texts: I have a buried wire for a generator in my shed. Is there a safe way to reverse the feed to power the shed?

texts:
My current setup:
Main panel has 60A 240 breaker that feeds Generator subpanel which has 10 circuits on it. The Gen Feed to the subpanel comes from buried 10-3 in my shed. That works well for running the generator. The subpanel has the metal slider to lockout Gen from Main feed.

Now I'm considering an electric mower, which would preferably be stored and charged in the shed, plus I wouldn't mind a light switch out there. So with the infrastructure of 10-3 underground, but with opposite polarity (i.e. generator input prongs) in the shed, is there a safe way to switch from "Generator feeding house" to "House feeding shed"? Obviously, or maybe not, I don't want to power the shed/mower with the generator.


texts: Switching out an LED recessed light with no neutrals to a pendant

texts:
We've moved into a new construction - built 2015 - and want to switch out a recessed light (a HALO product EL406930) to a pendant light. I bought a Westinghouse recessed-light-to-pendant-conversion kit from Home Depot to make the process much easier.

Problem is:
The brass-colored pendant light is "normal," as it has a ground, a bunch of whites (neutral wires) and a bunch of blacks (hot wires). However, our recessed light can has 1 black and 1 red wire. I assume one has current flowing all the time and one is controlled by a switch, since there's no fan and the narrow space never intended to house a fan either. But my problem is there's no neutral to connect my pendant's white wires to.
What do I do with the white, neutral wires?

Original recessed can where I've already started installing the converter kit, showing black+red:

New pendant I'm trying to install, with "normal" ground, black, white:

UPDATE - Looks like either the black or the red is a neutral according to the HALO recessed can installation guide that comes up if you google halo-h457tate010-705787ins-adv131561-ins.pdf


texts: Why would an electric baseboard heater burn the wire connector off the black wires?

texts: I replaced an old 96 inch electric baseboard heater. It was hooked up right and ran for about a month. It then started to smell, and the 2 black wires had melted the cap right off. It never tripped the breaker and was still running. I redid the 2 black wires but around the wires it does have a light smell and it ticks like a clock when running. Is this normal or could this new heater be no good?


texts:
I'm working on a basement renovation, and behind the wall I found the steel columns which I expected, but rather than sitting on the concrete slab like the other exposed one, there is a concrete footing above the slab. Has anyone seen something like this before, and is it safe to chip away or remove and put directly on the slab like the others?

Thanks in advance!


texts: Why are some submersible well pumps wired with solid and others stranded?

texts:
I was helping a friend change his deep water well pump which is rated at 220 volts AC,3/4 H.P. Most of these I have seen are wired with three yellow wires that run from the pump to the pump switch on the water tank that are stranded. His was wired with three yellow stranded wires that were rated for the same voltage from the pump up to the top of the casing, where they installed the pump switch and used a coiled water tubing to connect to the pit-less adaptor to work the switch. From the switch they ran a 220 line underground, grey color, solid, three wire to the fuse box inside the house.

Which wire is better for this use? Solid or Stranded?


texts:
I have a bag full of old Federal Pacific Stab-Lok breakers. A quick Google search says one out of four of these are a fire hazard, and this question/answer corroborate the fact that this is a low-quality residential brand that should be avoided.

Several years ago my licensed electrician brother and I replaced the load center in our house with a brand new GE panel and brand new breakers in accordance with NEC 2011. This was primarily because the old FP panel was out of space and we wanted to bring our kitchen and baths up to modern code (i.e. not one circuit for two baths, kitchen, and exterior outlets) thus avoiding nuisance tripping every time my wife fired up the hair dryer. Anyway, that was all just so nobody worries that we did something wrong and burnt the house down. The house is fine, actually, better off now with each bathroom and the kitchen on separate circuits per the NEC's requirements.

What should I do with this old bag of FP Stab-Lok breakers? Should I sell them, knowing that they lasted 31 years (house built in 1980) without any problems? Or, is selling them just encouraging someone to risk damaging their house?

I know many SE sites frown on ethics/subjective questions, but the help center does not forbid them, in fact it says "questions you would typically ask a home contractor" are on-topic and this is definitely something I would ask. In case you are curious, my electrician brother would say "sell them, not your problem" but obviously he does not care as much as I do.


texts: What should I do about a high spot in my new driveway that is causing rain water to backup?

texts:
I recently had a new asphalt driveway installed and after a tremendous downpour, I found there is a high spot in the driveway that caused the rain to pool and back up towards my garage within a foot of the garage door.

What should be done to correct this problem?


texts: Blaring noise from newish indoor AC unit

texts:
Why is my AC making a noise like Mass Effect Reaper every 20-60 seconds and how can I stop this?
https://webmshare.com/play/qd07r


texts: How can I finish a basement bathroom where the toilet plumbing is 12 inches from the foundation wall?

texts:
So I have a drain pipe that is 12 inches from the foundation wall.   Every shower floor pan I have looked at says you need 12 inches from the center of the drain to the wall.   I was planning on framing this bathroom and putting up drywall.

So for this particular wall, do I just put up furring strips so I can attach the shower wall up?   Or what can I do?   If I frame, the wall will then be like 8 inches from center which won't work.


texts: What size lumber do I need for a mezzanine floor to support a 20,000 lbs load?

texts:
I am thinking of putting a mezzanine in my garage to support 20,000 lbs of load, not including the weight of the floor.  On the floor the area is 20' deep X 32' wide; I  was looking at 4" X 12" timbers for floor joists and 3" X 12" timber boards on top for floor.

What is the maximum distance I can run 4" X 12" fir timber joists without beam support?
What is the maximum distance between the 4" X 12" floor joists if I have a 3" X 12" plank timber floor on top?


texts: We are pulling an old Jenn-Air range and replacing with a separate Jenn-Air stovetop and oven.  Due to the downdraft they cannot be placed on top of one and other but will be in adjacent cabinets.  The current electrical setup for the range is a double 50 Amp breaker with an 8 gauge wire that supplies the unit.  Since this is in an island set into a concrete slab there is no way to run new electrical lines.  The new oven is 3.6KW and the stove is 7.0KW.  The minimum circuit and wire sizes are 20 Amp/12 AWG and 40 Amp/8 AWG according to the installation manuals.  Can we run a 12 gauge wire off the existing 8 gauge wire to serve the oven and keep them on the same circuit?  I will have an electrician make the connections, but for planning purposes I need to know whether this electrical setup will be OK.


texts: How to install LED strip where before I had a fluorescent tube?

texts:
I want to install a LED strip where once there was a fluorescent tube.

I like to think myself as google competent but this time I could not find a satisfactory answer.

Right now, in my ceilling I have 3 electrical wires: ground, neutral and hot. I understand I need to buy a LED strip (I only need 3 meters) and a Transformer that transforms AC into DC

my questions are:

What type of LED strip do I need? and how to find it online? e.g. what specifications do I seek?

Given a LED strip what type of transformer do I need?

And ideally I need to install this near an area with humidity.


texts: How much space is needed for an outlet between window frame and counter top?

texts: How much minimal vertical distance is required between the kitchen counter top and window frame for placing an electrical outlet? We are starting a kitchen remodel.


texts: Could plugging a dishwasher into an outlet cause it to not dry as well?

texts:
I see a post saying it is OK to plug a built-in dish washer into an outlet.  I have had our dish washer plugged into an outlet for years.  The first dish washer never dried well.  I thought it was the dish washer.  I bought a new Bosch dish washer a couple years ago that is supposed to wash super well and dry well.  However, it does not dry well, at all!  I am thinking maybe the outlet being only 15A does not provide enough current for the dishwasher to heat the drying element well enough.  Therefore not drying well.

Thoughts?  I think I am going to hard wire it and see if that helps.


texts: How to properly fix dry wall tearing away

texts:
How can I properly fix dry wall that is tearing away from the seam, which is a window sill?

There is a point were it meets the window and window sill, and it seems to be tearing away. I have added a picture below. What would cause drywall to do this?


texts: Can I vent off the top of a 90 turn down from upper floor?

texts:
I'm attempting to add a bathroom to my 3rd floor. I have to run a 3" waste line through a wall on floor 2, down into the ceiling of floor 1 to tie into the existing 3" waste line connecting the other 2 toilets on floor 2.
Because of the existing constraints, my question is can I vent off the top of the 90 elbow I'm using off the toilet waste pipe that turns the waste pipe vertical down the wall to vent the toilet and shower.
As the image shows I have about 1'4" from center to center of toilet to turn down the wall where I'd like to vent off the top. I have about 4'2" from shower drain to long sweep sanitary wye tie into the 3" waste pipe.
Would this configuration pass code?


texts: Can I wire my under cabinet lighting in parallel?

texts:
Not sure if this is the appropriate place, or something like DIY. I have purchased 6 of these light bars from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074NX7H1K/

The power supply is 6A and each bar takes .3A (4W / 12V). So the power supply should be sufficient.

I know that wiring in parallel each light will get 12V and reduce the current.

The light bar itself seems to be a set of 24 LED diodes with a resistor (hard to read the ohms through the frosted plastic) every 2-3 lights.

My plan is to wire nut them all together directly to the spliced end of the powered source, with a separate run for each light. Alternatively, I might create 3 'feeds' and then wire them in parallel in a set of 2. As far as I understand that is the same thing.

Are there any problems going this route? Will this suffer from thermal runaway or anything? If it does, how can I calculate what size resistor I would need before each light bar? If I don't put in a resistor, realistically how much would this reduce the life of the lights?

Please note that I am a layman and can't really understand electrical diagrams, but I will try my best.


texts: Is it OK to have more than one neutral wire in the same connection on the neutral bus bar on a main panel?

texts: I'm installing a new 100 amp panel and have almost run out of openings on the neutral bus bar and still have 4 more breakers to install. Can I double up on the neutral side or should I start using openings on the ground side. The neutral is bonded and this is a main service (not sub panel) I'm a bit of a neat freak with this stuff and would prefer to keep grounds and neutrals separate but not at the cost of safety.


texts:
I have a switch that's part of a three switch panel, and it doesn't seem to do anything. The other two switches go to a ceiling light in the same room, and a ceiling light in an adjacent room. I've checked most, if not all of the plugs in this and adjacent rooms by plugging a lamp in and flipping the switch, to no avail.

