texts: What kind of board can span 16 ft for a wall pergola

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We are building a wall pergola that we want wisteria to grow on top of.  The pergola will only come about 3.5-4 ft out from the wall (Edit: the columns themselves are less than 2ft from the wall). I have already placed 2 6x6 columns bolted into concrete on both sides.  The beams are 16 ft apart.

Are there any wood (preferably cedar) beams that can span that 16' distance without having to place additional support in between?  If so, what kind?  Is there a chart somewhere with max distances that beams can span with minimal weight on top?

In the picture below, these beams span pretty far, but they are also very thick and I wonder if beams that thick can be mounted to a 6x6.

Edit:

If worried about the weight, see this wall pergola from Lowes.  This would  bear the weight with or without the long board in between the columns. This is what I am going to buy or build.  I also have 6/6 columns on either side for wisteria to wrap around.  I may or may not span a board from one column to the other, depending on if it makes sense to do so.


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My client has a 4 bulb light fixture on a ceiling fan which was working fine but now when you screw in the fourth bulb all bulbs turn off. I believe its wired in a series. but why would it suddenly start doing this? I have tried switching the bulbs around to make sure it wasn't the fixture itself or one bulb socket and it does the same thing. works fine with 3 bulbs. when it cuts off i have too flip the wall switch on/off to get it to work again.

Dazed and confused. Any help appreciated.


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We want to open up the floor plan of our house by removing the center wall.
The roof is 4:12 pitch with 3x8 timber rafters 4' on center, a 3x10 timber ridge beam, and 2x8 tongue and groove boards above. On one side of the house, there are 3x8 timber rafter ties 8' on center (every other rafter) that connect to the rafter at the exterior wall plate and span 15' to rest on the center wall.
The other side of the house has 2x8 ceiling joists with hung ceilings that also span 15' and rest on the center wall. There are no 3x8 timber rafter ties on the ceiling joist side of the house. The total span is 30' (15' to the middle of the center wall).
We would like to remove all the hung ceilings and ceiling joists from the one side of the house to expose the timber rafters and tongue and groove cathedral ceiling above, and remove the center wall to open the floor plan.
Question:
Can we make trusses out of the existing timber roof structure by splicing new 15' rafter ties to the existing rafter ties and adding 'W' support timbers mid-span fastened together using typical 5 finger timber truss base fan plates?


texts: Tools for installing splitfaced stone sheets (mosaic-like) on a wall

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We're installing a split face stone that has interlocking edges like this

What type of trowel?  Manf. website indicates 1/4 to 1/8.  Since they are going on a wall I assume v-notch?

Will nippers cut these?

There's a couple of areas where the tile will start in the middle of the wall (ie waiting for a backsplash to come in.  From your experience, what can I get that's typically nice and straight/true to temporarily screw to the wall to hold these up?  I thought of some cheap composite molding but even that stuff I find warped from time to time.

Anything else I should have ready?


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I have some timber siding (planks of wood) that over lap. I've been told its shiplap but according to the place I got my wood the wood is shiplap but the style of overlaying it is something else.

Anyway, you know what I have, my question is how do I remove a rotten piece that when the house was built had a exterior porch added on later so now most of the wood is inside the house and some of its out side.

I assume that you lift the planks above to remove it but how do I cut out the bad part with out causing further damage?


texts: Running cat 6 networking cable in the attic: what is up to code?

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I plan on adding a Cat 6 network in my single-story detached home. It would consist of home runs from each of the 3 bedrooms + TV room to a central patch panel in the garage, which is close to the center of the home. The cat 6 cable runs will follow the existing runs for cable tv (coax) in each room. i plan on replacing the existing coax faceplates with keystone faceplates with coax & cat6 keystone jacks.

Since the network cable will be run in the walls and the attic, would code dictate that I use riser (CMR) or plenum (CMP) rated cables or will general purpose (CM) Category 6 cable suffice?

If it matters in regards to the electrical code, home is located in Calfornia (SF Bay Area) & was built in 2003.


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My mother in law has an old wood furnace in her workshop. It obviously is different than the typical wood stove you see. Does anyone have one of these? Or can anyone explain the theory behind its operation?  The top part is what has me slightly confused.  It seems like the smoke would come out the front of it as well as the back.
Also, are they efficient? Burn good?


texts: Cut pipe or remove ferrule using tool when replacing compression valve?

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I have been changing the valves under my sink and I was wondering what is the best course of action?

I've attempted to remove the ferrule on two of the pipes and it wouldn't come off. (I had no tool for it). I ended up reusing it with a new valve and had no leaks. Is this going to be okay?
As an alternative, I cut the other two pipes behind the nut that hugs the ferrule. This made the pipes shorter but I still had about 2-3 fingers of pipe to mount a new ferrule and the rest of the valve. No leaks there either.
I know also that I could have removed the ferrule using a tool but all of them were too tight. On those that I cut the copper was dented towards its inner part.

I just want to make sure of the correct choice when replacing a compression valve.

Also, I was wondering, what happens when a pipe ends up being too short for a compression valve? Can it be extended using a 1 inch copper pipe sweated on and then add a compression valve?


texts: I bought a new Rachio 2 controller and the power has black, white, and ground wires but there are only black and ground coming from my electrical box. My old controller (Irritrol) had the black and white together. If I do that again, put the  2 blacks and white together, will that be ok?


texts: How can I fix the electrical hookup on my new electric oven?

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I just got a brand new electric oven and I'm having some trouble connecting it myself. It's a conduit installation, so the delivery service wouldn't touch it. I got everything working on the first try, but that was not to last.

I moved it a little and the clock went out instantly and the oven can't be turned on. Cooktop still works fine.
Reached behind the oven and felt a light current on the flexible conduit!
Wiring looks fine, I've redone it.
Touched back housing of the oven and the exterior flexible conduit and there is a current!

So I'm figuring this is the problem, but I have no idea how that could be the case and my electrical knowledge is too minimal to puzzle it out much more.

Does this mean there is a wiring problem inside the conduit possibly? How do I test for that? A voltage meter shows 240 if I hit the red and black wires, 120 if I hit the black and the conduit or the red and the conduit. Should that carry voltage at all when testing with the meter? Did I have a grounding problem before when it was all hooked up to the stove? I'm so lost…

Everything is turned off and the breaker is off, etc. until I can think of some other scenario to test. I opened the nearest box before the wires go into the conduit and no wires appear exposed, but I'm wondering if something is happening inside the flexible conduit like a wire is exposed and touching the conduit?


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I am working on a tiny house idea that includes a construction technique that I've modified somewhat from something else I saw. I wanted to run it by folks, to see about the wisdom of it.

The desire here is to build more simply, but the welcome byproducts include it being cheaper and quicker.

I think I'm talking about wood cladding, where I would simply stack 2 x 6 tongue and groove lumber on top of each other to form a big box. At the corners, in the design I'm borrowing from the planks are notched and fit together much like a log cabin. In my design, I'd rather not have the crossed wood for aesthetic reasons, so I simply butt the pieces but alternate the butt at each flight. I have to add a little lateral notch to the end of each board so that it grabs on to the tongue of the lower flight.

I've constructed a small box using this technique and it holds together somewhat without any fasteners, but the next step is to figure out how to fasten it well. As long as it maintains it's box shape, it will be strong.

My idea is to run a piece of angle iron, or perhaps aluminum up each corner to attach the boards to. Lag boots could go into every other board on each wall skipping the ones that present their end grain, since that wouldn't be a strong connection anyway.
I'm wondering if a) this is a known construction technique, and I just don't know the right name. b) If you have any other ideas on how to fasten it. c) Ff the design seems structurally sufficient to you.

My idea originated from this EZ Cabin system that I found.
My only modification is to change the way the corners join. Instead of the extra effort to notch the wood, I would do it like this...

The tongue and groove boards would each be glued to one another and then I would lag bolt a piece of angle iron vertically to each corner attached to every plank. Obviously I am not under the impression that what works at this size will work at any size.
Thanks for the opinions and intuition so far, but I wonder if seeing the existing cabins and pictures of my design convinces anyone that it will work.


texts: Does every deck stair with stringers longer than 6 feet need mid-span support?

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I have read that cut stair stringers longer than 6 feet in length require mid-span support.  Solid stringers seem to be able to get to about 13 feet without support.  So how do you combine these two ideas when you are building 4 foot wide stairs and the two outside stringers are solid and the two inside stringers are cut?
Can that span the entire length unsupported, or does the presence of the two cut stringers bring you back to a maximum of 6 feet unsupported?  In my case, the total rise will be about 8 feet or so, for stringers somewhere around the 13 feet mark.
Or is this simply a better-safe-than-sorry thing and you just support it always?


texts: Can't get wifi thermostat to work with gas boiler

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I bought a Sensi WiFi thermostat and I have been trying to install it. I can't quite figure out how this wiring should work. Here is a link to pictures of the boiler and the current thermostat. The red wire from the thermostat is connected to Y on the boiler terminal and the black wire connected to G. The white wire wasn't connected to anything so I tried connecting it to the C terminal to be a common wire. When going through the sensi installation guide it says that having a Y and G isn't a valid configuration. I don't see what is wrong with the setup. Can anybody help me correct this and get my thermostat working please?

Thermostat:

Boiler plate:


texts: Will my existing deck support the weight of a new hot tub?

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I have a hot tub on my deck. I'm ready to fill it but now wondering about the weight on it.  The deck is 10' wide with 2x8 joists on 16"centers. The tub is 7' x 7'. When filled with water and people it will weigh about 6000lbs.

I know it's  not strong enough.  I was thinking about sandwiching each joist with two 2x8s then installing a header under each end.  I would like to keep it open underneath.


texts:
Our well pump switch works fine, kicking in at about 30 psi. As soon as the switch turns on, the water pressure immediately drops off the scale and stays down for about 10 seconds. At that point, the water pressure goes back up to normal.

Could a check valve between the pump and the accumulator cause any problems?

EDIT: Here is a picture.  The yellow arrow points to where I'm thinking.

I'm not convinced it's just the pump taking too long to get water pressure up, because when the gauge at the bottom of the picture reaches 30(ish, from memory), the pump switch switches on, and the gauge immediately drops to zero.  (Faucets or anything else looses all pressure, too)  The pressure just before this drops steadily.

