texts: How can I best seal this gutter to the flat rubber roof of my garage?

texts: I have a standalone garage built into the side of the hill. On top is a rubber roof that appears to be in decent shape. However, there is a gutter around the edges that is not sealed to the roof. Obviously I need to clean off the roof and under the flashing/gutter edge. Do I need to take it all off and redo it? Or can I just clean under and seal it with something? What do I use? Roofing tar?


texts: 1916 bungalow - Removing cigarette and animal odors

texts:
I've found a property that has huuuge potential for equity building. To boot, the housing market where I live is absolutely bananas with housing stock at an near all-time low and the available housing for anywhere I would feel safe living out of my price range. I want to make this house work and given how cheap it is, I have some flexibility to spend money on it to (hopefully) remedy some of the problems with the place. The house is from 1916 and has wood trim and wood built ins from that era.

The downside is that the previous owner had 3 cats and 1 dog, she was seriously depressed, and let the animals go to the bathroom in the basement. In one specific area in the main level, the litter box was stationed and the cat clearly had poor aim. At this location, the wood floor is rotting and new maple hardwood flooring will need to be installed. The majority of the animal smells are in the concrete floored basement.
In addition, the woman was a smoker and lived in the house for near about 20 years. There is a noticeable, but I think mild, smell of cigarette smoke in the main level.

Current plans for the main level include. - There is ceiling tile in the main level that I will be removing anyways with the hope of putting drywall up. - We are also planning on painting the walls. I hear Kilz primer does a great job of sealing in any possible odor causing agents. -We will be refinishing all of the maple hardwood and also replacing the hardwood in the location where the cat clearly urinated frequently. - Plan to rent a ozone generator and running that for several days with fans on.
Basement - Not quite sure what to do about the animal smells but to clean the concrete very, very well.

So, to my questions, how do I best remove these odors? Would the wood trim and built ins be holding onto any of the smoke smell and, if so, what to do about this? What additional measures can I take to remove these odors?
Will they likely remain after taking all these measures?

That is all.
Thank you.


texts: Roof Ventilation and Insulation - Midwest - Gable and Ridge vents only, no soffit vents

texts:
I have a 1920's home in Ohio, and have NO soffit venting in the house.  There are 2 gable vents, with one small temp-controlled fan (set to turn on ~95 F or higher).  There is also a ridge vent.

The attic is unfinished, with some insulation on the attic floor and some sub flooring installed, but it's not perfect.  I can see light from outside in a few spaces, but they aren't "supposed" to be there =).

There is a lot of discussion on the net of soffit + gable + ridge, or gable only, but nothing about gable + ridge.

First off, with 2 gables and a ridge vent and this small fan, is this sufficient for airflow in the space?  I do not see any mold or moisture problems, but it gets incredibly hot and is very tough to cool my 2nd floor (attic is on 3rd floor).  In the summer, with AC on, I have a ~6-10 degree F differential between 1st and 2nd floor.  In the winter, heating the 2nd floor isn't so bad.

Because of this, I bought some thin R11 radiant insulation, it's basically aluminium foil wrapped on both sides of some really thin insulation.  My plan was to attach this stuff directly to my rafters, in order to keep the space cooler in the summer.  This would also leave a ~4" gap between the roof deck and the insulation, so if there IS any air flow there now, hopefully it would remain.

Is this going to cause any problems with my gables + ridge as it exists already?  Even without this insulation, do I have any existing problems I may want to try and take care of?

I do not plan to put soffit vents in and don't want to get that answer back =).

Thanks!


texts:
My covered porch has seen some better days. The 2x10 joists are rotted on top causing the wood on top to sag. The 2x10 is notched and inserted into the brick on both sides. I have a feeling that this was done while the house was being built. This makes it impossible to replace them without changing something and all the joists need to be replaced.

My questions is: what is the preferred method for doing this type of repair?

Would I attach a ledger board to the house and notch in the joists on the other side or put up two ledger boards. Perhaps there is some trick or system that I'm not aware of.


texts: Can I safely run 595 watts of lights with a 600 watt dimmer switch?

texts:
I have 7 85-watt lights (a total of 595 watts) that I want to control using a 600-watt dimmer switch.

Is that too close to be safe? What if I remove one of the lights?


texts: What's a good way to seal a flat concrete roof?

texts:
My guess is that a long time ago there was a fire in part of our house and what was the top storey was capped and the floor replaced with thick slabs of concrete. This was then sealed over with bitumen and left as a flat roof, with traditional pitched roofs on either side.

Now, however, it seems something is failing and the roof has started to leak. It's always pooled water on the top to half an inch or so, but the last lot of heavy rain caused a stain on the ceiling underneath. That was easily redecorated, and I've made sure the drain to the gutter is properly free flowing now, but I don't want it to start again.

