texts: Why am I getting shocked by a water heater?

texts:
I saw this question earlier, and wrote a lengthy answer for it (offline, as the text editor is not friendly to embedded graphics).  When I went to post the answer, the question had disappeared.  It had 0 answers at the time.  My best efforts to search for it yielded nothing. So I am re-summarizing the question here, and posting my answer.

I am in the Philippines, and I am getting shocked by my shower with electric hot water heater.   The Philippine codes are very similar to American NEC.  We are getting new 240V service installed.

While we wait, we are using the old service that was present.  This provides 220V/240V between only two wires, and does not provide a neutral.  I installed a new 8' grounding rod, and measured from the grounding rod to each wire, and got 120V.

The shower is a Panasonic DH-3JL2P.  It wants hot, neutral and ground.  It is giving me quite a strong shock.  Why is it doing this?


texts: Can I use a refrigerator that's been disconnected for a year?

texts: I bought a new side by side refrigerator. Due to personal issues, we decided to use it after it spent one year in our new home, unplugged. Will any problems occur because of that?


texts: Unable to remove my hose pipe ( garden hose ) from the tap ( hose bib )

texts:
Attachment for hose pipe ( garden hose ) was screwed on too tight, now I am unable to unscrew it.

I've tried using a spanner/wrench but it won't budge.

How can I remove it ?


texts: I have two fixtures, a PVC pipe and a (3D Printed) socket made out of PLA that I would like to mate. I made a trip to the hardware store and was intimidated by the selection the fact that most cautioned against using on plastics. What kind of adhesive (and I'm not picky to glue, putty, epoxy or cement etc) do I specifically need?


texts: Ceiling Register Box Insulation and Airtightness - Is this correct?

texts:
I'm in the process of making all the ceiling punctures into my attic air tight and better insulated with caulk and spray foam to reduce moisture and my energy costs. However, the HVAC ceiling register boxes that are installed in my house don't look like typical ceiling boxes that I'm seeing online. The install looks a bit questionable too. These definitely don't look airtight and I can't even begin to think how to make them so.
My questions are:

Are these actual ceiling boxes?
Is this what would be considered a "typical" new-work install?
What would I need to do to insulate and make air-tight?
Would it be better to rip these out and replace the register with a old-work alternative such as the Airtec MV diffuser & grill combination?

Thanks in advance for the help!


texts: How can I repair a hole in the underside of a granite counter?

texts:
My granite counter problems started a few short years after installation. A crack appeared at each end of the sink where the pieces were joined. The cracks have since multiplied and now the underside has crumbled and left behind gaping holes at both edges of the stainless steel sink.   Any pressure on the edge of the sink causes movement.

Is there anything I can squeeze into these spaces (they are on the underside of the counter) that will harden and adhere to the granite and hold it in place?  It doesn't have to look pretty.  I don't have the money to have it pulled out and properly repaired, I just want to make sure it does not get any worse.


texts: Band board in contact with ground- how to waterproof?

texts: We recently bought a home built in 2004. During the inspection it was noted that there is what is assumed to be pressure treated wood "band board"or a ledger board (?)at the rear of the home adjacent to a patio. The house has a crawl space. There is masonry foundation in the front and sides of the house, but in the rear there is this two feet of treated wood buried with a few inches above ground. Should we excavate the area where the wood makes contact with the ground and waterproof? Should we replace with masonry? There is NO water currently going into the crawl space, but rain regularly flows towards this area.


texts: Can you increase amps in your house with an external breaker?

texts:
I would like to significantly increase the draw of power, or rather increase the maximum drawing of power to the house I live in.

But I'm looking for an external solution. This is a rental house. I would like to purchase something that can be externally attached to the house that will allow me to draw more power.

For context, I have many computers running in the house and want to run more.  The rooms and outlets are tapped out and I would prefer to not have to modify the property owners circuit breaker box.

Any ideas?


texts: Help identifying the manufacturer of a door by its sticker

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I have 4 steel entry doors on my house. 3 have matching stickers and 1 is the odd ball sticker but the door looks the exact same (for what it's worth). I'm hoping this amazing group can help identify the door brand by the sticker. I want to replace just the slab as replacing the package with side lights and transom is not needed (and $$$$).
The other three are Premdor Entergy doors. All fire doors for the garage.
Thank you for looking.


texts: Is there a minimum height for a small sub-panel?

texts:
A few years ago I installed a very small sub-panel for hot tub and one outlet.  The panel is mounted on a stem wall outdoors about 1.5' off the ground. It only has 2 breakers in it:  a 240volt for the hot tub and a 120v for an outlet for a outdoor lighting transformer. Both are GFCI protected. The hot tub is due for replacement so now would be a good time to update the sub-panel location if needed. I have some flexibility in the wiring and am thinking maybe I should mount it on a pressure treated post. There is a potential discrete location that would work near the hot tub location.  Everything would be in appropriate conduit of course.
The reason I did that is I thought I needed a "local disconnect", I'm not sure if that was accurate, but I think it still is.
So my question is: "Is there a minimum height for a sub-panel?"


texts: What size hole do I need in masonry for an anchor that takes a 1/2" thread?

texts: I bought these ladder hangers from Home Depot today. I have used anchors before, but I tend to not make the right size hole. What is the ideal size hole for an anchor that takes a 1/2" thread? How much smaller should the hole be than the anchor?


texts: 3 way circuit options to indicate if circuit is active

texts:
I've got a couple switches controlling an exterior light which is not directly visible from either switch. That causes issues if, for instance, I am leaving during daylight hours and know I will be returning after dark and want to have the light on. I need to flip the switch and then check to see if the light is on (or check, then switch) which is inconvenient (there's a similar issue checking to turn if off during daylight hours).

Ideally, I'd like to use something like the Lutron dimmer system where tapping the top always turns it on and tapping the bottom always turns it off. I don't need a dimmer function so I'd rather not pay for one. Alternatively, switches that had an LED indicator to show when the circuit is energized would work. Are there any products available that would provide either feature? For various not-very good reasons, mostly having to do with laziness, I don't want to use a motion sensor or light sensor and just leave it "on" permanently.

Thanks.

Colin


texts:
I am working on a kitchen remodel and pulled the plaster off of the exterior wall to find 2x2 studs with no insulation butting up to brick. My question is, do I have to reframe to meet code in the US?

I just had a bathroom remodel done, but can’t remember if there were 2x4s or 2x2s on the exterior wall. I know the contractor insulated the space, but don’t recall if he reframed the wall.


texts: How do I properly label/wire a switched subwoofer outlet?

texts:
All of my home theater components are in an under-stair closet that shares a wall with the back of my living room.

I already plan to run audio to the subwoofer in the living room, with a nice cover plate, etc., but I'd also like to power the subwoofer using the switched outlet on the back of my receiver/amplifier, so I'm not powering it 24/7.

Running an extension cord directly through a bare hole in the wall seems messy, is there a way to properly create a switched outlet on one side of a wall with a power cord on the other? How would I properly label it?


texts: Why does the air flow heavily from my downstairs vents, but very weak from my upstairs vents?

texts:
I live in a two-story townhouse where the first floor is ground-level on a slab.  On the first floor, all air vents are either on the ceiling or at the very tops of the walls.  Upstairs, the vents are on the floor.

When I have the heat or air conditioning on, the air flows heavily and healthily from the downstairs vents, so it's always warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  Upstairs, though, the airflow is very weak, so it's cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

What could be causing this disparity of airflow?  Do I need to have someone come out and do some cleaning or is there a more home-grown approach?


texts: 200Amps panel difficult in clamping aluminum cable due to limited clearance

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Sometime ago I installed Siemens Load Center a 200 amps breaker panel along with upgrading of the meter socket, overhang + cable, and service entrance cable. The 200amps aluminum cable is very rigid and difficult to work with especially in very limited clearance: the cable enter the building through a wall right below the circuit breaker panel as depict in the pic below:

[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/463/32750491135_37daa6be3d_b.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/429/32370165070_40ab0baa84_b.jpg[/IMG]

There is no clearance leeway and range to maneuver the cable in order to to get it properly clamped.  However, this cable is extremely rigid and heavy duty and could not be disturbed or yanked in any way which would make the clamp irrelevant for most any practical purpose

Only by rerouting SE aluminum cable and drilling another lower hole in the exterior wall would allow another point of entrance with  more clearance and thus allowing the  reshape of the cable and having it properly clamped as far as appearance goes, but this would be too much work for no gain besides the avoidance of possible hindrances with the inspection. I was wondering whether the NEC would accommodate this type of situation.

I am considering redoing this segment (from bottom of meter box to breaker panel) of the SE cable and replacing it by copper and conduit instead of this type of aluminum SE cable. But I would imagine that this type of situation can crop up and that NEC should have some type of provision to deal with it. Besides the clamps server almost no function in this situation.


texts: What is the recommended tire pressure for a sack barrow for different weight intervals?

texts:
Is there a recommendation for tire pressure of sack barrows (with 200 kg max load)? The pressure can obviously not be maximal (e.g. the maximum of the tire) since that makes it hard to climb stairs. It can also not be too low because this would require increasing the presure if one plans to transport more weight; a recommendation for 2 or max. 3 intervals (e.g. 0 kg to 50 kg, 50 kg to 150 kg and 150 kg to 200 kg) would be appreciated as well.

Search engine results only reveal information without references or feedback whether the values were approved in usage.


texts: What causes taps to make a loud bang sound when quickly closed?

texts: When quickly closing a water tap, I've often noticed a loud "bang" sound - this doesn't occur if closing the tap slowly. What causes this banging sound to happen?


texts: Replace drop ceiling with drywall and soundproofing

texts:
This is my basement ceiling this morning:

After a couple of hours, I removed all drop ceiling for entire basement with 1 living room and 2 bedrooms:

I would like to install drywall with access panels near plumbing and most IMPORTANT: Soundproofing.

I searched online and there are many ideas but I cannot decide which idea to go for. I want to achieve two purposes: (1) block from air travel and (2) block from floor transmit (vibration from someone walking on top). One issue is that I cannot do anything about the wall because it is just too much work. So the focus is the ceiling only.

