texts: I'm trying to figure out exactly how to use Greenie grounding connectors. In a 2 or 3 gang metal box, can I join each receptacle's ground wire and then fasten the single wire coming out the tip of the Greenie to the metal box with a grounding screw. Is this an acceptable way to ground multiple receptacles using a Greenie?


texts: How do I break a shower tray silicone seal with limited access?

texts:
I have a leaking pipe joint under my shower tray and need to remove the shower tray to gain access.  The side of the tray is sealed to the wall with silicone.  The top of this joint is covered by the bottom edge of the showerwall panel.

I've heard of a pneumatic sleeve or air wedge being used for this but can't find one long enough - the tray is 800 x 1400 mm.  Does anyone know where I could buy one or have any other ideas please?


texts: Cracked grout at shower floor/wall intersections - how much do I remove?

texts:
The grout where the walls and floor meet in our tile shower was deteriorating. My project for the week is removing it and sealing the shower, then replacing with silicone caulk.

One big concern I have is how much grout to remove. I've got it now where there is a nice 90 degree angle between the surfaces, whereas before it was a 45 degree slope of grout. (I'm using a handheld grout saw just for this small area.) Also, when done, should I seal the remaining grout before caulking?

Here you can see a pic of halfway through a grout line, before and after.

In some places this is the best I can do (wall and floor almost flush), in others there is still more grout. Do I just stop here? I'm worried about going to deep and hitting the wall behind or the shower pan.

Here is an example of where I'm at now.


texts: Can I install a USB-charger receptacle on a GFCI-protected circuit?

texts: I want to replace a standard duplex receptacle in my kitchen with one that provides integrated USB ports. The existing receptacle is protected by a GFCI receptacle upstream in the circuit. Is this against the NEC? Will I encounter any problems with this setup?


texts: My house’s basement has a small kitchen area with a sink. I can’t figure out how to turn the water on to the sink. When I turn the valve on the left, I can run the sink but the third water line (which isn’t connected to anything) will run while I use the sink. When I turn on the valve on the right, the third water line runs no matter if I’m using the sink or not. Should I just cap this? Is this a refrigerator line?


texts: What's the difference between these types of air hose material?

texts:
I'm looking at picking up a new piece of air hose (or 2), and I see that there are a couple of different materials that they're made out of. I currently have rubber and, I believe, PVC hoses at home, but I thought I'd ask about the difference before buying more.

I'm seeing 4 different types:

PVC
PVC/Rubber
Rubber
Polyurethane

My experience is that the PVC (I think that's what I've got - I bought it a long time ago and don't remember) is much lighter than the rubber and that the rubber gets much stiffer in the winter time and is difficult to use.

What are the advantages and drawbacks to the various types of hose material?


texts:
I have a 50W external light, installed on an outside wall, high on the wall.
When touching it, I received an electrical shock.
I cut the electricity, and opened up the electrical junction. I saw there that the earth wire was not plugged properly. I plugged it back. The live and neutral cable seemed fine.
Does the fact that I got a discharge mean that the live cable was actually not wired properly? Should I bin the lamp? Is grounding properly just a way to hide the problem?


texts:
Note: the below was solved. It was a loose wire between the controller and the gas valve (the white wire on the diagram)

This is about an old UltraMax Olsen HCS2 81AD gas furnace

it looks like this

and it sounds like this :-) when it is having problems

Here is what happened this morning. I waked up hearing the a noise that was coming from the furnace. I wend downstairs to the furnace room and it was making a sound like this (click to download a small mp3).
I switched the furnace off and I went upstairs to get my phone to take pictures and record the sound. When I returned I tried to start the furnace one more time and it started. It worked for a little while and it stopped again making the same sound
I switched the furnace off again and went upstairs to read a little bit about it (we bought the house this summer and I don't know much about it) and when I returned I started the furnace again. I think it worked again till it reached the temperature set on the thermostat and it stopped again making the same sound.

I am now waiting for it "to rest" :-) and I will start it again but with an increased temperature. It was set to 21.5 before, now it is set to 23 ..I want to see what it is going to do this time

Now the questions for you guys:
-can you say by the little info provided here what is going on?
-can anybody tell me what would be the cost to replace the furnace (I live in Toronto) and if it is worth replacing it? I would be curious to hear what are the main advantages that the newer models have over this ancient model (1988)

Y9u can listen to the sound it makes online here


texts: I need to use a timer for my pool filter but the filter plug is a  Gfci so it won't turn on automatically. Can I replace the plug with a standard plug?


texts: Do I need to replace this eneven stair skirts to level it?

texts:
I am starting to work on the stairs that lead to my basement, I noticed that the right side skirt board is unevenly installed. It sticks out 1.4 inches in the beginning and then slowly packed inside, to leave only 1/2 inch at the end. Apart from removing the skirt board and re-installing it the right way with extra shims for the end, is there anything I can do to fix these?

Related question with more photos


texts: What might cause water to leak under or behind a bathtub?

texts:
The floor in my bathroom is constantly wet after showers. House was built in 1970 and this bathroom is all original. From the yellow tile down to the linoleum.

The shower curtain is sealed, the shower head is not spraying, everything above the floor is dry. I tested this by drying it, putting down dry pieces of toilet paper, then showering. TP on the floor was soaked, TP on the rim of the tub was bone dry.

What should I look at to find out where the water is coming from?

My current list is:

old caulk around tub rim
plumbers putty around spout
plumbers putty around faucets
plumbers putty around drain
look inside drain for cracks

What else should I investigate?

Should I find the leak or just reseal everything?


texts:
I have embarked on creating my own hallway console table because I was unable to find a narrow enough one on the market that fit my space. For my design I went with 2 IKEA Bergshult shelves to save me from using unfinished wood. I bought a short and long one because the legs I bought are too short to fit above the radiator. The plan was to attach the 2 shelevs and create a little shelf that will elevate the top shelef above the radiator and the bottom fits just fine in between the gap and the radiator.
Thats the design explanation and why I am designed it like this. My problem now is the table is unstable and won't stand without falling. How do I stabilise it?
I thought of orienting it like the picture, with the small shelf acting like the base, and buying another small shelf to continue with the original design, but how will I attach the new small shelf as the top on the "Bottom" of the hollow legs?


texts:
I need to fix a hole that is about 12x16. I am cutting it to the studs and plan to attach both sides of new piece to a stud. I am capable, but there is a lot of info out there.

Nails or screws?
Do I really need a special drywall screw gun?
I cannot understand the lingo on the mud.
If I get three trowels, what are the best 3 lengths?

Can someone explain this to me like I am 5 years old?


texts: What is the best plastic to make a see through 'whiteboard' with?

texts:
Over the past few months I've slowly been converting my garage into a DIY/project/man zone by adding lighting, work benches, storage and tools.

Next I'd like to mount a piece of transparent plastic to the wall to use as a 'whiteboard'

I know that I'd like to use a plastic, rather than glass, so that it wont easily shatter and will have more give to it.

Other than that I'd like a material that I can draw on and wipe clean, won't flex too much  when I write on it and be as cheap as possible (whilst being up to the task)

Suggestions?


texts: How do I get rid of birds living in an air vent?

texts: On the outside of my house I have at least one bird living in an air vent. I would rather that they lived somewhere else. I was thinking I could put some sort of netting over the vent when the bird does not seem to be around. My wife is concerned that there could be a bird's nest with eggs in there and does not want to leave the eggs to die. What is the best way to safely remove these birds without hurting them?


texts: Hot Water Pump Too Sensitive to Cold Water Pressure

texts: I use a hot water pump for my shower (it is not a combi boiler). The pressure and temperature are excellent on taps but when I switch it to the shower it is fine for a minute and then starts getting cold. The issue is that it is too sensitive to cold water and a very small change in cold water tap makes it frozen or very hot!!! the issue is just in shower.


texts:
I noticed that the ground prong of the only 5-15 receptacle in  my laundry room appears to be floating.
Findings:

The ground wire behind the receptacle measures 0 ohm (i.e. continuous) with the ground prong in the receptacle.
The ground wire/prong measure 0L ohm (i.e. not continuous) with the neutral wire/prong in the same receptacle, 0L ohm (i.e. not continuous) with ground prongs from other receptacles.
The ground wire/prong measures 60V with hot in the same receptacle, 60V with neutral in the same receptacle, 60V with ground prongs from other receptacles.
The ground wire behind the receptacle appears to come from a 12/2 cable.
There is a 1-pole 20amp breaker in the subpanel that serves this receptacle. I believe this receptacle is the only thing that the breaker serves.
In the subpanel, there is a corresponding 12/2 cable.
In the subpanel, the ground wire from the 12/2 cable measures as expected. ("as expected": 0 ohm with neutral, 0 ohm with other ground, 120V with hot, 0V with neutral.)
I checked all other receptacles throughout my home. All of them measures as expected. ("as expected": same as above)
I opened up every blank wall plate that I could find in areas between the subpanel and the outlet, and used a non-contact voltage detector to see if it's from the same breaker.

I found one blank plate that opens into a hole in the wall (instead of a box). In that hole, I can see 3 cables. One of them is from the breaker of interest. The cables do not appear to be protected (definitely not in a conduit).
I did not find any box with wires from the breaker of interest.

Background:

The receptacle is a 5-15 GFCI receptacle.
I recently had a contractor replace my subpanel. The subpanel serves everything in my home, except the air conditioner.
I believe the grounding of the subpanel is good:

After installation (and fixing a wiring error behind an electric oven), I verified that ground and neutral are not continuous when neutral feed is disconnected. I also verified that ground and neutral are continuous when neutral feed is connected.

A UPS (a small one for network and storage devices) is plugged into the outlet of interest, and its "building wire fault" light is on.

I do not know how long the light has been on.

I found the issue because I was replacing converting a nearby 10-30 into a 14-30, and used the problematic to sanity check the previously unused ground wire behind the 10-30. (On hindsight, I could have used the neutral of the 10-30, but anyways.)

