texts: Will Kitchen Backsplash Update Trigger 2ft/4ft Rules of Receptacles above Countertop?

texts:
I am planning to replace the backsplash in the kitchen at my home. NEC 210.52 requires that every spot on the countertop should not be distanced more than 2ft from a receptacle. the current condition does not comply with this rule. To comply with the code, I need to rewire a lot of parts of the house since the main panel is full, and need to make two dedicated circuits for the countertop receptacles, which I do not want to.

The work I want to is pretty simple; I just want to replace the backsplash. I do not want to update the wiring! The question is, do I need to update the countertop receptacles once I tear down the backsplash walls??

I am assuming that the answer is NO, since the tiling itself does not requires inspection. So, as long as not reporting to the inspector, I assume it will not be a problem. The part of the reasons why I am asking is that I am going to sell the house soon. I don't want to have a trouble when I sell it...

I would appreciate your advice. Thank you!


texts: Identify/troubleshoot this millivolt furnace valve

texts: I have an old millivolt gas furnace that's stopped working. The pilot stays lit fine and the thermopile generates about 360 millivolts, and there's no problem at the thermostat (checked voltage and shorting past it), but the main valve no longer opens. I'm looking for help identifying what model it actually is (so I can search for information specific to it) or ideas on what might be wrong. Here are a couple pictures of the valve:


texts:
I have a door in my home to one of the bedrooms, that will not "catch" when you close it.  If you lift up on the doorknob then it "catches" and will remain shut.

I was curious, if I put a "stronger" screw in the top of the door hold (or maybe 3) would this "lift" the door enough that you no longer have to lift the door to close it?

Or is the issue deeper than that and adding a new screw or two would have no benefit?

EDIT
The strike plate is maybe a 1/4 inch too high.  None of the hinges appear to be loose or lower than they should be, however if I lift the door at the hinges I can hear the door raise, which would signify that a hinge is loose, would just need to find a way to determine which one and on which side (door or frame)


texts: Wiring electrical outlets from a single outlet

texts:
I'm building an entertainment center unit, and on the unit I want to embed wall outlets into it so I can plug things like my receiver, NAS, consoles etc in a clean method. I thought the entertainment unit could be plugged into a single wall outlet.

Unfortunately I'm not much of an electrician but I have a lot of respect for 120V AC and don't want to mess with something if I'm unsure.

Now, I could use a power strip, but there's two reasons why I don't want to. For one, I want the outlets embedded into the unit so it is clean, with some of the outlets that have built in USB ports for fast charging mobile devices. The 2nd reason is I have this cool Wattmeter that I want to mount to the unit. I thought it'd be neat to watch the gears turn and see how much power my stuff is consuming.

From my understanding, this is how I'd wire everything up:

Obviously the cable that comes in from the right is the cable that plugs into a single wall outlet.

Is this design feasible? Are there caveats to the design that would not work? I can't seem to find this kind of information online.


texts: Why doesn't my electrical service panel have a main disconnect breaker?

texts:
I had another question about the electricity in my shed that I now understand, but in one of the comments:

  Either this is a real oddity (a split bus QO) or a severe Code violation (MLO panel improperly used as a main panel with no service disconnecting means)

Outside

The Panel

Behind the Cover

Top of the Panel

Main Panel Inside (Closeup)

Bottom of the Panel

In the bottom here you can see the thick black wires coming in through the back punch out on the left side.

On the right side you can see the large bare aluminum wire in the clamp by itself - this goes out the wall and is connected to the grounding rod. That actually didn't exist until our mains power was shorting with the ground and our electricity started swinging wildly from 80v-240v, which caused the power strip we had under our bed not only to trip, but the capacitor(?) melted/blew up and it started arc welding itself. That was an exciting way to wake up from a nap. But there was no option to just flip a main breaker and cut the power, so I just had to do it manually.

So, what is up with my panel? Is this normal? Was it at least a legal thing to do in the 1970's when my house was built?


texts: Jet water pump runs forever and water tank never fills

texts:
I just bought a new house that was winterized and vacant for about 6 months.  It has a deep well with a jet pump.  When I turn the pump on, the tank does not fill up but water does come out of the taps.  The pressure doesn't go over about 40 kpa and the pump never shuts off.  I've been keeping the pump turned off unless I actually need water.

I had a plumber look at it and he said it was probably something obstructing the jet in the well, but he won't be able to come back to work on it for several days.  Is his diagnosis accurate?  Is this something I could do myself?  I couldn't find any instructions for pulling a jet out of a well online.


texts: Why did oiling cause this crank to become dirty?

texts:
My house has exterior roller shutters operated by a manual crank inside (right pic). But operating it created a lot of squeaking noise from the crank handle so I used a few drops of fine-mechanic oil to lubricate. Problem solved -- but now it's dirty (left pic) and it keeps getting dirty again every time I wipe it clean.

Evidently I should not have used oil here. How can I correct my mistake?

It seems the mix between the combination of plastic tubes (handles) around metal shafts caused the squeaking, but adding oil to that combo creates "dirt" = a very thin black greasy substance that is easily wiped away yet reappears within a day or two (we operate these daily).

I wonder how I can:

remove the oil to stop this problem, and
add something else to prevent it from happening again?

Important update:

I neglected to mention that this is a brand new system; the house was built last summer so there can't be years of dirt. I think it must be a phenomenon about the materials.
Also, the crank doesn't seem to be removable. I can't tell how it's put together but there are no visible screws.


texts: How should I prepare doors and windows for painting?

texts: I'm mostly interested in what is the best way to protect the wood from bad weather, but any other advice on how to improve overall quality of work would be appreciated.


texts:
I'm trying to install a wireless thermostat but i ran into issue putting in an external thermostat. I have a 2 Stage Cool / 1 Stage heat system.

I have the Red 24V from Air Handler connected to R. I have a external 24 Volt Transformer Hooked up to Rc, and C. I get 27 volts between Rc, and C. However when i tell thermostat to turn on fan nothing happens. If i remove external transformer and jump Rc, and R using AHU transformer everything works fine.

What could be causing this?


texts: I am looking at a job where I will be driving nails into the apex of a roof to secure roof anchors.  My concern is accidentally hitting an electrical line on the underside of the roof.  Is this an unwarranted concern given electrical codes and/or standards?  On every youtube video and home improvement show the roofers drive nails into the roof as if there were no chance of striking an electrical line on the other side.  Left to my own devices, I would probably at least use a non-contact voltage tester (such as the one made by Klein Tools).


texts: How can I fuse galvanized sheet metal together so that it is water tight?

texts:
Is it possible to fuse sheets of the galvanized sheet metal that they sell at the hardware store for roofing together so that it is water tight?

I was thinking that this may be able to be accomplished with the same flux and solder used to fuse copper pipes, but I'm not sure.

The reason I am doing this is that I'm hoping to make some water tight trays that potted plants can be placed in.


texts: I recently purchased a small home in a very rural area (in other words, no original blue prints at the recorder of deeds).  The home is sitting on a concrete slab and is a single level.  I have attached my own rough floor plan identifying a wall that I would like to remove to open up the kitchen into the living room (and add a load bearing beam).  Originally I believed that it was a load bearing wall since it runs perpendicular to the rafters.  However, when my father-in-law looked at the floor plan he thought that it was not load bearing since there is an additional 10 feet from the end of the wall to the edge of the home with no walls or headers (see left side of floor plan).  Short of calling in an engineer, are there any other things I could check to determine if this wall is load bearing?


texts: Closet where AC/Heater fan is located is very cold

texts: I noticed that the closet where my heating unit/AC fan lives is super cold.  I measured the temp using a black and decker IR thermal leak detector and the temp in the closet is about the same temp as the air coming out of the vents.  I'm guessing I have a leak but is this particularly bad, or relatively common?  I have a super old AC (like 25yrs old).  Above the heating unit is a lot of old looking fiber glass (with no lining), should I just remove all that, duct tape the crap out of it and re-insulate it with new fiberglass?


texts: Sliding glass windows in an open space: plain or treated glass?

texts:
The plan is to place sliding glass windows on one side of a bridge connecting two buildings near the Arabian Sea in Mumbai.

I attach three photos of the bridge area. One shows both sides of the bridge, one is east facing, and one is west facing towards the Arabian Sea.

The windows are going to go into the west facing area, which currently has plastic sheets covering it.

As you can see, the east facing side is open. Also, we plan for a couple of the west facing sliding windows to contain wire mesh for ventilation. So I am wondering if it makes sense to use something like Solar Control glass (or similar) on the west side, or not. Or should just plain glass be used?

My feeling is that something like Solar Control glass, which controls the sun heating up the interior, or some other kind of glass to trap UV rays (like low-E glass)
only makes sense in an enclosed space, and does not make sense in a passage which is open to the outside. But input is welcome.


texts:
I bought a 4 level house that had an ADT security system with a motion sensor in every room. I never used it since moving in.

But I have a fun project in mind: I'd like to drive my kids nuts when playing hide-and-seek.

