texts: Are these joists deep enough for the joist spacing / beam spacing I am planning on my deck?

texts:
I'm building a deck in the garden, have planned, purchased and started building the deck. I've been laying out some joists on the support beams (wider timbers bolted onto the posts) that I've temporarily put in position, and I'm slightly worried that the joists I have purchased are not going to be strong enough. They feel firm enough when laid out as a test, I just don't want problems a couple of months / years down the line.

On the not so worrying side:

The timbers were listed at the merchant as joists. They don't flex significantly when I stand on a single joist and jump up and down a bit, and when I've laid a couple of decks across as pictured and stand on the deck, it doesn't feel springy.

I have enough timbers to lay the joists with 220mm centres, which seems pretty close.

The deck board I have is quite good quality - 32mm thickness.

What's worrying me:

The only thing that is really worrying me is that they 'look' a bit on the thin side, and everything I've looked up online seems to reference minimum 6 inch joist depths.

Measurements:

Max spacing across main support beams: 900mm

Joist spacing center to centre: 220mm

Joist with: 50mm

Joist depth: 75mm

Picture:

I have read that "In general terms, joists spaced 16 inches on centre can span 1.5 times in feet their depth in inches". If this is true, they should be able to span about 1300mm, I'm only attempting 900mm. I hope that's right!

Any advice appreciated.


texts: What is minimum height a wall junction box must be from ceiling?

texts: i would like to raise my wall light a bit (moving box in the process).  How high from the ceiling must it be?


texts: Dealing with inaccessible carcass under pier and beam house

texts:
We recently had 3 days of rain which were accompanied by a terrible odor. After confirming that it wasn't a sewage problem, I've determined that something took advantage of my recent siding work to crawl under my house and die.

I'm used to dragging dead things out from under my house, but not only can I not find this carcass, I think the rain spread it around underneath the house.

What kinds of things can I do to eliminate the odor of rotting animal? ...quick lime? ...something else?

The matter of water movement under the house is another issue...


texts: What is the widest door I should buy if my rough opening is 65½" wide?

texts:
I'm replacing a front door with sidelights on either side. My rough opening is 65½" wide.

What would be the widest door I can purchase? Can I buy a unit that is wider, i.e. 73½"?


texts: Shut-off valve fitting waxed hemp vs unwaxed hemp vs teflon tape?

texts:
EDIT: Or some of those combinated?

What is the best method and why, and what is the proper way to apply?


texts:
I primarily use the right sink which has a garbage disposal. Maybe this isn't a good idea? Anyway, I notice that when soapy water goes down the right sink drain, sometimes the bubbles go up the left sink drain and start coming out the strainer into the sink bowl. My assumption is that I can improve the sink plumbing to eliminate that problem.
Here's a few pics of the current plumbing:

My question is this: what is the pipe on the left side that appears to have a plug or cap on it? Is it possible for me to unplug it, then plumb the left sink to that pipe, and then plumb the right sink to the right pipe, thus having two waste pipes?


texts: I need to add a subpanel for my electric car, need to know wire gauge/breaker for main

texts:
My new car needs a charge station that will run off a 60 amp circuit breaker.  I have plenty of room for the added load in my 200 amp service to the house, but not enough spaces to fit a new double pole breaker in the box (apparently I went cheap/small when I installed it 15 years ago when I was young and dumb- LOL).  I have several double poles in there (some that stay off 99% of the time like the one for the generator) and used tandems to replace the circuits we removed to make room for those, but there are not any more tandem spots in the box.  Our plan is to remove 2 15 amp breakers and add a double pole breaker in their place to run to the new subpanel, then have those 2 15 amp circuits and the new 60 amp circuit breaker in the new sub-panel.  Total max load in the subpanel would be 90 amps if everything is on at the same time and drawing full power.

I'm just double checking that I am correct that we need a 100 amp panel and 100 amp breaker in the main box to run the panel off of.  We have about 2 feet of #6 wire left from a previous project, can we use this from the main to the sub panel or do i need #2 or #3 gauge? The sub panel is only about 12 inches from the main.


texts:
I did a very dumb thing and put my cast iron gas stove grates in the oven during a short (2 hour) self-cleaning cycle. Not only did I melt off the rubber feet but the iron is now gray and ashy looking which won't come off with a scrubby. I tried to purchase new ones but the cost is prohibitive. (I did buy replacement rubber feet which were ridiculously priced too). Has anyone had luck with painting grates with high temp paint?  Any other suggestions? Thanks!

UPDATE 5/22 Before attempting to paint the grates, my husband rubbed them vigorously with fine steel wool, which removed the white ashy film. Although the tops are still a bit worn from daily use, at least the white film and greasy spots are gone and the grates look almost new.  I also replaced the rubber feet.  Thank you to those who responded.


texts: What is the best position to put my Air Conditioner?

texts:
I have a problem. I have no idea where I should put the air conditioner to maximize it's effect. Here's a floor plan:

I'd love if the AC could cool down the whole floor, but that's not going to be possible because there isn't gonna be enough air flow (I think). What's a good position to put it into?


texts: Would EVA foam under the carpet (for sound proofing) be a fire risk?

texts: I'd like to put some EVA foam under the carpet (above the floorboards) on the first floor bedroom of my house, to dampen the sound of foot steps. The fire safety building regulations (section B2) say that the provisions do not apply to upper layers of floors since they don't play a major part in the spread of fires. Does that mean it is ok to use or is there something else I am missing?


texts: ARC fault breaker trips won’t stay on. Then does without a fix to wires

texts: A flying squirrel entered finished attic. When light switch was switched on, ARC fault circuit blew. It kept blowing, would not stay on. Assumed squirrel had chewed wires. They do that. When each leg of wires was tested to find the damaged leg in need of rewriting, all legs worked without blowing ARC fault breaker. Power leg on its own worked, and the wires between the three way switches did not trip the ARC fault breaker, and then the switch leg wire to the lights from both switches that light up two sets of ceiling lights all worked without tripping the ARC fault breaker.  And the lights are back on working with no ARC fault breaker interruption. What could explain this situation? Can the integrity of the system be trusted?  Should a new ARC fault breaker be tried?


texts: What size RPBP/RPZ should I use for a 3/4" city water meter?

texts:
A friend has a 3/4" (0.75") water meter at their 1.3 ac property. We want to do some fertigation with their irrigation so we're looking at a Reduced Pressure Backflow Preventer. The main line for the irrigation and hose bibs is going to be 1.5" PVC.

What size RPBP/RPZ should we use?

I was thinking that since I'm using the 1.5" mainline that we'd need a 1.5" RPBP/RPZ, but I feel like that's overkill given the 3/4" meter.

Thanks for any guidance on this. I don't want to get a mega overkill system going, but do want it to not be overly throttled and lead to irrigation issues down the line. Thanks!


texts: extra thermostat, electric dampers and 1 furnace

texts:
I have a problem similar to others that have posted: balancing heating/cooling throughout the house. I have already played with adjusting the vent's air flow as well as the manual dampers in the basement runs.... nothing seems to work sufficiently.

So I am trying to figure out how to add both an extra thermostat for the bedrooms and electric dampers to control the air flow to just the bed rooms when needed. My thought is to install electric dampers on the main level HVAC branches off the main run.

The trick is I need something to help with the very simple logic:

When both thermostats on are, all vents are open.
When The Main is on but bedroom off, all vents remain open.
But when just the bedroom thermostat calls for heat and the main doesn't, the dampers close to redirect the heat to those rooms only.

I have 7 vents in the main house and 5 in the bedrooms. I figure I can install a mechanical damper to control overpressurization if that becomes a problem. The real trick is something to control the logic. The electric dampers will run me around $400 for the 7 that need controlling so even another few hundred would be worth it for comfortable rooms. Any ideas?

EDIT: I have been thinking about this a lot the last few days and have bounced it off some especially handy family members. I think I may have some solutions...

I was thinking about it backwards. I would install dampers that are usually closed vs open. When power is applied, they would open. So when the main house calls for heat, the dampers open and heat goes all over the house (although mainly on the first floor). When the second thermostat in the bedroom calls for heat and the main doesn't the dampers would be closed and heat would pump towards the bedrooms.

It turns out wiring two thermostats in parallel isn't such a big deal as long as they are both set to heat or cool and if I install a backflow damper, I can ensure I don't do damage to the hvac system.

So I just need to wire the main thermostat to not only the furnace but also to a power panel that opens up the dampers

No computer controller needed, right? What am I missing?


texts:
We are in the process of buying a circa 1984 condo. The dryer is not presently vented to the outside, and I do not know if it ever was.  It currently vents inside to a water-filled lint catch basin.
I know this is not compliant with current building codes, except for some special dryer types (condensing?).
Question: I am wondering when the requirement to vent to the outside came into existence.
(A previous house I owned was built in 1989, and it was vented to the outside.  Whether this was required or the builder just did it as good practice I do not know.)
Note: This is an electric dryer, not gas, so CO is not an issue.
Added aerial picture
This is an aerial view of the roof of some of the units (not ours, but all of them are built similarly).  Looks like there's a cluster of 3 metal vents above every 3 unit stack (this is a 3 story condo complex), along with a PVC pipe that's probably the vent stack for the plumbing.  Guess that would make sense, one vent for each condo in the unit?  The kitchen does not have a vent to the outside.  It just uses an over-the-range microwave.

As far as I remember, there are no vents coming out the side/front/back of the condo units.
This is a 2 bathroom unit.  The kitchen is next to one bathroom, and across the hall from the second one and the laundry.
EDIT 2 - Added picture of dryer & vent
Here is a picture of the dryer & its vent from the inspector's report.  I have also reached out to the sellers and the condo association to try to get more information.  I have asked specifically about the "condensing dryer".

Edit 3 - Added response from the condo association manager
Dryer Venting–Please understand that the [Name of Condos] units are ‘stacked’ manufactured Pods from the 80’s.  On original construction, the 2nd and 3rd floor units had the dryers venting into ‘wet-bucket’ venting systems – some of the 3rd floor units were actually vented into the crawlspace area above ... but not through the roofs.  The 1st floor unit were vented into the crawlspaces below. The ‘wet-bucket’ systems for venting the dryers are to code for these units.
I'm not sure what to make of the last sentence.


texts:
Wasn't sure whether to post this on ELU or here, but thought I would have better luck here.  Anyway Merriam Webster defines a Stud Bolt as

  a bolt with threads on both ends designed to be screwed permanently
  into a fixed part at one end and to receive a nut on the other.

