texts:
I am trying to repair my backpack whose straps wore down. I decided to replace them with bands of heavy duty plastic-like fabric that I found. Unfortunately, it is very hard for me to push a sewing needle through the bands. I can do it if I grip the needle with pliers and apply all my force.

In the end, I used a metal band with some bolt nuts. The solution seems to work, but I am afraid that the sharp edges will cut me open like a trout one day. Also for some reason people collecting money for charity organizations no longer stop me on the street.

My mom has a sewing machine, but she seems reluctant to let me use it. I am also not sure whether it will be strong enough to pierce through the fabric.

Is there some simpler way to connect such sturdy pieces of fabric?


texts: My dishwasher backs up my sink when the water is expelled during the washing. Eventually the water drains and I can use my sink no problem. What can I do to prevent my sink from filling up?


texts: 3-way switch wired with jumper between load and traveller

texts:
Background -- I've been replacing all the switches in my house with casetta smart switches. On 3-ways, I've been abandoning one of the switches and replacing with the lutron remote controls. The original/builder/owner of this house was an electrician and wired it himself, so he did a few odd/shortcut things.

Today I came across a strangely wired 3-way that I'm not sure what to do with. The existing 3-way switch feeding the load had a jumper between one of the travelers and the load (not sure what the point of this would be). On the source side switch, when I connect either of the travelers to the line, both travelers (on both switch sides, with the wires disconnected) become energized. I'm not sure what to make of that.

On the source side, I've wired the casetta with the line, one of the travelers, neutral and ground, leaving one traveler energized but abandoned/capped. The load switch/fixture works regardless of whether I nut together the load with either of the travelers or all 3 together. Does what I've done/any of this sound unsafe? Really not sure what to make of the extra hot traveler.

this is the supply box - the 2 blacks in the middle are the line. Black and red above/below are from the same cable and are the assumed travelers.

this is the box supplying the fixture. bottom black is the load, other 2 are the travelers.


texts: Brass screws stripping and snapping, what am I doing wrong?

texts:
I am hanging a new door and was told to use brass screws to attach the hinges.

When I drive the screw with a mechanical driver, the brass screws sometimes snap (head snaps off the shank), or strip. The frame is 70-year old redwood, and is quite hard.

What am I doing wrong? Are brass screws inherently brittle? Did I buy cheap brass screws?


texts: Why would a short cause the main breaker to trip instead of the branch circuit breaker?

texts:
In our home, we have two electrical panels. One main panel (in the basement) and a sub panel on the first floor. The lights to the kitchen on the first floor run to a breaker in this sub panel.

We installed a dimmer incorrectly and accidentally tripped the breaker in the sub panel. However, at the same time, the main panel in the basement shutoff and the entire electrical system shut down.

It was our understanding that when you cause a short, it would cause only the one breaker to trip, but not the entire system.

This has made us wonder if our main/sub panel setup is functioning correctly, or if there is an issue that requires further investigation. The installation of the sub/main panel was done by certified electricians.


texts: How do I find and eliminate a sickly sweet smell in my apartment with no obvious source?

texts:
Ever since the start of winter my studio apartment has been smelling quite bad. The smell is sweet and astringent, almost like rancid ice cream or sweet vomit. The apartment is only one room and a bathroom, and thorough investigations (i.e. sniffing) from several people, including the building managers, came to no conclusion as to where it originates. It seems that the smell is strongest in the middle of the room.

Since the smell seems to somehow be connected to the heat, I should mention that the apartment has one big baseboard radiator. There could possibly be something in between the fins although no particular portion of the radiator seems to emanate the smell. FWIW the managers seem to think that the radiator is not the source (although they do not have an alternative theory either). There is only one vent (in the bathroom) and it also does not smell, and turning the fan on and off in the vent makes no difference. The apartment is next door to an elevator shaft. The elevator does not smell, nor the hallway outside the apartment (unless the smell is really strong inside and seeps out the door, which sometimes happens). I checked outside the neighboring apartments, both on the same floor and one floor down (I live on the top floor) and none of them seem to have the smell emanate from the door.

Finally, none of the previous renters have complained about any smell to the management company. My questions are:

What could be causing the smell? Anyone know of perhaps drugs or animals that smell particularly sweet?
Who could I call that would be able to identify it?
What other ideas do you have in tracking down and/or eliminating the smell?


texts: Are there durable peel and stick tile options that can installed on the drywall above a vinyl shower/tub?

texts: The drywall above the edge of the tub peels and cracks and I'm looking for options on how to protect it. I am comparing the cost, feasibility and appearance.


texts: How to make a wall mirror out of mirror tiles?

texts:
I've got nine mirror tiles (30cm square, 4mm thick), and I want to fix them to a 90x90cm board to make a mirror to hang on the wall.

What kind of board would be best – MDF, particle board, plywood, something else?

I'm thinking probably plywood, because I'm going to need to screw something into it to hang it up, and I've heard that plywood's crossing grains are good for holding screws tightly. Also I know MDF can swell, and I'm scared that would break the mirror tiles. But to be honest I have little experience so I want advice on this.

I'm planning to set the mirror tiles flush to the edge of the board – so just the edges of the board will be visible from the side. I'll probably paint the edge grey or black.

Bonus question – would regular 'mirror adhesive' like this work OK? And is there anything else I should watch out for?


texts: What to do about particles floating in pool?

texts:
We just bought a home with a pool. I've done a bit of research online, and feel pretty comfortable with the system, but one thing is bugging me. Regardless of how long I leave our pump on (sometimes for 24 hours or more), when I look at the water, I see tiny debris throughout the surface of the pool.

I've tried using a pool net to scrape the top of the pool (several times) but the particles never really go completely away. Our pool is in a screen-enclosed area, so I don't think it's anything external.

We run a pool vac, which gets the bottom pretty clean, but I just can't seem to get rid of the smaller stuff floating on top. My next move I guess will be to recharge the DE filtration system... but I wanted to see if there are other causes for this that I could remedy before dropping $150 on a tech to come out and clean/recharge the filter?


texts: Why is electricity turning off as soon as fixture is connected

texts:
I have an older home where the vanity light fixture wires came out of the wall (with no box). I've decided to change the fixture and have also added an electrical box. Now When I turn the switch on, the pen tester gives me the beeping, so I must have electricity coming in. The problem is as soon as soon as I connect the wires for the light fixture, for some reason the electricity is gone (I put the tester on the hot wire and nothing). What might be causing this?

In the interest of full disclosure:

No breakers are tripping (I don't have to reset anything, as soon as I remove the fixture the wire is hot again).
The wires are not crossed
The fixture is working fine (I've connected it elsewhere and it works).

Thanks in advance for all your help.. I know I've likely made a silly mistake, and really appreciate your help.


texts: Why do utility companies sometimes offer incentives for having equipment that uses less of their product?

texts:
Originally asked as a follow up question, and lost in the controversy of Why would it matter whether a front-loading washer is upstairs? (They will only give me a free FRONT-loader if it's on the first or basement floors...)

Why they would only offer it in this way has been speculated about; how it is economically viable for the power company to do this at all, isn't.

The power and gas companies in my area have offered similar rebates and incentives that I would think to be counter-intuitive to their business. Why would the power company offer an incentive for having equipment that would use less power?

My less than educated guess is that it's a 'government thing' or they're somehow trying to deal with demand spikes. But the latter wouldn't explain why the gas company would give you a rebate for upgrading to a HE furnace or a programmable thermostat.


texts: What type of tradesman do I need if the downstairs of my house is too cold

texts:
I have bought a home and in winter the extremities of the ground floor are very cold. The original part of the building is the centre, and it has been extended in the front and the back. The main living areas are the open plan kitchen (which is the rear extension) and the lounge (which is the front extension). The boiler is in the loft, so when the heating comes on the upstairs radiators heat up first and then the downstairs radiators in the middle of the house. Lastly the radiators in the lounge and kitchen come on. They don't heat up as well as the others unless I turn as many of them off as possible. When the weather is very windy then there are lots of drafts.

I want to improve the situation, but I suspect it is a combination of my boiler not being 'man' enough to heat all the radiators, not enough radiators in some key areas, and unsatisfactory insulation. So I am looking for a tradesman who can advise me on what is required. However, I am not sure what type of tradesman I need. I fear that if I get a plumber in it will be diagnosed as a plumbing issue and if I get a builder in it will be a different conclusion.

So is there a type of tradesman who specialises in the broad subject? If yes what are they called and how do I find one.

If it is relevant I am in the UK.

Thanks.


texts: Ceiling Fan & Light, replacing 2 switches from ON / OFF to Fan / Light Dimmer control

texts:
New to Forum...Thanks in advance.

I had my painters put in a ceiling fan / light in place of a standard light. The light and fan function fine. There are 2 switches, one on either end of room, to turn on the power to the unit. The 2 pull chains at the fan / light control the light (off/on) and fan (3 speeds).

Making improvements to this room the last couple months, I want to put this fan / light on a dimmer. Legrand makes a Fan / Dimmer control switch. I have opened the current switch, and it is connected with black, white, and red wires to a grounded box. I have not yet looked at how the carpenter / painter wired the fan.

Questions - the new switches are for either single pole or 3 way, but they have many wires coming out of the back- pairs of black, yellow, green, and red...how do i connect this? And...can i use this Legrand Fan / Dimmer switch at each switch? I have been reading that you can only use one dimmer for one switch in 3 way switch applications.

the yellow tags for the one yellow cable and one red cable with the yellow sticker says 'use this in 3-way installations only.


texts: AC internal unit blow fan - cleaning mold

texts:
My internal unit has mold building up on the blower (see schematic below).

I'm not sure if it's mold or if it's dust, but I'm pretty sure it needs to be cleaned.

The only easy way to reach it is from the outtake (blue arrow in schematic)
but it's very hard to give it a proper cleaning from there. The openings are small and it's hard to remove all of the dirt/mold from the fans.

