texts: How to upgrade generator socket from 20A to 30A?

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I just replaced a 20A generator with a 30A one, and I need to upgrade the generator socket.
The context is a 100% off-grid cabin with two solar panels, a small battery bank, and a 120VAC inverter feeding a few circuits in the house. The generator is used for backup power and to pump water using a 240VAC well pump. Here's the existing setup:
Generator with 20A breaker => 20A cable => L14-20 socket => 12 AWG cable directly to bus bars on a dedicated 100A-rated 8-position panel (Square-D QO Load Center model QO6-12L100DF/S). This panel has two breakers: 20A 1-pole that feeds inverter-charger, 20A 2-pole that feeds the well pump. When I want to charge the batteries, I turn on the generator and flip the relevant breaker; same when I want to pump water. (This was all installed by a licensed electrician who specializes in off-grid work, and it works well.)
All I think I have to do is adjust as follows:
Generator with 30A breaker => 30A cable => L14-30 socket => 10 AWG cable => existing 8-position panel.
Questions:

Is this correct?
The existing 20A breakers and the downstream wiring to the inverter-charger and well pump can just be left as is, right?
My preference would be to add a 30A 2-pole breaker and feed the wiring from the generator through it instead of connecting directly to the bus bars. That way I would have an interior shutoff (in addition to the 30A breaker on the generator itself). Are there any issues with doing that?


texts: OK to bundle wires together with colored electrical tape?

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I have 3 bundles of 3 12AWG THHN wires each,

black-white-green (red tape)
black-white-green (blue tape)
black-white-green (black tape)

these 3 bundles come out of the load center and into 1/2 EMT. So 9 wires total, 6 of them current-carrying. (With 6 CCC's, I derated them 80% from 30A and put them on 20A/15A breakers)

At any rate, to avoid mixing up which neutral/ground goes with which hot, etc., at each junction box where two or more bundles exists, I have them bound together with colored electrical tape so as not to confuse myself or the person following behind me.

In the load center the bundles are marked with their color just as they go out into the conduit, then again at a junction box where they go their separate ways. Actually at any place where two or more bundles co-exist.

Is this going to trip out the person who follows me, or worse yet, be dangerously misleading?


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We have a 1930s terraced house in London (UK) with a small cupboard under the stairs, its floor space is about 80cm x 190cm. The floor of this area is around 80cm lower than that of the hall that runs alongside it. I'd like to raise the cupboard floor level to that of the hall and am wondering what the best approach might be?

Any help will be much appreciated, thanks,

Toby


texts:
I installed a new outside light and took down the old light fixture. Now I have some holes on the wood siding. Some bigger area is about 1" to 1.5". What is the best way to patch them?

More info: the wood siding is clap board type with real wood about 1" thick.


texts: How to read the numbers on electrical wiring to run within walls

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I am wondering how to read the numbers on electrical wiring separated by slashes such as 12/2. What do the numbers refer to? What other numbers should I watch out for when purchasing wires to be run within the walls and sockets of a home?
P
Thanks.


texts:
I've been googling this for a while and cannot come to a conclusion. Take for example a pergola. Beams and rafters are outside, but under a roof. How would dry and wet timber behave in regard to twisting etc?
I read that dry wood is more stable, but if built with dry timber,would it not become wet from the humidity outside and expand, thus cracking?
Than we have winter and summer, would not both types, dry and wet, become dry and wet in a corresponding season?
Am I missing something? This is about pressure treated wood. I feel like weather will turn timber into dry/wet in summer/winter regardless of what timber is used. I want to build a carpot and trying to understand what type of timber to get and why.
P.S. what I understood from responses is that dry and wet labels talk about moisture all the way to the center of the timber. And when Dry timber gets wet, it is still Dry timber because moisture hasn't penetrated all the way to the center.


texts: What resources can teach me to draw floor plans by hand?

texts: Are there any simple books or websites that can teach me how to draw floor plans? It seems most planning is done with CAD software. I like the idea of being able to sketch out ideas down on paper.


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I'm installing a simple light fixture in my office. The wall switch has one black and one white wire connected to the switch. The overhead ceiling box has the following 3 connections:

3 black wires connected
2 white wires connected
a single white wire.

I connected the black wire from the fixture to the 3 black wires. Then I connected the white wire from the fixture to the single white wire in the ceiling box but the light does not work.
Then I connected the white fixture wire to the two white wires in the ceiling box. The light works but you can't switch it off.
Then I connected the fixture white, to the 2 ceiling white and also connected the single ceiling white but this throws the switch. I don't know what to do next.
Any ideas? I'll try to attach two images.


texts: Strange clicking noise only heard while playing back recorded information on cassettes, etc

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Am disabled/health issues and need to record things, fast talkers, long conversations, etc.  Since a Smart Meter was installed I've had issues with electronic failures and this noise. Like self-setting alarm clocks failures (all of them). Can't hear the clicking noise by ear, only when I think I've recorded information, instructions, (over the phone/land line) and from the answering machine to clear it, that a constant clicking noise happens.  Fast clicking like click... one count...click and on it goes.  Voice quality from the calls severely drops or during is horrible.  Folks at the VA don't listen well when asked to speak up louder and clearly either.
Old retired jack of all trades and worked construction/contractor/business, etc.  I am at a total loss on this one.  I am not a techy. Have called in a couple of electricians, power company, cable tv/net service company, to the Geek Squad, no-one has a clue what it is.  Just sounds like some kind of "electrical clicking noise" or "jamming like" from somewhere, somehow.  Or "spooks."  No ghosts or hauntings here, gremlins maybe.
Have tried numerous kinds/makes of recorders/cassettes (mainly what I use).  AC and battery powered tests, all through the house same thing.  I think I've recorded info from like a doctor's office for later use and nothing but very low voice levels and the clicking.  While the answering machine seems fine but not for longer talks, volume boosts, for info before shutting off.
Nothing else in my home has changed except for the wifi stuff, a amplified speaker phone to use, a new cable tv box, and the Smart Meter.  No other noise makers in the house or has been, or causes found.  Anyone ever hear of this going on in their home?  TY for any suggestions and input.  Have several heads/professionals around here scratching their heads on this one.


texts: Does the electricity meter move at a different speed depending on how many appliances are being used?

texts: I was wondering if it could be used as an economy measure to wash, vacuum, etc. at the same time rather than at different times of the day.


texts:
I never expected to ask my first question about trashing something, but after 4 failed attempts to trash the trash can, I have no choice but ask you.

Here is the problem: I have a trash can, which needs to be trashed. Simple, right? Not so. I've started last week.

First attempt was to tie a trash bag to the trash can (I hoped they will be angry and will take trash can wit them), but they left it.

Second through Fourth attempts were to leave a note inside the trashcan on top of the trash bags asking to take the trash can and put into garbage truck.

I still have that trash can.

My next attempt will be to find a large enough trash bag and put trash can inside, but that would be problematic - finding large enough trash bag.

We have twice  a week garbage pickup from the curb.

So question is how to trash the trash can?


texts: Leak in wall behind push/pull bathtub faucet

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Have a push/pull faucet for our upstairs bathtub/shower, and it recently started leaking behind the shower wall and onto the ceiling below.

It appears to only leak when the faucet isn't pushed completely closed. Any idea how I can fix this? See images below.


texts: Moen two handle bathroom faucet - new cartridges but still drip

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Ugh! So this is an older model Moen 91111 two-handle faucet. The hot water tap had been dripping, so I swapped out the cartridges. Basic 1224 models with the little tab that fits into the notch in the collar...easy. Both collars and stems were pretty corroded from hard water. The cold went in easily but the hot was a bit of a problem. Used WD40 to clean it all up and cartridges and collars are seated and handles all in correct positions.
The hot water side is still dripping same as before though. A drop every hour or so...not terrible just want zero drips.
The hot water shut off valve isn’t working right, fyi. Even fully engaged it’s shutting the water off to a just a few drops...the cold shut off is fully engaging. I tightened the sealing nut on the shut off but nothing...maybe I’m not strong enough to tighten it?(im a woman btw)
So I’m having the plumber come fix the shut off, but wanted any advice on the hot water drip. Is there some other seal somewhere that could be bad? All I can think is the aerator sealing washer but I’m stumped for sure. Any advice besides leave that for the plumber too?


texts: Should I be concerned about a ceiling light fixture that was installed without the mounting bracket?

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The last piece of my move was to install my new light fixtures from my last place and I finally hired a general contractor to do so. After he left, I realized that I had not given him the mounting brackets that I had stored and labelled in separate sandwich bags... which explain why he was having a hard time lining up screws and finding screws the right length... I feel like a dummy.
Everything seems to be tightly and securely installed to the ceiling, just without the original screws and mounting bracket. Should I be concerned that over time the screws will fall and the ceiling light will smash to its death and start a massive fire or am I overthinking it? D'uh.
I'd love to avoid spending more $ for my dumb mistake, but should I have him come back and re-do them with the proper mounting supplies?


texts: Daisy chain or dedicated outlets in wiring my RV?

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What will happen if I dedicate each outlet to its own breaker in an RV??
I thought I was doing it the right way and may have cost myself a lot of extra money and put my safety on the line. I already have plastic and insulation up... do I have to take down and ponytail my outlets?


texts: Is there any way I can use regular dremel bits on a dremel trio?

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A few years ago I bought a Dremel Trio, which uses much more expensive bits than a regular Dremel.  The collets are also different.  Consequently I never really used it.

Now I'm making a custom cnc machine, and I would like to use the Trio for the actual cutting device.  However Dremel does not make a collet adapter that will allow me to use regular bits in the Trio.

Does anyone know of a universal collet adapter, or anything like that?  It seems that there would be a simple way to solve this problem, but for the life of me I can't think of it.


texts: Can I install reclaimed pine flooring over a floating subfloor?

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I want to lay reclaimed pine floorboards over a newly laid concrete floor in a kitchen. Height from top of concrete to finished top of floorboards is 80mm. Boards are 20mm thick x 175 wide.

I could use 60mm battens screwed to the concrete. But I'd like to avoid this battening work by laying a floating floor consisting of 40 Celotex boarding, with 18mm plywood board on top and the nailing the floorboards to the ply-board. Can I use this construction?  Advice please.


texts: Can you trip a breaker from a different circuit?

