texts:
5 year old house - finished attic.  Permanent stairs, carpet, heat, ceilings, drywall - completely finished.  The insulation is spray foam (open cell) directly on the underside of the roof deck (min - R19) and on the inside of the exterior walls.  There was ridge vent originally installed, but sealed up with spray foam (closed cell).   What I am trying to explain here is that the entire attic is within the building envelope - with the exception of a sloped ceiling, it looks like any other room in the house.  I had the building envelope tested (blower door test) and there was very minimal air leakage anywhere in the house and what was detected was remediated.

There are knee walls and a dropped ceiling after the underside of the roof joists pass 9' (roof peak is at 13'), but these are just studs and drywall - no isulation.  The spaces they create are still inside the building envelope (insulation is on the exterior walls only).  The space behind the knee walls are accessible via access panels (used for storage) and there is no appreciable temperature difference in summer or winter in these spaces.  The area above the ceiling is closed off and I cannot measure.

The problem is, the attic gets really hot in the summer.  I can feel a temperature gradient as I walk up the stairs and have measured the bedrooms on the floor below at 75 (at the ceiling) and the attic ceiling at 85 degrees.  My thought is to get a bathroom exhaust (or 3) inthe ceiling and vent the space that way.  Any pros / cons / other suggestions?

The attic is 800 sq ft and the finished space 5600 cu ft.


texts: Lights wont turn off after switching dimmer types and changed again

texts: Previous owners installed two wall sconces - one dimmer. That dimmer control plate broke/cracked (a glyder type) I have an Ariadni toggle that I would prefer. The glider had by looking 3 wires (single pole) 1 green, 1 white, 1 black. after turning off breaker, disconnecting I found that actually 2 of each - for the two sconces. I wrapped the two black together  as well as the other two color to themselves then connect to the new switch. went to test and breaker/switch "popped" checked connections etc looked fine. turned breaker back on and lights were on. but dimmer wasn't controlling, light are staying on. Breaker off, reconnect no pop but light stay on, disconnect new switch but back old one, same thing - breaker/switch popped. checked wires again hit breaker and lights are staying on for old switch. when the breaker popped did it kill the dimmer switch? the wiring is short as it is so cant keep stripping back. Options or solutions or advice. I have done switches all over the house this is the only issue so far.


texts: Shall I undercut the drywall to let the baseboard cover the hardwood floor expansion gap?

texts:
I am going to replace my carpet with Engineered hardwood floor(the choice would be Kahrs floating installed floor). The problem I am facing is my baseboard is thin. It's not able to cover the expansion gap required by the floor manufacture. I think this is a very common problem, most floor manufacture requires 1/2" expansion gap but most baseboards nowadays are 1/2" or less .

My current baseboard is short and thin. It will be very silly if I use quarter round to cover the gap. So the only way seems to me is to undercut the drywall so there will be enough expansion gap. Now my question is if I undercut the drywall, will the moisture come from the wall through the cut and affects my floor much?


texts: How to install deck railing post sleeves on these posts?

texts:
When I bought my house, the deck was in poor shape. Enough to pass inspection, but the deck boards have not been sealed or washed in years. There are way too many splintering and cracked boards. I decided it would be better and easier just to cover as much as possible with Trex. I purchased a rail kit along with the Trex 4 x 4 sleeves (so the lattice and rails will be removed).
I was wondering how I could get composite post sleeves to fit over these posts. Can I forgo sleeving these posts and attach the aluminum directly? How can I make this work without it looking terrible or causing any safety issues? I am concerned that cutting the sleeve might pose a safety issue down the line.


texts:
The leak check includes a visual self-inspection of each end of a pressurized new PEX pipe.  The PEX is to be piped into existing CPVC: the plan is to leak-check every 12 hours.  How many days should the leak-check be performed to provide a reasonable assurance that the joints / connects are good?
UPDATE
Followup inspection 12 hours after the initial self-inspection found a very small leak at the PEX endpoints.


texts: I'm hooking up a new GFCI in a remodeled bathroom, replacing an older one.  There are two outlets following on the circuit.  The GFCI works fine, but as soon as I would plug a light into the next outlet, it would trip.  Another thread suggested checking between Ground/Common/Hot wires to make sure there wasn't a short, and sure enough, I'm showing continuity between the ground and common wires.  My question is, does this mean I have to run new wires, put in a new box, or is there a simpler solution?


texts: Chimney without a cover cap or a flue lining

texts:
I have a house that was built in 1969. In addition to this, a former owner was an avid DIY-er (based on neighbor anecdotes).

Late last year i was on the roof and looked down the chimney. Apparently they do not have a flue liner nor a chimney cap! I plan to get a chimney inspector to take a look (when it's dry and sunny). But for now, I just have to try to ignore the chimney.

Any warning signs I can be looking out for?


texts: I have a long distance from my breaker cabinet to my basement.  I ran a 12/3 with ground to the basement. Now I would like to add some outlets. Can I do as shown in image? or do I need to run 3 wires to each outlet?


texts: I do not have either cold or hot water from my tap in the kitchen and the one in the bathroom. The shower and the tub both have water but these two have nothing .... possibly an airlock? tried my thumb over it but heard that if your tank has a check valve or something like that that this method will not work? Also don't think I can get a good seal from my thumb over the nozzle? Tried blocking in the water underneath sink and opening it again with no luck. I had just finished draining my hot water tank and flushing the sludge out of it and don't think we purged the air correctly? Now no hot or cold from only those locations ....


texts:
I just installed a new wall-mount tv. So far so good. I have a nice Onkyo receiver with 3 HDMI inputs and one HDMI out.

I know that the "right" way to do it is to hook the TV to the receiver via the HDMI out, FROM the receiver TO the TV.

However, with the new smart TV I no longer need a DVD player etc.

I JUST want the sound from the TV to the receiver, I don't want to use the receiver as the switcher for nonexistent accessories, and I never liked switching inputs on the receiver even when I did use that setup.

Is this possible? If so, what inputs / outputs do I use?

Or do I just have to get an optical cable and use that to go from the TV to the receiver? That's not hard, but I don't have such a cable and the HDMI cables are already routed through the wall-- I'd have to remove the TV to route the optical cable.


texts: 240 volt not supplying 120 over one leg and the neutral

texts:
I've got a 4 wire 240 volt receptacle set up to power an electric brewing controller.

There is a 240 30amp breaker in my main panel that then supplies a sun panel in the garage that has a 30amp gfci breaker,  that then goes to the outlet.

The 240 is for a heating element, but the control box is set up to split off one of the hot legs, and connect it up with the neutral to power some 120 volt items, lights, pumps,  CPU

So the receptacle will read 240 on the hot legs and powers the element light just fine. And will read between 110 and 120 connecting each hot leg to the neutral, but as soon as something is trying to get any power from the 120 circuit the voltage drops and there is no power.

Also went as far as to bypass the gfci breaker connecting it directly to the main panel. And no change.

Could the new 30 amp breaker in the panel just be bad?
One note is that we couldn't get the gfci breaker installed in the main panel without it constantly tripping, putting the gfci breaker in a sub panel fixed that, but I'm thinking there is still some issue in the main panel  .


texts: Centralised home automation system - Any product out there?

texts:
I read the Scalable, affordable home automation question and answers with great interest. Simply Automated looks pretty cool & so do the ideas behind Z-Wave.

What I'm looking for, I don't seem to find - although it would seem to me like the obvious thing to do.

Is there any reasonably affordable system out there that centralises all power to say a single patch panel?

Get the power from just outside the breaker, through the patch panel to the switches and dimmers just there (really, just a collection of individual switching or dimming devices, within a few feet of the circuit breaker board) and direct to the target device (mostly lights, some dimmed others switched - that one is the wire that runs within walls and things).

Somehow plugged to that 'central' patch panel are all the controls (wall switches, buttons, dials and computer interface). I would imagine that it would be most efficient to use low power wires for the controls, but I actually don't really mind if they have to be regular home power.

Or is it just me not seeing the writing on the wall and that's exactly what some of those systems do?


texts: Indoor blower fan turns on and off intermittently in 10-15 min increments when system is off.

texts:
Bit of background: The furnace blower originally did not not turn off at all (or if it did, very rarely did so), even when set temps were reached or when the system was off (fan setting is set to auto, not on). The AC unit outside would shut off when the set temp was reached, but the fan inside continued to blow. I called a technician, who said the issue was probably a bad fan switch relay and it was replaced.

Now the fan does turn off, but it doesn't appear to remain off. Even when the system is set to off, the fan randomly turns back on and off every 10-15 minutes. The technician reinspected it but said there's no apparent reason it should be doing this. As the fan doesn't turn on for a while after the system is off, he wasn't really able to verify that the fan was doing this. He replaced the relay again with a more "heavy duty" one, and just told me that even if just the blower is running, it shouldn't draw much power/create a high bill (my HVAC is all electric).

Is there any other reason it could be doing this? Is the relay still the problem?  Or is this how they're supposed to operate (furnace/house is approx. 3 years old)? I had a much older home/hvac system before this and recently moved into this one so I'm not really familiar with the newer systems.


texts:
Last night I was try to put up a shelf across this narrow wall protrusion in my semi-finished garage. Magnetic stud finder registered on the edges but not in the center of the wall, so I believed it was a standard wood framed in piece of drywall. When I started drilling pilot holes I made it about 1/16" into the plaster before I hit something metal. Same on the other side. What could this be? It's garage level. I can't think of any reason why there would be a ventilation duct there, or why someone would skim coat a duct anyway.

what could this be?
can I still into it for my shelves, which I already cut to exactly the width of this wall?


texts: How to install springs on werner loft/attic ladders?

texts:
I've just purchased the this loft/attic ladder.

The installation instructions show that the springs must be installed while the ladder is closed (less tension in springs). Problem is even when closed its proving impossible to pull the springs by hand to link the two hooks (on either end) to the mounting brackets.

Can anyone think of a way to somehow mechanically extend the spring to allow it to be installed?


texts: How can I remove the glass domes from my light fixtures?

texts:
This is embarrassing to ask, but I can't figure out how to change the light bulbs in my house.

The light fixtures are unusual and when I first bought my house I thought they were a selling point because they looked so lovely and unique. But now I can't figure out how to change the bulbs when they burn out.