So my options that I researched are:

Use regular R30 insulation and drywall. This seems cheapest but does it work OK most of the time for soundproof?
Use Acoustic Insulation Roll. But I don't know how to install this. Is it "wrapped" around the joist and basement ceiling plywood then install drywall below? Or it is sandwiched between two pieces of drywall?

Use Resilient Sound Isolation Clip for drywall
Use specialize product with both insulation and Resilient Channels

I would love to hear more advise and past experiences from everyone.

Thanks.


texts: Can I change an outside light to an outside electric plug socket?

texts: I have an outside light and a light switch inside the house. I have changed the outside light to a solar powered one and think it may be a good idea to change the existing light which runs off the mains into an outside electric socket. Is this possible, how to do it, and how difficult is it to do? Please advise!


texts: AMP-MFAH-M Replacement Media Filter for AHMAC - Merv 11

texts: Said filters are large and more expensive.  What is the advantage of this class of filter?


texts: New GFCI in garage is tripping when driveway lights are turned on

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So I had GFCI outlets put into the garage to use for Christmas lights outside. After installing, the christmas lights all work great but when I flip the switch in the foyer for the lights at the end of the driveway, the new outlets in the garage trip. Is this normal? Something maybe related...there are four lights at the end of the driveway, one of the lights has been out for a while and still wouldn't turn on even with placing a new bulb in. Should I take the light apart and check for faulty wiring or could the gfci be incorrectly installed? Thanks.

ADDED IMAGES : I added images for all things involved. The wiring in the garage, the light switch, and the one light at the end of the driveway that doesn't turn on. Any help is appreciated. Thanks again


texts:
A few days ago we had a good amount of rain that fell over a 36 hour period.  During this time, a leak showed its ugly face. I got up into the attic, found the water stream and traced it back outside to the pictures you see below.  The shingles are about at half of their life.

For reference, I didn't know the exact names, I cheated and used this that way I could speak half-intelligently on it and probably even make sense.

As you can see from the pictures, the water seems to be rolling up under the edge  (where's the drip edge?! even I know that one), getting under the the fascia and on the soffit.  I have a good feeling its following that outside wall there and getting inside.  Bonus, this is a joint between two, decently long slopes (~12'), so it sees a LOT of volume.  As a matter of fact, that last picture, the wood is STILL wet -- it rained 2+ days ago.

Anyway, my idea is to pull the rotten pieces out, nail in some flashing, replace the rotten pieces with fresh ones, maybe put in a drip edge if I can.  Anyone else have any better ideas/pointers and also -- if I had someone do this, what would that run?


texts: How do you remove hard water drop stains from (shower) glass?

texts:
I wanted to apply Rain-X to the inside of glass walls in the shower to minimize upkeep and prevent further water stains. But if possible, I would like to get the glass really clean first. The previous owner did very little upkeep and the glass is covered with water drop stains.

I already tried Windex and lemon juice with little results.

I'll post a picture if necessary to show the type of stains.


texts: Is there a minimum height for the the vent pipe circled in the image?


texts: Can I use the wiring for a range hood for a new outlet?

texts: I took the stove hood down to remodel kitchen. I capped off the wires, but I would like to some some kind of outlet in the wall using these wires. Is this possible?


texts: Help wiring an old HVAC blower to use as a shop fan

texts:
I replaced my old HVAC system and a friend suggested asking the HVAC company to leave the fan unit to use as a shop fan.
I thought it would be a simple task to add a plug to the motor and off it would go (or rather on...).
I've tried wiring black-black, white-white (there are multiple blacks & whites) with no luck. I appreciate your time!
Here are some relevant pictures.


texts:
I'm looking to buy living quarters in this basement level apartment. The only doubts I have are because some ~5 years ago, there was a giant flood in the city and had this building been couple blocks down the road, the basement would have been underwater.

Now there is already good ventilation from the common system on the roof of the building, there are no windows and I'm planning to install a heavy duty water proof door. All that remains is the concrete, the apartment is basically a concrete box all over, I looked around and didn't see any cracks or crevices but how likely is it that the entire 62m2 worth of concrete wall, floor and ceiling is completely water proof?


texts: What causes "old smell" in a clean but older house?

texts:
Older homes in warmer climates seem to have a somewhat common smell to them, even after cleaning them. Does someone with experience renovating such homes know what tends to be the cause of these odors?

I am not talking about smells from plumbing, the kitchen or even pets, but the smell that you can sometimes find in wooden sheds, back-country cabins or generally homes built in the 60s and 70s. Sometimes it reminds me of rodents, but only faintly.

I am about to do some renovations, and thought that if this is something that can be included, it would be worth it. For example if this was caused by wood or insulation that somehow got wet in the walls, we could clean out that wall cavity as part of a gut renovation...


texts: Should I use hammer mode or the clutch for a garden auger drill attachment?

texts:
I recently made this post related to using a Dewalt drill with a gardening auger. We have very rocky ground that is pretty hard to cut into, even with this auger.
I just purchased a Dewalt DCD996B hammer drill, thinking it might be a better choice for driving the auger. But now I am wondering whether or not a hammer drill with clutch engaged (drive mode) is any different than a normal drill? Obviously the hammer mode would be most effective, but it is also the most risky, since if the auger hits a root, my hands and arms are going to get pulled hard. Any thoughts on the best configuration here? I'm thinking: use the hammer drill with low speed, high torque, and high clutch setting (so it only slips for the strongest resistance).


texts: What is the material leaking out of my plumbing drain stack?

texts: This has been happening since about a month after we moved and we noticed a fluid leaking out of this pipe. It seems to be a sewage pipe. Whenever we flush, we can hear the water running down this pipe that there's this weird liquid the keeps leaking out from around the pipe itself. Does anybody know what this is?


texts: New Generator Circuit - 10/3 UF-B to NM-B back to UF-B through attic

texts:
I've found bits and pieces that answer most of my project questions, but still a bit unclear. I have about 50' of UF-B and about 25' of NM-B, all 10/3. My project is to run a dedicated circuit from exterior panel (30amp 2-pole breaker w/interlock) from one side of the house to the other out to an exterior 30 amp power inlet box.
My plan is to run 1" PVC with UF-B from panel up through soffit and then exit cable after the 90deg turn into attic. From there i would run to a suitable location in the attic for a junction box where i would splice the NM-B. From there I would go to the other side of house and transition through another junction box back to UF-B. Pop through soffit again to exit attic and run 1" PVC conduit to outlet. There is no plan to use conduit through attic other than section that breaks the soffit plane. I would attach wire to rafter/studs as appropriate. Is this reasonable/meet code?
My second option, is to minimize junction boxes and go UF-B from panel to NM-B through attic in one junction box. From there, run remainder of distance with NM-B and come through garage ceiling and run inside of garage/block. Run some EMT for NM-B wire coming down and drill a hole through concrete, out to outlet box. Per my understanding I would need some type of conduit for NM-B through concrete? (which I'm still not clear if that puts NM-B into a "wet"-type of location...?)
Attached is my interpretation of what this would look like. Appreciate any insight, corrections, and what the...?


texts: Faulty wire on ring main tripping fuse identified, but what could cause it? (UK)

texts:
Background

For the last 2 weeks the downstairs socket ring's breaker has been tripping (sometimes just the RCD would be down but most of the time it would be the ring's breaker and the RCD).
First it was every couple of days then once a day. I had ruled out all the electrical items plugged in one by one and took the sockets of a wall that was a bit damp just in case it was that.
This morning it wouldnt turn back on so I took out the multimeter split the ring and tested around the ring, disconnecting the lives until I found the 2 sockets where there is a live leg where the multimeter says its in contact with earth.
I have now reconnected everything else and the ring is working again (although its not a ring anymore as I have broken the circle)
On the bad wire Neutral to live is fine and so is neutral to earth.

The wire in question is newish when we renovated our house 5 years ago, the wires goes via the ceiling.

What can cause this to happen?

Water/leak from the bathroom?

If that was the case I would expect our spotlights to have issues (as we have lots in that area) and why would there be a break in the wire? Surely burying a junction box in the ceiling is a bad idea...?

Rodent / animal damage?
The renovation was extensive and we put new wooden floors and skirting everywhere so I can see how rodents would get in (we have never seen any signs of them)

Any other ideas?

EDIT
Update:
I have reconfigured the ring so its a ring again but 1 socket now has 2 sockets spurred off of it (where the wire between the spurs is the disconnected faulty wire).
So although I know its not ideal to have 2 spurs on 1 socket the sockets in question will never take much load (and have been labelled inside for suture owners )


texts: Can I remove center brace from these cabinets?

texts:
We are looking at doing a kitchen remodel, and one of the things that we want to do is move the location of our oven into the cabinet pictured.  We will also be replacing the countertop with either granite or marble or something.

These cabinets are "stick-built" - i.e. they are not modular cabinets.  So it's not as simple as replacing the existing cabinet with a different one.  The cabinets need to be modified.  I've already confirmed the inside dimensions of cabinet with the outer dimensions of commonly available ovens.

In order to fit an oven, the vertical brace in the middle would of course need to be removed (as well as the slide-out drawers, of course).  This seems straight forward to me, but when I had a couple of reps from the local depot of home hardware stuff come in for a consultation, they said that removing that brace would weaken the cross-beam too much and cause a problem with supporting the weight of the countertop.  They then said that in order to do what I want, they would have to replace all of the cabinets, or cut out that section entirely and use a slide-in range.

I'm no cabinetry expert, but it seems that removing that brace would not necessarily cause such a big problem supporting the countertop, especially since the area above the cabinet in question is a stove-top,  not solid countertop.  If the center brace is removed, the unsupported span would be 26".  The width of countertop between the stovetop and the edge is about 2.25" at the front and back.

I'm tempted to ignore their advice, but I don't want to make a very expensive newbie mistake.

Can anyone comment on whether this is a significant risk?  Anyone have experience with this type of situation?