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Update:

Thank you everybody for your input. Turns out, it had absolutely nothing to do with my shoddy wiring job (which I'll be cleaning up thanks to everybody's input). There was a switch on the opposite side of the hallway from my work that had a broken ground.

Background

I had a wall outlet wired like the one below. I wanted to move it over about 4 feet, so I bought some electrical wire and used it to extend the existing wire.

()

As you can see, it was two wires that needed to be extended.

Here's how I spliced the wires:

Basically, I twisted the bare wires together, then pigtailed them, wrapped each pair in electrical tape, then electrical taped the bigger white/yellow line pairs together.

I bought a new, standard duplex outlet and wired it up so that one extension wire was wired to the top outlets and one was wired to the bottom. I pig-tailed their grounds together with a third bare wire and connected the bare wire like this:

Problem

Everything was working fine for a few hours and suddenly a breaker on a different circuit tripped, shutting off the lights in the adjacent hallway. The new outlet that I had just installed still worked just fine.

Originally, I didn't break the metal break-off tab on the new outlet. While troubleshooting this, I broke it, still experienced the problem, and now the bottom plug doesn't work while the top one does.

I also tried swapping breakers to eliminate a bad breaker as the cause, but that didn't help, either.

Questions

Is it possible that my wiring job caused this other breaker to trip. If so, how?
If it is due to my wiring job, what can I do to fix it?

Edit - Panel Pics


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I am in the middle of upgrading my computer table and decided to make the table myself so I can customize various parts. I have hit a problem with attaching the legs to the table. The legs are 34mm square pine and the top is 9mm MDF.

I would like (ideally) to have the legs easily removable and height adjustable but am having some trouble on how to accomplish this. I have tried looking for plates that I can attached to the MDF and slot the legs into, but have had no luck.

This is what I had in mind to attach to the top and slide the feet into, but I have honestly got no idea what they're called and so cannot search for them!


texts: There is a pvc pipe that goes into my floor next to my water heater and central ac unit and its overflowing..but why?

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Let me start by saying i'm not a plumber nor have i done HVAC.
Last night i walked in and noticed I've  have a leak in the corner of my living room so i looked for where it was coming from and on the other side of wall  is a closet with my central air unit and my hot water heater, neither are leaking directly.
I notice the water was overflowing from a PVC pipe in the floor (what looks to be a drain) but has a pipe from the hot water heater and a pipe from the central air unit leading down into it.
It doesn't seem to be overflowing constantly, i had it pretty dry last night and my wife took a shower this morning and it started overflowing again.
Why would this be happening?
Also: I  live in an apartment and I have contacted maintenance/plumber, but they're usually pretty slow about things so I'm stuck between should i wait from them or is it something i can fix myself.


texts: How can I seal the grout on kitchen wall tiles to give lasting stain and mold protection?

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I have 1.5mm of white grout between rectified white tiles on my kitchen walls as a splashback (or backsplash in North America*) behind the sink and cooktop and I'm concerned about stains from food and mould.

I've read on the web I'm supposed to seal the grout using a soak-in sealant in what sounds like a very time-consuming prcoess that has to be repeated every year, forever.

Is there a more long-lasting way to do this?

Surely just using that new "no-mould-for-five-years" white silicone sealant would be better than that?

.

.

((* this is hilarious - I'm imagining some dopey kitchen contractor who says it wrong migrating from the US to Australia or vice versa and everyone picking up the wrong term))


texts: i have a bit of an issue. I live in a 2 story house and I'd like to run 2 ethernet cables down to the first floor from my room. The issue is that when I drilled the hole, i drilled it diagonally through the joist and it eventually punctured my family room wall. Would it be alright to drill a hole in the joist from the bottom hole that would eventually meet the puncture hole halfway and create an opening for the cables?  Or would that destroy the structural integrity of the joist?  The drawing depicts a side view of the joist and drywall. The red is the wood joist. The purple is the diagonal puncture I foolishly made. And the blue is the hole I'm thinking about making. But I need advice on if it's the best option. I don't want my room crumbling..


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I want to hang a 4ftx3ft mirror (drywall) and frame it with some trim I found (not mdf).  I was thinking I would just route the trim, attach the bottom piece to the wall with some finishing nails, rest the mirror in the routed lip, and attach the remaining trim/frame to the wall which would then hold the mirror in place.  The trim/frame will be painted.

I have two questions,

In general is holding the mirror to the wall this way bad,  Should I use adhesive or the low profile mirror clamps.  Both cases I'll still route the trim.
Will I get gaps at the corners because the trim will shrink/expand?  Will it be more than some painters putty or paintable caulk can't handle?


texts: Storing comsumable dry goods in your car in the summer?

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I live in South Florida where the summer sun has no mercy.  I drive a new van and I've taken steps to keep the inside cooler during the day. I live in the van for weeks at a time and need to store things in the van.  I don't hang out inside the van from 11am to 4pm unless it's parked in the shade or unless the AC is turned on.  At night i have a very large and powerful vent fan and have no issues sleeping in the van even in July and August.  However, my goal and concern here is with keeping some items in the van when parked in the sun.  I can't afford to run my freezer every day.  Items include dry good and things like Herbal supplements, Teas, instant coffee and  Olive oil. These are not things that are generally very sensitive to some warmth and humidity.. but I want to see what I can do to offer them a safe storage in my van.  Here's what I've done so far:

Install a large aluminum and glass solar panel on my roof, this the space directly above the place i store these things and blocks the sun.
Open  large vent opening under the solar panel where heat escapes.
Install reflective mirror vinyl where the solar panel does not cover.
Install reflectix insulation a 1/2 inch below the roof metal
Install a sealed plywood ceiling
Placing said items in an insulated bag
Placing the insulated bag in a highly insulated and sealed Freezer (that is usually off)

These updates make a huge difference, but still the inside of a metal van who's exterior can get so hot you can fry an egg so it's not like the cabinets inside my insulated, air conditioned Cinder Block and Wood house were it's always below 80F.

So I am wondering...

I need to test and confirm this with a thermostat , but any idea how hot it might get inside that insulated bag/freezer in a van set up as described parked in the Florida sun?

Does it sound like these items are going to go bad or worse be dangerous for consumption if stored as describe .. I mean, tea and herbs are dry leaves and roots.. what if the temp inside the bag is 90 F degrees? is it even possible it could be 90F inside that bag?


texts: How can I repair deteriorating concrete walls?

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Our garage is about 80 years old and made of steel-reinforced concrete. The inspector deemed it structurally sound, but cosmetically the interior is a mess.

The concrete has come loose (it is old aggregate), all the way down to the steel in spots, and more bits of concrete dust come down from time to time. The walls are also very rough and scratch up our hands and cars.

What can I do to halt the decay, preserve the steel, and smooth the walls out a bit?


texts: Help diagnosing source of basement moisture

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Hoping your experience can help figure out where moisture is coming from in my basement. I tried to include a lot of details to help identify issue.
I have a house built in 2008 with finished basement in Northeast Ohio. House has poured concrete outside walls. Inside wall is 2x4 wall sitting on pressure treated plate. There is fiberglass batt insulation between studs and 1/2" drywall on it.
About a week ago, wife told me that there is musty smell in basement and baseboards are turning black. It was mold on baseboards, so I pulled them off and concrete floor underneath was very moist. Pressure treated under drywall looked black and was soaked. I assumed there was a vertical crack in concrete wall so I started opening up the wall looking for cracks (We had 4 top-to-bottom cracks before that I fixed with 2 part epoxy resin). Long story short, I did not find any cracks in the walls, but every cavity I opened up, PT plate was moist with limited amount of mold on paper backer. Concrete side of batt insulation also felt little moist and I think I saw a couple of water drips when opening up cavities. Concrete wall behind batting was moist in some cavities, but dried out in 15-20 mins after opening cavity. Drywall screws & baseboard nails in Pressure treated were rusty as well.
Not finding signs of leakage, I pulled up corner of carpet and there was lot of moisture under padding, but it wasn't pooling. Carpet padding had a plastic top layer. This appears to have blocked moisture from coming up as carpet above was dry and clean. There was some mold on upper side on edges of carpet where baseboard was touching carpet, but no more. Tack boards were badly molded.
I pulled up carpet further and noticed that moisture & mold stopped halfway down each wall. If you look at the drawing, the blue area indicates where moisture was. Past this area, floor was dry and tack boards looked like new (baseboard was moldy, I assume because of wicking).
I think the issue is that moisture gets trapped between concrete wall and batt insulation. Then it makes its way down to floor getting pressure treated soaked and continue under carpet where it permanently gets trapped by padding.
However, why is only this one corner getting wet? If condensation is the problem, shouldn't entire perimeter be wet?
Can downspout be the issue? Ground on side with downspouts drops a foot over 6ft before it flattens out. I always thought that was plenty good. Now, I extended the downspout 4 ft away from the house.
Am I on the right track? Way off? Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.


texts: Can I paint the exterior of a meter socket?

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My meter socket is on the front of my house in a prominent grey color against my home's tan brick exterior.

While it certainly makes a bold statement to the world that I am not part of an Amish community, I was wondering: Would it would violate code to tone it down a bit by painting the exterior of the meter socket enclosure to a color that better matches the brick?


texts: Shower/Tub caulk cracking on new bathroom shower

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We had our bathroom remodeled recently and I noticed the caulk starting to crack around the tub. Upon further investigation it seems this caulk is very poor quality and dissolves when wet.

Are there any good quality bath/shower caulks that are not 100% silicone? I really don't like the shiny look of silicone and it attracts dirt quickly.

Another tile contractor used a nice caulk (looks like sanded grout) in my other shower that was color matched to the grout but I can't find it available any the big box stores. The brand is c-cure http://www.flooringsupplyshop.com/setting-materials-n-more-83/grout-caulk-thinset-n-more-142/c-cure-caulk-sanded-986-793.html

I'm very hesitant to redo this until I find the right caulk. I'd appreciate any recommendations for a high quality non-shiny caulk that doesn't crack. Thanks


texts: Repairing leaking DWV vertical 3" thin wall PVC

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While painting, my wife discovered some mold on top of the baseboards, and being curious I investigated. What I found pulling the baseboards is they were covered in black mold on the backside, as well as the bottom of the drywall. On further investigation, the source was the joint of a 3" vertical DWV pipe, which had a slow (but consistent) water leak.

