texts: How can I update this very stubborn antique bed frame so the mattress fits properly?

texts:
How stubborn you ask?  Well the bed frame has three issues, but really only one and the other two are only a result of the first:

The rails are too short.  Not by much, maybe an inch. Maybe even less.  Just enough so that our last two beds never rested naturally in the rails, resulting in my girl trying to figure out daily if she's getting big or if I buy cheap mattresses (neither is anywhere near the truth).

The rails curve inward at each end rather than continue straight to meet the headboard and footboard.  I imagine this was, and maybe still is, a nicer design, keeping the bed from slipping around.  But since they are too short, they make a nice ledge for one end or the other of the mattress to lay atop and bend the springs, etc. (For those that can't imagine what I'm getting at, I found pictures and will provide in a moment.)

The end connectors neither hook or bolt. There are no screws or small parts that I've noticed.  The end of each rail (behind the curves) is a jigsaw puzzle looking tongue that fits into a corresponding groove/latch on the boards.

As promised, here are some pictures. I'm shocked I found some really good ones:

This person has the same problem as me. Notice the tilt.

Same album as above. This one shows better the interlocking connector.

(source: cathousebeds.com)
Our frame isn't quite so frightening and industrial, but this is a good shot of a similar design with no bed.  Our pegs are more tapered like the first two photos.
So now that you've heard my problem and even gotten some neat pics of other people's bed frames, here is what I've come up with so far, and I'm hoping to get more intel here:
Option 1:
Get the bed frames extended.  This was the suggestion at another site last year and it proved to be a good idea but hard to execute.  There was concern for the integrity of the rails, in terms of both their antique status as well as their actual post-op performance.  None of the welders seemed more than casually confident, if that. I got more responses like 'Oh sure, I can give that a shot.'  The last thing we want is to ruin our horribly short classic frame and crush our cat in a dangerous trip to the floor.  But maybe someone can advise if this is the best idea and who I should lookup in the phonebook other than welder.
Option 2:
Lose the rails, keep the connectors.  This was my nifty idea, which means it's either genius or the kind of bad idea I tend to fall for.  Simply chop off the heads of the rails, just below the curve I would think, and have the iron worker weld on the appropriate connector for a modern frame.  The problems I have seen in this are : 1) There is no going back, the current rails are scrap or installation art, 2) I don't know if the curve will be a nice touch or in the way but I am pretty sure cutting higher would be too much and I'd just have broken puzzle knobs, 3) I don't know if it will be sturdy and sound enough for either end of this abominator of an adapter, and 4) I have no clue what the appropriate "new" piece would be right for the new end.
Option 3:
Something else.  I was pondering some sort of funky extender with just the puzzle bits, but I remembered I'm an idiot and that wouldn't get past the curves.  Her mom suggested we pile on the bed slats so the bed rests on top, which was better but not great and did result in some loud clacking wake ups and cats going everywhere.  Plus if there is some reliable or clever solution that lets us keep as much of the bed frame (or as little, if that's the way it goes) but modernized, I'd prefer that over having to deal with this again with the next mattress or surrender and have the headboard lean on the wall and footboard go in the garage.
Also, if anyone can tell me or point me to more information about this style of bed frame or bed rail, I'd love to get nerdy details. It will make however much this costs me in time and dough sound more romantic.


texts: We're looking a taking out a wall between the kitchen & living room that is likely load bearing. The wall between the living room & kitchen is an extension of a hallway that runs the length of the house with the peak of the roof & main floor girder running parallel down the centerline of the hallway across the entire house. There is no support directly under the wall. The only support is the main girder 12 inches away, which is supported by floor jacks on concrete pads. The it has a truss roof, and the ceiling joists meet about 12 inches to one side of the wall (again over the center line of the hallway). We've consulted with several experienced DIYers, a general contractor, and a design engineer, and no one can agree on if it's load bearing, and what approach to take to remove the wall. Since then, we've had the general contractor remove the sheet rock on one side of the wall and discovered a diagonal board across the wall (accidentally cutting the electrical in the process - but that's a different issue). It's a fairly small house - 928 square feet, and the wall in question is about 13 feet long. Any ideas on if this is load bearing, and what approach to take if it is?


texts:
I recently switched out my old thermostat for a new thermostat. The previous thermostat had an R, Y, W, G, and C wire. I plugged all of these wires into the same ports on my new thermostat.
After doing this, the new thermostat does not detect power on the common wire and the blower stays on 24/7. I even removed the G-wire from the thermostat and the blower still comes on.
The thermostat i'm using is a Nest which does not require a common wire. I removed the common wire and now everything seems to be working. The blower, AC, and Heat all work and only come on when called.
I guess I can leave things as-is, but I'd like to know why my 'common' wire did not work. I went down to the furnace to try to match the wires by color, and the common wire connected to the furnace board is black even though the wire up by the thermostat is white. What's the best way to determine what this wire is and whether I actually have a common wire?
Thanks in advance for any help!


texts:
I live in Germany and would like to replace the top of a kitchen "table":

I am thinking of taking a rather inexpensive wood board from birch or beech:

Of course I'd need to paint it. I though of using a lacquer of some sort:

As a second thought, this comes into my mind:

but I am neither very excited about the way it looks, not how it feels to touch, nor antything.

Questions:

Comments on general worktop made of birch or beech?
Is birch or beech better?
Comments on the two types of lacquers I am think about?
What lacquers would you recommend?
What's the impact of the lacquers on surfaces that touch all kinds of foods that eventually come to our stomachs?


texts: The photo attached shows both vinyl/ laminate flooring and carpet. My plan is to rip out carpet and install new vinyl flooring right on top of existing hardwood floors. Once I rip out carpet the carpet room won't be same height. Is the best option T- molding or 3/4 osb subfloor or just ripping out the old hardwood? Using the same vinyl through out the house and think it would look better with no T-mold.


texts: How can I shorten the end overhang of a countertop?

texts:
My bathroom countertop has a long extended 6 inch wide section that extends over the toilet.  I'd like to saw it off, then repair the drywall behind it.

I'm not going to take the top off to cut it.  If I can't do it in place  I'll just leave it.

I plan to cover the countertop with a granite looking contact paper so the  sawn edge just has to be smooth.


texts: Who should I call for a roof drain leak?

texts:
We have a balcony above our garage attached to the house, that is surrounded by 3 stucco walls and has a drain in the middle that leads into our garage.

Example of random balcony with drain similar to ours.

The leak has created a hole in the dry wall below it. I cut a sqare of the drywall and discovered the leak is coming from the drain itself. Around the edge of the drain, water glides along the PVC pipe that goes toward the front of the house onto the dry wall.

My question is are as follows: Who usually fixes this type of problem? Plumber? Handy Man, Roofer?

What is the typical way they seal this type of leak? It was suggested to me that tar is the best option.


texts: Randomly when opening my fridge it trips other breakers such as dining room

texts: At random times when opening my fridge doors it will trip my dining room lights or kitchen lights. Or if both of those are off it will trip my bedroom lights. It’s very frustrating. Local electricians are stumped. Any ideas? The fridge breaker never trips itself. It only trips other breakers. And these breakers are not next to the fridge breaker in the box.


texts: When are energy/water consumption specs important in regards to the price?

texts:
I am comparing 2 washing machines that have 148 euros difference.
The cheapest one has in the specs:

Annual energy consumption:
174 kWh
Annual water consumption:
10.840 l
Energy efficiency class:
A +++

The more expensive one has in the specs:

Annual energy consumption:
156 kWh
Annual water consumption:
9999 l
Energy efficiency class:
A +++ -20%  (although they did not have the -20% in the label in the store)

My question is: is the most expensive of the two actually cheapest in the long run due to the water/energy consumption and hence the 148 euros difference is not what I should focus on? Or that would matter only in cases of a lot of laundries per week so for all practical purposes both are same?


texts: My friend is trying to hook up his new hp fax machine without a phone, he has a 2 pin phone cable running from his modem to his inlet line 1 on his fax machine but he can't seem to get it to work, he also does not have a wall outlet for a phone cord ... my question comes down to looking for a diagram or a brief explanation of what the 2 and 4 pin conductors mean on the phone cable


texts: Can I wire LED light fixtures in parallel?

texts:
I have 4 120 V 20 watt LEDs. I want to put them over my desk. They are the Lusa Lighting Model #33000 (If you want to see the PDF). They come with plugs so you can plug them in separately. I want 1 plug for all 4 of the LEDs and I'm wondering if it is safe to wire them in parallel.

I read that wiring LEDs in parallel draws more current and since I'm plugging all 4 into the same socket I don't want to put stress on it. I live in the U.S so our outlets supply 15 A of current. If I did my math correctly each one would only draw (20W / 120V) = 166 mA with a total of 664 mA.

Please tell me if this is safe and if I did my math correctly.


texts: Partial lighting on a single downstairs lighting circuit

texts: In my house I have lights working in one room and outside the house on a single ring lighting circuit.  The room that has the lights are recessed lighting working off 24v converters (I am willing to remove and replace for 240v).  I am using a Fluke T110 to measure all voltage and continuity.  Measurement from the main fuse to the first junction box measures 240v.  When I measure across the 2 way hall lighting switch on the same circuit I am only getting 24v.  I have tested all roses and switches and am not getting any breaks in continuity however I am not getting any voltage other than the mentioned 24v across the hallway switches and the junction box that feeds the hall lighting.  One of the odd things is that the lighting went off (never tripped) and came back on again several hours later only to go off again when the upstairs 2 way switch was switched off. Any help or ideas would greatly be appreciated.


texts: Where do I attach the Ground and Neutral inside a sub-panel?

texts:
I'm wiring 100 amp subpanel to detached Garage with 2/2/2/4 copper. I'm hoping to replace the subpanel to my detached garage which was previously wired to run on a 40 or 60 amp subpanel with like 6 spaces powered by a tandem 15A/20A breaker with 10/2 cable. So far, I have already disconnected any and all breakers and sub panels that were going to my detached garage in an effort to streamline the new installation and eliminate any confusion as to what(if any) electrical wiring/circuits (is/are) going from the detached garage from the main panel.
Now that I removed the original wiring used for the detached garage,
I am hoping to run a 125 amp subpanel on a 2-pole 100 amp breaker that will be placed inside of the garage where the conduit elbow comes up through the slab.
(((Just FYI If you're looking at my main panel and wondering why I have them there, there is a 2-pole 60 amp breaker on the top right and a 2-pole 30 amp breaker on the bottom left, I point those out because they are both disconnected. the 60 amp one was from my original garage subpanel. )))
The distance is approximately 94' plus the height going from the trenched conduit to the main panel and the subpanel.
I ran copper with 2/2/2/4 and now for due diligence, I am hoping to verify from a 3rd party where I connect the Neutral line and the ground lines on the main and subpanel before I attempt it.
My understanding is that on the subpanel, the two hot wires go to the left leg and right leg and on the other end, go into the breaker itself which then goes on the Main panel.

