texts: Why does my hot water smell like wood smoke?

texts:
We live in MN, in a house built in 2008 (and our water heater, installed in the basement, is about that vintage).

For the past few weeks, I'm detecting a smoky smell from the hot water out of a 2nd-floor shower. I don't think any other hot water outlets show this (as far as I'm aware now).

This typically happens after a couple of minutes into a shower, and lasts as long as the hot water runs. The smell can best be described as an old-timey campfire, with all the smoky smell but none of the actual smoke. There's no sulfurous or other similar "bad" smell... if anything, this is a very comfortable, let-me-stand-here-for-another-hour-and-feel-cozy kind of smell.

The water heater is your average run-of-the-mill gas-fired unit, and I haven't done any preventive maintenance to it in the past six years. Not broken, so never had to fix anything.

What could cause this out-of-place smell in a relatively new house?


texts: Is it safe to have a furnaces exhaust pipe facing to the side instead of down?

texts: We have had an issue with our furnace this winter, were snow/ ice gets in our cold air intake and prevents the furnace from Working. My husband turned the exhaust pipe to the side, instead of facing down. I guess I an attempt to help. I'm worried that with it being this way the stuff blowing out of that pipe can get sucked back in by the cold air intake. Can this happen?


texts: What size uncaulked gap should be left at the bottom of a shower tile job, to allow draining?

texts:
The contractor's intent was to leave a gap at the bottom of this tile job, to allow drainage, and as an alternative to a caulk job requiring periodic maintenance:

However it did not work, the gap is too small. A bead of water forms (via surface tension) and sticks there long enough it's still wet by the next shower.

The tile is talavera style, unglazed at the edges and relatively porous.
The lip on the shower pan goes up about 15mm.  The present gap is about 3-5mm.  There's hardy board behind the tile.

I'm thinking a larger vertical gap would have worked.
If you were going for a no-caulk tile in a case like this, how high would you have set the first course?


texts: Can I use a single 20-amp breaker for a bathroom and adjacent small bedroom in my basement?

texts:
I am in the process of wiring my basement.
 1. Main area
 2. Hallway
 3. Small Bath
 4. Small Bedroom with egress window.

I have a single 15-amp and 20-amp wire coming in from the electrical panel located in the garage.

Based on my reading I should use 12-2 Romex for all the outlets (even though the builder only use 15-amp for the new construction ). Then use 14-2 Romex for any lighting? Is this true?

So, I guess my real question is do I actually need a single circuit for the bathroom or can I share the circuit with bathroom and bedroom.


texts: How can I take apart this kind of tap to replace the washer?

texts:
I need to replace the washer on this tap as it keeps leaking.

The tap design seems quite similar to the one described here, but it seems the middle section cannot be turned (it's completely round, doesn't have any nut ridges).

Can this model be taken appart?

The top cap seems to have some notches to be able to turn it, but I think it's actually fused to the handle. Maybe it needs lot of WD40?

Update:

With lots of fiddling around, the top came off by turning (didn't pry up), so those notches actually helped.

Now, I think the cover should come out by spinning, but there is no way to grab hold to spin it. The tiny notch seems to be more likely a defect, or maybe made by some previous guy attempting to fix it. It's not deep enough to insert a screwdriver to help spin it.

Any ideas on how to proceed next?


texts: Is there a thing that allows you to easily control which way down a pipe water can flow

texts:
I'm trying to design a somewhat complex small system, in which based on the configuration of certain other valves, water could be flowing along a pipe in either direction.
To be clear, given any particular configuration of the other valves the flow direction should be entirely fixed.
But different configurations could lead to that fixed flow being one way, or the other.
Given the complexity of this design, it would be nice to be able to put in something that ensured that the water was flowing in the expected direction. So ...

Do there exist valves which are mono-directional, but where I can (by e.g. turning a handle) change the direction of allowed travel?


texts: Replacing a existing slab door from house to garage

texts: Can I replace the existing slab door from house to garage that is 1 3/4" thick with a door that is same size but only 1 3/8" thick? If so, what modifications do I need to make to the door frame if any?


texts: Are replacement kitchen sprayers fairly interchangeable?

texts: Well, first house break-down of the year happened about 6 hours into 2013...  The wife grabbed the kitchen sink sprayer and snapped the lever off of it.  No leak, but it doesn't work anymore.  Am I going to be able to find a compatible replacement sprayer in the local store, or do I have to go back to the manufacturer?  Wondering if these are all a standard design (like toilet guts seem to be)...


texts: wiring in a electric furnace to electrical subpanel

texts: I have a 30 amp double breaker in my main home panel feeding my detached garage 100amp sub panel. Can i run a electric furnace with a 90 amp breaker in the subpanel. Or is this setup all wrong


texts: How do I identify this square light fitting so I can replace the globe

texts:
I'd like to know of this light fitting is a standard type of light fitting (and if so, what is it called), and whether or not I'd be likely to find an existing globe / cover that mounts over the fitting. In case it's relevant to identify the fitting, I'm in Australia.

The bracket is a square piece of metal that hangs out from the wall, with the outer edges of the square measuring 20cmx20cm and the inner edges measuring 16cmx16cm with two small notches in the bottom edge.


texts: Shower in another room leaks when bath is running

texts:
I have a free-standing bath in my bedroom and a separate shower stall in an adjacent room.

When we run hot water in the bath the shower head starts running-- not just a drip... more like moderate rain. This doesn't happen with cold water running in the bath. To be clear, this is not a shower/bath combo with diverter but two different faucets in separate rooms. The plumbing for both rooms was completed at the same time (about 8 years ago).

I'd be grateful for any ideas on what would cause this problem and how it could be fixed.


texts: How can I hang a heavy frame without making holes in the walls?

texts: I live in an apartment, so I don't want to put holes in the wall, but I have a large (2'x3') wire-suspended frame, weighing 14 pounds, that I'd like to hang. The heaviest-duty 3M Command product (the Sticky Nail Wire-Back Hanger) only holds 8 pounds and 18"-24" frames. The Command FAQ says they “don't recommend” using multiple hooks to hang heavier things. Any ideas?


texts: How can I solder/braze thin stainless steel wire?

texts:
I've been attempting to practice torch brazing/soldering and am currently attempting to join a ring of stainless steel wire shut like a wrist sized 'o'.

Unfortunately the results have been pretty bad. The silver solder I'm using just does not want to stick, it keeps dripping off in globs. And when I heat the wire up it gets red hot pretty quick and then as soon as it cools down its coated in a layer of char which makes it not want to stick even further.

I've tried using this propane torch and this MAPP torch but neither seem to get the job done and seem to heat it to rapidly. I combat this by pulling it back a bunch and 'wafting' the heat over the target area which seems to help but things still go black.  Furthermore I'm using this silver bearing solder and this flux paste which I suspect are more likely the issue. The solder is considerably thicker than the wire I'm trying to join and I'm not even 100% sure its the right kind for the job.

The wire I'm using is stainless steel (type 302/304), soft tempered and is 0.032" diameter.

I've come across a few tutorials on youtube but most seem to be for copper plumbing pipe work or a few seem to be jewellery (and using exotic metals).
Can anyone suggest good tutorials to learn how to do this type of brazing/soldering?

Does anyone have any suggestions around where I'm going wrong?

Edit: In case it is somehow relevant, this is a high voltage electrical project and I'll be linking several of these 'o' rings in a sphere shape. Its not a simple matter to bolt them together and I must weld them.


texts: Dedicated circuit for **Sub Zero** refrigerator - any code requirement?

texts:
I have just moved into a new construction home. The home came with a sub-zero refrigerator. I found that the fridge is not wired on a dedicated circuit, but is on one shared with outlets above the counter. Sub Zero requires a dedicated circuit per their documentation and FAQ:

  Answer:
  All Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove appliances require a dedicated electrical circuit.

It seems that in general NEC codes does NOT require a dedicated circuit as discussed in this post.

This seems consistent with other research, except for when people are talking about Sub Zero e.g., from 2002 "Also, no sep. circuit is needed unless the fridge is a sub zero, then make it a 20a circ" and more recently here here.

I read that some inspectors will force compliance with manufacturer requirements (e.g., if Sub Zero says you need dedicated, then it has to be dedicated to pass), but it's not a given. Is there anything actually in the NEC code that I can use to force them to actually put the fridge on a dedicated circuit? e.g. something about the power draw or other specs of the sub zero fridge override the normal conditions that wouldn't require a dedicated circuit?

I would like to better understand what the diff is between a sub zero and other refrigerators that actually make this more important than regular fridges. What is the real risk - can I damage my fancy fridge if I plug in the wrong type of device to one of the wall outlets?

Also, not sure what is going on with the wiring - the outlets are GFCI and testing trips the other outlets, but not the fridge outlet - does this play into the logic of the way they connected the fridge?

Additional Info: I think there actually is a dedicated outlet behind the fridge based on what I saw during construction. Right now, the fridge is plugged into an outlet in the cabinet above the fridge instead of the one I would have expected halfway up the wall behind the fridge.

They told me there was not enough space back between wall and fridge to use that outlet (seems unlikely, the cabinet maker knew the exact appliance going in, so unlikely they didn't make it big enough).

Since it's a pain to remove and move around the built in fridge I wanted to get more information in case it turns out there really isn't enough space and they need to spend money to make it right.

If needed - the fridge model is: 36UFDID/S


texts:
I'm getting ready to float a bamboo floor in my kitchen. I know I need to lay the flooring underneath the appliances, and I'll need to leave an expansion gap next to the cabinets and walls. The trouble is that there's not really much room between the cabinets (about 30" apart, which seems standard?) and the oven.

More or less everywhere else, I've been adding a quarter round to the baseboards to help keep that gap covered. I should be able to do that with the refrigerator and perhaps the dishwasher, but I suspect it won't fit around the oven. The gap is about half an inch, and the quarter round that matches the cabinets is 3/4" on both flat sides. Is there another way to cover the gap? Do quarter rounds typically fit, with this being a bit too tight a squeeze?

Closeup image of gap, which is about half an inch:


texts:
A friend bought a house that has tiles mounted over original tiles and she wants to remove the new tiles to restore/reveal the original ones.

The over-layed tiles can be pried off easily enough with a chisel, revealing that they have been attached using what I believe is a latex-based tile adhesive - it has a slightly rubbery consistency, a dark gray color and is quite thinly applied.

