texts: Vibration dampening solution to stop extractor fan / dishwasher vibration?

texts:
I am getting vibrations from some other flat's downstairs dish washer / extractor fan / air conditioning. We're not exactly sure what what is causing it - we can't determine it. In fact, it could be anything - I am at a total loss to track down its source.

However, it is disturbing my sleep. It is not audible anywhere. None of the other flats I have asked know what it could be / or if they do aren't admitting it. It is definitely not a washing machine because it goes on too long to be that. It can go on for hours at a time

What solutions could you recommend? Vibration dampening under the feet of my bed? If so what type of dampening would remove these very small vibrations? The vibration is very subtle (you can't even see the surface of a glass of water move), but it is noticeable when trying to sleep and is very annoying!


texts: Routing cables under the house with raised perimeter foundation

texts:
Rather a simple question, I want to route some cables under the house with a raised perimeter foundation.

The question is, how should I pass the cables I'm routing from under the house into the wall up above?

This is the closest resemblance to my foundation (from my untrained eye)


texts: Framing basement ceiling with concrete slab

texts:
I want to finish a room underneath my back balcony. Currently four concrete walls and ceiling are bare. Real cold in winter and warm in the summer. Goal would be to turn into a storage room with some temperature control.
Room 12 ft by 13 ft. Will insulate with rigid foam and batt insulation.
I'm not sure how to frame the ceiling because there are no joists to work with. Considering fastening 2x6 wood studs to create ceiling joists on the ceiling cement.
Would be interested in understanding what other options to consider.
Thanks
Frank


texts: How can I enclose wiring connections between a wall and a cabinet?

texts:
In my bathroom, there is a cabinet against the wall where the original light switch would be. The previous owners ran some romex through the top of the cabinet to a 2 gang box on the outside where the switches now live.

When I went to open the junction inside the cabinet I found out they had just glued the blank plate to the cabinet with some construction adhesive. And behind it, in the 4" void between the original box and the cabinet, is a mess of pigtails.

Does anyone know of a way to extend the original box or put some kind of plate on the front with a knockout so I can run the romex properly and have it contained inside of a proper enclosure? I tried one of these deep-drawn exetension rings but I couldn't find a way to attach it to the original box.


texts: How can I pull/push a PVC pipe closer to the wall?

texts:
I live in an apartment building, and recently I had to uncover some pipes which were covered with dry wall. I want to replace the dry wall, however one of the pipes (120mm diameter - for rain water draining) is now sticking out about 10 milimeters (I think some of my neighbors have done some repairs, and now the pipe is bent outwards)

Initially I was thinking to put some wood wedges where the pipe enters the apartment (2.5 meters distance), however, this doesn't push the pipe back enough and the force required to push the pipe is quite big.

Another alternative is to put a holder around the pipe, but I don't have access on the back of the pipe, and in the back it's a thin concrete wall (around 20 mm)

If I simply push it back and mount the drywall, can the drywall be damaged ? The force needed to push the pipe back in the point it contacts the drywall is quite small. After further consideration, I don't think this is viable, the force isn't that small.

Any other ideas to push/pull this pipe ?


texts: Why would my Kenmore laundry center have black/yellow oil/grease sprayed across the inside walls?

texts:
Follow-up to this question:

I opened up this same washer to diagnose the problem, and found the drive belt in shreds with major gashes and barely holding on, and the whole interior (outside the washing basin) covered with lines of black grease matching the height of the drive belt, and with yellow oil all over the inside floor.  There was cottony white (possibly plastic) fluff in several places as well.  It looks like the drive belt was actually hitting one of the support struts, almost as if it had gotten stretched and the tension wheel had pushed it out too far.

I have replaced the drive belt and heard no major noises except those as discussed in the original question (thumping after washer stops driving a spin cycle but while the basin is still spinning).

I talked with an appliance mechanic and he suggested a test to see if the problem was the transmission of the washer: run an agitation cycle and see if the basin spins with the center shaft.  The result was that the center shaft turns one way, then turns the other way, and the basin turns opposite to the center shaft on every other center shaft turn.

Questions:

Is this test and result sufficient to decide that the problem is not the transmission?
I'm sure the oil/grease is indicative of some problem; any suggestions on what this might be?


texts: I'm not sure of the name but you know those hooks that come with an adhesive strip that attaches to a wall and you put the hook over it? The hook part broke off but the adhesive strip and the plastic part that touches it is still on the door. How do you remove it? I tried pulling it with pliers but the little bit of plastic the pliers was gripping broke off.


texts: AFCI Compliance with Multiple First Outlets on [Multiwire] Branch Circuit

texts:
I've pulled a MWBC into the crawlspace of my house, with one phase supplying outdoor GFCI receptacles and the other phase supplying nothing so far. The conductors are enclosed in a combination of all-metal conduit, MC cable, and metal junction boxes throughout.
I am thinking of using the unused phase to supply would-be new receptacles in bedrooms. This would be MC cable to metal boxes. For reasons of geometry and convenience, I'd like to split the unused phase at the junction box shown in the drawing below, with one leg running to Bedroom 1 and one leg running to Bedroom 2. This is a grossly simplified drawing; the bedrooms are not next to each other.
The question is whether installing a listed AFCI receptacle at the first outlet of each split in the branch as drawn is sufficient to meet 210.12(A)(5). Where I get tripped up is in the reading of "first outlet", as I have multiple first outlets in my plan.

210.12(A)(5) If [...] Type MC cable [...] , with metal boxes, metal conduit bodies, and metal enclosures are installed for the portion of the branch circuit between the branch-circuit overcurrent device and the first outlet, it shall be permitted to install a listed outlet branch-circuit-type AFCI at the first outlet to provide protection for the remaining portion of the branch circuit

I anticipate the community recommending the installation of an AFCI breaker, and in my panel this is possible as GE AFCI breakers can support MWBC's. However I'm nevertheless interested in an answer/solution in the context of 210.12(A)(5) specifically.
Thank you!

Ground wire isn't shown above, but it's there.
edit: misspelled a word
edit2: updated picture to show junction box inside crawlspace opposite exterior GFCI receptacle


texts: I need to fill in the handle holes on a dresser and redrill them.

texts:
The original holes are too close together, so I will need to fill the holes with either wood filler or glue and dowel.
Which filler I should use would depend on which would hold up being drilled to reposition the handle holes.
Can anyone give me some advice, or what they would do?


texts: Is there a trick to applying caulk using a caulk-gun?

texts:
Perhaps it is just me, but no matter how careful I try to be, any attempt to apply caulk or cement or anything with a caulking gun into a crack results in total mess.

The main problems that seem to be causing this are:

1: The caulk doesn't "stick down" so as I pull the gun over the crack it drags the tendril of caulk along with it.

2: As demonstrated on every home improvement show, I run my finger along the caulk line to press it down into the crack, but it inevitably squishes out on the tile or sticks to my finger and makes a big mess.

Is there some trick that I just don't know that makes a good clean caulk line?


texts: What is a safe maximum amount to leave a window open?

texts:
We have sash windows and got broken into last week due to poor security (just internal latches).

I want to install better locks on the windows to prevent the windows being opened past certain amount, but am having trouble finding a reference for how much of a gap is considered practically impossible to fit through.

Though I understand that people, even burglars, come in different sizes and shapes, is there an acknowledged security-industry standard distance to limit such a window-lock installation?


texts:
I want to hang some stuff on my wall so here it comes to the part where I need to get screws/anchors.

Saying I have a hole in a piece that I would like to attach(a picture attached), how can I measure it and get the right stuff?

Thank you.


texts: Where to attach clamps when using a mitre saw?

texts:
I am thinking about buying my first mitre saw/compound saw. Maybe not this model, but something similar to this:

I note that some models come with a built-in material clamp that presses the work down, some come with a built-in material clamp that presses the work horizontally towards the fence, and some, like the one pictured, offer neither. (It doesn't seem to be related to the price.)

If I bought the model shown, I can't see how to conveniently and safely clamp the work before cutting. The fence has plastic catches behind the fence (to allow it to be turned), so clamping there will be a fiddly matter. There is very little space underneath the base to slide a G-clamp or similar to allow a vertical clamp. If there are holes that are intended to insert a clamp, I can't see which they are.

Are there clamps that attach to the side extensions? They seem too flimsy.

I fear I am missing something that will seem stupidly obvious when it is explained to me.


texts: Single handle shower faucet from the 80s making loud noises

texts:
In my guest bathroom, there is a single handle shower faucet, likely an early Delta or American Standard scald-free ('monitor') that occasionally screams/whistles when being operated.

It doesn't leak, and I believe the scald-proof temperature control works adequately. Anyone have any experience with this issue? Do I need to replace it, or try a seal/spring kit?


texts: Wiring a ceiling light fixture. Too many ceiling wires!

texts:
I have one bundle which includes 4 (old black wires) and one bundle which includes 3 (old black wires) and finally I have one wire by itself which appears fairly new. How do I identify my black/white and ground wire to hang my ceiling fixture?
Please Help!!!


texts: Without access to breaker box, how do I determine if outlets are on the same circuit?

texts: I run a small crypto mine out of my apartment in NY but summer is here and it's getting hot. I've designed a mini shed for our backyard but the only issue is powering it. If I'm lucky there's a chance two outlets in the same room are on different circuits. Is there a way I can test this using a multimeter? Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!


texts: Can I connect 12ga wire for a gas range to 10ga wire from the service panel?

texts:
I am remodeling my kitchen right now.

