checked for obvious leaks in house. The pump does not run continuously. Pressure is maintained in our pressure tank. Water sprays from the faucet when turned on and pipes rattle loudly when toilet is flushed. How do we find leak without digging up 125 feet of pipe.


texts: What tools would I need to make a wood accent wall?

texts:
Just moved into my first house (yikes!) and the wife and I would like to turn a wall in our living room into a wood accent wall. The plan is to use Tongue and groove Carsiding, stained to our liking, affixed to the wall. What I need to know is:

Is this the best material for the job?
What tools will I need?

I current own: A dremel, a jig saw, a power drill, a 150psi compressor, and an orbital sander. I did a little research and I think that for attaching the siding to the studs in the wall, I will use a compressor driven brad nailer. For making cuts I will use a mitre saw. Is this a good idea?


texts: How to get electrical from the side of a beam into a wall under it without crown moulding?

texts:
I'm partially finishing an unfinished basement, and part of that involves installing a wall. I put the wall in the 'natural' place right under the central beam supporting the middle of the house, around two of the iron posts holding it up. I'm trying to get electrical down from the side of the beam into the wall, without needing to notch the drywall. Can post pictures if needed.
The beam consists of 3 2x8s nailed together at an unknown interval, and the wall is a 'staggered stud' construction with 2x4 studs (wall is 6" wide to match the beam)
I was able to get some electrical run using an existing notch in the beam from the old sink drain (which was upgraded/rerouted decades ago to add a second toilet) but I'm having trouble figuring out if the 2020 NEC permits a 'partial' notch in one board of a beam for running (possibly armored) electrical? (US-MA uses 2020 NEC with no relevant amendments AFAIK)
There's an existing question similar to this, but it only addresses modern steel I beams and engineered lumber, not old-fashioned "multiple 2x8s nailed together"


texts: Door sweep install, why can't I make a hole in my metal door?

texts:
I have a drafty door and attempted to install a door sweep like this.  When I try to drill holes for the screws, nothing happens.  I mean, I started with my power drill and a general purpose bit, but it barely made a small divot in the door surface, then the bit broke.  I tried getting a nail and hammer and punching through the door, but I didn't even cause it any damage.  I tried various other drill bits and self tapping screws, no effect, even after running the drill for several minutes.

Any insight?

I'm not a pro but I've done a good bit of building and diy before and have never not been able to put a hole in something before.

Here is the door, and the attempted screw location.

The drill bits, by request

I tried for a close up


texts: How do I find out who manufactured the plumbing in my home?

texts: There is a nationwide class action lawsuit going on against defective manufactured copper piping in homes. I need to find out who manufactured my home's copper piping to determine if my piping qualifies under the lawsuit. What resources should I investigate to determine the said information? I do have a home that is a part of a planned community, a.k.a. a "cookie-cutter" home.


texts:
PEX must be protected from UV   A Florida bypass will require 20 feet of pipe be outdoors: it is in a rectangular tunnel, where it is mounted to  concrete overhead, but sunlight illuminates the interior of the tunnel:

The PEX bridges water from the left side of the 'tunnel' to the right side.  The PEX pipe will be strapped to the ceiling of the open area above the vehicle in the photo
An older piece of PVC encases a CAT5 telephone cable and is showing signs of failure, presumably because of sunlight.  What is the best practice to protect PEX from sunlight in this scenario?


texts: Ice Maker makes consistent clicking sound and doesn't make any ice

texts:
I have a GE french door refrigerator with freezer on the bottom. I have seen it make 2 batches of ice. I have seen it only when I left the fridge door open for awhile when I was trying to figure out what was going on with the ice maker and when I tried defrosting the fridge (from the link below). Which leads me to believe that the arm is trying to push the ice out but it cant until maybe the ice melts a little bit. Does this make since? Ive never fixed an ice maker and I'm not sure how to fix it. The ice maker is a closed box and Im not familiar with how to diagnose the problem.

I read this and tried defrosting my fridge but that did not work.
Why does my ice maker make a knocking sound and not produce ice?

This is what is making the clicking sound. I tried using a blow dryer to this device specifically and still does not work. Although it did make 1 batch of cubes...
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EA6wxVHmL.jpg


texts: Repairing above-ground gaps and holes in foundation

texts:
I am moving into a house (built 1911) that had a few things turn up on the inspection.

One corner of the basement has an indoor cistern, and there are some gaps and a hole in the cinder blocks just above ground level.

The below photo is from that corner, just above the cover to the cistern. You can see light coming through from outside (the top of the cistern is right at ground level).

The inspector mentioned that it would be easy to fix this via expanding mortar, but the information that I'm finding (i.e., Nonset 400) says that expanding mortar should not be used on vertical surfaces. I presume this is because the wet compound would sag or bulge while drying.

What is a suitable method/material for these type of repairs?

The cistern, for reference:


texts: I have an axe with a damaged handle that needs replacing, but I don't know how to do it. What tools and techniques should I use to get the job done?


texts: Taking a long time for oil primer to dry

texts: I have a problem in that I have a lot of interior painting to do and in some cases it is holding up carpentry because I want to prime, for example, baseboards before installing them. However, after priming with an oil-based paint, I need to sand but I can't sand because the oil primer is rubbery and will tear out if I sand it. I have heard that it is supposed to "cure" and then will sand to a powder, but the problem is that it looks like it may take weeks before it dries that much and it is holding up the whole project. How do I deal with this problem?


texts: Do I need to remove old adhesive residue before installing new self-adhesive flooring?

texts: I have an old peel and stick floor in my kitchen that's is getting replaced. I'm putting down a new peel and stick floor. I'm removing the old one because it's curling and lifting from age. The subfloor has the sticky residue in it. Do I need to remove the adhesive or can I lay the floor right on top?


texts: How to replace thick set tile with wall?

texts: I am removing my thickset tiles in the kitchen of my 1950s home. I want to replace dated tiles with a smooth wall. Do I need to remove all the way through to the wire mesh or can I chisel off 1/2 of mortar (after removing the tile) and even it out with plaster? Thank you


texts: How do I clean indoor stairs where eggs were broken?

texts:
Several raw eggs (and other assorted garbage) spilled on my townhouse indoor staircase. After carefully cleaning the surfaces, a day later there is still a smell of raw egg (not yet rotten egg smell, but I reckon that's coming). The steps are bamboo laminate, both the treads and risers. (This is 'aftermarket' flooring put in by the previous owner.) There are some visible cracks particularly between the treads and risers (no caulking or filler there), and my concern is that egg goop got into those cracks while wet and is now between the boards, or soaked in under/behind the steps.
There is no access to the bottom/back of the steps.
How do I remove the current 'fresh gross egg' smell, and ensure that there's no egg material rotting under the flooring?


texts: Wiring of jacuzzi bath tub (replacing normal tub)

texts:
I bought a "Jacuzzi" brand bath tub - standard size (30x60) with jets - to replace old "normal" tub.

I can do the plumbing/finishing, but not sure about the wiring code requirements.

So far i understand:
 - wet location so need GFCI
 - dedicated 20A circuit for pump, and another one for heater if I add a heater
 - timer/switch at least 5 feet away

Do I mount a GFCI outlet inside the "trap access opening" ?
Can i use normal 12/2 NM (Romex) ?