(Here is Where I'm hoping to get some clarification)

I'm guessing (But Not Sure) the Set Screw on the top center of the subpanel that is connected to both neutral bars is for the Neutral wire. Please let me know if I'm wrong.
There was an included plastic baggy that had a roughly 5" ground bar with a Set Screw on it and I'm not sure but I'm guessing but not sure that is where I connect the ground wire. Please let me know if I'm wrong.
On the Main panel, I see there is a flat Bar on the left side with (2) Set Screws, One of those on the bottom is being used to hold the Copper Ground Wire which is connected to the (2) posts that are buried and sticking out of the ground a couple of inches. I'm guessing But Not Sure, that the empty Set Screw is where I connect the #4 copper subpanel ground wire. Please let me know if I'm wrong.

Feel Free to Roast me or Educate me. Thanks in advance.

I've had maybe 3 or 4 legitimate electricians come out over the last 6 months and they all are booked up with work and I've ran out of time. I know a half dozen other "amateur" electricians but I don't have the confidence that they have so much as heard the term NEC or comprehend safety standards/measures. I feel more comfortable checking on sites like this one so I can try to get the process personally/firsthand.


texts: Any experience with Metwood joist reinforcers?

texts:
Does anyone in the group have experience using the following product from Metwood to reinforce joists that had to be to cut to route plumbing drains/pipes?

https://www.metwood.com/product/1-reinforcer/

This product lets you make a larger sized hole in joists than what what would otherwise be allowed by code.

The product doesn't seem to be widely available so hoping to get feedback (positive or negative) from those that have used it and are familiar with it.

Thanks


texts: Options for cable runs through off-center plates

texts:
I wan't to do 20 or so Cat6 runs from my office\garage wall up through to the attic then out from there. My issue lies in the construction of the space between floors. The first photo is a photo of a cut hole in the top of the wall, and ceiling on the garage side. There is a third 2x4 sitting on top of the double top plate, however that structure is off-center from the top plate. The second photo is the same hole, with my drill poking through. I drilled in the center of the base plates on the second floor, and this is where it comes out at. Right on the edge of the inter-floor's 2x4 and plywood.

I'm near-certain this is a load bearing wall. You can also see in the first image, a cat3 run, that the builder seemed to have no issue drilling right into the edge of that third top plate.

My original plan was to run conduit but that seems to no longer be an option. So my question is this, would drilling a few smaller holes (13/16in), just off-center of the double top plate and bottom-plate of the second floor (Third photo) violate any codes, or compromise the structural integrity of the house? Would a notch and tie better solution? The notch would necessitate going completely through the third top plate, and i have no idea what's between the plywood and bottom plate of the second floor, shown in photo 2.


texts:
I'm finding that I need more aeration for my aquaponics fish tanks than is practical to supply by buying small consumer-grade air pumps for each tank. Additionally, typical consumer pumps have issues developing enough pressure to bubble air from an outlet that is under 4-6 feet of water. The water is simply too heavy for the tiny pump to overcome. Most aquarium pumps reach about 2-5 PSI.

I've considered using a small and quiet portable air compressor, like the type you might use to run a single pneumatic tool. These typically develop about 120-140 PSI and would have more than enough air flow to handle everything I need. The issue is that the only real affordable and easy to work with pipe, is plastic (PVC). PVC, as I understand, is not to ever be used for pressurized air lines owing to the fact that if it does fail, it fails catastrophically and dangerously, exploding into shards of plastic like a grenade.

Would applying a safety factor to the maximum PSI in the PVC lines allow me to safely use PVC? I've considered using a regulator to limit the pressure in the line to something safer, like 30 to 40 PSI, combined with a calibrated pressure relief valve that would vent the system if the pressure exceeded 50 PSI.


texts:
Is this the transformer for my doorbell? It is located in the furnace room, but it looks like it is connected to the furnace. I am just wondering because I have been searching for the transformer and a lot of posts say it should be near the furnace area. Thanks for any help.

SORRY FOR THE SIDEWAYS PHOTOS, BUT I CANT ROTATE


texts: How can I attach pony wall to surface of platform and will it be strong enough against lateral forces?

texts:
I have a loft area to which I want to add a pony wall for safety. My plan is to drywall its inside and outside faces, all the way down across the beam. Can I built it on the surface of the platform safely? I would prefer to avoid attaching the posts to the front of the beam because it would make drywalling more difficult, and I want to use the posts located at the corner as an anchor for some storage that should all appear flush. The beam is 5 1/8" wide so putting it inside the beam, against a joist, leaves too large a distance on the outside edge.

Here are some researched suggestions:

Built pony wall and lag-bolt the corner post through an angle bracket, down through the pony wall's bottom plate and into the beam.
Can I lag-bolt 4x4 posts to a 2x4 bottom plate from the bottom, which is then lag bolted through the subfloor and into the beam?
Extend plywood down the pony-wall onto the beam to provide strength across the entire face without adding too much thickness.
Use a thicker wall - perhaps cabinets - so there is more depth to anchor down.

Any other ideas?


texts: What is the correct way to seal/flash coolant lines through T1-11 siding?

texts:
Our contractor installed an AC compressor and did a poor job of it.
He ran the AC coolant lines through the middle of the wall and then just squirted some expanding foam into the hole, like so:

(Click images for larger views.)

What is the correct way to flash and/or seal this opening?

Around here, the way its usually done on T1-11 sided houses is to pass the lines underneath, in the crawl space and through a vent, like so:

But I guess that's not an option in this case?


texts: When re-siding a house, where should I start?

texts:
My wife and I just bought our first house and it has some rather old aluminum siding. It's a smaller house (~ 1400 sq. ft.).

We'd like to switch to wood siding, but we honestly have no idea where to begin other than guessing that the process breaks down into two steps.

Remove aluminum siding
Install wood siding

Obviously we're going to need a little more detail than that if we're going to attempt doing it ourselves.

Any tips on where to start? Any recommended resources online?


texts: Unable to seat Eaton CH breakers side-by-side in my Eaton CH panel

texts:
This is probably an embarrassing newbie mistake, but I've really been scratching my head over this. I have an Eaton subpanel that states it accepts Eaton type CH, CHT, or CH3 branch breakers. However, when I try to seat two CH breakers side by side, the breaker on one side unseats the breaker on the other. They don't both seem to fit. I've temporarily gotten around this by installing breakers only on one side of the panel, but I would love to know what the problem is and also make sure I am using compatible breakers.
I'm having the issue with regular Eaton CH breakers and also Eaton CH AFCI/GFCI combination breakers (not the plug-on-neutral kind).
Here are images of the subpanel label, inside the subpanel, and also a gif of me trying to seat the breakers side by side:

Thanks in advance for any help!


texts: Removing a decorative cover in a moen faucet

texts: After taking the handle off a faucet, the decorative cover won't come off. I tried a strap wrentch first, then a pipe wrenth. Is there any trick for this? I don't care if it is going to damage the chrome surface - after having applied a pipe wrentch, I think I need to replace the cover any way :(


texts: What should I realistically expect after having my floors professionally refinished?

texts:
We recently bought a house that has white oak hardwood floors. The floors looked decent in some places, while others were REALLY scratched. I don't even know how someone would scratch them that bad. It looks like someone dragged a piano across the floor.

We got some flooring people to come in and they basically told us that the floors would look like new after they were done. Thus, our expectations were that the floors would look near-flawless.

After they finished the work, we were pleased. The huge scratches are completely gone and the new stain color looks great. What we do see now is other, smaller scratches. We also see nails in the wood that we didn't see before. Some of the wood doesn't meet evenly and there are small gaps, which they filled in with wood putty. The floor guy said that the reason these things show up more now is that we used a darker stain and it highlights the imperfections more.

They said that they can resand and fill gaps all they want, but since the floors aren't new there will always be some imperfections. They cant do much about the nails because they were in the wood from when the floors were originally put in.

We have been telling them that we want the floors to look better, but I don't want to keep pushing for something that isn't realistic. Can nails be hidden? Can gaps be filled without it being too obvious? Are we being unrealistic?


texts: How do I identify brand/type of bathtub faucet?

texts:
I have a cartridge type of bathtub faucet and both the hot and cold cartridges need to be replaced. Unfortunately, the faucet has no branding marks on it at all. At one point I had removed the cartridge and took it into a plumbing supply store, but was unable to find a match. Also, the clerk at the plumbing supply store said that by knowing the brand, they would be able to determine a match. (Also, the sink, towel rack, valves, and toilet all match and none of it is branded.)

How do I determine the faucet brand? Does anyone know of an online resource that works as a "field guide" to faucets?

Another note: the toilet and sink fixtures are designer branded "Jacob Dalafon", but I was told at the plumbing supply store that will not determine the faucet branding.


texts:
I've got an old Philco electric range that needs a couple of 6" elements replaced but parts are near impossible to find.

The Philco elements have 3 wires while modern elements only use 2 wires.

Is it possible to hook up a modern element to my old Philco stove?


texts: In vertical blinds, what is the part called that attaches a slat to the rail?

texts:
A few days ago, our dog clipped our vertical blinds, taking one slat down.  I was going to re-attach the single fallen slat to the mounting clip that's connected to the rail, but a small gear inside that clip-like-unit must have come out.  I know this because when I re-attach the slat to the clip, it no longer rotates when I turn the blinds.

I apologize for the vague description, I am unsure what all of these parts are called.

