texts: The LARGE pool is totally enclosed in six foot stone walls and bug-cage. Can harmful gases accumulate from salt to chlorine  conversion and can harmful gases linger in an enclosed area?


texts: How can I repair this Ikea light fixture that seems to be missing parts?

texts:
We found this chandelier at IKEA in the as-is section (apparently formerly a floor model), and as it seemed to be in perfect condition, 50% off the retail price seemed like a good deal. Unfortunately, we didn't realize it was missing a vital part: the ceiling mount AND a wiring adapter (as seen in step #3 in these instructions). So basically what I have is an unmarked two-stranded wire (the connector was removed from the light fixture's cord as well), and no way to connect them to the ceiling box.

I purchased a stand-alone canopy kit, which can replace the missing canopy mount, but I cannot seem to figure out where to find a power adapter to connect to my ceiling wires and the light fixture's wires. I've figured out that I definitely need something through trial and error -- connecting the wires directly to the ceiling lines results in blown bulbs (with the wires tried both ways). I may just need to know what that little cube thingy is actually called, so I can look it up.

It also occurs to me that this could very well NOT be the problem... The quick connect boxes I'm seeing don't actually have any electrical bits in them, they're just faster than using wire nuts. Maybe the wires in my ceiling are screwy.

Any ideas?


texts: How can I use my 12-DC amplifier at my house ? Can I plugged it directly to my socket that has a current of 220 Volts ? Should it be safe ?


texts: Correct way to attach outlet wall plate?

texts:
I have been replacing the outlets in my house with Tamper Resistant outlets. On some of the replaced receptacles, the plate does not tightly attach to the wall—it can be pried back by my fingers. (I think the paint was holding them in place before.)

What is the correct way to ensure that the tamper resistance is not made moot by the tamperability of the surrounding face plate?


texts:
I am buying a new house (new construction) and it currently has an electric stove.  One of the changes we've put in the contract it to 'remove the electric stove and adapt the stove cavity for a gas stove".  We're not having them install the new appliance - we're buying that separately.  I noticed on the contract that they changed my wording (approx. above) to "Run a gas line to the stove".

The area currently has 220V to the cavity.  I'm worried that the gas stove will need a 110V outlet in addition to the gas line (for ignition, convection fans, clock, etc.)
Should I be worried that when the new stove arrives, we won't be able to hook it up?  Or will it use 220?  Or is there a 'simple fix'?


texts: Removing a stuck/frozen compression fitting

texts:
I have a home built in the mid-70's and we are wanting to do some remodeling in the bathrooms. Since I can't turn off those old valves under the sinks, I thought this would be a great time to replace them with new quarter-turn valves.

The problem is, I can't seem to get the old compression fitting off to remove the valve, the nut is frozen to the valve body. One of them has a whole bunch of white corrosion around the threads and I haven't even tried that one yet. They are a brass nuts on brass valve bodies, not chromed, and I think that has facilitated part of the sticking.

I am looking for help in how to un-stick/freeze this valves so I can replace them. I am wary of pure brute force as I don't want to make matters worse, unless that is the only way of removing them. Cutting them off will not work since there will not be enough copper pipe extending out to put the new ones on.


texts: How fast does moisture seep out of the ground in a crawlspace?

texts: I need to fix humidity in my crawlspace. I'm aware of the expensive option, i.e. conditioned and sealed crawlspace, but I hope that's a last resort. I'm wondering if I can get away with the dehumidifier that we already have if we seal the crawlspace vents up and the only remaining source of moisture would be the soil (which does have plastic tarp on it, but hardly airtight).


texts: Do I need to replace the wall after a shower head leak?

texts:
So I was going to replace my shower head, but it was on there pretty good and started twisting the shower arm. I twisted the shower arm back into place maybe too tight and tested the water and didn't see any leaking.

I was going to buy a new shower arm the next day and install, but I never told my wife to not use the shower so the next day while she showered it broke at the threads in the wall. She turned off the water called me, but it was to late. The downstairs ceiling already had water damage because it came down through the two water pipe holes in the wood above.

I cut out a piece of the drywall ceiling so I could make sure the leaked stopped and dry it out. Now I'm wondering if I need to replace the wall between the shower and bathtub because mildew, etc. The walls on the outside don't show signs of water damage.

Would the water that sprayed out just fall below and I shouldn't have to worry about the wall between the shower and tub? Are the walls usually something other then normal drywall on both sides? I used a fan to blow air into the shower arm hole. Does anyone know if that would be enough or I need to rip apart the wall?

Thanks.


texts: Should we be worried about asbestos with this loose-fill insulation? New England house from the 1860s. No idea when the insulation was added but the attic space is extremely difficult to access.


texts: Building a 60x36 Barn/Tractor Garage/Shop - Question about Structural Integrity

texts:
New here! I am a DIYer and I'm looking to build a shed/garage on my property. I designed the structure but am wanting to see if anyone can give me input on the integrity of my design. Basically I just want to make sure my roof wont fall in and my walls can take a decent wind load as I am in tornado country.

The pictures attached show a 60x36 structure. 48x36 is garage and 12x24 is closed in shop. It's a single slope roof that starts at 14' at the front and goes to 8' at the back. Posts will be placed into the ground 4' minimum.

I am using 6x6's for the posts and sistered 2x12x12's for the beams that span 12'. I also added some 6x6 bracing along the outside walls to help. I plan on having a plywood roof with galvalume metal on top. Haven't decided on siding but I'm leaning towards a shiplap type siding.

But back to my original question, will this be structurally safe and sound. Is it overkill or do I need to add to it? Thank you in advance for your input!


texts: Do you really need a p-trap on bathroom sinks?

texts:
If I do away with the trap what is it going to hurt?  Will something bad happen?

A friend had a problem with clogs. He took his out and has had no more problems. Can you tell me why that is?


texts: Samsung Dishwasher Leaving Brown Residue on Silverware

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I am looking to fix a relatively new Samsung Dishwasher. The dishwasher works fine for the most part, but it consistently leaves a brown sticky residue on our silverware. I have tried to clean the dishwasher, the dishwasher filter itself, run on high heat settings, use citric acid, vinegar, pretty much anything you can find on Google. My dishes come out great, it's just the silverware that comes out with this brown gunk on it. (We do rinse dishes and silverware before putting them into the dishwasher)
Are there any additional steps that I can take to troubleshoot this?
Also, could be related, but the dishwasher also emits a wet dog smell when running.
Any guidance is much appreciated on this as I'm a new homeowner.


texts: What technique is used to cut these door moulding?

texts:
I have some door trims that need replacing and I want to match them with the rest of the house.  I tried doing a straight mitre but they don't look as good and because it's an old house the door isn't perfectly square anymore.

With these which I tried to cut unsuccessfully, a bit of movement out of square doesn't matter because the profile fits into it.  But as I say, I've not managed to cut them.  I'm sure there is an easy technique.  How do you do it?


texts:
After fixing some water damage in our upstairs bathroom I decided to install a stand up shower. I've installed it and now I'm adding in patches of drywall around the shower and I noticed one of the back corners is about a 1/4 inch out from the studs the shower is supposed to be mounted to. The other back corner and the two front walls are attached directly to the stud.

My question: How would I fix this issue so the drywall in that area doesn't look noticeably crooked/there's a little "ledge" between the new drywall patch and the existing drywall?

Pictures to follow.

Edit 1: My two leading ideas for repairs are 1) Carve the bottom edge of my drywall patch to fit around this gap or 2) Since this mold resistant drywall it's wrapped on the front, I thought I could cut a gap into the back and use hanging piece of drywall still attached in the front to attach to the shower.

A third idea would be much more intensive but might look the best, would be to put some kind of molding around the shower edges themselves, then drywall directly to the studs on top of that molding.

Any help is appreciated.


texts: Should I change from fluorescent to LED lighting in the kitchen?

texts: I bought an old home and put two large 14 in. round fluorescent lights up, thinking it would supply plenty of light. There's also a recessed light over the sink. It's still dark in there. I've been advised to check out Lithonia lighting and get LED lights to replace. Please tell me what you think would be best. I was told that the fixtures in the big box stores were not as good.


texts:
I'd like to reposition my door/hinges so it opens from the other side (and swings in the opposite direction).

Is it just a matter of installing hinges on the opposite side of the door frame and re-installing?

Thank you for any advice!

Nicole


texts:
See photos.   I'm having trouble finding this on the internet.   Looks like it's some kind of compression connector for EMT conduit, with dimples.  The conduit is 3/4"

What is this style of connector called?
Is there an easy/right way to remove it?


texts: Battery backup system for tankless gas water heater (outdoor install)

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I have a Takagi T-K3-SP tankless gas water heater, which is installed outdoors. It still needs electricity though, so when I lose power at home, there's no hot water.

The manual states it uses 86W during operation, 6.2W during standby, and 111W during freeze protection (but my area doesn't get cold enough). I thought of just plugging the heater in to a UPS backup battery for my computer (rated 600VA) during power outage, but it's hardwired to AC outlet as shown in the photo.

What are my options? I looked at Hugo backup battery for tankless water heaters, but that seems to just provide a regular 3-prong AC outlet.

So I'm now thinking of putting a UPS battery system indoors. Behind the water heater is a crawl space. The AC power for water heater comes from a junction box inside this crawl space (see photo below). The white Romex cable is what goes outside and supplies power to the tankless heater. The yellow cable is the power supply. The metal conduit goes to the HVAC unit.

Instead of white Romex cable going into this junction box, can I create a power inlet like this next to the junction box, and terminate the white cable there? I will also create a new power outlet from the junction box. I will buy a pure since wave UPS like this, and plug it into the AC outlet. And then I will use an extension cord to connect the UPS to the inlet.

To summarize, electricity flows from the junction box --> new AC outlet I'm creating --> UPS backup battery --> white Romex cable --> water heater outside.

Please share your thoughts on this setup. Thank you!

(I got this idea from the DataComm TV wall mount kit I have, where I put an inlet next to an existing outlet by the floor)


texts: Should I use 1/4" drywall to cover ceiling texture or imperfections?

texts:
My laundry room ceiling had to have a large section of its 1/2" drywall ceiling removed and replaced a few years back after a copper water pipe had a leak. The replacement was fully taped but was never fully finished to match the rest of the ceiling which has a painted knock-down texture on it.