NOTE:  It's not obvious from the pictures, but the shelf is not attached to the brace, just to the sides.  Also, the vertical piece in the back of the cabinet sits on the shelf and supports the back of the slide-out drawer.  None of those appear structural at all.


texts:
I’m replacing a portion of drywall that was previously covered in tile. The drywall is damaged enough that it needs replaced, not simply repairing.
The wall is 8’ and all tile was below the 4’ mark. My thought was to cut at the 4’ mark and replace that but I will run into corner beads and needed advice.
Is there an easy way to cut an already hung corner bead so I don’t have to replace/remud/repair the entire wall? Should I be thinking about this another way? Thank you for any thoughts/advice.


texts: Why is there no hot water in the kitchen after flushing our water heater?

texts:
My husband and I recently moved into a new house that has two water heaters. One is gas and supplies the main portion of the house, the second is electric and (as far as we can tell) only supplies the extra bathroom added in our garage conversion. We flushed the gas heater today and now have no pressure at our kitchen sink, but only when hot water is turned on. All bathroom faucets and our laundry machine are working fine.

We took the following steps:

turned off gas
turned off water
opened the pressure relief valve
opened the drain valve
let water drain
closed drain valve
closed pressure valve
refilled heater
turned on gas

Our only guess currently is that somehow the pipe to the kitchen clogged, but we haven't had a chance to try dismantling anything yet.


texts: Is it always two copper wires (one circuit) that you can run through when connecting a conduit to the box? The reason why I am asking was wondering if it is permissible to run four wires (two different circuits) to the panel box? Running out of connections to panel. Trying not to have a sub panel box yet. I do have one more slot that I can use if need be if you can't run the four wires or two different circuits which would be okay too.


texts: Why does my main water supply go down into the foundation?

texts:
The main water supply in our house comes up out of the foundation then sends cold water in four directions--the bathroom, the kitchen, the water heater, and back into the foundation.

I know why we need water in those first three places, but can someone tell me where the water might be going in pipe that re-enters the foundation?

Thanks!


texts: Two light switches, one light bulb, new switch

texts:
Recently I decided to replace a light switch in my garage with a RRW600U motion sensor switch.

The previous switch had three wires; black, red and white. There's another switch on this circuit that controls the lights as well. When I toggle the other switch, voltage moves from the black & red wires to the black & white wires.

When reading through the linked instructions for an existing 3-way switch it advises me to connection hot to the provided black wire, one of the runners to yellow and the power to the lights (load) to the red wire.

After some research I'm a bit confused as I would assume both the red & white wires are "runners" in this scenario and I'm not sure which one should be used as load. And to take it to a bit more practical level, wiring the switch up with black->black, red->red, yellow->white AND black->black, red->white, yellow->red prevents both switches on the circuit from functioning.

Any thoughts as to what I might be doing wrong? I'm happy to provide more details as need but not sure where to start.

Update - Here are some photos of the setup.

This is the outlet where I'd like to install the new switch. It shares a wall with the interior of my house.

This is the outlet with the secondary light switch. That's the far left switch. The middle and right control exterior lights.

Here's the run of electrical between the 3-gang box (right) and the wall that contains the switch I'd like to update (left).

The run of cables I mentioned above all run into the wall with the switch I'd like to update.

I can get more information if necessary.


texts: Kind of switch required to select between power sources

texts: I am installing a 2000 watt pure sine inverter in my RV to run a microwave oven. It is connected to the 110 volt shore power system. I would like to have the microwave and both the shore power and the inverter connected to a selector switch. I don’t know what such a switch is called so it is difficult to find. I hope this not a nuisance question but I have exhausted all of my research options. Thanks for your time.


texts: Lightbulbs burn out 3 seconds after turning on the light

texts:
I was sitting at my desk in my home office and I wanted to turn on the room light, but I couldn't reach - I was off from the switch by about 3 inches. Being too lazy to get out of my chair, I picked up my external battery pack (exactly the same one as shown below) which was on my desk, clipped a binder clip onto it and reached for the switch.

The moment I hit the switch on, the lightbulb flashed on and burnt out.

I thought "ok that was weird, I guess it was going to burn out anyway"

I got a new lightbulb, put it in and flipped on the lightswitch normally. The light went on but burned out after three seconds.

I thought it could be a coincidence (i.e. defective bulb) so I tried it again.

Same thing happened. Now I'm convinced that me turning on the light with my battery/binder clip contraption really screwed up the light.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what may have happened and how I might be able to fix it?

Note: All lightbulbs in this story are incandescent 60 watt, 120 volts.


texts: How long should it take a professional to lay a patio?

texts:
Two people laying paving stones, total area 5m x 3m, paving stones approximately 300x300, 300x600 and 600x600.

Roughly how many man hours is reasonable for this?

In particular, once dug out and hard core already down, how long just to lay the stones?

Edit in light of comments:  This is not about a quote but about work being carried out.  We are being charged by the hour (yes I know now this was stupid) and it took them a day to lay just under half of it.


texts: What are these razor blades called and where can I buy them?

texts:
I have this razor blade knife that I cannot find replacement blades for. I love the knife but I don't even know what to search for.

What are these blades called and where can I get them?

The metal handle has martor-handy Inox no. 444 Solingen Germany on it.


texts:
My automower have been opened too many times/with too much force, so the thread is gone some places.

Could I use some building silicone I'm the holes, or will it come out the next time I unscrew?


texts: toilet handle prevents flapper from closing sometimes

texts:
My toilet "sometimes" runs water incessantly after flushing.  Upon examination it appears it's because the handle, after flushing, descends and then gets in the way of the flapper closing, holding it open forever.  If I hold it for quite awhile when flushing, then let go, it works OK, but I'd prefer to be able to "flush and leave" as it were.

I looked at other questions here and didn't seem to find a precise match.


texts: Can I close my gable vents now that I have one solar fan?

texts:
I have an 84 yo Tudor style home in Hawaii that looked fantastic when we first bought it.  Living area is 2500 sq ft.  It's quite unusual to find such homes because many don't survive the termites.

On one of our walls we noticed water marks the previous owners said resulted from leaving windows open.  When a tropical storm came through, we soon realize it's not a matter of open windows.

We recently discovered water seeping into the wall from the gable vents.  We believe the wood frame became very porous from the 84 years of weathering.

We recently put in one solar fan on our roof.  I'm wondering if we can just seal off the vents, refinish the wall and paint on water proof coating the entire face of that wall would do the job of preventing water from coming in.  And if the closing off the vents would change much of the ventilation now that I have a solar fan removing hot air from the attic.


texts: Can I build a staggered steel stud wall?

texts: I want to build a house with steel.  I'm interested in building like say 8' wide exterior walls, with staggered studs or double 3' studs to prevent thermal bridging; is this feasible?  Are the studs going to be secure enough only screwed to the top and bottom channel from just one side?


texts: Filling a Pond to replace with Patio! Advice?

texts:
I have a really ugly pond in my garden that was created by the previous owner. I want to remove the pond and instead extend my patio so I can have a dining area where it is.

The pond is a concrete pond. What would be the best way to do this? My current ideas are:
-Empty it of water, etc. Then fill with concrete so it’s level with the existing patio. Cover old and new patio with decking tiles so it’s all level and matches in.
-Empty it of water etc. Smash up the pond. Fill with loose rubble and then do top soil, then get a patio/deck installed professionally.

I haven’t got a budget as such but I am by no means made of money! I’m leaning towards option 1 as it seems the easiest and most cost effective? With little outside help required. However open to any and all advice. Would really like the patio to match throughout tho, at present it’s a bit of brick, but of concrete and then this pond area.


texts: Is it possible to replace Mortise Door Lock With Sash Lock with a thumbturn deadbolt?

texts:
As a novice, I was wondering how I should find the correct replacement for a mortise lock. I wish to change it to one with a thumbturn deadbolt. This is what it currently looks like and measures:

Will I be able to replace it with a lock similar to this:

source: GJohns.co.uk - Euro Cylinder Sash Lock - Key / Thumbturn

Key (no pun intended) point being the thumbturn deadbolt.

From what I could research on merchant websites, all the euro cylinders seem too long for my door thickness. Case in point the cylinder in the second image measures as such:

source: GJohns.co.uk - Euro Cylinder Sash Lock - Key / Thumbturn

So, in conclusion,

Is there any way I could replace it with the lock above?
What would be the ideal cylinder width for my door?


texts: I'm trying to make a triple-monitor stand using steel plumbing pipe, as I've seen this done by others in the past. Most designs call for 45 degree pipe elbows for the side monitor arms, but this seems to be way too extreme of an angle for my purposes. I've been unable so far to find any other angle sizes of pipe elbows.


texts: electricity is out in half the side of the house

texts:
The garage power is out so I can't use my washer due to no power but the dryer comes on because different plug. The bathroom light and front room light won't work and outlets won't work in living room. It's wierd cause the three bedrooms work fine but it's more of the front house that doesn't work.
Smud came out and trimmed trees and repaired a line but said to fix the inside wiring ourselves. Landlord hasn't fixed for over five months after informing them of the issue.
When I flip the breaker on and off the washer comes on for second then stops.  But the lights don't come on or flicker.


texts:
The porch is 15'x20' and will be connected to the back of the house. The concrete piers, ledger, joists, and beams have already been installed. I'm now moving to install 4x4 posts and (2) 2x8 roof beams on top of the posts. I need to make a connection between the beams at two places to the flat side of the back of the house. It's been suggested I use a joist hanger like those used for the deck joists to connect the beam to the backside of the house after removing the siding that is in place. Is this the correct connection bracket or are there other options?

I've attached a picture to explain in better detail hopefully. I will be building a gabled roof on top of these beams and was planning to connect the first set of rafters to the side of the house as well with lags.

Thanks


texts: How To Identify/Fix Source Of External Water

texts:
My house is leaking!

It's hard to see but if I angle the camera just right, these small droplets of moisture become visible.  This is from an East-facing external bedroom wall taken during a pretty heavy rainfall.  They are about 3/4ths the way up the wall.  Not right at the ceiling, but no where near the floor either.

Oddly enough, the other bedroom with an East-facing wall doesn't have any similar water spots.

The house does not have any gutters on this side of the house, but I did clean all of the gutters out just before this, to eliminate that as a potential problem.

Additionally, one corner of the room seems particularly bad.  It has a visible (with the right lighting) spot of water damage on the ceiling:
I had to zoom in pretty far and play with the contrast - but there is an odd webbing pattern that I believe is due to water.  The entire spot is probably 4 inches in diameter.

