texts: How can I insulate brick exterior walls in a 100 year old house with wood beams in brick pocket floor supports

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My sister has a 100 year old or older home over a wet and damp crawl space on an island which has high tide and rain water flooding of streets an crawl spaces. A sump pump runs all the time. The home is recently gutted. The wood floor joists which are a mix of 2 by 10s and 2 by 8s spaced mostly about 19 inches apart, are not  rotted, but some are loose in the brick pockets. The exterior brick walls have a stucco over them on the outside of the house. Some interior walls have plaster and new stucco over them inside the house. The plastered walls have moisture and wet spots always forming on them and that efflorescence stuff. The exposed brick never has a moisture problem. I told my sister to expose all the interior wall bricks to the open air, but her husband had already paid a mason good money to fix the old plaster with stucco which really does not dry or stay dry in some places. The mason has no solutions to the wet patches.

The exterior brick walls are being framed for electrical and insulation. By local code the exterior brick walls need to have R13 insulation. But my research shows that is a problem for the moisture. The bricks will not dry out and the insulation will get wet and this leads to rot of the floor joists in the brick pockets and deterioration of the brick and mortar as well as the wood framing especially around the windows which the house had a big problem with.

My questions are as follows:

What insulation should the exterior brick walls use? If the town insists on R13, what kind is best in that damp interior wall against the bricks? How can the insulation and wood framing be protected from moisture? Also should all drywall be a damp area rated drywall like the kind used in basements and bathrooms?
The damp moisture plagued interior walls which run against the neighbors house on both sides (the house is a row house) have always been a problem where they are plastered over. My sister wants them to be furrowed out and then drywall put up. What is the best way to put the wood furrows and not expose them to moisture? Perhaps felt/tar paper on the wall first then furrows, or ridged low rated insulation taped at seams across wall, or ridged low rated insulation or tar paper just at the wood furrows, (but not over the entire wall) and then drywall? In the last case the wall would have more breathing room, but the wood still protected.


texts: Should I install my own electrical service panel or hire an electrician?

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I'm getting electrical service to bare land. This is not temporary service but permanent remote service to a pressure treated 6" x 6" post instead of a building.

I already have covered the work to trench, lay conduit, and install the post. But I'm uncertain about the next step, of installing the meter socket and service panel.

My power company provides a handbook that describes what they want to see. The remote metering setup is described on pages 16 and 17 of that document. Here is the diagram they provide:

Here's my neighbor's remote meter, as an example. The main difference is that I won't be running conduit off to a house. I intend to put a couple construction receptacles on the post, though.

(Click through for full-size image.)

I like electrical work, and have gone as far as installing a new circuit in my house. I could read up a bit more on this stuff and DIY, or hire a pro. What do you recommend?

This is in Washington State, USA.


texts: Goodman warm air gas furnace. Gas burner would not light.Status code light blinked continuously. Igniter glows red hot.  I cleaned flame sensor with fine grade sand paper.  Checked transformer line voltage 110 volts in and 26 volts out. Sufficient power to open the gas valve. Gas burner still did not light. I have not checked air filter but I will replace it anyway. Any ideas you may have concerning my dilemma will be greatly appreciated.


texts:
My patio concrete shows multiple pieces put together in the past

I am thinking of renting a concrete grinder 10” and make it even. Then either paint or put something on top to cover. I may fill the crack with some adhesive or concrete caulking (not sure which).

Do you think above is good idea? The cost for those will be $100 vs $5000 to redo entire slab.


texts:
I am in a newly built house (completed in 2020).  For the first 8 months or so, the plumbing worked great.  We had a toilet gasket warp and so the tank would slowly leak, and I started noticing a persistent thunking every time that tank refilled.
Well, I changed the gasket to stop the toilet tank issue but I started noticing that thunking occurs anytime ANY water in the house is run.  I believe this to be water hammer as I can't think of anything else it could be.
We had a plumber come from the company that built the house.  He suggested installing water hammer arrestors on the washing machine... So he did that and it didn't change a thing.
I'm assuming for a water hammer arrestor to work it'd need to be on the main line where the water hammer is actually happening?
It seems to be difficult to pinpoint the exact location, as the hammering happens with any faucet in the house that's used (sink, shower, tub, toilet, appliances...)
The one last-ditch attempt I made at a fix was replacing the PRV on the mainline.  That also has done nothing...
Anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing this and any possible solutions for a whole home issue like this?
EDIT: I just want to clarify.  It seems to me like hammer arrestors should be part of the code or something... I wouldn't expect this to be happening in brand new plumbing, so is it possible the plumbers messed up by not including hammer arrestors in the original plumbing?


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I have a Kenmore dryer with a 3 wire slanted plug.  I was given a much newer Kenmore dryer but it has a 4 wire plug, with 2 straaight, 1 90 degree, and 1 round. Can I change it and put the 3 wire plug on and will it work and be safe?

Location Oregon.


texts: What does a Summer/Winter switch on furnace air ducts do?

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On some of our furnace ducts, there is a switch/valve for Summer/Winter or S/W.

What does changing this switch/lever accomplish?
Can bad things happen if I forget to switch it?
Bonus question: Pictured below, an Aprilaire humidifier control unit also has W/S written on it. Is this related?


texts: I need to find out how to straighten a wall

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Just bought my first house and doing a lot of the work myself. I want to add electrical and audio lines but I want to make sure the walls are straight first. I've seen some videos where the guy cracks new wall studs to move them back, but I don't have the luxury as the vanity side wall is adjoining a finished room.

I've laid a straight edge along and identified a few studs protruding into the room more than the rest and I'm unsure how to

1.) make sure the plane of all the studs is even.
2.) While doing so, getting the corners closer to 90 angles.

The house was built in the early 1900s with 2X6 walls and 8'6" ceilings.

Thanks.


texts: Control 12V LED circuit and 120V power supply from one switch

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I want to have two switches (preferably in the same box) that control two separate runs of LED lights, both powered by a single Allanson power supply:

I plan to switch the lights by breaking the 12V negative leg of each light run (tell me if this is a bad idea).

I believe that when both LED light runs are off:

The power supply shouldn't be powered by the mains because it has no load and could be damaged
Even if point 1 is wrong, the power supply needlessly consumes power

Based on these assumptions, I want both switches to also switch the 120V hot powering the power supply. Therefore, the power supply should be off if BOTH switches are off, and on if EITHER switch is on.

What parts and wiring configuration is needed to accomplish this?

I'm in the United States.

I read this question which describes a double pole switch; however the research I've done gives me the strong impression having 120V and 12V in the same box is not permitted.

Edit: Local building codes prohibit low- and high-voltage from coexisting in the same box, even if both use conductors rated for the highest voltage. Now what?


texts: What is this foil-backed bitumen in my garden. Asbestos risk?

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I am clearing some old paving slabs which have been overgrown and covered with soil.  I keep coming across patches of thin (<1mm) black material, looks like bitumen, with some kind of foil backing.  It's possible they were stuck to the paving slabs (60cm square smooth concrete slabs) at some point, but if so they have delaminated. I also keep finding bits of broken horticultural glass in the same area which may or may not be related.

Any ideas what this might have been?  My concern is whether it could be an ACM.  Obviously testing is the way to be sure.  But having some idea what it could be will help in working out where else I might find it.


texts:
Removing my old Honeywell thermostat to replace with the nest. I live in Florida and my ac unit is 10 years old. I’m not sure if I have conventional heat or a pump. I took a picture of the old one but I cannot upload it.

Blue went to C
Green went to G
Yellow went to Y
Orange went to O/B or W
Red went to R with a silver little splitter thing to RC
White went to W2/AUX.

After following the nest instructions I could not get the unit to power on.


texts:
I plan on installing 1/2" lightweight drywall over an existing textured ceiling. The room measures 23' x 8.5'. Joists run parallel to the short end of the room, spaced 16" however there is another single joist that runs parallel to the long end of the run (see attached picture but make note I didnt include all the 16" joists so that it looks cleaner).

Do you recommend I buy 4x10 sheets and run them parallel to the joists to minimize joints? I'm just afraid of the joists not being absolutely accurate and then it turning into a hassle.

Or should I just run them perpendicular and then have a 6" leftover piece at the ends since the room is 8.5'?

Thanks in advance for any help.


texts: Water only come from hot water faucet when I turn on both

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I have a situation where all hot water faucets in my home give me a dribble and eventually turn off. However, if I turn on the hot and cold, and turn on another hot water faucet nearby, then the nearby one runs water from the hot water faucet with low pressure, but doesn't run out.
Also, the water from the nearby hot water faucet never turns hot. We have had freezing temperatures, so it's probably related.
What can be the cause?
What can I do to fix the hot water issue?
Update: If I turn on all hot water faucets, the eventually dribble out and turn off. Then, if I turn on any cold water faucet, then I get a dribble in all off the hot water faucets.


texts: HVAC air handler with a built-in humidifier

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I am in the process of choosing an air handler to use only for AC.  I plan to keep radiant heat.  However, in the winter, I would like to use the AC system to blow humidified air to compensate for the dryness of air caused by radiators in lieu of having a standalone humidifier in each room.

Is this option even possible?  I was thinking that my air handler would have water supply piped to it and then a mechanism to produce mist out of it and then blow it throughout the ductwork.  But I am not sure if this even exists and whether it could cause harmful condensation in the ductwork.


texts: What types of tools are required for making wood toys and models?

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I am learning and doing some woodwork, and I have been using a hand saw and sanding to make very simple wood blocks.

I would like to know what tools are suitable for toys like this puzzle and these toys

I am considering the following options, but open to suggestions:

hack saw
Decker RTX + mandrel + cutting wheel
jigsaw
a small table saw


texts: 200amps service - ground rods instead of pipe connection

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I upgraded my main circuit breaker today from 150amps to 200amps.

See my previous posts here on the same project:

Is RC2040M150CH MSP upgradable to 200amps main circuit breaker
Neutral on main service breaker?

What I missed is ground wire gauge. I had and still have #6 AWG copper wire which was enough for 150amps, but not enough for 200amps. So my inspection with my town failed - inspector has pointed me to this.

