texts: How can I build a fence with posts that rest on concrete?

texts:
We have a townhouse complex that is on the second floor.  The building is a "U" shape. There is a central courtyard in the middle of the U that has some private use space for each homeowner, which we need to fence off for each unit. The courtyard base is a concrete slab that has a waterproof membrane on it, which is then topped with 4.5" of rigid styrofoam insulation and then some compacted gravel and a combination of 2' x 2' pavers (for walkways) and artificial turf.

We are looking for a solution that would give us a reasonably solid fence without drilling any brackets into the concrete slab (and thereby penetrating the waterproof membrane).  We've been told to avoid doing that at all costs.  Whatever base we use could sit ON the membrane/slab, but is not physically attached to it.  At the building perimeter, the fence can be attached to brick walls, so it's the posts that hold the panels extending out from the building that need a good mounting solution.  This is kinda like a floating fence.  Anyone have any creative solutions to this?


texts: Insulating Interior Wall That Used to be Exterior Wall

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My home had an extension built in by the previous owner. I am currently insulating the rim joist in the basement and feel cool air coming in from the wall space above that was once an exterior wall, but is now an interior wall. The extension was on built on the 1st floor only so that wall becomes an exterior wall on the 2nd floor. What type of insulation should I be using to insulate that wall space to prevent the cool air from coming into the basement?

Also, not sure if this matters, the extension was built on a crawlspace which I am in the process of insulating/encapsulating with rigid foam and spray foam.

I am currently using a combo of spray foam and rigid foam for the rim joist.


texts: Need to add common "C" for thermostat; can anyone indicate where to connect it?

texts:
We just got a new WiFi capable thermostat that, unfortunately, seems to use a form of power stealing in order to charge itself. The problem here is that our house is actually quite well insulated; the unit doesn't run for very long, so the thermostat keeps turning off the WiFi as the battery falls too low.

When I first installed the new thermostat, I found the blue wire that was listed as likely being the common wire; however, when I connected it, the thermostat indicated that there wasn't any power and prompted me to remove the wire. So I went up to the furnace, hit the breaker, and popped open the panel. I can see the blue wire appears to just be wrapped around the outside of another wire rather being connected to the furnace.

So... we have this confirmed: Yellow wire for cooling, white wire for heat, green wire for the fan, and the red wire for power. I can only confirm because the thermostat, for all the WiFi woes it seems to have, is working to control the temperature just fine right now.

Here is a picture of the wiring at the furnace; is this enough for anyone to tell me where I should be connecting that blue wire, or should I go ahead and call an HVAC technician out?


texts: Can you help identify these clips (or a replacement)?

texts:
I'm trying to repair an old but nice computer desk that I was given. It was made by Danish furniture company B8 Mobler about 35 years ago, with a wooden sliding keyboard tray attached to the metal frame by 4 clips. Unfortunately careless movers broke all the clips:

The broken-off part (above left) is supposed to go around the frame:

Assembled, the clip would have a C profile and be about 40 x 25 x 10mm, with a slot about 15mm deep by 5mm wide down one long side. (The bottom plate is separate, but fits into the "upper" corner clip which is snapped in half).
I have contacted B8 Mobler but I doubt they are interested or still have any stock of the original clips. I'm looking for a replacement, but I don't know what they are called. There are no useful markings that I can find on the clips themselves. They don't need to be identical, just to screw onto the wooden tray and slide over the frame. The slot can't be too wide because it needs to press against the frame when a screw is tightened, holding the tray firm.
Something like T Clips for decking might work, but they look too thick, and come in large packs which is wasteful? Beam clips might work, but they all seem to be metal and would scratch the metal frame. A flange clamp would probably work, but they're also metal and seem to fix with a bolt, not a screw.
So I can probably find a way to bodge it, but what would be the nicest/cleanest way to fix it? Can you tell me what these clips are called, or something similar/compatible?


texts: Proper toner/probe use to track coax behind drywall

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Where my cable comes into my new apartment there are a number of coax cables labelled with rooms that don't have outlets. I bought a toner and probe (Fluke Pro3000) to try to trace them in the walls, but I'm having trouble getting it to work.

First, I attached the toner's black lead to the internal wire and the red to the connector outside. The probe sounds when it's near exposed coax (and near an outlet when I tested it on a known cable), but the tone disappears as soon as the cable goes into the wall. I also tried red to internal wire black disconnected with similar results.

On the advice of The Internet, I then tried red to internal wire, black to true ground (the handle of my fuse box, which I assume is grounded). This lit up EVERY coax and telephone wire in the entire apartment with very audible tone through the wall, making it impossible to trace any given one.

Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong? Clearly the probe is capable of picking up tone through the wall, but I need to narrow it down to individual wires.


texts: Why won't my water heater blower shut off?

texts:
My water heater has a blower attachment that kicks on when the water heater begins to heat water and shuts off when it is done.  I'm no water heater expert, but I believe that these actions are related to the thermostat.

Recently, I've noticed the blower remains on well after the water heater turns off.  Meaning, the blower motor is running, but the only flame burning is the pilot light.  In order to shut off the blower, I have to unplug the water heater, turn the thermostat up until it clicks on, plug in the water heater (which causes everything to fire up) then finally turn the thermostat back down to normal (which causes everything to shut off as usually the water is at the desired temperature).

Can somebody help he understand what is going on here and how I can keep it from happening again?

EDIT

Unfortunately, my water heater is wrapped in an insulated cover...so I can't see what brand it is...and I'm reluctant to pull the cover off.

However, I did find a plate on it that says:

Manufactured by State Industries Inc
Model PR650NOVT
Serial Number 001200512


texts:
Location: US California desert
What would cause multiple 1 to 1.5 inch wide cracks, averaging 25 ft apart in asphalt roadway? (not regularly spaced, though)


texts: Could anyone suggest the best way to fill large gaps in the drywall under the sink?

texts: All through our building the area under our sinks looks like this: left side is a 1 inch gap, right side is 2 inches!  I could put in steel wool or spray, but how would I caulk over it?  Any other ideas?  The roaches are unrelenting.


texts: I've read that the service mast on the roof should be 12-18 inches high. The one we have is a lot shorter than that. Does that pose any safety issues? We recently purchased the house, and the previous owners had it like this for the past 20-30 years. What is the best way to extend the mast? What things do I need to watch for?


texts: Laying Stone on a unlevel concrete surface

texts:
first and foremost thanks for the help :)

I am in the process of redoing my porch and I have hit a road bump along the way. I am planning on laying real thick stone (as seen here) on the porch floor.

I was going to attempt the job my self when I realized that the porch is not level. Its not sloping away from the house, its more "level and slopes toward the house" Nothing crazy and it varies about .25 - .5 of a inch). This needs to be fixed as the porch should slighty slope away from the house.

After talking to a few contractors I was basically given the following advice:

Use a self leveling concrete then backbutter with mortar so it slopes away from the house.
Back butter the mortar (i.e: when laying the stone use the mortar to make up for dips in certain area) and ensure it slopes away. (So do NOT use self leveling conrete, just use extra mortar as needed)

Any advice would help :) Thanks everyone


texts: How can I enlarge a doorknob bore with common tools?

texts:
Okay, so I need to replace an old door knob for my mom.

I guess she had tried to do it and wound up losing all packaging and the installation instructions, so I have no template for how much larger the hole needs to be.

I have a drill attachment set and a cordless drill, but that's all (see pics). I've read about a bunch of fancy tools that are made specifically to do what I need done, but I can't afford to buy anything.

As for a template, I used fingernail polish on the part of the new knob that doesn't fit into the existing hole. I couldn't think of another way to get a somewhat accurate outline of the hole.

Also, I can't take the door off of the frame, it has to stay on the hinges.

I'm usually pretty good about figuring this sort of thing out, but I'm stumped. I can technically install the knob & it'll lock & work okay, but it ends up scraping against the wood and it comes loose very quickly.

About the only thing I can come up with is using the sander bits & going at it that way..

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Here's a pic of the tools I've got available and the makeshift 'template' for the size I need


texts:
I have a 5/16" bomb crater in my laminate floor.  NO idea how it got there.

Yes, I know I can replace the whole board, but it occurs to me that it might be possible to repair it using a drill and a plug cutter.

E.g.

With a 1/2" hole drill a hole through the existing crater.

With a 1/2" plug cutter, cut a plug of similar laminate.

Apply a layer of PVC glue to the plug, and insert.

Gotchas:

Do the plugs and hole drill match?
Will the plug sit flush with the top of the  laminate?  (If there is going to be an error, better that the plug be a few thou low.
Will the edge of the plug chip as it's driven in?
Will the glue cause the midboard to swell too much?

Check by doing an plug and repair on a board not in the floor.

Will the drill skitter on the surface of the flooring.

Check, but probably I'd use another piece of laminate big enough to stand on with a half inch hole pre-drilled in it.

What kind of bit?

Either a brad point or a forstner bit -- something that gives close to a flat bottomed hole.

So:

Q1:  Is this a workable way to make a repair?

Q2:  What can possibly go wrong?


texts: I have a ceiling light that was knocked off the ceiling blowing the circuit. It did not blow the breaker, but everything on that breaker is not working. I replaced the breaker with no change. Any suggestions on what is going on?


texts: Can only use small sump pump basin in crawl space, what can I do to prevent short cycling?

texts:
My crawl space access is only 19" in height. This severely limits the sump basins I can find. Every basin I see that say that they are 18" diameter are referring to only the inside diameter. The outside diameter is 20-21" which won't fit (I tried everything I could to wiggle it through the door).
I've found a few smaller basins that are specifically meant for crawl spaces with limited access. However, I'm concerned that the sump pump will short cycle. For instance, the basin I'm looking at is only 14" inside diameter and 15" tall. So a pretty small basin. Most pumps at minimum recommend 18" diameter. I'm concerned that the smaller basin will be filling up too quickly.
Because I will mostly likely have to go with a smaller basin, I'm thinking of things I can do to help prevent the short cycling. I'm a visual learner and like to explain things visually, so just bear with me through some MS Paint!
If I have a basin that is 14" inside diameter and using a Zoeller M53 pump (already own it) that kicks on when the float switch is at 7", I'd have approximately 5 US gallons of water in the basin.

