texts: My parents brought a large (6*40)metal storage container many years ago. They live in warm weather ( San Diego) but it does rain on occasion on the container leaked. My dad and brother tried numerous times to pack the leaks but without much success and it has laid unused for years. Being that they have no plans to get rid of it, I want to make it usable and was think of adding some sort of auxillary metal roof with a pitch that would divert most of the water. Any suggestions of the best way to go about this ( or an alternative solution) would be much appreciated.


texts:
I want to remove our older style bathtub drains that use a drain lever with linkage and replace it with a popup drain. However, unlike most of the examples here and on other sites, our drain doesn't have any crossbar. So, removing it with a Drain Removal Wrench won't work (I think).

Does anyone have any recommendation on how to get the existing drain out so I can replace it?


texts:
I know this has been asked by several folks on the forum, but I wanted to ask specific to my situation.

We live in a new construction home in Central NJ, just moved in this past September. When we contacted our builder, she refused to come out to take a look and said the issue is probably due to the weather.

Seeing as to how it's really cold out and New Year's weekend, before I call a professional to take a look, I wanted to see if there are suggestions on how I can fix the issue.

There is a gap on the top and left side of the door (opposite side of the hinges). The door also protrudes inwards in that same corner. Are there any diy fixes for this? I've attached pictures for reference.


texts: I need help identifying hot and neutral feed wires for sub panel installation

texts:
I am installing a sub panel in my garage this weekend.  The previous owner had a subpanel in the same location, but when they moved they took the panel with them.

The wires from the mains panel in the house to the garage are still there, but since they are all black (except for the ground, obviously), I am not sure which is neutral and which 2 are hot.

Is there a way to test these wires without hooking them up to a grounded panel first? They are connected to the mains via a 220v 100A breaker.

I have done quite a few breaker installations over the years, and have installed many romex-fed outlets, but this is a new situation for me.  Any help is appreciated!


texts: How can I direct heat from a fire pit table?

texts: I have a propane fire pit in the center of a table on our patio. Since the weather is still fairly chilly where we are, I was trying to think of something creative to channel the heat towards the 4 seats on each side of the square table rather than straight up in the air. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance.


texts: Great Stuff Foam sealed gas pipe, fire safety

texts:
So I have a pipe penetration problem at the gas pipe. I hired a contractor and he decided to use great stuff to seal the gap. Would it be a fire safety problem?

Thanks,


texts: How do I repair and clean a loose, greasy washing machine drum?

texts:
After washing some bulky items, my washing machine drum became loose and makes a loud, clanking noise on the spin cycle regardless of the size of the load. It feels as if the drum is almost detached. Since the drum broke, it deposits grease stains and residue on my laundry. My question is two-fold, as I think the problems are related:

How do I repair the drum, so that it doesn't continue to emit a loud, clanking noise?
How do I clean the drum, so that it no longer leaves grease stains and residue on my laundry?


texts: How can I add support for my floor inside a rigid metal return vent?

texts:
I bought an old house with tongue-and-groove flooring and no subfloor. It looks like it was retrofit with a modern HVAC system and floor vents some time in 2008. Whoever installed the return vent made some questionable decisions - they used the space between joists to form the return duct, and also cut away the floor such that the edge is not properly supported on one side:

You can see that the floorboards are already cracking from people walking across them.

What can I do to support their edges? You can see that the return vent actually spans more than one joist cavity. I don't think I could add a block parallel to the joist visible in the picture without completely taking apart the vent or lifting up the flooring (which I'd rather not do). If I add any blocking perpendicular to the joists inside the vent, I would be partially obstructing the return airflow.

I also can't make the vent longer by cutting back the flooring to the next joist over, because at that point it would extend in front of the new doorway we just built.

Are there any other options? Some kind of bracket or brace that would support the edges but still permit airflow?


texts: No Power to Thermostats - Even after Replacing

texts:
I changed my thermostats from Honeywell Smart TH6220wf2006/u Lyric T6 Pro WiFi to Honeywell T5 Programmable (NOT Smart) and couldn't get my furnace to push air out, but AC worked fine.
A friend was over and said I probably blew a fuse and started messing around.  Next thing you know no power at all to the thermostats - no AC or heat.
I called in a pro - they installed a new control panel on the evaporator condensing unit or something.  AC and heat blow - but still no power to thermostats.
I ran to Home Depot and bought new thermostats thinking that somehow the units got fried.  Nope - installed new thermostats - still no power.  Checked the breaker it appears fine.

None of the thermostats require batteries.
I have my yellow wire rigged in with the red - so currently the AC is running

Thoughts on what could be wrong?


texts:
I changed out an old fan/light for new. The new one has a fancy control (no remote). I finished installing and went to hook up switch. Old wires present are two red and a white, no ground. The new switch has two black and a ground. I hooked up the two red and black and left the white as there was no white to hook up with. The fan is on but wont go off and the light wont go on. I can't get the fan to turn off unless I turn it off at the panel. Also the light on the switch to indicate power is not on. Any help would be appreciated.
Edit: this is how I have the new switch set up and only fan on and can change speed or turn it off

sorry, can not turn light on or fan off


texts: Main breaker does NOT turn power to house off

texts: I was  looking to turn main breakers off at main box outside.  Flipped switch nothing happened. Power still on.  went and bought new main breakers replaced them and flipped switched off, Nothing happened. Power still on all over house.  The inside breakers do turn off the power to house but I wanted to do the whole house from outside.  Any ideas.


texts: Where does ground of wall socket actually go? Like maybe a nail in soil beneath building? Or maybe high voltage power grid utility has it's own ground, which connects to a power plant, and our building's ground connects to it? A lightning once struck a power tower, and burned my desktop PC. Does this suggest that power grid ground connects to buildings? And once power tower ground is struck by lightning, it burns electronics in buildings?


texts: Soundproofing a floor: How about cement backer board w/ Green Glue and mass-loaded vinyl?

texts:
I've been researching soundproof underlayments for floors, but the selection seems to be very paltry.  It appears that you're pretty much stuck with mass-loaded vinyl (MLV), QuietWood, and a few other sheet-type materials.  The bad part is that these are not as effective as materials used for soundproofing walls and are certainly no good at blocking lower frequencies, so I came across an idea:  What about MLV on my subfloor, followed by Green Glue (GG) then cement backer board (BB)?

I think this would be a very effective solution.  Putting the MLV down first would put a protective layer over the subfloor so I don't get it all gooey with GG.  Instead, the GG would go between the MVL and BB.  After I seal all the BB seams with accoustical caulk and tape, I would then lay my carpet over that.

If BB is too over-the-top, what if I replaced that with simple 1/4" plywood?


texts: We had a/c here last week to fix a capacitor on our a/c unit and signed up for their maintenance program. They came today to clean everything and do checkup and said the heat strip in our heat pump was burned out and we were lucky we didn't have a fire or smell smoke. We had neither of these things. The picture he showed me had some ashy looking stuff in the unit and said that was what happened when it blew out. He said it will cost 415 to replace. I have never used this company before and wanted to make sure I wasn't getting snookered. Does this sound legitimate? We do live in an area that can dip down to 0 in the winter but not too often.


texts: What is the best way to seal this old fireplace vent?

texts: I am doing some minor renovations to my basement with the drop ceiling and found that one of the geniuses that owned the house before me, used fibreglass ceiling tiles to seal off an old vent for a gas fireplace. Obviously this will not do. I'm thinking of building a section of 2x4's around the old exhaust and then filling it with rigid foam and spray foam. I can't take the old exhaust off the side of the house, since it is a condo and I doubt that I'm going to convince them to replace the siding where this exhaust vent is, not to mention it will probably cost me. Open to any suggestions. I would post a pic but the settings don't allow it, kinda odd.


texts: Refrigerator compressor for pond aeration?

texts:
I'm contemplating salvaging a used refrigerator compressor to use to aerate my pond.  A new compressor actually intended for pond aeration is 600 to 900 bucks.
There are several good youtube videos on repurposing old compressors for DIY air compressors for low demand usage, and I know someone who used a reefer comp and a water tank to power the air stapler he used to build 300 bee hives. In that usage it was running 8 hours a day for several months.
More info:  Checking a few replacement compressors at random they have a displacement of 7 to 12 cubic centimeters.  If run at 1800 rpm, and using 10 cm^3 for the sake of round numbers, we get 18 liters a minute, or not quite 5 gpm.  If perfectly efficient, this works out to  about 17 watts.
Oil lubed air compressors typically put in about 1 mg/m^3, or about a mg/hour. 24 mg/day, about 0.6 g/month.  Bacteria will eat oil.  This may well be within the munch capacity.  However oil separation filters are cheap, and will handle any aerosols.  Not sure if oil vapour is a concern.
I have found that temperature is a concern.  If I need to use an oil/water separator, I have to keep it from freezing.  Given winter temperatures of potentially -40, this probably means keeping the compressor inside the house, or at keeping the trap inside the house.
Questions I don't know:
Will the compressor survive a 100% duty cycle?
How do I check the oil level -- it's no longer a closed system.
Fridge compressors typically have an output at about 120 psi.  My pond is 14 feet deep so will take ~7 psi.  Will operating so far under design be harmful?
Should I be asking this on Engineering.SE instead?


texts: Can I hone Silestone from a glossy finish to a matte finish?

texts: I would like to hone (make the glossy finish matte) my Silestone kitchen countertops.  Is this possible either through an acid wash, sanding or other?  Sanding works on samples but will be difficult to get uniformity on that large a surface.


texts: Which of these three switches in this 4-way circuit is the line end?  I want to install a dimmer and from what I understand, it should be on the LINE end.


texts: Toilet seat with metal axles in plastic sleeves squeaks like crazy when opened/closed

texts:
It's a Cooke & Lewis Bakau. The axles are made of stainless steel. (As an aside and quality indicator, the first exemplar I bought came with two right-axles and no left-axles [they should be mirror images], so it had to be exchanged.) The Duraplast seat has some (softer?) plastic insert sleeves where the steel axles go in. But there's no material code on those plastic inserts that I can see. I'm wondering if any lubricant is safe on this combination to ease the squeak when I open/close the seat (or the lid; it squeaks just as bad).

