texts:
I am renovating a 100+ year-old house that sits less than 5 feet from the property line on two sides.  The renovation involves re-sheathing and residing the whole house.  In order to bring it up to code, I have to provide a 1-hour fire-rated wall on those two sides of the house that are close to the property line.

One local inspector told me that my wall would have to be (from inside to outside) like this:
1) 5/8" Type X drywall
2) Existing studs
3) 1/2" OSB
4) 5/8" Type X drywall
5) Housewrap
6) Siding

Another local inspector told me that #3 and #4 are reversed.  So according to him, my wall would have to be (from inside to outside) like this:
1) 5/8" Type X drywall
2) Existing studs
3) 5/8" Type X drywall
4) 1/2" OSB
5) Housewrap
6) Siding

I've never put drywall on the outside of a house before.  Can someone help me out by explaining or pointing me at a picture of the proper assembly?  Also, what fasteners do I use on the outside?  For some reason I think that the plaster in the drywall will corrode galvanized nails.

Thanks.


texts: What is this protrusion of bricks in my wall?

texts:
My house was built in 1904 in St. Louis, USA. It has a brick exterior. Currently, one of the side walls has a narrow stack of bricks near the back of the house. The stack starts in the basement and goes through the second floor. It's about 9" x 20". I don't see any thing coming into or going out of it anywhere. It takes up precious space in our (too small) bathroom and (too small) kitchen.

Any ideas what it is, why its there and if it can be removed?


texts: How do I get my dishwasher running after replacing my kitchen faucet?

texts:
After replacing my kitchen faucet my dishwasher will not fill with water.  The lights come on but there is no water.

How can I fix it?


texts: What is the gap called between exterior wall and roofing?

texts:
I am trying to search but not even sure what this anatomy called, and what I am referring to is this horizontal gap where the exterior wall meets the roof.

I saw that some houses have thin horizontal metal panel to cover it, what is this procedure called? Is this a relatively easy DIY task?


texts: Smoothing OSB subfloor after hardwood and glue removal

texts:
We are in process of installing new nail-down solid bamboo floors in the first floor of our home.  This has required us to remove the existing glued-down engineered hardwood from the kitchen area.

We've removed the floor and glue, but the glue took some of the subfloor in the process.  Wondering what the best way would be to patch the subfloor to be smooth?

I thought about putting down a skim coat of something like FeatherFinish, but wondering if there's an easier way.


texts: What kind of paint should I use on the hinges and hardware of an exterior door?

texts: I've stripped and painted an entry door.  What kind of paint should I use to paint the hinges and hardware?


texts: motion sensor lights constantly on, motion only, or off

texts:
I have some motion lights in the back of my house, I want to also be able to use them to illuminate the back when I'm out there. I drew up the following schematic, the idea is to have the motion lights "on" when the switch is in one position, "constantly" on when the switch is in another position, and off completely when the switch is in the middle.

Is there anything wrong with my schematic? Is it ok to override the motion sensor this way? Do i have to worry about back-feeding it with power?

Side note: I come from the electronics world as a hobby and the only switch I could think of is called an SPDT, is there an equivalent version for home switches? I don't think its a 3-way switch as that is used when you have more than 1 switch (although I could be mistaken).


texts:
I just moved to a new, old apartment.  At first I did not notice anything, however I am now smelling an old, greasy, cigarette sort of smell in the kitchen near the stove and stove vent.  I understand not everything being perfectly clean.  However, after taking apart the entire vent yesterday, cleaning it with germicide, degreaser, lemons, limes, and more, and fanning the entire apartment, the smell has returned.  I stained a coffee table yesterday, which may be the source of my cough, however I have noticed I am coughing much more often when I'm in the kitchen.  A similar sort of smell appears when I run the fan in the bathroom upstairs.

My main questions:

How should I approach this problem with management?  This is my first apartment, so I have not encountered this situation before.  I sent an email before posting this, which I now regret (since I should have listened to advice first).
Is it worth purchasing something to monitor the air quality?  I've found some devices on Amazon for about $200.  I'm a paranoid person, but I'm scared I may be exposed to something dangerous (who knows).
What's the best way to tell if I am actually exposed to something dangerous?  I have cleaned absolutely everything I can think of over the last week.  I don't know if it's the result of all of the cleaning products, I'm just getting sick and falsely associating it with the smell of the kitchen, or something else.

Thanks!


texts: Identify fuse that is off/bad but not tripped

texts:
I have a set of outlets and an overhead light in the garage that are not powered. I believe I know the fuse they are under via simple labels and from some process of elimination. The fuse is not tripped. When I flip it on and off, it feels just as 'tight' and snaps into place just as the others do that are working. I hope to make sure this is not something super simple before having an electrician come out.

How can I verify that I have the correct one located?


texts: Can a thermal expansion tank be install above the water heater?

texts:
The manufacturers instructions show the expansion tank installed with a 'heat trap 6" minimum' drop to the side of the water heater.

I have a tall 30 gallon (< 17" diameter) water heater going in a narrow closet (< 24"). The copper cold/hot lines come up from the floor. Is there a safe way to orient the expansion tank above the water heater instead of off to the side? Also is that heat trap 6" drop before the expansion tank required?


texts:
I recently purchased a new apartment which comes with GE zoneline PTAC units that control both heating and air conditioning electrically. There are a total of 5 in my apartment, 1 for each bedroom and 2 in our living room and kitchen (which for some reason are right next to each other, not sure if that is necessary but that's a different problem.)

Here's the manual:
https://products.geappliances.com/MarketingObjectRetrieval/Dispatcher?RequestType=PDF&Name=20-S0046.pdf

My question is how can I control them all at once with smartphone tech and is it even worth it to leave them on all at once all the time. I'm also unsuredon't if there is even a centralized way that can control all of them at once at all via any thermostat Nest or otherwise. GE has sent me the manual but it seems to allude that it can control only one unit (really made for hotel rooms).

I also have a google home hub that I think may be able to integrate everything I have for other smart home products (very new at all this smarthome tech) including this.

I found via reddit, a link to two products which may help, but am not sure if 5 of them can be used at once or if this is even compatible with google home hub or if it comes with its own app:

https://shop.thinkecoinc.com/products/wifi-smartac-kit#.XEkams9Khi9

https://store.idevicesinc.com/idevices-switch/

but the question remains, can I do 5 at once all centralized into my Google Home Hub?

Any help or leads would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jordan


texts: What is the recommended Temperature setting for dual zone homes when not at home?

texts: Our home is a 2 story house(about 2200sq ft + basement) after reading some posts here I have set 75F on first floor and 77F on second floor which are both comfortable settings for us. But, i'm thinking to save some energy bill during the hours me and my wife are working. So the settings would be around 78F on first and 80F on second floor between 8AM and 4PM. My concern is, would the AC have to work hard at 4PM to bring he temperatures from 78 to 75 and utilize more energy than keeping the temperatures same through out the day? which is preferable? Temperatures around in this area during summer are between 80-100F.


texts: Heater warms up but won't blow, fan is good

texts:
I have a Lennox Whisper Heat Central Heat unit model G20Q3E-75-4 natural gas heater. It worked fine until today, and nothing has changed about the house or the heater, we have electricity and gas.
The thermostat clicks at the appropriate temperature.  Then I hear the heater click, and the burner ignites and starts to warm up.  After about a minute, when you'd expect the fan to come on, the whole thing just shuts down.   I tested the fan by turning it to cool and running the fan, and the fan works on cool.  But not on heat.   So the thermostat works, the fan works, the gas system preheats, but it just dies when it's supposed to start blowing hot air.
Any ideas anyone?
ADDENDUM:  I put this here because it's too long for a comment.
I did some more troubleshooting. If the unit is set to heat, and the thermostat set 4 degrees or so above the current temp, the igniter and valve switch on and the flame is lit.  Then it begins to heat up, but the fan never comes on.  So I guess it overheats, and something switches the unit off.  In this state, the fan won't blow, even on manual, or on AC.  Nothing.  But if I let it cool down a sit for 30 minutes or so, I can switch the fan to manual ON and the fan blows.  And, when it's not hot, the AC will work and control the fan as usual, in auto mode (and also in Manual On mode as normal).
AND, when it's cool, if I turn on the fan with Manual ON, and THEN turn on the heater, the heart heats up and runs, and the fan keeps it from overheating, and we're all good, except the fan is on Manual ON not auto, so when the heater reaches the desired temperature, the heat goes off but the fan is still in manual.
The only thing not working is the fan won't come on in Heat mode.  But the fan works in every other thing I've tried, including A/C, AND it works with heat but only in Manual ON mode.


texts: For cosmetic reasons, I've been replacing the switches and outlets in my house (from beige to white).  It's been going well until I ran into two 3-way switches in a hallway that turn off and on one hallway light.  I first replaced one switch with a single pole switch, turned back on the breaker to test and the hallway light stayed on and wouldnt turn off.  Then realized it was a 3-way, went to the store and picked up 2 3-way switches and proceeded to switch out the wrong single pole switch (both switches have a red, white, black & bare copper wire)- however I'm certain I don't remember what was the common or travelers.  Consider this switch #1. To further my stupidity, I thought I'd switch the other 3-way out (switch #2) (so they'd match) and when I turned the breaker back on I heard a buzzing noise and the breaker clicked off (3/4 position to the on switch).  I removed both switches, was very careful that no wires were touching each other and turned the breaker back on- still buzzed and switched off.  I've since tries a couple of combinations with no success.  Any suggestions on what combination to use?


texts: How to use ceramic glaze to waterproof an earthen tank?

texts:
A rammed-earth architect and myself have had the idea of building rammed-earth water tanks that would be coated with ceramic glaze on the inside, as an alternative to a cement / concrete tanks, for remote areas of Nepal, where transporting cement would be logistically unsound.

We have yet to experiment and see the cost effectiveness of our idea.

As for now, I would like to know what type of glaze I could use to coat the inside of the tank and how I could fire it?

Is there a recommended low-temperature glaze?

Can it be fired cheaply? (For instance I was thinking of filling the tank with saw-dust and feeding oxygen / air through a ventilation pipe so temperature would soar).

I am merely speculating here, but it seems like a valid idea.

Would you have some suggestions regarding glazing?


texts:
Could anyone be able to tell me if this is a shear wall just by looking at this picture? This is a 1940s home, renovated in 2000s near San Andres fault, Northern California.

