texts: Are 11 outlets on a 15 amp breaker too many?

texts: I have a 11 outlets on a 15amp breaker and second from the last on that circuit is gfci plug in the bathroom with one plug after it in a closet. Is this to much for that breaker?


texts: What is an Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter?

texts: What is an Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) and where should they be used?


texts: 2 unknown pipes in garage, one dripping/leaking

texts: These pipes are about 4' tall.  The one on the left is dripping water, it appears to have a valve to turn it off....Can anyone tell me what these are for and if I should turn the valve off?


texts: Is clearance to an electrical panel required to the sides?

texts: Per the NEC there is 36" clearance needed by a circuit panel. Is that 36" clearance just in front of panel, or is 36" clearance mandatory on the left / right and in front?


texts:
Today I discovered that (at least) one of the ceiling lights in my house isn't mounted on a junction box.

As an added bonus, most of the wiring is fabric insulated copper. You can see the single wire coming from the light switch has cracked insulation.

I was going to move all of this into a typical round old work box, but then I realized it's directly below a joist. There are also wire clamps on the bracket that attaches to the joist, so this must've been acceptable at some point.

Looking for advice on what to do. I think the safest option is to move all the old wiring to a separate box in the attic and just bring the wires for this specific light (neutral and switched live) into a pancake box somehow mounted in the same spot.

The ceiling is about 1.375" thick with the rock lath, plaster, and foam ceiling tiles. I imagine I can fit a pancake box under the joist here, right?


texts: Electric range spark and house fuse blown multiple times

texts:
I have this electric kitchen range for 3 years. Yesterday, when cooking, there was a spark in the back and the home's fuse was blown. On turning things back, it worked for a few hours, and again a spark and the fuse got blown. Attached are the pictures of the back side where its burnt. This is where the plug from the wall connects to the range.

Looks like the black wire is burnt. I have almost no knowledge of how things work. Really looking up to you for some help on how to go about fixing this. Big thank you once again for reading. I have more photos and videos of the area.


texts:
About 3 years ago I built an outdoor patio table from home depot pressure treated lumber. I walnut stained it and applied 3 layers of Helmsman spar urethane. It looks like the sun/rain has worn down the urethane finish so it's time to re-apply. It even looks like some of the stain is fading. I've never refinished wood like this so I have a few questions, which I think I know the answers for, just looking for anyone with more experience to confirm.

Is it right to stick with the same spar urethane or should I consider an alternative? (I think the same)
Should I expect a fresh coat of urethane to give the stain a more even finish, or do I just need to re-stain first? (I think I need to re-stain, I just don't want to)
How many coats of urethane should I do?  Should I expect another 3 coats to last me another 3 years?  If I only do 1 coat, will I need to refinish sooner, maybe in 1 year? (I think 3 coats would offer the longest durability)
How should I prep the surface before refinishing? I've read to lightly sand.  If I'm not re-staining, does that mean to hand sand just enough to not remove any stain? Is that even possible? After sanding, I expect the surface will be gritty from what sanding breaks loose.  Is it important to thoroughly clean all the grit off before applying the finish? (Was thinking to use one of those fine sponge hand sanders while trying to preserve the stain, and use simple green to clean)
Is sanding between each coat of urethane really necessary? Does the same apply for cleaning the surface after sanding and before the next coat? (Probably yes)
If I do re-stain, do I need to sand the surface down to bare wood? (Probably yes)


texts: Is the receiver for my ceiling fan defective or do I need to modify my wall switch?

texts:
I just got this minka aire wave ceiling fan an completed the installation but it will not turn on (neither with remote nor switch) UNLESS i take the receiver out altogether and just operate it with the wall switch. I wouldn't mind doing this except there is no drop string to change the fan speed. There are two possibilities here:
1. The receiver is dead
2. The fan does not support wall switch and remote at the same time

I don't care to control the speed or dimmer from the wall just simply need a on/off option.
I did not find any information in the manual but I just want to verify that a ceiling fan with a remote kit installed should not lose operation from the wall switch?


texts: Does this look like asbestos insulation?

texts: Found some spare bits of it in the attic, was curious what it is. Fibre glass?


texts: I have a double door front entrance.  The second door(the one not frequently used) does not easily open because it catches in the groove for the vertical lock.  I usually need to unhinge it with a flathead screwdriver. I've tried to lower the strip at the bottom of the frame but it still catches!  I've attached a picture.  Any ideas on how to fix this?  Thanks!


texts: Drain and vent the toilet from waste line? (Wet vent)

texts:
I have a plumbing question and hope that someone with plumbing knowledge will lend a hand.

Can I connect my toilet drain line where the red circle is drawn to my second toilet?  The T fitting just before the red outline is connected to a toilet to the left and a vent stack above.  My question is if my toilet is less than 4’ away from this vent stack, and I’m using 3” ABS, can I tie my wasteline from the second toilet directly into the wasteline downstream from the stack and still achieve proper ventilation?  I also, is this acceptable per code in CA?

Thanks a ton!


texts:
Today I tried to close main water valve in my flat. The hadle broke off and I want to know, if it is fixable, as I replacing would require closing main valve for whole building (or I think it will).

I can not see any broken metal / plastick, the handle just "stayed in my hand". See photos.

Is this somehow fixable, or the valve needs to be replaced?


texts: Dip Switch settings for furnace circuit board

texts:
I have a 2-stage variable speed furnace installed with single stage thermostat. I would like to control W2 staging time delay using dip (DIP) switch settings on circuit board, but there is a sentence that confuses me. It could be my bad English. If you could help, I will appreciate it.

Manual reads as follows:

  “Leave both switches off when using a 2-stage stat or enabling a W1
  only call”

If I put both dip switches OFF (S7-1 and S7-2), does it mean that my furnace will never fire stage-2 and always be on Stage-1?

Following table is from the manual:
S7 Switches 1 & 2 for W2 delay.
-------------------------------
Switch Settings    | Options
----------------------------
[S7-1] |[S7-2]     | [Time]
----------------------------
OFF    | OFF       |  OFF
----------------------------
ON     | OFF       |  10 Minutes
-----------------------------
OFF    | ON        |  Auto
-----------------------------
ON     | ON        | 20 Minutes
--------------------------------
Note: S7-1 and S7-2 refer to dip switches.

Thanks!


texts: Gaps Between Aluminium Sign board Theming and External Wall

texts: Is gypsum board durable to use for gaps between external side of wall and aluminium theme cladding sign board.


texts: Dealing with incline from back door to fence

texts:
We have plans for a new house build - see my attached crude mockup where the front of the house is on the left and the backyard is the green shaded area.

The land has up to 1.8m incline from front to back (these are the elevation values):

99.8m SW corner (top-left)
100.2m SE corner (bottom-left)
101.3m NW corner (top-right)
101.6m NE corner (bottom-right)

The slab has an elevation of 100.6m.
This means there is a 1 metre uphill incline from the back door to the NE corner of the yard (over a distance of 4.9 metres), with a slightly smaller incline of 700mm from the back door to the NW corner.
The builder's original proposal was to build a 1 metre deep footpath around the property, and then a retaining wall with 2 steps up into the backyard.  We didn't like this as it would mean the flat portion of the yard would be approximately 4 metres from the retaining wall to the fence.
What we are proposing is to excavate the land around the back/side of the property to lower it to slab height, and then build a retaining wall at the fence line.  This will give us the full flat backyard, without any awkward steps or retaining walls in the middle.
Based on these measurements and figures, does our option sound feasible?  Our main concerns are:

Cost of excavation
Whether retaining wall will be effective enough (neighbours houses will be 1 metre higher than ours)
Whether we will become vulnerable to flooding in heavy rain (note we're not in a flood prone area)

I guess we just want some reassurance that what we're proposing is a fairly "normal" thing to do, and we won't run into any major complications after the build.


texts: Adding a single light switch from a 3 way light

texts: I have power (12-2 wire) coming to a switch box. That light switch is a 3 way switch (12-3) which goes to the next switch. From there the (12-2) wire goes to the light. I need to connect a light from that light and then down to a single pole switch(12-2 wire). How do I do that?


texts: How do I lubricate plastic rollers for sliding closet doors?

texts:
I just installed some new sliding closet doors, but unfortunately they're a bit squeaky/noisy when operating. They are "Reliabilt" doors from Lowes, the actual company that makes these is SGA. There's nothing in the instructions and nothing on their website about suggested maintenance/lubrication.

I'm not entirely sure what the rollers are made of, they're some kind of plastic or nylon rollers that fit in an extruded aluminum track.

What kind of lubricant can I use that won't break down the plastic, or gum it up over time from dust/etc?


texts:
I’m replacing my toilet flange but the opening inside diameter is 3.5 inches.  I bought the typical 3x4 flange but it sits directly on top of the opening.
What size flange do I need?


texts: Do I need a cordless screwdriver if I own a cordless drill?

texts:
I currently own a cheapo corded drill and one of DeWalt's lower-end cordless screwdrivers.  I want to buy a cordless drill because I am done with extension cords.

Most (good) cordless drills seem to be able to function as a screwdriver.

If I did buy a cordless drill, it would probably get a lot of use as a screwdriver.  Probably more than it would as a drill.

Will the cordless drill be able to fill the same role as the screwdriver?  Will I even need the screwdriver anymore?  Are there any drawbacks to using the cordless drill as my primary power-screwing tool?

For what it's worth, I plan to get a DeWalt with a Lithium battery.  I haven't decided on a specific model yet, though.  (Brand/Model recommendations are welcome.)


texts: I am in the process of shingling my house with cedar shingles, how long should I wait before priming and painting


texts: Mosaic installation: thinset excess spilling between the gaps

texts:
I'm currently placing mosaic on a concrete staircase. When I push the tiles into the thinset often the thinset is spilling through the gap.
I'm removing the excess with a brush which is annoying because it moves some tiles from their place.

I'm wondering if that's a symptom of a wrong technique.  Thinset too soft? Too much thinset? I'm using a 4mm v-trowel.