The hinges look like this:


texts: How do I design a home air filtration system?

texts:
I live in a city with bad air pollution and no central HVAC system. I have two air purifiers and an air quality monitor. Both air purifiers are effective in reducing the particulate matter count. But unless they are run at full speed 24 hours a day the indoor air quality doesn't stay within a safe range. If they are run at less than full speed then a safe particle count is only reached after many hours. When a window or exterior door is opened the particle count shoots up quickly.

I want to be able to freely open doors and have a bearable amount of noise. It's possible that other air purifiers run quieter but it seems noise level and effectiveness are directly correlated. Are there any other measures to increase the effectiveness of an air filtration system? Should I seal doors and windows with weather strips? Our home has fans in both the kitchen and bathroom. When running these fans the air quality gets worse. If the bathroom/kitchen doors are kept well-sealed and closed would it help?


texts:
I know that you can use a reverse osmosis process to desalinate water, and I know that there are many reverse osmosis water filtration systems marketed to individuals.
In general, do some/all/none of these reverse osmosis filtration systems desalinate water?
Thanks!


texts: What purpose does this PVC pipe in my crawlspace serve?

texts:
I was cleaning the crawlspace under the house
and discovered two 3/4 inch white PVC pipes
that run across the crawlspace buried under
ground (4-8 inch deep) and terminate at the
perimeter foundation footing.

One of the pipes has a T-connection in the
middle facing upwards, the top end
is not capped and is filled with dirt.

I wonder if this was done on purpose
(for some kind of drainage or something)
or this is a part of abandoned yard irrigation
system left by when they build a house addition

Does anybody know any method that would require
such PVC pipes underground in the crawslapce?

Pipe:

T-connection:

Pipe ends at foundation footer
(next to the pipe is a big root that goes under foundation as it seems)


texts: How do I secure a dishwasher under a granite counter?

texts:
I purchased some Loctite power grab yesterday in hopes to attach my dishwasher to the granite countertop that it has not adhered to very well with just caulk. I'm having second thoughts, now, since this is a bonding agent that may cause permanent damage (perhaps not as bad as screwing directly into the countertop, but you understand what I'm saying).

Are my hesitations correct? Should I use something different? What should I use?

It looks like the person who attached the washer in before used a silicone caulk.


texts: What can I do about minimizing small shards of ice shooting out the ice dispenser on LG refrigerator?

texts: Ever since we bought this fridge it's been doing this with the ice dispenser.  It's only 3-4 months old and I've tried cleaning out the tray where the ice is made but to no avail.


texts: What could be causing water to drip from the relief valve of my new gas water heater, again?

texts:
I installed a brand new water heater about 4 months ago, noticed that that relief valve was dripping like crazy.  Checked the expansion tank and it was filled with water.  I replaced it with a brand new expansion tank only a few months old.  It was properly installed, got an accurate reading for water pressure from the city, set the air in the tank to a few pounds under that according to instructions.

Problem was fixed, the relief valve stopped dripping altogether for at least a month.  This recently started back up however and right in the middle of a home inspection no less (I am currently selling the home).  The home inspector included in his report that I have a faulty safety relief valve on my water heater and it needs to be replaced.  The buyers in turn demanded that I replace the safety relief valve despite the fact that I am not even sure if that is the problem.

I even explained to the home inspector and buyers when they were there that the water heater and expansion tank are brand new.  In your opinion is this a problem with the relief valve or the expansion tank or both?  Is it normal to buy a new water heater with a faulty relief valve?  Is it normal for a brand new expansion tank to already be taking on water?

EDIT:

I last measured this a few months ago, after opening faucet and releasing pressure from the water heater I got 30 psi.  The water heater temperature is between HOT and A, but the knob goes all the way up to C.  I filled up my NEW expansion tank to 28 psi and the dripping stopped completely for over a month.  My father in law seems to think that calcium can buildup around the relief valve and cause this dripping I am seeing and that it is more likely to be a problem with the relief valve than the brand new tank.


texts: Framing design for small cathedral ceiling or A-Frame. Max Headroom

texts:
I need to specify some framing details for a dormer.  It's a bit unusual: it's in unconditioned space.  The outside dimensions are 8' wide, with a total span depth of 11' (9' to the nearest support).  The total inside height will be just 6'.  Above will be plywood and a metal roof (very lightweight) at 6-12 pitch.  No insulation or inside finish is needed.

There's no room for a parallel chord truss, or really much of anything.  The finish height of the roof above is fixed.

Framing it like drawing A with a tension member in the truss would be great, except I need headroom.

Detail B shows the entire thing hung off a ridge beam, but then it's a pretty big beam for such a small space.  The ridge beam must be supported on posts at each end.

Is detail C done, and if so where would I find documents on the approach and prescriptive beam sizes?  Detail C imagines a steel gusset at the ridge to prevent outward forces on the walls. All the forces take up by approach A's tension member must be taken by the rafters and the steel strapping.

No snow load.  Under 4 psf dead load including ply on roof (metal roofing).

The host roof itself matches 3.12a from the 2018 American Wood Council WFCM https://www.awc.org/pdf/codes-standards/publications/wfcm/AWC-WFCM2018-ViewOnly-1904.pdf
The question relates to detail C: is it done, are there off the shelf metal brackets, and pre-engineered details?


texts: What can I do about out of square rough opening for new windows?

texts:
I am building a new patio/sunroom, and I have framed up a small shear wall, along with openings for 2 new 4x6 windows. As I tried to install the windows today, I realize that the openings are out of square. One opening is not allowing the top of the window to sit into the opening by 1/8 inch, and I don't have enough slack on the other side to bring it up.

The other opening next to it, is out of square too far to one side. So I will need to put in more than shims to make it attach.

Any practical suggestions?


texts: Sill Pan for Exterior Door - Importance VS. Requirement

texts:
I am installing a new secondary entrance door and deciding whether to use a plastic sill pan from HD or Lowes. Neither store, nor any lumber yards around me, carry these in stock. That leads me to question whether these are required by code (or by the building inspection department, who sometimes have "favorite" items they look for, whether code requirement or not). Some places we called said that we should just use flashing tape, which we were gonna use anyway, even with the sill pan. The door will have minimal to no overhang for protection from the elements.

Any ideas?


texts: How can I calculate covered area under a single-slope roof?

texts:
I'm looking to build a small covered patio area on our property, next to our pool.  It'll be open on all sides, and covered by a simple skillion/single-sloped roof.  So something like in this photo:

The idea behind the single sloped roof is that we'd like to be able to put a bunch of PV panels up there to generate some solar energy.

How can I combine the roof dimensions, with the angle/pitch of the roof, to determine the amount of area that will actually be covered?  Suppose the roof is 20 feet long by, say, 15 feet wide.  If it were flat that would be easy.  But if the roof is angled at say, 30 degrees, then that will change the actual covered space below it.  How would I go about calculating that exactly?

Crossposted to Mathematics


texts:
This is a personal DIY project where I would like to take down completely some interior walls. I've done measurements all around, attic, crawlspace inside/outside, and openings as well.

The house is a rambler style 1956 build, gable roof, one story level simple as is.

Edit/Update: The roof has rafters.

The walls I like to remove are red colored on the 3D model, and marked on the drawing.

The model displays rafters, ceiling joists, posts/pier concrete positions, everything possible probably to know and judge if the walls are bearing or not.

All dimensions are ± 1.5 inches error and can be seen on the below image and also you can visualize the house as a 3D model on your browser to the following link:

http://www.valentinoprea.com/remodeling/

What do you think?


texts:
Our clothes dryer is currently working; it gets up to and maintains heat, no shuddering, dries clothes, etc. However, it is louder than it used to be. It is an older unit (Whirlpool Dryer LER4624DQ0), bought second (or third?) hand. The noise is a squeaky kind of maybe-rubbing (?) noise. Here is a site with exploded diagrams of the model.

Short of disassembling the dryer, what can I do to help quiet down the unit? Is there any maintenance I should be doing that might help it be quieter?

I found one answer, that it may be the main bearing on the on the drum or one of the roller guide wheels of the drum. It didn't speciy how to oil them though, if that might be the case, what should I use? Another suggestion was to soap the serpentine belt, but I am having difficulty figuring out if they mean undoing the entire back assembly behind the bulkhead.


texts: Is it better to pull old nails or hammer them flat?

texts: When doing work like replacing drywall and trim, I'll pull all the old unused nails from the studs, joists, etc.  I do this mainly for two reasons: a) so they don't get in the way of new fasteners when I'm putting up new materials (it's happened), and b) I'm a little OCD about this.  But then I have a bunch of holes in everything.  Seems most people would just hammer the nails flat to save time.  Is there some benefit to have the nails stay in the wood instead of leaving the hole?


texts: Is 12 cu. in. LB PVC Conduit large enough to splice 12/2 run?

texts:
I am running a 20A circuit to the garage and using a LB conduit at a point where my run comes out of the basement and goes underground. I want to run 12/2 NM from the house to this junction box and splice with lose cables that will continue the run to the garage.
This feels like Electric 101 and the box feels big enough. This is why I was surprised when doing Box Fill calculation it appears as if the junction box is not big enough.
In the photo below you see 3 12 AWG wires. Imagine a 12/2 NM comes out of the hole that goes into the house and the standard 3 splices.

4 12 awg conductors = 4 x 2.25 = 9 cu.in.
Volume allowance for all grounds: 1
3 Clamps: 3 volume allowance.

This leads to 13 cu.in. but the box is 12. Am I double counting something? It just feels strange that a perfectly reasonable looking junction box is not sufficient for this simple use case.


texts:
I have a 12" x 24" piece of plywood that is 1/4" thick and I'd like to hang it on the wall. I don't want to frame the piece or put any nails in it. Here are a couple of ideas I had:

I was hoping there would be some mounting/hanging brackets similar to what picture frames use but haven't had any luck for 1/4". Also, I know plywood isn't very resilient and I'm not sure if screwing in to it will crack the wood.
Another option is attaching string to the piece and then hanging it from a nail in the wall but not sure what the best way to permanently attach the string to the plywood is.
I would be fine drilling small holes in to the wood for string/wore to go through but I don't have an automatic drill with me and, again, I worry about cracking.