What are possible causes? How do I diagnose it? (The first thing that popped into my mind is that the ground wire is severed. But is it likely that one wire in a 12/2 is severed, but not the other two?)
(I have a workaround. I found a box 1 ft (30 cm) from the problematic outlet in the same room, which holds wires appropriate for a 5-15 outlet. That box was fed from a different breaker, and its ground appears to behave as intended. But I'm still interested in understanding what's going on)


texts: Maximize fence post distance for wooden fence?

texts:
We are putting a new wooden fence around our yard. We would like to run it quite close to an existing mature tree, but putting a post too close to the tree will seriously jeopardize its health. Our landscaper says he will put the posts no more than 6 feet apart due to wind in our area.

I am wondering if there is a technique using metal or steel posts instead of 4x4 wood that would let us get a 12-15 foot segment with metal posts on either side and maybe metal header, footer too.  Is such a thing possible and would it likely work?


texts: Smart Switch (Gosund) Install. Yes Power to box; No Green Light No Reset

texts:
Have successfully installed SW1.
Basically same scenario  for SW2, EXCEPT: Power is at switch but nothing operable at switch. No Light of any kind, no manual operation, cannot Reset to try from square one. Bad switch, possibly three of four. FML?


texts: What type of material should be used for sole plates on screened in porch?

texts:
I'm following along in a guide to installing a screened in porch and the following photo is shown.

The instructions are 'Secure sole plates to the patio or porch floor using construction adhesive and appropriate mechanical fasteners'

What kind of material is this? Is it just a composite 2x4?

I've heard of ScreenTight screening kits, but they aren't available nearby... are there any other screening kits that you would suggest?


texts:
I am planning to buy a 3x3m gazebo. I will be putting it in my backyard. The backyard has pavers, so the gazebo legs will go on the pavers. The pavers are about 20cm apart. As far as I think, the pavers are secured to the ground, so it may be hard to remove.

I want to secure the gazebo, i.e. anchor it somehow so that it does not move or is blown away by strong wind. I am looking for an easier and cost-effective option (over digging, drilling or screwing).

One solution is to put the gazebo legs in a wide/square planter pot and secure the leg into the pot with concrete. This is similar to digging a hole in the ground and securing it with concrete, except that it will be above ground.

The end result will be four planter pots holding the gazebo down. I am thinking of leaving some space at the top of the planter pot, so that I can fill it with soil and plants some flowers, thus disguising the weight.

My question is which type of planter pot should I use (e.g. terracotta, fibreglass etc.). My concern is whether the pot would be able to hold the leg and concrete without cracking.

Another thought is that, instead of putting concrete in the planter pot, I may be able to secure the gazebo leg in it by some other way (e.g. tying it to the pot and then filling it with soil to make the pot heavy.

I am unsure if the above is feasible.


texts: How to level a section of raised concrete floor?

texts: I had a plumber move a toilet drain on cement slab. The new concrete he poured is about 1/8" higher than the rest of the floor.  I need the floor to be level for tile installation. The new concrete is only about 5% of the bathroom sqft, so I need way to grind it down somehow. What's the best way to accomplish this?


texts: Proper backfill for a trench dug below foundation level (within the 45 degree cone of support)

texts:
Given a trench dug below foundation level, what's the proper way to backfill?  Here I'm talking about a trench below the bottom edge of an unreinforced concrete foundation built in 1950, supporting a 2 story stucco house.  The trench is somewhat within the 45 degree soil cone supporting the weight of the house:

The foundation itself is about 13 inches high, the trench is 14 inches below that point, set off about 9 inches.  Three pipes are in the trench: solid 2", 2" and 1.5" cellular core ABS.  The soil is a heavy clay.  There is some surface water flow over this area.  The home is in an earthquake hazard zone.  The original soil grade was much higher: reaching the stucco as shown in the diagram (perhaps 25 inches above the current bottom of trench).

What's the proper way to prevent long term settling (or soil loss) below the foundation in this case?  Do you have references?  Thanks.


texts:
According to the NEC, is it permitted to put an electrical junction box inside a dishwasher bay behind the actual dishwasher?

If it ever had to be reached, which I hope is never, the dishwasher would need to be removed.

The junction box would not be supplying power to the dishwasher but supplying other ends. I.E. it is a separate circuit than that of the dishwasher circuit.


texts:
We had our Victorian boards (throughout house and staircase) sanded and varnished a while back. We have recently had builders and painters in our house for a month and they are looking a little worse for wear. The specific probelms are:

general dulling of large areas
paint spattered blobs
edges of stairs completely rubbed away all of varnish back to bare wood

I would really appreciate some advice on the above.
I am also wondering if waxing might work - we are not after a particuarly shiny finish and had used satin varnish before.


texts: How can I calculate the effects a floor coverings thermal conductivity will have on my heating costs?

texts:
We are choosing between laminate and plastic flooring over water based underfloor heating (heat pipes laid in the screed floor over thick concrete).
Laminate floorings have a thermal resistance of app. 0.06 m^2K/W, plastics (for example Classen NEO) have halve of that or less.

While plastics are twice as good in terms of thermal conductivity, they are also more expensive, may be harder to install (linoleum has very low thermal resistance but needs to be glued to the underfloor) and there are environmental and air quality concerns for the cheaper options (vinyl).

How do I find out what the consequences of higher thermal resistance (lower thermal conductivity) really are, in terms of how much more m^3 in gas I will need each year? Are there any calculation tools, lookup tables or rules of thumb to help me with this?
Maybe experiments with different floor types?

I could calculate the difference straight from the theory, but I don't even know what the average floor heat is from underfloor heating (from this, I imagine, I could calculate back the energy difference for different floor types, and then I would need specs of the heater to calculate how much more gas this would cost).


texts: What's the best way to seal a small leak on a sprinkler pump inlet PVC pipe where a siphoning system has been tapped?

texts: On my sprinkler system I installed, about 4 months ago, a system that siphons, from a large tank, a mixture of fertilizer and iron stain inhibitor. The system works fine but it had to be installed by drilling a hole in the pump inlet and using a 3/4" pipe tap which is where the check valve for the siphoning system hand-screws in with some thread tape. There were no leaks initially but this morning I noticed a small pool under the pump and saw immediately that it was dripping from where the check valve was screwed in. What is the best way to seal this leak? I tried wrapping the plumbers tape around thicker but it didn't help. I don't want to cement/epoxy it in, I want to be able to remove it if I need to, but I would be fine with something semi-permanent like caulk. Would caulk work well for this?


texts:
I live in the Northeast, and we had a hard winter. Just a few small cracks in the asphalt. I went to home depot, but all they have are 5 gallon drums of sealer. To me, it looks like all I need is to do what the state does to the highways (thin stream of tar) in the crack.

What can I do for minor repair (rather than hire someone to re-seal the whole driveway) or on the other hand, perhaps I am wrong, and it is best to reseal the whole driveway?


texts:
My toilet sometimes runs intermittently after the tank has been filled for a few seconds and then stops also there's a terrible smell a gas smell coming from the bathroom.

I think the problem is related to the wax ring around the toilet bowl because the toilet now moves when I sit on it which it did not always do so my thinking is the wax ring needs to be replaced.


texts: Is cable marked 14CU 2 CDRS NMD90 two wire or three wire?

texts:
I have the below cable in my garage and I am not clear if it is a two or a three wire cable. I was convinced it is a two wire but after researching I am now seeing it could be a three.

This is related to this question.

Here is the picture that confirms the presence of the ground wire:


texts: Is there a product for channeling water away from water appliances?

texts: Some appliances, such as water heaters, dish washers, and washing machines use water, and can leak and cause damage to a house. Is there any product or solution to catch and drain leaks outside the house?


texts: Indoor fuel tank removed - How to eliminate lingering smell

texts:
Background: I recently replaced my home heating system (an oil burning furnace) for a modern heat pump (air-water).  There is a room in our basement (2.9m x 3.5m, or roughly 10ft x 13ft) where the 10'000 liter (~2500 gallons) tank used to be.  The room was completely sealed off from the basement, save for a small window-sized opening through which you could enter to service the tank, should that be necessary.

I had a contractor cut out a door opening, and then a specialized firm came to clean the tank, cut it into smaller pieces, and recycle the steel chunks. I have now and empty room that reeks of oil, which I want to turn into a home gym.  It's been some 4 weeks since we cut a door opening, and opened up the grilled vent to the outside, and although I've let enough air circulate, it still reeks as much as it did on the first day.

I assumed some oil may have leaked through the years onto the floor, which had a sort of epoxy coating, stained brown in some places.  So I carefully removed it all.  It took a lot of effort with a putty knife and paint scrapers.  But even with a completely clean floor, it still smells.  The lower half of the walls, which have the same paint/epoxy coating, have brown stains all over, which I imagine may have significant deposits of oil, perpetuating the lingering smell in the room.  I read that spraying concentrated hydrogen peroxide helps eliminate all smells, so I carefully sprayed 12% hp on the walls (wearing a full body suit, goggles and a breating mask), which didn't have any significant effect overnight.

The question: is there any reasonable way (that doesn't involve overly expensive or extremely time-consuming efforts) to get rid of the smell, before I apply the decorative textured plaster on the walls? Would a controlled burn (e.g. with a small gas torch, with proper ventilation) help at all?  Do you think applying plaster over the existing walls wouldn't do enough to cover the oil smell?

These pictures show the level of stains on the walls. Here you can see what I believe was pretty much the original color of the coating (first pic) vs the back wall.

Edit / Update: on Friday I primed and then used self-levelling compound (about 750lb / 350kg) to raise and level the floor, which had over 1 ¼ / 30mm height difference.  The smell is completely gone.  So as several of you pointed out, the oil had somehow leaked and penetrated the floor, which is now completely covered by a non porous concrete layer.   Thank you all for your kind participation !!!


texts:
Every once in awhile my fridge will leak water from somewhere underneath. I took off the horizontal grill along the base of the fridge and looked underneath to find a white, plastic tray of some kind (see photo below). My fridge has an in-door (not indoor) ice & water dispenser, so maybe this is what the tray is for. I believe the tray is broken and doesn't lie perfectly horizontal, which may be why water is overflowing and spilling out the bottom.

