texts: Pipe not straight, touching another pipe - possible fixes

texts:
Problem: hearing clicking metal noise when water-based heating is on.
Because this sound travels so quick, it was very hard to find the spot, but finally found it - right below the outlet.

Opened the wall, here it is:

Black pipe in the back: water-based heating.

The three pipes at the front: electrical.

Note that the middle pipe is not straight - maybe a problem during construction? instead of side-by-side/aligned with the other two pipes, the middle pipe has a bend going a little behind. It is touching (ou super close to) the heating pipe and causing the clicking noise as the heating pipe expands/vibrates.

What do you guys suggest? For example:

Just putting something (insulation) between the middle electrical pipe and the heating pipe to stop the clicking noise?
Cutting the middle pipe and installing a Z join (not sure if there is enough space).

All ideas are welcome.
Thanks!


texts: How to install coat hooks securely when holes don't line up with studs (batten depth?, length of screws?)

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I have a single piece set of coat hooks to install on the wall.
By single piece I mean that they are 6 double hooks all attached to a single piece of metal as backing.

(source: pbimgs.com)

There are 3 holes in the backing metal and they don't line up with the studs - surprise surprise.

My current plan is to get a batten (or furring strip I believe it's called in the US) that is wide enough to hit the 3 studs, paint it nicely and screw the hooks into that.

My questions are:

how thick should the batten be?
how long should the screws be to ensure that the hooks can take the weight of the metal and a pile of coats, etc?

Is there a standard somewhere or some way of calculating this to set my partner's mind at rest (she's rather worried that the hooks will not take the weight and fall off the wall).

I should note that I'm aware that there is AC along one of the studs. My stud find shows it and there is a central communications box on the backside of this wall. I really don't want to hit any of that wiring...


texts: Attach 2 wooden broomsticks to make one long broomstick

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I have a branch cutter with a hollow handle. Something like this (except a little more simple):

Now buying long poles to suit the cutter were quite expensive so instead I drilled a hole in a regular wooden broomstick and inserted it into the handle of the cutter then fastened the stick inside with nut/bolt.

Problem is: the stick isn't quite long enough!

Is there any viable way to attach both sticks together (one on top of the other) to increase the length of the stick in a way that it will be strong enough to use to prune date palm branches?


texts: Can I route coaxial cable for tv through a gas fireplace?

texts: Cable guy told me to drill a hole from outside in right through sheet metal in gas chimney to connect tv to cable mounted on mantle?


texts: Dimmer switch with ceiling fan instead of remote

texts: Is there any reason to use a remote control with a ceiling fan (that most come with), which requires a battery and can get lost, when a simple dimmer switch can be installed to regulate the speed? Is it, for some reason, bad to use a dimmer switch with a ceiling fan? This assumes the fan does have a separate wall switch and is not directly wired with a chain switch, like some old ones used to.


texts: Regular Outlet Tripped, Now Various Outlets Are Dead

texts:
Recently, I purchased a new small appliance and when I plugged it in, it did not work.  After using an extension cord, I used another outlet and figured out that the original outlet was at fault.  As I removed the outlet plate before going to switch the breaker off, the outlet suddenly sparked.

After the spark, I noticed that the GFCI outlet in my kitchen was not resetting and thus not working.  I then noticed that a few outlets around the house, along with a couple of light switches stopped working.  I checked all breakers both main and the sub, and none had tripped, but reset them anyway.

As I thought the issue may be the faulty GFCI in the kitchen, I was about to replace it and when I checked to see if there's activity, the meter showed nothing.  This may sound like a ridiculous question, but could a GFCI that is not hot when connected work properly after it is connected?  If this isn't the issue, could it possibly be a circuit gone bad or a fuse (even though none had tripped and all were reset)?  Any input is greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance!


texts: Open steel columns on construction site exposed to heavy rain?

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Last night it rained heavy on a home site where 8, 20ft / 6x6," steel columns (not galvanized) were under the rain as they were sticking up vertically from concrete foundation columns where the bottom of the steel columns were welded to.

What can I do to try to eliminate the rust that may have started inside the columns?


texts: Is a double pole, double throw switch correct for my spa cover motor?

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I have a pool cover motor with a wireless switch that went bad. I want to connect a manual switch for the off season until we replace the cover. I've been trying to connect a DPDT switch but can't figure out the correct connectivity and don't have much info on the motor.

The motor: Cover Pools Model V0731A820, 115 AC

White ----- L1
Blue
Red
Black ------L2
Yellow

Motor states to reverse interchange Yellow and Blue.

should I be using a DPDT switch and any suggestions on how to wiring this up?

Thanks for the help


texts: Do I really need a newel post at every change in direction in a banister?

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I'm constructing a banister for a loft. It's an area with three angled turns - labelled A, B, and C in this picture:

I know the conventional wisdom is that you need a newel post at every change in direction. But do I really need to do that? The banister we had previously had no posts of any kind at points B and C. It was just banister the whole way, and it looked like they used a nail gun to connect the banisters together at points B and C.

The more I think about it, the more it seems like I don't need newel posts at B or C. And once I convince myself of that, it seems like I don't need a newel post at A, either.

For the record, to left of point A where it starts to get black (at the edge of the photo), there's an extremely stable vertical floor-to-ceiling beam that I can anchor my banister to.

Edit: Someone asked what my banister looks like. Here's a picture of that:


texts:
I recently purchased a home built in 1973 that has a fireplace with natural stone tile.

There is however, exposed wood framing right outside the firebox which is part of the tile work that was installed. To make this as safe as possible, does putting some cement board and flashing make the most sense to mitigate any safety concerns? Is there a better approach/material to put between the exposed wood and the firebox? We will only use the natural gas logs so the heat will be in a very controlled range.


texts: Would two 70 pint dehumidifiers work as well as one 140 pint unit?

texts: If so why are dehumidifiers above 70 pt so much more expensive? pros cons? Having two 70 pt in same room vs 1 140 pt?


texts: How do I move a door hinge out 1/8" (door is too tight to the stop molding, makes "paint popping" noise)?

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In an older home, due to layers of paint, I have several doors that close too tight to the stop molding.  If left closed the paint binds up and "pops" (it must be left closed for two or three hours for the pop to happen).

While I could sand the inside edge of the stop molding, the bottom layer is lead paint, and it's not my first choice to manage the dust.  Moving the stop molding also impacts the lead paint layer.

Where can I find a tutorial on adjusting the hinges out a small distance?
What else might work on an older house with layers and layers of lead paint on each door and jamb?

The brown stuff in the photo is paint that apparently stuck during a repainting covered with wax that kinda sorta fixed the problem for a while.  See also Why doesn't my freshly painted door fit back in the frame? and the classic Doors are sticky and noisy when opened?


texts: How do I add blocking to floor truss joists?

texts: I removed rotted subfloor plywood in powder room. I have engineered floor truss joists at irregular spacing. Question, I need to add blocking but the top of the joist is a 2x4 laying flat. Can I block with other 2x4s laying flat? Goal is to pour backer board and then tile.


texts: Do skirting boards prevent\help to manage damp in any way?

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I previously asked this question Do I need to replace skirting in these places? .  Please note the placing of the boards which are behind cabinets but also under the sink area.  Note that the red lines in my pic are not correct, they should go further right up to the end of the sink

In my case of damp, water came through broken tiles behind the sink and down into exactly where most of the skirting boards are(indicated by the red line).  However I have comes across this statement in someones reply to an article:

"..NONE of your correspondents seem to have noted one of the most important functions of the much maligned skirting board - that of concealing the necessary gap between wooden floorboards and masonry to prevent transmission of damp and to allow for expansion and contraction of the boards with temperature and humidity."
https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,,-2689,00.html

Can someone explain what this means?  I'm wondering if the boards actually prevented my damp from going into the floor and spread as the comment would suggest?  And this comment might explain why the skirting goes to the end of the sink my damp situation demonstrating how it works.
Is this statement only relevant if you have floorbaords?


texts: Diagnosing low faucet flow: Single faucet

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I just purchased my first house. The lady I purchased it from was afraid of a few things, two of them being hot water and fast flowing water. The water heater was easy to adjust, but I'm scratching my head over the kitchen faucet.

It has very poor flow. The rest of the house is just fine. When I disconnect the supply lines from the faucet and turn on the valves, it flows just fine. I looked at the cartridges in the handles, they are just fine.

The lady told me that when she had the plumber install the faucet, she asked them to set it up to have very little flow. So I'm thinking, "restriction orifice? Adjusted cartridge for low flow?" I can't find anything that looks like it's adjustable or intentionally blocked.


texts: how to install 1 single pole and 1 2 pole GFCI breakers with common #12 neutral

texts: I have a 15 amp breaker to my pool light and a 20 amp 2 pole breaker to the pool pump both using a common #12 neutral.  How do I wire GFCI breakers to replace existing breakers?  Wires are underground and can not be changed/added.  #12 wires are aluminum.


texts: Replacing a 120 Volt Air Conditioner plug

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I need to replace this plug on my 120v AC unit. (Cord is in good condition) Lowe's has a similar plug but with only three wire connections ( I would like to use this stock plug as an OEM replacement cost more than the air-conditioner is worth $100+) Can I use it and what do I do with the 4 wires on my existing plug to use the 3-wire plug with only three connections?
The Frigidaire FAC105P1A is a 10,000 BTU Energy Star Compliant electronic compact air conditioner with electronic controls.


texts: I have a UL-approved lamp that I've had on my desk since about 2004; it's the kind with two metal arms rising from a heavy base that connect to a halogen bulb fixture. The other day I was working at my desk with a piece of sheet metal (don't ask), and it slipped and briefly contacted both arms of the lamp. Sparks shot everywhere and the lights dimmed. I took the thing apart looking for the broken wire, and instead discovered to my surprise that there are no wires; instead the arms themselves function as the conductors. There's a transformer in the base, presumably so the current won't be enough to kill you, but that obviously isn't enough to prevent problems if there's metal nearby. Can this seriously be how the thing is meant to work?


texts: Suggestions for HDMI/aerial/audio socket

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I'm  planning to hang my TV on the wall. To avoid having cables hanging fro the TV to the sockets and other apparatus I was thinking of adding a socket just behind the TV and have all wires go behind the wall.

