texts: Why is my mixer tap/faucet slow to switch off?

texts:
I have a 4-year-old mixer tap/faucet in my kitchen, and until recently the water would stop flowing immediately when the tap was switched off.

Now the water continues to flow for a few seconds when the tap is closed.

I wasn't able to buy the exact cartridge (left image) so I tried a generic spare part (right image), but the behaviour is the same with the new cartridge. The gaps aren't identical, which may be the reason the new cartridge hasn't helped?

The metal filter/aerator at the end of the spout is clean. The tap underneath the bench is fully on, and the pressure is good.

What do I need to change in order for the water to stop flowing immediately when the tap is closed?


texts: The bottom of my porch post is rotten. I will be painting the new wood. What kind of wood would be best for this?


texts: How does low freon cause the compressor suction line to freeze up

texts:
There are many questions about air conditioner issues with the most common being that it isn't cooling properly.  Among the typical answers are low Freon and the standard diagnosis for low Freon is ice on the large copper pipe at the outside compressor.

From my understanding the small copper tube is the high pressure side with Freon that has been compressed to a liquid.  When this liquid is allowed to boil in the inside evaporator things cool down.

Conversely the large copper pipe is the return line from the evaporator sometimes referred to as the suction line or low pressure side.

So my question is: under low Freon conditions how can the suction line freeze up?

Intuitively I would thing with low Freon the entire cooling ability would be below normal causing the evaporator to not produce as much cold air.  A side effect of all this, I would expect the suction line to be warmer that normal.

Why does the suction line freeze up under low Freon conditions?

See the image in this question for a great diagram of an HVAC system:
What's the most common cause of A/C refrigerant lines freezing?


texts: How to ground old style Romex (no ground) multi-wire circult

texts:
I have a multi-wire that is very old and doesn't have a ground.  I'd like to change this to using new Romex so that AFCI breakers will work.  My question is this... Can I band the red wire in my multiwire cable with green tape and then use that as a ground?  Of course, I'd band it with tape on both ends....

The alternative is to either abandon the red wire and use a ground from another source in the next junction box (available) or replace the old 12-3 Romex that doesn't have a ground with a new 12-2 also.

Phrased differently:
1. Replace 12-3 w/o ground with two 12-2 that have grounds
2. Replace 12-3 w/o ground with one 12-2 with ground and reuse old 12-3 w/o ground, using ground from new 12-2 in the next junction box
3.  Replace 12-3 w/o ground with one 12-2 with ground and reuse old 12-3 w/o ground, banding with green tape the red wire and using that as the 12-3's ground.

Thanks!


texts: Up-to-code install of under-cabinet electrical outlets

texts:
I'm planning to install some plugmold multi-outlet strips hidden under my kitchen cabinets like this:

However, I'm trying to figure out how to hardwire these in a way that passes code. Looking at another similar product from legrand, the instructions are to just drill two holes in the wall and pass Romex wires through. Then the wire-nut connections are made in the outlet strip itself.

I always thought wire nut connections need to be made inside an electrical box-is that right? For my install I'll need the holes to be behind the cabinets, and the romex will run down through a hole in the bottom of the cabinet to the power strip:

Do I need the electrical box in my drawing? Or can I just pass the romex cables through the wall with no box and make the connection in the outlet strip?

Thanks!


texts: What to do about bathroom ceiling peeling

texts: It was painted early in the year. Now large parts of it are peeling into large slices of paint, like an orange. It's still attached, just being peeled away and hanging from the ceiling. Under the white paint or above it, a grey ceiling unaffected.


texts: Frozen outdoor spigot, small leak from indoor shut off valve

texts: So I shut off the indoor valve to my outdoor spigot and then opened the outdoor valve to drain in the fall. There was a slight drip like the indoor valve wasn't closing all the way but then it stopped. After I returned from vacation apparently the drip returned and now the outdoor spigot is frozen. I went down stairs and there is some ice formed on the framing and there is a very slow drip. Can't tell if the pipe has split. We are in single digits at this point. So my question is should I be worried about further damage? The indoor valve will still have a slight leak but if the piping to the exterior already split do I need to worry? And if it hasn't split what can it do to avoid it? Thanks


texts: ceiling fan rotate slowly in my bedroom only

texts:
I had one ceiling fan which was rotating slowly.I thought fan might have issues, so I shifted that fan to my shop.to my amazement, the same fan is working fantastic there. Then I bought a brand new ceiling fan of Khaitan & fixed in my bedroom but again it rotate slowly. I guess there must be some problem in my electric connection but again all other fan in my house are working fine ,only my bedroom fan rotate slowly.
  please friend I want your opinion.


texts: How can I keep the front door from blowing open?

texts:
Whenever there's a windy day, our front door blows open (letting the weather in and the animals out) unless we throw the deadbolt.  It's not a big deal when we're all inside - it's become second nature to throw the bolt just in case every time I come inside, whether it's windy or not - but it's a major pain to have to take my keys with me, and bolt the door behind me,  whenever I step outside.

I suspect that the problem is just that the bolt of the regular lock doesn't extend quite far enough, but I don't know what I can do to change that.  I thought of adding a shim or two behind the strikeplate in the doorjamb, but it's already scraping the door as it is.

I'm posting from work and didn't think to take pictures at home, but: the doorknob and deadbolt are keyed-alike, Schlage (I believe) and about 15 years old.


texts: How to fill a gap on the floor before laying vinyl

texts:
My bathroom has a ‘click lock’ laminate floor and I’m going to lay new vinyl over the top. Currently there are edging strips covering the gap between the laminate and the wall.
To fit the new vinyl this slightly raised edging will have to be removed leaving a small gap to the marine board below and the wall.
I’m told I should fill this gap to make it level with the laminate allowing the vinyl to sit flat, and not ‘sink’ at the edges.
I’ve been told a screed could do it or, a sealant of some kind.
Never done this before.
Please advise on what to use and how?
Danny


texts: Can I use a 2x6 beam stretched across a few of these roof rafters to support a hammock?

texts:
I want to hang a large hammock in my reading room. It used to be an open-air carport structure and so the construction is fairly lightweight. Here're some pictures of the ceiling/roof in question pre-drywall.

If I take a 2x4 or 2x6 and span several of the rafters, would it be safe to hang the hammock from the center of the 2x6?

Alternatively, would it be better to mount the hammock directly to the center roof beam (4x6?)?


texts: Should I bypass a thermal cut-off switch on my oil furnace?

texts: My thermal cut-off switch for my oil furnace blew and my neighbor replaced it until a tech could come out and check it when I had my cleaning. The switch blew again and the furnace tech bypassed the switch instead of installing a new one. Should a new one be reinstalled, or is it fine to just bypass it? My neighbor said its a safety issue because if it gets to hot the switch won't be able to shut the furnace off.


texts: Building my own garage door - are my plans going to work?

texts:
I am building my own three section wood garage door. I can save a few grand this way and get exactly what I want. But, I also want to make sure I do it right. I have a local overhead door company that will provide me with all of the correct hardware if I supply details like weight and size.

I have drawn up construction plans which I think are pretty good. I need some kind souls to either validate my design (with some suggestions for improvements hopefully) or bring me back to earth.

I am using metal cross pieces (1-1/2" square tube) to keep the panels straight. I am not sure if I will use aluminum or galv steel. Depends on suggestions, price and weight.

Edit: I modified my plans based on feedback so far and put up images rather than the PDF. Note: You can right click the images and select Open in New Tab to see them in higher resolution.

I changed the galv flashing to keyed poplar strips. I am using redwood for the bottom because it will be in contact with the driveway. Any reason to use redwood instead of poplar for all of the edging?

Thanks!
Brad


texts:
We just had some old windows replaced with glass block in the basement. The installers added a window with an attachment to vent the clothes dryer but, of course, it's different to the one in the old window. Here's what they left us with:

I have the bendy metal pipe going from the dryer to a flexible metal elbow that then connected to a straight piece of steel pipe that (use to) vent to the outside. Of course the metal pipe doesn't fit over that plastic ring. It will fit inside (with a bit of persuasion), but isn't tight enough to stay. I don't know if it's a good idea to try a metal clamp over the plastic ring as I fear it might crack the plastic, and there isn't really a lot of room around the ring.

What would be the appropriate piece of kit to mate the plastic ring there to my tube coming from my dryer?


texts: Mystery of misbehaving hose bibs and missing shutoffs

texts:
My father recently passed away, and I'm working on getting his house ready for sale. For the most part, Dad kept up with preventive maintenance, but obviously things slipped a little in the last year while he was battling cancer.

While I helped him with some of the electrical in the house, I've never lived there, so I'm still in "discovery-mode" about where things are located and how things were constructed for other systems (HVAC, plumbing, etc)

Anyways, now that spring has finally arrived (Central Alberta, Canada), I'm starting to do work in the yard.  There are two external hose bibs at Dad's house -- one on the west side, one on the east.  Water flows from the east bib, but not from the west.  Ok -- working theory, one got shut off for the winter, but he didn't get around to winterizing the other.

The problem is -- I can't seem to find anything resembling a shutoff valve, either at the fixture, or somewhere along the run between the supply manifold and the fixture. The manifold does not appear to have shutoffs on individual lines.  It is just manifold, continuous PEX run, transition to copper fitting as it leaves the house.

Here's a picture of the line running from the house to the hose bib on the east side -- the one that's working.

Naturally, of course, the one on the west side (not working) is almost inaccessible.  (What moron puts a plumbing fixture above the service entrance panel for the electrical service?)  This is the best picture I can manage of it.

Either by what I can see of the fixture, or by feel, I can't identify any obvious shutoff mechanism -- it appears to be the same setup as the hose bib on the east side, just with a ninety on the feed-in from the PEX to the copper.