I have tried rotating and pulling down on it, but the nuts prevent any movement. I have tried looking for secret latches, etc., but nothing has worked.

I've shown the fixtures to others and no one can quite figure it out. I have three that still work and two that have been burned out for over a year. Please help! And thank you.


texts: Calculating total energy savings for LED lighting

texts:
I'm redoing all the electrical in my entire house, and I was running some numbers just for fun on the energy efficiency gains by just having LED, vs incandescent bulbs. I know the basic LEDs use much less power for the same number of lumens, but I noticed that almost no one takes in to account the lower cooling costs. So I ran some quick numbers and wanted to make sure my math was correct.

I'm in a hot climate so that's why I'm interested in the numbers for cooling.

Say my baseline is 1000 watts of incandescent. I move to LED lighting and we'll say the LED lighting uses only 15% of the energy for the same lumens. So now I'm at 150 watts. So I saved 850 watts of heat, and from reading online comes out to ~3.4 BTUs/watt, so I should have saved ~2,890 BTUs which is close to a 1/4 of a ton of cooling capacity that I saved. Assuming I have a SEER 16 AC I saved roughly another ~180 watts in cooling as well.

So it would appear that the total energy savings would be roughly 850+180=1030 watts.

I realize the actual energy usage has many more variables, but I just wanted to make sure that my calculations for cooling energy requirements were generally correct, and that I wasn't missing anything major.


texts: Should I install drywall or plywood above a drop ceiling to increase the insulation value?

texts: I am currently insulating a new room in my house. I am planning to put up a drop ceiling. I have  insulated between my roof trusses. Do I need anything else between my drop ceiling and attic space other than insulation. I thought of putting either drywall or plywood but not sure if I need it or not.


texts: Preparing surface when tiling over existing tiles

texts:
I'm retiling our bathroom and intend to tile over the top of the existing floor tiles. The floor is in fair condition at the moment with no cracking except in one place which I did myself and will fill before tiling.

Apart from cleaning off the tiles with sugar soap, is there any special preparation I need to do to the existing floor, such as scuffing the tiles for the cement or filling in the existing grout? I've never done any tiling before.


texts: What size header do I need for a new garage service door?

texts: I am going to cut out the wall in my garage under my stairs to build a small room. When I put up the door I have to use a header because it's a load bearing wall. Do I need to make the header out of 2x10, or something else?


texts: I'm in the process of remodeling a bedroom in my house and will be replacing all the drywall. I'm contemplating the idea of replacing the aluminum wire in the room with copper. My question is can I replace the aluminum wire just in that room or does a run have to be all the same wire from the main to the end of the run. For example I was thinking I would find where the aluminum comes into the room and at that first outlet pigtail to copper wire, likely use AlumiConn, and use copper for the rest of the outlets. Same for he recessed lightning - replace from the switch up to the lights. Possible?


texts:
I am replacing a ceiling fan (old fan had wall switches (1) for light (1) for fan).  The new fan also has a light but has a wireless remote too. My issue is that the old fan used, black, white, blue, & green wires. The new fan motor only uses black & white wires.

So I can not use the wall light switch and fan wall switch to control the fan I have to use the remote. I want to use the wall switch to turn fan on/off and the fan switch to turn the fan on/off.

Can I somehow use my wall switches to my new fan. The box to the fan has all the wires the fan doesn't. Can I add a blue wire to the light fixture thru the fan?
Install instructions: http://pdf.lowes.com/installationguides/836071007989_install.pdf


texts: Can I use corner brackets to rebuild a wall frame that has the horizontal 2x4s extended in an adjacent room?

texts:
The picture below shows the situation as it is right now.
I need to rebuild the frame on the wall where you see the vertical red and blue water supply pipes. So the plan is to remove the two vertical studs to the left and to the right of the pipes and cut the pipes near the top. I will put pex there and reroute the pipes toward the perpendicular wall you can guess in the picture.
The empty space to the left (no studs and framing there is because I removed an air duct and more piping for the sink that was there. That left in place a lot of not needed framing and patch work that had to go
After doing this I need to extend the two white horizontals to complete the framing and add frames as per standard every other 16".
Removing the top white 2x4 (the top of the frame) is out of question for two reasons:
-it hat the pipes going through it and it will be difficult to put it back
-since it is extended to the right into the wall of the next room that adds structural resistance> It is also nailed to the joists (this is a basement bathroom)
The guys who built this put the bottom horizontal studs floating on smaller pieces of wood (you can guess it to the bottom right side of the picture)
What is the standard solution in situations like this? How do I bridge the horizontals together ? It is very important for me to have a perfect alignment of the horizontal bottom 2x4 that will extend each other.
If I leave the two horizontals in place I will not be able to use nails and I think I have to options, use screws and an angle attachment for my drill or use angle brackets to secure the vertical studs ?

Update:
There is two issues here: extending the plates and removing the old/oddly spaced studs and adding new one properly spaced back.
For the top plate which I need to leave in place I will not have access from the above to properly nail or screw the new studs so I am considering brackets (?) Is it possible? For the plates I am not clear how and if I have to extend them somehow or simply close the frame there and create a new smaller one adjacent to the just closed one. I need the bottom plate in one piece so I might cut it and add a longer one like below (so I need to connect in #1 and cut and replace in #2)

After a long research I found something like what I am thinking about

Update 2
I need to bridge in #1 and #2 -how do I do that ?


texts: How do I determine which ceiling fixure wires are which (two black, two bare)?

texts:
I'm trying to install a basic light fixture on a switch, but the ceiling wires are not color coded, probably because it's an old house.

The ceiling box has two black wires and two bare wires. One of the black wires actually appears to be two wires spliced together.

Any ideas on which wire is which or how I can determine this?

Update:

I got a hold of a non-contact voltage tester and found the live wire. The wall switch has no impact on which wire is live.

There was a working ceiling fan installed here before. I'm not sure how it was hooked up though. Is there a way to determine which wires are which now that I know which one is live?


texts: Does the code inspector look at preexisting work, or only at recent work?

texts: I would like to have my service panel upgraded from 50 to 200 amps by licensed electrician, but am worried about preexisting code violations. If I had it upgraded and a building code inspector came out to inspect it, would he/she just inspect the new panel work or do they check the whole house for all building code violations?


texts: How do I cover old baseboard (skirting)?

texts:
I have some old skirting (I believe baseboard is the familiar term for most of you: the wood covering the join between my floor and walls).

The floor tiler failed to tell us that it could easily be removed before tiling and re-done afterwards (and should be if you want it to look good, which is obviously the point of getting new tiles). So now I have a very expensive and nice tile floor that looks a bit cheap and shoddy because the edges are a bit messy and the skirting is old (and uneven in places), and I can't remove it because the tile is holding it in.

How can I cover it up?

I'm imagining there is a product out there somewhere which is sort of a trim for concealing smaller old trim like mine. Looks just like largish trim but is "hollow" underneath, like in this ascii-art diagram:

WALL
:
:
:
:-------IMAGINARY CONCEALING TRIM
:\____ |
:__  | |
: |  | |
:.|..|_|.........FLOOR

 ^
 |
 OLD SKIRTING

Does anything like this exist?

Or any better solutions?

Update:
Quarter round has been mentioned, and that hides the bottom of the trim (skirting/baseboard), but I also need to hide the top (it's very uneven and clearly lower than in adjoining rooms).


texts: Did electrician connect this service entrance box wrong?

texts: I recently had solar PV installed.  The electrician replaced my service entrance box.  Power is fed to an indoor subpanel through a 100A breaker, mounted directly above the service disconnect breakers.  The label on the box reads "A 100A max circuit breaker may be installed in the lowest position in the branch panel.  All other positions are limited to 70A max circuit breaker."  There is one slot for a 2-pole breaker underneath the service disconnect breakers.  Did the electrician install it wrong by not using that slot?


texts: Replace Worn Rubber Cover Over Grohe Ladylux Cafe 33 755 Kitchen Sink Spray Head

texts: My 11-year old Grohe Ladylux Cafe Model 33 755 kitchen sink faucet still works well but the rubber cover over the spray head button is torn and needs to be replaced.  Grohe and other suppliers sell a replacement spray head for $85-$115.  I just want to replace the worn rubber cover.  While I'm at it, I'll soak the entire head in a 50/50 mix of vinegar/water to dislodge any calcium accumulations from our well water.  Can someone provide info on how to get the rubber cover and a diagram showing how to disassemble/assemble the spray head?


texts:
I have a LiftMaster 1/2 HP from 2004 (sorry, don't know the model offhand). Just yesterday it started exhibiting this behavior:

Opening the door works fine.

When closing the door, it will travel 90% (door gets within 24" of ground) before reversing and blinking the lights. Subsequent attempts sometimes repeat same behavior, but often will reverse immediately or within the first 5" of travel.

When the sled is detached from the door and the door is in the raised position, the sled will travel properly both down and back up 100% of the time. So this problem has nothing to do with the safety sensors or wiring.

When the sled is detached and the door is in the closed position, the behavior of the sled matches #2 above. The sled will mostly immediately reverse or travel a few inches and reverse.

Notes:

Have tried power-cycling the unit.
The door is fairly well balanced and I have no trouble opening/closing it manually.

Appreciate any ideas.  Thank you!


texts: 6x6 "Landscaping" post for patio cover support?

texts: I am building a patio cover and I need some 6x6 posts to support it. I went to a local lumber yard and asked for some 6x6 treated posts. He had some "landscaping" 6x6 posts and said those should work fine.  Is that really ok or should I go somewhere else?


texts: Mounting pull-up/exercise beam in corner above window

texts:
I'm considering mounting a beam for climbing exercise equipment similar to what is pictured below (see here for complete details):

The set up (in my case) would consist of two 20" 2x8 base boards each mounted ~40" from the corner attached to two studs each via 5/16" lag screws. Between the base boards would run an additional 56x2x8 main beam mounted to the base boards via angled joist hangers. However, in my case, one of the base boards would need to fixed to the wall above a window.