I cut out drywall to access the joint, then cut out an 8" length of the pipe, including the joint section. I bought two Fernco shielded couplers for 3" PVC (P3005-33), and a short section of 3" PVC pipe. When I went to replace, I realized the vent pipe was NOT 3" PVC Schedule 40 pipe, but something smaller (I measure about 3.25" OD). I thought it was Schedule 30, but one supply store said 3" PVC wouldn't go down that far.

For the life of me I can't find this small of 3" pipe at any of the big box stores, or local plumbing supply stores (I have one plumbing supply store left to go ask, though), let alone the shielded couplers I was planning to do to make this repair.

So my questions are:

How would you repair this vent pipe? (about 8" run that is currently cut out)
Where can I get shielded couplers and repair pipe, that is 3.25" OD? Anywhere recommended online?
(an aside) Is there any problem with leaving the vent pipe open currently? We won't be using the bathroom until everything is repaired.

UPDATE
Thanks for the help. I found from a local plumber that it was an SDR 30 pipe, which I found at a local plumbing store (big box stores didn't carry). No shielded couplers, but used some slip couplers and seems to work well. But now water coming up from the slab where the pipe comes through... will create new question.


texts: What can I use to form concrete countertops longer than 8 feet?

texts: Building a concrete counter top 4x10 and cannot fine a sheet of melamine 10 feet long anywhere. Anyone know where I could get a piece? I’d rather not joint to eliminate a seam


texts: Proper way to modernize 1940's cabin sub-panels

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This cabin is located in the United States, and was built in the 1940's.  However, it has obviously had various electrical panels added to it after its original construction.
I'm starting this new question, after my original question opened a can of worms: How do I wire a modern 240V 3 prong range to a 250V 50A 3 prong outlet?
Question: How do I combine all of these old panels into one new panel?
Specifically, I am looking for advice on what size panel I need, and where I can locate it.  Any recommendations on a specific panel that will meet my needs? I also need to know how I can legally get all the old wires into the new panel location.
Code Worries
Is this even possible to do legally without completely rewiring everything, since I am altering existing wiring?
Panel Advice
The home has what appears to be four 240V appliances (2 outlets, 2 hard wired).  There is a range top outlet, a washing machine outlet, and two water heaters that are hard wired.
I would like to look at changing all of the existing 120V outlets to be either AFCI or GFCI where required.  Can I do this at the breaker panel with the old wiring?  Or will I need to install GFCI outlets instead?
Extending existing wiring to new panel
How is this typically done?  A metal junction box to extend to new panel location?  If so, I'm assuming I would need a junction box in each place that one of the old panels is being replaced, right?
Knife Switch
I would like to keep the old main knife switch so I don't have to get PGE involved.  Can I just run one set of wires out of that knife switch to the new panel?  If so, how?  Just run 3 wires (2 hots and a neutral) to the new panel? What about a ground? And do I have to run the new feeder cable in conduit, or can I just run Romex to the new panel from the knife switch?

Location Where can I legally mount the new panel box?  Is it allowed to be on an exterior wall?

Photos of Old Panels

Requested Far Right Panel Image

Requested Fuse Box Panel Image

Outdoor Service Lines

Update Proposed New Location This looks like the best place for the new panel.  I'll clear all of this stuff out and relocate it.  There is about 50" of walkway space in front of it, and the space is a total of 44" wide.


texts: Wiring a light socket that doesn't have screws

texts:
I'm having some trouble wiring a ceramic light socket. I've done this before for with the kind that you just screw the wires into (the ones that look like this), but this one is different. Here's a picture

And another one with some of the text on the socket (one side is labeled white as well but I didn't bother editing this into the picture)

I've found numerous videos and descriptions of how to do the kind with screws, but none of this type

How do I wire this?


texts: Is there a standardized way of calculating load bearing of beams with connections notching the beam?

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I would like to figure out how to estimate the impact on load bearing of different solid structure wood (german Konstruktionsvollholz/KVH norm) beam connections. Assume I have a connection like this with 100mm x 100mm posts and main beam (pink) and 50mm x 50 mm side post and connected beam (green) and want to put unrealistic heavy plants on the beams: How would the connection of the green beam influence the load bearing of the pink beam? How can this be applied to a series of connections (up to 8 green beams connected to the pink one)?

I found

an expert book (François Colling, Holzbau Grundlagen, Bemessungshilfen, 2., überarbeitete Auflage, Vieweg +Teubner | GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden 2008) stating that removing parts of a beam does't influence it's load bearing capacities as long as the removed part is filled with and equally strong or stronger material, but I'm not sure if that accounts for more than some mm screw holes
Is it safe to drill small holes in load-bearing concrete beams for expansion bolts? stating that you can drill "surprising large holes" in beams which isn't overly precise and doesn't account for the fact that I want to fill the cut out space with another beams end and
What is the maximum number of load bearing studs in a row that can be notched? gives reference to useful recommendation about notching and drilling parts of beams, but judging from the other references it matters whether the whole is filled with material or not.

Can the two diy.SE questions be applied to wood beams? Can someone clarify, please?! I'm building everything from scratch, so there's nothing previously calculated where I could rely.


texts: Will plaster on basement walls and ceiling provide insulation?

texts:
My basement's insides are completely unfinished. It has bare brick walls and bare concrete beams-vaults as the ceiling. I though of coating the walls and the ceiling with 2 inch thick plaster with the objective being that the house's ground floor won't be so cold in the winter. I thought of doing it myself with plaster since I do not have the budget for fibers, panels, gels, foams or any other insulation.

Can I buy a few sacks of plaster, mix it with water, apply a 2 inch coating and get a reasonable, yet inexpensive, insulation ? Would plaster make the ground floor less cold or would it be a complete waste of my time ?


texts: How can I wire a new outlet from a light switch, with light switch set-up I've never seen before?

texts:
I'm trying to add a new electrical outlet in my basement, and the only good source looks to be a light switch. I found a decent (except for how he never turns off the breaker!) YouTube instructional for exactly what I want to do here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p79UHZb09Y.

I was all ready to go, but when I pulled out the outlet, the switch was wired completely unlike what I was expecting. Here's a picture: .

This light switch is wired very differently from any that I've encountered during my research for this project. For one, the switch itself does not have a ground screw. For another, what is that red wire?

My best guess is that I would tie in the white neutral from the new outlet with the other whites, tie the ground in with the other grounds, and then tie in the black with the other blacks on the bottom screw of the light switch. Does this make sense?


texts:
Trying to replace my kitchen faucet and I went to turn off the water -  cold water valve works fine - hot water just turns and turns and doesn't stop water flow.

I'm in a condo and have access to our water heater. Is there a quick way to fix/shut off hot water here so I can replace my faucet?

Or do I need to shut water off to the whole building :/

Thanks!


texts: My old washer & Dryer was 120 volt my new Stackable Washer & Dryer has a 240-volt plug. What do I have to do to change this?


texts: What can I do about my deteriorating basement floor with a large hole that seems to go right through to clay?

texts:
We live in 90 year old house with an unfinished basement.

I've been working on removing a lot of the crap that the previous owner did, and removing a lot of concrete debris.

Then I ran into this hole.  http://imgur.com/a/XIWGQ

It's sort of located between the chimney and the boiler, but not directly between. Once I started vacuuming out the concrete, the hole just kept getting bigger and bigger. Eventually I stuck my hand in and pulled out what looked like soaking wet fireplace remnants. The hole is wet and it seems like I may be touching the clay beneath the foundation.

Any idea what can I do about this?


texts: Can I feed a panel 200' away from a double pole 30 ampere breaker using 10 AWG copper conductors?

texts:
I need 14 amps at my boat house to run a boat lift on 120v. The boat house is approximately 200' from main panel. I can run conduit and #8 wire and make it work with no problem, but I will need to buy all materials.

I have some 3 conductor #10 w/ground. Can I run this wire off a 30 amp double pole breaker and set a 2 circuit 30amp outdoor panel and pull 1 - 20amp circuit with at least 14 amps for the lift and another for just lights?

Will I have the power I need by doing this?


texts: Install one dimmer switch which is one of two regular switches

texts:
We're purchasing (5) dimmable LED's for the kitchen and I'm now researching the dimmable switches.  The lights are controlled by two switches on opposite sides of the room.  Either one can turn off or turn on the lights  (So one may be up while the other down, or vice versa)
One is on a 3 gang switch. The other switch is single.

This may be somewhat of a duplicate of this question.
Can I install a dimmer switch on a 2 way circuit?

If it is, it sounds like it's doable, but I had questions on the actual implementation.  What do I need to do with the regular switch?  Do I need to leave it on, and cover it with one of these switch covers so it doesn't get switched, or do I need to replace both with dimmable (that doesn't sound like the right answer), or something else??  I'm in the USA.


texts: Roof Drain Stack: Split 3" pipe into two 2" pipes?

texts: My existing 3" roof drain stack runs through an interior wall that was furred/boxed out a bit to allow for the 3" pipe size.  To make this wall flush again I'm wondering if there would be anything wrong with splitting this 3" pipe with a 3x2x2 wye and run two 2" pipes down (to the basement)?


texts: Cooker and gas hob both controlled by 13 amp switched sockets under worktop and behind cooker

texts: I have a new Bosche oven and existing gas hob. The original cooker and hob ignition are both connected under the worktop behind the oven with a double gang Sw/Skt and plug heads. They both plug into it. The switch socket is fed from the cooker control switch above the work surface with 6mm cooker cable. The max fuse feeding the cooker is 13amp and has only a flex leading into the cooker... Is this correct?


texts:
I have someone with a tanning bed that was hardwired in the previous home.  To make things simpler for them, I'd like to just take a dryer pigtail and wire it up for them instead.  I don't know much about 220, but the current cabling is 10/2 nm-b with ground, 600v.

Are those appliance pigtails like what you'd see on a dryer the same?  Or, are there important variances in cable type?

Is there any sort of max length recommendations or standards on 220 appliances?

Thanks

Edit: added pictures


texts: using water based sealer with oil based stain

texts:
I read somewhere that the stain and the sealer should be of the same base. Oil based or water based. They should not be mixed.

