texts: Blower fan doesn't work in cool/auto or on modes

texts:
I've read the posts with the opposite issue, which have been helpful (you guys are amazing!) but still no solution. Problem is that the blower fan does not come on when system is on "Cool" and fan is on 'auto' or when system is on "Off" and fan is on "on". Interestingly, we discovered fan comes on when system is on "Heat" and fan is on "auto".

Things I've checked and tried:

Replaced thermostat first; no issues w/ install
Blower motor capacitor was weak but have now replaced
Tested motor by testing common wire to each of the speed wires (High, Med, Low), all showed about 7-10 ohms
Relay seems to check out, and the switch does go on/off when we turn the fan "on" or "auto" on the thermostat. So I think the thermostat is working fine, but fan still doesn't come on.
Since the issue seems to be on the cooling/fan side, I was convinced that we had an issue with one of the green or yellow wires connecting the thermostat to the relay or the relay to the fan/main limit, etc. So I tested continuity on the connecting wires by disconnecting for example, the orange between whatever you call the terminals where the thermostat connects and the bottom of the relay.  I tested continuity on 5 different yellow or orange connectors, and all looked fine (i.e. 0 ohms).
Longshot, and earlier in the process, I tested the Door Interrupt Switch and it was fine.

I must not be understanding some part of the wiring that affects cooling and the fan, but not the heat. Could the Fan and Limit Controller be the culprit?  I am guessing not, because it seems that this relates to heating (a shutoff if plenum gets too hot, right?) but would not affect cooling or just running the fan.
I am so frustrated... could use your help. thank you so much.


texts:
I have been a renter in a duplex apartment for several years, and I am unfortunately having some trouble with my upstairs shower.  It has been clear for some time that the shower unit has been in need of repair, but recently water has begun leaking through to the first floor bath and it is obvious that the backer board behind the tile near the shower faucet has become soggy - tiles near the bottom are beginning to detach and it seems a large section of the tile wall is in danger of failing completely.

What would be the minimum expedient repair required to prevent further damage and allow the shower to be usable (until the inevitable renovation that will take place when the unit is vacated)?

I live in the Northeast U.S.


texts: Water pressure totally gone after turning off to repair

texts: We turned our water main off and on repeatedlly and now all pressure is gone. Help please.


texts: What does "bonding" mean with respect to wiring in an outbuilding?

texts: In this statement, "You'll have to install an adequate grounding electrode system at the outbuilding, and bond the grounding conductor to it, "What is meant by bonding?"


texts: I acquired a fixer upper house built in the early 1950s. I looked into the electrical box and all the breakers there. It looks like some random assignment of breakers to the points of use throughout the house. For instance there is a sole receptacle (right under the electrical box) that has its own breaker rated 20amp. But the whole second floor (with all its receptacles and switches) is under one breaker rated 15AMP. Same thing with the whole kitchen. So I am puzzled or confused as to the power I can run simultaneously, say in the kitchen. Say on one receptacle I may have a small fridge (200W), a coil water boiler (1000W) and a toaster (700W). I am thinking that my circuit breaker (15A) will turn itself off if I run those three at the same time? What about if I run three appliances simultaneously, totaling 2000W, but plugged into different receptacles in the same kitchen? Will the sole 15A breaker switch off, or am I OK to run the appliances at the same time?  P.s. I am talking in 120V environment.


texts: How can I easily use a damaged hose bibb outlet?

texts: The threads on my hose bibb outlet are damaged and in pretty bad shape. I have not done my own plumbing work before and am wondering if there is some type of solution that would not require opening up the siding to replace the entire bibb. I'm hoping for a solution outside the box possibly so I don't need to hire a plumber although I will if necessary. As is, leaking at the connection is pretty bad if I try to use the outlet.


texts: How can I insulate my attic on a tight budget?

texts:
My attic is running 135Fahrenheit (55 Celsius) and more right now. And that's before it even gets to the hottest part of the day! The A/C guy said the A/C's are working perfectly. But he tested the ceiling, and it is a completely different temperature than what comes out of the A/C vents! So I'm boiling in my new home, even at night!

The A/C guy verified that it is terribly insulated in my attic. I have a radiant barrier, (whatever that is), but there is not sufficient insulation to prevent the heat transfer to the rest of my house. The second story is definitely the hottest, but even the first story is too hot. Because of this my electric bill is insane which I also cannot afford because the A/C can never work hard enough to do the job I want it to do.

It's been suggested to me to lay down rolls of insulation across the floor of the attic. After attempting to read on-line how to do this and what kind of insulation to buy I am overwhelmed at all the information given as well as the references to blowers, joists, and many other words that are completely new to me.

Because of recent personal problems I am on  a really tight budget. Can somebody offer me some guidance on how to insulate my attic?


texts:
I could not find the load neutral--it may not even be white in the panel. Do I need to or is it OK to just hook up an extra neutral and go to the neutral bus from the GFCI breaker? Of course I have hooked up the white pigtail from the GFCI breaker already.

More info:

It is individual wiring not Romax so to actually follow the wiring I would have to follow it inside the conduit and keep checking at junction boxes in the attic of the building. But other things have come to light.  It would trip even when I tried to set the breaker when the load was not even connected on one and the other one that I purchased which they said was new breakers and they may be but maybe they have a malfunction in them.

The other breaker will trip when I would touch the secondary load neutral which I just connected to the neutral bus in the breaker box it would trip the breaker with our load connected so I think something is wrong with these two breakers.

But I appreciate all the insight.  If I can’t find the actual neutral that comes from these outlets I may have to put just a GFI outlet breaker in the metal track where The old outlets are again thank you tom


texts: how do I remove this old track light hanger from junction box?

texts: I need some guidance on how to remove this late 1980's vintage track light mounting strap or hanger (brace?) from the 4" round junction box? It appears to have the two small threaded rods, that the cover plate attached to, go all the way up through the two layers of the metal hanger. There are also two philips head screws holding the "top" of the strap into the j-box just above the lower metal strap. Both appear to be going into some of the plastic 'tabs' of the j-box.


texts: Is there a name for right angle braces / brackets that have enlarged holes for adjustments?

texts:
I like building furniture, and at times need to use right angle brackets. The problem is that when I'm screwing them in, right at the end they'll shift the tiniest bit which throws off everything. Infuriating when I've spent hours cutting and sanding everything right.

I was digging around my unused hardware drawer and came across this:

It is 1" x 1/2", which design-wise would be perfect, though need a bunch in different sizes. Is there a name for this type of brace or bracket?


texts: Changing Light Switch - all three wires the same color

texts:
How do I change a light switch when I took switch out and it has three wires all the same color - red?

Which wire is which??


texts: Is it feasible to use a work bench without a vise for woodworking?

texts:
I live in Brazil and here we have very low quality bench vise screws, and NO woodworker bench vises for sale. Buying overseas the price starts at 200 dollars with shipping (shipping and taxes are more expensive than the vise).

I want to start playing with woodworking, some cabinet making using MDF and plywood, and maybe some furniture using salvaged wood. Can I realistically work on wood using a bench with no vises, or just vises that uses wedges, bench dogs, etc?

I guess my major problem would be edge work (planning, cutting, routing, etc). Some of that can me solved using an engineer vise (available here) or holding wood to the bench legs using clamps.

Also, is there any good bench designs that DON'T incorporate a front and tail vises?


texts: Running new fridge line, get regular breakers, AFCI, combo with GFCI, GFCI outlet, etc?

texts:
My fridge (2017 GE upper double doors 1500 W, 145 W icemaker) is now on part of a four-outlet circuit with a microwave. An electrician is going to run a new circuit to the fridge only. He said I can buy a breaker at home depot for cheaper than his company sells it. He didn't say what kind to get, just Square D homeline.
I'm trying to figure out if I should get

AFCI/GFCI combo breaker (and what are the different types?)
AFCI breaker and GFCI outlet
Just an AFCI breaker?

The fridge is between two counters and upper cabinets so the outlet is not easy to get to. I've read differing opinions and code citations online saying a fridge frequently trips GFCI outlets or doesn't, that combo breakers trip and it's impossible to know why, many people citing 2014 electrical code, etc. Very frustrating research.
The fridge located about 8 feet from our sink on opposite side so I think I only need GFCI if it protects the fridge motor. I'm willing to pay top dollar for quality outlets and/or breakers.


texts:
I have one of these rangehoods, the fan is built in directly above the filters so its noisy as hell when you run it.

I don't really want to spend $1K+ on a new "silent" rangehood, I was wondering if anyone can see any issues with buying an inline fan and moving it up into the ceiling to sit halfway along the vent, hopefully reducing the noise in the kitchen considerably.

Note: It's only venting steam / smells, etc. Cooktop is electric.


texts:
Is it ok to start a vent on a 45 from a wye like on this drawing?

I need to clear the edge of the sink (actually a giant double compartment sink) before I can go up and start horizontal once I clear the flood rim + 6".


texts: Can I hide a transformer in a metal box in my cabinet?

texts: I put LED lights under my cabinets.  I ran the wires into the cabinet where I put a 4 in metal box. Was going to put the small unit and wires inside the box but noticed the transformer gets real warm. Maybe I bought the wrong product?  It's  a 60W 12v by lightech.


texts: How do I mount a 70" TV to wall when the studs are in the wrong place?

texts:
I want to mount a 70" tv (68lbs) to a wall, but all the wall mounts I find need to be mounted between studs. The studs above my fireplace are 16" apart, but there's one stud about 2" off center of the center of the fireplace.

If I mount the bracket so that there's a stud on either side, I'll end up with a TV significantly off center... What are my options?

Should I just use a piece of 3/4" plywood and hang it between the existing studs?

Thanks!


texts: While flipping breakers on and off, I had my hand shocked

texts: Going through breakers on my panel my hand got shocked.  Went to the off position and felt hot current go thru my hand.  Nothing too bad, but made me jump.  My panel is unlabeled, so I'm not sure what the breaker is wired to.  Was flipping breakers to see what what was being powered.  Should I be concerned?


texts: What type of shelving should I use in my basement?

texts:
We currently have single track brackets on a set of shelves 14 feet long & about ~7 feet high, with 6 upright posts. These need to be replaced with something much stronger.