What is the best/easiest way to remove the adhesive residue that won't damage the original tiles?


texts: Dryer with one wire connected to water pipe does not work after replacing copper pipe with pex

texts: I have a dryer with a 3-wire power cord. One wire was fastened to a copper water line. I replaced the copper water line with pex tubing and now the dryer won't work.


texts: Clothes washing machine doesn't heat water yet reports no errors

texts: I have a Samsung Ecobubble washing machine that is less that 2 years old, model WF90F7E6U6W. It appears to not heat the water any more but also reports no error codes either. Given that this is a modern machine with extensive controls, how is it possible that it can be unaware that it is malfunctioning in such a fundamental way? The machine only knows when to turn off the heater when a thermometer indicates the correct temperature had been reached. Even on a 95c wash, the heater is never coming on and temperature remains stone cold. I can also confirm that the power usage never indicates any significant load from a heater element switching on. How can it not be aware of the error?


texts: How can I run Cat5e cable through a completely finished house?

texts:
My family and I are interested in buying a house that was built in 2002.  This house is two floors on a concrete slab with a finished bonus room upstairs so there is no attic other than above the garage.  I would like each room to have four points and I do have a 1000' roll box of Cat5e shielded cable.

What is the ideal way to run Cat5 for each room and to a com-closet when the ceiling on the first floor is finished and I don't have a crawl space?  Is there a tool that I can use to fish the cable?


texts: Can I use two 2x8 beams instead of one 4x8 beam for deck?

texts:
I am trying to "optimize" materials purchase when building a deck. So I got two questions:

Is two 2x8x16 beams the same as one 4x8x16 beam for deck support? Do I need to bolt / nail them together or just sit them side by side on top of the posts?
If the answer is yes above, I want to buy the ones from Home Depot. But why is there such a difference in price vs. Lowes' 4x8x16?

2x8x16:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Construction-Select-2-in-x-8-in-x-16-ft-Construction-Select-Pressure-Treated-Lumber-549000102081600/206931774

4x8x16:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_209870-10926-209870_0__?storeNumber=2420&selectedLocalStoreBeanArray=[com.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%405cb15cb1]&productId=3184283


texts: Water seeping through my foundation in the garage - what is the source?

texts:
I have a house built 1994, one story, slab foundation.

A few weeks back my renter left the sprinkler system on for over 7 hours on one side of the house (valve was broken).  By the time she called and we got the water shut down it was too late.  One side of the house was saturated already.  Now we have noticed water seeping into the garage and the master closet (sharing one wall) from the ground.

A plumber thinks it is water leak from a broken pipe.
I think it is from all the sprinkler system that was running for hours.

Would someone please tell me what I should do, the plumber wants over $2800 to cut the foundation and fix a pipe he does not know if it is broken or not.  Please help me.


texts: Name of this two pronged female DC power supply plug (looks like a pair of rectangular glasses)

texts:
Here's a YouTube video showing the plug. I'm referring to the plug that goes into the device, of course. Not the normal AC plug on the power supply unit itself.

I'm considering buying a device that uses an AC/DC power supply (the device in the video, in fact). However, the plug at the end of the power supply's cord is a little unusual and if something happens to the supply, I don't want it to render the device useless.

So I'm looking for either the possibility of buying a similar power supply, or an adapter which I could connect to a regular supply. But I don't know what this plug is called so I can't even search for it.


texts: Why does my freezer get a little warmer every 14 hours?

texts:
I equipped my fridge-freezer (Bosch KGN 33X48/13, bought around 2013) with a self-made temperature monitoring system to warn me whenever the internal temperature of the freezer rises above a certain level.

Looking at the resulting curve I'd expect the temperature to more or less steadily swing around a target value.

What I rather see is this:

So the built-in thermostat switches on the cooling unit whenever the internal temperature rises above around 18 °F. However, quite consistently about every 14 hours the cooling unit appears to hold off a bit, allowing the temperature to rise up to 23 °F for a short time. After that the cycle continues normally again.

These short temperature spikes look so equably and intentional that I assume a purpose. Why would the freezer designers arrange for this small temperature increase every 14 hours?


texts: What glue to bond metal and plastic in cold weather?

texts:
I have a small plastic torch (flashlight) with a magnet on the back.  I use it to provide light in a small metal trailer.  Recently I pulled the torch off the metal wall, and the magnet came away from the torch.

I've fixed this problem before, but the glue I used seems to fail in cold weather.  (I'm in the UK, so by "cold", probably I mean 3°C down to -5°C.)  Can someone recommend some suitable glue?


texts: What's the easiest way to trace out existing HVAC ductwork without cutting into the walls

texts:
I recently bought a multi-story house with a 4 zone HVAC and only one of the zones works (it just heats/cools the entire house as one zone, and the one working zone is for a small foyer which is totally useless).  I basically need to re-map all the zones and move the dampers around to the right places - figure out why the one other working damper doesn't seem to do anything, and add 2 missing dampers to the 2 remaining zones.

At this point, the blueprints seem to differ in some ways from what was actually installed and I'd like to map all the flows so I can know where to install or move the dampers to.  However, I'd like to avoid cutting into the walls where the ductwork is.

Are there any simple tricks I can use to map the ducts from the basement to the respective vents on the upper floors?  I saw a tip about putting scented oils into the ducts in the basement and then following the scent to the vent.  Another one is to use a thermographic camera to see hot/cold vents through the walls.  Do these suggestions work?  What would a professional do?


texts:
I'm trying to connect the C wire in my Goodman furnace in order to install a new thermostat. I've read all the posts on this forum about this specific issue so my question is whether i'm in the right path or not.
Here are a couple pictures of my transformer and the R G W Y and C terminals.

As you can see, on the lower left side of the transformer I have two blue wires and one wire connected to the chasis. From what I understood from other posts, one alternative is to use a piggyback connector to link it to the C terminal.

I don't know if you can appreciate it on the picture but the C terminal is on the bottom and there's a blue wire connected to it that's also connected to the chasis.

So, to sum up my question is: do I have to use the piggyback connector or being both points connected to the chasis the only thing I have to do is connect the thermostat to that C terminal?

Thanks in advance


texts: Can too little sand equal weaker concrete?

texts:
Often on a bag of cement the instructions will relate the quantities in terms of bags of cement with wheelbarrows of sand and stone. They claim that 2bags cement = 1 wheelbarrow. I found that my wheelbarrow can only take about one and half bags of cement. Therefore I have been using less sand than I probably should have.

Is it possible that too little sand in a concrete mix makes it weaker, or does it simply just yield less concrete?


texts:
I need a new AFCI circuit breaker for a new refrigerator-only circuit we're running. Square D Homeline. Don't want any GFCI outlet or breaker. I bought two breakers at home depot, but I don't know which one I need.

No labeled AFCI breakers at home depot, only CAFI. However, the back of both described them as AFCI. Are CAFI and AFCI basically the same thing or is there any meaningful difference?

One is titled "Plug-on Neutral CAFI" without a pigtail. The other is titled "Combination Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter" with a pigtail. Package features on back label use different wordage, but actually say the same thing. The breakers themselves have different label designs. Front of packages are similar design and both have labels that say "Arc Fault Protection". They cost the same $42.94 and are same size. Which one do I want and why?

EDIT: Forgot to mention both claim to cover parallel and series faults.


texts: How can I replace the siding on my garage when its on the property line, and 12" adjacent to another structure?

texts:
My garage is right on the property line, and my so is my neighbors.  Its not a shared wall, but the two are about a 1 foot (maybe 1.5 feet) apart.  Its not enough room for me to squeeze back there.  The siding is pretty rotted through, and the previous owner of my garage used some MDF type particle board as the sheathing which is disintegrating.  A lot of the studs need some replacing as well, along with the sill plate on the foundation.  Its a pretty flat roof garage, so the wall I'm replacing is just  a plain 10'x20' regularly studded wall. There are no tricky angles or anything on the wall, its square.

Any ideas on how to replace the wall and siding?  Are there any siding systems that I could assemble on the roof and flip up and lower into the gap?  Sliding a new wall in from the side might be possible but it seems really heav and unmanageable. Just like lowering a new wall down from above, how do I secure it inside?  Would I have to assemble the wall studs and all before I do this? Or can I pre-assemble the sheathing-wrap-siding panels and fasten them from the inside with some clever fasteners.

Thanks, any ideas or help would be appreciated.


texts: How do you replace a Moen cartridge 4000?

texts:
Recently my kitchen faucet delivers less water pressure for hot water (cold water is fine) and water takes much longer to get warm. All other faucets (bathroom sinks, shower, ...) are working as usual.

By doing some research I learned that this problem may be caused by a clogged aerator, and that I might need to replace the faucet's cartridge (I already tried cleaning the O-ring and screen washer kit and did not fix the problem).

It seems that my faucet's model is a Moen Kleo and might have a cartridge #1255 or #4000 (Based on looks after removing handle it could be the cartridge #4000). I took the handle out with an allen key, but I can't take out the cartridge. It is too hard to yank out and I'm afraid to break something. I can't take the dome piece out either (in case I needed to do this first and then unscrew the cartridge piece). It is too hard. Since the installation guide refers to the faucet as "faucet body" and does not cover cartridge replacement I don't know if I should be able to unscrew or yank out the dome (and I don't want to force and break anything).

I have been able to find tutorials on youtube, but not for my specific cartridge (or faucet model), so I don't know what to do about those pieces.
Home depot's Q&A doesn't cover this specific question, as neither does Moen's.

Still, the cartridge replacement can be found in their websites (among others) which makes me think I should not need a professional to replace it. I am not the first owner of this place, so I don't have the original installation tools, in case any is needed to take one of the pieces out.

What is the process to replace a Moen Cartridge 4000 in a Moen Kleo Faucet?


texts: Rewiring an rv that has been stripped of wires

texts: I got a fixer upper and realized someone had cut most wires out. i need a wire diagram or something to help me decipher which wires and where.


texts: What could cause halogen bulbs to explode?

texts:
I changed several halogen spotlight bulbs and after less than one hour, one exploded. See image.

It's an Osram Decostar, 35W. Although the bulb doesn't carry a "CE" mark, the box did.