Can I use the existing 10ga line which already been built and used in my house for an electrical range to hook up 14ga or 12ga wire for my new gas range?


texts: Can I connect my new oven to the existing circuit breaker?

texts: I am replacing a 10 year old electric oven. There are actually two ovens I am replacing.  There are four wires times two coming out of each conduit for each of the ovens. They lead to the circuit panel where there are 2 (two) 30 amp breakers connected to one another for each oven circuit. So 2 sets of 2x30 breakers.  My oven model is rated at 3.6kw so the install instructions say it should have a separate 20amp breaker.  Can I just connect it to the 2x30amp breakers or do I  need to install lower, 20 amp breaker?


texts: Since some parts of the siliconed area of my bath tub are damaged, I need to replace the silicone. Is there an easy method to remove that silicone?


texts: Lights and outlets on multiple circuits out but no circuits tripped. Power back to normal after several hours

texts:
for the past several days the lights and outlets to multiple rooms in my house have been going out, yet no circuits are tripped. This is happening to lights and outlets on multiple circuits. The weird thing is, the power is restored after several hours. The only common factor between the downed lights/outlets is that they are all on circuits that on the left side of the breaker box. I've check all GFCIs. The house was built in 1980.

Any ideas?


texts: How can I find door hardware to match the fitment of my vintage hardware?

texts:
I want to replace the lock but want to keep using all the existing holes in the door.

Photos here: https://imgur.com/a/wxeoKJj

On the side, the only engravings are "PAT APR 17 06, OTHER PAT PEND.". I guess these are patent-related details.

Any idea is appreciated!


texts: Tongue and groove floorboards - which way up?

texts:
I bought some tongue and groove floorboards. I noticed the tongues and grooves were not centered in the edge but were offset.

   ┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐
 ┌─┘                                         ┌─┘
 └─┐                                         └─┐
   │                                           │  ← thick side
   └───────────────────────────────────────────┘

I guess there must be some reason for it. There must be some benefit.

Which way up should I lay these, as shown in diagram or the other way up?

P.S. To make sense of comments & parts of answers that relate to the specific boards I was using - see prior revision.


texts: How can I achieve the correct garden tap orientation when threading it in?

texts:
I'm installing an external tap using a wall plate like this one:

And a tap like this one:

This might be a stupid question, but if I screw the tap into the wall plate it will end up at a certain angle. I can install the wall plate with that angle and the tap will end up with the correct orientation (i.e. pointing down). But what if I want to put another tap in later that has its thread cut slightly differently? How do I prevent it ending up upside-down or whatever? Are all the threads cut exactly the same in these taps?

This seems like a stupid design.


texts: Is there such a thing as a backless junction box/conduit fitting?

texts: I have a battery enclosure for a small off-grid solar installation, and I want to run the battery cables out of the enclosure to the DC breakers and inverter. I'm looking for a backless junction box of some sort to mount on the back of the battery enclosure to attach the cabling conduit to. I can cut out a 6'' x 6'' area on the back of the enclosure to mount the junction box to, run the cables from the inside of the enclosure into the junction box, and then (preferably) through punch-outs of conduit fittings at the top. Does anyone know of such a product?


texts:
Location: Hong Kong

Recently I have had a problem with bed bugs in my house. I've seen them and confirmed they are bed bugs.

I've googled for a way to kill bed bugs. A most accepted solution is to call Pest Control Operator several times. However, this method is most likely not applicable in our situation.

In the suggestion I've seen from the Internet, it is best for the human to leave the house so that the bed bugs won't have any food. We can't afford the trouble of moving around and renting another house for this pest problem. In addition, we've got 2 dogs here. If they use toxic chemicals it would be no good for the dogs.

I know there are different approaches but it is hard to identify the bed bug's hiding places. One of them caught a ride on my bag when I went to work. I caught it in the train. So I turned my bed ( the mattress, wooden bed frame ) upside down and found none of it yesterday evening. I sprayed rubbing alcohol all over them like crazy but really there is nothing alive or moving. Some furniture is huge and is too difficult to move so I can't examine other places.

There are other beds that need to be turned up side down for investigation.

I can steam clean all of my clothes, and the floor, but if they are hiding in some crack in the wall, we can't easily find them. My only worry is that they are not dwelling in the mattress but some cracks in the wall so that they only come at night. I've heard that they are sly - after the feast, they will be gone.

Any of you have any suggestions? I can upload some photo later in the night. More important, what I bear in mind when I am searching for them? Should I search during the night only? If I turn on the light, will they go hiding immediately, like cockroaches?


texts: Should I turn off heat in my home when I am finishing my basement?

texts: I live in Virginia and it’s pretty cold here. We are finishing our basement and I turned off the heat. The reason for that is that last time when we finished our basement, we did not turnoff the heat and as a result everybody in the house got sick because of the construction dust coming into living areas. This time to be extra careful, we turned off heat and I closed all the ducts in the house. This might be an overkill to turn off the heat when ducts are closed but I would like to seek an advice to see if this is the best course of action. It’s freezing in home but at same time I don’t want the dust to come into living area and make everyone sick.


texts: How can I remove smoke odor after a fire?

texts:
There was a bad fire (everyone got out of the building in time, thankfully. It could have been so much worse!) in the apartment upstairs from mine. We didn't get any fire damage but there was a lot of water and everything smells like smoke. There's a mitigation company handling cleanup and they've been great so far. They got all the water up and wet drywall out quickly, got fans running to dry everything out.
But everything still smells like smoke. I can do a ton of laundry but I'm wondering if there are specific things I can do to clean furniture, especially things like beds and blinds that didn't get wet but still smell of smoke.


texts: How many cables are you allowed to run through a single hole in a wooden floor joist? For example, could I run five 12-2 cables through a 1-1/8" hole? I know they physically fit, but is there a code to regulate this? Is there any limit on this or some table for guidance?


texts:
I'm doing some simple wiring in a shed I built and will have an actual electrician connect it to the panel.

I ran 12-2 for all my outlets so they can be on a 20 amp circuit and 14-2 for all my lights on a single switch and they will be on a 15 amp circuit.

The thing I was noticing yesterday though is I ran 12-2 from the future panel to the switch, and then 14-2 from the switch to all the light fixtures.

I texted my electrician buddy and asked if that was ok and he said yes as long as it's on a 15 amp circuit only.

Then I got to thinking about a time when I was tearing apart an old house and there was some wire running that was either 12-2 to an outlet and then 14-2 from there, or possibly vice versa and the guy I was working with said "whoa that's definitely a fire hazard".

Can someone explain to me what is safe, what is not safe, etc when mixing wire size on a single circuit (I know it's not a great idea to mix, but if you were to). Is it solely related to breaker size?


texts: Screwed up gutter install, best next steps?

texts:
First I thought it would look alright but on closer look, I see the gutters are not just behind but under the drip edge and have the exposed facia.

While I paid with CC and can just charge back the money for the installation, how would you suggest this to get addressed now?

To be clear I am talking about functional issues, or any problems this may cause.


texts:
My house is ~20yrs old.

We're on well-water, so the outdoor water is pretty skanky (sulphur, iron, iron-eating bacteria).

Last October, in trying to disconnect the hose from the spigot, I ended up removing some sort of adapter-piece that had been "part of" the spigot.

(See photos.) https://photos.app.goo.gl/StogbWib8bacVUMp6

I bought something to "solve" the problem, and like an idiot threw away the gross end of hose.

Now I realize I can't figure out what size adaptor I need. I've seen some posts refer to "vacuum breakers", but this seems to be an anti-syphon spigot, which uses a different piece.

None of the pieces at the local hardware stores are big enough (see photos for those).

What can I do?

Is this question redundant to: Can't find a garden hose that fits ?


texts: Can I vent a bathroom fan through the eaves?

texts:
I want to fit a fan in our bathroom.  The easiest way to do this seems to be to drill down from the loft and put it in directly above the shower.  I'm then considering running the vent (flex pipe) through the loft and tape it to the vents (already in the eaves).

Can anyone say whether this is acceptable, or is it likely to create damp in the eaves?


texts: Thermostat C-wire replacement using a wall socket?

texts:
I have a Filtrete 3M WiFi thermostat. As expected, it takes a C wire, which my apartment doesn't have and the apartment maintenance folks wont' let met wire either.

However, there's a wall socket right next to the thermostat mounting on the wall.

Can someone walk me through what I will need to potentially be able to use the wall socket to power my WiFI module?

The thermostat itself works fine, it is just the WiFi module that doesn't work without the C cable.


texts: What section of California plumbing code pertains to water main lines?

texts: Can someone please point me to California (US) plumbing code references regarding how water main lines should be buried between the house and street source? A plumber left an exposed pipe near the water meter and I'd like to have this information handy if they indicate that it's to code...


texts:
I have an 8x8 opening in a wall with a small panel door and currently it holds the supply gas pipe valve for the house. The pipe then exits the wall and becomes exposed in a room. I would like to make the room part semi modular so that I can detach it easily on one end so I can remove if need to (for painting etc.)

Where you see a tee, I would like to put a reusable union so that I can untwist it there and the other end (2nd picture) can be removed with a wrench.

Is it okay (by the code and/or best practice) to have a reusable union for gas pipe, which can be dangerous if loose/leaking, behind a service panel entrance?


texts: How can I repair a cut in drywall and make the repair unoticable

texts: I cut out a section of drywall to do a repair to the exterior of my house and now need to put the piece I cut out back in. How can I do this without having a raised edge where the tape is?


texts:
I have a decorative piece of slate that I'd like to stick on my front door with a piece of chalk for neighbors to leave a note when I'm not around.

I'd rather not cause a lot of damage to the door, so ideally it would stick on with 3M pull tab adhesives.

My door is a 'santa fe' with grooves that run vertically, about half an inch deep.

Here's a closeup of the grooves.

The slate weigh's about three lbs, and measures 7" tall x 13" wide x 1/4" thick.

I tried this before with JUST pull tabs, and it held..... until I shut the door and it fell and shattered.

I think the problem is that the surface of slate is too irregular and slippery to work with the 3M command adhesive.

One thought I had was using an epoxy on the back to attach a smooth metal plate with eyelets for a wire to the back, then the tiniest nails I could find, put in to the door in the grooves at an angle. Maybe add rubber feet to the back of the metal plate to decrease bounce and swing when the door moves.