Now in the current lock down situation it has become a project to complete the restoration of the ceiling and do some other upgrades in this room. I would like to install a full layer of 1/4" drywall on the ceiling to provide a nice consistent surface to paint. Having never used this thin material before I am wondering how well it works to use drywall screws to attach the 1/4" material on top of the existing 1/2" material.

Does it take special care to prevent the screws from going right through?

Does 1/4" drywall on a ceiling stay flat or do I have to worry about it sagging?


texts: 120 volt timer passes small amount of current when off.  It's on Christmas outdoor LED lighting.  The lights glow real dim when the timer goes to the off position.  Does it on two different timers.  Do I have a short in the lights or what might cause this?


texts: Why would my fuse box trip if I've already tripped isolation circuit I'm working on?

texts:
I've got a fuse box that is half for RCD and other half not.

One of my downlights got too hot and melted (touching insulation - I've just moved into the house) so I needed to replace it.

I switched off the trip switch that is for that downlight circuit and checked that no other lights went on.  I even used a live circuit checker. No current.

Then I snipped the wire that had burned and the whole box tripped.. guessing it is the RCD that tripped.  But my question is, should I be tripping the whole box to work on the electrics or is it safe to work with wires that have a residual current going through? i.e. changing the light switches?


texts: Needing Help with new thermostat install (C Wire)

texts:
I am in the process of installing a new thermostat that requires a c wire. I checked my thermostat to see if it has a c wire running to it and it does not. After doing lots of googling and watching youtube video I think I know what to do but would like somedody that knows to verify it is correct before I attempt something like this.

I noticed where the wires run to the thermostat it has a extra wire (orange) not in use.

I then checked where the furnace to verify the same wire is not attached to nothing and it is not.

If I am looking at it correctly I can connect the extra wire orange to the to the orange wire from the furnace which is not connect to anything (which if I am reading it right is the c wire) This would work correct? I am new at this and do not want to mess anything up.


texts: What would be a good option for a non-slip entryway surface in an anteroom where the door is very nearly flush with the floor?

texts:
Our home has a tile entryway/anteroom. The door to the outside is nearly flush with the floor, If you place and secure 3 post-its (i might be exaggerating a bit here, but it is far less than a centimeter of room) on the ground and open the door, the door starts giving some real resistance when the edge encounters the paper. I have a 1 year old child, and I myself have a minor issue with balance (birth disorder) so when we enter after rain or sleet or snow (Im in Northern Massachusetts) I invariably slip across the floor. Like walking out of a shower with a marble tile floor that doesn't have a mat.

Given all of this, we have not found say a floor mat that wont stop the door from functioning properly. However, I am wondering if anyone has an idea for a solution for an issue like this.

I cam to my own impression after looking at an old stick-on mouse pad that maybe theres a 3M device or something that is more like a low profile stickon nonslip surface. Ive seen something similar on say basement stairs. Obviously my wife was less than thrilled at having Black sandpaper on the floor being the first thing one sees when entering our home.

Thanks!


texts: How many fixtures can run off a transformer?

texts:
How many twenty watt fixtures can run off a 100 watt transformer?

Is it less than five?

What overhead involved?


texts:
I have a shower light fixture.
There are two screws holding the plastic cage onto the fixture, which I removed. However, I am still unable to remove the cage (I tried twisting it and pulling on it).
The fixture itself cannot be removed by twisting or pulling.
How do I proceed with replacing the light bulb?


texts: When hanging two layers of drywall, can the first layer be hung with the facing to the studs?

texts:
I am hanging a double layer of 5/8" type-x drywall with Green Glue, a soundproofing compound, sandwiched in the middle.  If I hang the first layer with the face facing outward like normal and then stagger the second layer over it, i'll have about a 5" pocket where the two joined beveled edges of the first layer would recess away from the first layer.  My understanding with Green Glue is that it needs to be between two rigid layers, so this 5"x8'-wide pocket would present an area where the sheets are not touching.

My idea is to hang the first layer with the backing facing outward.  When I hang the second sheet, the two layers will be back to back with no pockets in the middle.

It may not seem like there could possibly be any issues with this, but my experiences in home improvement have taught me to ask even the most loaded questions since it's better to risk looking like a fool up front than be in a full body cast down the road.

Edit:  I am also aware that perhaps a pocket of dead space would probably only server to make the structure slightly more soundproofed.  However, I think its best to have both flat sides facing one another to aid in the spreading out of the glue.


texts: Reattach separated range hood duct in attic, without access

texts:
I'm refurbishing a kitchen, and removed all the cabinets to refinish them. The small cabinet above the range has the standard rectangular 10"x3.5" duct going through it to exhaust the fan. Unfortunately in removing that cabinet, I also pulled out the duct section from where it attaches in the attic space, a few feet above the ceiling. It's a crimp joint between the sections, and it pulled out.

Now I have to reattach that section, but I don't have easy access to that part of the attic. It's a very low-pitch roof, and it would be near impossible to shimmy from the access hatch all the way to the kitchen.

If I just shove the section up into the hole, there's no chance of the joint lining up well enough on all four sides so that it can be reconnected.

Is there a good trick for this situation? I can reach an arm up into the hole and grab the upper section, but of course I can't fit the duct and an arm or two at the same time.  I can always embiggen the ceiling hole, but I'd prefer not to make that repair if I can avoid it.


texts: Framing distance around chimney in basement

texts:
I'm in the process of trying to air seal my basement. During the process I pulled out some fiberglass insulation that was shoved on each side of my masonry chimney in the ceiling where it enters the first floor on it's way to the attic. I noticed that the wood framing around my chimney is very close on three sides, well under the supposed 2 inch minimum for framing that I've heard about (attached are pictures looking up on each side).

I would like to know if this is something I should worry about before I air seal it (with high-temperature caulk and sheet metal) OR what else do I need to find out to make sure I'm in no danger of the wood catching fire?

To provide more information about my setup, I have a oil burning furnace for forced heat air that vents into a diagonal 4 foot metal flue. That metal flue enters my masonry chimney about 5 feet above the basement floor. The house was built in 1954 and the current furnace was installed in 2001. My suspicion is that I'm probably fine since it's been that way likely since the house was built, but I don't want a home inspector flagging it if/when I sell the house.


texts:
A friend of mine rented a new apartment and asked me to help with some shelves. We will need to drill some holes for screwing the shelves.

One of the places has a electrical socket near by and the water for the washing machine.

I am really worried that we either hit the plumbing or the power cables. I was wondering if there is any (formal or informal) rule / good practice about plumbing and electrical cabling on the walls that sets the approximate height of each? Is there any other advice that we can follow to avoid a big mess?


texts: Thermal Energy Storage heat loss coefficient

texts:
What I am looking for?

I am trying to find a source which is stating typical heat loss coefficient of a thermal energy storage or a buffer tank.

Problem

Most of the resources I've found so far, rather than stating the heat loss rate in the format of W/m^2k, they are stated in the form of normal standing loss values. This is not helpful in my case where I am using  heat loss equations to estimate the possible losses.

Aim & objective

Aim The aim of my research is develop an open-source user friendly interface to characterize the output of low emission carbon sources.

Objective To characterize the heat loss rate of the storage unit considering the temperature of the water inside the tank.

Note: Formerly, one of the readers replied to a question of mine, that this platform is meant for non-professional individuals having troubles with their home system. I can say that I am a non-professional when it comes to commercial heating systems and I will not have any commercial gain from my project (through your advice).

Specific Question

Can you direct me to a source which is stating the typical heat loss coefficient (in W/m^2.K) values for thermal energy storage(s) (a.k.a buffer tank) deployed for residential or small commercial sites within the size range of 500 to 5000 liters.

Regards,


texts: Separate furnace & a/c units on same breaker

texts: Long story short: with both units on one breaker, each one is kicking on one after the other to try to reach one temperature. I have turned the a/c disconnect at the outside box, and the a/c is still kicking on. Replaced the thermostat and it is set on heat and auto fan, just in case it was defective, and that still didn't help. What is another way I can shut the a/c down since I can't flip the breaker off either, or then I would lose the furnace too.


texts: Why doesn't our new apartment sink drain after the first day?

texts:
We had a new sink installed. (The new sink is deeper than the old sink.) The sink worked fine for the first day, but then stopped draining entirely. Our building superintendent says that the apartments above and below ours have not reported any issues and insists it must be an installation issue. Our contractor, who has already been paid, is unresponsive and insists it is not an installation issue.

We tried plunging and using a drain cleaner (similar to Drano) to no effect. A plumber snaked the pipe for 25 feet to no effect. Finally, a second plumber used a kinetic water ram. After the second plumber, the sink started working again. We were able to use it last night, but this morning it no longer drains.

What could possibly cause the sink to drain for a day but then stop entirely? Just having a theory would be useful. Our contractor, superintendent, and the plumbers are all blaming someone else and refusing to help. I want to have an idea for why so I can take a next step.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How can I efficiently heat a pool?

I have an in-ground pool at around 20,000 gallons and I live in the northeast (Maine). My pool  gets direct sunlight for about half the day. I would like to extend my swimming season by heating my pool. I don't want to spend the $2000-$3000 dollars on a commercial unit, and would rather go DIY.

I'm wondering what others have done with the most success. I don't think I want to go the small pvc piping route, as those often fail to think about friction gradients in a tube (so for the 100's of feet you need of tubing, your pump effectiveness goes way down). But if the tube size is the right size, I would consider it.

For a fun idea, there's this:
http://ecorenovator.org/diy-solar-water-heating-fresnel-lenses/

But I don't want to spend all day tracking the sun (but if you lived in a really sunny area, I'm betting a good method to utilize this would be to include a section of cast iron pipe on your return line and point the fresnel lens at that pipe. )

I'm thinking I would probably need to use propane/wood as my heat source, rather than solar.

Any good ideas out there?


texts: When did it become illegal to use lead solder in residential plumbing?

texts:
I'm looking for a citation on when the requirements to use lead-free solder in residential plumbing took effect.

