texts: I received a new Insignia Voice Speaker for work.  It has a 2-prong cord, but all of my office outlets are 3-prong.  I'm not finding a converter for this arrangement.  Is it safe to plug the cord in as is?


texts: Adjusting the spacing between small (2" x 2") tiles

texts:
I'm laying 2" x 2" tiles over a raised concrete patio slab that is 11' 6" by 16' 1 1/4". The tiles come in 12" x 24" sheets with the individual tiles joined by little blobs of a rubbery substance. Across the width of slab I think it will work out nicely. But going the other way I've got to either make the slab 3/4" longer or gain 1 1/4" over the 16' 1 1/4" dimension. If I put the extra space between the sheets of tiles that works out to adding about 1/16" (1.2 mm) between each sheet. Since the tiles are spaced 1/8" (3 mm) apart in the sheets this seems like it would result in a noticeable difference.

So, I'm wondering how large a difference would be noticeable? For example if I cut the sheets apart in the middle, I could increase every third by a bit more than a 32nd of an inch. Would that stand out?


texts: Does this count as a material alteration or repair for code purposes

texts:
Ontario Building Code, 2012

  Except as provided in Section 3.17. of Division B, Section 9.40. of
  Division B and Part 11 of Division B, if an existing building is
  extended or is subject to material alteration or repair, this Code
  applies only to the design and construction of the extensions and
  those parts of the building that are subject to the material
  alteration or repair.

My house.  1962 4-level back-split.  Wood frame construction, Clad in double brick.

We're re-doing the kitchen.  On part of the job will be to frame out the exterior brick wall with 2x4's instead of the existing 1" furring strips.   The reason for this, is to allow enough depth in wall for modern electrical boxes.  We are not interested in having boxes sticking out of the wall.

I'd also like to add some insulation in there while I'm at it, figuring "Hey, Why Not?"

Now it appears that the Ontario Building Code might put the kibosh on the entire (insulation) project.

The insulation section states that exterior walls in my area should be R22.  This means I have to stud out the wall with 2x6's in order to fit in a batt.  This would be an unacceptable encroachment on the space, and make the windows look absolutely ridiculous, having something like a 12" sill.

If this portion of the project is considered a "material alteration or repair", then I have no choice but to forgo adding any insulation, and find some sort of decorative box that looks ok sticking out of the wall.  (this seems counter-productive, as any insulation is better than none).

If this is not "material alteration or repair", then I can proceed as planned.

Legal Discussion:

I figure replacing the drywall wouldn't trigger the new code, as it's finish work.
If anything triggers the code, it would be the replacing of the furring strips with 2x4 studs.   What if I simply attach 2x3's to the furring strips (1") and fill with insulation.  Is that a sufficient loophole to get past the Permit Overlords?


texts: Patio natural gas fireplace with 1/2" pipe

texts: I am looking into building a patio with a fireplace. I'd like the fireplace to run off of my home's natural gas. When I built the house they ran a natural gas line from the furnace to a place that we could put it outside for a patio (about a 30 foot run). Now I'll need have someone run an additional 25 feet to the fireplace location on the patio. For a total of 55ish feet with a 1/2" pipe, my very basic understanding is that the pressure is going to be very very low and that I'll never be able to get a fireplace to output anywhere close to 150,000ish BTUs that I desire. Is it even worth me testing out the pressure of the current 30 foot run, or should I just move on and build something using propane tanks?


texts:
I'm trying to replace an LED light in my fan but I can't figure out what search terms to use to find a replacement bulb.
Based on the documentation my fan came with, the this appears to be a 14 watt bulb.
Does anyone know what these are called and/or where I can find a replacement? I'm in the US if that matters.


texts: We have an Armstrong Ultra SX90 Furnace that the fan stops running when it's on cool but constantly runs when it's on heat. We have tried everything but replace circuit board. Any help wd be appreciated. Thank you.


texts: Add fiberglass rolls across joists in attic if joist cavities not completely filled?

texts:
We purchased a house with an insufficiently insulated attic. There's currently about 2-3 inches of loose-fill fiberglass insulation in between the 2x6 joists. I'd love to just roll unfaced R-30 fiberglass batts across the joists (simple, no equipment rental, very little mess), but that would leave a 2 to 3 inch air pocket between the bottom of the batts and top of the loose fill insulation. Is this a bad idea?

(We have no current problems with mold, high humidity, etc. I'd rather not create any. I don't understand the physics of this, whether it would cause problems.)


texts: How should I connect nipples to a hot water heater?

texts:
I recently installed my new hot water heater.  I know nothing about plumbing and my installation procedure was informed only by sketchy home depot employees and youtube.  One of the issues I'm having is that the nipple to tank connection on the cold supply ( water in ) leaks; it's a pretty slow leak so I just kind of watch it for now.  I used Blue Monster thread tape.  However, I was unaware of the technique of wrapping the tape to match the rotation of the pipe so that it doesn't mess up the tape when you start turning the pipe into the tank.

Note, the water is specifically coming out of the nipple to tank connection.  The water accumulates down in the little well in which the tank's female threads reside.  The only other potential source would be the connector hose to nipple connection and it's subject to an easy visual inspection that shows it's not leaking.  I'm using a flexible, stainless connection hoses, not soldered copper to connect my heater to supply lines.

On the internet, I mostly see recommendations to "muscle up" and tighten it even tighter.  Well, muscling up with a 14" pipe wrench seems like an awful lot of force; in fact, I would guess that the torque goes up to automobile specs.

Is muscling up right?  Can someone be a bit more technical and describe how those fittings are supposed to be handled?


texts: Where can I find a bathroom fan that will fit in a 5" cylindrical space?

texts:
The fan in the master-bathroom of my house recently stopped working.

The old fan is in a 5" cylindrical housing in the ceiling and the housing is not going to come out without major work on the ceiling.  Unfortunately all of my local hardware stores only seem to be stocking bathroom/vent fans that fit into 6-7" square housings.

Does anyone know of a place where I can find a smaller size fan?  I'm open to other suggestions as well but I'd prefer to not tear the whole bathroom ceiling apart.


texts: Why does my LED light flicker when turning it on using a dimmer switch?

texts:
I replaced a flushmont light fixure with a new dimmable LED Flushmount.  I also replaced the old switch (see images below) with a dimmer switch.  When I turn the LED on there is a flicker while it is turning on.  After that initial dimmer it seems to work fine and the dimming feature works well.

Here's a video of the light turning on.

The dimmer switch that I installed is a toggle dimmer (this one)
with 2 brass screws, one copper screw, and a ground wire.  There was no ground on the old switch, so I connected one black wire to one brass screw, the other black wire to the other brass screw, and the blue wire to the copper screw.  Since I am using this as a single pole switch, my understanding is that it shouldn't matter much.

My questions:
1) Is this simply due to having a single LED light on a dimmer?
2) Should I be concerned about my connections in the flushmount fixture or switch?
3) The old switch had the two black wires under one screw.  Should I do the same on one brass screw in the new switch?

Thank you for any help!


texts: What are the rules for making your own conduit KOs in nonmetallic junction boxes?

texts:
Some North American electrical boxes (usually nonmetallic ones) lack conduit knockouts, as they are designed solely to clamp NM cable.  Unfortunately, some devices (the RIB series of enclosed, UL listed relays, for instance) use their own enclosure with a conduit nipple providing a wiring chase to the box they're connected to.

Does one need a conduit knockout provisioned in the box in order to attach a nonmetallic conduit (nipple) to it, or can one drill an appropriately sized hole in the box, then use a non-metallic locknut to attach the conduit to the box?  What Code provisions apply?


texts: What could be causing my lawn mower to surge?

texts:
My lawn mower was giving me the worst time tonight. The only way I could keep it running was to pull the choke back and the engine would start again. Finally, after 30 minutes of messing with it, the lawn mower kept on. I just put new gas in it. The gas might have been left outside for awhile.

Any troubleshooting tips appreciated.

http://youtu.be/Iv85hX_4ZLw


texts: Insulation for crawl space with framed wall and foundation

texts:
I am encapsulating my crawl space, but not sure what to do with walls above the foundation. At least part of this area could have been a basement I guess, but I am needing to deal with this area due to high humidity level.

I’ve read foam board for the foundation walls is standard, is this the same for walls above the foundation?


texts: Why are there two grounding bars in my breaker box?

texts: I just purchased a trailer that was used for dog grooming. It is fully wired with for 120 volts AC. All the wires in the breaker box have been disconnected. I have already toned the wires to identify their use. I am going to hook the trailer up to the on board Generator that came with it. I will not be using shore power only the Generator power. When I looked into the breaker box and it has 2 grounding blocks. The block on the left is grounded to the box, the block on the right is not grounded to the box. I am wondering what the block on the right would be for? I am building a food trailer so i want to make sure that everything is grounded properly. Would i connect both the ground and the white to the block on the left? Also the Generator is only a 120 volt AC output. Thank you for your help with this matter.


texts: Does it make sense to replace gx24q-3 CFLs with e26 LEDs?

texts: My new house comes with gx24q-3 bases and CFL bulbs everywhere. I read that LEDs are better in every way. I've found some br30 e26 LEDs for only $1.25 each at Costco. Does it make sense for me financially to replace my gx24q-3 base with e26 to use these cheap LEDs?


texts: Where is the C wire terminal on my boiler

texts: I am trying to connect the T5+ smart thermostat to my oil based furnace. I see there are only two used wires at the thermostat  R And W but 3 additional cores available. My boiler is a old Weil McLain AB/468. Can you help where I can find the C wire terminal on this furnace/boiler so I can complete the install for the thermostat. I would be very grateful. I’ve added couple of pictures that I how will help


texts:
We just moved into a new place, and need to get a refrigerator -- and would like to get one with ice maker/water dispenser if possible.

This capped pipe (below) is right behind where the refrigerator would go, and my best guess is that it's a water source, but how can I be sure, short of uncapping it and seeing if water blasts out?  Is there anything else it might be?  I'm not there right now to measure it, but I think it's about 1/2", maybe a bit larger.


texts: fireplace is a bit rusty - is it safe to use?

texts:
The back wall seems to still be solid, though I can't take it apart to check for sure. I don't have a sense for what this means - how essential is the inner wall? Seemingly it was never meant to totally keep the fire enclosed, as the inner sideplates seem to have always had a small crack between them and the inner backplate.