My question is: Would it be a horrible idea to mount a base board above a window?


texts: What size start capacitor should I buy for my refrigerator compressor?

texts: What size (in horsepower) 3-in-1 start capacitor should i buy for my fridge compressor?  I have an LG LRSC26922TT from 2003. The compressor isnt staying on due to (i think the PTC hooked to the compressor). So i am eliminating the capacitors on top and the ptc on the compressor and putting a Supco 3-in-1 start capacitor in. I tried to upload pics but my phone is giving me crap. The nameplate inside says 3.5 amps in general. I'm trying to find out how much horsepower the compressor is by taking volts x amps = watts. And Watts ÷ 745.7 = horsepower ...anyone know the amp rating of the compressor at surge or continuous? OR the horsepower of the compressor? I can choose between 1/4 - 1/3 hp OR just 1/2 hp.


texts: Contractor suggests caulking cracks in chimney, is that the right solution?

texts:
The mortar in our 25-year-old chimney is starting to crack and now leaks into our home if it rains hard.

I assume we're probably in need of repointing, but a contractor that has done roof work for us before says that caulking in some silicon into those cracks will do the trick.

Is that an acceptable solution? Or will we just be dealing with this again in 6 months?

Want to make sure they're not just trying to make a quick buck.


texts:
a family member has just purchased  a 1970s home (California shed style) with 4x8 wood siding. The siding has deteriorated over the years due to neglect and many surrounding trees which made a damp environment. There is significant rot and carpenter bee and woodpecker damage.

My questions: Should the siding be removed before replacing it? What would be a good replacement siding?


texts: Can I use 2-1/2" metal studs to hang 1/2" drywall?

texts: I am in the process of remodeling my basement, & it's ready for studs; the basement is small, so to maximize as much space as possible I was thinking of using 2-1/2" metal studs opposed to the 3-5/8" studs; I'm using 1/2" drywall & I'm unsure if the 2-1/2" stud can support the weight of the drywal.


texts: Should I seal bathroom ceiling and wall tiles?

texts: The previous owner put tiles around the bathtub like ceiling and side walls. I wonder if I need to seal these tiles in order to protect them from the water? Will it increase its lifespan?


texts: I am putting in a 1/2 bath and I am planning my electric. I will be running my current 20amp bathroom receptacle circuit to this new bath so they can share that circuit. Can the new bathroom share a light circuit with the hallway light circuit or should I be running the current bathroom light circuit to the new bathroom lights? So, the two bathrooms would share a circuit for the receptacles and a circuit for the bathroom lights?


texts: Irrigation pressure vacuum assembly leaking

texts:
I am trying to dewinterize my sprinkler system the first time in a home we moved into. After turning on the water to it from the basement, the pressure vacuum assembly just outside the house was leaking:

I'm totally new to this, but I understand from some YouTube videos that there's something I need to turn to pressurize this assembly. In most videos it is a ball valve or screw, but I don't see anything like that here. There is that spinning thing nearby, but I'm not sure what it's for.

Any ideas how to dewinterize this?

Here is a closeup on the gold lip:

There are model numbers there but they don't return anything on a Web search.

Ken


texts: How to wire Dining room to code: in an open concept kitchen, with one outlet, and stairs

texts:
I have a unique and strange electric set up in my home's dining room and need help! Can someone advise me on what circuits I need for my dining room because my situation is fairly unique and I haven't seen it addressed elsewhere.

I have a 1950's rambler home with a traditional dining room that opens to the living room and that shares a wall with the kitchen.

In a 1970's renovation, half the dining room floor was removed to build a new staircase going down to the basement. leaving about 6 feet for a dining table instead of the usual 9.

There is the traditional dome light in the middle of the room and 2 outlets (one on the exterior wall near the stairs and one on the kitchen/dining wall.)

In the near future I plan to remove the kitchen/dining room wall to open up the space.

By removing this wall it's basically making a larger kitchen, There would now only be one outlet (near the stairs -- not going to use it for a coffeemaker), and currently there is no overhead light on a 3 way switch for the stairs.

How many circuits do I need to wire for this dining room update?

Can the dining room share the 15amp kitchen lighting circuit? does it require it's own?
Do I need a separate 20 amp circuit for the one 'dining room' outlet near the steps, or can I just tap off the living room, or let it be part of the 2 required kitchen 20 amp receptacles?
How would someone propose providing overhead light for the stairs? a separate light or have the overhead light be a track light that's switchable?


texts: Add a light switch to an existing switched outlet?

texts:
I have an existing switch that only controls one outlet. The switch is in a single gang box and has one white wire and one black wire connected to it, plus ground. No other wires are in the switch box. I believe based on this that the power source is at the outlet? I wish to add a second switch next this switch (making it a 2 gang box) to control recessed lighting. Is it possible to leave the original switch controlling the switched outlet but also to take power from the associated white and black wire for the new light switch? If not, what recommendations do you have?

Thanks


texts: Pro T705 thermostat: heat kicks on when it drops below 64.5 despite it being set to kick on at 60

texts:
I have a Pro T705 thermostat.
At night, I have it set to only heat when the temperature drops below 60 degrees F. I have the wake up temperature set to 73 degrees.
I have a Netamo system in the same room which tracks the actual temperature real-time. It's within 5 feet of the thermostat and at roughly the same height on the wall.
The heat is consistently coming on when the temperature drops below 64.5 degrees and it continues to heat to 73.

I've checked the temperature schedules. I've checked the times.
The only other thing I can guess is that it's because of the "swing" settings - that the difference between the lowest temp point and the heat setting is too wide.
Could it be the swing settings or is there something else going on?
UPDATE======
Experimented last night to see if the answer of it being "adaptive intelligent recovery" was correct. Adjusted the wake up time to hours later, kept the setting to only heat when the temperature drops below 60 degrees F.
Confirmed that heat didn't kick on when it dropped below 64.5 and the wake up heat setting was well in the future.


texts: Nearly all basement lights dependent on switch at top of stairs

texts:
I went to a house this evening for a showing and encountered a situation involving the basement lighting that I'm almost certain violates at least one part of the NEC. The house was built in 2000. The basement is finished with the exception of a utility room containing the HVAC, water tank, all of the plumbing stacks, and the main service panel. If it matters at all, we're in Wisconsin.
The basement has 3 total light circuits: a single socket in the utility room with a pull string, a pair of pot lights in the area ~15' from the stairs with a switch on the far wall, and 6 pot lights in the main area near the stairs with a dimmer switch on the wall immediately opposite the staircase.
The pair of pot lights far from the stairs were only affected by the nearby switch. The utility room socket, and the main area lights however, were only operational if the switch at the top of the stairs was on. The utility room and main area circuits did not affect each other thankfully, but as soon as you hit that switch at the top of the stairs both circuits were dead.
Based on what I know of the NEC from lurking on this SE, I believe that there are supposed to be lighting controls at the top and bottom of the stairs that work no matter what state the other is in; and that rooms are supposed to have lighting controls within x feet of the entrance of the room, and that the top of the stairs does not count as the entrance to the room for the majority of the basement; and that a room's lighting (like the utility room) shouldn't be controlled from the opposite end of an adjoined room.
We passed on the house for other reasons, but I'm curious as to how wrong this setup actually is, and given the behavior of the circuits, if it could even be fixed without running new wire.


texts: Is an electric dryer's vent pipe a fire hazard when routed through the floor?

texts: I will be venting my electric clothes dryer through a pre-cut hole in the floor.  It will be vented using flexible, foil type tubing and traveling a short distance to an exhaust on the side of my home.  My concern is how hot the dryer venting may get that is almost touching the bare wood hole in the floor.  I haven't found a collar that would fit around the 4 inch tubing and fit the hole, which is around 5 inches.  Could I line the hole with a silver foil duct tape used for HVAC jobs, etc. to protect it against the heat?  Suggestions?


texts: Freestanding deck - should I use joist hangers or bugle screws to attach joists to the bearers?

texts:
I'm planning a freestanding deck in the back yard, and I noticed that in this video they suggested that you could use bugle screws instead of joist hangers. Since I don't have a ledger board at either side, this seems a lot simpler, but will they last? Are there any pros or cons I should know about?

For example, will it be ok to stagger the joists at the middle bearer (there will be three bearers). If I'm not using hangers this will be necessary.

The framing timber I'm probably going to use is cypress, so not the hardest wood around.


texts: Issue replacing a regular 3 way switch with smart one that requires neutral

texts:
This is what my downstairs 3 way switch looks like:

The new smart switch requires a neutral, but it appears that the white wire is the hot wire, I checked with a non-touch voltage tester and it is, in fact, hot. There is nothing else tucked inside the switch box, so am I basically missing the neutral wire?

The upstairs switch box does contain the neutral wires, but none of the cables have voltage unless I flip the switch downstairs.

Is my assumption that the hot (downstairs) box is missing the neutral line? The house was built in 2005, I thought newer houses had neutrals by code.

Just 2 feet up is the thermostat which I believe does contain a neutral since it has power, would be it okay to somehow piggy back off that neutral?


texts: Replace fluorescent bathroom light with an LED (PL26E/H/841/LED)?

texts:
I'm replacing my bathroom compact, horizontal fluorescent light bulbs in my bathroom fan. It is a 4-pin light hooked up to a ballast.

I have purchased an LED replacement from Home Depot. Specifically, product PL26E/H/841/LED who's spec sheet is here. No where in the spec sheet or on the product packaging, does it mention anything about a ballast (bypass or not). And since the spec sheet doesn't mention amps, I'll mention here that the light unit has printed on it: 12W and 560mA

Based on my light replacement attempts, can you tell me where I'm going wrong? Is 120 volts too much for this LED?

First attempt

I simply took out the old bulb, put in the LED, and turned it on. Nothing happened, so I consulted the internet and found out I may need to bypass the ballast. Here is a diagram I made and believe to be accurate for the wiring with the ballast.

Second attempt

I rewired the light and bypassed the ballast by following these instructions. Below are some pictures of the wiring now; yes, I need to cap off the exposed ballast wires circled at some point for safety. When plugging in a brand new light (not the same as attempt #1) and turning it on, it flashed at immediately shutoff. I believe I fried the light. Here is a recording I took when flipping the switch, https://1drv.ms/v/s!AqnRNsI_hCkxlIMzM1ujTclqgd66Ag.

Note, from the picture below, you will notice an extra white and red wire going into the lowest terminal/connector. These wires are for another small light bulb in my unit; this bulb works without issue.