Or perhaps some corrugated plastic would be nice because it's lighter, and I could push the nail heads into it.

I'm in the Midwest.  Environmentally, my climate does freeze in the winter.  We usually hit 0 deg F a few times.  In the summer it gets up to 100 deg F.  The porch is covered, but there are storms half a dozen times a year where rain and high wind will soak the full height of the door.  The door is only 4 foot above ground level, but I have to consider the effect of wind blowing the thing around.

I am fine with modifying/altering the decoration in permanent ways.
I would like to minimize any permanent alterations to the door if they
would require any repair work to return the door to original
condition.
I want to be very sure that the decoration will not fall off unintentionally.

What's the best way I could attach this slate to my door with minimal damage?


texts: Can I use a portable air conditioner with a casement window?

texts: My apartment has windows like this, where they rotate out upon a vertical hinge. I live in Seattle, so I can't rely on an evaporative A/C unit because the humidity is too high. And all the portable vented A/C's I've seen require either vertically sliding or horizontally sliding windows to mount the vent hose. Do I have any options for getting an A/C to work with this style window?


texts: What type of paint is suitable over Cempolay Ultra Strong concrete leveler?

texts:
I've leveled my garage floor using Cempolay Ultra Strong and the instructions state "Suitable for use on domestic garage floors
prior to over coating with a suitable floor paint."

Would anyone have any insight into a "suitable floor paint"? I have emailed manufacturers but they have not responded.

I guess I would like the paint to be a red an durable enough to last a few years of a car and motorcycle coming in and out of the garage.

No need to name brands, just the ingredients I should be looking out for. Thanks.


texts: Can I replace my broken GFCI outlet with a single outlet with 2 USB ports?

texts:
The new switch does have 2 backstab holes on each the load and the neutral side, but something tells me hooking both black to one side and both white to the other is not advisable. That would be great if that would be OK...

Also currently, when I check for power with a multimeter at the bottom, hot and neutral have power. At the top, however, I have none. I've screwed with the reset button, which seems shady, maybe broken.  I'm going to assume that's the problem.


texts:
I have two bathroom switches that are side by side (under the same face plate but separate physical switches). One is the bathroom light and the other is the fan. There are no other switches to the bathroom so I assume both are single pole. Intuitively, the switch closer to the door should be the light but it's not, hence my desire to swap the two.

My main question is, how should I swap these light switches? It seems to me I can just unscrew them and screw them back in opposite positions, no need to detach wires. But are there any safety concerns I should be aware of since the wires may touch/cross or have to stretch to reach the opposite side?

Follow up: I have the same situation in the garage but both switches are 3-way.


texts: How to secure shoe moulding against metal frame

texts:
A wall of our home has floor-to-ceiling windows and an integrated sliding door. The wood flooring butts-up directly against the metal frames of these windows and door. Though the flooring was cut very accurately to align with the frames (minimal gap) it still looks a bit unfinished without some sort of trim. Additionally, parts of the metal frame are prone to condensation in the winter and I would like to create a barrier that helps prevent any drips of water from running down the metal all the way to the sub-floor.

My thinking was that a simply strip of shoe molding, with a thorough poly top coat, could be used. Here's the the area with the molding before being slid into place:

And now with the molding in place:

What I don't know is how to secure and seal this molding. It should be secured to the wall to allow room for expansion of the flooring, but I do not think it's feasible to nail/glue into a metal frame. Would it be problematic to nail/glue directly to the flooring in this situation? Additionally, is there an appropriate way to "seal" the gap between the molding and metal frame, such as a silicon-based caulk? The pictures above actually show the condensation drips that I am worried about traveling beneath the flooring. If this condensation eventually does cause damage I'd rather it be isolated to the molding then getting into the flooring/sub-flooring.


texts: Why can't I get a torsion spring tension level that works for having the garage door both open and closed?

texts:
If I adjust tension so the cable is slightly taught when the door is open then the door only closes about half way.
If I adjust tension so that the door closes all the way then opening the door creates so much slack on the cable that it falls off the drum.


texts: A shorted to ground compressor can't be a pre-existing condition can it?

texts:
Our home warranty company is trying to deny our a/c claim because the technician they sent said, our compressor was 'shorted to ground.' They say that this was a pre-existing condition and that because of that, they will not provide full payment to correct the issue.

We have only had the home for a year and the home passed the purchase inspection. We expressed this to the warranty company and their response was that ' yeah, they couldn't have seen this'.  Which I completely understand because the short occurs inside the compressor, correct?

My question is it how could this be a pre-existing condition? It only became a 'condition' once the wire grounded... a grounded wire either is grounded or it is not grounded, there is no pre to it, right?


texts:
The wiring to my Water Heater is not getting 240v, and the Water Heater won't work.

I've tested the wires at the Water Heater (touching black to Black, and red to red on my electric meter) and I get 112v.

I then tested the breaker at the box.  It is a two-pole breaker (is that the right name?) 2 120v breakers connected together (30a each).  I touched the red lead from my meter to the connecting screw and the black lead to the ground and got:

Top breaker - 125v
Bottom breaker - 5v

I then touched one less to the to breaker and the other lead to the bottom breaker and got 112v (which is the same in getting at the Water Heater).

Does that mean that the bottom breaker is "no good"?  And it should be replaced?

UPDATE#1

Thank you for your answers/comments, I'll try to give more info.

I have power throughout the house.  I just replaced the water heater (the previous one was old and started leaking).

The water heater breaker is in the 2nd and 3rd slots from the top of the right hand side.  I tested that one as follows.

One lead to the top screw, other lead to the ground screw (125v).
One lead to the bottom screw, other lead to the ground screw (5v)
One lead to the top screw, other lead to the bottom screw (+/- 112v)

UPDATE#2

So I changed the breaker and managed to not electrocute myself, so that's a big plus!

I tested the connections at the breaker and I'm getting the following:

One lead to the top screw, other lead to the ground screw (125v).
One lead to the bottom screw, other lead to the ground screw (125v)
One lead to the top screw, other lead to the bottom screw (250v)

So I'm thinking that everything should be working fine now, BUT it is not.

Now, at the water heater, I'm only getting 85v.  What could be the problem now?

thanks.

UPDATE #3

Harper, I believe that they are the same wires.  I replaced them exactly as they were before, and I wired them at the water heater like the previous one was wired (both wires are red, and I put black electrical tape to the one connected to the common to make sure I did everything like it was done before).

Question: Does this mean I have to change the wires to the water heater?  If so, is there a way to do it without tearing apart the whole house?  I'm beginning to think this is going beyond my capabilities.


texts: How do I get power into my kitchen cabinet?

texts:
I'm trying to run power for some under-cabinet LED strip lighting. I think the easiest way is to tap into the stove hood, so my question is: how do I do this in a way that is legal and meets code (preferably without tearing apart cabinets/walls)?

Here's the cabinet:

I need to plug in an IRLinc (3-prong plug), the transformer, and the PWM dimmer controller. I'll also have low-voltage 12V wire exiting out both left and right sides into the adjacent cabinets.

The white box in the center is just some MDF that is covering the vent pipe:

The power for the hood comes in from the wall:

Can I run a piece of BX or conduit up to a surface mount box secured to the back of the cabinet? Is it legal to use the vent hood as a junction box (note there's normally a metal cover over those wires)? Any better suggestions?

UPDATE:

BX worked fine. I cut out a big hole because I needed room to be able to put the hood in place with the BX connected, and I left a big loop so there is room to pull the hood down a bit before disconnecting the wire.


texts: How do I repair a small chip in a laminate floor?

texts:
I had a company come in and clean my carpets recently, and while they were in the house they managed to chip a part of my laminate flooring.

I went down to the local home improvement megamart, and they suggested a putty designed for this purpose, but they didn't have a putty that was close to the color of the floor.  Most of the putty colors were very light compared to the color of the wood.

They've also got some "pens" that I believe are for hiding damage to stained wood, and some of these are considerably darker.  However, the chip is deep enough that it would be pretty noticeable if I just colored over it.

What should I do to repair the floor in such a way that it's the least noticeable afterwards?  Bear in mind that I'm somewhat of a novice, so detailed advice would be appreciated.


texts: Are there any cordless power tool systems that offer a corded option?

texts: Are there any cordless powertool systems (e.g., drills, drivers) that have a corded battery option (i.e., an adapter that fits where the battery would normally go that can be plugged in)?  I've used other electrical equipment with this arrangement (e.g., video cameras), but have never seen it with power tools.  If it doesn't exist, is there a practical reason why?


texts: How does one fix an unlevel, poorly-supported floor when you can't access it from underneath?

texts:
I recently bought a new home.  Also on the property is an accessory building which I am using as an office.  The building is finished on the inside and has a cheap parquet floor.  I'm not sure what's underneath, but the building is on blocks, not a slab.  I infer from this that the construction is just beams on the blocks with joists running across them, covered by 3/4" plywood subflooring and the parquet on top.

The floor is pretty unlevel in places.  It seems to have a crown in the middle-ish of the room.  It also feels really soft in places.

If this were a full-sized pier & beam construction, it would have a crawlspace, and addressing these problems would be pretty straightforward.  However, this building has no crawlspace at all.  I'd be lucky to even be able to see anything under the outside edge.

How do I try to address these issues when I can't get underneath?

edit: pulling up the floor, or at least parts of it, is an option.  But if I do that, then how do I work on the floor from above?


texts: is this due to termites? any idea what's causing the wood to turn to sawdust?

texts:
Pics below.

I had this gouge on some wood paneling. The area inside the gouge seemed to be crumbling, and there was always a pool of sawdust below it. I covered it up with some caulk (brown caulk). And after a long time, today, I again noticed some sawdust below it.