Is the first part of the definition - screwed permanently into a fixed part -   always true for a stud bolt?  If so, what do you call the threaded rod that fully penetrates two parts and is attached with a nut on both ends like you would see for piping flanges?


texts: Primer Bulls Eye 123 is peeling off newly flattened walls with AG joint compound

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The problem: Blue painters tape is peeling Zinsser Bulls Eye 1 2 3 primer off the new dry walls.

The project: I removed a fireplace and brick facade and replaced it with new sheet rock covered with it with AG all purpose joint compound. I also flattened the surrounding walls and hallway halls with the same joint compound. The walls were completely dry prior to priming - 4 days to 3 weeks.  Prior to priming the walls were lightly sponged with a very damp sponge to remove dust. I then painted two coats of Bulls Eye 123 primer on all walls.

We needed to texture the 4 inches of ceiling along the new wall - a plastic sheet was taped with blue painters tape to the wall at the ceiling.  When I  removed the  plastic sheet the primer came off with the tape. I have since tested various other parts of all the walls with packing tape. I press the tape onto the wall and peel it off. The tape removes the primer in some spots. Once a spot is created the tape can remove large areas of primer.  (I have subsequently stopped this until I learn more about the problem and how to fix it.)

Might you know why this is happening? More importantly, how do I remedy this problem?


texts:
I used to be able to buy a lumber product at the big-box home-improvement emporium which was like butcher-block side-laminated panel, but made of soft wood (pine? fir?, etc.)

I would like to make some benches with this material. It doesn't need to be hard-wood like real butcher-block (and I don't have the budget for that, either.)  But I don't know what it is called, and Google can't find it if I don't know its name.

The key-words "laminated" and "composite" are apparently applied to different kinds of things. Laminated seems to mean "vertically stacked" (like plywood, etc.) And "composite" refers to things like MDF, chip-board, etc.  What key word am I missing here?


texts: What's the best strategy to reduce moisture in this garage?

texts:
First of all, I know this garage will never be dry. It's a standalone, one car garage built into the side of the hill that my house sits on. It abuts the neighbor's yard, and they have landscaping and flowers they frequently water. My neighbor even says the garage gets more water in it when they water a lot.
Garage http://plk.webimages.s3.amazonaws.com/garage1.JPG

The garage has a rubber roof with two gutters that do not effectively drain water. The aluminum edging is not sealed to the rubber, so I'm guessing most water goes straight down instead of into the gutter. There is brush cover on all 3 sides of the garage.
Gutter closeup http://plk.webimages.s3.amazonaws.com/garage4.JPG

Inside is a concrete floor with some cracks. The walls are unsealed cinder block. Even though it has been dry, you can see how much moisture is here. Should I try and seal the walls with DRYLOK?
Inside garage http://plk.webimages.s3.amazonaws.com/garage2.JPG

My ultimate goal in drying this out is to build a small climbing wall in the garage. It will be 2x4 frame with plywood. I don't mind if it's humid, but I'd prefer that it not smell strongly of mildew. I don't want the wood to rot from moisture.

Plan of attack and open questions:

I have considered digging a trench around the perimeter and installing a simple drain tile system. Is this worthwhile? How deep should I go?
DRYLOK the walls?
Obviously, fix the gutter system and roof.

Anything else I should do?


texts:
I have a new 8.5kW mains fed electric shower (Triton T80z) which is cold in the morning but warm in the evening.

It has a low pressure indicator light on it so I know it's not a pressure problem (unless the light is broken...).

Anyone have any ideas on how to remediate this?

EDIT:
Thanks DDS, some great info and options there. In the morning it doesn't heat the water at all so it comes out at mains temperature. I've fiddled with the settings (both elements on, max temp set etc) but with no difference made.. any ideas on why it'd do that?


texts: Which cheap plywood are suitable for use as siding-and-sheathing?

texts:
I know there are plywoods that are intended for this purpose, with an attractive face and often cut grooves to make it look like board-and-batten or other traditional vertical sidings. T1-11 is a common example. My friend used Breckenridge on his house, with 1x battens over the seams.

However, if I'm not interested in the appearance of fake vertical siding, and will tolerate a less-than-perfect surface, what other plywoods can I use, to save money?

Suppose I pick through the CDX pile and find some with a nicer-than-average C face. Would that work OK in this role?


texts: Skinny pipe entering toilet siphon flush

texts:
The flapper came off on our siphon flush, so I bought a new one.  I fitted it but it was leaking badly.

When I looked properly, I noticed the inner pipe delivering the water to the toilet from the cistern was not flush with siphon flush.  This means the siphon permanently fills up with water as below;

Is that normal? Should the connection not be on the outside of the cistern?


texts: How to strengthen the plastic thread for repeated attaching/detaching of a garden hose?

texts:
My garden hose rack-mount, my shop-vac, etc.. all have a plastic thread to attach a garden hose.

I try hard to hit the thread just right, but sometimes I miss.

This leads me to wonder if I'm not unduly shortening the life of all these devices by not strengthening their plastic tip.

Does there exist a minuscule extension that I would thread permanently on each such plastic tip to turn it into a brass tip one? What name should I use to ask for this gadget at the hardware store?


texts: Which of these is ground, neutral and live?

texts:
I'm installing an electrical fan where a light used to be and the wiring isn't color coded. It looks like the center is a common ground (it was unused in the light) and the sole wire is live (it had a white wire with a black strip) while the rightmost two wires are neutral (they had a white wire attached). Am I correct?

Thank you.


texts: Does the Stanley Intelli Sensor have a battery that can be changed?

texts: Stanley IntelliSensor unit has not been working.  Needs an answer whether it has a battery that can be changed.  I need to check the walls for studs.


texts: Does romex wire between studs in a garage have to be encased in conduit?

texts: What is the current code about a new wire run between studs on an unfinished garage wall? I am installing a switch between a GFCI  and an outdoor UF run to control an outdoor pole light.


texts: What are my non-gas alternatives to a wood burning fireplace?

texts: Our house has a wood burning firplace that we want to convert to something else but we have no gas lines in the area. What are our options for heating benefits and esthetics?


texts: How do I connect my washing machine's waste pipe to a small connector?

texts:
I've just moved house (UK), and the space for the washing machine doesn't have a waste pipe. Instead, it has an odd looking connecting pipe that looks like something fits over it. How do I connect my washing machine, which has a normal waste pipe, to this? - I've tried Googling but can't find anything that looks like this image.
The previous occupants had a washing machine here, so we know it's possible! The only other thing in the washing machine gap is the cold water inlet.

This is the back of my washing machine - its waste pipe is on the right:


texts: Is it necessary to use ceiling joists (ties) with conventional rafters?

texts:
I am going to be putting up an outbuilding with rafters. Is it necessary to use a ceiling joist with conventional rafters?

This picture shows that I need one (https://www.carpentry-pro-framer.com/Roof-Framing.html)

However in this video there is not one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeNC98mCgoI)

Also, can I just nail the rafter into the ridge board or do I need a metal brace:


texts: I installed a backsplash in my kitchen, after finishing the job I realized that the outlet covers no longer fit due since they are flush with the wall as opposed to slightly sticking out. Is there any way I can fix this?


texts:
My front porch has some treads and the bottom riser are rotting out.

I'd like to replace the surface with Trex if possible. Is it as simple as removing treads and risers and replacing with Trex boards?


texts: I have a 2 prong outlet and a surge protector

texts:
so I have just bought all the parts for a new PC, but am weary to build and use it because I noticed I don't have a grounded outlet at all in my room/house. I have been using a computer on this outlet for the last 3 years without problem by way of an adapter like the one below, and then a sure protector/power strip plugged into that.

But I'm worried this might cause damage down the road because there is no ground that I know of. Could static build up on the computer and eventually damage components? Could I jury rig a wire to the radiator in my room as a ground?


texts: How can I remove dark stains from laminate flooring?

texts:
This is laminate flooring. Not planks. No idea what the stain is at all!

Any suggestions on how to get it out or what it is?

Response to answers below:
I have not tried steam cleaning. I heard water and laminate floors don't do well together?

Perfect wording Jack, I've been trying to explain this flooring for awhile, because it's not individual planks, it's all one piece, with a picture of wood on top. I do not know what the core is though.

It is mostly infront of the dish washer with a small dot over by the fridge and one dot to the side of the stove. There is also one near the trim on the wall which is no where near a water source (except the bathroom on the other side of the wall).

I have tried magic eraser in case it was a stain, and it did nothing. I have also tried acetone nail polish remover on a portion that was most hidden, and again nothing happened.

I live in apartments, and the manager had one of thier friends come "look" at it. He was saying it looked like I had split something which then stained the floor.(which doesn't make since for all the locations). I have been home while a whole dish washer cycle goes through and have not seen any sitting water. Would water even do this?


texts: How do I repair a flaking finish on my wood windows?

texts:
I have a few windows around the house which all have a funny flaky appearance.  It looks pretty superficial; the wood under the flaking looks okay.  It's on windows that were here when I bought the house (at least 7 years old) and windows from a renovation 4 years ago.

How I do I about cleaning up the windows?  Thinking I'll need to sand them and paint something on.  My DIY level is definitely "novice that can follow instructions".

Click on photos for full size:


texts:
I'm trying to figure out why my circuit breaker keeps tripping.  This is for the garage door opener.  It is the only thing that is on the breaker. I have lights in the garage but they are
rarely on. What are the potential solutions?


texts: What is the correct way to tile a wall when there are existing electrical sockets

texts:
I will be tiling a backsplash in my kitchen. Currently there is none, and the new backsplash will cover areas that currently have electric sockets.
So my question is this do you:

Remove front cover of socket, tile slightly over the back box and then put the front back, will now require longer screws because of gap between front and back box)
or

Remove front cover of socket, pull the back box out slightly so the front of the backbox is flush with the front of the tiles, tile up to the edge of the backbox, screw front plate back on to the front of the backbox.


texts: Where do the hinge knuckles go on these fold down table legs?

texts:
https://youtu.be/e9GSTO-4Txo?t=119 is a This Old House fold down workbench (among other things). The knuckle of the leg hinge (at 1:59) appears to be pointed into the 2x4 of the table top frame. If so, how did they get the hinge to lay flat? I'm talking about the leaf that goes against the table top, and not really the table top, just the frame.

