texts: How to size a VFD for this Antique 5 HP Motor

texts:
I bought a fairly antique 20" Monarch bandsaw. It came with a gigantic (~16" diameter) 5HP electric motor. I'm not sure a bandsaw of this size needs this much motor, but since I have it, I'll try to use it.
The motor appears to be 5HP 3Phase, and probably 1730RPM. It is old enough that I can't find information  about it on the 'net. In the US, power is supplied to residences in single phase, so I would like to size and buy an appropriate VFD/Inverter/starter to run it from 240VAC 1-phase at 220VAC 3-phase. It would be great
to choose the run speed, have soft start so there's not a huge inrush current, and possibly use
dynamic braking.
I've seen less expensive Chinese manufactured VFD's on ebay, but there's typically no consultation
with the vendors, and caveat emptor. I have seen recommendations for sizing at multiples of up to 6
or 8 times Full Load Amps. Also I've seen it said with 1 to 2 HP motors that 2 x FLA is sufficient.
The label is faded enough that I can't be sure about the listed FLA (12? 12.68? 12/6.8 at 220/440?)
nor the motor efficiency.
One formula I found online shows to use ((HP x 746watts/HP) ÷ Efficiency) x √3(for 3phase) to get the
KW required to size the VFD properly. It sounds right, but I can't read the necessary info from the motor
badge so I wondered if anyone is familiar with this gear enough to make a recommendation?
Thanks.


texts: How much weight can a light bulb socket hold?

texts:
I'm working on a thing in which I mount a few pounds of weight to one of those light-bulb-to-wall-socket adapters and I'm curious if there's a posted weight limit on hanging something from just the light bulb socket itself.

This is not really for a home improvement thing; it's a work project, but the application seems relevant to this stack's topic.


texts: Wiring a Ceiling-fan and switch while disconnecting an outlet from the switch

texts:
A couple of years ago I replaced a ceiling light in the MB with a ceiling fan/light using a remote control wall switch (light off/on with dimmer; fan off/on, high, med, low).  There is only one switch. This worked great until I plugged the vacuum into the wall outlet nearest the switch,  which was apparently wired to the wall switch. This action immediately fried the wall switch and the bottom half of the outlet ceased working.  Note, it was only the bottom half of the outlet that caused the failure as the top half of the outlet was in use with a clock radio without a problem.

What I now wish to do is:
1)  Put in one wall switch that will turn on/off the power to the fan/light both.
2)  Disconnect the outlet from the wall switch so that the outlet, both top and bottom, are always on and not effected by the switch.
3)  Then I will wire in a fan/light remote control that will work when the wall switch is on but not when it is off.  This part I can do.

The Question:  What is the proper wiring configuration for the switch and the outlet to meet the above conditions?

The Current Wiring Situation:
The Switch:  Three sets of wires, including white and black, white and black, white and black and red.  All having a grounding wire.
The Outlet:  Two sets of wires, including white and black, and white and black and red.  Currently it is wired as such when looking at it as if looking at the BACK of the outlet:  Upper Right (UR) is White, Lower Right (LR) is White, Upper Left (UL) is Black, Lower Left (LL) is Red.  Both sets have a grounding wire.
There are a total of four outlets in the MB.
The Ceiling:  One set of wires which is white and black with grounding wire.

Thanks for your help

Correct, it is a wireless remote @ThreePhaseEel.


texts: How can I remove old paint from plaster walls?

texts:
I first stripped the wallpaper from my bedroom walls using a steam stripper and scraper.
This revealed a lurid pink paint on the walls and a peculiar purple ceiling paint which came off in sheets like vinyl. The ceiling is now stripped revealing a blue paint which I intend to leave on and give a light sanding. The pink wall paint comes off like Mozarella cheese after the steamer has been held over it for a little while. It's painfully slow progress and I don't know whether to continue stripping it. I have considered buying a hot air gun to use instead of the steamer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Driving vehicles on newly poured concrete

texts:
For reasons entirely unrelated to quality of their work I've lost faith in the company that just poured a concrete slab at the (only) entrance to my property.

I am unaware of the details of the mix but the description on the quote was "dig down 150mm compact hard fill then box up with 150mm boxing lay steel mesh and pour 20mpa 20mm concrete with a broom finish"

I was assured that this would be adequate, even with trucks going on the concrete (this would be a fairly regular occurance)

I live in Auckland, and its late spring, meaning the temperatures vary between about  8c and 18c, and 50-80% humidity at the moment.

Before getting the job done, I discussed timings with the contractor and was  advised it would be OK to drive my cars over it 2 days after he finished pouring. After an additional day I could drive a light van over it, and trucks could drive over it 14 days after it was poured.   It has now been 2 days since it was poured - but the contractor has not yet come back to cut joints in the concrete.  Nonetheless he has again confirmed its OK to drive on it.

I have just taken measurements of the slab, and if I am reading it correctly - I'm not sure I am - it is between 150mm and 170mm high at various points.  Somewhat concerning however is the low placement of the bit of mesh that is sticking out at the end as per this picture:

I have the following questions - and would appreciate any insights -

Is it really OK to drive on the concrete after only 2 days (I've done some reading online, and have some doubts ), on the other hand, I'm not sure how long I can delay it being driven over due to obligations to others.
Am I correct in my belief that the concrete will further strengthen by in the order of 25% over the next 12 hours, and is this significant ?
If I drive over concrete which is still in the early stages of curing/setting and it doesn't visibly crack, am I weakening the eventual strength of the concrete ?
If I drive on it prior to joints being cut am I more likely to damage it?
Is the placement of the mesh a concern ?


texts: Should I have any readily apparent concerns about the foundation and framing of this new build?

texts: Should I have any readily apparent concerns about the foundation and framing of this new build in the Seattle, WA area? Is there any reason to get an inspection prior to building completion?  I don't suspect anything is wrong, but I don't have a trained eye.


texts: How can I figure out why my Sears Craftsman garage door opener will not work?

texts:
I have tried troubleshooting my Craftsman door opener (model 139.53325SRT), because it will not close.

It will not close when pressing the wall switch: the opener light just blinks if I do that. Only the right side green light will glow, while the left sensor light will not come on.  Nothing has improved over two days of troubleshooting.

I have installed new door sensors.


texts: Toilet bowls not filling with enough water

texts: My parents just built a new house, but they've been having an issue where neither of the two toilet bowls is filling with enough water. I took a look at them (I know nothing about plumbing but I know how to Google) and discovered that the refill tubes weren't attached to the overflow tubes and most of the water was just filling the tanks rather than the bowls. I clipped them on and it did help, but the water level is still lower than ideal in both bowls. There seems to be a good flow coming from the refill tubes and since it's a new house I don't think there could be any blockages, there's plenty of water in the tanks (they're filled to the water level line on the overflow tubes), and plenty of water in the flush. The fill valves don't appear to be leaking and the tanks are filling at a decent rate. The only thing I can think of is that the overflow tubes aren't the right height for these tanks, but is that likely/possible? It just seems like if the overflow tubes were higher, there would be more time to refill the bowls before the tanks reached the correct water level. Currently, the tanks are about half full and are perfectly level with the water level lines. Does anyone have any suggestions?


texts: Please see the attached photos. I'm not sure what is even in the grout but it appears stained green-brown with mildew maybe? I used an electric power drill grout brush attachment (see picture) with vinegar to no avail. Do I need to go out and buy a dremel?


texts: Is that a leak from roof into my ceiling?

texts:
I found a spot into my ceiling that was not there before. Spot looks like this.

We had rain last night and i am worried if there is a leakage in the roof.

This is what is on top of it.

Is this a leak? I have life time warranty on my roof so if it is a leak i would like to give them a call and have them come check it out.


texts: When to change Cutler-Hammer electrical panel and breakers?

texts:
I bought a house about a year ago and I have an old Cutler-Hammer electrical panel. I see the number 2001 written on there, but no idea when it was installed.  I have a few questions about this panel:

When should a panel be replaced?
Should I have any concern that this panel is Cutler-Hammer (which is no longer in business, but was purchased by Eaton)?
I cant tell what breakers were installed, but they don't seem to all be cutler hammer.  Should I be worried that they seem to be different brands?
I would like to replace most of these breakers with Dual GFCI/AFCI (because old house, little kids).  Would this be the right breaker (Eaton) for this panel?


texts: Hanging heavy things on old walls. Running out of options. What would you do

texts:
Just moved in to an old victorian home and the wife wants shelves in the mud room.  Now I know what you are thinking "Shelves?! Seriously?!", Just hear me out.

These are 6 foot shelves with 4 steel gussets each.  It's laundry room shelves so they will most likely hold liquids. I figure, 10-20 lbs per linear foot.

I started out be knocking and looking for studs.  No luck, not that I'm very good at it anyway.  I found a sheetrock seem above the doorway about 8 feet away.  I measured over 16" and drilled to see what was underneath.  Just sheetrock.  Lots of it.  I drilled a couple of test holes in the sheet rock beneath the height of the washer/dryer (the shelves will be above them).  I only hit sheetrock.  Once again, a lot of it.

Next I noticed that there was a 1/4 gap between the floor and the poorly installed trim.  After looking at what I'm up against, it appears to be a rotted and crumbling plaster and lath wall, with a sheet of something that appears to be a thin layer of MDF and covered by plaster, covered by 1/2" sheetrock.

My first long shot of a hope what that I could sink a 3" decking screw deep enough to hit the MDF-ish stuff.  If I hit it, it still wasn't holding.

Next I tried 3/8" toggle bolts.  The longest screw I could find was not long enough to allow the wings to clear the wall.

Finally I gave in and tried 150lb plastic anchors but I couldn't get them to hold.  Honestly I wasn't surprised.

I've had problems like this before in older houses and I considered hanging a piece of 3/4" waferboard first, but with all the trouble I had getting anything to hold I'm actually worried about the wall supporting it.

Any recommendations?


texts:
First warm weather using my nest thermostat and now  trying to use the central air. However, only the fan turns on and it doesn't actually cool no matter how long I run it. (It worked perfectly in the winter with this setup)

Looking at the furnace and NEST, the wiring is as follows:

FURNACE  |   NEST
------------------
   R     |    RH
   W     |    W
   Y     |    Y1
   G     |    G
   C     |    C

On the Nest, the remaining spots that do not have wires are: Y2, OB, RC, W2 aux, and *.