My copper ground wire goes all the way through basement to opposite side of house and connects to water pipeline there. I'd like to avoid upgrading that wire that goes in many hidden places (behind dry walls in the basement etc) to #4 AWG.. what I consider doing instead:

put a couple of rods 6 feet away from each other, but close to the MSP, like on this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7FzUUqCdpI ;
upgrade to #4 AWG just the ground wire from MSP to these ground rods;
connect #6 AWG that goes all the way to the water pipe to these rods as well.

Would these be enough of grounding for 200 amps service?
If yes, could somebody please reference relevant National Electric Code articles?

I now have to redo the grounding work, and request re-inspection, but I'd
like to avoid rerunning that wire that goes around whole house to water pipeline.
Driving a couple of rods into ground seems to me a much better idea, plus connect to the existing #6 AWG ground line as I described above.

What's interesting I already have one grounding rod and it's already in connection with that existing #6 AWG copper wire.. so I'd like to add one or couple more rods there.

When I brought up this idea to the inspector, he said NEC says if house has a water pipeline, ground wire has to go there. He was kinda opposing my idea of driving rods and making additional connections there (his argument was that AWG gauge for ground rods can't be more than #6 AWG). And again that's despite that I already have a similar grounding setup with a grounding rod.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.


texts: Retrofitting floor radiant heating under hardwood floors

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I am considering retrofitting radiant floor heating into the first floor in my home by attaching the pex to the bottom side of the subfloor from the basement.

On the top side of the subfloors is some really excellent oak hardwood flooring. I'm concerned that the expansion/contraction resulting from heating the floor directly will wreak havoc on my nice hardwood floors. Is this a concern, or does the relatively low water temperature (80°-120°F), and large thermal mass of the water (i.e. relatively slow heating and cooling) mean that the hardwood really doesn't care?


texts: "nuclear option" for mold growth on ceramics and other tiles?

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I have to clean a long-neglected area that has mold growing on tiled walls and floor. Soap and a good brush is called for, but I'd like to "fortify my assault" with household chemicals.

Is there any way that I might spray either a dilute bleach solution, or a dilute ammonia solution (never mix them!) to either first to make scrubbing faster/easier, or to post-treat to remove organics to slow down regrowth?

Rather than talk about this specific mold, I'm more curious about a general practice here, using household products beyond soap and water to make scrubbing easier (I'm currently nursing some tendonitis) and/or to remove traces of "mold food" so it won't grow back as quickly.

I live in a humid subtropical area, mold is everywhere, it's a constant battle.


texts: How do I put a recessed light in a wet location, where the can itself will get wet?

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I have an underdeck porch that has a ceiling made of metal roofing panels, that diverts deck drainage into a gutter. I would like to install recessed lighting in the ceiling. However, the cans will exposed to water from the deck drainage.

Is there a way to install a can light in such an environment?


texts: What is the usual maximum load for drywall?

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

I've only recently moved beyond yellow wall plugs and into a different style of self taping plug that's rated to significantly higher weights.  These plugs advertise 80 lbs of pull out / 120 lbs of down ward pull through.

What kind of weight can the dry wall withstand before it fails?  I'm looking at regular household application, so standard width sheets apply (since I'm sure the width will affect this answer).

I sort of wondered this on the metal, butterfly style plugs but at least they seemed to distribute the load on a larger section of the drywall.

In response to some of the questions, assume 16" on center, say 1/2" or 5/8" sheets.  My specific application is hanging shelving (screw down strip/track, 5 screws per strip about 12-18" each apart, strips mounted 30" apart, lock in 8" hanger style arms) which I have done many times before.  I'm not looking to push the envelope on how much I can get away with, I'm trying to ascertain whether the drywall would fail before the plugs would, for a better practical knowledge.


texts: Need help with broken plastic pipe in the yard, constant stream of water

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Within the past few months I've noticed a steady stream of water from the middle of my yard trickle down to the sidewalk. My House is on a hill, and my yard is sloped downward, so all water goes to the sidewalk.

I've dug up around the area, and it's a broken pipe that has left water in the middle of the yard.

I'm pretty sure this isn't an incoming water pipe, our water bills haven't increased, and if I remember correctly, after we have several days of no rain, there isn't any any water streaming.

I'm thinking of digging a large trench from the broken spot, and putting in a new pipe to help channel the water directly to the sidewalk, instead of over the lawn (mudpit). As water will take the path of least pressure, will I need to "fix" the broken section of pipe, or would I be okay with just laying new pipe?


texts: Difference between angle grinder and circular saw

texts: From what I've read on google, angle grinders and (portable) circular saws appear to be quite similar. Aside from a circular saw being perhaps a bit larger and maybe having some supports on the bottom, is there any major difference between an angle grinder and a circular saw? Thanks.


texts: Garage door opener works with remote but not switch

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I have a 20-year-old Python Garage door opener. Worked fine.
I decided to add an additional "push-button" dry contact relay to the mix so I could operate it with my phone. After unplugging it, I hooked up the wires (22-guage stranded security wire) and tested it and it wouldn't operate.
After other tests, I tried shorting the two screws with a short wire. No joy.
The car (RF) remote works fine, so the safety sensors must be working.
I did this to an identical opener (I have three...) and it worked fine.
Any ideas?


texts: Installing a washing machine - sink drain pipe closed

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I am trying to install a new washing machine, but I found that the sink drain pipe is closed. Please see the pictures below.

My questions:

Should I cut the top of this plastic or is there a component I need to buy?
Is it something that I will need to ask permission for from the house manager?


texts: Black and decker drill won’t stop spinning

texts: As soon as I plug my drill into the mains it starts spinning slowly but won’t stop completely which isn’t ideal when trying to use it, how can fix it?? Could it just be some dust has got into the trigger or something?


texts: How should I insulate a room built into a metal barn?

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I'm building a room into our (existing) barn; how should I best go about insulating it?

The barn is a Morton building -- pole barn construction, metal siding. It's closed on three sides but open on the fourth, so it's not as much a closed-in building as a glorified run-in. The room I'm building will be against one corner, so two sides are defined by the walls of the existing barn, and the other two sides are framed up and built inside the existing structure. The floor of the room is a concrete pad; the rest of the barn is a dirt floor.

I'd planned on doing standard kraft-faced fiberglass, just like I'd do in a house. However, I've read that the moisture in a metal building can build up on the insulation and cause it to mold. I've certainly noticed that on certain days there's plenty of humidity that builds up in the barn (enough to cause water to condense on the inside of the metal siding).

So: is the fiberglass a bad idea? If so, what should I do instead? Should I do a moisture barrier on the outside of the room (between the framing and the metal barn sides)? Or...?


texts: Dishwasher slowly fills with water after use

texts: My Electrolux dishwasher seems to work fine, but a few hours after running it I notice water slowly accumulating in the base of the dishwasher. There is a small amount of water leaking into the tub from an opening on the left side of the tub, several inches up from the bottom. This doesn't make since, as I though that was the dryer inlet. Anyway, I thought the problem might be due to a faulty Water Valve Assembly, so I replaced it. The leakage might be reduced slightly, but the water still fills the bottom of the dishwasher. Any ideas would be appreciated.


texts: How do I install a vanity that's higher than the mirror?

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I'm doing a bath remodel. The existing wall mirror is resting on a Formica back-splash. The existing cabinet is wheelchair height.

The remodel cabinet will be higher than the bottom of the wall mirror. The mirror extends across the full wall behind the toilet and adjacent vanity.

I plan to frame the mirror with crown molding stained to match the new cabinet. The height of the new cabinet plus top will be higher than the lower edge of the mirror.

Should I cut the mirror? Or cut the base cabinet? Just butt against the mirror? Or build out the wall behind the cabinet with another piece of sheetrock?


texts: What kind of lightbulb is this and how do I change it?

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I think it is a halogen, but I have no idea what kind of light bulb it is. It has a yellow warm light. How do I change it?

Can I use this Halogen bulb removal tool to change it?


texts: I'm looking at getting a set of small Phillips head screw drivers for disassembling electronics, and I was wondering how the size of screwdrivers are measured? I know screws come in standard sizes (M1, M2, M3 ...) Is the screw head part of that standard size, or does it have another sizing scheme?


texts:
I'm going to be using a mold to pour a concrete pathway and I was wondering about coloring options. I've done this previously with this quikrete product. It worked and turned out okay, but one bottle only does two bags of concrete. The cost of color adds up pretty fast.

On TV I saw some DIY show use powder that was broadcast over wet concrete. I've also seen some stains that you apply to cured concrete. Are there any cheaper options to get rid of the dull gray? This will be outside, so durability is important.


texts:
How do I remove this faucet valve stem. The white part doesn't have enough hight to unscrew. The metal part right under it doesn't unscrew when using a socket wrench. How do I remove this valve stem?

I put WD-40 on the base the night before and again before trying to unscrew. It doesn't work. Socket only strips the metal. How do I remove this valve stem? Size is 15/16 inches.


texts:
I'm trying to replace my living room ceiling light fixture. The new fixture only has black and white wires (no ground). The ceiling has red, black, white, and ground wires. When I took the old fixture down I noticed that the black wire was connected to the red wire from the ceiling and the black ceiling wire was capped off so I did the same to the new fixture but the light will not turn on. Help!!

PS. I've also tried connecting black to black and no luck either. I connected white to white and left the ground wire alone since my new light does not have a ground wire.


texts: What's the name for this piece attached to the kitchen faucet hose?

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Some time ago, I had a lot of rust and debris come into our plumbing due to some maintenance work my city did. Since then, my kitchen faucet cold water has been coming in pretty slowly. When I finally decided to do something about it tonight, I accidentally snapped off some tabs on this piece:

This was quick-connected on one side to the copper after hot and cold water join (and where the tabs snapped off):

The other side is threaded and screwed into the braided nylon hose that goes back up to the faucet:

Unfortunately, I have no idea what this piece is called, there's no brand name to be found on this or on the rest of the faucet, and looking at replacement faucet assemblies gives me no clue as to what this is. I'd like to replace just this piece if possible.

The inside of this looks quite rusty. I got the impression that it's some sort of a debris filter, but I don't know that it's actually the case. While I'm not sure what purpose this serves, I am now able to attach everything together, holding this piece firmly but manually in-place, and water comes out fantastic. But if this thing slides off, turning on the faucet will spill water everywhere since there are no longer tabs to keep it in.

