texts: How to repair porch slab that has bricks embedded inside it

texts:
I have a cracked front porch slab at the front corners where it supports two decorative columns that support a small roof covering the entry door.  I discovered that the pillars are on a stack of bricks which, after freeze/thaw cycles, are crumbling and shedding, and cracking the corner off the slab under the posts.

How should I go about fixing this?

my Thoughts:

Support roof with beam and jack posts
remove existing posts
break up areas of concrete slab containing bricks, and completely remove brick
drill good concrete and place rebar extending into void areas formerly occupied by brick
place forms to be able to pour concrete.  Pour concrete
put posts back in place and remove forms
skim-coat the whole slab for uniform appearance

What would you do?


texts: How do I cut an angled cut with low clearance?

texts:
I need to cut a header down on an angle to match my stairs. It needs to be cut on a 51° angle, which my circular saw can handle, but there isn't enough clearance under the joists to get my saw in there.

What kind of tool should I use to cut this? I have marked lines on the front and back, and I'm considering using a reciprocating saw and just trying to hold it steady. Is there a better way?

Easiest would have been to cut it before placing, but I really had to whack that thing to get it in and regardless it's in place now.

Update:

I just used a hand plane and started going to town. It worked surprisingly well.


texts: How find out what the second switch button is for in bathroom?

texts:
Long story short, I'm trying to install one sensor switch for both fan and light in the bathroom. I have one light switch outside the bathroom. Inside the bathroom there is 2 gang switch box with 2 switches connect. One is for the fan the other one I have no idea what it's for. It could be for the light but the light does not turn on or off with this switch. Is it still possible that it could be for the light but the switch is dead? The black wire is hot for the right switch. I took the plate off and tested it with non-contact tester.

Left switch is for Fan and Right switch is the one I can't figure out what it is.

Bathroom light switch from outside


texts:
Is a 9000 BTU heat pump roughly equivalent in cooling ability to a 9000 BTU window air conditioning unit?

If not, what is an approximate way to "translate" between the two, in order to obtain a heat pump with cooling ability equal to an X BTU window air conditioner?


texts: What could cause a digital circuit breaker finder to not find a breaker?

texts:
I just purchased a Klein ET300 Digital Circuit Breaker finder. I tested it with known circuits so I can figure out how it works.

One room in my house that I have always had problems with is not showing any corresponding breakers to the outlets. Almost as if it had no breaker. The room was once two rooms many years ago which was merged into one room. The house was built in 1966 so some of the electric does not have "ground" connections. This house was an electrical nightmare when I purchased it. I repaired much of it myself to correct things such as "over 15 outlets/fixtures on one breaker" and "heavy loads on one line" to resolve these issues I have had to run completely new lines and reduced the loads on the original lines.

What could be the problem with this room? or Line?


texts: How to seal old stove vent hole in brick wall?

texts: We have an old stove vent that is no longer in use and now covered by drywall and cabinets on the interior, but the old exterior vent flap remains.  We opened the flap and were surprised to find a giant hole. The hole is pretty deep - it goes through the brick and cinderblock all the way to the interior drywall. We are concerned about moisture, insulation, and animals getting into the hole. The hole is about 8" in diameter and about 10" deep.  The house was built in 1950.  What is the best way to weatherize and seal the hole?  Thanks!


texts: Is an ungrounded outlet for a gas stove a safety hazard?

texts:
House was built in the 50's and there is a 3 prong outlet but no ground wire. I've tested it best of my knowledge, the metal casing is not ground either.  2 black and white wires. Basically, am I going to kill myself cooking dinner one day?

Model# NX58H5600SS


texts: Why does my outlet tester show that my new, ungrounded outlets are grounded?

texts: I recently installed lights and outlets in our detached garage. This home is an older home built in the 1950's and currently ungrounded. To test my newly installed lights/outlets in the garage, using an extension cord from an ungrounded source and hooking it on to the newly installed circuits, everything works fine. Using my outlet tester, it showed everything was wired correctly. I would think it should show an "open ground" but it doesn't. I double checked my wiring and it appears to be fine. I DID ground the lights/outlets to the metal boxes which they are attached to.


texts: Can I use a bonding terminal on ground wire between ufer rod and panel

texts: Long story short, I need to replace an electrical panel.  In my the new panel the grounding bar is in a different location than the current panel.  The ground wire from the Ufer rod will not reach to the new ground bar.  Am I allowed to use a bonding terminal to "splice" a longer ground wire, or does it need to be one continuous wire?


texts: I am wondering about code and if my indoor sewage setup is fine. I live in Flint, Michigan. I have a pvc pipe that angles straight upwards after 2-45 degree angles that exits the house through the roof in the middle of the house for an exhaust. I then have another 20 feet of sewage pipe that runs to the bathroom that has a sink, toilet, and shower.


texts: What are the requirements for wiring an unfinished garage with lights and outlets?

texts:
I found this DIY article online which suggests that running Romex along the center faces of studs and rafters was code compliant for unfinished garages.

How to Wire a Garage

The article is dated 2002, is this still the case?  I have attempted to dig through NEC 2008, but so far have not been able to find a reference to support this style of wiring.  It seems a lot easier than running conduit, but that is of course secondary to being able to pass inspection.


texts:
I'm converting 240 plug to 120. It's a 3 prong, the left side and right side test 240 and the left side and the bottom test 120 and the right side and the bottom test 120.

So, I took face plate off the right side is barely wire left side is red the bottom is black and there's a white wire not connected to anything.

How should I rewire this to convert it to 240 volts?


texts: anatomy of Kohler handheld showerhead - flow restrictor

texts:
I have a Kohler Flipside handheld showerhead (K-17493), rated at 2.5 gallons per minute. But the actual flow from the showerhead is under 2 gallons per minute. The problem seems to lie with the showerhead itself: when I remove the showerhead and hose from the shower wall and turn on the water, the flow is much stronger.

I've checked for debris, and it doesn't seem to be a problem. (The showerhead is new.)

I would like to remove or adjust the flow restrictor in the showerhead to permit a stronger flow. But the instructions that I've seen online that apply to other showerheads don't seem to apply to this one -- or, at the least, I can't see how those instructions apply to this showerhead.

Here is a picture of the inside of the showerhead:

Many online instructions suggest that an O-ring be removed. In this case, is the O-ring the yellow disc? It is protected by the metal ring above it; is there any danger to breaking that metal ring so that I can remove the yellow disc?


texts: Shared water supply with combi boiler but shower hot water pressure extremely low

texts:
Have a shared water supply (live in a maisonette) with combi boiler but shower (thermostatic mixer) hot water pressure extremely low, how can we remedy it?
Replace it with an electric one?


texts: GE THQL1120GF Equivalent replacement breaker

texts:
I have a hot tub served by an outside panel with a 220 volt gfi breaker and a 120 v 20 amp gfi breaker.  The 20 amp breaker has tripped a couple of times and I've noticed that the TEST function button on it no longer works.  I'd like to replace that breaker, A GE THQL1120GF breaker.  Although I have found a few places that sells that breaker in new condition it seems it has been discontinued by GE. I also see that I could get a GE THQL1120GFTP from ACE hardware or Menards (a Wisconsin big box building material store) or a GE THQL1120GFT from several online sources.
Can I substitute the THQL1120GFTP or the THQL1120GFT for the THQL1120GF?  are they electrically and mechanically equivalent?  Which might be the better replacement?
Or is there some other brand breaker (Siemans) that's equivalent to the THQL1120GF?


texts: Fix drywall that lost strength due to hanging curtain rod

texts: Here is the issue. I can use the toggle bolts, but it looks like drywall has lost strength. It can be seen in the pictures that drywall around the place of the bracket holes is swelled and about to come off.


texts: Help me understand this power strip installation

texts:
I moved into a flat which has the following electrical setup in the kitchen:

Regular looking 4-socket power strip
Combi boiler plugged into power strip
Washing machine plugged into power strip

Front of power strip:

Back of power strip:

Power strip connection to mains:

As the third photo shows, the 4-socket strip does not have a typical UK 3-pin plug, instead it is wired straight into this grey fuse box on the kitchen wall behind a cupboard. This grey fuse box is controlled by the circuit breaker switch that controls all kitchen sockets.

A fishy smell from this corner of the kitchen makes me think something electrical may be over-heating.

My questions:

Is it typical to find power strips of this kind directly wired into the mains?
Is a boiler and washing machine too heavy a load for the power strip?
Is there a better/safer way to wire this whole setup?


texts: power to outlet until something is plugged in

texts: I have a single item on the line.  I have power on that line until I plug something in and then I lose power to that outlet.  I replaced both the circuit breaker and outlet.  Suggestions please.


texts: How do I diagnose an open circuit where several outlets are not working?

texts:
Breaker tips the second I turn it on. Exactly 5 outlets aren't working. None of the outlets are CFCI, all look like the one in the picture, but others outlets aren't next to light switches and have panels over them. All lights and everything else is working. No apparent damage to the outlets. These outlets used to work fine with no issues. The only recent change was I connected a toaster oven to this outlet, but the problem started a couple days later. I took the plate off of the outlet and it looks fine. The light switches next to it work fine. The other 4 outlets aren't damaged and used to work fine.

What I've tried:

Remove everything from the outlets
Replace the breaker

EDIT:
Is this the issue? This wire looks burned here on this outlet.
EDIT2:
It was the issue. I removed the outlet and the breaker stays on now and other outlets work.


texts:
I have some windows that I want to insulate at night during the winter. I have energy star windows, thermal drapes, and cellular blinds and those plastic window film kit things, but I want to reduce my heating costs even more.
So here's my idea. What if I took a bunch of fiberglass or mineral wool insulation, wrapped it in a bunch of plastic, and shoved that in between the window and blinds at night, possibly filling in gaps between the plastic and the the window frame with other material, and possibly secured on the inside end by a board or something? Then I would probably take it out during the day.
I'm wondering

whether you think this would significantly affect heat loss through
the window,
whether it would cause any condensation problems,
and about any unintended consequences I might be missing.


texts: attach an IKEA Lillangen cabinet to the wall above tiles

texts:
I am thinking about buying an IKEA Lillangen cabinet for my bathroom. That one: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50396635/. The assembly instructions are here: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/assembly_instructions/lillangen-wall-cabinet-with-door__AA-2050534-1_pub.pdf).