Getting a basin that is taller would do nothing for me. The pump will still kick on at 7" water height.

So a taller basin really won't help me much.
A wider basin is really what I'm after.

Going from a 14" diameter to 24" diameter will almost triple the amount of water. But unfortunately, I can't fit that in my crawl space.
Regardless of how I do it, I would backfill a few inches around the basin with gravel. However, I was thinking, what if I used large aggregate such as heart/fist size stone. I could put down normal gravel at bottom for the basin to sit on level. Then on the sides I could put the larger aggregate. I'd also have a permeable non-woven geotextile fabric to separate the aggregate from the soil. Lastly, there will be a vapor barrier that goes over all of this and tucks into the basin and is sealed with a good cover. The advantage with this is that I could hold more water with a wider hole and using larger stones.

Is this a practical solution? My Zoeller M53 pump seems too powerful for the 14"x16" basin with only 5 gallons before it kicks on. Therefore, I'm trying to solution a way to increase the amount of water it holds. Should I instead buy a smaller less powerful pump? I was hoping to be able to save money and reuse my current pump. It needs to be able to go about ~5 feet and over ~5 feet before it exits the crawl space and into a freeze guard. From there, it travels ~110 feet.


texts: Can an induction range cause interference in nearby Cat6 cables?

texts: I am buying a home that is under construction. The developer installed the vertical Cat6 Ethernet and RG6 coaxial cable runs from the basement to the attic in the wall immediately behind where the stove/range will go. My concern is that I was hoping to get an induction range in the near future. Would the magnetic fields produced by an induction range extend far enough to induce interference in the Cat6 and RG6 cables in the wall behind the range?


texts: Changing a Switch in one room but lights in other rooms go out

texts:
So there are 2 sets of wires coming in on the right (black, white ground) and 1 set of wires going out to the left (black, black), which seem to connect to the next room.

When I change the switch, I ran the 2 right black wires to the dimmer switch. It works for that light, but the lights in the rooms to the left will no longer turn on. I even put back on the old switch (not a dimmer, just on/off) the same way it was and the lights in the other rooms will no longer turn on.

I am unsure what is going on here or how to get the lights in the other room to turn back on after the switch is replaced. Could really use some help.


texts: What should I do if a valve won't shut off the water?

texts:
My garage spigot was attached by a thin PVC pipe, and broke off in the cold. I knew right where the inside gate to shut it off was, from when I had an issue with it before. I even had it labeled. I turned and turned and turned, and it just wouldn't shut off the water, so I had to close the main feed from my well-holding tank.

I saw a comment from you all that says if it's in a horizontal run (it is), it could gather sediment and not want to seat properly? My other choice is to cap off the PVC, but it's a small nub that's left. Ideas?


texts:
When I flush every once in a while it takes as long as 15 minutes to fill in the tanK.
I brought somebody to take a look at it. He suggested that I replace it with a new one for 649 $. Does that sound reasonable ?


texts: Impact driver issue: Intermittent springy/twang sound

texts:
I suspect my impact driver is starting to bust.

Every so often, I hear a soft 'twang' sound shortly after pulling the trigger. I don't remember hearing it in the past, but I'm not 100% sure, maybe I never noticed. It doesn't seem natural anyhow.

The unit still does work, regardless of the twang sound, however it seems to be challenged with some tap-cons recently that it shouldn't have a problem with. I couldn't get the screws in 100%. This was with a client, it was embarrassing. I double-checked the holes were deep enough and the screw diameter matched, everything was ok. I was perplexed.

Just now tested a thick 3" screw into a 4x4 and it seemed to be challenged getting it down all the way, and just not sounding right.

Do impacts slowly fail/degrade, or am I imagining things? Or do they typically just fail and stop working one day?

Makita LXT 18v cordless, lots of use.


texts: How do I cap the wires in this electric smoke alarm?

texts: I want to cap these wires with a wire nut so that I can stuff them back up in the ceiling and install a regular, battery-powered smoke alarm.  What wires get capped and do I need to do anything with the ground wire seen up in the hole in the ceiling?


texts: Is a layer of clay at appx 24" down going pose a significant problem installing a septic system? It seems to be appx 24" to 30" thick. Or should we look for better conditions upslope on a 10ac lot in eastern OK.


texts: Is any depth change allowed on electrical panel wall?

texts:
I know the NEC requires clear space in front of a breaker panel.

What depth of wall change would violate this? My basement, where the panel is, has a 6" jut where the block wall becomes timber. So from where your toes are against the wall, the panel is 6" deeper, as the wall depth changes.

From the side (black line is the floor), it's like this:

The flush panel is in the framing above. There is also framing below.
All walls are finished properly but because of the construction the panel door is six inches deeper from the edge of the floor.

I am fine with the 30" horizontal clearance.

How should I interpret the clear space requirement in NEC in this situation? Am I required to extend the top half of the wall out to keep it entirely flat and bring the panel out to that the new depth?


texts: How do I prevent water from collecting against side of house?

texts:
Our house has a concrete patio (I'd say about 12' x 10') in the back that is very slightly angled in so that rainfall can cause water to collect where the patio meets the back wall of the house.  What are my short-term and long-term options for addressing this?

The only thing I could think of would be to elevate/resurface the patio near the house to redirect the water away from it.  I'm a beginner DIY'er and am not sure how exhaustive of a procedure that would be.

In the meantime, I'd like to make sure that the exterior of the house doesn't become water damaged. Is there a sealant I can use to protect where the patio meets the house? Caulking perhaps?


texts:
I have a Bosch 30 HRC boiler. Yesterday, I added water to the system, increasing the pressure from 1 bar to just below 2 bar. I vented each radiator in the house to bleed the boiler.

When I open the hot water tap, the boiler switches on for a few seconds. The temperature on the display increases rapidly (from ~70°C to 99°C) and the pressure shoots up (from below 2 bar to 3+ bar). One time, I saw the E9 error on the display meaning the temperature limiter was activated. The boiler subsequently shuts off. I have no hot water.

I am assuming this is a circulation problem, potentially caused by rust or dirt in the pipes. Does that assumption make sense? What can I do, other than calling an expensive technician?

For example, would it make sense to completely renew the water in the pipes, by draining the radiators and then refilling them?


texts: Appropriate heatgun for removing cellphone screens/backs

texts:
From watching a number of Youtube videos it appears that many cellphones require a heatgun (or equivalent) to remove the screens or backs.   Similary, Looking at a Huawei 10 lite phone backing, it appears I need to heat it up to get it to adhere properly.

How hot/big a heat gun should I be looking at as a general tool to help me hack my cellphones without substantial risk of damaging components due to excess heat?


texts: What is this scissor-like accordion contraption called?

texts:
Below are some examples of the contraption I'm looking for.
What's this scissor-like configuration called?


texts: Water coming in through weep holes during hard rain?

texts:
One room in the front of our house leaks during a hard driving rain storms.  The leaks are at the top of the window and at the floor -- both locations which seem to correspond to locations of weep holes in the exterior brick veneer.

Here is a picture of where it leaks at the top of the window.

Here is a picture of the weep holes:

My question: is it possible the rain is being driven into the weep holes?  Or is this more likely clogged weep holes?  Or is this an issue with the way it was built?

Bonus question: This house has a 10 year structural warranty from the builder and we are in year 9.  Is this type of repair (to fix the exterior such that it stops leaking) the kind of thing that would be covered under such a warranty?


texts: Can I use an adapter to convert a 120v outlet to 240v?

texts: I purchased a dryer that has a 240 plug but my socket use 120. Can I purchase an adapter instead of having to install a new socket?


texts:
I have three legs entering with no neutral, from fuses. The voltages on the legs read 120, 208, and 118.
When I put a light on the first breaker it will go out within a minute. No matter where I try to hook it up except the high leg the voltage either goes down or up. Is this panel bad or am I doing it wrong?


texts: What kinds of flooring resist water damage?

texts: My condo has a concrete slab.  We put down engineered wood flooring.  There has been some flooding in neighboring condos, which has damaged the flooring. Does anyone have a suggestion for flooring that would resist the water damage? Would ceramic tile work ?  There are cracks in the slab that we have repaired. the building was built in 1950.


texts: Diagnosing frequent trips on arc fault / ground fault (dual) breakers

texts:
During recent work we've been upgrading breakers to dual arc-fault / ground fault. Square D QO series (USA).

I've noticed a couple of them tripping pretty frequently when certain appliances are used.

Specifically:

Kitchen circuit consistently trips when the Keurig coffee machine completes its cycle
A different circuit often trips when a power saw is used; not as certain but it may be when it is powered off

So the question is: are these faulty breakers? Faulty equipment? Something else?

If its bad equipment, OK so be it, I'll replace them, maybe warranty issues. But I'm skeptical they are the problem - eg the coffee machine is pretty new-ish. Neither item had any (evident) problems on the older circuits.

Is there some kind of tester, perhaps, which could tell me why the trips are occurring? Or some other diagnostic method? For one thing I can't tell if this is the arc-detection, ground-fault detection, overcurrent, or some other reason.

Thanks


texts: Is it wrong to connect the red ceiling wire to the blue wire on my receiver for the remote and the blue wire from the fan?

texts: I have installed a ceiling fan with a light kit and remote control. I connected all the wires as per instructions but, there is a red wire coming from the box that is extra. I connected it to the blue wire coming from the receiver and the blue wire on the fan motor. I have two wall switches, one for light and one for fan. Everything works fine but, I am worried about the connection of the red wire causing an electrical fire in the future because I know it is a 'hot' wire and I just guessed at what to do with it. Should I have just capped it off?


texts: Which blade should I use on a Silverline Adjustable Hole Cutter with Cowl?

texts:
I just bought this hole cutter to make some large holes in a plaster board ceiling.    It comes with two sets of blades but no instructions!  So which type blade should I use for plaster board?

The blades are claimed to be TCT blades, HSS blades on the box, but they are not labeled, so it is not even clear which blade is which.


texts: Low voltage wiring clamp for junction box

texts: Are some sort of cable clamps required for low voltage wiring to enter into the electrical panel? I'm looking at the type of system like IotaWatt, which is an energy monitor. The current transformers are all low-voltage. Do I need to run the current transformer wiring in a conduit, and then use the traditional conduit terminations? Or can I simply open a knock-out in the box and run all of the low voltage wiring through that? (seems like I probably can't do that, right?)


texts: What size manifold for 1" pipe from meter?

texts:
I am running all new water supply in an old house (c 1884). The incoming line from the meter is 1" galvanized (no idea how much mineral buildup is inside).