Is there truth to this? If so, what will happen?
Are both combinations bad or can you do oil on water or vise versa?


texts:
I live in an apartment and I would like to seal a section of our rooftop with small leaks where water puddles (depth of puddle is negligible). The rooftop is "rough" concrete in the sense that it feels like very coarse sandpaper. All the paint was stripped off some time ago, so it's plain, rough concrete.

I'd like to try to do this on my own since it's a relatively small section. So I had a few questions:

The surface has lots of loose dust. Can I clean this without using a power washer? I have an extra-strength vacuum cleaner.
Once it's clean, should I apply anything before applying the sealant? Maybe something to make the concrete more water-resistant?
For someone like myself with no DIY knowledge, how would I apply the sealant?
I've seen that most sealants are a bright white. How can I add some color so that it reduces or eliminates the glare?
Is this something I should do? The issue is that I've called contractors, and they charge an exorbitant amount.

We live in the Caribbean, so there's lots of rain and lots of sun.


texts:
Some contractors broke my irrigation system and I'm in the process of repairing it. One of the connections to a PVC 4-way junction had a piece of schedule-40 PVC broken off inside it. As luck would have it, this is the inlet from the source.

As near as I can tell, there is no way to reuse the junction and it must be cut out of all the other splices and reconnected in those branches as well. Am I wrong, can it be reused? And if so, how?


texts: Re-locating a split system A/C to a different room

texts:
I currently have a split system A/C unit in our living room that is really too small for the room. It runs full blast when it's turned on and whilst it does work at cooling the room, it's not efficient and never shuts off.

I would like to move this A/C unit into a bedroom (back-to-back installation), and buy a much larger unit for the living room.

I realise that due to the general nastiness to the environment of the refrigerant I will need to get a qualified person in to do this job, but is this something that's viable?

Will all the piping and wiring need replacing, or can they be re-used? If I have to replace all the piping and wiring, it's probably not going to be worth the expense as the living room is not a back-to-back installation (it has about 10m of piping to go from the living room to the compressor outside).


texts: Correctly dealing with crumbling basement walls

texts: I have an older home with stone foundation and some type of crumbling lath covering it.  After doing some rearranging in my basement I cleared a wall which I'm going to put shelves against.  Before doing so, I had to remove a large pile of debris from the crumbling wall.  Is there a way to repair this to prevent future debris from accumulating? I'm sure a skim coat of something would be the answer.  I'm just not sure what to use.  Morter?  structolite?


texts: How do I remove a drawer from Whitney desk (Pottery Barn)

texts:
I have a desk drawer that is not staying closed, so I want to take the drawer out and adjust the gliders or something, but I can't figure out how to remove the drawer.

The drawer is on a Whitney desk unit that I got from Pottery Barn:

The drawer has metal rails on the side.  It doesn't have rollers and doesn't appear to have any levers.  I'm stumped.


texts:
I have a couple of o-rings in my swimming pool's filter/pump system that are leaking a touch. This is a 4 year old system so things are getting worn and the o-rings are a bit cracked.This is the final year we're keeping this above ground pool and I'm trying to make it last the season.

Is there anything I could use to rejuvenate the o-rings or rig it up to avoid replacing them?


texts: How can I lower furring strips / ceiling?

texts: I will be putting drywall back up on the pictured furring strips.  The problem is, there is a ventilation shaft that goes below the furring strips, preventing the drywall from laying flush (previous ceiling had several layers, the last of which was popcorn texture, probably to hide the uneven surface).  Elsewhere on this same ceiling, there is a waste pipe with the same problem.  Can I lower the whole ceiling by installing another layer of furring strips (in the opposite direction?)?  If so, screws or nails?


texts: Short conduit run from attic to exterior panel. What is the correct way to run cable?

texts:
I need to add a circuit and the my panel is outside. The easiest way to run the cable would be to run a conduit vertically from the panel and up through the soffit. Then I would properly run the cable through the attic to. I have two questions.

My question is, what is the proper way to install the conduit? Does the conduit need to extend a certain height up into the attic?

Second, it seems that with much debate, Romex shouldn't be run through a short conduit run. Is it OK to run it since it would be just 6' down to the panel or not? If the answer is no, would I just run the Romex in the attic to a junction box. Then have THHN wires run through the conduit to the exterior of the house and down to the panel?

Thank you


texts: How to chase down an open neutral and low voltage issue

texts:
So I bought a home built in the '70s. The circuit in question includes a couple of garage outlets, half of the spare bedroom outlets/light which shares a wall with the garage, hallway light, and an office add-on in the garage. I started replacing outlets and light switches, taking care to keep black with bronze, and white with silver posts on the outlets. I found a light switch in the spare room without the ground connected. Stupidly I reconnected it and moved on.

Next thing I know one of our lights in the living room (shares a wall with the bedroom) would turn on but dim. And if I turned the garage light on, the dim living room light would brighten.

Tried disconnected the ground to the light switch but it didn't fix anything. Figured maybe my memory was wrong and began disconnecting grounds from outlets one at a time to see if the problem went away. It didn't.

Then the next day the hall lights started flickering and I smelled burning. No breaker was thrown. I turned off the breaker, pulled apart all the outlets and light switches, turned the breaker back on and tested voltage.

I'm getting Open Neutral on many of the outlets (not all of them) and reading about 88v at many of them instead of 120v. At the outlet closest to the breaker box, I'm reading 120 on top, nothing on bottom. When I tie those wires together, I read 88v at the outlet. Light switches are reading 88v.

Not sure how to chase this down. My original thought was to dismantle all outlets/switches and start closest to the breaker box testing for 120v.

I think there was some shoddy work done with the garage add-on, as well as an added outlet in the spare room closet. Any ideas on what could be causing this and how to continue testing?


texts: How to get a stuck Moen faucet cartridge out?

texts:
I have a single-lever Moen kitchen faucet that's 12 yrs old and I'm trying to replace the original cartridge.  Moen sent a replacement cartridge (1225 B), that includes a removal tool.  I've removed everything that is supposed to come apart up to this point, including the retaining clip that holds the cartridge in.  The instructions at this point look like this:

The cartridge is completely circular, nothing keyed.  It has O rings top and bottom to seal it.  The removal tool is a plastic cap that fits around some wings in the top of the cartridge.  You are supposed to use it to twist the body of the old cartridge.  The only obvious purpose for this would be to sheer any built-up scale that might be stuck in the various openings, or just to generally loosen the body.

Inside the body of the cartridge, there is a stem that moves up and down for shut-off/flow volume, and rotates for hot/cold mix.  Pulling up on the stem is supposed to pull out the cartridge.

The cartridge is frozen inside the faucet.  The removal tool just deforms.  I managed to turn the cartridge body maybe a few degrees and now it is stuck there.  I tried using a metal tool to turn it without success, stopping short of enough pressure to damage the plastic cartridge.

I've used vise grips on the stem in the up position, tapping them up with a hammer.  I've used enough force to knock off the vice grips but the cartridge body doesn't budge.  I've also tried a small pry bar as a lever between the vice grips and the body of the faucet.  Nothing budged, and I'm concerned that the cast metal body is too brittle, and that using the thin top rim for leverage is likely to break it.

There have been some other questions here about removing cartridges.  A common theme is using WD-40 or CLR.  Aside from the poisoning potential of WD-40, the cartridge is a very snug fit and O rings seal the area where scale could build up.  So it isn't obvious how I could get enough to where it could count.

Any suggestions for extracting the old cartridge?


texts: How can I tell if this is a load bearing wall?

texts: Hello I would like to remove the wall from our family room to kitchen. The wall that I circled in yellow. How can I tell from this blueprint if it is a load bearing wall?


texts: How to access hole behind kitchen cabinets?

texts:
Description:
I have cabinets that run along the left hand side of the kitchen. They meet in a corner, where they turn to meet my stove. Within that corner there is no shelving. Just an empty space underneath a countertop. (pictures included)
Also within this empty space, is a hole I need to seal.
Why I'm concerned:
I live in Florida, where palmetto bugs are unfortunately "normal". However if you don't have any holes in your home, you rarely see them. In my new apartment, I see about 2-3 a month, which is too many for me. I knew there must be a hole somewhere. Sure enough (when I pulled out my dishwasher and stove) I found a 3 inch gap between the wall and floor where trim should have been. I sealed the holes.
A few months later, I am still finding palmetto bugs here and there.
I am 99% sure the same gap runs behind the empty cabinet area I can't seem to reach.
Question: In the picture you can see how the countertop has a triangle cut out. I'm wondering if I can somehow remove just that section of the countertop in order to access the hole? If not, any other suggestions?


texts: How do you remove rust stains from bathroom sink?

texts:
I have two rust colored stains on my bathroom vanity.  I've tried baking soda & lemon juice, Mr. Clean Eraser, CLR, Lime away, Barkeeper's Friend, etc. with no success.  Any other ideas on how to remove them?

Of note: These were already here when I purchased my home, so I do not know the cause.


texts: Stranded aluminum on outdoor light switch

texts:
I currently have a light switch with stranded aluminum wire wrapped around the screws with electrical tape over over the screws and wire ends. It controls all 3 of my outdoor lights.

I want to install this timer. Is it possible? And does stranded aluminum work like copper as in there is one hot and one neutral in this case?


texts: How can I remove / replace this OSB floor?

texts:
I would like to update the flooring in a carpeted room, replacing the carpet with hardwood. I've removed the carpet, carpet padding, and tack carpet strips.

Underneath the carpeting was OSB subflooring that has been damaged by pet urine, so I would like to replace one of the 4x8 OSB panels, and possibly another 4x4 piece.

I've removed all the screws but it the panels are glued down (I can see underneath the subfloor from my basement). I'm also not sure if this OSB floor is tongue-and-groove, and if I need to use a circular saw to cut a perimeter of the panels I would like to remove.

I don't plan to install the hardwood floor myself, but I'd like to be able to replace this subfloor if it's feasible. Currently the damaged OSB panels are level, so I'm somewhat worried about replacing them and making the floor un-level. Is it acceptable to sand / seal the OSB instead of replacing it to cover up the pet stains?

What's the best way to proceed from here? Can I cut the 4x8 piece down the middle, in-between the joists, and pull it up that way from the glued joists? Am I risking too much unleveling the floor?


texts: Why do screws have lower shear strength than nails?

texts:
I read up on when to use nails and when to use screws. Part of what I learned is that screws have lower shear strength as can be seen in this video.