The bathroom is tiled from the floor to 2m above ground, and I have to leave the tiles and the tile joints undamaged. So we would need to attach the cabinet above the tiles. The tiles are 1cm thick.

Questions:

Will this be possible with the provided top attachment? To me it looks as if the provided top attachment requires a straight wall (see instructions, step 14) so that in my case the cabinet would be slanted like this:

If it will not be possible with the provided attachment, what kind of attachments would work?
The instructions show that the cabinet should also be attached at the bottom (see instructions, step 15). As I said, I am not supposed to damage tiles and tile joints, so what options do I have?

The cabinet will be filled with cleaning agents, so it has to hold some actual weight. The goal is to store the cleaning agents safely away from a young child. Since the child might find the cabinet interesting, it must be stable enough to not bulge when the child tries to shake it from below.


texts: Is the rating of the electrical household entry per phase or total?

texts:
I have what is rated by the electric company as a 200A entry into the house, but use a limited amount (largest draws are my HW tank, oven and Heat Pump).  Recently, I was looking at upgrading some heating elements for my HVAC and I realized that I need to calculate an additional 60A for the elements.  So I checked my entry to ensure that I had a 200A fuse there and was surprised to find only 130A.

However, I have the old style fuse cutoffs - with a dedicated fuse per phase.  Each phase has a 130A fuse on it.

Does that mean then that I actually have a 260A rating on my entry at the moment? (ie: up to 130A/phase?)

Further, I have a SquareD subpanel with a 120A master breaker on it.  Does that imply 120A total draw to the entire panel, or 120A/phase?


texts:
The timer on our Maytag dryer seems to have died/stopped working and I would like to replace it myself:

What I mean by "died/stopped working" is that the timer no longer decrements and mechanically moves itself down to "Off". It just stays in whatever place you set it to and so the dryer will continue running until you manually stop it by moving the timer to "Off" or by opening the door. This is obviously a hazard and I'd like to get it fixed!

Any ideas as to how I can take the timer off the dryer, or dismantle it, then figure out what piece is busted and replace it?


texts: "Built-in corrosion inhibition" - Does it work? How?

texts:
I recently bought a new toolbox to tame the piles of tools I've acquired for general home maintenance in my first year of home ownership. It's the Kobalt 26" hammer box; good size, sturdy enough for a homeowner, has a nice detachable parts case, and it wasn't too expensive. It's only problem is that if I take it outside the house it turns me into a big blue walking advertisement for Kobalt tools (I mean, they're not bad, but I'm not exactly shouting their praises to the hills either).

Anyway, one of the things it advertised on its marketing sticker is the "Zerust" brand corrosion inhibitor built into the plastic of the box. On its face, that sounds great; keep your tools in the toolbox and they don't rust. But, it got me thinking; how exactly would something embedded in the plastic inhibit rust on tools stored in it?

Seems to me that a corrosion inhibitor would either reduce the water vapor in the air inside the box, reduce the oxygen in the air in the box, or release something that sticks to the tools and provides a protective layer. Whatever it does, it would probably run out of "capacity" to do these things fairly quickly.

Thoughts?


texts: Fanimation Blitz 56-in DC - Bypass Remote

texts:
first time poster here.

I just bought this ceiling fan in Lowes.
The fan I'm replacing was controlled by 2 3-way switches for the light and 1 switch for the fan.

I wanted to keep this setup but unfortunately the fan I just bought relies on the remote control for operating both the lights and fan (speed, dimming, rotation direction, etc)

Ideally I would like to bypass the remote completely and continue using my wall switches. Is this possible?
This fan has a DC motor, so I didn't want to mess with the wiring and void the warranty w/o having certain confidence in what I'm doing.

Worst case scenario I'm going to keep the 2 3-way switches to control the ON/OFF of the fan - mainly with the light ON... and use the remote for the fan, which we don't use as often.

I open the motor casing and I'm attaching a picture of the wiring to the remote receiver.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Should I put weather stripping on my unsealed windows and doors?

texts:
I currently live in a rented apartment and the windows in my shower are not sealed, so it gets pretty cold there. The front door of the house also has a sealing problem.

The thing is, I'm not going to stay in this apartment more than a couple of months.

So, what are some good, cheap, fast solutions to seal my windows and front door as much as possible?


texts: How do I prevent water from leaking from my bath faucet when the shower is on?

texts: When the water is diverted to the shower, water leaks back from inside the faucet towards the wall.  How do I fix it?


texts:
I'm trying to install this new Smart Switch I purchased from Amazon.

According to the instructions, I need a neutral connection.
A short white neutral wire is included in a box as well.

The next photo shows the current configuration with my old switch.
As you can see, there are

2 black hot wires
1 copper ground wire

AND

2 unused white neutral wires.

I'm wondering if I can just randomly pick one of the two neutrals and directly connect it to the new switch.

OR

Do I need to use the short neutral that came with the new switch and do something with it (if so, specific instructions are appreciated)


texts: 240 V AFCI substituting two 120 V not AFCI breakers

texts:
Could 240 V - 20 A AFCI breaker be used to supply power to two 120 V - 20 A circuits requiring AFCI protection?
Recently wired to two separated 120 V 20 A non AFCI breakers but with common neutral?


texts:
I want to update my ceiling fan.  I uninstalled the old fan.  It was controlled by 2 switches.  One controlled the light, the other the fan.  There are only 3 wires coming out of the ceiling.  Black, white, and bare. However, the black wire has white tape on it, the white wire has black tape on it, and the bare ground also has white tape on it.  The black wire with white tape was connected to the fan's white wire.  The white wire with black tape was connected to the fan's black wire.  The bare wire with white tape was connected to the fan's blue wire!  The green ground wire from the fan was connected to the fan bracket.

I have a new fan/light with remote.  I installed it according to the instructions, ignoring the tape, and using the actual wire color and connecting the bare wire to the fan's ground.

Nothing's working - no power.  What to do next?

With some help from a friend, I think we have it sorted out:

OLD WIRING:

NEW WIRING:


texts: Wiring ceiling rose with single pole switch isn't working

texts:
The ceiling rose has usual configuration i.e two connectors for lamp(+ve) and switch, three connectors for live and three for negative and lamp(-ve). There is a separate connector for earth.

The light switch is fed by two red wires and earths and connects to ceiling rose via one red wire plus earth.
It used to work then failed. I checked the bulbs and thought I had solved it as one of the switch (red) wires had come loose. Reconnecting did not help.
There is 250 volts* ac at the ceiling rose. I have not come across any similar wiring. All other lamps are wired differently.
*UK


texts: Wiring residential internet router through existing smoke detector

texts:
My internet router is setup at one end of the house thus the other end gets bad coverage. I'd like to move it at the center of the house to provide better coverage.

The gear in question is located in the basement, everything is opened and wired at the moment.

Here is the center of the house, note the smoke detector:

Essentially, could I branch off the smoke detector to power the router (residential unit provided by my ISP)?

Edit #1

Per the comments below, I'll attempt to use the light fixture that is nearby:

I was only thinking of using the smoke detector as it was closer. Now I wonder if it's advisable if I branch off a 4th line from the light fixture?


texts: I have a project where I need to install two boxes into the ceiling of a basement. Each box will have two outlets, one on a switch and the other always hot. Both boxes will be connected to 3-way switches, one at the top of the stairs and the other at the door leading into the basement, in a single continuous line. I can not figure out how to wire this with both switched and hot outlets on the same circuit.


texts:
We demoed a 70's stone fireplace and re-framed where we had a lot of rot. I'm planning to buy or build a surround/mantle and incorporate some stone or tile in the end.

I'm wondering what the next step should be. Should I put durock right up against the black face of this prefab fireplace? Or can I put mastic and tile right up against this? I'm concerned obviously because of the heat. Or do I need to buy some kind of a metal prefab trim/surround type thing? There were brass doors there before that we removed and threw away. I just don't know anything about prefab fireplaces and finishing them.


texts: 12/3 w/ ground run from switch to ceiling fan. Way to jump 12/2 for new light with independent switch?

texts:
Remodeling a bedroom in a 1980s townhome. The home was set up with switched outlets and no ceiling lighting in most rooms. The bedroom in question does have 12/3 cable w ground to the ceiling from the switch box, but my parents are set on having a fan without a light in that location. In essence, the red cable isn't being used for the fan, and we'd like to get light to a different ceiling location. I have access to the fan j box from both below and the attic space, but the 12/3 cable is tied to studs and run through ceiling joists, so I cannot pull new lines from the switch without tearing apart walls/ceilings.

My question is whether or how I might try to jump off of this unused red(hot) for a second ceiling fixture. The switch box has room for another switch; it currently has a switch for the outlets, the fan switch, and an empty space, as the old fan had the light and fan switched separately. For the new light, can I just run 12/2 w ground to the new light location from the fan j box, attaching black to red and white to other whites. I guess I'm not sure if it's okay to run two separate fixtures off of the 12/3 of the fan like that, or if it would even work.

I can figure out a smart switch fix on another circuit from the attic, but I'd prefer everything be hard wired and on the same circuit.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris


texts:
How do I remove gunk buildup on sandpaper?
After using acetone to remove some of the finish I am using sandpaper on the door. The sandpaper keeps getting black goo on it. But the sandpaper underneath seems to be perfectly fine.
Is there a way to remove the goo and save the sandpaper? Would a sandpaper saver block work something like this:


texts: Can I hook up an ice maker with a 1/4" plastic pipe to my garden hose faucet easily?

texts:
Just got my hubby a new ice maker and it has a 1/4" water line.  Thing is it is going in the garage and needs to run off of the garden hose faucet.   Is there an adapter that I can use to run the hose faucet to the ice maker?   Do I need to install any copper tubing?

Thank you!