Will it be sufficient to replace all of the plumbing using 3/4" manifolds (one hot & one cold) with 1/2" supplies to the fixtures? There is currently a mix of PVC, copper, and galvanized being used and water pressure at the fixtures is tolerable, but affected greatly by flushing toilets or running the washing machine. I would hope for better with a new system -is that likely?
There are both a whole-house sediment filter and water softener. Any special considerations (order/pipe size) for these with a PEX system? Currently they are connected using 1/2" pipe connected to the 1" inlet (by another home owner), although the water filter will accept 1".


texts: Is it practical to have a wooden floor installed in an apt in India?

texts:
I own a house in India. It is on the 3rd floor of an apartment.

The floor of the apartment is all concrete with tiles on it.

Having lived in the US for a few years now, I have come to like the feel of wooden floors.

Is it at all possible for me to have wooden flooring laid out in the apt in India?

Note: The temperature there is about 35-42 degrees centigrade (95-108 degrees Fahrenheit).


texts:
I'm looking for clarity about electric towel rails/radiators and wattages. Hope you can help.
I want to connect a heated electric only towel rail into a circuit that has a smart home 'puck' switch rated for a maximum of 400 watts.
Our bathroom requires roughly 1700 BTU (500W), according to online calculators, for a short period. There is a limited amount of underfloor heating so I'm keen to meet as much of this as I can with a towel rail, balanced against size and style.
I've read about how the delta rating affects the stated heat output of radiators in BTUs. The BTU figure is then often converted into watts. The products I'm looking at range from 1503-1649 (439-482W).
However this isn't the required input wattage, that is clearly governed by the element inside.
I've learned that the appropriate element is given by diving the (delta50) output wattage by 1.81 https://www.designerradiatorshowroom.co.uk/product-category/accessories/elements/
https://www.onlyradiators.co.uk/blog/buying-guides/dual-fuel-towel-rail-buying-guide
My question is basically is this right, why, how is it possible?! It seems bizarre to me to use a 250W element to meet a 500W heating need. Presumably the radiator never gets close to it output rating? I guess the only way it does this is by being on twice as long? What am I missing?
Or, to look at it another way how does a 250W element product over 482W of heat?
I presume this has something to do with BTU (energy) and W (power) and time but I'm baffled.
Will my 400W switch be ok?
Please can someone explain?
Writing to the radiator vendors and makers has so far not gotten me an answer!
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you have.

A supplier has told me

"The Delta/BTU only relate to a radiator that is on central heating
and wouldn't apply to an electric radiator. A 400w would simply build
up too much pressure and put your radiator at risk of blowing. The
element won't change the heat that is generated in the radiator. The
watt of the element is due to it being a closed system and nowhere for
the excess pressure to be released. The element will produce the heat
output that is determined by the rad surface area, not on the size of
the element. It will build temperature to the maximum without causing
to much pressure and resulting in the radiator leaking or even worse
bursting!  A 150W element is recommended for this electric only radiator."

I'm still baffled by this logic and would really like to understand it.


texts: New kitchen cabinets and floor, which first?

texts:
I plan to rebuild the kitchen, installing new cabinets as well as a new floor (either wood or laminate).

Should I lay the floor first and then mount the cabinets on top? Or should I mount cabinets to the subfloor first, and then lay the new floor around them?

Since I also intend to remove one wall from the kitchen, the actual positions of the cabinets will change, so I intend to fully remove both cabinets and floor before I do anything. Also, I intend to do as much as possible by myself, without contracting out.


texts: Do I get away with the wrong screws and holes on a deck if the paint will cover both?

texts:
Before sanding and then painting a deck, I've turned the screws a little inside so they will not rip the sandpaper.

Before I ask my questions, let me just mention that I've found it easier to unscrew a little bit and then screw back in, while digging in by a tiny amount. If I try to directly turn in, too often the screw will snap and be stuck. It's then a hassle to remove the top half, and impossible to remove the bottom half. By turning out first, it becomes possible to gain momentum from an old and tired screw to push it as needed.

Now to my questions. After putting a good two dozen such "golden colored" screws that are labeled "construction screws" (see picture above), I noticed at the big box store that they sell "black colored" screws for outdoor, and "green tinted" screws labeled specifically for decks.

On the screws that snapped, I just pulled off the top part, and inserted another screw nearby, as you see. My questions are:

Do I get away with the golden screws or will these rust so very quickly that I should really replace them? I'm guessing the green ones are the right ones, though I don't see why the ones labeled "outdoor" would be any more prone to rusting than the ones meant specifically for decks.
After painting, I'm guessing that the holes left by the snapped screws will be adequately covered. Is this a reasonable assumption or will the water make its way and I'll too soon end up with rot? The deck is already aged. I'm not sure exactly how old it is. Your guess from the picture below is probably better than mine. The point here is that there is no need to worry about the screws lasting 25 years if this deck will not live another 10.

The deck is covered in the summer so it gets little rain (during storms), but it is uncovered during winter and snow sits on it for weeks at a time.


texts: How important is EZSteer feature in a Snow Thrower?

texts:
I am in process of purchasing a snow remover/thrower. I have a 2 car driveway, about 1.5 car in length. I am in northeast region and looking at last few years stats, we get 12-14 inches of snow at least 5 times a year. For cleaning my driveway and curb, I am looking to purchase a Sears Craftsman snow remover/thrower. I wanted to know how important is the EZSteer feature provided in some higher model snow throwers as compared to ones that do not have. The snow removers with EZSteer feature are about $200-250 more expensive.

Based on the answers I got so far, I think big snow blower is a relative word. I was talking about a 24 inch  vs 26 inch with EZSteer snow throwers.


texts: How can I independently control a light and fan, where only a single hot wire is used?

texts:
The apartment I live in was built with a ceiling fan installed, but the landlord replaced the fan with a model that has a light built in.

He's put a controller in the ceiling that has fan and light functionality, but I suspect it's burnt out because of the dimmable fan controller in the wall.

What's my best course of action?  I suspect there's only one wire going from the switch to the ceiling, and I'd prefer not to replace the fan.

My preference would be some sort of light/fan controller switch, but I'd be surprised if I can get away with that on a single wire.


texts: How to prepare previously stained trim / baseboard for painting?

texts:
We have a few rooms of dark stained trim, casing, and baseboards that we would like to paint white.  I am pretty sure it is oak, I have not seen it to be sure at this time.  It has already been taken off the walls so that should make it easier.  What is the best way to prepare them for painting?

Should we sand them first?  Just a light sanding or should we try to remove more of the stain? What grit would be best?  We are planning on using the finishing paint shown below, Sherwin Williams Pro Classic Acrylic Latex,


texts: Filler to fill gap between frame and wood in the balcony

texts:
What kind of filler should I use to fill the crack as shown in the picture? This is outside in my balcony where the sliding door frame meets the wood. I have actually seen small mushrooms sprout up in the crack every few weeks so if I should do any thing for them before filing it up (I just use a box cutter to cut the mushroom out of the gap), that would be great to know.

Zoomed out view of the balcony on the third floor.


texts: Why did the caulk around my tub develop brown/yellowish spots after only two days and what can be done?

texts:
Two days ago we re-caulked our tub using DAP Kwik Seal Ultra and left it undisturbed until today.  Unfortunately it developed these brownish yellow spots and I am unsure why.  I haven't been able to find anything online that is similar to this situation as most articles discuss caulk that has rotted or molded over longer periods.

Despite caulking the entire tub at around the same time, the spots only appear on the seal on the outside of the tub, between the tub itself and the walls and ground.  There is a fairly large gap between the tub and floor, and also between the tub and one wall, so backer rod and fairly thick lines of caulk was used in these parts.

What I am wondering is what caused these spots to appear, how to prevent this from happening in the future, and how to remedy the current situation.


texts: New remote-controlled ceiling fan doesn't respond to wall switch

texts:
I replaced a ceiling fan in my bedroom that no longer worked. I didn't pay attention to the wiring when removing the old fan but diligently followed the instructions. The new fan has a light kit and remote kit and it all works perfectly except they are no longer controlled by the light switch.

There is a double switch in the bedroom. The right switch controls a lamp next to the bed. The left switch previously controlled the ceiling fan light (the fan itself never worked when I bought the home). I can turn everything off with the remote but want to be able to walk into the room and turn on the ceiling fan and/or light with the wall switch like I used to.

I think I may have missed a wire. There is a red, black, white, and green all coming out of the ceiling box but after following the directions I didn't connect the red wire to anything so I capped it off. Should this have been connected with the black wire to the ceiling fan black wire?


texts:
Recently purchased a home built in 1986.  Just inside the front door, is a three switch panel.  One is for the outside patio light, the second is for an inside entry light as well as a flood light above the outside of the garage.  The third seems to be some sort of "master switch".  It controls all of the outlets in the front room (about 4-5), the overhead light in the kitchen, the light/motor for a ceiling fan, and the exhaust fan over the stove.
I've done a little searching, and I think it's called a switch loop if I'm understanding it correctly, but I don't want it.  The plugs will include the tv/stereo/dvd/etc as well as other things and having it accidentally switched off would be an annoyance.  Is there any way to make each power use point be on it's own?  Also, if it makes a difference, the kitchen light, ceiling fan/light, and stove fan all have their own individual wall switches.  I'm fairly handy and am not afraid to learn how to patch drywall if that kind of work is required.  Also, is this situation even safe?


texts: Need more slots on the panel Anyway to get around replacing the whole panel

texts: I'm swapping out a traditional hot water heater for a tankless. My house is old and has a double pole 20amp breaker (outside electrical panel). The tankless calls for 3 x 40DP im guessing that's 3 double pole 40 amp breakers. Space is the issue i have no slots left on the panel any tricks to keep from have to replace the whole panel


texts: How to open ceiling light cover to replace bulb

texts: I don't understand how to open it so that bulb can be replaced. It has no screws. Tried to move white dome anti-clockwise but does move at all.


texts: Rewiring for doorbell, is idea up to code?

texts:
Behind my doorbell panel, a 24VAC transformer is currently wired into mains (USA) using wire nuts.  I am interested in tapping into mains to power an IoT device that would integrate with the doorbell (similar to this implementation).  I wish to continue allowing the existing transformer to draw from mains while also powering a USB power adapter, all while staying compliant with electrical code.  The resulting implementation would continue to fit within the doorbell enclosure.

