texts: Are these four add-on wiring techniques all up to code?

texts:
I'm fixing some wiring mistakes in my house and installing some GE Z-Wave Plus switches at the same time. Where there were 3- and 4-way switches I'm using the GE Add-On switch to add additional control points.

Because the Dimmer switches have a nice blue LED to show when they are on/off, and the Add-On switches do NOT have this LED, I want to place the dimmers in certain locations, not always in the box where line enters or load leaves.

Are the following diagrams all 'legal' with respect to code and safety? The diagram on the bottom right is the one I'm most concerned with. Is it legal to have neutral enter the box from a different wiring path as line does, if they are on the same circuit?

UPDATED diagram:


texts: How should I plaster a hole in the wall on top of thermalite?

texts:
I have a hole in my wall which is about 300x300mm, approx. 30mm deep going back to thermalite block. I only have experience with smaller patching-up jobs, so I'm unsure how to approach it.

My instinct is to use a piece of plasterboard, somehow attaching it to the thermalite, filling in the gap with plaster mix, then using plaster tape and smoothing with another layer of plaster mix. Is this the right approach?

If this is right, what should I use to adhere the plaster board to the thermalite?


texts: Can I connect 2 motion detectors with one power supply to a single LED Strip?

texts:
I want to make a motion detection LED strip to the stairs. My idea is to put 5m LED Strip on the wall and put one motion sensor on both sides of the strip (one on the upper level and one on the lower level). I would connect the sensors to the same power supply.
Will it work?


texts: I have a large (14x20) wood louver with a frame that is going over a return vent. Should this be installed first and then have drywall put around it, or should I install the drywall first, then cut out a hole for the louver?


texts: What should I do with the white wire when wiring a 240 volt garage heater?

texts: I was given a 240 volt garage heater from a friend. When I built my garage I had the electrician run a wire so I could put a heater in down the road. He ran a orange wire with 4 wires in it black red white and ground. I went to make the connection in the heater today and the heater only has 2 blacks and a ground no white. So I know the blacks from the heater will get hooked to the black and red coming from the panel but what would I do with the white one. Any answer would be appreciated.


texts:
What is the best way to remove black mold from wood?

Specifically, the mold on my back porch is black mold. Is the best option to use something like Kilz over it?


texts: What are some of the best books/resources on home inspection for first time home buyers?

texts:
I'm looking at buying my first home.  Considering the amount of money involved, it seems logical to make sense the inspection is solid.  (I've seen a few "Holmes Inspection"s to have the reinforced.)

I know "Holmes Inspection—Everything you Need to Know Before You Buy or Sell Your Home" was out there, but it's no longer on print.

For the first time home buyer, what books or resources should I use to educate & prepare myself?


texts: Finding the copper pipes the radiant floor heating converges

texts:
I'm trying to troubleshoot our central heating system in our residential house. Our house was built around the 90s and I've found that we use Radiant Floor Heating. The plans I've obtained from the public records are simply structural layouts and contain no plans for how the central heating was installed. I've asked and I've been told that the contractors just take care of that without really following an architectural or engineering plan.

So now I'm simply finding out the routing of the Radiant Heating System. I know on the floor, they run as PEX tube, so there's no way of detecting them. Unless we were to dismantle the flooring. The copper pipes, however are a different matter. I gather that an experienced contractor can predict where they are and they can even be detected by certain tools. Tools much like a stud finder.

So is it doable? Finding the copper pipes? What's the best way of doing it?

Also, I believe that the copper pipes usually run through the walls, is this true?


texts:
I'm replacing the dimmer for my chandelier with a switch. It's a split-foyer home so I have a switch at the bottom of the stairs, the foyer, and the top of the stairs.
I know it's a four way switch circuit because of the three switches. I have wired one four way switch (top of stairs) and one three way switch (bottom of stairs, end of run I believe; only one wire coming out of the box) following various diagrams on this forum.
My question/problem revolves around the dimmer I'm replacing. The top switch has two red wires and the foyer switch has two red wires as well. This confuses me because all of the diagrams I've looked at seem to require a four way switch for two red wires but since there are only three switches, I'm assuming I only need two 3ways and one 4way.
If this the case, and I only do need one more 3way, how do I wire the 3way with the two red wires? Also, there is a single pole in the gang as well that controls the outside lights that is confusing me as well.
I'll attach images of all three gangs here. top, with the four way switch

foyer, switch in question with the single pole

bottom, end of run I believe


texts: How do I replace this tile/marble transition in a tiled bathroom?

texts:
I planned to keep this marble piece for the transition to the new tile floor in the bathroom, but I broke it during demo. What’s the best way to replace it, or should I use a different transition?

Bonus points for the pros/cons of a marble floor transition versus alternatives.


texts: Which comes 1st, the mold remediation or the re-application of drylock on old stone walls?

texts:
Basement: old stone walls, drylock painted 15 yrs ago.

Now some stained, moisture damage, air mold test indicates pro.mold remediation needed.

Moisture issue has been fixed, now the walls need to be redone.

Drylock? Paint? Pro #1 says clean, apply drylock, then treat mold (basement/duct work) so as not to cover up the mold product.

Pro #2 says treat mold/ducts, then paint with drylock.  Will mold be remediated even if covered up?

They both use the same mold product.

What are the pros and cons of the two approaches and what considerations suggest picking one over the other?


texts: How can I identify the brand name of bathtub?

texts: I need to replace the pump on my jetted tub and the plumber requests the brand name of the bathtub in order to do so. Where do I look to see if I can locate the brand name? This tub was possibly manufactured in the mid 1990s. I can upload a picture if that helps.


texts: How do I determine whether the existing fixture can support a ceiling fan?

texts: I'd like to replace a ceiling light with a ceiling fan.  I've replaced existing ceiling lights before but I'm worried about the additional weight of the fan.  How do I determine whether the existing fixture can support the fan?  The house is over 100 yrs old so it certainly doesn't meet any modern codes and there is no access to the ceiling except from below.


texts: Installing an adjustable deck post support-what is the correct way to install the support?

texts:
I am trying to install these in freshly poured concrete (sonotubes)
What is the correct way to install the support and what are the pros and cons for each one of them

The other option is this. I like the first option more but the support does not seem to be designed to work that way. I think that the tube that the screw slides in will allow water to get into concrete


texts: How can we disable an unused smoke detector?

texts: We have wired ADT smoke detectors now. Our old free standing detector is chirping. How can we disable it without taking it off the wall?


texts: Low-voltage cabling through ceiling? Up to code?

texts: I'm making a CCTV / Router "space", and was thinking of just drilling a hole in the ceiling and installing a gang box on the attic side of the ceiling. Are there any codes that refer to this kind of work? Perhaps this violate any codes? (I'm in FL just in case) To make it clear, no line power will be in this junction box.. I'll leave that installation to an electrician.


texts: Can you replace a Q1 Circuit Breaker with two QO breakers?

texts:
Just got my Sense home energy monitor and was going to do the install when I realized that the space I thought I had free in my (Square D) electrical panel was actually occupied by a double wide, double pole breaker:

I had not seen these before so I did some research and found that these breakers were made by Square D back in the 60s/70s but have since been obsoleted. From what I've read, you can replace these double wide breakers with the QO style breakers which only take up one side of the panel.

Doing this will free up the space I need to install the double-pole breaker for the Sense. My question is, does anyone know if this is kosher?  Note: this breaker feeds a sub-panel.


texts: No hot water if hot water recirculator pump is shut off

texts:
I'm a newbie to the site and posted a question last week regarding help with wiring a Honeywell L6006C Aquasta to a Taco 006-BC4 Hot water Circulator Pump. That question was answered quickly thanks to @JPhi1618. Thank you @JPhi1618!

All worked out well with the wiring and the aquastat installation. However, I stumbled across an issue after installation. The following are my setup details and my current issue. I saw some familiar posts but they did not actually match my issue. Hopefully this is not a duplicate issue.

I have a 3-year-old recirculating hot water loop that was installed as part of the new house. It appears to be a fairly typical installation.  The circulator pump is a Taco 006-BC4 and it was hooked up to a simple mechanical timer to shut off for a few early morning hours.  I decided to eliminate the timer and installed a Honeywell L6006C strap-on aquastat to control the hot water recirculating loop pump.  I strapped the aquastat to the hot water outlet line and I set it up to turn the pump on when the hot water temperature dropped.  It appears to be working fine. It turns the pump on when the temp drops (temp setting minus differential) and shuts the pump off when it rises to the set temperature.  Also, there’s a check valve installed between the circulator pump and the cold water inlet to the hot water tank.  The Aquastat and circulator pump appear to work correctly being I get plenty of hot water to any faucet and get it quickly.  I think it also indicates that the check valve is installed correctly being the hot water recirculating return pipe coming from the pump and into the cold water inlet pipe at the hot water tank is hot when running.

Sounds all good so far but here is the problem I stumbled across.  Whenever the pump is shut off and you pull hot water,  it immediately allows cold water from the cold water inlet pipe to come back into the hot water recirculating return pipe right through the check valve and through the circulator pump.  The hot water recirculating return pipe becomes cold and continues to stay cold if the circulator pump is off and you pull hot water.  Also, the master bathroom, which is the furthest away and the end of the hot water recirculating loop quickly has no hot water.  The kitchen and bathrooms still have hot water being there is plenty of hot water in the tank and it’s being replenished.

Once the system is in this state, the aquastat does not turn the pump back on being the water coming through the hot water outlet is hotter than the aquastat set point minus differential.  With the circulator pump not running, the master bathroom quickly has no hot water and stays that way until you manually set the aquastat to a higher set point temperature which then turns on the circulator pump. As soon as the pump is back on and recirculating the loop, the master bathroom immediately has plenty of hot water.

I have replaced the check valve even though it appeared to be working and I inspected the one I took out.  As I expected it was in good working order.

I can replicate the issue at any time by shutting off the circulator pump and pulling hot water from anywhere in the house.  Also, if I isolate the recirculating loop pump but turning off the pump and shutting off the shutoff valves in front and in the back of the pump, there is plenty of hot water everywhere including the master bathroom. However, it takes longer to get hot water to where you are.