UPDATE: So I tried checking the pressure. I turned off the house valve (green ball valve), turned off the pump power, and drained the water using the spigot until it gurgled (no longer dropping pressure and now putting air into the pipes). The tank pressure at that point read 45psi. The pressure switch is set for 40-60, and the card that is barely visible on the top right of the blue tank says the tank pressure should be 38 for that setup. I dropped the pressure down to 38, but I'm not sure that helped.


texts: What is this machine screw? 3.7mm OD, ~32 TPI

texts: I have a machine screw from the hardware on an old desk that needs to be replaced (the knob it goes with is slightly stripped so it needs a longer screw to catch when mounted), but it's a really weird size. The outer thread diameter is 3.7mm, and there are somewhere between 30 and 32 threads per inch (it's 1" long but last mm or so of the shaft is missing threads). This doesn't match any standard metric or US size (it's between #6 and #8 and as far as I'm aware there's no #7).


texts: Are High End Furnace Filters worth the cost?

texts: There are many levels of furnace filters.  I can get cheap ones at walmart of a few bucks.  Then there are ones that cost upwards of $30.  I realize that if you have allergies or low immune systems, these are probably worth it.  Also if you have pets they may help.  But for average folks, with no medical needs, are they worth the cost?


texts: I would like to set up a camera system in my new apartment. The setup i would like would be 2 camera's that would record for 10 minutes whenever the door opens. It be nice if i could record the video to my external pc hdd. What kind of equipment would be necessary for this?


texts: Can you run a pool pump with a cover on?

texts: Can you run pool pump with vinyl tarp style cover on the pool.  This cover drops down into the pool approx. 6-8 inches by design.


texts: How to properly extend the TPR Pipe on a water heater

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Home inspection revealed that our TPR Pipe on the hot water heater was too short as it stops 18 inches above the floor. We need to fix it so that it is within 6 inches of the floor. I am hoping I can fix it by adding more copper pipe cut to length attached with shark bite push to connect fitting. Is that an acceptable fix? We are trying to avoid cost of hiring a plumber if possible.

Please note, the pipe originally comes out of the top of the water heater, so a straight tube replacement will not work unfortunately. Thanks!


texts: Can I run low voltage undercabinet lighting wire under overhead microwave oven above the stove

texts: I would like to run low voltage undercabinet lighting wire (in PVC covering) under an overhead microwave oven above a gas stove. Otherwise, I would have to drill many holes in the cabinetry to go up and around the microwave oven to the bottom of the cabinet.


texts: What material should I use to hide a duct running just above the floor in a closet?

texts: I have an 8-inch HVAC duct running along the back corner of a closet (4 feet wide) at ground level. I assume a good way to hide it would be to build a frame of 2x4s. However, while drywall would work on the side, would it be strong enough along the top edge? Worried someone may stand on it one day and break through. Is plywood a better choice? Or are there fire-proofing considerations?


texts: Why is water running down my garage wall?

texts: Help I am confused. I have a problem with water running down my garage wall. When I go in to the garage in the morning there is a little moisture on the top of the walls. However as the day goes on and as the day gets warmer water starts to run down all the back wall. I have drilled some holes in the wall to vent the place but it is making no difference. Can anyway give me any idea of what it could be. For your info the garage is a stand alone garage with 3 windows and will be used as a playroom.


texts: How bad is Latex Paint down drain and how to remove it?

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This falls under the category of "I should have asked before starting the job"!  I've been painting a bedroom with latex paint and to clean the brushes/rollers/etc at the end of the day I take them to the outside sink in garden (basically just a basin with drain that leads to main drain and then out to sewer system in street).  I fill a bucket with water and throw everything in, then a few hours later, I wash everything in the sink and put away.  I'm noticing that the sink is starting to back up.  If I leave it, and come back in 1 hour, it's drained, but it's worrying.  I do throw the bucket of painty water on the garden but apparently the paint still on the rollers/brushes is still significant when I squeeze them and brush  them to get paint out over the sink.

My two questions are:

How should I clean up brushes/rollers/etc that are covered in latex paint to a) get them clean and (b) not clog up my sink.
Should I worry if I've poured latex paint down sink in terms of clogging up sink?  If so, what should I do about it?

Thanks,

Dave


texts: I have an edge to edge stud finder with a power line detector.  It found the stud but at the same the power detector lighted up. Is it safe to drill that stud. I'm installing a wall mount for a 39" flat tv.


texts: Box in knob and tube wiring between ceiling and cellulose?

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I know that code says no cellulose insulation with knob and tube wiring because of possible heat build up. I also know that evidence of it causing fires because of this is scarce and a few states allow cellulose if an electrician says it's in good shape.

As I air seal the attic before adding insulation there are about 10 knob and tube wires running above the kitchen ceiling, which is attic floor behind a kneewall. They were covered in blown fiberglass for probably the last 24 years.

I am having 2 different electricians come to give their recommendation and/or estimate of it it should be changed. However, since the wires come up an outside wall that's had spray foam for 8 years, go across the attic floor for about 10 feet and then disappear under a finished floor I don't see how replacing them is really that possible.

I'm going to see what the electricians say but I'm wondering about putting a piece of drywall a couple of inches above the wires, and boxing in the sides as well. That way it would be just like they are in an empty wall cavity except for the fact that there is insulation on one side and it's a ceiling cavity instead.

Thoughts?


texts: Do I need to protect my new basement slab from freezing air temperatures?

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We are building a new house with an exposed basement. I had the floors poured a week ago while still warm in December. We have not framed the house up yet, meaning no deck, walls, roof, or HEAT. My concern is how cold does it have to get before I need to worry about damage to the concrete floor? We also have no power yet.

we had temps of 50-60 degrees for a week straight, lows in the mid to upper 30's. We live close to Moline Illinois and the next week is predicting highs in the 30's and the lowest I've seen is 14 degrees. We'll have the lid on the week of Jan 4th so I'll, with heaters can put some heat in the basement. Crossing my fingers. Mike


texts: Disconnected Loud (IMO Useless) bathroom exhaust fan

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Moved in to my apartment recently. The bathroom ceiling exhaust fan has been unbearably loud. I called my landlord maintenance and they only made it worse (they thought the problem was the light fixture when I had clearly stated it was the fan). I had a look at it myself and it looks like everyone is too lazy to clean/replace the damn thing! Caked with centimeter-thick dust. There's so much dust on this monstrosity: Mind you, this thing goes DEEP into the ceiling! Not your average exhaust fan to easily replace... seems very old. And there is only one switch that controls both fan and light, so I couldn't selectively turn off the damn fan. So I disconnected the useless rotating dust magnet from the socket:
Now the light works... and for once I can use the bathroom and walk out without a headache.

My question: what is the risk of unplugging it? To me, this thing is useless with all that dust, and what exhaust and odor is the old, dirty thing REALLY getting rid of? Especially with a big, hole-less, square light cover blocking the entire thing (not pictured). I guess regardless, to me, I'd unplug a supposedly "odor-blocking, air cleaning" machine to reduce headache any day. But tell me your thoughts!


texts: How do I open the back of a gustavsberg toilet?

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Our toilet is flushing every 20 minutes, and it's visibly leaking into the pot. We live in Iceland, water is cheap here, but it's really annoying. Problem is, I can't seem to open it and it's plastic so I'm afraid to apply pressure.

It's similar to this one.


texts: So I did a lead test and I don’t know what to think. Some areas are pink others a dark purple but mostly orange. The swab itself was orange. Lead or no lead???


texts:
I am buying a house and it has cat-5 cable going to all the rooms. However, it has an RJ-11 plug on it. I'd like to leave that in place and run an additional one or two cat-6 cables. How can I do this without tearing out the drywall?

Currently, all the cables terminate in a patch panel in the garage. This is a two story house, and many of the sockets are on the first floor.

I'm looking specifically for gigabit ethernet because I will use it. (Backups, network installs, cross-network file sharing, etc)


texts: Acceptable material to cap a brass/copper fitting

texts:
I have a soldered copper water pipes that terminate in a 3/4" male thread adapter.  That is screwed into a brass gate valve female-female.  The valve won't close fully.

I want to cap the pipe.  I can use a pipe plug on the brass valve or remove the valve and use a pipe cap on the copper thread adapter.   I don't want to un-solder the thread adapter for a sweat cap.

Shopping around, I find plugs and caps in PVC, galvanized iron or black iron.  Copper threaded caps seem nonexistent and brass ones are rare and expensive.

I don't want to use solder because it involves soldering.

I don't want to use brass or copper because the stuff is expensive. Can I get away with PVC?  This is all on cold pipe.  What's my best choice to avoid galvanic corrosion problems?


texts: How do I wire a light with only two white wires and nothing else?

texts: I bought a light that is labeled a night light.  When I opened the box I found that it has a red and black wire that lead to some sort of electrical component which I believe is related to the remote control.  The only two wires that exit this component are white.  There were no instructions at all.  I'm assuming it goes to a ceiling box from the way the bottom of the light looks.  How would I wire this into a ceiling box? Can this be wired with a plug instead?


texts: Installed Electric Tankless Water Heater - Internet loss when active

texts:
I installed an Ecosmart 27kw tankless water heater yesterday and as far as heating the water goes, everything works perfectly.

The issue is when the water heater is running, I lose internet!

Specs:

Heater is 240v 27kw @ draw 112.5amps
Breakers are 3x 40amp dual pole across both sides of the split phase
Wiring is 3x 8awg
My internet is 10mbit ADSL down the phone line.

--

My suspicion is that the high amp lines are creating an electrical field which is interfering with the low voltage phone line system, killing my internet.

When turning on the hot water, I loose access to ping google.com, however I can still ping 192.168.2.1 [my router] which says it's not the router that's being interfered with via power loss.

Any recommendations regarding minimum distance between the high amp cables and the phone line. Am I even on the right track here?