Edit: Added picture of this piece as installed. Arrows show the direction of flow of water. Blue and red are cold and hot water coming in from the wall and up into the faucet assembly; purple is after these two join together and go back down, through the piece in question; yellow is through the nylon hose, which goes down and back up into the faucet head.


texts: Looking for combination of temperature sensor and thermostat - any hints?

texts:
After reading a lot, I am still very confused... Maybe you could give me some hint?

I am looking for:

a temperature sensor in my room
a thermostat on my radiator

It is important to me that these are separate devices, because the drop of temperature across the room maybe large and I want to control the temperature of the place where the sensor is.

The temperature sensor shall control my thermostat. The system should be programmable. If possible, both systems should be battery powered.

I would spend more money if the system would be Apple HomeKit enabled.

Any suggestions which system(s) could fit?


texts: How can I wirelessly duplicate a lighting switch

texts:
I have a ceiling light in my kitchen, which is nice to make the room well-lit but not convenient for actually doing kitchen work (the light is in the middle of the room, so when I stand near a working surface, my body casts shadow on the surface).

I want to add under-cabinet LEDs to light the surfaces, but I'd rather not add another switch. Best if I can install them in such way that they're controlled by the same switch as the main light. This switch is an on-off switch that is only wired to the middle of the ceiling.

I'm looking for a wireless switch that can turn the under-cabinet lighting on and off according to the main lighting, without replacing its switch. I.e., that the wireless transmitter will be activated by the main lighting circuit being closed and open.


texts:
I’m trying to follow these following day bed plans: https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/simple-daybed and I’m trying to attach the bed frame to the posts. It looks to call for screwing the 75 3/4” 2x2 into the post but there’s only a 5/8” clearance.

5/8” just doesn’t seem large enough to me. And even if it was, how would I get the drill in there and to be straight?  I was hoping someone out there could help untangle this mystery for me


texts: We have a home at Oak Island NC. Our home was built in the 70's. There were no mildew or mold problem until we had plastic put in our crawl space. After a few years we now have the mold problem so we had dehumidifiers installed. The soil is sandy. Thinking about removing the vapor barrier. Any thoughts would be appreciated.


texts: Is fiberglass mesh tape a good choice for drywall?

texts:
I'm going to be doing some drywalling shortly and was wondering what experiences other have had with the self adhesive fiberglass mesh tape.

Is it a good choice or am I going to regret using it?


texts: Do I need gypsum with orange peel to do a reasonable color test?

texts:
We expect to close on a house on Friday and my father-in-law will be in town that weekend only to help us paint a couple of bedrooms (currently brightly colored) and an accent wall.  So we need to test colors quickly rather than giving the primer a day to dry and the paint a day as well.  My builder friend says to get gypsum board and spray it with orange peel.  Another authority says plywood or cardboard (??) is sufficient.  Do I need to acquire gypsum to do a good quality test?  Can I skip the orange peel at least?  (And wouldn't the brown of cardboard hurt the testing?)

Obviously, our intent is to place the board in different parts of the room to test how the color looks.  We can't order test boards online because that would take too long for shipping, and I like to keep costs down.


texts:
I'm trying to install drain plumbing under my sink, and I can't seem to stop the slip joints from leaking.

Here's what I have right now (see picture):

coming from the wall is a white plastic fitting
very short piece of black plastic pipe (not really visible)
1-1/2" x 1-1/4" trap adapter
approx. 6" piece of 1-1/4" tubing, most of which is inserted into the adjoining fittings
1-1/2" 45-degree elbow, with 1-1/4" adapter washers at both ends (see note below)
1-1/4" p-trap arm
everything upstream from there seems to be leak-free (including the joint between the p-trap and arm)

I have leaks at the joints on both sides of the 45-degree elbow, and also where the tubing inserts into the trap adapter

I've taken all this apart and re-assembled multiple times, trying to be careful that everything lines up, but I always end up with leaks.  Part of the problem might be that when I try to tighten one joint, I end up accidentally twisting another one out of alignment.

Any advice on how to make this work without leaks?

My current thinking is to replace the adapter + tube + 45-degree elbow with a 45-degree adapter. It would have to be a male (i.e., "street") fitting because there's basically no pipe left coming out of the white fitting to fit a female hub, and I really don't want to have to open the wall. If such a fitting exists, that would eliminate 2 slip joint connections. (Edit: I realized a street fitting wouldn't work either. I think I'm stuck with the 1-1/4" adapter unless I open the wall.)

A note about the 45-degree elbow:

The pipe from the wall is angled slightly downward, making an up-hill drain for a few inches. It's apparently been that way for years, and I'm not inclined to fix it (pun intended) unless someone here thinks it's a disaster waiting to happen. Rotating the 45-degree elbow slightly creates a straight connection for the p-trap arm.


texts: How should I level the concrete foundations for my fence's CMU block pillars?

texts:
I'm getting ready to build a fence, consisting of CMU pillars spaced every 10 feet, with wooden pickets or latillas between them. For the block pillar foundations, I plan to dig holes in the ground, add gravel, and pour 4" pads of concrete for the CMU blocks to lay on top of. The grade is ever so slightly not perfectly flat.

How should I level the concrete foundations for the block pillars relative to one another? Both technically, and theoretically? Should I have the block pillar foundations precisely match the grade? Or keep them as level in an absolute sense as possible to keep the fence straight? And if I should level them... how to you level discontiguous pads of concrete 10 feet away from one another?


texts: Running Electrical Wires in Basement Wall of Strapping

texts:
I'm finishing my basement and used the technique from This Old House to insulate and build the wood structure of the walls.

It involves attached 2in foam board insulation to the foundation walls along with horizontal and then vertical strapping on top of the horz.  I've learned that code wants wires to be 1.5 inches from the front plane where the drywall will be attached.  Each strapping is 1in thick, so when the wire is traveling horz. it's probably greater than 1.5 inch away, but when it travels vertically, in needs to travel over the horizontal strapping meaning it's < 1in away.  How do I handle this?

Thanks.


texts: How can I dim landscape lights permanently?

texts:
I googled this question before posting here - I cant seem to find anyone with my exact needs, so I am asking here.

I have a light switch connected to an outlet that is under my house. From here I have a power strip mounted to the joist then there are 3 sets of Home Depot brand landscape lights connected to this strip (22 total lamps). They are too bright, and I would like to dim all three permanently (meaning set it once). I don't have any desire to change the level once I have it set, so its okay if the device I need is under the house.

What should I do?


texts:
Im doing an addition on my raised ranch home, two floor, first is bedroom with small bathroom, second is family room, diagonal to garage.

I need to install four recessed lights and a center fan, four outlets and two exterior motion sensor lights to second floor.
I need to install  four outlets, a center light, light for closet, fan and light for bathroom, above mirror light, a dedicated circuit for GFI outlet in bath and GFI for exterior.
Can I install a sub-panel in the new closet?
Can I run cable on the perimeter of garage and what size??

I'm in CT and got a city permit to do the work (home owner's permit)


texts: Why doesn't the extra C wire work when hooking up WiFi thermostat?

texts: My existing thermostat has an extra 5th wire. It's blue. We used that as the C wire.  We have forced hot air so we checked the furnace and it has all the wires hooked into a clip that plugs in. It has switches designated for each wire. We turned the blue wire switch to the "on" position (it was off and all the others were on)and hooked up the blue wire to the C connector on the thermostat. Turned everything back on and no power to the thermostat.  Any ideas?


texts: How do I wire a brand new cooktop that has no white neutral wire?

texts:
My old cooktop which is being replaced connects to a j-box with black, red, white, and bare ground wires, which goes to a 40 amp circuit breaker (US here, noticed this site is popular with Europe too).

We just bought a brand-new Bosch cooktop which only has black, red, and bare ground wires and says, "Connect only to a 3-wire, 120/240-volt power supply; the neutral conductor is not required for the operation of the appliance. The potential at the power supply electrical connections shall be 150-volts-to-ground or less." It also mentions wanting a 30 amp circuit breaker and being compatible with 240 or 208 volts (which I believe means it can handle single or 3-phase current, which is good since I don't know which we have).

I may be mixing up two questions here (circuit breaker amps and neutral wire issue) but can I wire this to the existing setup, or do I need to have the electrician come in and change something at the breaker box?

Note that I am fully aware the right answer is to call the electrician in to handle this and double-check everything -- I feel it is important for me to understand how this all works before calling someone in so when I talk to them I can make sure we are on the same page.


texts: Main breaker and branch breaker tripped simultaneously

texts:
I live in a high rise apartment built in the '70s (USA), and this afternoon we suddenly lost all power to just our unit. After some investigation we found that the main disconnect (70A) powering our unit had tripped. When I looked into our own load center, the oven/range breaker (50A) was also tripped.
We weren't doing anything unusual - the oven was on and some lights, but we've often had the dishwasher/lights/hair dryers/etc. running simultaneously. I find it strange that both the 50A and the 70A tripped simultaneously. Does anyone know why this can happen?
If it's relevant, I have installed some LED light bulbs into dimmers that are not for LEDs (on different circuits from the oven/range circuit) and some of them were on at the time. Doesn't seem like that should be relevant but it's the only thing I can think of.
UPDATE - found the root cause! It turns out the range and the cooktop were combined together in a box in the cupboard with wire nuts and then a single line was run to the 50A breaker. Wires in one of the connections melted the plastic and shorted, tripping the breaker.
Currently we have only the cooktop connected, as there's significant work required to bring the unit up to the current code (last remodel was 10 years ago). They'll have to move the panel outside of the closet and increase the size as all the current spaces are doubled up.
Photo of the carnage - thank you to the poster who told me to keep the breaker shut off!


texts:
Having just moved into a house (from a flat) for the first time in my life), I am about to buy a corded drill. I would like to get something "universal", suitable for drilling the walls to hang a TV or get a cable through the wall into the garden, and also to drill in the laminate and wood. I have a screw driver that I'm using to assemble furniture and do some very simple drilling. But it was already not powerful enough to drill the laminate plate for the heating pipe, I had to borrow a proper drill.