Job should be pretty straightforward for power connections but I don't know what to do for HDMI&co.

I would like the arrangement to be flexible, so if tomorrow I need to pass a SCART cable or another HDMI I don't need to make other holes in the wall.

Is there any product suited for this task? What's the best solution?


texts: When re-screening window solar screens, how do I avoid warping the frame?

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I'm re-screening my solar screens.  I have found that a very small one is easy but larger ones present some challenges (not surprisingly).

I don't want the screen to be too loose and sag.  However, if I try and make sure it is taut, it tends to warp the frame inward.

Can someone suggest a technique that will minimize this?  I have thought of making some sort of jig, but all the screens are different sizes and I would rather not have to build a jig for each screen.


texts:
I want to replace my current service entrance panel with a newer 200A unit.

My question is about how to route the wires from the meter and from the house into the new box.  All the boxes that meet my requirements seem to have knock-outs on the bottom and bottom side only.   I can certainly use a side knockout for the wires from the meter but can I create a hole in the back of the box for the house wires?

I am aware of the height limit to the main breaker and should be good there.  Also, does the number of wires coming through the wall look up to code?  About half the wires come from below so I thought I could add a junction box inside then run THWN wires up through conduits to reduce the number of wires going through the one bushing but if I don't have to do that I guess I'd rather not.

In short, if you were going to replace this box how would you proceed?   Thanks!


texts:
Where are the nails suppose to go on the asphalt shingles on the ridge of the roof? Below/On/Above the tar line?  What have you personally see people do?

So I take my 3 tab asphalt shingle and cut out "V"s to make 3 ridge cap asphalt shingles.  I layer one on top of the other to make the ridge on the roof.  But where do the nails go?


texts: How much gap is allowed between the door and striker plate

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I just installed a solid wood door (first time doing it) and I got a gap of 3-4 mm on the hinge side and 6 mm on the striker plate side.

Just looking at it I think the gap is a bit too much, but I might be overthinking it. I even surface mounted the striker plate (instead of inset in a mortise) just to reduce the gap a bit.

The hinges are properly inset but I think that I can shim between the hinges and the door jamb with some cardboard shims.


texts: How can I find joists in my heavily-textured garage ceiling?

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I would like to install ceiling shelves in my garage. However I have a textured ceiling - it's not acoustical texture - more or less it looks like a wavy ceiling. It is also very thick so its nearly impossible to find a seam.

I had done research on this and a couple of ideas were- get a piece of cardboard and run your stud finder along the cardboard - the other idea is drill small holes in ceiling til you hit a stud- and lastly is to measure 16" from one side of the wall to the other. Has anyone ever tried any of these and what worked best for you?


texts: Most efficient way to improve my house's heating

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I live in the mid-Atlantic in a 100 year old house, and I'm looking for a way to reduce my heating bill.  Last winter, I left the thermostat at 68F, and our gas bills were incredibly high, despite still feeling cold inside the entire time.  I received an energy audit, but, except for confirming the fact that we have no insulation in the walls, it was pretty worthless.  All of their recommendations came out to cost about $25k (after government rebates) and they calculated that it wouldn't pay for itself for 47 years.  Needless to say, I decided to not use their services.

This winter, I hope to make at least one serious improvement to the house to help out with heating efficiency.  Some of my ideas are listed below.  I am wondering which will get me the most bang for my buck, or if there are other potential projects which I haven't thought of.

Add Wall Insulation

The house doesn't have any insulation in the walls.  The plan would be to tear down the walls in select rooms and add fiberglass batt insulation, then put drywall back up.  I am hesitant to use foam insulation mainly because I plan on redoing some of the electrical wiring, and I feel like using foam insulation would wake that very difficult.  Plus, when I take the walls down, I can run electrical lines at the same time as adding the insulation.  Taking down the walls and installing the insulation would probably be a DIY job, but I might hire someone to do the drywall.

I have already replaced the old modly, compacted  insulation in the attic with 6" fiberglass between the ceiling joists, but I could probably add more too.

Replace Boiler

We have a gas boiler that heats water (not steam) for cast iron radiators in each room, but it looks pretty old.  The "Energy Guide" sticker on the furnace says the efficiency is 83.5%.  I know that some more modern hot water boilers have efficiency ratings as high as 95%, so another idea would be to replace the boiler with a new efficient boiler.  I would have to high someone to install the boiler - at least the gas lines.

Replace the Windows

All of the windows in the house are original, so there is a lot of heat escaping through the windows.  Since replacing windows in the entire house is a pretty large undertaking, I would probably just figure out which are the worst offenders and replace them.  This would also be a pro job.

Which of these would give me the most bang for my buck for reducing my heating bill?  Is there anything else I missed?


texts:
my Dad's shed had a roof that he didn't take care of for a while and now appears to have rotted in several regions.
I'll provide several pictures, but the video is best: Link
What is the best way to approach a problem like this, and what would be the best solution to it. Also, what is the likely extent of the damage so far, and is this a risk to the roof failing?
Left Side:

Right Side:


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I'm aware that the WeMo light switch does not work as a 3-way switch, but I had purchased it before opening up the existing light switch plate and understanding the wiring I would work with.

Anyway, I removed the light switch plate and discovered what appears to be a 3-way switch.  (I recently moved into this house with a whole bunch of sketchy wiring, and actually DO NOT know the location of another switch that controls that same set of exterior lights on my detached garage!)  A red jumper cable is connected to the common terminal of the switch, and two black cables connect to the other terminals on the light switch.  The box didn't exhibit any obvious sign of a separate (white) neutral cable.

On a lark, I decided to wire the WeMo as follows:

Red jumper cable to the expected white, neutral terminal on the WeMo,
Black cables to black terminals on the WeMo, and
Capped the green/ground terminal on the WeMo.

To my surprise, the WeMo had power and booted up.  However, when I pressed the WeMo button to turn on the lights, none of the garage's exterior lights turned on.  I swapped the black wires and encountered the same dead end, so I restored the old switch and can turn the garage's exterior lights on/off.

I'm certainly disappointed that I didn't successfully install the WeMo, but I'm also confused.  If the WeMo had power, clearly I had both hot and neutral correctly wired to the WeMo.  Assuming the WeMo isn't defective, why wasn't it actually acting as a switch?  What are some theories on how these lights are actually wired?


texts: Is this how I add GFCI and Regular Outlet to existing Multi Wire Branch Circuit, 20amp? 12/3 to 12/2 wiring with GFCI

texts: I have a multi wire branch circuit using two 20amp breakers and a single run of 12/3 wire to a single split outlet in our laundry room.   The top outlet (black) powers the gas dryer, the bottom outlet (red) powers the washer.  We are adding a wet bar to the opposite side of the laundry room wall.  I would like to run power from that laundry outlet to a new GFCI breaker outlet (because it will be within 3 feet of a sink), and then on to another outlet that will power beverage fridges.  Can I pigtail connections to one of the outlets in the laundry room receptacle in order to provide this new power?  Will the GFCI work correctly for itself and the new outlet downstream of it?  Or will the shared neutral and ground screw up my plan?


texts: Building home on slab foundation on lot above natural spring

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We are towards the end of costruction on a new home in rural northeast georgia on a flat lot(slight slope towards the street) and as the electric company started digging to place the final wires they hit a natural spring.

The only additional drainage on the lot is a medium drainage pipe on the left side of the lot that connects directly to city drain on the street.

When it has not rained in a day the lot is dry overall up top but there is water present in most holes that are deeper than a foot.

My question is, could this still be a safe lot for the house with a water spring underneath the slab foundation?


texts: How can I eliminate condensation on my toilet tank?

texts: My toilet is getting a great deal of condensation on the tank and dripping onto the floor. What can be done to address condensation on the exterior of a toilet tank?


texts: What can I do about small cracks in fireplace (unused) caulk during freezing weather?

texts:
It's 1 (one) degree F outside and I discovered some very small (less than 2 inch) cracks/holes in the caulk between my fireplace surround (wall) and the hearth that extends out from the wall (see pic below for a close up of the largest crack). This is letting in some insanely cold air, and I'd like to stop it.

We don't use the fireplace so I technically don't have to use fire-rated caulk, but I'm worried that any kind of caulk won't properly cure when the temperature is so low (the temp of the fireplace and hearth measured with an IR thermometer is in the 35-40 degree F range).

I'd like to temporarily seal the gaps (at most, there are 3-4, with the largest being the 2" gap pictured) crack and then deal with this permanently when it warms up in the spring (considering installing a pellet stove insert).

What's a good temporary fix to stop the air infiltration?

I was thinking about using HVAC foil tape but not confident this actually stops the air from coming in.

Worth mentioning this is in a kids' playroom, so prefer to avoid anything toxic since we can't easily ventilate in the cold.

And yes...I am learning my lesson about inspecting this stuff when it's still warm enough outside to fix it!


texts: How do I diagnose voltage fluctuations that affect my receiver?

texts:
I recently moved into a town house and have noticed that my home theater, in particular the receiver seems to freak out and show only snow when I turn on and off fans and other electrical appliances. The snow lasts until I switch the input source on the receiver or power it off and on. This is despite having the receiver on a power conditioner.

Equipment:

Receiver - Denon AVR-1909
TV - Samsung HL61A750
Power Conditioner - APC AV H10
Cable Box
Xbox 360

Connections:

Receiver -> TV - HDMI
Cable Box -> Receiver - Component
Xbox360 -> Receiver - HDMI

Do these fluctuations damage the receiver at all?

Is this a wiring issue in the house?

Also how could I track down the problem?


texts: What is the manufacturer of this 1990s toilet?

texts:
I'm going to get a better pic today. But this toilet is from 1991, bone in color and elongated. The elongated toilet seat replacements at Home Depot are an inch or two too short.

We just purchased this home and are trying to find the manufacturer. So far, we are unable to locate any identifying marks.