Now, admittedly, I'm not a plumber, so I might be missing something obvious here.  Do you guys see something in the pictures that I don't?  What should my next troubleshooting steps be?


texts: Trying to replace 1988 t12 w/ led 4ft bulbs

texts:
My question is this:
I removed the t12 ballasts, and direct wired the 2 ends of the fixture, one to each wire coming from the box.
I put in t8 LED bulbs. They don't light.
They are Sylvania 5000k 32 w bulbs called "Substitube" model 12T8/L48/FG/850/SUB/G6.
Is my problem my wiring, or my choice of bulbs? (I was told by the salesman that these would not require a ballast.)
I have 120V across the fixture.
Thanks


texts: Do exterior duplex electrical receptacles have to be on multiwire branch circuits?

texts: I have an exterior receptacle on my house, and it is currently taking up 2 circuits (similar to kitchen counter plugs). Is there any code/regulation that indicates exterior receptacles must be on multiwire branch circuits, or can I convert it to a single circuit? I know HOW to do it, I just can not find any details of whether it is a code requirement (I could only find references to GFCI and grounding for exterior plugs). We do not have any high power exterior appliances/devices, it is only used for a car block heater in winter.


texts: Can I cap old, live wiring to remove the switch?

texts:
I have still-live-but-not-in-use electric baseboard heating with controls all over the house. I'd like to remove them, but the wires are still live.

Can I just cap them using a wire-nut and put a blank receptical cover over it?


texts: Looking for a reliable replacement capacitor on pool motor

texts:
I'm looking to replace the capacitor on the motor that drives my pool pump. The motor just "hums" when I try and start it and nothing is caught in the impeller or binding it.

This capacitor sits on top of a Century B2854 0-F56AA40A01-24 (1.5 HP motor) Picture of this below capacitor picture.

I've attached a picture of the capacitor. I've seen plenty of similar capacitors on amazon, but I wanted to consult some experts to make sure I am getting the same ratings of my current capacitor, and getting a reliable one.

I don't know my brands or companies of electronics and I don't want to buy something that can harm the motor or will fail.


texts: What is involved in DIY swimming pool maintenance?

texts:
We moved into a new house last year and when cleaning out the pool shed last weekend I stumbled across a report that was done by a business that handles swimming pool maintenance.

It checked different chemical levels and recommended adding certain chemicals.

I am assuming that the different things that need to be checked for swimming pools (pH etc.) and the different types of chemicals (chlorine, algacide) that should be used on a regular basis are finite.

I've never owned a swimming pool before and I have done a reasonable job of keeping it clean and clear, but would appreciate some advice on:

What are the different things I should be testing the water for regularly?
What chemicals should I be using to keep the water clean, prevent sickness and ensure the pump is working?
With the pool pump and filter, is it necessary to run this x hours a day to cycle the water through the filter even if the water appears reasonably clean?


texts: What type of paint do I need for Bannisters and Windowsill?

texts:
I have decorators coming next month who will be repainting the hand rail for the stairs and a windowsill. What type of paint do I need for these? The existing handrail looks varnished and is Mahogany in colour. I want either Rosewood or Oak but really have no idea what I should be looking for, a lady in B&Q recommended Ronseal exterior Rosewood woodstain but where I've tested this it doesn't seem very hard wearing, would it also need Varnish on top?
The windowsill is the same question, I want to try changing it to Rosewood rather than white but what do I need, a paint or a woodstain?
Rail

Windowsill


texts: Backer board bowing on 24" inch steel studs for rock ledger panel installation

texts:
I wanted to screw Hardie backer board (.42") over my drywall to the steel studs to adhere 6" x 24" x1" stone ledger panels using polymer modified thin-set, floor to ceiling is 12'.

Problem is that Hardie and Durock backer board specifies 16" maximum (assuming no drywall is underneath). Problem I guess is deflection (bowing). Does anyone have any recommended practice with this kind of application?

I feel that adding construction adhesive in between the drywall and backer board along with screws to the studs should strengthen it quite a bit. Plus the ledger panels will add rigidity.

Adding 2x4' studs is not an option for me.

Thanks for your help!


texts: What size circuit breaker is required for a GE model JBP68HKWW range?


texts: How do electricians quickly choose electrical box sizes?

texts: I've got my copy of "Electrical Wiring: Residential" 18th ed, complete with all the information, tables, and formulae for choosing electrical box sizes, but I've got to imagine that experienced electricians aren't spending 10 minutes per box calculating the proper size, and they're still meeting code.  Are there any industry rules of thumb for looking at a circuit diagram, and quickly choosing the correct box based on what's going in it?  I'm mainly interested in straightforward circuits comprised of receptacles and two- and three-way snap switches with standard NM-B cable (14/2, 14/3, 12/2, etc.).


texts:
I had a builder put up a raised 10x13 post and beam foundation in anticipation of a shed placement later. I measure it and find the diagonals are 4" off. What is the easiest way to adjust the rhombus back to square? Do I add a shim piece to the 6x6 posts on opposite corners?

*Edit: Attaching another image to show exagerated shape and diagnals.  Also the 2x8 attached to the posts with lag bolts


texts:
I live in a raised ranch. The lower half of the house is divided into a 2 car garage and a living area.
Also the lower half of the house has 8 ft. ceiling (about 4 ft. concrete walls and 4 ft. wood walls).
The wood framing (2x6) on each side of the garage doors are warped and separating from the concrete portion of the
garage walls. When standing in the drive way, a noticable gap exist between the concrete portion of the
garage opening and the (2x6) wood framing. I want to replace the (2x6) wood framing on each side of the garage opening.

What is the best way to secure (2x6) wood framing to the concrete portion of the garage opening?
Should I use pressure treated wood?


texts: Do I need to replace these metal support posts?

texts:
I have these 3 permanent lally support posts in the basement:

post #1
post #2
post #3

 Closeup frame captured from video #1

Recently basement was flooded so I tore down drywall prepping things for remodel. It does appear that support columns have rust on them.

Do you guys think:

a) These columns need to be replaced?
or
b) I can just clean & repaint:
    + wire brush
    + rust neutralizer
    + red oxide primer


texts: Hoping to wire up a shed/workshop with two 15 amp circuits coming from a 60 amp sub panel beside the main panel. Wondering what type of wire I can use in PVC conduit and if it should be GFCI protected. If yes is it better to have a breaker that has GFCI capabilities or just start each circuit in the shed with a GFCI outlet?


texts: Drywall on conrete ceiling without studs, weight issues?

texts:
I have a question regarding heavy drywall hanging on a ceiling.

I need to hang drywall ceiling without any studs (drywall designed for moisture, vapor barrier, straight onto concrete ceiling).

I realize the proper way to to do this would be metal studs, however, I can not lower the ceiling any more than 2 cm to preserve the large room separating arch thing.

My question is about weight, the building is an old conrete block one, appartement is on 4th floor drywall is 125x1200x3000mm (room size is 4x3m. The drywall weight is around 35kg, I will be trying to distribute the weight from edge to edge to get some support from the walls instead of leaving one drywall sheet solely hanging in the middle.

Do I have anything to worry weight wise? As in, is it safe to mount around 110 kg of weight onto the ceiling that is roughly 3x4m in area?

For reference, the build is an old concrete block design: https://gyazo.com/09e079faf29c2988ef0b8ac8b237e49b.png

Drywall is: "knauf gkbi 125x1200x30000mm".


texts: What maintenance is needed for subway tiles?

texts:
I see many kitchens with subway tiles on their backsplash in design magazines, but this isn't a popular design here in Singapore.

It seems like most people consider it a durable option, but I have been trying to find out if there will be problems like grime sticking between the tile 'gaps'. Is this something I need to be looking out for?


texts: Condensation forming on garage roof despite insulation

texts:
I have a condensation problem on the inside of my garage roof. I noticed it in November, lots of condensation forming on the roof but only at the back half of the garage which is slowly being converted into a utility room. This hasn’t been a problem before, my only thought was maybe the tumble dryer was causing the problem as it is also located in the same area. I decided to buy some foam insulation at 75mm thickness as the void between the wooden beams and the garage roof was roughly 150mm therefore I knew using 75mm would leave another 75mm air gap between the insulation and roof. I did the job using foil tape to seal all joints and even spray foam in small gaps but make everything as air tight as possible.
Today I decided to check the roof, running along side the garage is a full length passage way that has the same flat roof as the garage and I didn’t insulate this part as I wanted to inspect the garage roof over the utility room for more condensation. To my horror it is probably worse now. Water drops are dropping onto the foil back foam insulation with more condensation forming on the roof. It’s also so cold in there at the moment that some of the water is turning to ice. I can only assume one of two things is the reason. 1.) I need to also insulate the passage way too or 2.) some how the tumble dryer is still managing to penetrate through the insulation and create condensation. I’m slightly at a loss here. I’m not a great DIYer but will do what I can to sort this issue if anyone has any ideas?


texts: What kind of foundation should I use for this garden shed site location?

texts:
I'm getting ready to prep the following section of ground for a 10 x 10 wood garden shed:

The actual shed itself will look something like this:

I can do some minor leveling but unfortunately large-scale leveling (such as completely removing the railroad ties, adding a retaining wall, and/or major ground removal) isn't in the budget.

So with that said, I'm wondering what the best foundation would be?  The manufacturer's instructions for the shed call for a simple base of treated wood directly on the ground but that doesn't seem like it would hold up in the long term.

I'm wondering if it would be appropriate to install concrete piers so everything is off the ground?

Here's a youtube example of what I'm considering doing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY6H5Zv87SM

Update

As per request, here is the climate information for the area. Relatively mild. No snow.


texts: I just finished a new panel installation and the utility company just energized it. I completed the wiring for one circuit with a 20A AFCI breaker, when I plugged in an incandescent light the breaker tripped. I tried several other devices and the breaker kept tripping. The circuit has 2 receptacles, first is 4' from the panel and the second is 8' from the first one. I then wired a second 12' long circuit using a 20A GFCI with 1 receptacle on it with the same results. The utility voltage may be high. Could that be the cause?


texts: How can a ceiling fan be mounted to a fan-rated box that has been extended?

texts:
Let us say that we have a fan rated 4" octagon box in the ceiling, but the box doesn't supply enough space for all the wires up there (quite possible if the fan wiring is complicated, for instance with multiple switch loops in a multi-way setup, or with a relay involved).  With a normal box, you'd simply slap a matching extension (4" octagon in our case) on the box and call it a day.

However, since there's a big, heavy ceiling fan that needs to hang from this box, how do you attach the ceiling fan securely to the extended box, or does the extension need to be fan rated as well for this to be (NEC 2014) Code-compliant, considering that the fan bracket needs to be solidly mounted to the box for a typical bar-type fan-rated box?  (Vs. the fan bracket screws penetrating a joist in the case of a pancake or saddle box, which makes extension easier strangely enough as you simply need a long enough pair of screws)


texts:
I'm doing a bunch of ABS plumbing for the first time. I have everything cut and ready to assemble so do one last YouTube search for a few tutorials on glueing.

