texts:
We get a lot of questions related to HVAC wiring -- initial installation, connecting thermostats, adding humidifiers, etc.  In most of the questions, the connections are designated only with single-letter terminal identifiers and/or wire colors.

It would make sense if everything was standardized so you could attach company A's thermostat to company B's furnace without needing model-specific wiring diagrams.  However, features change over time and vary from model to model.  It just seems odd that questions about almost any two HVAC-related components from any manufacturers can be answered knowing almost nothing about the specific manufacturers, models, equipment ages, etc.

Is it the case that all of the manufacturers follow the same wiring conventions?  If so, what underlies this?

Is the coding (terminal labels and wire colors), regulated by the government to ensure that all HVAC equipment complies with the same scheme?
Are, say, almost all thermostats made by one company (Honeywell), so the furnace and A/C manufacturers need to conform their wiring conventions to that?
Do all of the manufacturers simply cooperate to follow the same scheme for interoperability and to facilitate service?


texts: 83% of rated load on 30 AMP 240V dedicated circuit - safe?

texts:
I am looking at adding a Garage Heater to my garage on a 30A circuit. The heater is on a dedicated 240V circuit run on 10 AWG wiring with a 30A Siemens household breaker.

My heater is a Dr Infrared 6000W heater that is controlled by a wall mounted thermostat. In even the coldest temperatures, I anticipate it will not run for more than 20-35 minutes at a time before cycling off(garage is very well insulated, brand new energy efficient build).

The heater instructions recommend a 35A breaker and 8AWG wiring (to be 100% code compliant, I get it).

In my case, looking at it from watts (which I know is not the real way, but close), 30 AMPS is 7200 watts. My 6000 watt load represents 83% of the rated capacity. Just a bit over the 80%. Since in my application I am certain that my load is non-continuous (i.e. that heater will NEVER run for 3+ hours straight), am I safe to use on this circuit?

Would appreciate some opinions!

Thanks


texts:
I installed new ceiling lights and one of them is not working. Nothing was existing, it was all new. I tapped into an existing electrical outlet, wired that to a new light switch, and then wired that to 4 lights, all daisy chained. It goes outlet > switch > light a > light b > light c > light d.

Everything works great when the wire to light d is not connected. If light d is connected, the breaker trips as soon as the switch is flipped. I thought it was a bad light so I bought a new one and replaced it. No luck. I've tried different light bulbs as well but nothing seems to work.

I inspected the wire from light c to light d and did not see any breaks.

Where should I go from here?


texts:
There was peeling and bubbling paint in the area (bottom right) where the brownish stains are in the picture.

That wall has been scraped, sanded and skim coated. I think the wall is plaster.

What would cause that brown stain?

There is plumbing behind that wall. The shower head is in the other side of the wall ( a foot or so above that stain and maybe a foot to the left)


texts: How Is "Super Laminate" flooring installed?

texts:
I recently learned about AABSO "Super Laminate" flooring (aka Vinyl flooring planks). It seems to have some advantages over standard laminate flooring when it comes to moisture resistance so I'm considering it (especially for our kitchen).

For some reason, I haven't been able to find installation instructions for it. Can someone summarize the procedure? Is it the same tongue-and-groove implementation as standard laminate? Or completely different?

-M


texts:
I wish to connect a light bulb connection (2 wire connection) to the ceiling but there are 3 wires:

1) Yellow/Green, 2) Blue, 3)Black

I live in Germany, which two wires do I connect ?


texts: WiFi garage door controller installation

texts:
Currently I have the normal garage door remote but in addition to it I would like to add a WiFi controlled system.

https://imgur.com/a/TmViiSt Those pictures show the current control box and the new one. But I can't figure out how to connect the cables for both to work at the same time.

Also in the picture I circled in purple the cables that connect to a laser sensor (that it's supposed to stop if something crosses it, but it doesn't, even though I could see the lights changing in it when I break the beam). How could I test what's wrong with it?

Thank you!


texts: Can pavers set with polymeric jointing sand be powerwashed?

texts: I recently started the process of cleaning my paver patio because the paver was absolutely covered in moss and weeds. I've been using a pressure washer and blowing out the material alongside cleaning the pavers thoroughly. Over the past two days I'm becoming to appreciate how much effort is takes to collect all the material that the power washer blows out and looking to not do this again in the near future. I'm considering re-filling the joints with polymeric sand, with the hope that this will suppress weeds enough that I won't have to do this again soon. However, I'm wondering how sturdy the polymeric sand is after it sets. Will I be able to powerwash the stones in the future if dirt, moss, or other debris gets on them without blowing out the polymeric sand? If not, what would be the way to clean them without risking blowing out the sand again?


texts: How do I connect braided under sink hose to 3/8 inch RO plastic tubing?

texts: I can't figure out how to hook up the incoming water to my reverse osmosis system. I want to tap off the braided hose here, and use a quick fit for the plastic tubing but have searched and ordered two parts and can't seem to figure out what is correct.


texts:
So I just replaced an old gfci with a new one. It has two cable connected to it. With originally the two black wires connected together to a third black wire with a wire screw cap and connected to the line. Same for the 2 white wires. The ground wires were connected together and connected to the ground on the gfci.

I took out the old gfci and replaced it with a new one. Wired it the same way the old one was. No power. The circuit tester does not have any light turn on (according to the tester that means open hot) when I use it to test the gfci. When I use it to test the 2 outlets connected to the gfci it tell me that they are wired correctly. It does not reset.

I rewired the gfci 1 cable through line, and one through load.   When I try to reset it it does so but immediately  goes out. According to the circuit tester the gfci still has open hot, but when I test the outlets connected to the gfci I also get the open power reading. Additionally the red led that is on the gfci starts to blink and let out a constant klick noise

What should I do?


texts: Is it safe to buy hardwood floors from home renovation stores?

texts:
Some floor installers have warned me against buying hardwood floors from home renovation stores (box stores) because they claim that the wood is stored at sub-optimal humidity for months prior to sale which damages it.

Other installers I've talked to say that buying from these stores is fine, so long as I let the hardwood soak in the humidity of the house where it will be installed prior to installation.

Who is right?


texts: Is there a way I can fill cinderblocks in my basement to stop water from coming in?

texts: Could I drill holes in each block and fill with sprayfoam that would fill the blocks with a water tight seal and then paint the inside with drylock? How about hydroclay?


texts: Where can I find a replacement bracket for my glass counter top?

texts:
Sorry if this is obvious but I'm having a hard time contacting the manufacturer so I wanted to ask here.

I'm trying to replace my mounting brackets on a bathroom sink I have and was wondering if there are any generic or similar parts that would work.


texts: What is a quieter alternative to gas forced air heating?

texts:
My small 1BR apartment has an old gas furnace that works great, but costs my landlord too much to insure. He plans to install gas forced air, an in-unit upright furnace. I'd love to suggest a comparably priced alternative that will make less noise. What's out there?

edit: Maybe a few self-contained baseboard heaters and\or quartz infrared heaters could do the trick, for a small enough place? Mine is only about 700 sq ft. A similar unit in the building got a Rheem Criterion II gas furnace, so (@HerrBag) I'm afraid 90% may be overly optimistic.


texts:
This past weekend I installed a ceiling fan to replace an already existing light fixture. I had to replace the plastic electrical box from when the home was built in 1992.

I am unable to get into the attic for this specific fixture as it's in a spot that I am physically unable to reach due to the layout of my attic and the support beams so I used a retrofit Saf-T Brace rated for ceiling fans.(see below) I'm guessing this box was installed before the drywall was put up because of the location it's at, there really is no way for a person to fit into this small corner of the attic.

When I went to install the brace bar, I realized there is a vapor barrier bubble around the already existing ceiling box with blown in insulation on top of it. It's a 6 mil poly sheet which I am assuming is just stapled and caulked on. I went ahead and cut a small hole on the side to make the brace bar fit through it, secured the bar, installed the box and installed the fan.

I now realize I should have fixed the vapor barrier but since I cannot access it from above - what is the best course of action? I don't really want to have to cut a bigger hole and repatch drywall if I don't have to. Could I use some fire retardant spray foam to seal it up by taking the fan down, removing the box and blowing some in there? Is it even a cause for concern?


texts: I need to know what size sub panel I need

texts: What size amp sub panel do I need to run off of a 100 amp main panel? At the moment I have a 100 amp sub panel hooked up and it’s making my drill spark and have a burning smell to it.


texts: Repair Deep Plaster Damage on Outside Corner

texts:
Looking for advice on how to repair this large and deep damage to an outside corner on an old wall. Materials are plaster over rock lath, for what it's worth. You can see the rock lath through the plaster in the first photo. Haven't found anything online about how to repair a corner with damage this deep.

In the second picture you can see the big picture of what I'm repairing. Just as a sanity check, I'm repairing the other smaller corner cracks with mesh tape. There are also some small hairline cracks that I'm skimming over. If any of that sounds wrong, please let me know.


texts: I am helping a client with an issue related to the condensate line on their furnace.  It is a high efficiently LP furnace installed in an attic with a condensate line that drains to the exterior.  The line exits the house through the attic soffit.  The line was freezing so my HVAC tech installed heat tape to the interior portion of the line and shortened the exterior portion so that it only sticks a few inches below the soffit.  He also insulated the exterior portion.  Now the line no longer freezes but the draining condensate is forming large icicles on the siding.  What is the best way to protect the siding from the icicle build-up?  I hesitate to re-extend the exterior portion of the drain line because I fear it would freeze up again.  My first though is to install a vinyl gutter down the side of the house where the drain line exits to channel water toward the ground with the theory being that the larger circumference would make it less prone to freeze-ups.  Would this work, or are there better alternatives?


texts: Is the fibrous material on the back of this wallboard asbestos?

texts:
Hi all. Just smashed this through. Is it asbestos? House is UK built 1982.

Please help. I'm having huge anxiety about this.

Thank you


texts:
We are replacing the fence between our front yard and the street. I am leaning toward having a stainless cable fence, but I don't really see them in the neighborhood. Almost every search I do leads to cable deck rails but not yard fences.