Any help is appreciated.
Thank you.


texts: How should I repair old drywall tape seams showing at wall and ceiling?

texts:
Addition is 18 years old and seams are appearing in ceilings.  Had no issue replacing tape in ceiling test butt joint but, on closer inspection, I see lines in the ceiling tape where the walls meet.

I tested a spot and see that the tape is strongly attached, but there is actually almost no mud covering the tape on the ceiling.  Very faint lines are visible (I live in Chicago with significant climate swings so some settling and movement is to be expected).

Can / should I simply mud over the seams with a corner tool and 20-minute hot mud?  Is it common for subcontractors to use so little mud on ceiling corners like this?

I hate to redo all joints if the tape isn't failing and this is simply cosmetic.

Thanks!


texts: Oven shuts down the power in the whole appartment when it heats up

texts:
I own an appartment in the residential, 2-storey building in Edmonton, AB, Canada. There is an older oven that always worked well with no issues. I recently cleaned it thoroughly.

In the process, I unscrewed 2 crews that hold the top heating element and after cleaning, screwed them back in. Now, when I turn the oven back it works fine for about 10-12 minutes, but then the power in the whole appartment goes off. After about 15-20 minutes the power comes back on. No breakers are tripped. I have 2 questions:

Obviously, my removing the heating element caused some issues with the oven. What could they be? Should resetting the element help? Should I replace the heating element? Should I replace the stove?
Why would this issue cause the power in the whole appartment to go off. When the power goes off, no breakers are tripped and the power loss is confined to my appartment only.

Thank you for your help.


texts: How to install new chandelier when impossible to fish wires?

texts: . Want to run a brown external wire to point where I can hang chandelier.  I can’t cut thru beams.  Any suggestions for where to find wiring, etc.


texts: Why does AC unit need condensation drain trap?

texts:
I am modifying the drain pipe that drains my inside AC unit. When I purchased the home, there was an electric drain pump tied to the unit. Upon investigating why the unit needed one I found a pipe in the wall that used to drain the old AC system. The problem is the drain was too high in the wall to be used on the new AC when the previous owner replaced it.

So I opened up the wall and rerouted the pipe so it was at the same level. My problem is that the end of the drain is just barely low enough to create the minimum slope needed for water to drain correctly ( 1/4 inch drop per 1ft).

To make this work with a condensation drain trap, I was wondering if I could used the secondary drain coming off the unit as the main drain. This is because the secondary drain is about an inch higher then the main.  If cant do this then I wont be able to use a condensation trap.

How important is the condensation drain and can I use the secondary drain rather then the main.  Thanks guys!


texts:
I just noticed these cracks in the bowl of my toilet. It is not leaking water. Can I assume that these are just cosmetic cracks in the glazing? Or, should I worry about a catastrophic failure?
I installed this toilet myself about 20 years ago. It is on tile over a concrete slab; it is solidly mounted, there is zero rocking. It is an expensive pressure-assist toilet so I would rather not replace it.

Edit: Found a crack on the outside.

Edit 2: Finally got my replacement toilet (special order and they got the order wrong the first time). Pulled the old toilet, now I can see the underside.
There is a crack, but the location doesn't match the top bowl cracks. What is most interesting is that it looks like glazing was added during manufacturing. I am guessing that during inspection they noticed some tiny cracks, and rather than scrap the toilet, they tried to repair the cracks with glazing and re-fired the toilet.


texts: Should drop ear elbows be used with CPVC supply lines?

texts:
When running CPVC supply lines for a sink, how should they be anchored before popping out of the drywall?  I know with copper you can use drop ear elbows which are mounted to a backer

But with CPVC supposedly "CPVC expands and contracts more than copper tubing, especially in the hot water line. A 10-ft. piece of tubing can grow in length by as much as 1/2 in. Never butt the tubing against a framing member. Leave a gap, as shown in Photo 8, especially in a long run. Runs longer than 30 ft. require a U-shaped detour about 1 ft. on a side somewhere in the length to allow for expansion and contraction.

When drilling holes through framing members, you'll also need to give the piping some space (Photo 9) to allow the longer horizontal and vertical tubing to move."

That would seem to imply that you'd not want to have the elbow anchored to a piece of wood, yet in the picture on the page, it seems like this is exactly what they do.

What's the proper way to terminate the CPVC supply lines?


texts: Wiring a Double Pole Thermostat to Replace a Single Pole 240 Thermostat

texts:
I am attempting to wire a new double pole four wire 240 volt thermostat to replace the single pole thermostat that is pictured.  Coming into the junction box on the right are two Komax lines.  On the left side of the box one line is going out. You can see two black wires connected (lower red wire nut) to the black wire of the old thermostat.  Also on the right side are several white wires (neutrals) connected by a red wire nut.
The red wire coming off of the thermostat is connected to the single black wire.
Attached is also a wiring diagram.  I guess my main question is how do I determine which of the wires is coming in from the panel and which is going to the heater?  Any suggestions or thoughts are greatly appreciated.....

<img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RkzQ9.jpg" alt="circuit box
" />


texts: How should I insulate basement walls and floor after water mitigation?

texts:
I've an unfinished 1k sq ft basement in Chicago with 10 inch cement foundation walls. I'll be creating a family room, bedrooms, bath, etc.  I have water coming thru the floor--so Im adding drain tile inside around the perimeter at the footing which will go into a sump pit. The company installing the tile tyvek's all the interior cement walls to above outside grade (which goes 80% of the way up the wall). They do this in case the interior cement wall has leaks--then it will go into the drain tile system.

I will build out many rooms in the basement as noted with 2x4 wood studs. What would best practice say about insulating the walls and the cement slab floor (which I will lay snap together luxury vinyl planks on)?
thank you


texts: How do I remove dried latex paint from carpet?

texts:
I dropped a brush while painting my office. We have brand new carpet and of course, I dropped the paint brush in a spot where there was no drop cloth >:(

I thought since it's latex based paint I could let it dry and then peel it off but it doesn't seem that I can do that.

I was thinking about a solvent but I don't know what I can use and if it will affect the carpet fibers. I read that certain solvents will eat away the latex backing on the carpet causing the fibers to release from the mesh. I read that there is a product called "Goof off 2" that isn't a solvent that will harm the carpet. But I have no idea.

What I can use to remove the paint?

The carpet is brand new. I'm not sure what kind of fibers they are.


texts: Dimming multiple led light bulbs (parallel or in series)

texts:
I'd like to install 5 dimmable led bulbs.

I'm trying to find how to connect them. But I can't get a clear answer. I can get information of the benefits of wiring leds in series/parallel but none of them mention a dimmer.

The question is if I should wire them in series or in parallel?
And does this affect what kind of dimmer I need?


texts: Code requirement that wall box be tight to drywall?

texts: Just wondering if I need to pull out and replace an old plastic electrical wall box that sits a good 3/4" behind the drywall? Seems like you would want a tight fit for heat sealing, but is there an electrical code reason? Box has three 10-2 romex cables with grounds for a 240v thermostat. It is on an interior wall. Part of me wants to get a deeper plastic box and part of me wants to just install the thermostat the way the box sits now...


texts: Is there a home made solution that will clean drains?

texts:
Not sure if this counts as "Home Improvement", but it's worth a shot:

I'm currently in an apartment where I'm not supposed to use chemicals to clear drains, like in the sink/tub.

I've cleared out the tub drain before (obviously hair buildup) but for some reason it doesn't seem to take long before it's draining slower than the shower is spraying.

It seems that the funk in the drain in a contributing factor, helping the hair to cling/build up in the drain.

Is there a home made or DIY (or "apartment safe") solution that will help to really clean the drains?


texts: Can composite decking be installed on plastic bases?

texts:
I live in UK and I'm planning to install some composite decking in my garden. I see there are two options for me here:

Click deck tiles
Composite deck boards

Can either of these be installed on a plastic base that is filled with gravel?
I'm not sure how I can fix the composite deck boards to stay in place. Has anyone tried this and had success?


texts:
I recently had a stove fitted and have used it 5 times in total each time it has set off my smoke alarm but the installer said this may happen as the stove needs to burn off the fuels and solvents, each time i have only lit small fires and let them burn out naturally.

The first time it gave off a horrible smell when burned the smell hasn't been as bad since but i still keep the room well ventilated.

My installer recommended i give it a good burn today to get rid of the smell totally and keep the bottom vent open, i did this and the fire was really roaring but now i have fine hairline cracks in my chimney breast and also cracks in the back panel. I spoke to the installer again and he said he had never heard of this before.

The chimney breast was warm to touch and so was the mantel. I'm seriously regretting having it fitted.

Any help would be appreciated?


texts:
In September I had a Valiant boiler fitted in my 2 bedroom house. It hasn’t worked properly ever since. Every time I put the heating on my pressure drops from 1.5 to 0.3 bars and I get the spanner showing and the heating turns off and I have to add more water to bring bar level back up. I’ve bled my radiators and as far as I know haven’t got any leaks in my radiators as have wood flooring  throughout so my floor would lift wouldn’t it if it was getting wet from a leak, albeit large or small.   My heating engineer can’t find the problem. Does anyone have any ideas. I am due to rent my property next year and need to get sorted before I
do. Valiant have said their boiler is not at fault.


texts:
In a downspout joint, should the female pipe always be down and the male up?

I have recently installed my first downspout and I think I did it wrong by inserting the bottom pipe into the top one, i.e. put the male on the bottom, because now it leaks through the crack in the joint and the wall of the house get really wet.  I was thinking to put sealant in but, since it's not too hard to do, I will just replace the whole downspout and put the bottom in the joint over the pipe above it (male on top, female on bottom).  That way, all the water will be channelled down the downspout and there should be no leaks.


texts: Question about end caps on Pex lines for Washer in new house

texts:
I just purchased a new home and the washer and dryer are in the basement, I plan to learn how to run pex soon although only know a little about it now. I went to go hookup my washer today and there are these two caps that are on the hot and cold washer lines that hang down from the ceiling.