I used a pressure washer once, and it did a pretty good job, but I'm afraid this is not the optimal way to clean the unit - both because the water can possibly damage the unit (electricity and water) and the fact that it "blows" the dirt/mold instead of properly removing it from the unit (i.e, mold parts will fly all over the evaporator)

What's a good way to clean the blower, WITHOUT disassembling the whole unit (which is a pain)?


texts:
The following picture shows how one of my very heavy doors got "skewed" in the door opening. The numbers indicate the gaps between the door and the jambs on the sides. The door used to shut perfectly, but now, apparently as a result of the sagging, the strike of the lock no longer catches the latch.
I checked the hinges and they are super tight. In fact, nothing appears to be loose. Can you help me figure out what moved, how to prevent it from getting worse, and how to fix the damage that's already occurred.

Picture of the top hinge. Perhaps it's part of the problem?


texts: Are AC-DC 5V power supply modules legal in USA if mounted inside an outlet box?

texts:
I'm wall mounting a tablet and need to supply 5V.  I've seen posts on how this can be achieved but my question is specifically about these types of power supply modules:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=AC-DC+Power+Supply+Module+AC+1A+5W+220V+to+DC+3V+5V+9V+12V+15V+24V&_sacat=0

Is it legal in the USA to add an inline power supply like this behind a light switch or outlet in an outlet box?

EDIT:
So from all the great discussion here the best solution is to use a recessed electrical box plus an outlet with USB


texts: How can I mount an 12V transformer for LED lighting inside a wall?

texts:
The stairs to my basement has one light fixture at the bottom, and that casts a shadow on the rest of the stairs. I want to run a strip of LED lights up the crown molding or on top of the upstairs door to illuminate the whole area better. The plan is to aim them at the brightly painted walls for light diffusion.

I don't want the transformer to be showing though. In Massachusetts, I know low-voltage wiring is legal inside walls without a permit or inspection. And I'm confident in my abilities to run those wires safely.

My concern is piggy-backing the light fixture at the bottom of the stairs. Is it legal to strip the AC wires that go to the transformer and just wire them in with a wire nut, in parallel, to the existing wires? Or would I have to actually wire up an outlet and plug it in? Is it legal to have an in-wall outlet? Is there such a thing as in-wall rated 12V transformers?


texts: Will this DIY window fan setup help cool two rooms in our tiny, narrow apartment?

texts:
Before anything else, here's a visual aid (embedded below) to help you through this wall of text.

My friends and I are renting a second-floor apartment that’s basically one long corridor split into rooms. On one end is the big(ger) bedroom, whose window faces a major thoroughfare (window A). On the other end is a smaller bedroom, whose window faces a quiet street in an adjacent development (window B). In between them is the living room, whose only window consists of a rectangular opening near the ceiling on the wall shared by the big bedroom (window C). The living room has no exterior windows at all, and is not near enough the small bedroom to benefit from any airflow through window B.

We always keep window A closed to keep out the noise and pollution, but that means the big bedroom and living room hardly get any air and, being in a tropical country, the heat builds up like whoa during the day. Since we didn’t want to depend on airconditioning and are unlikely to be allowed to implement major renovations, I did a bit of research and found that mounting fans in window A and C might be our best option.

For the big bedroom, I designed a vertical sort of housing to be fitted with four fans (or a pair of twin fans). The upper two should draw the hot air out of the room, while the lower two should draw air from outside, but through a filter sandwich. This setup is to be mounted somehow in between the sliding glass panels of window A. We should be able to turn off each fan individually, using switches. The whole thing should be easy to clean, with the filters easy to replace (or remove for cleaning).

For the living room, I have this vague idea of installing a pair of fans in window C, but that seems to mean that I’d be dumping the hot air from the living room to the big bedroom, which ultimately means that window A’s four-fan setup will be handling two rooms. I’m not sure if it can even handle that.

My questions are:

Will this even work? I don't plan on operating the air-in and air-out fan sets simultaneously, of course, but I do realize I'm exhausting hot air into and drawing in new air from the same side of the building.
How do I mount it in between two sliding glass panels? Security won't be an issue as the whole window area is enclosed with a wrought-iron grill.
Size/power considerations: can this adequately ventilate 2 rooms?
Anything else I can improve?

A note on the diagrams: the colors for the four-fan setup are just to help me distinguish surfaces/components. The actual product, should it see the light of day, will likely just be painted white.

Any feedback is appreciated. I’m no ventilation expert (obviously); I just google stuff a lot and spend way too much time with Sketchup. If you guys have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.

Click any for a large image.


texts: What kind of timer can I use to maintain 7 day timing on an old setup?

texts:
I inherited maintenance of an old building. To control the main lighting, it has momentary rocker switches and bank of relays that are wired to the actual light fixtures.

So:
- Controls (switches) are low voltage (24VAC)
- Actual light fixtures are 120 VAC

I need to set up timer to turn lights off/on automatically, preferably a 7 day timer.

Where can I find such a timer?

(And wiring plan to tie it in?)


texts: Why is there open/deadspace under most wooden furniture

texts: I am in the design phase of a chest of drawers project, and it occurred to me that nearly every piece of wooden furniture I have seen has a 2-4 inch gap under it.  Often this has the furniture up on short legs, but even where the front/sides come to the floor, the back is open.  I am trying to figure out if there is a particular reason for this feature?


texts: Should I remove vinyl flooring to allow the floor underneath to dry out?

texts: We are renovating a 200+ year old house that had a dirt basement.  We poured a concrete floor and put vinyl flooring (snap-together, looks sort of like wood) over this.  The basement has gotten wet (no gutters yet, unfortunately) twice recently.  It does not look like the floor was glued down, so water has probably gotten under the vinyl.  My basic concern is mold--since I have four small children and plan to be in this house a long time, if necessary, we could remove the vinyl floor and just live with concrete floors in the basement.  My husband's office is in one room and he really objects to this idea (wants a nice office).  I go for safety over looks.  There is also dry-wall with wood shoe-molding.  We removed the molding to allow drying behind it.  I would appreciate any advice with respect to mold.


texts: Running low voltage wiring around HVAC equipment

texts:
I added a bypass humidifier to my forced air furnace. The control panel is mounted to the return duct, and the wiring runs from the panel into the furnace fan compartment.

Wires run from the water panel, from the control panel, and from the outdoor temp probe. I understand you don't generally have to protect/conduit 24V wire and all the originally existing thermostat wire is exposed (but neat). But while I tried to be neat and made most wire connections inside the furnace, it's kind of a mess with wires twisting how they like and 4-5ft of wire that runs along the side of the downflow return duct is totally unsecured.

How would the pros run it? I'm not a neat freak and I think I'm OK code-wise, but I'd like it to not look like a "homeowner special hack job".

In that same vein, what about securing the 1/2" vinyl drain tube? I can zip tie the end to the floor drain, but the tube wants to bend & twist, and it isn't neat at all right now.


texts: How can I figure out why this electrical receptacle is dead?

texts:
One of the rooms in my house has a 20A circuit. I plugged an 11A device to one of the receptacles in that room for the entire day. Walked away, came back and that device was powered down. I connected something else to the same receptacle to test it and the receptacle is dead.

All other receptacles in the same room and on the same circuit are working fine.

Is it possible this receptacle (120V, standard US) has its own fuse, and could that fuse be tripped by a device running constantly but without apparent fluctuations in current draw?


texts: How can I mate a stair skirt flush with the drywall below?


texts: My head hurts - 2 separate lights & 2 separate switches affecting each other

texts:
Update on dining room wiring! With pics! Here’s hoping some one can help me out!
A - switch with source line and line to light (B)
B - light with wire connecting to second light (C)
C - 2nd light (was ceiling fan without light) with clipped off wire and wire to switch (D)
D - single pole switch for 2nd light -C

Situation:
Switch A turns on light B and turns off light C (if it was on, if it was off it did nothing)
Switch D, if switch A was off, would turn on/off 2nd light C
- if switch A was on switch D did nothing

I hope that makes sense and now enjoy my pic skills

I have a situation in my dining room. It’s long so one side is the dining room light and the other end has a ceiling fan. Both have their own single switches. If the ceiling fan is turned on and running, and I turn on the dining room light the ceiling fan turns off. And vice versa. The incoming power goes thru the dining switch up to the dining room light over to the ceiling fan and then down to the fan switch. Any clue how I would fix that?


texts: Why does a subpanel need separate ground and neutral?

texts:
Why does a power sub panel have to have separate neutral and ground bars other than code satisfaction?

Does a sub panel need a main breaker if there is one at the main?

Also, does the sub panel need a ground wire connected back to the main panel in the same building?


texts: How can I clean and dry a lambswool applicator quickly?

texts: I'm refinishing my floor, sanding / stain / poly. One of the most frustrating things is clean up. In particular, the lambswool applicator. It cleans with mineral spirits but it takes forever to dry. It's also really hard to squeeze out the stuff from it. What do the pros do?  I have a hard time believing they are constantly touching mineral spirits with their bare hands daily, but I can't wring it out very well with gloves at all. I want to make ths process more efficient. Any other tips would be awesome for setup / clean up too.


texts: Flange recommendation needed. Old flange rusted. New floor higher than older pvc pipe lip

texts:
I recently removed the tile and a toilet for a bathroom reno to discover that the flange was completely rusted and the tile had been installed directly on the plywood subfloor. I removed the old flange with a Drenmel.

I need to install 1/4 inch cement board and then tile so my floor level will be raised by at least a half an inch. Which will be higher than the lip of old PVC flange rim(sorry I don’t know what that piece is called)

Can anyone please advise what the correct product would work as a replacement flange? I was thinking the Sioux Chief Push Tite or something similar. But I’m unsure if I can install those products with the pvc portion of the old flange (that lip the metal ring sits under) still connected to the PVC sewer pipe.   All of the videos and diagrams I have seen install directly into the straight sewer pipe.

See attached pic


texts: How can I get a drain cleaning bladder out of the drain?

texts:
My husband put a drain cleaning bladder on the hose to unclog our toilet.

Well it is now in the main drain - what's the best way to get it out?


texts: Legal requirements for generator installation?

texts:
I would like to have a standby generator installed for my house. Based on my own assessment of our electrical needs, along with my desire to have a slower-running generator to reduce noise, and my desire to get an adequate generator at the best price, I've made a preliminary choice of the Generac 22kW (RG022). This is the smallest propane-fueled generator in the Generac line that runs at 1800 RPM.