This wall is now replaced with glass and door was relocated to the other side. Should I be worry if this is in fact a shear wall? Thanks.


texts: Repair asphalt driveway damaged by transmission fluid leak

texts:
I am looking to repair a driveway damaged by transmission fluid (ATF) in the photo below.  As you can see the driveway has pitted and cracked where the fluid was standing. Once winter comes I expect the freeze/thaw cycle will wreak some real havoc.

There are two other small holes in the driveway caused by a floor jack, which I intend to fill with one of the products available at home improvement stores.

Is there a good way to dig or scrape up the ATF contaminated asphalt so I can use the same product to fix this damage?  Or is there another preferred fix for this kind of damage?


texts: How can I stop exhaust fan vent condensation problems?

texts:
So, our bathroom fan leaks when it is cold. In the attic, the PVC pipe connected to the exhaust is uninsulated, and frosted --  shock!

So, my question is, what is the best way to fix this? Do I cut the PVC pipe, and run an insulated wrapper around it? Or would there still be issues?

Should I leave some sag in a section of the insulation I add so that any moisture will drip there, and later evaporate?

I'm kind of wondering if I am overlooking something as the other ducts are insulated. Of course, they don't leak.

Here is a picture of the situation in the attic:


texts:
I own a manufactured home and I need to replace some subflooring due to water damage.

The current subflooring has a stamp on it, saying it is "Cresdeck D-3".

I have some rookie questions to ask:

What would be a suitable replacement for this?

Does subflooring typically have a standard thickness?

The subflooring that needs to be replaced is next to the water heater and the washer, is there a good product to paint the replacements with so that future/potential water damage can be minimized?


texts:
I'm planning a new deck (completely replacing and enlarging an existing deck).  The deck will be 25'x15' w/25 ft being attached to the house.   I'm trying to determine what footings are required.

Local code requires going down 48" and the soil is rather sandy (I'm assuming 2000psf capacity).  There will be a 1' cantilever on all sides.   Height is low, between 20" and 32" depending on side.   I'm planning on 2x8 framing with double 2x8 beams and notched 6x6 posts with joists running on top of the beams.  Posts would be anchored on top of the footings, not embedded.  Due to a potential snow load, I'm aiming for 80lb load.

Deck planning software tells me do two rows of 6 footings, one at 7 ft and another at 14 ft from the ledger.   6 footings would put them at 4'7" apart.  I would like to use 10" sonotubes to reduce the amount of concrete,but using the calculator at http://www.ideasfordeckdesigns.com/calculators/deck-load-calculator.php with that setup gives me a minimum size of 13".

So this question is two parts.

1) Can a 6x6 post sit on a 10" round footing in general?

2) How would using the BigFoot system impact the footing capacity?  Since it's 25" wide at the base, does that significantly increase the capacity of the footing?   I'm unsure of how it impacts the calculations, I assume it increases the amount of load the footing could take, but couldn't find a reference that said that in a language I understood...

Bigfoot-style post base:


texts: Do I have studs on my plaster and lath wall around/above fireplace?

texts:
my home was built in 1892.  The fireplace was a coal burner that has since been replaced by a propane fireplace insert.  I want to mount a TV above the fireplace but am uncertain as to what is behind the wall.  The floor dimensions of the fireplace are about 60"x 30" and the coal burning hearth is much smaller and shallower than this structure built around the chimney.  Having had a picture mounted, it revealed horsehair plaster for certain and I am sure I hit a lath slat as the nail was springy in my first hole.  When I run a stud finder over it, I get some strange arrangement for supposed studs.  From the corner, I read about 9" to first "stud" then 15" then 12" then 15" then 9" to other edge... it is 60" wide... stranger still that the center span is only 12" and not wider given the chimney behind.

Does this make sense for studs or is it some kind of thin strapping to attach the lath to?

I haven't started drilling pilot holes but that's my next step.  I guess I am looking for some guidance before embarking on this project.


texts: Can a regular rasp be used to enlarge a hole in concrete?

texts:
I need to enlarge a few holes from 40mm to 50mm in a cinder block wall and in a concrete beam.

Chiseling will do much damage and need patching, can I rasp it with a wood rasp?


texts: How to maintain temp for always cold office in finished Basement

texts:
I work out of my home in an office in our finished basement.  The room is always cold whether it's the middle of winter or the middle of summer.  I often run a cheap space heater (especially) in the winter but that tends to take a long time to warm up the room and ultimately causes over heating, especially when the furnace kicks on.

Primarily:  How can I maintain a consistent temperature (ie 68-70 degrees) all year long?

Secondarily:  Should I insulate the ceiling space above the office to reduce heat loss to the master bedroom above?

Some details:

My office is roughly 14x14 w/ insulated walls
Office has a large window 6x6 facing North-East (walkout basement) and is a "wing" off of the main structure, the windows are ~6 yrs old Pella double-pane
There are two heat/AC vents in the office served by the same duct, when these kick on the room gets HOT (or cold) very quickly but the heat dissipates after a few minutes.
The ceiling of the office is NOT insulated but is finished/painted, there is a roughly 2 foot space between the ceiling and the next floor which I have good access to.  Directly above my office is the master bedroom which is also always cold.
Home has 2 zones for heat/AC, one for the 2nd/top floor bedrooms and one for the main floor (the basement is on the main floor zone but the thermostat is on the main floor)
My office is carpeted (the rest of the basement is not), I would like to replace this w/ hardwood


texts: Double earth on metal case light fitting Qld?

texts:
Good morning,
We have purchased a recently renovated home, and all of the pendant lights have metal casings around where the actual bulb goes in.  The electrician we are using to rewire the house has said that whilst it has an earth wire to it, it needs to be double earthed to meet Australian Standards, so he can either rewire each one with double earth at a cost of approx $100 per light, or we buy new pendant suspension cords.
Can anyone advise if this is actually the case? Do light fittings with metal casings have to be double earthed?  Obviously we don't want anyone to be put in danger or burn the house down so we'll replace them if necessary, I'm just not sure the information is completely correct.


texts: Why my thermostat is cycling on and off immediately?

texts: I have gas 80% furnace and is controlled by Honeywell thermostat (rthl221b1008). It didn't use to do this before, but it is acting weird for the last day or two now. It would run for about 10 minutes and turn off, then within 30 seconds it will turn on again. I thought maybe the batteries were almost out of power. I replaced them with new batteries (AAA), but it still acts the same way. The temprature outside is round 40. I looked in the manual about reducing the number of cycle. There is no mention of it. However, I searched online for this and I come across conflicting information. One website stated my thermostat should give you control to adjust cycle, but I went through all the setting for my thermostat and didn't find anything like that. So, why is my thermostat acting the way it is and how do I control cycle rate with this thermostat if it is possible?


texts:
Outside my house, there is a gap visible below some of my windows. I have attached pictures to make it clear, since I don't know the terminology.

The gap is about the width of my thumb. I can see the insulation easily.

Should I fill this, and if so, how?

Gallery link: http://imgur.com/a/P3Sl6

Note: this question is different from my other question I recently asked here. This is specifically dealing with the windows, whereas the other question simply involves some decorative trim.


texts: How can I reduce temperature of a hot water tap without adjusting the boiler?

texts:
I'm probably asking for trouble with this question, but here goes....
I had tenants complaining of a luke warm shower and discovered that their boiler hot water temperature was set to about 50º.
The shower has a thermostatic valve and has no separate power control. As expected the mix was coming out about 38º. The manual says that at least +10º is required in the hot supply and that they recommend 60º. (Meaning that for a 43º shower they'll need at least 53º at the boiler, but higher in reality to get some power).
However, the bathroom sink has separate cold and hot taps (no mixer) which means they are at risk of scalding themselves. This is why they turned the boiler down.
Is there a way - without fitting an electric shower and without replacing the bathroom taps - to have the shower temperature up as required, but keep the wash basin safe?
Aside: Previously I had a thermostatic valve with a power handle, but tenants turned it up full blast and then complained it was cold. I figured prioritising the temperature was a better route as long as the power was acceptable.


texts: How to install a timer next to thermostat to control/limit the length of time the thermostat operates?

texts: What if you want to put the thermostat pre-set at 74 degrees in a clear wall mount tamper-proof enclosure and install a 6 hour timer next to it so the knuckleheads don’t leave the a/c on when they leave? Should I just break the G wire to the timer and back or what? Will that affect the delays the thermostat has for pumping out the ventilation system before it shuts off?


texts: I have a Payne AC/Heat unit outside my mobile home. When I turn the thermostat to heat, it runs and blows air for about 10 seconds and then trips the outside breaker at the meter... From the meter I have two double breakers, one to the fuse box in the house and the other, two connected 60amp breakers directly to the ac/ heat unit. I run my ac just fine no problems, but turn on the heat and it continues tripping the breaker... Any ideas or suggestions.... thanks


texts: What type of crawlspace setup do I have?

texts:
New home owner here - I’m working on sealing the furnace ducts that run through our crawlspace. Previous owner used silver duct tape and not the proper mastic or UL approves aluminum tape. Long story short - I realized there are ducts in our crawl that actually blow heated air into the crawlspace. We don’t have AC, just a furnace (located in Pacific Northwest).

Is this normal? None of the ducts have insulation either, that was going to be my next task but now I’m questioning if it needs to be done? No insulation under the flooring or on the concrete slab. (Single story ranch home - approx 1500sq ft with a 3.5 ft tall crawlspace)


texts: Should I put vapor barrier only on exterior wall of a bathroom?

texts:
I've been searching around the site and haven't found an answer for my question on where to place a vapor barrier so I'm hoping to get a little more clarity here.

Basically I'm in the home stretch of a small full bathroom gut/remodel. Took everything down to studs and even pulled the subfloor because of rot. Getting everything back together and have used the Roxul stone/mineral insulation for the walls (comfort on one exterior wall and safe 'n' sound for the inside walls) and good ol' Pink Panther faced for the ceiling. According to the Roxul site, a vapor barrier is only required for external walls. What I'm trying to figure out is whether I need to do just the exterior wall or if I need to do all around the tub/shower area as well. 1 of the 3 walls for the tub is exterior and the other 2 are interior. Thoughts or input?