We regularly have bulbs dying, so I suspect something might be wrong with our wiring, but I don't expect the bulb to explode. Usually they just die quietly.

My real question though is the root cause. What could be wrong with the electrics?

I checked the dimmer switch wiring and it is correct (with switched-live in L1 connector). Is there anything else I can check for?


texts: 3-way switch for light with fan controlled by switch built into fan. Odd wiring layout. Wiring assistance required

texts:
My electrician and I have parted ways. This has resulted in my having to finish off various projects. I have managed to get 2/3 lights operating the way they were intended. However, I am having extreme difficulty following the living room's switch loop--in particular how the living room would return to the panel.

All 3 lights are on the same 15A circuit. The shared junction box has 1 14/2 from panel and 1 14/3 running to the bathroom/living room and 1 14/3 running to SW1 for the living room and dining room 3-way switches. The living room box is inaccessible, in terms of having a more clear run (switches and power cannot route there directly) and has 1 14/3 running from it to the bathroom box, which has 1 14/3 running back to the junction box mentioned above.

Living room fan: Objective

3-way switch to control lights.
Fan controlled by the fan switch itself.

Wires are run as follows:
14/2 from panel into junction box. This feed powers a 3-way for the dining room light (Power to SW1 (on red), travelers to SW2 (red and black), Light from common SW2 (black), shared neutral), the bathroom light (Power runs along Red to bathroom, goes to a single pole switch (white), black off switch back to light, shared neutral on 14/3 which goes back to the junction box--all neutrals nutted together). Bathroom and Dining room I have working and understand the connections. Now for the living room....

The living room has 2 3-way switches currently wired (done by the electrician) . SW1 has black on the common and black and red for the travelers (Common (black) goes into the junction box mentioned above, travelers go to SW2). SW1 has 1 14/3 running to SW2. SW2 is wired as follows: red and black as travelers and a hot marked white on the common. In SW1's box (shared with 1 3-way for the dining room) the other 14/3 runs to the afore mentioned junction box. All neutrals (whites) at SW1 are martleted(wire nutted) together.

I have not, as yet, hooked up a fixture in the living room as I wish to avoid any possible "damage".

I assume that the electrician had intended that "power" be from the fixture box based on his "hot" white on SW2's common. However, I never use white as anything but a neutral so I'm just not logically seeing the layout of this.

Where I'm currently at:

Black from SW1 through junction box to bathroom and through to the living room and attach to the black (hot) of the light. Direct power for the fan to run from red in junction box to bathroom and through to the fan line of the fixture. Where my logic totally fails me is on the switch loop/"hot" white. With all the neutral's shared in SW1 (as done by the electrician) and the junction box (as done by me) I don't how the "hot" neutral on SW2 (switch loop of the living room) will function. I would be inclined to have the neutral just hook up to the neutral line of the fan(direct path back to the panel). I just do not follow the switching of the living room.

Again, all the wires where already run as noted above by the electrician--which he claimed was all that he required(so I've been working within that framework). The living room switches were also already wired by the electrician. The remainder has been conducted in my attempts to get the 3 lights working. Bathroom and dining room work fine. The living room remains an untested mystery.

Any assistance is appreciated--and a diagram would be wonderful.


texts: Is it ok to blow hot air under the floor?

texts:
I have two story house and downstairs is always colder. Head feels fine but feet are cold and you can feel cold coming from the floor.
The house have no basement but is built on a concrete slab. The living room is on 2 inch raised floor. I have one opening and was able to see that the raised floor have perfect passages from one side to the other. There aren't any fire breakers. I realized that I could somehow direct hot air from some of the duct and make the floor warm.
Is something like this feasible or is there something that just do that or similar?
I found air radiant floor heating but that's inside concrete.


texts: How to keep door open or closed automatically?

texts:
Our bathroom door is not closing properly or people forget to close it, and then it makes noise when the wind moves it.

I would like to implement something like in the Q&A "How can I make a door open or close depending on the door position?", but with some modifications:

the falling latch should be removed to avoid noise
the full angle is 90 degrees, so the threshold would be around 45 degrees
the door should open/closed even when small forces apply, e.g. wind

I guess using 2 pneumatic dampers and some levers positioned at the right angles should do the trick, but my imagination is not good enough to figure out how exactly.

If there's a name for this thing, an off-the-shelf solution would work too!


texts: What are good uses for tandem (double-stuff) breakers?

texts:
Pretty much all of the advice regarding panels here revolves around the idea of heavily oversizing your breaker panel to avoid running out of spaces and to avoid needing tandem breakers. Especially given new AFCI requirements for pretty much everything except dedicated loads, it seems like tandem breakers are decreasingly useful.

Are there any particularly good applications for tandem (or double-stuff) breakers, including triplex and quad breakers?

As an example, I have a solar setup backfeeding a 20A 2-pole breaker. I also have a solar production monitor that requires a 2-pole breaker, mostly to sense voltage to accurately track power. It seems reasonable, given the related nature of the two, that I could save two spaces in my panel and put both the inverters and the monitor on a quad breaker (2 2-pole breakers in 2 spaces).

Similarly, I have and electric cooktop and wall oven. I can get quad breakers with 20A/40A setups that would replace the 20A 2-pole and 40A 2-pole currently serving the oven and cooktop, respectively. As another related set of loads, this seems like it could be a reasonable use for these style of breakers.

I understand that panel space can be a reason to use duplex, triplex, or quad breakers, but I am specifically asking about situations in which you do have ample panel space.


texts: Is it a good idea to put 1/4" XPS under engineered floors?

texts:
We're pulling out the carpet in a room next to a room with hardwood floors. After removing the carpet and putting down the engineered floor, we'll be 1/4" short of the hardwood.

Options:

Use transition strips for the 1/4" difference
Put down 1/4 ply on top of the current subfloor

And then I thought of a 3rd option:

Put down 1/4" Extruded polystyrene (XPS) panels.

The XPS seems intriguing for a couple of reasons:

While not a lot of insulation, it wouldn't hurt
It may cut down on the 'hollow' sound that engineered floors sometimes produce
It'd do double duty and act as the underlayment (vs rosin or tar paper)

Thoughts on that? Is that a good idea? Any cons that I'm not thinking of?

UPDATE:

Per Eric's suggestion, I finally called them and got a vague answer that was basically "you can put it on most anything that is flat provided it doesn't have any give". They felt the XPS might have too much give and stress the joints.

So, I suppose that is the question, how much give DOES XPS have? I've walked on XPS boards with shoes plenty of times (I'm over 200lbs) and didn't leave a mark, so itis a material that seems to have fairly decent compression resistance provided the load is spread a bit, and it seems that the flooring would certainly help spread the load more than my shoe would.


texts: How can I repair a section of carpet that a cat scratched up?

texts: Much to my displeasure, my (wife's) cat has torn up a large section (2'x6') of carpet. Eventually we would like to sell the house and this would definitely be noticed. Is there any way to repair the carpet or should I plan to sell the house with the damage as is, or replace the carpet in a single room which is likely to be a different color than the rest of the house.


texts:
Our kitchen sink has been slowly leaking for several months, and as of yesterday, it is finally leaking so bad we can't use it until it's fixed. I'm generally handy, but when it comes to plumbing of any kind I feel out of my league. My wife and I are trying to save money here and fix this without having to call a plumber, but I'm really not sure where to start...

As you can see, when the sink is on, water is coming out of the seam just above where the faucet meets the base...

I believe this is also causing a problem underneath the sink, as you can see in the pictures, water is leaking from somewhere above and has been corroding the metal pipe the sink connects to.

I've searched high and low and I can't seem to find a make or model for this sink. If there is a place I should be looking please let me know and I'll update this question with manufacturer info.

I talked to a guy at my local hardware store and he lost me very quickly. Tried selling me on a "rebuild kit", whatever that means.

I feel like if someone could tell me exactly what I have to do, that I will be very capable of doing it. I'm just not sure of the following:

How to pull apart or open up the sink to begin diagnosing the problem
How to diagnose the problem
What to do about it

Any pointers in the right direction are greatly appreciated - thanks in advance!

Edit: I have successfully shut off water to and disconnected both hot/cold supply lines. I am trying to find these "mounting nuts" but can't seem to find any. Below is a picture of the sink from directly underneath the area where I believe these nuts are. The only thing I see is a hollowed-out brass bar (about 2.5" - 3" in length) protruding down, but no mounting nuts. Any ideas? Thanks again!


texts: Short joist not continuing through kitchen soffit foiling remodel plans

texts:
My house is a 1960s build and has no gables, every exterior wall has a roof slope to it.
In the kitchen, most rafters are North-South, with the East end being angled down until it meets the garage.  West leads to the rest of the house, continuing North-South rafters.  Joists are 2x6 at 13'7", running East-West.
The [EDIT: single] Southernmost joist, however, is a 2x4 that only runs to a short (32" from outside wall) dividing wall that was at the end of the counter/soffit.  Inside the soffit every-other rafter is tied to the full joist 32" from the exterior wall, to provide support for the over-sink soffit.  ("Tied" being "nailed to the side of the rafter, possibly the top plate, then end-nailed into through the joist.")
I removed the soffits and the dividing wall, and found out the hard way about the short joist.  It's roughly 6" from the first of the perpendicular supports for the former soffit.  I have 4 solid 8' 2x4s from the dividing wall I can use to add new structure.
Is there a way to tie the short joist into the next perpendicular support without tearing out the ceiling and replacing it wholesale?  My initial thought was use screws to laminate 2 12" boards and a 6" board as an extender to reach the support.  Second thought was to use a 2x4 the same way the soffit supports were built, from external wall across the end of the joist, and then nail to the 2x6 joist.
This and a little electrical work are the last bits I have before inspection, so I'm hoping for the miracle of fast, easy, cheap, and right.

Update: For now, I'm using a stud from the wall I removed to replace this 2x4 joist and hang it to the 2x4 soffit support with a joist hanger, then using joist hangers to continue it through where the soffit was for drywall support.
Second Update: I removed the "floating" joist, it was held in on either end by only 1 toenail each, with a small 2x2 block to keep it in place while toenailing on the full wall, and came out very easily.  I'm convinced at this point it was just there to hold up the rock lath, as it had no lateral or upwards hold, just enough tack to keep it from "walking".


texts: What do I need to remove and replace this recessed faucet aerator?

texts:
I've got a bathroom sink faucet with a recessed (cache) aerator that needs to be cleaned or replaced, but seems to require a special tool to remove it.  There is no obvious branding on the faucet, so I don't know what removal tool to ask or look for.

