texts: Simple question:  Should a new wall be primed before applying wallpaper?  Or can I just do it over finished drywall.


texts: How can I determine the fire rating of my entry door?

texts: I am trying to determine the Fire Rating of the entry door to my condo.  The only label on the door has the following:  A 111389  2688  S5712


texts: Floor vent under stove, does it need to be moved?

texts:
I am remodeling my kitchen and have a floor vent (hvac) that used to be in the space where the cabinets overhang the floor.  Not sure what it's called...the space where your feet can go under the cabinets.

The spot used to have a built in range (the oven was separate) so it wasn't a problem. In out remodeling we are replacing all that with a free standing range/oven combo.

Problem being that now the floor vent would be directly under the oven.

Can I just put a vent cover on it, and angle the vent to blow out and leave it underneath the oven or do I need to reroute the ductwork and find another place to move it?

This is the oven


texts: Water Supply Noise due to Thermal Expansion?

texts:
I have a plumbing issue that I'm looking for suggestions on. After using a substantial amount of hot water (say, a long shower + washing laundry) I will hear a loud rumbling / vibrating sound throughout the house, emanating from the water pipes. The noise seems to originate from the pressure regulator on the main water supply. If I open a hot water tap while the noise is occurring it will immediately stop. (The meters show that no water is flowing while the noise is occurring.)

I suspect that thermal expansion of hot water is causing backpressure on the regulator, and the noise is vibration as the seals in the regulator have water pushed past them.

My current plan is to get a pressure gauge and replicate the issue by nearly-emptying the hot water tank and letting it fill and heat. This should allow me to see the pressure swing in the system. Then based on what I see for the low and high pressures, consider the following options:

Decrease overall water pressure in the house so post-thermal-expansion it does not push back through the regulator.
Decrease hot water heater temperature (it's now around the recommended maximum of 130F-ish) to decrease thermal expansion.
Add an expansion tank to the hot side of the heater.

Does it sound like I'm on the right track?


texts: Is an Aluminium or Plastic Paint Container Better for Air Painting?

texts: I'm interested in buying an air paint gun (Probably from Harbor Freight), and I'm curious as to whether there are any advantages or disadvantages to using an aluminium paint container in a gravity fed paint gun, or should I use a plastic one? I would think that the possibility of a plastic container would be nice, but sticking with an aluminium one might be cheaper and more environmentally friendly, and maybe a plastic one would be easier to clean? I'm not sure. Is there a noticeable trade off between the two?


texts:
I requested a copy of my building plans from the city and I received them but I want to make sure I am reading them right. It looks like the foundation says the following:

It looks to me like it says 30 inches square by 18 inches deep and the rest pertains to the rebar?

Also, in the copy of the plans below you will see that the garage foundation (in orange) is different from the living room (in pink). I have a pink square representing a 3rd car garage the way my house was built. Does that use the pink foundation plan or the orange one?


texts: Can activated carbon eliminate odors in a bedroom?

texts: http://www.ehow.com/how_5656042_use-activated-charcoal-odor-neutralizers.html says that it can eliminate odors, but it only recommends it for small spaces.


texts: Why is the vent pipe in the basement and not the roof?

texts:
Apologies if this is the wrong forum to post this question. Our house has a vent pipe in the basement coming off the main stack (water line going to sewer).

I understand there is a pressure difference created during a flow (from flush or sink water) but why is the vent in the basement? Or is there one on the roof as well? Should I be concerned there will be runoff or splash-back in the basement in case the pipe is blocked?

The flexible tube sticking with the cap was recently added because of some splash back that occurred due to a blockage at the bottom junction. I'll let you know the model of the cap but I believe it is something similar to a plastic version of a Gizmo vent cap. I'll edit when I know the exact model. Since this installation, I haven't noticed any more runoff coming out.


texts: Is this normal for the brick to extend past the concrete slab foundation?

texts: I am in the process of buying a home and noticed that the brick extends past the concrete slab foundation. I checked different houses around the area and all were flush with the concrete slab. Is this normal or a concern?


texts: Connecting water tankers at different levels

texts: I have 2 water tanks installed in my 3 story building. 1st one is on top of the 3rd floor, the other one is on top of 2nd. The pump is installed at Ground Floor. Now I  made one outlet at 800 lts of 3rd Floor tank of 1000 lts capacity as inlet for 2nd floor tank. However the pressure was very low and before 2nd floor tank filling, 3rd floor tank was getting overflowed. How to address this problem


texts: Why would a replacement 3-way light switch cause the other switch to no longer work?

texts:
I just attempted to replace an existing three way switch (two switches controlling the same light), with one of these

I hooked up the cables in the same way as on the old switch. The new switch seemed to use the terms 1WAY instead of L1 and 2WAY instead L2, but reading the installation instructions, I think these are equivalent.

The replacement switch worked, however the other switch which controls the same light (which I didn't change at all) no longer worked. I put the old switch back on and now everything works again...

What am I doing wrong with the new switch? Is the new switch switching differently?


texts: Cold water smell only in 2 of 3 bathrooms

texts: 2 of 3 bathrooms have smell in cold lines only! It dissipates in 1-2 minutes. system has been chlorinated twice.  could it be in faucets?


texts: What is code for installing a dishwasher in the U.S.?

texts: I will be replacing my dishwasher and I am curious what is the current code for the wiring of the dishwasher.


texts: Wiring a light fixture in bathroom attached to a switch and GFCI

texts:
I am replacing all the components in my bathroom during a remodel. I have a box that has a light switch and a GFCI, the switch controls the vanity light. When i removed the old fixture I neglected to note how everything was hooked up.

Everything seems to be hooked up properly, the switch controls the fixture with no problems, but the GFCI won't reset it stays tripped.

Any ideas?

The box for the switch and GFCI seemed straight forward, two sets of 3 wires, 1 black, 1 white and 1 ground. One set for the switch and one set for the GFCI. The box for the light fixture has 2 black and 2 white wires. One black wire is loose, the other is attached to a black wire that goes into the wall and this connection is wrapped in uninsulated copper wire.

I also have 2 white wires. So, I attached the black wire to the black wire on the fixture, and both white wires to the white wire on the fixture and the ground wire from the fixture to the green screw on the mounting harness.

What I get is what I mentioned before, the switch turns the light on and off, but the GFCI trips right away.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

here's the best i can do to diagram the situation. there are walls in place so I'm trying to give as much info as possible


texts: Can an upstream fault trip a downstream GFCI?

texts: Have a GFCI outlet that trips every time it rains hard, always resets right away and rarely trips again with the same rain storm. On that breaker are two upstairs bathrooms and a garage (3 outlets total, w/ 1 GFCI in bath), all inside under roof. Plugged into that circuit is a freezer (GFCI tripped before that was added), a FIOS ONT unit powered via UPS unit and an window unit air conditioner (already eliminated as cause).


texts: I have a older toilet(1970’s) with Sloan valve flush system- can I replace the Sloan valve with a tank and keep the bowl?


texts: is using 2 sch40 45 elbows the same as using a single 1-1/4" DWV elbow

texts: I am hooking up a Saniflow toilet that allows a sink to drain into it. The sink is 1-1/4 and the saniflow is 1-1/4 so I cant use anything but 1-1/4" lines. I cannot find any 1-1/4 DWV elbows locally. I am wondering if it is ok to use 2 sch 40 45 deg fittings in place of a 90 degree DWV elbow at 1-1/4".


texts: Replacing a sill, on a factory built Marvin window?

texts:
The following windowsill, and the ones like on the same building, have failed.  Patching with Smith's Flexible Epoxy kept the sills alive for a few years, but now the entire sill feels like balsa wood and crumbles with finger strength.  These are factory built units that were delivered with the sill and stucco molding intact.

Several contractors have said with Marvin factory built units, there is no option but to throw the entire window unit away.  Are there other options?

The local Marvin dealer tells me the construction of today's windows is identical to the 30 year old models, but that after a class action lawsuit settlement, a slightly better grade of pine is used.  Here's a modern one:

The sill is attached with a few screws and some nail gun nails.

Update #1

Here's what it looks like inside.  The top of the rough opening was flat.  The windows are wedged in tight.  The top plate of the right hand rough opening was gone, the one below has damage but is sound enough:

Update #2

Found out these Marvin windows were installed in 1985.


texts: Extending line using switch boxes as j-boxes?

texts:
TLDR: can a light switch box be used as a j-box to extend a lead for a different circuitry?
I am removing a long section of a wall (shown with blue outline) and I need to rehouse some of the wiring of a circuit.
Right now I have a single lead coming from breaker box, through floor joists, into a 2-gang box (B) with light switches. Switch #1 powers under-the-cabinet lights, and switch #2 powers a kitchen fan. The same box also acts as a j-box for kitchen can light circuitry (actual switches for those are located elsewhere), and a range hood.
I am removing the under-the-cabinet lights, as well as the hood circuit, so I only need to power and switch the fan, and power the can light circuit. I will have a single switch (C) on the remaining section of that wall, but the lead is not long enough to reach it. The path from the breaker box for new wiring is a very difficult one so I'd rather not fish a new wire. But the existing lead can easily reach the 4-gang box (A) in a nearby wall/post.
Is it okay to use box A as a j-box to splice another run of 14/2 wire through ceiling joists to box C?
Thanks!


texts: Changing 3 way switch to a half 3-way switch half outlet, missing a neutral

texts:
I'm attempting to swap out a 3-way switch for a half 3-way switch / half outlet single gang receptacle.

I've got the three way switch working (I believe it was incorrectly wired to begin with), but the outlet does not work and there is no neutral. Is there anything I can do?