As I cannot find that small piece, I need to purchase a replacement part.  I have started searching for this, but I have no idea what this part is called.   What is this part called?


texts: I would like to seal a pet door in my house to prevent curious toddlers at home from falling through it. I'd like the seal to look somewhat nice in appearance, and temporary so I can remove it if need be in the future. Any advice on how to go about doing this? See attached pictures of the two sides of the door for reference. The door opens to the garage and is made of strong material.


texts: Does a portable fan work for drying the bathroom?

texts:
If a bathroom has no windows and doesn't get completely dry after a shower (neither do the towels, and the ceiling starts to grow black spots of mold), can a regular fan dry everything after the shower?
Which of these is more efficient? (forget about the other rooms that will get more humid)

Placing the fan in the doorway, pointing to the outside the bathroom.
Placing the fan in the doorway, pointing to the inside, oscillating.
Placing the fan inside the bathroom, far from the doorway, pointing the doorway.

Why is the exhaust fan better than a direct wind into the surfaces? When we want to dry our hair, we point a blow dryer to it, and not a "humidity sucker".


texts: I have some office shelving included in my new home, all of the labels were removed (looks nice, doesn't help me now)


texts: Another Question on How to Cover Up Exposed Insulation in A Basement Ceiling

texts:
I have read through many questions with a similar problem, but different circumstances than I have regarding this issue.

The home is in Ohio so cold winters and hot summers built in 1997. I have a mostly finished basement with a workout room. I want to use the finished space for the workout room for another purpose. I have an unfinished storage area I can move my workout equipment into.  This area has lots of overhead pipes I need access to, and finishing it with drywall is not practical. Drop ceiling is not an option (even the ones that only drop it 1 1/2").

The home has a radiant heat system with boiler, so the insulation is there for those reasons although I have installed a geothermal system and don't utilize the radiant heat system any more. The basement is conditioned and has a vent in the unfinished area.  I don't normally run the heat downstairs, and it stays around 65-68 degrees F.

The unfinished room has 1 1/2" foamboard insulation installed on the walls. It is glued to the concrete and taped at seams.

My concern is breathing the fiberglass dust from the exposed ceiling insulation while working out over time.

I am not wanting to create any kind of mold problems, but would like to staple fire retardant plastic over the exposed insulation to limit the insulation dust.  Anyone see an issue with doing this? It is only for dust limiting. It will not be tightly stapled to make any kind of tight seal (maybe stapled every 6-8").

I have seen lots of similar questions but the seem to be in unconditioned basements.

I also could use Tyvek house wrap, but it is flammable and am not looking to break any fire codes.  I saw Tyvek has a flame resistant version, but could only find it offered in the United Kingdom.

Thanks for any advice in advance.


texts: What sort of contractor (if any) should I call for this ceiling crack?

texts:
There is a very narrow crack in my living room ceiling, pictured below. My concern, as you can imagine, is not so much the crack itself but the discoloration on either side.

I am frankly not sure how long it's been there (possibly already when we moved in, around 8 months ago), but it was definitely like this a few months ago with no changes that I've observed.

If I'm measuring correctly there's nothing in particular on the second floor directly above the crack, but it's just a couple of feet from a rather heavy whirlpool tub.

My question is, does this need attention, and if so what kind of contractor (if any) should I be calling? (Flooring seemed right to me,  but when I look for flooring contractors, they seem mostly to specialize in installation/refinishing, and it's not clear how to tell which of them would do a credible job assessing this.)


texts: Need help replacing the old double switch (top two photos) for the new smart switch for my Grandma so she can have the lights come on at dusk till Dawn for security.


texts:
My house has a 1/2" underground copper pipe providing the water supply. I am not quite sure how long the run is back to the meter/utility supply, but it's likely ~75-100ft. I actually got the chance to measure the static pressure and the pressure at 2.5GPM flow (the showerhead is the only source of which I know the flow rate). The static pressure is 65psi, which drops to 56psi at 2.5GPM flow.

I will be redoing the plumbing soon, and I'm curious whether it's worth using 3/4" for the interior manifold plumbing. Similarly, downstream of the manifold, if the pressure drop is minimal, I plan on using 1/2" or 3/8".

Does it make sense to run any 3/4" pipes at all? After all, it seems a majority drop would occur in the long run of 1/2" pipe. My plumbing segments will all be less than 40ft total. Similarly, is there a guideline for acceptable pressure drop along a length of pipe?

And lastly, if I may, does the water pressure need to be higher than 0psig at a faucet or fixture?

EDIT: I know now that the underground run is just about 100ft. It actually lines up pretty well with tabulated values for head loss in 1/2" pipe at 60°F.


texts:
I have an old appliance (Hobart mixer) that recently started to give me electrical shocks when I touch it.

I didn't see any obvious signs of broken wiring, but I will probably replace it, as it's fairly old.

Now - once I've done that, how can I test that the frame isn't electrified anymore? (I'd rather not use my hand for it...) I have a multimeter and a contactless voltage tester.


texts: I have a Bosch dishwasher that is 4 years old. Lately it has been leaving water at the bottom at the end of the cycle. Tried running the cycle again and it cleans the dishes but leaves water in the end. Any tips as to what is possibly wrong?


texts:
After one of my toilets is flushed, and it fills the bowl back up, I sometimes get a loud thrumming/humming noise.

It is the flusher stacky thingy making the noise.  I turned down the volume of water flow into the toilet and it stopped making it.  When it is doing it, the water tube from the wall to the toilet is literally vibrating in my hand.

Is this the water supply vibrating at a frequency that my flushy-stacky-thingy is exposing as noise, or something else?

Per Tester101's comment, I should note it only makes the noise, when the tank is full, and not running water through the pipes.


texts: How should I wire this ceiling light pendant?

texts:
I'm installing a light pendant.  Its wires are white, green, black.

My ceiling box has wires that are white, green, red.

I've attached white-white, green-green, black-red.

two questions:
1) assuming black and red go together, is this correct?
2) green-green is secured by wire nut, bypassing green screw.  Or should both be wound to the green screw?

addendum:
I had a leftover 6 inch red wire (from a previous endeavor) so I stripped it till it was bare, and used this to wind to both ground wires (from source and pendant) into the wire nut and then attached the other end of the bare wire to the green screw.


texts: How do I clean green and brown substances from the connectors of battery-operated devices?

texts:
Battery-operated devices have connectors to take in power from batteries in order to work. However, if the batteries are left there and the devices are not used for a few months or more, green and brown substances can be formed on the connectors.

Are there ways to clean up those substances on the connector without buying a new one or damaging it?


texts: Replacing light switches-- can all live / all neutral wires be grouped? Is conduit a valid ground?

texts:
I'm replacing two switches (which control separate lights) in a two-gang box with two smart switches (TP-Link HS200). To make my questions as clear as possible, I've sketched the current state as well as my plan for the smart switches:

Current State:

Future State:

My questions are as follows:

Does the future state look okay? Can I group all live and all neutral wires together per my plan?
I live in Cook County, which requires conduit. Does this mean I can attach the grounds from the smart switches right into the 2-gang box and that's all I need?
The smart switches don't distinguish between a line/load. Will they just figure this out? Or do I need to make sure I use the same one as a line/load for each since they'll be connected?
Any guesses as to what the other orange/load wire is running up to? This room only has two lights, but I don't want to interfere.

Thank you for any advice you can provide-- as I'm sure is apparent, this is my first time with this!


texts: New Circuit Help Please - Feeding 2-gang receptacle boxes with MC 12/4

texts:
Hoping someone can help me with this.  I have searched the whole dang internet multiple times and can’t find the answer to my question, so I am posting it here.  I have added two 120V-20A circuit breakers to my panel, and ran 12/4 MC to a string of five “2-gang” boxes (the first box will host a pair of GCFI’s, different than what I drew).  I’ll use commercial 20A receptacles in down-stream 2-gang boxes.  Total length of the run is under 100’.
Here’s where I need help (just a review and approval if I’m good).  My plan is to use:

Black/White wires from 12/4 to power the first circuit “A” on the left side of the box.

Red/Blue (blue taped white) wires to power the second circuit “B” on the right side of the box.

Tie all grounds together (Line/input ground wire, 2-gang chassis, “A” outlet, “B” outlet and Load/output ground wires).

I’ll send line power to the tops of the outlets (inputs) and take load power from the bottoms of the outlets (outputs) to feed the next box ... lather, rinse, repeat.  I have installed a string of 5 boxes over about 60’, but may possibly add 3 more for a total of 8 boxes within a single workshop under 100’ of 12/4.

Please see pic.  It’s all surface-mounted MC and boxes, strapped with Minerallac 125 Jiffy Clip one-hole clamps with holes above the MC, and fastened within 11” of each box, 12” everywhere else.  I will pull a permit and have the work inspected because I have an affinity for doing things right.
My rationale for “assuming” this is correct is that it’s how I would run 12/2 to a string of 1-gang boxes/outlets.  My main confusion is whether or not I should be bonding all of the neutrals in each 2-gang box, but think it’s not required because the neutrals are all bonded together in the panel.  Is there a safety requirement in the code that requires the bonding of the neutrals in each receptacle box?  And if so, can you please point me to the code so I can read/learn/understand?

Thank you so much for your time and assistance with my question!  I love this stuff and wish I would have chosen to become an electrician.  My problem is that I’m an anal perfectionist beyond comprehension.  I guess a little OCD is a good thing when dealing with electricity. :-)
Thanks again,
Rich


texts:
We have two toilets at home. One doesn't flush well (does this gurgling/bubbling thing) and one used to work. The city flooded for a couple of days and now neither toilets work. The water still "drains", no actual flushing, just sits in bowl. It goes down VERY slowly.

We have recently (two weeks ago) cleaned the vent. Today, we asked a plumber to come in with a snake to clean the drain, there were bits of trees roots? He wasn't able to fully unclog the drain, says the machine is striking something that can't be pulled out. We have replaced the wax ring as well.

Yesterday, while doing laundry and washing dishes, there were resurgences of water from the shower drain.

We have no idea where to go from here. Please help! Any experiences welcomed and appreciated.


texts:
Rather than having the gas spread out by the burner cover like this:

I would like to have one central flame. Can I do this by removing both the burner cover and the burner itself leaving this:

Firstly, would this even burn as there isn't an air inlet like the burner has. Secondly is it safe?