We've just moved into this apartment, so I can't say what it was like new.


texts:
My friend moved to a flat in UK a few months ago, and his electricity bill is soaring. There is no gas in the flat, only electric heating.

One curious thing I noticed is that the towel rail (similar to the one in the picture below) cannot be turned off: there is no switch on it, and there is no accessible plug. I did not see a specific switch related only to the towel rail, although I may have missed it.

All towel rails I've seen before had either a button or switch on them, or at least you could easily unplug them from the wall.

Is this the way UK towel rails are supposed to work?

Otherwise, should I try unscrewing the plug cap to see if I can access an actual plug underneath it? Or is there  another way to do it (and I simply missed it)?


texts:
I have a sliding glass door.  It sticks horribly.  The track is just filthy, so my assumption is the two sets of wheels on the bottom of the door are gunked up and need replaced.

I remove the top strip of trim that holds the door in place.  However, I can't get either wheel to raise or lower at all.  Neither screw will turn - completely locked up.  I've tried Liquid Wrench - no luck.

Even though the door is relatively low in the track, there is not enough clearance along the top jamb to tilt the door out.  It's effectively stuck!

Help!  Any idea on how I can get those wheels lowered even a bit to give me the clearance to remove the door?


texts:
I am a snow bird from North US and go to warm weather in Winter. I winterize my house in the North with only Oil Furnace, and a Fridge on. No other appliance is kept on. For most winters my electric usage ( and the bill) was quite low. This winter however every month it was 3X the normal. I called the Electric Utility. They suggested may be one of the 2 appliances was using a lot of electricity.

Is it possible for a fridge to use 3X more electricity? If yes how do I confirm that? Is there a Test device that will tell how many KWH the appliances are consuming?


texts: How to install a single pole humidity sensor on a 2 way switch setup

texts:
Greetings everyone,

My bathroom fan is controlled by two switches, so wanted to install a humidity sensor on one of them.. but I cannot find a two way switch humidity sensor anywhere...  Could someone please advice me how I can then install this single pole humidity switch to this two way installation?

Your help is greatly appreciated,

Steven


texts: Is it possible to add a second switch to a light, without unearthing the wires to the existing switch

texts:
I have a hall light with the only switch by the front door. The light fixture is ~3 meter from the door.
At the foot of the hall stair, about 2 meters away from the door in the other direction, is an existing switch panel for the landing light.
I want to add an additional switch to that panel, which will be a 2nd switch for the hall light.
Question 1:
Assuming that I want the "normal" version of a 2-switch light (i.e. flipping either switch will change the light's state, irrespective of the other switch's position) ... am I right in thinking this can't be achieved without digging out the all of the existing run from the front door to the light fixture. (which is in the wall/ceiling)?

Question 2:
Suppose I were willing to put up with "both switches have to be in the 'on' position for the light to work" (i.e. either switch can turn the hall light off on it's own, but you'd sometimes have to flip both switches to turn the light on). Now can this be done without digging out the existing run?

Question 3:
On the assumption that Q1 is "Yes, you have to dig it out" and Q2 is "Yes, you can install that without going back to the front door switch".
Would it be possible to install "Q2" in such a way that in the future, I can come back and convert to Q1, without having to redo this 2nd spur?
i.e. can I "Do Q2 with the extra run setup up to support 2 switches, and then see how palatable that set up is. And if it's too annoying then come back and fix the existing run to properly support both switches, without having to redo the new run"

All of this has to be standard electrical wiring. WiFi or "smart" switches are (alas) completely out of the question.


texts: Nest thermostat E74 error - no power to Rh Wire

texts: It was working with no issues for last 3 years. Today it suddenly showing this error. Any help appreciated.


texts:
I plan to build a deck around this small bing cherry tree. It's 3" diameter. I will have a beam running around 1 feet next to it on one side. The other 3 sides are flexible in term of what I can do.

Do you think it's OK to have 1 feet distance from the tree?

I don't know of any "rule of thumb" or regulation on this. I think the cherry tree can get very large like 2 feet diameter in 10 years. I am planning to leave the hole around 3 feet diameter in case. I just don't know if it would grow around it (moving toward one direction).

Any real life practical experience is welcome!


texts: Dryer works. Just not on my 240v circuit

texts: Been racking my Brain. had a dryer go out on me. t/s the dryer i.e thermal fuse. switches etc. even put D.M.M. on motor leads and spun motor and it produced voltage. At a loss I purchased a used dryer form a scratch and dent store. took it home and had the same results. Dryer did not work. Took back to store for an exchange. they plugged it in and it worked just fine. ????????. when back home and started over with T/S 240v circuit. Plug had power. pulled plug, good contact. replaced breaker. and physically confirmed correct wire (30 amp ) and that it was dedicated. I ended up pulling the dryer out to the breaker panel and came directly off breaker to dryer. still not working. I am at a total loss. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks.


texts: The best way to fix a deteriorating foundation?

texts:
I've got a corner of my foundation that is crumbling. I tried concrete vinyl patching but it only lasted few years and got worse. Here is what I used before:

I am not sure what else to use, other than straight Quickrete.
I can't seem to find any information on how to fill gaping holes like this. The only thing I found is how to fix small cracks or small depth holes.
Home was built in 2015 in Houston.


texts: Soffit vents and rafter baffles in finished attic

texts:
My house has soffit vent along the eaves of the roof. I am finishing up the attic to create a home office, and I am wondering how should I treat the vents... clearly they are not going to have access to the attic, which is going to have AC.
The soffit vents are all around, like this model here:

We are in New England, where the winters are brutal. Ice dam formation on the roof is a real issue, and so the vents are connected to these rafter vent baffles to make the temperature of the edge of the roof uniform (if the edges heat up, the snow melts and forms ice, leading to a dam).

The area where the baffles are is going to be enclosed behind drywall, I do not have to remove them for aesthetic reasons. I am thinking of closing the top edge with staples, backing them with insulation, and let them do their thing in this closed space.
Any suggestions? Am I doing the right thing, or should I remove the baffles?


texts: Running out of soft water and confused by softener settings

texts:
Problem

I notice my water softener running at night occasionally, and the next day I have nice soft water. But, within a few days, it seems to run out -- soap barely lathers, and my skin feels very dry after showering. I've double-checked that the salt tank is at the right level, and that there is no salt bridge.

My system and situation

Autotrol 460i controller (manual here)
0.75 ft3 resin tank
Two adults in the house, average 3,300 gallons of soft water usage per month / 55 gallons per person per day.
Incoming supply hardness is 12 grains per gallon (~200 ppm / 17.1), based on home test (image below).

Settings on my water softener

Hardness setting: 26. Range: 1 to 99 grains per gallon. According to the manual, this should correspond to the "hardness of the incoming water supply."
Capacity setting: 26. Range: 1 to 99 kilograins. Manual says "refer to the suggested salt dial settings table," reproduced below.
Salt dial adjustment: 12. Range: 3 to 19 pounds of salt. Manual says: "controls the amount of salt used per regeneration."

Suggested salt dial settings table, for my system:

Capacity setting        Salt setting
 (kilograins)              (lbs)
------------------------------------
      16                    5.5
      20                    8.5
      24                   14.0

Question

How should adjust my settings to get to get the salt water supply correct? I understand that hardness is a function of my water supply and should be lowered, and it seems the salt setting is a function of capacity. But how do I determine which capacity setting is correct? Current setting does not match my salt setting. Should I raise the salt? Lower the capacity?


texts: Why aren't AFCI breakers required for bathrooms/lavatories?

texts:
Why doesn't NEC require AFCI breakers for bathrooms/lavatories?
Is there a good reason NOT to install AFCI protection on a 15A/20A 120V bathroom outlet?  (I.e., use GFCI only.)


texts: Should I repair, replace, or remove damaged foundation insulation?

texts: I live in upstate NY and my house was built in 1996 and it has the white thick foam insalation around the foundation.  It looks awful and now I have bugs chewing it and building homes.  Can I just take it off or do I need to replace it with something


texts: Can a 4 prong welder run off a 3 prong outlet?

texts:
My Millermatic 350 welder (runs 480v or 240v) has a 4 prong L16-30 plug and I have a 3 prong 6-50 outlet. Can I run an adapter from the 3 prong outlet to the 4 prong machine?
Essentially, can I use the welder without a neutral wire attached?
Also If I can do that, I have 6/3 wire so it has 2 hot, a neutral and a bare ground. If I skip using a neutral, should I use the bare wire or the spare insulated (the neutral) wire as the ground?
UPDATE
I plugged the adapter into the outlet and the welder into the adapter in and the 6-50 male plug on the adapter started smoking. Opened up the male plug and it looks like the wire on the ground prong is the most melted.
I switched the welder on but it didn't turn on at all, the plug just smoked
Advice? I have no idea what may have happened.
Also I tested the hot to hot on the 4 prong cord end of the adapter and got 220v and then tested the hot to ground and got 110v. Should I be getting voltage on the ground?


texts:
I have a 3 zone boiler heat system, one t-stat for each floor. It's worked fine for years except twice in the past few months. The first time I was out of town and my wife called and said the upstairs was very hot. I can't remember how I got it straightened out over the phone but I did. I figured the old mercury t-stat on that floor was sticking on so I replaced it with an electronic version.

Then today we had the same problem, t-stat set on 65, temp is 75. I switched that t-stat from heat to off and then took a look at the boiler and valves. The manual override on that zone valve is in the 'auto' position, making me think it's not stuck open but that's the only cause I can think of.

Can the valve be stuck open without the manual lever moving from the auto position? Doesn't the lever move when the valve opens, or does the lever stay in the 'auto' position whether the valve is open or closed? The only idea I have is to rebuild or replace the zone valve.

The control for the system looks like it's just a junction box, no relays. Do the t-stats just control the power to the valves directly, not provide a control signal? There must be a relay to activate the pump then, right? Or am I completely confused?

