texts: How can I temporarily close an arched interior passageway?

texts:
I need to close an opening and I am not sure the best way to do it.

The goals are

Low cost
Good sound insulation
Easy to take apart with minimal damage to the existing walls.

It doesn't have to look perfect

edit: my original thought was  to attach drywall panel to each side of the  opening (bout 7 inch apart) and to screw them to the preexisting frame without using additional studs. To remove, unscrew the screws, fill with mud and paint again. what do you think of this solution?

edit: task mostly done. I probably need to paint it or hide it behind a curtain. but is is up and block sounds pretty well. I used the two plywood system of the selected answer without  weather striping.

I have also cut the plywood to smaller pieces for easier handling


texts: Why does my fireplace pilot light go out when I turn on the flame?

texts: I just replaced my gas log fireplace set. I am on natural gas. I can light the pilot and it will stay lit just fine, When i turn the knob on the unit to turn on the flame, the pilot flame shrinks and the flame goes out.


texts: Should I primer my walls/ceiling before I spray on texture?

texts: I have removed a wall and upper cabinet, replacing some sheetrock. I have skim coated and sanded the existing walls and removed the "popcorn" ceiling. My question is: do I need to primer the walls & ceiling before I spray "knockdown texture?


texts: How to affix a wooden branch to the ceiling as a chandelier?

texts:
I am making a chandelier that consists of a wood branch and some hanging lights. However, I'm not sure how to hang it:

Should I have 3 parallel ropes hanging from the ceiling (2 to support the wood, 1 for the cable), or 2 ropes originating from the center, with a pulley on the ceiling. (See images).
How do I tie the rope safely to the ceiling and to the wood? I'd love to use knots, but I'm not very confident in my knotting skills.

More information:

The wood  branch is about 15-20 kg and about 2m long.
It is meant to be over the dinner table.
I want to use jute rope

Hanging with 3 parallel ropes

Hanging in a triangle

How to attach the rope to the wood/ceiling


texts: Check if propane gas tank is almost empty?

texts:
We have a 100-lb propane gas tank that we use for our gas stove.

We never know if the tank's almost empty, and I always wonder if we're changing it too soon.

Is there an accessory that I can add to the line that will let me know how much gas is left?

Thanks.


texts: How to cut a rectangle out of a STEEL ruler?

texts: Does anyone know how to cut a hollow rectangle out of a steel ruler? By that I mean cutting a small part out of the standard steel ruler while having the outside part still in tact. So a band saw is out the ballpark. Its for a home project and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


texts:
I have just read “Can I make cabinet doors out of plywood?”, I  was thinking of making some doors out of mdf with mdf strips glued to the front so they look like they have a frame.

Am I going to get problems?


texts:
I am mounting a new large (150L) water heater inside a bathroom. What gap should there be between the top of the device and the ceiling? Some concerns:

heat retention instead of being transferred to the neighbours above
an unenclosed shower(-head) is located 1.3m away; so the lower the heater, the more water spray
space underneath.

My current bet is 0.2m from appliance to ceiling.


texts:
I recently plan to install a smart thermostat in my house and I found there is a pair of wires(black and white) were connected to the Y and B/C terminal of my furnace.

I tried to track where it goes but I found it goes through the wall.

Can anyone tell me what are these two wires used for?

Wires in the white circle are connected to the thermostat and the wires in the red circle are what I am asking.


texts:
I have a really old door in my appartement in switzerland that has a hole in it for a key cylinder. I have never seen this type before because of the 2 holes next to it. I think it could be some kind of a EURO cylinder.
Could you help me which key cylinder i have to buy?


texts: what is the distance a service drop needs to be from windows

texts: Hi thank you everyone for your awesome input and help. I'm trying to decide placement for service drop to new electrical service panel/main circuit breaker panel. this is new construction of a two story house and I'm hoping to place it on side wall in between two windows that my service drop pipe has a straight shot up the wall thru the 2nd floor and out the roof. there is only 24" on each side of panel then windows.


texts: Wireway or pull-box size for 2" conduit and 1/0 wire

texts:
I need to figure out what size box to mount in the corner where the wall meets the ceiling (actually, a soffit) inside my garage.
I'm going to have one 2" conduit entering from the top, carrying 6 (5, if I share the neutral) 1/0 wires, separating them into two 2" conduits exiting from the bottom going to 2 separate subpanels.
+------|2"|------+
|    ___/\___    |
|   /        \   |
+-|2"|------|2"|-+
  |  |      |  |
+-|  |-+  +-|  |-+
|panel1|  |panel2|

Looking at 314.28(A)(1) it seems that the only size that matters is the vertical that needs to be 8 times 2", which is 16". The ceiling height there is 80", and the panels are 39", so that should work. However, I'd prefer a slimmer box on the top and to spread the panels a bit, so I'm wondering if I can use a wire trough instead:
+------------------|2"|------------------+      +-|2"|-----------------------------------+
|    /--------------/\--------------\    |  or  |  \\======\-----------------\           |
+--|2"|----------------------------|2"|--+      +---------|2"|--------------|2"|---------+
 +-|  |-+                        +-|  |-+               +-|  |-+          +-|  |-+
 |panel1|                        |panel2|               |panel1|          |panel2|

From 376.23(A), it looks like I can use Table 312.6(A) and get away with a 4"x4" trough for the 1/0 wire. If so, I still have a question about the length of the trough. Should I be sizing it as for an angle pull box and have the minimum of 6 times 2" between the top and the bottom holes? Or that doesn't matter as long as I deflect the wires at least 30 degrees?


texts: Why are 3-1/2 (16d) nails so hard to find?

texts:
So I'm a little confused.  It seems like 21 degree fullhead framing nailers are fairly standard.

According to the http://codes.iccsafe.org/app/book/content/2015-I-Codes/2015%20IRC%20HTML/Chapter%206.html

R602.3(1) Fastening Schedule Item #16, 16d nails are required to attach studs to plates (which there'd be a ton of when building walls).

But when I go to try and find some plastic collated 21 degree 16d nails, they are non-existant.   Lowes only sells 4 different products at 3.5" (non of which are 21 degree), Home Depot only has one and it seems a little sketchy, and Amazon has a couple of products but the ones that are actually rated seem really expensive.  Am I missing something?  It seems like something that is required by code would be sold all over the place.


texts: A tile on the floor of our shower stall has come loose. However, in a few months (not much earlier for logistical reasons) we’re having the whole bathroom redone, including a complete replacement of the shower. What I’d like to do is replace the tile quickly and easily and without really caring if it’s a long-term solution or not, so we can keep using the shower until it’s ripped out and replaced.


texts: How do I paint over chipped powder coated galvanized steel?

texts:
I have a metal outdoor structure that is made of galvanized steel and powder coated. A portion of the powder coating has peeled away. The rest appears to be adhering well.

What are the best products/methods to repair the damaged powder coating without the ability to powder coat myself?

Is there a way that I can just remove whatever powder coating isn't adhered well, prime the entire surface including the bare galvanized steel and powder coating, then paint with something that will hold up well as this is exposed to the elements outdoors. Which types of primers, paints and surface prep should I be looking at? I'm hoping there's a way I can get away without stripping the entire piece.

I'm not sure I can match the color and I was never thrilled with the color either so would like to change it.


texts: What material can I use in place of vinyl chair strapping?

texts:
I have an aluminum chair with vinyl straps that I recently replaced.
I don’t like the vinyl straps (plus they’re stretched already), so I’d like to replace with something else.
What do you recommend to replace the straps?


texts: What length of screws to use over 3/4" plywood

texts: What length of screw should be used when screwing 3/4" plywood subfloor to the decking underneath, in preparation for a new sheet vinyl floor?


texts: Plastic screw from inside outlet box to stud

texts:
So I went to Lowe’s to see Their selection of double outlet boxes and came across old construction and new. The new construction had nails on the outside. So I thought hey I’ll try it since I can access from behind the drywall. It was going smooth but honestly it was so hard to nail without hitting the drywall and still keep a nice flush setup for front of the box. The old construction had these flaps that go into the drywall and I liked that idea since it ensure it was flush but I hate the fact it’s not screwed into the stud. Soo I seen a electrician on YouTube use these new construction boxes but do the screw on the inside. However, I googled this and people say it’s against NEC for a conductor to screw inside the box to outside. However all the post I read are about using metal screws. Well that got me thinking why not just use plastic screws and problem solved? Also those Madison screw in boxes I did not like those when I tried them as they start to sink back as you screw. Maybe I just suck with them but the idea above gave me a perfect fit I’m just curious if I should be worried since the screw concept is still unanswered if allowed.
Edit: well looks like there aren’t any plastic screw options. It seems nec code in 314 says you can screw from one side of the box so I am curious if this method is now allowed. I was considering keeping it and just using electric tape over screw head. Or should I just remove the screw and assume the drywall can take the beating of plugging stuff in and out?


texts: 2 single switches; want to create three way switch

texts:
I'm trying to improve the quality of lighting in my house. I used to do electrical work, but only got so far into the field. So...

I have a 2 single switches; one controlling a light and another controlling a receptacle. Both have a power source coming in which I believe is on the same circuit. I want turn those switches into a three way switch controlling the lights in the living room.

I know the typical set up would be a feed into the first switch, 14-3 to second switch then the switch leg to the light. My confusion is how do I do this if both switches already have a feed in and feed out?


texts:
This is a follow up to my previous question.

Thanks to the advice there, I am planning to replace my existing double-pole breaker with a quadruplex breaker.

How do I determine that my panel can take the quadruplex breaker?  My panel is Murray LC3040L and I'm looking at this Murray quadruplex breaker.  Are those two compatible?


texts: Adjusting Craftsman Garage Door Motor Height Travel

texts: Just bought a new garage door opener and it opens about 6 inches short than what I want it to.  I read about adjusting the travel screws, but this model has no travel screws on it. The model number is 139.54930. What is the proper way to increase the height of the door?


texts: Ran out of levelling compound when fitting underfloor heating, what are my options?

texts:
Hoping for some advice on the underfloor heating project I was doing.  Basically when covering the heating mat in a levelling compound, I completely underestimated the amount of compound needed, and only managed to cover about 80-90%% of the floor.  To make things worse I poured from the middle out, which has caused the edges to have either no or very little compound.  The bulk of the mat is covered and fixed in place by compound, however I'm worried about the edges, and exposed heater elements.