I've tried some of the "standard" removal keys they sell at the big box stores, but they don't fit.  Those keys seem to be a little too big and you can tell that the tooth pattern is not quite right.

I've included pictures of the faucet, the aerator, and a key that does not fit.

Wondering if anyone knows what kit or tool I need to remove and replace this aerator?

Image of faucet here:

Close-up of aerator:

Example of key that did not work:

+++ Update +++

Thanks to @Alaska-man, it turns out the tip of the faucet itself was threaded and, once removed, gave me direct access to the aerator (which is not itself threaded).
Don't know why I didn't think to to try this.  Perhaps because the visible part of the aerator had grooves that convinced me that it was itself threaded.

Images of tip and aerator removed. Also, it's apparently a Delta faucet (discovered after removing tip and observing lettering on underside).


texts: Potterton EP3000 -> Horstmann C27 boiler programmer wiring

texts:
I'm in the UK, using an ancient tempermental Potterton EP3000 boiler programmer, but I have a brand new Horstmann C27 which I'd like to replace it with.

Apart from the mains supply, there are three different cables going into the EP3000 backplate, of which one (from the boiler next to the programmer) has four sheathed wires plus an earth.

The other two cables (from upstairs where my hot-tank and pump are in an airing cupboard with the house thermostat just outside) have three sheathed wires. One also has an earth going in the backplate.

The programmer itself only has pins into terminals L N and 1 2 3 4 5 on the backplate, where terminal 2 is unused. Terminals 1 3 4 each have one wire, but terminal 5 is strapped to L as well as having another input wire. The backplate wiring looks more complicated than it probably is, because a few "passive" connections use terminals A B C D and a secondary N strapped to the first.

The C27 only has terminals E N L 1 2 3 4, where apparently 1=HW Off, 2=CH Off, 3=HW On, 4=CH On.

I don't really understand this wiring diagram inside the EP3000, which is all I've got to go on. It seems to say 1 and 3 control HW, with 3 being "on". For CH, 4 seems to be "on", but the diagram has lines to both 2 and 5 even though I have no connections on 2. It's "jumpered" to Program selection 16 (not 10).

Note that in the above, the circles represent actual contacts on the back-plate. The rest is just circuit diagrams for what goes on inside the programmer.

Can anyone confidently say how to connect the C27 just from the above information? I'm not a qualified electrician, and I wouldn't know how to identify what cables go where around my airing cupboard. I'm kinda guessing I'd just use "chocolate blocks" to replicate existing passive connections, and transfer the wires "as is" for terminals L N E 1 3 4. But I'm not certain of that, and I've no idea what to do with the existing terminal 5 and new 1.

In a nutshell, all I really want is for someone who knows about these things to tell me if I can safely discard the live wire on existing terminal 5 and connect the other one to new terminal 2. Also confirm that all the other connections simply go to the same numbers on the new programmer.


texts: Can I replace an outlet that uses knob and tube wiring with a grounded outlet? Obviously the best choice would be to replace the old wiring. Is there a standard way to ground these outlets? Do I need to run a wire back to the circuit breaker box? Do I have even the slightest idea of what I'm trying to ask?


texts:
I want to put a row of bookshelves along a corridor, immediately above door frames - basically like this above the doors. Because of the gaps where the door themselves, and because I assume floating shelves wouldn't be strong enough for long rows of books, I was thinking of "upside down shelves", basically like these. The walls are solid bricks.

Are there any downsides to doing it that way? Any other suggestions / ideas?

Thanks in advance


texts: water pressure from icemaker water line to fridge is reduced

texts:
we replaced our fridge and after connecting the line the water pressure to my
faucet which was beyond the saddle valve was cut in half.   we changed the saddle valve and after that the pressure changed.  the shower and the toilet are still at good levels. what happened?


texts: hot / cold copper water pipes located above main electrical panel

texts:
The Pipes are about 7.5 feet above the basement floor.   I am in Canada.

. The pipes are about total 2 feet in vertical length as measured from the 90 degrees turn from the basement, popping up the main floor laundry room, jutting up the floor by 3/4 foot ending in shutoff valves.   As shown in the picture, the shutoff valves shut water supply to the w/m hoses.

We have been living in the house for 17 years now (bought new), and i have always wondered about the water pipes located above the main electrical panel in the basement.   The hot / cold copper water pipes lead to the main floor laundry room supplying water to the washing machine and dryer.   There is shutoff valve (both cold and hotwater) where the washer/dryer hose pipes connect for the water supply.
It has been nagging my mind if this is safe, and sometimes have me worry the fact that the water pipes are sitting right above the main electrical panel of our home.
Few things:  (1) is this safe ?  (2) Need advice to install shutoff valves (for both) in the basement where I can shut off the water supply in case of a leak, which will prevent water spillage down on the electircal box.  (3) Install water leak sensor.
2 PICTURES ATTACHED.


texts: Drywall Mesh Patch vs. Bulge? To remove or not to remove?

texts:
I patched a doorknob hole in a bedroom, using a cut out patch, which I nailed to the existing drywall with a piece of backing plywood.  When spackling I also decided to use a fiberglass mesh patch.  The mud has set, but I've realized that I've done somewhat of a bad patch/raised patch.  As I sand it flat the mesh is showing through.  The general suggestion of increasingly wide (but thin) applications over the mesh in this case is undesirable as it's somewhat of a high visibility spot (across from a bed) and even the slightest elevation will be rather noticeable.

My gut is to sand it flush, removing the mesh overlay.  Is this okay, seeing as the gaps are filled and the patch is nailed in via the backboard?

Also what should I expect when sanding the mesh?

Lastly for future reference, when using mesh has anyone tried presanding to lower the region around the patch to try to make the mesh flush with the existing drywall?


texts: When replacing a supply line to a house in Houston, TX, what is the best material to use?

texts:
A house in Houston, TX (southern "sun belt" climate, no frost, but flexible clay soils) has a Polybutalyne supply line running from the meter to the house. It's already burst once and been repaired, but the homeowner is considering replacing it entirely before it fails given that the repaired portion showed signs of the well-known flaking and fracturing problems that Polybutalyne has become known for.

What is the best material, given the climate and shallow depth, to replace the pipe with? It's not a long run, so copper is possible, but are PEX and CPVC candidates? What are the expected lifetimes of the different types of pipes and what are drawbacks?


texts:
Just had a leak fixed on the main water pipe coming into my house.  The repair man suggested I get a pressure gauge with two needles so I can check current pressure along with previous pressures over a period of time.  I have never known what the maximum pressure, or spikes, was before.  I was really surprised to find that I was getting spikes not only during the day, but overnight as well, up to 110 psi.  I didn't think it was the pressure regulator because other than the spikes indicated by the red needle on the gauge, the water stayed between 40 and 55 psi.
     I started doing some tests with my water heater (which has no expansion tank). When I selected the VACATION or a little less than the WARM setting on the heater, there were no spikes over night or during the next day. When I turned it up to the HOT setting the day after, I watched the pressure gauge I have connected to the faucet on the main line to my house climb from 45 psi slowly up to 110 psi.  It would stay there until I opened a faucet inside my house, and I think I know the reason. In the lower settings the heater would not have to come on to heat the cooler water, but in the HOT setting the heater would come on and heat the water to a temperature (I don't know how high. I have to check) that would start the pressure expansion.
     To me this seems as though I need an expansion tank on the heater. I would appreciate your thoughts on this as well.
                                    Thanks a lot,
                                          Bob Williams


texts: How to attach newel post to stringer below the tread?

texts:
I need to install a new newel post at the top of my stairs but there is not room on the landing for a post, it will have to mount from the tread of the top step.

My plan is to notch out the post at the bottom and sink it through the tread and bolt to the stringer below. My question is, is there a specific way to attach the post without weakening the integrity of the stringer? My main concern is how it attaches to the stringer without losing integrity.

I attached an image to show how I plan to do it.


texts: Can solid offset blocks be used to build a retaining wall in excess of 5'?

texts:
We need to build a retaining wall near our pool area.  We have not made final decisions on it, but it will be a minimum of 4' tall, and possibly 5' or more.

Many online tutorials recommend solid blocks with a back lip for walls up to 6'.  These blocks don't require mortar or additional supports, and the lip makes placement very quick and easy.  So I would love to use them.

However, when viewing these products on the websites of the two major home improvement retailers, the official response on all has been that these blocks should not be used for walls in excess of 2'.  Said responses have also stated that any wall in excess of 2' tall should be engineered.  So I'm unsure if they're saying their blocks cannot be used in a wall taller than 2', or if they're saying that they may work but are unwilling to take liability for that claim due to potentially poor installations.

So can these offset blocks be used to build a 4' - 6' tall wall if the wall is properly designed and constructed?  Or would cinderblock with rebar supports be required?

Project Details

In case these details are relevant:

This wall will sit just off of our pool area patio, where there is currently a steep slope up to a gentle-sloping side yard
The wall will likely be around 15' long, with a max height around 5' at one end and a height of 3' at the other end (the yard being held back is lower over there).  There will be stairs at the short end leading up to the side yard
I plan to dig 6" down for the first row of blocks, set on paver base
I was not planning to pour concrete around the bottom row, but can if necessary.
I plan to backfill behind the wall with 3/4" gravel over a 4" drain pipe, all enclosed in landscape fabric, with 3" of topsoil on top.  Gravel filled and compacted after each row of blocks.


texts: Getting melted Tupperware and Play-Doh out of an oven

texts:
A child has managed to melt a Tupperware container full of Play-Doh to the bottom of an oven. How might I clean such a mess and get the oven back into operation?

Though desirable, replacing the oven is not an option.


texts: Is an electrical lockout a good way to protect children in a workshop?

texts:
I have a small work shop in my basement with the usual power tools: table saw, miter saw, etc.

I also have a kid that is more and more curious about what is in that room every day. While she (generally) does a great job listening to me, it still nags at me that those tools are accessible to her, even though I unplug them after use. Some of the tools have safety switches, but those are more for unintentional use, like bumping in to the table saw. If she were to try, I'm sure she could figure these out.