Thanks


texts: I was messing around at home and accidentally hit one of lightbulbs, now they won't turn on

texts: A metal band hit one of my light bulbs and then all the lights off. I tried replacing all of my bulbs, but nothing worked. Please help!


texts:
We framed knee walls in our attic and want to use the areas behind them for storage.  These areas are triangular in cross-section, about 3' high at the knee wall, and of course the ceiling hits the floor at the other end.

What's a safe, cheap way to light these areas?

There's plenty of accessible wiring and framing to secure it to; the question is what kind of lights.  First I bought just regular light sockets with the pull chain that attach to a round ceiling box.  But now I'm worried that bumping into one of these with my head or shoulder will break the bulb off, creating a mess and an electrical hazard.  I heard about a kind of cage that protects the bulb but I can't find anything like that at the big box stores.  Florescent tube lights might be the right shape but probably too much light and cost.  I'm not really interested in battery-powered lights.

What would you do here?


texts: Can I use dry concrete mix to set a post in saturated soil?

texts: How dry does the ground need to be in order to use postcret? I'm in norcal and we've had tons of rain. The ground is real saturated at 1 1/2 to 2ft.


texts: Wiring question - Swapping in GFCI breaker for my dryer

texts:
I got a GFCI 30amp breaker and will be putting it in for my dryer circuit. Just want to confirm I'll be wiring this correctly before actually going ahead with it.

In the red circle is the white neutral wire that is associated with the red+black wires that came from my dryer into the breaker. So my plan is to:

Swap Black+Red onto the two load terminals on the GFCI.
Move that highlighted neutral wire to the Load Neutral terminal in the GFCI.
Connect GFCI neutral pigtail to neutral bar (where the original neutral was in step 2)

Does this make sense? Anything I'm forgetting? I figure i don't have to do anything with the ground (bare copper) wire.

This is the new gfci breaker for reference - https://www.homedepot.ca/product/siemens-30a-2-pole-120-240v-type-q-gfci-breaker/1000406279

Update: The dryer outlet is a NEMA 14-30. He's a picture of the wiring inside the outlet

Thanks!


texts:
Background:
Sorry for the long explanation, but I think it's worth providing everything up front. We are remodeling the upstairs master bathroom. Due to some nasty floor joists I've already had to tear up all the subfloor anyways, so access to the water lines and drains is not a concern. The shower and toilet aren't getting moved but we are moving the location of the double vanity. Not sure if it matters, but we are only talking about an 80 square foot area. My question is about the best way to re-run my water lines (polybutylene that needs replacing anyways...)
There are two diagrams below. Diagram A is how I plan on plumbing everything just based on how it was done previously and moving the vanity. However, we experienced low pressure at the faucets and when both my wife and are using the bathroom we would like maximum pressure. Diagram B is my attempt to "loop" the hot and cold lines by tying them back in, hoping that would keep even pressure no matter what is being used any given time: shower, toilet, faucets...
Question: Will Diagram B work or not? (dotted lines are where I would loop back to the beginning)


texts:
I have a 4’x6’, aluminum-framed whiteboard that was leaned vertically against a wall for storage, in exactly the way you’re not supposed to. So it’s curved.

I have mounted this bent whiteboard once before, using about 20 metal mirror clips, each anchored into the wall, spaced approximately 1 foot apart. This was nightmare both to install and to repair when I took it down.

I have tried bending it back straight again, to basically no effect. I placed it flat on the ground with a blanket over it and loaded it with hundreds of pounds of weight, evenly spaced, so that it was held perfectly flat against the floor. I left it like that for weeks, and that had no effect at all.

I suspect that the curvature is actually from the aluminum, so I’m guessing if I could somehow heat up the metal a lot, and then flatten the piece, that might work? But I have no idea how to DIY that.

I think one thing that would work is a mirror-hanging, z-clip style fastener that was made with thicker gauge metal. The thicker metal would prevent the clip from bending under pressure, allowing me to use significantly fewer clips. But so far I can find no such thing.

I also am aware of very strong mounting tape. I have my doubts that it’s strong enough, but I have no doubt that it’s strong enough to ruin the wall, which I’d prefer to avoid since it’s not my wall. I’d actually rather the 20 clip solution that was a nightmare, just because I know I can patch 20 half inch holes, whereas who knows what the wall would look like after using enough mounting tape to hold a whiteboard.

So I’m out of smart ideas. How do I hang a bent whiteboard?


texts: I am a cleaner. I apparently got water into an external powerpoint

texts: I need a bit of advice from an electrician. I am a cleaner and was asked by the client to clean her external windows and get rid of any cobwebs. I washed the windows and hosed as many cobwebs as I could from the external brickwork. Later that night the client phoned me and said that they had no power in part of their home and did I wet any areas that I shouldn't have. I don't remember hosing any power points but I may have as I was concentrating on the large amounts of cobwebs and spiders. The client isn't from Australia so I explained that I may have blown a fuse. She said that they had an electrician out and it was more than just a fuse?? Would I have been responsible for damages more than a blown fuse??? She has guests coming tomorrow, hence the window cleaning, now she says the electrician can't get there until the following week, so her guests now have no power to their bathroom and spa. If it's my fault of course I'm happy to pay but I don't see how I could have caused more than a blown fuse even if I did get water into the point.  Please help as soon as possible. I've got to go back there in the morning.


texts: Best material to seal fireplace door gaps for irregular stone fireplace?

texts:
I have a stone fireplace and just installed a new door. But there's gaps because the stone is irregular. I tried using fireplace cement from the inside but it's hard to get in there and keeps falling out.

Is there any better material I can use? Some kind of sealant that won't burn up?

Thanks


texts: Aprilaire 500 humidifier on an Amana AMS8 furnace

texts:
I have a new furnace that did not come with a humidifier and I'd like to put one on - I've done some basic wiring in the past, but it's not my strong suit and I'm a little confused :)

Here's where I'm confused. According to this wiring document for the humidifier, it says to use the 110v -> 24v converter to power the solenoid (bottom right of the left hand diagram):

However, I've read a lot of articles online that say that some furnaces already have a dedicated 24v connection I could use instead (as long as it's not the blower connection) - does that make sense? The furnace is an Amana AMS81005CXAC, and the hookups are here (thermostat wires come in on the right):

The circuit board says "Emerson Climate Technologies" and has what looks to be an unused/unusable humidifier hookup on the left? I don't have a manual for this board, so I don't know.

The AMS8 manual has only this to say about a 24Vac humidifier: "The yellow wire connected to the ID Blower pressure switch is powered anytime the pressure switch is closed and provides 24VAC humidifier control. Remove the yellow wire and connect a field supplied jumper wire with a piggyback terminal to the pressure switch terminal. [...] Connect the COM side of the humidifier to the C terminal on the furnace control board or to the COM side of the 24VAC transformer."

So I guess where I'm at is:

Do I need to install a 110v outlet (there isn't one on or near the furnace) and use the included 110v -> 24v converter to power the solenoid? Do you see any places where I can hook up the solenoid power on the circuit board instead?


texts: Installing a Remote Control Ceiling Fan with Light & Different Wire Configuration

texts:
I am replacing an older traditional ceiling fan with black, white, blue and green wires with a new remote control ceiling fan with just black, white and green wires.  The wires coming out of the ceiling are black, white, red and green.  It is connected to a double plate wall switch, one controlling the light and the other controlling the fan (on/off only).  I read quite a few posting stating the fan no longer needs the red wire coming out of the ceiling so cap it and use the remote to control the light. So I am using black to black, white to white and green to green, for grounding.
With this setup, the fan turns on using one of the wall switches but the remote does not control the light or fan speed.  It does nothing.  The other wall switch does nothing too.  Is it possible I need to swap the black wire for the red wire coming out of the ceiling to the black wire to the fan, or it might be a remote control issue? Thanks!


texts: Counting Smoke Detector Wires In Junction Box

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I want to connect a wire to get power for for a ceiling fan to an existing junction box in the attic that is used right now only for a smoke detector.  Box currently has a 12-3 wire coming in, and the smoke detector wires (connected to a quick disconnect).   Plastic box says it can take 8 12-gauge wires.  How do I count the three smoke detector wires (white, black, red, smaller than 12-guage)?   What's my total count so far, and can I add another 12-2 wire?

I believe the smoke detector wires are 14.  Attaching picture.


texts:
So, I was changing a light switch and flipping circuit breakers to find the correct one. I accidentally flipped my AC circuit breaker off and then back on. After this I noticed the AC wasn't blowing cold anymore.

The fan inside runs, and air comes out the vents but it is not cold air. So I checked my outside air unit and sure enough, the fan is not spinning. I get a little stick and push the fan blades (in the right direction) and it takes off and begins spinning.

Okay so my capacitor is probably blown.

But still, it is not blowing cold air inside even after I take on the capicitor's job by "stick starting" the fan blades.


texts: how to remove quarter turn tap valve with no flat parts

texts: I am trying to remove a quarter turn tap valve from a bathroom sink mixer tap.  All the guides I've found expect there to be a hexagonal part on the valve to use a spanner to unscrew it, but this one is just round.  I've tried pulling it outwards with a spanner behind the lip at the top, but it hasn't shifted.  Any ideas on how to get this out?


texts: Should a roof drip edge be placed above or below roofing felt?

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I'm confused... I've seen two conflicting sources of information describing how a roof drip edge should be installed.

One source (Ask This Old House), states that a drip edge should be placed above roofing felt: https://youtu.be/dms-qDIUnUQ?t=11m31s

Another source (Handy Home), states that it depends on which side the drip edge it being placed... and the stuff on the sides should be BELOW the roofing felt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRciDPll_NY&feature=youtu.be&t=2m4s

Is this just a personal preference? Or is one method clearly superior?


texts: How to fix black gloss paint bleed on brilliant white eggshell walls + paint stripped from walls

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We are newbies to house renovation/decoration and have been having fun doing it ourselves in our first new home, however, there have been a few mishaps along the way as we learn how to do things.
We have 2 issues:

Black gloss bleed on brilliant white eggshell walls.
FrogTape stripping off paint from around Dado rail.