Immediately below that spot, in the same corner of the room, there is some pretty bad damage near the floor:

In the other bedroom (sharing the same external wall), I seem to have some very, very tiny bit of moisture just on the top of the baseboard along the floor.

My problem is, I don't know how to identify where the water is coming from, or how to fix it!

The roof doesn't have any visible problems.  I went in the attic, to that particular corner (as close I could get) and I don't see any wetness from above.  I'd originally thought it was water coming 'up' from the ground, but the drops of water on the wall are so high, it makes me question that.

Will ripping apart the wall help in any way?

I have some sort of wood siding - I assume there would be some waterproof something between it and the inside of my house.  Can the water simply be coming 'through' the wall?

How do I go about figuring this out?


texts: How do I get a plastic bag logo stain off my finished wood table?

texts:
The bag in the photo below stained my wood table (see the photos).

The bag had held some heavy books an was laid face-down on the table.  I don't know if this happened through basic time and pressure, or if my cleaning lady applied cleaned the table with some Lemon Pledge, then placed the bag face-down on the newly cleaned tabletop.  The table is from Rooms to Go (R2G).  Officially per R2G's manufacturer catalog, it is a "cherry" wood with a "clear cherry" finish.

How can I remove this stain without having to refinish the table?

Update 1

Applying Minwax paste finishing wax removed a much smaller spot, but using it on this large an area requires a lot of elbow grease.  Applying pressure from a plastic stick pushing waxed paper towel is working, albeit slowly.  I wonder if Murphy's Oil Soap will help, but I don't want to add something new to the mix in case it sets the stain.

An online forum elsewhere recommended a paste of mayonnaise and cigarette ashes for a similar problem, but I don't smoke and therefore have no ashes available.

Update 2

I contacted a local furniture restoration company and showed them this post.  The lovely lady on the phone explained that R2G usually uses a spray-on finish with a name that starts with 'f'.  Her recommendation was to

proceed cautiously
tape over one grain direction
get some 4 0 steel wool
unfold it to a cloth shape
get some appropriately-colored Minwax
gently rub the Minwax using the wool in the direction of the grain
if it fails to fade, apply slightly more pressure

The actual solution she suggested was slightly more complicated than what I've typed out.  As 4 0 steel wool would definitely scratch the finish, this seems like a last resort; I'll stick with paper towels for now.

I wonder if a Magic Eraser is the same consistency as 4-zero / 4 0 steel wool, but having witnessed how a Magic Eraser can eradicate polish off a car, I am not going to start using one.

Update 3

Continuing to use the paper towel, Minwax, and elbow grease; based on the prior advice, I am also wiping with the grain.  Wiping with the grain seems to fade the stain faster than when wiping randomly.  This task is more complex due to the two grain directions, but I will persist and update on noticeable changes.  At this rate, I plan to purchase 4-0 steel wool on my next outing.

The stain (originally):

The (upside-down shot of the) stain (post-minwax + elbow grease):

Progress after applying more Minwax and pressure.  Doesn't look like much progress, but maybe that's just the lighting.


texts: How can I remove a receptacle and abandon the electrical outlet?

texts: We are trying to remove an electrical outlet. We turned the power off and disconnected the wires from the outlet. Then we twisted the + wires and tapped them and did the same with the - wires. Then we covered up the hole. When we turned the power back on the other outlets on the circuit they failed to work. Did we do something wrong?


texts: Damper close to main supply vs damper close to the register end: what is the difference between the two positions?

texts: For the air duct that feeds a room, what is the difference between installing a damper at the register end and installing a damper close to the main supply duct?


texts:
One room of my home has no electricity.  There are no GFCI outlets in the "chain" of things, and the breaker for this room is not flipped.

I have tried to flip the breaker, then turn it back on and nothing.  What other things would I need to check to determine why there is no power in this room?

EDIT
A Ubiquiti Access point was added to the room for better wifi coverage, but that is the only 'change' in the past 8 months that has taken place in that room.  All outlet wiring runs behind the wall,

I have this Klein Tester - should i pull out the outlet and check for 'hot' wires?  I have checked all outlets with this Klein Outlet Tester and no lights turn on.

EDIT 2
As suggested in one of the answers, I checked the last outlet on the chain (I checked the last two as I wasn't 100% sure which one was last) and visibly didn't see anything that looked awry.
I checked the first outlet on the chain and this one is using a backstab.  It has 3 wires, 2 connected to the screws on the side and one connected to the backstab for both the black and white wires.

What is still throwing me is even if I use the non contact tester and check the wires connecting to this receptacle, none of the wires are still showing up as hot.  And I am 99% certain this is the first receptacle in the chain.  Should I test the breaker in the box to see if that is the culprit? (if yes, will the voltometer I have work for that)

EDIT 3
After using the pen tester to test the breaker it is lighting up red, (all the fuses were lighting up red) which would mean that the breaker has power and the issue is downstream, correct? (like stated in comments maybe a junction box that is either a in the crawlspace or somewhere in the walls...how the world do I trace that?)


texts:
I have a house that has a 200-amp box, with only the 200-amp disconnect, at the pole.
This feeds a 200-amp subpanel, with its own 200-amp disconnect, in the main house.
We're building on a 200 sf bedroom addition.  I anticipate 3 new circuits, but the subpanel is maxed out in terms of available space.
As I see it, I have two options: A) rebuild the subpanel or B) feed from the outdoor main.
Concerning Option B, can I run wire from the main lugs in the outdoor main?  If so, what wire would I use for a 100 or 125 amp sub?
Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks!


texts: compression nut size for refrigerator water inlet valve

texts:
I have a Kenmore Coldspot refrigerator that has a compression male thread at the water inlet valve.  The model # is 10650562991.

I am trying to connect the copper flexible tubing that you buy as a kit to the water inlet valve.  The manual on line does not indicate thread size only that it is a compression nut.

I need to purchase an adapter so the 1/4" flexible copper line can be connected to refrigerator.

Can you provide me with the correct female compression nut size?


texts: Process for patching stucco on bottom of wall?

texts:
There’s a big chunk of stucco missing on the bottom area of my exterior wall. It looks like the concrete foundation is exposed where the stucco is missing.
Can you guys clue me in on what the process would look like for patching this? My idea so far:

Apply concrete adhesive
Apply stucco patch

Should I apply lath as well?


texts: female thread repair: threaded inserts and hole-diameter required

texts:
I need to repair a stripped female thread in a piece of aluminum.  Originally the thread was M7x1.0.   I can enlarge the hole a little, but it's close to an edge, so not as much as might be needed.

What diameter hole is  needed to support an insert capable of accepting an M6x1.0 screw?


texts: Can deck posts be rested on a patio slab?

texts:
In reference to the undersized concrete pier discussed in this other question:
Is the following solution a feasible one from the standpoint of distributing load over higher number of posts? (and thus minimize digging piers)
Here is what I have in mind: the ground from the house is made of concrete that extends 7ft from the house, and only then does the soil/grass start. If you look at the diagram in the first answer of the linked question, 2/3 of that ground from the ledger board is concrete (I checked the thickness and it is at least 4 inches). So my idea is to place three 4x4 posts on that concrete (at ~6ft from and parallel to the ledger board), notched to support a (2x10?) beam. The posts will be secured to brackets bolted to the concrete floor. I believe 4x4 would be adequate for the 3 posts on concrete slab.
Again, is this a sound way to decrease load from undersize posts?


texts:
I have a GFCI located in my garage which feeds into my bathroom and then goes to an external junction box and finally underground to my deck.  Upon doing some routine testing, I noticed by deck receptacle showed "Open ground".  Upon initial investigation, I noticed that the wiring from the bathroom outlet to the external junction box was missing a ground wire.  I assumed that was the problem so I replaced that span with brand new wires, inclusive of a ground.
I reconnected everything the same.  The only difference is that the new ground from the bathroom now connects to the ground wire coming from the deck, which meets in the external junction box. I assumed all was good, but no chance.  The GFCI kept tripping.
Long story short, I can confirm that the short happens when I connect the bathroom ground and the deck ground in the external junction box.  If I do not connect them, then everything works, but I still get the "open ground" at my deck.
Why is this happening?  I thought the ground wire can't trip a GFCI?  Is water, likely in the underground cable/conduit, causing the ground to short things out?
Not to complicate things, but the end of the underground cable at the external junction box is 12 AWG; however, the opposite end at the deck is 14 AWG.  I do not see another external junction box.  Is it possible they connected two different cables underground and that's what's causing this?
Appreciate any feedback.  I am a novice at electricity but I love learning.
Thanks


texts: Diagnosing problem with new shower grout--coming off to the (dry) touch and cracks/holes appearing

texts: We just moved into a newly constructed apartment (construction finished on this unit at least 8 weeks ago). When I set my hand on the shower wall getting in and out, I noticed that a powder stuck to it--both with a wet and dry hand. It appears that the grout is coming off. I also noticed a few spots where there were small holes and cracks in the grout. What could be causing this? What is the fix?


texts:
Recently our dryer started making terrible noises. It sounds to me like a belt is broken, but it makes a grinding sound when turning. The noise is not constant. There is a strong burnt smell immediately after the noise starts.

https://youtu.be/7dFhoAvAqYg

The video shows my quandry. I would appreciate any help with the next troubleshooting steps.

The dryer is an NED7200TW Dryer and is several years old, probably 3 or 4.

