texts:
I know that Toilet seats come in two shapes: round and elongated.

Yet, I have a ZI-ONE30 labelled toilet bowl, which really is a rebranded Kohler. And it's dimensions are different from all other bowls I have seen.

All my toilet bowls have 18.5" elongation, and 5.5" mounting spacing. And the bowl inner measurements for all my other toilets are 10" wide, 13.5" deep.

Yet, this specific bowl has an inner bowl size of 12" x 14". The bowl measures 17" at its (outer) widest point.

Now I am trying to find a seat for it, but all seats at Home Depot are too narrow.

The porcelain has a product number stamped into it: K3420. When googling that, I strangely find different looking bowls, as mine is a one-piece that looks very much like the Kohler San Raphael model, but it has a 1.6 gallon flush instead, and a different product number.

How can I source a toilet seat that is not only elongated, but also wider than standard?


texts: How to repaint a wall with peeling paint

texts:
I have a wall that needs repainting:

I guess I first need to remove the existing paint and then repaint?

How do I remove the paint? With a heat gun or some chemical way?

Also, I prefer not to repaint the whole thing but only one wall:

Is that a good idea? If yes, how do I remove the paint only from one wall and not from the other walls and ceiling?

Thanks
Jenia


texts: Replacement swivel for swing-top reading table

texts:
Ten years ago I got a Levenger swing-top wooden reading table.  This is a chair-side reading table whose flat oval-shaped top can be swung horizontally over my chair to serve as a stable platform for a laptop.

It has been wonderful but has had one significant problem, the plates that hold the top to the table while allowing it to swivel have ball bearings in them, that, over time, have all fallen out.  Now its all wobbly and unstable, i would replace the whole table but Levenger no longer makes it, and i have never seen anything else like it nor nearly as nice (and I have looked).

So instead I thought I would just replace the part that has failed.  as you can see below, it is a pair of 4 inch square metal plates bound together at the center, with matching circular tracks to hold the ball-bearings.

And here is my problem, I cannot find this part, nor any reasonable replacement anywhere on the internet.  I have been googling "360 degree swivel mount" and though i have found several items, they are all way too large.  The smallest i have found so far is 6 inches with holes set at least 5 inches apart.  My item is only 4 inches on a side with the holes only 3 inches apart (obverse side here):

Can anyone help me by suggesting one of the following:

Any place that sells this item, or an equivalent, or
what is the correct term is should be searching for (I suspect this is my problem), or
some other alternative solution

I should mention that I am hesitant to just try a larger pair of plates here for two reasons, first the swing top is only 1/2 inch thick, and I am concerned that these larger items, sold as swivel mounts for boat seats, will require mounting holes deeper than that.  And secondly, that i may not have the room (or skill) to properly make new holes for the screws and mount it.

Any help is much appreciated.


texts: What limits the number of skylights you can put in a room?

texts:
I am thinking of putting skylights in my kitchen between the trusses in the attic. Let's say my kitchen is below 5 trusses, giving me 4 spaces where I can put a skylight. Is there any structural consideration that would keep me from putting a skylight in each of the four spaces?

I know I would probably lose more heat through the winter. But we live in Seattle and with the rain we get, it's nice to have as much sunlight in the house as you can get.


texts: Is there a product that allows me to run a "mains" device off a power tool Battery

texts:
I have some fairly large DeWalt 18V batteries, which run, e.g. my Cordless LawnMower.
I imagine that they'd also run my Corded tools, at least for a while, if I could connect them up.
But I can't find any such DeWalt product :( And I don't know what term to search.
All I find when I do searches is products designed to allow the opposite - running a battery tool from the mains.
Do these products exist? and if so what keywords should I be searching for?


texts: What should I do about the insulation in my basement?

texts:
So in my basement I have insulation that was put up by the builder.  My first question is what is this type of insulation called?

The second question I have pertains to finishing the basement. I plan on framing the whole basement and assume that I need a vapor barrier (live in the Maryland area) and insulation behind my walls.  The insulation is already on the walls, but doesn't go all the way to the floor in all spots (maybe 3-4" short in some spots). Can I leave the insulation on the walls as is, or am I going to need to rip it all off to put up a proper vapor barrier and do better insulating?


texts: ceiling fan installation with two white wires

texts: the current light is connected to the white wires coming out of the box now.The two black wires are hooked together. can I hook the fan to the white wires like the light is now?  Is it safe to do this?  There is not ground in the box.  When I looked in the breaker box, the white wires were hooked to the ground bar.


texts: Help running power through a switch to a light, but continuing power along the circuit to an outlet

texts:
I have an unfinished electrical project I inherited that I want to complete, I just wanted to check and make sure the wiring diagram I've fuddled together below will work. I want to run power through a switch to a light, but continue the circuit over to an outlet receptacle.
The wires have already been run to the boxes, so I'm trying to piece together what my predecessor's plans were.
Am I doing this right?


texts:
My problem is that we have a long area of gravel used for parking for myself and several neighbors. When it rains really hard, the gravel alongside the road washes away and becomes a real danger for tires and probably the road itself. After googling (ducking, actually) the best way to avoid gravel washing away, it seems a French drain is the best method to do this. Only part of the lengthy gravel area is affected.

I'm wondering if I can just install a partial French drain for the affected area and leave the unaffected as is or if the lower French drain would cause the upper area to become affected. I don't have to dig to install the French drain on the affected area because I can just fish the gravel out and lay the perforated pipe in so I could do this in a day. However, if I have to do the upper part it will take considerably more time and effort to call 811, dig through at least a foot of gravel and lay it throughout the graveled area.

Also, I have been just going to our local rock quarry and getting crusher run 47 by the 5 gallon bucket which typically only costs about $6 when I get 5, but I have to make multiple trips. This happens at least 3-5 times a year.

Thanks!

There is a low spot, probaby 8-10 inches right under the red car and about 5 feet behind the red car. The area by the back car that has the lip of the road is barely affected. I've only ever put gravel there once.


texts:
Our windows in the back of our house receive a lot of wind.  When it's windy or very cold, the air is coming in through various crevices: window track and space between window.  The windows are about 7 years old and the fuzzy insulation looks okay.  I've tried to install insulation, but it didn't seem to resolve it.

Do I need to put caulk on the outside?
Do I just replace the back windows with higher quality windows?


texts: Will adding a cool air return in the basement help with summer AC power usage?

texts:
Pretty much the title. I have a full basement. Part of it is unfinished and has the water heater, furnace, and washer / dryer. The other part (roughly 1/2 of the total space) is partially finished. It has a dropped ceiling and wood panel walls, both with no added insulation. There is an AC / heat vent cut into the ceiling. It is currently taped shut. There is no cold air return.

Even with the vent closed, that area of the basement stays pretty cool even in the hottest part of the summer. I'm assuming because cold air sinks and the ceiling isn't insulated. I'm thinking about adding a cold air return near the bottom of the floor and uncovering the vent. The thought is that the AC would cycle air through the basement and pull the cool air back into the main living area. Should this work? Anyone have before and after experience doing this kind of thing?


texts: What kind of latch mechanism should I use for this movable ceiling under my deck?

texts:
I have a nice deck, installed by a contractor years ago. We wanted to use the space under the deck as a covered patio area, so I built a drop-ceiling under the deck. It's made of overlapping panels of corrugated galvanized steel, supported by a cedar structure, with a slight slope so rain will drain off one end of the corrugated. I have four panel structures of cedar and corrugated, each three sheets of corrugated wide.

We were concerned that crud might fall through the deck and accumulated into a debris dam, and make the rain drip through where the panels overlap, rather than spilling off the lower end. My solution was to put a hinge along the edges of the panels nearest the house, so I can fold them down for occasional maintenance, then fold them back up to their normal, almost-horizontal position. So far, it works well, and the under-deck patio is a nice place to relax outside on a rainy Seattle day.

The problem is that I left unanswered the question of how to hold the panels in the almost-horizontal position when they're not folded down for maintenance. For now, I have some spare bar clamps grabbing the deck's main support joist, projecting out under the free edges of the panels. But I'll want to use those clamps again for something else, and they're not a good permanent solution anyway.

So, what kind of latch mechanism should I use to hold the panels in place? I've looked at various gate latches and tinkered with cardboard mock-ups, but no one answer jumps out as ideal.

Design goals include:

Secures the panels in position fairly securely, without loads that will stress the structures so they warp or bend over time, and loose enough so seasonal expansion and contraction doesn't gradually tear things to pieces.
Not a giant hassle to disconnect for periodic maintenance. It doesn't have to be as easy to use as a fence gate, but it shouldn't require tools, seize up if I don't unhook it for a couple of years, etc.
Doesn't require too many holes through the deck joists (pressure treated timber) or the cedar structure that will invite rot in this rainy climate.
Not unnecessarily ugly.
Not absurdly expensive or complicated to build and install.

Here's a cross section drawing. At left is the 10×4 pressure-treated deck joist that runs the length of the deck. The other brown rectangles are 5/4 cedar (which I mistakenly drew as 2×4s), the end-on edge piece at left, the cross supports at left. The bent gray line is the corrugated steel. (I gave up on trying to draw the corrugations.) The cedar hangs from a hinge at the right, out of the picture.

Here's an orthographic drawing. I drew everything except the cross section somewhat transparent, and drew the corrugated somewhat more transparent. The corrugated is attached to the tops of the cedar cross pieces with waxed stand-off pieces through the high parts of the corrugation with outdoor deck screws. The folded over part of the corrugated is attached to the edge with stainless steel screws (and zinc washers); all the inexpensive deck screws I could find were so long that they'd poke through the cedar.

Addition: Here's a photograph of the deck and under-deck ceiling. It shows pretty much the whole of the structure as described, including the bar clamps supporting the free edge of the panels.

Additional idea:

Based on the first reply, I had the idea of hanging some sort of hooks by chains from bolts through the deck's cross-joists, supporting catches attached to the cedar edge pieces. The first hooks could support the middle of each panel, hanging a little bit low, as the panels are raised to position. Then additional hooks at each end could support the panels at the design height and slope so they don't bounce around in the wind. Plastic-coated stainless steel cables might be better for the middle hooks, because they wouldn't rattle in the wind if they were slack.


texts: What is causing a cat urine smell in my bathroom?

texts:
My bathroom has started smelling like cat urine. We have NO cats. I think the smell is coming from the shower drain.