We have been working with a local dealer, who sells both Generac and Kohler products. My initial conclusions have been stymied by some assertions that the dealer has made, but which they have refused to provide documentation for:

They claim that "code" requires that either we install a generator capable of supplying the entire 400 amps that the home's panel could be configured for (the current service is, if I recall correctly, 320A and this is more a by-product of having the service split into two panels, because we have a detached garage with bonus room above, so there is one panel for each building), or we can instead hire an electrician to install a power monitor for a month and then size the generator based on the results of that monitoring.
They claim that, in spite of the statements by the manufacturer (e.g. "Can Be Installed Just 18" From a Structure - Capability to be installed 18 inches away from a structure, ideal for areas with tight lot lines.  Generac’s is the only manufacturer of standby generators to have 18” offset on most of its residential lineup."), we will be required "by code" to locate the generator a minimum of five feet from the building.

I keep putting "code" in quotes because that is literally the only information this dealer has provided to me, even after I ask for a more precise explanation, i.e. for them to provide me with an actual reference to the actual code that imposes these requirements. All they ever say is "that's what code requires".

My question is: are these actual legal requirements for the generator installation? If so, where are these legal requirements documented, and by whom are they imposed?

I guess a follow-up question would be: if these are in fact not legal requirements, what are the ramifications of just selecting and siting the generator according to my own preferences and expectations, instead of following the "requirements" as stated by the dealer?

For example, suppose I've miscalculated at some point, or maybe additional equipment is installed later on — what would happen if more load was put on the generator than its rated to provide? Would there simply be a sag in the voltage on the service from the generator? Or would it actually damage the generator and/or the electrical system in some way?

The house is in Washington State, which I presume affects to at least some degree what codes are applicable.


texts: Should I do away with the HVAC zone system entirely or spend the money to replace/update a non working system?

texts: I know nothing about this but I have a two story 2000 sq. ft home built in 2006. The zone system failed. To update it will cost alot. To do away with the two zone system is much less. I'm not sure how important it is to replace the multi zoned system.


texts:
I have water accumulated in my basement, that I squeezed out using towel. It was about 8 gallons of water in all. The only source I can see is the furnace whose surrounding is wet but I have never seen a running water from there other than being wet.

Previously (last year) I have seen water accumulated once due to what I thought was excessive rains but this time, it has been very dry outside.

Does this picture tells anything if this is the furnace indeed? Is the fix easy?

Update

I followed up with the answer and filled condensation pump with water. The motor does start and the tank gets emptied but what I noticed is the water starts to seeps through the furnace. I have provided pictures with red circles where water seeps.

It was difficult to determine if the water really gets out through the transparent hose which is very yellowish at this point. I watched several videos on youtube and typical issues seems to blockage of valve. Now I am not sure if that's the case given the water seeps through the furnace after pump action? Could the pump be pushing it in backward direction due to blockage?

Do you think there is still good chance I check for blockage and that could fix the issue or get new pump?

Update 2

I troubleshooted further and opened the condensation pump. The tank was extremely dirty dust collected over time over time and stuff hanging to walls and floaters. I guess that could block the valve if this stuff is getting pushed out.

I clean it, cleaned the valve and tested the condensation pump by itself and it's working great. When I fill it, the springs up the water with nice power as i have seen in youtube videos.

I put it back but unfortunately, this still didn't fix the issue! The water oozed out from furnace parts higher up after pump action.


texts: Are "1/4 turn" water supply valves more reliable than "multi-turn" valves? Or vice-versa?

texts: Aside from personal preference, is there any reason why I would want to buy a "1/4 turn" water supply valve instead of "multi-turn valves"? Is one technology/design clearly superior than the other in terms of reliability? Or is this purely just a style preference?


texts: What happens if I have two water heaters and one's over-pressure relief valve fails?

texts: If I have two water heaters with pressure relief valves and one heater miserably fails (ie over-pressure relief valve becomes "stuck close" and boiler also works at 100% duty cycle due to, for example, failed thermostat), then - would the other water heater with functioning over-pressure relief valve help with over-pressure condition created by the other boiler?


texts: Is a high electric bill for a pump house caused by a well pump running constantly?

texts:
I recently had to turn on the electric for a shared well in my name. I got a bill and it's as high as what my house bill is. The well is the only thing connected to the electric in the well house. We rewired it and replaced the pressure switch hoping to fix it.

Any suggestions what to do next?

Please keep in mind I know nothing about these, just want to relay info to my husband.


texts: correct direction for bathroom faucet to turn?

texts:
I had a plumber last week install/replace an old bathroom faucet. He remarked that the faucet I had provided (a special order slant back unit from a plumbing supply house) "was backwards." Link to faucet sales site.
This guy is a top plumber, well known and respected, been working at this for probably 20 or more years and everyone swears by him, so I didn't question it.
Now, after he rebuilt it, what I have is a faucet where the knobs rotate clockwise for hot and counter clockwise for cold. I did not notice until I was shaving and it seems wrong and I compared to other bathroom faucet and it was the opposite.
Does it matter? Is it a simple matter of swapping the faucet cartridges back if it bothers me?


texts: Please help me with temperature alarm system

texts:
I have a temperature alarm system in my office store room installed approximate 10 years ago by Siemens. This system gives a phone call to my mobile phone when the temperature goes above 25 degree Celsius. We have a dedicated land phone connection for this purpose. It stopped working a couple of days ago. I contacted Siemens, but they quoted me an unaffordable amount just for inspecting it (repair cost extra). So I want to repair it myself.

This system has an electronic mother board, which is connected to a modem (US robotics 56K message modem) through a 9 pin to 25 pin parallel cable (usually found in old printers). This modem is connected to a telephone line. I checked the telephone line with a normal phone and there is dial tone and I can make call from that (I have paid the bills). When I checked the modem all the lights are off. I planned to change the modem but shop keepers are telling me that this is model is discontinued and no longer available in the market. But one of the shop keepers told me that he can arrange it from abroad but for a very high price.

My question is that, do you think that simply changing the modem will help? Do modems need programming like we do with home internet routers? (If yes I can’t do it myself). Where do you think my mobile number is programmed? (on modem or on the Siemens controller).


texts:
I recently installed 2 new dimmer switches for new construction recessed lights in my living room (LED bulbs). At first these dimmer switches appeared to be working without issue.

However, a few day later I installed a doorbell transformer off of the same circuit that the dimmers are on. Later that day I noticed that the switches weren't turning on my lights anymore. I came back later and tried again and it worked. So then I proceeded to hit each switch a number of times, and noticed that sometimes the lights would turn on, and other times they wouldn't. I could not discern any noticeable pattern, it seemed totally random if they would turn on or not. Also of note, this dimmer has a locator light that turns off when the lights turn on. However, when the switch is flipped and the lights DON'T turn on, the locator light stays on.

I have not yet tried disconnecting the doorbell transformer to see if the switches go back to normal (quite certain this problem didn't exist before the transformer). I am going to try that tonight, but I don't see why that would affect anything.

Has anyone experienced this before? Any ideas on what may be wrong here?

The switch in question is a Legrand Radiant Tru-Universal dimmer switch.


texts: Can I use plastic as moisture barrier under fiber cement siding?

texts: I want to attach fiber cement siding planks to furring strips over concrete wall. My understanding is that I need some moisture barrier to prevent water from getting to the wood. So can I staple 6mil plastic for that purpose? The surface I am covering is very small - around 30sqf.


texts:
I am replacing my dryer exhaust vent. Here is a picture of the old one after I removed the cap.

I did my best to clean up the old caulking before adding the new tube and vent, which looks like this:

As you can see, it's not sealed very well against the brick. I'm not really sure how to go about that. I can't really just splork a bunch of caulking in there because the gaps are too big, especially in the grout lines.
The other side of the vent where the dryer hooks up is fairly well sealed, so I'm not too worried about that.

But for the outside, do I even need to worry about the sealing plastic cover against the brick? Or should I focus on sealing the metal tube, maybe with caulk or spray foam? The gaps around the tube are definitely caulkable, assuming I can take the plastic cover off the tube to get access.
Thoughts on approaches here?
FYI, I'm in Austin, TX and the dryer is located in the garage.


texts: Is there any reason (code or otherwise) to not vent one room into another?

texts:
I have a closet in my office that I'm using as a server room in my house. As I add more equipment in there, it generates a significant amount of heat, which is contributed to by the office itself (which has two computers).

My living room, on the other hand, with a seldom-used fireplace and large older window (both issues I plan to address in the future), tends to get very cold in the winter (US/Massachusetts).

It seems to me the obvious solution would be to put a small fan in the ceiling of the closet (where convection will naturally carry most of the heat), and put a duct in the attic crawlspace that exhausts into the living room. It may not contribute a whole lot of heat to the (much larger) living room, but if I can drop the office temperature by 2-3 degrees and raise the living room temperature even half a degree or so, it'd reduce the temperature gradient just a wee bit and maybe said gradient wouldn't be quite so noticeable when I leave the office and go into the living room.

Is there any reason I shouldn't do this? Please note that my primary concern is eliminating heat from the closet (as we all hopefully know, electronics don't really like getting too hot). Reducing temperature in the office would just be a happy side effect, and I figure dumping the heat into the living room is more efficient than just dumping it outside since I've already paid for the electricity that produced it.

EDITED for diagram and additional info:

Below is a diagram of the relevant areas. I'd like to avoid having the air blow on the armchair area (there are actually two along that wall)... I would like to vent the hot air more or less into the center of the room
so it's not blowing on anyone who's seated. I was thinking a louvered vent above the sofa's front edge (about 2-3 feet in from the wall), pointing inward to the room, would dump the heat into the living room without creating drafts for anyone in the seating areas.


texts: How should I store between 30 and 50 sheets of QuietRock ES?

texts:
I will spare the details of why I am buying this much QuietRock.  For now, let's just assume it makes sense and move on to my question.