Also not sure where to mount timer/switch or what switch to buy (it did not come with one).
Where would you mount the timer/switch - this is a standard small bathroom 6x8. So on the opposite wall by the vanity sink to be at least 5 feet away?


texts: Water heater refuses to light after power outage

texts:
I have an AO Smith FPSH 40 252 High-Efficiency gas water heater, about 14 years old. Today we had a power outage due to high winds and when the power came back on, the heater refuses to ignite. The blower comes on, the igniter starts to glow but never sparks - it shuts off with a click about a second after the gas comes on.  It repeats this three times and shuts down.  The green indicator light blinks six times, then pauses, which according to this indicates "System in lockout/Unit failed to light".

I have tried sanding the flame sensor and the perforated sheath covering the glowing element, as well as cleaning the rust off the little disc where the gas comes out. I have also tried "jiggling the harnesses" as one helpful forum user posted.

The gas is working fine. There are no obstructions in the vent pipe.

I should also note that I asked this possibly-related question about the same unit about a year and a half ago, so that might provide some additional background. The unit has been working fine, with cleaning of the disc and flame sensor about twice a year, up until today.

Do I need a new igniter assembly? Could today's blackout have caused the problem I am seeing? We had no blown breakers.

I really don't want to start purchasing parts without a clear understanding of the problem. Is there anything else I can try?


texts: How do I fix a leaky spigot on a rain barrel?

texts: I created a rain barrel using an old plastic 55 gallon barrel and a brass spigot.  I drilled a half-inch hole in the side of the barrel for the spigot, wrapped some plumbers tape around the threads, and screwed it into the hole.  Only one problem, the spigot leaks...a very slow drip at the base.  How do I prevent it from leaking?


texts: Washer: Whirlpool WFW95HEDW0, spin cycle isn't really spinning out the clothes (leaves them wet)

texts:
Make: Whirlpool
Model Name: Duet Direct Drive
Model Number: WFW95HEDW0

The problem: Often, the spin cycle fails to get the laundry really dry. That, AND I notice that after the cycle runs, there is no visible water in the drum, but if I turn the drum by hand, I can hear water sloshing

What I have done:

I checked the filter on the pump (on bottom, under drum) -- it was not clogged
I checked the drain line from the back of the washer to the wall. It had water in it, but is not obstructed.
I went into diagnostic mode, and ran ALL diagnostics. There were no error codes during diags
When I first went into diag mode, there were some error codes: F08 and E03,
But I think those are old. I cleared them

My only other observation is that during diags, it took a LONG time to spin up to full speed (a minute or two), and at one point early on the whole washer shook a lot (which then passed)

(And after the diags, there was invisible water below the drum that sloshed when I turn the drum.)

How to diagnose further?


texts:
I'd like to run a lot of circuits along one exterior wall thru 11-7/8" tall I joists. The manufacturers basically say 2" holes need to be 1' away from a bearing point yet their plugs may land directly above a bearing point. There is no chart for smaller than 2" holes. That rim joist area is a nice place to run wire so duct vents won't get in the way of the wire or vice versa. I keep my holes close to the bottom flange so ducting and plumbing can easily pass.

Will drilling two or three sets of 1-1/4"  holes an inch from the bottom flange directly above the load bearing point be kosher or detrimental?


texts: Burn stain on unknown countertop material

texts:
Yesterday morning I placed a burning hot stainless steel frying pan on the countertop in the house I live in. I got distracted by other things and I am pretty sure it stayed there for a while. Upon removal, I discovered a perfectly circular heat stain on the countertop. I don't know what material the countertop is made out of. I included pictures of the stain and the area around it, as well as the edge of the countertop.

Today, I tried scrubbing it with baking soda and water for about 20 minutes but I didn't see any difference.

Any idea on what kind of material this countertop is made out of and/or any ways to remove the stain would be really helpful.

The owner mentioned it's not quartz, granite or marble but didn't say what it was.It looks like it's a plastic cover on wooden material.

Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!


texts: Can I DIY fix the broken main feeder support cable?

texts:
After trimming the old tree, we found out that the steel cable supporting the main feeder lines is broken:

Must have been like that for years. The actual feeder wires are fine, the electricity is on. The steel cable seem not to be really connected to any electrical part, so I assume its function is only to hold the wires.
Question: is this something I can fix myself, i.e. by simply clamping them together? Or it requires welding? Or full cable replacement?


texts: Bucket pulley/hoist for kids climbing frame

texts:
Firstly sorry if this is the wrong place.

I've just finished assembling a climbing frame for my son (with great difficulty!) which had a sand pit underneath it. What I'd like to do is add in a very simple bucket pulley system - that will allow him to fill a bucket with sand, and pull it up to the second level, and hoist it back down.

For an example, see below picture at a local playground

I've been looking at pulleys online but they seem like they would fall back to the floor once you let go - I want it so that the bucket stays on the 2nd level til you pull it back down, if that makes sense?

I'm not the best at DIY so I do apologise if I'm being stupid!


texts:
This weekend I replaced a drain stopper and all the hardware down to the p-trap, keeping those parts original.
After connecting everything I ran the water for about 10-15 minutes while I cleaned up. There were no leaks. Later that night I looked under the sink and noticed a pretty large puddle. We left the home after my fix so I knew it wasn’t from us using the sink. We did however run the dishwasher. I noticed there was water on the compression nut that secured the stem to the p-trap. I tightened the nut.
Today there was no leaking all day until we ran the dishwasher again. It was considerably less, but still a leak. Again the water was popping around the compression nut. I tightened the nut some more.
Why would the dishwasher be causing my bathroom, clear on the other side of the house, to leak? Is that a sign of a clog somewhere  else in a line on the way out to the main?
Some other interesting things we’ve noticed about our plumbing that may or may not help diagnose this problem:

Whenever we start the dishwasher, a really foul smell comes up from the disposal.
We have a “if it’s yellow let it mellow” policy for flushing. A different bathroom (the kid’s) starts smelling really bad after it hasn’t been flushed. I know that sounds obvious but no other bathroom in the house has this problem.


texts: What can I use to automatically turn off a bathroom heater after a fixed time?

texts:
I never want the heater in the bath to operate more than, say, one hour straight.

I want a way to automatically turn it off after one hour of usage (in case I forget to turn that off), however, I want to turn it on just like I always did. I don't want to change it's current buttons settings, I want to turn it on without using a dial to set a timer.

What's the best way to do that?


texts: Should I use nails or screws to refasten my subfloor to the joists?

texts:
My subfloor is squeaky, and there's a small window of opportunity I'll have to fasten it down  before/during my carpet being replaced.  I have available to me a nice corded drill, and an air-powered framing nailer.  My chief concern is longevity of the solution, I don't want the floor squeaking again in 5 years.  Screws will likely hold longer than nails, but with the way higher nailing rate and the right nails (suggestions?) will nails be a better choice for me?

Cost isn't really a factor, as this is only one job.  Carpet installers show up tomorrow :)


texts: Are there code restrictions when adding an access panel in the ceiling below a bathroom?

texts: So on the first floor there is a full bathroom without an access panel.  I would like set up the panel, but would hate the look of the access panel on the first floor which is built into the living room.  Can I set up the access panel underneath the bathroom in the basement(ceiling)?   Does that violate any code and if so any ideas on how to minimize the appearance of access panel on a first floor wall?


texts: How should I connect to a short ground wire in a metal box?

texts: I live in a 50's era house that has breakers and a ground wire in every metal box of the house. The problem is they only used 2 prong outlets. They cut the ground wire short and wrapped it around the wire clamp screw inside the box to ground it. It's too short to connect directly to the outlet, or even get a wire nut on. I was told it would be ok to attach a separate piece of ground wire to the box, on the same or another wire clamp screw, and attach that to the ground on the outlet. Is this effective, safe, desirable, etc.?


texts: How do I wire a two tube ballast to a single tube fixture?

texts:
I am replacing a ballast for a single tube. The new ballast I purchased is designed for two tubes but states that it is also compatible with a single (more powerful) tube corresponding exactly to what I need.