Barbara


texts: We are installing a light fixture in my kitchen, it's an old fixture that was my grandmothers.  When we hooked everything up at first the light worked and everything else on that circuit also worked (bathroom, laundry room, and stove light and vent).  We just loosely connected everything at first to make sure it worked, and it did.  But after we tightened everything down, pushed all the wires back in the box, and buttoned everything up the light doesn't work now.  So we opened everything back up again but there is nothing noticeably wrong with it. No exposed wires and all the wire nuts are on tight.  We hooked the meter up to each wire (there were 4 white and 4 black) and there is no power coming through on any of them. We checked to make sure the circuit didn't trip, which it didn't.  We connected it to the same wires the original fixture was attached to, and like i said everything worked when it was loosely attached.  Any ideas what could be the issue?  thanks in advance for the help


texts: Is it okay to drill a ground rod through pavement?

texts:
All the sides of my house are paved, and I need to drive a new ground rod for an antenna.

Would it be against code (NEC) to drill a hole in the concrete to pound in a ground rod?

Bonus question: How big should the hole be, and is it okay to leave several inches of the rod above the pavement for accessibility?


texts: advice on sealing crawlspace vents to outside air

texts:
My house was built in 1950, and in my crawlspace, I have vents covered with mesh wire that circulate air to the outside.

I've been reading online that its now best practice to seal the vents in the winter, and open them up in the summer, but I wanted to get peoples feedback on this, given the environment my house resides in.

I live in a typical Northern California climate that experiences moderate weather all year around. In the winter, occasional rain storms, with the temperature approaching, but rarely hitting freezing, and in the summer, temperatures between 80-90, rarely hitting the 100s.

Throughout the year, unless its raining or foggy, humidity is never very high.

In addition, I have a sump pump in my crawlspace, as I experience a good rush of water from the hill I'm on during a downpour.  The crawlspace is rat-proofed, and over time, I do need to epoxy paint over the cracks that develop that leak water to the unfinished floor (its just epoxyed-over concrete) at the end of each rainy season.  This water that may escape through the cracks that develop finds its way to a drain in the concrete floor that drains to the same reservoir that the sump-pump feeds off.

Given these conditions, is it advised to regularly open/close the vents, seasonally or otherwise, for insulation or other reasons?


texts: How can I support a spinning log for a playground set?

texts:
I've been slowly building an outdoor play area for my kids (4 energetic children aged from 2-11).  One of my neighbors recently put a large number (~25) of wood posts out for the trash, and we saved the trash pickup guys some trouble and snagged them.  The posts have about a 6" diameter, are well rounded, and are cut in fairly even lengths of about 3 feet long.

I've already bought some standard 2x4's and I'm going to put some of these posts into the ground as simple supports to turn 2x4's into balance beams.

I would like to to use some of the rest to turn them into "spinning" balance beams, or something along those lines.  I'm not sure what might be the best way to do that.  The rough picture in my head involves simply drilling a deep hole into both ends of a post, inserting a long bolt through a support post and into the hole (without securing it inside the post).  That's probably not the best description, and probably won't work, but I also suspect that there might be some specialty bolt/joint/fasteners that are designed for this sort of movement and which will work much better anyway.

To recap:

Are there any specialty "bolts" that might be dropped into both ends of a post and allow it to spin freely while supported from the ends?  If not, is there any way I might fashion such a connection using common home-improvement store items?


texts: Small Concrete Pad with (cutoff) 1/4" x 6-in vertical steel pipes, What is this?

texts:
I've been in my home for 10 years and have finally decided to get rid of this mysterious eyesore in my backyard.  It's a roughly 4' x 4' concrete pad, with two 1/4-inch x 6-in steel pipes installed vertically, but cutoff with a torch before we bought it.  The pipes are ~27" apart, extend at least 2-ft below the surface and the concrete is at least 6-in thick at the edge of the pad.  I've chipped away at the edges with a 6-lb sledge and found it's not going to break up easily!  I'd like to satisfy my curiosity and also figure out how I need to upgrade my removal strategy.

So what is this thing?!

Extra details: The house was built in 1995, I live in Michigan, the pad is ~50-ft from house with no other structures nearby.


texts: Do I really need 10 AWG wire for a AC condenser that says 15 AMP max?

texts: I'm buying a used AC condenser for a rental property. The unit says max amps = 15 (see below), however the HVAC guy tells me I want a 20AMP double pole breaker with 10 AWG? I would have though 15 AMP double pole with 12 AWG would be fine. Is he correct? The wire length is probably 20 feet max.


texts: Do outside faucets need to be winterized in a home with a conditioned crawlspace?

texts:
Pretty simple question, but conditioned crawlspaces seem new enough that I couldn't find anything about it on Google. Does the warmth from the crawlspace make winterizing the faucets unnecessary?

Update: sorry for not providing climate details. I'm in Tennessee; we get mild winters. We get from 4-7 days from Dec-Feb where the temperature drops below 20*F.

The house has two climate zones for the upstairs and downstairs living spaces, and the crawlspace is tied in with one of them.

The outside faucets are not freeze-proofed silcocks.


texts: whirlpool washing machine stops after rinse cycle, will not spin, and knob makes a noise

texts: I have a Whirlpool Ultimate care 2 and it stopped draining water and entering the spin cycle. I initially thought it was the water pump and replaced it. The draining lines seemed clear(no issues with draining water from washer, even the ones connected to the water pump ;) ), but I am running into the same issue. Now I've noticed that when I set the machine to rinse(from empty) it filled with water and that was it. When I turned the knob to another cycle for rinse, the knob would begin make a noise kind of like a timer then eventually stop. Not sure if it is something intrinsically wrong with the knob mechanism or the lid switch. Please help!


texts: Replacing a light switch that has 2 red wires and 1 black- one red was on the screw the other red was back stabbing the same portion

texts: I am replacing a light switch that had 2 red wires(one connected to screw and one backstabbing) and the one black was backstabbing the upper part of the switch. I understand I should use the screw to attach rather than the backstab. The new switch I bought only contains screws. There is no overhead light in the room and the only thing the switch controls is the bottom half of the wall outlets. In the new switch do I need both red or can I cap one of the red ones? Or should I use a wire nut and pigtail the reds together then attach to the screw?


texts: Ceiling joists job in a cinder block house

texts:
So I have a 25 x 30 square house made of cinder block. Roof is just a gable roof with gables on the ends of the 30ft length.

My question is, I know in stick framed houses the ceiling joists act to hold up the walls. Do the ceiling joists provide any structural integrity in a cinder block house of this nature or are they only to hold up the ceiling drywall?


texts: Installing a chimney rain cap with no exposed flue

texts:
I have a large masonry chimney that doesn't have a rain cap. The brick portion is about 2' x 4', and it has an 8" x 8" tile flue in the center. The flue is flush with the mortar chimney top, so there is nothing to clamp a standard chimney rain cap onto.

How can I attach a rain cap to the flat top of the chimney? I can't find any rain caps that don't clamp onto the sides of the flue.


texts:
I have a 5 year old Broan furnace  model M7RL 072A AW  downflow condensing gas furnace. Here's the furnace startup sequence:

pump runs
ignitor glows
hear the click of the gas valve opening
fires up
runs 4 seconds
shuts down

The next 2-3 attempts it starts and runs fine, then it does it again. It never shows any codes. I have replaced the flame sensor , but still does it.


texts: Should I set wood fence posts in quikrete with no supplemental water?

texts: Setting wood fence post---I've heard to set wood fence posts using quikrete dry, allowing it get moisture from the ground. Is this a good idea?


texts:
I've used PEX bend supports in the ½" size before which worked great, but trying to use them for ¾" has been difficult. Regardless of the method I've tried, the plastic ones keep snapping.

Using the bend support itself as a lever to bend the PEX is definitely wrong, it breaks right away.

But even bending the PEX first by hand into more-or-less the right shape, and then inserting into the bend has caused many of them to snap & break.

This is PEX-B which is rather stiff. But I am trying to bend it in the direction it was coiled in. I'm working in a basement which is usually 50-55 °F all the time.

Is there some particular method of doing this right?

(I've also tried metal ones which don't break but refuse to stay on the pipe. But that's a separate problem).


texts: Going through condensate pumps every 2-3 years

texts:
I am about to buy my 5th condensate pump in 12 years. HE furnace or 2.5T A/C run 10-11 months out of the year here. Humidifier attached but not in use.

I have a 7.5' rise, 20' horizontal span, then 8' down into my drain from the pump.

Failure modes vary only slightly. For the most part, the pumps will start making noise (varies, but usually a noisy motor type of noise, usually the motor physically heats up until I smell hot electronics), and will eventually stop pumping if not replaced within a month or two. For this reason I keep a spare on hand, and just replace them when they quit entirely. The pumps I've been buying are the standard $60 $133 120V ones from Home Depot. The make/model varies every time I buy one.

To be clear, my question is on why the pumps might be failing so often. The only thing I can think is that the drain line might have become restricted (furnace installers tied it to rigid pipes with zip ties), making the pump work much harder. It looks relatively un-kinked, but the tubing is opaque. The drain line is exposed and easy to get at, so would be easy enough to replace I suppose, but I wanted to ask here first to see if there are other things I should be checking.

I could eliminate the 7.5' rise in theory, but it'd either be a trip hazard, or a 50' run along the outer perimeter of the house.


texts: One of three blades on lawn mower very loose and spinning freely

texts:
When I turned the blades on on my Snapper Pro, the whole mower shook and made a lot of noise.  Upon inspection, one of the blades appears to be free-spinning instead of connected to the belt.

As you can see in this video, the blade is wobbly and spins freely.  When I try to move the other blades, they don't move, but I can see the belt wiggle, showing that they're connected.

My first guess is that I need to somehow tighten that bolt under the blade, but upon inspection, it doesn't seem loose at all. I haven't taken a wrench to it yet, but I assumed if it was loose enough to allow that much play in the blade, that it would be loose to the touch too.

Thoughts on what I should do or try?

Here's another video of me fiddling around with it and showing that when I attempt to spin a different blade, it does wiggle the bolt and housing above and below the loose blade.


texts: Hissing Sound After Filling AC Unit Refrigerant

texts:
I had a problem with with my AC window unit days ago. It kept doing a high deep sound while the sun is up. I had this same problem last year. Last year when I called the technician he told me the unit needed refrigerant. He fixed the problem and the unit ran for a year without issues.