Is there an easy way to replace this white tray? Or would the leak be coming from somewhere else?


texts: Can I install a 50A breaker in a 70A sub-panel with other breakers installed?

texts: I have an electrical panel in my garage with a single row of breakers 4 single 15A breakers installed and 4 blank spaces left. (pretty certain it is a sub-panel off the house)  It has a sticker that says 70A max. Am I able to install a 50A 240v breaker in the spaces left over?


texts: Do I really need to use primer when painting an unfinished concrete floor?

texts:
I'm turning a one car garage into an office and want to paint the floor. I bought some Behr concrete paint, and the guy at Home Depot insisted that I have to put down a layer of primer first.

Do I really? This garage may have held a car a long time ago, but the floor doesn't look greasy at all. I'm not going to be parking a car in here, it's going to be an office with pretty light wear and tear. Also, I'm lazy, so I'm willing to gamble on this unless it's really stupid.


texts:
I am purchasing a new apartment entry door and need help with choosing in which direction should it swing. The layout of the common  area is quite tight:

My concerns:

my own apartment is not too big. Any space savings from the door swinging outwards will be significant.
avoid damage from crashing with the elevator door (and unsafe situations)
avoid causing discomfort to neighbors
I commute with a bicycle - it should be easily un/loaded into the elevator
N1 uses only the stairs and is a single persons; N2 and N3 are families and use mostly the elevator.
it can't be seen from the "drawing", but it my door swings towards N1 it's gonna block them in - the space was drawn disproportionately long.

Too all the comments: we checked with the door company, the swing IS arbitrary and up to our choice.


texts: How can I hang Christmas lights on eaves with no soffit?

texts:
I have a house with vinyl siding and aluminum trim/sheathing, where the gable roof at either end has no soffit at all.

I'm trying to come up with a way to hang addressable LED light strings very straight, which is pretty easy where I have a soffit or gutters to hang from, but this end of the house has neither. I'm strongly considering "permanently installing" with vinyl J-channel under the soffit, but I don't think that will work on these ends.
Would I cause damage by shoving the long side of a J channel between the shingles and the roof edge, and fastening the curled end against the trim, like in this diagram?

I considered using LED strips instead of strands/strings, but I don't like the look as well and I'd have to run a diffuser channel for them also.
Short of using a shingle clip for each light (75mm spacing on the wires) how can I run lights up and down these peaks?


texts: Least Destructive New Heating System? Hot Water or Air?

texts:
I'm having some issues with my current steam heating system. I'd rather get it replaced with a whole new system, either forced hot water or forced air. The house was built in 1916, so I'd have to do mini-ducts if I went forced air (thin walls). I plan on feeding the system with the gas line I already have coming in.

I'm sure there will be some floor and wall tearing, but I'm curious to know how much, and should I really not put too much weight on this aspect.

The annoying part is, the previous owners did a renovation in 2009 but left the old steam system. Not that I have anything against steam but they didn't replace any of the pipes, values, air vents or radiators.

Thank you


texts:
Currently I have a length of galvanized steel pipe (3/4") from the water meter, which is feeding the main trunk (3/4" copper).  The water pressure in the house is very low, and I suspect it is due to restrictive buildup in the galvanized pipe.

I have enough 3/4 PEX left over from another project, but was wondering if I can replace the galvanized pipe with PEX (from a code compliance stand point)?

In most PEX systems that I've seen, the manifold is fed by copper. So I'm not sure if there are some codes that prevent PEX from being connected to the water main, or if there is some other reason this is done.

I would like to avoid buying copper pipe if I can, since I already have the PEX.  I live in New York (the state, not the city).


texts: Would insulation on my attic walls make it easier to keep my home cool?

texts:
I recently moved into the attic and converted it into my bedroom. There was insulation on the floor but none on the walls which made it uncomfortable to live in considering its the summer. I got a 8000 BTU portable AC and it does a good enough job but I when the weather is 90+ it doesn't do that good of a job. would getting insulation on the walls of the attic make a difference or am I better off looking at alternatives? Thanks.
PS. I live in Pennsylvania


texts:
Just want to make sure the wiring is correct. I have seen examples of the of the black and red switched in the sub-panel. This is a temporary connection to the subpanel using double 60 amp breaker with 6 gauge wire. New 200 amp service will connect the new box and the old box will come out.

Did I wire this correctly?


texts:
I am insulating my house, going with R38 Fiberglass batts (single faced) in the attic.  I will have a decent amount of Mineral wool 1.5" thick and 7" thick that ranges from R5 to R30 respectively.  I don't think R-38 in my zone 5 is super sufficient in terms of cutting energy costs but I do not have the money to buy more fiberglass or cellulose to add to the top.  Consequently I am thinking about adding my leftover mineral wool to the attic on top of the fiberglass.  It would not be enough to cover the entire attic floor though.  I also don't know if it would interfere with future insulation?  The brand is owens corning and it's rock fiber just like the Roxul stuff.

The other option I have is to use it in my interior bathroom and bedroom walls for sound deadening.

Any thoughts?


texts: Is there a significant benefit to using plastic window insulation year round?

texts:
In order to help save more money and funnel more of those savings to debts, I'm looking for more ways to save money.

I've heard that puting plastic window insulation over single-pane windows typically found in older houses can reduce utility bills by up to 50%.

But I'm wondering, it's February, and I'm in Portland, Oregon, USA. Summers can get as hot as 100 degrees fahrenheit in the extremes. Living in a temperate climate, is there an advantage to keeping the plastic up year round, or will I just need to remove it in the Spring/Summer?

To further clarify and address the "airing out the house" issue, let's say that I only open two windows upstairs and two windows downstairs. There are 14 windows total in the house, plus 1 door upstairs and two doors downstairs, one in the front and one in the back.

My motivation for asking is to determine if the inputs I put in now in the form of putting up all that plastic in February will pay any dividends, or if it's best I wait until October.


texts:
I havd a disconnect at meter which supplies a panel about 70 feet inside building.  I upgraded the system based on comments from a previous question.
At the disconnect, when I add the neutral conductor (green wire), I disconnect the wire that ran from the neutral to the case of the disconnect.  So now my question occurred to me as to whether I should bond he neutral and ground at my new panel or reconnect my ground to case at the disconnect??


texts: Only run hose when other fixtures are turned off

texts:
In my basement, I have the plumbing pictured here below. The pipe going up from the tee on the right feeds all the fixtures in the main house, and the pipe going down feeds everything in the pool house (a sink, toilet, and hose spigot). Currently, when anything (particularly the hose) is running at the pool house, everything in the main house completely loses pressure. We can’t so much as pour a glass of water from the sink, let alone do laundry or flush the toilets.

With pool season coming up, I’ll be running that hose quite a bit to replace the water that evaporated over the winter. This is a huge pain, and with everyone stuck at home during our shelter-in-place order, we can’t just run the hose while we’re at work like we used to.

Is there a way to reconfigure this so that the pool house loses pressure when house fixtures need water? Ideally, I’d like to not even notice that the hose is running at the pool. (This would also enable me to add an auto-fill valve out at the pool so that the water maintains level. I’ve wanted to do that for a couple years, but I’ve hesitated because it means we’d lose pressure in the house “randomly”)

Update:

I had a chance this afternoon to investigate the well equipment a bit. We have a 30/50 switch, and the pump is a Franklin Electric model 2445059004. Would it be a good idea to replace the switch with a 40/60? Would it help?


texts: Fixing leaky Delta faucet - what am I doing wrong?

texts:
I've got a leaky bathroom sink with a Delta 2-handle faucet that I'm unable to permanently fix. Every time I replace the seats and springs, the problem goes away for a day or two, but then returns. Every time I pull out the cartridges to replace the seats, I find the old seats are nicked at the top (see photo).

I've gone through this routine five times in the past few weeks, so I'm presumably doing something that's causing the seat to be damaged after some use. Anyone have any idea why?


texts:
I have an existing deck on the back of my house, and I’d like to add a pergola.  The deck is 17’ x 16’, and I’d like to build the pergola to roughly match the size and shape.

The attached picture shows a view of the deck from above, along with measurements and placements of the existing support posts and beams.  The posts are 6”x6” and the beams are paired 2”x10”.  The joists on top of that are 2”x8”, and there’s deck flooring on top of that.  There is also a ledger that runs the width of the deck, so it is attached to the house.  I don’t want to attach the pergola to the house though.

My idea for the pergola is this:

Place 4x4x10’ posts at the same locations as the deck posts. These would pass thru the deck floor and rest on the beams below.
For the 4 posts that are at the outer edges of the deck (A, B, D, E), lag-bolt the new posts to the adjacent joists.
The 5th post (C) would be 2 feet in from the edges of the deck, and about right in the middle between 2 joists, so I’m still wondering how to secure it.  Maybe a post bracket (?) attached to the bottom of the post and to the beam?
Run 2x6 beams between the new posts, either sitting on top of the posts or attached to the sides of the posts with joist hangers, to form the outer edges of the pergola.
Run 2-3 additional 2x6 beams across the middle, parallel to the house.
Run some number of boards on edge, perpendicular to the house, across the top.

Questions:

Could the side beams that run perpendicular to the house extend almost all the way to the house?  That would provide an additional 3.5-4’ of coverage along the house side, where we typically place deck furniture.
Are 4x4 posts sufficient for the pergola?
Is the placement of those posts OK to carry/support the load to the structure below?
Any other suggestions or questions I should consider?

Thanks for any info you can provide.


texts: How to install half pieces when doing subway tiles

texts: When installing a subway tile layout in a shower, how does one install the half pieces that will occur on the ends?  Do you just cut the tile in half, flip it so the flat side is facing towards the corner (and not out) and hope that the grouting hides the flat side of all those pieces?


texts:
I want to install an electrical outlet on the front of my house.
The house is a 1930s era brick townhouse.  The front wall is one brick thick, with not much backing, then studs and drywall on the inside, no insulation.  I'd like to install an Arlington DHB1C-1 masonry box in place of a brick so the outlet is hidden, but I'm a little scared to remove a brick.  Do I need to remove an entire brick, or simply deep enough to place the box, and have the cable come through a mortar joint behind it?
And a larger question... I never see these boxes used.  Instead people have the large, warty looking surface mount boxes.  Is there a reason for that?


texts: How do I secure a copper pipe going through a wall?

texts:
What kind of clamp would be appropriate for securing a 1/2" copper pipe that's run through a wall to the outside to a hose bib?

