texts: Can I run water lines through the attic?

texts:
I recently had a Slab leak in my home in Indianapolis,IN. This is the 4th Slab leak since I've owned the home. I decided it was time to reroute all the Water lines. I thought this was best so I wouldn't have to deal with anymore slab issues. We had pex lines run through our attic space to the bathrooms and laundry area.
Pex had to be ran under the concrete from the utility closet to the Kitchen. All the lines are tied to a Manifold.
After reading some info on this site, I am alarmed that we may have frozen lines in the cold temp.
The pex was run about 3 maybe 4 feet above the blown in insulation. The lines were fastened to the rafters. Black insulation was used to wrap the lines. I've been told that this is out of code in Indiana and that the lines need to be rerun inside the home. Just below celing. Then celing would have to be framed and new drywall attached.
Help! Anyone that can provide any information about what we should do, would be appreciated.


texts: Plumbing - two cold water pressure tanks, both with bladders - low flow second floor

texts: The house we bought has two blue cold water pressure tanks, both with bladders, and the system is set for cut-in at 50 and cut-out at 70. We noticed a tiny pinhole leak in a tee connection close to where the well line enters the house - so we turned off the pump and drained water from the tanks enough to allow work on the tee, which is about 5' off the floor. Tee repaired, we cleaned and changed the sediment filter, put in a new filter, and then checked the bladder pressure while the pressure was off the water tanks. Both pressure tanks bladders were charged to 38 pounds rather than 48, only because it seemed like it was taking forever to do that. Both of the tanks, before charging the bladders back up, were at about 24 pounds each (the tanks are in tandem, one larger than the other).  Refilling the system was normal, and we let the water and air blow out of lines through the house. However, we now have a situation where, as the pressure drops before the pump cuts back in, there's very little water pressure on the second floor (tanks are in the basement) so the bathrooms/showers are an issue. Tank pressure seems fine, and the 50-70 in and out seems high to us, but that's how the prior owners set up the system, so we've never messed with it. Until now. Help!


texts: Can I connect a 1-3 adapter to a 12/3 extension cord?

texts:
Before I ask, I understand how extension cords work to a point. I understand if anything is plugged in, it needs to stay under the rated wattage and amperage. I also understand the way cords are rated by gauge. Though i don’t understand what the 3 in 12/3 means. If I use the wrong words please feel free to fix this. I’m just unsure on these safety questions that seemed unanswered when I looked it up.
Hi. I have a shed, 50ft should be long enough. I had a couple questions.
The main one is, can I plug a 1 to 3 adapter as long as I keep the total
wattage and amperage under the rating?
I also had a question, is a USB hub considered an “extension”?
Also on a triple tap, is it safe to plug in a power strip?


texts:
I am actually a pretty good electrician, but am baffled by what I found today.

During a remodel and adding a few new boxes for future lights, I received a shock from a neutral wire and a floating ground.

The house is old and there are no grounds on most of the circuits. I was confused for there is no ground except for about 20 ft going from one new box to another but not connected to panel ground. In fact the ground is terminated with a wire nut in each box but are not connected to anything. Yet when I tested the neutral to ground voltage, I found 48 volts.

Subsequently I tested a few other outlets in the house and also found neutral to ground voltage of 48 v. I then unplugged all devices. Voltage to ground disappeared. Only when I plugged in a device with a ground did the neutral to ground voltage reappear. I then went to the main panel thinking I had a bad neutral somewhere, and disconnected each circuit one at a time and found no neutral to ground issues at the panel and the neutral voltage only disappeared when I turned off hot to circuit.

Different circuits were found to have neutral to ground voltage only when a grounded plug was put into that outlet. I assumed that the ground of the device was allowing me to read neutral voltage. Hot to neutral is correct everywhere. I  am baffled. Suggestions?


texts: Dual-flush Toilet Not Filling Up Properly

texts:
Here is the video I recorded of my toilet: Toilet Problems

So about a month ago our dual-flush toilet suddenly stopped filling up properly. It takes forever to fill up and it doesn't even fill up properly anyway. What I have seen is that if I flush and I turn off the water supply, wait about five seconds, and turn it back on, the toilet fills up like normal and properly. If I flush again, then the water just fills up slowly again. So I'm not sure if someone could help me figure out what the problem could be. This is the first time having a dual-flush toilet and I'm not really sure what to do...

Here is the video I recorded of my toilet: Toilet Problems


texts: How can I make my woodworking project square?

texts:
I understand how one checks for square.  But, what do you do when it's not square?

I put together four boards to begin forming a cabinet.  I checked for square and nudged it into place.  Then I screwed the boards together (using pocket holes).  When I checked again, it was no longer square.  Now what?  There's no back board or cross piece to hold everything in place.


texts: How do I cut lengths of wooden beading lengthwise?

texts:
I wish to replace some missing beading in a stairwell. I've only a limited amount of equipment and experience, but I figured I could get a mitre saw and some matching wooden edging and the right stain, and it would be a simple job to match the existing beading.

When I went to buy some edging, I couldn't find anything that matched a piece that I pried up from the floor.

The top piece is from the existing stairwell. It is sitting on the closest match I could find.

The guy at my local timber place said the existing beading had been cut to shape.

How do I cut the bottom piece to match the cross-section of the top piece? Do I need a table saw? The longest piece will be about 1200mm long.

(This job just became much more difficult! Have I given up too quickly on finding a match?)


texts:
In my living room there are two light switches, the cables of both come out of the same hole in the ceiling. I would like to use both switches, one for dim, ambient lighting, the other for game nights etc. Hence I installed an additional lamp.

Sadly the second lamp doesn't turn on. While my mains tester indicates that blue, brown and both black cables are live (see image), only the combination of blue and any black cable works. When attaching brown and black to a lamp, the lamp doesn't turn on.

Any ideas?


texts:
I saw a can crusher I wanted to build in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLJgQUiXHV0

And so I built the attachment wheel, shaft, and can chute. Then I bought the motor off ebay here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sumitomo-SM-Cyclo-HM-3097-AS-1-3-HP-1-Phase-Induction-Motor-/381191021505

But I'm not sure what's used to power it? Does anyone know?


texts: How to construct safe safer waterfalls for baby fish?

texts:
I am building a large pond comprising three separate pools and two waterfalls. The waterfalls comprise a brick wall, with the top row of bricks removed, so that water flows over the area with absent bricks:
 _________                               _________ _________
|         |                             |         |         |
|_________|_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_|_________|_________|
|    |       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\|         |         |
|____|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________|____|
|         |         |         |         |         |         |
|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________|
|    |         |         |         |         |         |    |
|____|_________|_________|_________|_________|_________|____|

During testing, small fish about .5" long flew over the waterfall, even though the waterfall had only a thin layer of water there. Since larger fish will be kept in the other pools, it is important they don't get swept over. I've considered placing a fine net across the top of the span where the missing bricks are, to stop fish from going over, but I suspect the small fish will still get trapped by the current and stuck in the net. There must be some technology, perhaps developed for the fish farming industry or for dams to prevent this problem.
Is there any way to modify the construction in a way that prevents the baby fish from being swept over or trapped by the heavy current absent of turning down the pumps?


texts: What product should I use to adhere pavers to an old concrete sidewalk?

texts: We want to 'dress' up an old concrete sidewalk with pavers, but don't know if we should adhere them with mortar or some type of adhesive material.  Which method would be the most durable in the long run?


texts: What kind of nut should I use when a screw is too short?

texts:
Trying to replace the handles on a chest of drawers and the 'new' handles are a touch to short for the thickness of the wood to get a normal nut on the end. Is there a Tee nut type thing that can solve my issue?
Any suggestions (UK) where I might get one?
Any other ideas?

Thanks for your help!


texts:
I have a 9kw heater I want to hook up.  There is a 3x8 AWG (w/ ground) cable going to and from the heater's control panel.  The cable connects to a a 40 amp breaker, with the red and black on either side and neutral connected to the neutral bus, and ground connected to the ground bar.

The diagram looks like this, presumably with the L1 L1 L2 L2 terminals taking the cable from the breaker, and the O1 O2 O3 O4 terminals taking the cable which goes out to the heater.

Which wires do I connect where?


texts: How long should electric furnace element last

texts:
I've been having elements go out in my electric furnace every year. Along with that, there's generally a burnt wire or two. Every about 2-3 years a sequencer goes out.

Is this normal? I've been using the same company the entire time I've owned the furnace (I bought the house and the furnace was already 10 years old).

It seems ridiculous that every year I have to get my furnace serviced so it will pump out enough hot air.

Furnace is Central Electric, Model EB23B


texts: How can I be sure I connected the electric power socket correctly?

texts:
I just installed a new power socket (instead of an old one) for the first time. I plugged in a light lamp and it seemed to work OK. But the socket should be used with much heavier instruments (kitchen ovens). So, I want to make sure that it is really installed correctly, so that no accidents happen when I plug in the ovens.

Is there a safe way to check in advance that the socket is installed correctly?


texts: How do I replace shower / tub handles / spouts?

texts:
I recently bought a house with 20 year old fixtures 3 bathrooms including a shower, shower/tub, and roman tub. The shower knobs say Harden on them and the tub/shower knob has a separate tub/shower lever and the shower knob has a volume control lever. The Roman tub I'm not sure who makes it, but the knobs on the tub match the shower knob so perhaps they are also Harden. What I'm what I'm wondering is:

Can I replace the spouts/knobs without replacing the valves (all of the valves are in walls with no access)?
Assuming yes, how can I find knobs/spouts that will work with the existing valves? (I'm not sure if removing the tub spout requires turning off the water so I haven't wanted to do it yet).

Roman tub:

Shower:

Shower / tub:


texts: Do the house plans contain the info about the material?

texts:
I'm planning to build a home addition and I'd like to know if the construction drawings will contain the information of what material the walls need to be built?

I have some experience in building a house but not so much in getting paperwork around it.
I'd like to build with AAC blocks. Do I also need to get an architect who understands what it is and how to design the plans? Or the architect will only draw the borders and the materials are up to me?

