texts: Trying to get up the paper left after removing floor covering . Used concentrated adhesive remover not working very well. Been working on it for two days now. It’s on plywood need advice


texts:
I recently noticed that water is pooling on the top of my water heater.  When I took a closer look it appears that the leak is coming from where a metal hose comes into the top of the water heater.

I'm thinking about unscrewing the hose, wrapping some plumbers tape around where it screws on and seeing if that solves the problem before I break down and call a professional.

Does this plan make sense?
Are there certain steps I should take to make sure that when I unscrew the hose scalding hot water and steam does not come geysering out?


texts: Is it acceptable to install new cabinets parallel with the floor rather than plumb and level?

texts:
My house sits on a slab that is currently not level. Given that I have plans to correct the foundation issues in about 1.5-2 years, does it make sense to install the cabinets so that they are squared up against the floor (with the countertop as parallel as possible with the floor - presumably I would still re-shim as best I could following the slab corrections)? Or should I still stick to keeping things as level as possible?

Also, aside from the obvious, what would the consequences be of not keeping them level?

Update: Thes severity of the slope has the bubble on my level almost touching one of the vial markers. So it's not perfectly centered, but is still between them. I'm not sure if that means anything (or if there is any kind of standard that dictates vial parameters like those limit markers - otherwise what's just inside on my level might be different on another level).


texts: Difference between lacquered and polished chisels

texts: What's the difference between lacquered chisels and polished chisels? Are there any advantages of one over the other?


texts: What is the cheapest way to build a temporary pool?

texts:
I'm looking to build a container to hold mud and water for a very specific exercise training.
 - It doesn't need to look good
 - It doesn't need to last more than a few weeks
 - It should be able to hold most of the water for at least a couple weeks
 - Can be above ground or in ground
 - I should be able to build it at least two feet deep and 6 feet long

What are some of the cheapest materials I could use to hold water? I could just dig a big hole in the ground but I feel like that would lose water very quickly. Also I'd prefer something that's not difficult to dispose of, so concrete wouldn't be good. Maybe some kind of cheap plastic shipping container? Cover a bunch of wood 2x4's with foam seal?

This is perfect, but way above my price range:


texts: Can homeowners install sink grease traps to prevent build up in septic/sewer lines?

texts:
My septic system periodically gets clogged with hardened grease build up which I have to manually clean out (about twice a year).  I use a bacteria additive monthly and have the tank pumped bi-annually. The system is very old, but I don't believe the problem is anything other than this grease build up.
I am wondering if grease traps are sold/installed in homes as they are in Restaurants and if that would help. Is there a non-commercial sized grease trap?


texts: How long should it take concrete to fully cure?

texts:
I have just had a backflow valve installed in the basement. The man had to chip away some of the concrete, he then put new cement down. He also had to do some work outside around the foundation, he installed a pvc pipe as a weeping tile. This was Tuesday morning the 26th June 2014.

We had a lot of rain that day. last night I noticed there was a lot of moisture on the cement in the basement. How long before we have to wait for it to cure and is this normal. We do get lots of humidity in the house. I forgot to mention this was put on top of mud. This is in Canada.


texts: How should I fix blemishes in a stained particle board table top?

texts: I have a table that has a particle board too. I cleaned off excess debris, sanded the board, applied a pre stain wood conditioner to it, stained it espresso and there are blemishes that are showing through...what I do? Can I sand it again and start process over? Help?


texts: Should loft insulation cover wall cavities?

texts: When insulating a loft at ceiling level with mineral wool type material, should the insulation cover the exposed wall cavities for external walls?


texts:
I am working to remove a load bearing wall between my living room and my kitchen. I removed the sheetrock and the top of the wall has 2x4 top and double plates that is perpendicular to the ceiling joists (load bearing give away). The opening will be approx 9 feet tall and 11 feet wide.

At either end of the opening, I am looking at 1 king stud and 2 jack studs and adding a lally stud under the floor in the crawl space under each jack stud location.

Living room is a vaulted ceiling and the room above the kitchen is a bedroom and closet. I am I looking at using 2x10x12 (2ea) with a 1/2' shim in between to brace the span.

Will this be sufficient for a header?


texts: Should switch cover plates be installed before final inspection?

texts: For final inspection should I put the switch/outlet cover plates on? It's a minor pain because we still have to tape, sand and paint. We are in Portland Oregon. This is in a bedroom, not a kitchen or bathroom.


texts: "Tomato cage" plastic connections -- Design idea

texts:
I'm creating on AutoCAD a hydroponic tower garden.

I would like to get some ideas about how to design the connections between the parts required to build a tomato cage.

Here's a bird's eye view of the project:

I'm planning on stacking 6 levels of red circles.

Now... Zooming in, specifically on the tomato cage...

My question is... What is the best way to connect those parts? Some requirements:

-- Without using any tools
-- Easy to disconnect
-- Preferably, no external fasteners. Everything needs to be integrated
-- Firm connections between the parts... No shaking (vibration) in windy conditions

Thickness: 6.5mm. If necessary, it can be changed. Maybe the red circle needs to be thicker.

I would like to have some suggestions. Thanks in advance.


texts: Refurbishing the space underneath stairs

texts:
I'd like to refurbish the space underneath my stairs, unfortunately I neither recognise the materials that are currently there, nor know if I should replace them with something similar.

So, as shown in the photos:

Should i look to take all of the wood and the plaster board (?) down, and replace it or can i just strip the boarding and replace that, leaving the wood in place?

Secondly, what is the best material for using in this type of space?


texts: How to install drywall over electrical box connected to rigid conduit?

texts:
I'm trying to figure out how drywall is supposed to be cut out to go around preexisting electrical boxes that are attached with rigid metal conduit. The conduit is the ground path. My dilemma is if I disconnect the box from the conduit and then push the box through the front of the drywall I won't be able to access the back to reattach the conduit. If I put the drywall over the box I'm not sure how to get the "ears" through unless I make the cutout large enough, but then the ears won't have any material to since against.

I've attached an image that shows the box as well as how a box on a different wall that is already installed looks. The ears on the box are detachable, but I don't see how I could even access the screws to secure them after the drywall is placed over the box if I remove the ears first. The already installed box isn't shedding much light on how they did this, so any advice would be appreciated!


texts: Can I connect a dishwasher to a garbage disposal instead of the sink overflow?

texts: I would like to install a water purification unit under my double kitchen sinks. I currently have a dishwasher and a garbage disposal connected. What is the proper code when doing this. More specifically, may I connect the dishwasher drain to the garbage disposal instead of the overflow port on top of the sink. I want to use the overflow port hole for the purifying units facet. I live in Escondido, California. My sink is cast iron and porcelain. If I can not hook up the dishwasher directly to the garbage disposal I would like to drill a new hole for its facet. What type of drill bit do you suggest I use?


texts: What type of wood is recommended for an outdoor jungle gym?

texts:
I'm not sure what other specs to include, as I haven't started the blueprints yet, just wanted to price the main parts out to see if it would be cost effective to build one vs buying from a big box store.

Mainly just looking for outdoor durability of course, able to handle a couple of 30-50lb kids with the occasional adult or two, they'll possibly be a ladder, slide, monkey bars, the basics.


texts: electrical combination outlet and switch wiring

texts: I have a combination wall plate with a switch on top and outlet on the bottom.  The switch controls the garbage disposal and the outlet is always on.  There are two black wires and one white.  One side of the combination plate has two screws that are near each other and the other side the screws are at the top and bottom. Can you help me wire it.  I tried once and blew the circuit breaker (and I think I blew the switch too).  Also, do I need to remove the fin in order to make it work?


texts: How do I tell if a contractor built my driveway to specification?

texts:
I am getting ready to close on a house that was just built, and I have noticed several places where the contractor did not appear to meet the specifications set forth in the contract. We have a gravel driveway behind the house, and when it was put in the contractor simply poured gravel directly onto the dirt/mud in the freshly graded yard. In some places the driveway is so thin that mud is easily visible below it. In the contract, the following is specified for the driveway:

  Driveway/Sidewalk

  Contractor to complete 3/4" stone 4" base with crush n run top coat
  driveway. Total thickness of driveway to be 6". See site plan.

I am not familiar enough with construction terminology to tell what that should look like, but I doubt that this is what was completed in my yard. How could I tell if the contractor did this correctly?

EDIT:
As it turns out, my suspicions were correct, and it took two more loads of gravel to bring my driveway up to spec. The difference while driving over the driveway is evident, and lake Erie no longer resides at the end of my driveway. Thanks for the help!


texts: Is turning the heater off in absence cheaper than holding a low temperature?

texts:
Winter is coming and I live in a badly insulated flat in Germany. Outside temperatures are around 0°C at the moment. When I'm absent for a weekend, should I turn the central heating off entirely and let the flat cool down to outside temperature, or should I hold the inside temperature at, say, 15°C? The former will save money because the heater is off, the latter will save money because the difference to my comfortable temperature is lower. Which option is cheaper? How does the result change with longer absence?

Is there a way to calculate this?


texts: What are the proper steps needed to install a grounding rod?

texts:
We had an electrician friend upgrade our service panel and install grounding rods. I've read that you have to drive the rod flush to or below ground. Please see these pictures. Is this okay? Do I need to be concerned?

The conduit has copper on the inside and there is bare copper at the connection point of the grounding rod.

Also, do I need to find the water meter so that I put a jumper across it?


texts: The steel grate on my garden rain drain is rotten. Can I just replace the grate or do I have to replace the channel as well. The grates and channels seem to be complete when bought. I would prefer to just replace the grates. I think the channel is concrete.


texts: Why is ENT rarely used for electrical wiring?

texts:
As best I can tell, the National Electrical Code 2011 allows electrical non-metallic tubing ("smurf tube" or ENT) to be used for running 120 V electrical wire. But everywhere I look, I see remarks to the effect that its use is mostly confined to low-voltage wiring (communications, alarms, audio/video), and some localities forbid its use for 120 V electrical purposes. Why?