Ok, we just found a number inside the tank, 1957 12 7 89. I'm trying to look it up now.

Thank you, Susan


texts: What kind of skylight would allow the most light and heat into my home?

texts: I live in Canada. I want to bring in more light as well as heat into the living space. I have a standard 8' ceiling. Are there any products that will allow the heat from the sun into the house as well as the light?


texts: Do I have to increase the water line diameter all the way to the water meter?

texts: I have a 1/2" water line into my house from the meter.  I would like to change that over to use a 3/4" or a 1" line into my house.  Do I need to replace all the 1/2" pipe back to the meter with my larger line, or can I just start replacing it inside the house?  I'm concerned I will lose pressure if I don't replace it back to the meter.


texts:
I currently have the following circuit in a room:
￼
I plan to add a ceiling light and was going to tie the light switches black and ground to the new ceiling wires black and ground, and then use a wire nut to cap the ceiling wires neutral and leave it in the box not connected to anything.
I know the NEC 2011 says a neutral should be in the box, but is a neutral even required in a lighting circuit?  Is leaving the capped neutral from the ceiling wire in the box a problem? Or is a neutral absolutely required here?
In the diagram, the neutral in this circuit comes from the outlet, and a neutral used as a hot wire is connecting the single pole switch.


texts:
My Toronto, CA condo has Sakura R727II range hood (Installation Guide)
 and has

  Twin sensor-loaded motors
  Twin centrifugal turbo fans
  Teflon-coated non-stick fan blades
  Rear oil collectors

This website says

  a thin aluminum filter traps grease even before reaching the fan blades

but where's filter?


texts: Round Metal Gate Fence Post is Spinning When Gate is Opened

texts:
I need to correct a small problem with a metal gate post.  When the gate is opened to its full opening, the leverage of the gate pulling against the gate post causes the post to spin inside the post hole and then the gate becomes misaligned with the attachment mechanism (on the right of the gate).  Other than this, the post itself is very secure and stable.  In the attached image, the post on the left of the gate spins inside of its post hole when the gate is opened fully.  Additional image is provided to give you more detail on the post installation.

I'm trying to find a remedy to stop the post from spinning, but that does not require removing the fence post. Why? -- I don't believe there is adequate space around the post to dig it out and reseat it (due to the large amount of concrete surrounding the post).

Please let me know what ideas you have.

Thank you!


texts: How to support a partially demolished chimney

texts:
The chimney on my house used to be one of those old brick ones that goes all the way down to a fireplace on the ground floor. The previous owner of my house removed the fireplace and almost all of the interior part of the chimney. The only parts left are the actual chimney on the roof, with a large, partially removed part dangling under it in the attic. This has proved way to heavy for the roof to support, so I initially wanted to remove it but the brickwork is in such a bad condition that I'm afraid hacking away at it would cause the whole thing to collapse, damaging either my attic floor, the wall, the roof, and possibly hurting people outside. Also removing the chimney would leave me with a hole in my roof that I am currently unable to repair.

I'm now thinking of rebuilding part of the chimney on a strong surface that can carry the load.

Here's a diagram of the current situation:

There are two sturdy beams supporting the roof near the partially demolished chimney. I was thinking of bolting two perpendicular support beams onto them, with a layer of concrete forming plywood resting on top of them, below the chimney. I figured I could then build up a brick support that the chimney could then rest upon, distributing the weight through the support onto the roof beams, like so:

Is this a sound strategy, or am I likely to run into trouble?


texts: How to attach a wall plate to an old junction box with different screw hole spacing?

texts:
I have two round junction boxes on top of my mantle that were used to support sconces.

I removed the sconces and want to cover the hole. The junction box screw holes are 2.75" apart. I can not find any cover plates that have those screw spacings.

How do I mount a wall plate with different screw spacings to that junction box?

Currently I have a rectangular wall plate covering it with only one screw in place until I find the better solution.

Is an option to get a large double rectangular plate and mount with 4 wall screws and attach directly to the wall? Is this considered "to code"?


texts:
This is a UK install for reference.

Long story short is I essentially have a 13A plug wired direct to an RCBO. Output of the RCBO is connected to a 13A trailing socket.

There's a multimeter inline between the earth of the 13A socket and plug. Functional earth is connected to the earth pin of the 13A plug.

With the RCBO off, as expected, the current on earth is 0A. Turning the RCBO on causes a current of 6mA to appear on the earth.

Why is that?


texts: Finger / Palm Prints on Danish oil stained wood

texts:
Question: How do you get rid of hand prints on a pine table from under a treatment of colored danish oil?

Background
I was varnishing a new unfinished pine table, and decided to use a fine sandpaper over the surface of the table. However while doing this I rested my hand on the table, and might have left some sweat / body oil on the table. This was not visible on the unfinished table, but soon as I started applying the stain/Danish oil I noticed a lot of my hand prints appear in a few spots on the table.

I could sand down the entire finish and restart, but short of that, is there any other way that I can mask / get rid of those hand prints?

Thanks and Regards,
Basil Dsouza


texts: What can I do to prevent possible gradual erosion on this small slope

texts:
Just had a paver walk installed and the end of it has an elevation of 6" from the grass edge 18" away.

I live in Maryland.  I was thinking about the possibility of gradual erosion due to rain coming off the edge of the paver walkway.

Thanks for your help.


texts: Should my bathroom's plumbing vent be downstream of the toilet connection?

texts:
My wife and I just bought a house and have been smelling sewer gases from our tub. After taking a look at the piping, the tub doesn't have a p-trap. My original plan is to install a trap before the sink's tie-in, but I have two questions:

1) With the current piping, is a tub trap all that I need?

2) What is up with the vent being after the toilet tie-in?

Attached is a simple drawling of the plumbing, and here's the description:

We live in a rancher house, with a main floor and basement underneath (Where all the piping connects)
The main air vent (2" diameter / Purple line in the drawling) runs from the roof down to the basement ceiling
The tub's drain connects directly to it's overflow pipe, and then runs straight down to the basement ceiling (Total length of pipe to the basement is about 2ft)
The tub's piping in the basement runs straight into the sewer line (Orange line in the drawling / Total length of the basement run to sewer line is an additional 5ft)
The bathroom sink has a trap underneath, which empties into the tub's line in the basement
The Toilet (with built-in trap ties directly into sewer line 6 inches down from where the tub's line connects into the sewer line
The Air vent line ties directly into the sewer line 6 inches down from where the toilet ties into

Does this make sense that the air vent would be so far down the line (After the tub, sink and toilet)?

Thanks for your time! :)

P.S. Here's a few notes:

This house was built in 1972
When the house was built, it originally had a septic tank, but since the early 2000s, it has been on city sewer (Not sure of exact date)
The tub, sink and toilet drain without an issue (No gurgling or slow draining)

Edit: I had some time to take pictures of the actual plumbing, see below:

1) Basement Piping Layout

2) Tub - Overflow and Drain Connection

3) Tub - Piping to Basement

4) Tub - Piping in Basement

5) Sink - Piping to Basement

6) Sink - Piping in Basement

7) Tub and Sink - Connection to Sewer Line

8) Toilet and Air Vent - Connection to Sewer Line


texts: I'm assuming it's the mitre cut and not the coping. Mitre cut was with a hand saw and mitre box at 45 degrees. I'm also assuming the ceiling is 90 degrees to the walls and the walls are 90 degrees to each other. Why is this cut so way off?


texts: How to connect two dimmers to control two sets of lights independently

texts:
I have just moved to Germany, and have a room with a double-gang system. The lower is a rotary dimmer which controls the lights in the kitchen, and the upper is a double rocker switch that simply turns living-room lights on or off.

I want to replace the double-rocker switch with another dimmer. I bought the same type of Busch dimmer as the one that controls the kitchen lights and tried to fit it. The problem is that I now have the new rotary dimmer fitted, but when you turn it on, it switches both kitchen and living-room lights on. Moreover, it is dimming the living-room. The other dimmer for the kitchen does not dim, it only switches the light on or off.

So I have two dimmers: one works as an on/off switch for both dimmers (I don't want this, I want them to be independent) and dims itself, but other dimmer will not switch on/off independently and does not dim!

The existing wiring was 1 black wire and 2 yellow wires coming into the top double-rocker, and 1 black wire coming into rotary dimmer. Between both dimmer and rocker was a single brown traveler wire crossing between. I have tried simply to replicate the wiring but to no avail.

Front view of Busch Dimmers

Wiring of both Dimmers

Rear view of original Rocker switch wiring, top far right had brown wire, next to Black wire

Front view Rocker

Complete Double Gang Dimmer Below for Kitchen, and Rocker above for Living Room

Notes on photos:

Front view of Busch Dimmers: Original wiring was as the photo shows, except that the rocker switch  on the left (now the new dimmer) had both yellow wires going to it (see photo). I changed this as dimmer were not dimming, and placed wire across to second dimmer, which briefly made both dimmers work.
Front Overhead view of Dimmers:  the orange wire in photos is in fact the Black wire (extended).
The rear-view of the original Rocker switch (to Kitchen, no. 5 on block) had Brown wire going to Top Far Right (right of the ‘L’ ) next to which was the Black wire. I hope this explains things a bit better.

Also forgot to mention:
The kitchen lights are 4 x 30 watts
The living room lights are   4 x 60 watts


texts: Should I switch to a vertical exhaust fan to avoid 90 degree bends?

texts:
I am replacing the original kitchen exhaust fan on my 1950s house.  The old one vented sideways to an immediate 90-degree bend (to 8-inch rigid ducting) and then straight up about 24~36 inches to the roof cap.

I purchased a new unit with the same sideways exhaust but after reading some interwebs resources (for example) it sounds like avoiding 90-degree bends is best practice.  I didn't see anything in the new unit's installation instructions about 90-degree bends or really any kind of ducting recommendations.

If I were to switch to a unit with a vertical vent I would need to make up the displacement by using flexible ducting instead of rigid, which I hear is also non-ideal.  (Unless there are bends available at less than 90 degrees for 8-inch ducting; didn't see any at HomeD.)

