texts: Okay that TV wobbles when articulating wall mount is extended?

texts:
I have a TV securely (lag screws into studs) mounted to the wall with an extending/articulating wall mount. We don't move it around, the TV remains in fixed position, about 20" away from the wall. However, I recently noticed the TV wobbles if touched or bumped even slightly on either end, furthest away from the centre. The wall mount is quite secure, and I've tightened up all the adjustable joints, it's just that the TV itself can wobble and vibrate since the whole thing is cantilevered out. Now that we have a toddler, I'm wondering if this is a safety concern. I cannot find any advice or guidance about adding extra support to a wall mounted TV, I only see people advocating for safety straps, etc. for TVs that are free-standing.
So my main question is this: is it okay that a wall-mounted TV wobbles a bit when touched? How much is too much? Part of me says it's fine, it's securely mounted, and cantilevered things like that will always wobble (like the tip of an airplane's wing). But the other part of me is, well, a worried dad.
I'm thinking the easiest way to remedy this would be to fasten a vertical support from the bottom of TV or the mount itself straight down to floor. That kinda ruins the whole "floating TV" look, though.


texts: I just purchased a condo on the beach, which was built in 1978. Trying to drill through the concrete but to no avail. Please help!

texts: For the past 3 days I’ve been running to the big box stores to purchase drill bits for metal & concrete to use with my regular corded drill, but to no avail.  So, I’ve done some research. Purchased a corded SDS Bauer Rotary Hammer Drill and a different drill bit just for my SDS drill to use on concrete.  Well, once again I can’t penetrate but maybe 1/8”.  Very frustrating!  What are in my walls?  I live in a condo on the beach, 5th floor.  We do get hurricanes, just thought I’d mention that in case it mattered in the building materials that were used. It’s my closet that I’m trying to put shelves in, which share the same wall as the living room. I believe it is a load bearing wall.  If there’s anyone that could give me some insight, I’d really appreciate it!    Thank you


texts: How to locate a cut low-voltage ethernet wire behind drywall?

texts:
My house's builders seem to have cut one of the Cat-6 internet cables somewhere along it's run from the basement to the data hub where all of the other cables converge.  It might even be between the floors.  This is a low voltage circuit.

The basement outlet is about 12 below and about 25 feet along a single wall from the data hub box.  (The Cat-6 cable does not turn corners.  It goes up and over.)  I have access to the other end of the cable in the data box.

Is there a device that I can plug in to either end of the cable and then track the path of the cable from on top of the dry wall?  I hate to punch a bunch of holes in the plaster when I have no idea where the cut is.  If I could punch one hole, I could splice the break with a male-female connector, put it back in the wall, and patch over it.


texts: Why did my lights go out when I accidentally dropped a charger plug on a power cord with empty sockets?

texts:
I unplugged my computer charger from a multi-plug extension cord with many empty sockets and the wires were still tangled on the floor so I pulled on the charger to get it loose, but I accidentally dropped it onto the cord. Suddenly there was a small bright spark when the plug hit the cord and it tripped a breaker and the lights went out. The extension cord is type F and looks like this one.
Everything still works fine, but I wonder what exactly happened that made the breaker trip. Any ideas? I would guess that the plug fell into the socket at an angle or something, but I don't know if that would make it trip. It could've also been the other end of the computer charger, but it's much wider than the plug pins for example.


texts: Why is my dishwasher drain pump constantly running?

texts:
We have a late 1960's Kitchenaid Superba (by Hobart) dishwasher.

Problem: the drain operates continuously, so the dishwasher can never fill with water. (The water comes in, but it's immediately pumped out.)

Never had this problem until I tried one of the cycles that I don't regularly use. As soon as I pushed the button to start it, the problem appeared. Makes me suspect something went wrong in the control unit.

Is there an easy way to tell whether the issue is with the control/timer unit (maybe an electrical issue is keeping the drain gate open?) versus a problem with the drain solenoid/gate itself?

Replacement parts aren't cheap, so I'm hoping to narrow down the problem.


texts: My door was locked but the handle came off, uses non-traditional unlock

texts:
Sorry i'm in a bit of a pickle here.

So this particular lock style uses plastic with metal on the inside. As far as I could see there was no traditional latch mechanism to trigger to open the latch on the door handle. After removing the plastic to get access to the metal, I found that there was no pulling it at all. The plastic and the metal are conjoined with a small metal rod right about where the plastic meets the wood. You'll see it about halfway in and out assuming the picture worked.

I have no way in or out and since this is a rental property would like to avoid action-movie style kicking the door down guns blazing. The other side of the handle with the lock is inside of the bathroom.

I can't find a single guide on the internet regarding this specific door handle so I'm out of ideas. Thanks for any suggestion


texts: Is switching my flourescent light fixures to LED fixures a DIY project?

texts: My house has a fluorescent light fixture that includes a ballast. I saw instructions here for changing it to a regular light fixture that I can use for LED bulbs instead. Is this a project that I should attempt on my own? Do I need to hire an electrician? I have switched numerous switches in my house so far, and I'm a decent learner, but I don't have vast amounts of electrical experience.


texts:
When I moved in to the house the first thing I changed was the old mercury style T-stat to a digital one, I went wire for wire, and it has works (knocks on wood) so far. Now that I have been reading questions about WiFi T-stat and started looking at all of the different kinds that are out there, man now I want one. From what I found am going to have to run a new 6 wire T-stat wire to add the constant 24V and I have to match the rest of the wires but that is where I am confused

LET THE FUN BEGIN

I first I opened up the T-stat and from what I have read it doesn't look right. Next opened the indoor unit and found all of the wires from the T-stat and I am now really confused.

From the T-stat I have five wires.

Green wire terminates to a Yellow with Red Dash wire, which goes to what I think is a contactor (Yellow/Red Dash wire on the right of Pic 2) = Fan motor
Yellow wire terminates to a White wire, which goes to the outside unit = compresses
Blue wire terminates to a Blue wire (It is hard to read but I think the wire marker says 2M= Heat or Cool contactor
Red wire terminates to White wire that goes to one side of a low volt X-former= Control Voltage for T-stat
White wire terminates to a Purple wire, which goes to what I think is a contactor= Heat or Cool contactor

Now at the T-stat I have this...

So why is the blue and white wire together, what am I missing?

Update,
Traced the Blue wire out to another contactor. Its the Blue wire on top.


texts: what's the easiest way to fix this door?

texts:
This is just a basic North American door, hollow core.  It got damaged and I'd like to fix it so I don't get dinged on the rental deposit.

What I was planning to do was:

measure door
take a color sample of the paint
go to Home Depot and get a new door and matching paint.
paint it and put it back up with the old door's hardware.

I figure that's easier and less problematic than somehow trying to fix the door damage.

Any suggestions or things to took out for?  I am not moving out in the near future, so the paint should have time to get a bit of patina and in any case, they'll probably want to repaint the whole apartment anyway, it's been that long.


texts: What type of vapor barrier and concrete should I use for bare earth in basement?

texts:
I recently purchased a house built in 1937 that has had a number of additions to it. One of these additions was an extension of the house over the original foundation. This resulted in a small area of the basement that is over bare earth. The inspector mentioned putting down vapor barrier and someone else mentioned pouring concrete. What is the best way to approach this and what type of barrier/concrete is best used?

Thanks


texts: What compound should be used for base skim coat?

texts:
My apartment has plaster walls with some minor cracks, all of which I've repaired with fiberglass mesh + plaster. I've sanded all repairs, washed/degreased the walls, and primed with Zinsser 123.

Now I'm ready to skim coat; the top coat will be EasySand 90, but I'm not sure what to use for the base skim coat; my options so far:

Joint Compound, premixed (Greed Lid)
Durabond
Durabond OR JC (premixed) + Plaster of Paris (3/1 ratio)

Option 1 is probably the easiest, but premix tends to shrink more than powder. Option 2 avoids that problem, but Durabond is not ideal for skim coat, at least not according to the manufacturer. I like option 3, but plaster cures so fast, unless I work quickly with small batches it will be a mess. I tested 1 TSP of baking soda with 1 CUP of plaster, managed to double curing time, I'm just not sure if using baking soda for a plaster skim coat will stand the test of time.

Any suggestions?


texts:
I recently shut off the water main to the house to repair a leaky downstairs shower. When I finished and turned the water back on, I found that only my kitchen, which is upstairs and nearly directly over the water heater, was getting hot water. Other spouts in the house would run warm water for a few seconds and then go cold, while the kitchen continues to get a steady flow of very hot water. Pressure in all spouts is strong.

The house was built in the 1950s. The piping is simple, with one hot water source out of the water heater immediately going to a “T”, turning left to feed the upstairs kitchen and right to feed the rest of the house. No anti scalding valves that I am aware of. Water heater is about 10 years old. Everything worked perfectly before.

Faucets are a mix of single and double handle, makes no difference. It’s very confusing that water flows freely yet is cold, when the only source is the hot water heater. The line coming out of the water heater is quite hot. I need Colombo here.


texts: I understand that 240v in a house current, the flow is in out/ out in through the two 120v lines from the transformer. What continues to confuse me is the role of the neutral wire in a 120v circuit.  If its ac, (and I know it is) then the same sloshing flow as the 240v will take place.  So current flows, just as in a 240v circuit, on the first ac pulse.  But when current reverses, in a 240v circuit, current simply retraces the path of the preceding current, but on 120v, it seems that there is no push/voltage driving back towards the voltage source from ground.


texts: Can I wire 2 ceiling fans, 5 ceiling spot lights, and 3 closet lights on a singe 15 amp circuit?

texts:
Can I wire 2 ceiling fans and 5 ceiling spot lights and 3 closet ligthts on a singe circuit with 12 ga wire and a 15 amp breaker?
Or should I wire the 2 ceiling fans on a separate circuit?


texts: Easiest way to build an oddly-shaped shelf for cabinet above stove

texts:
In my rented apartment, there is a cabinet above the stove which cannot be used for storage - the stove exhaust fan is sitting there.  The first photo shows the doors closed with an 18" ruler for scale.