Why? On 06/09/2009 a local plumbing company re-plumbed the house I live in.  Today we had lead testing done and found:

Pipes: trace amount of lead
Brass Fittings: 6.25%
Solder: .7%

The fitting at 6.25% was legal at the time.
The pipes are fine.
But that solder number seems quite high for 2009 in California.

A fine fact sheet is at http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/PollutionPrevention/upload/lead-in-plumbing-fact-sheet.pdf but it does not give the history.


texts: What's a nifty way to restrict my dog run without re-installing it?

texts:
We have a "dog run" in our back yard that we hook our dogs to when they need to go out. Their harnesses hook to a lead, and then lead in turn hooks to the wheel you see in the picture below. The wheel runs along a line that is about 40 feet in length. This way, they can run around the entire back yard (pretty much) without restriction, but are still bound by the run.

The problem is, one end of this run (the line you see the wheel running along) is sunk (drilled) into a tree, and my dogs always end up wrapping themselves around the tree. I've finally had it! I'm sick of having to put on my boots and tread some 50 feet out into my back yard to unhook them and unwind the lead from around the tree. The time has finally come for me to find a solution that prevents them from wrapping around the tree.

I've thought about putting up some kind of fence that hooks into the tree (that way they can't wrap around it), but this tree is smack dab in the center of our lawn and anything I put up will be an eyesore for my wife.

Also, this lead was a real pain to put up, so I'd like to avoid taking it down and reinstalling it at all costs.

So now I'm considering putting something on the run itself; some kind of block that prevents them from getting to the tree in the first place. This would limit their run from about 40 feet to 30 feet, but I don't think that will rob them of any exercise.

But if I just simply wind duck tape around the run, the first time they go running after a squirrel or something, the wheel will get lodged on the duck tape and then they'll be stuck in the center of the lawn; plus I'll have to go un-lodge them.

So I ask: can any DIYers out there think of a way that I can:

Attach something to my dog run that will hold resolute but not allow the wheel to get lodged or wedged on it; and
Not require me to take the run down and put it back up


texts:
My stone slab stair started rocking back and forth this spring. How can I properly fix it? Obviously it's very heavy, so lifting/moving it is a challenge. I'm in Ontario, Canada (in case it matters because the issue might have been caused by water freezing).

Here's the photo, the top stair is rocking:


texts: How to connect to black underground sprinker pipe

texts:
My backflow prevention device failed over the winter (nice large split, as you can see). I checked with the local city, and they won't let me replace like with like, so I'm going to install a Wilkins 720A pressure vacuum breaker instead; here's my proposed design (the unions are so that I can remove the PVB in the winter). Inflow is on the right-hand side, and the sprinkler system will be on the left. This is culinary water, but not connected to the house.

Here's my question; as you can see in the photograph, the underground input and output are on black PVC (I think) pipes, 1". Can I use a similar method of connection (Jubilee/hose clips) to connect to the 1" schedule 40 pipe, or is there something else I should use? If I do use the hose clips, can/should I lose the box and bury the pipes (for support)?

I have to get this inspected, and I want to do it correctly the first time, rather than get rejected for something silly like a pipe connection.


texts: Should I dig a hole to pump water from under basement?

texts:
My basement is leaking in an area where I just had a sewer line installed. I had dug a square into the basement floor concrete, so that the plumber could run the new sewer line under the floor. The job went great but almost immediately the hole in the concrete began to fill with water. This pit is near a wall.
This seems strange because we never had water leak into the basement in this area. We have, however, had leaks in this basement in other areas, when it rains really hard.
Eventually some months ago it stopped filling with water in this pit, so I had the pit covered back with concrete. Lately water is leaking in this area again, and it's coming in through the wall near this pit, and also water is seeping up through the edges of where the pit was filled with concrete.
I imagine I could use drylok paint, hydraulic cement, radon seal, etc. But that won't make the water underneath the floor go away.
What I want to try is digging a new hole near where this pit is, and near the part of the wall where water is coming in. Then I'll insert a sump pump liner, and when it fills up I have a swimming pool pump and hose that I can use to drain the water out the window and down a long way into the yard, away from the house.
So my question is, to kinda reiterate, would it be a good idea to dig a hole for a sump pump liner near the area where this sewer line was covered up? Or is there a better way to attend to this new water leak?
BTW eventually if this does work, I'll put in an actual sump pump and have it pump into a nearby DWV pipe (with a trap of course).


texts: Can you install a wall ontop of a travertine floor?

texts: Can you install a 2x4 wall that is 13' long on top of a travertine tile floor? Or do I need to cut the tile and mount the bottom stud right to the cement? This will not be a load bearing wall.


texts: How can I make use of bricks, rock and miscellaneous fill left in my yard?

texts: I bought a house last fall and now that spring is here i am cleaning up the yard.  I have been finding alot of bricks, brick sized rocks and brick sized miscellaneous fill (peices asphalt, rock embedded concrete, etc).  Additionally i have typical white garden rocks. i was hoping someone had a way to repurpose them.  I thought about cleaning then up and maybe even painting them, at least the bigger pieces.  Or maybe just breaking them all down with a sledge hammer.  What else could I use possibly use them for?


texts: Using 10 1/4 inch fiberglass insulation in a 6 inch space?

texts:
I need to insulate under a floor that has hydronic radiant heat.  I am going to use fiberglass batts between the joists of the floor, with the kraft vapor barrier upward (toward the warmer area). The area under the joists is an unvented crawl space.

I have a good bit of R-30 batts, 10 1/4 x 16, left over from another project. I would like to use it in the spaces, which are a true 6 inches deep (combination of old full-sized lumber and engineered beams). I could simply strip off about 4 inches of the fiberglass, but I hate handling  that stuff any more than necessary.  If I compress the batts into the 6 inch space, am I significantly compromising the R value? I realize it won't be R-30, but will it be less than R-19, which is the common value for 6 inch insulation?


texts: What to keep on the wooden table to make the surface heat resistant?

texts:
Oven manual says - keep it on a heat resistant surface.

I have a wooden table. What should I keep on the wooden table to make the surface heat resistant, so that the oven can placed on the top of it?

Paper sheets won't work? Thick cloth?


texts: swing set off the ground or directly on the ground

texts:
I am going to build a A-frame swing set with 4x4s and am wondering about one thing. When I read most of the tutorials, the swing set sits directly on the ground. Is it ok for the water introsuion? Even if the lumbers are rot-resistent, I know that, for deck building or shed building, it is advised that the structure is off the ground with the piers or the posts are buried, being surrounded by the cement.

Because it is related to the safety issue, I thought I might need to clarify this before taking an action.


texts:
I have an old shed which has timber beams that have lead paint on them. The paint is flaking and I want to fix it up. The shed is going to be knocked down in about 5 years, so I don't need a permanent solution, just a temporary one, and I don't really care what the end result looks like as these are internal beams.

Does anyone have any advice on the best method to paint over these beams?


texts: Additional wire on light switch with no 3 way

texts: I recently changed my sons' bedroom light switch with Lutron smart dimmer. The house is fairly new and has not been remodeled. I have changed out about 3 other light switches without issue. This particular switch had an addition wire connected. I thought that maybe it was traveler so just didn't reconnect it when installing the smart switch. Turned on the power and the switch works well however, the receptacles (only in this room though the breaker runs 3 rooms) no longer work! What could this wire be? Thank you in advanced for your help.


texts:
Soon I'm going to be installing a 40" KBRS neo-angle shower base. The flooring is very sound (23/32" t&g plywood glued and stapled on 16" centered 2x10's), but on the floor below a partition was squeezed in that raised a 2x10, that's near the back of the shower, enough to make the floor about a 1/4" low at the farthest side of the shower base.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what I should do with this?
Thanks,
Rand


texts: How can I unbend a bent furnace filter slot?

texts:
I recently bought a new home. When going to change the furnace filter, I couldn't get the original furnace filter out of the slot at the last part of the filter (where the cardboard border is). Since it was a cheap used filter, I wasn't too worried about destroying it, so I just kept yanking while holding the air duct in place, and eventually ripped it out. After removing the old filter, I noticed that the top lip of the furnace filter slot, going into the air duct, was bent downward a little bit. It's not bent a lot, but enough that the cardboard will get caught while removing the filter. It is a major pain.

I tried getting a hammer in the tight (1") opening, but I couldn't seem to do anything with a hammer. I tried bending the metal metal with my hands, but the metal would just go right back to where it was originally. I want to get a nice permanent electrostatic furnace filter, but I am scared that I will put it in there and never be able to get it out to clean it. Cardboard will rip and break, metal will be a little harder to destroy to get it out of the air duct. Does anyone have an idea on how to fix this problem? I really don't want to have someone come out and replace the air duct just for one small bent piece of metal. Below is a picture of the setup.


texts: How do I fix a leaking outside shutoff valve?

texts: I decided to turn the outside water tap on this weekend, and when I did I noticed the valve inside that connects to the main (in the basement) seems to be leaking a lot along the threads of the valve. It used to drip a little here and there when I first turned it on, my dad placed an old ice cream bucket over the fitting so it hangs beneath the valve and catches the odd drop. This time is different however, within 30 minutes the bucket was half full. Is there a quick fix for this issue that anyone knows about?


texts: 3-prong grounded female plug for 12-gauge wire with an 18-gauge ground wire

texts: I am trying to find a 125V female plug receptacle with ground for a 12-gauge wire run in the 1960s, the ground wire of which is a much narrower gauge than the white and black conductors. The Levitons and the P&S's at the big box stores assume the three wires are going to be the same gauge, and so they don't get a tight grip the ground wire; it just slips right out.    Is there a name for such a connector?


texts: False positive from a non-contact voltage tester?

texts:
I'm replacing a 240-volt split-phase electric baseboard heater.  I've shut the power off at both the thermostat and the breaker box.  Testing the wires with a non-contact voltage tester shows an intermittent "live" indication on the non-switched wire; it shows a continuous "live" indication on the hot side of a nearby outlet.  Testing the wires with a multimeter shows 0V for switched-to-non-switched, switched-to-ground, and non-switched to ground; it shows 120V for hot-to-neutral and hot-to-ground in a nearby outlet.