What's a good way to seal this roof so that doesn't happen again? I've used flash-band to patch up a couple of obvious cracks in the bitumen but I'd rather have something more permanent.


texts: How to fix broken screw hole in ceiling box? (re: ceiling light fixture; how to replace the box?)

texts:
I was trying to take down the ceiling light above my kitchen table and in the process one of the plastic screw holes in the ceiling box broke:

This ceiling box holds a ceiling light (14.2 lbs) so I need to make sure this is fixed properly and doesn't kill myself or my children.  :)
How can I replace the box?  It looks to be attached to a joist (on the right-hand side of the picture you can see it slightly).
I'm only familiar with these old work "t-brace" but I don't think this will work because it's so close to the ceiling joist.

Can anybody help me out?


texts: New T&P valves on water heater leaking, pressure driven from 65 to 165psi

texts:
a family I know moved into a house that's three levels, garage is at ground level and has two gas water heaters, one for each flat above. Both are 48 gallons. Each has four settings: A B C and Very Hot. Both are set at A.  Both tanks have brand new T&P valves.
They continue to drip. So I tested the pressure and generally get a reading of 60 to 65 psi (when a water line is open, ~40psi) I turned up tank  #1 one click (B) and by the time it finished heating the pressure rose to 165, the valve started dripping at 155. I turn that tank back to A and turned tank #2 up one click. This time the pressure only went up to 161 (only!) And tank number one started dripping at 155 psi. and tank number two started dripping at 160. I didn't even want to try what would happen if I turned both heaters on at the same time.
So here are the questions:

Is that a normal pressure range or is there a problem with the thermostats allowing too much flux in the temperature? (I didn't have anything to check the temperature so I don't know what the high/ low in a given setting is)
Since they have a common cold line supply, they're only about 4 or 5 feet apart is it safe to use one expansion tank- getting one that is qualified to handle 100 gallons?

The tanks I've looked at seem to have a max of 150psi. Obviously won't work.

I get conflicting recommendations on how to position the expansion tank I would think that you would wanted pointing up so the water pushes up against the air. Maybe it doesn't matter? Does the length of the tube coming off the T going to the tank have any effect?

There is a pressure regulator at the shutoff valve. There is no expansion tank. I decreased the house pressure by about 15psi when I left.
So, just add expansion tank(s)? New t-stats?
thanks
Rudy
=====
A bit of history if you're bored. They had a plumber over cos there was water on the floor near the tanks. Since it was not leaking when the plumber got there he said he had no idea what it could be. Then they said the water pressure was low so he turned it up. THEN they called me, I told them it's 50% extra when I have to come in after someone else (I think this should be a standard rule). Stopped by the house, left two plastic cups with pebbles in the bottom under the discharge tubes, next morning, the floor was dry, water in cups. Changed out both TnP valves, still leaked.


texts: Can I add a standard receptacle on a GFCI circuit

texts:
So, I want to add a receptacle in the bathroom (I tend to run out of batteries on my phone while crapping at the end of the day).  There's a GFCI outlet on the other side of the crapper wall that faces the bathroom sinks, so would be a simple matter to wire off of that one, if its possible.

They make these charger receptacles that would be nice to use:

Power2U AC/USB Wall Outlet
U-Outlet, Dual Socket/ Dual USB

...but they're not GFCI.  Is there a way to wire one of those into an existing GFCI circuit so that GFCI protection is still enabled (and legal)?  I live in Austin, Texas.

The only reason I think this may be possible is that our current GFCI outlets seems to have several "normal" looking outlets on a circuit with just one outlet that has the buttons to reset it that switch power on and off for all the outlets on the circuit.


texts: I have a Dewalt Air Compressor - portable.  My tank has rust slurry in it and I need to clean it out.  Is there a recommended method to flush a small air compressor tank?-


texts:
Bought a house 6 months ago. It has a well, the water pressure was never amazing but it was fine. Last week it started to get bad so I checked the well pressure. The switch was designed for 40/60 but it was cutting on/off about 35/50. So I drained the tank reset it to 40/60 and pre charged it to 38psi. The pressure seemed to be working great... sometimes and on some faucets.

The pressure on the 2nd floor shower is pretty good along with the faucets  up there. But the 1st floor kitchen sink has poor pressure. Theres also a faucet on the first floor that has no cold water coming out of it all but a faucet in the room 3 feet away has fine pressure.

The above is the average condition, but when the tank is low, around 45psi, the water pressure everywhere drops, many go to zero and you can hear air in the pipes.