After additionally searching the attic, I've discovered two cables obviously connected to the switch panel. These seem to go to the two lights that are affected by the  other two switches. There's a third cable leading from an exterior motion light to an area between the 3 panel switches and the nearby breaker panel. I can't tell which it might be connected to. The motion light doesn't seem to activate in either position of the switch, but I've known those things to be finicky.

How can I determine what the switch is meant to do?


texts: Safe to keep electrical kit close to Consumer Unit (UK)

texts:
Currently running cables for my home network and I'm hoping to situate my router, switch, and various IoT kit (like a power monitor) in a large ish cabinet which houses the consumer unit and electricity meter.
I'm needing to fit a multi-way extension up there to power everything (if it works out, will ask an electrician to add fixed sockets in the cabinet to avoid additional cable runs) and wanted to get advice on whether it's safe to do so? Could there be any interference from the CU?
Thanks!


texts: Advice on supporting a sagging bay window

texts:
We have bay window that has sagged enough that that windows are out of square and no longer open or align properly to get a good seal. As such, they are drafty in the winter and we can't open them in the spring or fall to enjoy.

It seems the options for leveling a bay window are to suspend it using cables from the top, or build support from underneath. The cable method doesn't seem to be a good option because the roof of the bay window is basically flat and metal. Here are the steps I'm planning on taking with questions.

Lay plywood down on the ground and using a floor car jack, slowly raise the bay to slightly overcorrect the level issue. This will allow some settling when adding the supports. Questions: will a car jack work here?
Using pressure treated 2x4s, build 2 knee braces. . Questions: will 2x4s look tacky? My plan is to paint them white
Attach knee brace to cinder block foundation and the bottom frame of the bay window. Questions: how should I attach the knee brace to the foundation? Tapcon screws? Is this structurally sound? What type of fasteners should I use for the knee brace joints?

Here is a view the underside of the bay window:

Final questions: is this all a bad idea? Should I have supports in the ground instead? Or maybe the whole bay window just needs to be replaced? Any and all advice would be appreciated.


texts: Refrigerator quits cooling (lights/freezer work) & 24 hr unplugged only fixes it for < 2 weeks

texts: Our garage refrigerator (Kenmore with the freezer on the bottom) started not cooling in late July. The lights kept working & the freezer kept working, but the top part (the refrigerator section) stopped cooling and the temp adjustment buttons stopped working for the refrigerator section too. We unplugged it for 24 hours & when we plugged it back in, it started working just fine again... until about 2 weeks later when it happened again. This time while it was unplugged, we cleaned & vacuumed under it and behind it really well and when we plugged it back in we made sure it was pulled out a ways from the wall. Again, it fixed the issue and worked fine for maybe another week or so, but then it happened again! So repeated the process and it did the same thing again yesterday!  We have had this (bought it used) refrigerator for about 1.5 years and it has always worked perfectly up until the end of July. Any idea what could be causing this problem???


texts: adding line to same power source causes light switch to stay on

texts:
New enclosee porch.
I'm installing 2 single pole light switches and an outlet using 12-2.

first light switch powers 1 fixtures (den lights)

second light switch powers 2 fixtures (exterior wall lights)

regular outlet

Only 1 light switch is connected to a fixture (den light) for now. The second switch is pre wiring no fixtures attached yet. the outlet line is also pre wiring.
when split into 3 lines. the second switch stays on. 2 lines works fine.
Please help.
thanks in advance.
attachee is image.


texts:
I had to remove the panel for my shower to get at the pipes behind it. I cut a square around the panel in the drywall to take it out - now I need to fill in the gaps between the panel and the rest of the wall. I want to cut drywall to fill in the holes and then putty them together however I need a way to attach the drywall to the studs at the top, and the panel side on the right. Does anyone have any goods ideas on how to do this? Obviously I don't want to screw it in since it will show on the outside.

thanks,


texts: How can I wire multiple recessed lights and multiple dimmers?

texts:
How do I wire recessed Zinc Alloy ceiling lights.  There are eight lights and eight dimmers.

Can I run all wires and the feed into a junction box?


texts: How can I install a ceiling fan where there is no ceiling box or wiring?

texts: I want to install a ceiling fan with a light in a spare bedroom with no ceiling wiring. What size wire do I need to use to install with cord management channels and plug into an outlet controlled by a switch?


texts:
I never experienced this and it doesn't really make sense.

I installed recessed lights(6) with the switch. I connected them all in parallel. The house uses only two wires for lights, white and black. I connected all ground wire and connected it together. I also tried to connect ground wire to every metal box so it's all grounded.

When I turned on the circuit breaker the lights were ON bypassing the switch. The switch was connected correctly interrupting black wire. The only logical thought I had was that the live wire is white and is trying to go through the bulbs into the ground. So I disconnected ground wire in the main box and that worked. But it still doesn't make sense because bulbs aren't connected to the ground wire. They are connected to white and black. Their box is connected to the ground wire.

Does anyone has any explanation for this?


texts: How to connect old garage with the new home addition

texts:
I'm planning to build a home addition between the old house and old garage. I wanted to know what is the best practice to join an old building(garage) with the new structure.

Leaving an empty space asks for troubles and it looks weird. But I can't really use garage's wall as it has an old wood wall and hold the whole garage. That wouldn't right. So how is that normally solved? I don't want to tear the garage side down and let the home addition's new wall be part of the garage's wall either.

See image below:


texts: Replacing shower head - thread sticking out of wall is too long

texts:
I'm retrofitting a new showerhead to an old shower.

The old showerhead had an escutcheon plate, the new showerhead doesn't. The result is that the new showerhead sits 10mm off the tiled wall of the shower.

The bit of threaded pipe sticking out of the wall, sticks out by 20mm. I have measured the internal depth of the screwed part of the showerhead, and it is only 10mm deep.

Do I simply need to hacksaw off 10mm of the screwed pipe coming out of the wall, or is there some better way of fixing this?

Edit:

Cutting the pipe back 10mm worked fine.

I did encounter a problem when installing the wall fitting ('wall elbow').

When screwed down fully, flush to the wall, the outlet fitting on the wall elbow pointed to the left. This is against manufacturer's recommendation as the hose to the handpiece needs to hang straight down.

I tried to forcefully turn the wall elbow to the correct, outlet-down position, but wasn't able to do this without applying excessive force.

I ended up unscrewing the fitting one turn, so the wall-elbow's outlet pointed down as recommended. This left a small gap behind the fitting which I used silicone caulking to seal up. I left a small gap in the silicone at the 6-o-clock position on the fitting, which should allow any trapped water to drain out.


texts:
I'm rewiring 3 bedrooms on the second floor of an old (1920s) house. All knob and tube has been disconnected. I've got lighting done, but now doing bedroom general outlet circuits. I'm putting each bedroom on its own 20amp circuit.

The house has plaster walls that are in very good shape, and I want to keep opening up these walls to a minimum. My plan is to make the home runs from the basement to an outlet in each room, through an exterior balloon framed wall. Then, run up to the attic/crawlspace and back down to the next outlet, and so on. Each room has 5-6 outlets, so that means a cable coming down, and another going back up in the same stud bay. I had a couple people advise that this was a good way to do it, including a commercial electrician.

I already roughed in one of the bedrooms this way, but then looking at other examples I saw online, I'm second guessing myself. Many people seem to be cutting a horizontal channel out of the walls to then make horizontal runs between outlets. Another option I came across was one central junction box in the attic for each circuit with wires dropping down to each outlet.

Is there anything wrong with my method (not just from a code perspective)? The extra wire doesn't bother me, I just don't want to make any compromises in safety.


texts: How to mitigate 12 AWG to 14 AWG transition at GFCI

texts:
Was it ever acceptable in the past to use 20A breakers with 14 AWG wire?
1960 house I'm working on has 20A breaker and 12 AWG terminating at a GFCI receptacle  in a box in the garage. The breaker is dedicated to the garage. On the GFCI load side 12 AWG
goes to the outlets and 14 AWG goes to two LED sensor lights.  The 14 gauge is more than 10 feet.
Is the GFCI outlet sufficient here or should I change out the breaker to 15A?


texts: How/why is a driver better at screws than a combi drill?

texts:
The first decent power tool I bought was a DeWalt combi drill. It's good but I know contractors always have dedicated tools and it seems other than convenience switching bits, a driver is just better at screws... Less slipping etc... Even accounting for my lack of skill.

What does a proper driver do that a drill doesn't that makes it more effective?


texts: Voltage drop for aluminum wire to detached garage

texts: I have been trying to use the voltage drop calculators but it seems like they give a different answer than the last one. Distance from breaker box in the house to the sub panel in the detached garage is going to be approximately 130 feet, 100 amps, 220 volt. Trying to figure out if I should use 2/0 or 4/0 aluminum wire. Any advice would be appreciated.


texts: What circuit capacity will I need for a strand of outdoor lights?

texts:
I'm running a strand of lights around my backyard. There's a total of 33 lights. These will only be used in the summer, and taken down in the fall.
What size plug end (amperage Wise), what size circuit, and will I need to change the normal outlet?


texts: Where can I find conduit bends less than 90degrees?

texts:
I'm about to run some conduit underground, and due to various obstacles can't do a dead-straight run.  I certainly don't want to add 90degree turns due to the extra drag when pulling a cable though.  But in all my searches 90degree bends are the only ones that anyone seems to sell.  Where can I find 45/30/20/10 degree bends?

Thanks!


texts: Is it safe to stuff some insulation above my electric stove?

texts:
I have a coil-style electric stove with a "hood" above it.  The hood has a nice light fixture built in.  It also has an exhaust fan which I frankly never use.  The problem is that there is a gap where the hood meets the wall behind the stove, and there's a tremendous cold draft along that gap.  I am thinking of stuffing a strip of fiberglass batting into that gap, but I wonder if that's completely safe.  What if a bit of the batting came loose and fell and caught on fire?

How are these darned things supposed to work?  How is the exhaust fan supposed to NOT leak air as much as a chimney with the flue open??


texts: I'm replacing a light fixture, but upon removing the old light I discovered the wires are not in a box. Can I just anchor the mounting plate to the drywall or is a box mandatory?


texts: How to mount curtain rails so block-out curtains are closer to the wall?

texts:
I have installed curtains with 2 curtain rails. The second rail (furthest from window) has blockout curtains, but as you can see from the picture, they are quite far from the wall.