Here is a photo while I was in the middle of wiring it up (ground not connected).


texts: Will a Tripped GFCI wired at the end of a circuit kill power to all receptacles in that circuit? (Panel Breaker not tripped)

texts: I have a panel circuit with a 20A breaker. This circuit has 4 regular outlets and 1 20A GFCI outlet wired at the end of the circuit. The GFCI outlet is 15 years old and is an outside receptacle with the rest of the circuit is located inside my garage. The GFCI outlet has 1 wire with a Black and White conductor (+Grd). While running an extension cord to this GFCI outlet to temporarily run my Pool Pump, the GFCI tripped (Faulty Extension cord confirmed). The entire series of outlets also lost power although the Panel breaker (20A) did not trip. The GFCI will not reset either. (Diagram included) Will replacing the GFCI correct my no power issue for the entire circuit?


texts: How to utilize the free water from my well drawn sprinkler pump

texts: My pump drawn sprinkler system has a spigot for a garden hose. Can I use it to water my plants or wash my car, pressure wash my driveway, top off my pool, hose off the boat?  I see this as a big money saving possibility.   If so, how do I do it? For instance, do I run my sprinkler system in a certain zone and simply turn the handle on the spigot?


texts:
Here are pictures of my setup:

Here is the led light I was using which works without removing the ballast in the other fixture.
But I would still like to learn how to bypass the ballast.


texts: Insulating a cathedral roof with rigid foam

texts:
I am in the process of remodeling the 2nd floor of our cape and I am trying to figure our how to insulate it.  Here is what the 2nd floor looks like, roughly.

Here is another drawing that shows the venting.  You can see that it has a ridge vent, and some sort of small soffit vent.  Not shown are the gable vents, the knee walls, and the collar ties, among other things.

I'm in zone 5 and I'd like to have more insulation than the R13 I could fit in the rafters.  So because of that I am trying to decide between having spray foam insulation, or using rigid foam between the rafters.  I'm hesitant to use spray foam since I know less about it, I don't know if converting to an unventted roof is a good idea, I feel like I might need to change some of my roof sheathing soon, and I am only able to redo half of the second floor at a time.

My thought for the rigid foam would be to do whats shown in the drawing below.  Additionally I would use expanding foam to seal foam to the rafters and top plate.

So, besides costing quite a bit of money, is this a good idea? Are my reasons for avoiding spray insulation even remotely valid?


texts: Ceiling electrical box rated for fan, and type of screws

texts: I'm trying to install a ceiling fan, however I'm not sure if the electrical box is rated for a ceiling fan. There are no screws available in the box. Am I supposed to use the screws through the box ears and then into holes at the end? The holes at the end only seem to have 2-3 threads, would they be enough to hold the weight of fan? The fan I'm trying to install needs at least 35 lbs weight (actual weight of fan is around 15 lbs). Do I use 10-32 screws or 10-24, and what length?


texts: Why did my drill stop when trying to pilot a screw hole in framing lumber?

texts:
I am trying to mount a 23" monitor to a wall. I located the stud and used a bit to drill through the drywall into the stud. I went as far as I could before it started to smell and smoke. I then attempted to drill the large screw into the new hole. The screw got so far, then stopped. I tried to push through as much torque as I could but the drill died on the spot.

I've seen a drill battery died before, usually it wines, slows and dies. This went from full power to dead instantly. I plan on using a hammer drill tonight to try the same thing with better results.

Before I do:

Can you think of a reason I couldn't get through the stud? I have a 12 volt drill (hardly heavy duty). Is this too weak to do the job? Any comments or thoughts are appreciated.


texts: corian sink overflow tube and box replacement

texts: Does anyone sell the plastic box for the overflow tube on a Corian sink. I can find the tube for sale but not the box.


texts: How should I wire for two side-by-side refrigerators?

texts:
I’m installing a stand up fridge and stand up freezer, side by side (ie, there are two separate units). These will be in a new location so I’m adding the electrical wiring. I was going to use a 12/3 wire with a split receptacle and 20 amp breaker. Both units would be plugged into the same receptacle. Alternatively I could run two 12/2 wires and have two outlets.
I see the code in my area (Ontario, Canada) is that I can use a 14/2, 15 amp dedicated circuit (with the option of using 12/2, 20 amp). But I’m not able to find a situation where you have a Fridge and Freezer.
Specific question: is 12/3 20 amp split receptacle to plug in a freezer and fridge (side by side) meeting code?
Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.


texts:
We own a third floor condo in a house from the 1860s. I am trying to identify the load bearing walls in our apartment.

Wall A is load bearing because it supports the roof joists. But what about wall B? My assessment is that it is not load bearing because the roof and ceiling joists run parallel to it. However, I am having problems finding all the ceiling joists. Most are hidden under insulation but they seem to run parallel to Wall B and are supported by Wall C or A. But again, I can only see them in a few places. In addition, I poked some holes above the wood framing of the opening in wall B, and it's pretty much hollow (there is a stud right next to it).


texts: Grounding chandelier in old pan junction box

texts:
I recently removed a crossbar from one of my ceiling pan junction boxes and replaced it with a hickey. As I understand it, having the crossbar was a bit odd since a mounting stud was already available. But, I wonder if the crossbar was there specifically for the sake of grounding.

I replaced the crossbar with a hickey attached to the mounting stud/bolt/screw in the ceiling as illustrated in these depictions.

This worked great. However...

The crossbar had a green 10-32 ground screw in it. There is no such ground screw in the junction box now that the crossbar is gone and the hickey is in place. The ground wire from the chandelier was connected/fastened to the ground screw on the crossbar. There are no ground wires at all in the junction box. There is no place for a ground screw in the junction box.

It seems common in Chicago (where I live) to find that the junction boxes in a home don't have ground wires. It seems most likely that the box is grounded through the metal conduit.

What would be an ideal way to handle this chandelier ground wire now that I have no obvious place to connect it?

Coil it up and tuck it away in the junction box, or otherwise leave the wire disconnected (though keeping in mind that this could be a safety risk or illegal)? Drill/tap a hole for a ground screw in the junction box?

This and this lead me to believe that although the mounting hardware may have seemed redundant, the mounting strap was indeed performing a necessary function before, and that a saftey risk is now present without that ground wire being connected.

  Yes, metal-metal contact between parts is acceptable grounding if all these are true:

  the mounting bracket is bottomed out "hard" against the metal junction box (not dangling by the screws or floating on drywall ears, as is usually the case with receptacles and switches)
  and both are clean bare metal (not contaminated with paint, rust etc.)
  and there are no insulators in the way (those little squares that outlets use to capture screws).

These conditions ^ were present with the previous crossbar assembly.


texts:
Which side of this cabinet/gate hinge should go on the cabinet door? I believe the long-side.

https://www.natman.com/detail/841-ornamental-reversible-t-hinges-n881-904

Further, should the hinge pin be located right over the space where the sides meet the cabinet door? I designed in a 1/8th inch gap around the door to prevent rubbing.

Sorry if these are basic questions, I've only got one shot at this.


texts: Large drywall patch: how to avoid bulging seams?

texts:
I'm about to install a 24" x 60" section of 1/2" drywall, to patch an area I cut away for access to make repairs. The bottom (long) and one side (short) edges of the patch will be hidden, but the top and left joints will be made mid-wall, and I'm worried that they'll be visible as bulges.

The patch has the usual tapered edge on one of the long sides, so I could install that edge up or down. The edges of the hole cut in the existing wall are of course not tapered.

Should I try to taper the existing drywall before doing the joints? Or should I just bite the bullet and do a whole lot of feathering?

Edit: the short seam is on top of a stud, while the long seam spans several 16" stud bays.


texts: Wiring AC ARC Welding machine Three Phase

texts:
I sold my inverter machine to buy a three phase arc welding machine because I read it's more solid, but I can't figure out how to wire it, the seller is clueless he doesn't know what is the difference between three phase and single phase, the manual is in Chinese with bad translation to English and for a different model; I returned it to the seller, and I tried to find another one but I couldn't find any three phase AC arc welder there are only single phase welders so I bought it back from the same seller again.
The model is BX1-250 "BX1 Series" it has two inputs "1" for 240V and "2" 380V.
I think I should connect N-L1 in input 1 and L2-L3 in input 2, but I'm afraid I'm going to toast it. Anyone is familiar with these AC ARC welding Machines?

My English is not good.


texts: Green and red wire connected together on terminal

texts: I am installing a smart thermostat but I found the old thermostat has the green and red wires both running to the g terminal. When installing the new thermostat I will be removing the jumper wire between RC & RH. I do not have a heat pump ac unit only I live in south FL.


texts: My Makita cordless saw has stopped working. I have replaced the brushes and armature. With the brushes removed I have 19V at the holders. With the brushes inserted and in contact with the new armature the reading is 22mv. I am not an electrical engineer so I do not know if this reading is correct. There is no hum or suggestion that the armature will turn.Regards Gordon Clamp


texts: Threads in brass floor lamp post have been stripped. No longer twists and stays in place. How can I fix the threads?

texts: I have a floor lamp that comes in sections that you twist to screw together. the threads on one section have become stripped and the sections no longer stay together. Is there a way I can fix these threads at home instead of throwing the whole lamp out?


texts: Are there power transfer switches with various and diverse input types?

texts:
If you have solar, you might get a manual transfer switch between utility and solar.  Both of those would be hard wired.
So let's say you had solar and utility power AND a generator ... I see there are three-way transfer switches - again, all three choices would be hard wired.
But what if you had solar, utility, generator AND you also had various other power inputs in the future that you could not predict ahead of time.  Maybe someone shows up with a solar array on a truck or someone drives up towing a bigger generator ... or maybe you disconnect your electric car batteries from the car itself and cable it up to the house ...
The point is, you would need a transfer panel with various, diverse inputs (perhaps standard NEMA plugs ?  Open bus bars ?  Lugs to clamp onto ?) and it would need to be able to switch between, say, five or six different inputs.  Basically, a swiss army knife manual transfer switch.
Do these exist ?  Is it possible to wire a device (switch) into my mains power such that I could rent a big huge Ingersoll Rand Diesel generator and drive it up to my house and connect it with cables without rewiring my house ?
How can I create a collection of diverse power inputs for my house that would allow me to opportunistically use whatever power input happened to be available ?
Thank you.


texts: Waiting a year before applying semi-solid stain to new treated pine deck?

texts:
We had a new pressure-treated pine deck installed about six months ago.
I know the wood has aged/dried enough to take a semi-ttransparent stain.
But we prefer the appearance of a semi-solid stain like Cabot's or Armstrong & Clark's.
The instructions from Armstrong & Clark say you should wait at least a year before using their semi-solid stain.
I guess I don't know what to do in the meantime?
Should we just leave it unfinished, or should we apply a semi-transparent stain then apply the semi-solid one after another year has gone by?
I'm pretty confused! Any help would be appreciated!
Thank you!


texts: Surge protector for appliances - per appliance? Non-standard?

texts:
I was told by a technician that I need a separate surge protector for each appliance (washing machine, dryer, etc. They have electronic boards in them). I was also told that I need a special one for appliances and not the one used for electronic equipment such as computers.