We painted our walls with brilliant white eggshell, then we painted our dado rails gloss black but unfortunately the black gloss paint has bled through the FrogTape. What would be the best way to fix this up? Do we need to remove the black gloss that had bled with white spirit or some alternative method? We're happy to take our time to do it but unsure of the best way to go about it as I would imagine just painting over the bleed with the white eggshell wouldn't work?
The second problem is how to patch up the stripped off paint from around the Dado rail. I've read in a few places that sanding down, spackling, priming and repainting is a good option, but is spackling more for larger dents in the wall rather than stripped paint?
Thanks in advance for any help!!!
Hope everyone had a festive holiday as much as they could during this time.
EDIT: Attaching close up photos:


texts: Convert Rectangular Electrical Box in Ceiling to Octagon?

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I need to do the opposite of what is talked about in this post: Can I convert ceiling mounted octagon box to electrical receptacle?

Specifically, there is a rectangular electrical box in my ceiling that I want to hang a light from. There is currently no outlet, switch, or other equipment hooked up to it - it has a solid cover screwed over the top of it. I am fairly certain that it is simply acting as a junction box for two independent sets of lights that are in the ceiling.

Any advice for how to go about this? Do I just cut out the old box and insert an old-work octagon into it? Conversely, is there a simple way to hang a ceiling light from a rectangular box?


texts: replacement wood threshold insert for metal door

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I have some late 70's doors and one is missing a threshold insert (the adjustable wood kind), anybody know of where one could by just the "wood strip" that goes in and screws down (there is a metal piece that sticks up into the wood, though you can't see it)?

They have about 4 screws that go down into them?


texts: How to angle an edge of plywood at 45 degrees?

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Say you have two pieces of plywood.

the goal is:

to assemble the two pieces at a 90 degree angle (where 3/4 inch
edges are touching)
create an angled edge sit the edges sit flush
against each other

How can a 45 degree edge be created spanning the height or width of the plywood?

EDIT: assume edge requiring the 45 degree angle = 6ft


texts: How to make lights turn on one at a time?

texts:
So we've all seen this scene dozens of times in movies: a character flips a switch and lights turn on, one at time, down a long tunnel, or throughout a giant garage, or something like that.

I'd like to mimic the effect in my garage and patio, so that all the lights don't come on at once and blind you.  But how would I make this effect?  From my (limited)research, I can't really find a legitimate electrical or mechanical reason for lights to turn on this way.


texts: Gas furnace vent clearance from parallel PVC radon vent

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I have a hallow wall on my main floor which carries my gas furnace vent up thru the attic and out the roof. This picture is from the basement looking up at the vent and as you can see, the radon mitigation company installed the radon 4 inch PVC right up against the galvanized steel gas vent. Do I need to have them move this over? What should the clearance be / ie what is code?

From what I can find, code for type B gas furnace vent is "1 inch away from combustible material." Maybe the question is: PVC Considered combustible material?


texts:
I have a Honda lawn mower (HRX217K2VKA) and I want to drain the fuel for winter. How should I do this? Three options spring to mind:

Run the engine until the fuel is gone.
Tip the mower to pour the fuel out.
Siphon the fuel.

The manufacturer's manual (see page 13) recommends option 1, but I was wondering if anyone could recommend an alternative that didn't waste the gas.


texts:
I have a Philips fluorescent light fixture in my kitchen. It was installed in the mid-1990s, so it uses an electronic fast-start ballast. The lights were not turning on at all, so I replaced the ballast with a brand new one. I also replaced the two T12 bi-pin bulbs with new ones.

Now, the lights DO turn on but they take between 5 and 10 seconds, gradually fading in. I have the exact-same light fixture installed in other rooms of the house and they all turn on instantly.

I thought that by replacing the ballast and bulbs, it would take care of that problem, but it didn't.

What could be causing the lights to turn on slowly?

I tried searching online and the usual answer is the starter or ballast. My fixture has no starter and I already replaced the ballast.

Thanks for any help.

Here are some photos of the light fixture:

This is the new ballast, a Philips Advance AmbiStar Ballast RELB-2S40-N, which is the same one I installed in all of my other fixtures that start instantly:


texts: Does age of asphalt shingles affect their resistance to hail damage?

texts: 25 year old house;we have had two roof replacements because of hail damage. The insurance paid for both replacements so apparently they were really damaged. The present roof was put on in 2013. We had hail 2 days ago and the contractors are coming around offering roof inspections.  I am concerned that the OSB roof decking may not tolerate a fourth roof ; The last time a few bits of wood came up with the nails. I am hoping the newer shingles survived the "not so bad "hail. The hail damage can be relatively localized. For the other 2 storms , houses one and a half miles away from me did not need roofs. This time ,rumor is that roofs 3 miles away were damaged.


texts: Can paneling and wallpaper be textured with drywall mud?

texts: We have a basement space with paneling on lower half of wall and wallpaper on upper half - we don't want to spend the time stripping the wallpaper, and don't want to spend the money replacing walls with new drywall.  Can paneling and wallpaper be textured with drywall mud prior to painting?  If so, what are the appropriate products to use for preparation?


texts: I would like to repair this floor lamp. The piece in the picture has snapped but I’ve no idea what it’s called to get a new part. Can anyone help?


texts: Ceiling Fan Light Only Works when Fan is On

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I have a ceiling fan & light that is controlled by a wall switch. Recently, I went to turn the lights on and they flickered but didn't turn on. The fan works fine.

I decided to replace the switch with a new fan control and dimmer and the connections lined up with red, black & white wires. I turned the power back on and the fan worked - lights didn't.

So, I decided to replace the light kit and the connection worked fine (one white & one black). Turned the power back on and same issue.

The next day I woke up and switched both the Fan and Lights all the way on and THEY BOTH WORKED! Essentially, I learned that if the fan is turned up all the way - the lights work.

Any idea on why this is and what I can do so that they both work?

One PS to this - I noticed that there is a quiet slight buzzing to the switch when it is turned on.


texts:
I am swapping out an old pedestal sink for a conventional vanity.  Currently in place are some 1/4 pex lines that are run through the pedestal.

I want to swap the small pex for 1/2” and am fairly handy and I’m pretty sure I can figure out the pex stuff but am not sure what to do with the current shut offs that are in the basement.  Is there an adapter that I purchase that will make the shutoff to pex connection?


texts: What type of electrical box do I use for a hard-wired smoke detector?

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I am considering adding hard-wired smoke detectors to my house. Due to other in-process remodeling projects and the structure of the house, I have access to get behind the drywall at each location that needs a detector so this would be a relatively easy job.

After watching some videos and reading up on how to do this project I understand what needs to be done except that I am unsure about the electrical boxes for each detector.

The videos and tutorials all used single-gang old work metal boxes. I found a related question here: How can I install a wired smoke detector without compromising the fire rated sheetrock? The accepted answer suggests using metal octagon boxes with a fire protection layer added. However, this house has no fire protection: no OSB layers above the walls, no fire-rated caulk at intrusion points, no fire-rated drywall, etc.

Do I have to use metal boxes or is plastic acceptable? Should they be single-gang or octagon ceiling boxes? Do I need additional fire protection around these boxes? Given that the rest of the house has no fire protection does this even matter?

The house is located in the U.S. in a state that adopts the latest NEC unaltered every three years.


texts: Why would the magnetic switch on my refrigerator door trip when the freezer door opens instead?

texts:
This is pretty strange: a few months ago I moved into a new apartment with a Fisher & Paykel refrigerator (freezer on top).  It's a fairly basic unit, and until today it worked OK.  This morning I opened the fridge door and the light did not come on; I figured the bulb had burned out.  But then I opened the freezer door, and the fridge light turned on!  There has never been any light in the freezer compartment as far as I remember, so this role reversal is quite troubling.

I did some poking around and discovered a magnetic sensor near the top of the fridge door.  But it happens to be equidistant to the bottom of the freezer door!  This is quite a strange design

  From the second page of this PDF

With the small white plastic cover removed from the face between the doors, a cylindrical black magnetic reed switch is accessible.  I pulled it out--it has about two inches of extra wiring, and played around with it.  I tried turning it about its main axis to see if its orientation matters--that didn't change much.

It simply seems that the sensor is far too sensitive, and that the freezer door seal is more than enough to trip it, even as the door is still 1-2 inches from fully closed.  It is hard to believe how this system ever worked.

Calling a repairman is likely to be expensive and the landlord will probably try to make me pay for it (I live outside the US, so don't be too surprised).  Entirely disabling the switch seems improper, not only because the light would stay on but because this fridge seems to change its fan behavior depending on the door open/close state.  I briefly experimented with taping the sensor to a location much lower on the face of the unit, far enough from the freezer door to avoid it tripping when only the freezer is closed.  But it's hard to get the fridge door to trip the sensor this way--the light seems to just stay on, as if the sensor were designed to do the opposite job it is meant to do.


texts: Can a GFCI burn out a (ceiling fan) motor?

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I added a ceiling fan to an existing circuit with GFCI protection.  I know, I know, they say you shouldn't because the inductance from the motor can trip the GFCI.  I figured I'd risk that minor inconvenience rather than the major inconvenience of putting in a whole new circuit for one fan.

The fan worked fine for about 8 months.  Despite turning it on and off many times, it only tripped the GFCI twice, which never seemed to cause it any harm.

However, today I came home and the fan no longer works.  It makes a humming noise, but the fins don't spin.  I read online that it could be due to a burned capacitor (why does a fan need a capacitor?), in which case pushing fins by hand to get them spinning should work.  It doesn't.

So my question is:

Could the GFCI tripping as the fan started up cause the capacitor (or any other part of the fan) to burn out?
Do these symptoms point to any obvious cause?  Is it fixable?


texts:
There is one double three-prong outlet in one of our bathrooms. All of a sudden it stopped working. The bathroom also has four light switches. They all work. I switched the breaker to off, removed the dead outlet's receptacle, placed multimeter probes red to white wire and black probe to black wire. The reading fluctuates between .110 and .112. I know the multimeter works because I tested other outlets and get readings of 120.1 or 121.
What could the problem with that outlet be?


texts: Multiple outlets w/bottom switched from two switch locations

texts: Can someone provide a diagram for this?  I am finishing my basement and will have multiple outlets where the bottom outlet will be switched from two locations.  I understand how to do this with one switch (attached diagram) but not positive on how to do it with two switches.  Just to give a little more info (not that the physical location really matters), but there will be the first switch, then multiple outlets, then the second switch, then a couple more outlets.


texts: need to make my table design less "tippy"

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Hello, all. I'm designing a dining room table, here mocked up real size in 2x4s and plywood, prior to final construction out of maple. the table top is 48" square, and the base has outer dimensions of 24" x 24".

we're putting int into a corner bench arrangement, so I want to avoid legs on the corners, so I started out with a pedestal design, but have moved now to a sort of trestle.