This video might help a lot: https://youtu.be/7ErPT_QowkM
And this one might be very helpful as well (video of the motor running): https://youtu.be/hnVzpQQIvKo

Tim


texts: Are BTU Calcs reliable -- should I oversize my system?

texts:
I had 4 HVAC contractors out to quote me a new AC system today. All of them quoted me for a 2.5 ton, considering that my house is 1000 sqft in florida, concrete slab, with a flat roof. They all said it was the "right system for this size of house."
However, according to this image attached I should only need a 2 ton AC for florida.
Also, according to a few other sites I've visited, a 2 ton is appropriate.
I also did a BTU calculation on www.loadcalc.net, using the most extreme temperatures I can expect (65F indoors, 110F outdoors) and found that I need around 20K BTUs of cooling, which would be just about where I could find myself with a 2 ton system (cause, yknow, efficiency, it's not actually 24k btu the system will output closer to 20k btu...)
So I can only assume that all 4 of these contractors are either:
A) looking out for my best interest and telling me that I should slightly oversize my system, or
B) trying to squeeze an extra few dollars out of me
And I'd just like to know, is it wise to oversize the system when according to Manual J's BTU calcs I know precisely what I need?


texts: Goodman Furnace short cycling because of high limit . Cant figure out why?

texts: So just had a Brand new Goodman furnace and a/c installed before winter hit. As soon as heating season started i noticed it was short cycling and had a flash code of 4. I contacted the installer and he did a few things. 1. increased blower speed. 2. Said it was not getting enough return air and cut a large vent into ducting right before filter. #3. Turned gas pressure down. It was no longer overheating but the air coming out did not even get the ducting warm. It would take forever to warm the house enough for furnace to turn off. I verified all ducts are open supply and return. Filter is brand new. I checked gas pressure and he had it adjusted to 1.50 where manufacturers spec is 3.50. I adjusted it back up to 3.50 but again after 5 minutes it would turn off and flash code would turn on. I adjusted it back down to 2.50 and at that pressure it does not overheat anymore but it bothers me that the gas pressure would need to be turned down. It should operate at 3.50 for best efficiency as that is what manufacturer wants it set at. What do i need to look at to figure out why my furnace overheats when gas pressure is set to its optimal pressure? Any insight would be appreciated!!


texts: Is this pocket door header load-bearing?

texts:
I removed two pocket doors in my second story bathroom (see picture 1 & 2). I would like to remove the headers above the pocket doors and open up the bathroom. However, I wasn't expecting such a large header above one of the doors (see picture 2).

I didn't think this was load bearing because

the header runs parallel to the trusses
the header only spans the length of the door way (~58"),
only a single stud is holding up one side of the header (see picture 2)
over the phone the original architect told me that typically load bearing walls do not contain pocket doors (house built in 1979), but he vaguely remembered the project.

What made this more complicated is a board runs on top of the header then a truss runs on top of that board (i.e., truss, board, header all run parallel on top of each other). Is this load bearing?

Also, I would like to remove the other pocket door header that runs perpendicular to the trusses. This one I am uncertain about. I didn't think it was load bearing because of the type of roof trusses I have (see pictures 3&4). I also didn't see any indication on the original plans that these walls are over supporting posts in my crawl space (see pictures 5,6,7). Is this load bearing?

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
I'm working on updating a 1950's home that has not had any updates in quite some time (20 years or so, I'd imagine).
I purchased a Delta Faucets shower head and diverter setup to be replacing the existing equipment in a tiled shower. For reference, the image below looks similar (but not the same) to the equipment that is in there:

When going to remove the existing equipment, the screw that hides behind the center of the acrylic diverter was rusted. Knowing I was going to replace everything, I drilled out around the screw as well as part of the screw until the knob came off and I could get to the rest of the hardware allowing me to disassemble it.
After removing everything and looking at the plumbing, I see there is no reasonable way for me, with my skill level and without breaking out tile, to install a new valve and all the other things necessary.
So, now I have a broken shower, I cannot reattach the old knob yet I'm still looking to upgrade my diverter.
Is there some type of adapter that will work? Are there standards? I've found that Delta offers an extremely large selection and it's overwhelming for someone who doesn't understand what is compatible.
Slightly more context: the equipment installed now looks like the one in the photo, but is not identical. The photo is of Delta's "Classic 13" series. I'm wondering if that's what I have even though it's at least 20 years old thus I'm wondering if I can replace what I have now broken with either this exact same thing or the other Delta Classic 13 diverters I see.
I'm way in over my head on this one and have committed to fixing this (especially since I broke it) for someone on a budget not looking to pay me to learn. Any help would be appreciated.


texts: What is the impact of moving a geyser outside?

texts:
We have an indoor geyser but are considering moving this outdoor to save space. We live in a Mediterranean climate with a cold winter day being 5°C (41°F) and summer temperatures generally ranging from 20-25°C (68-77°F). I imagine that the inside temperature is about 5°C (9°F) higher inside than outside during a winter day. In summer things are pretty much the same inside vs outside.

Our geyser is the number one electricity consumer in our household. I am wondering, if we move it outside, how would it affect electricity consumption? Any idea how much it would increase?


texts: What maintenance does an 1890s brick-over-fieldstone foundation need?

texts:
I know that if when it comes time to repoint, I should get the current mortar analyzed to make sure its curing strength is compatible with the old bricks. I know that brick foundations in the time period of this house were often plastered on the inside both for appearance and to help maintain appropriate moisture levels in the mortar.

What I don't know is how to tell whether/when/how often repointing/replastering is needed.

(I'd like to insulate the basement. But I'm worried about blocking maintenance access. At least the workshop area is in the extension, and hence is a straight concrete foundation; I know what to do with that.)


texts: Carlin ez gas conversion to Bryant oil furnace

texts:
I have a wiring issue regarding a Bryant 369aano36105 oil fired furnace and a Carlin 60200fr EZ gas burner conversion.
When the thermostat calls, the burner kicks on but after the fan delay lapses the blower motor does not turn on.
The only time the blower will turn on is after the safety feature on the limit switches triggers.
I’m thinking it’s a wiring issue between the conversion unit and the furnace.
Any help would be appreciated


texts: Connecting 2 switches to single power source

texts:
I know this question gets asked a lot, but I can't seem to make sense of this:

Wires on the left: 2 sets of black/white/ground, one set coming from the light, and one set coming from the panel (I presume). The voltage meter does not register any current on any of these wires, so I assume these are load/neutral/ground wires.
Wires on the right: 1 set of black/red/white/ground coming from the light - what's confusing me is that both the red and black wires are live. The wires coming from the panel black/white/ground are have no current.
I am trying to hook up 2 new Lutron smart switches. Here is what I tried:
I am trying to install 2 Lutron smart switches, which require a neutral (I figure I just need to attach all the neutrals together).
Where I am mostly confused is line/load. It seems I have 2 line wires coming from the same light - and I imagine I will need to piggyback the left switch to the right, but which line should I piggyback on?

original pic
** Edit
This is not how I found it, I unfortunately did not take a picture prior to disconnecting - something I'll have to remember to do for future reference.
Those 2 black wires coming from the top were twister together, and if my memory serves me right, there was an additional pigtail wire connected.
All of the white wires were tied together.
The reason for investigating, is that when I connected my new Lutron switches, everything worked great for about 2 hours, but eventually the switch on the left stopped responding. I just assumed it was improper wiring (although now I wonder if it's not the switch itself because wouldn't improper wiring prevent it from working at all?)
I just tried re-adding the black wire pigtail to the top 2 black wires to create a line to connect to the switch (again I believe this is how it was previously), but what's strange is that now the white wire coming from the top left has become "hot".
This is in a kitchen, the switches control pot lights above the sink and below the cabinets.
The wire nuts in the back are ground wire extensions - the ground wire was too short to connect, so I added a length of copper wire to connect the extension together.


texts: Brand new Grout repair dried darker than existing brand new grout

texts: I have a tile floor that was installed 2 weeks ago. There are a few spots that we needed to repair the grout. I scraped out the grout About 1/2 way down or more and replaced it with the same exact brand and color and it has dried darker in color. Dark enough that it still looks wet. This is the 3rd time I have tried this and still the same result. Can anyone tell me why it is doing this? Thanks


texts: Can I install tandem breakers in this panel, and would one 20 ampere circuit be enough for a garage?

texts:
I'm a home owner searching for information before hiring an electrician to come and do work on my home.

What I want:
Have a separate breaker\s to service a single car garage. 3 receptacles each facing each of the walls, two weatherproof receptacles facing outside (control by a switch), 1 outlets for garage door opener (control by a switch; to cutoff when we aren't home), two fluorescents light fixtures and 3 flood motion detection lights.

Job in scope, I'm remodeling my single car garage which its now mainly used for sports/bicycle storage. Reason for remodel is to insulate the walls and I thought since I'm going to have the electrical expose might as well get it updated.

My dilemma:
Lights and solo-receptacle in the garage were tagged from another line in the house and I do not have any spare space in the panel to add another breaker. I have heard of tandem circuits and do have one installed on a panel (work done by previous home owner). But after doing some search I'm unclear on something.

A) My panel Seimens G1224B1100CU described as 12 space 24 circuits. However, in the legend it doesn't described were the tandem breakers are to be installed. I'm fearing the box is not compatible with this breakers and the one currently installed is not up to code.

B) If the box is compatible to tandem breakers and multiple can be installed. is one 20amp breaker enough for what I want.


texts:
My house sits on a hill, and the gutters don't properly drain. As a result, I'm digging a new  drain along the side of the house to re-route the water.

However, while digging the drain, I came upon a grounding rod just a few inches below the surface. It's directly in the path of where I need to put the drain.

Should I re-route the drain, or try to move the grounding rod?

I should say, I do have the option to move the drain away from the house a bit, too. That might solve my problem, but the drain is doubling-up as a patio drain so it would require a fairly sharp bend to accomplish that.

Edit: sorry, not a french drain. Had french drains on the brain. Just a regular buried drain.


texts: PO Drilled a large hole in a load bearing beam

texts:
I'm in the middle of remodling the 2nd floor of our 1955 cape.  We found a place where the PO attempted to drill through one of the doubled up floor joists around the stairs.  But its not a hole drilled through the side, its drilled from the top down.

The first two small holes only go in about an inch, the third larger hole goes just about all the way through.  Is this hole too large?  If it is, is it sufficient to bolt another joist, perhaps 4' long, next to the damage?  Only the first half of this joist is visible (the section in the knee walls, and a bit into the living space where an old wall was removed), the rest is still under the floor boards.


texts: Before replacing a thermostat, is it enough to unplug the furnace?

texts:
We have a thermostat that we need to replace. Our system is I think pretty typical, the thermostat I think controls the furnace and fan, and I suppose the furnace relays controls for the air conditioner. The wiring of the thermostat just has one R wire (Rh) which has a jumper connecting it to Rc. (I'm no expert, but I think this is the situation.) Thermostats are battery powered, I don't see any black wires or C wires.