I guess at this stage I'm wondering what my options are, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.  I'm guessing they're somewhere in the region of:

Fill the spaces with an extra levelling compound
Tile as normal but using more tile adhesive over exposed area's
Start a new

I've uploaded some photos for amusement/reference:
https://imgur.com/a/z0ndm


texts: Is this fungus? What should I do about it?

texts:
I've pulled up the masonite and tiled floor in my laundry and there's cleary water damage in the floorboards, I just pushed a chisel all the way through the worst part. The adjacent two floorboards are still soft and on top there are white to grey trendils radiating out from the wet area. Unfortunately I'd scraped most of it off without thinking about it. Here's a pic

The water seems to have gone in where the edge of the room wasn't sealed, the worst affected board runs under the wall.

How much of the floor should I cut out, and can/should I treat the adjacent/replacement floor with some kind of fungicide?


texts: I live in Portugal I have an electric   water heater for supplying hot water to the whole house.. A while back i decided to get a builder to install  a power jet shower,and this was mounted to the wall,and connectedto the hot and cold water outlets. Before the shower cabin there is a cold water safety tap.if this tap is open so as to have cold water in the bathroom as well as hot, i can use the bathroom normaly BUT have no hot water in the rest of the house. If i close this cold water safety tap completley,I can not use this bathroom as the water is scalding including the flush, but i have normal hot water everywhere else in the house . Have the pipes been bridged behind the shower  do you think? any suggestions?


texts: Can I steal a neutral wire from another circuit?

texts:
I have some Z-wave light switches that I want to install; below is a link to the diagram for the light switches. Basically I can have all the wiring completed minus the neutral wire for the switch at the bottom of my steps. It will be harder for me to get the neutral from the light than run it in the basement. I have a junction box that is close (4ft compared to 100ft) but it's the living room circuit. Is there anything wrong with tying the light switch that needs the neutral to the living room neutral, based on the wiring is 12/2 and the breaker is the same amperage?

Proposed solution:

Click for larger view


texts:
I live in a rural area that has frequent power outages (Several per month.  Less than a minute in duration).   When the power is restored, several GFI outlets always trip.    I am trying to track down the cause of these trips, as one of the outlets powers a livestock water heater (Which needs to stay powered during freezing months) for the safety of the animals.

The GFI outlets that trip are connected to a sub panel that is fed from the main panel.   Turning the breaker that feeds the sub panel off and on also reliably trips the GFI outlets in question.  I have reproduced this with nothing plugged into the outlets (And load side of GFI disconnected).

This problem has occurred ever since the GFI outlets were installed (Several years ago).

I am looking for the next troubleshooting steps to solve this issue.


texts: What are some good concrete and foundation books?

texts:
I've done all sorts of home repairs and projects, but never concrete work. I've been looking for a good book to help me learn how to build concrete foundations for a home, and how to pour and finish concrete slabs.

I've come across 2 books on Amazon, but they all get bad reviews and seem to be poorly written, poorly organized, and missing information.

The books I've already found are:

Working with Concrete by Rick Arnold (considered to be the best option from what I've found)
Foundations & Concrete Work (For Pros by Pros) (seems to be missing a lot of info)

Does anyone have any recommendations on books for concrete work?


texts: Adding a new switch with an independent light in an existing circuit

texts:
I have two switches at the bottom of my stairs in the basement. One switch is a three way to the switch at the top of my stairs. The other switch lights a series of lights all connected to the same circuit.
One of those lights is in the pantry and what I would like to do is isolate that light from the rest by adding a single pole switch to the room.
The switch at the bottom of the stairs would still light up the rest of the lights.


texts: How do I measure the discharge from a Sump Pump?

texts:
My sump generates a lot of output during some weeks.  Enough that I need a better plan than dumping into the grass and gravel driveway downslope from the house.  My first step in improving my driveway is calculating the amount of water I am dumping into it. What is the easiest way to measure? The 2 inch discharge pipe is about 18 inches off the ground. I guess I could dump the water into a kiddy pool and measure the amount of water in it after a 24 hour period. That leaves me with a kiddy pool I'd have to throw away in a month.  I would prefer a method that allows me to measure into the future.

Is there a simple flow meter for a 2 inch pipe that will measure the amount of water flowing through it? I have found some, but they appear to be industrial grade and industrial priced.

I could estimate the volume of water discharged when the sump cycles on, and then count the number of times the sump runs. But how would I count the number of cycles?


texts: What do I do with a leaky roof in the middle of January?

texts:
I removed the ceiling Sheetrock and insulation during a bathroom remodel in my master bathroom on the 2nd floor of my house. I have snow on the roof that is melting and I found two small drips coming from the roof. I can see black decayed plywood that is bowed in between rafters. I already have two layers of shingles.

I know it's not a great idea to do roof work in the cold, but my bathroom remodel hinges on it.

What's my best approach to this dilemma? Should I cut out and replace the roof over this room alone now, and maybe do the rest in the spring? Or tarp it, finish the remodel and wait for spring to repair the roof?

Ideas?


texts:
Is the 1x6 board at a 45 degree angle in this picture in any way load bearing or required?
Assuming it was a temporary support when the house was built. Early 60s construction.
It's inconveniently in front of an LB / conduit transition and hvac I'd like easier access to.


texts: Fire pit inner ring. Purposes and can I make my own from a barrel cut out?

texts:
I've seen metal rings for fire pits advertised for around 100 dollars on various sites, more or less, and I was wondering what the advantages of having one are?  I think one is heat distribution to avoid direct heating of the surrounding rock/concrete, but is there another purpose?  Do people successfully DIY their own or is it not worth trying?

Edit: An example of the ring I was talking about


texts: How much gravel do I need for a paver stone path?

texts:
I want to build a simple path from my driveway to my back yard using individual 24" x 24" pavers.  They weigh close to 100lbs each.  There is a slight slope, just under 1 inch for each paver.  I plan to level a pad for each paver 30" x 30" and each pad will be about 1" higher then the one below. it.
How much gravel do I need as a base for each paver?
My original thought was I would compact the ground below, add an inch of compacted gravel base, and a half inch of sand.  At most 1 persons weight on each at a time.


texts: Subpanel - still getting power with breaker disconnected

texts:
I'm in the middle of a garage/apt project and ran into an issue yesterday.  Here's my layout.

I have a 200Amp service meter with two 100 amp breakers just after the meter....one breaker feeding the house and the other feeding the garage.  The garage has a 100amp panel with a 60amp sub panel feeding an apartment above the garage.  The 100amp garage panel is fed with 2 hots, a neutral, and a ground.

I have a 60amp 2 pole breaker installed in this panel to feed the 60amp apartment panel....2 hots, a neutral and a ground.  I have two circuits wired from the 60amp apartment sub panel so far.  One 20amp for some outlets in the apartment and a 15amp circuit for some lights in the apartment.

Yesterday, I had removed the 15amp light circuit breaker from the bus bar to do some work on that circuit.  I pulled one of the light switches from the box and began to detach all my wires....suddenly there was a significant ARC that tripped the "main" 60 amp breaker feeding the sub panel.

This is concerning....i don't understand how the circuit still had power with the breaker disconnected physically from the bus bar.  Any thoughts or insight?  Any help would be appreciated.


texts:
My house has a pinky brown brick on the front. When we moved in 9 years ago it had a bit of a green tinge to it, but not bad. Over the years it has gotten worse. We have tried powerwashing, having a house cleaner come and use a detergent on it, and bleach and nothing seems to remove it. I'm not sure what to try next.

Here's what it should look like:


texts: What lower-profile options do I have to replace a triple 2x12 beam?

texts:
I am removing a center post on my patio cover to create a clear span of 15'. The current beam is 2 2x8s with three 4x4 posts. I have had a engineer friend calculate the load for the roof (pic attached). His recommendation is to replace the beam with 3 2x12s to support the roof loads and eliminate the middle post. Posts will become 6x6s.
My question is: What would be a suitable beam replacement for the suggested 3 2x12s? My goal is to find something that will be less tall than the 11-1/4" of the 2x12 beam since the existing patio cover beam is pretty low.
My thought is a wood I-joist or LVL, but I haven't worked with them before and am having trouble finding specs.
Thank you.


texts: Wiring up a light fitting made for the US market to a UK power supply

texts:
I'd like to buy this light fitting from a US supplier.

I plan to get it shipped to the UK and wire it up. Is there anything I should look our for when wiring a light fitting made for the US market into a UK power supply?

I'm aware US mains is 110v and UK is 230-240v, but will this cause an issue in terms of the fitting ?

We are controlling all lighting in the project from a Lutron Homeworks QS control system (not sure if that makes a difference).


texts: What is the recommended way of removing a siliconed in tub jet tube

texts:
I was trying to get our jetted tub back in operational order when I noticed it was leaking. After cutting a hole in the wall in the other room, I traced the leak back to a tube that was not properly sealed. The tubing used is some sort of soft but very stiff PVC tubing. It appears to have silicone calking or something similar all around holding it in. Ideally, I'd like to take it out and clean it up and put a better layer down, but I am finding it very hard to get it out. Are there any tricks to loosening or this up? Perhaps a tool made for sticking down inside the crack and cutting the silicone?

I've tried to cut with a hobby knife and pulled out as much as I could with needle nose pliers, but it still won't come out.


texts: Should I install drywall panels parallel or perpendicular to ceiling joists?

texts:
I am going to be putting drywall up on my ceiling soon and I am not sure which is the best orientation\layout for the drywall.

The ceiling joists run horizontal to the following images.  The section of the ceiling is approximately 33' by 11'.

Which of the following would be better?  Option #1 has 12 butt joints while Option #2 only has 8.

Not sure if this matters but the ceiling joists do not match up with drywall lengths so I've added blocking at the appropriate spots for support.