Seems really simple.

HOWEVER, all the tutorials are using this yellow cement. The one I have is black. It's labeled "Medium Black ABS Cement". Is this the right stuff and just a different color? Or do I need to make the road trip back to Home Depot to find the yellow stuff?


texts: To reduce shrinkage, is it wise to mix sanded grout with unsanded grout?

texts: Is it ok to mix sanded with unsanded grout provided the grout is from the same manufacturer? I'm using Home Depots Polyblend product.


texts:
Drywall fixing techniques - Which to use and when?

I understand that there are several ways to fix drywall holes:

Bigger holes need a piece of drywall replaced and use 2x4 for back support. Use joint tape on the edges and use joint compound to affix it.
For smaller holes, use mesh (tape) and just use joint compound over it.

My question is what size the drywall hole should be, in order to choose one of the above methods? What should be a rule of thumb to decide?

If I use just a mesh tape with joint compound on top on my 4" x 4" hole, how sturdy would be the fix?


texts: Does overmount fireclay apron sink need additional framing to support the weight?

texts:
We're replacing particleboard/laminate countertops and a metal drop in sink with butcher block and a dropin apron sink, the Sinkology Josephine.

All of the articles I see about adding an apron sink talk about building additional framing in the cabinet to support the weight, but these are all undermount sinks.  Our sink is designed to sit on top, with a flange that rests on the edge of the counter cutout on three sides.  The install instructions don't mention any extra frame, but they're not very good either, and not specific to our sink.

The cabinets seem sturdy and in good condition, but the sides are chipboard, which concerns me a little.  However, the sink load will be supported by a wide area of countertop, spread across several feet on either side.  On the other hand, this sink is over 100lbs empty.

Do you think the cabinets can support the weight?

Do you think the sink flange can support the weight?


texts: How do I run ethernet cable through a wall cavity?

texts:
I want to install an ethernet jack in an interior wall of one room. I'd like to run the cable up through the wall cavity (so it is hidden) into the crawl space and back down another wall to another jack which would be connected to the network router. I presume this is a pretty basic thing to do but I'm not sure how to access the wall cavity. The walls are covered by a horizontal beam that gives me no clue what is underneath or how high they are.

Should I drill down at the red X(see picture) and feed the cable through, then guess the right spot to drill a hole at the site of proposed jack (coloured green)?

NB: I have been reading this question but it doesn't quite answer mine: How do I run ethernet, speaker wire, and coax through a wall into a crawlspace?


texts: My garbage disposal had a wood corn on the cob stick get stuck in cutter. We got out what we could but now when I put water down in disposal  the water goes into the other side of my sink and won't drain. How do I get this to stop I can't use my dishwasher either the water backs up into the sink. Which seems to have blown my pipes to leak out the water now. The disposal is only 3months old.


texts: I have unused 12-3 wire dated 1992.  It seems fine.  Is there a code limitation that says it can’t be used?  I couldn’t find one.


texts:
I am installing an outdoor receptacle (NEMA 14-50) on a dedicated circuit for EV charging. While the charger uses a 14-50 plug, it only draws 24A (80% continuous rating for 30A circuit).

I have two questions about installing this receptacle:

Can I install this on a 30A breaker? My expected load is always going to be 24A, even if the receptacle can handle up to 50A.
To provide Stage 1 EV charging (for overnight charging), can I install a 20A receptacle on the same circuit? Again, the expected load is always 12A (80% of 15A).


texts: Using two light switches to control a single outlet location

texts: Can you take a single outlet and have light switch A switch the top receptacle and light switch B switch the bottom receptacle? I am in the U.S.


texts: Why did we lose water pressure after cleaning well pump?

texts:
After we had our pump cleaned out, all the water pressure in the house (shower, bathroom sink, kitchen sink, etc) has gotten worse than it was before the cleaning.

I called someone to service our well pump because:

it had been running too long (up to ~60 min sometimes)
the pressure gauge on the pump was dead
..I don't know anything about water pressure systems & wanted to learn more

All they ended up doing was removing the pressure gauge & lower nut and shoved a metal rod in each one to clear blockages (see green arrows below):

It took a lot of effort & poking to clear both channels, though the top one was much more stubborn than the bottom.  We have a dug well (not a drilled well) and I suspect it's been 5-10 years since anyone did this.

But now our water pressure... sucks.  The pump cuts in at ~30 psi and cuts out at 50psi.  When it's at 50 psi a shower feels the way it always did.  But at 30psi it just dribbles out.  It's so bad that right now before I take a shower I run the water until the pump kicks on before I even get in.

Why would this happen?  If it was the released sediment plugging something up, why would it affect the whole house?  And other than cleaning the pump out, the plumbers didn't do anything else.


texts: proper way to run conduit on top of siding

texts:
I'm looking at running a new main line to upgrade my electrical service to 200 AMP and using some 2" metal conduit run horizontally for 12' on a sided house.  What's the proper way to do it?  This will have siding around it on the house

I'm worried mostly about flashing details.  Does the pipe need to be extended away from the wall?  Should I use blocking to hold the screws / pipe away from the wall so the siding can fully go underneath.  What attention should be paid to the screw holes?  Am I overthinking this?  Do the screw holes need to penetrate the siding, or is there a safe way to slide the siding around without causing water problems.


texts: Can combing bent evaporator coil fins damage it?

texts:
I have recently purchased a new AC. I opened it to clean air filters and found that an entire row of fins were bent. I asked the manufacturer about this and they said that it won't affect the performance or life of the AC.
They say that this is normal and most of their new ACs have their fins bent like this.
I'm thinking of combing them to make them straight again. Will this damage the evaporator coil?


texts: What Happens When a Copper Wired Component is Introduced into an Antique Lamp with Aluminum Wiring?

texts: A couple years ago I inherited a reading lamp my Grandfather gave my Grandmother back in the 40s. It was functional, except the 3-way rotary switch needed to be replaced. The new switch had copper strand wiring, whereas the lamp's wiring was aluminum strand. Now I'm hearing it's not advisable to mate copper to aluminum. Too late, I already did. Using butt connectors. Am I in for problems?


texts: Can GFI breakers or GFI outlets allow grounded outlets to be used?

texts:
I have a 1963 house in Texas with Square D breakers and mostly duplex plugs.  All metal outlet boxes. However, there are 8 romex style cables (12-2 with ground) tied to the breakers in the service panel. The ground wires have green insulation and I think there are 8 plugs that have the ground attached to the metal outlet box. Many more outlet plugs are duplex and no grounding (even tested it). I see no conduit or metal cable sheathing anywhere. Is it true I can either 1. replace all breakers with GFI's and then change all plugs to grounded outlets? or 2. Replace just the first outlet coming from the service panel for each circuit with a GFI outlet and then change the rest of the plugs to grounded outlets?  Not much chance to run just a ground wire to each receptacle.
Really want to modernize and end up with legal protected outlets for 110 circuits.


texts:
I moved into a new apartment and the carpet is offgassing VOCs.  I'm quite sensitive to chemical smells and it irritates my nose and throat constantly.  The carpet is around 1 year old, so it will probably take another 3-4 years before the offgassing reduces significantly.
I have already tried the following:

Asked the apartment office to replace carpet (even offered to pay) with vinyl or something else.  They are not agreeing to that.
Vacuumed and carpet cleaned (Bissell + hot water + cleaning solution) 2-3 times.  Didn't help.
Tried Pureayre (http://www.pureayre.com/).  Didn't help.
Airing out with multiple fans - helps somewhat but once the fan is off, the smell comes right back.  I can't run the fan 24x7 due to weather conditions.
Tried https://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/AFM-SafeChoice-Comprehensive-3-Part-Carpet-Shampoo-and-Sealing-System - Seemed to have reduced the smell from one area but ineffective in another area.
Covered the carpet with plastic drop cloth and taped the edges with duct tape.  Reduced the smell slightly, but not by much.

Short of breaking lease and moving (which would cost me around $6,000), is there anything else I can do?
The carpet is only in the bedroom and the closet.  Most of the remaining smell seems to be coming from the closet (40 sq.ft. area), which has a hinged door.  Is there anyway to airtight that door?
The closet has no other windows, so can't ventilate without blowing the closet air into the apartment.


texts: Can't identify sliding vinyl window part - bottom "slide" / "guide" / "rail" (image included)

texts:
The bottom sliding guide of my vinyl windows looks worn and ugly, anyone knows what's that called exactly and if it's possible to find a replacement. All my searching so far turned up exactly nothing.

As you can see in the picture, the bottom "guide" pulls out easily as if it was meant to be replaceable.

I don't know what brand the windows are.


texts: Is the toilet bowl's coating the secret to a clean flush?

texts:
Note: I am in Australia, which has very different toilet systems to the USA, which is why this similar question was no help to me.

I have two bathrooms, which are both being renovated, and I will be replacing the toilet suites.

One of the toilets has problems with... for want of a more delicate way to put it... skid marks. The other is absolutely fine. I want to avoid this problem with the new toilets.

I spoke to a salesman today who said it was all due to the coating on the bowl and recommended an expensive brand that he said was the best.

I am dubious. I suspect the cause is something to do with the geometric design - the relative location of the water to the back of the seat, or similar, so the waste never hits the sides. The toilet that has no problems is a reasonably cheap brand, but a discontinued model so I can't just get two more of those.

Is it all about the coating? If it is about the physical shape, is there something I can look out for in the showroom?


texts: AC/DC adapters making strange buzzing crackling noise in all house, what causes it?

texts:
Yesterday all of my AC/DC power supplies began making strange buzzing, crackling noise (quickly and intermittently repeated pops). First I thought that my computer's power supply is dying. So I switched to laptop, to my surprise its power began to make the very same noise when I started the laptop. I checked the outlet and there was not problem.

I tryed other wall outlets in the flat too. All of them making this noise. I looked around the house. Other AC/DC converters making this noise too (eg. the main door bell).

But something is strage, the DC appliances and computers still working no signs of overheating or crashing, incandescent light bulbs NOT blinking, AC appliances (like hair dryer) works like before.