Is there a relatively easy and inexpensive solution to reusing the motion sensors. It would be sufficient to have an app (or a webapp) that gives me a flat list of the most recent motion-detector "hits". Any suggestions?


texts: How to replace 2 -gang kitchen/living room switch that also feeds hallway light

texts:
We are replacing a 2-gang light switch with an Iotty smart switch and we encountered a roadblock. We were expecting the wires in the box only to control the kitchen and living room light, but apparently, they also feed a hallway light.
We have neutral and load on the left; live, neutral & traveler in the middle; neutral and load on the right.
The picture of the switch wiring is below.
Where would the traveler wire go?
Thank you!


texts:
In the kitchen, I've removed the tile and would like to install new tile. The floor still has much thinset over concrete. The concrete has hydronic lines for heated floors, has metal mesh on the bottom, and has tar paper over osb. Removing the tile caused several holes in the concrete which are patched with Quickcrete. The hydronic lines have been exposed in some areas as the concrete was not much thicker than the line.
The contractor wants to use a hand grinder with a dimabrush with vacuum to knock down the thinset some more as his Harbour Freight air scraper didn't do much. He then wants to use self leveler to fill all the valleys and level the floor.
Some say leveler over solid thinset is OK. Others say it's not.
I was thinking of picking up a rotary hammer drill with appropriate blades and try to knock down the thinset myself.
What should I do? Ripping out everything and starting over is not an option as the cabinets are on top of tile. ⁰


texts: How to remove this kitchen faucet cartridge?

texts: I haven't been able to determine the make/model but doing some research it looks like possibly Pfister. Either way, the cartridge part is sticking and handle is very difficult to use. I am trying to remove but I am not sure what the next step is/how to remove it. It may be this process.  But step 23 is clearly a bit different.


texts: How can I build a lamp like the one I saw in the store?

texts:
My Fiance and I were walking through Target to find a lamp for the corner of our living room. We saw this one that we kind of liked

But the price was way too high and the panels were too small. I thought that I could possibly make it and I want to know if I'm considering all the right materials (since I'm new to this). I think I would need:

Screws (specific size?)
Screw driver
1" x 1" segments of wood
3' x 3'  panels for each base
Stain
Finish
Some linen for the top
A lightbulb base with a cord running out the bottom of it
A bit to drill a .5" hole in the top panel (for the wire to route)
Some staples to route the cable along the top panel and down the leg (to look nice)
A light bulb
Some wood glue for extra stability

Also I'm not sure how I would use the linen to recreate the top part. Notice how the fabric/material is on the inside of the wood segment/leg. How would I recreate that?


texts:
I've got a limestone patio. The builder apparently didn't support one corner very well and somebody stepped hard on it and a triangle about 1/2 square foot in size broke off. I imagine putting some sort of concrete underneath it but I'm not sure what product to use, or even if this is a good idea or if there's other things I should worry about.

EDIT: Here's a photo:


texts: Teflon Tape or Sealant on Any Flare Fittings for Gas Connections?

texts: I am trying to hook up a gas dryer. The gas line has a flare fitting 1/2 in. that goes into a 1/2 in. x 3/8 in. coupling/reducer (in order to fit into a 3/8 in. gas connector, as suggested by help from Home Depot) and then into an excess flow valve, which then goes into a 3/8 in. gas connector (and then the dryer) Should I put Teflon Tape or Sealant on any of these connections?


texts:
I drilled a hole in my wall and ended up creating this mess. I plan on fixing it with spackle. The cable is a communications wire, not an electrical wire. Would it be appropriate to stick a plastic pipe inside the wall to run the wire(s) through in order to make it easier?

Finished product after response


texts: Splitting maul handle cracked... is it still usable?

texts:
I was splitting logs for firewood today, and must have swung wrong, because the outer shell of the fiberglass handle on my maul shattered.

Although the core of the handle appears intact, and the head isn't loose on the handle, I'm having second thoughts about further use.

Ludell had a lifetime warranty on it, but the company that acquired them isn't honoring said warranty.

What I want to know is, can I still (safely) use this maul, or is it pretty much landfill at this point?


texts: The directions call for the pilot hole to be drilled with a 5/16, but I don't have one. What’s the next size or closest to a 5/16 drill bit?


texts: What kind of electrical shock can that be?

texts:
edited to add some details asked for in comments

So, there is that house in France with three phase electrical power. I don't know if this is relevant. And I can't tell the whole installation was set properly. But the grounding is recent and strong.

We have the electrical board and its protections (differential circuit breakers).

We also have Uninterruptible Power Supply with battery and their protections.

Then we have some computers —local second hand professional servers, with now very low service load— with their own inner surge protections (in AC block).

Now, from time to time, we noticed some computers got problems. Usually correlated with some general power interruption (at the house level, but AFAIK no thunder implied).

One server would be found off while the BIOS settings said to restart after power interruption; but the BIOS settings had gone. The motherboard battery was changed and same occurred again. That's when the UPS was installed, stopping that problem.

But more recently, again we got some damage. A network area storage got burnt. One server doesn't come fully up any more. Seems some problem with ROM corruption or I can't tell.

Maybe at some point the material plugged into one UPS was consuming (demanding) more power than supported (10A).

So my questions are

— How comes all three protection levels (electric board, UPS and AC block) get passed through?

— What kind of a shock can that be (technically / physically)?

— How to set proper protections against that?


texts: What are these orange outlets directly attached to my breaker box?

texts:
I haven't noticed these over the years I've owned my home. Only recently I happened to look down and think "huh, that's odd, why are those outlets colored bright orange." I have, over the years, realized that color around electrical components matters.

So I Googled a bit about orange outlets but in most applications it seems to be used in hospitals. I've also found articles about it being a hospital-grade isolated ground outlet, but from a home owner's perspective, I have no idea why this is helpful. At the same time, the original homeowner clearly thought this would be a useful feature. So I'm just trying to figure out why.
Per request in the comments, I've added an image of the breaker panel open:

(without the zoom of the above picture)
Note: Ignore the yellow stickers / red arrows. This image is from my initial home inspection which was pointing out some issues with oversized breakers. Those issues are resolved and I assume they don't affect these outlets. Sorry about the image quality, the original image was not very high res.
Inside the outlet box:
I apologize, but this is as close to disassembling the outlet as I'm comfortable with. I understand if your first impression is "those pictures are worthless", but I figured I'd post them in the event that they help in any way.

Overall view of the outlet with the box opened.

Close up of the top of the outlet box.

Close up of the bottom of the outlet box.


texts: How long do I need to wait to paint after I skim coated a chimney with concrete?

texts: I needed to skim coat an interior chimney with a very light coat of concrete.  How long until I can paint it with masonary paint?


texts: How to keep a bathroom door slightly ajar, without adjusting a doorstop

texts:
I have a bathroom door whose frame is not plumb, so if the door is left slightly ajar, it swings fully open by itself. I want to be able to leave the door slightly ajar (about 4 inches / 10 cm) without having to manually adjust a doorstop or other device, just by using the door knob to leave it in the set position. I also want to be able to leave the door fully closed or fully open. It would be similar in concept to how car doors can stop in the half-open position.

Does such a device exist, that can hold a door slightly ajar?

I could kludge something out of a coat hanger wire and a nail between the top of the door and the door frame (see diagram below), but it wouldn't look great. Maybe there is a similar professional-looking product that I can install.


texts: I recently got a mini fridge from my neighbor. He said he didn't want it because it wasn't keeping his food cold. I examined it and it is a brand new mini refrigerator in good condition except for the fact that the cooling system isn't working. Its a Black & Decker brand and is probably like 2x2 feet. Is there any way that I can fix this myself, or is it not worth the effort?


texts: Non-contact tester shows voltage in house circuit while three-lamp tester shows none

texts: None of the outlets or lights in my bedroom work. My non-contact tester shows the outlets are hot. My three lamp tester shows no juice reaching the outlets ( no lights light up when it's plugged in). Nothing will turn on when I plug it in either. What could cause this? I've tested both testers on known power sources and they appear to be fine.


texts: The shower I am building is 36x42 on the inside of the curb.  On one wall the 4ft wide kerdi will go exactly to the point where the tile will end.  On the other will can I hang the entire 4ft wide piece of kerdi board and skim coat it with mud, sand, and paint, or do I need to cut it to fit exactly to the edge of the tile?


texts: How to seal marble tile mixed with glass?

texts:
I recently put up a tile backsplash with mosaic marble and glass tiles.  I'm preparing to apply sealer to the stone before I start grouting.  It's several hundred 1/2" x 2" to 7" mixed in a random pattern.  Here's a photo:

It's going to be nearly impossible to avoid all the glass tiles, but both the sealer and tile instructions clearly state to keep sealer away from glass - any tips on how I can apply this to the stone tiles without mucking up the glass?  Alternatively, are there any stone sealer products out there that don't have the glass restriction?


texts: How many ground rods are required for panel and subpanel?

texts:
I have a main service panel with two breakers: the main service breaker and a single large breaker to another subpanel in the same structure.

All other circuits are serviced from the subpanel.

My understanding of NEC is that each panel requires two grounding rods at least 6 feet apart.

My home uses PEX but there is a copper main coming in on the opposite side of the crawlspace.

Do I need two full ground rods per panel? So four, total, rods?


texts: What should the plenum temperature be on a modern furnace

texts:
I had a tech out to review my furnace that's not keeping up - a Trane XV80. They poked around, and saw that the plenum temperature is 95F. They then told me that it should be around 140F, which is clearly, substantially more. The thing that confused me is that in the same breath, he said that the temp delta between the return and the plenum should be 20-30F, which would mean a return temp of 110-120, which is impossible.

So - which is it? And what causes a low plenum temp / how can it be remedied?


texts: POL fitting on a propane regulator -> pipe: what do I need / will it work?

texts:
I have an adjustable propane regulator that I plan to have up to 10 PSI maximum. It's got a POL fitting, and works fine on a regular barbecue tank. However, rather than connect to the tank directly, I want to have a dedicated pipe coming through the wall for propane with the tank outside. I have a 20 PSI regulator attached to the tank on the outside for the purpose, so it looks like:

tank -> 20PSI regulator (with 3/8" hose) -> 3/8" to 1/2" adapter -> 1/2" pipe -> 1/2" ball valve -> (my regulator goes here)

What I'm unsure about is what fitting I can use to go from POL to the ball valve. My basic understanding says something like this: https://propanewarehouse.com/shop/fittings/pol-fittings/female-pol-x-14-mnpt/

I'm concerned about the pressure though. My understanding is that POL valves are meant to take the high-pressure gas from the tank. But rather than high-pressure gas, I've got a max of 20 PSI coming in (probably less because we're going from 3/8 -> 1/2 on the input). So I have two questions: 1) Is this the correct fitting? 2) Is the pressure here okay? Is it valid to go from a 1/2" pipe at relatively low pressure (compared to tank pressure) to POL? Will it cause me to lose appreciable pressure?

Assuming I can't do this, what's my next option? Remove the POL fitting from the regulator and use something else?


texts: Increase size of ceiling joist compromise roof strength?

texts:
I am in the middle of renovating my home and discovered a major problem in my livingroom. The room is 20 feet by 20 feet (400 sq ft) and the ceiling is built out of 2x4s spaced 24 inch on center. Each joist is built out of 2, 10-12 foot pieces that are sistered together in the middle with only a handful (5-10) of nails. Running perpendicular to the joists, they have 2x4 blocking about every 4 feet. The entire structure has sagged a bit, which caused the plaster to crack. It is not in danger of falling down.