I believe this issue may have been here all along, being the circulator pump was actually never shut off when it was hooked up to the timer, except for the few early morning hours when no one was pulling hot water.

Any advice or suggestions on why this may be occurring is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cWiYoxCePMN5UAoR9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gA6fvyWZfnS4d8fP8


texts: How do I tie a new roof in to an existing roof with a pitch transition?

texts:
I added a room to the side of my house, and the new roof goes onto the existing roof. I am almost done roofing it. The image below depicts the current status. I put roofing felt down under the two rows of the existing shingles as shown in the image. I have a roll of aluminum flashing that I plan on putting over the felt at the roof intersection where there is about a 1/2" drop from the new roof OSB to the existing roof. After that I have just one more row of rolled roofing to install. Here are my questions.

Does the new felt go far enough under the shingles?
Should the flashing cover the end of the new felt as well as the intersection?
How far under the shingles does the rolled roofing need to extend?
How do I attach the flashing and rolled roofing under the shingles?

I'm thinking that I would lift up the second or third row of shingles and nail under them with the rolled roofing in place.


texts: Should a metal box be grounded if there's no conduit connected to it?

texts: Should the metal box be grounded if no conduit? This is a 240V double 20 Amp breaker for an air compressor. 3 + ground wires to outlet box. Outlet looks standard round but has one hot lead perpendicular to floor & other parallel. Red and black connected to hot. White & ground connected to round like bottom pin with pig tail grounded to metal outlet box.  Outlet box has only romex no metal conduit. Suggestions.


texts: Lightweight lumber or lumber alternative for building a 6'x7' portable privacy screen?

texts:
I'm planning to build a privacy screen to be attached between two posts of the pvc railing of a composite deck. I want the attachment to be temporary so that it can be removed and stored during winter months. The privacy screen will be approximately 6 feet wide and 6 or 7 feet tall.  I would like it to be made with boards 4" to 6" wide by 6 feet long placed horizontally across the 6 foot width (like a horizontal fence).  There will be a space of an inch or two between each board.

I'm looking for material suggestions.  I would like to use composite decking for this but the boards are very heavy.  I'm considering using PT pine boards but I don't know if I'm overlooking better options in lumber or in a lightweight composite material that I am unfamiliar with.

I prefer to see the wood grain so stain rather than paint and prefer the wood to be free of excessive knots. The boards can be as thin as possible while remaining sturdy.  I would guess no less than 1/2 inch thick.  Over the 6 foot length, I'm planning to have 3 or 4 vertical supports - something like 2x3s.

I would also like some suggestions on temporary fasteners.  I am considering heavy duty wire ties to avoid drilling into my posts.  Any other ideas?


texts: Is this foundation properly supported against rotation in an earthquake?

texts: This foundation was built 1938, and seems unusually tippy even for the time.  This is in an earthquake zone, the garage has a second floor above, and the given wall is shearwalled and bolted, with plywood on the inside.  Your thoughts?


texts: Will moisture become trapped between a double air barrier in the ceiling beneath the attic?

texts:
In the ceiling of my house, the air barrier is torn and its joints are not taped.  It is aluminized paper with tar.

In the attic, under the glass wool insulation, I am thinking of adding a polyethylene sheet between the joist, sealing it with caulking.  This approach would avoid redoing all the ceilings, but I fear that moisture may become trapped between the two air barriers.

This would be the arrangement of the resulting layers:

attic insulation
attic insulation + joist
polyethylene sheeting sealed between joists (no tar)
old air barrier (puncture, torn, not sealed)
wood furring
gypsum board

What do you think? Is this possible?


texts: Options to fix an old leaky shower valve

texts:
The shower valve in my guest bathroom is leaking and I would like to replace it but it's fairly old and not compatible with the new mixer cartridges. I bought a brand new valve & cartridge but I'm a bit nervous to attempt replacing it because the hot & cold water pipes will need to be re-soldered and I'm not sure I have enough space to do a good job.

This is an Eljer valve which I believe has been discontinued. The shower handle is one of those where up-down controls the flow and left-right the temperature of the mixture.

Are there any other options? Maybe some sort of converter cartridge is available? I don't even know where to start looking nothing appears compatible.

I would like to switch to a single handle and replace the trim (to Moen or Delta or something) but don't know if that's possible without replacing the valve?

Here is what the valve looks like


texts: What is the proper way to start sheathing an exterior wall?

texts:
On new construction, what is the proper way to install the exterior OSB wall sheathing?

Should I go for a perfectly level sheet install, and then level each corresponding sheet or is it better to just follow the edge of the sill plate and end up with potentially non-level panels due to the foundation not being floated perfectly?

I have also considered snapping a chalk line after measuring 47 and 3/4" from the sill plate on each end of the house, but that chalk line would be extremely long and would vary too much in that span.

I am trying to maintain:

An even 1/8" gap between each sheet
The same height of sheet as the next one to prevent unequal gaps on the 2nd row of sheeting, and
Keep the sheathing flush with the bottom of the sill plate so it ties into the sill plate nicely with the edge nailing pattern.  This has amounted to nothing but frustration and curse words.


texts: Slight brown tint when starting cold water from tub faucet?

texts: More specifically, when I haven't used my tub for a couple of days, and I start the water (only the cold) there is initially a bit of brown tint in it, but it rapidly disappears. It's fine if I'm using it daily. I know this is usually indicative of a pipe wearing down, but since this only happens with the initial bit of water and only on the cold side would this narrow the issue down to a piece of plumbing near the faucet? And since the tint is only slight and doesn't continue do I have more time before I would need to go in and replace something? Thanks.


texts:
I would like to repaint old wooden doors, which were painted in white many years ago. The paint starts to fall off, and underneath there comes out unpainted wood, but otherwise the paint still sticks to the wood.

I suppose that I have to remove the old paint completely before I try to paint the doors in white again. What is the best way to do that?


texts:
This is the first one I've done and want to make sure it's correct..

200amp in the house
110amp breaker to subpanel
2/0 aluminum wire 140' URD
4 bare copper ground less than 6'
8' aluminum ground rod

Since this panel is independently grounded do I need to bond the neutral and ground bars?

Also is there any additional grounding needed?

Thank you!

Update 1

The detached building is a covered patio with a 10'x10' room on one side.. This is going to be used for entertaining purposes only.  We are putting a hot tub and a mini fridge on the patio. There will be 1 ceiling fan,12 lights and 10 general use outlets..


texts: What can I do with these roof trusses to cover them up a bit?

texts:
Relating to another question about loft conversion I also want to fill up the gaps in between the trusses on which the roof tiles lie on.

So during allot of build I heard here and there that some lofts should not completely seal off the space outside the tile and inside the tile because massive pressure differences in windy situation can cause the roof to implode or explode because there is nothing relieving the pressure. But that is not the case for all types of pitched roofs Problem is I do not know when this applies or not.

I have an idea to block piece by piece with a piece of plank- fill it with expansion foam and let it grow and easily overflow.. piece by piece(painfully slow) but end of day its extremely light weight and are porous to an extent. I do not want place plaster board as they weight too much. Then I can just smooth the foam and paint it even with the joists also saving head space (its already a bit tight in some place. I do not want to do this all the way to the bottom. Just the top to about 3/4 way down. The last 1/4 length I want to convert into cupboards / drawers - so they are not air tight but also add extra protection from cold.  The space in-between the load bearing wall and where the trusses lie onto are not insulated.. I think It has to stay like that.

Any suggestions? I am a bit stuck on this...


texts: Capped off outlets and light switch wiring, now no power to half the house

texts:
I am in the process of removing a wall from my home separating the kitchen and dining room. To do this, I needed to remove the wiring from the wall.
Steps I took:
Shut breakers off to kitchen lights, kitchen outlets, and dining room outlet on same wall. This was 3 breakers total, shutting off power to half the house including some rooms and the garage.

I then removed wiring from all outlets and light switches, so that I could remove wall studs. After removing studs, I capped all wires with wire nuts, stripping them back, etc. 3 wire nuts for each electrical cable.

I then flipped all 3 breakers back on to get some light in the other areas of the house, and no power. I used my non-contact voltage tester and none of the outlets attached to the other breakers are functioning. Only 2 of the 6 cables I capped off have any current with breakers on as well. Garage has no power, etc. Only devices not on one of those 3 breakers have power.

I do have an electrician coming out next week to move a couple light switches as they will need rewired, but can someone give me some ideas as to how I can get the power to the rest of my house back? There are no GFCI outlets in the kitchen. Bathroom has a GFCI outlet, which I have tried resetting, but still no power.


texts:
I need to bore a small hole in a rubber stopper (bung) like this:

I have a set of tools called stopper-borers like these:

But I can't figure out how to use them. Simply pressing on the borer doesn't get me very far as the rubber is hard enough to resist the sharp end of the tool, but soft enough to absorb the pressure I apply and simply deform momentarily.

The tools didn't come with any instructions and I can't find any on the web. Does anyone have any experience using stopper-borers on rubber stoppers?


texts: My overhead door sticks at very beginning of open cycle

texts:
I recently insulated my garage door with a foam kit and I don't think it weighs much at all.  I believe the culprit is the weatherstripping I added to the the frame.  I think it is creating a vacuum that is hard for the opener to fix.  If the door sits for a while, it struggles to start the opening process.  Once it is moving it is fine, but there is an initial jolt that shakes the door and the worm drive track pretty good.

Are my suspicions correct?
Is the weather stripping too tight so the door needs backed away a bit on the track, or does the spring need wound a few turns?


texts: Sewer Line Opening - Makeshift Vent or Rodents?

texts:
In the crawl space beneath my house, the sewer line has a branch that runs right to the crawl space entry/vent. The end cap has a jagged hole:

Not sure if it's been that way since I bought it (recently). There are definitely signs of rodents nearby in the crawl space, and my guess is they made this opening. Am inclined to replace this rubber end cap with a hard PVC clean-out end-cap. But am wondering if there's a chance this is a makeshift vent by the prior owner? (And if it were, why not just remove the end cap instead of gutting a hole in it)?
What do you think? Thanks!


texts: How do I adjust a door so it doesn't swing on its own?

texts:
I have a normal door, and left to its own devices it will simply rest about 20-30 degrees. It won't swing shut on its own, nor stay open on its own. It hangs a bit in the middle. Convenient enough to catch you elbow when you're not looking.