I'll accept a general answer. In my particular case it's a stucco wall out there.  I want something strong so it does not stress the caulking that protects the wall. Freezing is not an issue in this area.

Here's the outside view:

Click for full size image


texts: What is the best material for the pivot in a pivoting base?

texts:
I will have a pivoting base with 3 fixed casters and a pivot in place of the fourth. I'm having trouble trying to come up with a easy to setup and no maintenance pivot. The weight requirements are not much, at most 100 kg.

I'm considering just using a straight rod down a hole in the base and also on a fixed piece of wood in the floor, with a Nylon/PE washer/spacer between them. This will be much easier to implement and shim to level if needed. I also think that this will be zero maintenance since the friction between the steel base and the nylon will be very small.

Other option is to use some hardware like those used for pivoting doors:

This will probably be smoother due to steel ball (not sure), but it is harder to setup and shim to make the base level. I also think that it might have wear faster, but I could be wrong here.


texts: No toilet shut off valve in my NYC apartment

texts:
So I'm trying to find the toilet shut off valve so that I can install a bidet, and I'm stymied.

This is what is where the shut off should be, and I'm not sure what I'm looking at.

There are normal gate valves under my bathroom and kitchen sinks. I live in a large highrise completed after 2010 that is a mix of apartments and condos.

Is that just some kind of valve? I tried putting a precision screwdriver in the little hole and there wasn't a screw in there.

Is there an access panel somewhere? I looked under my bathroom sink and it's hard to access the back -- I have drawers I'd have to take out to get in there.

Is there just no toilet shut off valve, perhaps to prevent people like me from messing with their plumbing?

I'm going to ask my super as well, but I was curious if anyone on here had any ideas.


texts: Can I use vinegar or bleach to clean manganese from my plumbing?

texts:
Is it ok to pour vinegar or bleach in my well in order to clear manganese from the pipes?  If the answer is yes, how much should I pour in the well?

Thank you very much...


texts: Unused red for ground in existing armored cable?

texts:
My house has a lot of older armored cable using the armor for ground.
If I'm working in a box and find a three-conductor wire with only black/white in use, and I know where the other end is, should I use the red conductor to improve the ground path of that run and its two boxes (also marking both ends with green tape) or should I leave it alone with the red unused and the armor for ground?


texts: What is the proper way to join two beams on a post?

texts: I'm working on a deck that will involve two 10ft wooden beams across three wooden posts. One of the posts will be in the middle of the two beams. What is the proper method for joining the beams to the post?


texts: installing a french drain around a basement wall

texts: I'm in the process of building a new house with basement. The deep end and approximately 3/4 around of the basement wall is approximately 8 ft. deep. do I need a French drain this deep basically at the footer. I have waterproofed the block wall with Damtite water proofing. Looking for other suggestions to help prevent problems years later.


texts: Plank T&G subfloor / girder repair in bathroom 48" OC

texts:
I am doing a complete gut remodel of my bathroom in a 1962 construction home. The subfloor is 1-5/8" x 7" tongue and groove set on 4 x 6 girders that are spaced 48" OC.

A leaky toilet completely destroyed a section of the subfloor, and caused rot to eat through at least 50% of a 4 x 6 girder. There is no floor sagging, but I imagine the beam needs replacement.

I can't find a match for the T&G planks, and the height makes substituting it with plywood a no go. Since the girders are 48" apart, I can't do plywood anyways, unless I add a bunch of joists.

No idea how to address this.

Removed toilet to reveal rotten subfloor:

Rotten girder:


texts: I got some decorative multi color led wire. It is broken at one place now. I need to connect the wire to complete the circuit. I am new to this and I am trying to learn. I tried twisting the wire so it would touch. But it didn't make the light to work. I tried twisting with aluminum foil also. It didn't work either. Please let me know how to connect these wires and whether these lights are of any specific types of led. What wire is this? Lead?


texts: Small patch in wall sheathing behind masonry chimney

texts:
I noticed a small hole, about 14” x 14” in our attic on the gable side. I wonder if it used to be a gable vent. Home was built in 66’

What can i do to patch this up? It looks like this sheathing material is called “blackboard” Our pest control guy said PestBlok breathable material. We could also screen it I assume. The rest of the area looks good so i don’t think it was taken out because of damage or anything.

Also, there’s some gaps in the siding along there. But the roofline seems fine. Roofing and Siding co said caulk and filler is all we need. Pest guy said drip edge installed to siding and then sealed to the chimney.

Thanks for any input! Main concern is critters making their way into the attic, and then also just don’t really want a hole in the attic, i imagine energy escapes there like crazy! Seems totally dry when it rains which is at least good.


texts:
I am having some issues during spring / rainfall. Because one corner of my garage is low, all the water pools, which then comes into the garage. I find myself constantly trying to broom the water away.

My ideas:

1) For around the door, can I just dig down say a foot around the sidewalk along the side of the garage towards the back and fill it with gravel?

2) For the portion by the garage door, can I use a bit of concrete to create a bump, to allow the water to channel down toward the backlane? Perhaps a large rubber stopper?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!


texts: How to join chain link and wooden fence?

texts:
A tree fell and destroyed one corner of the chain link fence between my neighbor's yard and my yard. The neighbor replaced their portion of the fence with a wooden fence, but their new fence isn't aligned with my fence anymore (I assume they were worried about building it too close to the ditch running behind our houses). So now there's about a 5 foot gap between the end of my chain link fence and the outside corner of their wooden fence.

What are my options to fill that gap? Should I just put a metal post as close to that corner as I can? Or can I attach the chain link fence directly to the wooden post somehow (assuming the neighbor is ok with that)? How do I connect the tension bar to the wooden post?


texts: Fixing a leak in water heater pipe joint

texts:
I had a new water heater put in and discovered a slow drip at the joint where the hot water pipe from the heater connects to the house piping. The installer claimed that he didn't touch that solder joint, the leak must have existed before and so it's not his problem! Anyway, I am a pretty handy person, have a propane torch, plumbing solder and flux. I would like to fix this myself before accepting defeat and call a real plumber!
To get a good joint and not have any water squirting out while I am working on this, I need to make sure there is no water in the pipes. Here is my plan of attack and wondering if this is safe and sound.

Turn off gas supply
Turn off cold water supply
Run hot water in a faucet or tub
Fix the solder joint
Open cold water supply
Turn the gas back on
Light the pilot

Would this be a good way to do it? Any words of wisdom will be gratefully received.
Thanks,


texts:
I'm not what you'd call a handy guy, and now wife wants me to put up curtains. This task is reduced primarily to getting a bit of metal stuck to the ceiling.

I bought screws and anchors. The anchors are a bit shorter than the screws. The clerk in the store told me that's normal. After some soul searching, I managed to drill the holes as deep as the screws. At first, I was worried that the holes were too big, since I can put the plastic anchors in with my finger.

When I try screwing in the screw, I'm physically unable to turn the screwdriver about halfway in (at this point I'm unable to yank it out of the hole either, so I'm assuming that the plastic bit expands on the inside). I don't have one of those screw-driving thingies, but I attached a screwdriver instead of the drillbit on the drill I used to make the hole, and it just "jumps out" every time I press the trigger.

I'm confused. The only possibilities that I can see are as follows:

I am not strong enough and the drill is in high gear so it can't be used this way.
Somehow I managed to mix up the anchors and the screws.

Well, here are the culprits:

Oh, don't worry about the hole in the background. That one hit something shiny, so I abandoned it. Anyway, that's about as far as I can screw it the screw without losing my cool. Oh, it's my ceiling btw.


texts:
I pressed a log into a vise, which resulted in the vise breaking (more precisely the "fix part", i.e the jaw which is on the side with the wriggle broke down.)

After some research, it seems to me that the only way of repairing it would be welding, which I do not want to do (I have neither the equipment nor the knowledge for that).

Questions:

Can a broken vise still be used for something else, or should I throw it away?
Did I do something wrong, or was the vise bad quality? -- it was brand new, used only once before. (Or, in other words: are you able to break a good quality vise, just by the force of your hands, if you tighten it too much?)
If it was my fault (i.e. even quality vises are breakabe): how do you know until which point it is safe to tighten a vise?
If it was bad quality: what to look out for, when buying the new vise?


texts: Is it better to shim behind hinge leaves against the door or the frame?

texts: I'm trying to adjust a small door and needed to make adjustments. Does it matter if I shim the hinge connected to the door or the hinge connected to the frame?  Are the two essentially equivalent when making such an adjustment?


texts: I have a GE glass top drop in electric cook top (JP655) in my kitchen. Over the past week I have noticed that one of the burners is med-high to high regardless of what the knob is set at. Does anyone know of a potential cause or fix? I hope to not have to replace the whole unit.


texts: How to deal with inadequate drainage of my walk-up basement?

texts:
(Please correct me if any of my terminology is inaccurate!)

I have a "den" which is a finished walk-up basement (half-above ground, half below ground).  The den floor has vents, and when I look under the vent covers I can see about a six-inch gap between the bottom of the floor and the "ground" below the den.  (These vents are apparently heating vents:  Lukewarm air comes out of them when the furnace kicks in, but I see no metal ductwork under there.)

Very often, even after moderate rain, I can see standing water on the "ground" below the vents.   After very heavy rain, the water level can get alarmingly high, although the water hasn't gone above the floor yet.

The den does have a sump pump.  The sump pit is fed by a clay pipe which is about 5 feet underground.  I called a plumber who fed a video camera into the sump pit to see if there was a blockage in the clay pipe.  He immediately ran into a problem:

Basically, the clay pipe that is outside and the clay pipe that leads to the sump pit form a "T," and the outside pipe has a tiny hole that the plumber claims is inadequate to drain the outside water.  Additionally, this narrow hole prevented us from using the camera to see if the clay pipes extended all the way around the den.

The plumber says that this could be causing the standing water that I see under the vents, and that the solution would be to dig outside down to the exterior pipe to widen that narrow hole.  This solution doesn't sound so bad.