The instruction manual says to turn off the breaker for the furnace before replacing the thermostat. But it's more convenient for me to simply unplug the furnace. (Or, as the plug goes into a remote-operated switch, I can easily turn the furnace/fan system off or on with a remote.)

My question is, can I just do that, unplug/switch off the power to the furnace, or is there some other wiring powering the thermostat wires that I would need to go to the fuse box and turn it off from there?

Edit: I unplugged the furnace and installed the new thermostat and it worked out fine.


texts: Air conditioning with exhaust fans between two rooms

texts:
I'm renovating a space where there will be a partition of 2 rooms (3m height, dimensions are approximates, high humidity location, 23-34degC avg outside temp)

Room 1: 5x7m
Room 2: 2x7m

Room 1 will be most frequently used while Room 2 is planned to be some sort of a baby room (maybe nursery, tbc). I plan to install AC system in Room 1 (wall mounted inverter - though I actually wanted a floor type).

To cut cost, I don't intend to install another AC in Room 2, instead I'm thinking of installing 2 exhaust fans on the wall between Room 1 and 2. These fans will only operate when Room 2 is used.

The setup would be:-

Exh.fan 1: from Room 1 to Room 2 (adjacent to AC)

Exh.fan 2: from Room 2 to Room 1 (on the other side of the room)

http://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/c7227ba3071aa4bd_8-3908/home-design.jpg

Q1.Is it advisable to do so (will it affect my AC? Will Room 2 benefit from the AC thru the exhaust fans?)

Q2.How much power does the AC require with the area given?

Q3.What if I went for the floor type AC?

Q4.Any suggestions for alternative setup?


texts: What should the difference of inner to outer diameter of two pipes be to ensure one fits snugly within another?

texts:
One pipe is brass and the other is going to be made out of a hard plastic, probably acetal. I'm looking to be able to slide the acetal fitting over the the brass and have it snug enough so it doesn't wiggle or fall off but loose enough so you can slide it on and off with enough exertion (without needing to use a tool). My question is, what are the rules in determining what the difference between the outer diameter of the inner pipe vs the inner diameter of the outer pipe?

I found this similar question: How can I fit a pipe inside another pipe? but the answers were more specific to his use case.


texts: Is this an emergency tool ie; seatbelt cutter/ glass breaker

texts: I think this is an emergency tool. Glass punch/seatbelt cutter.


texts: Rainwater Collection / Pond Water Storage (Tower) Support Question

texts:
I am planning to build a *water tower for garden irrigation.  I live in NC and have a 45'x70' garden so this time of year I need a considerable amount of water.  Given how little rain we've been getting I believe I'll have to use my pond as a reservoir to help meet my irrigation needs.  All this said, I'm trying to determine how I want to support the tower.  My thought is to have (2) 330 gallon IBC totes elevated to about 10'-12' and possibly add (2) 275 gallon IBC totes below those, ~6'-8' off the ground.

Given the incredible load this would create I figure the easiest thing to use as a support structure would be pallet racks.  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?  I plan to side the sides and roof to keep the weather off of whatever structure I use.  The tower would be located on the back side of my house, where I could get approximately half of my roofs downspouts pouring into the system.  Given the proximity to my house I want to make sure the tower does not topple.  Would it be alright to set the pallet rack on a stone & sand bed or should I pour a re-bar reinforced cement pad?  Generally speaking this side of my house is very dry as there is a sump pump on the other side of the foundation wall.  The pump discharges a fair distance away, 4-5ft below the grade of where the tower would be located.


texts: What could cause this ceiling fan and light issue?

texts: I have a ceiling fan with a switch that has both a dimmer for the light in the fan and a speed adjuster for the fan itself.  Only the light dimmer side works and when I turn it on both the fan and the light turn on.  If i turn it off and then on again the fan reverses and the light and fan come on again. The light and the fan are both on high and will not adjust as well. The weird thing is when we moved in it worked fine and then it started doing this.  So I thought it may be the switch and bought a new one but it still does the same thing.  Any ideas?


texts: I bought 2 cast aluminium SLBs (1-1/4") for conduit from the same big box store the other day. They had 2 different gaskets in the removable cover however. One was the common black rubber/neoprene gasket. The other was a red plastic/cardboard/cardstock type material. It is thinner than the black gasket and it is rigid, as in it does not feel like the lid flexes/compresses it as it presses it between the coverer and SLB body. I went back to the store to see if they had another with the black gasket, but the only one in stock was another with the red gasket. Does anyone have any experience with the red gaskets and know if they are fine for outdoor use? The listing on the website says the SLBs are, but I can't find any information mentioning the red gaskets, just the black gasket.


texts: I did the color dye test in the tank and yes, there was color dye in the toilet bowl. Very slight but need to get it fixed. You really can't hear it but when I removed the top from the tank I could hear a slight hissing.  I pulled up the float and the noise stopped. How do I adjust the Floater to a slightly higher level?


texts: C WIRE MISSING, Trane Air-Handler Variable 4TEE3F

texts: Can you please tell me which wire/contact can I use as a C wire?


texts: Options for external "boxes" (like tivo) with wall mounted tv

texts:
I see there are plenty of questions regarding how to mount a tv in the wall, and what to do with the cables as far as running them behind the wall - but my question is a little different I think.

Given that I have a wall mounted TV above a fireplace, and I also have several HDMI cables, coax, and RGBs cables behind the wall going to a panel at the outlet in the corner of the room. I'm wondering what options there are for getting "remote access" to my external items like my TiVO, PS4 camera, etc.  I'm assuming that I'm SOL, but wanted to check in to see if anyone else has had and solved this issue.

Not sure how to tag this...


texts: Low slope roof (2:12) - acceptable for metal roofing?

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I'm designing a garage for my backyard and I want to obscure my view as little as possible.  I've read that asphalt shingles aren't great on a 2:12 slope, so I'm just planning on using metal roofing.  This should be adequate right?

As for installation, I'm planning on felting the entire roof, sealing the edges where one piece meets the other with roofing tar, then screwing the whole thing down.  Is this appropriate?

I live in Alberta, so snow is a given.  Also, the garage won't be insulated or heated.


texts: I need to remove this metal conduit or at least bring it even with the floor. I don't need to worry about preserving the wires inside the conduit. I only have a little hacksaw, but I'm open to buying other tools if needed. What's the best way to get rid of this conduit so that it's even with or below the floor?


texts: How to best insulate an exposed waterpipe during the cold season

texts: i have an exposed (out of the ground) water pipe and during the night freezes over. What is the best way to insulate it so it does not freeze?


texts:
I have a bandsaw that set me back a bit and that I would like to take good care of.

Rust forms quite easily on the cast iron table. In attempting to remove rust from the table, I followed an old husbands' tale about use a potato slice to scrub the surface. I foolishly left the potato to sit and lo, 20 minutes later my table was even more rusted than before! I manage to polish most of that out, with the help of bicarb and a typical scotchbrite-type sponge.

I now have two options:

Buff the surface with another power tool, regularly (coastal environment here).
Find a way to seal the surface without making it too oily to work wood on.

What's the common/typical way to handle this problem? Is there a treatment that leaves a glassy finish and protects against rust?


texts: Can I power a two-phase home service with a single-phase generator?

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It is hurricane season here in Florida, so naturally I pulled out the generator to check it and had a question.

The generator I have says it can output 30amp single phase.

Let's say you wanted to add an interlock to the breaker panel to feed in power when the mains goes out. But, the refrigerator is on 1 phase, and the tv is on another. Since these 2 (or more) devices need to be powered by the generator, and since it is single phase, is it possible/safe to get it to work on both phases?

Was thinking of a double pole breaker interlock with the hot wire split in to each pole.

Note: this is out of pure curiosity, I will not be attempting to do this.

Generator: http://www.manualsdir.com/manuals/216212/troy-bilt-030245.html?download


texts: Does the toilet flange need to be bolted?

texts: I am replacing the toilet in my house, and after removing the old toilet, I can see that the flange is not bolted to the floor. Also, it sits up off the finished floor about a quarter inch. Do I need to add any supports underneath to fill the gap, and do I need to drill holes and bolt it down to the subfloor before installing the new toilet?


texts: I had a rheem retex-13 (13kw) electric hot water heater installed and it requires 60-A breaker and it was put on a 2 pole double 30-A can I switch that with a 2 pole double 60-A?


texts: How do I paint over unpaintable silicone?

texts: So I stupidly used unpaintable silicone to seal my bedroom window... On the inside. How can I paint over this unpaintable silicone? (GE brand).


texts: Removal of 2 story chimney with deteriorated bricks

texts: The bricks of the chimney are deteriorated beyond repair. it is located on the outside of the house and is a 2 story structure.   The fireplace has been converted to gas logs and the chimney is not used for anything else.   What are the concerns when removing the chimney? We are aware that the roof will need to be repaired. What about the exterior of the house? Can we take the Chimney down ourselves? What else do I need to consider?


texts: Wiring three light fixtures to a headboard for my bed

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I’ve made a few lamps and a few small electrical projects.
But have never done some thing like this so was wondering
what the best way to wire them would be. I don’t want to burn my house down when I plug it in.

I just need diagrams of the right way to wire the three lights together, and one of the "burn your house down" way, so I know how not to wire it. :)


texts:
When I shut off a water faucet or right after the toilet tank refills after flushing, I hear a vibrating sound in my pipes. It last between one and two seconds.

On the interwebs, I found out that it's called "water hammer" and that it can be fixed by draining my plumbing system: by shutting off the water main and opening up all the faucets and flushing all the toilets in the house.