This year the same problem happened, so I called my technician and he was not available. So, I called another technician and he told me that he sealed an open pipe leaking refrigerant, replaced something he referred to as automatic (he said it was under the control panel knobs), and filled the refrigerant.

After receiving the unit, I have noticed this hissing sound while the AC unit is cooling. It is continuous with 1-2 seconds intermissions. The technician told me it was normal and it was the compressor working.

I have had this unit for years now. I have never heard this sound, before. I also did not have this hissing sound before this year's "repair" which was days ago. The unit cools the room without that loud annoying sound it did before. Though, the hissing sound is driving me crazy. I cannot focus nor sleep. I think I will have a breakdown.

I hope you guys help me resolve this issue. What could have this technician done to introduce this sound? Is it possible the "automatic" thing he installed is causing this? Did maybe some air get inside while he was filling the refrigerant?

Thanks for any information you can give me.

Edit: Before the repair, I could hear this sound for around 3-4 seconds after shutting down the unit only. Though now I hear it for more than 10 seconds, after shutting the unit.


texts: removing skylight from resin storage shed

texts:
I have a 10 ft. x 8 ft. Keter Stronghold Resin Storage Shed

The roof panel slides off due to several broken tabs on skylight so I have to remove the old skylight by unsnapping the roof panel.
***How do you unsnap the roof panel from the skylight panel?
I heated the tabs and tried using a screwdriver but have't been able to unsnap these plastic parts from each other. The other option is to break the other skylight tabs holding the roof panels but I dont want to damage the roof panels in the process.


texts:
I currently have some angled stairs going from my garage into the home. To the left of these stairs is a closet that I'm going to take out to allow more open space in the garage. Directly to the right of the angled stairs are the stairs leading to the basement. I'm really not a fan of these angled steps as visitors are not use to them and frequently stumble or miss a step(I'm surprised nobody has fallen down the basement stairs yet...knock on wood).

So after the closet is gone, I would like to put in more normal steps but there is not a lot of space between the door and where the basement steps begin. I would like to know if anyone has an alternative ideas for these steps. I was thinking steps that wrap around, but I'm not sure it would work with the amount of space I have.

For those that might mention local codes, this project is in Albany, NY.

Here is an image of the steps.

Here is a rough sketch with measurements.


texts: How many square foot of coverage per bag of mortar when repointing brick?

texts:
I haven't been able to find the answer anywhere. In a standard 80lb bag of mortar mix, how many square feet of coverage can I get when repointing a running bond brick wall with standard 8x4x2.25 assuming a depth of about 1"?

Anybody have a rough rule of thumb?


texts:
I will be expanding my bathroom and moving the bathtub, meaning I need to prepare a new bathtub alcove.

I know how to frame and plumb - but preparing for tile is new to me.

I know that there are different products out there to use to prepare for tile, such as concrete backer-board which would apply direct to the studs and get sealed with thinset, vs. waterproof membranes which would be applied directly to greenboard without the backerboard.

What I don't know is - what are the advantages/disadvantages to each approach?  Is one better than the other?

The plan is to use ceramic and glass tiles - does that make a difference?


texts: How many recessed lights should I install in my living room?

texts: I've got a 18" x 12" living room that I want to install recessed lights into but I am stuck as to if I should install 6 or 8 lights (6 inch each). 6 already "looks" like there are a bunch of holes in the ceiling and I Just feel like 8 may be too crowed. but then again, what if 6 doesn't provide enough light? What do you guys think?


texts: Is an Ionizer Air Purifier effective against birch pollen?

texts:
I spot an Ionizer Air Purifier Air Cleaner Air Ionizer and I want to understand whether it could help to alleviate symptoms due to birch pollen particles such as itching, tiredness and shortness of breath.

Is a negative air ionizer effective against birch pollen particles?


texts: One of the outlet has no power in my house. I found the neutral wire is also hot like the black wire. There are only two wires, no ground wire involved. The wiring in the house is very new (~ 1 year). What would be the problem?


texts:
I decided to replace my kitchen backsplash only to damage the drywall behind it.
How do I fix the drywall around electric box so that it is not flimsy and it is safe?


texts: How can I provide effective access to a subdivided space below a non-structural floor?

texts:
One problem faced when finished spaces are built atop concrete slab floors (whether slab-on-grade/slab-as-basement-floor, or a suspended reinforced concrete structural slab floor) is "where do the utilities go?"  The traditional solution is to embed them in/below the slab; however, this approach causes serious maintainability challenges if a utility fails (such as a drain pipe rusting out) or becomes obsolete.

Using a drop ceiling to house the utilities appears to be an attractive option, but causes one logistical problem: drainage can't go up without a pump to motivate it.  This is a serious issue from a first-cost perspective (one sewage or greywater pump per fixture) and a service/maintenance perspective (broken pump means inoperable fixture and icky service job), never mind the issue of not being able to run any water when the power goes out (or having to provide standby power to the pumps).  Running all the utilities in the walls suffers from a similar problem, as well as forcing labryinthine utility routes over doors and around hallways, so it is not an option either.

This leaves the idea of an inverted crawlspace setup, where a set of non-structural floor joists are set atop the structural floor slab (with their bottom plates resting atop the slab), with a non-structural subfloor and finish floor set atop the floor joists, forming a space suitable for utility routing.  This provides room for all the utilities a house or apartment needs, as:

vents can be run in-floor with the aid of an island vent configuration (which can simply live in the wall behind the fixture, so it doesn't need to be visible),
lighting can be provided using surface raceways/boxes for ceiling fixture mounting or simply by using wall sconces instead of ceiling fixtures,
HVAC ductwork (including dryer and range venting) can also be run in this floor space provided sufficient room is provided (or simply out the wall for dryer and/or range vents, depending on where the dryer and range are located),
fire sprinklering can be handled with sidefire (sidewall) type sprinkler heads,
and combustion venting can be handled through direct through-the-wall vents if absolutely needed (say, for a gas fireplace); this works well with sealed-combustion appliances, even, although with modern air sealing practice, keeping combustion appliances out of the conditioned/occupied space is highly recommended.

Given that the joists forming the crawlspace are going to either be wooden floor trusses, steel open web bar joists, or steel/wood composite bar joists, as wooden I-joists are much more limiting when it comes to utility routing due to web boring limits, this all works out nicely, save for one issue: how can one fit access hatches to this space for post-construction use?  Note that I want to be able to use normal residential floor finishes to at least some extent, instead of being limited to commercial-style carpet square systems: at the very minimum, tile and floating wood need to be supported by this scheme, while a carpet option would be a nice-to-have as well.  Furthermore, one must be able to access the entire space this way, instead of some small portion of it; having a handful of hatches is acceptable, but requiring say, one hatch per joist bay, would be considered excessive here.


texts: How to remove bulb from this Harden faucet to replace cartridge

texts: My widespread Harden faucet has set screw that removes the handle but the white base bulb will not come off. I can turn the bulb but there is a metal rim which extends inside the bulb and prevents it from being pulled up. When I turn the bulb, the metal above the bulb does not turn so somehow I need to get that out.  Faucet is leaking and I need to replace the cartridge.


texts: What should I consider when cutting a dryer vent hole?

texts:
Our dryer has been taking forever to dry loads so, this morning, I disassembled the vent pipe and scrubbed out all the lint. However, before reassembling the vent, I had an idea.

The current vent run starts at the dryer near floor level, makes a 90 degree turn, runs up 7 vertical feet, makes another 90 degree turn, across 2.5 horizontal feet, 90 degree turn, 20 horizontal feet and exits the side wall of the house. If I ran the vent to the opposite wall, I could shorten this to 90 degree turn, 7 vertical feet, 90 degree turn, 5 horizontal feet, out.

Is this likely to be signifcantly better? Anything I need to check before cutting the new vent hole? Any ideas why this wouldn't have been done the first time?

Details: Below is a photo of the portion of wall I plan to cut through, and a photo of the corresponding exterior wall. I haven't figured out exactly where the cut will emerge yet, but I think it should be near the top of the lowest board, near where the wood siding starts. The vent is 4" cylindrical metal tubing. The dryer is an old Kenmore; the previous owner told us he bought it used in 1995. Finally, my apologies if this posts twice; I seem to be having some confusion about the openID log on.


texts: How thickly can I install self levelling concrete to fix a tilted garage floor?

texts:
My garage floor is not level. The garage doors are level as I have held a spirit level up to each. One side of the garage door gently touches the floor (as desired). The other side has a gap between the bottom of the garage door and the floor of 2 inches.

I have researched how to fix this and videos show that self levelling compound exists. From what I've understood, I use an adhesive such as Eco Prime Grip on the existing concrete, and pour the self levelling compound on top.
The confusion I have is, the levelling compound description on the website says

Coat Depth: 1-10mm

Does this mean that I can only apply up to 10mm at a time? Or can I use this to try to fill this 2 inch gap?


texts: Is it OK to pull Category (Cat5e, Cat6 a, Cat 6a) internet cable around a corner constructed of threaded rod/ All-Thread?

texts:
Is there a reason an electrical inspector or building inspector could fail an inspection?  One of my co-workers thinks it's acceptable to use All-Thread holding up HVAC and electrical equipment in the ceiling as a pull point for AV and data cable at 90-degrees.  I think it's an egregious practice, but can't think of why specifically off the top of my head.  Prefer references and inspector experiences.