What could this smell be coming from and how do I get rid of it?


texts: The flourescent lights in one end my basement have not worked since I moved in last December. I prefer incandescent lighting, so I wasn't concerned about it. A few days ago, one of the fixtures started making a strange "chirping" noise. It sounds like a smoke detector battery signal, but it is definitely coming from the light fixture. There are two fixtures on one switch; the second fixture isn't making any noise.


texts: Can I install PERGO Locking Hardwood Flooring in wet areas?


texts: Porch light over heating and stopped working second light fixture

texts:
I am by no means an electrician, but for my new light fixture I did follow the following schematic - How should I connect the ground wire for my light fixture?

The old fixture kept burning out the bulb so I replaced it with a nice https://www.lightingdirect.com/heath-zenith-hz-4300-4-light-360-degree-motion-activated-outdoor-flush-mount-ceiling-fixture/p2675820

Was working fine and please note I installed:

White to White
Black to Black
And ground to bare ground wire (Actually ran the ground wire around the screw, which I am not sure if that is correct)

Now after installation the light was working fine, but now a couple of months later the light is glowing on an off (poltergeist) and I took it down and there looks like some brown burn marks.  Is it time to call in an electrician?

I have thus turned out the light and not using till I get this resolved.  I do not need to burn down our home.


texts: Expedient repair for water damaged drywall behind tile

texts:
I set out to repair cracked grout at the top of a course of tiles on the wall immediately above my bathtub. After scraping out all the damaged grout I discovered that the only other thing holding the tiles in place was the caulking between them and the bathtub itself. I removed the tiles and found water-damaged drywall -- not cement board -- behind them. Each individual tile had been attached directly to the drywall with globs of a brown substance which I think is construction adhesive (it's definitely not mortar). The water damage caused the drywall paper to disintegrate, so the glue no longer had anything to hold them to.

Fig. 1 Bathtub with the lowest course of wall tiles removed, showing damaged drywall behind.

All of the rest of the grouting and caulking is in good condition, and the tiles one course up are still firmly attached to the wall; they don't wiggle at all when I push or pull on their bottom edge.  I think this means the water damage doesn't extend upward from the crack very much.

After removing all of the ruined drywall paper, allowing the gypsum itself to dry out for 12 hours with a dehumidifier running full blast right next to the wall, and then lightly scrubbing the surface with a dry brush, it looks like the gypsum itself isn't completely ruined.  It's cracked, chunks are missing at the bottom, and many of the nailheads are rusted out, but it seems to be fairly solid overall still.

Fig. 2 Close-up of damaged drywall immediately after removing tiles and most of the drywall paper.

Fig. 3 The same stretch of damaged drywall after drying for 12 hours and then cleaning the surface.

I would normally call a professional for this, but my area is under COVID-19 quarantine and I don't want to make someone come to my house unless it's absolutely necessary.  Also, I suspect a professional's idea of a proper fix would involve removing several more courses of tiles and possibly redoing the entire tub surround, which I cannot afford right now.

Online general advice for this sort of problem (e.g. this article) seems to be "cut out the damaged drywall, replace with cement board, tape and mud over the seam, re-set tiles with thinset and grout as normal."  The problem with that idea is, the seam ought to go somewhere underneath the second course of tiles from the bottom. But I don't want to remove even one more course of tiles myself if I can avoid it, because that would involve removing the soap tray (which is probably glued to the tiles with more construction adhesive) and I don't think I can manage that without breaking either it or the tiles or both.

So, my question is, what is the most expedient way to repair this damage without removing any more tiles?  I have two ideas myself, which I invite you to poke holes in:

Given that the drywall isn't completely wrecked, just build the surface back up with thinset mortar applied directly to the gypsum, to the point where the tiles will be flush with their neighbors.
Cut out the damaged drywall right at the bottom edge of the second course of tiles.  Install a strip of cement board, but don't tape and mud over the seam between that and the remaining drywall.  Do cover the exposed surface with mortar as thoroughly as possible.

I would prefer (1) because it doesn't involve going out and buying cement board (and having the store cut it for me, because I don't have the tools for that).

This only needs to be good for three to five years, because we're probably going to have the whole bathroom redone after that anyway.

The house was built in the 1930s; the bathroom was probably last redone in the 1970s.  I bring this up because I suspect whatever's behind the drywall is not standard balloon-frame studs.

EDIT: I am fully aware that a "proper" fix would involve replacing considerably more of the wall.  However, that is not an option under the circumstances.


texts: How wide should the framed opening be to accommodate double shed doors?

texts: I'm building a shed/barn with a 6ft doorway for two 3ft doors.  If I assume the doors will be exactly 3 ft each, do I need to add extra space in the framed opening to allow them to swing easily, and if so how much?


texts: How should I wire a subpanel for a tiny house?

texts:
I have a subpanel almost wired in our shed, it's being converted into a tiny home for a few months, it's about 25ft from the main panel which is inside of a mobile home. The main panel I believe is 100 AMPS. The subpanel that is installed in the shed is 125AMP. It has 2 30amp breakers and 3 15 amp breakers installed. I need an opinion or 2 before proceeding.

Is it safe to wire the subpanel to the main panel? I don't think the sub will use even half of the capacity, so could I put a smaller breaker in the main?


texts: Sealing crawl space vents in Pacific Northwest?

texts:
I just had a perimeter drain and sump pump installed in our crawlspace because it flooded frequently and severely during the rainy seasons. Before, I was under the impression that leaving the crawlspace vents open was the way to go in this climate (very wet winter/spring, very dry summers). Now, with the drainage system in place, I'm leaning toward closing off the vents, since (if the drain/pump system works) there will be no more standing water, and thus much lower humidity levels, and it would slow down the inevitable fouling of the new plastic sheeting from dust and such.

So, to seal or not to seal?

Thank you

Steve


texts: Is there a minimum, NEC-compliant distance that an electrical outlet can be off the floor in my home?

texts:
If I am able to lower an electrical box by a few inches, I will have enough wire to avoid having to use a junction box to splice a nick I made in the insulation of the neutral wire.  It's only a three-foot wall section and will be the only electrical outlet there, so it won't look too odd being slightly lower than the others in the room.

I've Googled this a bit, but all I see are lengthy discussion threads where people are simply not sure.  Is there anyone who has the straight answer on this?


texts: Adjusting pressure relief valve on well water

texts:
I have well water with a manifold inside the house that has a faucet, pressure tank, temperature sensor (for pump) and pressure relief valve.  My current pump pressure is set to 60 which effectively goes from about 53 to 67.

I would like to bump up the pressure another 10 psi to improve reverse osmosis system pressure on the 2nd floor as well as the general improvement on the 3rd floor.  I get about 10 psi drop every floor now.  The pressure relief valve says it's set to 100 psi (at least from manufacturer), but it starts leaking around 70 psi.

First of all, is it advisable to go up another 10 psi?  I assume the likelihood of leaks goes up and maybe the pump life is decreased.  I'll probably also need to increase the pressure in the expansion tank.  ~63-77 psi on the first floor (and lower on the above floors) doesn't seem to be extremely high to me, but I'm no expert.

Second, is there a tool to adjust the valve?  It has two notches with a hole in the middle.  A 5/8" or 11/16" slotted bit should fit, but those are hard to find and something like $20 online.  How is this usually adjusted on the field?


texts: How do I stop water from wicking into the wall?

texts:
I just bought a new home, and water is getting into one corner of the house. The drywall on the inside of the pictured corner is soft and there was mold under the baseboard, but no water marks are visible from the inside. The bad drywall only extends about 6 inches up from the floor. Our realtor said the previous owners poured a new step at the front entrance, and thought it was likely that the step was trapping water against the trim, and water was wicking up into the interior of the wall.

Question 1: What should I check to find out if this really is the source of the water?

This is the outside wall:

The affected drywall is inside the corner with the gutter and along the wall by the step. I see no evidence that the gutter or downspout are leaking.

When it rains, water pools in the slot by the step.

A closer view:

As you can see, the trim extends several inches below the step. The siding is LP (circa 1990, so not good stuff), but the trim is wood. The trim appears undamaged.

Question 2: If this is the source of the water, how can stop water from infiltrating into the house?

One suggestion I've gotten is to cut the trim above the step and install metal flashing. I'm not sure what I should expect to find behind the trim, nor where/how to attach the flashing. The house foundation probably extends some distance up behind the trim, but I would also expect there to be some form of vapor barrier back there which I would rather not damage. What can be done to enable proper drainage of the slot next to the step?

Location is the Seattle area, so lots of low intensity rain and dampness. The house was built in 1990, and it is in good shape but the build quality isn't the highest.


texts: How do I build a wet room for a wheelchair user?

texts:
How do I build a wet room that:

Does not leek
Does not have water run out of its door
Is wheelchair accessible (e.g a very low slope)

It is very hard to get the slope right by hand and I have need two many cases when the sleep is too steep and the water run runs into the rest of the house.


texts: What specific fitting do I need to connect a 1/4" copper refrigerator water tube to a 3/4" steel water line that's already in use?

texts:
I recently bought a new refrigerator (Samsung RF263BEAESR) and am trying to connect it to my house's water supply line (under the kitchen sink).  The prior owner of the house ran a copper line from the sink area to the general location of the fridge but neither end was hooked up and our prior refrigerator didn't have an ice maker.

I carefully reviewed the instruction manual for the new fridge but Samsung only provides instructions for applying a saddle valve on copper pipes. This won't work because my house has steel pipes that aren't easily accessible (besides, I'm not a fan of saddle valves to beginwith).

Here's a picture of the current water supply valves under the kitchen sink:

I'm hoping that I could replace this valve with something that will support a single 3/4" threaded steel input and have multiple outlets (one going to the sink faucet -- threaded 1/2" I think -- and another going to the copper compression fitting).  Do this approach make these?  Is this a bad idea? Does the refrigerator line need to be on a completely separate connection to the house water?


texts: swamp cooler high fan is same speed as low

texts:
If I turn it on to high speed, my swamp cooler "turns" but it's the same speed as if it were on "normal."  What gives?