Ballast:


texts: Dryer vent through band joist between 1st and 2nd floor

texts:
My washer and dryer are located on the second floor of a two floor townhouse with crawlspace foundation. It's basically a closet that fits the two machines only, with very limited space front to back ( probably 2 inches from the back wall to the backs of the machines, and about 2-3 inches from the front of the machines to the doors.
This place was built in the 1980s, and the dryer duct that pokes through the wall is white and plastic looking.
The current dryer duct runs from a hole in the wall, near the floor, through a hole in the floor,  down through some 2x4 wall on the first floor (unsure which one), and runs beneath the first floor (in the crawlspace). The first floor is held up with open trusses.
Had the duct cleaned a few months ago and the technician said this was all kinds of wrong and needed replacing.
I've had a couple duct cleaning companies that also do duct installations come by to provide ideas for what next.

One contractor said to run a duct vertically along the laundry room closet (visible), pop a hole into the attic, and then a 90 degree turn out the side. Possible issue: vent would exhaust right over my neighbor's patio.
Second contractor said to run a duct vertically in laundry room (did not mention in the wall or visible) and go through the roof. Then hedged by saying he didn't really like dealing with roofs. Also quoted over $1000 to do the work (located in oh-so-expensive NYC metro).

Personally, I'd prefer if we didn't fight gravity here, and wanted to know if the following is feasible:

90 degree vertical drop into floor truss cavity
A few inches of straight pipe followed by another 90 degree turn horizontal or another 90 degree turn immediately depending on depth (i think my floor truss is 10" deep)
Run duct a few feet horizontally towards the back of my house (away from neighbor's patio)
90 degree horizontal turn toward exterior wall
straight pipe through band joist and to the exterior vent.

(I suppose since I have open web trusses I could also make the horizontal runs more diagonal towards the exterior as well as using softer angle turns as necessary)
Sample drawing:

My questions for this would be:

Is this code-compliant?
Can I cut through the band joist in between floors without concern?
Will my neighbor get lint on her patio anyway?


texts: Lost power in kitchen ceiling fan, guest bathroom,guest bedroom

texts: I've lost power in part of house .all breakers have 120v .it starts from kitchen ceiling fan to living room wall,guest bathroom,guest bedroom.just lights.


texts: deck railing height with built-in benches?

texts:
If a deck (more than 30" off the ground) has a row of benches built-in to the perimeter, do the guard rails need to be measured from the height of the bench? I've been reading building codes they all talk about measuring from the floor of the deck.

To clarify: The deck (and the benches, and the house) was built 20+ years ago. I understand that it could be safer, but is that a recommendation or a legal requirement? Is it up to code now, and if not, have the standards have changed recently, or was the original builder in violation?


texts: Outlet with ground wire attached to socket ground and neutral

texts:
I am replacing some sockets with new sockets, that also contain USB charging receptacles. I have done this before. The question I have is with one of my outlets in my rec room (built in 2007, electrician did wiring originally).

Upon removal of one of the old grounded outlets, I noticed that the ground wire was connected to the ground screw AND the neutral screw. I thought this was odd. So I connected the new outlet the way I think it is supposed to be; two blacks to hot, two whites to neutral and one ground to ground. That resulted in that outlet and none of the downstream outlets working at all.

I reconnected the old outlet with the "proper" ground to see if that was the cause. Nope. It would not work at all (either outlet) unless the ground wire was connected to the neutral and the ground.

I am not sure if this is how it is supposed to be or why it is that way. I basically reinstalled the old receptacle how it was to avoid any problems but am not sure why it's like that. I also did install a new receptacle in the same room on another wall and it works perfectly. The ground was not wired to the neutral, only to the ground screw on that one.


texts: How do do sump pump installation with trenching

texts:
Given the estimates i have been provided, I am going to try to do it myself. Here is what i came up with as the step by step method

Dig a trench (4”x6”) along foundation.
Dig a 24” sump pit for putting the basin
Make sure the trench is sloping so that the water flows towards the basin
Put Landscaping cloth in the trench
Put perforated pipe with holes facing down in the trench
Wrap the cloth around the pipe
Fill it with river gravel
Also, fill the sump pit with river gravel around the basin
Now, do the basic plumbing to with backflow to push the water in the cement gutter outside home.

I am confused about the following. Can you please help me understand these.

What to do with the ends. How to cap the end of perforated pipe?
Do I need to put river gravel in the trench and then put pipe and then fill again with gravel?
Does each sump pump need a dedicated circuit of 20Amp?
Do I need to perforate the basin from bottom

Please feel free to modify my steps and let me know if I am going wrong somewhere


texts: Redoing insulation in the basement of the home I recently purchased

texts:
I recently purchased a home and have begun to do renovations on the basement. I am starting to look at insulation and so I have been researching what the best way would be to do that. The problem I am having is that the house was built in the 70s and has no moisture barrier between the cement wall and the studs. What are my options for insulating? Is there a way to install moisture barrier with the wall frame still up? I’m dreading the work and money it will cost if I have to remove the framing to redo this insulation.

As a note, the house has been around 50 years without a moisture barrier, what are the benefits of putting one in now if there have been no moisture issues for close to 50 years?

Thanks!


texts: Install in a series - Electric heating thermostats, wireless communicating, 3000W for an Manufactured home/RV

texts: The instructions on the Sinopé GT125-K2 Starter states, "the thermostat must be installed in series". A series meaning the "L1" (hot line in) connects to another outlet on a circuit line? What risks are assumed if the unit isn't installed on a series? Is there a best practice for a non series approach? The unit seems to work well on a dedicated line, no issues so far.


texts: Dedicated Hot Water Recirculating System Woes

texts:
Two plumbers and no remedies to why my hot water turns cold (but not as cold as the cold water rather slightly warmer).  This problem began to happen gradually and it occurs at every hot water faucet/shower through out the house

Plumber No. 1:  Hot water heater is fine
Replaced the shower (moen) faucet valves.  No change
Turned off the recirculating pump (and ball valve before and after pump).  Endless hot water but hot water pressure throughout the house is dramatically reduced -- 25 percent of the water pressure available on the cold side)
Plumber No. 2:  Hot water heater is fine
Replaced the recirculating pump.  No change

Plumbers are throwing their hands up so:
- I also shutoff the water going to the washer and dishwasher.  No change
- I also turned off the water to many of the single handles sink faucets.  No change

I am wondering if the significant drop in hot water pressure when the pump is turned off is an indicator as to what and try next

•   I have turned the pump off (electrically) and left all valves open (recirculating and public water valves open).  I get full pressure and hot water goes cold after 30 seconds.

•   Turning pump on and recirculating line valves on, but close the public water valve at the tank, the water pressure slowly reduces as does the temperature (turning the shower faucet valve to cold does not increase the pressure ...just above a trickle).

•   Turning fresh valve on, turning pump and valves in front and rear of pump off.  Water starts at full volume and pressure reduces in less than a minute but water stays hot.  Turning the shower valve to cold, the pressure gradually increases, as temperature drops, to full pressure (and then I can turn to hot and watch full pressure to reduced pressure cycle all over again.

Here is the configuration .. note three shut off valves


texts: What are some methods to get rid of and prevent pink mold in the bathroom?

texts:
I have some pink mold on the seam where the bathtub connects to my wall tiles. There's also some on the grout on some of my tiles.

I've tried to clean them with ajax. It doesn't get it all off. I've also tried to spray the tub and the tiles with a 50/50 solution of vinegar/water and that didn't fully get rid of them.

How do I get rid of the pink mold? Once I get rid of it, how do I keep it off?


texts: How to wire an in-celing recessed projection screen

texts:
So, I have a in-ceiling recessed projection screen. This sits flush to the ceiling so all projection screen box lives permanently inside the ceiling.

However, odly, it ships with a 3 prong electrical plug. How do I legally (to confirm to code), wire this up with a romex cable? I would like to keep the 3 prong plug if possible. But if I have no choice, I am OK with splicing the prong off the cable, and making the black/white/ground wire connections to romex wire inside a junctionbox that is secured to the ceiling joist or stud.

The other option is having a somewhat secured 1 gang metal box with a 3 prong electrical outlet that the plug simply connects to. However, I am not sure about the legality of having this setup vs a junctionbox which connects up the romex with the projector screen.

Option 1: An outlet partially covered inside the ceiling (projection screen's 3 prong would connect to the outlet box, the metal gang box could then be secured to the joist or stud, a plastic wall plate would also be present and would be screwed to the power outlet -- all of this inside the ceiling).

Option 2: Use a covered junctionbox secured to a joist or stud


texts: SunTouch underfloor heater without floor sensor?

texts:
I have purchased two SunTouch UnderFloor 16" x 6' long 120V 0.6A to retrofit a radiant floor on the one-level-above bathroom without having to remove the floor. The instruction manual (page 4) indicates that the SunStat floor sensor "must be installed in the floor with the mat". However, my preference would be to control the heating using a 3rd-party thermostat which would trigger based on the ambient temperature in the bathroom.
Does anyone have experience with such system, or explanations as to why the SunStat floor sensor would be absolutely required, as opposed to an ambient temperature thermostat?
Thanks for the help!


texts: What can be safely attached to a gas furnace cabinet?

texts:
The gas furnace in my house is in my laundry room about 3 inches from a stacked washer and dryer.
As such, my laundry room is short on space, so I had the thought I could add some organization by using the furnace itself. But I'm not sure if this is safe.
A few things I've thought about attaching to or placing on the furnace:

magnetic racks that can hold a few pounds
a box of wool dryer balls
cleaning agents (bleach, wood cleaner, 409, etc)
cleaning tools (broom, mop, etc)
box of dryer sheets

What I'm looking to find out:

How safe is it for these items to be placed on or attached to the furnace?
Are any of these items at risk of causing a fire during normal operation of the heating part of the system?
Will these items (especially the magnets) interfere with the furnace?
For future reference, what kinds of materials and items should absolutely not be attached?

Gas Furnace Info: Carrier Performance Boost 90


texts: Why is my air conditioner running when the house is below the set temperature?

texts:
We recently had a whole new system installed for HVAC.

We had a lennox furnace with dehumidifier and UV thing, along with the exterior lennox condenser for A/C.