They apparently forgot to draw the wiring diagram for the single tube setup though. The only diagram I have is for two tubes and seems to be typical:

             Power Switch    +--------------------------+
 Line 1 (H) o----/ ----------|Black    Dual Tube     Red|-----------+
 Line 2 (N) o----------------|White      Rapid       Red|--------+  |
                       +-----|Yellow     Start      Blue|-----+  |  |
                       |  +--|Yellow    Ballast     Blue|--+  |  |  |
                       |  |  +-------------+------------+  |  |  |  |
                       |  |                |               |  |  |  |
                       |  |       Grounded | Reflector     |  |  |  |
                       |  |      ----------+----------     |  |  |  |
                       |  |    .----------------------.    |  |  |  |
                       |  +----|-     Fluorescent    -|----+  |  |  |
                       |  |    | )      Tube 1      ( |       |  |  |
                       +-------|-       bipin        -|-------+  |  |
                       |  |    '----------------------'          |  |
                       |  |    .----------------------.          |  |
                       |  +----|-     Fluorescent    -|----------+  |
                       |       | )      Tube 2      ( |             |
                       +-------|-       bipin        -|-------------+
                               '----------------------'

How do I convert this to a single tube?


texts: How to find a non-switched wire in attic

texts:
I'm trying to add a whole house fan in the attic.

Currently there are many power cables in the attic and as far as I know, they all feed lights and bathroom fans - implying they are all switched.

To connect the fan, I think I need a non-switched wire that I can tap into.

Will my search for a non-switched wire in the attic prove to be futile ?

Any tips on how to find one ?


texts: When do plaster cracks get bad enough to have an expert look at them

texts:
Jumping off from Why does the plaster crack beneath the window sill? question, and the calm/collected answers therein.

When (if ever) should I be concerned about the absolute number of cracks around doors and windows, their appearance and growth.  I have cracks radiating from the tops of many of my doors and windows, and they have been becoming more noticeable AND numerous over the past couple of years.

Again referencing the above question, when/how would I know if I really do have a structural issue, instead of normal settling?  And if I do have such an issue, what kind of expert do I need (what keyword to search for)?

For reference my house is drywall with a complete skim coat of plaster (odd, yeah I know), not merely taped/mudded.  The soil when I dig down I would describe as clay-ish, but I am no soil engineer!


texts: What Type of Ducting Should Be Used for a Bathroom Exhaust Fan?

texts:
I'm planning on installing a Bathroom exhaust fan (Just a note, the port is 4") and am curious as to what kind of duct should be used.

I've heard that the duct should be insulated to prevent water backflow from condensation during the colder months as my attic is not environmentally controlled. The New York winters can also be rather cold sometimes, so this is especially a concern. I heard that code requires a rigid tube similar to aluminium.

What kind of duct is typically used for these installations? (Home Depot recommendations would be most appreciated because that's where I plan on purchasing the other components)


texts: changing water pump outlet connection from 1.25-inch to 1-inch, how to calculation flow and pressure

texts:
Submersible well pump with 1.25-inch outlet connection I've changed to 1-inch how to calculation the flow and the pressure?

Here's the submersible well pump details with standard 1.25-inch outlet connection.

Q = 100 L/min

Head = 213 m

How to find out the Q and the head of the same pump with 1-inch outlet connection?


texts: Need to renovate kitchen in house, where to start?

texts:
In my new house, the kitchen needs to be redone. The floor tiles are ok. The tiles that cover part of the walls are ok. The paint above the tiles that goes up to the ceiling needs to be redone.

The cabinets in the kitchen need to be replaced. This means that the countertop will also need to be replaced. A stove is basically connected into the countertop needs to be replaced with a gas stove. The sink needs to be replaced.

I am not exactly sure how cost of replacement will be calculated.

What information is required to determine cost of replacing the things I mentioned above? I am confused about doing full DIY, buying flatpack furniture or outsourcing the whole thing. I just want a reasonably priced replacement, probably on the low-cost end but the necessarily the cheapest.

I live in England.


texts:
Aside from code differences between jurisdictions, is it acceptable to tie an outbuilding floor drain into a dry well drainage system? The outbuilding does not have a water supply, the slope of the surrounding area allows water to seep in under a rollup door. The slope cannot be altered.

Examples from local jurisdictions would be welcome. (I know, ask my local code enforcement, yada yada ... )


texts: What is causing my laminate flooring to become warped?

texts:
Recently I've noticed the following in my laminate flooring:

Apologies if the image is huge or unclear (I'm writing this from the Stack Exchange mobile app.
In short, there is ripples/bubbles in the laminate. I THINK the bubbling/warping began after we had someone help clean our house.  My first thought was that someone spilt water or some wax solution for hardwood floors  but it's difficult to say because the bubbling seems to be growing on a weekly basis and some of it goes under a rug where folks couldn't reach.
I'm planning to crawl under the house (yay!) to see if there is any water pipe leaks but if not, any other thoughts on what could be causing this?


texts: LED lights strip quickly flashes and goes off

texts:
I've just recently constructed some cut to size RGB LED strips to fit around some shelves using T & L connectors.

When I finished and connected the 12v adapter to turn them on, all the LEDs quickly flash once and then they all go out again and don't come back on.  It's seems that all the strips are connected correctly so can't be a connection issue as all the light flash.

Just out of curiosity I removed that last strip that connected directly to the the power supply and turned on the power to see if that worked on it own. The same issue happened.

When I first received this 5m roll of LEDs I checked them with the power supply supplied and it all worked fine.

Any idea what might be stalling the lights staying on?


texts:
Is this a normal issue? 36" inch fridge won't fit 36" cabinet void.

We put in the hampton bay pre-manned hickory cabinets / pantry floor to ceiling with a 36" upper spanning between them. We bought a GE Profile fridge (1 year old model, refurb). The cabinet void is exactly 36" wide from top to bottom. Not 1/32 more, not 1/32 less. The fridge on the other hand seems to range from 35 1/2" to 36 1/8" wide!?

Is this a normal issue? Should I demand a refund? Or, start sanding the front panels down on the cabinets?


texts: Inch-long block-and-spring part came with drill - what is it?

texts:
A drill came with these parts. I've tried searching for them but I don't know what keywords to use.

They are each a bit longer than an inch.


texts: Impedance of electrical circuits increased - do they need to be replaced?

texts:
I have recently had the impedance of my electrical circuits tested, and they were found to have increased over the 12 years since they were installed (from about 0.3 mΩ to 0.4 mΩ) and to fluctuate when subsequent readings are taken.

The electrician advised that all the electrical circuits would have to be replaced. My question is... is this really necessary? Could an increase in impedance be simply caused by a loose connection somewhere (for example in the fuse box)?


texts:
I live in a rental apartment, and it came with a poor quality fridge. It's your standard plastic box with a cold plate around 1/4 of the way down. The upper part is the "freezer" and the lower is the regular fridge. There is little to no insulation, all the freezer part does is gather ice and can't even keep an ice cream from melting.