As I said, I am buying a large quantity of QuietRock ES to soundproof several rooms and ceilings of my condo (trust me, I found it for a very good price).  I am going to need 30 for my initial job, but will be doing several walls downstairs a few months from now.
QuietRock ES weighs in at 2.6 lbs per sq ft, so that's a hair over 83 lbs per 4x8 sheet.  This maths out to 2,500 lbs for 30 sheets and 4,160 lbs for 50 sheets.  I need to find a way to store this!

I could use my garage, but drywall needs to be stored flat in a dry place.  I could use my upstairs guest room, but I am questioning the floor's weight capacity.  Assuming I get 50 sheets and use half, that's still 2000+ lbs that I will need to store.  That's a ton of weight.  (See what I did there?)

So what are my options are far as storing this heavy QuietRock?  If I can't, I guess I will just have the dealer ship it to me in smaller quantities as I consume it and just lose out on the bulk rate and pay even more in freight costs =.


texts: What water:cement:sand ratio gives the strongest mortar?

texts:
A typical mortar mix ratio is 1 cement : 3 sand. But what is the water ratio? Is it 0.5:1:3?

Would a 0.5:1:2 ratio be a stronger mortar?

Our next door neighbor has a dog that digs like a pro. The dog somehow manages to dig underneath some parts of our wire fence netting and get through. So I have thought of filling the holes with mortar.

I previously tried to fill the holes with concrete made with 0.5 water : 1 cement : 2 sand : 3 gravel, but the mix I made easily crumbled apart. Could that be because I bought gravel made of 0.5inch stones?


texts: How can I repair cracks at corners of tiled walls?

texts:
I recently had a bathroom renovated these cracks are appearing in the corner of shower cubicle where two walls meet . Obviously workmanship not been good but is this easily fixed with a reliable long lasting result.

Thank you


texts: What should I be aware of as I prepare to replace my bathroom vanity with a wall mount sink?

texts:
We have a super tiny master bath, and the sink, which is a vanity type is pretty destroyed. I think someone used some caustic cleanser on it or something. I'm thinking of replacing it with a wall mount sink and wondering whether I should be alert to any caveats as I embark on that project. My plan is to add a skirt to the new sink so I'm not super worried about exposing the plumbing.

I already replaced a spud inlet with the help of this forum so while I have no idea what I'm doing I'm reasonably confident that I'll work it out. Any tips?


texts: Why has one of my two propane fireplaces suddenly gone completely out?

texts: I have two open propane fire places one in my livingroom & the master bedroom right beside the livingroom. I have been using them both with out the logs in the fire place for a month or so now, anyway the one in my bedroom just shut off the polit light an all, the one in the livingroom is still on, they both are running off the same 100 lb tank that is new. I have been using them for almost two months now & never had this happen. I need to know what is going on I have small children in my home & will need them for heat & I won't sleep well till I know for a fact what the problem is or if I should let someone trained to look at it, my old man says he can fix it but I am a mom like I said an I am going to worry. Please someone help me figure out what is going on.


texts: Shaky, noisy and hard to open bi-fold doors

texts:
I have multiple closets with bi-fold doors and they all have the same issue: shaky, noisy and hard to open. It looks like the doors were installed using cheap sliding hardware. The doors are so shaky and noisy that I try to not open them.

I am dreaming of seeing those bi-fold doors opening and closing easily and with no noise. Does anybody have experience with those doors? What hardware should I get to replace the cheap sliding hardware?


texts: Tankless hot water heater cycles on without any water running

texts: Why does the tankless hot water heater cycle on even when no water is running?


texts: Is venting a vertical waste line required?

texts: I am putting a bathroom in a section of the house that has a crawlspace under it.  The main drain is in the basement area of the house.  The soil pipes will run horizontally in the crawlspace, then a double 45 to drop down the basement wall, and then horizontal again to run under the floor to the main drain.  At the point where the waste line transitions from horizontal to vertical is a vent required?  I think I remember reading somewhere that all vertical stacks have to be vented.


texts: Does this violate electrical code? (UF run plugged into GFCI to use smart outlet)

texts:
I built a deck on the back of my house last year and installed a new breaker and a handful of outdoor electrical outlets. I wanted one outdoor outlet to be switchable via a smart outlet, but my smart outlets aren't waterproof so it had to be inside the house.

As a solution, I installed a GFCI next to my breaker panel. I have my unswitched outlets coming off the load side of the GFCI so they are protected. For the switched outlet, I installed a plug onto the end of the UF wire run so I could plug it into my smart outlet.

This is the part that seems iffy. I think I'm good on bend radius and wire support, it's not subject to continuous flexing and it's relatively protected from damage due to the remote location of the panel (although I could protect it further). It just doesn't quite feel right to have a permanently-installed circuit plugged into an outlet, despite being a clever solution to my problem.

I'm using a 15A non-AFCI/GFCI breaker and 12 AWG UF wire. I ran 12 in case I ever wanted to upgrade the circuit to 20A, but my smart outlet is only rated for 15A anyway.

Is there anything in the NEC that prohibits this? I have access to a full copy of NFPA-70 2014 and would like specific references.

I'm willing to change whatever I need to be code-compliant, but I still want to be able to be able to switch my outdoor outlet via some sort of smart-home device.


texts: 2 GFCI's in master bathroom. Neither works

texts: In our master bedroom we have 2 separate vanities and each has it's own GFCI. That's how the house was when we bought it. At some point neither worked. So I replaced both and they still don't work and when I press "reset" neither will click in. The little light in the bottom right corner on both is red. I plugged in my tester and there is no power to either outlet. I checked the circuit breaker but it's fine. Any ideas what could be wrong?


texts: Backwater valve access sleeve preventing bathroom work

texts: I want to install a toilet and small sink.  These are just temporary until we do a more complete finish of our basement in the future.  However, the backwater access valve and sleeve (dark pipe sticking out) is blocking me from installing the sink.  Common sense tells me to just cut it off since I obviously cannot do anything with the sleeve sticking out.  However, I don't want to assume anything and mess this up. Looking inside, it appears to be capped off so nothing can fall in and block the pipe.  What should I do with the black access sleeve sticking out of the concrete?


texts: Proper way to join PVC pipes to brass ball valve

texts:
I'm using the following fitting to join PVC pipes to the brass valve, my concern is that the recommended 3-8 wraps of teflon tape and finger tight plus 1-2 turns didn't cut it. I end up using about 20 wraps of tape and I probably turn it a bit more using a wrench and now no leaks whatsoever.

Is there a different way to join brass and PVC pipes? This is a permanent installation (I can't even unscrew it without cutting the pipes), can I have any problems with it the way it was done?


texts: What type of wire should I use for about 80ft run to a She Shed in 1" conduit for a 60 AMP subpanel. Can I use 6-6-6-6 Gray Stranded AL SER Cable?

texts: I want to run electric to my wife's She Shed. I am thinking a 60 AMP service is what I want. What type of wire should I use for about 80ft in 1" conduit. Can I use 6-6-6-6 Gray Stranded AL SER Cable ?


texts: Need help with 3-way wiring (diagram included)

texts:
Could really use some help. I'm putting in some GE Z-Wave plus switches in my new house and have come across my first 3-way switch.

I think the far left Romex in box #1 is the cable that goes between both boxes. The Internet seems to suggest that the black wire there is no longer needed and can be capped at both ends. That leaves me with the traveler and the neutral wires at box #2, which is exactly what the GE add-on switch takes.

At box #1, far left Romex, I capped the black, put the red on the traveler of the new switch, and put a jumper from the neutral of the switch to the bundle of neutrals.

This leaves me with only the red wire going up into the center Romex. Since the top black wire from the fan switch also goes into the center, I want to say the red is the load for the light, but originally it was connected to the common terminal of the old switch. I'm not sure how this switch gets power.

I'm very confused and not an electrician. Please help me.


texts: How do I permantely plumb 5 tiki torches around my pool by placing a T on my buried propane tank which feed the pool/hot tub heater?

texts: What is required to "T" off of my buried propane tank that feeds my pool/hot tub heater so I can permanently mount 5 tiki torches around my pool?


texts: How to stop downstairs toilet from bubbling when upstairs toilet is flushed?

texts:
I have a newly installed toilet on ground floor of my house. The drain of this ground floor toilet is connected (in the basement) to the drain stack of the toilet in the attic on the 3rd floor. When I flush the 3rd floor toilet, bubbles come out of the ground floor toilet.

How do I stop my ground floor toilet from bubbling? In general, is it not recommended that you combine drain stacks for bathrooms on different floors?

Here are some details about my house/plumbing:

My house has a basement, ground floor, 2nd floor, and 3rd floor (attic).
The toilet in the ground floor has a ventless drain vent with a STUDOR valve at the end of the vent
The ground floor toilet flushes without any issues, and drains properly

It seems to me that what is happening is when the 3rd floor toilet flushes, the volume of air in the 3 story length drain pipe needs to go somewhere, and it is venting out through the ground floor toilet. Before, that air was going directly into sewer, but now that we added the ground floor drain to it (in the basement), the air is venting through the ground floor toilet. Does this sound correct?

Besides creating a new drain stack for the ground floor bathroom, is there a way to exhaust the air from the 3rd floor drain somewhere?

Thank you for your help!


texts: Add Accessible Waterline shutoff for built-in style refrigerator

texts:
I have a built in style refrigerator in my new home. There is a dedicated waterline shutoff but is located behind the refrigerator. Because this is a built in refrigerator which is non-trivial to remove from the wall, what this means in practice is that the shutoff is useless in an emergency.

Therefore, I would like to add an "accessible" shutoff valve between the built in shutoff at the wall and my refrigerator. This would allow me to shut off the water to only the fridge in an emergency.

The basement is already fully finished with drywall ceiling, not drop ceiling, so I cannot add a shut off in the basement and there is no way to get to the plumbing anywhere else in the kitchen (doesn't come from the same line as sink or anyplace else).

I was told I could add this somewhere near the bottom of the fridge, but I was thinking it should still work if I snake the extra tubing into the cabinet above the refrigerator as well.

What type of tubing, valves/shutoff, and other supplies do I need to do this properly? Any other considerations I should be aware of when putting this all together? specific parts, sizes, links appreciated.