The reason for doing this is because I have a small radius coffee maker:


texts:
I am installing ceiling lights on my attic that has only fiberglass insulation. I needed to splice some cables half way to the fixture box. I just want to verify that I've done so properly.

Here is what I've done: I've spliced the cables with the plastic caps and encased the plastic in this box (which is a metallic fixture box):

Then I secured the cables using the clamps in the box, secured the box to the joist and put a lid on the box.

Is this okay? I know some say that one should use a junction box but I had the fixture box with the lid handy so I figured it doesnt make much of a difference but I just want to make sure.


texts:
I have a hallway light in a 4 way circuit configuration. The problem I have is that when the 4 way is in one position all three switches work correctly. In the other position one of the 3 way switches works, the other does nothing.
I have followed the troubleshooting guides by disconnecting the wires identifying the always hot, connecting it to the black common terminal on the first 3 way, tracing the hot and it's matching pair and connecting it to the 4 way switch. The switch does not have "In" or "out: identified. I have tried connecting to both sets of screws. (I am correct that the pair of screws to be uses are directly opposed (right and left of the switch, not both on the same side).
I then  attached the travelers to the other set f screws on the 4 way switch and identified them and connected them to the brass screws on the second 3 way switch. I then connected the final wire from the lights to the second black screw. Per the instructions everything should work, but the same 3 way does not work. The other 3 way works regardless of the position of the 4 way.
Do I have a bad 3 way? perhaps a bad 4 way? HELP!!


texts: I want to run 75C wire. Can I overcome 60C receptacle ratings with a pigtail?

texts:
Hypothetical.  I am hooking up a range/oven that requires 50A.  Its terminations are rated 60C, and there's no way around it.

The 100' wiring run is all in EMT conduit and I am running THHN wires, so I am entitled to use the 75C column.  #8 copper wire is allowed 50A@75C.

My circuit breaker has 75C terminations.

I have these lovely MAC Block splice connectors, rated to 90C.  They take #8 and #6 wire just fine.

So I get the idea to take the #8 wire to the Mac Block splices (90C), splice to a short #6 copper pigtail, and take  the #6 to the range terminations.

Have I successfully dodged the 60C rule, or is my plan thwarted for some reason?


texts:
I found this shelf already attached to supports and I'd like to put it up on the back of this cedar closet. The cedar closet is built out of a frame of 2"x4"s, but the width between the 2x4s doesn't line up with the shelf supports. See below:

(sorry the image is rotated, doesn't show as rotated on my end and keeps turning when uploaded)
I have more 2x4s and other scrap wood. Should I cut out and screw in two horizontal 2x4s on the inside gap in between the existing vertical 2x4s, to fill the gaps and screw the shelf into the new horizontal 2x4s? I may line up the shelf support on one of the existing 2x4s, then just fill in the gap for the other shelf support using one or two horizontal 2x4s to make a sturdy spot the shelf can screw into. Here's a sketch of what I'm talking about:
Is there a better way to go about this? Will my horizontal 2x4 additionals hold up the shelf sufficiently?


texts: pressure loss going from 1" supply to 3/4" supply to home, 120 feet length

texts: Just replaced last 120 feet of home water supply line.  Old line was 1" galvanized, new line is 3/4" PEX.  Lines are six feet underground here in our mountain location and must feed upstairs bathroom along with the usual downstairs fixtures.  Most lines under house are 1/2" copper.  Have experienced unacceptable pressure loss with new 3/4" line.  Now is time to fix as haven't covered trench yet.  Do I need to go back to 1" line and if so will 1" PEX give us our previous pressure?  Prior to new line, pressure was always very good.  Water supply is from spring 1/2 mile above house, gravity supplies pressure with 2" poly pipe main line from spring.


texts: Can an electric burner catch on fire inside itself?

texts: We have electric burner eyes like shown above in a 20+ years-old White-Westinghouse range.  My wife is an excellent cook and she's used this range earnestly for 8 years.  Recently after she had cooked dinner we heard a crackling noise coming from the range area.  The range was completely off and had been for at least 10 minutes.  I narrowed the noise down to one burner.  I pulled the burner element out of the range and it continued to make a crackling sound.  It sounded like it was on fire inside of the heating element.  It continued making a steady crackling sound for at least 30 minutes.  There was no smoke or warmth emerging from it.  It didn't smell noticeably either.  Is it possible for these elements to catch on fire?  Is there a better explanation for the sound we heard?


texts: Is there a quick, non-intrusive way to see what's under vinyl siding?

texts:
Currently house-hunting, and one of the very cheap, in-need-of-work houses I've looked at has the unusual feature of a foundation-to-ceiling limestone wall inside, on one of the outer walls of the house. It's the rightmost rowhouse in a three-rowhouse structure, and the limestone wall is on the side -- the "right wall" of the entire structure, so to speak.

It's clearly a limestone wall. On the outside, cheap vinyl siding.

One other wall is shared with the middle part of this rowhouse. The other two walls, front and back, are drywall inside, cheap vinyl outside.

The front and back walls seem like they might be a bit thicker than they need to be. I'm desperately curious as to whether this entire rowhouse might actually be a limestone structure -- old stable building, barn, something -- that has been drywalled inside and sided outside by a former owner, possibly somebody who decades ago thought it would be easier and cheaper to side the building with crappy vinyl rather than pay to re-point the stone.

How can I check? I obviously can't start popping vinyl siding off a house I don't own, but if this is indeed a full limestone building, it could well be a real diamond in the rough.


texts: How can I repair the carpet around a new shower?

texts: I just had a new shower put in, and the existing carpet doesn't quite go close enough to the bottom of the shower.  It looks uneven.  Is there something I can buy to make it flush?


texts: How can I enlarge an opening in wall tile for an electrical box?

texts: When the backsplash was installed, the hole left for an outlet box is a tad too small. What is my best option to enlarge the hole to slide the box in?


texts: How can I fix my garage's existing wiring

texts:
My non-attached garage is currently fed with a 10-2 w/ground wire from my main service panel via a single pole breaker buried in conduit.  When the wire enters the garage it enters a junction box were 2 lights, 3 outlets are fed off of this.  I haven't had any issues tripping the circuit breaker feeding the garage, but want to add a sub-panel for a more local disconnect/protection.

If I am understanding correctly I can install a 6 slot panel and not bond the neutral with ground, install a separate ground rod and then feed these 3 circuits with breakers?

I also could "jumper" the other side of the panel (to use all 6 slots), but this might not pass via inspector (making it a 120v only panel)?

I am aware of the main feed capacity which is currently a 15a breaker.

Thanks!


texts: Is it possible that this GFCI receptacle is grounded without an equipment grounding conductor being connected?

texts: I was attempting to upgrade an old outlet to a GFCI outlet. There are only two wires one black and one white. There is no ground wire. However the receptacle tester read "correct wiring". Is it possible that the outlet is grounded in some other fashion?


texts: What would cause a ceiling fan to stop while the light still works?

texts:
Installed a new fan/light today.  Wiring appeared to be identical to old fan we removed.

green ground to green ground on mounting bracket.
white to white.
black and blue to black.

Turned it on and all worked well for about 10 minutes at which time the fan blades stopped turning.  Waited about an hour and again it worked well for about 10-15 minutes before fan stopped.  I reviewed the manual and can't see anything indicating I did something incorrectly.  The light continues to work normally.


texts: Removing grout with oscillating tool: too narrow/too high?

texts:
I just tried an oscillating tool with a carbide blade to remove grout from between wall tiles in a less visible bathroom area, and despite starting very carefully I'm chipping tiles all up and down their length.

The grout line is between 1.9 (5/64") and 4 mm (5/32") wide, usually 3 mm (1/8").  The area I tried has around 2.9 mm wide grout at narrowest.  The blade, including the carbide grit coating, is 2.6 mm (7/64") thick at maximum.  I aimed for 2 mm reduction in grout depth.  It went OK for the first couple of passes, then the next pass I chipped the tile all along its length, even though I didn't slip that I could notice, presumably because of the very narrow clearance between blade and tile.

Few web stores mention blade thickess and the thinnest I've found on the web or locally is only 2.3 mm (3/32"), so not much different.

I don't see this going well, does everybody who has success with these tools have wider grout, or a narrower blade?

Another problem is that some of the grout is level with or even slightly above the tile (maybe 10% of the grout line, but maybe 1/3 of tiles have some grout like this).  Where it's not, it often fills the gap fairly high - it's 1 mm below the tile surface at most.  It's hard to see how I can grind that out without chipping tiles.

Is it a good idea to regrout this at all, or is it a fool's errand?


texts: How can I fix a window with cracked glass?

texts:
I have a bedroom window with cracked glass, and I'm trying to figure out the manufacturer so I can get it fixed.  The windows are double hung, and three pictures are attached.  I looked all over the window, and I could not find any stickers or identifying information.

I'm near Boston, MA and the windows were installed in about 2007.  I know they are not BF Rich, and I talked to someone at Home Depot and he didn't know.

As an alternative, should I contact someone other than the manufacturer to get it fixed?


texts:
We recently redesigned the walkway through our garden to our back door. This involved lots of scaping of the land -- especially to change the waterflow away from the house. The new walkway ends with a small brick landing. The contractor just laid them down and glued them in place.

I asked when they would finish it with mortar or sand or something. The contractor said that they were set tight enough and didn't need it.

Except when I step on it they move. And I live in Minnesota -- wont snow and ice get in there? Am I missing something or will this landscaping element not hold up?


texts: Need to keep pressing the unlock button on a reciprocating saw: is that typical?

texts:
I just got a modest cordless reciprocating saw by SnapFresh   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089QGR718/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
To run the thing we need to press two buttons at all times: not just the trigger but also that  "Lock" button highlighted in red:

The owner's manual confirms that both need to be depressed for us to get any juice.  So .. is this standard fare for a reciprocating saw?  It is awkward!


texts: How do I connect a dryer to a dryer vent?

texts:
I just moved my dryer (gas) a couple feet to a better location in the basement.  It is actually now closer to the existing dryer vent to the outside of the house.  The previous owner has it connected with about 15 feet of 4" flex tubing.  Now I don't need that much so I was going to remove some of the existing flex tube.