Thanks, Gerard.


texts: I encountered a condition where a sub panel' s Neutral wirings are on both Neutral bar and Grounding bar, at a 1960' s home, with wirings are Romex and flex conduits. Subject sub panel served as the main service panel in the past,  However, it was converted into a sub panel when a 200A was installed and Upgraded electrical work and additions were done over the years since early 1990. Although The pictures are NOT the best, however I supplemented with description on the pictures.   My concern is related to Neutral wirings on both Neutral and Grounding bars, thus, possibly a risk of creating a path,  Further. there are only two #12 bare copper wirings connected to a bond screw which connects to the grounding bar, with no additional ground wires visible at the sub panel.


texts: Can I add a separate neutral wire to my cooktop/range circuit?

texts:
I replaced an old double wall oven and an electric cooktop with a range. Those were both on 30 amp breakers with 10/2 ungrounded. I bought a 3 prong plug and 6/2 wire with the range. Anyway I just ran the wire to the electrical box and that's when I realized I need 6/3 and a 4 prong. The 6/2 has been cut so I'm not going be able to return that now.
Can I use one of my old 10/2 wires, sister up the black and white at the box and at the plug and use this as my neutral? Or do I have to crack open the wallet to buy 6/3, I'm in the middle of nowhere and have to special order anything thicker than 12 gauge.


texts: Coat hook rack above a wall with fuse boxes

texts:
The plan

I'm planning to build and put up a coat hook rack in my flat. My plan is to simply screw 5 hooks into a solid piece of wood and then mount it on the wall. It should look something like this:

only a bit simpler.

However, the wall on which I would like to mount the rack looks like this:

As you can see there are some fuse boxes. The box on the bottom is for the underfloor heating. The boxes above are for fuses. The rack should be mounted above the boxes.

Now to my problem

Due to the fact that I want to mount the rack on a wall with fuse boxes (where there are probably many cables behind the wall), I don't know how (and even if) I can mount a rack onto the wall. I think the use of dowels isn't a good idea because of the cables, correct? I was thinking about mounting it from the ceiling (perhaps using 2 ropes, I know this won't hold just to give you an illustration) but this didn't seem like a good idea to me.

My Question

Do you have any ideas on how to mount the rack onto the wall and do you even think that this would be possible?

Thank you in advance!


texts:
I have an old piece of butcher block that I want to use as a small bit of countertop -- planning to build what is essentially a small kitchen island (18" x 24", based on the size of the butcher block).

Unfortunately, the butcher block is not perfectly smooth. That's probably why we got it for $8 at a garage sale 10 years ago. ;-) You can see one corner floating about 5 mm (1/4") above the floor here:

Another way of looking at it is head on to the edge grain:

Anyways, I want this thing to sit flat. I've been reading about various techniques to correct a warped/cupped/bowed butcher block by adding or removing moisture, and I'm not sure how applicable those techniques are here. This seems to me more complex than warping, as you can see from the edge profile.

So I think I want to remove the excess material, but I'm not sure of the right tool for the job. Belt sander? Random orbital sander? Hand plane? Something else entirely?

FWIW, I own none of these tools. I can easily rent a belt sander or a random orbital sander, but I'm not sure about a plane.


texts: Why aren't my radiators heating up after I replaced a rusted through pipe?

texts:
We had a bit of corrosion in an old pipe and it started leaking and losing pressure and so I drained all the central heating system (radiators), replaced the pipe and fitting. It was awkward and the new pipe had to go through from the first floor to the ground floor.

I then filled up the radiators again until the pressure was between 1-2 bars and switched the heating on again. The boiler (INTERGAS KOMPAKT HR?) is currently sitting at 85 but none of the pipes or radiators are hot. I can't hear any water moving around in them like I used to. We still have hot water.

I've bled all the radiators until nothing but water came out. There were a couple that let out a lot of air. The pressure in the system went right down to 0.3 bar and so I topped up the system with water until it was 1.25 bar again.

Panel on heating system currently saying desired temperature has been reached and all the radiators are stone cold. Room temperature 14 °C and desired temperature is 20 °C.

I bled all the radiators again: no air came out. I repressurised the system to 1.8 bar.

I have no idea what to do now. Any advice?


texts: F.A.U. and W.A. abbreviations on circuit breaker?

texts:
I think FAU means Forced Air Unit, but a different one says AC.  Why would there be both?

There are also two separate ones that say W.A.  What is that?

From top to bottom they say:

A.C. (two connected; each with number 40);
DISH & DISP (two connected; each with number 20);
WASH (20);
F.A.U. (20);
W.A. (20);
MAIN (two connected; each with number 100);
W.A. (20);
PLUGS & LIGHTS (one label for next last 5, separate, labeled '15');
and two more, connected with no label each with number 50


texts:
I have used Sherwin William and DAP caulk but it keeps peeling away from my baseboards.
What is a good type of caulk that will not separate from the baseboards? The baseboards are painted with Sherwin Williams Divine White semi-gloss paint. This will make the 3rd time I've replaced the caulking.


texts: I am having the same problem as others water coming out of shower head but only when the valve is in the neutral position to fill the tub. I have removed the spout to expose the copper nipple I have replaced the cartridge also removed the showerhead. however I still have a small amount of water coming out of the shower head when filling the tub in a neutral position when running hot or cold water it will not leak. I ran copper to the spout and shower head any suggestions if I had done anything wrong in the set up.


texts: Can you install a ceiling fan with a hickey and crossbar?

texts:
I have a concrete ceiling with an old-style electrical box that has a stud for a hickey, but does not have the traditional mounting holes for fixture screws, like the box in this diagram:

Can I install a ceiling fan using a hickey and crossbar kit to provide a mounting location for the ceiling fan bracket?

The box is embedded in concrete so replacing it is not practical. I'm confident it will support the weight of the fan but I'm worried the crossbar might not provide enough stability.


texts: Any Issue Adding Garden Hose Bib To Soft Water Side of Water Loop?

texts:
I recently replaced a water softener unit at my house. I wanted to add a hose outlet for soft water to rinse off the car. I was wondering if there are any code issues with adding a garden hose bib via a tee to the soft water side of the water loop?

Here's a picture of what I did:


texts: Bushing OK or need clamp? NM-B 6/3 going into breaker box

texts:
I am adding a 14-50 outlet in the garage.  Running NM-B 6/3 Romex to existing breaker box. There is room for a 50AMP 240 breaker. I have 200A single phase service. Sheetrock above box.  I can drill a hole in the studs above the breaker box and feed wire into breaker box from attic. Because of the existing sheetrock I don't have access to put on a clamp with a nut on the top of the breaker box (without cutting sheetrock).  Can I use a simple bushing?  I think I need 3/4" or 1" bushing or clamp.  The electrician that helped me gave me a 1" bushing. Is that code?  I also see snap-in clamps.  That would work if I can find one. Do they make 3/4" snap-in clamps? Does code allow the simple nylon/plastic bushing where the wire enters the breaker box? What are my options?

Update: I used the NM95X as suggested in the replies to my question. Here is how it turned out. The 6/3 enters at the top center. I think I did a correct and pretty job. Critiques?


texts:
In trying to repair a pipe I went to empty my baseboard heating system, and so I tried to open what I thought was a bleeder.  It didn't seem to make any difference, and now after unbolting it it will not thread back in.

Is this actually a bleeder?  Either way, any idea why it won't close?


texts: Does Fluorescent Lighting Cause GFCI-Protected Circuits to Trip?

texts: I have a plug-in fluorescent light with two 40-watt bulbs. If I try to plug it in to an outlet protected by GFCI breaker, it causes the breaker to trip. It works fine in a regular outlet. Is this expected or is something wrong?


texts:
I have a ceiling mounted 240V 30A heater that is currently controlled by its built-in thermostat. The heater is in a workshop (in an out building). The heater is wired using three wires (two hot and a ground).
I'd like to be able to add a countdown timer so that I won't have to worry about forgetting to turn the heater off when I leave the workshop. Maybe, one that could be set for up to an hour.
Thanks in advance for any help you might offer.


texts: How can I hang drywall from a ceiling made out of aluminium insulated panels?

texts: I am closing in my Florida room. I want to drywall the ceiling. It is made out of aluminum insulated panels. I can't get any drywall screws to grab. No studs to drill into. I can leave it as is, but drywall would look nicer(and make my wife happy!). Any suggestions? Is gluing an option?


texts:
I recently moved into a townhome.  The living room appears to be wired for surround sound.  Where the satellite speakers would go, there are blank wall plates.

Behind two of the wall plates are boxes/brackets as shown below (you can see the gray speaker wire running up behind it).

What is this type of bracket intended for?  It looks like something is meant to fit inside the semi-circular openings, or perhaps they are supposed to bent away? I haven't been able to find anything similar online.


texts: Way to lower the mattress inside a cot gracefully

texts:
I'm having a hard time transferring my son to his cot without waking him - the moment I lower him into the cot, he wakes up.

If I can raise the mattress inside the cot, and then lower it slowly once he is on the mattress, I figured it would be a lot easier.

Do you have any ideas on how to accomplish this in an easy enough way?


texts: Can I convert a single circuit with multiple lights/1 switch to control 1 light/switch

texts:
I have 3 recessed lights in my house that are controlled from a single switch. Actually they are controlled from 3 places with 3-way switches, so it's not really working all that well.

What I would like to be able to do, without running new wiring, is control each light from an individual switch. I'm envisioning each light junction box having a smart relay in it, and the switches sending a signal addressed to the specific light, which would allow for controlling from multiple locations. Ideally it would also be possible to dim them individually. I haven't been able to find anything ready-made, either because they don't exist or because I don't know what they would be called. Also, would such a solution even meet code since each fixture would now be live all the time?

I don't mind if it requires a hub (e.g. Z-Wave, Zigbee) since I'm considering going that route anyway for a smart deadbolt. What I'm trying to avoid is having to pull new wires. I'd also like to convert a couple of the cans to pendant lights, so a smart bulb solution isn't going to work either.

This is not really a duplicate of How can I convert two recessed lights on a single pole switch to two separate lights with light controls? since that appears to be looking for a more usual pull new wires solution.

If I can't find anything I'm probably just going to live with controlling them all at once and replace the existing switches with multiple remote dimmers.


texts: Replacing outlet; found one white wire hot. How to connect?

texts:
I am replacing a worn outlet.
Upon removing faceplate & receptacle, I discovered 3 romex feeds into single box.
Each has 3 wires: 1 black, 1 white, 1 copper
As I understand it, usually black=hot, white=neutral & copper=ground.