Fridge model: 36UFDID/S

Where I want to put it:

What the connection at wall looks like:


texts: T&P valve draining - expansion tank issues?

texts:
I am having issues with my Water Heater. It's a slantfin tankless boiler (TR-30 PT). It's running on a 4 zone setup. I typically only use one of the zones though. We've been in the home for a year and a half. Towards the end of this winter I started finding a few gallons of water draining from the T&P valve every few days.

I tested the expansion tank and found it to be leaking water from gauge, leading me to believe the diaphram has ruptured and we needed a new one. I bought the same model replacement. An Amtrol #60 and gauges to test our home water pressure and PSI on tank. I attached the water meter to our outside hose line and read about 56 PSI. I then took the precharged (to 12 PSI) new tank and charged it further up to about 55 PSI before installing it. I then removed the old expansion tank to find it almost completely filled with water. Replaced it with the new tank. Turned water line back on and power to water heater. Gave it a day or so.

Now I'm still seeing water, perhaps more. So, even though the exp tank was shot, what else could be causing this?   Autofill valve?  I don't think the T&P valve is bad as it is draining water once the meter reaches the max level on the valve which is 30 PSI.  The slantfin temp range was set at 160 - 180. I lowered this to 140-160 and still same issue.

I then turned on the water from my faucet for a while, and the pressure on slantfin was hovering between 2 and 10. Got the temp on slantfin below 140, down to 120ish. It didn't seem to instantly turn back on, but then turned on the first floor of our home (ZONE 1 of 4), slantfin initiated and watched the gauge on the unit. As it heated the water from 120 to 140 (where min is set) it gradually increased pressure until right about hitting 140 the pressure then hit 30 PSI and T&P valve started draining.

Should I not have charged the new tank? I was under the understanding this needed to be same if not a few PSI below water pressure. Does this change if on a multi-zone house. If using a tankless system?

Should my T&P valve be rated to take on more pressure than 30 PSI?

Should the precharge be the same as the water supply line even if the tank will be placed after a "water pressure regulator valve" set between 12-25 PSI?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. I'm stumped...


texts: Two switches on the same single hot wire

texts:
I opened up a box with two switches to witness this:

The hot (which is white, I've confirmed) is looped around the far light switch, then pushed into the connector in the back of the near light switch. Each of the red and black wires (neutrals I think) then complete the circuit, so I guess it works.
Is this an undesirable configuration? I'm trying to replace them with simple dimmer switches, and what I would like to do is pigtail the single hot with the hots of each dimmer switch. Each switch would still have it own neutral. Is this a better way to go than the current setup?


texts:
Someone punched a hole/crack in my hollow core door. I was wondering what my best course of action would be? Would it be relatively cheap/not too difficult for me to try and fix it myself? I looked at a few other similar questions to mine but the hole/crack in my door looks different than the ones in the questions that others have posted. Here are a couple pictures of the door:

Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!


texts: I am installing a GFCI.  There are several other outlets in the same line.  How can I find out which of the other outlets is downstream from the GFCI?


texts: Can I share my water heater outlet with another appliance?

texts:
I have a water heater point and I would like to piggy a water pump to the same outlet. My country's voltage here is 240V 50/60hz. I prefer not to add new wiring as it very costly.

My water heater is running 3.3kw with 13.8(A) and the power outlet is a 15(A) with a 20(A) circuit breaker. Existing wire is inside the outlet is 2.5mm.

The water pump that I want to install is running 300 watt, the shop mention that it should be less 2(A).

Can I piggyback or add another outlet to this one?

(As second option, the shop mention that I can divert out from the light outlet instead since the water pump has low amperage. Not sure which is a better option.)

Sorry that I had missed out an important point on the water heater. It should be instant water heater.

The location of this heater is in my 2nd floor bathroom and is plug to a receptacle inside the bathroom. The water pump that I want to install is about 3 to 4 meter away just out my bathroom window.

My piggyback mean, I would like to one of:

Hard-wire the pump wire directly into my heater's receptacle (unfortunately not to breaker because is too far and existing wires are all hidden inside the concrete walls),
Add another receptacle from my existing heater receptacle, or
Add another receptacle (similar to point 2) but from my existing lighting point since the pump has low amperage.

Note : whether is hard wiring or adding new receptacle, both will be inside a conduit pvc pipe and running outside the wall. I understand that my heater receptacle is directly hard wire to the breaker with no looping to others. However, for the lighting point mention above, there are other lighting point sharing the same breaker. Both breaker are 20A.


texts: Could improper installation of a weather vane on the roof cause a collapse?

texts: My daughter thinks  that becsuse of,the way this was installed the roof is no longer safe and will collapse. Has the integtity of this building been compromised?


texts: Where do I attach the earth conductor on a plastic fixture?

texts: I'm replacing some outdoor lights. The old ones were metal, and the earth wire was connected to a screw on the base. The new fixtures are plastic, and there's no earthing screw. Where should I connect the earthing conductor when installing the new fixtures?


texts: Table saw blade stops on contact with wood whilst motor keeps running

texts:
Table saw blades spins fast, but stops on contact with wood whilst motor keeps running so cant saw wood
Its Rexon Model RM130, 1.6kW, RPM 4800 had not been used for some years
I have sharpened the blade.
Your advise willbe most helpful


texts: Four LEDs on one switch blink irregularly

texts: We have four LED lights wired to a single dimmer switch.  When the lights are on and on an irregular basis all four lights flash then return to being on.  Sometimes when turning on the switch the lights remain off.  Rocking the switch will then get the lights to turn on.


texts:
My dryer stopped working and I found out that the circuit breaker (fuse) had burnt out.
I measured the voltage in the socket and it's none. I live in an older house in USA and the cable is inside the pipe going around the house outside to the outside electric box that contains only two circuit breakers connected in series. Which means both are meant for the dryer plug only.

I measured the voltage before and it's 220V but coming out of the breaker is 0V which means it's bad.

The problem here is that this breaker is connected directly from the meter so I have no way to turn off the electricity and replace it. Any idea why it is done like this? The circuit breaker (fuse) for the oven is inside of inside electrical box and it has a way to turn it off if replacement needed.

I'm not sure on how I can replace the one for the dryer. It looks like I will need to call the electrician to disconnect the wiring by the pole.

Update: so I tried to replace the circuit breaker but I found out that this outside box actually holds the main 100Amp circuit breaker and 220V breaker for dryer + AC. With luck I removed the broken breaker which was next to the main one. I turned off the main breaker so 220v breaker wasn't powered. So I had to be careful because the main breaker had hot wires coming  in. Anyway, I took the bad breaker to Lowes to find replacement. I couldn't find any. When the Lowes worker saw the breaker He put his hands on his head and said. It is FPE breaker and they don't manufacture them anymore. They are highly dangerous and I need to replace the whole box. So I did some research and surely FPE failed many tests and was responsible for many house fires. Luckily the inside box is GE only this outside box with the main breaker is FPE. I will need to call the electricians to replace the whole box.

I can't believe there wasn't recall for these breaker boxes. Now I'm forced to spend money for somebody's else fault, otherwise I would just replace the breaker...


texts:
I am trying to rewire the telephone wires in my home, and I appear to be not getting it. I have extremely familiar with running cat5, as I use it all day long for my job, and thought telephoney was just as straight forward.

I have standard 4 wire telephone wire. It's got yellow, green, red, and black. On one end, I have a punch down terminal inside the wall in a wall plate. That side is wired correctly, according to the keystone diagram. I actually have two of these coming from two different rooms. I then combine them both into one using a splitter like this:

https://www.amazon.com/URBEST-female-telephone-splitter-converter/dp/B00PW0WKV0/ref=asc_df_B00PW0WKV0/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198091424311&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18191949876335458478&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1019378&hvtargid=pla-356171280132&psc=1

That goes directly into my comcast business modem/phone. I have a cable checker that I use for my coax and rj45 connections, and it also has voice testing, too. When I check any of the cables, it shows up as open on all wires, and I can't figure out why.

I thought the wires needed to be the same all the way through, but in looking at how the wire is bundled, that doesn't seem possible. Putting the connector on both ends, then comparing the ends shows that the two inside wires are reversed. (One end is yellow, green, red, black, the other is yellow, red, green, black). I have tried remaking all the wires all the way through the line and cannot get the line to work. Even testing with a phone shows that the line is in use.

What am I doing wrong?


texts: Looking for a current-actuated timer switch

texts:
I have a drainage pump with a level sensor. I'd like to have some protection in case of failure of the level sensor, which would leave the pump running dry while I'm not around, eventually leading to pump failure.
Basically I'm looking for something like a timer switch, but rather than starting at a programmed time and running for e.g. 10 minutes, it should start the countdown once it detects enough current being drained (say > 1 A), and cut off the power supply if it's still draining > 1 A after 10 minutes.
Does anyone know of such a product?


texts: breakers all putting out power but outlet not working

texts: Was using a power drill on a gfci outlet and power suddenly stopped.  The trip light did not go on on the outlet but the test button cannot be pushed (means no power, correct?) I took off the gfci and tested the incoming wires - no power.  I've checked every room in the house for a tripped gfci but there aren't any.  I went to breaker panel and no breakers were tripped.   I tested each breaker and they are all outputting 120 volts.  The breakers are very poorly labeled and I can't tell which one goes to the gfci. Is there a way to pinpoint which breaker runs to the gfci?  Can there even be a problem with the breaker if it is outputting 120 volts?


texts: Moderate localized water damage that's hard to inspect from above

texts:
I have water damage in the ceiling along one end of the house. It wasn't detected for some time because it was in a room we don't often go into.

There was an unpleasant musty smell, but it has abated. Still, I was worried about mold on the other side. Unfortunately, it is difficult to inspect the location:

The area of the leak is around the middle of the flashlight spot. We think the leak was from blown rain around the place where an AC line entered the house. That has been caulked. Assuming the damage doesn't get worse, is it safe just to repair it from below without examining it from above?


texts: Is it OK to have a gas water heater in a bedroom closet?

texts: I have a laundry room with a gas water heater in the closet.  I was thinking about taking out the washer and dryer and renting the laundry room as a bedroom because there is a bathroom next to the laundry room.  The water heater is vented to the outside and it is in a closet, would it be OK to use the room as a bedroom? I am in California.


texts:
One of the several scenarios in which a screw doesn't form a nice and tight seal on drywall paper just below the surface is if a joist/stud is not in the same level as the adjacent two and there is a gap between it and the drywall. As you're driving the screw to just below the paper, the paper breaks and the screw goes in too deep, resulting in less clamping force than a snug screw.