Some options I was considering:

Split the existing connections (e.g. using Wago 221-413 connectors) and expose a non-grounded connector for use with a USB power adapter
Replace the direct connection to the transformer with a grounded connector (e.g. this), rewire the transformer to a plug, and drive both that transformer and the USB power supply with a splitter

Though less preferable, I was also considering tapping into the 24VAC output from the transformer to drive 5VDC, or having my device be battery-powered.

Any advice on how I should best proceed would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
I have a gap between the tub spout and the tile wall.
How would I straighten the pipe?
I’ve included two photos. One to show the spout and the other to show the copper pipe. This is a condo complex so somewhat challenging to turn off the water to the building. The shower valve has stops.
Separately, if I use caulk, which type do you recommend?


texts:
I have a 8 x 8 deck, attached to the house since initial build.
All in good condition, ledger and bolts, inspected and main boards repaired in 2014.

It sits in a corner on a 4 x 4 post, again in excellent condition.

The pad underneath has sunk a few inches and the deck has started to move away, splting the caulking from the house on both sides. [see pictures also].

The root cause was previous owners had not modernized the natural swale on one side of the property. Once this was remedied, and now we had lots of dry and wet cycles, and this is a symptom.

I am showing a 1/4" per ft tilt down, stressing wood around, door slider issues.

My plan was either

a) use a bottle jack with 4 x 4 [with 2 x 4 cross braces] on both horizontal beams, and then jack up incremently. Then then use insert wedge pieces above the support column and/or use an adjustable jack column as a secondary support, close up on the primary support beam.

Or,

b) jack the concrete 17ft x 6ft x 6” slab = 7650.49lbs + 1000lbs for deck, and use HD foam 250psi as shoring before backfilling around. proven method used here https://youtu.be/31uSPxKmBFA

Any feedback


texts:
Recently moved into a new house. First thing I did was go to the panel and, tediously, went through each breaker to make a detailed master breaker list. After doing so I noticed that my outside receptacle and bathrooms (2 full, 2 half) receptacles were not GFCI protected (all on the same circuit). Went and got an AFCI breaker (15A) and replaced the common breaker at the panel. A couple days ago I noticed I had lost power to these outlets. Checked the breaker and it wasn’t tripped. Reset it anyways. I get 120 at the breaker but nowhere else in the circuit. I don’t know which receptacle is the first in line (I have an educated guess that first in line is basement half bath, then main floor half bath, after it’s either guest full and master full, then last is outside receptacle. Purely based on number of lines coming in and out of each receptacle). I tried to test for continuity from panel to receptacles but I’m not getting anything. Was wondering if anyone had some additional advice/troubleshooting or if I should write it off as bad wiring from panel to first receptacle?

Ok, replaced AFCI with old breaker, still no power at outlets. I’m chasing down continuity to see the wiring path and I ran into a block. My guest bathroom has two sets of wires (no continuity to anything I can find) and my downstairs bathroom has two sets (one set traced to main floor bathroom) I uploaded a picture of my wire chasing (extremely simplistic. Br=breaker, Bb=basement bathroom, MB=Main floor bathroom, MsB=Master bath, GB=Guest bath, FO=Front outside, BO=Back outside).

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve lost two receptacles, or the wiring from breaker to guest and from guest to downstairs is fried and needs replaced. Any suggestions from the community?


texts:
I have a 96" wall.  The wall and ceiling are not square.  I wanted molding on the top.

I leveled and secured the molding.  The left side of the molding was up against the ceiling.  The right side of the molding was about a 1/4" lower than the ceiling.
I scribe the molding with a pencil and a washer and run it the length of the wall.

It worked!

However, the left side is now narrow and the right side is thicker.
This is not what I intended.  You can notice it.  But the bottom of the molding is level.

What did do wrong?


texts:
Last year I assembled a playground kit for my son and noticed the one leg on the ladder is splitting where the step boards were pre notched to fit into.

The wood is basically pre stained red cedar. I am guessing the one step board expanded and split the wood. It is slowly getting worse month after month.

Is there something I can do to repair the wood and regain it's structural integrity for the most part? I thought about lagging the side of it and using liberal amounts of wood glue but it is only 1 and 3/4" and I don't want a sharp lag popping out and hurting my son. Also I am worried that a lag would weaken it even more. Any suggestions?


texts: How do I seal a leaking plughole fitting?

texts: The plughole in my bathroom basin is leaking. The leak is between the plughole and the basin (i.e. through the circular hole in the basin in which the metal plughole is fitted), and it seems to me as if it needs sealing with some silicon kitchen/bathroom sealant. In order to seal it I need to remove, or at least loosen, the plughole fitting, but I can't see how, having removed the u-bend, detached and removed the plug actuator and the plug. I'm sure this is a pretty standard problem - could somebody please explain what I need to do?


texts: What are "Straight Corner Fixing Brackets" used for?

texts:
I saw these on eBay. What is their intended use? I was able to find lots of photos of similar items on Google but not of their actual use case.

They seem to be for use against a flush surface. When would this bracket me useful compared to using screws alone?


texts: What is the name of the retracting part of a dog lead?

texts: I want to build a retracting insect screen having two of the retracting “bearings” holding a rod between, and having the mesh on the rod. I’ve spent hours of research to get the name of the part responsible for retraction, but no success. Bought a dog lead, but it’s a pain to get out the part. I’m pretty sure it’s been used in a wide range of applications, so I should be able to buy it alone. Any ideas?


texts: Do I need to worry about rain water getting into the open ground socket?

texts:
I have a Christmas lights setup where one extension cord has its ground socket empty and facing upwards.

Do I need to worry about rain water potentially getting into the open ground socket? If so, would covering the hole with electrical tape be an appropriate fix?


texts:
I need a ~3.5kw battery to power an emergency circuit if the power goes down.  I've been quoted $13,000 to add an LG Chem 9kw to our existing system but that does not include the inverter upgrade.  Tesla batteries are even more expensive.
There must be a better way...
I have a relatively large solar array and I'd like to reallocate three or four panels to power a dedicated battery charging circuit using a "non-retail" battery bank.  Not a slipshod hackjob battery, but something safe that that works "good enough" to provide emergency power to certain appliances.
My idea is to reallocate three or four panels (1.1kwh - 1.5kwh) to a small "off grid" inverter that charges a battery bank.  That whole circuit will be wired into the house panel via a critical panel that will keep the vital appliances running overnight (during a power outage) -and- indicate to the main solar inverter that there is power which will keep the main PV system running when the sun comes up (grid tied systems shut down during blackouts; backfeed safety).
Basically:
1.) Normal operation would have the battery charge during the day and deplete as the sun goes down every day.  It's only going to be a small ~3.5kw battery so it will not last long.  It might give us an hour of twilight run time during summer months when the air conditioning is drawing a lot of power.
2.) During power outages the battery will only power a critical panel (key appliances) and serve to keep the main PV system running during the day.
3.) If the blackout occurs after the bank is depleted, the bank will recharge the following morning which will provide enough power to re-activate the main PV array (right?).
My two main questions:
1.) will this work?
2.) will I still have backfeed protection?  I DO NOT want to create a safety hazard for linemen working to restore power.


texts: How can I get stains out of a pine table?

texts: I have a light pine dining table. After we got married, we left an orchid from the wedding on the table while we went on honeymoon, giving it a bit of water before we went. Didn't realise the pot wasn't water-tight! The water leaked out onto the table and has created quite widespread water damage which obviously wasn't dealt with early.... Can anyone suggest how to get it back to a lovely even finish? Haven't tried any stains yet as wanted to get advice before I tried anything.


texts: Does this wiring meet the NEC standards?

texts:
An inspector took the following photograph of a residential home’s circuit breaker panel.

White wires are connected to the neutral bar. Black wires are connected to the circuit breakers in the picture, but there’s one white wire among them. Why would it be wired in such a way (rather than a black and red wires alternating)?

Note: The circuit breaker panel is not labeled.

A pic from Google images of a circuit breaker panel:


texts: Chandelier installation and switch wiring

texts:
Chandelier installed, New Duplex switch--Done!5
--(ignore switch on left for outdoor light)I have four recessed ceiling lights controlled by two three-way switches in my kitchen. I want to add a chandelier and would like to replace one of the three-way switches with a duplex switch(so I don't have to install a larger box) so the chandelier can be turned ON/OFF separately from the existing recessed lights. Can I grab power for the chandelier from the existing three-way switch? How would this be wired? I'm in the USA(NYC).


texts:
I just had a new Carrier Infinity HVAC system installed in my home, which included the Infinity thermostat. I have a couple of old household thermometer/humidity gauges - one mechanical, the other electronic (a Radio Shack unit from perhaps 15 years ago). They don't quite agree on the humidity level in my home. For example, as I write this, Infinity says 45%, Radio Shack says 46%, mechanical says 65%. Subjectively, the air "feels" humid, making me inclined to believe the mechanical gauge over both the Carrier and the Radio Shack despite their close agreement. It matters to me because, among other things, I have solid hardwood floors and don't want to risk ruining them due either excess or inadequate humidity.

So, I have to ask: how accurate is the humidity sensor in the Infinity system i.e. +/- up to how many percentage points could it be in error from the true value?


texts: How to flatten a plywood subfloor for tile?

texts:
I've got a 5/8" plywood subfloor in my bathroom. I'm prepping to install 1/4" Hardiebacker on top of that so I can install 12x24" marble tiles. In checking for flatness, I noticed there is a 1/2" drop just in front of the bathtub over a run of about 12-16".

I'm planning to use a bed of thinset under the Hardiebacker, but I also know I can't make up 1/2" that way which will mean the floor tiles won't be flat.