Despite the exhaust system, there is a lot of empty space in there.  I'd like to put in a shelf to store some less frequently used kitchen equipment.  What would be the best method to build such a shelf?  The cabinet walls seem to be 3/4" thick.

My first plan is this:

Start with two pieces of plywood, a "left half" shelf and a "right half" shelf
Cut a rectangular hole in each piece so that the exhaust duct can pass through the shelf
Mount each half-shelf with right-angle brackets to the side wall of the cabinet
Put a full-width edging strip of plywood at the front of the shelf, joining the two half-shelves

My woodworking tools and experience are limited - I'm at the cordless drill and hand saw level.

Is this a good plan?  Are there other approaches I should consider?  My main worry is whether I can anchor those wall brackets into 3/4" cabinet walls securely.


texts: How to install 230V Light with Light-activated-resistor?

texts:
I am trying to set up light-activated-resistors that activate a light during dark hours. I have bought a ready Chinese thing that apparently contain a driver to change from AC to proper DC output for the light but I I don´t know for sure. The fact that the cords connected to the Chinese white light-activation thing are so thin hints me that connecting them directly to the 230V sockets is not probably the best idea. I have hacked an old radio power cord (on the picture) but I am afraid to plug it to the device before proper understanding of the system. The house where I am experimenting has no earthed sockets so I don´t know how to try out this kind of devices, not wanting to fire up the house.
So how can I install the device? What kind of precautions should I have? Where and how I should try the device? If I can understand right, it requires AC in.

PCBs

Instructios in Chinese


texts: I have installed a new pre-hung door that needs to blend in with the surrounding wall. The door is a flat slab and will be painted the same as the wall. I don't want to use door trim as I need a flat look. How do I conceal the gap between the frame and the door jamb? I could use plaster but I think it will crack over time.


texts: How can I tell if a dimmer switch is LED compatible?

texts:
I have recently put some smart LED bulbs into my ceiling fan (Lifx if the brand matters) and there is a bad humming noise. Previously there was some humming in at least one of the LED bulbs (they weren't all the same and I don't recall how many made it) but it was much more faint.
I have read that the issue may be the dimmer switch the lights are on, that it may need to be replaced with a special dimmer switch that works with LEDs. How can I tell if my switch is one of these dimmable LED switches or not? Can I tell by looking? I have a very basic multimeter but that is my only tool.

It is worth mentioning that I am aware that now that I have smart lights a wall dimmer is not needed as opposed to a normal switch (dimming is done through the app). If I do end up replacing this switch I will probably put in a "normal" switch instead of an LED dimmer. At this point I am merely trying to diagnose the problem.


texts: How can I figure out why my undersink water filter system is clogged?

texts: enter image description hereMy 3-year-old undersink water filter system stopped working (i.e., no water comes out). I changed the filters but still no water is flowing. Any suggestions on where to look for the blockage? My contractor did not leave a manual for this device and I cannot tell who manufactures it.


texts: Can I run an underground wire to a shed on blocks?

texts:
I have a 12'x16' shed which has been leveled using concrete blocks but otherwise sits on the grass/dirt.  It's about 100' from the house.  I live in Georgia.  I'd love to add some lights and outlets to it.
Can I run an underground electrical wire to it, ending in a 60 amp sub-panel?  Or does the shed need to be more permanent with, perhaps, a poured concrete foundation in order to do that?


texts: How can I replace a non-standard (20cm) bathroom faucet?

texts:
The bathroom sink has a separate cold and hot tap, their centres are 20cm apart. I want to replace them with a mixer tap. However, the mixer taps I see have 18cm distance.
What are the options for building in a mixer tap without getting a new sink?

EDIT:
I can't include pictures as I have only recently joined this forum. Some further details:

the current 20cm centered faucets have their own water spouts
the sink has two holes, but
when looking from below, in the middle a circle can be seen where the sink is thinner (I guess this can be opened to get e third central hole)
a common water spout in the middle is the goal, either with one or two handles
there is a flat surface between the current two faucets
there is a tiled flat wall behind the sink, so theoretically the new faucet could be built into the wall, but I would prefer not to remove tiles.


texts: How do I repair a wooden door's hinge binding?

texts:
In a rented flat, I saw the that a door wasn't closing properly, and noticed that the hinge screws were loose and not centered.

So I decided to unscrew them, and set them back in properly.

Sadly, by unscrewing them, the screw bases which were probably already broken just came out in pieces (I think they are called anchors, or dowels, by googling, not sure though).

The door is wooden, and it has a crack along the holes, which was most likely formed after the door was set in place.

Below are 3 images that show exactly what I'm talking about:

How the hinge looks
How the holes look, also, the crack
What I found when I unscrewed the hinge

What should I do?

Q1: What exactly are the plastic things called, the yellow thing in image 3? I'm asking so I know what to ask for in a hardware store.

Q2: Should I just buy and replace the anchors?

Q3: Concerning the crack, it seems pretty stable. I'm sure for long-term it's probably a good idea to replace the door altogether. Meanwhile, while googling I've found there's some clays which I could pour in the crack to stabilize it. Should I consider this as well?


texts: How do I prevent mobile home flexible water lines from freezing?

texts: I have a 2009 mobile home. It has a flexible water feed line going to the toilet that freezes in very cold temps. I have been told these lines won't break if they freeze. They will just expand and when the temp goes up they will thaw out with no problems. First, is this true? Also is there anything I can do to avoid the problem? I have already added more fiberglass insulation but it still freezes.


texts:
So I've been redoing my window sills. Basically I smashed out tile sills and replaced with routered wood sills. There are maybe 15 in the house. I have not had time yet to prime any of them, so for the last 5 months they've been exposed wood.

Recently I noticed a foul smelling odor in my master bedroom. After some investigation I realized it was coming from the wooden window sill closest to my bed. I figured that something died in the wall so I called a pest control guy; he assured me nothing dead is happening and the smell is not decaying animal. He also went under the house to confirm (off grade home).

Thinking that the smell may be coming from outside, last weekend I caulked the sills in the master bedroom to seal the open air between the sill and wall. The smell remains, and seems to be directly on the one wooden sill (but no others).

The best way that I can describe the smell is a sneeze when you have a sinus infection. It smells a bit like death and is musty, and it is playing all hell with my allergies.

I'm thinking about priming the sills tonight to see if that helps, but can anyone tell me what is going on here?


texts:
I would like to use foil-faced expanded polystyrene boards to insulate my window at night.* That window is located a foot or two above my electric baseboard heater.** To me it seems like this could create a fire hazard, or at least risk deforming the polystyrene.***
Is there anything simple that I could do to mitigate or eliminate this fire/deformation hazard (if any)? I was thinking that maybe I could make a heat-resistant barrier between the heater and the window, or maybe put a flame-retardant material or coating on the polystyrene. But any solution would be welcome.
Also, is there a good way for me to test the extent of the hazard under "normal conditions"? For example, could I put in a shelf as described above, stick a memory thermometer underneath, and monitor the air temperature below it over an extended period to see how hot it gets?
* That may be stupid, feel free to let me know. I will probably set up a separate question about that.
** Which I always run on "low"
*** In the past, this has not been an issue with the plastic (polyolefin?) film that I put around the window.


texts: What can be done about a vanity top not flush against the base?

texts:
I am installing a new vanity / top combo in a bathroom I am in the process of remodeling.  I leveled and roughed the base and placed the vanity top (provided with the base) on to check the fit and align it with the p-trap.

Everything was fine following the Instructions until I got to step 5 (installing the top).  While attempting to center the top on the base and get it flush (ish) against the wall, I noticed that the top does not appear to "sit" correctly on the base, a subject about which the instructions are noticeably silent.
The front and back of the vanity top appear fine, but the sides of the top that would normally touch the base appear to extend too far to the sides of the base for the silicone adhesive to be useful.

Should I use shims (or some other technique) to bring the base in contact with the top or is everything here in order and I'm over thinking it?  Could this be a defect?

I purchased the vanity from Home Depot.  I can add additional images or information if needed.

Details

URL:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/St-Paul-Madeline-24-in-Vanity-in-Chestnut-with-Composite-Vanity-Top-in-White-MD24P2COM-CN/204718251
Model#: MD24P2COM-CN
Top Material: Engineered quartz composite
Base Material: Particle Board
Additional Images: http://imgur.com/a/Vr1pv

Pictures


texts: Is wood flooring in bathroom a right decision?

texts: We have decided to install wood flooring in bathroom. Is it a right decision??


texts: heat pump air handler blower motor stalls at start up randomly

texts: The air handler blower sounds like it is being switched off and on rapidly but will eventually run. This occurs randomly at start up.  Most of the time it starts and runs fine.  Could the capacitor be going bad or what could cause this?has capacitor in front that connects to motor in blower


texts: Germany: Is it legal to connect a gas oven to a gas tank manually?

texts:
I have arrived recently in Germany and I want to get a gas oven.
I was wondering if it's possible to buy the oven, the gas tank, and manually connect them on my own, is this possible legally? Or should I use a professional service?
Update 1: The oven in question is the Ooni Koda 16, and I won't attach it to a gas line as I don't have one, I will attach it to a gas cylinder (bottle).
Update 2: The reason I want a gas oven, is that I want to bake Neapolitan pizza at home, that needs ~500C temperature to be able to cook it properly, as far as I know, an electric oven can't reach beyond 300C.
Answers:

Regulations forbid to use such an oven indoors
Gas stoves and similar stuff depend also on contract terms (renting)
The oven mentioned in my question can be installed manually without any problems, but only outdoors

Big thanks to all the respectful people who helped me with this, I could've injured myself unless I've seen your answers and setup the oven, thank you!


texts: Wiring a fan and light in bathroom with separate switches

texts:
I would like to put switches on my light and fan in the bathroom. At present there are 2 isolators. The light one is fine--it has a twin and earth to the light so I guess that's straight forward to bring the live to the intended switch and a twin and earth from the new switch to the light.
The fan isolator is 3 pole and has two 3 core cables connected, 2 cables are coloured grey and are connected to the Neutral connections one above the other we then have  2 black cores connected to L2 AND L2 (ONE Above the other) so when the isolator is switched on they are connected to each other as is the Blue marked cables, the two brown cores are not connected to anything they are just taped up. Is that any help at all.
The bathroom has a motion sensor fitted in the ceiling. At the moment I have no ladders to reach that item but I hope I have given enough info for now. I cannot put the pic I took as its too large.


texts: Hampton Bay Windward II ceiling fan with light

texts: I took down a Hampton Bay Ceiling fan with light by untwisting the stem. The 4 wires for the controller got torn. Where do they go to fix the fan part? light works when hooked up to power.


texts: What could cause low hot water pressure only in the line to one shower?

texts:
In my house I have a water pressure issue:

Pressure is fine everywhere except for the hot water supply to the second floor shower
There is another shower in the basement that has good water pressure
The water heater is also in the basement
Both lines to the shower are copper

The issue is not with the shower head as the hot water pressure is also very low out of the tub faucet compared to the cold pressure. I have disassembled and removed the entire faucet assembly including the cartridge, and when the water is turned back on pressure is low even directly from the pipe. The shut-off valves for hot and cold are fully open as far as I can tell.