Testing with a non-contact voltage tester:
 - one black wire is hot
 - one white wire is hot
(both coming out of the same romex)
 - no other wires are hot

All grounds are combined to a pigtail with the  pigtail lead going to the ground screw on the outlet.

All three white wires were connected to old outlet silver side; all 3 black wires were connected to outlet brass side.

The new outlet (just your basic, generic outlet) has screw-type connectors, not backstab (actually it looks like there could be backstab openings, but the gauge would have to be super small - existing wire will not fit):  it has two brass screws for the hot leads, two silver for the neutral, one green for ground.

I've considered a few connection options:

Connect the black hot lead to the top brass screw; wirenut the other two non-hot black wires with a pigtail & connect the pigtail to the bottom brass screw. Connect the hot white wire to the top silver screw, wirenut & pigtail as with the black.

or-

Wirenut all three black wires with a pigtail, run the pigtail to the top brass screw; repeat for white running to the top white screw.

or -

Hot black to top brass, wirenut the other two w/pigtail to bottom brass screw; one of the NON-hot white wires to top silver, wirenut one hot & one non-hot white w/pigtail to bottom silver.

I'm hesitant 'cuz of the one white lead being hot.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for advice, guidance, direction, assistance...or just the number of a good therapist...;-)


texts: Is hydro air more efficient than gas/oil?

texts:
I have heard different things about hydro air systems.

I am considering getting one because it is a 5000 SF house and a 1500+ SF addition is planned and I heard that it is easier to expand a hydro system and is better for larger houses. However, I have read some complaints, such as this one:

  I would not install a hydro-air system. We just moved into a new house
  (8 yrs old) with hydro-air. The house is about 2800sf and has central
  a/c too. It has 9" of insulation in the attic, 4" in the walls, plus
  vinyl siding with a thin layer of foam insulation. We live in MA, so
  it get very cold here. I don't like the heating system at all. In the
  winter it runs anytime the sinks are turned on (even if you aren't
  using hot water). And because it uses a blower run by electricity and
  hot water heated by oil, you are essentially tied into using 2 fuels
  to heat your house. Inefficient. During summer, I turn the whole
  system off, except when I need some hot water to shower. We saved over
  $100/month in electricity alone by doing this... not to mention the
  oil. We have not lived in this house for a full winter yet. We moved
  in in March, which was the coldest March on record. This house used
  100 gal of oil in 10 days with the heat set to 60 degrees while nobody
  was even living here.

Is there validity to this complaint?


texts: Replace Dimmer Switch with normal switch

texts:
I had a dimmer switch setup in my dining room.  The dimmer switch stopped working and I want to replace it with a normal switch (3 screws which are hot, neutral, ground).

In the picture below, there seems to be a lot more going on than I had anticipated.

I tried connecting the "line"(tested hot) wire and "Neutral" wire and the "Ground" wire to the normal switch but it didn't work and then I'm not sure what to do with the "Load" wire.


texts: What is a cheap patio solution for a muddy area in my backyard?

texts:
I have an area just at the end of my current patio that I have tried to grow grass in for a few years with no luck.  The area is heavily shaded, it is between two large maples. Plus I have two large dogs that don't help matters. No matter what it always reverts back to a few bits of grass and very sandy/dry soil...yes I have put topsoil down when seeding.  If I could grow crab grass there I would.  I just want something to make it less muddy when it rains.

The area is fairly large so using normal pavers would cost a fortune. Money I don't have. Does any one have any other idea's?  Spaced pavers with something inbetween? poured concrete sections? Crab grass seeds?


texts: 1" x 2" Furring Strips for Drywall Ceiling

texts: In my basement, there's currently a tile ceiling that's installed on furring strips attached to the joists. The furring strips are 1"x2", attached to the joists by nails. We're currently replacing the wood paneling with drywall, and would like to replace the ceiling tiles as well. Would these 1x2" furring strips be strong enough to support drywall hung from the ceiling? Generally, I've seen references to using 1x3" furring strips, so I wanted to see about the weight issue.


texts: Are pass-through grounding screw connections allowed by the NEC?

texts: Is this type of connection allowed according to the NEC assuming the ground wire is sheathed (like thhn) and striped back at the area of the screw and then continued to the receptacle ground screw then stripped there?


texts: Safe to install vinyl plank flooring over existing peel and stick

texts:
Looking for some insight on best approach for prepping a floor for vinyl plank install.
I am laying down vinyl plank flooring in our laundry room/mud room. I was going to remove the two layers of peel and stick flooring first. A contractor coming in to liquors painting kitchen cabinets mentioned he would just put it over the peel and stick.
My instincts are to remove all existing peel and stick. But my wife says I have a tendency to make projects bigger than they need to be.


texts: Is there a voltage drop test that ensure that electrical wiring in house is safe?

texts:
In another question I asked what is the checklist to install power outlet by inserting into nearby lamp's electrical wiring. I plan to use this outlet for USB camera and occasional car charging.

I just realized that my car allows to set how many Amps it would pull from mains to charge the battery; and then it also reports voltage it sees after pulling that many Amps. Almost perfect load tester. So I installed temporary outlet to test few things before I actually cut holes in the wall.

As can be seen below, while charging the car at max power, the voltage dropped from 120V to 107V. Which equates to 13V voltage drop. And car pulled 9 Amps (presumably a safety feature built in the car to prevent house wirong overload).

So my questions are:

is such voltage drop normal? Does this mean that wiring that goes from circuit breaker box to electrical outlet via attics (I estimate ~15 to 25 meters of wiring) have to dissipate 13V*12Amps=156Watts of waste heat? Is there a general rule on what is and isn't acceptable?
should I go in attics and check wire gauges and connections (this is old house and wiring was done by someone else)? What I am afraid of is a possibility that someone who has worked on wiring before me may have undersized the wires and they could melt if someone plugs in a dumber device that tries to pull more than ~1KW (like pressure washer).

Here is how voltage drop looked for different charging rates:

@5A voltage was 113V
@6A voltage was 111V
@7A voltage was 110V
@8A voltage was 109V
@9A voltage was 107V


texts:
I’m looking to redo my stucco, and I’m trying to figure out what each layer of stucco is on my house.
Could someone help explain what each layer of the stucco is in the image, and which layer I need to pressure wash down to?


texts: Fully programmable washing machine (not in the marketing sense!)

texts:
EDIT: I've been told that this question is a rant, so here is a TL;DR:

I want to program my washing machine in the low-level sense, e.g. I want to set all the parameters of the washing cycle (amount of water, temperature, intensity of tumbling, duration of the cycle). Do you know any product on the market that allows this?

Longer version:

For the past 4 years, after the birth of our child me and my wife gave up on our Candy washing machine, since we got the impression it was made to punish us, not to help us. (we used disposable diapers, so diapers are not an issue, everything else is). The arrival of the child was only the latest straw, we were generally unhappy with washing machines for 10 years before.

More specific:

they wash for too long. I am sorry, but don't have 4 hours to wash 4 kilos of laundry
too little water (which may be connected to the previous one). I am horrified that the machine is savagely beating the laundry in a small puddle of putrid water. Science of washing or not, I don't want my clothes to be washed and destroyed that way. It does cause the textile to wear out more quickly and I am angry about this.
"punishment" mentality of the washing program. Adding more water (yes there is button for that) increases cycle time up to a 20 minuts. It is almost as the designers would want me to suffer for using more water.

So right now, and for the past 4 years, we are making bi-weekly trips to the public laundry (with 40kg+ of laundry), where Speed Queen machines wash the laundry in 40 minutes, and they do it with plenty of water. My Candy washing machine is mainly not used. I live in EU, so laundromats are not nearly as ubiquitous as in US, so "trip" means the trip across the town, not down the block.

I was talking to other uses of the laundry about this and the feeling is frequent among people using these public laundries - most of them have washing machines at home, but they just gave up. Many people that don't use public laundries are angry about this as well, but there seem to be no other choice for the home appliances.

Also note that I am an engineer by trade (I know math) and I pretty much understand that any savings in water and electricity machine makes by torturing our laundry are totally nonsensically small in relation to overall use of water/electricity in the household (more water per day is used to flush my urine down the toilet than during one washing cycle).

So I explicitly don't care about energy efficiency labels. I would gladly buy an "E" or "F" based one, if it would behave more reasonably.

So my question is: short of buying one of the industrial/laundromat beasts made by SpeedQueen, is there ANY machine of the market which would allow me to set up MY program. I don't meean "fully programmable" machines sold by Samsung which have wifi, and bluetooth and whatnot... I don't need to know when the machine is done, I want to be done quickly. Not need to be 40 minutes, but the laundry should be done in one hour, and SpeedQueen machines indeed show that this is possible.

I would like to set duration of the cycle (in minutes), amount of water used for washing and rinsing, temperature of the water for washing and rinsing, intensity (speed and frequency) of tumbling and so on. Fine grained control which would allow me to optimize my cycle the way I like.

I am flabbergasted that basically in any industry the companies are struggling to please the customers, but in home appliance business that focus has been lost. My grandmother in 80ties had a washing machine that needed 2 hours to wash the laundry. Now I have to suffer 4 hours? Really?

EDIT2: I found the commercial machine on the Alibaba, that advertises exactly this functionality. It seems to be the closest what is available right now:

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Front-load-fully-programmable-industrial-50kg_60387387819.html

The smallest one they sell is for 15 kg loads. Provides USB port for PC programming.


texts: Should I put down underlayment when putting a layer of tile on top of another?

texts:
I have two layers of tile down. The suggestion is to tear off the first layer of tile and then put on new Armstrong tile. One contractor has underlayment in the bid, while the other does not.

Do we need the underlayment?


texts: Should I repair or replace a wheezing circular saw?

texts: I have a hand-me-down Craftsman circular saw that is probably from the 1970s. It mostly works fine, but makes a grinding wheezing noise when decelerating after power has been cut (finger taken off trigger). Knowing my dad, if there were multiple 7 1/4" Craftsman saws available at the time, this was the cheapest one. Is it wiser to just replace it, or is it worth repairing? If it's time to replace it, what are your thoughts on corded vs. battery?


texts: Should I drain all the pipes before a freeze?