Any ideas out there on ways to best hang a 1/4" piece of plywood?? I'm open to any suggestions.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!


texts: This connector was removed from my old recessed ceiling lights.  The light socket was wired with this connector at the other end of the lead.  The connector pairs with a female 3-pin/3-hole connector mounted on the socket plate in the recessed light can.   I need to replace a couple of these leads/connectors as they are faulty.  Thanks for any guidance.


texts: How to PROPERLY test that your smoke detectors work?

texts:
I installed two new smoke detectors in my house a few months ago and have been testing them using the 'test' buttons.

Today I decided to give them a more realistic test by placing a burning and then extinguished match underneath them. To my surprise neither was activated.

Thinking this may not have been enough to trigger a modern smoke detector I then removed them from the wall and placed them above a large saucepan of burning paper for around 3 minutes. There was lots of smoke and the flames were only inches below the smoke detectors. Yet again, neither detector sounded an alarm.

I contacted the manufacturer, and they say that this is 'normal' and that their smoke detectors are 'burned toast proof'.

To me this sounds like BS. If 3 minutes sitting directly above flames and plumes of smoke is not considered enough to set the alarm off then just how alight would my house have to be before I was alerted?

So, how should I properly test these smoke detectors in a way that the manufacturer cannot simply brush off?


texts: Fixing leak in tub overflow with old style drain closer

texts:
I couldn't find any examples of my tub drain lever online, so I can't figure out how to remove it. The overflow is leaking, so I'd like to open it up and see what the gasket is like to replace it. On the back of the tub, it looks like there's some corrosion at that point, so that's probably the culprit.

I got the handle loose, but the overflow cap is blocking my access to screws. I can't get the handle out of the assembly, it's connected somehow to the tub drain.

Pix:


texts:
I have a 120v 20a receptacle that is measuring 220V at the outlet:

In the panel this circuit is controlled by a double pole 30amp breaker:

I was using a 120V window AC unit in this outlet and it was working fine for years.  How is this possible?  The unit recently started having problems and I was looking to replace it with a 220V unit.  Can I do that with the current configuration?  What else do I need to consider (wire gauge and amperage needs of the new unit come to mind)?

Here is the wiring of the receptacle:

Edit:
Here is  the cord on the unit I'm replacing it with showing it as 25amp.

And this is a link to the replacement unit in question


texts: Can I repair the cracks between the bricks in my fireplace?

texts: The bricks surrounding my fireplace have cracks between them. It's as if the thermal expansion/contraction has eroded the mortor between the bricks. I have had some serious fires in there and haven't had a problem but I am worried that the lack of grout may be a fire hazard. Is there a grout or mortor than I can force into the cracks?


texts: Do I need to re-sheath, wrap and side an old house just insulate it?

texts:
Looking into buying this house that was built around 1900. From the photos, it appears that there is a layer of shiplap underneath the siding. Is there any way, barring ripping all of the siding off and re-sheathing and wrapping the house, that I could go about insulating? I've read a bit about insulation and moisture problems, and the idea that you need the vapor barrier seems to be somewhat disputed (according to this article the sheetrock ends up behaving as a vapor barrier). It also appears that this structure has some lateral bracing, so the sheathing may also be overkill. So what would be the most efficient way to insulate? just pack the walls with insulation and seal for air leeks? Get some closed cell foam panels and cut to size? Experience would be appreciated.

Also found this interesting article.


texts: What are the pros and cons of various hardwood floor finishes?

texts: Trying to decide how to stain/finish some new oak hardwood floors. What are the pros and cons of various options like stain+poly, tung oil, etc. I'm wondering about lifetime cost, durability, ability to make small repairs, and work involved.


texts: Why isn’t there a solution to detect loose neutral

texts: Loose neutrals in a house can easily cause house fires and are not always detected until it is too late. Why isn’t there main “smart” breakers that not only detect loose neutrals / phase imbalance and blow main breaker.


texts: When is an expansion joint required for PVC service entrance conduit?

texts:
The service entrance will use 2.5" RNC, about 100' run underground, with 2 90 degree sweeps, with the second sweep coming up to a meter/panel mounted on the outside of the house. The conduit will be about 3' underground, and will rise 3-4' above ground to reach the panel. So the total vertical rise will be about 6'-7'.

The climate is zone 4 in the northern part of Georgia. Temperature fluctuation might be as much as 90 degrees F throughout the year.

Do I need (code requirement) or should I have (good practice) an expansion joint on the vertical rise? If it was cheap I'd just do it it, but it looks like a $55 part. Is it required or worth it?


texts: What is a safe maximum temperature for an unused part of the house?

texts:
We barely use our upstairs so I don't really care how hot it gets.  Except, I don't want to cause damage to the house. Considering Texas summers are easily in the 110s °F nowadays, how high can I safely set my thermostat without causing heat damage to my house?

Are there any heat sensitive house items I should look out for?


texts: How to connect several led lamps (G9 Connector), to a cable wire

texts:
For my home I would like to connect several led lamps (G9 Connector), to a cable wire.

I thought to cut the wire in several points, and using an electrical tape, to connect it directly. I don't want to use a lamp socket, since it's ugly. I want that it will looks "transparency" when it's turned off.

Is it safe? (I will turn of the home main power plug)
There is a better way to do it?

I don't want to use pre-made lamp strings since I want to design it and decide where exatcly will be each lamp.


texts: Does embedding rebars along the face provide tensile strength to a load-bearing wall?

texts:
The house dates back a billion years. Some parts older than others, and added as either obvious/not-so-obvious extension.

One such structure is a stand-alone room whose rear-wall (upto about 3 feet above the ground) are thick stones with what appears to be lime mortar dating goodness knows when. The sides perpendicular to the back wall are (I believe) load bearing (constructed without the aid of concrete pillar/beam) bricks dating to the early 1900s.

Both side-walls have developed a network of deep, through cracks beginning about the same height at the point they join the rear wall. I'm told embedding rebars along the load-bearing wall shall provide the necessary tensile strength.

Does embedding rebars along a load-bearing wall provide some tensile strength to it?


texts: Look for a smart irrigation controller with a flow sensor

texts:
It seems like every sprinkler system I've ever owned (inherited from a previous owner) has eventually failed on me.  In some cases, the water would not shut off, wasting lots of water until the leak was finally discovered.  In other cases, the water would not come on when it was supposed to, resulting in important plants or important trees unexpectedly dying during the heat of summer.

In most cases, it is practically impossible to tell when something has failed until it is too late.  When a sprinkler won't go off, often the first clue is when something has been watered so long that noticeable flooding has occurred, and sometimes if it is a slow leak that doesn't even happen.  When the sprinkler doesn't come on it can be difficult to tell this as well without something dying because drip heads are often hidden around the base of plants and you can't actually see water come out when they are running.

I would like to install something new to replace any existing system, without having to worry about any of the above failures ruining my garden.  However, it doesn't seem like the off the shelf stuff you find at your run of the mill home improvement store has all the features I'm looking for - or maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.

I think at a minimum a reliable sprinkler system needs to have some notion of how much water it is dispensing.  This means there should be some kind of flow sensor on each line (or station) and it should report how many gallons each one has taken.  If water is flowing when a station isn't on, or if some threshold is exceeded in some condition (for instance, a drip leak) it should send some kind of alert, maybe over WiFi.  It could also shut off an emergency master value to conserve water until the repair can be completed.  Likewise, if no water is flowing when it should be, it should cause an alert as well.

Or, if there isn't something like this, maybe something else would work.  One thing I was thinking was that if there were some clear sections pipes along the run it might make it clear whether water is running or not, although this would require manually checking it at various times.

Update: It appears that Rain Bird has some support for flow sensors on some of its products, but it is ridiculously expensive... starting in the range of $350 for a controller (12 station, which is 3x more than I need) and $500 for the least expensive flow sensor (compared to ~$10 for an inexpensive hall effect flow sensor). I'm looking for something for my house, not a large business complex.

Also, I'm concerned with detecting drip leaks, and it appears that even the highest sensitivity flow sensor is in the range of 0.3L/min or 114 gallons per day.


texts:
I have a romex cable feeding an outdoor yard light.

It was cut, I spliced it, soldered it and wrapped it with tape. Is there a way to splice and bury it safely to code?

If not, I'll need to dig a 30 foot trench to replace the whole length.


texts: How can this panel pull 100A without any breakers tripping?

texts:
I have a three phase panel fed from a three phase 100A breaker on another panel.

I found the 100A breaker tripped on the main panel, but none of the breakers in this panel were tripped. My understanding is limited but if I understand correctly, the four breakers in this panel do not add up to above 100 on any phase.

The breakers are installed as follows:

Upper left: 30A 2 phase
Lower left: 40A 2 phase
Upper right: 20A 2 phase
Lower right: 20A 1 phase

Total breaker limits per phase:

30+20+40=90
30+20=50
40+20=60

What am I missing or misunderstanding? How could none of these trip while the 100A tripped? If this is impossible, what should I look for in terms of failures that might allow this situation to occur (i.e., bad breakers, weird loads, etc)

The main panel has four wires coming in, and the subpanel is connected directly to the white wire shown with two wires, one being smaller than the other which I assume is ground. The other three wires are connected to the 100A breaker.


texts: Replace single-pole switch with 3-way and add additional 3-way switch. Non-conventional solution needed

texts: I have a single pole switch with 4 lights, that I want to replace with a 3-way switch. Power currently runs to the switch.  I don't have a way (without drilling a lot of holes, which is really not an option) to run 14/3 wire to the desired location for the 2nd switch.  Is it possible to add the other 3-way switch to the end of the light run without rewiring all the lights with 14/3. What would that wiring scenario look like?  If not feasible, what are my other options?


texts: How to use the ground wire in 2 prong plugs

texts:
I bought a new monitor and it comes with a thick power plug but I noticed there's a ground wire dangling but sheathed with hard clear plastic but basically it looks like the image below:

What is the purpose of the ground wire? How should I use it? do I plug the wire in the grounding hole of the socket?


texts: New construction windows in historic district

texts:
I am replacing my current windows with new construction windows.  Because I am in a historic district I need to keep the same size windows (opening size) and exterior molding.  My plan is to remove the exterior molding up to the j-channel (leaving the j-channel), installing the new window, and then installing new exterior molding to match the current size that is there now.  After I remove the old windows, the rough opening will be too large... i.e. I think if I purchase a new window to fit the rough opening, I would not be able to have the same size molding which is a requirement of the historic district.