This results in light escaping around the side of the curtains - and the room is not dark at all! (as we would wish, total darkness).
How can I remount the curtain rails?
The bracket is a square shaped "arm" and then 2 pieces shaped like a loop and a small arm with a screw. There are 2 separate "loop" arms affixed to the square bracket arm above them.
Here is the manufacturer drawing (with one "loop" attachment, whereas I use two).

My initial thought is to just flip the loop arms so that they are closer to the wall. This would win me about an inch / 2 cm... but I would like to move the second rail closer than this.
Does anyone have any good advice?
Thanks


texts: I’m looking at purchasing some smart switches to replace my normal switches. But before I do I wanted to ensure they would be compatible with what I’m looking at. Below is the image of the wiring for the new smart switch and the other is how my wiring currently looks at home. It appears I’m missing one wire. Will I still be able to use it without one of them? I’m not too familiar with wiring but I believe it’s missing the neutral wire...


texts: Can I test an unwired light fixture with multimeter?

texts:
I’m looking at a light fixture on Craigslist, but I’d like to see if it works first.

I have a multimeter that I needed for another project. Can I use the multimeter to test the light fixture before buying it? How would I use the multimeter to test the light fixture?


texts: Is a sealed attic appropriate for Southern California?

texts:
I have a two-story house. Half the house has a cathedral ceiling (which will be left as is) and the other half has a traditional attic with no soffits. The only ventilation in the attic comes from two gable vents at each end of the house.

How should I insulate this type of attic?  I am contemplating adding insulation to the bottom of the roof deck and adding more insulation to flooring in attic; I think this is called a sealed attic.  Is this appropriate for my climate?


texts: Bathroom Remodel; Tile laid, now told floor is unlevel?

texts:
I hired a contractor to remodel my bathroom. They ripped out the old tile that was in the bathroom; underneath was a wood floor. I’m not sure what happened after this, all I know is that now, the new floor is installed (porcelain tile) and my floor has a gradual slant to the right. They installed the vanity on top of the new tile; it’s not level, using a leveler to judge and the naked eye it's obvious. I was not told any of though, I had to bring it up to the contractor the following day; that's when he acknowledged it, saying that my floor must not have been level prior to all this, but I just didn’t notice it because I was used to it (been in house for 3 years). He’s going to try to make the vanity level, I assume by way of shims.

I’m suspicious of this, thinking maybe they screwed up and are blaming the floor not being leveled? I’m not an expert but I’m pretty confident my prior bathroom was NOT unleveled. I’m paying a lot of money for this remodel on a super small bathroom (10ftx5ft); I feel it should be done right. Shouldn’t an unleveled floor have been realized before laying the tile? Shouldn’t something have been done to fix?  Or is this normal for a contractor to lay the tile THEN realize the floor isn’t level?


texts: Options for adding an additional valve to irrigation system

texts:
I currently have this setup:

In the diagrams below the green circles are individual valve boxes (why would they have used 3 boxes instead of 1 here?), the black lines are 1" plastic irrigation pipe, and the numbers are zone outputs (Hunter PGV valves).

I would like to add two zones. The space (center to center) between 1 and 2 is 5", and the space between 2 and 3 is 8.5". It seems like it would allllmost fit to add the new zones (7 & 8) like this, changing to one large rectangular box. Unfortunately there are structures to the left and right of this whole setup, so I can't just add an additional box to either side. Is there a minimum recommended distance between valves? Are there such things as "thin valves" for an application like this?

In fact, I actually want to run one of the new zones the other direction:

Is there a standard way to do this?


texts: How to permanently join 2 cut Pergo pieces?

texts: I want to permanently two Pergo pieces to make a longer piece. Could I simply use wood glue for this?


texts: How can I drill a straight hole without a drill press?

texts:
I'm making some pull up bars with 1 1/8" diameter holes and have some questions about how I should drill the holes:

Right now I'm planning on using spade bits. A drill press is not practical in this situation, but I could use one if I had to. The poles are 6" x 6" x 10', and a small imperfection will span across 5' to magnify. Any suggestions on some sort of portable drill press I could clamp onto the wood to use?

Is there a better tool for this job? Ideally it should be inexpensive/rentable.


texts:
Okay so this is my first shot at this question, but not my first time trying to research the subject. I am in the process of designing a tiny house and have started thinking electrical. NOTE : I will be hiring a professional electrician to carry out the work but for now I'm looking for a better understanding of how this will all work.

Pretty much what I'm looking for is a sub-panel that will have two feeds powering it. One 20 amp regular heavy duty extension and one 30amp RV extension. Is it possible to have two feeds into a sub-panel like this? and have two separate circuits inside? My reasoning is for future purposes, either a small solar setup and even a generator during blackouts on the smaller 20amp circuit while keeping the 30amp on grid for our larger draw uses.

What kind of panel would i be looking for here?
Or which direction should i be starting?
Everything is 120V.

Again this is solely for my understanding as the builder and owner of the home but an electrician will be hired to do the work.

So are split sub panels with dual feeds a thing? thats my question

Running solely off a 30 amp service would be really really tight given what we need to run. Mostly propane for the larger pulls but no need for a 50amp 240 nor do we have that set up like we already do with an existing 30amp rv hookup on site. So it got me thinking the 30 amp taking some of the load off of that and putting it on a separate 20 amp feed and having both the 20 and 30 in the house at the same time yet separately...? if this makes any sense.


texts: I'm looking at running water to a water trough that is 1600' away from my water source.  I'll need about 5-10 gpm flow at the trough.  My water source produces 40-60 psi from a bladder tank and has a 3/4" port.  I am hoping to run a 3/4" PVC all the way but am concerned about flow loss from psi loss?


texts: How do I get 3/8" deep and 2" wide rabbet into 3/4" plywood with a handheld router

texts:
I am trying to get rabbet of sizable width 2" into 3/4" plywood. I was looking at rabbet bits and the depth (3/8") I need is not and issue but getting the width will be a challenge. The largest diameter I have seen is 1-1/4", and I know I would need to make multiple passes at like 1/4" at a time to get a clean cut as well.

How many bit would I need to accomplish this cut? What would be the sequence of steps to perform it?

Thanks in advance.


texts: My sump pump stinks up by basement. The sump pump works, but I think its the stagnant dirt water that sits in the sump pump over time that just stinks after a while. I have read suggestions to flush it with water every once in a while, or throw some bleach in there, but those seem like temporary solutions. Is there any way I can either trap the air/smell and/or keep it from stinking more long term?


texts: I have multiple "Damaged Screw Remover" bits. I have another instance of the screw in my hand. The bits are designed for specific screw sizes (No. 4 to 7/No. 8 to 10). How do I determine the "No." size for the screw?


texts: Adding Outlets for a Stove and Refrigerator in my Basement

texts: Does my panel have enough amperage and space for adding two outlets for a stove and refrigerator in my basement? Thanks for your help in advance!


texts: Can I replace an old closet light with multiple electrical outlets?

texts: I have asked a family member to replace an old light fixture in a large walk in closet with an actual electrical strip. The house is an 101 year old craftsman. There aren't any electrical outlets in that corner of the small house. The closet(has windows so it will be my office) I will need electricity for  desktop pc, printer, at least one light, and just outside the closet I need to run at least two more lamps. Is that safe? Is it too much? We won't be doing iside wiring. Again only an old light fixture that has electrity running though an old fashion "flex tube" for lack of a better word.It is on the outside of the wall. ANY precautions or ideas?


texts: I know how to test polarity in receptacle  wiring, but how can I test polarity in lamps or installed ceiling light fixtures? (Without actually taking the fixtures down again!)


texts: Do you leave the heating cables for the roof/ gutter on 24 hours a day?

texts: Do you leave electric heating cables for the roof/gutter on 24 hours a day?


texts: How to seal cracks between stone veneer and soffit?

texts:
My home is wooden stud construction with rough limestone block veneer.  I have lots of gaps that have opened up where the top of the veneer meets the soffit.  It looks like these gaps were originally closed with mortar or a similar material.

Image attached is an example and show some small cracking.  In some areas the gap is up to an inch wide where this brittle material is breaking away.

What is the best way to repair this?  Caulk?  If so, what type?  Or does a similar mortar type material need to be used?


texts: I have a Kenmore dryer that the Timer doesn't time and I have no heat

texts:
I have a Sears Kenmore dryer that the timer doesn't time and the heater doesn't turn on and the dryer does tumble, model 110.66652501, this is an electric heat dryer.  I have already tried to replace the time and there is still no change.  Also, if it is the thermostat fuse would that cause the timer to not function?

So if someone could let me know which wire is the for the timer and the heater I could follow them?


texts: How can I build pull-down shelving for kitchen appliances?

texts:
We have a relatively small kitchen and having appliances like the microwave on the benchtop takes up space all the time when they're not being used. What I'd like to do is build some pull-down shelves that normally sit high up but can be pulled down and locked when in use, preferably with a spring, pneumatic or similar mechanism so they will return to the high position when unlocked.

I've tried searching online but only found pull-down-and-out shelves that are designed to be mounted inside a cupboard (e.g. Rev-A-Shelf). Can anyone recommend any alternatives, either complete systems or parts that I could use?


texts:
I have a very tall galkey kitchen, with cabinets run to the ceiling. A library ladder would be an ideal way to utilize this space. I have the skills necessary to fabrcate what I need, but I don't know how heavy the rail and hook setup needs to be. I don't have that kind of engineering background.

Is there some rule of thumb? My guess is 80 percent or more of the weight would be taken to ground via the legs of the ladder.


texts: What is the maximum number of branches on one circuit?

texts:
Just curious. Is there a maximum number of junction boxes (and then branches coming off of those junction boxes) that one circuit is allowed by code to have?

Could you theoretically just continue to add junction boxes to one main line of power and split that power into new branches over and over?


texts:
I had a remote ceiling fan that went bad. I replaced it with a plain light fixture.

I have five wires coming out of the ceiling: 2 white, 2 black and 1 red. I hooked up the wires to the new light (black to black white to white).