On the other hand, a waterproofing company I called says that I need to install an interior drain tile system to fix the problem.  This sounds like a very costly and disruptive undertaking since the den is finished and we would have to rip out carpeting and vinyl tiles.

On the third hand, a stormwater engineer from the city said that a little bit of standing water is to be expected in an older setup like this, and suggested that maybe I should just take a "wait and see" approach, or maybe I need to call the health department to see if I should be worried about mold.  He also thought that the standing water could possibly be taken care of by digging pits under the floor and filling these pits with gravel.

So I have three differing expert opinions and I'm totally confused:

How worried should I be about health implications of standing water?
How can these vents possibly be effective heating vents?  Has the metal rusted away?  Should I do something about them?
Is the standing water really something that is fairly normal and that I shouldn't be too worried about?
If not normal, what is the ideal fix?
Should I explore less costly / less ideal solutions first?


texts: Water heater sacrificial anode metal selection

texts:
A residential 17 year old electric water heater is working well in Florida.   Maintenance is overdue.  I plan to inspect / replace:

sacrificial anode (expected to replace)
heating element (expected to replace)
flush the tank

With regard to purchasing a sacrificial anode, there seems to be at least two features one must decide:

Metal type: magnesium, aluminum or aluminum/zinc alloy.
Length

How does one decide on proper metal to use and the length of the anode?   As it understand it, the threading is standardized.

There is plenty of space above the tank for a long rod, so a segmented anode is unnecessary.


texts: I'm about to start finishing a basement half bathroom. I have a toilet that sits on an unfinished exterior wall. Should I have the wall drylocked, studs placed, board stock insulation installed, and green drywall put up in order to finish that wall? The toilet's water line causes me some concern about potential condensation that could form within the finished wall. Thanks, any input is much welcomed!


texts: Most efficient garden irrigation for rainbird kit?

texts:
I am using Rainbird brand irrigation kit to water my garden and am trying to find the optimal layout for the sprayers. The kit i bought connects from a standard garden hose to the 1/4" hose that can be configured with about 12 sprayer/bubblers attached. Problem is i'm losing pressure about halfway though the setup.
Here is the current setup. I begin to lose pressure around the third set of sprayers. the last four have little to no water coming out:

I'm thinking of actually forking at the water source before the sprayers, then having 6 on each branch instead of one line trying to power all 12. So something like this:

Which one would be a more efficient use of water? Or is there another setup i should try? Maybe every sprayer has it's own line off the main line?


texts:
I want to replace a 20" W window ( 20 5/8" rough) with a 36" (rough) window. I want it to be as close to the ceiling as possible. It is a single story house with 2x4 studs on 16" centers. It has a double top wall plate.

Full size image here.

What is the smallest size header I can use. The new window is 36" W x 12" H. (rough).


texts:
I know that normally a receptacle or device in the gang box counts as 2 conductor volumes. Does a line voltage thermostat just count the same as any other device? I'm replacing an old mechanical 240V thermostat with a programmable digit one (Honeywell TL8230A1003) and I've found that this new thermostat takes up significantly more space in the gang box than the old one and it is a very tight fit. Does the box fill calculation account for a device like this differently?

The thermostat is on a 20A breaker and 12/2 wire is coming into the box. There is also 12/2 wire going to heater and 12/2 wire going to another thermostat/heater for a total of 6 conductors. The 3 bare grounds count as another conductor and then the thermostat as 2 for a total of 9 conductors. This would indicate that I need a 9 * 2.25 = 20.25 cu. in. gang box unless the thermostat somehow counts as more.


texts: How to use hopper gun to apply drywall mud to walls in rental mobile home

texts: I want to use a hopper gun to create a textured or splatter effect on mobile home drywalls.  I have an air compressor and I need to know how to start applying the drywall mud to my walls?  How many coats should I apply?  I am trying to create a textured splatter effect on the original drywalls of a mobile home I bought to rent out but the walls have a few spots that were damaged that I am trying to cover


texts: Removing old silicon sealant and it's very sticky

texts:
I'm replacing some old silicon sealant around my bathroom sink. I've already done around the bath tub and that was fine: I removed the old sealant with a knife, cleaned it up and reapplied a new bead.

However, around the sink the old silicon (which has been there at least a few years) is very sticky, it's coming out as if it hasn't even cured, in sticky snotty globs. It's very hard to remove cleanly with a knife alone. Are there any methods for removing silicon that's in this state? Apart from the difficulties of getting it all out cleanly, is there anything else I should be concerned about? I'm wondering if some kind of chemical or process has led to the silicon being this way? I don't know what specifically was applied before or who applied it.

Edit
Here's a picture, I've got most of it out but it's really difficult to remove in the corner behind this tap.


texts:
It started with the thermostat not going in on only fan. That night i go to turn the AC on and the condenser fan wouldn't come on so I took a stick moved the blades and it started . i thought its the capacitor . a day latter the thermostat still won't go in fan on only but if turn the A.C. ON it comes through the vents so the fan turns on in a.c. but not fan on only.  but the compressor isn't coming on and I couldn't get it to start with a stick this time is it still the capacitor. compress isn't kicking on now either I have a package unit I think is a York but u cant just got look up model or serial numbers ...this Is what igot xyph1324adae model number serial number # (s)nob7420559
When I used a stick to turn the blades the other day everything worked now just the air Handel fan is running in A.C. model


texts: Can/should I replace this 50A breaker with a 15A breaker?

texts:
I'm the recent owner of a 27yr old house.  I'm looking to find more power for the basement that I'm finishing.  There's a 50A circuit going to one of the outdoor AC units - but the info sticker on that unit says it should be connected to a 15A breaker only (if I'm reading it right).

The 50A breaker is in the 2nd image - top left.

The question is - can I just replace the 50A breaker w/ a 15A (double one) and leave the heavy gauge wire in place?  If so, is this a simple swap?

Alternatively, I'd prefer to actually run that 50A to a subpanel & use that to split the basement into 3 zones, but if I did that I don't know how I'd power the A/C, since it requires 2 slots (and the entire panel is full).


texts: How To Replace Broken Light Junction Box in Ceiling

texts:
When I opened the door to my storage closet I discovered the light fixture hanging.
The junction box has broken at the two screw mounts and the ceiling around it is fully drywalled.
This is in a basement so there is no access to the junction box from above.
How do I remove the junction box and replace it without a major repair to the drywall around it?


texts: Can I use liquid nails to attach toe plate/sill plate to concrete floor?

texts:
Sorry for my choice of words yesterday.  Hope this is better explained:  ground water flooded two finished rooms in my basement.
  Took out rotting, mildewed drywall, studs, sill plate, insulation.
  A contractor dug a trench 10" wide in the floor at the base of the exterior walls, installed a floor-to-ceiling vapor barrier that drains any/all incoming moisture into that trench and out via a shiny new sump pump.  (For the first time in 30+ years, no water ingress.)
  Now, I'm replacing those walls.  The trench the contractor dug was about 15" deep, lined with gravel, fitted with a porous pipe, covered with more gravel and finished with a layer of cement - how thick?  Maybe an inch or so...  There already are some cracks in the stuff.  But the gravel/pipe combo is working very well so no problems yet.
   Except I need to put down a new sill-plate on the floor and am concerned that trying to drive anything into this cement will shatter it.  So I want to use liquid nails.  Think I can?


texts: Old bathroom gas heater - how to cap it off?

texts:
Our bathroom has a very old gas heater...it has a cast iron grill and I believe a ceramic element.
Here is a picture from Pinterest of a similar one...this is not my bathroom.

You can see the gas valve control on the bottom right of the unit. You turn it and gas starts to flow.  You then stick a match into the ceramic element and it lights up.

We recently had our house tented and the gas company had to come back to turn on the gas. As part of their service, they go back into the home to make sure that all gas appliances are okay to use again. When they saw the heater in our bathroom, they inspected it and tagged it, stickered it as a hazard.

I want to keep the unit there because it's a nice decorative element to the bathroom. However, I have young kids and I don't want this hazard to be there. We already removed the valve knob so that no one can turn on the gas. However, I would really love to just disconnect this appliance from the gas line altogether.
Our house has a crawl space and I can go down there to find the gas line to it.

How should I cap this off? Should I cap it off inside the appliance? Or should I cap it off somewhere in the crawlspace?


texts: Pergola attached to house and load capacity for 6x6 post

texts:
My question is how much load can my 2 each 6 x 6 pre-treated post handle.  I have approximately 1,466 lbs of treated wood as my roof of the pergola and it will be attached to the house the other will be 2 each 6 x 6 post in concrete in the ground.  I wanted to hang a swing between the 6 x 6 post (350 lbs max weight).  My span between 6 x 6 post is 12 ft center to center.  I have 2 x 12 x 20 bolted on each side of the 6 x 6 post.  I wanted to hang my swing from that.

Will my structure work?  Will 6 X 6 post handle 1,466 lbs plus swing 350 lbs?
Is this structure design sound for this application?


texts: How to wire LED light to old wiring layout

texts:
Bought a new LED strip light to replace an old fluorescent  light. After removing the old light I'm left with 3 grey cables coming from the ceiling.There are 3 copper ground wires are all sleeved into a single cable, 3 red wires ending in a connector, and 3 loose black wires (see diagram and photos below). There are 2 switches to operate the old light.

How would I go about connecting the the old wires to the new LED light which has just a brown L, green/yellow and blue N cable using a connector?

The biggest problem I'm having is identifying which is the live wire as it isn't marked and I don't own a multi-meter or voltage tester. Would it be possible to trial and error which wire is live after I figure out how it is wired, would this cause any damage to anything (LED light) or would it simply flip the breaker?


texts: OK to not vertically center TV wall mounting plate?

texts:
I have recently purchased this TV which I am hoping to wall mount (with an articulating arm):

https://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-55UK7700PUD-4k-uhd-tv

Per the specs, the TV is compatible with VESA 300x300 mounts. Take a look at the 4th and 6th images at the link above, and you may notice my problem. Any mount that extends to fit 400x400 (or more), if installed perfectly centered with the mount points, will run into the protruding part at the bottom of the TV. I haven't yet found a mount that would fit my TV that wouldn't require such an extension.

