texts: How to store my pliers and wire cutters on my desk?

texts:
I have a set of tools I use on my desk that are bulky and never seem to store well. These include my wirecutters, pliers, ruler, and snips.

At the moment, the best way I've found to store them is in this pencil holder with half the leg inside and the other hanging outside. This is unstable and ugly but allows me to see and grab the one I need.

Due to the nature of the way they balance on the rim, placing them is awkward and requires a lot of empty space around it for the handle to flare out.

I don't like it. But I'm not sure how else to store these.

I could put them into a toolbox but I want them to be easily accessible while I'm at my desk; I would have to dig to find them inside a toolbox. And I don't want the edge on my good wire snips getting damaged.

For those wondering why I have three sets of wire snips, one is a nice snip and the other two are junky ones I got for a $1 when I want to cut into something hard.

What solutions are available to organize these on my desk or in a wall?


texts: New floorboards upstairs now sounding drum-like when I walk on it. How do I add sound proofing after gluing the panels in?

texts:
In an upstairs bedroom, super squeaky tongue and groove planks were removed, and large panels were put in. I used that expensive tape on the joists, the panels were all cut to fit with tiny gaps by the walls. One by one they were glued and screwed down. The finish is nice, and new laminate/carpet possibilities are exiting.
Problem: footfall on that floor is drum-like now. The joists are 5 meter/yards long, and that is a long unimpeded space for a percussion effect.  I should have put some sound insulation in when I had the floorboards up. It's all glued now, though.
What can I do from below (through the plaster ceiling panels), or from above (through 22mm boards)? I'm hoping there's a minimal expanding foam injection I can do - and not have to fill the whole void, just here and there to break that 5 meter/yard "note". Then repair the holes of course.
Update [Jan 2021].
We redid the ceiling below with new panels. The previous lot were nailed up 30 years and had stippling applied as that was popular at the time. We'd tried a plaster skim over that 10 years back, and cracks were emerging as not enough PVA had been applied by the plasterer at the time. The new panels are screwed up, taped, jointed and painted.
At the same time we stuffed up rock-wool between the joists. The drum sound is a little less :( We've not done new carpet upstairs yet - pandemic slowness.


texts: How can I install ceiling mounted recessed occupancy sensors?

texts:
I am looking to replace my current lighting circuit with a motion detector and wondering what is the best way to do this?

I currently have 6 spot lights, controlled by 2 switches on either side of the hallway.
All I want to do is exchange these switches for a ceiling mounted recessed occupancy detector. Can somebody give me details on the safest effective way for this to be done.


texts: Why are the neutral wires not connected in this box?

texts: I want to connect the wiring from my shed into a junction box on the ceiling in the basement. I opened the box to see what I was dealing with, I figured it should be simple, there is only 2 wires going in. but i am confused- black to black, and both white wires just loose on their own. How do I connect my new wire into this box?


texts: Inducer blower try to starts but immediately stops

texts: I've got a Armstrong Air LP gas furnace with a Honeywell SV9520H 8034 and ST9160 blower control board and the inducer motor tries to start but immediately stop. I've can hook up power to the inducer motor directly and it runs ok and the pressure switch makes. Does the wires to the inducer motor just passthrough the gas valve or is there some type of switch that takes place?  I got good line and low voltage present on the board. Voltage to the motor is briefly present then turns off. Is this a board or gas valve problem?


texts: Raising and extending a concrete shed base, does the existing concrete need to be broken up?

texts:
I have an existing concrete shed base which is a bit cracked (due to a nearby tree) but generally OK. I'm planning to replace my 10x6 shed with a 10x14 one which will mean extending the concrete base.

My plan was originally to dig the new area and fill with hardcore (up to the same level as the existing concrete) and then lay new cement (with a DPM) on top which would be 4" high from the existing base.

However, I've been told that laying cement on existing is a bad idea as moisture could get in and blow the new concrete, and that I should instead break up the existing concrete before laying the new cement on top.

Is that true? What are my options?


texts: How to run flexible metal conduit through wall of attached garage?

texts:
The photo shows a disconnected generator transfer switch and a sub-panel in an interior room on a wall that is shared with an attached garage.

The transfer switch is pre-wired with some sort of flexible metal conduit. (Greenfield? AC / armored cable? BX?) The conduit is about 1" interior diameter and 1.25" exterior.

As part of a remodel, I want to mount the transfer switch in the attached garage, so the metal conduit comes through the wall and into the subpanel. I want to mount the switch roughly opposite the subpanel.

The wall is plywood with drywall on the garage side as a fire-barrier.

May I just drill a big hole through the wall into the garage and run the metal conduit through? I would seal the edges of the hole with some fireproof caulk. Or is some sort of connector fitting required?


texts: Extra insulation for panes of aging windows

texts:
The original windows on my 30-year-old house are insulated pretty well around the frames, but the panes themselves transmit a lot of cold air, especially when things drop down into the single digits, as they are already this winter.  I'd like to replace most of them this Summer, but until then...

I know there are plastic wraps and such that can be applied around the frame to create an additional air pocket between the pane and the room, but do they actually work?

Are there any other techniques that I should try to keep my window panes from seeping in so much cold air?


texts: 2 switch to one - Similar but not the same

texts:
I have  outside security lights on two separate switches.  I am remodeling and have removed a door and now only want one switch to control the security lights.
When disconnecting the one switch I think I opened the circuit and now the other will not operate the light.  I am wondering if I should connect the red and Black with a wire nut and cap the other black in order to close the circuit and have the one switch work.


texts: Need help with Lennox MPD 35RPM propane fireplace

texts: I moved into my current home in August of 2017. I tried looking into getting this thing up and running, but got frustrated and gave up. I still haven't, and want to give it another shot. This propane fireplace is 20k btu Max. We have never used it, and from what I understand the previous owners of the house never did either. I've contacted several propane companies in the area, and they seem more interested in selling me propane service than anything else. I don't plan on using this often, and just don't want to sign up for service. I'd like to get a 100lb tank, or maybe two with an automatic switch type thing in between, which I have seen some people do. Right now there is nothing but a stub out outside the basement. What do I need as far as regulators etc. for a fireplace of this size? The fireplace is on the upper level, and is piped down to the basement and out of the wall.


texts:
OK so I have a regular drywall house… What I’ve noticed is that when you use joint compound to fix hole etc. the joint compound is incredibly smooth yet the drywall surrounding the patch has a little bit of texture to it…
How does one replicate that standard drywall texture  not orange peel or anything popcorn like, just standard drywall with paint.

Here’s a more recent example that I just finished mudding and sanding ... if I simply just prime and paint it’s going to be noticeable!
Any recommendations??


texts: If I want to expose the beams of my ceiling, is it sufficient to just install roofing insulation?

texts: I own a house built in the 1930s.  I live in San Francisco in the Bayview district where it’s fairly sunny similarly to the Mission District.  This house is all lath and plaster and because of which I notice they didn't use or have insulation at the time.   I guess the lath and plaster thick walls and a tiny crawl space above the ceiling is sufficient to keep the house insulated. Now I want to knock down the ceiling to expose the nice beams, but that is taking that ceiling layer off which possibly will make my house colder in the winter and hotter in the summer.  As someone noted, this is a “hot roof” which I’m not understanding what that means or the implications of which.  Now, I plan on getting insulation sheets installed on the roof (NOTE: I'm getting my roof redone so I'll just have the roofer install the insulation sheets).  Is this sufficient insulation to what I have currently?


texts: Is there any risk of running both the fan and furnace at the same time?

texts:
I am attempting to build my own thermostat using an arduino and a few relays and have been trying to map the appropriate wires so I don't damage my furnace/AC unit.

This is a picture of my thermostat, a Honeywell Focuspro 6000.

When I select Fan to on Rh and G are closed.
When I select Cooling, Rh, Y, and G are closed.
When I select Heating, R and W are closed.

What I am finding strange is when the heating kicks on, it turns on separately of the fan. However I can still turn the Fan on while the furnace is running. Is the secondary fan the blower motor for the furnace and is there any risk of running both the Fan and Furnace at the same time.

The furnace is a N9MSB (B Series)


texts: Is it OK to install a gas water heater next to a gas dryer and if not what are the cautions? Both will be vented. Thanks


texts:
I have a 105K BTU Raypak radiator boiler, similar to this one but a slightly older model (I guess mine is about 15 years old). The boiler heats and pumps hot water to 8 radiators throughout the house.

I have a suspicion it might be caused by vent pipe reverberations but I am not sure. It vents using 6" Type B (double wall) vent pipes. The pipe rises up about 5' from the boiler, then travels about 12' at a low gradient (almost horizontal), then goes up the flume from the 1st floor, through the second, to the chimney on the roof. I was suspecting maybe the horizontal part of the vent could be causing too much strain for the exhaust coming out.

Yet another possibility is that the pump makes the noise.

The boiler does work fine. It's been making this noise for about four years, which is when I moved it from the basement to the first floor.

I am looking for advice how to analyze, with reasonable certainty, the source of the buzzing noise.


texts: Does this loose insulation look like it might contain asbestos?

texts: Was remodeling my bathroom, and after ripping open the ceiling a bunch of this loose insulation fell down out of my attic. Does this loose insulation from my attic look like it might contain asbestos?


texts: I’m trying to connect a C wire to my Nest Thermostat. However, I’m confused on where to connect it on my furnace seeing that there’s no marked slots on my old furnace. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: How can I quiet a bathroom exhaust fan that became loud only after the duct was added?

texts:
I had a fan added in my bathroom. Surprisingly there wasn't one at all. When the fan was first installed they had it venting into the ceiling. It was a .5 sone fan and you could hardly tell that it was even on. You had to listen closely. After I noticed it was only venting in the ceiling I had them come back out and add the vent out to the outside. Now all of a sudden this thing is pretty loud.

Is there anything I can do to quiet it down? Is there something I should be looking for? It's amazing how loud it got by adding the vent.


texts: My sconce (two light bulb fixture) has two black wires and one white wire. The wall has only one black wire and one white wire. Can I connect both black sconce wires to the one black wall wire and connect the white sconce wire to the white wall wire? Is that OK?


texts: Why did this AC with a shared condenser stop working?

texts:
We've got 3 indoor air-con units that are connected to 1 outdoor condenser unit. Only my unit blows air in room temperature (not cold), the rest of the indoor units blow cold air. My indoor unit blows a lot of air and is not blocked. I tried touching the coils but it's not cold.