I did notice that the well tank, when at 60 psi, is only about 1/5 full of water. And I have seen the if I have a few larger faucets on, like a tub and 2 showers, the pressure goes down even when the well pump is on. I wonder if theres a problem with the pump and or my water level dropped but I can't f ind anything online with a similar problem. I've tried clearing air out of the pipes by running everything but when I do that the pressure drops to basically nothing.


texts: Is it safe to have 3-switch light-vent-heater on 20 amp circuit with another light switch and a GFCI outlet?

texts:
Downstairs bathroom has a dedicated 20 amp crcuit. First in line is a GFCI outlet which trips the downstream light switch (for over mirror light) and a three-switch (for ceiling vent/light/heater combo unit).
I want to replace the vent/light/heater unit with a 1300 watt unit with the same functions and a better vent fan.
I discovered that the prior owner unplugged the heater cord in the housing. Why would they have unplugged the heater?
Will my upgrade have any foreseeable problems or can I sleep well at night?


texts: Add support to existing acrylic shower unit

texts:
When we had acrylic shower units installed in our house apparently our employee did not know that they require concrete support under their floors. We learned about this the hard way when one of them broke with use, and we were obliged to replace it. We've used the others only infrequently since making this discovery.

Obviously it would be difficult to put concrete between an installed unit and subflooring now. Additionally, a warranty claim is not possible due the installer being under our employ (we paid him hourly), this problem is now ours to fix. Is there a product that could be used that would provide sufficient support? I assume we need something that would expand slightly to completely fill the gap with exerting too much pressure on the acrylic shower unit.

Thanks for your answers or suggestions!


texts: Why does my gas furnace heat up and then blow cold air?

texts: My 8 yr. old Comfortmaker will turn on, burner will light, then will occasionally shut down 10 minutes later, even tho the temp is not up to the correct temp. Burner goes out, fan stays on, blows cold air. I can turn off the unit at power switch, then when I turn on the burner will light, sometimes staying on and other times going off after 15 minutes. Why?


texts: Should I reconfigure my shared neutral breakers to have tied handles

texts:
I have several shared neutral circuits in my house (built in CT approx 1980) that do not have ties between the breakers to ensure that both are turned off together.  I'm not 100% positive that they are all adjacent (it would take some time to determine exactly which circuits are set up this way).
I assume this was to code when it was built and inspected, but I understand current code requires tieing  the breakers together.

My question is whether I should go to the effort and/or expense to retrofit tied breakers.


texts: Trying to replace a toilet's water supply line

texts:
I'm investigating replacing my toilet's water supply line/the possibility of installing a bidet.

This is what my current supply line looks like

From what I can tell, there's no easy way to replace this type of hose without replacing the water shut off line, but I'm a bit scared to attempt that as I have no idea how difficult it is, nor do I particularly want to do it if I don't need to.

Is there a way to replace this style supply line easily, or am I going to need to replace the line + the shutoff valve?


texts: Connecting smart switch, identifying neutal wire

texts: Im looking to switch out an old rocker switch to a smart switch, but the wiring appears to be unconventional. Two black wires attached to the same screw, and a white wire, which I am trying to determing if it is neutral or not is attached to the bottom screw, and the ground on the opposite screw. Looking at the picture is there a way to see if this is a neutral wire, even though its connected to the switch.


texts: Where does the C wire connect in a dual transformer system?

texts:
When wiring a common ground (C wire) for a dual transformer system, does it matter which transformer you connect the ground too? I'd assume that the ground on either transformer would serve as a ground for the power from either transformer, rather than having the two linked.

Edit:

This isn't for a specific installation, just more of a general rule. I realize that the wiring would make a difference, but is there a situation that would be true 95% of the time?


texts: How to remove a brick & mortar planter from inside a home

texts:
Just purchased a 1959 ranch home and it looks like what is now the family room may have been an enclosed porch in the past.

There is an odd knee-high brick planter box ( ? ) along a painted paneled wall. Just the two ends attach to the wall, the rest of the box is hollow. It looks like this if you can imagine the short ends attached to the wall.

Is there a way I can remove this without doing too much damage to the wall?

Thank you in advance for any advice you might have!


texts: Barrier around shed base to hold dirt for retaining wall?

texts:
Building a shed on a slope, and looking to add a retaining wall around it to block the space underneath, but offset the wall 2ft or so to add dirt and plants.

If possible, I want to be able to put something around the shed base to put the dirt up against on the back side of retaining wall without having to use concrete blocks. Keeping the space under the shed empty, and only filling dirt in between retaining wall and barrier. I am thinking of sealing the columns, and attaching wood wrapped in tyvek or something to protect it from rot.

The 6x6 posts, joists, and rim joists are all pressure treated wood.

What are some options to hold the dirt between the perimeter of the shed and retaining wall? Also do I have to leave a gap for airflow? Or can i seal it up to rim joist.