Other clues: when it's on "high" it has very short lived bursts where it blows a little extra.


texts: Is Solar Heating of Pool worth it? Especially after Time of Use (TOU) electric rates are introduced?

texts:
I'm thinking of getting solar heating for my pool.  We're in San Diego and the cost would be about $6000.  Currently, I don't heat the pool at all as it's prohibitively expensive with natural gas.  I am led to believe that the cost of running the solar heating is fairly negligible.  Currently, I have to run the pump about 6 hours a day anyway to circulate and filter the water.  I would have to pump the water to the roof to get heated which requires the pump (variable speed modern pump - PenAir) to work a little harder and thus use more electricity.   However, this is all based on electricity being the same cost throughout the day.  Obviously, the water must be pumped to and from the roof when the sun is shining (the higher in the sky the better).  So my questions:

How well does Solar Heating work?
How many hours do you need to pump the water to the roof to heat the pool?

I'd hate to spend $6000 and find out that I can't use it.  If/when Time of Use (TOU) becomes mandatory, it will be much more expensive to use electricity during the day.  Right now, with no solar heating, that's not a big deal - I would just arrange to use the pump during off peak hours.  However, that's not an option with solar heating (hence question #2).  This brings me to my final question.

Are people worried that there investment in solar heating will be not very good once Time of Use (TOU) becomes mandatory?  It might be prohibitively expensive to pump water during the peak hours (typically something like noon - 6 pm).  My understanding is that TOU will become mandatory in much (all) of the U.S.A. (I'm in California and 2018 is talked about as a possibility) The reasons why are a separate topic.  I'm not sure if TOU already exists or is planned for the rest of the world.  I'd be curious (but it's off topic :) ).

Thanks,

Dave


texts: What is the best method for painting a door

texts: I'm planning to repaint a closet door to match a newly painted room. Would it be better to use spray paint or just use a brush and the same paint I'm using on the walls?


texts: How do I connect a high intensity infrared heater and thermostat?

texts:
enter image description hereHarper gave me a great answer on how to connect my Lambert high intensity heater to a thermostat in general but I have a follow up question and don’t know how to attach that to my original post so I am creating a new question.

My heater has a transformer connected to the control box and is running blue and yellow wires that attach to the blue and white connectors respectively on the control box. However I have an empty red wire connector on the control box which I assume is for the thermostat but I don’t know where to connect the thermostat’s white wire. Can anyone please help me with this question?  Thank you


texts: How can I dress up a boring drop ceiling?

texts:
I don't like the look of the standard drop ceiling tiles in my finished basement.  I'd like to replace them with something like the one picture below.  However, the cost of these is prohibitive given the size of my basement due to its size.

Alternatively, are there any ideas for updating the ceiling to make it look less boring and give it (at least the appearance) of more height?


texts: Adding a pergola to my deck; ok to replace corner railings posts with pergola posts?

texts:
Planning to add a pergola to my deck for shade and growing grapes and need help deciding if I should extend the posts of the pergola to the ground on a concrete base or if I can just attach it to the deck by replacing the existing corner posts used by the deck railing and just beefing it up with additional blocking.

Photos showing existing deck and planned pergola post placements

What the pergola will look like - except using 4x4 posts

Some project specs:

Deck is 12x10’; attached to the house and supported by two 6x6 posts set on 16”(?) concrete pillars; the posts at the base of the stairs are set in the ground which presumably provides a small amount of additional support for that corner
I will use 4x4s for upright posts (expecting some warping and cracking) because in my opinion the 6x6’s look too beefy for my small deck and I'm trying to keep the added weigh down
I will use 2x6s for the cross beams and rafters
This will be about 800lb of added weight, including the weight of the grape vine and any accessories, so 200lb per post
The pergola will not be attached to the house, but will be ~2 inches away from the house at the closest point

Location: Greater Philadelphia Area

UPDATE (05/26/2020): Decided I'm comfortable with skipping the concrete base. For the four corners I will be using this style of blocking and tying everything together with plenty of structural screws. Its might not be necessary but I am also considering adding a sister board to strengthen the cantilevered portion of the outer joist. The outer joists did not have joist hangers connecting them to the ledger board for some reason so I will be adding that as well as securing the joists under the posts with DTT ZMAX Galvanized Deck Tension Tie Kit.

I am sticking with 4x4 upright posts and 2x6's for everything else, the trellis top will get covered with shade curtains and later grapevines so I don't care too much if they look "puny" as long as they are solid and strong. Toja Grid makes extensive use of 4x4s in their pergola kits so that gives me confidence in the strength of (properly secured) 4x4s.


texts:
So the house I bought had a guy who wishes he was good at doing renovation work but really just sucked. And cut a lot of corners. He didn't put any cement board down under any of the tiled floors.. ie second floor wash room, hallway full bathroom and master bathroom.

End result: my floors are audibly cracking from the thin set cracked underneath the tile and grout is falling out from between the tiles. There are areas with no grout at all because of the floor movement.

Are there any ways to do anything about this, other than just regrouting the entire floor? Or pulling up all tile, installing cement board and redoing all the floors?


texts: Does a receptacle have to supply the max current that it is rated for?

texts:
Suppose you come across a L5-30R (120V, 30A receptacle) somewhere.  By spec, can you assume that there will be 30 amps at it?

Follow up: if you come across a L6-30R (250v, 30A), does it have to supply 240-250v, or can it supply 208, or even 120?


texts: Could a pressurized fire sprinkler system be causing a loud sound?

texts:
Every night, we hear loud cracking sounds coming from our attic.

The sounds are quite loud, and it sounds like there could be a real problem.

We hear it every night, usually multiple times.  It seems to be getting more frequent and intense.  It does seem to follow a very rough schedule.  We often notice it around 10pm and then again around 2am or 3am.

There is no evidence of any animals in the attic.

There is nothing really up in the attic that could make a sound like this except for the pressurized fire sprinkler system.  The only other possible source of the sounds I can think of is expansion/contraction of the structure.  We have asked neighbors, and none of them have reported similar sounds.

Our HOA, which is responsible for the fire sprinkler system, denies that the fire sprinkler system could have anything to do with the cracking sounds.  They had an a-hole lawyer send us a letter stating that we have to somehow prove it is the fire sprinkler system before they will do anything about it.

What is causing this sound?  Does it represent a hazard?  What do we do about it?


texts: Wiring two 3-way switches with 2 light fixtures and 1 outlet

texts: Can someone please tell me how to wire this I searched everywhere on the web and I found nothing.


texts: Gas water heater auto-shut off when water supply fails?

texts:
I recently purchased an off-the-grid summer home. Solar, water collection, and propane for hot water, fridge and freezer. Everything works incredibly well.

But we often leave for a few days at a time and I always turn the breaker for the water pump so that if something springs a leak it won't drain the cistern.   I actually turn that breaker even if we go away for a few hours. But I just realized that if we leave for a day or two and the water heater sprung a leak and drained out what would happen? Do gas water heaters have an auto shut off if they detect no water in the tank or could this conceivably melt something and cause a fire?  My hope is that it would just remain on pilot mode and nothing would happen but then I wasn't sure if it was safe to leave gas heater in pilot mode with an empty tank.

My main home uses an oil furnace and hot water is just moved into a tank so it's a new system to me.

Thanks for any help/advice.


texts: Warranty claim on thermal cracking of asphalt shingles?

texts:
Two questions really:

How bad is this thermal cracking? Is the roof shot / need replacing based on this issue?

and...

Given that this roof is fairly new - 3 years (located in Arizona), is it worth looking into a possible warranty claim? I'm still retrieving install documentation from seller (not my house yet). Though, they claim it is recent and warranty exists. Also, is of worthy note that there are no soffit vents? Does that matter/potentially the cause? Large gable vents exist, but that's it. No attic fan either.

Done quite a few homes now, never seen this issue on a roof. Any information is appreciated. Thanks!


texts:
I have   oil fired baseboard heating and a separate AC system. Currently I have two older thermostats installed. I'd like to replace with a single unit, however I can't locate any thermostat that allows me to disable the fan which I need to do if I'm heating the house.
All the thermostats I can find only allow for either the fan being in AUTO or ON.
Any suggestions?


texts: What does this diagram mean, in English?

texts:
I'm trying to figure out what this means, particularly regarding how to treat the red and black wires coming out of the switch.

The switch box I have has red, black, green, and white wires.  The part of this diagram that confuses me is the line with "switch/black <- switch/red".  What does this mean?


texts: How to keep the dust down when sawing indoors in the dead of winter?

texts: We are replacing our living room floor and it is so cold outside we are resorting to sawing the end pieces indoors.  What tricks have you found for keeping the sawdust under control?


texts:
I am buildings a 16x24 log cabin in rural West Virginia. It will not have electric, running water, or any type of HVAC. One of the biggest worries I have, as I feel I should, is the foundation. I am planning to use 18 12" diameter concrete footings (pillars) and have a few questions about doing this.

Does anyone know where to find the official frost line for northern West Virginia? I looked all over and found different answers (between 12 and 36 inches) and just want to make sure. Most answers were around 30" so if there is not an official number available I am going to go with that.

Do I need to have a flat piece or pyramid at the bottom of the footing? I've read that it is totally necessary but have watched multiple videos where the builders did not do this.

How deep below the surface can I end the footing at? Sorry if that is worded poorly but I don't know how else to ask it. I do not want any concrete sticking out of the ground as I think that would ruin the log-cabin vibe but I have not been able to find any info on this. I saw a finished model of what the cabin will look like and the treated 6x6s went into the ground, I'm just not sure how far.