My challnge is he inherent tippiness of the design: lean down too hard on the edge, and the thing tips. (see bottom right image)
Constraints: Knee clearance means I can't push the trestle any wider.
maple vs pine with make the whole thing somewhat more massive, which will help. Also, I intend to double up the thickness of the legs, from 1.5" to 3". again, more wood = more mass.

Any thoughts on design improvement?

Thanks,
Dave


texts: Connecting an Ice Maker hose directly to a tap

texts:
I'm struggling to find answers on here and from my searching, and my local DIY store didn't help much.

My home is a new build, and the kitchen has a tap directly where the fridge goes... This is said tap...

This tap is not used for a dishwasher or washing machine as both of those have their own taps in different parts / rooms in the house, this tap is specifically in the fridge area.

I'm looking if it's possible to connect my Fridge's Ice Maker hose directly to it somehow?

This is the connection...

I've seen solutions to join this onto the actual pipe, but I'm trying to find a solution to use an actual tap, if possible?

.


texts: Wall switch to half hot outlet both standard

texts: Why do I have 2 feed lines coming into my switch box both are black, white and ground. Thanks.


texts: Repairing rust damage and dents on my standby car

texts:
My standby car has got some nicks and minor small dents. Also there is some rust damage on two of the doors and part of the fender, usually spots where dew drop collects. At some places the rusting seems to be superficial bubble formation (underneath the paintwork), and at some spots the bubbles have spread, ruptured (paint is off it) and seems to have gone deeper.

A neighbor, suggested that I scrape-off the rust, use dry sand-paper and use any sharp object to rupture the bubbles that are still under paint, and then I should spray some WD-40. After letting the place dry and wiping it off with dry cloth, I should fill the spots with 'metal paste / putty' using plaster knife. The metal paste apparently dries quite quickly, and before it is completely dry, I should us finest grained sandpaper to sand off the filled areas, somewhat like "buffing" it. Finally, I should spray paint, and use hard-rubber to buff it to shine. Apparently, this process has worked well for him. Although the car on which he has worked, the finishing seems less-than-professional. His explanation was that he let the metal-paste harden, and once it did harden, he didn't have right tools to buff/sand it.

Checking with a local paint and hardware store, the guy at the counter suggested using "NC-Putty" for such filling jobs and not metal-paste/putty. NC-putty is apparently much easier to work with, and can be sanded and buffed to a very nice finish.

Looking for some sound advise from this community on the best DIY approach. Unfortunately, I'm a bit under equipped in terms of tools I have. Much of what I do would be without power-tools.

Also, I am bit unsure about the use of WD-40. Is it safe to use in such situations as mine ?

As for the small dents, can I used the same technique i.e. sand-off the paint, as much as possible from the dentend portion, followed by applying the same putty, sanding, buffing, painting and polishing ?


texts: Transformer going into receptacle obstructed by board behind it

texts:
I am in the process of upgrading my doorbell transformer. (I am the fella from yesterday with the question about broken off back stabbed wires, registered with a proper account this time)
In addition to upgrading the transformer I am now changing out the receptacle. Removed the existing receptacle, tried putting the new transformer in and ran into a minor speed bump. The utility box that holds the receptacle is to the bottom right of my panel mounted on particle board. The new transformer secures itself via. threaded clamp going into a hole on the box. The threading on the new transformer can't really get into the hole entirely or straight due to the edge of the particle board blocking it. Here's a photo:

I have been thinking about what my options are. What I have thought of so far:

Keep it as is. It's not pretty but I wound the clamp through a couple thread rotations to the point where it feels secure enough.
Move the box right to the edge of the particle board so there is no obstruction.
Find a place to screw the transformer right onto the particle board, or add some board next to the particle board and screw the transformer on there if there is no room in current setup.
Purchase a different transformer that has the same screw in style as the old one.
Completely overhaul and move where my transformer is hooked up.

Option 1 is obviously the laziest but if it's safe would probably be preferred. 2 and 3 are happy mediums and then 4 and 5 are last resorts. At this point I suppose I am looking to get opinions and/or suggestions in case I have missed anything. The other thing is there was another ground wire I had not noticed screwed to the box against the particle board. My plan was to remove that, pigtail the grounds and connect them to the ground screw of the receptacle assuming that is OK? Anyways sorry for the drawn out post and question. First home and have only owned for a couple months, so I am finding a lot of surprises.


texts: Leak between plastic elbow joint and copper pipe

texts:
I replaced a plastic elbow joint which had a crack in it. One end of the elbow has a PVC pipe fitted into it, and the other end is copper, which connects to an outside tap.

I replaced the plastic elbow with the same model and size (Hep2O 15mm elbow) with a sleeve inserted between the copper pipe and elbow to ensure a snug connection.

However, there is water seeping out from the connection between the elbow and copper pipe (see picture). Is there anything I can do to get the copper pipe to fit better? The pipe itself doesn't appear to be deeply scratched or damaged.


texts: What's wrong with an electrical outlet that will power a lamp but not a space heater?

texts: Thought my space heater had died when I plugged it in and it wouldn't turn on, not even the "on" indicator light, so I went out and bought a new one. When the new one wouldn't work either, I tested the outlet and a lamp worked just fine. Carried the heater around the house and had no problem with the heater working in other outlets -- just not in the room where I want it!


texts: Why do I have house flies in my carport?

texts: I bought my home in early September 2012. I noticed that flies were flocking around a light in my open air carport whether it was on or off. I tried a few products like fly tape, spray and a fly trap. Still no results. This continued through fall until temps dropped. This Spring I thought I would take preventive measures and cleaned my entire carport with Lysol including my garbage cans which are new. But still flies are flocking around this light. Its strange, they don't land on it that much as if there were some food source. They just fly around it all day until the sun goes down and even then there are a few stragglers. I would say at peak during the day there are about 150 to 200 flies. Why are they attracted to this area and What do I do to get rid of them?


texts: GE circuit breakers not fitting in a GE electrical-panel

texts: I have a GE electrical-panel, TLM612S Mod 8.  The panel labeling indicates that GE THQL and THQP breakers can be used, but they don't seem to fit.  The panel has Bryant BR BR120 breakers in it, which do work.  Why won't the GE breakers work?


texts:
We just got a new door installed by a professional and there seems to be a bunch of leaks in the door. I am not sure if this is normal or not on a new door install and if they are easy to fix myself or they are not a big deal.
Most of the air leaks seem to be coming from here

Leaks in corners and sides, I see it in 3 spots, but just posted on picture (I can see light come through)


texts: What's the best way to hang frames and shelves on plaster walls?

texts:
I live in an old house (about 90 years old) with plaster walls. I have all kinds of trouble hanging things up in the plaster, so I mostly just use 3-M Command strips whenever possible.
But there are a few things that are too heavy for Command strips, like very heavy mirrors or shelving. What is the best way to hang heavy objects in plaster?
I have an electronic studfinder, but (this is probably no surprise to readers here), it doesn't seem to work on my plaster walls. I've tried using anchors, but the plaster often crumbles when I drill into the wall. I've had problems, too, where I put the drill against the wall, turn it on and only a small crater is created - it doesn't drill through.
When I have to hang large objects, I just call a handyman. This is both expensive and embarrassing (I should be able to hang things on my walls myself!). They never, ever have any problems and nothing they've hung up has ever fallen or had any trouble of any kind.
What's their secret? I never thought to watch what they do, but they clearly have a simple, reusable system for hanging stuff up on plaster that I'm not aware of.


texts: How is it that two breaker switches control the same things?

texts:
Forewarning: I don't know that much about electrical terms, so please excuse any mistakes I've possibly made.

I recently moved the TV in my living room and ran a new line for the electricity to the TV. In doing so, I discovered that I had to turn off TWO breaker switches to kill the power to the area I was working in.  If either breaker is still on, all devices in the area still have power.

On top of that, there is a large and varying array of equipment plugged into these two breakers.

All outlets in living room (TV, stereo receiver, computer, XBOX, Wii)
All recessed lighting in living room
Refrigerator
Microwave
Air compressor in garage
Clothes washer in garage

How is it that these breakers can be connected, and is it OK/safe that all this stuff is connected to a line that is coupled like that? I have been in the house for almost a year and never had any issues with the circuit tripping.

The breakers are both 20A switches. In the picture, they are right below the 100A switch on the top right.

UPDATE: I removed the front panel from the breaker box and took some pictures.

UPDATE 2: found out that the clothes washer is also on this circuit

UPDATE 3: I've checked about half of the outlets and haven't found the break yet. I'll continue tomorrow.


texts: Why can't I find a color changing GU24 bulb?

texts: Do they even make color changing GU24 bulbs?? I am looking for one for the holidays and can't find any! It seems like I could buy a color changing edison bulb and then get a GU24 adapter to screw it into. But that sounds hazardous, is it safe?


texts: Best way to run 40 lan cables in loft style office

texts:
I have a project to run around 40 lan cables in loft style office. The office don't have any conduit attached to ceiling at all. The location of RJ45 Jacks is multiple.
I wonder what is the best nice way to run all this cables to multiple locations in tight budget? I was thinking about floor corners (how to attach and protect it?) - but the 40 cables seems pretty big to hide it. J-Hooks and wall - there is a doors, windows and columns, I doubt it will look good. Was thinking to run them attached in center of ceiling, and here is a questions:
1) Should I put it in conduit by code or can run just tied all together set of cables.
2) Should I attach it close to ceiling or just suspend it? If so - how?
Here is a picture of the office:

And here is my plan,

So center line is like 40 cables and each branch from center line have like 4-10 cables. Was thinking about plastic wiremold, but can't find so thick to have 4-10 or 40 cables inside. The pipes you see it is fire sprinkler pipes.