Am I correct that I will need to build up the rough opening to provide a place for the new construction window to nail into and also allow enough room for the exterior molding?  And what is the correct size windows I should order?  Is 30" x 63 1/2" correct?

I plan on using Andersen 400 Series windows like this although they will need to be custom sized.


texts: Changing a pull switch to a hard wired wall switch Ceiling fans

texts:
Hi have have 3 new ceiling fans that have a pull switch cord for the light and fan. I am wanting to change them to a hard wired switch on the wall and a light switch. They have 3 speeds and have lights attached.
Anyone that could help, thanks Stella


texts: Sharing a Ground Conductor Between Multiple Circuits

texts:
I'm thinking about running circuits for lights and an infrared heater to a patio. The heater is a 6000 W unit with two individually controlled tubes – I'm thinking this will start off in 12/2/2 NM-B and then transition in a J box to THWN 3/4 PVC when it leaves the house for a short underground run to the arbor over the patio. The lighting will be a single duplex outlet in a weatherproof box on the arbor for a string of LED lamps. The run will be 12/2 or 14/2 NM-B to the J box and run with the heating circuit in the 3/4 PVC as THWN.
My understanding is that in the PVC I could (maybe even should) pull a single 12 AWG conductor as a shared ground for all three circuits.
So, my question in what happens at the J box? There will be three EGC conductors there: one from the 12/2/2, one from the 12/2 (or 14/2), and the one shared by the circuits as they run through the conduit. Should they all be tied together in the J box? Or should the ground coming from the conduit be spliced to the 12/2/2 ground, ignoring the ground from the lighting circuit? Or something else entirely?
The, related perhaps, question that nags in the back of my mind is "what about ground loops?" Would tying all three grounds together create a potential ground loop (assuming that the NM-B grounds are connected to the ground bus at the panel as well)?


texts: How to run single ethernet (no PoE) in trench through garden?

texts:
I've never buried a cable before, or even run a conduit in a wall/floorspace, so this is all new to me.

I've dug half the trench across the garden so far. It's only 6" deep in some places as below that I found bedrock. 6" should be fine for this application, I think? But... a few metres of the trench goes under a gravel driveway though, and that's one of the spots where I've found bedrock. Still fine?

I've bought a cat7 SSTP direct bury cable (overkill, I know), but would like to further protect it with a pipe/conduit of some sort. Both from rodents and gravel but also from the compressive force of cars driving over it. Maybe I should lay the conduit in some sand before topping with gravel?

What should I be using, and how careful do I need to be about bends etc if I want to be able to re-run a new cable in the future?

My current plan is just to go to B&Q and see what general-purpose PVC piping they have, but I imagine there's better kit for the job...

Thank you!

edit: the underground run is only about 20m (no, I don't want to use wifi, I'd prefer a cable), and there is a mobile phone mast 200m away about 50m higher up the hillside.  I think this probably means that I don't need to worry about lightning strikes too much.  Would you still add protection at either end of the cable (it's just running from the main house router to an access point in the outhouse).


texts: Hi all, 2nd and final request today, this one is a replacement socket, But again the internal wiring isn't looking particularly normal. Any help will be great. I'm in the UK.


texts:
I am building my new house and at the painting stage.  I found a good deal on Light Base Valspar paint, and picked up enough to finish the house.

I had the interior tinted at my local hardware store no problem, because the interior is light beige.
For the exterior, I'd like to see my options, especially how dark it is reasonable to turn a Light Base towards brown.
When I search for tinting Valspar, I only find color choices, not recipes for a single paint base.
Does anyone know of a color wheel or options that would apply to Light Base Valspar?
Thanks kindly in advance.


texts: Are solar panel films for windows ready for the end users?

texts:
I read about a new solar-panel technology, based on a photo-sensible film, which may be applied directly on to glass.

This will definitely help in the versatility and in the ease of installation..

Are any of you aware of this technology? Did you ever see it in use?

some references:

commercial product?

3m solar films


texts:
The house I recently purchased has a fuse box (something I have never had before). I was hoping to use breaker fuses until I am able to get the box upgraded to breakers, however I don't know a lot about these and I am having a hard time finding compatible ones. I have attached a few images.

I am wondering if such a thing exists for this and where I could potentially find one?


texts: Patch holes drilled in kitchen cabinet shelf

texts:
To attach under-the-counter appliances to a kitchen cabinet, we drill holes through the bottom shelf of that cabinet. Bolts run through those holes. For example, clock-radios, coffee makers, iPad holders, and over-the-range microwaves.
When later removing such items, we are left with unsightly holes left in that bottom shelf.
➥  Is there a way to plug or cover such holes?
I have heard of thin yet strong plastic patches with adhesive on one side that can applied like a Band-Aid, sticking to the remaining shelf while preventing anything from falling through or snagging the hole. But I have no idea what such a product might be called, or where to purchase.


texts: Bathroom exhaust fan wiring issue, power to light then switch?

texts: I am installing a new exhaust fan into my bathroom.  I plan to use a 2 function rocker switch to operate the fan and light independently. The power passes through the light first, and then to the switch. Can anyone provide a diagram to help me complete the circuit from the light to the switch and to the exhaust fan?  Thanks!


texts:
The door has a border which is about 1.5cm raised from the door. The door has a barrel slide lock however because of the raised border there is no place to put the latch. This is why I initially just made a hole in the border and the sliding piece  of the lock would just go into this hole.

The sliding piece going into the hole

The hole has now failed as a bit has broken off and therefore the sliding piece no longer catches in this hole. The door no longer locks.

What are my options in this situation?
Is there any way to patch the hole so it locks again?
If I was to re-install this and use a latch instead of the hole how would I go about raising the sliding piece to the same level (1.5cm) as the latch?

This is essentially what the lock mechanism looks like , im sure this picture will be much clearer than any picture i take with a camera.


texts: How can I deal with a short bottom step on a stairwell?

texts:
I've got a interior stairwell with 20 steps of 7 1/2" rise on wood treads, except for the bottom step that's a concrete tread 6 1/2" up from a slab.  The top of the stairwell features a pocket door with more or less a 3/8" sill (so technically that top step is 7 7/8").  Despite the somewhat uneven stringer cadence, it has been fine for many years.

But now we want to add a basement subfloor (dricore venting style) which adds at the very least 7/8".  What can we do to even back up the stair treads?  How bad is a short bottom step (I know it's better than a tall bottom step)?  How thick a subfloor + carpet could be tolerated on the slab?

The current stair is carpeted, and we'll probably put back carpet. USA based California, home era 1920's.


texts:
What size surface hinges are required for utility sized cabinet doors?  What about the number of hinges?

Does a formula or chart exist to help me figure it out?  Want to make sure I don't have too much unsupported weight.

Sizes of "utility" doors:

L 47 3/4" x W 24" x D 3/4"
L 53" X W 44 3/4" X D 3/4"
L 22" X W 17 3/4" X D 13/16"


texts: Minimum number of recessed lights for 29x13 room

texts:
I know the "standard rules" say one light every 4 to 6 feet... But what would be the minimum I can get away with using canned lights for a room that is about 29x13. I previously went my way with recessed lights in our kitchen, installing just two lights for a 10x9 space, and after a year of using it to cook I am happy with the amount of light. So by my own rules 6 lights should be enough.

FYI, the ceiling will be a couple of inches over 8' and this is for a basement room with a 6 foot walkout door.


texts: How can I add a recepticle to this junction box full of push splices?

texts: This is a picture of the junction box with all the wires. I've just never seen a junction box with this many wires. I'm brand new at DIYing electrical stuff but I'm fixing my attic up into a bedroom and there's a light in the middle of the ceiling but absolutely no electrical outlets — just the light and then the junction box has the light running out of it.


texts: Does drywall surrounding breaker panel pose fire risk?

texts:
My breaker panel for my house is covered partially by drywall. We are located in maryland but this house is built in the 80s so I’m guessing code back then was not super strict about this. The basement wall was originally drywall And then partially bricked over for a fireplace near it. The drywall covers part of the panel such that the panel cover screws over the drywall. I am thinking this could be a fire concern. I have attached the pic.
Contemplating using my oscillating cutter to Carefully trim out the remaining pieces of drywall so the cover sits directly on the panel but not sure if worth doing if not an issue. Also considering potentially having panel replaced to include latest Afci/gfci protection but not sure if that’s really worth it since I haven’t had many issues.

**Updated remove drywall

Wire nutted the two lose wires that went to old 40amp breaker.


texts: Using automotive R134A in my refrigerator?

texts: Can I use automotive R134A in my refrigerator without damaging anything?


texts: Trying to hook up 2 new lights and 1 outlet

texts:
We are trying to get two vanity lights and one plug in hooked up in our living room which were not there before. We have the power turned off of course, and then when we turned it on, the lights went on. Then we tried to flick the switch off and the circuit breaker is tripped.

Why is the circuit being tripped?

Power is coming from another outlet in the same room, it was just connected to that one for power; is it possible that that breaker switch may be on overload?


texts: How do I trace the cabling in a “Ring Main”

texts:
I have a "ring main" with many sockets on it, it is clear that it has been extended over the years.

How do I trace the cabling to.

Check that it is a single ring
That only one socket is on each spars
That there are not any other issues.