It was hooked up with 2 or 3 sections of flex tube. With the dryer in a new location I can run the vent pretty straight up and then over to the hole in the wall.  I bought some 4" rigid aluminum tube to come out of the dryer and then I connected that to a 4 foot long piece of the old flex tube.  I used the metal strap with a screw that tightens around the tube (not sure what it is called).

Is this the correct way to connect the flex to the rigid one and the actual vent in the wall?  Do I also need to tape over this connection, if so what type of tape?  I seem to recall that duct tape should not be used on ducts, though I am not sure if it is OK on a dryer vent.

Do I also need to tape around where the rigid tube meets a rigid "elbow" that comes out of the dryer?


texts: How do I refinish a bathroom ceiling after it got moldy and peeled?

texts:
I need to refinish the bathroom ceiling in my 35-year-old house. Before I bought the house a few years ago, the bathroom had just had some work done (new wallpaper, probably new lights, and I assume new ceiling). In just the past couple years, the ceiling got moldy and started peeling.

We talked to a local contractor about installing a fan but he thought the bathroom was too small to need one. I assume all the previous owners didn't have to redo the bathroom ceiling every few yeaers, so I think the problem is just that the ceiling wasn't done properly. My guess is that the texture absorbed and stored the moisture when we showered, allowing the mold to grow and causing the texture to crack and peel and fall off. Now that I'm refinishing the ceiling, I want to do it right. I did see another question related to the bathroom ceiling mold, but I still have a few questions:

If it had been painted would this not have been a problem? (the ceiling was textured but not painted before it started disintegrating)
Is there any particular reason to finish it smooth vs. textured?
If I just paint it smooth right now, does that make it harder to texture later if I want to do that?
Do I need to install a fan? (ceiling area is about 52 sq ft)
If I install a fan, will it be easier to do it before or after I refinish the ceiling?


texts: How can we security manage keys for a co-op building?

texts:
After having some security incidents in our building, we have decided to change the locks and we are looking at a solution whereby we (co-op board) can give out to residents keys that cannot be duplicated by them.  Our building has 16 units and we were thinking on handing out 3 keys per unit (total of 48 keys).

Can anyone recommend a solution to meet the above requirement?


texts: How can I separate a light switch to power two different devices?

texts: My house had an addition after it was built - a covered porch which includes a lit ceiling fan.  I very recently screened in said porch and love it out there.  When the initial addition was put on, the single indoor switch which operates an exterior light was tapped to also give power to the fan and fan light.  Kind of lame.  I am interested in doing something different, such as providing full control of the fan from the inside switch and breaking out the wall mounted light into its very own switch.  How involved is this project and what might the steps be?


texts: How to pave a small area but get maximum drainage / permeability

texts:
TL;DR: How should one going about creating a hard, smooth surface that drains well, where slope can't be used to achieve the drainage.

We have a small 1/10th acre city lot, and two large dogs. Their waste products had been wreaking havoc on our plants, so I constructed a small 'dog toilet'. I dug a 4x6 foot box about 8 inches deep, filled it first with pea gravel, then a top layer of river rocks. I then trained the dogs to eliminate exclusively in there. While the plants and grass have seen an improvement, there are some problems with the area as it is now. First, the dogs clearly don't like stepping on the river rocks, and secondly the rocks make picking up their droppings rather cumbersome.

I'd like to basically replace the gravel and river rocks with a sort of smooth paved surface. However, I want to maximize its drainage capabilities.
While a simple solution would be to just use entirely the pea gravel, the two beasts will definitely kick the gravel out all over the place while they're running around in the yard chasing each other.

So the next option I was thinking was perhaps paving in a sort of cobblestone style surface. A local landscape company sells larger river rocks that each have a large flat side to them. I think using those with sand filling in the gaps would do a good job of creating the surface and providing good drainage. However, I'm unsure the sand will sufficiently hold the rocks together, both when the dogs are stepping / running across them, as well as handling cold Minnesota winter frost related issues. Is polymeric sand a good option, would that still permit a high rate of water drainage?


texts: Mixing North American Panels and Breakers

texts: I have compared in detail a Siemens QPF 2-pole GFCI breaker when put in an original Siemens PL load center bus bar versus that of generic locally made bus bar (for GE breakers). What I found out was there was no special shape in the Siemens bus bar. But they are very straight and uniform and thicker than the locally made bus bar. The latter local bus bar is a bit slant as they can't make it exactly 90% and since it is also a bit thinner.. the upper part of the Siemens breaker spring clip doesn't make full contact in that locally made bus bar. In the Siemens panel, one side of the spring clip has perfectly flat contact with the Siemens breaker while the other side is not so flat. Maybe because the breaker even needs thicker bus bar or design? Now I want to know other brand panel bus bar. Do you really see a special shape to it? Or the issue is just the thickness?


texts: A neighbour is trying to sell me some of his leftover styrofoam insulation. I need to insulate my attic. Is styrofoam a good insulator, or should I use another type of insulation?


texts: How to tell if your locks are bump proof?

texts:
I was reading about lock "bumping" where burglars buy 'bump' keys and can open locks very quickly. I was also reading that some locks are bump proof (double chamber perhaps?). My question is: how can I tell, by looking at the locks currently on my door, if they are bump proof or not?

I don't see any brand or manufacturer name on the locks but they were replaced 3 months ago when we bought the house.

If you are not familiar with bump keys or locks take a look at this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM


texts:
Home DIYer here.
What type of connector is this, and how do I remove it?


texts: Removing a 240v hard wired doorbell chime on a ring

texts:
My house had an old hardwired door bell that wasn't working properly when I purchased the house, so I removed the push button, put the cables on a terminal block and pushed them in to the wall, covered it over.

Now I want to remove the big yellowing plastic chime case thats on the wall. I've taken the cover off and inspected it - there are 2 240V red and black wires going in, so from this I can assume its on the ring for the plug sockets?

My first thought is a maintenance free junction box. Turn the power off to that ring, disconnect the 2 red and 2 black, connect in to the junction box and embed this in the wall, then patch over it.

Is this a reasonable solution?


texts: Keeping outdoor deck stair stringers from splitting

texts:
I have a set of pressure treated stairs that lead from ground level up to a wooden deck, providing access from the pool to a water slide (salt water and chlorine).  I originally built these stairs about 10 years ago using galvanized nails to secure the stair treads.

Over time the galvanized nails rusted and eventually split the stringers.  I replaced both about 4-6 years ago using deck screws. The deck screws didn't last long at all, split stringers and rusted screws, I replaced the stairs again, about 2 years ago.  This time I used stainless screws.

I've noticed that the stringers are splitting yet again.  When building the stairs, I predrilled every hole for the screws, even removing the tread when drilling to make sure the hole was deep enough to cover the length of the screw.  The treads are not loose yet, but I only see it as a matter of time.  The slide stairs are still plenty strong, just aesthetics at this point.

I live in the US, Atlanta, GA area and we did see a good number of frozen days this winter as well as snow, I don't know if that helped in the stringer demise.

I'm thinking of rebuilding another set of stairs (no direct exposure to pool water, but limited access to sun), whose stringers are split to hell, and I'm looking for some tips to make them last longer.

EDIT:

I took a good look and noticed that only the center stringing is splitting like this.  The left and right strings have the same number of screws and the exact same placement.  I think they are just a bit less exposed.


texts: What is the purpose of the sand/gravel bed under dry-laid flagstone?

texts: I have soil with a lot of clay in it and few stones, so it's not too hard to get level.  I've got flagstone in a couple of small areas.  Some of it is on a bed of gravel and some of it is on bare soil.  I don't see that one is any worse off than the other.  I was just curious if the sand/gravel bed typically installed under flagstone is for drainage, ease of leveling, weed control, pest control or other..


texts: Did I install this motion detecting light switch correctly?

texts:
It works, I just want to make sure I did it correctly. It's a Leviton ODS10-ID Decora 120/277-Volt Wall Switch with Occupancy Sensor

When I took the original switch off the wall it had no ground connected and a red and black wire going to it.

I installed the green ground wire from the switch into the existing 3 bare copper wires that were in a yellow wire nut which I upgraded to a red since I was now adding a 4th wire. One bare wire connected to the metal box and the other two go into the wall.

I attached the black hot from the new switch into the black wire in the wall that was connected to the old switch. I attached the blue wire from the new switch to the red wire that was attached to the old switch.


texts: Can I reduce the size of my hot water heater vent or direct the vent out the exterior (house has high efficiency furnace)?

texts: The shower in my master bath is tiny.  When I removed some dry wall to see if I could widen it, I found a large ~10" round vent running through the space(must be the furnace). Now that I have a high efficiency furnace it seems I no longer need such a large vent since only the hot water heater uses it. I think the furnace installers inserted a chimney liner to reduce the draw. If I could get by with a 4" or so vent pipe, I would be able to expand the wall by 5" inches or more (not sure if there are code restrictions on how close framing can get to a gas vent). Another idea is to vent the hot water heater out the exterior of the house, but I"m not sure if this is even possible.


texts: Does a gas range need any electicity to keep or start the pilot light going? or if there is a power failure will the gas range still work?


texts: Spray foam insulation around wood stove pipe

texts:
I recently had some spray foam installed in the attic and the crew put it right up against the chimney pipe. Is this a concern? Should I carve out 2" and replace with something?

Pictures:http://m.imgur.com/a/OUz57

It says 2" from combustible material. Is spray foam insulation combustible? And if I need to carve away the insulation, that means a insulation radiation shield? But won't that let in cold air to the attic?


texts: How can I fix a wall-mounted toilet that keeps running?

texts:
Our wall-mounted toilet keeps running. It is easy to "stop" by removing the plate with the push-buttons and pressing down the cylinder (valve?) inside, but I'd like to find an actual solution :)

It's hard-ish to find out what the issue is for me as I know nothing about these things, and it's inside the wall: hard to just take apart and look around.

The toilet is a 'Duravit', but I couldn't find any specs on the flushing mechanism itself, so this can be 'anything' I suppose.

Any idea how to fix it, or what I can check? Or just call a professional?

Now for some visual clarification:

First the button. When pressing it halfway it doesn't keep on running, but it's not a good flush like that. Pressing it all the way makes it stuck in 'open' or so it seems.

Inside of the button-set (seems like air-pressure makes it work?)