I worry if in the process I will change my mind, i.e. I decide to use ICF instead of AAC and I will need new blueprints and approvals. I reside in USA, oh.

In this example I don't see any information on the material used:


texts: Is having a window in a room that is below grade a requirement?

texts:
This would be in Charlotte, NC, Mecklenburg County.  I vaguely remember hearing somewhere that rooms that are below grade are required to have a full size window in them or they can't be considered part of the square footage calculation or are a safety hazard or something like that.

Any truth to that statement?


texts: How would I go about identifying and matching this wood stain color?

texts:
I inherited some wooden furniture (which I believe to be oak) a few years back and was looking to add a couple of pieces to it. I want to try and get close to the same color, but I have no idea what color this actually is, so I was looking for some help. Sorry that some of the photos are a little more "blue" for some reason.

Photos are of the end-table and coffee-table.


texts: Proper lighting for basement bedroom 12x12ft

texts: We are in the process of creating a bedroom in our lower level. The room is 12x12ft and they currently just have 2 can lights, which allow for a lot of dark areas in the room. We are going to put in other light sources like floor lamps, but we still feel that we need more ceiling light. Does anyone have any suggestions if more can lights should be installed or smaller can lights? Before I start to cut into the ceiling, I want to have a solid plan and I am unsure of our best bet. Thanks for any feedback!


texts: Should I be concerned about ventilation in a small room?

texts:
I have a 10'x10' room in my garage that I use as a drum set practice room.  I've been sealing it up better to provide some sound proofing. The sealing is not extreme, but I have an exterior door (like a front door) with no blatant air gaps, and there are no vents into the room. I don't want normal vents because the sound will pour out. There is also a normal, but quality window.

My question is whether I need be concerned about the lack of ventilation if the longest I'll ever be in there is 2-3 hours without opening the door. I'm not asking about building code, but whether a person could actually use up too much oxygen relative to what will seep in through the gaps in the windows and doors?

I know I can make a project out of building a muffled ventilation path, but want to avoid that work if not really necessary.


texts: Install doorbell transformer on round junction box

texts:
Recently installed a Ring doorbell but realized that I need to hardwire a transformer to it. There's no existing transformer, so I'm thinking of wiring the transformer from the front door light (120v). My questions are:

Is it safe to splice the transformer to the light?
Should the transformer be inside or outside of the junction box? Attached is a picture of the junction box. I figure it has to be outside because the transformer and resister together can't fit in the box.
Is it safe if the transformer is outside of the junction box but inside the cover of the light?


texts: streaks in polyurethane finish on freshly stained farm table

texts: I applied too much polyurethane finish on newly stained wood farm table while applying third coat. I tried sanding with 220 grit and applying a 4th coat but there are still very visible streaks.  Should I sand and coat again or do I have to strip and stain over?


texts: Removing light switch but keeping the power

texts:
I have a three switch outlet on my living room wall. the leftmost switch was to a can light above the mantel, the middle to the fan portion of the fan and the right to the light portion of the fan. Upon moving into my home I have replaced the fan with a newer one that makes the need for a light switch unneccessary and i have removed the can light. I mounted my tv above the mantel and used the power from the can light to make the outlet behind the TV. Now if I turn the switch off it turns my TV off.

I have a single story home with a attic over everything but the builder ran all the wiring through the walls for the outlets and for the lights he ran them in the attic. I want to keep the power to the tv and i'd like to run recessed lighting off of one of the switches that i first mentioned. help please


texts: Calculating the inner diameter of a sleeve for wrapping a bundle cables in a house

texts:
Let's assume I'm wiring a house with ethernet cables. Cables will be bundled together and each bundle will be wrapped in a sleeve to protect cables from rodents (amongst other benefits). Sleeves come in predefined inner diameters, e.g. 1/8", 1/4", 3/8" and so forth. While ethernet cables can be measured as 22 AWG to 28 AWG, external diameter may vary due to its cable jacket.

Let's assume I have a bundle consisting of 6 cables with a max diameter of 4mm. The 4mm may include a protective sleeve. My understanding is that given the diameter of a single cable, I can calculate its area.

var cableDiameter = 4;
var cableArea = ((cableDiameter * cableDiameter) * Math.PI) / 4;

To get the area of the bundle of cables, I can multiply it by the number of cables:

var cableCount = 6;
var bundleArea = cableArea * cableCount;

And then what's left if to calculate the diameter of the bundle:

var bundleDiameter = Math.Sqrt((bundleArea * 4)/ Math.PI);

I can then convert that to inches.

var inch = 25.4;
var bundleDiameterInches = Math.Round(bundleDiameter / inch, 2);

Which gives me a 9.8mm or 0.39” for the diameter of the bundle consisting of six cables with a diameter of 4mm (28 AWG), which implies I can use a sleeve with an inner diameter of 3/8” provided it can stretch to 0.39". For a bundle consisting of 6.5mm cables (24 AWG), a sleeve with an inner diameter of 5/8” or 3/4” may suffice.

But it seems my calculations may be a bit too optimistic. It doesn't include room for cables to flex when the bundle of cables are bent. I also read that other factors of the cable, such as heat and interference, may require additional spacing around each cable.

What other factors should be taken into account when calculating the diameter of a bundle of cables for wrapping them in a sleeve?


texts: How long can I leave a wood fence after pressure washing, before staining it?

texts: If I were to pressure wash my fence in mid-spring, could I leave it and not stain it until fall? The reason I ask is I have the time to wash the fence and my house, but I probably couldn't stain it for a few weeks, until it would be hot, and I'd rather wait until fall when it cools down a bit.


texts: Why does my newly rewired light stay on all the time?

texts:
I've installed new hallway and bedroom lights. The hallway light is wired to a 3-way switch & working fine. But now the bedroom (wired to a regular switch) light is on all the time and the switch is not working the light the light just stays on.  I've crossed wires somewhere.
In the bedroom ceiling the junction box has old wires. It looks like 3 black and 1 white. Only one of the blacks are hot.
The new wires coming in are a 3-wire cable (red, black, white). When I test  are all hot.  From what I remember, all the old black wire except 1 were in a wire nut with the red wire and when I took the old light down I'm pretty sure it was just with the black and white from the new 3-wire cable in the box.


texts: Thermostat Where Do The Two Wires From Condenser Go?

texts:
First let me say that I'm a newbie and have zero electrical experience. I'm an IT Guy and thought "Hey, its electronic, so I can probably figure it out."

WRONG

I appreciate any feedback/suggestions you folks may offer.

I have installed a $20 Honeywell thermostat and the air blows, but not cold. The AC Unit wont kick on outside. This only happened after I installed this new STAT. I have a 5 wire bundle and an additional 2 wire bundle.

5 Wire Colors:

G - Fan
R - Return
W - Heating
Y - Cooling
B - Common

2 Wire Colors:

R - ??
W - ??

As you can see from my photos, I have connected 4 of the 5 wires, based on the obvious W to W, R to R, etc etc markings. I do not know if I need to hook up the black. I am almost sure that the reason I do not have the AC Unit kicking on, is due to the 2 wire red and white not being connected.

My question is, where do the 2 wire red and white wires connect on the Thermostat?

Again, I really appreciate you folks taking the time to reply

RLTW


texts: Durability / weathering of screen-printed/laminated pattern aluminum siding?

texts:
There have been, for probably most of the past decade, high-end aluminum siding products with screen-printed or membrane-applied surface finishes, most or all of which that I can find seem to be wood grain of all manner of wood, colors, patterns, etc.  These were probably aimed at commercial buildings and appartments, but there is nothing preventing their use for single-detached houses.
I was wondering if anyone has any first or second-hand knowledge as to how these products stand up over time, UV exposure, etc.
Bonus question:  Are there any of these products that have a stone or brick-pattern finish?  All I've seen is wood grain.


texts: Overhauling and painting upvc door handles

texts:
I wish to overhaul some of my exterior door handles in uPVC frames.

Handle images

What paint do I use to "touch up" the scratches and gouges in the white paintwork?
How to I fix the loose handle where the washer is showing?

3.Is there any spray paint I can use to cover the gold painted handle with a silver/grey colour?


texts: Wall mounted Heated towel rail plug not marked

texts:
Looking for correct wiring configuration as this plus has not colour coding like others I have wired. I sure there must be a standard for these.

[]1


texts: What can I use to fill gap between unpainted wood trim and wood sill?

texts: The gap is due to paneling install over drywall and I am re-installing trim around windows and door.  The trim only has clear coat, so painting caulking does not appear to be a solution here.


texts: If a hot wire is shorted to earth i.e. the hot 120 v ac wire that comes out of a Ex. 20 amp breaker is directly connected (short) to a grounding rod, why wont the breaker trip.


texts: help determining amp service to my house

texts:
I'm considering installing an electric tankless water heater in my house, but need to know what amp service I currently have. I read that you should look at the amps on the main breaker to the house to determine this. So I inspected the main panel on the outside of my house, and found the main breaker that feeds to the subpanel inside the house. It is a 2-pole breaker that says "100" on each side. Does that mean it's 100 amps total or 1100 on each pole (=200 amps?):

And here is the breaker with the panel face off:

And the main panel itself is wired up from the meter via these two wire:

Another pic of the main panel's center portion:

And my sub-panel inside the house for good measure:

And the meter itself:


texts: Should I keep this surge suppressor in my main load center?

texts:
I found this curious item in my main load center (circuit breaker box), marked "SQUARE D COMPANY / SECONDARY SURGE ARRESTER / J9200-10".  It has been there for at least 20 years, attached to the ground/neutral bar and the load side of the main breakers, and dangling free inside the load center.  At Schneider's site (apparently bought Square D), "the J9200-10 was a 175Vac to neutral/ground maximum, single-phase arrestor".   So I assume it was installed in my panel with the intention of offering whole-house surge protection.

Questions:

Should I keep it installed ?

Should I replace it, since it's so old, that is, do surge arrestors "wear out" ?