I'm also not comfortable physically restricting access to the room. Our basement is divided in to two parts: the workshop and an entertainment area. If there were a fire, the fastest and safest way out of the house is through the workshop. Also many other safety things are in the workshop area, including water shutoffs, the electrical breaker, etc.

The outlets in the workshop have their own 20A breaker switch. Lights are on another 15A. I thought of installing a keyed switch between the breaker and the rest of the outlets. Something like this:

Which is rated for 20A.

Am I overlooking a better solution?
Would installing such a switch, as long as it's properly rated for the load it's going to carry, have any unintended consequences?


texts: In particular I don’t know what to think of the gray wire. Most resources online suggest gray is neutral. If I treat gray as black I would go black to black, grey to red, red to red/white, green to ground based on the instructions.


texts: Using Recessed Lighting with a 6 pin connector instead of a 4 pin?

texts:
I just purchased some recessed housings (Halo H7ICAT) and they already came with Wago 773-104 connectors. As you see below

1 pin is used for the light.

1 pin is for the actual power.

and 2 are open to other recessed lights.

But for 1 of the recessed housing, I need 1 more connection to avoid drilling through 6 ceiling studs.

Would there be any problem with replacing the 4-pin snap in connector with a 6-pin (773-106) connector?

My breaker is a 20 amp, and im running 12/2 electrical wiring over a dimmer switch


texts:
How much load can a (wood) board support, if it is supported only at the ends? has already been asked, but I found the answers unsatisfactory because they focused mostly on the asker's particular setup and barely mentioned anything about the properties of the wood.  One answer references PSI which seems completely irrelevant to me.  Another answer references the Sagulator, but the Sagulator does not help you determine the breaking weight.
In this answer, @Ecnerwal tells how much weight the asker's particular boards can hold, but doesn't mention how he calculated that or includes references.
This is an important generalize-able question
without a satisfactory answer on this site and without a "layman's" answer on the internet.  It has been asked twice on here already and seems like a basic tenant of building anything that's more than decorational.
How do I calculate the force (weight) a board can reasonably withstand across its grain?
The answer should include:

An algebra-level equation
A lookup table for the relevant properties of different species of wood
I should only have to come up with the pounds (lbs) or kilograms(kg) of my force. I do not know how to measure the kPa that my lawn mower exerts.
Any relevant notes

In @Doresdoom's answer, he includes a link to Mechanical Properties of Wood and says the relevant variable is the Modulus of Elasticity (E) found in Table 4-3a.  This PDF could be used to satisfy bullet point 2 of my question or not; I don't know if it is helful, hence why I'm asking this question.
I am not asking about the compression PSI a board can withstand, the force with the grain, the pulling tension, etc.  I know this question can get complicated fast, but we're dealing with what's called a simple beam.  This should be as simple as possible for all the homeowner/backyard engineers out there.
Example: There is a 10' wide moat.  I lay a nominal 2" x 12" x 12' (so 1.5" x 11.5" x 12') across.  The board is Shortleaf Pine.  It is not fixed to either side, just laying there.  My soldiers line up in order of weight and cross one at a time.  They tiptoe and move as smoothly as possible so they can be considered a static load (don't go off-topic here).  Once in the very middle, the soldier represents a worst case scenario.  How much will the soldier weigh that will break the board?
Wood obviously has variations, but so does rope and they somehow come up with strength measurements for that.  The key here is to generalize.  Obviously, I could get a terrible board so I wouldn't really base someone's life off of these calculations.


texts: Why do my pot lights flicker randomly when not at full brightness?

texts:
They're connected to a 1000W dimmer and I think (hope) it's that. In total there are 12 pot lights connection (600W total) and at full dim or at certain levels they're fine but between a certain range they randomly flicker. Is this a dimmer issue or a fixture/bulb issue? I do have a random selection of bulbs from halogen, incandescent to LED.

Could this also be why we lose a light bulb a month?


texts: Round junction box - new light has square mounting plate

texts: Installing a new light at base of stairs to lower level. Old box is a round fan type and new light is a square mounting plate.  Can I make this work or is there a need to change the old junction box?


texts:
I'm currently in the planning phases for a new construction home that will be 3 stories without a basement (crawlspace instead). The home will have insulation in all interior walls which will make it harder to do future cable runs. I'm looking to see if running empty conduit is an economical choice for future proofing the home.
For now, I'm looking to run conduit to each and every location. For cabling centralization, I'm looking to have three central locations in the home.
Here's my current cat6 plan:
First Floor: all crawlspace and first floor low voltage would run to the coat closet to a panel in there.

Second Floor: all second floor cabling is centralized to the laundry room panel. The second floor is connected to the first floor coat closet via 3-4in conduit.

Third Floor: All third floor cabling is dropped from the attic (where possible). The attic is connected via 3-4 inch conduit direct from the coat closet, bypassing the laundry room. There would probably be a couple 90 degree turns here since the third floor is all open space.

Right now, this would total to about 30 cable runs. My questions would be if it's feasible and economical to run this as conduit? Would it make more sense to have some as conduit and some as cat6? Are there any suggestions on improving the layout? At this point, I'm thinking of running empty conduit and pulling in cat6 only when I need it.


texts: Just recently started getting shocked in the shower

texts: About a week and a half ago I started getting shocked from the upstairs shower head, the downstairs sink faucet, and the the tub spout, I leaned back when I was taking a bath touched the spout with my head and that's when I felt it. It doesn't happen every time. I asked a buddy to come check it out. He turned on the sink faucet ( nothing ) put his hand in the water then touched the faucets  ( nothing  ). He checked the connections on the bonding cables, H/W tank  and water meter, outside grounding rod. Found a corroded connection at the box ground to street side of water meter. Pulled it and put it under the clamp of the street side of meter. Felt the shock two days later. He checked Voltage between the neutral and the street side of the water pipe and got a reading of 0.045 v. Did the same on the house side of the pipe and got a lower voltage. Could this be a sign that the shock voltage is coming from outside the house? He checked neutral to the ground line coming into the box from ground rod and I think he said it was lower than that of the street side pipe voltage. Any insight into testing to see if its coming in through the pipes would be appreciated.


texts: I have wood block of 50 * 50 * 50 mm. I want to make 1mm hole ( depth), having diameter of 40mm. Which power tool should I use?

texts:
My question is about making a big hole in wood.

I have wood block of 50 * 50 * 50 mm. I want to make 1 millimeter hole ( depth), having diameter of 40 millimeter. Which power tool should I use?


texts: How can I route a toilet drain around copper supply lines right below the slab?

texts:
I need to move the toilet back about 3" from where it was originally set to get to the standard 12" rough-in distance. I had to cut the concrete slab and dig into the dirt below. I was planning on going down to just above where the pipe enters the main drain line and adding in two 22.5 or 45 degree connectors to displace the top of the pipe to the proper location, but to my dismay there are 2 copper pipes running in the way about 2" below the bottom of the slab so I won't be able to move the toilet pipe, but will need to use an offset flange.

The offset flanges I have found only have about a 1.5" offset.  Can I stack 2 of these, to get the offset I need and go over the pipe, or is going over the water pipes or stacking 2 offset flanges a code violation?  At this point I'm into this pretty heavy so almost any solution is possible EXCEPT trying to move the water pipes. Any input is welcome.

Additional Info:

The distance from the top of the copper pipe to the top of the new tile floor will be 7" at the back of the pipe  to 7.5" at the left. The wall is to the left and the 2 black dashes on the top/bottom are the 12" marks.


texts:
I installed a new GFCI outlet and the green light is not coming on. Why is that? Do I have it wired wrong?

I have tried rewiring it different ways but nothing is working. Can someone help me please?


texts:
If I turn my fan on on my thermostats the heat pump turns on with heat or cool setting

There is a jumper wired from green to w1(the heat pump)

If I move the jumper to r (24v) and g and turn on the dip swith 8 (on - fan comes on with call for heat off - fan comes on with cool call) will it fix my problem?

I’m assuming I would have to adjust the dip switch for summer or winter?

We recently got a wood stove in step down den and it has a blower so we want to run the fan to circulate the heat from it


texts: Skillsaw 5150 - blade won't turn if blade stud tight but blade won't cut if any looser

texts: Blade won't turn if blade stud tight as I would normally have it.  Any looser though it won't cut and the blade stops once it makes contact with the wood but the motor is still running.  I assume I should be able to spin the blade by hand when the unit is in-plugged but not the case when I tighten the blade stud with the slide wrench. I can spin it when looser. Any thoughts as to what the issue could be?  Thank-you in advance for any assistance.


texts: Why would our kitchen faucet hot water stops working intermittently when it gets cold outside?

texts: The cold water works great and has never stopped. But sometimes, when it gets really cold outside, the hot stops working. And then, magically, it will start working again. There is no drop in pressure, it just cuts off completely for an undetermined amount of time. I can't pinpoint a pattern other than the cold weather catalyst. The faucet is a Delta Addison Single-Handle Pull-Down Sprayer Kitchen Faucet in Venetian Bronze with MagnaTite Docking and was installed by a pro plumber. I can't find anything on the Delta site or anywhere else on the Net. Also, I tried running the dishwater, which is connected to the hot water supply line, while the hot was not working and the dishwasher did not fill with any water throughout the entire clean/rinse cycles. It seems like the water is not getting to the area at all.


texts: How to ground a kitchen exhaust blower fan?

texts:
Recently our kitchen exhaust fan stopped working, only humming and not moving. In the kitchen there's a butterfly damper, the exhaust switch is on the vent hood, and the motor and exhaust fan are on the outside of the house.
Did some troubleshooting with the motor, tried cleaning it up but it's DOA. In doing some research it appears this fasco motor is from the 60s(give or take). I called some manufacturers and found a supposed replacement since that model isn't produced anymore. Unfortunately I didn't look over the diagrams and the replacement didn't have the same mounting bolt holes.
I did some digging and found a replacement motor, ordered it and it fits (it's a fasco d367). But I noticed the new motor has a big warning to ground it, but it doesn't have a ground wire. I don't see the two squares on the label saying it's double insulated.
The original motor didn't have a ground wire either, but the dome and components had a ground wire and so were grounded(partially disconnected in this pic when removing the motor).
--
So is the ground wire on the metal dome enough to ground the motor through the case? Or is there something else I need to be doing to properly ground the motor?
Thanks!
Here are some pictures of the new motor for reference.


texts: Why is there a wave spring washer and a plain washer between these two sealed bearings?

texts:
I replaced the bearings in my Vitamix blender and I’m curious as to why there is a wave washer and a plain washer with a smaller diameter in between the two sealed ball bearings.