So, what could be the issue? Could the hot water line only to that shower be blocked? How can I clear it?


texts: Is it necessary to add bleach or vinegar monthly to HVAC line when system is not in use, mainly when air conditioning and heat are not necessary.


texts: The plastic piece that holds together the 2 ice crusher blades in my ice dispenser broke. Is there a glue that could withstand the freezer temperature I can use?


texts:
I have some steps on my front walkway that have come loose (marked with blue tape in the pictures).  I've tried fixing these with liquid nails and with epoxy.  But I can't get them to stay.  I've kept the steps dry during the cure period in the instructions and they've been within the recommended temperature range.

What is the right product to use for a fix like this?  These were originally installed about six years ago and I know they used polymeric sand to fill in the gaps (no idea if that matters).


texts: What does NEC require for strapping down conduit and wire here?

texts:
Below is a picture of the current conduit and wire setup for my new underground service into my house with generator automatic transfer switch and manual transfer switch to allow me to switch to an inlet.

The conduit is all very well secured by the ground and the boxes. The piece of SER wire between the meter pan and transfer switch is only secured at the boxes.

What does code require that I do to secure the conduit and/or SER? I'd like to get that squared away before I call for inspection. I am in NJ and we follow the 2014 NEC.


texts: Do I need to hire an electrician to turn off my main?

texts: My service panel (newly installed) does not have a main breaker.  I'm guessing the main breaker is outside in the panel shown with the utility lock tag.  Am I not "allowed" to turn off my main breaker?  My intention is to run a 20 amp circuit for a couple outlets in the basement.


texts:
I would like to make a custom brick for a decorative purpose.  It will be painted so the material is not important, meaning it doesn't have to be a clay brick, could be concrete like cinder blocks.  I can make my mold very easily but I am unsure about the mix to put in.  These instructions are for clay bricks and require a long time of curing them in the sun, and I have neither time nor sun at my disposal.

If I were to pour my brick with some cement-based material (like concrete), what ingredients and ratios should I mix and how is that the mix (if any) different from a regular concrete mix? Also, is there a way to make a clay brick faster than the instructions submitted, since I need only one I could cook it in my kitchen oven for example? While concrete is acceptable, clay would be slightly preferred if not much harder to work with.


texts: Plastic junction boxes and covers in floor?

texts:
Our family room is currently being remodeled to include a raised/tray ceiling. Once the drywall was removed from the ceiling and the plywood removed from the attic floor above the family room, it was discovered that a LOT of wiring was going down the center of the room and had to be relocated. The electricians 'relocated' the wiring by adding 20-30 plastic junction boxes in the floor of the attic and covering them with solid, plastic covers. The attic was and will be re-floored with plywood and the space will eventually be used as livable space.

Are plastic junction boxes and plastic box covers appropriate for a floor? If not, what should have been used? Is this method of rewiring (using junction boxes) safe?


texts: Re-routing discharge pipe from hot water heater's T&P relief valve

texts:
Our new construction home (completed build in August 2018) in northwest Georgia (about 40 miles NW from Atlanta) has an electric water heater installed in an alcove in the corner of the garage.
The current discharge pipe setup from the T&P relief valve seems incorrect and self-defeating and maybe even dangerous, depending on what sort of discharge event happens (if one were to occur):

The discharge pipe runs up vertically (into the ceiling, then over and across the garage, down into an exterior wall, where it finally terminates outside)
Before encountering the upwards path, there is a tee, where the other path (downward) terminates into a ball valve, to allow for drainage (according to the builder)
There are several 90° elbows, which, from my limited understanding, can potentially restrict discharge

Current setup:

"Snapshot" of what the beginning portion of the pipe looks like behind the drywall (the red PEX pipe):

What I'm contemplating doing is:

Remove most of the current setup (capping off the now-useless pipe, extending from the ceiling)
Re-orient the T&P valve such that it points towards the front of the water heater
Run a new length of (probably copper?) pipe that extends from the T&P valve towards the front of the water heater, then down the front, and finally terminating near the floor.

Idea for new pipe run:

There is no floor drain in the garage, so I am not sure if terminating the pipe into the garage is a viable (and safe) option?
Or, should I just leave this as-is?

The garage (and home) is on/part of a monolithic concrete slab, so there is no worry about flooding/damaging a basement.
The garage floor is "recessed" such that the interior walls of the house sit about ~2 inches higher than the garage floor, so unless there'a catastrophic event where water is being released non-stop for hours before being noticed, it might be OK?

Example of "recessed" floor:


texts: Ceiling fan has no power and an outlet in the same room- SOLVED

texts:
I installed 4 new fan's in my upstairs bedrooms. 3 were successful with no hiccups. The fourth had a different switch and only the light turned on, the fan did not. I have also installed 2 down stairs and many before this, without issues.

I removed the light switch, which had a mess of wire caps and a jumper wire. I tried to simplify the wiring (directed by an electrician) and the fuse popped. EDITED TO ADD- I was told to separate the black and red wires that are twisted and do live black to black on the switch, red to red, then red to yellow if nothing worked and cap the rest. I tried again with no luck. I reset at the breaker box and flipped the circuit. I have a reset button on that circuit. No luck.

I got a simple, single switch with no dimmer. Power tested at the box and I have one live wire there read 120. Reset everything again and turned the power back on... light and fan still are not working. The switch has power ceiling and outlet have no power still.

I undid the wires at the fan and tested for power. There is no power! One outlet is not working. It had a small flat screen and a roku plugged into it.

There are no GFCI's blown but I reset them anyway. I'm at a loss here. Other than replacing the outlet, I'm not sure what to do.

I can't get someone to come to the house since they are not considering this urgent. I'm in military housing. (The guys also usually make this worse and I have to fix it after they leave.)!
Bottom is the outlet that is out (the only one).
3 black (one is live) 3 white, and 1 red


texts: Wiring a 3 way Leviton VPT24-1PZ Vizia 24-Hour Programmable Light Switch

texts:
I'm trying to install a Leviton VPT24-1PZ Vizia 24-Hour Programmable light switch replacing an existing 3 way switch.  the electrical box for this switch only has a black wire, white wire, red wire and ground.  The Leviton VPT24 has a black, white, red, yellow red and ground.

I can get power to the new switch by connecting BL to BL and WH to WH and the ground to ground, but when I connect the RD to RD I can get the light to turn on, it did before with the regular switch.  I tired connecting the YR to the RD with no success.  I tried reviewing the wiring install provided by Leviton but the number of wires in their guide has one more wire than I have coming out of the wall box.  How do I connect this device?


texts: Installing CAT6 in a wall without using trunking or conduit

texts:
I’ve just bought an old house in the UK (circa 1902) and am running CAT6 cable through most of it. I bought Outdoor Cable as I needed something a bit more durable. The downside is that I can’t run any trunking or conduit as the cable itself is quite wide and I’m running 4 cables to a box through most of the house.

My question is, apart from not being able to easily replace the cable further down the line, are there any major problems to chasing in outdoor CAT6 cable and just plastering over it?


texts: How to protect sill plate from water when slab is bigger than the structure sitting on it?

texts:
I am building a small garage extension.  I want the walls in plane with the existing walls, but the existing slab in this area extends 3" beyond where the sill plate will sit.

What is the proper way to deal with this?  I was going to use pressure-treated lumber for the sill plate with a sill gasket underneath and caulk the edge.  I was thinking of creating a small sloped curb out of stucco and lathe to help move water away from the sill.  Or maybe I could use flashing but that would be ugly and possibly sharp.

I haven't been able to find what the "correct" solution for this scenario is.


texts:
I work in conduit and run single wires.  I have a weird one.

I have an always-hot (black) and neutral (white) pair that run from the panel passing through A to serve loads at B and C.

At C, always-hot (black) continues to a switch loop at D.  The switched-hot (blue) comes back through C, B and A to go down another branch, AA, to serve the lamp.

The neutral for the lamp (white) goes from AA through A back to the service panel.

The circuit has 2 neutrals (white), one serving the receptacle loads at B and C, and the other serving the lamp load at AA.  They pass like ships in the night at A, not connecting, and run alongside in the same conduit from A to the panel.

Edit: Here is a drawing.  I added a second circuit (red/gray) that is unrelated, simply to illustrate that boxes B and C have a lot of other stuff going on.

Is it kosher for the circuit (black) to have two neutrals on the neutral bar?


texts: What does "new construction only" mean for Recessed Light Housing?

texts: My basement ceiling is not yet covered with drywall.   Does this mean I can use recessed light housing for new construction or does that require access from the top as well?


texts:
I have a GE GFE27GGDBB refrigerator and I just replaced the water filter in it.  The water from the front dispenser is nice and clean, but the ice has an insane amount of particles in it.  I noticed the little particles floating in my water when my cup was empty.  I then took an empty water bottle and cut off the top and filed it with ice.  After all of the ice melted, it looked almost like a snow globe when I swirled the water around.  This has been going on for months now and I'm tired of dumping ice into the sink, and not having ice for drinks.

As another test, I tried bypassing the filter and ran water through the dispense again and it was still nice and clear.  My tap water is also a lot clearer than what's in the ice.  This question seems to pertain to my issue, but I've already replaced my filter and it's still nasty.