Can I use 1/2" and then 1/4" shims of excess Hardiebacker under there in with the thinset and make up the remaining 1/8-1/16" when setting the tiles?

I'm concerned about leveling compound under there and being able to screw through it after it's set without cracking it and causing other issues.

Not sure the best way to get this subfloor flat so I can move on.

EDIT 3/16 @ 8:44am
Photos from the basement where plywood and joists are. Photo 1, you can see the tub drain and joists where the tub would end and the dip occurs. Photo 2 is just to the right showing the same joists further over. It looks like the tub is sitting on top of the plywood, which is 23/32 according to the label underneath. I wonder if the weight along with a crowning joise is the issue.

EDIT 5/6 @ 6:30pm
For those that might find this later. I ended up paying the contractor doing my master bathroom to finish this space out. I pulled up the shims I had put down and he put down a mesh, used spray foam to seal the outside edges and holes and then he put down some self leveling compound instead of the backer board. He said this would be stronger and we wouldn't need the backer board since the leveling compound is like a mortar/concrete base.


texts:
It's been now some weeks that my wc is behaving strange, leaking water when refilling. I found the time today to open it and I noticed that, after discharging, the refill mechanism seems to work fine but the water does not come out from where I expect it. I'll add some pics and explain.

on the left there is the valve, a fluidmaster 747 (pretty cheap standard piece it seems). Basically, when it refills water drips out from the top part, not where a hose is supposed to be attached (missing here, who know why, it has not fallen inside) but from the back, in a jet that sometimes is able to drip outside of the cover and makes the area below permanently wet. Sorry for gif quality but weight limit on images gave me trouble.

I'm not sure if this is the normal operation and it is just oriented wrong or what else happened here, how can I fix it so that water does not drip outside? It is cheap, but I would like to avoid replacement, also just so you know, I'm a tenant if it is relevant for any advice.


texts: May I run THHN above ground under a house unprotected or is a conduit required for this? The wires consist of 3 4AWG wires with an 8AWG ground going from a 60A breaker at the (100A) service to a newly built garage via underground wiring from the garage in 1.25" schedule 40 PVC and then under the house, which is raised on piers.


texts: Maytag washer Duet direct drive. stuck , door won't open

texts: I have model # WFW72HEDW0 Whirlpool Duet Washer   cannot open door,  stopped in cycle.   cannot turnoff power from panel.  last showed an E1 error code.


texts: Why is a new coat of polyurethane tacky?

texts: I have an interior door that had stain and polyurethane on it from 10 years ago. I didn't sand it down i just applied a new coat of polyurethane and now I have tacky places that won't dry.  How to I fix this?


texts:
There is a round hole in my ceiling wall which i want to fix.
I covered the hole with steetrock as best as i could, put a meshed tape around the border and then applied sheetrock joint compound.
But the next day i see lot of cracks on the joint compound (attached picture )
Any idea what i am doing wrong ?
Thanks in advance.
[


texts: LED lighting fixture driver busted - what can I replace it with?

texts:
A LED lighting fixture in my apartment (in Israel/Palestine) started flickering for a while before coming on, then went bust. I suspect it's the driver/power supply rather than the LEDs themselves, since it was all very uniform.
the LED area cover has a sticker saying "9V DC 40W 196 LEDs".
Question: What can I replace this driver with?
That is, what tolerance ranges do I have for the different driver parameters, to fit my LEDs?
The supposed manufacturer's website (www.xz-power.com) gives me an HTTP 403 page, "Your request was rejected", so no help there. There's this webpage with a list of what are supposedly the manufacturer's products, but - I'm not sure I know what to look for; plus, I'm not sure these things are available in single units for retail where I live (in fact I doubt it).
Notes:

I'm not sure the driver was the right one to begin with, seeing how it failed. I didn't buy this fixture myself.
I'm  not asking for specific product recommendations.
I don't care about how much such a driver would cost - for the purposes of this question.

This is the sticker on the driver:


texts: Planning to Run a dryer outlet from outside service panel along the exterior wall approx 45 feet before entering the garage. What will be the correct size wire and conduit type to use?


texts:
I am having granite steps installed. The platform will be 7" from the threshold but currently there is a 10" board sill/kickplate (white) with OSB behind it.
I think the proper way is to remove both boards and replace with composite. I am slightly hesitant to do that simply because the kickplate appears to be supporting the metal base of the door and I want to keep things simple for now. Is that just a silly thing to be hesitant about?
Would it be unwise to take a circular saw to cut some of the two existing boards off so that the new steps would fit under them against the foundation and deal with the now shortened kick plate later? This is assuming the concrete is at that height. If it isn't, I would put a composite board against the  foundation for the steps to rest on. Any advice is appreciated.


texts: Can you use a hopper gun to spray finishing plaster?

texts:
I'm intrigued by spray plastering. It seems that most people use machines like this, costing thousands, to spray finish plaster: http://www.pftplasteringmachines.com/product/pft-ritmo-plastering-machines.

Hopper guns (like this: http://www.all-wall.com/Categories/Drywall-Hopper-Guns/SharpShooter-20-Hopper.html) seem to be only used to apply textured finishes and external render.

Are hopper guns not suitable for applying finish plaster (provided you rule and trowel afterwards, obviously)? If not, why not?


texts:
I live on the second floor of a century-old house that doesn't have central air. We have a large window A/C unit in the main hall but our front door is at the bottom of the stairs rather than the top. So this means the base of the stairs gets chilly but our floor doesn't really get the full benefit of the A/C.

Are there any good ways to deal with this? We're thinking about putting curtains around the top of the stairs. We're tenants so more ambitious changes like installing a door at the top of the stairs aren't really possible.


texts:
I'm confused about the recommendation that "The primer must not form a closed, shiny film" found in quite a few primers sold in the EU as basis for emulsion (US ="latex") paints, e.g. in Caparol Tiefgrund. Why is film-forming a bad thing? I thought that was the purpose of the primer.

I've checked the German version and it's not a translation error: "Die Grundierung darf
keinen geschlossenen, glänzenden Film bilden". If you google this last phrase, you'll find lots of hits in other (some non-Caparol) primers, so it's unlikely to be a mistake.


texts: Will an area rug cause the carpet beneath to wear out?

texts: Is it true that an area rug (for wiping feet) which is lying on top of carpet will actually cause the carpet to wear out even faster?


texts:
I am installing a whole house water filter system to an existing loop and I am going to add 2 pressure gauges, one on the input and the other on the output side.
The loop pipe is 1" copper and I have 2 - 1" x 1" x 1/2" tees to which I will sweat a 1/2" x 1/4" C x FIP Copper Female NPT Adapter to accommodate the 1/4" gauge.

What is the trick to orientating the adapter before sweating to ensure that when I screw the gauge in that it is facing the correct direction when tightened. (I don't want to sweat the adaptor with the gauge screwed in)

Alan


texts:
I recently purchased a new outlet tester and was randomly going around the house happy that all outlets were showing GREEN (correct).

Then I came to one of the outlets in my kitchen.

I have three outlets that are wired in series. To my knowledge these are the last three outlets in the run from the panel.

Scenario One:

Outlet #1 - GFCI Outlet - Tester = GREEN (correct)
The rest of the outlets are fed from the load terminals correctly

Outlet #2 - Normal Outlet - Tester = YELLOW/GREEN (open neutral)
When tested the yellow/green lights come on and the GFCI trips immediately.

Outlet #3 - Normal Outlet - Test = GREEN (correct)

Scenario Two:

Outlet #1 - GFCI Outlet -Tester = GREEN (correct)
The rest of the outlets are fed from the load terminals correctly

Outlet #2 - Normal Outlet - Tester = YELLOW/RED (hot/neutral reversed)
When tested the yellow/red lights come on and after a second or two the GFCI trips.

Outlet #3 - Outlet three (the last outlet in the run) is removed and no outlet is connecting the hot and neutral wires (they are wire nutted off separately). I did this as a method of removing one point at a time to try and narrow things down. I did not expect this to alter outlet #2.

I am utter baffled at how the above scenarios can change and what exactly that means and what the best course of action is to correct the situation.

I am not sure how removing outlet #3 from the equation alters the "issue" that outlet #2 is having.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!


texts: Changing 3-way ceiling fan/light switch to separate fan & light controls

texts:
In my kitchen I have two 3-way switches controlling the ceiling fan and light. The two controlling switches are on opposite sides of the room, but what I'd like to do is split one of the two switches apart, adding a dedicated fan control, then tie off the fan portion of the other 3-way switch so it doesn't affect the fan at all.

The end result would be two 3-way switches for the ceiling light only, and a new switch just for the fan.

The problem is I can't identify the wires to control the light and fan individually. I've opened the fan/light fixture also, but there only appears to be one hot wire coming in from the ceiling (nutting together with what I assume are individual hot wires for the fan and light). Below are photos from the three areas:

First wall plate (the two crimped black wires were on the switch; the loose black wires were nutted together):

Light/fan fixture:

Second wall plate:


texts: How can I clean a very dirty concrete basement floor?

texts: My basement floor has been made amazingly gross (thank you, cats) and I'd like to get it really clean. Is there an option other than scrubbing on hands and knees? Are there cleaning solutions that work well on concrete? Do I have to worry about damaging the floor? There's no drain anywhere.


texts:
We have had a water spot appear and not go away in our master bath. After looking around I found out that the flue pipe, B-Vent, is dripping with condensation when the furnace is running.

I have changed the heat cycle on the thermostat to a slow cycle so it stays on and off longer to hopefully allow the flue to heat enough to get the gas out.

I also took a look at the rain cap to see if it looked good. It did but I also noticed it seemed to be bottlenecking the gas badly. When I lifted it up, a lot more steam pushed out.

So my question is, could a too restrictive rain cap cause condensation on furnace flue pipes? Should I replace it with a more open one?

UPDATE: Changing the thermostat to slow cycle helped dramatically but there is still a small wet spot. Going to try a new rain cap.


texts: What causes a HVAC control transformer to overheat?

texts:
I recently replaced my 24 volt HVAC control transformer. The outside unit started up including the air handler and ran for maybe 10 minutes. After the units shut down I noticed that the transformer was hot to the touch and no longer is working.