With this in mind, I thought of buying a Metabo UHE 2450. It does just about everything I can think of. It's an SDS-plus hammer, so good for drilling walls and potential garden works. It also accepts both an SDS and a quick-release chucks, to hold all bit types (I have quite a few non-SDS drill bits already). It has two gears, for normal SDS operation and for faster drilling. So a perfect choice.

However, I've just realized it has a 50 mm diameter collar. I've never seen one before, the standard being 43 mm. I'd like to be able to use accessories, something like this drill stand. So I wonder: what can I use such collar for and is there anything like a 50 to 43 mm converter? Or is maybe the path I've chosen wrong for some other reason?

Update: I am in Europe, the walls are apparently from brick (at least outside, potentially concrete inside judging from the first pair of holes I had to make with the borrowed hammer drill, but I've never had brick walls before so I could be mistaken). Drilling concrete ceiling and floors is also a possibility.


texts:
I've been struggling for a few days trying to unclog a bathroom sink that is extremely slow to drain. I tried the following:

Removed and cleaned P trap
Snake: Cheapo ($30) 25ft 1/4" drum auger with drill attachment. I hit resistance at varying points along the way which I broke through with a few trials until I had the entire snake fed through.  I did it a few more times because I still felt areas of resistance, but eventually the snake became kinked and it became useless.
Baking soda/vinegar
Plunging:  This brought up a lot of nasty black biofilm, but since using the shop vac I don't get much of this anymore.
6 HP shop vac in both directions (suck and blow).  When in blow mode, it pushes the water through just fine, but when I turn the water back on the clog remains.  It does take about 20 seconds of running water until it backs up into the sink, so that tells me the clog is probably far down.

I'm not sure what else I can do other than call a plumber.  I'd rather not use harsh chemicals.  Any ideas?


texts: Is it feasible to cover low-pile carpet with a 1/4" subfloor and vinyl tile in a kitchen?

texts:
Scenario: I'm the owner of a multi-unit 2 story apartment. The people living up and down are cousins to each other and are in the process of switching apartments -- long story, don't ask. The upstairs tenants have already moved down but the downstairs tenants have yet to move up, so the top is vacant for a few more weeks.

The lower unit's kitchen has nice vinyl tile that's easy to clean, that the tenants like and are used to, while the upper's kitchen has commercial very low-pile carpet which helps with sound. Kids running around make reducing any low-end sound a priority. The lower unit people have requested similar tile for the upstairs for easy cleaning, but I don't want to get rid of carpet for the aforesaid reason.

The sound on the high end of the scale between units is not a current problem, it's the footsteps/running thuds I would want to keep minimized, which no doubt may be higher with just tile over pine. The rest of the unit will remain carpeted.

There is tongue & groove pine below the carpet. There's very little "give" on the carpet. Can I sandwich the carpet in with quarter-inch subfloor, screwed down well, topped with vinyl? (This is the part where you say yes, ha.)

I may use no-glue tile or tile squares with silicone adhesive. I'm not concerned about absolute perfection in performance/looks for this. If it's not OK to sandwich the carpet, I don't want to put down expensive soundproofing stuff and would tell the tenant to live with carpet.

Seems the only reason not to sandwich would be if a future 300lb'er would jump around cracking the subfloor, but they are all small people.


texts:
I recently was looking around my house and finally realized the black wires (with some pins to help secure them to the side of the house accordingly) that were running here and there on my house that were going through the wall were my electrical outlets.

I have to ask, is this a common practice and should I try to do something to change or fix this?

I always had the understanding it (the electrical wires) should have been inside the walls or on the inside of the house.

Did I just buy the house without realizing whoever initially installed the wiring just did the cheap-thing?

Is this compliant with safety code? I'm in Washington State, USA.

Thanks for feedback.


texts: Why is there still power to my oven after the breaker trips?

texts: Just moved into a new house that had a new oven when we moved in. After the first use the breaker trips but there's still power to the unit. Is the source of this a faulty breaker?


texts: What equipment is required to install a generator?

texts: I am installing a generator to operate only my heating unit and a few circuits in my house. Do I need a transfer switch along with a sub-panel?


texts: Proper way to mount TV on wall that might be lath-and-plaster?

texts:
I have a flat screen TV that I have always mounted on drywall using plastic drywall anchors—eight of those has always held it up just fine and I probably could have used just four.
New home is in a 1940 building (New York City), and the wall is not drywall, it’s a wooden board with plaster over it. My searching on the subject suggested that lath & plaster is likely for the time and place, only the wooden board doesn’t look like lath from the photos I have found.
Here is what the interior of the wall looks like, as seen in the cut-out for various cables relevant to the TV:

(Yes, I also wish they had used proper jacks for those wires; the bedroom side of this wall is worse and I’m not yet sure what I want to do about that.)
I can’t get a good photo of the far side of the wall space, but it’s the same kind of board, as far as I can see (which isn’t very but maybe a foot or so) in all directions. It’s not thin strips like I usually see described for lath.
So what is the appropriate hardware to buy for this kind of wall, that will hold the TV securely to the wall? There are some holes in the wall already, looks like they drilled four holes and inserted sort-of-similar plastic pieces past the plaster and into the wood, but I’m not sure exactly what they are (they’re in pretty deep and I can’t see them very well) and what the process is.


texts: NEC Article 220 load-calculation for entire house

texts:
My house was built 32 years ago, with 200 amp electrical service. Since then I have added a number of large electrical loads, and decided I should do a load calculation for the entire house using NEC Article 220.
Here is what I have so far:

Items I'm unsure about:
Lines 7, 8, 9: Are these square-footages part of my dwelling unit, and thus part of the 3VA/sq-ft calculation? Do they not count at all, because they're not habitable living space? (Lines 7 and 9 are un-heated, and line 8 does not have code-compliant access, an uncompliantly-steep spiral staircase).  Does line 9 require a calculation outside the 3VA/sq-ft, since it's served by its own subpanel? It does not, however, have hardwired loads.
Am I counting the EV charger correctly?  It is a Clipper Creek HCS-50, rated at 40amps, calls for 50amp breaker & wiring.
Am I counting the water-heaters correctly, do they need to be uprated 125%?
Does 220.53 reduce my total at all?
Anything else that seems wrong (in either direction)?
Part 2 of the question:
If, after corrections given here, I come in over 200 amperes, how worried should I be?
If I decide to upgrade my service to 225 amperes, what is required other than a 225 ampere main load center?

Obviously, and cheaply, the THW cables from the meter to the main breaker (currently 2/0 for hots and 1/0 for neutral).
What about the transformer (I have my own private one in this rural area), the lengthy buried cables from the transformer to the meter base, and the meter itself?
Are these questions only the POCO can answer?

Call to them said surely the transformer/cables/meter can handle 225 amps; pinned down, they said cables were 4/0 aluminum (3/0 neutral) which ampacity charts seem to say are only good for 180 amperes; so something doesn't jibe.


texts: How can I correct a crowned floor joist?

texts:
In my son's bedroom there is a raised spot in the floor along one of the joists. I went into the crawlspace with a level and that joist is bowed up about 3/4" to 1" compared to the other joists on either side of it.

Best I can tell, this may have been like this when the subfloor went down as the subfloor is well attached to the joists in this area. Also, the blocking isn't flush with the bottom of the crowned joist where it peaks. Everything else around this one joist looks okay and I'm not noticing any signs of settling in the drywall inside or the brick outside.

I noticed the raised spot shortly after we bought the house a few years ago, but recent furniture placement has made it incredibly obvious. I don't think it has gotten any worse since then. Is there anything else I need to look for that might indicate a serious problem?

If the problem is just this one joist being bowed up as I suspect, what are my options to remedy the situation? Is there any way that I can pull it down from below?

EDIT

After thinking about this some, would it be possible to attach a piece of steel angle or t bar to the crowned joist with lag bolts and use the joists on either side to pull it down?


texts: What vinegar acidity is necessary to effectively kill household mold?

texts: I have 30% and 5% and I'm guessing it's somewhere in between.


texts: Can I span conduit 15 feet between my home and unattached garage?

texts: I have a porch separating my two bay garage and was looking to add a subpanel to the garage. The porch is attached to my house and butted against the garage, but not mechanically fastened to the garage. Can I hang the wiring (in conduit) vs burying the wiring?


texts: Mobile Home. Yard lights are "typically" tapped off the back of an outlet and buried in the ground. I have wired the wire from the house directly to the light bulb. I will worry about putting the light sensor in when I get the bulb to work. I have volts on the black wire..... and the same volts on the white wire. (Tested with a Klein voltage tester.) Am I right that there should be no volts on the white wire? I think this means that the white, common wire, is not going back to the common in the fuse box. The other lights on that circuit, CB #1, are all working fine making me think that wherever the tap in was done...the white wire has come loose.....? Then the problem will be finding the place where the tap was done....


texts: Why "W" (heat contactor) and "E" Aux Heat connected in Thermostat

texts: I'm trying to update my thermostat to one that has a scheduling feature.  My plan is to just copy how it was hooked up in an old 129N Thermostat from Armstrong however, I can't figure out why the "W" and "E" terminals are connected and how I should mimic that on my new thermostat.  Additionally, after hooking everything up and turning the heat on, it doesn't seem to be heating the air.  Could anyone give some insight into why it would have been connected like this.  Below is a picture of how it was connected.


texts: Will installing closed cell spray foam over ventilation for basement French drain significantly affect performance?

texts:
Question: Will installing closed cell spray foam over the ventilation for a basement French drain significantly affect the sump pump system's ability to remove water from the basement?

Background: I recently had a sump pump installed. The installers left an air gap for weep holes in my cinder block foundation with some thick plastic-type sheeting over it similar to what is shown in this picture. At the end of the job, the installers told me to make sure that if I painted the walls, that I should make sure to go along the top of the plastic sheeting with an exacto knife to allow air to flow down into the French drain and prevent a vacuum.