The options I know about are:

Double track brackets with these wire shelves
Shelving units, with either wooden shelves or metal shevles

The shelves should be adjustable so that rules out #2, but I don't know if they're strong enough for standard basement storage (no shed or garage). Is #1 good enough or are there other options out there?


texts: Is an electrical blank (or anything you have to screw off) an acceptable access panel?

texts:
Never installed an access panel that wasn't a lid or door.  If we have to screw it off is it code for an access panel?

See other question for example: What can I use for a very small access panel?


texts: Adding electrical service to detached garage

texts:
Please let me know if this sounds correct-

Sub panel fed from 80amp breaker in main building 200amp load center.
Roughly 75' of 1" PVC conduit from existing load panel, under existing timber deck, underground for ~6', stub up outside building, wall penetration to interior main lug load center with 6 branch circuits (1 240V outlet, 4 120V outlets/lighting)

1" PVC Sch 40 Conduit fill-
3x #4 THHN (Hot, Hot, Neutral)
1x #8 THHN (Ground, bonded to main structure load panel ground and ground rod at outbuilding)

Neutral and ground to be isolated in all new wiring.

Thanks for any comments!


texts: How can I build shower niches into an old plaster and lath wall?

texts:
I'm in the middle of remodeling my bathroom, and am about to tackle putting up the shower walls. My house was built in the 1930s, and thus most of the walls are lath slathered with mortar that holds the plaster wall.

The bedroom is on the other side of the show, and I would like to keep its plaster intact. My problem is that I would like to install shower niches (for shampoo, soap, etc.) in the wall. However, the mortar holding the plaster on is brittle, and if it comes off, so does the plaster. I was planning on putting a piece of plywood for the back of the niche. However, I'm worried I'll lose at least a 1/2" because the of the mortar pressing against the back of the plywood (not to mention potentially being destructive to the wall behind it).

Does anyone have any suggestions or experiencing dealing with this type of configuration?


texts:
From what I’ve read on residential construction, the process of building the first floor goes like this:

Foundation of some kind is set
Sill plates are bolted to the foundation
Floor joists are set to bear on the sill plates and are nailed to rim joists

I haven’t seen any information on how the floor or rim joists are subsequently attached to the sill plates.
Is friction and weight expected to keep them in place?
If so, why do the sill plates need to be bolted down?


texts: How can I fix this gap in my kitchen counter?

texts:
Click for larger view.

These pictures show the gap between my counter and the wall, and re-caulking is only part of what I want to do. It was suggested to me that the cabinet is coming apart from the wall and I should try to see if I can somehow tighten the bolts that hold it to the wall, but I can't really see where those are. If I try to pick up or push the cabinet it doesn't really budge. Any ideas?


texts: How do I provide proper fire protection in this situation?

texts:
HVAC guys are running a vertical duct (supply and return) from my basement to my 2nd floor attic.  It will run adjacent to an exterior wall and will eventually be enclosed in a drywalled-in vertical soffit.  My question is in regards to the insulation in the exterior wall cavity:  Would the metal of the ducts touching the kraft-faced insulation be enough to provide the fire protection that kraft-faced insulation needs?

Or should I go with unfaced insulation and just use 6 mil poly as my vapor barrier?  Or maybe a combination of unfaced insulation and a foil faced foam board?


texts: Is there currently lighting on the market that can simulate sunlight?

texts:
During northern winter I always wish I had lighting powerful enough to simulate sun shining in my window (or from my ceiling). Are there currently products on the market powerful enough to do so?

I'm using 1500Lm LED lamps with a 2700k color rating, but they're very much far from what sunlight looks like.


texts:
I'm thinking of installing a dishwasher.  Unfortunately, my kitchen layout would not allow me to install it beside the sink (without moving the whole sink & cabinet).  So, I'd like to install it along another wall.

My question - can I just run a new water supply and drainage to this spot (and electric)?  I have good access under the floor, via my basement.  Or, does the drain really need to go to a disposal?  I've seen dishwashers that have a "hard food disposer" feature, but I'm not sure if this replaces the sink's disposal, or just helps clear large items out of the tub interior during washes.


texts: How to get rid of mosquitos at my front door?

texts: I don't why but in spring and summer time outside the main door of the house, there are usually 15 to 20 mosquitos just lying around. It is so bad to the point we have to avoid using the main door and use the garage for entry. How can I get rid of them?


texts: What device can remotely close a water main?

texts:
Trial run of http://meta.homeautomation.stackexchange.com/questions/17/are-questions-asking-for-home-automation-hardware-allowed, which got an overwhelmingly positive response. Answers must be detailed with real-life pros and cons.

I have a tradition of turning off the water to my house if I'm going to leave for more than a few days. Sometimes, though, I forget to do it, and it bugs me the whole time I'm gone. I'd like to be able to remotely turn the valve to the water main running into my house. The valve is a 'lever' type:

Requirements:

The water main is in my crawlspace, thus the device will likely have to deal with close-to-freezing temperatures. It shouldn't ever get warmer than about 60 degrees F (= 15.56 degrees C), though.
I must be able to manually adjust the valve without much hassle.
It will likely only be used about a dozen times a year at most
Must be remotely controllable from my iPhone, I don't really care how

Nice to have:

It'd be nice if it was battery powered. It's possible to run power to it, but it'd likely be a pain.
It'd be nice if it was HomeKit compatible (I'm already set up for that protocol), but I'm fine with nearly anything.
I'd really like something that manipulates the current valve, as I'm not much of a plumber and the idea of taking the current valve off and having high-pressure water spray all over me doesn't sound very fun.

Is there a device that meets these criteria?


texts: I installed non IC LED recessed lights and now need to insulate part of the ceiling before it is installed, what should I do?

texts: I installed 4" non IC LED recessed lights in a first floor room with 8" clearance during a remodel (no insulation and full access to ceiling space). I later realized that one area of the room with a few of the lights has a small angled roof space above it and needed to be insulated. Rather than switching the housing types, I purchased some tenmat covers. The internet tells me that I need to air-seal them from heat escape (live in Northeastern US), but I need to insulate before the sheetrock goes up. How would I airseal edges with foam after the ceiling goes in? Can I just tack the covers to to the rafters to hold them in place and not airseal? Their datasheet doesn't say anything about foam. I'de rather risk losing heat than have poor airflow and hot fixtures. What should I do?


texts: Does the Lutron Maestro C.L Dimmer Exist?

texts:
Lutron offers a family of "C•L" model dimmers (for use with dimmable CFL/LEDs) which includes the Maestro product line:  http://www.lutron.com/EDUCATION-TRAINING/LCE/Pages/DimmingCFLsandLEDs.aspx#credenza

According to the Maestro product line page the applicable model numbers are MACL-153M, MACL-153MH.

Does this product actually exist?  I have been unable to find any trace of it anywhere except the Lutron site.  You can't even buy it direct from the Lutron store.


texts: What is a "solar-ready" air conditioner?

texts:
I've been looking into having solar panels installed.  My understanding is that the solar panels connect to a breaker in the breaker panel, and so you have both the main breaker (from the power company) and the solar breaker feeding power into the buses of the panel, and from there the power flows to all the circuits in the house, just like normal.  This all makes sense to me.
However, I noticed that my air conditioner has a sticker which says "SunSource Solar Ready," and "This equipment is suitable for powering with a secondary (solar) source circuit."
What does this mean, exactly?  I looked up "SunSource Solar Ready", but the page for it is really quite content-free.
Is there some benefit to using this "solar ready" feature when I get solar installed?  Or should I just get it installed the "normal" way, as if I did not have a "solar ready" air conditioner?


texts:
I have a Honeywell System. Back in November of 2014, I replaced the Circuit Board with one by Honeywell from Amazon (1014460). The blower motor was replaced over 2 years ago. Last month, I have replaced the Transformer. (No part # available at time of writing). I also replaced the cap on the board as well. (97F9002). My thermostat is about 5 years old. All caps for my a/c system are no older than 2 years old.

When I switch from Heat to AC, my circuit board fuse immediately pops. I am unable to use either until the fuse is replaced. I haven't tried replacing the circuit board fuse and putting it on AC to see if the AC would kick on that way. However, I haven't been able to determine why the fuse keeps blowing. Nothing was replaced last year and it worked great during the summer.

Any suggestions to try for troubleshooting? (See below for another suggestion)

Research: All the research I have found regarding my issue tends to be the other way around. People seem to have the issue with AC to Heat. However, I want to test to see if it is my thermostat as that has been suggested to others. How would I test if that is a possibility?

BRAND ICP
Model N8MPNO75B12A1

Transformer 44504 jard 4031f


texts: How do I wire these dimmer switches? The current wiring is crazy

texts:
I've installed light switches in other parts of our house, but there is one pair of dimmers that mystifies me. One is a normal dimmer and one is supposed to be a three way dimmer, but the latter is wired incorrectly so that the dimmer and remote switch must be both on at the same time.

There are three bundles of wires coming into the box and I have no idea what is supposed to be wired to what.

I've drawn up diagram of how they are currently wired.

In all other boxes in the house there is one bundle per switch and the wire colors are consistent. In this case there are 3 bundles used for two switches and the whites from two of the bundles are tied together for some reason. I have no idea which wires from the 3 bundles should match up with the wires on the new dimmers.

EDIT 2:

Here are the voltages between the two grounds and every other wire. The things to note are:

There is a 17 volt difference between the two grounds.
The only live wire appears to be W2 (white from bundle 2). This seems crazy. How did the old dimmer 2 ever work if it wasn't connected to a hot wire?
The difference between G1 and W2 is 102, but the difference between G3 and W2 is 47.