They are not threaded so I can't screw them off so I'm not really sure how to remove them.

Also the lines are 1/2 inch and my washer hoses and connections on my washer are 3/4 inch, I"m assuming once I get them off I can buy a pex 1/2 inch to 34 inch fitting?


texts: Proper way to hang valance over kitchen window between cabinets

texts: What’s the proper was to hang a valance at the top of this window in the kitchen between cabinets? Will have horizontal blinds it covers. Tile backsplash runs up to the top of the cabinets. Window width is 35” including the 1/4 round that acts as the trim. About 4.5” on either side to the cabinets. Should the valance span to the cabinets or is that too far outside the edge of the window?  Keep it about 2” outside the window trim? I’m having a difficult time finding the “proper” way to set that up given my seemingly abnormal setup.


texts: Blue-collar / Foreman / Project Management Vernacular

texts:
I'm going to be installing something over and over again in many homes, and in order to help me keep track of what I need to do the job, I'm creating two parts lists for the three-hundred or so different items that I need.

One list is for items that will be used over and over again on different homes (such as my power tools), and the other for items that will be consumed by the project (such as, for example, the two pumps that are installed with each system.)

The names for these lists that I've come up with are "Persistent Items" and "Consumed Items", but obviously, while those names convey the idea, they sound rather stupid.  "Perennial" or "recurring" could be used instead of "persistent," but I'm on the fence about the whole thing until I can get some feedback.

So my question is this -- does anybody here have names for these lists that are better than "persistent" and "consumed"?


texts:
I have cracked joists on the basement ceiling. 2x10x14 16" on center. There is a wall running parallel with the joist that has another floor above that.
Should the joist have been doubled or tripled when built? Is there a code for that?


texts:
I’m installing laminate floors in my basement. On the landing prior to my basement floor the landing was not level with the bottom stair, so I removed it to see how I could raise it. The person who installed the landing put a bunch of shims underneath which also caused it to squeak. But after removing it, I’m considering removing the landing all together. The only additional work would be to fix the drywall.
Would there have been any reason for building a landing and would it make sense to remove it or build the support up to reinstall the landing? If keeping the landing, what would the suggestion be to level the landing out?


texts: Heat pump not draining; barely cooling & smells bad

texts:
I have a Panasonic heat pump system for heating and cooling. The inverter unit is an R410A. I can't get access to the outdoor unit (I'm a tenant and it's in another part of the building). This is my second year with it; I think it's about 9 years old. It worked fine last summer and last winter. I switched it to cooling yesterday and noticed some issues:

It blows very cold for the first 10-15 minutes of being on, then blows gradually warmer air. I've been getting around this by turning it off for 10 minutes every half hour or so.
There is no water coming out of the exterior drain pipe (water came out fine last summer).
After about 24 hours of running, the air that comes out is starting to smell really bad, like damp mould.

It was serviced about a year and a half ago; the tech found no issues apart from the vent motors being broken. Like I said above, I'm a tenant, so I can't really do diy. Does anyone know what's wrong, and a quick fix?


texts: Metallic smell when HVAC Unit. fires up. What could it be?

texts:
Background:
The HVAC unit I have serves both the 1st and second floor, but does a poor job of distributing heat to the 1st floor. The previous owner added a hydrodronic boiler and baseboards to the 1st floor, so the duct vents for the 1st floor are closed and sealed (with magnetic covers and some duct tape).

Problem:
My HVAC unit is located on the 1st floor and when the upstairs T-stat calls for heat I can hear a fan kick in for about 15-20 seconds before the poof/rawr of the burner lighting. During this time there isn't a smell, but shortly after lighting another fan kicks in making a clacking noise (you can hear it here).
A minute or two after this I start to smell something earthy akin to burning aluminium, or maybe a strange mold. The smell is most prominent just out side of the equipment room (even more than in the equipment room itself) and isn't nearly as bad on the 2nd floor. What might be causing the smell? the clacking noise?

Possibly related info:
There seems to be two sets of fans associated with my heater. When it first kicks on, a fan, that I'm guessing provides the air supply for the burner starts up and begins drawing air though a grates on the side and top of the side of the furnaces burner compartment.  About 45 seconds later another fan that has starts up, and begins circulating air though the system, however, at the same time, the same slots that were previously drawing air in now begins to blow air outward. Might this be part of it?

Video of one panel removed, before and after the second fan kicking in: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CgdhcCxrmfskzMjZA

And another clip better demonstrating the force of the air flow after the second fan kicks in:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pdEWUi4Q39MHwkLB6

The triangular grated thing next to the motor connects to the flue, and it's ability to draw in exhaust doesn't seem to be affected by the second fan (though this might change once the paneling is back on).


texts: HVAC wiring for wifi thermostat installation (Ecobee) gas furnace + AC

texts:
I'm trying to determine whether I can install a wifi thermostat (Ecobee or possibly Nest) with my existing gas furnace (dual stage) and electric air conditioner, ideally using existing wiring but able to run new wires if necessary.

My existing thermostat uses a five wire cable, but it's not obvious that any of the wires are a 'C' wire. Here is the existing thermostat wiring (Honeywell RTH6400D) - the existing wires are labeled G (green), W (white), Y (orange), R (red), Rc (black):

In looking for a 'C' wire, I've used a multimeter to measure the current per some online advice and both the R and Rc wires appear to carry 27 volts (note 27 not 24).

At the furnace, the wires are mapped as follows:

Thermostat          Furnace
G             ->    G
W             ->    W1
Y             ->    Y
R             ->    R
Rc            ->    B/C

Here are photos of the wiring at the furnace:

The Ecobee website indicates that if I had an sixth 'C' wire then my existing wiring would be compatible however I'm wondering if my existing wiring can be used (with modification) instead. If the sixth wire is needed, then where would I connect it on the furnace? The 'B/C' wire might suggest "common wire" but it is already used for the Rc (black wire).

Here's the wiring diagram from the furnace panel:


texts: so I live in a 1950's era bungalow, and a few weeks ago I started to hear I 'hammering' noise in the upstairs wall whenever the downstairs water taps were turned off. Before I hire a plumber to the tune of $$$ does anyone have any advice for me?


texts: Can a subpanel's ground and neutral be served from another subpanel, while the circuits come from main panel?

texts:
I am adding an addition to my house, and running a new 100A subpanel over to the main part of the house.

In the house I have the main 200A panel, plus an existing 100A subpanel, and the two are right next to each other and connected via a short conduit.

The situation is such that for the new subpanel I am planning on coming up through the wall (with a 2-2-2-4 cable protected in a conduit in the wall) INTO the existing subpanel, where I will then run the wires over through the large shared conduit to the main panel, and then to a 100A breaker.

My question - and this is NOT about the neutral and the ground bonding – is whether I can attach the new ground to the subpanel's ground bar, and the new neutral to the subpanel's neutral bar, while running my loads through to the main panel to their breaker.

The purpose of my question is because the main panel's neutral and ground bars have lugs that are used to connect to the first subpanel, and the main panel is otherwise really full, while the subpanel is not. I'm not actually sure if I can run a lug "sideways" off the main panel's bars to connect the #2 neutral and #4 ground (although I found a lug connector that does seem to allow for this, but it's not optimal).

EDIT: picture of main and subpanel:


texts: I just bought a new house, and the drainage culvert out front along the road has several areas where the slope has collapsed, resulting in what looks like a miniature landslide landscape. What is the best way to shore this up to improve the aesthetics without causing drainage problems?


texts: Replace light switch with z wave smart switch

texts:
I'm trying to replace a light switch with a new z wave smart switch. Specifically, the old light switch has 2 black wires and a ground wire attached to it and it is the only switch that controls 1 LED light. The new z wave switch is an Eaton RF9601 and it has 4 output wires: white, black, red and blue. This is the wiring diagram provided with the switch:
And I am a bit confused with how (or if) my scenario is compatible with this z wave switch. I capped the blue switch output and connected the green output to the existing ground wire I had, and connected the black output to one of the existing black wires. The other black wire is what I wasn't sure how to connect. I tried connecting it to the red output and the light comes on but was very dim, when connected to the white output the light was completely off. Any suggestions for the correct way to wire this?

A = Black Wire
B = Ground
C = Black Wire
D = Neutral?
When connected with A -> Red, B -> Green, C -> Black, D-> White and the light does not come on at all when power is turned back on.
Based on suggestions in comments I tried connecting A -> Black, B -> Green, C -> Red, D-> White and the light flashes and immediately turns off when the power to the switch is turned on.
Adding another picture of box to help clarify:

Turquoise circles are ends of white wire (D) and red circles are ends of black wires coming into box.


texts: subpanel wiring after upgrading feeder wire

texts:
I have a potentially simple question about the wiring in my separated garage after I upgraded the feeder wire from my main distribution panel. The garage was previously grandfathered in without a ground. I am replacing a ton of concrete between the house and garage and its the last time i can access that area. (plus the old wire was just put down on the ground and the old concrete path was poured over it, doubt that was proper.... it didn't survive the concrete demo). I ran a new proper three wire with ground.

The question I have is, do I simply separate the bare grounds and neutrals to their individual bars? Is it that easy in the subpanel after everything else is done, or could there be more complicated changes that im not processing by separating these. ie. need to upgrade garage plug and light circuits as well.  Should everything still work the same once i separate them..? I am absolutely overthinking this! Thanks!


texts: Are plastic dryer vent fittings (not hose) allowed with gas dryers?

texts:
I'm trying to use a ovalized to 90 degree connector for my metal flexible hose connector in my dryer
and the only one I can find is plastic at the big box store that is made for specifically for dryer vents.
I know not to use plastic flexible hose. The fitting will not be concealed, but there seems to be conflicting information regarding the use of plastic but cannot find an official recommendation.
Not looking for specific product endorsements just general guidance on the use of PVC.


texts: What should I use to seal an exterior garden hose faucet pipe?

texts: I have a garden hose faucet on the outside of my home in the front yard that is loose in the surrounding brick.  It can be wiggled freely and has a good 1/4" clearance between the pipe and the brick that it goes through into the house.  What can I use to seal it?  Is there a specific type of caulk?  Would I need to use a small amount of concrete?


texts: What shades of top coat is dark grey undercoat suitable for?

texts:
Most widely available wood undercoat seems to be either white or dark grey. What would be best for a mid-tone top coat?