Is there a reason that this style of fence is not suitable for a yard perimeter? Maybe post spacing?


texts: How should I remove corrosion like this from radiator connections

texts:
In the process of replacing a radiator and there is a fair amount of corrosion around the connections.

I plan on scrubbing as much off as I can with sandpaper or steel wool, but is there a recommended way to clear corrosion here? Or does it even matter that much if I can tighten the fittings up enough and use PTFE tape?


texts: How do I remove white beverage stains from my dark finished wood table?

texts:
Simple question: How do I remove the white powdery stains from my finished wood dining room table? I've already tried Bona and cleaning the stains gently with a soft plastic scrubbie.

It really seems like today's furniture doesn't hold a candle to the durability of furniture built in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I have a dresser set that my mother gave me, that she bought in the late 70s. It's still in very good condition. No staining of any kind, and I've set a sweaty glass down on either the dresser or the nightstands umpteen times. Anyhow, any help anyone could give would be appreciated.


texts: How do I take a live wire off of a two way switch?

texts: if I know how to take the live wire off then my job is easier.


texts: I need to replace the wire from my thermostat from the oil burner in the basement to the second floor. I suspect a mouse chewed the wire or some other reason for a break in the wall along the way. When I search online for thermostat 2 wire, I get what looks like  brown lamp cord except its solid core. My current wire is twisted black/white and multi wire copper(similar to old school Christmas wire that was red and green twist)  not solid core. I suspect  the solid core won't give me the flexibility to fish it up through the wall. But I don't find thermostat wire that is not solid core. Please advise.


texts: How to safely and legally join building wire behind drywall

texts: I had a small kitchen fire and the electrical wire behind the drywall in my kitchen melted. What is the best way to safely and legally (to code) rejoin the wire?


texts: Can I use a sander or grinder to polish quartz countertop edges?

texts:
I had a quartz countertop installed, however they did a poor job where it was cut. They used max 200 grit sandpaper with an angle grinder.  Also they applied a sealer and now it has some kind of stains.
I have an orbital sander tool and angle grinder. Can I use these like they do in order to fix it? Probably with higher grit gradually.
Do I need special sandpaper like diamond?


texts: Why would a newly installed radiator only heat when on constant bleed?

texts:
We have changed a gas central heating radiator. It is the last radiator in the circuit. It will not communicate with the boiler and only brings hot water into the pipe leading to the thermostat when on constant bleed. I have taken ten buckets of water from this radiator with the thermostat on 5. As soon as I close the purger the hot water stops coming down the pipe.

Pipes run across the attic. All the other radiators heat to really hot and I have bled all the other radiators several times.


texts:
In regrouting a bathroom, how deep should I go to remove the old grout?
Should I go all the way the depth of the tile or will stopping at some shorter depth be just as effective in letting the new grout adhere?


texts: Tile Grout: Patch up gaps, or strip out grout and regrout the whole thing?

texts:
I have tiled walls around a built in enameled tub. The tile itself (4x4) is in excellent condition. However, there are a lot of gaps in the grout, from half an inch to two inches in length, scattered around.

The tile job was done about 16 years ago.

I like the tile and want to keep it. (It is pretty.)

Should I strip out all the grout and regrout the whole thing? Or is it OK to just push some grout into the gaps?

Thanks!


texts: How to remove mirror stickers from a painted wall?

texts: Can you tell me the easiest way to remove adhesive mirrors from a painted wall? The mirrors are made of a thin plastic material and the adhesive is completely covering the back, it is not double-sided foam. Thank you! The first attempt took me down to the drywall.


texts: Pair of 3-way switches, when one is on, the other won't toggle it

texts:
I have a pair of 3-way switches. I've wired them the same way as the other 4 in the same box (as far as I can tell), but they're not working as expected. I've tried re-wiring them each lots of various ways, but can never get them both to work as expected at the same time. I can get one to work, but the other doesn't. Or visa versa.
At the moment, I have it so that there is only one combination of up/down that will cause the light to be off.

Photo of the left set:


texts: how long to wait for re-painting one side of fence after pressure washing the otherside which is unpainted

texts:
It hasn't rained much this summer, and not any in a week. Today, I've prepped (sanded, brushed off, wiped down with a damp sponge) the painted side of a 1x6 cedar privacy fence, which was last painted a couple years ago. Then I used a homeowner-class pressure washer to clean the other side, which is untreated/unpainted roughsawn ceder. Can the painted side be repainted now with latex paint (not stain)? I say yes. Wife says no.

Edit: I think I answered my own question. It is a matter of new paint bonding to old paint. The old paint would be sealing off this bond from any moisture from the pressure washing of the otherside that would over the next week/month raise the moisture content of the wood just under the old paint.  She agrees.  She treats tonight !


texts: How do I determine my breaker panel's maximum wattage?

texts:
I'm trying to figure out the maximum wattage my breaker panel can supply. If I look at the breaker panel I see 2 large breakers, one with 40A and one with 50A (plus the test button, etc). I'm going to assume the 50A is the main circuit breaker (the kanji reads chief utility breaker I think). Not sure what the 40A is for.

It's also rated for 100/200V apparently, so by my calculations that would be 5000W maximum capability. So would running one high-end gaming PC, a microwave, aircon and a hair-dryer trip it?

For reference, I'm in east Japan which runs 100V at 50Hz.

I've taken photo's of the breaker panel from left to right, 3 photos in total for clarity of reading the kanji and figures.

On the right picture, (1) - (4) are for sockets. (Centre, South, North and ???)  (7) - (11) are for Aircon Units and (12) is for the interphone system. (5) I'm not sure of, and (6) is for an Electrical Oven Range... but this place has a gas range.


texts: Option to strengthen foundation with posts around perimeter?

texts:
We are in earthquake country (Oregon), looking at seismic upgrade on our foundation, which is 115 years old and in dubious condition.
Are there options for strengthening a dodgy foundation by installing posts all around the perimeter? So maybe digging out every few feet and reinforcing, rather than digging out all around.

It seems to me that in theory this would work. We just want our house to not fall down in an earthquake - having post-earthquake gaps where the old foundations have collapsed isn't a big deal if the new posts are still holding up the house.


texts: Replacing LU70 High Pressure Sodium Bulb with LED?

texts:
I have a bunch of older outdoor light fixtures with this bulb in them:

LU70 medium base like this

There are about 5 of these and I'm considering replacing the bulbs with LED replacements. I don't know much about them though. Is it "safe" for me to replace them with a regular outdoor-rated LED lightbulb to save electricity?

Any recommendations on a particular bulb or type?

Thanks!


texts: Interior wall paint turned soft and gooey

texts:
A patch of paint next to the head of my bed has been slowly turning soft and gooey over the past several years and I don't understand why. There seem to be several coats involved, with a top layer of green latex sliding around on a gooey layer of white paint beneath.

I can easily scratch chunks off with my fingernails, or even just push it around until holes open up.

I assume this has something to do with the paint absorbing the oils from my hair or pillows, since it is pretty limited to that area.

It's also worth noting that the previous tenants did a really bad job of painting the interior, and may have layered oil and latex improperly.

So my question is, why is my wall paint turning gooey, and can I fix it or do I need to strip the paint and redo the whole room?


texts: What basic safety equipment should everyone have?

texts: When doing DIY what safety kit should everyone have (and use)?


texts:
Our home (with basement, built in 1999) has a sump pump that was installed by the previous owner.  In our area, runoff from melting snow in the spring or when the neighbors leave for a weekend with their sprinklers on usually when we see water there.
The sump is about two feet deep, and the float is adjusted such that there can be 18" or so of standing water in the sump before the pump turns on.  It isn't uncommon for there to be 12" of water in the sump for a week at a time, without the pump running.  I don't know if the depth of this sump was determined by calculation or solely by what was in stock at Home Depot that weekend.

Is this a situation where making the sump deeper would have a benefit?

Part of me wants to dig that sucker much deeper, so that the water level is as far below the basement slab as possible.  If I'm seeing water so close to the bottom of the slab in this one spot, that means it's very close to the bottom of the slab in most of the basement, right?

On the other hand digging the sump deeper, aside from the work, means that the pump might be running more than required, and perhaps cycling more often than needed.

What would you do?


texts:
I am trying to replace a dimmer switch. It appears to have been set up as a three way, but we can’t find a second switch that would control the light.
It seems that all the wires coming out of the old dimmer switch end up connecting to a different black wire from the wall. And naturally, the ground isn’t connected.
Has anyone seen this before?


texts: Cleaning indoor concrete floor without damaging it

texts:
I just finished helping a colleague clean out his (large) garage at his new house. He's gradually converting it to a indoor gym for himself and his kids (ie: indoor swing set, toys, etc, with a small corner for his weights). The previous owners used the garage for parking their cars, so the floor is a real mess: oil spills, random dirt and other spills, he himself spilled beer and food a few times on it.

We need to clean the floor and make it look presentable, but there's a catch: certain items (bench, wooden play fortress, etc) have already been assembled and bolted into the concrete with anchors. Those areas were already clean, so no worries there, but this means we can't just buy a heavy duty solvent and use a pressure washer afterwards to blast it all out. We're going to have to just mop and scrub.

That being said, is there a particular general purpose cleaner we should use?

It sounds like the acid-based cleaners wouldn't be a good idea, since they can leave a white film behind and damage the concrete if we don't spray it away with a hose afterwards.
The concrete also seems to have a waxy finish on it, so I don't want to damage it if it servers an important purpose, so a number of alkaline abrasives also wouldn't necessarily be a good idea.
We'd considered simple floor cleaner like what one would use on a tile floor, but it doesn't seem to put a dent in the grease/oil stains, and even when diluted, seems to leave a sticky residue behind that takes days to go away. Maybe since the floor is cold, it doesn't evaporate away very quickly.
We need to use something non-toxic. Kids will be touching the concrete, and we don't want them getting sick if they don't wash their hands before having a snack.

Interesting point: while doing some woodworking, he spilled a lot of carpenters glue on the floor, and when it dried, it easily came off with a paint scraper. The concrete looks very clean, and still has its waxy surface, so there must be a cleaner that can do this if cheap glue can.

Is there some kind of general purpose cleaner I can use to mop the floor with periodically and gradually get out the grease, oil, and other stains. If we have to mop the floor 10 times, that's fine, since he's a bit of a neat freak, and would likely be mopping up footprints from shoes every couple of weeks anyway.