It's been working before and it just suddenly stopped cooling the air it blows.

There are two LED lights turned on in front of my indoor unit which means cooling mechanism is on (AC is in the right mode). When it reaches its desired temperature (coldness) it stops cooling and only 1 LED light is turned on. But in my case, two LED lights are always turned on when it stopped cooling the air.

What could be the cause of problem?

EDIT:

Indoor unit: Mitsubishi MS-A10VD
Outdoor unit: Mitsubishi MUX-3D23VD

Here's the condenser unit showing the

Actualy 2 units are not working. As you can see in the pipes, 2 pipes to the working unit were moist and the rest were dry. I tried an experiment just to make sure that the two non-working units are eletrically connected to the condenser. I turned off all AC units and the condenser's fan stopped. I turned on one of the two non working units while the working unit is turned off, the condenser turned on. Which means the two non AC units are electrically connected to the condenser.

Click for full size image


texts: Blank Wood Duct Caps (for closed off ducts in floor)

texts:
We had our crawl space forced air furnace with floor ducts (bad idea to put a furnace in a 3-4 foot crawl space) decommissioned and replaced with attic furnace with wall / ceiling ducts.
Now we have unconnected floor ducts with metal registers and magnetic covers. The magnetic stuff is tacky at best.  Been searching for a wood register with no fins or ducts - just blank.  Utterly simple to me.  Like one of those blank switch plates.  Then it could be stained to a close match to the hardwood floor.
Able to find wood vent registers evertywhere but no blank caps.  Did find some links to make my own (make one with vent holes but don't cut the vent holes) but don't have the tools or diy for that is a bit advanced.
Links, ideas or tips would be most appreciated.


texts: How can I quiet my loud washing machine?

texts: I have a Amana  washer and during the rinse and spin cycles it is EXTREMELY loud. Like so loud I can hear it while I'm outside. My baby doesn't sleep while I'm doing laundry!! It's not a banging noise it's just a constant volume.


texts:
I have an existing porch light on a (spring-style) timer. I would like to add a switch for more convenience, so that the light could be manually turned on for a few seconds or for several hours.

The function of the 3 way switch would be to turn the light on directly or transfer power to the timer (in series). Would this be an okay (code compliant) way to add a (simple) switch to a timer?

Another part of the reason I ask, is because a digital timer (with simple on/off button) is like $30 in my area, whereas a 3 way switch is like $1.50. And the timer just happens to be in a box with an outlet switch that could easily be eliminated (meaning, I don't have to buy a remodel box or anything else).

Edit- New picture for clarity:


texts: Cold water from both taps only in kitchen

texts:
The faucet in our kitchen is running cold from both hot and cold valves. The faucet is double handle.
The hot and cold water in the other areas of the house are running normally both hot and cold . We can't figure it out.....it occured seemingly overnight.


texts: Intersystem bonding terminal - how direct?

texts:
Back before I knew what an intersystem bonding terminal (IBT) was properly called, I had my service entrance put in by an electrician, licensed in 3 states, who never-the-less pulled things I now know to be violations, such as stripping NM-B cable and using the unmarked conductors in conduit.

Most of the work he did was not affected by that particular stunt (just the panel light and panel outlet.) However, I did ask at the time about grounding other services, which is made inconvenient on the outside by the conduit protecting the main GEC from the meter box into the ground.

From the left - power to the well, power from the pole, GEC (2/0) (runs to the well casing and hits 5 ground rods on the way); two communication conduits to the pole, and a golf ball on top of a section of (empty) conduit marking the first of those ground rods. From looking at "typical" IBC terminals I gather that 2/0 is a bit out of their wheelhouse anyway. The G/N bond is inside the meter box, thus, sealed. The crazy-big overkill main ground is "customer with lightning/grounding issues" rather than any fault of the electrician.

Inside, the feed from the Class 320 meter splits to two 200A panels; Ground and neutral are isolated, and the ground comes in on 4AWG green wires.

The North panel is closest to the Communications ducts. The red tape was applied over the Line lugs by me, as it's fine for homeowners to do their own work in Vermont, and I'm comfortable with that, but I prefer to de-fang easily preventable stupid problem points, which those are.

His response to my inquiry was to hand me a couple of these, and while I can see that they are some sort of clamp, googling the number (G603) with ground, clamp, etc. yeilds no useful results for me thus far - and in any case, the question of WHERE to get access to attach them is unclear.

Now, I've certainly seen the stock cable company deal of "just screw a bar to the meter box" with no copper connection, but I'm pretty sure that's a hack.

Without getting into having to break the seal on the box, my options (other than that kludge) appear to be:

Run a #4 copper ground from the ground rod in front of the communications conduits to an IBT near their eventual termination. This is short, sweet, all outside, and probably as close to the actual bond point as (2) will be, but via 2/0 from the rod to the bond point in the meter box.
Run a #4 ground wire out through the wall from a ground bar in the North Panel to an IBT near the eventual termination point of the communication conduits
Cut access to the actual GEC through the 1" schedule 80 PVC that's protecting it, without damaging it, and clamp a #4 onto it, since I have not found a IBT that will "lay-in" on a 2/0 conductor. But now it's "not protected" at least wherever that is.
Do something with the odd G603 clamps. What, I'm not clear. It's been many years and I'm unlikely to hire the same guy back after gaining proper understanding of what a blatant code violation the NM-B wires trick was.

I'm getting ready to have internet put in, and the cable company is old-fangled (they ran a brand-new coax line up the road in an era where those cost a good deal more than fiber-optic) so I'm going to need this done soon-ish.

So, The question: which of those options appears to be the best/proper approach?

Contributory questions that don't appear to merit a completely different question: Can anyone identify the "G603" clamps and their application, if any, to this problem? Does the IBT need to be as close as possible to the N/G bond point/service entrance?


texts: Installing bath sink draining for pedestal when drain does not line up

texts:
I have install a pedestal sink in my basement half bath. The drain pipe is perpendicular to the sink and the p-trap does not extend out far enough from the pedestal to allow for connecting. What are possible solutions?
Thanks
Chris


texts: Dishwasher chassis outputting an AC voltage

texts:
I've recently noticed that touching the metal interior of my dishwasher gives me a slight tingling. I put that (stupidly) to static electricity.

For "fun" I then decided to touch a finger on the metal interior and another finger on my sink. Felt an AC voltage running through my body. The current wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable and made my fingers twitch slightly.

In the UK, all metal appliances must be earthed (grounded for those across the pond). Touching other areas of the metal chassis revealed that these are not providing an electric current.

What I am most concerned about is that my fuse box (circuit breaker/RCD box) is not tripping. Surely it should detect that some current is flowing out of the electric socket and not returning, right?


texts: AFCI trips when neutral and ground touched

texts:
Is this normal?  I find an answer here that this is normal but I do not understand.    Can anyone add an explanation, please.

AFCI is Square D 20A HOM120CAFIC, Issue No. DP-3640 HACR Type


texts: Replacing a Light Fixture with 2 Sets of Wires

texts: I bought a new light fixture for my porch light.  The directions for installation describe only using 1 set of wires, however this light has 2 set of wires.  I don't imagine it should be difficult, but I assume it can be done very wrong.  How do I install this fixture?


texts: Is rigid foam on rim board in basement worth doing if walls aren't insulated?

texts:
We bought an older home that we use more as an office. The basement is totally uninsulated including the rim joists. Last winter, it got really cold down there to the point that the floors upstairs also were cold. So I know the rim joists need to be insulated cause they're exposed to the outside with only the siding and what looks like no insulation behind the siding (in the basement only).

If I only installed rigid foam on the rim board, would that make a substantial dent in reducing the cold or would that only be a drop in the bucket? I'm not interested in insulating the basement walls cause it's more an office than our home and it doesn't get down to zero every year but if it would make the basement just cool/cold instead of frigid, I'd be happy with that.


texts: Does anybody have a similar light covering to this? I have tried pulling all the arms outward, pressing the arms up, looking for screws on the arms, and just sliding it out with a little bit of force. All no goes so far


texts: How to ground a 3prong outlet for a cloth dryer?

texts: Can I run a grounding from an outlet next to a 3 prong outlet to convert it to a 4 prong outlet for un electric cloth dryer?


texts: energizing both elements of electric hot water heater

texts:
I'm considering using an electric hot water heater (EHWH) with upper and lower heating elements as an electric diversion load.   This EHWH would be for pre-heating the water bound for the standard HWH.

Often the total watt rating of the EHWH is larger of the two elements - instead of the sum.  Is it allowed (*) to energize both heating elements at the same time?

'allowed' means - general technical limitation of the EHWH - not necessary code related.  Also I'm also interested relevant code limitations and their reasons.

** Might also be relevant to post in a different forum?


texts: If I used old expired paint 2 or 3 years ago on an inside bedroom wall, could it be causing health issues to a child if the smell still comes and goes in the warmer weather ?


texts: How can I seal the gap around a bathroom exhaust fan?

texts:
I've got my exhaust fan installed in the ceiling of the bathroom, now I'm wonder how best to seal the gap around it. The fan housing is obviously sheet metal, and the ceiling has the plastic vapor barrier on top of the drywall. Would metal tape work for this or is there something better to use?

The fan can be covered up to R40, so once the physical gap is covered I can back-fill the insulation. I'm just wondering what will stick reliably to both sheet metal and the plastic sheet.


texts: Is there a 1/2 Female copper to 3/4 Pex barb adapter?

texts:
I need to connect a 3/4" PEX pipe to an 1/2" copper pipe.
The copper end of the adapter must be a female type
Is there an adapter for this ? Can't find anything like it. Useg Google and Amazon.ca ...maybe I am not using the right key words, I am not familiar with the plumbing terminology


texts:
I have a 40lb punching bag that I want to hang for kids but I want to do this in a way that I can upsize the bag as needed.  My basement is finished, and I'm ok with cutting out some ceiling drywall to do this but I'm wondering if it's OK to do it without removing drywall.

What I was thinking was a [2/4]x[4/6] would be bolted to 2 floor joists through the drywall.  I would countersink the top so I can put the bolt through without needing to push into drywall above.