Q1: Is a screw like this completely useless? If not completely, how useless is it?

Q2: What percentage of screws per sheet are safe to be like this?

P.S.: I would appreciate no perfectionist type responses like "why do you have uneven joists" and such. I'm remodeling a 110 yr old house and I'm not replacing joists, some of which have sagged. I sister what I can but some require planing, and planing ceiling joists and having sawdust fall over me is my definition of misery. So I'm trying to be in an acceptable ballpark. Thanks


texts: I am probably overthinking this, but since I'm more of a carpenter and less of an electrician I thought I best ask for help to make sure.  I have two rooms in my house that are 15 x 30 and only have a single ceiling fan/light in the middle of the room.  I'm thinking I'd like to split that line into two ceiling fans, one on each side of the room.  They wouldn't be running simultanesouly (at least not very often), but even with the lights on, the edges of the rooms are dark and I have my office along the outer wall so having the extra light without lamps everywhere would be nice. 1) Is this something I can do? and 2) how do I do the wiring?  I've done basic wiring several times before, so I'm not entirely a newbie, but I just don't want to burn my house down...  Thanks in advance.


texts: Help diagnosing power outlet that sometimes works

texts:
I have a power outlet in my kitchen that has been impossible for me to figure out what is wrong.

Problem:
The outlet works for seemingly random amount of time, then stops working for a random amount of time.

Background:
My kitchen was remolded a few years ago, and all electrical was replaced. The outlet in question was added to power an under cabinet appliance. This outlet worked without a problem for at least a year. Then, without a known cause, it started intermittently stopped working. The breaker never trips, the outlet stops working for a while, then starts working again for awhile.

Tried so far:

Replaced outlet
Replaced circuit breaker
Had electrician visit (outlet was working during the visit, never stopped working)
Turned off the breaker to see if any other outlet is on the same circuit, none found.
Plugged in night light to watch if there is a pattern to when the outlet works or stops working (none found yet)

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can continue to diagnose the problem?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Two 20-Amp circuits in one box for outlets

texts:
I would like run two 20-Amp circuits to a 2-gang box with two duplex outlets.

One duplex outlet on Phase A and the other on Phase B.

I know to keep the hots and neutral separate and that the grounds can be combined.

Is there anything special I need to do at the panel?

For example, should I use a tandem breaker with these two circuits.

Revised: 2020-June-04

More clarification to come.

All work will be inspected by the city that I live in. I want to make the inspector proud of me and my quality work. I am taking no short cuts. If the inspector makes me do it again, I'll do it again. This is how I will learn.

The work will on a 2-story unfinished 20x24 detached garage. The second floor will be a studio apartment style (for my personal use only - no renters). I plan to use the first floor for combo car-garage and workshop (car/wood/kids projects/etc.). I do not believe I will need any 240V circuit.

The idea is if I have a 120V air-compressor and 120V ShopVac running at the same time, I did not want to start tripping breakers. All the equipment would not be stationary. For example, I can move everything to one side if I need to work on a my car.

Trying to plan for a future requirement is driving me crazy. So I am trying to build in flexibility so I want have to bang my head on the floor too hard.

I had the panel upgraded to 200A Eaton Plug-on Neutral and I have currently installed plug-on neutral breaker (GFCI/AFCI combo).


texts: What causes a heater fan to keep running?

texts:
I have a regular gas air heater that heats the whole house. It is installed in a garage.

When I use thermostat to turn on the heat it works as expected. When temperature reaches set value the gas turns off.

But the fan keeps running, cycling room temp air around. It never turns off. I waited at least an hour.

I replaced a thermostat. Same problem.


texts: Wiring a blank face afci, gfci and a regular outlets in a circuit, made a loud noise in gfci box

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I've a new basement kitchen 20amp circuit (with regular 20 amp breaker) that has a blank face AFCI (near the panel), GFCI outlet (first outlet in the kitchen) and regular outlet at the end (used a 15 amp in a 20 amp circuit for testing purposes only. Did not have a 20amp outlet). See picture below to see how I wired them (note: AFCi was blank face).

When turned on the breaker and reset the AFCI (comes as off mode), small explosion took place in the GFCI box.
Turned off the breaker and checked to and saw the black line wire to GFCI was severed, in side the box. Checked the wiring and it was correct (already have 4 other new circuits that are protected by either AFCI or GFCI, but not both in the same branch circuit).
Then disconnected the regular outlet, repaired the connection and tried again (with AFCI and GFCI only). Seemed to have been working ok.
Used an outlet tester (Kline tools see below for pic.) with lights to test them. When both are on tester indicates it was wired correctly. When the AFCI is off and GFCI is on, tester plugged into GFCI was off. When AFCI is on and GFCI is off the test lights indicate the hot and ground were reversed.
Can anyone shed some light into why 1) the small explosion happened? 2) the tester lights indicate that ground and hot are reversed? Btw, I did check the connections yet again and they are correctly wired, no cuts and not touching.
Also, I did the above testing with a table lamp plugged to the GFCI and the lamp was off when either AFCI or GFCI was set to off.

If the picture does not show the correct way to wire, how to do it. A picture is better, with explanation.


texts: Channel between foundation wall and floor in crawlspace

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I have a split level house with a crawlspace. I've pulled the insulation out and discovered some minor mold issues on the wood framing and concrete walls. I removed the framing to replace any moldy pieces. After removing the base plate from the framing i've discovered a channel that runs underneath the framing base plate along the outside wall perimeter. Inside of the channel was damp with a 2x4 wrapped in plastic along the channel. I've attached some pictures of the channel. Can anyone tell me what the channel is for and why the 2x4 is there?

Thanks!


texts: Do these 2 x 4’s provide structural support?

texts: These 2 x 4 is run the width of my two car garage above the ceiling joists. They are nailed into each ceiling joist. Do they provide some structural support or stability, or can I remove them put down plywood for storage? I suspect they were there temporarily for initial house framing, but I’m not sure.


texts: How do I remove this dimmer light switch cover so I can paint the wall?

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I have a dimmer similar to this one.

There are no screws visible from the front.  Looking at it from the side there appears to be two face plates stacked on top of each other.  I can fit my screwdriver between the two and between the last one and the wall.  Gentle prying with a screwdriver doesn't seem to work.

How can I remove the cover plate?


texts: I have a new flood light/security camera that I want to mount above the back deck.  The current flood light is a bit low and doesn't have a proper junction box.  I want to use that connection and run conduit a couple of feet higher and hang my new light/camera there.  The exterior is stucco and the structure underneath is brick (with a wire mesh in between).  Everywhere I read that you don't want to drill through stucco (particularly here) but what if you have no choice?  Also, I hung window bars recently and we just used a hammer drill to go right through the stucco and brick before using a tapcon.  Similar to this post, I'm also in Baltimore but I know my house is stucco over brick.


texts: How do I reverse the slope of my garage floor?

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When I built my garage 25 years ago, the concrete contractor nixed my idea of installing in-floor drains under each car "bay" and assured me that he would slope the floor toward the garage door so water would run out. On the morning of the pour, I watched for a few minutes, then had to run off to the office and didn't get to "supervise" or ask questions. The pour was completed in one shot - footers, foundation walls, and slab are all one pour.
After building the walls, we discovered that not only was the floor not sloped toward where the garage door would be, it was actually sloped away from the door and toward one corner!
Unfortunately (and foolishly - we were young, the internet didn't exist to ask 10,000 questions of), we rejected his offer to put one course of block on the floor, and built our stud walls directly on slab. On the bright side, though, despite water pooling in the corner, there isn't yet (visible) evidence of any serious rot in the wall, so I'm not yet worried about having to repair that.
As the spouse and I have now reembarked on our journey of house improvements and upgrades, I'm considering trying to fix the improper slope. I've read lots here about using self-leveling cement to get a nice, smooth, level floor for various purposes like covering with laminate flooring. This is not  what I want since I do actually want the floor to slope, not be perfectly flat.
What are my options for changing the slope of my monolithic-poured garage floor from a south-to-north (high to low) slope to a north-to-south slope?
If it were a wooden floor, it would be fairly easy to cut some long 2x shims to adjust the level and refloor it, but I don't know how to do that out of concrete.


texts: Possible electrical wiring paths are blocked *everywhere* by glulam posts. What to do?

texts: The extension to our house is built to earthquake standards, so there are 10x10 posts and beams everywhere. We can't find a path to feed the 12AWG to the subpanel. If we go down, we just run into the same problem on the ground floor. Can't go up because it's a flat roof. Any ideas?


texts: Is it possible to remove colored paint from cedar shingles and then stain them?

texts:
We are buying an old house that has cedar shingles (I think they are cedar, they are some type of wood) and I was wondering if its completely crazy to think we can power wash or strip the maroon red paint off the shingles and restore them to a natural wood color or even a dark stain if needed?

Is is possible to do something like this or are we gonna have to decide on a colored paint?


texts: choosing a programmable thermostat: wiring and power

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I want to replace my non-programmable RobertShaw 9500 thermostat with a programmable thermostat.

The current wiring uses these terminals:  RH, W, Y, G.

With that set of wires, can I get a wire-powered thermostat with battery backup, or does it has to be battery only?


texts: Is it OK to draw different current from L1 and L2 on NEMA 14-50?

texts:
I want to power a rack of commodity servers with 110v power supplies from single NEMA 14-50 outlet. I plan to distribute servers between L1 and L2 such that even at full tilt current on either side doesn't exceed 50A. However load is likely to be uneven most or all of the time.

Is this a problem?


texts: Roof Safety: how to clean gutters on high steep roof?

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I recently bought a house and now it's fall so I have to clean gutters. I bought a fiberglass ladder and cleaned gutters one time already, but I did not feel safe/stable at all, that was quite a scary and tiresome experience.