The light works but the switch won't switch it off. I next tried to hook the red to the other four black ones and the light still stays on.

What else can I do to make it switch off?


texts: Running a portable air conditioner without venting it

texts:
I have had a portable heater/AC installed in the bedroom for years that currently vents out of a window. I recently had AC installed in the house, but found that my wife has gotten so used to the portable machine running as white noise that she has a hard time sleeping without it.

Would there be any potential issues if we ran the machine on heat mode and just let it vent into the room? I'm concerned about moisture issues over time in the window that it vents from.


texts: Are there any cons to use a T-fitting into two ball valves instead of one combinated (Y-valve or similar) valve?

texts:
I was just wondering, because I could not find a cheap combinated valve (not from the US) for my sink and washing machine hoses and all of those I found, even tho they were overpriced, were not even ball valves.

So this route is much cheaper, but what matters to me the most is if there is any negatives to this approach (or if its possible at all for my case)?


texts: Shouldn't a compressor automatically stop compressing on a predefined PSI level?

texts:
I just received a new E.C.SMART 25/2500 DARI compressor.
It came without any owner manual, and I couldn't find a manual on the net.
When I turn it on, the main PSI level goes to the red zone and doesn't stop increasing.
Shouldn't it stop automatically on a predefined PSI level ?


texts: Why does my GFI keep going off? Is it dangerous?

texts:
I have a small condo with one bathroom. There is a GFI in the kitchen and bathroom.

The GFI in the bathroom trips off on a regular basis. It started slowly (like 1/week) and now it happens multiple times a day. It happens whenever I go to switch on the light in the bathroom and I can also cause it to go off if I use the receptacle with items like my hair clippers (I think it draws a lot of watts).

The GFI in the kitchen also trips off. This one happens less frequently (like 1/month) but it will also happen completely on it's own. I'll just be sitting there, with nothing plugged in and the GFI will trip.

What could be causing this? Is it dangerous? Is there a way for me to debug some of the problems before I call someone in? Can it cause a fire?


texts: Water Heater Replacement - Old unit with AC Lines?

texts:
Been a lurker for awhile but now need a bit of help.

Recently bought a house (Built 1992) with an original 20+ year old AO Smith short boy water heater. Still works, another win for AO Smith however the tank is rusting and leaking (See pictures).  AC compressor is dated 2001.

Time to replace, the old heater has 4 copper lines (hot & cold on top) plus 2 AC Lines im guessing on the bottom of the tank. The bottom pipes are not warm but are connected and seem to go to the upstairs - What do I do with these?

I am a big time DIY with a pretty good toolbox and skill but need a little direction.  Thank you in advance for any help / info.

The drain is right next to those pipes - sorry for the bad picture. Again DEF not the drain spout.


texts: The particular fluid is ant bait. I'm not sure of its ingredients. It's gel like but too watery. I want to smear gobs of it onto a vertical surface.


texts: Extending wood studs or adding wood to cover over the studs

texts:
So the problem is this.  I bought a house and it has this super awesome movie room.   When I moved in, I took my stud finder out and it wasn't working on that side of the wall, but it was working on the other side.  I took the recessed power plug off the wall and looked inside to find the studs are actually 1 to 2 inches back.  The drywall is not tight to the studs...  I do not want to hang a 65 to 75 inch TV on drywall.  This seems like a recipe for disaster.
So the question is... How do I do this? Some ideas are...

extend the studs or possibly secure another 2 by 4 to the side of
the studs that are already there, then redo that portion of the
drywall
Cut out a rectangle of the drywall and attach a 2 by 4 to the front of the studs so it's like a "T".  If I can get the right size piece of wood then that could be flush with the wall and can be painted to match the black wall.
something that you guys think of

This needs to be able to support a 75 to 100 pound TV mounted to it.  This makes me nervous and I don't know what the best practices would be.
If I go with #2, should I glue it on, then add some nails or screws to attach it to the drywall better?  I can't clamp the 2 by 4 to the studs so I'm not sure how effective that would be.


texts: Why two breakers (one for the line, one for the neutral) on a single-phase line?

texts:
I'm wondering why in my house I have a tied-together pair of breakers (one breaker for the hot line, the other for the neutral) for one geyser, while my other geyser only has its hot line with a breaker on it, while its neutral is simply connected to the terminal strip with all the neutrals.

I don't need to upload a picture: the two breakers are really next to to each other and tied together (sold as one single two-pole breaker unit), so that the operating handle is common to both. If only one trips, the other is forced to do so as well.

So what is the need to have a breaker on the neutral? Are there situations where the overload will be felt only on the neutral and not on the live, or is it simply a trick to accommodate possible wiring errors down the line, i.e. somebody swapping by error the live and the neutral? My setting is a home single-phase 240V line, 15 amps breaker (was ok for the geyser alone, but I added a washing-machine and it now trips when using the washing-machine heating element. So that I contemplate changing it to a 20amps or 25 amps).

EDIT: I am in South Africa, and here is an image (the two-pole breaker we're talking about is the last on the left)


texts: What type of professional can repair a possible gas pipe obstruction causing a large drop in pressure to my furnace?

texts:
The gas piping from my gas meter comes into my house in a straight 10 foot run to my gas furnace

Two feet from the exterior wall the black pipe has a t connection with a run to a gas dryer.
The gas dryer works fine but the 3 year old gas furnace has a supply problem.

The furnace initially ignites okay with a gas pressure reading of 7  but when the burners go to the second stage the gas pressure drops to a  .5.

I have been advised  that there is a possibility that there is an obstruction in the black pipe.
Here are my questions

is it possible that the gas valve adjusting the flame might be bad?

How would the possible obstruction in the black pipe be cleared?

What type of professional should I hire to address this? An HVAC tech or a plumber?

Is black pipe still the only acceptable material used for gas distribution in the home?

Thanks for your help


texts:
I'm planning to build a wall block mailbox with the wall blocks that are 3.75" X 7.5" X 11.25".  I've worked out the plans that allow for a particular mailbox to fit nicely in a space.  However, it occurred to me that the blocks directly above the mailbox will not be sitting on anything except the mailbox.  I'm concerned that the wall blocks will just crush the mailbox over time.  Is there some steel plate or something that can be used to span the distance above the mailbox that would be strong enough to support the weight of the blocks above it?

The X indicates where I'm concerned about it falling in.

 ___ ______
|___|______|
|______|___|
| |  X   | |
|_|      |_|
| |      | |
|_|_ ____|_|
|___|______|
|______|___|
|___|______|
|______|___|
|___|______|
|______|___|
|___|______|


texts:
I'm
Scheduled to have vinyl flooring installed on a stormy day when it's going to absolutely pour rain. If it gets wet while bringing it in from outside, How will this affect the flooring adhering to the sub floor and condition going forward?


texts: Microwave Sparking and several outlets not working

texts: I live in a 1986 Mobile Home.  Gradually, over time, several outlets have quit working on me.  In the kitchen, when I went to use my old microwave, it sparked and made a loud crackle, but no breakers have popped.  I threw the old M/W away, as I thought that was the problem, but it wasn't.  Even the new one does the same so I know it's now an electrical problem.  Any suggestions, please?  Thank You


texts: Extending circuit from dead-end 3-way switch

texts:
I have a dead end 3-way switch in a 2-gang box. The switch is fed with a 14/4 cable using black as common, red and blue travellers, and white as a capped neutral per code. I would like to add a standard 2-way switch to this box with 14/2 running to a fixture. I would do this by pigtailing the black/common and white/neutral of the 14/4.

Any issue with this?


texts: Is the back section of this house salvageable or should it be knocked down?

texts:
My grandfather's house is getting to be in bad shape after years of neglect and more so the back section of the house is falling apart. Now the back section of the house, if I remember correctly, was added on after the house was built and I personally think it should just be knocked down because years of weather damage have taken a toll to an incredible degree and there are holes in the walls and the floor in the upper floor of it has fallen through to the first floor. In other words it's bad.

So the problem here is that my family is talking about repairing it and trying to save the back section but I disagree.  In the end it all comes down to money so I was wondering what anyone that reads this would think, whether it would be cheaper to knock it down or repair it? Regardless of anything, we want to get this done for my Grandfather because he's getting older and he can't do it.

Click on any photo for full size

Original gallery: http://rick89.imgur.com/all/


texts:
I recently had a large truck back into the aluminum gutter on my garage and tear it open. What is the easiest way to repair this damage, please?

Replacing the whole gutter seems like overkill, but maybe attempting a patch is not feasible?


texts:
Basically someone kicked the bottom of my storm door, denting the panel there. It looks like I should just be able to replace it but I can't find a new panel anywhere. Not sure if there's a special name for it or something so here's a picture to be clear what I'm talking about:

So does anyone know what the name of that part is and/or where I could buy it?


texts: How cold can it be when painting exterior?

texts: Last fall we rebuilt our front porch steps.  Now we are finally getting warmer weather and I want to paint these as soon as I can.  The primer I have does not give a minimum temp rating.  I figured if it is in the 50s I would probably be OK.


texts: Systematic process to find replacement fluorescent T5 lamp holder

texts:
The goal is to replace a plastic T5 tombstones has melted. The side 'wings' fold-in so it can be 'dropped-into' the fixture.

There are approximately 100+ tombstones and one has melted. Is there a clever technique to identify a suitable replacement part?  Google & Amazon searches have not produced high confidence results.

Update

Replacement part purchased and successfully deployed: https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-13660-SWP-Fluorescent-Lampholder-Mounted/dp/B003AURQWW/

Next time I will purchase shunted, because I do not use single ended bulbs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0036ZA9AW/


texts: What kind of paint will work for restoring the original color to vinyl shutters that have faded from exposure to the sun? They are supposedly "maintenance-free" but the home owners association says they need to be repaired or replaced.


texts: Chandelier socket removal for arm replacement

texts: Hi I need to remove this light socket from a crystal chandelier I’m restoring. I need to replace one of the arms and I can’t seem to figure out how to get this weird screw loose. Everything I’ve looked up so far tells me to unscrew it but there isn’t a traditional screw it’s this weird Allan wrench shape on one side and completely smooth and flat on the other side. I hope I make sense. I need to fix this quick so any info would be greatly appreciated.


texts: How can I insulate the floor of a room above a porch?

texts:
I've been searching around for an answer or pointers on this for a while, it's possible I'm using the wrong phrases when searching!