Context: I've found I need 2-3 coats of an expensive (brand name) eggshell over a white undercoat. I'm not keen to spend the extra ££ on their own brand recommended undercoat and it's not stocked at my local shop anyway.

I know this is a bit subjective and hard to answer without images, but I'd appreciate some guidance before buying a tin of dark grey to try out.


texts: How do I easily and inexpensively fix a crack developing in the stone front of my house?

texts: I think the picture says it all.  Is there some type of ready-to-go filler that can be purchased?  Naturally, it would be great to match the color of the mortar some how.  Many thanks]1


texts: Best way to seal off the rear of an air conditoner to prevent dirt and bugs from entering?

texts: I'm trying to figure out if these is feasible firstly. I have a frigidaire 8,000 BTU window air conditioner for my bedroom and I would like to know if the rear of the A/C, ie. (where the heat sink, exhaust fan are located on the back - the half of the A/C where it is on the outside of a window not the inside) can be sealed off to prevent water damage/bugs/dirt from entering in. I'm not sure why this part is exposed to the elements because it needs to be cleaned. Any idea if this area is possible to seal off with something like clear tape?


texts: Why is high voltage coming out of HDMI port on my TV?

texts:
I am plugging my TV into a grounded outlet. When I plug an HDMI cable into the back of the TV and measure the voltage coming out of the other end of the cable (should be 0 shouldn't it?) it reads 380 volts...

I'm talking to my landlord about this but this is absolutely not normal is it? If so, what could be causing this? It happens with other outlets as well.

UPDATE

PAST INFO:
When the first Comcast guy came and tried to install the X1 box, he got a little shock while trying to connect the two. He told me that the outlet I was plugging them into was reversed wired. The landlord fixed this and I confirmed that he did with a plug in tester. After this, Comcast came back and tried to install it again, same sparking issue.

I had two TVs with this problem

TV #1 (3 pronged) was in my bedroom and was plugged in, and hooked up to a Comcast Digital Receiver with an HDMI cord. Worked perfectly. When I moved it into my living room and tried it with the Comcast X1 HD box, it created sparks when I tried to connect the two with an HDMI. The Comcast technician verified that no foreign voltage was coming out of the box or the HDMI from the box. He also replaced the box and the box's power supply. So this happened with two comcast boxes  Could it be the Comcast box?
TV #2 (3 pronged) was always located in the living room and created sparks after I plugged in the Comcast X1 box (both of the boxes).

NEW INFO: The two TVs that had high voltage coming from the HDMI cord that was plugged into the back of them had one thing in common. The power cords for those TVs had a ground on them (3 prong). My landlord brought his TV over and tested it and it worked. His TV has 2 prongs. I just bought a new TV and had an electrician come and we tested it, it worked. My new TV has 2 prongs. Could the three prongs be a problem with something?

My landlord used a Digital Volt Meter and had it set to the vAC option when it read 300+.


texts: Closet dome light, is the tinfoil necessary?

texts: In taking the cover off my closet dome light to change a lightbulb, I noticed that behind the lightbulb there is peeling tinfoil which is revealing something that looks like insulation. The lightbulbs (2) rest pretty close the tinfoil and the revealed insulation. Is this a fire hazard? Do i need to replace the tinfoil that's peeled away? Is there a max wattage of lightbulb I shouldn't be using?


texts: toilet will not flush even after replacing the toilet twice

texts:
I bought this house 5 years ago and have always had problems with the half bath toilet. It was very very slow to flush if at all. Now it will not flush at all. I have replaced the toilet twice with new toilets, one round and one long. Both 1.28 tanks and not low flow. I presently called a plumber because the sink also got clogged. He cleared the clog but the toilet still had issues. He opened the wall to find the sink went into a cross fitting. The sink in from the left, another sink from upstairs in from the right, the toilet seems to be on the bottom and at 2 in the vent that only went up about 12 inches and was capped. So time running short that day we put it all back together and I later got a vent valve, with a box on the wall for later access, and installed a 36 in 1 1/2 inch vent pipe on the top of that cross. Mind you the cross fitting is about even with the sink fixture. Now the sink works great now but the toilet still won't flush. We added a pipe to the tank so it will fill all the way up, still nothing. with the toilet off he inserted a water hose with a fitting and ran it for a long time, it drained to the septic fine (flow in the inspection hole outside was good). But once we reinstalled the toilet, same problem. Tank fills up and slowly does down and never really empties. If you put anything in it like toilet paper it won't even do that. It's as if it's starved for air or something. He did notice the line going into the septic, the inspection hole is about 3 inches higher than the toilet line. He measured with the toilet off. This is from the center of the house to the back corner so about 60+ feet, not sure if that's enough to warrant tearing into a slab foundation to replace plumbing.
that's where we are and their only idea is to install a sump pump or tear the floor up and add a bunch of 45s to try and help it. Any ideas or even questions we having thought to ask yet. I and my plumbers are lost... on my third plumber now. Help...


texts: Why doesn't my furnace fan run when there's heat in the system?

texts:
Have a Trane xv80. Recently we have issue in furnace heater. It stops after a few minutes of heat call and fails due to highr limit device failure.
I replaced the high limit switch recently. It is closed before heat call and opens as expected in case of overheat. The real problem is blower fan does not start along with heat call and it makes the heat exchanger overheated.
The fan is supposed to run 5min hourly. It runs well only when the system is cooled down.
Any clue or idea is welcome. Thank you.


texts: Septic vented into basement - newly smelly

texts: It appears that the vent for gasses from our septic system, which I've learned through googling normally comes out of the roof, is instead just a 2 inch pipe extending two feet up from where the waste water exits the house, with nothing on top. I've noticed a septic smell in the basement when someone flushed a toilet, but since yesterday it's suddenly smelling all the time, throughout the house (still seeming to originate at this pipe). Does this mean we need our septic pumped, or is there a possible other explanation? I live in a rural area of the northeast, and our septic system is a tank with gravity feed to a leaching tank. We do have more people living in the house than the system was designed for, but it was pumped in the spring, and our usage has been pretty stable. It's also been very cold - rarely above 10 F and lots of -10 F for a couple weeks, and I don't know if that could have affected something. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Should I paint copper pipes exposed to nature?

texts:
I'm using copper piping -- about 5 feet total -- externally, to make it easier to water the grass. In addition to copper pipes, the connectors and valves are brass (Sharkbite).
Should I prime/paint those metals, or will they be fine (not leaking) for many years as is, even if copper becomes green with patina?
I'm a bit concerned, that, if I undertake the painting once, I'll commit to redoing it again and again every few years...


texts: Level of repair for rotting outdoor stairs

texts:
I've got wooden stairs leading up to a porch that need repairs. The more I look into it, the more that I see needs to be done, so I'd like advice as to what I should do short term and what I can put off.

Here is a summary:

About 10% of the tread boards are clearly in need of replacement.  For one, my foot went through it.
The stringers have rot where the nails from the rotten tread boards were.  The rotten wood goes 1" deep.
Other rotting near the bottom of posts that is cosmetic rather than structural.

I have pictures below to illustrate.

These are the three levels of repair I am considering:

At a minimum, I need to replace the 10% of the rotten tread boards and use putty on the stringers.
Replace all of the tread boards and patch stringers where needed.
Rip everything out and rebuild. I'd like to put this off for a few years because the rest of the porch needs work as well.

The criteria is that I'd like the stairs to last another 5 years or so until I do larger renovations on the porch, and to minimize the amount of needed work until then.


texts: How do I wire multiple switches for my bathroom lights and fan?

texts:
I am redoing a bathroom and onto my wiring. I am installing (4) recessed lights, (1) fan, and three switches.

I want one switch to control (2) recessed lights, the next switch to control the other (2) recessed lights, and the third switch to control the fan.

I currently have one wire coming up from the main breaker box (hot,common, ground) and would ideally hit the switch first before I went into the attic.

What is the best way to wire this type of setup? I have only done basic wiring (one fixture/one switch) and wanted to get some advice.

** Side note (4" and 5" recessed lights, IC rated, normal line voltage, and the fan draws 12 watts).*

[Update from OP]

A diagram would be absolutely great! Unfortunately I really need this broken down to me dummy style.

I am definitely never going to be an artist, but here is a quick drawing. Just note one thing, I can put the fan outlet on the same side as the light 2 gang box.


texts:
I have a valve in my heating system that I don't understand. I have searched on the internet but I haven't been able to find any information on it. What I do know is that the valve's purpose is that of maintaining the pressure in the system, but I don't know why there are two controls or what each of the two controls do. All other pressure control vales that I've seen have just a single control.
The two controls are marked in the photo. There is a hand operated valve ( similar to a tap ) on the bottom and there is a screwdriver operated control on the top with a + and - on it, but turning it doesn't seem to do much if anything and it doesn't appear to have any stop it just seems to keep turning but I have only gone 10 or 15 turns before I turned it back, maybe it's more.


texts: Furniture needs to be attached to the wall, but my tenancy agreement doesn't allow it

texts:
I've just rented an unfurnished apartment. Obviously I need some furniture. However, wherever I look (IKEA and similar websites), the instructions for any furniture I look at say that it has to be fixed to the wall, to prevent it from falling over.

My tenancy agreement (and all tenancy agreements, as far as I know) doesn't allow me to make holes in the walls, for understandable reasons.

If I go ahead and buy furniture but don't fix it to the wall, how big is the danger of it falling over? Or, is there furniture that doesn't need to be attached to the wall?
There are no children or pets and earthquakes are almost unheard of.

I imagine that everyone who's ever rented a house or apartment has had to deal with this but surprisingly I can't find anything on the subject.


texts: Need Help Identifying Strap Securing Dryer Vent Hose

texts: I have existing clips or straps (I'm not sure which is the correct term for these) that holds a dryer vent hose in my laundry room. It almost looks like a flat chain where the holes allow for screws to pass through to hold it in place. I'm interested in getting more, but have no idea what they're called. Does anyone know what these are called?


texts: Replacing light fittings with ones with a battery backup

texts:
I've got two light fittings which are basic pendant lights.