I am planning to install a couple exterior weatherproof boxes. The wires will be run from the basement, through the sole plate, into the wall space, and out through a hole drilled through a brick veneer into the back of the box.

To make the bridge from wall to box watertight, I plan to run the wire in conduit. Options here seem to be liquidtight flexible metallic/non-metallic conduit, PVC, or some of the heavier metal conduits like intermediate metallic conduit. All of these seem like a pain to run through finished walls aside from the liquidtight flexible stuff, and that seems like a pain because of its weight and fittings.

ENT seems very attractive next to these: lightweight, easy to flex, easy to attach, works great with non-metallic boxes. It's allowed in damp locations (362.10(4)); the conduit run will be entirely within the wall and terminating in the rear of the box, so none of it will be exposed to the exterior or direct water. What am I missing here?


texts: How do I determine whether a permit is required for a new gas line?

texts: I would like to have an exterior gas line installed (for a grill) and an exterior frost-proof faucet (so it's closer to my garden). I had a plumber come out and his quote came back "Any permit by owner". How do I find out if I need to pull a permit? Is the plumber trying to get me to pull a "work by owner" permit (which honestly I think I could do). Does this seem reasonable? I would probably honestly do the work myself except I'm too busy and I've never done natural gas work before.


texts: 1/2" OD Compression to 1/2" barb fitting?

texts:
I have a 1/2" copper pipe which has a 1/2" nom compression x 1/2" OD compression stop on it. I'd like to be able to put a 1/2" barb fitting to connect this to a hose.

I can't find anything which would screw onto the male threads on the valve body to get me the barb?

What are my options?


texts:
So we have a GE Refrigerator that's around 35-40 years old. Purchases between 1983-1985.
The fridge has not died yet. Yes i know, GE makes amazing stuff. And i was really thinking about replacing it with something much more energy efficient.

My problem is I can't find ANY model or serial numbers, or any kind of documentation of any kind. I own a kill-a-watt meter, but the plug is in a position that I can't reach, and I'm unwilling to shift around the entire area to get an accurate reading of how many watts this fridge is taking on a daily basis.

My question is, does anyone have a ball park estimate on what refrigerators from this time period took in wattage. Is it really worth replacing the unit even though it's still working?

I can take a picture of the fridge if it's needed.
ps. This is a secondary fridge, and I'm planning on replacing it with a $500 GE fridge current being sold at a local hardware store.


texts: Bonding Neutral and ground in a service panel

texts:
My home has a 200amp meter box with 6 double breakers beneath the meter under a flap - 4 breakers are 60amp (stove heater, AC, unknown) - there are also 2 100amp breakers going to load centers inside - I believe the previous owner must have added a 2nd panel since they are different makes. the original box 200amp has neutral and ground connected to same bus and a green screw that appears to bond the bus to ground.
the 2nd panel is 125amp. It also has neutral and grounds on the same bus but there is no green bonding screw - should there be a green screw since this is not a sub panel but appears to be a second (parallel panel) added to increase circuits.
Everything seems to be working - I'm asking because we want to do solar grid tie and company says they will need an available space in the meter box and wiring looks odd. It got me looking at the set up and alos questioning??


texts:
I just finished installing a tankless water heater (yay!). Unfortunately, we weren't ready to do a full replumb of the house, so we patched into the pipes connecting the old water heater. For some reason, this house has galvanized plumbing for everything (gas and water). Before replacing the water heater, all water ran as expected. Afterward, I believe we dislodged some of the built-up deposits and now the sink faucet is running slowly.

Is there a good way of dislodging corrosion build-up within galvanized? We'll replumb soon, but having full functionality until then would be nice.

EDIT: Additional information: The hot and cold do not get mixed at the faucet, like a typical faucet. Instead, there are two faucets, one for each the hot and cold. As such, backflushing will take a bit more effort.

Also, I've tried leaving a hot faucet open and closing the tankless hot service valve (effectively closing the hot supply), then switching the service valve back on in an attempt to create a water hammer effect. This did not work after several attempts.


texts: I feel like an idiot.  I just bought my first starter home which happens to be a renovated home.  The seller told me I have LED recessed lighting but I would like to change those lights to less harsh white light.  I tried to remove the trim to change the light but it seems that its stuck on the ceiling.  I cannot twist or wiggle the trim or anything.  Was the trim caulked to the ceiling ?  Please advise, I am scared to cause a mess on my ceiling.


texts: Why are double glazed windows useful in summer?


texts: What type of cable should I run from the service pole to my house for cable internet?

texts: I found out that if I want Cable internet at my house, I need to spend $2400 in construction fees run a line under ground to my house. I'm a pretty handy guy, and generally like doing these kinds of things on my own, so I was wondering what type of cable internet providers use run underground to go from the line to the house. I'd like to figure out how much this'll cost, and this is the only unknown for me.


texts:
I'm currently about to embark on redeveloping my home office.

We have a room with a small alcove and want to mount a desk top inside it. The approx size is 220cm x 80cm

We can source the wood we want no problem and are considering a hard wood with a nice finish that is around  8cm thick (2inches)

I want the desk to be as free floating as possible with the obvious exception of mounting at the rear and sides into the wall.

The left side wall is plaster into brick, the rear and right side wall are plasterboard with cavity behind .

My question is what is the best way to mount the desk without having to put in a strengthening leg in the centre?

Thanks for your help :)


texts:
I would like to turn my basement into an apartment. It has a kitchen and a bathroom and some unfinished space, but there is no bedroom and the windows are laid out in a way that makes it hard for me to imagine where the bedroom would go (needs to have a window).

Here's the general layout:

The scale might be a little off (I very recently bought the house and I'm not there right now) but the problem, to me, is having a bedroom with a window far from the kitchen. There is the front window, but I'm not sure a bedroom should face the front of the house like that (it's a raised bungalow so the window is at ground level). The house will be pretty much gutted, but moving the kitchen/bathroom might be problematic since they are now positioned below their main level equivalents.

Thanks!


texts: I have a three way light circuit in my hallway that is connected to three ceiling lights. When I switch it on the third light will hesitate before lighting up. Why? Also, I have a different issue with my bathroom ceiling fan. It quit working for a few minutes ( the switch) then it started working again but the first couple of "switch ons" were slow or with a slight hesitation. Now it works fine or instantly again. Is this something that I should worry about? Thanks


texts: What questions should I ask of a structural engineer about these cracks in my brick walls?

texts:
My house was constructed in 1992 and we still have not completed the finishing work. Our roof is wood, there is no tie-beam or mullion at all in this house and there are some lintels above the windows & doors.

Cracks have appeared in the masonry walls starting from 2 years after construction in some areas, and in other areas some years later. Here is a picture of one of the cracks (click for full size):

I have been advised to consult a structural engineer. What can I expect from this consultation? Are there any specific questions I must ask the engineer?

I want to know if we can continue the construction as per proper standard or if I have to demolish the house and build it again.

Our land is loose soil and there is no concrete footing on this house. If this is a soil settlement issue, there are three options as per my understanding:

Continuous appearance of cracks in different areas
Cracks in a certain area with width increasing gradually
There is no new crack formation  or growth after some year

Here are some additional pictures (click for full size):


texts: What is the best way to fill a 3 inch gap under my concrete front porch?

texts:
I'm in need of some help with my concrete foundation. As I was leaving the house this morning I discovered two or three skunks crawling into a gap under my porch. The hole is on the bottom of the porch where the grass and porch meet. The gap is about 42"L x 3 1/4"W. What's the best way to fill this gap?

Also, what would be the best way to get all the animals out of there? I wouldn't want them to get stuck under there if I pour concrete; that would not be good news at all.


texts: replace both thermostat element; My wires incoming are 220/240 but is 120 volt tank

texts: Can I replace both thermostat  element on electric water heater? My wires incoming are 220/240 but my water heater is 120 volt tank; In need of help to know if I can do this safely.Thank to all of those whom could help in a seriously bad situation


texts: Fixing a water tap that only comes out with high pressure suddenly

texts:
Moved into a new apartment, and the taps in the kitchen have an issue where if you turn the tap multiple times, barely any water comes out (if any), then you get to a point where the water comes out in a big high pressure wave and continues with the high pressure water from there.

To me (a non plumber) this seems like there's some kind of fallthrough where it needs to reach a certain pressure to have water come out, and that fallthroug has been set to a too-high pressure.

Is there anything I can do about this, so the tap works at a lower pressure and doesn't come out suddenly?


texts: Replacing Tall Baseboards with Smaller Baseboard

texts:
I am installing new baseboards along my walls but the baseboard I removed was really tall (probably about 5 inches). The new base moulding is only about 3 1/4 inches tall. The walls where the baseboard was removed looks like this:

How should I make sure that seam doesn't show once I put the moulding up and paint?


texts: I have have a hook and eye orbital sander. My problem is that the sanding disc come flying off after a few minutes. Is there anything I can do to increase the duration the discs are in place ?


texts: What is an efficient way of removing thick grout haze?

texts:
I have replaced a cracked tile in my kitchen and have set the grout accordingly. I must have missed a step because the haze (which is supposed to come up with a cheese cloth) is more like London fog, and is not coming up without significant effort.

Surely there has to be a better way to get (very thick) haze off the surface of a tile?

I have a Dremel and it was very helpful for removing the old grout- is there a relatively soft polish/brush bit I can use?

(Fortunately the tile appears to be pretty heavy duty, so I am less concerned about scratching the glaze than I am about removing the excess grout.)


texts:
I removed a masonry flower bed that was causing water to flow into garage during rains. The masonry was allowing water column to form against house siding. Upon removal of flower bed I found damage to be much more extensive than assumed. Siding and framing are rotted out - outside and inside images below. This is an outside wall so is load bearing. How can I repair rotted sections of column and do it correctly to code meet code?
My plan was to support the structure and jack it up slightly to take off weight. Cut 6 inches extra from all rotted sections and replace with pressure treated wood. Since I want to only replace bad portions of the framing what are rules for sistering wood to stay up to code?
Outside. (old brown paint was top of masonry flower bed)

Inside. Wood sill and vertical columns damaged.


texts:
I recently purchased a standing desk and attached a top from Ikea that has a particle board core.
I've ran into the issue where cable management is really annoying when my desk goes up and down so I want to mount my PC to the bottom of the particle board. However, I'm really unsure if the particle board can hold the weight of my pc.
I am planning to use this as a mount.
My PC should weigh no more than 15kg (33lbs) but it might be a little more.


texts: How to fix a tap where the handle has fallen off

texts:
I have the following tap / faucet:

As you can see, it's seen better days.  The handle of it was composed of four plastic interlocking pieces which have, piece by piece, broken off.