Anyways, today the ice started melting for no apparent reason. The temperature slider is in the same place (max). I can't see what's going on with the cold plate since there is still a solid couple of inches of ice around it. The engine is still making the same old sound. Its melting at like 2 drips per second? I've gotten around half a gallon of water out of it over the day.

I've put a towel under it to collect the water, I don't really care for the well being of the fridge, I'm more concerned with why its suddenly being worse than usual. Could the ice have cracked the cold plate or something? Would the fluids from the cold plate be dangerous?

EDIT: thank you to all answering, there has been a development:

I started defrosting the fridge a little while before posting the thread. Couple of minutes ago, the bottom half of the ice that was stuck to the plate just fell off and into the plastic thingy below it which also fell to to the bottom of the fridge. Nothing broken there, the plastic is just naturally flimsy.

Now that I can see the plate, it appears to be tilted (I'm assuming its supposed to be horizontal) by around half an inch. Shortly after that, I could hear some more dripping except this time it came from somewhere I couldn't see and made this kind of boiling noise, I'm assuming that would be the coolant. I don't know if that's normal since it only lasted a few minutes, could be a heat adjustment thing, its completely silent now.

EDIT2: I tried turning it on again, the engine started up for a few seconds but then stopped. I can also kinda smell it now, a faint smell thats somewhat like the window cleaner fluid in cars. My theory is that the weight of the ice must have been enough to bend the pipes holding the plate (they are literally the only thing) and that they broke.

EDIT3: I finally got the fridge out of its hole (it fits exactly inside one of the counters) and got a look at the backside. One of the pipes leading from the compressor to the inside of the fridge is almost 100% rust at the point where it goes through the back wall. I'm guessing since that was the cold pipe and the radiator bit was right next to it, it was a good place for condensation to form. It has a big gash in the middle (like a good centimeter), frankly I'm surprised its worked so far at all.


texts: I have a ceiling fixture that uses three 40w candelabra-base bulbs. It was burning out bulbs frequently (about one per month). Over time, two sockets were not working (confirmed with a meter test) and I rewired the fixture with a three socket harness. After a few months, a bulb blew out and when I changed the bulb, found the socket wasn't working. Any thoughts on what could be causing this and how to fix?


texts: how to remove soap stain from granite countertop

texts:
I was fixing my dishwasher door recently and this resulted in some liquid dishwasher soap sitting on my counter for 1-2 hours.

How can I remove this stain on my counter? I can’t tell if the seal has been eaten away or if i need a special cleaner to fix this.


texts: I'm trying to replace a kitchen faucet. The stud and nut holding the faucet down are both turning. I'm out of ideas.


texts: Will keeping the hot water running by accident cause any damage to the hot water heater

texts:
The hot water was left running over night about 6 hours in my bathroom sink
Would that have caused any damage to the hot water heater


texts: How do I reduce the number of screw pops in my drywall?

texts:
Background:

I'm gluing and screwing 5/8 in drywall on the ceiling in my own home. I'm attaching it with screws and construction adhesive directly to the attic joists -- which are 16 in OC. I'm placing 12- and 8-by-4 sheets perpendicular to the joists. And I'm putting in one screw at each of the beveled the ends, then four screws in between those two -- 6 screws total over the 4-ft width of the sheet.

This is part of a remodel of my own home. Given the much larger cost of the general remodel, I'm not interested in skimping on drywall materials or techniques.

I'm using a drywall screwgun to dimple the screws to just the right depth without cutting the paper.

Question:

What else can I do when installing drywall to reduce the number of drywall screw pops?


texts: Home Theater: Projector + Soundbar: How to get audio in sync?

texts:
I have had a lot of issues with audio sync when using projectors. (The projector is slow to render the image, so if the audio is played directly from the digital source, it is early, and annoying!)

The setups I am seeing would have me send the HDMI signal to the soundbar FIRST, and then to the projector.

When I do this (or something like it) via a stereo, the audio is not in sync. Via the stereo, I have to take send HDMI to the projector, and then RCA cables back from the projector to the stereo.

THE QUESTION: If I go :

HDMI Source (media PC) -> HDMI -> Soundbar -> HDMI -> Projector

How do I handle audio sync?


texts:
I am attempting to paint a room in my house for the first time.  I have read the article
How do I prepare an already painted wall for new paint?

Now i need to know what are the equipment and material I need to do a good job?


texts: What kind of saw should I use for cutting thin metal?

texts:
A rather strange issue has occurred where I moved into a house and there was a lot of junk, the majority of which turns out to be useful, but there is a big set of blinds encased in a 2 meter unit made of metal.  To get rid of this, I either have to drive to the local dump or if I can cut it in half, the refuse collectors will take it.

So I realised I don't have a tool for cutting this.  I only have a wood saw (my tool collection is growing, but limited).

The question really is, what do I need to cut this thin, long metal casing in half.  I have used saws that do this kind of thing in the past, but don't own one.  I really don't want something over-elaborate - does a hacksaw or a jigsaw do this kind of work?


texts: Old breaker needs replacing. Is this a 2 pole 40 amp breaker (40 each pole) or a 2 pole 20 amp breaker? (20 + 20 = 40).


texts: How Do I Take This Old P Trap Off Cast Iron T?

texts:
I have a house built in 1958 and I'm replacing the bathroom vanity and sink with an IKEA unit that needs plumbing close to the wall.  I have a new P trap, but cannot take this old P trap off.  It appears to thread directly into a cast iron T inside the wall.  It is not a compression fitting like I first thought.  I have applied some PB Plaster and tried to unthread it, but it is just getting crushed.

My other option is to cut it off, and try to work with what is sticking out, but it got beat up trying to unscrew it.

Close up of the T, it is one cast part:


texts: 2 hot wires into light switch and no neutral

texts:
I recently bought a home built in 1908 and I've found some funky electrical issues - such as the entire main floor on one 30 amp circuit. This morning I went down to the bathroom on the main floor and the light switch plate (light switch on top, outlet on bottom) was very hot with a slight smell of burning. I cut the power and say that the back of the switch/outlet was a bit melted. There were 2 wires coming in and 2 wires going to somewhere (assumed to be the light).

Also saw that some of the wires (old cloth wrapped type) were losing their insulation a bit. Since the wire was in a metal conduit (i.e. pipe, with a metal box holding the actual switches) I cut some of the piping away so I could access the wires and re-wrap them.

When I went to test the wires to reconnect everything I found that the 2 wires coming in are BOTH hot when I touch one sensor to one wire and the other sensor to the metal pipe covering the wires coming in. However, the circuit would not complete (i.e., my tester didn't light up) when touching one of the hot wires to either of the wires going out (presumably to the light) or one sensor to the hot wire coming in and one sensor to the pipe covering the wires going out.

Unfortunately this has also knocked out the electricity on my entire main floor (because it is all one one circuit) and it seems that no combination of reconnecting the wires is working.

So I'm quite confused - there seems to be no neutral coming in and I cannot restore power to the rest of the circuit.

Any ideas? Even if I can get to the point of restoring electric to the rest of the floor and calling an electrician that would be great.


texts: What are some safe and ethical ways to dispose rinse water used to clean up lead contamination jobs?

texts:
I'm researching lead paint removal and cleanup, and I understand the need to seal off the room with plastic and tape. I also understand that a final cleanup is to be carried out some time after 4 to 24 hours after the removal job. The prevailing recommendation is to wash or mop the floor using rags and separate buckets for wash water solution and rinse water, and to seal off your cleaning materials in a bag. What I haven't been able to find is a satisfactory method to dispose of the rinse water resulting from that cleanup.