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I live in Austin and we are going to have some pretty cold weather in the near future. I recently bought a house that I'm not living and since the electricity is out (and cannot be turned on until an electrical inspection is completed), the heater won't be running there. In order to prevent any pipes from bursting, I was thinking about maybe shutting off the water to the house, draining the pipes, and just leaving all the faucets and hose bibs open while it's cold. Any reason not to do that?
Post snowpocalypse update
I thought I would follow up with what I ended up doing and how things worked out. Local news recommended (very adamantly but without explaining why) that people do not drip outside faucets, inside only. So we decided to wrap the outside faucets very well and put hand warmers on them for an extra punch of heat and not drip them. We did leave the water on and drip the inside faucets.
We did this at both houses and basically everything worked out fine. We did have older hose bib crack and gush water. Luckily I had a replacement bib so we were okay. I know other people that dripped their outside lines and were fine. I also know someone who just turned the water off and it was fine. I also know a lot of people who had pipes burst, including my wife's parents in Dallas. They left the house for a few days and didn't come back until after things thawed out. A pipe in the ceiling burst near the kitchen and flooded the much of lower floor of the house. Not great.
Anyway, thanks again for all the advice. It was a pretty crazy week, but we made it through without any major issues.


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I'm finding a lot of conflicting information on this, and I think the code has changed a lot over the years, and many posts in forums are about multi-wire branch circuits (or being confused with them).

Based on either NEC 2014 or 2017 (which will be adopted here in about three months), what are the specific requirements, if any, for splitting a 20A duplex outlet on the tabs and having the top fed by one 20A breaker and the bottom feed by a second 20A breaker?

In this case, there would be two hots, two neutrals, and two grounds, since I would run two 12/2 romex runs to it. I know the neutral tab needs to be broken on the receptacle and the correct neutral placed on each side for safety and for AFCI to work.

I've read all sorts of conflicting information about this, much of which seems to get confused with MWBC (probably because that is how you would feed this setup "back in the day" when AFCI wasn't required).

What are the specific and current code requirements for wiring two circuits to one duplex receptacle? Specific NEC article and section numbers would be appreciated.

To clarify, these are the types of concerns that may or may not apply:

Labeling requirements. Should a warning be provided somewhere that de-energize one plug does not de-energize both?
Do they need to trip together?
Do the handles need to be joined (tandem breaker, 2 pole, etc)?
Since they are not sharing a neutral, it should be OK for them to be on the same leg. In fact, I think it would be good practice to put them on the same leg, because then you wouldn't be able to have 240 at a box most people expect to be 120.
Similarly, it seems the arc potential would be greater if the hots were on opposite legs, since there is more electromotive force, which could jump a larger air gap.
Something else that I didn't think of, since the people who write the code have put lots of thought into it based of field data and electrical engineering principles.
The most common application for breaking the tab is switch controlled outlets, which our usually supplied by the same branch, just one side is after a switch. In the event of receptacle failure where the hots touched, the light would just turn on. If the two hots were on different legs, it might cause bigger problems.
Sometimes certain features can only be used in certain cases. For example, you must wire the screw terminal for 12ga/20a circuits, but can legally back stab 14ga/15a. I thought perhaps there may be similar rules about when you could use two separate hots on a receptacle.


texts: How to install a window ac in a room with improper window provision

texts: I have a window ac that I used it earlier. Recently shifted my premises and my bed room has a window with two wood doors that open oppositely and a lengthy wood stick in the middle. Window is safeguarded with iron fittings on either sides of middle wood stick and this is making unsuitable for my ac installation. My owners are not permitting to cut the middle wood stick. Added to this iron gauze is also should be cut for installation. Are there any alternate procedure for installation . Can I keep my window ac completely out side the window


texts: Why am I getting water scaling even with a softener installed?

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I have a problem with higher levels of scaling around sinks and toilets and I'm wondering if someone can help.

We recently purchased an older home (35 years old), which did not have a water softener in use, at least for some time (there was an old broken one on the premises). We had a good quality softener installed about 3 months ago, and I've tested the softened water, which rates at:

18 gpg hardness on municipal water source coming into the house (very hard)
0 gpg hardness after softener (it's soft)
0.3 ppm iron (a little high but not too bad)

Scaling in the sinks, toilets, etc. was excessive before installing the softener, and it has improved now, but I'm finding we continue to have to use vinegar about every 1-2 weeks to clean scale off of sink basins, toilet bowls (and these are toilets used daily), as well as counter tops, etc.

Is this to be expected? I'm curious as to why if water hardness is at 0 (or sometimes 1) gpg there is so much scale. My only thought it it's build-up on the plumbing between the softener and the taps, etc. that is going to take time to disappear and is perhaps being loosened by the softener.

It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the hot water tanks as the build-up is just as noticeable in the toilets (cold water) as the sinks (mix of cold source and hot tank).

I have considered flushing the hot water tanks but I don't believe it's the cause based on the above.

Any input would be really appreciated.


texts: How can I repair cracks in a sports court?

texts: I have some cracks in my sport court - see images. What can I use to repair them? I imagine that I would use some kind of filler that would then set hard. This is in the Phoenix area which means that it gets extreme heat but the temperature rarely drops below freezing.


texts: How do I connect two pieces of flexible dryer hose

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I need about 10 to 12 feet of flexible dryer hose but it seems to come in 8 foot lengths .
Is it possible to connect a 4 foot section to an 8 foot length.
And how would I proceed.


texts: Side edging for hexagonal stone pavers? Concrete ok?

texts:
I have an idea for a walkway or driveway that would be surface with thick hexagonal pavers.

One of the challenges of this design is that the edge of the paving will be irregular, since each tile is hexagonal:

So, one thought I had is to use concrete. I would build a form around the edges of the paving and pour concrete to secure the sides and produce a straight edge to the road or walkway.

My concern is that the concrete might be incompatible with the stone in some way. For example, it might contract and expand at a different rate.

What are risks here? I want to avoid a situation where the edging is cracking and falling apart in 10 or 20 years.


texts: I am wanting to install a breaker box inside of a house addition and the box I bought has a 100 amp main breaker for cut off. I'm only going to be pulling around 4500 to 5000 watts at the most so I was wondering if I could run 10/3 UF wire and still use the 100 amp main breaker? I read on other forums a 30 amp main breaker could used.


texts: I have a lake home that has a very small bedroom we are remodeling. Because of the room size the bed actually is located in one corner of the room. Currently have purchased four 4 inch recessed lights. As you might guess there is a recessed light right over the top of the bed close to the Head. Wondering if I should just use three lights in each of the other corners or would I be smart to try to use a wall washer or eyeball in the can over the bed? We do have a table lamp next to the bed so it's not like we would be without reading light. Other three cans I roughly 30in off each corner


texts: Why is there a sewer gas smell coming from my door jamb?

texts:
I am at the tail end of tiling my basement floor and undercut the existing trim on the bathroom door.  I started noticing a sewage smell and pinpointed it as being strongest at this point.  This is about 1' from the toilet, and the concrete seemed to stop here, so I exposed a small air pocket by cutting into the trim.

What could be the problem here and how can I address it?  Would I call a plumber to remove the toilet and have a look?


texts: No power to bathroom lights and two outlets

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Having an issue where my bathroom lights/fans and 2 outlets will not come on. Here is what i know so far:

No breakers are tripped
No GCFI are tripped, i reset all of them
All the breakers at the panel read 120v with respect to the neutral bar
No voltage at the outlets/lights but the neutrals have continuity with any other neutral in the home.

Unfortunately i don't know which breaker these lights are on (previous owner had no labels) and don't know of any way to find it without power on the circuit.

Any ideas?


texts: How to properly refinish & maintain exterior siding behind circuit panel

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I have a cabin in a four season climate.
The exterior siding is western bevel cedar (horizontal, overlapping boards).
The circuit panel is located on the exterior of the house, mounted against the wall.
I’m curious how to properly maintain wood siding that’s located behind the circuit panel. In particular, I’ve sanded and stained the rest of the house, but am unable to fit anything behind that panel to sand or stain. However, I can see that the boards there are in rough shape - they need it.
So, the question is in two parts:

How can I address the current need to refinish the boards there?
How should I expect to properly maintain them should the need come up again?


texts: What should I use to patch curved surfaces over horse hair plastered lath?

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The hallway running into my condo is unsightly.  However, the association is saving for some structural work, and thus the hallway aesthetics have been put on the back burner.
Typically I'd run out and fix small cracks when I have a jar of spackle open, but have noticed that it doesn't stick well because the horse hair plaster is so soft and dry, moreover, for larger holes spackle with large contours, spackle doesn't seem to want to be shaped.
In general the horse hair plaster seems so weak that I'm guessing it should all be removed and replaced with veneer plaster, but I'll leave that for the association to undertake.
What is the best material for repairing contorted horse hair plaster?


texts: Can I attach a HEPA filter to the HVAC outlet?

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I am currently living in China and want to improve the indoor air-quality. We have a Hitachi R410A HVAC. All the room in the house are controlled separately. Just to make it clear up front, I am not a technical guy and have no idea about air conditioning or HVAC (just learned what a HVAC is recently while doing some research into my issue).

The air is 'fresh' from outside. Since the Pm2.5 count is very high outside, I would like to filter the air that is blown in. I was thinking of a very straightforward solution, but I am not sure if it is possible. I want to buy some HEPA filters and cut them to the right size and fix these before the A/C outlets.

Will this work? Or does someone expect the pressure drop will be too high and create malfunctions or breakdown of the HVAC?

Thanks for the replies! As requested, I added some pictures of the unit that is placed outside (pic 1 and 2), example of the vents where the air from the room is sucked in an goes to outside (pic 3) and some of the vents were the air is blown in to the room (pic 4). Each room has its own set of vents. The HVAC is central and each room can be controlled separately with a controller on the wall.

Also attached a link to the unit that we have (Hitachi multi set free, R410A, FSNQ) link to product Technical data brochure In the brochure I nowhere find any mentioneing of HEPA filters, so I guess these are not present.

Any more suggestions, thoughts about if it would be possible the attach a HEPA filter (need to think how without causing to much leakage) without causing serious HVAC malfunctioning would be appreciated.


texts: P-Trap into Wall Marvel Connector Leaking

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I discovered a leak under my bathroom sink.  There are two sinks in the bathroom with the same plumbing set up and only the one side is leaking.  The water is coming from the marvel connector on the pipe coming out of the wall.  The connector is 1-1/2 in.
There are just bare threads on this connector - no nut or anything... Is that even a viable setup or did someone cut corners when installing this? The red arrow shows where the water is leaking from.