Could anyone please give me some advice on how to clean the ice system in this fridge out?  Is there a way to turn on the water to the ice maker without taking the door completely apart?  What's a good place to start with cleaning these?

Thank you.


texts: What do you call the pieces that are put underneath carport post that are on a slab and where do you get them?

texts:
I have a carport connected to my house.
There are little footing pieces under all the post to let water run underneath ( I am guessing ).

A post got hit and the little piece broke and now the post is on the ground. I would like to jack the carport back up and put another piece to match the other post and keep everything as level as it was.

I do not apparently know what the actual name for this piece is and when I go to hardware stores ( Home Depot, Lowes ), I get looks like I am speaking a foreign language when trying to describe it. I have even showed pictures.


texts: Gap in sealant round edge of bath, mould underneath, what to replace with

texts:
For the past couple of months I noticed a gap developing between the sealant (caulk) round the edge of the bath-shower (behind the taps) and the tiles. I'd been meaning to do something about it for a while. Finally got round to taking a look and spent a pleasant couple of hours cutting/digging out the old sealant, behind the taps was a nightmare.

Having removed all the current sealant, When facing the taps the bath seems to slope downwards slightly from left to right. The gap between the tiles and the bath rim on the left is 3-4mm increasing to 8-9mm on the right hand side.
There's a small bit of tile grout filling in the gap on the left but nothing on the right, though I think the bead of grout may have been rotten with mould and it came loose when I pulled the previous sealant out.
I don't think the mould has made it to the plasterboard wall behind the tiles/bath. It seems there's another layer of transparent mastic/sealant covering the plasterboard wall, on which this mould has grown.

So as I see it, I need to:
1) Kill the mould. Do I just need to bleach/disinfect the area?
Should I let the gap dry out for a few days before or after killing the mould?
2) Fill in the wider gap on the right of the bath... do I need to put some new grout in there underneath the row of tiles, then new mastic/sealant on top?
Or do I just fill the whole lot up with new mastic/sealant?

I'm just aware that I could end up sealing mould in there with sealant or creating an airpocket in which more mould could eventually develop. I realise though that if I do a good job with the sealant, then hopefully there should be no gaps for water to be able to get down.

The new mastic/sealant I've got is bathroom anti-mould stuff designed for showers/baths. Not the internal frame stuff I've seen for door frams etc.

It's a new build property (3 years old) and we previously had significant mould problems in this area due to damp caused by the bath waste pipe not being correctly tightened to the plug hole, so water was running under the floorboards/carpet and being absorbed in places by plasterboard reaching the concrete floor underneath. It was fixed by the developer under their guarantee but it seems they mainly just sanded the mould in the walls down and painted over it.
No sign of that problem returning but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't properly fix any mouldy plasterboard behind the tiles round the bath.


texts:
Weekend warrior here. Watched some YouTube videos, but my set up looks different and don't want to mess it up.

The handles to my tub faucet use a plastic connection. This got stripped. So I believe I need to replace the valve stem and get a new handle.

In the picture below I've taken apart as much as I could. I don't see how to remove the stem. There is no access behind the wall unless I open something up. Anyone know the best way to proceed?


texts: Concrete slabs and block paving - painting

texts: I have concrete block paving and concrete slabs that I would like to paint to reuse, renovate, rejuvenate.  Any suggestions whether painting would do the trick?  The block paving is in the driveway taking a car, slabs are for foot traffic.


texts: Are two prong cords safe? Audio Interface

texts:
I have an audio interface called an m-audio profire 2626 (made sometime in the late 2000's) that's just a solid metal box that takes inputs form mics and 1/4 jacks - it only has a two prong plug-in which is currently plugged into a surge protector that has three prongs. Firstly, is this device safe without the three prong? Furthermore, I have other things plugged into the surge protector that are grounded. If I were to turn on one of the guitar amps (three prong) while I have earphones on my head connected to the audio interface (two prong) would this cause a difference in potential and possibly be a shock hazard?

The reason I ask is because last night I was recording something with the interface and I had my foot propped on the amp (classical style guitar) and I accidentally switched it on the bass amp (three prong) with my foot - the pop startled me and I did notice that the headphones sounded like static for a moment - to be honest not sure if I was just listening to the pop from the amp or if there was a little tiny shock. The fact that I could barely tell - I assume getting a bad shock would be much more obvious and painful. I don't want to find out.

Would it create a circuit if I touch something that's plugged into the same surge protector?

Should this interface have the three prong outlet like most other metal bodied appliances? It takes 12v.

I'm about 99% certain that the ground is done properly. This place was built somewhat recently, but I could get an outlet tester and double check.


texts: Can someone tell me where AC to DC conversion happens in this type of LED light ? This is retrofit LED light which fits into can which has AC current. How and where does it step down voltage and also convert current from AC to DC ?


texts: How do I intall GFCI breaker if wire for outlets is 12/3 using two breakers?

texts:
I have kitchen outlets that have one breaker powering the top outlets, and a separate breaker powering the bottom outlets with the tab broke off on each outlet.  There are a total of 7 different outlets wired up the same way.
I wanted to have the outlet GFCI protected but did not know how I could use GFCI outlets and have the top of bottom of the outlets be powered but two different breakers.  I bought two 20 amp GFCI breakers to change out the original breakers.
That is when I found out that I had one 12/3 wire with black, red, white, and ground wires.  I tried to use two different GFCI breakers by trying to wire nut two wires off of the white wire so that I had a white for each GFCI breaker.  When I turned on one of the breakers it was fine, but when I turned on the second breaker it tripped both breakers.
I thought that I might have to buy a double pole 20 amp GFCI breaker in my situation to make this work.  I am not positive how double pole breakers work.

Will I then have 240 volts instead of 120?
Do I have to check every outlet to make sure they did not have black and red on same top or bottom circuit?
Will I have 20 amps off of each side?


texts: What type of product should I use to seal/protect the wood interior of a outdoor office?

texts:
I'm in the final stages of building an outdoor office (yay!).  Here's what it looks like:

The wood is supposedly "nordic spruce" according to the manufacturer.

I'm planning to prime/paint the outside but I want to leave the interior as natural wood.

I understand that specific product recommendations are note appropriate for this site but can someone please tell me what type of product I should use for the interior?

Additional details:

Temperatures in my area can range from 30 - 95 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm based out of Santa Cruz County, CA, USA.
I'd like something that can be applied with minimal coats and that will last for several years (if not indefinitely).
Ideally, I'd like to start moving furniture in shortly after sealing so it would be helpful if the material was low oder and quick drying.
I'd prefer minimal/no gloss.

Is there anything available that could meat this criteria?  I think "Stain" is the wrong type of product since I'm not trying to change the color of the wood.  I thought "varnish" was more intended for small furniture.


texts:
For a light setup, I need to use a particular model of led stripes.
Unfortunately, the stripe with the LED model I need has a width of 12mm (and is globally only available in that width), the mounting I need to use can fit only 10mm.
From an electronics point of view, I can safely cut 2mm off the stripe lengthwise, however this needs to be done precisely and must not vary (2.5mm would be too much).
What tool could I use to efficiently do this? I need to cut ~10-15m of LED stripes.
Edit: The stripe is not enclosed, it is the plain PCB-only type.
Edit 2: The stripe is flexible, with one centered 5050 LED, the cut needs to be done on one side.


texts: Can you deburr copper pipes with a fitting brush?

texts:
Probably a stupid question, but I'm trying to learn how to solder copper pipes and am gathering all the tools I might need. I currently have a fitting brush like this one, but wasn't sure if it would suffice to remove any burrs when cutting the pipes, or if I needed something with a blade.

Bonus question -- would the fitting brush also work for cleaning the outside of the pipe before soldering, or is an emery cloth the way to go for that?


texts:
I am designing a temp sensor that I want to insert in a decora panel.

I have googled this and cannot find anything from leviton and cannot tell if the size measurements on blank inserts include the mount tabs as well.

Thanks in advance


texts: What is this feed though attachment in my home Load Panel?

texts:
I am looking to upgrade my outdoor main panel to a Square D QO panel. However, this outdoor 200A load center feeds my indoor 200A load center, and it does so not by using any of the breaker spaces but instead the bolt on piece at the bottom.

What is this called, and are they made for Square D QO panels such that I could upgrade it?

The part I'm asking about is in the dashed red rectangle. It passes the full current on the bus bar to the indoor panel.

Edit

There seems to be some questions about the neutral/ground bonding in this main panel, it is indeed bonded behind the main breaker in this panel. The Meter neutral comes in on the left, the sub panel is getting its neutral (insulated white) and ground (twisted aluminum) bonded on the right. This all checks out to me, so perhaps this diagram helps clear the situation up?


texts: Kitchen sink/garbage disposal waste draining into backyard

texts:
I've recently discovered that my mother in-law has a planter outside her kitchen window which is catching run off from her sink. There is a pool of water and a smell that can now be detected from the other side of the house. Not sure if its seeping into/under the foundation or if its just the smell.

Aside from worrying about the stagnant water; what else do she need to be concerned with and what is she looking at in terms of cost and fines from the HOAA etc. From what I know its been like that for over 2 years! Is this ok? I personally dont even want my kids playing in her back yard. What can I do to help make this... more pleasant to be around?

The planter is a concrete barrier that extends about 2 feet from the house and is maybe 8 feet long. Its like a trough and the sink/garbage disposal basically drains into it. Do I add bark? A chemical? Powder? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Talking her into a plumber but... yea. I gotta go post some where else for help with that. Thank you for your time.

Merlin


texts: Why does this house have 240V outlets in all rooms?

texts:
A friend's house, in the USA, has 240V ("dryer") outlets in almost every room... even in the hallway. They have no idea why one of the previous owners would do that.

I have never heard of this before, nor can I google a reason why.

Why would someone do this? 240V heaters everywhere? A poor-man's EU adapter? It seems both absurd, and unsafe.


texts: Is it possible to use a power inverter to run a sump pump?

texts: If the power should go off, I want my sump pump switched to a power inverter combination. Is this possible?


texts: Recommended Insulation For Finished Basement

texts:
I am planning on finishing my basement and have read a LOT of material out there on the best way to insulate (live in the northeast, region R value of 5). I feel like I have read so much that I am now confused on what my best option is.