In this literature from the state of Maine, they have you wash your lead contaminated areas and then to pour the rinse water into the toilet. It occurs to me that this is deferring the lead contamination to sewage treatment, which seems much less than ideal.


texts: Mold, Lead, Asbestos Testing Kits - recommended or seek a professional?

texts:
Professional testing of Mold or Lead or Asbestos can range from $300 - $1000 for each type.
I just found some home testing kits that require you to take and submit samples.

Are these a good cost savings approach with adequate results or should I consult professionals?

UPDATE

I actually found this on the EPA website.
EPA Accredited laboratories.
You can just send samples in ziplock baggies to these laboratories for testing.  I saw that a lot of the DIY kits out there are essentially just baggies! So no need to buy those kits.


texts: Why is the red (common) wire giving me a shock?

texts:
I was replace a 3 way switch and noticed when I touch the red ( common ) wire while it's connected to the switch I get a little "buzz" or shock.

I was curious if this is normal.

Obviously while replacing the switch I had the breaker off but when I turned it back on and touched the red wire connector/screw I got the buzz.

I really don't think it is incorrectly wired, it functions as it should and any other wiring pattern would/does make the switch not perform correctly (only turns on light if other switch is on, etc...).

Anyway, I was just curious if the red ( common ) wire should/can provide a little shock or I should be worried something is wrong.


texts: I broke the tab off my electrical outlet connecting the two hot wires, and then realized that this was unnecessary. Is it a bad idea to solder the brass tab back and still use the outlet?


texts: What should I use, if anything, to preserve these steps made of treated wood? These are on my townhome's back porch. Two of the steps are directly exposed to weather. They were filthy but cleaned up fine with Murphy's Oil Soap and some scrubbing. Should I preserve them with something or just leave them alone?


texts: Could my furnace be leaking due to condensation neutralizer?

texts:
I posted this and the main suspect was condensation pump but after troubleshooting, the pump is working fine (tested standalone). Now I wonder if the leak could be due to the condensation neutralizer; could that get blocked and prevent water from pumping? It that a likelihood?

More details in my the linked post if needed but basically the furnace leaks out water from top section after the pump runs.


texts: What problems could occur if I plugged a 3-prong plug into a receptacle labeled "No Equipment Ground"?

texts:
I have several old, ungrounded outlets in my house which are protected with GFCI, which is allowed per code as the GFCI will protect a person in the event of a ground-fault.

These outlets are supposed to be labeled "No equipment ground" but the previous owner neglected to do this. I assume that if I plug electronic equipment into this outlet there could be problems, but it is not clear what those problems would be.

Is "No equipment ground" a hazard to either people or equipment? What problems could happen if I plugged something like a 3-prong laptop power supply into this outlet? What about a device which uses a 2-prong power cable (no ground) such as some space heater or televisions?


texts: radiator starts banging seconds after turning on the valve

texts:
I even made a video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiCzXr59p6E
Do you guys have any idea what could be the reason?


texts: No Hot Water in Kitchen Faucet, hot water runs to dishwasher but not to faucet

texts:
Problem: Our single handle kitchen faucet has no hot water

Details:

hot and cold water fine in rest of house
checked under sink and hot water is running to dishwasher BUT with hot water valve open all the way and faucet is turned to hot, only slightest trickle comes out and I don't feel any water movement in flexible hose connecting hot water to faucet
earlier today we had opposite issue with no cold and only hot, after I turned valves off and on there was almost not water coming out of faucet but after putting space heater under sink, cold water running perfectly but now there's no hot.

I'm not sure if I should start with water valve or faucet (it's a single handle Ball type).


texts: Ends of 25' 12/3 and short 14/3 extension cords get warm with 1500W heater

texts:
I've 'tested' three listed extension cords, one at a time, by plugging a 4 year old 1500W fanned heater ($10 at Home Depot) into a 20 amp house circuit (no other appreciable load). The cords:

orange 20+ year old 9 foot 14/3 round
grey 20+ year old  8 foot 14/3 flat
yellow unknown-age (but modern) 25 ft 12/3 flat

All cords have molded plugs and are unmodified. None are damaged or look worn. All are single-taps, that is, none are triple-taps. Likely three different manufactures, none known.

I suspect code probably requires such a heater be plugged directly into the wall a outlet. I don't know.  Regardless, this is how I tested them.

Anyway, used one at a time, all three female ends get warm. The middle of the cords stay 'room temperature' 60F. The female ends get warm to the touch, noticeable, but no where near 'hot', just pleasantly mildly warm.  The 12/3 flat cord  has very thick insulation, and the warmth travels from the plug further up the cord - say 12" - than the either of the two 14/3 cords.

The plugs on the 14/3 cords feel warmer than the adjacent cord.  The plug on the 12/3 cord feels the same, or possibly a bit cooler.  I attribute the differences to differences in heat-conduction of 12 ga vs 14 ga wire.

I imagine all 9 female terminals (molded within rubber plug) are soldered to the conductors with no increase in resistance at the connection.

I suspect this means that there is a huge 'contact' resistance between female terminals and the male terminals in the heater's end.

How can I further investigate and hopefully eliminate the 'problem' if there is one.  Maybe cord amperage/gauge/length tables are for peak amps, not sustained amps.


texts:
I was welding with an amico 140 amp stick welder when it shut off without warning. Why did it do this? I have waited about an hour and a half and it is still unresponsive. Is there a fix? If I am not in the right place, please tell me.

Thanks,
Amateur welder


texts: 10 inch rough toilet but heating baseboard is in the way

texts:
Just moved into a new house. Need to replace the toilet. It is a 10 inch rough from the wall, however there is a heating baseboard in the way. There is a toilet there now and the back of the base of the toilet doesn't extend all the way back to the wall and that's why it fits. I've gone everywhere and cannot find a toilet that doesn't extend back to the wall. The existing toilet seems to be from the 80's or 90's.

Anyone know where online I can find a toilet whose base does not extend all the way back to the wall so it fits with the baseboard heating?


texts:
We are about to start on a phased plan to landscape our back yard. Phase one calls for a driveway to be poured behind our house, which will cross the entire property and connect two shared driveways on either side of our home.

Phase two involves adding a tiny house/office on the back of our lot which will need utilities including electrical.

I have no idea what our electrical needs will be, nor do I know the exact location of the structure.

What is the best way to prepare for an eventual electrical supply, given that it will need to run under the new driveway? Should I bury conduit without a cable, maybe with rope inside of it to pull cable in the future? Or should I go ahead and run cable through the conduit and terminate it in a box underground for future connection?


texts: how much weight can I lift with 3 2x12x20 feet long beam supported by 6x6 post on each shide this is insde a pole barn

texts: I have a small pole barn with 6x6 beams on 7 feet center the barn is 20 feet wide  36 feet long  am planning to put in a  triple 2inch x 12inch x 20 feet long beam making it a 6x12x20   .. the question is how much  can i lift from this beam in the middle....


texts: What can I do about small pools of water on my garage floor?

texts: I just moved into this house and I have discovered about 20 different size "water" marks.  As I haven't parked my car in the garage - I would have noticed it sooner.  But what can I do for this problem.  My drains outside are not close to the house.


texts: How can I increase the friction on the surface of PVC pipe?

texts:
So, I have sort of an odd question - I need a coating (or something) that will increase the friction on a CPVC pipe as much as possible.