Does this seem like an easy fix?  I've noticed a bad smell coming from the pipes once in a while and that's leading me to question the entire setup.  I'm wondering whether I can just slip a nut on there or if I'll need to replace the whole P trap.
Any tips or guidance would be much appreciated.
Thanks!


texts: What brand are these pex threaded T connectors?

texts: Has anyone ever seen these type of PEX connections?  I can't find them anywhere online or otherwise.


texts: I currently have a sliding door that is 60X96.  I want to replace it with french doors.  I'm looking at DIY and am wondering whether to go used or new.  I was hoping to stay at 500 or less, which makes me thing used.  Any thoughts?


texts:
I'm a DIY-er with a lot of experience in some phases of construction but not much in plumbing (so please be nice to my dumb questions!). I'm finishing a basement with a full bathroom, and thought I'd toss out a question here as I ponder whether to attempt myself or hire out.

My question is about venting. When they built the home 2 years ago, they roughed in for a bathroom in the basement. I'll put a picture below of the rough in. In the picture, numbered 1 to 3 from left to right, is a drain pipe for the lav (it is right up against the insulation), then the toilet, then the drain for the tub. But, I can't find any evidence of a vent. There's no rough in for a vent in the ceiling anywhere, and the lav drain is just capped off and doesn't extend upward to a vent (as I would have expected). The only stack in the vacinity is 3.5 feet to the right from the tub drain, but I know it is draining the 1st floor laundry (and possibly others as well). Any ideas on how to vent this without having to run a new vent to the roof (which would be near impossible)?

I think my local code allows AAV venting (as I'm pretty sure my kitchen sink has one, though the other bathrooms in the house do not). However, even if I did that for the lav, what about the toilet and tub? Is it at all possible that the stack draining the laundry could be used as a wet vent for any/all of the basement bathroom fixtures? (I'm thinking no, but thought I'd ask.)


texts: What parts are needed to add a shutoff valve to 1/4" refrigerator water supply?

texts:
Background: We recently had to replace our refrigerator. During installation, we discovered two problems - first, there was no shutoff valve to the water line that fed into the fridge; second, there was so much extra water line that the pipe was becoming tangled and kinked in multiple locations. The result was that the water pressure going to the fridge was so low that the water dispenser did not work until we had untangled it.

Plan: I want to trim down the extra water line to what is needed to pull the fridge out for cleaning and no more, secure the rest of the line along the top of the cupboard it runs through so it's out of the way, and what the heck, while I'm at it, install a shutoff valve.

I have...: 1/4" plastic tubing with a brass nut at the end to secure it to the refrigerator.

I need: To figure out what kind of shutoff valve to select, and what other materials I'll need to do the job, and any other tips or suggestions to keep things running smooth.


texts: Can my floor hold 2100 lbs of dead load?

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I'll admit I don't get how to compute how much my floor can hold, and probably wouldn't trust my own math, even if I came up with the right answer.
I'm looking to purchase a recording booth. I do voice-over work. There's one for sale in my area that the manufacturer says weighs 2015 lbs for the base model. This one has some extras, so lets call it 2100, or maybe even 2150. I weigh 220, so the package would be in the vicinity of 2400, to be safe. The booth has a footprint of 6' x 6'. The home is in the Chicago area, built in 1988.
The room it would be going in is an exterior room, at the first floor back corner of the house. The first floor is over a basement. THe floor joists are 2 x 12s, I believe; I thought a 2x12 was 11 1/4 high/wide. These are either 11" exactly, or some are even closer to 10 7/8", so I'm a little confused about that. I haven't found one that was 11 1/4". Anyway, if I'm measuring correctly, then right under the interior wall perpendicular to the back wall of the house is a laminated joist made of 2 2x12s with a 1/2" steel plate in the middle. The booth would be resting in the room in the interior corner, where one wall is exterior and the other rests over the laminated joist. That laminated joist runs approx 17' where it ties into the I-beam that runs the width of the middle of the house.
Will my floor safely hold the weight of the booth?
To answer a couple of the questions raised:
Why is the booth so heavy? Because isolation requires mass. If you want to keep sound out, the walls have to have mass. This particular model of booth (manufactured by a leader in the industry) has a double-wall design for increased isolation from outside noise. Each 4' x 7.5' section is two slabs of 5/8" MDF with an air gap in the middle. The windows (2) each include four slabs of 1/4" tempered glass. It adds up.
Is there an option for placing the booth in the basement? No, because the only place for it in the basement is just feet from the furnaces, which defeats the purpose.


texts: What type of insulation is needed for exterior walls on a brick house?

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I have a government grant (2,440$) to insulate all of my exterior walls. The issue is, I cannot access them from the outside because I have a brick house.

My first guess was that I will need to take apart all the walls inside and insulate from there. The good part is, most of my walls are already pulled off or will be pulled off. I am replacing the current 3/8'' drywall with 1/2''.

What kind of material would be the best to insulate my exterior walls? I have a 28'x 40' house, will 2,440$ be enough? Also, if there's a better way of doing this than removing the walls, let me know.


texts: What is this drill guide/template used when fixing electrical sockets called and where do I buy one?

texts:
My dad used to have one, you use it as a drill guide/template when fixing electrical sockets, but I cannot find anywhere that sells them, and as I don't know the name Google is not much help!

(Searching on google for "socket drill template" did not find anything useful)


texts: I am planning on insulating an older two car detatched garage that will be covered with half inch plywood. I am pretty sure it would be wise to put up a vapor barrier around the walls but do I need a barrier between the plywood and insulation on the ceiling? I live in southern Minnesota and only plan on heating garage for oil changes and such.


texts: What's the easiest way to remove tile flooring off a cement foundation?

texts:
We're wondering if removing the tile   that's on our concrete foundation is too hard for us to do ourselves.
Question: Is there a way to do it that makes it a little easier and faster?
We want to remove all tile and do engineered wood or vinyl tile planks throughout.
Quotes to take the tile and grout beneath it up are extremely expensive. Just wondering if there's a method or tool, some way to keep it from being so labor intensive and taking so long.


texts:
I'll be replacing my ungrounded three-prong outlets with tamper-proof GFCI outlets in my home in the USA.  Maybe I'm overthinking this, but is there a way to 'universally' mark the outlets as ungrounded for the sake of any future electrician?

I figure that if I mark on the inside of the outlet box or outlet the electrician will already be able to see the absence of a green wire.  But I don't care to write UNGROUNDED on the outside of every socket with a permanent marker.


texts: Been going around caulking the inside windows and ran into a bigger gap

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I have been going around the replacing the old caulk where it was cracked on the insides of my windows.  I came across this window and it really opened up when scraping away the old caulk.  It's by far the biggest gap so far and I'm guessing needs more than just a re-caulk.  I stopped scraping after the first bit, got a little worried.  As you can see in the photos, the insullation is visible and the wall flexes quite a bit.

Photos:  https://ibb.co/album/hfDAOv

Is this a big issue or can I just fill it with a different product?  Would something like a foam backer rod work here?

Thank you


texts: Wall-mounted Ethernet switch, how to install?

texts:
I have a wall-mounted Ethernet switch that is supposed to be mounted partially inside a wall or panel. There is a mounting bracket included that would fit a standard 60mm can, however the switch does not fit in there, as it uses the rectangular area of the mounting bracket.

My suspicion is that this is a collision of a product for the US market with German wiring standards. How would I mount such a bracket to a wall properly, leaving a close to rectangular space inside the wall below the opening (the switch doesn't protrude far into the wall, 1cm should be enough)?


texts: What tools are required to unclog sink drain with garbage disposal?

texts:
So yesterday someone in my family put some celery stalks (with the hard stems included) down the garbage disposal, after which our drain drained much slower.  I tried filling up the sink with water and running the garbage disposal.  This forced the water down while the disposal was running, but when power was turned off it all came jetting back out.  So now I'm faced with the question how to remedy this problem.  I see two ways:

Clear the drain myself
Call a plumber

What tools are required to properly accomplish this task myself and how much will they cost?  If they are cheaper (or even close to to the cost of a plumber) and this task won't take a whole day, I'll probably do it myself just to have the tools on hand.  Any recommendations on which way to go (me with new tools or the plumber with more powerful tools)? I already have a hand operated pipe snake and some screwdrivers and an AC voltmeter.  I assume that I'll need an adjustable wrench that can fit a pipe and I can't think of what else.


texts: Relocating Return Air Duct and Determining Register Box Size

texts:
I have a 14-inch diameter return air duct that I'm relocating. The duct was formerly connected to the floor where a roughly 16 x 15 inch hole had been cut from the subfloor to let air get to the return duct. The register grill itself was at the foot of the wall (there was no actual register box to speak of; instead it was just a 16x15 lumber-framed "register"). The register grille was roughly 30x9 inches. The register grill was not sized in relation to the opening in the subfloor for the duct. I think it was 30x9 because the grille was located below a hutch that was roughly 30 inches wide so I'm guessing that was just 30 inches wide for aesthetic reasons.
My question: I'm relocating the duct so that it's a true floor-based register with the duct connected to a register box which is then covered by a floor grille. Since the duct is 14 inches in diameter, does that mean the register box in the floor can be as small as the rectangular equivalent of a 14-inch-diameter duct or is there some reason that the register box, and thus the grille, needs to be larger? My understanding from using tables online is that a 14-inch round duct is equivalent to a 12x14 inch rectangle (found here: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/equivalent-diameter-d_443.html). Does that mean I can use a 12x14 (or slightly larger) register box for this without causing problems.
P.s. system has worked great for years using the old, wood-framed register box and the 14-inch return duct in case that matters.


texts: Shared neutral with two separate breakers

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As I continue to make sense of the wiring in home, I have come across some shared neutral configurations.  In one, I find two breakers that have been connected to one NM-3 line i.e. black and red are each connected to a separate breaker (on the same side of  the box.)  As I understand from here and other references, this is OK but it should be on a 'split-phase double breaker'.

First question: Am I right that this configuration is incorrect and should be fixed?