It seems to me they could have used a shim to support part of the hinge; although, I see no evidence. So maybe it's a special hinge, a hinge that's different than what I have?


texts: Should I have paid attention to polarity when installing a new light fixture?

texts: I just installed a pull chain fixture in a closet.  The light works but I paid no attention to black wire to brass screw or white wire to silver.  Of course when I am tossing the box I see the instructions written on the interior.   Do I have to take it apart and check. Is it a potential problem?


texts:
I need to install some hooks on my wall, which I plan to use to perform elastic band exercises. Hence, I need to install these very well so that they will handle the stress properly.

Situation is I have found an strange wall on the rental apartment I'm living. I was convinced it was a concrete wall because it feels sturdy when I hit it. Then I drilled a hole on it with too much ease. It's almost as if it is made of sand, and at some point (after 2 inches) the wall feels hollow while drilling.

My conclusion is that the wall thickness is 2 inches. At this thickness, I don't think the wall will be able to support the 3 sleeve bolts (5/16 x 2 1/2 inches) required to install this system.

I wonder if I have any alternative here, maybe using different screws? Glue? Any other method?

NOTE: Old building, perhaps 60's to 70's construction. Brick on the outside.


texts: How do I repair this friction ABS kitchen sink pipe fitting

texts:
I have an ABS pipe fitting under my kitchen sink which appears to be held on by friction (white piece just above the p-trap). After the p-trap the pipe makes a long run to the left where it's not really supported by anything. It seems the weight of this run caused the pipe to slide down off the drain pipe, causing a huge gusher.

I'm not totally sure how this is intended to work, but it seems like the white fitting just holds the p-trap and everything on by friction? If so, what should I do - replace the white piece? Anything else? Also, how do I know what the correct height of the fitting and slope of the lateral pipe should be. The lateral pipe was fairly level before, but a friend noted that ideally it should slope a bit. Not sure if I'll mess anything up by adding slope.

(Note: zip-ties in the pic are my temporary safeguard).


texts: Can I replace Slater boxless receptacles with conventional ones?

texts:
Most of my receptacles have stopped working on one side.  When I went to replace them, I found out that they are Slater Boxless Receptacles.  Can I replace the Slater ones with
conventional outlets?


texts: How can I control a bath fan with two lights through a single wire?

texts:
I have a bath fan with a main light and night light.  It is currently supplied by one piece of 12-2 from a wall switch.  Since this configuration makes the night light completely worthless, I'd like to split the three devices onto separate switches.

I'm comfortable with wiring, and adding another 14-3 line and switches would be no problem if it wouldn't require tearing out, replacing, and repainting a bunch of the drywall.

I looked at Insteon controls, but it doesn't appear that there are any single modules that can control three devices.  I could get three separate modules and a four-device switch, but that would around $220.  Way more than I'd want to put into this project.

So the best I can come up with is to mount a couple of pull cord switches on the fan unit.  The pull cords would control the fan and the main light, and the night light would be direct to the wall switch.  So the wall switch would turn the night light on an off, and with the switch on I could use the pull cords to turn the main light and fan on and off.

Any suggestions for a better way to achieve what I want to do?


texts:
I've got a water heater and a hot water radiator furnace sitting next to each other, both on gas.  The strange thing is that there are two parallel gas lines feeding each one of these which come from across the basement but branch off from the same gas line.  Why was there a need for two lines?  Cant they "tee" at the last moment right before the appliances?

I've seen a lot of strange, stupid and crazy things in my house so it wouldn't surprise me if this is one of them.  But before I combine the lines I'd like to get some feedback from people.  What does the code say about this?

Edit: I should have added this detail in my original questions but all my pipes are 3/4" including the shared pipe before the "T".  Basically there's one 3/4 pipe that goes out of the meter (I have the gas meter in the basement) and there are 4 branches (each is 3/4 as well) out of that.  But two of those run in parallel across the whole basement.  I think it's insane.


texts: Can I put a 6" hole in this ceiling joist?

texts:
I'm working on my kitchen to add a range hood that goes outside the house. I'm putting the 6" exhaust pipe in my ceiling, between my 1st and 2nd floor, going in the direction of the ceiling joists, as represented by the red arrow in the next picture:

While going this direction however I found 2 boards put together of at least 12 inch height, probably more, in perpendicular direction of the other joists, which marks the end of the inside of the house (Siding would be attached to the other side of the board).
As you can see in the following picture, there are 2 sides in the ceiling:

Side A is inside the house, the blue lines are the studs in the ceiling holding the second floor. Side B is a part that extends a bit out of the house (backyard), there is nothing on top of it, just a small roof on the backyard.
I want to put the exit of my exhaust on this small roof. My question is: Is this, is this a loading bearing joist? Is it safe to put a 6" hole in it (you can see I started it before realizing what I was doing)? What can I do to safely put the exhaust through it?


texts: What factors go into choosing between 3-sided and 4-sided capping for composite deck boards?

texts:
I have been researching composite/PVC deck boards and the issue of how many sides are capped seems to not get enough attention, at least in the technical sense.
What should I think about with regard to the choice between 3 and 4-sided capping?  All I have found is talk of looking up at it from below.  In my situation, while I am planning a 2nd story deck, it will have a between-the-joists drainage system, so you will not see the underside of the boards.  Does the fact of the drainage system mean I should favor 4-sided caps because of the moisture?  Or are there other factors to consider?


texts:
I need to add some additional exhaust venting to my attics, along with some along the soffit as well.  I need some knowledge on a few things as I can't seem to find answers for them on the interwebs:

Can continuous soffit vents be retrofitted without pulling off the fascia?
The roof will need to be replaced in the next 10 years so I do not want to install a ridge vent.  If I add roof vents right below the peaks, do I need to seal off the gable vents?
Would installing a ridge vent now be just as easy as installing a few box vents?  If so, what is the cost difference?
If I install a ridge vent, will it be reused or destroyed when a new roof gets installed?


texts:
Scenario: attach 3 staircase stringers to floor i joists.

Problem: I joists have very few fastening points, about one nail per flange.

Would it be best to attach a 2x12 to the I joists (it will run perpendicular) so it would catch 3 I joists - and then nail or structural screw a piece of 3/4" plywood to the 2x12 for more strength.... Or .... Just attach 3/4" ply to I joists?

Also, using a 2x12 allows for the use of joist hangers, while plywood is too thin.


texts: Crusty stuff coming up between basement floor planks

texts:
My son bought a 8-year old house, last August, that had some new "plastic" flooring put in the basement over concrete in preparation to putting it on the market by the previous owner. I'm guessing that was done within three months of him buying it.

Just yesterday, we went in the basement and we noticed there is a crusty thing that 'oozed' up between some of the planks. Not everywhere. Just three or four places as shown here.

That image shows it being flat but one of the others is humped over like it had bubbled up. I ran my finger over it and it's a dry crust that just crumbled in place.

I don't know if that could be an adhesive or fungus/mold or even dog pee (he swears it can't be dog pee).


texts:
I have noticed an increasing number of carpenter ants wandering in our house and a few days ago there were many winged-ants ( very large, presumably queens or reproductive variety ) on our property and generally around the neighborhood.

The outbreak of winged ants only lasted one day then they vanished. I have sprayed the perimeter base of the house and a few feet up the walls with bifen twice ( about two weeks apart ).

Even after spraying I saw numerous ants in the attic and I know this is a recent development as I have been up there a lot lately for electrical work/lighting installation.

While there is more than the random worker ant, I have not found enough to trace back to the colony.

Any advice on how to treat the problem?


texts: Installing ethernet jacks in garage just below ceiling level

texts:
I live in UK in a 2-storey semi-detached house built in 1946. We are in the process of building an extension to the side of it - with garage on the ground floor and a bedroom above the garage.  The shell is already built and the internal fitting is still in progress.

I am about to install an IP video security system with 7 cameras around the house. All cameras are PoE, that is only require ethernet cable for connection. The easiest thing for me is to route a bunch of network cables into the garage, install two 4-jack faceplates and route all cables from the cameras into the garage.

The house is already fully wired with CAT6 and a cupboard under the stairs contains the patch panel and the switch.  The garage is adjacent to the cupboard, and there is already a hole through the wall, through which electrical cables are routed.  The hole is big enough for me to route additional 8 CAT6 cables - so it's very easy to get ethernet connections into the garage. (CAT6 cable I am using is fully shielded - each pair is foil wrapped and the whole cable is in a metal mesh under the top insulation - therefore I am not too worried about the interference.

Now, convenience-wise, it's best for me to install these ethernet jacks in the garage closer to ceiling level (say, a foot or so below the ceiling).  This way there will be the least amount of cabling in the garage.

The question I have is whether I would have problems with building regulations - with connection point so high up.  Any suggestions?


texts: Electrical terminology in the breaker box

texts:
I'm trying to understand how the breaker box is wired so I can turn off power in some part of my house. In my country (Spain), lights are on a separate circuit(s), and usually entire rooms are controlled by separate breakers. But here I'm puzzled by the nomenclature. I'm attaching an image of the labels so you can help me understand the meaning of them.

Liv / Kit LTS: Is liv "living room"?  What's LTS?
FAU: I know this from another question that it's the air blower in our unit.
Kit |O|: no idea.
Comp: no idea.


texts: Why is Thermostat Y wire connected to C terminal on furnace?

texts:
I have a Nest E thermostat, and like many others have lost wifi and getting low battery because I have no common wire connected.

After looking at my old Lennnox 78ugf3-75-1 furnace, I noticed that my AC Y wire is connected to the Common terminal(called 'T') on my furnace circuit board. Oddly enough, nothing is connected to my Y terminal.