Longer sheets are not an option.


texts:
The plug from my pressure washer was damaged while moving it, because at some point it was not tied correctly to the body of the washer, and I believe it was caught between the wheels and the washer or something like that.

Is there something that I could attach to the plug so that it could be shielded from damages when not in use ? Or maybe some kind of plug that have such a built in protection ?


texts:
The concrete deck on my build-in-1937 house seems to be falling apart from the bottom.  The deck itself is a 4.5 inch slab connected to the front of a brick house, and by two brick pillars in the corners.  Someone added another cinderblock pillar in the middle of the falling apart area (pictured), and tried to patch the damage, but most of the patch has fallen away.  (There's wiring indicating an AC compressor used to reside under the deck.)  The falling apart area is deep enough in parts to expose whatever 1930s rebar looks like, which is flaking away.  Pictured is the worst part, where it's more than an inch deep.

This looks like more than a simple patch I could cover with epoxy.  Does anyone have any advice on how I should proceed?  Can I recover this with new cement?  I'm worried (without any actual evidence) that the edge of the deck may not be as stable as it looks from the top!


texts: What to look for in wood selection when building a coffee table frame with glass top

texts:
I'm looking to build a coffee table with a design similar to that in the picture. A simple frame, with a glass top. The other photo I've included is one of my floor, which might be teak (I rent, in the picture some untreated and treated, as we've had some water damage).

The table will be quite long, perhaps 160cm (63") in length, and maybe 50cm (20"). In order to support such a long stretch, I'll need to mind the wood selection.

It will have to be a hardwood. Perhaps teak or ironwood? What would be able to support such a long stretch?
Color-wise, I'm looking for something slightly lighter than the finished floor but lighter than what is used in the example photo.

I'd appreciate recommendations on what to look for in selecting the right kind of wood, and perhaps specific hardwood recommendations.

In addition, any comments on what to watch out for in building such a stretched coffee table.


texts: What is causing this water on the drywall and how concerned should I be?

texts:
I noticed some light lines on the dry wall of one my internally facing walls.  Here is a picture of the water lines:

It's tough to tell from the picture (make sure to view in high resolution), but it is very light, and barely wet at all.  This is unlike other water damage I've seen that is result of a broken pipe.  I didn't even realize it was wet without touching it.  It's also barely visible on the drywall in the next room that shares the wall.  In this room, it is completely dry:


texts:
I have a switch that controls the room light and all the outlets.
I would like to make the outlets always hot.
The source of the power is behind the switch and there are 3 outlets in the room.
How would I make the outlets always hot and only control the ceiling light?
Edit: Here are the pictures. 1st picture is the diagram of what is currently happening behind the walls, 2nd, and 3rd pictures are left and right view of the Switch. 4th and 5th pictures are right and left view of Outlet 1.
There are a total of 5 Outlets and 1 Ceiling light. These are all attached behind Outlet 1 and controlled by 1 Switch. I don't know how the white wires are attached behind Outlet 1 since these are not attached behind Outlet 1. I think these might be behind Outlet 5.
Outlet 5 is in the other room wall which is located directly on the opposite side of Outlet 1. Green colors are caps. The red wire is capped behind the Switch and it's linked to the red wire coming from the ceiling light behind Outlet 1 but it's not being used.
Outlet 1 picture below, Botton right black wire is attached with the rest of the black wires, I removed it for the sake of the picture.
Also, behind Outlet 1, there are 3 white wires attached, One on top left, the second botton left and the third is part of the outlet and it's going somewhere. I think all these white wires in the box of Outlet 5.
I just don't know how these white wires are attached together. I would like the light switch to only control the ceiling light. I do have some spare 14/3 romax if needed.


texts: Fireplace, identification and removal component

texts:
I am curious what the purpose is of the black metal covers above this fireplace. Looking up from below, outside of the window, they are closed. Is this purely decorative? Is there any way to remove them? I don't see any obvious bolts. Only decorative studs.

They are not physically attached to the actual fireplace, only the wall.

The stubs are not hiding bolts as for as I can see. On some sides there is a small gap and you can see there is nothing.

It's rock-solid though. My fear is that it's somehow cemented in. I might not be able to take it down without destroying some of the brickwork.


texts:
I'm trying to get my parents a good water filtration system for their home. They live in Mexico so the quality of the water might not be as good as in the US. They have to buy bottled water every week and so I would like to get at least the same quality.

There seems to be 3 types of water filtration processes (UV, reverse osmosis, carbon filter) and from what I've gathered the best is to use the 3 of them if one wants good quality. What systems would you recommend, when I search online I mainly get websites of companies advertising their products so I'm interested in knowing more of what you have to say about this. Ideally I would like to find the type of product(s) I want to get them and then start to look for them in Mexico or, if some of the parts are not too big, ship them to Mexico from here.


texts: My box is full and I have a gas water heater and trying to switch to a electric tank. Could I just take out two of my 110s and replace it w a 220v for the new tank.?


texts: How to stop coil burners from cycling off and on

texts: I have Frigidaire cooktop stove not smooth top. The burners cycle off and on. I would them to stay on until I turn them off, can that be changed on my stove?


texts: Connecting a Honda 7000iS portable generator to a transfer switch

texts:
I recently purchased a Honda EU7000iS generator (manual) to power our house when the power goes out. The house came with a transfer switch but I'm unsure which cord to buy to connect the two. Can someone point me in the right direction?
I've attached a picture of the instructions manual for the transfer switch.


texts: Is this small slope a problem installing vinyl plank?

texts:
We are going to install luxury vinyl plank flooring in our basement. This product clicks together and floats, much like laminate.

Two questions:

The cement slab/subfloor is fairly level, with one exception: There is a 36"W walkout door, and the floor slopes down about 1/2" over the 6-8" before the door threshold.

Is this 1/2" descent enough to worry about when installing the floor?

If so, any suggestions?

Here's a pic of the flooring extending to the threshold showing the slope:

In the pic you can also see a marble threshold. This abuts the actual door threshold (which you can't see in the pic). Wondering if I should remove the marble threshold and put in one more suited to laminate or vinyl, with a lip to hold the flooring down under it. Maybe something like this:

If I use this, can I just bend the vinyl flooring down the slope and secure it under the threshold's lip, or do I need to fill in the cement to make the entry area level before installing the threshold and flooring?

Thanks,

Jim


texts: What is this switch plate cover with a pyramidal bulge across the top of the plate?

texts:
We were trying to replace old switch plate covers at our new house when we came across one that is a type I've never seen before. It's a light switch cover that looks like an ordinary cover except for a small bulge above the switch that's maybe an inch across and half an inch tall. It's kind of an elongated pyramid shape. Removing the cover reveals two wires coming from the box (one from the top right, one from the bottom left) that appear to be soldered behind the lump. There appears to be a small piece of what looks like PCB board material, but doesn't show any features aside from the points where the two wires are attached.

Does anybody have any idea what this is? I don't want to just yank the wires out (they are attached to screw terminals in the box) without knowing what they are supposed to do.

The house was build in the early 20th century, so the plate could be really old.


texts: Sliding Glass Door Locked from the Outside?

texts: How in the world could a sliding glass door lock on your from the outside.  I only open it at the handle and do not touch the latch or pin.  This happened to me recently and got locked out while out on my patio.  The lock to the sliding glass door in on the inside!


texts: How do I mount a TV to cover a cubby hole above my fireplace?

texts: I have an odd space above the mantle that my wife hates, and we tried covering it up with our TV, but I'm not very confident that the mantle is strong enough to hold the TV.  I would like to do something so that the TV can stay there, whether it be mounting the TV to the wall (not sure if this is possible) or put drywall over the cubby hole and then mounting a TV.  In the picture you can see the cubby hole in the wall behind the TV.  Is either of the options I listed able to be done and does anyone know what is likely in the small section of wall from the top of the cubby hole to the ceiling?


texts:
I've got an 1890s house in London. We started getting some penetrative damp through some of the upstairs walls so I've had a look in the attic to check if there's anything going on up there.

It looks like all the rafters have got white mold on them, though the internet's say it could be efflorescence. I'm guessing that me replacing the insulation in the ceiling joists a few years ago has contributed to this.

Luckily I have one window in the attic, but it's a small window and a large attic, and it's currently winter and quite rainy.

All my Google searches are turning up damp companies who surprisingly don't respond to phone calls or emails so I ask the more trusted stackexchange: what should I do, if anything, about the attic?


texts:
I recently had a sink hole in my backyard that I consulted with here on DIY and got some helpful responses. This was as a result of an old well. It was fixed by a landscape architect.

However, after some more heavy rain I can now see other issues that my back yard is having with drainage. Can anyone recommend additional drainage fixes?

Along the side of the first picture I have three french drains. Those drains hook to a larger drain that goes to the main neighborhood reservoir. They do not seem effective though, and neither does the mulch as it just flows downward. Water flows onto the deck posts and soaks them, as well as along the back line of the yard and down to the lower side as you can see in the pictures. I am thinking this is where the issues lie - need a better solution here.

In the second picture (yes I know, its blurry but it was raining heavily) you can see some standing water in the grass which I have highlighted. Some water flows along the back fence/grass line which is fine. I obviously can't force a drain line to flow into my neighbors yard as this is illegal.

That water all comes down along the fence line next to the neighbors house which sits lower than mine. It piles up along the side of my house as you can see in the third picture. Maybe that needs some french drains as well?


texts: Trouble replacing cartridge for a 2 handle bathroom faucet

texts:
I am trying to install new cartridges for my faucet, but after removing the old ones and putting the new ones in, water will not come out from either handle after I turn it on.

On the left is the new cartridge, while on the right is the old one. I think I got the right kind, but correct me if I am wrong. They look similar except that the new one has small teeth in that opening, but the old does not.
I tried putting back the old ones in, but I still have the same issue. I figure at this point that I am doing a mistake while putting them back on.

Here's how it looks after I put it, does it look right? I am having trouble pushing it down even further if that's what I need to do so any tips concerning that would be welcomed.
Thank you so much for your help
EDIT: Here are extra pictures.
Bottom of both old and new cartridges.