It seems that X-style mounts are out of the question. My question is if I get a rectangular-style mount with a 400x400 extension, would there be any long-term issues (stress, etc.) with mounting it above-center vertically, where I would use the "400mm" points at the bottom of the mount and "200mm" points at the top of the mount? For example, just to pick a mount, if I were to get something like https://www.amazon.com/Mounting-Dream-Bracket-Articulating-400x400mm/dp/B00QOOZ4DE, could this be (properly) installed on the TV above?


texts: Help with double leak at Toilet Supply in flat please

texts:
Could anyone here please offer any advice on how to troubleshoot/fix 2 separate leaks I have in my flat in the two positions shown below?
The first leak spurts out of the top of the nut at the connector and the second is a drip seemingly coming from the large grey connectors behind the wall. Turning off the supply valve stops the leaks.
Thanks alot


texts: Adding an outlet in a water heater closet

texts: I have a closet in my garage which currently contains my water shutoff valve and a natural gas water heater.  I'm planning on adding a whole-house water filter that requires a little bit of power (36w max) so I put a GFCI outlet in the closet and ran 12/2 NM cable up into the attic.  Now, there's a closet on the other side of the wall where my outlet is that contains two power circuits, but they're used for a different purpose (media closet) so I was planning on tying into a outlet in the attic that's off of the branch circuit marked "garage" on my breaker box.  Does this make the most logical sense?  It's a bit more work but it seems the most logically consistent to me.  My garage is supposedly GFCI protected as well, but I can't be 100% sure since I don't have a wiring diagram, hence why I added another GFCI outlet in the circuit.  Am I off in my thinking on this?  Edit: I also put the outlet maybe 3-4 feet off the ground just to add in a safety margin for the natural gas, in case there's a leak.


texts: I need to install a 30 amp breaker for an electric washer dryer that requires 230 volts in a 40 amp modern fuse panel box for a apartment. The box is fused with a 40 amp main breaker within an apartment house in the NY area serviced by Con Edison. One existing breaker is a dedicated 20 amp circuit for the 220 Air conditioner.  I am hoping that I can mount a dial switch on the wall beside the panel (with a licensed electrician) that will allow only one unit to operate at a time with the correct amperage breaker for each unit to make sure safe conditions are maintained. I do not want to use any kind of knife switch or a generator transfer switch if at all possible. Thank you for your help.


texts: How to safely and neatly demo a block wall?

texts:
My neighbor and I have a cinder block wall between us. The wall is leaning towards her side of the property. She has planter beds next to the wall.
What tools and technique would I use to neatly demo the block wall...I.e. Remove the cinderblocks from top down individually so that we won't damage the planter beds?
update
The wall is not part of our residence. It is a freestanding wall.
I'm not sure if it is filled with concrete. How can I tell? Just try to demo a block from the top?


texts:
I used Howard’s Wood Polish and Conditioner to clean some grime but it seems to have turned the portion I cleaned orange possibly stripping the initial layer of color
I wanted to see what folks recommended that don’t involve a lot of effort to fix.


texts: I think I may have fixed my boiler but how could this have helped?

texts:
I am an unbelievably "low confidence" DIYer, having only ever rented properties, which limits the stuff you're supposed to do, for liability reasons.

However, we had a boiler issue where it was making horrible cthonic gurgling noises and then switching off, with the fault lights blinking.

When I called the manufacturer's helpline, the automated message suggested it might be the "condensation pipe". Once I realised no-one was ever going to answer, I went down, and located what I think was the correct pipe.

This black plastic pipe runs out of where the boiler is on the top floor all the way around the corner and. On the end it was just an open pipe hole leading into the drain. I noticed there was a blob of ice covering part of the end of the pipe so I snapped it off.

I then tried to restart the boiler, with no real hope, as the pipe was incredibly long and I had no way to check if there was a proper ice blockage further up. It started fine and all the radiators began to heat up.

Could this have fixed it, or was it just coincidence? What I don't understand is why just removing a relatively small block of ice from the end of the pipe could have solved this.

If it actually got better because the daytime is warmer than the night, I'm worried it will freeze again this evening.


texts: Why do the outlets in my solar-powered cottage read "open ground"?

texts:
My 5000W pure-sine inverter has its metal shell grounded via lug to a #6 copper wire that goes to ground about 4 ft. away.  The leads go to a combiner box that is grounded to the same ground.  Besides that, I have an additional ground outside where my breaker box is located in the cottage.  That wire is attacked to the grounding bar of the box.
All outlets, including the two 110v outlets on the inverter read "open ground" with my Klein Receptacle Tester.
The cottage is wired for a 220v, 6500w generator with a NEMA L14-30P plug for the generator, carrying two 110v lines, two neutrals and a ground wire.  The generator is on rubber wheels, yet when I connect the generator to the cottage, the receptacle tester indicates it is wired properly without "open ground" even before I put an additional ground to the fuse box in the cottage.
As a novice, I have no understanding of what is causing this.  Is it the inverter?


texts:
I currently live with my parents, who like the thermostat rather cold during the winter (My room is 16C right now), and its not even December yet in NY. What steps can I take to properly insulate my room? My room has 3 windows that used to have argon (A noble gas) that mitigated temperature, but it has long since vanished, although I do have closing shudders in its place, which helps mitigate thermal losses, although, even with the shudders closed, I can still feel cool air around the closed shudders, indicating that this is not as good of a thermal insulator as I would like it to be. I also have a closet, which is normally at the temperature of the rest of the house. This and there is a slit under my door (As there are in most doors), which will allow air from the rest of the house to cool air in my room, although I do have concerns that it also might protect against carbon dioxide buildup from breathing.

There are several relevant factors that should be taken into account:

1) Most of the insulation should be passive (I can't change the thermostat, obviously)

2) I need to insulate against the exterior environment, and the cooler interior environment (Expected interior temperatures of around 16C constantly)

3) I don't have a huge budget, so I can't do large projects (Not would my parents look kindly on that, although I can do things like putting a plastic layer over the windows to try and add a poor thermal conduction layer to slow down heat transfer)


texts: 120 volts on the metal for the breaker box

texts: There is 120 volts on the metal box for my breaker box The box is 100 amp. What are some reasons for this to happen.


texts: Can I wire a receptacle to a cord and plug?

texts:
I am planning to add a recessed wall box for my TV so I can put the connections behind its wall mount. Most of these boxes come with a pass-through of some sort as well as a spot for a single-gang receptacle.

I'd like to put a 20A (NEMA 5-20R) receptacle here, so I don't need to run the power cable very far, but I'd also like for it to be surge protected.

I know I can get surge-protected receptacles, but given the consumable nature of a surge protector, I'd rather wire the receptacle to a cord-and-plug termination (a NEMA 5-20P) and plug it into my existing surge protector.

I'm having trouble finding if there is a code-compliant (NEC 2014 or 2017, which my jurisdiction will soon adopt) way to do this.

My current thought is to wire this receptacle only to another receptacle so they form an isolated circuit. Then, I get a cord, doubly-terminated with NEMA 5-20P ends and I plug one end into the "other" receptacle and the other end into the surge protector.


texts: My toilet tank has orange a lot of orange stuff in the bottom.  I tried flushing it over & over, but the orange stuff doesn't come out.  What should I do?


texts: I recently found out that one of the posts which support my roof is free to move around. The post bracket had rusted out and came out. Is there any way I can glue a post bracket to the concrete using concrete epoxy, then shim the post up back to the original height? The post is 5.5” x 5.5” x ~16’ tall.


texts: How can I install an on/off indicator for a lighting circuit?

texts:
We installed smart lights that work with Alexa/Google Home. The problem is that when the lights are off, we don't know if they are off because the (3-way) switch is off or because we voiced them off.
I'm thinking a good solution would be to install a tiny LED light somewhere that would signal whether the switch is physically on or off? Any suggestions on how to insert an tiny LED indicator light somewhere along a circuit. E.g. I'm open to adding another gang to the junction box.
What's a good way to insert some indicator light into a line-voltage circuit?


texts: Install Honeywell RPLS740B with three-way switches (disable three-way?)

texts:
I would like to add a Honeywell RPLS740B to a circuit with two three-way switches to control four outside lights.  I realize the RPLS740B is not compatible with a three-way circuit, but my question is if it is possible to wire it such that three-way switching is "disabled" but the circuit still works with the timer?  For example:

I have identified the switch on the line side, fed by a two-wire cable from the panel.  Can I install the timer in place of this switch and tie the load side of the timer with both travelers leaving the box?  It seems to me that the timer would then power both of the travelers and the outside lights would be on with the timer regardless of the position of the second (load-side) three-way switch.  I would be OK with that compromise (i.e., loose three-way functionality from second switch).

Is it safe to tie the travelers together?  This would obviate the need to cap any wires.

Is an alternative to cap the red traveler, install the timer in place of the first line-side three-way, and use the black wires throughout the circuit?  This would leave the second load-side three way as a dummy?

Is there another option?


texts:
I patched a hole in my wall. Now I am going to paint. My walls have a slight texture to them. I think it's a pretty common type of texturing; very subtle.
How can I match this texture?
Preferably a manual way since it's a small hole (baseball size). But if I need a product that would be helpful information also.


texts: How should I replace this ABS p-trap and drain?

texts:
I just replaced a faucet and drain on a sink which involved taking out and reinstalling the p-trap. When removing the p-trap I noticed the union nut was very tight. After my re-installation - hand tight - it leaked. Adding a bit of pipe dope and tightening a bit more with a wrench I heard some subtle creaking/(cracking?) and it's still leaking slowly. I'm assuming something may have cracked and I'm ok with replacing it if necessary, but some questions:

How do I know if something cracked and needs replacing?
Should I replace just the p-trap side of the drain with the union nut or cut away and replace the connector on the wall side as well?
If replacing the connector on the wall side, what parts should I use and how should I do the install? I dislike the way that things are cemented since it means cutting a little more pipe each time I need to do a replacement.


texts: Using 12/3 wire to run a different outlets in a kitchen

texts: I am running 12/3 wire into 3 kitchen outlets. In my panel box I had an electican deciate two 20amp breakers for the red hot wire and black hot wire. I have connected the black wire to 2 different outlets and are working great. I need another outlet using the red hot wire. So, my question is I know that the red is hot so do I just connect it to the other reds and continue my circuit to the third outlet? Then do I also connect to the 2nd outlet white and neutral wires on the last outlet to finish the circuit?


texts: Is "cutting in" necessary when painting vinyl siding?

texts:
I watched a video that sugggested using a smaller roller first, to "cut in" under the fold of the siding:

Then they used a larger roller for the whole width of the segment of siding.  Do I have to use the smaller roller first as in the video?  If so, please explain the purpose and what exactly I need to do to the edge of the roller for going under that little fold, or what exactly to buy as a roller cover.