Any insight is very helpful. I am quite new to this but I am determined to make it work by educating myself and thinking ahead.


texts: plastic pipe coming out of wall is really loud

texts:
There is a plastic pipe that is exactly next to my window, and whenever the neighbour has a shower (which seems to happen a lot, throughout the day and untill 12 or 1 am at night) it just blows hot air from it and it is really loud. I took a picture of it so you can see. I also went outside my window today and looked at it closely. It is a plastic pipe, hot air is coming out, and I was wondering there must be a way to make it be more quiet? Something simple? That I could put around it, or on the end? Something? Please help as I am really annoyed by the sound. There must be someone who knows what to do with it. :)

Many Thanks,
Anastasia


texts: I was removing some wall plates and noticed that behind a blank wall plate I had the mess of wires as shown. It looks like it's a white wire with a red and yellow wire inside. I used a contact tester on the red and it was indicating voltage, although I have read those are notorious for false positives. My question is if I should cap the white wire with a wire nut. If I do, would there be any issue with the red and yellow being twisted together?


texts: How to clean settled grease from kitchen cabinets?

texts: I like to fry a lot (I am not fat though :)) so there is quite a lot of grease and oil fume buildup on my kitchen cabinets.  I tried spraying and wiping, to no avail.  Any idea how I can clean settled grease and oil fumes from my cabinets effectively?


texts:
I was planning to replace an existing ceiling fan. The photo shows the current wiring situation after removing the old ceiling fan. The Neutral wire is alone, I’ve pulled it off to the side and taped it for now. The Hot wire, well, there are 3 wires. 2 of them seem to be going through a small black square clamp, the third is wrapped around the clamp and 2 clamped wires. Then, near the end, is a wire coil with just 1 wire coming out the other end. I have never seen anything like this and am unsure what to think of it. The old fan was connected Neutral from the fan to Neutral and then Hot and Blue from the fan to this contraption of apparently hot.

Do I need to make changes to how this is setup before installing the new ceiling fan? If so, what would be recommended?

Thanks


texts: Shut down gas for heat boiler but did not shut down electricity

texts: new to this house, didn't see the shut off switch when i shut down boiler two months ago.  now i have found what looks like shut off switch, have I done any damage to the unit?


texts: When there are multiple circuits in a junction box do all grounds get connected

texts: If I have a junction box where there are splices from several circuits, do I connect all ground wires from all circuits together in one bundle or do I do that for each circuit within the junction box?


texts: Wood between slab allowing ground water seepage

texts:
Warning: Lots of setup ahead...

We have lived in our house for almost 3 years now. The house was built in a newer addition approximately 25 years ago. The grounds is mostly graded away from the house, and we have even installed a lot of yard drainage in the back where we had water issues, and at the same time we tied in all of our downspouts to this system. On the west wall, there is a general grade away from the house, but right at the house, the level does go down slightly towards the foundation where there used to be landscaping that was torn out by the previous homeowner.

We have lived in this house for 3 winters. During the winter, we have often dealt with excessive moisture build up on our interior windows. We have attempted to deal with the moisture, but the house was always humid in the winter, so much so that we often run a dehumidifier. This never sat well with me and I tried re-installing bathroom fans/running new bathroom fan venting to help deal with these issues, and I was even to the point of getting ready to install a fan over our kitchen sink (to suck away excess moisture) and vent our microwave range vent outside (which I should do anyways), but no changes ever seemed to help that much.

A few nights ago, we moved a bookshelf out of the corner of our living room and found two spots of jet black mold. We cleaned these patches and didn't see much else except for a little mold behind the trim. However, the wall was a little soft in that area so we cut up approximately 10" to see what was going on.

A little background on the room: This house is on a slab. Everything is at one level except the room in question, which is the living room. It is set down approximately 6" and there are large step downs into this room from the kitchen and main hallways

The corner with the two chairs is the corner we cut into. This is the south east corner of the room. The outside of the house is on the west wall and partially on the south wall. There is a board (presumable ripped down to fit, looks something in between a 2x4 and 2x6) that I believe is only installed to provide a place for nailing on trim and the kick plates at the doorways.

But as we looked below that board, we saw that below it was another board that was very wet (and we haven't had heavy rain in over a week, maybe two) and was very rotted out. Here is a picture below but it is very hard to see (I've brightened it and increased the contrast so it can be seen)

It is almost like the boards go all the way to the ground and we are seeing water seeping up into the boards and the moisture is just sitting there. It hasn't really traveled up the wall (the drywall that is above our cutout all looks good) but it has totally rotted out that lower board and the excess moisture plus the lack of circulation behind the shelf obviously caused some serious mold.

I'm certainly not afraid to do the work myself as I am relatively handy, but I'm just not entirely sure how to stop the water in the future. Also, for note, we have checked out water meter with all sources of water consumption turned off and we do not have a leak in the slab. Additionally, there is nothing in the attic that shows any kind of roof leaks or water damage of any kind.

So my questions...

Is this normal when meeting two pieces of slab or this poor design/workmanship?
How do I fill/seal this opening so water can no longer come in?
What kind of professionals would I contact about this issue (Basement seal, general contractor, etc.)


texts: It appears that I need to add one more neutral to the neutral bus. There is one unused screw on the bus but the screw is stuck. Any suggestions on how to loosen it up would be helpful. Do electricians have special tools to address this problem?


texts: Irrigation sprinkler only comes on for a moment?

texts:
I recently had a tree removed, and in the process of grinding the surface roots they broke one of the irrigation lines. I dug out around it and fixed the pipe with a slip fix, but now I'm having an issue with one of my sprinklers.

When I turn the system on, this single sprinkler comes up normally for a second or two, then as soon as the other sprinklers pop up it drops back down and just bubbles a little bit. Here are the facts:

When I turned the system on before I fixed the break, all of the water poured out of the pipe and no sprinklers came on in the yard
When I removed the sprinkler head (thinking something might have been wrong with it), the water just bubbled coming out of that location. Almost like air in the line, but it never seemed to clear up or even change at all
Standing on one of the other sprinkler heads (putting more pressure back into the system) has no effect on this head
The whole system was working completely fine before the break and the fix

Any ideas what could be causing this head not to work correctly?


texts: Does joint compound or ceiling texture emit a harmful odor?

texts:
Preface: My grandmother knows little about Home Improvement or Repairing;
please keep answers basic and explain as if she is 10.

My grandmother lives in a new condominium in Canada, built in 2011 that has Popcorn Ceiling or Stucco Ceiling (hereafter SC), that must be repaired because some water leaked from above.

Yesterday, the craftsperson applied some Patching Compound (similar to these pictures in this article) but has not painted, sprayed, sanded anything yet. He said that nothing should smell and that he must return to complete everything his later this week.

Problem: My grandmother can already smell an odor that she finds difficult to describe, but please comment below if you can describe it and I can confirm or supply more details.
Does this odour harm or impinge on health in any degree?


texts: Is there any way I can reclaim this space and still safely support the front steps?

texts:
In my garage I have a nearly useless room that's 6'x10' but has this ... strange shelf of sorts in there.  When I went to bust up the drywall to see whats behind it I found out it's been there since the house was built in the 80s (construction adhesive I've seen before).  I have NO IDEA why this would be done this way and was hoping someone could explain. Here's what I'm working with.

looking toward the front ... (drywall is sloped from stairs heading to front door) hmmmmmm why a 2x6?

behind / under that 2x6 ... 2x4s laying flat, 2x6s vertical, heading out front

mouse hole and 2x6 -- not connected to garage wall

To the right is cinder block, to the left is the garage (2x4s and drywall), in front of this is the entry way (front of the house).  I'm pretty sure I can't remove this, or if I wanted to, I would have to support the front steps that stick out about 5 feet before a deck starts.  Is there any way I can reclaim this space and safely support the front steps?  I prefer to do things overkill so if there's an option, I'd love to hear it!  The steps out front are 4' off the ground, roughly.


texts:
Ahh, the joys of an old house.

The former owners of my house did some funky stuff with venting the water heater. Let me explain:

the water heater is in the basement
there is a 3 in single
walled vent pipe that goes up towards the first floor at about 45
degrees
next there is a joint that points up into the first floor
a short single walled 3 inch vent goes up into the floor
now
in the first floor in a closet there is another joint that connects
horizontally into a vertical 12 inch(?) mega pipe.
this "stand
pipe" appears to have been used as a exhaust vent for an oven in the
kitchen, but is no longer used for that.
at the top of the pipe
you can see that this big pipe is double walled and has a 10 inch (?) clay pipe
going through the attic and out into a roof vent.
the roof vent
is new, it is a standard vent with the cap on it.

So, my question is: can I just connect a double walled vent pipe from the basement joint (#3) up through the attic (#8) (after removing all the funkiness (#4-7)

Here are a few issues:

ideally this double walled vent pipe would be in the wall and not in the middle of the closet as it is now. I believe that is safe, and it can touch drywall/studs as long as it is double walled.

Edit: No it is not safe. d-wall must be 1 inch from combustibles

I'd like to plug the hole in the attic. I think I can safely just cut a piece of drywall to fit around the smaller double walled pipe.

Edit: No it is not safe. d-wall must be 1 inch from combustibles so you can't let sheetrock touch the pipe. You must use a "firestop" flashing

we have a whole house fan. This means the attic gets pressurized. Is there any issue with vent pipe being so loose in the old riser on the roof? Ie can the pressure go up the riser and then down the vent and backdraft? I suspect this is not an issue. I could also seal the riser from inside the attic to prevent issues.

Edit: I should use a firestop again directly under the roof plywood so the pressurized attic air can't escape up the old vent riser.

Comments?


texts: Can some wet/dry vacs indeed continuously pump water?

texts:
I understood recently that a wet/dry pump (a "shop vac", that is, though not necessarily from that brand) functions by creating a vacuum in an air-tight chamber. The vacuum sucks in anything near the hose, whether it's wet or dry.

I've also seen one manufacturer advertise that some of the wet/dry vacs in their product line can function as a wet pump (in addition to being a wet/dry pump).

I like the idea of using one tool for both functions (in terms of both storage space economy and pocket economy). I'd be using the wet/dry vac to clean the garage floor (maybe 4-6 times a year) and the wet pump function to empty the water on top of a pool cover (somewhere from 250 to 500 gallons, once or twice a year).

Is it indeed the case that a wet/dry vac that can double as a wet pump is capable of continuously pumping? Any wet/dry vac can be used as a 2-stage wet pump (fill, empty, repeat), but doing that 25-100 times in a row is not amusing. Did I understand correctly and some wet/dry pumps can indeed continuously pump water?