I'd like the door to stay put wherever we leave it.

I've heard idea such as slipping cardboard in to the hinge to rebalance the door, etc. but no guidelines as to the thickness of that cardboard, or which hinge to change to move it in which direction.

I would hope you can appreciate how I'd rather not make this a task of trial and error and continually removing the hinge and putting it back on, etc.

I've also heard something about lightly bending one of the hinge pins, but not sure how I should go about that, or "how much" to bend it.

So, I'm looking for some tips on how to fix this (and other) door.


texts: How good of a vapor barrier is OSB in a dirt crawlspace?

texts:
Some background -

I bought my current house in the middle of a drought in 2007, and knew nothing of vapor barriers.
The house has a nice, albeit uneven crawlspace, that is walkable for about half of it's size.
I built  a floor with two by fours and osb for a workshop in about one third of the crawlspace
The rest is just dirt.
I'm in the hot and humid American Southeast.

I've come to the realization that I need to add a vapor barrier in the crawlspace to bring the humidity and mustiness down.  Putting down plastic sheeting over the non-workshop part of the crawlspace should be no problem, but I reallllllllllllllly don't want to pull up the flooring of the woodshop, put plastic down, and put the flooring back down again.

Is it possible that the OSB would do at least some of the traditional plastic sheeting vapor barrier?


texts: How to avoid drywall bulge over nail plates

texts: Will applying drywall directly over nail plates create a noticeable bulge? I am not applying any texture to the wall. If so, what is the best way to avoid any bulge? How far should drywall screws be from the nail plates to prevent cracking the drywall?


texts:
trying to add an outlets in basement. The joists at the locations of interest are super crowded, so I was just going to run THNN in some conduit. A friend offered me free 3/4" LFC, said it should be totally okay to use it in an unfinished basement and easier than EMT.
I need to secure the run to the bottom of joists.
Is it okay to use 3/4" rigid hangers?
Any suggestions on what fasteners to use when drilling into bottom of joists?
Do I need to do pilot holes for hangers, or is it safe to just drill in?
Also, need to add some junction boxes. Similar questions about typically used fasteners, are pilot holes necessary, etc.


texts:
I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to DIY, so I'm after some advice...

I've recently bought a curtain rail for my living room, and I need to fix it to the wall. However, the wall is not brick -- it is dry wall. I believe this means that there is only a small thickness in the wall, then a gap, and then the outer brick wall. The curtain rail itself comes with two brackets and some screws, but very limited instructions.

My question is: Will my wall be able to support the curtain rail? Or will the dry wall be too thin to ensure the screws have a strong fix? And will I need plastic plugs, or will the screws on their own be fine?

Thank you!


texts: Clean sticker paper residue off of a wall

texts:
This problem is on a wall in my bedroom. I used to have a A3 paper sized photo stickers on my wall. After a year or so I tried to remove the sticker from the wall and it left lots of sticker paper remains and adhesive residue on the wall. I tried to scrape it off with a scraper but it didn't work.
I went to a hardware store and told the guy working there of the problem I have and he told me to buy a sheet of sandpaper and a bottle of thinner. As per his advice he told me that I had to apply the thinner on the wall and scrape it off with the sandpaper. Though it didn't seem logical to me, since he was much older than me, I thought maybe he's got experience with this and there's no harm in trying this out so I bought the thinner   and sandpaper from his store. On coming home I tried doing as he said but it ended up looking much worse.  (See image)
I got busy with work and it i did not get back to addressing the problem.
Today I found this community on stack exchange and I was thinking, surely the people here would have much more experience than me so I thought I'd ask here.
Is there any product or method to remove the paper mess and adhesive residue from the wall without damaging the paint?
Edit from orginal-poster: I read in the comments that someone was mentioning a product called GooGone. But we dont have that in India. If you could give me a kind of name/product to ask at the hardware store it would be helpful. Thanks.


texts: Bathroom ceiling absorbs moisture and falls apart

texts:
After complaining about this, I had a guy repaint the ceiling. There is a window but it doesn't fix what is a damp bathroom. A short 15 minute shower cracked the new repainted ceiling because all the steam gets absorbed by it. We were about to install a fan in the windows but I doubt it will solve the problem because the steam rises up pretty fast and not at the windows direction.

What's the problem, the paint or the windows?

From what I can see about the paint, it peels off the ceiling, revealing a grey smooth drywall. And I don't particularly live in a humid environment so why is this bathroom so problematic.


texts: How do I make 10 gauge concrete mesh flat for trellises in a garden?

texts: I'm going to be using concrete mesh for a trellis for my plants in the garden this year, and was wondering how I should make them flat, and bend them? I'll also be making tomato cages out of it, so I will need to bend the mesh into place, and make it "hookable" so they can hold each other up also.


texts: How can I use toggle bolts for kitchen shelves on 30 mm plasterboard?

texts:
I'm trying to use a toggle bolt, but the combined thickness of the plasterboard (~30 mm) and the shelf bracket (22 mm) means that the toggle won't push through far enough to spring out and grip the wall. The longest toggle screws I can find are 80 mm, and they leave me around 7 mm too short.

The bracket is hollow metal, so one thing I could do is drill the outer hole larger so that the screw head fits through and tightens against the metal adjacent to the wall which would give me the extra mms needed to get the toggle through. I don't particularly want to do this for a few reasons:

a) aesthetics of leaving a big hole in the bracket,
b) possibly weakening the bracket,
c) making it difficult to access the screw.

Any better suggestions out there guys?


texts: How far into a footing pier should rebar extend from the rock below?

texts:
Cottage is on Canadian shield (igneous rock) and unfortunately slopes off where deck footings are being installed.  The deck will be secured only to a corner of the cottage and the two furthest footings will be on that sloped rock.
Chiseled squares out of sloped rock using a borrowed Hilti to obtain some flatness. Then drilled four 5 inch holes (16 inches apart) to secure 1/2 inch Rebar with epoxy. Rebar extends out of the rock about 12 inches. Bent all four overlapping & tying the ends together in the center with wire. The bent rebar rests about 4 inches above the rock.  Added an additional four 5 inch holes nearer to the center and secured smaller pieces of rebar standing straight up about 4 inches above the rock. Then (in one pour) added a 20"x20" square footing 5 inches thick  and another smaller 18"x18" pier (?) 4 inches thick on top.
So i think i have lots of secured rebar but similar to a previous question - there is not much out there on how to.  With the one pour does the rebar need to be higher within the concrete?


texts: Hiding cables when moving network switch down from attic

texts:
We had an installer put in security cameras a few years ago (PoE-powered), and he decided the best place to install the network switch would be in the attic, since that made wiring the cameras easier (because they are all under the eaves).

The problem is that it gets extremely hot in there during the summer, often up over 100 degrees (F), and the network switch is rated to operate only up to 104. We have experienced connectivity issues to some of the cameras, and my first thought is that the switch is dying due to its environment.

In any case, we are now installing more cameras (and probably IP phones in the near future) and need a larger switch. I am currently planning for 16 cables to go up to the attic, and am installing a 24-port switch to give future room to grow.

I have selected a location inside the building to install the new network switch (inside a sound-dampening network cabinet because it is in a public space), but I need to figure out how to run the wires down out of the attic.

Here are the options I have considered at this point:

Make a hole in the ceiling and pass the whole bundle of cables through it, then run them down to the switch inside a wire wrap or raceway. This is the easiest way, but then how do I seal the hole from the attic into the conditioned space? With a hole that size, the specific concern is bugs getting inside from the attic. (We have had problems with all kinds of bugs in the attic, including wasps, and we don't want to allow them inside.)
Mount a large wallplate on the ceiling with as many RJ45 keystones on it as I need, then run patch cables from those keystones to the switch. The benefit of doing it this way is that the wallplate provides a good barrier between the two spaces, with extremely small holes. The downside of this method is that it takes up a lot of space and looks bad. One of my requirements is to make this installation as unobtrusive as possible.
Mount a large wallplate on the wall behind the switch with the RJ45 keystones. This has the benefits of the first idea, but this way the wallplate is not visible. However, I am not sure I want to drill enough holes (or big holes) in the top plate of the wall to be sufficient for that many cables to come through.

I really want to do the first option just because it is the easiest, but having an open hole is a major issue.

What is the best way for me to go about this? Is it one of these options? What can I do about the issues mentioned for each one? Is it something else entirely?


texts:
I would really appreciate some help with determining the size of beam needed for a new project and would prefer to keep a lumber yard out of it for now as they'll almost always price you up.
I can't seem to dial in these load beam calculators and don't want to assume that I have it right. I currently have 2 2x8 pine ready for the project as this is what was referred by a contractor friend.
Might anyone be able to help me determine the size of the beam(s) needed for this space?

The beam would need to span 11' 3"
This is an interior wall that divided two rooms, opened up to make one big room
Lead bearing wall with joists spliced above where the beam would be placed
Center bearing roof with no trusses
This is on the second level, attic with storage, roof and 20-25psf snow load
Will 2 2x8 pine suffice, or 3 ply 2x8, or an even larger dimension?

Thank you in advance!


texts: How to split an existing circuit breaker?

texts:
My home has too many receptacles and outlets to one circuit breaker. For example i have three bedrooms, hall lights and even some bedroom
Lights connected to this circuit. My question is that I want to take some of those receptacles/outlets and place it to another circuit breaker. What is the best way to split them to another circuit breaker? Do I need to go to the panel to trace originally that one circuit breaker goes to first? Can i intercept these wires at the junction box locating those that mostly belong to that circuit (split them there) and then run new wires to the panel box to create a second circuit breaker? Or what would you suggest to lower the number of outlets/lights (22 of them) belonging to that one circuit? I do know exactly where all the wires belong to each receptacle and light fixture-that belongs to that circuit including end runs? In short how do i change that single circuit breaker so i could have two breakers to reduce the load on that circuit breaker?


texts: What is this picture of an insulation blower showing?

texts: This seems to be showing a guy aiming a cellulose insulation blower at an open wall, and somehow the insulation is sticking to the wall in perfect strips. What is really happening?  This is from the Home Depot web site.


texts: Replacing socket, only one hot wire, two neutrals from different places

texts:
I am replacing a socket because a prong got stuck in it and it was painted over.