Bathroom is about 7' x 8', is on the first floor and there is a room above it (1940's bungalow). Here in Detroit, I believe we're Zone 5. I installed an 80 CFM fan above the tub/shower area to vent out moisture and am planning on putting up the Sheetrock Mold Tough drywall. Original bathroom had no insulation and no vapor barrier but had about an inch of rock lath (don't know if that makes a difference).


texts: Can I use leaded glass for tall window in stairwell?

texts:
I'm in California. My house, built in 79, has a tall 3x9 stained glass window in a stairwell, starting 10" from the floor.

I had a window contractor out to bid replacement windows and he told me that current code requires tempered glass in windows of this sort and location... No problem.

Now we're thinking we don't like common "obscure glass" options and want to replace it with a different leaded glass window.
Can I do this? Is there an exception for stained or leaded glass to tempered glass rule?


texts: How long should I recharge my drill's batteries?

texts: I have a Black & Decker EPC128 12V cordless drill. It has two batteries. Since the recharger has no light or indicator on it, I never surely understand whether the battery is partly/fully charged or overcharged. How long exactly should I recharge the batteries? The tool is something like this:


texts: How could changing the remote battery suddenly cause my garage door to behave erratically?

texts:
My garage door remote was behaving properly yesterday -- it had just gradually become a bit less sensitive (I had to press the button harder, from a closer distance), so figured it was time to replace the battery in the remote.

Since that replacement--the door has been only closing halfway, or closing all the way and then re-opening once it touches the ground. It has also become "supersensitive"-- opening when I barely touch it. I swear one time I didn't even breathe on it. What's happening? I'm now afraid to use it.


texts: Is it possible to link motion-activated flood light fixtures?

texts:
I would like to install four motion detector lights in my backyard.

I was wondering if when one light comes on or is tripped, is it possible for all the lights to come on at the same time?


texts: Is there any additional sealing operation required after grouting for the bath shower

texts: For re-grouting the bath shower, is there any additional sealing operation (like using sealant) after applying un-sanded grout on it?


texts:
I recently had a scare with my plumbing where the plumbers had to cut a large hole behind my sink. I attached a picture of the hole below. It is around two feet tall by a foot and a half wide.

I have never replaced a piece of drywall so large, but from what I have seen online you are supposed to cut out a piece of drywall that matches the size, and put a wood brace behind so that you can nail the drywall into place; however, how am I supposed to do that in this case as the only thing that could be used to secure it on the bottom would be to drive the nail through the floor molding? Any help would be appreciated!


texts: Why is water sitting under the basket of my GE topload washer?

texts:
I have noticed that when my washer cycle is finished and I open the lid while its finishing the spin cycle I can hear water under the steel drum as if it is not drained all the way.  This is driving me nuts and even though I leave the door open when not in use it still gets a mildewy smell. I have physically drained the hose out once before and the smell was gross.  I don't know if this is a pump issue or something else.

What can cause it and how do I fix it?


texts: Safe way to remove paint from ground wire?

texts:
I'm addressing an item on our house's inspection report where a GFCI outlet had been ungrounded. I turned off power at the breaker box, popped the outlet cover off and found the ground wire neatly tucked into the corner. When I pulled it out, I saw paint covering the ground as shown below:

From what I've researched so far, I should not attach the ground as-is, since the paint interferes with the metal-to-metal contact. Would using a chemical stripper be the best way to remove the paint? If not, what should I use?


texts: How should I use the ground wire for this welder?

texts:
So I want to use "ol big red", my trusty arc welder in my new home.  I intend to use the electric range circuit since we have a gas range.  I re-routed the range wire and was about to hook it back up and realized that there is no neutral wire, just a ground.  The ground strands were connected where the neutral should be in the three prong outlet.  Can someone advise on how I should connect it back up?:

The way it was, using the ground as a neutral, leaving the receptacle box ungrounded. (might be difficult to avoid contact between the ground strands and the box)
Use the ground strands to bond the metal receptacle box and leave the neutral disconnected.  I do not believe this welder requires a neutral since it says only "230V" not "110/220V".
both (!?)


texts:
I have installed dry rods for rising damp on on the outside of my property. I wanted to ask the holes, should they be left open of filled with something like polyfiller?
Thanks


texts:
I've just changed the light fixture in my living room, but I forgot to take a photo first.
I have two cables coming through, each with a red, a black, and a green wire in it. A wire had a red sleeve but it fell off the wire it was on. How do I put the wires back the way they were?


texts: Would running a new subpanel in parallel meet NEC requirements? If not, what should I do?

texts:
Background

U.S.A. Voltages/power present.
My house has a 125A Power Mains breaker at the street.
A buried line runs from the street breaker to my main panel on exterior wall outside of house.
The main panel has 3 220VAC breakers: a 30A, 40A, and 50A.
I have proven the 30A runs to a 3-prong 220VAC Electrical Dryer plug.
I have proven the 50A runs to the existing subpanel in the attached garage which has 11 breakers ranging from 15A to 25A (This panel is full).
I presume the 40A circuit runs to the A/C compressor unit.
The existing subpanel in the garage has two conduits (or knockouts), a small one which contains the power feed from the 50A breaker outside, and a large one which contains the wire bundle that services the fixtures and outlets in the house.
The power feed line in the existing subpanel is wired as follows:

L is landed on the L bussbar terminal screw (The bussbar is fully populated with breakers)
N is landed on the N bussbar terminal screw
G is uninsulated, and (oddly) not landed anywhere I presume this isn't to code.

Question

I need to add a new (additional) subpanel in the garage for additional breakers.

Assuming this is up to code, I intend to parallel the new subpanel with the existing one, by:

Properly landing the unlanded G in the existing subpanel
Landing a new L line which will supply the new subpanel on the same bussbar terminal (screw) in the existing subpanel that the existing L line is landed. This new line will run to the subpanel as a power supply line.
Landing a new N line the same way.

If I parallel a new subpanel this way, can I route the tie-in to the new subpanel through the larger knockout which contains the wiring to the outlets and fixtures, or must I route the tie-in to the new subpanel through the same small conduit that supplies the existing subpanel?

What parts of this plan are not up-to-code (assuming NEC 2008, or 2011)?

Regardless of code, what parts are unsafe?


texts:
I have this model range fan from NuTone.

Condensation from steam (say when boiling water) forms on the underside of the unit and retaining bar that holds motor that drips back down onto the range. It's nasty and I have to wipe it down before it gets into the food (which is pretty much the entire time).

The fan is ducted outside through a long (> 20') flex pipe like this:

Here is a picture of the water condensed on the retaining bar (the mesh filter cover is removed so you can see what is going on).

It slides down this bar to the metal cover where it accumulates and then drips back to the range (or into the pot).  The scrunched up paper towels are there to soak up the water before it drips back down.  I have to change these regularly.

Typical boil during homebrewing..in fact this is the boil that caused dripping in photo above.

The damper is not closed. The duct has no blockage.  The exhaust coming out of the duct is strong.  It does this year round, hot outside, cold outside, a/c on heat on in house.  Dry weather/humid weather.

Do I just need a better fan?


texts: How can I insulate a window against the sound caused by high winds?

texts:
I'm on the top floor of an exposed block of flats which is currently being battered by high winds on a nightly basis. I have draught excluders fitted but there's still a lot of noise that comes in through the windows.

I'm wondering if something as simple as packing the window with removable polystyrene blocks would serve to reduce the amount of sound being transmitted into the room?


texts: Do electric tank-less water heater require flushing and how do one do it?

texts:
On this site, it says:

  Because electric tankless still "lime up," and the sediment has to be cleaned out periodically or they may fail.

So, do electric tank-less water heater really require cleaned out and how do one do it?


texts:
I have a switched outside outlet (the switch is inside and the conduit runs underground to the outlet). When I flip the switch, my voltage reader reads power at the switch. However, when I test the wires at the outlet (as opposed to the outlet itself, which is a gfi) I get no power reading. If there were a break in the line I thought I would have a breaker trip when I flip the switch.

My question is why I am unable to detect power on the electrical line at the outlet. I'm using a Klein NCVT-2 dual range volt tester. I have checked all other gfi and outdoor outlets, and they are working. It's hard to imagine that the conduit was compromised, so I don't understand why I'm not picking up some power. The outlet worked once upon a time but the protective cover was destroyed and the outlet was exposed to weather.


texts: Attaching a grounding pigtail to a junction without a tapped hole?

texts:
I'm trying to ground an outlet in my home to the metal of the junction box. I'm using a grounding pigtail of 14AWG wire with a 10/32 terminal attached to one end. Unfortunately it seems the metal enclosure doesn't have a tapped hole that could fit. There simply only seems to be conduit knock outs and mounting holes that are way larger to the screw in question, I'd estimate a bit less than a 1/4".