Specifically, I rigged some CPVC pipe to mount a light from my bicycle rack (I am a commuter.)

However, the PVC pipe is apparently not a standard size of bicycle tubing, and even as tight as I can get it the light tends to slide around a bit.

Would some sort of rubberized coating work?

(I suppose I could put some inntertube on there, but I suspect stretching it tightly reduces the friction if provides.)


texts: What is the weight limit of an average shower head pipe?

texts: I want to use a bucket of filtered water for showering. The bucket when full weighs 20 lbs. Would hanging this bucket on my shower head pipe which is coming out of the wall damage the piping?


texts: How could I motorize my venitian blinds?

texts:
I just moved on to an appartment which have a set of 9 venitian blinds.

Each come with 2 actions : a string you pull to lift the blind, and a stick you spin to spin the blades and filter more or less the light.

I would like to motorize the stick and remote control all of them. (I'll probably never lift them)

I know how to use arduino with a raspberry pi to remote control things with radio emetters, but I have no clue what to use to motorize things.

The stick is made of plastic, a little elastic but solid though, and the force needed to spin them is really low (2 fingers are more than enough). More, you can spin the stick a little too much, it wont cause any damage, so there is no need for sensors yet.

Here is a picture of the subject. There are 9 of them and some are really high so I only have access to the bottom of the stick.

So, for this project, what should I consider regarding the motorization ?


texts: How to solve a miswiring of neutral and ground

texts:
An Outlet in the dining room which had a microwave plugged into it stopped working. I found 120+ volts from hot to ground and 96+ from hot to neutral. Also at one point my "three light tester" showed hot-ground reversed at one point, but also good at another point.

After researching on-line I believed the problem to be an open neutral, possibly in a back stabbed outlet or loose neutral wire nut connection. I started by checking all connections on that particular circuit once I isolated it in the breaker box. I replaced both outlets,connecting to the screws not the backstabs. I also rewired light switches by disconnecting the backstabs and re-attaching to the screws although this step, in hindsight, was probably unnecessary.

Eventually I found a two wire (hot and neutral only) ceiling light fixture in an adjacent laundry room (same breaker in panel box). The plastic fixture box has four Neutral wires plus the neutral light fixture and a ground wire all in a single wire nut. When I removed the ground from the connection of five neutrals (four rolex and one light) the light stopped working and I now have 120V from hot to ground but only 16V hot to neutral at the outlet.

I really don't think I want to rewire the ground back into the neutrals and I am thinking I should continue by checking the neutral set screws on the neutral bar in the panel, but I'm a little stumped about the ground that I disconnected and re-attached to the green nut on the light mounting bracket that spans the plastic ceiling box.


texts:
I've got two 220V appliances I'm trying to add a receptacle for. I've got a dual-pole 25A breaker, and am completely replacing the existing outlet.

My issue is that one appliance has a standard NEMA 6-15 plug, and the other just has a four-wire pigtail.  I'm trying to figure out how to wire them both up.

For the four-wire appliance, it looks like the NEMA 14-20 is the correct plug to attach to it.  It should only draw 6 amps-- is there a lower-rated four-conductor plug I should use?

As for the receptacle, my understanding is the 6-15 doesn't use the neutral wire.  Can I run 4 wires to a junction box and then have two outlets-- a 6-15 and a 14-20-- with the neutral only going to the 14-20?

Am I doing something terribly wrong or dangerous?  This doesn't seem too complicated, but I've heard enough horror stories to be cautious.

EDIT:

The appliances are a table saw (13 amp draw) and a dust collector (6 amp draw).  There's not room in the breaker box for another set of breakers, so I was hoping to get both on the same circuit.  But it sounds like it's a better option to separate them?

The wiring diagram for the dust collector doesn't help me much-- it can be wired for 230V or 460V operation and details how to change that, but never specifies what the four leads are for.  They're standard colors (black, red, white, green).

The existing breaker is two 25A breakers with their handles attached.  Each connects between neutral and a different hot side in the box.  I went with 25A over 20A just because the draw from both appliances is 19A and that didn't seem like a lot of room in case one draws a bit more on startup.


texts:
I'm looking for a way to put a motion sensor at the end of the driveway and wire it about 150' up the driveway to a 12v light.

The operation I'm looking for, is when the sensor sees a car I want the light to blink for about 30 seconds and then shut off until the next car.


texts:
I want to add an outdoor light or two on an exterior wall that has no lights.

(I'm about to get a puppy and have a door out from my bedroom that has no lights. Since I live in the mountains and have seen and heard bears outside on that wall, I'd like to know for sure at 3am before going out for a puppy pee break.)

Factors:

I'd like a bright flood light (or two). Not a dim solar-powered failure.
Ideally the light would be motion-triggered in addition to some way to force it on from inside.
Some of the exterior is 8" concrete.
There is a light switch next to the door that controls an exterior light around the corner from the desired face.
There is an outdoor outlet one floor down, around the corner from the wall.
There is very little eave over the face where I want the light (maybe 1').
I need some solution (if not the final one) in place in two weeks. Hard to find an electrician in that time.

Here's a hack diagram of the situation:

I want the lighting along the exterior face on the right in the picture.
The yellow circle is the existing outdoor light.
The dotted "S" is the interior light switch controlling the deck light.
The dotted "O" is an outdoor outlet (tucked around a low concrete wall).

Is there any way I can just run an extension cord from the outlet up to...something?

Are there any LED lights that you would consider acceptably-bright for an outdoor safety flood? And solar-powered?

Can I patch into the cord from the light switch by drilling through from the exterior?


texts:
I live in a small, newly built flat in London. The walls are plasterboard. In our bathroom, the only lights are two halogen down lighters on the ceiling. I would like to install two new lights on the wall either side of the mirror.

To make things harder, I don't want to go upstairs and ask the guy who lives there to pull up his carpet.

Is this something I can attempt myself? How do I get the wire from the ceiling light across the ceiling and down the wall to the new lights?

Added: I own this flat. The lights are proper bathroom lights, from a bathroom shop. They are not within reach of the shower, but they are obviously within reach of the sink. There is no actual bath in the room.

Please don't be distracted by the fact that this is in a bathroom. Really I would like to know how to get the wires from the ceiling light to the wall light.


texts: How to fix flaking paint on a deck railing and make it last?

texts:
Well, two years ago I painted my deck railing and now it looks like this.

(Peeling and flaking off)

My instinct is to sand it down with a random-orbital sander and then a wire brush and repaint, but I suspect this won't be good enough.  How do I paint over this to make it last?


texts: My ac system is 240V. I want to step it up to higher voltage to plug in some temporary equipment that needs at least 400-440 volts. If I use a 120v-240v step up transformer.. would it make my 240V become 480V?


texts: Broken cabinet door.. Need help in identifying the part

texts:
My cabinet door is not holding in place any more because of a plastic broken part.

I have also attached a pic of the same part that is intact for the other door.

I am not sure what is the name of the part that is broken and needs replacement..  Could anyone help please?


texts: Why does it take a second for water to come out of the kitchen faucet?

texts:
Starting about a week ago, our kitchen faucet has exhibited some odd behavior. When you lift the handle for it, nothing comes out for a second. You can hear air or water flowing, but nothing comes out. Then, a second later, the water comes out.

If you turn the water off and then on again soon thereafter, it works normally. But if the water is off for awhile, you get the delay again. This happens for hot and cold water. There are no leaks or drips under the sink that I can see.