VOLTAGES (G1 is ground from bundle 1. W2 is white from bundle 2, etc.):

    G1  G3
G1  0   17
B1  1   21
W1  1   21
B2  1   20
W2  102 47
B3  19  1
W3  18  0
G3  17  0
R3  19  1


texts: Sink Hot Water Spigot Controls Shower Temperature

texts:
I have a contractor here to redo my guest bath, which is in-between my main water line/hot water heater (tank) and my master bath. The master bath is on the farthest side of the house away from the main water line, while the guest bath is more towards the middle of the house.
The contractor just finished installing the new tub and the plumbing that connects to the tub. He just began putting up drywall today in preparation to do tile work tomorrow. My master bath seems to be the only problem in my house, but I can't test the under construction guest bathroom because nothing is hooked up right now.
The problem is that the master bath sink never gets hot water, and the master shower only gets hot water if the master bath sink's hot water spigot is turned on. When I have both turned on, the hot water spigot of the sink stays cold. As soon as I turn the hot water spigot off in the sink, the shower turns back to cold. I can almost control the hot water in the shower with the hot water spigot in the sink.
I tried running all of my spigots inside and out, then turning them off again just to try something but it didn't help. I even did it a second time. Any suggestions on what to do? I asked the contractor working on the bathroom if I should call a plumber, but he says he wants to come check it out tomorrow morning. Is there a chance that once the rest of the water can run to the guest bath again that things will get back to normal? Thank you for any assistance.


texts:
The wall plates in my kitchen suddenly bowed outward like this:

Additionally, there seems to be condensation present on the back of each plate, suggesting that this was a thermal event of some kind. Considering that:

This occurred overnight
It happened to all four receptacles on that circuit and no other plates in the house
Nothing was plugged into them at the time
The breaker did not trip
The circuit still functions normally
My house did not burn down

What might have caused this?

Potentially relevant background info:

My home is new construction
The house immediately adjacent to this wall is undergoing construction presently
The wall is tiled (as visible in the photo)

Edit: photo with plate removed, as requested in comments


texts: Fuse blew, outlet didnt work, replaced outlet, still not working

texts:
I was using some power tools in my garage and the fuse blew. I replaced the fuse but the outlet still didnt work. It was an older outlet without buttons so its not GFCI. The outlet is in the garage, and the downstairs bathroom light runs off the same fuse. After replacing the fuse the bathroom light works but the garage outlet does not. Beside the outlet is a switch for the garage light as well, which also doesnt work.
So I replaced both the outlet and switch.
When I plug anything into the new outlet (tried shop-vac and small lamp) it doesnt work and the garage light doesnt work either.
My plugin tester shows wiring is correct, nothing reversed or open.
With my multimeter I get 117 vots hot to neutral , 3 volts neutral to ground, and 122 volts hot to ground.
At the light fixture I get the same 117-120 volts cant remember exactly when the switch is on.
By all accounts when I plug something into the outlet or flick the light switch I should get power, but nothing happens. Seems like I've tried everything and am really scratching my head. Thought I would ask here first to see if there is anything obvious that I missed before calling electrician.
Any ideas? Thanks.


texts: Top center of garage door bumping opener rail as it closes. Does anyone know the fix for this?

texts: After 10 years of normal operation, my garage door started bumping the center opener rail just as the last edge of the door passes the very front the rail before it closes.  This causes it to pop back open.  If I apply a slight bit of pull on the door with my hand during this point it will close without hitting.  I figure some bolt got loose or something.  If anyone knows how to troubleshoot this, I would greatly appreciate advice.  Thanks.


texts: Is there any way to make a sink connected to a garborator drain faster?

texts: In the kitchen there are two sinks side by side which share a common drain. One sink has a garborator. It drains ridiculously slowly. The other sink drains faster but I've been told it doesn't actually because it has more space underneath for the water to go so it only appears to drain faster, or something like that. The garborator is basically never used. Is there anything I can do to speed of the the draining of the sink(s)? I'm not sure if it's relevant but I think the gorborator is broken or doesn't work well.


texts:
I purchased a 15' x 48" above ground Bestway steel frame (Bestway Steel Pro Max). I'm looking at the instructions, which say "Do not assemble with pool legs on soft lawn. If you must assemble the pool on a soft surface, timber boards (not included) must be placed under the feet of the vertical support rods for even weight distribution."

What in the world is a "soft lawn"? I was planning on putting it on a sparse lawn (it's very shaded, so grass doesn't grow very well there). I have a thick tarp to help with evening the ground. My current issue is with gumballs from a gumball tree that I'm clearing as best I can. But it is earth: some small sticks, stones, dirt, grass, etc. And since it's not concrete or timber, is it "soft"?


texts: Pure sine wave or modified for a Trane HVAC?

texts: Winter is near and I want to be able to run my Trane HVAC 1 hp motor and my Dell abd Mac desktop computers off an inverter or generator.  Should I get something that puts out a pure sine wave or can I safely use less expensive, modified sine wave equipment?


texts: If apiece of wood furniture is varnished, can i just paint right over it?

texts: If apiece of wood furniture is varnished, can i just paint right over it or any special advice?


texts: The pilot light on my gas fire usually goes out once the fire is lit and I have released the switch. Now for some reason the pilot lite remains lit and doesn't go out until I turn the fire off. This is unusual as the pilot light has never continually burned while the fire is burning. What would cause this to happen? Cheers Brent.


texts: non-metallic flex conduit permissible locations

texts:
Is it permissible to use non-metallic flex conduit in the garage or attic?

Specifically as a short distance "whip" between a disconnect and an appliance such as a water heater or an HVAC blower system.


texts: Rim Joist Insulation without a Sill Plate

texts:
I've seen a few similar questions but the answers don't add up...

I would like to use some rigid foam insulation to insulate my rim joists. Here is the problem: everything I have seen shows putting the foam on top of the sill plate like this (via Family Handyman).

In my situation, my joists run into sloped concrete block:

If I stuck some rigid foam in those gaps it would be floating above the wall and sticking out 2". So what is the proper way for this type of joist?

My idea is to attach a 1x3 under the joists and set the foam on top of that. But I know a big part of this insulation method is sealing the rigid foam with caulk or spray foam. So would this work? Or will I just need to add some extra caulk to seal the small gap between the 1x3 and the wall?


texts: I have two black (hot) and two white (neutral) and a ground. One black is hot with breaker on and the other is not. What is the likely cause?


texts: How can I fix a patio with drainage problems?

texts:
I would like to fix the problems that are show in the picture below. Basically when it rains the water pools near the corner of my house in the two areas circled in this picture. The result is that the water gets to the wall and due to concrete capillarity it goes up on the wall as you can see. It probably goes down in the basement as well, I still have to check the wall behind the drywall in that inside corner area.

I used the level to see if the patio is level in that area and it is not.
How do I fix this? Should I try to reset just the bricks for that area or should I go deeper and fix the layers under the patio?
Is there any less intrusive way to verify if the patio's bed was correctly graded?
Is there any way to add a membrane under the bricks in that area to prevent the water from getting to the wall?

Click for larger image


texts: I am hoping to get a headboard like this one. What do I actually need to use it? Is the common option to use a metal bed frame or is there some other type of bed structure that I should be using with it?


texts: Best and thinnest way to cover masonry brick wall with drywall

texts:
I am remodeling my 1950s home and I have exterior walls made out of masonry bricks (cinder bricks).  The interior of the bricks has been painted many times over.  I've been given 2 basic recommendations from contractor friends and I thought I'd ask the group.

First off, bricks are porous.  I can tell the previous homeowner had issues with this.  I'm planning to roll 2 coats of Redgard on the inside of the walls and the outside of the walls will be vapor barriered and stuccoed.  Then, my choices are to either place greenboard directly on the Redgard-coated walls or to hang furring strips and then place the greenboard.

I have a couple things to spell out.  2 of the rooms in play are already pretty small.  The thought of losing 4 inches of width in these rooms isn't a great proposition (2x 1.5" 2x4s + 2x 1/2" drywall).  So, how thin of a furring strip could I get away with?

I live in Southern California, so insulation isn't hugely important for outside cold weather, but should I use furring strips so I can insulate to keep cool air in?  Furring strips are also good for running wire, but I don't have a need there.

Any thoughts on my plan?  Any thoughts on greenboard on sealed bricks vs. greenboard on furring strips?

Thanks!


texts: GFCI From previous 120v double oven vs. a different GFCI for new 240v double oven

texts: do you need a new/different GFCI receptacle when you upgrade/change your 120v double oven to a 240v double oven?


texts: Large gap between foundation wall and patio

texts: What is the best way to full this gap which is between the foundation wall and front patio?


texts: I ran out of propane and now the water heater pilot light will not stay lit

texts:
I had run out of propane. Now that I have propane, I can’t get the pilot light to stay lit on my water heater, nor will it stay lit even long enough to light the burner.

Click for larger view:


texts: Is there any point in putting solid stain (rather than paint) on LP Smartside?

texts:
I'm getting ready to build a barn, likely with LP Smartside siding. LP says that you can put "solid" stain on it (not transparent). My question is, is there ever a reason you would do that? It seems that the point of any stain is that it's going to soak into the surface some. Solid stain contains more solids which sit on surface, similar to paint, but any components of it designed to soak in to the surface aren't going to work on the primed surface of LP SS.
So is there any reason at all not to just use paint? What would the differences actually be between solid stain and paint on LP Smartside?


texts: What is the legal definition of a habitable space/room?

texts:
I am confused as to what rooms are habitable rooms in regards to permitting. According to ASHI

  Habitable rooms are living, sleeping, eating and cooking rooms. Common terms for these rooms include living rooms, family rooms, dens, bedrooms, breakfast rooms, dining rooms and kitchens. ... Bathrooms, laundry rooms, closets, storage rooms, equipment rooms and hallways are not habitable rooms.

An answer, to a different question of mine, suggest that calling a room a study or a kids playroom would make in not be considered a habitable space. To me a study seems a lot like a den. Is there a list of room names that are considered habitable. Is there a list of features that make a room be required to have all the other features of a habitable room?


texts: concrete ceiling anchor: how much weight can it support?

texts:
Not sure if ceiling anchor is the correct term, so I attached a picture for reference.

I removed the drop ceiling from my basement, the metal frame holding the tiles were screwed into these wholes (anchors?), so I have quite a few across my concrete ceiling (roughly 1-1.5 meters apart from each other).

My question is, how much weight can these anchors support? They are about 2 cm deep and 9 mm wide. I am thinking of installing a hammock / pull up bar / perhaps use it to support a small bouldering wall if possible.