We have the iComfort S30 thermostat, and have the temperature set to:

Temperature: Heat to 68, Cool to 75
   Humidity:    Humidify at 45%, Dehumidify at 60%
   Humidification Control Center: NORMAL operation
   Dew Point:   Off

However, I live in Michigan, and the outside humidity is around 68-79% on average. Now, the temperature in my house is currently 67 degrees. It is around 76 outside. The A/C is running, well it seems like it is - since the dehumidifier is running. The screen says the current humidity is 68%.

So even though the temp is WAY below what our cool-to temp is set to, it is still chilling the house to that akin of a freezer. Not only is it monstrously uncomfortable to live in, it is also going to drain my bank account.

What do we do?


texts: How many terminal bars N / PE do I really need?

texts:
I've purchased a wall mounting enclosure by ABB (serie Europa), and in the manual they recommend special designed terminal bars ABB 12494 for the enclosure. I can't figure out if I need TWO of this bars, one for neutral and one for protective earthing or I've to get just one actually and use it for both? Please help me to figure this out.

Enclosure:

Recommended terminal bar:


texts: When did the NEC code start to require the separation of neutral and ground bus bars after main disconnect?

texts:
You gave the answer below to the question of the requirement for separate bus bars after the main disconnect box ... my question is ...

In what year did the NEC start to require this separation?
What is the code number?

There are supposed to be two bus bars in every panel. One for neutrals, and one for grounds.

In the main panel ONLY, they are to be bonded together. This is what references your electrical system to earth voltage. It must only be done one place in a system.

Because of the required bond in the main panel, a great many electricians conclude that there is no difference between neutral and ground in the main panel since the N-G bond is right there. And they simply spam all neutrals and grounds onto the same bus. That logic is actually... reasonable... in the main panel.

However... If you want to be a precise and competent worker, then you separate them always, as if every panel were a subpanel, and let the neutral-ground bond do its job.


texts: I will be building an outdoor table in the near future.  It will probably be outside most if not all of the year (i'm in the midwest so it will get snowed on).  Should I use pressure treated wood for this to be able to handle the harsh elements?


texts: How can I get warm water from my garden hose?

texts:
I'm trying to rig something up so I can get cold, warmish, or downright hot water in my garden hose, depending on need. I'm looking for some kind of fitting to mix cold and hot supply lines, and for the resulting mixed water to connect back to the spigot. I have PEX lines if that matters.

I've looked at using 2 valves, one on each supply line, and a T fitting. I could vary the opening of each valve to get to the desired temperature. But somehow I don't feel like this is the right way. I think opening valves halfway damages them? Also I feel that hot water could get back into the cold line that way?

Then I found this thing called a thermostatic valve. I think I can vary from getting 100% cold to 100% hot and everything in between? Or is there a safety setting which stops me from getting 100% cold or hot?


texts: What interior door will fit a rough opening of 47-3/4"?

texts:
When we bought our house it had an opening as shown in the picture below.

There is white wood trim on top of the rough framing.

The trim is nailed to hide the 2x4 stud that forms the frame of the opening.

The opening inside the trim is 46" and the rough opening width is 47-3/4". The rough opening height is 81-1/2".

What door option do I have for this space?
I checked and it seems that most prehung doors are either 48" or 42". I think the first is too big and the second is too small.
Has anyone had experience with this?


texts: What is the name of this water source for a whole house humidifier?

texts: A plumber told me that the type of water feed I have tends to leak.  I've owned the house for 10 years and it has never leaked, but I would like to think about upgrading. I plan to search the web for DIY instructions. But I have no idea what the feed is called or the name of the better method of feeding water.  So, what is the feed below called and what is the name of the better approach?


texts:
I need to varnish (I have an oil-based polyurethane) some piece of furniture. I can't do this in my house, but I could do it in garage, however I worry about the temperature, obviously the garage is not that warm as inside the house (think of a typical North American house with attached garage, no heating, while outside is winter -18..-20C).
How would the varnish coats react to low temperatures? In other words, would it dry longer, would the drying under low temperatures produce some bumps/bubbles/etc.


texts: Rv pole with 200 amp outside box. One 30 amp breaker. Ran new wire underground (mobile home type) to small house building in progress. All sockets and lights worked fine up to 2 weeks ago. One overhead light fixture stopped working. Changed to led bulb and it works but flickers. Checked voltage at breaker and it shows 79 volts. Turned all breakers off and removed from both buss bars. One side reads 115. The other reads 89. To ground and neutral same readings. I go back to the pole box it reads 116 on each leg. Changed the light switch for the overhead light but no change. Still will not burn an incandesent bulb but will light an led with flicker. No problems with the other circuits on that leg although they are mostly wall sockets with a few lights. Ideas?


texts:
I live in southern California. I have granite countertops and over the years I've noticed grout cracks between my granite and the tile splash on the sink side. Could the constant water from washing dishes seep in through those cracks and cause wall damage? How can I find out if the walls are wet? I've checked the walls that I have access to and they don't feel wet. Could a leak detector find the source?

Plus, our neighborhood is prone to those nasty large roaches that hang out in moist areas. I'm not a fan of those damn pests and they do multiply like crazy. When I noticed the little 1 inch (baby) critters I start to wonder and now drive myself crazy trying to find the source. I had this problem in my bathroom shower when opening up the wall during the demo; thousands of those critters were in the wall from water damage.

If I have wall damage then I definitely need to repair the problem sooner rather than later. My problem is I love my granite and cannot afford to have this redone again. But then on the other hand I don't want to have those b______s running around my house. Can I remove my granite without damaging it? I'm a neat freak and yes I am bigger than the critters but Im just not a fan of those flying nasty rodents or water damage.


texts: I have a contract to install a lot of kitchens. I have had to deal with protective film on doors before but I just picked at it, it takes forever to remove. I tried a heat gun this time but it wasn’t much faster. Does anyone have any idea on how to quickly remove this type of film?


texts: Magic Chef wall oven, no heat but clock works

texts:
I have a Magic Chef MCSWOE24S, a current-model 24" wall oven.
It was working fine for months after installing it. Then we had trouble with our main electrical panel -- one of the poles was burning out due to arcing and became intermittent. One morning I woke up to find the oven clock flicking on and off a few times per second, along with an electrical sound that didn't sound good. So I turned the oven's breaker off in the electrical panel.

After the panel was repaired, the oven's clock works fine but we get no heat from either heating element, and the internal oven light does not go on.

Any suggestions for troubleshooting?


texts: Replacing Fencing with Gaps Because of Erosion

texts: I will be replacing my 6ft fencing around the perimeter of my backyard, and there are several gaps where it appears the ground washed away portions to cause spacing between the ground and the bottom of the fencing. Is it a bad idea to purchase taller fence boards and to dig these fence boarding into the ground instead of allowing a gap at the bottom of the fence? I am a new homeowner, so I apologize for my ignorance in advance, but I am trying to find a way to keep the top of the fencing even across the top, but to also cover the gaps at the bottom, which are at different levels across the entirety of the fence placement. The fencing is in need of replacement, but I wanted to plan it out in advance before I start replacing sections.


texts: Sump pit filling very quickly from inlet pipes

texts:
In October, I bought a large home with a sump pit in the basement. The previous owners had a sump pump but left it shut off (unplugged). I bought the house three months before moving in, so the pump had been disabled for at least that long. The pit was filled with water up to the top of the three inlet pipes and there's no evidence that water ever went above that level.

I thought it odd that the pump was installed, but disabled. So I turned it on and it works. But the pit re-fills to the level of the float switch within 90 seconds! I figured I would just leave it and see if the incoming flow of water would decrease, but it has been four months now and the inflow of water has been the same regardless of weather conditions outside. See picture to get an idea of how fast it fills.

I tried to figure out where the water drains to. It flows through a pipe to the exterior of the house and then turns 90 degrees straight down into the ground. Where it leads from there... I have no idea. This elbow joint occurs underneath our patio, so without tearing the whole patio out and then digging, I don't see any way to figure out where the pipe leads. We do not have city sewer, and I am sure it does not feed into the septic tank (I checked).

Should I be concerned? Should I just disable the pump and let the pit fill up until it stops and just leave it like that? It never seems to overflow and there's no evidence of water ever flooding into the basement. Any tips for how we might figure out where the water is draining to?


texts: How do I remove polyurethane spray foam from my hands?

texts: I should have worn gloves but sadly I didn't. Now I have yellow stuff all over my hands. I got most of the stickiness to go away by using WD-40. Is there anything that will get this off without giving me chemical burns?


texts: Water heater pilot tube keeps getting condensation in it

texts: I have take line loose a couple times to blow it out but the condensation keeps coming back and causing the pilot light to go out...it does stay lit for a while after I clear the condensation...maybe a day or so


texts: Should I replace this 4" furnace filter with a 5" one?

texts:
I got a new furnace this year, and want to replace the filter. It's 4" (actually 3 5/8), but the cabinet looks like it would easily take 5.

Would a 5" replacement be better? Or should I just get another 4"?


texts:
I'm having trouble getting this light fixture off the wall (I need to look in there to see if I can spot any loose wiring, the light turns on and off when we wiggle the fixture!).
Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to get it apart, mainly because it's so tight to the ceiling.
Does anyone know how it's done?


texts:
I have a building (still under construction) with 220V power to it.
I have a second building, already constructed also with 220V power to it.
Between them is a path and rocky ground.

The path needs lighting (let's say 100W total) and the second building could use up to 3kW. The distance is around 50 metres from metre to second building.

What kind of cable do I need and how is the best way to run it?

My local building merchant (this is in rural Indonesia) sells NYM cable (pvc cable with 2 * 2.5mm conductors), as well as two-strand aluminium cable (normally used by the local power company to attach to housing).

I was thinking of burying cable in the path in cement, however I believe that NYM cable is maybe not suitable and I need NYY instead. Is there any minimum depth for this? Do I need to encase the cable in conduit? (For the time being I will sling the cable overhead, as we are not ready to work on the path, I believe that PVC cable is not sunlight resistant but it should be ok for a month or so (or I could use some PVC conduit for temporary protection)?)