Both recommendations seem wrong. A surge should be suppressed according to the power of the surge, nothing else. However, I'm not an expert and hence this question - is either (or both) of the recommendations correct?


texts: Hooking up a home theater system with both analog and digital devices?

texts:
Last night I tried hooking up the new AV Receiver [Yamaha rx-v477] that I bought for my dad, but I had trouble getting a video signal from his old DVD player. This is the basic setup:

Devices going into the receiver:

Cable box [HDMI video + audio] -> HDMI2.
Chromecast [HDMI video + audio] -> HDMI6.
DVD player [Component video + Optical audio] -> AV1

Then I plugged the receiver into the TV via HDMI. I got audio from everything, and video from everything except the DVD player! I tried using composite from the DVD player to the receiver and had the same issue; no video, only sound..

I'm going to work on it more today, but I thought I'd seek advice first. So, how can I hook this up correctly? I was under the impression that the receiver would handle all the various input devices and simply send video to the HDTV via HDMI and audio to the speakers. Do I need more than just a single HDMI connection from the receiver to the HDTV in this type of setup?


texts: How should I connect a grounding wire from a device to this box?

texts: I'm replacing this simple 2-connector light switch with a 4-wire dimmer. The 2 new wires present on the dimmer are neutral and ground, and only neutral has an obvious home. The box has no visible ground wires. Can I safely ground the dimmer to a box screw or leave the dimmer ground wire disconnected?


texts:
Background: in my neighborhood the water company is renewing the pipe line, taking away the old metal pipes and replacing them with plastic pipes. The electrical network company has thus sent a letter to all the houses (built in the late '60es) advising to check that the grounding was not made by connecting to the water pipes (now this is not allowed, but it was common in the past), as this would basically leave the house with no grounding after the replacement. After this check they ask for a written communication that the grounding is ok, to be done before the replacement works begin.

Is there a way to check how the grounding is made? From the electric cabinet I just see a cable going below the floor, and I cannot wait for them to remove the pipes and then check if I still have grounding.


texts: Separating wall cavity from cold air return for cable

texts:
I'm running cable for a motion sensor for our alarm system.  I want to put it in the corner of the room and run the cable down inside the wall cavity, then through the right-side stud and down to a hole to the basement.

However, at the bottom of that wall (on the other side) is a cold air return from the adjoining room, and I know I can't run the cable in this space as long as it's part of the cold air return.

If I put a horizontal 2x4 above the cold air return and seal it with fire caulk, would that allow me to run the cable through the part of the wall I have now separated from the cold air return (safely and compliant with NEC)?

You can see the cold air return here; the 2x4 blocking would go above this opening, and the cable would be above that.


texts: What is the easiest way to stop a door from catching on the floor?

texts:
When I open and close my bathroom door, it catches on the floor. This makes it hard to open and close it, and also makes a really annoying sound.

What is the easiest way to stop the door from touching the floor?


texts: Can you recommend tools and materials for building a gate like this?

texts:
I want to improve my home by building a nice gate like this one.  Can you recommend tools and building materials?

Mike


texts: What are the relationships between ground and arc protection in breakers and in outlets?

texts:
I'm wondering how combos of AFCI & GFCI protection on breakers and outlets affect overall circuit safety & performance. What I mean is, how do different combinations of GFCI and/or AFCI protection relate when applied on a circuit breaker and/or an outlet?

Some combinations I've heard/thought of already are as follows, but I'm not sure how the different protection methods and redundancy between the same kinds of protection can help or hurt one another. The items in bold are the ones in particular I'd like to learn more about. How does the combination of safety devices interact with one another? Assume the circuit is grounded (e.g. connected via NM 14/2 with ground wire hooked up properly throughout.

regular breaker with overcurrent protection + regular outlet
reg breaker + GFCI outlet
GFCI breaker + GFCI outlet
AFCI breaker + GFCI outlet
AFCI & GFCI combo breaker + GFCI outlet
AFCI & GFCI combo breaker + regular outlet


texts: What gasket material to repair a pneumatic nail gun?

texts:
I've got a consumer-grade, 18 gauge pneumatic brad nailer that just blew a gasket.  It's a discontinued model with no repair parts available.
The gasket I'm referring to, labelled as part 9 on the left side of the diagram below, goes between the head cap (part 8) and the housing for the piston (part 30).

For scale, it's about 2.25" x 2.5", a little over 1 mm thick, and about 1/8" wide (the thickness of the housing wall).  It feels like it might be polypropylene.  The gasket tore apart in use, allowing air to leak out too fast for the gun to be useful.
A replacement gasket needs to have a few characteristics:

The thickness needs to be very close to the original to provide proper clearances for the components inside.
The housing wall is only 1/8" thick, the shape is skinny and complex, and there's not much surface area.  The gasket shape needs to be precise to accurately mate with the whole contact surface.  The material must be soft enough to compress and seal surface irregularities, but rigid enough to not flex out of the gap under pressure.
It must handle 100 psi without ballooning out or tearing.

Is there a common sheet or caulk-like gasket material that would be suitable for making a replacement?
As supplementary insight, if any reader has attempted a similar repair, based on that experience, is a gasket of this type, tolerances, and complexity even practical to reproduce at home?


texts: How often should I backwash my pool filter?

texts:
I have a pressure gauge on top of my DE filer:

Recently the pool guy came out when the Zodiac wasn't pulling strong enough to climb the sides and showed me that the pressure was 35 and that the filter needed back washing. Doing this brought it down to 25. It's now up at 30 and I'm trying to work out if I should wait until it's at 35 again to backwash or should I do it now?


texts: Why does my washer trip circuit breaker on sanitize cycle?

texts:
Bought this machine used and the seller failed to mention this to me or this is a problem with my wiring.

All cycles complete 100% on this machine (LG model WM2277HW), except for the aforementioned "Sanitary" cycle. That cycle is one of the reasons my wife wanted to purchase this.

Anyway, I've done general troubleshooting and I'm somewhat lost.  I've got 123 volts at my outlet, which is a dedicated line straight to the breaker box with a 20 amp breaker (I have swapped around breakers and their location within the box).  I replaced the old outlet (I could feel it getting hot) to no avail.

LG service manual says I can check water temp by pressing and holding the Wash/Rinse button.  During the sanitary cycle, the display shows the water temp slowly rising, as there is an independent water heater inside this unit (which I believe is only used during the sanitize cycle).  At some point that I'm not certain of, the breaker trips.  If I hear it I can run over to the breaker box, reset it, turn the unit back on, start the cycle again and it will trip it at the very beginning of the cycle instead of halfway through.  If I wait a couple minutes, it will run the cycle again without tripping in the beginning.  If I open the door up, the water has definitely been heated and I can see steam.

I've run tests (very high RPM spin speed, water cycling, heater on/off) as indicated in the service manual and nothing trips the breaker.  All this leads me to believe I've maybe got some exposed insulation in that line and after the washer has been pulling a lot of amps for a while the heat is causing expansion and then a short develops.  Or both of the breakers I tested are faulty.

Does this sound feasible or is this more than likely a control board/ heater element issue in the washer?  I know I need to test it on another line, but I don't have another dedicated line anywhere close.  I could plug it into the other bathroom circuit, remove all load and test there.  Will that work?

My thought process:

Heater element is working long enough to raise temp considerably,
indicating non-faulty.
Tumbler works on regular cycle, indicates no-fault
Drain pump works on regular cycle, no-fault
Circulation pump works (though rather loudly) on regular cycle, no-fault
This leaves the outlet, wire, or breaker as most likely culprit


texts: Metal columns in basement span two beams

texts:
I am doing some renovations in my basement and noticed that the metal columns aren't centered on one main beam but centered on the gap between two beams. You can see it in the picture below (with the wood block above it splitting in the middle I might add)

Shouldn't the metal column be centered on one main beam instead of spanning two? Or is there a reason why it would be spanning two beams? It is a modular home, if that makes a difference.

This other photo is a picture farther down, just showing that the gap spans the entire length of the house. The other beam is centered on it as well.

The house was built in 2004. I'm wondering if they did something "unique" here that I should be concerned about.


texts: What are these weird tubes cut off in the ceiling of 1900 era American Foursquare?

texts: I can see these tubes in between floors from an access panel. Wondering what they were for? Should I be concerned about them?


texts: Should I apply caulk before or after washing with TSP?

texts:
Should I apply painters caulk before or after I wash the walls and trim with TSP? I don't know if the TSP would damage the new caulk.

I'm going to be painting the interior of a 100-year-old house. Some of the existing paint is oil-based, some is latex, and most has lead. Some walls are dirty, and the rest are very dirty :)

We've replaced windows with new inserts and have re-installed the original trim. There are also quite a few nail holes, etc, to fill in. So we have a lot of caulking to do. I was planning to use acrylic latex caulk with silicone.

Thanks for any information you can give me.


texts: Can I add a porcelain bathroom fixture to existing tile?

texts: I have a tub and shower with no means of placing bottles of wash or shampoos except for around the edge of the tub.  I tried to put in a make-shift shelf tower but it does not fit.  I wanted to put porcelain shelves in the corners but I need to do it over existing tile.  I have done it before without removing the original tile but it was about 9 years ago and I can't remember how I did it.  I tried to remove some of the existing tile to place one shelf but managed to pull out Sheetrock that now has to be replaced.  I am not going to ruin any more of the tile or wall.


texts: Is there such a thing as an arc-fault breaker in 1/2” size for GE?

texts:
The panel is loaded but not to capacity. To bring the current sub-panel up to the imminent adoption of the 2017 code, half-sized AFCI or combination breakers would be great.

Is there such a thing as THQP1120AF or THQP1120AF2?