Any answer is highly appreciated!


texts: How to insulate from the noise generated by rain falling on a roof window?

texts:
My sleeping room is just below the roof, and has two roof windows. When it rains during the night (rather common experience during winter in central Italy, where I am located), the rain falling on the window glass generates a rather strong noise, which prevents me from getting asleep and often also wakes me up if I am already sleeping.
What are good sound-proofing techniques in this case? For example, would putting some layers of foam (which foam in particular?) just below the window work? Is the sound-proofing foam used in recoding studio the appropriate material here?
I've also thought about putting a layer of (not necessarily sound-proofing) foam on the window instead of below it, in the hope that the rain doesn't fall directly on the glass, so it makes less noise. It is clearly is a maintenance burden (the foam gets soaked, and it probably quickly breaks because of exposure to sun and wind), but maybe it works better. Are there suggestions about this idea?
Some remarks about my specific situation:

The area is quiet, so the only noise I need to insulate from is the rain tapping on the roof window. Nothing else.

I am renting the house, therefore I would like to minimise the modifications on the house. However, not being able to sleep is a serious problem and the landlord is a reasonable person, so if there is need I can try to negotiate some long-lasting change.


texts: What smart device options do I have for poor lighting in living room?

texts:
My living room does not have great electrical lighting. The room is about 18'x12' with a fireplace on the far, short wall.

Above the fireplace there are two angled recessed lights (can aim them in a direction, if wanted). These are far from the rest of the room and do not light up half of the room at night.

One outlet (yes, only one - which is the dumbest decision) is connected to a switch at the entrance to the room). I have two lamps connected to this which is great but we have a third lamp in the opposite corner that is not hooked up to the switch. It annoys me more than it should that I have to manually turn on this one lamp.

Are there any smart options (wifi plug or outlet, for example) that would allow me to have all three lamps turn on with the flip of the light switch? The switch and the third lamp are on different circuits, unfortunately.

Or is there any easy way to add more recessed lights or add outlets to the switched circuit?


texts:
My sink has a tendency to smell awful. A few times I've poored a lemon juice & baking soda mixture down it, but it only reduces the smell for a few days. What are some longer term solutions to this problem?

The smell isn't taking over the kitchen, but it's a real nuisance for someone trying to do the dishes.


texts: Footing for deck on slope with one side near grade

texts:
I am extending my deck and plan to make it a freestanding deck (just to avoid attaching to the current one but it will be close on top).

I plan to have a row of 4 posts on the lower level (left). Each post has 4x4 on top of pier block with metal bracket (same as existing deck):

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Concrete-Pier-Block-with-Metal-Bracket-8053112/202820094

Then on the upper slope, I am planning to use 2x8 and put on top of this pier posts:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/10-in-x-10-in-x-8-in-Concrete-Deck-Block-012023A/205613606

Do you think this is OK?


texts: What is this wall fixture with a locking arm? How much weight is it rated for?

texts:
So, I have this thing attached to the concrete wall between mine and my neigbhor's balconies:

The arm has a slot in it's base that lets it slide around the nearest axis, and another slot that engages one of the other two axes. The arm can also be folded down.

The only use I have thought of for it is to hang a hammock from it, but I doubt that's the intended use, and if it's rated for that sort of weight.

I reckon I'll be asking something in this stack about this, so I might as well get this out of the way: What't the actual purpose of this thing, and is it likely to be strong enough to hold one end of a hammock?


texts:
Our freezer gasket has gotten compressed, and is leaking cold air. My options are to buy a new refrigerator, buy a replacement gasket and replace it myself, or just live with it. I'd like to avoid buying a new fridge if possible; the fridge performs well otherwise. This is complicated by the fact that the freezer gasket is out of stock almost everywhere, and the places that have it are charging a premium price ($150-$200) for it. There is a substitute part recommended by the manufacturer (around $100) but it gets poor reviews; it does not seem to have been manufactured to the same standards of quality.
What would you recommend? Thanks in advance.


texts: above ground pole support for sail cloth

texts: I need to create above ground, mobile "footings" for metal poles to hold sail cloth. I was thinking of a cardboard tubing, filled with concrete to hold a sleeve to insert the pole into that will hold a metal pole. the pole will hold a sail cloth. I am thinking of a 3-4' high, 16" wide concrete tube form. will this be sufficient to hold the poles for sail cloth?


texts: Air admittance valves on waste pipe with extraction

texts:
Just move into a new apartment which is on the upper floor of three. The bathrooms of each apartment are directly above one another. I believe that the exhaust vents of the bathrooms in the apartments below are connected to the main soil waste pipes, as is the exhaust vent in my own bathroom. I know they should be separately vented but these are old Victorian properties with no other vent options for the flats below. I can easily install separate venting for my own bathroom fan.

I have noticed a drain smell since moving in. I have just discovered that:

The 4" waste pipe is connected to the 3" roof pipe with gaffer tape. The connection is under my bath and effectively unsealed with the result that the waste pipe vents into my bathroom.
To make matters worse, there is another break in the 3" pipe behind the tiled rear wall of the bathroom. It is impossible to reconnect it to the roof vent without breaking into the wall.

So even if I fix the connection under the bath, the waste pipe will vent behind the wall.

My question is, can I just cap the waste pipe where it terminates under the bath with an air admittance valve, bearing in mind that the exhausts from the bathroom fans below vent into the waste pipe?

My concern is that the fans could cause a build up of air pressure in the waste pipe. Would the air just escape down the sewer?


texts: I have an outside switch to control a light in the garage. The white wires are connected in the box and there is one black and one red wire. How do I connect them to a single pole switch.


texts: Why am I getting strange results when using a power meter to measure CFLs?

texts:
Over the years we have replaced just about every bulb in the house with a CFL. But here is the problem. Our electric bill is going up and not down. When I moved here 3 years ago we spent about $140-160. As of this summer we topped $210. Electric rates have raised of course but that doesn't explain why our physical electric usage is has gone from 800 to 1100+ kwh

I purchased a Reliance Controls THP103 AmWatt Generator Appliance Wattage/Amps Load Tester to see if it was something that was busted like the compressor on the fridge that always makes noise. Sears says no and my meter suggests no.

After testing ever in the house I decided to test the CFL's. Different brands, some generic some branded. Meter said that a incandescent bulb of 40w was using 39 and a 60w was using 59. But it also said that an 11w CFL was using 45w and all of the other CFL's had similar readings.

Is this normal?


texts:
I have four hoses at my house and they all failed over the winter and started flooding the house. I'm going to fix them one at a time.
I've unscrewed the first one and pulled out this:

I expected this piece to have a hole in it, but it seems solid. I don't have the slightest clue by what principle it opens and closes the flow of water.
I then cut a hole in the ceiling and found this:

The brick is about 2 feet away so I'm not really able to reach it. I would appreciate any advice on the steps I should take to fix this problem.
Edit: to answer the questions asked in the comments:
The hose was not attached. I live in Philadelphia and I believe it got below freezing, There is no insulation in that crawl space. There is no rupture in the stem. I'm not even sure where the water was coming from but I'll investigate by carefully turning the water on.
UPDATE: Video of the leak.
UPDATE 2: Managed to disconnect the pex and pull out the assembly. The following is a picture of the rupture. To me, it looks like they used type M copper, doesn't it? I thought that M was against code.


texts: How to remove faucet handle for cartridge replacement

texts:
I have an unknown brand kitchen mixer tap that is dripping from the cold lever but I can't see how to replace the ceramic cartridge. Normally there's a tiny screw under the lever, often covered by a plastic cap, but I can't see one on this tap.

How do I get the lever off to access the ceramic cartridge?


texts: Bungalow style home in Milwaukee WI with finished attic. Can access the Southern portion of the attic,via a crawl space,but not the opposite side. We had ice dams this winter and there is mold on the cedar siding. Contractor wants to install soffit vents without baffles. We are concerned the current blown in insulation will prevent airflow from reaching the ridge vent on roof. We can get baffles added, but only on 1-side of the house, unless we remove drywall. Suggestion?


texts:
I am replacing some framing and sheet rock that has been contaminated by mice.  The basement has cinder block walls that come up about half way for some reason.  The house was built in the 1950s.

In some of the basement the top of the wall is sealed with cement, but in this case the cement has been removed in order to install the studs and sheet rock.

What should be done to this open block wall before replacing the studs and sheet rock?


texts: I have a Vogelzang model 8x26e boxwood stove, I’m trying to figure out how to attach the 6” stove pipe to the collar, what I’ve read is the pipe goes inside the collar, but it has what looks like a smaller space for the pipe to fit over the collar, there are no holes in the cast iron flu collar for screws.


texts:
We would like to put in a new concrete patio.  We are looking at a stamped concrete patio for durability and visual appeal.  What other options are there?  What are the pros and cons of the different options?

In addition, what about staining concrete?  What is the durability?  Does it need to be reapplied?


texts: Can I winterize sprinklers by running them with the water off?

texts:
I am a new home owner and need to winterize (get the water out of the pipes of) my sprinkler system. I was planning on contacting a professional to help/show me how to do it.

However, I was told by a friend that I can turn the water off to the sprinklers and then turn on the sprinklers to do the job.

Would this work?


texts: Combining wires from two breakers to one appliance?

texts:
I have a wall oven and a microwave oven, connected to 30A and 20A breakers respectively, and both are 240V.

Now I'm thinking of replacing it with another double-oven model that runs a single wire powering both ovens. According to the specs, the maximum possible power is 7800W.

The official website says that 32.5A is the maximum load. I assume that it should require a 40A breaker. However, the installation manual says to use a 50A breaker.

My questions are:

Is it safe if I combine the wires that are currently connected to the oven (30A) and the microwave oven (20A) to the new double oven?

I assume that the diameter of the wires shouldn't be the problem, because they're joined at the very end of the circuit.

According to all references I can find, a 40A breaker is sufficient to power 7800W at 240V. Can I assume this, or do I need to strictly follow the manufacture's 50A guideline?

Thanks!

Update: attached image.


texts: Is there a safe and compliant way to run consumer UPS power through house wiring to an outlet?

texts:
I would like to remove an existing cable from the breaker panel, that feeds a single home run outlet, and wire it to a consumer UPS that I will locate near the panel, through a junction box.
Questions:

To join the power cord from the UPS to the junction box can I put a NEMA 5-15 inlet on the box and use a consumer power cord?
Instead of a NEMA inlet (a) could I do it with an IEC C14 inlet?  (b) could I just insert a consumer power cord into the box with strain relief and splice wires inside the box?  This would all be on the surface near the breaker panel, nothing inside walls but also no conduits.
As a further optional step, if the junction box additionally is fed raw power and I add a switch to bypass the UPS, can I just switch the hot or must the neutrals be switched too?  The grounds?  I assume the UPS input and output grounds are bonded but I don't know about the neutrals.  The inlet hot would never be connected to the raw power hot, but is there still any unacceptable danger in this arrangement?