Thanks - Jon

Update: Fixed by installing a new phone line externally, 2 meters away from the high amp lines with cat7 cable.


texts: I'm fitting some old keyhole covers. I need two screws for each. The hole in the cover is about 3 mm and 4 mm at the top of the opening. I tried buying some 3×12 mm screws but the head is too wide. I can't find out how to know the size of the head of any screws as it's never shown. Is there a ratio or something? Any idea where I can get suitable screws in the UK?


texts: What is this metal thing on my circuit breaker

texts: Just bought a condo and one of the breakers in it has this metal thingy on it. What is it? What is it for?


texts: What is the minimum distance an electrical outlet can be from an exterior door?

texts:
I have an interior wall that sits perpendicular to an exterior patio door starting about 8 inches from it. (See diagram below).  I've been looking all over and haven't found any rules about how close an outlet can be to an exterior door, sliding or otherwise.  Is there a minimum distance?  The outlet is currently 24 inches from the door, but when moved will only be 10 inches.  I have to move this outlet further down to fit pocket french doors into the living room.

eHow had an article about maximum distance, and I tried wading through building code but didn't find anything in particular to Washington State or in the NEC.


texts:
Hello - I attached a quick picture to help determining whether the kitchen wall is load bearing. when I checked my basement, it has set of four concrete square pillars (not in the center but towards left). Directly above those pillars is a living room wall, which runs halfway and on the above floor, there is a wall directly above it which is the bedroom walls.
The kitchen wall on the first floor, extends halfway from back (see the top view diagram). I do not see any supporting pillar for this wall in the basement, but is directly connected to the 2nd floor. I wanted to remove this kitchen wall but a bit worried if it bears the load of the back half of the 2nd floor, but then as I mentioned there are no pillars directly below in the basement. Please guide.


texts: Piggy-backing on the adjacent romex question ... through wall to rear of surface-mounted receptacle box?

texts: Is it possible to run romex from an unfinished space where back-side of drywall and framing are exposed, through the wall to a finished space, and surface-mount a receptacle box?  How about MC?  Or EMT?  And where is this in the NEC?  Thank you!  Rich


texts:
I'd like to install a door on the crawlspace entrance in our basement.
One problem I'm running into is the radon remediation pipe is bracketed to one of the walls.
Any ideas on how to frame this out?

I assume I could create the frame to the left of the pipe, but I'm not sure how to fill in the gap above and below the pipe.


texts: I'm looking to run electric to my garage . It is about 100' from the garage to the main panel in the house I was going to put in a sub panel in the garage . The only I couldn't  find is a 60 amp . I was going to run 10-3 w/bond . I have a table saw lights that I'm looking to use it for . will that work and what size breaker should I use ?


texts: Nailing baseboards using nail gun on concrete wall

texts: I’m installing some baseboards in a new apartment. I have glued some of them to the wall, but the results have been subpar. Now I’m wondering whether it would be possible to nail the baseboards to the wall using a nail gun. Does anyone have experience with this; is it possible? What kind of nails should I use for this?


texts: What type of lubricant should be used on PVC windows, and how often should it be applied?

texts: As far as I know, the lifespan of PVC windows is highly dependent on periodic lubrication. What kind of oil should I use to lubricate the moving metal parts of my PVC windows? Additionally, what should be the time span between two applications of the lubricant?


texts:
USA Here.

Renovating bathroom. I will be installing a new 12-2 Romex run on a 20-Amp breaker to a GFCI Outlet, and out of the outlet to feed a switch for a light fixture.

Starting in the basement at the breaker-box, I will be running the 12-2 along the Bottom Plate, on-top of a current run, and securing it with  1/2" Staples every 12". I will then bring the cable vertical onto the floor joist above the plate run, following the "coke-can" bend rule and stapling at the start of the bend.

The Romex will then be run smack in the middle of the face of the 2xX joist (>=~3" above and below) and secured every 12" with Staples.

I will use a current penetration to bring the Romex from the "joist bay" to the other side of a main-beam. I will leave 8" of service loop at this location. The Joists change orientation, so I will again be "inside" a "joist bay", after this 90° turn. I will run the Romex with Staples 12" spacing in the middle of the main beam.

I will drill a 3/4" hole in the center of the 2/4" plate, 2" from the edge of the stud, to go from the basement up into the stud-bay of the room above which will have the new J-boxes.  I'll then run the romex with Staples every 12", leaving a 8" service loop at the entrance to 2-Gang Drawn Device Switch Box with Bracket

Once in the box I'll hook up the outlet, and switch, come out of the box leaving a service-loop, staple it to the middle of the stud and run vertically up the stud till I reach the height of the light fixture. Drill a 3/4" in the opposite stud to cross-over into the next stud bay. I'll toe-nail wooden blocking between the studs, and attach a 4" Octagon Box with screws through the back of the box, in the center of the stud-bay.

Does anyone see anything questionable here?

My main concerns are running the NM on the face of joists and studs, as well as the Octabox being mounted to blocking.

Also, as a bonus question, is there any issue with LED "Drivers" being on a circuit which is GFCI?

Thank you for your time.


texts: Turned off breaker, power consumption almost cut in half. No idea what it's for

texts:
My house was remodeled in 2010 and I mention this only because I have two breakers labeled "Dishwasher" and I assume there must have been some rewiring done. Flip one and nothing happens, flip the other and the dishwasher turns off.

The trouble is when you flip off the first breaker that does "nothing", my power consumption drops from 1.7kW to .9kW. I can't for the life of me find anything not working that was working prior to flipping the breaker.

Could anybody provide some insight what could be happening?


texts:
I just installed a nest thermostat. The previous thermostat did not have a C wire attached. It G, RC, (RH Jumper), Y and W. When I hooked up the nest thermostat it was short cycling the blower fan until I pulled the AC (Y) wire.

I've been reading this happens if there is no C wire then the nest is trying to draw power from the furnace.

I then tried to attach the blue wire which was unused in the previous thermostat to the nest C terminal. The nest threw an error saying it was not getting power from this wire.

This isn't an ideal situation because once summer comes i cannot use my AC. I'm looking at my furnace and looks like the C terminal is connected but that wire is also joined on the Y terminal? I attached a picture of the furnace wire configuration.

Wondering if there's something I can do here to give the blue C wire power at the thermostat or if I should go with the venstar add-a-wire?

Furnace:

Old thermostat wiring:


texts: Any way to permanently seal natural stone slate tile floor?

texts:
This is the kitchen, hallway and bathroom floor of the house I’ve bought.  I’m probably going to keep it due to the time and expense to replace it.  Being rough and slately it really attracts the grime and dust.  I know I need to give it a good cleaning, but after that is there a way to seal it for the long term? Can I do layers of polyurethane like a wood floor? The few stone seals I’ve looked at all say to re-seal every couple years.  Can I do it once?  Aesthetically I don’t mind if it gets glossy.  Chemical / odors while curing aren’t a concern because nobody will be living there for at least a month.

UPDATE: After cleaning it for 2 days it was finally ready to seal.  I used a similar penetrating sealer product to the first answer, but the Custom brand instead of the Laticrete one.  'Enrich n Seal' for natural stone and was the most expensive one at the store.  A couple bottles, 2 coats, and it looked amazing.  It took a couple days to really dry and still is a little waxy.  Its not glossy, but looks wet (darker) and makes colors of the stone stand out.  It can scratch and that just leaves some white waxy reside that is easy to buff out.  I've mopped it a couple times since and its still looking good. Repels water, and paint drops too.  Getting some on the baseboard has made it impossible to paint, so if you use it be careful on any surface you want to paint later or else be ready to sand it off.   I still don't know how this holds up over time, but I had to do something, and won't know how it holds up for a few years.


texts: Best practice for filling a pit in a concrete slab?

texts:
I have in my barn (concrete floor) a pit, of about 36" x 60" x 10" deep which was originally used to install some machinery by the previous owner.
I have no use for it, and would rather have the floor space than a safety hazard. I don't know how deep the rest of the slab is, nor how much is left under this "pit". It is smooth sided and bottomed.
I'm not sure if I should fill it full with concrete or use filler?
Also, i am not sure if I need to prep the sides at all for adhesion or what kind of concrete to use.


texts:
I've assembled a 8x12 shed kit in my backyard.  I'm now preparing for the final inspection of the lengthy (and costly) permit process.  I've been informed that I also need to:

  Install two 30-40 inch shed anchors and attach to the shed's base plate on opposite corners.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what a base plate is.  My attempts at searching online shows pictures of things that look like this:

Or

The problem is, I don't have anything that resembles either of those.  The 'base' of my shed looked like this.

Because I've finished assembling the shed, I no longer have access to the larger 4x4s.

Given that I've finished the shed and I don't want to rip it apart, it seems reasonable that the 'base plate' would just be the exposed piece of wood at the bottom of the shed, but I'm concerned that this is wishful thinking and that it would make more sense to anchor the larger 4x4s which are no longer accessible.


texts: Need to identify a common wire on my old HVAC

texts:
For Nest Thermostat 3, I am trying to identify a common wire on my old HVAC.
The diagram can be found on the link below:


texts: What is the likelihood of asbestos in this plaster?

texts:
The plaster in the following images is from 1958.
What is the likelihood of it containing asbestos?


texts: How to repair door frame from animal damage

texts:
Previous owners had a cat or some other devil beast. How do I repair this?
Pretty sure I should just buy new moulding... but how do I repair the actual frame? Sand-able wood putty or filler? Any recommendations?


texts: I am working on installing insulation in our home. We bought way too much insulation, and i was wondering what the effiency of doubling up and throwing an extra layer on top? We are using R-38 12" thick batts. Basically is it worth the money to add another layer if we live in a very cold environment, shady side of hill, and have a huge attic space that is at this time fully covered with 1 layer?


texts:
In a recent windstorm, a couple of shingles blew off my house. I had some water drip into my attic and seep through the drywall in my bedroom ceiling. As a result, a definitive section of seam tape came off.

I have included some photos below. What is the best way to repair this, please?

I suspect there will be a number of ways to go about this. If so, then my priorities in order of preference would be: simplicity, short repair time, cost, perfection of end result. (In other words, I would rather have a simple fix that looks good, than a complicated fix that is absolutely perfect.)


texts: How can I replace a ceiling fan plus light with just a light?

texts:
I have a ceiling fan with separate fan speed control and switch on the wall. I would like to replace it with a plain light fixture if it is not too hard to get the wiring into a safe configuration.

It is wired to a switch and fan speed control as follows:

All these connections are inside the switch box with the fan control and switch, except between cable 2 and the fan.

Is it compliant and safe to simply remove the fan control and abandon the black wire in cable 2?