Not visible in this image, but it has a round threaded protrusion and locknut, obviously meant to be installed in a 1/2" knockout.  Seems like the body of the thing is meant to be on the outside of an enclosure (as opposed to the inside), since loose wires come out the other side.  Perhaps it was simply left dangling inside the box due to laziness.  Should I install it in a knockout (of the load center) ?  I imagine this is a metal-oxide varistor (MOV) and these things dissipate surges as heat, which gives me pause in having it outside any enclosure.

If I install it in a knockout (with the body outside), the wires will not reach.   Is it ok to extend them with soldered THWN and heat-shrink insulation ?   I prefer to avoid the clutter of 3 add'l wire nuts.  I believe solder is considered satisfactory electrically, but not mechanically; but since the solder joint and both ends of wire are within the same enclosure, I don't think the mechanical thing is of concern.

Here is the backside of it.


texts: Simplest way to carbonate a kitchen faucet

texts:
I'm hoping my plan to carbonate my kitchen drinking faucet is as easy as it seems, but would like some confirmation I'm not missing something:

In short, I want to hook my main water line up to a consumption-grade CO2 tank, the same way I would hook up a Keg. I have a separate drinking faucet connected to my main water line, and I'd like to add a CO2 tank, connected to a regulator, connected to an air line, connected to a keg coupler. The Keg coupler would also connect to my main water line, and separately connect through to my faucet. For a diagram of what I mean, check out: www.kegworks.com/blog/how-draft-systems-work/ [No affiliation].

I'm not concerned with chilling or filtering at this point, but in theory would I be able to add in a water filter that feeds into my main water line into the keg coupler down the road? Or would that create problems with making the filter system 'under reverse pressure' from the CO2 tank?

I'm also trying to avoid needing to get a separate water tank to keep under my kitchen sink as that space is limited and I'd like to keep refill trips to a minimum. If my current plan doesn't work, having a tank of filtered water that I periodically have to refill and put under my sink might be the next best thing.

I guess what I need to worry about is whether my main water line is pressurized enough to prevent the CO2 tank from simply emptying out into my water supply?Alternatively, would the pressure from the main water line 'overpower' the CO2 tank such that I would get minimal carbonation in the end product?

Per the comments, if I would need to keep the CO2 tank < the pressure of the water line (let's assume 50-75 PSI), would that sufficiently carbonate the water? If not, would it be possible to add some sort of one-way valve from the main water line that feeds into some sort of water collection tank, that then connects to the carbonation system, so that it could 'withstand' higher pressure?


texts: Are these fibers in my drywall asbestos?

texts:
While removing/cleaning the bathroom fan hood, I noticed that the edges of the hole in the drywall ceiling have a very fibrous-looking layer/sheet on each side of the gypsum.

This house is very old (going on over 100 years) and I'm not sure when this bathroom's ceiling was last renovated.

I will take a sample to the lab tomorrow, but wondering if anyone has seen the sheeting look so fibrous like this?


texts:
Background: A bay window has been having ice dam issues for the past couple of years. I think the water is coming in through the space between the gutter and the fascia. That space is just on the inside edge of the bay window. I see water dripping from that space on each side of the bay window, so I assume it must also happen inside the bay window.

I still can't tell the dripping only happens during winter melt, or also during rain storms. I seem to hear "tick tock" water dripping during rain storms as well, but it's hard to tell, and there does not seem to be enough to cause water damage inside. I got insulation added to the attic, which perhaps improved the ice dam issue a bit (or maybe it was just the weather this winter), but there was still a bit of water dripping from the bay window frame inside the house.

2 winters ago, when the ice dam issue was at its worst, there was a bit of water damage in the kitchen ceiling, which is more or less at the same height at the base of the bay window.

I am getting the siding redone around the bay window (to add flashing at the top of the siding and bigger flashing at the top of the window, which will hopefully prevent water from coming in). Also possibly add insulation (its always cold around that bay window area in the winter). The soffit under the bay window is currently unvented (as shown in the picture). The contractor said there is no need for ventilation there and they usually install unvented soffits.

Question: Should I get vented soffits installed, so that water has an easy way out (instead of going towards the kitchen ceiling?) Could that cause issues, or even if vented soffits do not do anything, they at least won't do any harm?


texts: Removing old baseboard heaters and thermostat

texts: I read some of the other responses to similar questions.  But I also need to know about the thermostat that controls the heaters I removed.  Is it acceptable to cap the wires to the thermostat and tape them with electrical tape and push them into the wall?


texts: I have a Janitrol Model A42-15 and I wanti to replace the outside unit, but it takes the dreaded R22

texts:
Can you use the new refrigerant with the existing inside unit?

If so, what would be units that are compatible with my existing one?

My outside unit is a 3.5 ton unit, but I am going to need a 4 ton due to an expansion of an added room to the home.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I am widowed and disabled and have little money to spare, however living in Texas, air conditioning is a necessity.

If this is not a possibility, then any suggestions on which new unit to try to purchase would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you may lend in my huge undertaking!


texts: Trim - Casing and Baseboard Installation

texts: I want to install more decorative baseboard in my existing home. I currently have 2.5" plain casing and 4.5 inch plain baseboard. I have three windows that have 1/2 inch gap between the top of the baseboard and the bottom window casing. I now want to install more decorative casing and molding. I can trim down the casing molding to a little over 2.5 inches, but I would like to keep my 5 1/4 inch baseboard. Can the baseboard and casing touch? Can I reduce the baseboard just under the window and bring it base up to its original width of 5 1/4 inches on the left and right side of the window. Any ideas would be most appreciated. Thanks


texts: Where should I position a recessed contact sensor in a door?

texts: Is there a recommended location on a door to install a recessed contact sensor?  I see many installing on the top of the door.  Any reason it can't be installed in the bottom corner?


texts: What are the steps to troubleshoot no hot water coming out of just one faucet?

texts:
Its been cold lately. Cold as its been at any time so far this winter. I came downstairs to turn on the kitchen sink and while cold water came out, when I turned on just hot water, no water came out. I went to the other faucets in the house, including a nearby bathroom, they all give hot water.

I immediately called our home warranty people, fearing frozen pipes. I'm hopeful that's not the reason, so I wanted to know if I could troubleshoot the issues until I can get a plumber to come out.

What would the signs of frozen pipes be? Is there anyway I could tell they are frozen while they are frozen?
What other things could cause a single faucet to not give hot water. How could I look for those reasons?


texts: How do I reduce height of the curb on my driveway?

texts:
I have a concrete driveway (normal 2 car poured driveway) which is cut vertically (90 degrees) about 2.5 inches above the street.

My father-in-law lives with us and has a powered wheelchair.  The driveway is just too high to be smoothly rolled over.

How can I reduce this bump?  I imagine something done all the way across the driveway would look nicest, but if there's an idea for just modifying 3 feet across, that's fine too.

I'm in Houston, TX, USA - freezing and snow are not concerns.  Not sure about drainage.  There are no storm drains cut in on my side of the street.  Typically water drains away from my lot, to the east and north (where there are drains).  I'm also concerned there's a good reason the driveways are this way - all the houses near me have the same height issue.


texts: Should I remove padding on laminate flooring before gluing it to steps?

texts:
I have some laminate flooring that I'm installing on a few steps that lead into my sunk-floor family room.
The flooring is intended for a floating installing, but I know that on steps I have to glue and nail it to keep it stable.
The manufacturer appears to say nothing about stair installation. I read through the warranty/install guide and it only address the floor installation. It excludes certain things (i.e. ceilings), but doesn't exclude stairs. Here is the product page.
The flooring I bought comes with an attached pad.  Do I have to remove that before installing?
If I don't remove it, I'm concerned that the bond won't be a strong as needed, or that the padding will allow shifting.
If I do remove it, I'm concerned that it will make it a slightly different height than the stair nosing.


texts:
After some gusty storms put my vinyl skirting into disrepair, I need some advice on how to secure the guide that runs along the ground that the skirting sits in. The ground is not level and not flat so I am short on ideas. Right now it is held in place by .5"x6" spikes but the wind came with rain and the spikes just moved sideways. The house is 72' long and from 2-4' tall. That is a lot of surface area for the wind to act on so the solution has to be rather strong. Any ideas?

Note: I dont have enough rep to make my own tags and cant find any, more appropriate tags


texts: Where can I find a replacement green colored porcelain toilet?

texts: Do any of the manufacturers still make green colored porcelain toilets?  The existing one is an American Standard model probably from the 60's and it is green porcelain.  Most of the bathroom is green tile so I don't think a white replacement would look right, but it seems that none of the manufacturers I have looked at make green colored toilets anymore.  Any ideas?


texts: Oak floor boards - getting an even finish with Polyx Oil

texts:
I’m using Polyx Oil hard wax finish on a new oak floor. The boards are grade A2 or B French oak, and I’ve used 2 part filler (Ronseal, “natural” colour) to fill splits, knots and some areas of uneven grain. I’m not happy with the way the filled areas are showing up - the Polyx accentuates the ultra-smooth filled areas, especially when the light reflects off the surface - see photos.

The boards looked acceptable after rubbing down, before I applied the Polyx. I don’t mind the fact that the filler is lighter than most of the boards, but does anyone have suggestions how I can get the texture to blend in better with the surrounding un-filled areas of wood?

Photos: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN1iU0o4HXbhZHWH8LO2vZpjrh-UpiWJR93DbMgV2gy9iBGjWhytfYbEuWdD6rU4A?key=Um1sWmdFSl9NeHRsUGdBdjBJcl9NZF9hc1ZjUW13


texts: Is this a load bearing wall? Please help

texts: I have a commercial space I am working on and would like to open up the wall between two rooms its a single story building, flat roof, concrete flooring. one room is 400 sq ft and the other is 600sq ft. I just want to open it up to the exterior wall one one side and where the thermostat sits on the other just before the hallway entrance. I have removed most of the drywall seen in the picture so you can get a good idea of all the studs i'll be removing. It seems there use to be two windows in this wall but then was just converted into a wall with a center opening. There is an 18inch beam under the joists running across the whole building to both exterior walls. Thanks in advance for the help!


texts: If I'm replacing a range with an oven and cooktop, do I have to change the breaker?

texts:
My old range is on a 60 amp circuit. I'm replacing the range with an oven (40 amp) and cooktop (30 amp).