Thank you.


texts: How long should a blower and dehumidifier run in order to dry out ceiling boards and drywall?

texts: I recently had a leak in a pipe in my ceiling. It was caught immediately and only soaked the floor below my bathroom, the floor boards and ceiling drywall in a small area. I had two air blowers and a dehumidifier set up pointed at the ceiling and the bathroom tiles. How long should these run in order to completely dry out the area? I live in TX and the weather is humid and 90 deg F outside.


texts: How is DIY done so much on 'fixer uppers' in areas where AHJs demand permits and licenses?

texts:
I see a lot of cases of major 'fixer upper' homes or general home improvement done in an area where the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) requires permits and only offers them to licensed pros. How is this the case? I ask because I wonder if I'm missing something. (Of course it is case by case. For example, one person doing electrical may be working with a licensed electrician to do so, whereas another may be outright doing it themselves illegally. Same goes for structural modifications and remodeling.)

From what I can tell, many people are doing work that requires a permit & license without either. Aside from doing unsafe work, what risks are they taking in doing so? I'd think the risks would be high but the prevalence of this suggests it is not. Part of that could also be, many of the people illegally doing maintenance/upgrades are trying to save a buck, or are doing it on homes that are in such bad shape to begin with that their DIY improvements can only bring good things in quality of life and resale value there.

For more context, consider the answers to Does a homeowner need a permit for electrical work in Massachusetts? It is clear that in some places permits & licenses are required for relatively simple work, and also clear that there are people who don't respect those requirements and would rather risk paying a fine than a pro.

And in another related question, Pros and Cons of buildings permits the risks are made clear, along with reasoning why someone would ignore permit requirements.


texts: Could recent electrical work cause lights to dim when A/C turns on?

texts:
Last week I had an electrician in to put in some new wiring; I also had an HVAC guy come do the annual maintenance on our system. Since then, the lights in our living room flicker whenever the A/C comes on.

I would usually suspect the start-up capacitor in the compressor, but the compressor is on a separate panel from our living room lights. On the other hand the 1st floor lights (1) and the attic air handler (4-6) are on the same panel, as is the new wiring, which was added to the Bath GFCI circuit (2) as shown here:

The new wiring is supporting our basement de-humidifier and a desktop computer. I confess to knowing next to nothing about home electrical -- is it possible that the additional current being drawn by circuit 2 could be causing the flickering of lights in circuit 1 whenever the HVAC kicks on?


texts: Does this thermostat/furnace wiring make sense?

texts:
Hoping I am positing this in the appropriate forum - please see the image below:

https://imgur.com/upWbb6g

Thermostat is a Honeywell TH4110D and furnace is a late 1980's installed Lennox G8D2.  What is confusing to me is why the "R" and "Rc" terminals are bridged at the thermostat, and if they should be bridged in this configuration.  I ask because I am interested in upgrading to a smart thermostat ("C" is available through an unused wire in the bundle).

https://imgur.com/SNkmxpK

https://imgur.com/a/MHlaNdQ

Any help is appreciated, thanks.


texts: Is Liquid Plumr or Drano safe to use with a septic system?

texts: Just as the title asks, is it safe to use products like Liquid Plumr or Drano in a Septic system?


texts: How can I remove this dried drain cleaner from a kitchen sideboard?

texts:
I recently spent a week or so trying to unclog a seriously blocked kitchen sink drain. I tried various things, including One Shot Instant Drain Cleaner (a hardware-store 91% sulphuric acid drain cleaner).

My attempts all failed and eventually a plumber managed to solve the problem in about five minutes' flat with a glorified Henry Hoover...

Alas, I hadn't noticed at the time that I'd spilled a small amount of the cleaner on my sideboard. It's now dried into a thin layer of a cement-like material. Scraping it off with a screwdriver seems like it might eventually be successful, though after quite some time and I'm concerned about damaging the sideboard.

Is there a compound that I can use to just dissolve the dried drain cleaner, or at least convert it into some form that I can then clean up? Boiling water on its own doesn't seem to do anything at all.

Click for full size:


texts: House slightly uneven floors almost everywhere

texts:
I recently purchased a 2050 sq ft. house 1 story, built in 2000, in North Dallas. We had a general inspection done on it, and the disclosure didn't mention any foundation issues, also all the doors close right, and so do the windows, walking thru the house it is really hard to find a spot that actually feels uneven when walking, in fact there is only one in the hardwood floor. The floor is about 50% hardwood floor, 25% concrete and 15% tile and 10% carpet. On the room with carpet everything sits right everywhere, I imagine because the carpet softness makes everything level easily.

However I have noticed small pieces of furniture such as chairs, or anything where the legs are not too far apart for instance my nightstands are also not leveled by about 1/6 inch, often only sits right if you put in the "right" spot, otherwise the legs are not leveled by up to 8 milimeters (.31 inches in the worst case) often a lot less. And sometimes the chairs sit just right, this is not a problem with large furniture as I suppose the legs kinda level themselves out with the weight.

I was however wondering if this is something I should be concerned about, or if this is something relatively normal for a 2000 house, there are no slopes anywhere, it is mostly really small variations here and there, which can make a chair not sit right in some spots. Usually those spots are closer to the wall, but not always.

The house has rain-bird sprinklers around the foundation, and I make sure to water it but not excessively of course, also everything is sloped away from the foundation.

We saw several houses before buying this one, and this one is actually the one where the floors felt the most leveled, so I am guessing this is somewhat common in houses between 1990 and 2005 (the houses that we saw) that have settled a little bit, which is my understanding is also normal, as all houses settle after being built.

For reference I used to live in Mexico, in a pure concrete house like everyone else there, and uneven floors where never an issue, everything was always perfectly leveled.

Should I be concerned?, or should I be doing anything about this?


texts: Winter is approaching and the cool weather is making the air dry in our home. We're using room humidifiers but want to install a humidifier which can go on our furnace. However, we have very limited room and I wanted to know if there is a humidifier which can be mounted outside the furnace.


texts: What is a single pole 30 amp breaker used for

texts: Is ok to us a 30 amp breaker single pole according to NEC


texts: Shed on concrete pier blocks - how to brace laterally?

texts:
I'm building a shed on concrete pier blocks (12x12, 50lb), on 4x4's on adjustable support brackets.
How do I  laterally brace the structure using this?
Is there a size threshold where I don't need to?
The bolt just drops a hole in the pier block, there doesn't seem to be any lateral support.


texts: Home electric circuit goes dead without tripping breaker

texts: I have a 15 amp circuit in my home with 8 outlets.  Every couple of months it mysteriously stops working, however, the breaker doesn’t trip.  After a couple days I re-apply the breaker and all is good.   Is this dangerous?  A breaker problem?  Have mice eaten the wires?


texts: I am trying to install a bath shower door . I need to drill holes into my tub and I am using a Milwaukee Drill with Dewalt titanium drill bit set. I am not sure what sort of bath tub mine is (fiber glass or metal) but I am having a hard time drilling 2 pilot holes. I held the drill for 20 secs and still nothing. Do I hold it for longer? What is the correct drill bit I use?


texts:
In recent months, my electricity bill has been steadily going up, from 20% to 40% to, now, 100%. It's doubled.

I don't see any appliance running continuously except several ceiling fans. All my appliances are regular, meaning what one would find at home, such as fridges, cooktop, water heater, oven, lights, etc. There is a pool pump I turn on and off daily.

Where should I start to tackle the problem? I have divided this problem into two categories: house appliance problem and meter problem. I'd like to see if this is appliance problem first and deal with the meter separately. The meter is read monthly on the 20th. So, the bill jump is real, not estimated.


texts: changing hard wired smoke alarm on house that once had an active alarm system which is now shut down

texts:
Nothing was disconnected - i just did not resign up when I bought the house.
If i shut off the main breaker to the ouse, can I be sure the smoke alarm wires are dead - no electricity in them?


texts: Im replacing a damaged spa manifold.  The hoses in my spa are numbered.  But does it matter how you put the hoses back in the new manifold.  Because there are 6 hoses that are difficult to reach and I will probably lose the order when I cut them.


texts: how do I fix loose tile on basement stairs

texts: we had our basement stairs tiled with ceramic tile, now the grout is breaking on some of them and the tiles are loose and coming off.  they were applied directly to plywood.  Can I fix them as they come loose or do I need to redo the who thing?  And what do I use and how do I do this so it doesn't keep happening


texts: Best way to fill gaps between flooring panels evenly

texts:
For some reason, on the floor of the apartment all horizontal joints have gaps like the picture at the bottom (Vertical joints are fine). This causes unpleasant sensation when I put my bare skin on it, and it leaves marks on my skin. (Asia. No carpet, no shoes; just bare skin) It is not my building so that I cannot completely redo the floor, but just amend the problem.
What is the best way to fill such gaps but fill it evenly? The very first thought that came up in my head was using those silicone glue, but I am afraid it would make a bulge like the first image below. I want it to be flat and even like the second image, so that it would not leave marks on my skin.


texts: Can I use a single dimmer switch to control multiple lights?

texts: I want to setup a parallel circuit for 10 light fixtures.... Can I use 1 dimmer switch to control all 10 light fixtures all at the same time?  Is this possible to make?  Thanks in advance :)


texts: How do I protect the walls next to a 24 foot tall red brick fireplace when painting it?

texts: What is the easiest and best way to paint a very tall brick fireplace?  It is 24 feet tall old Chicago (red) style brick.  I would like to use a sprayer but am afraid of the over spray when spraying up on the high area.  I have a very good and long ladder (and a very able bodied husband), although it really scares me to have him up that high! Any advice would be great.


texts: What is the best way to fill narrow gaps between floor and skirting boards

texts: I have narrow gaps between the floor (Amtico) and the skirting boards (not over 1.5/2 mm) that I would like to fill but I'm not sure what to use. The floor is quite elastic so ideally I'd need something that sticks and that is also flexible and doesn't crumble. Being able to paint over it is a bonus, but the main goal is to fill those gaps. What's the best product that I could get in the UK to get the job done?