This is in the US. The house was built in 1950s, but the wiring in this room appears much newer.

There are a few related questions already present. I don't believe any of these cover my case, but I could be wrong.

Light to fan
Light to fan
Fan to light; but underspecified and no answers
Fan to light;
but underspecified and no answers
Fan to light; my wires at the fixture are different


texts: How can I minimise damage to a moldy patch of plywood?

texts:
I removed a waterproof camping bag in my student appartment today that's been filled with stuff to find that it has left a moldy spot on the untreated plywood it stood on. It's been parked up right next the door/window.

I guess the damage has already been done since I think the white stuff may be mold, but is there anything I can do to minimise any further harm?

(It's darker than it looks in the picture)


texts: I think this is simply because its old, but whenever the fridge "kicks on", it being on the same circuit as the TV makes the TV turn off/back on.  Just curious if there is anything I can do other than a new fridge or getting them off the same circuit (not possible).  Any advice appreciated!


texts: What are the pros and cons of vinyl gutters?

texts: I need to add some gutters to part of our house and I'm seriously considering vinyl gutters because they seem REALLY easy to setup (with minimal tools required too).  That being said, I've heard some people say they're more prone to problems such as leaking.  Is there truth to this? If so, what alternatives would be appropriate for a newbie home owner?


texts: I have a 3 conductor (Line1, Line2, ground) (240V) wire that goes to a step-down transformer to get 120V. Since the transformer output is 120V between its line1 and line2 and there is no neutral, does this affect what kinds of devices can be plugged in? Hope I explained that clearly enough...


texts: Anyone installed a hot water coil in their HVAC ductwork to increase heat pump efficiency?

texts:
Hydronic heat supplement to Heat pump Home heating System.
Anyone have experience putting a heating coil in the ductwork of a forced air heat pump system?

Background.
The existing HVAC system is a heat pump with auxiliary electric heat strips. I am considering supplementing the system by installing an Aquecoil HHU-AE-2 water coil (inbuilt circulating pump) to my ductwork, fed from my home water heater. My options are:
    1.  install using the manufacturer recommended direct connection to my water heater. The possible risk is growth of bacteria in the coil over the summer when the Aquecoil pump is idle. The manufacturer states that normal movement of water in the house over the summer as showers, faucets and appliances are used will induce a current in the Aquecoil loop and prevent stagnation and any growth of bacteria.
   2.   Install two closed loop systems with a flat plate heat exchanger to isolate the water in the Aquecoil from the water heater.

Existing systems.
   1.   Goodman 3.5 ton compressor.
   2.   Coleman Evcon Air Handler AH14 with electric two stage auxiliary heat strips. 960 atr cfm.
   3.   Gas water heater is Ruud PR75 (75 gallon capacity) and is located hard by the HVAC air handler. The pipe run from the existing house hot water feed to Aquecoil will be a maximum of 5'.

General configuration
Heat source using house water heater
   1.   Output side. T-fixture from existing hot water pipe, ball valve with bleed port, swing check valve,
   2.   Return side.  Swing check valve, ball valve, return pipe to water heater cold water input.
   3.   Add scald valve assembly to house hot water supply.

Questions.
1.  To what extent will this additional heating loop affect water pressure to house appliances when in operation, if at all?
2.  To what extent will the Aquecoil affect air pressure in the HVAC ductwork?
3.  Open or closed loop system?


texts: Why do light bulbs all over the house burn out disconcertingly fast?

texts:
I've found a couple answers to this question. This generally revolve around the scenario where it's bulbs in a general area such as a fan.

My issue is that light bulbs all over the house burn out pretty fast. They don't last more than a year and this includes long life kinds, ones warrantied for 7+ years and such. I've tried a variety, but they all seem to burn out within a year or sooner. Places include living room ceiling fan, living room lamps, light fixtures in master & guest bathrooms, office, guest room, and kitchen. Pretty much any where you can put a bulb.

I've noticed that the LED bulbs have been recommended on this Q&A site but I have no idea which ones to get, how much light they put out, or how reliable they are.

Why would my light bulbs burn out so fast, and what can I do to fix the situation?


texts: What material was used for the bedding of my patio?

texts: I am not sure if the sand was washed away by the water that is going under the patio in that corner or the bedding material is simply missing here. The paver below is from the left circled area in the second photo. That corner is actually raised a little bit which is the opposite that should happen if the sand was washed away from under the paver. So ...what material was used for bedding here? Can I say that the bedding is missing?


texts: How do I work out the CH boiler size we should have?

texts:
How do I work out the boiler size we should have?

(I have been told we need a 18KW boiler for our large 3 detached bedroom bungalow in the north of the UK, is this really powerful enough?)


texts: Why is my shower not draining, even though there is no physical blockage?

texts:
I've recently moved in to a new home. For a while the shower was draining really slow, as there was no access to the pipework (it's all tiled in), I ended up ripping the shower tray out in order to see what the problem was. The trap was badly clogged up with hair and other gunk, I cleaned it out and presumed that would sort the problem.

I put the base back in and ran water through it to test, but the problem still remains, it takes around a minute to drain a litre of water. I read that it may be because of a lack of fall on the pipe, so I raised the pipe dramatically, but it made absolutely no difference.

If I disconnect the trap, and run water through it from the tap, it's absolutely fine (it never fills, just runs straight out), similarly, if I pour water directly in to the waste pipe it drains away so quickly that I can't even see it filling up.

I'm a complete novice and have absolutely no idea what the problem could be. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Attaching a drain cock for my air compressor to a workbench?

texts:
I'm looking to extend the pressure release valve on my air compressor so that I don't have to crawl around behind it to let the pressure out. So far my plan is to replace the existing drain cock with a swivel fitting, run a few feet of hose around to the front of my workbench, and mount some sort of valve there. I haven't had any luck finding any sort of valve that could be anchored down properly though. Can anyone point me towards some appropriate parts for this?

(The drain cock does have threads for connecting something, but there's not much clearance between it and the floor which is why I'm leaning towards replacing the current fitting rather than extending it.)


texts: Which adapter am I missing for my washing mashine?

texts:
I got a new washing mashine from a friend. As we couldnt get of the tube, i had to buy a new one. Now it seems i am missing an Adapter.
Which Adapter do i need?
(I hope the questions is ok to ask here.)
Country: Germany. Online Shopping is possible.


texts: Electrician need to replace/inspect weather head and conduit?

texts:
My weather head has always been broken and taped up. With a recent storm, the wires coming into my house broke off completely so I decided it was a good time to finally replace the weather head.
In the process, my neighbor came over and said it the wires need to be inspected before the electrical company can turn back on my power since the lines were hanked off. Is this true? Can I still replace the weather head myself and have the electrician just inspect the lines going into the electrical box from the weather head?


texts: Gas fireplace - moved a lever and it shut off the fireplace

texts:
We had recently bought a house and turned on the gas fireplace.

I thought we might need to open a flue so I looked in the fireplace and saw a lever on the top.  I moved it to the left and the fireplace went out.  The pilot light is still on but now the fireplace won't light.  Any ideas?


texts: Replacing old doorbell transformer - wiring

texts:
This morning I opened up my main breaker box to replace the old doorbell transformer. I thought this would be a straightforward job but didn't account for confusing wiring of the old transformer setup.

The new transformer has the typical black, white and green (ground) wires. The old transformer has two blacks and a green (photos attached).

Even more confusing is the way those old wires are connected. One of the black wires and the green are connected together directly to the main box. The other black wire is connected to other black wires via a wire nut.

How can I know where to plug in my black and white wires? Should I just cap the new ground wire with a wire nut or attach it somewhere in the box? Thanks for your help!


texts: Ceiling Fan trips AFCI breaker when changing fan speed while powered on

texts:
I have a ceiling fan/light powered by on an on/off Insteon switch.  If I turn the fan on or change its speed (via chain) while the fan is powered (switch is on), it will trip the circuit breaker (AFCI).  Currently, I can work around it by turning the switch off every time I need to turn the fan on/off, but it's frustrating.
Is there likely a problem in the ceiling fan or the wiring or is this sometimes expected behavior with AFCI circuit breakers and ceiling fans?


texts: Is it worth replace the engine of an 11 year old fridge

texts:
I have an 11 years old fridge that stopped freezing/cooling. I asked for a quote to fix it.

My consideration is if it's better to fix the engine or to buy a new one. I would like to know if in an 11 years old fridge I'll possibly have more issues soon or usually the fridge will work well for a while?


texts:
I am having a deck installed and question how the posts are done.

The deck is from 2 to 5 feet above ground on a slope.  The holes were dug, probably 5 feet deep near the house then about 4 feet at outer edge.  Inspected by county.

They had started building the deck framing on temp supports waiting for inspection, then after they mounted the post to the frame so they were suspended in the holes.  Maybe 2 to 4 inches above the dirt in the bottom.  Then poured about a foot of cement in bottom and filled in with dirt.

I'm worried  that the bottom of the posts shouldn't be sitting in the cement ?

I've been reading they should be on a gravel base, Do I need to worry ?

Thanks


texts: Does my LED panel require a gap between it and the ceiling for cooling?

texts:
I've just bought an ultra slim LED panel that I was going to stick directly to a painted plaster ceiling with silicon or No-More-Nails. The back of the panel is made of a thin plastic sheet and well attached to the rest of the light. However I've just seen many people use a ceiling frame kit which leaves a small gap behind.

Is there a particular reason to leave a gap between the panel and the ceiling, such as overheating issues?

Link to LED Panel:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00WT2BCZO

Link to Frame:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panel-Surface-Mounting-Ceiling-Silver/dp/B01AV0VNQI


texts: How can I completely disengage a GFCI outlet?

texts: I have 2 GFCI outlets under the peninsula in my kitchen.  I never use these outlets and would like to disconnect them and remove the outlets so I can panel over them. These are on a circuit with other GFCI outlets.  Can I simply disconnect the outlets and place wire nuts on each wire and panel over the holes? Or do I have to connect some of the wires to keep the entire circuit engaged?


texts: Outlets (top only) and lights wired together with trail wire not working

texts:
I have a room in my house where the top of each outlet is controlled by a switch, and all of the ceiling lights by another switch.  I thought I could just bypass the switch for the outlets and have them on at all times, but it turned out to be more complicated than I anticipated.  I would like some help putting it back to the way it was.  Trouble is, I do not remember the way it was.  There are only two wires coming into the switches indicated below, one coming into the room from the ceiling (top) and one coming into the room through the floor (bottom).