(15A versions too)


texts:
I have an outdoor spigot (like the old red "pump handle" kind) in my back yard. It's down the hill from the well and pump, and in between the house / indoor pressure tank and the well head.
My dad thinks that the pump handle is in a direct line from the well (plumbed between the well and the pressure tank), but I'm thinking that the pump handle must be on a different line, after the pressure tank.
My reasoning is that the pressure switch on the pressure tank is what triggers the well pump to turn on, so if the pump handle was plumbed directly on a T from the well line and before the pressure tank, there's no way for the pump to get activated to supply pressure to the pump handle.
Anyone know how these are generally plumbed before I dig it out and take a look?
Adding info:
I want to run a line to an external unit (ADU over garage). I'm not sure if I need to run a line out from the pressure tank in the house, or if I can run from the pump handle. There's no filtration / water softener in the system, so no worries about treated vs. untreated


texts: Gabion cage retaining walls: drainage and deadman needs?

texts:
I'm having some difficulty finding information about gabion retaining wall construction.

We're building a 2' high gabion cage wall to hold back 2' of flat topsoil backfill.

There are two aspects I can't find definitive information on:

1) Drainage pipe/plane. Is that needed at all? I've built block retaining walls before where you want to backfill the wall with a french drain, drainable rock, and then filter fabric. But it seems to be a gabion wall, in itself, is a drainage plane. Is there any reason to just not line the back side of the cage with filter fabric before filling with rocks?

2) Deadmen. Are they generally needed for 2' walls? And, if so, any ideas how to do that with a gabion cage? I was thinking of hammering in some metal fence stacks 4' back, and then just wiring them to the cages. But not sure if that's even worth the effort.


texts: Concerns about broken washer found in water supply

texts:
Today I've notice black particles in the water from a faucet. Upon removing the aerator, I noticed chunks of plastic nearly clogging it. It appears to be from a washer. I don't know where it comes from, but recently I did have to use some shut offs in the water supply line.

Would the part that lost that washer be leaking?

I've noticed a few shut off points (angle stops, water shutoff) that leak when in or near the "OFF" position, but not on the "ON" position. Is this the only effects of a broken washer? Could the "ON" position eventually leak by itself if it is not fixed?


texts: Is a tight fit acceptable when fitting a GFCI into an old metal box?

texts:
It was recommended by the inspector to replace the current 2-prong outlets with GFCI outlets (grounded 3 prong was the top recommendation, but that is a bit out of budget for renovations at the moment). During the installation today, I ran into the wiring below and had a rough time getting it into the outlet (ended up doing a back wire install as outlined in the guide[0]). All seemed to be working fine and tested with the multimeter, but have been a bit paranoid about the age of the wiring...
Questions:

What kind of sheath is around this wire? They are both black from dirt now, the wiring inside was fragile (the gentlest touch with the pliers broke off wiring tips)--is this old enough that a professional should be called to work with it?
Is a really tight fit generally safe? I ended up pushing the receptacle back into the box pretty forcefully to have it stay in place.

Specs:

Leviton Smartlock Pro GFCI (20amp/125v)

Image:

[0] https://www.leviton.com/en/docs/guidelight.pdf


texts:
We had/have a bad mouse infestation. It appears they setup shop in the attic, but then moved into the interior of our home :(.

Example attic:

Example interior (under stove, eating the couch!, basement floor)

Finished basement (drop ceiling, insulation shots)

We've set snap traps throughout the house and poison in the attic - we haven't seen fresh signs in about 2 weeks. We've deep cleaned the interior of the home with bleach, and had professional carpet and upholstery cleaners come out. We've gone through absolutely everything in the house looking for any signs, and cleaned out everything. I've gone through the exterior of the home and put in copper mesh in any openings.

My question... what "should I do" about the hard to clean areas (e.g. attic, basement drop ceiling, contaminated insulation, etc.)?

In your opinion should I have professional cleaners come in? I feel like if I contact a professional wildlife cleanup service they will tell me that it needs to be cleaned up, because that's how they get paid. In my eyes this whole mess looks horrible, and I feel like everything needs to be pulled out and removed. I'd love to hear an unbiased opinion (not emotional from me, and financially motivated from a pro).

Thank you!


texts: What is the likely cause of a hidden leak from shower and toilet use?

texts:
Our kitchen ceiling has a leak.

We have narrowed it down to it coming from the master bathroom shower. If one person takes a shower, it’s fine. If a second person showers shortly after or even a couple hours later, we get water leaking from the ceiling in the kitchen. Not a whole lot, but enough that has done damage to ceiling and leaves water on kitchen floor.  Also sometimes if master bath shower turns on, and we flush toilet in master bath, it drips. We replaced shower pan less than a year ago, and it was ok for a few months but is now back.

What is the most likely causes of my leak?
How should I approach finding and fixing it?


texts: Best way to connect 3/4" copper pipe to 1/2"

texts:
My main copper water lines are 3/4" but in a new bathroom undoubtedly the valves are 1/2" so it will need to be stepped down.

What is the highest quality way to do this?

I presume the basic approach is that a copper fitting with a 3/4" in and 1/2" out is soldered onto the pipe.


texts: Minimum length of concrete fasteners to floor and ceiling to attach a wall?

texts:
I want to attach a wall, of 7-9.2cm thickness, on ceiling and floor. Drywall with wood frame done for living  apartment in a block of flat: 42mm x 66mm woods form the wood frame where 13mm drywalls attached on both sides. Some wood frames are 70mm thick while others 92mm.

Recommedations conflict for fasteners: 120mm fine, 120mm too long, 100mm good -- not wanting fastener to go into neighbour side in a block of flat. The fasteners are needed to be attached to the floor and ceiling. The floor and ceiling are concrete.

How to determine the minimum length for a concrete fastener to build a wall?


texts: Get rid of mold in closet already painted over

texts:
I have mold in a closet with 2 water pipes.  7 years ago there was a leak upstairs that ran down. My roommate does not want to involve building so it's up to me.  I had a removal company come and do a crummy job - I can't afford more and roommate won't let me remove old plaster.  So I painted over with Zinsser Mold killing primer, then let that dry a few days and painted with Zinsser® PERMA-WHITE® Mold & Mildew-Proof™* Interior Paint. I can still smell the mold.  I read on a post here
     "It's best to go with a natural, organic and effective remedy. I've been in   the business 12 years. First use a roller, dip it in vinegar, ( rice wine or apple cider) Then you have to use a special Lime Paint over a quartz-stone primer. this will eliminate all mold permanently. It raises the alkalinity levels in the air so mold can't grow on it."

Can I use lime paint and/or a quartz-stone primer over what I have already done?


texts: Should I use 2 plumbing traps at either end of a drain extension?

texts:
I have a washing machine that I am moving 2.5m from it's original spot.

A standard p-trap is already in the original place before connecting to the drain, i am tapping into this stand pipe for the extension.

Should I add another trap to the other end of the extension next to where I am moving the washer to, or is the original enough?


texts: How do I seal ventilation vents while sanding a hardwood floor?

texts:
How do I stop the wood dust from entering the vents while I'm sanding the hardwood floor? I am thinking that stuffing with newspapers will do the trick, but this may have two flaws:

It will not completely seal the vents. Some dust will make its way. (Does it matter?)
The newspapers may be a fire hazard during the brief time the sander will be over the vents. (Can paper ignite from friction this easily?)

How does a professional solve this problem? The rectangular holes seem to be of standard dimensions. Is there a special device that will fit just right?


texts:
Well, um, uh, long story short, I have holes in one of my interior doors.

Full picture of door here: https://i.imgur.com/SUBbWY3.jpg

What is the best way to go about repairing it? Should I go about this similar to fixing holes in drywall? Should I find replacement wood to go into the holes? I am concerned about the amount of missing material. I am not sure if tons of spackle paste would work well as the other question's answer states.


texts: How to adjust strike plate in a metal door jamb

texts: My bathroom door isn't latching properly and it seems that the strike plate is not seated properly in the jamb. It's a 1950s apartment and all the door frames are metal, so I can't just chip away some wood. What else can I try?


texts: Why has my shower head stopped spraying?

texts: The shower head in my master shower just suddenly stopped spraying. Now the water just comes out, but not in a spray. I know that's not very clear, but I don't know how to describe it. Its pretty old, but has always worked great. How can I tell if its the shower head, or a valve, which is what my husband thinks


texts:
The drywall in our garage has holes, gashes, areas of moisture damage, etc.
If we replace it, in a number of years it will be back to the same state.
Can anyone recommend a material that will hold up better....
also, that could be removed for access to pipes and wires if necessary without damaging it?

Below are the requested pictures. The garage is on the ground floor.
This is a converted barn.
The left wall adjoins the basement, which is an office and storage.
Behind the back wall is house foundation.
The right wall is stone foundation, which won't be affected.
I am looking for a material for the left wall. From what I have read above and elsewhere, drywall may be mandatory.


texts: What type of plastic water supply pipe do I have in my crawlspace?

texts: The hot water line under my crawl space cracked so I am trying to replace myself. The existing pipe is grey,  has CTS 3/4" 7/8 O.D. print and connected with brass ring clamps and fittings.  So I bought sharkbite pex pipe 3/4" from Lowe's and after removing the existing pipe I found out the new one is thicker and can't slide onto the existing fittings.  The Lowe's one has a thickness of around 3.5/32 in and the existing one is around 2.5/32" (0.078).where can I buy the same thickness of the existing one or if there something I can do,  Please help.  Need to DIY to save money.


texts: What wire should I run to my garage for tools and a welder?

texts:
I will be running 240v to my garage to wire up an outlet. From the Panel in our basement to the plug location it is about 30M(~100ft) away.
I am hoping to have an outlet in my garage that can service a Welder (48 Primary Amps) and an Air Compressor (15A).
It would be a bonus if an RV could plug in to the same plug and if an Electric Vehicle could fast charge on it in the future.
What Gauge of Wire, Breaker & Plug type can I get that would cover at least the welder and Air Compressor?
Can I wire up more than one outlet?


texts: Wiring Humidifier using W and C Terminals vs using Humidifier Terminals

texts:
I found info at this thread, and would have placed this question there, but I can't comment since I'm too new.

I have HUM terminals on my control board, but they're line voltage (120VAC). I don't have a 24v transformer, so I hooked up the humidifier using the W and C terminals. It does work, but only when the air is being actively heated. It turns off when the heat distinguishes. At this point, the fan still runs to circulate the heated air that's already in the ducts.

My question is - if I were using the HUM terminals, would the humidifier still run as the air is being circulated but the heat is actually not firing?

I'm wondering if it's worth it to wire in a new transformer. It's not expensive ($35) but if it's redundant, I'd skip it.


texts: Add outdoor lighting under stacked porch

texts:
I recently purchased a new home and have been replacing the interior and some exterior lights to a color I prefer.