Which should I believe?  Is the NCV picking up a residual signal from the nearby outlet, or is the multimeter somehow ignoring the high-voltage wires?


texts: Q. Should I be able to push up shingles on edge of new roof?

texts: Just had my roof replaced with architectural shingles. Should I be concerned that I can push up the portion of the shingles over hanging the roof edge by about an inch?


texts:
I want to add some lights in my basement.  currently there is two lights with 12gauge wire on 20 amp breaker.

Can I add lights using 14 garage to the chain of existing lights?


texts: How do I rewire my existing garage lighting so that one fixture is controlled by a new switch?

texts:
I have one switch that turns on the 5 light fixtures in my garage. I would like to add a switch where only 1 light comes on to save wear and tear on all my light fixtures.

My thoughts are to run a new electrical line and light switch to my second light fixture. Disconnect the connecting line that goes between my first light and 2nd light fixture in line.

By leaving the first light on the original light switch all I have to do is run a new switch and line to the rest of my lights.

Does this sound correct?


texts: Can I use my receptacle multi-tap on both ends of an extension cord?

texts: I have a Voltec three way adapter, it converts a 5-15 plug into a (3) 5-15 receptacles. Is it safe to use this adapter at either end of the extension cord? So three way adapter to extension cords then tools or extension cord to three way adapter then tools.


texts: How to mount ZWave switch on stone wall - either retrofit in metal box or better?

texts:
I have a light switch in a surface mounted 4" metal box in the basement.  I replaced the switch with a Decora-style Zwave one in the single-device metal cover.  I thought it was worth attempting because the antenna is behind the plastic paddle, exposed to the front, and there are other ZWave devices in the room.   It works intermittently but not acceptably.
I'd like to avoid replacing the entire box with a plastic one: a) because I'm lazy b) because  it's on a rough stone wall in a high traffic location, I'm worried a plastic box might become damaged.
So I'm looking at a 4" single-device PVC mud ring as a compromise.  It would go over the metal box and expand the exposure of the antenna through plastic from just the paddle to the entire 4" face.  It might not work but it costs $2 and is worth a try.  It's very ugly .. metal box, blue plastic cover, white plastic paddle.
Any better ideas?

What would be a good short cut without replacing the whole box?
If I remove the whole box and "do this right", what is the best way to mount a Z-wave switch on a solid stone wall, in a manner that is to code and looks at least slightly attractive?


texts:
The bellows on my Whirlpool Duet washer has split and I need to order a new one. It is a model WFW9151YW. When I look it up, various web sites give me different parts numbers for this, AP6020669, PS11753988, and W10290499.

I suspect that these are all then same part, but with different brand names on them - AP for Amana?

In any event, does anyone know for sure if the W10290499 is the right part? That's the only one I can find on the 'web for sale in Canada


texts: Is there a type of bulb other than incandescent that works from -50 to +40C?

texts:
My experience with fluorescent lights in my garage has been dismal.  They work fine above freezing, but are very slow to reach full illumination when below freezing, and never do more than glow feebly at temps of -30.  Lowest temperature observed here on my porch is -47C

I've tried several types of LED screw in bulbs as my porch light.  Again:  They work only down to a certain temp, then get dim or don't start at all.  Alas, here in Alberta, the working temperature range is only a subset of the environmental range.

I've inquired with various bulb makers, and while -18C (0F) is common enough -- likely used for freezers, so I've not found any that claim better than that.

Is there a light bulb type that works from -50 C to +40 C (-70F to 110F) other than the traditional tungsten?


texts: Help securing freestanding wood deck fence

texts:
Disclaimer: I know it is broken and missing some slats
I reinstalled my wood fence and I need better ways to secure it. I cannot attach it to the aluminum sidings (on the left).
The 2 posts are screwed on the deck (2x6 treated wood) on 4x4 metal bases.
I simply use what I had on hand to secure it, but I need something better (cleaner, safer).
Any suggestions ?
Thanks.


texts: Concrete or mud pad below two layers of tile in bathroom. Not sure what it is and whether to demo it?

texts:
I recently started renovating one of our bathrooms. After removing a few tiles there was a second layer of tile beneath. Below the second set was a concrete/mortar base that is ~1.5 inches thick and has broken in a few places to reveal sand inside.

According to my research this is an older style of base for laying tiles. The house is from the early 60s so that lines up. However I have not found much info beyond that. I am wondering whether I can put tile back down on top of it and how.

Additionally there are a few cracks where the top came off while removing tile and revealing the sand beneath. Most are small but one is larger. Would this require a complete demo of the mud base? Can I patch it with concrete or something similar? The big hole is by my kids step stool in bottom right, it is about 5-6 inches at it's longest.


texts:
I have a 2x1m rectangular desk.

The problem with it is that the person who made it painted it with some weird glossy material that makes it reflect light, chips easily and deep because of the thickness of the layer, and looks ugly.

How do I repaint it? All I know is that I have to buy a power sander and scratch everything off the surface first.


texts:
I have an old table with multiple leaves.  When the leaves are in, on one end of the basic table, the leaf fits tightly.  On the other end, no matter how you push it in, as soon as you let go, the end and the leaf pull away about 1/4".

Does anyone know of some kind of fastener I could mount underneath the inside edge of the table and the leaf to hold them together tighter?

Thanks!


texts: How to find where crickets are entering?

texts:
We occasionally find crickets in our mostly unfinished basement.  We don't often open the windows down there and we haven't noticed any unusual drafts.  We don't have any dryer vents there.  There are two openings for outside faucets, but they're well sealed.  We do have a sump-pump but that's also sealed.

We don't really have a problem with any other insects or rodents.  Just crickets (so far).

How do I find where they're entering?  Is this a DIY worthy fix, or should I hire a pro?

(I have never dealt with crickets before in any capacity; they are unfamiliar to me)


texts: What can I use to back a door jamb strike plate with no framing behind?

texts:
So I'm trying to replace the original entrance handleset door lock from my almost 100 year old house and after removing the old lock and patching up the holes. I looked inside the door jamb and realized the inside has nothing for the screw to catch, it's all hollow inside.

The original lock had some kind of metal block installed inside so the screws for the original faceplate had something to adhere to.

So now I have 3 inch screws for my faceplate that has nothing to catch. Is there something I can buy to install it inside the door frame?? Or do I need to somehow stuff wood blocks inside the door frame to install my faceplate?


texts: Can anyone identify this material? Having a hard time cutting it using a bi-metal hole saw

texts:
My FIL gave it to me, said he found it in when he was cleanig out an old cabinet shop. It's a very hard composite material of some sort. Fine-grained and powdery when I drilled a hole in it, the "sawdust" smoldered as I was doing so. As you can see in the picture, it kind of chipped off where the drill came through the underside.

I am chewing up a 3-1/2" bi-metal hole saw attached to a Craftsman percussion drill, and not able to get through more than a couple of mm in before it slows the drill down.

Anyone know what this material is? Thinking I might just take it to a metal fabricator or someone with a router. However, I want to call and tell them what I've got before lugging it around.

Any advice on cutting it would also be helpful.

Thanks.


texts: Attaching trim to walls that are backed by foam

texts:
As a result of a deep-energy retrofit/remodel, my exterior walls are now 1/2" sheetrock backed by 2" of polyiso foam against the studs. We are now trying to install trim (casing, crown, and baseboard plus some other decorative elements) to our walls. Normally I use an 18ga brad nail to attach interior trim, but, it doesn't seem that nailers exist in either 16ga or 18ga that can handle nails with enough penetration to reach the wood. Plus, even if the gun existed, I can't find nails in that length.

While I can use a wood backer on the crown that is screwed into the studs / joists, this wouldn't work for the rest of the trim without removing sheetrock. Removing sheetrock reduces one of the layers of air sealing, so that's a no-go.

Other than gluing the trim onto the sheetrock, which I hate for repairability reasons, is there another good strategy for attachment?


texts: New GFCI outlet won't reset after tripping when load wires are connected

texts:
I'm attempting to replace the outlets above my kitchen counters after doing some remodeling. The old outlets were likely from the 1960's and I'm replacing them with 15 amp GFCI outlets.
We have 3 boxes above the counters plus one for the fridge on the same run:

Box A: 1 outlet
Box B: 1 outlet
Box C: 2 switches (undercab LED's, professionally installed and working before this, old florescent above sink) and one outlet.
Box D: 1 outlet for refrigerator.  Appears to be downstream from Box C which has black & white pigtails.  I unplugged the fridge before doing any of this.

I started by identifying line and load and working my way around, testing one by one.  I wired up Outlet A, tested reset & with a lamp.  Wired up Outlet B, tested reset & with a lamp.  Wired up first switch in box C (undercab lights) and tested.  Wired up second switch (florescent) & tested.
Now I had read old refrigerators and florescents can trip GFCI breakers so I wanted to test that.  I knew the florescent worked so I turned it off, plugged in the fridge, and waited for it to kick on.  That worked fine.  With the fridge on I then attempted to turn on the florescent - it tripped the GFCI outlet in Box A.
I unplugged the fridge and turned off the switches and attempted to reset the GFCI - it wouldn't reset.
I slowly worked my way backwards, unwiring everything I had done in reverse order and attempted to reset the GFCI outlet each step - same thing, a quick flash of the red LED and it won't reset.
I got all the way down to Box A and proceeded to disconnect the the white & black load wires from the outlet - it allowed me to reset and the green LED came on.
I don't understand why having the load wires simply connected to the terminals while nothing is active (or even wired) downstream would trip the GFCI.  I even proceeded to completely disconnect the florescent and undercabs despite the switches being removed.
Any tips would be appreciated, thanks.


texts: How do airtight recessed lights compare to IC-rated ones?

texts: I'm trying to figure out what recessed lights to purchase.  The ceiling room has an attic directly above with insulation in between.  It appears that IC-rated cans are necessary here, correct?  How does that relate to "airtight" cans?  Can one be both?  Which are appropriate or necessary?


texts: HVAC Heat only comes on when Fan is set to "ON" (not Auto)

texts:
have a weird problem that JUST started happening.  When I turn the thermostat up with the fan set to "AUTO", nothing happens.  The furnace does not light and the fan does not come on. This worked fine (for many years) until a few weeks ago and nothing else was changed. I changed the Thermostat, and a second unit did nothing different.