Our kitchen faucet is the single-handle style, where you move the handle to choose water temperature, and it does have a sprayer attachment, in case that is relevant.


texts: How do I remove a sliding door track that is fasten to the wood somehow?

texts:
I am trying to do a minor alteration to my sliding closet door of a newly purchased condo. For whatever reason the track of the door has a placement that is recessed from the lip of the door and is not flush. I was thinking it would be simple to just slide the track forward so it looks nicer. I started on unscrewing stuff (see the holes) and I find out they do not support the track. I am not sure how the track is fastened to the wood.

My question is the community is how do i pull this down and reattach? Is it epoxied? I was going to try and hammer it off but I would like a non destructive method of removing it so I can put it back up in a new spot.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Where should I start tiling my bathroom wall?

texts:
The bathroom I'm about to tile has a complex layout, and I've never put tile on a wall before.  Let me see if I can paint a verbal picture...

The room is approx. 6'("short side") by 10'("long side").  The short side has the door on one end, and a window centered above the tub on the far end.  The window is about 3' above the tub and (used to be) a typical household window.  The tub stretches from one side of the room to the other.  Toilet and sink are along the long side.

The tile would extend from the door jamb about 5' from the floor, over the tub where it goes up to near the celing, around the back wall over the window, then back down again and across behind the toilet and sink.

So I have a couple features that influence, I believe, where I start tiling--the window and the tub.

I believe I should start at the window and tile outward, which ensures the tile is centered on that spot.  However I'll probably end up with oddly cut tiles at every single corner in the bathroom.

Another option is to start centered directly above the tub.  That way the tile grows up with regular sized tiles until the window, which would end up with oddly cut tile around it.

I'm afraid that when I get down to the nasty business I'll end up picking the wrong way, and every time I go in the damned bathroom I'll look at it and obsess about my decision.

Which is it--window outwards, or tub upwards?  Or is there even a third option I should pick?


texts: Pull chain light sockets wired without pigtails

texts:
I have a string of four ceramic pull chain light fixtures in my unfinished basement on a 20A circuit with 12awg wire. The chain/switch on one stopped working and when I started to removed the fixture to replace it I discovered that the hot is wired to the terminal not with a pigtails but with one continuous wired looped around and then departing the box to feed the other lights. (The neutral is pig tailed.)
See image (note: the red and one white go to a receptacle -- I think we can ignore those for this purpose).
This seemed unusual so I opened the next fixture down the line and both the hot and neutral are wired in this continuous loop way. (I'm assuming the other two lights are too.)
This certainly seems not ideal but is it dangerous/really bad? Or was this accepted practice at one time?
(I'm in the US. House was built in the 60s but not certain if this particular circuit is original or not.)


texts: Plumbing toilet and sink into same drain

texts:
Please see attached sketch for more details, but we want to avoid cutting through the joists below the bathroom and also avoid creating a bulkhead in the family room below. We are located in Toronto, Canada.

We are thinking of using a wall mount toilet with an in wall tank from Geberit. Their catalog shows an elbow connector that appears to allow you to run the toilet drain (I assume this is a 3 1/2" pipe) at an angle instead of straight down through the floor. Can we then run the drain horizontally through the bathroom wall (approx 6 ft) and then down the floor into the mud room? If 6ft is too long what is the maximum length we can run the pipe horizontally (not sure if it needs a slope along the run)?

We would also like to connect the vanity drain in the bathroom to this drain. Is that doable? There is another bathroom directly behind this one and can the drain for the vanity in that bathroom also connect to the same drain above?

Hoping the experts in the forum can provide some insights for us.

Thanks


texts: Will this 10-foot wide gate design be rigid enough?

texts:
We've been working at putting a fence around our property and are almost finished. The last part that we have to do is we're adding gates to the end of our driveway.

The fence that we put up is a hogwire fence with wood framing. It looks like this:

However, to keep with the style of the fence, I'd like to build a matching gate. I've seen some ideas online of how to build a large gate that won't sag and came up with this similar design, but I'm still not sure of it: (Front and back views)

I'm hoping to keep the opening as large as possible so that trailers and such can easily enter. We are also having the gap split into two gates and will be using an automatic opener system. Currently I'm looking at having it at 20' wide, so two 10' gates.

The question that I have is primarily, is this design reasonable in hoping that it won't sag? They will both be 10' wide X 4' high. I know that these will be incredibly heavy gates and this just seems unreasonable; but I saw it being done with a 10' wide X 6' high privacy gate, so I would think that these might be a little better off than that.

Also, our driveway is mostly flat and so we'd be able to use wheels if needed, but I'm hoping to avoid that if possible.

Last; I've thought about maybe buying two of the metal farm tube gates instead and just mounting this design (or similar) onto them. Does that sound like a better idea? Or possibly some form of metal support to add to this.


texts: Inside panel circuit also powered by outside panel?

texts:
I am a DIYer and would like some advice (even if the advice is "call an electrician").
I have a house built in the 1950s. I have 2 independent electrical panels from the meter-1 inside, the other outside. B & W wires initially run through conduit. While running a new circuit from the inside panel, I needed to get easier access, so I pulled out a breaker and disconnected the white wire from the bar. This circuit ran to my pantry.
Now, with the inside panel turned off and the outside panel turned on, both the disconnected B & W wires that ran the pantry are hot (per voltage detector).
When the B & W wires are connected to the inside panel and the inside panel is turned off and the outside panel is on, the wires B & W wires are not hot.
What is going on?


texts: What is the best way to fix a large rectangular shaped glass table top?

texts: It's a 48in wide x 84 or 96in long x 1/2in thick. It broke pretty clean down the middle widthwise. Also it has an arched wooden base with 2 arms arching outwards (one on either side) in the outer middle of table centered and 2 arms on either end centered at the heads of said table. It has to be able to withstand food for 8 people and be able to withstand hot and or cold foods like a 28lbs Turducken for holiday dinners as well as all the fixings.


texts: Do most stackable washer dryers fail because of the washer being overloaded/won't drain?

texts:
What would happen if I just stacked my dryer on the washer?
I know if falls but I"m try to determine the most likely cause. My quess ss unbalanced washer as that's the only time I'm seen major movement and i'm guessing the most common major vibration cause.

How could I stop the dryer from falling if I didn't have a kit for the stackable?

I know they sell kits i just want to understand the most common reasons they fall so I can make a stack kit if need be.

It seems the washer would have more weight and would start vibrating and the top would fall.

A loaded washer would be more dangerous.


texts: Is it possible that a room ambient noise generator could reduce traffic sounds from outside?

texts: There are traffic sounds ascending the hill on which I live. Might a "white noise" generator inside my small studio apartment have impact on this type of noise, or is noise impact on individuals simply too subjective for an answer?


texts:
Today a plumber removed a sink from my house and sealed the two corresponding pipes at the location where they branch from the rest of the system. I expressly asked him to do this because I wanted to avoid having a dead run of pipe in my walls where bacteria could develop and cause serious health risks.
This is the end result. I marked in red where the dead leg starts for each of the pipes that got cut.