When I removed it, I was surprised at what I saw.

The top socket had the red and white wires coming from the left connected to it as you would expect.

However, the bottom socket only was connected to the white neutral from the right.

Am I correct for thinking this is odd? Or is this standard practice?

How do I most safely deal with this situation?


texts: Touch up my garage floor after applying epoxy coating

texts:
We put RustOleum epoxy floor paint on the garage floor. There were light streaks on it when it dried. We repainted the light spots and reapplied the sparkles. It looks like its not going darken to match the rest of the floor.

What might be the reason why?


texts: I am trying to figure out how many amps this box has. Top left breaker is 50amp and top right is 30amp. I want to put an xray machine on this that requires 100amps at its max. Do you think its possible?


texts: I want to install a smart thermostat 240 volt but there is no neutral available. Can I connect to the neutral of an adjacent 120 gang box (receptacle)?


texts: How to connect sections of black iron gas line?

texts:
In my crawl space I have a fairly convoluted maze of black iron gas connections which only serves 2 appliances.
During basement renovation this maze gets in the way and I would like to remove most of those connections and replace with as direct as possible lines to my appliances. I, however, don't want to take apart the wall to replace pipe all the way to the outlet. So I will inevitable end up with something like two male threaded pipe ends that need to be linked with each other.
Is there a good, code-compliant way to connect those sections of black iron pipe houseline? Something like flared connection would work, perhaps, but I can't find anything suitable for iron pipe.


texts: Does leaving the Central AC on all day and all night cause the motor to burn or compressor line to freeze up?

texts: I'm not suggesting doing this or whatever, I just want to know the answer.  Let's say it is 80 deg F outside and I put the AC on 50 deg F.  Obviously this will cause the AC to run all day, would this running all day cause the motor to burn or would the AC be fine?  Would the Compressor lines freeze? Again this is a general, model agnostic, question.  You can assume it's a good functioning unit with no obvious problems.


texts: How do you expand an existing patio while retaining look, structure & level?

texts:
I have an existing Brick patio that was put in sometime around the time of house construction. There is a small attached garden that has a tree which has since died and I am thinking of expanding the patio to take over that section of the garden (primarily as a place to keep my Grill).

Without a lot of trial-and-error how do I expand into the garden and keep it at the same level as my existing patio?


texts: AC not turning on until well over 4 degrees of set temp

texts:
I live in an apartment and have called maintenance many time over this issue so I hope someone can help me.

My AC UNIT is set to 73 degrees. My AC will not switch on until the thermostat says 77 degrees, sometimes warmer. I feel like it is a sauna in here. When it finally kicks on, it cools for a couple of hours until it cool to 71 degrees (2 degrees under set temp). I am an ice cube at this point because it has been running so long.

I thought AC was supposed to stay a pretty consistent temp?

I am a 22 year old and if my body can not handle the ups and downs of the house, surely my 4 month old can not either.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Will blown-in insulation work directly on the back of 12" square ceilings tiles?

texts:
We're renovating an extremely old house that we use as a camp that had numerous issues. ( Originally built circa WW2, but has had some work done since then. We use it occasionally in the warmer months but are looking to make more use of it on a year-round basis. )

The previous setup was fiberglass bat insulation and 12"x12" ceiling tiles surface mounted to furring strips. We removed the old ceilings and insulation due to roof leaks and rodent damage.

The furring strips are still up, and I'm considering placing a new 12" tiled ceiling to keep the original aesthetic. This would be stapled to the existing furring strips. However, I had also considered using blown-in fiberglass insulation to insulate the camp evenly and appropriately.

Assuming the ceiling tiles are appropriately fastened, can I blow insulation ( at approximately R30 ) directly onto them ?

Are there unforeseen issues with this ?


texts: how to identify lumber grade of unmarked ceiling joists

texts:
I have a detached garage that I'd like to finish the attic space to make into a office like workspace.

The garage ceiling joists are 2x8x14' (unnotched) with a 13'6" span on 16".  The joist appear to be SPF but are unmarked.  I suspect #2 or #3, but if #3 then I should probably increase the strength.  Any good way to identify the grade?

If #3 then AWG.org reports that the L/180, w/25 psf max span is 13'6". With #2 >40psf for the span is allowed.

The attic floor would be 5/8 OSB and the garage ceiling either 1/2 drywall or  OSB sheeting.

I'll post some photos shortly.


texts: How should I attach a pergola to my rooftop deck?

texts:
I know my sketch is pretty rough but I want to add a pergola like this to my rooftop deck. I obviously can't sink the posts into the ground. What is a recommended way of attaching the posts? I was thinking of using one of these post brackets and then bracing it at the railing with additional L-brackets.

Also, I would like attach the ledger to the wall but it is hollow block. Is there a safe way to do that? I've heard it doesn't have much lateral "pull out" strength.

I'm pretty rookie so any advice would be great. My only other real project is that table and benches in the background there.


texts: How deep in ground should I install 4x4 PT fence posts?

texts:
I'm installing some 4x4 Pressure Treated 8' Tall Fence Posts for a chicken run. I want to have at least 7' tall fence, and am wondering if the 1' sunken depth is adequate. I have read conflicting information as to what I should do and the methods to use. I am also not building a wooden fence, just a light poultry wire mesh.

My plan was:
I so far have dug 7" Diameter x 18" Deep. Wanted to put 3" of Concrete, 3" of Gravel, to be left with 1 foot of sunken post depth in the soil. Then Soil+Gravel Mix all the way to the top, tamping as I go to compact.

I plan to be using 1" poultry chicken wire mesh for the perimeter, with a gate on one end between 2 posts.

My 3 questions are:

Is 12" Sunken Depth good enough for a 7' tall fence? How deep do I need to go for such a light application of netting/wire mesh?
Do you think the 3" of gravel atop the 3" of concrete will be sufficient to prevent moisture wicking into/against the post to increase its' life?
Do you think that 6' will be sufficient to keep predators and deer away from the poultry if I have to dig the post deeper?

I definitely don't want to install these more than once, and if I have to dig deeper I will.


texts: I used an outdoor Schlage lock as an indoor passage lock. Somehow the lock is Jammed and I'm down to do I use a sledge or call a locksmith. The key wont turn. We took the molding off and have access to the latch and deadlock. I've tried to push the latch open with several objects but no luck so far. Any ideas would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.tt7iy


texts:
I am going to build or install an A-frame swing/play set for my kids. I've read rubber mulch can be a potential carcinogen.

I want to:

find a safe ground cover for under and around the swing set
learn how deep the ground cover should be to help break falls


texts: How do I build my basement bathroom so that it aligns with existing in ground plumbing?

texts:
I’m preparing to finish my basement. This is a 2008 house with drain plumbing already built in to the existing concrete to support a bathroom.
Assuming tub/shower drains are in specific locations, how do you frame out a bathroom so that when it comes time to install the tub/shower it aligns with the existing drain pipes? The pipes stick straight up out of the concrete floor about 2 feet. Is a subfloor required? I don’t want to hack these babies off and find out I did something wrong.
What is the standard procedure here?


texts: Why do I have smaller than expected floor joist components?

texts: I cut out the subfloor in my half bath on 2nd story above garage. I didn't expect to see 2x4s proving the most support, and just one 2x6 joist. Can someone explain to this newbie what's going on? Thanks.


texts: Can a through-the-wall A/C unit be mounted in a window?

texts:
I've seen many posts about how you can't install a window AC unit through the wall. However, I have the opposite question. Can you install a through-the-wall AC unit in a window? It seems like someone would have created the hardware to do so, but I can't find it.
Specifically, window AC units have a bracket on them that secure them when the window closes on them. Essentially, I would be looking for a sleeve like you have in the wall, but with the appropriate hardware to mount in a window.
I know it's not as efficient as a window AC unit, but we moved into an apartment without a wall sleeve, so we would rather not buy another unit.


texts: How to re-purpose an exhaust fan using a 10x3.25 duct?

texts:
I'm currently remodeling my kitchen.  Instead of a cooktop hood, I plan to re-use the existing ceiling exhaust fan.  It looks to be about a 8" diameter fan that is inside a 10x3.25 duct that exhausts outside.  The fan motor is shot, I will need to replace it.

The issue I have though is when I removed the bulkhead (see post here), it was revealed that I had a leak from that exhaust duct.  From the outside I can see that the exhaust flap is stuck partially open, and from the inside I can see the duct has some openings where moisture can run down onto the 2x10 my floor joists rest on.

My intention is to replace the fan and replace the exhaust flap, however, I cannot find a new exhaust flap that is intended for 10x3.25 duct to exhaust outside.  I'm thinking that's an usual setup.  But given that I now have this opening in my masonry outside, I need to fill it, and I'd like to use it. Where should I look for a replacement/what are my alternatives?

A secondary question - I assume there is no chance I can find a replacement motor for what is probably a 1940's exhaust fan.  Is there a common/standard size that maybe I could only swap the motor?  Or is my only solution to cut out the drywall and the duct and install a new exhaust fan box?

Thanks


texts: How do you install blocking in a straight line?

texts:
When installing blocking that is staggered, you can end-nail it. But what about when it's important for the blocking to be in a straight line?

For example, when you want to support butted-edges of sheet goods.

How should the blocking be fastened?


texts: Am I missing some obvious way to change this lightbulb?

texts:
I thought I'd be able to lift the plastic shade and angle it out of the trim, but it doesn't lift at all.  It slides side-to-side a bit, but the flanges are large enough to keep it firmly behind the trim.  The trim is attached on the two rounded ends and doesn't seem to slide down or unclip in any way.  The long sides of the trim will bend down a bit if I pull on them.