Here is how it is now:

Problem is, now nothing works.  What is the correct way to wire this?

EDIT:  I do know for sure there was a trail wire connecting the two switches, I just do not know how they were connected

EDIT: Here is how the outlets are wired


texts: Is there a significant risk of CO2 buildup with a ductless heat pump A/C?

texts: It just occurred to me that if I install a ductless heat pump to cool the air in my house's bedrooms in the summer, the unit will be cooling and dehumidifying the air - but not introducing any new oxygen.  The window will also be closed.  If I spend a few hours in one of the rooms, is there a significant chance of CO2 buildup which could cause malaise and tiredness?  The bedrooms are relatively small, about 3 metres by 2 metres each.


texts:
We are installing carpeting and purchased felt pad for it.  Using a utility knife, though, even changing the blades frequently, we are having a really hard time cutting it.

Is there a tool, technique, or better knife/blade that we should be using for felt carpet padding?


texts: It appears that two sheets of drywall in the corner have detached (see image attached). I can't access to the framing behind it, but I would think that the sheets have to be pulled to a wooden post and tightened with a screw. Or probably easier is to apply a special tape (which one?) and paint it over then? What would the be the best way to get it fixed?


texts: Which brand of furnace is more reliable and lasts longer?

texts:
I'm in the market for a gas furnace and was wondering which brand is more reliable and lasts longer. Sort of like which car brands are known to last longer and/or be more reliable.

Most of the brands out there do not seem to be really famous (top furnace brands discussed here: http://gas-furnaces-review.toptenreviews.com/). Of the list in the link, I personally only have heard of Carrier, Coleman, and Trane.


texts: I need to move a heavy-ish piece of concrete, a part of a garden sculpture, weighing about 300lbs, to about chest height. I'd like a hoist, but don't know the equipment I'd need to assemble an A-Frame-style hoist. What would I need to build a small, easy to move hoist for awkward sized rock and concrete formations? I need it to work in dirt, so wheels / casters are possibly not viable (like a mechanics crane has).


texts: Is it code to have a concrete floor in a bedroom?

texts: For some reason I recall that it is Ohio Building code that a bedroom must have a floor finish material other than subfloor. So if you are in a Slab on Grade (SOG) condo, does the code require you to have a floor finish other than the exposed concrete?


texts: Does anyone make a gfci switch/outlet combo that includes a nightlight?

texts: Basically what the question asked above. I've been through three stores and the closest I came was a Pass and Seymour switch/outlet combo with a snap in LED light, but it wasn't a GFCI. I'm hoping to avoid putting in a new box in this bathroom if I can avoid it (plaster wall, PITA to work with). I know that asking for brand suggestions isn't cool, but some ideas of places to look or a definitive yes or no would be awesome.


texts:
We want to remove a wall in our kitchen, so we ripped out the drywall on one side. Is there a way to tell if it's load bearing or not? Here is a picture of the exposed framing:

It seems that the beams end just above the ceiling and do not attach to a cross beam above. Here's a picture from the attic:

The house was built in 2005. We have been told newer houses do not have load bearing walls on the interior. We also had a contractor come out and he was 97% sure it wasn't, but I still want to be sure.


texts: Can a header be continuous across the whole wall if it is above the top plate?

texts:
I have seen that continuous headers can be problematic due to lateral forces. However, in my situation the "header" is actually a 4x6 purlin which is above the top plate.

The original purpose of the purlin is to support the oversized overhang on the left (2'). But after putting it into the design I realized it was redundant to have a 4x6 above the windows followed by a 2x6 header above each window, so I removed the individual headers above each window. Is having a continuous header like this problematic in this case?


texts: I purchased a Schlage double deadbolt B62N V 619. For my gate. It comes with a special B62 screw and a cap to hide it. How can I secure the cap so it doesn't fall off? I'm tempted to use glue...


texts: Insert eyebolt into steel tube without using nut?

texts:
I have a regular round 1 1/4" steel tube, and I want to insert and eyebolt in it. The tube only has one hole (where the eyebolt goes) so I can't use a nut.

What options do I have and can I find it at Home Depot? I was told at the store that this was not possible, so I thought that maybe I could screw something into the tube and then screw the eyebolt into this something.

Thanks.


texts: Can I attach heavy glass enclosure to plastic shower

texts:
The shower surround is attached to studs but where the heavy glass enclosure should attach there are no studs. Is there some kind of anchor I can use to attach to the plastic only?
Thank you!


texts: What size wire needed for 100a subpanel 120ft away from house sub panel? Biggest amp draw will be a window A/C unit, and a pool pump

texts: What size SER wire needed for 100a subpanel 120ft away from house sub panel? Biggest amp draw will be a window A/C unit, and a pool pump. Other than that, just a few LED lights and outlets...detached shop/shed.


texts: Can I wire additional circuits off of GFCI this way?

texts:
Currently, I have a GFCI outlet that has two more outlets down the line as shown in this diagram.
I am moving around some circuits and I need to temporarily hook up 3 additional outlets that are losing a line.
Is it proper to wire that additional group of 3 (non GFCI) outlets from the GFCI itself just like the original branch of two? I am showing that new branch with arrows. The circuit is 20A and I am not worried about overloading/tripping -it is temporary so that we have functioning outlets while the work is being done. I do have additional GFCI outlets if I need to add one in this situation. Thanks.
Thanks.
EDIT: apologies for the bad initial diagram that I pulled off off the internet in a hurry on my phone. Here are the actual photos. The GFCI has the line going into it. From there, I have a circuit branching out with two standard outlets. What I want to do is to hook up the second "branch" with 3 more outlets on the other side of the wall (temporarily, so that we have functioning outlets before the wall goes away)
This branch will also be hooked up on the GFCI side (see on the bottom 2 photos how I connected them on GFCI load side. Does this look good?


texts: Best tool for chrome fittings plumbing at home

texts:
Which is the best tool to work with rounded chrome fixture.

Please see picture attached where chrome plating is removed using pipe wrench.

The brass colour on the faucet shaft shows marring by a pipe wrench and strap wrench did not work.


texts:
We live in a two bedroom town home, and within the upstairs bathroom, an exhaust fan is located in the ceiling (but not above the bath tub/shower).  There is a wall switch containing 3 switches: one switch is for the "primary" light, the second switch is for the fan, and the third is for a "heated" light (we rarely, if ever, use that).

Recently, we needed to have some repairs done to or roof, and it seems that ever since then, the exhaust fan is constantly running.  The switch for that fan does nothing to turn it off.

About a month or so ago (fan again had been running, but apparently that was "normal", as it eventually stopped), after "disabling" current to the bathrooms (via the fuse box in the garage), I did take apart that switch, but did not see anything definitive there.  I also removed the cover to the fan in the ceiling, but again saw nothing definitive there.

There is some small stains in the ceiling around 3 sides of that cover to the fan, but nothing serious (as far as I can tell).  I also know that when they did the roof repairs,  the contractors did need to "move" some vents, but I do not kn ow which ones.

I will send an EMail to the contractor about this, but can you folks provide any guidance, assistance, and/or insights as to why this is the case?

Thank You.


texts:
I installed this "click" vinyl, but there's one corner of my floor(concrete) that's uneven, because of that the vinyl doesn't click properly and there's a small gap.
Can I just caulk this gap or do I have a better option here?


texts:
A north Florida condo has at least half a dozen incidents of termites this May and the next door neighbor had at least one incident.  Is it possible to have an infestation in wall voids, without kickout holes in the baseboard?  The baseboards do not form a seal (at least 3 mm clearance) between the baseboard and vinyl flooring.

If you have direct experience with drywood (or any other flying, non sub-terrainian) termite please state this in your response, along with any helpful context.  Thank you


texts: Is there a way to fix a small plumbing leak from inside the pipe?

texts:
During and after I have a shower I can hear a dripping inside a boxed-in area in an adjoining room where the drainage pipes are fed out of the bathroom and downstairs.

I think I am going to have to break the boxing-in to get access to see (and fix) a leak if there is one,  but I'm wondering if there is a way to fix a small leak from the inside of the pipe to minimize destruction; for example, pouring something down the pipe that would seep into any leaky joints and seal them?

Edit:   1)  Someone has changed the question title to a question I wasn't asking.  It wasn't my intention to ask "how to fix a small plumbing leak from inside the pipe".

2)  Today I experimented a bit.  I ran the shower cold for a bit, and listened out.  No dripping.    I then ran it hot and used it, and the dripping was present.   I think it might be water supply pipes expanding/contracting as a result of usage.  (I hope so anyway)

I have not decided yet but I may buy one of those probe camera things and make a small hole to have a look through.


texts: How can I stop wardrobe door from automatically closing?

texts:
Every time the right-hand door on my wardrobe gets opened, it slowly but surely accelerates shut again. As you can imagine, this is quite annoying as it blocks light and restricts view.

Is there a way to stop this? Note: the other door (left-hand) doesn't do this.


texts:
I found a small wasp nest this morning that's about 3" in diameter tucked into the railing of my deck stairs.  It's unfortunately facing the side of my house, which is about 6 or 7 feet away, so I'd have to spray it at an odd angle to get enough distance between it and me when doing so.

Upon closer look, however, I'm wondering if it's an abandoned nest?  It looks like there are a couple holes in places where the sides may have collapsed:

I haven't noticed any wasps entering or leaving it when I watched it closely for a few minutes in the middle of the day.  Is it safe to knock it down?  Should I get a spray for it regardless to be safe?  Thanks!


texts: Smart wall heater thermostat line voltage from high to low.

texts: Cadet's blog provided an approach on connecting a smart thermostat to a Com-Pak wall heater by connecting it to a relay/transformer. They have recently updated and changed their post to not recommend it due to the relay not providing enough power to the smart thermostats, and they suspect it will drain the battery.  Will a relay such as the Honeywell RC840T-120 24V, power the HoneyWell Wifi Thermostats, RTH6580WF, powered from a Cadet Com-Pak 1500W, 120V model CSC151? Are externals transformers/adapters best? If so, are there other specifications beyond a two wires 24 volts transformer to keep in mind?


texts: Installing vertical EMT conduit crossing a horizontal eletrical run

texts:
The room i want to install some vertical EMT (for data cables) has a horizontal electrical wire (romex or something like it), about 8 or 10 inches from the floor, going across the entire wall as near as I can tell.