If I were to get them replaced with new fittings that have a battery backup ( kinda emergency light style that would turn the light on in the event of a power cut ), would they need any changes to the wiring?


texts: Why is my water heater leaking from the relief valve on the top?

texts: Why is my water heater still leaking at the relief valve on top? I've changed it twice. Also I have 160lbs of pressure and have changed the regulators three times. Doesn't make sense. Please help!


texts: Assemble lead sheet to be tight, but able to be disassembled

texts:
I want to make an acoustic barrier which include about 6-8 square feet of 1/4" lead. Normally when making such a barrier, it is desirable to solder it together so that there is a tight fit between the panels and no gap where sound can get through. However, in this case I will need to move the barrier to service the equipment it is shielding about once per year. If I solder together the whole barrier it will be very heavy, about 150-200 pounds, and difficult to move.

So, I need some way to connect the lead sheets together tightly, but in a way that they can be easily disconnected into smaller panels that are easily movable. Any ideas how to do this?

(Note that the barrier will not just be lead sheet, it will have a sound absorber like drywall or plywood bonded on both sides to it. However, the absorbers do not need to be tightly connected, only the lead does.)


texts: The entry of the driveway is just a rock bed with no concrete. I want to replace it, it doesn't have to be replaced with concrete so I'm open to suggestions there. If it is a diy, what are the high level steps involved? What about tools? I know the old stuff has to go, but beyond that I don't know. I'm in MI, USA also in case there are some local laws anyone is aware of.


texts: What type of wire should I use to repair a toaster oven?

texts:
The connector from one of the leads from my toaster oven's power supply to the top heating element broke off.  The wire is too short to just add a new connector, so I need to replace the wire.

The wire was different than others I had seen as it had a knit, fabric-like insulation rather than rubber or silicone.

What kind of wire can I use to replace the broken one, and where can I buy it?  Or, are temperatures in the side of the oven, where the wiring and control circuits live not that high and regular lead wire will work?


texts: End-line switches for new overhead lighting and new ceiling fan

texts:
I have a home built in the 50's with no overhead lighting in the living room. I'm looking to add some wafer lights (6) and a ceiling fan.
I've determined the power pull won't overload the 20 amp breaker, and found a convenient location for switches. There is already a switch where i'm planning to add the two additional, installing a 3 gang box in place of the current single switch. The existing switch is for the chandelier in the dining room. Source power runs from the breaker box directly into that fixture, then down to the switch.

I'd like to tap into the source from the J Box above the chandelier, then run two 12/2 wires to (1)Wafer lights, then daisy-chain one to the next (2) new ceiling fan - then both will run wire back DOWN to the switch.

Is this end-line approach feasible and am I missing anything?


texts: how to hardwire an exterior rope light properly?

texts:
Update: As suggested in answer by Ecnerwal, I am changing the question a little bit.  Instead of asking what type of rope light this is, I am now asking what would be the proper way to bring this "up to snuff"?  I would like an exterior LED rope light here, controlled by an indoor light switch.

Original post below:

This rope light is outside and is hardwired to a switch that is inside.  It appears to have two wires inside it, but the connection that you see is the only info I have to go from.

I want to purchase an LED rope light and attach it, but the various ones I have tried (bought from Home Depot) did not fit this connection.  Would the best approach be simply to snip this connection off and then attach whichever rope I buy to the wire?  My concern is making sure to have a weatherproof connection.  I also don't have a lot of extra wire to play with.

The distance between the two black dots in the photo below is ~3/16".  The diameter (measured in the direction through the black dots) is ~7/16".  The measurement perpendicular to that (vertical in the bottom photo) is 3/8" - this is a little less because the end of the plug isn't perfectly round but rather has a flat edge on the bottom.  It's a little hard to see in this photo unless you look closely.


texts: Hanging 10kg/22lbs pulldown projector screen from hollow plasterboard/drywall WITHOUT JOISTS

texts:
really need some help!

I have a 2.2m long 7ft projector screen around 10kg / 22 lbs. I need to hang from a hollow wall WITHOUT JOISTS.

Bit annoying, but I've got a stud detector and defo no wooden joists in this ceiling. Seems to be suspeded on these thing I imagine as lots of metal detected https://gmceilings.co.uk/mf-ceiling-taunton-somerset/

I've got two of these - they say they are rated for 25KG https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01AK6UO2C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 but I'm not so sure.

The plan is to hang the screen on these as needed (not permanently up).

The Ceiling is half inch thick.

I need it abou 12" from the wall or I would just affix to corner.

Thanks!

-Peter


texts:
What are wire rope thimbles for? Will the wire rope strength be compromised if I don't use them?

They will be used on a fence.

Thanks.


texts: How to vent large outdoor undercover area

texts:
I have a large (95 sq meters) undercover area behind my house:

A few things to note:

The house is just to the left of the picture.
The roof of this area slants from the house to the far wall (as you would expect)
There is a barbecue just outside the photo to the right
Even further to the right, fairly close to the bbq, is a clothesline for hanging clothes

When I am cooking on the barbecue, the area can get quite smoky, as you would expect. The smoke even gets in the house quite a lot if I leave the doors open. I'm thinking of installing a vent in the roof, but I am not sure where or what kind of vent to get.

Location of the vent

There are three options that I see.

Directly above the bbq, the most obvious option
In the middle of the area (both axes)
Against the house, but in the middle on the other axis

What if I want to move the bbq one day? If I put the vent right above the bbq, then it will be at the lowest point in the roof, so I feel like I will get smoke trapped against the house as it rises due to the slant in the roof. Are there any other gases besides bbq smoke that I might want to extract? This area is not currently accessible with a vehicle but I would like to make it accessible one day. I am a brand new homeowner so haven't any experience in this regard.

Type of vent

A few options here...

Turbine vent
Powered exhaust fan with an actual switch
Regular house fan that I can move around and isn't installed in the roof

Do I want to be able to turn it on and off? A turbine vent is not powered, correct? So it is always on? Or at least when there is wind blowing. Maybe this isn't necessary and I only need a regular fan to keep the air moving?

Thanks!


texts: What can I do about mild water/moisture damage to laminate wooden flooring?

texts:
Yesterday, I accidentally left the window open while it was raining heavily. Some rain poured in for a while (maybe a half-hour or so) before I noticed. After I had wiped off the floor, some dark areas remained in the vicinity of the seams between the planks. Since then, most of these dark areas have dried up and returned to their original color, but some still remain, close to the wall (see pictures below)

These dark areas seem to dry up extremely slowly (I guess they are a sign of trapped water, and not permanent discolouration). I guess they will dry up in due time, even if it might take a very long time, but I've read that mold growth can initiate in as little as 72 hours, which makes me a bit worried.
What should I do, just leave it and wait for it to dry up? Call a professional? (I'd rather not, of course). Take measures on my own?


texts: Fix circuit so power is constant, instead of controlled by wall switch?

texts:
The previous owner of my newly-purchased house had someone wire garage. There is power running out to garage but the only way to use garage door openers, lights and plugs is to flip the regular light switch next to door.

There is a junction box where the power comes into garage and then one wire running to the switch that turns on the power.

How can I change the wiring so that there is constant power in garage without flipping the switch?


texts:
Right in the middle of this job and realised I don't know what I'm doing. I'm in the UK.

I currently have a Crabtree switch (which I believe is called a single gang two way switch) on a light on my living room. The switch had three wires on it which feed into terminals on the switch labelled: L1, L2 and L3

However on my new Crabtree dimmer switch the terminals are labelled as:

L1, L2 and a then a wavy line with a diagonal arrow through it pointing to the top right.

Can anyone please explain how I should wire the new dimmer in? Should L3 now go into the terminal with the wavy symbol?

Any help would be really appreciated as I don't want to blow anything up.


texts: Best way to get 20 amps to outdoor office 150' from breaker box

texts:
I'm having a little trouble figuring out the best way to get power to a backyard office. The office will be 8'x12' and sits about 40' from the house. The problem is the breaker box is on the opposite side of the house. I figure it's about 150' total of wire after going through the attic and up/down the walls etc.
The office will have a computer, lights, window a/c, and a small space heater. I will be burying the wire in pvc conduit from the house to the office. I think 20 amps will be plenty. I am in south Texas so a small space heater running on low will be about all I need.
So what would be the best approach: Do I run 8/3 to a small 240v subpanel on the opposite side of the house (about 100' of wire away) with a 30 amp double pole breaker at the main panel, then just run 120 to the office by putting a 20amp breaker at the subpanel and run 12/2 direct bury to the office?
Or do I run 240 all the way to the office with a subpanel there?
I was originally thinking maybe I would just run a 110v line the whole 150' to the office but the wire size calculators show I would need a #6 wire that far so maybe that's not a good idea.
All I need is 20 amps out in the office but not sure what the best way is to get it there. Any advice is appreciated!
EDIT:
Thanks for all the great detailed responses, I feel like I am taking info from all of them to create my solution so wish I could mark them all as "the answer"!


texts: Is it OK to block off an unused root cellar to mitigate moisture problems?

texts:
I have a root/cold cellar underneath my front porch. The walls appear to be poured concrete as I can't see any bricks or cinder blocks.

The room sweats like crazy so there is an obvious moisture problem. The door to the room is just made of what looks like whatever wood the previous owner had lying around.

I don't use the room and I'd like to eliminate it all together. Is this as simple as removing the door to the room and closing it off?