When I set the Thermostat fan to the "ON" setting, it starts blowing, and then when I turn the thermostat up the furnace immediately lights and heating commences.

The furnace is controlled by a Honeywell HZ322. Again, nothing changed.

There is a second Zone (downstairs), and it continues to work perfectly - fan and heat come on when thermostat is set to AUTO.

Any thoughts?


texts: USA equivalent of European Lot 20 portable heater efficiency standard?

texts: Lot 20 is a directive from the EU which relates to heating -  all space heaters now have to comply with a minimum energy efficiency standard to reduce their consumption and emissions. Lot 20 is aimed at reducing energy being used by home heating products. I'm trying to find out if there is any equivalent directive in the USA as I have to write an article about it for an American client. Can anyone help?


texts: Replacing the remote for an older garage door opener remote?

texts: I've just purchased a house with an old Genie garage door opener that uses the simple dip-switch remote configuration system (no rolling code, in other words). The garage has two doors, each with its own opener. Given that the size of each opener is roughly the size of a box of cheap cigars, the range is terrible (need to be within ~10 feet), and the remote generally feels like you're going to break it when you push the button, I'd like to replace the two remotes with a single smaller remote. There are a bunch of different options on sites like Amazon, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc., but most of these seem to be geared toward openers with rolling code systems. Will these remotes work with the sort of opener I have? FWIW, the current remote I have is a Genie GT90-1.


texts:
After this past harsh winter I noticed this spot on our house where it looks like some soffit panels had fallen out.  Honestly, I'm not sure what was in the space prior; I never found any panels on the ground if it'd blown down.  And there's no lip really, just a nail as if maybe whomever set it up originally just nailed a piece onto the roof frame or something?

I'm looking for suggestions on what I should fix this with.  Do I get a soffit panel and nail it over the spot?  Just get some plywood and nail it there? Should I be putting something inside the empty space first before sealing it up?  Ultimately I just want to seal it up to keep any potential critters and pests out, plus it was probably leading to some of the drafts over the winter!

Here are some pics:


texts: Toilet does not flush, pressure is non-existant, it worked when first installed, what's up?

texts:
We have an American Standard toilet (I'm not sure of the exact model, but it looks something like that Champion 4). When first installed, it worked great and it was indeed a one flush device. Beautiful it helped greatly.
Now the water goes through, but there is nearly zero pressure so the rest doesn't go through without a plunger...
I'm thinking that this type of toilet has additional pipes that allow the flush to function. i.e. the water doesn't just pour in the bowl, I think it is poured through another pipe and that pipe may have some residue in it prevent the normal flush functionality.
I've been looking for information about that toilet mechanism and I'm probably really bad at searching for it... Do you have any details on how to properly clean such a toilet pipes? Do you have an schematic that would show us how the pipes are actually laid out?
Here is a picture from the side:

In the picture, I added a red line which represents the top of the waterline in the bowl.
As we can see on this picture, there could be a pipe between the water taken and the flushing pipe coming from the bowl (just over the red line toward the left side of the picture).
Also there seem to be a small pipe between the larger pipe just under the bowl and the one going to the ground.
All of that makes me think that there could be debris clogging those pipes.

Just in case, I had a plumber come by and he was not able to fix it. He checked the pipes and they're clean, the water flows as expected, no clogging down there. So that's the toilet which has a problem. It was also snaked, but that's probably old technology on a modern toilet which doesn't help...

As per the answer below, I got muriatic acid and ran the process once to see if it would clean the toilet. In my case, just once was enough to get the toilet to flush like normal again! I needed a funnel, though, because the flushing mechanism is such that I just couldn't reach the hole without pouring the acid all over the place. So I bought a 3 set and I duck-taped the wide one (red) to the long one (blue) for the perfect funnel.


texts: I need help supporting and jacking up my attached, wood front porch

texts:
I live in Ohio in a home built in 1926.  I do not believe the front porch is that old.  The porch is L shape, wrapping around the house and is 24 X 8' in the front extending another 14' back, with same 8' foot depth.  Attached you will find pictures that may help you answer the question. The porch is supported by 2 X 10's that are 22 inches apart.  The foundation of the porch is red brick that is caving in backwards.

It appears that the entire foundation of the porch is supported by the brick with the joists resting on the corners and a few spots along the porch.  Last year I received an estimate to fix the problem with a price tag of $7000.  No thanks, I want to do this myself.  I am trying to figure out what I need to do to lift and support the existing porch.

The frost line in Ohio is 30".  Also I am planning on removing the existing decking and replace it so I can have total access to the porch which has about 3' of room underneath.

Do I need to dig and pour concrete on each cross joist, can I use a preformed concrete support, can I use a jack to lift into place, etc.?  Attached you will find some pictures that may help.  Thanks everyone!!

(Missing images:

Right side of porch that is secure
Porch floor
Porch resting on brick
Front left of porch showing joists resting on bricks and an apparent repair
Image of a column of concrete block that does not support anything and apparently an old poured footer

)


texts: Identify/Replicate Drywall Ceiling Texture

texts: I’m trying to identify and replicate this ceiling texture, any ideas how it was done? Possibly a tin roll texture? Anyone heard of that?


texts:
Our master bedroom is considerably warmer than the living/dining/kitchen area of our house, and we've been setting the thermostat quite lower than we'd like in order for the bedroom to get cool enough at night to sleep in.  Upon exiting the bedroom in the morning, we've practically got to bundle up due to how cold the rest of the house is.

One suggestion we got was to install a return vent above the door, which we don't want to do because of the loss of privacy.  Another suggestion was to install a jump duct in the ceiling inside and outside of the bedroom, which appeals to both my wife and me.

What is the correct way and what are the materials required to install a jump duct so as to maximize air circulation while not leaking any cold air into the attic?


texts: How to keep the ground from settling when building outdoor stairs on muddy ground

texts: I need to install stairs to handle a six foot drop in a very muddy backyard - the stairs themselves seem easy (currently leaning towards railroad ties) but how can I make sure that the stairs don't shift as the ground settles without doing the entire thing in concrete?  The ground itself is very muddy and and is part of a "valley" between my neighbor's yard and mine.


texts:
I am replacing a 20A 250V receptacle with a NEMA 5-20 and am seeing voltages I can't explain.

Hot-ground: 122v
Neutral-ground: 20v
Hot-neutral: 95v

What could be the problem here?

Details

Turned off main
Removed 2 pole circuit breaker
Capped red wire
Installed 1 pole breaker and connected black wire
Turned on main
Remove old receptacle, discover there are only 3 wires - white, black, ground (this receptacle is labeled 20A 250V)
Installed NEMA 5-20 receptacle - black to brass, white to silver, ground to green as per instructions.
Read above voltages

Where did my red wire go?

I am certain I replaced the correct breaker. No voltage when I turn the breaker off.

The wire appears to be 12 gauge.

My outlet tester is inconclusive because all three lights appear to be lit.


texts:
I was going to shut off the angle stop valve (shown in figure a) but it did not budge. I tried every possible method but it did not work so I decided to replace the whole valve. I could successfully take out the valve (which is shown in figure c) but ran into several problems

a) First of all, what is the type of this angle stop? Is it compression type or threaded type? The nut and the yellow ring (indicated by the blue arrows in figure b) could not be taken out. The pipe is smooth and does not have any thread. The threads are inside the nut. I was wondering whether I should buy the thread type and connect it to the nut or whether I have to take out the nut and the ring and connect the compression type to the pipe.

b) Because I was not sure about type of the valve, I decided to put the old valve back but now have leak around the connecting nut (indicated by red arrows in figure a). What should I do to make the leak stop? Or, is there any way to cap the end of the pipe ?

Thanks a lot in advance!


texts: Proper machine tool for sanding metal frame

texts:
I have now laid bare a metal frame by following advise in a previous answer. Now I want to remove its white paint coating. I've briefly tried manual sanding (with P180 sandpaper), but this promises only little progress. The sanding is in preparation for painting the frame with a new color. The frame is approx. 60 x 60 cm with its bars' diameters at approx. 3 cm.

What type of grinding machine (for home use) and what type of sandpaper would be best for this task? And how will I know when I'm done before the new painting?


texts: Why does the water at my sink not get hot but the shower does (same bathroom)?

texts:
I recently moved into a new house and there is one thing that baffles me and that is how the water from the sink in my bathroom will not get hot and it takes a long time for it to even get warm.  Just an arm length away is the bath/shower and that water gets hot pretty quickly.  I can turn the bathtub all the way to hot and the sink will get warm much quicker but it still doesn't get very hot.  I am not even sure where to begin.  The bathroom was rennovated at some point and my guess is it went from a one sink setup to a two sink setup, not sure if that has anything to do with it or not.

Any ideas?


texts: What could cause my boiler to provide hot water, but not heating?

texts:
My boiler kicks in when the thermostat asks it to, but when my room thermostat asks the boiler to fire up, nothing happens.

My room thermostat clicks on, and lights up so I think it can tell the temperature of the room.

Please can anyone help with my problem?

Boiler: ideal classic lxff
Room thermostat: horstmann HRT 2


texts: Can a floating floor of click connected strand bamboo cup

texts:
I am in the market for some wood flooring and due to condo constraints I am forced to go with a floating floor. I am probably going with bamboo from Plyboo or Teragren. I am concerned about the warnings regarding moisture. I live in a 2nd story condo and I must float my floor.

CONS (pulled off a website)
-Only suitable for indoor environments with very stable year-around humidity. Low-to-average dimensional stability leads to excessive shrinkage when humidity decreases by 15% or more
-Maximum recommended runs if very stable humidity cannot be maintained: 15 ft across widths (tangentially) and 25 ft lengthwise (longitudinally)*

I have been reading horror stories about floors cupping and buckling that I wish to avoid. I was thinking since my floor is not glued at all, just click&lock that this issue is pretty much avoided since the entire floor slab can move as unit over the sub-flooring.