This question is instructive but the answers focus on the practicality of running new cable from room to room.  My situation is to use existing, to-code, wiring from the basement to the room, and adds the idea of switching to raw power.


texts: How to measure voltage in a duplex (three-way) wired switch?

texts: Consider a light with two duplex switches. The switches work as I can turn light on/off from either switch. However, I'm not getting any voltage reading on my meter. The meter does work as I can get a reading on another circuit. This is existing wiring and I don't know the wiring plan. I want to know where the fixture is in relation, wiring-wise, to the switches (before, between, after).  Where should I place my meter leads to correctly measure voltage in duplex switches?


texts: raising my existing concrete floor 20cm up

texts: How can I raise my existing concrete floor by 20cm up? can I directly add aggregates and sand and finish with concrete, or do I have to chip first the existing floor?


texts: Gaskets for tap/faucet for drinking water

texts:
Because a tap in our kitchen (used for drinking water) is dripping and the gasket* is old, I want to replace it. I find numerous gaskets on the market that would fit, but it always says on the packing "for household, but not for drinking water", or nothing at all. Not only in the internet, but even asking in several specialized stores, the reaction after asking for "drinking water approved gaskets" is astonishment.

*) Since there seem different translations and this was asked in the comments: by "gasket" I mean the "seal", the (usually black, sometimes reddish) rubber-like ring that prevents leaking, see image. Please correct my wording for this if necessary (just looked it up in the dictionary).

Questions:

Is there (as I believed) something like drinking-water approved gaskets (Germany: "KTW-Zulassung für Trinkwasser", "DVGW", "DIN")? Otherwise at least drinking-water appropriate, and how would I recognize that? (sth. like the Canadian http://www.canadarubbergroup.com/safe-materials-for-drinking-water-gaskets/)
Probably I am not allowed to ask for companies/distribution partners, but maybe someone has a hint on an appropriate search terms (German market). So far, my searches find products that are NOT driking water compatible (but contain all search terms plus a "not").


texts: Gas Fireplace Won't Stay Lit With Fake Logs In Place

texts:
I've been banging my head up against the wall on this.  Everything checks out -- the thermopile (TP) gives ~290mV once the pilot has been on for a few minutes (and around 590mV open).  The pilot light is strong, and has been cleaned.  All three jets (TP, TC, and the burner lighter) are equal, and flame impingement is good on the 2 probes.

The pilot light has no trouble staying on.  If I take the front and top logs out and turn the burner on, the stove stays lit.  If I turn it off and put those logs back in and repeat the whole lighting, the burner comes on for between 10 and 30 seconds and then goes out.

It's a direct-vent stove, and this is the first time I'm running it (a) off of an outdoor LP tank, and (b) in temperatures this cold (~15°F).  Previously, I had been running it off of a 20lb grill LP tank, but I finally ran 1/2" black pipe from the 55gal LP tank that we run our cooking range/oven off of.  It's 1/2" the whole way and drops down to a 3/8" flexible appliance hookup for the final 3'.  The cooking range works just fine, even with all 4 burners going, and turning the stove on and off doesn't have any visible effect on the pilot light, so I don't think it's a supply issue.  The cooking range is about 40' closer than the fireplace.

I'm wondering if the air coming in through the direct vent is so cold that it's causing the TP voltage to drop just enough to stop?  Looking around online, some valves seem to work fine with 250mV, and some are picky about having >300mV...  But, with or without the logs, I get 290mV so I don't know how that could make a difference.

For now, I'm running it just fine without the logs.  I'm just lost as to why the logs would be causing the valve to trip.


texts:
I bought the home with Security Ademco Vista Panel from the dealer, but the Keypad's master code is not at it's default "1234". I talked to the dealer, he gave me the Phone # of the previous owner, I tried calling, but the number wasn't subscribed like the previous owners number has been changed so. How do I get the Master code? AD2USB specific Cmd? Should I replace the chip? Or must I get a new Keypad?

I have the Keypad and AD2USB(Bridge to computer Communications).


texts:
Comcast has wired our farm so that we have two taps coming off of the telephone pole. One runs to the barn and one runs to the house. While we need WiFi access in the barn to handle security camera feeds, we don't need the bandwidth afforded by 2 taps. We also don't want to pay for two internet subscriptions.
Electrically, the two taps configuration is the cleanest. When I spoke to the Comcast engineer, he said that there was not electrical continuity between the taps, suggesting that they have active HW on the telephone pole driving each tap. If I tee one tap and put two terminations on it, the signal theory says that there will be reflections off of the tee and each of the taps making the line more noisy. However, I know that you can put two cable modems on one cable, for example (See: https://forums.xfinity.com/t5/Your-Home-Network/Using-two-2-internet-cable-modems-on-a-single-service-line/td-p/3297233). What I want is slightly different:
Can I take the signal from one tap, tee it at the bottom of the telephone pole and connect it to the wire to the barn and wire to the house. (distance from house to pole is 250ft; distance from barn to pole is 250ft; Comcast HW is at top of pole; tee would be at bottom of pole)
Then, in the barn I want to put an access point with a tunnel setup to a corresponding device in the house. Finally, in the house I would put the comcast access point and have the tunnel set up to route any outgoing traffic to the comcast access point.
Please note that I am aware of other solutions to this problem:

I tried power line modems -- they were too finicky/unreliable for the distances involved;
I tried Ubiquity line of sight -- the distances, bricks walls, trees, and weather combine to make this unreliable.

UPDATE:
As I have considered this more, I've been thinking of it like the LAN in my house.  It can have multiple routers, multiple DHCP servers, multiple connections to the internet (see, for example: https://www.mushroomnetworks.com/blog/should-you-migrate-your-2-router-2-isp-network-to-a-multi-wan-router-network/).  The topology I describe would be reasonable/valid assuming I put a bridge at the point where the cable splits to house and barn.
Since Cable seemed to allow multiple devices on a single wire (is this in fact true?  I thought I sited a reference where this was happening), I was hoping people would know of devices that would allow me to do with cable what I could do with my home network.


texts: Compressor inside condenser switches off on extremely hot days, makes high pitched noise (video!)

texts:
Our AC stops emitting cold air on very hot days (100+). It recovers after about 1h of not running. The condenser fan keeps running, but the compressor switches off. I only recently caught it as it was switching the compressor off while running, it makes a distinctive noise before apparently some overload switch stops the compressor entirely, I catured the noise on video.
I'm sure something around the compressor, coolant, compressor itself is broken but I have no idea what to expect; does anyone have any further ideas for triage?


texts: Fast set joint compound taking DAYS to dry?

texts:
This seems very unusual? Fast set joint compound, in my experience, will even set (on the inside anyway) under water, as my buckets have proven.
Yet I needed a hearty amount to plug a deep hole, and it's literally been 4 days and the surface is still wet to touch, and visually you can tell it's still wet (though the dry part is slowly growing day by day).
What could be causing this? (Should I be worried about effects later on. E.G. after priming & painting)
UPDATE, it dried after 1 week, I had a dehumidifer on but didn't get a chance to put in a fan/heater yet. the day it dried it was raining a lot ironically


texts: i want to thank everyone for their replies to my question about wiring. I need to get some security cameras installed but i am worried about  raising my  electric bill a lot. I have two questions, first for the people here who have cameras did it raise your electric bill a lot. And second do i have to make holes in my house to get the cord for the camera to my outlets?  Sorry if this is dumb question but i have never installed cameras before. Thanks


texts: Can a switched single speed fan (no light) be converted to 3 speed via different toggle switch?

texts: Can a basic single speed shop fan (no light) be converted to 3 speed via different type toggle switch?


texts: Mounting a 60 inch TV where studs are 22inches apart. Can I use 2 steel plates that are  each 48 x 1 1/4 x 1/8 inch thick  and then bolt them to my bracket and to the wall  studs at each end and one in the middle? Will that give me enough strength and support over dry wall?


texts: String/rope came out of Dryer (its NOT the belt), what is this?

texts:
I have attached a bunch of pictures of what looks like a nylon braided paper rope that came out of the back of our dryer (between the drum and the back wall).  I cannot find any information on our model online, I'm going to contact Kenmore directly, but I'd like to know what I'm looking for.

This is the picture of the string/rope:

Any help is appreciated!


texts: How do I remove these ceiling diffuser flaps?

texts: I need to move this diffuser away from the wall and can't figure out how to take out the flaps that are installed.  They don't have any screws on the inside that I can see.  Is there a trick to getting these out?


texts: Is it possible to patch concrete stairs?

texts:
At my church, there is an old set of stairs made of concrete.  They've begun to crumble on the top to the point where the treads are no longer flat and smooth.

I've not seen any material that has fallen off of the stairs so I can't tell you if it's flaking or crumbling off.  (And I'm not sure if it makes a difference or if there is a difference.)

Is it possible to patch these concrete stairs or would the new concrete not bond well to the old?  If so, can I just use some 2x10s and quickrete?

Up to this point, I've just ignored it since it would be far worse to have a giant chunk of concrete fall off (from a bad patch) than to leave it as is.


texts: Applying polyurethane to a vertical surface?

texts: I have built a set of free standing pantries.  Each is about 3' wide, 2 feet deep and 6' tall made out of a combination of 3/4" maple plywood and maple hardwood. I have them all stained and they look good, but I am concerned about applying the polyurethane on the interior and exterior vertical surfaces. Applying it on flat surfaces is enough of a hassle and wee bit of a chore to do it without creating bubbles. Looking for suggestions as to specifics for applying poly on a vertical surface. I'd rather not lay the things down and run the risk of scratches.


texts:
I have a 20+ year old deck behind my home. It's in great shape, but I want to refinish it this summer. Problem is, a number of the Phillips screws have popped up over the years. I have a basic Hitachi cordless drill (1050 RPM) with which I have tried to drive the screws back down, but it tends to either strip the heads or strain uselessly.

I have tried removing a few of the screws completely and putting them back in, but they get stuck in the same place regardless. Now that I think of it, I suppose I could drill the holes out deeper before putting the screws back, but I honestly don't want to go through all that bother for all my screws.