Manufacturer's Minimum bend radius?
Likelihood of damage the cable sheathing, internal insulation and copper wire from sharp edges?
NFPA 70 National Electric Code (NEC)
Building Industry Consulting Service International, Inc. (BICSI) Telecommunications Distribution Methods Manual (TDMM)?
ANSI/TIA-568.1-D  Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard?
National Electrical Contractors Association NECA 1 Standard for Good Workmanship in Electrical Construction?


texts: Water based clear protective finish coarse first coat

texts:
I have already sanded about 600 sq/ft of white oak flooring that now feels very smooth. I applied a Minmax water based clear protective satin finish on a small area, with a roll. Maybe it's because it hadn't completely dried out yet but I felt that the surface was not smooth at all when I touched it. I would therefore have 3 questions:

What can I do to make the finish feel smooth?
Applying the finish with a brush on such a large area is not an option. What is the best type of roll that I can use?
What mechanical means can I use over a large area to make sure it's evenly and finely sanded prior to applying the second coat?


texts: I have sited a Gecko loc caddy wrongly. What's the best way to remove the base plate from the tiled wall without damage.


texts:
I have an existing boiler with 4 zones and 4 separate pumps.  I also have an electronic damper that opens when the heat is called.   I am adding another zone for pex hydronic underfloor heating and I want to tie it in to my existing boiler.  I will be having another thermostat for a total of 5 zones.  Will I need another relay from the pictures below? Also where do I grab power off the existing relay's for the new pumps and thermostats?
My apologizes my pictures will not upload.


texts:
I'm remodeling the bathroom in my house that was built in the 1930s. I stripped out the old flooring down to the 1x8 wood planks (about 1/4" between each).

I have 1/4" Hardie Board to put down in preparation for tile and I'm a little confused on how I should do this.

Some resources I've found have said to lay down mortar first, then screw the board into the floor. Other resources have said that you can just screw it into the floor in appropriate locations. Others yet have recommended laying down plywood first, then Hardie Board, then tile. I'm really not sure what to do here.

The wood floor outside of the bathroom is only about 3/4" higher than the plank subfloor in the bathroom. I'm concerned about ending up with a bathroom floor that's considerably higher than my wood floors.

Thanks for your help.


texts: How do I determine the fill rating of a conduit?

texts:
I Will be installing a subpanel in a detached garage. The subpanel will be 60 amp. The garage is about 30' from the main-panel in-house, and I will of course get an exact length before selecting the proper gauge wiring. I'll be using pvc underground for the wiring. There is already existing wiring going underground from the house to the garage, which will no longer be used.

I saw a youtube video that mentioned that different sized PVC conduit have different limits on the number of conductors that can be ran through them underground. Is this true, and if so where can I find documentation on this? Specifically, the number of conductors for each size conduit.


texts:
The downspout out the back of my apartment has completely deteriorated. I didn't get around to looking at it when I moved in last summer, but finally got on a ladder and took a photo today:

So as you can see, that's a mess. The upper portion is completely rusted through and is stuffed full of debris; it's actually barely hanging on there. The problem is, the part that's toast is part of the trough, fixed with a weld. I'm not about to take down the whole trough.

Any suggestions to mend this without removing large pieces of the trough? I know what to do to prevent this once it's fixed, but that's where I need to start.


texts: filling a 3 inch hole in a fire rated dry wall ceiling

texts:
My sprinkler system in my condo was just decommissioned and 12 sprinkler heads will be reomoved.  As a result I will have 1 sprinkler head hole in the ceiling of each room in my condo (total of 12). My ceiling is fire rated with 5/8 inch drywall.  Can I use a round self adhesive vinyl plug to cover the whole if I stuff the hole with fire rated insulation. Or can you suggesdt another way to cover these holes vrs drywall and the mess it creates with spackling and sanding.  Would appreciate any help.

Ed


texts: How do I fix leaking sprinkler line from this valve?

texts:
After restoring water to my sprinkler system line, I noticed it is leaking between two pieces of the valve.  Is this something that can be fixed easily or do I need to have a plumber come out and cut the pipe, replace the valve and re-solder everything back together?  It's leaking where the bottom female part where you tighten with the wrench and the section with the "1" on it meet in the photo below.

Click for full size


texts: Where to put a cable tie on an electrical cord?

texts:
When it comes to adding an attached cable wrap to a electrical power cord, is there a proper end to place a cable tie?

Female end? Male end?

I know I can add a wrap to an electrical cord on either end or even place a tie in the center. I am wondering if there is a proper end people prefer. I can't seem to find an answer and I'm about to wrap lots of electrical cords.


texts:
I have a canon cooking range. When I push the igniter button, its body gives an electric shock.
What can be the reasons and how can I minimize the risks of getting those shocks?


texts: How do I take apart and fix this shower head?

texts:
After not being used for 3 weeks, most of the nozzles in this shower head got clogged by limescale. When I turned on the shower, the plastic housing for the nozzles bulked up under pressure and blew around the sides. Most of the water came out where the plastic part with the nozzles meets the chrome part.

I took the shower head off, and tried prying the nozzle part off by sticking a knife through the small slit between it and the chrome part. I couldn’t take it off without using too much pressure and risking breaking it.

Is there a way to take this apart and fix it? If it can’t be taken apart, would it be sufficient to inject silicone or a similar product in the slit between the two parts in order to seal it?


texts:
I just spent $100 upgrading our dining room lighting from regular incandescent bulbs with a dimmer switch to a CFL friendly dimmer switch with specifically marked dimming capable CFL bulbs.

At full power, they work fine.  5 x 60W equivalent bulbs put the room into "OH MY GOD I'M BLIND" mode quite nicely.

But slide the dimmer just a little bit and BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ an annoying hum comes from the bulbs.

On top of that - the fully dim setting only goes from totally blinding light to about full daylight mode.

Before I totally trash this setup and go back to my nice, warm, DIM incandescent bulbs, is it possible something is wrong with my setup?  Maybe my hot and neutral are backwards?  (Old old wiring, can't tell which is which w/o trial and error...)


texts: Load Bearing Weight Capacity of a 3/4“ x 3/4” Wood Molding?

texts:
I'd like to custom install Ikea PAX sliding doors into my existing closets, recessing them into the closet opening. My idea is to create a custom "frame" simulating the Ikea closet frame onto which to install the Ikea mounting hardware. The Ikea hardware is designed to slide onto a 3/4" thick frame.

My question is: would a 3/4" x 3/4" wood molding screwed onto a 1.5" x 6" or a 2" x 6" wood plank be able to support the 130 lb Ikea doors? The top rail would be screwed onto the molding and the weight of the sliding doors would rest entirely upon this molding.

See the photo below to illustrate the design. In this picture the sliding doors would be mounted to the molding and the doors would face left (the inside of the closet would be to the right).

I can screw the molding to the larger wood piece every foot and also use wood glue between them. I have no experience in wood working and such a small molding seems like it might not hold up. Thanks!


texts:
Got an issue with 1 of our TVs since Freeview changed around and everyone had to re tune.

I have 3 TVs in the house all from same aerial and been working since, then had to retune them all due to Freeview changes at start of march and all went well apart from the living room TV. It gets bbc1 and 2 but skips nearly all channels below 100. HD  works fine but missing some others here and there.

I've plugged it into the same point as the kitchen TV but still doesn't re tune. I've tried to reinitialize the channels many times on different wall points but doesn't get them, even though the other TVs do.

Any ideas, the TV in question is a Samsung UE50NU7020K

Regards
Liam


texts:
Is it okay to use silicone to seal gas furnace heater supply ducts? If so, do you know how long the silicone will need to cure before the system is useable?

Some background:
I've been trawling around my basement recently and found that a lot of my duct connections have exceeded my wildest dreams of what poor craftsmanship looks like. Lots of connections were "sealed" using literal duct tape - which has since crusted off and is not holding on to anything. The joints where circular ducts attach to box ducts are the worst offenders.

Thanks for your time.


texts: Protecting a finished wood exterior door

texts: I have a solid wood exterior door, that I had stained and finished by the maker.  I was looking for a way to prolong and protect the finish.  I thought about waxing the door (especially the exterior side).  Any have any suggestions on this ?  I thought just a spray automotive wax would do the trick.


texts: What would cause a hardwired smoke alarm to give one short beep when appliances are turned on?

texts:
I have hard wired smoke detectors.  I've noticed that when I plug my tablet into a power strip connected to an outlet in my living room it caused the upstairs detector to emit a quick beep.

I now have an air conditioner in the same outlet.  Whenever it kicks on, the detector on the same floor and upstairs would beep.

Tonight while it was running we started hearing a continuous quick beeping; it was the detector in the basement.  As soon as we switched the ac off, it stopped.

It seems that whenever there's a quick rise in power usage, these things react.

Any idea what is going on?


texts: How can I remove this stuck screw in my bathroom?

texts:
I'm trying to remove this tower holder, but the screw is stuck. The hole seems to be a 2mm hexagonal socket, but the allen key turns and cracks without moving the screw.

I've tried other fixtures and some will unscrew just fine while others are more or less stuck. I suspect that all the rust caused tue socket to crumble when I tried to unscrew so now it's pretty much ruined.

Normally I would use a screw extractor for this job, but the piece is just too close to the wall and a drill won't fit. Maybe some kind of manual, small screw extractor could be used, if it even exists.

I've considered several options to deal with this:

superglue the allen key in the socket and turn it with a hammer. Most likely the glue won't handle it
use a left-hand tapper to grip in the screw and unscrew it. I would need to buy such a tapper just for this job and most likely would break it
grind the s**t out of that thing with an angle grinder, it would take much time and I would prefer not to

Any ideas on a technique/device I could use?


texts: Installing a washing machine standpipe with existing sink

texts: I have a bathroom sink on the 2nd story, plumbed and vented in the usual manner. I want to install a washing machine on the other side of the wall. Can I install the washing machine standpipe and tie it right into the drain on the sink, as though the sink were a utility sink? If I did that, would I need to change the venting at all?


texts: How can I close gaps between curtains temporarily?

texts:
In day, I want sunlight and pull curtains apart. In night, I pull them together, and want curtains overlap in middle. But I open window for fresh air ventilation, and wind blows my curtains apart, and light pollution enters gap in middle.
I don't know how sew. I don't want sew any thing on curtains. I take down curtains and wash them every 2 months.
I thought adding Bias Tape with Fabric Glue, then tying curtains together with a belt or string. Will this work? Any simpler idea?


texts: How to open up this single lever American Standard shower knob

texts:
One of our showers has this American Standard single lever mixer. Lately, even with the handle turned all the way to 'hot', the water is moderately warm at best. The other faucets in this bathroom and everywhere else in the house emit sufficiently hot water, so I suspect this particular cartridge may need replacement, or maybe the temperature limit needs to be looked at.