I have attached some pictures of existing PVC cable and the site and as you can see the cable has degraded (over maybe 7 or 8 years).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/50897904@N02/29853981736/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50897904@N02/29775219292/

I could also use the aluminium cable overhead, but it seems ugly and I would rather bury it

So do I need NYY cable (or something else?), and is it ok to cover it in a layer of concrete?


texts: How do I unlock this electrical meter cabinet?

texts: I have my electricity meter reading inside this box, which I am unable to open. Any idea how to open this?


texts: This is very odd, but every time we get a heavy rain, the hot water in our house is lukewarm at best.  We have a fairly modern gas-fired hot water heater (GE GG40t06avg01, mfg 2011), and at all other times the water is piping hot, no problem.  I can't seem to  figure out what the connection could be - is the rain getting into the gas lines, and watering down the gas?  Has anyone ever heard of this kind of problem?  Any suggestions would be of help.


texts: How does everyone set up sprinkler timer with residential outdoor faucets?

texts:
I am trying to set up a timed sprinkler system. Everything mechanically works out. However, I noticed cautions such as the following. If we cannot keep the outdoor faucets on, there seems to be not much point in using a water timer.
Prier:

These ASSE 1019 devices are intended for irrigation use and outdoor watering and shall not be subjected to more than 12 hours of continuous water pressure.

Legend

Avoid the use of hose bibb accessories such as hose manifolds, hose Y-splitters or sprinkler timers, which may cause the TM-550 to malfunction. The TM-550 is designed and certified in accordance with ASSE Standard 1019 Section 1.2.1, for non-continuous pressure service: Not more than twelve hours of continuous water pressure. Outlet-mounted devices may cause sudden or continuous, damaging.

Woodford

This ASSE 1019 device in intended for irrigation use and outdoor watering and shall not be subjected to more than (12) hours of continuous water pressure.


texts: PVC pipe projector screen frame 18x10. How to support top heavy?

texts:
I built a frame for my projector screen outta PVC Pipe. It's roughly 18 feet long and 10 feet high. I did 2 5 foot sections vertically and 3 6 foot sections horizontally. I have a base at each section of 2 feet on each side.  Basically a tic tac toe board.

Problem is it's a little top heavy.  Right now I have staked it In the ground to control it. But that's a temporary fix. Is there any kind of PVC brace support that I could put 2 feet on each side of the T connection to make sure it holds up?

Any idea are welcome


texts: Can this heat damage to Silestone countertop be (easily) repaired?

texts:
We cooked some meat in a sous vide for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately we must have forgotten to place a trivet underneath the stock pot we used and so there appears to be some heat damage to our Silestone countertop.

The area of interest is the lighter grey circle in the center of the photo. I assume it is heat damage because it matches the location of the stock pot while it was in use and is roughly the same size. The sous vide was set to 137F and was used for approximately 3hrs.
Given the temperature and duration, would this affect the stone itself, or is it perhaps just the sealant that has been damaged? Is there any hope of a quick fix to restore this to match the rest of the countertop surface?


texts: Do I have to staple romex to the studs behind the wall?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Do I really have to fasten interior-wall electrical wire to a stud to keep it from moving?

I have some plaster walls in my house and I am attempting to add an outlet to one of the rooms.  Basically I plan to fish some romex from the attic into one of the rooms (behind a plaster wall) and add a box / outlet from there.  My only concern is making sure that the job is up to code.  Do I have to staple the romex to the studs behind the wall, etc. or is it OK to just let it hang down.

Obviously I want to avoid having to knock holes in the wall, but overall safety is my primary concern so I'd be happy to do it if it means not burning down my house because i was being lazy.


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I'm completely stumped on what should be an easy problem to solve. My parents home recently lost power to the lights and outlets in their back 2 bedrooms.  No breakers are thrown.  Here's where it gets strange.
One outlet in one of the rooms (that should be on the same circuit) is working fine. I've rewired that outlet from backstab to using the screws. No luck! As I've done debugging with the power off, I've found something strange. There is continuity between Hot and Neutral (black and white).  I've followed it through multiple outlets and it's real.  When I'm in the breaker, I can replicate (with power off of course). With an ohm-meter, that circuit is showing a short between the Neutral bar and its breaker. When the breaker is on, 120V does show between the Hot breaker (when it's on) and the neutral bar.
I've pulled every outlet and light switch to disconnect Hot and Neutrals and the problem remains. I've also looked for the hidden GFCI but still no luck.  I've also put in my AC sniffer and no AC is in any of the outlets or switches that are affected.
One thing in the breaker box that I didn't like was the ground coming in from the service line (connected to one of the Neutral bars) looked like it was melting. The plastic was literally flowing but it wasn't warm to the touch. I did a continuity check between both neutral bars and they were shorted.
The only thing I could possibly think of is that there's a short from a nail/screw somewhere that's bypassing the other outlets. I find it hard to believe it as I would expect the 15A breaker to trip and for me to see some AC current shunted to the other circuits.  With the AC sniffer, there's nothing!
Help!


texts: Tankless 240V water heater in detached garage tripping AFCI/GFCI breakers in house

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We have two separate buildings, a house and a garage/workshop, about 20 feet apart, sharing the same electrical service. On the service entrance, there's a Siemens whole-house surge protector. The service enters the workshop where it splits up in a large junction box. One part goes to the load center breaker box for the garage/workshop, which has a 100A main breaker. The other part goes through PVC conduit under ground to the load center breaker box for the house, which has a 200A main breaker. The grounding system for the house/garage/workshop combo includes nine 10-foot copper-clad ground rods connected to each other (in a loop around the buildings) by 300 feet of buried 1/0 AWG bare copper wire, and connected to the service entrance with 1/0 AWG bare copper wire.

(It's perhaps worth noting here that the electrical inspector, when passing our electrical for final, told me it was one of the best-wired and best-grounded houses he had ever seen. There's no shoddy work on which to place blame for this weird issue.)

The house's load center is primarily filled with combination AFCI+GFCI circuit breakers. The water heater in the house is a gas tankless and hasn't given us any problems.

The garage/workshop is primarily GFCI breakers (no AFCI or AFCI+GFCI breakers). There's a small mud room in the workshop serviced by a small 56-amp 240-volt (no neutral, just two legs and a ground) electric tankless water heater on a 60-amp circuit.

Sometimes, and not every time mind you, or even most of the time, but sometimes, when I turn on the sink or shower in the workshop mudroom (thus activating the electric tankless water heater), two combo AFCI+GFCI breakers in the house (a separate building, remember) trip. It's always the same two breakers: The circuit for the server/equipment rack in the basement and the circuit for the bedroom receptacles. It's never any other circuits in the house that trip, and it's never any of the circuits in the garage that trip.

It might be worth noting that the circuit for the server/equipment rack has a very large power conditioner / surge protector / battery backup system on it, and the bedroom circuit has surge-protection-built-in receptacles. However, these aren't the only circuits in the house (or even the garage) with surge protection. The (AFCI+GFCI) circuit for the entertainment center in the living room has a surge-protection-built-in receptacle and a battery backup but never trips, and a (GFCI) circuit in the garage/workshop building has a surge protector / battery backup plugged into it and never trips.

I'm at a loss to explain how turning on a tankless water heater in one building can trip (the same two) AFCI+GFCI breakers in another building. Anyone have any thoughts?


texts: How can I replace broken CFL bulb in a recessed light fixture?

texts: I tried to replace a plug-in 4 pin CFL and ended up having the socket stuck inside the can. How I can get it out? There are two clips at both sides in the can fixture - can I push these to get the broken bulb out?


texts: Can I connect an LED light fixture to a 240 volt oulet?

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My question: I'm replacing a metal halide fixture with a LED fixture.  The outlet is single phase 240V (split with no neutral).  Is it ok to connect the LED fixture to this outlet?  I'm asking because the voltage range on the fixture is 100V to 277V, but I'm not sure if the voltage has to be on a single wire with neutral or if it is ok to be split.

Thanks in advance.


texts: How flat does a subfloor need to be for laminate?

texts:
My kitchen floor is dished.  The middle of one interior wall was set on a pier without sufficient compaction. The settling was rapid, as the upper cabinets are set level, while the floor is 2 inches lower in the middle of one wall.

Imagine child's saucer sled writ large.  It's 24 feet across and 2 inches deep.  A support wall runs along the 24 foot dimension across the middle of the dish.  So I have a dining room and a kitchen each dished toward the middle of one of the 24 foot walls.

The floor is smooth.  If I use a 4 foot level at no point do I get a 1/8" gap.  But it is not flat.

A 2" dish over 24 feet corresponds to a .35" sag on 10 feet or a .06" (1/16) on 4 feet.

Can I lay laminate on this?

Please do not say, "fix the house first" to do so would require shortening the support wall.  Yes.  The 2nd level floor is flat.  Go figure.

That the upper cabinets on the lower wall are straight, makes me think that the bulk of the settling took very early, perhaps as early as during the completion of the decking on the bottom floor. Given the geometry for this to NOT be a support wall, then the floor above is cantilevered out 12 feet. (Half loft ceiling.) –


texts: Light fixture emits a high pitch sound with no bulb

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I have a light fixture that hangs from the ceiling which no longer works with new bulbs. It uses Dulux D/E 18 watt compact fluorescent bulbs. I'm ok with it not working but when I turn on the light switch, it emits this high-pitch sound – even with no bulb. A simple solution to the sound is to just not use the switch but I need to use it power on other things. Can someone tell me what the issue is and how I can resolve it?

Here are some images of the light fixture itself and inside of it:

light fixture http://www.gobozzy.com/wp-includes/images/light/IMG_4622.JPG.
inside fixture http://www.gobozzy.com/wp-includes/images/light/IMG_4623.JPG.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.


texts: What is the part called that chainsaw bar flange nuts screw into?

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I have a Ryobi RY3716 chainsaw. I lost a bar flange nut and replaced it with a non-Ryobi part (something like this one).

The new nuts didn't fit exactly, but I forced them on, causing damage. Now I can't remove them without removing the bolt they screw onto. I want to replace the nuts and the bolt with Ryobi parts, but I can't figure out what the bolts are called.

The parts manual is here. The flange nut is 678339003.


texts: I am going to replace a tile floor in my bath, however I also want to install a pocket door, which should I do first tile floor or pocket door the floor height will be the same as it is now flush to master bedroom hardwood floor?


texts: Is it OK to leave a dimmer switch on low constantly (LED light)

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I have a new LED ceiling light in our hall, and installed a compatible dimmer switch (both Leviton). The dimmer has a slider plus a switch, and when the switch is on, but the slider is all the way down, there is still a very small amount of light (less than most night lights, I'd say).  I adjusted it as low as I could already.