Second question: This suggests that these configurations are problematic for AFCI installations.  I want to upgrade my breakers to AFCI.  Will this kind of thing be an issue?

Lastly, for anyone so inclined, I have a Cutler-Hammer CH style board.  If this needs to be fixed, which breakers would be acceptable?


texts: Two Switches to Separate Lights and One Constant Hot Outlet

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I ran into an issue while trying to rewire my bathroom's electrical system. I have a small diagram below to illustrate my intentions:

Basically I have two switches, Switch A) is for the hall light, and Switch B)for the bathroom. Alongside the bathroom switch is GFCI outlet that I'd like to keep constant hot. There are two Sheaths of wire cover that come from the ceiling in between the sheetrock. One of them has three wires (white,black,red), and the other is just two wires (white,black). My question is how do I wire this up to work as mentioned? I have spent several hours on it and no luck.


texts: ceiling is leaking directly below second story toilet above... likely issue?

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I have a ceiling leak (brown wet spot) that is directly above a toilet on the floor above.  There is no apparent leak when just inspecting the toilet including a test flush.  I stopped using this toilet and the stain has still gotten wetter/darker within under 20 hours.
Any suggestions are what are the most likely causes of this?


texts: How to check for enough ventilation for wine cooler

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I have a wine cooler installed in cabinetry with a lower front grille for ventilation. It requires about .5” on each side. I don’t have that space. I have .25” total on the sides. There is about 6” depth in the back, and around 1” on the bottom and .5” on the top. I am trying to make sure I don’t damage the wine cooler. I have bought a temperature controlled outlet. I placed the sensor hanging behind the wine cooler. When the temperature is below 85 degrees F, I keep the power on. If it goes above that temperature, I turn the power off.

This is only temporary to test. I will run the same test with some bottles in there later. For now, I just want to know if this is an accurate way to verify that ventilation is sufficient.


texts: Husqvarna 125b Leaf Blower not running correctly

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It only has a few hours on it and may have been stored for an extended time with fuel mix in it.  It starts quickly but when I give it full throttle it bogs down.  If I pump the throttle lever it seems to run better.  See video for details. https://youtu.be/V9IC5inkru8
Here is the disassembled card


texts: How to find stud when magnets indicate there's one present, but can't find it with a drill

texts:
I've got a wall that I'm trying to mount a relatively heavy painting on (~25lbs), and am trying to use magnets to locate the stud. Here's where they stick:

I've tried to drill into where I expect the stud to be, but I'm not hitting anything past the drywall when using a standard 5/64 drill bit:

What can be the reason for this, and how can I find the actual stud?

p.s. My suspicion is that these are metal studs, because the magnets are are attracted to the whole of the stud column, but especially stick to those two spots, but I don't know if this has any bearing on things.


texts:
I have several old sinks in a house I'm working on and I think I probably need to replace or at least rebuild a few of these valves. But I'm not sure of the make much less the model.
Can anyone ID these?
Edit: this is the US. Probably installed in the late 70s


texts:
I have two questions. I couldn't find it in google or archives.

First. When you accidentally touch both line and neutral or line to line with your fingers or different parts of your body (for example, fingers to line, toe to neutral or another line), what is the minimum amperage of the circuit breaker before it can trip?  For example, if you have a 60 ampere circuit breaker.. would it trip when you accidentally touch line and neutral, or line to line?

Second. If line and neutral touch themselves, what is the maximum breaker amperage when it can still trip. Like if the breaker rating is 500 Ampere.. it may no longer trip when the line and neutral touch would it. I want to know if specifically 60 Ampere breaker can trip if line to neutral or line to line shorts or touches.


texts:
I'm almost ready to grout.

What unsanded grout should I use?
Is it ok to any if the ones in the picture? The tube will be easier for me.

Do I need to use a sealer after?

After tiling using the leveling spacers system few where stuck in between that I cant reach to pull (close to the tile surface but no edge to pull), is it ok to leave them when grouting or u should find a  way to remove them.

Just a question wondering, why not using silicon caulk instead of the grout since its water proof.

What color should I use with tile (is white ok?)


texts:
I'd like help identifying the light timer switch on the right hand side of this panel. It is being used in an apartment on the west coast of the USA.

It's unclear if it is a motion sensor or just a timer. One must physically turn the lights on by hitting the button on the top. There does not appear to be a PIR window (the grill and lower portion both appear to be hard opaque plastic).

We'd like a maker/model number so we can figure out how to properly use it (without pulling the facade off).

The switch on the left is of course a combined light/fan switch.


texts: Attaching swing bolts to sistered 2x10’s

texts:
I have 2x10’s that I will be sandwiching together to make a big stiff beam for an adult swing set.

I’m about to put it together, but then I thought “how do you drill the screws for swings into a sistered beam”? Because the boards are mated together, the screw will want to push those boards apart.


texts: What are Automatic Garage Door Options for a Garage with a Low Ceiling Clearance?

texts:
I have a tuck under single car garage in my bungalow that currently has carriage doors that have seen better days.

I would like to replace the carriage doors with an automatic (and insulated) door, however, everything I've seen seems to require a minimum of 7" of clearance between the top of the door opening and the ceiling of the garage.  My garage only has 5" of clearance.

Does anyone have experience with garage door solutions that will work for this small amount of available clearance?


texts: How can I remove moisture and odor from wall insulation?

texts:
Backstory
There is a gap between the ground and the wall. Inside I can see the insulation that is there.
Problem
Unfortunately the pet made this insulation a temporary toilet so it has been peed upon a couple of times.
Trying to fix
I've removed the visible part of that insulation (by pulling it off as best as I can) and now there is this gap left, where the insulation is underneath.
I've sprayed the area couple of times with enzyme cleaners (including the gap with the insulation), it still smells weird inside. Can't really tell if its pee or insuline smell, if that's something.
Request for proper solution
How can I make sure that the smell is gone?
Should I fill the gap between the wall and the ground with some kind of filler?
Thank you


texts: Roof Safety: Proper way to adjust position of carabiner/lanyard on rope attached at the top of the roof

texts:
Here's a diagram of a typical harness system:

X
|
|
|
?-C-L-H
|
|
|

X = attachment point
| = rope
C = carabiner
L = shock-absorbing lanyard
H = harness

What's the device called that allows you to slide up and down the rope, but it bites into the rope when you fall?  I've found multiple products that accomplish this, but perhaps one is better than the other:

rope grab
self-retracting lanyard/lifeline
belay device
some sort of knot

Money is mostly unimportant.  I'm more worried about the solution that is least cumbersome and safest.


texts: How can I build a support onto a stud in order to support a handrail?

texts: I need to repair a stair handrail that has come out of my plaster wall.  One end of the rail was not connected to a stud, so has come lose.  It is a nice railing, so I would prefer not to buy a new one or cut it to fit. So what I am wondering is, can I cut a hole in the wall and put additional support in to support my already existing handrail?


texts:
We have a weslock lock on the door to our garage (bought about 2 years ago), and it has gotton stuck. It would not open from the inside or outside. The key turns ok, and even makes the click sound, but the latch will not open. We ended up unscrewing the screws. The front and back came off but the deadlatch is stuck there and we can't get it out. Any tips will help.

Thank you so much for your help.


texts: Can I use the 6x6 beam in our crawlspace as a "running board" for electric cable?

texts: A portion of our house sits on unfinished 36" crawl space. I need to run some electrical cable (NM/Romex, 14/2) through the middle of the crawl space, perpendicular to the joists. I could drill holes through all 14 joists, or... can I just staple the cable to the 6x6 beam that runs down the center of the crawl space, perpendicular to the joists, right where I want the cable to go? This seems like the 1) easiest and 2) most secure way of doing things. I know the code allows me to use a running board instead of holes in the joists, but it would be great if I can just use the center beam as a pre-installed (and very, very secure) running board.


texts: Is it safe to put drain cleaner down a dishwasher?

texts:
I believe, my dishwasher is not draining fully. (See separate discussion of my diagnosis here. For this question let us assume I'm correct.)

We've cleaned the filter and followed the relevant suggested steps in the manual (PDF version, See pages 27/28), to no avail.

The drainage isn't fully blocked - I'm left with an inch or two or rinsing water, not ALL of the washing water - so I suspect that the drainage hose is partially 'gunked up'.

Is it safe to take out the various filter bits, empty a bottle of drain cleaner into the outlet space, and then run an empty rinse cycle?

I can't really see any reason it wouldn't be OK - but it seems wise to ask :)


texts: Can I use 2 black THHN wires for a 240v line?

texts:
I'm going to be wiring a 50A 240V circuit to a shed through an MF conduit. There will be about 3 feet of conduit connecting to a subpanel and it will remain above ground. I know the neutral wire must be white or grey and the ground _must be green, yellow-green or bare. Can I use 2 black conductors for the hot wires or must they be black and red?

This is for a location in the United States.


texts: Can I reduce the floor register boot size in my old house?

texts:
I am replacing the subfloor in my turn of the century house. After ripping up the old floor, I realized that the floor register boots are huge compared to the size of the supply ducts. For example, this a picture of a 6" round duct with a 10x12" register boot.

Look at that thing! It is eating up so much floor space! I have four of these on my first floor that I'd love to make smaller. As I understand it, a 4x10 or 4x12 register boot is pretty standard for a 6" round duct. Is there any reason I can't make this change?

While I'm at it, there are three returns in the same space that are even larger. I'm talking 8x30", 6x30", and 24x30". There is no way those returns need to be so large, right? My assumption is they just used the old gravity fed registers when upgrading the HVAC system some years ago. But that is just a hunch.

So I have a couple of questions:

Can I reduce my floor register boots for the 6" and 7" round supply lines without negative effect?
Can I reduce my return sizes as well?

I'm well aware that I should have a Manual J/D performed to get exacting answers. I'm looking for safe rule of thumb at this point.