I currently have a Siemens 60 amp breaker and label states awg 6-4.  I want to replace it with a 70 amp breaker where label also states awg 6-4.  So is it ok to change the breaker from 60 to 70 without changing the old wire?

Don't know size of wire. But I assume is 6. So if it is 6, do I need to change the wire?

Update:  Thank you for everybody's reply. I don't know if this info helps. The cooktop is 8300 watts and the oven is 6325 watts. I currently have a 60 amp breaker. Can I just use the 60 amp breaker and not even changing it to 70 amp?   Cause that would be the best option for me.


texts: What's the normal water flow from a residential RO membrane?

texts:
I just replaced the filters of a reverse osmosis system by myself for the first time. However, I realized that the water flow from the outlet of the RO membrane is very low, like droplets.

Does anyone know if this is normal or is my OR membrane damaged? At this rate it will take forever for the tank to fill, and until then there's no water out from the tap :(


texts: Adding a diverter to an electric dryer into a basement not the home

texts:
I would like to  put a diverter on our dryer vent on our electric dryer in the basement and not in the home.
Has anyone ever done this to take advantage of the air that comes out of the dryer.
I see kits that you can attach to your dryer vent that are supposed to work.  Do they?
Most of the basement is very cold and I have some very large houseplants growing under lights that would benefit from the moisture. However I see from a lot of posts that the dryer throws out a lot of harmful lint as well as chemicals. The vent will be connected to a small dryer in the laundry room area of my basement where a dehumidifier is plugged in and running.
Would the dehumidifier take care of the extra moisture problem everyone is speaking about?


texts:
So to begin, we have a deep submersible well pump. We noticed that our water pressure was getting weaker and weaker. At first I believe it was because of the well house not being properly insulated causing a freeze. I came to this conclusion because we started having water issues when it started to get really cold out and the well pressure would be at its lowest during the coldest parts of the night. After a few days of the pressure weakening, I decided to reinsulate everything. Even after that, still no luck. At this point, we have no water coming into the house. I realized the pump wasn't turning on and was causing a humming sound near the control box. I opened it up and saw a burnt "relay/contactor". Once I replaced it, viola, we had water again. But this time, the pressure gauge was reading 0 PSI. Even tho we are getting decent water pressure to the house. The water pressure was noticeably weaker then before the freeze.

My main concern is, what could cause the relay to get burnt out like that? Is my pressure gauge faulty? I just want to be able to care for my well proactively before something bad and expensive happens.


texts: Gas oven goes "Thup" every 5 to 30 minutes. What to do?

texts:
An 8 year old natural gas oven has been making a sound occasionally.  It seems to be every 5 minutes or so when the oven starts and then less frequently.  The sound is not very loud, but loud enough to be clearly heard from across the room.  This has been going on for at least a couple of years (but I just found out about it).  What should I do about this noise?

Update: The first 3 comments give a wide range of opinions, from highly dangerous to that is how the oven works.  I would like to hear from some other people familiar with gas ovens, including owners of such
ovens.

Update 2: One oven manufacturer's website says, "It is possible to hear a whooshing or popping sound from any type of gas burners when the burner ignites on start-up and reignites during use." https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/gas-burner-noise-during-use

This surely is confusing to a non-expert.


texts: Can I split ceiling light wire to create a receptacle on ceiling?

texts:
I'm trying to install LED string lights (2 Watt x 15 bulbs) around the porch covered by permanent roof. But, it looks ugly if I run an extension cord on the wall from the outlet to the ceiling.
There are two light fixtures on the ceiling. Will it be permissible to split the wires from one of the light fixtures to make a receptacle on the ceiling?


texts:
The old silicone bead has spots of mould, I believe the proper way is to remove the old silicone first then apply new silicone to get the same thickness and outlook.

But I wonder if any thing bad can happen if I do not mind to increase the thickness (e.g. 3mm to 6mm) by applying new silicone on top without first removing the old one?

With the increased thickness, there should be enough surface for the new silicone to adhere onto (even though the old silicone may not adhere with the new silicone). But it would be great if something that I can do to prep the old silicone (e.g. degrease it, sand it, etc.) to make it good to adhere onto.

Sorry for amateur questions.


texts: How should I paint cedar and pressure-treated pine?

texts:
I recently built a fence from white cedar (pickets) and pressure-treated pine (posts and rails).  I have been told that I need to wait before painting or staining the fence in order to give the cedar oil and treatment a chance to dry out, but how long should I wait?  (People have told me everything from a few weeks up to a year.)

Is it best to stain or paint?  If I paint, should I use a primer first, or can I go ahead with the first coat of paint?  Should the pressure-treated pine be oiled or treated in some way before staining or painting?


texts: What is the functional difference between using a ground wire, and grounding to a fixture?

texts:
Is one method better than the other? How so?

In the possible event that one has both options at their disposal, which one should they choose?

An example where you would have both options at your disposal would be wiring a ceiling light fixture, where your feeder cable contains a ground wire, and there is also a ground clip on the fixture itself. You then have the choice of attaching the next light fixture's ground wire directly to the ground clip on the previous fixture, or you can pigtail off of the previous fixture's ground wire.

When I write ground wire, I am referring to the bare or green-insulated wire.


texts: How to run electrical wire in concrete ceilng?

texts:
I live in a condo with popcorn (a.k.a California) ceilings. Next week I'm having them scraped, spackled, and painted smooth.
I also want to hang a ceiling light fixture (the dining area desperately needs more light). Since I'm having the ceiling done, I thought I might ask the contractor to run a wire as well. What is the best way to go about it?

Here is the picture I have in mind:

Cut a shallow groove in the ceiling to the nearest wall with electrical box nearby. Snake a wire from electrical box to the ceiling, then lay wire in the groove and spackle it over. Install the fixture (I have not decided on exact type yet, probably something hanging like a chandalier) with concrete bolts. The spot where the wire comes out of the ceiling would be concealed by the fixture.

Does this make sense? Is there a better way to do it?


texts:
I currently have a sump pump in my basement that is normally powered by plugging it into an outlet. When we lose power, I have a 100 amp hour marine deep cycle lead acid battery along with a 1200 watt power inverter to power the 1/3 horsepower sump pump.
The power inverter has an automatic shutoff when the voltage of the battery drops below 10.5 volts and because of that shutoff, the power inverter will start to power the pump however I can see on the display that the battery is dropping to 9 volts and then shortly after the inverter cuts the power. I was wondering how would I be able to mitigate this voltage drop in order to prolong the batteries from dropping below 10.5 volts?


texts: Why are half my Christmas lights not turning on?

texts:
I have a set of Christmas lights for which the second half doesn't light up. My understanding is that the individual branches are in parallel whereas the lights in each branch is in series.

The plug at the end of the set works fine, so current seems to travel to the end of the wires correctly.

What could be causing this?


texts: Can you lay ceramic floor tile over a floor that has thin linoleum-like tiles already on the floor or do you have to remove them all before installation?


texts: Cat3 from Verizon ONT to Old Bell Atlantic Panel

texts:
I am trying to identify what the purpose of this was, and whether it is safe to cut this cable. This Verizon Fiber ONT (optical network terminal) has a blue and white cable coming from this interface:

It is running up and over to this old copper phone line (Bell Atlantic) panel which appears to be capped off.
(front):

(inside):

There are however some wires that are running from this phone interface to a tube on the right and under my basement window:

I have a lot of Cat5e in the house that terminated in the basement next to this BA panel here:

I want to re-purpose the Cat5e which is terminated throughout the house as RJ11, and use it as RJ45 and hook it up to get 1Gbps internet. I am trying to determine what at one time was coming out of this ONT:
What is the blue and white Cat3 cable going to the Bell Atlantic box that is now capped off?
What is the brown and white cable next to that that is capped off?
What is currently hooked up to this interface panel that's going underground?


texts:
So I had just had a shower upstairs this past weekend and went downstairs to do the laundry and I discovered that the floor near the pipes was wet. See photo

I immediately went and bought some GOOP and sealed the cracked section of pipe and then I called a plumber to fix it and he said he would be able to handle it sometime this week. Well I never heard back from him (we've had crazy terrible weather) and now I'm thinking that maybe I could just do the work myself.

How do I replace a drain stack?


texts: Ontario 12VDC Electrical Code for LED Strips

texts: Non-electrician here. I'm considering installing 12VDC LED strips along the ceiling perimeter of a room and I was wondering if there is any electrical code (in Ontario) regarding power delivery. Specifically, I want to run the 12VDC line inside the wall cavity - coming from a standard consumer wall socket power supply, through a wall cable plate, and out along the ceiling. Is this allowed since it's low voltage?


texts:
I appear to have a not so common request.

I have two light switches which are located 1m (3ft) apart and control two ceiling lights located 2m (6ft) apart.

There must have been some idea behind it, but what I want is a single switch operating both.

I checked wiring and it seems there is no extra/common wire available in switch boxes or fixture boxes which can be used to pair these.

Looks like I have to either break wall or ceiling to add a wire or use some wireless solution; I am more inclined to second solution, though I don't want/have smart home things.

So far I found multiple wireless remote switches similar to this (Amazon), but they all have a finished control side (either wall-mountable switch or remote control with battery), while I need a box-with-wires control side, no batteries.

Maybe I am missing some obvious solution?