I have a UK 1930's built semi-detached house, Streetview pic before it was repainted:

The room over the porch has always been quite cold and I was looking at insulating the floor of it using rockwool or similar. Construction of this ceiling is lath and plaster, ~300mm separated joists and standard floor boards.

My only worry is how best to go about doing this, there are a couple of cables in the floor which go to outside lights, from what I've read, any insulation should go under these which is fine. My main questions are, do I need a moisture barrier underneath, am I better off with loosefill instead of rockwool and is there anything else I should be concerned about before doing this?


texts:
I want to air-seal my fireplace. The damper is 44" wide, and it's about 4 feet off the floor, not easy to reach. The chimney tapers gradually for several feet after that, a couple inches narrower per tier of brick.

I'd like to install a chimney balloon, but they max out at 38" wide, and they need parallel surfaces to press against. My chimney doesn't have anything fitting those constraints until somewhere near the ceiling.

Update: I won't use the fireplace, but some day I'll sell the house, so any blockage will need to be reversible.


texts: Suggestion for fixing leaky exterior door handle

texts:
We have a newer door and handle (fiberglass door and Schlage handle and lock) that I caught leaking during the storms last weekend. The door and handle are less than 2 years old so shouldn't need replaced. The door does not have a storm door and is subject to strong direct wind and rain.

This is an odd place for a leak as normally it's around the perimeter of the door but this leak is coming through the handle itself. As you can see from the pictures of the leak, there are water marks where the handle was removed, and oxidation starting to build on the bottom of the lock cylinder so definitely a presence of water.

This must be an odd place for a leak as my searches and remedy possibilities turned up nothing. My initial thought is place a bead of caulk on the outside of the handle on the exterior facing portion but I didn't find anyone doing this and it will make removing the handle (when needed) a bit more messy. I also checked and the lock was tight. However there is no inner rubber seal on the door handle so metal-to-fiberglass tight isn't obviously water tight.

How should I fix this? Is there like a rubber seal made for handles I can put on the exterior of the handle to help it keep water out? Should I try to seal the lock cylinder too on the side of the door? Should I just go ahead and use caulk/sealant? Thank you


texts: Why does my bathroom exhaust fan drip during the summer?

texts:
I've seen a lot of questions (including one on this site) about condensation on bathroom vents.  However, they all seem to  take place in winter, with consensus being that as the warm air from the bathroom travels slowly to the outdoors, it is cooled off and condenses in the pipe and drips back down to the fan.

However, I am having this problem in the peak of summer, where it's intensely hot and humid outside, and nice and cool inside.  This happens in the downstairs bathroom.  I believe that it is vented outside, to the side of the house, not the roof.  If I am correct, then the exhaust pipe has to traverse the length of the living room to get there, maybe 10 feet or so.  This is only a half bath, so there isn't even a shower creating humidity.

Any ideas would be appreciated!  The dripping is driving me nuts.


texts: Bosch PSB 650 hammer drill chuck won't tighten

texts:
I was using my hammer drill and wanted to change the tool but it now looks like the chuck won't tighten to hold any tool. The motor is still working fine but can't use it as can't attach anything to it.

Is the drill now permanently unuseable or can this be remedied? Can the chuck be restored to function or replaced?


texts: Is polystyrene safe to use as a wall of a grow box?

texts:
I'm building a small 40x40x40 cm grow box that will be used mainly for seeds germination.
When operating, it will be completely sealed.
My question is: Is it safe to use polystyrene boards as direct insulation of the box? Because its main purpose is seeds germination, I need to maintain a stable temperature, for example, 30°C (86°F). To heat up the box, I'll use a heater made from a power resistor. I'm not sure yet what temperature of the power resistor will be at this moment; anyway, I'm wondering how safe is it? Or else, what could I do to make the polystyrene less flammable, maybe coat it with paint color?


texts: Is it possible for a sump pump pail to be too deep?

texts: I have my 2006 built home on the market. A prospective buyer is asking whether our sump hole is too deep? Is there such a thing as too deep and what are the ramifications?


texts: What does "Split" label mean on circuit breaker panel?

texts:
I'm attempting to map out our home electrical breaker panel. The labels written by the electrician 20+ years ago aren't super helpful, so I've having a go making things a bit clearer.

I have several breakers just labeled "Split". No description other than that. Each one is two 15 amp breakers "linked" (bridged?) together. What I mean by linked is that there is a piece connecting both of them so they have to be flipped at the same time.

I have three sets of these, which would make a total of 90 amps. Quite a bit considering the house only has 250 amp service.

Any ideas what these "Splits" are? The only other place on the panel with large "links" are for the big appliances (stove, dryer, air conditioner).

Thanks.


texts: Samsung Fridge displaying wrong temperature

texts:
I have a Samsung RL42HGSW, which I had replaced a faulty thermistor 8 months ago. It worked fine until these days, until another problem appeared: it displays the wrong temperature in the LED panel, however, if I unplug and plug it again, it shows the correct actual temperature, and, it starts to cool down to the temperature I've set (3C)(37.4F). Today, I've left it to work and see what's going to happen without replugging and it started working though you can see condensation on inner walls of the fridge denoting that temp is much more than displayed. When it started working, I replugged the fridge then saw temperature 12C (53.6F) of fridge and 4C (39.2F) of freezer. Freezer's temperature set is -20C (-4F).
Just giving a restart, unplug and plug, it fixes the problem for a day, then it returns again. What could be the issue this time? Probably defrosting issues (but I don't think because it is actually able to cool down, just doesn't know when to cool)? Or anything else? Thanks in advance.


texts:
Currently my crawl space has no insulation. The previous owner put gravel on the ground.

I was told by my home inspector that I would save some money on energy costs. However, I'm not sure what's recommended?

Should I rake up the gravel and put a plastic moisture barrier on the ground then rake the gravel back over? Should I staple insulation into the joists instead or do both?


texts: GE Powermark Electrical Panel - What Did the Last Guy Do?

texts:
Basically, I want to do two things - add two dedicated circuits for the garage shop and add a 50 amp 240 breaker for my welder.  I've been reading for days about what is going on inside my panel (GE TLM2020).  I have, from everything I can tell, have the main panel in the garage.  The meter is on the street, but it's all locked up and part of the every-house street light/meter.

The neutral bar is grounded to the box and a ground bar is in place.  The ground bar (GE TGL2) has only 14 taps, most of which have two ground wires in each. The neutral bus has two grounds going into it - an aluminum ground from a 50 amp (The range, according to the list) and another ground which appears to go, well, to the ground. I have the 6ga TGL20 tap I need to hook up the welder.  I know it goes into the ground bar.

Here is my confusion - the neutral bar is grounded to the box and a ground bar is in place, which tells me it's a main panel, as I've read you can have a ground bar in a main panel as long as the grounding screw (in GE's world, a bar) is in place.  But if the neutral bar is grounded, what is the point of the ground bar? Could I, in an effort to get my welder hooked up, move some of the ground wires from the ground bar to the neutral, then use the TGL20 in the existing ground bar? I'm also okay with adding a second ground bar, however, the instructions for the TLM2020 show the ground bar only goes in one spot - the one it's in. But then, they only make a 14 tap ground bar for a 40 circuit, 200 Amp box... Why did the last homeowner decide to use a ground bar in a main panel? Could the Sentry Energy Demand box next to the panel have something to do with it?

I've included a picture (I also have like 10 more as it's too cold to read about the box and stand in the garage).  Please feel free to ask me follow up questions or ask for more pictures.


texts:
I installed a new sink this weekend, and as a result I had to redo the drain pipes.

At the joint to a 90 degree elbow and the Y there is a small leak.  The pipes are 2" diameter, and I fear that I did not allow them to set enough or I did not put enough glue on them.  I typical work with PVC involves irrigation systems that are a much smaller diameter.

Given that I only have access from the outside is there a way to fix the small leak?


texts:
Our dishwasher, which is only about 5 years old, has been finishing its cycle with quite a bit of water in the bottom that doesn't drain.  The water stays that way for several days or more.  Is there a Drain-o like product that's safe for use in dishwashers?  Or should I take it apart and clean out some filter or something myself?  How would I go about doing this?

I should mention that we're pretty bad about carefully rinsing our dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, so I'm pretty sure the problem is with the filter or whatever takes the solid matter out of the drained water.  We've been using Cascade Complete, which claims to allow you to skip the rinsing phase, but apparently it doesn't work quite as well as advertised.


texts: Hardwood flooring installation, first row question

texts:
I am about to install engineering flooring for my living room. At first, I plan to start based on wall A (the longest wall, please see image below). However, there is a projection (or indentation, depending on your view). If I continue to start based on wall A (which means planks will parallel to wall A), shall my first row start from Wall A & Wall C (where wall A meets wall C) , or shall it start from the the corner of the window projection/indentation (where wall A meets window).

Or alternatively, shall I star based on wall B or wall C?

Thank you!


texts: Buying a new home and had questions on electrical box

texts: Can someone take a look at this breaker box and please let me know if there is anything I should be concerned with. Its a smaller house 1300 sq 3 bed 2 bath. Ac, new electric oven, gas water heater.


texts: How should I attach a slab of soapstone to iron shelf brackets?

texts:
I have a 1'×3' slab of soapstone that I'm placing on top of my radiator, creating a shelf:

The radiator bears most of the weight, but the stone isn't stable on top of the radiator (the individual pieces of the radiator are rounded at the top, so the stone can wobble up and down).

My plan to solve this is to use iron shelving brackets to keep the stone stable, but I'm not sure of the best way to attach the iron brackets to the stone. My dad suggested a silicon sealant. Is that a good choice for bonding the raw iron to the soapstone? I see on Loctite's website that they don't recommend it for iron, so I wasn't sure.

Edit: Based on some more investigation, some silicon sealants release acetic acid which can corrode metals, but there are also sealants that don't release it (which I think are called "neutral cure"). I'm still investigating how bad the corrosion is/if the neutral cure version is appropriate for stone.

Edit2: Potentially I should use epoxy for this?