My home has a stacked porch. It's constructed in a way where it's open so when it rains, water will drip down. It looks like decking put together perpendicularly with joust to fasten.

As for the lights, I noticed that they have been pooling with rain. Probably because of the mounting holes and other openings dripping in. I disassembled and looked up the model and luckily it's rated for wet. Regardless, I'm looking to replaced the existing disk lights with something else. But I'm not sure what my options are. It seems like the wet rated fixtures from Home Depot would pool up with water too. Only one fixture has some sort of top disk that mounts to the junction box, which could possibly prevent rain from seeping in.

What are my options as far as light fixtures or possibly sealing the openings around junction boxes?

Here are a couple pictures:


texts: Room by room finish after electrical rough-in?

texts:
We've just had our house (renovation project) re-wired with a first fix. There are two ring circuits for the sockets - one for the front room and one for the rest of the house and a lighting circuit.

Unfortunately, we do not have the time or the money to decorate all of the rooms in one go. We're going to try and do up one room at a time. Is there anyway we can restore electricity to individual rooms that are part of a larger circuit?

Example: The main bedroom has 4 sockets and a light fitting. Can we attach all of the fittings in this room and turn on the upstairs circuit, simply temporarily taping over the exposed wires for the rest of that circuit (we'll turn the power off again when we go to decorate the other rooms).

In essence, we are renovating on a room by room basis, but one circuit covers several rooms of the house at once. Can we restore electricity to one refurbished room whilst still having several rooms with just 'first fixed'.

Thanks!


texts: How to protect against shock from exposed romex?

texts:
In my attic, the truss upright in the picture below is really the only hand-hold available when pulling oneself up the last few steps on the attic access stairs.  It has always bothered me that I have to wrap my hand around the exposed romex in order to fully enter my attic... but now that I've replaced my old broken (wooden) attic ladder with a new aluminum one, it bothers me even more.  If that romex ever gets damaged, and goes unnoticed, this could make for a rather unsafe situation.

I would like to do something to make this feel a little safer.  The light switch is where the builder put it, and that is really the only location that makes sense if you want someone to be able to turn on the light without having to fully enter the attic first.  (Might that be a code requirement?) Would it be OK to build a wooden race around the romex?  Or can you recommend some alternate solution?


texts: How can I make a copy of a door key without a matching blank?

texts:
We have an old numbered key, that looks like a regular key, but it seems it is numbered, so the locksmith refuses to copy it without our landlord coming with the original.

Our landlord would obviously not want us to have more than one person live in the apartment, so he would not cooperate.

So the question is: how to copy a regular key (no fancy double cylinder or more) for which, however, there is no key blank available?

I assume it would be sufficient to thin a thicker blank, and then engrave the sides properly, in addition to replicate the teeth. Do locksmiths offer such service?

update:

I discovered that there exist some key blanks that are matching multiple key types.
These blanks typically look very skinny in the middle, so that they would pass through different keyways (still belonging to the same producer) .
I eventually managed to use one of these key blanks, but of course their cutting requires a locksmith with a minimum amount of skills.
Thanks for the advices!


texts:
I am planning to extend my deck, which uses pier blocks as below photo

I cannot tell what's underneath this pier block because it was just dirt. There was no pour concrete for certain.

So my question is: if I extend my deck and use the pier blocks, do I need to prepare the ground with anything special? I live in Seattle area. My plan to just dig about 1 foot deep and lay 4-5 inches of aggregate 5/8" minus like from http://www.pacifictopsoils.com/products_all.htm and the pack it.

My neighbor did the same and his last for years. I just want to check for your opinion!?


texts: Our kitchen ceiling has several cracks in the plaster. We need to repaint the ceilings and didn't know what our best option was for the cracks. We don't want to do some sort of plaster because we figure we won't be able to get the matching texture of the ceiling and it would be very obvious. We were thinking using good ceiling paint that the cracks would be concealed. Is this a correct assumption or no?


texts: I am trying to install a single pole dimmer switch but there are 4 wires coming out of the box. I installed this as if it were a 3 way and the dimmer was humming. Any advice?


texts: How feasible is it to reuse the bricks when rebuilding a wall?

texts:
I knocked down a wall (drove into it). I have had two builders along to quote for repairing this wall.

One builder says that he can reuse the bricks to rebuild the wall. The other says that there is no way he could reuse the bricks and will need to buy a new set of bricks.

I would prefer to reuse the bricks if possible because it is a lot cheaper and by reusing the bricks means they will blend in with the rest of the wall better. But obviously if reusing the bricks means it will be a shoddy job, it would be better to go with new.

So, which is it? How good a wall can you make with second hand bricks?


texts: I have an old house so when I tried to replace a ceiling fan the wires coming from the ceiling the casings fell apart. I now have bare wires is this dangerous and what can I do? Can I wraps electricians tape around them? There is no more wire to pull down.


texts:
I am installing a breaker/overcurrent protection device and I have realised I don't know if it matters which terminal sees the incoming phase wire, and which one is for the output.

The device is ABB S201-B16 (16 A/230 V).


texts: Why is there a white powdery deposit in my swamp cooler?

texts: I popped open one of my swamp coolers and in it there is a crusty white "dust" deposit everywhere, covering everything inside it.  It also happens to be the unit where I haven't changed the filters in several years.  Any guesses as to what happened there?


texts: Do they make a non-liquid concrete/mortar color additive?

texts:
I've been trying to find a cement additive to change the color of some mortar, but only seem to be able to find it in liquid form at my local big-box hardware store.

I'm looking for a similar product that can be added to dry mortar mix. Does this even exist? Where can I find it?

Back-story:
I put down a patio of pavers a few years ago and apparently didn't put down thick enough plastic sheeting underneath. I skimped because the area seemed too shady to promote much weed growth. Boy was I wrong. I have major weeds growing through the cracks between the pavers.

My plan is to power wash the patio to get most of the sand out between the pavers, and then replace it by sweeping dry mortar over the patio and then misting it so it will harden and form a barrier for the weeds between the pavers. To get the color right I'd need to mix the color into the dry mortar before spreading it. I'm not sure how well this will work, but I am going to try on a small area first to see how it goes. If anyone sees any major pitfalls with this plan, please speak up in the comments.


texts:
This should be a simple to answer but I am not sure how to phrase it for google.

For a standard recessed light (aka can-light) in the US, what is the nut/thread size of the earth stud on the inside of the unit?  This is the stud that accepts the flying lead earth from the light fixture.


texts:
I have an old deck taken down and the old footing is 3" above the ground but the building code requires 6". Do you have any ideal to increase the height of the footing without replacing it?

Thanks a million.


texts: My room lights' brightness pulses when I turn on my toaster oven

texts:
I have a house with old 2-prong wiring in most of my bedrooms.

My toaster oven is plugged in on the kitchen countertop. Whenever I turn it on, the brightness of the lights in 3 (out of 4) of my bedrooms starts pulsing. I measured the voltage from the outlets in those rooms. It is about 119v when the toaster is off vs 117v when the toaster is on. The 4th bedroom that is probably on a separate power line does not pulse at all.

I've been in my attic and saw that some of the wires have been chewed bare by mice. Although it looks like just that the oven draws too much power that drops the voltage, I'm a bit worried that the pulsing might be related to those exposed wires.

Is it time for me to find an electrician to rewire my house?

EDIT

To clarify, the lights are LED and they do not flicker. Just the brightness of the lights oscillates a bit.


texts:
I have a carpet cleaner. The first time I turn it on, I can use it for about 5 minutes before it trips an outlet's breaker which disconnects the power to the used outlet. I then reset the outlet breaker switch. When I turn it the cleaner on it runs for less than 5 seconds before the breaker is tripped again. I then have to continue after a few hours.
I am guessing the cleaner uses a lot of power. I am not sure if this means something needs to cool down first.

Are there solutions to this issue?


texts: Making a 4" hole in my foundation , will cutting the rebar cause the foundation to crack?

texts: Making a 4" hole in my foundation , will cutting the rebar cause the foundation to crack ?


texts:
I have a table lamp that had standard 75 watt bulb (I believe in a 3 way socket) which suddenly lowered to about a 40 W, or less
without my touching the switch.  I replaced it with a new 8.5 W 60 W = . The bulb appeared to flash and burn out,  I did it twice with brand new bulbs, then quit before I wasted more bulbs!
I have bought a new 3 way socket to replace in the lamp thinking it was a defective socket (I haven't done it yet as I've been pretty busy w/Christmas).
Am I on the right track, or it another problem?


texts: Should I use a hose clamp on my furnace drainage pipe?

texts:
I have a drainage pipe coming from my furnace that a hose regularly connects to and drains to somewhere down into the floor. The hose unfortunately isn't in a great location and if people aren't being careful then it can be knocked off fairly easily. I was wondering if I took a hose clamp would help at all. My concern right now is that it could maybe damage the plastic, maybe PVC pipe coming out of the furnace.

Does anyone know of the proper way to get a better connection between the pipe and the hose.

The link for the picture of the pipe is below. The pipe has a red circle around the end of it.


texts: How would you fix this wooden cottage's leaky walls?

texts:
I have an old prefab cottage made of wood.

its walls have become leaky. When it rains sideways (happens a lot because we're so close to the sea), water seeps in from in between the beams, and through the knotholes.

This is, of course, ruining the wood inside and I need to do something.

The weather conditions here are extreme: in summer, there is zero rain, and temperatures can reach up to 40°C (104°F). In winter, there are rare but intense rainfalls. I guess the nearby sea makes the air very salty.

I have considered - and discarded - a number of options, but of course I'm open to being corrected! I am really out of my depth here.

Varnish it - the most obvious solution I guess, and would take care of the leaks, but that'd have to be sanded down every couple years, right? I'd like to avoid that as it would be a lot of work. Especially since with our extreme weather, the cycle is going to be very short.
Use silicone to fix the leaks directly - I've been told that might not hold together well, and silicone that can withstand the sun is extremely expensive around here. It could be hundreds of Euros to do the job.
Plaster the walls - an interesting option as it would also add a little bit of insulation (it gets mercilessly hot in the cottage during the summer), but I've never done this before, it seems tough to do and it would of course alter the look of the building.