I am hoping for a testing method that I can just apply “set by set”; assume I have access to a good quality resistance meter

Is there any software I can type all the resistance readings into that will “solve” the system and will then tell me:

What additional readings it needs
Or how all the sockets are connected.

Related but a much easier problem: Are there any “easy” ways to trace a home electrical system?

Update:

The issue I have with the standard test method and all current answers is that they assume that the sockets are connect in a single ring – I don’t know how they could detect for example two rings that have their ends joined just before the consumer unit.  Or a spars that is connect to anther spars rather then directly connected to the ring.

The test in the wiring standard is very good at finding common errors like a wire that is not connected, or a live that is connected to a neutral; however the test seems to assume that the wiring is basically a valid single ring to start with.   This is not a valid assumption on an old system you don’t know the history off!


texts: What is the maximum number of load bearing studs in a row that can be notched?

texts:
I'm trying to install a new utility sink and washer hookup in my garage and am trying to plan how I'm going to run the copper supply lines.
The most direct path I can think of is to notch probably 5 or so studs of an exterior wall to reach the existing drain I'm going to use for the sink.
I know that I can't notch a load bearing 2x4 more than 7/8" but I can't find any guidelines as to how many studs in a row I can safely notch. Is this a question for an engineer? I don't want to go notch crazy but I think 5 or so in a row should be ok? I'm also planning on putting stud shoes on the studs i do notch.


texts:
What is the name for the type and style of the tiles in the photo below?

I couldn't find anything with reverse image search and no one I've talked to knows. The photo is from an MLS listing. The home's owner is deceased so can't be contacted. The home was built in the 1950's although these tiles might not be that old as they look to be in great shape. Any clues?


texts: Should and can I move the gas pipes to make height for bathroom

texts:
Trying to add a bathroom to the basement with the builder provided rough in which is next to furnace/heater (located at 10 ft right angle away from electrical boards and laundry)

I see that the city's intake gas pipe from other corner (near electrical board) runs into the furnace area as shown in picture, cutting across the bathroom rough-in 8" off of the ceiling.

I would love to have my bathroom be as high as possible, what do I need to get the gas line re-routed.

Location: Ottawa, Canada
Thanks in Advance.


texts: How do I avoid condensation issues with an insulated garage roof?

texts:
Yesterday it was raining (slight overexaggeration of course) :-) inside my garage...  Hood of the car was covered with nasty orange water spots.  It's an attached garage.  There's no garage "ceiling" (or attic above) as such, it goes all the way up to the roof.  The water was primarily coming from the very peak, but you could see water running partway down the slope.  There's fiberglass insulation attached to the inside of the roof and the backing of the stuff up near the peak appears to be quite wet.  It's worse over by the outside/cold wall, not bad at all over by the inside/warm wall.

I figured I had a bad roof leak that just finally soaked through (actually hadn't rained in the preceding 24 hours, but before that, we did have a nice soaking all day rain.  Was unable to see anything that looked bad at all, so I called out one of the more highly regarded local roofers.

He spent some time looking around.  His comment was that the roof doesn't look very old at all (I've only been there a year, so I don't know for sure) and is still in very good shape.  He also mentioned that if it was leaking, I should have seen it within an hour or 2 of the rain starting (not 24 hours after it stopped).  We did have a very dramatic temperature swing from 20 degrees up to 70 degrees over the last couple of days though.  His thought (based on prior experiences with similar setups) was that it was condensation from having the insulation attached to the roof itself.  I did not have (or did not notice) the same problem last year, but we didn't have any crazy temperature swings like this either.

So, the plan is to try to find a ladder long enough to get up there and see what I can see.  Also, to monitor it during the next rain just to make sure I don't have some freak huge leak in a perfect looking, probably relatively new roof.  :-)

If it truly is the insulation/condensation issue, then how do I go about insulating this garage space?  My water meter is in there, so I don't want it to get too cold (especially since I'm on a vented crawl and we can see -15 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit in the Winter).


texts: What kind of professional to call for help with structure-borne noise issues from HVAC

texts:
We are in a multi-story, multi-unit building that uses packaged through-the-wall HVAC systems in each unit. These units often go under the name of "Magic-Pak" or "Comfort Pack" depending on the manufacturer. What's especially unique about these systems is that they are not free standing, but are instead mounted on hardware that is directly integrated into the wall structure and facade of the building.

Here's an example of what this would look like from the outside. In our case the surrounding structure is more of a steel and glass curtain wall, but the principle is the same:

In some cases these systems produce notable low-frequency structure-borne noise that can be a problem, especially when the noise transfers between units overnight. The problem is not universal though (some systems are very quiet), and when there is a problem it does not seem to be correlated with the individual HVAC system's age. This would imply that there are some inconsistencies in the way the HVAC systems are mounted or in the attenuation/dampening characteristics of the surrounding structure.

There are certainly lots of ways to tackle soundproofing, but I do not think the structure-borne noise component in this residential case has a DIY solution. However, finding the right support is very elusive:

I've contacted numerous HVAC contractors (both commercial and residential) and they all say they don't deal with noise transmission.
I've contacted numerous soundproofing specialists and they all say they don't deal with mechanical HVAC noise.
I've contacted the OEMs for the HVAC systems and the related mounting equipment and they won't discuss anything with anyone other than a licensed HVAC provider.
I've contacted the association and building management and they are not sure if  they have any role in this issue as the maintenance of the HVAC systems are the individual unit owner's responsibility.

I also know that specialized acoustical engineers exist, but have been told they only get involved in big-money commercial projects or extremely high-end luxury residential, so that does not seem like an option either.

What sort of entities should a homeowner reach out to in this situation?


texts: Are my outside HVAC units and condensation drain PVC pipes set up correctly?

texts:
I'm a newbie with this stuff, but here's my situation: I have two HVAC units in my home. One sits on top of the patio and one sits on the ground. Both of them are draining condensation from the PVC pipes.

It's been pretty humid so I understand why there's condensation drip from the PVC pipes - but I am not sure if the set up is correct in the first place.

Both of the HVAC units seem to have 2 PVC pipes each coming out from the wall of the house, but all 4 of them are open. The main unit has one that faces outwards and one that has an L-joint that faces down, and the secondary unit has two with L-joints that face down. Only one on each of them are currently draining.

The main unit is draining onto the ground, but puddling as it's a lot of water, and I am concerned about it damaging the foundation over time if that's even a concern. The secondary unit is draining over the patio and just making a trail until it goes to the grass, it's pretty ugly and ideally it would drain somewhere cleanly.

Is this set up even OK as is? I took a look at the drip pans inside the house and both are empty so I think it is fine, is this correct?


texts:
I had a contractor come in to build an internal wall, and without me agreeing to it, he used silicone between the drywall panels.  The issue is that there is a clear line down the wall where the panels were joined, and the contractor is saying that there is nothing that can be done to correct them, because there is silicone, but I don't quite believe him.

How would I go about correcting the situation so that the joint between the drywall panels is no longer visible, given that there is some silicone between them?

The wall essentially looks like the following image, only a layer of paint has been applied to the drywall.


texts: Chinese Power Supply 180-260v on US 220v Electric

texts: I am building 3 large computers each running 3 1300w power supplies.  I purchased the units and I can't return them only to find them in Chinese/AU Power.  The label reads "180v-264v 50-60Hz 20/10A"  In my house, I ran 3 Romex 6/3 wires connected to 60A breakers.  My intention was to hook 3 power supplies to each line.  I ran each of these lines to a disconnect box.  My problem is the power supplies have 3 wires.  Brown hot, Blue natural, and Green/yellow ground.  I have looked into step converters but I don't see any type of product that would let me take the 220v line I have run to the 180-264.  Any suggestions how to proceed or where to find what I need?


texts: I've got a pretty old bathroom, and there are some rust-alike stains along the tiles seams. I guess this is normal in wet environments? Scrubbing off doesn't really help. What is usual way to fix it? Of course, I would not want to rip off tiles and install new, may be just putting some caulk would be sufficient?


texts:
I recently hired an electrician to add a light fixture in my home.  The electrician used the backwire holes on the back of an existing outlet to power the new light fixture.  I had to disconnect the light from the receptacle side because the light that was installed kept strobing and the fixture wasn't on a switch that I could just turn off.  The light is on a photocell and it was strobing because it was too bright for itself, when it turned on the photocell thought it was day time and would shut off again. I verified this was the case because I put black tape on the photocell and it would stay on if the tape was kept on the sensor.  Anyways when I removed the receptacle I noticed a couple of odd things:

The neutral wire was just hanging loose,  I think what happened here was the neutral wire didn't properly catch the clamp on the backwire hole.  But the odd thing is that the stripped part of the neutral wire was only about an eight inch in length.  That seems way too short to use the backwire.
The other odd thing is that I found a piece of wire stuck inside the hot side of the backwire of the second terminal of the receptacle. So either that wire was stuck in there always since the home was built, or the electrician messed up once and ended up using the other terminal's hot side backwire, or he hooked up the neutral wire mentioned above to the hot side backwire of the second terminal(this is not likely since the light worked fine when I tested it while he was there).  Not sure exactly what happened here.

My question is, when I'm ready to hook up a new light again, is it safe to use the back wire method again or should I just use the unused side terminals on the outlet?  I've read that sometimes the clamp that holds the backwire breaks if you ever remove the wire.  I did have to use force to remove the hot wire from the backwire hole, event after inserting a flat head into the hole that releases the wire it was pretty hard to get that wire out.


texts: What is the minimum temperature to keep the hot water heater at?

texts:
Our hot water heater produces hot water, but not super hot, is there a minimum temperature I need to keep it at?

I don’t like it when the hot water is scalding, but I want to be safe.


texts:
I have a brand new Samsung NX58H5600 series free-standing gas range with five stovetop burners. The unique oval-shaped center burner works without issue.

But none of the four "normal" burners will light. I see a spark at each burner and smell gas when I try to get the burners to light, but nothing happens.

I've tried waiting for several seconds for any of these four burners to light, but they never do. Am I missing something? Is there a trick, or perhaps the installers failed to do something here? I understand that obstructions in the gas line could cause an issue, or perhaps a faulty gas valve, but I thought that seemed odd since this is brand new.