See picture for example.


texts: What are the specifics I should be looking for in a quote to replace my concrete steps?

texts:
The front steps in front of my house are deteriorating. I am trying to get a contractor to replace the limestone slab steps with concrete. For example, enclosed is a picture of my estimate from 2016.

The steps are steep, is there a specific type of concrete that might work better than 4000 PSI mix? Are there any red flags in the estimate, or other specifics I should be looking for or asking about?


texts: Wiring a ceiling fan with black, white, red, green in ceiling box and two wall switches

texts:
I'm trying to wire a ceiling fan in my bedroom (condo built in 2014).

The bedroom currently has two wall switches and a single ceiling light (no fan). The right switch turns the light on/off and the left switch does nothing. The ceiling box has a black, white, red, and green wire. The red wire is connected to nothing.1

I bought a new fan that doesn't use a remote. It has a one gang switch with separate controls for the light and the fan. The switch has 4 wires: white (load), blue (light), black (motor), and green (ground). The fan has 5 wires: black (motor), blue (light), white (neutral motor), orange (neutral light), green (ground).

This is the wiring directions I received with the fan:

I want to verify that I'm wiring this correctly.

For the wall switch:

Connect the black from the left switch to the black (motor) on the new switch.
Connect the black from the right switch to the blue (light) on the new switch.
Connect the white from the right switch to the white (load) on the new switch.
Connect the green on the new switch to the ground.

For the ceiling box:

Connect the fan black to the ceiling black.
Connect the fan blue to the ceiling red.
Connect the fan white, fan orange, to the ceiling white and tie the three wires together.
Connect the fan green to the ceiling green.

Is this correct? Do I do anything with the white wire from the left switch?  Does my wall switch really look more like this (in which case, I can probably connect directly to the red wire)?:

Here's a picture of the ceiling box and switch box (sorry for the poor lighting). Thanks for your help.


texts: Fluorescent light only flickers when I turn it off

texts: My fluorescent light shows no sign of life when I turn on the light switch, but will flash on one end when I am turning off the light. I've checked the ends.


texts:
We have a Corian sink and the plastic over flow pipe has popped loose.
It looks like a cable tie was used on it.
We put it in in 2012
Double sinks. The other sink is fine.
I don’t want to call the plumber as it will be at least $100 to fix it

Any suggestions??


texts: How should I insulate around pipe/cable holes in drywall?

texts:
Notice the gaps between the pipes and the drywall in the pictures above?  These gaps appear in both the walls and the ceiling, and I feel like in at least one case, I've noticed a difference in air temperature if I stick my finger in the gap.

Should I try to plug up these gaps?  If so, are there any recommendations for how to go about it?  Note that I'd need to seal around:

electric cabling (for a dishwasher and for a hot water heater)
a hot water pipe (warm to the touch)
drain for a kitchen sink/dishwasher
flexible dryer vent hose (not very strong)

My first thought was just to spray in some of that expanding foam, but I'm concerned that it might not be appropriate for electric, hot pipes, or that it might crush the dryer vent when it expanded.


texts: How can I remove a stuck pivot rod from a popup sink drain?

texts:
I cannot get the pivot rod out to remove my bathroom sink stopper assembly. I unscrewed the nut easily enough. The ball part doesn't seem stuck but the rod will not come out. Every post/youtube video/instruction makes it seem like it will easily slide out once the nut is removed. I sprayed it with WD40 and will try again in a bit, but any ideas otherwise?

update: the WD40 worked! Now if I could get the dumb J trap loose!


texts: Is this 'Ant Killer' effective to kill carpet moth?

texts:
I've noticed a few moth flying around a carpeted area as well as some possibly larvae. I already have this ant killer powder and wondering if it would be effective for the moth and other insects?

The other product from the same manufacturer is this carpet moth killer but I notice that one has also got permethrin same as the ant killer. So I'm wondering if it's just a marketing scam or are they actually different in the ingredients and effectiveness towards different insects and eggs?


texts: Connecting an exterior string of patio lights to an existing permanent exterior CFL fixture

texts:
Context
I have a small covered patio illuminated by an unattractive wall-mounted CFL fixture. For an improved ambiance, I have hung a string of LED patio lights that are plugged into an exterior outlet.
I would like the convenience of being able to switch the light string on/off from the wall switch inside the patio door (currently wired to the CFL fixture), rather than reaching behind the patio furniture to get at the outlet. To that end, I would like to somehow power my LED light string from the circuit that powers the CFL fixture.
Below is a photo of the inside of the CFL enclosure for reference.

Constraints
I live in a condo building that has a by-law regarding alterations to the exterior of the building.