The electrical cable has a green unused wire that I plan to use for my C wire, but before I do that, should I move the Y wire to the Y terminal or leave it on the C terminal? It must have been installed this way years ago as I've never swapped the wires before.


texts: Shower grout moisture prevention coating

texts:
I am wondering if there is a coating, seal, paint or whatever product that I can apply to the grout between shower tiles to prevent mold?
The junction between the shower tiles of my shower pit has black mold formed. See this picture I am using a squeegee to clean the tiles after each shower, but it only slows down the mold formation.
Is there a product (preferably not too expensive) that I can apply to the junction to prevent mold formation?


texts: What to look for in buying laminate flooring

texts: We are beginning to look at replacing the floors in our home and are considering laminate flooring. We are wondering if there is a difference in type and quality, especially when pricing is concerned. For example, the flooring at Lowe's is considerable more expensive than at Sam's Club; should I be worried that the lower cost flooring is a lesser quality? Are there other considerations besides price?


texts: I am going to build a swingset. Four 4x4 will be used to build two A-frames but I don't know what size to use for the beam which will be 8 feet. The max load would be about 300 ~ 350 lbs. Would 4x4 be ok? Or, should I use 4x6?


texts: How can I repair a slow drip at the main water shutoff valve?

texts:
I noticed a slow drip and wondering if solution is to turn the nut clockwise to solve. I normally would give it a go but since this is the main water shutoff I figured it'd be smart to get some confirmation before I flood my house.

Another question is what's a good way to enclose/hide this. It's a eyesore just hanging out of the wall in a bonus room.


texts: Can plug an air-conditioner into a outlet with an adapter

texts: So I'm getting a window unit and I've read online that you should never plug an AC into a power strip or even use an extension cord. My room has no three prong(grounded) outlets, can I plug the AC into an adapter or do I need to pay someone to upgrade the outlet?


texts: I have a pool pump on a 30 amp circuit. Can I add a 20 amp GFCI outlet to that same 30 amp breaker. Pump is on 12 gauge wire

texts:
I want to put a 20 amp GFCI receptacle on a 30 amp breaker.

Is this ok?

The 30 amp breaker is for a pool pump on 115v.


texts: I have an office chair with five wheels.  When you lean forward or back, it creaks.  What can be done to eliminate the creak?


texts: Privacy Fence: Is this minimalist design efficient?

texts:
I'm planning on putting up a 6ft privacy fence for the first time.  I've done quite a bit of research but I'm still rather new to it.  I have a concept but it's quite minimal.  What I'm looking to figure out is whether this design is sturdy and will withstand the test of time.

For materials, here's what I've decided to use:

For Posts: 4x4x8 treated pine (rated for ground contact)

For Boards: 2x4x8 treated pine (I'm on the fence with this one - pun intended)  This is where most of my uncertainty lies.  I've considered doing a couple of different combinations.

Combo1: 1x(2x6 kick-board), 2x(2x4 board)

Combo2: 3x(2x4 board)

Combo3: 1x(2x6 kick-board), 3x(2x4 board)

My biggest consideration for this is price though.  I want quality but I don't want to over-engineer.

For Pickets: 6ft Cedar (from Menards or Lowes or ?)

Method: I'll be burying the 8ft posts about 2.5 feet down (below the frost line).  I plan to line the hole bottoms with gravel and cement the posts in.  I'm still uncertain on whether to bring the cement above ground or cover it up with dirt.  The latter is certainly more appealing to the eye, but the first is more functional.  Not sure which is better.

This is the design I had in mind, although I do have a few questions.  I know that kick-boards are important, but wouldn't they also serve a structural purpose?  If I did a kickboard in say, 4" or 6", couldn't I get away with only have 2 addition 2x4 boards in the middle and top of the posts?  In this picture below, they have a kick-board in addition to three 2x4 boards.  To me that seems excessive but I'm wondering.

So in terms of the general design, type of wood used and planned methods, is this a good design?  With proper maintenance, I'd like this fence to last a minimum of 30 years.  I think it should for what it is.


texts: Replacing old outlet, has blue, black, red and white wires

texts:
I have an old outlet that trips the break when I plug in a space heater.
The outlet has four wires, blue, black, red and white. What do I do when i replace the outlet?
I'm going to replace the old outlet with a new GFCI.
[1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/KEgDE.jpg![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2KTkj.jpg)


texts: 4x6 wood swingset beam, single span, center load max lbs?

texts:
I'm building a swing set with a 10 ft 4x6 pine beam.

I would like to determine how much active load the beam can support at the center point,  or at least minimally how much static load.

I've tried researching different online calculators but I'm not finding exactly what I'm looking for a.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: I tried to upload a pic but the it says the size is too large So my breaker tripped the other day when I plugged in a set of lights. I unplugged them reset the breaker and the switch/plug combo I had the lights plugged into on. The breaker tripped again (with no lights plugged in) Reset the breaker and tried the front lights on the garage (didn't trip) and the garage door works. So I decided I needed to replace the switch/plug combo. I replaced them and now the other switch for the front lights trips the breaker also but the garage door still works fine. It's a 15 amp breaker and I have made sure to unplug everything to do the breaker tests. Any ideas? might it be a bad breaker?


texts: Is there a glue which holds to glazed porcelain tiles?

texts:
My shower does not have a cabin, only a curtain. Said curtain tends to wave around while I am in the shower, clinging to my legs and letting water flow outside.

My best idea for a low-cost solution was to sew some Velcro strips to the (textile) curtain. This worked well, until I tried to fasten the hooky strips to the wall. It turns out that none of the glues and double-sided tapes I have at home are strong enough. When I pull on the Velcro, the hooky strip comes off the wall and stays hooked to the fluffy strip on the curtain.

Any ideas for low-cost, non-invasive methods of getting the strips to stick to the wall? I assume that I need a stronger glue - what should I look for? Or is it a fool's errand? I am renting this apartment - I can't drill holes and screw something glue-friendly under the Velcro.

The wall is covered with glazed porcelain tile.


texts:
This is for calculating the CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air that the blower needs to move in order to compensate the total heat loss (ventilation,infiltration,heat loss  through walls, windows, etc)

The formula is:
CFM=Building volume in cubic feet/Minutes Air change

Where do I get the "minutes air change number" from?

I want to verify if my ducts are properly sized for the furnace that I am getting.

The heat loss for a structure (home) is calculated with:
H = Ht + Hv + Hi (1)
where
H = overall heat loss (W)
Ht = heat loss due to transmission through walls, windows, doors, floors and more (W)
Hv = heat loss caused by ventilation (W)
Hi = heat loss caused by infiltration (W)

My house heat loss was calculated by Heat2000 to be around 55kBTU/h
My furnace will be sized for 60K BTU/h
Now the blower must be able to recirculate the entire volume of air in the house in that hour. That means the heat will be uniformly distributed (according with the volume of each room) if the duct sizes are calculated correctly.

If the above are correct the CFM should be house volume/60

Is this correct?


texts:
I am looking to run a new 15amp circuit to my bathroom and want to split it in attic so one sub-circuit goes to exhaust fan and another to lamp.  First, does this circuit look correct?

One logistical problem is that in both circuits, there is a LOAD wire traveling from the switch to the equipment (fan or lamp).  How would you run this single cable?  It seems wasteful to run the 12/2 romex and then cap off ground and neutral cables in it at both ends.

Essentially, is there a smarter way of doing this?

Note: The fan switch I am using requires 4 leads (ground, neutral, hot and load).


texts: What is the correct direction for hot on a vertical single handle faucet?

texts:
I'm having a hard time finding an answer to this question.  On a traditional single handle faucet, one with the handle on top (such as this Delta Foundations faucet) turning to the left is hot and turning to the right is cold.

I now have two single handle faucets where the handle is mounted vertically on the right side of the faucet.  In other words the lever moves forward and back to change hot/cold.  The question is which direction should be hot?  In my kitchen I have a Kohler Artifacts which has back towards the wall as hot and forwards towards the sink as cold.  In my bathroom I have a Delta Broadmoor faucet which is the opposite; down towards the sink is hot and up towards the wall is cold.  Neither has any indicator which should be which.

Is there a standard for this?  It seems like both should move in the same direction for hot, either back towards the wall or forwards towards the sink.  The question is which is correct?  Is one installed improperly or does it just vary by manufacturer?


texts:
My temperature difference between my supplies and returns is only around 5 degrees F. I opened up my air handler to see if the evaporator coil was dirty, and it was clean -- but running the outside unit (condensor) without running the air handler, I expected the evaporator coils to get very cold - to ice up, right? Well they got cold, but nowhere close to icing, and I suspect that's the reason my delta-T is only around 5F.

So this is after I just had the refrigerant completely recharged -- what could be any other issues as to why the coil isn't ice cold?

Edit: I've cleaned the condensor fins already. The whole system is around 20 years old (I know, it's ancient)

Edit: I had the HVAC guy come and check. I'm at 25 psi on the lines, so yeah I have a leak. Not sure why he didn't see the leak before. Waste of money though.


texts: Attaching gymastic rings / pull-up bar to the ceiling

texts:
I am moving into a house, and planning to install some gym equipment in a garage. In particular, I want to add a pull up bar, made out of galvanized steel 1" pipes, and hang the gymnastic rings.

The ceilings are 11" and are dry-walled with the 1 5/8"x7" joists, spread 16" apart.

Most of the recommendations are to use eye-bolts or lag bolts. I am afraid that 1 5/8 joists are not wide/strong enough to hold the weight of the rings or the diy pull-up.


texts: Adding common wires for nest thermostats

texts:
I recently installed some Nest E thermostats for heating only usage. They’ve been great so far, but my HVAC guy warned me I would likely run into issues without a common wire. In the newer part of the house there is hot water baseboard heating. These wires come in to these two valves (for reference let’s call the closer valve Zone A and the further valve Zone B) :

These wires then run along to a switching relay and 24V transformer:

A wire goes from the switching relay

To this Honeywell box (which I believe is a zone control?)

And finally to this oil burner control where it meets the wiring that appears to go to the thermostat that controls the steam radiators (Zone C) in the older part of the house (I still need to fish a green/common wire through for this one).

So my question is - after I fish a common wire through for Zone C, how do I need to reconfigure the wiring so I am getting ~24V through my common wires?


texts: I have the following door handle / lock combination that leads out to my garage. The key for the door has long been lost and sometimes someone will turn the internal lock and the door cannot be opened from the garage side. I wish to disable this lock, how do I do that?


texts:
This evening, I had the unfortunate luck of someone completely taking out my wooden mailbox with their side-view mirror, leaving only the post.  It was a total accident, and he was quite apologetic, and I had my mailbox back up in about an hour with the help of some 1 1/4" brads.