What other options do I have for connecting this grounding wire to the enclosure?


texts: Furring strips visible THRU drywall... On the FINISHED side!

texts:
My house is early 50’s cinderblock construction.  The interior side of the blocks were furred out with 3/4” thick strips and finished in plaster (uninisulated).  At some point, the original owner put furring strips over the finished plaster wall in the living room and hung 60’s/70’s era paneling. I took the paneling down & had cellulose blown in behind the original plaster wall, then installed 3/4” thick styrofoam panels over the original plaster, and between the newer furring strips.  Then I hung 1/2” drywall where the paneling was, primed and painted it in a medium light green.
It took a few years, but a clear outline of every furring strip began to appear as dark shaded areas, along with perfectly round darker spots... which were the heads of every single countersunk & spackled drywall screw I installed.
Anybody hear of this???  What should I do??


texts: damaged drywall: Repair with spackle or replace drywall?

texts: My dog scratched up part of our interior wall next to a door.  He tore off the molding around the door and also scratched some of the drywall off.  There are no holes in the drywall, but there are some scratches that go fairly deep into the drywall.  The area I am talking about is probably 3 inches wide and 3 ft tall.  Part of that area will be covered up by the molding.  Can I use spackle to repair this or is it better to just cut the damaged drywall out and replace it?


texts: How can I transition from baseboard to a flat bathtub?

texts: I have 3 1/4in baseboard molding that I want to transition from to a flat surfaced bathtub/shower. What are the generally accepted options for doing so? I could cut it at a 45, 90 or some other option but I really have not come into such a situation before so I'm not sure what is recommended for aesthetics or otherwise. If it isn't clear, I do not want the baseboard on the shower/bathtub, I want to end it on the drywall.


texts: GE Dryer, Model GTDX100EM1WW Burnt Wiring

texts:
White wire connecting to the door switch has burned through and detached from the connector head. There are also burn marks on the dryer drum.
I know at least temporarily fixing this is merely stripping the wire, crimping it to a new connector, and plugging it in... But why did this happen and how can I prevent it?


texts: How can I trip a breaker from the outlet

texts: One time at my job we had some electrical work that needed done.  The electrician had a small homemade switch box with a 120v mains plug running out of it and a switch on the front.  The device basically threw whatever breaker that plug was attached to so he new which one needed work on and made the circuit safe.  Where can I get one of those boxes, or a way I can trip the breaker from the outlet?


texts: If you wire a separate circuit does that do the same job as a GFCI?

texts: does a separate circuit for a single outlet do the same job as a GFCI?


texts: Is an HVAC license required for DIY home owner AC installation in the State of Georgia?

texts: Does anybody know for certain if in the State of Georgia, an HVAC ("conditioned air") license is required in order for a homeowner to install their own HVAC system?


texts: shower water turns from hot to cold when just turning handle a hair

texts: When turning the handle in shower from hot a hair the water gets cold not warm and handle position is just a hair from fully hot.  I have a gas water heater.  I also had a plummer change the regulater valve in shower but still have same problem.


texts: Bypassing the door sensor of a dish washer

texts:
My dishwasher refuses to start.
At first this was intermittent, now it is a permanent fault.

The dishwasher thinks the door is open, but it is not.

Machine in question: DCS DD24DUT7 88645-A

I'm almost certain that the sensor is (infrared?) light based.
I have removed the drawer, and have spotted in the chassis, what I think is, some sort of prism.

I also took the front off the door, and spotted the active side, what I think is a guide for the light source that is housed in a sealed module.

Together, they seem to form some sort of U-shaped light path that can be opened and closed.

I would like to know if there is a DIY fix that lets me bypass this sensor completely? I just want the machine to start washing, and care less about sensing a door that may be open.

On the chassis:

On the door:


texts: making sense of a confusing light switch box

texts:
I'm trying to install a GE Z-Wave 12724 Smart Dimmer and my light switch box looks nothing like I imagine it's supposed to with wires properly identified. This wouldn't be the first improperly installed thing I've found in this apartment but I'm hopeful it's not too bad.  I've played around with some of it and would love help confirming identity of the wires, and also whether I have enough in here to safely install the switch.

Here's an image of what I'm working with and some labels to help reference different wires. I've got four black wires (labeled 1-4 in red) connected to the two switches (regular, not three way) and 4 white wires soldered together and wrapped up in electrical tape (labeled 5-8 in red). The wire sources are grouped together so I tried to label each wire's source (in orange) as well in case that's helpful.

I opened up the bundle of white wires with the junction box off and then reconnected them in pairs to see what happens. Here's what I got:

5 to 7 : Kitchen light turns on
6 to 7 : Random kitchen outlet turns on
8 to 7 : Dining light turns on

So based on all that and the wire layout, here's my guesses for identifying:

Wire 1 - Load to kitchen light
Wire 2 - Line (because it's composed of two source wires and jumped to provide power to dining switch?)
Wire 3 - Bridge to get line to dining switch
Wire 4 - Load to dining light
Wire 5 - Kitchen neutral connection
Wire 6 - Outlet neutral connection
Wire 7 - Neutral given that it makes everything else work
Wire 8 - Dining neutral connection

And the specific questions assuming I got those correct:

Is the white bundle my neutral or could it be ground?
If it's neutral, should I definitely not connect the switch without a ground?
If it's neutral can I just connect the bundle to the neutral terminal on the switch, or should I uncouple the white bundle and use wire nuts for all those connections instead?
Should I uncouple the two source wires that I think are line so that each switch has it's own line from the wall rather than having it jumped from one to the other?
Is it bad that there's a wire to an outlet in this box, seems odd.

Thanks so much everyone!


texts: How do I get rid of the sulphur smell from cold water only in one sink?

texts:
In my powder room only, I have a strong sulphur smell that comes out of my cold water faucet only.  I have a water filtration system for my house but only have this problem in one sink.  I have changed the flexible hose and it went away for about three months but returned.  Could it be the copper pipe or the faucet?  Please help!

(click to enlarge images)


texts: How do I use plumber's tape on a pool float?

texts:
The auto-refill float broke off my pool filler recently. I bought a new unit and I was just going to switch out the float part but the guy at the shop said to unscrew it from the pipe and swap out the whole unit because the other part is also plastic and will fail at some point. Personally I think this was a mistake because then I discovered when I screwed in the new one that it was leaking water from the sides.

The image below shows the old broken unit. I thought that was some sort of caulking around the thread but I've been told that it's plumber's tape which I've just read-up about on wikipedia.

My plan: Get some plumber's tape from home depot and try wrapping that around the new thread and see if that works.

My questions:
I tried to take some of the white stuff (tape) from the old thread and add it to the new thread (I thought it was caulk) so the new thread already has some of this in its threads. How do I clean that out?

How many times should I wrap the tape around the thread?

Because the float has to be pointing down to cut off the water when it gets high enough there is only one position that this can end up in. How do I know when it's tight enough? i.e if I continue tightening past a certain point I have to do another 360 rotation to allow for the float.

This has to be installed under water. Any special techniques for this?


texts: I have a 6.5KW generator and wonder should I use the 120V 30 amp receptacle to hook to house panel or the 240V 30 amp receptacle?


texts:
I've got a very old house, almost 200 years. I'd like to replace the outdated GFCI outlet in my bathroom with a new one. The current outlet is labeled 15A 120V.

I grabbed a new outlet from Home Depot at 15A 125V and wired it up exactly as the original was. After all was said and done, there was no power coming from the outlet, My guess is that there was not enough juice to reset the breaker inside.

I know this is an issue, when i purchased the house and requested GFCI outlets in the kitchen, the change wasn't made because we have a non standard electricity setup and TR outlets were put in instead. I've looked all over but can't find any 15A 120V GFCI outlets anywhere. Am I stuck with this one forever?


texts: What is the name of this part of drawers?

texts:
I was trying to describe a specific part of a set of drawers in another question, and cannot find the right name for it.

A photo showing the same part.  Notice not all drawers have these, or they may be spaced out in a reduced number - I have one set where there's a drawer-thingy every two drawers, not between each.

Given that every part of any item made of wood has some kind of name, I'm positive this does but can't find it.

I don’t believe it’s any of these:

Shelf - its a useless shelf because you can't put anything on it.
Front Face - this applies to the whole front that doesn't open.

Maybe:

Shelf brace?
Stringer?
Drawer support?  (incredibly boring!)
Drawer chinrest?  Perhaps - given


texts: I decided to pull the carpet off one of my stairs to see what was hiding under there. Ideally I'd like to paint them (I don't think they are real wood) but there are gaps on both sides...how do I go about filling these gaps? There is already a skirt on both sides of the stairs as well.  I'd say the gap on the right is a little over 1/4 inch and the one on the left is just about 1/4 inch.


texts: parallel #8 or #10 from splice point in outdoor box for 60 amp rating?

texts:
I need to repair a splice inside an outdoor, 60 amp, NEMA 3R AC cutoff switch.   The electrician had used a NSI Tork IT-4 to lengthen the #6 to reach the switch terminals (all within the box).  Its on a 60 amp breaker.

As I don't have #6 or better wire, I liked to run a pair of #8 THWN or #10 solid splice point to the switch terminal (all within the box).  Is this an acceptable practice?

The new splice would be a Morris 90612 or SR-2 splice/reducer and would be insulated with shrink tube and electrical tape - with #6 entering one side, and a pair of #10 or #8, possibly twisted, leaving the other.


texts: Converting a KitchenAid KOSC504ESS 4 Prong to 3 Prong

texts:
I just received a KitchenAid convection oven, and it has a 4 wire power cord. The outlet I have is a 3 prong (NEMA 10-50R), and I even bought a 3 prong plug (NEMA 10-50P). When I put the plug onto the power cable, can I just leave one of the wires off?

The wires from the oven are white, black, red and the copper ground.

If I can just leave off either the black or red when putting on the plug and then cap it, that would be great.


texts: Hurricane ties installed using joist hanger nails top AND bottom. Should I yank them out?

texts:
I'm using double sided hurricane ties to secure my joists to my beams for a deck I am building.  The tie looks like below:

I had been using 1.5" joist hanger nails for the 6 holes at the top that connect to the joist and then some 10d nails to connect the bottom 4 holes to the beam.

A friend of mine was helping me and ended up using joist hanger nails for the 4 holes on the bottom as well.

I have a bad feeling that these are not going to cut it and that I should yank the nails in the bottom 4 holes and replace with some 10d nails.  Thoughts?


texts: can a 240 dryer outlet be moved using a junction box?

texts: A dryer was moved and the people put a junction box in its place.  Can I run the new line by attaching to the old one using the junction box.  They just disconnected it and turned off the breaker.  I would like to reuse the line for another item requiring 240 power in my garage. Can this be done and still follow code?


texts:
I have just bought an electric cooker, and I haven't got anything to connect it to the three pin socket I have at home (I am in the UK). What should I buy and where should I connect the three (live, neutral, earth) wires (see photos )? The earth cable should go under the right-hand screw, but what about the others?

Photo1

Photo2


texts: What is the proper way to clean a water heater?

texts:
I have heard many times that it is good to clean your water heater about once a year by flushing it. I went to look online to find the proper way to do so and found many people recommending different things for how to clean it.

Turn off the water supply and drain the heater completely
Turn off the water supply and drain the heater by just a couple gallons, then turn the water on and off a few times to try to stir up anything at the bottom to let it drain
Leave the water supply on and run water out of the heater until it clears up

Most of the posts I found recommended the last option, so I decided to go this path. What I found was that all of the water coming out of the hose wasn't very warm (as in it was coming almost directly from the cold water supply) and it seemed to be very clear.