I would like to replace the 2x4s with larger joists, but I am concerned that the increased size joist may put more strain on the rafters. The ceiling joists would be 12 foot 2x12s that are coupled together with steel plating and nails. They would also have hangers (2x4s) attaching them to the collar ties up above which would support the center of the ceiling, similar to what you see in the picture.

I don't have any sagging or cracking of my rafters or roof line at all, even though they are also built from 2x4s spaced 24 inch on center. The span is about 12 feet which is not adequate, but being as they haven't sagged or cracked after 20-30 years, I'm not planning to do anything with that. If it's not broken don't fix it.

The question is, would replacing my 2x4 joists with 2x12 joists put too much load on my roof?


texts:
I have an American Standard High Torque Garbage Disposal (QKGO2), and it was installed by the previous homeowner less than two years ago. It hasn't seen too much use, however, because it trips the breaker pretty often. It will run all day with just water, and maybe the occasional tiny scrap, but as soon as there is the tiniest amount of resistance (or even if it's turned on with the sink draining), it will trip the breaker.

It runs, is plugged into an outlet under the sink, and appears to be the only thing on a 20 Amp breaker (we've left it tripped for weeks at a time and have never noticed anything else in the house without power). The breaker is one of those where I have to push it ALL the way to off before I can reset it, if that means anything to anyone.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!


texts:
I want to install carpet tile over DRIcore on my concrete basement floor.  The floor is far from flat; I would guess at least an inch or two of overall variation.

Do I need to ensure the floor is flat for the DRIcore?  If so, how would I do this?  I see they make integrated plastic shims, but they are apparently only designed to adjust the height by 1/4".


texts: Do wooden storm windows need weep holes?

texts: I have read about the importance of weep holes with aluminum storm windows, but we have several old wooden storms in our house.  Do those naturally drain because they're not airtight, or is some kind of weep hole needed?


texts: Nordyne furnace doesn't start at all (model gl1ra 090c-12b 903785GA)

texts: What are the reasons this model furnace won't start at all anymore. No sound when I flip the on switch. I already tried replacing the ignitor and that didn't work. Thank you for any help!


texts: Re-key a lock so it's always openable without a key

texts:
The locking mechanism on the sliding door for my balcony is crappy and it sometimes locks people out on the balcony if they aren't careful.  One idea I had to make the door safer was to just store a key in the lock.  But it would be better if I could re-key the lock using some product that was designed for this application: I'm envisioning a barrel that fits inside standard locks, but doesn't actually have pins or a key hole, and just has a knob or thumb screw.

How can I re-key a lock so it is always openable without needing a key?


texts:
I am building a house.  Right now I am at the stage where there is no drywall or insulation, we just got dried in. We just installed the electrical.  I got the idea that I'd like to install something now that would allow me to hang in the wall and ceiling speakers.
I am using an older system that I already have.  it is a Sony STR-K790 5.1 Surround Sound.  The speakers are rectangular, but I've mounted these in the ceiling in a rental home in the past that was already wired for surround sound and the round ones work just fine.  I'd also like for these to be flush mounted.
Is there something out there designed for flush mounting speakers in the ceiling before drywall is installed?
One other note, I will be storing all of my equipment in a media closet about 12 ft from where the tv is mounted so I will be running the wires out of the components into the ceiling of the closet and out to the speakers.  What is the best way to accomplish this?  I've installed plugs into the closet already.  Just need to work out running HDMI cables, RCA cables etc. through the wall to the closet.
Thank you in advance.


texts: Do all garbage disposal units adhere to the same plumbing connection standards?

texts:
I need to replace a dead, 11-year-old garbage disposal unit.  Before I go shopping for a new one, I'd like to confirm that any new product from a mainstream USA brand will conform to the same plumbing connection standards (width of pipe, etc.).

I haven't been able to infer the answer to this question on any of the DIY websites, so I thought I would ask here.


texts: How should I investigate an electric feeling from an oven?

texts:
Apologies if this is off topic. I couldn't quite work it out from the asking help.

I have an oven with a metal door. When the oven is switched on at the wall, I can feel an electric 'feeling' like vibration if I trail my finger across the door. When it's turned off, I can't feel anything.

I am not 100% sure that it's actually there, and not my imagination. How exactly would I find out if some current is leaking to the oven door? The oven is fully working and has no problems that I can see.


texts: What is the largest size an opening can be in a load bearing wall without a beam install

texts: I have a 20 foot load bearing wall.  How many openings can I have in the wall and how wide can they be?


texts: Will powder coating be durable enough for a closet pole?

texts: I'm making a steel pipe closet rod and was wondering if a powder coat finish would stand up to sliding metal hangers? Thanks!


texts: Broken ground prong on a three-prong extension cord

texts: If the ground prong on my extension cord breaks off, can I still plug the extension cord into an outlet without danger?


texts: How long should thinset dry before gluing up tub surround?

texts:
I replaced the walls in my bathroom and used concrete board around the shower. I plan on finishing the concrete board joints with the proper mesh tape and (premixed) thin-set as recommended but ...

I don't know how long I should let the joints dry before gluing up the tub surround.


texts: Outlet not working before/after replacement

texts:
There is a room in my house that has three outlets. For the longest time, I knew that one of them was causing an issue where it would just suddenly stop working. me being a procrastinator however, I never got around to fixing it.(please wait to scold me after I get a solution.

I had a roommate move in about 2 months ago and they have their tv plugged into said out. well just last night it stopped working. No burnt smell, no tripped breaker and no GCFI. I told him to plug into the next closest outlet and i would get a new outlet from the store and replace it in the AM.

Well the next closest outlet also produced no electricity. The one on the opposite side of the room however has power.

So I ended up picking up two new outlets just in case and started this morning changing out the one furthest from the TV(not the one the tv was originally plugged into.) After hooking the wires up Black to bronze, white to silver and stripped ground to green, i still have no power on That outlet.

Can someone tell me what could be causing this? my theory is that the problem with the one by the TV could be stopping the flow of electricity to the other outlet(I'm not an electrician and have very limited experience with the craft.) I have installed several new outlets in my house before this, so i know enough to know how to do that properly.

Little fun fact, in a stroke of sheer stupidity, I curiously touched the white terminal to the ground terminal with a pair of spaced needle nose pliers, which gave me electricity to the lamp i had plugged in to test(again scold me for my stupidity later.)

Should i go ahead and try replacing the other outlet or what?


texts: How can I calculate the neutral load in a single phase circuit with disparate bus loads?

texts: In a 240 volt single phase, bus A has 4000 watt load and bus B has 7000 watt load . WHAT IS THE NEUTRAL LOAD?


texts: GE side-by-side refrigerator, slow water flow, hollowed out ice cubes. Which solenoid valve(s

texts:
Our 2011 GE (Monogram!) side-by-side  has been losing water pressure to the door dispenser for a couple of years, and now slowed to a trickle, as well as small hollowed-out ice cubes.    The GE MWF water filter is not the issue because the problem persists even after the filter is removed and the bypass plug installed in its place.

This model has more than one electric solenoid valve. It has the typical water inlet solenoid valve, and bolted onto the back of that, a second  double solenoid valve, which seems to send water from the filter outlet side down to both or either of the door dispenser or the icemaker in the freezer compartment.

From what I am reading, the intake solenoid valve which receives water from the copper in-line saddle valve in the home, and sends it to the water filter head, is the most likely candidate for failure and replacement.

Here is a photo of the entire solenoid valve assembly, including both valves.

Note that the valve on the right side (with the orange inlet port) is the more common water inlet valve.

The simpler water inlet solenoid valve (on the right side) is much less expensive than the entire assembly, that includes separate solenoids on the left side that route water down into the appliance for the dispenser and ice maker.

I'd hate to buy the solenoid valve on the inlet side and find that the problem was in the larger double solenoid valve.

Can an experienced DIY or repair person comment on which valve solenoid to purchase?

I have also read that occasionally the filter socket or filter head has some call it, can also go bad, although this seems  much less likely to me.

Diagnostic tips would be much appreciated!

(Because the refrigerator is a built-in model, the solenoid valves are much harder to access in the machine compartment above, and you can't easily detach the water supply line and have water flow into a bucket.)

Thanks!


texts: Why would I have two wires feeding one smoke detector?

texts: I found a smoke detector in my house that appears to have two wires feeding it from two different circuits.  Is this OK?


texts: Breaker feeding an electric heater trips after one minute

texts:
I purchased a Comfort Zone Heater.  Model CZ230ER.  It is a 7,500 watt 240V unit.
 This was installed with 10/2 wire to a brand new 30 amp breaker. Once the heater has been running for about a minute it trips the breaker. I have verified there are no shorts.

I do have it about 60 feet from the panel and my wire conduit was only 25 feet long.  The connections are made using wire nuts mounted in a metal box.

Any thoughts?


texts: What is the purpose of the crown in the middle of a router mounting plate?

texts:
I purchased a router table mounting plate to go inside a custom made table.  The insert includes some crown in the middle of the plate.  The height of the crown is roughly 0.030".

At fist I thought this was a mistake, but after reading the back of the package it says this is by design and that it insures the work is at the highest point.  The consensus here http://lumberjocks.com/topics/39338 seems to be that the reason for the crown is so that when the router is mounted on the plate, it sits flat.

The primary use of the table would be for joinery. I am a novice woodworker, but it seems that the crown imparted would do more harm than good in this scenario. I have 3/8" aluminum plate on hand and am considering using that to build the insert.

Will having the crown on the pre-made plate be better for my purposes than the flat custom plate?


texts: Cleaning bathroom tiles affected with hard water stains

texts:
The walls in my bathroom have been badly affected by hard water.

The tiles have not been cleaned in the last ten years (please do not ask me why). Last year, the water supply in our locality was upgraded, and now we get soft water devoid of excess iron.