I was originally going to put faced r-13 fiberglass insulation rolls stapled between the studs of my wall. I was not going to have a plastic vapor barrier, because I didn't want to trap the moisture.

I am coming out 3" from my concrete block foundation wall, mainly to allow the walls to breathe a little more.

I am now reading however, a lot of people are slapping on XPS right on to the concrete wall with a construction adhesive.

My question is, should I abandon my earlier plans and go with the XPS stuff? Arguments made on sites like this offer reasons to go XPS. However, while summer time humidity in my basement can get as high as 68%, I thought having a dehumidifier and well circulated air flow would mitigate problems.


texts: Add motion sensor and timer so either can turn on front lights

texts:
I currently have 4 fixtures, 2 recessed above the garage and 2 enclosed lamps near the front door.  They're controlled by a switch that has a builtin timer.  I'd like these lights to come on around sunset and go off at a reasonable time (like 11pm).

But I'd also like them to come on when motion is detected.  So if someone were to approach the house after the scheduled period ends, I want the lights to come back on.

I'm struggling to figure out how one might do this.  At the very least I'd need a few motion sensors, but how would that work?  Do the motion sensors act as a 3 way switch?

Or is this not possible and the only way to pull off a similar effect is to have separate motion activated lights? (Probably easier but not as pleasing to the eye)


texts: Electrical wire to use w/ 240V outlet for Tesla charger?

texts: I'm buying the material needed for an electrician to install a 240V outlet in my garage for a Tesla charger. I need to buy wiring that has to go through an underground conduit, and I was wondering what type I need to buy?


texts: Rewire polarized power receptacle that is installed backwards

texts:
The extension of the house I just bought seems to have the US 120V recpeticals wired backwards. The large blade tests hot and the small blade tests neutral. This and a bunch of other issues where found during the home inspection. Given some of the craziness in the house, I am a little worried that there is more to it than simply being wired backwards. In addition to my general wariness, I have tried plugging in a number of things and none of them work.

I guess I have two questions. What typical device in a house should work in an incorrectly polarized outlet? Can I simply turn off the power and flip the wires?


texts: Can I Connect RGBW LED Strips With LAN Cable?

texts:
I'm in the process of remodeling my kitchen. I plan to install RGBW led strips on the top of the upper cabinets, below upper cabinets and below ground cabinets. I have to close off any wall holes and paint the whole thing tomorrow and my RGBW wire still hasn't arrived (ordered online).

Now the thing is that the range hood will divide the upper cabinets and there is no way to run a wire from one side to the other without it being visible after I tile up that wall tomorrow. The only solution is to run the wire behind the tiles, but that has to be done now and I still don't have the 5 wire cable at hand, but I do have some spare LAN cable.

Do you think it will be okay if I put a LAN cable in the wall now behind the tiles and then connect the two LED strip parts with it instead of a RGBW 5-wire cable?


texts: Installed. Camera works ok. Will not chime. Checked voltage at button. 17 volts. Checked voltage at chime with Nest connectors removed. 0 voltage. Replaced Nest Hello at door with old door button. Chimes work fine. Any suggestions?


texts: Will a modern AC automatically switch between cooling and heating?

texts: Say I set the temp to 23C on a hot day but the weather turns cold eventually. Will it detect later that autumn came and heating is needed? I'm talking about a Panasonic inverter AC.


texts: How to remove broken threaded water pipe

texts: The pipe connecting my shower head to the wall has broken off. I removed the head and tried to remove the theaded pipe but the potruding metal broke off completely. Is there anyway to remove the part that's still stuck without drilling the wall and replace the pipe? Landlord would kill me for that.


texts:
I have a support beam for my bed that broke off recently and needs to be replaced (I've highlighted the beam in yellow in the picture below). Two of the four original finishing nails have snapped off.

I've tried using 1" finishing nails to nail the beam back onto the wood. However, I find myself having a hard time getting the finishing nail to penetrate the piece of wood and I'm not sure what the reason may be.

The wood would penetrate half way, but would not go any further. As I use more force, I end up bending the head of the nail and eventually having it break off the nail itself due to many attempts to bend the head back to form a straight line.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I'm doing wrong and how I can get these nails to penetrate properly? (i.e. Am I using the wrong type of nails for this job? Is there any technique in hammering I need to be aware of?)

Thanks in advance.


texts: Manifold all vent pipes in attic to have one pipe into roof

texts: I'm building a new house, 2 1/2 baths, laundry room & kitchen. What size vent pipe would be needed to manifold all vents into one?


texts:
We had double-glazed sliding patio doors installed about 18 months ago.  On separate occasions over the past couple of months, two of them have spontaneously shattered from around the centre of the pane.  Both of them inside panes which rules out unknown impacts from outside.

The first one was in the bedroom;  I had just gone to bed and could hear what I thought was rain or sleet against the window. I thought that odd as it was a perfectly clear sky just before I went to bed.  I opened the blind and the whole inside window had shattered.  It was still in-situ (thankfully!).
The installer is currently in the process of trying to get this one replaced under warranty from the manufacturers.
But when the 2nd window shattered he said he'd have tremendous trouble trying to convince the manufacturer of two separate faults.
He went on to say that if it was a manufacturing or installation fault, then the glass cracks/shatters from around the edge of the glass.  But these are near enough bang in the middle (excuse the pun!).  At no point have they been hit with anything.  Indeed, the installer said that these units are incredibly strong, and that they have trouble breaking them in the skip, especially when trying to break them from the middle on the pane.
I read online about this and how that it could be caused by Nickel Sulfide contaminants during the manufacturing process;  these contaminants expand with variations in temperature and it's the expansion that causes the glass to shatter.  That explanation certainly fits with both of my scenarios;  the 1st occurrence was at the end of summer; it was a very hot day, but the temperature plummeted in the evening and it was the first night that we had a frost.  The 2nd occurrence happened recently (in the middle of winter here in the UK); it had been about -3c for a couple of days and the wood burner had been on almost all the time.  That window shattered over-night.
The glazier that installed them says he has never heard of such things happening, but another glazier I spoke to said that it's not uncommon, especially with large variations in temperatures.
Has this happened to you?  Do you know what caused it?


texts:
I've been searching google for awhile but can't find a straight answer (every link is about walls/floors):

Can I polish (or sand to be smoother at least) a concrete pier block?

I have this one from Home Depot. I want to put it somewhere where it will be exposed and currently they are extremely flaky on the bottom (and somewhat sharp even) and a bit smoother on the sides. I would like it to be smoother so it looks nicer and doesn't shed everywhere. Then I plan to seal it to protect it from the elements. Is this possible or is this type of concrete not right for sanding/polishing/sealing?


texts: Does a 240 volt single phase air compressor need a starter

texts:
Compressor model aside its a 2 stage with a check valve at the tank so start up amps are motor only. I ask because it is equipped with a DPDT pressure switch that is caring both legs of the 240. Then power goes to a starter from the PS for some reason. The coil is wired to one leg and the holding contact is wired, and the more I think about it the more redundant it seems.
IMO there's no need for the starter,- other than the over load- if you aren't using the coil to hold the contacts. Also there is no ON/OFF switch. I would like to replace the PS contacts or the hole switch, its due, and that is what started this inquiry.  Scratching head.
Thanks.


texts: I have been trying to take it off for a while now. The damage to it was like that when it was installed before I moved in.


texts:
I thought this was simple standard take out the old, plug in the new.  However, I am switching from a Schlage to a GateHouse and the (excuse my lack of terminology) actual "lock", the piece that slides in the cylindrical hole in the side of the door, on my GateHouse is probably 1/2 to 3/4 inch thicker than the "lock" on the Schlage.

Now I have put the Schlage back on, but i want to swap it out.  What do I Need to do in order to make the "lock" hole bigger to fit the new Gatehouse lock?


texts: Why does my outlet have an extra neutral wire connected?

texts:
I am installing an infrared sauna and came across an electrical outlet problem.  I had two people (one an electrician) check it out and both were stumped on why there are 2 white wires (along with 1 black and the ground).  The house is approximately 115 years old and I have lived here 35 years.

It appears one is 14 and the other 12.  Someone had put a 25 amp circuit breaker.  The electrician recommended replacing it with 15 amp which I have done but also got a blown fuse when having TV on, little electric heater and turned coffeemaker on which i hadn't had happen before.  (this circuit is for my den and workout room).  I didn't use the heater this morning and no blown fuse. Unfortunately it would be a huge project to rewire so beyond my budget.

But for my own piece of mind and for safety issues, does anyone have ideas why this was done?


texts: How to Replace Old 1/4" In-Line Copper Water Filter?

texts:
I have an inline (10 Year Old) water filter that wasn't replaced.

I'm interested in replacing it (Just eliminating the filter and replacing it with a straight run of tube) as I suspect that it might be interfering with the flow rate of our newer refrigerator that has a built in filter.

The copper comes from a saddle valve.

What procedure should I use to replace it with a straight run of tube (either copper or something else, whatever would be easiest / reliable), and what components do I need?

Here are some pictures:


texts:
To be clear, this window is in my house, which I own. However I don't have a key that opens it.

Below is another window in my house (exactly the same as this one) which I do have a key for. I've shown it locked and unlocked & open.
I don't mind breaking the lock, but I still want to be able to turn the handle so that it's closed. How do I do that?
Edit: O-kaaaay... Here's what the window looks like now below.
In process of trying to turn barrel I ripped it out. Removing screws didn't help at all so put them back - impossible to remove handle without it being open first. Trying to force the handle with a claw hammer makes the window bend so much I'm afraid of breaking it. The handle hardly moves at all. I can't see a catch or any other magic thing to click in there. Please help with this massive mess I am now in.


texts: My inflatable hot tub says "don't use with an extension cord"... but can I?

texts:
Sadly they don't explain WHY not to use it with an extension cord. I wonder if it's to do with the risk of having such connections outside in the elements?