Now there is enough give, that I could push the romex to one side and install the conduit, but there is more tension than I would like. Is there any issue with pushing the electrical off center, and rubbing directly against metallic conduit?


texts: Condenser fan and compressor don't start, electrical looks good though?

texts:
After replacing the fan, starting capacitor, and running capacitor, the system ran normally for ~1 day. Now nothing is starting.

I got a fieldpiece multimeter and tested all of new capacitors, connections, motor ohms, continuity, and current. All measurements look good, but current isn't flowing more than 0.05a, and capacitors don't seem to be charging.

There is 240v going to it, not sure what else to attempt, any suggestions are welcome.

Goodman gx160481fa


texts: Why do I have spots showing through on stained pine?

texts: I had a chest of drawers made of pine that had crayon marks on it.  I sanded it down really well and applied a coat of golden oak stain after puttying the holes. Now there are light and dark spots showing through the stain.  What did I do wrong?


texts: We just moved into a 2001 home. All the switches and outlets are that nasty beige color, so I am replacing them all with white switches, outlets and covers. Problem in the kitchen GFCI: I wired in a new GFCI outlet the same as the old one, and it won't reset. Totally dead. I reinstalled the old one and it works fine.  Any ideas please?


texts:
So I got a new timed fan switch and decided to put it in. The old switch was a simple switch, and all it had going into it were two black wires. The switch box has three pairs of wires in it, white + black + copper, white + black + copper, and white + black + copper. Originally, all three whites were pigtailed together, the top right black went straight into the switch, and the top left and bottom right black were pig tailed together with a third wire which also went into the switch. (Both via the push holes.)

It was not ground, and there was no white connected.

The new switch has white, black, red, and green wires. I connected it up, but obviously did something wrong, because it doesn't work.

Here's what I've done:

I connected the single black wire to the black wire on the switch. Connected the pigtailed wire off the two black wires to the red wire on the switch. Pig tailed the green wire with the copper ground wire. And cut off the original three-way pigtail of white wires to make a four-way pig tail of white wires with the switch.

So what did I do wrong? How is it supposed to be? (And just in case I've created a horrible fire hazard, I've turned off the power at the breaker until I figure this out.)

The new switch is a Tork D1060MW 120VAC 60Hz 15A General Purpose switch.


texts:
I am working on a project and spray painting smooth composite wood pieces with a glossy paint/primer combo (specifically this).  I sprayed outside (at night) and there was a slight breeze.  For the most part, the texture is glossy as it should be but, some areas have a slight texture to them (likely due to improper coverage).

My question is, what is the best way to fix these areas.  Should I spray another layer of paint over them?  Should I sand them down with fine sandpaper?  I've done some Googling but, I've been unable to locate a solution.

Any help is appreciated.


texts: Why electrical switches are rated lower for led than incadescent lights?

texts:
I bought a dimmer that supports ic, halogen, led and cfl lights.
It says 600w for incadescent and halogen and 150w for led and cfl.
Why is the difference?
What happens if I put it in a circuit with 8 led lights rated at 25w?


texts: Why doesn't my outlet switch switch any outlets?

texts:
I recently bought a 1951 home.  There is a switch in the living room that appears to have been intended to control one or more outlets in the room (the switch affects no lights and all lights are controlled by other switches).  However, the switch does not affect the outlets either: whether the switch is on or off, all outlets are on.
The outlets are all wired with either two black and two white wires or one white and one black.  There are no red wires like you'd see with a typical newer switch-to-outlet configurations.  The switch, which is a new replacement, is wired with two black, and the two white are capped off together.  The bottom black wire for the switch does receive electricity.  But again, no red wire at the switch box.
Other than incorrect wiring, is there a possible explanation in an older home as to why the wires would be configured and would function this way?  Is it possible that it is in fact correctly wired to operate outlets but the outlet being controlled would have to be installed a specific way (eg, removing the bridge between the two hot terminals)?


texts: What are some of your previous owner nightmares you have inherited?

texts:
Things like picket fences that are screwed and to end and to trees with no posts.  Or where there are posts they are sunk 4 inches into the ground with concrete around the top.

Or plumbing done with automotive parts or using the sump pump to empty the washer runoff.

Or main fuse boxes that are wired up with no rhyme or reason.


texts: What type of flooring can be used on a concrete slab?

texts:
I have a split ranch house in NY and the downstairs hallway and half bath / laundry room currently has vinyl tile on a concrete slab.  I would like to cover the vinyl tile with a new floor.

What is the best flooring material to use in this environment?

I was originally thinking ceramic tile because the the garage enters into the hallway (dirty, wet shoes).  However, I'm concerned that the tile will be too cold during the winter, so I was thinking about some type of wood flooring.  However, the potential for a water problem in the bath / laundry room makes me want to avoid wood.


texts: 3 wire conductor to an electrical subpanel - Can I add a separate conductor for neutral in same conduit?

texts:
I'm installing a subpanel to bring power to a garage.  Answers to similar questions make it clear that a subpanel must isolate ground from neutral, so the bonding screw will be removed at the subpanel. The standard recommendation is to run /3wg cable from the main panel to the subpanel.
But I've got some NM-B 8/2wg cable that I'd like to use. I believe that would allow:

Either 120v service (a single pole breaker on the black wire at the main panel, white as neutral)
Or else 240v service (a double pole breaker on the black and the red wires - having taped white as red, with no neutral)

But I can't have grounded circuits of both voltages at once without a transformer.
Can I use my 8/2wg and simply run a single #8 insulated copper as a separate neutral conductor beside it to get both 120v and 240v service at the subpanel?
If so, must both the cable and the single wire be within a conduit? (the run is in a dry interior, through framing covered by sheetrock).  The total distance isn't particularly long - about 30'.


texts:
I have a whole house fan installed in my house from the previous owners. I love the fan, as it lets me cool down the house quickly in the evening -- or after I fill the house with smoke from forgetting about food on the stove! :)

However, as I try to air seal my house it is immediately apparent that the whole house fan is by far the leakiest thing in the house. Under a blower door test, the fan louvers actually open up and most blower doors can't achieve the pressure they normally operate at in order to perform a measurement.

I would like to install some sort of air tight louver or door on top of the fan in the attic that will close tightly until the fan switch is turned on, at which point the louver or door will open. The closest idea I've had for that so far has been a plywood door that closes over the fan against weather stripping and is opened and closed by a linear actuator, and then attaching insulation to the top of the door, but it really seems like overkill to build and maintain a system that complex.

I'm also aware of one commercial air sealed and insulated whole house fan, but it is $1,500 and pushes 2500 CFM less than my current fan. $1,500 buys a whole bunch of plywood and linear actuators if I do end up having to go that route.

I've also looked at motorized dampers, such as this one from Grainger, but due to the small width of each blade I wouldn't be able to put any reasonable amount of insulation on them. Also, they're rated for 3500 CFM for some reason, and the fan I have easily does at least 5500 CFM.

Does anyone have any better ideas and suggestions for how to accomplish this? Note that I am not interested in solutions that involve manually removing a lid, seal, or cover from the fan; this needs to be automatic.


texts:
I started a bathroom remodel in an 1899 house and it was a mess. Once I got down to the floor joists I pretty much halted the project because they had severed 2/5 of them and notched the rest of the 2X8's making them 2x3's. I have mostly repaired the joists and am now working on redoing the plumbing.
TO see what I'm looking at here's a video
https://youtu.be/c0QYKvbaGZc
Because of the direction of the joists I need to go through them, I have a hole saw and started this process but I'm concerned about the pipe grade.  there is roughly a 50" section that has almost no slope. Not sure of the actual measurements but a bubble level indicates a tiny slope in the direction of flow but certainly not 1/8" per foot. I should have enough head from the bath and the toilet to move things along but I'm just curious how much of a problem this will be?


texts: Will joint compound / drywall mud clog my drain?

texts: If I wash my tools (knives and mud pan) in my laundry tub/sink after use, will the drywall mud clog my drain pipes?


texts:
1961 house. Recently bought. The house appraiser told me that I had post-and-plank type walls and could get a fun "barn" look by removing the finish. So I did a test and stripped a part of a wall. The wood was covered with tar paper, wood laths, two layers of gypsum board, and white "brick" prefinished panels on top.

The thick wooden planks have shrunk, leaving gaps that are about a quarter inch wide. Through the gaps, you can see another layer of tar paper (behind that is insulation, and the exterior brick wall). The gaps seem to be a problem, insulation-wise. Even though I was told that one does not need to insulate the inside of a plank-and-post wall, the temperature inside the gaps is about 53°F, and 63°F in front of the wall (outside temperature today is 5°F). So there is an airdraft problem.

On the pictures you can also see that some of the planks have a broken corner  (like the vertical plank on the right) or are cracked.

So if I want to go with a bare wall / barn look, that leaves me with a few questions:

How do I fill the gaps?
How do I fix the broken/chipped planks?
Should I sand / apply some sort of protective finish to the wood?

1) I looked at ressources on how to fix gaps in old wooden floors and it seems that my best option for the gaps is cotton rope for the smaller gaps and oakum for the larger ones. Would that do the trick for a wall?

2) For the broken and cracked planks, I am thinking of filling the holes with a paste made with glue and sawdust from the wood laths that I removed. Another option is colored epoxy filler, or maybe just leave it like that.

3) For the finish, I really don't know if it is even necessary. It's a wall in a living room. But guests or children could get a splinter from touching the wall, so maybe a light sanding and some sort of protective finish would be better.

Thank you.

Addendum: the finished wall:
[


texts: Low Water Pressure When Kitchen Faucet is Opened Quickly

texts:
I don't know how to search for this, because my searches don't turn up proper results.

This applies only to my kitchen sink and water dispenser from fridge. The downstairs bathroom and all upstairs faucets are unaffected by this. If I open the faucet too quickly, the water will trickle out. I can't get my fridge dispenser (or ice maker) to work, because those are a binary on/off.