Thanks all!


texts: How do I seal a gap between a concrete step and the entrance of the house?

texts:
It currently looks like this. The previous owner did a lame job and now I have to rebuild this. What do I use to seal that gap? He did not put any rubber backer rod there or anything like this.

the dime coin shown in this picture is 18mm in diameter

Here is what it looks after two weeks


texts: I had two old switches I replaced and purchased some new eaton switches from Lowe’s. I installed them similar to the older switches where the ground was on the bottom right. Come to find out the ground should have been in the top left hence the reason when pushed in the top means off (assuming hot wire in is on the bottom). Is there any reason in particular newer switches have the ground up top left and any reason I should switch it to this if I already have it setup to be bottom right?


texts: can I share the same neutral on two separate 20 amp circuits

texts: I am running two new baseboard heaters on a 20 amp circuit, also 2 outlets on a 20 amp circuit, can I run 12/3 wire and share the same same neutral from a junction box, these are on 2 separate walls in the same room, also one of the breakers will be for the heaters, and the other for the 2 outlet units.


texts: Where do I go - plastic faucet seat broken

texts:
The first picture shows what I started with.
The second shows what I have now.

I'm trying to install a Gerber bath/shower remodeling kit. I've gotten stuck on the seat removal. The seat rim broke off a little bit every time I tried to take it out.  I've tried making a groove with a hot screwdriver - no go. What are my options here?


texts: How do I properly install a replacement thermostat in my refrigerator?

texts:
My fridge stopped cooling - compressor was always off - so I tested if the thermostat could be the culprit by bypassing it - bang, compressor powered on. So I bought a new thermostat.

It is not looking identical to the previous one although it is listed as the official spare part.

I plugged all connection as in the old one (I pictured it) and compressor started pumping... forever.
Fridge temperature went -8C and everything froze. Whilst, the internal light went off also when the door was open.

I thought that I probably connected the cables to the wrong connectors - so that when the fridge senses too cold, it stop powering... ehm, the light.

Still, I can't get around it. I own a multimeter. How could I use it to test what are the proper connections so that the thermostat will stop powering the compressor rather than the light?

Assuming that my idea about those connections is right, and it could be not.

Click for larger view


texts: mounting un-vented range hood in plaster and wood lath wall

texts: How best to fasten 30 pound range hood to wall - range hood has 2 large keyhole slots, I do not want to open the wall if possible.  Would conical anchors (#12 screws) and construction adhesive be sufficient?


texts: How to fix exposed rafter with termite damage?

texts:
I was putting up some outdoor hanging lights. I drilled a pilot hole into the underside of an exposed rafter. When I pulled out he drill bit, dark wood dust slowly streamed out of the hole for a few seconds. Looked like the sand dripping in an hourglass.
Is there any way to repair the rafter?
What can I do to diagnose the problem further? I tapped on the rafter and it sounded more hollow than the others.


texts: Can I keep an older refrigerator, which is empty, running on the warmest setting for an extended period without worrying about smells?  Will it save considerable energy by turning it to the warmest setting?


texts: What is this extra wire in my light fixture box?

texts:
House built in the early 70's. Yesterday, I had to unmount a few light fixtures in my hall. The three lights are all controlled (as a single group) by three different wall switches. The fixtures are newer vintage and the bases are very lightweight, so I left them hanging by their electrical leads connected to wire nuts. One of them was not well connected to the wire nuts, and the black leads pulled out. The white ones remained connected and supported the weight.
When I went to connect the fixture and remount it, I noticed an extra black wire coming from the box. I assumed it went with the other black fixture leads in the wire nut. I had the breaker switched off so I was surprised to get a zap from one of the mounting screws when trying to work with the wires. I also noticed that when the "extra" black wire was connected to the fixture, the light bulb flickered dimly. I moved the extra wire aside and connected the light fixture to the other black lead (the one still in the wire nut). Flipped the breaker on and all the lights works fine. After that, I noticed another wire nut and bundle of black wires up in the box (picture below). Can anyone tell me if the extra wire belongs there? I really appreciate any help anyone can provide.


texts: How to repair render above lead flashing

texts:
My property has a flat roof extension which joins the original house.
In a few spots the render is badly damaged just above the lead flashing.

It looks like the sealant in the photo was applied, ignoring the damaged render. In recent heavy rain we've noticed water ingress in the room downstairs.
I'm a competent DIYer, but I'm not sure what the correct fix is here. If I repair the render coming down over the top part of the lead, will it expand / contract at a different rate to the lead causing cracking and the same problem reoccurring?
How should the render repair meet the lead?


texts:
I live in an attic, and the head part of my bed is in a corner where the roof slope, an outer wall and the wall to the neighbour's unheated attic meet. After a few winters of waking up to the feeling of the roof slope sucking the warmth out of me, I got a pack of polystyrol inner wall insulation. Unlike traditional styrofoam, it is a homogenous foam on the inside, similar to polyurethane foam. On the outside, it has a matte finish with a very fine paint-like structure.

I nailed the plates to the wall, right over the existing structured wallpaper. Then I filled the seams and the nail heads with acrylic caulk. Now I'd like to give it a finished look.

I feel adventurous enough to try a wallpaper. I have never applied wallpaper before, but it seems that the new cellulose-fleece-backed type is very easy to work with.

The problem is that the Internet tells me that regular wallpaper glue won't stick to regular styrofoam. I didn't find information specific to the glue for cellulose-backed wallpaper, or about this finished styrofoam. I also found the information that wallpaper can be applied to styrofoam in the following order:

a layer of styrofoam glue, left to dry out
a layer of underwallpaper soaked in normal wallpaper glue
a layer of standard wallpaper, applied in the standard soak-in-glue method

This information came from the site of Henkel, manufacturers of styrofoam glue which costs 7 Euros per kg, an amount which only suffices for 1-2 square meters of wall.

Before I pay for glue two times as expensive as the styrofoam below it and three times as expensive as the wallpaper above it, I'd like to know:

Is a base layer of styrofoam glue the only way to get wallpaper to hold to the styrofoam?
Do I really need an underpaper layer if I am using a cellulose-fleece wallpaper as opposed to a standard one? Does it help hold the real wallpaper to the styrofoam, or is it just to give a nicer look?
All articles I read agree that it is possible to paint over styrofoam using regular water-based inner wall paint. Could I paint over the styrofoam and apply wallpaper to the paint? It would cost three times less than the styrofoam glue.

This is what the caulked styrofoam looks like right now:


texts: Can I vent a basement bathroom into a semi-enclosed crawlspace under an attachment?

texts: I'm refinishing my basement bathroom and installing a vent. I can easily vent out to this wall, but the thing I'm worried about is it's semi-enclosed. In the winter we put up tarps and store wood here, in the summer we keep garden tools here. Should I have anything to worry about in this? Is the moisture hittig the cold air there going to condense and leak back inside or anything? Am I going to get unexpected results that are going to make me hate myself for thinking it could be so easy? Additionally, I was wondering if I could just continue the duct work along the floor joists of this attachment and put the vent all the way on the exterior wall? We've been using that space to store 2x4s as you can see in the photo, but I can spare some for a duct. I'm just concerned that the pipe will get cold and when hot wet air is pumped through it, I'll have water buildup in the duct. Another option I have is venting it under the outside stairs, but that's very similar to letting it out under the attachment


texts: Can my remote controlled fan/light also be controlled with existing wall switches?

texts:
My old fan had a light kit also. The wiring coming from the ceiling was:

White wire going to white wire in fan.
Bare copper to green wire in fan.
Red wire in ceiling to black wire in fan.
Black wire in ceiling to blue wire for light kit on fan.

The new ceiling fan had no blue wire to connect to the black wire in ceiling for the light kit because it is remote controlled. I capped the black wire in the ceiling.

The old fan and light kit was turned on and off from two different switches on opposite walls. I now have two switches that don't control the fan and lights now.

My question is: Is there a way I can have those switches still control the fan and light, and be able to use the remote control also?


texts: My house is ~100 years old, and I just bought it. I have an outlet that has 2 wires, what I assume are hot and neutral but no ground wire. I'm using a Klein receptacle tester. When I plug the tester into the outlet, it says that it is correct. When I pull the outlet out of the wall away from the metal box it sits in (while still wired), the tester says there is no ground. I assume that is because the screw that I use to screw the outlet receptacle to the box it sits in is metal to metal thus "grounding" the outlet. Is this incorrect? I just want to make sure I'm not misled by this tester. I thought the purpose of ground was to provide an "error" path that leads a charge back to the panel. I've been told many different things about ground, but trying to understand in regards to an outlet how ground works and what is safe for a 2 wire outlet.


texts: Forced Hot Air temp out of vents seems too hot

texts: Vents close to heater the temp is up to 130 F. Others further away are less than 100. 130 F just seems so hot that the metal register would burn your hand if you left it touching. The heater has to run over 7 minutes to reach this high temp.


texts: Lights Dim on Electricity as well on Generator

texts: Got a 30 year old fixer-upper recently. Lights dim in house when using garbage disposal or blow dryer. Lights almost turn off when new AC comes on. Had electrician and electric co-op out and they didn't see any problem, only saw a few loose wires. When we had power outage and were using a generator the lights still dimmed when using garbage disposal. Have been slowly replacing old plugs and switches. Don't know where to go from here?


texts: How Much Attic Insulation? (R-value vs Ceiling Bowing)

texts:
I'm preparing to insulate my attic and need to know how much is necessary and how much weight the ceiling can support.
I live in San Diego (mild/warm climate).  The house was built in 1969.  Currently there's no insulation in the attic.  I've airsealed, insulated the ducts, put in rafter vents.
Joist spacing is 24".  Gypum board thickness is 5/8".  I assume the ceiling, like the walls, is nailed not screwed in.
My plan was to blow in 15" of cellulose to get me around R-49.  My concern is the weight of the insulation could cause the ceiling (original, as far as I can tell) to bow.  The table for the insulation shows the "Minimum Weight" for R-49 is 1.591 lbs/sqft:

R-13   0.34 lbs/sqft
R-19   0.519 lbs/sqft
R-22   0.613 lbs/sqft
R-25   0.710 lbs/sqft
R-30   0.878 lbs/sqft
R-38   1.164 lbs/sqft
R-49   1.591 lbs/sqft
R-60   2.059 lbs/sqft

For the weight gypsum can support I found this link which quotes weight limits:

1.3 lbs/sqft for 1/2" sheetrock w/ 24" framing
2.2 lbs/sqft for 5/8" sheetrock w/ 24" framing

How much insulation could my ceiling support w/o risk of bowing?
Is R-49 even warranted in this mild climate?


texts: What light switch combination do I need?

texts:
Help! I'm replacing some light switches for my kitchen light and I can't seem to get the circuit to work properly with the new switches. I assumed I just needed to buy two 3-way switches, but I can only seem to get it to turn on/off using one switch at a time. The wiring has hot wires coming into both switches - do I need to use a 4-way switch somehow? Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of how the original switches were wired. Hopefully the images below are helpful - I verified each wire by testing them individually and connecting the hot to the other two wires at each switch.
Update: I think the switch by the outdoor light was a 4-way switch. Still can't get it to work with using the old switch.


texts: Are pocket screws strong enough for a bed frame?

texts:
I've built a loft bed for my 4 year old following the plans posted here:

http://ana-white.com/2012/07/plans/camp-loft-bed-stair-junior-height

I modified the plans slightly to use a ladder instead of stairs, and added diagonal braces in each corner to connect the legs to the side rails to prevent the frame from wobbling. The bed seems to easily handle up to 200 pounds, and everything feels very secure.