It can be seen by just applying common sense, how most the differences between nails and screws come to be. However, I don't find it evident why screws have lower shear strength than nails. Why is this? Isn't it possible to make screws from the same material nails are made from?


texts: No water to toilet after the city purged hydrants

texts:
The city was opening fire hydrants around the neighborhood resulting in no water coming to the house. This happened while I was at work. When I came home I had to turn the faucets and showers on to release air in the lines.
Everything works except for the upstairs toilet. It is not the fill valve inside the toilet, There is no water coming to the toilet from the plumbing.
I have disconnected the line and no water is coming out.
The sink gets water upstairs.
What are the possible reasons for this?


texts: What is an appropriate cut radius for a semi-circle bench for a 36" round table?

texts:
I'm designing a dining room space, a 36" round pedestal table is ideal for this space, but I'd like to add a semi-circular bench on one side (like a booth at a bistro). I'm wondering what the ideal cut radius would be for the bench so that people can sit comfortably at the table (without leaning in too much, etc)?

Here is a simplistic, overhead view of the scenario. The table is in green, and the bench is in red.


texts:
I have a situation I've never seen previously.  I have a zone of sprayheads (popups) that should have sufficient pressure, based on testing of the system GPM (15gpm) and the requirements of the six sprayheads on the zone (8.5gpm).  It is fed by a shallow well pump and all other zones work fine, both sprayheads and rotors.  But this one zone starts off great, popping up and spraying with utter abandon, but after about 10 minutes they sink down and dribble like they don't have sufficient pressure.  The system is not connected to any other inflow or outflows, just the irrigation zones.  No other zone appears to be inappropriately coming on during this time. If I wait awhile and start them again, the same thing happens. The pump runs at about 24psi initially, but when it begins having the problem it drops to low pressure, about 5-8psi.
I thought of the idea that this might be a result of lack of water in the well and after a while the water was filling into the well, but discounted this when I saw that other zones work fine if I turn them on immediately after this zone starts having its problem, so this doesn't appear to be the cause.  I'm frankly stumped!


texts: Make a wooden swing with material constraints

texts:
I'm going to make a swing as a project with my kids. I'm constrained by the timber available and wondering if doing the whole thing with 4 by 4's will be ok rather than a thicker top bar. Or if I could double up on the top bar?

Ten foot high and close to that wide is my plan so far, all legs concreted into the ground 50cm, but I want 2 swings on it, rather than just one.

Will an a-frame bolted together with 4 by 4's be safe? Would I need to double up the top bar?


texts: Where in the span of a floor joist can I drill holes to run wiring?

texts:
How far from the end of a 2x12 or 2x10 floor joist can I drill a hole?
NEC 502.8 does not give this answer, only that you have to be 2" above or below the edges, not in what part of the span it has to be in.


texts: Water heater problems after water was shut off

texts:
I just purchased the house and I did not convert the water utility into my name in time and  it was   shut off. (The water will be off for 4 days as its the weekend).
The water pump on top of the water tank started making noise and was very hot to touch after 1 day without water. The service man came and shut off the tank and pump, there was no water in the tank.
Is it a leak or does water drain back from the tank when the main is off?
Please help, i am so nervous.


texts:
An answerer on this question stated "remember to never use snakes on toilets."  The internet, however, contains numerous tutorials on how to snake a toilet.

Can and should toilets be snaked?


texts: No air in one room in flat roof house, why?

texts: One bedroom in our house gets no air hot or cold coming out of the ceiling vent. Our house has a flat foam roof. Can someone tell me what to look for to fix this problem. All other vents in the house work fine.


texts: Why would my garage have separate ceiling joists suspended below larger floor joists?

texts:
I am in the middle of building a complex storage rack system in my garage. I ran 2x4 "sleepers" across the ceiling and tied into every floor joist. My shelving system is anchored to this.

Here is where it gets interesting. I did not think twice about this design because I assumed I was anchoring into 2x8 or 2x10 floor joists (room above garage) but when I cut a hole in the drywall to relocate a light fixture, I found I was tied into 2x4's. Basically I have 2 sets of joists. 2x10's above, then about 6 inches down, the 2x4's, 16" OC holding up the sheetrock.

The dimensions of the garage are about 20x20, but there is a beam in the middle shortening the span of said joists to 12ft. Has anyone ever seen/heard of this before? I can't understand what the reason for this design would be, other than the extra insulation that is in this space (im in Canada).

I am thinking of rather than ripping the shelves out and starting over, strengthening the 2x4's by tying into the 2x10's. Thoughts?


texts: Should I go with a stainless steel or copper based tankless water heater?

texts: I live in Southern California, Orange County to be specific, and want to replace my 40 gallon (gas) water heater located in the middle (inside) of the house with a tankless water heater (electric powered - gas driven) to be installed outside of the house. Should I go with a stainless steel condensing exchange unit or go with a copper-based unit? Any insight is greatly appreciated.


texts:
I have a very small combination bathtub/shower. There is not much room to begin with and I am already bumping and banging into things. There are two what I'll call "racks" on the wall inside the shower/tub. Here is the first one, which we use to keep towels on:

Then, there is another rack, this is the problematic one...

I bang into this second one constantly while washing... Is there something I can do to remove it without making too much of a mess? We have two in there, shouldn't one be enough anyway? We have another storage thing inside anyway:


texts:
We have a ranch (single-story) house with hardwood floors on most of the ground level. The basement below this level is finished, and is where I work out of at home. We have kids that like to run everywhere, so there is considerable noise transmitted from these floors down to the basement.

What are the best ways to accomplish noise reduction? The basement is completely open (or at least accessible in all places) to the subfloor above, no tight quarters, etc. In the finished area of the basement, the ceiling is typical drop-in tiles. These can be easily removed for work. No part of the floor above is inaccessible. Likewise, the floor itself could be replaced if there was a higher standard to be built against (see comment w/r/t luxury apartments).

Budget is not a primary concern here, finding an effective solution is most important.

As I see it, there are basically three kinds of noise happening:

"Contact" noise, i.e. the sound of feet, shoes, dropped toys, etc. hitting the floor itself.
Squeaking/creaking etc. from loose boards, or subfloor.
A booming sound or vibration which I assume is either occurring between the (mostly insulated) joists below, or possibly between the hardwood and subfloor.

Sound #3 above is the most annoying. What's the best way(s) to resolve this?

Some sort of insulation between the floor joists? (e.g. this type of acoustic insulation, or just regular blown-in insulation)
Cork, mass-loaded vinyl sheets or other product between the hardwood floors (yes, I realize the current floor would have to replaced) and the subfloor.
A floating subfloor or other more sophisticated construction?
Combo of above?
Something else?


texts: Are there ways to minimize the area of my septic leach field?

texts:
We have a working septic system that we have no complaints about.

However, we'd like to add a guesthouse and more bedrooms and that requires expanding the septic system.

I am happy to do this and happy to spend whatever it takes to do it.

However, I insist on a simple system relying on gravity and no pumps.

The problem is that our available leach field is relatively small ... we need something like 8400 square feet and we have something like 3500-4500 square feet.

The solution suggested is to pump effluent uphill, elsewhere, where other field space can be found.

My question:

In general, are there practices that can reduce leach field area?

For instance, could we cascade from one septic tank to another and the resulting effluent is ... thinner ?  Needs less leach field?

Interested in any and all comments and suggestions - thank you.


texts: matching max electrical load of count down timer to heated towel bar

texts:
I am in Seattle and I have a count down timer I want to hook up to my heated towel bar so the towel bar will go off after an hour or so.

the timer says max load is 15A/1875W resistive, 8A/1000W Tungsten.

The heated towel bar says voltage: 120 VAC Rated Frequency 60Hz-115W and that it must be connected to a socket with at least 10A

Are these compatible?  in the Amazon description it said this timer could be used with heated appliances such as hair dryers and electric heaters.  In the little booklet that came with it, it does not mention any appliances with heat.  THANKS!


texts: When does it make sense to use metal framing for an interior wall? What are the advantages to traditional wood framing?


texts: Low voltage/low power on 2 out of 4 LEDs newly installed

texts:
PROJECT - Recently replaced two ceiling light fixtures with (4) Easy-Up 6 in. Deep Baffle Color Selectable Canless LED Recessed Kit, made by Commercial Electric. Also installed new switches; lights operated by two 3-way switches, one Lutron Diva dimmer and one standard.

PROBLEM - When either 3-way switch is flipped, the two recessed lights on the left come on extremely weak and flicker, regardless of dim level. The two recessed lights on right work fine, no problems. Also, if you flip either 3-way switch off/on quickly the weak lights (on left) flicker bright one time, then come on fine. If lights are turned off for more than 10 seconds, then problem is back. Turning off/on in under 10 seconds all 4 lights work fine.

Is it possible the LEDs are bad, maybe dimmer is bad or not compatible? Or should I go back and recheck every wire connection? Thanks for any help/advice.


texts: Sistering a damaged joist with 2 smaller pieces of wood

texts:
I am trying to repair some water damage below an ensuite shower on the upper floor of a house. The room is only 120cm wide and the wet rot damage is isolated to the joist directly below. The damage to the wood at the end of the plank which is resting on a concrete wall below. The joists are 225mm high and as of right now are not showing signs that they will collapse.

I have removed all of the loose wood shards and I have treated the damaged areas with a wood hardener. The joists live in the floor cavity which is the same height as the joists. Because the bathroom is only 120cm, there is no way I can get a 3 meter long beam under the shower without ripping up a huge portion of the floor in the room next to the bathroom and dropping the new joist down to sister it to the damaged joist. It is possible for me to get a 75mm plank under the floor without having to damage any walls or floors. Here is my proposed solution using 75mmx35mm planks that are sistered to the damaged joist. Would this be enough to reinforce the damaged joist?


texts:
I'm rewiring this device and the board on the device has these white plastic connectors. The existing wires terminate in a sort of metal slug that makes them a snug fit in their slots on the connectors.