Also no electric smell anywhere inside building, pylons seem and sound to be ok. The local transformer just humm.

This crackling noise is quite annoying at night, and it's worrying.

So what can be the source of the noise? And how to fix it? (at least in theory as I rent the flat and I have no tools).

Some technical details: I live in Hungary, the voltage between one phase and ground is 230V, between two phases it's 400V. It seems only one phase installed in the house but I'm not sure.

UPDATE:

Uploaded a Youtube video of the phenomenon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrWAY0XMB_E


texts:
Honeywell has a video that shows how to use the fan wire ("G") of the cooling system as the "C" wire for the thermostat. It is in the video - "Honeywell DIY wifi...substitute g-wire for c-wire" on youtube.

They say to move the g-wire in the thermostat and and move it to the c-wire terminal.
As shown in the picture below this part can be done. (I have a boiler and an a/c connected to this thermostat. The "R" and "W" wires are for the boiler. The "Rc" "G" and "W" wires are for the a/c.)

The problem is in the a/c unit. In the youtube video they show wires attached to the "Y" "G" and "R" terminals. (I am ignoring the "W" because I think that is for the heat, and I have a separate boiler.)
As you can see in the picture below, mine has wires connected to the "R" "C" and "G" terminals. The a/c works fine and I am able to turn on the fan separately from the a/c.

How would I change the wiring to use the "C" wire on my thermostat?


texts: How to install linoleum floor under carpet?

texts: I am replacing an old linoleum floor in my bathroom (replacing it with just another linoleum floor).  It looks like the current linoleum floor was installed prior to the carpeting and the edge by the door is under the carpeting (see the picture below).  How can I remove the old linoleum without damaging how the carpet is attached?  And then when I put the new linoleum down, how can I get it under the carpeting again so the door edge of the linoleum does not roll up?


texts: Do I need two separate duplex receptacles for dishwasher (GFCI) and garbage disposal?

texts: I have seen answers to similar questions but not sure they address my situation.  I recently "installed" 2 separate 20A circuit runs for a dishwasher and a garbage disposal respectively (overkill perhaps).  I will be installing a switch between the breaker and the garbage disposal receptacle next.  I will then install the receptacle underneath the kitchen sink where the garbage disposal and dishwasher will plug in.  I believe I have read that NEC 2014 requires GFCI for a dishwasher but not for disposal (seems backward to me but okay).  If so, does this mean I should install a 2-gang box with one GFCI duplex receptacle for the dishwasher and then one standard (or another GFCI) duplex receptacle for the disposal?  Can I use one GFCI duplex receptacle for 2 separate circuits?


texts: Can armored bx cable come into contact with other metal objects?

texts: I am running armored 12/2 bx to wire 4 high hats, the armored cable is grounded. There is a heating duct which I must go over, but the AC will come in contact with it... Is this ok or do I need to avoid having it make contact?


texts: One thermostat with a switch to control 2 heating systems

texts:
I have a natural gas boiler and a pellet stove. I have a Honeywell programmable thermostat (2 AAA Batteries) that I have used independently with both of these systems. Switching from one system to the other requires rewiring the tstat.  Can a buy some kind of switch, preferably from Lowes or Radio Shack, that I can use to switch which system is being controlled?   Preferably something I could put inside of a wall remodel electrical box.

Why?  There are a number of variables. I sometimes have lots of pellets or none at all.  When it is very cold, I prefer to use both (pellet stove always on), but when it's warmer, just use the stove on the Tstat. Being able to switch without rewiring would be nice!


texts: Adjacent light circuit is inadvertently controlled by four-way switch wiring

texts:
I have a four way switch.  I pigtailed two wires with the source power wire. One pigtailed wire is connected to the common screw terminal for power to the four way switch which is a three screw terminals.  The other is connected to give power to another switch for the outside light. And all neutral wires are connected together.

These two switches are side by side in one double-gang box.  The four way switches have no problem to turn on and off at three different location.  But the outside light could not work independently by itself.  It only works when I turn on the four way switch.   What have i done wrong?


texts: Best solution for file folders of custom wooden desk drawer?

texts:
A few months ago, I bought a wooden desk.  I want to put file folders in one of the drawers.  I bought this file folder frame set (the kind you build) for file folders from Office Depot, but they don't work.  I bought a box of 500 file folders at Office Depot, and 20 feet away, they had these file folder frames.  The file folders are too small to even hang on the file folder frame set.

I've seen some different models that seem more durable than the frame set you construct.  They are merely clips that fit onto the side of your drawer.  I'd like to go that approach, if it'll work.  If you've done this before or can steer me in the right direction given my dimensions below, I'd greatly appreciate it.

I just haven't found any good pictures online with an actual drawer.  They just have sketches.  What have you done that has worked well for hanging file folders?  What would you recommend for me given the dimensions below?

Here is what I found so far:

http://www.hafele.com/us/products/hanging-file-rail-systems.asp

http://www.oodlesofpartsplus.com/hanging_plastic_file_rail_design.htm

Dimensions of desk drawer:

width (outside to outside): 14 1/4"

width (inside of drawer): 13 1/4"

height (inside of drawer): 10 3/4"

depth (inside of drawer): 18 1/2"

Office Depot file folder dimensions:

11 3/4" (inside dimension of where folder sits on rail)

12 7/16" (outside dimension of where folder sits on rail)


texts: I recently had a new cooling only 12K inverter mini split installed in my bedroom which I run 24/7 on low fan speed.  The unit is very quiet and I am generally pleased with it.  However I have noticed that it makes a whirring sound every few hours that I don't understand.  The whirring sound typically lasts about 45 to 60 seconds building in pitch until it hits a peak, and then the whirring noise steadily dissipates in the next 45 to 60 seconds until the unit reverts back to relative silence again.  By monitoring the circuit load with an Amprobe, I have been able to determine that the whirring noise that I am hearing is apparently the compressor starting up.  It typically begins when there is very little load on the unit - less than 1 amp.  Then over the next 45 to 60 seconds the amperage steadily increases as the whirring sound increases in pitch until it hits a peak of about 3.6 amps.  Then over the following 45 to 60 seconds the load steadily decreases to 1 amp or less as the whirring noise decreases.  I thought the whole purpose of an inverter unit was to create a steady and uniform electrical load on the compressor.  Do the capacitors need occasional charging, or can anybody explain what is happening here?


texts: Is there harm in using a GFCI outlet as a switch?

texts:
I have a GFCI outlet in my garage which is about 4 feet off the ground. I have a couple work lights plugged into it which can only be turned on and off by plugging/unplugging them. I have recently just been using the "Test" and "Reset" buttons on the GFCI outlet to turn the lights on and off. It's a lot easier than unplugging both plugs and later having to bend down to pick them up off the floor and plug them in again.

Can doing this a couple times a day do any damage to the GFCI outlet or to anything plugged in to it?


texts:
Here is a concrete garage floor that has a pitch and/or concavities that cause water to puddle inside the garage in the middle of the slabs instead of draining out the front.

What are realistic solutions to prevent the puddling of water brought in by cars?

I don't think it would be effective to grind the cement because the adjacent driveway slab starts at the same level as the current garage slab, so grinding in the garage to create a pitch would just cause water to pool around the door.

I also inquired about mud-jacking but was told that can't be done for such large slabs.


texts:
I would like to add on to my existing concrete patio with more concrete. I will about double the size of the patio.

My question is, should I have the new patio free floating from the existing or should I attach it (as in drilling into it and have the rebar go into it)? Is there any proper way to do this?

One edge will be up against the existing patio, another against the brick of the house, and the other two will be open to the yard. Here is a shot that shows the corner between the existing patio and the house:


texts: How do I remove wobble from my DIY table?

texts:
I made this table:

This is how the legs are attached to the table:

It has 3 legs on the back and two on the front. The top is solid wood. It wobbles both from front to back and side to side (front to back is worse). What can I do to minimize the wobble knowing that I have limited tools and experience in wood working?
I want to make the table sturdy by itself, so I don't want to screw it to the wall.
A solution with readily available materials and beginner friendly would be ideal. I enjoy solving problems like these, but I think in this case I lack the knowledge to figure out a good solution. Extra points for creative thinking.


texts: power to the receptacles but nothing is working.?

texts:
there was working power in the whole apartment. after turning off the ceiling fan and returning the next day. power to the bathroom has gone out. i am replacing all the outlets and switches and light fixtures, and since they all werent working in the bathroom i figured there was no power. wrong. there is power in the lines but nothing in bathroom is working. the gfi is not working, the lights, the swiches, and the fan all were out. also in the kitchen i replaced the overhead light/fan above stove, the brand new one wont turn on, but theres power to black and white wires and ground is secure. whats happening? the light swich in the kitchen that is giving power to the bathroom is working and the rest of the house is fine. why would there be power in all the lines but nothing you wire into it will work??? i followed the power using my beep beep tester through the wall to the plug in the kitchen that controlls the kitchen lights. i removed the face plate to the double swich on the wall and found 4 wires comming into the box. all the white wires from all 4 are caped off togeather. all the black wires are caped togeather with the exception of 2 black going into the switches and one 4" piece of 14gaudge white coated wire going from the switches to the bundle of blacks all caped togeather. these switches are providing power to the bathroom and overhead fan by flowthrough.  so the power is making it from the box to the switches to the bathroom.  only somwhere from the switches to the bathroom the electricity stops working, but still reads... the new GFI and the new overhead stove fan will not work even though the power is making it to them and it is wired properly.

the Old GFI i tested before i tried replacing it, i used a plug in tester and it said the ground and hot were swiched... wierd because when i removed it from the box, it appeared to be wired properly and grounded. so i hooked up a brand new GFI.   now the plug in tester doesnot read at all, but the little square light is orange. so theres power in it but its not reading...

i do not understand what is going on or why all the white wires in the lightswitch boxes are caped togeather and going nowhere...

light switch box in kitchen have 4 going in,   light switch box in bathroom have 5 wires going in. all white wires are capped togeather.


texts: Can or How do I install a Bathroom light fixture on drywall without sawing any holes into the wall, and without a junction/electricity box?

texts:
I'm new to home improvemement. Very new. I've recently finished rennovating my bedroom and had set up a Vanity for my personal items. In recognizing that I needed natural lighting, becuase it's not positioned by my window, I ignorantly bought a Bathroom light fixture (vanity lights) to ideally then place right above my vanity. However I didn't realize what I had actually purchased until I received it and releaized this project required more than just screw drivers and bolts. I spent around $198 for these lights and I love them and I really don't want to return them, mainly cause I'm not sure if I can anymore.