Thank you.


texts: I just removed my sliding screen patio door so that I can clean it and the tracks that the door wheels ride on. I noticed that the top door wheels still spin but both bottom wheels seem to be frozen ( and rusty). So that started me thinking can they both be bad or are they not supposed to spin in the first place, are they "sliding" wheels ? Any screen door experts here?


texts: How do I fill in holes in exterior brick veneer?

texts:
How do I fill in holes in exterior brick veneer ? I need it to be aesthetically nice, I need to match the color of the old cement between the bricks..
It looks like below:


texts: What size wire and pipe for a 125A subpanel in an attached carport?

texts:
I realize this/these questions have been asked a million times before on this forum, but I appreciate any help that will help me drill down on exactly what materials I need and what I need to do.
Because I live on a rock pile, here in Washington, and it would take forever and a day to dig a trench, my goal is to run wire/cable in sch40 conduit that is mounted up under the eaves of my shop about a 100' from a junction box mounted next to my 200A service panel. The thought behind the junction box is to give extra room for bringing the wire/cable into the 2x4 wall before entering the service panel.
The conduit will go around my shop to a 125A sub panel located in an attached carport that will support a welder, car lift, large compressor, plasma cutter, and lights/outlets. For economic reasons, I would like to use aluminum wire/cable.

What size and type of wire/cable do I need?
What size PVC conduit can I run the specified wire/cable in?
Is it acceptable to use LB conduit bodies to get around the corners of the shop or would those bodies be too tight for the specified wire/cable?

I plan on using the long sweep elbows for other change of directions as needed. Thank you for all your help.


texts: What could cause a circuit breaker to trip when an exhaust fan is turned off?

texts:
In my bathroom, I have a switch for the light and a switch for the exhaust fan.  It seems that on occasion, not all the time, the power will trip when I turn the fan off, not on.  It also seems to be independent on whether or not the light is on.

Where is the most likely source of the problem, the switch, the breaker, or buried in the wall somewhere?


texts: Home Light Automation - Emulate 4 way switch with relay

texts:
I've been thinking of ways to do home automation that is somewhat future proof (hardwired); and the best idea I have is to use relays for lights on a 3 way switch circuit. Put in a dual pole dual throw relay and have it emulate a 4 way switch. Also add a current sensor so I can tell if the light is on or off (secondary goal). All the lighting circuit wiring is in the attic (1 story house) so I'll splice the box in above. Due to the nature of the way a 4 way switch works this should be passive and allow for simple switches to be used unlike what I saw here Any obvious problems with this DIY home automation?. Also means that if the automation logic is removed the switches will work as normal. I can put these in now and worry about hardware/software later; having all control and sensor wires run back to a central location.

Question is what relay do I need to get, and how would I wire it up in order to accomplish this task? I was thinking of using 24vac coils because they are very common (in homes) but that makes it harder to hook up to a logic board as I'll need another relay to convert DC to AC for the coil on the 120v (USA) relay.

Pretty sure I would need a DTDP (or 2x STDP) latching relay  but I'm not sure which one to get and how to wire it up so that the circuits cross like X or goes parallel like = when given a switch signal.

Making all switches be 3 way wouldn't be that hard to do in this house; so I could do this for every light switch without too much hassle.


texts: Adding an extra ground bar to my main service panel

texts: when installing an extra ground bar or bars to back of main service panel. Are the screws all that is needed for grounding or is more to be done.


texts: U brace/bracket to hold vertical 2x4 over wood floor?

texts:
Is there some type of 2x4 brace or bracket that will hold down a “standing” 2x4 on a wood floor?
Here’s a very rudimentary drawing, and the brace Im looking for is in red in the corner.
I know I can use L-brackets or pocket screws, but Im looking for something that will push it down.


texts: Is this white powdery substance on a wood shelf caused by flying termites?

texts:
There were probably about 100 or 200 so flying termites inside the house two days ago. They were all flying to the ceiling lights, and I placed buckets of water below it and many got in. I also vacuumed the termites in the air and nearly all are gone now. They seem to be coming from inside of the house and the professionals are coming in later in the week.

I noticed this whitish powder on my wood shelf. Are they the eggs of these termites? Or their droppings?  Should I just wipe them away?


texts: Low water pressure in a specific sink after turning off the supply lines

texts:
Water pressure is normal in my entire house, however, recently, I had to turn off the shutoff valves to a single sink.

Since I closed the shutoff valves and then opened them fully, the water pressure has been absolutely nonexistent even when I have the knobs opened fully. But here's the kicker: the pressure to the spray hose is absolutely normal. It's only the faucet that has low pressure.

This seems like a pretty basic fix that just escapes me.


texts: Should I install a moisture barrier before installing engineered hardwood in a partial basement?

texts:
I am thinking about using a 6 mil poly and a thicker sound/water barrier to make walking on the floors a bit softer. I plan to tape (or use silicon) as a means to seal moisture.

My question is, is it a good strategy to completely seal the floor like this? Judging by my crawlspace (which is sealed with 6mil poly), droplets gather underneath. Wouldn't the same happen for my insulation under the hardwood? Would it damage the concrete?


texts:
I need to buy a replacement for a twist-locking electric plug that looks like this:

Picture of the socket:

Searching online I can't seem to find anything that matches. The closest thing I found are NEMA twist-lock plugs, but they have a different locking\ground pin.

Can someone identify this plug type?


texts: Control the individual brightness of LEDs on WS2812B

texts:
I currently have two 16.4Ft WS2812B (individually programmable)  LED strips in my living room, both are connected with a single dataline but 5v DC sources going into it at both ends to prevent voltage drop.

Current setup works great at lower brightness but when running it at max brightness for any color (say white) you can notice the voltage drop as the LEDs are bright at the start of the strip (closer to the 5V source) then they are at the join point.

Now I have some noise going into the dataline (that is my fault) but random LED's start to populate random colors with differing brightness. Now I know how to fix this issue but the ability to see that LEDs can be differing brightness really interested me.

My question is, using the RPI python library I currently have, is it possible to address the brightness of each LED?

I currently use https://github.com/jgarff/rpi_ws281x to control the LED's via multiple python scripts and a Flask webserver.

Any advice on how to accomplish this would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Will Varsol eventually evaporate from my deck boards so I that deck sealer will bond well?

texts:
I am finally about to repaint my 20 year old deck with Restore. This project has gone on for far too many days already and I think it would have been easier (and cheaper if you count my time) to simply replace with all new deck boards.

Anyway, I have followed their preparation instructions (sanding, stripping, brushing, power washing) but I am still not confident that all areas pass their "splash test" requirement (water quickly absorbs rather than puddles). At one point I goofed and used Varsol on a small area to remove one of the industrial gel strippers I used.

Will the varsol simply evaporate with more time, or do I need to strip again?

At this point I'm almost ready to just roll the dice with what I've got, even if it means a less-then-ideal paint adhesion. My weather window is closing fast.

Any tips or advice is appreciated.

Thanks,


texts:
I'm dealing with a junction box for an outdoor patio wall sconce that has three separate sets of black/white/ground.  House was just painted, and the old sconce was already taken off, so I had nothing to reverse-engineer.  The junction box to the left of this one was "normal".  This junction box looks like a "flux capacitor".  2 of the wire triplets are at the top left and right, and one at the bottom.

Any help figuring out how to appropriately wire a new sconce to this traffic jam of a junction box would be very appreciated.  Thanks in advance!


texts: Leaving old wiring unconnected in a wall

texts:
I am planning to replace a in-wall forced air heater in my bedroom with electric radiant floor of comparable wattage. I want, however, to err on the side of caution and leave the possibility to switch back to the forced air heater if radiant floor proves inadequate for being the primary heat source in the room.

Current setup is as follows: there are wires going from the breaker to a thermostat in the bedroom, and wires going from the thermostat to the heater.

The plan is to disconnect the wires going from thermostat to the heater and leave them in the wall, keep the heater in place for now. Replace the thermostat with the one appropriate for the radiant floors and install additional wiring from the floor to thermostat (and replace the breaker for that circuit with GFCI, while I am at it). The new setup will reuse wires from the breaker to the thermostat.

Is anything that prevents me from simply disconnecting the heater and leaving all the wiring in the walls unconnected?
Radiant floor will use its own wiring.


texts: How can I clean up the debris from a disconnected dryer vent hose?

texts: I have a dryer vent on the outside of the house but the dryer hose disconnected in the crawlspace without my knowledge.  It appears to have been this way for quite sometime and there is a lot of dust/lint clean-up necessary in the crawlspace.  Can anyone tell me the best way to clean this up?


texts: Why my wall sockets are buzzing when I plug something in?

texts:
Problem: So whenever I plug something into the wall socket, it gives a little electrical buzzing noise, a bit faint but i can hear it. It stops when its pluged all the way in.

The plug is loose in the socket, so should I replace the sockets? I'm a bit new to this, what should I do?

I have tried to ignore it and just plug stuff in, but I worry it may create a huge problem either in the devices I plug in or possibly damage to the home.


texts:
We are about to move into our new home and it looks like the carpet had never been cleaned so we decided a new one would be best.

I took up the carpet yesterday, and today I have a few bug bites on my body, which I am assuming was caused by something on the carpet.

What can I do to check if there are insects still where the carpet was, and what can I do to make sure they don't just move into the new carpet?


texts:
I have a small air compressor for various small tasks.

Lately when I plug it in and turn it on, it starts working to fill the tank and once it's full, I hear the valve releasing the air thus the compressor always works and never gets full.

While it's plugged in I can use it and I believe that the pressure of the air coming out is the same as when it was working properly.

Any ideas of what the issue might be?

Thanks!


texts: My toilet bowl drains when my neighbor flushes his toilet

texts: About three months ago, my neighbor renovated his bathroom.  We have a common wall between the master bathrooms in the condo.  When he flushes his toilet, my toilet bowl drains.  He installed a new efficient toilet.  The building was built in 1993.  No idea as to why this is happening. Ideas?


texts: What is recommended for Connecting 1" Schedule 80 PVC threaded fittings to prevent leaks. I have tried pipe dope, but leaks developed between nipples and elbows. Do you have any suggestions.


texts:
My condo building has an outdoor iron staircase that has been developing some penny to quarter sized holes. While the staircase is structurally sound, I’m looking for a solution to patch the holes in order to ease the concerns of some residents looking to avoid harm.