Well, I did that and it helped for two, maybe three days. What do I do next (other than call a professional)?


texts: What are the pros and cons of constructing a walkway with pavers instead of concrete? Also if pavers are used for the walkway will they eventually have to be replaced?  Can weather affect the pavers such as cause shifting, etc.   When the house and porch are pressure washed will it affect the pavers and can weeds grow between the pavers.   TIA


texts:
I've been remodeling my 1924 house, and have been slowly re-wiring, and splitting up an old "mega circuit" where half the house is all wired into one circuit. In the process of doing so I discovered many hidden boxes buried in the basement ceiling.  Judging by the type of wiring (cloth wire in bx) I'm guessing this dates to sometime from the 30s to the 50s.
I know this isn't right, and my goal is to remove all this old wiring, and de-energize this mess.  The wiring connections inside these hidden boxes seem fine and not loose, though the wiring scheme itself seems to have been done by a madman channeling Rube Goldberg (which is much of the reason I'm re-doing it).
I'm curious about the larger picture here.  What are the inherent dangers of a hidden box if the wiring connections are solid, but just foolishly covered up?  It makes maintenance impossible without destroying things, but is that the extent of the problem? (And yes, I'm thinking about what old circuits I want to put AFCI breakers on)


texts: Trying to identify gray crumbly filler material

texts: This stuff was used at some point to fill gaps around a threshold in our house. Could it be asbestos?


texts: How can I rewire my bathroom fan, light, and receptacle?

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My bathroom has one switch that powers the fan and light.  In that electrical box, there is also a hard wired electrical outlet that sits in the bathroom.  Since I don't have room for a 2 gang box in my location, I would like to install a double rocker in that one gang box.  Can I get a diagram showing what that wiring would look like?

Top switch: Light on
Bottom switch: Fan on
Always on: electrical outlet

This is the switch:

EDIT:

So I took a look at my current plug and this is what I've discovered.  The switch has no ground, only a white wire that leaves it from the bottom and is HOT (I checked with a Klein).   The upper black wire powers the fan and light when in the up position. I can see that lower white wire that's connected to the switch, comes back as black and is one of those 3 hot ones i've labeled.


texts: How to seal porcelain so that the sink will be easier to clean?

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I have an old porcelain sink.  When the sink is dirty it takes a lot of scrubbing to get it clean.  Can I put something on it so that it will be less absorbent?

I am considering this procedure: https://www.hunker.com/12259038/how-to-reglaze-a-bathroom-sink:

  Step 1 Clean surface of the sink with a standard cleaning agent. This
  removes the initial dirt and prepares the sink for further cleaning.

  Step 2 Eliminate silicone caulking with silicone digester. Get rid of
  as much caulking as possible because any residue will affect the end
  result

  Step 3 Scrape the sink with an acid paste. This eliminates any
  leftover debris. Be careful and wear safety gloves when working with
  acid.

  Step 4 Apply degreaser on the sink to give it one final cleaning
  before you start the glazing.

  Step 5 Use plastic or newspaper to mask areas that you do not want to
  glaze, such as bathroom tiles beneath the sink or on the walls
  adjacent to it.

  Step 6 Apply epoxy primer to the bathroom sink. If you are using a
  brush, make even strokes on the sink. For spray primer, hold the
  sprayer a few feet away. Glaze evenly and don't skip any part of the
  sink. Let the primer dry.

  Step 7 Spray acrylic-urethane resin to get the glaze you're looking
  for. Wait 15 to 20 minutes to let the resin settle.

  Step 8 Apply polyurethane coating to the sink for a shiny surface.
  Once everything is dry, reapply silicone caulking to your sink

Edit

I read the above instructions more carefully and realized they are for a BATHROOM sink, not a porcelain kitchen sink.

I started fresh and found three sources outlining a pretty similar process -- apply a strong acid or sand in small circles to ensure proper bonding; apply porcelain primer; apply special paint; finish with high-gloss polyurethane.  Ventilate well and wait three days before closing up and using the sink.

Conclusion: I think Ed's guidance on finding the right size sink is going to be a better solution, especially as it's winter now.


texts:
CONTEXT
An older office's 4-foot T12's are to be replaced with direct wire LEDs because the ballast cost + labor can be avoided.  The instructions indicate that the hot is wired to one end and the neutral is wired to the other end.  Because they are T12 fixtures, I believe they are non-shunted tombstones (sockets)
The new wiring configuration will be augmented with a sticker to indicate that only LED bulbs can be used and not to use T12 bulbs.
QUESTION
If the sticker is ignored and a T12 is installed in the new wiring configuration: 120V AC applied to each end of the bulb, will this result in a safety or fire hazard when the 120AC power is applied to the T12?


texts: Flashing EPDM roofing up a short arched vertical portion?

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I have an old concrete garage roof that is leaking. I plan to attach a layer of pressure treated wood then glue an EPDM sheet to the surface.
I understand how to install a drip edge on the sides however, I'm not sure what to do where the flat portion abuts a short arched piece. Images below. I'd rather not cut it off or attempt to refinish it to a taller edge at this time if possible.
Is it totally insane to just fill the corner with caulk or other adhesive? What would a professional do?
Back sketch of the garage


texts: I have a really weird issue: my toilet is running water, but it's not in the tank. It seems like there's a neverending small flow of water entering the bowl of the toilet from the left side of the bowl. How can I stop this "leak?"


texts: What to do with floor drains in basement?

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I'm looking to finish my basement, the house was built in 2005. There is a storage area (it will remain unfinished) with the water heater, hvac, sump pump and storage. There are two floor drains, that are in the family area that I plan on carpeting or tiling.

Should I have the drains relocated to the storage area, covered, or something else?

The house has never had a problem with floods or odors (yet).
Any ideas or steps to take?
Thanks, Jake


texts:
I have just re-newed grout (in my less than one year old shower installed by builders) that on close examination had slight cracks but never the less water got through and soaked my bedroom carpet behind my wardrobe over a 4 month period. I used Mapei grout which was recommended. How long should I wait before using the shower and is there something else I should apply to make sure this does not happen again.
Any advice would be appreciated.


texts: Yet another Electrical Sub Panel Bonding for A Condominium

texts: At a condominium sub panel, which fed by 3 wires from a main disconnect only, where there is NO main panel dedicated to subject sub panel, is it still allowed to bond ground/neutral bar to the sub panel' s chassis?


texts: How do I remove a submersible pump from a 11000 LTR (LARGE) concrete underground rainwater tank to replace it?

texts:
I have a single storey house with all downpipes connected to a large 11,000 liter underground concrete rainwater tank approx 1.8m deep. The tank contains a submersible pump servicing 5 outlets - 3 inside the house (toilets/laundry tap) and 2 garden taps. The tank's outlet is connected to a rain switch and a pressure switch housed in a box fixed to the rear brick wall of the house. The inlet valve is connected to incoming pipes coming from the house's downpipes.

The tank is currently full and I just discovered that the pump tries to start when a garden tap is turned on but then straight away cuts out with the LED panel light showing "pump failure". So I need to get the pump out to find out why it is not working and if not, then replace it. The pump is a NON LABELLED brand supplied and installed by a builder now gone broke and the house/tank and pump is ONLY 2.5 years old.

I cannot see the pump when I look into the top of the tank from the manhole.

How do I get it out?
Can I replace it with any other similar type submersible clean water
pump and connect to the SAME rain
switch? (This switch will switch
between Town or Tank water if water
is below a level in the tank or the
pump fails)


texts: Offgrid L14-30 connector to solar generator

texts:
I have a small off-grid cabin in the woods that I recently purchased.  The previous owner had a L14-30 generator connector installed on the outside of the cabin and wired it with normal 120v outlets 4 light sockets I plan to put LED bulbs in. I camp up there maybe once a month and wouldn't use much power; just the lights and maybe charge a laptop to watch a movie, so was looking at getting a solar generator kit (something like the GoalZero Yeti).

What I haven't found is a battery backup system with a L14-30 connector; all the ones i've found so far just have normal 3 prong 5-15 connectors.  Can I use a 5-15 to L14-30 connector adapter to run the cabin?  Picts of my inlet box connector and circuit breaker box below.


texts: Best application for stained concrete patio - shedding overhanging trees?

texts: Old concrete patio -- shedding maple trees stain the concrete. Powerwashing not remedying.  What application would render the best appearance?


texts: Help wiring a Nest thermostat in an unusual situation

texts:
The attached picture shows my current wiring. Notice there are two thermostats. The top one (Carrier, with four conductors) controls hot air heating. The bottom one (with two conductors, old mercurty style) controls radiant floor heeting. Although it's hard to reach behind the drywall, I believe the six conductors come from the same wire.

The part that concerns me is that the top termostat actually controls two zones. Does that mean I have a total of 3 zones (counting the radiant floor)?

In any case, I'm willing to combine the two Carrier zones as long as the radiant floor is on a separate zone. Unless it's very cold outside (<20F), the radiant floor is a sufficient source of heat.

Any hints on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: other end of the wires


texts: Why can't Bosch Detail Sander be converted as an oscillating tool?

texts: I recently purchased Bosch 1294VSK.  It comes with several adapters for hard-to-reach areas.  It moves in an oscillating motion.  I contacted their customer service dept to ask if it could be converted to be used as an oscillating tool for cutting in hard-to-reach corners but they said no.  Assuming they said so for liability reasons, I was wondering if there is still a possibility to macguiver/hack some oscillating functionality out of it and, if not, why that's the case.


texts: Is it acceptable to retrofit a new-work plastic electrical box by screwing through it into a stud?

texts:
It is mechanically possible to install a standard new-work box in an existing wall by:

Cutting hole in drywall adjacent to a stud

Placing plastic box in the hole up against the stud

Screwing through the plastic into the stud. The screws would need to be somewhat angled and as much as possible positioned to penetrate the meat of the stud.

However, is this acceptable practice? To be clear, I'm asking about using a box that was not specifically designed to be mounted in this way.
Once concern I have is just that the screw heads could be slightly in the way, maybe a small risk of nicking wire insulation. But this is probably avoidable and there are plenty of other similar circumstances where that has to be taken into consideration.
Second concern would be if this violates electrical code for some reason? (USA)

Note - there are a few reasons you might prefer to use a new-work box instead of an old-work box (which would not require this procedure):

Positioning
You don't have one on hand
Much more secure to attach to stud than to drywall, like for a large 240V plug


texts: How do I prepare patched drywall to be painted over?

texts:
I am in the process of painting my room. I have some big patches on the drywall. I am yet to begin painting that wall. Before i start i wanted to take advice. Is there anything i need to do with those patches so that after paint they are not visible?