Did I do it right? What is the proper way? As a note, I have a gas water heater that is about 4 years old.


texts: Spacing between service panel and RV sub panel (both on same outdoor freestanding plywood/post)

texts:
What is the distance requirements or recommendations for spacing between the 100 amp service panel with meter to the 100 amp Rv sub panel? These will be mounted on marine plywood supported by 4x4 or 6x6 posts and the plywood will be 2ft x 4ft wide, at about 68" high
There will be 2" conduit between them, just curious how far about to space them. Min/Max?
Thanks
Dean


texts: Is it normal for GFI test button to trip GFI when the circuit is dead?

texts:
My welder has been tripping the GFI on the circuit in the garage after I have been using it a while.  I finally took the cover off and discovered the electrician saved himself, what? $2 and used a 15amp GFI, even though the circuit breaker is 20A like I specified.  (Why didn't the building inspector catch this?  Is it to code?)
Anyway, that is not my question. I turned the circuit breaker off in prep to replace the GFI with a 20A one.  Went back to the outlet, and pressed the test button, as a quick test to make sure I had disconnected the correct breaker.  The GFI trips.  I'm like, doggonit, I didn't flip the right breaker.  I hit the reset button, and it will not reset. Weird, I did flip the right circuit breaker, the GFI receptacle is tripping even though the circuit is dead.
Well, thats crazy! If the GFI is not tripping because of an imbalance of current going through hot to neutral, but instead tripping because the button itself is mechanically tripping the reset, what is the point of having a test button?  It is not really testing the GFI, it is only testing the mechanical tripping function of the test button!
Am I mis-understanding what a test button is supposed to indicate?


texts:
I've purchased this cabinet recently and would like to know if there is a way to paint it white?
It is described as:

Frame Material: Hardwood
Wood Finish: Painted
Finish: Painted

(source: targetimg1.com)


texts: Easy way to temporarily insulate gap between hardwood floor and baseboard?

texts:
Odors are entering my apartment from a neighboring unit, and it appears to be getting in via a draft between the baseboard and hardwood floor in my apartment. The draft appears to be localized to a small area in my living room. I'd like to put something in between the baseboard and the floor to insulate the gap. Is there anything I can use that will provide good insulation but be easy to remove without damaging the baseboard or floor? The gap is about 1/8".

Also, if I did talk to my landlord about permanently filling the gap, what is the recommended way to do this with hardwood floors?


texts: How large must the air inlet tube of the sewage be?

texts:
A friend of mine lives in the last floor of a building with 4 floors. One of his bathroom syphons keeps being emptied each time he or a neighbour flushes the toilet. The water is simply drained out. I think the problem may be related with the small size of the air inlet at the attic of the building (around 2.5cm). Needless to say that an horrible smell comes with the empty syphon.

The strange fact is that this only happens in one of the bathrooms. To be sure I closed all the sewage pipes in this bathroom. The water in the other bathroom syphon is stable when flushing the toilet.


texts: My shower drain started leaking the other day and did some water damage to a freshly painted ceiling . Given it’s the holiday season and I can’t find a plumber I thought I’d take a shot at the repair myself. I’m not sure what it’s called (flange?), but I’ve been able to confirm the leak is coming from the o-ring under the shower strainer. Water is escaping into the edges and leaking onto the ceiling below it. I confirmed this by pouring water directly down the drain and it did not leak, but pouring water in the shower pan immediately resulted in leakage. My best inexperienced guess is either the caulking or rubber washer has worn away and needs to be replaced. Is it possible to fix this without cutting a hole in my ceiling?


texts: Painted concrete floor surface leveler alternatives

texts:
It seems there was a miscommunication and a contractor painted the concrete floor by mistake. I know that the proper way would be to remove the paint but I try to avoid that because overall project progress is too far (walls painted, cabinets built in, some ornamentals in place, ...). Now I try to mitigate, not get to the ideal solution.

The concrete slab was painted with 1-part epoxy acrylic paint. I called the manufacturer and they say that the only thing that might help is to apply a primer/sealer on top of it. They have an acrylic product that can be applied after roughing up the surface (manually roughing up the surface is as far as I can go in terms of making a mess).

It is an indoor low traffic area so there wouldn't be a lot of stress on that floor and the plan is to put a layer of floating hardwood on top of it. Even though the variation in height seems no more than 1/2 inch, there are small and big craters and bumps all over and the floor is very uneven. It doesn't have to be leveling compound, it could also be some sort of construction adhesive, epoxy or whatever.

I would appreciate any pointers to whatever could be applied here to level the floor.


texts: How to remove sheared woodscrew behind a 5mm hole?

texts:
I'm looking for a way of removing a sheared-off stainless steel woodscrew embedded in a hardwood plank that is accessible only via a 5.5mm diameter circular hole in a metal panel.

The screw is secured fast, so will need a good amount of torque to remove. The hole is too small for needle-nose pliers and the metal panel can't be removed without a lot of effort.

Because the exposed part of the shaft is mangled at the top, I've thought about several possibilities:

A female square/hex key narrow enough to fit into the hole.
A square/rectangular cross-section metal tube that I can fasten over the exposed shaft.

However, short of going bespoke, I'm not aware of any standardized tools/materials like this.

I'd be grateful for any advice on how I can get it out, short of drilling it.


texts: bathroom pipe joint leakage behind the ceiling tiles

texts: There is a water leakage in the pipe joint behind the ceiling titles in my bathroom, as shown below(I glued some putty around the joint but it didn't work, the joint looks like the one  on the left), you can still clearly see the water drop. I was looking into an Oatey brand PVC cement, but the Lowes' guy said it won't work (he didn't tell me how I can fix it though). Does anyone can help me out here?


texts:
Can a licensed Professional Engineer (PE), who is legally allowed to sign off on HVAC design, do the HVAC work as though they are a Tradesman themselves?

Can the PE count as a license for things like purchasing HVAC parts from a warehouse? E.g. Why won't HVAC supply stores sell directly to the public?

Would be nice to know the answer both if use of freon/refrigerant, and without, e.g. replacing a fan, capacitor, or something of the sort.


texts: What to ask an Electrician when upgrading a service and adding circuits for a kitchen remodel

texts:
I have a Federal Pacific Panel and I read that I need to replace ASAP. I’m getting some bids from several electricians. Can you please help me learn what I need to ask?

In addition to replacing the panel I plan on remodeling my kitchen. I’m plan to include a double oven and microwave. What should I ask the electrician?

This is a condo unit in San Jose , California... with approx 789 sq ft

Right now my total amperage is 100. Thank you!


texts: How do we polish an old damaged bathtub?

texts: We have a circa 1940 porcelain bathtub in a rental that has mild pitting and moderate discoloration. Is there an effective way to buff and polish the surface to make it look significantly better?  Right now it looks dirty ~ we have tried all kinds of cleaning products, without success. Resurfacing would be too costly.


texts: When is acetone not effective when cleaning up residual caulking?

texts:
I have read in several places, including here, that using acetone as part of  a caulking clean step is useful/effective. I have scrapped off most of the caulk on my bath tub and am trying to clean the residual using some acetone and a brush. However I feel like the acetone (100% according to the bottle) is not actually doing anything. I can't just let it sit there as it evaporates rather quickly.

Are there any logical reason I should not be using acetone to be cleaning up caulk? Is there perhaps a better alternative for residual caulk removal.


texts:
I'm replacing baseboards in a room with drywall, and found that in a few places the drywall under the baseboards has chipped off and exposed.

Now I'm wondering, if it is harmful for health and I'll need to replace the whole drywall sheet? Otherwise I could just mud the exposed spots, sand it, mud again until it is covered. Would this make sense? Thanks.


texts: How to run drywall backer parallel to I-joist?

texts:
I'm trying to install a non-load bearing basement wall parallel to an I-joist.  The tricky part is, how do I run a drywall backer parallel to the I-joist? The top plate is wider than the flange of the i-joist, so I figured I put the edge of the top plate flush with the edge of the interior side of the flange.  I saw a diagram for how to do a wall with a regular flange, either putting a 2x4 on the flat and attaching to the top plate, or on its side and attaching to the joist.

If I made it flush like described above, would I be able to nail the 2x4 to the joist flange (would only be able to nail the bottom, not the top).  Could I get away with just using a 2x2 running parallel to the flange to act as the nailer?


texts: AC Compressor outside is not running with new thermostat

texts:
my old thermostat stopped working, so I purchased a new one to replace that. The old one was powered by two AA batteries. A green wire connected to G, a white wire connected to W, a blue wire connected to Y, a red wire connected to RC, and a red wire connected from RC to RH, a yellow wire was not connected to anything. Everything was working fine (heat, fan and AC).

I also openned the furnace and looked at the control board, and all wires are connected to terminals according to color codes, that is, green to G, white to W, yellow to Y, red to R and blue to Com.

The new Honeywell thermostat I bought is not powered by batteries, so it requires power from the furnace. So I hooked up the wires to the new thermostat according to the color codes (matching what is on the furnace board, also as instructed by the thermostat mannual). This is different from the old one, this time, yellow to Y and blue to C. The thermostat is on, the heat works, but AC is not. The compressor outside is not running at all. So I switched the yellow and blue wires on the thermostat, the thermostat is not turning on. I used a multimeter to test all wires, all wires have about 28V, except the yellow wire has only about 18V.

What could be the problem? Could the yellow wire be broken? Can I connect both yellow and blue to Com terminal in the furnace control board? Thanks in advance.

Old Thermostat wiring.
New Thermostat wiring.
Furnace Control wiring.


texts: My electrical panel is in the basement and all of the wires are running to the panel from above.  There isn't any room to run more wires through the top without drilling and hitting the existing wiring.   Can I run the wires down the 2x4 next to the panel and enter through the bottom?   Is this acceptable?   I don't want to have to rip it out later.


texts:
OK so I got about 20 interior prehung 6-panel doors with trim from Lowe's for $50 a piece.  I was buying a lot of stuff they wanted to get rid of.  Now putting up 8 news doors in a house.  All of the jambs are 4 inches...

Well when I bought the doors they told me that they were fine for 2x4 construction. Didn't tell me that it would be 2x4 with 1/4 inch drywall. The problem is that I have 1/2" drywall, making the jamb a 1/2 inch too wide.