Although there's a bit of debris on the stovetop as seen in the photos, that only happened just now as I captured these photos and dropped something near the stove. It was perfectly clean as I've been trying to get it working over the past several days, which makes it seem odd a gas line would already be obstructed by gunk.


texts: When a split unit air-conditioner is used in heat mode, does it dry out the air inside the house/room? If so, is it advisable to use a Humidifier in conjunction with the air conditioner in winter months?


texts: How do I install roofing material on a roof with a ridge vent?

texts: I am helping a friend repair his roof; his roof has a roof vent at the peak of the roof.  I've done a few roofs, but never with a roof vent.  So any help in how you roof with a roof vent?  I assume there's no roof cap underneath, since it vents the attic...  Any tips would be very helpful.


texts: LUT MLC when Neutral does not Connect to Light?

texts:
I have a Lutron Caseta switch (PD-5S-DV) connected to a light. The LED on the switch is flashing red indicating that I need to add a LUT MLC to the circuit.

LUT MLC requires a hot (black) wire and a neutral (white) wire to work.

But as you can see in the image of my light fixture, the neutral wire isn't even connected to the light.

Can I still connect the LUT MLC to this fixture?
If so, should I still connect to both hot and neutral wires?
If this works, why does it work when the neutral wasn't used before?

update: I've removed the cover and discovered that the ground is connected to where the white wire should go. There is a separate spot for the ground wire. Can I rewire this correctly or will that somehow cause problems with how it was set up before?

update 2: I've added a photo of the cover below


texts: How can I tell if this appliance, a kiln, is using 208V single phase or three phase?

texts:
My kilns have recently stopped firing and it need new elements. I have to buy elements for specific voltage/phase combination. I didn't install the kilns - it was done by my studio mate before they left - so I am trying to sort it out. They are hard-wired into a breaker box, each of which has 3 breakers ganged up. The panel has other circuits on it that are standard outlets, so I am trying to establish if the kilns are 208 single phase, 208 three phase, or 240? I am ruling out 240 because of the fact that there are three breakers -- it seems more likely that it is 208 3 phase. Any thoughts?

To complicate matters, one kiln has '208 single phase' written on it and the other has '240 single phase' written on it. However, these kilns can be rewired and I don't know their provenance, so I don't trust the labels (thanks old studio mate for not writing the wiring down!). I will also contact the manufacturer but that could take weeks.

The kilns are Skutt km1227 and km10247.

This is in a shared studio that was historically a commercial space.

Here's the panel -- it looks like it says 3 phase, 4 wire, 120V - so that makes me think it is 208V 3PH?

Sadly I am at home now an don't have a picture of the breakers, themselves. That would have been a good idea.

The wiring is thick black shielded cable, one cable for each kiln.

Thanks for any insight.


texts: Should I use Kerdi membrane or cement backerboard?

texts:
I have to redo my tub surround due to moisture leaks and failing grout.

One of the company says they are going to apply kerdi membrane on the drywall, then tiles onto the kerdi membrane, and as such as cement backboard would not be required.

Just wondering how effective is the tile on kerdi membrane vs the traditional cement backboard where tiles are glued directly to the drywall?


texts: About a week ago the bulb blew in one of my lamps and when I put a new bulb in it still didn't work. I tried the bulb in a different lamp and it was fine so just thought oh well I need to get a new lamp. But today the same thing has happened with a different lamp. The bulb has blown and the lamp will not work with a new one. I'm a bit worried as this seems like a strange coincidence. Both these lamps have worked for years with many bulbs blowing, and now they both go in the same week. I don't mind buying 2 new lamps but I'm worried there's some underlying problem with the electrics that will cause it to happen again when I get new ones. The sockets are still working and other electrical appliances seem fine. But could it be something like too much electricity getting through which would be too much for table lamps but the other things (an electric heater and a laptop) would still be fine? Any ideas appreciated!


texts:
I'm attempting to find a green and cheap insulation for the roof of a school bus conversion I am building. Kapok is easily sourced for me as it literally grows on trees.

The dimensions of the roof are approximately 40' by 8.5'.

But what is the R-value of Kapok?
Are there other cons I should be aware of?


texts:
I have a small workshop in my backyard. The previous owner of has installed an insulation with mineral wool behind paneling on the walls and the ceiling. Now I have to replace the electric installation and that requires to remove the paneling. Currently it looks like this:

My original plan was to replace the paneling or install OSBs when the electric installation is finished, but now I am unsure if insulation is reasonable at all or if should just remove the remaining insulation and thats it.

So is it reasonable to insulate a workshop that is only used from time to time and has no heating installed?


texts: Split a single branch circuit into two runs?

texts:
I'm trying to figure out if I can split a single branch circuit into two runs. Basically, I want to add an outlet to a circuit, but it's not in a convenient place to put it in line with a single run. The wiring would look something like:

 -----------
 | Panel   |        --------
 |         | 12/2   | Jct  |  12/2
 |     20A |--------| Box  |---------Outlet-------Outlet----...
 |         |        |      |
 -----------        --------
                       |
                       \ 12/2
                        -------Outlet

Will NEC allow this? Thanks!


texts: How to remove bathtub drain flange with nubs?

texts:
I have a non-standard bathtub drain flange that I'd like to replace (and also clean up the rust) that has a pair of interior nubs.  The drain is 1.75 inches in diameter, and the nubs sit about 0.5 inches down from the top of the flange.

I saw two previous questions (one and two) that describe removing a flange with no crossbars/spokes, but can I take advantage of these nubs and use common tools to remove the flange?  I'm concerned that the nubs will even disallow the use of an expanding plug.

EDIT:  Also, it would be very difficult to remove the drain with channel locks due to how it's seated in the tub.


texts: Can porcelain tile planks be installed in a crawl space house?

texts:
My home is a single story, about 1200 square feet, and is built on a crawl space foundation with a plywood sub-floor. The people we bought the house from had flipped the home after a foreclosure, and just put in some cheap carpet for most of the house and cheap vinyl in the kitchen and bathrooms. We'd like to put in new flooring, and aren't too picky on what it is exactly. I've installed several DIY vinyl and laminate floors, as well as some hardwood a while back. I've also tiled several showers/bathrooms.

My main question is about porcelain tile in a crawlspace home though - I've heard mixed answers from different people who were experienced at flooring. Some people have told me porcelain tile planks cannot be placed in a home with a floor like this because it will flex too much and crack the tiles. But then others have explained that as long as I install cement board before laying the tile, it will be fine.

TL;DR: Is there any method of installing porcelain tile planks onto a plywood sub-floor that will prevent the tiles from flexing?

EDIT: I’ve included an image of under my house, showing the cinder block supports and the wood supports. I think they’re 2x12s at the point where they intersect the blocks, I’m not sure what the size of the perpendicular beams are, but underneath the insulation I think they may also be 2x12s. I think they span a good 12' or 15'.


texts: How do I replace a door hinge with no screws?

texts:
Any ideas on how I can remove this ugly looking hinge that snapped. One end of the hinge has no screws and is soldered onto the door. Any help is much appreciated.

EDIT:

Ok, I followed @Chris Cudmore 's suggestion and found the same hinge. However as shown in the photo the broken part is completely rusted, what would be the easiest way to slide this out, would WD-40 suffice ?


texts: Bathroom light not working but extractor fan is

texts:
My bathroom light is not working but the extractor fan via the same cord fitting is. I replaced the cord fitting and checked there's current running through both wires when it is turned on.

I then checked the transformer in the halway which controls power to the light and fan. I checked with a voltage screwdriver and it picks up voltage to both the fan wires when the light is switched on but only the brown wire on the light, not the blue wire.

I asume there's an issue with the transformer as, is it easy to fix? It looks like an old model so not sure I could get a replacement, it says 'vent axia selv 12' on the outside.

Thanks


texts: What's the best way to remove a rusty, broken screw from a tiled bathroom wall?

texts:
The previous inhabitant of our apartment used screws which aren't rust-free in the shower. Now the screw holding our shower head rail broke off - or rather, just "came off" without any resistance.

The part of the screw sticking out of the wall broke off, the rest is still in the wall. this is what it looks like right now:

If it's possible I'd like to reuse the hole because

the upper part of the shower rail is still attached, so it's in "the perfect position"
it's not like it needs to carry a lot of weight
I'd like to avoid having to drill into the tile and possibly cracking it

That's just the best case though and might not be possible as I can't get a good hold of the screw with pliermy general question is what to do next?.


texts: Is it acceptable that a 15A circuit be branched to multiple rooms?

texts:
From the circuit panel to my bedroom is a curcuit of 14 ga copper wire. Can you branch to multiple rooms such as to the hallway light or to another room, so that the same 15 amp breaker can be connected to other area of your house?

I also found that my bedroom circuit is connected to two other 15 amp breakers. I was shocked that they were all tied together. Is that allowable and should I try to undo that?


texts: How do I corner bead around two layers of 5/8" drywall?

texts:
Here it is:

I still have yet to shave down the rough edges from when I scored and snapped it, but, after that, what can I use for corner bead?

It's entirely possible that I will end up putting up a second layer perpendicular to these two layers so that I will be able to use regular corner bead, but, if I don't need to then I will need to find some way to finish this corner.


texts: Intermittent power failures in a new build

texts:
I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of this happening before:

Since we've moved into our self build house (in 6 months now) our electricity cuts out maybe 2-3 times a month but it doesn't trip anything in the fuse box and usually comes back on again without our intervention.

There are usually no appliances running when it happens though sometimes there are (dishwasher/washing machine), but it's happened several times without

We've noticed it happens mostly at night but it has occurred during the day too, we're worried there could be a fault and a potential fire hazard.

Another thing we've noticed (though not sure if connected) is that our mains connected smoke alarms go off sometimes for no reason, but not when there is a power outage.

Thanks in advance


texts:
I recently replaced my garage door opener after it was fried in a lightning storm.  To prevent this from happening again I was thinking about buying an 15 amp Isobar surge protector.