What causes this and how can I fix it?


texts: Removing leftover laminate tile adhesive

texts:
I've got an older house that had laminate tile put down in the kitchen. I've peeled up the tile using a heat gun to reveal beautiful fir flooring underneath, but there's a sticky residue left. I'm assuming this is the left over glue.

How can I remove this sticky substance without destroying the soft wood underneath?


texts: Should a new asphalt driveway have rough sections where stones are showing?

texts:
My wife and I recently purchased a newly built home.  Our 6 week old asphalt driveway has numerous sections that are very rough, with lots of stones in the aggregate showing (the consistency in places reminds me of a rice krispie treat).  The builder had the paving company inspect the driveway and they are telling me this is normal and does not need repair.  I do not know enough to be sure, but this doesn't seem right to me.  Thoughts?

EDIT

Two pics, the first shows an area that is really gravelly. The second shows an area that is very pocked.


texts: Is it ever ok to wash a towel that has had mineral spirits on it?

texts:
I use mineral spirits as a degreaser on metal, usually removing manufacturing or packing residue. Usually, I use paper towels, let them dry, throw them in a sealable can and then store it until I have a place to drop it off.
But yesterday, I used a couple of old cotton bath towel to dry off something that was soaking in mineral spirits. The towel definitely has some on it, but very little. They are nowhere near soaked. I'd like to be able to wash and re-use the towels. I'm assuming it is safe to wash them, but I'm concerned about putting these in the electric dryer.
Is it safe to put these in a wash and or dryer? What precautions should I take before washing or drying in a machine?


texts: Why is my dryer squealing even after roller replacement and lubrication?

texts: I have replaced my dryer rollers, but the rear right side (that was worn completely before replacing) is beginning to wear again and now causing a high pitched squeal.  The other rollers all seem to be fine.  The roller appears to lock up - if sprayed with WD40 it works fine for limited amount of time with no noise.  Also replaced both felt seals (Maytag Bravo Quiet Series Dryer).  Thoughts on next steps?


texts: What is the best way to remove rubble (from a demolition) from dirt and grass?

texts:
We demo'ed a cinder block neighbor fence and now there are small pieces of debris/rubble from the job in our yards. What tools and techniques should I used to remove the debris?

Some are the size of a mug and some are the size of an M&M candy. I think that I will probably give up on the small pieces but I need to clear the bigger pieces. I've already hand picked the bigger pieces.


texts:
Roofing underlayment ("felt") is immediately covered with shingles which are nailed in. So what isn't it redundant to nail in the felt as well?

If the only purpose is to keep it from sliding off during the installation process, nails seem like super overkill. Why not simple staples (if you're not going to be walking on it)? Or why not  install one strip at a time and then immediately follow with a row of asphalt shingle?


texts: Is it okay for a Microwave to be off balance, not level on counter top?

texts: we just bought a new counter-top microwave to replace our old dead one & found that when in the exact same place, the new one is off-balance, rocks back'n'forth a bit. after discovering the little feet don't screw/unscrew, we fixed this by putting a little pad under one of them. we just want to know if this is okay or not. we're probably being overly paranoid, but am concerned the unit may be bent or something. it does seem to work just fine. there are no rattling noises. we are ok to live with the pad under the little foot as long as the unit can function normally for a long time, but if there's any valid concern about it, we'll take it back. i did call the LG customer service, but they were clueless. any advice is appreciated.


texts: How do I run more than 2 circuits in conduit?

texts:
My understanding of color coding allowed by NEC is:

Ground: Bare, Green or Yellow/Green
Neutral: White or grey
Hot: All other colors

If I need to run 3 distinct circuits in conduit, I might choose:

Ground: Green

Of course, if I'm using metal conduit & boxen, I can skip the ground wire entirely and use the conduit for the ground.

Hot: Black, Red, Blue
Neutral: White, Grey, and ???

I can pair the White/Black and the Grey/Red, but what do I pair with the Blue to provide a neutral for it?
In thinking about this, I believe that a MWBC could be a way around this, but I'm not certain if that technically only applies to cable (i.e NM-B/"Romex"), or if MWBCs can be used in conduit-based wiring as well. Additionally, from what I've been reading here, there's a strong trend away from them, especially for GFCI/AFCI protected circuits since handle-tied *FCI breakers are somewhat unobtanium.
Note: This is purely a theoretical question. I do not have an actual application for this at this time. I'm simply trying to learn ahead of a home addition/remodel that's coming up.


texts: How to attach old style stacking wire in-basket brackets

texts: Old style stacking wire in-baskets have a heavy wire that is used for the stacking feature. How are the other ends of the wire attached to the next basket in the stack?


texts: Outlet is discolored from my Edenpure heater

texts: My Edenpure heater runs 24/7 in the winter months. The outlet is overheating and the outer plastic is dark brown. I moved it to another outlet and I am plugging the Edenpure in directly, no extension cord. So I tried a multi-plug with a circuit breaker and it burned out.This outlet is now burnt looking too. The Edenpure wasn't running is the only way I discovered it. It probably gave its life protecting my house from a fire. Is there a different outlet I can install that will carry the heavy load of my constantly running heater?


texts: How do I fix the pitch for shower in final mud pan?

texts:
We are remodeling our shower. This is our first time doing this so we are learning a lot.
Our final mud pan was completed about 3 weeks ago. Trying to get the proper pitch was not very easy, however I think we did a pretty good job. There are a couple spots that need to be corrected, and I am wondering what is the correct Quickrete product to use. We are about to make our curb with Quickrete Stucco Base coat.
Since we will have a lot of this left over,
Can we use this Quickrete product to skim coat the areas on our mud pan to make our pitch better?
Or should I just use thin set?


texts: First child is on the way, and aside from placing locks on cabinets and fences around the pool, what are the top ways I can child proof the more dangerous parts of the house?


texts: What is this material on my interior foundation walls?

texts:
I have a poured concrete foundation. A portion of my basement is unfinished.

It looks like a white plaster has been sprayed onto the foundation wall inside my house:

I suspect spraying as there are pieces of wood and other things that are close to the wall are covered in what looks like splash back of the same material:

Due to some previous water damage (the source of the problem has been fixed), this material has flaked off from the wall. I have cleaned up the loose bits with a masonry chisle and now wish to restore the wall in these areas to look like the rest.

I have no idea what this material is or how to apply it. I have searched the internet for things like "spackle" or "popcorn" (since it looks like ceiling popcorn) as they relate to basement or foundation walls but everything I turn up is about troweling on parging mix, portland cement, or other masonry products (i.e. the end result is a smooth wall).

My backup plan should I not be able to replace the material is to figure out what it is and determine if I could parge over it.

Any ideas?


texts: Bedrooms aren't being heated as well after new furnace

texts: When my bedroom doors are closed the room is cold. We replaced our furnace about 5-10 years ago and the repair person said we didn't need as big a unit as we had before and every since then it feels cold in the bedrooms and sometimes in the living room.  It's a small 900 sq foot rancher. What should I do?


texts:
A pest control professional told me that rats could be entering the attic through tiny gaps behind the gutter and up and under the drip guard. To even see the gaps he's talking about, the shingles have to be lifted up (if that makes sense; it's really hard to get a clear photo). His suggested solution is to hire a roofer to install a another strip of flat flashing around the entire house behind the drip guard that pushes up against the bottom of the shingles. This of course would be a very expensive job.

Does this fix make sense? I can't find anything about it.
Would the quick and dirty option to stuff copper mesh into the the gaps possibly work?

If anyone has ever run into this situation, your feedback and experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

RS


texts:
I have a shower on the first floor that does not have a P-trap.  A previous owner did some remodeling and the shower drain pipe is plumbed right into the top of the waste line with a tee.  You can see the connection just behind the supply lines at the back of this picture:

The flow is from the back left of the picture to the front right.  The tee closest to the camera is from the toilet.  The piping runs a few feet further and then joins the soil stack.

What are my options for adding a proper P-trap here?  can I put a pair of 45 degree fittings to jog the shower pipe around the waste line, add the P-trap and then rejoin the waste line from the side instead of the top?  Is there some other approach?

This is all above the ceiling in a finished basement so I know I will have some drywall work to do no matter what.


texts: Connect Taco Radiator system to a new Honeywell wireless thermostat

texts: I have a Taco model 572 valve connected to an existing wired Honeywell TH8110 thermostat for my oil fueled radiator system.  I'm getting a new Honeywell TH6320 wireless thermostat for a new A/C installation and I would like to know if there is equipment available that would allow me to connect the wireless thermostat to the Taco valve.  The Taco valve is currently connected to a Honeywell control board.


texts: Why does my photo sensor activate during the day?

texts: Our home has a Malibu 300 watt transformer for landscape lights.  The lights are on during the day.  I have checked the photo sensor and have replaced it but the lights keep coming on regardless of what I set the transformer to except for "off".  There is a delay of about 15 seconds.  Malibu is out of business. Am trying to see if there is a fix to this or if I need to buy a new transformer.


texts: How to diagnose an washing machine problem without tripping the main RCD

texts:
I've got an LG washing machine that has recently developed a fault whereby it trips the RCD whenever I turn on the control panel.
I've done some basic continuity testing with a multimeter, but I can't get any further.
Every single socket is on the same (30mA) RCD, which means I can't do any process of elimination on any of the components without turning everything off, something I'm not prepared to do right now.


texts: Can I leave an open port when using push-in connectors?

texts:
This question made me aware that push-in type connectors are available and got me thinking about using them in an upcoming rewiring project.

I have three types of junctions in my rewiring project where I personally would find this type of connector to be a valuable time saver.

Join 6 wires together
Join 5 wires together
Join 4 wires together

Note: Any junctions where more than 6 wires need to be joined will be joined using terminals and I would still prefer to use wing nuts for junction points where 3 wires or less need to be joined together.

Do I have to buy 6-port connectors, 5-port connectors, and 4-port connectors, or is there a safe, permissible, and legal way to just buy a bunch of 6-port connectors and only use the terminals I need (e.g. some kind of rated "plug" that can be inserted into the wiring ports that are unused).


texts: How to run Romex cable to Enphase Combiner box 3?

texts:
In designing in the solar panels, I've decided to run the wire inside of the house.  So far, I am running 10/2 Romex from the attic all the way to the Enphase Combiner Box surface mounted on the outside.