What do I need to accomplish this smoothly and efficiently? A better drill bit? A corded, more powerful drill? A high-torque drill? I'd really prefer not to spend much money on this--hence why I'm doing all the refinishing myself--but these screws are really getting in my way.


texts:
I have a gas fired hot water central heating system. Water is circulated by two zone pumps at the furnace. There is an automatic fill valve.

I recently had work done on the heating system, and the water was drained from the system. We are now back online, and I have purged air from most of the radiators.

Several of the radiators are behind decorative screens that are built into the wall.  Do I need to bleed every radiator in the system to get it operating up to efficient standards? If I cannot get to a few, will they eventually purge themselves of air as the water is pumped through?


texts:
We had a new bathroom installed a few years ago.  It has four LED downlight and, over time, the lights have all burned out.  I replaced one of the lights a few years ago, but can't remember what type of light I bought.  As I recall, the light came with a bezel and mounting hardware and various other bits, none of which I needed.  It seemed like a huge waste.
The light fixture has numbers on it (10w WW 36°) as does the cable, but nothing that I've been able to use to find a replacement.
The lights are on the bathroom ceiling and are recessed, with a small chrome bezel.  Two of them are near - if not above - the shower.  I assume they need to be IP65.  We are in the UK.  I went to Screwfix today but they were not able to help me - they couldn't show me any lights, I had to buy them and return them (Covid restrictions).  I have also googled this extensively but I have not seen any lights like this.
I would like to know what type of light this is - what I need to buy, and whether or not every time I buy one of these it will come with all the extra stuff that I don't need.  Also - is it possible to buy one where the bulb itself can be replaced (say a GU10 or whatever)?
Thanks


texts: Does lack of zone control delay hurt heat pump?

texts:
I had a new HVAC single heat-pump system installed with dual zone controls:
2 thermostats and 2 dampers for separate zones.

The system works, but the zone control board does not have any time delay between one zone turning off and the other zone calling for heat/AC. Normally, a thermostat enforces a 5 minute time delay before restarting after power is removed.

Will the short off-time damage the compressor over time even though it doesn't trip the overload?


texts: How to setup an audio system for TV and other audio sources?

texts:
I'm finally breaking out of the attic that served me as a room for many years at my parents for a fresh appartment I'm about to finish renovating.
First furniture I buy, well already bought actually, is a 55" LG OLED and a PS4 Pro, I know I know, that's vital. We'll see about fridges, laundry machines, and all the other stuff in a few months lol.
I'm planning on adding a record player, and some way to connect my PC from the room to stream media or games.
So my question, and I'm a real noob about it, is how do I manage all this from an Audio point of view ?
I don't know much about amplifiers, inputs / outputs, how to design an ergonomic system and what would be enough for a 25m² living room. Plus, I'm soon going to buy a QC35ii for work, because here people don't know respect, so as I'm a late owl, a system that could be used (automatically/easily) with those headphones would be a huge plus.
I'm mostly going to watch series/movies, a lot of youtube, games, music. I'm not radical, but quite an audiophile, all styles of music.

I hope I can find good advice here. Thank you !


texts:
I bought a heater from amazon : https://www.amazon.co.uk/ECO-WORTHY-Electric-Heater-Controller-Shower/dp/B01B2IWJNO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
I want to do a DIY sauna and need help with wiring as this thing comes with external control unit and is for 220V AC.
This is what I get in manual :

Wiring diagram:

And this is physical heater and controller:

Can anybody help me out as I am not professional electricial, and could somebody show how to wire heater properly? I will be using 220V AC , as my household does not support 3 phase 400V.
I would appreciate any help, but maybe a list of what else do I need, and some diagram how to wire it, as i do not understand fully how do i wire heater to controler and input to heater.
Thanks a lot!


texts: Upgrade to 200 amp by adding another main panel?

texts:
I want to install central air conditioning in my home but my current service is 100 amps.
If I were to upgrade to 200 amps service, could the breakers be configured where I have two 100 amp main breakers, one will be the already existing breaker box servicing the house as usual, and the other would be just for the central air conditioning.
Is this possible to configure like this?


texts: Wiring question for replacing old outlet with Legrand Adorne

texts:
I recently bought a new Legrand Adorne outlet to replace an old one in my bedroom (dual outlet). I watched Legrand's installation video and it seemed pretty straightforward. But after removing my old outlet, I noticed 2 black, 2 white, one ground, and also one red wire, which is throwing me for a loop. I attached a couple of pictures showing the old outlet and the new outlet (back).

My question is how should I connect the 2 black and red wires? Should I connect the black wires to one grouping, or should each black wire be in its own group? Either way, where should I connect the red wire? Also, please note that neither the upper nor lower outlets are driven by any light switch, which is what I first thought when I saw the red wire. Both outlets work when the light switch is on or off.

Your expert knowledge is greatly appreciated!

Old outlet img 1

Old outlet img 2

Old outlet img 3

Old outlet img 4

New outlet (back view)


texts: How do you descale a dishwasher heating element?

texts:
I've tried something I got at Lowes (with the wax plug, you put upside down) and CLR.

The CLR worked the best, but didn't really get it off and it's building up again.

I've heard vinegar will work if you use it regularly.


texts:
I've begun having problems with the voltage dropping when running the microwave (which is noticeable when the microwave slows down!).  This does not happen with other high drawing appliances (washer/dryer/AC).

I checked the breaker box.  Both lines from outside are stable around 120 when the microwave runs.  However there's a fizzing and crackling that I can't quite source.  I replaced the circuit's breaker itself, which appeared a bit rusty, but that had no effect.

Any suggestions?


texts:
I saw on wikipedia a mention of "combo tee" and "tee wye" is there a difference or are they the same?

I've also heard of something called a "sweep" or "long sweep" is that related here?


texts: Kitchen aerator doesn't want to screw tightly into place

texts:
I'm trying to replace my kitchen faucet's aerator, but as I'm tightening it, it'll reach a point where it sort of "pops" and becomes loose, allowing me to tighten it again. I'm not sure if that's a bad sign.

Anyway, I thought it might be due to all the grime that's built up on the faucet threads, so I took a toothbrush and some oil  and scrubbed it down pretty well.

Unfortunately, that didn't work. Taking the O-Ring out does allow me to tighten it completely, but that has a side-effect of causing the water pressure to be absolutely ridiculous.

So now I'm debating on getting some plumber's tape, or possibly running down to the hardware store to get a part or something to try and fix this.

Edit 03/31/2019:


texts:
I've been fixing a bunch of cracked siding panels, so I was on a mission to "fix it all". I came across this one (see red circle in picture below). Oddly (to me), unlike the other sides of the structure this side did not use "finish trim" at the top with the siding panels cut to fit up under it. Instead, the siding panels are uncut at the top, but their nail strips are nailed up under a board. So to fix this, I think I'd have to remove the board, replace the siding panel with one that is longer to fill that gap, then re-attach the board.

1) Will this gap cause trouble (water entering, etc.)?

2) Can anyone explain why this side of the structure would be so different from the others in the attachment of the top of the siding?


texts:
I am working on building a floating deck and am having trouble deciding on how to support my stairs. I was planning on having a single step, and was wondering what the options were as to what it could sit on. Ideally I would want it to look like the deck stair is sitting on grass.

From my research the following may work:

Concrete base (strong, but a lot of work to mold/pour)

pavers (layers: dirt, landscape fabric, paver base, paver sand,
pavers)
gravel/paver base ? (layers: dirt, landscape fabric, gravel)
dirt ? (layers: dirt, landscape fabric) (wood is pressure treated ground contact rated, but heard it will rot eventually), seen a lot
of videos where people do this, but it doesn't feel right.
other? dig posts?

Here are some pictures of the current state of my deck, and the stair design.

Note that I live in southern California so I do not have to worry about frost.

https://imgur.com/gallery/lYNQFFm

Thanks


texts: How does one protect electrical in a 2x4 flat studded wall?

texts:
I'm notching the back of some flat 2x4 studs for electrical to run through (hence my wire is much less than 1.5" deep.

Does one just put two 1.5" wide nail plates side by side or is there a better way?

Note: I've found examples of double studs (1.5"+1.5" = 3") done this way, just never a true flat stud.

Note 2: Before someone asks, these 2x4s are for nailing only and non-structural so don't get distracted worry about the notch.


texts: Cutting a hole in asbestos/cement siding

texts:
I'm thinking of buying a house. The outside is covered with asbestos siding. The house was built in the 1920s, but I have no idea how old the siding is.

I know that this stuff is supposed to be safe as long as it's not crumbling, but at some point I might want to make holes in it (to add a kitchen or bathroom vent, or maybe even add a window). Using grinding tools seems like exactly the thing you're not supposed to do, but what other options are there?


texts: How can I connect this washing machine outlet to the drain?

texts:
I have been given a washing machine and I've plumbed in the inlet no problems

The problem I have is that the outlet hose coming from the machine is not compatible with the drainage plumbing in the kitchen.

Here is a picture of the outlet hose and the plumbing under the sink:

I think this type of hose is used when one has a tall, open pipe connected to the drainage. In which the hose is then loosely lowered into. As we can see I have no such pipe nor the space to install one.

My idea is to cut the end attachment off of the hose and connect it to that free connector on the trap via a spigot and nut union (assuming I can find one) and secure it with PTFE-tape and a jubilee clip.

Does this sound reasonable or is there another way?

Edit:
Here is a better view of the setup


texts: My master bedroom is hot! Should I install a return in my master bedroom?

texts:
Thanks for taking the time to read my question. I have a house where the master bedroom was added in during an expansion. The master sits half above unfinished basement and half above crawlspace and has a single floor vent to draw air from the central air system.

My room is sweltering in the summer and frigid in the winter while the rest of the upstairs is quite comfy and I'm, frankly, quite tired of it. After around two years of google-fu and thought I've decided to fix it and I think the problem would be solved by adding a return into the master.

Is this the case? If so, where would be a good place to start and learn how to add returns. If not, is there something else that would fix the problem?

I can provide further information upon request and, again, thanks for taking the time to read this.


texts: Using a Multiple Load dimmer to it's full rating?

texts:
I've done some digging, and most of what I've found says you can use a dimmer to it's full capacity, but most wouldn't recommend doing so, which could cause the dimmer to fail.