2 Questions:

what are your thoughts on what's causing it?
what are your suggestions on fixing this? (e.g. if it's termites, then please suggest any ways you know of to get rid of termites --- professional help, or DIY)

Update: House is located in mid-west USA, on the 44N latitude.


texts: Dishwasher leaking under overflow float switch assembly

texts:
I noticed a leak under the front right of my dishwasher and it seems to be dripping down from the plastic overflow switch assembly under the dishwasher.
I googled around and saw articles about replacing the switch but it seems to be dripping down onto the switch itself.  It doesn’t always drip but not sure when it does. This is an aga Marvel professional dishwasher.
Do I need to replace an o ring seal or something?
How do I pull the float switch out for inspection?
Note that second image is upside down for some reason

This video seems to show exactly my dishwasher float assembly.   link to YouTube
Is aga just a rebranded whirlpool?


texts: Is there a limit to the number of holes bored in a joist?

texts:
I already know that a hole bored in a sawn lumber joist cannot be within 2" of any edge or any other notch or hole. And that the hole can only be a maximum of 1/3 the depth of the member (International Residential Code 2012 R502.8). Given all this, is this a code compliant joist?

For more detail on the code used to determine the dimensions mentioned above, see this answer.

After doing more research, I've found sources that recommend not placing holes closer to each other than the maximum hole size. For example, in a 2x10 holes should be at least 3 5/64" away from each other.


texts:
I'm considering insulating (and drywalling) my garage, which already has insulated garage doors.  My main goal is to keep it from getting much below freezing during the winter.

This garage is located in the North Cascades (2000' elevation) in Washington state, with a typical yearly temperature range of 0F - 105F.

I'm not too worried about insulating the walls, but wonder: Do I need a vapor barrier?

For the ceiling (rafters 24" oc) would it be easiest to place normal batting between the rafters and then hang the drywall, or hang the drywall first and then lay the insulation afterwards?  Or would blown-in insulation be better?  Which is typically cheaper?  And again, do I need a vapor barrier?

The space that will become the attic is vented via wall vents under the peak of the roof on both sides of the garage.

You can see a couple pictures of the garage and rafters here:


texts:
I am thinking of getting back into stained glass. One of the projects I want to work on is to fix a stained glass window that has a section with a crack in it. I was given a couple soldering irons that have spent years in the basement and are rusty.

Can I use these irons? Is it safe? Are there quality concerns I should be aware of?


texts: Prep for Painting New Wooden Interior Door

texts:
Five new interior wooden doors were hung in older apartment.  Although they came with what I think is a white primer, they need to be painted.  I would like to tap the experience of the community so as to understand best practices

Questions:

The door is already hung, is there a compelling reason to take it down to paint?
The door is new with primer: does it need any prep before painting?
Is there any reason not to use a roller to expedite the process?
Are some classes of paints preferable over others?

Any lessons-learned or pitfalls to avoid is appreciated: especially if you have done this a dozen times or more.


texts: Square D QOC 12 125: Is it possible to bring this subpanel up to code?

texts:
I opened up this subpanel for the first time because when I opened the walls for contractors to install floor drains, I found a circuit with four splices that were any/all of:

not enclosed in junction boxes
did not use wire nuts
tapped into NM cable rather than cut and spliced
no ground wire in sight; all 12/2 without ground cable

Fortunately, that particular work appears to be isolated to a single circuit so I decided to replace the cable from the subpanel breaker.

The subpanel, however, is ungrounded and all the neutral and ground wires are bonded to neutral. And other problems - I am particularly amused by the cable routed over the edge of the panel rather than through a knockout. It does not have a master cutoff although the panel is on its own breaker in the main panel.

Can this panel be brought up to code by adding a proper ground bar and ground conductor back to the main box, or am I looking at a subpanel replacement project here?


texts: Capacitor values and compatible replacements

texts:
I have a Lennox 13ACD series unit (model 048) and the fan will not start. I can kick start it and it gets up to speed just fine. My best guess from reading online is that it is the capacitor. The values label on the capacitor reads:

50-10pF +/- 10% 440VAC 50/60Hz

Searching online, I am having difficulty finding the exact same capacitor values. I see search results like "45+5 440v" or "50/5 440v" that seem to be shorter descriptions. In what appears to be a suggested replacement using my model number in a google search, I see "60+10.0pF +/-6%" on the label (picture included) in what is said to be a suggested replacement part.

How critical is it that I match the exact capacitor values?


texts: Latex paint dried and thickened, can I still use it for a touch up?

texts:
I was just about to do some touchup work in a room when I discovered upon opening the can that the remaining paint had thickened into a much thicker consistency. I think the lid may not have been on correctly.

Can I use it as is for touch ups? Or would it be best to apply some kind of thinner? Do I have to go out and buy paint thinner, or is there something else I could use that would spare me the trip to the store?

Its latex paint, about a year old. From Benjamin Moore.


texts: Is this ceiling fan going to fall and cut off my head?

texts:
Would you trust this fan? Do you know how can I tell if it's secure?

I can't see how the canopy is attached to the ceiling. No screws are visible.

I pushed up on the rod, and the ball nestled into place a centimeter higher than it was before. Something seems fishy about that.

I removed the canopy and looked under the hood.
Video clip: https://streamable.com/gyucdv
Note the frayed wire.

Two screws, connecting the socket to something above it, were loose. I tightened them as much as I could. (This took 50+ turns of the screwdriver each. They were very loose.)
The socket and canopy are now flush with the ceiling.

However, the fan still wobbles and rattles.


texts: Will I have issues in summer with 120v outlets sharing a double pole breaker with my 240v a/c outlet?

texts: I just moved into a 2 bedroom apartment and am planning ahead for summer.  While figuring out the breaker box so I don’t put more than one window a/c on a particular circuit I found out all of my 120v outlets in the living room (6 of them) somehow share a double pole breaker (240v and shows 15 on each of the connected breakers) with my 240v air conditioner outlet in the living room.  The voltage is correct on all of the outlets but my question is with everything wired this way with an air conditioner running along with tv/internet/sound bar, am I going to run into issues with the double pole breaker tripping or should it be able to handle the load?  Is this safe to have it like this? I’ve moved around in the same building and in other apartments in the same building that circuit breaker was always only for the air conditioner outlet.


texts: Safe to cut vine wrapped around electric mains?

texts:
We have a climbing vine that has spread from the tree to wrap itself around the electric main to the house.
Is it safe to cut it off at the base? Can the vine potentially conduct electricity to the point of the cut?
Will cutting it kill it?


texts: What types of home radon mitigation systems have you used, and how well do they work?  Do recommended types of mitigation systems vary significantly with varying levels of excess radon?  Does climate have any impact on the mitigation system of choice?  Are there any other major factors to consider?


texts: California code requirements for electrical panel placement height

texts: I'm trying to get some wires to reach the bottom of my electrical panel. How high off the floor can I put my panel and still meet code requirements... or what section of which code can I find this? I'm having trouble parsing the legal nightmare.


texts: Will noise be an issue when joining two rooms with a circulating fan?

texts:
The plan is to join two adjacent rooms with an exhaust fan. One has air conditioner, the other does not. A handyman will drill a square hole into the wall, and then attach the fan. The goal is to cool both rooms when the air conditioner is open.

Since we live in an area where this setup is rare, we don't have any idea if noise will be an issue. The person in the other room plays music at night. If noise will be a factor, is there a method on how to minimize the sound? Will the addition of sliding/opening doors (like a wooden cabinet) solve this?


texts:
It would be really great if someone could give me some advice on the following issue:

Last year I bought a house and had a hardwood floor installed (solid hardwood, stapled on plywood over crawlspace). Since then, there has been some noticeable crackling of the floor, especially in the kitchen. It's gotten worse over the year and it's now almost impossible to step anywhere in the kitchen without getting a loud crackling sound.

The sound normally occurs when I release the weight from each spot. Surprisingly, I can't detect any movement of a particular floor board. From the top it looks like the boards join together perfectly, without even the slightest gap. Also, the crackling is not localized to a particular board, but to several regions, each having a diameter of about 2-3ft. I can step anywhere in each region to get the same effect. It seems like all boards move downward and upward together to produce the sound.

The other surprising thing is that the crackling intensifies throughout the day. In the morning, it is not very strong, but as more and more people step on it, it gets louder and louder. In addition, the crackling seems less severe if the air is humid or after wet-moping the floor.

One other thing that I should note is that the floor in the kitchen seems a bit "bouncy", meaning that if I walk on it, then I can hear the plates in the cabinets vibrating. Also it may be the case that the subfloor was slightly warped due to the weight of the counters. I'm not completely sure about this though, and I don't know if it is relevant here.

I complained about the crackling after the installation was completed, but the installers said that some general crackling throughout the house was normal and will eventually subside. As for the kitchen, they blamed the subfloor. However, when I looked at the subfloor from the crawl space, everything looked fine and there didn't seem to be any movement.

Has anyone had a similar experience? I would greatly appreciate any advice or any guesses on what the issue could be. Is there some simple way of fixing the noise or is it likely that the whole job has to be done again? If so, who would normally be responsible for it financially?

Here are some more details:

solid bamboo hardwood floor
installed on plywood underlayment above a crawlspace
boards are about 4" wide
stapled about every 12"-14", some of the staples protrude the plywood
and can be seen from crawlspace
Prior to installation there seemed to be a mix between carpet, linoleum with an intermediate asbestos layer or tiling (in the kitchen)
Two boards have developed a small crack in the middle, but there is less crackling directly near these boards.
There is a little bit of crackling everywhere in the house. It is only noticeable if I rock and shift my weight a lot and is comparable
to the noise created when stepping on a thin plastic film.

All the best,

Richard


texts: I have oil heat with cast iron baseboard heat. One of them has noise in it & last year I had to bleed it multiple times to get the air out of the line. The only problem with doing this was that our boiler air tank had to be refilled this year when it was serviced. The noise is back again in the same location. Any suggestions on how to once & for all get rid of the air in the line?


texts: What part do I need to search for to fix this leaky outdoor hose faucet?

texts:
When I turn on the hose outside my house, pictured below, water pours out of the top of it and goes all over the place.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can fix this without having to replace the whole thing? Does anyone recognize this component and can recommend a part ?