Do i need to take special care of it?


texts: What type of fasteners should I use when replacing exterior deck boards?

texts: I have a wooden walkway that leads from my deck down to my pool.  Some of the boards are rotten and I want to replace them.  Is this a project for a Nail Gun (which is how everything is currently put down) or a Screw Gun?  Reason I ask, is that while the current boards are put down with nails, I have to hammer in the nails probably once every 6 months in random spots?  Would braiding on screws hold the wood down better and not have to be "re-screwed" every 6 months?


texts: How do I prevent water from leaking down my chimney?

texts:
When it rains hard, I get a decent amount of water coming in through my chimney. Is this normal?  What can I do to minimize this?

It's a relatively new house; it has a guard on top, and the chimney is in great shape.


texts: Programming Travel on LiftMaster Gone Wrong

texts: I've been having intermittent problems with my garage door opener either reopening after closing (fully) or opening after partial closing. I could force it closed by holding down the button. This only happened occasionally. The indicator lights had the "up" light flash four times then then "down" once, and the suggestion seemed to be to reset the travel. When I tried to do this, the garage door stops very quickly on the "down" setting and now everything is now 100 times worse --- the door won't go down more than a foot and then stops, since the new "bottomed out" setting is completely wrong. Attempts to do it again get stuck in exactly the same place.


texts:
By code, I have 8 feet distance from a 2 inches trap to vent. These 8 feet must be straight?

Can I change direction sideways or horizontal (sloped) to vertical and then horizontal again?


texts:
What are the endings at the end of the wires of this light bulb socket called? I can't seem to find any like this online.

Thank you


texts: Temporarily plug kitchen faucet spray hose inlet

texts:
Through a comedy of errors the connectors for the tubing  beneath my faucet were thrown away.  These are custom connectors.  I managed to pick up new connectors for the faucet (hot and cold to spout) but was not able to get a connector to the sprayer.  As a result, if I turn on the water valves, water will shoot out of the hole where the sprayer used to be connected.

Is there a sensible way to temporarily and reversably plug the sprayer inlet piping (pictured) so I can use my faucet and dishwasher until the new sprayer assembly arrives on Tuesday?  Recall this fitting is not threaded and so the patch would have to fit inside or wrap around the outside.


texts:
I want to create my own clothes hanger trolley with these objectives:

I don't care how it looks, its for temporary use in fact and all I really care is that its 1) sturdy, 2) cheap, 3) easy to build.

I'm visualizing it like this:

The bikini belongs to my new girlfriend that I am sure to land once I've completed it.

I thought of using black PVC pipe for the bars on top, and I'm not sure what to use for the parts on the side, and I don't know how I should best join them together.

How can I complete this little project w/ the objectives above?


texts: I have 27 x 40" x 1/2" sheet of glass that i want to turn into a patio table. The glass already has a 1/2" hole drilled at each corner. Plan is to use 4x4 redwood posts as legs. Question is, how to attach the legs but allow them to be removed later for transport?


texts: California Title 24 implications for bypassing ballasts in my 4-pin (GX24Q) fixtures

texts:
I've gotten fed up with the recessed 4-pin GX24Q fixtures in my kitchen that were required by California Title 24, after removing a burned out (and relatively expensive) CFL, cracking it in the process, and potentially contaminating my eating area with mercury dust yet again.
I'm aware that ballast-compatible LED GX24Q bulbs exist, but I have not had good experience with them: the ones I've tried seem to get too hot and frequently burn out quickly in my fixtures.
I'd like to bypass the existing ballasts and replace the GX24Q sockets with E26 ones so that I can use cheap E26 LED bulbs.  I have no intention of ever using incandescent or halogen bulbs in the fixtures, and since the LED bulbs should be of lower wattage than the CFLs intended for the fixtures, I don't think that this should be a fire hazard.
However, if I were to sell my house, would there be any California Title 24 implications to having E26 sockets?  Would it matter if:

Instead of replacing the GX24Q sockets entirely, I used ballast-less GX24Q to E26 adapters?
I used LED retrofit kits that screw into an E26 socket?

Or would I need to hardwire the Molex-like connector that LED retrofit kits typically use?


texts: I just got a new fridge and put the old one in the garage. It's connected to a GFCI outlet which it's tripping intermittently. It's not the breaker that's tripping, it's the outlet itself. The fridge is connected to an extension. When I press reset the fridge works again. I know there are issues with using GFCI outlets and fridges, my question is, can I just replace this outlet with a non-GFCI outlet? Would that work? Is the wiring any different? Would it still trip for some other reason? The breaker is 15amp compared with 20amp previously. It's not tripping the breaker so I'm guessing that's not the issue.


texts: Should I keep a bathroom door open or closed to keep it from expanding?

texts: Should I keep the bathroom door open or shut after a shower to keep it from expanding?  What if the fan is on as well?


texts: Is it safe to remove 2 "extra" jack studs to make a 60" wide door opening wider?

texts:
We went to install our new main entrance 60" door (replacing double-door with single door and 2 sidelights).  After we received the new door and shaved out more of the sheet rock, we saw that there were 2 jack studs on EACH side supporting the header (so a total of 4 jack studs).  To fit the door in, we would have to remove 1 jack stud on each side of the header.

The door "expert" where we ordered the door from said that he had never seen an extra jack stud on either side and that they were probably put there, at some time, to accommodate the installation of the current (smaller door).  He thought it would be OK to remove them.  The carpenter said he would put a metal corner bracket to ensure stability and load transfer from the header to the a single jack stud on each side.

Does this plan sound like it would compromise the structural integrity of the framing?


texts: What should I do about a switch that feels warm and arcs when toggled?

texts:
When I was turning off ligths last night on my way to bed, I noticed a switch that was quite warm. I flicked it off and on noticed that it was arcing (blue, sometimes organge flash/spark behind the wall plate). I took off the cover, took out the switch and noticed that the black insultation around one of the wires connected to the switch had melted a little.

not sure whether this is related but . . . That switch is for some overhead lights in the kitchen - one fixture that hangs over the island and another set of pot lights. The lights in the fixture are halogen (4). Both the bulbs in the fixture and the pot lights seem to blow often. We've in the house since June 2013 and I've probably replaced 6-8 pot lights and 4 or 5 of the halogen bulbs for the fixture.


texts: How can I fix the issues I'm having with large double gates?

texts:
I have a privacy fence in my backyard that includes a large double gate. It was built maybe a year and half ago. The whole span is about a 11' 4" opening. The gates to meet in the middle with double hinges on each gate and a rod at the bottom of both going in the ground. There is one latch in the center (a small one I might add). The latch and rods do not adequately keep the gates from rocking during high winds (Oklahoma winds!!!) so both the bars rocked loose in the ground allowing the gates to swing even more and not stay latched. As mowing season began, I figured out I could not even open the gates because they had sagged so badly and buried the bottoms into the ground.

I had the bottoms trimmed off and the hinges raised everything back up too. This lead to a wider gap between the gates and now the latch really doesn't reach across well. Tried again yesterday and moved the latch in as much as was left to move. Unfortunately the gates are wide open this morning after a storm last night.

How should this be repaired?

Click for full size image


texts: How to fix a deck railing that is falling off?

texts:
I have an older deck that has a wide (approx 25 feet) unsupported span. The railing on the deck seems to be pulling outward, probably due to planters on it, and general heavy usage. The underside of the deck has fairly good support via two by eights. It appears that the railing is attached via nails only.

I need to figure out how to reattach the railing in a way that won't come out again. My first thought is replace the nails with bolts, but I'm not sure if I need to also replace the railing's wood. Would bolts work? How do I determine if I should replace the wood?

Thanks!

Erick


texts: Do I need a voltage converter to run an imported bandsaw?

texts: I just bought a 220 VAC 50 Hz bandsaw and dust collector from someone who brought them back from Australia. Can I use my home 220 VAC circuit or will I need some type of converter?


texts: Coping stone mismatch on corner of roof causing water damage to my wall

texts:
I moved into my house 18 months ago and the back of my flat roof extension has drainage issues.

You can see from the picture that the coping stones don't fit correctly on the corner (red circle) which makes that point become the focal point for all the water run off which is damaging the wall (blue box), and the paint is starting to flake inside the house.
I think this is compounded by the greenhouse (orange) which is stopping most water from falling off of the stones onto the roof.

I was thinking about using a dab of cement (at the red circle) to change the shape of the incorrect tile but I am unsure where the water will then run off and I am worried I might make the situation worse if the water then sits against the older, more porous brick wall (black circle).

Here is a close up of the problem:

Do you think that would be an issue?
What do you think of my idea?
What would you do to fix the issue?

All suggestions most welcome.
Thanks for your help in advance!


texts: What is the difference between a rivet setter and rivet header? What sort of rivets are they used for? Do they require the use of an anvil?


texts: Amana washing machine making a humming noise and vibrating

texts:
My Amana washing machine is not working correctly. The machine was starting like normal but then it would just start humming and do nothing. I tried unplugging it and plugging it back in. It spins half a rotation and then does nothing.

@edbeal model number : ntw4516FW1


texts: Can flies get in the house from the septic tank?

texts:
I recently bought a house which is completely empty, no food or anything, but a constant source of dead house flies is found on the floors. How can they be getting in?

I checked all the windows and doors which are tight. The chimney damper is tight. The house has no attic. All the windows and and sills in the basement are tight. Also, there are tight doors in the basement and no dead flies there, so I do not think they are entering through the basement.

The only thing I can think of is that they are coming through the septic tank, but I thought all the drains are supposed to be sealed off with P-junctions. Is there a way I can test to see if there is an air pathway from the septic tank into the house?


texts:
I have begun making cosmetic repairs to the interior of my home which was built in the 50s. I've got brick veneer on the outside, cinder block inside and then a layer of either chicken wire plaster or just plaster applied directly to the block. After removing the top layer of plaster of a cracked area under a window sill corner, I discovered a settlement crack about an inch wide. The home is no longer settling so I know the crack isn't enlarging. My uncle who is a contractor instructed me to fill the gap with hydraulic cement, dry, apply a few layers of durabond and then top with a coat of mud to finish up the top layer.

Would this be an adequate repair to make sure it's done "right" and not just a quick patch job? Not trying to screw over the next owners.

UPDATE: just needs finishing sanding and primer/paint