Is that a fair statement? I am not sure what stable moisture environment entails. Would a single hot and humid day kill a floor. I can try and mitigate with a dehumidifier that just runs constantly.

Also would an engineered variant ameliorate the situation?

Thanks in advance.


texts: What is the best method for strong timber wall inside tin shed

texts:
I have a tin shed in the yard approximately 3m x 4m. It has a concrete base.

The walls are tin and the verticals/studs are very far between and not super solid.

I want to build a french cleat system against one wall, however the tin is not suitable to mount to.

Would the best solution be to build a new timber stud wall against one of the tin walls, dynabolted onto the concrete?

How far out would I need to brace perpendicular to the wall to allow it to carry the load of french cleat system, and all the things I want to eventually hang off it? ie. Power tools, clamps, shelves, storage boxes.


texts: How can I repair a bathtub that is peeling?

texts: My bathtub surface paint is peeling but I don know how and what the material is I never seen a bath with this kind of surface before so what can I do or use to fix the problem?


texts: What sort of wire should I use to run an overhead line to a subpanel?

texts: The property is in northern michigan and the ground is extremely rocky making burying the wire very difficult. I want to run the wire overhead approx. 12 feet above the ground on poles. The run will be appropriately 125 feet in total.  Curious to know the type of wire I should purchase and any suggestions the group may have.


texts:
I have a circuit breaker that keeps tripping. It doesn't trip right away, but several hours after turning back on, sometimes a day later.

Nothing has changed on the circuit that's tripping.

How can I determine if it's the breaker that's bad or if it's a short somewhere?

Thank you in advance!


texts: Is it safe to plug christmas lights into a power strip or surge protector that's connected to an extension cord?

texts:
I want to plug my christmas lights into a power strip or surge protector that is itself plugged into an extension cord. The extension cord is plugged into the side of my house.
Is this safe?


texts: I have 2 flush mount led lights in my kitchen....rental.  Last night, they stopped turning on. When I went up to poke around and touched them, they lit but very very dim. If I touch the mounting screw with my screwgun they do the same thing, light very dimly. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this?


texts: Connecting to system ground for equipment ground

texts:
Some previous owner of my house installed new lighting and receptacles in the attached garage, and these are all wired with 14/2 NM cable with ground on a 15A circuit that is otherwise ungrounded elsewhere in the house.
I eventually traced the origin of the new wiring portion back to a buried junction box in the garage wall, which has a separate ground wire joining with the original ungrounded hot and neutral to feed the new portion of the wiring. This ground wire appears to have at one point been connected to some plumbing, but I found the other end and it is no longer connected to anything.
It just so happens that I had the electrical panel replaced when I moved in, and my electrician ran a new system ground wire (bare copper) exposed along the same interior wall in the garage where the buried junction box is, on its way to the grounding rod. I'm planning to remove this buried box and instead install a larger box for a nearby outlet that is just upstream of it, and to relocate the connections into there.
In addition to replacing this outlet with a GFCI receptacle, I was thinking that while in the process I could restore the ground for this portion of the circuit by connecting a new grounding wire up to the nearby system ground. It would be trivial to get a wire from the box to the system ground, but a much bigger deal to get a separate ground wire all the way back to the panel, and a much bigger deal to replace the original ungrounded cabling all the way back to the panel.
I've found in other questions here that the most recent NEC says that you can provide a ground to circuit A by taking it from circuit B, as long as they both come from the same panel. But I'm not sure about this situation. There is only one panel involved, and I have verified that there is continuity between the neutral in the box and the system ground that I'm hoping to use.

Is this an acceptable thing to do? Are there any downsides/risks?
If it's OK, what would be the correct hardware to use to connect a 12 AWG wire to the middle of the 6 (I think) AWG system ground wire?


texts: Are there any physics problems with immersing freezer coils in water?

texts:
Given a small refrigerator / freezer (dorm fridge), would there be any reason why immersing the freezer coil in water would reduce or eliminate the ability of the system to remove heat?

I took a dorm fridge and adjusted the position of the evaporator such that it could be immersed in a container of water.  Before adding the container of water, I ran the refrigerator, and it was easy to detect that it was removing heat (the evaporator coil got "frost" on it).  Then I immersed the coil in a large volume of water, and ran the refrigerator again, but the temperature of the water did not decrease.

One possible reason is that when getting the container of water positioned, a crack developed, allowing the coolant to evaporate out of the system.  But I was very careful, so wondered if there was another explanation, based on the physics, and the control system in the refrigerator.

An experiment could be done to remove the water and see if the coils frost again, but removing the large amount of water is logistically difficult, so I thought I'd ask before doing that.


texts: How can I remove a stripped lag screw from wall framing?

texts: I’m moving and need to take down my wall mount for my 55in TV. It’s amazon basics and I accidentally mounted it upside down- when I went to correct this, the bottom bolt was too tight to come loose (I guess I was really worried about my new TV falling off the wall!) so I left it as is. But I tried for awhile and in doing so, the head edges became softened and the screwdriver receiving end stripped.  I don’t have a vise grip plier at hand. I have a few wrenches. Should I go get one and try it? Though that’s another cost. What’s the likelihood of this thing coming out?


texts: I want to add an exhaust fan to my bathroom. Do I run power from the light switch to power the fan or do I run power from the light box. Thanks as of now there is a single pole do i use a double pole switch?![enter image d)


texts: How should I run power wiring and Cat-5 to the perimeter of my huge yard?

texts:
I have a house that sits on about 4 acres of land. There is a very large front yard and an even bigger one in the back. I want to get both power and Ethernet (for security cameras) located at various points in both the front and the back.

Does anyone know of a single cable bundle that includes both (shielded so as to not have the power interfere with the data), and that can also be buried directly in the ground?

I know it's going to take a ton of trenching, but that's ok. I am more stumped on how to find the right kind of cable.


texts: Is 12 by 20 feet garage big enough for today's cars?

texts:
My house that I am moving in was built in 1950s. It has garage which 12 by 20 feet but I measure the length and the exact measurements are 11.4 inches (internal width) and 20.4 inches (internal length). I haven't measured the gate myself but it's probably 7 or 8 ft.

So I was entering toyota sienna for the first time and I could barely enter it. It was a lot of work. I just had an inch or two on each side and that was too much work. I end up not parking there.

My question, would you park in garage this tight? I do have a drive way which is a lot convenient but garage is nice for those bad weather days! Should I abandon the idea of parking Sienna in it?

I am trying to figure out how to best use the garage space and I want to install 2 ft deep cabinets for storage. That leaves 18 ft for a car. Is that enough for average size sedans?

Has anyone gone through similar situation? I would appreciate an advice. Needless to say there some nice sales already going on cabinets but I am also worrying if it would make my garage not usable for any car?


texts: Can pipe dope be used on water lines in a vanity

texts: Does it hurt if I use pipe dope on water lines connecting a faucet in a vanity?


texts: My house was built in Florida in 2008.  I am having a difficult time in replacing my windows as they have a blue tint.  I have contacted all the local window places in the area and they do not know of this type of glass.  I have several windows to replace and do not want to replace the entire house of windows.  I have also had the glass people come to my house to check it out.  Any ideas?


texts: Are these screws for bracket enough to support adult queen bed?

texts:
Picture of bottom right corner showing the foot board and side rail connected with the bracket, and the bed, at https://imgur.com/a/XtlnM1Q and couple more pictures https://imgur.com/a/BMBi8KX.

The brackets are https://amzn.to/37PJbA3. The smaller screws that came with it were about 1/2" but I used 1 1/4" instead. The wood is pine, 1.5" thick.

My concern is whether these screws will shear or will get pulled out of the wood, after a long time of using the bed (frequent getting in and off loads, tossing and turning over night, etc.). I was wondering if I should switch these to structural screws of the same size, or bolts/nuts/washers so that they go all the way through these vertical side rails and can't be pulled out of the bed.

I asked someone at a big box store and he said what I have should be more than enough and the small screws are just used to secure the brackets to the wood and not really carrying the load, but I figure of course they are carrying the load being transferred from the brackets. He also said drilling all the way through for bolts may split the wood.


texts:
I want to put up a 6' x 10" shelf....width to be determined by structure that will hold up a 6' long shelf.
The items on this shelf will be some books, craft supplies, knick knacks...
Best way to approach this project?


texts: Why is difficult to unplug things from this electrical receptacle?

texts: The electrical receptacle in my bathroom is difficult to use. It seems hard to unplug hair dryers etc. Do I need to replace it or can I fix it?


texts: Replacing 3-way Dimmer with Smart Dimmer

texts:
I'm trying to replace a 3-way dimmer set-up (currently a Lutron MACL-153M) with a smart dimmer. I have C by GE Smart Dimmers. After a lot of tinkering yesterday, I was unable to get it to work. I've made a bad MS Paint diagram of the two boxes the dimmers are currently in below.

The first dimmer is in a box with a toggle. There are two black wires (labeled A and B) going into Dimmer 1's common screw/push port. One of these is coming from the Toggle, so I'm assuming that wire's the line from the power source. (I believe this wire also comes from a black wire bundle in the back). Wire B is separate when it comes from the top of the box. The rest of the set-up is straightforward, with red wire on the brass screw and a white wire on the blue screw, and a spiderwebbed bare ground wire running to both the toggle and the dimmer. The one quirk here is that in addition to the white wire coming from the box, there's a separate bundled and capped group of white wires at the back of the box, which I assume to be a group of neutrals, while the white wire from the blue screw is a traveler that hasn't been correctly taped with black. The current dimmer model doesn't require a neutral.

In the second dimmer, there are just four wires. A black wire to the common screw, a red wire to the brass screw, a white wire to the blue screw, and a bare ground wire. These dimmers control 8 recessed lights located physically between the two switch boxes.

Based on studying diagrams of 3-way circuiting, it looks like this is a pre-2011 switch circuit and there's no neutral in the second box. Is there any way to replace this grouping with either a) the C by GE smart dimmers (they require a neutral) or b) some other brand of smart dimmer, or am I out of luck? And if I can use the C be GE, how do I wire it (what would be the 'line' wire in the second dimmer, for example)?