We're due to get a new kitchen soon, so I don't want to spend any money on it at this stage.  My initial thought was to replace the tap, but it's part of an enclosed unit where I physically can't get to the underside of it.

I visited a local DIY shop, and he suggested this:

This sounded like a brilliant idea.  Apparently the concept being that you simply unscrew the top of the tap, remove the cylinder and replace it with this.  Having unscrewed the screw that is visible in the above picture, it appears to be effectively impossible to remove the top of this tap.

So, my question is broadly, how can I rectify this without changing the tap?  Firstly, am I correct in assuming I should be able to simply slide to top section of this tap off once the screw is removed (I've tried WD40 and a good bit of force, but it's not coming)? Secondly, assuming that this isn't possible, is there such a thing as a "glove" that simply slides over the top (the tap works okay, it's just hard to turn off and on)?


texts: Choice of processed lumber for large shelves

texts:
I am looking for recommendations to choose between a diverse spectrum of 3/4" thick plywood-y materials, such as MDF board (or similar) as well as stratified but sanded plywood. In this particular example, my dimensions are around 14"x60" but I have other application with similar area size but different dimensions.

I was originally planning to go with joining 2 1x8 sideways using biscuits and than stain it but I'm thinking plywood may be more durable to warping over time, especially because I don't plan to affix the upper shelves so they can be removed.


texts: Water pad for humidifier-can I buy larger and cut it to the size of my humidifier?

texts:
I have a Hunter CareFree Plus (quite old-the thermostat has a analog control -no digital dispaly) and I wanted to start reusing it. It has been in a storage for a while, the filter is quite clogged. We tried the vinegar solution but it did not do much. CLR can't be used with aluminium (I am assuming this filter is made of aluminium)

I am seeing that Lowes has tons of these but different sizes. Assuming that the thickness matches can I cut a bigger one (I still have to figure out how) so it can fit in my humidifier?

I am also seeing some plastic or paper like options for other brands. Since those will be easier to cut, can I use one of those?

Part #3142 sells for a prohibitive price--you can probably buy a brand new humidifier for the same amount.


texts: What are these extra tubes underneath the kitchen sink faucet?

texts:
I know the two tubes on the left side and right side of Arrow 1 are for cold and hot water. But what's the tube pointed by Arrow 1 for?
What about the tube pointed by Arrow 2?
It seems like Arrow 3 points to some kind of filter... I'm not totally sure. Can someone identify what those are used for?


texts: Framing for drywall around curved stairs

texts:
I have a curved stair case and I'm looking to drywall it up going into the basement. I'm looking for guidance on how to best frame the area below the stairs to drywall it up.

Images of the bottom of the staircase, looking up:


texts:
My questions (pics below):

How do these things work and does it actually make a difference?
There is dirt inside of the water filter - does it need to be washed out?
Do the white rocks inside of the water filter need to be replaced? How often?
What does the message WaterHard:20 Grn mean? What should I set it to?
Why does my flow rate show 0 gpm?
Where do I pour the bottle of Pur Gard?

Here is the water filter that came with the house I bought:

Here is the inside of it:

And a couple messages:

And a bottle of Pur Gard:


texts: Does primer normally separate in to different colors, or is this mold growing in it?

texts:
I have two five gallon buckets of Sherwin Williams PVA Drywall Primer & Sealer which is about a year and a half old. One is a partial bucket and the other is sealed and has never been opened.
I just opened them and they both have two small colored areas separated and floating near the top.  One is orange and the other is green:

I assumed that it was mold when I opened the partial bucket, but when the unused bucket had it too, I started to wonder if this was normal.
Is this primer bad or can it be used like it is?


texts: Frigidaire oven smells smoky and turned itself on to bake. Safe to use cook top?

texts:
My brother's wife  is working in remote Canadian town – just her in condo, no pets. Condo has electric Frigidare Model No. CFES3025LW4 with 4 element induction cook top. I can't find pic  on Google Image.

This morning 6 AM, she felt the house got too stuffy. Then she saw the oven turned itself on. She never pushed 'Bake' button this past week! She didn't use range yesterday.  She turned them off by pushing "Bake" again. For more safety, she turned off branch circuit breaker for whole range (cook top and oven).
She never used oven, but it smells burnt and smoky.

Anyways  repair person can't come until Nov 20 (next Wed). He needs order parts. Undeniably she must cook herself before then. She can't eat out every day! Thus is it safe for her to use just the cooktop? She will turn off branch circuit breaker after each use!


texts: Clay and Gravel Liquefaction for Paver Installation

texts:
I have recently started digging and laying the base for a patio with pavers. Its roughly 300 sqft and the soil is made of clay. I dug around 7" deep to have 4" gravel layer, 1" sand an 2" for the pavers and noticed that after compacting (using a plate compactor) the clay and the 4" gravel on top there are a couple of spots that are roughly 2x2 ft that act as a liquid when I step on them. I think its called "liquefaction". There was quite a bit of water in the clay due to a few days of rain but no standing water.

I do not want to lay anything on top until I stabilize it and wanted to get an opinion on whether its just a matter of drying it, or whether it's ok to proceed and it will harder or settler, or if I can add something to give it more stability.

P.S. the gravel is "A" type gravel, and the rest of the patio space is extremely rigid except the two spots.

Thank you!


texts:
The light bulb socket adapter I'm talking about is the one with two female AC plugs on each side and a you can screw a light bulb on top.  I screwed this socket into my light fixture outside of my house, there's one on each side of my garage, and I screwed a light bulb into the adapter then I screwed the adapter into the light fixture outside of my house.  It didn't work.  When I removed the adapter form the light fixture and screwed in a light bulb into the fixture outside the light bulb when on.  I took the adapter and tried it on a lamp inside of my house and it worked fine.  Will not work on the light fixture outside, but the fixture works fine with a light bulb in it.  I returned the adapter to Lowe's and got a new one and the same thing happened.  The light fixture outside works fine with a light bulb in it, but will not work with the adapter in it.  Very frustrating.  I hope I explained myself well.
Hope you can help me.  I'm trying to put up Xmas lights outside.
Thanks.


texts: Acropol fibreglass turned yellow on flat roof, what causes this?

texts:
We recently had roofers add 2 layers of back acropol fibreglass on our kitchen flat roof to help improve it's lifespan.  A month has passed and the coating has substantially discoloured and started to crack (see attached photo):

What's could cause the coating to turn this colour so rapidly?  We have had heavy rainfall and a cold winter if that's of note.


texts: Pressure washer will not start after replacing carburetor and cylinder head

texts:
I have a Simpson PS3835 pressure washer with a Honda GX270 engine.
Background
When I was replacing the spark plug for the first time, the threads stripped out of the cylinder head as I was removing the spark plug. (Yup.) And I didn't use the pressure washer often during the winter, and the fuel stagnated. So, I replaced the cylinder head, carburetor, and all associated gaskets.
Problem
When I replaced the cylinder head, I adjusted the valve clearance to spec. I used the Honda service (not owner's) manual for the GX270 engine while I repaired it. I also used to be a Honda (automotive) mechanic, so I'm relatively comfortable repairing/rebuilding engines. All new gaskets everywhere for the cylinder head and carburetor.
Nevertheless, I cannot get this engine to start. I nearly ripped my shoulder out of socket, too. Ugh. So, I'm following the standard start up procedure as listed on the pressure washer. Gas valve set to ON, engine set to full choke. Fresh gas in fuel tank. Fresh oil change. Bleeding air out of all water hoses.
When I pull the starter cord, the engine is, for the most part, difficult to turn over. I know there are a lot of variables, but could there be something simple I am missing? Should I bleed air out of the fuel system at the carburetor? I don't know.
Update on 4/6/2020
So, I removed the cylinder head and then the valves. I pressed on the valves/valve springs to simulate them being opened, and it appeared that one of the valves was hanging. Hard to describe. Anyway, I removed, re-installed, adjusted valve clearance, re-assembled the cylinder head and carb. Now when I try to crank, it's like it was before this problem occurred. Much smoother, less resistance. I don't have time to hook up the pressure washer to test it out. I'll do that on Thursday. Update in a few days.
Update on 4/9/2020
I cranked the pressure washer today and it started up on the first pull. The problem was valve-related. I just had to remove and re-install the valves, valve spring retainers, and valve springs, ensuring that both valve assemblies moved freely. One of the valves was hanging up on the retainer, I believe.


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I have a freestanding half-wall in our garage. It's constructed of 2x4s and finished with drywall and is in a big L shape. It's technically mobile but heavy and doesn't move easily. I want to  get more outlets  in this wall for different chargers, a compressor, etc... I could get a large surge protector bar and mount it on the wall and connect it to a regular outlet but I was thinking that actual receptacles would give me more flexibility to design the space as I see fit.
So my question is the following: Can I install several receptacles along this wall, connected to each other through Romex but not connected to the house's electric panel? They would be powered by plugging an extension chord into one of the outlets (or using a hardwire conversion kit like they sell for garbage disposals. Is this against code or otherwise a terrible idea?


texts: How can I deal with a low spot in a fiberglass shower pan?

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The slope of the shower base is not quite right. Water will drain correctly at the front of the shower, but the water at the back does not flow towards the front. Likely because the floor is not really straight. There might be a very slight bump in the middle that causes the water at the back to stay trapped.
I have no appetite for breaking everything and replacing everything.
Is there a solution for this problem? Maybe a type of silicon or something that could recreate more of a slope at the end?


texts: What should I do about this smoke detector that beeps constantly?

texts:
My smoke detector beeps constantly when connected. Looks like I need to change the battery. But I have no clue where to put in the battery or how to change. Your help will be appreciated.