I’ve read that iron can be devilishly difficult to    weld. I’m pretty hands on, and I’m ideally looking for a DIY solution, but I'm hoping to draw on the experience and recommendations of the community. Here's some pictures for reference:


texts: Wiring in fixture looks wrong and I need a fix

texts: So I opened this up to see about putting a fan in but it really looks odd to me. On the left are three black wires connected together. In the middle two white wires with the white of the light and then a white wire is connected to the black of the light. The light had been working fine but one of my bathroom lights had been acting weird ever since we moved in. It basically stays on at all times whether the switch is in on position or off. If the bedroom wiring is incorrect how should I fix it?


texts: how to keep a wet edge applying poly to the floors of a whole house

texts: My floors are ready for poly. Is it possible to keep a wet edge, when the whole house needs poly, and every room conects to another with 2 diffrent doorways? Every path i can think of to take will end up with me runing in to a dry edge before i can finish a coat.


texts: why are 120v coming out of my light switch plate screws?

texts:
While troubleshooting a dead GFCI receptacle in my bathroom I discovered that a nearby light switch plate's screws have 120 volts coming out of them. The GFCI was reading 1.5v from hot to ground on itself, with breaker flipped off and I wanted to see if grounding it somewhere else would change this. I tried the sink faucet, still 1.5v, and then tried the switch plate screw...120v. Was very surprised by this. To be sure, I tried the screw to a sink faucet and a different outlet's ground and still had 120v. What can cause this?

I have never been shocked by the screws, thankfully. I will flip the breaker for the light circuit later and have a look to see what is going on. I imagine the ground and hot wires are crossed behind the switch plate, but thought I'd ask here and see if any warning alarms go off or any bits of advice are given. Thanks.

A bit more information. The 120v is coming from the screws regardless of the switch position and the lights behind the switch have always functioned properly.


texts:
We are having a 2 story house built. On the majority of our stairs, it is not possible to use real wood due to the size of the stairs being over 12 inches wide. The builders have used different materials on stairs (with no apparent reason - I asked).
On some of the stairs it is treated plywood. On others it is particle board that is also used for the floors upstairs.
Which is better? Does it matter that they are inconsistent?


texts: Can I use these tree stumps for a table?

texts:
I took two tree stumps of approximately 35 cm in diameter and stuck them inside my living room.

I read that, if I seal the ends with a strong varnish, it will allow them to dry out through the sides more slowly and thus I can start using them.

Now I'm about to attach a table top, meaning that both top and bottom of the stumps will be covered as it dries.. And I'm thinking I should probably get some second opinions to make sure that I won't come across any unpleasant surprises.

There are bugs behind the bark, but I got the idea that the main part of them will stay inside the tree and peel off with the bark in a year or so.


texts: What is this row of sandy material in my wall?

texts:
I am enclosing an outdoor alcove 120”x 70” and notice brown residue where the studs and drywall meet together- this is on several areas of the room and walls but there does not appear to be any damage to any of the wood.
I live in Northern California
If I touch it it easily falls off


texts: Homebase extractor fan. How to remove the front cover?

texts:
I bought an extractor fan from homebase. One of these: https://www.homebase.co.uk/humidity-controlled-extractor-fan_p594561 . I didn't get very far with fitting it though because step one is "Remove the front cover" but this is proving very difficult.

I have made a little video of me explaining the problem (with a bit of help from a 3 year old!)

On the top edge there is a clip which pops open with a screwdriver, and it start's coming open (I can pull it apart about 4 millimetres and start to see inside from the top), but at the bottom edge of the fan there is no clip, and the front cover does not want to come off at all. I can just about prise it apart by about a millimetre. I can push a knife blade in there along the whole bottom edge (see following photo), but something in the middle near the bottom (by the red light) is holding the front cover on tight.

There are various holes which look to be mostly for the screws which will hold it to the wall (from the direction of inside-out, meaning I need to get inside of course). Near the middle there's an interesting looking screwdriver-sized hole you can see in the photo, but solid edges all around. No clips or moving parts to poke at. I can't see any other clips or screws, but I feel like I must be missing something. I could just pull harder, but it feels like I'm at the limit before plastic starts snapping.

Oh I almost forgot the funniest part. The instructions have a sentence explaining how to do it! But it seems to be badly translated or something. Here it is word for word:

"Remove the front cover. To remove the front cover, first remove the hole plug than using screw driver to remove the self tapping screw, then cover can be remove unclip"

It's strange because the rest of the manual is well written. Just that one sentence... which is the sentence I need! Where is this "hole plug" / "self tapping screw"??

Maybe I could find out more from a manufacturer, but it's just generically homebase branded. "Homebase Extractor Fan. Humidity Control Model". There is a sticker on the fan itself with the numbers "SPA255 B141319"


texts: Can I connect a 120V outlet to a 240v well house supply?

texts: My well house is 300 plus feet away from our house. The pump is 240 and when we built the house the electrician ran a 3-wire from the main panel to the well house. This is the only power source in the well house. It has been getting very cold and I would like to add some sort of heat lamp or heat tape to keep it from freezing. Looking on line it seems adding a sub-panel would not work with 3-wire. Would it be safe to add a 240 range outlet and buy a cord designed to reduce 240 to 120? Seems to be used a bunch when someone goes from an electric range to a gas range. Any other options? Any help is appreciated.Thanks!


texts: I checked my water pressure. It was 100! But after I adjusted it to 60 my water pressure immediately dropped to 20 after opening cold or hot faucet! Is my water pressure regulator is going bad?


texts: What type of door can I install in a wide cased opening without damaging the flooring?

texts: We rent a house and we’d like to install doors in the 50” open doorframe between the master bedroom and the sunroom. We thought of French Doors, but the owner doesn’t want us to drill in the wood floors. What kind of doors could we install to accommodate that?


texts: Disconnecting a frozen water hose from a spigot!

texts: How would I disconnect a water hose after it has been frozen from the spigot without stripping either connections?


texts: What kind of gloves do I need for working around electrical wires?

texts: What kind of gloves could I wear before manipulating electric wires if I really want to be safe even after having turned off house electricity? And where to buy them?


texts: How did they drive nails into hardwood before modern power tools?

texts:
I know of two methods to drive nails successfully into hardwood. One is to predrill; the other is to use a power nailer, which can drive the nails with enough force that they will go in cleanly and not split the wood.

My house, which was built more than 100 years ago, has oak floor boards throughout that were face-nailed into the subfloor. This was done before most power tools existed. There is no sign of the wood splitting or other problems occurring when the nails were driven in.

My question is how the guys who built my house would have nailed these boards in without the assistance of power drills or power nailers.  I'd be surprised if they predrilled each hole manually (there are probably thousands of holes throughout the house), and I assume that even their impressive early-twentieth-century biceps could not come close to matching the force of a modern power nailer.

Anyone with knowledge of historical construction techniques know how nails were driven into hardwood (especially applications like floorboards, where you would care about making it look pretty) before power tools?


texts:
I’ve finally stained and applied a first coat of varnish (oil based poly in satin finish) to a dining table. I went to sand it lightly once dried as per instructions - I think I used a way too rough grit - 180, to sand the varnish back. Some scratches appeared so I got the 220 grit to try get them off and now that section appears so much duller than the rest of the table.
This is my first time doing this - spent 2 weeks sanding this thing back and I’m heartbroken. Not sure if I should apply a second coat of varnish now.
Is it salvageable or do I need to sand it all back again?


texts: How to install step flashing on vertical side wall such that roof can be replaced later?

texts:
I have a vertical wall along the edge of a roof. The intersection is like the side wall of a dormer. Having both a new roof and vinyl siding installed.

My perception is that the Tyvek wrap would first be nailed to the side wall and that the TyveK wrap would go over the aluminum step flashing. But this means that the new roof must be installed before the new siding. Then the vinyl siding track would be nailed over the Tyvek and aluminum flashing. But that means that to replace the roof singles and step flashing that the siding would have to be removed.

Being optimistic that the vinyl siding will last longer than the roof shingles. Contractor is using a high grade of singles.

How should  the step flashing and track for the vinyl siding be install so that the roof can be replaced without disturbing the step flashing and vinyl siding?


texts:
I have a Rheem Criterion Gas Furnace. At the moment, my air conditioning system currently has low air pressure coming from the vents around the house. I double checked that the fan is working, replaced air filter, and checked outside condenser and made sure it is working. There is no water leaking, no ice formations around the copper pipe either. Not sure what the issue is.
Should any air be escaping from RED (with square-dash) PVC cover pictured below? Right now there is a lot of air coming out of it and not sure if this is normal.


texts: Why am I reading zero volts phase to earth?

texts:
When i measured the voltage reading on the socket I got an unusual reading
phase to neutral is 220V (expected reading )
phase to earth is 0V (unusual) ??
neutral to earth is oV (expected reading)

I do not understand why the phase to earth reading shows 0.... Could you please explain the underlying problem


texts:
Two ceiling fans with light kit and remote on single wall switch. All worked well for 3 months. One light kit stopped working but fan worked. I replaced the light kit, the receiver (inside motor housing for remote), and now the ENTIRE fan. The light still doesn't work. The other fan and light still work fine. Could this be a deeper wiring issue to cause the light not to work but the fan to still get power?
Rejuvenation (Fanimation) Peregrine fan. One white, one black and one green wire on box and fan sides.
Update:
I didn't take photos of the wiring in the box but the ceiling box and fan both had a white, black and green. It was pretty straight forward. I thought both white and black needed the connection to power the fan, so if it's working those wires are ok.
I'm wondering about the molded connector (based on comment). Could it be bad on two entire fans? This may be a question for the manufacturer (they are helpful).
The model is the Rejuvenation (Fanimation) Peregrine fan. When I said receiver I did mean the remote receiver that is inside the motor housing. I will adjust original post.
Mostly I'm curious if this could be a deeper wiring issue upstream of the fan or if that isn't possible. Sure seems to be an internal fan problem but after taking the thing down four times now...ugh


texts: How can I change the final position of a threaded-in faucet?

texts:
I installed a wall faucet and it got into the wrong direction because I had to tighten it well.