Obviously, I'd like the solution to be as cheap as possible, and as long-lasting as possible.

What would you do?


texts: How to attach a blind to a wall when I need extra clearance?

texts:
I recently bought a Venetian blind, which comes with 3 mounting brackets. My plan is to screw these to the wooden window frame.
The issue is that the glass panel has been replaced by double glazing a few years back, and it protrudes 1 cm inwards.
The net effect is that I need my brackets to have an extra 1cm clearing from the frame. My plan was to buy 1cm thick softwood blocks and attach the brackets to the wall with the softwood in between to give me the extra clearance. Am I doing the right thing here? Is there a better way to do this?


texts:
I have a 30"x50"x3/4" granite slab that I would like to use for a table. I'm thinking of putting 5/8" plywood underneath (20"x40"?) and before mounting the granite on top, inserting a few T-Nuts for this type of legs: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/live-edge-timber-co--38-inch-high-x-19-inch-wide-steel-furniture-legs-pair-of-2/1001215038

Are t-nuts my best option, or is there some thing else I should consider?
Is 5/8 plywood thick enough?
Anything to consider when cutting the plywood size, aside from wide enough for the legs, not wider than granite?


texts: How to mount a floating shelf on ridged ceramic tile

texts:
My bathroom is tiled with an extremely ridged ceramic tile and I would like to mount a floating shelf on the wall.

Since the tile is ridged, the tiler is reluctant to drill holes in it for fear of tile breakage.
Do diamond drill bits work on ridged tiles?
Are there any other recommendations on how to mount such shelves (glue, plaster, etc.) onto ridged tile? The shelves are simple planks made of laminated wood, and when loaded will weigh about 4-5 lbs.
Thanks!


texts:
I have replaced 4-foot T12 fluorescent bulbs with direct wire LEDs: the fixtures were re-wired and ballasts removed to accommodate the LEDs .  In the future the LED bulbs can be replaced unlike models that come with LEDs.  The goal is more to have reliable lighting and ease of repair when the light mechanism fails.  I also like the flexibility to change the bulbs if the light color needs to be changed.

A new T8 4ft fixture is to be installed in a kitchen.  I would like to continue using the same LEDs for this property so as to minimize on-hand spares.

As I understand it, T8 sockets are non-shunted (suitable for single ended LEDs).  I would like to use dual ended LEDs (shunted sockets).  In practice, are non-shunted sockets shorted with a wire to convert them to shunted sockets?  Or is this not done for a safety \ economic \ practical reason?


texts: Replacing Bath Fan Switch with Timer Switch

texts:
I want to install a timer switch (it has four wires, red (load), black (hot), white (common), green (ground) to replace one switch in a 2-gang switch box having five incoming cables (see first photo). One switch controls the fan (want to replace with timer), the other switch (3 way) turns on the recessed ceiling lights. I made a diagram and attached pictures.

Which of the two common pigtails will I tie the switch common wire to?  Also can someone confirm that my black hot wire ties into the black pigtail? And that I create a new pigtail to tie the red source for the switch to the black of cable #5?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks


texts:
I found a question regarding the Nest thermostat here. But that is only a question "Will it work?". Thanks to that I know it WILL, the problem is...HOW. I know the wire naming conventions are different etc, and also that there is a "OpenTherm" protocol over which thermostat and boiler are communicating.

I found a way how to supply the Nest thermostat with separate transformator power supply(24V) and I hooked up a relay on heating and it simply does not work. My question is, can Nest do this and if so, how should I connect it in order to make it work?


texts: Should I use a dedicated circuit for a towel warmer?

texts:
I purchased a 120 volt (70 watt) towel warmer that will be hard wired into our bathroom. I have 12-2 wire on a 20AMP breaker already in there that will be used for outlets and lighting.

Should I run a dedicated line for the towel warmer or can I use what's already there?

This is the towel warmer I purchased: 24" KEEGAN HARDWIRED TOWEL WARMER


texts: How to determine the correct hardness setting for Water-Right Sanitizer Plus Softener

texts:
We have a Water-Right Impression Series Sanitizer Plus Softener, and our water has been "just right" for a number of years, up until about three weeks ago. Around that time the water went really soft, leaving my wife in particular feeling like she can't get soap completely off her skin or hair. If this is something that I can address through the use of a hardness test and updating the settings myself, I'd prefer to do that than calling out a plumber for obvious reasons.
The problem is that while Water-Right has a great video showing how to make adjustments to the unit's settings (including hardness) on YouTube:

There is no guidance in the owner's manual for choosing a setting

I have not been able to find any guidance online regarding the setting

Water-Right has not responded to my request for information

So does anyone know this unit, and know what I would need to do in order to adjust the setting properly? Or know enough about the unit to tell me why I should call in a plumber with experience on these units instead of trying to address it myself?
Thank you very much in advance.


texts: When is a variable-speed compressor HVAC unit worth the cost?

texts:
Surprise, its summer and our AC broke down.

We were quoted prices for installation of the current standard (SEER 14) AC units (about $6500 unit cost and installation) vs Trane's SEER 18 AC units ($10,100 unit cost/install). The sales rep for the local HVAC company said the SEER 18 AC units was significantly more efficient than even the SEER rating indicated. The reason, he said, was that the unit has a variable rate compressor. He said normal online SEER savings calculators. Like this one underestimated the impact of the variable rate compressor.

This is for our upstairs in our dual zone system. We live in a rather humid area in the summer, and the unit is used for both head pump and AC. We plan to live in this home for a long time.

Is it worth the $3500 bump in price to get a unit with a variable-speed compressor? Are the online calculators underestimating the bump up to a variable speed compressor? In general, when is it worth the price difference to get a variable speed compressor? Help me (and everyone else who sees this question) be better informed when talking to their HVAC sales rep!


texts: My question is, is this a possible/valid way to add a "hidden" outlet for outside IP camera?

texts:
So I basically wanted to do what the OP wanted to do here...

However, I wasn't sure if one needed to actually cut thru the siding and add a new gang box + receptacle/outlet in order to plug in the IPcam's wallwart power adapter... or if my wiring/connections are right... I think they are...

So I did this:

I spliced together the cables coming from the switch, the exterior lamp's cables (not pictured), and the cables that feed the outlet. I put those twisting plastic wire nuts on all connections, and put the lamp back on.
I wanted to avoid drilling/cutting on the hardiplank siding cuz it's a pain (super hard) and kinda want the power adapter to be hidden as it's def not for outdoor use...

My question is, is this a possible/valid way to do it? I nailed the outlet to a stud on the right (without a plastic gangbox) and just pulled the 5V DC cable to thru a small opening on the lamp's housing/base.

Also could an outlet being hidden like that be a code violation? fire hazard? Where can find out about whether this is ok code-wise in my area? I'm in Metro-Atlanta, GA.


texts: what material could I use for a mirror that allows light to pass through

texts: I am creating a smart mirror by constructing a frame where a monitor sits right behind a mirror. I tried using a regular mirror but the mirror did not allow enough light to pass through to see the monitors lighting. Is there a material I can cover glass in to make it reflective like a mirror but still let light pass through?


texts: Better, not Perfect way to Insulate Uninsulated Attic Space in older Home

texts:
I have an older 2-story home (almost 100yrs) in Ohio, Zone 5. Rafters, walls everything built from 2x4's and 1x6 planks for deck of roof.  Just had roof done so not planning on doing a tear off at this point.  Prior to roof job I had experienced ice dams and some leaking down on the 2nd floor where there was some sloped ceilings in the front of the house.
I've replaced 75-85% of the windows, rest are coming - DIY.  I'm about to have furnace (40yrs old) replaced before winter with an 80%.  Where there have been some room updates in the house, the walls have been insulated and the first floor walls are ~90% insulated and on 2nd floor ~60% of exposed walls are insulated.  At some point I'll probably hire someone to blow in insulation in the remaining cavities.
I want to get into the attic to insulate. Here's where I need help. Would like to do it myself if it's not too difficult or time consuming.

Some key observations/notes:

There are sloped ceilings and knee walls in
Wiring is knob and tube - I know how to replace it with cable - all on same circuit.
There is a dormer in front and back of house (see photo for rear view).  The sloped portion of the roof is maybe 2 feet max and is for the rear view.
There are vents on ends gables plus the roofers put vents on the roof deck on the back side of house only.  There are no traditional soffits or soffit vents.  There is what appears to be a 2x4 laid on edge that appears to be the only restriction that keeps air out of the attic from the overhang.  When I stare down the 'chute" over the dormers I see daylight shining through the cracks.

Questions:
I want to reduce the loss of energy through the attic by say at least 30%. I'm not looking to eliminate it.  I say that because I am not looking for a perfect solution because I'm looking to do it myself.
I'm also convinced that better (than doing nothing) may take a little longer for me to recoup my investment, but perfect will take even longer (than the better/good option).

If I only insulate the flat part of the attic floor with either (a) or (b) options below, would there be a noticeable difference from where I am now wrt energy loss?

a) Batt Insulation in the pockets (would i need faced or unfaced?) (if I have knob and tube replaced)
b) or Rigid foam laid on top of the joists covered by Batt insulation (replace or leave knob and tube)

If I try to insulate the sloped portion of the dormers (2ft length of slope on back room, 1ft length on front room), how would you propose I insulate that section? This is all plastered walls.  Have torn down plaster and willing but reluctant to do messy tear out here. Again, it's only 2x4's.  I've considered:

(a) Rigid foam (2" or 1.5") in the sloped cavity, leaving a 1.5" to 1" vent chute.
(b) Thought about calling for estimate for blowing in foam but have read pros and cons of not venting such a space.  Read that would tend to create a "hot roof" section which would be problematic for an asphalt roof.

How would I treat the longer sloped regions of the ceilings?  There's much more plaster to remove and replace but if it's worth the headache?  Can I make it "better" without encroaching into the living space with 4+ inches of foam.  These 4 sloped walls are 4-5 feet in length and are over a sleeping area, 2 closets, a stairwell.  The stairwell has tight head clearances when bringing items up as it is and the closets are tiny, so again, encroaching into the living space is not desirable.