I was wondering if there was a way fro me to still install these lights despite the fact that I don't have an electric box/junction box in my wall, nor do I want to put a hole in my wall to create one. I live in a rented space and wouldn't want to risk any damage. If installation is still possible on drywall, then I would like to know what tools or parts I'd need to continue the job, and how I would be able to use them so that my install is perfectly fine.


texts: How can I repair this leaning deck railing?

texts: It appears more drastic in person. This deck railing is leaning inward, and I'm wondering how one might go about leveling it up? Willing to replace 4x4 supports if necessary. The posts towards the middle of the deck slant the most, but it is very inconsistent overall.


texts: Why does one light blink after installing new three way switches in my hall?

texts: I installed the new switches with the wires in the same location the new switch this is a lighted one.  the hall way light blinks on one of the bulbs in the off position. Do i have a bad switch or will this switch just not work.  I installed new switches in the front room and all work ok.


texts: Run 6 AWG NM-B cable through 1 1/2 PVC pipe indoors

texts: I am running a 6/2 NM-B Romex for approx. 45 feet from my service panel to my garage for a wall charger for an EV. No unfinished space in basement and and garage wall is on concrete slab of garage, so conventional run will be very difficult. However, my house has a central vac system with ~ 1.75" thin-walled PVC piping running to both my garage and a wall in the basement adjacent to the service panel(s). We don't use the central vac system. I was able to use my shopvac to pull a pulling rope from the service panel to the garage through the PVC pipe. Looks like it goes through 3 90 degree elbows and 1 T. Will it be OK to pull the 6/2 NM-B Romex through the PVC pipe inside the house if it is the only circuit?


texts: Things to keep all manner of bugs away from home?

texts:
This seemed like a decent place to ask this question.

I have incredible amounts of wasps, bees spiders around my home (specifically on my porch and around my workout station outside). I also have a big issue with random sorts of bugs hovering around my porch light. I know that all of this is normal, but it's also incredibly frustrating to get a mouth full of insects as I walk out of my door at night, and annoying to traverse 6 wasps to get down my steps.

Are there wasp insecticides that keep them away? Or perhaps some scents that they dislike? I'm willing to spend money on this. It aggravates me to no end.

Thank you.

Edit: I live in West Virginia. The things I am trying to get rid of are wasps (red and black), bees (I don't want the bees dead, but to leave my porch and workout station alone). The ones near my light are all over the place at night. I have some moths, and some insects that are much too tiny for me to classify. Just hate them flying into my mouth and eyes as I walk outside.

Again: any scents, insecticides, or traps that get rid of these nuisances?


texts: What paint do I use to paint wood in a bathroom?

texts:
I have a lot of wood in my bathroom, some in worse wear than others, its really ugly.

So I want to paint it.  My question is what paint do I use, do I need primer/ undercoat/ special bathroom paint?

I'm more concerned about the wood which is the window sill and the wood which holds the sink basin.  I also have to paint a previously painted wooden panel on the bath.


texts: Adding LED Recessed - 3 Way Switch - Dim Lights

texts:
I will try and provide as much information as I can and I apologize if I call something by an inappropriate name - but this is what I have done from my research.

We had a room that had a central light that was was able to be switched on/off at the two entry points to the room. I wanted to add four recessed lights to the room and just leverage the same switches, etc. However, when I went to connect all the wires the LEDs are very dim. I am able to remove the one switch from the circuit and the lights function to their full capacity with the one switch functioning properly. When wired to the other switch (removing the first from the circuit) the lights and dim and the switch that is connected does not work. I have attached some crude drawings in an attempt to show the wiring better as I am not sure how clear my words are. Let me know if I can help to clarify any details.


texts:
I'm having trouble keeping my water heater burner lit or lighting automatically.

When I press the pilot reset button (allows a small flow to generate the pilot light) and use the piezo sparker, it lights fine.  Hold for about a minute and it stays on (my guess is that this warms the TC so the gas doesn't shut off), as it should.
When I release the pilot button and turn the knob from pilot to on, allowing a normal gas flow rate, I usually hear a quick burst of gas and then it immediately shuts off.
If I finesse it and turn the knob very slowly (gradually increasing the gas flow), I can get it to stay on at full blast.
Almost without fail, when I leave it alone for several hours, I can tell, for whatever reason, it hasn't been able to ignite itself (most likely because it needs finessing to get it to light)

Given that the burner will stay lit at full blast after I finesse it (increase the gas flow gradually), but will go out otherwise, what might this be indicative of?


texts: Installing Ceiling Fan with light to outdoor porch

texts:
I recently had a home built and asked the builder to leave three ceiling boxes in my covered deck for future ceiling fans.
The picture attached is what was installed.  There are two white (capped), two black (capped), two reds (not capped) and a ground.  Each mount has one switch.
I purchased a fan with light that has one white, blue, black, and ground.  I connected the whites together, the blacks together in addition to the blue.  Nothing happened.  I took the blue out of the black pigtail and connected it to the red wires and nothing happen.
Where did I go wrong?


texts: Commencement of Rewiring Room with EMT conduits inside the walls

texts:
I am rewiring an old house (50s) with romex to have the flexibilitiy to run it outside conduits when necessary and to further protect the wire from creatures plus making it easier to upgrade in the future (not breaking drywall, etc). So, on the subject of emt conduit inside walls, I would imagine that given that the romex is  not requried to be in conduits whilst inside walls then the fact that the romex is not  inside a conduit all the way would then acceptable. The situation is depicted below:

In this particular situation the electrical box is inside the concrete exterior wall since there is a cavity in the concrete wall for the box only (and no indentation in the walls for any wire), so I can not connect the emt conduit to the box (yep, I reamed the conduit and also using bushings whenever the wires exit the conduit). Also, I don't want to drill larger holes in the joists (at least not with the exterior walls) for the conduit, so the conduit does not go all the way to the attic; and once in the attic the wire should travel in conduits unless very impractical. Given that the wire is not travelling 100% of the time inside inside the conduits I assume that derating of the conduit is not necessary and that I can fill the conduit even to 100%. Also, I would rather not drill larger holes on the joist for the conduit. I just want to double check and make sure that this is acceptable?


texts: Voltage detected on ceiling light no matter the switch is on or off

texts:
I just moved into a new apartment and I would like to install simple ceiling light. As shown in the picture, there are two wires outside the ceiling, a blue one and a red one.

The light switch button is on the wall. When I install light in other rooms, if I switch off by pressing the power button on the wall, the electricity tester does not beep at all. Only when I switch on the power, the electricity tester makes an audible beep. But for the wires in this room, no matter the light switch is on or not, the my test makes a beep all the time, as shown in the picture.

Now I have the following questions:

What could be the potential problems? Some wires are connected improperly?
When I install a bulb to the light fixture (the black thing in the picture), the bulb doesn't light up? Why? As I said, there is always voltage detected, but why doesn't the bulb light up? I've checked the bulb is in good condition.


texts: Should I stop to hand-sharpen my chainsaw, or bring extra chains?

texts:
If I'm going to spend the day in the woods with the chainsaw, my chain will get dull before I'm done.

Should I learn to hand-file the cutters, and sharpen in the woods?

Or should I bring a spare chain (or two!) and swap them out? I would get them sharpened at the hardware store.


texts: Why does my toilet make a low-pitched moaning noise when it refills?

texts:
This hasn't happened before, but now it's making a low-pitched moaning noise (like a low-pitched vuvuzela) every time we flush the toilet.

This happened only very recently, and we also just recently replaced the fill valve.  The replaced fill valve was extremely quiet, so this noise is just very sudden.

Also, if I push the water hose from the toilet to the water line a little bit, the noise disappears immediately.


texts: Can I connect these two different types of drain material together? If so, what sealant should I use?

texts:
I'm preparing to replace a bathtub and the new one requires a different drain assembly (the overfill drain is a wide-mouth connector).

Anyway, I'm noticing that the new drain pipe material itself is different - a white plastic (PVC?) compared to the old drain which is a black plastic (not sure what it is).

Is it OK to mix these two types of materials? I seem to recall that some plastics can't be interconnected together or that a special glue is required.

If it IS OK, what type of sealant should I get? Just a standard silicone glue?


texts: I've got 5 2x8x21's as a support beam for the 1st load.. The second floor joist are running the other way and using the same pillar as one end of the 21' 2x8's..  There's a lolli pole at 10' from the wall.. Could I move it to 15'?? It's supporting the floor between a living room and a bedroom.


texts: Code: How can a transfer switch not switch neutrals?

texts:
I'm looking at this Reliance Controls transfer switch.  I certainly won't buy it and don't recommend one, but the huge hank of wires going from switch to panel only has one neutral wire in it.

How is this legal under NEC?

Now first I see where the conduit is less than 2 feet, so they don't have a conduit-fill derate on those wires.  OK, I buy that.

The generator power comes into this box.  There are 10 blacks and 10 reds, 2 wires per circuit switched, so obviously for each circuit, "line" goes to the utility-side breaker and "load" goes to the branch circuit "hot".  In utility mode power is taken from "line" and sent to the circuit on "load".  In generator mode, power is taken off the generator, sent to the circuit on "load" and returned via that one single neutral.

But it's obvious neutral is not being switched at all. All generator imbalance load for all circuits gets carried on that single white wire.

How can that be NEC legal?  Is there a section of NEC that authorizes this style of use?

How well will this work with AFCI and GFCI breakers?


texts: Do I need to shut the gas off to my fireplace before replacing the wall switch?

texts: Do I need to shut the gas off to my fireplace before I replace the wall switch?


texts:
I have 2 cabinets to repair, both were damaged by water.
One, I need to replace the wood at the kickspace.  It is about 1/4 inch thick.
The other cabinets had had enough water to damage the veneer on the side, but not the underlying wood.  Is there a think veneer I can glue to the side of the cabinet (there is enough trim to hide the installation that is 1/4 inch or so)
If these products exist where can I find them?   I have been searching online with no luck.


texts: What exactly is this fiberboard-looking sheathing?

texts: My house appears to be sheathed in some kind of fiberboard product with a black paper facing on the inside. That rock-looking thing poking through is stucco. The house was built in 1972. Anybody know what exactly this material is? Good or bad? Is it evidence of shoddy, terrible construction? Can this stuff be expected to hold a screw if you wanted to screw something to it? Am I the one who's screwed? ;-)


texts: Convert plug-in light to hardwire (not hardwire to plug-in)

texts:
My wall has these three wires poking out of the wall right under the cabinets. Looks like ground, hot, and neutral to me.