The opener is a 1/2 hp Chamberlain whisper drive.  Would an Isobar work on this garage door opener?


texts: How can I reconnect a compression joint without replacing the olive?

texts:
We had a leak from our water storage tank and in order to replace the platform that the tank was on, I disconnected all the pipes from the tank. There are three 22mm pipes that connect at low levels, and one 15mm pipe that feeds the tank near the top.

Now that I've removed the pipes, I am worried that the compression joints on these will not seal properly when I connect them again. What can I do to help improve the chances of making them watertight?


texts: Reason to run a fridge compressor fan other than when compressor running

texts:
In regard to a small sailing yacht galley fridge, would there be any reason/benefit/need to run the compressor radiator fan any time outside of that which the compressor is running itself ?

Ie just have the fan running off the compressor terminals ??

Thanks !


texts: my garage has soffit and ridge vents and I want to insulate it (southern NH)

texts:
like the thread title says:  I'm located in Southern NH, allegedly we have 4 seasons although I'm having my doubts about the veracity of that (loonnng winter)

I have an attached 2 car garage with a single door.  I wish to insulate it prior to putting up pegboard around the exterior walls.  There is soffit ventilation and a ridge vent.

Edit I should mention that the south wall doesn't have a soffit.  The west and east walls do.  The south wall goes up 8' to the header that parallels the trusses.  I plan to put pegboard to the bottom of the header.  Question:  Will the pegboard suffice for ventilation on that wall? /Edit

Can I use kraft backed fiberglass insulation on the walls and the roof?  Will I need a plastic vapor barrier?  I do not plan to panel the roof. There is no room above the garage.  Could I use lattice to hold the insulation on the roof joists?

thanks in advance for your replies


texts: How should I extend the drywall around a shower remodel?

texts: After removing a fiberglass tub unit and replacing it with a four piece shower unit, is it best to just piece in the drywall from where you cut out the unit or remove the drywall up to the ceiling and put in a solid piece?  More specifically, from the top of the shower wall to the ceiling there is about a 22" area (including the shower wall flange). The space of the cut out is 5" (including the shower wall flange). There is a 6" cut out down the sides (including the flange).  The ceiling height is 8'.


texts: When flying squirrel proofing should I seal potential entry points or actual entry points?

texts:
I have flying squirrels in my attic with 2 known entry points:

A couple small soffit guards

These got pushed up where they meet the roof on an eave. I was going to just going to push them back into place & glue them down. Would Gorilla Glue work for this?

2 Vinyl siding corners

I'm planning to buy this cap, which has some pretty good reviews. A wildlife specialist quoted me to use some sort of cement. Any idea what he was referring to?

Question

I was additionally quoted by a wildlife specialist for the following, which seemed extraneous and I'm planning on skipping:

12 other Vinyl siding corners including inside corners (see above photo next to cracked siding corner) or corners that do not travel to the roof & instead go up to the inner joint of a overhang. The inner corners don't have any space for a rodent to get into.
A gable vent that is purely decorative & doesn't vent into the attic.
The ends of a ridge vent on the roof which show no signs of entry

Would it be a mistake to skip sealing these?


texts: How do I connect my new tap's flexible hoses to my copper supply pipes?

texts:
I bought a tap, and am not entirely sure what I should be doing with it. I received a flexible hose pipe to connect it to the mains.

The current tap however seems to use plastic joints into a metal solid pipe. If i remove the pipe (going upwards in the image), what type of adaptor would i need to put the flexible hose on please.

I am good with my hands, and I know how to drain the system etc. But just don't know much about joining pipes and the standards that are used.

Thanks for any help.


texts:
There's lots of information online and videos on YouTube on how to build a gravel patio, but they usually don't have enough specifics. They say "you may want to do this" or "pour base material" without clarify when or what or how. So I'll just ask specific question here for my project.
I making a 200 sq ft gravel patio. I pulled up sod and other vegetation. The soil is mixture of clay and sand.

Do I need to lay down geotextile fabric? If so, what kind? Presumably, I'm more worried about weeds than stability - is that correct?
Do I need to tamp the soil? With a hand tamper or rent a compactor?
For the base layer, should I use clean or modified? What's the appropriate thickness for the base layer? Do I need to compact this layer?
What's the appropriate thickness for the top layer?


texts: How to Fix an Unlevel Floor on an Upstairs Floor in Preparation for Nail-Down Hardwood Flooring?

texts:
I'm contemplating both worthwhile solutions from this less specific question. However, I'm concerned about my ability to nail down hardwood flooring after using a leveling compound, and am reluctant to expend the effort to rip out and replace the subfloor per the second answer.

In my specific case, I need to level the floor in an upstairs room where one of the floor joists is, I'm assuming, 3/4" higher than the rest of them. Along one side of the room, the subfloor is 3/4" higher. It drops to the height of the rest of the room over about the first twelve inches of each subfloor board.

I am contemplating purchasing 3/4" thick plywood boards and attach them to the existing subfloor except for the elevated area. Then, along the twelve inch strip, I would use leveling compound. I could then stagger the hardwood flooring to avoid nailing into the leveling compound.

Is this a reasonable approach?


texts: Where do I connect a C-wire on my Honeywell TrueZone board?

texts: My Honeywell TrueZone 311 board does not have a terminal for the blue wire. Where does it go? I plugged in the wires for the dampers and the thermostats, but the five wires from the furnace to the zone board are incomplete due to the lack of a c terminal.


texts: Spray hose connector for delta kitchen faucet?

texts:
The connection from the spray hose to my kitchen faucet was made out of the cheapest of plastic and started leaking. I purchased a "universal" spray hose replacement at the local hardware store. In the course of removing the old hose, all the brittle plastic tabs snapped and I'm left with the a brass connector on the pipe into the faucet that has two small o-rings and then a couple small grooves.

Unfortunately, none of the connectors included in the kit seem to match up. What are my options?

Edit: the original connector looked like the one pictured in this video:  https://youtu.be/BpvqiO7iLk4

However, mine completely disintegrated when trying to remove it.


texts: Cleanest way to remove and patch holes from this unused satellite dish on side of house?

texts: We have a satellite dish attached to the side of the house from the previous owner, and it's unused. As it's sort of an eyesore, we'd like to remove it. What is the best way to do this? It seems straight-forward to get it off the wall (it's at head-level), but what should we do with the holes left behind? I'm not sure what the composition of the siding is, or the composition of what is beyond the siding. What's the appropriate product for filling that hole? Also, the cable goes up under the gutter into the attic above the garage. It's possible I might be able to pull it up but I'll have to look at the access I have. I suppose I might be able to just cut it at the gutter level as well.  Looks like a simple job, but just want to make sure I've got the right idea before going out and buying supplies.


texts: Does anyone know what this metal thing in the corner of my basement is?

texts: I don't know what it is. It's sticking out of my wall. Does anyone have any ideas? It looks like a piece of metal. And lately, I've seen some dampness and water pooling on it a bit. And the area where it is around the floor looks like there is some dampness.


texts: My electric lawn mower won't start after getting grass blocking the blade

texts:
I haven't mowed for many months due to special circumstances so my yard's grass was pretty dense. Several time the motor stopped after grass formed a compact bulk completely blocking the blade. After the third time this happened, my Flymo Easimo Electric Wheeled Lawn Mower(Amazon link) doesn't start any more.
What is the likely cause and can I do something about it? I really don't feel like buying another one right now.
EDIT:
There was no smell when opening the bonnet, and no disconnected wire or anything like that. Also I used the lowest setting (meaning the one to cut the grass as short as possible)
EDIT #2:
I just tried again and the mower now works! Yet for 5 minutes trying an hour ago, nothing.


texts: mounting a hand held shower bracket to drywall

texts:
I need to mount a vertical rod that will hold a handheld shower head.  There are two brackets.

The lower one will go into the fiberglass shower stall.  No sheet rock behind it, no stud.
The water pipes are in the way to install a horizonal 2 x 4 between studs.  I plan on using adhesive to glues a 12" square of 3/4 ply to the back of the shower stall and then use toggle bolts there.

The upper on has to mount on drywall above the shower stall.  Same problem with not being able to install a 2x4 between studs.  Could I do the same thing as the bottom?  Back the sheet rock with a large piece of 3/4 ply?

Other solutions?


texts: Can I attach vinyl siding to a concrete foundation with Tapcons?

texts:
I have a question about adding vinyl siding to my existing home.  I live in a new home (< 1 year old) with a walkout basement.  The house currently has siding on the first floor stopping at the foundation. This leaves about 500-600 square feet of the poured concrete foundation exposed. My wife and I are considering ways of improving the look of the foundation by adding siding to grade.  We have received a quote from a contractor (who did the original siding) for what I feel is a very reasonable price.

I have a couple concerns about the siding addition.  The concrete foundation is nearly flush with the first floor siding meaning that using furring strips would cause the new siding to stick out.  The contractor proposed using Tapcons to attach the siding directly to the foundation which would allow the siding to line up with the first floor.  This being the only alternative makes sense to me, however I am concerned about 300-400 holes being drilled into the side of my foundation.  I am also concerned that it will be problematic if the siding ever needs replaced. I wanted to get some opinions about whether this was ok to do?  Or whether this cosmetic improvement is not worth any potential problems it could create? I have been unable to find much advice on this subject as most discussions rightly assume furring strips are usable.


texts: Best ways to repair/replace worn vinyl tile?

texts:
Is it feasible/recommended to remove about ten worn out 15.5 inch vinyl tiles and replace them with 10 year old unused spares from the original installation? Tiles are grouted and color match is good.