I would be perfectly fine with a device that sucks water from the hose, but then allows that water to drain via a syphon from a garden hose, just so long as this process does not need user intervention until it's done.


texts: I deinstalled my old dishwasher as I getting a replacement.  The supply line has been dripping ever since. I double checked the supply line was firmly closed and tightened the nut from the water supply to the dishwasher nut - but still leaking - help!!


texts: Should I caulk a front door step riser when I replace it?

texts:
This section of the house is slab on grade. There is a  concrete step just in front of the door. The rotted wood riser fits between the house and the concrete step.
I'm going to attempt replacing it. I think that the band joist and floor joists are ok. The door threshold itself is firm.
When I replace the riser, should I caulk any or all of the highlighted seams? Is there anything else I should do besides attaching the new riser?


texts: What is this black stuff that appeared on my drain after cleaning with a bleach-based cleaner and how do I clean it?

texts:
Recently, I had problems with a pinkish/orange-colored bacteria (Serratia marcescens) in my bathroom. The bacteria would show up in my shower and sink, specifically near or around the drains. To counter the bacteria, I bought some mold and mildew remover which contains bleach.

This seems to have soundly defeated the bacteria, but has unexpectedly led to a new problem. Unfortunately, some form of black mold has appeared around my shower drain.

Now there is black stuff around my shower drain.

I thought this would be a good challenge for the mold and mildew remover. After spraying and letting it sit, when I tried to wipe away the mold, it left black streaks across the shower floor which were very hard to clean off.

I wanted to make sure this black stuff (whatever it is) was gone for good, so I sprayed an excessive amount of the mold and mildew remover and let it sit without wiping away. To my surprise, the black stuff came back stronger than ever (the picture above).

I think it is unlikely that I have found some sort of super mold that feeds off of bleach, which leads me to believe that letting a bleach-based cleaner sit on my drain has somehow caused it to corrode.

If it is corrosion, how should I go about cleaning it and treating my drain so it doesn't happen in the future? If it is something else, what are my options for taking care of it?


texts: AFCI breaker trips on the second start of table/miter saw

texts:
I recently purchased a new table saw and miter saw and they are tripping my AFCI breakers. Curiously, each saw starts up and runs fine the first time I try it and I can stop it without tripping the breaker. If I attempt to restart the saw shortly after stopping it, the breaker trips. I haven't tried waiting a longer period of time yet.
The breaker is a Siemens AFCI and the LED on the breaker confirms that it is an AFCI fault (and not a GFCI fault) that is causing it to trip.
Another possible piece to the puzzle: the saws are in the garage which is super cold at the moment (-30 degrees celcius).
Two questions:

Why does it seem to only trip the breaker on the second attempt?

I'm curious if the breaker has some kind of memory from the previous startup load that pushes it over a threshold and causes it trip on the second start, or if it's something specific to the second start of the saw motor.

Is there any kind of "filter" I can put between the saw and the outlet to avoid tripping the AFCI?


texts:
Who would one hire to make a cabinet door that matches existing cabinets?
Is this even plausible, something a carpenter or cabinet maker would entertain?

I bought some nice cabs from a relatively big name brand, but I need doors for a framed-in area and I would like these door to match in style and paint.

Is this possible and if paint matching is a pain, is it reasonable to ask the manufacturer for paint specification (they're big, but contactable and responsive, but sadly do not do custom sized doors)?


texts: Replacing Light kit of a ceiling fan, from regular bulb to a led light

texts:
I have a 2013 Fanimation Zonix ceiling fan. I want to add light kit but the one they have for that model is HUGE. The inside black and white wiring  are getting hooked to a regular bulb.
The new generation kit has an led light, slim  cover, but it has 9 pin connector that will be hooked to light kit (LED type).
What can I do to convert/add to the black and white wiring, so that it will have 9 pin connector plug AND will match the lower W (18W) that the LED has.


texts:
I am remodeling our bathroom, and we got a new tub/surround made by American Standard. They're both direct to stud installations.

The tub came with a large piece of horizontal plywood along the entire bottom of the tub, and two vertical runners attached to the bottom of that, which I assume are supposed to help prevent bowing of the fiberglass tub.

I followed the instructions, measured and leveled the ledger boards to their minimum height, then used a bed of mortar (more two large globs so it would squish out)

I dry fitted everything (drains, water lines, etc) with the tub in place like 3 times, everything looked great. Tub was really flush against studs, and it was sitting on the ledgers really well.

The issue came when I actually installed it over the bed of mortar. We lifted it, and set it in place, squishing down the mortar. Then all of a sudden it wouldn't go down any further, so I figured we were good. Just as a quick test I poured water all along the corners & rim and it all ran down into the tub and down the towards the drain. GREAT! RIGHT? NO! After I ate some dinner I came back and noticed it wasn't actually ON the ledgers. It was about 1-2mm off in a few different spots. It's SUPER solid as far as sitting on the mortar, and it doesn't move AT ALL. Luckily I put plastic between the mortar/floor and mortar/tub though.

The question is, should I try to remove it and place it again, even though it'll be a pain in the arse and potentially damage the tub. OR should I just fill some of the minor gaps between the tub edge and ledger with some sort of foam/silicone so the edges have something to rest on (other than the screws holding the tile flange in place), and just leave it as is, considering the water is traveling where it should, and the base of the tub is really well supported?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


texts: UK to East European shower pipe converter

texts:
I bought an UK shower while doing my refurbishment of the flat in Latvia. Unfortunately, only after the tiles and pipes were installed the plumber told us that the UK shower "doesn't fit".

This is quite annoying as you can imagine. Does anyone know if it's possible to get some kind of converter that would fix this? I would prefer to keep the existing shower if possible. I am looking for something that will connect to the existing pipe and make the connector to shower of the correct diameter. Is it possible at all and how difficult is to do such a thing? Would it leave us with ugly 5cm converter sticking out from the wall?

Here is the current temporary shower:

The new shower:

And its inside (note the ring inside):

Edit:

The shower product description is available here: http://www.victoriaplumb.com/Showers/Thermostatic-Shower-Valve-Sets/Traditional-Rain-Can-Riser-System_854.html
The distance between the pipes seems to be correct but the existing pipes are too thick for our shower.

What would be the most reasonable solution in this case? Is making a converter possible in a way that would not be visible? Or perhaps we should simply return the entire shower and buy a new one?


texts: How can I close up a gap in the corner of the shower?

texts:
We hired a contractor some time ago to remodel our bathroom. We started noticing things that didn't stand up to use soon after the project was completed. Most of them were minor, so no headaches there. However, one thing keeps happening that driving me crazy.
There's a large gap in the corner of the shower that was filled in with joint compound (I think). The caulk that was applied over it started to bubble up and become discolored. After we re-caulked a few times, it kept happening.
It's driving us up the wall, and I can't figure out if there is a DIY solution that doesn't involve taking tiles off.
If anyone has any interesting suggestions or ideas, I'm basically open to anything.


texts: Can keep my header when widening a doorway?

texts:
I'm replacing my 60"x 95" exterior french doors with a new set measuring
72" x 95" instead. My entrance is partially underneath a single gable front porch which has a small trussed attic above.

I guess my question is this... The current door frame needs to widened by about 4" more inches on each side in order to sneak in the wider unit. Any other options to maintain structural integrity without tearing things down and adding an 8" longer header?

In a jam. Any suggestions would surely help me out.

Thanks, VC


texts: What kind of insulation should we put under new tin roof?

texts: We live in an old long leaf pine farmhouse that has no insulation in it.  We are going to be putting a new metal roof on the house.  The attic of the house was made into living space and so there is really no attic space between the upstairs ceiling and the roof itself; just the depth of the 2x4 roof rafters.  We are concerned with several aspects of this project.  Want the best insulation material that will help to cool down the house as we live in Texas. The roof currently has shingles on decking.  They are going to remove the shingles and put on 30# felt paper and we want to know can we put insulation on top of the decking and install the metal roof directly over the insulation into the roof decking?  The roofers are stating that you need 1 x 4 lattice and then putting the insulation between the lattice.  Another concern is about the insulation possibly getting moisture on it??  Is a radiant barrier something else that needs to be added or does some insulation come with a radiant barrier reflective sheet as part of the insulation?  Just looking for a good unbiased opinion from someone else.  Thank you so much for your reply.


texts: A newer gas hot water heater keeps getting colder. Where is the first place to look?

texts: We had a new hot water heater installed 1-2 years ago. It worked great up until about 2 weeks ago, where we all noticed that it no longer was heating to the same temperature. I can continue to crank the heat adjustment up, but that makes me nervous that I'll end up burning my children if it suddenly snaps back. What is the best thing to do to start fixing this?


texts: Trouble connecting air gap to disposal without tube kinking

texts: I was having a problem with my dishwasher smelling and realizing no one ever connected the air gap into the system.  My plumber bailed on me today, but I've done everything (including replacing the smelly dishwasher drain line), EXCEPT getting a line from the air gap to the disposal.  I've tried all lengths of 7/8" hose but no matter what, it kinks.  It's a heavy thick black hose that the hardware store sells specifically for this purpose, but I cannot get it to work.  Is there something I'm missing?  I've angled the air gap in the best configuration that I could find to ease the hose line and I've tried to use the hose as it naturally curves, but still cannot make it work.  I'll have to buy another one if it needs to be longer, but longer didn't seem to help.  Is there a better type of drain line for this application?  Can I put in a barbed 90 degree connector or would this cause a problem?


texts:
As a part of my renovation of a 1900's cottage I'm completely rebuilding the kitchen.
I'm planning on running 2 20A circuits shared between the countertop outlets, fridge & dishwasher.
Is there any objective reason (or code requirement - GA, USA) to choose to do either:
1. A GFCI outlet as the first outlet in the chain (or at the 1st location in the chain where a GFCI is required like near the sink)
2. A GFCI breaker in the panel for each circuit

What leads me to ask this question is that in the country where I am originally from, it is standard practice for all outlets in a house to be protected by a single large 'Earth-Leakage Circuit Breaker' in the electrical panel, so having individual sockets protected seems unusual to me.


texts: How to properly insulate low ceiling of low pitched roof

texts:
I'm trying to figure out how to properly insulate the ceiling of one room in my house. Specifics:

The entire roof is low pitched
Half the house has cathedrals ceilings. (The images in this post is roughly the same idea)
The back of the house is NOT cathedral ceiling. The room in question joins the cathedral part to the back of the house with normal (8'?) ceilings.
I'm in a cold climate that receives a good amount of snow

I do know typically you'd allow venting through the soffit, however in this case the soffit for all sections of the house looks to be airtight. The back of the house does have venting at the peaks. The room in question, I can see that the back of the house they've added insulation (fiberglass?) directly on top of the drywall and its packed further than I can see up. Presumably there is some section above this that is vented to the outside. In this particular room where I've removed the ceiling, the only insulation is the 8" or so that would exist immediately under the exterior roof (basically how it would be insulated in the previously mentioned post/pictures).