The only way to get decent pressure is to slowly turn the faucet on. If I open it too quickly, the faucet will make a soft "pop". I have checked under the sink, and the hoses have no kinks. They don't move when the pop happens either.  There aren't any visible leaks anywhere either. Also, I have to let the water completely stop trickling before I turn it back on, or this will produce low pressure as well.


texts:
I am working on adding a shower in the attic. The hard part is that the attic ceiling is at an angle and I am looking to find options for the shower door. Could anyone suggest any solutions to that??
Homedepot has rectangular tempered glass panels, but I found it cant be cut and I cant use annealed glass as per code. is there any other options for shower doors ??
Below is the shape of the door that I m looking for to have.


texts: How do you open this fluorescent light fixture?

texts:
The blubs have flickered and gone out on this light in my kitchen.

How can I open this fixture? I have taken one of the plates off but I wasn't sure is that was the right place to look. I heard a lot of these are clipped on and/or slide. Could that be the case with my fixture?
Here is an image of the open side panel:


texts: How should I connect my cat5 cable to connectors having an orange-green line?

texts:
I have some cat5 cables in my attic in need to splice .  they have been up there for 10 to 15years so no sure if cat5e or cat5.

I'm looking at a tool-less connector on amazon, but the color coding has a orange-green line I do not see in my cable


texts:
How can we get rid of cockroaches in our house?

Things we already do and have failed in keeping the roaches away:

No uncovered food left outside ever.
The house and bathroom are cleaned everyday with disinfectant.
Sprayed Mortein cockroach spray in all nooks and corners of the house, on door thresholds and drains (this will draw them out and we swat them and clean them away, but another army returns in a day or two)

At the moment my wife is pregnant, and she is willing to go stay at a friend's place for a night to avoid exposure to harsh chemicals. We live in an apartment with no pest control facilities and the only plausible reasoning we got is that maybe the neighbors don't keep their apartment clean - but I am sure there must be something we can do. There are hundreds of other apartments. Otherwise just one pesky neighbor and all apartments would have been infested. Cockroaches are the only problem we have in this unit.


texts: Potential issues with adding a 90° bend to shower waste?

texts: Are there any potential issues with putting a 90° bend straight from a shower drain into a 50mm waste pipe? It then falls 10mm over a 1m span into a waste manifold.


texts: What tool should I use to cut memory foam?

texts: I need to cut 2x2 ft square pieces from a sheet of memory foam. Not sure what tool is best for this. Any ideas? In the future I'd like to cut circles and eventually sculpt irregular shapes, I don't know what tool can be used for this sort of job.


texts: Alt hot white and red wires, neutral black? How to connect motion detector switch

texts:
I'm replacing a standard switch with a Hubbell ws2000w. The light is on a 3 way, I'm only replacing one of the switches.  The hubbell switch has a black (line), red (load), green (ground) and yellow (traveler) wire.  My switch seems to be off.  It was wired white (alt line), red (alt line), black (neutral??), and copper (ground).

I used my multimeter to read 120 voltage on the incoming line. That's how I got the 0 reading on the black wire when the second switch was in both positions. The white and red would switch hot based on switch two's position.

Nothing is marked on the line for the switched neutral but I'm curious if I need to do more than just tape/mark the hot lines. Also, how exactly would I connect this hubbell switch?

Hubbell red to Line red?

Hubbell black to Line white?

Hubbell green to Line copper?

Hubbell yellow to nut or Line Black or??

Also the hubbell switch had a hole for neutral but nothing to connect to.


texts: What should I do about small cracks when painting a homes exterior?

texts: So I'm painting my homes exterior. I was wondering if anything should be done about these tiny cracks in the paint. They aren't peeling off, and its very tough to scrape, since you have to take off some of the wood underneath.


texts: Is this decorative trim or exterior bracing?

texts:
Shown below is an example of my exterior above my garage. I was wanting to look into painting/stucco/new siding work and wondered if what "bracing" you see as the same color of the house was purely decorative or if it applied to the structure of the house.  To be more specific, these are the boards that run horizontal and vertical which are not white.

Some of the inside panels below/between these 1x6 boards may need to be replaced around the house and I wanted to assess replacement options/methods.


texts: Craftsman 137.248760 tablesaw blade comes loose

texts:
I have a Craftsman 137.248760 table saw that has recently started giving me problems. When I run the saw, the blade appears to loosen and continues to spin freely on the arbor after I turn the saw off. I've tried tightening the nut back down and replacing the blade but it immediately loosens. It hasn't completely come off the arbor yet but I'm afraid it will.

Any ideas how I can make this stop happening?


texts: can I use 1/4" J Channel to mount 3/16" thick mirror?

texts: I have a pair of ~ 60"W x 42"H x 3/16" thick bathroom mirrors that I would like to mount using chrome-looking J Channels on top and bottom. The closest thing I could find so far is this polished aluminum J Channel - albeit at 1/4" thick. I don't want the 3/16" thick mirror to wobble - what's a good way to compensate for the 1/16" difference in thickness? Perhaps some sort of plastic insert to go between the rear of the mirror and the J Channel?


texts: New Thermostat Ecobee3 to Old Galaxy GG-75 boiler - Needs common wire

texts:
I would like to replace my old thermostat with a new Ecobee3 thermostat.
HVAC system is a Slantfin Galaxy GG75 boiler - single zone.  (No air conditioner.)

Current set-up has only a red and white connected from thermostat to boiler. (see picture).  There are unused wires from thermostat to boiler.

Connection at thermostat is to "T" and "TV" terminals (though not labelled).

Need help figuring out how the connect the common wire and where...

Thermostat manufacturer has suggested everything from not possible to get another transformer, to get a ran/isolation relay...  No consistency on the best solution.  Help Please.


texts: Why do my replacement light bulbs not function?

texts:
I have a 3-light, old-looking street light at the end of my driveway. I'm replacing  the 25W incandescent light bulbs that have died with either 40W round  clear bulbs or 7W LED's.
I can NOT get  either of them to work. I've bent the contact up and still neither replacement bulb works.


texts: What's the best way to reattach a piece of siding?

texts:
I just noticed I have a piece of HardiePlank® that is coming off the side of my house. What would be the best way to reattach it?  I have no experience with the stuff, but it seems like a simple diy fix.

It's just my luck that the piece that's starting to come off is also at one of the highest points on the house.


texts: Can I use bisphenol resin to bond plastic?

texts:
I have a tube of bisphenol two part resin I'd like to use to repair headphones with a broken band. Problem is the band is plastic. Can I use a BPA resin to bond the earphone back to the band? I ask because both parts are plastic, and I don't know how well BPA plays with plastic. I also have JB weld which I know does NOT play well with many plastics.

I can also grab any relevant adhesive if there's something you think would work better.


texts: Old house. Front porch light wiring is piped so need to know how to install an outlet box. Pic attached

texts: I removed the old front porch light and found that the old wiring is being run through a pipe that sticks out about 1/2”. I can’t install the new light because it needs to  flush to an outlet box. Ideas?


texts: How was the wood grain aligned in this set of decorative wall panels?

texts:
Can anyone tell me how the wood finish look on this wall was achieved? My guess was either by staining plywood or using vinyl sticker.

I am planning to  build a wall panel similar to this and was trying to find an affordable option.

Any suggestions???


texts: How to connect a 3 wire cable to a 2 wire outlet?

texts:
I have recently had a conservatory built and want to wire an internal light fixture that has a live and neutral and Earth terminals.

I have removed my old security light and I am left with a cable existing of red, blue, Earth, and yellow with a red bit of tape on. My new light has a terminal for live, neutral, and Earth. So what do I do with the yellow cable. Can I just cap it off?


texts: How can I vent a range hood that's not on an exterior wall?

texts: I want to vent a range hood out and it is not on an outside wall.  I have already installed 12X3.5 duct into the attic through the cabinet and ceiling (visable).  the 90 turn and wall cap are 10X3.5.  What should I do?


texts: Low-voltage lights turn on then start to flash

texts:
I've got a string of LV lights in my kitchen that over the last few weeks have started to behave oddly. They will turn on and the one farthest from the power supply are dimmer than the ones closest (there are 5 12-volt lights in the series and they stretch over about 10 feet all told). Then after about a minute they start to flash, and the period of the flashing gradually increases.

Any idea what might be going on here?


texts:
I come home from a week away to find that I left a few dishes in the sink, oops, and one of them has signs of life.

Would it be unwise to put the moldy mug in the dishwasher?  Should I first soak it with bleach or the like?


texts: What is this gutter part and how do I keep birds out

texts: What is this part of the gutter? It looks like regular drain with some piece on top? Birds keep nesting in it and I'm trying to find a way to keep them out that is easy to do. Thank you.


texts: Why is my freezer making a very loud buzzing noise after being unplugged for a few days?

texts:
My freezer was unplugged for a few days and now when I plug it in it makes a very loud alert kind of buzzing noise.  It isn't just the noise it makes regularly.

It is a loud, almost alarm-like noise that is very worrisome. What could it be? How can I get it to stop?


texts: Any hidden disadvantage to lever-type door latches?

texts: I have a lever-type door knob on one of my bedrooms and I like it a lot more than the ordinary round knobs. I am considering replacing all the door knobs in the house with levers. Is there any reason to not do this? Why do people use round knobs at all?


texts: Can I use a ground rod as an equipment ground for a detached garage?

texts:
I'm in a bit of a dilemma.  The house we bought has a detached garage supplied by 12/3 UF with ground.  The previous owner/handyman set this up as a multiwire branch circuit (MWBC) with a twist: one of the conductors is fed from the main panel in the basement to create a 20A circuit in the garage for plugs, but two other conductors in the 12/3 UF are used as switch legs for a 3-way switch, enabling the garage lights to be turned off either from the house or from the garage.  This leaves the equipment grounding conductor to be used as a shared neutral for both the plugs and the lights in the garage - definitely not code compliant, probably a bad idea all around.  The EGCs of the NM cables that feed the lights and plugs in the garage are tied together in a box in the garage, and not bonded to the makeshift neutral (EGC of the 12/3UF), as far as I can tell - so there is no true safety ground for the garage outlets.