Cleaning these tiles is a very big problem. I've already tried all commercial chemicals which advertise effective cleaning of tiles, but with no positive results. Youtube remedies like using vinegar and baking soda have also yielded no results.

The only option I'm left with us using concentrated acid, but I don't want to use it, because it'll destroy the colour of the tiles completely.

Any idea how I can clean the tiles without acid?


texts: How can I add a closet to an existing room?

texts: So I am looking to add a closet to an existing room. I want this to be a built-in because where I live real estate listings do not count a bedroom with a free standing closet. However I can't ever recall seeing someone's house with this and I can't help but think it will look terrible. Is it possible to have a closet that builds out into the room, but still looks nice? I was thinking of placing it where the 19" short wall is and covering up an existing door.


texts: Can it be appropriate to orient a 2x4 "wide side out"?

texts:
When we frame walls, we normally orient the 2x4 with the thin surface facing outward.

What are the consequences of orienting the 2x4 so that the wide surface faces outward instead?
Does the wood have more or less strength to hold a fastener in either orientation?
Is a 1.5" (the depth of a 2x4 when oriented with the wide surface out) embedment sufficient for a screw or nail to have maximum holding power?

If not, what is that threshhold (minimum embedment for a nail or screw)?

Any other considerations?

I am asking this question in a generalized format per SE best practice, but my specific goal for asking is that I want to know whether I can hang heavy things from 2x4's oriented wide surface out. The reason I want to orient them this way is because they will be fastened to concrete, and to fasten a 2x4 to concrete oriented with the thin surface outward will take a 5-6" anchor.


texts: Is installing an egress window in a basement a do it yourself job?

texts:
For starters, we found wet carpet in a finished basement room.  It's not a full bedroom because there is no egress window, but does have a small window approx 2' x 1' about 3 feet away from where the leak is isolated.  I isolated where the leak is by peeling back the carpet and de-humidifying the room, since its behind finished drywall.  After the cement dried out, you can visibly see the moist area where water is leaking down onto.

So the plan is to tear down the wall around the leak, look for mold, and see if the entire drywall needs to come off since the carpet was wet along the entire length of the wall.  I'd like to take the opportunity to turn our 3 bedroom into a 4 bedroom by putting an egress window in, since it can't be legally considered a bedroom without one.

Is this a DIY?  What special considerations do you need to know when cutting into the concrete? We have an older house, and the basement walls have bowed and were I-beamed quite a while ago.  I have a neighbor into real estate who says its actually a pretty simple process as long as you are careful and know what you are doing.  What can go wrong?  Is this a hard DIY?


texts: Furnace turns off power to the thermostat

texts:
When my natural gas furnace is running for a while and it gets too hot, the limit switch turns off the burner.  When it does this, the power also gets cut to my thermostat. This causes the thermostat to run on the backup battery.  Is this normal, or is there a problem with the wiring?

The thermostat has been replaced more than once. Recently when the power got cut to it, it registered the house temperature at 1 degree. This caused the furnace to heat continuously until I reset the whole system.  This is dangerous.

I Had a tech in, and he says it is normal for the power to be cut, and he again wants me to replace the thermostat.  Why would it be normal for the furnace to cut power to the thermostat?

The furnace is a International Comfort Pro NTC6100GFA1, and the thermostat is White Rogers (Emerson) 1F85-0477.


texts:
I'm remodeling a bathroom in a Houston, TX house that was built in 1969. After removing the cabinets on each side, I found that the concrete floor is approximately 2 inches lower where the cabinets were. Why would they do that and can I just fill it in with concrete?
enter image description here


texts: Alternatives to signal on power for home automation systems (such as UBP) - low-voltage circuits, wireless...?

texts:
I am kind of averse to using signal on power for home automation systems such as UBP as this seems to be shared with the outside world (I read somewhere that the signal can travel as far as the transformer and back).

What happens if my neighbour decided to use a similar system (I live in a very urban area)? Any possibility their system might interfere with mine? Any possibility an outsider could potentially take advantage of this?

Those questions prompt me to think that there have to be other kinds of systems out there. Such as alternative circuitry for controls (some low voltage thing, maybe even Ethernet, though that seems like overkill) or wireless systems (but again is this overkill?).

Any pointers to DIY resources or commercial solutions would be truly helpful.


texts: How will a hybrid water heater perform in less than optimal conditions?

texts:
I'm thinking of getting a heat pump hybrid water heater (this one maybe); The operating conditions will be technically within the prescribed range but less than optimal.
I'm wondering how I should expect the heater to perform (power consumption and heating performance) under these conditions. I would be interested in the "with ducting" and "without ducting" answers.
This water heater would be in a small room that can get down to around 40 deg F in the winter. The room is probably about 300 cubic feet but with an open doorway leading out into a hallway and into a larger room from there. The ceiling is probably about 7 feet.
Also, in a worst-case scenario, would it eventually be able to heat my tank just using the electric backup?


texts:
My 2000 Hotsprings Sovereign will not heat at all.

Work Performed:

Installed all new filters.
Installed new 1.5kw/6kw replacement heater.
Unhooked all hoses to make sure of no air locks.
Circulation pump working properly with great flow coming from outlet in bottom of spa.
Jet pump works great.

Further troubleshooting performed:

Unhooked the heater from relay box and have 240 volts across both connections.
Check ohms on heater with a reading of 10.4 ohms. Heater checks OK.
Unhooked both thermistors with power off and T-Stat thermistor reads 9.9k Ohms and the Hi-limit thermistor reads 8.6K ohms.

I saw where ohms on thermistors should be around 10K. Higher if colder and lower if hotter. Ambient temp here today was 76 deg.

The Lowest digital reading on control panel is 80 deg. If I leave it at 80 the green light comes on "READY". When I turn it to 81 deg or higher, the light goes out. (it won't heat at all).

Any ideas?


texts: Heat Pump Min Outdoor Temp for Goodman GSH130361AD

texts:
I just purchased an Ecobee3 and I'd like to minimize the aux heat usage by setting the "Minimum Outdoor Temperature" setting to the lowest possible value.  Ecobee support says that anything below 35 will risk damage to the Heat Pump, but I suspect they're just worried about liability.

I have a Goodman GSH130361AD and I've skimmed through the manual (http://www.hvacpartsshop.com/manuals/gshseriesmanual.pdf), but I can't find anything about min outdoor temperatures or efficiency drop off's.  How can I tell what min outdoor temp is appropriate for my heat pump?


texts: Why is shower water temperature not adjustable?

texts: The temperature in my Hansgrohe Thermo Balance shower is always the same, no matter which way I turn the knob. It's generally warm enough to shower, but I cannot adjust it neither hotter nor colder. It uses a push-and-turn mechanism to adjust. The temperature adjustment is working correctly for all the other sinks and showers in my house. I tried adjusting the maximum temperature on the cartridge, but that had no effect. Do I need a new cartridge or am I overlooking something?


texts: I moved into a mobile home that has the spaces and water lines for a dishwasher but the landlord says I would have to have a plumber uncap the lines... can’t really afford the plumber. Can I do this myself?


texts: Whirlpool Duet Gas Dryer - internal light comes on but nothing on control panel

texts:
So I just suffered a power surge as a result of the fires here in Oregon. My neutral line was pulled from my house. Lost several surge protectors, GFCI outlets, etc. Now that power has been restored I'm troubleshooting issues with my gas dryer, microwave and Nest thermostat.
The gas dryer internal light comes on when I open the door but there is no lights that work on the control panel. I've run through the diagnostics in the service booklet that came with the dryer. Push More Time>Less Time>More Time>Less Time within 5 seconds - Still nothing. I'm wondering how I could test to see if it is the Control Board or User Interface Board.


texts: I am putting in a hanging beam in my ranch style house. To replace a load bearing center wall. The only load on the wall is ceiling load. It is a hip roof. The lumber in all rough cut. They are 2x6 ceiling joist that are spliced on top of the wall. So I need a hanger 4"x at least 12" tall. I can't find any hangers like this. Or could I use long hurricane ties?


texts:
My girlfriend has been offered an insect hotel and we decided to hang it on our balcony (we live in an apartment close to the forest in Denmark).
It has attracted wasps and they have started building a nest inside a cavity supposed to be used by butterflies (I can see it through the slit).

Right now it is not bothering because the wasps are few and very tame : they're not attracted by food, don't come inside and completely ignore anyone on the balcony. They just relentlessly fly in and out.
The nest is small, roughly 6cm in diameter, and can't expand so much because the cavity is a cube about of about 10cm of edge length.

Should I get rid of it while it is still easy, or should I leave it alone ?


texts: Does a roof with 3 layers of asphalt shingles somehow last longer?

texts: I have a building with 3 roofs on it, the top layer is starting to curl, etc, due to its age.  My question is if having 3 layers of shingles will extend the useful life of the roof?  I know this is vague but I hope you see where I'm going with this.


texts: If the third prong of a plug of a shop vac broke off, can you still use the vac as is, or is there another way to use it without replacing the plug.


texts: How do I get cleaning solution into a macerator (pumping station)?

texts: I would like to know exactly how to put the vinegar in the macerator. Do i put it down the toilet bowl after turning off or unplugging the power or is there another way to get the vinegar into the blade area? Thank you.


texts: Need help choosing wire for a detached garage

texts:
I am in need of some help choosing the correct wire for my detached garage.

My plan is to create a run from my main panel in my basement to the detached garage.

The total length of the run is about 80 feet.

I would like to have 2 - 15 amp circuits and 2 - 20 amp circuits in the garage.
My thought is to use a 70 amp breaker in my box in the basement and 70 amp main in the detached garage.  If this is wrong please let me know.

My preference would be to use UF-B direct burial wire if possible.

Links to specific wire and/or breakers/sub-panels would be greatly appreciated.


texts: How much weight will 1" x 12" x 4' tongue and groove hold if it's supported on both ends? I am building a wheelchair ramp at a private residence and wonder if the tongue and groove will hold that weight. Should I use 2" x lumber instead?


texts:
I have a house bulit in 1959 and the original bathroom/toilet keeps backing up. Not sure how old the toilet is.

The plumber says its a 3" steel line running out to the yard and he installed 4" pvc out to the street.