texts: Air Flow using Vacuum and High Air Pressure Air

texts:
I am investigating container homes.  Something about the modularity appeals to me.
Regardless, I am thinking about one of the challenges that they face is to get adequate air flow without cutting holes in the container (and compromising the structure).
In most buildings, I have seen them use quite large ducting to provide the necessary cubic feet per minute/CFM.
My question is: why not use high pressure air lines (e.g. like the kind that are used to run pneumatic tools) to provide incoming air and vacuum lines to remove outgoing air?
It would appear to me to be a way to provide air circulation without having to have large ducting.


texts: I want to extend my deck 12x16 to 12x18. What is the easiest way to widen the deck by 2 feet from a structural standpoint? How do I go wider than the beam?


texts: How can I remove a lockset latch assembly that's stuck latched?

texts: My latch is stuck. I couldn't turn the handle, even unlocked, so I removed the handles. Now I've got direct access to the latch assembly, and I can't get the unlatching part to move (to the right, in the photo). How can I get this door open? I can't normally remove the latch assembly without opening the door.


texts: my fixture has a black and white wire. ceiling has 2 blacks(twisted together), 2 whites (twisted together) and 1 red. There are 2 fixtures in the room with 2 wall switches. Only one wall switch has a red wire. If I hook white to white and black to black and red to either than both fixtures come on with either switch. What am I missing?


texts:
I'm installing a replacement bathtub.  Because a truss joist (3 1/2" wide & running lengthwise in the center of the tub) is in the way of the drain and overflow, I'm left to devise a bend in the vertical overflow pipe before reaching the trap.  I'm told that regarding air pressure, the overflow pipe must be vertically straight and align directly over the trap (no turns until reaching the trap). Is this true?

I'm concerned both about code and proper venting.

Thanks,  Jay


texts: Painting rooms partially, how to get good edges

texts:
While I prefer to paint rooms completely, including the ceiling, I sometimes need to paint a single wall, or even a limited area of one wall.

For example, the kids may have drawn directly on the wall, or in the entrance area just one area of the wall is very smudged etc., and there may be a lot of furniture on the "good" walls which would just be not worthwhile to move around.

That said, what are good techniques to avoid ugly edges where your new paint meets the old? For example, at wall edges, would you rather stick on your masking tape on the wall that you are painting, or on the adjacent wall? Or would you avoid hard edges where new paint meets old, but somehow smooth the paint into the old areas? I saw an old professional painter do that once and it turned out fine, but I really have no idea how I would do something like that consistently.

I am mostly talking about the commonplace western europe white interior paints, not latex based paints.


texts: How to open a PVC ball valve with a broken handle, stuck closed?

texts:
When attempting to close a valve to change the property-wide water filter, the valve closed but the plastic handle broke off. I tried to open it again with a wrench but the bit of plastic it was mounted to broke off too.
I'd cut the pipes and replace it myself, but I don't know how to relieve the water pressure without this valve.  As far as I can tell, it's the only way.

We currently have no water because of this mistake :(
How do I open the valve, or is there any other way to relieve the pressure (preferably without flooding the pump-house)?


texts: I'm definitely lacking in electrical skills, so please help me out on the right procedure here. I have two switches controlling one light. I'd like to REMOVE SWITCH A and completely control with SWITCH B. I've attached the switch wiring as pictures below, the red wire on switch B is one wire shared with another, unchanged switch in that box:


texts:
I have an old tub/shower with 3 handles in it (hot/cold/shower on) that are all twist knobs.  The hot or cold can not fully disengage because they are a bit older and have some sediment built up in them I believe.  So there is a constant tiny drip comping out of the water faucet in the tub.

I had a plumber look at it and he quoted me $500 to rebuild the existing hot/cold handles.  Basically he would pull the guts out of them and put all new guts and handles back in.  I really don't want to pay that much as it seems pretty straightforward.  He hummed and hawed over what type of faucet it was but didn't tell me, but I mean they look pretty generic.

So my questions:

Are these rebuild kits that I see at Home Depot etc. pretty generic, and should they work for this?  These handle are at least 20 years old I guess.  The rebuild kits I find are generally in the 40-60 dollar range.
For a moderately skilled person, is it really that hard to do these rebuilt kits?  It doesn't look too bad honestly.


texts: What type of plastic is best for outdoor usage? Like resistant to constant sunlight and water exposure and strong enough. It will be used to encolse part of (small size bird) aviary. Also please specify how much thickness will be enough for it.


texts:
I have to replace two, interior doors in my old house, which was built in 1973.  The existing doors are 29-1/2 inches wide and their door frames are soft MDF that falls apart when I drive a screw through it.  The screws for the hinges are pulling out and I tried to replace them with 3-1/2 inch screws but they found no studs to bite into.  So I want to replace them with prehung doors.
I looked online at Lowe's and their doors are 30 inches wide.  Are my doors an odd size or is 29-1/2 inches the actual width of a 30-inch door?


texts: Can I open a bulkhead open to two unfinished spaces with a finished space between?

texts:
I have crawlspace on two sides of a finished den, with the den sandwiched between them.

Can I finish a bulkhead through the den but open to the crawlspace on both sides to simplify utility passage through the finished space?


texts: What’s the difference between these wires?

texts: I’m re-doing some drywall and relocating a couple outlet receptacles. In the kitchen multiple types of wire was used and I’m not sure why. The white 12-2 was used throughout the house, but in the kitchen a silver wrapped wire was used as well. In the first photo the very wide wire on the right runs to an outlet used for a gas range. The smaller silver wire is used randomly for light switches and outlets. Is there a specific application for this wire? It’s in bad shape, so it’s difficult to see any labeling. I’m not sure when this was installed, but the house was built in the 60s.


texts: Closet door doesn't close completely from the top side - IKEA closet and hinges

texts:
We bought IKEA closets with several hinges of this specific type:
You can adjust the screws to shift the closet door horizontally, vertically and the depth towards the closet.
With one specific closet the top right of the closet won't close.  The bottom right side closes against the closet, leaving a gap of about 2 centimeters deep on the top right side.  I've tried adjusting the hinges to adjust the depth and horizontal placements endlessly with little to no improvement.
Question: Does anyone know how to solve this or is the door simply uneven?
(There are small cushions attached on the inside which makes it look like the bottom right is not touching the closet, but it is.
It's not easy for us to detach the hinges again to verify if the problem is the door itself.)


texts:
I want to install a water conditioner for the purpose of minimizing the sticking of minerals to the faucets and a shower glass. From what I read a catalytic water conditioner will do the job. I will be installing one of these.

I will be installed at a 5 story building. This is a European concrete block building with a flat roof. My apartment is on the 4th story and the water service installation is as follows:

City mains meter at ground level connects to a water tank on the roof of the building. This is a storage water tank and not a pressure tank.
Storage tank is connected to this pump which is also located on the roof of the building.
The pump is connected to the apartment on the 4th story providing adequate pressure.

It seems water flow is an important factor when choosing the water conditioner. I want to measure the water flow but I am getting  different results depending on where I measure. Where in line should I be installing the water conditioner?

At ground level or on the roof of the building before the storage water tank. I`m sure the water flow would fluctuate quite a bit here, also would minerals build up in the storage water tank? thus defeating the purpose? or once the water is conditioned minerals would not build up in the tank? The tank does get a quite a bit of heath from direct sunlight in the hotter months.
After the water storage tank but before the pump.
This option seems to be the most logical to me as the conditioner will possibly extend the life of the water pump and the conditioned water will not be sitting in the tank.
After the water pump installed at the roof of the building.
At this point there will be higher and constant pressure. I am not sure how important that is for the effectivity of the water conditioner.
After the water pump at apartment level on the 4th story. This is also an option, not sure if it makes any difference from option 3, possibly reduced pressure.

Also a follow up question, if installing after the water pump is it safe to use the pump maximum flow for selecting the water conditioner of should water flow be measured anyways?


texts:
I'd recently been given an EMF meter and when I turned it on, the EMF around most of the house was around 15 head height. If I'm downstairs and raise it to the ceiling it's well above 100 and the same upstairs putting it towards the floor. Now this is a bit worrying as we've been living in this house for the last 16 years but not only that I've recently had kids and where my 3-year-old sleep's he's being pummelled with 20 gauss.

I'd turned all power off at the fuse and proceeded to remove fuses to narrow down which circuit was causing the high levels. My first thought was it must be the light circuit as it was the roof and floors that had the highest readings but it turns out it was the outlet circuit that's causing the issue.

I've done some research and found that a neutral wire returning via a different live wire can cause this to happen and is in fact quite a common issue.

So my question is where and how is it best to start to find where that neutral wire has gone astray?

I'm currently in the process of getting our old fuse box replaced with a newer version. So thought now would probably be a good time to look into getting this sorted. Thanks for your help in advance.


texts: Is it ok that my laundry drain trap is tilted?

texts:
I'm working on the drain for my laundry, and there isn't enough space to fit a vertical drain pipe above the P trap.+
Is the vertical pipe coming in being slightly offset going to be an issue with the inspector? (The P trap itself is level).


texts: Only one side of 220V Outlet has power. Dryer shuts off after 5 minutes

texts: Two weeks ago I fried the dryer outlet and plug and replaced both.   I made a short 90 second video explaining the problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55AfK_y1RGo  Here's the background: We ordered a new dryer and when it arrived the plug was not connected.  I wanted to check to make sure it was the right outlet for the plug before I connected the plug to the dryer, so I plugged in the (disconnected) dryer plug to the outlet.  It sparked and I turned off the electricity.  I realized this was because the dryer plug connection points were all crossed in the packaging.  So I changed out the outlet and ordered a new plug (also fried).  I tested with electric meter ONLY on one side of the 220V and it had power so I thought I was good to go.  The dryer turned on and we looked like we were headed for the promise land  only to find out that the dryer ran for 5 minutes and shut off.  This happened 3 times.  So we unplugged, and I rechecked the voltage and only one side (THE BLACK WIRE) had power (120V).  The other side (RED WIRE) did not.   What's strange is we checked the breaker box and BOTH sides had power. hmm...  Could the RED wire in the plug have gotten damaged?  Do I need to replace the entire cord running from breaker box to outlet.


texts:
I'm from South India.  My home roof is built with steel panels. During the summer, the roof will get too hot.  I don't know much more about how cool in natural way.