I was thinking that it could be useful as a night light for the hall, but wondered if there were any dangers or problems doing this. The light is 16 watts at maximum, so I assume the power used wouldn't be very much at a very low setting.


texts: Why does my electric shower still have water coming out even though it's switched off?

texts: Water still comes out of the shower head even though it's switched off. Please help with a possible solution!!!


texts: Do NOT connect this water heater to a CFCI or AFIC Circuit. Why?

texts:
I am installing a 190K BTU Natural Gas Rheem tankless on demand water heater in a barn. It also requires a 120v electrical connection. The instructions say, "Do NOT connect this water heater to a CFCI or AFCI Circuit." However, the power to the barn is supplied by a 20Amp Underground Feeder that is on a GFCI+AFCI breaker.
Why would instructions say this and what can I expect if I connect the water heater to this circuit? The instructions say that "the water heater only draws a maximum of 3 amps of current" that are mostly used to run the on board electronics.
Water Heater: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-Performance-Platinum-9-5-GPM-Natural-Gas-High-Efficiency-Indoor-Tankless-Water-Heater-ECOH200DVLN-2/304820618
Rheem ECOH200DVLN


texts: Can anyone explain this strange 3-way wiring? Trying to install a motion sensor switch

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I'm trying to replace one of two 3-way switches with an occupancy sensing/motion detecting switch. I was expecting to see a pretty normal 3-way wiring but when I opened it up, I was surprised by the wiring as shown below in the image.

Descriptively: The box on the left has 3 romex wires. Two of those are effectively nutted (sorry) to eachother, white-white, black-black and bare-bare. The third romex goes straight to the switch with the white going to common. On the other box there is only ONE romex cable and this attaches directly to that switch, again white to common.

The wiring diagram from the booklet tells me that I need to first determine which switch has the "hot wire". Unless there is something happening in a junction box somewhere, this whole circuit seems like it's running on magic!  What should I do as a next step?


texts: How can I prevent a desk from being bleached by the sun?

texts: I have a computer desk that's situated close to a window, and over the years the sun has stained the top of the desk, I'm looking for a type of desk/type of wood that won't get stained by the sun? I'd preferably want a wooden desk.


texts: Why does my bath fan trip the GFCI outlet protecting it?

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I am attempting to protect a new bath exhaust fan (DewStop Breezeasy F22-1w) through a GFCI (Leviton SmartLocPro)  The area is a new construction bathroom. Each time I attempt to switch on the fan the GFCI kicks off.
Circuitry to the bathroom is direct through a Stabloc 15 amp, The circuit to the bath at this time includes two LED lights, one GFCI,  the fan, plus switches.

Amp draw at the panel and at the bath switch box while two lights and fan are running is 0.29 A. Length of wire run is about 60'.
Lights draw 0.07A and the fan connected direct draws 0.17A (Rating on the label is 0.21A)

I have tried a second GFCI with same result. Power is run from source in the switch box to the Line side of the GFCI and out the Load side through a 14/3 wire, bringing power back to the fan switch. Concerned that having only one neutral wire with this setup might affect the operation, I temporarily used two 14/2 wires to make the circuit. The GFCI shut off immediately, so no difference in performance.
I have checked wiring and grounding throughout. Thoughts?


texts: I recently purchased a home that was built in 1963 and have started changing out a few light fixtures. I have come across a wiring method I have never seen before where the ground wires are attached to one another outside of the box. This seems off to me; was this ever standard procedure? I have been able to pull them back into the box, and connect them with the new fixtures ground wires to the grounding screw on the mounting bracket that came with it. Is there anything else I should be doing?


texts: How should the concrete anchoring some fenceposts relate to the driveway they're puncturing?

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I'm about to have some 8" cores drilled through a concrete driveway in order to run a fence across it. I'll use 4x4 posts, probably cedar, sunk several feet deep and anchored in concrete.

Should the concrete anchoring the posts be level with the driveway? Higher? Lower? Should I do anything special at the place the anchoring concrete meets the driveway concrete? Any other tips for this project from someone who's done it before?


texts: Cutting an area of vinyl plank flooring that is already installed

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Last year I installed vinyl plank flooring in my basement (on concrete floor + underlay), including an area under the stairs.
I now want to build a closet under the stairs and have the problem having to remove vinyl plank in that section so I can frame out the walls of the closet and not build on top of the floating vinyl plank which was not recommended.
I was think about going at it with a good knife and try to cut a rectangular second out of the flooring for the framing of the closet, is there a better way I can do this or tools you can recommend?
The alternative would be a big hassle of lifting the floor from the end of the room, including all trim around the walls in those sections, cutting properly and laying it down again, reattaching trim, and repaint damage.


texts:
I very much enjoy painting with chalk paints. The furniture paints are heavily pigmented but the distribution chains are not reliably stocked and the color choices are limited.  I have started making my own paint by adding calcium carbonate to over-the-counter latex house paint.  Unlimited color choices but performance deficits and incredible financial savings.

Obviously, the paint is less pigmented and more coats are needed. Sometimes the vinyl is problematic and sometimes it isn't. I can't figure out why/when that is the case quite yet. My DIY chalk paint doesn't peel off in sheets but doesn't perform the same.  So I have two questions:

Is there are over-the-counter home paint that has less vinyl or no vinyl that I can use(hopefully with some cost savings); and from a chemistry / science standpoint, how is the addition of calcium carbonate impacting the vinyl.  For example, it doesn't peel off of furniture but it does peel perform poorly on slick surfaces like the inside of a smooth oyster shell and other natural objects I paint.   Thanking you in advance, Rachael :)


texts: Should I be worried that my ceiling light has current when turned "off"?

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I am based in the UK. I was replacing a ceiling light when I noticed an issue.

When I used a voltage screwdriver the live wire in the ceiling pendant was showing a voltage present even when the wall switch is switched off (not expected)

When I switch the wall switch to "on" the tester glows stronger (which is what I expected)

The lamp in the ceiling pendant does go off when the switch isoff.

So I took the cover off the wall switch and tested the metal box base which appears to be earthed but still shows a voltage present too!

Should I be worried?


texts: Can I lay down plywood in my attic to create a storage space?

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I've got an older house, built in 1919 (stacked stone foundation, brick, lots of heavy lumber) and I got this crazy idea I could build out the 3rd floor into a FAR more useful space than it is now.  I'm not sure why some other owner didn't think/attempt this so may there is something I am missing -- someone DID put a HUGE antenna in there but beyond that, a single light socket and all the loose insulation, its untouched.

The cross beams in the attic are 10x2 and stupid strong (busts nails, no really) being about 13" apart.  The roof is shaped in a steep V and high enough I can stand up easily (I'm 6'8) and it's all completely open -- 16' wide by ... probably 50' deep - all of which is utterly wasted.  I'm thinking I could feed some plywood up there to create a floor and start building it out into more useable, maybe even living space.  The biggest catch as of right now is the opening -- it's <2' by 3'.  Barely big enough to me to sneak my way in there and MAYBE bend some 8'x2' sheets up there (rip an 8x4).

Really what I need it for today is simply storage.  Long term, we'd like to build a walk-out 3rd floor but since in ~100 years no one else has bothered...it makes me think "why didn't someone?".  Any ideas/thoughts on this?


texts: Installed LASCO MagnaFlush Toilet Tank Kit, Now Toilet Runs All the Time?

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About a week ago the worn out old ballcock system broke on the toilet. My landlord picked up the LASCO 04-4059 kit:

I went ahead and did the install as part of our rent-deal and the toilet now functions as it should but... runs constantly, specifically making a hissing gargling noise which it never did before. From what I can tell I followed the (terribly written) directions perfectly.

Today with some Googling I got pretty certain that the issue was that the new flapper wasn't forming a perfect seal. Cleaning the rim of where the new flapper sat made no difference, so I tested the seal with a piece of flat styrofoam and that seems to make a perfect seal.

Nonetheless the toilet still runs even with the seal and I do notice a slight bead of water sometimes along the side of the pump though that might be just a very occasional drip.

So I'm not sure if it's an issue with the pump or the float. Strangely if I tap the float or put my hand in the water and change the level the gargling stops for a little while. Adjusting the float level does control the water height but makes no difference with the noise.

Also I ran a test to see if I turned the water off at the valve at bedtime with the tank full whether it would be full in the morning. Strangely it was near empty in the morning which initially convinced me it was the flapper but now I'm not so sure. There was no standing puddle around the toilet in the morning either.

When I re-hooked the supply line I reassembled it as it had been prior and from what I can tell there's no evidence of a leak... no water on the floor around the line etc.

Assembling the supply line connection as previosly installed I did end up with these extra parts from the kit which are not mentioned anywhere in the directions.

As there's no evidence of a leak I don't know if they're extras or the source of the issue.

Frustrated too because as of this post I'm now at 2:30 on the 1-hour at $30/hour install deal with the landlord.