Are the 4 inch jambs common and what is the easiest way to add the outer strip?


texts: Ceiling electrical box wires -trying to install a light fixture

texts:
I have recently rented a condo in a new building in Toronto (2020) where they didnt have lights installed in the Living room. I went to homedepot today and I am trying to install a light fixture that i got. Here are the wires coming out of it. It has 3 bulbs:

I opened the box in the ceiling and I saw more wires than I expected. I expected just a green, black and a white wire.

Also, good thing I bought a voltage tester, because if I didnt I might have been dead right now.
I found out that the yellow wire that had a tag saying "for light" is always hot and the switch doesn't cut the power from it. (Same for the black wires)

Now, I dont know how to connect all three bulbs to which wires, Any help would be appreciated

Update 1: Here is the wiring of the switch, there is no other switch except that one which should control the ceiling wires

Update 2: Here is the entire Switch Box The first switch on the left control the hallway light. This light also is controlled by another standalone switch...

The Middle switch is the Kitchen light... and the switch on the right is the one I think controls the ceiling wires because it is the only one which does nothing.

The ceiling didn't have anything connected, it was just a white cap.

Also, I have disconnected the yellow wire from the switch and it still shows a positive charge with the voltage tester.

Update 3: Connecting all the black wires of the fixture to the yellow wire from the ceiling has worked with the switch with no issues. Fitting all the white wires together was a hassle, so if you have a similar setup, make an electrical Pigtail as suggested by the answer.


texts:
Just got a mountain "cabin" and the angled/slanted deck railing is a bit loose; just enough to instill some fear in those wanting to lean over and take in the view.

Here's a shot of what I'm dealing with. Tightening the bolts is usually an effort in futility, so I'm thinking more along the lines of a bracket, but I'm open all ideas.

Thanks for looking, and any input/insight would be appreciated!


texts: What "gravel" is composed of 50% clay, 25% sand and 25% small stones?

texts:
As a supplement to this question. I ordered gravel to gravel my driveway. My wife accepted the delivery.  When I got home what they had dropped was over 50% clay and equal parts sand and small stones.  I left a message saying that this isn't what I had ordered and am awaiting their response.

What product did I likely get?  What is this material used for?


texts: Ceiling fan old wiring only reds and blacks connected

texts:
Need some help wiring.

Should I use a three way switch here or 4 way like the old switch.

Switch one had red and black connected  to switch with neutral connected in box.

Switch 2 has two black wires connected with neutrals connected in box.

I don't really need switch two if it's problematic.

Pics below.

Thanks


texts: Enlarge opening in porcelain tile already tiled

texts:
I have some small porcelain tiles, hexagonal, each approximately the same size as a tennis ball. The tiles have already been hung on the wall, cement board using a tile glue.

I am installing a wall sconce, but the mounting plate for the light has some small bumps on the back. My tiler made the hole slightly to small, so I need to remove an extra 1/4 inch of tile so the mounting plate sits flush.

Looking for recommendation on the best way to enlarge a hole on a tile already mounted on the wall. Pic for reference. Thanks!


texts: What sort of transformers are needed for LED spotlights (MR16)?

texts:
I have a suspended ceiling in my bathroom with 6 halogen (MR160 12V 35W) spotlights, each light has its own transformer, which I believe is to covert the voltage from 240v to 12v.

Some of the fitting do not work entirely (I have checked by moving the bulbs to another fitting), and in addition the new LED bulbs (12v 5w) I have bought either do not work or intermittently flash.

My questions are...
Is it normal to have one transformer per bulb?

My assumption is that the LED bulbs flash because the transformer is not the right one, is this correct and which one should I get?

I also assume the other fitting do not light, either due to faulty wiring or more likey the transformer has blown?

Do the transformers have to be dimmable, considering we don't have a dimmer switch.

The label on one of the transformers

View of the ceiling


texts: Shower Base over or to the side of tiles

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I am tiling my bathroom floor and putting in a new shower base.
What do i do first?
Do I put tiles on the whole floor and then but the base over it?
or put the base and then put the tiles to it?


texts:
I am trying to wire a separate light into a light switch by connecting the wires into the switch, along with the ones already in there connected to our main light fixture. The problem is we have two light switches that control the same light, so the polarity is funky. The switch I am trying to wire it into has a black and a white on the right side, and a red on the other side. From what I know, the red wire is what passes electricity to the other switch depending on which switch is activated at any moment in time. I've tried every combination of wires into the switch, and what's happening is the secondary light will turn on when the main light is off, and vice versa.

That being said, what is the best way to get this to work? What am I missing? Any help is appreciated!


texts: Flat non-concrete subsurface for outdoor rubber tile

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I have a 10' x 7'6" area of dirt over which I have installed 20"x20" 3/4"-thick rubber tile (Rubber-Cal Eco-Sport). The tiles are connected using inter-tile plastic pins-- there is no adhesive. I use the surface as an outdoor workout area.

The area was not at all level before tile installation, and I put a lot of effort into getting it as flat as I could using a hand-tamper and landscape rake. The result is OK, but definitely not as flat as I would like. I would like to remove the tile, flatten the area more, and reinstall it. I would also like to avoid pouring concrete.

I am unsure of the best way to proceed, since towards the end of my previous effort to level the dirt I was getting diminishing returns. It seemed very difficult to achieve a very flat plane on soil alone (this soil is somewhat clay-like). I am wondering whether if it might make sense to put in a few inches of a granular subsurface underneath my tile.

I have no experience with this sort of thing, so have been relying purely on internet research. I see many videos of people installing stone patio pavers over sand, but it's not clear to me why exactly this subsurface is used and whether it would be appropriate for my use case. As I said, I use the area for workouts so there is a good deal of impact and moving around on the surface. I am concerned that a granular subsurface might develop "dents" over time from, say, dropping a heavy weight.

What would be a good way to achieve a flatter subsurface for my tile? Should I put sand/gravel over the dirt? If so, how much should I use?


texts: One plank of my PVC privacy fence came loose at the top.

texts: How can I get one plank of a PVC privacy fence back in place?  I'm not sure how it come out.  The rest of the fence is intact.  I can't bend it back into place.  I'm thinking heat would help but I'm not sure how to do it.


texts: What type of screws and drill bits should I use to mount a mantel over faux stone?

texts:
I recently installed Airstone on my fireplace wall. It's a Lowe's product. I guess it would be considered a stone veneer. I am planning to install a mantel. The one I bought has a hanger board that gets mounted the wall, and then the mantel rests on top of it.

My issue is that I'm not sure what type of screws to use and how to drill the pilot holes. There is a Youtube video from Airstone saying it can be drilled (see below). I don't know if I need some type of masonry bit or if an ordinary bit is fine. Is there a good type of screw to use? I need something that will go through the Airstone and into the studs (wood and a stone veneer). The Airstone is 1", the hanger board is 1", and the drywall is 5/8".

Thank you in advance for any advice.


texts: When an AFCI or GFCI breaker is tripped or turned off does it break the neutral line also?

texts: When an AFCI or GFCI breaker trips or turned off does the neutral on the circuit break from the bus bar?


texts: Mounting Ethernet wall-plate in a solid wall

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I have an Ethernet cable running through a small hole in a solid concrete block wall. I want to cover the hole with a plate:

Do I need a mount/bracket or can I just screw in the plate? A bracket will require a much large hole.


texts:
If you want to stain and varnish indoor wood furniture during the winter, how do you do it?

It's below freezing outdoors, but I don't want fumes to accumulate in the house.


texts:
I just completed my first backsplash, and overall I'm pretty happy with the result considering it's my first one
One question I have is how could I've avoid that first uneven tile, which is a bit proud on on the left side because of the tile edging thickness (see pictures below). I used a v-notch trowel with mastic. The tile edge is just a 6mm plastic trim. The v-notch trowel didn't leave enough glue to bury the edging thickness as far as I know. Maybe I should have "build-up" that first subway tile a bit?


texts: My house was built in 1949 and some of my outlets look like this guy while others run updated Romex into plastic boxes. With the wires coming through the conduit in the plaster, are these grounded outlets? I was going to replace the outlets and want to make sure I understand what is going on with these before I do. Thanks!


texts:
I've been looking at getting some timber for a shelf, and found a place online selling walnut "sap allowed" - which I initially took to mean "might be 'sappy'".

Having thought some more about it though, does it mean "sap has been allowed to [drain/dry/whatever you do to get rid of sap]"?

If it means "sappy", would that make it unsuitable for a shelf in anyway? If I decided to varnish it or something, would the sealing effect present a problem?


texts: How to seal plaster before using the Anti Mould Paint

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I had some mould (due to condensation) on bedroom wallpaper so I have removed all the wallpapers. I am planning to paint the wall with Ronseal Anti-Mould Paint instead of using wallpapers. Also, bought a dehumidifier to fix the condensation issue.

Ronseal website suggests I need to seal the plaster before using the Anti Mould Paint for a newly prepared plaster. In my case, there were wallpapers on the wall so I think it still applies to me.

Can you please suggest how to seal plaster? If you can suggest any available products then it would be very useful.

Below is the photo of my wall after I removed all wallpapers.

EDIT: I talked to Ronseal, they suggested I need first coat of anti-condensation paint and followed by anti-mould paint. They think I do not need to seal the wall. I think I am more confused now :S


texts: Is this blue wire in my A/C a C wire I can use at the thermostat?

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Here's my current setup - separate A/C and boiler units. Some of the pictures may be confusing because the wires are differently colored than they're named, but I'm going by my actual thermostat.
https://imgur.com/a/PzqeeC7
More pictures at the air handler: https://imgur.com/a/lbQGVYg
Old thermostat has five wires - RH, RC, G, W, Y. There's a random UNUSED Red wire in the wall which COULD be common wire but for the life of me I CANNOT find the other end of it. It is wrapped in the same wires going to HEATING (that is, RH and W). However, as you can see at the boiler, there is RH and W coming out but no red wire there. Literally no idea where the end of that unused red wire is. It seems to be dead (tested by placing in C terminal in new thermostat).
At the air compressor outside, there's two wires going in - RC and Y.
At the boiler there's two wires going in - RH and W.
At the air conditioner/blower upstairs, there's 3 wires - RC, G, Y.
This all makes sense to me, all the cooling wires seem to go to cooling systems and all the heating systems to go heating systems. But I have no common wire for the C in my new Honeywell smart thermostat, so here are some options I was considering.