My guess is that the wave washer will prevent chattering between the two bearings and the plain washer provides support to the inner area of each bearing.

Edit: Here's a photo of the completed blade assembly. The two bearings on the shaft are inside the threaded cup. The inside of the cup is threaded as well and the bearings are held in place with threadlocker.


texts: I have an old fuse box from the 50s or earlier that accepts type TL fuses.  I recently discovered two of the insulating washers inside of the sockets were missing.  I took out a washer from a good socket to examine it for replacements.  It appears to be a fiber washer, and I found a very similar fiber washer at the hardware store.  My question is, should I use the new fiber washer or is there some other material washer I should use?  Perhaps neoprene.  Also, are "fiber" washers made from fiberglass, paper, or something else?  Will they hold up under the heat and current of a 30 amp circuit?  Thanks.


texts:
I need a new oven door for my  Hotpoint electric oven.

I found a supplier, but apart from the Serial Number, the company also want to know the oven model. I've searched the web but cannot find the model of my oven with the exact same control panel as in the attached picture.

I know it's a long shot, but does anyone have any ideas what model this is?

Thanks for your time.


texts: How do you install a slide lock when the door frame isn't level with the door?

texts:
I need to lock a door without a keyhole from the inside and got recommended to use something like this:

However, my door frame isn't level with the door

If I would just mount it there, the slider would probably just slide over the holding thing. How would I mount it there?


texts: What is causing/caused these brown circular stains in my cabinetry?

texts:
Recently moved into a 1950s-built home and have unearthed a number of brown, circular stains on the wood inside various closets. These rings don't appear on the plaster walls, but rather on the wood shelves or siding in the closet. Here is a picture of one such brown stain that appears on the wood along the top of the hallway closet.

I've seen these stains in a number of non-adjoining closets throughout the house. The brown ring is not wet or damp to the touch, nor does it smell funny. If I take a scraping tool and scrape off the paint the same pattern appears on the wood.

What's interesting is that the stain appears to permeate through the piece of wood. For instance, here's a picture of the top of a shelf in one closet - note the two brown rings:

And here's a picture taken from the underside of the same board - note the matching rings.

My first guess was that this was a water stain of some kind, but I am more doubtful seeing as it's always a ring (and not a full circle) and that it permeates cleanly from top to bottom of the wood. Is this a knot in the wood and has sap leaked out, perhaps? Is this mold? Something else? Any ideas?

Also, what do I do about these? Should I just paint over them? My concern is that it would be just dealing with the symptom of a problem; also, who's to say that the stain won't go through another layer of paint? Or do I need to rip out the shelves and side paneling and put new ones in? (The wood/interiors of the closets appear very cheap so it's not like I'm ripping out high quality, custom-built cabinetry.)


texts: What could be wrong with gas fireplace that turns off when I turn it on?

texts:
Pilot light is lit. When I turn it on, it starts up, normal amounts of flame. Then it turns a blue flame, and slowly disappears until even the pilot light goes out.

This was working not even 2 weeks ago, and to my knowledge, nothing has changed other than the temperature outside has dropped about 20 degrees.


texts: How can I repair drywall to rehang a heavy rack in the same spot?

texts:
We have a wall mount wine rack mounted to drywall, but not to the studs. The anchors have collapsed (twice) and we patched the holes.
I haven't been able to find any information on re-using the existing holes AND ensuring that the re-use can sustain the heavy weight.
How can we reinforce & re-use the existing holes to make sure there is no future collapse?


texts: Not able to find Lennox ML193UH furnace filter

texts: I have a Lennox Merit series gas furnace ML193UH in my attic. The furnace turns on, but no air blows out of it. So i figured the filter needs to be changed. But I'm not able to find it. The pictures show the furnace i have. I have changed the filter for the main air intake vent. Any thoughts on where the furnace filter is??? Thanks!


texts: I have two parallel stairways with a light & 3-way switch at the top of each. How can I add switches at the bottom of each stairway to control the lights along with the 3-switches at the top of the stairways?


texts: Why would I have little to no water pressure after reopening the main water valve?

texts: I had turned off the main in my basement today so I could replace a couple of leaky valves in my basement bathroom and under my upstairs kitchen sink. turned on all the valves and opened up the main. I can hear water moving through the pipes, but Im not getting any pressure anywhere in my house. its a little more then a trickle at best. Ive had everything opened for over an hour now and its not getting any better. I tapped on the valve at the main, tapped pipes as well. nothing seems to be improving. Im on city water so the pressure to my house is good. the only valves that arent open again are under my sink as I cannot connect that until tomorrow. any ideas as to what it could be? I can hear water running through the pipe at the main. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
Looking to wire an LED light indicator for my garage door. I'm in no way a lighting/electrical expert and I could use help. I do repair copiers for a living. Home auto mechanic rebuild motors etc. I have replace the entire house with new receptacles. I am a tech and work on electrical things here and there.

Here is what I need help on. I am wiring a sensor so that when the garage door opens a Led light will come on in the house to let me know that its open.

This is what I have:

Transformer/ power supply input 100-24v,output 9v-500mA
3mm Pre-wired LED Red Emitting Diode DC 9-12V 620-630nm Voltage(V) 20ma
Door Contact Magnetic Reed Switch closed. Max. Current: 0.5A Max. Voltage: 100V DC Max. Power: 10W
40 feet of wire

Do I need any resistor for this? or will it work fine with out it?


texts: How to cover up wall after removing a row of tiles to fit exhaust vent

texts:
I recently installed a new exhaust hood in my kitchen. As the new one is slightly larger than the old one, it was necessary for me to remove a row of tiles and mortar below for it to properly fit. Here is a picture of the exhaust vent from below, showing where the tiles are removed:

I'm looking for a way to cover this up in a cosmestically nice way that doesn't necessarily have to include tiles. I have the following ideas in mind

Removing the remaining mortar and make a new layer such that it is smooth or
Removing the remaining mortar and use an acrylic plate to cover it up

Do you have any other suggestions that could look nice?


texts: Strange Roof Framing - Are these ridge supports temporary?

texts:
Attached photo is of a mid century split level roof with gabel ends at 5:12 pitch, there are (5) irregularly spaced 2x4 post supporting the ridge beam which sit on a 16 feet long (2)2x18 wood beam. The wood beam is suppported by a load bearing walls on the floor below.
The roof was re-shingled 12 years ago, and my guess is that these supports were placed to correct a sagging ridge beam.
My question is can I remove the post and beam without the roof caving in? Am i being paranoid?
Thanks


texts: Toilet in spare bath runs automatically for 2 seconds about every 20 min!

texts: This started a few weeks ago in the spare bath room, I replaced all internal parts in tank and problem still present. The main bath which is closer to main water source operates fine, what could be my problem?


texts: Which type of PVC for exposed outdoor use?

texts: I'm looking at hooking up some rain barrels using PVC piping. Is there a certain type of PVC that would be best to use for this, considering that it will be exposed to sun/rain/heat/cold? Lots of people seem to use "regular" white PVC but I didn't think that was intended for outdoor use.


texts:
I have a Ducane HVAC system that started leaking out of the evaporator coil housing. Mine looks like the EU1P. I read that i need to clean out the drip pan.

II tried cleaning it by sucking out the buildup with a wet/dry vac and flushing it with bleach solution but it's still leaking out of the back side that I can't get to.

I've heard of people hosing it out, but that seems like it might make a mess and get things wet that maybe shouldn't be.  I've also heard of people blowing it with compressed air but i thought that might just blow the stuff around only for it to clog up the system again.

What should i do to get this thing to stop leaking?


texts: How can I totally smooth a wall surface without replastering?

texts: I have taken the wall paper off of a wall, to find there are several layers of paint under it. I have sanded till it's as smooth as I can get it, but there are still patches not even 1 mm deep that look like little indentations. I have bought polyfilla smooth over, but when putting this on, layers of the previous paint are coming off. The peeled paint is getting stuck to the roller, and then making the rest of the surface have lines across it. Should I sand more and risk damaging the plaster? Any help would be appreciated as I am a total novice.


texts: How do I know if/when tuckpointing is necessary, especially if I finish the basement?

texts:
1900-ish brick-over-fieldstone foundation seems perfectly happy right now,  but  [digression about fieldstone aside]... What's best practice? What do I look for to tell when maint is required?

(Standard grumble about houses not coming with inspection/maintenance manuals...)


texts: Does primer really require 3/8 -1/2 inch nap?

texts:
I am painting an exterior steel door in our garage.  We have some Behr Premium Plus Primer.  I was planning on keeping the flat look so I was going to use the foam roller.

But the primer instructions said to use 3/8-1/2 nap roller.

Is that necessary?


texts: Gas oven lights but turns off after 2-3 seconds

texts:
any ideas why my gas oven starts, with all the "holes" filled with gas and fire, yet after 2-3 seconds it shuts down (looks like no more gas comes through to keep it burning).

Also, it makes some odd cracking sounds right after it shuts down (like some relay clicking very loudly)

Note: the gas-fired cooktop works perfectly fine.

Any thoughts?
Thanks a lot


texts: How do I mount 20 lb speakers to drywall between studs?

texts:
I have a pair of 20 lbs speakers that I want to mount to the drywall which is between two studs.  How do people recommend these speakers be mounted?  I would like to swivel and tilt the speakers.  The speaker dimensions are W x H x D = 8 x 12 x 10 inches.  I was thinking of using B-Tech BT77 mounts but not sure how much (if any) bracing is needed behind the drywall.

product manual


texts: Making a template for fabricating a pipe boot from sheet metal

texts:
It has been quite a long time since I did any rotation of geometric shapes or mechanical drawing, and I need a refresher to jog my memory.

The goal is to make a template from construction paper which can be used as a guide when cutting sheet metal to make a pipe boot that sits over the ventilation pipe on the roof. The boot consists of a flat rectangular base (with a centered cutout for the pipe) and the cylinder that fits over the pipe. The two are soldered together.