I just want to see if anyone has any obvious suggestions I'm missing before I try prying the trim off the ceiling.  A lot of things in this house seem to have been done in the cheapest way possible that wouldn't be immediately noticed by a potential buyer, and I'm guessing this bulb that can't be changed without reinstalling the trim around the fixture might be one of them.


texts: How do I reinforce an old mortise and tenon joint?

texts:
I have some old This End Up chairs with mortise and tenon joints that came reinforced with nails. They are generally pretty sturdy but have gotten quite the wiggle over their 33 years.

My question is how to reinforce such joints without damaging the chairs at all? I am not much of a wood worker and don't have a lot of tools but am willing to get my hands dirty. Recommendations so far have been to use glue like this or even Gorilla Glue. I would consider a pocket hole if it could be done in discretely enough but I fear the way the joints are layed out will now allow that.

Could I possibly drill (to avoid cracking) a pilot hole for a nail and use chair doctor glue? That's my current plan.

For reference, here are the chairs:

Click for full size image


texts: Avoiding circuit overload with primary + battery backup sump?

texts:
In a two-pump, battery-backed sump system, how do people avoid excessive power draw when the battery charger and primary pump want to run at the same time?
I'm imagining a post-hurricane scenario: The sump basin continues to refill with water when the grid power is finally restored. At that point, the primary pump and the battery-charger will both want to run at the same time.
I assumed people would solve this by using some kind of intelligent power switch, that only gives power to the battery charger when the primary pump isn't running. But I haven't found anything like that on the market, so I assume that's not a typical solution.
So how do people avoid this problem? Is it as simple as providing as 20A circuit instead of 15A?
(My question is similar but a little different from this one)


texts: Water heater not filled with water before being turned onto hot setting

texts:
I had a new water heater installed by a local plumber. He installed my tank but did not fill it with water before lighting pilot/turning to hot.  He left before thoroughly verifying I had hot water!

It was 20-30 min before we discovered the problem and I filled heater with water. A neighbor helped me fix - he replaced - the T-P valve which leaked after filling tank with water. Is this tank most likely ruined?


texts:
This "spring loaded roller door latch" is old and not very effective. I'm trying to replace it but all my searches for those keywords turn up nothing like this. I also can't find a manufacturer name on the door. Questions:

Can this be repaired or is replace the best option? (If repair possible then how?)
If it needs to be replaced what do I search for to find the replacement?


texts: Best way to insulate sweaty sheet metal ducts in unconditioned space?

texts:
My air return system is in a small closet in my garage. When I run the A/C when it's hot and humid out, the ducts sweat and drip a lot of water onto the wood platform that the HVAC and water heater sit on. The homeowner before hand must have not cared and never did anything about it.

I on the other hand don't like seeing all the water laying around, and I don't want it to eventually rot the wood to death.

What is the best way to insulate sheet air ducts?

Here are some pictures of my fiasco too.


texts:
I'm rebuilding my shower and using HardiBacker (1/2" thickness) in that space. I've then got normal green-board drywall that I'll be transitioning to. I figure that I'll tile up to the edge of the HardiBacker.

The real question here is whether I should seam the HardiBacker to the drywall using:

(A) normal tape and drywall mud
(B) paintable caulk
(C) something else or some other solution like tiling over the seam by an inch or so, etc.

I've seen some interesting answers online like (A) and (B), and I can see advantages to each - (A) would make for a pretty smooth surface transition while (B) would allow for a permanently flexible (since the two different materials should in theory expand and contract at different rates), waterproof transition that could be repaired if a crack were to form and could be covered with grouted caulk. So in short, does anyone have some thoughts or suggestions?

A few additional notes - I'm planning to over-engineer this shower by putting Schluter Kerdi liner over the HardiBacker as I like the idea of redundant waterproofing solutions, and I like the idea of using something like KSL1400 (a prebuilt shower pan with integrated liner and slope).


texts: Asbestos risk in my roof? What is this material?

texts:
I'm a homeowner in London, and have recently started losing sleep over something.  Hoping somebody can shed some light!  Our next door neighbours are having their roof redone, and some manner of asbestos has been found (unclear what - roof tiles?).  This has made me aware for the first time that there could be some in our loft, where I've been storing all manner of things for years.  The front half of our roof is great and relatively new, but the back half is ancient and crumbling, though generally watertight.  I've ignored the steady rain of debris from it over the years, mumbling "must get something done about the roof."  Only now have I taken a close look with a bright-enough torch at just what is crumbling (see pictures).  It appears to be some kind of backing board on the old roof tiles (not back pointing, as I'd been assuming?).  Now losing sleep that this is AIB or some other asbestos-containing material that I and my family have been repeatedly exposed to dust/debris from.  Anybody have a clue what this is from the pics?
Have rung around a few asbestos surveyors, but not found availability yet.  Had assumed asbestos would come up on original house survey, but now wondering if loft was checked at all, as it may not have had a hatch at the time of purchase.  Any info appreciated - hopefully looking for reassurance that this material is harmless, whatever it is!


texts: How can I prevent water from collecting near the blower fan blades of a portable air conditioner?

texts:
I have a GE portable Air Conditioner (APH10AA).  It's about 10 years old (I guess; we got it used).

It works good (blows cold air), but in the last year or two it's regularly been getting water built-up in the blower fan area, so it sounds like a small waterfall and spits water (into the room).

We assumed it was because of plugged up drip lines between the intake coil and the blower fan area, where the condensation from the coil is supposed to collect/drip down (and drop across the exhaust coil for evaporation).

So we disassembled it, cleaned the 10+ years of dirt out of it (surprisingly not too bad).  Ensured the water pump worked, and that the drip lines were clear (ran air through it, ran a wire down them, plus some bleach to kill any mildew).

As far as I can tell those lines are clear, and water runs though them fine.  I can pour a cup or so of water into the collector cup, and it goes out the drip lines down the coil and into the bottom container in seconds, as fast as I would expect.

OK, so the problem: it still manages to suck water into the blower fan area.  It's like it just pulls the water off the coil, past the collection area, and right into the blower area.  I emptied the area yesterday (took it apart a 2nd time to check/do it) and less than 24 hours later it's got a couple table spoons of water already.

I can't find any path for the water to leave this area and it seems to take hours for it to evaporate (if the AC is off), so it just doesn't seem "right".  Also, since it's not part of the regular drainage path emptying the water (via bottom spigot) doesn't drain any water from that area.

As far as I can tell by the design/openings in the area, unless those lines are blocked (which mine are not), it should not be able to get enough water built up for it to ever get into the blower's axle/bearings/motor; So I'm not really worried about blowing a circuit, but the water is spitting onto the electronic controls, so that can't be good. ;)

Got any ideas on how to prevent it?  Am I missing a drainage path someplace perhaps (can't see any traces of one; the area is mostly full of the blower cage and shaped Styrofoam).  Are we just leaving the blower on "High" too much (ie: most of the time) perhaps?

Some experienced opinions/idea would be greatly appreciated. :)


texts: How long can a concrete pool stay empty when ground water is not a problem?

texts:
I live in Las Vegas, you know- the desert.  Ground water is not a problem here, when it does rain, it either evaporates incredibly fast or is absorbed very deep very quickly.  I also live on a small rise so any natural water runs downhill away from my property.

I have a concrete pool, it was re surfaced (about 1 1/2-2 inches) 3 years ago.  I have drained my pool before and left it empty for about 2 weeks with no problems.  I want to drain it now and fill it in the spring.  It is green and gross, but I'm going to be gone for about 2 months and don't have the time to care for it before I go ( or the money to pay someone to care for it). If I just leave it while I'm gone it'll be bug ridden and cause that kind of problems.  So if I drain it now and put a cover over it to protect it from direct sunlight will I still have a pool come spring?  Or just a hole full of concrete crumbles?


texts: Is this hinged collapsible clothesline design stable enough?

texts:
I need help validating my clothesline design. It'll be on our deck for convenience (I don't want to lug a heavy basket of wet laundry down to the backyard). I want it to be collapsible so we can hide it if we ever have guests again. And, if we have to sell the house to someone who doesn't appreciate clotheslines, we'll just unscrew the hinges and take the whole thing down with minimal damage to the railings.
The idea is, the clothesline posts will be attached to the top of the deck railings with hinges. When in use, the bottom ends of the posts will simply sit on the deck railings. When we need to hide them, we'll simply fold them back so they hang upside down behind the railings.

My questions are specifically about the stability of this design. I'm only expecting less than 15 lbs of load, consisting of 2 king-size sheets and up to 2 bath towels, so maybe I'm overthinking this, but better safe than sorry. By which I mean, better to ask now and look like the beginner that I am, than spend 5 hours putting it together and have it sag or bend or fall apart
In my mind, these are the Bad Things™ that can happen:

The hinges may be pulled out by heavy wet laundry pulling on the top of the posts. I read that screws can withstand shear forces of 600 lbs so I don't think this is likely.

The hinge itself may pull itself out of shape, or even come apart, from bearing the weight of the posts when the posts are stowed. That would actually be dangerous, since the posts can then fall on someone under the deck. And obviously hinges are not meant to be used like this - not as part of a set, and bearing forces that pull them apart. But then I think the posts will only weigh 40 lbs or less, and in any case, I think I can work around this by simply nailing some blocks of wood to the railings under the posts when they're stowed, to bear the weight of the posts instead of the hinges.

The posts may lean inward when there's laundry on the lines, since they're just sitting on the railings with no fasteners. Is this a risk with the center post being a 4x4 (so there's a decent amount of surface for it to sit on)? I can also add shims underneath to counter any leaning.

So, what do you think? Are there other glaring design flaws I'm not thinking of?
Thanks all in advance!
EDIT Aug 2, 2020: Some people have suggested some intriguing ideas, including a prop in the middle of the line and a telescoping post. I am interested in all those ideas, but could you please include some details on the materials and hardware I need to implement them? I am a DIY beginner, and this project is apparently far more demanding, engineering-wise, than I'd estimated. Who knew hanging 13 lbs of sheets to dry would be this complicated?
Also, the 13 lbs estimate is from Googling the weights of the sheets and towels, cotton absorbency and washer spin cycle water extraction rates. I am aware that wet laundry weighs more than dry laundry.


texts:
Most of the downspouts on my house (built in 1951) are routed into the foundation, like this:

My questions about this situation:

Why on earth did someone do this? (I just bought the damn thing and now I have to deal with it.)
How big a deal is it to fix? Unless otherwise advised, I would cut away the lower foot or so of downspout with a hacksaw and mate it with new stuff from Home Depot that drains to the outside of the house. Will that do, or should I replace the whole thing?
I assume I need to stop up the pipe at the bottom of the photo. Do I need to use cement or something, or can I just cap it somehow?


texts: Possible source of dripping from bathroom exhaust fan?

texts:
During the winter, I experienced "Chinese water torture".  The bathroom exhaust fan is located above the toilet.  While seated on the throne, drops of water would hit my head every so many seconds.