Is there a way to cool the roof naturally?


texts: How can I calculate the minimum allowable cross sectional area of a table leg?

texts:
I plan to DIY a 6 legged table with the following dimensions:

140 cm long
70 cm wide
100 cm high

I know the breaking strength of the wood, but not sure how to calculate how thickness of the table legs that I need. The loading weight for the table will be around 400~500kg.

I'm planning to use 6cm * 6cm wood for the legs. Is that big enough to be safe?


texts:
I am installing a 5' x 3' kitchen island consisting of two base cabinets.  Once I've installed the two base cabinets, SilestoneUSA will install a quartz counter top.

My plan is to screw two parallel 2x4 blocks/cleats to the floor, then screw the cabinets to the cleats, as pictured here:

  source: Step #6, photo #11 of Installing Kitchen Cabinets

Given the layout of our kitchen, the cleats will run parallel and in-between joists.  This way the screws I drive through the cabinet into the cleats will be hidden by the toe kick.  These cleats will be screwed 8" to either side of one joist.  Once everything is finished, I think most of the load be distributed on a portion of the hardwood floor ultimately supported by three joists... although full weight of the cabinet & counter will mostly be distributed in-between one joist!

The kitchen has a hardwood floor supported by 2x8 with 16" centering.  The 2x8's span 11'6".  The 5'x3' (15 sq ft) quartz countertop weighs about 18 lbs/sq ft.  Can my floor support the weight of the counters?

Here's a picture of my plan:

  2x4 cleats will be drilled into floor.  Masking tape marks approximate location of 2x8 joists spaced 16" apart.


texts: Finishing basement. Need advice for receiver/speaker setup

texts:
I am finishing my basement and have been looking for a solution that'll allow me
to do the following:

Play sound from my TV to a number of ceiling speakers placed throughout the basement
Play music from a USB stick to the ceiling speakers
Play music from a device (like an iPod/iPhone/Android device) to the ceiling speakers

Those are the basic requirements.

I am not an audiophile. I just need a decent receiver and some decent ceiling speakers. I am not
looking to spend 1000s of dollars on this either. I do want the sound to be "rich" and not tinny.

Here's the receiver I am considering to buy: Denon-AVR-X2200W

And here is the type of ceiling speaker I am considering: Infinity CS60R

I plan to buy 6 in total.

Here's a drawing of the layout of the basement.

Nice-to-have:

Ideally, it would be awesome if the receiver would allow me to create 2 "sound zones" so that
I can send the same sound to both zones or send one sound to one zone and another sound source
to another zone and set the volume level of each zone individually. For example, Zone 1 could be
the ceiling speakers (4) which are not directly above the sitting area where I watch TV. And Zone 2
could be the ceiling speakers which are above the sitting/TV area (2). In that case, I would love to
be able to send the TV sound at one volume level to Zone 2, and music from a USB stick would be
played to Zone 1 at another volume level. Is this possible?

Questions:

What do I need to buy besides the receiver and the speakers? Obviously I need to buy cables
so that the general contractor can run the cables from the receiver to wherever they need to
go. But which cables should I buy? And is there anything else I need to buy besides cables?
How should the speakers be placed to get the best "sound experience". I have indicated in
the drawing how I intend to have the ceiling speakers placed, but I'm not sure if the placement
is "correct" or optimal.

Thank you in advance.


texts: Are turnbuckles required for cable railing?

texts:
I'm installing wire rope for a fence. It would look something like this fence here: .

I was thinking of using a hand winch to tighten the rope. So let's say the winch does its job, I crimp the ends, and the wire rope is tight. My question is: do I really need turnbuckles?

I've had issues finding stainless steel turnbuckles. The ones at Amazon look flimsy, and the ones I've seen at other websites are just too expensive.


texts: How to remove super tight sink faucet supply hose nut

texts:
I am trying to remove this supply line nut but it is on super tight.  and because it is connected to a softer pipe just right below it, the whole thing moves along when I try to unscrew the nut so I can't get much leverage as I'm afraid I might break the whole thing.
Does anyone have any ideas I can try ?
Thanks


texts: How can I reduce the force required to operate double-hung windows?

texts:
I'm looking to create or even just buy a product that can be mounted onto any single- or double-hung window where the user doesn't need a lot of force to open/close a window. This is for an elderly home where the windows are hard to open for the older folks. They don't have much strength to push up or down the windows. I was thinking of creating a hand crank linked to some gear teeth along the window to make it easier for them to open it. An electronic system would work too, but that would require running a power line or changing batteries.

Have there been any solutions for such a requirement? I'm sure it has come up for the handicapped and elderly.


texts: What are the rules for unplugging a refrigerator?

texts:
I'd like to unplug my fridge for a few hours each evening to have silence in my small studio while I fall asleep. It is on a timer, so it happens at random times through the cooling cycle. I was warned that this could be a problem if I unplug the compressor while it is running, and perhaps I'm supposed to turn the
temperature down/off for 30 minutes first.

Can anyone confirm this? Is there anything else I need to be aware of when unplugging the fridge?


texts:
I have three small recessed lights, set into a false ceiling where a mini-central air conditioning unit is set. The lights do not turn on.

The lights are small E14 base mini-spots

I replaced the bulbs, I definitely have 3 fresh bulbs
I checked the fuse (of course), and in any case it shares a circuit with other lights which are working fine.
I used a multimeter to check the AC voltage across the light switch itself, it shows a normal 230V when open and 0V when closed
I checked the voltage across the contacts for each of the 3 fixtures. They show 230V (as expected) when the switch is on.

And yet, when I put bulbs in, they do not turn on. I could see how one fixture might become damaged, or the contacts bent, or a wire frayed, but all 3 is unlikely.

One strange reading. With the switch off, I thought I saw a ~50V reading across the terminals of each fixture, whereas it should be 0V. I thought I must have the meter wrong.

Working with 230V/50Hz AC European-style.

Any suggestions what I can do next?


texts:
I moved into an apartment with a loud (and somewhat not so cooling) PTAC in-wall AC unit. Each room has its own, a total of 3. The land lord is super cheap and only replaced the 8+ year old unit in the bedroom. That bedroom unit is relatively quiet and very efficiently cooling the room. The living room one is loud and does not cool so well.
What can I do to reduce the noise?


texts:
Cliched story, I know: I didn't use the generator (4 Stroke Briggs & Stratton) for a long time, and when I tried it, it wouldn't start.

I'd pumped the gas out of the tank after I last used it, but I probably made the mistake of not running it to empty, so I figured that would be the problem.

Not that I really knew what I was doing, but I took apart the carb (not a full disassembly: just taking the cover off the bottom) and dumped out the gas that was there, and opened the shutoff to flush the remaining gas out. Closed it up, added gas and turned on the shutoff, and it caught and ran... for a second.

Tried this again (opening, flushing) a bunch of times more, but IIRC it maybe sputtered to life briefly once more.

I changed the spark plug. I also opened the air filter cover, opened the choke, and sprayed with carb cleaner. Closed the choke,started it up... and it ran for a second or two before sputtering out.

Each time I sprayed carb fluid in it would run for a second or two. If I acted quickly and sprayed more fluid in right after pulling the starter, it would keep running, though I didn't keep going this way for any extended period.

From this, I presumed it meant gas wasn't reaching the carburetor. I took the fuel line off where it met the carb, put the line into a gas can, and opened the shutoff, and fuel ran.

So gas is presumably reaching the carburetor from the tank. And if I'm able to sort-of run the generator (for a short time) by spraying carb cleaner into the air intake, something is reaching the cylinder.

But I'm stumped. Could it be that I'm consistently putting the carburetor together incorrectly? The only real loose part that had to be put back in place was a small spring.


texts: Is caulk acceptable for filling nail holes in baseboard?

texts:
Several folks in this very helpful thread suggest using putty to fill nail holes during baseboard installation.  I've got multiple contractors doing work on my remodel and one says caulk isn't a good choice because it will shrink and be noticeable later on.

The contractor who will be installing the baseboard wants to use caulk because he's using it to fill the gaps along the top edges between the baseboard and wall.

Does anyone have experience using caulk to fill holes in MDF baseboard?


texts: How do I put multiple lights on one switch on a timer?

texts:
I have 4 lights outside that are all wired to 1 light switch inside.

What is the best/cost effective way to put all these lights on a timer?


texts:
I am installing a wood burner with a false chimney breast around a double skinned flue. The chimney breast will be metal stud (or do you only call it a stud if it's wood?) with fire board as per regs about distance between the flue and combustible material. I have several wires that I would like to run down the inside of the stud work, like you would for a normal dry wall. Is wiring combustible? If so is there a trunking that I can place it in? I could get metal trunking - this would stop it burning, but would it stop it melting!?
I've found quite a few other similar questions, however I wasn't sure in most of them if the fireplace was in use/if they were asking if they could use the old flue as a duct for wiring!!


texts:
In the middle of a bathroom remodel and I have the walls gutted.  I'm considering installing an outlet on the far side of the bathroom which will be near a toilet.

There's an existing GFCI outlet near the sink area.  I'd like to run a line from the load of that GFCI to the new outlet.

Do I need to have a second GFCI because it'll be within a couple feet of the toilet?  Or is just being on the load acceptable?


texts:
Under our garage is a cement room (23' x 20', 8' high).  We added it to the construction plans as a storage room, with the option of using part of it as living space.  Everyone seems to think it would make an amazing home theater room...  ^_^

Well, before we can even use it effectively for storage, I need to get more lights installed.  Framing the room seems a good way to make the space more usable, and get a roof I can attach lights to.  But this raises some unusual (for me) questions.

How do I frame the ceiling?  Do I just follow the basic plan for framing corners so I can attach sheetrock, or are there other concerns?

We plan on putting a wall through the middle and dividing the room.  So the final spaces will be approximately 19.5' x 11', with ceiling members across the 11' dimension.  What dimension lumber do I need, for the ceiling?  2x4?  2x6?

There is a connection for the central air system in one wall:  a "source" against the ceiling, and a "return" against the floor.  I believe I can simply put a grate over the return once we finish the wall, but do I need a minimum depth to the ceiling to support running ducts across the room?