I would like to put in new under-cabinet lighting. I noticed that hardwired lighting is on average three times more expensive than plug-in lighting. However, both types of fixtures look the same to me. So I'd rather go for the cheaper plug-in lighting.

While studying the plug-in lighting, I only see that they have two wires. Take a look at this LED strip light, for example. It has one red and one black wire.

Another example is this bar light. It comes with a two pronged plug. So I'm assuming that when I strip the plug, I'll see two wires inside.

I know almost nothing about electrical, but I already see a problem. 2 and 3 do not mix. It seems like the light fixtures only have hot and neutral, but no ground wire. Am I allowed to just hook up the hot and neutral and leave the ground unpaired? Will my light explode in some thunder storm without grounding?


texts: In a double gang box 3 wires and a ground, part 2

texts: New information: red, black hot, white and ground.  Pulled panel cover and found red wire DOES go to separate, non-adjacent breaker, but black wire breaker turns them both off.??  Ostensibly on the black wire circuit are closet switch, master bath room vanity switch/outlet and GFCI, shower room light switch and exhaust fan, one wall outlet, and subject Main bathroom switch and GFCI.  I was trying to change switch to switch outlet combo and cannot rewire effectively.  Red wire breaker is mapped to garage at other end of house, but I didn’t do the mapping.  So could this be the same red wire; the lights in the garage are still working but I haven’t checked all outlets.


texts: Are both legs of a home's power supply equally used?

texts:
This is basically just to satisfy my curiosity.  Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this:

I believe power supply to a home's main panel usually consists of:

A neutral wire
A hot wire 120 volts AC above the neutral
A hot wire 120 volts AC below the neutral

It shouldn't matter which hot is used to supply 120 volt devices, but is the same one used for all 120 volt devices - so that the other one is only used to provide 240 volts?

Or do both get used, and one goes to each side of the panel?

EDIT: Adding diagram - 3-Wire Single Phase

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split-phase_electric_power


texts: There is an exhaust fan in the lighting circuit, Is it acceptable as per NEC to accommodate Exhaust fan and lighting load in same circuit


texts: Is there any way to predict foundation problems?

texts:
I'm considering buying a historic home >100 years old on the Chicago north shore and am trying to quantify/budget for the most expensive risks.  I assume the foundation is one of the most expensive potential problems.

I'm wondering about when foundation problems tend to occur.  Do they correlate strongly to the age of the home?  Is there a certain age at which foundation problems become more likely?

If the foundation has repaired, does that mean that problems are more (or less) likely to return for a long time?


texts: How can I fix a screen door that sticks?

texts: I have a sliding screen door that leads out to a porch/deck.  The door continually sticks and is just doesn't slide open cleanly.  Otherwise the screen and everything is fine.  Is there something I can do to fix this or do I need to replace the entire screen door?


texts:
per wiki,

A joist is a horizontal structural member used in framing to span an open space,
often between beams that subsequently transfer loads to vertical members.

This tutorial mentions ceiling joist.
Is the wood part pointed out by red arrow (img_1) the ceiling joist?

consider the following image (img_2), is the part pointed out by blue arrow a ceiling joist, the red one another ceiling joist?

Consider the following image (img_3), which comes from wiki.

there are 2 lay of joists, one is for ceiling, the other is for floor, is my understanding right?


texts: Multi-cutter blade blunt in 1 day. Bad blade? Bad Technique?

texts:
I recently bought Dewalt's Oscillating Multitool. (DSC355) It came with (amongst others) a wood blade and a "wood with nails" blade

Today I was using it to replace wooden brick in a parquet floor.
It involved slicing down between bricks to cut the dowels that hold each brick into its neighbour, then cutting an angled slot into the brick so that I can get a flat chisel in to get the brick up.

There was a little bitumen on the undersides of the bricks, but I was trying to avoid getting into that with the cutting blade.

After about 2 hours of intermittent cutting, I realised that I was no longer actually cutting with the teeth of the blade, but was in fact burning a slot into the wood - there was smoke coming out of the slots, not wood dust!
On closer inspection I found that the blade was almost completely blunt. I switched blades and the other one was gone after a further hour of (non-continuous) cutting.

Wood in question is old (and moderately wood-wormed) columbian pine parquet. Approx 20 mm deep.

Question:

Are these naff blades (and if so, whose blades should I buy?)
Was I DoingItWrong(TM) (and if so, what should I change?)
Is this just the norm? (and if so, how have the managed to convince us that this is acceptable?)

Any other thoughts welcome too!


texts: Ground wire in 14/2 NM-B cable is at 60+ Volts when not connected to anything

texts:
I bought two 25' lengths of 14/2 wire for installing a light.

When the black wire is connected to live (say, of an outlet), with ground and neutral wires not connected to anything, the ground wire reads 60V with respect to the outlet ground.

The black wire reads 122V to outlet ground as expected.

I imagined that there is a short between the black and ground wire in the romex, but the multimeter says it is an open loop. (If there was a short I expect it would read a full 122V though).

Any idea what is causing this?

Cheers
Ray


texts: Craftsman garage door opener works intermittently

texts: It's been acting up lately, sometimes it works fine and other times it doesn't work at all.  Sometimes it opens and closes only partially?  Now it only works when I unplug it and plug it back in, but only works once!  I've checked all the wires and sensors and they are good.


texts: Wall Removal - Not Load Bearing - Keep Ceiling Joists

texts:
DIYer here and recently bought a fixer upper. I'd like to remove the wall between the kitchen and the livingroom. I'd like to complete this project soon so I can insulate the attic. My home inspector told me that wall is not load bearing and I can remove it if I want. The kitchen and livingroom each measure 12'x17'. There is no plumbing inside the wall separating the rooms but there is electrical. I'm very comfortable with electricity, so I have no issues relocating it. How can I remove this wall while keeping the ceiling joists?

Thanks in advance.

Here's the wall and you can see the load bearing beam


texts: How to remove a bolt with a broken-off head

texts:
I'm looking for advice on non-destructively removing a bolt with a broken-off head. While loosening a bolt on some exercise equipment, I broke off the head completely, leaving the shank recessed inside the equipment, totally unreachable. I'd like to remove the remainder of the bolt and replace it with a new bolt.

Is there any way to unscrew the shaft of the bolt that is unlikely to damage the equipment, so that I can easily insert a new bolt?


texts: Where to connect C-wire on old furnace (diagram attached)

texts:
I've got an old steam furnace and would like to add a common wire.  The wire is already ran, I just have no idea where to connect it.

I thought it would go to TR but that didn't work.  Thanks in advance, much appreciated!


texts: How to loosen nut without damaging toilet shutoff

texts:
I replaced the fill valve on a toilet and the connection stem on the replacement sticks out much farther than the original.  The toilet was installed 12 years ago using a solid supply line, so I need to replace that to reconnect it.  The nut holding the supply line to the shutoff valve won't budge.  There's probably some minerals in there, but I suspect the original installer used some serious torque to ensure it wouldn't leak.

The metal shutoff valve connects to a PVC feed pipe.  I can't figure out a way to secure the valve and leverage against that to loosen the nut.  I'm worried about damaging the PVC connection to the valve.

Any suggestions for how to solidly grab the valve in a way that I can put torque on the nut in relation to the valve, without stressing the valve connection to the PVC pipe?

I considered heating the nut with a torch to expand it, but I'm worried about plastic internal parts.  I also couldn't figure out a way to get Liquid Wrench into the threads, so I assume brute force is the solution.  If there's a better way, ideas are welcome.


texts: Use PVC connector with flexible conduit?

texts:
I need to run some Cat5e cable outdoors for POE cameras. I want to run them through a flexible conduit. There's a place where I would need a 3 way (T piece connector). There isn't a 3 way for the type of conduit that I have (Liquidtight non metallic). Would a PVC 3 way work and how would I seal it? Do I even need to seal since it's the sun that I should be most worry about right?

Thanks for the help


texts: Prevent Sound from Entering Mattress through Bed Legs

texts:
There is a construction site next to my bed room and especially low frequency sounds resulting from heavy machines and vehicles enter my bed through its four legs. As I am a side-sleeper the vibrations end up on my ear through the mattress.

What would be a reasonable construction of layers or materials that I could shove under each of the four legs to prevent sounds from being lead into the bed?


texts: What tool or special bit do I need to remove this (will add the name later when I know it :-) )

texts:
I do not know the name of the hardware that I need to remove, please see the picture below. The brass like colored piece is stuck there really well. I have tried with a screwdriver, I pushed with a hammer...no results.