I understand that my other option would be to clean from roof and I need something like this: roofer kit. This seem an easier and safer option. Now, I have a couple of questions about securing the lifeline:

Anchor (that's mounted with screws or nails) - can I leave it on the roof and attach to it every time I need to go on the roof, same season or may be even next year?
I have two chimneys on both sides of the roof, kinda like this: ||roof|| If my lifeline is long enough (e.g. long rope ) can I wrap it around both chimneys, kinda like big oval that goes around one chimney on one side of the roof and another chimney on another side?
If answer to question 2 is yes - can I leave this lifeline oval on the roof for a season or longer so that I don't have to put it every time?

Thank you!


texts: Should I use non-shrink grout to help with support posts?

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I am installing a new, approx 16' support beam in my house, to be held up initially by adjustable jacks, and permanently by 4 4" wooden posts.  Some time ago I saw on one of the construction shows an ingenious method of sizing and setting posts, to wit:

Step 1: Get the beam where you want it with the adjustable jacks
Step 2: Dig several holes where you want the footings be
Step 3: install the 4" posts to the beam (using hangers), letting it hang in the air above the holes
Step 4: Pour concrete in holes, leaving a 1" gap between the concrete and the posts
Step 5: Wait for concrete to cure
Step 6: Pour non shrink grout between concrete and 4" wooden post - letting the grout lap over the post by about 1/4" or so
Step 7: Wait for grout to cure
Step 8: Remove adjustable posts - thereby transferring all load to 4" wooden posts

This seems like an excellent way of doing it - the posts are the right height automatically, there is much less need for measuring and the posts can be adjusted before there is any load upon them.

However, I have never heard of anyone else doing this - nor using non-shrink grout in structural applications.

My questions:

Is is a good idea to do the 4" posts and adjustable posts at separate times?
Is non-shrink grout useful for structural applications?


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I want to build a loft above my two car spaces in the garage.

It is 20 feet wide.  Length is flexible depending on wood suggested.  8, 10, 12, 16 feet etc.  There will be walls on three side but I don't want it supported by the walls.  I want it supported with it's own 2x4 framing to the floor?  or 4x4 posts.

I'm trying to figure out how to span 20 feet in the garage without any posts in the middle.  I'd hate to have a car knock it out some day.


texts: Why are there nails only half way in, in my garage?

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I'm going to be painting my garage walls this weekend as part of a project to turn it into a home gym.
As I'm working on the walls, I noticed a lot of nails that are halfway in.
Is this on purpose? Should I pull them out? Or hammer them in? Or leave as is?
Home was built in the 70's. We moved in two years ago.


texts:
I am a first time homeowner. I removed old light fixture and will be installing a heavier 35 lb chandelier. Will this box hold the weight? I see two torx head screws about 2.5-3 inches long screwed into something hard.  Not sure if it is a stud or a ceiling joist. Please see photo The box does not wiggle when I pull on it but I am only 105 lbs and not too strong.

WIll this box hold a 35 pound light fixture?


texts: Home made powered foundation vents? Computer fans and solar power?

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So I have a bit of a moisture issue in my crawl space. I've considered closing up the crawl space completely but I think that sounds like to much work and this idea below sounds more fun.

I was going to buy a 20 watt or so solar panel to power a computer fan which I've seen get as much as 200cfm rating.

My questions are how is cfm measured. Is 200cfm for a computer fan the same scale as when you talk about 200cfm moving around in your HVAC system? If so it seems that 3 or 4 of these would be enough for my entire ~1500 sqft crawl space right?

Any thoughts on if a computer fan attached to a solar panel in this fashion would last for any  useful period of time?

I was going to put maybe two fans per vent on two of the vents on the back of my house so it would create negative pressure and pull air in from the front/side vents and out the back.


texts:
I have an issue with a street light wire weaving in and out of my property line. I was able to dig one hole about as safely as I could near the front of the house. I need to bring it up a little further but then it will lead into the wire coming in on an angle. I am already working around this wire and sitting in almost 2ft into my property. If I put another post at angle, and instead of putting the fence panel on angle, build it out to 90 degree as normal and put a stabilizer post maybe either on top of a few inches of tamped gravel, or on top of a deck concrete block buried into the ground a little. OR just sit it into the dirt tamped a little and do nothing else with it other than use it to keep the fence from sagging in that little area, if that would even be a problem. The distance would probably be 3ft to the other angled post.

Same thing for the utility boxes in the back. I was going to box around them to keep them outside but there are so many wires and that stupid street light wire comes in on an angle there.. So if I fake the corner post on that one too.. I figure the load from the wind would push on to the connecting posts.. I have drawn pictures to show an example..


texts: Wiring a switch to an outlet to control Garbage disposal

texts: I have a gfs outlet with the power coming to it.Can i install a swith next to it to go to a outlet under my sink to power the garbage disposal


texts: Is marijuana smoke worse for your house than tobacco smoke?

texts:
I live in Oregon, USA, and the state has recently legalized marijuana.  I have a tenant who smokes daily.  I've visited a few times and the home always smells of pot.

I know how tobacco smoke can permeate a house.  To be rid of tobacco smell you must pull out carpets, seal and repaint the walls, and so on.

Is this also true of marijuana?

I am on good terms with the tenant.  If simple cleaning will be sufficient then I am happy to wrap the cost into their cleaning deposit.  But, if it's going to be a serious problem later, then I'll want to invoke the non-smoking clause of our contract right away.

Does anyone have any information on this?


texts: Concrete cure time before laying hot asphalt beside?

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Let's say I pour concrete sidewalks (6" thick, 4' x 8'), how many days should I wait to have hot asphalt laid right beside it (it would butt to the short side - 4') ?

Was thinking of pouring the concrete on Tuesday, removing the forms on Wednesday, and have the asphalt laid on Thursday. Would this work ?

I am in Montreal, Canada. Forecasted temps are max 20C during daytime, 8C at night for the period in question (next week ;).

Thanks in advance for all advice you could bring me.


texts: Can I make a pre-hung door jamb narrower?

texts: I want to install a new door in my bedroom (replacing a door) with an pre-hung door - standard width is 4 1/2in.  The wall is paneled, not dry wall - so the width of the existing jamb is 4 inches.  Can I take 1/2 inch off the pre-hung jamb?  And how?  Thank you!


texts: Is cutting a DIY spline channel around the openings of our wood screen porch a good plan?

texts:
The contractor that built our wood screen porch installed screen with wooden strips and nails. Unfortunately, our indoor cat has figured out that he can rip the screen out from under the wood strips and get out of the porch.

I'd like to replace the screen, and make a sturdier screen installation, while keeping the nice natural look of the wood strips.

Here's my idea:

Using a circ saw set to a depth of about 1/8", with a 1/8" blade, I'll cut a spline channel around the edges of the window openings. I'll then install the screen with spline, and nail the wooden strips back over the spline channel, both securing the spline in the channel, and making for a nice look.

Is this crazy? What could go wrong? I haven't heard of anyone using this method, so I assume there's something about it that's not ideal. I guess trying to use the circ saw on a vertical surface is a bit dodgy. Is that the only problem? Thanks!


texts:
On my toilets, both fill tubes are connected to the OUTSIDE of the overflow tubes, so the stream of water is going directly to the tank.
I went ahead and directed the stream to now go into the overflow tube.
Will this help the performance of the toilets now?


texts:
I have a interesting problem, my bathroom sink cold water tap has good water pressure and water flow but when you turn the tap it goes from cool to warm to hot rather quickly without ever touching the hot water tap.

When you turn the hot water tap initially the water that comes out is colder than the cold tap and then it warms up normally.

Any suggestion why its doing this, and how would one fix it?


texts: How should I configure my plumbing with PEX?

texts:
I have a house built in 1940, which has a mix of copper, PVC and galvanized pipe for its plumbing at present.  I am going to be gutting the upstairs bathroom in the near future, and have access to most of the rest of the pipes, giving me an opportunity to replace all of the corroded galvanized and to reconfigure my plumbing pretty completely.

I'd like to install a PEX manifold system in the basement, but what I don't have is any way to feed 3 cold and 2 hot lines up to the 2nd floor without opening walls I don't want to open, so I am thinking that I could install a small manifold on the 2nd floor just for that bath, and feed the rest of the house (kitchen sink, fridge, dishwasher, another full bath (2 hot 3 cold) and a half bath (2 cold 1 hot) from the basement manifold.

I have 3/4 copper coming into the house, if it matters.

What should my piping configuration be?  Am I right in thinking 3/4 runs to the upstairs manifold and 1/2" runs from it to each fixture?

I was thinking about using using 2 3-port MINIBLOC manifolds (1 cold 1 hot 3 ports each) in the upstairs bath and 1 14-port MANABLOC manifold (6 hot, 8 cold) for the basement.

Total fixtures to be fed:
- Upstairs Bath (separate manifold?) - 2 hot, 3 cold (sink, tub, toilet)

Line to upstairs bath (main manifold) - 3/4" - 1 hot, 1 cold
Downstairs bath (main manifold) - 2 hot, 3 cold (sink, tub, toilet)
Kitchen (main manifold) - 2 hot, 2 cold (sink, d/w, fridge)
Half Bath (main manifold) - 1 hot, 2 cold (sink, toilet)
Garden hose bib - 1 cold

So for the main manifold that's 5 hot, 8 cold.  Is that enough or should I step up to the 24 port manifold (9 hot, 15 cold) even though that would have 4 unused hot and 7 unused cold?

Or - should I consider a completely different configuration altogether?


texts: I am trying to find a way to open this lock to replace battery

texts: I am trying to find a way to open this lock to replace batteries.  I find no way to open it.  See front and back pictures attached.


texts:
My the upstairs of my house is filled with electric baseboard heaters that use these thermostats that are mounted right on each heater. My house is a bungalow and the upstairs gets no heat or AC. During a remodel the previous owner installed one of these in each room and the hallway (there are four total).

From the loads of googling that I've done, standard baseboard heat has some type of central location for the wiring. From this central location, a special thermostat then makes or breaks the electrical connection to turn the heaters on and off. My house has no such central location, each heater has one of these.