Any help appreciated. Thanks.


texts: To break or not break tabs when installing an electrical outlet

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One of the old electrical sockets needed to replaced.  It was a Slater brand, with only the option to push-in wires at the back with no screws for hot/neutrals and only one screw for ground.  Both the top and bottom plugs were switched off by the same circuit breaker.
I noticed there were two sets of wires coming into the outlet box (one set of black, white and ground; another set of black, white and ground, with the two grounds tied together).  Both sets were connected to the outlet (not pigtailed).  After disconnecting the wires, I used my multimeter to check across the two Hots on the old outlet, it read 0.0 Ohm and it also read 0.0 Ohm across the two Neutrals.
I installed a new outlet in which I used screws to connect the wires (as opposed to the push-in).  I left the connecting tab between the two plugs as is.  I switched on the circuit breaker and things appear to be working just fine.
I read through posts related to this on this forum and elsewhere but it isn't clear to me if there is any potential issue with this config.
I understand that leaving the tab in place is the same as what was before.  But, is this the right thing to do?  Could you please comment?
Thanks.


texts: Replacing 2-prong outlets in basement - existing wiring has two hot wires, one neutral?

texts:
I'm replacing the two-pronged outlets in my basement with 3-pronged grounded outlets in the United States (Illinois).  All the wiring is in metal conduit with metal conduit boxes, which are grounded to the breaker box (I checked with a multimeter from the hot slot to the metal box).  My goal is to wire all the 3-pronged outlets grounded to the metal conduit boxes, with a GFCI at the outlet closes to the breaker box (which I believe is proper code for a basement).
The metal conduit has three wires running through it: a red and a black, which are both hot, and a white, which is neutral - I tested all these with a multimeter at different outlets.  These outlets are all daisy-chained together, sharing a neutral white wire, but powered by the different red or black wires.
To further clarify, the red and black wires are not in a series daisy chain (to my eyes and testing). When I opened the circuit breaker box, both the red and the black wires had their own breaker switches, but the wires ran through the same conduit.
At first I thought this was just weird, but chocked it up to odd 1960's construction, or my own lack of knowledge.
But, it is causing issues: when I plug something in downstream of the GFCI (powered by black) in an outlet powered by red, the GFCI trips, so I can't use those outlets.
I was using a used GFCI outlet (bought at a secondhand construction materials store) - I bought a new one in case it is the outlet's fault, but haven't yet tried to install it.
Also note that the breaker isn't set up for 240V supply; there are no appliances in the house running 240V (we have natural gas).
I drew a picture which I hope helps illustrate my description better.  There is either a red or a black box around the outlets to show which color hot wire they are being powered by.

Thanks for looking!  I am an electrical layman but could provide more info/investigate further if needed!
EDIT
Thanks for the advice, everyone.
To clarify my wiring, here's a picture inside one of the outlet boxes:

Here is a picture of the breaker box.  I outlined which switches are connected to the hots, and typed in the amperage since the picture isn't great (20 amp circuit breakers):

Checking the neutral wire at one of the outlets on this branch is 14 ga, which has a 15-amp rating - is that typical?
Finally, here's a picture of an old circuit breaker that was sitting unplugged on top of the box:

It is a Square-D brand breaker, type QO I believe.
So, based on everyone's advice and the research I did, I think I need something like this:
QO Qwik-Gard 20 Amp 2-Pole GFCI Breaker

Could I get some feedback on that assessment?
Finally, after reviewing the electrical code, it appears GFCI circuits are required in just unfinished basements, due to potential wet conditions.  My basement is semi-finished (drywall , but exposed concrete & open ceilings), and not really wet.  Could I get away with a non-GFCI 20-amp circuit breaker?  It would save me about $70.  I'd rather not die, though.
Thanks again!


texts: Why do some door locks require the key to be twisted twice?

texts: This has been nagging me lately.  Why 2 twists? I mean one twist seems enough to keep the door essentially locked. If the extra twist is for strength, wouldn't it be a better idea to implement a longer travel of the locking mechanism for single twist. I have no knowledge whatsoever when it comes to houses and carpentry and the like so forgive me  if the question seems dumb.


texts: How to seal swamp cooler wires going into roof

texts: I was shutting down my swamp cooler for the season and notice that the sealant around the wires going down into the roof has opened up. I assume it would be a good thing to seal this to keep rain and snow out. What is my best bet to solve this?


texts: Is there a standard symbol for an inlet on building electrical plans?

texts:
Generally, most regions have a semi-standard or standard set of symbols that is used to denote electrical wiring devices, such as switches and receptacles, on building electrical plans/blueprints.  A representative subset of symbols used in North America is shown below, for those who are not familiar with the symbology used here.

However, none of the sources I have been able to find in my (admittedly limited) research have depicted a symbol for an electrical inlet, such as the ones used when houses are fitted so that a portable generator can provide standby power through some sort of transfer means.

Is there such a symbol, either in a standard somewhere or as a de facto convention? Or, am I left with simply using a symbol for a specialized receptacle (not shown above, but there are de facto quasi-standard symbols for such out there) and then using a note to denote that it is an inlet of a certain type?


texts: How do I prevent white film forming on utensils in dishwashers?

texts:
I've installed a Bosch SMS60L18IN dishwasher, best in its latest series. We were very satisfied with its first wash when it gave us clean utensils without any problems. We put a 3 in 1 tablet then. Now, I use a special salt, detergent and rinse aid, all from Finish.

From the second wash onward, it leaves white film on almost all utensils and food residues are not cleaned on some.

I tried all workarounds that I found online like changing detergent amounts and using the vinegar trick.

The issue I was thinking and the company engineers suspect is the water hardness which is around 900 (or 920) ppm. They changed the hardness level in the machine to H7 (this is the max one for 8.9 mmol/L hardness that the company specified) suggested me to run the machine for a few cycles to get rid of water residue from previous cycles.

I've already ran four cycles and the issue still persists. Is the water hardness the cause alone? Would be there other issues like the detergent or salt?

I observed:

The first wash was perfect. We haven't used salt here. Second and
third washes are a bit okay.
In the second wash. We put a 1.5 kg of specially recommended salt (Finish brand)
Issue worsened from the fourth wash.
I realized that I haven't filled the salt reservoir with water (the company recommends to fill it with water when you use the machine for the first time) and then filled it with a glass of water.
The technicians said that is not a big issue as the machine will itself dilute the salt with water after 2 or 3 washes.
I ran the machine by pouring a cup of vinegar as suggested in some articles and I found that the white layer on the machine's door was gone and utensils in the next wash are somewhat clean. Also, I tried changing detergent amounts, rinse aid quantity settings and switching hardness levels with each wash.
Tried changing the size of the load with each wash
Even if we purchase a budget softener like this, it may have low output rates and that gives new problems.
importantly is that it's too noisy (it gives knocking sounds while rinsing) like a clothes washing machine. The company staff said it is normal or I guess it is not that loud when they are around:)

More details

Name of the detergent, salt and rinse-aid's brand is Finish
I am not using all-in-one tablets now

The company staff recommended water softeners (of a different brand as they don't sell softeners). But I fear if it brings new issues like the change in flow rate (individual tap softeners have low flow rate, i.e., 2 litres per minute where as the dishwasher requires 6 litres per minutre). Ours is a rented house so I can't install a permanent or full house water softener.

Could anybody tell me if you find any other issues here other than the water hardness? Any suggestions or solutions are welcome.


texts: Can I convert a Sunbeam Radiant Control T-20C toaster from 120V to 230V?

texts:
For some reason, I now own a Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster, model T-20C. While I found it in The Netherlands, it's fitted with a US cord and plug.
On the bottom, it reads:

VOLTS 110-120 WATTS 1275
FOR AC ONLY

I'd like to use it in The Netherlands, where we get 230V AC from our outlets.
Using a power converter is not an option, since the toaster wants 1275 Watts. And while power converters that can handle that power do exist, it's a bit overkill to get a slice of toast.
So is there any other option? The mechanism is simple enough, no electronics, just heating coils.


texts: Basement wall studs: any alternatives to wood?

texts:
I'm now getting ready to redo the basement that was flooded. See the horrifying images below..

Some questions:

a) Why in the world is there a layer of plastic on studs - do I have to do the same or was that some 80-ies thing?
b) is there a wood that won't rot under water? In case if basement floods again... Is there a waterproof sheetrock?


texts: Should I smooth out or apply knockdown texture after popcorn ceiling removal?

texts:
I am removing non-asbestos popcorn ceilings on a 2200 sqft house. All walls in the house are knockdown texture.

After the popcorn comes off, I can either smooth out the drywall or apply knockdown texture to match the walls. Either way I don't really have a preference.

My question is how do these two compare in terms of cost, labor, and skill required? Assume that all specialty tools would need to be purchased/rented and the entire interior will be repainted after.

Also, if I smooth out the ceilings, will it look unusual with the knockdown walls?


texts: Why is thermostat calling for cool when set to heat

texts:
I have a White Rodgers 1F97-1277 thermostat. I set it to call for emergency (propane) heat on my York heat pump. Display shows 'Heat - Stage 1'. When I look at the furnace, no heat and no flame. The status light is blinking a slow amber, which is call for cool. This is not a new install.
My thoughts: Perhaps the cool is the defrost cycle for the heat pump (is that stage 1?). However, one would think if it can't meet the demand from the thermostat using the heat pump, it would turn to propane for heat. The amber light though means the furnace thinks the thermostat is calling for cool.
Why would the furnace show a call for cool, when the thermostat shows it's calling for heat.
Here is thermostat wiring:
Here is the heat pump :


texts: Ordering parts for fridge is there difference between 1 or 1A or 1B

texts:
My fridge's seal (gasket) cracked and I'm trying to buy new ones from sears.  There is a couple options
for freezer door:
#1  Door
#1A Door
#1B Door

for fridge door:
#2  Door
#2A Door
#2B Door

Do all of these fit interchangeably and I just pick any and it would work?
https://www.searspartsdirect.com/model/5qzr5ifzgn-000582/kenmore-25360602413-refrigerator-parts


texts: I don't have a window and was wondering if I can vent a portable air conditioner down the heating vent for the room?


texts: Can a GFI shutdown a second non-GFI outlet?

texts:
GFI= Ground Fault Interrupt

Two KITCHEN outlets (one GFI the other non-GFI) are on the same circuit (I believe). The non GFI circuit stopped working and I noticed the GFI unit will not reset and automatically pop. The disposal in the sink stopped working and is leaking water. If the water leak is causing a short,

shouldn't a circuit breaker trip?
can the GFI circuit somehow shutdown other outlet nodes on the same circuit?

From a troubleshooting standpoint, wouldn't electrically disconnecting the disposal be the first step and try to reset the GFI and test both outlets?

UPDATE: The electrical leads to the disposal were disconnected and the GFI was reset.  Outlet tests (with a light bulb) indicate power restored to affected outlets.  I appreciate every good response below and would upvote them if I had the privilege (not enough points today).

I believe that when the breaker is tripped, it will show bright orange (not the case in this photo):


texts: Is a condensing tankless heater that expels excess water outside also a dehumidifier?

texts:
I understand that a condensing tankless water heater will recycle that extra heat and only vent the heat that it cannot use; this is why they have a greater efficiency.
But the water that condenses out of the unit, and pumped outside, is that out of the ambient air, like a dehumidifier?
In other words, will the room around the unit become less humid? Or the unit adds this extra water in the first place?
Thank you.