For the sake of simplicity, assume the pipe on the roof has a 100mm O.D.

The roof pitch is 28 degrees.

The cutout hole for the pipe must be adjusted for that angle of rotation.

The flat sheet which gets formed into the cylinder must be curved on the bottom, so that it will have an oval-shaped base. Where to position the stationary leg of a drawing compass to form that oval curve?


texts: I removed the rear panel of my oven and the cladding is burned

texts: i have a similar issue with my oven, I just replaced the fan element and also discovered black burn/scorched areas on the insulation cladding. Is this a worry or normal? Oven is about 15 years old.


texts: Why does my Nest thermostat report error e195 when I try to use the air conditioning?

texts:
I had a Nest E installed in February and it has worked really well until it was time to turn on the AC. Now I get random e195 errors (no power detected to the R wire).

The most likely answer from my research is that I need a c wire installed. A friend of mine who's an electrician installed one from the furnace to the Nest. But we are left wondering where to connect the c wire on the furnace. We tried in the "B" terminal but that didn't work.

Would anyone be able to help from the schematics attached?


texts: Should whole house humidifier be draining when heater/fan is off?

texts:
I have an Aprilaire 700 whole house humidifier with a manual mode humidistat on the return. I noticed that the unit was draining water even when the heater/fan was off. Is this expected? I just hear it constantly draining, which I'm guessing is due to low humidity in the return? What's the point of draining when the fan is off?

Additional details: If I lower the threshold on the humidistat, I hear the solenoid engage (or disengage?) and the unit stops draining. There are no noticeable leaks. The only water I see is what comes out of the drain pipe.


texts: Recessed lighting in existing concrete light fixture

texts: I have some light fixtures that are currently used and covered with blind plates in the corners of a concrete ceiling room. I was wonder if there was anyway to convert those existing light boxes to recessed lighting. The wiring is already done but i imagine id need to get a deep hole.


texts: Purchased and older home 8 months ago, built in 1959. I noticed a very large crack recently in some old paint, about 10” long. As I started pulling it away from the wall, the paper is no longer attached to the gypsum. There are many holes in it, could termites have done this and why is it only in a 2’ section? In the area I see no signs of live  insects of any kind. The surface looks like a flat  Canyon (won’t let me upload image). Could it be an old issue since the pest report came back clean?


texts:
I do not want to dig a hole in my yard to install 4x4x12
I am thinking to buy 5 Gallon bucket and put the 4x4 in it and fill to the bucket with concrete cement.
Of course I will mix it with water.
I want to mount a bat house on the very top.
Do you think the 4x4 will be stay or the wind will tip it over?


texts: How might one trip a breaker from a GFCI outlet?

texts:
Somewhat derivative of How can I trip a breaker from the outlet, how could someone relatively safely and quickly, with basic tools, trip a breaker at a GFCI outlet (relatively safely meaning not getting electrocuted or starting a fire)?

If something conductive and grounded is touched to the line or a drop of water falls on it, it's just going to trip the outlet, but there will still be power to it, right? That's the point of the GFCI.

Thanks for answering the question, as well as all advice to not and never do such a thing.


texts: What precautions need to be taken while installing a hardwood floor on a very old hardwood floor?

texts: I am planning to install a new solid hardwood floor on an existing hardwood floor(some variant of pine) - on the second floor of the 2-floor house. Rights now, we are considering putting an underlayment. But we are concerned whether the current structure/floor will hold up the weight of the new floor and will not pose any security hazards for future. Are there any precautions we can take?


texts: Lowering the water pressure in my bathtub spout

texts: I have a small tankless water heater and the flow from my bathtub spout is too strong and the water will not get hot. How can I reduce the flow in just the bathtub spout?


texts:
Concrete newbie here.
I am building a concrete pad for an A/C unit in an already excavated area of the yard (new plant bed). The excavated area is around 8" deep. I want to build a 4'x4'x16" concrete block for the air conditioning unit.

Here's a visual :

I understand that these are the steps :

Excavate slab area by 8" and backfill ~6" with gravel.
Level & tamp gravel base.
Build forms and adjust pitch of about 1/4 inch for every 12 feet.
Mix the concrete and pour into the form.
Screed and level out concrete surface
Float & finish surface
Water cure for a week.

I have a few questions :

Is this the right approach to building a very thick concrete pad/block ?
Is the base for this pad sufficient ?
Should I use rebar mesh to reinforce the block ?

I would have considered building this using pre-cast concrete blocks , but my masonry skills are next to nothing and I felt that pouring a block is easier than laying courses of concrete blocks.


texts: Should I run outlet circuits through the studs or up and along the top plates?

texts:
I have a great workshop (20 x 25 ft, 2 level) that was built with no power (previous owner).  I'm installing a subpanel in the shop (90A) and need to install receptacles, lights, etc. as well.  I've never organized a shop before so I'm unsure how to do it (looking for advice).  Here is what I planned:
Install a 20A receptacle every 5 ft down the north, east, and west walls (south-facing wall has garage doors) and two rows of lights on the ceiling.  The lights will be on their own 15A breaker and each wall will have its own 20A breaker.  The first receptacle on each wall will be GFCI.
Here's my question: what is the best way to route wire to the receptacles and lights?  Is it better (right/wrong) to drill through the studs to run the wire directly across the wall, or to run the wire along the top plate and drop wire down to each receptacle?  Since I will not finish the walls I do not know if there is a code issue for either method, or if conduit needs used.  If this is just a matter of preference (i.e. not code related) then I am still interested in hearing people's opinions.


texts: How should I pump water throughout a house from holding tanks in the basement?

texts:
I have an infrequently used, small cabin that needs a pumping system installed. Currently, there is no pressure tank or pump installed. There was one many years ago but that's long gone. The water supply is from an artesian well. The water from this well is piped into 2 large holding tanks in the basement.

My question is: what would be the best setup to get this water into the house?

I was looking at the flotec pump/tank system, but Im not sure if thats the best way to do this.

In terms of water demand, its pretty low. 1 toilet and 2 sinks.


texts: I drilled a bigger hole over an existing one on my door so I could put a new lock on. Unfortunately I drilled the hole too big. Now the lock is too to small to install. Any suggestions?


texts: Why would an inspection company flag two NM 12 gauge wires going through the same joist hole?

texts:
How many cables are you allowed to run through a single hole in a wooden floor joist?
We have a question and good answers for the NEC guidelines.   Why would an inspection company flag this and note that there is an "overheating" chance?
Note that these wires are on the same circuit and oversized (just going to canned lights).
Is there any new guidelines I am missing here?


texts:
One of my doors has these gaps on the bottom and side panels.  Is there a way I can fix/fill them somehow?

Adding more photos below:


texts: Power issues in out-building sub panel - What's the best way to repair?

texts:
I am having electrical issues in my out-building shop. I think I might have an idea of what is wrong, but I want to hear others opinions, and I also want to know the best method of repair.  I will try to keep this concise.
When I run tools that have a heavy current draw, the lights will completely go out.  Some circuits do not work at all.  Here are my observations:

The shop is fed by a 100A breaker from the house
When I measure the voltage between the main lugs in the shop sub panel, I get 0 volts
When I measure the voltage between each leg and ground (or neutral) I get 120 V.
When I measure the voltage at the load side of the 100A breaker in the house, I get 240 V (this tells me the issue isn't the breaker or house feed)
I removed the wires from the main lugs in the sub panel, then turned the power on and measured the voltage again.
Between the main lugs, I got 210 V ( a 30V voltage drop)
One leg has a good 120V, the other has 90V.

My conclusion is that somewhere between the house and the shop, one leg has excessive resistance and dropping voltage completely when I connect to the sub panel as a load.
Does this make sense?
What is the best way to go about fixing this issue? Is it easy enough run new wire in the conduit? Is this a good idea?  Would it be better to dig up the conduit and inspect what exactly went wrong?
UPDATE:

I measured the voltage on the two lugs (wires attached to lugs) as I switched breakers off.  My reading again started at 0 volts
When I switched a particular 20A double pole breaker off, the voltage went from 0 to 180V
I continued to switch off breakers.  When I hit a 20A single pole breaker, the voltage went up from 180V to 210V.  Recall 210V was the voltage I was measuring when I removed the wires from the lugs and measured the voltage between them.
I turned all the breakers back on and the voltage again went to 0. I then went to my 240V machines and unplugged them.  The voltage on the main lugs shot back up to 180 or so Volts.
The garage door opener on the other side of my shop (single pole, powered by the 120V leg) works fine.

I really am starting to think something is up with the one leg on the way to the shop. Can anyone think of anything else I could try? I still need to clean the connections and see what happens.
UPDATE 2:
-AHA!! @Ed Beal was right on the money.  If I swap my breakers around so the problematic ones (single pole) are only on one particular leg (the opposite one they were originally on), they all work fine! I can run my tools no problem, and the lights on the one side of the shop now work.
-If I take single leg measurements again (with the 240V tools unplugged) I get 120V on one leg, and 70V on the other leg.  So I am certain now that one leg is bad.
Is the only way to fix this to dig up the conduit?  I could just pull new wire through but I am worried the conduit has failed or broken somewhere and the new wire will be in the same peril.


texts: What happens if you varnish laminate flooring

texts:
Most laminate flooring has a top coat of aluminum oxide, which is very tough.  Everyone says, "Don't varnish it" but so far I've not found out why. Yes, it's going to need more care -- either renewing the varnish or the usual clean and wax twice a year.  In particular I want to make a somewhat mat finish glossier.

So, just what happens if you apply varnish to laminate?

Is there a stripable floor finish suitable for shining a laminate floor?


texts: Should I be concerned about wearing out the clutch when driving screws with my drill/driver?

texts:
The clutch on a drill/driver is used to limit the amount of torque applied when driving screws. However, as the clutch is a mechanical part subject to wear especially when it slips, I'm concerned about it wearing out as I use the tool to drive screws.

If I allow the clutch on the drill/driver to slip before stopping, do I risk prematurely wearing out the clutch? How long can I expect the clutch to last before it fails? Is it worth feathering the trigger instead to prevent the clutch from slipping when the screw is nearly driven home? (For reference, I'm using a DeWalt DCD790 compact brushless drill/driver, and I usually have the clutch set around 5-7 out of 15.)


texts: How do I weatherize after removing old deck?

texts:
Good morning everyone!