Thanks.


texts:
Ok...so I have an electrical issue that I am having some difficulty figuring out.  I have 3 lights in the perimeter of my property with 2 being on the problem feed.  The 1 light on the other side of the property works great with the switch.  So from the supply drop there are 2 lights on a switch and an outlet that is always on.  There are 4 wires red, white, black, ground.  At the switch there are 3....ground, black white with white being hot.
When switch is on white at the switch and drop are hot...black and red show no voltage.
When the switch is off...the black at the drop now shows voltage with white still hot and the red still does not show voltage.
Any help would be appreciated.


texts: New CO/ALR vs AlumiConn connectors for outdoor outlet

texts: I want to replace an existing outdoor duplex outlet at my house.  The house was built in the 70s and has aluminum wiring.  The outlet is at the end of the circuit run, so the aluminum wires are directly connected to the outlet terminals (no pigtail).  Note that I cannot find weather resistant (WR) CO/ALR outlets.  So, when I replace this outlet, am I better off connecting the aluminum wires to the terminals of a new non-WR CO/ALR outlet, or using a new WR outlet with AlumiConn connectors and copper pigtails?  I've seen other posts on this site that ask a similar question for indoor applications...and the highest rated answer says that CO/ALR is a better solution than AlumiConn.  My application is outdoors, though, so a consideration of my question is weighing the WR vs. non-WR for outdoor use against CO/ALR and non-CO/ALR for aluminum wiring.


texts:
My toilet is making a slight gurgling noise at the end of the flush. Here is a video of the flush:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yIcFN14zdgDAAFu43

The toilet is vented via a 2" vent that meets the toilet about 6" after its flange fittings. All the vents and drains are at the correct pitch or greater:

I am wondering if I should have put the vent coming in the back of a sani-y instead of meeting up with the toilet post 45 elbow. Would this have been a better solution:

Or is there a better solution out there?


texts: No Water from Reverse Osmosis water system

texts: I recently replaced my filters and membrane in my Reverse Osmosis water system and now there is no water coming out of the filtration system to the tank. The tank is at the correct pressure, and is empty. If I disconnect the pipe from the tank, while the water is on, there is no water coming out of that pipe. If I disconnect the membrane, I can see there is water getting to it. Could it be the check/shut off valve?


texts: what can cause 66 volts at 110 outlets in my moble home

texts:
I went to hookup a 110 volt hottub, but when we plugged it in we only got 66 volts. I then tried another plug in the house - 66 volts.
I went to another building, my shop, which has its own breaker box, but got the same there - 66 volts. A 220 volt oulet there only had 134 volts.
I don't know whats up.


texts:
I was pulling off the hardware for my blinds the other day (to paint) and the caulking around the window started to peel back.  I cut it where it was still attached that way I could minimize the amount of sealant lost.

My question is, how important is it that I seal that window back up?  Right now, it's only missing silicon on about half of the top seal.  Should I do it as soon as possible?  All of the silicon around my windows in the house is looking a little sad so I'd probably just do all the windows while I was at it.  I just didn't know if this was something I could postpone for a bit, or if I need to take it more seriously.

It's currently about 80deg Fahrenheit or 36deg Celsius where I'm at.  Naturally, I have the A/C on.  Do I need to worry about a drop in efficiency?  Can windows cause that big of an impact?


texts: Are LED retrofit bulbs more resilient to ballast problems?

texts:
My office overhead lighting currently uses fluorescent bulbs. For ~5 minutes after turning them on, lights will flicker. I diagnose this as a weak ballast.

If I insert LED retrofit bulbs into this setup am I likely to solve the temporary flickering problem?


texts: LED Strip Light Fixture/Luminaire - Is Junction box required?

texts:
I have been having a hard time figuring this out through looking at US NEC code and online sources. I am adding LED strip light fixtures/luminaires to a closet (hanging it directly above the door frame or on the ceiling depending on how things go). It will be installed in accordance with code being at least 12" from "closet space"). The fixture is similar to this. Instructions are also similar to this

Am I able to run standard NM 2-wire + ground cabling directly into the light fixture through one of the integrated knockouts and splice inside the fixture's housing? I would install NM push-in connectors in the light fixture knockout so it will hold the Romex in place.

I've seen fluorescent t8 fixtures wired in this way where the light fixture itself was considered the junction box. However, the LED light fixture's instructions show a junction box being used with a plate between it and the light fixture. The plate has a center knockout that the wire is run through and then passes through the light fixture knockout. The wires are all spliced within the light fixture according to the instructions. The junction box will be larger than light fixture so I'd prefer to not have to use one. Further, since the splices are still in the light fixture, the junction box adds no real safety in my opinion besides some extra measure of safe area that the Romex could be tugged into and protect surrounding areas from shorts/fires. Thoughts?


texts: Does VOC-free paint require VOC-free undercoat?

texts:
I have been asked to paint a room with a paint that has no or low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) such as the Dulux Ecosure paints.

I was originally planning to use a plain white paint as the first coating to give me a clean, uniform surface to paint on with the new colour (I'll probably still do two coatings of the new colour). Would it defeat the purpose if I didn't use a low-VOC undercoat or is it the top coats that matter (the purpose being better air quality, in case it wasn't clear)?

Dulux actually sells an Ecosure undercoat (https://www.duluxtradepaintexpert.co.uk/products/picker#details/dulux-trade/ecosure-undercoat), which is why I started wondering if I need to worry about more than the top coatings.

More background info: the room is in a 20-year old house, though I'm not sure when was the last time it was painted. It currently has some stains and dirt on the walls, and I already fixed some cracks and holes with plaster (so it definitely needs some sort of paint job).


texts: Which one is the common wire on this 3-way switch?

texts: I'm unsure which is the common post and which are the travelers. I THINK the common is the black post on top... but I really don't know. I though the travelers were parallel to each other. Can you tell from the pictures which one is the common wire?


texts: What is the best way to drive the hard-cut nail into wooden baseboards to prevent splitting?

texts:
I am installing my baseboards, and there is a section that must be attached to brick.  I know, by experience, that the best nail for my type of brick is the hard-cut masonry nail (and not the fluted nail).

What is the best way to drive the hard-cut nail into the wooden baseboards to prevent splitting?  Should the wider surface of the nail be driven perpendicular or parallel to the grain?  Should I pre-drill the wood?


texts:
Model: LG LP1414GXR

The unit was running fine but it appears the plug circuitry overheated and went bad. Is it okay to replace the existing plug by cutting it off at the end and replacing it with a new socket that’s rated the same?

From the pictures I’ve attached you can see the circuitry and wiring. There is a fourth wire (non insulated) in the background and I’m uncertain of its purpose. I haven’t been able to find any information with a plug schematic for this unit. I don’t want to leave it disconnected in case it’s a safety feature.

Is there a plug replacement that someone might be able to recommend. The home improvement stores sell a GFCI plug replacement but it only have 3 terminals. I contacted LG to get a new power cord but it cost $120. Greedy a holes!


texts:
When purchasing wood for a deck, what is are the questions / process used to properly select wood for stairs and the landing area:

The photo shows new planks installed with older planks, weathered by the Florida sun.  The details (paint / stain / etc) of the older planks are unknown.  The new planks were cut to match the old planks.
When all is said and done, a decision must be made at Home Depot (or the like) and decide which plank of wood to be purchased.  I would think  dimensions are set, however, any guidance regarding any other decision points are appreciated.  Thank you


texts: Installing a high efficiency "combi" boiler in an old house

texts:
We want to replace the boiler in our basement and have been given conflicting advice about what to get. We have an old house, built 1903, and have hot water radiators. We have already done extensive renovations and our contractor told us we should get a high efficiency combi gas boiler for both heating and hot water.
However, another plumber told us that we should stick with a standard boiler and hot water tank like we have now because the new boilers don't work well with old houses and apparently silt can get stuck in the pipes. Our contractor's plumber said thats not true and we can just put on a filter.
Also, we had also wanted to relocate the new boiler to the side of the basement rather than the center where it is now. The "other" plumber said that the boiler should remain central so the water can be evenly distributed through the pipes. Contractors plumber says thats nonsense because there are pumps.
Who's right??


texts: Why does my shower only have lukewarm water and the rest of house faucets have hot water?

texts: I have hot water in every other faucet of my house, but the MBR Shower.  While for 15 years it has given me hot water,it now only gets lukewarm water (not very good for taking a bath).  I've replaced the shower mixing valve, but still do not get hot water.  While it fixed a drip in the shower head, it did not fix the temperature issue.  I tried multiple settings on the high temperature control on the shower valve and even removed the high temperature control stop, but it has not resulted in hot water in the shower.  Could the water pressure balance valve be the culprit? Any other ideas?


texts: Drain / Vent Plumbing for Laundry box into existing piping

texts:
I have an existing drain set up like this:

I am replacing the existing washer / dryer, and would like to set up the washing machine to drain into a proper laundry box (instead of draining into the laundry sink).  The box would ideally be around 6 feet from the existing laundry sink.

Looking at the existing plumbing, it appears to me that the section of pipe between the upper floor and the laundry sink is set up as a wet vent (which, to my understanding, is not to code).

Ideally, I would tap off the vent line 6"+ above the kitchen sink, and then run that clean vent line down to the basement, and branch off for the sink and the laundry box.  Unfortunately, the vent line is on an exterior wall, and the other side of it is behind the tile backsplash in my kitchen.

Is the existing setup not to code (because of the wet vent)?
Is there any way I can salvage the situation to preserve proper venting (without tapping into the drain line above the kitchen sink?

For reference, I am in the US (Illinois).


texts:
Post-hurricane: if one wanted to correctly restore power to electric circuits with a generator, what should one consider when connecting the generator to circuitry?

Disconnect circuit from power company
Ensure all paths are rated for current drawn

I do not intend to drive high current devices like the heatpump, stove, microwave, etc.  Lights, boxfans, cellphones.


texts: Using 3" (or 4") recessed lights with GU10 bulbs for ambient (not accent) lighting

texts:
I am currently finishing my unfinished basement. I would like to create a look similar to this basement.

From the looks of it they are using 3 or 4" recessed lights with GU10 bulbs. I am planning to do the same. I found these (and many like them) 4" cans with GU10 bulbs.

I plan to use replace the halogen GU10 bulbs with 50W equivalent LEDs (probably the ones linked). I have just under 8' ceilings. I am thinking the bulbs should be 3' apart from what I've read so far, but I'm open to suggestions/corrections.

I know this bulb is typically used for accent lighting, but I want to use it for ambient lighting (in a basement recreation room/laundry). The picture looks like it provides enough lighting, but I can only tell so much from the picture. I realize its a subjective question in some respects, but I'm hoping somebody can weigh in with knowledge on how much light I can expect to get with said setup (vs say a typical setup with 6" cans 6' apart), and suggestions on how I can improve on the design (i.e. should I go with 2.5' spacing? a wider aperture then 38 degrees? etc.)


texts: How big should a gap be between a built-in oven and a shelf for mounting a microwave?

texts:
I want to put a microwave on a shelf above a built-in oven.