Am I better off just cutting out the drywall or is this sufficient?  Are there modifications I can make to improve this?

If I were to cut out the drywall my plan would be to put a 4x4 between the joists and then another 2x4 bolted to that from underneath, so that it was flush with joists. (please correct me if that's no good either).

In the image, the dark blue are floor joists, brown is a [2/4]x[4/6], light blue are additional 2x4's that I'm not sure are needed.


texts: How to correctly remove a dry verge piece

texts:
I've recently had a linear dry verge fitted over my garage, its a Manthorpe Linear Dry Verge.

The guttering on one side was removed whilst this work was being undertaken as I was in the process of painting.

Now that's finished, I've come back to re-install the guttering and I've noticed the dry verge was not cut to accommodate for guttering.

I simply need to cut it back (red line) but would prefer to remove this portion (Blue square) of the system so that I can accurately cut.

I removed the screw (small blue square) hoping that this portion would slide off, but id doesn't seem to. I've tried wiggling it and giving it abit of pull but I'm cautious not to snap anything as I don't know how this piece is clipped in.

Rather than wait for the roofers to come back and do this for me which could take weeks, I'd like to know how difficult it is to take this piece off so I can just do it myself.

QUESTION: How do I correctly remove this piece of the dry verge?


texts: Should oil, spirit or water based stains be used on Medium-density fibreboard (MDF)?

texts:
I've made a recording desk out of 18mm MDF.
What type of stain and varnish would you recommend and would it need a sealer coat applying first.

All advice appreciated.


texts: How do I install glass mosaic tile around an outside rounded corner?

texts: I'm installing a glass tile mosaic backsplash in my kitchen. I've got an outside rounded corner that I want to install the tile around. The diameter of the rounded corner is approximately 1". What is the best way to install the tile? Are there corner pieces that I should use (I didn't see anything at Lowe's)? Or do you just cut the tiles to wrap around? Seems that would look odd unless done really well (first time tiling, so not an expert).


texts: Will a concrete roof hold the weight of a roof garden?

texts:
We are planning to build a roof garden on a flat roof. The area of the roof is 25' x 25'. The concrete slab thickness is 6", and our structural engineer has provided sufficient reinforcements, as we had planned for this right from the beginning.
Before proceeding, we want to be doubly sure the roof will hold the weight, considering we will be adding a glass roof of approx. 7720 lbs (3500 kg)(including MS structure and glass weight). Add to this the weight of concrete planters, moist soil and plants (we have not calculated these), we are wondering whether a roof garden is a good idea at all...
Additional info - If we are going for a roof garden, a glass-roof for the garden is non-negotiable as we want to harvest rainwater and have invested in a large RWH sump underground.
Given the specifications, how much lbs /sqft can our roof hold?


texts: What is the best type of 6 ft wood fence to block wind in a yard?

texts:
We moved into a newly built house and I had a large clearing done. I was short sighted and had the loggers clear too much. Now we have a big very windy yard. I am going to plant trees and put of feces and over time try to build more of a fortress for wind around the house because now the house has no trees around it and big wind.
So right now I want to put up a 6 ft fence, 48 feet wide, on a north facing hill that sits above our house. It is right behind the house and wide open from the north and the wind when it is from the north or northwest just rips right down.
I don't know much about physics and this type of thing. But I read on one website that a fence with gaps will be better for wind blocking than a solid fence.
I guess it defuses it or something? But if we are trying to block wind from our back yard, is it better o do a solid fence or one with gaps?
We will plant some small trees in front of the fence. And over time we will plant an evergreen hedge ( maybe spruce trees) to make more of a wind blocking thing behind the fence.
I am most concerned with putting the right fence in for the purpose of wind blocking. And also I am wondering if a fence wood can handle a lot of wind on I until the evergreen hedge matures in a few years.
thanks


texts: Can I rest cement posts directly on the bedrock to build a structure for a large shed?

texts:
So I live in Canada, where winters are cold, and where there's not much soil above the bedrock. I would like to build a sturdy structure for an existing "shed" (in fact a 100-year old former stable or something) that's about 4m by 5m (12'x 15') and that's kind of collapsing. Currently, there's no real structure to speak of: it's only 2-inch thick boards piled up and nailed together, with small posts (like 2x4s) in the corners, resting on slabs of cement or something, each one about half as big as a basketball.

There's only about 60 cm of soil above the (granit) bedrock, and I was considering pouring concrete "posts" to rest directly on the bedrock, then using them as a basis for my structure (placing a metal plate on top that I can put a wood post on). My neighbour says that in the spring the meltwater will accumulate over the bedrock and may damage the concrete posts. Also, I would guess the ground probably freezes down to the bedrock in winter.

Any thoughts about this? alternative solutions? Note that I don't want to take the shed apart because it's 100-year-old wood and I think I would inflict substantial damage to it.


texts: How to install a house number plaque on vinyl siding?

texts:
I need to install house numbers on my house. I have obtained an aluminium plaque with the numbers and I'm now wondering the best way to install it onto the house.

The house has vinyl siding, and underneath the siding is ZIP system sheathing.

From some googling around, it would seem that I have two options:

Drill screws through the siding, into the sheathing, to secure the plaque.
Obtain some sort of vinyl siding hook, and use it to hang the plaque on top of the siding.

Which of these approaches would be best to take? My concern with screw approach is, of course, the fact that moisture may be able to get behind the siding. The ZIP system serving as a moisture barrier may additionally complicate this; I'm not sure.

The siding hook seems like a nice and simple approach, but I don't know how permanent the installation will be and if it is difficult to find hooks compatible with siding.

The plaque comes with screws and is clearly intended to be screwed in, as described in the instructions. I would just follow the directions exactly but they do not mention vinyl siding or dealing with exposure to water, something that I've been warned to be concerned about.


texts: The new toilet I'm installing has a side to side rock(pre wax ring test) of between 1/16" and 1/8".  Is the wax ring sufficient to overcome this gap?  A level indicates the left side of the toilet as I face it is where the shim would need to be placed in order to stop the rocking and have the toilet remain level.


texts: How to prevent outdoor landscape light water leaks?

texts:
I installed low voltage landscape lights on our fencing around the perimeter of our backyard in September. The lights are supposed to be IP66 waterproof, but within a month of installing, I found water pooling inside some of the units. I then disassembled, dried and sealed off anywhere I thought water could penetrate in with silicone in hopes that water would no longer seep in.
After re-wiring and installing, within a few weeks, water was beginning to pool inside again and some of the lights were starting to malfunction. Inside, some of the connections were corroding. I did notice that it appeared that most of the water was coming from condensation build-up, which then led me to believe that the water leak could be due to temperature/pressure changes.
From my research, it seems like this is a common problem, especially here in Western Canada where temperatures can change quite rapidly. I have seen some suggestions of installing small vents made of a waterproof breathable PTFE membrane on each of the units that are meant to allow for pressure equalization. I have also read that Gore-Tex clothing is made from a semi-permeable membrane, so I was thinking about creating a small hole in each unit and then creating a barrier for the hole with the Gore-tex.
I am wondering if anyone has any further suggestions on how to prevent this from happening? Or a cheaper/simpler permeable membrane material I could use. These were purchased from Amazon and I am past the return date so I'm stuck with them. I have spent a very unreasonable amount of time on these lights and I am hoping someone might have the answer. I have included some photos below as well.


texts: I was told that I needed a 3" drain pipe to self vent the sink. I have searched all over to see how to plumb 1 1/2"  drain pipe into a 3" pipe with no luck. a picture is worth a thousand words. Working with Arkansas code...tnx


texts: What does breaking the tab on the neutral side do to the outlet as a whole?

texts: I know that breaking it on the hot (copper) side allows the one receptacle to be controlled via switch while keeping the other always hot.  Are there scenarios where you would ONLY cut the neutral side tab and leave the other? What about scenarios where both would be cut?


texts: Placement of inducer for gas hot water tank

texts: My sister has lived in her house about 3 years, inspection was fine and no issues since. Hot water tank started leaking, the installer for the new one says that the inducer with double wall b venting is incorrectly placed, because the HWT and furnace vents tie together, then the inducer is next in line. He says he can't fix it, is only a plumber not HVAC, but the inducer should be before the furnace and HWT vents come together. CO detector across the room has never gone off. Opinions appreciated.


texts: How do I DIY a spinning CD/DVD storage rack?

texts:
I have an embarrassing number of dvd's and cd's; I think it's up to about 600 - 800 now... I have long ago started putting the majority in cd binders, but I have a really nice room dedicated as a library and I'd like to make the dvd's more accessable.

What I was thinking of was a podium that has a motorized spinner that could store all of the dvds in the body.  You could then scroll the entire catalog forward and backward to find what you want.

My carpentry is good enough that I could build the podium no problem, but I needed help on the guts... If there is a kit that someone knows of or has any ideas it would really help.  I have included a (pretty terrible) sketch of what I had envisioned...

[EDIT] I'm adding links to this picture and this Youtube demonstration of what I believe this user to be referring to.


texts: How do I wire my old 3/4hp 115-120v 50-60Hz HVAC motor to make an exhaust fan?

texts:
My old HVAC blower motor has the following wires and I would like to know how to wire them to a typical 110v plug for use as a garage exhaust fan.
yellow (N)
black (L)
yellow/green (ground)
black (M1)
blue (M2)
orange (M3)
white (M4)
gray (M5)
brown (com)
There wasn't a capacitor on the furnace blower motor assy, but there was a 24vac transformer.  Any help with this project is appreciated.


texts: I'm building a table and finishing it with a high-gloss polyurethane.  I've seen how to apply the poly and what to do between coats, but what do you do after that last coat?  Is it done?  Do you wet sand it with 2000 grit?  Do you wax it?  What will give the best results for smoothness and shine?


texts: Above Ground rigid steel conduit over creek

texts: I am running 3" rsc above ground across a 30' creek. I was told I needed a christy box installed on each side of the creek, what are these and how do I install them?


texts:
So I'm renovating an old, rusty tub to avoid replacing it.  The drain and overflow valve were rusty and holes were made to remove them. So far,  I've used Bondo to fill in gaps, which is working great.  When sanding the tub I've noticed areas are thicker than others around the drain.   Do I need to continue sanding to thin it out so it drains properly or is that even an issue?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.


texts: Best way to join two vertical aluminium poles

texts:
I currently have an aluminium (aluminum?) pole that's about 1"1/8 across, and it's embedded into concrete. I need this pole taller, and can acquire exactly the same spec pipe in any length to do this.