So this blue-topped cylinder keeps stuck in the 'up' position

About to press it down to make it stop flushing. An easy fix, but annoying obviously


texts: How to install remote switch for ceiling fan?

texts:
I had an electrician come out to look at the in-wall remote switch for my ceiling fan that wasn't working. He took it out and recommended buying a new switch. Problem is, I don't know how it was originally wired and I'm annoyed at having to pay him a second time when he did nothing except tell me what I already knew. Normally I would have just taken a picture but it's too late for that now. Any advice for how to deal with those segments of red wire would be much appreciated.

This is how he left my wall:

And this is what the remote switch looks like:


texts: Can I power an outdoor security light from a non-EV garage receptacle?

texts:
I'm planning to install an outdoor floodlight above my rolling garage door, and there is a continuously powered receptacle in the rafters above the garage door that's just a few feet from the other side of the wall where I want to install the light. Running some new Romex from that receptacle through a hole and into an outdoor junction box for the floodlight seems like an easy installation.

However, I've read that new code requires that no garage receptacles power outdoor security lights. Is this an issue even for ones that are not intended for EV car charging, like my garage door opener receptacle?

Here's a photo of the receptacle powering the garage door opener, and the wall above the garage door where I'd be drilling a hole:


texts:
I’m having serious issues replacing an antique faucet stem on old old claw foot tub.
The hot water nozzle slowly leaks and I can’t find a replacement stem or even a washer that would fit. I emailed Faucet Parts Plus and they replied we have nothing that matches. Does anyone have any suggestions?
The picture is the cold water cartridge which is the one that works. I need a hot water cartridge/stem. (It looks as though it was cobbled together with a different washer to slow the leak) 12 spline.


texts: Is it okay to use rain to rinse off a deck after applying deck cleaner?

texts:
I'm planning to refinish my deck soon. Here are some pictures of the current state of it.

I bought this Cabot wood cleaner. The instructions say to:

  Apply cleaning solution liberally to problem surfaces using a brush or pump-type sprayer.  Allow to set 15 to 20 minutes. Stubborn areas may require scrubbing with a stiff bristle brush.  (If surface begins to dry quickly, lightly mist with water.)  Rinse off using a garden hose with nozzle at maximum
  pressure or use a high pressure power washer.  Repeat procedure if necessary.

Currently the one spigot we have outdoors is shut off due to some plumbing work that is on pause, so using a hose is not an easy thing to do. It's supposed to rain tomorrow. If I apply the deck stripper before it starts raining, can I let the rain do the work of the Rinse off using a garden hose with nozzle at maximum pressure or use a high pressure power washer? Or would that cause damage to the deck since it will probably be raining all day?


texts: Is it worth replacing this flex pipe with hardpipe

texts:
We're the second owners of a home built in 2015, and a HVAC technician recently pointed out that our basement furnace piping uses long runs of flex pipe, where hardpipe should have been laid.  He said that airflow can become turbulent in these and will be improved with hard piping.
Looking to confirm this information.  My residence is a 2200sqft + finished basement with a decent furnace system.  Is the air flow in such a residence typically fast enough such that runs of flex piping would disrupt airflow?  I have noticed that vents in the first floor that attach to these do feel weaker than the ones in the second floor of my house and thought maybe this was the reason.


texts:
Is there a kind of clamp whose one pressing arm (or whatever you call it) is a simple straight bracket perpendicular to the clamping motion line (purple below) while the other is regular (black below)?

Sorry for the terrible illustration.


texts:
I have a switch near my  boiler (apt) for turning on my heating,
Above that I have a standered switch for heating water only.
This system was installed 10 years ago, everything was working, until
yesterday my wife turned on switch for hot water only but rads are now heating up.
Hope someone can help


texts: how do I disinfect a well with plain bleach

texts:
What is the procedure for disinfecting a well ?  is a dug / shallow well different than a drilled well?

How much bleach to use and what dilute?

Well is 138 feet from top of casing, 128.76 Gal of water in well, pump is 10 feet from bottom of well and water is 50 feet from top of casing. Put in 1998, stopped use 2004.


texts: Weird junk accumulating in kitchen faucet aerator?

texts: Our kitchen faucet was replaced about three years ago when we moved in. Every week or two, the flow starts to get noticeably throttled and I remove it for cleaning. What I find inside is a layer of small, dark brown flakes of a non-magnetic material. They seems like a hard wax or plastic. I have not noticed anything similar in the other aerated faucets. What is this, and should I be concerned?


texts: Bathroom thumb turn lock unlocks when handle pushed down

texts:
I believe we have a thumb turn lock on our bathroom door. You twist the thumb lock bit from inside to lock the door and can see on the outside that the line is turned diagonally so can see it is locked.
However when you open the door from inside or outside when the door is locked, it unlocks itself!
Essentially it is pointless. Is it supposed to do this and does anyone know how to fix it please? I don't know what the lock was like when it was originally fitted as it was there before we moved into the house.


texts: Is it possible to wire a 120v light off of a 220v compressor?

texts: I have a 60 gallon compressor in my shop that people leave running overnight, killing electricity.  I would like to wire a light off my compressor switch so it lights up when the compressor is on.  Would it be possible to wire it off a single hot, then use the ground and neutral?


texts: Should a kitchen sink S-trap be replaced?

texts: Everything I see mentions P-traps. I seem to have instead an S-trap. What are the downsides of this, and is it something that should be fixed?


texts: How to fix a towel bar drywall anchor getting loose?

texts:
I have a towel bar  which isn't anymore firmly attached to the dry wall as it should. You can see what the situation looks like in the picture below. This was most likely due to the screw not being properly installed in the drywall, which ended up damaging the drywall.

Now, in this situation, how can I get the towel bar properly attached?

(I thought of filling the existing hole and  placing the attachment a few inches to the left or to the right, but this isn't an option, as this is 1 of 3 towel bars, and it needs to be in that position to be aligned with the 2 others, plus there wouldn't really be enough space to the left or the right.)


texts: What is the longevity of a three speed ceiling fan switch?

texts:
I have a three speed ceiling fan that came with my house. It's about 14 years old now. It's never given me problems but right now it won't turn off. The four position wall switch (Off-low-medium-high) still regulates the speed of the fan except for the off position which seems to leave the fan running in low speed.

I'm therefore thinking the fan is probably ok but the switch may need replacement. How long do these wall switches usually last, or is there no known life expectancy on these items?

Also, could I be wrong about the issue and could it be the ceiling fan itself that has a problem?


texts: Is my Uponor ProPEX supply line plan efficient?

texts:
I’m building a house and I’m considering installing the supply lines myself with Uponor ProPEX. My floor plans are here: https://imgur.com/a/w9gaM.

Making use of Uponor's multi-port tee's, I came up with the following supply line plan here: https://i.imgur.com/9vXVoGd.png. Thick lines are 3/4" and thin lines are 1/2".

Am I going down the right path with this plan? What improvements could I make?


texts:
I'm in the process of renovating my garage. There was a 1 in. gap due to rotting wood where the roof shingles meet the fascia (part where gutter is attached). The discolored wood is near the gap.

A few joists are the same color as well. I sprayed with Vinegar and soap - nothing really changed. I avoided using bleach due to the wood being porous. Any idea of which type of mold this is? Does the wood need to be replaced or can I use some type of cleaner (concrobium, borax ect). I was also thinking of scrubbing the wood w/ vinegar & baking soda again, wiping with microfiber cloth, spraying concrobium and then painting over with an anti microbial primer sealer.

Thoughts?

Thanks


texts:
I would like to update my main electrical panel from 12/24 space-circuits to 30+

I currently have an EATON BR 125-amp with 4-jaw ring meter socket (MBE1224B125BTS) which is inside the attached garage of my single-family home.    I would like to replace it with a 200-amp panel to get a bigger panel without doing a subpanel(s).   I would get a 125amp main breaker for the new panel.   I'm considering this Square D QO model (QC3040M200S), 200-amp 30-space/40-circuit ringless 5-jaw meter socket.

For the meter socket, what is the difference between ring/ringless and 4-jaw/5-jaw?   Can I keep the current PG&E meter I have or would that need to be replaced for this particular panel?


texts: Shower head on exterior wall - Insulation R-30 Rock Wool

texts:
We are currently building our home in the Utah area that is within 30 min of Salt Lake City. Our homebuilder recently decided to place the shower head in our shower facing the door - needless to say that wasn't going to work for us(don't really want to clean up a puddle every time we take a shower). So our only other option, according to them is to place the shower head on the exterior wall and keep the valve on the interior wall. The home builder claims that they discussed with the insulation company on how to properly insulate the shower head pipe. The insulation company told them that if they used an R-30 Rock Wool batt behind the pipe that it would be completely fine. So a couple of questions for the community:

Does this sounds like a reasonable fix(in an area that has below 0 temps)? is it normal to place a R-30 batt behind a shower head?
If you run a shower head line from an interior wall to an exterior wall(probably 3 ft run) do you loose pressure?


texts: How do I introduce slope on a rooftop deck?

texts:
I recently purchased a 1937 house with two decks on the upper floor. One of the decks has a draining issue. While hosing it off, I noticed that a small puddle accumulates near the middle of the deck. The puddle left over is very shallow (maybe on the order of 3mm or so), but I don't like the idea of any standing water above a living space. I'm not sure the material that was used for the deck; it is white and has a rubbery feel to it.

So I trying to figure out how to get a bit of slope, or at least figure how to ensure that there isn't any water damage in the future. I seem to remember hearing about some kind of foam that could be used to build slope and seal the deck, but I can't find details.

What material should I use to introduce slope to the deck? What should I use/do to ensure that it doesn't leak if a slope isn't possible?

Thanks,
Erick

EDIT

I've added a couple of pictures, but I'm not sure how helpful they will be to know what the surface is. The carpet was in the middle of the deck, and probably helps keep the water from pooling in one place. I'd still like to know how to maintain a deck like this, as water leaks are the last thing I need.


texts: Proper subfloor for hardwood in a renovation

texts:
I'm doing some work on the 2nd floor of a 1955 cape.  The subfloor is 3/4" tongue and groove planks and there are 3/4" (maybe 5/8") fir plywood sheets installed over that.  The sheets are... odd... They are a strange size (not 4x8), a couple look like they were stolen from the green monster, and they are very squeaky which I think is because they are very tightly butted against each other.