How it looks with everything removed:


texts: I'm new to wood working and I want to build my wife a bathtub tray that can hold a laptop (for Hulu watching) and a glass.  It doesn't need to hold anything else really.  But I don't know what type of wood to use for this.  What wood would be good?!


texts: What could cause my light and TV to turn off, then back on?

texts: Light is on a switch, TV on a different outlet. When I switch light on, then turn TV on after awhile they both go off. If I wait awhile, they will come back on by themselves. Breaker never trips. Same thing happens, even if they are not on at the same time.


texts: No hot water at faucets after replacing water heater

texts: No water comes out from any hot water faucet--only the cold side after replacing water heater. How do I fix the problem?


texts: Why do I get an open ground warning after a GFCI Test?

texts:
I just finished a home wiring project which has a set of outlets protected by a GFCI outlet. I was testing them with an outlet tester and noticed something odd:

Immediately after a GFCI test, my outlet tester reported that the GFCI protected outlets had an open ground. If I did a second test, the error went away.

I was able to repeat this consistently - every other test I'd see an "open ground" indicator.

Is my GFCI outlet defective?

Update: I'm using a simple outlet tester, like this one.


texts: Why is there always crud in my tap water?

texts:
My faucet constantly clogs up with crap, and I have to clean the end of the faucet manually every week or two weeks.
What is this and what can I do to stop it clogging up my faucets? And is this coming in the house or is it built up in the house's pipes?
Here is a picture what is in the shower faucet after about 2 weeks of not removing it:


texts: When setting fence posts, does the post need to go to bottom of the concrete?

texts:
FYI, Previous answers were 50/50 (going back 10y).
WHEN SETTING A POST IN A ROUND CONCRETE FORM:
..1.. Some answers said the post must touch gravel at the bottom for drainage,
..2.. the other 50% said the opposite (that the post bottom would wick up water and rot).
Is this relevant for metal too (rusting instead of rotting)?
If the post does not need to go to the bottom of the form:
[Since the concrete form will go down about 5-feet], can I cheat (to get more post height) by setting the post only about 2-feet in the concrete?   With either wood or galvanized?
Now I’m wondering if some locations might commonly have water in the bottom of a post hole, and dry areas might drain as some claim?
:-)


texts: When installing hardwood floor which room should I start with?

texts:
Below is the layout of my ground floor. I would like to redo the hardfloor. The old one is still in place, the house was built in 58 and I beleive that the floor was never replaced so it is about the time :-)

The grey areas do not need hard floor.
I would like to start with the empty bedroom but I am not sure how that will impact the later work for the long central hallway and the living. I have never installed hard floor in my life and I read that you need to start with the biggest room, parallel with the longest continuous wall
My reason for doing it this way is the lack of experience. Since that is the smallest room I can try to learn to install hard floor without wasting tons of money, time and without turning everything upside down around me. I want to be able to regroup and call a pro if I fail or get bored
The other question that I have is this: is it doable to install different hard floor in each room ? I would like to do that for variation and to give each room a specific personality or touch to say so...


texts: Hot water spigot in bathroom shuts off aftere a few seconds

texts: When i run the hot water in my bathroom sink, after a few seconds i hear a bang behind the wall and the hot water shuts off.  This only happens at this one location.


texts: How do I remove huge gluey sticker tape on glass?

texts:
I'm asking for my cousin in Hong Kong, whose little children stuck this window sticker onto the glass. We read How do I remove the gluey residue left by gaffer tape on glass, https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/30948, Removing Tuck Tape from an unfinished window frame, but nothing works! Please see the picture with my labels below.

We tried vegetable oil, dishwash detergent, rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol, and vinegar. The only solution is to use our nails to tear off a litte piece of the tape, a tiny piece by tiny piece. Please help! Thanks!


texts:
I am replacing a light switch and found three black wires going to it. Two go to the screw terminals and one goes to the push terminal:

I verified with a multimeter that the central and bottom terminals are always live, and the top terminal is live if the switch is in the up/on position. Is it safe to just pigtail the bottom two wires together when replacing the switch? The new one only has one hot wire.


texts:
I light candles frequently in room, and I wanted to prevent candle soot from sticking to the walls etc. How about I install an exhaust system in that room? What other options do I have?

How powerful are kitchen's exhaust systems? Do they suck air only around the stove area or few feet farther as well?


texts: How to replace a small halogen bulb in outdoor accent fixture that my fingers barely fit into?

texts: Any ideas on how to replace a small halogen bulb in an outdoor wall accent light. The bulbs are small and the light cups are long and low to my planter I can't see and can barely get my fingers up in them.


texts:
I am putting in a handrail down the few steps into our garage. The floor is concrete, so I've ordered a couple of 3x3 aluminum posts. The railing has a single attachment point per post, and the hardware that came with it includes lag screws; but I'm thinking those are intended for attaching to wood studs, not aluminum posts. How should I attach the handrail to the posts? I'm thinking a bolt, all the way through the post?

EDIT: I'm mainly interested in the strength of the attachment, as it needs to bear 300lb.


texts:
I'm just in the process of hanging a heavy flower basket which requires 3 screws for maximum strength.

The basket will be hanging on a wall.

I inherited the drill bits, so I'm not really sure if they are for drilling brick but they drilled the mortar just fine. They also have been used for drilling metal and wood just fine too.

Whilst trying to drill the third hole in the brick I can only get a few mm deep.

Is this likely due to the bit being wrong, or due to being a cheap drill?


texts: My question is simple. Is heat load calculation the same for sizing air conditioners as it is for sizing radiators? I.e if an AC guy gives you the heat loads which lead him to select particular air conditioners can you use those BTU figures for sizing radiators or designing your hot water radiator system (determining flow rates and head etc?)


texts:
I have an American Standard heat pump AC. I'm replacing a White-Rodgers manual thermostat (where I move a switch from cold to heat) with a Honeywell RTH7600 (which will automatically switch from cold to heat).

When I take off the old thermostat, I have a red wire (power) that will go to the Rc with a built in jumper. I have a green wire (fan) that will go to the G. I have an O wire that will go to the O/B.

My problems lies with the yellow wire. My yellow goes to the Y and also to a W. If I'm reading my manual correctly, I think I can put the yellow wire only to the Y since the new Programable thermostat automatically switches from cold to heat.

Is my thinking correct?


texts: How should I handle areas of soft polyurethane left after sanding?

texts: Following 24 hour drying, sanding with 120 grit using handheld belt sander on very old pine floor, I vacuumed then damp mopped. Now I have spots of gummy poly throughout the floor. How do I proceed to fix this and move on to the second coat?


texts: Making a timber frame cupboard door using an MDF insert to hold its shape

texts:
I have been working on a design for some cupboard doors. The requirements are:
 - Simple to build so that an low-skilled wood-worker (myself) can put it together.
 - Be strong enough that the door does not "sag" over time.

My frame is basically a rectangle of 80mm x 20mm oak.
In-side the frame I will have an MDF board (with oak laminate) that is either 4mm or 6mm (I have not yet decided) that will be attached within a 4/6mm groved channel inside the frame.

I have made an attempt at a diagram below for the MDF board grove that I will cut into the oak frame, it shows how the MDF will slot inside.

   | |     <-- 4/6mm MDF board sitting within the groved channel
   | |
+--+ +---+
|  |_|   |
|        | <-- Oak 20mm frame cross-section view
|        |

The frame is constructed with dowelled and glued joints (three large dowels per join to stop twisting). And the MDF board will slot snug into the groves and will be glued.

The idea is that the MDF will keep the doors in shape.

Do people have suggestions / or confirm this is a good/poor design? / alternatives? (please not hammer and mortice joins... too difficult for me!)


texts: Can I use 14 gauge wire on a 20 AMP electrical circuit?

texts:
Running 12-2 Romex cable from the electrical panel to a J-box located in attic. J-box will connect two GFCI outlets and extend a 14-2 cable to the ceiling light fixture box, where other 14-2 cable will be used for a switch.

Circuit breaker is 20A.

Is that OK? Is it code compliance?


texts:
I have a banister that is screwed into a plaster wall. The screws have come out of the wall and the plaster is all broken up. I know how to put stuff over the broken up plaster to make it smooth, but I'd like to be able to use that same exact spot to drill the banister screws back in.

Do I buy plaster and use that to fill in the broken plaster so that I can drill into the same area again?


texts: I replaced all the copper in my home with pex in 2008. I have had a seepage leak on one of my hot water fittings. I took it apart and cleaned all the parts and reconnected it, and still the seepage. Does that indicate that the manifold needs to be replaced??? I read some about dezincification, would that be my problem?? Since it is one of the top fittings, most of the manifold is blue with corrosion. I cleaned some with my copper pipe cleaner, and it cleans well. Can the pex fittings be damaged by cleaning and does hot water possibly accelerate dezincification??


texts: How should I repair drywall where heating registers used to be?

texts:
We recently had an asbestos abatement crew remove heating ducts in our house that had asbestos-lined duct insulation.  Part of the process required them to remove the duct registers in the wall as well.

The result is that I have sections like this in almost every room in the house:

Yikes. What's the procedure for repairing drywall like this?

I was thinking of doing something similar to Niall's recommendation here. Basically cut back some extra drywall on the sides so there's room on all of the studs (which would also have the benefit of removing the damaged sides... then put in a cross support between the studs and screw the drywall to all sides and the cross support.  Then mud/tape as usual.

Is there a better way to do this? Keep in mind that I'm a beginner and need to do this procedure multiple times.

I should also mention that we're not planning to add the registers back at this time... it'll be several years before we get a new furnace anyway. We just want to repair the drywall and make it look like the hole was never there.

-M


texts: Checking light switch for grounding problems

texts:
I have a light switch in my building that frequently gives me a "shock" when I push it.  The shock seems to come from the two mounting screws.  It has a photoelectric sensor that turns the light off when I'm not in the room - I don't know if that's important.