The unit is on the ceiling. I just held the cover next to it for the photo.


texts: How do I support vertical runs of round ducting?

texts: Supporting ducts horizontally seems pretty straight forward--just a loop of strapping underneath to support it. What about when the duct runs vertically? Do you use the same kind of strapping but attach it to the duct with screws, or is there more to it?


texts: How can I tell if a ceiling box will support a real light fixture?

texts:
I removed a fluorescent light fixture from kitchen but I'm not sure the work box will support a real light fixture. The work box is round and plastic. The fluorescent light wasn't even held up by the work box, it was attached directly to the ceiling.

I've installed light fixtures before to metal work boxes and its usually replacing another light fixture attached to the work box, so I know they can handle it. For this one I'm just not sure.

Here are pictures of the work box in question:


texts: Painting acoustic drywall with large perforations

texts: I have a wall of acoustic drywall in my studio and I'd like to paint it another colour, but it has these cut-out holes in it which aren't painted, they're just white, how should I go about painting it so i either don't get paint on the walls of the holes or cover the walls fully?


texts: Can Romex (NM-B) be run in conduit for more than 10 ft when starting from the breaker panel?

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The answers to this question indicate that NM can be run in conduit: Can Romex (NM-B) be run through conduit?

I was hoping to enclose 12-2 NM-B in EMT for about 20 feet from the breaker box up my garage wall and into my attic to protect it from physical damage as needed when running perpendicular to the joists in my accessible attic. Then, the NM cable would just run the rest of the way unenclosed and parallel to a joist to a non-metallic box with integral cable clamps to feed my garage door motor:

However, it looks like I may not be able to do so because of section 312.5(C).

Section 312.5(C) lists some additional restrictions which seem to indicate that cable cannot be fully enclosed in raceways (such as EMT) for a length greater than 10 ft if the raceway starts at a cabinet, cutout box, or meter socket enclosure -- I understand these definitions to include things known as service panels, breaker boxes, or load centers in language of the typical homeowner. I know there are other options to achieve what I want that do not raise this question (e.g. use something other than EMT for protection, run THHN inside the EMT and then use a junction box to transition to NM), but I would like to know if I'm correctly interpreting section 312.5 in this situation. I have quoted section 312.5(C) from the 2014 NEC below:

  312.5 Cabinets, Cutout Boxes, and Meter Socket Enclosures. Conductors entering enclosures within the scope of this article shall be
  protected from abrasion and shall comply with 312.5(A) through (C).

  (C) Cables. Where cable is used, each cable shall be secured to the
  cabinet, cutout box, or meter socket enclosure. Exception: Cables with
  entirely nonmetallic sheaths shall be permitted to enter the top of a
  surface-mounted enclosure through one or more nonflexible raceways not
  less than 450 mm (18 in.) and not more than 3.0 m (10 ft) in length,
  provided all of the following conditions are met:

  (a) Each cable is fastened within 300 mm (12 in.), measured along the
  sheath, of the outer end of the raceway

  (b) The raceway extends directly above the enclosure and does not
  penetrate a structural ceiling.

  (c) A fitting is provided on each end of the raceway to protect the
  cable(s) from abrasion and the fittings remain accessible after
  installation.

  (d) The raceway is sealed or plugged at the outer end using approved
  means so as to prevent access to the enclosure through the raceway.

  (e) The cable sheath is continuous through the raceway and extends
  into the enclosure beyond the fitting not less than 6 mm (1⁄4 in.).

  (f) The raceway is fastened at its outer end and at other points in
  accordance with the applicable article.

  (g) Where installed as conduit or tubing, the cable fill does not
  exceed the amount that would be permitted for complete conduit or
  tubing systems by Table 1 of Chapter 9 of this Code and all applicable
  notes thereto. Informational Note: See Table 1 in Chapter 9, including
  Note 9, for allowable cable fill in circular raceways. See
  310.15(B)(3)(a) for required ampacity reductions for multiple cables installed in a common raceway.


texts: I had a fridge that I moved out of the way exposing another section of my brick wall, but there is a noticeable difference between the newly exposed brick and the rest. I'm not sure what this stuff is on the surface & how to get rid of it. Any help would be much appreciated.


texts: Why should I use advanced nails instead of wood screws for strength?

texts:
Recently I found that there're some superior nails for constructing hurricane-resistant houses - with very clever design for preventing pulling the nails out and tearing the boards off when the structure is under harsh wind load. I saw similar nails before - those were designed for flooring, but that's the first time I see nails with such advanced design.

What I don't get is why not just use wood screws? I mean wood screws are specifically designed for heavy loads - for example, for attaching door hinges - and they can be driven very fast with power drivers.

Why go to such lengths and invent those extremely advanced nails instead of using screws?


texts: Doorbell dings, dongs, but doesn't ding-dong

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I'm replacing a doorbell chime unit.  The old one worked, but the new one does not.  If I connect the wire to the terminal labeled "front", it will ding.  If I connect the wire to the terminal labeled "rear", it dongs.  The latter makes sense as that should be so a rear or side doorbell has a different sound.  But why doesn't it ding-dong when connected to "front"?  The hammer moves freely up and down (no wire in the way blocking it).

The transformer measures only 11 volts.  That seems low, should I replace it?  If not, what else could be the problem?

Old:

New:


texts: Can I use toothpicks in power outlet for better grip?

texts: I have a UPS and the problem is that my monitor's plug no longer fits in perfectly. It kind of slips and my monitor turns off and when I try to adjust it, it turns on but with little sparks from the UPS outlet. My question is can I insert toothpicks in the outlet along with the plug for better grip? Would that be safe because I don't want to replace the UPS.


texts: Dimmable LED lights on a dimmer switch, they won't come on at all anymore. Do they still work?

texts:
Apologies for the wall of text in advance.

I bought three 40W Energizer dimmable LED lightbulbs for a dimmer switch at home. Once I screwed them in, I noticed that when I turned on the switch, there was a particular buzz that came from them and the dimming would not work properly. I did a bit of research and it turned out I needed a specific LED dimmer switch to go with the dimmable LED lights. I thought "oh, well, I'll just replace it with a normal switch". I left it like that for a few weeks since it wasn't a huge priority. The buzz eventually went away and I kinda forgot about it completely.

However, I noticed that over time one by one the lightbulbs would stop coming on every time I turned the switch on. I ignored it for the first one since I thought it was just the dimmer switch, but I had another light not come on today and it got me worried. I tested it in another light socket that's connected to a normal switch and it won't come on, so I worry it's been buggered (the third one that still works, worked in the other socket).

Are they salvageable at all? Have I just ruined two otherwise perfectly good LED lights?


texts: How do I wire multiple light fixtures on their own switch on a Modular wall?

texts: I have a wall that will be used to display vanities. This wall needs to be able to move around and hold 3 light fixtures. Those three fixtures each need their own switch. My thought was to install gang boxes as if it were a traditional wall so that it can be sheetrocked. I need these three fixtures and 3 switches to connect to a plug that can be plugged into a standard outlet. Ive believe I have the wiring figured out but want to be sure before I present the idea/drawing to my boss. Thanks in advance for the help.


texts: How best to cut & tie into cast iron pipe

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I have a 2" section of ductile cast iron pipe that's in the way of a framing repair job. This pipe needs to move.

The cast iron dates to the original construction, 1938. As was customary at the time, the cast iron was joined with oakum and pure metallic lead.

In the middle is a modern retrofit that's horrible, with no actual seal between a plastic retrofit and the 1938 cast iron.  This section serves a single modern sink and dishwasher.  Fixing the modern plumbing is no problem.  How do I cut & tie into the 1938 cast iron?  I have heard that removing the lead is both hard, and will send lead chips down the sewer.

My local library offers a compression snap cutter for cast iron pipes.


texts:
I'm watching this video on how to spray paint metal, and it's pretty good.

One thing I don't get though, is how to paint the surfaces that the objects are resting on? Do you simply have to wait for the paint to dry and then change the orientation of the piece to apply paint to the other sides? This seems like it would cause the paint to become uneven.

What's the best way to do it?


texts: What could cause condensation on a ceiling after painting with a roof sealer?

texts: I am renting an apartment and the tenants recently complained about water droplets on the ceiling in one of the rooms. The apartment is on the first floor and surrounded by plants (we live in a tropical climate), and there is no history of water infiltration before. There are two other floors in the building, and neither apartment presents any water problems. The new tenants painted the whole apartment with Lanco Urethanizer, and since then the problem has appeared. We are currently in the middle of the rain season and hurricane season, but other than that, I have no idea what could cause this. The apartment is built with concrete blocks.


texts: All outlets (non-gfci) in both of my bathrooms (at sink level) are dead. I have cycled all service breakers to no avail. Have had no known recent electrical 'disturbance'


texts:
I installed a new fan motor on my Trane condenser. It's 240V three-wire Genteq motor that's described as clockwise shaft-up rotation

https://www.northamericahvac.com/trane-american-standard-condenser-fan-motor-1-8-hp-230v-mot18688/.

Wiring diagram on the fan shows purple and brown connected to a 30/5uf capacitor and black as line (L2).  Fan resistance - purple to black is 40 ohms and brown to black is 60 ohms indicating that the brown is start and purple is run.   Capacitor is known to be good and wired with fan brown lead to FAN and fan purple lead to HERM.  Capacitor common is L1.

Black fan wire is connected to black side of the contactor - L2.  In this configuration the fan runs counter-clockwise shaft-up.  When polarity is reversed and improper to the fan wiring diagram, fan runs clockwise shaft-up.

I'm out of ideas on what can be wrong.

Sorry for the poor quality pics.


texts: Which wood dimension to run on top of fence?

texts:
For the below picture, is it a 2x4 or 1x2 on top? Also how does it attach to the pickets? Is it nailed/screwed to the posts?