The mailbox is now firmly reassembled - the only trouble is that he knocked it hard enough that the post is now wobbly!  I'm not sure how deeply it's sunk in the ground, and from the way it wobbles, I'm pretty sure it's just a ~4"x4" wooden post sunk into the dirt.  What is the best way (where best in this case means quickest and cheapest, without being slipshod) to firmly fix that post in place?


texts: supplying 240V power to a hardwired heater -OR- a 240V receptacle

texts:
So I currently have a hard-wired 240V heater in my garage:

Though I don't use the heater often, I'd like to have the option to use it so my thought was I could have a 3-way switch that would switch on power to one or the other, never both.  Is this possible?
The 240V heater is on a 30amp breaker and is rated for 30amps so I'm pretty sure the wiring from heater to panel is to code.
In the photo you can see there is a switch to optionally cut off power to the heater and I thought that this could be replaced with a 3-way switch that could either be off, power hard-wired heater, or power a 240V EVSE receptacle that would have to be branched off of the box.  For the receptacle, I was thinking since my charger can be optioned with a NEMA 6-30 plug, that a NEMA 6-30 receptacle would be correct since there's only 3 wires from panel to heater (to my understanding a NEMA 14-30 would require a fourth wire to be run from panel to box).


texts: How should I cover this drainage garden pit in my front yard?

texts:
We just bought a newly constructed house. In front of it is a rectangular concrete pit, maybe 2–3 feet deep and roughly 8 feet long by 5 feet wide, with dirt at the bottom and several shrubs planted inside it. I'm not even sure what exactly it is. Our home inspector called it a "water retention garden". It was definitely newly built at the same time as the house, and our real estate agent seemed to think it was normal in new construction, to facilitate drainage or something (the plants perhaps helping to retain water). It has a drainage pipe leading into it and gets quite wet when it rains.

It's not well lit at night, and we're concerned that it presents a fall hazard in the dark. We'd like to cover it or fence it off or something. But we'd like to do so without foiling its purpose or killing the plants inside.

Our first idea was to hire a local metal fabricator to produce a grate to cover it. But we're concerned that this would starve the plants of light. We're also concerned that it would prevent the plants from growing naturally. The center shrub inside it is labeled as a cultivar of dogwood that can grow to six feet and needs at least partial sunlight.

Another idea would be to surround it with a railing. But this is somewhat physically awkward, as there's not a ton of space for a railing to fit comfortably, and aesthetically awkward, as it would draw a lot of visual attention to the funky pit in our front yard.

What's the best way to make this pit safe? Is one of these ideas clearly better? Is there a better possibility we haven't thought of? Is there anything else we should know?

Epilogue (five months later)

Thought I'd post an update for future searchers who are curious how this turned out. In short, we ended up installing a cable railing around the pit. We ordered the parts from one of the national online cable railing suppliers and installed it ourselves. The cost (parts plus installation kit plus shipping) was about $1,500. We used Tapcon anchors to secure the posts to the concrete. The pit is shallow enough that it doesn't need to comply with code for railings, so we spaced the cables and posts farther apart than would normally be appropriate for a cable railing installation, to make it less obtrusive. We're pretty happy with the result.

Biggest mistakes: (1) The posts ended up crooked (not perfectly vertical) due to a combination of our imperfect installation and the railing supplier's imperfect welding of the post bracket. I guess maybe we should have shimmed them, but we didn't really know how. We actually had to reorder two of the four handrails because the posts were so far off of vertical that the length between them exceeded the length we had measured. (2) We should have ordered the handrails in steel rather than aluminum. They flex more than we would like.

Many thanks for all the great answers and explanations. Lots of cool ideas. If we were to do it again, we might experiment with the bench or planter ideas.


texts: 2 pole 240v AC circuit breaker wire connections

texts: If the neutral is not needed on a 2 pole 240v AC circuit to what should it be connected? My new oven has a black, red, ground, and a white wire. The wire from the circuit breaker has the same 4 wires. It is my understanding the 2 hots, red and black on a 240v 2 pole AC circuit don't need a neutral as the circuit alternates and performs what the neutral would normally do for a single pole circuit. The oven's installation info simply states "do not fuse neutral (white wire)" whatever that means is beyond me. So to what should the white wire connect?


texts: Required to put roof or door overhang on a sliding door?

texts: I have no experience in architecture or house building. I am currently brainstorming a house design and I am thinking of putting a sliding door as one of the entrance to the house aside from the main door. Is it required or advisable to out a roof that will cover the sliding door considering it gets quite rainy in my country? The house is 2 story and the roof on the 2nd floor should be able to cover the space but not sure if it will be enough.


texts: Automate and schedule button press on an apliance?

texts:
I'd like to automate and schedule pressing of an "On" button on one of my appliances. (I can't do that by cutting power to it, it has to be powered on all the time, just on standby. I'd also prefer not to disassemble the appliance / button but really have it pressed mechanically.)

The schedule would be quite constant (for example turn it on at 11:00 and turn off at 12:00 every day) but I'd like to be able to change that from time to time without much effort.

How would you approach this problem?


texts: Stone like deposit at the bottom of the waste pipes

texts:
One 100 mm pipe collects waste from two toilets. Lately I'm having problems;  I could hear the waste flowing randomly so I decided to cut through the PVC.

Here is what I found (I broke this part off, this is what the bottom part the inside of the pipe is):

I was able to clean the pipes using an implement that plugs on my high pressure cleaner, but the pipes are still filled with those deposit.

What are they called, should I try to remove them, and if so, how can I remove them.

It's really dense, and even smaller parts that broke off won't just flow with the water.

The smooth part is the bottom part, and the rough one is the top one.

This does not react with vinegar: no foaming, no softening.

The cross section is similar to an oyster's . You can see the stratums.

Also, the slope is wrong: there is one section of 5 meters that is perfectly horizontal, then a T junction,  then 5 meters with a 1 cm / m slope..


texts:
I make camp furniture.  I have been using pine for quite some time, but would like to shift to hardwoods.  My questions is thus:  How do I determine the equivalent strengths between 2 boards?  For example, how does a 1" X 8" piece of red oak compare, strength and durability wise to a 2" X 8" piece of pine over the same distance?

I know how the pine holds up, I have been using it for over a decade.  I'd just like to know how to determine if going to the thinner oak is practical before I drop a lot of money on a design/material combo that isn't going to work.  Thanks for your help.


texts: What is the purpose of this pole [bollard] in my garage?

texts:
Why is there a three inch pipe filled with concrete sticking out of my garage floor? We've ruled out the obvious explanations: missle launcher, coffee table, NSA listening post, and Mario shortcut.

So what is it, and more importantly, can it be removed?

Edit: Thanks, Alaska Man, for providing the name of the thing: bollard.


texts: I need to move the main panel to allow for new cabinets.It will be moved to other side of exsiting wall. I'm sure there are going to be short wires. What is the best way to extend wires to reach breakers?


texts: Is it safer to buy a circular saw with the blade on the left or the right? I'm right-handed

texts:
I'm in the market for a circular saw and am right-handed.
I was about to purchase one with a blade on the right b/c I've seen lots of pictures of right-handers (b/c their right hand is on the trigger) and their left hand on the second handle (the one near the front of the saw).

I thought that it's a safety thing to have the blade away from you...until I saw this video from this Old House (forward to ~1:00). Here he uses a speed square WITH a circular saw. He is right-handed and holding the saw in his right hand and holding the speed square as a guide in his left hand!

Is it safer and or appropriate to buy a right blade circular saw for right-handers...like this one pictured?  The blade is to the right of your hand.  In order to see the blade you would have to look over and to the right of your hand...which seemsm awkward to me.


texts:
I want to add a washer & dryer to my garage, but breaker box is on the wrong side of house. No matter which way I run the wire, its 110 feet of wire required.

Will 8-3 with ground work?

Or is the run too long and I need to have 6-3 with ground?


texts: What is correct vapour barrier method for bathroom ceiling in a bungalow in Canada

texts:
I am in the middle of a complete main floor bathroom gutting and re-finish job in my house in CANADA.. and WINTER IS COMING!!!!

THE BACKGROUND (pics below):

My bathroom is 5'x 13' in a bungalow with 2x6' outside construction walls with Fiberglass batt insulation in the walls, and blown cellulose insulation in the attic. My house has been a very energy efficient and almost perfectly sealed home built in 1985.

I consider myself to be well versed with applying the proper rated vapour barrier to the outside walls using proper vapour-barrier/acoustic sealant (black tar of death) and stapling properly to have a PERFECT air-tight vapour barrier against our crazy -40C/F winters..  I even know about the Tuct-Tape work required to seal joins and overlap edges of separate sheets of poly, etc.

... However.. when I took down the old popcorn drywall ceiling (after i moved over all the cellulose insulation so it wouldn't fall in)..  I noticed the original vapour barrier was ONLY stapled up to the rafters with the 5/8" drywall screwed/nailed through it... the bathroom ceiling vapour barrier had NO BLACK sealant along the edges, so it was not 100% air/vapour sealed to the attic.

THE QUESTION:

Since i'm NOT doing popcorn ceiling again, should I apply black-sealant as well to the ceiling sheets of vapour barrier just like I will do to the outside wall to create a perfect seal??

I have read some stories that because proper attics (like mine is) has natural air-flow its OK for a small amount of warm-air to get into the attic because the natural airflow will vent the moisture!!  Is this TRUE? or would i be creating a condensation disaster in the making?

Pic of outside wall with new vapour barrier ONLY sealed at top for now

Another close-up pic of the opposite corner showing exposed attic


texts: What's the best way to connect up the outlet of a plastic tube so it doesn't clog?

texts:
I have a fountain/stream setup in my front yard. Water comes out of the bottom of the fountain, goes through a stream, and at the end of the stream is a pump that sends the water back to the fountain through some plastic tubing.
This being an outdoor setup, there is a lot of dirt and debris which, despite my best efforts to keep the system clean, still finds its way into the pump and clogs things. One particularly common choke point seems to be where the outlet of the plastic tubing connects back into the fountain:

It's currently going in through a barb connector. It is very common for this to be clogged by even very tiny pieces of debris that get through the pump and get stuck at the tiny opening of the barb, reducing flow through the fountain to a trickle. The solution is to briefly disconnect and reconnect the hose, which I am presently having to do almost daily because little pieces of bark from my garden are getting into it. Removing the hose, you can see that the opening the water is going into is quite small:

You can also see that the piping after it is quite wide, so there is really no reason the inlet needs to be that small. A better solution would be if I could somehow make the connector male on the tubing or otherwise have a wider opening so this was not a choke point. Any suggestions on how to do that?


texts: What is the proper personal protective equipment and procedures for removing mouse nesting that may contain Hantavirus?

texts:
Me and my uncle are working on cleaning stuff (various auto parts and tools built up over the last 60 or so years) out a garage on my parents' property prior to demolishing it.