Long time reader first post. I hope you all can give me some insight so I can stop worrying about this project. As you can see from the picture I removed a wood deck from the area. You can still see the ledger board which I believe is installed incorrectly. I am going to remove that board and then I want to install vinyl siding to weatherize the area for the winter (next spring I am going to build a patio and then have someone come out to build the steps down to it).
My question is: Do I need to install some sort of vapor barrier before I install the vinyl siding? If so what type of product do I need and where/how do I tie it in with whatever is below the rest of the vinyl siding? I peaked under the siding to the left and it doesn’t look like there is any type of vapor barrier under the places already covered by siding.


texts: Increasing flow rate on a whole-house humidifier

texts: I've got an Aprilaire 550 on my furnace, but it basically never hits the humidity target. I know it's on (I can see microbubbles moving through the tube between the solenoid and the sponge), but there's no water coming down the drain tube, and the sponge is basically dry. Should there be excess water? Should the sponge be wet to the touch? There's a strainer and a restrictor in the plastic tube after the solenoid - I'm tempted to widen the hole in it, but not sure what's the expected behavior.


texts: My toilet is filling very slowly with a Fluidmaster valve, how do I fix it?

texts: My toilet is filling very slowly. Sometimes it sounds like it is filling up a drip at a time. What's wrong with it and how do I fix it?


texts:
I bought a house that has hot water baseboard heating (house dates to mid 60s). I'm taking the covers off to vacuum the fins.  I found a couple of metal clips on the floor.  I'd like to understand what they are for and where they go.  They're about an inch wide, "squarish" u-shaped.  Most baseboards don't have these, but I did manage to find one that does.  They're clipped on the underside of the fins near a metal bracket that holds the cover on.

I know there are expansion cradles, but these seem to be made of plastic and they easily slide on top of the lower part of the bracket that holds the cover on.  The clips I found are metal and they really don't fit inside the bracket (a VERY tight fit).

Any ideas?


texts: How to fix plaster on ceiling due to screw coming loose?

texts:
A builder did a bad job when painting and the ceiling vent came loose, upon inspecting it seems that they broke the ceiling plaster by unscrewing it, tried to hide it by screwing it in another place and now the thing cannot stay in place anymore.

How can I fix the holes so I can screw the ceiling vent back in place ?


texts: Why does it take a long time for water to start draining from my tub faucet?

texts:
Sorry for the awkwardly worded title, I couldn't really describe the issue in one sentence.

My shower has a handle that controls both pressure and temperature. To begin showering, I turn the handle, then pull up the stopper (is this the right word?) on the tub faucet to get the water to come out the shower head instead of the tub faucet.

For the first few weeks, when I was done showering, I'd simply turn the pressure/temperature handle, the shower would turn off, and the stopper would immediately drop, letting out the remaining water through the tub faucet.

Now, however, it takes a good 10 - 15 seconds between turning the handle and the stopper dropping. It's not a huge deal on it's own, but I also notice that the water never fully transfers to shower-head-only when I pull up the stopper, and some continues to come out of the tub faucet.

I think it's affecting the pressure of my shower and it's just annoying. Any idea on how to fix it?


texts: Should I attempt to fix a sink leak myself?

texts:
I have a slow leak under my kitchen sink, in what I think is the top-most screw thread in the photo below. It leaks when the sink is full.

EDIT: specifically, I think the leak is between the gray sink pipe and the off-white pipe right at the top.

I am very practical (carpentry and such) but have zero plumbing experience. Even with sinks.

Can I "just" buy some parts and connect them up? Like water lego

Thanks!


texts:
I'm renovating my Kitchen, and my stove is connected in such a way
that I'm not sure how to unplug, I added pictures that might explain it better.

I would like to either disconnect it, or make it longer.

p.s.
I live in Germany, if it matters.


texts: Powering multiple switches from one switch

texts: I had 1 switch going to 1 light on my porch.  I want to add a couple more decorative lights and I want to add a couple of switches on the porch itself so I don't have to keep opening the door to turn them off or on as needed.  Can I use the switch in the house currently to provide power to these multiple switches on the porch?


texts:
I'm looking to tear down the wall between my kitchen and dining room, and I'm wondering if it's load bearing.  If so, it's a 9' section that I want to remove.  Would two 2x10s with 1/2" plywood between them be sufficient, or would I need to go with either 2x12s or LVLs?  See the pictures below.  And if you need, I can take a picture of the floor joists from the basement.  This is the first floor of a two story colonial.

Thanks!
Chris


texts: Do I need a pressure tank for my irrigation system?

texts:
I've got  2000 liters of stored water off caught off the roof of my shed (2 x IBC containers).  These containers are situated about 0.5 meters off the ground but unfortunately the ground slopes upwards.

I intend to put in a small (350 watt / 0.5hp pump) with included adjustable water pressure regulator/dry run protection.  (Link to pump I am considering) below the tanks.

Initially I intend to connect this to a hosepipe with the intention of putting in a simple irrigation system (which will probably have flow control valves for each feeder).    I expect this system to water 2-4 times per day for a fixed amount of time.

I am somewhat price conscious as I'm doing this on a budget.

Do I need a pressure tank in this setup?   (and also, do you see any problems with what I'm proposing to do)?


texts: Wiring a fluorescent T8 fixture to a standard plug

texts:
I am looking to connect a T8 fluorescent light fixture (that holds 4 bulbs) to a cord with a plug at the end so I can plug the fixture directly into a standard wall socket (or in my case a light socket adapter like this one.)

Here is an image of the connector, I'm not sure the exact name of the connector part, but how would I connect that to a cord with a plug at the end?

Notice the connector has 2 holes for white and 2 holes for black, I'm not sure what those are for.

It seems the ballast is grounded to the fixture, would I need a 2 or 3 pronged cord?


texts: What to know before installing cabinet and drawer dampers?

texts:
I want to install dampers on my new cabinet doors in my kitchen. When the contractor gave me the price to add these, the cost was over $30 per door. So I decided not to install them. But since then, I have found these dampers on Amazon and the price is under $3 each.

What do I need to know before investing in these dampers? At $3 each, is it worth it or not? Are they easy to install on cabinet (both drawer and door)?


texts: Is a duplex outlet's max amperage rating for each socket or the whole unit?

texts:
If you have a duplex outlet thats rated for lets say 20 amps, is the whole unit rated for 20 amps, or is each socket rated for 20 amps?

Edit: So if I had a circuit that had a 40A breaker on it, could I have 2 devices that both draw a max of 20A on the same duplex outlet?


texts: What's a high R-value insulation material alternative to dimensional lumber

texts:
Years ago I read somewhere about a building material described like this :

a composite/synthetic material (not wood)
available in traditional dimensional lumber sizes (e.g. 2x4)
rigid enough to have roughly the load bearing capabilities of lumber
allows drilling and using fasteners in much the same way you would lumber
has a high R-value (more insulating than wood)
likely patented and manufactured by a single manufacturer (as opposed to more generic technologies like fiberglass or polyurethane foam)

I've since tried to find out what it was but without luck.

My use case is to modify a chest freezer by adding a "collar" between the lid and the chest to allow for running beverage lines into the chest freezer. This is a common DIY project for homebrewers called a "keezer". Here's a photo of a typical example.

Often the material used to build this collar is dimensional lumber, which the builder then adds insulation to the inside of. I'd like to find out what this alternative building material is that I'd read about in hopes of using it instead.


texts: Plumbing DWV isometric drawing tool (free or <= $40)

texts:
I am attempting to learn how to draw isometric drawing for DWV.
Does anyone have a recommendation of a good isometric drawing tool for Plumbing DWV? Software, website, etc?  Free or <= $40.00 for simple drawings.
I have been doing everything on paper and I want something that looks nicer and easier to edit.


texts:
I need some spare screws like the one in the picture, but I have no idea what it’s called.

Any help is greatly appreciated!


texts: How can I build and install kitchen cabinets?

texts:
I will be building the kitchen cabinets in my new house, I'm thinking on the following steps:

Brick base (about 10-15 cms);
Wood structure for cabinets and coutertops screwed to the base and the drywall in the back;
Installing the cabinets themselves;
Installing the countertops (supported by the wood structure and not the cabinets).

I've never done kitchen cabinets before and I'm really unsure on how to plan it all. Especially since I want to use granite stone for countertops and they are quite heavy.

EDIT: In the editing I somehow removed the question.

Is a brick base the recomended pratice in my case (support cabinets, appliances, and heavy countertops)? Are the any other alternatives?

Also, I think of separating structure and cabinets, is that normal pratice or they should they be built as a unit?

EDIT: I live in Brazil, here construction of houses is made from only bricks and mortar, drywall is alien here (I will be using it and I'm having a hard time to explain it to engineers and general contractors) and so are many techniques associated with it. In Brazil people usually affix the counter-top IN the wall (using steel and concrete) and then make cabinets below it. I want to part with those construction methods, I find them colonial, dated and inpractical.


texts:
I am not getting 120 @ my hot to neutral
 in my dryer receptacle
For my dryer outlet h1-h2 =240,  h1 -n <40  ,  h2-n <20
does this mean that i have no ground at the box?


texts: Knee wall separating from rafters in garage attic

texts:
I have a 24'x24' garage built with standard frame construction. The garage is about 15 years old. There is attic space above the garage bays for storage.

The attic space has a knee wall of 2"x4" construction that attaches to the 2"x6" roof rafters. The knee wall has a bottom plate but no top plate, so that each stud of the knee wall is simply nailed to a rafter with 3 common nails. All of these nails are towed down at about a 30-45 degree angle.

Over time, the studs of the knee wall have been slowly separating from the rafters (see picture). In the middle of the knee wall the studs have separated over a 1/2" from the rafters. The separation decreases toward the corners of the roof, so that there's no separation at all in the corners.

Based on the construction, it looks to me as if this knee wall was not intended to be structural. But, given that there's enough forces on the knee wall to separate it from the rafters, it is structural.

How should I repair this? As a temporary measure, I've used 1/2" steel bolts with fender washers to close the gap between the studs and the rafters, and to make sure that they never separate again. Is this sufficient, or should the knee wall be replaced with a structural one?