I would now like to use closed cell foam to insulate and provide a vapor barrier on my basement walls as part of finishing the basement. This puts me between a rock and a hard place on advice for using closed cell foam:

If I use closed cell foam without cutting along the top of the plastic sheeting of the French drain, I will be violating the advice of the installer and significantly impeding the transmission of air into the French drain.
If I use closed cell foam and put a cut along the top of the plastic sheeting of the French drain, then I will satisfy the French drain installer's advice while reducing the foam's effectiveness as a vapor barrier and defeating one of the purposes of using it.


texts: How much can I do on my own (adding breakers and rewiring?

texts:
I live in an house built around 1960.  LAHJ is NH/USA.  It is a small house, on a single level with a full but unfinished basement.
We have known for years that we need to update the electrical.  Our panel has fuses, and most of the outlets in the house are not grounded (2-prong).
Am I right that it would make sense to replace all the wiring in the house at the same time we have breakers installed?  If we have only one floor, is it possible for the wiring to be replaced without tearing down the walls?
Lastly, I have some limited experience in electrical.  I can wire outlets, replace light fixtures, etc.  I am obviously not considering replacing the fuse box with breakers myself.  But I am wondering if I can save the electrician time (and me money) by offering to do some of the work myself.  Can I ask to have the wires run to the boxes but wire them in myself, for example?


texts: Light fitting won't work with more than one bulb in place

texts:
I have a light fitting very similar to this.

i have purchased the correct bulbs but when more than one is fitted none work. i have tested each individual fitting and each works. i have purchased a different make of bulb and tried again with the same result.

the switch is a dimmable switch and the bulbs say suitable for dimmer use. any ideas wht's wrong? thanks, Joe


texts:
I bought a new thermostat, and I need a C connector, but its missing on the unit. There is no C what so ever, but I do have a B and O connector, maybe I can use one of them for the C.

Please see the attached schematic from my machine and a pic of the connector/wiring itself.


texts: Why do I have almost no water pressure after installing a new kitchen faucet?

texts:
I installed a Price Pfister 533 single control kitchen faucet today, and for whatever reason my water pressure is next to nothing. It was perfectly fine before.

What is wrong and how do I fix it?


texts:
I'm replacing the hinges on my cabinet and this hinge won't allow the cabinet door to close tight. It appears the hinge is rocking on the cabinet face when I try to push the door tight. I've tried a couple different hinges without luck.

Hinge gif


texts:
I have a very old house with many layers of exterior paint. I am trying to have a new paint job "done right". They removed as much paint as they could using stripper and scraping, but there was still a lot left.

The paint is embedded deeply into the wood grain.

The painters applied a layer of wood filler over the entire side of the house that's being worked on, and then sanded it smooth.  Is that appropriate?  Will there be problems from using that much filler?  I haven't found any discussions on Google that this is a valid technique for dealing with paint that won't come off.

Does this seem reasonable?

Additional info:  The house is 70 years old, the part of the house I'm talking about is the original siding as far as I know, and it's redwood lapboard.


texts:
I have replaced a run of halogen under cabinet lights with 1w lights running of an LED driver.

This string of LEDs goes under a run of wall cabinets over a worksurface.

I have two smaller worksurface areas that need only 1 light each.

Can I fit LEDs that have integral drivers. Seems silly to fit drivers that cost more to power 6 light and only use one with them.

Where would I get such LEDs with integral drivers (i.e. connect to 240v mains in UK)?


texts: What is the name of this plug/socket combo from a rangehood?

texts:
I have a rangehood with some lights for illumination.  But they're expensive lamps, mains voltage, not very bright and they run hot.  So I'm looking to remove and replace with something LED based.  Ideally I'll remove the whole lampholder assembly and store them, and fit a replacement.   To do so I'll need to connect to the existing wiring harness with two new plugs.
But I don't know the name to search for, and there are many different standards.

The lamps are 240 Volt AC.  Both sides of the plug are designed to hide the metal contactors from accidental touch.  One side is a round prong and a square prong, and the matching connector has round and square holes.  Each block is 4 mm per side, though this is hard to measure, could be 20% off.   They are mounted inside an earthed stainless steel rangehood.
As you can see there is not a lot of slack in the wire, so while I could snip these off there's no space to reconnect them.  Also local laws allow me to "plug modules in internally" but not "rewire" so plugging is important.
The only other comment is that these are inside the rangehood and are exposed to grease and steam and heat.  They're astonishingly clean given an age of ~8 years, with no tackyness or similar feeling, so I suspect I need plastic that is heat-tolerant.
Question: What are these called?  And do I need a special tool for them - if so what is that called ?


texts: Why does the flame in my gas fireplace go out after closing the door?

texts: I have a gas fireplace model Archgard Optima 45. Pilot works great and stays on when doors are open or closed. Main burner comes on great when door is open. soon as the door is closed the flame starts going out and over 10 seconds eventually goes out completely. If i leave door open flame is full and keeps going. I took off the complete pipe and vent pipes from top of fireplace to ensure that no exhaust was getting blocked. even with the pipes completely off the flame still goes out when door is closed.


texts: How to repair fallen tile near kitchen floor?

texts:
One of the tiles adjacent to my kitchen floor fell down.

The tile itself is still in good condition but I'm not sure how to properly reattach it. I'm guessing it would be something like:

Chisel off old adhesive (grout?).
Clean surrounding area and make sure it's dry.
Apply new tile adhesive and attach the tile.
Let it cure.

Assuming that's appropriate, I have additional questions:

What type of adhesive should I use?
How much of it do I put on?
Is there anything I should use to keep the tile in place while it's curing?

-M

P.S. The tile to the left looks damaged but it's just has a dirt smudge on it.


texts: Why doesn't the hot water work but the central heating does?

texts:
We have a gas fired boiler (which works).  There's no problem with the central heating.  Both the hot water and central heating valves actuate automatically when they're selected on the heating control box.

The problem is that the water coming out of the hot taps is lukewarm at best, it seems to be cold and occasionally has some residual heat radiated from other pipes.  The bathroom radiator looks like it's connected to the hot water loop and gets too hot to touch when the hot water is turned on.  So I assume that the hot water exists in the system, but isn't reaching the circuit with the taps on it for some reason, only the bathroom radiator.

There seems to be quite a lot of air in this radiator, almost every day the bottom is hot and the top cold, so I've been bleeding it whenever I go in the bathroom and there's always a little air trapped in it.

Is this likely to be an air lock somewhere that's preventing the hot water from getting to the taps?  If so, is there a simple way to fix it?


texts: We live in a condo with a shared wall. When the neighbor turn on their water it's loud. What can be done about this

texts: We live in a condo and when the neighbors turn on their water is like the flood gates of hell. Is there anything I can do to block the sound.


texts: Cleaning Up Matted Down Foliage In Tight Space

texts:
This is my bulkhead area after the winter. I didn't really get a chance to get in there and clean out all the leaves before the snow came in, so I'm stuck with all the compressed dead leaves and debris you can see in the picture below. I eventually want to fill this area with small stone or something, but that's a project for another day.

This area's too tight for me to get in with a rake and a leafblower would be completely ineffective since a lot of the debris is so wet and stuck down.

Suggestions for how to clean this mess?


texts: What are my options for temperature equalization between two rooms?

texts:
Ideally a bi-directional through-wall vent + fan would be great with built in thermostats measuring both sides.

I haven't found that nor am I entirely sure what to search for. Are there components that I could buy that provide this functionality?

Edit:
So all fans AFAIK are bi-directional components. The issue is the controller and I don't care about controlling speed as much as the direction + on/off.

One solution I have in mind is something like this:

[through-wall fan/vent system] -> [some sort of inline polarity switcher] -> [wall plugin thermostat controlled relay]

The issue is the polarity switcher. A manual polarity switch would be fine since I'd only maybe need to change it seasonally for the most part. What can I look for that does that?

PS: I am not looking to cut anymore than a single whole in the wall (and no more than 4-9" diameter) and simple set up is a plus. Long term I may loop back and do a custom job with an arduino but for now I'm looking for cheap, easy & off-the-shelf.


texts:
I recently wall mounted my TV and put a shelf underneath for my dvd player. Unfortunately the power cable for the dvd player is too short. I've searched and searched for dvd players that have either a long cable or a cable that can be removed so I can buy a longer one.

I know I could buy an extension lead but it would look really ugly?

I cable needs to be 2m long, do currently about a metre short.

Any suggestions ?


texts: Does an wall-mounted electric oven require an air gap below, and if so, how large?

texts:
I've a wall-mounted electric oven. Or rather I did have before a small, smouldering fire started and neary burnt my house down.
The fire brigade informed me there was no air gap (it was fitted 5 years before I owned the house and sat flush onto chipboard) which caused the issue.
I've found little in any oven installation instructions that details the need for a gap.

So I wondered - is it required?
Do all ovens ship with 'feet' that enable the oven to sit within a cabinet with the required clearance?


texts: Ok I was preparing n my plywood sub floor for ceramic tile I laid concrete board down with thin set and screws the applied tap and grout to seals instead of thin set by mistake , should I try to scrap off all grout and apply thin set or continue with tile installation


texts: Does anyone have experience with the products designed for laying tile on top of a wood framed deck? (e.g. Slica Systems) It seems to me that over time even slight warping or shrinkage of the wood timbers would cause tile to crack.  These products have perhaps not been around long enough to see this happen.  What do I need to do to install tile on a deck and what do I need to think about?


texts: What are these funnel-looking green things in my yard?

texts: There are 5 or 6 of these funnels on stakes in my back yard from the previous owner. Are they insect bait/poison stations? Repellent stations for chipmunks? (not working in that case!)


texts: Will a new vent resolve pressure evacuation of my drain traps?

texts:
We've recently moved into an old house. We changed part of the soil pipe in the basement, which actually makes the flow more straight-forward/unobstructed. I've marked this in the attached diagram.