The problem is - I don't know how to go about opening the knob. The two visible screws are obviously holding the wall-plate, but there has to be a simple (?) trick to remove the handle/knob first. Hopefully someone can recognize the model from these pictures and point me in the right direction.


texts: What is a good way to attach vent covers to ceiling vents in my basement?

texts:
I recently bought a house and the basement was newly renovated.

The furnace and air exchangers have vents all along the ceiling of the basement suite. However the vent covers have a tendency to fall off the ceiling and onto the floor. Is there a good way to attach them to the ceiling?

The vent covers are similar to this


texts: Spacing of underground pipes with differing freezing points

texts:
I need to run a variety of electrical and plumbing from my house several hundred feet to the site of my future pool and pool shed. Included in this is geothermal piping, connecting my house geothermal system to the pool heater, and potable water, for a future bathroom off of the pool shed, a hose bib, and for pool filling.

The geothermal system has antifreeze in its closed loop with a min design temperature of 19 degrees Fahrenheit. This is obviously well below freezing.

The potable water pipes, of course, won't be very happy if they freeze.

I don't want to insulate the geothermal pipes, both because of the cost of several hundred feet of insulation and because additional ground contact will improve the performance of the system.

For some general information, I live in NJ and the frost depth by my house is 36". It is customary to bury water pipes at 48", though obviously not bundled with below freezing pipes. My soil is principally rocky clay.

How much separation do I need to prevent the water pipes from freezing? Ideally I want to keep the trench to 16" wide due to the width of the bucket for the trencher to which I have access. Thus I'd prefer to put the geothermal and water lines at different depths in the same trench instead of side by side.

My property is rocky enough (some jackhammering of rocks will probably be involved in this) and the run is long enough that making a second trench is both impractical and too costly.


texts: How can I get touched up paint to match?

texts: I recently tried to touch up a spot on my living room wall.  Nearly 20 hours later, that spot looks exactly like it did when I first painted it.  I have the exact paint that the wall was painted with.  Should I water down the paint a little to help it match?  Would painting again with the watered down solution even help?  I absolutely cannot repaint the whole wall, but hope there is a way to fix this.  Will rolling over this spot with a roller brush instead of a regular paint brush make a difference?


texts: How to prevent warping of softwood shelves?

texts:
I've been buying planed timber from my local builders merchant for various simple interior jobs.
Recently I noticed warping across the width of some of my shelves. Attached shows a 20mm thick piece cut in half and compared with itself. I wouldn't have expected such a thick piece to be bent across such a narrow width.
I don't know if this is normal for softwood (this is Scots Pine) but clamping a bunch of sawn pieces together for 24 hours made some decent improvement.
My worry now is that the warping will return. The wood will be painted, but is there anything else I can treat it with to avoid warping?
One piece in particular will be a shelf above a radiator - would you expect heat to cause further warping?


texts: How should I build a raised subfloor for my basement bathroom?

texts:
I've ripped out the bathroom in my basement that was finished by the previous homeowner. I'm now rebuilding, and curious to the most correct way to go about this.

The whole basement was finished using 2x4's running over the basement concrete, fiberglass insulation between them, (paper side up) plywood on top, tiles directly on plywood. No vapor barrier above or below the slab. (The fiberglass in the rest of the floors WILL eventually be replaced and maybe the floor lowered, I know the moisture plus fiberglass will be bad)

The bathroom floor was previously raised about 10 extra inches relative to the rest of the floor, for drain pipes that were run above the slab. There was no headroom. Now I've cut up the concrete floor, had a plumber run pipes, re-filled with bagged concrete, and leveled the cutout with self leveling cement.

Due to the way my house sits, the main drainage pipe was only 1" deep in the slab, meaning that as the pipes go across the bathroom, sloping down into the main drain, parts of pipe are only half-under the concrete, and parts are completely over the concrete. At the highest point, one pipe is 2.5" over. This means I'll have to raise the subfloor to at least that, and that's fine because it'll match the rest of the basement. I'll have to notch the floor joists for pipes, which is why I did self-leveling underlayment - I want everything to be supported well so tiles don't crack.

Now that the scenario is described, I just don't know where to start. I'd like to just put pressure treated 2x4's down, laying flat, ramsetted into the concrete. I'm not sure how that will stick to my fresh concrete/self-leveled substrate, and I don't know if I need a vapor barrier under that? Directly on top of those 2x4's, I'd like to lay down regular 1x4 and just screw them together, giving me a floor height of 2.25". I'd like to put 2" foam board between the supports, but I don't know if that's the right type of insulation and I'm not sure what type of board to use.

At this height, the floor will clear everything except for a patch directly in front of the toilet, where the thickness of the 90 degree elbow will be 1/4" above the top of the floor joists. I figure I can just take a router to the floor board there to allow it to clear the pipe, as nobody will ever step directly there... the toilet is on top of it, and the toilet will be well supported in other areas.

On top of that would be 1/2" cement board, ditra, thinset and tiles.. I'd end up with roughly 4" tall floors, which is actually the same height as the rest of the basement!

Now I just realized what another problem is.. if I do it this way, the 90 degree PVC bend that's intended for the toilet will be about 1/4" above the tile. Is that too high to work with? Could I take an oscillating tool and cut it flush with the flooring so I can install a closet flange? Is there a certain depth that 3" pvc fittings need to mate?


texts: How can I replace or get rid of mice-urine-soaked insulation, when the smell is strong enough to instantly make me vomit?


texts: Can I nail mass loaded vynl onto plywood?

texts: I have sheets of plywood nailed outside the windows, will it be possible to sandwich 1/8" thick mass loaded vinyl in between the plywood that is already there and another piece of plywood? If it is, do I use nails, glue, etc...?


texts: Should undersink Reverse Osmosis be installed in a leased condominium?

texts:
Assumption 1. My aunt knows nothing of repair or maintenance or trade work.

She must not change or transform the structure and interior of the condominium in Canada that she is leasing.
Tap water in Canada is normally safe, but  my aunt needs Reverse Osmosis (hereafter RO) water for health reasons.
APEC and Aquasana have both installed/undersink (hooked to water pipes) and portable (countertop) RO systems, but her first choice is the former that purify more.

Subject to the above assumptions, about an undersink RO system:

Is it possible to install it?
Even if so, can she remove and take away it, after the lease's end?


texts: Can I use a pool pump to drain a shallow well?

texts:
I have a shallow well with a broken pump at the bottom that I need to service.

The local classifieds are saturated with pool pumps and I got the idea to use one of those, but I'm not sure about power and pressure.

The well is about 10 feet deep and we'll likely be digging it deeper. I know my pool pump is totally capable of moving a lot of water from the same level to the same level, but I'm not sure of its ability to pump 15 feet uphill. I figure the lack of filter will free up some power. I'm looking at a 1 hp pump. It has a basket in it to act as a filter, but I might improvise an intake filter out of a 5 gallon bucket with a few hundred 1/8" holes in it just for safety's sake.

Any ideas on a pool pumps capability to do this?

(I'll be replacing the submerged well pump with an above ground one)


texts: Diagnose poorly functioning whole house fan

texts:
I installed an AirScape3.5e whole house fan. I don't think the fan is operating at its max potential. It just doesn't seem to cool the house down very much when running even when the outdoor temperature is much colder.

To add specific measurements to this question, I bought an anemometer to measure velocity of airflow (and have calculated some CFM readings by multiplying velocity by area of the vent/window).  I measure 4150 CFM going into the attic vs 1794 CFM coming in from the window (with that being the only open window).  These were measuring the air velocity at the center of the window/vent where I think velocity would be greatest. So I suspect actual flow to be a bit lower.

So it seems like of the air being pulled into the attic only about half of it is coming in from the window.  How can I find out where the other air being pulled into the attic coming from?  More importantly how can I improve the cooling effect of the fan?  Would adding ventilation to the attic help?  And side question, what kind of pro would I hire to help with this (e.g., roofer, HVAC, other)?

Details:

The fan says that at its max speed it can move 3500 CFM of air.  The manual says the attic needs 7 sq feet of net vent area.  Manual is here.
My attic measures 23' by 48' meaning it should have at least 23*48/150= 7.3 sq feet of net vent area (if it was built to the 1 sq foot of vent area per 150 sq feet of floor area).
Attic has soffit vents along probably 3/4 of the two 23' sides.  I think it also have a ridge vent (23' of ridge vent).  No other vents.
House built in 2001. NY Area.  It's a town home, but attics are completely separated.


texts:
I have some posters of movies and other stuff which I like to have around. I recently shifted cities and rented a place for myself to stay. I can't stick the posters to the walls with cellotape as it might peel off the paint if removed. Also, the landlord won't allow it. Is there anything I can do to hang the posters with threads or ropes or certain frames which can be used?

I live in India, so please suggest methods that use materials available in India.

I was thinking of using 2 binder clips to hold the poster and tie the clips with thread which will pass over a nail in the wall.

Any other inexpensive suggestions?


texts: Is a2x8x10' enough support as a ridge beam for a 14'x10' shed roof?

texts: I'm building a 14' x 10' shed with a gable roof w/ 3.5/12 pitch. I plan on a 2x8x10' ridge beam attached &supported by 2-3 2x4's. rafters will be 2x6x8' 16 or 24" oc. i was hoping for an opinion about the ridge beam size. i'm not sure i understand span tables compleatly. thanks for any advise. Ed.


texts: My water heater has been draining out large amounts of water which I understand is caused by the water temperature being to high. How do I address this issue so that it won’t continue?


texts: What cause the Garbage disposal wire damage showed in the picture?

texts: I just wondering what cause the wire damage, shortage, burning, or cut? The garbage disposal stopped working, but not sure it is the wire caused the disposal jammed up, or the jammed disposal damaged the wire?


texts: What could cause polyurethane to dry with excess gloss?

texts:
I'm having trouble with polyurethane (Helmsman semi-gloss) drying much glossier than it should - like an extra-gloss instead of a semi-gloss. I'm using it on stained wood moulding, and when I did the majority of it in the winter, I got the expected semi-gloss sheen. But now It's coming out extremely glossy and does not match the rest (which is already installed). It's the exact same product (although a new can) and I even tried buying another can in case the can was defective, but I'm getting the same result. The only thing that seems to be different is the weather and possibly the conditions (heat) in which the cans were stored. Can exposure to heat in the can or while drying affect the sheen of polyurethane? Is there anything I can do to compensate?