My siding is vinyl but the shape looks similar to the video.  The long horizontal things are a little bit less wide than in the video.


texts: What is a quick and easy way to disable a door so you can no longer use it?

texts:
I have a two story home with a one story garage attached. The garage has a flat roof. I can access the roof through a door in my upstairs bedroom. At one time the garage roof had a fence around the perimeter. It was secured improperly to the roof and caused water damage inside the garage and another room. The fence was removed and the roof repaired. The door access is considered a safety issue (for a mortgage refinance) and must be removed or made inaccessible. I don't have the funds to put up a fence.

Any suggestions?


texts: 3-way switch AND sgl pole dimmer in one gang

texts: I have a problem...I only have room for a single gang box.  Currently a 3-way switch resides there.  We need to add a single pole, dimmer switch to the box.  Isn't there a fan switch that would house what I need?  BTW, the dimmer is going to supply voltage to undercabinet LED lights.


texts: When should pipe dope vs thread tape be used?

texts:
For threaded plumbing connections, you typically use pipe dope or thread tape (aka teflon tape). Are there situations when one is preferred over another? Does the size of the pipe, type of pipe, part being connected, or other variable make a difference in the selection?

Note, this assumes you aren't using both at the same time.


texts:
I recently moved into a new house. I was trying to test out the sprinkler system. I turned on the sprinkler valve in the utility room. I also turned on the valve on the backflow device (I think - never done this before). When they are both open the backflow device sprays water everywhere. In the video below I have it only slightly turned on so the spray is much less than full blast.

Am I opening the valves incorrectly? Is the backflow device broken? Or is it something else?

Video of issue: https://youtu.be/FHcr1fxBZqk

Backflow picture:


texts: How do I mate two 2x6s together to make a 4x6 beam?

texts: I need to make (3) 4×6×12 beams and (2) 4x6x10 beams for an acquaintance  who is building a lean-to horse shelter. What type of fastener should I use and how many? Must I use adhesive and if so what type?


texts: How can I easily verify that appliance housings are grounded properly?

texts:
I'm looking for an easy way to verify that the metal casing of appliances are grounded, such as a range, without needing to disconnect and pull them out.
If I use a multimeter set to continuity and place one probe on a wall plate screw (that I know for sure is grounded), and the other probe to the metal frame, is this a safe way to check that there is a complete ground connection that meets at the panel? I know this won't verify that the wiring is sufficient, but just checking for a complete connection right now.
The meter itself, on continuity mode, puts out about 0.12mA and 0.5volts.
Thanks for any comments.


texts: How to isolate heat from oven towards refrigerator?

texts:
While trying to take minor steps towards reducing the electricity consumption at our home, on an online forum (sorry can't recall the original source) I read that if the oven and the fridge are close to each other, the heat from the oven will make the fridge work harder and therefore use more energy -- this make immediate sense to me!

At home we have a setup where these two devices are close to each other, and there is no good isolation from the oven towards the fridge. What is the best way that I can isolate the heat radiating from the oven?

I thought of using styrofoam between the two devices, other suggestions included a big metal (steel) plate? Any other alternatives? What's best?


texts: 3 phase (delta) power to single phase space heater

texts: I bought a 240V single phase, space heater for heating up a warehouse space.  The warehouse has 240V power in a delta configuration (no neutral).  My understanding is that in a delta configuration, the line voltage between any two phases is the same as the phase voltage, in this case, 240V.  So I should be able to wire the the heater between any two lines, right?


texts: What is causing my circuit breaker to trip instantly and trip the next breaker too? Update - Video Added

texts:
One of my circuit breaker trips instantly.

I try to reset it but it trips immediately and trips the breaker under  it too.

I can reset the break next to it and it is fine until I try to reset the problem breaker again.

Could the breaker itself be bad? and if so could I swap it out myself?

How would I find which outlets, light, fans are powered by this possibly bad breaker?

Update: I added a video showing the exact issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOfW-rqeqkM


texts: What amount of shingle overhang on a rake side is acceptable?

texts:
A contractor is telling me that his roofer always installs shingles with "this amount" of overhang, yet I am hard pressed to find similar installs in my neighborhood.  The box of shingles states 1/2" overhang with  a drip edge, 3/4" without.  The amount of overhang on my new screened in porch is 2".  I have read on forums that anything 1" and under is acceptable and typically passes inspection.  I live in Ohio; not in a high wind area.
I am done dealing with the contractor; it just not worth the energy or the arguing.  If I choose to fix this myself, is it worth trimming the shingles back to 1/2" or should I take my chances with heat causing the shingles to bend or wind ripping them off?


texts: What is this piece of the window called?

texts:
My window is missing a bit of plastic. I would like to replace it, but do not know what it is called to search for a replacement part.

Here is a picture showing a window that is missing the piece

Here is a picture showing a window that isn't missing the piece

The windows are manufactured by Window World.


texts: Are hairline cracks in basement concrete floor a problem - no water coming in

texts: I notice quite a few hairline crack in my basement concrete floor. I've lived here for 14 years and no water has come up through the cracks. The townhouse was built in 1999 (so it is not a new pour). I don't know if the cracks have been getting worse or not; I just didn't notice them before, but maybe they were always there. Is this something I should get fixed (how)? Or is it possible that they won't get any worse and water is unlikely to ever come in, if it has not come in yet.


texts: Crushed cinder block a substitute for crushed stone?

texts: I have two projects and I'm hoping there's a synergy between them. The first project is the demolition of a small cinder block wall that has just been completed. The second project is building a retaining wall out of stone. Question: can I smash the cinder blocks with a sledge hammer and use the result as a foundation for the retaining wall instead of modified crushed stone? If the answer is yes, that would save me the cost of dumping the cinderblocks and the cost of getting the crushed stone.


texts: Can you put a whole house fan in an attic if you live in it?

texts:
We live in the top two floors of an old brownstone in NYC.  It gets CRAZY hot on our top floor, which is really the attic of the house, but where we have our three bedrooms and one bath.  It's also poorly insulated.  The front two rooms have dormer windows and the back bedroom and bathroom have only skylights.  There is also one window on one side of the house (the wall on the other side is against neighboring building's wall).

We are very low on cash or I would install a mini-split system.  Researching whole house fans, they seem like a great option for us, but I can't figure out how we could do this if we live in our attic.  Also our stairwells from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th floors are pretty open.

The ground floor and 2nd floor of the building have separate studio apartments; we have our door on the 2nd floor landing, so the landing is also part of our living space.

I hope someone has an idea, I can't find anything about this on the web!


texts: May i use this flush mount conduit clamp side mount horizontally?

texts: Is it against nec code, to use this clamp the way the picture shows it for my emt 1/2" conduit to make a T connection?  The hole would be against the 2/6 vertically with a screw into it and fits perfectly regardless that this was made for fitting between a beam.  There isnt another ceiling hanging clamp besides garvin industry which i could put a shim behind it to make the T clamp connection to hold the 1/2" emt hanging conduit? A third simple solution since my conduit is less than five feet and has an outlet at both ends...Could i use just one regular clamp that is within 3 ft of both. Sorry for being a little paranoid...just want to clarify with the experts. Appreciate the insights. Thank u larry


texts: Is GA shorthand for AWG (American Wire Gauge)?  Someone seemed to use the terms interchangeably in this question and then never let me know if they were interchangeable terms.


texts: Main Panel with separated neutral and ground

texts: A customer of mine had a friend wire his basement. He did a neat job, but when I opened up the mailnpanel to add a circuit, I noticed he had installed ground bars and separated them from the neutral bus bars. The neutral and grounds are not connected at all (like you would do in a sub panel). I talked to the guy about it and he said, "it is an isolated ground system which is better for electronics." I cannot find any info on where this is legitimate. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.


texts: framing in a new doorway and split out the bottom plate. now what?

texts: I framed in a new doorway on a load bearing wall.  All went well until i stupidly decided to toenail the jack stud into the bottom plate, but after I had cut out the entry from the bottom plate.  the result was a split bottom plate.  I PVA glued and clamped it back together, but will the inspector be satisfied?  is there some sort of bracket I can use to fix this?  what other options do I have?


texts:
So I've gotten one of those wifibulbs that you can change the color through an app and all that.

My problem was that it works with table lamps and standing lamps but it doesn't with the hanging pendant (I guess that's how a room lamp is called?). The bulb comes with an e-27 end and it also has an e-14 adapter which I bought it for the pendant. I've tried the adapter and it works fine in one of my lamps, so it's not that.

Actually there are three hanging pendants, and I was going to use only one. I have used it 2 empty and one with a different bulb and by that I know it's not because of not using the three sockets.

I don't know what could be wrong, what do you think?

P.S all the rooms have those types of pendants.


texts: How important is carpet warranty when determining which to pick?

texts:
I have a quote, one from a big name national store and one from a local carpet store, the specs i.e. face weight, thread twist, density, etc are exactly the same, both are made from nylon, etc.  However, one has a 25/15/15 warranty while the other has 10/7/7.  And both are comparable in price.

My questions are:

  How is it possible the warranties are so different if all other stats are equal.
  How much difference does the longer warranty make in terms of
  quality of carpet?


texts: What size drill bit do I need for a 3/16" plastic anchor in tile?

texts:
And yes, the obvious answer is 3/16" ... that doesn't work.

I'm installing a towel rod and hook in a bathroom that is fully tiled. The instructions with the rod & hook both said to drill a 3/16" hole for the included anchors, so I bought a Rigid 3/16" diamond tile drill bit. Drilling the first two holes went great, until I tried to fit the anchor in. Didn't fit.