He has put the machine down the hole and it still backs up.

Could age of the toilet be an issue or is it the pipe from toilet to edge of house?


texts: Can somebody identify this Moentrol valve?

texts:
I want to replace the cartridge for this valve because pulling the handle to turn on the water has become more and more difficult.  I would like to figure out what cartridge I need to buy for this.  The house was built in 1954, and I suspect that the valve is as old as that.

I think that it might be this valve:

3570

Also, what would the replacement cartridge be?  If it's is the 3570, then I guess I would need the 1225 cartridge.

Thanks!


texts: How do I make an non-toxic, low cost DIY cleaning solution for laminate floors?

texts: My kitchen's laminate floors quickly become dirty from food and dog bowl spills. Instead of spending a fortune on potentially toxic cleaning solutions, I'd like to make my own cleaning solution that is safe, cheap, and leaves no residue. I've heard mixed reviews on vinegar and dishsoap solutions, but I'd imagine they leave a residue, and I don't think soap is necessarily great for pets and kids (or humans) to ingest. Does anyone have a recipe they have found works for laminate floors?


texts: Foundation next to salt water, on bedrock

texts:
I have a cabin next to the salt water and want to build an 8' x 8' extension. The water is 16' away from the cabin at high tide. The cabin is actually on a Tickle that leads out to the ocean...well protected.

The cabin has a concrete foundation built on exposed bedrock. Does anyone know how to build the concrete foundation on the bedrock and connect it to the existing foundation?


texts:
I'm remodeling a bathroom in a house built in 1993 (Midwest USA). Apparently the plumbers didn't add shutoff valves under the main or master bathroom sinks... I've found plenty of instructions online for how to add a compression shutoff valve, but the plumbing under the sink goes from CPVC to copper, so I'm not sure if I should really install the fitting on the copper.
My question is; Should I install the shutoff on the copper?
Or should I use a CPVC specific shutoff and take the copper off completely?
My impression is that installing a compression fitting on the copper would be easier, but I don't know if that would be up to code in this situation.


texts: How can I easily fix or replace the broken knob handle on bathtub faucet control?

texts:
DIY amateur here. The single handled plastic knob that controls the bathtub faucet recently fell off, along with a screw from its interior and a cap covering the screw. I wish I could post a picture, but the site isn't letting me upload them yet -- even though I have plenty of reputation on the other stack exchange sites! (UPDATE: I now have the reputation to post pictures! See below).

A metal square receptacle remains in the center of the knob-less handle (I guess where a long screw affixed the knob), and the faucet itself still works fine; temporarily, I've put the old broken knob on the fixture and control the water flow. Of course, it keeps falling out.

I'd like to know if there's a simple fix I can do, or do I need to replace the entire fixture. If the latter, how difficult is this to do? I don't want to have to break tile, etc.


texts: What can I use to seam a quartz countertop besides epoxy?

texts: Is there something else that can be used for  a quartz counter top seam without using strong epoxy or chemicals. I am very sensitive to chemicals. Or can silicone be used instead?


texts: How to handle frayed/old wire in can light

texts:
We have some can lights in our house that have been out since we purchased it. I finally took the time to replace them (they are on a vaulted ceiling). I found some exposed wire as I was going along and brittle wire insulation. I used electrical tape to patch it up, but I started getting worried as I went on and kept finding more.

The last can I took apart had the worst yet:

The can says to use 50w bulbs. I found the exact same bulb that they had originally used here here on amazon. This is a 50w equivalent that apparently uses 39w.

I thought it wasn't worth it and cut out the socket, then taped up the ends of the wires. I showed this image to some co-workers and they think that the halogen is most likely causing too much heat.

I thought about replacing the lights with LED variants and trying to pull out the wire through the can to get a section that hasn't been fried. I don't know how much slack there is.

Is this a valid solution? Do I need to call a professional?


texts: Is there a "safe" sub-floor leveling compound?

texts:
I have some gashes in my sub-floor that I'd like to fill/level before placing laminate flooring down.  Upon checking at my local home depot, I found some floor leveling compound but quite frankly, I'm scared to use it. There are very large warnings on it confirming that the contents of it are a known carcinogen and shouldn't be inhaled, touched, etc.

Now obviously I'm going to be wearing all required safety equipment but I'd much rather use something a little less toxic.  Is there anything else I can use to level-out small imperfections in my sub-floor?

-M


texts:
Quick question.  In my bathroom I have a 2 switch electrical box.  One switch is a dimmer and the other controls the fan.  I need to replace the dimmer switch with another dimmer switch.  I connected the black wires and everything works fine but there is a ground wire on the new dimmer switch (no ground wire from the old dimmer) and I don't know where to hook the new ground wire up to?  Do I hook it up to the ground screw part on the fan switch (that would have the fan ground wire and the dimmer ground wire).  Do I not need the ground wire for the new dimmer?
Thanks!


texts: First time DIY tile floor in powder room--transition, leveling, grout?

texts:
We've added a small half bath to an addition, and we're planning to tile the floor ourselves even though we have never done it. The room is about 20 square feet and I'm planning 12" x 24" tiles, so 10 tiles total--how hard can that be? I know, probably much harder than I realize. Some questions:

1) Transition: The subfloor is OSB. We are planning to put down 1/8 inch Ditra (orange) underlayment, then 3/8 inch tiles. The tile will end up being between 1/16 and 1/8 inch higher than the adjoining bamboo floor depending on the thinset thickness. I would like to avoid a heavy marble or wood T threshold if possible for such a small gap. Could I use one of those Schluter metal vertical strips? If I do this, how can I be sure what height to get when the thinset thickness is hard to predict?

2) Leveling: I have read that I should get some sort of leveling system to make sure the large tiles lie flat, but they are awfully expensive--$80 or more for various components that I will use once for this small room. Any advice about how best to level the tiles?

3) Grout: Is stain-free grout best for floor tile? I have read that it can be much harder to work with and to clean off the tile as you're grouting.


texts: Installing a Pilot Light Electrical Switch

texts: I want to replace a single pole wall switch that contols a closet light with a single pole pilot light switch. The pilot light is supposed to light when the closet light is on. The current wall switch is outside the closet. I looked in the switch box and there are two wires (ablack and a white) and a bare copper ground that are connected to the existing switch. The black and white wires are connected to two screws on the right side of the single pole switch. The new Leviton pilot light switch has a brass screw (top right), a black screw (bottom right), a silver screw (top left), and a green ground screw (bottom left). I know where the ground wire is connected. Question: How do I connect the black and white romex wires to the new pilot light switch so that the pilot is 'ON" when the switch is "ON"? There must be something simple that I am overlooking, but I can't figure this out. Help!


texts: Do I need to run a ground from my main panel to the new sub panel 100' away?

texts: Do I need to run a ground from my main panel to the new sub panel 100' away or can I establish the ground at the shop location ie. UFER?


texts:
Is there a wifi camera out there that has a built in power supply and can be directly wired to 120vac? I've looked and looked and all I can come up with is one with a separate power supply. I want to wire it in to my motion sensor light.
Thanks in advance,
Greg


texts: How to remove trim caulk orange peeled wall

texts:
We're replacing the trim in our room, but the trim that is there is taller than the trim that we want to replace it with. So after removing the old trim, there's a caulk line for the original.

The wall is orange peel textured, and I would love if we didn't have to repaint.

The texture of the caulk is kind of dry, I don't think it was a silicone caulk, but I don't really know.

So, I'm looking for advice on how to remove this old caulk.


texts: Boxing out floor joists when using 11-7/8 I-Joists?

texts:
Back in the day with dimensional lumber joists, it was common to box out an area for something like a tub drain that could not be moved due to floor plan layout.  I remember seeing 2x8 or 2x10's doubled up on each side that a joist-box was needed. Then normally the floor joist designated for running where the drain box was made would stop short and hang on a perpendicular short joist spanning to both sides of the doubled joists.

However, what is the most economical way to do that with today's modern I-Joists? It would be rather expensive to run double I-Joists on each side, and it would seem hard to fit something like an LVL block in place between two joists because there is not an engineered LVL hanger I can find and I don't think the two side I-Joists would be rated to carry that end load especially if it's something like a tub full of water on this span.


texts: Concrete cost difference if forms done yourself

texts: Thinking about getting a 4 inch thick concrete slab poured for my back patio.  I was wondering if I dug everything out, made and set the forms, and laid the stone and rebar, would that be a significant savings on the total job cost?  The concrete guys would just have to show up, pour the concrete, and finish it.


texts:
Without purchasing expensive air-con units, or solar panels - and the associated moutings and electrical paraphernalia, is it possible to create a temperature difference of 10-20 °C using materials one can purchase for less than $1000?

Say you have a glass-roofed courtyard (or conservatory of some kind) and the average outside air temperature in summer is between 30-40 °C. With direct sunlight on the glass roof the internal air temperature could easily reach 50-60 °C. Not a very comfortable environment - I'm sure you'll agree.

I would like to design and build some relatively inexpensive system to maintain the internal air temperature to around 25 °C. With the desert-like conditions outside, there is certainly plenty of solar energy available. In fact, before I buried it, water in the black hosepipe that supplied the shower used to reach scoldingly-hot temperatures (say about 70 °C for example.)

I envisage the solution might involve some arrangement of black water-filled pipes, two sealed reservoirs at different heights, a heat pump, a generator and...??? To be honest I really don't have a clue how I could set this up so as to create the desired temperature difference.

It may also be helpful to note that near the building there is an escarpment with a steep drop of about 20m. I've heard that storing energy by pumping water to a greater height is particularly efficient. I doubt however that the same could be said about a cheap turbine/generator used to generate electrical power as the water descends.

If the most efficient/inexpensive solution happened to involve generating a surplus of electrical power - then this could be utilised in the house and would certainly be an advantage.

(Perhaps I should explain - my parents are planning to retire to their small holiday-home in Sicily next year. I'm hoping to build a temperature-controlled courtyard for them as a surprise retirement gift. Also, a water feature incorporating laminal valve jets of water and a Tesla fountain!)


texts: Is it safe to install a heating duct register in the ceiling directly above a home entertainment center?

texts:
We're in the process of getting bids for central heating and one of the conundrums is where to position the registers.  Due to the layout of our living room (and style preferences of my significant other) we may have heating duct register about 2-3 feet directly above our flat panel TV.  Is this a safe practice? Generally speaking, can something like this damage our electronics?