Some pics:


texts: Problems Using Stud Finder on a Textured Wall - Due to Finder or Texture?

texts:
My wife is having me hang some heavy curtains on a textured wall. Of course, the first thing I did was to get out my stud finder - specifically, my Zircon HD55. I felt I was getting strange results when the finder went over the bumps of the texture, so I tried to look for smooth parts of the texture. When I did so, I got results that seemed less erratic, but still not right. As I searched for a solution, I found a description of the kinds of behavior I'm seeing in this post:

  [the] studs seemed to be upto [sic] a foot wide and at irregular spacings [sic]

I didn't always get studs a foot wide - some seemed to show up as the normal "2-side" of a 2x4. However, even in these cases, the approximately two-inch widths found by the stud finder often did not line up.
My question is whether this could be due to the stud finder (as was assumed by the OP in the linked DIY-SE post and as many people assumed in other stud-finder-related questions), or if it's likely due to the texture on the wall. I've thought that I might just put some cardboard between the texture and the stud-finder, but if it sounds like the problem is due to the stud finder, I don't want to go to the trouble and awkwardness of doing that.


texts: Water heater straps too short. Replace straps? Get extension?

texts:
The water heater is already installed in a narrow cabinet. So there is no easy access behind it without taking it out:

I could get 3 additional inches by making the fold around both brackets a little shorter. But even then I would still be 3 inches short.
Have four questions on how to bring this up to California code:

Can I use some extensions to get to 6 inches?
Are there brackets with a longer foot?
Can I simply use ridiculously long bolt?
Can I just replace the left side strap with a regular galvanized hanger strap to still be up to code?

P.S. The bottom strap is fine. If I would try really hard, then I could maybe reach the upper left bolt as there is slightly more clearance. The bracket looks like this:


texts: Gas oven seems to be working, except for smell of gas and occasional in-oven flare

texts:
I have a new gas oven (bought it new ~4 months ago), a Frigidaire FGGS3065PBA. While baking for long periods, a smell of gas will begin to permeate the kitchen. During this time there were sudden bangs from inside of the oven, which I had originally assumed was the sound of metal expanding, but the other night I watched it more closely and noticed that there would be an in-oven flare up where the interior of the oven briefly fills with gas flame.

This happens in both bake and convection modes. We haven't used the broil mode yet.

I've removed the lower plate that covers the lower gas burner to observe its behavior. It seemed to be normal. The igniter comes on and the burner lights up with what appears to be an even flame on either side.

Confusingly, when observing it during this time I did not note a smell of gas. I did only run it for one heat and reheat cycle, for maybe about 5-10 minutes.

At this point I'm stumped. The flare ups are quite concerning and even caused some parchment paper in a recent bake to ignite, and they are scaring my wife. We've called the gas company but they only checked the connection in the back and confirmed that it was connected well and not leaking there.

I could really use some help on this.


texts: Broken door jamb - What's the easiest way to fix this?

texts:
My screen door arm bracket started pulling off of the door jamb. Unfortunately, it was a few days before I noticed, so I've already lost one corner of the bracket (I plan to replace the bracket, because it's also a bit bent up). More unfortunately, it pulled out because the area behind the bracket is pretty chewed up, something which only came to light after this happened.

I know that there are putties that are used to fill a gap in wood, but I'm also given to understand that they're generally not great to try to screw things into since they have no particular anchor to the wood around them. Is there a better solution, maybe filling in the area, then nailing a piece of wood over it to provide a more solid anchor?


texts: Replaced a light switch and now it’s always on. Pops if you flip the switch

texts: Replaced a light switch with a dimmer and now the light won’t turn off and pops if you turn the switch off. The box contains 3 black wires, 3 white wires, and a ground. Only one wire is hot, the black one with the piece of electrical tape. The 3 white wires were connected together and the three black ones together. It was a single pole switch and replaced with a single pole dimmer. I even tried putting the old switch back on and it’s the same issue. You can see all 6 wires in the pics. There is an outlet box below the switch nozzle not sure which wire goes where. House was built in 1982. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: How can I shut off circuits when I have a generator with an automatic transfer switch?

texts:
We had professionals install a generator with an automatic transfer switch. I showed them our circuit-breaker box and told them which circuit numbers should be on generator power. Okay, everything's working hunky-dory.

WELL ... I wanted to cut the power to one room in the house to install a light fixture, so I went back to the original circuit-breaker box and tried flipping switches (which worked before the generator installation) -- and nothing happened. None of the switches cuts out any power in the house. I threw the main switch for the entire house's power -- and the generator promptly turned on!

How can I shut off individual circuits now? Or for that matter, is it possible to shut off everything and leave the generator off? I'd think this is a safety thing...

The transfer switch box needs a screwdriver to open, so I've left it alone. The transfer-switch manual (it's a Kohler RXT) says it has a load center and circuit breakers can be added, not included. -- Do I need to pay an electrician (more money?!) to come out and add circuit breakers to the transfer switch?


texts: How to correct burying cement board into shower pan concrete?

texts:
I made the big mistake of burying my cement board (Hardiebacker) into the concrete of my shower pan.  I now understand the risks with water wicking up into my concrete boards, and causing a moisture/mold issue in the walls.  I don't have an issue yet, but my shower pan is done/tiled and grouted and I need to fix it.  The big issue is behind the hardiebacker, I have no moisture barrier, I thought waterproofing the walls with "redguard" would be enough.

Is there a way to correct for this, shy of tearing the entire pan out?  I was thinking I could chip away the concrete around the edges of the shower and do something with the exposed board line cutting it or sealing it, or just re-adding concrete with a barrier I'd eventually remove to keep it from touching.  Cutting seems risky, as I don't want to damage the liner, and sealing seems like something that isn't going to stand the test of time.  What else are my options here?


texts: How should I terminate this wiring and install a new outlet?

texts:
We bought a house with a old main panel and previous owners installed a sub panel in the garage they also had two very large dryer size outlets one in the wall and as expected and one nailed to a 2x4.

I thought I could get the Wiring for the 2x4 outlet completely out the wall but it is hung up in the wall. I also removed the 2nd dryer outlet and come to find out it continues on to an unknown destination.

I want to use the space in the sub panel to power a microwave, and for heat at a later time, but i needed to remove the 2x4 outlet because  it’s unsafe. The 2 dryer outlet was incidental trying to follow my hang up from the 2x4 outlet.

What is the best fix considering, I want to terminate the 2x4 outlet completely and would eventually run new heating unit. Should I terminate both ends in a box and put one in the wall and one in my garage attic? Or is there another option? I can’t get it out the wall?

What do I do with this other outlet that has an unknown destination?

the large black bundle went to the 2x4 out let the white bundle went to a standard dry out let

This is the outlet that was on the the 2x4, the other one is  smaller and I will have to add it separately.


texts: How can I identify these small screws for my range hood lights?

texts:
I have a "Inca HC Hilo 72" built-in range hood over my stove.  There are two small light bulbs in the hood, each one sitting in a bracket which is held in place by two small screws.  These screws are flat head with a Phillips drive.  The screws hold the bracket against another sheet metal part.

During bulb replacements, I've damaged these screw heads to the point where it's very hard to remove them.  I'd love to find a replacement screw (hopefully something other than Phillips) to replace them.

Snooping around the Faber web site gets this exploded view: http://www.faberonline.com/partslist/incahcssparts.pdf
but no identifying information about these tiny screws.

This photo shows the four screws and one of the light bulb brackets.

The screws are about 1/4" long (top of flat head to bottom), with a minor diameter of something like 5/64", and a thread count of something like 20-22 TPI.

Are these a standard screw size?  Can they be replaced with an easy-to-find screw, preferably without that cursed Phillips drive?


texts: Why do we fit skirting boards to collect dust?

texts:
In all the UK homes I remember, the skirting boards (baseboards) are designed to collect dust by exposing a horizontal or sloping surface. See a cross-section on the left of this image:

Surely we could fit a rectangular profile piece of skirting to the walls before plastering, and make the plaster flush with the front face. See cross-section on right above. A bead of flexible caulk would bridge the join to conceal the crack (you often need this on normal skirting anyway).

I'm not about to demolish my house to fit new skirting boards, but why didn't some genius think of this 100 years ago? Or is there a flaw in my design?


texts: Want to solidly fill gap between concrete and exterior door plate

texts:
I recently installed an exterior double door. On the one side, the concrete floor slopes down, so I raised that side with shims. The bottom plate is level. I can cut and replace these shims with pressure treated wood, but I'd like to fill that gap if possible. I was thinking of forcing quickcrete or rocktite into the gap, and a neighbor suggested that liquid nail would probably work just as well.

To summarize I'm looking to:

Fill the gap between the metal plate and con. 21" x 4" area, starting at 0 and sloping to 1/2".
Provide support for the plate. Existing shims are not weather proof and will encounter moisture, and possibly direct contact with water.

Most other questions I've seen have to do with the threshold.


texts: How can I combine constant and switched power circuits to power a security light

texts:
I've searched round the forum and web, and found others asking similar, but slightly different questions.

I have a security light currently wired to a constant circuit so that it trips whenever there is motion.  Which is a good thing.

However, I also want the light to turn on and stay on, when I turn on two other light in the front of the house that are on a switch.

I know that these lights generally have a flicker over-ride that would work, if I were to hook them up to the same switched circuit the other lights are on.

But how can I also wire the light to a constant source as well?

Please excuse me if I am lacking the correct terminology.

Thanks in advance.


texts: What alternatives are there for basement post footings besides concrete?

texts:
House is cabin construction 2x4's. Dirt floor. Main support piers in the center of the house are sunk concrete, but the beams are sagging all over. Center support piers are reasonable.

I used jackposts on concrete blocks between the center support pier and outside wall.  The problem was crawlspace was wet so the blocks sunk.  I have remedied most of the wet problem.

So the right way to do this is to dig down 2 feet and sink some concrete, then jackposts under the sagging part of the beam. (ok should be wood pier...) I was told only screw the jackpost say 1 inch a week till its level.