What gap should I leave between the top of the oven and the shelf?


texts: How can I remove a Mortise Lock and deadbolt from a door?

texts: I got an old door from a junk yard that I'm trying to reuse. The door is going to end up being sliding barn door so I have no use for its existing door knob and lock mechanisms. From what I can tell the lock is a mortise lock, and I figured out how to remove door knobs, however I can't seem to figure out how to remove the deadbolt which appears to be connected the interior lock mechanism also preventing it from coming out.  There were two screws on each side of the deadbolt lock that I removed, but even after using a chisel and hammer I am unable to remove it.  Does anyone know how I remove this and/or the interior mechanism


texts: After staining a deck how long until rain is no longer a concern?

texts: I want to stain my deck with an oil based stain it is to be hot and sunny all day today 85 for a high and has been dry for last 3 days tomorrow's forecast say 70% chance of rain should I do this or put off again. I've had my stain since Memorial Day and we haven't had a dry stretch of more than 2 days in which we needed time for the deck to dry to even consider doing the job.


texts:
A wind storm took down one of the trees on our property and it landed across a chain link fence

Given the height of the tree, the overall damage was fairly limited.  I have attached pictures with tree on and off of the fence.

Given that a tree mushed it, the fence seems to have reasonably little damage -- the top rail is obviously toast along with two post caps but the posts themselves did not move.  I believe that the fence is 48" high, galvanized.

The question I have is how much work would this repair be and how would I go about it?  The chain link fencing itself is pretty mushed.  Does it make sense to try to bend it back or should I weave a new section in?  Would the fence need to be re-stretched?

At the moment, I am trying to decide if this is a DIY project or if I should have a pro come in.


texts: Is this odd device some kind of lightning arrestor or primitive fuse? Help identify

texts:
I found this in a junk box in an attic of a house built in the 1940's.  The original house owner repaired appliances and took stuff in trade, so it may predate the house. It is on a ceramic base.
It looks to me like some kind of lightning arrestor.  If the cylindrical elements are wound coils, then I'd be fairly confident.  Is it for early electrical connection or perhaps an early phone connection?
It's solid, whatever it is.  Anyone recognize it?


texts: How to repair leak mould under bathroom floor tile?

texts:
The attached picture is a bathroom floor. The tile worked loose and on lifting it I found extensive black mould under it (killed and cleaned off it before the picture was taken with a mould killer product). The surface under the tiles looks like a thin layer of plywood. The very dark coloured patches in the picture have completely disintegrated to a rotten mush and have clearly been wet for a significant period of time.

To the right of the picture is a shower cubicle which previously leaked (small sealant failure AND a small grout crack) - these leaks have both been fixed. It is likely the source of new moisture has now been stopped.

I believe what has happened is the shower leaked under the tiles, and over time the boarding has rotted in some small places, which has allowed tile movement that has then led to grout failure and a loose tile. It's only at that point I found the mould.

As I see it I have three options:

Make best attempts to kill the mould (which is almost certainly under the adjacent tiles), dry the area as much as possible, remove and fill the small rotten areas visible, and refit the tile. Downside: Mould may continue to exist and still find a route to emit spores into the living spaces.
Lift all the adjacent floor tiles (and further if necessary), remove all the damaged boarding, dry the area out and kill any mould, fit new boarding, reinstall the tiles. Downside: Tiles may break when lifted and I have NO spare tiles and probably cannot buy matching.
Rip the whole floor out and fit new board and new tiles. Downside: Cost, risks of damage to other tiles areas, and extends the area to be re-tiled as ALL tiles of that type need replacing whether affected or not.

The room is on the upper floor of a house (1st floor to us Brits, 2nd floor to my American friends). The floor construction is wooden timbers (likely immediately under the sheet boarding that has rotten) which are left-to-right in the picture, so would probably support movement of water to the affected location. The bathroom is fairly well ventilated with a constantly running humidity sensing fan.

What would you do?


texts: Fixing shower tile to repair possible water damage

texts:
My bathroom is around 15 years old and my shower tiles are starting to show some water damage. I am a bit worried that this is leaking and may cause some water damage elsewhere.

The grout doesn't look good and in some parts the tiles flex a bit if I push it.

One contractor said I should take half the wall down and redo it, which takes 3 days.

Another contractor offer to just re-grout the tiles, and takes just 1 day.

My questions:

Am i just hiding the problem if I re-grout the tiles?

Will I get worst/more water damage down the line?

Is re-grouting the tiles myself a bad idea?


texts: Will frequent sliding while wearing socks cause noticeable wear and tear on hardwood floors over time?

texts:
Light hearted, but very serious question here. :)

We recently installed hardwood floors. Stranded Bamboo to be exact. It's beautiful!

Now, besides the sheer beauty of it, one of the main benefits to having hardwood floors in my opinion is that you can slide on them. I slide every chance I get. Need to run to the fridge? Sliiiiide. Doing dishes, and need to put one away in the cabinet over there? Sliiiide. I can't help it. It's just the natural way for me to get around on these slick floors. It's wonderful. Try it!

My wife is afraid that since I do this almost all the time, it will add up, and eventually start causing signs of wear prematurely on the wood. She has a point there. I don't want that to happen, either. But since the wood is sealed with something, and my socks are a nice soft cotton material, I feel like it's probably a negligible thing even with how often I do it.

One thing I can't argue with is that if I ever accidentally had something hard stuck to my socks, and I slide with it, I could cause a scratch. And this dark wood really shows scratches easily. But I am careful about that.

So I'd love to hear from someone knowledgeable about the care of hardwood. What kinds of wear and tear could we expect to see over time, and what activities cause it the most? Do even the smallest things like walking on it cause wear over time? And of course, what about sliding on it with soft socks? :)


texts: What is causing cracking and creaking noises in the ceiling and walls?

texts:
I've asked numerous people and no one has the slightest idea of what this can be.  I'm hoping y'all can maybe come up with ideas to help figure this out.

I moved to the condo three months ago.  For the past three months I've been using the heating and when sleeping in the master bedroom it's a very quiet environment.  About two weeks ago I turned on the air-conditioner for about 10 minutes and shut it down on a warm day.  When we went to sleep in the master bedroom there were loud crack noises coming from the ceiling and the walls around us.  This went on from the time we went to bed all the way until we woke up around 11AM.  I didn't turn on the AC for a while and it became silent in the master.  Just the other night I tested it out again by turning on the FAN for about 5 minutes.  Again, at night when we were trying to sleep, loud crack noises almost like you were lighting a firecracker or throwing a quarter against the ceiling.


texts: My shower grout is cracked. How can I fix it?

texts:
Noticed this because the piece outside the shower was lifting and there was some water around the edge.

Is this as simple as getting a grout saw/knife and scraping out the old and putting in new grout?

Do I need to worry about any moisture underneath? Didn't own the home when it was installed so not sure what's going on underneath.


texts: Is there a cheap way to test for mold spores?

texts: We had toxic mold during the wintertime, which has been removed, by replacing the affected Sheetrock. However, my wife has often still the same symptoms she had at the time. Getting a contractor with the proper equipment out is very expensive. Are there any other cheap "household" tricks to be able to make at least a non-scientific test?


texts:
I would like to paint the cover and door of my flush mount load center to match the wall color more closely. The manufacturer does offer a white in addition to the standard grey cover, but it is hard to find and ridiculously overprice.

Only the outside would be painted, so all labels on the inside would not get any overspray or anything else on them and would remain intact. I would also of course first remove the hinges and locking mechanism to ensure their operation wouldn't be affected.

Is this OK to do per NEC 2017 and with typical load center UL listings? Let me know if specifics are needed to answer.


texts: Are T-8 lights and T-12 lights safely interchangeable?

texts: I have a fixture that came with T-12 lights. Is it safe to use T-8 bulbs instead?


texts: How do I fix wall paint that was removed with tape?

texts: Before painting I sanded all walls and then cleaned. I painted ceiling first then walls. Before painting walls I taped off a ceiling which was completely dry. Painted walls and the following day removed tape. Seeing wall paint was also being removed I used a knife to cut where ceiling and wall meet. It did not matter paint was removed around the whole bathroom.


texts: Chemical drain cleaning - acid, base or something else?

texts:
There are industrial drain cleaners but according to my research on them, they are mostly overpriced bottles of simple chemicals such as sodium hydroxide.

Chemicals that can (theoretically) be used for drain cleaning also often already lay around your garage with no need to rush and buy dedicated drain cleaner. Either way, this question is what to use, specifically from safety point of view. Here are some options:

Acids - I know for sure that sulfuric acid is common drain cleaner base ingredient. However acids tend to react with a lot of metals. Sulfuric acid is relatively safe, but also not exactly efficient. Should a reaction with metal occur in the pipes, you're in for a nice hydrogen explosion (worst case scenario).
Basic hydroxides - Probably only sodium hydroxide falls in this category (as far as drain cleaning is concerned). It leaves most metals alone, but aluminium violently displaces sodium from the molecule which means any alumunium surfaces will be destroyed by NaOH solution. This is a big concern before using this.
Chlorine based house cleaners - I'm not sure if those are commonplace everywhere, but in Czech republic those are very common and universally used to disinfect anything. Due to this, they are always at hand, but how efficient are they at cleaning the drains and pipes is not clear to me.

As a special award for efficiency combined with lethality (to the user), I nominate

Piranha solution - a combination of sulfuric acid and hydrogenium peroxide. Eats almost everything organic (that is, everything that can normally be dehydrated) and violently corrodes metals. The latter is the lethal part, but it would be #1 choice for pipe system that is guaranteed to be 100% plastic as long as proper venting is provided and concentration is low.

I would like someone with practical experience and knowledge of how plumbing works and how clogs form to give me some insights what is the best (safety comes before efficiency) solution.