I'm mostly trying to figure out if I should:

add fiberglass to a depth of a couple feet, leaving a sealed airpocket. Effectively doing: ceiling, insulation, air pocket, insulation, exterior roof.
fill entire void with insulation, thus: ceiling, insulation, exterior roof.
other?

I am well aware that the proper way to fix this (assuming the cathedral ceiling) would be to spray foam it (again, as mentioned in the answer in the previously mentioned post). However this room is not cathedral, but I dont have access or a way to ensure there is any venting directly above this room.

The quick backstory on this room (bathroom): the contractor/owner before us created a bathroom by splicing part of the room that had a cathedral ceiling. They installed non-IC, halogen lights and added a shower exhaust vent (that evidently become detached from the exhaust hose). The roof ice damms and leaks in the later winter/early spring. Obviously because the 7-8" of insulation in the roof is not enough against the house heat and halogen bulbs pumping out a lot of heat into this space. I've ripped out the semi-vaulted ceiling, have replaced the halogens with IC/damp rated LEDs and re-positioned the exhaust fan and ensured the vent hose stays attached. I will be finishing the drywall/ceiling flush across. I want to ensure I don't repeat the situation of allowing my roof to warm up and creating more ice dams.


texts: Add-on electronic ignition for gas stove?

texts: Is it possible to retrofit electronic ignition into a natural gas stove? Does such a kit exist commercially?


texts: Why does my fluorescent lighting only work when it's not hot outside?

texts:
We have fluorescent lights in our kitchen and when it's over 75°F outside the lights turn on real dim like there might be a problem with the ballasts, but when the outside temperature drops the lights come on fine.

Does anyone have an idea at what might need to be replaced?


texts: How to fix the damaged floor of a vanity cabinet?

texts:
The bottom of a vanity in a bathroom has a hole (animal?) and seems to have water damage. It is not even. The cabinet doors also have water damage.
What are the suggested ways of repairing it?
My plan is to cut two MDF and glue it. And replace the cabinet doors.


texts: Could home phone wiring cause a one-sided phone call (where I can hear them but they can't hear me)?

texts: I have wired my phone from our cable modem to the phone junction box for our home in the basement. I stripped and hooked each of 4 teeny tiny delicate wires to the junction box. For the most part this works, but I'm wondering electrically what I could have done that would cause me to be able to hear the people on the other end--but prevent them from hearing me?


texts: Is there a way to find rebar in concrete walls?

texts: I was wondering if there is a way to find the tie rods and also plastic electrical conduit in concrete walls. In Ecuador all walls are made from poured concrete and plastic conduit is run. But it all tends to disappear. IS there some sort of xray way of finding the hidden PVC pipes, Tie rods and plastic conduit?


texts: Installing LED compatible dimmer switch (wiring question)

texts:
I bought some new Lutron dimmer switches which are compatible with the LED bulbs I have and am trying to figure out the wiring.

Here's a diagram of the existing wiring (its a 2 gang box and these are the only switches controlling the lights):

And here's my attempt at diagramming the new switches, which have 4 wires... as you can see, I'm not sure what to do with the neutrals.

I have a feeling I may need to track where the romex is coming from to see how its wired in another box, but wanted to make sure that was necessary before going through all the effort.


texts: Outdoor water faucet will not stop leaking

texts:
Ive searched online for days and have not found a faucet that looks like mine.  I have tried 2 wrenches, but it still will not budge. Can you tell by looking at the photos if it is soldered? I able to get the handle off, but nothing else will come loose. Now in order to get the least amount of leakage the handle has to be turned in an exact position.  If I turn it all the way off it will leak ALOT.

![faucet2][2]
![faucet3][3]


texts:
I'm planning to use some polystyrene in a project. I will try to avoid all fire hazards, but in case the worst happens is there anything special I should know about how to fight polystyrene fires? Would a fire extinguisher work? Does it depend on the type of extinguisher?
Thanks!


texts: Bought an IKEA side table(listerby) today but it was impossible to install.Here is the installation instruction. If you look at the fifth step, one is supposed to use the tool IKEA provides to fasten the screw. However, the tool is tool long which makes it impossible to be rotated since the screw is sitting in a shallow hole as you can see. Any idea how I can solve this?


texts: Can I use polyurethane sealant with Plexiglas?

texts:
I have a below-grade basement window in a lightwell.  In heavy rain, the lightwell fills to the bottom of the window and then the water leaks into the basement.  I've been through a lot of options and my current plan (plan D) is to screw a clear plexiglass sheet to the window frame to physically block the water but still let light in.

Question: is it OK run a bead of polyurethane sealant (e.g., Sikaflex) along the edge of the sill before I screw the plastic to it, as a waterproof barrier between the wood and the acrylic plastic?  Another question in this forum said you should not use silicone because that contains xylene, which is bad for the plexiglass.  In net research, I've found any number of answers to my question, all different.  Mostly that it won't stick, or I need some special-order primer before using the sealant.  Considering that the screws will hold the plastic in place and against the wood, will just the polyurethane provide a reliable waterproof seal, especially between where the screws are?

In reply to comments questioning why I am attempting this: I've tried other things.
1) I thought the lightwell was filling from direct rain.  I built an awning for it that also made sure water wasn't wind-blown in from the sides.  Didn't work.
2) Turns out the light well consists of concrete walls around a mud floor. When it rains hard, the ground saturates, the water level outside is higher than inside, and the light well starts to fill.  The bottom of the windows is still several inches below ground level.  I looked into adding a concrete floor.  That ran into several problems including not being able to secure the concrete walls firmly to the existing foundation, and creating a "boat" that will want to rise up with the water level.
3) French drains won't work--remember we are below ground level, there is no place for the water to drain to.  The contractor who suggested one wanted $12k to put it in, and remained vague where the other end would be.
4) I could install a sump pump outside and pump the light well to some undisclosed location.  This is getting into a bigger project that I was hoping for.  I could pump it a long way across some landscaping and a driveway onto the lawn.  Or I could try to pump up into the kitchen line 15-20' away that flows into the sewer.

It only rains hard enough to spill into the basement half a dozen times a year.  As far as I can tell, the previous owner cleaned and painted the concrete in the basement, but this must have been going on for decades and the window frame hasn't rotted (yet).  Its only the bottom few inches of the frame we are talking about.  Solving the problem seems difficult and expensive--I was hoping the brute force hack would do the job, with annual vigilance.


texts:
I'm looking at doing a room by room remodel. I know there would have to be a lot of electrical done which has been the biggest deterrent to date. I'm trying to get a grasp on how much, from what I can figure so far half the house or more would need to be redone. Currently have a 40 slot box with 35 used. Looking to get feed back on my proposed box layout below:
Bed 1             15A  (Incl./ Light)
Bed 2             15A  (Incl. Light)
Bed 3             15A  (Incl. Light)
Living            15A  (Incl. Light)
Dining            15A or 20A (Incl. Light)
Bath 1            20A  (Lighting Branch?)
Bath 2            20A  (Lighting Branch?)
Laundry           20A  (Lighting Branch?)
Utility           15A  (Incl/ Light)
Dishwasher        15A  (3 wire?, shared box)
Garbage disposle  15A  (3 wire?, shared box)
Fridge            20A  (15A meet code?)
Kitchen 1         20A  (split between top and bottom, 3 wire?)
Kitchen 2         20A  (split between top and bottom, 3 wire?)
Garage            20A  (Outside outlet also)
Lights            15A or 20A (Kitchen, garage, outside, Hall, Bathrooms?, Laundry?)
16 slots          270A - 285A
Bed 1 Heat        20A 1000w
Bed 2 Heat        20A 1000w
Bed 3 Heat        20A 1000w
Living Heat       20A 1200w
Dining Heat       20A 1200w
Kitchen Heat      20A 1200w
Bathroom Heat     20A 450w (switch to 120v or add Hall to branch?)
Hall heat         20A 450w (switch to 120v or add Bathroom to branch?)
A/C, Entry Heat   20A 14000 BTU/7A Heat combo
Dryer             30A HE
Water Heater      30A 4500w
Stove             50A 5000w
24 Slots          290
Total  40 Slots, 580A


texts: When I'm lighting my gas fireplace, there are two rows of flames that typically ignite... An upper and lower part. The upper always lights first followed by the bottom. Lately the lower part has not been completely lighting. This morning only a quarter of the bottom lit. Any ideas what the problem is? And do you think there's any safety issue with running it this way temporarily until it is resolved.... It is our only source of heat today until our new furnace is installed


texts: House being built but I think the brick is poorly done

texts:
So our house is being built and the brick just went up on the house (it isn't structural).

I personally feel that the job was done extremely poorly. I don't know much about masonry but from my knowledge, the mortar spaces should be pretty consistent (unless going around an arch or something) but almost every brick has a different spacing distance. Also the size of the mortar spaces are from < 1/4in. all the way to 1 in.+. From my understanding they should be ~3/8 of an inch +-1/8 of an inch. Some of the spaces are 1+ inches. Builder says that what I'm seeing mostly is just excess mortar and that they will be pressure washing the brick to make it look better. But I don't feel that will help.

Am I out of line to think this brick was installed poorly?

Example pictures.
http://imgur.com/a/rc9JT

There are a lot of other issues (e.g. they didn't space out the bricks correctly and one-half of a wall is almost all brown and the other half is all white brick). Gaps, and spaces in the brick etc.


texts: Cat 5/6 in same conduit as power: is NM-B required, or is THHN acceptable?

texts:
Preface: I'd like to avoid the question of whether one should run data and power together; my question is focused on Code compliance.