Is there a recommended "safe distance" any/all electronics should be from a register?


texts:
I have a question. I have a TV stand with a capacity of 80 lb., and on it a TV that weighs ~50lb. On the wall directly behind my TV, I have two electrical outlets. On the floor, I have a surge protector connected to one of the sockets. I have a single shelf about 4 feet above the TV stand where I would like to put a projector.

The length of the projector's power cord is only 5 feet, so I can't connect it to the surge protector or one of the 2 outlets. However, the 2 outlets allow for 2 surge protectors/power strips/extension cords etc. I thought of a few possible options and would like to know which one is the best.

Extend the length of the power cord (seems difficult, might void warranty)
Place a power strip on the TV stand and connect the power cord to it (safe?)
Place a power strip on a wall and connect the power cord to it. (safe?)

The rating for the circuit breaker says 125A Maximum and 120/240V. If circuits are only supposed to hold 15A, then mine seems to have a much higher capacity. Even if it only holds 15A, with the devices I have, connecting multiple power strips/extension cords will use far less power than 15A. Overloading the circuit is impossible.

My worry is that by placing a power cord on a TV stand or wall, it will overheat. Is it really safe and I have nothing to worry about?


texts: How can I extend this outdoor signal cable with waterproof?

texts:
I need to repair a broken cable with four wires but there will be no option to solder. So I have to use a screw terminal to extend the cable. The broken cable looks like as follows:

And here is the screw terminal block:

The cable will be on the top of a bridge where there will be rain sometimes. So after I extend the cable by screw terminals I need to find a way to cover the extended section in a way that it wouldn't leak water.

So far I could only find such option as shown here http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/e-cord-cover.jpg But these are for AC cords I guess.

It is impossible to solder on the top of a bridge and it is long story. So soldering is not an option.

Is there a way to safely cover the terminal block with waterproof. Or any other option to extend with waterproof? Is there any component for such purpose?


texts: Ideas for redesigning laundry room entrance

texts:
We have a laundry room that's tight in space and with inconvenient entrance that I would like to redesign. As shown in picture, our laundry room is in first floor and its sitting in the entrance into the house from Garage. It's about 5ft x 8 ft and has doors on the opposite end. Both the doors open inside into laundry room and when both are open they overlap and blocks access to shelf and area behind. Its super inconvenient and to use the area properly, we have to lock ourselves inside.
Now to the question, I am looking for ideas to redesign the entrance to laundry room. here are some ideas that I came up with already and not super ecstatic about any of them. So I want to see if folks in this forum have other any ideas.
Ideas that I came up with

Re-orient the entrance so the door opens into the dinette. Wife not liking the idea of door opening into the house.

Convert the door into a barn order. Like this better than previous option but might look weird.

Any other ideas, measurements are in the diagram.


texts: How can I separate the fan and the light in my bathrooms?

texts: We've got four bathrooms, all wired so that the light and the (extremely loud) fan are on the same switch.  Each one appears to have two blacks wires (both connected to the switch, different screws on the same side) and two white wires (twisted and capped to one another).  Is there a way to add a second switch to control the light and the fan separately without running new wiring?


texts: What could cause a foaming clothes washer standpipe?

texts:
I'm a plumbing contractor and my customer called to say her drain standpipe had started to foam out of the top near the very end of the drain cycle, allowing time for the suds to build up I guess.She has been doing the SAME thing for over six months and this foaming just started a couple weeks ago.
It could be a main drain issue, blocked somewhere downstream maybe causing it, or perhaps the detergent has changed somehow.


texts: How to fix a leak in an inaccessible bathtub fixture?

texts:
Back to my previous homeowners doing weird things.

When we got the home inspection, one of the things the inspector noted that for the large jetted tub in the master bath, there was no access panel or other way to get at the workings of the tub if the motor happened to go out or similar.

Fast forward 7 years, and now the waterfall spigot has developed a leak as shown below:

Is there a way to fix this externally, or do I need to hire someone to come in and get access and fix it? (I could saw out a bunch of drywall, but my drywalling skills are mediocre at best).


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I recently found a slow water leak in the back of my closet which houses both the AC unit and the hot water heater. Maintenance came and pulled up the carpet and sprayed water/bleach on the affected area and has a fan blowing on it to help dry it out.

The leak was on the RIGHT side of the closet:

However, the LEFT side houses the AC unit which has leaked onto the carpet (now since removed) at least three times in the years that I've lived here. This is the first time that the carpet has been removed.

A water/bleach solution was sprayed only on the RIGHT side and NOT on the left under the AC unit. I looked at it today and saw that there are large white spots which appear to be fuzzy around the edges. I don't know if this is a result of the carpet installation or removal or how to tell if it is in fact mold. But it was not treated as I would guess that maintenance didn't see it as mold:

Here is a closer inspection of a white area with visible fuzz:

The maintenance personnel at this location have an air of being overworked and will sometimes leave a job unfinished, have to be reminded by a follow-up to the office, and always seem to want to just get in an get out with the least amount of effort. The regular staff in the office and the maintenance manager are great-- it's just the actual maintenance personnel that I have poor faith in both by observation and previous experience.

The wood beneath the carpet is seriously damaged but this may be historical for the life of the apartment and well before my tenancy. I don't know how long the leak has existed or how long this apartment has been here but the original building which was renovated has existed for over 100 years. I have been informed that the wood will not be replaced and I assume that they plan to put new carpet on top. As this is a closet which doesn't get any foot traffic and is not used for storage, I understand this decision, despite the appearance.

Tomorrow when maintenance returns to re-carpet, I plan to ask them to spray on the white area and come back tomorrow just in case.

This is a bit of a long-winded explanation as I felt the need to give a full account of the details and to explain why the wood looks as bad as it does even though it isn't part of the question.

So my question is: on the LEFT side where there are the large white splotches on the wood which appear to be fuzzy to my untrained eye, the same area beneath which my AC intake has leaked water onto several times, this area which was NOT sprayed, appears like it might be mold.

Could it be mold?

Bonus questions but not required for a solution:

Is it unusual for maintenance to leave the rotted wood (though dry now and treated with water/bleach) and cover it up rather than pulling it out and replacing it?
I was told by the maintenance manager who said that he worked in mold removal previously that I had mildew and did not have mold. Does this sound plausible?


texts: Can I splice the common wire of two different circuits in the same junction?

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I have a single 4way run that shares a 2 gang box with another circuit. Both circuits run off of the same sub-panel.

Is phase an issue here? I can't seem to find anything that indicates whether or not this is acceptable. Thinking about it again, my inclination is that you can't/shouldn't do this.


texts: Wiring size for 75-foot run from 40 amp breakers to tankless water heater?

texts: I am planning out my future tankless water heater install. What type of wire will I need to use for a long run from my 40 amp breakers? Heater will be 240v and about 50-55 feet from the panel. I'm doing the ceiling remodel and adding lights and wiring. While I am up there, I will drop in dead wire/conduit for the future tankless install by an electrician to save on install costs. I'm guessing #8 or #6 wire will do, but need to be sure.


texts: Drywall skim coat has bubbles. How to fix?

texts:
I primed my walls yesterday and noticed that there are tiny holes (1mm diam) from bubbles in the skim coat. I primed it anyway thinking that the primer will fill the holes.

What's the best way to hide the bubbles?
Caulk? Speckle? More mud?
Note: I want to paint very soon and want the easiest solution.


texts: What kind of store sells wood that isn't pine or MDF?

texts:
In Australia, there are 2-3 major hardware stores (Bunnings, Masters, Mitre 10), all of which sell pretty much the same Pine wood/MDF/particle board from the same suppliers.

I'd like to work with wood that isn't Pine/MDF/etc but I realized I have no idea where I could buy it from aside from those three places.

Is there a specific type of store that sells wood? A timber store (I don't even know if that's a thing!)? I'm after high quality hardwood and I don't want to buy online as I expect the shipping would be very expensive for large quantities.


texts: Trying to understand how to lay cork underlayment mats with duck tape. based on discussions

texts:
In this answer, user user2264997 suggested.

  You can staple it down - not as messy and fairly quick. I've used something like this on a remodel. It was 3/8" cork over plywood subfloor, then bamboo on top.

and user DMoore commented

  I wouldn't staple cork. Cork is brittle. Cork expands a bit, especially if it gets a little damp. If it expands and contracts enough the staples will tear and then you will have nothing keeping it together 4 years later. Probably why manufacturer says to glue. Taping the seams with something that handles moisture well is the best solution.

Could someone explain this recommendation "around the perimeter you are taping your cork to the subfloor directly along the outside edge"?

Here is how I understood it. Let's assume we work with 2'x3' cork mats. Lets start from a corner. One places duck tape sticky side down for 3' on the subfloor, along the perimeter of one wall starting from the corner, then folds the tape back onto itself to expose sticky face for cork piece #1. Since are in a corner one places another fold back tape for 2 feet along the other perpendicular wall.

Cork piece #1 in the middle of long side parallel to short sides has a folding back duck tape to expose sticky side to subfloor. Then #1 get attached to subfloor along its middle andd along its outside edges parallel to walls, 1/4 inch spaced from walls to allow expansion? We could prep #2 so it has a middle sticky side do tape exposed. It will bump against the wall on its outside short edge. so a fold-back tape along wall could be prepped? Now we lay #2 next to #1 along their long side. Attach its bottom short edge 1/4 in from wall. Now along their long edges they are touching place a tape to join them. Did I get it?


texts:
As my title states, I have a house that is on a slab and the exterior and most interior walls are block and covered with plaster. Since we bought the house we have noticed a musty smell that we originally thought was the washing machine.

It wasn't.

My concern now is that is may just be the HVAC system built in the slab, but that costs thousands to clean, and to reseal with spray. The smell isn't just in the hvac system though, it seems to be seeping out of the walls. I am just looking for suggestions, ideas, or even concerns that informative people may have on this issue. Anything helps!


texts: How can I cover up wood floor stain spill damage?