I would love to upgrade these thermostats to some type of central and more accurate thermostat but am unable to find something. Do any solutions exist to do this?


texts: I'm hoping someone might be able to help me identify the brand of my shower valve... I can't seem to find any identifying marks on either the handle, trim or valve itself. Here's a few photos:


texts: How can I run 2" plumbing vents under windows in a 2x4 wall?

texts:
I have new construction with 4" drain and 2x4 exterior walls. I am building a detached shop/living quarters with 2x4 walls and all plumbing is in one exterior wall.

how would you run it? :)
are cripples considered load bearing and does the 60% rule if doubled apply?
can i go thru 3 cripples and then wrap around the king/jack studs?  code says you can drill thru 2 on load bearing so question 2 is key. I could cut the window shorter and take bathtub vent straight up if needed I guess.
if tying in vent lines on the horizontal how much angle required? just thought of this - can probably lookup myself.

I have no idea what im not asking. sorry.


texts:
Our bathroom is out of the 70's and the wife doesn't care for the colors. Remodeling is out of the question for now. Is there something I can use to paint over that ceramic tile so we can at least get a color she likes better?

I should clarify, the tile is on the wall no shower.


texts: Why are my water supply lines deteriorating?

texts:
Hello
I have an American Standard (home depot brand) kitchen faucet from 2011. The hot and cold water supply line hoses are falling apart. The outside silver/grey layer has turned brown and flakes off. In the attached picture you can see the underneath whitengut of the hose, which looks ready to burst.

I'm trying to figure out what caused that, and I can only think that it was caused by vapors of chemicals stored in that same cabinet. Under the sink we have the usual stuff

Dish detergent,
CLR,
Potatoes and onions in a bin,
Windex

This can't be caused by the water itself; you can see the supply line to the removable faucet is perfectly fine in the picture (silver). Why didnt that one turn brown and peel off?

I have a replacement faucet coming and the supply line to the dishwasher is starting to brown out. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what may have caused hoses 3 years old to look like they are 30 years old?


texts: What size air hose would a mechanic's garage require?

texts: I'm looking for a retractable air hose for my husband as a birthday present...he is an airplane mechanic and has many air tools, also has a large air compressor already (not sure of the hp, but it is 220 volt). I have my eye on a unit called Zillareel that offers 150 psi,(another unit offers 300 psi) would that be enough to psi to supply the air for anything my husband would need?


texts: Is it really important where pressure switch is located. My entire system is in a very small crawl space with no electric nearby and switch is at well head about 65 feet away. I was told this will lead to problems over time with pressure regulation. Installing electric in crawlspace will be very expensive. So is location of switch that critical.


texts: Help with transition between rooms using hardwood and laminate flooring

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All hardwood and laminate flooring needs an expansion gap according to every manufacturer.

My problem is that I am replacing carpeting in one room that connects to my entryway area.  The new floor will be laminate that will be the same height as the existing hardwood floor in the entry.  Now, the usual recommendation would be to use T-molding but since the room has a 71" opening (obviously no door here) I would prefer it be more seamless.

I've seen many, many examples of transitions between flooring that do not have a t-molding and are flush. So, how can I accomplish this?  Am I okay with an expansion gap on the opposite end of the laminate flooring while keeping the laminate/hardwood flush?


texts: Should XPS insulation not touch basement floor?

texts: When putting up XPS insulation in a basement, prior to framing, is there a reason the insulation shouldn't go all the way to the floor? In this guide, they show the XPS resting on top of 2x4s (lying flat) when they glue it to the wall, and later you can see the gap when they are putting down the bottom plate. But they don't explain why they do that. Why wouldn't you want the insulation to go all the way to the floor? Is it a moisture issue? The XPS is already in direct contact with the wall, and part of its purpose is to form a vapor barrier, so I'm a little confused by that. Likewise, I noticed they don't have it cover the sill plate at the top, either. I would think you might as well insulate all the way. Why not?


texts: How can I stop a toilet seat from rapidly loosening?

texts:
The seat on my toilet always works itself loose.  It has plastic thumb-screw-style nuts that tighten on to bolts on the underside of the toilet.  The left nut works itself loose over the course of a few days of normal use.  I can tighten it again but a few days later, the seat is back to wiggling around from the loose connection.

How do I get this arrangement to stay tight?


texts: 100 amp service wire size from transformer to meter/panel

texts: I have a run of 185ft underground in 2 1/2" conduit from transformer to my a 100 amp service panel/meter. What size wire should I use?


texts:
I have a problem with the tiles around the tub in my ~1910 residential apartment building in Washington DC.

At some point the existing tile was coated in some sort of sealant layer, which has developed a hole (approx. 3" x 3") as shown in the picture. Ideally I would like to patch the hole somehow, but I am open to any suggestions about the best way to proceed.

Here is some additional information:

The tile underneath the hole is cracked. However, I have been told that the tiles are set in concrete and extremely difficult to remove. I am open to solutions that involve removing and replacing the old tile, or leaving it in place beneath a patch.
The hole is currently covered in packing tape, which can also be seen in the picture.
Color match is a secondary concern to water-tightness.
We intend to remove and replace the caulk around the tub at the same time.

Please let me know if you have any other questions that might help.


texts: Joints between paving stones - A breeding ground for weeds. Sustainable control?

texts:
I'm looking for a solution to control weed growth on a patio out of paving stone. The weeds are growing the the joints between the stones as can be seen in the picture.
Two methods have been proposed:

Jointing the gaps with mortar.
Remove the stones and ad a fleece under the paving stones.

Method 1. is much cheaper than method 2. So I'm inclined to use method 1.

What are the pros and cons of each method?

Are there any other alternatives which suppress weed growth sustainably and in the long term?


texts:
I'm thinking about buying either above brand for my home...

But I want to modify... I want to know if anyone knows if these camera / sensor outputs can energize a relay.

I am planning on turning on different / multiple lights via the camera sensor via relay.

I understand that depends upon how the camera sensor circuits are designed, just wanted to know if anyone has tried this... I don't want to buy and experiment unless I have to... Trying to save time / steps here.

FYI:
Take any Home Depot or Lowe's motion sensor... The only work with lights, not inductive loads ( like a 115v. relay )

Let me know... Called BOTH RING™ & SWANN tech support, and they are NO help.. They are setup techs, not in-depth circuitry techs.

PS,
I'm aware of product warranty liability.


texts: Using 30amp rv outlet to power small shop

texts: I have a 30amp outlet on my house to supply power to an RV but I plan on putting a portable building near this area and would like to use that power to power my shop which will include 12 3D Printers which are not high wattage but constant draw similar to running 24 100w light bulbs. And also power a small heater or ac unit and a few small power tools occasionally like drills sanders and Dremals.  What is the best way I can tackle this using the 30amp power source?


texts:
I've got a Maytag washing machine, model number mvwc500vw1, that is shaking pretty bad in the spin cycle. I've made sure the feet are level, replaced the suspension springs and both sets of snubber pads, though none of them seemed particularly worn. I also checked to make sure the balance ring fluid hasn't leaked out. Anything else I should check on this washer?
Here's a GIF of it shaking unloaded with the cabinet off. When the cabinet is on and there are clothes in it, the tub bangs against the cabinet and is very noisy.


texts: I want to install a water softener for our house and the company that I am dealing with told me that the unit must be installed outside unless I only want to soften the hot water.  Is this true?


texts: Are uninsulated steam pipes behind walls and touching beams a fire hazard?

texts:
We are getting our unfinished basement done. We have replaced and rerouted (to make more space) our steam pipes (house built in 1937) with new pipes (Black and I believe 4 inches in diameter). These pipes run into/from the boiler and run very hot. We are getting sheetrock walls built in the basement to cover existing concrete walls and pipes will run behind the sheetrock.

Plumber says the pipes can remain behind the sheetrock walls to help generate heat and that the pipes don't need to be wrapped/insulated. He also says that the pipes can run against ceiling beams without being insulated.

Question: Is it safe to have these pipes behind walls or against (touching) wooden structural beams if the pipes will be non-insulated/wrapped? I am very concerned about potential fire risks.

Thanks!


texts: Should the smooth side or the rough side of a urethane bandsaw tire go against the wheel?

texts:
I am replacing bandsaw tires. I bought urethane replacement tires. There is a smooth side and a rough side. The manufacturers directions are clear on every step except for this point. The old tires have been on the bandsaw for AT LEAST 25 years and are made of rubber, those two differences make me leery of simply mirroring the current setup.

Does the smooth side or the rough side of the tire go against the bandsaw wheel?

If it matters the wheel is made of aluminum, the wheel itself has a crown, and the wheel has a lip on the edge to hold the tire on.


texts: Installing a ceiling fan/light with a receiver and two wall switches

texts:
I have the following ceiling light/fan combo that I’m going to install (Ashby Park ceiling fan Instructions) in a bedroom that has two light switches. One for the light and one for a fan. However, due to the way this fan has a receiver and the way the receiver is set up, is it even possible to have the switches on the wall control this the way I’d like it to?
Also, here’s the light switch setup


texts: How can I monitor the temperature in a hot water heater?

texts:
When my hot, water heater runs out of hot water, I have to wait a while until it's hot again. I'd like a way to check the temperature without running water to the faucet every 10 minutes.

Is it possible to put a temperature probe in the heater, and a display unit elsewhere?

(This specific unit is a propane-fired RV unit, with a 6 gallon tank, hence the running out. But I invite answers for regular house units as well.)


texts: I am moving into my first home and am wanting to mount my 43" flat screen tv above the fireplace. There are multiple outlets surrounding the fireplace, however there is not one above it. What are some ways to install this? Or some different ideas. I am set on putting it above the fireplace.


texts: What is the black stain on my exterior brick, and how can I remove it?

texts: The brick wall above my apartment is blackened, what is it and is it possible to clean it?


texts: How to handle painted backsplash that now has bubbling paint

texts:
We have a painted wooden backsplash by our kitchen faucet. Sadly, the wooden is now swelling because of the moisture around. Note that the wood doesn't normally get water on it directly - it appears to just be the water that lands on the countertop below it.

The obvious solution would be to sand it flat and paint with an enamel paint to resist the water. Are there other solutions I should look at?