The pipe doesn't need to be directly end-to-end (there's nothing flowing through), but it should keep its position very well. There will be a slight load (~1kg) on this additional section, but not much. I cannot weld this pipe, but I can drill it or otherwise modify it.

What's my best option here? I've had three so far, and I'm not sure any are what I'm after.

Drill and attach side 'plates' with bolts through.
Find a pipe as near to the internal diameter as possible, and drill through the outer and inner pipes with bolts.
Stagger the pipes, drilling and applying bolts the whole width.

Here are some quick visualisations of these:

Are there options I'm missing to do this, perhaps?

For reference, the pipe is similar to this:


texts: Trane HVAC in horizontal position - why does evaporator throw condensation?

texts:
I appreciate assistance from anyone who has had or understands the problem.
 I have a Trane HVAC system in a horizontal "left" flow configuration in the attic.  Ambient temperature is about 95 degrees when it's running in summer (which is now).  The unit is brand new this year, and cools amazingly.  The only issue is condensation.  I have verified that the actual PVC line (pictured) is clear and is dripping water outside (this part of Texas is very humid).

However, the bottom board in the outlet plenum is soaked and heavy with water.

Another possible clue, note the configuration of the PVC drain with the "vent" on the top.  When this is open it blows cold air out and I'm thinking that can't be right, so I've put a "cap" on it.  Surely it's not correct to have cold air blowing out of that.

Am I missing something in the configuration which should be catching the condensation?  Thanks


texts: I am working on my bathroom floor and need to temporarily remove the pedestal sink base.  The bowl is attached to the wall via a mounting bracket on the underside of the bowl. Is it possible to remove just the base and keep the bowl in place or does the base help support it?  It does not appear to help support the weight


texts:
Recently I bought a second hand light fixture off of eBay for the living room. I've had 2 electricians out to mount it and in both cases, the light will not switch on after fixing to the ceiling.
Existing light rose / fixture/ceiling bit all work perfectly with both current and previous light. Fuse box works perfectly as well.
I hope someone can help please?


texts: How should I go about leveling my basement floor?

texts:
My house is from the 1920s, with a poured concrete foundation and floor in the basement. The floor dips pretty noticeably downward from the foundation walls towards a drain near one end of the basement. I don't think there's been any significant settling, I think this is just how it was constructed, to direct any sort of spill or leak towards the drain.

That's all well and good, except that my office is in the basement. My desk chair likes to roll away on its own, and I need shims to keep shelves and my desk from tipping over. I'm considering building some sort of a subfloor under just this part of my basement to level it. I don't think that options like How can I level my basement floor, which has a 4-inch dip? are really in my budget, or really what I want to get into.

I'm basically thinking of building something with 2x4s and plywood that I can shim up enough to be level. Is that the right approach? I'm hoping to be able to get away with only spending about $200 on this. I'm only looking to level about a 12'x12' section of my basement, not the whole thing.

Dampness isn't generally a problem in my basement, my main goal is to make my work area level.


texts: Cut, splice, and branch a 3-3-3-5 SER cable to create a new subpanel?

texts:
Thanks in advance for the help!
I am finishing my basement, and I would like to add a new and centrally located sub panel.
Unfortunately, I do not have access to the main box without ripping up my kitchen. On the bright side, there is an existing 3-3-3-5 SER line running through the ceiling joists near where I want to put the new panel. It comes from the main and feeds another 100A sub panel elsewhere in the house (I do have access to that existing sub panel). The total load for that existing sub panel and the new panel will be comfortably under 100A.
In order to feed my new sub panel, I can see three options:

T off the existing cable in the ceiling, and feed the existing and new panels in parallel
Cut the existing cable in the ceiling, splice a new section of 3-3-3-5 to the source side to feed new panel, and add a 100A breaker to that new panel along with another new section of new cable to splice into the sink side of the existing cable to feed the existing panel. There will be two splice connections in the ceiling in this case, but the panels will be in series (main panel->splice->new panel->splice->old sub panel)
Go to the existing sub panel, and run a new ~50ft 3-3-3-5 back along the same path that the current one is going to feed the new panel. No cuts or splices here which is great, but 50' of extra cable running through my joists which seems wasteful.

Questions:

What's the best solution?
Is it code compliant to Tee off the existing cable in the ceiling and feed two sub panels in parallel from one breaker in the main panel?
Are there T and/or splice connectors for 3ga cable that I can put into boxes in the ceiling?
Do I need access to those junction boxes later, or can I bury them underneath drywall after inspection?

Thanks!
--Carey


texts: Can anyone identify what this wall is made of? It looks like some kind of plaster to me, but I'm not sure. Thank you!


texts: Additional Vapor Barrier with Faced Insulation?

texts: When installing faced insulation into exterior walls, are there any benefits or detriments to adding an additional vapor barrier to either the non-faced side of the insulation?


texts: Installing a sliding patio door...why does the entire frame have to be square, level and plumb?

texts:
It has been raining cats and dogs for two days (fall wet season). I am looking at my newly installed but but not sealed patio door that is not screwed, not plumb-ed and not leveled and I am trying to understand why you need the entire door to be level plumb and square.

From what I understand the fixed door does not care much unless there is too much tension or pressure on it which could make it crack in time

The sliding door is more sensitive to level and plumb and square issues since:

-if will not close (if it is not parallel with the vertical side that it rests against, when closed)
-it will wear and tear the track if the track is not level

The door gets shims and it has around 1/4" space all around excepting the bottom side. The shims are used to fix it in position and to make it square and plumb but there is little tension that is transmitted from the structure to the door from the adjacent walls.

So my question is, why do you have to be so careful to make the entire frame square and plumb/level on all the edges ?

Edit: here is an example, exaggerated for the sake of argument


texts: Why is our brand new dishwasher not draining?

texts:
So, some background on this issue first... our old dishwasher seemed to work fine when we first moved into this house, but within the last year it started having a drainage issue.  Water would be left standing in the bottom of the dishwasher after the cycle finished which was leading to yucky stuff down there as well.  My husband pulled the dishwasher out, unplugged the drain hose, made sure the trap was clean, etc.  Unfortunately, the problem was not solved.

Finally, we just got a brand new dishwasher hoping that our drainage problem was behind us, but sadly the new dishwasher doesn't drain either!  HELP!  All that I can see is a black drain hose which goes down into our crawl space and then back up and attaches to our sink.  The sink has not had any drainage problems.  Any ideas?


texts: Can I convert a window A/C unit in to a pool-water cooled system?

texts:
I have an 18,000 BTU A/C unit that blew a compressor last year. Perfect for a small project. I however could not find a professional to help me out, so maybe it's DIYable. I know just about enough about this to know I'm no match for a professional.

I thought it would be awesome to heat the pool and cool the house at the same time. The pool's a 24 foot above ground pool and has no heating right now, it averages about 70 degrees. Bonus is that it could act almost like a split system - the water could be piped right up to the unit rather than having the fan hanging off the back.

Parts

Condenser: I've sourced two American-made water heat exchange manufacturers and spoken to one of them. I really like the Aqua Systems model, but the smallest is rated at 2 tons - that's apparently 24,000 BTU. A very friendly guy there referred me to Edward's Coils - but they don't seem to have much data online. If I can't use the Aqua Systems model for technical reasons, I'll get in touch with Edward's coils and see what they have to offer. My question here is will the 2 ton unit overload the rest of the compressor, and why?

Compressor: The compressor is dead in the unit. It seems to be a sealed unit, I'm not sure about repairing it. If I was to replace it, is there any reason I should replace it with the exact same part? Is there a different compressor type that would better serve this purpose?

Assembly

I'm going to have to find somewhere to evacuate the refrigerant in here. Any suggestions?

I'm good at soldering, however I've never soldered on an A/C unit before. Is there anything chemically different? I know coolant in automotive systems tends to seep into the metal and requires extra cleaning, I'm not sure if there's anything of that nature here.

If the condenser I remove has different size tubing than the new water cooled compressor, would an adapter suffice?

Any suggestions on where I can get it charged up after it's assembled? How would one calculate the refrigerant requirements?


texts: Can I wire a doorbell transformer in-wall this way?

texts:
My current under-powered doorbell transformer is in a very awkward location (old home, etc.) and in a location where several old wires are cable-nutted together and I would rather not replace it there.  I can disconnect and patch through the existing LV wiring easy enough though and I have a much more accessible location to install an updated one.  However-

The location is in a coat closet, with an existing (currently capped) 120vAC line and close proximity to the doorbell wiring. But it is waist-high and would be covered by coats all the time.  Would that be a problem if I surface-mounted the transformer?

What I’d like to do is mount the transformer in the wall cavity. I know code requires this to be accessible so I can’t drywall over it, but can I have a transformer like that attached to a gang box on its side, with all of the wiring behind a cover plate? Or cover plates?

As seen here the 120v is behind the existing wall plate in a single box currently mounted on a stud. (Green). The doorbell wire runs vertically in the same wall cavity (red area) and has enough slack to reach the green area easily.

So- do I just expose the transformer at waist height and surrounded by coats, or can I put the whole mess in the wall and cover it appropriately (vented panel?). I’m in Virginia and would like to do this to code.  Thanks!


texts: Is a double 2x4 beam adequate for a 64" opening?

texts: I am opening my dining room and I don't want to compromise the structural integrity.  The previous entryway was supported by two 2"x8".  The new entryway is supported by two 2"x4".  The new support is spread across nearly the entire wall.  The columns are supported by 3" wedge anchors.  Is this ready for drywall?  How likely is it that an inspector will approve it?  The current opening is 5'4".  Thank you.


texts: How can I get my stuck sprinkler heads to go down after watering?

texts:
I have an automatic water sprinkling system in my lawn. After it runs, some of the heads are still stuck in the up position. I will attach some photos. What can I do to ensure these heads go down because I have a very careless lawn maintenance service and they will definitely sever the heads during mowing. I cannot manually monitor this on a daily basis.