I traced it to the roof vent.  It is a metal cap that gets cold in the winter.  The mylar duct runs from the fan through the attic to the roof vent.  Looking at the roof vent, I found this:

That's an icicle on the right side, and little frozen rivers of water running from the base of the cap.  Another roof vent sits to the left of it.  A different view:

There is some water vapor frozen on the roof from the left one, but no icicles, and no interior dripping from that fan.

My working assumption was that humidity from the shower was condensing inside that hood.  Some of it ran back down the duct and dripped out (I actually saw the water inside the duct), and some dripped from the vent to form an icicle.

I thought I had solved it by waiting for a warm day and then running the fan to dry out the residual water in the duct, then ensuring that the fan ran for a long time after a shower.

It's now mid-October, the weather is still warm, and I just experienced the dripping again.  The attic is still hotter than the house, so I wouldn't expect humidity from the shower to be condensing in the duct at this time of year.

The only water source I can imagine is rain blowing into the vent.  Perhaps there's a dip in the duct to the left vent, so the water stays trapped in that one and eventually dries out.

The vent cap does appear to have a damper, although it likely isn't water tight.  So some amount of water might get by in heavy rain.  It wasn't raining at the time of the recent dripping, but there has been a lot of rain in recent weeks.  Small amounts getting past the damper over time could collect in the troughs in the accordion duct until there's enough to flow (but that wouldn't explain why it would wait for a day after the rain to start flowing).

There are four identical vent caps on the same section of roof, exposed to the same rain.  One farther to the right is for a fan that gets far more shower use.  Only the one in the picture gets icicles and water running from the cap, and drips from the bathroom exhaust fan.  I can't think of a water source that would affect only the one fan, and in both warm and cold weather.


texts: How to identify a fixture/outlet and wiring to breaker as knob and tube?

texts:
I have spent time charting out all the lights, outlets, etc. in our house and what breaker they are each on.

I know that most of the original part of our house in knob and tube and the early 90's addition is romex. Looking at my list I can see that a few breakers are most likely mixed, part K&T and part romex.

I believe each fixture/outlet could be:

Knob and tube from the outlet all the way back to the breaker box.
Knob and tube at the outlet, but changing to romex somewhere before the breaker.
Romex from the outlet all the way back to the breaker box.
Romex at the outlet, but changing to knob and tube somewhere before the breaker.

I could take off the outlet covers/lights to determine the first part visaully though that will be time consuming. Could I also use an outlet tester to determine if there a ground, with no ground meaning K&T at some point and a ground meaning Romex the whole way back to the breaker? Then do for each on the breaker to figure out what part is first/second?


texts: Replacing 3-Way Light Switch with 4 wires

texts:
I'm trying to replace an older style 3-way switch with a newer one. When I pulled the older one out, the wires weren't clamped down very well and 3 of the 4 (yes, 4) wires popped out of place before I had a chance to look and see what was where.

So, here's the situation.  I have 1 White, 1 Red, and 2 Blacks (we'll call them B1 & B2).

With the circuit breaker on and very carefully measuring voltages across each of the wires, I get the following.

W  <- 120V -> B1
W  <-   0V -> B2
W  <-  24V -> R
W  <-   0V -> Ground
B1 <- 120V -> B2
B1 <-  90V -> R
B1 <- 120V -> Ground
B2 <-  24V -> R
B2 <-   0V -> Ground
R  <-  24V -> Ground

And also very carefully, if I touch the 2 black wires together, the light comes on.

So, my obvious question is, how do I need to wire these up to the new 3-way switch?

Thanks!

==============================

Update

When I flip the other switch and re-check the voltages, they change to...

W  <-  24V -> B1
W  <-   0V -> B2
W  <- 120V -> R
W  <-   0V -> Ground
B1 <-  20V -> B2
B1 <-  94V -> R
B1 <-  24V -> Ground
B2 <- 120V -> R
B2 <-   0V -> Ground
R  <- 120V -> Ground

=========================

Update #2

View of the back of the box

View of the sibling switch.

===========================

Update #3

Added Measurements above for all wires to ground for both above positions of the other switch.


texts: How do I remove hard deposits from my glass shower door?

texts:
I have a problem with regards to my frameless glass shower door because I don't usually clean it regularly. What happens is that the lower edge of the glass door is already very cloudy and is very coarse in texture. I tried to use some vinegar and water dipped with newspaper since I prefer using natural cleaners but it just won't work. Maybe it has accumulated too much that it can hardly be removed.

Do you have any other idea on what natural method to use for removing it? If possible,  I don't want to use the common glass cleaners sold on the market. That's the last choice for me.


texts: Can attic insulation be rolled over ductwork?

texts: I have Insulated AC flex duct work in my attic. Am I correct in that since its insulated already if I lay insulation over the duct work it is fine as long as the duct work is sealed properly? I have R11 4' x 100' rolls and it might be difficult to get the entire roll under the flex ductwork. I could cut the rolls down and line them up but was hoping for one continuous roll out.


texts: How can I repair a slow leak in my concrete fountain?

texts:
I have a painted concrete fountain whose bottom well slowly leaks over about 2 days.
My area gets to ~-20c (-9ish F) in the winter, so I worry that trapped water is slowly destroying it.
I suspect most cracks are in or near the pump area (circled red). I have seen water leak through the terrible-looking bottom area (also red).

I contacted EnduraCoat, but they recommended 100% silicone caulk. That's not easy stuff to squeeze into tiny, invisible cracks, especially those in the pump area (circled red).

Please recommend a sealant that I can pour into the bottom well which is thin enough to fill and seal the tiny cracks.


texts: How can I seal a two inch gap in the floor along a wall?

texts:
I have almost a 2 inch gap between my wooden floor and wall in the apartment I am renting. I think the dust down there is causing me allergies and I’m worried about the cold AC air escaping down there. Is there a REALLY quick easy way that I can fix it that my landlord is likely to approve? The hole down there is about 10 inches - it is through the floor not just the hardwood planks.

The floorboard are on top of old floorboards that do not line up and neither reach the wall. The coin is a 5 cent coin. Thanks again!


texts: How likely are polished concrete, decorative concrete overlay, or epoxy flooring to delaminate if our house floods?

texts:
Our house recently flooded and my wife and I are looking at different flooring options. We are considering concrete flooring but I have some questions about how likely each are to stand up to a new flood.

Our house historically has never flooded and this is the first time, but I want to have a peace of mind that if it does happen again I will have the least amount of worry.

From what I've seen it seems like polished concrete has little to no risk of delamination, stained concrete overlay seems to have contradictory information, and epoxy seems to be similarly prone to flood damage like linoleum might be.

How likely are these to delaminate in flooding? I'm not talking about a toilet that overflows but rather natural disaster. Our house is slab concrete and had about 2 feet of water for between 36 and 48 hours.


texts:
Through impatience, I failed to adequately mix a 5-gallon bucket of aluminized roofing paint before I hauled it up the ladder and painted my roof.

Now, I am left with a huge wad of putty like aluminum paste at the bottom of the bucket.  I realize that I'll probably need to re-paint, but is there a safe way to salvage this gunk?

Is it safe to thin this paste with paint thinner or diesel?

I'm frankly worried that using a thinner (especially diesel) will trigger some chemical reaction rendering the re-mixed paint into something dangerous.


texts: Faucet dripping only when water main shut off

texts:
The city responded to a water main break down the block last night. When they shut off the water to repair it, a bathroom faucet started to drip at the spout.  It was more like a thin stream/dripping.  I opened and closed the faucet; no difference in the stream open or closed.  This is a second story faucet.  When opening other faucets on that level there was no pressure at all.  The water supply is back on now and the faucet is not dripping.
I figure this is an early sign of something.  The fixture is about 25 years old.  Could you please comment on what could be wrong and what I should do about it.
Thanks for your help.


texts: What products can I use to repair large holes in plaster?

texts: I have a roughly 4'x 3' hole in plaster wall.  I've seen few youtube videos about how to repair it, but none of them say what product/mix they use.  I've read about using DAP Plaster Wall Patch, but it's not carried by most stores anymore.  Neither is structalite.  Any other product I can use instead of actual plaster?


texts: How to install PVC J-Channel Brickmould?

texts:
I'm looking to install this Brickmould with J-Channel when I reside my garage.

I've looked at a number of manufacturer install guides and they either skip over brickmoulding or do not address this particular version of brickmould with j-channel. I've also made many Google searches and have come up empty handed there too. All standard brickmould installation.

Many of the videos, tutorials, and installation instructions are like the video that Kris has linked to in the comments. It shows standard brickmould without the built-in J-Channel. I'm starting to assume that you treat it like normal brickmould due to the lack of installation instructions for this particular type of brickmould.

How should I flash the door with this type of brickmould? Flash rough opening with flex for the sill, flashing tap on the sides and header. Then nail the brickmould with j-channel on top? Maybe flash the nailing flang of the brickmould  after doing so?


texts:
I apologize now if the answer is obvious, but I'd like to be absolutely sure before proceeding with out an architect.

I have purchased land that I intend to build a house on, and I'm now at the stage where an architect would typically draw up or look over the construction plans. I have drawn my own plans, and while I am not an architect, I am a licensed (PE) mechanical and electrical engineer (two degrees and licensed as both). This will be the first house I've built, but it is my understanding that an engineer signs off on and seals the work of the architect.