Using home inspection tools readily available, is there a way to determine if this is a grounding problem?
If it is a real problem, what resource should I consult to figure out a way of repairing the problem?
If I can not find a grounding problem, are there other reasons besides grounding that might cause this phenomenon? What professional resource should I utilize for a diagnosis if the problem does not appear to be grounding related?


texts: Induction power source across 1/2" of wood?

texts: I'm looking for a way to put a small lamp inside a piece of furniture through which I do not want to drill any holes or run wires along. Are there any premade induction power systems that can get a few watts across less than half an inch separation? I'm flexible about the voltage and whether it ends up as AC or DC since I can just choose a lamp appropriate for it.


texts: Leaking faucet connection (inside vanity)

texts:
I just discovered the faucet connection inside the vanity is leaking. The leak appears to happen at the top of the connection (where the black pipe meets the white of the vanity. What could be causing it, and how can I fix it?
Photos:


texts: Not level where drywall and backer board meet

texts: In process of replacing a one piece fiberglass stall shower. Have removed it and put up backer board but line where backer board meets drywall is not level. I'd say drywall is maybe as much as 1/2" over backer board at worst places. All 3 walls already backer boarded, taped and mudded. How can I get seam more level before I start to install tile?


texts: Wire 2 GE smart switches to 2 different lights on the same circuit

texts:
I have 2 GE smart switches that I want to wire in the same double gang box.  1 switch is for a porch light and the other is for my interior vestibule.  There is only 1 power source in the box, and that power source will continue on to another switch elsewhere.  All wires contain a black line, white neutral, and a bare copper ground line. I understand how the power line and ground line has been jumped from one switch to the next and then out to another switch,and the load lines to the lights, but what I don't understand is the neutral lines.  Both of the smart switches have a line, a load, ground and a neutral clearly labeled.   I did wire the neutral wires using 4 way connectors.  Neutral line from hot wire, neutral from smart switch, neutral from light, and last neutral to jump to smart switch 2 in the box.  The second 4 way connector has one incoming neutral from previous 4 way, smart switch neutral, neutral from light, then an outgoing neutral to continue out to another location.

Here is the question. I powered everything up and setup my smart switches and there was light.  Although when I turn switch 1 on, both lights turn on, interior and exterior.  Likewise, when I toggle switch 2, both lights turn on/off.  When I use the GE app I installed, i can turn on light one without turning on light 2.  It's only when i physically toggle either switch that both lights turn on/off.  Did i do something wrong?


texts: Suggestions for standing pole for sun shade

texts:
I'm looking for suggestions on how to best attach a sunshade opposite of my garage.

The subject sunshade is here and I've already attached two anchors on the garage. Here's what I'm trying to add:

Would a 4"x4" 12' post like this one work for this? Or do I need to look for a metal one? If so, where does one go for those?

If the wood one works, is it possible to attach to the side of the concrete:


texts: Should a circulator pump be installed on the supply or return of a forced hot water heating system?

texts:
I currently have a forced hot water heating system with 3 zones, all of which have the circulator pump on the supply side of the line.  I need to install a 4th zone and am being told that putting the circulator on the return side is more efficient.

What are the pros and cons of the circulator's location?  Are there issues having some on one side and some on the other?


texts: Are my intermittently-working holiday lights a fire hazard?

texts:
I have an older (10+ years) pre-lit Christmas tree with incandescent lights. There's also an equally old lit topper that behaved in a similar way, so they may be related. The middle section of my tree had half the lights out when I plugged it in. I went through and checked all of the bulbs.

At first I tested each bulb in another strand, but I quickly grew tired of it. So then I just checked to see if the filament, or the backup wire below the filament were broken. I found one light I know to be dead and swapped it out, but the section was still out.

After 20 minutes or so with the tree on the section was magically lit up! Given the primitive nature of the lights I assume there is something to do with heat building up and causing contact to be made, similar to how twinkling lights are made. My concern is that if the circuit wasn't made then there's no way for it to heat/shift, so I feel like there's a short somewhere in there.

Is there a simple explanation for this behavior, and is it risky to use the lights as-is?


texts: Wire Gauge/Type for 100amp detached Shop?

texts:
I have a new woodworking shop that I built behind my house. The shop has a 100 Amp panel and I have wire the shop for 110v/20a plugs and 220v/20a plugs. My house has a 225amp service and already has a 220v/100a breaker that was feeding a garage subpanel (no longer used).

Panel and breaker are Square D and I want t run a direct burial cable to the shop. Distance is 65 meters (about 200 feet). Total draw in the shop would be max 60 amps if I had everything running (lights, heater/AC, power tools, radio, etc) and although there would be voltage drop over the distance of the run, I think a 2/3 direct wire would still suffice.

I asked the inspector and he was only concerned about depth of trench etc.

I also wanted to use aluminum as it is cheaper than copper.

Trying to look at what cable to get and 2/3 aluminum Tech cable seems like it will do.


texts: Is it safe to connect two extension cords to reach 75 feet to a generator?

texts: For my generator? It's a duromax xp4850eh with one of those 240v L14-30 outlets. The inlet is about 75 feet away from where I want the generator to sit outside. Because of voltage drop concerns, I thought maybe I could connect a 8/4 extension cord to the generator first, then connect my 25 feet 10/4 cord to the end of that. I really don't want to deal with a full on 8 gauge 75 foot cord.


texts: What is the name of this piece that regulates the flow to the showerhead?

texts:
When I was replacing an old shower hose, a piece from the tap came off. That piece regulates the flow to the shower head. I am trying to find a replacement, but I am having difficulty doing so since I don't know its name.  What is the name of this piece?

This is the piece I am looking for (on top of shower hose) It's stuck to the old shower hose. When looking on the inside, you can see that it is some sort of valve

This is my sink

The piece should be inside the inner hole (second from the left) of the sink


texts: Will this cable work for wiring my house to router

texts:
Will this cable be ok?  I purchased a 100' role of UTP Cat 6.  I will place it in 1" conduit when it goes outside but it will be be bare as it crosses through the basement and maybe over a few electric wires. The Verizon guy put my router in the garage and I would like to move it to the center of the home.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WD017BG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


texts: Natural gas smell in house after new roof installation

texts:
We just had our roof replaced today, and I've noticed a distinct smell of natural gas at random times while walking through the house. When they were here they had large pieces of wood up against the garage to protect it and I noticed the garage reaked of the smell after they left. So I opened the garage to let it air out, and now it's fine. But I still have random smells theoughout the house that smells like natural gas (we do have a gas range and water heater).

Is this normal, after replacing our gas vent? Could this be something else that just smells like gas?

Fwiw, I have two young daughters in the house  - kind of worried to go to sleep without figuring this out first.


texts:
In my house I have a main panel with 3-50 amp breakers feeding a subpanel right next to it. The main panel has an opening for a double breaker.

I plan on adding a 50 amp 2 pole breaker to the main panel that will feed a second subpanel in a building that will have a 30, 20, and 15 amp breaker. It will be 240/120 service. I'm using #4 gauge aluminum service wire direct burial between house and building.

Is there a problem with any of this?


texts:
All the visible cables in my attic are old armored cables, thus protected from possible critters trying to chew them (I've had squirrels there before) and other forms of direct impact.

As I'm doing some rewiring and have a large amount of leftover NM (romex) cable, I was wondering if I can run that just sitting on top of and secured to the joists in the attic, like the current armored cable is. I can certainly go buy MC cable (metal-clad, which is like a modern version of my archaic armored BX that has aluminum wire and no ground) but would rather use what I have left over.


texts: Raised oak grain after 3 coats of acrylic polyurethane

texts: I'm refinishing an oak table top.  Got it sanded down smooth, stained, then applied 3 coats of Benjamin Moore Stays Clear acrylic polyurethane, lightly sanding between coats.  But after the 2nd coat I didn't sand much because I was afraid it would damage the finish.  My 3rd coat went on like glass, but now that it's dry, the wood grain is quite raised. Is there anything I can do at this point to get the wood grain smooth again?  I think, after reading, that I should have sanded more in between coats, but that's water over the dam now.  Thank you for any help.


texts: Goodman Model GPC1242H41CA Blowing Low volt fuse ONLY when heat is turned on

texts: Good Afternoon from Florida!! I have a two year old Goodman Model GPC1242H41CA package unit that has heat strips, I had a short that eneded up causing me to replace the transformer and the control board. I ended up replacing the thermostat and wires as well and now the AC side works perfect but when it is changed to heat it blows the 3 amp low volt fuse and heat will not work. I replace the fuse and turn it back on to heat and it again blows the fuse....I dont understand why the cool works fine but the heat is blowing the fuse. I have checked the heat strips and nothing is broken or touching anywhere so I am kind of at a loss right now and could use some advice. Thanks!!!!!!


texts:
I have a 4 bulb ceiling light which was working perfectly until recently...
When the power is off, the 4th bulb flickers... I removed the 4th bulb, and the 3rd bulb flickers!
So I removed the fuse altogether and left it for another day. I guess this is a light issue rather than a switch issue?


texts: How to tighten a circular saw without a spindle / arbor lock?

texts:
I have an older Black & Decker Sawcat #987. It does not appear to have any way of locking the spindle that I can find.

How are you supposed to tighten down the blade bolt if you can't hold the spindle from turning? It gets semi-tight and then the spindle just turns. The blade is still free to rotate at this point. I don't think there is enough friction to run the motor to snug it up that way.

I am aware of methods to loosen the bolt without a lock (hold the blade with block of wood, sharply applied torque, etc.) but these don't seem to apply when tightening.

(I feel like I may be missing something obvious because this seems like a ridiculous problem!)

Thanks


texts:
If my kitchen wall tiles start some centimeters below the countertop and the base cabinets, can I replace the tiles without moving the cabinets? For example by cutting the tiles at the countertop line and replacing only from this line and up?
I know it's not the cleanest way but, given that I will never see what's behind the cabinets, does it matter?

Thank you.


texts: Does the ground wire for my pool connect to the pumps?

texts:
I am in the midst of a new gunite in-ground pool install.  I have the electrical background to tackle this job but I want to know I have it right, particularly around the bonding and grounding.  I got the homeowners one time electrical permit.