Which would be the best solution?  Or is there a better one yet?


texts: I need to combine two wires with very light room lighting loads into one breaker in the panel to free up one breaker for another use.  How best to combine the two wires and insert only one into the breaker (since the two can't fit)?


texts: How to remove a bathroom faucet stem with an awkward fastener?

texts:
I've never seen this style of fastener for a faucet stem.
It doesn't seem to be screwed into the threads.
I need to replace the faucet and I have no clue how to disassemble it.
How do I remove this?

EDIT: Extra photos
The inside side is much like the front. You can see on the far faucet stem what the side facing the center looks like.

A closer look at the threads. The "fork" piece seems to be clipped onto a ring that is screwed onto the threads.


texts: Cooker Hood Shorts When the Outer Cover Touches a Wall Bracket Installed to Stabilise the Cover

texts: I have installed a cooker extractor hood which works fine with the vertical outer cover off. When I rest the hood cover on the extractor base and it touches a high level wall mounted bracket installed to steady the cover (not bolted to the cover) the MCB trips?


texts: Toilet bowl fills very slowly unless the shut off valve is turned off and then on again

texts: The toilet bowl is filling up very slowly.  When I take the back of the toilet off, I see that there is only a little bit of water going into the fill up tube.  I then found that if I turn off the water to the toilet and then turn it back on again, the water pressure is perfect and the toilet fills up normally.  Do I need to change the water shut-off valve or is it something in the tank that needs to be fixed?


texts: I’d like to replace the three toggle switch with a two toggle switch. The leftmost switch (as shown in the below photo) does not control anything in my bathroom. I’d like to replace this leftmost switch a blank face plate. What do I do with the wire on the left switch? The middle switch controls all the lights and the rightmost switch controls the bathroom fan.


texts: What is the safest way to fix a curtain rail?

texts: What is the safest way to secure a curtain rail? It is sloping on one side and could fall.


texts: Can I move the location of the well equipment?

texts:
Our well is located under the giant metal sheet that is in the picture below. I don't like that it is in our driveway. Is there any way that I can move the "plumbing" over like 10 feet? I don't really know what is under the cover to be honest either (as far as equipment goes). I think there is a pump under it? Couldn't I just move the pump over and reconnect the pipes? Or is that not how the well can be set up.

NOTE: The well is about 280' deep. The pressure tank is inside.


texts:
Bear with me - this will take a long explanation before I get to the actual question. I’ll try to be brief.

I have a damp, moldy basement. I had an interior French drain and 2 sump pumps installed several years ago (more than 10), but that did not completely eliminate the problem. I want water to be COMPLETELY eliminated from my basement, as I want to finish it and turn it into additional living space.

I am now installling an exterior French drain. The problem that I have run into is that, for some unknown reason, there are six courses of block below the level of the basement floor. I have no idea why the house was built this way, but the problem that it has caused is that the exterior French drain will now be significantly below the level of the interior sump pits.

My thought was to just bring the French drain through the block and have it spill into the sump pit and let the pump take it from there, but since I will be so much deeper than the sump pit, I have to come up with a different solution. Here are the ideas that I have had so far:

Make the sump pits deeper and proceed with the idea of bringing the water inside the walls and into the sump pits. I wonder if this is a bad idea, because if I am keeping the water out of the house, am I shooting myself in the foot by intentionally bringing it inside?  I plan to install new sump pumps with battery backups, but if they should happen to fail for some reason, my finished basement would flood.
Keep all of the French drain outside. In order to do this, however, I would have to install additional sump pumps outside and UNDER GROUND. Can this even be done?  Again, they would have battery backups, but would be completely underground, so cleaning and servicing would require significant excavation. Should I just put in a sump pit that is 10 feet deep and keep the top of it just a few inches below grade?
Put the French drain just below the level of the basement floor and leave the additional depth below that level alone. Again, I have no idea why the foundation goes so far below floor level, but it does. Why would it matter if water is allowed to permeate the block below the level of the basement floor?  I realize that moisture could still get into the concrete floor in this option, but I don’t think it would be enough to be an issue.  If I go with this option, that will solve the issue of the drain being below the level of the sump pits, whether I go through the wall and into the existing sump pits or install new outdoor sump pumps.

Thank you in advance for your input and advise.


texts:
At about 3am this morning, one of my smoke detectors started to give off a chirp -- the 'maybe my battery is dead, maybe I'm dirty' chirp.

We managed to more or less sleep through it. By the time we got up in the morning, no more chirps. I'm sure it's waiting for us to be fast asleep again.

I've been through this before. These are all, by the way, wired detectors. it's their backup batteries that they complain of.

A few weeks ago, in the hopes of heading all of this off, I double-checked that all the batteries were recent, and I replaced all the remaining 10-year-old detectors with new ones.

UPDATE

3:30AM this morning. Beep *Beep*

Take a walk around. It is not evident which one is making the noise. Reach a conclusion. Pull one down. Back to bed.

A few moments later: Beep *Beep*

Out of bed again, but it refuses to beep while I'm standing there.

There are not alarm beeps, these are battery beeps.

Turn up the thermostats to daytime. Beeping stops.

Any suggestions?


texts: Mortise lock conversion from key to privacy?

texts: I just bought a house from the 1920s and all the interior doors are mortise locks with skeleton keys. I would like to change some from key to privacy with a thumbturn.  Is there a way to simply convert or do I have to replace the mortise lock to a privacy lock first?  My doors do not have backplates/trim plates and the wife doesn't want to add them to the door, but through my research it doesn't look like I can just buy a thumbturn and insert it. Just want to make sure I'm not missing other options. TIA!


texts: What should I do with insulation in basement ceiling?

texts:
I am fixing up my basement, and to make it seem bigger- we decided to remove the drop ceiling and are going to have the exposed ceiling and duct work sprayed black.

There is some insulation around the outside walls between the top of the wood paneling and the ceiling...what should I do with this? None of the insulation is in bad condition, but I don't really love the look of it and would prefer it be removed, but I also don't want this to cause any issues with the heating in the house. The basement itself is heated.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated!


texts: What is the minimum drill voltage/power required for a plumbing snake bit?

texts:
In particular this one Cobra Products 25Ft Power Drain Snake.

Will a 12-volt cordless be strong enough?


texts:
Is there a way to mount this sink on the wall?
On the right side of the back of the sink, the outline of the 4th hole is molded onto the sink and I thought perhaps I can drill into that spot to reveal a hole that would allow me to hang it the sink on the wall.

I cannot access the holes on top from the front of the sink but it seems i could hang the top two holes on suitable supports and drill stainless screws from the front in the bottom two holes

The backing is plenty strong.

Is this possible?


texts: Why is there a one second delay before the lights turn on with this new dimmer switch?

texts: I just installed a new dimmer switch (Lutron Skylark (SCL-153PH-WH)) in my dining room.  The previous switch was a single pole dimmer switch that would turn on the lights on immediately when switched on. The new switch is a one or two pole dimmer switch.  I found that there was only a red and orange wire in the box to connect to the red and black wires on the new switch.  I connected red to red and black to orange.  It has a one second delay when the light is turned on.  Now I wonder if I have mis-wired it or if I have a faulty switch.  Any ideas on why this is occurring and how to correct the lag so it is instant on?


texts: Why would my microwave continually rotate when connected to a voltage stabilizer which is also used for a refrigerator?

texts: When I connected my microwave oven to a voltage stabilizer which is being used for refrigerator,the microwave oven motor starts working without any functions provided.The motor keeps on rotating at lower rpm. What could be the reason behind this?


texts: How to seal up decay around bilco doors?

texts:
I have a bilco door to my basement. It's pretty old, some of the cement around the base has started to decay, and there are some holes in the door itself (just the way it was made?).

I'm going to close the entrance completely within a few years for a home expansion project, but I'd like to try sealing this up temporarily as best as I can.

First picture are holes in the door construction - I was thinking of just getting some weather stripping to put in there. Then apply some kind of sealant from the outside - anyone have alternative ideas?:

Next picture is the cement at the base that is crumbling - anyone have a recommendation for a pre-mixed cement product I can use to close up the seal between the doors and the cement base?:

Thanks


texts:
I am installing floating floors in a 1970s condo where the door frames are metal.  Side jambs are right against the concrete subfloor with no gaps.
I tried an oscillating tool with Bosch carbide-tipped blades and after a full minute, it looked like a fingernail scratch.  My current tool is a cheap B&D - would it be worth borrowing a friend's tool to see if it makes a difference?
Another option was grabbing the right blade and getting down with an angle grinder.  I have no experience using them and it honestly looks pretty frightening.  However if there are no alternatives then I will just have to do my research and be careful.
The last option was renting an electric jamb saw tool and buying metal-specific blades.  This path would be over $100 and some effort to find one as they are all rented out nearby.
Hoping anyone has better ideas for how I can undercut the metal!  Maybe there's some secret multitool technique that I'm missing?  Thanks all


texts: How should this sink drain be connected?

texts:
There was a blockage in the sink and I dismantled the pipes trying to fix it but cannot put it back together correctly. It appears the Waste drain pipe that leaves the house is too high and maybe the plumber used a special configuration of the pipes to make it work.

Can someone please sketch me a quick diagram of how I connect things back up?

Thank you in advance for your time!


texts:
I've recently purchased an old house (circa 1725), which has a brick constructed outbuilding of about 3x5 meters. The previous owners claim they were using it as an office. There was no evidence of damp, but looking at the state of it when we arrived, I'd be surprised if they'd used it as anything but storage.

The construction seemed solid, so I redecorated and carpeted (removing the previous linoleum). When doing so, I noticed the door didn't quite fit the jam properly - it's an old door for an old building, so air tightness wasn't a priority. However, there were actual sections at the base where you could poke your finger to the outside world. I've sealed it as best I can, and will have it professionally corrected soon. It's probably been that way for about 25 years.