I've been reading online about the risk of bacteria such as legionella developing in the system and the recommendation seems to be that the dead leg's maximum length should be at most 1.5 times the diameter of the pipe itself. The dead legs shown in the picture are about 4 times the diameter.
I would like to understand whether this poses a health risk and whether I ought to ask the plumber to come and shorten the pipes.


texts: How to prevent solidification of mastic in nozzles

texts:
Using mastic or adhesives in cartons or cartidges that are squeezed out by a handgun, the nozzle is of paramount importance.
Problem is, going back several days, weeks, or months later, the mastic has gone hard in the nozzle. It's often fine still inside the gun, but the nozzle, even if it had a screw-on cap, is full of solid, which often won't come out happily. Silicone, as it stays malleable, is the only one to easily remove, so the nozzle gets re-used, but what ways are there to ensure any nozzle doesn't just fill, solidify, and get thrown away?
This isn't a problem for tradesmen, who will get through many cartridges a week, so will use the same nozzle on the next tube, thus ending up with several spare unused.


texts:
I have a 30 amp breaker with a 10/2 feeding a 220 volt dryer outlet. Currently it is powering an air compresser in the garage. I want to put in a 220 wall switch so I don't have to go to the panel and turn on the breaker to power the compresser.

Can I use 12/2 from the 10/2 to switch and back to the compressor outlet?


texts: Small neutral wire at service drop to panel

texts: I recently moved into a gorgeous Victorian style house built in 1890. I am concerned about the point of entry of the service drop to the fuse box.containing a much smaller neutral than i would have expected. Is is 60 amp service. There is also a sub panel with no problems that I can see. There are no other problems and everything functions fine. Is it normal to see a smaller wire providing neutral path on an old service drop? Thanks in advance.


texts: Removing Shower Tiles from Waterproof membrane

texts:
I am looking to re-grout some tiles in the shower which have come loose.  However I have a couple of tiles which have completely broken.

However while trying to remove half the tile, it is really stuck down to the waterproof membrane.  When I start to pull on it, I can feel the membrane pulling with it.

My question is what should I do? How do I take the tile off without messing up the waterproofing?

1) Will it matter if I just yank up the tiles? I'm suspecting it will!
2) When I replace the tile will grouting it be fine. (I have waterproof grout)

I've included some some pictures.  The black under the tile is the waterproof membrane.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Should I worry about this pipe insulation? (fiberglass vs asbestos)

texts: I have found those pipes in my basement. I hope its fiberglass, but not sure if its asbestos, because it got placed in the 60's or 70's (in my country the use of asbestos got banned in 2005). These pipes are used for the heating of the house, so they require thermal insulation to be efficient. I know its impossible to determine by a picture, but I hope somebody with a little more knowledge can say what could I do.


texts: Condenser fan motor overheats and then shuts off

texts:
I recently installed a 3-wire Protech 51-100999-03 condenser fan motor (1/6 HP, 1075 RPM, .73 A, CCW rotation) and a 24" dual blade, 28 degree pitch, CCW fan blade. New motor has same specs as old motor (TradePro TP-C16-1SP2 6-wire motor) except old motor was rated at 1.2 A.
In addition, I installed a Protech 50 + 3 μF dual run capacitor and a Protactor single-pole contactor.
To wire the circuit, I wired:

(pictured)

line voltage wire (white) on L1
line voltage wire (black) on L2
24v wire (yellow) on coil of contactor
24v wire (black) on other coil of contactor
red wire from compressor on T1
black wire from compressor on T2
orange jumper wire on T1 (and on Com terminal of capacitor)

(not pictured)

purple compressor wire on Herm terminal of capacitor
ground wire attached to ground strip on condenser assembly
orange jumper wire on T1 and on Com terminal of capacitor
orange wire from condenser fan motor on Com terminal of capacitor
black wire from condenser fan motor on T2
brown wire from condenser fan motor on Fan terminal of capacitor

Problem
The condenser fan motor will run for perhaps 30 minutes and then it noticeably overheats (burning hot) and stops.
Tested Capacitor
I tested the capacitor using Fluke DMM. Herm-Com tested at 50.2 μF and Fan-Com tested at 3.2 μF. The old wiring configuration used two capacitors: one for the condenser fan motor and another for the compressor. I decided just to use a dual run capacitor.
Fan Blade
I warped the old fan blade while removing it from old condenser fan motor. I had it on the new motor for an hour or two. It was moving air, but I could see a slightly wobble at the shaft. Not extreme, but noticeable. So, after the condenser fan motor overheated the first time, I turned the power off at sub-panel. I bought a new blade yesterday (24" dual blade, CCW rotation, 28 deg. pitch). The same overheating problem occurs before and after the fan blade replacement.
While it ran with the new blade, it was pushing a good amount of air out the top of the assembly. No air coming out from the sides, so I suspect the blade is located properly on the shaft.
Cleaned Coils
I disassembled the entire cage for the condenser to paint it. While I had it diassembled, I cleaned the coils. The overheating problem occurred before and after I cleaned the coils.
Now, I have no idea what could be causing the overheating except for a faulty motor. Any other ideas?


texts: Is connecting a 16A plug to 10A sockets for an electric water heater a problem?

texts:
I had an electric water heater installed in my bathroom this morning. It uses a 16A plug but I only have 10A sockets in the bathroom (the only 16A in the apartment is high on the bedroom wall for an AC unit).

I know the hardware store sells powerstrips that can take 16A plugs, and which have 10A heads. The largest is rated to 4000w.

Would this be a safety hazard?

If yes, can I just replace the socket in the wall or do I need to get the whole damn thing rewired back to the fusebox?

ADDITIONAL INFO

The heater's plug has a built-in fuse, the kind that pop-up and can
be reset, and says 10 mA on it.
The heater offers 3 heating modes: 1000w, 1500w, and 2500w (the first 2 are individual heating elements, I assume)
I have two breakers for the bathroom. One is dedicated to one outlet, the other to the lights and another outlet. Both are rated 230/400V 50Hz 6000w IEC 60898 GB 10963


texts: How to repair exposed exterior foundation insulation?

texts: Thanks for checking this question.  New to owning a home, and new to stack exchange.  I do not know where to begin and I do not know what "terms" to use when googling.  Any tips/ideas how to repair or replace exposed foundation foam insulation?  Thank you!


texts: What kind of edging should I use between a patio and a French drain?

texts:
Here is a diagram of what I am trying to achieve
My patio is pretty much flat. Due to settling the water collects near the wall
Since it is too much work to grade properly the entire patio I think that it would be good to rest the areas where the water collects and to add a french drain between the patio and the wall. The wall is presenting efflorescence due to too much water at the base. The water goes up on the wall due to capillarity pressure.

So ..what sort of can be used between the french drain and the patio (see the picture, the edge pointed by the arrow)

Edit:

Someone on another site suggested something like this


texts: Caulking corner of showers changed grout color

texts:
I just finished up a second shower tiling project in my house. I was excited to see how much more smoothly my second tile job would go than my first. All was good until the final step of caulking the shower corners where the tiles meet. I decided to use a clear 100% silicone caulk because the corners looked good and I wanted to show them off.

The grout that the silicone has touched is now much darker than the rest of the shower.

I'm obviously disappointed that this happened in the last step of the process. I spent a lot of time planning things out and even spent the extra money on a high quality grout that does not need to be sealed (Laticrete Permacolor Select). I waited several days after grouting to apply the silicone.

I've now waited almost 48 hours and the discoloration is still present.

Has anyone experienced this before? Any recommendations on how to resolve?

I'm thinking about removing the caulk with a razor blade and purchasing a caulk from the grout manufacturer that matches the color of the grout. This would hide any possible staining that clear silicone caused, but I'm hoping I don't need to go this route. In the only other shower I tiled, I ended up having to remove the silicone and add a different color and I'm really hoping that I don't have to go through that again.