Obtain approval before altering a strata lot or common property. Before making an alteration to any of the following: the exterior of a building;

I'm looking into exactly what this means for my purposes, but I suspect a "temporary" solution is preferable to any permanent electrical changes.
Question
How can I safely wire up my LED light string to the existing CFL fixture, such that the light string (rather than the CFL) is controlled by the indoor switch?
Ideas
Some ideas I've considered, but am not sure how to evaluate:

An adapter of some sort to adapt the CFL socket to a three pronged outlet, similar to this Amazon adapter. I haven't been able to find one for CFL sockets, and I suspect they don't exist.
Splicing an outlet in parallel with the CFL fixture (on the 120VAC line, not the stepped up line into the CFL socket) and inside the CFL enclosure. Then just leaving the CFL unplugged.
Replacing the fixture entirely with an external outlet. This is less ideal from the strata perspective.


texts: Can I convert a LH inswing door into a RH inswing?

texts: I have a prehung exterior door that is a LH inswing (brand new not installed yet). Can I somehow switch it to make it a RH inswing? Would it work if I installed it as an outswing?


texts: I just moved into a house which has large in-wall AC units and heaters. I've been looking into replacing that setup with an HVAC system, but I only have a 100 amp panel. Given that there is already a washer and dryer, a dish washer, and other standard appliances, is this going to be an issue?


texts: Why is my new refrigerator hot on the sides?

texts: Today I received my new French door Hisense refrigerator, and I plugged in after cleaned up and it is very hot side to side (both side) is it normal to be hot first time?


texts: Does landscape fabric (filter fabric) get clogged? If not, why not?

texts: I have a drainage problem to solve and I'm considering a French drain.  I have read in dozens of places that various drainage systems (including French drains) are usually lined or wrapped in a landscape fabric/filter fabric to prevent sediment from getting in an clogging up the drain.  But nobody seems to ask or answer the next logical question: what prevents the sediment from clogging up the fabric instead?  Aren't you just pushing the problem up one level?


texts:
I want to install a tub on basement bath where drain pipes are already installed and sticking out from concrete floor. I need to know how to raise the level of the tub from the floor in order to have enough space underneath to connect to drain without having to break into concrete. The space from the tub drain opening to the floor is 1/2 inch.
Are  cement board or plywood options to install tub on top of? If so, how do i secure these to concrete floor?


texts:
I'm looking to replace 3 sets of deadbolts and doorknobs with new keyed alike handles and deadbolts (they don't need to be high security or anything, just regular exterior entry). All of the big box home improvement stores I've been to don't have a good way to get keyed alike doorknobs etc. The best I've found is two-packs, but that means I still have to dig through and try to find another set with the same key.

Where would be the best place to get locks that are keyed alike?


texts: Is it proper and/or smart to independently ground an older 3 prong dryer outlet and upgrade it to 4 prong?

texts: Just bought an older home that has a 3 prong dryer outlet.  It is right above an unfinished crawl space so it would be easy to run a good grounding cable to a grounding rod and/or an iron water pipe in the crawl space.  Unfortunately, the service wire does not have 4 conductors all the way back to the panel and would be difficult to replace.  Is this a good idea and would this be the equivalent of modern wiring assuming the proper installation of the grounding rod?  Thanks


texts: Does my utility room need fresh air? If so, possible solutions?

texts:
Our home has a ~ 13' x 12' utility room that houses our HVAC system and gas hot water heater.

Adjacent to this room is another room that we would like to use for an office. Currently those two rooms are connected by a louvered door. The problem with this is that when the heat or AC is running the blower is too loud to be able to really use the adjacent room if e.g. one were to be on the phone. We need a way to replace this door with a solid door to minimize the sound without violating any building codes and/or putting ourselves at risk.

This is all fairly new (~ 2 years) construction, so the furnace (as far as I can tell / understand) is drawing in fresh air directly from outside (see pictures in link below). I'm less clear about what the venting requirements are for a gas hot water heater.

Pictures of the space

So, my questions are:

How would I go about determining if a source of fresh air is a requirement for this room?
Even without the louvered door it's not as if this room is air-tight. For example, you can see that the drywall does not go above the bottom of the rafters. What exactly qualifies as a "source of fresh air"?
There's a small window in this room. If we determine that we do need to provide fresh air to this room, could we utilize that window in some way, or is there a certain size requirement for the source (and if so, how would we figure out what that size requirement is)?

Edit #1:

As requested, additional photos of the top of the hot water heater:

Hot Water Heater

Edit #2:

OK, did a bit more reading, in particular about combustion air requirements (secondary source)

As I understand, the calculations then are as follows:

The input BTU/hr for the hot water heater is 38,000. The furnace is ignored since it is enclosed and draws directly from outside (is this correct?)