Since finishing the project 5 days ago and beginning to use the room, I've noticed signs of dampness. It's mostly around the door, where the paint has become seriously discoloured already. On heating the room all day, the lower half of the door wall (nearest the worst door hole) was really quite wet. Moreover, the area of paint above 75% skirting board has become similarly discoloured (worse in the corners of the room). There's no evidence of damage higher up the walls or near the roofing (aside from a small area around the upper area of the door wall, near another gap).

Before I panic and think there's some more sinister structural issue, I'd like to ask how likely it is that the gap(s) in the door would have caused this effect? That is, once the door is repaired, and the room dried out, could my problem be fixed, or is the fact that the damp has spread quite a long way from the door a bad sign?


texts: My day care center, located in a 100+ year old house and only licensed for 28 kids, had an HVAC system installed about 15 years ago.  Can it be set to vent ALL indoor air and send only cooled outdoor air throughout the house?  I am trying to remove any airborne COVID particulate. I'm willing to give up comfort for safety during this COVID pandemic.


texts: How remove Sakura R-727II range hood to clean inside?

texts: I don't know how range hood is fixed under panel. By way, what do you call this fixation under panel?


texts:
I am installing a new light fixture into ceiling. There is a round hole there right now (from a recessed light that I removed).

The problem is this round hole is just short in diameter of standard junctions boxes (octagonal ones). A rectangular junction box will fit through the hole however.

The question is: are there any code regulations that I cannot have a rectangular junction box in a round hole?

I am in Ontario, Canada.


texts: What would cause my line sets to equalize in cooling mode?

texts:
My heat pump line sets only get different temperatures briefly on startup in cooling mode. Then the hissing noise stops and they equalize and only the lower 1/4th of the a-coil gets cold and condensates. In heat mode they seem to work fine, one hot and one cold. A tech came out and said i was low on refrigerant 410a and added it to my system. I still have the same problem.
I have a Nordyne split system electric heat pump. Model #JT4BD-030K 2.5 Ton Phase 1


texts: There is a red wire in my ceiling junction box. What does it do? Where would I hook the ground wiring from the fan?

texts:
I am installing a vent fan in my basement bathroom.  I am ready to wire it in, but I do not know what this red wire is for:

https://imgur.com/a/uSnRLuv

I also am not sure what the green ground wire in the fan is supposed to be attached to.  I saw on some other posts here that you shouldn't wire the green ground to the white because you can shock yourself when you turn on the switch.  That was in reference to a ceiling fan, so I would imagine an exhaust fan would be the same.

I appreciate any clarification :).

Edit: added some more pictures for clarification.


texts:
I have a Samsung DW80K5050US its not that old and under used.

The water flows in from the side to the base

The water gets hot

The water Won't Spray or move or jet or anything

Then the water gets drained out

Any thoughts?  I feel like this should be easy.
Thanks,
-Greg


texts: Why do I run out of hot water after 5 min?

texts:
I have a gas water heater and recently found that I do not get more than 5min of hot water.  Previously I would be able to take a half hour shower. I see no leaks around water heater.  It also seems that the water heater is always running.

What could be causing this?


texts: Can I install insulation on the ceiling of an old unfinished basement? I have a bungalow home with hardwood floors.


texts: Should shingles have bubbles in a new roof?

texts:
I just had a roof repaired (shingles replaced) because of hail damage. As far as I can tell, everything looks good. Except for one section, there's what I would only describe as a large bubble.

Are bubbles normal on new shingles, in such a way they'll work themselves out? Here's a picture, though it might not be apparent.

There are other soft spots in the roof, but this is by far the largest.

UPDATE:

Thanks for responses. I got into the attic and this is what I found:

Uneven seam where the two pieces of plywood meet. Wood doesn't look damaged to me, though (not really a wood guy either!).


texts: How to mount a 1/2" UNF drill chuck on an angle grinder with M14 thread?

texts:
I want to connect a drill chuck with 1/2"x20 UNF female thread to an angle grinder with a M14x2 male thread. How to?

Safety Warning: Do not use a drill chuck at higher speeds than it is designed for. Specifically, it is not designed for the 10-12000 rpm of a typical angle grinder. Using it in this way may result in serious injuries.

(This question is still meaningful because there are angle grinders with speed control, and running them on slow rpms will be ok with a drill chuck. Or, for that matter, the required adapter will also help building a DIY angle drive from a dead angle grinder, which is then used with a normal power drill.)


texts:
We have noticed in our new home (which was renovated quite poorly by the previous owner), that the drywall screws are visible. We can visibly see where every stud is.

Does this simply require sanding and painting? Or did they not drill them in enough?


texts:
I would like to make a DIY drop seeder like the one shown here. I am just very inexperienced with acrylic/plexiglass as a material.

What thickness would you consider, looking at the video/image below?
How would I go about creating those circular notches on the surface?
Any considerations about cutting acrylic sheets?


texts: How do I extend existing 10/3 wiring to run a compressor that needs 12/2 wiring?

texts:
I am installing a new compressor in my garage. I already have 240V installed to run a kiln. The kiln is only used maybe 10 times a year. My thought is to splice into the 240V line to the kiln to run the compressor which is also 240v. The kiln is wired with 10/3 off a dual 30A breaker. the compressor needs 12/2 and pulls 15A.

What is the best way to do this?


texts: How do I make a 110V fan turn on when the thermostat turns the AC on?

texts:
I have installed a new a/c with thermostat...easy enough, but thought to add a fan to the mix. Basically, I'd like to add a fan to increase ventilation into a second room that would turn on whenever the A/C turns on. I know you can run to multiple low voltage devices off a single thermostat, but what would be required to add a 110 fan so that it turns on exactly when the A/C turns on?

Thanks,
Pradhan


texts: How to prevent tree roots from puncturing pond liner?

texts: I am building a pond using HDPE pond liner. I'd like to plant various trees around the back of the pond, but am concerned the roots will eventually grow and puncture the liner. Is there such a concern? Are there any steps I can take in the design process to minimize this chance?


texts: What should I do about this load bearing wall that is only supported by a joist floor?

texts:
My floors pitch in the same spots as they do on the 1st and 2nd floors.

My home was built in the 1890's. I have some soft spots in the basement joists and added 4x4" posts to each side of the main support beam in the basement. I jacked up the floors and realized I have a load bearing wall, or at least I think I do, that doesn't line up with a joist or any support beam in the basement.

The wall I think that is load bearing, has a heating duct that goes up it, would that still be considered a load bearing wall? I am fairly new to handy man work.

The image attached depicts my main support beam (orange) and joists in the basement (pink) (stone foundation), the green lines are the 4x4" posts we put in place. The blue line is where the load bearing wall is.

The joists are 2x7", 13' long on each side of the main beam, about 19" apart - there is a lot of piping, wires, so sistering would be a huge project.

I noticed a couple weeks after we put the posts up (green lines), the floor near the blue line pitches more than before, the same in the 2nd floor and there is a small hairline crack running along the edge of the ceiling, about an inch from where the ceiling meets the wall, this runs perpedicular to the load bearing wall, as seen in the sketch below. The blue line is the load bearing wall, which leads into the laundry room, and the black line is the outline of the living room (where I see the hairline crack in the ceiling), around the corner is a hallway that leads to the stairs to go upstairs. The orange line is the hairline crack in the ceiling, I believe it is plaster.

I am going to try and slowly jack up the load bearing wall with more posts, its not pretty, but I don't mind a series of posts in the basement at this point for peace of mind. I had a company quote me for $9300, that would involve what I did with the two posts (green) I ran parallel to the main support beam and installing a steel beam in the 1st floor ceiling to support the joists above it. I thought I'd try to see if I could it myself, I know when to defer to a professional, if I don't see much improvement after I jack my load bearing up with support, then I will bring in a professional.

What are some things you would recommend at this point, do I not try and jack up the load bearing wall slowly, etc...?


texts: Connecting PSW inverter directly to service panel

texts:
I am building am off-grid solar power system for my home. In a previous home I did the same, using a transfer switch from inverter to service panel. I want to avoid the complexity of a transfer switch this time, connecting the pure sine wave output from a large capacity inverter directly to my service panel, taking advantage of the branch circuit breakers and in-home wiring. I'll use an interlock switch to isolate the 200a main breaker.
1)  Am I correct that I can simply add the proper sized branch circuit breaker and connect the inverter output directly to that?  Of course, the interlock switch will prevent the 200a breaker from being on at the same time.
2) Must I use a split phase inverter? If the full power from the inverter (8,000w to 10,000w) is input with the one breaker I install, will 240vac items draw from that as well - or do I have to run a separate breaker for 240vac? I would truly appreciate anyone's assistance with this. John


texts:
I am finishing exchanging more than 25 switches in my home with smart Lutron dimmers and Pico remotes (no neutral wiring needed). Some of them have been single pole, some 3-way (controlling both ceilings fans and light fixtures). Up until now all of the  work has been fairly simple. Disconnect, identify hot vs load or travelers and reconnect the same way (except for the bundling of travelers together that the Lutron switches require and bundling of all cables that Pico remotes require). Nothing out of the ordinary.

I am in my last switch (3-way) and when I opened the box, I found something I didn’t expect: Two black wires connected to the two hot terminals in the switch (one screw and one push terminal) along with the two travelers (red and black) and the ground cable connected to the ground screw. Why would there be two hot wires connected to the two hot terminals in the switch like that?

The house was built in 2007. So, there are also neutrals bundled in the back of the box. I attached some pictures that might help visualize the situation better.

As you can see from the pictures one of the hot wires is coming from a Romex cable (along with neutral and a ground) and the other is coming from a different Romex (along with the travelers, neutral and ground).

I was thinking of placing the Pico remote here which calls for just bundling travelers and hot into a nut and capping the ground wire. Can I just bundle all these cables like that? I can also place the actual Lutron dimmer here which calls for attaching ground to ground, hot to one terminal and all other cables to the other terminal.
Any ideas or help would be appreciated.


texts: Are all ground wires inside electrical junction box grounded?

texts:
I'm installing a new timer for the bathroom fan which is inside of its own electrical junction box and not attached to the bathroom light switch box. The previous timer did not have a place to connect a ground wire. In the back of this junction box, there are 3 ground wires bound in a wire nut.