Since when, we've noticed when someone flushes toilet on first floor, it sucks the water out of the traps/u-bends on the top floor. And then the top floor smells like a sewer. Presumably the gases have been released.
I figured we need to add a plumbing vent. Basically attach a pipe to the top of the soil pipe, on top floor, and run it through the roof. I've marked proposal in attached diagram.
I just wanted to check if i'm on the right track?
I haven't opened up the wall to get at the soil pipe yet, so i'm not sure what's waiting for me. Plus, I'm a little worried about the roof work. I suppose there's no way to do the work entirely from the inside?
I don't have any scaffolding, and i'm certainly not confident enough to go out on the roof without it. Even then, I think i'll have to hire someone to do this.
Thanks for any advice.
James


texts: I bought a used refrigerator with 6 month parts and labor guarantee. It has cut off just twice in 4 days. It is at the right temperature, but won't cut off. I have called them, but repairman claims that it is because it is hot outside. What should I do?


texts: What to do with metal frame for clothesline?

texts:
I've bought a house that has these metal pipes which were used for a clothesline in generations past.

The house also came with a washer and dryer.

I will probably rent or sell the house in 1 - 3 years, so if it's going to detract from the value of the house in any way, then I want to leave them as-is. However, if it would not impact (or increase) the value of the house, I suppose I should remove them.

So, my questions are:

Should I remove them?
If I should remove them, do I just dig them up with a shovel, or is there more to it than that?


texts: Is there an easy way to measure the height of a tree?

texts:
I'm looking to get an antenna installed for Internet service that will need to clear some trees on my neighbor's property because it requires a clear line of sight to work.

I really don't trust my estimating skills enough to plunk down money on a utility pole that might be too short or too tall. And climbing the tree with a tape measure (in my neighbors yard) is a bit intrusive and dangerous.

Is there a clever way that I can get a reasonably close (within 5' or so) estimate of the height of the tree other than eyeballing it?

I thought about putting together a bunch of 10' runs of PVC pipe and holding it up against the tree, but that is going to get pretty unwieldy by about 30' and the trees are at least that tall.

My other thought is to break out my old Trig textbooks and use the angle/distance to tree, but it seems like it would be pretty hard to judge the angle correctly, maybe with a laser pointer or something?

Any other ideas?


texts: What kind of wood is this? It is made of a patchwork of wood pieces.


texts: Can I rewire my ceiling fan to make it move faster?

texts:
I installed a fan outside and it has no light, just a fan. It does have remote though. I capped off the red wire and used white, black and green. The fan at its highest setting does not move very fast and does not put off much wind.

If  I  switched the black wire to the red wire will that help, or will hooking both the red and black together give it more power?


texts: Where is the water shutoff in Australian units

texts:
I need to be able to turn off the water supply to a unit am working on. However, I have no idea where to look for the water shutoff. (For ex., in most houses in the US (AL), there'd be a little gutter in the ground where I could twist a knob and that would disconnect the water supply to the house)

Where are the water shut-offs in Aussie houses/units ?


texts: Can the thermocouple be bypassed in the shower stall recessed light fixture?  If not how should this be replaced?


texts: How can I repair my stainless dishwasher interior?

texts:
My dishwasher has a stainless steel interior. To hold the rubber door seal in place the manufacturer attached a stainless strip along the edge forming a channel for the gasket. It's held on with spot welds every couple of inches.

The dish rack caught on the metal strip bending it and eventually pulling it loose at the bottom. I cut off the bent piece and straightened it out, but now I'm having trouble reattaching it to the stainless interior.

I can't spot weld, so I've tried JB Weld and another type of epoxy. I did the recommended surface prep, scuffed it with sandpaper and clamped it for 24 hours. It makes it through about two washes before it falls off. The epoxy just won't stick to the stainless well enough to deal with the hot water and detergent. I really don't want to drill holes and invite leaks, but at this point that looks like my only option.

If I drill holes and use small, good quality stainless screws what would be the best way to prevent it from leaking? And how do I make sure the screws are good enough quality to stand up to the harsh treatment?


texts: What wires do you splice in a 3-way switch?

texts:
I want to put two 3-way switches in the same box. I'm uncertain what splices I have to make, but I have an educated guess. (Diagram below)
Here's my assumptions:

The hots (black) from the 14-3 wire get spliced together with: the source hot and hots running to each switch

The 14-3 reds do not get spliced together.

A hot from each light fixture runs to it's switch

Does this look accurate and code compliant with NEC (red rectangles indicate marretts) ?
The diagram shows two switches for two different lights, each part of their own 3-way. In case the notation wasn't clear, the green circle is a grounding screw (this is a metal 2-gang box)
(Note: It looks like some of my neutrals in my diagram are hidden by grounds. I plan to splice all neutrals in the box together)


texts: single handle shower faucet sticking - can I fix without turning water off?

texts: New homeowner of a condo and have a problem with single handle shower faucet sticking. It's really hard to pull out. Can I fix without turning water off? Problem is that water shutoff is a single one to the whole building -- have to give 48 hours notice and inconvenience my new neighbors.


texts: Mounting TV on a weird wall that has some material between the drywall and stud

texts:
So I have a strange wall construction in part of my house. I'm mounting an articulating mount, up to 55", in a stud.

I took out a cable outlet and box to see the construction because I wasn't finding any studs.

Starting from the room it's 1/2" drywall, 3/8" drywall, 1" foam, 2.25" actual length stud, then gap, then I think furring, then masonry exterior.

I'm thinking some 4.25" lag bolts into the stud will hold, but it's so bizarre I wanted to double check.


texts: What can replace a dryboard in a cold, moist house?

texts:
The dryboards (?) in my summer house are starting to crumble. They have been here for at least 50 years, without any issues, but ever since no-one is living there permanently (4 years ago), they are falling apart.
It looks like humidity-related to me, and I am afraid that if I replace with the same kind of dryboard, I'll get the same thing quickly. Is there anything more appropriate for this context?
Inside the house, I measure:
Winter: 7°C / 44°F - 50 to 60% relative humidity
Summer: 20°C / 68°F - 60% relative humidity

Edit: Layout to better understand


texts:
first time poster.  I need to replace a Casablanca ceiling fan in my house that we've owned for a year.  The house was custom built in 2002.   I bought a Hunter ceiling fan to replace the old one, but the holes in the junction box (which match the Casablanca fan) are too narrow for the Hunter mounting bracket.  Can someone take a look at the attached pic and make a suggestion as to what options I have?  I'm confident that the junction box was installed when the house was built and would be really surprised if the box wasn't rated for a ceiling fan.

Thanks

Stan


texts: How do I remove KEF Spring Ceiling Speakers?

texts:
I have a set of in-ceiling speakers that need to be removed. After searching online I believe we've identified them as the picture attached. However, when we attempt to pull them down they feel very fixed in place.
How can these be removed? The model is KEF CI3-80QT


texts: How do I install a window screen that must go in from the outside and does not have tabs, springs, pins, or any flex?

texts: The house that I moved into had all of the screens removed from the basement windows and left laying near each window (so I'm pretty confident they came with the windows which were installed in 2006). The screens don't have any tabs, springs, pins, or any flex to the frame to shove it up or push down into the casing and just bend it in. Another odd thing is that they appear to require installation from the outside. I've cleaned the frames and the window casing that it is installed into, but I just can't get that last quarter inch needed to get the screen in! Any tips?


texts: Insulation foam in hollow bricks and blocks

texts:
This is a wall in the extension to my house, which I estimate to have been added around the 1930s (house is 1909) using mostly large hollow bricks that look more like cinder blocks but are not of concrete and brick-like clay instead.

I need to plaster the exposed brick (there is a reason why I couldn't frame and drywall) and I was thinking, since these elements are hollow, does it make sense to drill a small hole in each and fill it with insulation foam, to improve the house R value. The only reason against I see is that the foam may expand if moisture comes from the outside (the other side of where I'm plastering) and explode the brick.


texts: Sewage coming out of concrete in basement floor

texts:
My basement has been flooding a little (1-inch or so pooled around a ~20 square foot area) for the past week or so. Whenever I pump out the water, new water starts seeping back in from through the concrete in the floor. It appears to be sewage (seems to have some toilet paper etc. in it) although it's hard to tell. It doesn't smell as bad as I assume sewage would (smells more like a muddy pond than feces), but who knows.

My question is: Can a sewer back up like this? There is no drain or clean out in the area that is backing up. There are cleanouts in other parts of the basement, but they are all dry. Is it possible that a pipe buried in the concrete floor has failed, and sewage is seeping up out of that and through the floor? If so, why would it back up out of the pipe and into the floor, but not out of cleanouts?

Also worth noting is that the water seems to stay at a certain level consistently: If I pump it out, it will come back up to a certain level, then stay at that level until I pump it out again. Doesn't seem to get deeper over time, which I assume it would if it were the sewer backing up.

Also may worth noting is that the house has old cast-iron drain pipes, and it once had integrated storm gutters that connected to the storm sewer system (so it's possible those are backing up, not the sanitary sewer).


texts: Top half of outlet is no longer "switched" and stays on contiuously!

texts:
My wall switch going to bedroom no longer turns lamps on and off and both halves of outlets have current all the time no matter what position wall switch is in.
What should I look for and do??


texts: How do I diagnose and fix an electric water heater leak?

texts:
I have an Electric Water Heater, seemingly leaking from the top of the tank. The "wells" on top are filling up with water. There are no noticeable leaks from the pipes above. Each water attachment point (hot and cold) has a well where the pipes are threaded in.
The insulation is wet and again, it seems to be leaking from the top.

Could this be a Pressure Relief valve or something else? It is about 8 years old.


texts: How should I remove a raised concrete pad on my basement floor?

texts:
I have a raised square of concrete, about 42" by 42" by 6" in my basement.
Its probably an "equipment pad" of some sort, not sure what it was originally for, but it is inconveniently placed.
Its poured directly onto the slab.

I'm sure I can just go down with a sledge and whack it away, then smooth over with instant concrete but, I'm not experienced with basement slabs so what do I need to know?

Whats the quickest way to remove the thing and smooth things over with minimum fuss and mess?


texts: Is using CFL bulbs without a ceiling covering them bad?

texts:
.

I have a ceiling with three recessed spotlights, and I just put these bulbs (11W 630 lumens) in because the others it had (2 halogen candle-type and 1 like this, 18W, don't know lumens) were 2700K, and I wanted daylight (6300K), because it's a room where the natural light is almost nonexistent.

However, now I'm feeling a little dazzled and I don't know whether the reason is because these bulbs might not be used without a ceiling covering them fully. More than half of the bulb is protruding from the spotlight.