I'm trying to ensure I interpret Code correctly when running Cat 5/6 cabling and power together in the same conduit.  For starters, I understand that nothing in Code prohibits one from doing this; I'm trying to ensure I understand how to do it properly.

I'm wiring a basement office for power and data, and I'll be running the electrical in EMT.  My plan was to pull THHN for the power rather than pull NM-B, but then 800.133(2) Exception 1 made me scratch my head.  Is my understanding of the Article that if I want to run both data (Cat6) and power in the same conduit, that the power needs to be sheathed (i.e. NM-B).  Is it unacceptable to pull individual THHN conductors and the Cat6 together in the same conduit?

  800.133 2) Other Applications. Communications wires and cables shall be separated at least 50 mm (2 in.) from conductors of any electric
  light, power, Class 1, non–power-limited fire alarm, or medium-power
  network-powered broadband communications circuits.

  Exception No. 1: Where either (1) all of the conductors of the
  electric light, power, Class 1, non–power-limited fire alarm, and
  medium-power network-powered broadband communications circuits are in
  a raceway or in metal-sheathed, metal-clad, nonmetallic-sheathed, Type
  AC, or Type UF cables, or (2) all of the conductors of communications
  circuits are encased in raceway.


texts: Do junction boxes have to be 12 inches above a dock's deck if the datum plane is below it?

texts:
Does this mean that junction boxes have to be 12in above the deck even though my datum plane is below the deck (not as in picture)?

My dock's deck is about 4 feet above the high-tide water line at it's lowest point and thus the datum line is half way up the dock supports. Can't junctions be under the deck?


texts:
I was removing some panels in the garage of the house that I rent, and found one wall filled with insulation, at first I thought of mineral wool but as it all fell in crumbles I'm afraid it might be Asbestos insulation. Will take a sample to the lab but would like to know your opinion in the meantime.

Thanks


texts: Most cost effective thermostat setting: consistent temperature vs. lowest temperature possible

texts:
The problem: Our heating bills are about 25% higher than our average neighbors according to our bill, yet our temperature is always as low as we can stand it (mid 50's), we have excellent insulation throughout the house, we don't have drafty windows, and our furnace is a brand new natural gas system.  The WAY we are heating is one of the last variables to explore.

The Set Up: We have a natural gas forced air heating system, set up with two zones.  Zone 1 is where we sleep.  Zone 2 is the rest of the house.  We live in New England, so we do have freezing temperatures in winter.

The Question:  What would you suggest as our timed pre-sets for Zone 1 and Zone 2, especially in the winter?

Here are some specific scenarios I'm trying to figure out:

If the temperature outside is above freezing, do we need to really keep
the interior heat of the whole house at 50-60 degrees F in order to prevent freezing pipes, like it seems every website suggests?
Is it cost effective to turn off the heating (or turn very low) for the night in Zone B (where we don't sleep) if it's not going to go near freezing that night, then turn it back up to normal room temperature in the morning?  Or is it more cost effective to keep it within 10 degrees F of room temperature, so the furnace doesn't need to work as hard in the morning when we want the temperature to come back up?

And are there any other factors to consider?


texts: Re-insulating/finishing a basement? options?

texts:
I have a basement room that had some water issue due to a leaky bleeder valve. The leaky pipe did not damage the drywall ceiling, but it did get into space between drywall and concrete, as well as the carpet on the floor, so I pretty much yanked out all the old carpet, drywall that were concert facing, and all the old bat fiber glass insulation.

Now I have a room with a ceiling and bunch of wall framing that are all in pretty good shape. I understand that now days rigid foam board glued to the concrete wall is the new and better way of doing things.

So now I have couple of options:

Do it the old school way. fiberglass batt insulation between the studs (which will be touching the concrete), vapor barrier to seal the stud and insulation, then drywall.
Tear down the ceiling and old wall studs, put in the rigid foam board, re-do the studs, put in fiberglass insulation, vapor barriers, then drywall.
Hire someone to put in spray foam insulation between the studs, vapor barrier, then dry wall.

Obviously, option 1 is significantly less work and cheaper.

Now, here is my dilemma, if it was a fresh unfinished basement, I would definitely go with option 2 or 3, however, I'm only re-doing one room in the basement, the bathroom and rec room in the basement were all done in the old way.

I live in Eastern Ontario, so long cold winters and pretty mild and short summers. the basement is almost completely below grade.

Just wondering what are folks recommendations on this.

Thanks.


texts: Why would brand new multimeter not work?

texts:
Just bought a fresh southwire multimeter from Lowe's.

I feel dumb asking, but why would it not work?

I installed battery and have tried measuring different voltages, but get no readings. It does power on though, just constantly reads zero.

Also, I have everything plugged in correct. Black lead is in the com port and red lead is in the voltage port. Knob is turned to whatever is it I may be measuring, have tried 110V wall outlets and also known working batteries.


texts: Handling breaks in the top plate for a long partition wall

texts:
When building partition walls whicher are longer than a 2x4's length, how should butt joints in the top plate be handled?

I can think of 2 methods off hand:

Assuming these are acceptable methods then I have some extra questions:

Option A: Does the break need the occur not only on a stud, but with
either a rafter, floor joist, or blocking above the joint as well?
Option B: Should 16" on center be maintained for the whole length of
the wall, meaning only out of those two studs is actually 16OC?


texts:
We recently installed slate tile in our renovated bathroom. We have sealed it with a penetrating water-based sealant. Water still seams to soak in to the tile and little water spots on the tile are appearing (and staying) after two coats of sealer. My wife is not pleased. I am worried about the slate we will be putting in the shower walls. Will it just soak through? Any ideas?

p.s. If my wife is not pleased, I am not supposed to be pleased ;)


texts:
In chat today, Karl mentioned that there's a very large disparity in sandpaper quality. Now, I knew about grit differences (they refer to the fineness of the grain, iirc) but literal quality?

So, how is sandpaper quality determined? What makes a good quality sandpaper and what makes a low quality one? Is there a way to evaluate quality by touch/sensory perception alone?


texts: Can I run only hots to outdoor safety switch

texts:
I'm looking to install a safety switch (SIEMENS LNF222R) to disconnect a load on my house. Can I run only the hots (black and red) to this box and run neutral and ground to the appliance and still be up to code? Or do I need to run all four wires to the safety switch, put wire nuts onto the ground/neutral wires in the switch, and connect the hots to the switch?

If I run only the red/black, do they need to be inside of a conduit to be up to code? The wires will be run along the ceiling of an unfinished basement.


texts: Tile layout on the diagonal to minimize cutting

texts: I am tiling a bedroom floor with 20" tile on the diagonal.  Is there a way to layout the tile so as to minimize cutting?  I am fine with trying the layout in reality and making adjustments to it as needed.  I can also work with graph paper.


texts: Will the cold water from a faucet be warm if a re-circulation bridge valve is used?

texts:
We are building a new house.  The master bath is the furthest spot from the tankless water heater.  The builder is specifying the WaterQuick Premiere circulation pump with the bridge valve.  It looks like it has a water flow sensor.  So to activate it, it looks like you give the faucet a quick turn on/off on the hot water side.  Which activates the pump and will run until the bridge valve shuts down the flow (meaning the hot water is reaching the bathroom).
My issue with the bridge valve is that now I'm pumping warmed water into the cold side, so if I want to get a drink from the sink while this is running, the water will be almost hot coming from the cold side, right?
I have asked the builder to do a dedicated return from the furthest point and then put the pump on it, with a smart outlet that I can then either time when the pump will run, and/or a button in the bathroom when we walk in.
Am I thinking too much into this? Which would you do in a new build?
Thanks


texts:
I would appreciate a sanity check/advice from this community.

I plan to install a Wifi thermostat (likely a Honeywell) that requires a C wire in a house built in 2005.  It's propane forced air plus AC.  There is a blue wire running from the furnace to the (old, dumb) thermostat, but it's not connected to anything on either end.

On the furnace end, there is clearly a C terminal on the circuit board, with one wire attached to it, going to the AC compressor.  The transformer hooked to the circuit board is labeled 24VAC 40VA.

From everything I've read online, I think I can simply:

Shut off power to the furnace and AC at the breaker box.
Hook up the blue wire to C terminal on the furnace so both the blue wire and the white AC wire are attached.
Hook up the blue wire to new thermostat as part of installing it.
Turn breakers back on and enjoy the vast wonders of 21st century networking technology.


texts:
I have that faucet and it's too stiff. By that I mean that to have the handle move a little, I have to apply a lot of strength, and I often "overshoot" so it splashes everywhere. I wanted to put some lubricant and I tried removing it, but it didn't work. I can't find the brand, but it looks old.

I removed a small Allen screw behind the whole thing and a flat head screw under the handle (when the main was closed) and it didn't help. When I tried putting the screw under the handle, it seems unaligned and I can't put it back in.

Anyone could tell me how to properly "dismantle" to clean and lubricate it, and how to put it back together? Do I need to remove it from the sink with the huge "bolt" from under the counter to do anything with it?

This is the logo:

This is the rest of the faucet (with the missing screw hole showing):


texts:
We operate a non-profit booth at a fair. A coworker bought a couple of new fryers for us, yeah! They shipped without cords, boo.
I unscrewed the back of the fryer and the mounting block has 3 connections, with the outer 2 used on the equipment side of the block, the cord side is of course, bare. The ground is a copper single square terminal (currently empty) bolted to the sheet metal (my conductor would plug into it, NOT connected directly to the mounting block, nor is it the same screw that the fryers grounding wires go to. They are attached to the sheet metal nearby with a screw.

I bought a 3 wire cord from Lowes, it is rated 240V 50A, 6/2-8/1.

The cord has ring connectors that fit over screws, but as I said the mounting block seems to only take insertion of wires.

Questions:

The cord says 6/2-8/1, is that for 2(#6) wires and 1(#8) wire for neutral?
The block looks like it takes a single conductor wire, is that correct?
Would it be correct to strip off the spade crip connectors on the cord, strip it back .75 - 1 inch and insert the braid or conductors?

Lastly, if I can't use the current cord, where do I buy a solid conductor cord or one that would be correct?