The room is very short already and I wanted to gain back as much height as possible by removing the plywood and installing hardwood over the planks instead.  The planks under this sub-floor seem to be in good condition.  They have minimal cupping.  But some are installed a bit far apart from one another, and they are oriented the same direction that I want to lay the hardwood.

So here are the restrictions:

I want as much ceiling height as possible.
I want to install the hardwood the same direction as the planks
I don't want to the floor to be as squeaky as it is.

So, should I:

Just keep this floor and install hardwood over it (since I likely need some plywood subfloor anyway because of the orientation problem).

Would using deck screws get rid of the squeaking, or is the problem because the sheets are installed too close to one another?

If I remove the floor and install something else, can I use something thinner since I already have a strong subfloor (the planks)?
Is it really a big deal to install hardwood over planks running in the same direction?


texts: Measuring Incoming Gas Pressure to Stove

texts:
I have a new BlueStar Platinum range that I'm trying to hook up.  I am wanting to make sure everything is connected per their instructions.  They mention the following regarding the incoming gas line:

Incoming gas pressure should be checked with a manometer. The correct manifold pressure for natural gas is 5.0” wc.  Incoming line pressure upstream of the appliance should be 1.0” wc greater than the operating manifold pressure.

I currently have a 3/4" pipe stubbed out behind the stove with a shut-off valve.  I would think testing the pressure would be as easy as connecting a gauge to this fitting and then opening the valve but I can't seem to find evidence of this being the case.  It seems like most of these manometers are designed to connect to appliances themselves or something.

If anyone knows how I can test this it would be much appreciated!


texts:
I'm looking to add a gate at the top of deck stairs, where the gate swings inward and the hinges are towards the yard side of deck. There are two issues.

The 4x4 posts are offset

What would be the best way to make the gate line up on both sides without a lot of added work?
I was thinking adding a 4x4 to the inner post to bring it out more, and just cut a new topper?
I'm not sure of water will collect under the post and rot it out.

The hand rail goes up and anchors to the outward side 4x4 post.

What should I do with this?
Should I cut the hand rail lower? If so, how would I anchor it.
Given the current set up, is it better to leave the hand rail, and design the gate to fit around it?


texts: Can I increase the ceiling height in my mobile home?

texts:
In the main living area of my 1990s single-wide mobile home (living room, kitchen, dining area), the ceiling is 8' with a decline from the center that brings it down to 7', which is the height of the ceiling in every other room. Even if only in my bedroom, and even if only partially, I'd love to expand the height of the ceiling. Please forgive my obvious ignorance here...although I'm relatively new in the DIY space, I'm serious about it and am a quick learner.
To be clear, I'm not asking about modifying my home structurally to increase the area inside. Instead, I'm wondering about the possibility of "reclaiming" some of the space, primarily in my bedroom, between the existing ceiling and roof by simply moving the ceiling up, even if only by 6". There are no obvious existing structural barriers for this, but what is to consider in assessing the practicality of such a thing?
Also, I'm not in a park, and I own both the home and the land.
Thanks in advance for your time!


texts: Installing/fixing ceiling drywall when trusses are uneven?

texts:
My house is an "L" shape where the short leg of the "L" is the garage.  Above the garage ceiling, the trusses transition from one orientation 90 degrees to another orientation.  The different orientations of trusses are different heights above the floor.

This means one-third of the ceiling has the bottom edge of the trusses 1/2-inch lower than the other two-thirds.

When the ceiling drywall was originally installed, the drywall was butted up at this uneven transition and caulked.  This joint has failed over time, and then wind blows through the joint (when the garage door is open) making the problem even worse.

What is the proper way to fix this situation?


texts: What kind of electrical projects are safe for DIY in the US?

texts:
I have a lot of ideas for electrical projects — upgrading electrical sockets to USB combo sockets, changing light fixtures, adding new sockets...ect.

As a general rule of thumb, what kinds of electrical projects are safe to as a DIYer?


texts:
I have a single stored house with an overhead tank and a one inch pipe running down.
In bath rooms this one inch pipe is reduced to half inch as all our bath room fittings come with .5 inch gauge.

I am not sure whether increasing the pipe size from one inch to two inch will increase the pressure, as its more affordable than buying a pressure booster pump.

for a 15 L bucket, its taking about 10 mins to fill it. having a shower with current pressure is a dream. I need to fix this at the earliest as its becoming more frustrating with out water pressure.

please let me know your thoughts and comments.

Thanks
Subbu


texts: How can I fix a Moen faucet that is still leaking after replacing cartridge?

texts:
I had a leaky Moen faucet (Moen 4600) so I removed the old cartridge and replaced it with a new brass replacement cartridge (model 1200.) Since replacing the cartridge I now have a leak from the valve stem, that leaks faster the more I open the valve. It appears to be coming from the outside collar of the cartridge. Here is a video of the leak so you can see exactly what I am talking about:

Video of the leaky faucet

Is this caused by a poor fitting cartridge / o-ring or is it possibly due to wear on the faucet itself? What can I do to stop this leak?


texts: Bathroom Light / Fan Switches - Changing Switch Controls

texts:
I have two switches in my bathroom. The first controls two lights, the second controls a fan.

I would like to change it so that the first switch controls one light, and the second switch controls a light and a fan.

I opened the switchbox and am confused by the way it is wired. Here is a drawing (I did not draw ground wires, each switch has one):

My explanation of the picture (possibly bad terminology) is we have two neutral wires coming out of the box that are wire-nutted and pigtail connected to the top "traveler" of the switch that controls both lights.

Another pig tail comes out the bottom "traveler" and is wire-nutted into two neutral wires coming out of the box, and another pig tail connecting all four wires into the bottom "traveler" of the switch controlling the fan. A red "hot wire" comes off the top traveler and goes back into the box.

This wiring situation is not intuitive to me (I know nothing). I thought maybe the two wires at left were because there are two lights, but why are there two wires on the right for just the fan? And why are these switches wired together via the pig tail across the bottom? I expected to see two hot wires going to each switch, and no connections between them. How does the switch that controls the lights work without a hot wire going to the switch?

If it is the case the the two wires on left are for each light, can I move one of them to the cable nut on the right to have it be controlled by the other switch?


texts: How can I extend a circuit so I can plug in my under cabinet lighting?

texts:
I am replacing halogen under cabinet puck lighting to LED.  The old system was hardwired right into a switch with a power source that was starting to make noise so I thought I would replace the whole system with LED lights. The switch is at the counter level (on its own breaker) and the wire runs up the back to the top of the cabinets (there is about 1 foot of space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling).

What I have done so far is disconnect the old power driver and put an outlet there sitting on top of the cabinets in a metal box because the new LED system is plug in.  However, only 3 of the new LED lights will reach that outlet, I need to get an outlet on the other side of my U shaped kitchen.

Is it as simple as daisy-chaining another outlet? I can run 12/2 from the first outlet on top of the cabinets to the other side of the kitchen.

This way I can plug in the other 3 LED's to the new outlet and the switch will control both outlets.

Would this work and are there any potential code violations?


texts:
I am adding a wet bar to my already finished basement. I am going to replace a regular outlet that is under the counter with a GFCI outlet (to meet code). The outlet is in the middle of the run (on a 15A circuit).
I want to add an outlet above the new GFCI outlet and I'm curious if I can pigtail off of the load side of the GFCI so that the new outlet above it and the other outlets downstream will be protected.


texts: Can I have a dimmer switch and a regular switch for a light or do both switches have to be dimmers


texts: I used a 3/32 drill bit for a pilot hole into my dry wall, directly in between 2 wooden studs that were about 32 inches apart, and about 18 inches from the ceiling (of a 1 story house). I mistakenly thought that there was another stud there because the magnetic stud finder was picking something up there. I immediately hit metal behind the drywall, and when I ran my magnetic stud finder along this line, I realized that almost the entire length of this vertical line was metal. What did I hit, and do I need to open the drywall to see if I caused any damage to anything important?


texts: Is there a reason I should NOT install a ceiling fan in my kitchen?

texts:
We need to install a new ceiling light in the kitchen. We do not have any kind of exhaust fan in the kitchen, and it would be nice to be able to move the air around on the occasion that something gets burned/overcooked. Additionally, the room is very cold during the winter and too warm in the summer. I'd like to install a ceiling fan with a light fixture. I haven't seen something like this done in any kitchen catalogues or renovation idea boards. When I was speaking with the person in the lighting department of my local home improvement store, I mentioned that I wanted to install a ceiling fan with light in the kitchen. He gave me a weird look, chuckled and said, "Okay, if you want to do that, the fans are over there."
So. A couple of things to to note:

We have a gas range, but no range hood.
We do have CO detectors in every room in the basement and on the first floor (where the kitchen is).

Is there any reason not to install a ceiling fan in the kitchen? If so, what is that reason?


texts: What are the differences in the wiring standards between the USA and the UK?

texts: There are lots of electrical questions that assume everyone is in the USA, so what is different for people that are in the UK?


texts: How do I stop a bed frame from squeaking?

texts:
I recently bought a second hand wooden bed frame. All is good except it squeaks quite a lot when I move around on it (ahem). Any advice on fixing the annoying squeak?

EDIT :: photo of the joint


texts: Copper water line connection to fridge has a very tiny leak. How can I fix it?

texts: I just bought a new refrigerator and have connected my previous copper water line to the appliance.  It seemed leak-free, but about an hour after we pushed the fridge back in place we noticed a very tiny puddle so I pulled it out and started over this time using pipe threading (??) and thought that worked.  It once again seemed okay so I pushed it back in place again....wrong.  It still had a drop or two showing up. Since I've pulled it out from the wall, it looks dry again.  Did I tighten it too much?  Did I not use the white tape properly (I only wrapped it once and this is my first time using the stuff)?  Can I use more of it or something else?  Any suggestions would help.  Thanks.


texts: People have been using my back yard as a walk way for sometime. I recently bought the house and my dog goes berserk every time they come through. The fence is smashed beyond anything I have seen on the internet. What can I use to re-stretch the fence back to normal?


texts: How to use RootX in basement floor drain without cleanout

texts:
I have an older house with a basement floor drain that feeds to a gray water tank (separate from our septic tank).  There is also a drain for our washing machine and a sink that feed into the same pipe.