Generally with drywall, the anchor is a little bigger than the hole, and you just force it in and it works fine. There's no give with the tile though.

For reference, I grabbed a caliper and started measuring things. 3/16" is 0.1875" The holes I drilled with the 3/16" bit are actually 0.225" and the widest part of the anchor is 0.245" -- almost 1/4"!

As a secondary question -- assuming I get get the right size bit -- am I going to run into trouble trying to make these holes larger? If so, is there a better way you can think of to mount the hook with the two 0.225" holes I already have?


texts: Our toilet suddenly started sounding like a foghorn, periodically.  Does this mean air in the waterline?  If not, what is going on?  What can we do about it (it is really loud!)?


texts: How to support existing above garage-door storage platform?

texts:
I recently bought a house that has above the garage-door storage.

This is hanging from the roof, which means that if you look at the house from the street you can see very faint waviness because the 2x6s supporting the roof that the garage hangs from are unsightly. In talking to our home inspector he suggested it wasn't a structural problem but just a "it might be nice to fix" issue. It is 1/2 mounted off another support beam running the length of the garage, only the cantilevered part is hanging from the garage.

Some pictures to better explain

Side view:

There a total of 6 of these supports, in three groups:

I'd like to better support this. The garage door is awkward, though, because I can't just put a support under the corners of the platform.

Is there a good approach to supporting this? My gut is to run a beam across the edge furthest from the existing support and support this from the floor of the garage. It's about 20 feet across and I'm not sure I can get a solid 20' continuous beam up there without hacking pieces apart, whether disassembling the garage door or taking supports off entirely. I could then fasten the floor up to the beam.

Putting a beam under the platform will give me minimal space (if you look at the first image you can see how close to the bottom of the platform the garage door comes).

I'd guesstimate it only really has to support 500-1000 more pounds than the platform, for storage purposes and supporting the weight of someone being up there.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Hoping to avoid taking most of it down..


texts: Can anyone tell me what this little white box on my outlet is?

texts: Recently bought a house that's about 40 years old.  The previous owner was clearly very fond of doing the wiring himself and has left me some idiosyncrasies to work out.  One is this box in one of my bedrooms.  No idea what it is, or is supposed to do but I see extra wires coming straight out of the sheet rock on the bottom of it.  Can anyone tell me what it is?


texts: The pilot is lit but when the main burner ignites it immediately goes out. It had been working fine all season and just developed this issue. Is there a thermocouple or thermopile sensor to keep the flow of gas going to the main burner?


texts: How do I replace weather strips on our outside doors?

texts:
We have a rather annoying cat who has scratched all of our outside doors and ripped the weather stripping with her claws.

How do I go about replacing this stripping and are there any weather strips on the market that may be less prone to being torn up in the future?


texts:
My townhome has a rooftop deck. A waist-high wall about 10 feet long separates it from my neighbor's deck. The other walls are taller, maybe shoulder height (~5 feet).

I would like to construct some sort of barrier, at least 6 feet tall, in front of the shorter wall, for privacy between me and my neighbor, as well as for blocking wind. My initial thought was bamboo, which would look great. However, it can get very windy where I live—up to 70 mph, although this is rare (~30 mph is more typical). The higher walls of my deck of course block some of this wind, but on super windy days, my deck furniture gets tossed around, so the wind felt on the deck can be significant.

I'm wondering what my options are. Ideally, it would stand up to normal windy days (up to 30 or even 50 mph).


texts: How should I repair small tears in the kraft paper insulation caused while running a new water line?

texts:
While installing new electrical and water drops my wire snake (and pipe deburer) poked though and tore the paper face of the insulation above my bathroom.  As this area is likely to see a lot of moisture, I' worried using masking tape, or a tape made out of a different barrier material like tyvek will provide an uneven penetrance and possible build up of water vapor in some areas.

Is there a proper way to tape or repair the barrier such that it still lets the room 'breath' properly while protecting from condensate?

Is there something more cost effective than Tyvek tape? and is that even appropriate over kraft paper?

Related: Should I repair the kraft paper vapor barrier after remodeling work?

Related: Is torn kraft paper vapor retarder in the attic a problem?


texts: How to repair leaking blower / air exchanger in attic?

texts:
Earlier this summer I went up into my attic to retrieve something, and was surprised to feel a cool draft.  I discovered that a gap had developed between two portions of the big metal box that distributes cold (or hot) air throughout my house. (This box apparently contains both the blower, and the gas heater.)  From the first picture below, you can see that a wire-mesh fabric had been pasted down with this white stuff that eventually cured to form a seal.  But over time the seal here broke.  In fact, it looks like some settling may have occurred, and the unit shifted about a centimeter to the right.  (This is at what I'll call the "far left end" of the air exchanger.)

This was installed about 2 years ago, when my previous unit died. The installers placed it on some styrofoam blocks, which are themselves sitting on a sheet of plywood.  However, at the far right-- the opposite end from the broken seal-- they missed the plywood; there the styrofoam blocks are sitting on top of blown-in insulation, which is pretty much worthless as a foundation.  (See second picture.)  However, this overhang of weight is so small-- it itself is just a styrofoam duct junction-- that I doubt that it caused the shift.  (There are styrofoam blocks every 12 inches or so for the entire length of the unit.)

So, my question is: is this something that an inexperienced DIYer should tackle, or is there any reason why it would be best left to a professional?  And if it is reasonable to DIY, what is that white material that failed?  Should I buy more of it, or go with something else?


texts: What are the consequences to laying continuous floating floor without using transitioning pieces?

texts: I have a manufactured home with OSB subfloor, to install another subfloor for hardwood would cause a lot of problems. I want a continuous floating floor with no transitioning pieces and I want to know what are the common problems.  Is it done in long, continuous installations? The length is 28' ft x 22' ft (living & dining) reducing to 13' x 17' (kitchen) and then to 8' x 10' laundry, then to 16'x 3' foyer.


texts: Can I tilt a window air conditioner at 15 degrees when not in use?

texts:
I'm trying to design a frame for a window ac that will allow me to easily move the unit in and out of the window. (mostly for security reasons - I want to be able to close the window properly at night.)
Here's my current design: the unit will sit in a frame that is attached above the window to hinges, I should be able to swing the unit in and out easily.
(If I'm not being clear, imagine an ac unit stuck in a awning window. When you swing the window open the unit clears the window frame - that's roughly what I'll achieve with the frame I'm building. In my case I have a sliding window, so when the unit is no longer in the window I can close the window properly.)

Here's my question, how much of an angle can the unit be kept at. Obviously the unit won't be running while it is at an angle, but a quick search shows that even storing a unit sideways can damage it.
I'll be keeping the unit at a roughly 15 degree angle (according to my current design) for extended periods - sometimes just overnight and sometimes for perhaps weeks. I want to be able to slip the unit back into the window when I want, and turn it on right away. Can anybody tell me whether such an idea will damage the unit?
Thanks


texts: I recently changed my water filter in my fridge after 3 years (I know, gross). The directions said to run at least 20 cups of water through the dispenser afterwards to clear out air bubbles. I have run about 20 gallons through, and I'm still getting little black particles in the water.  Is this charcoal, from the filter, and safe to drink, or is it something else?


texts: Can a recessed IC-rated housing be in contact with nonmetallic sheathed cable?

texts:
I have recently installed 8 of these 5 inch insulation contact rated remodler housings in my kitchen.  Two of the holes I made were close to an existing nonmetallic sheathed cable (NM) running through the ceiling, and I believe that the outside of the housing may be in direct contact with the NM cable.

Is this going to be an issue (i.e. do I have to be worried about the NM cable melting and starting a fire), or am I okay because the housing is IC-rated?  In case it matters I plan on using 75 watt halogen bulbs in the housings.

I also placed the housing in contact with the paper facing of the insulation in the ceiling, but I assume this will not be a problem since the housing is IC-rated, correct?


texts: One half of my mobile home electrical won't work

texts:
I was switching out a couple of switches when I bumped two of the wires, they sparked and popped. Now on one whole side of the mobile home the outlets and switches won't work.

I checked the breakers and they're all good. So I unwired everything I did, but it still wont work.

Is it a broken breaker or what?


texts:
I’m running some networking cable from my attic to my basement (only going through one main level). The best place to run the cabling takes me through an old covered up door (closet) frame on the way down. It was closed off when the house was renovated before we bought it.

I have the holes drilled up from the basement and down from the attic, but about 10-12” down, there is what I assume to be an old header. I have verified that they did not add additional framing in the former doorway with a stud finder. There is no electrical, water, or HVAC  in that wall.

This metal mesh/material is getting in my way. Can anyone add advice?  This is looking with an endoscope straight down from the attic.

Thanks!


texts: How to secure a jack wall to an existing wall?

texts: I built the walls of my 12' x 12' shed before deciding what type of roof I wanted. Now I'm left with the problem of how to secure the roof to the lower walls. If I build a jack wall as shown below (image probably from this video), how would I secure the bottom plate of the jack wall to the top plate of the lower wall? I don't want the joint between the walls to be the weak link against wind.


texts: Our water bill tripled last month. For the past year or so, two of our toilets make a leaking sound and a hissing sound. We had a friends plumber come and fix it and it seems to have only made the situation worse. The picture (screenshot is the video) shows what it’s now doing. Even though the toilet is full, every minute or two, it makes noise like water is running. What’s happening?


texts: In touch up painting, do you have to worry about the border between the existing paint and the newly touched up area?

texts:
If you have a perfectly painted wall (primed and then two coats of paint).  And it has dried for weeks...

If you then painted/touch up a portion of that same wall with the same paint from the same bucket, will this area seem darker?  (Note: The area that needs to be touched up has spackle and/or joint compound on it.)

Or should that part of the wall essentially be the same color.

I guess another way to ask this question is, if the wall is nicely painted, and then you paint on more coats on select parts of the wall, will those parts look darker?

In theory it should look the same right? Because the 2 coats would make the wall the pure color of the paint...and then adding a 3rd coat should not make it darker because the 3rd coat should just dry to the same color right?