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Due to some stupidity and a large spill, I've got some nasty dark splotches on my wood.

I’ve sanded and cleaned I’ve cleaned the area with white vinegar (which might have been a mistake) and barkeepers friend.

Here’s what it looks like right now:
•

This seems to be more than surface damage and unfortunately it appears the stain has worked its way into the wood itself. Based on what I’ve read there doesn't seem to be a way to fix this without replacing the affected areas of the floor. I want to save this repair for further down the line (maybe re-do the floors at a later time)

In the meantime, barring placing a mat or rug over the damaged area, how do I cosmetically cover up this damage? I know (or at least I think) I can't fix this completely, due to the likely extent of the damage, but I’d like to make this area look passible.

One of my initial thoughts was to try a wood stain. Is it advisable to just try to stain the affected area and how do you effectively color match stains? I’d have some more leeway if I had dark colored wood but since this damage has seeped into my light colored wood – would a stain even be able to cover up and obscure the damage?

Are there any other materials and things I can try out and use to cover up this damage? Any other advice/tips?


texts: Pretty big electric shock when touching my lamp

texts: I just received a fairly large electric shock when trying to turn on the lamp on my nightstand while I was sitting in bed. When we purchased the lamp, it was 110v however we had it changed to 220v since we live overseas. The lamp base is vintage copper metal. I'm pretty sure I was touching the copper when I was shocked. The shock was so intense it left a burning sensation on my finger, I saw "white" and it flipped the main fuse for our whole house. I had to manually flip the main fuse back on. I have been using the lamp for several days with no problem (we just received it in our shipping container) however another lamp we had the voltage changed short circuited when I tried putting in a light bulb so I'm guessing the rewiring was done wrong on all the lamps. I was holding my 6 month old son's hand as he slept when I was shocked. I'm worried that I became a conductor for the current and maybe he felt it but he seems to be okay. Didn't even wake up. Is there a need for me to be worried for myself or my son? Obviously, we are going to take the lamps to a local electrician here and have them fixed.


texts: How to tell if a carpeted floor is level enough for laminate flooring?

texts:
We want to install laminate flooring in our family room, and had someone out to measure the room and bid on the job.  He claims that there's a hump in the floor that makes it impractical to install Pergo.

He did this by sight and didn't use any tools.  We can't see a hump.  We didn't consider him reliable (and had to ask him to leave the house after a few minutes; he was argumentative).

How can we tell before ripping up the carpet if the floor is level enough for the flooring we want?  The house was built in 1986.  This room has a wood subfloor, and is over a basement.  There are no poles, beams, or supports beneath this room -- no obvious cause of a hump.


texts: Can sheetrock be put in for fire barrier over existing ductwork and plumbing in drive under garage?

texts:
I am in the process of buying a house and the home inspection brought up some interesting issues.  The house is in the Atlanta area and was built in 1979 with a drive-under garage.  The garage ceiling looked strange in that it was insulated but sheet rock was never put over the ductwork or plumbing.  The inspector mentioned that the house doesn't have a proper fire barrier between the house and the garage.  It was a building code that wasn't present at the time that the house/garage were built. We wanted to finish the ceiling to have that barrier but mostly know that it would probably be an issue in trying to sell the house later.  We're trying to determine if the cost would be too high for this project since there are a lot of other small but expensive items that would need to be repaired.  I first was trying to figure out two things which are if it is even possible to do and if so a range for the project.  I took a couple of pictures during the inspection so you can get an idea of what the state of the garage is. The water shutoff is on the ceiling of the garage so we would at least need to have it redirected to be on the side wall so it is easier to reach.  The inspector seemed to think that the only thing we could do is add sprinklers which would be fine but we only plan on being in the house for 4-5 years so the re-sale ability is important.  I've attached the images and would love an opinion from those that may have tried to attempt similar projects or from those that have worked with sheetrock. It is something that I would definitely have a professional assist with if we do it but if the cost is too much we might just keep looking for a different house.
Thanks,
Cindy


texts: How to fix Kitchen drain that came apart?

texts:
My kitchen drain came apart, it is like 12 years old. I noticed it is not a locknut connection, so I am not sure how to attach these parts. The sink strainer itself is loose and I can pull it out easily, so I was wondering if I need to reseal it as well? Above the connection you see a black washer. Any advice?

UPDATE - Per Ben's advice after looking closer I could see it did have a drain screw and it broke in half. Below you can see what it looks like. Now I just got to find this part and replace it every 10 years from now on.

UPDATE 2 - I shopped around to a big box and a plumbing supply store, but it seems such retaining screw is rare and none of them ever recall stocking such a part. They also said that was a unusual way of making such an assembly. So I am just going to replace it with a Deep Cup Strainer that should fit in perfectly. If that screw went after 12 years it is bound to go again. And since this is a double sink, I am going to replace both of them.


texts: How to fix a halogen light with missing transformer plug

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I have a halogen light [ikea brasa 360] where the plug/transformer is missing. Image here http://imgur.com/FMjSToJ
I did a bit of research and figured I could cut the cable and solder the wire to that of a plug/transformer  rated at 12v.
When i cut the cable on the lamp i found three wires red, yellow and blue. Given that teh transformer [from a hard drive] had only two wires I  went through them all two at a time until i got a light.
I joined them [yellow and blue] and the light lit but it flickers at a steady throb now and doesn't light properly.
Can anyone advise as to what i need to do. As you can tell I am far from an expert in these matters. Any help would be gratefully accepted.
Thanks


texts:
We have a semi-exterior wall with some spots where the paint is peeling and what appears to be dry, powdery plaster is falling out. The wall is under a roof so it's not rained on directly, but otherwise it is exposed to humidity and hot to freezing outside temperatures here in Virginia. It's a brick wall and I've seen no evidence of lathe. The other side of the wall is completely exterior and painted.

What's the best way to stop this and repair it?


texts: Trying to understand wiring to old heat lamp in bathroom

texts:
I am replacing a very old heat lamp in a bathroom ceiling with a fan/light/nightlight.

The house is over 50 years old but the heat lamp may have been added in the 80's, when a previous owner did some remodeling.  The original house wiring did not use junction boxes in the attic or at light fixtures, but there is one junction box in the attic above this fixture.

I am trying to understand how that wiring worked.

There is 12-3 romex running from the electrical panel into that junction box above the old light.
There are three 12-2 romex lines coming out of that junction box: One 12-2 runs to the switch that controlled the heat light.  That line is controlled by breaker 10 in the panel.  I understand that.  A second 12-2 runs from the junction box directly to the heat lamp.  It is also controlled by circuit breaker 10.  The third 12-2 runs out from the junction box to a different bathroom.  That line is controlled by breaker 12 in the panel.

I am assuming that 10 and 12 share the 12-3 at the electrical panel.

I do not understand why one wire fed the light directly while the other ran through the switch.  I would be grateful if someone could explain to me how that works.  How does the switch cut the power when there is a second line running directly into the fixture that is always on?

The 2x6 is charred where the heat lamp was attached (4 or 5 inches).  Is that likely to have been caused by the heat from the fixture or the wiring?  The white romex jackets close to the fixture are browned.

What should be done with the line that ran directly from the junction box to the heat lamp?  Should the junction box be rewired so that it can be removed?

I am planning to call an electrician, but I want to understand it before I get an estimate.


texts: Do I need to replace the foundation under porch posts when replacing them?

texts: I need to rebuild my porch this summer. I think its circa 1970 and the flooring is starting to rot through. The only part of the job that is really throwing me is replacing the load bearing columns (I have roughly a 4' overhang).  It is difficult to see but from what I can tell they are resting on cinder blocks (I am not sure if this is legit but my guess is no).  I am looking for tips and recommendations on how to replace it and any known building codes that I should be aware of regarding it.  Do I need to pour a cement base for the new?  From what I understand I need to jack up a 4x4 to support the roof and then replace the post but I am not sure what I need to do to secure it to the ground.  Here is a pic from this past winter


texts: GFIC Breaker keeps tripping unless another breaker is off

texts: I am trying to find out why my outlet in the upstairs bathroom doesn't work. It seems to be the only load on a GFIC breaker in my panel. It will re-trip immediately. However if I switch off the breaker that controls the lights in that bathroom and another room, the GFIC breaker will hold and the outlet works fine. I've tried having everything off and it's the same result. I'm not an electrician but I am pretty handy. Would this be possible because of a failed device or does it mean I have a short somewhere?


texts: Integrated LED sconce turns on and then immediately turns off

texts:
I just moved into a new home which has two bathrooms with identical LED vanity lights, https://www.minkagroup.net/p5217-077-l.html. In each bathroom, when you flip the switch for the vanity light, it briefly illuminates and then immediately turns off and does not turn on again. If you flip the switch off and on again, it will flash on and off again. This happens to both light fixtures in two different bathrooms.
Since we just moved in, I don't know how long the problem has been going on. We had the buildings electrician come and he just recommended replacing both lights. But it seems to me since this is happening with two lights in two bathrooms the issue may not be with the integrated LED lighting and may be voltage or something else?
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!


texts: How to relocate 50 amp hot tub wires from PVC conduit into ceiling joists

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I have a house in Seattle WA with a hot tub that was wired when I bought the house. Some of the wiring is in grey rigid conduit (PVC?) attached to the garage ceiling. I want to reroute these through the ceiling joists to accommodate a new garage door and for a tidy appearance. The drywall ceiling has been removed.

In the panel, there are two 50 Amp circuit breakers. There are 4 wires total: 2 hot, 1 neutral, and 1 ground, all the same size, I think #6. These exit the panel via a short run of flex conduit which goes into a junction box. Exiting the junction box, the wires are routed along the ceiling in PVC conduit. This conduit runs down a concrete block wall and into a large switch box. Exiting the switch box is a third type of conduit, flexible liquid tight PVC.

I want to replace the PVC conduit run which is attached to the ceiling, and instead run wire through the ceiling joists. I will still need some conduit since the walls of the garage are concrete block. For aesthetic reasons, I would prefer to replace the PVC conduit on the garage wall with EMT. The outdoor portions are a small trip hazard but that is a problem for another day.