I successfully obtained the initial bond permit after the rebar was laid out.  I ran #8 bare copper around and left my 4 tails above the pool.  I also ran a #8 bare copper from the bonding lugs on the 3 pool lights I have installed and left them tailed out.  I have now laid out the 3ft wide copper grid to go under my pavers.  I will connect my tails(4 rebar bonds and 3 lights) to the grid and then run a solid bare #8 from the grid back to my equipment pad. Does this #8 go to one or all pumps I have at the pad and their ground lugs?  Ill have a sub panel outside.  Will I still need another grounding stick for this subpanel?

I have also read I need to run a solid, insulted #8 from each light, in addition to the ground wire that comes with the light.  Is that right?  Do I need to bond the inside of the light too?  This is where I am confused.


texts: Ice maker to sump pump has water run back into it, any ideas for a fix?

texts:
My ice maker has a gravity drain that it says to connect to the sink drain. All works well except if I run the faucet for a while eventually water will back up into the ice maker. I believe the issue is that the drain connects to a pump that pumps the water up into my sewage line, and my guess is when the pump kicks on it may back up the water in the pipe...but I am not sure if that's actually the issue or not. Picture of the setup attached, the grey line is what connects to the ice maker, the pipe closest to the wall goes up to a studor vent. Any ideas for changes I can make to stop this from happening? Is there a one way valve I can get for this or a different position for the grey line that would help?
Also side note, I plan to add a garbage disposal to the sink, is that a bad idea with the pump?
Thanks!!


texts:
Pictured is a broken valve on a pipe that is part of a pool heating system.  The pipe sends water to a solar heater on the roof.  We bought the house its in its current state but I assume the handle was broken off and the valve seems to be stuck closed.  Being totally new to this I'm wondering:

Is there anyway to fix this without replacing the valve?
What kind of valve do I replace this with? A combined ball and check valve?
Does replacing it means cutting out the broken valve?


texts:
How do I tell if I have asbestos cement sheet?

How should I remove an asbestos cement sheet?


texts:
I have water seeping up from stone tile in a first floor mud room. I checked in the basement ceiling below these tiles and there does not appear to be any wetness and the water also isn’t coming from the ceiling. I suspect what’s happening is water is getting behind our wood shingles through an old
roof line (this is an addition to our house) and finding its way through a crack right about where these tiles are. Who would I call for something like this?

———— edit —————

One other theory I have is that it could be related to a gutter splashblock (there is a gutter downspout right behind this wall) which blew away during a recent wind storm and was only recently replaced (two days ago). That said we have amazingly good drainage here and don’t have any water problems with our basement. I’d be quite surprised if this were it. The foundation appears to be completely dry here.


texts:
I'll try to be the more specific possible but please consider I usually talk French.
I'm not the owner of the place I live, I'm renting it. So something like changing a door is not something I considier that I should change if something goes bad with it. Especially when one of the main prupose of a door is not meet; stopping cold air from coming in. But the owner don't want to change it (waste of time talking with him anyway ; "Costs too much." he'll say - I literally hear him saying it).
So I was wondering how could I fix the fact that yes, my exterior door is closing correctly, but there's a huge and quite considerable amount of air entering by where the metalic piece from my door went into the wall hole.

Note: It's not my door, it's an example. Mine have a door lock about 2 inches over the handle.


texts:
I am trying to add a nest thermostat. But their support desk is not able to answer a simple question properly and keep asking me to buy a nest pro service. Right now my nest is connected without a c wire (basis their advise) and is working ok. But I would hate to not use a C wire that I feel probably is already existing.

I do see a blue coiled wire on either side tucked in (either side as in at the old thermostat and the furnace). But the wire is NOT connected currently. There is an additional red wire that’s on the “comm” of the furnace. I asked them if I can plug this blue wire which is currently running unconnected from my thermostat to the furnace and connect to both end of the nest and the furnace comm. which would mean though that the furnace comm will have two wires (there is already a red wire in the comm of the furnace and then there would be this new blue one) and the Y at furnace also has two already connected wires: one yellow and one white.
Can one of you good Samaritan’s see from the connections if it’s ok to connect the blue wire currently unconnected to the nest and to the furnace and is it ok to have two wires going into the comm at furnace.

By the  way what are all the other wires If anyone can throw light on the same.


texts: Is there too much gravel under this deck?

texts:
I had a contractor put a layer of gravel under my raised deck.  The deck is about 4 feet off the ground and the space underneath it is enclosed.  The ground under the deck was dirt with some landscape fabric over it.  I had made sure to remove enough dirt that the skirting had at least 3-4 inches of clearance above the ground.  The contractor was very generous with the gravel or there was less room than I thought so now some of the skirting and structure is buried.  Gravel isn't soil but this seems not right to me.  Is this a problem?  Not sure what's pressure treated and what's just cedar but I want it all to dry as well as it can.

This is from the outside.  The lower trim is in it.  The large stones are new and are there to keep the gravel in.  The dirt part will be finished later.

There is a slab under the gravel around the stair stringers.

Another view from the inside.  You can see the gravel now sits on top of the support structure for the skirting.


texts: Can I attach Trex handrail to wooden balusters?

texts: The steps to my front porch are exposed.  The treated and stained handrails have started to rot (one out of 4 rails at this time).  I am not prepared to replace all the porch and stair railings right now.  My question is whether or not it is possible to replace the 4 exposed top railings with Trex railings, attaching them to existing wooden balusters.


texts: How do I remove the vacuum behind my toilet's flapper valves?

texts:
Over the last 12 months, the toilets in my condo have becomes progressively harder and harder to flush. Once the flapper valve finally releases, they flush just fine, but it's getting them to release that's the problem. One toilet — the master bathroom — in particular is quite difficult and the bar inside the tank that's attached to the chain of the flapper valve finally snapped.

I opened up the tank to replace the flush handle and found that I don't have any of those things. No chain, no flapper valve. Instead I have this thing that I've never seen before (picture taken with new handle installed).

So my question is this: Where is that vacuum coming from, and how do I get rid of it?


texts: Why am I getting an high limit switch error code on my HVAC when the switch is working?

texts: I have a Goodman gms9 and recently it has been not starting intermittently, then giving a high limit switch code. I have checked the high limit switch and it is functioning appropriately. If I leave it alone the furnace will eventually start, or I shut off the power for a minute and when I turn it back on it will work. The filter is clean and all ducts/registers are clear and open. What could be causing the intermittent problem?


texts: Replacing Non-Working Single-Pole Dimmer Switch

texts:
Ok- so I hope I explain well- I will also attach photo. Dimmer switch and switch to fan located in same box. When we removed the plate, the cords came out of there locations before we could see what was attached to what. We have: 2 white wires that had a yellow nut connecting them; then we have a red wire, 2 black wires and a green grounding wire. The new dimmer also included a yellow "jumper" wire. We are wanting to replace the current dimmer switch and also the switch next to it that controls the fan. The old setup has wires coming out of the switches attaching to the wires in the wall with yellow electrical nuts. The new switches don't have any wires at all (other than the green grounding wire)- just the screw or wire-in-the-hole hookups.
We are having a hard time figuring out the connection map. We can't tell which one is the common or "hot" wire. We don't have any electrical tools to tell us either.
The new dimmer switch has a blue screw, a gold screw, and a black screw. The new regular switch has a black screw, a gold screw and a green screw.
Can someone PLEASE help by telling us what to hook which wires to on both the new dimmer and the new switch? Even without knowing which is the "hot" wire, is there a couple of different configurations that could help us figure that out?
Thank you so much!!]1


texts: How do I increase the pressure in my sprinkler system that runs off a well?

texts:
I'm trying to build a sprinkler system for my large yard.  I've set up 2 zones each one with 8 heads being supplied by a 2HP well pump.

I'm using 1" pipe everywhere.

The first zone works fine and the well maintains about 70PSI; the second zone, which is about 20 yards longer than the first and also has 8 heads, works but the well pump is cycling.

I'm guessing that the problem is that with the longer line, I don't have enough pressure to push enough water through.

If I split the 2nd zone line into two with 4 heads on each line, would that work?  Each line would be shorter but I'm not sure that would make any difference.

Any advice?


texts:
I bought two different strings of LED lights of the same brand to replace my old lights with LEDs.  Big multi-colored C9 bulbs with dangling white icicle strands of T1 bulbs.

The problem is that the big bulbs produce a lot less light than the cool white icicle lights.  Is there any way to dim a chain of LED lights?  I keep reading that standard dimmers don't work with LED lights.


texts: Install air admittance valve to solve musty smell (sewer gas)?

texts:
I bought a new house about a month ago, and have since noticed some plumbing issues in the laundry room:

laundry tub drains slowly
occasional "musty" smell, which seems to come from the drains

I did some research online and found that lack of drain ventilation could cause both of these problems. So I checked the plumbing and it looks like both the washing machine and adjacent wash basin drain into the same pipe. As far as I can tell, there is no ventilation on these drains (photo below); it looks like a stacked pair of S-traps.

The laundry room is in a little addition at the back of the house. So I probably cannot tie this back in to the main house venting stack without a lot of work. I gather the simplest solution is to locally install an air admittance valve (AAV). Does that sound like a reasonable approach here?

If so, am I on the right track with one of these:

http://www.rona.ca/en/air-admittance-valve
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000H5SLWM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A23X8TYK8IHNZF

My plan is to remove the upper S-trap. Then install a sanitary T, going to: AAV (top) and P-trap (horizontal). Does that sound right?


texts:
In my garage (the other end of the 3 way switch) had four yellow 14 copper gauge wires used to connect this three way switch. Updating switch.  When I tested the wires with a Klein clamp meter it appeared that only one of the wires is truly a traveler (no voltage) however it appears that the other three have voltage (20-120).  I tried to spread the wires apart to make sure that there was no interference. I also used a no contact device which showed power on all three. I always thought that it doesn't matter which gold brass travelers go to and the load goes to the black on the switch. Again what do you suggest about the switch having four wires on a three way switch)
All go to one same circuit breaker. What am I doing wrong with these four wires? The house 3 way has only three wires. How can I identify the other traveler wire? I tried to wire it the way they had it originally which I think was wrong. Why did they put a fourth wire in there anyhow?


texts: How to dislodge bluestones sitting in cement? (Pictures)

texts:
I need to move this wall, but I want to reuse the bluestone for the new wall. So they need to stay whole. Luckily, there isn't any cement between the bluestones-
 they're just sitting in it.
Has anyone tried to do this before? What tools did you use? Would love some guidance. Thank you!


texts:
I'm replacing an outlet and I don't know which wires attach to which screws. I'm partially color-blind, and two of the wires look like different shades of red and one looks black. I know that the black wire should be attached to one of the brass screws, but I need help identifying the other 2 wires.