These are the only major concerns I have planning this, but if anyone sees anything likely to come up, feel free to warn me.  ^_^


texts: Which kind of board is easiest to work with?

texts:
I am building a model for a school and need a material to build it out of. I was wondering which of these three boards are easiest to work with? MDF, Chipboard, Pine or Plywood?

The following are the most important in my choice

How easy is it to get a "natural wood" finish in the material? Be it a veneer or stain
Can It be Laser Cut?
How easily is it cut and drilled?
How well does it glue to other pieces of the same wood?
Will it easily be deformed?

P.S. Is this on the correct site? I colud not find another site on SE to put this question on.


texts: Should I run two gas water heaters if I don't need to?

texts: We purchased a house recently that has two water heaters(configured in series). I just realized that the first one hasn't been running as the thermocouple was defective. For 6 months we had no problem using just the second one. If we don't need the extra water capacity is there any need/benefit to having the first water heater consuming gas? Would having the first water heater lessen he amount of "work" the second heater needs to do? Or, am I just wasting gas?


texts: Plumber Broke A Wire Doing Repairs, Can I Charge Them for Electrical Work?

texts:
Much like the title of the questions says; my HOA had to have a plumber come out to replace the risers for the building.

After they finished, I noticed that half my unit was without power.

Electricians came out and found that a wire inside of my conduit was broken. The wire appeared to have been pulled too hard and snapped (this is a little bit of conjecture, we can certainly say the wire was not cut). The total cost for the electricians to come out, identify the broken wire and replace it was ~2,000.00 for me.

Can/should I bill the HOA or the plumbers for the repair work that needed to be done to me wire?


texts:
We have high sleeper bed that will fit sideways across our narrow bedroom(194 cm). We are adapting it to fit snugly against the walls.
There is a window with a radiator underneath that will be partly covered by the bed. The middle support beam that holds the legs in place will be in the way.
If we attach the legs to the walls , will we be able to make do without this beam?


texts: How can I allow 911 first responders to access a locked residence?

texts: What if I live alone and cannot unlock the door during an emergency? What can I do to enable 911 responders to enter my residence without tearing down the door?


texts:
I purchased a ring doorbell 2 for my sister for Christmas. I am pretty tech savvy and offered to install it for her last night. I went through the instructions several times but I was not able to get it working correctly.

She has a digital chime that is about a 5 second sound of the "Big Ben" clock. Due to this, I followed the instructions of using the included diode. No matter which combination of the two wires and the orientation of the diode, as soon as the power was turned on at the breaker, the chime inside the house would continuously go off. It didn't seem to make it through the full chime before it kept looping and starting over which made me think it was a power issue.

I tried both with and without the diode as I am certain it is not a mechanical doorbell and was not successful.

The wiring used in her home for the doorbell is a cat5/6 cable and only two of the wires are hooked up to the doorbell, the others are cut back to the edge of the casing.

I asked her to take a look in the garage for the transformer to send me some pictures but she claims she couldn't find it (would a digital chime use one?).

Anyway, I am lost on what direction to go with this now. She likes the existing indoor chime and I don't want to have to buy one of the Ring door chimes to fix this issue.

Questions:

Could the doorbell not be getting enough power as it is only going
over a low voltage cat5/6 cable?
If the power is the problem, can the transformer be upgraded and if so, how does that impact the existing chime? Wouldn't that then receive too much power?
Anything else I can look at to try and resolve this?


texts: How do I anchor wall-mount hooks to studs if the mounting points need specific spacing?

texts:
I have two road bikes I want to mount on a basement wall. I have the mounting hook, which is something along these lines. Two screws (and whatever variety of plug/anchor), and the hook holds the bike from the top wheel. The bikes weigh about 19 and 27 pounds.

Space is limited, and because of that I want to mount the hooks as close to a corner as possible, and as close together as possible (so there's enough room for the handlebars in between. The ideal distance from the corner to the first hook is 10", and about 19" from that (29" from the corner) to the next hook. I don't have a stud finder (I can pick one up tomorrow though), but if they're 16" apart, clearly this won't line up.

I'm looking for any common techniques for scenarios like this - I assume mounting to the drywall is out of the question with that load (I've confirmed the drywall by drilling in a couple places, there's also 4" of insulation behind the drywall between studs). I also want to avoid destroying the wall with more than 4 holes if possible, it's a rented apartment.


texts: Should I (can I?) temporarily unmount breaker box to drywall behind?

texts:
My electrical panel is mounted on plywood which is secured by 4 nails into a stud and the top 2x4.
I want to drywall this last bit of wall.  Can I pull those nails and temporarily prop the panel on something while I drywall?  Do I need an electrician?  Should I leave it alone and drywall around it?  What should I do?


texts: Half my breaker panel went out and the other half when turned on has AFCI light

texts:
I got home last night and about half the lights and appliances were out.

The breakers were not tripped and turning them on didn't help. Some breaker circuits had electricity, and some didn't. The distribution seemed pretty random. For the breakers that did have electricity, the AFCI light was on in the breaker panel.

Unplugging almost everything also didn't help.

What might be wrong? Do I need an electrician?


texts: Are there any latex house paints that aren't 100% acrylic anymore?

texts:
Although I've heard of latex paints that use a mix of other binders (eg. styrene acrylic or vinyl acrylic), and therefore aren't 100% acrylic, I've never seen them in real life.

Are we pretty much at the point such that 99.9% of latex paints you see in a hardware store are "100% Acrylic," or should we still be paying attention to the percentage of acrylic binders in a latex paint?


texts: What would cause my sink to back up and my dishwasher pipe to overflow?

texts: So I installed a new disposal and connected the dishwasher directly to the disposal. I put a stopper in the second drain pipe the dishwasher was draining to and all has been ok. Recently, the sink isnt draining, I tried snaking, plunging, and removed and reinstalled the pipes. I removed the plug on the second drain pipe under the sink, but now everything is overflowing and spilling up under my sink. Any suggestions on what else I could do here? This is my last step before biting the bullet and calling a plumber.


texts: I hope we didn't screw this up. We're in a rental and there was mold (blackish/grayish spots but it didn't look fuzzy) on the bare sheetrock garage walls and near a dryer vented into the garage (fixed now) and seemingly from a now-fixed leak. Also same stain/spots under kitchen sink. Mngmnt refused to do a pro inspection and sent their handyman. He sprayed a bleach-based mold killer on at least some of it (I suspect not all of it), replaced 2 small sections of dry wall, painted Kilz basecoat over it and called it good. He did not ventilate the area, did not clean up the dead mold and now it's painted over. I am quite allergic to mold and on a steroid inhaler now due to living here. I feel worse the day after this work but it could be part of a cold and it may be anxiety over not knowing if what was done just made it worse. If money weren't an issue, we would have gotten a pro inspection and remediation. Will someone please tell me what the handyman did will at least contain the mold? We are thinking of fogging the whole house and even the ducting with Concrobium to coat and encapsulate the mold. I want to paint a Kilz latex over the base coat, too. We've got 10 more months on this lease and I am hoping not to be miserable or permanently sick from this. Any thoughts/opinions/ideas?


texts: Do I really need buildup strips under laminate countertops?

texts:
We have our laminate countertops for at least part of the kitchen cut and glued together (and secured with miter bolts). In looking for info about attaching it to cabinets, I found that most websites say you need to use buildup strips.

As I understand it, the reason is twofold - one, you can drill through it and into the countertop from beneath to secure it to the cabinets below, and two, you can increase the vertical clearance for the drawer fronts to open in case they might interfere.

With our countertops, there's no interference (see photos). Are there other ways of attaching the countertop to the cabinets securely without buildup strips? If not, are you just screwing the buildup strips down through the thin plywood wall of a cabinet to secure it?


texts: What are the pros/cons of Ondura for roofing?

texts: I came across Ondura in Lowes this morning and had never heard of it.  It looks pretty slick.  Does anyone have experience with it to share?  I found no matches when searching here and was sort of surprised, as it seems very DIY for re-roofing.


texts: Should I replace a carport post as it was originally built or with an upgraded column?

texts:
I’ve got a 60s era carport with a rotted post. It’s a low slope cantilevered roof about 20 feet long. It has two posts on each corner at the front, and the back is supported by the house.

The rotted post is a 2x4 sandwiched by 2x6s like an I beam.

I could replace it as built, Doug fir 2x. The roof is big enough that I’m a little concerned about a 2x4 holding up all that load.

The pier this rests on is perfectly sized for a 4x6. What holds me back from putting in a 4x6 is I don’t know about cutting a birds mouth into an existing beam, and the pier is not very level.

What do you all think? As built or how to sub in a bigger column?


texts:
So, I am in need of something that will help me find my buried well cap.

Basically I want to attach something small to the end of a steel line and then track with the phone through the ground.

I've seen a number of things which seem close but my knowledge and experience is such that I need more help in focusing my efforts.


texts: From factory the J-Bolt Gate hinge is too large, the gate will sag -how do I fix it?

texts: I have the below two pieces. When #1 is connected to #2 which is set in horizontal position, #1's hole is too large and it goes downward, the result is that the gate will sag


texts: Which foam to use for temporary leak remediation?

texts:
I have a leak around a vent pipe in my attic.  Unfortunately I cannot get someone out to fix it for several days, and we have a hurricane coming so I can only imagine the rain is going to get worse.

I want to try to prevent as much further damage as I can to my ceiling, so I planned on either tying a towel around the pipe to catch water, or putting a pan/bucket under where the water is coming in.

Additionally however, I was advised that using a spray foam sprayed into the area of the roof where water is coming in could be a good temporary solution.  I'm confused as to which to use however.

Here is a link describing the different foam types, one sounds water tight, one isn't.  I'm worried that using a closed cell (water tight) foam could pool the water elsewhere and cause damage to another portion of the roof.  Whereas the "open cell" foam is listed as not being water tight - would this foam even help me at all?

Keep in mind this is only meant as a temporary solution to hopefully get me through the weekend without significantly more damage.  Which foam should I use?  Are there any other pieces of advice I could do to limit damage?