There are multiple obvious mouse nests of unknown age that we'll need to deal with either now or during the knocking down.

The issue is that mice in this area (Western Canada) have been known to carry hantavirus.

Google is finding me loads of conflicting information on proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and procedures for dealing with this, ranging from the vague "wear appropriate PPE" to "goggles, gloves, and an N100 dust mask" to "wear an NCB suit and hose everything down with bleach".

Does anyone have some specific suggestions on how to deal with this?


texts: How to clean feet of wooden chairs to replace felt pads-

texts:
I am using and caring for a set of wooden chairs (hand-carved backs) belonging to a family member.I need to add new felt pads to the feet of most of these, as some have had old ones fall off (the remaining pads now crushed, means all must be changed on a chair).Last year I did this. However, some of the pads fell off as there was old adhesive and debris that prevented the new pads from adhering properly.
Today I tried sanding with 400 grain paper, but the adhesive on some of the feet is just too thick. I was thinking about something like Goo-Gone (citrus based) or Murphy's Oil Soap. However, these are very nice chairs with a lovely dark-red-brown color and shiny finish (don't know what kind of wood), and I don't want to change the color of the 'ankles' or risk a droplet running down the side that might burn away the darkness in a line on one of the legs after only seconds. I've searched a couple forums, but thought I'd expand my .SE network membership here.

The only thing I've found is that some people caution against using Murphy's on wood floors, and some advise it.


texts: Thermostatic mixing valve that holds water temperature at 120°F / 50°C

texts:
I've recently installed solar hot water and as expected it gets extremely hot. I would like to keep the tank as hot as possible (>180°F) and simply mix down the water to 120°F / 50°C as it's used so the tanks charge lasts longer. The sun doesn't always cooperate however and it can obviously get much colder than that.

The solar company installed a thermostatic mixing valve, however it doesn't hold the temperature at 120°F. Depending on how hot the tank is (120°F - >180°F) the temperature at the faucet fluctuates greatly.

Is there a valve that will simply keep the temperature at 120°F no matter what the source tanks temperature is? While it is at least >120°F of course.


texts: I bought all the metal drain pipes to replace a rotted out existing system under kitchen sink . I showed the plumbing supply vendor a picture and shared my knowledge of the set up . He sold me basically exact matching parts ( metal) / I am very handy at most everything except of course plumbing . The pipes he sold me do match up to my existing rotted pieces except of course some shortening i will need to do with hacksaw.  Big dilemma is how do you fit 1 1/2 inch pipe into 1 1/2 inch pipe . the same diameter cannot fit into another pipe of the same diameter


texts: Is it more efficient to only run a dehumidifier when I'm at home?

texts:
imagine that the reduction of energy consumption is the main goal. Is it more efficient to leave the dehumidifier to work over a longer period of time to keep the specific set point or it is more efficient to turn the dehumidifier completely off and turn it on to reach the set point only when it is needed.

as an example we are away from home, if the ideal set point is RH% equal to 50%, and the ambient has the potential to increase the RH% to 80%, is it better that the dehumidifier works continuously to keep this 50%? or turn it on when we arrive home which probably the RH is 80% and it should work to reach 50%.

thank you!


texts: what is the most effective way to grout between ROUGH, SMALL stones? (picture)

texts:
This is my first tile job ever and I'm ready to grout.  I used white 3" x 6" Daltile ceramic subway tile, and also an accent from Whispering Cliffs Mosaic Stone tile. I have attached two pictures:

I am confident in my ability to grout the white ceramic part of the shower, but my big concern is that a) I'm not going to get all of the grout off the surface of the accent and/or b) whatever cleaning method I use on the rough stones, if it effectively cleans the stones' surface, it will compromise the integrity of the grout around it.

After a decent amount of searching, I didn't find anything that really addressed small rough stones like this.  What is the correct and most effective sequence for this?

P.S. Excuse the many questions, but this is all related to the best sequence: 1) would it be advisable to tape off and do the accent section separately 2) I'm not afraid to use muratic acid, if that would help; any concerns if I use this? -- Thanks

-- UPDATE - DONE --

So, I followed the accepted answer, doing it in sections, except that I saved the stone for last (I taped it off with blue easy-release tape by 3M).  Picture is below.  Main thing to remember: STAY WITH IT, KEEP CLEANING AND TWEAKING.  I used UNSANDED grout, sanded would have been very hard for the varying gap joints (some less than 1/16").  I then realized the stone is quartz which is non-porous, so I gulped hard and coated the whole thing with grout and pushed it in.  The next step was a lot of sponging starting with the rough side, squeezing and then using the smooth side.  A lot of dabbing got the stone completely like original.  If I have to I'll use muratic acid, but looks like I saved some money by not using grout release.

Here is the finished job:


texts: How to get old waterproof waterproofing stains - semi transparent off a wooden deck?

texts: I bought a deck cleaner a year ago and it didn't get the old color off. What else can I do?


texts:
I have a muddy backyard that has minimal slope toward the back property line, and I'm considering installing a French drain to improve the situation. Is there a general rule as to how much area a French drain can drain, or is that type of thing totally dependent on soil quality or other factors? The property is between 100 and 200 feet wide, and I'm wondering if a single drain running down the middle of the property would be sufficient to improve the drainage in the whole yard (50-100 feet on either side), or if I'd have to install multiple parallel French drains to serve an area that large.

Is there any rule of thumb, or simple test I can perform to roughly estimate how much area might be drained on either side of a backyard French drain?


texts: How do I remove a thick layer of paint from tiles?

texts:
One of the previous owners of our new flat thought it'd be a good idea to paint the tiles in the toilet -- twice!

We've been using a paint scratcher to remove the paint

The problem: This takes too long (~120 tiles) and is tiring (as you need to use quite a bit of force and you take an inconvenient angle).

Thus we tried chemicals: Hydrochloric acid (no effect at all), graffiti remover (worked a bit, but generally made things messier/stickier).

I'm sure there is something we haven't thought of yet and gets the job done in a faster, less work intensive way.

Uh, yeah, and how do I get the paint out of the seam?


texts: What's this tarry sheet under the tiles?

texts:
The tiles are becoming loose on the steps to my home and need to be replaced. As I pull some of them off I discovered this black sheet under the tiles. It smells tarry and has a texture between fabric and chewing gum. It's somewhat sticky and in places it's very stretchy. Some parts are really easy to pull off of the concrete base, and in other places it sticks incredibly well. This material seems to be only present in that right-hand low plateau, not anywhere else.

What is this sheet made of?
What is its purpose? Why is it here?
Should I use a similar sheet again?

To add some details, the base is made of solid concrete and it was built only 5 years ago. The tiles are coming loose not because the mortar is poor but apparently because the concrete was surface treated somehow and that treatment is coming off.

I can very easily remove most of the vertical tiles with just two fingers, and the back side of the tile has its glue firmly attached and also a thin layer of this other, darker color which comes off completely from the concrete. You can see it best in the vertical part on the top left of the third picture above. The horizontal tiles are stuck much better but not everywhere.


texts: Replacing a dishwasher and noticed they had tiled underneath and the dishwasher I purchased wouldn't fit. So I used an angle grinder and grout removel tool to remove the tiles down to the backer board and now the dishwasher fits. Yay! The ONLY issue left is that the granite countertop barely, and I mean barely scrapes up against the right corner of the dishwasher door. I feel like if I carefully grinded/sanded down the underside of the granite just a smidge, then the door would move freely. The only other option I can think of is to take the thing out, demo the backer board and subflooring, install new subflooring, and put the dishwasher directly on the subflooring, but that sounds like time or money I don't have, so leaning towards just grinding the granite a bit. Thoughts?


texts: How can I determine the size of a hanging toilet mechanism?

texts: We would like to install a hanging toilet in an area that is 65cm wide, which is fine for us. However someone told us that the mechanism of a hanging toilet (that's hidden in the back wall) needs at least a width of 70cm. How can I determine if this is true?


texts: Bedroom light turns on when hallway light is turned with new Smart Switch

texts:
I replaced a normal dimmable light switch in a bedroom with a smart dimmable light switch. But now when I turn on the dimmable normal three-way hallway light switch it also turns on the bedroom light, however the light in the bedroom is not as powerful. When the hallway lights are set a full brightness the bedroom is probably at 90% brightness (even though the light switch is off in the bedroom). When the hallway lights are set at 15% brightness, the bedroom is at about 5% brightness (even though the light switch is off in the bedroom). When I turn the switch on in the bedroom it works normally; and the switch in the bedroom has no effects on the hallway lights. I'm guessing this has to do something with the neutral wire and the smart switch in the bedroom drawing power from the hallway lights when the hallway lights are turning on. This is a newly constructed house and all light bulbs are LED throughout, and all switches are dimmable.
I've installed other smart switches in the house and haven't come across this problem in any other rooms.
Did the contractor wire this wrong, and/or its acting like a 4-way switch?
Or is the neutral wire in the bedroom getting more power from the hallway lights when  they are turned on? If so, is there a way to stop this from happening, besides getting rid of the smart switch? I didn't have this problem when the normal dimmable switch was installed which was not connected to the neutral wire.


texts: I have  a fixture that switches from 2 locations.  I am installing dual dimmers on this fixture.  the dimmers are a master / slave dimmer setup.  I have found the traveler wires (red and black)  the other wires available from the old switches are black and ground (bare) wires.  The whites are all tied together.  Do i need to open the white wires and bring out a white lead to the new dimmers?  the master dimmer has 7 wires (Leviton (bluetooth) DD710-BD).  Will I need all seven leads?


texts: Running NM-B in PVC SCH 40 Conduit from Outdoor Breaker Panel

texts:
For space-saving reasons, I have outdoor breaker panels, and most of my branch circuits are wired through the attic down to individual outlets. Currently, the wires run through the wall from the breaker panel into the attic, but it is getting difficult to pull any more wires through.