Additional Angles:

This is the old outlet:

And the new outlet:


texts:
I just bought a house built in 1984 it has PEX plumbing. I need to remove a toilet to install a new floor and I noticed the water supply line to the toilet connects to a water shut off valve that I’ve never seen before. It looks like a PVC bonnet or nut cap thing With a half crescent ring that you turn left or right to turn the water on or off.

Are these reliable or should I replace with a quarter turn ball valve. I really don’t want to do anything unnecessary but a PVC shut off valve gives me anxiety as an inexperienced DIY homeowner


texts:
I have a light switch in the laundry room that has two white wires, one black wire.  It had a problem with the switch so I decided to replace it.  I bought a single pole switch, with 2  screws, and put the two white wires on one screw, the black on the other.  The light stayed on and wouldn't switch off.  So I bought another switch that has three screws, just like the old one.  But I couldn't remember which wires went on which side.  So I put the two white wires on the two top screws, the black on the bottom - no current.  I switched the two white wires, but had them still both at the top with the black on the bottom screw - no current.  I don't want to short circuit anything, but would the right answer be to have the black wire by itself on the top screw on the left, and the two white wires on the screws on the right, top and bottom?

Thanks!


texts: Extending the "feet" of wire shelves for uneven surfaces

texts:
I'm installing a number of wire shelves in a garage, but the feet don't adjust far enough to compensate for the slope.  Aside from bricks or other shims, what are my options for leveling these shelves?

In my case these are split sleeve wire shelves from InterMetro.  The factory feet are 3/8" 16 pitch UNC coarse with very little adjustment room:


texts: Can I Replace the motor on a 450w impact drill with a 400w motor from my other drill.?

texts:
I realize off the bat this runs the risk of doubling my problems but here goes.
I currently have a z1j-hda-13t 450w impact drill which motor seems to be seized.

I was wondering aside from being less powerful, would it be feasible to replace the 450w with the 400w motor from another drill?
Or would the drive chain having been setup for a 450w create to much torque on the 400w and just burn it out?

I know someone will say why not just use the 400w drill and I have been. But the overall size of the drills is marginally different such that some of the attachments won't fit in the 400w's head and the head from the 450w won't fit in the housing of the 400w. Hence the above question.

Just as a p.s. Both drills have a a hammer and screw option.


texts:
It's 79 outside right now.
It's been running for hours and it's remaining 79 inside.

I'm in a brand new 2 story home in Monroe, OH.

It has rained a lot recently but I just feel like it should be cooler...

Any ideas?

UPDATE:

It's roughly 77F outside and humidity is 76% outside.  It's now 80F in my house and the thermostat is set at 70F.

Still no ideas if this sounds right?


texts:
Can I use a product like this Skylink MD-318 remote dimmer module to control LED lights like these LED downlights? I've contacted Skylink (the company that manufactures the dimmer module) and they gave me a sort of wishy-washy "suuuuuuuure" sort of answer.
The motivation here is that I'm installing lights into a small home office in which the addition of additional switches is complicated by the fact that half the inside wall is a chimney, and the other half is asbestos shingles (the room was originally a "sunroom" and was designed as "outside" the house), and most of the outside walls are windows...plus if I can use a remote module like this, the wiring is substantially less complicated.


texts: Why is my thermostat turning the heat on too soon?

texts:
I have recently come across an issue with my thermostat and when and how my heat comes on.

My thermostat seems to be an old round Honeywell. I set my temp at 65 typically. As of last night my furnace has been coming on what seems like too early as it's already above the temp at 67-68 degrees and turning off at around 72-74. What would be causing something like this to happen?

Appreciate any help as it's cold up here in New England.


texts: Where do I put the hot wire on a double pole 20 amp breaker?

texts: Where do I put the hot wire on a double pole 20 amp breaker I have a 12/2 wire I have a black and white wire I need to know does the black go on top or bottom because there is 2 screws on the braker thanks


texts: Remove ceramic tiles from thick-bed mortar destruction-free?

texts:
We are renovating our kitchen, and have to replace some tiles on the wall (e.g. some have holes where the old faucet was). I would like to "harvest" some good tiles from behind a closet, where they are not visible.

How can I remove the tiles without destroying them? The tiles are quite old (~1960s?) and laid in thick-bed mortar. They are not glued. On one wall the mortar is > 1/2 inch thick, on another wall it seems to be thinner. It's OK if a couple of tiles break, I only need to salvage about four tiles. In case it makes a difference, the house is in Germany.

I've been thinking about using a Dremel to very carfully remove the mortar from the gaps, and then try to scrape out the mortar from behind. I could imagine it might help to heat the tile, to wet the mortar, or to glue something on the tile to prevent breakage, but these things might also make it worse. Any ideas?


texts: How can I avoid overflowing the water pan while defrosting my fridge?

texts: I have a Samsung manual defrost refrigerator. Usually after a month's running ice builds up a lot. So I just defrost, but after doing so the water pan overflows a lot. Is there any way in which the drain can be avoided?


texts: How do motor capacitors change in value with respect to age or environmental factors?

texts: Do motor capacitors (i.e. start, run capacitors) change in value with respect to age or other environmental factors? I understand they fail, as observed when the motor will no longer start. Do they exhibit a change in capacitance prior to failure?


texts: Why does my dishwasher fill when the machine is off?

texts: Water slowly fills my dishwasher cabinet when the machine is off, and eventually leaks out thru door.  Any suggestions on cause and repair video? I have a Whirlpool dishwasher model DU8750XY-0.


texts: cabinet hinges, crooked,uneven some will not close cabinet doors

texts: I recently removed all cabinets to redo them. I had old brass or copper looking hinges. I wanted to change to nickel to match the rest of my kitchen.I have returned 4 different types of hinges because they cause bad overlap.the hinges I now have are made by same company as old ones they are 3/8 inset non self closing. Still having issues. I only have 2 sets hung on both right door is higher than left and on 1 pair doors have to close at same time otherwise there is an overlap.trying to use same shape and size to cover the black stain left by old hinges. I really do not want to cut doors. Any advise would be appreciated.


texts: Need specifications of antenna to use for Increasing 3G/4G strength of a 4G router

texts:
I live in India, Bangalore. I have an Airtel Huawei B310s-927 4G router. Since the network coverage in my area is very bad, I want to improve the 4G signal strength by using an antenna. But what antenna should I use? I tried searching elsewhere and found I can use an "SMA male" antenna, but what specifications Mhz? Can I buy a 900MHz SMA Male antenna?

Following is the instruction page of the router next to the router next to a USB drive for size.


texts: Dimmer switch not turning on light until at 50%?

texts:
I recently had a professional electrician install a ceiling fan with a light fixture.  The fan and light are controlled from a combo switch with two knobs - one is a dimmer switch for the light, and one is a three-speed fan control.

What I have observed is that if the dimmer switch is completely off, when I go to turn it on, the light does not turn on until the dimmer switch reaches about 50%.  Once the light comes on, I can turn the dimmer switch down below 50%, and the light will dim as expected.

In a previous house I lived in, I had a ceiling fan light fixture controlled by a dimmer switch that did not have this problem.  So I'm curious what might be different in the new setup that is causing this behavior?

I'm using the bulbs that came with the fan, and they are incandescent, so there shouldn't be any problem with the bulbs, as far as I know...


texts: When the GFCI outlets lose power, some of my "normal" outlets go out also. When I reset the GFCIs, these "normal" outlets return to power also. Are these "normal" outlets considered grounded?


texts: Will enclosing my porch keep my house warmer?

texts: Will enclosing my porches during the winter help keep my house warmer? There is a lot of wind hitting the house, and I'm afraid that is causing a drop in temperature.


texts: GFCI's on BLACK/RED dual 15-amp circuits

texts:
I am in the process of updating the wiring for my dock.  It was originally wired with a single 15-amp GFCI outlet into which the two motors for the boat lift were plugged into.  The problem I’ve had is that I can only operate one motor at a time.  If I try to run both motors at the same time the 15-amp circuit breaker back in the sub-panel, located at the beginning of the dock, trips.

I have two 15-amp circuits coming out to the subpanel, from a double-pole (tandem) 15-amp breaker in the house.  This is a standard 3-wire with ground format (black, red, white, ground).  I’m in the process of putting in a 2nd GFCI outlet, in a larger box along with the original outlet.  One outlet will be powered by the black circuit, and the other will be powered by the red circuit.  The motors will then plug into the separate outlets.  So far so good, I think.

Question(s) are:

How to handle the white (neutral) line. Can this be shared between the 2 GFCIs?
When both motors are running, the current in the white return line will be close to zero, since the current through the 2 motors will be 180 degrees out of phase.  Won’t this cause the GFCIs to trip?

Final Results 3/18/2020

Here's what I ended up with:

Two GFCI outlets (WR/TR), one on each 120V phase.
The load (protected) side of each GFCI feeds one of the lift motors via a switch for controlling lift direction
Everything works OK, no GFCI or ckt breaker tripping.