I pushed each of the three heads still stuck up after watering down into the ground.  One snapped right down, a second needed a slow push and little bits of water sprayed out as it went down.  The third seemed to scrape its way down as though there was some dirt caught.

What can I do to get these to go down without my intervention?


texts: Closing water supply valve does not shutoff water supply to toilet

texts: I'm trying to change my fill valve because for some reason it does not send water to the refill tube and only fills downwards (C-Max anti siphon), but when I go to shutoff my supply valve, turning it clockwise until tight does not seem to stop water flow. I tried counter clockwise all the way the other direction and that too did not prevent water flow. Does this mean that the supply valve has lost its grip or is there another possible explanation?


texts: Breaker for my subpanel for the pool keep tripping

texts: I have a pool with a sub panel that has a 30amp breaker for the pump, a 20 amp for the lights that is also connected to a small fridge receptacle, the water heater has two 20amps on it. The main breaker for the subpanel is a 60 amp gfci. This breaker keeps tripping. Any suggestions?


texts: How to drill and remove inside from precious stone through small hole?

texts:
My friend's trying to drill fist sized precious stone through tiny hole and remove inside.We want to keep outer side intact. He's going to fill and keep oriental medicine inside.
But we can't figure out how to drill and remove inside of stone without making big hole.
My friend already smashed one fist sized stone into several pieces while trying to drill it.
By the way it's very hard stone. We bought one already done by Chinese craftsman, but it was too expensive. So we decided to do it by ourselves.


texts:
The crawlspace at its highest is maybe 5 feet and lowest 1.5 feet with somewhat dusty dirt floor.
It is not insulated.
This winter I'll be working mostly in the larger section doing no flammable work (like foam or fiberglass).
The crawlspace is sealed up with expanding foam insulation, but imperfectly.  For now, the large
entry doors are slotted and maybe provide 1 sq foot of fresh air as well as various other leaks.
I expect to work for 2 to 3 hours at a time.  I would bring a combined co2 / smoke detector
with me into the space while working.
I have a few options:

Salamander or stand up kerosene heater - Mostly rejected as I don't want another fuel source
to have to deal with, as well as the safety issues.

30000 - 60000 propane salamander - I have a 20LB tank on hand and could get another one.
I could pipe via the supplied flexible hose to tank outside.
No confidence issues there - blast the place to 90F, turn it off and coast while I'm working.
Tank would be at ambient though, which in January is pretty cold.
I would construct a small pad in the largest section of the crawl space with concrete blocks
to place this heater.

Enough power is there for 2 ceramic 1500W heaters - less interested due to cost.

I also have a 'Buddy heater', small one.  Could plumb that to same 20LB tank outside or use
single cylinders.

Buy Big Buddy heater, much higher output.

Other options ?

Buddy heaters have Oxygen Depletion Sensor but id be surprised if that condition occurs due to
air leaks in basement.
Thanks.


texts: Boiler Combi 24 pressure indicator always point to 0

texts:
I have a Boiler Combi 24 (UK) and this morning I just noticed that the pressure indicator is pointing to 0. However everything is working fine, I have heating and hot water.

Usually when the pressure is at 0 the boiler indicates (Failure) and there is no heating / hot water..

I have tried to reset the Boiler but no luck
I have tried draining the boiler, once all the water got out the Boiler indicates Failure, which is fine, and then I have open the looping thing to make the pressure go up. It did go up because the boiler started working again but the pressure indicator is still stuck at 0.

Can someone explain me why the indicator is always at 0 ? Is it broken ? Is there something stuck in the pipes ?

(Note that 5 days ago I had a new shower installed in my bathroom and some plumbing work was done in there, not sure if that can help debugging the situation)

Here's the bottom of the boiler, with the meter:

Here's a closeup of the meter:


texts: Installation of Liquid Propane Gas line to new Takagi Tankless Water Heater

texts:
I'm installing a new Takagi Tankless water heater and wanting to make sure I have the line plumbed to the unit correctly.

I have the Main line @ 3/4" hard Pipe, 3/4" Ball valve, 3/4" Flex Line, Tee with Line going into side, then sediment Trap on Bottom, to another Ball Valve connected to the tankless.

Main Line is 3/4" the 1/2" line at the T, and the T will be removed

The Elbow will be connected to where the T was in the Above Picture. I no longer need the 1/2"

This is the Connection to the Tankless. Has the 3/4" Flex going to the T with Sediment Trap then another ball valve at the top.

I've seen many examples of where there is no 2nd Valve on the Tankless and many where there are Unions and many that have a second Shutoff valve.

Is there anything wring with this setup?

Thanks!


texts: I'm wondering if it would be possible to move this support column 1 meter to the left, so that it lines up with the start of the sliding doors instead of being in the middle of it. Would I need to add extra bracing/support?


texts: seal and fix cracks in a concrete floor in basement

texts:
I have a few lengthy cracks, 1.5-2mm wide. What special paste or mortar should I use to fix cracks in a concrete floor in basement? Can it be done with cement mix or some special sealant must be applied? Does it matter, what time of year this fix is performed?

UPDATE Below are the images of cracks:

Thanks.


texts: Which batteries are compatible with the DeWalt DW9107?

texts:
I have a DeWalt battery charger model# DW9107.  Which batteries can I charge in it? It says 14.4volts

I have a DeWalt hammer drill model# DCD950B.  Will the battery for it, DC9096 work with my charger? It says 18volts.


texts: Radon Manometer shows negative prey when off

texts:
I had a Radon mitigation system installed last week. When I turned on the fan it was all working great. A few days later the pressure level started to drop a little each day, until day 4 it was even. Then when I turn off the fan circuit breaker the level goes negative. So the fan is still pulling.

What would cause the pressure to be greater in the pipe, open to the outside, then in the basement?


texts: Can you use 1 ecobee thermostat to control 2 zone valves for heating?

texts:
I previously had a single zone set up with 1 circulator.  So i added an extra zone. Still have 1 circulator pump and  I also picked up a tacozvc 403-4 box to set it up.  My question is how can i rewire it to work? And can i use 1 smart thermostat with room sensors for convenience or do i need a second thermostat? (I would get another ecobee and pair them in 1 app for convenience). Apparently the ecobee is multizone though. I would like to use just one thermostat.

In the picture below is what have currently before having rewired anything.  I havent touched any of the exisitng wiring yet. I just have the piping part of it done and need to figure out the wiring.  I also drew up an idea of how i think it should work.  But just wanted some opinions before i start anything.  If i need two thermostats i would just use the green and yellow for the 2nd thermostat.


texts: polystyrene insulation over dryloc basement walls

texts: I am a DIY beginner.  If I am installing polystyrene over drylocked basement walls, do I need a vapor barrier?  Do I put the studs on top of the polystyrene?  So, from exterior to interior it would be: basement wall, then dryloc, then polystyrene, then studs?


texts: What do I do with these extra multiway wires in my light fixture?

texts:
I have been modifying some fluorescent light fixtures for led lamps. Ballast bypass lamps. Have done several so far and all good so far.

I have a fixture that is a 4 lamp, 2 ballast. It is on a 3-way circuit with multiple light fixtures. There is a single 3-wire cable coming into fixture. Red wire and black are alternately hot when switch is switched. My question is how do I wire this up correctly. This scenario is kinda throwing me off. Probably making it more difficult than it is.


texts: Parallelling existing UF wire to use as feeder

texts: Besides being NEC non conforming to the smaller than 1/0 sizing,  what problems could/would occur if one paralleled the conductors color for color in a # 10 3 wire (black, red, white) plus bare ground UF cable?  Would this increase an allowable ampacity to 50 amps if each end of the phase wires were pigtaled into a # 6 THHN and properly polarized and phase connected into a 50 amp locked breaker.  Could this arrangement provide a feeder for a 50 amp subpanel @ 240 VAC since it would have a neutral and separate ground.  Thank you.


texts: Calculate the support requirements for a load bearing wall -

texts:
I am in the process of removing a load bearing wall to open up the kitchen to the dining room. The house was built in the 1700 in the Cornwall(south England) and is constructed from stone using lime and sand mortar. It is a 2 story house.
I have removed the lath and plaster for the wall that I plan to remove(fig 1). The wall span it will need to support to is 2.4 meters. The supporting wall being removed is on the ground, so the beam needs to support the weight of the second floor. The room dimensions are 2.5m by 3.5 on the kitchen side of the wall and 4.5 by 3.5 on the dining room side of the wall. So I assume the total area the beam needs to support 4.5 X 3.5 + 2.5 X 3.5?
There is a brick wall on side that the beam(fig 2) can rest on. On the other side there is nothing but it does appear to have some concrete foundations(fig 3).
My question is how do I calculate the size of metal I beam or, ideally, oak beam that is needed and are the footings (image below) strong enough to support a vertical beam or do I need to remove them and build new one. Lastly what size/strength of vertical beam do I need to support the weight?
 Fig 1
 Fig 2
 Fig 3


texts: What's a good way to install a threaded valve so that it can easily be replaced?

texts:
I am using a US Solid Motorized Ball Valve to control the water flow through a stream in my front yard. It works quite well when it works, though I've discovered that it seems to burn out and need to be replaced periodically. The code in the Arduino I'm using to control it could probably be improved so that it doesn't cycle the valve as much, but in the mean time, having to replace it is a bit of a pain. It has female threads on both ends, so unscrewing it means also having to dig up and unscrew a good portion of the piping around it. This is how it's installed now:

It's screwed in to pipes on both sides. Besides the fact that the pipes seem to be solidly rusted into the valve, its tight positioning means to replace it I have to dig up all of my piping and then replace and re-seal the sheeting and rocks on top afterwards. I'd like to make my design maintainable so that if and when the valve needs to be replaced, the procedure to do it is as non-invasive as possible. What are good ways to connect it in so it's less of a pain to replace?


texts: How to safely use an installer bit between floors?

texts:
I have a finished two-story house which has two interior walls vertically stacked.

I'd like to run ethernet from the top floor to the bottom, by:

cutting out a square for a wall plate on the top floor
use a flexible installer bit (3') to drill through the bottom plate of the top story frame via the small access hole of the wall plate.
continue downward and drill through the top plate of the bottom floor frame (still inside the wall)
drop the wire down inside the wall to the plate on the bottom floor (no fireblock in the wall)

This allows me to run the cable with no drywall repair.