I can't really tell.


texts:
I bought the Azek PVC boards from a local store and I am starting to install the boards soon. I am using pressure treated for the frame, the store I bought the board suggested to use "Joist Tape" to protect the wooden joists. But when I read further details on the production information on the Joist tape (Resisto Joist Guard). They said the membrane composed of "Elastomeric Bitumen" and they said "It is not recommended to use a product containing bitumen directly on softwood boards or flexible polyvinyl chloride".

From the joist tape product, the technology is "SBS modified bitumen", the surface that making contact with the Azek PVC is actually "High density polyethylene" not bitumen. That is confusing.  The underface is "self-adhesive Silicone release film".  Just wondering if it is safe to use these joist tapes? Or is there any other brand that is compatible with Azek PVC that will not void the warranty? Thanks a lot.


texts: Is a corner roller or corner pad a good tool to use to cut into corners when painting?

texts: We are preparing to paint some walls, and want to know if a corner roller or a corner pad are good tools to use for cutting in the corners.  We are hesitant to cut in with a brush since it leaves a different 'texture' than the 9" roller we will use for the rest of the wall.


texts: Should (or even Can) I use epoxy to repair a previously PVA-glued load-bearing wood joint?

texts:
I'm repairing damage on a wooden sleigh bed; specifically, to one of the two side pieces that support the Frame Slats (a.k.a. "the slats"!). It is the thin "edge" that is joined to the inside and bottom of each Long Rail (i.e. the bed's sides). I dunno if it has a name, but I'll refer to it as simply the Slat Support. The original join was regular "yellow" glue, supported by screws every 10.5".  Here's the non-broken left side (left and right being as seen from standing at the foot of the bed and looking towards the head) with a few slats supported on its Slat Support:

The damage is that on the right side (not shown in the above -- the position I was standing when I took the above shot), the Slat Support has separated from its Long Rail, at the Headboard end, to a length of about 24". Here is the break, held open by a ruler:

Given that this needs to bear a fair amount of load -- the Slat Support holds up the Frame Slats, the Frame Slats support the box spring, which supports the mattress, which supports the kid jumping up and down on it apparently!... -- can anyone recommend what glue I should use? As I say, the original join was regular "yellow" glue, but I'm wondering if should use epoxy for the repair.

I may also fill in the three affected screw holes and drill some new ones away from the damage. In addition, I intend to swap the left and right Long Rails so that the repair moves from being at the Headboard end and right side, to the Footboard end and left side.

But I think the glue is doing the most work here, so I want to make sure I get that part right.

Thanks!


texts: Can I run 100A service from a 200A panel in a garage to a house with an existing 60A service?

texts:
I have a somewhat unique situation. I had a separate 200A service run to my garage a few years ago to run my welders and compressor. My house still has 60A service. I am now moving my wood shop from a commercial space into my basement and will need more power down there. I was advised by the electrician who installed the 200A panel in the garage that at some point I could pull 100A off that panel and go underground to the house. I have no problems with the existing 60A service in the house so simplest approach would seem to just install a sub-panel in the basement to feed all the woodworking machinery and leave the existing house wiring as is. I intend to run 2/2/2/4 THHN/THWN wires in conduit to feed the sub-panel.

Reading up on this I find much confusing info regarding grounding and bonding and of course it's all addressing a sub-panel from the house to the garage, not the way I'm going. So a few questions...

Am even I allowed to have two panels in the house with separate feeds?
Unlike most garages the house is full of 'metallic pathways' and I assume the existing 60A panel is grounded so how would one properly deal with bonding and grounding the new 100A sub-panel in the basement?

I understand the  ground and neutral in the sub-panel should not be bonded but I'm confused about the grounding. Some say grounding electrode, others say the #4 equipment ground is good, some say I need an additional grounding electrode at the main panel in the garage...

Any clarification would be much appreciated.


texts: How is the service drop or service lateral of a residential electric service protected from overcurrent?

texts: In typical North American residences, a pole transformer supplies two leg 120 V electrical service to a home. My service is rated at 200 A. If I were to draw excess current from the triplex service cable running from the pole to the meter socket, what device protects the cable from overcurrent?


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I am building a reef tank in my living room, it's in the corner of the house, and as you can see from the drawing, it is sitting on 5-floor joists. The house is less than 10 years old and the joists are 16ft long before the beam.
Will this be enough to safely support 2500-3000 lbs? The tank weighs 2500 plus people.


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While I live on the 7th floor, the noise coming from street level is significant. Small motorcycles with their mufflers taken off race by all day long, constantly, and even at this level they can be ear piercingly loud. While it rarely wakes me up, it sometimes feels like noise pollution is impacting the quality of my sleep.
My bedroom has wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling glass, so there is a rather large surface that needs to be treated. Outside, there is a balcony with a ceiling that will be reflecting sound. Inside, we have a thick curtain that does not seem to be doing much by the way of keeping sound out.
As we rent, replacing for double or triple glazed windows isn’t an option. So I’m wondering how to approach this.
Should I build a wall of wooden frames with insulation ‘wool’ stuck inside? Every morning removing those frames would become a nuisance no doubt, and storing them during monsoon season possibly a hassle.
Should I stick sound insulation foam (the studio kind) to the outside of the windows, praying they come off the window once we move out?
Stick insulation wool up on the balcony ceiling?
Hang a vinyl curtains in front of the windows on the outside?
Ruin our view by putting plants everywhere along the edge of the balcony, so the leaves help in reflecting sound.


texts: Identify a pipe coming out of the basement floor, as well as a hole in the floor?

texts:
I want to build a bathroom in the basement with a 36”x36” shower.
I am trying to figure out if this pipe is the vent from the main drain.


texts: How can I prevent an exterior GFCI outlet from tripping so often?

texts:
Presently I have a GFCI (120V) located on an outlet in my utility room of the house. From this outlet on the LOAD side, I have a #12 3 wire cable running in Schedule 40 conduit underground 150 feet  to a pole outside in my yard. Things worked Ok for a while but now the GFCI trips all the time.

I unplugged the spot lights from the outside outlet box (protected by code with weatherproof plastic cover box), but the GFCI still trips. I am wondering if I should connect  the Ground wire to a ground rod at the pole due to the long cable run which may have enough resistance to make the GFCI trip? I have replaced the GFCI inside the house, same result, checked the cable, no shorts or high resistance shorts.

Can't figure this out !


texts: Can I use self-leveling concrete on a very not-level surface?

texts: My garage floor is probably 50 years old and is severely pitted, and decidedly not level. I don't mind it being un-level, but it's so not smooth that sweeping is much harder than it should be. Can I put a thin layer of self-leveling concrete on it to just smooth it out, or would it all pool in the lowest spots? I'm open to other ideas on how to get it smoother as well.


texts: Where can I find replacement covers for these vents from 1969?

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I recently bought a house built in 1969. After moving in I attempted to close and open vents to direct AC and heat into the rooms that needed it. I quickly experience these vents are hard to open and close, you need to essentially stab these things with a large screwdriver to engage the closing/opening mechanism.

They're 25 inches wide, 5 inches tall, and stick out from the wall a good 3 inches. My question, is there anywhere I can buy replacement covers for these that open and close easier and (in my perfect world) sit flush against the wall? I've tried taking one off the wall and it was a pain, the screws have been painted over several times.

I've attached a picture of the vents below.


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I'm considering use of GRK R4 #10 3.125" structural screws in a applications where it appears that the primary load on the screw is shear.  The package states 1016 lbs ave ultimate load in wood w/0.67 density - but needs a safety margin.

I have two specific application in mind:

1) A ledger board that supports a small platform where upto 300 lbs steps down onto.
2) 2x4 x 11" cleats for a stair treads - also supporting 300 lbs.

How many screws are needed?


texts: What type of filters should I use for a 3 stage whole house water filter?

texts:
We have city water, but it always manages to taste like metal and chlorine.  I was going to add point-of-use filters, but then decided it would be better to do the whole house to cover showering, hot water heater, bathroom sinks, etc.  I'm hoping this will also extend the life of water-using appliances.

I purchased 3 20"x4.5" Big Blue filter housings.  I plan to use a 5 micron sediment filter, but the other two housings I haven't decided on yet.  I oversized the filters on purpose to hopefully allow adequate flow for the whole house.  A popular design seems to be:
sediment -> Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) -> carbon block
since the GAC allows more contact with the medium, and then the carbon block filters out anything that comes loose in the GAC.

I was considering double sediment filtering (5 micron and then 1 micron), but since it's really the chlorine/chloramine that I want out, the GAC is important.

Sorry, I haven't boiled this down to a question, so here it is:

Is the carbon block good enough to remove any loose carbon from the GAC (especially after filter changes)?  Should I put a spigot inbetween the GAC housing and the carbon block so I can flush that after a GAC filter change without overwhelming the block?  Or is there some other filter arrangement that I haven't discovered yet?

And, as an aside, if I wanted RO at my kitchen sink, do they sell JUST an RO filter/tank setup for systems that already do sediment/carbon for the whole house?  Everything I see is a combo system.

Does anyone who already has a whole house system look at TDS / pressure drop to determine when to change a filter, or is it better to stick to a schedule?  I was also hoping that the large filters would get me longer periods between changing.

UPDATE:
Well, it's not an "answer", but here's what I went with after discussing it with a few ChemEng friends.  They agreed that carbon block is far preferable to GAC, since it forces the water through the carbon instead of just having it flow past.  I initially installed the 5 micron sediment filter in housing 1, left 2 empty, and put a 1 micron carbon block in 3.  At their recommendation, I put a second 1 micron carbon block in housing 2.  Our pressure is great, and oversizing the filters was a good call - flow rates are more than adequate.

Just today, some neighbors were posting to facebook asking if anyone had noticed a much more pronounced chlorine taste over the past few days.  The water company is pointing to salt runoff, but everyone's claiming it smells like pool water is coming from the taps.  I can't smell the chlorine at all, and the taste is very faintly metallic, but no chlorine.  Very pleased with how this worked out.


texts: What are alternatives to an in-floor drain in a laundry room?

texts:
Let’s say you had a house and, for whatever reason, it was not possible to have an in-floor drain in the laundry room.