My service wires actually enter from under the panel, and there is a ~2" entry at the top of the panel. What I would like to do is run my branch circuits through 2" SCH 40 PVC conduit up from the breaker panel on the outside of the building, and have one 90° bend to go through the wall and into the attic. The total length of the conduit run would be less than 10' and none of it is underground.

I would like to know if I can run NM-B (Romex) through this conduit from the breaker box legally. For one of the panels, this will consist of a maximum 12 individual 12/2 cables. For the other panel, this will consist of a maximum 4 10/3 and 2 12/3 cables.

I believe the conduit is appropriately large enough for the number of conductors, but I've seen other answers regarding running NM-B through conduit where conduit length is a concern.


texts: Can water supply and drain lines be installed on the surface of interior walls?

texts:
Hi everyone I'm new here
I'm renovating a small portable building turning it into a camp and I'm having open cell spray foam insulation installed and don't want to undo the sound damping of the foam with a alot of holes.
I'm trying to find out if code friendly to install water lines and drain lines on the walls instead of in them?

These are all interior walls freezing isn't really an issue but all pipes will be easily accessible from inside. Where all plumbing and water connection to main lines and septic tank shall be insulated and protected. I'm trying to avoid corrupting the spray foam due to extreme loud neighbors,


texts: Use wood stove in fireplae until the pipe is hooked up and chimney lined

texts: We just bought a wood stove and won't have the chimney lined for a couple of weeks, can we still use the wood stove and expect the existing brick fireplace and flu to be able to exhaust the wood stove through the chimney?


texts: How come my refrigerator doesn't leak if I removed the ice maker?

texts:
I have a Maytag MZD2766GEQ refrigerator and my ice maker broke. I removed the assembly and everything seems fine.

What I don't understand is why isn't it leaking? I did not disconnect any water lines. My water dispenser continues to work fine.

I can't seem to find anything in the manuals that references how the water to the ice maker works. I want to make sure that I don't have a leaking time bomb in there anywhere.


texts: Electric current shock in Bathroom water tap

texts:
I live in india,

1 storeyed apartment with 2 flats on the ground floor and 2 flats on the first floor. It is annexed on the back side with same 2 + 2 model.

My Bathroom has a 2000 Watts - 15 Liter water heater.

All the walls are concrete with concealed metal pipes (Mostly Iron)

We recently switched pipe for the water alone to plastic as the flow was not good

Recently we switched on the motor pump motor that fills up sump water to one of the tank

It seems that the motor is broken and also inefficient in its job, still runs and it is also grounded properly (i could get a pic if required)

However immediately after the motor started i felt shock in my bathroom water tap's running water and very mildly on the tap itself. Although its a metal tap

This have been a problem for a very long time even without the motor being switched on

this time with the motor switched on and with the help of electrician we tested all the houses and could not find the root cause of the problem. I have a multi meter and not sure where to start or find the root cause of this problem.
Please advise thank you.


texts: Living near a highway in SoCal with no standard windows - how to install A/C?

texts:
I have an air purifier and keeping all windows/doors closed is going to be a must.  But the humidity and temperature are issues now.  I can get a dehumidifier but then I'm left with the temperature problem - I like a cool 68F.  It seems like my options are:

Portable A/C with some kind of tube - I haven't seen any on Amazon that have good reviews though.  I also don't know where I would go about installing the exhaust tube.
In-window AC - I'd be fine with this if it fit a standard outlet however none of my windows seem compatible with this setup (see below for photos).
Evaporative cooler - this seems nice in theory but I'm in SoCal where humidity can be an issue.  I also haven't seen any with promising consumer reviews.
Ductless - I like this but... $$$

Am I missing any options?  How would you go about keeping your air crisp, clean, and cool in my situation?

Pics of my windows:

BATHROOM - one little window, sliding:

KITCHEN - two windows, sliding:

BEDROOM - one window, sliding:

And then I have a sliding door in my living room.

I consider myself to be handy-capable - enough so to remove windows and such.  I just repainted my place, replaced all outlets/switches, installed a fan etc so I'm comfortable making modifications as needed but I'd like to keep costs (time, money) as low as possible.


texts:
I currently have a metal step rail that is straight and spans three steps leading up to my front porch; it is the typical cheap metal railing you commonly see. It is at the end of its life, so my fiance wants something a bit more unique.
So, her ideal would be a cedar, flush mounted single rail (still straight, not mounted to house or wrapping around the small porch we have). My biggest concern is making sure the posts are secure since it would be flush mounted, lack right angles, and not secured to the side of the house.
I found this advice:

Drill 4 holes 6" deep by 5/8" diameter in the bottom of each 4x4 post.
Center the holes about 1" from the corners, and drill slightly toward
the center of the post, i.e. the holes are slightly angled in. Use
Simpson epoxy to glue 4 pieces of 1/2" all-thread or 3/8" rebar into
those holes.
When the epoxy cures, the protruding rods can be bent so
they exit the post parallel to one another and to the post's long
axis. Now drill 4 holes in the concrete for each post, same size and
depth, all straight down. Brush and blow out all the dust. Mask off
the concrete around where the base of the post will rest.
Mask off the
sides of the post at the bottom. When that is done, put a fresh nozzle
on your Simpson gun and put epoxy into the slab holes, and set the
posts. Quickly brace them plumb. While the epoxy is soft, smear the
excess away from the bases with a gloved finger, and carefully remove
the masking while things are still squishy.
Take lunch, or work on
something else. The posts will cure solid in an hour or several,
depending on temperature, etc. When they are cured, they will feel
like they grew there.

It sounds pretty good, but before I go to all the trouble of doing it this way. I wanted to know:

Is this a good way to do this?
Is there a better way?


texts: Should Young Families Always Favor an Egghshell Finish?

texts:
When choosing paint, should young families always favor an eggshell finish because it's easiest to clean?

Also, are bathrooms and kitchens exceptions to this rule because water vapor can cling to the walls?


texts:
I am interested in replacing an older thermostat with a modern networked 'smart' thermostat \ humidity monitor.  That being said, does the photographed thermostat have a C-wire?

The thermostat controls an air conditioner in a Florida storage facility.  Fortunately, the AC handler is proximal to the thermostat controller

As I understand it, the common wire is often necessary to provide a return path, one of two wires necessary to power the electronics in a smart thermostat.

UPDATE:  upper thermostat panel removed.  Blue wire not connected:

QUESTION

If there is 24V AC between the RED and BLUE wire, is it reasonable to conclude that the BLUE wire is the 'C Wire' required for smart thermostats?


texts: Staying electric code compliant while cleaning up in-wall network box

texts:
Below is a pic of the in-wall network box in my new home - it is a 42" On-Q metal box, with an existing power outlet inside. Not shown are the bundle of cat5e cables and network and phone switches I have mounted inside. I have a cable modem with a network and phone out, and a wifi router.

I've got a couple options for cleaning this up and being able to put the cover back on the in-wall network box.

Get a slim, mountable router and put it and the cable modem in the network box. There is enough room, but my biggest concern is the cable modem. I'm concerned about ventilation and needing to occasionally reset it.

I could splurge for a hinged door cover for the network box.

Keep the cable modem and wifi router out of the network box, right in front of it. I would cut a hole in the drywall right below the network box (red square in pic) and could run the coax/network/phone lines out.

Unfortunately there is no nearby power source outside of the network box.
I could run a 10 foot power strip to them (10 feet), or I could use the power source in the network box. I'm pretty certain the short run of power cables through the wall would be a code violation though.
I could have an electrician install a power outlet outside of the network box. There aren't great options for placement without ripping up walls.

What would you do? Am I missing anything obvious? Are my concerns about the cable modem ventilation unfounded? Any code-compliant way to get power out of the network box?


texts: Why won't my lights light up, even though there's power to the lights?

texts: I have new construction, one switch with power to it. From the switch I ran the wire to the first light(4 total) from the first light I ran wire to two different lights and then from one light of the second lights to the final light. I have power at all light fixture but they will not light up. Is my problem that I connected two lights to the first light where the power from the switch comes. All the lights are connected with black to black, white to white and ground to ground. The switch was wired: black from power to switch and black from wire from switch to first ligh connected to switch, both whites are connected but not to switch, grounds are to switch. Is my problem that I did not run the lights one to the next and then the next? Maybe I shouldn't have ran wire from the first light to two lights??? Please help I would have thought this would be simple as I've done 2 way switches with four lights, no problem.


texts: I accidentally ran into my open microwave door and I think I twisted it.  Ever since then I have to slam the door (more than a few times) and push in the upper right part of the door by the latch for the light to go out and start.  I do hear like a distinctive click that seems to be coming from the other side (hinge side) when it does get properly seated and start.  It is a Kenmore model 665.69682992.


texts: How are grade-level garage slabs typically connected to a basement wall?

texts:
When you have a basement wall that needs to join up to a garage slab at the top of the basement wall, how are the footings for the garage slab placed, and how does the garage slab attach to the basement wall?

I've done a bit of research into foundations, and understand that footers need to be poured on virgin soil (undisturbed so it is compacted) in order to avoid major problems with settling later.

But if you excavate and pour the basement wall, then back fill behind it, the earth where you would want to put your garage slab footings would be the back-filled earth which you are not supposed to compact.

The IRC defers to ACI 332 for foundation and concrete walls, but I'm not finding anything particularly relevant to the problem. One website mentioned "Jump Footings" also called Discontinuous Footings, but it sounds like the maximum change in elevation can be five feet. It also sounds like this is used in cases where the garage has concrete walls, and the concrete garage walls are joined to a concrete house wall.

I've drawn a picture to illustrate the problem. It's a side view of the house footers with the poured walls, and the garage footers with the slab, and a gap is clearly visible in the problem area.

Is there a standard code-compliant way of dealing with this that doesn't require an engineer? (The county inspector says that if anything is listed in the IRC 2012, no stamp is required).
If an engineer is required, what is the typical approach used?