I would like to keep this as general as possible for the sake of future visitors, but I want to make clear that it's not just drain that is clogged but also part of the plumbing. The drain was cleaned and still doesn't consume sufficient amounts of water.


texts: If an overflow gasket does not fit, can it be rotated?

texts:
Our new tub is very vertical at the supply/drain side at the overflow hole. The drain fitting we have slopes backwards very slightly where it connects. The rubber gasket for the overflow is very steeply beveled (~1/8" to 3/8" thickness). It appears to fit better if the thick part is at the top and I've seen comments online that both say thick to top and thick to bottom.

When fitting thick to top, it fits closer, but not enough to seal the bottom. When fitting thick to bottom, it has a snug bottom, but a large gap after halfway.

I saw some posts saying you can rotate the gasket and get a good fit in cases where neither work and it seems to work that way. Everything at least fits, but is this a poor solution? I can't seem to get anything not quite as sloped. Would silicone caulk fix a thick top/bottom situation?


texts: Kitchen Cabinets over bare concrete floors

texts: I am installing kitchen cabinets and we are installing engineered wood after the cabinets are installed, floor installer said to just go right ahead and lay the cabinets over the bare concrete, which doesn't see right, anyway, the engineered floors will be approximately 5/8" to 1/2" in height, what would be the best course of action with this situation.  You help is greatly appreciated and with your answer, would you provide as much detail as possible on the exact procedure and process, please and thank you.


texts:
I have a Moen Posi Temp shower valve that was leaking from the handle.
I took apart the handle and replaced the Moen Posi Temp 1222 faucet cartridge with a OEM factory replacement.  The old cartridge was impossible to get out and ended up coming out in pieces.
Now the leak has stopped from the handle but the tub leaks from the tub spout with the handle in the off position only from the cold side.  I can’t get it to stop leaking without shutting the water off.
Is it likely the replacement cartridge is defective or is the issue something else?


texts:
I'm about to start painting my basement walls with drylok.  Previous owner waterproofed.....stuff looks to be about 10-15 years old.  Has some stain marks in areas which shows there has been some water in the past.  Was going to uses a wire brush and scrapper to get the old drylok off, use some water stop cement on the cracks that I find, and then drylok over everything.

Any easy way to get the old drylok off?  Should I just clear the areas where there is staining.  Basement has no leaking, and the walls are cinder blocks


texts: I live in high rise condo with identical units on each floor.  Only when my neighbor directly above me flushes his toilet does my commode run briefly.  My toilet functions correctly.  Our building engineer has no answer for this.


texts: Can I install a plug on a hard-wired cooktop?

texts:
I have a 30" 5 burner cooktop stove that is hardwired. Due to my requirements, I have to be able to swap it out with another cooktop every once in a while.

I was wondering if it is safe to wire the cooktop to a plug, and install a plug socket in the cabinet so I can swap out the cooktop easy. Is this against any type of code?

It is a GE Profile electric stove, not gas, and is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

As per the GE website, it is 40 Amps/240V


texts:
Have spent hours searching for answer for my application to no avail.
I am  going to install a Honeywell  RTH9580wf. These pics pic show my current 4 wire setup. I  have run a new 5 wire line and would like verification on where to connect the "C" wire at Furnace and New T Stat. The "C" wire  would be Yellow if I leave things as they currently are. Thanks...

[![enter image description here][3]][3]


texts:
Is it mandatory/recommended to apply cement on all threaded parts of a P-trap. I need to install a new one, and am wondering if I also need to get a plumbing cement. Also, if I purchase a P-trap with cleanout, is a cement necessary on a cleanout nut? (I would not, because otherwise the whole purpose of cleanout is undermined, whenever you need to clean the trap, you're going to have a hard time trying to unscrew it/)
Thanks.


texts: How to use Wiremold 700 Series Metal Surface Raceway (grounding, wire vs. cable)?

texts:
Planning to use Legrand Wiremold 700 Series Metal Surface Raceway.

Couple questions:

It is a metal box (raceway) but I don't see a green screw to ground it. Does it require grounding?
Is it allowed to use a cable or do I need to use individual THHN wires? If the former - is it realistic to pull it through?


texts: I am losing a good amount of heat through my recessed lights.  I went up in the attic above and found there is insulation around them, but not on top.  They are IC (insulation contact) rated.  Is it okay to just put more batt insulation on top of them, or is there a better way?  I'm hesitant to cover them because of the wiring.


texts: How to replace a door knob without screw

texts:
I lived in a rental apartment. Recently my roommate decide to sublease his room, so I'd like to replace my door knob with a lockable one, but I'm unable to remove this core part ( I don't know what it is called).

Can't quite find a place to screw off this thing.

Question :

I suspect it is installed by hammering?
Can this thing be uninstalled in a non-destructing way?
If the answer to 2 is yes, how can this be done ?

Thanks in advance!


texts: The outlets power goes to ground when you plug something into it

texts: I am having trouble with my outlets power going to ground from what my outlet tester is telling me. I have changed out all of the receipts on the circuit. And I double checked all of them again to make sure that they were wired right and they are wired right but I have a receipt tester plugged into one outlet and it shows good, but when you plug something into another outlet it shows power is crossed with ground and none of the grounds are touching any power wires


texts: Why do I have to start my furnace manually every morning?

texts: The oil furnace works fine all day and evening, then overnight I have the programmable thermostat lower the temperature at 11pm. But every morning at 5am when the thermostat tries to turn the temperature back up the furnace comes on for 45 seconds and shuts off. I go to the basement take off the panel. The box has a red light flashing. I push the reset button on the box, the furnace starts immediately and runs OK until the next morning. I've also had similar problems 5 or 6 months ago, had to call repairman twice and he said that he replaced almost everything he could replace. And it worked til now.


texts: How do I patch these sections of concrete driveway meeting the house?

texts: Where my driveway meets my house there were two sections of loose concrete that were deteriorating and making a mess.  I removed the loose concrete and discovered that those sections were placed on top of other concrete that I am guessing is the footer of those outside walls of the house.   These missing sections go down 2 1/2 - 3 inches.  How would I go about repairing these sections in a manner that would last.  Do I need to tie the new concrete into the existing footer concrete that is there?  What about the joints between the old and new concrete?  I am a noob with any type of concrete work so any help or advice on how to fix this is appreciated.


texts:
I recently moved into a new rental house. The house came with a detached garage. Unlike the house, the garage itself seems to have been built very poorly and neglected for a long time. There are no working lights in the garage and I'd like to install some to use it as a little  workshop/gym. The ceiling of the garage is wooden paneling nailed directly onto the rafters. Behind the paneling and between the rafters is insulation. The electrical wiring is all on the outside of the wood paneling (inside the garage in tubes, not in the attic) including (what I believe to be) the junction boxes. There is access to the attic.
Here are some images of the ceiling in the garage:

Not knowing exactly what I was getting into, I purchased these lights at Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-4-ft-120-Volt-3800-Lumens-White-Integrated-LED-Wraparound-Light-with-Prismatic-Lens-WR4840K30LPL/306860677. In case the link changes they are 4ft long LED light bars. It became apparent when I was reading the instructions that these lights were meant to go over a junction box that was installed inside the ceiling, not on the outside as mine are.
Should I try to make these lights work by cutting holes in the wood and installing junction boxes by the insulation on the inside of the ceiling or is there a better approach here? Can I mount the junction box next to the light somehow (I'm guessing not since that would defeat the purpose of a junction box)? Should I return them and buy different lights? If so, what kind?
If this were my property I would tear down the detached garage due to its many flaws (low ceiling height, uneven cement floors, rotting wood, etc.) and build a new one but since it is not, I'm just looking for the quickest way to get good lighting in this space. Preferably overhead lighting since I intend to be doing a lot of projects where having to move lights around would be quite problematic.
Thanks!


texts: Does a 100A outlet for a car charger need a dedicated disconnect?

texts:
I am going to be installing a charger for a client for their Tesla.
Do I need to ha e a separate shut off box for a double gang 100amp breaker for the charger?


texts:
My kitchen cabinets need an overhaul. The cabinets, doors, and drawer fronts are in decent enough shape that I can clean, sand, and stain or paint. The drawer boxes themselves however are not appealing looking and are made out of melamine. I've researched a bit on how to make drawer boxes and it seems straightforward, but it appears you need a table saw or routing table or some other piece of expensive stationary machinery. I only have circular and reciprocating saws. I'm wondering if it's possible to purchase drawer components made to a specified height which could then be cut to length.

Can mill work shops prepare such components? How can a DIYer with basic power tools find prefabricated components with which to construct drawer boxes?


texts: Should base trim have a gap between it and laminate flooring?

texts:
Is it correct that when adding baseboard trim on the laminate floor, it is recommended to have a 1-2mm gap between the trim and the laminate planks? So that it should not be tight to it.

I thought that the space must be maintained only at the perimeter of room.

Thanks.


texts: Can anyone identify/name this plumbing component?

texts:
Located under all the "AM/PM Kitchen" (bedroom) sinks in the house:

It adapts the 3/8 PEX output from the mixer valve to 1/4 PEX to the spigot. The thing that looks like a valve does not appear to do anything.

Sorry I don't have a banana for scale, but it is a fairly small item as you can tell from the 3/8 and 1/4 inch PEX at the top.

It also appears to be totally devoid of brand or part markings.

The faucet is probably Delta™, but because the valve and the spigot are separate items, it is possible that they are not the same brand.

I am looking for proper terminology, or a link to a product page, etc.

Or just informative observations.


texts: Torque for receptacles and light switches

texts: When connecting wires to the screw terminals on receptacles or light switches, what torque should they be tightened to if no torque is indicated either on the device itself or in its installation instructions? For example, the instructions for Leviton's receptacles and switches just say to "firmly" tighten them.


texts:
I am running a long 20 amp circuit out to a stock watering tank from the barn. Given the length of the run (280 ft), I will need to use 4AWG. Midway, I will place a junction box and have an outlet pigtailed from the junction box as well as an outlet at the end of circuit.