And here is what it looks like off:


texts: How should I connect a GFCI outlet on a well pump circuit?

texts:
I need help installing a GFI that's outside house. In the box there are 2 white wires and 2 black & bare ground. One set of wires come from the house and the other 2 go to a well. I tried hooking the white from the house to the Line silver and black to brass Line then the 2 well wires to the Load side. White to silver and black to Brass. When I do this the outlet is dead and well pump.

Then I connected both the white wires to only 1 silver screw on line side and both black to 1 brass screw to line side. I got power at GFI now and the well pump is working but using a Stat SP-101 - Electrical Ground Checker it is showing all 3 lights lit up. I think there is a problem? or is there. Thanks Troy


texts: Best way to seal gaps in sliding window?

texts:
Summer is coming and I live in an apartment where the window can slide up to insert an AC.
Unfortunately, after some time I get bugs and mosquitos coming through the gaps around the AC and at the top of the sliding window (since it is only sealed when it's completely closed).
I tried to use caulk tape, but it wasn't very effective. There'd still be tiny gaps here and there that things found a way through.
I'm now thinking that there must be some kind of foam spray that can do a better job of sealing off gaps. Is there anything like this that is non-toxic and easily removable? TIA


texts:
I went to a local building supply company - one that tends to have a better selection than the big-box places - seeking some Grade 5 carriage bolts.

They pointed me to bins of galvanized carriage bolts.   I checked and did not see the 3 radial lines that normally mark Grade 5.  They said "galvanized bolts do not have the marking, but rest assured they are Grade 5"; in fact, I believe they implied that galvanized are always Grade 5 (or higher).

I tend to think they are lying or misinformed, but thought I would seek clarification.


texts:
I have central air in my home and the majority of the house gets really cold with no problem.  However, my master bedroom has a washer/dryer & I typically use my laptop for leisure.

With that being said, the room gets quite warm.  I can have the A/C in the home set for 65 and while the downstairs is cold, the bedroom is not.  I have horizontal windows so buying an additional A/C would be a pain.

Would I be better off purchasing a stand-up fan such as the Dyson? Or should I be looking to do something else?


texts: How can I set these nails flush in my beadboard paneling?

texts: The person who installed beadboard around our kitchen island didn’t countersink the nails.  I bought a nail set from Home Depot and have been trying for the past hour to get the nail at least flush with the beadboard.   It doesn’t seem to be budging.  I quickly tried doing it with some other nails that need it and nothing’s happening.  This is the nail set and hammer I’m using? I’ve also included a photo of what the finished nails look like and another photo of what my nail looks like after going at it for some time. Any thoughts or advice would be great, thank you!!!


texts: Bathroom exhaust fan/light combo only fan works

texts: I bought a new bathroom exhaust fan and light combo. It came with two sets of wires, one for the fan and one for the light. It also came with an extra ground for the motor (where should I put that)? So I wired the two hot black wires (one for the fan and one for the light) onto the one red wire for the switch. I then wired all the neutral wires together and all the grounds together, even the one for the motor. This was all done in a junction box with three sets of wires coming in, plus the wires from the fan/light combo. When I turned the breaker back on and flipped the bathroom switch, just the fan came on with no light. All other connections seem secure. Does a fixture like this have to be wired onto two separate switches? I figured just the one would be enough. I am also using LEDS for the lights. The instructions don't even have a number for the company... Any help would be greatly appreciated!


texts: How do I fix radiators that come on at different times?

texts:
We have radiators in all rooms but the ones in the bathrooms come on at different times to the rest of the house. This is particularly annoying when getting up at 6am and stepping into a freezing bathroom while the rads are on in other rooms.

Why does this happen and how can I fix it?


texts: Repair an old cylindrical hinge on an old bedroom closet

texts:
After moving day, I think the hinge of an old bedroom closet door became crooked (upper left photo). It's a metal bar that's screwed on the bottom of the door, and a small cylinder sticks out.

This cylinder is then placed in a metal bar on the floor of the closet (lower left photo), which has a hole to fit the cylinder. The door is only kept in place by one hinge at the bottom, and one at the top (connected to the roof of the closet).

I can't find a replace hinge, every hinge I find online seems to connect an XY plane with a XY plane, while this connects a XY plane with a ZX plane.

I suppose I could fix it by:

replacing this hinge (but where to find one?)
bend the metal bar back to a straight horizontal bar?
implement another hinge system. This seems hard because the hinge has a slight offset from the edge of the door by 10cm/4" (right picture)
other suggestions

Update: I've found the Dutch name: 'speun'.


texts: What is the best way to clean grout to make it white again without removing it and regrouting

texts: What is best/ easiest way to clean or make grout white again without removing it and regrouting? The grout is not chipping or missing. Remodeling hotel room


texts:
I'm going to install a small loft platform above the stairs in this picture.

The most secure way would be to drill into the studs behind the paneling here, but i'm not sure about the wiring thats going into the walls here. Is it safe to drill into one or both of these walls? Do people have guesses as to where this wire is going and how to avoid it?

Also: I think i'll be able to find studs in this wall by measuring 16" intervals from a nearby door frame (i'm also planning on getting a stud finder to check, though the wood paneling may obscure this somewhat)

I could add legs to the platform that reach all the way to the steps below, but it seems like this wouldn't be as stable. The longer of the legs would be ~10' long.

Thanks for the sanity check. Thoughts?


texts: Type of glue for plastic/metal, not too fast, cannot press surfaces together

texts:
I need to glue a plastic thingy inside a metal tube. There is a notch for it to fit in, and it is slightly tricky. Therefore I do not want the glue to soldify too quickly. Also, I cannot press on the surfaces where the glue will be, but it is pretty tight.
I do not know what type of plastic it is, but it is hard. It does not bend. The metal is stainless steel I guess.
Edit: it is not outdoors or under water. Normal house temperature.
What sort of glue should I be looking for?


texts: Remodeling bathroom I took original light (set up by electrician) and put up a basic temporary fixture. No problems. Finished remodel and replaced temporary with original. Breaker won’t reset. I’ve taken down the light and capped the wires, tried reset but breaker wouldn’t reset, then replaced temporary, tried reset and still breaker won’t reset. This circuit runs half my basement. I’ve wired enough lights, fans etc to know I haven’t crossed wires.


texts: installing shower in basement without rough in plumbing

texts:
my basement is plumbed for a sink and toilet already. does anyone know if you can install a step-up type of shower into the basement without a rough plumbing job (putting pipes under concrete floor) for the shower? it seems like there would be a way to do this and pump the water up to the sink drain pipe.

fyi my sewer is underneath my basement and it is a gravity feed. see picture of unfinished basement and layout plan of my hopeful bathroom. the shower is in the bottom left. fyi the small hole/square is the space where my main water shut off valve/piping is located.


texts:
I need to get rid of this outlet for a wall bed installation.

From what I gather to disable the outlet..

turn power off from main panel
disconnect the wires from the outlet
use copper twist-on wire connectors to connect the 2 black wires together and 2 white wires together.
push it all back in there and seal it up.

My questions are

did I miss anything? I would rather do this myself if it's a small job without need for an electrician
What should I do with the single ground wire? leave it uncovered and shove it back there anyhow?
[unrelated] why are outlets designed to stick out?


texts: Help identify wood & stain for tongue & groove + beam cabin ceiling popular in Poconos (and possibly other woodsy areas)

texts: I have cathedral popcorn ceilings in my house and am looking to reproduce a tongue & groove + beam type ceiling that is/was very popular in a lot of chalet type houses in the Pocono mountains (and likely other mountainous type areas): . I saw over 50 houses while house shopping in the area over the summer and a lot of them had this type of ceiling at least in some parts of the house. They all look very similar in style, wood and color but I cannot for the life of me find anyone that knows what type of wood or stain was used. This looks like the closest thing in terms of wood: https://www.homedepot.com/p/8-ft-x-4-in-x-5-16-in-Knotty-Pine-Edge-V-Plank-Kit-6-Piece-VSV7-88-6-244-ST-HOMEDEPOT/202535999 but I'm really not sure what to get in terms of stain. Any ideas?


texts:
I am moving into a house, and the previous owner doesn't know the answer.

Up high in the corner of the garage, the drywall was cut out to install a small transformer. The input comes from a garage outlet, and the output goes down inside the garage wall.

I unplugged it and then tested it to determine that it does not power:

Anything visible in the garage
The lights on the front of the house
The halogens (or anything else visible) in the adjacent room
Anything visible on the side of the basement near the garage
Broadband connection, sump, etc. (on the other side of the house)
Any light or appliance we use in an ordinary day

What is it for? How might I figure it out (without cutting open the wall)?


texts: How to remove flex hose from a single-control, tall faucet?

texts:
I have a faucet that is leaking down the flex hose. The one flex hose unscrewed easily. The second is turning but not coming out. I assume the nut has become separated from the crimp on the hose. There's no way to get a wrench on the nut. Does anyone know a trick to remove this hose?

I don't know the faucet manufacturer, there are no identifying marks.


texts: What is “naturally durable” wood in reference to Code required “naturally durable wood or preservative-treated wood in contact with concrete?

texts:
It’s common practice and Code required to have preservative-treated wood in contact with masonry or concrete.

However, after double checking the Code, (ICC 2304.11.1,) I See it actually says, “naturally durable wood or preservative-treated wood”.