What is the name of these terminators/fittings? Are they available at hardware stores?


texts: Alternate LED controller for LED light fixture

texts:
My wife and I bought and installed this light fixture the other day.  We've been satisfied with the look, however, the LED controller and remote that came with it are absolutely awful.
We were hoping it would be possible just for us to buy our own LED controller, preferably one that works with our current LED-compatible (Leviton) wall dimmer-switch and let's us permanently set the color temperature (I hate remotes).  Is this feasible?
All the lights in the fixture are 3-wire and are wired in parallel, so I would expect any controller with a 3-wire setup and sufficient wattage would work, but I don't know much about what resistance they expect on the output or frequencies they operate at.

Edit: For clarification I am referring to changing the AC:DC converter in the fixture.


texts: Switching wiring from one transformer to another

texts:
I am considering getting a Nest Hello doorbell. The requirements state:

  Nest Hello needs to be powered by wires delivering 16 - 24 V AC, and
  at least 10 VA (in North America)

I had a brief look at the electrical panel, and I see that there are two transformers

The one on the left (with red, green, yellow wires) is a 16V-10VA transformer. The one on the right (with black and white wires) is 10V-5VA.

As far as I suspect (and I haven't confirmed yet), the right one is the one that is likely used for the doorbell. So obviously using that with Nest Hello won't work.

My question: do I need to get a new transformer to replace the existing 10V-5VA, or can I just move the black and white wires over onto the left transformer?


texts: Ceiling fan lights brighten when fan turned on

texts:
The LED lights bulbs in my ceiling fan all went dim this week. The lights themselves are OK because they work fine in other lamps. When I turn on the fan, though, the lights go back to original brightness. Aside from the pull cord, the lights can be controlled by a dimmer switch on wall, although the bulbs I'm using don't have adjustable dimming.
Why is this happening? I've seen issues of ceiling fan lights going dim when the fan is turned on, but not the opposite.
Upon Ack's suggestion, I did some experiments:
Initial state: ceiling fan has 3 fixtures and 2/3 fixtures have bulbs. Both bulbs are 9W. Both bulbs are dim
Experiment 1: both bulbs work at full brightness in other lamp fixtures
Experiment 2: put new 13.5W bulb in ceiling fan fixture. 1 fixture has 9W and other has 13.5W bulb. Both bulbs turn on at full brightness without turning ceiling fan on
Experiment 3: put new 9W bulb in ceiling fan fixture. Both fixtures have 9W bulb. Light dim in both
Experiment 4: put new 9W bulb in 3rd fixture. All three fixtures have 9W bulb. All bulbs dim
Experiment 5: 1 fixture has 13.5W bulb, and rest have old 9W bulbs. All bulbs bright
Not sure what's going on here.


texts: How can I stop the humming produced by my water heater blower motor?

texts:
Plumber installed a new Bradford White 75 gallon gas water heater with power vent. The first blower motor started a high-pitched whine/squeal (bad bearing?) approx 6 months after install. Motor was replaced, and it was fine for a month. New motor started loud HUMMING noise (not squealing, as before) a week later. Replaced that one, too. Third motor is now in place and also humming immediately after install.

I suspect the humming, which can be heard on the second floor, is similar to what a previous poster mentioned (harmonic resonance hum in PVC). The PVC vibrates, and I'm wondering if it is transferring this noise through the floor (which is our living room) joists. The plumber had also exchanged metal straps for plastic j-hooks because he thought that might help the vibration noise, but that made the humming worse. Any ideas on how to deal with this? It's not just an annoyance; you can feel the vibration through the living room floor.

Everything is within code in terms of distance and diameter of PVC venting. Plumber doesn't know what else to do....help!


texts: Can't reattach rail onto Hunter Douglas bracket

texts:
My bedroom window has a Hunter Douglas Vignette shade. Since I bought thr place the shade has fallen occasionally and it's always a pain to get back up. Is there a trick to reattaching? Right now one is solidly in, two are loosely in. First picture is secure, second is not.

It doesn't seem to be about force, but finesse. I'm afraid the lightly attached bracket will fall again tonight, or even worse in the middle of the night.
Thanks for your help.
Edit:  I found the manual online (should have been an obvious first step but I didn't even know it was Vignette until just now).  It shows a rotational action to get the piece to snap into place.  In the meantime it's firmly wedged in there and won't come out, so it's good for now, until it falls again, at which point I'll try to fix it properly.


texts: Upgrade to Smart Switch for a Post Light?

texts:
Our old (circa 1970) house has a post light out front. The switch is in an inconvenient location and is thus never used, so I thought I'd drop in a smart switch - a Belkin Wemo, in this case - to replace the old one and just put it on a sundown timer.

Here's the old switch:

Only one of the switches on there was actually active.

Per usual with this old house, all three of the wires connected to that switch were black so I have no idea which any of the wires were. The only one I marked with blue painter's tape was the the third switch which was screwed on below the other two, which were attached opposite each other up top.

Through the usual trial and error I have found two configurations which will power the smart switch on - basically swapping the "load" and "power" lines on the Wemo switch.

My problem is that neither configuration will light the bulb on the post light up. The LED bulb we had out there, which worked fine on the old switch, flickers on and off faintly. A halogen bulb I swapped in didn't light up at all.

So I'm not really sure how to proceed. I'm familiar with lights that either light up or don't, but a light that is sort of on but not really is a new one for me.

Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated. In case it makes any difference or would be useful, I do have a continuity tester.


texts:
I need to miter a new crown molding to an existing outside crown molding.

Similar to this stock photo:

My old school crown molding looks like this:

Can I assume the angle is 45 degrees?
Is this a compound miter?  On my chop saw I need to cut the piece upside-down because it only bends one way on the vertical.  Is the base angle 45 and the vertical tilt angle 45?

My scrap cut didn't look right and this special order crown is expensive.

EDIT:
Pictures of my saw


texts: How do I replace a triple dimmer switch to a much smaller conventional switch?

texts:
Our kitchen lights are playing up, they're halogen spotlights controlled by a dimmer switch, and one by one they're either refusing to switch on, coming on if the dimmer is halfway on but off when it's fully on, or (weirdest) slowly moving between on and off and on again without touching the switch.

I feel like the first step here is to change to a normal switch - does anyone who knows more than me think not? But the dimmer switch is 18cm wide and it looks like triple conventional switches are much smaller. When I take the switch off the wall, will I be able to take the metal box out, put a smaller one in and use filler or something to fill the gaps? Or is there another way?


texts: Will thicker o-ring stop this faucet leak?

texts:
My countertop dishwasher requires attaching an adapter to the kitchen faucet. My landlord replaced the faucet yesterday (which had a leak in another place regardless of dishwasher). Now when I attach my dishwasher hose and turn on the water, water leaks between the adapter and the faucet. It doesn't leak with the aerator it came with.

Do I need a thicker o-ring for the adapter? The ring the adapter came with already reaches above the threads.

(I'm guessing this wasn't a problem with the old faucet because the pressure was lower.)

Left: dishwasher adapter. Right: aerator the faucet came with

Faucet with adapter and dishwasher hose attached


texts: Is it safe to drill in this sliding door frame?

texts: I would like to make a hole right where the cyan marking is (vertically above the existing screw head which is part of the frame assembly). This is basically a metallic door frame which happens to be on the corner where two sliding doors meet. I need to the hole to attach something to the frame. I've only done a bit of drilling into walls. Is there something I should take into account here? Which anchor should I use? Could this mess up the door somehow? Thanks.


texts: How can I tell if my furnace common wire is "properly grounded"?

texts:
I've been experiencing occasional short cycling of my A/C compressor (turns on/off quickly several times in a row) and Nest senior support is speculating that my common wire may not be properly grounded.  Again this only happens intermittently and seemingly random.  My HVAC checked coolant levels, coils, etc.  All are fine (A/C unit is 6 months old).  I've also tried another thermostat (Emerson Sensi) and still has same issue.

Here are pics from the Goodman furnace control board.  I do not see any wires screwed into the chassis.  Not sure if I'm looking in the right place.

https://imgur.com/a/GltqBTe

Thanks!


texts: 6" Ducting straight to in-wall rectangular ducting

texts:
I have a vent for the microwave-range that goes from an interior kitchen wall to the outside of the house. I need to re-locate this, but I can't move the exterior vent fixture. It currently comes in the house with a 6" galvanized ducting pipe about 18" long before it transitions to flex duct.

Is there an immediate 90 degree elbow that I can put directly on the outside vent so that as soon as it comes in the wall, it goes vertical within the studs, instead of jutting into the house so far? I would like to essentially go up with it about 8 inches and then transition it back to the flex pipe.


texts: Existing outlet, metal junction boxes, new circuits, and ground

texts:
I have an existing 15a outlet in the wall of my garage (in-wall nm 14/2). I want that outlet to serve another area, so I've added junction box on top of the outlet and used EMT to run another direction (my "A" circuit in the picture).
I decided I needed a few extra circuits in my garage as well, so I'm running 2 new 20a circuits from the panel through metal junction boxes and EMT (the "B" circuit). This new run of thhn will include 2 hots, 2 neutrals, and 1 ground - all 12ga.
Now, the original outlet that was in the wall is where I actually outlets from the new circuits, so that box is acting as a pass-through for the original "A" circuit, but will have outlets tied to the new circuit ("B") there (top left, dotted area where the circuits collide).
TLDR; My question:
How do I attach ground between these 2 disparate circuits (15a/14ga vs 20a/12ga)? Do I just pigtail them to the boxes and not worry about? Ultimately, I think my only real concern is a ground-loop situation.


texts:
I'm joining 4 rough-cut boards together to make a work table. There's about an inch of variation in width on each side of the board, so I have to plane the sides before gluing them together.

How can I get a base "straight" line to plane against when both sides of the board are crooked? Ideally the 4 boards would plane down to straight sides, so the resulting joined surface also has straight sides.


texts: Making backer board level with old 3/4" sheetrock

texts:
My daughter bought a house that was built in 1940.  We are re-doing the lower walls and tub surround, the latter was collapsing into the tub and held up by Scotch tape.  The lower portion of the room had stamped plaster tiles over a metal mesh, but the top was, to my surprise, sheet rock.  (I didn't know that even existed in 1940, but perhaps it was added later.)  Anyway, this sheet rock is 3/4" thick.  I need to make the cement board level with it.  My preference is to use 1/4" cement board over - something.  I was thinking 1/2" green board.  (I didn't want to shim out all the studs, but I can do that, if necessary.)  I would then waterproof the cement board.  Does that (1/4" cement board over 1/2" green board) sound like a reasonable plan?  I was not planning to put up plastic vapor barrier, btw; it's my understanding that a stud-oriented vapor barrier shouldn't be necessary with sealed cement board.