However, the space between the floors is unknown to me. The long flexible bit allows for drilling through places where you cannot reach or see, so I can't be sure there's nothing between the floors that could be damaged by the drilling.

How do professionals safely use this long bit and avoid hitting joists, electrical lines, pipes, etc.?

I thought about a borescope but I'm not sure if I could stop the drill before hitting something after punching through the first bottom plate, if there was anything directly beneath it.

Picture of scenario: http://www.licensedelectrician.com/Store/ET/Images/Tip2.jpg


texts:
Both of my toilets starting having the same leak at the same time and I can't figure out where it is coming from or how to fix it.
The water is coming out from the tank where it meets the bowl and is slowly dripping out the bolt holes. I replaced the bolts and rubber washers that hold the tank to the bowl but the problem continued.

For what it's worth, my furnace went out this winter and the house was 45 or 50 degrees for a week or so and that is about the time when the leak started.


texts: My new sink is too deep for the drain. How can I plumb it to lower the p pipe?


texts: how to remove frost free outdoor faucet drain valve assembly

texts:
I've tried unscrewing the part outlined in red below. No dice.
Do I just need to remove the whole rod (above the red outline) and replace it?)
If so, can anyone point me to instructions for them.  I can't see in there. Worried that I'll pull it out and not be able to put it back in.

(The deeper I go in the plumbing the more things I find that there is no modern fitting-part :)

My new assembly  replaces the parts outlined in red. the new assembly has a female thread. I am HOPING that the thicker part of the pipe (just above the black "collar" stopper)  is screwed onto the pipe above.

However, I cannot unscrew it. There is nothing to get a hold of. It's perfectly round.
I've tried dw40, and let it sit for 20 minutes. No love.

I'll try wacking it with a board in the direction along which it moves in when it screws (perpendicular to the threads per [this answer][2])


texts: I bought some new furniture recently including a heavy dining table and some couches which had steel framework along with wood. The problem is that when I was carrying the old table and items out I didn't notice the floor being damaged with scratches and some holes. The table has been in the same position for years now. There are some color changes to it along with small holes. The new furniture matches the antique hardwood flooring but the stuck dirt and holes which have some white powder are clearly visible by a person entering the room from out. Unless replacing the new furniture in the place of the old which will cover the hole, but the problem may get worsened, I can't find a solution. Should I do a refinish to the floor? or do some wood putty work to cover up the holes?


texts: I need to support a ridge beam on one end with a Douglas fir 6 x 12 x 12 ft long header. The load will be on a single point in the center and will be about 8000 lbs total. I can't tolerate sag as there is an expensive door/window assembly installed below. I cannot find single point header tables anywhere and don't care to enlist an engineer as most will not work on a single component basis. My experience and gut says it's good but I want to prove the math. Any suggestions?


texts:
I live in Austin where it's about to get much colder than normal (single digits). Unfortunately the house in question (we're not currently living there) has no power at the moment. We just had the electrical panel replaced and the city won't turn the power back on until they inspect it probably a few weeks/months from now. We are in the process of covering up all the exposed pipes around the house to prevent them from freezing. Fortunately, the water heaters run on gas so we can still have hot water in the house.
Anyhoo, we have a water heater in an outside closet next to the pool. It was recently replaced and the plumbers insulated some of the pipes in there but not all of them (see pics below).
Do any of the exposed pipes need to be insulated? I have some foam tubing I can put around them if necessary. I did notice the the exhaust vent does get fairly warm when the water heater is on. Maybe that's enough to keep everything from freezing up?
I wasn’t sure if covering up the hot water lines would be bad for them.


texts: Grounding TV Antenna and Metal Porch, And Resolving Ground Rod Issues

texts:
I'm mounting a light-weight metal TV antenna to a metal mast attached to old-school metal roof columns (with the curly-cues) on a small second floor porch which has a metal porch roof, and metal floor covered with outdoor deck carpet. The mast mounts have rubber bumpers between them and the metal porch supports. The mast does not touch the porch floor, so there does not appear to be a bond (?) between the antenna and metal porch components. The mast extends a few feet above the porch, but nowhere near the height of the brick house, which has a gable roof going at least another 10 feet higher.

The mast and coaxial are each grounded to the house ground rod with 10 gauge wire. The 1930's house has one primary rod of unknown/unmarked length near a newer 200amp box, and the cable/internet service line grounds to a 5' rod 30' away from the primary rod.  I have bonded the 5' cable rod to the primary rod with #6.  The unused phone line-in is grounded to the iron water line-in (which goes at least 40' underground to the meter at the street).  The main panel is near the water-in, but not grounded to it. Presumably the primary rod, even with the cable rod, isn't 'code' (no ohm test).  I know one option is replace the unknown primary with two 8' rods > 6' apart, bonded by #6. I'm not inclined to bother with the aging iron pipe. Input about the grounding electrodes is welcome, but I'm inclined to do two new 8' rods and a jumper. So...

If I replace the unknown rod with 8', and replace the 5' cable rod with 8', and bond them using the existing #6 jumper (30' length), is that ok, even if something is grounded to each rod (electric to one, cable to other)?
Should I ground the metal porch to the rods (or perhaps to the grounded antenna mast, which is grounded to the rods)?
If I leave the phone line grounded to the water pipe, does the pipe need to be bonded to the ground rod (my understanding is that grounding electrodes are supposed to be bonded together)?
Am I correct to bond the cable ground rod to the main rod? Was it unnecessary?


texts:
I need to repaint a part of my radiator. I have already sanded the tarnished area with a grinder and a flapdisk but not the whole area (half of a fin) I'm getting ready to refinish, IOW most of the area still has paint but I removed it where it looked ugly (some burn marks).

Should I use an oil based primer (as I think that's best for metal) over the whole area and then just regular indoor paint?


texts: Stud sensor finds current on large wall area

texts: The detached garage for my home was built by the previous owner in 2000, the garage interior is naked particle board directly on wood studs, and the insulation has paper backing (not foil).  When using the electrical sensor on the Stanley 77-110 stud sensor, most of an entire wall surface shows current (other walls do not).  When I turn off the breaker for the outlets, the current disappears.  How do stud sensors actually sense current, and should I be concerned?


texts: Three way circuit powering a GFCI outlet

texts: I have two light switches, one at each entry to a room, that are set up three way to power a standard outlet (for a lamp).  I replaced that standard outlet with a GFCI outlet.  I noticed that the tiny, green GFCI status light goes out when the switches are in the off position and that if the switches are in the off position, the GFCI outlet will not RESET after testing.  This all seems logical to me but it got me wondering if there anything wrong with using a GFCI outlet like this?


texts: What are the pros and cons of engineered hardwood?

texts: Are there any downsides to engineered hardwood? I'm looking to install hardwood in dining room and kitchen areas.


texts: Cutting sink boss from granite composite sink

texts:
We have a Swanstone composite granite drop in sink. We have a very narrow counter. The sink fits but the sink boss extensions in the front will not be used and I would really like to cut them off to gain the extra half inch plus in the back so we can position the sink out from under a window sill and I can install a tall faucet.
Just don't know if I can just saw them off or if there are considerations for safety and durability that I need to consider. Also what would be the best tool to use for this?
Thank you for your input.


texts: Is it generally safe to use a lower wattage bulb in a light fixture? (Specifically Halogen bulbs)

texts:
I just bought a light fixture that uses GU10 base Halogen bulbs and came with 50 watt bulbs that are way too bright for my purposes.

The documentation lists the maximum wattage bulbs that can be used for the fixture, but makes no mention of the minimum safe wattage. I also couldn't find any information on the vendor's web site.

As a general rule, is it safe to use any wattage bulb in a fixture that is below the maximum, or is there a risk of overloading them somehow or burning them out too quickly?


texts: Toilet full valve drips slightly when turning back on

texts:
I turned the full valve on my loo off to unclog the toilet and as I go to turn clockwise to turn back on it drips slightly so bit worried to turn on in case I find myself with a big leak!!!:(
First home owner and just wondering if this is normal before I do turn back on.
TIA


texts: I want to span a 24' shed with a gambrel roof to create an operational space of 16' and I want a design that can be build onsite and installed without a helper.  I'm having an impossible time figuring out how I'm going to fasten the trusses to the side-walls.  What are some workable ways of doing this?


texts: Trying to install Cooper surface LED down light to ceiling but don't see a ground wire

texts:
I'm trying to install a Cooper LED down light to a pre-existing ceiling metal electric box that has been un-used.

I know to turn off electricity at the breaker and that white wire from light fixture goes with white wire from electric box and black wire from the light fixture goes to the black wire from electric box.

The mounting strip of the fixture has a ground wire coming from it.  But I don't see a ground wire coming from the metal electric box.  So I'm not sure where it goes.  Do I need to get a green grounding screw and screw it into one of the holes I see in the top of the electric box?

[2
[]3
[]4
[]5

I also have other ones of these LED down lights that were installed.  I'm not sure how to take them down to look at them as models for what i"m supposed to do.  Does anyone have any tips on taking down these Cooper LED Ceiling Surface LED lights?  I'm trying to turn them clockwise (and counter clockwise) to release them from the j-box bracket but not getting a good grip to turn it.  Any tips here will be helpful


texts: Any way to fix old rusted utility sink drain?

texts:
https://imgur.com/a/a37rvbW
My old (1940) house has a basement utility sink that has started to leak at the drain (shown in picture). Is there a way to replace the section that is rusted or do I have to rip the whole thing out and replace it? It looks like its a very different mechanism to modern utility sinks, it doesn't have a threaded base or a threaded drain strainer (just a hole). How do I go about fixing this?
Edit: From some googling, this is an old concrete tub and weighs and absolute ton.
Edit: I decided to have a professional plumber look at this and he ran water in the sink for a minute and he could see that the concrete itself was weeping a bit, so it was worth demolishing the sink and installing a new plastic one. He just took a sledgehammer to it, loaded it in a few buckets on his truck, and installed the new sink in a couple hours.


texts: How to secure a cutting disc on a smooth electric motor arbor..unthreaded

texts:
How can I secure a cutting disc on a unthreaded motor arbor? I tied collars but the disc still wouldn't stay secure. Motor is a 3/4 hp, 1735 rpm, 5/8" smooth arbor. It has a slot or notch for a locking "key" but the cutting disc isn't notched for locking. Cutting disc is 6 1/2" x 1/8" x 5/8" hole
Thanks!


texts: How should I repair these very damaged floor boards?

texts:
I've recently moved in to an apartment where the floor boards are damaged in some areas, presumably because there has been a lot of traffic in these spots. And it has been like this for years it seems, since the damage goes so deep. I'm attaching a photo.