Waiting to get the boat back from winter storage.


texts: how thin is the top layer of a mortar shower pan

texts: I am planning on building the top layer of my shower pan on top of a faulty old one.  assuming I remove the old mortar surrounding the drain and it leaves me a depression deeper then 2 inches.  how thick is the rest of the top mortar layer suppose to be?


texts: I just demo'ed a bathroom.  At 50 trashbags at 50 pounds a piece I am guesstimating that I took out 2500 pounds.  The materials I am using to replace everything in the bathroom are about 800 pounds total.  What are the "slight" structural changes I could expect if any?  How much weight would make a difference to a house?


texts: Is It safe to have underfloor heating with lead paint?

texts:
We’re in the process of renovating an old farm house with a old section and a new side.
Because the house has a hydronic heat system we are looking to convert to underfloor heating throughout. Right now it’s a mix of forced air in the old part of the house and underfloor Heating in the new.
We just hit a bump though, having discovered that all the 2nd floor rooms have lead painted floors underneath a plywood subfloor and then a laminate or engineered flooring (depends on the room).
We plan on keeping the old board sealed under a newer floor, but should we look to remove the paint first? Will the underfloor heating cause the paint to off gas or something?
Thanks,


texts:
My breaker box is surface mounted in my garage.  I want to install an outlet right next to it by running a conduit nipple out the side of the breaker box to the new outlet box.  I then want to run NM from that outlet box in conduit up the wall and through the ceiling (conduit for protection and get me through the ceiling).  From there I will take the NM across the attic (no conduit needed) to another wall then down through the ceiling and down the wall in conduit to a second outlet box.

Will this be within code?  Am I allow to come out the side of the breaker box?


texts: How do I add circuits to a flush mounted panel box?

texts: What is the typical method to add circuits to a finished building that has a flush mounted breaker panel when there is no attic or crawl space to drop new runs? I was thinking of surface mounting a sub panel above the main panel and running everything new from there. Or maybe mounting a junction box above the panel that feeds into it, and running my new runs into the junction box and down into the panel.


texts: How do I wire a light fixture with two white wires to a ceiling box with three white wires?

texts:
I am trying to install a new light fixture. The ceiling mount has three white wires and one black one. The problem is that the fixture has two white wires and one black wire. They do not match up.

(I previously had a disco strobe light in the basement.)


texts: Why am I only getting 130 volts at some power sockets?

texts:
In my living room (in Germany) I have one line, going from the fusebox around the walls with around 7 power sockets on it.

Four of those sockets have the normal 230V on them and work properly. Three however only have 120V on them. I've measured the voltage between the line and neutral. I've also measured between the ground and the 2 lines to see if there was a short-circuit but nothing showed.

I've tried checking all the lines in the walls to see if one of them is not properly connected, but from what I could see all lines, neutrals and grounds are properly connected.

The voltage at the fuse box is 230V, so the the fusebox itself is fine.

Does anyone have an idea why on the same circuit 4 boxes have 240V and 3 boxes have only 120V?


texts: What kind of smart lock can I add to my door?

texts:
I'm looking to add a smart lock to my door. I don't know much about locksmithing, also not a native speaker, so I'm not sure if this is a "deadbolt" or not.

I was almost decided for the August Smart Lock Pro, but I'd like to confirm if it can be installed directly on my door.


texts: Making sure old Honeywell Thermostat (round dial) doesn't turn on

texts:
I've had to cover my baseboard heater with painter's tape and duct tape because I keep getting click beetles strolling into my apartment after 6pm (I live in Michigan, and the temps are dropping).

I want to make sure that when I am sleeping, the heat doesn't kick on and melt the tape.

When I set the dial all the way to the left, does it act like a switch (ie, turn off the heat)? Or, will it kick on anyway once the temp falls under a certain temp, even though I set the dial as far to the left as possible?

I am waiting for the landlord to come up resolve the issue but it won't be till the weekend, and am just bundling up nice and warm.

Any help would be astronomically appreciated!


texts: If a light bulb is dead, does it still consume electricity if the switch is in ON?

texts:
It's been a week since a light bulb in the bathroom died. I'm wondering if the bulb is dead, does it still consume electricity if the switch is in ON?

The light is completely dead, no light whatsoever.


texts: Wiring a new pendant light to an existing ceiling box

texts:
My new light fixture has three silver wires, one is ribbed and I assume neutral, but the live and ground appear exactly the same.

How can I tell the difference? Does it matter?


texts: Shower walls and floor are ceramic tile and caulked around bottom. That caulk keeps getting moldy fairly fast, so I removed caulk (this is second time in a few years) and was going to replace. I noticed there is water in the gap on one wall - wicks up with a paper towel- can't see it. Does that mean there is a problem or it that normal? Walls are grouted - there are a few small areas missing grout and I was going to patch that with caulk. Could that be the source or at the drain? Wondering if I need to call a tile guy. No water on adjacent walls. The house has a crawl space foundation. I can keep trying to dry it out, but wonder if I need to address some other problem.  Thanks!


texts: Do I need a moisture barrier between my bedroom and attic?

texts:
This is related to  my other question about moisture barriers.

There is an attic above the bedroom and there is insulation with paper backing in place. The attic area seems far more likely to get moisture as the bathrooms both vent directly in to the attic and not out through a vent.  I'll address that issue eventually.

So my question is, should I install a 4mil moisture barrier on the ceiling, or omit that from the ceiling?


texts: How to prevent rain damage from neighbouring property

texts: We've recently moved to a two story detached house which has a neighboring bungalow very close to the border. The property next door doesn't have any guttering which causes all of their rain water to hit the side of our house. I believe it is their responsibility to not do this, but are there any solutions we could do which would prevent any issues with damp penetration? The alleyway between the two properties is less than 1m wide so the solution doesn't have to be attractive. Is there any option to install a splash guard combined with guttering which feeds into our existing down pipe? I can't find anything suitable as a splash guard and my concern is this would just hold the moisture in place.


texts: PVC pipe back of 2story home dripping water

texts:
Have a 2 story home on basement foundation. Have 2 AC units one in each side of house both have a pvc pipe nearby which I imagine is for condensation.

In the back of the home near the basement door and the back hose pipe there is another pvc pipe, can’t figure out what it’s for but imagine it might be some kind of overflow pipe just don’t know for what. That pipe is dripping water and had never noticed it before. When we shut the water for the outside hose that pipe continues leaking.

Does anyone know what this pipe is for and what could be causing this constant water leak/drip?


texts: Is the pipe in the picture copper piping? House is from 1962, I assume this is original piping. The valve is leaking and I want to replace it with a sharkbite valve


texts: 3.5" round box for wall sconces, cannot make work with many fixtures

texts:
My electrician on a remodel installed all 3.5" circular boxes throughout. I am finding that everything I want to install wants to have a 4" box. I have seen the spider plates, universal crossbars, nothing meets this particular issue:

The box holes are spaced 2.75" apart on the horizontal. All of the fixtures I am trying to use have a plate that mounts to the box, then has holes for studs - spaced 2.75" apart, that you must level on the horizontal and attach the fixture to. If the box holes were diagonal or vertical there would be no issue. The stud holes line up EXACTLY with the box mounting holes - meaning the only way to screw the plate to the box is to use the stud holes which then means you cannot mount the fixture.

What the heck? Any ideas how to solve?

This is the mounting plate that came with the fixture. The circled holes are where the mounting studs for the fixture must go and need to be level for the fixture to hang properly.

Image link copied from comment on an answer


texts: I have a raco double two device gang box in one of my rooms. I found that a couple of those holes are stripped. Is it better to trying to tap it at 6/32 again, go to the next size which is 8/32 (tremendous difficulty finding 8/32 screws that are painted white or maybe i have to paint them) Or replace the box? What would you suggest?


texts: I am replacing a ceiling fan in a bedroom and the wiring in the receptacle is confusing me

texts:
I am replacing an old ceiling fan and combination switch in a bedroom in my house. I am trying to connect a new switch that controls both functions (fan and light) separately, as well as a dimming function for both. The previous fan (while unsightly), worked perfectly fine with the old combo switch. The top controlled the light, the bottom controlled the fan. Problem is, when I took the old fan off, and installed the new fan, there were only 3 wires coming out of the ceiling: load (black), neutral (white), and ground (bare). The new switch demanded two load wires (one for each function). I did not take a picture of the way it was wired beforehand (although i wish I had for the life of me). The point is, the ceiling fans were both wired the same way from the wires protruding from the ceiling itself.

In the electrical box, there are 3 sets of wires. From testing I have figured out that the two sets protruding from the bottom are both hot, and the single set of wires coming from the top are the load wires for the fan. The 3 neutral (white) wires were not all connected together originally, but the instructions for the new switch told me to do that. I cannot rewire the old switch to control both functions, a single switch just controls both. if i touch either of the two bottom hot wires to the load wire for the fan, both the light and fan come on and are steady.

I spoke with an electrician about it and he said I either needed a fourth wire or it had something to do with the break-away tab on the old combo switch. I am not trying to use the new switch anymore, I just want to understand how the thing was wired originally. THERE IS NO FOURTH WIRE. I have not added or removed any wires from the previous configuration with the exception that there may have been two wires spliced into one (from the remains of disconnecting the old switch there is about a 3-4 inch black wire by itself no longer connected or spliced to anything else), but like I said, I didn't take a picture of what it looked like beforehand. I am perplexed, please help.


texts: How can I take out dog diarrhea stain from unfinished pine floor?

texts:
My fog had an accident a few days ago on the unfinished pine floor we have in the living room. After cleaning it wish basic cleaning products it left quite a stain.
I would appreciate any kind of help into what products I should use and buy as soon as possible to restore the wood at least close to its original state!
Thank you!


texts: Does a whine at the end of the pumping cycle indicate pump failure?

texts:
The normal cycle for our pump in spring runs 25 seconds every 5-10 minutes.   For 8 months of the year it runs a couple times a day.  It's set up without a check valve so the line doesn't freeze where it exits the house.  The line outside the house dumps into a 20 foot length of sewer line at a 10 degree slope to take it away from the foundation.

Anyway, of late the pump makes a high pitched whine for about the last 7 seconds of its pumping cycle. There doesn't appear to be any change in the discharge rate.

Ideas?


texts: How to stop door knob latch from twisting and sticking on strike plate?

texts:
The latches on a couple of doors around the house have started twisting when they are turned. Sometimes this causes the latch to get stuck on the strike plate, meaning the door doesn't close properly. This is what it looks like when the latch gets stuck:

This is what it looks like when the handle is twisted.

How can I stop this? Is there a way other than buying completely new door knobs? I've taken a lock from another door which has this same problem off and I can't see anything that is obviously wrong.

If it's any help these are basic 'button' door locks. No key, just a push button on one side that locks it from the other.