If someone with enough rep to create tags thinks it's appropriate, this post should probably be tagged with "iron" and "soapstone".


texts: Do I really have to fasten interior-wall electrical wire to a stud to keep it from moving?

texts:
I am fresh out of cable staples and would rather not go all the way to Lowe's just to get a box.  What are the implications of not fastening loose electrical wires to a stud?  It's not like there's going to be that much vibration in my house.

Edit: This is what I am talking about.


texts:
I'm looking to soundproof some interior doors.

My plan was to drill a 1/2" hole at the top and fill it up with foam, but I'm not sure what type of foam to get.  I've used tiny foam cans before, but I'm not sure they'd be up for the task.  My fear with them is that the first few seconds foam will get stuck to the sides of the door halfway down, and then all of the foam that follows will fall on top of that foam, leaving the bottom portion of the door uninsulated.

I suppose another option (and probably a better one) would be to drill a tiny hole at the bottom, in which a straw from a can of foam would be placed and sealed with silicone.  Another hole could be drilled at the top of the door, serving as a vent to get rid of the air that's being displaced by the door.

Anyways, any tips/advice/product recommendations are appreciated.

PS: I will deal with the walls later.  More care has to be given to them due to the high risk of fire.  Foam puts off gases that are not only flammable, but I believe perhaps also self-oxidizing.  I say this because I once knew a guy whose house burned down due to spray foaming the interior walls (during the actual application, not afterwards), and rumor has it that the entire house was engulfed in flames in minutes (too quickly to save a $100k painting) and burned as if it were doused in gasoline.

PSS: The windows are not a concern, as external noises are not typically the problem.  IT'S COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE!!!  (Obligatory movie quote)


texts:
Bought my house back in August.  Have finished everything upstairs, so it's time to finish the basement.  It has a fixed ceiling already with 3 lights.

Two lights have pull chains and one (which you can't see but is directly to the right of the picture) turns on with a switch at the top of the stairs.  My plan was to put a few recessed LED lights down there strung together connected to the switch.  Since the ceiling is fixed, I will have to fish the wiring to the left to the other side of the basement where there is no fixed ceiling.

Any better light suggestions?  I thought maybe using rail lights, but the ceiling is only 7 ft high.


texts: Can I run wiring into the right side of my panel, but wire to a breaker on the left side?

texts: I'm adding a circuit in my basement. The wires run to the right of my panel, but I'm out of slots on the right side of my panel. Can I tap into the box on the right, and run the hot wire to a breaker on the left? Or do I need to run the cable around the outside of the box and tap into the left side so the wires don't cross inside the panel?


texts: Where can I find the RAS131 dust hood for a Skil 1817 router?

texts:
I have been searching for a dust-collection device for my Skil 1817 fixed-base router, and I can't seem to find anything.  I keep coming upon the same press release that indicates it is compatible with the "RAS131 dust hood", but I can't find that anywhere (Google, Amazon, Skiltools, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc.).

Does anyone know where I can find this or another compatible accessory?


texts:
My furnace is running OK and heating the house.  The problem is that I have the thermostat set to 66°F and it does not turn off when it reaches that temperature.  I can turn it off manually at the thermostat but the blower continues to run for a very long time before it shuts down.

I have a very old dial thermostat.  Could it have gone bad?


texts: Leak underneath flooring, hot tiles, please help! RESOLVED

texts:
I appreciate any advice on how to fix a leak from under my bathroom shower floor.

Water was flowing from the baseboards of the walls (about 1 liter), causing them to bulge and become disfigured, but I shut off the main supply valve upon seeing this.

With the main supply on, the leak is aggravated when I turn on the boiler cold inlet valve and the shower floor tiling gets hot over time as the boiler heats the water--which leads me to believe that the hot line is leaking somewhere beneath the bathroom shower floor.

There is also noise of running water coming from the other side of the wall in the dining room, where a sink used to be--I cut a hole in the wall here but did not see much leaking going on, but then again I couldn't see the base of the floor due to the cramped location.

If I turn off the boiler's cold water valve, then the noise and leaking almost stops entirely, but I now hear running water from the boiler's cold supply line, despite the valve being shut off.

Adjacent to the bathroom wall on the other side is the dining room sink, where the noise of the leak can be heard--I tried to cut the wall and peek but could not locate the leak.

Update: Today, I cut into the wall a bit more and I found that there are three connections going down into the ground from the hot side.

When I turn on the cold water inlet valve of the boiler, I can feel the middle pipe vibrate compared to the other two. I'm thinking this is the line to repipe... Any thoughts??

Thank you for any help!

Cheers,
Edmund


texts: Installing a smart dimmer switch into 3 gang box

texts:
I have installed dimmers in a single box and a gang box with 2 switches but never a box with 3 switches. And there's some confusion, so hopefully someone can help.  I am installing a new smart dimmer switch as shown in my photo.  I am replacing the middle switch.  The new dimmer requires neutral, and those are all tied together in the back of the box.

I plan to connect the neutral from the new switch to the neutrals in the back of the box.
The switch being replaced has two hot lines connected to it as you can see in my photo. Since I only need one hot wire to the new switch, what should I do with the 2nd hot wire that I remove from the switch I am replacing?
My problem is with the red load wire on the new switch.  Do I remove the load wire from the leftmost switch and connect it to load on the new switch?  Or do I have to actually connect a separate load line to my new switch red/load wire?

Just a note: The rightmost switch is a 3-way and is independent of this install and is not connected in any way to the lights which will be connected to the dimmer.

Any help would be appreciated.  I'd rather ask before trying this. Clearly, I am not an electrician!  If I were, then you definitely wouldn't want to hire me!! :).

NOTE:  Had an error in first photo. The one showing is now correct.


texts: "Ground" to "ground" testing 120V, plus circuit measuring 30V?

texts:
I was replacing a duplex outlet in my basement and discovered 1) a circuit carrying 30V and 2) testing 120V between two bare "ground" wires from separate circuits.

Two pairs of black/white/bare wire enter an outlet box and are pigtailed to an outlet. I traced it using a Breaker Finder to Circuit 4 (15A), which I turned off at the breaker. I tested with a non-contact tester and found voltage. I shut off power at the main, disconnected the pigtailed wires, then turned it back on at the main (with power from Circuit 4 still off) so I could find out why there was voltage.

I discovered that Pair B from the bottom of the outlet box is Circuit 9 (15A), and it carries 30V of electricity. Pair A comes from a ceiling light in my laundry. Pair B comes from outside where it is attached to a GFCI with three pairs of Romex entering the box.

Here is a table showing voltages when measured from each wire to each other wire, testing both common and red (?) when using a multimeter.

Outlets nearby are correctly wired with a socket tester. Home built in the mid 80's.

My questions are, "Why does the circuit measure 30V?", "Why would bare wire to bare wire from two separate circuits measure 120V?", and finally "Is this safe?"


texts: What types of filing tool is more suitable for this task

texts: I have a screw that is stuck on a metal plate. What type of filing tool will be suitable to file the screw head so that it change from round to square shape?


texts: How Do I Power A 220 Water Heater Off Two 110 Breakers

texts:
First off I know this is not the best idea.

To start my 200 Amp Main has suffered a partial failure and as it is old (60s) and unusual it will be very hard or impossible to replace it. Since the main breaker has failed only half of my breakers are working as only one of the hot lines from it is supplying power to the breaker box and so basically every other breaker is working.

This means of course that any double pole breakers will not work.

I need to wire up my water heater (18.8 Amp) using two 110 breakers.

Can anyone explain to me how to do this for a quick fix as my real fix will require a complete new breaker box and so on.


texts:
I have LED strip lighting under my cabinets in the kitchen. Recently, they started flickering with noise. Worked fine for a couple of years. I believe it was the adapter that was faulty. Unfortunately, I lost the adapter somewhere so I'm unable to order another without knowing how much wattage should it have.

My LED strip configuration is: 3528 (18/foot). I have 11 feet of strip. I know the wattage would depend upon the lumen.

Here are my queries:

Am I right that the adapter caused the flickering and the noise or it could be the LEDs? (My previous experience with LEDs is that if they failed, all of them fail)
Is there an average rating that I can use to determine the total wattage for the adapter? I have come across 0.08-1W on the internet


texts:
I have a Samsung DV410 Gas Dryer.  Towards the end of last year it started powering off mid cycle.  It then worked fine until a few days ago, when summer finally hit and it was really hot and humid in the house ~80F.  When I use the dryer, sometimes the control panel will start to dim, sometimes is shuts off completely.  The dryer does not have to be running for this to happen, just the control panel.  Sometimes it works perfectly fine.  I've contemplated exploratory surgery checking all the connections but I thought I would ask around before I attempt it.

Here is a video of the behavior when it happens right away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_mNOq8zez4


texts: How to run wire through corner with lots of studs

texts:
I have a new garage addition that I'm doing the electrical for.  I got to the point of running the wires for the front coach lights and realized a snag.  I'm trying to figure out the best way to run the wire to the hole in the lower right of this picture (hope it's easy to see, just under the horizontal 1x6):

The tarp is where the garage door will be, so no way going right. I have the huge LVL beam in the way of going up.  I have 3 studs in the way going left (with not really any room to drill a hole) before getting to two more studs in the way around the corner.

I know if I dont finish the garage with drywall I can just run the wire on the inside, but I'd like to plan for the future of possibly closing it all in with drywall.  Would my best bet be to just run a small conduit on the inside corner that would be outside of the drywall in the future?

Hope this all makes sense and is explained well.  Let me know if any further clarification or pictures can help.


texts: How can I connect to an unthreaded galvanized pipe stub for a garden hose?

texts:
I've got a galvanized pipe in my garage that is used for a garden hose. It's fairly rusty. The end has been cut off so there are no threads left - I need a way to attach something to this pipe so I can put on an elbow and convert it to a garden hose.

A few things:

The pipe runs under a concrete pad so it's not possible to replace it without a major expense
The water doesn't need to be drinkable
Aside from the surface rust, the walls of the pipe are still very much intact

So, I tried using a rubber connector, which almost worked, but I can' clamp it down tight enough to make a 100% seal. I am going to try sanding the pipe next which might solve this, but I don't imagine this rubber connector would last long outside.