The cord it comes with is 7m long, and where we want to site it is 6m from our outhouse. I've drilled a 1ft long hole through the stone wall of the outhouse to thread the spa's cord through... But once in the OH the plug still ends up 3m away from the socket. Would it be considered ok to run a standard 13A indoors extension cord to bridge the gap?

The OH socket is grounded (I'm in the UK) and on an RCD-protected circuit, and the spa has an RCD in its cord (and another in the pump/heating unit, I think).

Maybe their concern is voltage drop in the thinner conductors of a typical extension cord. Maybe I can buy a "heavy duty" one which would be largely equivalent to wiring a new socket in?

Or do I need to just admit defeat and wire a new socket in?

Thanks


texts: Can old concrete fragments be cleaned and used as crushed stone?

texts:
Suppose I need to replace old concrete on a driveway or in any similar scenario.

The usual way is to just gather all the old concrete and dispose it to a landfill, then buy cement, sand and crushed stone and prepare new concrete (or just order already mixed unset concrete). This is not very convenient - disposing concrete can cost a fortune and also buying and moving in new crushed stone is not free and one might also be concerned about environmental impact of those operations.

It would be good to try to reuse old concrete as crushed stone. The number one problem is that old concrete fragments from a driveway have lots of dirt on them - mostly all kinds of ground and also whatever could get attached to them while the driveway was in use like oil, paint, other contaminants. Obviously using dirty stones will lower concrete quality singificantly.

Is there a simple yet reliable way to clean all those concrete fragments so that they can be reused in new concrete?


texts: Can I re-fluff blown-in fiberglass insulation with a cellulose blower?

texts:
I am planning to add blown-in cellulose (GreenFiber) to my 15' x 40' attic, which currently has blown-in pink (circa 1971) which has really settled/compacted. A lot of it, I can actually pick up in sheets and/or good-sized chunks. If I stuff some into trash bags, can I dump it into the blower I get free from the big box store when I buy the cellulose and re-blow and re-fluff the fiberglass before I add the cellulose?
The Cocoon machine at Lowe's has a warning label about only using cellulose, user assumes liability, etc.


texts: Can i wire ceiling fan ( no light) and 2 recessed lights on One dimmer switch?

texts:
I have 3 romex lines (black and white)coming into switch box.

Recessed lights
Fan
Power from breaker

If I want 1 dimmer switch how do i connect?


texts: What is the best tool to grind down a smaller metal rod?

texts:
I am building this workbench and I have decided to recess the nut and washer inside the top of the bench, so that I won't cut/scape myself while I'm leaning up against it.

Now my issue is that the rod is sticking out with sharp edges and needs to be ground down to stay inside the 1" recess I bore in.

My question is, what is the best tool (preferably a Dremel bit) to grind down this 3/8" metal rod.  The most I'd need to grind is about 1/2" of length.

I was at the hardware store and someone recommended a diamond coated bit used to grind stone, but it didn't do anything for the metal.

Attached is a picture of what I am doing.  Forgive the roughness, I still haven't sanded/beveled the edges.


texts: What does C, W, Y and S Plans mean when talking about central heating controller?

texts:
I have seen control systems sold as C, W, Y, or S plan, what the difference?

Are there any other common setups

(These are water based CH systems, so are unlikely to be used in the USA)


texts:
I have this weird portion of a second bedroom where about 4 foot of it is 2 feet deeper than the rest of the wall.

What I want to do is fix a butcher block in that space to use as a desk.
What is the best way to mount this? I would be mounting it to drywall fronted studs / fire barrier. Will anchoring it in the studs and fire barrier at multiple points.

Is this a good plan or should I be looking into other procedures? I'd rather not buy desk legs if I can mount it to the wall.


texts: Help powering new light and switch off existing switch

texts:
I have a 4 season room with a new light. I ran a wire from this light to a 2-gang box in the room, and ran a romex wire from this new box to an existing box in the kitchen (they are on the opposite sides of the same wall), and I'm trying to power the new light switch off existing power coming into the kitchen box.

I am using Legrand Adorne paddle switches, and wonder if I can use the switch in my diagram. On the current switch, A1 is connected to HOT and B1 is connected to 1-POLE. I originally tried to follow this diagram but it did not work as expected. Thanks in advance!


texts: When waterproofing my basement, should I apply 11 mil plastic in addition to the dimple board?

texts:
I'm currently interviewing contractors for exterior basement waterproofing. The difference in price is not significant, but there is one major difference.

The contractors will:

Trench down below the footings,
Parge the foundation
Apply AquaBlock Rubberized adhesive sealant.
Contractor A will apply an 11 mil plastic membrane here.
Apply Dimple board.
Weeping tile replacement etc.

Generally I am of the opinion that more stuff means a better job, but I need an opinion as to the 11 mil plastic.  Is it

 a) Harmful,
 b) irrelevant, or
 c) beneficial?


texts: Can I clean range hood exhaust duct without reaching it?

texts:
My home range hood is Sakura R-727II. Plz see pictures that post. I never clean my range hood's EXHAUST DUCT 7 years after buying. It's probably greasy and clogged.
How can I clean it, but not access it? I don't want remove range hood or open exhaust duct. I see no Access Panel like picture below.
Are there safe chemicals I can spray at range hood? Then when I turn on range hood fans, these chemicals suck into exhaust duct, destroy grease?


texts: What kind of wiring/service are these wires for and how do I test them to find out?

texts:
This group of wires is on the side of the house (no cover on the patch box).
I tried tracing some of them (the orange arrow) and that seems to terminate at a phone connector box.
The three wires that you see (green arrow) goes to the pole in the back alley.
I know that's not the main electrical service because I can see the line that goes to the weatherhead (no pictures showing this)
I'm trying to clean up unused wiring that running around the house.
How do test and figure out the wires? I guess as a precaution I should also test to make sure that there isn't high voltage.

** Update **
I finally cleaned up the cables. It turns out that many have already been disconnected/cut from old connections in the house. I was able to pull the cables that were under the crawlspace and they all terminated at the box. I also. called the phone company and they removed them from my property.


texts: Very hot connection at rusty ground clamp by water meter

texts:
I noticed a very hot connection after wire brushing a rusty conduit clamp connector located at my water meter. It only seems hot when drawing current, as i have been remodeling this house and am not using much power. After turning off the dehumidifier that was running the connection cooled off. I then proceeded to clean up the area using my shop vac for 10 minutes and it once again got extremely hot. I am thinking the rusty connector is failing and i was hoping that if i replace it, the heat issue will be resolved. Also I have not located my ground rod outside of the house.

The dehumidifier was plugged into an outlet for the wash machine, which is a dedicated breaker labeled washer in the panel. When I was running the shop vac I was plugged in top an outlet that is on a different breaker labeled basement lights. My thought is a bad connection wher the rusty connector  meets the conduit. Thinking of replacing the rusty connector if it is safe to work with


texts: Bottom 3 courses of cinder block are wet!!!! Why?

texts: The bottom 3 courses of my cinder block are wet and deteriorating (effervescence). The basement is waterproofed and it’s still happening.  Its on 2 interior walls and 1 exterior. The top layers of interior walls are dry. The top layers of exterior are also wet.  I live in Detroit Michigan and there’s been a lot of rain but this was going on before I had it water proofed as well.  The contractor said I do not need a sump pump.  I’m not near water. Can anyone help???


texts: Can you use wirsbo/uponor/expansion pex for underground sprinklers?

texts: I cant find much information around this online, it appears that its possible.


texts: What could be the cause of a washing machine hose coming loose?

texts: Ok, I'm not a rocket scientist but this has me stumped. I have a new hot water hose for my washing machine.  I replaced the O-ring on the faucet side of the the connection, tightened and went to use. After about 10 minutes of use, the connection becomes loose and starts to leak. I've tightened this to the point of pain in my hand. What could be the cause?


texts: Considering portable a/c vs our old Central Air, from 1992, in 2 story, 2300 square foot house, High Desert

texts:
I'm in the high desert of Southern California. We're in a 2300 sq foot home, 2 stories with 3 bedrooms and 1 master bedroom on second story. The house is cooled by 2 central air systems, manufactured in 1990. The second story is cooled a Rheem Classic X Rahe-030jas, with the tag in the picture below. Supposedly its 208/230 Volts, 18 Amp single phase. Google says its SEER rating is 10. I'm thinking of putting Honeywell a portable mn10cesww, 10000 BTU (ASHRAE-128 Standard) / 5500 BTU (DOE+ 2017 Standard), in the master bedroom, and two bedrooms, and not running the central air at all this summer. I care only about cooling those 3 rooms. Plus I already have a small window unit in the a 4th bedroom/office, that's rarely used. The central a/c also cools the hallway and bathroom on the second story.

Will running the portables in each room at night be more efficient than running the older central air at night, especially considering that they won't be running when nobody is in the room?

Also as far as the first story goes, we never run the central air. We only cool it with a 14000 BTU portable unit.


texts: Who do I contact to have the property line marked?

texts: I'm looking to install a fence on the property line, and I was wondering who do I speak to about having it marked?  Thanks!


texts:
My house was built in the 50s and I believe the baseboard radiators are original. We just bought the house and I went to go clean them. I realized most of them are rusty and painted over making them really hard to open and clean. My intention was going to be to replace them with one of those modern covers however mine open up in a way that I can't seem to find any reference to on the internet. Has anyone ever seen a baseboard radiator like this. How that I'm cutting them all open are there other options I can consider for upgrading.

When I had it open the inside said Tuttle and Bailey.
As you can see when you open these up the whole thing comes off. There is a groove along the top that you slide it into and then it clamps into the clips screwed into the wall. The ones that I see can be modernized with a cover and usually still have the top attached near the slats while the front cover just comes off. Those also look a lot easier to clean.
Does anybody have any guidance on how I could replace these with more maintainable and aesthetically pleasing options.


texts: Is it common for residential foundations from the 1960s to contain asbestos?

texts: Is it common for residential foundations to contain asbestos (circa 1968)?  We recently had a drain line extended and I don't recall seeing any protections in place other than light dust masks.


texts: Cleanng a brush used for water-based paint, with soap or not?

texts:
After painting with water-based paint I usually clean my brushes (or rollers) by simply rinsing them under running hot water (as hot as my hands can take) straight from the faucet.
After thorough rinsing I shake of the water as much as possible and hang them somewhere, with the hairs down, to further leak out and dry.
This has served me well for years.