What species is “naturally durable wood” in reference to this application? I’m sure it’s NOT cedar or redwood, which is what we use for exterior decks, siding, etc. where I live.


texts:
How can I install a 40A 220V GFCI breaker in a main panel that has ground and neutral wires on the same bus bar?
I tried putting both white wires on the one bus bar that has the line feed neutral and a #1 copper wire and ground rod attached to it, but it keeps popping with no load.


texts: When I was cleaning my fridge to remove the ice from the fridge, Accidentally my I made a hole in the bottom plate of the fridger and some liquid start leaking, I guess it's a coolant. After that my fridge is not cooling. Can you please help me with the resolution ?


texts: I am wondering if re-using a roller tray liner is asking for trouble. The old paint was white primer; the new paint is very slightly different white. Even if I scrape out all the possible flakes and thicker chunks of old paint, I'm wondering if the new paint will loosen up the old and create a mix / mess? I'm using Benjamin Moore Natura (White Dove OC17) on top of BM Natura zero VOC interior primer White 511 00.


texts: Plastic central heating pipe - cover up in built-in cupboard

texts:
I have a built in cupboard which has plastic water pipes travelling vertically up the inside (supplying a small radiator in the loft). I want to cover them up because they're ugly, awkward and also have flaky paint coming off them, but I don't know if I need to do anything special to prevent condensation, or if I need to consider anything else.

I was planning on boxing them up with a couple of battens attached the to wall and some plywood. There are no taps or anything so I'm not planning on making this accessible in the future. I'm then going to fit shelves in the cupboard over them.

Is there anything I should be considering here? Things that come to my mind are condensation - is that a problem? Insulation - is it work having that foam stuff around them? Access - is there a reason I should make it more accessible? Anything else?

Many thanks,
James


texts: Tapping into existing 3/4" supply and 3" drain to add washer

texts:
I understand there are a lot of variables to something like this, so I'm going to try to provide enough detail that people can at least understand the question here:

I have a washer/dryer I'd like to relocate to my garage. There is already a hot/cold PEX supply exposed in the garage, which runs up to supply one sink and one shower in a finished room (no other fixtures). There is also a 3" drain running from that room. Is it possible to tap into both the supply and drain lines with branches running along ceiling/wall and down to desired washer location as shown in the marked-up photo?


texts: I recently noticed water collecting next to the tub. After watching closely, I realized it doesn't happen during a shower or bath, and only collects after a shower is complete. At first, we thought that water was seeping in somewhere along spaces in the caulk, so we re-caulked. But it's still happening. The water seems to be starting at top of the tub where I'm pointing to in the picture below.  What could be the cause of this?


texts: Avoid rust where railing anchors into concrete

texts:
If you have seen railings anchored into concrete, you may have noticed how they tend to rust at the junction between the railing, the concrete and the air. Here is a photo of a pretty typical example:

How can this be avoided when building a new railing?


texts:
I'm looking to install a PoE camera system. The system comes with 8 cameras and the Ethernet cables will mostly be routed on ceilings and walls (not within them). I have some questions about making neat exits through walls.
I'll install the system in a utility room and I'd like a batch of 8 cables to exit directly from that room and into the adjacent garage, where they'll be mostly routed across the ceiling on raceways.

Is there a product to serve as a tidy through-wall conduit for a collection of cables. For example: PVC pipe, but with some sort of flange that screws to each side of the drywall? Would such a wall penetration be a fire-code concern (as it may allow some airflow)?

At the camera-end, I'd like to pass cables through a wall and directly into the back of the camera on the other side. How can I make a neat through-wall connection here? I've seen bushings for coax (which would work for Ethernet), however, in some cases, there may be a 10" drop from the ceiling to the penetration, which I think will mean the cable will have to 'dangle' in the air to avoid sharp turns (which are not recommended for Ethernet, particularly for long-runs).

Is there a better (tidier) solution? (I prefer PoE over WiFi because there is no power for the WiFi cameras).


texts: Should I use a quick or gradual 90 in my flexible A/C ductwork?

texts:
To elaborate a bit more. If you are running an 8" duct off the supply, would you do a quick 90 degree towards the destination or do a gradual 90 degree?

I would guess a quick would be better because you have less cfm loss per foot. I could be wrong.

The 8" will hit a wye to two 6" ducts which run into the register boxes.

The registers are 5 foot from each other. The more important register (deeper in the room to be air conditioned) will be straight off the wye. Maybe 10 foot straight from the wye versus ~12 - 15 foot off the other side of the wye.


texts: How do I figure what height I need for my egress window wall?

texts: I have an egress window. I would like to know why they sent me a 46'' tall well and a 48'' window? I need to know how to figure meausurements and why.


texts: Proper gas pressure for Samsung DV457GVGSGR natural gas dryer

texts:
What is the proper gas pressure leading into my Samsung model DV457GVGSGR gas dryer?  The Gas Requirements section of the installation manual doesn't specify pressure.

I found this in a google search, but the page is now missing (goes to 404 error).  The text snipped seems to recommend 3.5 to 5 inches of water column.  Is that correct?

Can I damage my dryer by sending 2 PSIG of gas pressure without a regulator?  How much should I send to the dryer?


texts: Did I shock myself? Do damage to electrical wiring?

texts:
I was helping my grandmother upgrade her TV. She had an massive tube style TV that was way too heavy to move with the dresser to get to the wall to unplug.
I went to the breaker. Killed the power to the room and took a scissors to the power cord.
There must have been multiple breakers because I proceeded to get a loud noise and considerable spark upon cutting and did a nice number on the scissors.
I went back to the breakers. Flipped them all off and proceeded to move dresser and unplug the cut cord. The outlet didn’t appear to have any marks or anything on the cover.
I plugged in the new TV. Flipped all the breakers back and it fired up just fine. I just want to make sure I didn’t potentially do something that would cause issues down the road or a potential fire.
The noise and sparks definitely startled me, but I’m assuming I would really know if if I had gotten shocked? Is it somehow possible to not get shocked? The scissors had a rubber handle and I was wearing rubber flip flops at the time.
I am well aware of the total stupidity looking back on this and I appreciate the insight.


texts: How to place engineered hardwood against rough fireplace hearth?

texts:
We are going to replace the carpet in our living room with engineered hardwood flooring. We’ve installed the flooring elsewhere in our home so that part isn’t a problem.
The problem is what do we do against the rock hearth?
Everywhere else we’ve installed flooring there is baseboard or hardwood quarter round (kitchen).
Can’t do baseboard around the hearth. Does quarter round that matches the floor work?


texts: How to troubleshoot/diagnose an oven that won't heat past a certain point?

texts:
Our ovens (double-stacked Nutone Hotpoint circa 1960s) are old:

About 2 months ago, we noticed that the bottom one - which had been running great for years - wouldn't get any hotter than just "kind of warm". No matter what we set it to (Bake 500 degrees, Broil, etc.) and no matter how long we waited, the bottom oven would never get anywhere past 100 degrees or so. No big whoop, because we still had the top one working fine.

Well now the top one is doing the same exact thing which means we're out of a usable oven. This is a very big whoop.

Ideally, I'd like to troubleshoot, diagnose & repair the ovens. I just find it strange that these 2 ovens have been running strong since the 1960s and now they both go within a few months of each other.

I'm not sure where to even begin troubleshooting. For one, they certainly could use a cleaning, so I think I'd like to start there. But I have to ask: what steps/processes should I go through to figure out what is going on with these?


texts:
I was laying out tile in a half bathroom before wondering if I should tile under the door or not.  The picture below shows the tile (top), plywood subfloor where the door will be (middle), and laminate flooring in the hallway (bottom).

There is a cement backerboard underneath the tiles -- this strip of plywood is all that's left of the old subfloor.  The hallway leading to the bathroom has laminate floor over what I think may be asbestos tile.  To keep those tiles encapsulated I plan to put some sort of molding or threshold between the two rooms.

The height of the laminate floor above the plywood is about 3/4", and I expect the 5/16"-tall tiles to be about 1/2" above the plywood once the thinset mortar is down.

So: should I tile all the way to the laminate floor (under the bathroom door), or leave the tiles as they are in the picture?  Seems like the latter solution would make it easer to put in a threshold/molding, but it also seems odd for the flooring under the door to be nonexistent.


texts:
Glad I found this site, happy to be on here and I look forward to learning from the crew and sharing.

In any case, I'm in the process of buying a four family. I have it under contract, am buying at a discount because I understand it needs a good bit of work, and the price tag for having someone replumb all the supply lines is such that I'll figure it out and spend a month doing it.

In any case, again, I'm just starting this process and was over there studying the current plumbing system today. It is absolutely ridiculous and this will be a major system upgrade that needs to be done at some point anyways, and if the city comes through they'll be making me do it...

House was built 1890, so the plumbing is a total hack job done piece-meal. Combination of copper, galvanized steel, and PVC. At this point I don't want to address the drainage unless it's hard to ignore when I'm opening things up (which it might be).

So I have a lot to read about supply line diameters, velocity, etc., etc., but as I'm starting to brainstorm about where to put the system and manifolds and start building out from there, I had some simple questions.

First, some details about the house: bathrooms are all back to back on top of one another, so this will mean that tearing out one wall will give me access to the other bath across the hall as they more or less mirror one another. The kitchen supply planning is a little more difficult, but they only need supply lines for the sink. No dishwashers.

So, my initial though process is that I'll need one master manifold with 15 valves. 3 per unit = 1 kitchen, 1 bath, 1 to hot water heater. Total 12 for cold water unit supply. Then 1 for washer and 1 for hose. Plus an untapped valve for pressure testing should I even need to check.

Then off the hot water heaters I'll need simpler manifold with just 2 lines (or one will have to have an additional line for the washer).

Again, I'm early in the planning stage, but does that sound about right? Additionally, what type of manifold would be the best way to go about this? I saw some guy on youtube (who was a legit plumber) build a circuitous one which maximizes water pressure (as he explained). That way it could be easily customize with the right number of valves. It also sounds more complicated.

Alternatively, I could purchase two closed copper manifold with 8 ports and branch the main supply to the two, and kick out from there.