I'm having trouble finding a 1000 watt 3 way dimmer that matches the everyday toggle that is in the rest of the house.  Best I can do is the 600 watt Ariadni from Lutron, and it will be ganged with a normal 3 way switch from a separate circuit in a single 2 gang box.  Not being able to find a higher wattage dimmer means the fins would have to stay in place, right?

It would be running 12 50w PAR20 bulbs, dimmable LED's, or a mixture of the two until my stash is gone.  This switch is rated to have multiple styles of bulbs combined in the same circuit, but I'm curious about its results with combined bulbs.


texts: I am interested in installing a PVC tubing conduction (80 mm diameter, no longer than 1 m.), with two 90 degree joints. I would like to know if there is a way to fix the joints without the use of glues of any kind, instead I am interested in mechanical methods like o-rings or threads, the conduction will not be under pressure and it will not conduct water at full capacity, it will conduce a small amount of cold water.


texts: Tips for fitting garden hose on tight hose fitting/quick connector

texts:
I recently purchased a 1/2" garden hose and two hose fittings (not native English speaker, this is what the English version of the store's website calls them - image attached) which according to the packaging are for 1/2".

The problem is that the hose is really difficult to connect to the fittings, it's a really tight fit, and I can only get the horse pushed about 5mm over the connector. This is barely enough for the locking mechanism to be able to press against the hose, but when the water is turned on one of the fittings eventually comes lose. I assume I need to push the hose further over the connector.

I've tried to use WD-40 to lubricate the hose and connector, but it didn't really seem to help. I also tried to expand the hose by using pilers, but that didn't really work.

Any ideas?

Here's an image of the hose fitting from the shop's website


texts: Can Air Admittance Valve under bathroom sink fix bathtub drain overflow?

texts:
In my duplex, when Unit B flushing water down the drain, the bathroom sink and bathtub in Unit A would have sewage overflow up.

I researched and I think about using Air Admittance Valve under the sink:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/STUDOR-1-1-2-in-or-2-in-PVC-Mini-Vent-Adapter-20341/202275238

BUT my question is would this solve the problem of overflow in the bathtub? Or just the sink itself? If not, how to fix overflow in tub without tearing into wall?

Thanks.


texts: Can Kerdi board be painted instead of tiled?

texts: can Kerdi board be painted? I want to use it on the walls in my bathroom instead of sheet rock.


texts: How do you rough in lighting for drop ceilings?

texts: I have a basement office that I intend to put a drop ceiling in. I was also planning to use the can lights that rest on the drop ceiling track itself rather than between the floor joists above. How would I rough in these can lights in this scenario since the drop ceiling supports won't exist until after drywall is up? Also, are there better alternatives for lighting?


texts: Can I put an Ethernet port in my brick wall?

texts: I want to set up a new network in my home and need one by where my computer is. The problem is I don't know if I can put the ethernet cable and port into the wall without problems. Thanks in advance


texts:
To help size drainage, I'd like to calculate the maximum rainfall intensity for my particular location.  How do I do that?

I've found data sources that will give me the average number of inches of rain per month.  However, storms might last for only a few hours or a day, and intensity might vary, so it's not clear how to get from average precipitation over a month to the maximum amount of precipitation per hour at the height of a storm.  Is there a conversion factor?  Or, is there a site or calculator or chart I can use to look up the rainfall intensity for my area?


texts: Furnace/thermostat require constant power reset/"reboot"

texts:
I have an AprilaireProgrammable thermostat attached to York furnace?Ac unit.

The set point is usually around 22 degrees, and the room temperature is reading around 20 degrees. The furnace is not coming on.

However, If I go down to the basement, and flip the power switch off and on, the furnace starts, and ru


texts: How to wire an always on, power interrupting light switch?

texts:
I have a moisture sensing fan in my bathrooms that behave as follows...

Turned on, shows blue light, fan will turn on / off automatically based on moisture sensor
Turned off, shows no light, fan always off
Turned on, shows red light, fan always on
Etc. The fan will switch back and forth

...I'd like the mode light to always be on, to make the experience nicer by removing the completely off state and either have the fan in the moisture sensing mode or full on mode. It's pretty annoying to have to turn the switch on and off multiple times to get it in the right state.

So the fan needs to always have power and my switch needs to temporarily stop the power in order to toggle the modes. Ideally I'd like the solution to use my standard paddle switches.

I appreciate any thoughts on how I can make this happen.


texts: What is a normal drip rate for a condensing tankless hot water heater?

texts:
I have a Tagaki T-H3-DV-N (Indoor) tankless hot water heater. It has a condensation drip spout, and drips about 1 gallon of water per day. Is this excessive or normal?

Edit: I've spoken to the manufacturer who have zero specs on this. Tagaki support wouldn't even say that a gallon a minute was excessive. They were not helpful. The 3rd party seller (a radiant floor company) said a gallon a day seems high, but might not be depending on usage.

I'm currently running a longer test to get a better average number of the flow rate. Will report back.

Edit 2: Longer test on a fairly cold week gives ~0.57 gallon/day. Seems reasonable according to the manufacturer and seller.


texts: Connection issue for dual LED utility light

texts:
I have a 3700 Lumen 4000K Dual 4ft LED Utility Light mounted on upper side of a wall. It has a 5ft wire attached to it. The outlet is around 10 ft away, so I used an extension cord to complete the setup. But now I found out that this is not the right way to do it. I don't use this light often so for now I have just removed it. But I want to fix the setup.

Can I use a power strip instead of extension wire? Will that be ok? I can mount the power strip on the wall where the wire for the light reaches.
2nd options is to re-wire from the light itself. Remove the original wire and add a complete new 10 ft wire. The issue is that in the light the wires are soldered to the circuit and I am not sure what is the wire gauge. It looks like 18 but how can I be sure? Where can I get the replacement wire with a plug attached?
Are there any other options to fix this situation? I am just an amateur trying to fix this. Can't run additional lines or install new outlets in wall like I read in some other posts. :)


texts: How should coax cable enter the house in a harsh climate?

texts:
In our house, coax cable comes from the utility in a rear alley, then is joined to a separate cable that enters the house on the second floor. Here's a photo:

The black cable on the left comes from the utility; the beige cable on the right enters the house.

This is in a place with a fairly harsh climate: -20℃ in winter to +30℃ in summer is perfectly normal, annual snowfall and rainfall are both plentiful, and we get lots of sunshine, high humidity, low humidity, freezing rain, and thunderstorms. Hurricanes and volcanoes are not a concern.

Is this standard practice for coax cable? More importantly, is it weatherproof?

If not: is it my responsibility to fix, or the cable company's? (I'm in Montreal, Canada, and the cable company is Vidéotron.) The cable from the utility is new, having been replaced in Aug 2017 after a storm. The cable entering the house is not new, but it doesn't appear to be in terrible condition.


texts:
I have a narrow hallway with a doorway right in the middle. I'm trying to get rid of as much of the doorway as possible. I got rid of the trim and this 1/2 inch door frame.... but what's going on in the header is questionable.

There are no jack studs, the whole thing is an insert above the doorway nailed up to the beam.

Is this load bearing? You think I can take it out?

**This is a 30 year old apartment reno.


texts: Should I separate neutral and ground wires in the main breaker panel and why?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is it ok to have mixed grounds and neutrals on bars in a breaker box?

I've recently opened my breaker box to connect a new line. I found that all the wires that go into the house are connected such that hot is interrupted through the breaker, and both neutral and ground are connected to the same (very long) terminal strip. I do have real ground (earth rod). The wire from the rod is just connected to the same strip.

My understanding that it's best if the ground is separate from neutral. How concerned should I be about this, i.e. how urgent is it to separate ground from neutral, if should be done at all? There is this question : Is it ok to have mixed grounds and neutrals on bars in a breaker box?, where the answer is that ground and neutral should be connected together, but only at the main panel. But I would like to understand WHY as well.

Also, I thought the latest code requires that all three lines are interrupted by the circuit breaker, how "bad" is it if only hot wire is interrupted?


texts: How to repair rotted sill plate on foundation concrete pony wall and adding height to concrete wall

texts:
I have an end unit townhouse built in 1986. It's three stories including the garage level, and it's built on a slope. The garage level opens to the street in the back, but that level is below grade on the opposite side (front) of the house.

To accommodate the grade change, there is a vertical jog in the foundation wall on the side of the townhouse, so the foundation wall becomes a pony wall.

The problem is that the foundation wall jogs down too low too soon, and it is now below grade in one area, leading to a rotting sill plate and sheathing:

Note that the Great Stuff is my doing - a temporary fix to seal things up. There hasn't been meaningful water infiltration in this area, but it does appear that at some point mice got in there (they definitely haven't been there in at least a year).

The landscaping is in the control of the condo association. Although I could go to them and ask them to have the landscapers regrade, there's no guarantee in continuity in the landscaper, or any kind of institutional memory even if we retain the same one, so this problem could just reoccur the next time they add mulch.

So, since I need to replace the rotted sill plate anyway, I'd rather just try to come up with a solution that avoids the possibility of reocurrence by cutting away the rotted studs and sill and adding 6-12 inches of height in concrete along the ~2-3 feet of foundation pony wall. This would also require adjustments to the exterior siding, but that seems easy enough.

The questions are:

1) Does this make sense, or is there a better alternative?

2) Does the wall need to be supported while I do this, and if so, how? Can I just screw some 2x4s to the studs above where I'm going to cut them, and have those run down to the floor at an angle?

If it's relevant, this is a gable wall. Also, you can see the trusses running perpendicular to this wall that support the floor above  - the light is attached to one, and the other is right above the wall on the right.

Appreciate any suggestions!


texts: Not sure how to change these lightbulbs. What is this lighting system?

texts:
Bought a flat and found these amazing recessed lights.
The bulbs can be set to warm, cool or dim with one selector switch.
The bulbs cannot be twisted out.


texts: What type of screw should I use to install a latch lock on a metal door?

texts:
I want to install a latch lock on a metal door.