My roof is on a 4th story townhouse, so unfortunately tarping my roof is not an option.


texts: Need some advice on re-wiring kitchen, one empty breaker left

texts:
I am working through a Kitchen remodel and have discovered some weird wiring situations. Below is a current breakdown of some of my breakers. We are moving the microwave to an over the range hood combination and I already put that plug on a dedicated breaker. Breaker 3 I just re-ran on a dedicated breaker as well as those two wall plugs used to be on Breaker 2.

My plan is to move the garage door opener to Breaker 1. I still have 1 unused breaker on my panel and am not sure what I should move to it, the fridge, dishwasher, or sink disposal or a combination of those three. Thoughts?

Located in Montana.

Breaker 1 (20 Amps)
"Garage"

Wall Plug (Freezer)
Also use for Table Saw, Chop Saw
Outside Flood Light (LEDs)
Overhead Light (LED)

Breaker 2 (20 Amps)
"Basement"

Overhead Light (LED)
Overhead Light (LED)
Overhead Light (LED)
Wall Plug in closet
Wall Plug in closet
Wall Plug in Bedroom (Floor Lamp)
Wall Plug in Bedroom (Phone Charger)
Wall Plug in Living Room
Dishwasher
Sink Disposal
Garage Door Opener

Breaker 3 (20 Amps)
"Small Appliance"

Wall Plug counterop (small appliance)
Wall Plug counterop (small appliance)

Breaker 4 (20 Amps)
"Kitchen"

Fridge
Wall Plug Countertop (small appliance)
Backporch Light (LED)
Overhead Lights (6 LEDs)


texts:
Unfortunately I did not take a picture of how the original fan was wired, but I have 5 wires going to the fan, and the fan appears to have connections for 7, help?

Schematic:

Wires to the unit:

Unit's wires:

3 control switch- light, fan, heat

I'm sure that previous fan had exhaust, heat, and light working independently, but again I did not have the foresight to take a picture of that before removal. My dad says it's not possible, am I crazy?


texts: Light switch turns on outlet instead of fixture

texts:
The bathrooms in my house all have 3 switches, controlling the main light, the exhaust fan, and a shower light, in that order. However, in my master bath, the first switch is accidentally controlling an outlet (just outside the bathroom). The second switch ends up turning on the main light, and the third switch turns on both the fan and the shower light. The second and third switches, however, will only work when the first switch is turned on.

My guess was that the first switch had line/load flipped by accident, but when I made that change, turning the switch on just flips the breaker. Inside the box all three wire pulls look identical, so I'm at a bit of a loss. Could it be the third switch that has the line/load mixup? I can post a picture tomorrow if it's helpful.

edit: Electrical was all installed new 3 years ago, so it's all up to code, has neutral, etc. This seems like it must've been a Monday morning screwup as they finished the job.

edit 2: Maybe unrelated, but the main light has also burned out multiple bulbs in the past 2 years (edison and LED bulbs). I thought this was a fixture issue, so I swapped that out, but it continues to happen. Eats a bulb every 6 months or so.


texts: How to level a floor that got out of level from a beam breaking underneath the house

texts: So I tried to get pictures, but I couldn't get any that you could really see how unlevel the floors are. I want to be clear, I am a frame carpenter who is familiar with the correct terms, and I am talking about a beam, not an I-joist. I was able to repair the beam and level the joist around it. The floor is much better, but it sat on top of that broken beam for over 12 years so its not great. Its good enough to where you can't see it in a photo, but bad enough to where its still noticeable. Using an 8 foot level I can tell its off as much as 3/8 an inch in some places. What I am wondering is if I can use a self-leveler on that, or if I should rip the floors up and put new sub flooring?


texts: How do I know what wood was used to construct our attic? Need to know how much load it can tolerate

texts:
I'm reading a book and it lists different max loads for different woods.
It lists loads for (1) Douglass Fir-Larch and (2) Hem-fir
My attic is made with a dark brown wood. How do I know what type of wood was used to construct the attic?

The house was built in 1939 in Southern California (don't know if this helps to identify it)

Here's a picture of the attic.  (Could it be redwood?)


texts: Is there a replacement mailbox lock that is more pry-resistant?

texts:
The communal curbside mailboxes at my townhouse frequently are pried open. (The unit is a Salsbury Industries, Aluminum 3504ASU Surface Mounted Vertical Mailbox with 4 Doors and USPS Access).
I know the lock on my personal box can be replaced, as I replaced it after an earlier pry-open damaged the latch.
Is there a type of latch that is more resistant to prying that could be swapped in? Or is the problem the metal of the door being too flexible? There are tons of supposedly more secure boxes available online, but I'm hoping for a fix that could be applied individually, and it seems that would mean reinforcing the door or improving the lock.


texts: How to bore a hole from inside the crawlspace?

texts:
I need to drop some conduit in my crawlspace and run it under the brick skirting in order to install some conduit.  Once outside the skirting, I plan to rent a trencher to do the majority of the run, but I'm having some trouble figuring out exactly how I can get from the crawlspace under the house to the trench I'll be cutting later.  There isn't all that much room in the crawlspace - perhaps 36" vertical when positioned between the floor joists.  Obviously the conventional posthole diggers (the powered kind) wouldn't work in this situation because of the lack of room to maneuver.

One thought I had was to use a garden bulb augur:

However, some of the reviews of these that I read described people trying to use them to dig holes in a non-gardening application like mine.  Those reviews indicated that either the augurs or the drivers used to power them may strip or otherwise not be able successfully dig the hole.

Beyond this, I haven't thought of many alternatives.

Update:
I tried the bulb augur idea and discovered, somewhat embarrassingly, that the brick skirting extends down below the surface at least 18" and very probably a good bit more than that.  Busting out subterranean masonry under the foundation of a house is a bad idea, even if I could do it (and I'm pretty sure I can't).

@Craig's answer was right: I'm going to use an LB and run the fiber out the same hole being used by an outdoor power outlet.  The fiber is a multimode 50/125 OM3.  The bend radius is unspecified in the documentation for the cable, so I've contacted Tripp Lite's support to get that information.  In the meantime, I found a comparable cable with a long-term radius of 5cm, and the LB will allow for that.

Also, on the augur itself: it performed admirably.  I didn't have any trouble digging the hole it claims to be able to dig.  It did bend at the chuck somewhat when I tried to ram it into the underground masonry, but that's pretty stiff abuse and I wouldn't expect it to do better than it did.  Also, using a hammer driver was pretty important too, or the augur bit might have stripped.


texts:
I need to run a 60 AMP subpanel and have about a 45' total wire run between the main panel and the proposed location of the subpanel. I have a piece of underground feeder cable (6 gauge copper with 10 gauge bare wire).

This is a residential installation, single family.

My question is, would there be any reason I can't use the UG feeder in the basement? It's the gray, flat wire.


texts:
There is water slowly leaking by the bottom of the bathtub even when there is no water running.
We have called a plumber but I'm wondering what what the cause might be.


texts:
I have very thin cracks in my basement floor and I'm attempting to patch them before trying my hand at acid staining the floor.

I've read some differing opinions on the use of hydraulic cement or urethane.

I plan to chisel out the cracks a bit beforehand, after that what product is best?

Thanks!


texts: PVC solar 2" pipe joints degrading from ultraviolet...something I should anticipate more of?

texts: I've had leaks develop from the pipe joints on my 2" main PVC lines that feed solar network for pool heating. Tech pages say pipe should be painted white but will that do anything for the couplers? That's where the problems are occurring, so I imagine it must be something to do with the glue bond breaking down. System is tens years old...thanks for pondering this out there!


texts: Is a reciprocating saw the right tool to saw 2cm/0.8" hardened steel?

texts:
I have a bicycle that's locked with a 2 cm/0.8" hardened steel lock that I have unfortunately lost the key to. I would very much like to get the bike operational again, but all I have is a 900W reciprocating saw. I had some moderate success with it and a metal blade, until the blade became dull after getting about 1 mm through the lock. Note that this was a very cheap blade, and I'm sure I can get some that are harder and more durable, but is it actually worth the effort and cost of blades to use a reciprocating saw for this? Or is an angle grinder a better tool that I should acquire instead?

EDIT: And for those who are curious, the lock looks like this:


texts: How is a gable vent attached to vinyl siding?

texts:
Apparently this gable vent wasn't installed correctly as there is a horde of wasps that has moved in.  My plan had been to douse them with waspicide, remove the vent, and then seal the hole, but I'd rather not be standing there for a long time figuring out the "remove the vent" step.
Online, it seems like a lot of these are installed with nails from the outside, but there aren't any visible, so it's got to be something more clever.  Does it just snap on and off?  Do I have to climb inside my attic and unscrew something from the inside?


texts:
2 years ago I had a Bryant 2 Ton 13 Seer Air Conditioner + new furnace and coils installed in my 2800 sqft ranch style house with 6 bedrooms and 2 baths split evenly between the basement and main floor. My house was built in 1962 and it has some issues. The AC always has problems keeping up when it's above 90 - 95 degrees out. But, it's gotten worse recently.

2 weeks ago we opened up the basement to the main floor in the living room. Where there used to be a door / hallway and closet, we took all that out and more or less connected the basement main room to the living room in an open floor plan. Thus, there's no closing off the basement anymore. It's always open.

Also, my AC intake is in the upstairs hallway. I have the original ductwork which is 4inch tubes coming off of a 2ft by 1ft high main supply duct. It's all in my floor, none of it is insulated. There are two vents only downstairs, which is more than enough, we usually have them closed off and the downstairs still stays about 65 degrees while the upstairs won't go below 78 on really hot days (95+)

The windows are aluminium single pane. The ceiling has on average, 2 inches of blown-in teddy bear looking insulation. I know my roof has insulation issues because I get ice blocking on the heated part of the house in the winter.