Can I use any of these ground wires for the new timer that has a ground wire attach point or do I need to get an extra copper ground wire to tie in with the 3 ground wires in the box to run to the new timer?

Thanks!

Jason H.


texts: Can I paint over latex with oil-based enamel to repair a peeling situation?

texts: I recently used a latex paint to paint over the wooden kitchen cabinets that had an oil-based enamel paint originally. And latex paint started to peel off when bumped. Can I go over the top of that latex paint layer with an oil-based enamel paint without worrying appealing problems later?


texts: What does this basement floor drain look like beneath the surface?

texts:
This is the floor drain near my gas furnace. It handles the condensate line. I'd like to reconfigure it to also accept a water softener drain line, possibly by installing a larger bowl. I'm not sure how to open it up though. What type of drain is this, and how would I go about removing it from the pipe it's glued to?

The two areas that appear to be screw heads are not. They seem to be just molded into the plastic. I suspect that they are holes for screws to secure a cover that's no longer present.


texts:
Anyone know how latex driveway sealer would work as porch paint?  Can I expect the sealer to adhere to wood and/or old paint?

I just finished sealing the driveway and the latex sealer seems to have all the properties that I want from a porch paint: black, durable and anti-slip.  Aside from the difference in application, why shouldn't I just use sealer on my porch?


texts: Removal of toilet flange in bathroom remodel with subfloor replacement and tile installation

texts:
I had a leaking bottom seal for my first floor half bath toilet, buckling linoleum tiles. I took up the linoleum and 0.7 in composite board that sits on the primary subfloor.

As part of this renovation I used an oscillating saw to cut away the upper portion of the toilet flange from the 3"PVC pipe. I now have the female portion of the flange to contend with in replacing the flange.

I've tried a little using a chisel to remove outer portion of the flange, but it's slow going and I haven't made any real progress.

Is it easier to just cut the PVC from below and use a female-female coupler?

Additionally, what kind of saw should I use? I assume the cut should be pretty straight and without void space.


texts:
I am remodeling a transom on a bedroom door. Here is the opening:

I plan to put 1/4", brownish tempered glass inside from the POV of the camera, against a 1/2" door stop (can be seen on right and top but haven't yet installed on the bottom) and then put some skinny molding to seal with little nails.

But I thought I should also use a bead of caulk around the glass, between it and the opening to reduce the impact of reverberation. Which type of caulking product should I use?


texts: The dryer wasn't working. I realized the timer button was broken and wasn't properly turning. I took the back cover off and when I turned it by hand it worked. As I was putting the start button back in, I bumped the timer device and it flipped back and came in contact with the metal edge and I saw it spark.  I cut the wire back, replaced the connection but nothing. Now, the light doesn't even come on. Suggestions?


texts: Is it OK to use gray PVC electrical conduit for low voltage wiring?

texts:
I'm having my basement finished, and I am going to run conduit for low voltage (network) wiring in a week or two myself.  I have been planning on using gray PVC electrical conduit like this, since it's available at Home Depot in many sizes with wide-bend fittings, and it seems like it'd be easier to mount and fish wires through a couple bends with it than with the flexible ribbed conduit.  However, when researching the project I came across this video for flexible conduit which states "bright orange components clearly signify a low-voltage installation."  So I have a few questions:

Can I use gray PVC conduit for low-voltage electrical stuff?  I know it's not kosher to use white PVC for high voltage.  Using gray for low voltage seems like it should be OK, since the stuff inside would be less dangerous.

Should I color-code the low voltage conduit, and if so what color should I use?  Orange (that's the color of the low-voltage brackets/mud rings)?  Could I spray paint the gray conduit?


texts: Will a backflow preventer cause clogs in a basement drain?

texts:
I have a backflow preventer basically in between my main plumbing stack and the basement bathroom. There’s never been a bathroom down here until now; it’s just been roughed in for the last 30 years. The rubber flapper was stuck closed, I had to use a screwdriver to pry it open. Well after doing so everything in the new bathroom works fine now.
My only question is, won’t this rubber piece cause potential clogs?
With toilet paper and other solids that are flushed, is it going to open enough to allow them to flow through?
It opens up quite a bit when the toilet is flushed but I can see how toilet paper and stuff  could be accumulating & eventually clogging it.


texts: Does my hanging light have to Match other lighting in the house?

texts: we recently moved into a new house and all the lighting is brushed nickel which is okay but we cannot afford to replace them all. In the livingroom I would like to put a large chandelier in the vaulted ceiling. However, this opens to the kitchen and dining rooms. Can I pick an entirely different finish for this hanging light?  I love the wrought iron look but with the hanging kitchen light, would this look bad?  I looked at brushed nickel or silver lights and they are just too formal or I do not like them. Any ideas will be appreciated. Thank you!


texts: How do I provide heating to a room without existing plumbing?

texts:
I have a house in the Republic of Ireland which has 2 rooms without heating. One is a Kitchen and the other is planned to be a 'breakfast' room.

(all rooms are approx 5m x 3m)

As can be (hopefully) deciphered from the sketch, there is a radiator on the other side of the concrete floored hallway, a fireplace in the breakfast room, and the main house boiler on an adjoining wall.

The Kitchen floors are tiled and I would prefer not to remove/damage them so am trying to figure out how best to heat the rooms.

(Please do ask in comments if you need more/better detail on anything. I'm trying to keep the question concise)


texts: In IKEA kitchen marketing, what does 'kvm' mean?

texts:
This page advertises an IKEA demo kitchen. In the panel just below the main image, it quotes the following:

  £3,060 without appliances

  12 kvm

What does 'kvm' mean? Is this a Swedish name for a unit of measure that they didn't realise they should translate? I can't find any mention of it besides the adverts themselves, and googling a number of permutations of 'kvm ikea kitchen' doesn't yield anything that looks useful.

edit: As of July 2015; the linked page still exists, but has been updated to read 'sqm' which English-speakers would readily interpret the way it is intended - 'square metres'.


texts: Stove burner on indicator light still on?

texts:
I have a simple 5 year old stove with 4 burners. Recently the light came on while cooking (burner sensor light), but has yet to turn off. It's an electric stove.

Is the light broken and needs repair? Or is there something worse happening (electricity is still being fed but the burners don't heat up?).

What are the first ways to start figuring out this problem?


texts: Cordless drill or impact driver for household projects?

texts: Which tool would be best suited for various around the house jobs? I already own a cheap cordless drill and the battery frequently dies.  I need to know which tool is best for hanging light fixtures, TV's, product assembly, and even screwing in fallen fence pickets.


texts: Moving electrical outlet 3 feet to the left

texts:
this is my first post here. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

I recently bought a new home and basically I need to move an electrical outlet 3 feet to the left so that it is hidden by my entertainment center. Before explaining in depth, I'll mention that I am by no means an electrician, but I feel like I'm capable of following directions (and being careful). I just need to make sure I'm doing everything correctly.

I plan on drilling a hole through two studs that are in between my originating location and desired location, fishing a romex 12-2 cable through to the desired location, hooking the receptacle up to the fished-in wire in a new junction box, and of course adding a new junction box where the original outlet used to be and connecting the wires together via wire nuts. Does that all sound legal/legit/up-to-code so far? Am I correct in using 12-2 romex for an interior outlet?

The problem I'm running into is that the receptacle currently has 3 different romex cables hooked up to it. I haven't gone as far as turning off my breaker yet so I haven't removed the receptacle from the box, but from peeking in with my flashlight it looks like the receptacle has 1 ground connected, 3 neutral and 3 hot wires connected (using both the screw on the side and the push-in holes). Like I said before I don't know much about electricity but I'm guessing those other two romex cables have to do with the fireplace and the fireplace's on/off switch slightly above the receptacle. Maybe one romex controls the switch, and the other romex is providing power to the gas fireplace electrical portion of the system? (the gas to the fireplace is currently shut off, if that matters at all)

Question 1: I realize that a junction box can only have so many connections inside - would I be able to pull this off by buying a larger junction box, or is it even needed? If it is needed, do you have any recommendations?

Question 2: Would this even be do-able? I'm guessing I would end up having 4 neutral/white wires connected together in one wire nut, another 4 hot/black wires connected in one wire nut, and at least 2 ground wires connected in one wire nut (since the other 2 ground wires don't appear to be connected). I came up with 4 because the receptacle currently appears to have 3 neutrals and 3 hots connected with 1 ground, and adding my cable to extend the outlet would add the 4th cable to connect together.

Is 4 too many to connect? There is an outlet on the other side of the wall that just has 1 connection each to the receptacle so it would be a lot easier for a novice like myself, but of course that outlet is separated to my desired location by 4 studs that I would have to drill through without damaging anything else and then fish wire all the way through, and that doesn't seem like the best option to me if I can manage to wire the receptacle on the right correctly. I've added pictures below to help.

Thanks again for any advice and/or tips!


texts: Why doesn't the "fan on" mode work after I installed a new thermostat?

texts: We moved into a new house.  I installed a new Hunter Thermostat.  I have a furnace only and the old thermostat only had 3 wires connected.  SO I connected those three wires (G, RH and W/B).  The heating system is working fine, except that when the heater is not engaged and I turn the fan switch to ON the fan does not come on.  It will only come on when the furnace is on.  Why can't I turn the fan on independently?


texts:
Some time ago I had a handyman install a pull-up bar with some "M10 x 75" bolt screws that came included with the pull-up bar.
When I try to take the bolt screw off to remove the pull-up bar, the bolt screw just spins. If I try tightening it, it also just spins.
I have tried using vise-grip pliers to pull the bolt screw away from the wall while I turn the bolt screw counterclockwise, but I have made no progress here. Any advice would be welcome.


texts: What are the pros and cons of frameless and faceframe cabinet designs?

texts:
My wife and I are trying to decide on the two styles of construction...durability and cost are the major factors.

What are some other pros/cons of each?