What I can't figure out is how to connect the Romex into the combiner box, since local permit office is telling me that I can't run Romex in conduit.  And without a conduit, how can I go from inside of the house through exterior wall into the surface mount combiner box?


texts: Our cold water in the kitchen isn't working, the hot water is fine. It is a single faucet, so when I turn it to cold water, nothing comes out. I turned the heat up in the house, and have opened the cabinet doors. I saw on another site, to let the hot water run for 10-20 minutes, and hope the close proximity of the pipes help the cold. Any other tips?


texts: Why won't my propane boiler's pilot stay lit after replacing the thermocouple?

texts: The pilot on my propane boiler won't stay lit for more than 30 minutes even after replacing the thermocouple and outside gas valves.  The inside gas valve was replaced two years ago.  Service people are stumped and it is cold!  It is a Crown Boiler.


texts:
We’re getting ready to paint and I was checking around my porch. There are three columns that support the roof over my porch. One of them had a decorative cross member that was dislodged because of dry rot at the location where the cross member was nailed to the column. I saw some dry rot there and started to excavate the rot.

Here are some pictures of the bottom of the post. It has a small amount of concrete around the posts. The post goes into the concrete an inch or two deep.

What should I do about this. I think that since there are two others columns supporting the porch roof this one with the rotted base didn’t really affect the general load bearing aspect.

How should I fix this? Just add a lot of bondo, or wood filler, et.

Take the post out and put in a new one? (I don’t want to do this bc I would need to take out all he decorative cross beams.

Cut out the old wood base and graft on a nicer/new to replace the big sections that we cut out?


texts:
As part of a room remodel, I had to move the central vacuum power unit.     Now, the suction appears to have decreased a little.  The most obvious culprit is leaking joints in the pipes, in fact, I don't know what else it could be.  (It's especially annoying because I incidentally did a few things that should've improved performance a wee bit - removed a few bends in the pipes, lowered the unit a little, since most pipes are in crawlspace).

So my question is: what's the best way to determine if the suction is really lessened (without, unfortunately, having measured it before the work), and - more importantly - what's the best way to locate any leaks in the system ?


texts: How can I get the supply line brass valve seat on Pfister tub/shower mixer valve to stop leaking?

texts: The hot water supply line brass seat fitting leaks where it enters into the concave section of the Pfister mixer valve for a tub/shower faucet.  I have cleaned both surfaces with emery cloth and wire brush, tried wrapping with teflon tape, also tried pipe thread compound, but it still leaks.  The faucet is about 20 years old.  Looks like it has been dripping on and off for some time.  I have pictures of the valve and fitting I can send.  I even heated up and removed sweated male fitting the brass valve seat threads onto and made sure everything was square and resoldered that joint.  I am wondering if there is a tiny crack in the valve seat.  Any ideas?


texts: How effective are outdoor foam faucet covers to prevent freezing?

texts:
Everyone seems to suggest using those styrofoam faucet covers to help prevent the pipes associated with the fixture from freezing.

They're cheap so I have them anyway (plus I'm not in a hard freeze area), but I'm skeptical about how much protection those things provide.

I'm wondering if anyone has some actual numbers?


texts: Extending 2x4 joist to square up shed foundation

texts:
Long story short I constructed a shed foundation on uneven ground with piers concreted into the ground. This however turned out to be 2” out of square and is a slight rhombus shape - and to correct this I need to gain 2” in opposite corners.

I attempted this with a sort of sistered joint, secured with two coach bolts and two screws at regular intervals. This went okay, however I’m concerned about the load it will be able to take as it will be bearing one of the shed walls. The sistered joint is not sitting on the pier post like the 2x 2x4 it’s bolted to.

If this is not substantial enough, then my other option is to source longer timber length to achieve the same thing.

Appreciate advice!


texts: I patched a hole in my dry wall by putting a metal plate on it and pasting some spackling on it. As you can imagine, the wall is not flat enough to fool my landlord. How can I fix that? The hole is about 6 inches long and I used an 8 inch square plate so ripping the whole thing out is not possible.


texts: Tiny bulges on wallcoverings made of paper and not vlies/vinyl

texts:
I bought several rolls of rather expensive wallcoverings made of paper covered with acryl. The wall was already prepared with several layers of different kinds of pop and putty with primer. (Trying to translate pop/putty/primer from Russian into English took a lot of effort and I am still not sure if it's correct.) The prepared wall generally looked smooth to the eye or touch. But after the workers hanged the wallcovering on the wall they appeared covered with tiny bulges all over. They were not visible when the wallcoverings were wet. But when they became dry the bulges appeared. They are very small in size, so tiny that I can't see them from about 1 meter distance. They also don't show up on the photos from my phone unless a bring it very closely to the wall and try to find a good angle. They look like tiny specks of dust trapped under the cover. It's almost like my wall has acne and it saddens me greatly.
Here is photo:

The photo shows only several of them but in reality there are a lot. They look rather ugly if you come closer to the wall and look.
The workers claim that because they are made of thin paper and not vlies or vinyl putting them up without these is impossible because all random dust is visible. Workers experienced with wallcoverings in Russia all say that I need to always buy vlies or vinyl and never paper because otherwise high quality is not possible. My question is if it is possible to hang them better without these annoying things? Who is to blame here? Lack of skill or the wallcoverings of paper are indeed not good in general? And why did they appear at all? Is it dust, glue or uneven wall?


texts: How to properly remove water and debris from basement window well?

texts:
I was recently washing my house and noticed that a significant amount of water has collected in two of my basement window wells. Unfortunately I cannot simply pump this water out as it is mixed with debris/dead leaves/sand/dirt.

Is there a way to properly remove this water? Perhaps a pump with a filtration system?


texts: Can I fish Romex cable through concealed part of basement ceiling in Canada?

texts:
I am running two 2-wire and one 3-wire Romex cables from the panel in the basement to another part of the basement. For most of the run I have access to the ceiling joists, but I need to cross a 2.5 meter section which is closed off and contains lots of ducts and pipes.

Here's the obstruction. I am thinking of fishing cable between the joists on the top right of the picture:

And a look inside the space:

This means that I can't support the cable every 1.5 meters, but Rule 12-520 in CEC says:

Where the cable is used in concealed wiring and it is impracticable to
provide the supports required by Rule 12-510, and where metal sheeting
or cladding, metal joists, metal top or bottom plates, or metal studs
are not used, the cable shall be permitted to be fished.

So I just want to make sure that I understood this correctly. Can I fish the cable through, despite the fact that there are some metal ducts in the space?


texts: Can ceiling light mount box be used to attach ceiling fan?

texts:
As Montreal is going to welcome the humid summer, I am planning to install a ceiling fan by removing the ceiling light. I have selected the fan that I want from Amazon. Here are the photos of the ceiling light fixture and its mounting box. But I am not sure if it needs a fan mounting box ? or will this ceiling light mount box can be used for the fan too ?

This is the fan that I am planning to buy.

Here is how my mount looks:


texts: Is a permit required for replacing the front exterior light?

texts:
I live in California and checked my city's website for building permits requirements.  One of the things it says requires a permit is an electrical upgrade.  I want to change my front door light to a photo-electric one.  Would I need a permit for this?  In normal circumstances, is a permit required for this type of work?

I will call the city/county on Monday or Tuesday but I wanted to ask here in case the person gives me bad info and tells me I need a permit when I don't.


texts:
I've installed a telescoping curtain rod that's 1-1/2" in diameter, and bought curtains with grommets that turned out to be only 1.6" in diameter (outer diameter 2.7").

Unsurprisingly, the grommets don't slide easily at all, especially over the two joint between the telescoping portions of the rod. A curtain wand wouldn't help because if I climb on a ladder and pull exactly where the wand would, the grommets still turn at an angle against the rod and block.

Is there some hack I haven't thought of, or another solution other than getting new curtains (expensive and hard to find - I need 100" W x 95"L blackout panels) or returning and replacing the rod (the brackets were a pain to mount)?

The must be a machine that could file the grommets from the inside, but I don't know the name for it. Essentially, a cone-shaped grinding stone/bit that spins around its axis, so I could lower the grommets and shave off a few millimeters from the inner diameter to reach the recommended 1/4" difference between grommet inner diameter and rod outer diameter.


texts: Pressure treated for base plate framing on concrete

texts:
I used all PT 2x4 for framing base plates in my basement, attaching them mostly using a powder actuated nail gun. I did it because I think I read they are more exposed to moisture being directly on concrete, which does have gravel and vapor barrier underneath.

Would it have been okay had I used regular 2x4 instead of PT? Do building codes anywhere require that they be PT?


texts: Fried switches, light fixtures, or wire?

texts:
In an attempt to fix a wiring problem from five years ago, I made a huge error. Here's the scenario:

Box 1: Has switch #1 in a four-way set up (it's a 3-way switch) and is where the power comes in. It comes from the first thing on the circuit, a GFCI.
Box 2: Has switch #2 in the four-way set up (it's a 4-way switch).
Box 3: Has switch #3 in the four-way set up (it's a 3-way) and it goes to the lights in the four-way set up. The box also has a switch for yard lights. Here's where the problem occurred. Years ago, I had pig-tailed the power coming in for the yard lights with the wire going to the lights in the four-way set up. (I have no idea why.)

I didn't know anything was wrong at first. Everything worked until I flipped the switch to turn the lights off in box 3. The circuit breaker tripped and the GFCI at the beginning of the circuit also tripped.

I replaced the three-way switch in box 3, but the lights do not turn on. Everything else on the circuit works.

My question is did I ruin the switches? Should I replace all three switches in the four-way set up? Or is it possible that I ruined the light fixtures? Is it possible that I fried a wire in a wall?

I will check for soot on wires next, though I haven't found any yet, nor any melted sheathing.


texts: How do I remove this Schlage double-cylinder deadbolt with no visible screws?

texts: Does anyone know how to remove this dead bolt that has no screw heads to use a screw driver? Here's a picture below.


texts:
My elderly parents live in a condo.

They saw a leak in the attic crawl space a few weeks ago.  I went to take a look myself.