I need to remove it and to somehow recover the functionality of this casement window operator which stopped functioning because this thing was loose and it was coming out. I guess the thread is gone

Edit: it seems that this is what I need (Universal Adjustable Angle Grinder Pin Wrench)

Edit2: they are quite expensive, here isone that you can make yourself, provided that you have the right size for the rod


texts:
Problem: My brother has a drum humidifier on his furnace and is quite satisfied with it, so I installed one on my furnace this fall. He claims it is a good idea to partially close the damper for winter operation - he says, "if the damper is open all the way, the furnace has to run longer to heat the house because so much hot air is being sent into the cold air duct." I don't know if I agree with him, but perhaps I don't understand what he is driving at. All the information and instructions I can find only talk about "open" and "closed" positions.
Question: Can anyone comment about partially closing dampers for humidifier operation for winter?


texts: How can I cool an under the counter icemaker?

texts: We have a Subzero under the counter ice maker.  During our hot summer days it really gets hot and slows the ice production down to a crawl. We thought we would install a cooling fan on the wall behind it or push an exhaust fan through the wall to the outside. But we are not sure which one would be the most effective.  Right now we have drilled holes in the adjacent cabinet and I leave that door open and vent the heat into the room.  Winter it's okay solution but summer no way. Which would be best and what type of fan system do I need?


texts: I have a workshop with a single switch that turns on and off two sets of lights. The first set is a row of spots and the second, at the other end of the room, is a fluorescent strip light. The wiring  to the lighting is part accessible and runs on the top of wooden beams from which the lights are attached. The switch is fixed in a wall. Is it possible to put a second switch in that will turn off the spots? So I have the original switch that turns all on and off and then a secondary switch (mounted on the beam where the wiring is accessible) that turns on/off the spots and leaves the strip light on?


texts: Wire guage needed for adding a 100 amp breaker box in garage

texts:
I'm running a wire buried wire from my indoor breaker box to an indoor breaker box in my detached garage. I have a 200 amp main breaker box but in the garage I am using a 100 amp breaker box.
The main question I have is what size breaker will I need to put in the main breaker?
As for the wire between the two, instead of using 3-3-3-5 copper I want to use 1-1-1-2 aluminum, would this be sufficient?


texts:
I have 10 outlets on a 20-amp circuit (not all will be used simultaneous).
Do I start wiring from the first outlet and then to the second and so on until my last outlet? Or, do I pull my wire to my last outlet, create a service loop for each in the string, and then wire from the last to the first?

Because I will be running 12-2 wire for all my outlets in the basement, I will use a 20-amp AFCI circuit breaker for all rooms and a GFCI for the bathroom.
If your wondering why I am using 20-amp for all the outlets its because the basement will be a home gym and there will be a treadmill, elliptical, a fan, a small refrigerator...

Constructive criticism is welcome.


texts: We are not getting hot water in only one bath tub. The left side is for hot water and right side is for cold. There is no drop in pressure when I turn on only the left side. But instead of hot water we just get cold water.


texts: Sewage pump turning on without any sinks or toilet installed

texts: In my home I have a sump pump and a pump referenced as a ‘sludge pump’. Even though there  are no bathrooms or sinks in the basement, the sludge pump kicks on occasionally. Why is this happening? And why do the pipes ‘hammer’?


texts: Does NEC require a separate circuit for a whole house fan?

texts: I need to install a whole house fan and would like to know if I am required to have that fan on its own circuit. I am in Los Angeles County if you happen to know of any L.A./California deviations.


texts:
I have a bathroom fan that doesn't turn anymore.  Flipping the switch doesn't do anything, but if I nudge it enough it might get going.  I used to spray WD-40 on the bottom where I could see it turn and that used to be enough to get it going for another few weeks, but now it's really dead.

Any tips on replacing this thing?  I've purchased a really simple replacement fan at Home Depot that seems to be about the same size.  What I'm not sure about is what I need to take out of the existing hole where the fan is - are there any ducts or the like that are tricky to take care of?

I'm assuming the steps are something like so:

Turn off all power to the bathroom
Remove fan cover and unscrew everything I see
(Detach ducts?)
Put new fan in place of the old one and screw in everything I can see
(Attach ducts?)
Turn on power, pray, flip on switch to fan
Success

Now, before I kill myself, is there anything else I need to be aware of?  Do I need to crawl into my attic to detach/attach anything?  I'm not even aware of what pipes lead where up there.

I'm pretty clueless with how this works, so apologies if I left out any critical information.  I'm guessing that it's pretty standard stuff, but I'm completely unfamiliar with the whole territory (I don't know what I don't know, and all that).


texts: What's the difference between XX Volt and XX Volt MAX on rechargeable lithium ion batteries?

texts: I was looking at battery power tools and their different battery voltages. Some of the voltages are listed twice, with and without "max". An example for mowers is "40-volt" and "40-volt max". What's the difference between the voltages with "max" and without "max"?


texts: I purchased the correct size flexible duct for the air supply, but was unaware that the return side is 2 inches bigger. Since I am unable to purchase the bigger size until next week, is it safe to run AC without return attached? The only thing I can do for now is put a small piece  of the old stuff on to keep water and dirt from getting inside.(BTW, I live in a trailer and the AC unit is outside. That's the reason for the piece to stop water from getting in. I can leave the open end under the trailer but it won't be attached to the return vent, just the AC unit.)


texts: Problem with NPT threads on dual check valve?

texts:
I'm installing a 1" Watts LF7R dual check valve backflow preventer and this model has a female NPT thread on both ends, according to the documentation, and it does have 7 threads and looks like it's tapered.  It's brass.

I have two male copper 1" NPT fittings I'll be connecting it to.  From everything I've read, I should be able to hand tighten it 3 to 5 turns and then I should be tightening it with a wrench 2 to 3 more.  The thing is, when I hand thread the fitting into the valve (either end) I can only get about 1 and 1/8th turns in before it starts to get hand-tight.  (That's without putting teflon tape on it yet.)

Should I be worried?  I'm not used to NPT threaded copper/brass connections.  Is this normal?


texts: What are the “rules” for connecting different kinds mains electrical wires?

texts:
Aluminum wires can't be connected directly to copper wires - otherwise the contact spot overheats badly, such connections should only go through steel connectors. I was rather surprised when I found that.

What other similar limitations to wire materials are there for wire connections? Can I connect anything to anything with the only exception of not connecting copper to aluminum?


texts: 3 240v circuits connected to 2 double pole 30a square d breakers?

texts: I'm doing a service panel change on my home and I always take a picture of the panel before just to use as a reference in case something in my labeling isn't making sense. So this is the before picture and it appears to show two 30a double pole breakers back to back in the middle of the panel. I added white circles around the wires so you can see what I'm talking about but it would appear that there are 3 240v circuits being ran off of just the 2 double pole breakers. It's done in a bit of a weird way but I kind of see how it made sense when whoever did it. I know square d's are made to accept 2 wires but I was not sure that this is ok to do considering the draw of the 3 different appliances these wires are used for. I have not traced those wires out so I can't say for sure what they feed. Is this an acceptable wiring to duplicate after I do the panel change or should I just add an additional 30a double pole to connect up that 3rd branch circuit?


texts: Theres huge nails in my baseboards. Ive tried a few tricks but still results in a torn up wall. Any suggestions


texts: What other materials besides grout and caulk may have been used in my shower?

texts:
I have a tiled standing shower in my bathroom and the grout is starting to crack in some areas, so I would like to repair it. The grout between the tiles is sanded grout, but the material in the joints (connecting the tiles to the floor) feels more flexible than the grout. It also has a bit of a sheen to it.

There is silicone caulking along the connection between the tiles and the door which feels more rubbery than the unidentified material. Is there anything else besides grout and caulk that might have been used in the shower?
In case it helps, the house is in the US and was built within the past ten years.


texts: I'm trying to install a new outlet about 3 feet above an existing outlet (for a wall-mounted TV). It appears that the existing outlet is in the middle of the run, so I'm not sure how I would add the existing outlet. Can I connect the new outlet to what I believe is the plastic push connector? (There appears to be room for one more set of wires.) Or can I wire the new outlet directly to the existing outlet? I've included a photo of the existing outlet below.


texts: Ice maker dispenses multiple cubes (2-3 stuck together)

texts:
This is a Whirlpool refrigerator.
Model # WRX735SDHZ
Serial # K80905198

The ice maker routinely dispenses multiple ice cubes frozen together. Sometimes 2, sometimes 3. This causes one or both of these problems:

Ice dispensing chute jammed. (Red Arrow)
Ice maker exit hole Jammed (Blue Arrow)

Both of these are fixable by manually breaking the offending cube clusters, but this happens 1-2 times a week and I'm worried that I'll break something trying to fix problem #2.

I've talked to Whirlpool, and their only solution was for me to have an Authorized Whirlpool Tech come out (from 122 miles away and at my expense!) to "have a look at it."

I'd simply like to reduce the amount of water being dispensed into the ice maker tray so that the cubes don't overflow slightly and freeze together.
I've considered trying to restrict the flow into the machine by the valve coming out of the wall that supplies water, but I assume that the ice maker has a sensor on it telling it when it's full, meaning that it will just flow until it's (over) full no matter how small a trickle is flowing.

Any suggestions?


texts: Electrical outlet fried 3 USB chargers and causes projector to shutdown.What to do?

texts:
First off, I'm talking about European Schuko sockets, 220V AC.

There is this one outlet with 2 sockets in the corner of the room, and both of them have caused problems. Over the past few months they've fried 3 USB chargers and when I try to watch a movie on a pico-projector (5V DC) it causes flickering and blacks out from time to time (usually right when the movie gets interesting). I should have isolated the problem to that outlet earlier, but I thought the whole house was electrically haunted.

Finally we stopped using those sockets, and I took it apart today. Nothing unusual in the wiring, no sign of burnt anything, no exposed wires. I put it back, turned the power back on to the apartment and measured it with a multimeter. Phase–neutral was OK, 220V, but ground–neutral was showing a 1..2V reading.

The thing is I think this stray voltage varies (based on the projector problems during a 2h movie). This is why I was a bit reluctant to call an electrician, I don't want someone to come, stay for a few minutes, notice nothing unusual and say everything is fine. Then charge me without fixing the issue.

I'd really like to use that outlet, it's well placed for the projector. Otherwise the room would be criss-crossed with extension cords. What could I do?

Later edit

I think the renovation was done by a hack electrician...

There's an electrical panel with 10 switches in the hallway. I thought wow, how nice, such granular control. Turns out the mapping is completely haphazard. They're not labeled.
When a guy came to install gas sensors he asked me to turn off the power to the apartment because he was getting zapped by the gas pipes!
The 2 bathroom fans have been improperly installed... You can't turn them on just like that, or it'll work for a few seconds then turn off. If you fiddle with the OTHER's switch twice you will get the second one to respond to its switch. (Mayhem, I know. Found this out through trial and error)
Brought in an old stereo amplifier and I now notice it sometimes jolts with a loud static noise, as if I had taken out and touched the audio cable at loud volume.
Sometimes the WiFi router or the wireless audio receiver go offline for a few seconds

That's all the suspicious details I could conjure up for now.

Answers to comments

I don't have enough reputation to create value for the StackExchange community by answering bloody comments.

I haven't checked ALL the receptacles, but two of them look perfectly fine. Tidy wiring even.

One phase of 220V, I believe...