My two-fold question is this: can I approve my own designs given my professional occupation and licensure, and if so, can I forego the architect step if I am the one signing off on the design? In short, can I design and approve my own plans because I am a licensed engineer, or do I still have to employ an architect and/or another engineer to sign off on plans myself or an architect has created?


texts: Engineered hardwood over uneven basement subfloor?

texts: I purchased a house 2 years ago with a partially unfinished basement but had all the supplies to finish. I am getting around to doing the flooring soon. I have nice oak engineered hardwood flooring and underlay. The basement floor has 1" rigid foam board glued and taped with 5/8 T/G OSB overtop as a subfloor. Now the OSB is not secured to the concrete so I do plan on securing the subfloor to the concrete with tapcons. Have not done so in case I need to add another layer of subfloor. The problem I am having is the concrete is not very level so my subfloor is not level. I have one bad area that has a 1/2" dip when checked with a 6' level. There is other uneven areas throughout the basement but none as bad. The walls and bar cabinets are installed over this subfloor. This low spot is right in front of these cabinets. What are my options for leveling this floor so I can install my flooring?


texts: How can I remove small paint specks from a wooden floor?

texts:
The painters I had hired (and quickly fired) to repaint my apartment spilled some paint (little specks and spots) on the wooden floors and let it dry off without cleaning it.

The paint was "glycéro", which I think translates to alkyd paint. It wasn't acrylic paint.

Since it's dry, I can't remove it with white spirit. I can remove it with paint remover but it also removes the transparent coating on the wooden floor ("vitrification" in french, not sure how to translate it).

Any ideas of what I can try to remove the white dots on my floor without having to redo my floors afterward?


texts: Can Hardwired Smoke Alarms beep without power?

texts: I have a hardwired smoke alarm that beeps even when I take the batteries out, unplug it from the outlet, and remove its cellularies. I was wondering if this is possible and if so, how long can they beep for? I heard a story of one that beeped for 8 years without batteries or an outlet.


texts:
I have a 10 ft fiberglass step ladder that was damaged when someone used it on unstable ground.  This ended up ripping one of the rivets on the middle locking brace out of the fiberglass.  Anyone have any recommendations?

I was thinking that I could clean up the fiberglass and make a repair with the fiberglass mat/cloth/resin they sell at auto parts stores.

I could also just try to sandwich the damaged area between two pieces of steel bolted together.


texts: Protecting a stone retaining wall from water running down it

texts:
I have stone-and-cement retaining walls on two sides of my sloped driveway; they're new, and have cement caps. There's a long wall on the side of the driveway that's sloped about 1:20, and at the bottom end is a shorter wall that is sloped at about 1:40. The walls slope towards their mutual corner.

Water runs down the driveway towards both walls. The long wall is protected from water by a granite curb, but that just directs the water over the short wall. The water pours over the top of the wall and runs down the face and through the stones. I'm worried that this will harm the wall, especially with all the freeze cycles we endure in New England.

I want to add a second curb that protects the shorter wall from water, but which ends about 2' from the corner. Water would be directed through this gap, and somehow be brought away from the wall so it doesn't run down the face.

I can figure out how to choose and fasten the new curb (or I'll post a separate question): for the moment I'm looking for ideas on keeping the water away from the wall. An example would be to take some heavy rubber sheeting, glue it to the top of the wall, and drape it down the back of the wall, with the bottom edge ending in a trough to take the water away. But, I doubt the glue joint would last more than a season or two.

So, any ideas on how to protect the wall from water? (I'm also interested in comments on whether my worry is valid; it's a well-built wall, and perhaps it will just shrug off the water.)

Here are some pictures. First, from the driveway side; note the curb down the wall on the right:

Second, from the back of the shorter end wall. I'd want to have water coming over the corner at the left, but protect the wall from the water:


texts: Why are there multiple receptacles by amperage?

texts:
I could imagine the various receptacle shapes being a tool to protect you from making a mistake about what you plug in.

Consider a 15A breaker with 14ga wiring to NEMA 5-15R receptacles. The circuit goes to 3 different rooms. In each room I plug in a device that draws 6A, and I overload the circuit and trip the breaker. So, a 15A recep didn't protect me from anything.

If, on the other hand, each circuit had exactly one receptacle, then you could look at the plug configuration and know how much load you can put on that circuit. You might daisy chain a bunch of power strips on that recep and overload it that way (or not, if you're just charging a bunch of Kindles) but you have the information you need to decide if that's going to work for you.

I get why there are different receptacle shapes by voltage. But this is about amp rating of circuits, wiring, outlets, and devices. I'm interested in the codes that govern what's behind the walls & built in to houses, not best practices when plugging in. Assume ignorant/lazy users.

Why do receptacle shapes vary by amperage? What's the purpose?


texts: I need to pressurize a room and I'm kind of at a loss as to how to do it, hoping someone out there might have some advice

texts:
I'm setting up a small packaging operation for edible products for pets. There are certain government standards we have to hit to be able to do this.

The actual packaging takes place in a 420 sq ft room with 12 ft ceilings. It's all well sealed with a single door for entry and exit, that is itself pretty well sealed when closed.

In order to pass inspection we need to be able to demonstrate that the room is pressurized. There isn't a specific differential we need to maintain, we just need to be able to pass a smoke test at the door. The air needs to be filtered as well. It doesn't even have to be HEPA, just filtered. Pretty much I just need to be able to blow filtered air through the wall from the main area into this packaging room and get it nicely pressurized.

I spoke with one engineer who said "You don't need me for that, just get whatever you want and install it". He was pretty curt. I've been looking around and all I can find are inline duct fans for grow-ops (that sound like jet engines) and little bathroom fans.

What's my best bet for solving this problem? I know there isn't much to worry about in terms of installation, I'm just trying to avoid buying and installing something only to discover it's completely inadequate.

Thanks!


texts: How do I replace a sub-floor that goes under a wall before reaching the nearest I-joist?

texts:
In a bathroom, due to rotten sub-floor and remodelling, I have to remove the sub-floor and put a new one (we're changing the location of the shower and the sink; the plumber's going to make Swiss cheese out of it).

The challenge is that most of the sides of the sub-floor go under the walls. Some of these walls are right over the I-joist, some are not.

Where it's possible, I'm thinking of doing something like suggested here:

  If the couple of inches of flooring you have not removed at the wall is solid, you can screw through it and into a piece of wood below it that the new floor can also be screwed to in order to make the edge supported, in a somewhat easier fashion. It's crudely equivalent to having a T&G joint in that the floor acts as a single piece.

But I'm less inspired about a proper way to fix it where the floor is completely rotten and unusable.

I've thought of doing something like this:

The plan:

Since I have I-joists there, I thought about reinforcing the I-joists by putting in there 1" x 8", held by construction adhesive and 1 1/2" screws (those pieces are in green in my graphic). The plan is to make it fit snugly in there.
Then, with joist hangers, adding in 2" x 6" in-between the reinforced joists and use them as a kind of bridge (displayed in blue in the graphic; the joist hangers are not shown). The top of these bridges would arrive at the same height than the I-joists.
Finally, still using joist hangers, adding a 2" x 4" in-between the two bridges, right under where the end of the new sub-floor would arrive. (This part is the yellow one in the graphic.)

A couple of things to keep in mind:

I will not have access to the sides of the I-joists that are not under the bathroom sub-floors, so I can't reinforce the I-joists on both sides.
If that matters, I'll be installing ceramic tiles over the new sub-floor (after putting on there 1/4" cement boards).

The questions:

Is the idea suggested by the other post is the most appropriate?
Is the plan suggested here makes any sense? And if it does are the planks sizes appropriate and should I use screws or nails to attach joist hangers (and what size)?
And if it does not, what should I do instead?

Thanks!


texts: I'm replacing a light switch. From the looks of the box and my limited electrical knowledge, it was wired for a 3 way setup (picture below). I can't find any other switch in our house that it's connected to, so my intention is just to cap off the red wire and wire the new switch like a standard single pole switch. Are there any problems with that plan?


texts: Restoring brick fireplace and wood trim in historic home

texts:
My wife and I just started renovating a historic home (built sometime between about 1880 and 1905). The home has quite a bit of old (possibly original) brick and wood details.

As a first step in the renovation, we'd like to restore the brick fireplace and the wood trim around the front door. Both were covered in tile, which we've now removed.

Underneath the tile there are several layers of stuff. The top layer seems to be whatever is left of the thinset used to install the tile. There's also paint beneath that.

What would be the best approach to strip these layers off, leaving the original material and character as intact as possible afterward?

You can see pictures of what we're dealing with here.

So far, for the brick, I've tried several wire brush wheels on my drill. I was able to remove the material, but it smoothed out the brick too, which looks pretty bad. I stopped after clearing a couple inches. You can see the smoothed brick in one of the photos. I'd like to come up with a method to remove the gunk from the brick without ruining the brick's texture.

For the wood, a random orbit sander with really coarse paper seems to be doing the trick, but it's going slowly. I'm thinking about picking up a belt sander too, to speed the process up. Is there something else I should be trying first? (I build wood furniture in my free time, so I'm perfectly comfortable re-staining the wood after stripping everything off.)


texts: My basement ceiling\ground floor has a "truss" system. How to hang things?

texts:
It looks like this from what I can see: http://andersontrussnc.com/floor-trusses/

So - obviously I can't be drilling an eye bolt into anything I see here. I've heard people talk about sistering together trusses by laying a doubled up board or 4x4 between them and screwing the eye bolt to that.  But ... that wouldn't be safe to do from the BOTTOM of the truss in the open triangle, right? Wouldn't it have to be attached to the top?

Kind of frustrating - for a home gym looking at a pull up bar, punching bag etc...and I just don't see how it's possible without tearing down a lot of sheetrock?


texts:
I recently purchased a newly built house. It has an unfinished basement. There is a white pvc pipe that comes from the floor. It is about 4 feet tall. Out of it comes a sewer smell. Some days worse than others.