Buy one of these plug-in wall transformers, which I think could be the easiest plug and play solution, except I don't like it because it would be ugly : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C3J6PQX/
Buy a 120VAC to 24VDC transformer (like 1., but not wall plug in), and put it directly in the wall in a box and run the wires up to the thermostat . May not be to-code
There looks to be a BLUE wire in the fan/blower that seems to be a COMMON wire? If anybody can confirm that's what it is that would be amazing and then maybe I could run the blue wire down to the thermostat
If 3 is true, I presume I can also do the fan wire trick (G and Y terminals jumped, G wire in C terminal) and I won't have to run any wire at all
Any other suggestions?

Thanks!!!


texts: How to change wiring in outdoor electrical junctions filled with gel?

texts:
I moved into my current house 5 years ago and had a couple of outdoor connections fitted throughout the garden. I have never tried to do anything with them until now. As I open a junction box to add a new wiring I see this:

The box has a tiny hole, which I guess is where the gel was filled from.

I would like confirmation that I need to remove (very sticky) gel from the box, install a new connection and buy some gel to refill it. Is this the case?


texts: Can I clean up and tape old unfinished drywall in the garage?

texts:
Purchased a house with a partially finished garage. The ceiling and walls have drywall, but no taping. The previous owners have nailed numerous things into the wall over the years and of course since it's a garage it's quite dirty.

Can I fill in the holes and dust off the drywall and then just tape it? Or, is there some reason where due to how long the drywall is exposed and it being super dirty that would make this a bad idea?


texts: How to join seams between hardiebacker and drywall in a corner?

texts:
I'm tackling a full bathroom drywall install for the first time and trying to make sure I don't make any unfixable mistakes.  I am at the taping/mudding stage.

Based on my understanding, I can use paper tape and joint compound to do Seam 1, and I can use alkali-resistant fibatape and thinset mortar to do Seam 4.

The plan is to tile above the shower head, but not all the way to the ceiling (the upper most foot of hardiebacker and the ceiling we will paint).

For Seam 3 I plan on attaching a corner bead - do I then use thinset mortar on both the hardiebacker and drywall sides of the bead?
What about Seam 2?  My guess is alkali-resistant fibatape and thinset mortar are what I need, but am I going to run into trouble trying to do that in a corner?
Does caulk or anything else need to go anywhere in these seams?

Thank you very much.


texts: I bought this leather (leatherette?) couch 1.5 years ago but recently noticed that the surface was damaged.  Please see the photo below.  How should I repair it?  Since I bought an "extended warranty" plan, I can try to give the company a call.


texts: Cheap digital thermostat turns off furnace when cold?

texts:
I woke up this morning and my thermostat which looks like a pocket calculator was just turned along with my furnace.  I pressed both buttons and it turned back on, but my house was freezing cold.   When it turned back on all of the segments on the display lit up first, and after that it worked as expected.

When I lived in places before I always had analog thermostats and never had them flake out like this one; the time wasn’t even set when it came back of because apparently it doesn’t keep the time; maybe the power went out and caused this, but I’m ultimately I don’t have any evidence of this.

Has anyone had experience with a thermostat like this, do I just need to buy a new one?

Update

Here is the back of it:

Here is inside the wall plate where two wires come in:

Anyway, I guess it turns on and off when bumped because the batteries aren’t held in place terribly well.

Also, to your point there isn’t much connecting it to the furnace, just two wires from plugged into a MOFSET that the thermostat plugs into via pins.


texts: Can I remove excess damp proof membrane under garage concrete floor?

texts:
I recently moved into a house with a garage at the bottom of the garden which has a damp proof membrane (DPM) that protrudes out at the base of every wall by approx 4 to 5 inches.

Can I safely trim this off without affecting the damp proofing?

I want to fit some interlocking garage floor tiles to make the space less dusty and cleaner but currently can't do this as the DPM will stop me getting the tiles tight to the walls.

Photo of the DPM protruding from base of wall:

Around the single door frame and garage roller door entrance the DPM is already trimmed down to be flush with the ground, so I believe I should be able to trim this off but this is my first time ever having to look into doing this so I want to be sure.

Link to the floor tiles: Rolson garage floor tiles


texts: I just change my pressure relief valve due to the previous valve dripping.  This was suggested by my plumber. The new one is also dripping. What could the problem be?


texts: Why use a screwdriver when we have drill/drivers now?

texts:
I'm wondering when should we choose a screwdriver.
Can it be used to put screws in wood, concrete or metal without drilling a hole?
If we need to drill a pilot hole anyway, why don't we just use drills to put the screws in?


texts: I am framing out an 8ft non-load bearing wall in my basement. It is required to use floating walls in my city. When the basement was finished in 2000, they used metal studs and the walls are not floating. How important is it to make this one wall floating when the rest of the basement walls are not?


texts: How should I insulate a cantilevered bay with plumbing, ducting, and electrical?

texts:
If you were faced with the following cantilevered bay, how would you go about insulating it?  I can seal most of the wood air dams between joists with Great Stuff, but as you can see, there are two joists with no air dams - the gap continues all the way back between the first and second story.

Given the existing ducting and plumbing in these areas, is there any way to get an effective seal?
Once the joist gaps are sealed as much as possible, anything else?  Should I put batting between the joists against the cover?  The cover in this case will be caulked plywood.


texts: Will my tub drain properly if I create a P-trap by running it under a 4 inch floor joist?

texts: Remodeling bathroom in old house. Water always backed up in the tub. I've replaced the waste lines and pitched them properly. The original line from the tub went under a double floor joist and across 3 others. Should I do something different?


texts: Dryer duct cleaning: brush picks up insulation

texts:
Our dryer is on the 2nd floor, above a garage.  It vents into the wall and downward, and comes out about twelve feet above ground at an exterior wall several feet away to the right.  I think the duct goes above the ceiling of our garage, through what would be an attic.

Today when cleaning the dryer vent with a drill-mounted extendable brush, the brush came back with pink fluff stuck to it - it's either insulation or cotton candy.  My money's on insulation.

My garage has no attic access at all, and I can't get to it from the attic above the rest of the house.  Am I going to have to hire someone to tear out the garage ceiling to fix this?  And how bad would it be if I run the dryer daily before this can be fixed?  How does one address this kind of problem?


texts:
I just moved into a shared home and noticed that the hot water in my shower lasts for only about a minute before it turns ice cold. I told my landlord about this and he said he would rise the heat setting in the tank, which did make the water hotter but it would still last only abut 1 minute. My landlord later told me he would contact the maintenance guy.

After a few days he told me they could find nothing wrong with the heater so it's probably other people using the hot water at the same time, he pretty much told me to deal with it in a nicer way.

However I've tried showering at various times during the day and the shower behaves the same way.

I was wondering if you guys could come up with some ideas I could tell my landlord about what might be happening, and see if we can have a solution to this problem.

I am unaware if other tenants who might share the same heater are having the same issue, nor do I know the capacity or model of the heating tank.

Thanks in advance!


texts: I have an old walnut tree that I want to attach a knotted rope to for my boys to climb.  Would the rope in the pic be a  good choice?  I am looking for something that would not hurt their hands too much and would be able to withstand some inclement weather.


texts: I'm about to place a water storing tank at ground level and connect the water feeder pipe at the bottom of the tank. Would water fill normally as the top filling? Would atmospheric pressure + water mass pressure cause water feed pipe to stop following water?


texts: Why is my AC only blowing out Ice cold air and freezing over AC lines?

texts: I've had a company come out and tell me the ac and furnace are ran from 2 different fans and they recharged the AC unit. However, prior to this the AC was still freezing over the lines. If I have the thermostat set to 80 for the AC it still blows out air so cold and it freezes over the lines and will not shut off until I unplug it from the main outlet. The inside temperature reads to the lowest of 60 degrees even if I have to set to 80 degrees it just will keep running. When I turn the air off from.the thermostat the ac unit itself will still be running outside but not blowing air inside. The furnace is only 4 years old the AC unit however is 23 years old. Not sure about the thermostats age.


texts: What purpose does a 3+1 outlet/circuit provide when the neutral bus is grounded?

texts:
I'm trying to wrap my head around what the benefit is of having to use a 4-prong outlet for newer appliances when it appears the neutral and ground both end up in the same spot.

In a dual pole circuit, you have red (hot), black (hot), white (neutral), green (ground).

That makes sense but...since the neutral and green both end up being grounded, given the neutral bus bar is grounded at the panel, what is the actual benefit in this case?


texts: I have two large 72" ceiling fans on our lanai that operate on one wall switch. The fans don't appear to be running on their top speed, even set on high. Could this be because they are on the same wire and shouldn't be or could it be the switch itself? This was a new house and the wiring was specified for two fans.


texts: How do I connect the #6 Al wiring from my 40 amp breaker to the #8 Cu wires in my new cooktop?

texts: After 35 years of use I decided to please the Mrs. by replacing the old Jenn Air cooktop with a new one. When I examined the existing connection the #6 Al wires were connected to the #8 Cu. wires from the cooktop with regular twist connectors. I am not by any means an expert but I realize this is a no no. Funny thing is after all these years there is not a hint of oxidation on the connections, or any indication of overheating. That aside I want to do things right, but have been unable to find a solution online on connectors big enough to join #6 Al and #8 Cu.  Any advice would be sorely appreciated.


texts: Can I combine 1/2" and 3/8" plywood for a total of 7/8" subfloor for laying a hardwood floor?

texts:
We have some old flooring that comes to a total (flooring and planks) of 1 5/8" from the top of the joists. I want to add a new section of flooring (this one) beside it, and am trying to get them to be as close as possible in height.

The planks in the section I am replacing are too far gone to be used, I have to replace them.

So my question is, for this particular floor (or flooring like it) can I combine 1/2" and 3/8" plywood for a total of 7/8" sublfoor? This was I can lay the 3/4" flooring on top and hit the 1 5/8" thickness I am looking for.

Our floor joists are 24" on center, if that helps.

Thanks!


texts: Scorch mark behind the control knob of a stove top element

texts: What would cause a scorch mark behind the control knob of an electric stove top element? What repair would be needed?


texts: How to make plastic shine after removing the stickers on it using cooking oil?

texts: After removing the stickers on some of the plastic materials using cooking oil, the plastic lose its shininess. How to I get that shininess back?


texts:
I would like to make some hardwood file cabinets as the supports for a desk in my study.