The USB chargers weren't particularly cheap ones, in fact. If overheating is a measure of poor quality, they didn't do that. May they rest in peace.

The outlets don't have built-in USB. One of them has a built-in TV coax plug. Some light switches (SHOULD be different circuit) had light indicators that don't work. Could have been they all burnt out before I moved in, which would have been a problem. But the owner came by today and told me she's certain they had never connected those. I had issues with these before, and recall how I systematically tore out these little duplicitous "conveniences" and spat on their worthless corpse.

We have CFL lights in other rooms, yeah. The washing machine has a regular Schuko plug.

Later-er edit

I had an electrician come check it out. He brought in a voltage stabilizer (with servo-motor) and measured between 210V and 230V. The dips are probably the cause, and it means the electrical issues are for the whole apartment, not just that power outlet. He replaced it to be sure.

His recommendation was to but a voltage stabilizer and plug valuables into that... I find that extremely cumbersome, and quite expensive, all for a "fix" that doesn't address the core issue.

What other recourse do I have to get cleaner power to the entire flat? I'll try to talk to the building's administrator and to the power company, but what should I be aware of?


texts: What tool would you use to cut through cinder block?

texts: I have a hidden room in my house that I would like to turn into a closet. The room (currently only accessible from the outside through the vent) vents the utility room to the outside. I'm not sure why it was designed this way, other than maybe because it was easy since it was already framed for a door. Since I'm going to turn it into a closet I need to change the location of the vent. There's plenty of room between the vent and the utility room to change the location. My problem is that the outside wall is cinder block. What tool would be recommended or is best to use to cut or hammer through cinder block?


texts: Installing an electric toe kick heater "old work"-style

texts: I'd like to install a toe kick heater under the 48"-wide vanity (in the center) seen in the picture. The electrical wire is in the side wall. Do I run the risk that when I cut the toe kick baseboard open, I will find sufficient structural obstructions that I won't be able to get to the wall?


texts: How do I stop bats from nesting in an attic?

texts: What is the best way to discourage bats from taking up residence in a house?


texts: New Circuit Faceless AFCI tripping with no load

texts:
Most AFCI questions here revolve around existing circuits, and AFCI Circuit breakers, but my situation is a little different.

Here's the details:

Renovation to add a half bath and laundry room in the basement
2 of the 3 circuits require AFCI protection by code.  No circuits in the house have had AFCI up until this point
They do not make AFCI breakers for my panel, hence I have had to use faceless branch circuit AFCI's, connected as per the picture
One circuit is for lights and plugs, other circuit is dedicated for the washer
AFCI's both trip immediately when attempting to reset

Troubleshooting done:

Confirmed all wiring of the AFCI units
Found that grounding for the panel had been isolated by previous
renovations that put PVC Pipes between where it was connected to the
water main and where it actually goes into the ground (I have since
addressed this and I am running a bonding cable to the water main at
the entrance - I knew this needed to be done regardless...freaked me
out a little discovering that!!)
AFCI's still tripping with this grounding addressed
I have swapped AFCI units around, no change
I have tried them on other breakers, no change
These are completely separate and newly run circuits - No shared Neutrals
I have completely removed the loads (load conductors removed at the AFCI units) No change
I have shut down all the other circuits in the panel to see if there was possible arcing on other circuits that the AFCI units were seeing - No Change
Bypassing the AFCI's: Circuits appear to work just fine

Other useful info:

about 60% of my branch circuits are aluminum (built 1975)...slowly
working on removing these...
This is the main home panel, thus ground and Neutral are shared in the panel (However all branch circuits neutrals and grounds are run
into the panel separately)

I am at a loss now...I figured that fixing the panel grounding and removing the loads would have at least got me to a starting point, but no dice.

I'm still a little suspicious of the units themselves but I'm more suspicious of my house given that I have two AFCI's and they are behaving the same.

I'm a little reluctant to bring in an electrician just yet for fear I'm missing something obvious...but that will be my next call.

Any suggestions??


texts: In the middle of framing my basement, I realized I made a rough opening for a bathroom door approximately 4" too big. I glued m & screwed in another 2x4 to each jack stud to get the opening where it needs to be. I have PT wall plates for all walls but I got to thinking, do these new 2x4s need to be PT due to their ends in contact with the concrete? It's an interior wall. I really hope not... thoughts??


texts: Conduit Underground - Ways for tunneling under obstructions?

texts:
I'm running into a situation where it's increasingly difficult to bury this PVC underground 18" in some spots due to massive tree roots. Changing directions and/or destroying the roots isn't an option. The isolated roots are easy enough to tunnel under but there are root 'clusters' that are close together are the hard part. I did bore a hole in those roots about 9" deep and wanted to use rigid metal conduit, however the size I need to use (1.25") makes it difficult to source (rent, not purchase) a conduit bender capable of bending this size.

I read in the NEC table 300.5 that PVC is under 2" of 'concrete or equivalent' than it can be as close as 12" from grade. My question is: What is 'equivalent'?

Also, I tried the 'pressure water' method for tunneling, it got real messy real fast and my pipe didn't stay level, probably doing it wrong.

Looking at a few tools such as Borit as a next resort (something cheaper is ideal b/c I'll probably only use it once and I never quite get around to reselling a tool), and calling someone to finish this short portion of trench as a final resort. If anyone can offer insight as to either finishing this trench at 18", or having the PVC above that with 2" concrete (or equivalent?)

Also, one idea I just had is running the PVC and forming concrete outside the trench, and dropping it in the trench after it's hardened, hopefully that makes sense.

Update

Tomorrow (Weather contingent) I will try shop vac'ing around the roots, OP's yard in that video appears to have some root clusters and it looks like he did an excellent job getting the dirt from around them. Patience I have, money I don't.

The difficult can be done right away, the impossible takes a little longer.


texts: Can I use #12 wire to connect switches for 30A motors?

texts: I am wiring boat lift motors I'm starting at a 60 amp subpanel. I have a 30 amp e gfci breaker then about an 80 foot run to the lift motors. I have 10 gauge wire for that 80 foot run then into a switch box for the motors. can I drop down to 12 gauge wire for the switches and finish the runs to the motors in 12 gauge or do I have to maintain 10 gauge throughout the run to the motors.


texts: What is this device connected to my cold water pipe?

texts: Our house has an attached greenhouse; under the sink there is a device connected to the cold water supply that then goes into the slab.   There is a floor drain in the slab, so it's possible it connects there.   What is the device called, what is its purpose?


texts: How to fix condensation between layers of insulation in unfinished wall?

texts:
An above grade portion (wood framing) of my basement walls (in unfinished furnace room) is currently insulated with faced R19 fiberglass batts.  I live in nothern climate zone 5.

Unfortunately there is currently nothing but wood behind these batts and there is no air sealing, so when i looked behind the batts the wood walls have frost on them and some are soaking wet.

Before:

Before (behind faced fiberglass batts):

I begun a project to air seal behind the batts gluing 1" R5 XPS foam boards to the wood and spray foaming around the gaps, then removing the face from the batt and replacing the unfaced batt on top of of the XPS.

After:

After a few cold days i looked behind some of the batts that I had replaced and noticed that there was some condensation on the XPS foam boards (towards the vertical center of the boards).  The boards themselves didnt feel cold at all.

Is there something else i should have done to prevent this / how can i correct it?

Thanks


texts: Chimenea/Outdoor Fireplace Crack Repair Mortar-type

texts: I was trying to repair a cracked chiminea ( outdoor fireplace). I have "Quikkrete" quick-setting cement. I was wondering if this would be okay to use to patch and seal the cracks and hold against high temperatures when I have fires. Could someone please offer any advice on what type of pottery/clay sealing bondage product that is fire resistant, if I should not use this stuff and what maybe I should be using?? I'm not that knowledgeable with this kind of DIY home fix.


texts: A light switch with current that has a red and black wire attached but does not control a light or receptacle

texts: I recently purchased a used park model home, located in USA, with stick built attachment.  I have  a light switch ,with current, that does not control any light or receptacle,that I can find, in or out side of the structure.  The switch is in a  two switch box. The box has 4 cables coming in. One cable has a red,black,white and ground wire. The red wire is attached to subject switch and has a black wire pigtail connected to the incoming black wires. The other switch has 2 black wires.  One is an incoming wire and the other is a pigtail connected to the incoming black wires.  The white wires are all tied together. What I overlooking?  I appreciate any advice.


texts: It seems to me that many people put subfloors in their basements (and other floors), but what do they do when it comes to the existing stairs?  I'm code says that you can't have more than 3/8" difference in the steps, and most subfloors are more than 3/8" thick (especially with flooring on top of it).  What do most people do to fix their stairs?


texts: Can you feed a sub panel from a timer for outside lights?

texts: I have a Intermatic  240v 30 amp timer and would like to feed a sub panel with (6) 120v 15 amp outlets for Christmas light


texts: How can I stop 2 outlets being controlled by a switch?

texts:
I have two outlets where the the lower half is controlled by a wall switch and the upper half is always on. I’d like to remove the switch and have the upper and lower parts of the outlets always live.
This is the switch wiring has red, black, and ground wires:

One of the outlets has two white wires to the top and bottom screen, two red wires to the bottom screw, two black wires to the top screw, and a ground wire:

The other outlet has one white wire, one red white to the bottom screw, one black wire to the top screw, and a ground wire:

What changes should I make to have both outlets always live?


texts: Converting from Oil to Gas heat. Any recommendations?

texts:
I've received news that I'll need to get a new boiler. My wife and I want to take this opportunity to switch to natural gas from oil. I'm a technical guy, but I'm having trouble deciphering the power output of my current boiler to size a replacement.

I'm looking for a useful calculator to convert from steam volume output, to BTUs. This is merely as a budgetary exercise for information when a contractor comes to provide an estimate.

Any recommendations?


texts: HVAC leaking cold air at unit: seal with tape?

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I was in my crawlspace today and noticed that there was cold air leaking from a grouping of three round openings in my unit (pictured in the middle of the photo below). The outer two holes had rubber gaskets that I was able to adjust in order to stem the flow of air but the large black pipe in the middle had no gasket. While our home is cooling well at the moment, I am wondering if this is a problem I should have an HVAC repair person come look at, or if I can/should just seal these with HVAC tape myself.

Any advice here would be much appreciated; thanks!