I will also have to use some similar approach on the remaining lower walls, although I will not need the cement board there.  My original thought was a 1/2" green board topped with 1/4" green board, but I don't see that latter thickness available.  Do I have to shim, instead, or should I be able to use regular 1/4" sheet rock under the green board?

Thanks very much.


texts: Is pre-mixed ethanol-free fuel better than mixing yourself?

texts:
I just invested in a very nice 2-cycle string trimmer and I want it to last.  I have always used stabilizer in my fuel for my 4-cycle lawn mower.  I know that ethanol attracts moisture and the stabilizer does not let the water separate and sink, thus rusting out components.  I also know that ethanol used to break down seals and fittings, but that manufacturers use better material now that are okay in the presence of ethanol.

Is using a fuel stabilizer and mixing the oil myself just as good as using an ethanol-free fuel?  I have read some reviews of the pre-mixed fuels where a lack of lubrication (caused by quality control at the manufacturer plant) have caused pistons to seize up in the cylinders.

I don't care about the cost of the pre-mixed fuel as I wouldn't use much in an entire season; the question is more about the benefits and risks.


texts: Removing light fixture causes circuit breaker to trip

texts:
I was replacing a ceiling light fixture with a lower one. I had turned off the circuit breaker to remove the lamp and disconnect the 3 wires - black, white, and bronze. Then, I tried to turn the circuit breaker on again ( after ensuring the wires are not touching one another ).

However, I am unable to turn on the circuit breaker switch as the tripped light turns on and doesn't even click when i turn the switch all the way on.

I have tried putting a new light in and then turning the switch on to see if that works, but that doesn't either.
I am not sure why this is happening.

Any advise would be appreciated.


texts: Replacing old thermostat with new wi-fi Honeywell

texts: I'm trying to replace my old mercury thermostat with Honeywell Rth8580wf. The cable has 8 wires, only 4 were being used. The wire colors and letters on the thermostat do not match up, so I'm left with red, white, yellow and green being unused. I tried to connect the red wire to terminal C, but the thermostat did not power up. I thought I could use any unused wire as a C wire, but please correct me if I'm wrong. If I can in fact use any wire, why doesn't it power up? I wish I could attach pictures, but can send upon request.


texts:
I was of the understanding that every trap needs a vent and that all the vents for all the traps tie into the vent portion of the main stack which vents through the roof.

I came across this diagram in a plumbing book and am confused why the laundry sink in the basement doesn't have its own vent? Instead, unlike the other fixtures in the image, it seems to rely on the vent portion of the main stack for its venting needs. What allows it to do this?

(uploading image isn't working right now, I'll try again later)


texts: How can I attach a curtain rail to a lath and plaster wall?

texts:
I need to attach a curtain pole (for a heavy curtain) above a window. To be consistent with another window in the same room, I'll need to affix a 4-inch wide strip of wood to the wall, and attach the curtain pole to that.

In a modern house with plasterboard walls, this would be fairly easy. However, my house is 130 years old, and the walls are lath-and-plaster with old-style, horsehair-bound plaster. This means that most fixings won't work, and I think I'll need to attach the wooden strip to the vertical studs in the wall.

However, I'm at a loss to know how to find the vertical studs behind the plaster. How can I do this? Do I need to remove a section of plaster?


texts: Why aren't phase-change heat pipes more common in homes?

texts:
Laptops contain very efficient heat pipes, which can transfer heat over long distances with extremely low thermal resistance, hundreds of times more efficiently than pure copper.

It seems to me that these would be very useful in the home for transfering heat from E.G. the radiator of a freezer to the outside of the house. This would be especially useful in summer time when the freezer is heating the house while the AC is trying to cool it.
But I can't find any examples of this technology being used in homes.
Question: Are there any examples of heat pipes being used in homes, either to pump unwanted heat outside, or to distribute heat around the home? If not, why?


texts: Help with plumbing a drain for a new shower? (with example picture)

texts:
Currently redoing our master bathroom, placing a shower where a tub used to be but also modifying the plumbing in the process to accommodate the new shower pan.
I have two choices to route the new shower drain to, the old tub plumbing in purple or the old shower plumbing in orange.  If I go to the purple line I have to go through two joists as well as deal with a hard to reach existing p trap which is under a closet wall.  I can't go directly to the 90° sweep that's in the same joist space as the new p trap because of how close the sweep is to the top plate of the first floor and the existing joist so my next option is to hop over to the next joist space and tap into the orange line with something like a sanitary T.  What I'm not sure of is if this is an illegal use of a sanitary T and or will there be venting problems.  Unfortunately I can't tap into the vertical vent pipe because it's already been finished with backer and tile on the wall as well as the floor.
Thanks for your help!

*Picture not exactly to scale! :)
Bottom line is can I use the sanitary tee (in green) as I proposed in order to vent and drain the shower?


texts: We have an unusual odor in our house. It doesn't smell like garbage, or anything rotten, just a sharp pungent smell as soon as you enter the house. It almost smells like stained wood that has got wet. We have log siding on the outside of our house, and all our baseboards and crown molding are wood that has been stained. We also have wood railings and doors. Could it be the stain that is on the wood making that smell? After a day we get used to it and don't notice it, but if we've been away a couple of days, we smell it as soon as we open the door. The house doesn't have a clean, fresh smell to it, even though I clean it often. Any ideas what it could be? Need help!


texts: First cooling problem then buffle switch error

texts:
I have been waiting for my refrigerator do defrosting manually for the past 2 days. I have decided to do this because there was water leakage to the bottom section of the fridge and got an error saying "defrosting resistor (heating coil) or open fuse error". The pictures are below showing the condition of the freezer before manual defrosting.

After putting all the parts back and plugging all the sockets I noticed that the lighting of the bottom section do not work. I thought that I messed up with the sockets. Then I changed the places of 2 sockets with each other and one of the lights came on but the other one was blown. On the screen I saw the second error code about the buffle switch (probably something related with the part below called damper). The pictures of the device is below. Is there any way of testing it with multi-meter to see if it is damaged or not? I am also not familiar with the resistors so the resistor on the picture below is okay to have a dark color?

Damper - sscd.co.kr/bbs/content.php?co_id=en_02_02_07_01

Also what is this part below? I have found this at the bottom section of the fridge. Can this part be measured? It looks like a thermometer and its socket has two pins on it.

P.S: Cannot post other picture because of reputation problem!(additional pictures are in the comments section)


texts: Can I hang a key hanger without attaching it to a stud?

texts: I am trying to mount a key hanger on a wall, I drilled two holes in the dry wall, they went right through with little or no resistance, I'm guessing because there was no stud behind the wall. I stuck two plastic anchors into the holes, am I safe to hang that key hanger from the holes without ripping up the wall?


texts: How to locate In-wall speaker cables (behind dry wall)

texts:
I moved into my new house about a year ago and discovered a wall plate that has 4 pairs of speaker wires stuffed in there. According to the labels on the ends of the wires, there are speakers for our patio, family room, living room, and kitchen. The patio speakers are actually connected and work just fine. But the others must be just hanging behind the walls in the various rooms (The previous owner chose not to install speakers).

So does anyone know how to trace or locate these cables without opening up the walls? Is there some kind of signal or ping that I can send down the cables and then have a way to locate them through the dry wall?

Any help would be hugely appreciated!


texts:
I have what used to be a basketball court in my backyard. Its roughly 20x20 feet. I've already removed and sold the basketball hoop. On the end where the hoop was theres concrete piling sunk below the ground level.

The asphalt is breaking apart on its own in some places. Under the asphalt is a stone/sand mix, its a lot like what I'd put under stone block in other masonry projects.

How in the heck do I remove this pad?

Is it as simple (and backbreaking!) as digging up the asphalt and underlayment and replacing it with topsoil?

Are there any alternatives? I had considered just breaking up the asphalt but not removing it then building a raised garden bed on top of it. The idea being the broken up asphalt would drain. Of course thats still work since I have to build and fill the raised bed.

I seriously doubt the previous owner followed code, but what would the 'standard' way be to build one of these pads? Are there any other surprises waiting for me?

How do I remove the concrete piling for the hoop? Dig it out? Jackhammer?


texts: Adding a 100A breaker in front of a feeder

texts:
OK, in a rehab of existing outlets I came across a 30A dryer receptacle on a 50A breaker with 12/3 AWG.

Needless to say I am not happy. In looking at the breaker box, the white and bare ground are inserted into the ground strip. And they were twisted together in the 30A receptacle.

This b box comes directly off the 100A service and NOT through the main panel.

What I am looking into is to add a 100A double throw breaker box from the service line in front of the 50A box, change the wire to 6/3 AWG and replace the receptacle to a 50A outlet to use as a 40A range circuit. I've got a 3 wire 50A range cord to go with it.

Does this sound safe and do I still twist the white and bare together at the outlet box?
Thanks fellas.

Well, I am not at the location and AFAIR there was no panel info on the box.

After you guys asked more ? I am beginning to think that replacing this box with the new C-H box I have and putting in new 50A breakers and call it good.

Although, I'd like to have a means to shut this circuit down from the service line if need be. This line from there runs through the attic down through the eave.


texts: Allure interlocking floating floor ultra tile. How do I get the final pieces on the opposite or interior walls to lock into place.

texts: What is the best way to get the "final" pieces to interlock when you are either up against the opposite wall or any interior wall.


texts:
Just moved to a 30 year old house. Light in laundry never goes off. Turning the wall switch on or off will brighten the light but it never turns off. I removed the switch completely and taped off the bare wires but light stays on.
Spoooky


texts: What could be causing this strange intermittent sound?

texts:
I've seen that there are already some questions about odd sounds but I thought if anywhere is likely to provide a specific answer or a suggestion, here would be a good place to look.

I have a beeping sound that goes off from what appears to be the fridge, I only assume that because it can only really be heard in the kitchen, and its coming from that corner. It happens around about 1-2 times a minute, it isn't particularly loud but I can notice it.