The problem is that the floor of the study is "softscraped" wood flooring which has very rough texture to it. So, I am concerned about setting down a flat planed hardwood cabinet base on this uneven surface.

Is there some approach to mating the two surfaces or using an intermediate material of some kind, like maybe a rubber matting that would ensure a good surface to surface contact that will leave both sides in perfect condition?


texts: Why is the interior wall cold to touch during the winter?

texts:
When it gets cold out, about - 10°C, the interior walls are cold to the touch. Especially ones in the corners of the house.

What causes this? How can it be fixed?


texts: Change switched outlet to ceiling fan and unswitched outlet

texts:
I'm installing a ceiling fan and I currently have an outlet with a switch.  Currently, the outlet box has three cables--circuit coming in, the switch loop and the circuit that continues on.  The outlet is pigtailed to the white wires (all nutted together) and connected to the red wire from the switch loop; the black wires are nutted together as are the grounds.  In the switch box, there is the loop to the outlet as well as another cable that continues on to a different branch of the circuit.  The loop switch is routed through the attic above where the fan will go.

My plan is to delete the red wire of the switch loop from the outlet and directly wire the outlet to the existing circuit (pigtail to black), then run the 3-wire from the outlet box to the fan and wire up the fan just like the outlet was. This will leave a superfluous red wire between the outlet and the fan.

Now my questions:  Have I missed something?  Is is kosher to leave the red wire of the current switch loop not attached to anything?  Must I yank that section of the 3-wire and run 2-wire in its place?

It's been a long time since I've done household wiring so I may have misused some terms.  Let me know if clarification is needed.  Thanks!


texts:
USA, NW Oregon, single-story house with crawl space, built 1972.

Background

The house has the original galvanized piping in the crawl space and suffers from low water flow in two bathrooms.  Static pressure measured at an external hose faucet near where the service line enters is 80psi so pressure is not a problem.  The kitchen, which is next to the service line entry, does not have a flow problem

The home inspector suggested the galvanized pipe is near the end of its service life.  An additional factor is that that the previous owners did a major remodel of the kitchen and both bathrooms 5-7 years ago and installed copper risers (yay, no sheetrock tearout to repipe) but the contractor didn't use dielectric couplings, which could have accelerated corrosion in the galvanized pipe near the joints.  When I replaced the shower heads I found some black crumbly granules in the old shower heads, and also in a sink aerator.

We have decided to replace the galvanized pipe with PEX, and there is some disagreement among contractor bids about the necessity of replacing the galvanized service line from the meter to the house.  One contractor thinks it is not necessary.

Questions (all related):

Is the expected lifetime of galvanized pipe in the 40-50 year range as claimed by the inspector?
Could the lack of dielectric couplings have greatly accelerated the corrosion leading to the current situation?
If yes, would the copper be corroded/weakened as well?
Is there a way to inspect the service line to determine if it needs to be replaced?


texts: So a friend of mine wants power to his shed for a tv, a small portable ac unit and some lights. I told him a 60 amp sub panel would be best just in case of expansion. So the issue is that from the panel to the shed is a concrete patio a good bit of the way and he doesn’t want to chop it up to put pvc underground. So my question is can i run schedule 80 pvc exposed from the panel to the sheds sub panel. This conduit is running along a fence line from the panel to the shed out of physical damage. Is this legal to do or is there another way?


texts:
Can someone inform me on how to achieve this type of patina on a furniture project I am working on? I am building a coffee table and tv stand for my bedroom and would like to treat the steel with some sort of finish. I found this piece of furniture (http://imgur.com/vdQM3Vs) and was wondering how I would be able to achieve this myself. I'm really not sure what to search for because I don't know what this look would be called exactly or the anything about the process. Any help would be appreciated.

This is what I am referring to:
http://imgur.com/vdQM3Vs


texts: I have a masonry wall that I'd like to hang a 2x6 on (6 side against the wall) so that I can use it as an anchor for a curtain rod. I would then like to stucco around it. I was wondering if it's okay for stucco to be in direct contact with lumber. The lumber will be prominent even after the stucco is applied as I don't plan to make them flush, so aesthetics is not an issue.


texts: Why does one of my bathroom sinks drain slowly when the water is running, but drains quickly when filled and drained?

texts:
One of my bathroom sinks drains slowly with the water running ( like when brushing your teeth ) but drains quite quickly if I plug the sink, fill it all the way, and release the drain plug.

When the water is running and the drain is open, the sink drains slower than it fills, but using a stopwatch, the sink drains from full, when the stopper is removed, much faster than filling it took.

I think the drainpipe is pretty simple. It goes out from the bottom of the sink, through the tap, into the wall, and straight down to the main drain line. It was snaked a few months ago, but aside from relieving the immediate clog, did nothing to improve the speed of the drain.

One thing to add, when I release the plug and allow a full sink to quickly drain, just before it finishes draining, the drain makes a somewhat loud "sucking" noise before the last 1/4 of the basin drains out. Not sure if that's relevant, but I don't hear it under normal operation, etc.

Is this some kind of venting issue or having to do with the pitch of the pipe from the trap to the wall ?

What might cause this ?


texts: Furnace fan intermittent high pitch sound

texts:
Sometimes this little black fan will emit a high pitch sound while spinning. If I slow down its spin by touching it with my finger, the pitch is lowered. I've had this Bryant furnace for 10 years and this just started happening. Could the fan be unbalanced? Any ideas on how to fix?

Update: The furnace is a Bryant Plus 80v

thanks


texts: How do I switch a ceiling fan to a regular light fixture?

texts: I live in a trailer that was built in 1974. I took down a ceiling fan that was hanging way too low for my height. I was very surprised to find 6 wires hanging down from the ceiling. Two of the wires are black, two of the wires are white, one of them is red, and the other is bare/ground. The fixture I bought to replace the ceiling fan has one black wire, one white, and one bare/ground. What is the proper way to connect my new light fixture to the wires that used to connect to my ceiling fan?


texts: How reliable are connector strips with plug-in terminals and how do I select and use them properly?

texts:
Here's a close-up photo of a connector strip with plug-in terminals

It's used for connecting 220 volt mains wires – you can see a bare metal wire coming in – that's 4mm2 aluminum wire. Each of the four holes has some clever spring-loaded contacts inside so that when you insert a wire there it is grabbed and held in place and presumably good contact is maintained. The terminals of the two holes where the wires come in are connected to each other inside and the other two holes terminals are connected to each other but not to the terminals of the first two holes. So the connector can be used to join four wires pairwise.

How reliable are such connectors? Do I use them or plain old connectors where each wire is held by a screw? How do I select such connectors and use them properly? What are possible caveats?


texts: Tips for measuring a front door opening?

texts:
I'm getting ready to replace my front door with a brand new pre-hung door and have some questions regarding collecting measurements.

Where exactly should I measure? I've heard people use the phrase "rough opening" but I'm not sure what exactly that means.  Is that the frame area of the house that surrounds the doorjamb?

Also, should I be measuring from the interior of the house or the exterior?


texts: Is this foyer (wall) load bearing, in a condo

texts:
I live in a 5 story condo, on 2nd floor.

I wanted to remove this foyer (in picture labeled as ENTRY). I see joists running across the room, left to right in the picture. The structural engineer came out and said it seems to be load bearing. He calculated for the room to be too wide for joists to span from wall to kitchen wall, so the foyer must support them. However, he's confused as to what is holding up the joists past the foyer, into the room. (towards the balcony)

As you can see in the plans, only a few walls are designated as structural. I am no expert, but this seems too few. Is structural wall the same as load bearing ?

I am still trying to find actual structural plans and not architectural ones, but I wanted to ask the community and what people think.

Thank you for your time.


texts: I have a craftsman DLT2000 Model 917.272264 that will not start.  I think its electrical since it is not trying to turn over and does not crank.  The battery is about a month old and it double checked the voltage with my multimeter.  The seat switch is allowing continuity so that check passes in the ignition sequence.  Beyond that I am at a loss as how to determine what is wrong.  Can anyone assist me in how to figure this thing out?  Attached are the electrical diagram and part/switch layouts.


texts:
My condo building used to have an extension of our hose spout (that's the best I can describe it, see pictures) that has been broken for some time. We're looking to re-build the whole thing, and since it would be nice if this version lasted a long time I'm seeking advice on the proper way to do this:

It appears to have been made out of PVC pipe, but I think that's not meant for a pressure application like this? What would be a good alternative that wouldn't be too difficult to work with? Pex piping?
Since this will have ~5 exit spouts, is it critically important that we have a large enough pipe diameter to maintain pressure?
We live in Chicago, so how can we build the system to withstand the winter? I think we need a blowout hole?

I have done some of my own research but I'm still very naive, so any advice is much appreciated!


texts: Was it allowed to not ground light switches?

texts:
I apologize if this has been answered before but I couldn't readily find this question here.

My house was built in the late '80s and all of the light switches have grounding terminals but they are not used. There are regular 14/2 or 12/2 with grounds going in to the electrical boxes but the grounds are just tied off to each other (unless an outlet is present - that atleast is grounded). The boxes themselves are plastic.

Was this ever allowed? Or did the electrician get lazy?


texts: How do I loosen and then re-attach threaded PVC cleanout plug?

texts:
I have a clog somewhere along that pipe and need to open it to snake it, but I don't know if I'm supposed to loosen the putty(?) that's around the threads with a solvent or heat or something. Is there a specific wrench to use or will any pipe wrench work?

For that matter, when I do need to re-thread it, what compound do I use to seal it? Do I have to clean out all of the old stuff before re-threading it?


texts: Cracked heat exchanger, gas furnace, a scam?

texts:
Had gas furnace serviced (routine yearly) and was told the heat exchanger was cracked and might pose a CO problem.  System shut off and tagged. Told I needed to replace exchanger or get new furnace.  Got second opinion next day and they found no CO and said previous check (other company) couldn't diagnose cracked heat exchanger so easily (said it takes a variety of tests to diagnose).  They couldn't find anything obviously wrong with furnace, checked CO levels 4 times over approx. an hour, all normal.  Should I get a third opinion??  Think first company was pulling a scam?  Furnace is 16 years old, but want company I can trust....ugh
Liking second company.  Any opinions?  Thanks!