I know I can't repair these much, I'm mostly looking to prevent further damage. My idea is to sand the area and carefully apply new white stain and new varnish. Never done this before though. How likely is it that the repairs will match the colour of the rest of the floor? Any advice on technique or products to use? Can I fill the "holes" with some kind of wood filler and then stain?


texts: Touching up black aluminium window frame

texts:
I have a set of folding doors (interior <-> exterior) that have been badly scraped and scratched during a renovation project. I have purchased the correct colour touch up paint from the manufacturer, but there are no instructions on how to apply.

My initial thoughts are that I should sand down the area with 60 then 120 grade paper. Clear the area with white spirit and then apply the touch up paint. Does this sound about right? Is there a better way?

The finish of the frame is very smooth. Im worried that if I use a paint brush it will be streaky. What applicator should I use?

Note: the white area is what's left of the protective plastic, my concern is the abrasion below it.


texts: Hooking up my compressor to my dryer outlet

texts:
I need to plug in my compressor, which has a NEMA L6-30P plug.

I currently have a NEMA 10-30R Receptacle
How do I do this? It looks like the ground from my dryer plug is grounded in the box. I do have a rod that runs into the ground outside my house. Can I run a separate plug off my dryer plug and attach it right next to the dryer plug for my compressor? They both won't be running at the same time.
Edited in from comments on an answer:

The dryer plug is in a metal box that runs through a foot of metal conduit up to the electrical box that runs to a 30 amp breaker.


texts: Prevent artificial turf from getting lifted up by wind

texts:
My apartment has a balcony on the 4th floor of a building, which I covered with artificial turf to make it look nicer.

The problem is that the wind lifts up and folds the artificial turf all the time

To prevent this issue from happening, I have been thinking about the following solutions, and none seem adequate:

Gardening iron line which I could pass through the turf holes (circled in red in above image) and attach to the balcony wooden boards, problem is that it wouldn't hold well to the boards (would probably slide out eventually)
Tablecloth clip but I guess they will eventually rust (even those stainless ones aren't completely stainless)
Custom-made wooden casing: covering the sides and holding the turf down. Seems like lots of work to setup and maintain (wood)

What would you use to stopping the wind from lifting up/folding the turf?


texts: What's the best material to use to fill in a 1/2" gap between drywall and stairs?

texts:
The previous owner of our home had a shoddy job down on some stairs leading to a rec room carved out of some of the attic space.  There are four stairs leading up to the room, and under each one is a gap about half an inch wide and deep.  There are vertical gaps alongside the stairs, too, but nowhere near as bad.  Here's a photo of all the stairs, with a closer look at a couple of the gaps further below:

I'd like to fill in these gaps between the drywall under the stairs and the stairs themselves so that I can then paint over them to make it look much nicer, but I'm not sure what the best material would be to do that.  I'm considering wood filler, joint compound, or a foam sealant such as Great Stuff.  Would one of these be ideal for this job, or is there something else I should consider?  Not having done a DIY project like this before, I don't know what material would be ideal for filling gaps between drywall and the wood planks that make up the stairs without too much worry of future cracking.

Here's a close-up of a couple of the stairs to give you a better idea of what the gaps are like:


texts: Should I add sand or more limestone crush to raise a patio with no gravel bedding?

texts:
I need to regrade my patio and I had a quick look under the pavers to see  how it was built. To my surprise I found the following layers:

one thin layer off gravel -you would say it is about 1/4in thin
weed barrier
4" crushed limestone
precast brick pavers

I expected something more like 4" of gravel and 1" of sand + pavers on top (like it is described here : http://www.homedepot.ca/know-how/projects0/laying-out-and-digging-a-patio )

I think that the whole thing is too little permeable to water, and it drains more difficultly and that correlated with a slope toward the house is giving me a wet wall ...
I need to raise the level of the patio with 1"-2" in order to make it drain away of the house

Now the question is: do I add sand over the existing limestone crush or I buy more limestone crush ?

From drainage perspective, is it normal to have mostly just this limestone crash layer and nothing else? Will this crushed limestone trap the water longer than it should?


texts: Will these DIY steel plates for post to beam connections work as well as the commercially available ones?

texts:
My soon to be constructed deck will have beams made from three 2x12s sandwiching ½" plywood, sitting on 6x6 posts. This gives both the beams and the posts a width of 5½ inches.
To ensure the beams stay put, I'd like to purchase 3/16" x 5" x 8" steel plates (SS 304 7ga). I would use 2 steel plates per post/beam connection (one on each side), plus (qty 4) SS 304 ½" hex bolts / washers / nuts.
Using these plates is vastly cheaper than the ready made solutions from Simpson and other companies, of which at least some number are also made with 7ga steel. Even increasing the steel plates to ¼" thick is still vastly less expensive than the ready made connectors.
Here's a diagram of the DIY connectors plus hex bolts:
.-------------,
|             |
|   O     O   |
|             |
|             |
|             |
|             |
|             |
|   O     O   |
|             |
'-------------'
Note: Perhaps but not necessarily to scale

What is the folly of this method? Is it dangerous? What makes the commercial product better than just purchasing steel plates and bolts?

Update
Just wanted to add that this question may have been a bit misleading. The actual code approved connectors for this structure will be something more like these. The beam will be completely supported on top of the posts. This is a 12' x 20' ft deck. The premise was that the DIY plates seem significantly stronger than the code approved connectors. I made this unclear by originally linking to the 7 gauge Simpson connectors.


texts: Are these pigtails inside the panel and outside a junction box allowed?

texts:
I am concerned about a newer electrical panel's installation, where one of the older load wires, at the main electrical panel, appear to be shorter in length, appear not reaching the desired circuit breaker's location, as a result, the Electrician elected to Pigtail it to reach its  desired circuit breaker.  How safe is such practice?  Judging by other sub-standard electrical work that I uncovered in the attic, where wire connection are not done inside a junction box and left exposed,  I am very concerned about the safety and the level of the finished electrical work.  This residential electrical work was completed and approved by the local jurisdiction, building & safety,  in the past few week in Southern California.

Thank you,


texts:
Please help. I am not sure what my electrician did when wiring my new office. Here is a picture of my problem.

So, I have 4 of these switches. Each switch has 4 wires coming out of the back. Neutral, Line, Load and Ground.

The 4 switches go to my fan (1), the light in the fan (2), an overhead desk light (3) and 3 small in-ceiling spot lights (4).

I see the 4 black wires for power, the 4 copper ground wires. I am just at a loss for where to put each wire and it looks like there are only 3 wires per switch, not 4. Does one just get capped off?

I asked my electrician and he said the red and black wires on the left are to go to the fan (1) and light (2). Then the black wire on the right goes to the overhead desk light (3) and the white wire with black tape goes to the spot lights (4).

And the white wire in the middle with red tape that is capped to 4 black wires provides all the power.

This is out of my wheelhouse and he is no longer responding to my requests. Maybe because of the long weekend. But, I’d like to get these installed today. Any help would be appreciated.


texts: GFCI outlet shape for 20 amp vs 15 amp circuit - what does the little line on the outlet mean?

texts:
My contractor recently added a 20-Amp circuit to my kitchen while he was remodeling it. He explained that the circuit was 20-Amp, and the non-GFCI outlets he installed all have the little horizontal line on the side, which I always thought was the designator for a 20-Amp outlet and 20-Amp circuit.  That is, I thought that the “little extra line” is used to plug in a 20-Amp device which has a different plug configuration from a 15-Amp.

And I even found answers here and here that confirm what I always thought: if it has the line it is 20-Amp, and if it doesn’t it is 15-Amp.

But I noticed my contractor installed a couple of GFCIs that don’t have the extra line on the side of the plug.  I mentioned this to him, and he explained that the GFCI outlets he installed really were 20-Amp outlets, they just don’t have that extra line.

I thought he was trying to save a few bucks by installing a 15-Amp outlet and assumed I wouldn’t know or notice, but he quickly reassured me by pulling off the plate cover and showing me the side of the outlet where it was stamped in the plastic “20 Amp.”  So now I’m confused.  What does the little line on the outlet mean?  Is there a difference between a 20 Amp outlet with or without the extra line?

BTW, in trying to research this question before posting, I discovered that even if he had installed 15-Amp outlets on a 20-Amp circuit, it would have still been code, as answered by these questions:

20 Amp Circuit with 15 Amp outlets
Can a 20 amp GFCI outlet be daisy chained to 15 amp outlets
Is using 15 amp components on a 20 amp breaker against code?

I live in the USA, for purposes of wiring codes and outlet types related to this question.

Update

I took apart the outlet again and see both the 20 Amp the contractor pointed out originally, plus a 15 Amp on the other side.  I agree with the answer that this is a 15 Amp receptacle with a 20 Amp pass through.


texts: How do I drill a hole in a shelf without going all the way through?

texts: I need to drill a hole in a shelf that's half an inch deep but I don't want to drill a hole through the shelf. What's the best way of doing that? I have a drill and i was thinking of showing just a half an inch of the drip bit. This way, I can force the drill to drill all the way to the end of the drill bit and not go through the shelf. However, a part of the drill bit's thread is being held by the drill for grip. Would using the drill and the drill bit in this way cause damage?


texts:
I'm renovating my whole basement but I'm starting with the "cold" room as I'll be moving some mechanicals in there. The cold room is one of those old storage rooms people used to use as a pantry/larder or as a fridge/freezer in the winter. It sits right under the front porch, measuring 4' x 6' and with a ceiling height of 7' 5". It had a 1' x 1' vent to the outside but I've patched that closed already. The ceiling is a concrete slab (top step of the porch). Walls are concrete block.