We had slow/no draining and had a professional come and attempt to auger the pipe but he ran into roots about 70' into the drain and was unable to get it clear.  He suggested using a product like RootX to kill the roots, at least as a short-term solution.

My question is, since RootX foams, is it OK to use in a floor drain that has standing water?  I know it has to be flushed down with gallons of water but the drain is too slow to take that much without backing up.  The washer drain has a several foot tall vertical pipe that may be a better option to use, but I'm still concerned the drain is too slow to get the RootX to the roots.  I could possibly wait a few days to make sure the water is as far down in the pipe as possible but wanted others' opinions before I proceed.


texts: How do we repair a hole in our basement foundation wall and the floor?

texts:
Our house was built in 1924. There's a hole in the foundation wall that we need to patch up.
I know we can replace the bricks but what do we fill in the hole with?
Directly over it upstairs (in the front room) is an old wood fireplace that has been replaced with an electronic heater the last owner added to the house.


texts: Greenish Deposit on Outside of Copper Pipe in Bathroom

texts: I'm renovating my bathroom. I ripped out the floor and I noticed that there is a green deposit on the outside of the copper tubing. Is this a problem? Do I need to have a plumber check it out? The pipes are 50 yrs. old.


texts: 50w GU-10 recessed bulb sockets not working

texts: A little while ago I had a couple of GU-10 bulbs burn out. I went and replaced and a couple weeks later they blew out and tripped the circuit to the whole bedroom. Once the circuit was flipped back All the lights worked but the 3 recessed GU-10 lights. I replaced the bulbs and they still don’t work. What else could be the issue?


texts: How to protect exposed bathroom fan wiring

texts:
I‘m replacing a builder’s bathroom vent fan and housing. I have two problems.

The new housing’s knockout cover is missing. Manufacturer doesn’t have a replacement.
The (rigid metallic) conduit leaves wiring exposed.

How can I wire this without leaving anything exposed? I have no attic access.


texts: Electrical wiring for this ceiling lamp with many bulbs?

texts:
I saw this ceiling lamp on the internet, and I thought I would try to build it. I'm trying to be more DIY, but anything related to electrical is new to me.

This question is related to the electrical part of this lamp. Please assume that I know nothing about electricity.

A few questions:

What cables or accessories do I need so that the bulbs hang several from the piece of wood? I was thinking of buying several of these, but then I would need to join all that wiring. And that's my 2nd question.
How do I join all those electric wires into one so that I can connect?
Last but not least, are these cables strong enough to hold the glass bottle?

We used to have another ceiling light here, so the eletric part in the ceiling already exists.


texts: Why would my HVAC blower motor stop working after 10 minutes of runtime

texts:
my 2 year old unit it freezing after it’s been running about 10 minutes. I turned the unit off all last night. This morning I took a look at it outside, then went back in, turned it on, sat by the vent. It was blowing cold air for about 10 minutes and then stopped. I immediately turned it off, went outside to check for any visible signs of ice on the copper lines and or condenser below the outside fan. No signs of freezing. I did see some sweating on the copper lines though.

While standing at the unit, I turned the “Fan” (blower) on the ecobee phone app. From the area where the control board is, I heard a click, then nothing for a few seconds, and then another click. The click sounded like a relay. I didn’t notice any humming or other noises, though at the time, the unit was put together.

I’ve done a lot of reading and based on everything, I’m thinking the problem could be a bad capacitor or contactor.

Does it like I’m on the right track here?

Here are a handful of various pictures: freezing, blower motor, control board, schematics, etc. https://imgur.com/a/DuyeGmK

Thank you for anyone able to provide help! Some things in life are simple fixes, if we spend the time to better understand how they work. If I need an hvac technician, I’m always willing to give up my own bootleg technicians license. :-)


texts:
Do one insert the drill bit fully into the corded drill before securing the bit or can there be any allowances between the drill bit and the corded drill?

(Suppose that the distance between the opening of the drill and the end of the drill hole is 8 cm. There is a drill bit that is 10 cm. If the 10 cm drill bit is fully insert into the drill, one can only see 2 cm of the drill bit. So, do one insert the drill bit fully or there is a recommended range of length that the drill bit must be visible to the eye when it is inserted into the drill?)


texts:
Wire diagram:

Looking for either confirmation or help of its wrong.

The above diagram shows what I’m planning on doing. There’s an existing light switch in my basement that operates the top outlet in 2 receptacles. I’m going to run canned lights in the ceiling where there were no lights previously and add a new switch so that each switch operates a series of lights.

Also I know the neutral wire is missing in the diagram. Did it just to save space since they’ll all be wired and capped together in the switch box.


texts: LED light needs replacing every few weeks

texts:
I have two GU5.3 bulbs in my bathroom - one of them went off a month or so ago so I bought the following 3 pack: https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-3-pack-gu53-led-345-lumens-spotlight-bulb/p/0437672

I've gone through 2 of the new bulbs in the space of weeks. I have never seen the bulbs fade out while being on, it's only when we turn the light switch on that they don't come back on (like this morning, I was first in the bathroom and the bulb was off again). No fuses blown or any indication of tripping.

How should I approach this?


texts: What is the best way to increase the dry time of a water based urethane paint?

texts: I am trying to paint some cabinets with Behr Uerthane Satin Enamel. Spraying and foam rolling both left an orange peel texture. After sanding those down, I tried painting with a Purdh nylox brush and it’s leaving brush strokes, and I’m brushing thin & light so I don’t think my technique is the problem. I’m ok with brush strokes but the ones I’m getting seem too big for a self leveling paint. I’m pretty sure the paint is just drying too fast and doesn’t have a chance to level out. The paint specifically says do not thin, but is there any amount of water I can add that will still be ok to use the paint? Is an additive like floetrol a better option?


texts:
I've tried looking for guides, but I haven't seen any other lights like mine

It seems like there is a cover over the bulb but I haven't been able to remove it and even if I could I don't think the bulb could fit out.

I've tried twisting the white case but there is no movement.

I can't see any clips

There are some screws, but I haven't seen any other fittings that need anything unscrewed to get to the bulb.

The second picture shows how far I am able to pull the fitting out


texts: Are electrical screws a standard diameter?

texts:
I've just had to reset the thermal cutout of my immersion heater. Whilst removing the cover, I've stupidly dropped the nut somewhere behind the tank. Fishing around with a magnet has pulled up all sorts of metal objects, but unfortunately not the nut.

The long threaded screw/bolt in the above picture goes through the hole in the cap. The nut then secures the cap in place.

Will this screw (or threaded bolt, I suppose) normally be a standard size? If I were to try and buy a replacement, what should I be searching for? Or will I have to get hold of some calipers and measure the darn thing?


texts: Is there a specific type of motion detector for use in long hallways?

texts:
I would like to select a single motion detector to drive lighting in a 70 foot hallway (straight corridor approximately 6 ft wide).  A 70 by 6 foot rectangle is to be covered. If it is necessary to use more than one detector then so be it, however less is more.

What are the specifications of a motion detector that describes it range in the  above context?

The current switch is a mechanical timer with maximum of 20 minutes.  A traditional switch, which can be left on indefinitely is not acceptable in this particular scenario. The switch should stay engage lighting for 10-20 minutes.


texts:
When suspending electrical conduit from the ceiling in a warehouse (EMT or Rigid), that runs perpendicular across unistrut, how far apart are the unistrut allowed to be?

What type of conduit is allowed?  EMT or Rigid?


texts: Can I repurpose a 60 Amp heating circuit for standard outlets?

texts: In my basement I currently have old electric wall heaters that are on a 60 amp circuit. I'm getting rid of the heaters and want to reuse the circuit and redirect the wiring to all my electrical outlets only  in my basement. Knowing that  residential electrical outlets carry 120 - 120v, is it safe to use the same  60 amp circuit? What would be the upside /downside by doing it this way if any?


texts: How do I change an overhead light fixture from one bulb to two bulbs?

texts: The old overhead light had one bulb, and it's a 1974 house.  I matched black wires to black wires for the two bulbs, and the white wires to the white wires.  The light goes on but does not go off when I flip the light switch down.  Also, the old fixture had its black wire attached to a reddish/pink wire, and the white one was attached to the white.  So, I tried one of the bulbs with black and black first (and black and black with the other).  No go.  Then I tried one bulb with black and red (and black and black on the other).  Still no go.


texts: Shower panel walls with tile floor? NOT the kit pan/base

texts:
I am planning to redo a small walk in shower. 60" x 32".
My plan is to rip out walls, replace with concrete backer, and redguard the entire thing. For the floor, it currently has small glass mosaic tiles. I want to remove this as well, sand down the old thinset and redguard the floor.
Does that make sense so far?
For the remodel:
I plan to order and install shower panels for the 3 sides. My question is, I want the pebble mosaic style floor and would apply this to the ground. Can I use the panels with a tile ground? How would you best seal the panel to the floor without the panel base kit.
I hope this makes sense, please let me know!


texts:
Hello, I'm trying to figure it what to do with this threshold on my 3 season porch. I'm planning on pulling up the carpet and laying vinyl plank. This is the threshold into the house. It's about an inch tall land comes out into the room about an inch. I'm thinking maybe I could miter some L molding to make a U shape around the threshold.

Any one dealt with something similar?


texts: Replace or supplement very old attic insulation

texts:
My attic has very old insulation, which I have been told provides very little R-value. I suspect the insulation was from when the house was built in 1909.
Question: Should I remove this old insulation before putting fiberglass batts or just put batts on top of it? (The beams are 6").


texts: What is this device on my water heater intake?

texts:
What is this device on my heater water intake?

It have a black plastic cap on top;

It have markings around its body such as:
2" Hg

It connects after the shutoff valve of the heater, and just before the water entry of the heater.


texts:
I'm moving in to a new unfurnished apartment.  Many apartments in my city are reported to have bed bugs.  Is there anything I can do to prevent bed bugs from moving in?  For example, does it help to keep the apartment very clean?  Can I prevent bed bugs by putting the legs of the bed in buckets of water?

See also: How to tell if my new, unfurnished apartment has bed bugs?, How do I locate where bed bugs hide?