The only problem I foresee is that the pipe that supplies natural gas runs to my home right through that room.


texts: Need help identifying materials needed to replace rotted and damaged wood

texts: Need the names of materials or any suggestions as to what I should do.


texts: My heavy equipment guy said we should put "3 inch minus" down on a new driveway. What is it, and is it a good choice?


texts: Mortar missing from bricks on bottom of fireplace. Is this an issue?

texts: I was cleaning out my fireplace and noticed some mortar has disappeared on the bottom of the fireplace. Is this a concern at all?


texts: How do I separate wood stain from mineral spirits if it doesn't settle?

texts: I'm completely new to the world of DIY, and recently completed my first minor woodworking project.  After staining my piece, I cleaned my brush with mineral spirits.  Now, every source that I can Google tells me that I can reuse the dirty spirits by letting them sit until the stain settles, then pour off the clean spirits from the top.  However, the exact opposite is happening; the stain is separating and floating to the top!  What do I need to do in this situation?


texts: Why are my stove's burners releasing gas and sparking but not igniting?

texts:
This seems to be an occasional problem. I turn one of the burners to light and I can smell the gas and I can see the flickering of the spark and hear the clicking, but the burner never ignites.

What is strangest about this is that when it occurs it occurs on all four burners. Strangely, at least this time, the oven is still working.


texts: Turning old AC wiring into a simple 120V outlet?

texts:
UPDATE: Resolved. The ground wire was located behind the box, in the wall. It's a bit short (??) but it will do once I put the subpanel in. Thanks for everyone who responded.
I am tracing the somewhat old wiring network in my house... and I found one blind box on the patio (outside), with 3 8AWG wires inside, two hot and one neutral, that is connected, via a 50-60' wall run, to my main panel and a pair of 60AMP breakers.
I am guessing that was for an AC, since that would justify using 8AWG wire on such large breakers. Now, I don't have an AC there, or a need for it, but I could use a couple of patio outlets.
I was first thinking about putting a small sub-panel there, to have some space for future expansion, but digging into the wall is out of question, so I cannot put the 4th wire (ground) in to make it code-legal.
So, in fact, with 3 wires only I seem to be limited to doing a 120V setup?
Can I just install a smaller single breaker at the main panel, say 20A, and then use the 3 existing wires as hot/neutral/ground (re-wiring them at the panel, obviously). Do I need to mark them, e.g. "turn red into green"?
Or is there a more interesting way to use the existing wiring? What would you do?  ;)


texts: Single light switch to programmable - 2nd hot line?

texts:
I've got a receptacle with three light switches, a single, a three-way and a four-way.

I'm trying to replace the single with a Honeywell timer switch. The wiring in the box seems a bit wacky to me (though I'm very new to this homeownership thing).

I'm attaching below the wiring diagram for the timer switch and my crude wiring diagram in the box (the black wires with white in the middle are all white). My crude picture has the only labeling I see on the existing switches, so I believe the daisy-chained wiring at the bottom is all neutral. But then I'm not sure what the bundle of white wires is (or what the completely unconnected black wire coming from the leftmost bundle is).


texts: I want to install a new Ge induction cooktop & have an existing 4 wire line. If the cooktop only requires a black, red & bare ground, is the white still attached in the panel if it’s capped off and not used at the cooktop junction?


texts: Building new shower, how can I control the flow of water to two different shower heads?

texts:
Similar to how you can control the flow of water between a tub faucet and a shower head, I'd like my new shower to control water between a rain-head shower from the ceiling and a handheld shower on the wall.

Can I buy a shower kit that contains a shower head, temperature valve, and tub faucet, and just use it differently somehow? Or is there a better way?


texts:
I have a two story 1970s home that has basically storage rooms upstairs off the bedrooms where the roof angles down.  Inside these rooms is the studs and insulation facing the exterior roof.  Since they are angled the bat insulation keeps falling out.  It was originally stapled, but has not held up. These rooms are pretty large and we use them for storage.  There is an additional attic above the bedrooms.

What is the best way to fix this sagging without completely re-doing the insulation?

It can't be stapled as that has failed and the paper is in bad shape.  Could I put foam board over the top and nail it to the studs holding it in place?  This would probably leave gaps at the bottom and top due to the angle.


texts:
Since I moved into my house last year there are a couple of wall switches that remain a mystery to me. I don't know what they do, if anything.

What are my options for tracing these switches?

I'm looking for something between plugging stuff into various outlets to see if it controls them (which I've tried) and buying and using a tone and probe kit (which is probably more money and effort than I'm willing to expend for these switches).


texts: Terminology for the sidewall of a mezzanine floor

texts:
For a mezzanine, stage or other flooring with an exposed sidewall, what is the proper construction or architectural term for that sidewall?

For example, here we see a mezzanine:

The red circle shows the exposed sidewall, which is here paneled in hardwood. What is the term for this sidewall?


texts: I want to build a new structure, with walk out basement joining up to an existing structure that has a slab foundation.  Is this possible? what about the slab/footer for the existing structure, how do I create the new footer which will be deeper than the existing footer?  Is there a book I can read.  I am not doing the work, I just want to understand so when I find a builder I can have confidence in what I ask him to do.  Thanks


texts: Smoke detector at highest point of pitched ceiling - good or bad?

texts: I have several smoke detectors in my house - all of which I can reach with a ladder - except one.  It is at the highest point of the pitched ceiling in the entry way of my house.  A person that is 6'5" can barely reach it with a standard ladder (I'm 5'2").  Does a smoke detector need to be this high or can I tear the thing out and move it to where I can reach it with a ladder?


texts: What kind of receptacle to buy for a Tappan Stove-top (electric)?

texts:
I was just wondering what kind of receptacle I would need for a Tappan stove. Recently one of them burned out and I would like to replace it. It's the part that the heating coil plugs into with the hot neutral wires on it.

It's confusing as to what one I need when the pictures are all low resolution and claim broad compatibility with a brand name.


texts: How can I fix a ceiling above the shower that was damaged by water?

texts: Our pipe coming out of the wall was leaking a very fine stream of water. We haven't had time to fix it. I don't know what that bumpy stuff on the ceiling is called but it's all peeling off. I know the pipe needs to be fixed first, but how should we fix the ceiling? Is it possible to apply it back on the ceiling? None of it has actually fallen off yet.


texts: What type of window screen/frame is this?

texts: I had a 3 season room in the back of my newly purchased home that has these types of screens in them. Unfortunately a lot of them are broken/need replaced but I don't know why type of screen this is (w/ this spring loaded tab at the bottom). What are these and can I use an alternative?


texts:
I need to replace the cylinder in our front door lock (just bought the home and need to make sure nobody but us has the key). However, the screw that fixes the cylinder in place gets stuck. It gets progressively stuck, and so much so that it makes it very hard to get it to screw back in, and I don't dare try to force it further due to the risk of it just getting completely stuck.
I thought perhaps it was getting stuck in part of the door mechanism, so I unscrewed the front panels, and you can see the screw. It appears to be getting stuck just before the last part of the screw that sticks out at the end is about to enter the cylinder, and while I can't see anything wrong with it, I assume that means the screw is bent or the thread is damaged there, which would explain why it is so difficult to screw back in.
Other than calling a locksmith, my only idea is to take a small, narrow hacksaw and saw the end of the screw off through the slit next to the cylinder, and try again. Is this the right approach or is there something I'm missing (e.g. it's something entirely different, sawing the screw off might saw through some other part of the lock mechanism, or I'll never get the sawed off end out and it will break the mechanism)? Attached a video showing the screw inside the mechanism, and where it gets stuck.
https://youtu.be/5-C2MEDm_0U


texts: When are you required to use a junction box extension to make it flush with the wall?

texts:
Say you have a junction box whose face is recessed significantly into the wall. For instance, if the face of the junction box is actually at the back of the drywall or perhaps 1/2" too deep.

Is it required to use a box extension in a case like this? Mechanically it would be possible just to use longer screws to attach the device - but would that violate code or cause some other problem?

(USA)


texts: How can I modify telephone Cat5 cables and jacks into Ethernet ports?

texts:
We just moved into a new house and I found out they used Cat5 to run the telephone network in the house. I found the junction where all the network/phone lines come together and disconnected all the wires that were capped together.

I put a wire tracker at each wall port to determine which cable end in the junction box belonged to which port and labeled accordingly.

Here's my problem: I swapped out the RJ11 port for an RJ45 and wired it up in the B pattern. I then put another RJ45 port at the end I determined was the matching end and wired it up in the B pattern. I plugged a switch in one end and a router in the other. The switch and router link lights do not come on, but my wire tracker makes it clear that I have the correct wire in the junction box. I tested that the switch and router should be able to talk just fine by taking a long ethernet cable and plugging them in using that- link lights galore.

One last thing to note, it appears that there may be some current running on the line, somehow, even when nothing is plugged in. My wire tracker lights up, but doesn't buzz, over every single wire in the junction box, and even at the outlet in the room before I have plugged anything in to pass a signal.

How is this possible when I've disconnected every wire from each other in the junction? I just assumed that from wall jack to junction box would be a straight shot and this would be easy as cake- 12 hours later, not so much.


texts: I have a reed switch that connects to a relay to control lights in a closet. switch is normally closed. when the closet door is open, it turns on the light, when I close the door it TURNS OFF the light, but the light doesn't stay off, it turns back on after a few min. If I open the door again while the light is on, leave it open for a few min, then close it, the light goes off for a few minute then back on. However, if I close the door right away, it doesn't turn off the light at all. I already replaced the switch and it's behaving the same. Any idea what's going on?


texts: How much ceiling fan wobble is acceptable?

texts:
I've got 3 flush-mount ceiling fans.  The large one (well, when it was working, the motor is seized up now and needs replacement) has always been rock solid.  No noticeable vibration/wobble in use.  Pushing on it, there's not any play at all in the fan assembly or mount.

However, the other 2 show some vibration (very minor wobble, barely noticeable).  Both of them are smaller fans and the mounts show more play when I push on them.  They also have lights (which the big one does not).  So, they're heavier, hang down further, and have smaller mounts...  Just what one would expect to lead to less stability even under ideal conditions.

In the Kitchen it doesn't seem to have any ill effects (other than if you look close you can see a little motion), but the bedroom fan makes just enough motion to generate a "tick-tick" sound.  It also has a much wider spread of lights, so it's more noticeable.  Doesn't bother my wife at all, but makes me wonder at what point does it become a problem and require rebalancing.  As it stands, the rebalancing instructions I've read aren't helpful as it's not wobbling enough to determine where to place the weights...


texts: Planning to build a wardrobe out of OSB plates, however, I fear clothes might get stuck on the material and tear up. What's a simple and cost-effective way to get this smooth? Coating or sanding maybe? Does anyone have some experience with this and can offer some advice?


texts: How do the impermeabilization of external power cable?

texts:
Hypothetical situation: I would have to install some external reflectors like this on my store.