Thanks!


texts: What is the cause of this voltage difference between my breaker panel and AC unit?

texts:
I've got a 3ton AC condenser unit on my roof, with a blower system nearby in attic space supplied by 20A 240v circuit.

The condenser unit is supplied by a 40A 240v circuit, 2 8ga wires
The blower unity is supplied by a 20A 240v circuit, 2 12ga wires
Both circuits are run through the same steel conduit from my outdoor breaker panel.
There are no ground wires in the conduit.
The conduit is a little corroded in places
The total span is about 45'
Measuring voltage in the panel, I get 118v to the ground bar on each wire and 236v wire to wire on each circuit.
Measuring voltage on the roof (with the conduit completely disconnected from the AC unit, so only connected to the panel), I get 95v between the wire and the conduit on each of the 4 wires, but I still get 236v wire to wire on
each circuit.

Why would there be so much voltage drop? It's like the conduit at the roof is at a higher potential than at the panel. Do I need to replace the whole run with new conduit, and circuits with a shared 8ga ground wire? Or run a new ground through the conduit?  I can't see being able to easily do that. What size conduit do I need to carry those wires? Thanks


texts: What should I do about ceiling tiles that potentially contain asbestos?

texts:
A family member is considering purchasing a house, built in the Midwestern United States in 1958. In the basement, there are nine inch ceiling tiles on the ceiling. The home inspection mentioned that it cannot confirm that these tiles are not asbestos.

I've received four pieces of advice:

"Just remove it yourself."
"Hang drywall underneath the tiles and seal it up."
"Professional removal is the only way to go."
"Take a sample and send it in to a laboratory."

I suspect the tiles do have some asbestos content. Some of the advice sounds reasonable enough (especially 2, 3, and 4)... looking for guidance.

What's the best approach in this situation?

EDIT: Thanks all for the helpful advice. We had it tested, and it turns out not to be asbestos.


texts: Removed wainscoting - Will I need to sand the entire wall?

texts:
First time DIY'er here and I decided it was time to update my office by removing the wainscoting and giving it a fresh coat of paint.  However, before I get there, I was hoping for a little feedback...

I have removed the wood paneling and to my surprise, it actually had a texture that matches the top half ... Also, I have had no problems sanding down the panel adhesive that was left behind.  Might be difficult to tell by the pictures, but the wall feels really smooth in those blemish areas on the bottom half.  And then of course I will go over all of those with joint compound and another round of sanding to make sure the wall is nice and smooth.

So that being said, when all is said and one, my goal is that the wall should have one consistent texture from top to bottom.  I plan on adding texture to the wall using a textured roller during priming/painting.

My Question ... Given what I described above and based on the photo, will I need to sand down the top half of the wall before I start priming/painting in order for the texture to remain consistent?  Or, would that be overkill and I can achieve my goal simply by using the roller over both halves.

Note, I'm asking this because as much as the general texture of the bottom half matches the top half, there are quite a few smoothed out blemishes and I just don't know if all those blemishes will be obvious unless I sort of smooth out the top half as well (sort of like starting from scratch if that makes sense).

Sorry for the long post, thanks for any advice.


texts: Circuit Breakers for Electric Baseboard Heaters

texts:
Living in an apartment for a few years and just now tried to label the circuit breakers.  Everything is electric. There is no gas in the building.  Oven/Range, Water Heater, Baseboard Heaters, in-wall panel heater in the bathroom, fridge, Air Conditioner,... I have no to little knowledge about this stuff, so please correctly me if I am using terminology incorrectly or if I am wrong about anything.
No numbers so I'm using what I think is conventional labeling.
#1 is Top Left,  #2 is Top Right.
Odds on Left, Evens on right.
#13 is Bottom Left, #14 is Bottom Right
*#5 is a 15Amp single pole that controls the lights and outlets in both the bedroom and adjoining bath as well as the bathroom exhaust.
#6 is a 15Amp single pole that controls the outlets in the living/dining room area.
#7 and #9 make a 60Amp double pole that controls the oven/range.
#8 and #10 make a 30Amp double pole that I'm guessing controls the water heater.
#12 is a 20Amp single pole that controls the lights and outlets in the kitchen as well as the fridge/freezer.
#13 is a 20Amp single pole that doesn't seem to do anything (that I have found yet).*
That leaves the wall unit air conditioner, the three electric baseboard heaters, and the bathroom heater.  Each baseboard heater has its own wall mounted thermostat.  The bathroom heater just has a power knob.
**#1 and #4 need to be BOTH ON for either the bedroom heater or bathroom heater to work. Both are single pole 20Amp breakers on opposite sides of the panel (diagonal).
#2 and #3 need to be BOTH ON for the dining area heater to work.  Both are single pole 20Amp breakers on opposite sides of the panel (diagonal).
#11 and #14 need to be BOTH ON for either the living room heater or the air conditioner to work.  Both are single pole 20Amp breakers on opposite sides of the panel (diagonal).**
? Does this mean those heaters are wired for 240V and 20Amps? Or 120V and 40Amps? Or does each heater require TWO DIFFERENT 120V 20Amps circuits to work? Is is safe to be wired like this?  Flipping either breaker OFF will shut down the heater, but is the whole circuit dead- or will the other breaker still  provide half the voltage (or current)?
p.s.
? Is it likely that the 30Amp double pole (#8 and #10) IS the water heater? And is it likely that there is a 20Amp breaker (#13) that doesn't do anything?


texts:
My Beloved Barn roof has almost gone and, without the money to repair it, I had to let it go.  This has meant the walls have started to go and, as you can see from the picture, half the front part has gone. I now have to protect the road from debris if it goes.  What is my best (i.e., cheapest) option to prevent this?  I figured putting supports against it might work.  If so, what is the best way to do that?  Help is greatly appreciated. It's got to do by mid-Oct 2016.

Only the front is in danger of affecting a public road.  All other sides are far enough away. It is about 7 metres from the road and is around 5 metres to the roof (roughly). I own the land all around and up to the public road.


texts: I have made board and batten shutters for the windows of my Vermont house. They are decorative, not functional. I need to know how to attach them to the house which has old siding made of wood covered with some sort of plastic/vinyl (1980s variety). What should I use to attach them?


texts: How can I connect the wire that goes to the grounding rod to the grounding electrode system?

texts:
I'm trying to install an outdoor antenna at my parent's house and was wondering how to connect the wire that goes to the grounding rod to the grounding electrode system through the service panel when there doesn't appear to be a grounding bus bar in the service panel.

Here's the inside:


texts: How do I connect this cables to my surface socket australia

texts:
I know red go together and black cables go together.
But what do I do with yellow and there is copper out of one black red pair what is that where do I connect that, and this is going to my surface socket for dowlight..

Your suggestion is appropriated.
Thanks in advance.


texts: Power options for inside cabinet drawer outlet

texts:
I am looking for a cost effective option to install a 120v outlet or at a minimum, a USB charging hub in a kitchen drawer.
I have about 1.75” clearance behind the drawer. There are devices on the market such as the
Docking Drawer | Blade Duo In-Drawer Charging Outlet
Besides being kind of overpriced, they require a 2” minimum behind the drawer clearance.
My drawer is only 12” deep (albeit very wide and deep). I can install an outlet right behind it facing the other side (it’s an island), and thinking I could wire a low voltage USB hub from there, mounted to the back of the cabinets.
I’d be happy with a safe way to route a single 120v connector to a normal charging hub, with high amperage USB ports.
What other options do I have?


texts: What adhesive should I use to glue rigid polystyrene insulation to itself and to wood?

texts:
I have a partial sheet of Polystyrene insulation that I plan to cut into a shape to insulate a square hole, without permanently filling the hole. (The structure will be removable for intermittent access.)

What adhesives are good, and what are bad for gluing this material to itself? I was also considering some spare wainscoting board to use as a backer material... if I were to go this route, which adhesives would also be good for that junction? (This is for use in an attic, so the temperature cycles may be significant, and moist, here in the Southeastern US.)

The material in question:

Specially, would wood glue work? How about latex caulk?


texts: Can mortise and tenon joints be strong without glue?

texts:
I'm designing a loft bed (here's a rough picture without the cross supports and other details). Right now, most joints will be mortise and tenon.

I'd like to be able to take the loft down to parts, and the simplest thing to do would be to disassemble it at the M&T joints. But that would mean they couldn't be glued, and my current understanding of M&T joints is that their strength comes in large part from the glue.

Am I missing something? Is there a way to build M&T joints that aren't glued but are still full strength?

Edit 2013-11-16: I'd like to make these blind tenons. That makes @Jack's sliding dovetails really interesting. Since the joist structure will be visible from the underside, the aprons and hangar bolts for the corner are also interesting -- I wonder if there could be something like that to secure the non-corner joists...

Edit 2013-11-16: After watching a video about making dovetail joints, I'm going to go with @Jack's answer because they depict the answer to the problem. @HerrBag's comments (specifically stopping the dovetails) are, however, what make it a usable answer.


texts: Do all garage receptacles have to be GFCI protected, and 18 inches off the ground?

texts:
I have a couple quick questions about garage outlets.

If I recall correctly, outlets in a garage must all be GFCI.

Does that include ceiling outlets for garage door openers?
Why? Genuinely curious the logic behind this code (not debating it, just wondering).

I also remember hearing that all outlets must be 18" off the ground because of something with gas fumes (I guess gas fumes don't rise higher than 18 inches?).

Is that 18 inches to the bottom of the box or middle?


texts: Adding an Interior Door on a Stair Landing

texts:
*Update 1/26/2017
Ok, it looks like a traditional door may not work...

What about an accordion style door? There are likely studs at both the corner and at the opposite wall on the landing that would accomodate a frame for an accordion style door. I'm thinking there would be a piece at the top to house the rollers, a piece on one side to hold the door, and a magnetic latch on the other side to keep the door closed.
(We would rather not have to install it at the bottom of the stairs, for aesthetic purposes.)