I've managed to make a short video of the sound which I took on my phone, then cut, cleaned and boosted the audio so you should be able to hear it.

I've already made a note of other suggestions on this page but if anyone know exactly what it is already that would be cool.


texts: Neutral shows only continuity to hot with breaker on

texts:
I have a GFCI receptacle that as far as I can tell is the first one from the panel (because nothing else is off in the house when the breaker is off). I have to replace the old outlet.

When the breaker is on, I attach my Klein voltmeter to the hot and neutral and only get a continuity reading (beep) but no voltage (shaking and reading on voltage dial).

If I then test the hot to ground I get voltage (both beep and reading)...

I don't get it...how could this happen? Searched online for a while but can't find an answer :( thanks for any pointers!

UPDATE: I checked the panel and the neutral is firmly attached to the ground bus. However when i disconnected the neutral and hot at the panel (with main breaker off) they did not have continuity with the neutral and hot wirenut together on the receptacle end . I'm wondering if the neutral is then compromised and touching ground somewhere?


texts: Cold or lukewarm water coming out of the hot water tap

texts:
After shutting off the water for several hours to install new sink and toilet now I have warm,almost hot water coming out of every faucet from the cold tap. It takes a full minute for it to get cold.

My plumber is stumped.

Can you help?


texts: How to open the cover of flush mounted ceiling light dome to change light bulb

texts:
I have mounted ceiling light dome that can't twist, pull, push or open in order to change light bulb.
It looks like this:

I have tried twisting it counter-clockwise,clockwise with bear hands, with latex glows, tried pulling it down and nothing moves it one bit. I have noticed 3 small holes on the upper side that are visible on the second picture, but because of there position and size it is impossible to reach screws (if there are any) with screwdriver.
I don't even know what model is this light-fixture, because I moved in new apartment recently.


texts:
I am trying to replace a standard one pole switch with a dimmer.  When I took off the switch the grounding screw was not attached to anything and I can not see a grounding wire in the box.  The house was completely renovated by a developer in 2012 and my impression is that new electrical installations should have grounding (although I realize there may be additional rules around GFCI, etc). My questions are:
 1) what should I do about grounding?
 2) should this switch have had grounding?

Attaching images of the switch, box and circuit breaker.  Not the box has additional wires because there is another switch box behind it for the room on the other side of the wall

Thanks


texts:
I am doing a new build. The floor is burnished concrete done by High Trowel finish during concrete pour. I need to protect the floor afterwards.
What is the best way to protect a burnished concrete floor during construction?
Any ideas?


texts: Zoned oil furnace and AC thermostat question

texts:
I recently moved into a new home and wanted to replace the old thermostats with digital Honeywell ones. From what I understand the home has a Rheem 10 Seer (1996) compressor and a Williams oil furnace installed in 2012 (not sure of the exact model). The system is zoned via dampers with a master thermostat downstairs (this one can switch between heat/cool and fan on/off) and a secondary thermostat upstairs (just temperature control on this one).

My problem is that I can't figure out why my main thermostat has a B and an O wires. Full list of wires with labels:

B - black wire
O - orange wire
G - green wire
Rc + Rh (via jumper) - red wire
Y - yellow wire
W - white wire

Master thermostat picture:

The secondary thermostat is even stranger with what seems to be incorrect labels/wire colors. It has three wires with what seems to be labeled like this:

W/Heat - white wire
R/Com - red wire
B/Cool - green wire

Secondary thermostat picture:

Instructions page from the new thermostat for conventional systems:

Which wires would I connect these on the Honeywell thermostat, and which settings should I choose in the setup?

UPDATE: I called Honeywell's help line and they redirected me to a zoned help line (800-828-8367 option #5). There a very knowledgable sounding person told me that my thermostat is not compatible with zoned systems. He said that the B and O wires here are used for controlling the dampers in the ducts. His recommendation was to get a RTH2410 or RTH2510 (newest models with no screws on front plate). The manuals for these suggest that they do accept B and O wires in non-heat pump situations.


texts: What's with this weird kitchen 120V circuit with 240V on it?

texts:
Duplex outlet with 2 hot blacks, one hot white, a neutral and a ground. Oh yeah, connected to two breakers too. Can anyone help me unravel this mess?
I was planning to switch out this kitchen outlet to a GFCI when I found this mess. Two hot blacks, and two whites (one of them hot) spliced and then connected to the neutral side. I'm not sure what to do, but I'd like to have a GFCI on this outlet.
Upon testing with a multimeter, I got the following readings:
Ground to Black 1: 121.5
Ground to Black 2: 115
Ground to Hot White (which it was spliced to): 119.6
Ground to Neutral: 0
Black 1 to Black 2: 236
Black 1 to Hot White: 240
Black 2 to Hot White: 2.8
When I turn off breaker 2, and leave breaker 1 on, I get the following readings:
Black 1 to Ground: 0
Black 2 to Ground: 115
Hot White to Ground: 119
When I turn off breaker 1 and leave breaker 2 on, I get the following readings:
Black 1 to Ground: 121
Black 2 to Ground: 0
Hot White to Ground: 0
In addition to all this, when I had the wires disconnected from the duplex, all the other outlets in the kitchen (with the exception of one) had a reading of "HOT/GRD REV" on my outlet tester. When the mystery outlet is wired as it was before, all the same outlets read CORRECT.
I'd love to get a GFCI outlet installed, and to also know that my house is correctly and safely wired, especially as we have an infant.
Does anyone know what the heck is going on with this outlet?
Here are some photos:

https://photos.google.com/u/1/share/AF1QipN3m5nqBURWY4oN9h7K5CfYLqIIR7ZYJ9MdddSmTmQtP23KN95ig_qnJNaj8L8nBA?pli=1&key=X2FTblhZbzJWRW5XR2JTenJEc09VUU0zMkEtTFB3


texts: Can I re-shape a heating coil that has been stretched out of shape?

texts: I got a new heating element and my son decided to pull the spring and stretched it out of the top holders, but didn't break anything. Can I just coil them back up and use it or they need to be apart so far not touching? Thanks.


texts: Options and advice for two-point aerial yoga hammock

texts:
I'm looking to hang an aerial yoga hammock in our garage from 2 attachment points. I'm based in Australia which might change some of my measurements/ratings so sorry in advance!

I can use a manhole to access one third of the ceiling. The rest of the ceiling is under our second level, blocked by an i-beam with the brick wall on it (flanges are around 7mm thick).

The part I can access has MGP10 rated joists around 35x90mm in size.

So my question is: can eye hooks be used directly in the joists/flange as long as they are correctly rated and supported on top with a washer/plate? Or would spanning a large beam across multiple joists then drilling into that (or another solution) be the preferred method here?

It's not a passive hammock, so due to jumps/drops of a few feet most guides recommend around 800kg+ bearing capacity to avoid surprises.

Hiring a specialist is another option but most guides recommend finding a certified rigger which doesn't seem to be getting many matches around here (maybe we call them something else).

Edit:

Photo inside roof: https://imgur.com/MwCyOE4

Some rigging ideas: https://www.aerialyogaonline.com/rigging-residential/


texts: Is cement board a better soundproofing material than 5/8 drywall?

texts:
Cement board has a higher density than 5/8 drywall. It also probably, and this is just a guess, probably has a lower resonance as well (being cement), so less sound should get through.

5/8" drywall is about 2.2lb per sqft.
1/2" cement board is 2.355 lbs per sqft.

The price is comparable between the two, with cement board being a little more expensive but not by much. 1/2" cement board comes in 3' x 5' sheets, at about $10 each (about 67 cents per sqft). 5/8" drywall comes in 4' x 8' sheets at about $15 each (about 47 cents per sqft).

Is 1/2" cement board a better soundproofing material than 5/8" drywall?


texts: I have one radiator which is leaking from bottom, not the valve. I'm not sure solder would work. Wondering if there's website or place in MA I can purchase a new one?


texts: Sliding Door Frame Slightly Bent Towards Center

texts:
I recently moved into a new house and have noticed that the sliding door frame slightly bends toward the inside of the house.

If you open the door and stand perpendicular to the door in the door opening, the edges of the frame (where the door slides into) look similar to 2 right parenthesis.
))

Sliding the door in, it kind of gets stuck on the inside bend, but it is easy to push through it
)|)

I will share real picture below. The parenthesis just give an exaggerated idea of the shape because it is hard to see in the picture/video.

Is this a structural problem? Is there a way to straighten it out? Can I just leave it as-is?

Video: https://youtu.be/-oW9U2vsUl8

Picture:


texts: Build shelves into wall, but is it load bearing?

texts:
I am planning to install built-in shelving only as deep as the studs in my wall.  There are several things that give me pause that I have questions on.  1) the stud sensor is telling me that the studs are doubled up.  I'm wondering if this is a load bearing wall as, 2) the wall has the family room on one side and the guest bath on the other, but above it on the second floor it is an outside wall as there is only a roof over the guest room and bath.  3) There is a vent pipe right down the center of where I want to locate the shelves, if the wall is load bearing how can I re-route this, & 4) if it is load bearing, will I need to build headers in as if I were installing a window?

Thanks,
Eric

Update:
We have decided that messing with the wall, as it is surely load bearing (based on your answers), is not a great idea.  Since we wanted a simple project & not to completely restructure the wall we looked at alternative options.  We have decided to makes some floating shelves that will still give us the depth and also hold the decorations.

Thanks for your help!
Eric


texts: Leaving a hot wire in the wall or ceiling

texts: I am redoing a ceiling fan with new wiring. I have the walls open at the switch box. There is an old knob & tube hot wire coming in and then it goes out to the ceiling fan. I have run new wiring to the ceiling fan and have put an outlet right below where the new plastic box is going for the switch. I can't find where the feed is for the hot wire, it is somewhere in the ceiling. I have gone to the other fixtures that are on the same breaker and don't see the hot wire being fed from there. What do I do with this?


texts: To keep or not to keep: attic panels in a closet

texts:
I have two of these wall panels in a walk in closet:

Behind them is crawl space over a garage ceiling:

I’d like to remove the panels and replace with flat drywall, effectively closing this space off permanently.

In regard to the integrity of the home; is there any important reason I should not close off this space? I’m fine with eliminating the small amount of potential storage in exchange for a nicer closet finish.