Referencing these posts, it sure seems like mold to my untrained eye.

https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/126501/is-this-mold-picture-taken-after-treating-with-bleach
https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/127678/is-this-mold-mildew-or-just-dirt

The +FRONT+ roof slope crawl space looks like this:

The +REAR+ roof slope crawl space looks much cleaner than the front:

Questions:

Is the first photo mold?
Is it dangerous mold?
Is it dangerous down to the lower living levels?

Aren't home owners associations generally responsible for things like roof leaking?

Looks like a total roof rebuild to me, but this is my amateur opinion.


texts:
We are currently renting our house and considering purchasing it from the owner, but it is sagging, and in some rooms it is rather significant and noticeable, with the worst parts being approximately a 1" rise in a 24" run. It has apparently been this way for a while, as all the owner's trim work has strange angles cut to fit the shape of the house.

There is a thick beam in the basement, probably 6" by 6" or greater, that crosses the entire house and supports all the joists. A four foot section was removed to put in the new furnace. I'm not sure if this cut is the reason the house is sagging, but I'm wondering if this amount of sagging is something to worry about, if we should look into fixing it and how hard of a fix it is likely to be, or if it's strongly suggested that we find another place.


texts:
I have new ceiling in my bathroom installed by my contractor. I gave him primer/sealer to apply on new drywall ceiling before painting it.
Looks like he cut corner and did not apply primer and directly painted the ceiling with white paint.
I wanted to seal drywall before paint , is it too late now ? Can I still apply this primer/sealer and paint again ?
I am using this KILZ 2 water-based primer.


texts: Black&white live wires, unidentifed breaker

texts: We have 2 wires that were attached to a non functional baseboard heater when we bought our house.We've since removed the heater, but cannot locate the breaker to stop power to the wires. We've gone thru each breaker 1 by 1, and the tester still lights up/beeps. We would like to place an outlet there. Any suggestions on how to proceed on locating which breaker/fuse?


texts: Toilet water input tube getting dislodged

texts: The input water hose in my toilet tank keeps getting dislodged. The pressure of the water coming out of the hose pushes it out at the canister it should fit into. I have heard that there should be some sort of clip to hold the hose in place but I’m on familiar with the term I should use when I go to the hardware store -how do I ask for such a clip? Also I’ve been told that the hose itself may have gotten stiff over time and I could replace the hose, but how do I know what diameter? what do I ask for?  THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!


texts: How can I repair the wood veneer on a damaged TV console?

texts:
I picked up a tv console today knowing that it had some light damage. There’s hole punched out of the top of the piece.

What would be the best way to fill in the hole? What’s the best way to match the finish of the original piece and the repair?


texts: One of our toilets refills VERY slowly - takes 15-20 minutes after flushing.

texts:
Note: Like another user's query, our bowl fills okay, but the tank refills very slowly - takes 15-20 minutes.
We can't detect any leaks. I've adjusted the water valve. I've put a brick in the tank to raise the water level per someone's suggestion. I can't detect any issues with the flush handle or any of the components in the tank.  However, understand: Both my husband and I are totally UNKNOWLEDGEABLE about this sort of thing. We managed to change the flush valve a few months ago, and I think he changed the entire interior mechanism as well - but beyond that, we're helpless!  We simply can't afford a plumber(still paying off a $10,000 water re-route from two years ago).
Ideas?


texts: What should I do about my rendering & damp-proof course?

texts:
I have a house that was built around 1890 and is of brick construction with a rendered band running around the base which also forms square edged columns around the front door. Until recently the house had a concrete front garden that met the building at the level of the base of the grille ventilating the ground floor cavity.

I have removed the concrete slab as it was falling toward the building and was, I thought, too high in relation to the ventilation grille. Removing the concrete slab exposed the damp-proof course (DPC) visible at the level of the base of the grille (see images). To be 'belt and braces' I removed the render one course above the DPC and injected Dryzone into the mortar joint.

Click for larger view

My questions are:

If I lower the new front garden level to 150 mm below DPC I'm going to be very nearly on top of the brick tier foundation, is this a problem?
I want to reinstate the render band as all the other houses have them and it also forms part of the elevation detailing around the front door, but have read that the render shouldn't go past the DPC. If i stopped the render above the DPC and dropped the ground 150 mm I'd be left with a band of fairly tatty looking bricks that have been underground for the last 40 years. How could I finish this without compromising the damp proofing?
Should I install a french drain of some kind?


texts: How to fill a large exterior settlement gap between wall and courtyard

texts:
I'm looking for the best way to restore appearance and seal a gap after a settlement problem. It's a 20 year old house with a flagstone courtyard surrounded by cultured stone walls.  The flagstone was laid first on a concrete base.  Then the stone was applied to the walls, overlapping the flagstone at the edges.

The courtyard has uneven settlement, leaving a gap ranging from zero in some areas, up to 1 1/2" in the worst areas (some of the gap is due to loss of the original grout).  A couple of examples:

I suspect that the settlement is finished, but that isn't guaranteed (much of the gap became large within the last few years, although it could have been catching up on prior erosion).  It's possible that some of the settlement was even caused by water getting into the original separation and washing away some of the underlying soil.  So my objective is to both seal the gap and restore the appearance.

I can match the original grout and just fill the gap.  If there is additional settlement, though, I'll have to redo it.  Is there any way to fill the gap with something that would tolerate a small amount of new settling?

I contemplated something like backer rod and clear silicone caulk, and then sticking some grout to the silicone surface (embedding dry grout before the surface cures).  That might stretch a little and still look enough like grout to not be noticeable.  But if that doesn't work, it would be a mess to remove.

Is there a standard way to fix this kind of problem?


texts: vent fan blowing into attic. Good or bad?

texts:
I have a two story apartment with only one room upstairs and an access to a terrasse (it's kind of a closed mezzanine). I noticed that even when every window in the apartment is open, the room upstairs still feels stuffy. I believe it might be because there is only one window upstairs and it's not even in that room so the air upstairs just doesn't circulate well.

Hence my idea to install a vent/extractor (bathroom style, maybe more silent) blowing air from that room into the attic in order to get some air flowing upstairs. I know it's bad to blow humid air from a bathroom into an attic but this is just a regular room so I wonder if it would be okay (attic is well ventilated, we even asked the contractor to add more vents up there last time they did the roofing).
I would probably only use it in the summer since the point is to ventilate better instead of using the AC. We get cold winters here (Montreal) so I imagine that blowing air in the winter would create condensation which would be bad.

Here is what the apartment looks like.  The orange square is a patio door, green rectangles are roof vents and the red arrow is where I want to put my fan.

what do you guys think? Stupid idea? Anybody has a better idea?


texts:
I've been sealing the ducts in our basement with mastic. I've done a decent job, but I'm trying to find every leak in the basement, where it's accessible.

For instance, I stand on the ladder in one area and I feel cold air with the a/c running. But, I can't figure out where it's coming from, and there are ducts on three sides of me, all within a foot of my head. If I hold up a 1 ply torn corner of a Klennex it flutters a bit but I can't determine which direction, let alone specifically where so I can throw a little more mastic there.

Everything I've read online is about testing leakage to get a number, etc. but I just want to know where exactly in the basement any leaks that are left are from.

I've thought about an incense stick, but am hoping for something with no chance of burning anything, something I can pick up and put down repeatedly with no worries.


texts: Should I use rafter baffles between every rafter . I have 2 roof vents now on a 20'x22' roof with 2x8 trusses. I was planning on using R19

texts: I have a 20'x22' vaulted roof 24 inch on center with 2 roof vents. I was planning on using 23"x 6" R19 single face insulation between the 2x8 rafters. Do I need to use rafter baffles between each rafter the entire length or just between the rafters where the roof vents are.


texts: I made a "shop lamp" out of an LED strip and power supply.  When I plug it in there is a 1-2 second delay before the lights are powered up.  Do some transformers have a shorter delay than others?


texts: Changing Trane Baystat240a to another thermostat

texts:
I want to change my current thermostat to a programmable electric one (no batteries). Could someone verify if it does have a common wire and if all wiring could fit modern thermostats?

Looking at the schematics I can see that there is a common wire present but I want to make sure.

--UPDATE--
If I were to go with Honeywell Touch Wifi (RTH9580) would the following wiring work? I am still missing T and F.

Honeywell touch

B -> C

R -> R

O -> W-O/B

Y -> Y

G -> G

W and X2 (both on)-> W2-Aux/e

T = ?

F = ?


texts: I am looking to rent a basement. My purpose is to store documents and clothes, for several years. Hence I need to be sure that this basement is dry, that my documents and clothes won’t be damaged over time. I find it hard to see that when visiting the basement. How can I tell ?


texts: Should i remove wainscoting to allow flooded walls to dry out?

texts:
We have a bay window with a French Drain just outside. We used to have gutters and a large downspout that drained into the French Drain, but during roof replace in 2002 the workers damaged the gutters when they removed them to replace the decking. We have not yet had the money to replace them.

As an intermediate step, we dug out the area to allow the water to drain directly into the drain and we keep that area clear. We removed any wood that may have been placed as decorative to allow any water to drain away.

We live on a hill and have not gotten water in before this storm. The house has never had a flood claim since being built in 1979.

We have a slab foundation and vinyl plank flooring adhered to the slab.

Harvey dumped almost 52" of rain at our home, almost half that in a few hours one night. Which is when we noticed water seeping in under the baseboards at the bay window.

We dammed the area with every towel we own and I spent a sleepless night mopping up all the water, filling my 2.5 gallon bucket twice, and sopping up any water that seeped out of that area with the towels.

The following night we had just a tiny bit of water get in.

My suspicion is that the water came in through the weep holes because the French Drain wasn't large enough to handle the amount of water that it needed to handle. Our neighbor's French Drain attaches to ours outside the fence line. Theirs backed up. Ours may have as well, although we had scoped out any dirt that may have managed to get into the main drain and our shunt before the storm hit in preparation.

My question is two-fold.

1) There is wainscoting paneling and a baseboard on the interior wall of the bay window. Should I pull that to dry things out? And how?

2) What else should I be looking for?!

[Area of Damage] (https://i.stack.imgur.com/JudZT.jpg)

In the photo there is some discoloration near the floor. There is also a "ripple" in the panel. Those were there before the storm. I think they showed up after we had galvanized pipe burst in the house in 2012.