It should be screwed as higher as possible on the external wall to illuminate outdoors, increase store light, etc.
There is no raceway on the rooftop. How I proceed to make the impermeabilization of the power cables?
Thanks in advanced.


texts: Shock on every metal part of the apartment

texts:
The main breaker in the electrical room for an apartment Is off. Not power into the panel breaker. When the people touch metal knob door or other metal part  into the apartment , even  the contact with corners of the walls  cause a zip (shock) .that zip disappear after the first contact and then suddenly happen again.
What could be the cause when everything Is disconnected from electrical room.? Also a test disconnecting the power and the  neutral wire that feed that apartment was made and still shock occur.
None of the other units beside that apartment feel that shock.


texts: Jerry rig a common wire from another zone?

texts:
It appears as if my zone 1 doesn’t have a c terminal for a common wire or it’s not very obvious. The relay is a White Rodgers 829A-845, wiring diagram here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/539220/White-Rodgers-829a-845.html
If true, Is there some way to pigtail to my zone 2 c terminal to “complete the circuit”?


texts: Wiring of two fans with individual switches and outlets

texts:
I am in the process of replacing my family room fans and I am confusing myself. I took pictures before taking the fans down to get the wiring correct, but between bad pics and second guessing myself, I am not positive how the wiring should look. Here is the situation...

I have my power coming from the panel into Fan A. From Fan A there is a line running to a light/fan combo switch. There is also a line that runs to an outlet. Lastly, there is the line the runs to Fan B.

Fan B has a line going to it's own light/fan combo switch and another line going to an outlet.

The pics wouldn't upload, but here is a diagram that I can figure out from the pics and other wiring diagrams I came across online. What needs to be changed? Sorry for the messy diagram too!


texts:
Can I use a hole saw to cut some new holes in the back of an outdoor breaker panel? Turns out the knockouts provided happen to be below the fire blocks in my walls... Anyway, with a small amount of luck and measuring, drilling new knockouts in the top might provide some access above the fire blocks.

Alternatively, I could always go back to my stellar idea about external conduit, but with THHN wire going in the conduit and many parallel conduits (like 6 per box to max out at 4 conductors per conduit). It'd be a whole heck of a lot easier than running the wire through the walls (I guess).


texts: I have a GE zoneline AC/heater unit 230/208.  going on a double pole 30 amp breaker. is 10-3 to small should go 8-3


texts: Fixing IKEA Stolmen into concrete ceiling

texts:
I am going to install Ikea Stolmen to my bedroom.
It needs to be fixed into ceiling. But i can't decide on which screws/anchors going to use for such task.
I had this installed on my old house but setup was done by someone else. I can't really remember what kind of screws were used back there.
Floor part doesn't require any screws.

Left one is ceiling part and right one is the floor part:

My installation going to be identical to this one:
stolmen http://imanada.com/daut/as/f/s/stolmen-system-combinations-all-parts-ikea-1-section-white-width-50-depth-19-58_floor-to-ceiling-shelving_home-decor_wholesale-home-decor-halloween-nautical-affordable-christian-christmas-decorating-s.jpg

My ceiling has made of concrete.
Should i use "tapcon" screws or plastic wall anchors with appropriate screws?

Thank you all.


texts: Breaker trips in one circuit but not the other

texts:
I am having a weird electrical issue in my living room. There are two circuits for living room receptacles. Receptacles in the west side are in circuit 1 and ones in the east side are in circuit 2.

I bought a used power conditioner and hooked it up to a receptacle in circuit 1. Then after a couple of seconds, the breaker tripped. If I hooked it up to a receptacle in circuit 2, it was OK. I unplugged everything in circuit 1 and hooked up the power conditioner. Same thing --- breaker tripped. So, I don't think it is overload issue. Before I hooked up the power conditioner, I didn't have any issues in receptacles either in circuit 1 or 2. Can any one have an idea where I should look at?

Thanks.


texts: How can I lower a sink trap to accommodate an appliance drain connection?

texts:
As shown in the picture below, I'd like to extend a U sink trap to receive drainage from an appliance. However if I replace the dip tube (marked as 1) with variant that has the extra input, the U trap is shifted down too much and the second part becomes too short.

Unless I add some extension piece at (2), the dip tube (1) cannot be longer (cannot be pulled out more) than shown on the left picture. However the appliance drain input of the new dip tube as shown on the right requires me to push the whole U trap downwards, and then I have a gap at number 2.

Is there any piece that can bridge this gap? The U trap has (male) screw threads on it on both ends, and the other pieces are tucked in as dip tubes and are fastened with those female rings. I can not find any piece that would fit there.

One piece I tried looks as below. The female end of this fits the U trap at point 2 perfectly, but its male end is not compatible with the final pipe piece that goes into the wall. The size of the screw thread is compatible but the last pipe piece has a notch that prevents pushing the screw ring close enough to the extension piece that it would fit. (I can add a picture of this if it isn't clear.) It is possible to do it anyway by sawing off a few millimeters of the final piece at connection 2, but cutting it manually doesn't result in a clean enough cut, so it ended up leaking. My suspicion is that this extension piece is not meant to be placed male end upwards and female downwards.

But is there such a piece in existence that is actually designed to fit here?


texts: Fluorescent Lights and CFLs Take Longer to Startup in Cold

texts: When it is colder outside, I noticed that the CFLs in my house and the fluorescent lights in my garage take longer to come on and get bright. Sometimes they flicker more. I am in Florida so coldest is probably 30-40 degrees in the Winter. Why does this occur? CFLs are in a standard outlet. Fluorescents are in an older ballast.


texts: How can I fix flickering and continuous-clicking with a UPS on an inverter-supplied circuit?

texts:
My whole house has been backed up by an inverter for a few months now. My computer is still connected to a UPS so that it gets clean power - I don't trust the inverter alone to provide ultra-stable voltage.

Now whenever the computer is turned on during a power outage (and when the inverter is running), the UPS starts to "flicker" or click like mad. By flickering, what I mean is that it appears to switch several times a second between battery source and AC, making a clicking sound, anywhere between 1 to 4-5Hz, sometimes more, as if the relay is constantly switching several times a second.

Now the inverter handles all the load I try to throw at it otherwise. Having every light and fan on in the house doesn't challenge the inverter. So it's not an issue of the inverter's power capacity.

But when the UPS turns on, and it starts flickering/clicking, it also makes all the lights flicker. So I guessed (this was a pure guess, not an educated one) that perhaps this flicker was the result of a frequency mismatch between AC (as provided by the inverter) and the UPS. Perhaps I was seeing the 'beat' frequency of these two signals.

To test this - I mean if the devices were that fickle - I figured changing the impedance load of the overall circuit might affect the frequency relationship. And it did!

Turning on just the right number of lights/fans would eliminate (what I believe to be) the frequency mismatch and the UPS would keep working fine.

However this solution has proven to be fickle as well - perhaps the inverter is too wild in its frequency deviations and the impedance correction is not enough sometimes.

So here is the final question.

Is there anything I can tweak in the UPS in order to better handle this frequency mismatch?

P.S:

Am I right in the first place? Is this a frequency problem? If not, please explain. I do have a bit of theoretical knowledge of how electrical circuits/transformers etc should work, so please don't hold back in your analysis.
Even if the inverter with its (alleged) frequency fluctuations is the root of the problem, replacing it is not an option (cost). Hence the question.
Once I understand the problem theoretically, I should be able to bully an electrician into getting the necessary done to the UPS.
I'm not a hardware hacker, so unfortunately I don't have a multimeter at home or see myself getting one in the next few days. I might if absolutely needed. So, sorry, I can't help with actual (experimentally measured) facts and figures on the frequency, voltage etc in the short term.
Both the UPS and inverter are supposed to work at 220V/50Hz (India). If the amperage of both matters I can find out and post back. Note: As I have mentioned I don't think it's a case of the UPS somehow overloading the inverter, as I have thrown all other appliances (About 5 fluorescent lights, 4 ceiling fans, 4-5 old-fashioned 60W-ish bulbs) on at the same time, and it has stood quite well.
The UPS brand is not an issue since I've tried multiple (reputed ones such as APC, local brands, etc) and they've all had issues in one form or another. So simply replacing the UPS won't suffice.
Considering (1) and (4) and the absence of facts/figures is there another SE that's a better fit for this? I do need a practical solution eventually though (even if it means a delay if I HAVE to measure the frequency/voltages to be sure), so this still feels like the right place. But I'll leave it to the mods.


texts: how to repair bi-fold door with fallen slats?

texts:
A piece of this bi-fold closet door has warped, and as a result many of the slats have pulled out of one or both of their end-points. It seems like it should be possible to repair this with clamps, wood glue, and/or a reinforcing bracket. However, there's more than a dozen loose slats, and they all have to work their way precisely back into their grooves while the edge is being clamped back into it's original shape. They all just keep wiggling around.