I think I've shared the key points.  Feel free to let me have it now :).  I really appreciate the advice of those who've wrestled with these headaches before.


texts: Finishing drywall: How do I finish over screws that refuse to recess/dimple into the drywall?

texts:
Update 10/30/2012:  See comment I left under gregmac's answer

I just finished installing QuietRock 525 over existing walls.  Half a sheet of 525 is heavy backer board and I am thinking that's the reason why several of my screws are having so much trouble recessing into the wall.  If I had known in the beginning what I know now, I would have installed the QuietRock as the first layer and used special backer board screws with a square-shaped bit since this phillips bit wants to slip out of the screw head with a loud "ratta tat tat!".

So now I am stuck with some screws that stick out slightly from the surface of the drywall.  It's not as much as 1/16" or anything, but you can feel it raise as you take your finger over the head.  I could remove the offending screws, drill out a wider hole, and screw them back in, but I don't want to deteriorate the integrity of the grab.

I'd like to finish over them so that the wall is smooth.  What do I do, tape over them?  Use an extra-thick layer of mud?  Eh?


texts: what kind of floor tape can I put on my polyurethaned hardwood floors for spot re applying polyurethane.ng up

texts: I have some areas on my new hardwood floors where the polyurethane needs to be redone.  What kind of masking tape can be used to isolate the area that needs to be retouched without pulling up the polyurethane from the other floor boards.


texts: Is my custom shower enclosure plan reasonable?

texts:
I'm renovating a cabin and my last inside project is to finish the shower/tub enclosure. I really don't want to be doing this but can't find reliable help locally. I have two big issues; the window in the center of the wall and I have never done tile and don't feel this is the time to start.
I had tried to use a pre-formed tub enclosure but none of reasonable quality could be cut out to deal with the window. I had one that would work but it was so cheap and flimsy I decided not to use it. I stumbled upon a product called Duma Wall that I feel comfortable installing. Even though it is waterproof, it recommends a water proof layer underneath.
The tub lip is off the studs so to get the water-tight layers to hang over the lip of the tub I shimmed the whole enclosure out with 1/4" plywood. Unfortunately it has been very humid since I started this project and the plywood is warping a little. My plan was to cover this with 1/4" HardieBacker and then the Duma Wall. I have a plastic vapor barrier installed at the stud level. I plan to flash the window on the inside the same way I would flash it outside.
Is this a reasonable plan? Should I just tack the plywood down some more and assume the HardieBacker will smooth out any warping in the 1/4" plywood? Or just rip it out and do something else?
I've enclosed pictures of the tub and my plan.


texts: Oven/Stove or Wiring causing breaker to trip

texts:
My Kitchen was delivered some days ago and the persons doing the installation were unable to get the oven/Stove set to work. I am unsure if I have a faulty oven/stove or faulty wiring in the apartment as the apartment was recently renovated and there was no oven installed before. Here is the current behavior:
Oven/Stove set is currently plugged in. However everytime the circuit breaker for the oven/stove is flipped on, the main breaker for the apartment trips and it is lights out for the entire apartment. However, for some very few seconds I can see the clock on the oven/stove turn on and then immediatly off.
I cannot disconnect the oven/stove as it is currently built into the furniture and trying to move it myself would ruin the guarantee.
Has anybody had a similar experience and could give me some input on what could be faulty in such a situation?


texts:
I'm running a pretty heavy circuit from my sub panel to the adjacent wall in the garage.  I'll be pulling 6awg THHN wire through smurf tube, and then switching to PVC tube and running it down the wall.  This could use anywhere from 25-35 feet of wire.

The question is, is there a best practice to routing this wire/conduit, or can I just angle it across the trusses above the ceiling, or do I need to make it run in right angles?  If it doesn't matter to just route the thing however I please in the shortest way possible - this means less materials.  I know this will "work", but does it seem, you know... "shitty"?  :)  The 6awg stuff isn't cheap and I'll be running 3 conductors and a ground.  This is in a basic attic above the ceiling, no usable space, simply in the trusses.


texts: What should I use to overlay a particle board subfloor in my mobile home?

texts: I am buying a mobile home that has a three-quarter inch particle board subfloor. I plan to patch any holes and then overlay the particle board throughout the entire trailer with either plywood or OSB. Given that the new floor will be resting on the existing particle board, what thickness do I need and should I go with plywood or OSB? Don't want to be too cheap but I don't want to overspend either.


texts: How to get rid of cockroaches using natural products?

texts: They come from open junction box on kitchen wall, and they spotted around fridge. Recently been seeing one or two in bedrooms. I think its because I sprayed Raid in the kitchen. This been going around for a month or more now. The type looks to be german cockroaches. Where I live there arnt known brand pest control products to use, and the ones that are available dont always list their ingredients. So what natural everyday things I can find that can kill them once and for all? I put generic bait around the fridge, but I still see them now in other places. To stop them from getting into bedrooms, i spray Raid on the floor.


texts:
I just bought a house in northern Midwest where there's lots of snow and was planning on adding blown in cellulose insulation to attic space.  Then I noticed that there are no soffit vents in the main portion on the house.   House has two scissor trusses in the middle and only at the lower end of each end of the house are there these soffit vents.   At the one end is a garage and a knee wall so these soffits are cut off from the main house.

I'm looking for recommendations on whether I should get proper venting before insulating with 16" of cellulose.  House has been updated over the years but has been in this shape for at least 10-15 years.


texts: Can somebody help me understand my washing machine installation report?

texts:
I had a integrated washing machine fitted yesterday due to the covid 19 situation I kept a good safety distance from them and there was minimal communication. The plumbers left without any explanation on what issues they had. Today his company sent me an installation report with below two issues and pictures. I know nothing about plumbing etc. Just trying to understand if these are serious issues and whether it'd be worth looking into soon. Thanks in advance for your help!

Customer has no tap on the isolation valve - customer advised to get
a new one

Tiles don't go all the way back customer advised to have flooring
altered as there is just wood at the back which is not that stable
for the machine.


texts: Rigid Foam and Fire Block when finishing basement?

texts:
I'm using rigid foam, specifically this to finish my basement. The foam is going directly onto the concrete, followed by standard framing and some variation of greenboard or paper-free drywall.

Reading the spec sheet for the foam, it says it requires an appropriate fire block. Maryland code seems to say that drywall is acceptable for this purpose, but I'm not entirely sure I'm reading the code correctly.

Do I need to do anything beyond just foam, frame, and sheetrock?


texts: In a three way switch, why would the "open" traveler wire test at 17VAC

texts:
While I had my 3 way switches open, I used a DMM to figure out what was hot and cold while flipping the switches. While my traveler shorted with the line feed showed 120VAC as expected, at least one traveler line (I think it was whichever one in "open" state) showed 17VAC. I expected the traveler to be closer to 0VAC.

Is this indicative of a hardware failure, or is that normal?


texts:
I've been looking at various span charts for decks and I'm still not quite sure how to calculate it all when you take into account not just the joists, but the beams and posts as well.

What we currently have:

23' wide deck attached to house with ledger. All pretreated wood.

Extends 10' with 2x6 joists 16" OC.

Outside 'beam' is 2x10 with joist hangers. Beam supported by 3 4x4 posts.

I have a hunch this isn't to code...or...if it is...just barely. It's solid--but bouncy.

I'm not thrilled with the 2x6 joists, but I also am not thrilled with having to scrap the entire deck. Plus, the 2x6s do help with the headroom underneath the deck (which we plan on turning into a patio.

What I'd like to do:

1) replace the exterior 2x10 beam with an actual beam 1 or 2' in and under the joists (so the joists are cantilevered and rest upon the beam)

2) replace the 3 4x4 posts with either 3 6x6 or 4 4x6s.

My question is: how do I calculate what that new beam has to be given the existing joists and the desired post options?


texts: Risk of insulation triggering mold growth?

texts:
The unfinished basement gets water which is pumped out with a sump pump. (Water from heavy rains percolates into the basement.)

Company A gave me an estimate to insulate the attic.  So did Company B, but B said I need to do some landscape architecture first to eliminate the basement moisture, because otherwise, tightening up the house would make it much more likely that mold will grow, and therefore I should solve the humidity problem first, prior to adding insulation.  Does this make sense?  Note: I use a dehumidifer as needed.


texts: Sharing my 240V 30amp between two dryers

texts:
We are running a clothes dryer in the lower level of our home. We are installing a washer and dryer on our main level.
Can I split the power feed between both dryers and what can I use and where can it be bought.
We only want to run one dryer at a time when needed.


texts: Phantom voltage is haunting my curiosity

texts:
While working a bathroom remodel I encountered an odd issue. The lights are on a 3-way setup with one switch at each end of a walk-through bathroom. Housing the switch at one end is single-gang box also being used as a junction for two other circuits --one feeding the GFCI receptacles in the bathroom, and a completely separate pass-through circuit to the hall. Needless to say, the box is overcrowded. The 3-way circuit and the GFCI circuit are powered using a single 4-wire cable that enters from the breaker panel, with one hot for the lights and one hot for the GFCI. Both circuits share the remaining single neutral and ground wires. All the neutral and ground wires in the home are connected to the same bus bar. This 4-wire cable enters with a second 4-wire cable that powers the hall circuit. Because the entire box shares the ground wire of the first cable, this second cable has two wires not being used. After much frustration, I eventually figured the voltage found in these unused wires was a phenomenon of magnetic induction (which I assume everybody agrees).

The phantom voltage on these two wires is as follows:

Wire A to ground is 68v

Wire B to ground is 47v

My question is regarding the phantom voltage of 115 between wires A and B, which matches the mains, except no current. [EDIT: I should have pointed out 68+47=115] Is this coincidence, and what useful information can this tell me? My gut is saying it has to do with opposing phases of the 220v mains but pffft, I don't know. Please pardon my wayward terminology, I'm not a formally trained electrician but I've read through this forum and it appears some of you will know what's happening here.

Thank you in advance,
Handyman in Oregon who hates when he can't figure stuff out.


texts:
I want to install a camera/flood light under the soffit on the gable end of the house. Note the location of red arrow in below pic. After I take off the aluminum soffit cover, will I have access to the attic?

I'm thinking under the aluminum soffit will be hollow, then maybe plywood on the wall side that I would drill through to access attic?

I need to run a 14/2 wire to the location of the floodlight. The nearby soffit light wont' work, it's on a switch and I want the flood light to always have power.


texts: How can I convert a wall to a writing board?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Which material should I use for a whiteboard that would erase easily?