Are there alternatives that would ideally provide the same value in case of a leak?


texts: Can I use existing 40 AMP breakers when the item calls for 30 AMP

texts:
My tankless water heater stopped working and I purchased a new but slightly smaller one.  The description on the website said that it used the same wiring as my last one (3 40 AMP breakers and 8/2 AWG wires).
The instruction coming with the new unit now say it requires 3 30 AMP breakers and 10/2 wires.
Can I keep my existing 40 breakers if I am also using the 8/2 wiring?  I have read other comments that say that the person couldn't use the 30amp since the wiring was probably 10/2, but I know mine is 8/2 so I am hoping I can still use the newer and smaller heater.
Thanks


texts: Particle board subfloor - cover with additional plywood/osb for luxury vinyl plank flooring?

texts:
A friend of mine just purchased a 1 story house and we spent the weekend tearing out the old crappy carpet / vinyl flooring. The subfloor underneath it is particle board rather than plywood/OSB. The subfloor seems to be in good condition and goes over a crawl space, with the only issue being furniture, etc "shaking" a bit when walking around. The home inspector said putting an additional layer of sub-flooring over top should help solidify everything. We plan on installing luxury vinyl plank flooring.
-Is it worth putting an additional sub-floor on top?
-What would be better for this application - plywood or osb?
-Would 1/4" be sufficient or what would the recommended thickness be?
-Should we follow the same seam pattern on the existing particle board subfloor or overlap the seams?


texts: How to understand the red and green blinking lights in Trane gas furnace?

texts:
My 8 year old Trane Model tuh2d120a9v5va furnace is not giving out heat, but the blower is on.  The service people are all busy due to the recent storms.  I imagine the ignition is not working.

There is a little glass viewing window.  I see red and green flashing lights. The red flashes 4 times, the green 3 times, and these overlap.  What do these lights mean?


texts: Air flow and ventilation in an apartment with all windows on one side

texts:
I am considering renting a 2 bedroom apartment with all the windows on one side(south). But I am concerned about the overall air circulation in the apartment and eventually moisture and mold problems.

Is ventilation greatly compromised by this layout? Is it possible to retrofit a ventilation system?


texts: Unable to remove light fixture because of a wire entry holder

texts:
Hello,

I'm trying to remove a florescent light fixture but a plastic yellow wire entry holder is preventing the fixture from coming off. (See photo) It looks like a holder that had been crimped with 3 wires in place. Note I'm referring to the yellow plastic holder on the fixture, not the yellow wire nuts.

How can I remove the holder? The wires are tight, so I can't pull the fixture away more than half an inch from the wall with the holder in place.


texts: Screws or nails for securing 2" lumber to overhead joists as fireblocking?

texts:
I will be installing fireblocking as part of finishing my basement. I plan to leave about an 8" gap between the newly framed walls (metal stud framing) and the cinder block foundation wall to avoid putting holes into the concrete covering the French drain for my sump pump. I will therefore be installing continuous runs of 2"x12" lumber to the bottom of the floor joists as fireblocking material before framing the walls underneath.

Is it better to use nails or screws to secure the 2"x12" lumber to the floor joists?

Using nails seems like it will work better with the shear loads from expansion and contraction of my otherwise wood-framed house. However, the lumber also has tensile loads from gravity for which screws are typically recommended. I am planning to use non-load bearing metal drywall studs to frame the wall beneath the fireblocking.


texts:
I have a detached garage that is in between the well and the house.

As it stands, the tank in the house is not sufficient for watering the lawn, and so I would like to get a bigger one anyhow.  Since the garage is new and closer to the well line than it is the house, I thought maybe I could just buy a bigger tank and hook it up directly in the garage to supply water to the orchard and the upstairs garage apartment (new plumbing).

Otherwise, I would have to bring in a water line from the house to the garage anyway.

The current setup is a well ~300 ft from the house with a 20 gallon pressure tank/bladder in the house.


texts: I want to hook up two lights and two separate switches

texts: I want to hook up two lights and two switches. There are three cables. One has three black wires, the other two have one yellow wire and one black wire each. I'm assuming that one of the cables with one yellow wire and one black wire goes to one light and the other goes to the other light and the cable with three black wires is the power coming from the breaker box. The lights were already installed but they both ran to one switch and I want them to have their own individual switches. Where do I go from this point?


texts:
My room has the following window:

My room becomes extremely warm whenever the day is sunny (the window is facing the south) and the outside temperature is a bit warn (> 60F/15C). Yesterday for example, my room temperature was over 88F/31C most of the day, despite opening the windows at night and the outside temperature being 70F/21C. Even when outside temperature get colder (I live in Massachusetts and temperatures may vary a lot from day to day, or even within the same day), it takes many hours for my room temperature to get lower.

Opening the windows during the day don't help, because the window opening is tiny and as you can see in the picture it opens to the bottom (which means the cold air from outside cannot enter the warm room, since cold air goes down and warm air goes up).).

Is there anything that can be done to make the room temperature lower?

My 5 ideas so far:

Turning on the air conditioning: this isn't possible (quote from the building house manager where I rent the room: "We are still a couple weeks away from the building wide turnover.  It has to be a complete Heat to AC Switch in our building (Heat turned off, Chillers turned on), so we have to wait until risk of cold days/nights are behind us."). I also cannot cut the window to install an AC.
Placing some "air pump" on the window, i.e. some  pipe  measuring one or two meter that would go from outside to inside through the window. Does such things exist? The only items I could found so far were window air conditioner, e.g.:

However, since the outside air is not that warm I don't need to isolate the window: a simple pipe flushing some air from outside to inside would be enough (the pipe doesn't need to cool the air).
Adding more curtains, as it shown below: it helps a bit but not that much.

Placing some heat control window films to the window. I haven't tried it yet, I don't know to what extent it would reduce the heat. Should I expect some significant improvement with it?
Adding some external window shutter. I'm not allowed to do so:


texts:
We have had a lot of problems with our DSL dropping.  The ISP has come out and taken a look at the outside wiring, and has claimed that everything looks good.  They have said that the problem is with our internal wiring.

I have no idea where to start and haven't been able to find much information online.  So my questions are:

1 - What are the common wiring problems that would lead to DSL dropping it's connection?
2 - How would I diagnose/fix these common problems?
3 - If I can't fix it myself, who would I call?  Would an electrician typically handle this?


texts: Will relocating my Central AC intake improve performance?

texts:
Over this weekend, I have made a breakthrough scientific discovery that will likely change the world - hot air rises compared to cooler air! :)

My Central AC system has its intake at the ground level, and the ceilings are 8' - it's an older but remodeled house.

I have the space to reroute intake from the floor to the ceiling.  My idea: why have the AC unit pulling in the coolest air when it could be working on the warmest air instead?  And, additionally, that would be the logical flow direction, so this must be more efficient.  With its location it would be easy to construct, too.

My question is, just how much more efficient is this?  And do you have any tips on the routing?  I will be able to keep a wide radius on the new ducting and it will have at least 20x20 cross-section (equal to the intake).  Thanks!


texts: What is the best way to tell a water stain on a drywall is wet

texts:
We had a leak in the roof a while ago that caused water stains on the wall. The leak should be fixed now, but we wanted to wait a bit before painting the wall until we are sure that there is no more water leaking in. I feel that it is now really hard to tell if the wall is wet where the old stain is, or just cold.

What is the best way to tell if the drywall is actually moist or if it is dry. Preferably without buying any moisture meter or so.

Thanks
Simon


texts: How to test GFCI outlet with a Switch to determine if it is working?


texts: What's the best way to label a double gang box with two circuits

texts:
I'm installing some lights in my basement, and will be replacing the single gang box in the hall (currently only for hall light) with a double gang box.  The idea is to accommodate the hall light switch and the basement light switch in the same box, but I want to inform anybody who comes after that they will have to turn off two breakers to safely work in the box.

What's the best way to label the box, so people know there are two circuits in the box?


texts:
Searching on internet i've found some articles like this :
https://earthship360.com/what-is-the-advantage-of-a-24v-system-over-a-12v-system/
that is in favor of higher voltage system.

But on other articles , i've read that is better 12V or there's no significant differencies.

So , Is there any advantage choosing one or other system ?
Thank you !


texts: Is there a good way to add a rebar-type concrete encased grounding electrode AFTER the slab is in?

texts:
My workshop project has a 1200 sqft slab with 40 cu-yards of concrete! and 900 lbs of rebar in it.  Unfortunately, I didn't set up to put in a proper concrete encased grounding connection...
is there any way to do this after the fact?  ( I cant actually get to any of the exposed rebar as its all got at least 2" of concrete on it per code)
I do have a "normal" earth ground consisting of an 8' piece of 5/8 copper rod buried at 36" in the dirt outside the foundation and tied in with #2 Cu wire... And my water comes in via PVC, so that's not tied in...
I cant be the first person to finish the slab before I got the electrical planned fully...


texts:
Do i need a new collar on a toilet if i have a vinyl floor? never had one before

this is my second toilet and it was leaking.  even before the plumber started the work, the price went form $220.00 to $440.00 because he said I might need a new collar.

I never had a problem with the last 2 plumbers not needing one and when 2 new toilets were put in it was not needed.

this plumber said they require it without even looking at the toilet.  I am a single 68 year old female and i feel like I am being taken advantage of.  is it a must or can the ring be 1/4" below the floor like everyone states?


texts: How does a two-piece water softener work and what maintenance does it require?

texts:
I've read that there are single units and conditioners with reservoirs. I've gathered that they both need to be replenished with conditioning salt. I have a two piece (below) unit and am wondering how exactly it works and what kind of maintenance I am supposed to perform on it.

When I looked in the reservoir, there's only a small amount of water and it doesn't look like there's any salt:

From online research, it seems as though I have a unit that refills daily which is wasteful. I recently saw a single unit from Costco and am curious whether this would be better than what I currently have.


texts: Is this outside security camera wiring correct or lazy?

texts:
We are replacing a defunct security camera system with a new one. I was quoted new wiring for the whole deal, the installers are now trying to not re-wire the whole setup. I now have a second hole into the side of my house.