How I can make it point in the right direction?


texts:
I have a window air conditioner (about 7-10 years old) it uses the cut to size foam filters.  Today, I was going to remove the filter for cleaning and found what seems to be frost across the bottom area of the (I think it's refereed to as the cooling coil) it's right under the foam filter, and has metal fins.

Anyone know what might be causing the frost?  I turned off the air conditioner to let the frost melt - the foam filter was actually stuck to the frost.


texts: How should I fix cracking wood around door lock?

texts:
Old door, the wood around the lock is breaking apart. Today a chunk of the material fell off. The chunk that fell off feels like rock and not wood.
I wonder it they previously try to patch it up with Bondo or something like it.
What should I do to secure the mechanism into place?
Do I need to remove the lock mechanism, extract all that is deteriorating and then fill the void with a solid piece of wood?
(Yes. That is a piece of tape holding a loose screw.)
Is it salvageable or is it time to get another door? I would rather that replacement be the last option bc our door is not a common size and I think will be expensive to replace.


texts: I am thoroughly confused on this and looking for a wire diagram or some advice.  My father in law was trying to replace a switch that cracked and after attempting to install it and the lights not working he called me. I showed up to wires pulled out and no clue of how it was previously wired before when it was working. The situation is that there is two separate three way switches powering about 8 or 9 flood lights in his living room. Both switches have their own power source running into their gang box. The best I have gotten so far is getting one switch to basically be the “master switch”.  This switch works in the on and off position. When the switch is in the on position the other switch will work but when the “master switch” is in the off position the other switch has no control. Looking for help. Thanks


texts:
I am looking to install 4 5A round pin sockets on the lighting ring, so we can switch on lamps around the room using a switch by the door. I have 2 questions; Wiring and Fusing.
Part 1 - Wiring
How should I run the wires to each of the sockets?
Option A. Seperate wires to each (My prefered option for ease)

Option B. Wires between each socket

Part 2 - Fuses
Do I need to add fuses to any of the sockets or plugs?
The reason I ask this is Screwfix has the plugs and sockets, but they do not have fuses is either sockets or plugs. (But are still listed as 5A)


texts: One of the spots where I would like to install a remodel-type 5" round recessed light, is right on top of the drywall seam in my ceiling. I'm a little hesitant to put it there because the ceiling must bear the weight of the light fixture. Will it be okay? Should I try to reinforce it somehow?


texts: Gas line addition to external building - can I avoid expanding all existing lines?

texts:
I'm adding an external building with hydronic heating and a variable boiler (160k BTU max) which will be about a 100' feet from the existing gas meter.

I had planned to simply tap into the existing gas line (which was oversized originally), but when calculating the additional length/gas needs, it appears that I will need to re-plumb some of the existing lines to accommodate this new longest branch run. Yikes ... not cool. I really don't want to pull apart walls to change existing gas lines.

Can anyone suggest options? I suppose one of them could include a new, separate gas meter for this distinct building or ?

N.B. Running a T from the meter and routing around the building isn't a possibility due to a number of constraints, including concrete hardscape.


texts: Is NM-B appropriate for an outdoor Jacuzzi hot tub?

texts: We're wiring a J-355 Jacuzzi Hot Tub and the instructions said to use 6-3 wire for a 60 amp installation. We purchased Romex 6-3 wire, type NM-B, from a local box store to run through the basement from the electrical panel to the GFCI panel mounted on the outside of the house. Is this an acceptable wire or should we have used a THHN or THWN wire?


texts: Would a vernal pond (as either a retention basin or a infiltration basin) be a viable solution for this drainage issue?

texts:
So my backyard is showing some heavy pooling issues. I am in Southern Maine, USA

The lowest point (picture 1) is, unfortunately pretty close to the garage pier foundation, and when the water pools it includes two of the pillars.

My thought is to dig out an area where Picture 3 shows the center of the swale and digging out to the left to move the water away from the building and provide an additional feature to the landscape. This would also involve backfilling some of the area nearest the building to ensure the water is moving away.

  1) Would a solution be to dig out an area to be a pond (either a retention basin or a infiltration basin - Link: Nomenclature reference ), and put in a small channel system to move all the water from the other pictures spot into it?

  2) The lowest point is also near an out-of-use dug well. Would this cause any additional obstacle? Can you incorporate a dug well into a pond?

Some comments asked about the well. The dug well is the brick structure in picture 1 and is out of use. My neighbors and I all used deep drilled wells to pull from the lower
aquifer for our water supply. We also all have personal septic tanks and leach fields.

The land behind the house is a four acre field, but due to the mound for the septic leaching, the slop declines towards the yard, causing the natural swales to form.

I hope to refine the question, perhaps with a little feed back because I am out of my milieu.


texts:
Our bedroom doesn't have an existing ceiling light. The switch controls the top plug in an outlet on the other side of the room for the lamp. I have been up in the attic already and can see the wire crossing the trusses and dropping down into the other wall. I want to keep the power at the outlet and splice in a connection for a fixture in the middle of the room. I am a construction plumber and have the tools I need, but need to know how to splice wire together properly. I've done other minor electrical work around our home but if anyone knows of anything else that might help, I'd like to know it. Thanks.
Shane


texts: Mounting WLAN router, switch, 2 Raspberry Pis and a power strip

texts:
Hardware I would like to mount

Router: AVM FRITZ!Box 7590
Switch: Netgear GS116E-200PES 16-Port
2 * Raspberry Pis (3 & 4)
various CAT.7 cables
Powerstrip
??? (ideas are welcome, should be related to router)

The switch may be a bit oversized. It comes from my old apartment where I had a LAN port in every corner in every room. I still would like to continue use it in case I'm moving to a new apartment where it can be put to good use.

I want to mount it on a wood board and place the board on a wall. That wood board can be put and removed from the wall (so no permanent install) in case I'm moving to a new apartment I can just take the wood board with me instead of rewiring everything again.

My questions:

How thick should the wood be?
What kind of screws should I buy? (How big and how deep?)
For the wall mounting:

How do I create the "hooks" so I can mount it on the wall and remove it from the wall? Like when you are hanging up pictures. Which "hooks" should I get?

Cable management:

What do I buy for cable management?

What do I need to pay attention to?

Risk of fire due to hardware's close proximity to wood?
Bad idea, because ... ? Do this instead?
...

I've seen a nice DIY article about such project before but I lost the article. Answers with links to those articles are also welcome.
I'm a novice at home improvement and would like to start with something small like this.


texts:
I'm running a 220(240) 8/3 line for a table saw in my garage.  I can fish the 8/3 to the box.  I need to run the line to the other end of the garage.  The other lines are run down the 1.5" side edge of a 2x4 strongback on top of the rafter ties (no ceiling joists) .  The ceiling is open all the way up to the rafters.  I need to follow the same route, but the other cables take up all the edge space.  I was thinking of running the line on top of the strongback.

Do I need to run conduit on top of the strongback to be up to code (local code references IBC)? Can I just run the romex on top of the strongback unprotected? Technically the rafter ties are not meant to be walked on or hold anything.  Which to me means they aren't meant to be accessed; however, they are accessible ( because it is an open ceiling).


texts: Rewiring screw less lamp socket, how do I remove wires?

texts: I bought a light kit from World Market to replace my current set up and opened the socket to rewire to find no easy way to remove the wires from the socket... How do I get them out? There is no visible means of releasing them and I don't want to just yank them. Has anyone seen this sort of socket before?


texts: Deck boards meet accent/seam board: gap or not?

texts:
I'm designing a 20'x12' deck with 5/4"x6" floor boards (pressure-treated northern fir), which will have a seam/accent board to break the 20' run into 2 x ~10' sections.  The accent is ~12' long, perpendicular to the 20' span.  I'm framing to ensure there is a decent drip-gap beneath where the boards butt against the accent.
My question is: should the ~10' floor boards butt snugly against the edge of the accent board, or should I leave a small gap between the chopped ends and the accent edge?


texts: Options for insulating a ceiling that is already finished (former 3 season room)

texts:
Is there a way to insulate a ceiling that is already finished and has no access point? More details below:

Recently purchased a home in Eastern Massachusetts; one of the features was a room off the back that appeared to have been built as a screened in porch and eventually finished as a new family room. There's a gas radiator (though that doesn't work currently), so there isn't heat to the room, so I expected it to be cooler, but manageable. Unfortunately, I've come to find out it appears there isn't insulation in the ceiling.

The walls are almost entirely glass (there are 6 60" square sliding windows which I just replaced because the seals on the old windows were shot), so there is nominal wall insulation, but it is there. When changing the bulbs in the recessed light fixtures, I realized it was frigid up above. There doesn't appear to be an access port from the outside on either side of the room, and there's no entry point from inside the rest of the house.

I'm guessing that this won't ultimately be a DIY project, but is there even a technique to add insulation to a ceiling like this? I assume it's going to be blown in or foam of some kind, but I can't figure out what product would work well; it's a long room (20' end to end) and I don't know how to approach it. Any insights would be appreciated.


texts: Dual 60 Amp circuit for Well and Tankless Heater

texts:
We are installing a tankless heater system that has the specs of 122,000 btu, 36 kWh, 150 Amp.

The current systems looks to have only a single dual 60 Amp circuit to both the well pump and oil furnace.

I take it we need to upgrade the electrical.  But for what exactly? 3x 60 Amps just for the tankless system?


texts:
I need to run a hot and cold water supply line to an outside structure 13' away through my basement block wall. This is in the Northeast US, where the frost line is 42" and the penetration will therefore be that much below grade.

I plan to use 3/4" PEX-A pipe wrapped in foam self-seal pipe insulation and running through FLEX-Drain corrugated pipe.

The whole assembly will penetrate the houses basement wall below the frost line on one end and will come up through a concrete slab foundation (to be poured) on the other. The flex-drain pipe would essentially act as the sleeve through both the house wall and the concrete slab foundation. I have a few questions that perhaps someone could comment on:

Is FLEX-Drain a good idea to use for this application? It seems a little flimsy and I'm a bit worried it may eventually crack while regular PVC pipe seems like overkill.
Would FLEX-Drain be a good sleeve or would I need to use a larger diameter PVC pipe as the sleeve and run the flex-drain through it?
Regardless of sleeve options - what is the best thing to use to seal/waterproof between the sleeve and block wall penetration? What about between the pex and the sleeve?

Thank you!