I have a few questions:

Was my AC compressor sized correctly for the house?
Did I completely mess it up by opening up the basement?
Will replacing windows and adding insulation help much?
Finally, what else can I do to make it more efficient?


texts: What height should bathroom receptacle be off the ground?

texts: I am doing the rough-in electrical in my bathroom gut.  I want to put a few receptacles (outlets) above the vanity.  Is there a standard height I should be installing the receptacle?  I don't have a floor or a vanity yet so I can't just measure from the counter top.


texts: How to reduce the noise from a kitchen to a bedroom?

texts: What are some ways that I can use to reduce the noise from   the same apartment of a bedroom? The room is one door and wall separated from a shared kitchen, which is sometimes busy and noisy. I'd like to concentrate on study and sleep. I now play white noise from my laptop to drown the noise. The least expensive way the better, and I don't own the place and may only make minimal change and have more control of the room than the kitchen,  I may or may not be able to ask the owner to make some change, but I'd like to hear all possible  options. Thanks.


texts: Is it a problem that my post bases overhang the footing edge slightly?

texts:
I am building a pergola, which will be supported half by the garage with a 2x8 ledger board and half on 3 posts. I poured the 3 footings, without thinking too much and they only had 8" form tubes at the store. I really want to use 6x6 posts, because I like the look, even though it's a complete overkill.
(The span between each set of posts is 10', which will be supported by a pair of 2x8.)
I have rebar and anchors in the footings, however the OZCO 6x6 bracket will stick out about half an inch out of the footing. I realized now that the footings should've been quite larger to look proper.
I've done mechanical engineering, but zero construction knowledge, especially about concrete. How worried should I be about the brackets sticking out of the footings? (Also, Quikrete 5000 was used.)
Thanks a bunch!


texts: I meant to seal the knots on my trim with dewaxed shellac/sealcoat before priming and painting to prevent bleedthrough, but I got ahead of myself and primed already. Will going over the primer with shellac still work to prevent bleeding, or do I need to sand and start over? I know the shellac will stick, I just don't know if it will do any good.


texts: How to protect decking when it's already winter

texts: I have decking that looks in desperate need of some protector or oil. In the UK it's already quite wintery - temperatures are consistently around 5C (~40F), most days are wet. The instructions for all the protectors and oils that I see say to apply in temperatures over 10C-15C and only in dry conditions. How important is this? Should I assume that doing something is better than doing nothing? Is there any advantage to protector over oil in this situation (I think protectors tend to be water-based, so maybe less sensitive to wet weather?).


texts:
I need to frame a small header in my kitchen exterior wall for a range hood exhaust because the 8" hole is dead center on a stud (of course). It's a 2 story 1941 house with 2x4s 16 on center.

The problem is there is no bottom plate on the left wall cavity for the jack stud to sit on due to a furnace return duct. (getting rerouted)

I can't really open up the wall any further without removing cabinetry. Seems like I have 2 options.

Add the jack stud using structural screws to attach the king stud. Probably also toenail the header.
No jack stud, attach header with a structural L bracket.

Am I overthinking this? Any suggestions?


texts: What steps should I take to figure out which alarm model I have and how to go about installing a missing sensor?

texts:
My home has a central alarm system with keypad and every door and window set up with a sensor except for 1.

This 1 sensor was removed when the previous owners replaced the frame, and it keeps the entire system from being able to work.

I asked a local company for a quote and it was a few hundred dollars because they claimed they would have to replace the keypad and some other things. (they also claimed I had to buy monitoring, which seemed very odd, and sketchy)

I looked at the main circuits and could not find a brand name, so I am at a loss for which it is, which makes this task even harder.

So my question is:

What steps should I take to figure out which alarm model I have how to go about installing the sensor?


texts:
I have a hollow core interior door. The screws for the handle keep pulling out. To fix this I've used the biggest screws that will fit. I've tried a couple of different types of glue, and I've tried hollow door plugs. All of these solutions last a little bit and then the handle starts to pull out again which is a royal pain.
The other side of the door looks the same, except in reverse of course. Both sides are screwed in using wood screws.
I can buy a different size and shape of handle which will use different holes, but I suspect I'd just wind up with the same issue, i.e. the screws pulling out and then I'm back to square one.  I'd rather find a permanent solution to the problem.
What are my options for keeping my door handle on?

From a wider perspective:


texts: Medium term repair for cracked shower pan

texts:
The following crack appeared in our shower pan today when I stepped there:

I need a fix that will last 12-18 months until we re-model the bathroom, and I don't really care how it looks. This location is about half way between the drain and the wall. The pan is sitting on the concrete house foundation (no basement). Several other locations feel like they also have too much give to them.
Would a shower pan inlay be enough to fix that for a few months? Does that crack require a fiberglass repair kit to support and spread out the load? Both?
Looking for suggestions. Due to COVID19 and a high risk individual I need something I can do now, myself, without calling someone in.


texts: how can i attach a t-post to my well casing to allow an outlet to be mounted?

texts:
There is no ability to drive the post into the ground as there are close gas, water and power lines.  Hose clamps don't seem to be strong enough, nor wire ties.
I could consider a 'doghouse' right on top of the well casing but that invites animal and gas buildup issues.


texts: Is there an approved way of fixing a cracked Fiberglass Tub/Shower?

texts:
I noticed a crack in the bottom of my tub, and noticed that it flexed when I stepped near it.

I called in 2 companies to give me an estimate on repair.  The first, proposed a more or less straightforward fiberglass repair: laying down a new full sheet of fiberglass on the bottom of the tub and then a partial re-coating.

The second proposed a more expensive option that seems more long-term, but is much more radical.  They proposed cutting out the entire bottom of the tub and then pouring in new concrete to create a new support for the tub bottom.  Then, they would re-attach the tub bottom with fiberglass repair materials and do a partial re-coating.

This second method, while radical, seems to address the root issue.  However, in trolling the home repair areas of the internet, I do not find mention of this method.  That makes me insecure.  It is also double the price of the first approach.

Is anyone familiar with this 2nd approach?  What are the pros and cons?


texts: Install Smart Switch - Neutral wire from adjacent switch?

texts:
There are two switches that are side by side. The one I'm replacing with a Smart switch does not have a neutral. The adjacent switch is a 3-way switch and it does have a neutral. Can I share the neutral from the 3-way switch for my Smart Switch? Both circuits are on the same breaker.

The neutral wire is not connected to the switch but is joined in a marrette.


texts:
Less than one year ago my parquet floor was sanded and about 50% of it was replaced with new wood strips, sealed, and then buffed. Now, if my lovely cats happen to knock over their water and it spills on the floor, I end up with a few warped strips.

It makes sense that water seeping into wood would warp it but shouldn't there be some resilience to this?
Any suggestions on how to repair the warped strips?

I was thinking of something like mineral oil and a dumbbell.


texts: How deep are gas lines and electrical lines under ground (to code)?

texts:
Before I start, I know I should always call Diggers Hotline (or comparable service depending on where you live) to have them mark all under ground gas & electrical lines.

At what depth underground should gas and electrical lines in the US should be located (to code)?  I ask as I have seen this Diggers Hotline commercial where at the end of it, it seems as if the digger immediately hits a line when starting to dig - implying the line is extremely close to the surface. I am in the process of removing several bushes and that requires me to dig out the roots.


texts: What features should I look for in a small wooden shed for tool storage?

texts:
I live in Cambridge, England and I would like to buy a small wooden shed (about 4 meters square) to store my tools and a freezer but as I never bought one before I don't know the important features. I saw wall thickness of 12 millimeters and 14 millimeters but I don't know if it's enough or not to resist the wind.

Which other features are important? Are wooden sheds better than metal sheds?


texts: Replacing a light kit on a ceiling fan with a cap?

texts: I want to remove the light kit from a hunter fan.  What product do I use to cover the opening where the light kit was attached?


texts: How do I paint a metal sheet fence with a spray gun?

texts:
I am looking at painting a metal sheet fence with a spray gun.

How do I calculate the amount of paint needed?

What are the preparations that I need before painting, should I use a primer, do I need to wash it first with a pressure hose? Sand it?

The fence is a Galvanized steel fence, and it has been painted before. I will be spraying outdoors, and there is small gaps between the sheets. they are +- 2 meter wide sheets side by side.

The spray gun I am using: High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) system with 1.4-1.7mm Fluid Tip.


texts: Help me install a wlan smart switch - Problem with outlets

texts:
This is the fifth or sixth time I try to find help as nobody could help me (support of the switch didn't answer)

I currently purchased a smart switch and tried to install it but can't get it to work properly. (I think
the device works perfectly, but I mess up the correct wiring)

Here's my problem:

I connect everything according to the instructions. The lightswitch works!
(The proper wiring Is described in the manual,
You have to connect the neutral wire, the current-carying wire and the light switch wire in the holes for N, L, and load respectively.

But my outlets (normal outlets, basically all outlets in my room) don't work anymore. The outlets only work if the
neutral wire is connected to the current-carrying one. So I tried to install the switch as before (everything according to the instructions as above, so that the switch works) AND additionally wire the neutral wire with the current-carrying one (parallel). Now the outlets work but the the switch doesnt.

Thanks already:)

that's how the problem looks like(https://i.stack.imgur.com/5zcYH.jpg)

switch works, outlets dont (colors of wires not like in the books...all messed up)(https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y7zhD.jpg)

Outlets work, switch doesnt(https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gb7sx.jpg)

The switch I am using: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07RJHVDH4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_bjUWDb6T3AYWV


texts:
Product: Roebic Laboratories, Inc. 32-oz Drain Cleaner Crystals

I accidentally poured in almost half the bottle and now my bathroom sink water is not going in at all. What went wrong and how do I fix this issue. Please help.

Thank you,


texts: Need timber advice for building an outdoor frame to support a roof

texts:
I am trying to construct the the wooden frame as seen below. The brick pillars and wall exist already.

It's pretty much square with each side measuring about 3.5m
I am planning on using metal brackets to join everything together as I don't feel confident enough to attempt cutting joins. Once complete I plan to put corrugated roof sheets over the top.

My questions are:

What timber would be best suited? I am worried about warping. In South Africa we only seem to get pine.
Should I get the timber shop to cut the pieces exactly to size according to my design, or rather get the pieces a bit longer and cut it myself on site, in case the measurements are slightly off.
Should I try and seal or varnish the wood before assembling?

I drew the design to scale in SketchUp and I'd be happy to post the file if that would help.


texts:
Today I woke up to a nice surprise, a crack and stain on my first floor ceiling. The damage is below the shower wall of the upstairs bathroom, so I'm thinking this could be water related.

I'm new at this and would love to hear some advice for how to start diagnosing this problem.