What is this pipe?
How can I stop the smell from coming into my basement?


texts: Is this a non-grounded light fixture? The copper ground is just bundled at the base of the chain and does not weave up the chain to the box like I have seen in pictures on this site. Is this dangerous and do I need to do something about it? I had wanted to just cut it as it looks bad but worried that this is a safety issue.


texts: Installing light fixture in Toronto ON condo

texts:
I am trying to install a light fixture in my Toronto condo (newly built) and to my surprise found these wires. I’m pretty sure white is neutral and green is ground. What is current? And what is the other wire for?
TIA


texts: How do I use a multimeter to determine why one of my lights is not turning on?

texts: In my Bathroom, the light switch is located on the left hand wall. The duplex outlet is on the forward wall. On each side of The forward wall (left & right) are the fixtures, one each. When I flip the light switch to on, only the left hand side light fixture turns on.  I've tried new bulbs, even took the front of the fixture off and all looks well. I have a digital multimeter and tools. How do I properly diagnose and fix this issue?


texts: Can I add four new ducts to my HVAC trunk line?

texts:
I am finishing my basement and need some insight from someone who understand HVAC design. I would like to know if my main trunk line (the 34' one in the diagram) can handle another four 6" ducts off of it that would heat the basement?

I do plan to add air returns. I just need to identify the venting strategy first.


texts:
I Googled a lot, checked a lot of YouTube videos but to no avail.

I have a single hole kitchen faucet.

The image shows the bottom part of the faucet. I'm not sure what to unscrew. I thought there would be a nut under the metal C shaped cap. But I could not find any nut or anything I can unscrew. I am trying to replace this one with a new one.

My house is somewhat old (20 years).


texts:
I picked up a set of MOHS test picks. They are handy to determine the hardness or softness of concrete.
Despite having ground a few slabs in my day I just learned that there are soft bond and hard bond diamond abrasives. That said, most of the pads, discs, and cups that I can find for sale do not specify if they are "soft bond" or "hard bond".
Is it safe to assume that if a disc doesn't specify if it has a "Soft Bond" then its a "Hard Bond"? Which is more common?


texts: How is water getting onto the garage foundation sill in area near electrical penetration and weep hole?

texts:
There is a small amount of water that seeps in and shows up on top of the foundation sill on the inside of my garage in this area. It only happens during a hard wind driven rain. Do you think it is more likely to be getting in through the electrical penetration somehow or maybe the weep hole (if not flashed properly during installation)?
The sealant around the electrical area is pretty new and is in good shape. I did not seal the bottom area because It seems like I have read to leave those areas unsealed to let water have a way out. The plate is pretty tight against the brick so it seems like it would be kind of hard for water to make its way up under there , but who knows.

What do people think about sealing the bottom of the electrical conduit plate vs leaving it unsealed?


texts:
How do I convert 2 independent switch to one single switch? Plan is to remove 2 switches in bathroom ( light and fan) with one lutron occupancy switch. Can someone help?

I have attached little simpler version of switches. There is no jumper wire when I took the black wire off of second switch. While it's loop around and going to wire nut. Same is case with first switch. From top it looks like there are 2 black wire attached to each switch but that's not the case. They are looped around and going to wire nut.

Is single red wire on top of first switch and single black wire on top of second switch, represents load? Are you suggesting to jump those two together and connect it to switch one with help of jump wire and write nut?
Can you draw little pic for dummies?


texts: Why are all towel bars 24 inch? With studs being 16 inches apart - how do people mount them?

texts:
I want to install a towel bar in my bathrooms - and I went to Home Depot to get one - but all of their towel bars were 24 inch...
This to me is weird.
Do all people just mount their towel bars to a drywall using drywall anchors? That just seems so hackish and unreliable.

Guys - could someone confirm  what's the right way of installing a towel bar?

Using drywall anchors
Directly to studs


texts: I have to put in a new service wire I was Given service wire that was told was ok. they said it was 4/0 aluminum. I looked at the jacket and it said, 3 cdr awg 2 compact al. aluminaflex. I am putting in a 200 amp meter. The wire has 2 insulated wires and and 1 non insulated. I am not a electrician im just trying to hang it all and have a electrician come in and do the final part. Is the wire I have ok to use?


texts: Moving some plumbing for a kitchen remodel - loop vent for kitchen island

texts:
I just want to make sure my plan for moving some plumbing around for a kitchen remodel is sound. I am moving the kitchen sink from the wall to an island. I've never done a loop vent before and all the examples I've see online have the vent going to a different area than the drain.

Like this:

 Since I am moving it from the existing sink that goes strait down from the vent, I'm not sure if that is a problem.
Here is my current setup:

I'm not sure why there are 2 drain pipes converging to one in the basement all of them are 2" including the one they end up in that goes under the floor. Any chance I could combine them to simplify things?
Here is what I am thinking for the new setup I kept the 2 drains separate for simplicity:

Does it matter how far above the vent line is above the drain line when they hit the main vertical pipe? I'm also moving my washer which requires running a horizontal vent. Any issue with moving that the way I've drawn it? Any advice is much appreciated.


texts: What kind of repair do I need for water damage from second floor?

texts: Last night, my second floor shower wouldn't turn off because the handle cartridge broke and water leaked from the shower handle opening to behind the shower walls and all the way down to the garage. The water was dripping through the ceiling of the garage. This morning everything looks dry, but I'm sure I need to have it checked for standing water damage. Who do I call, what kind of repair needs done, about how much?


texts: Can a broken circulation impeller cause a dishwasher not to drain?

texts:
Problem

I have a Maytag dishwasher (model MDB4100AWW, serial number starting with 12) that does not drain. During the wash and rinse cycles, water enters the dishwasher and sprays. But during the time when it should drain, the dishwasher makes a buzzing sound, but no water drains.

I disassembled it from inside the washer and found that the circulation impeller was broken. The bottom plate of the circulation impeller had separated from the rest of it. The top and blades were still attached, which I guess is why water continues to spray. Here's a photo:

Indeed, after removing the broken circulation impeller, the dishwasher fills but water does not spray, which makes sense.

I will replace the circulation impeller soon, but I don't know if this is the only problem.

See a parts diagram for this dishwasher. My broken impeller is number 14 in that diagram, part 99002069. A separate part is the drain impeller (number 22 in the diagram, part 903304), which I checked and found to be intact.

Things I've tried

Disassembled and cleaned interior washing mechanism; found no problems except broken impeller
Verified that the air gap hose is clear
Ran dishwasher with and without broken circulation impeller
(UPDATE) Removed drain cover and found that the drain impeller looks fine

Things I still need to try

(UPDATE) Replace the broken circulation impeller (hopefully Friday 01-29)
(UPDATE) Install a check ball (week of 02-01). When I removed the drain cover, I found that the check ball was gone. I read on the Interwebz that the check ball can dissolve over many years and go down the drain when it's small enough. I don't know if that's credible, but nevertheless, it's gone, so I ordered a new one that will arrive next week.

Question

Does the circulation impeller have anything to do with draining? Could this broken impeller possibly be the only reason the dishwasher doesn't drain?


texts: Finishing gaps between drywall panels on ceiling

texts:
Ran some drywall in a room on the ceiling and some of the joints have a gap about 1/4" wide (either at butts or one place by the wall, which may be closer to 3/8"). The gap at the wall was due to its angle and the  other gaps at the butts were from slightly undercutting.
Is something that is still able to be finished?


texts:
I have a Kenmore dryer that won't heat.  Here's what I know:

240 voltage comes into dryer.  Checked wires inside where power connects.

Thermostat, high limit thermostat, heating element, and fuses all have continuity

Lint tubes all clean.

Motor switch has continuity

WHAT COULD THIS BE?  Maybe the control board? (although doesn't look damaged or have any black marks from a surge and dryer buttons work fine)


texts: Can I cut the bottom part of this let-in brace

texts:
I'd like to remove a wall between the kitchen and living room. I also want to remove the closet and cabinets. While removing the drywall I found what appears to be a Let-in brace. The wall with the brace is a partial exterior partial interior wall. The wall starts outside the front door and goes all the way to the cabinets. I want to remove the interior portion right where the door starts. The brace starts at the top of the wall on the exterior portion of the wall and goes to the floor at an angle to the interior portion of the wall. If I remove all the interior portion of the wall I'd have to remove the bottom half of the brace. Can I do this without any other modifications?
The home is a single story on slab in CA with trussed roof.


texts: Moisture barriers when finishing a basement?

texts:
So I know this is kind of a rabbit hole question -- mostly because I've been down that hole for the last month reading articles that disagree with each other. I'm hoping the folks here can give me a more practical answer..

I live in Maryland, so it does dip below zero on occasion here. My basement is all concrete, and I've never seen a drop of water. Realizing that concrete sweats (even if I can't see it), my plan is;

put up 3/4" EPS
fill the walls with standard insulation
cover with a plastic moisture barrier sheet before putting up drywall
Dricore subfloor

My question is basically; is that the right way to go? Do I need to change anything to make sure I stay moisture/mold-free?


texts: Where do I attach C-Wire in this old Rheem Air Handler

texts:
Trying to attach a c-wire to old rheem air handler for a cooling system only. System is so old I didn't see what I thought I'd see when I got up into the attic. In going over the pictures I think I might have figured it out but could use confirmation.

There's a 4 conductor thermostat wire going from the thermostat up to the air handler. Only 3 wires were used I was hoping to attach the blue wire as the C-wire.

Red Rc on thermostat
White (or maybe yellow) Y on Thermostat
Green G on Thermostat.

There's also a second 2 conductor thermostat looking cable (brown jacket) with a white and red wires.

On top of the air handler is a switch (regular light switch) I guess as a quick disconnect.

This is the wiring diagram I found inside the air handler wiring box.

There's a block that's obviously the line voltage terminal that I didn't take a picture of.

I think this is the MIB? (Motor, indoor blower)

And this RM? (Relay, blower motor) with the transformer on the right.

I think I can connect the C-wire to the yellow wire that comes off the left of the transformer or the blue wire it attaches to on the top right of the relay. Easiest is probably to cut the yellow wire and splice the 2 new ends of the yellow wire together with the blue wire from the thermostat cable. Does that sound right?

And out of curiousity what could the other 2 wire cable be going to? It's not to another thermostat.


texts: Why do I have a urine smell under vanity in bathroom

texts: I live in a condo & under my vanity it smells like urine which makes the whole bathroom smell like urine. Why & how to get rid of this!!  My cabinet is wood & I’ve clean with lysol but still smells. Toilet no smell just under my sink inside vanity. Please help