In my father's house, there is an upstairs bonus room, which I will be using as a bedroom temporarily. We are trying to figure out a way to add an interior door at the first stair up from the landing in order to block out light and noise for sleeping purposes. The ceiling in the picture extends above that first step, so the door will be the height from that step to the ceiling. That height is 86.25", and the width from wall to wall is 36".

Any ideas on how to do this? What kind of door/frame to use? Some sort of folding door...?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

View looking up the stairs - the door is to be on that first step to the right of the landing.

View looking down the stairs


texts: I plan on replacing my kitchen cabinets later this summer. The old ones were home made by the previous owner and are oddly sized so I need to make my own out of plywood. Is it possible to put dowel joints in the edge of a piece of plywood, or will a hole that large force the layers apart?


texts: Heat pump blower motor cycles on/off after running 140 seconds

texts:
Standard Trane split heat pump, condenser outside blower inside.
Usually the system will run normally but after 2 min 20 seconds the blower motor will cycle on and off randomly for 20 seconds. Then run perfectly for the rest of the heating cycle.
One time the problem occurred at 3 min 20 seconds.
Expert checked system and said needed new motor.
Now has new motor but still same problem.
Anybody have any ideas.


texts: Converting from NEMA 14-50 or 10-30 outlet to a NEMA 6-15 outlet?

texts:
I purchased a table saw that has a NEMA 6-15 plug.  I have two outlets, one 14-50 and one 10-30.  I was wondering what's involved with installing a new outlet that has a lower amperage and a different plug?

I can't seem to find any info online about this specific scenario. I've read that it's possible to install the new outlet and lower the amperage at the box, however I'm unsure if this is 100% accurate.

Any help would be useful.

Thanks!

Edit, adding photos:


texts: How can I use a multimeter to replace electrical testers, etc.?

texts:
I have a multimeter and I don't want to spend more money on other electrical test devices.

How do I use a multimeter to perform the same functions as a:

circuit tester
GFCI outlet tester


texts: Old brick foundation walls, 125 years, need repointing and/or plaster finish. What is best method and materials to resurface these old bricks?

texts: My 125 year old house has old brick foundation which is exposed in the basement.  I would like to plaster but don't want to do the complete three stage plaster job; the grout is deteriorated in many places and may be too fragile to attach wire lath.  I have heard of a product that is a pre-mixed renovating plaster, but I don't know if such a product will work.  Any suggestions?


texts: Will portable air con cool as well as temperature increases?

texts: I have a portable air conditioner, it's currently reducing my room from 23-24C to 17-18C. 24C is not exactly hot and the main purpose of the unit is for when it does get hotter. I could expect my room to reach 30C. Will the AC be able to reach it's target of say 18C under 30C conditions? Will it take a longer time to reach it?


texts: What can I do to eliminate the stickiness of my oil-based wood stain?

texts:
I recently painted over my doors and frames with Minwax oil-based wood stain. It's been 3 weeks and they are all still very sticky when I touch them. I tried wiping, and wiping with a clean dry rag and the color comes off but not the sticky feeling. I also tried wiping with a damp rag and then a clean dry rag with no luck.

What do I need to do to get rid of the stickiness?


texts: Can I "daisy-chain" LED strip lights to my bathroom exhaust fan and have them work on the same light switch?

texts:
I just finished installing a new exhaust fan in my bathroom. I have access to the ceiling before I patch up the old hole where the old fan used to be. A lot of people tend to connect a recessed light to the exhaust fan but I wanted to know if I could "daisy-chain" an LED strip light so that it could illuminate the side of the walls as you can see in this photo:

Here are the LED lights that I bought:


texts: What type of interior vapor barrier is appropriate in the southern US?

texts:
I'm in the midst of a remodel in Austin, TX and I'm struggling to resolve the "right" way to go about insulation for exterior walls in this region. I'm generally familiar with the concepts of vapor barriers, vapor retarders, and managing airborne liquids in and around your living space, but all the sources of information I'm referencing have my head spinning at the moment.

My question(s) is/are this: in the southern US/Texas, where it's warm (read: hot as heck) for most of the year...

are vapor retarders required?
are they prohibited?
Are they allowed, but not good building science practice?
Should they be faced towards the exterior (unconditioned space), flying in the face of what most sources suggest for insulation best practices?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

One added detail, the makeup of my walls presently is (will be):

Nature >> Wood siding >> air gap/furring strips >> 2 layers felt paper >> OSB >> studs/R-15 fiber batts >> kraft paper face/tape on the seams >> gypsum >> netflix and cheetos

P.S. I know that spray foam insulation is probably best in a case like this, but unfortunately I didn't plan for that in the budget.


texts:
I'm wiring up a three way switch and have followed the attached diagram. However, I have three lights between the two switches. Can someone help me expand on this diagram to show how I wire up three lights.

Thanks


texts: It it safe to have a 15 amp GFCI outlet on a 50 amp GFCI breaker?

texts:
My friend just got rid of her hot tub. The person that took it put an outlet where the tub was. He put in a 15 amp GFCI at the outlet but left the 50 amp GFCI breaker in the panel box.

Is this sufficient or trouble waiting to happen?


texts: Why did water come up through my basement drain instead of out the sump?

texts:
I recently moved into a home in Illinois that has a basement. I’m coming from Arizona and have never had a basement or actually knew about sump pumps until I started searching for a home.

Me and my wife were out of town a few weeks ago and there was some heavy rain and some snow melting as well and water must have backed up because there was water in my basement. No one could have been in my house to run any water or flush any toilets while we were out. I identified it coming from a floor drain in the laundry room and could see the water pattern go out. It did not seep in from the walls because they were dry and there was still dust on the walls. The plumber said my drain out pipe must be backed up and he rodded it from the outside.

My question is if the water came from the outside into the drain why didn’t it go into the basin of the sump pump and it should have pumped out to my backyard? The area around my sump pump was dry so I know water didn’t go into the basin and overflow.

If anyone could explain this to me because I feel like I’m missing something or not completely understand how this whole system is suppose to work.


texts:
I just bought a newly built house in Maryland and have been living in it for about three months. Most of the house has hardwood flooring that for the most part looks really good. However, I've found some spots here and there throughout the house that are starting the chip.

What are my least invasive options for fixing this problem? I say least invasive because I do not want to tear up the whole peg board and replace it. I'm thinking that I could put down some wood glue and try to stain that small piece or something; If that's the solution can anyone recommend the materials I need to do that or brands of glue, etc. Or is that a bad idea? I don't want my repair job to be noticeable.


texts: I understand what a solid red or blinking red light means, but there's no documentation for it flashing once and turning off. I have it attached to a light switch, and each time I cycle the power off and back on, the light will flash red once. What does this mean? I have a receptacle tester plugged in, but it never lights up for even a split second. Pressing the test and reset buttons does nothing.


texts: I replaced my faucet supply line but it's still leaking. Any ideas?

texts:
My cold water supply line (braided steel) on my kitchen sink seemed to be leaking at the (1/2") connection.  I replaced the line with a similar braided unit. I tightened it hand tight, then a half turn with wrench. It was till leaking so I tightened it more. I also tried removing and reattaching  it (extra snug) and it's still leaking.

I'm really baffled on this one. I noticed the male threads are not completely in the round (they have flat sides), but there is nothing unique about the supply line that was removed.  No sign of teflon tape, and I didn't use any.

In the picture, you'll note the new line (cold supply) is on the left with a drip at the connection. The hot water line is in the middle (you can see flat sides) and the wand lines are also visible.

Also, can someone please advise as to how to disconnect the black plastic connection that connects the wand to the faucet (in foreground on right in picture)?  Thanks!


texts: 1.5 inches of water in dishwasher drain cup after use

texts:
I have a ~ 10 y.o. Kenmore dishwasher (will get the model when it's done running).

After running a full cycle, with heated dry, there is about 1.5 inches of water left in the drain cup (my terminology) - the basin where the filter is housed.

We just had the pump replaced as there was previously close to 3 inches of water remaining after a full cycle, and things were smelling rather fishy (literally).

So things are better, but it still seems like more than should be expected.  I don't expect it to be bone dry, but more than say 1cm seems like a lot to me.

We have a home warranty and I wanted to get some more information before calling them back.

Photo link below.

Water remaining in dishwasher basin


texts: Do I also need to apply thinset to my Subway tiles or is it enough to just put it on the wall?

texts:
Subway tile question regarding a bathtub surround.

Do I need to apply thinset on the back of the tile?
Subway tiles are small, can I just put thinset on the wall and apply the tiles?

Thank you


texts: Can you use Isolation Transformer on Refrigerators? Any side effects?

texts:
My GFCI always trips whenever refrigerator is connected to it maybe because of the defrosting thing and my old built in the 1930s without third grounding wires. I have to take down the house just to replace all the conduits. Can I used 1:1 isolation transformer on refrigerator (without the secondary connected to any ground)? If the refrigerator amperage is 1.2A. Can I use a 1.28A isolation transformer on it?

Is there any side effects like statics building on the refrigerators since the secondary is floating and not grounded? (If I'd ground it, it defeats the purpose of isolation transformers)


texts: Possible to attach an external electrical box to an old work box?

texts:
I have an old work box occupied by 6 ethernet keystones and the corresponding wall plate. I want to use a branching raceway to hide the ethernet patch cables coming out of the wall. But without other accessories, this will leave a few inches of exposed patch cable, because raceways generally attach to the sides of external boxes, not in-wall boxes. Is there an external box that can attach to my old work box, perhaps via the old work box’s wallplate mounting screw sockets?

I want the patch cables to remain plugged into the old work box’s keystones, run through the back of the external box (is there space to pass through terminated patch cables or must I cut a hole into the back of the external box?), out the side of the external box directly into the connected raceway. Is this possible?

Without an external box, this will leave a few inches of exposed patch cable (uglier) and creates another insect entry point via this open end of the raceway.

Without an old work box, having just an external box loses the flexibility to remove the external box (without redoing the punch-down termination for the wires) in case I find it cramps walking space. (And would this require wall repair for the hole left over from the old work box or would the external box’s back seal it?)

Drilling holes from the attic to route ethernet cables and separately move each keystone closer to its destination to shorten each patch cable run is out of the question.