What is the best type of screw for that?


texts: I'm converting a light switch with Quinetic. Does the light switch need a 16 amp receiver or a 6 amp one?

texts:
As above. It's a normal domestic light switch. I want to get one of these: https://www.quinetic.co.uk/products/wireless-switch/
It needs a receiver too, which is wired into where the current light switch is. Does it need a 6 amp receiver or a 16 amp one? https://www.quinetic.co.uk/products/rf-receiver/


texts: How can I remove a jammed, broken key from a lock?

texts:
I have a key to an apartment mailbox that was almost impossible to get the key in and out of to unlock, and in trying, my roommate broke the key off in it. From looking in with a light, it seems that all of the key except the outermost pin is in the lock, but the lock won't turn even when putting the head back in.

I've generously lubricated the lock, tried hooking a small scroll saw blade in the teeth, and used a lockpick set with various hooks to try dragging the key out, but it's pretty firmly stuck. So my question is: with this being an entire row of mailboxes and me unable to just remove the lock, how would you recommend either getting the key out, or replacing the lock?


texts: Can an escutcheon be mounted without the valve body plate?

texts:
The previous owners of the house never had the plumber install the plate on the valve body that the escutcheon would mount to.  Instead they tiled right to the valve body cover:

The replacement American Standard trim kit has a screw-less escutcheon. Any ideas how how I could mount the escutcheon? The hole for the plate are right on the edge of the tile so i could not drill a hole in the tile


texts: Individual conduits for each phase to reduce amount of stud being drilled

texts:
I'm trying to do some improvements on an existing structure that leaves me little room for maneuvering. I'll break it down as simply as possible. I have two large PVC junction boxes (completely nonmetallic) separated by a standard 2x4 stud. It's a total distance of 4 inches. I need to get 120/240 200A from one junction box to another. That's two 3/0 THWN-2 (ungrounded), one 2/0 THWN-2 (grounded), and one 2AWG THWN-2 (grounding).

I really don't want to put a 2-inch conduit between the boxes. That requires drilling a hole 2 1/2 inches in the stud, leaving only 1/2 of stud on either side. Basically, there's no stud left there (and it's a load-bearing wall).

I had a thought that I could run four 3/4" 4-inch-long PVC conduits (completely nonmetallic) tightly grouped together (just a few millimeters from each other) from one junction box, through the stud, to the other junction box and put one conductor in each conduit. Electrically, this should work perfectly. As there are no metallic components anywhere in the boxes or conduit, there should be no inducted voltages or inductive heating. But there's electrical theory, and then there's the code.

In general, the code would seem to prohibit this. I think I may have found something in the code that will support it, but it's not very clear, and I could use some help interpreting. First there's this:

  300.3(B) Conductors of the Same Circuit. All conductors of the same circuit and, where used, the grounded conductor and all equipment grounding conductors and bonding conductors shall be contained within the same raceway, auxiliary gutter, cable tray, cablebus assembly, trench, cable, or cord, unless otherwise permitted in accordance with 300.3(B)(1) through (B)(4).

300.3(B)(1) is only for parallel installations and doesn't apply. 300.3(B)(2) is only for grounding and bonding conductors and doesn't apply. 300.3(B)(4) is a special rule for enclosures, pull boxes, and neutrals, and doesn't apply.

But 300.3(B)(3) is interesting, and may provide me the out I need. Maybe.

  300.3(B)(3) Nonferrous Wiring Methods. Conductors in wiring methods with a nonmetallic or other nonmagnetic sheath, where run in different raceways, auxiliary gutters, cable trays, trenches, cables, or cords, shall comply with the provisions of 300.20(B). Conductors in single-conductor Type MI cable with a nonmagnetic sheath shall comply with the provisions of 332.31. Conductors of single-conductor Type MC cable with a nonmagnetic sheath shall comply with the provisions of 330.31, 330.116, and 300.20(B).

This isn't Type MI or Type MC, so the last two sentences don't apply. But the first sentence seems to leave things wide-open as long as everything is nonmetallic. It doesn't read very well, but it seems to say that the conductors can be in separate conduits as long as everything is nonmetallic. It's restricted by 300.20(B), but that doesn't seem to hinder me any:

  300.20(B) Individual conductors. Where a single conductor carrying alternating current passes through metal with magnetic properties, the inductive effect shall be minimized by (1) cutting slots in the metal between the individual holes through with the individual conductors pass or (2) passing all the conductors in the circuit through an insulating wall sufficiently large for all of the conductors of the circuit.

Since everything here is non-metallic, I would be in compliance with 300.20(B). So everything here hinges on the reading of the first sentence of 300.3(B)(3). 300.3(B)(3) is listed as an exception to the requirement in 300.3(B) that all conductors be in the same conduit, and the first sentence of 300.3(B)(3) appears to permit my proposed solution, and my proposed solution complies with 300.20(B) since it never passes through anything metal.

Thoughts? Again, we're talking about 4 inches of conduit here, and I'm struggling to comply with both the electric code and the building code (can't structurally compromise the load-bearing wall).


texts:
My home was built in 1986, and the skylight acrylic dome looks ready to break any moment now.  I want to replace the dome but I can't for the life of me find anywhere that sells them with the setup that I have.

I think its called dome over curb or curb mounted? But the dome slides over the curb with no external frame, screws are ran through the side.  The curb measures 25.5" across.

Given I haven't been able to find a replacement, should I look into different styles (tempered glass or installing a frame)?


texts: Will a 2 PSI natural gas line be sufficient for a tankless water heater?

texts:
I'm planning on installing a tankless water heater that maxes at 160K Btu.  I only have a 1/2" line from the meter to the furnace(75K) in the same room.  The city told me that there is 2lb gas from the meter to the house.  The sizing charts that I found say that 1/2" 2psi black pipe will handle the btu draw for both the furnace and the water heater.  I know I will need to use a regulator at the water heater to step down to 7" w.c. or so.  I will also need to adapt the 1/2" line to 3/4" for the water heater.  My questions are:

1) Will the 1/2" 2lb line be enough?
2) Should I convert to 3/4" before the regulator to the water heater?

Thanks for any input.


texts:
I was told (as well as read online) that I should use 16d nails for deck framing.

However I have been using nails labeled "Grip-Rite 5-lb 16D 3.5-in Hot-Dipped Galvanized Smooth Box Nails" in the last couple days and honestly they are terrible. The nails are so easy to bend when I hammer 2x8 to 4x8 treated lumber.

Am I using the wrong nails?


texts: Bathroom light fixture above sink and ceiling fan/light combo wiring issue

texts:
Hey so I'm having an issue hooking up a bathroom light fixture above the sink with a bathroom ceiling fan/light combo.

1) for the light fixture above sink: coming out of the wall there appears to be what is a white black ground and another white black ground. I tried doing black to black white to white ground to ground on the fixture but that resulted in a loud pop noise. I then used a voltmeter and found that one of the white black ground combos appears to have current only when the switch is on and the other has current all the time. In what order do I hook these up to get the switch to work? If I hook the light up to the hot all the time wire group the light works fine. But doesn't turn off.

2) similar issue with the light/ ceiling fan combo in the attic, I have 2 wire bundles, one with a black white pink and ground and one with a white black and ground. On the ceiling fan light combo unit I have e two wire pairs, a white and a blue, and a white and a black. I cannot seem to get this to power on at all.

Im thinking if I can even solve one of these two problems it will be much easier as these items are both wired to a triple switch one for fan, one for ceiling light, one for sink light.

Any help is appreciated as I really don't want to pay someone to come hook a few wires together. I'll be happy to take more pictures.


texts: Tips for removing stuck screws from bottom of shower door?

texts:
My shower door is 7 years old. The door was getting stuck when I tried opening it from the inside and noticed that the sweep was warped. It's held in place by three metal screws (screwed into a metal strip). They seem to be hopelessly stuck.  I've tried cleaning off the hard water build up and have sprayed the screws with WD-40 and let it sit overnight.

I've tried placing a rubber band between the screw & screwdriver and have tried using a hammer and screwdriver to loosen the screws but they refuse to budge and I'm afraid of stripping the screws.  So far I've only used a  manual screw driver but it's hard to apply hard pressure when the shower door is still hanging on the hinges. Does anyone have experience with this sort of issue or can offer some good suggestions?

Thanks


texts:
I have an American Standard toilet, with interior pieces that look pretty new.  The toilet suffers from a ghost flush, roughly every fifteen minutes the water kicks on for a few seconds to fill the tank.

The flapper (part that lifts when the toilet is flushed) does not have a gasket to replace, and seems new (is clean).  It does have a dial I can turn on it, though I'm not sure what that is supposed to do.

Is there anything else I should check that could be causing my toilet to run intermittently?


texts: Why is fuel leaking from the carburetor on my generator?

texts: i have Honda clone gx 160 Chinese generator, fuel is leaking from side which is attached to intake of head, i have cleaned carb checked the float. float is working properly. i have sucked air turning it upside down and could not suck any air hence fuel will also not pass. i have replaced intake side gasket too, this also did not worked. what could be the problem.


texts:
About 10 years ago I had all the windows in my apartment replaced.  Four or five years later, when I would open them to insert a fan or an air conditioner, the top window would slide down 6-12 inches in a few of the windows.  Is there anything that I can do to adjust the windows so they don't slide down?

[update]

I got a couple good answers for wooden windows.  Can anything be done with metal?


texts: Question regarding "dry spots" with latex paint

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I've ran into a bit of a problem when painting a wall in our home today. We're in the process of redoing our stairwell, and one of the walls had a fairly noticeable paint run in it. The wall itself is a relatively small surface area, and so I decided to sand the wall down to remove the run. After wiping the wall down and letting it dry, I repainted it. The wall is very patchy / blotchy looking, and you can see "dry" spots all over it when light hits the surface. How do I go about fixing this?

Should I have primered before repainting? The paint we're using is Valspar with Satin finish. If primering wont fix the appearance, would putting a thin skim coating on the wall help? I was thinking it may help even out the surface a bit, and then i can just prime and paint that?


texts: Losing water pressure in water hose while washing vehicle

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We washed two vehicles today. The problem occurred while washing the second vehicle. The hose and nozzle remained the same while washing the second vehicle. While washing the second vehicle, the water pressure was substantially decreased to the point that there was only a drizzle coming out of the nozzle. This lasted for a few minutes. Nozzle was set to jet stream (a forceful stream). We checked the nozzle and the hose. Nozzle was properly set, rather than being set in between two settings. There were no kinks in hose; the hose was not trapped under a tire. I’m puzzled. Is there any reason why a non-obstructed hose would lose water pressure?

We are located in a subdivision on city water (not well water).