The store employee told me that the spiral one may cause headaches, if it's not properly covered by the ceiling. He didn't say anything about the tubular one though, that's why I bought them. But now I'm feeling dazzled, and I don't know whether the reason is the above stated or other.

Is using this kind of bulbs without the ceiling covering them bad?


texts: Drywall stain bleeding thru after 5 coats of paint

texts:
My drywall was wet before due to a leak. It has a stain mark. But after 5 coats of white paint from Behr brand and Kilz primer, the yellow stain is still bleeding thru

In the past, I remember I had to scrape off the paper and put new mud/sand again. Then prime, paint.

Now it is all done already with texture and paint. Is there a better way to fix this?

I am thinking about getting the white color from Sherwin Williams but I am not sure if it does any difference.


texts: What's the best way to pour post footings under a patio slab?

texts:
I am looking to build footings for three 6"x6" patio cover posts which will support a 6"x8"x19ft beam for a 19ft wide x 16ft deep patio cover that will fix to my house using a ledger board.  We have an existing 4" concrete slab. Looking at the cleanest option/smallest opening for concrete footers that will support these beams.  Anchoring the bases of the posts using red head anchors.  My area calls for a 14" wide x 14" long x 12" deep footing for the post.
Should I cut out a 14 x 14" square in the concrete to dig a hole below it to fill with concrete?  Can I cut a smaller hole but dig deeper to use a concrete tube?
Appreciate any guidance.


texts: Replacing Central air with a Split system

texts:
I'm trying to replace two central Air conditioners (one per each floor. 2-3 ton each) in my home and I'm not sure if I should go with Ductless (because of a much lower cost) or pay higher and replace the central air conditioners.

The current Air conditioners are about 20 years old. I had a HVAC guy come in. He said that the current ones are of high quality. Why replace them? He acknowledged that the old refrigerant has been banned but that still doesn't warrant replacing both the units. The problem I have with my current units is that the electricity bill goes to around $500 during peak summer.

Replacing central air would would be around $6000 for parts (2x Air conditioners) and another $6000 for labor, so I'm looking at $12k.

If I install 2x ductless in the lower level of the home, the cost would be around $2000 total (DIY + hire hvac for final inspection). I have about 1500 sqft in the main area and four 10x12 rooms upstairs.

Central air

Ducts are already installed, so we would be taking advantage of that. No additional holes/changes to be made to the structure of the home
Expensive

Split air

Inexpensive
Have to install 2 systems in the main area and window units in each room upstairs. Look of the home is affected
Need to make additional holes to install the (cold) unit inside the home

What do you guys think?


texts: Copper tubing on refrigerator is leaking

texts:
Copper tubing is leaking at both connections (refrigerator and wall).

Do I use new couplings or will old ones work?


texts: Can I use a nest thermostat for two heating sources (Furnace and electric floor heating)

texts:
Current situation:

My home is currently heated with central air.  Not my first choice, but that's what I have.  I have brand new 98% efficient modulating furnace controlled by a Nest thermostat(no AC).  I have cold spots all over my house.  We did the best we could with balancing on the first floor but the original install is just bad.  Some rooms don't even have vents.  My primary concern is the first floor. The room on the right side (living room gets quite warm, but the kitchen (left) stays rather cold.  There is a large amount of windows to be sure, but I'm sure the major problem is the addition behind the stairs with no heating whatsoever.  It is very cold in that room in the winter. Not only does it seem to keep the thermostat on in the winter until the upstairs is significantly hotter then the downstairs, due to the lack of vents on the left side of the home I believe it creates a temperature gradient preventing the kitchen from warming up.

 |[]-----|-[==]-|
 |  V    |      |                []    Door
 |----  -|    ss|R-------|       [==]  Sliding door
 |R      |     s|        |       s     stairs
 |       T      V        |       V     vent
 |                       |       R     return
 |                       |       T     thermostat
 |       |V    R| R      |
 |-------|--[]--|--------|

The solution?

The flooring is unfinished in that room and sits about 3/4" below the rest of the floor.  I am debating using an electric heated floor, embedded in mortar, with a tile finish.  It's 134SF,  I already did the math and I'm anticipating an extra $30 - $36/mo on my electric bill in the colder months. My question is about integration.  I did this once before and was told I needed an extra "special" thermostat.  As you can see from my amazing drawing, my Nest thermostat is right next to this and I am told it can support both a heat pump.  Would I be able to attach it to a 240V, two wire, radient flooring system instead.  I realize I would need a relay.  Has anyone done anything like this?


texts:
Our gate looks like this. It opens to the outside.

So I'm looking for an electric motor that I can install to open it by remote. But I have no idea where they're sold.

This gate used to have a motor on the top that would push the two gates and pull them back to close. If I remember correctly, the motor had two "arms" that would connect to each side.

But I've been searching the web and haven't found the appropriate motor.

Any help is appreciated.

NOTE: I cannot add motors on the side. My car won't fit if I put them there and my building doesn't permit it.


texts: How to attach electrical wire to messenger cable?

texts:
I have an old wire THHN going from pole to pole that lights up a sign.  The wire is a 70' run (17' above the ground) with no messenger cable, thus, weighing on itself.  Also, the wire is solid copper instead of stranded which is highly susceptible to wind.

I want to upgrade and install stranded 12 gauge THWN wire that I will hang on a messenger cable.  The messenger cable will go from one weather head to another (from a pole to another pole).  The wire will light up an existing sign.  Basically, it's like upgrading the wire and making sure it's properly installed.

I saw many styles of hanging the 12 gauge wire on the messenger cable.  The cable will sway in the wind due to the height and location.

1) Can't I just twist the 12 gauge wire around the messenger cable?

2) Or should I get special hangers to let the 12 gauge wire hang below the messenger cable?

3) What size messenger cable should I go with, for a 70' run?

Thanks


texts: Can I connect circuits for a dishwasher and sink disposal unit to the same breaker?

texts: Can the garbage disposal and dishwasher, each with its own GFCI receptacle, share the same 20 amp circuit at the main electrical panel?


texts: Can a freestanding **gas** range share 15AMP circuit with a range hood/extractor?

texts:
I have a freestanding gas range in my basement suite that is not currently vented. Obviously this is a problem -- CO more than grease -- and I want to install a range hood to direct-vent outside.

The range is on a dedicated 15 amp circuit, with a 3-prong 120V plug. Can I use the same circuit to run the vent?

I would like to replace the existing 120 V outlet with a junction box and then run wiring up the stud to a new outlet for the vent, and down the stud to a second outlet for the range. This would let me address the additional problem of the range now pushing all the way back because the outlet is too high - there is a void at the bottom of the range made for gas fittings and electric clearance. The junction box will be accessible by pulling out the freestanding range.

I am in Vancouver, Canada, so building codes may differ from your area.


texts: What material is allowed for a furnace room ceiling material?

texts:
What types of material, other than drywall, are acceptable by Ohio HVAC Code for the ceiling of a small furnace room which will:

Have return air ducts (only) passing through it to attic space.
Butt up against a brick chimney on one edge (B-Vent installed in the flue)


texts: I have 2 recessed can lights that are controlled from the same wall switch.  I replaced both with LED bulbs.  After several months, in one of the lights the bulb would go off and on intermittently.  I replaced the bulb with the same result.  After about 3 weeks of this pattern the bulb will not work at all.  The other fixture on the line has had no issues.


texts:
Please move if this is the incorrect place.

I have a portable generator that is mounted to a car trailer.  No earth grounds are made from the generator to the ground.  There is a service panel inside the trailer with 2, 110v connections and 1, 220v connection.  The wires coming out of the trailer are black, white, green and solid bare copper.

I want to make sure to wire this up correctly and is based on US standards.  On the L14-30 plug I had the white and black going to the hot poles on the plug and green going to ground.  What I did not know is where the solid, bare copper wire went.  I had to convert from a NEMA 6-30 plug.  When I was disassembling the plug the bare copper appeared that it was just pushed into the end of the plug but not attached to any connections within it.


texts: The under part of my kitchen sink is flaking off some white particles

texts: The underside of my sink in my kitchen is crumbling off onto my cleaning supplies. What do I do to stop that and what is it so I can make sure it doesn't return?


texts: How can I insulate a stud bay containing a subpanel?

texts:
I'm putting a subpanel in the outside wall of my attached garage, which I'm also insulating so I can work out there in the winter. I'm wondering what steps are worthwhile to air seal and insulate around the subpanel. The wall is 2x4 framing, so there isn't really any room for insulation behind the box.

Would it be beneficial to try fitting insulation in the rest of the bay (above/below panel) or should I just focus on air sealing?
Can/should I use caulk to seal the cable clamp penetrations?
Should I do something to block airflow through the conduit which will connect the subpanel to the main panel?


texts: Is it normal for condensation to drip without the HVAC unit running?

texts: I am noticing that my condensation drip pipe on the house is dripping even when the AC/Heating unit is not running.  Is this normal?


texts:
I watched a few videos on rolling a drywall, and I still don't quite understand one thing -- is it important to paint all the corners, and then only paint the remaining space. In my opinion, this way I'd get gradient colors and the corners would look different from the rest of the wall.

Does it matter, if I paint a very first coat, or re-paint with new color?

Is it just a matter of habit/taste?

Thanks.


texts: Using 12 ga wire to pigtail a receptacle

texts: I have a family room with 15 amp breaker feeding a few receptacles. I replaced an old receptacle but had to use 12 ga wire as pigtails on that one receptacle. Is that ok or no?


texts: How do I reduce dust from driveway made of stone dust?

texts: I have this situation where the driveway in front of my house was made from stone dust, the problem is the dust from the driveway was carried by the wind and goes to my house and cover everything in dust. I am wondering is there any way to reduce the amount of dust carried away by the wind?


texts:
We had a storm, and a GFCI outlet breaker flipped (orange light on). I reset it by pushing the button, and the outlet started working again. But everything else on the circuit remains dead.
Can a GFCI outlet "go bad", or is there something else I should be looking for?


texts: Can multiple 2-way occupancy motion sensor switches be used together?

texts:
Can multiple 2-way occupancy (AKA motion) sensor switches be used together?