The room is 12' x 13' x 8', which amounts to 1248 ft^3.
For 38000 BTU/hr a minimum of volume of 1900 ft^3 is required (38000 * 50 / 1000)

The required area for a vent is 1 in^2 / 1000 BTU/hr, so 38 in^2 (but I guess the minimum vent size is 100 in^2 - this part isn't clear to me)

So if we were to replace the door, we would need to install two, 100 in^2 vents, one within 12" of the ceiling and one within 12" of the floor? Is this correct?

Can the space between the top of the drywall and the floor (see the first set of pictures) serve as the top vent? The basement is a drop ceiling, otherwise that would be a free gap in to the room next door. I would think that combined area would make up for the fact that the drop ceiling adds resistance to air flow.


texts: Resource comparing power consumption of different water heaters?

texts: I am looking for a website the compares the "real-world" energy consumption of different electric tankless water heaters under different conditions. Any ideas?


texts: I'm going to install a Eaton BRMLKCSR lockout on a Eaton BR816 B200 RF panel can i use a regular 240 v breaker or is a special backfeed breaker required to connect the generator?  Thanks


texts: Ceiling Light acting odd when interacted with from two switches

texts:
We bought this house a few months ago, and there is a very interesting problem with the ceiling light in the back room. The ceiling light is turned on or off using one of two switches. One switch is in the kitchen along the door frame, and the other is in the back room on the wall beside the door. The problem that I am having is that the light is caught up in some strange state where one switch only dims it, or barely turns it on, while the other works correctly in an on off fashion as one would expect. If I flip both switches off then go back to the one that was working, it starts to behave like the other one, and only brings it up to a dim state when trying to flip it on. In other words, either switch can be bugged, depending upon the orientation of its partner switch. Which ever switch is currently "the odd switch out", appears to act as a dimmer, and it's a dimmer that cannot go to full brightness.

When either switch is in "the bugged state", both switches produce a low "humming" sound.

I'm pretty sure that something is off about the wiring. My question is, what is this called? I've tried Googling, but I'm not sure what the correct terminology should be that would help me find a video, or solution. Also, if someone is experienced in this specific problem, can you explain why it's happening, and how I could go about fixing it?

Expected Behavior: Light switch A or B turning on or off the ceiling light, regardless of the switches on or off state; for either switch to not dim the light at all.

Thanks.


texts: Should I favor a tighter joist interval or more blocking between joists in order to get the most firmness in the deck?

texts:
I am planning a deck with dimensions of 14' x 20', where that is 14' out from the house, and 20' along the house wall.  This will be an elevated deck with 2' of that outward span cantilevered.  The plan calls for 16" OC joists and blocking at the halfway point of the span.
My question is about creating the stiffest feeling for the deck.  Basically, is it better to do more blocking or 12" OC joists?  I don't want that "springy" feeling at all.  Nice and solid.


texts:
I have hollow bare steel pull-up bars in my garage home gym that are virtually unusable without gloves when the temperatures drop below freezing. I would like to heat the bars in a safe way.

Description

Bar: 1 1/4" diameter with 1" diameter opening on each end, 42 3/4" in length
Mountings: 3" x 3 1/2" x 6" (LxWxH)

Limitations

I do not have access to a 240V volt outlet.

Attempts

I have already tried running a water pipe heat cable through the hollow part of the bar and securing against the pipe with pipe insulation -- it had little to no effect.

Any ideas?


texts: How to determine level of rust inside air compressor chamber(s)?

texts:
I've had my Makita MAC2400 about 8 years now, used it mostly indoors for remodeling and some in my shed for auto repairs. I've never drained condensed water from the inside until a friend showed me this video about how rust can make them explode. I had about 1-2 oz of rusty water come out when I drained it.

How can I determine the firmness and reliability of my air compressor with regard to the rust inside its air chambers?


texts: Reverse motor direction not working (just stops)

texts:
So I successfully purchased and installed an Mars 10204 motor and installed it in my condenser unit outside (the previous GE motor died a horrible death after years of service).

Only problem is it is running in reverse.  There are 4 wires that come out of the side, that are joined in pairs through knife blade connectors (two males and two females).  Brown to orange, and blue to yellow.

When I remove the connections and connect each male to the other female, the fan just doesn't work.