I am not ready to dig up the yard and re-feed the garage, which will probably be the ultimate solution: reclaiming the 12/3 for only the lights, and adding thicker conductors in the trench for a proper subpanel in the garage.  I also realize that the easiest short-term solution would most likely be to rearrange the existing wiring connections to make either a single 20A circuit on a 3-way switch for all lights and plugs in the garage, or a single always-on circuit in the garage, to which I could connect the plugs and the lights, with a switch in the garage for the lights.  The first of these choices is not an option because the garage door opener needs to be always live for use with the car remote, and the second choice, though preferable, loses the significant advantage of the 3-way switch.

In general, I'm ok with using the ground of the 12/3 UF as neutral on a temporary basis because of the tough nature of UF cable, and because it hasn't caused any obvious problems yet.  I'm thinking of driving a grounding electrode at the garage and connecting the equipment grounding conductors of the branches in the garage to that electrode, which wouldn't be bonded to the neutral.  I know this would not be code-compliant, but I wonder if it would be an improvement.  I'm also wondering if GFI protection of either/both of the branch circuits in the garage would be possible and preferable - though I know that using GFIs on MWBC creates new issues.

Again, I'm not yet ready to dig up the existing cable, and not willing to run anything overhead.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
Benjamin


texts: What are these metal flaps protruding from my garage’s concrete sidewall?

texts:
I'm planning phase to re-finish my concrete garage floor with epoxy. I noticed around the base of the floor there are flaps of what is thin sheet metal painted over by the previous owner.

What are these flaps and can they be trimmed to be flush with the wall? I’m not sure if they’re something important such as flashing or termite barriers for example.
UPDATE 10/09/2020: Added more photos below.


texts: Can there be too many seams in a dryer vent pipe?

texts:
BACKGROUND:

We have to vent our dryer outside and we will NOT be using
any form of flex pipe.
The whole thing will be vented with rigid
4" aluminum vent pipe.
It is going to take a total 18' of pipe and one 90 degree elbow in order to make it an exterior wall. We have chosen to go to a wall versus out the roof top since we don't want to mess with installing a vent box on the roof. It would also create unnecessary angles that we would rather avoid, and even though the exterior wall is further away, there is no elevation change, etc.
Including a diagram to show what I'm talking about...

QUESTION:
As long as I connect the pipe sections correctly (with the crimped ends pointing away from my flow source) does it matter how many seams I have? Problem is, I can only get ahold of 5' sections of pipe. No one seems to carry anything longer, even places like Ferguson, etc.

OTHER:

I am under the impression as long as I am under 25' I should be fine.
I am also assuming that the 90 degree elbow "counts" as 5', so my total run is around 23'.
Since the dryer was originally vented into this attic/crawl space about 30 years ago, anything is better than the current set up!


texts: Does filling in cement(inside or outside the house) act as a deterrent to the soil-water and mold problems resulting from it?

texts: An experienced contractor suggested to me that filling cement near the bottom one foot of basement walls will stop the water from coming inside the basement. And also, a 2 feet of cement floor around the perimeter of house will help deter the water, as well. Is this a proven technique?


texts: Adding USB Dual Port Charger Receptacle Blows Mains

texts:
I purchased a Hubbell "USB Dual Port Charger with 15A Duplex Receptacle" from Lowes to replace the duplex receptacle on my kitchen island.

I first opened the circuit labelled for the island.  The breaker takes two slots.  I removed the existing receptacle and noticed that the brass screws had a black and red wire.  The bridge between the screws was not broken.

I connected the new USB charging receptacle as: white wire to silver screw, bare to green screw, and the black and red wires to the brass screw.  I put everything back together.

When I closed the circuit the fuse blew as well as tripping the mains to the house.  I took the receptacle out of the metal gang box to ensure that it wasn't touching.  I verified the connections as stated above.  With the receptacle hanging outside of the gang box I closed the breaker only to have it and the mains trip.

I reconnected the old simple receptacle and closed the breaker with no problems.  I tried with just the black wire in the new receptacle and it worked!  But now I can't connect the new receptacle with this new red wire.

I researched the uses of the red wire however none of them seem to apply to my kitchen.  The fuse box lists the island as the only part to control and nothing else in the kitchen turned off when I opened the circuit.  There is only one receptacle on the island and no other electrical items including lights.

Why would the kitchen island of only one receptacle require both black and red? why would this USB charger receptacle be so sensitive to two hot wires? why would this single outlet require such a large breaker switch?

And finally... is there anything I can do so that I can install this receptacle?

Thanks!


texts: Who is responsible to relocate cable TV line?

texts:
I had my yard marked for utilities before digging for new landscaping(trees, etc).  Unfortunately, the cable TV line runs diagonal across my entire back yard. I was planning on putting a 3" diameter tree right where the line runs a few feet from each side of my fence. Is it my responsibility to pay for this relocation, who does it, and any ideas of cost? I am located in the US(Minnesota).

This seemed more like a GC question and less like a landscaping question so I asked here over the gardening SE site.


texts: Why does my water smell bad after the water softener?

texts:
Just bought a house, and I don't really understand how the water softening system is set up. Here's my best guess:

Water from the well is pretty hard, and very iron filled. It smells enough to smell it across the room. But: it does not smell like sulfur.

First the water goes through a water softener with a brine tank. Water at this point smells faintly of iron, but is much softer and still does not smell like sulfur.

After that it goes into another tank that looks like a water softener, (I can even force it to do a backwash) but has no company or product names on it, and no brine tank. I'm guessing that this is an iron filter. (Though I'm not sure why it would be after the water softener, because it seems like the softener is taking the bulk of the iron out.. And can't that foul the resin? I digress.) At this point the iron smell is completely gone, but now the water smells of sulfur.

It seems pretty clear what the problem is: sulfur contamination in the iron filter.. But from everything I can find online, that shouldn't be possible since most iron filters are sulfur filters.

Anyway, how far off am I from what my actual setup is, and how can I clean this tank?


texts: What kind of lubrication should I use for a lock?

texts:
I recently made the Yale lock on my front door much easier to open by spraying some WD-40 in there.

However, I just saw this question on WD-40 not being a “true” lubricant, and wondered whether it was appropriate to use on Yale locks?


texts: What kind of backing should I use for a glass mosaic backsplash?

texts: I want to install a glass mosaic backsplash. These are a bunch of small square tiles of different colors on a mesh. Each meash measures 13 x 13. They are so thin, that I want to put some plywood or 1/4 inch tile backer board over the drywall first because my wall is uneven and I'm afraid some gaps will show between the countertop and the wall. My question is is it OK to use 1/4 plywood for the backer or should I use hardibacker or something like that? Someone told me the plywood would expand and contract too much with temperature changes. Someone else also told me that backer board is overkill because its not a wet application and its not a floor. I'm also worried about what the glass tiles would stick best too.


texts: Can 14/3 wire, with all three conductors hot, be the only cable in a switch box?

texts:
I currently have a bathroom light and a single pole switch at the door. The power for the light first comes into the ceiling box directly above the light. The hot is tapped in right there by using the white wire of 14/2, said 14/2 then runs to the switch where both the white and black are used to run through the switch and then back to the light with now the black wire hot with switch on.

Now I'm putting in a light that has a vent fan attached. I will be installing a 2 function switch instead of the single pole so I can control the fan and the light separately. So, I'm thinking, why not just replace the 14/2 that runs through the switch now with 14/3 wire. I can do that in the attic. I'll use the white from said 14/3 to carry the hot to my switch securing on the  the black switch screws (and not break off the tab). I'll then hook up the black and red from the 14/3 on the other side of the receptacle so they carry the power back to the fan or light. I will put black tape on white wires to designate hot.


texts: Installing a new 3 way dimmer switch - on the back of it there is the green grounding wire, the white neutral wire, 2 'traveler' outlets and 1 line/load outlet.  However, the wiring when I removed the switch has 1 wire (it was white but wrapped in black electrical tape), and then another black and red wire (which I assume are the 2 traveler wires) and the ground wire which I connected to the green wire from the dimmer switch....so I only have 3 other wires, but 4 more connections on the dimmer switch...


texts:
What is the recommended wire thickness to run between 125-150ft to a detached shed (home office)?
I was thinking 60 amp breaker, 4/3 thwn-2 (2 hot, 1 neutral, 1 ground). Do I need more?


texts: Trying to convert battery powered sensors to hard-wired sensors. Code / safety concerns?

texts:
I have a number of battery powered, low-power consumption zwave sensors installed around the house, such as contact, PIR or temperature sensors. These are most running on 3v (CR123 or 2 AAA) batteries and takes very little power ( one set of battery lasts for 3month to 1 year.. so maybe < 10ma?  )

I am thinking of modifying some of them, to put hole in the battery cover so I can wire it to a 12v wall wart with a buck converter outputting 3V near the sensor. The wire may or may not go through attic/drywall/exterior wall, but the wall wart / buck converter will be accessible, and there will be connectors and fuses to break the circuit.

I read about the regulations and safety concerns, and learned that for low-voltage wiring I would want CL2 for in-wall use, and I should worry about voltage drop for longer runs ( which the buck converter should mitigate). It seems like NEC does not specify too much in the class 2 area?

What am I missing? Is there other related NEC for this kind of setup? What are the regulatory and safety concern should I worry about in this setup? Is this a viable plan?


texts: Can I cut a 2" thick marble slab myself?

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I've picked up a 27"x27"x2" piece of marble countertop off the street. I'd like to clean it up and use it, but I'd also like to trim it down.

I don't mind doing it myself, but want to make sure I'm doing it right. I've seen posts saying a diamond blade for my circular saw will do the trick.

Am I correct that the following approaches are reasonable?

Marble/masonry continuous rim diamond blade
Multiple shallow passes
A trickle of water from a hose (plus a GFCI outlet or extension cord)
Protecting the surfaces of the slab from chip out with tape/foam board

Anything not right there? Anything I'm missing? Should I not attempt this?

Thanks!


texts: Do they make 24v transformers that have individual terminals for up to 4 thermostats?

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I have two ecobee 3 thermostats sharing a 24v transformer. I'm about to buy two more. Do they make 24v transformers that have separate pairs of terminals for each thermostat?
This is not a question (like the others on here) about how many thermostats a 24v transformer can support. I'm basically asking if either they make a unit specifically for supporting 4 sets of wires OR if there is is a cleaner alternative to twisting the wires together and using a wire nut, prior to connecting to the 24v transformer. This is really a question about keeping my wiring nice and neat.