One pro/con we've been struggling with...
At our local big box hardware store, the designer there helping us tells us that frameless cabinets (such as at IKEA) are not as high quality. Also, b/c they are generally made with particleboard (with a veneer finish) and the hinges mount directly to the cabinet box. If the mounting area of the wood gets damaged, you essentially have to get a whole new cabinet box. And if that happens to be a base cabinet where counters will sit on top of, that will be a difficult swap out.

On front face cabinets, the hinges are mounted to the front face frame. If the wood at the hinge fastening is damaged, you can just replace the front face frame.


texts: How to install thermostat with plug in heater?

texts:
My house has three electric wall heaters in different rooms used to augment the gas forced air that heats the whole house.

These electric heaters are mounted on the wall, but plug into standard 120v outlets near the heaters. They have a small hot/hotter/hottest dial on the top of the heater but to turn them off they need to be unplugged.

If I wanted to operate these with a standard wall  thermostat, how would I implement that setup?


texts: About a year ago I had light blue water coming out of the faucets from the back 1/2 of the house, it stopped after a day and the plumber couldn't find anything wrong. Fast forward one year later, I changed the water filter (NuvoH20) and it started happening again - this time from all the faucets in the house, the water is also darker and leaving blue water deposits (much like hard water). I'm having the plumber come out and check for copper corrosion but am wondering if anyone has recommendations as far as what else to look for. Please see attached photo of toilet water. Thanks.


texts: Stainless steel sleeves to hold wire rope?

texts:
My original idea for the fence was to use eyebolts and rivnuts to close the wire, similar to the drawing below:

But then I saw a Stainless steel sleeve like the one below. I know it's used to protect the wire:

So I'm thinking... is there such a thing as a stainless steel sleeve that can also be used to hold the wire so that it does not move?

That way I would eliminate the rivnuts, eyebolts, and the loops. And it would be just one piece of wire across several posts. Something like this.

In theory, it's one piece of wire that crosses all 3 posts, and this stainless steel sleeve would be holding the wire:


texts: Where would I install a bonding screw in this panel?

texts:
Im trying to help my grand father and believe I need a bonding screw installed. (he has neutrals and grounds on the same bar)

Can anyone please indicate where it goes on the main panel?

If you could highlight the location on my attached picture, that would be much appreciated.

Thank you!


texts:
What is happening to this wooden floor and why?

It's happening in various places, but not all over the floor. It's not even limited to where there is heavy traffic or where I have a chair on wheels.
What can I do to fix it and prevent it happening in the future?
Thanks.


texts: Is this outlet wired to a switch correctly?

texts:
I have been upgrading to grounded outlets in my 1950s house and I just want to make sure that this particular outlet was wired appropriately by the previous homeowner. This outlet is controlled by a switch. In the switch box, two black wires are secured to one brass post, while one red wire is secured to another brass post. In the outlet box, there is one capped black wire. One red wire runs to the brass connections and two white wires to the silver connections. I wired the new outlet the same way but added a ground that connects to the metal box (Later, I rewired the new outlet to the screws, not the push in connectors).

My ground tester confirms it's grounded. Is there anything I need to change here or should be concerned about?


texts: water not turning on for washer supply valves

texts:
For some reason my hot and cold supply lines to my washer are not working.  My washer was not filling so thought it was the washer but after taking the hoses off no water through the valves.  I have a newer house 8 years old and have the 1/2 turn red and blue valves at the wall.  I turn them off and on and nothing.  I can see the valves open.  All other water connections are working.  I turned off the main valve that comes into my house and no help.  I live in Richmond Va and we had some very cold weather so maybe a pipe is frozen but would it really be hot and cold?   I tried to find the pipes in my basement and seems like they are all PVC not copper.

Also not sure if part of problem but in the laundry room I have a sink and it seems no cold water is coming out only hot.  It was working before I turned off the main though.

FYI they were working a couple days ago when I did laundry.

Any help greatly appreciated before I call a plumber.


texts: What type of wood should I use to resurface my table?

texts:
A club at uni has this great big old table. (about 1220mm by 2420mm).
The club in question is the gaming club, so pen and paper RPGs, card games, boardgames, warhammer. fairly rarely models are assembled on it, so it it will get a bit of glue and paint, and maybe some knife work done on it.  It also gets desktop computers put on it occasionally when the computer club has a LAN.
Biggest concerns are it getting dirty - greasy fingers, chips, soft drink spills,
and  it being flat. It must be flat so dice can be rolled. (which makes planks kinda bad).

It was made by I don't know who over 20 years ago. The legs and framework are great, but the table top is chipboard which has become all flaky and bad. Someone decided to sand it down - which of course only made it worse. They wanted to take a wire brush angle grinder to it but I really think they are leaping from bad idea to a worse one.

The reason we can't simply replace the table top is that it was glued to the framework.  With a lot of work it could be pried off (and  a wire brush might come in handy then.)

But as a easier solution I thought we could just screw something on top of it. Leave the chip board in place, and put something over the top.

I'm not super experienced, done a little bit of stuff before.
Here is what I'm considering:

3mm MDF sheet

Pro: very cheap - just replace it when it gets ratty
Con: Scratch, dies to water

3mm Masonite
I've never worked with the stuff much, but as I understand it:

Pro: Tougher than MDF
Con: Similar vulnerability to water

3mm Tempered Masonite
I've never worked with this either, but as I understand it:

Pro: Really tough, and water-resistant
Con: Very hard to get.

3 Ply

Pro: Not so vulnerable to water
Con: cracks and splinters

Pine planks

Pro: Not a particle board, can be worked with sanded etc.
Con: Comparatively expensive, require a lot more work

Are there options I haven't considered? The goal is to have something I can do in a afternoon, for somewhere under $100.

EDIT:
I ended up using Tempered Masonite.


texts: 2nd floor tub and toilet draining fine ,sink clogged trap is clear,snaked clear and clogged again after a day?

texts:
I have a 2 story older cape home.
have had issues with 2nd floor tub drain in the past. always able to correct it by snaking.
Now the sink drain has an issue.clogged.
no tub gurgling tub drains fine.
I have tried everything .
removed all sink piping and snaked from wall up the vent and down drain 10' finally got hot water hose water to flow great down the line.
put all back together was good for a day , then had the same issue again??
can you help?


texts: How can I repair a kitchen sink that is leaking from both the handle and the underneath cabinet?

texts:
My kitchen sink is a single-handle, ball-type faucet. Lately it has been leaking from the base of the handle when the water is running, and when that happens water also drips beneath the sink.

Is it probable that replacing the valve kit and o-rings will solve both issues? If there are two things going on at the same time I might just call a handyman. But I know I can replace the valve since I've done it before.


texts: Best way to connect Apec RO-CTOP water filter under the sink

texts:
I recently moved from the United States to Germany, and brought my water filter with me. It's an APEC RO-CTOP model, and it's meant to sit on your water faucet, with a lever to select between pass-thru mode and "direct water into the filter and out the tube" mode.

Of course the sink that came with my house doesn't have any sort of threading, so it needs to be connected elsewhere. Connecting it to the cold water main underneath the sink seems the best option.

Presumably there's some sort of in-line valve I can connect, so that I can direct water straight into the filter? I'm not sure what parts I need for this, and my German doesn't quite suffice to seek the advice of a plumber.

Can anyone provide some insight?


texts: How do I take apart a wooden pallet without cracking the wood?

texts: I'm trying to save the wood from some wooden pallets and have been unsuccessful.  I have been hammering close to where the nails are and then pry the nails out; however, before the wood comes out far enough to remove the nails it usually snaps in half.  Any suggestions would be most helpful.


texts: I read everything I could on this site and others but have not found a great solution. I have 4 wall outlets in a room. I need a easy way to find out the main feed outlet as I guess each outlet is fed from the other. Like outlet (A) feeds to outlet (B), (B) to (C), etc. How do I find out which one feeds the other without disconnecting wires and see where it stops, and find the main feed outlet. One circuit breaker controls all 4. Thanks !


texts: House and shop on separate meters, will water line between the 2 be a problem?

texts: Since my utility pole is halfway between my house and pole building (shop),  there is a meter at each service entry. My (house and shop) panels are grounded properly with ground rods and subpanels are also properly grounded (with neutrals NOT bonded/attached to the ground bar). I've just read here about the possibility of a problem if metal pipe or shielded cabling were to connect between the two structures. What precautions should I take, if any?


texts: What are Filament Style LEDs and how do they work?

texts: I've been seeing lots of references lately to filament style LED bulbs. These seem to look exactly like traditional bulbs in that they have filaments. Are these any good and how do they work?


texts: How do I measure the leg positions for a three-legged table with a circular top?

texts: I am creating a three-legged stand for a monitor (not really a table, but whatever) and am not sure how to conduct the measurements so that all three legs are accurately spaced in an equilateral triangular shape such that the weight of whatever is sitting on top is evenly distributed over all three legs.  How do I go about calculating this?


texts:
I just replaced 12v halogen with 12v Led bulbs on two separate recessed lighting circuits. One has 9 lights, one has 5. On each set of lights, a single bulb is not coming on at the brightness of the others, it's significantly less bright.

I've swapped bulbs so I know it's the specific can location, not the bulb.

I also measured voltage at both the problem locations at it's showing 12v.

These are not on a dimmer.

What should I check next?

Thanks,


texts: Can I swap the ends of a retractable extension cord?

texts: I infrequently require power in my outdoor shed. I have a retractable cord I want to install in my shed and run to an exterior socket on my house when needed. To do this, I first need to swap the plug and socket ends of the retractable cord. The retractable cord has a built in circuit breaker.  Will swapping the plug and socket ends interfere with the function of the breaker (I.e.is it directional)?


texts:
I had a team of "professionals" repaint the drywalls of a newly-purchased house.

A few days after they completed the work, two kinds of defects appeared on the walls, in a large number of different spots.

The first kind (depicted below) is the paint looking either depressed or protruded over fairly large areas (15-20 cm).

The second kind (depicted below) is the paint protruding and looking (and feeling) smooth as silk in the affected area.