The house is 14' off the ground in a hurricane prone area. I get that there isn't a way to hide the wire. The new wire has been zip tied every 8" to the old secured wire that was snipped off the old cameras.

This doesn't seem correct to me. See pic. Black wire is old wire that doesn't have enough power for cameras and is actually stapled properly to house. White wire is new. I was planning on removing the black cable when the cameras came down as I didn't think anyone would secure things to it. Given that we're hurricane prone, I do not want anything 'extra' permanently mounted on the sides of the house. Am I nuts or is what they've done normal practice?


texts: Hot water slab leak - floor tiles still warm 24 hours after turning off water

texts:
Looks like we have a slab leak in our house.  I noticed warm tiles around the laundry area where we have pinpointed the hottest point and the warmth seems to spread about 6 feet outwards.

The weird thing is, the water in the house was shut off 24 hours ago, but the floor tiles are still warm. I cannot work out why.

Any ideas? 12 hours ago I also turned the pilot light off at the water heater, but tiles are still warm. How can this be? Surely after 24 hours it cant be residual heat?

Any help appreciated.


texts: How can I soundproof my room to reduce street noise?

texts:
My bedroom is facing a busy street, with many bars/restaurants. People are shouting and cabs are honking.

The 2 windows are double-pane, and the wall is the exterior wall, so solid brick. There are no gaps in the windows, as far as I can see. I have curtains.

I read that foams are echo-absorbing and will not help in this case, while MLV (mass loaded vinyl) might not be enough.

Is there a relatively easy way to solve this? I'd like to avoid extreme measures such as building a room within a room.


texts: Convert two switches to a dual stack, and add outlet - possible here?

texts:
Here's the setup in our kitchen.  On the left with two brown wires is the disposal switch.  On the right is a switch for an over-the-sink light.

I would like to put these into a dual (stacked) switch, and add an outlet in the other space.  Is this possible?  Secondly, might anyone have a description or pic of how that wiring would look?  Thank you in advance!

The bottom pics are of the outlet under the sink - with the top outlet being the switched disposal and the bottom being for the dishwasher, which has a separate switch in the breaker panel.

pr


texts: Determine which wire goes to which switch?

texts:
We had an electrician do some wiring, including wiring two set of switches. The wiring could not be completed because the ceiling needed to be taken down. So he left enough wire to do the wiring later so that we could finish the walls. Now that the ceiling is down the electrician is not available. I could easily do this myself but I don't know which of the two wires goes to which switch as he didn't label them.

Besides hooking up a light and switch temporarily, is there some way to tell which wire goes to which switch?


texts: Do AFCI/GFCI receptacles protect downstream circuits without equipment bonding conductor?

texts:
I am renovating part of my house, and taking the time to update some old wiring that is now exposed.  The old wiring is primarily #14/2c WITH NO BARE BONDING CONDUCTOR.  This means that no device boxes are bonded to earth ground, and neither are the receptacles on those circuits.

I have run a new feed from a circuit breaker to a device box which now contains a UL/CSA approved Leviton AFCI/GFCI receptacle.  This box is now bonded to earth ground.  From this first device on the circuit, I ran a new cable, 14/2 with bare bonding conductor, to another device box for light switches (now bonded), with feed through to another device box with switches and junctions to old wiring.  This last box has older wiring that feeds lights and receptacles that have no equipment bonding conductor.  Are these last devices protected by the upstream AFCI/GFCI device (the ones with no equipment bonding)??  My understanding of this AFCI/GFCI device is that it detects differential current between the hot and neutral.  If there is no equipment bonding to earth, and if a fault exits, where does that current go, and how would the AFCI/GFCI device function?


texts: Can tile or click-lock wood be installed directly on rigid insulation foam

texts:
We would like to insulate a concrete condo floor and for height purposes (already low ceilings as well as not modifying fire doors) we cannot add much material to the concrete pad.

Typically in this 12-story building the flooring (carpet, wood, or tile) is laid directly on top of the concrete, but this has led to too cold-floors in the winter. Thus, even a small amount of insulation would really cut into the heat loss and add a lot of comfort.

We've been examining adding a 1/2" layer of rigid foam insulation and then laying click-lock engineered flooring and/or porcelain tile on top. Despite some lengthy internet searches, we haven't found any reports-- positive or negative-- of this kind of approach. Almost all concrete floor questions involve basements, which require solving a completely problem approach because of water and moisture. Because the floor under us is a multi-story garage we're also not concerned about sound underneath.

I cannot immediately see why this would not work. While some foams compress, many foams are structural and do not. Standard pink and green rigid insulation foam can be gotten in compressive strengths of 100psi, which according to some sources is the same compressive strength as OSB. So from a compressive standpoint, the technique of concrete-->foam-->OSB/plywood-->glue-->flooring would seem to have no advantage over concrete-->foam-->glue-->flooring.

Are there any references for one way or the other? If not, can anyone share insight into what are the advantages to the extra complexity of adding OSB/plywood?


texts: How can I get my three-way switches working as they should?

texts: I have two sets of three way switches. Two of the three way switches run to the same box. It appears that the power source is coming into the box to power both three way switches, but I can't seem to get the power to power both switches without having the lights always stay on or somehow not being able to power both. I have wired one switch in and I had it wired around to power both sets of lights. I have thought that I might need a four way switch, but I'm not sure.


texts: Can I backfeed just one leg of a service sub-panel for temporary power?

texts:
I'll be connecting a #10 cable fed from a 20A breaker to temporarily power a subpanel while we acquire and install the feeder cable. The #10 cable is two-conductor plus ground. Can I safely connect it to a single 20A breaker in the sub-panel? No 240v breakers will be installed.

Obviously this means that only every other bus tab will have power, and that's fine with us.


texts: Should I notch 4x4 post for 2x8 porch beams?

texts:
I am going to build an 8x8 porch roof with two 4x4 posts as the support,  with single 2x8 beams for the front and sides.

Would it be a good idea to notch the 4x4 posts at the top to support the two intersecting 2x8s?


texts: Can you use a power drill with the exchangeable screwdriver bits on a manual screwdriver?

texts: If not, what is the difference between a screwdriver bit that is designed for a power tool versus the ones that come with a multi-bit screw driver set like these: http://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools-Hardware-Hand-Tools-Screwdrivers-Nut-Drivers-Screwdrivers-Multi-Bit-Screwdrivers/N-5yc1vZc98m ?


texts: I plan to replace my toilet flush tank with hydroflush. The requirement says that I need to have a 2" toilet flush valve. What does this part look like and how do I go about measuring it?


texts: My water heater pilot turns off after about an hour

texts:
I light the pilot on my water heater, turn the knob to on and the burner ignites and heats water.  When the burner shuts off, the pilot light goes out.

About two years ago the water line above the water heater was leaking badly.  My husband would not fix it nor let me call a plumber.  My sons finally replaced the leaking pipe.  After that we had this continual problem.  One of my sons replaced the thermocouple.

So what we do is light the pilot, turn the knob to on, the burner ignites and heats the water for maybe an hour, depending I think on the temperature of the water.  If we want a full tub of hot water or to be able to use the dishwasher, we have to relight the pilot a few times to go through the cycle of the burner flaring to life and heating some of the water.  Just one cycle is not enough to get hot enough water to start with to run the dishwasher.  So to get a full tub of warm/hot water, if I didn't light the pilot at all that day, I have to light the pilot a few times over an hour or two, I start filling the tub, then go down to the basement and relight the pilot one last time.  By the time the tub is full, the water coming out of the faucet is lukewarm.


texts: What kind of a bathroom vent is this? How do I open it?

texts:
http://imgur.com/bIHdOvX

See picture.
Bathroom vent doesn't appear to be sucking, so I want to open it and see if it's something to do with the fan.  If the fan looks fine I think I'll have to hire a professional to check the piping to make sure it isn't clogged.


texts: How do I best display LED strips so the bulbs are hidden from sight?

texts:
I want to put this LED strip in my room, which is a box shaped room with white walls.

I am sure I am supposed to hide the LED strip lighting, but I am at a loss on how to make a suitable coving or box to hide the messy strip bit.  How would I do that?


texts: Adding switch and new fixtures to basement chain lights. Why does it short?

texts: I have 2 pull chain light fixtures in my basement laundry room, and want to add 2 fluorescent fixtures and a switch at the door. The wires in the box are a black, white, and ground. I have run a 2 wire cable to a single pole switch and then another 2 wire feeder from the switch to the fixture. The light comes on but every time I turn the switch on it trips the breaker. There are 4 black and white feeds in the box already. Do I need to run a 3 wire feed? Or why does the switch keep tripping the breaker?


texts: Why do I still read voltage on outlet when I turn off breaker?

texts:
I have an GFCI outlet box wired with yellow coated wire, which I believe goes to a dedicated circuit breaker. When I turn off the breaker to the box, I still read residual voltage.  Is this induced "phantom voltage"? Is it safe?

This outlet box is underneath a jetted tub, so I want to be sure there is no voltage in the box when I turn of the circuit breaker.

The 3 tools I used to measure the voltage are:

1) Gardner Bender GDT-3190 multimeter (10 MOhm input impedance) - when pluged in to outlet hot and neutral, multimeter reads 2.1V on 200V AC setting.

2) Klein Tools NCVT-2 proximity Voltage Tester - when close to the yellow wire, tester beeps for voltage reading on 12-48V scale, but not for 48 - 1000V scale.

3) SPERRY GFI6302 outlet tester - reads open hot, so not picking up any voltage.

Thanks for the help!


texts: How can I fasten pink polystyrene wall insulation into a structure?

texts:
I got a big polystyrene board from Home Depot (you know, the kind with Pink Panther on it). I want to glue it together with Liquid Nails to make a house for feral cats in my neighborhood.

However,

I noticed that it's laminated on both sides. Should I remove the lamination so that the actual foam adheres and not the laminate?
Will giving it a few coats of paint make it waterproof? If not, should I try something else?


texts: Can driveway fabric (petro-mat) be used DIY?

texts:
I read that driveway fabric can help prevent new cracking when putting an asphalt overlay on top of an existing asphalt driveway networked with little cracks ("alligator").  Can this be done DIY?  If so, would I fill the depressions with asphalt patch first?