For the top and bottom of a staircase, I want the lights to be on if either switch senses motion and the lights stay on until both switches time out after not sensing motion.

I know how to wire such a circuit but I want to know if doing so is by-the-code OK (Canada) and how to mark the wires so someone in the future will understand what has been done.

Thanks.

Edit 1: The building is my private home, so I can be confident of (mostly) who will use the stairs and their knowledge of the set-up. However, I could certainly make some tidy P-Touch labels for the faceplates. Writing on the backside of the faceplates and adding a note inside the junction box is possible too. (Are we certain paper in the box isn't a fire hazzard?)

The bulb-changing scenario is something I didn't think of. Perhaps a 3'rd, manual toggle, master circuit kill switch would be possible? Or would that be getting too far away from K.I.S.S. ?

The sensors will face perpendicular to the stairs, detecting people as they enter but only partially while they are on the staircase. I see the concern for the sensors timing out while a person is in mid-climb. However, the staircase is only 12 feet long and receives some natural light during day. A person would need to stop mid-way, out of sight of both sensors and eat a sandwich for enough time to pass to expire the lights. I could mitigate this by adjusting the time-outs, leaving the staircase lit for up to 30 minutes after a sensor last detected motion.

I trust that I am answering questions correctly by "editing" my post. That seems to be what the options suggests I should do.


texts: Can I install an AFCI outlet in series to a GFCI outlet?

texts:
I have a 100amp fuse panel and I have already installed some GFCI outlets as the first device for each circuit. This is working fine. I had tried to find some AFCI/GFCI combo outlets with no luck(Halifax, Nova Scotia). I want to install a couple of AFCI outlets before the GFCI outlets and feed through those as well. I don't know if they would both work that way or if only one or the other would work. Hoping somebody has tried this already or knows the answer. Tried to post a pic, but can't get to site(http://imgur.com/upload). Thanks in advance. Site is working again.
http://imgur.com/a/rF1rm


texts: Can I mount an over the range microwave in a cabinet?

texts: I have a kitchen configuration with an existing countertop microwave built into a cabinet above an in wall oven. The microwave I'd like to replace it with (Whirlpool Gold) happens to be an over the range model. Is it OK if I use an over the range model in a cabinet? Reading the installation instructions it's hard to tell since they talk about ventilation, but I'm guessing that ventilation is for the stove below (which won't exist here).


texts: Extend Clean Out Pipe and Fill Hole with Cement

texts:
I have a cleanup pipe in my basement that has access through a hole in the floor.  The top of the clean pipe is about 6" below floor level.  It seems that the bottom of the hole is just dirt.

The hole is covered by a irrigation cover that is usually found in a lawn.  I suspect the builder showed up with the concrete to pour the floor and realized that they clean out pipe was below floor level.  Rather than hold pouring the floor to extend the pipe, they improvised.

During prolonged rains (greater than a couple of days), the water rises out of this hole and onto the floor.  However, the hole is always damp.

There is also a musty smell.

It is a walkout basement so there is not a lot of water pressure on the floor.  This hole is on the opposite wall of the walkout.  So if the water continues to come in after the fix, then the next step will be to add tile on the outside of the house.  BUT, that will be costly as I will have to breakup a driveway.

With the goal of preventing water from coming into the house and getting rid of the musty smell I am inclined to extend the clean out pipe to floor level (or above), then fill the hole with cement.  To protect the pipe from being kicked I will build some shelves in this corner.

Here are my questions:

Is this a good idea?  Or is there something else I should consider?
Any tips on extending the clean out pipe?  For instance, is the standard size sufficient for cleaning out when it is extended, or should I also expand out to a larger pipe so the access is easier.
Is there a particular cement or technique that will be less likely to allow water to seep up through the crack where the new cement meets the old cement?  And where the new cement meets the pipe?

[Edit] I found out this is a backwater valve that prevents sewer water from backing into my house.  There is a riser kit for this valve, but this value is 15 years old and the riser kit for my old backwater value is not longer available.  The company uses the same part numbers for the new and old parts (even tho they are not compatible, so it will be difficult to find an old riser kit).


texts:
I just purchased and wired a bosch PXY675DW4E and it keeps restarting.

https://youtu.be/F9wrC7jOavI
https://youtu.be/7aZgkkcT6w4

Also restarting randomly from time to time.

I wired it according to the instructions on european one phase electricity 230V, I have a 4mm^2 cooper 3 core cable that comes out of the wall with a dedicated  20A fuse, from there I used the provided 5 wire cable, black and brown connected to live, gray and blue connected to neutral and green-yellow to grounding.

At the induction hob I've connected the wires like in this diagram: https://www.electriciansforums.net/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ibb.co%2Fm0Dqwmf%2F1.jpg&hash=6c25e4c5344f47473fcd4f76b1a808a3 for 1N~ and tested with a multimeter between live and neutral and also live and grounding and it's fine.

Also, sometimes I can't even make it start and have to wait a couple of hours with the fuse down to get to the point in the videos. Also worth mentioning I've activated power management feature and set it at a 20A limit maybe this is what it's keeping it off.

Any ideas before I call the technicians?


texts: When installing a stone fireplace, do I install the wood mantle first?

texts:
I have an existing, irregular river-stone fireplace and would like to fit a solid pine slab mantle to the surface.

I have considered scribing the top and bottom surfaces of the wood mantle, but I do not know how to account for the irregularities in the stones behind the mantle.  I would like the mantle to sit reasonably flush to the stones.  I am not interested in cutting or damaging the stones.

The mantle has a thickness of 4 inches and is 10 inches wide and 60 inches long.

Any thoughts or solutions would be appreciated.


texts: What is the most effective way to destroy cockroach and centipede size pests?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What are some at-home options for pest control?

I know one way to kill cockroach but not centipedes would be to dip pieces of potato in boric acid put them around the house in mesh bags. A way to prevent those that crawl around the house would be to wipe the boric acid onto the floor since it would leave crystals of pesticide. Are there any more effective treatment for these?


texts: How do I eliminate stink from a waste water pipe?

texts:
After some trouble I've finally figured out the source of the stink in my kitchen. The waste water pipe for the clothes washing machine does not have a U-bend/P-trap in it, and so the fumes from the outside drain are rising up through it:

A friend suggested I wrap the [washing machine] pipe tight with newspaper, like a cigar, and seal it off with silicone. Before I try this and/or if this fails, are there any other tricks that might eliminate the stink? Getting a professional plumber in to re-pipe things is a last resort. But I'd be open to getting a plumber in if there's something they could 'add' to this pipe to create a trap.

I should add that I don't own the property. But I have a pretty good relationship with the owner. After I reported the issue I said that I'd first try fix it myself.

Better picture of the pipe:

Also, I didn't think this was relevant so I didn't share it, but before I put 2 and 2 together (no p-trap, ugly mark from the fumes), I was using baking soda and vinegar to try to eliminate the stink. This exposed a leak in the pipe (see video on Google Drive) which I don't even care about for now because it's minor compared to the stench.


texts: How to reduce brightness of LED spotlight permanently without dimmer?

texts: Some of my LED GU10s (dimmable) produce too much of light and I'd like to reduce it. I'd like to use on/off switch on those GU10s with permanently reduced light. How it could be done and what kind of components I should use?


texts: Can I use OSB or plywood instead of 1x6 boards to hang metal panels?

texts:
I'm going to be putting up two louvered panels that will hold plastic hanging bins (think akro-bin type). I won't be able to mount the panels on studs, so I'm trying to decide if I should mount regular boards or OSB behind the panels. The panels weigh 11lbs each, and I'll probably have no more than a 100-150lbs of stuff in all the bins.

If I go with OSB, I would put up something larger than the panels do it would easy to mount  other things from this area later. But, I'm concerned OSB isn't strong enough to support the weight. Is it?

UPDATE (I moved my "answer" to here and expanded it for other to find): I ended up using two 5ft x 2ft x 5/8in panels made of pine rather than OSB. They are screwed into three wall studs. I ended up with way less than 100lbs hanging on it.


texts: What Should I Use to Seal the Concrete Slab under the Joists?

texts: I'm renovating a slab on grade half bath. I'm concerned about moisture/condensation forming under the joists. Should I seal/paint the slab? If so, what product should I use? Most of the products I've seen are for sealing basement walls. The house was built 50 yrs. ago in Maryland.


texts: How can one tell which ceiling fans are reliable?

texts:
I want no wobbling or squeaking for a good long time after I buy it.

I looked in Consumer Reports (annual edition) and they had no ceiling fan ratings.

Google turns up mostly manufacturers explaining their great reliability, and a couple discussion threads [1][2].


texts:
My asphalt driveway has a lot of narrow cracks, and it has some shallow depressions where puddles form.

I've watched some youtube videos.  All agree that before starting, oil spills should be cleaned with detergent, and cracks should have the sediment removed with a power washer.

Some videos suggest that the depressions can be leveled with patching material, but some suggest two or more layers of a thick gravel-less liquid.

For the cracks, some videos show a crack-filling product that you have to pour along each and every crack.  Others show a product that gets poured on an area and then gets worked into the cracks with a brush (kind of like a push broom but with less bristles).  It seems like the latter would be easier, given the large number of cracks in this driveway.

After these two steps, then there is the sealing.  I didn't find consensus on how long to wait after filling the cracks and the depressions before sealing.

My goal is to have a nice-looking driveway for at least two years.  I don't require it to look good for ten or twenty years.  Also note that it's a small driveway which fits two cars (parked in a line).

What is the best procedure and sequence for a DIY project?  Would I fill the cracks first, or level the depressions first?  I'm clear about temperature conditions, powerwashing, allowing to dry, and the instructions for curing (spray gently with water every day for the first few days).


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The interior side casing of my window has been scratched/chewed away a bit, destroying the paint and outer two layers of plywood:

What's the best way to repair this?

PS the source of the problem might be this guy:


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We are having serious cockroach problem. I was advised to mix silica gel and boric acid and powder the surfaces where roaches come in. I can't find the silica gel in powder form in my location. I can buy them as crystals in bulk.

I am thinking of using a small mixer grinder jar to powder the crystals. But, I am not sure if it works.

What would be best method to crush silica gel crystals?