My first thought is to glue 2" rigid foam to the ceiling. Then frame the walls with 2x4s leaving about a 1/2 to 1" gap between the frame and the wall. This would mean that the top plate would be in contact with the rigid insulation of the ceiling. Attaching the frame at the top would mean drilling through the insulation before hitting the concrete.

I could instead frame the walls first, attach the top plate to the ceiling directly and then insulate the ceiling with rigid foam.

I'd finish both by using spray foam to insulate the walls and use treated wood for anything that touches concrete. I would also probably use a sill plate in conjunction with the treated wood. Then use strapping on the ceiling to hold up dry wall.

Which would be better? I can see pros and cons to both approaches. Or should I do something different?


texts: Exposed wire on outdoor Christmas lights

texts:
I am in Europe. I have outdoor Christmas lights. There are 720 white led lights (3v 0.015W), and the power supply unit is 32V 6W.
I have exposed wire close to the plug as shown attached.
The plug is located inside the house and is elevated higher than the entry point of the wire via a window vent (on a side note, is bringing the wire in via a window vent an issue?)
Should I immediately throw these lights in the bin or can I use insulation tape and be worry free?


texts: What is the safe/correct way to work on gutters? From a ladder or from the roof?

texts:
I am very comfortable working on the gutters (usually just cleaning them) from one story up by just sitting on the roof. I do this on my own home over the garage and at my parents one-story home.

I noticed some debris in the gutters on my 'big roof' on the two story part of my home. From past experience I have not been comfortable working on gutters from the roof on two story houses.

I am generally comfortable with heights and safety harnesses. I get to go climbing and rappelling a few times a year. I would prefer that if I fall to my doom, it happens doing something cool on a mountain. Not cleaning my gutters and falling on my shrubberies.

What is the correct (safe) way to address gutter problems? From a ladder? From the roof?

If either is acceptable what precautions need to be taken?


texts: Rekeying pattern for duplex with shared front door

texts:
I have Kwikset KW-1 5pin locks (At least 10 of them). Since I have a duplex, I'd like to make two keys and have three locks (Unit 1, Unit 2, and Common)

So that each tenant can have a single key which opens the front/rear/garage door and their unit, but not the other unit.

Is this possible? What would the pin patterns need to look like?

Edit:

I want each tenant to hold a single key (they currently carry two). That key should open the front door (which is shared) and their unit which has no exterior door.

Which to me says there should be two patterns for keys (each unit)

And three patterns for locks:

Shared, that can be opened by either key
Unit 1, that can only be opened by key 1
Unit 2, that can only be opened by key 2

Second Edit

Been reading a bit about master pins. Maybe the right answer is put the same change key on the front door and unit one, and just use the master myself. Then I can open all doors with one key, and they can open just common and unit one. Obviously that won't work in a few years when we move on and rent both out though.


texts: 2 load centers under 1 meter: do you need bonding and main breakers at both?

texts:
Here's my layout as it stands:

meter
|
200A disconnect, neutral and ground bonded
|
|
|
mobile home main panel (200A main breaker, neutral and ground not bonded)

I would like to run another 100A panel outside, right next to the meter so that it runs like this:

meter -------- 100A Panel
|
200A disconnect
|
|
mobile home panel

My question is, do I need a main breaker for the 100A panel, and does the neutral need to be bonded with the ground?

I bought 1/0 wire to run from the meter to the new panel.

Edit: pictures of the current setup here with the new panel on the same pole https://imgur.com/a/eXDbVQ8


texts: Is it normal to smell sewer gas from a plumbing vent?

texts:
We have a second floor room that is centered on top of the house - but this means that the windows of this second story are ABOVE the plumbing vents from the first floor.  These plumbing vents are a few feet below the windows and perhaps ten feet away, laterally.
On a regular basis, a sewer gas smell comes into the second floor, presumably from these plumbing vents.
This seems like an easy problem to solve - I see some activated charcoal vent caps that are advertised to solve this very problem.  Should be simple.
However, before I just cover over this problem, should I be worried that we're regularly smelling sewer gas from these vents ?  Is that indicative of some deeper plumbing problem ?  Or is it totally normal for some plumbing installs to just burp sewer gas out the vents during normal, day to day operation ?
Thanks.


texts: Can I share a stack between two toilets?

texts: I want to put another toilet/bathroom off my bedroom.  The main bathroom is next door to the cupboard I want to turn into my new bathroom.  What run do I need for the second toilet?  The main stack is in the main bathroom, so it would mean the new, second toilet would be 3' from the 1st toilet and about 5' for the main drainage stack.  Is it possible to run both toilets off the same run?


texts:
Our late-60s ranch came with a 10x20 wall of fabulous wood paneling.  It's not the junk with grooves, but real-deal, full-slab wood paneling (painted).

Unfortunately, it warps a lot with typical changes in humidity.  When we bought the place, the owner's son said something about it being installed wrong in the 60s, so it would 'breathe' and move throughout the year.  One day a year, it's perfect; the rest, you can see it cup or warp out of level.

I suppose I can hire a guy with a nail gun to re-execute it in MDF, but we'd like to figure out what went wrong, and whether it can be fixed.

What trade has the expertise in paneling that can diagnose it?  A cabinetmaker? Is there a kind of trim carpenter that specializes in paneling?


texts: Is this a safe way to extend this wiring?

texts:
The picture below is just above our cooker extractor hood  underneath the first floor floorboards.
I need to bring through the 140mm diameter ducting from the extractor hood. I need to do this  in the top left of the picture next to the ceiling joist and wall due to the location of the hood.
One of the The diagonal wires in the picture is completely taught and so is right in the way.

The only way I can think of to deal with this is to cut the wires,  wire me end into a junction box fixed in the bottom left of the picture. Connect the other half of the wire into another junction box fixed in the bottom right and run a short length of new wire between the two junction boxes thus describing 2 sides of a square.

I’ve no complex electrical experience but this seems simple and logical to me.

Is there anything I am missing or which I need to take account of?

Thanks!


texts: Shut off valve turned on - no water flow

texts:
My faucet drain stop needed fixing, I went below the sink, shut off the valves.  After turning  the shut off valves back on, no water flows through the faucet. Both hot and cold worked fine before doing this. The house is 8 years old.

Any ideas?


texts: Can I safely connect 10amp flexible/stranded wire to a 15amp connector which in turn is connected to 2.0mm solid house wiring?

texts:
My issue is that I have a home automation dimmer that has tiny, 1.0mm connectors. They're too small to use with the currently installed solid 2.0mm (sometimes 2.5) house lighting circuit wiring.

The lighting circuit is connected to a 10amp breaker.

My question is whether it is safe to do the following:

Can I connect the house wiring (2.0mm/2.5mm) to a 15amp (or higher) rated connector (the common screw type or one of the WAGO connectors) and on the other end connect a flexible/stranded 1.0mm wire which in turn is connected to the dimmer switch?

My electrician indicates that as long as your connectors and wires are all rated 10amp (breaker rating) or higher it should not be a problem. The reverse, i.e. using say a 5amp connector would lead to heat and a fire hazard.

Any input appreciated!


texts: How can I move sink supply lines from the floor to the wall?

texts:
So before I make any cuts into my subfloor and wall I wanted to ask anyone with experience in this area on what my best course of action would be.

Basically, I would like to have the pipes you see coming out of the floor actually come out if the wall so when I get my new vanity I won't have to deal with hiding them/ having the vanity moved out about 6 inches. This is a second story bathroom so no access from below.

Main Questions

Should I cut the floor and wall to get a better idea of what is in there? or
Should I just contact a contractor/plumber to do this cause it's going to get to that point eventually?

Here's my setup:


texts: Do two-stage compressors offer both two-stage heating *and* cooling?

texts:
I received a quote for a two-stage heat pump (model HCH636GKA). I have the following questions:

Does a "two-stage heat pump" imply a two-stage compressor?
Does a two-stage compressor guarantee two-stage heating and cooling? Or is it possible to end up with two-stage heating and one-stage cooling?

I can't find enough information about this particular model aside from the aforementioned spec-sheet which I linked to.


texts: What is the most energy efficient way to heat a converted garage space?

texts:
I'm looking for advice of how to best heat a converted garage space (w/ some insulation). I live in So. Cal and so the lowest winter temp at night is about 40 degrees.  Normally I only need to heat the place up a maximum of 10-15 degrees and only at certain times of the day, not constantly.

I've pulled a gas line into the room. One contractor suggested a unit like the Modine Hot Dawg but worry that it may be too noisy (we use the space as an office / guest room). A local heating company suggested a dustless mini split unit which is electric.  I've been reading about the benefits of radiant heating units.  Would appreciate any tips and suggested sites to visit to learn more.


texts: Question on installing ski rack on on 36" wall space

texts:
I am trying to install ski rack on 36" wall space backed by 2 studs. To utilize maximum space, I think putting 2x4 wood board on wall fastened to 2 studs, and install ski rack on top of the board. Then, I don't need to align location of stud with screw hole of ski rack which gives whole space utilization. Before doing this, I want to double-check my ideas as follows.

Is my idea reasonable?
Aiming 150 lbs load capacity, what type of screw / how many of them needs to be used to fasten the board and studs?


texts: Best way to cool down the house in the summer

texts: Should I close all windows during the day and then open again at night so I get cooler air going through the house?


texts: What needs to be done before covering a shared garage wall with plywood from the inside?

texts:
One of the exterior walls of my garage is directly next to a neighbor's structure.  Thus, I don't have access to this external side.   I want to cover the inside of my garage walls with 3/4" plywood.   Is there anything I need to do with the stud cavity before slapping plywood on?

It is currently not insulated and I don't have plans to insulate the garage.

The wall has a paper backing which is missing in some places (see photo).  Is it possible this is the exterior house siding attached directly to studs?  Home was built in 1955.


texts: Could excess water in the boiler cause overflowing radiators?

texts: The water level for my boiler seems to go above the labeled height. We now have a sporadic water leak that is not showing itself. Could it be that the excess water in the boiler is causing this ovrflow condition?


texts: Is is safe to deal with wiring after only shutting off the room's fuse, but not the main switch?

texts:
I think the question title says it all:

Given a distribution board in the house (220 VAC), is it enough to shut off only the room's fuses, or must one shut off the main switch for the board before safely touching wires?

Does the answer depend in any way on the fuse type?