What's the difference between driveway fabric and landscape cloth (if any)?  I have a whole lot of landscape cloth left over from a project and I wonder if I could use that.

Here's a general description of petro-mats:

  The greatest source of damaging water in road structural sections is precipitation infiltration through pavements. Most pavements do not have adequate drainage systems to quickly remove infiltrated water. If a pavement base is saturated as little as 10% of the time, the useful life of that pavement will be reduced by 50%. The Petromat fabric, when saturated with the asphalt cement tack coat, becomes a moisture barrier in the pavement, minimizing surface water infiltration. The American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 1993 flexible pavement design methodology gives a substantial structural credit to unbound roadbase materials when they are well drained and not allowed to become saturated. By minimizing water infiltration, the Petromat System moisture barrier will keep the road base more well drained and will therefore maximize the structural strength of unbound roadbase materials.

I think geotextiles were initially used in pavement as a weed barrier under the gravel sub-base, but then they evolved from there.


texts:
I have a Packasport fiberglass car top carrier with a cylinder lock (outside view above).  The key has been lost.  I ordered a new lock/key set from Packasport but am unable to remove the old one - the locking nut is rusted on. I've tried Linseed Oil and WD40 and still doesn't work.

My latest idea is to drill through the locking nut that is right next to the fiberglass wall of the carrier (drilling parallel to the wall, perpendicular to the surface of the locking nut) to create a gap and then just wedge the nut off using a chisel.  I don't care about damaging the existing lock but I don't want to damage the fiberglass.  However, when I tried this the drill would just slip right off the (very thin) nut surface.

Any ideas?

These car top carriers are expensive (about $1000) so worse comes to worst, I'll probably just live with not being able to lock it any longer.

Thanks!

Here's what it looks like on the inside:


texts: Where can I find warming mats to prevent ice on access ramps?

texts: I am looking for a warming mat or similar item to put on a handicapped ramp when there is ice or snow expected. My father is heavy, the wheelchair is difficult for me to push and particularly during bad weather when he needs to go to doctors.  I can't do the work myself, but hope there is a place online that someone knows of where I can purchase a mat along the ramp to warm so ice doesn't form.


texts: Solution for covering carpet glued to concrete on a balcony

texts: Florida. Early morning sun. Large lanai (2 open sides) has carpet glued to concrete and it is 30 years old and impossible to clean from dust, small grass cutoffs from landscaping  etc.. What can I install over it so I would be able to clean it regularly? It gets wet during storms. I could also cover it partially, only the area near the door and W/D that are on the balcony. I have  a full box of Peel and Stick Vinyl Tile from Home Depot left over. Can I use it? I don't want mold growing underneath the whatever I instal.


texts:
I have rental condos in Dallas areas. Although the weather in north Texas is relatively warm, but at least once yearly that the temperature drops to low 15's, therefore I have to winterize the outdoor hose bibs thoroughly. Here are my two questions:

(1) I would like to replace the outdoor hose bibs with frost-free models. Looking at the products sold in Amazon, it appears to me that there are basically two groups of hose bibs: One that costs around $15-$17, the another triple the first one at $45-$50. What are the catches? I also see that Home Depot and Lowes sell only the later, you can see the products by clicking the Amazon link here.(Keeping with the forum rules, I am not asking for recommendation of any specific brand name or manufacturers.)

(2) I plan also to supply the tenants with rolls of bubble wrap during the lowest of Winter times, and cap them off with foam cups if possible. Is bubble wrap more effective than rags in protecting the faucets?

Thank you for your time and pointers.


texts: How do you change a lower heating element in an electric water heater?

texts: Is it easy enough to do or do I need a professional?


texts: How hard is it to replace a hollow-core door with a solid one?

texts:
The pantry door in my kitchen is a hollow-core door. There's quite a lot of wasted space between the door and the existing shelves, that I'd like to utilize by hanging full-width, full-height, 8"-10' shelves on the inside surface of the door.

The plans I've worked up suggest that the shelves, when full, would be supporting quite a bit of weight, and I'm concerned that the hollow-core door won't be able to support it adequately.

How difficult is it to replace one door with another using the existing frame/jams, etc. It seems pretty straight-forward, but something tells me that there's more to it than I imagine...

Is this something that is worth doing, or is it a rabbit-hole of pain and disappointment?


texts:
I've recently moved into a new house, and the workshop has what looks like power run to it. There's a cable that goes from the breaker to the workshop, but it does not have power. I assume there's a break in one of the lines in the cable somewhere as I've inspected all of the connections.
The run is through a drop ceiling, which should be easy, but the entire basement was studio insulated and so I can't find this wire. It looks like it enters a bundle with two other wires, but I don't know how tightly they're held together. My guess is the previous owner did the work, and not a certified electrician.
My first thought is to pull the old wire out of the outlet, solder as in-line as possible to a new wire, then shrink wrap that whole thing, and pull it through from the workshop to the panel (would direction matter here for burrs on the holes in the joists, etc?)
What's the standard way of doing this? I'm trying to avoid pulling all the insulation if possible.


texts:
I have a 2-pole 30amp breaker which feeds a multi-branch circuit consisting of 2x L5-30R's. I was wondering if there are any issues with running a 120v 30amp UPS on one of the L5-30R's? The other L5-30R would be feeding a standard 30amp PDU.
I just want to make sure the smarts in the UPS won't flipout because of the multi-branch circuit.
UPS: https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/product/ups/new-smart-app-sinewave/pr3000rt2un/


texts:
This seems like a silly question, but how does one toe-nail a stud to a plate with 4 8d nails according to this International Building Code fastener schedule?

You can use either 3-16d nails or 4-8d nails.  As my other question (Why are 3-1/2 (16d) nails so hard to find?) points out, 16d nails are really hard to find.  I'd be fine using 8d nails if they are up to snuff, but it seems like it'd be hard to fit 4 nails in one 2x4.  With the 3-16d's, it's two on one side, 1 in the middle on the other, but how do you do 4 nails and not have them run into each other in a 2x4?


texts: Are the indoor unit's fan suppose to stop when set temperature is reach for Dakin mini splits?

texts:
I have a Daikin ductless heat pump with 3 heads. When the set temperature is reached, no heat comes out and the fan stops? Is the indoor fan supposed to stop after reaching the set temperature? I don't remember seeing this behavior when running on cooling mode this past summer.
Thanks.


texts: I am running new cable from my second floor to my first using wall jacks. I'm not getting a connection through them and I don't have a tester on me. The cables going into the upstairs from the modem are cat6. In the wall is cat6. And the data jacks are cat6 but the ethernet coming out of the wall downstairs in cat5e. Would that make it not work?


texts: Paint peeled on fascia board, how to get paint to stick?

texts:
I sanded, primed, then painted one of my fascia boards, and most of the board dried fine, just one part where there’s wood filler and silicone calking is where the paint peeled.
How can I fix this area where the paint peeled, and get the paint to stick? What steps would I need to take to patch it properly?


texts: Found mismatched breaker and wiring while replacing kitchen outlet in older house

texts:
I have a few experiences wiring outlets and lighting but still am a novice.

We have a 1941 2BR house in the US. A duplex outlet had chipped plastic on one of the outlets where the ground prong inserts. I wanted to replace this outlet, but discovered some old wiring that is not to code today. I am looking for an improvement on the situation, knowing in 2-3 years we will do a complete remodel in the kitchen with a professional.

The outlet to be replaced is currently in parallel with a hard wired garbage disposal and a 9.6 Amp dishwasher plugged into an outlet tucked behind it. All this wiring is 14 guage NM, except one stretch from the junction to the outlet is 12.  This 14 gauge wiring also includes the connection from the panel to the junction, as well as the hardwired garbage disposal.

The circuit is on a 20AMP tandem breaker and shares the other switch with the outlet serving the washing machine. The washing machine wiring is not labeled, but could very well be 14 guage as well. Also, I realized we have an old refrigerator on the washing machine outlet as well.  The panel is 100amp.

Before realizing the wire issues, I planned to put a 20amp CGFI outlet in parallel with the disposal, then feed the dishwasher outlet off the CGFI outlet. While the outlet is not on the countertop (it's on the side of a lower cabinet), I thought it'd be good to get the dishwasher outlet protected. However, is there even enough room for an outlet, dishwasher and disposal on one circuit? Should I just remove that cabinet outlet?

Also with the 14 guage wiring,  I am not sure what to do. Use a 15amp cabinet outlet until the remodel in a few years? Re-wire from the panel to the kitchen w 12-2? Rewire all wiring in that circuit to 12-2? Rewire washing machine too? Separate the tandem breaker?

Thanks in advance

Edit: Is this panel overloaded? I'm counting 130 on left and 165 on right. Shouldn't it be below 200 total?

Edit2: The washer was wired with 12 gauge, so I moved the 14 gauge wire to the new 15amp breaker.

The number of spots open waa actually only the bottom 4 on the left. The top two were where the main power came in.

For newbies like me, the Cuttler-Hammer boxes were bought by Eaton, so I bought a breaker by Eaton labeled CH for under $9.

The dryer wiring is definitely bigger than the 30amp wiring, which is definitely bigger than the 12gauge. It looks stranded, but I didn't look too closely. As for the dryer needing lower amp breaker, that is to be determined.


texts: Is it ok to use AAV with sanitary T or other T

texts:
I am wondering if someone can weigh in on the use of sanitary Ts or other types of Ts (non-comboYs) in conjunction with AAVs on small bathroom sinks. If we turn to Table 706.3, it seems clear that a sanitary T cannot be used for a horizontal to horizontal or a vertical to horizontal transition. And yet, all AAV manufacturers publish a picture like this:

This seems like a violation as the sani-T is on its back, but the use is so pervasive and being suggested by the manufacturers themselves, it makes me think I am not interpreting the code correctly. Does this not count as a transition? Is there an exception?