Any advice as I begin planning this project?


texts:
A motion sensor light is to be installed where it is exposed to the Florida outdoors.  How can one gauge (is there a metric?) if the fixture is durable (last 5+ years).
As you have probably already guessed: I am weary of replacing fixtures every year.  Any suggestions or lessons learned are always appreciated: thank you.


texts: How large are in-wall heating vents that connect to registers?

texts:
I'm curious how large heating vents can typically be when connecting to in-wall registers.  Do they fill up the entire space between studs?

I'm framing for some drywall patches and would ideally not like to make life too much harder when we get central heating (a couple years from now).

-M


texts: Why don't (all) professional painters use paint sprayers?

texts:
Every time that I have hired someone to paint the exterior of my house in the past, they've done it the slow, hard way: with brushes. They have all been professional painters with legitimate painting businesses, and they've done very nice jobs.

This year, because I have been feeling poor, I decided to buy a fairly nice $300 paint sprayer and try painting the house myself, instead of paying the professionals $10k to do it. When I used the sprayer for the first time the other day, I was amazed at how fast it went. I did about a fifth of the house in four hours (and it's a large, 4000-square foot, double-family house).

That left me wondering why professionals would ever not use sprayers. I know that sprayers waste a fair bit of paint, and that it can be harder to get an even finish when you're spraying. But the wasted paint seems worth it if you can do ten jobs in the time it would take to do one by brushing. And I assume that professionals would learn how to spray paint evenly.

I know some professionals use sprayers. But the guys I have hired don't, and again, they were very good, professional painters.

So can anyone enlighten me as to why you would not use a sprayer if it was your job to paint houses, and the amount of money you could make with a sprayer is much higher?


texts: Do I need to insulate exposed foundation in my garage?

texts:
I have a 2 story split-foyer ranch.  The bedrooms upstairs are above the garage and noticeably colder than the rest of the house (I live in Connecticut so winters get pretty cold).

There's no climate control in the garage, and the garage is partially underground on one side and entirely underground on the other (house is built into a hill).  The foundation is exposed on both sides, bare concrete probably 4 feet high and sticking into the garage about 1-2 feet.

The garage doors are insulated and weather sealed, and I have two windows on the side of the garage that's partially above ground.  The ceiling is finished so I can't see what kind of insulation we have between the garage and the floors above.  I do know that sound doesn't carry very well, except for things hitting the surface (or vibrating like the garage door opener).

Obviously it'll be colder in the garage than in the house, but I'm looking for ways to keep it a little warmer than it is now.  I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to put insulation on the exposed foundation.  I suspect not, since the cement floor of the garage will also be pulling heat out.

Any other suggestions for quick things to check for heat loss from a garage?


texts: Improve existing roof insulation from the inside

texts:
We have a pitched roof (1971 house, The Netherlands) which consists of (outside to inside):

Tiles
2cm PUR insulation
2cm wood

We asked a few companies for quotations to improve the insulation (currently Rc=0.8).

Company 1 is suggesting to add rockwool to the inside, while company 2 says that any insulation on the inside will lead to condensation issues.

Are there any options for adding insulation on the inside of the roof in this case?

Edit: picture of the roof material:


texts: Is vinyl flashing as easy to work with as metal flashing?

texts: I have seen a lot of vinyl flashing at the big box stores recently.  Duraflash is a name brand  that I have seen most.  It seems they just come in long rolls just like unbent flashing does, and you can bend them to the shape you want (and they'll hold it?)  For people that have used it, is it just better/easier to use metal flashing (except for Aluminum since it corrodes against PT wood), or is vinyl flashing the next best thing?


texts: Tub faucet pressure starts strong then drops off

texts:
Only my tub fauce water pressure starts great, then after 5 seconds it drops off.

It happens on both hot and cold settings.

What could be causing this?

Thanks in advance for any advice.


texts:
On our property we have a main house and an 800 sqr foot detached "guest house". To the right of the entrance to the guest house is the electrical service / meter. The wires for the electrical service go into conduit in the concrete slab that is around the door, and off underground to where the power comes down the utility pole on the corner of our property. Right next to the electrical service in the concrete is another piece of conduit that also goes into the concrete. Stuck out of that are cut off, thick electrical wires (The size of electrical service). I would like to know where this conduit goes, does anyone have any ideas/techniques to determine this?

First and foremost I want to clean-up the electrical wires that look kind of scary and out-of-place just sticking out of that conduit. Knowing where the "other end" is should make it easier to pull out the cable since there is barely enough to tug on sticking out now. Second of all, I'm wondering if the conduit goes to the main house (e.g. I'm thinking the guest house was powered from the main house before it had its own service). If it does, I may be able to use this conduit to help run an ethernet line I want to run to the guest house. To do this though, I really need to know where the other end is.

Any ideas?


texts: My dishwasher cleans the cups and plates well, but it doesn't remove all the soap.  For example, If I pour water into a cup that was cleaned by the dishwasher than soap bubbles start to form.  I would say that there is a medium-small layer of soap on the cups and plates.  Also, I decreased the amount of soap from the recommended amount, but still no luck. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to fix this?


texts: How to add smart controller to ceiling fan with single switched hot

texts:
I want a WiFi connected smart controller for my ceiling fans. They are all wired with a single switched hot, so I cannot use a replacement smart switch alone. Are there any wall mounted switches that work nicely with a ceiling mounted controller?

Desired features:

Separate wall mounted switch and ceiling mounted controller
Light dimmer
3-speed fan control
WiFi
Google Assistant compatible


texts: How to stop 2nd floor toilet from bubbling when 3rd floor toilet is flushed?

texts:
I have a building with 3 floors (1 unit in each floor). When I flush the 3rd floor toilet, bubbles come out of the second floor toilet.

How do I stop 2nd floor floor toilet from bubbling? In general, is it not recommended that you combine drain stacks for bathrooms on different floors?

Here are some details about my house/plumbing:

My house has a basement, ground floor, 2nd floor, and 3rd floor (attic).
The toilet in the ground floor has a ventless drain vent with a STUDOR valve at the end of the vent
The ground floor toilet flushes without any issues, and drains properly
It seems to me that what is happening is when the 3rd floor toilet flushes, the volume of air in the 3 story length drain pipe needs to go somewhere, and it is venting out through the ground floor toilet. Before, that air was going directly into sewer, but now that we added the ground floor drain to it (in the basement), the air is venting through the ground floor toilet. Does this sound correct?

Besides creating a new drain stack for the ground floor bathroom, is there a way to exhaust the air from the 3rd floor drain somewhere?

Thank you for your help!


texts: What are insulated screwdrivers for if you’re not supposed to work on a live circuit?

texts:
It’s not just that I’ve been told by some people to never work on a live circuit as an amateur (I know that electricians often do work on live circuits)... but the package itself containing the insulated screwdrivers says to never work on a live circuit.

One might say that it adds an extra level of precaution in case the circuit you’re working on is live unintentionally... but it seems to me that this extra “safeguard” would just tempt people to work on live circuits.


texts: Replacing hot/cold water faucets for washer

texts:
The faucets in the garage for my parents washer are leaking and I want to replace them.  The first issue is that I had no idea what this type of faucet is called.  I looked around the home depot website but didn't really find what i was looking for.

Does anyone know what type of faucets these are?  Can i just replace them with any kind of faucet?

Also, when i replace them I'm assuming i need to turn off the water at the front of house right?  Anything else I need to be careful about?

thanks!


texts: What is a good source for older Crestline window locks?

texts:
I've been looking for two replacement locks for a Crestline window sash.  The window was purchased from Menard's in 1993.  I contacted Crestline about where to find the replacement locks and they gave me the name of two possibilites, neither of which have been able to provide the locks.  In the meantime I discovered that Crestline customer support is also Menard's customer support.  It's possible that Menard's owns Crestline.  After I mentioned that the windows were purchased from Menard's they were more helpful.  I sent them photos of the existing locks so they could see what I have.  They sent two locks for me to try with an alternate set I could order if the first set didn't work.  Neither set works.

I know the design of the locks changed because I successfully replaced a set on a different window several years ago but the current design doesn't work at all.

Does anyone know of sources for window parts or how I might be able to resolve this?

Kent


texts: What are the drawbacks to having the bathtub on a different floor from the bedrooms?

texts:
We are buying a 2-floor house, and are thinking about the layout of the rooms and common spaces. The building company, by default, puts a bathtub on the second floor (where the bedrooms are), while putting a shower in the bathroom on the first floor (where the kitchen and the living room are). Unfortunately, the bathroom on the second floor is smaller than the one downstairs. Hence, we are thinking to ask the company placing the bathtub on the first floor instead.
We have not decided yet, but when looking at the houses around, we've noticed that they all have bathtubs on the second floor and a shower on the first floor. So there might be some reason for that which we do not grasp.
Can anyone help us understand what can be some potential pitfalls of having a bathtub downstairs?
Thanks in advance!


texts: Remove a screw stripped head with the reverse and hammer function of a power drill, instead of a lefthanded drill bit?

texts:
I just learned about left-handed drill bits that can be used to removed screws with stripped heads. However, without those lefthanded drill bits available, can I use the normal (right-handed) drill bits, and the Reverse function of the power drill to undo a screw with stripped head?
My DeWalt power drill/hammer/driver has the Hammer function, so combining with the Reverse function, it would additionally help?


texts:
I recently installed two sconces in our kitchen to replace some old halogen lights with LED bulbs. The boxes had three (?!) White wires twisted together, two black wires twisted, and one red. I surmised that the red was ground and attached the others in normal white-white black-black fashion.

Both of the lights (one of which has a gcfi outlet integrated into the switch box) trip the circuit breaker every time the switch gets flipped off.

Did I wire it wrong? Is there something I've missed?

UPDATE:

In accordance with Edwin's suggestion, I rewired the lights to cap the red wire by itself and connect the bare wire to the grounding screw in the back.

Good news: It no longer trips the breaker!

Bad news: It also no longer turns off!

I'm guessing that the bare wire I saw attached at the back isn't actually a grounding wire, and that there ISN'T one for the box...