In the ceiling joists, I believe I want 6/3 NM-B. What I'm unsure about is how to make the transitions: from the panel into the ceiling, and out of the ceiling to the switch box. I haven't worked with  6/3 NM-B, but I suspect it will be too large to fit through the existing conduit runs. The wires might fit it I remove the sheathing from the 6/3 NM-B. But both cases, I'm unclear on the code. The conduit runs on either end are short, perhaps 3' from panel to ceiling and 4' from ceiling to the switch box.

I could use junction boxes to make the transitions, but it feels cleaner & simpler to have continuous wire runs. The 6/3 NM-B wire comes in a roll so I will have plenty to spare.

So my questions are:

1) Is 6/3 NM-B the right wire for running thought the ceiling joists?

2) Can this wire be run through conduit as-is?
  2a) If so what size flex and what size EMT?

3) Can this wire be run through conduit after removing the sheathing?
   3a) If so what size flex and what size EMT?

4) Most generally, can I do a continuous run with the new wire or do I need junction boxes?

Any clues appreciated !


texts: Do all permanent lighting fixtures need to be switched, per NEC?

texts:
I just have a quick question about code-compliance and permanent lighting fixtures. At one of the residences I maintain, we have some rather lengthy hallways which are located in the center of the 2nd floor, a lot of this upper floor is an addition built on to a very old house, no natural lighting source at all. There are 3 light fixtures along the ceiling, all separately switched. Some of the residents we have here have mobility issues and other impairments, and while the ends of the hallways tend to stay lit adequately, the middle length of the hallway is pitch-dark when the light is off which usually frustrates me because I don't want anyone falling or otherwise injuring themselves because of the dark.

My question here, is can I just remove the switch and cap the wires together in the box, so long as it is properly grounded? I know all bedrooms, baths and common areas require permanent, switched lighting fixtures, but do I have any leeway with a hallway that is dependent on light fixtures? I don't particularly ever like the idea of any live circuit that can't be quickly and manually opened but I also don't like the possibility someone could fall if they have poor eyesight.

Also just to clarify, this is in regards to North American electrical code.


texts: Proper, code compliant, way to move an electrical outlet

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I Need to move this outlet to the other stud.

My first thought was to splice new wire inside the box and move it over, BUT NEC doesn’t allow splicing in-wall if the box is not reachable/accessible.

Also, I’m not sure if NEC allows Romexs to be run between studs ( only stapled to the side )

How do I do this while remaining code complaint?


texts: Is it okay to connect 2 ground wires to a single ground screw?

texts: I have 2 ground wires that I can get around the ground screw on an outlet. Is it okay to do this or do I need to use a pigtail to join the wires and have only one wire attach to the ground screw?


texts: My home currently has wiring that consists of one Black, one White, and one Bare conductor. I am installing a new cooktop w/a downdraft. It has one Black, one Red, one White, and one Green conductor. The White and Green wire seems to be bonded on the end. How do I wire this?


texts: Is This Basement Window Frame Structural

texts:
I'm renovating a bedroom in the basement, and I am trying to upgrade the window to meet the local egress requirements (Ontario, Canada). We have a standard bungalow with cinder block walls, built in 1958.

As you can see in the picture, there is a wooden frame in the opening of the cinder block wall (I have already taken out the actual vinyl window). If I take out the wooden frame, there would be more than enough room to get a window in that meets the local egress requirements, however with the wooden frame there isn't enough room. So I'm looking for some help in working out if the window frame is actually structural.

There doesn't seem to be any weight on the top of the window frame from the sill plate, as I can wedge a screw driver in there and wiggle it around a fair bit. However I'm concerned about the sill an having 2 floor joists sitting on it without having any support underneath. It seems odd that the window frame would be structural, but this is a 1958 house I guess.

Can anyone provide any pointers on how to know if it is structural or not, and if it is structural, is there a way I might be able to replace the frame with a metal lintel or something?

If I can't work out for sure if its structural or not, I'm thinking that I'll just leave the top and sides of it in place and cut a larger opening in the cinder blocks at the bottom, I'd really rather avoid that though.

*Note that I am not trying to meet USA egress requirements, this is for Ontario, where you only need a 3.8 sq ft opening (from what I've researched). I'm planning to put a hopper style egress window in, similar to this one https://bavarianwindows.com/product/egress-window-ontario/


texts: Central AC is Icing up, but not cooling my house

texts: My central air conditioner isn't cooling like it used to. I noticed that the refrigerant lines entering the evaporator coil in the plenum were icing up. What might the problem be?


texts:
I read all the information and answers given in response to this same question and I readily acknowledge why this isn't a good idea but hear me out with my issue.
I have a tablet. It has been provided to me by ADT for security purposes to arm and disarm the home. The tablet comes with 6' of attached wiring and an adapter which you plug into a nearby outlet.
The tablet is anchored to the wall near the back door just above a light switch. Cannot use the light switch for power as it is a slave switch to another light switch on the opposite side of the room.  So I have the tablet secured and the wires droop down maybe 4' to the outlet where the adapter is plugged in.  There is extra wire on the floor.
I can take care of the wire issue but the whole setup looks stupid and unattractive.
If I can't hide the whole setup in the wall what are my options?


texts:
We just bought a house and it has this ceiling fan:

The upper portion has bulbs in it, but for the life of me I cannot figure out how you'd get to them. The top of the unit has a metal plate secured with 6 or 8 screws. I can believe you'd have to remove all of those screws, especially so close to the ceiling, to change the bulbs. The plastic side pieces do not seem to come out. Anyone have a fan like this and know how to access the bulbs?


texts: Would my fridge be causing the 20amp gfci to trip

texts: I recently bought a house and when I went to plug the fridge in it worked fine however the next morning. I wen to check on it and found that the circuit had been popped as well the ice machine was on at during the night. The I turned the ice machine off and reset the breaker and plugged the fridge in and it worked for a while but it eventually tripped the 20 amp gfci this time and as well as the next time. I Will note that the fridge I self not plugged into a gfci but is wired from one could this be causing the problem or would there be other reason for the fridge to be popping the gfci?


texts: Smoke detector wiring - black wire in 3 wire appears to be damaged. Can I use power from AFCI circuit to power but use red wire to interconnect?

texts:
I have ~10 smoke alarms (one per bedroom, one per hall).  Somehow the last one isn't working.  The green light didn't go on.  I've done some troubleshooting - swapped the connectors and swapped the smoke alarm with the previous one on the circuit.  This one is at the end of the smoke detector chain.
It seems like the black wire must have been damaged in the wall.  I did multi-meter resistance test by hooking all wires at previous smoke together and at last smoke detector checking resistance.  White and red seem showed .4, black and red or black and white showed 0.  It would be really painful to get a new 3 wire from the alarm back to the previous.  The house is modern has few interior walls - the ceiling in this case is a structural panel.  The path would go through the studs of a door probably where the wire became damaged.  The wire would have been more than 1 1/4" back from the face of any drywall but door jamb get installed with 3" screws and I didn't think about putting a nailing plate anywhere along that stud where a jamb screw could get the wire.
These smoke alarms are from kidde and only do smoke not co.  No co devices in house.
Seems like the CEC and NEC handle the smoke detectors differently.  CEC requires smoke alarms to be on a circuit with lights and if on an AFCI circuit the smoke needs an integral battery (which I take to mean as something that can't be removed).
I am under the CEC so my plan is to use the red wire to interconnect to the previous alarm(s).  I'll cut the black and white of the wiring leading to the non functional back to strain relief in the good smoke detector box.  I'll cut the black and white wire back to the strain relief in the non-functional box as well.  Then I'll pull a 14/2 for power from a bedroom AFCI outlet circuit up to the non-functional to provide power.  I'll get a smoke detector that has a lithium integral battery.  The only piece that I may technically fail on would be if the outlet circuit does not have lights on it as well (I haven't checked).
To get a new 3 wire back I'd have to open drywall at the bottom of the wall for 15'.  Drill through corner studs and pass through a door header (the previous wire is on the surface of the header which was shimmed out for drywall and then had a large piece of metal as a nailing protector 5" wide x 3' long.  The drywall and trim is already painted and caulked.
I wouldn't want to put all smoke detectors on the bedroom AFCI circuit as then I'd need to buy 12 new smoke detectors with integral batteries (one seems reasonable).
I talked to Kidde technical support and the rep claimed that the smoke detectors need to be on their own circuit otherwise they'd be tripped - clearly that is wrong given CEC requires them to have lights on the same circuit.
I tried to address all the comments and I think my plan covers them?  Cutting back the black/white in both boxes should prevent anyone in the future from trying to use them and there won't be an exposed hot wire in my wall.  I am hoping that the red wire is carrying low voltage so even if there is some damage to it there isn't a worry there?  Other thoughts?


texts:
My ranch style house was built between 1940-1955. Below you will see a 6x6 beam running parallel with the ceiling joists. The 6x6 beam is a wall that is not in the center of the house exactly. Should I be worried about the hole that was bored to run camera security wiring down into the wall? The wiring hasn’t been placed in there yet. It’s sitting around in the attic.
The first picture shows the beam running parrallel with the ceiling joists. It’s 6x6 beam. The second picture should show where the beam meets the center beams running the length of the house(I assume). The third picture shows the wall I am talking about that has the beam directly above it. The last picture shows the wall I’m talking about meeting the center load bearing wall that runs the length of my house.
Thank you for any help!


texts: What framing is needed for swinging closet doors?

texts: How do you frame an existing, finished opening for double swinging closet doors to be installed?


texts: garbage disposal still works but the sink just does not drain

texts: The garbage disposal under the kitchen sink still runs, but the sink just does not drain. What can the reason, do I have to open the garbage disposal? Are there any easy ways to fix?


texts: How to wire a portable generator to a irrigation pump

texts: I have a portable gas generator that I want to connect to a 1hp, 240 volt irrigation pump. The pump is out in a field and not connected in any way to power at the house. I want to use a twist lock extension cord from the Generator to the pump. The generator has a floating neutral. Do I need to bond the neutral and ground wire in the extension cord together? Thanks