Now a friend of mine is telling me I should rinse the brushes with soap and warm (but not HOT) water.

After some Googling around I find that both variants seem about equally popular.
The pros and cons given for either method range from "sounds sensible" (soap may leave a residue in the brush affecting the next paint-job) to rather bizarre (hot water dissolves the hairs of the brush).

So I like to hear your opinions. Preferably with arguments for one method or the other.


texts: Can I caulk over cracked grout (shower floor) as a temporary fix?

texts:
We have an older shower, with 1x1 tiles on the floor. Some of these, the grout has started to crack, and we want to prevent water damage. However, we've exhausted our renovation budget for the year, and won't be able to do a shower replacement until sometime late next year.

As a temporary hack, could we apply a thin layer of caulk to these grout lines? Would this help?


texts:
Is it safe for me to be in an attic with this type of insulation without a mask?

I have found myself coughing whilst laying floor boards and I’m not sure whether that is general dust or something to worry about?
Thanks in advanced...


texts: How do I convert an A/C window unit from thermostat to humidistat control?

texts:
I've managed to get my hands on a really nice window unit AC that can cool my entire living space (about 900 sq ft), but the downside of it being so powerful is that I either have to

leave it running on max, which gets the house too cold and uses too much electricity,
use its thermostat, which causes it to switch to just fan after the air gets cool enough, thereby re-humidifying the house. (This is problematic as the temperature setting needed to get the humidity to an acceptable level varies greatly by time-of-day and weather, and aside from eliminating extreme heat, removing humidity is my main reason for having an AC.) or,
keep manually switching it on and off based on temperature and humidity

What I'd like is to find or make a sensor-based switch I could put between the outlet and the plug to turn the unit fully on or off (not on or fan-only, where the latter actually makes the climate worse by re-introducing moisture) based on the humidity, rather than the temperature. Is there a product to do this, preferably something purely mechanical rather than over-priced electronics? I would think such a switching device would be a standard component in dehumidifiers, but I don't know what it's called or how to search for it.

Edit: Before commenting that this won't work, please be aware that the AC unit does not itself have any electronic controls that would misbehave when power is cut and restored. The control system is purely mechanical switches.


texts:
Some previous owner of my home moved the original round 2-wire thermostat to a wall of the vertical chase used for the hot water heater vent, the gas lines, etc.  The wall is quite a bit colder than normal interior walls, which I assume is because the chase is at least partly open to the attic (which has blown insulation).

My heater tends to stay on for long periods and off for short periods, and I'm trying to control the reasons as best I can (which includes repairing drafts, etc.).

Is that chase wall affecting the modern thermostat?  If so, what could I use as an insulator between the thermostat and the wall to ameliorate the effect?  Regrettably, moving the thermostat isn't a trivial option.


texts: Can I unwarp sliding pocket doors so that they move freely once more?

texts:
We have a pair of sliding / pocket doors where one side is painted and the other side is mostly taken up with a mirror.

Well, the color was atrocious so we painted one side, but didn't get to painting the mirrored side yet (have to remove the mirror, paint, reinstall...). This means the doors have warped as the weather changed, and aren't sliding freely in their tracks any more; they bind on the trim around the opening.

Is there a simple way to fix this? I could sand down the trim so it has a matching convex shape, but that seems like a kludge. Un-bow the doors somehow?


texts: What kind of treatment do I need to stain/paint this deck?

texts:
My deck was finished with a...peculiar color many years ago. The finish is peeling up and showing patches of bare wood.

What is this? Is this paint?
What can I safely use to refinish this deck, and what sort of prep work do I need to do on it? I want a darkish wood look if I can get it.
Any finishes I should avoid?


texts: Range hood fan quit working but started working again

texts:
For the past year I've been doing most of the cooking and a lot more home cooking than we ever have done--probably involving more grease and cooking oils than before. A few weeks ago, the range hood fan quit blowing--it only hums when I push the button.
The outdoor temperature here had dropped to 20F a few weeks ago and I'm wondering if, perhaps, there was a grease build up on the motor causing it to gum up. Now that it's consistently stayed at a daytime temperature of 50 to 60F, is it possible that it's helped free the motor?
Last night, it started working and I let it run for a few minutes. This morning it's still working. I put a service call in two weeks ago and the appointment is for tomorrow morning. I'm not sure if I should cancel it.
This question is about freeing the motor to run, if possible, and nothing else.


texts: Can I cover insulation in my attic roof with plastic or plywood?

texts:
You can see into my attic a bit there (looking from the outside of the house into the attic), and it's insulation between the rafters. It's a small storage area and I'm tired of getting the itchies and having to worry about bumping into the insulation when moving boxes around. Can I nail up some thin plywood or some plastic sheeting? I figure boxing the air in like that would help with the insulation as well.

I'm no so concerned with the portions down at the very bottom where the attic flooring meets the rafters, but the higher part (where you can crouch and work in) I'd like to stop getting insulation on me.


texts:
I have a 1998 manufactured home. In 2 spots, there are outlets that are loose and it’s because the screw hole that secures the outlet is cracked. The tiniest pressure let’s go of the screw. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how well it’s captured in the attached picture.

Can this be fixed? Or how do I go about removing the old box and putting in a new old work box?


texts:
Bathroom will have a medicine cabinet behind the mirror. Going to use wall mount sliding door hardware to make the mirror move. Will look similar to this:

I would like to use some 12v LED lights on the backside of the mirror to give it a nice look like this:

The transformer will be hardwired

located elsewhere; not on the back of the mirror.

Question is how can I transfer 12vdc to the moving mirror? I was thinking of 2 metal strips on the top back side of the moving mirror for positive and negative; with some sort of spring loaded contact pins

for power (+-) being centered right below the track. Doable? Better ideas on how to do it? Being discreet is key.


texts: How do I add window stools to my new windows?

texts: I installed new Jeld-Wen windows and saved the old stools.  I'm trying to figure out how they should be attached but these windows don't seem to be designed to take a stool -- they are flush with the drywall all around.  Referring to the picture, I can butt the stools up to the window wood and have them "floating", supported by trim piece underneath, but that would leave them susceptible to being pulled away from the wall it seems.  If I were to lay them on top of the window's existing wood, then the finger catch to lift the window would be blocked.  Is there a way to add a stool here besides having it float, or are these just designed to have no stool?


texts: I am installing an American Standard bathtub and the instructions are stating that a brass drain/overflow assembly is required. The assembly is about $150 and I would like to avoid it if possible. Is there any reason why I couldn't just use a pvc drain assembly?


texts: How do I prevent my stove hood from sucking heat out of my kitchen?

texts: The hood over my stove is sucking the heat out of my kitchen. Is there a cover I can put on and take off to stop this loss of heat?


texts: Installing sliding door into a larger rough opening

texts:
I currently have a single door french door leading onto my deck, which has rotted a bit and I need to replace it. I wanted to go with a sliding door to replace but, but there's a slight difference in size. The rough opening of my current door is 63x82 and most sliders are 60x80. I figured I could just use some 2x4s and 1x4s make the opening the correct size and just get slightly wider trim. Is that ok to do with an exterior door? Is there anything I'm not thinking of or any gotchas I might've missed?

Thanks for any advice, this is my first time dealing with an exterior door, so I want to make sure I'm not an idiot.


texts:
I recently bought a new place with a wood stove which needs the Fire Bricks replaced. I have read they reduce heat generation in the room and might not be needed. (More efficient without but possibly more dangerous?)

What is the communities thoughts on this matter?

I have a few theories but I'm to noob to know and want an unbiased feedback from the SE community.

Thanks!

Some google reads...

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/are-fire-bricks-necesarry.215264/

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/no-bricks-in-wood-stove.84728/


texts: Can I stud out a wall without removing the plaster

texts:
I'm in the process of re-doing my kitchen.  One of the issues I have to deal with is that the original construction is double brick, furred out with 1 inch strips, then plaster over gypsum.  This means that I don't really have enough depth to install electrical boxes, and there is no insulation in place.

Detail:

What I considered doing was removing the plaster and gypsum, screwing steel studs to the furring strips, insulate and drywall.  I realize that this is probably the proper solution.

But, I really don't want to deal with all the mess and disposal issues that removing the gypsum and plaster would entail.

What is the advisability of simply putting a steel stud wall up right in front of the existing wall?


texts: Can old ceiling fan with red, black, green wires be replaced with one that has light?

texts: There's a very old ceiling fan (without light) that I would like to replace with a new ceiling fan that has a light.  I took off the switchplate to see how many wires, and there are three (black, red, green).  But it's a pretty old-school Nutone switch with a transformer on it so I'm not really sure that the wires would support separate fan and light controls at the switch.  Can someone here please advise?  I'm hoping the image I'll try to post here works...


texts: What is a good way to cleanly cut through steel?

texts:
What tools can I use to get a clean cut through thin steel? Specifically, I have several mini beer kegs I need to cut the bottoms out of. I don't mind it taking a while, but my cuts are jagged (easy to cut myself on them) and it takes me about an hour and a half to get a semi-clean cut to where I don't cut myself.

I also would prefer a tool that does not create sparks, as I don't exactly have a fire-safe environment to work with, but I can always do the cutting elsewhere if need be.


texts: Is this outside service panel a wet location? What cable type to use?

texts:
Situation: outside service panel with a meter and plenty of breaker spaces, mounted on siding surface. The panel does not appear to be moisture-tight, there are no gaskets on the covers and entry for the existing subpanel feeder is from rear via a standard SER cable coupling (through the siding and back KO).

Is this considered a "wet" location by the code? (I think it should).
What cable type should I use to connect a new subpanel that will be directly behind it, connected via a nipple (separated only by the siding thickness, say 3/4")? THHN or THNW (or other wet-location certified equivalent)?
If I wanted to add an outlet with a weather-proof in-use cover and box - what cable can I use for it? (probably "wet" only).


texts: Partial power outage ,facing single-phasing

texts:
My short name:Teza, we have had partial power outage in our house since months ago.