The fixture's wire is already attached to the grounding screw on the mounting bracket. Is this sufficient, and can I just snip the rest of the bare wire after the grounding screw (rather than unscrewing everything for a third time...)?


texts: When pigtailing a second load to circuit

texts: If I add an outlet near the electric panel and pig-tail the hot wire to an existing 15a breaker do I have to attach the neutral and ground to a specific spot or any open slot on their respective bars?


texts: How can I repair a broken pivot hinge for a vanity mirror?

texts:
I have a bathroom vanity with three mirror panels, each on pivot hinges and magnetically held closed.  One of the hinges at the top split due to the metal being stressed repeatedly.  If you look at the photo, the hinges are attached by some fastener - not a screw.

What are my options for replacing this hinge?


texts: How do I find flow and return of central heating spur?

texts:
I'm attempting to confirm which of the two pipes of my central heating spur is the flow and which is the return.

The advice I've found so far says to look for marking: RED marking (either tape or valve handle or something else) etc show it to be flow, BLUE/no marking for return. Or run the heating and the FLOW pipe will get hot first.

However, I have a pair of pipes which are a spur off my heating loop, which are put in place to connect to my under floor heating. Neither of them have any water flowing in them at the moment (so neither get hot), as the heating has not been fully installed. How do I make sure I connect the flow to the correct side of my under floor heating pump?


texts: Ceiling fan on one circuit tripping GFCI on separate circuit

texts: Installed a ceiling fan dimmer switch in a bedroom that is on an arc fault circuit.  When pushing the dimmer switch up or down on the ceiling fan, it then trips the GFCI outlet on the bathroom circuit.  These are two separate circuits with two separate breakers in the breaker box so I'm perplexed as to why a GFCI outlet on one circuit would trip as a result of something on another circuit.  Should I assume something in the breaker box is wired up incorrectly?


texts:
We just moved into a new house with some iron fencing around the backyard and a large double gate to allow access to the backyard. Unfortunately one side of the gate was damaged at some point in the past and the two sides don't meet anymore and the latch doesn't close. Even worse the gap is big enough for my dog to slip through.

How can I bend that one bar back closer to true so that the two sides meet and my dog won't be able to run away? Trying to save myself the large expense of having to get a whole new gate.

My first thought was to use my car's scissor jack as recommended in this answer to a very similar question, but I don't think I could get it to fit in between the two bars in the right spot. The clamp spreader I feel is probably a good option, but I'm not sure how to use anything that spreads while preventing the bar next to it from bending instead -- which seems like the most likely outcome given the inward bent.


texts: What are the risks of improvising to use a nearby embedded metal as a local electrical ground?

texts:
I'm in India where domestic supply is 250V 50cps 1ph.
My question is similar to Why does my new floodlight trip the circuit breaker??
In my case the supply does not have a ground to this particular outlet. There is however an old rusted iron angle in the ground approx 10 feet away. The angle goes perhaps a metre deep into midly sticky soil.
What are the risks of improvising to use this iron angle as an electrical ground?


texts: How effective are DIN 985 self-locking nuts?

texts:
They're DIN 985 self-locking nuts

that have a plastic ring inside that is meant to cause extra friction and prevent self-loosening of the nut.

How effective are they against self-loosening?


texts:
I have to repressurize my Vaillant Aquaplus gas boiler, and I couldn't understand from the manual where exactly the internal filling loop should be fitted.

The water pipes don't have any valves directly on them, but the manual states that this model should be equipped with an internal filling loop.

However, I don't see one and I don't see how I would fit one here:

Can you please clarify where I should fit the flexible loop? This answer mentions a flexible silver pipe but I don't see it in the original picture.


texts: Do integrated condenser tumble dryers exist?

texts:
We're looking to fit a condenser tumble dryer into a kitchen unit.

It is possible to buy both integrated and free-standing vented dryers, but only a free-standing condenser. Searching the internet we have not been able to find an integrated condenser dryer, i.e. one that can be built into a unit.

We have tried Bosch, AEG, Miele, etc.

Does anyone know why? Or know of a good integrated vented dryer?

We can't be the first to want to put a condenser dryer in a unit.


texts: Exterior doors with built in blinds? A headache down the road? How to access and fix?

texts:
I'm looking at exterior doors for my house.
I see some that have venetian blinds built in between the exterior and interior panes of glass.
It seems like a good idea...the blinds won't get dusty, no messy ropes on the outside (they have another mechanism).

My question is...am I just setting myself up for headaches later?  If the blinds break, will they be a pain to service?

If so, how do I service them? Will the blinds be easily accessible?


texts: What's the widest two-by size for a door frame I can use without warping becoming an issue?

texts:
In order to be able to connect the outside (brick/masonry) and inside (lumber framing) structural elements, I need to use 2x10, anything shallower won't do. However, I'm reluctant to use lumber that wide as, in my experience, the wider it is (the width in 2xX being X), the more prone to warping it gets and I certainly don't want that for my entry door frame.

Is 2x10 okay to frame an entry door? Is my observation about the relationship between width and warping correct?


texts:
I made an outdoor cabinet out entirely out of cedar. The counter top was made of  cedar 1x4s originally but that proved to be a bad idea at preventing water ingress. Since then I've made a custom counter top out of cement.

How can I attach my cement counter top to my wooden cabinet? given that:

my cabinet is movable (on wheels)
I sometimes grab the counter top to move the cabinet

I have Lexel caulk on hand which would serve a double purpose of sealing the bottom of the counter top to the frame to prevent water ingress, however I don't know if that alone is enough to hold it in place given the movable nature of the cabinet.

I'm also afraid to drill in to it to put anchors as it is only 1.5in thick (rebar re-enforced).


texts: Four family home with community washers and dryers

texts:
I recently bought a four family property. I wanted to provide washers and dryers for my tents, 1 set per two units. However, I have run into an interesting dilemma. People want hot water on the washers but where should it come from? I don't think it's fair to run the hot water from one of the tenants hot water tanks.

Is the only option to get a 5th hot water tank dedicated to the washers? If so, who's gas line do I use to heat the tank? Any common solutions out there I am missing?


texts: We have existing polished timber floors, it is patchy (different parts of the house are floored with different kinds of timber) it also has a few gaps and holes. We are thinking of laying down some kind of timber veneer over the top, is this a good idea and if so what are the best materials available? (Ideally it would look as authentic as possible)


texts: How can I reduce sheen with touched-up wall paint?

texts: I touched up some paint spots on my stairway wall. When looking straight at the touch-ups, it looks blended in well with no obvious patch work. However, when looking at the paint at certain angles, it appears shiny/glossy as seen in the picture. How can I fix this issue? Thanks


texts: fixing stripped screw in soft-wood door frame?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do I rehang a wooden door with worn screw holes?

As you can see in the below image, the upper screw holding in the lock plate (name?) has stripped completely out of the crappy soft wood frame. The plate is loose, and the door catches on it further damaging the plate and the door.

I cannot relocate the plate, as that's well beyond my abilities as a DIY guy. What's the best way to secure the screw in the hole? Epoxy? Is simple hot glue good enough? I don't need to ever get it back out again... I just want it in tight so that plate doesn't catch on things and the door can be closed without worry...

Thank you!


texts:
I have a large concrete patio at the rear of our house - 12 inches thick, with no settlement noticed (it's been down for about 7 years now).

We're considering extending our deck out; at the moment we have a simple 5x5' deck which just leads to a set of steps down to the patio. We want to now build a 12x22' deck, and extend the roof out over the new deck.

Question; For the deck footings, do I need to cut through the patio and dig to below the frost level (~36inches in Utah), and then build back up with concrete footings, or can I just attach the 6x6" support pillars of the deck direct to the patio?


texts: How can I estimate the maximum load on shelves on a plasterboard wall?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How much weight can you mount to a wall?

(Apologies for asking here whilst not a serious DIYer, but as a Stack Overflow user it seemed like the obvious place!)

I would like to add some shelves to a wall in my house, but as the wall is only plasterboard, I am aware that the shelves won't be able to take much weight.  By knocking I can only detect a wooden baton behind one end, so I suspect the other end of the shelves would just have to screw into the plasterboard with nothing behind it.

Is there a good rule of thumb for estimating how much load the shelf would be able to take (e.g. kilograms per shelf bracket or somesuch), and if so, is there any extra information I need in order to calculate it (e.g. thickness of plasterboard)?


texts:
There is a white PVC pipe sticking out of the ground in my yard. It must have been put there when the house was built, before I was the owner.

What is this pipe for? It is about 4 or 5 inches in diameter and has a cap glued into the top to seal it. Or at least I think it is glued as I cannot seem to pull the cap off.

I think it might be related to the outdoor drainage system as the downspouts seem to pour into similar white PVC pipe. But if this is supposed to be some sort of access pipe, I can't figure out why it is sealed.

The reason why I am asking is because I want to dig out around the pipe, cut it off below ground level, re-seal it, and bury it under a layer of flagstones. It is right in the way and I keep tripping over it.


texts: I have an old railing that has hard, crystallized sap that has seeped through. I'd estimate it could be 75 years old. How can I remove the sap without damaging the finish?


texts: Trane XV-18 Dehumidification - Heat Strip

texts: We have a new home with a Trane XV-18 system.  In addition to its efficiency, it is touted to to be able to control humidity down to 45%.  However, it has proven that it is worse at controlling humidity than all the single-stage systems we've owned before, so there must be a problem with its configuration, programming, or design.  The installers here are completely incompetent, and the Trane support employees don't know anything, so it's up to us to resolve the issue.  I was just examining the installation of the unit, because our house has had so many installation and wiring issues due to the incompetency of our contractor and all sub-contractors involved with building the house.  I noticed the air handler does have an auxiliary heating element that appears to have never been used, even throughout the entire winter with temperatures dipping into the 20's.  Is that heat-strip/auxiliary heating element only used for heat, or is it also intended to be used for dehumidification as well?