I apologize if this is confusing, I am trying to add enough info for someone to make good suggestions from.

Thank you!


texts: Two circuit breaker switches controlling the same outlet, and a question about removing outlet tabs

texts:
I've been replacing all the outlets in my house (built in 1949, wiring is newer than that) with white outlets to please the SO.  I came across an outlet where I had to shut off two circuits to get the the plug not to be hot.

After doing some reading, it seems like some of the likely possibilities are

1) mis-wired breaker-box

2) possibly the two circuits are connected in a junction box somewhere.

The second seems likely, as almost every outlet has 4 wires, two hot wires and two neutral wires, and it's easy to discern the pairs.  In general I've just been wiring them like they were, not taking the tabs off the outlets because they weren't off the old outlets.

After reading about this, I realized that if any two of those pairs of wires are on different circuits, I'll have joined the circuits (at least I think that's what I got out of it).

My question is, if there are four wires, is there any reason not to break the tabs on every outlet I'm wiring?


texts:
I recently replaced our main load center with a larger one. I was planning to use the old, smaller panel as a sub panel in an addition we are building.

After removing the breakers from the old panel, I noticed some discoloration on the bus bar, where the breakers attach. The panel and all breakers were Square D QO brand. The contacts on the breakers don't seem to have this.

Is this panel still safe to use? What causes this? Should I use some electrical contact cleaner on the bar?


texts: Improving TV Sound Quality: Must I go for higher RMS Power in external speakers than the TV speakers?

texts:
I have a  Philips 32PFL4738 81 cm LED TV but the internal speakers don't give great sound.

I'm trying to select a good external speaker to correct this issue. Good in the sense of clarity & quality not raw thumping power.

Question: Must I restrict my selection to speakers with a higher power output than the TV's existing speaker-Wattage rating to get a reasonable chance of improvement?

i.e. The TV specs say that its internal speaker is "16 W RMS".

I see some compatible external speakers with fairly great reviews but the Power Rating of those speakers is (say) 12 W RMS.

Should I reject such speakers on grounds of power alone? i.e. 12 < 16.

Or is the speaker power irrelevant here. i.e. A good Creative or Bose or Sony dedicated speaker at 12 W might very well give better quality output than whatever 16 W speaker module / amp. they put into the TV itself.

A follow up question:

Even a 12 W 2.1 speaker seems physically much beefier (larger) than anything within my flat screen TV which claims that it is 16 W. Is size totally uncorrelated to anything?


texts: Why does my re-plumbed shower come on whenever the tub faucet is opened?

texts:
We recently bought this place and are in the middle of updating the bathroom. Bought all new tub/shower fixtures as well as a valve. Handyman installed and flushed/tested/etc. this new valve, and I’ve since installed the new spout, faucet, shower head. Things work okay, EXCEPT when the tub is on, the shower comes on. Not just a trickle!

I’ve searched and searched to find a similar problem with answers in the forum, and what I’ve found is related to pex vs copper and shower height. Everything was copper before and still is. Also, we didn’t change the shower height. I did purchase a gooseneck shower arm to add a little bit of height/length, but it makes no difference. Not knowing much about water pressure, my gut is telling me it’s something to do with that and the new valve. It’s a pressure balancing valve that cost a good $90 and says it’s 20psi (seems low?). It fits the new faucet specifically. The old valve was a delta, and I don’t know if the previous owner had the same problem. We do live in the foothills and have high water pressure naturally. Also, although we have a VERY large and nearly new water heater, we seem to run out of hot water very quickly in the tub. Related?

I have the drywall behind the fixtures open but don’t know where to go with it as of now. Any ideas?

Thanks for reading.


texts: Trying to hang my self-made gymnastics workout machine in my garage

texts:
I basically made this machine referencing two videos:

Power Moves Training System
How to Make Your Own Breakdancing Flare Trainer

Mine is a tiny bit different than both but same basic design. It's basically as compact as the first one but uses simple items like the second one.

I had also built a 10ft long, 8ft wide, and 10ft tall structure that contains several workout items that I can swap out with carabiner clips attached to eyehooks.

The problem is in this system my legs swing across the whole structure and the crossbeams I placed for support get in the way as they are only 4ft (and some inches) away from me on either side. I should've made the whole structure 10x10x10 so that issue wouldn't exist but I wasn't thinking obviously.

So now I am trying to hang the machine from a joist in the top.

There are two problems:

1) It is stucco and I am unsure if something like this will eventually crack it over time due to movement. If that is the case I have no clue how to prevent such damage.

I've seen solutions such as this and this but have no clue how either were accomplished without damaging the stucco or making sure the movement wont damage it overtime.

2) The garage is directly under a room and I have no idea how I would get on the other side of the joist in order to secure it with a nut.

The only easy solution I see is an exposed beam that is still stucco covered but I could put the eye hook horizontally and place the nut after drilling it through the other side. However there is one problem with that as well. There is a garage opening mechanism close to it and I'm afraid that when I use this flare machine it will hit it pretty often if not every time. Thus why I'd prefer using a joist.


texts: Run 50ft underground electrical: gauge and conduit?

texts:
I have a gfci outlet in my garage, only thing connected to a 20amp breaker (it’s about 20ft from the electrical box).  I would like to add an outlet 50ft outside in my flower bed.

Two questions:

What size and type wire should I run? I have read about direct burial cable but not sure the size. Going to be installing a low voltage transformer at the end and Christmas lights, so not to much pull.
I’m worried about installing direct burial cable without a cover, even at 18 inches down it scares me. Can I run it inside pvc conduit?

Thank you


texts: Can I tie a vanity sink drain into the bathtub drain?

texts:
I'm in the process of remodeling a basement bathroom. It used to have a big shower in it and a vanity on the wall opposite the shower; the shower used a floor drain (obviously) and the vanity sink had a long sloping pipe to a vented drain pipe in the adjoining wall. The new layout puts the vanity and new tub/shower on the same wall right next to each other. The tub will be using the same drain that the shower used before, and I am trying to figure out what to do with the vanity sink drain.

If I route it to the same pipe as before, it's about 10 feet with a right-angle around the corner. This isn't hard to do with PVC pipe alone, but I have to notch out a whole bunch of studs to make room for the 1.5" drain pipe to run the whole length (the studs are right up against the concrete surrounding the underground basement). I would really prefer not to have to notch out all of those studs--though, at least, it's not a load-bearing wall.

However, if I route the sink drain into the existing drain pipe, it's much shorter and more direct, even if I stay in the wall and don't go straight through the side wall. Here is what I am thinking:

This arrangement will require notching out exactly three studs, two of which have permanent open access via the storage area (i.e. no drywall on that side). Since we already have to trench into the concrete a bit to get the tub drain in correctly, we'll have a span of horizontal drain pipe that should allow an extra "T" junction for the drain pipe to join below the height of the tub drain itself, which should negate the possibility of any sink water flowing back up into the tub (unless the whole underground drain is clogged, but that's a bigger problem).

Is there any reason not to do this? Even if I have to re-vent the sink drain, it would be far easier to run a new 1.5" pipe up the open wall and across above the ceiling (big crawlspace available) to join the existing vent. I'd do that any day over notching out all those studs.

Note: I'm primarily interested in physical limitations that would make this a dumb idea, but also interested in code compliance. The home is in Virginia, USA.


texts: How important are stainless steel fasteners for redwood?

texts: I'm doing an earthquake retrofit on my house. I've read that you should use stainless steel instead of hot-dipped galvanized for any fasteners in redwood (and pressure treated lumber, too). How important is this? It's a pain to source the stainless steel fasteners... Are they going to be less structurally sound? I obviously don't care about anything cosmetic under the house. The redwood is decades old at this point.


texts: Is a California corner as strong as 3 or 4 stud corner?

texts: I want to build the best exterior corners for a house in a high wind (wind not earthquake) area.  I will not ever use a 2 stud corner with clips for multiple reasons.  However I would like to use a California corner (2nd example) instead of a 3 or 4 stud (last example) exterior corner if the 2nd option will be as strong?  The physics seems to rely on the the direction the wind comes from and which wall is bracing from that direction of wind.  So I get that, but I want to know if the 3 stud corner would be as strong as the other option?  There is less surface area to nail to.  This would be 2x6 construction.


texts: We bought a house about 6 months ago that has a kitchen addition (house is about 110 years old-not sure about addition). Over the winter we have learned that the space underneath must not be insulated very well, as the floors are freezing. There is an access to this space, but it isn't really a "crawl space"  as not even a small person could fit under there. I think the best thing to do is to insulate when we redo the floors. However, we don't know the best way to insulate it. I haven't gotten a good look underneath yet, but I am assuming it is a dirt floor, and that there is VERY little space between the ground and the floor above. Our kitchen drain pipes run under there as well, which has caused some problems with freezing this winter-another reason it needs insulation.


texts:
I'm thinking how to make a shallow angle - not too important what it is - in wood plank about 3'7" long (see cross section below).

I was thinking maybe a power planer might do but they're for making things flat. Some people on youtube put a bevel free hand but I do not think that would work.

Any ideas? There is the router but I think I'd probably need some fancy jig.


texts: Longevity Stamped Concrete vs. Normal Concrete?

texts:
I have a backyard and have a planned 950 sq. ft. patio to be poured.  In the past, I've had normal broom swept concrete for a patio and this time I'm thinking of going to a stamped concrete with integral color.
I'm planning on being in the house ~8 years.   Cost of the patio for normal conrete is $9,000 and cost of the stamped concrete is $14,000 (Chicago, IL - 2021).  That seems to be about market in the area in the patio-Covid-boom cycle right now.
I prefer the look of the stamped concrete, but in my house price range (~$500k), I don't think I will recover the extra cost vs. broom swept concrete when we go to sell the house in the future.  But in 8 years, I've never seen a broom swept concrete patio not look a bit worn so I'm on the fence to pay the extra.
I've always "felt" like looking at older stamped concrete that it does not get as stained and worn as broom swept concrete.
Is that actually factual or is that the stamped concrete just gets resealed much more often and you could maintain the broom swept patio as well and keep it looking as fresh?  (My old patio had burger grease stains dog pee and whatever other abuse you get).