I would like to convert my walls (at least one of them)
into a laminated surface so I would be able to write things on it.
Because the wall is massive, and I do need a massive space to write on,
I'm not sure what kind of a solution there is in order to laminate/coat it
with a thin layer of writable material (as in, easy to erase and re-write over and over again).

To clarify, I basically want to convert my wall to this

without finding a huge board.


texts: What device can I purchase to monitor my electrics long-term?

texts:
I currently live in a rented property that I suspect was wired up by a cowboy, the outlets are anchored poorly in the walls and the breaker board hums when any high-energy appliances are running. It also appears to be playing havoc with some of my more sensitive equipment, namely my servers and my router. Not enough to have killed any of them yet, but they exhibit erratic behavior they did not show before i lived here, this coupled with flickering lights & humming circuits leads me to believe its dodgy electrics at play.
I noticed on another question on the Stackexchange network (specifically this question) that the original poster had graphed their voltage against time, I think something like this would be perfect to confront my landlord with empirical evidence that something in his property is wrong (and also because I love data and would probably use this in future properties too, and this is a great way to justify the expense to my girlfriend)
I was wondering if its possible to pick up equipment capable of doing this cheaply, and what exactly would I be looking for?
EDIT:
I live in the UK so it needs to be able to tolerate 240V+


texts: how do I straighten my my gate attached to the neighbors privacy fence?? I can not open the fence due to the leaning into my yard, it was working great before winter hit


texts:
I am in a newly built apartment. No basement.i see mold on furniture that sits on floor. I have a dehumitifier since Friday. I had it set at 40. In 7 days, I had to empty water 6 times. I then set it at 50. It ran for 2-3 minutes, off for about a minute. Complained to maintenance that something wrong . Where is all this water coming from. They told me to set it at 70. It has not run since. I see it says 63 on dehumitifier, suggestions and advise appreciated. I cringe to see my electric bill. I'm on a fixed income. Should I even consider moving?

live in pa. No mildew was not on furniture prior. Just developed about a month ago. I had dehumitifier set at 40. In 6 days,the dehumitifier was full. I was told all air has water and this is not unusual. I know I've been given runaround by owner. Was told to set at 70. I knew this was not correct. Yes, I have central air, but being on first floor and Windows closed, it was cool and central air did not kick on. I noticed a problem when I had breathing problems and knew something was wrong. Since running dehumitifier a week, I no longer have breathing problems.


texts: Should solar thermal collectors always be cycling fluid at maximum speed?

texts:
I've been reading about DIY solar thermal collectors, and the various ways their performance is influenced. One of the things I learned about solar water heaters for a pool is that it's recommended to run the pump pulling water through the collector at full speed. The reasoning is that the amount of energy that the sun is putting into the collector is constant, and running the water though the pipes faster results in less heat from inside the collector being lost back to the surrounding air (or the glazing, box material, etc.).
If a solar thermal collector for air is pulling air via an intake fan from the house, driving it through pipes in the collector, then pushing it back into the house, does the same concept apply? The fan should be blowing the air as fast as it can, as long as the temperature of the pipes are greater than the intake air temperature? Or am I missing something?


texts: Cell Foam vs. Traditional Fiberglass Insulation for Party Wall

texts:
In an end-unit townhouse, cell foam is being used to insulate the three exterior walls.  Would the gains from also using cell foam on the party wall be noticeable?  Or would the cheaper alternative of using traditional fiberglass insulation be sufficient?  The neighboring house's wall will also be insulated separately on their side, most likely using fiberglass, so the R-value gains from using cell foam would likely be negligible.  Our primary concern is reducing noise.

On a party wall between two adjacent, standalone houses, where each side is insulated, but between which there is not necessarily an air gap, would using cell foam insulation on the party wall provide noticeable soundproofing over fiberglass?


texts:
Is it legal (from a code point of view) to use the bare wire in a 14/2-w/gnd if there is another cable (14/2-w/gnd) going to the same Junction box?

I want to separate the light and fan in my ceiling fan.

Currently, there is a 14/2 w/gnd leading from the switch to the junction box. In the j-box is a semiconductor switch that allows me to pulse the hot to toggle either the light, fan, or both. Turn it on get the light. plulse it off for a sec then back on gives the fan, pulse it again gives both fan and light.

I want to remove the device, and run a second cable (14/2 w/gnd) to control the fan, and leave the existing 14/2 for the light.

The fan is a PSC type motor, so to achieve reverse, I need access to all four ends of the two windings, one of which may be common neutral as the light.

In the existing cable, I would use bare and white as ground and neutral for both fan and light, then black for the light.

In the addition cable, all 3 would get used for the fan. This would put 120V on the bare wire in the second cable some of the time.

Thanks, Mark.


texts: Is it safe to use Extension Cord to Power PC/Routers on already used circuit?

texts:
Note: I have very little clue about electricity/circuits so I can only provide info on what I know.

The setup: In our upstairs bedroom we have two wall sockets on either side of the room, with two 3-pin plugs on each (UK Connectors). For the last couple of years we have had one desktop PC & monitor setup on one socket and a PC/dual monitor, Two-Routers, Media Server, Home Theatre PC and TV set up on the other side of the room.

The problem: The power stopped working for the socket powering the Routers/TV/PC/etc. We got an electrician in who couldn't find anything wrong with the fuse box or the sockets (we found there's another socket also on the same circuit not working). He said we would have to start pulling up the floorboards to find a junction box and at the moment, we really don't want to start doing something like that.

What we want to do: Buy an extension cord (most likely 8m/10m) to route around the room to provide power to the PC and Routers from the socket currently functioning. My worry, and this is a huge worry, is that if we run an extension cord from this socket we will have too much running on the single circuit with two computers, three monitors, two internet routers at minimum...

Is this dangerous? I know you're not supposed to use extension cords permanently but we don't want to be ripping up carpets until we move out in a year/two years, when it makes more sense. But, if using an extension cord in this situation is likely to overload the working circuit or worse, set on fire, it ain't good.


texts: Why is my outdoor air conditioner unit making a screeching/squeeling sound?

texts:
During the winter time when I have my heat on, my outdoor air conditioner unit randomly makes this awful-sounding squealing/screeching sound.  It lasts for about 15-30 seconds at a time, stops, and then occurs randomly again.

A Google search has revealed other people complaining about a humming noise, but this is anything but a hum.

It doesn't happen when I simply have the cool air on.  It's only when I am using heat.


texts: How can a 5V power supply power 3 LEDs at 3V each?

texts: If I have three LEDs at 3V each = 9V, how can a 5V power supply 9V power to those LEDs?  Does it have anything to do with Watts?


texts: Replace 240 receptacle with one or two 120

texts:
I found some similar questions but given possibly different base assumptions I would like just to check that what I want to do is possible with existing wiring.

In NYC, where everything is armored cable and all metal boxes are grounded I have a NEMA 6-20R outlet (in the closet) that goes to a dual breaker (labeled range, welcome to NYC). Given that every other outlet around this room is on a single breaker that’s shared with the AC :( I would love to have some plugs for vacuum, etc that won’t risk tripping the breaker if I decide to vacuum on a hot day!   Is it possible to convert this outlet to standard 5-20 or even better, two of them?

Pictures of the outlet, box, breakers.

I tested the plug before turning off the breakers and it was showing 240 (120 when each side was tested against neutral)

Blue wire is capped off so it’s black red and white that are connected:

The blue wire turned out to be capped off on the panel side as well:

Can I use existing wiring and replace just receptacle and breakers (if needed)?


texts: How to repair street end of driveway that has loose asphalt?

texts:
The blacktop at the street end of my driveway is cracking after only 3 years (see photo below).  (I think the repaving was poorly done.)  The rest of the driveway has no cracks but is not perfectly flat.  I have filled in some of the cracks with a sealer that is applied by melting with a blowtorch, but some of the blacktop edge is already loose, not attached to anything.
I am thinking of trying to cut off the last 6 inches of the blacktop and replacing it with cobblestone?  Or with something else?  But I do not know much about asphalt.
Would such a repair work?  Would it save the rest of the driveway or just create more problems? Is making the repair as simple as cutting a straight line with a circular saw and putting in the cobblestone?  Or do I need to protect the cut edge from the weather?
I live in New York State where there are many days above and below freezing.
Thanks.


texts: How can I determine if there is asbestos in something?

texts: I pulled up some old flooring. Underneath there is material that looks like paper, maybe fabric, that is glued to the hardwood below. I would like to refinish the hardwood. Is there an easy way to determine if the material on top of the wood has asbestos in it?


texts:
Two days ago our heat pump start putting out cold air and it's 30 degrees outside. We changed to emergency heat, but we don't know what is wrong. On regular heat it blows cold air.

On emergency heat it keeps the house warm, but it has the aux heat on also, which I think is more expensive.


texts: Replacing attic light switch with Leviton combo

texts:
I want to replace and old Leviton attic light switch with a Leviton combo switch/outlet. The junction box has two Romex cables in and one out to the current light.

The two in have each a black wire going into to the push-in terminals of the switch and one black one connected to a side screw going to the light. Why would there be two romex cables with two black wires going into the switch? How would I install the combo switch with this wire config? The grounds are just wire nutted together (all three). Thanks for the help.

UPDATE:
Here is a better shot of the back of the old switch with some labels:
CORRECTION... New diagram here:

Based on the updated diagram above... Romex 1 from bottom of box has the shepherd's hook and was attached to the screw... Romex 2 from bottom of box was pushed-in to the bottom of switch... Romex 3 goes to the light through the top of the box from the push-in connection at the top of the switch.

And here is the switch I'm needing to install:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-15-Amp-Combination-Switch-Outlet-White-5225-WS/202077623?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CVF%7CD27E%7C27-2_WIRING_DEVICES%7CNA%7CPLA%7c71700000033102358%7c58700003867202208%7c92700031090651054&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9taWn6eO4AIVQR-GCh1zkAC4EAQYAiABEgIIjvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

FINAL UPDATE... SUCCESS!!

Thanks to ThreePhaseEel (accepted answer) and Harper.


texts: Sink upgrade - single sink double wide...any cons?

texts:
We are changing our sink to a single sink. Are there any cons with this configuration?
There will only be one drain and it goes through the garbage disposal.