My primary question regards the strength of the pockets screws, which are the only joinery method used. Are the 2.5" pocket screws really going to be strong enough in the long run? I used 2 pocket screws on the end of each 2x4, and 6 on the 2x6 pieces. Should I be concerned about these eventually failing?


texts: What's the proper way to fill this hole?

texts:
Recently a dip formed in our flooring inside our sports performance training facility.  We discovered that the concrete job there had a good number of stones in it, and I believe that it was that combined with poor adhesion and cavitation that led to what you see at the following links:

I cleaned out all the larger 'stones', and am wondering if I can fix this myself.  If I do, what will I need?  What do I need to do to ensure that this doesn't happen again?  We're a training facility, so the floor needs to be able to withstand some amount of impact.

More pictures


texts: Why does my basement floor paint come off when it's wet?

texts: I painted my basement floor and now just 3 weeks later my washer leaks and the paint is peeling off. I also put some water down on a spot and when I wiped it up you can scratch the paint off. It is durable when dry but as soon as it gets wet it comes off. Why and what can I possibly do now?


texts: Any methods to cover yourself when dealing with smell during repair

texts:
I was thinking of using a mask to cover my nose so that smell / smoke will not get into my nose while I am doing some repair work.

Beside using mask, are there better alternative such that I can still breathe normally? (The mask do make breathing quite difficult sometime. The worse case is using a oxygen tank but it seems to be a "over-kill" solution.)

Would appreciate if picture / illustration can be included.


texts: Append Tee & Boot to Existing Branch ( flexible duct) to Split supply between floors

texts:
I have a space in finish basement where I have to supply heat from ceiling. But in ceiling, in some places, main supply trunk is not reachable or some occupied by other vent for upstairs. Now I am ending up with reuse the existing branch of 7" flexible duct, which goes up stairs currently. I think I just have add a tee and then attach boot. I know cons of splitting the supply.
I need to know what register vent boot, do I have to use which is compatible with duct tee or How do i achieve this ?
The joists in ceiling running 16 inch center and 2 in. x 10 in. in size.
The floor space in basement is 180 sqft
Any help will be highly appreciated.


texts: How to hang a shelf in an invisible manner?

texts:
I recently decided to start building my own furniture whenever I could.

To start small, I decided to go with a design’ish shelf that right now looks like that:

I’d obviously like to hang it on the wall but also to do it without visible shelf brackets. I have no idea what technique to use there. The shelf will ultimately carry books and while it is probably sturdy enough to do so, I understand that the wall fixation system is at least as important.

The shelf has an overall width x height of 30’’ x 30’’ and I do have metallic studs in the wall I want to hang it to.

What fixation system can I use in that situation?


texts:
I have a problem similar to this: Downstairs half bathroom, ceiling exhaust fan dripping, first noticed during very hot weather. However, the amount of water makes me think it is not condensation.
Also, the downstairs doesn't have AC, just the upstairs, so the temperature difference would be smaller.

The dripping is not constant, but so far I haven't found a pattern. I'm not sure where the fan vents to, probably the soffit.

From attic crawl space I cannot see along the joists between which the fan sits (hidden by chimney, which itself is dry), but the neighboring joists & ceiling appear dry. The fan housing itself can't be removed without being destroyed, so investigation around the fan will involve removal of drywall.
There is an upstairs bathroom nearby, but neither the sink nor the toilet appear leaky.

Single family home ('78), the second floor was built on in the nineties. AC unit sits in attic, pipes run in exterior wall far away from issue.

What would be the best line to investigate, and should we get a plumber, handyman, ...?


texts: How should I connect this HVAC replacement motor?

texts: I have an old GE central heat and air unit. I have gotten a universal motor to replace the old fan/blower motor. The wire colors don't match up. The unit has white, blue, yellow, and black. The motor has the two brown to capacitor, red, white, yellow, blue, and black. I need help making them work.


texts:
I am working through the layout of the framing for my basement and would appreciate some help identifying the rough-ins. I do not plan on putting a shower in the basement, only a powder room as my grandma used to call it. What are some of the better options for cutting and capping the shower drain once identified so that I can finish the floor. I was considering just busting up the concrete around it, cutting and capping it below grade and then pouring fresh concrete on it but that is just my gut instinct on how to solve this particular problem.
The pipe on the far left of the image is ~14.5" from the wall. I am framing with 2x6 and am already contending with a 12" intrusion into the room against the same wall from a radon mitigation system exhaust so if the far left is for the sink, I will just bring the framing out another couple of inches and have it come through the center of the studs.
Note: The temporary wall in the picture is not part of the framing for the basement, it has been torn out, was there during the picture only


texts: Is it possible to use plastic sheeting rather than tiles in a temporary bathrooom?

texts:
Is it possible to use plastic sheeting (somewhat like opaque perspex laminate) rather than tiles in a temporary (house will be demolished in two years time) bathrooom? I'm thinking the kind of product similar to what would be used in the construction of a caravan, also cheap.

It needs to meet fire safety standards.

I will fit it over plywood in one place and I'll get an electrician to fit  an electric shower unit through it.

Any suggestions ? B

Updates:

I've done some research, and what I need to get is Acrylic panel. I found a couple of UK suppliers who provide samples, for example :

http://www.rubberduckbathrooms.co.uk/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=0&zenid=22f9fb51acf432bc1fc066aea4d89e01&keyword=polyPANEL+&x=32&y=17

and

http://www.plumbase.co.uk/search?w=wall+panels


texts:
I have some fairly large/heavy antique wood furniture (ranging from 30-90 years old) that I need to store in an in-ground unfinished basement, potentially for a few years.  At the moment it's mainly wrapped in moving blankets (and disassembled into manageable pieces, of course).  But I'm unsure of the long-term viability of that with regard to protecting the furniture.

What should I do to store this in such an environment?  Temperature and humidity will range throughout the year (and when the dryer's running), some smoke from the fireplace makes it way down there, and of course there's a potential for insects.  Is there a particular way to wrap it (specific material/method of wrapping) and store it such that it's protected from these potential dangers?


texts:
Initially I wanted to convert the flat to a one bedroom, but it doesn't seem feasible due to lack of fire escape route from what would have been the bedroom (flat is higher than 4.5m from the ground).. I would still want to move the kitchen to the other side. My thought was to connect the kitchen to the pipework in the bathroom which is on the other side of the wall. Now as the wall separating these two rooms is solid (most likely structural) wall, will I need a structural engineer to run the pipes through the wall to the bathroom?
I've attached current and proposed floorplan and a picture of the pipes along the structural wall (thickest one waste water, others cold/hot water pipes)

Any other ideas to make use of the floorarea are more than welcome.

Thanks,
Sonja


texts: 2 out of 5 ceiling lights in basement won't work. The fuse never tripped. The lights never flickered. They worked perfectly before. The house was built in 1997. The basement is unfinished so I can see the wires going into the fuse box and they look fine. I did try new bulbs and brand new fixtures but still no working light bulbs. I don't own an electrical reader or tester. Do I need an electrician to fix something in the fuse box?


texts:
Can I use a vinyl carpet like this:

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.1000850316.html?eid=PS_GOOGLE_HD+%7C+PLAs_Shopping+%7C+Decor_Home+Decor&gclid=CJ6OhZirsdACFYZMDQodEEcAlw

to protect my hardwood floors?

I have a few use cases in mind:

Protect hardwood floor from kitchen sink water splashes (the sink is in the counter top that separates the kitchen from the dinning/living room)
Protect the floor from the computer chair.
Protect computer table from scratches.

So simply put, can I use a vinyl carpet on hardwood floors? Will it not leave stains? Will it not melt in the summer from direct sunlight or something? Is it practical in general?

Thanks


texts:
I would like to install a 30 x 60 inches wood panel (1 inch thick) in the ceiling. Not sure how much this wood panel alone would weight. Looking for suggestions of what kind of wood to use.
The idea is to leave a gap between the ceiling and this wood panel so wires can pass through, if necessary.
This will act as a second ceiling, so we can hang things and occasionally being able to replace the panel for a brand new installation (therefore not needing to drill new holes in the ceiling). The things we will hang will change - we will install some lights and plants, but one day it might be replaced by a projector, Christmas stuff, etc. If the wood panel gets too used, it would be replaced by a new panel (simply removing the existing panel, and putting the new one with no new holes in the ceiling). I'd say items to be hang will be around 30 pounds (lbs).
Is there a standard math/formula or expertise you can give me to know:

How many anchors I need? Two (one each side)? Four (one each corner)? Five (each corner plus center?)
What anchors are recommended taking into consideration that we want to be able to replace the panel occasionally (therefore removing and reinstalling the anchors with no new holes)?

I'm not concerned about estetics yet, it's easy to do later (thin painted wood to create a box).
Thanks for any help!


texts: What conduit and wire for an outdoor outlet directly to outdoor breaker panel?

texts:
I would like to add an outdoor receptacle directly to my outdoor breaker panel for some simple string lights. The idea would be to install new breaker, run flexible conduit from knockout on bottom of panel up to just beside the panel and into an outdoor rated single gang box and outlet cover. The conduit run would likely be less than 3 feet.

Can I use 1/2" or 3/"4 flexible PVC conduit and will I need THHN or THWN rated 12 gauge wire, black/white/ground? 15 amp breaker and 15 amp GFCI outlet?

I have 12/2 cable but understand I can't run it through the conduit. I'm in Colorado if local codes differ greatly.

Open to suggestions!