What size and type of junction box should I have? The wire will run in buried plastic conduit and the junction box will be mounted outdoors. Both conduits will enter the box from the bottom (one conduit to barn, one to the end of the circuit at the stock tank).


texts: Which are the hot wires and is there a ground present in my recessed light?

texts:
This light fixture was capped and has two white lines pigged tailed together with a single orange line wrapped around, two orange lines pigged tailed together, two yellow lines pigged tailed together.  There are recessed lighting adjacent to this fixture and the switch box contains a separate switch for the recessed lighting and one for this ceiling fixture.
The fixture that we plan to attach has traditional white, black, and ground.
There does not appear to be a ground wire in the ceiling fixture.
How do I determine what the "hot" line is that I would connect to the black line of the new fixture?


texts: Safely securing a 4x4 vertically and horizontally

texts:
I'm looking to find the safest way to secure a 4x4 to act as a beam for rope-climbing. In the picture below, the "top" beam sits on-top of two 4x4 posts.

The rope will extend from the far right of the post, putting upward force against whatever join/fastener is selected when someone is climbing it.

Most of the 4x4 fasteners I've seen are designed to secure a post vertically and not against the direction of force being applied here.


texts: Options for Replacing T101 Rotary Timer With Switch

texts:
I recently moved into a house, built in 2004, and there this old looking rotary timer (T101 from Intermatic) in the garage that controls two large exterior flood lights.
The timer is wired with neutral, line and load wires.
On closer inspection the wiring is as such:Two sets of wires coming into the box for the time.The first wire: white goes to neutral on the timer, black goes to load on the timer and the ground is snipped off/not connected to anything.
The second wire: white is daisy-chained so that one goes to neutral on timer and one goes to outlet; black is also daisy-chained so that one goes to line on timer and one goes to outlet; ground is tied together and only goes to the outlet.
There are wires from the rear of the timer that go to the neutral and line on front of the timer.
This timer sits out from the wall (not recessed). There's also a regular 110V outlet that comes out off of the timer.
The breaker shows 15A.

Ideally I'd like to replace this rotary timer with a regular light switch so that I can have easier control over turning these lights on/off. I don't have a need for the plugin so that can be removed.

What options do I have for doing this?


texts:
I've been reviewing various drywall videos and documentation but I haven't found clear details on what kind of thickness the joint compound should be.  Is there a definitive answer for this? Or does it vary?  Even videos with "pre-mixed" compounds still mention adding additional water.

Is there a rule of thumb or general guidelines for this?


texts: What is the recommended technique for refinishing hardwood floors?

texts: I have old hardwood floors in my home that I'd like to refinish myself. I'm ok with all sorts of manual labor, but I'd like to know the preferred method for refinishing them without damaging my walls or baseboards.


texts: What should I use to seal the joints between two pieces of concrete backer board in a bathroom?

texts:
We had some plumbing issues in a bathroom that required us to open up the wall for the shower.  That's been fixed but now I'm wondering how to seal the replacement piece of backer board.  It'll be screwed into the wall studs so I'm NOT worried about it moving.  I just want to protect it against water/moisture, etc.

What should I use?  I assume a normal silicon won't bond to concrete.


texts: Using sodium polyacrylate to clean flooded homes

texts:
In the aftermath of Kerala, India, floods, videos are circulating advising people to buy cheap Sodium Polyacrylate and apply it to the layer of mud or standing water deposited. How good/bad is this advice?

The videos say

  sprinkle a small amount of the dry on mud and water and you will get a easily movable solid paste. You can use 1 kilogram to remove 1000 kilogram of mud and water. It is perfectly safe as its used in common, even skin-contact products like diapers and sanitary napkins.

Floors here are usually tile and walls are plastered and painted brick.

From my searches, I saw it could leave floors and outdoors a slippery mess and clog drains and ditches further. And letting loose large amounts on the environment seems bad.

https://www.socochem.com/is-sodium-polyacrylate-safe.html

  If the powder is inhaled, it can irritate the lungs–but that’s not generally a concern. When it comes in contact with a large amount of spilled water in an area, it can cause the area to become very slippery. If it enters sewer or drainage systems in large quantities, it can cause serious clogging and should be dealt with immediately.

A video in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fR_7jH5fys


texts: Replaced shower faucet. Now whole house lost water pressure. Replaced the main didnt fix it. 80psi on water gage but when two things running pressure drops completely. Plummer told me to replace regulator but cant find regulator. Not anywhere around main unless its covered by drywall. Suggests on where else the regulator could be?


texts: Why am I getting condensation on the first floor joists of my new build?

texts:
We're building a new house in New Hampshire. We insulated the 1st floor joists with batting last winter so the minimal amount of heat we had in the basement to prevent the foundation from cracking wouldn't create condensation on the exposed (cold) 1st floor above. We had terrible condensation anyway and had to remove all batting because of beginning signs of mildew and mold.

We're faced with the same situation this winter. Will foam board insulation be a better solution?

(We know the best solution is to sell the old house and finish this new house and just move in, but THAT is out of our hands!)


texts:
In the bathroom in my new house there is a blank wallplate. When I remove the wallplate, I see the wires in the following photo. When I asked the builder's electrician, he said that this was a Jacuzzi splice. Since I didn't get a jacuzzi/jetted tub, this is just extra wiring that has no purpose and was put in because wiring was done before I made selections.

I was hoping I could put in an extra outlet here, but was told I could do nothing with it. Is that accurate? If this is wired into a circuit/breaker it would be great to make use of electricity in this location.

Can you confirm whether or not I can use this extra wiring for any useful purpose, or indeed, as the electrician said - its only purpose would have been to control the water jets and it can't be used for anything else. Let me know if there is something I can easily check if it's not clear from just looking at the photo.


texts:
I am having a basement bedroom finished for my daughter. I just found out the person installing the drywall has never done it before, and there are some obvious issues with the first few sheets he put up. I will probably have to do it myself, and I was hoping for guidance.

For one, he put the drywall tight to the floor, which is concrete. I know it needs to be off the ground 3/8 inch or so. Can the wall be trimmed in place or do I need to take it down first? He has only put 2 screws per stud and very few of them are at the floor level. (When I suggested he would need more, he said it was overkill. )

Several sheets were cut very raggedly, but all the sheets are tight together, whereas I thought there should be an 1/8 inch gap between sheets. Is there any way to fix this or should I just hang new sheets with the gap?

It looks like in some cases he put the screw too near the end of the drywall, which has caused them to be dislodged and some of the screws are sunk in quite deep, and look to have gone through the drywall. Can I add screws and cover errors with tape and mud?


texts: Did I just ruin the flange on our toilet?

texts:
The point where the elbow joint from our flushometer meets the toilet bowl has begun leaking (dripping, really) whenever we flush (so, whenever water passes through it). I jiggled it a bit and the elbow joint popped right out. So the connection seems to be an unthreaded pipe with a plastic gasket that slides into a threaded mounting ring (is that the right term?) that then threads onto the toilet. update: it's a slip joint nut

The gasket appears to be intact, so I think I can fix this by reinforcing the seal at the threading. I have a jar of pro-dope, a tube of durst pipe thread compound and a roll of what teflon tape.

Two questions:

Am I on the right track here? and Which should I use for the best seal?

PS. What is a flushometer? Ours is a Sloan Gem for a "back spud bowl" (vs. a "top spud bowl") -- it reaches the toilet via an elbow rather than a straight pipe. Our toilet is a ways out from the wall so the joint has been extended by about 8".

Update: not using the toilet wasn't really working for us so I took a stab at using pro-dope and re-assembling.

Here's the halfway point, after I unscrewed the mounting ring slip joint nut:

And the after:

You can kind of tell from the after image that the toilet and the flushometer aren't properly aligned so the elbow joint doesn't meet the toilet at a proper 90° angle.

That worked, but there was still a tiny bead of water making its way out with every flush. I thought I'd be clever and get someone stronger than I to tighten the mounting ring slip joint nut. Bad idea: as I was watching him tighten the mounting ring I could see the flange inlet spud assembly start to turn. We tried flushing again and tons of water came out all around the flange inlet spud assembly. So now my question is, do I have to replace the flange inlet spud assembly to fix this? We tried backing the mounting ring slip joint nut back out, but that didn't help.


texts: How to seam new stucco to old stucco when patching large areas

texts:
Our city inspector wants us to break out the edge of old stucco to expose the wire then tie that back into the new mesh.  But when we did that, it became obvious to everyone (inspector included) that the old mesh is thin, rusty, and not worth connecting to:

What do people think of this detail instead?  I drilled holes and either used a galvanized screw or an epoxied nail.  The goal is to reinforce the join to control future cracking:

If you answer please state your authority on the subject, or give a reference to a book!


texts: Paint to protect schedule 40 black steel pipe running outside above ground

texts:
Do I need to paint or otherwise protect black gas pipe running outside to the meter?
The existing pipe is painted gray, I imagine this is to prevent rust.
If paint is needed, is there a specific kind that is recommended?

I live near Denver if that affects the answer.


texts: How can I vent a portable A/C unit through bars on a window?

texts: I need a way to fit the vent from my portable a/c unit through the bars on my window.  The window bars are installed for security purposes and the average hose is way too wide.  Any suggestions?


texts:
I'm creating my own humidifier, but I'm not really sure if I should create a room temperature humidifier or a hot/cold humidifier.
If I go for the cold/hot option, I'll be using a peltier element, so I can just swap it around if I want to get hot or cold water. I'm not sure if the added cost/effort of the peltier will compensate.
The peltier will dump the heat/cold into the same room that the device is humidiating


texts: Second floor radiators only heat with all other radiators off

texts:
I have 2 rads on the second floor that will get hot water flow only when I stop all flow to the other rads on the system. Even then, the flow is very low.

I have had this system for 10 years and this is a new problem. I have bleeds on each rad, and there does not appear to be an air lock, anywhere.

I am wondering if it may be the circulation pump, or the pressure regulator. I don't think it is corrosion that is shutting down flow to both second floor rads simultaneously. Each rad has dedicated piping from a T off the boiler.

When I remove the bleeding cylinder from each rad on the second floor NO water flows out, unless all other rads are shut off.

Is it pressure in the system that gets water to the second floor, or is it the pump?