Are there alternatives to sinking concrete?

It's rather cold here now and the less I have to be under the house, the better.

Thanks.


texts: Buckling notched jack studs - how to remedy?

texts:
Some past "plumber" decided it was OK to cut a notch for a 1-1/2" PVC pipe directly through all the 2x4 studs on one end of a window header. The result, shown in the photos, is a buckling wall.

The studs are actually pinching the PVC pipe now, which maybe helped to arrest the problem.

Of the four studs affected by this, one is a cripple under the window, and the other three are king/jack studs. The window opening is only ~38" but this is on the ground floor of a 2 story house.

(This is US-style construction, in case that wasn't clear).

Methods I'm considering to remedy:

Replace at least the 3 king/jack studs. Obviously correct but will require some temporary shoring.
Leave the existing studs, but sister some new wood with some stout lags or bolts. Would have to contend with having to straighten the wall first.
Pull the wall back to straight (clamps, big post, etc.) and fill the notch with new wood.

As it happens I have access to both sides of this wall due to the work going on. So I can work easily from the inside or outside.

Looking for feedback on any/all of these ideas or alternatives!

I'm experienced enough to execute any of these ideas, and have the tools do to so. But this is bad enough that I'd value other's opinions on the approach. Ultimately I want to choose a solid long-term repair whilst avoiding excess cost/labor/etc. But I've no need to "cut corners" or do only a "band aid" fix.

Thanks so much.

Just as a commentary: among the stupid things I've discovered over the years of rebuilding my house, this is the most thoughtless.


texts: What home security services that monitors Honeywell Lynx systems?

texts: I'm in US. My house has an existing Honeywell Lynx system and sensors. I want to add monitoring service. What home security services are out there that monitors this set up?


texts: How to clean pigment stains from vinyl siding?

texts:
Our seven-year-old drew on our house with sidewalk chalk.  The chalk residue itself washed off readily with soap and water, but the more vibrant colors like purple and red left behind actual colored stains on the siding.

We've tried scrubbing with soap and water and also oxy-clean.  Any other suggestions?


texts:
We recently moved into a house and hooked up a new (LG) washer and dryer. The dryer was showing us an error message related to decreased performance due to poor venting exhaust. I went outside to see where the exhaust was and encountered this:

The dryer is venting up out of the ground:

After some searching, it looks like this is one of these dryer vent seals. The original owner says there used to be a cap on top, but it came off some years ago. From the few YouTube videos I was able to find though, it looks like these should be used above ground and the vent air down through the bottom of the top piece of the dryer seal vent, which can't happen here because the bottom of the vent is pressed against the ground/mulch.
I talked to the home inspector (this was not mentioned on the inspection report) and he says that this is fairly common with slab houses in my area.
So three questions:

Is this actually ok or common? I've never seen anything like this, but this is my first home purchase.
How bad is this? It seems very bad to me. The most frustrating part is that the dryer is right next to the outside wall, so a straight pipe out to the porch would work fine. I plan on getting that done at some point.
What is the right way to maintain this until I can get (2) accomplished? I considered buying a new dryer vent seal like I showed and replacing the top part, but something feels off here.
Why would you ever do this instead of venting directly out of the exterior wall? The only idea the inspector had was aesthetics.

I should note that our dryer vent coil on the inside is much too long, which could be contributing to the poor venting situation. It might be the case that once that is fixed, there's enough airflow to force the cap up and vent somewhat properly.


texts: Was the condensate pump in my air conditioner unit wired incorrectly?

texts:
My condensate pump stopped working - I noticed because there was a lot of water coming out of the condensed drain.

I bought one brand new but when I disconnected the old one, I realized that the overflow wires were connected together, that means two wires coming out of the air conditioner unit, and the other two wires that come with the condensed pump, were all taped together.

My only theory about this is that the person who installed the old pump was trying to bypass the switch in order to prevent the unit from turning off in case the pump overflowed.

Is that correct? I wired the new one the same way and I would like to know if I did something wrong?

There isn’t exactly a diagram, because I am talking about the pump that was connected and the way it was connected, but if you are familiar with the condensate pump, you see some model has two wired, I can attach a diagram for one pump but my question is, why was my pump connected this way?


texts: Moved into flat, cold water tank leaking, can it be removed?

texts:
Background
I've moved into a flat recently and have been renovating. I'm doing all the work myself - have installed a new bathroom, new kitchen, new shower and cistern etc. and now I've realised the cold water tank is perished and beginning to leak.

The plumbing cupboard is a complete mess, it seems as if there have been about 4 different generations of plumber with each taking the easiest and quickest route to do what they want, and ignoring any future hassle this might cause.

For reference, we don't have a boiler in the flat, other than the immersion boiler shown in the picture below. The cold and hot water directly coming into the flat are what we use.

Is it OK to remove the cold water tank entirely? I see the hot water vent is going into the tank, but as we never use the immersion boiler and don't have any other type of boiler, is it safe to simply route that into the drain?

I would be keen to remove this ticking liability.


texts: Can water hammer be fixed by replacing a tap?

texts:
I have a mixer tap in the kitchen that has been causing an increasing amount of water hammer sounds in the pipes in my utility closet and behind my wall. There is almost no way to shut off the tap without causing the sound, even if done softly.
A plumber who just visited insisted that the problem is with the tap itself, whose valves appear worn out, and replacing the tap would solve the water hammer issue.
To demonstrate his point he had me notice how no other tap in the house causes the water hammer sound even if shut off violently.
When I mentioned that I heard others suggest that installing a water hammer arrestor on the affected pipes is a potential solution, he said that he considers it an expensive solution that's not worth the effort, and that the tap would remain an active issue.
Before engaging in an unnecessary tap replacement, I wonder if his assessment checks out—will replacing the tap actually solve the issue as he says, or will it prove a temporary or incomplete solution?
EDIT: The same plumber just came here again and we found a complication. Changing to a different tap didn't stop the water hammer.
He had a look in the crawlspace beneath the house and was able to identify the pipes that are shaking, and will now fix them in place with some expanding foam.
But I'm worried that fixing the noise won't reduce the risk to the pipes themselves. Can my pipes still silently fail due to the pressure? Replacing the faucet didn't seem to stop the water hammer issue, so will the pipes keep deteriorating even once we've fixed the sound?


texts:
I am trying to install a new smart thermostat that requires a C connection. The previous thermostat used a 4 wire connection but there is a blue wire that's unused right behind the current thermostat.  Problem is that I looked in the air handler and there are no terminals like most units, just a bunch of wiring. So trying to see if anyone may know where I have to connect the other end of that blue wire. Here are some pictures:

I am assuming the skinny blue wire at the bottom of the handler is the one routes to the thermostat but is not connected to anything. This blue wire is best visible in picture 1 and bottom of picture 3 (not the thick blue wire that has a white cap in the middle of picture 3).

New pictures


texts:
I have a strange problem.

I have an IPC/Tempstar T9MPD075F12A3 condensing furnace, roughly 12 years old.  It uses a Honeywell SV9541M "SMART VALVE".

EDIT: Just found the service manual, checking it out now: Service Manual

EDIT2: Was not much help.

The furnace is short cycling.  The inducer comes on, the ignitor comes on, the flame comes on, the main blower comes on and stays on for a couple of minutes.

Then everything shuts down, blower first, then inducer for about a second, and then the startup cycle happens again.  This goes on indefinitely.

There are NO trouble codes.  I verified that the pressure switch is working both on and off, the limit switches are NOT tripping, the fire rod sensor/ignitor combo is OK (swapped it with the downstairs furnace that is working fine).

The interlock switch is functioning normally.

The odd part is that if I remove the bottom panel where the main blower is, and defeat the interlock the furnace runs fine without short-cycling.  So it seems like the extra intake air solves the problem.  There are no obstructions in the intake plenum, I even removed the filter and still get the same symptoms.

If it was a matter of not enough air causing the exchangers to overheat, wouldn't the limit switches trip?  And wouldn't the valve blink a trouble code?  If I manually pull the spade lug off of the limit switches the furnace shuts down and blinks a trouble code.  Same with the pressure switch.

What could cause short cycling with no trouble codes, that resolves itself by opening the lower panel to let more air into the main blower?

EDIT: As a test, I've bypassed all the limit/pressure switches on the wiring diagram one at a time, and the problem still occurred every time.  I thought maybe the control board mounted by the main blower might have a thermal problem that was alleviated by opening the bottom panel (then intake air flows across the board) but I put some fiberglass insulation over the board and could not get the problem to occur as long as the lower panel was open.


texts: Can I upsize my air conditioner if I have a two-speed compressor?

texts:
The upper floor of my house has a split A/C, three-ton.  When the temperature gets up above about 95 Fahrenheit, the unit can't keep the upstairs cool.  That means that for a few weeks a year, my kids' bedrooms are still almost 80 when it's time to put them to bed.  That's not really acceptable.  Multiple technicians say there's nothing wrong with the unit.  I understand that A/C units are sized to keep you comfortable 99% of the year, so it looks like I'm just struggling with that 1%.

My attic has an approximate R value of 32.  Not super, but the calculators I've seen indicate that upgrading to 49 won't pay for itself in less than twenty years.  So I don't think insulation is the main issue.

The house is about eleven years old, so I expect the compressor to require replacement any minute.  I could upgrade to a larger unit, but then you run into short-cycling issues.

But what if I got a larger unit with a two-stage compressor?  For example, I could get a Goodman GSX14 three-ton as a direct replacement, but I could also get a GSXC16 four-ton.  Would the ability to run at half-speed compensate for the short-cycling concerns, and allow me to have a higher peak rating without the downside of lost dehumidification?

An alternate solution would be to get some portable 12,000 BTU units and just use those during the peak temperatures.  But I'm not sure if that might have other side-effects.


texts: Does ambient temperature impact gas pipe sizing?

texts:
I'm running a gas line for a garage heater in a cold northern climate. At times the pipe could pass through air as cold as 0°F.
Does pressure drop due to reduced pipe temperature present a concern with respect to pipe size, or will the supply pressure compensate? In other words, would pipe size need to be increased to provide additional storage volume?