UPDATE:

For greater clarity, the house does not exist yet, this is new construction. I'm designing the house myself, and want to work through as much as I can first and then just bring the problems to an Engineer all at once (if needed). If there is a standard solution in a code book, then no engineer is required in my area.


texts: How should I deal with a full ground bus bar in an electrical panel?

texts:
My (main) GE panel's ground bus bar is full. Is it better form to

a) put multiple ground wires in the same hole

b) put some of the ground wires in the neutral section

My research seems to suggest that either option is safe and code-legal. Is one considered a better approach? Some people seem to be wary of putting ground wires in the same hole, but this seems to just be a misapplication of the rules for neutral wires?


texts: I am taking power from my 200amp entrance panel to a separate building with woodworking tools. I'll start with 100amp breaker at the panel then travel 75' inside my basement before going out through 1 1/2" conduit another 75' to the building where i'll have another 100 amp breaker at the subpanel.  My question is cable type. I know i'll need URD for outside and am looking at either 2-2-2-4 or 2-2-4-6. Which will suffice?  Also what should i use for wire inside the house between service panel and the exit to conduit?  Thanks for your help


texts: Belt and pulley fell off 40" attic fan & my repair failed (updated)

texts:
Summary (also see photos of fan and motor below)
Update 2:
I bought a capacitor for small dollars and now the fan works again, perfectly.
Update 1: Capacitor was indeed broken (see photo at end)

Belt and upper pulley fell off 40" attic fan

Attic fan motor turns when not connected to anything

Fan blades turn easily by hand

When I put the pulley and belt together the motor does not turn the fan at all.
What should I try?

Here are some more details.
My large (40" diameter) attic fan has worked flawlessly for years, on a thermostat.  Recently we have not heard it.
I climbed into the low ceiling attic and found the 18" belt on the floor and the 7" top pulley on the floor as well.
The motor turned when the I manually triggered thermostat.
I put the pulley back on the shaft and tightened it in place with the set screw. Then I put the belt back on the pulleys and triggered the thermostat.  I replaced the belt with my bare hands, so it cannot be very tight.
Surprise: the motor tries to turn (jerks in place) but does not turn.
The fan blade itself is easy to turn by hand.
Why did the pulley fall off and what should I try now to get it running again?
If you need any more info, tell me what you need.
Thanks.


texts: How can I tell if furniture is finished with lacquer or enamel in order to repair the finish? I'd like to paint a natural wood finish using an enamel spray paint that includes primer.


texts: Increasing Range of Night Vision Cameras

texts:
Will replacing a regular fluorescent floodlight with and infrared floodlight increase the clarity/range of my night vision cameras? If not, are there other methods to increase clarity/range of my night vision cameras, without replacing said cameras?

Found the following bulb:

http://www.elightbulbs.com/General-600530-TSG-PAR38-IR-175W-E27-240V-RED-PAR38-Reflector-Flood-Spot-Light-Bulb&source=GoogleBaseCSE?gclid=CNf6svCVw8gCFYgYHwodjtgHiQ

Says it's a "Heat Lamp," which sortof threw me. Should that qualification deter me from procuring it? Incandescent bulbs produce heat, what's the difference with infrared bulbs? Isn't that just the tinting of the light itself?


texts:
I'm replacing an old ceiling fan. The old one wobbled a lot even after tightening the blades and trying to balance it. Right now the electrical box is just a plastic one that appears to be screwed into the ceiling joist. Will replacing the box with a brace like this one help with the wobbling?

Here is a picture of what the old fan was attached to. I haven't taken off the old fan bracket yet.

I'm not sure what happened to the ceiling where the fan touched it. It looks like it melted or they installed the fan when the paint was still wet.

Edit

So when I took the metal piece off the electrical box fell down. Looks like there is already a brace there.


texts: Is an inflatable pool that is more than a few inches off level safe enough to swim in? If not, is it salvageable without dumping?

texts: We had this ground “leveled” but apparently not really. It was built up with sand and is already eroding away after a few short weeks. Is it still safe enough to use? Anyone had one of these collapse on them? Can I get through this 4th of July weekend with it? The summer?


texts: Seeking good method to locate short on buried AC power cable

texts:
We have experienced a failure or short in one leg of a buried 3 wire 2.0-gauge aluminum cable that runs 150’ from our house to a detached garage (2 hots and a neutral, no ground -USE-2 RHH 60 MIL XLP).  I hope to locate and repair the short and am looking for your advice and the most economical way to find the short.

The location where the cable is buried can be located from old photos left by the previous owner which show the original trench.  In addition, we have confirmed the location of the buried AC power cables by sending a signal down the lines and picking it up with an AM radio. (We wound a 20-gauge wire half a dozen times around the spark plug cable of our four-stroke lawnmower, attached the other end of the 20-gauge wire to one end of the damaged 2.0-gauge aluminum power cable, started the lawn mower, then swept the portable AM radio over the ground surface near the locations we thought it was buried.)  The mower magneto induced a signal onto the buried 2.0-gauge cable which the AM radio could track over the ground surface.   The cable path is now marked out on the ground.  However, I do not know how to locate the short so we can dig down to the cable and repair the bad spot.

A call to all rental shops in my town, Olympia WA, reveal that I can rent a cable locator, but none of our local rental shops has a fault finder.  Your advice is appreciated.  My own best solution at this point, would require buying a fault finder such as AEMC CA7024 Fault Mapper Cable Length Meter and Fault Locator ($525), Amazon Link,   or Armada GFL3000 Ground Fault Locator ($900) GFL3000 on Amazon

Do any of you have a recommendation for this situation?

Further details: The problems on this line began a few weeks ago when we suddenly lost power on several light and outlet circuits in the garage.  We’ve had a few loaded dump trucks running over the trench line area during our wet spring.  I suspect they may have pushed a rock through or caused a break. The nonfunctioning circuits were simply shut off in the garage at their respective breakers on the garage subpanel.  I scheduled the problem for service.

However, within two weeks the Double Pole breaker controlling this buried 2.0 gauge aluminum cable began tripping at the main panel in the house.  I replaced the original 60 Amp breaker on this cable in the house breaker panel with a new 100 Amp breaker (the 2.0-gauge aluminum cable is rated for 100 amps).  The new 100-amp breaker instantly tripped.  Reset, and it instantly tripped again.
Went back to the garage panel, completely disconnected the A leg or phase of the buried 2.0 cable from the garage breaker panel.  Went back to the house and turned on the new 100 Amp breaker.  It still tripped.  Disconnected the A leg of the buried 2.0 wire from the house breaker panel and turned on the new 100-amp double pole breaker with just the “B” leg connected.  Then went back to the garage subpanel and discovered that the now completely disconnected A leg of the buried 2.0-gauge cable still had a small variable voltage.  Our meter measured 1.5 to 5 volts (variable) between the disconnected A leg and the Neutral, and 2.0 to 2.5 volts between the A leg and ground. There was no voltage between neutral and ground.

The B leg of the buried 2.0-gauge cable measured 118 Volts.  Our multi-meter measured 115 volts between the disconnected A leg and the hot B leg.  When both hots (A and B) of this cable are disconnected at the house breaker panel, then there is no voltage anywhere in the garage subpanel.  We are currently running the garage with only 120 volts (the B leg) of the buried 2.0-gauge aluminum cable remains connected.   What do you think my best option is to find this fault?


texts: What are some alternatives to wall anchors?

texts:
I've used these anchors in the past...I really like them for heavy duty mounting in drywall (for things such as vertical standards for shelves).
However, these make pretty big holes in the drywall. Eventually if you take them down, put up new ones in different spots, they will essentially add many little holes to the drywall. You can patch it up, but the patched up spots won't have the same holding power.

What are my alternatives, if any?


texts: Additional receptacles on 20 amp service using quick holes on back

texts: Garage with yellow 12-2 + G wire and 20 AMP breaker. I am adding receptacles. Hubbell has a 20 amp commercial receptacle that will take the 12-2 wire through the holes on the back. I note that these are not blade connectors, there are clamps in the holes operated by the screw on the side. I have read that you should not use the quick connect holes with 12-2 thus my question: Are the Hubbell 20A receptacles okay to use 12-2 in these clamped connector holes (on the back)? Thanks for any assistance.


texts: Do I need a sleeve for through the wall air conditioner in new construction?

texts: I am about to buy a through the wall A/C unit for a small building, which the builder will frame out for the A/C. Is the framing enough, or do I need to buy a sleeve for A/C?


texts:
Ihave a 1988 Stanley dlux 1/3hp door opener that cracked the gear case where the worm gear engages the rest of the mechanism.  I replaced the gear case and there is nothing that is binding or seized, but the motor does not turn the drive gears.  When power is applied, the motor hums but it does not activate the drive.   In the process of changing the gear case I had to change the adjustment mechanism behind the circuit board in between the gear case and the circuit board.  I am wondering whether the up and down door mechanism is far enough out of adjustment to create my problem, or whether I should be looking for something else.
In the process of breaking down the mechanism did try to operate the door both up and down, which may have put it out of sequence.
I would appreciate any ideas and information.


texts: could air in the line cause drop in water pressure?

texts: My water pressure measures 80psi. When I shut off the water to the house, it drops to 20 psi. I have had a lot of air in the line since the water company dug up their main line and supposedly fixed some leaks. Would the air in my line explain why my pressure drops from 80 to 20 in about 10 minutes?


texts: What type of wood is suitable for fascia?

texts:
I'm replacing some fascia boards, I am looking for something that is rot-resistant but I am hesitant to use pressure treated lumber due to shrinkage as it dries out and I don't want gaps (project has to be done over a few days).

What are some good wood alternatives that are competitive in terms of price/performance? Hopefully I am not asking for too much, but if you could list the alternatives in terms of relative price that would be awesome.


texts: I need to hook up a C wire to power a wi-Fi thermostat. I have an extra unused blue wire, but I don't know what to hook it up to at the furnace. I don't have the traditional wiring R W RC G Y C on the furnace. I did locate a 24V transformer coming out, but I'm not sure if I can hook the blue wire (C) to the red hot wire which is already carrying a red wire to the thermostat RH terminal.


texts: Filtration system for smoke from oil lamp

texts:
I like to light a little oil lamp/ candle (lamp size about 2 inches in diameter) in my bedroom. Unfortunately the soot tends to make the wall and cupboards yellow.

Is there a way to install a filtration system over the lamp that can remove the soot and recirculate the filtered air back into the room? Unfortunately the windows are double glazed glass installed on an aluminium frame and it would be a major project to fit a duct through them.

Thanks!