Any ideas? Can I re-thread this pipe? Is there some sort of sharkbite I can connect to unthreaded Galvanized? Compression fitting?


texts:
I ran 2 4/0 lines to a new horse barn from our shop to a sub-panel. The sub-panel has a ground rod.
When the breakers are off the volt meter on each 4/0 line reads 120 but as soon as you turn any breaker on that load side drops to 90 and the other hot side jumps to 150 with no breakers on on that side.
The main panel has a double 60 GE breaker running to an Eaton subpanel.


texts: How can I waterproof a sloped basement floor?

texts:
I have a basement built in '65 with a sloped floor to drain under the washer. Leveling the floor is out of the question. I currently have carpet on the washer side and LVP on the flat living side.
I want one continuous waterproof covering on the floor. What floor covering can I use?


texts:
I need to convert 220V 60HZ to 220/230V 50hz for use in a consumer Super Automatic Espresso Coffee machine, 1,400 watts.
I assume running it at 50Hz is possible, it's an expensive machine so wish to be safe and run it at 50Hz. There are grinders, gears and boilers in the machine. The manufacture in Italy is no help at all.

The electrical Label on the machine is 230V 50Hz 1,400 watts no mention of 60Hz.

I am not able to build and would like to buy a converter.
Can anyone recommend a source, I can only find industrial units on the web.

thank you!

JC


texts: Can I wire a light with 3 switches in a 4-way switch configuration with one switch being a dimmer?

texts: I have an overhead light wired with a single-pole dimmer switch on one side of the room and a 3-way non-dimmer switch on the other.  I would like to add a third switch to this circuit if it's possible without losing the ability to dim the light.  Is this possible?  Also, the wiring diagrams I've found online all have the power going into the first (3-way) switch.  In my situation the power enters at the ceiling fixture.  What do I need to do differently for this?


texts:
I've just had a garage roof laid with EPDM rubber bond. I expected this to come in multiple pieces, but the roofer has used 4 pieces. 2 long strips on either side, then 2 half-length strips to fill-in the centre remaining gap.

I have serious concerns about the longevity of the roof as a result. The roofer claims his supplier gave it to him like that telling him it was "easier" despite him telling me that it was ordered as a single piece. He claims this is "glued" using the same methods the factory/supplier uses to stick the whole sheets together in the first place, so is effectively identical.

Should I be concerned about the long-term longevity of the roof? What would be your advise to tackle this problem with the roofer? No money has been exchanged yet.


texts:
We had our laminate kitchen worktops fitted yesterday. The fitters were really friendly and gave us some other advice about our kitchen whilst fitting and we thought it was okay. But after they had left we noticed some problems.

There was one joint and a gap for a free-standing oven.

The first problem is that the corner isn't square

The corner units are at 90 degrees and the fitters responded this morning that the walls aren't straight so they couldn't fit a 90 degree corner. Our feeling is that the worktops could have been scribed to make the corner a right angle.

The second problem is that the overhang isn't even - ranging from 9mm to 27mm in different places. We've also got an uneven overhang next to the oven making there not enough room in one place and making it look very strange.

Thirdly, because the wall isn't flat we have large gaps (>10mm) at the back. The fitters at the time said we could make this up when we tiled and I believed him but now looking online it looks like they should have scribed the worktop into the wall.

On top of all this the join isn't done very well - it's not smooth i.e. there's a ridge along it and a large gap at the front has been filled with Colorfill joint sealant.

We've complained and they've said it's not their fault our walls aren't straight and we were happy with it when they were doing it. What do people think our options are? We haven't paid them yet!


texts: Ceiling fan installation light works fan won’t turn

texts:
So I got a fan/light fixture and fixed it up.
When I turn on the switch(I have just 1) only the light turns on. The fan doesn’t turn on. What could I be doing wrong?


texts: How can I safely remove and replace a wall?

texts:
The Wall:

This is about 25' long, and it separates my kitchen from my living room/Dining room.

Underneath it, we have a double 2x8 floor joist, which is supported midway on an 8 inch steel I-beam. (Joists are perpendicular to the beam)

The wall itself is normal stud construction, with a double 2 x 4 on the top.

The roof is a Cut-Truss construction.
The ceiling joists terminate at the wall I would like to remove:

This leads me to believe that the wall is not load bearing in a structural sense, but does support the ceiling joists and the plaster ceiling.

Is it safe to remove this wall, and what type of beams/joists/rafters would I need to put in to support the ceiling load?

UPDATE:   Used Simpson Strong Tie CC and ECC connectors on reinforced posts at either end.  Massive chunks of steel.


texts: How is it possible for pressure to build up in a water heater?

texts: Context is North America (Canada). Water heaters are always equipped with a pressure/temperature safety relief valve (no argument that safety precautions are a good thing). My question is: how is it possible for the water heater to build up pressure when any expansion could simply drive the small amount of water backward into the incoming supply? Is there a check valve somewhere to prevent back flow? So far as I know, there is no such thing built into the water heater... am I wrong? Is there one built into the water meter?


texts:
I'm putting up a new ceiling fan. There are four cables in the ceiling and two wall switches. Black and white for one cable goes to each wall switch. The other two cables use only the black wire and one goes to each wall switch. So each switch has two black wires and one white, and there are four black wires and two white in the ceiling.

The old fan had three of the black wires twisted together with the black wire from the fan. The two white wires were twisted together with the white wire from the fan. The remaining black wire was attached to the blue wire on the fan.

My new ceiling fan has a remote. The remote sensor only has one black and one white wire for input from the house.

How do I attach these four cables to the remote sensor?


texts: I need to know how to fix this plaster corner

texts:
This is in my dining room. The crack extends to the ceiling.
Can someone advise me on how to repair it?


texts: Should I apply a second coat of primer when I have a high contrast in colors and the new paint is thin?

texts:
I am using Sherwin Williams Cashmere paint in my finished basement. The prior owner painted this god-awful flat baby blue paint that has a lot of stains from contact and glues and other things.

The new color I am painting is called "Obstinate Orange". It is a very bright color that will bring more light to the room. I have already done a section where I did one layer of primer before painting.

Unfortunately it took 3 layers of the orange because it is so thin of a color (not a lot of solids/tints in the paint due to the specific color).

Would it be advantageous to do two coats of the white primer I am using? This is the first time I have ever had to use primer as all the other colors were thick enough to go on just fine with two coats on their own (and come with primer in them).


texts: How to keep house from getting so dusty with no HVAC system?

texts: I've had a central HVAC system and always used high quality furance filters all my life until my current apartment, which has basically no air filtration/circulation system. (Radiator heat, and window ac units) It seems to get dusty extremely quickly, much quicker than any other place I've lived with a central system. Having a dog doesn't help things either. I purchased an expensive standalone air purifier, but that really doesn't seem to be cutting down on the dust much either. Any suggestions?


texts: Raising Level Of Concrete Floor to Equal Existing Tile In The Same Room

texts: We would like to install vinyl luxury planks in our dining room.  We have removed the 20 year old carpet, padding and tacking strips so that the concrete slab is exposed.  The room was laid out with a ceramic tile pathway from the front door through the dining room and into the kitchen and we want to lay the lvp over the entire area without the removing all of the tiles.  How should we raise up the concrete slab side of the room to meet the tile floor so that we can lay the lvp in the entire room?  We will face the same situation with the entry way and our living room as well.


texts: What are good methods of locating plumbing blockages?

texts:
In medicine if you want to know about the flow of food through the intestinal tract you feed the patient a Barium Meal and X-ray them.

Is there any way to achieve a similar sort of result in domestic pipework?
I have a blockage in some drains and I have access to most of the pipework, but I can't immediately tell WHERE the blockage is.

It would be lovely if I could get out by trusty X-Ray scanner app on my iPhone and just look inside the pipes ... but that doesn't exist.

Is there any way that I can (on a DIY budget) detect / trace the flow of water from the plug hole to the main sewer entrance.

Majority of the pipes in question are plastic, if that's relevant.


texts: How can I best physically box in my internet router

texts:
I have a router standing in a corner on the floor. There are a few wires lying on the floor. Its ugly, it collects a lot of dust and when children are visiting they get in and mess my signal up. All my tv signals are also connected here.

I would like to have some sort of box-like contraption around it. But I am afraid that it will weaken the wireless signal strength. Is there any particular recommended material to use or avoid?

Anyone have a more creative idea than to just stuff it into some crate?

Thank you


texts: Which outlet box should I use for an unfinished basement?

texts: I want to install a 15-amp AC receptacle in my basement between the ceiling joists.  The basement's not finished so there's plenty of room to play around.  Should I be installing a "new work" new plastic outlet box or a steel one?


texts: Clogged toilet that gurgles when sink water drains

texts: Toilet in powder room became clogged, but water slowly goes down. At the same time, When water drsund from sink, it toilet gurgles and water bubbles in toilet bowl


texts: Biokleen (biodegradable detergent) soaked into drywall

texts:
I have a wall that goes into a storage room in the garage. It is drywall with fiberglass insulation.
I stored a gallon of Biokleen (Biokleen All Purpose Cleaner Super Concentrated, 128 oz) and it looks like there was a leak, where about a quart of it spilled against the drywall for the past 1-2 years.
I just found it today and removed the Biokleen container, but now there are white spots all over the floor and against the bottom of the drywall. I fear mold.
I tested it with a moisture monitor and the top of the drywall is 0% moisture, while the bottom hit 96-100% moisture.

What do I do?
Should I cut the drywall out?
How do I go about cleaning this?
Will cleaning this cause mold spores to go all over the house?
Should I open up the wall, remove all insulation within a 12" radius of the wet spot, spray Mold Control/white vinegar, then re-mud?

Any helpful advice or any tips on anything I should consider is much appreciated.

This is my first home :(.


texts: Neutral (grounded conductor) for bathroom switch (NEC 404.2(C))?

texts:
I understand that a grounded conductor (neutral) is not required by code (404.2(C)) for bathroom switches, but is there any reason that I would want to include it - future-proofing, etc.?

I'm going to rewire my bathroom soon (fan with light, vanity, and one GFCI outlet).  The home run is in the ceiling, so I'd have to run a traveler to the switches in the walls if I want a neutral at that location.


texts: Should a furnace condensate pump do double duty for basement dehumidifier?

texts:
We have a moisture problem in the basement, and are trying to combat it with a dehumidifier. Despite my region being in drought, the humidifier's reservoir sometimes fills up twice in a day. The basement has no floor drain or laundry sink, but it does have our HVAC system, which was installed with a condensate pump. The contractor ran the drain hose for the condensate pump in a way that makes it difficult to add an additional hose, but I thought I might be able to drain the dehumidifier with the existing condensate pump.