If that is not the way to go, can I lay and glue new vinyl tiles on the entire floor, on top of the aesthetically worn but otherwise serviceable tiles? I assume the underlayment is good. I would avoid lining up the seams.


texts: What requirements should I look for in an air compressor to clear irrigation lines?

texts:
I'm considering purchasing an air compressor to blow out my own sprinklers each winter. (vs paying to have someone else do it) I watched the tech do it last year, and it seemed pretty straightforward. But:

What specs (CFM/PSI) are needed to have a suitable compressor for this task?
I've never owned a compressor before - what else are they convenient for that I might take into consideration when purchasing one? (I assume they can be used for topping off air pressure in my car tires.)


texts: Can green/fresh bamboo be processed with any sort of wood chipper, or is it too hard?  If it can be chipped, what diameter seems to be the maximum?


texts: Drywall anchors or wood studs when securing a TV?

texts: Which is better to use for securing a TV to the wall?


texts: Need help identifying weird sized sewer pipe in older house

texts:
My house was built in 1954, the waste pipes under the house are cast iron and galvanized steel, as are the fresh water pipes. I have a clog in the main sewer line running out to the street, as well as a leak that I need to address.

I dug up the line outside of the house in order to install a "sanitary tee" as there was no cleanout, and the plumber couldn't get his camera past a nasty clog in the pipe and suggested I install one. After digging up the pipe and cutting a section out of it in order to install a flexible tee, I discovered that the pipe isn't 4" but more like 4.5".

It's a plastic pipe, but it has a weird dimpled pattern on the outside of it, almost like fiberglass mat, but it's just dimpled into the pipe. It's about the same thickness as schedule 80 ABS, but when broken it almost has a flaky layered type of appearance. A family friend who's a plumber said that it's some kind of obsolete pipe they used during WW2 when they couldn't get cast iron pipe, but I cannot find any information on it. I hate to have to dig up the entire line and replace it, but I can't seem to get any fittings or adapters that will work with this pipe, and I do need to replace at least a couple of sections of it.

Only thing I can think of is possibly if I heated it up to soften it, I may be able to fit a section of 4" ABS pipe inside of it, but I'd rather not go the half-ass route. If I have to replace the whole line, so be it, but wondered if anyone had any input. :-)


texts: What could happen if I used 4 cycle fuel in a 2 cycle engine?

texts:
So apparently at Home Depot in my area, pre-mixed 2 cycle fuel is in a grey bottle and 4 cycle is in a green bottle. And at Lowe's, it's exactly the opposite. The last time I bought fuel, I bought at the other store and picked based solely on color. This means I have now run about 48 ounces of 4 cycle fuel through the engine of my 2 cycle string trimmer. I know, stupid me for not reading the label.

As I was using it today, it would stop running if I let it idle. I thought that was weird but pressed on. Eventually it died while I was using it at full throttle. I have not been able to restart it at any choke position. It's currently cooling down in the garage.

Have I done permanent damage to the engine? What should I do?


texts: Help! Condensate pump is so loud and working when minisplit is off

texts:
Help! New homeowner here. We have a carrier minisplit in our bedroom, which works well. We live in a rowhouse (so two brick walls on the side), so a condensate pump is used to pump water onto the roof and to the back of the house. The problem is that the pump makes a loud buzzing sound every 1-2 minutes. Is that frequency normal?
The annoying part is that it does this even when the unit is turned off. I'm very new to this HVAC stuff but after doing some research, it seems like there's an issue with the float switch. What should I do? Get a new pump? The HVAC tech didn't seem like could help with this but I'm pretty useless with this level of DIY. I can't sleep with it buzzing constantly -- help!


texts: How can I determine if I have cracked drain pipes under the basement cement slab

texts:
I have a wet wall (just efflorescence and wet spots) on the wall as showed in the picture. I suspect that this is because of a patio that was incorrectly sloped toward the house. That is fixed now and I was told by someone that it will take time till the wall gets dry. Somebody else told me the contrary that the wall should get dry shortly after the source of humidity is gone AND that I might have cracked drain pipes under the cement slab that makes the floor of the basement.

Before I start digging or looking closer to this can anybody tell me if there is any way to rule out this possibility without actually digging?

The interesting part of this is that the wet spots and the efflorescence are stronger away from the supposed source of humidity (drains) represented in the picture below. In winter I have no problems (the light smell is gone from the basement-the spots remain on the exterior wall).No visible signs of humidity in the basement (finished basement)

For more info about this case please see my other posts around here. That will also explain some elements in the picture


texts: Mobile home shocking (actually it is a nearby chain link fence)

texts:
My son has a mobile home which is an older home. All of the sockets are three prong and all are grounded.

His son went out to close the gate and was shocked. Dad does it and nothing happened. Last night his son closed the gate and again was shocked. Dad checks it and notices as the gate latch drops it sparks. He lifts it again and as he lowers it there is again sparks.

He thinks it may be a problem in his mobile home.

This morning (with the main pulled and sub breaker off) we ran a continuity check for the neutral and the ground coming from the sub panel to the main. Both show continuity, which makes it appear that both are good (we did disconnect them from the sub panel and tested each one separately). We also checked the ground from main to ground and it is fine. All lugs are tight and ground from sub to frame of trailer is good. One fence post does touch the home. No breakers are tripping and no lights brighter than others everything appears normal other than the spark and shock at fence.

What other steps can we take to isolate the problem other than turning off one breaker at a time and testing?

We have considered that the problem may be coming from another home as the back chain link fences are tied to corners from one to the other.

I am fairly good with electricity but age is catching up and am forgeting a lot of troubleshooting ideas.


texts:
I want to mount a tablet to a wall with a charger but I don't want the charger to be visible. Can I put a normal wall outlet in the INSIDE of the wall and just plug in the charger inside the wall?

Location is Wisconsin, USA.


texts: Does the supported weight of drywall anchors scale linearly?

texts: That is, if one drywall anchor supports 50 lb, will two support 100 lb? Four support 200 lb? etc.


texts: How near does the water heater shutof valve need to be?

texts:
Codes say I need a shutoff valve "near" the water heater, accessible on the same floor.

How near is "near" - is it OK if I have one on the source side of the pipe, near the water meter? (It's a single pipe feeding just the water heater.)

I have one there anyway, and it feels silly to have one on both sides of a single pipe. But if codes require....


texts: How should I stop pocket doors from scraping on the jamb?

texts:
I have pocket doors that occasionally scrape on the inside on their frame which scuffs them up.

How should I protect against this?

I was thinking of using the soft side of velcro strips inside the frame.


texts: Please suggest occasional heating for garage used as work room

texts:
Floor area about 550 square feet
Ceiling about ten feet
No existing chimney or other exhaust venting system
Insulated walls with insulated two vehicle doors

I would like to be able to maintain a temperature of about 13°C (56°F) inside when temperatures outside are, say, -10°C (13°F). If it's colder than that I'll stay in the house!

Thanks for considering this question.

Additional information:

2x4 walls insulated with 'pink' bats, which I think would be R7 or so, plus the usual vapour barrier and Tyvec on the outside
I could provide 240 v cabling through an adjacent crawl space under the house. It would also be possible to hire a contractor to install a natural gas feed to the garage.


texts: Bubbles in toilet, gurgling sound coming from kitchen sink

texts:
So, all of a sudden, I have big bubbles coming out from my toilet bowl when the washing machine is pushing water out. Thinking it might be a clogged toilet bowl, I took the plunger to the bowl. I flushed, and the kitchen sink started making gurgling sound.

What's going on?


texts: Widening load bearing door 4" & retaining existing header

texts:
I'm converting a 1/2 bathroom into a laundry room & needing to replace the 24" door with a 28" door, so standard 27" washer/dryer units can be installed.

There are currently some trim pieces along the drywall sides used to fasten drywall, these can be removed or trimmed down some to gain some space. Doing this will allow the king & jack studs to be moved 4" wider to fit a 28" door.

The Question: can I just replace & widen the bottom 2x4 on the header to the jack studs versus removing & widening the entire header?

If needed, I could also install cripple studs in the 2" spaces now created with widening.


texts:
I have a cable which has 3 wires, each wire is 7 strands of SWG 22.

I need to find the transmission amp rating for this cable. How do I go about it?

Thanks


texts: How to (roughly) calculate torque for cordless drill clutch settings?

texts: Is it possible to (roughly) calculate the torque limits that correspond to the clutch settings on my cordless drill? I use my drill to do quick on/off attachments of a kid trailer (and other things) on my bicycle. I'd like to be able to set my clutch rather than the guessing I do today. The only way I can think of to do it is to tighten a bolt in a piece of scrap metal/wood using a calibrated torque wrench and then working my way up the clutch settings to find the closest setting.


texts: Are Ideal Greenie 30-192P Ground Wire Nuts approved for use with stranded wire?

texts:
I looked at page 4 of the UL document here:

http://www.idealindustries.ca/media/pdfs/products/ideal_ul_listed_combinations.pdf

And I notice that it says you can use up to 4 #12 wires. However, it doesn't specify stranded or solid. I assume either and/or both is okay?

My plan is to push through 1 12AWG solid wire from the outlet ground screw through the connector to the box ground screw, then join in 2 12AWG stranded ground wires passing thru the box. Three wires total in the connector This is a 20A receptacle on a 20A breaker in a metal box with EMT conduit.


texts: Can I retrofit a ground wire so I can install a 4 Prong outlet for my dryer?

texts:
My house was built in the 50's and has a 2 wire system. Currently the outlet for my dryer is a 3 prong NEMA 10-30. Everything I read goes back and forth between it either okay to use since its already installed and that I run the risk of electrocution if the neutral wire gets damaged. So I have 2 questions:

How much of a risk is there for the neutral wire to actually get comprised?
If my house is a 2 wire system, is there a way I can retrofit a ground wire to the outlet so that I can install a 14-30 4 prong receptacle?

Edit: The wiring to the outlet is a 3 wire cable, 2 hot wires and one neutral.


texts: Is it common to have the blue and yellow wire both connected to the Y terminal in the thermostat? I went under the house and looked at the HVAC unit and it looks like blue is connected to C out of the unit (along with purple).  It seems like the blue wire is my C but I want to be confident.


texts: How do I appropriately wire the transformer in a light fixture?

texts:
I'm replacing a dinning room light fixture, but it differs from the one that was there. Can anyone tell me how these wires should be attached?

The black and white wires lead to the halogen lights, and from the ceiling, I have 3 wires (black, white, unshielded copper).