How can I line the pieces back up and restore the door shape all at once?


texts: I have male nema L14 30 P PLUG OFF OF MY PANEL

texts: I have a Nema L14 30p plug off my power panel and want to run a short extension with multi female 110 plug on the other end . How do I do this conversion ?


texts: My ac don"t want to start on its own. I found a lose wire in the furnace which I reconnected, I replaced the contactor and the run capacitor. when I turn on the ac will not start on its own. When I push the button on the contactor if fires up and runs. It just wont start on its own.


texts: Installing house surge protector in full panel?

texts:
Currently doing research, might get type 1 and type 2, i understand type 2 usually requires double pole breakers to work.
For type 1 can i connect it directly to the 2 live wires coming into the panel secured by screw?
For type 2 i dont have any free breaker spots, can replace 2 single poles with a double pole and then share it with the existing wire?
I moved to Mexico and am in a rental for about 6 mo, i do have type 3s on my TVs etc; but nothing for appliances, there arent really licensed contractors or requirements, i do have lots of experience installing 220v for welders and such so i am familiar with panels.
https://i.imgur.com/gwx1Ji8.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/q6DDKF2.jpg


texts: How to fix when water is not sinking from bathroom and balcony?

texts:
It's my first question on this site, even though I have toured it but still if my question is not to the conventions of this site please let me know and I shall try to improve it.
I live on the 3rd floor in my building, yesterday when I got home after work and went to wash myself in bathroom (I want to stress that it's not toilet but the bathroom) I found that water is not sinking into the sink rather it is still there and my bathroom has become a pool. The first step that I did was the obvious one, I poured acid (acid is colloquial term for that hard toilet cleaner) into the sink, pierced some pointed materials into it's holes (my sink looks like this, it is at the corner of my bathroom), and finally used the bathroom suction cup. But unfortunately nothing worked well, it then stroke me that the sink is clear but the drainage pipe might be clogged. I came out and found that my balcony had water coming out from it's sink, it became quite a mystery of how it could happen. Let me give you a sketch of room (the bathroom is attached)

And after contacting to other society members, I found that people just below me (that is on flats immediately below me on 2nd and 1st floor) have no such drainage problem. Considering that the water is not going down the drainage pipe but flowing out of the balcony sink seems to suggest that the pipe line from my bathroom sink and pipe line from balcony's sink get connected to the main drainage pipe and at the joint there is a clog and hence instead of water flowing down it gets transferred to the adjacent pipe (that is from bathroom to balcony and vice versa). After talking to the owner of building and the plumbers, I can present this picture of pipe lines:

(Those red lines are the connecting pipes, connecting the sinks to the main drainage pipe). The joint seems to be clogged and because of that water from bathroom sink flows through the red pipe (red is just for reference to thee picture) and due to blockage doesn't go to down but flows through the red pipe connecting the balcony's sink.
I know the last option that is left to me is to call the high-tech plumbers, they will cut the walls and the floors to go to the joint and will find something. But this process is long, it will take 3 to 4 days or even longer with lot of cost and destruction of well arranged house (cutting of wall, and deconstruction of bathroom floor). Is there something that I can do that will not involve the deconstruction and solves my issue? Is it possible to suck out all the water that is stagnant in pipe by some suction pump and then pouring some hard cleaning liquid that will fix the scum?


texts:
My thermostat is in the basement, connected to a Honeywell R845A to run a circulating pump for heat. I bought an Nest E for the main house and it works great. I want to replace the thermostat in the basement also with a Nest E.

Someone suggested to use a plug in transformer to power the thermostat, which requires 2 wires, but I called Nest and they told me you can only use 1 wire to the "C" terminal.

In the R845A I have the two wires connected to the old thermostat.

Is there any way I could connect the plug in transformer by making it into a single wire "C" or is there any connection I could make in the R845A?


texts:
I have installed a new balustrade for my stair and the half wall it is attached to is not straight. Leading up from the floor, it curves away from the wood so that it is about a 3/8" gap at the top - see image below. The half wall is USA 2x4 / drywall construction.

Please can anyone suggest the best way to close the gap?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Can I use individual wires from romex bundle?

texts: I am wiring three overhead florescent lights in my unfinished basement and I need 14/3 because of where the switch is located. The wiring already present between the fixtures is 14/2. I have a length of leftover 14/2 romex. Can I remove the sheathing and use each individual wire?


texts: Laundry dryer's thermal fuse keeps blowing off every few months. What could be the cause?

texts:
Here is what I have done for my 10 year old LG dryer that resides outdoors:

checked the exhaust pipe and there was good air flow with no lint stuck in it.
checked for continuity between heating element's housing and the wires coming to it - there was no continuity as expected.
measured temperature at the exhaust pipe when dryer was at high heat setting with no clothes in it. It cycled between 61C(141F) and 71C(160F).

So far I have bought two thermal fuses from Amazon.com and both of them died in few months. Here is also a close up picture of thermistor:

What could be the problem and what additional test to perform?

Update #1: Picture of back draft flap. Seems clean to me.


texts: 1/4 turn shutoff valve doesn't completely turn water off

texts: My 1/4 shut off valve still allows a very small amount of water through when turned off. This valve controls a line that I need to disconnect while long term repairs are in effect and it effectively leaks about a gallon a day. I need complete shut off. What do I do to fix this valve (replacement would be a pain since it's in a tight spot).


texts: We have been looking for replacement windows. Our area requires hurricane impact resistant windows, We are getting a quote from Storm Tight Windows, Inc. their top of line vinyl. What is your opinion of them and what should we expect for cost 15 windows 36x60 DH


texts: How do I reinstall round 6" duct pipe in my basement?

texts: The 6" duct pipe was removed in my basement. I am trying to put it back up, but the pieces will not go together.  The pipe is no longer round, and even when i try putting pieces together that have the same odd shape, the crimped edge will not fit into the adjoining piece.  How do i remedy this? I considered buying new but that will not help to join the piece that is in the rectangular duct.  There is no way for me to reach that section on the rectangular duct. Is there a tool to make the pipe round again?


texts: What's the 1 inch square knob sticking out of the wall?

texts: I noticed there is a square knob sticking out of my basement wall. Does anyone know what this is?


texts: Why can't I put a load between hot and the ground line?

texts:
Normally the load goes between hot and neutral line.

Since neutral is grounded why can't I put a load between hot and the ground line?


texts: How to clean inside wrought iron handrail on saircase

texts:
I have a wrought iron handrail in my home that has black gunk on it about 1/32" thick in the groves.  It comes off easily if I scratch it with my fingernail.  The junk is not really noticeable, since it is black and who looks at a handrail anyway.

How might I go about cleaning the handrail without taking off the black finish?  Soap and water?  Gentle brush?  Metal brush?  Scouring powder?  Chemical cleaners?


texts: How can I stop my shower turning too hot and too cold?

texts:
There's something wrong with the plumbing, because the shower temperature simply will not stay constant. It gradually changes to either scalding hot, or freezing cold while it's running.

The temperature dial is over sensitive - the slightest touch sends the temperature to one of the extremes. A plumber mentioned to me that the water pressure of hot and cold water coming into the shower might be uneven, and the shower unit cannot balance it.

How do I balance the pressure myself? I had a look at the pipes under the boiler but couldn't see anything to change the pressure.

Our flat is in London, England in a house that's been converted into four flats. We have a combination boiler and a 'normal' shower (not a power shower).

P.S. I've noticed that if I turn on the central heating then the shower temperature stays constant. Also, the radiators heat up when the shower is turned on hot, even though the central heating is off.


texts: What connector should I use to connect LED light / driver to mains?

texts:
I've just got some LED spots to go in a small cloakroom. What connector should I use to connect them to the mains? The mains wires to the driver are tiny (about 20AWG).

Is there are recommended connector for these, or should I just use Choc-blocks?


texts: What should I keep in mind for attic storage solutions for a small home with 14" rafter spacing?

texts:
So our attic and our stuff in general is not serving us. Yes, we need to get rid of the stuff we don’t need. If we need anything up there then it is not down here because we need it seasonally (think Christmas tree) or occasional (think my mitre saw). Given the nature of what will be up there, our effort is guided by the following principles (by priority):

Cheap and Easy (we want absolute minimal time and energy spent on this, roughly three diaper change intervals is all we can spare -- yes, that has a huge standard dev)
Speed, Easy access to everything (so we don't have to move more than one box to see what we are looking for)
Transparency, we can get to what we need easily (so we will have a map of where things go)
Center Isle Clear, no items in the "hallway" (that is our downfall now, items in the central area block us from finding things)
Flexibility (when we get in hurry, we have to put things up quickly, so we don't want to over-optimize)
Minimalism (Let's not put it up there if we don't have 90% chance of using it in a year, can't buy it, or have a long term vision for it)

So I took some measurements, and played around in Sketchup and found that the key issue was how to make the sides useful and easily accessible. For example, the entire floor width was approximately 29 feet, but only 18 feet had a usable floor, meaning that I was ignoring roughly 40% of the total floor space. This 40% was the most important to use for storage since it is out of the center aisle. If I just incorporate this area, I calculated that I would gain roughly 25 ft^2 of surface area, multipled by the linear feet available which is 80 feet -- meaning we could have 75 cubic yards, exactly half of a semi truck's transportation volume.

Here is what I am thinking now:

Any thoughts greatly appreciated, but I am asking if this makes sense and:

Where to get storage containers as cost efficient as possible?
Are there any attic ventilation constraints (building science considerations) of putting stuff so close to the sides?
Whether it makes sense to use the 10 inches in the joists. I don't think so, because of the height of any box will prevent using that area?
Are there any systems that are inexpensive, but will save me lots of time?
Would installing lighting in the back greatly increase the ability to see where stuff is, maybe rope lighting or something?


texts: How can I cut 4x4 posts that are already mounted?

texts:
I'm in the process of installing a handrail here and the former owner put these pressure-treated 4x4 posts without cutting them first. They're in the ground already and need to be cut at the correct height to where the railing itself will be attached.
Should I use a circular saw or something to cut from both sides?  I already know it won't cut through with just one swipe on one side.  Or maybe a good hacksaw or something?  Thanks.


texts: How/where should I put a water dispenser on this counter?

texts:
My friend's coffee shop has a hot water dispenser they use for drip coffee and tea. It's already filtered, and accessible to customers.

It would be terribly convenient if we customers could get cold drinking water from the same water line. But I don't know where to put a water dispenser faucet, or how to put it there. Perhaps it should mount to the short wood wall in the picture below.

Any suggestions?


texts: Is it a good idea to paint during Winter?

texts: I heard that interior painting is not a very good idea during winter.  How accurate is this statement and why?


texts: I'm trying to split an outlet to be half hot. Right now the switch turns on/off the entire outlet. I'd like the bottom plug to be always on and the top controlled by the switch. Now I live in an older house, so I don't see the 14/3 wiring that I see on YouTube and other sites. I know I need to break the tab on the right side, but not sure what wire to put on the lower right prong. I've included a picture of the outlet and switch along with a crude wiring diagram. I didn't include the bare ground wires for clarity. Thanks!