Would it be safe or wise to run the drain line from the dehumidifier into the reservoir of a the furnace's condensate pump?


texts: No water pressure after new installation

texts:
We installed a new kitchen faucet and a new shower head and have no water pressure in either.

All the plumbing in the house has been recently installed. We checked all the supply lines and connections. There is pressure in the tub faucet, the bathroom sink faucet. There is pressure in the dishwasher and the kitchen sink sprayer.


texts: How should I level (flatten) ceiling joists for drywall?

texts: My kitchen ceiling joists are old and at varying heights. I'm trying to make it level, or at least flat, in preparation for drywall installation. Would you suggest installing strips of wood to the side of the joists or stacked to the bottom of the joists in order to even them out? Which is easier and faster? Which is stronger?


texts: Microwave door interlock switch keeps failing

texts:
I have a 1000W GE "over the range" microwave (model JVM3160RF) that is now about 3 years old.  Earlier this year, one of the interlock micro-switches failed (would not depress) which caused the breaker circuit to pop.  First only if you opened the door while cooking, then eventually as soon as the cook cycle was started.

So, I replaced the failed switch.  Then the circuit started blowing again maybe a month or two later.  We tried to always remember to "Stop/Cancel" rather than pull the door open in the middle of a cook cycle.  But the switch failed again.  I'm on I think the third or fourth failure now, the last of which has occurred within a week of replacing the switch.

Now here's something that perplexes me: in the GE Parts catalog items 127 and 129 are both "normally open" switches. They look identical but have different part numbers.  If you look at the zoomed in photo on each part's catalog page, they are both "K3WA" type that can easily be found on Amazon.

If I remember correctly, in at least 2 or 3 instances, the 128 part (middle, normally closed) switch has failed.  And one time the bottom 129 NO switch has failed.  Which switch ultimately fails may be irrelevant.  As Michael K pointed out, they are probably failing due to the high current burning them out.  The real question is why is the interlock shorting instead of simply stopping the cook cycle (the normal everyday behavior you expect when you open the door to stop the micro and get your hot food.)

Some posts have mentioned ability to adjust the position of the switch assembly.  As far as I can tell, there's no adjustment between the plastic frame and the chassis, nor in the individual switch positioning.

I've also looked for warped or deformed plastic which would allow something to be out of place.  Have not found anything suspicious there.

At this point I'm about ready to replace the microwave, although I am certain it should be fixable.  The worst part is we will have to tear out at least some cabinet trim in order to remove and replace the microwave which makes it an enormous hassle.  What can I do before I tear this microwave off the wall??

Related:

Microwave oven blows internal fuse when door is closed
How does a microwave door interlock work and is a DIY repair feasible?


texts: What is the Virginia code regarding gas water heater connections?

texts: I am renting a home that had to have the gas water heater replaced. The landlord had someone install the new one and the connections are questionable. My plumber informed me that using cpvc with shark bites directly out of the tank instead of soldering copper lines in was not only lazy but not to code, also the expansion tank was removed and never reinstalled. Any help confirming this job was done incorrect and incomplete would be very much appreciated


texts: Generator direct drive of AC \ Heat Pump

texts:
What are the key considerations in selecting a generator \ Heat:AC system direct drive system?  The application would be for a home in Florida, so in all likeliness cooling used in a lengthy power failure.

Are fuels such as kerosene or LPG preferable over gasoline in a sustained (1-week) natural disaster (hurricane)?


texts: Easiest way to cut, shave, or chisel bottom 8" of posts to fit footings

texts:
I got some 6x6's and deck post brackets that are similar to the picture below, except they're 8" high:

Come to find out, the 6x6 is slightly too large to fit inside this bracket.  Now I see how this makes sense.  It is better that the bottom of the post is notched off, so that water runs over down the side and over the metal, instead of in between the wood and the bracket.

I'm afraid this will take forever.  What is the best way to shave off the bottom of the posts?  I have 6 of them and will need to shave off 8" on all 4 sides.  I have basic tools, like a chopsaw, skill saw, table saw, but I can't figure out how to do it, except use a chisel.  And I'm afraid using a chisel will be imperfect and effect the stability.


texts: How can I replace an aluminum window spiral balance?

texts:
I would like to replace the spiral balance on my single hung (non removable) aluminum windows but I can't figure out how to remove the clip on the window that the bottom of the spiral hooks into.  There are no screws or attachment points I can see on the outside of the window, so I can't figure out how to remove that clip so I can remove the balance for replacement.  Since the window cannot be removed, I don't know how to go about getting the clip off to replace the balance.

Here are pics of the inside of the window (you can see that the spiral balance just hangs down now.


texts: light switch 3 amp enough for a 4 watt led light set

texts: Can i install a 3 amp switch next to a light? The led light is 4 watts.  The light is for installing under the top cabinet. I have 3 such lights to be installed under the top cabinets. There is already a switch for all 3 but i want to switch off one such light that i may not need.


texts: How do I seperate three lights from 1 switch?

texts: I have one light switch that controls 3 lights - how do I separate that switch to two individual switches?


texts: Is it dangerous to have these electrical cables on top of shower?

texts:
Remodeling old apartment, the bathroom has electrical cables running through a low ceiling, that we pulled down. There is a remaining part of the low ceiling that we left and can't take down and that's where we routed the electrical cables right under it. Below it is supposed to be the shower.

I was told it would be difficult to move these cables to the wall without crossing the ceiling. That low ceiling or divider in picture below is supposed to be covered in ceramic so the cables will not be exposed. The orange tubes carry cables.


texts: I removed this screw from toggle switch and can't put back in. It just won't go back in. Is it possible to put it back or I was not supposed to take it out completely?


texts: If I split a 240v 30amp (has neutral) circuit into two 20amp 120v circuits, would that count as two 20-amp branch circuits to meet code?

texts:
I have an extra 240v 30amp outlet in my kitchen that was originally for my dryer. I know how I would be able to split it, but I am not sure if it would fulfill the code requirement:

Countertop receptacles shall be supplied by a minimum of two 20-amp small appliance branch circuit.

I'm located in Ontario.


texts: Can I flush patch a speaker box on a wall with spackle for wallpaper

texts:
Our family room came wired for surround sound that we won't use (see pic).  I know I can buy metal plates that screw into the boxes after removing the existing covers.  As there's only speaker wires and no electrical, I'm comfortable doing this.
My question is that since we intend to put wallpaper on this particular section of the wall where those boxes are, I need to spackle over the wall plates I install.  That is, I want to completely hide the speaker boxes such that when wallpaper is applied it will completely cover where the boxes were.  Is there a way to do this to ensure the spackle won't crack and the wallpaper won't wrinkle over time?


texts: Wiring a Westinghouse 312P787 electric motor

texts: I have an electric motor, Westinghiouse 312P787 3/4 HP Single phase 115/230 volt 1725/1140 RPM with a start capacitor. I would like to use it to run my drill press.  There is no wiring diagram and I've looked for one extensively.  Right now it runs with a hand turn and gets very hot very quickly so I haven't tried it with a load. The capacitor is good but I'm sure I have it wired incorrectly.There are a total of 6 wires coming out, 4 from the lead end, black, red, blue and green, and 2 black wires from the capacitor housing. My application is for 110 volt. I'm not an electrician but I have a good respect for the dangers of electricity and feel I'm comfortable repairing most electrical items.  This is my first motor, however.  Any help would be greatly appreciated and I thank you in advance for your help and time.


texts: Disconnecting pool pump housing from piping

texts:
The impeller on the housing for my pool pump sprung a leak and so I'm trying to replace it.  I have the replacement housing, but I'm having trouble removing the old housing.  The housing is thread connected at the top to the piping, and I can start to turn the housing to disconnect it, but there doesn't seem to be enough clearance to turn it very far, as shown in the picture below:

The housing is in the center, with the pipe coming out the top of it.  The housing has turned just slightly counterclockwise to unscrew it from the piping, but is running against the plate attached to the filter basket to the left.  There is not enough flex to turn it much further than this.


texts: How do I limit the water flowing through my neighbor's fence into my yard?

texts: Our neighbors yard is elevated and they water their yard a lot. The water flows over into our vegetable garden and floods it. I would like to add a barrier. Some ideas have been slim pavers with a plastic sheet, or a tree root guard. I looked at grass barriers but they are only 5-6 inches wide - this will need to be at least 12 inches to go into the soil and be tall enough to stop the water flowing in. What could I use as a good barrier?


texts: Installing a swing set between two brick walls?

texts:
My neighbors and I are considering putting up a swing set in the alleyway between our houses. The space is about 10' wide, and the house walls on both sides are brick (about 4" thick).

Which of the following alternatives would be best, if we wanted to have two swings there, each capable of holding a child up to 80 lb. or so?

Put up brackets on both walls to hold the pole.
Drill holes in both facing walls, put in the pole, fill the holes with concrete.
Forget about attaching to the walls; get a freestanding swing set and attach it to the ground.


texts: When drilling a tiled wall, should I aim for the seams or avoid them?

texts:
I'm going to drill a couple of holes in a tiled wall in my bathroom. Is it best to drill through the seams or the tiles? Should I avoid vertical or horizontal seams, or does it really not matter?

The holes are for a shower riser (i.e. just a couple of screws with plastic wall plugs/dowels). These look like the plain old ceramic tiles, and they have cracked where they were drilled through by whoever installed the shower.

P.S. I'm aware of the possibility of drilling through a water pipe; will take the necessary precautions.


texts: I bought a dresser from someone and they said they lost the key.  What is the best way to open it?  It would be ok to force it open but don’t have any idea how to do it.


texts: How important is the scoop cut in a drop-in joint?

texts:
I've been reading up on joints, particularly drop-in joints. Some of the drawings have a curved cut on the underside leading up to the tenon, sometimes labeled a "scoop cut".

Curves make construction more difficult and time consuming. How important are they to this kind of joint? Why aren't they ever used on through or blind mortise and tenon joints?