The people who did the work claim there is an unspecified "problem" with the dry wall itself, but cannot recommend any specific course of action to rectify it. Of course they maintain they carried out the work with great care and competence. I don't trust them more than I would a 30£ note, but I myself saw them sanding and priming the wall before applying the new paint.

How can I fix this? I have some experience painting dry walls but I am no expert. Is this a case where extra preparation is needed, possibly involving repair of the dry wall itself?


texts: Why won't the fan run independently of the air conditioner?

texts:
I have central air and heat, with a Nest thermostat. My system has Y, G, R, C and W wires coming out of it:

which are wired into my Nest like so:

In between, there is a splice where the C wire is spliced with electric and another wire runs from that splice back to the C hookup:

And then the other wires are spliced with a new set of the same color:

The heat and cooling work fine. I just can't get the fan to run on its own. What could be at fault and how can I diagnose it?


texts:
Just moved into a 5 y/o house with a "maintainence free" Trex deck.  Underneath, it's supported by lumber as shown below

When it rains the water drips through the deck slats and leaves this green moss on the lumber.  I'm wondering a few things:

Does this lumber require any maintence?  Ie do I have to weather seal this every so often?
Does the green moss cause the wood to deteriorate faster?
Can this type of wood be pressure washed?  If so, does it need treatment after?

Thanks


texts: Newly installed Metal Electrical Panel door will not open easily?

texts: I just had a new metal entry box installed on the exterior of my home. I am unable to open the metal door, even with a tool. Not sure what the problem is however if the door was installed and not plumb with the box frame, could this be the problem? My neighbor came down and he had difficulty opening it and said it should not be that hard to open.Thanks.


texts: What size breaker and wire do I need to feed a panel for a tankless water heater?

texts: I purchased a electric tankless water heater and I would like to know the following? The unit requires 3 separate 40 amp breakers, one for each line. I have 200 amp service. The subpanel will be located about 30 feet from the main. What would the breaker be at the main and what size wire should I run from the main to the sub-panel.


texts:
About 20 years ago we were experiencing pin hole leaks. Our plumber thought it was because originally the house was on well water. Rather than deal with each leak one at a time, we eventually had him do an extensive repipe of the house. All was well until this year - one of the pipes (luckily exposed) in our basement has had two pinhole leaks in the past few months. The leaks were not at joints.
So a couple of questions:

Is the theory about well water being the cause reasonable?

At the time I believe the plumber also said this type of problem would be less of an issue with hot water pipes, but the leaks this year were in a hot water pipe. Is that true? If so, could it just be a "bad" pipe?

Thanks.


texts: How to safely chip away at a tile to make room

texts:
I need to install a shower against a tiled wall.
I have 2 issues :

I need to safely remove a tiny bit of the tile, to give me more access to the water outlet of the pipe. What tool and method should I use to avoid breaking the whole tile?

Behind the tile, there is some cement/concrete (I think). I need to remove it to have access to the water outlet, but without breaking everything (the tool I use will be very close to the tile). Should I use a drill or a chisel and hammer?


texts: Are we reading our propane tank wrong, or are we being overcharged?

texts:
We have a buried 1000 gal (3785 l) propane tank used for heating.

When it was filled up recently the gauge went from about 49% to 88%. This would mean 490 gal to 880 gals, or an addition of 390 gals.

We were charged for 434 gals, which is an excess of 44 gals or about 11% extra. Both gauge readings were within about 24 hours, there's no way we consumed that much propane in that short of a time.

Are we interpreting this situation correctly? Could the gauge readings have as much as 11% error in them?

Note that this is the first time we have taken photos but we think this situation has happened before. So if the gauge is error prone would that error consistently under-represent the fill level? Usually measurement error goes both ways.

The supplier has said that they take readings from their truck, and that our gauge is really measuring pressure and not volume. I'm not sure if we should trust that or not. Our gauge is in gallons after all, not PSI or something pressure-related.

Here are before and after pictures of the gauge on the tank itself:

Before fill up:

After fill up:

FYI the tank is buried but there is a lid you open to view the gauge.


texts: Best procedure for simultaneous plaster patching and electrical box cutout

texts:
Long story short: I was cutting a hole for a new lightswitch, and I discovered a concealed junction box. And, as much as I was tempted to just patch that hole up and pretend I never saw it, unfortunately that's the only sensible location for the switch, so, I had to deal with it.

Now, I've opened up the hole, dealt with the junction box, and now I'm ready to patch it up. I opened up the hole so that the drywall insert will have sufficent thickness around the border to securely hold the box that is going to go into the spot, about a 1.5" border:

So, I could install the drywall patch, mud it up, make it nice and pretty, then cutout the box opening and proceed. However, the room for the electrical box will be kind of tight, so it will be tricky to precisely cut it out with all my measurement markings hidden by the mud.

So my question is: if I was to install the drywall patch with the cutout already in, will I be able to nicely mud the seams with the cutout there, or will that be a nightmare to, and I should do it the slower way?


texts: I replaced the flapper in my ceramic toilet tank and the leak from the tank into the bowl slowed, but it still leaks.  What is the next step I should take to get rid of this leak?


texts: Looking to buy a wall mount swing arm lamp, and it has a 3 way switch in it with a 60 watt minimum rating to 150 watt maximum rating. I understand the reason for maximum rating but not minimum rating ? I want a lower low setting around 30 to 40 watt but mfg. said 60 minimum....Why


texts: What are my options on location of a bathroom fan vent in Wisconsin?

texts: I just put in a new bathroom fan and noticed the previous one was vented into the attic.  I understand this can cause mold after awhile.  I live in WI where we see a lot of snow. I was told the roof exit style ventilation can cause an ice dam, blocking the vent. I assume that the snow melting from the hot exiting air refreezes making the ice dam.  So, I'm supposed to run the duct to a soffit vent.  But, the area in the attic where the soffits are have very little room to work.  I think I'll have to force myself to work in the small space but what are my options?


texts: Toilet tank leaking on the floor after removing and reinserting flush valve

texts:
I removed and cleaned the flush valve, because the toilet was running (i.e. leaking water into the bowl). After reinserting it, the water now leaks onto the floor (but not into the bowl anymore). I screwed back the valve using hand force only as hard as I could.

Questions:

Is there some typical mistake that could explain this? (I'm very beginner in this matter.)
Before filling the tank again, is there an easy way to check if it will leak or not? (I'm thinking of a kind of trick like putting a tire tube into water to find where the hole is.)

Here is a schematic drawing of what the valve looks like:

Basically the valve has a "stand", with threads on the outside, which screws into a counterpart, with threads in the inside. On the threaded part of the stand there is a gasket as well (which I swear I did not forget to put on :D).
Something like this.

     +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
     |                                                                          |   <-- tank
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                                                                          |
     |                      \___________________/ <-- threaded "stand"          |
     |                        ________________ <----gasket                      |
     +--------------------------+           +-----------------------------------+
                                =============
                                =============  <--- tube threaded inside
                                =============


texts:
I was starting to install casing on my doors and while positioning the board I realized the door latch is going to contact the casing (1x4 craftsman) before the strike plate. The solutions I've found are extended strike plates or chisel/route the trim. Anything else I'm missing? I see 1x4 used a lot in casing but I couldn't find anyone talking about this issue. I wonder if my door latch (Schlage) is extra long.

I approxmated the lengths of two sizes of extended strike plates I can order. Any idea on what size would look/function the best? I was thinking the smaller would not flex and I can get a 3/16" reveal. The longer extends beyond the trim but could flex some.

Update I wrote more in detail about the problem and solution here http://newyuma.blogspot.com/2015/11/craftsman-trim-and-extended-strike.html


texts: Very strange alarm test sound that occurs every 34 minutes (video)

texts:
There's a very strange test/alarm sound that occurs every 34 minutes. I checked the smoke alarms and replaced the batteries so it's not coming from those.

It almost seems to be coming from the kitchen, maybe the fridge? But I cannot quite pinpoint it.

Please see the link below for a sample of the alarm sound.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LKWSsMoCtk6ExRfm8

Thank you!
Colin


texts: How do I safely replace a worn out electrical outlet?

texts:
I have a number of outlets that are old and worn out (plugs fall out of them mainly.)

Obviously I need to turn off the breaker to replace them safely.

Any guidance on how to rewire them, how to properly ground the new one, and how to safely test them once the power is back on?


texts: Aluminum Service Entrance Cable path alongside exterior wall

texts:
I am in the process of finishing a load center installation upgraded to 200amps. From the weather head above is a straight shot through a conduit with 200 amps SE cable (there is no meter as of now though) which then enters the meter socket box and connect to its lug. The short 200 amps SE cable (to which the neutral is the outer jacket of the cable) can not follow the contour of the exterior wall due to its rigidity, as shown below:

It seems that  NEC 338.10 (B)(4) requires that when SE cable is installed as interior wiring it has to comply with the requirements of Part II of NEC Articles 334, except for Section 334.80. But mine is not an interior wire situation.

It was fairly easy mold the contour of a 100amps cable to the path alongside the wall, but for a 200amps it is close to impossible to do so, and parts of the cable are sort of hanging in the air. I was wondering that the setup is acceptable or ok as far as code is concerned

Pictured added to showcase other side where cable enters the interior right in the back of the load center.


texts: Toilet repeatedly clogs - is putting toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet's tank causing the problem?

texts: Our apartment's toilet repeatedly clogs.  My roommate puts toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet's tank, so that when we flush, the cleaning liquid runs through the toilet.  I'm starting to wonder if the toilet bowl cleaner is clogging the jets and causing the toilet to repeatedly clog.  Can putting toilet bowl cleaner in the tank clog the jets?  Could this be contributing to the repeat clogs?


texts: after fitting a new light, it will not turn off at the switch, my wiring is brown, blue ang yellow/green

texts: I never took a picture of how the previous fitting was connected. However there are three grey cables, each containing a brown, a blue and yellow/green. the earth wires are connected together, has are the brown ones, but the blue are not connected, and I don't know which wire goes to the connection blocks