First we would hear a short chirp sound then we would see flickering of some light bulbs, then power would go out, no current in receptacle outlets and no lights in garage and front yard light and in the kitchen and some light bulbs in the living room would go out and refrigerator would stop working.

By making effort, it happened I found that after I hit turn/on touch wire of oven or cooktop then power would come back on.

This issue continued until I checked the kitchen GFCI it was not good I replaced it the issue remained I disconnected our old Fire Alarm System (installed on garage wall with its four blinking led indicators). Also I started to check loose socket bulbs and I disconnected some wirings of lighting to minimize areas of inspection, I also used multimeter to test circuitry voltages.

By all these test/checking and actions from days ago the problem of flickering lights was somehow lessened and chirping sound of alarm stopped. The frequency of this nuisance that was almost ten times during day and night became to two or three. My searching results are the culprit might be:
 1. Short circuit
 2. Circuit overload,
 3. Ground fault.

My question is which one of these 3 areas could I refine my inspection.
One area that I suspect is the transformer in the attic which would supply 12 volt power for Fire Alarm System, I think circuit a short has occurred inside it ( with mili Amp currents).

I should add here that in some occasions I had to go out to flip the circuit board kies to bring back the power. That unit as well as Electric Meter unit are old, and our property has been built around 30 years ago.

Could anybody advise and help me find the fault(s) by more pinpointing?


texts: Cut part of the baseboard without removing it

texts:
I need to cut part of my baseboard so I can push the wardrobe all the way against the wall.

Ideally, I'd like to cut it installed, and pull only the part that needs to be removed.

I have patience, I know it is required as I'll have to cut slowly to prevent damaging the sides (that won't be removed).

What manual/hand tool would you suggest to cut the baseboard?

Once both sides are cut, I will use a puller to remove it from the wall, leaving the sides installed.

Thank you for any help!


texts: Securing a large screw hook in drywall without an anchor

texts:
I have a large-ish screw hook in some drywall that is only supporting a dustpan and hand brush. The hook is not in a stud. As-is, the weight is not too much and the solution works. However, I am always afraid of ripping out the hook when I remove or replace the dustpan, and I can see that the hook is rather wobbly in the wall.

I would like to somehow make this more secure. The issue is that I cannot find any anchors large enough to fit the screw hook. Is there some alternate way of making this hook more secure? This is a garage, so I am open to solutions that might be considered unacceptable for interior use.


texts: Is it ok to change the wall outlets yourself?

texts:
As an amateur, is it in order for me to change an electric outlet myself without being an electrician.
I do know a thing or two about electronics, and it's just a simple wall outlet from home.


texts: How to fix squeaking in carpeted stair treads

texts:
I have 3 or 4 carpeted steps that make a muffled crunching sound when being stepped on.  There is no access from below.

How do I determine the location where the problem is and how do I fix the affected treads.  I'm aware of kits that work through the carpet with breakaway screws, but how do I determine  the location where the screw has to be drilled into the tread to eliminate the noise.


texts: Can I replace my face mount hinges with hidden ones?

texts: I've got face mount 3/8 In (10 Mm) inset hinges on my kitchen cabinets.  I'd like to replace them with hidden hinges.  Is it possible?


texts: How do I install my new ceiling light fixture?

texts:
Hi I’d like to install a new light fixture. The fixture is made out of plastic and has a blue and a brown cable.

The image is of the old fixture that works.

In case the image isn’t clear enough - The wires coming out of the ceiling consist of two black wires on the left hand side, then two red wires which are held together and two copper wires on the right hand side which are also held together

How would I install the new fixture?


texts: Is my new monitor tripping my AFCI breaker?

texts:
I just bought a new computer monitor last night (a Viotek GN34C) and since then, the 15A AFCI breaker for my bedroom has gone off twice.
I doubt I'm drawing too much power, since only my PC, monitor, a ceiling lamp (two CFLs), small fan and phone charger are on the circuit. My rough calculations show that all of this could maybe draw up to 900 W. I'm also fairly certain the monitor is responsible for the issue as this never happened with my previous monitor which was a similar model. The trips happen at a seemingly random time, not when my PC is playing a game or anything power intensive.
Because of the way my apartment is laid out (student housing), it's not feasible to run the PC and monitor on another circuit.
One potential issue I could think of is that the monitor and PC are plugged into a power strip, not a surge protector. I never considered buying a surge protector because I live in an area without lightning, but if it could keep the breaker from tripping I will definitely buy one.


texts: Is this vertical gap in the concrete block foundation something to worry about?

texts:
I'm looking at a home that has a vertical gap or crack running the height of the exposed concrete block foundation. The crack is near the center of the home, about a foot to the right of the concrete steps leading up to the front door. It looks like the home owner has filled the crack, hopefully a suitable repair (and not just masking the issue).

Are gaps of this type common? Trying to gauge how concerned I should be about this. Thanks.


texts: Is this a floor framing system? what is the difference between joist splices and floor joists?

texts:
I googled "floor framing" and got lots of results. The following (img_1) is the simpler one.

According to the anotations in the image, there are 7 joists, 2 bearers, 6 stumps, right?

Consider the following image (img_2), is this another floor framing system?

what is the difference between joist splices and floor joists?


texts: Why does a single switch on the wall control only the fan on my ceiling fan?

texts:
I have a Harbor Breeze fan where the light switch only controls turning the fan on and off. You have to pull the chain to turn the light on. Both pull chains work fine. There is no remote control.

What is wrong? Is the wiring wrong? Could the wrong black wire be connected to the blue and the wrong black to black?


texts: My cedar fence has previously been treated with both marine oil and nut oil but I am no longer able to obtain these products in BC.  It is drying out badly and needs staining.  What prep work do I need to do prior to applying a stain.


texts: Partial power outage after installing new light fixture

texts:
I was changing a lighting fixture in my hallway. While taking it apart I realized a black and white wire were connected. After 'plugging in' the new fixture and realizing it worked I decided to attach the black and white back together, assuming they were abandoned. Sparks flew and now half my house has no power.

The circuit breaker that blew was reset and is putting out power. But the only thing that has power is an outlet closest to the breaker. Every other outlet and light in that spare hallway basement and master bedroom bedroom is out.


texts: Termination point at main panel for a 4 wire feeder ground wire to sub-panel in detached structure

texts:
I plan to upgrade an older 40 amp 3 wire feeder to my shop to a safer 4 wire feeder. No issues at all running a #6 solid copper in existing  conduit to an un-bonded ground bus-bar in the sub-panel. Problem I have is the Main load center for the house is mounted inside a room in the center of the house, making it not so easy to rout the ground wire from sub-panel into the main panel.

Question I have: would code allow me to connect the feeder ground wire from the detached shop sub-panel to the ufer plate for the Main Panel ? Seems this would be OK since the main panel has the bonded ground/neutral bus-bar. Thanks


texts: How to loosen this strange nut of a cylinder lock?

texts:
I bought a new letterbox lock (Burgwächter ZBK-70, pdf datasheet/drawing), but the bar is too short.
I'd like to exchange that bar, but I have no clue how to loosen the bolt. So far, I tried it with telecom pliers, but it didn't work.
What is this black washer-like thing underneath the nut, by the way?


texts: basement subfloor - do i need sleepers for this solution

texts:
I'm going to install a basement subfloor. I want to follow option 3 from this site: http://homerenovations.about.com/od/additions/a/BasementSubfloor.htm.

A nice option because the foam insulation provides an excellent thermal break between concrete and flooring.

Finish flooring.
Plywood screwed down through the layer below.
Rigid foam insulation - 1 1/2" thick.
Concrete basement floor.

For the rigid foam insulation I wanted to use XPS foam. My question is, do I need sleepers for this? I saw on YouTube someone using a similar solution but they used sleepers under the plywood and filled the space between the sleepers with foam.

Thanks,
mj


texts: When should one use a concrete plasticizer? Should it be used for internal floor slab?


texts: How to run water through winter with bedrock?

texts:
Ultimately, we want to have year-round water in a building roughly 300 feet (90m) from our well/house. Where we live the average winter temperature is ~14 farenheit (-10 celsius), and bottoms out around -40 on the coldest of cold days. The frost line for our general area is somewhere around 5 - 6 feet (1.5m). The issue is that we have 0 - 24 inches of soil, and then bedrock.

So - how to do we get water to not freeze in the winter when we're faced with low temperatures and bedrock preventing us from running it underground? I've looked at products like heat tape and Heat-Line. Both seem expensive and not-ideal, but I'm pretty stuck for options.

We have water in our house that comes from the well, how does that not freeze? I have no experience with plumbing whatsoever. Any ideas?


texts: Can I do two circuits on 12/3 and still have GFCI?

texts: I'm thinking about running a single 12/3 cable to my garage to wires all of the outlets (8 or 9).  (This is old construction, with a finished ceiling.)  I understand that the black and red wires will create two circuits fed by a double-pole breaker.  Will I still be able to install GFCI outlets at the beginning of each wall run?  I've read that a GFCI breaker may be needed.  I haven't decided if I'll do every other receptacle or the tops of all receptacles on one circuit and the bottoms on the other.  By the way, each wall will likely be fed by its own cable, going back to a junction box.


texts: Putting portable air conditioner hose in bucket of water

texts: Does it really work to use the hose to heat water in a bucket?    I do not want to leave my windows open at night for the hose to go outside.   I have heard the hot air from the portable air conditioner can be disposed of in this way.


texts: How tight should a Maid-o-Mist steam valve adjustment screw be?

texts:
I have a single pipe steam heat system with radiators.  To use this system I use the Maid-o-Mist brand valves.  These valves come in different sizes.  The website provides a nice diagram about what should go where:

And it seems that the difference in the size is just about the little piece that screws into top of the valve.

Now here is the part I don't understand.  Because this part screws in, does it have to be tight?  It never says anywhere on the website and it feels like loosening it is an adjustment.  But maybe it just loosens because it was easier to make it that way.

Question >> How tight should the top piece be for normal operation?

Link of interest: Product web page