Suggestions?  Is it possible I need to join male-male and female-female?  Ugh.  I wouldn't think so and hate having to install new connectors.


texts: Will 220v 50 Hz BLDC Washing Machine work with 240v 60 Hz?

texts: Looking to take advantage of price difference to import a washing machine from China - rated 220 volts 50 hertz to Kenya where we use 240 volts 60 hertz. Our supply also tends to be unstable with brownouts and surges. What would be the implication of using the device here?


texts: Will constructing a french drain still work using two  inch perforated pvc instead of the recommended  four inch perforated pvc?


texts: How do I wire a/c if furnace wiring compartment has no y terminal?

texts:
I have been trying to figure this out for more than a year. All was running until HVAC company came to replace 2 thermostats with nest and rewired 2 HVAC units (a front of house and a back of house unit)and left me the back unit's a/c not working. I pressed the contactor of the compressor (manually to test) and it runs. Also the green cable gets the 24 volts. Yet, when I turn the nest to a/c only the fan turns on.
The second unit I have is easier for me to understand because there is a y terminal on the furnace board but this one does not have a y terminal/black wire.

I would really, really appreciate if one of you experts helps me with the basic question: Can the yellow/y wire from thermostat go directly to the contactor cable without having been connected to a wire in the furnace wiring system? Nest told me that it should be connected to the furnace wiring for "translation of the signal" but they just do not know how I can do that if the furnace wiring does not have a wire labeled y.
or How can I find out which one of those wired is y? Maybe the little tag with the y fell off?
The other thing I have noticed is that the low voltage wires that go to the compressor from this unit and the wires that go to the compressor from the second unit seem to be connected at some point, somewhere because outside, by the 2 compressors there is only one conduit that comes out of the wall and it has only 5 wires as the bottom picture shows. Out of these 5 wires, the yellow and red activate the working unit and the 3 left (green and white and blue) do not have power and thus do not activate the unit I have the a/c not working on.

Thank you so much for any suggestions or help understanding the system.

Furnace of non working a/c has:
Blue wire from thermostat is connected to c from furnace and white cable to compressor.

red wire from thermostat is connected to r from furnace.
white from thermostat is connected to w from furnace.
green from thermostat is connected to g from furnace.


texts: What are these large pieces of plexiglass?

texts:
I found these large, heavy pieces of plexiglass while cleaning the shed on the property of a house that I just bought.  I have no idea what they are or what they are used for.  They are about the size of a kitchen table and if there wasn't 6 of them back there, I would have guessed it was an old table top.  As you can see from the pictures, they are very dirty, but from what I know about plexiglass, pieces this size do not come cheap.

The 6th piece is on the right side of the other 5.  It seems to be of higher quality, you can see from the pictures that it is more clear.  It is also heavier.  It also has a crease around the edges of it that you can see in the pictures. I thought it was real glass at first based on its weight and hardness.

Any idea what these are and what they are used for?

Click for full size


texts:
I have long (60cm/23") concrete beams that I want to cut to size to build a small garden wall.
They are 15cm/6" high. I know there exist heavy cutter tooling to cut through (concrete) tiles, but it seems to me that won't do for these large stones.
So, what do you recommend for cutting these into rather accurate sizes?
thanks for any suggestions offered.


texts: I am tiling my shower surround and I have a platform that is approximately 1’x3’ that I need to tile as well.  I am looking for layout suggestions on what area I should tile first and if the horizontal surface of the platform should overhang enough to be flush with the vertical surface?


texts:
Do i need permission to build something like this in the UK?

And do i need to follow any building regs?

(I am not in a conservation area)


texts: Where do i connect a "C" wire into my circuit board ? Goodman gmt140-5

texts: I was excited to install my new Honeywell t5+wifi thermostat but after installing it nothing would turn on. After further investigating, the C wire was not connected to the board and I am honestly not sure where to connect it to in order to gain power. I am fairly new to this stuff but with a little help from more knowledge people I'm hoping I can connect one wire. if anyone can help, I will appreciate it. ]2


texts: Ensuring a down pipe attached to a wall stays elevated above the ground

texts:
I have a downpipe that I noticed was full of water. When I lifted it up, all the water started gushing out. The attachments had come off and it had slipped down leading me to believe it was sitting tight against the ground blocking the flow. I will replace the attachments but I'm not sure if it will slide down again causing the same problem

Suggestions as to how to get it to stay elevated that would be great.
Cheers


texts: Why would a GFCI fail in one outlet, but not another?

texts:
We have multiple GFCI cords, such as this one (the GFCI is not an outlet). When plugged into a certain outlet, they all consistently trip with any load higher than a few watts. When plugged into any other outlet, they work fine.
Shouldn't this be physically impossible? If a GFCI just measures the current difference between the two halves of the circuit, no configuration on the supply-side should ever cause it to trip, right?
(For example, a ground-fault inside the outlet would cause the voltage/current to the GFCI to drop, but the current coming in and going out should still be the same, by Kirchoff's current law)
I assume this is caused by some nuance of GFCI implementations I don't know about, which is why I'm asking here.
Notes:

An outlet tester shows the outlet is wired ok, so the hot/neutral aren't swapped.
When using the outlet tester with the GFCI, the GFCI does not trip.  But various loads ranging from 250 W to 1500 W all cause it to trip.  Those same loads with the same GFCI don't trip in other outlets.
I've tried multiple GFCIs with multiple devices, all with the same results.
The outlet measures 120V

[Edit] One of the GFCIs seems to know when it's plugged into the bad outlet, even with no devices plugged in.  When plugged into the bad outlet, the 'test' function on the GFCI does not work. When plugged into any other outlet, it does.  The GFCI still trips with any device plugged in, which again should be impossible...
[Edit 2] This should not have been migrated. It is an electronics question, not a DIY question.  Sigh.


texts: Can I use a switch loop to power a ceiling fan?

texts: Need your help, please. I have a single pole switch that controls the wall’s receptacles. It has one 14/2 cable, white/black/ground, where the white is hot.  I would like to install a ceiling fan. I expanded the box for the second switch and ran a wire for the fan. My question is, can I use a  power source from an existing wire?


texts: Running bathroom vent duct through cold air return

texts:
I am remodelling a basement and I noticed that the old bathroom has the vent duct  running through the cold air return ( for about 6ft, in and out, the entrance and exit are sealed) and then outside. Is that ok, or should I try to reroute the duct around the cold air return (which might not be an easy task). I am in Canada, in case regulations are different.

Thanks!


texts: I am having a home built. I would like to paint the garage floor with Behr Granite Grip. Since it is a new home can I just sand and paint it? Thank you.


texts: How should I cut through hardwood floor?

texts: I want to install steps to my basement.  I need to saw through a hardwood floor.  Is there anything specifically I need to do to the hardwood?


texts: Why is there a hot white wire in my ceiling light

texts:
Canada, 120v 60hz

I have two ceiling lights in my family room.  Panel supply is in the ceiling to RIGHT LIGHT, with a runner down to the switch.  There's a 14/3 wire running to the other, LEFT LIGHT, and the box is also used as a junction to run power further down the chain.

I recently took down the brick facade on my fireplace, and found, embedded in the concrete, a junction box used to splice wires down to another wall outlet.  As I was going to re-bury it, I needed to disconnect these wires. (and run power up from the basement to that outlet).

I followed protocol and flipped the breaker and made sure the lights were off.  While I was removing the fixture (LEFT LIGHT) to disconnect the offending circuit, I received a mild shock.  I pulled out my tester, and found 120v from white to ground, even though the circuit was off.

Feeling that that famous electrician, Some Genius, had once again been set loose in my house, I decided that it was time to call in a professional.

He arrived the next day and found no voltage on the white wire.

I"m wondering why I found the voltage, and he didn't.  Is it possible that CFLs act as a capacitor and can energize a wire for a period of time?


texts: How to install a shower curtain from wall to glass edge?

texts:
My walk in shower has a glass wall. I'd like to install a shower curtain but I can't find a shower rod that can be secured from a wall to a glass edge.

Here's a picture of the problem.

Is there a special connector I can buy to secure the shower rod to the glass edge as depicted in the image?


texts:
I recently moved into a new house that has a heat pump (air-to-air) combined with a natural gas fired furnace.

My old thermostat failed, so I replaced it with a new EcoBee thermostat.  During the setup it asked what the minimum outdoor temperature to still run the compressor should be.   I am new to heat pumps, so I am not sure what the correct answer is.

I live in the middle of Iowa (Cold snow filled winters).  Do I need to be concerned with snow on the outdoor unit?  At what point is it more efficient to use the natural gas instead of the heat pump?


texts:
I am replacing a receptacle with a GFCI receptacle.  I know very little about this process other than to just mirror the current process.  However, this receptacle in question only has 3 wires (ground, white black).

Is my basic understanding of the set-up accurate in a sense that when both the top and bottom screw have copper wiring wrapped around it, typically 1 is coming from the "switch" (whether it be circuit breaker or elsewhere) and the other set of wires is going to a second outlet/lightswitch?

So since this outlet only has 1 set of wires then I just need to pick either the top or bottom outlet, wire in the wires and both top and bottom outlet will work?


texts:
I'm working on a aquaponic aquarium system that is part of the home improvement and I can't find proper part that would help me instal the drainage from the plant pot.

I'm looking for some pvc pipe that has the thread at the end and is possible to screw with the seal touch so the water doesn't leak. I'm trying to avoid using weld option but if I won't find anything I will need to weld it somehow.

Please see the pic:


texts: Should I cut back drywall before installing a new wall?

texts:
I'm adding a new wall/door in a current finished loft space to convert it from a loft to a bedroom.  I've already decided to trim back the carpet and carpet pad to attach my bottom plate to the subfloor properly, and of course trim back the existing baseboard.
What is the correct way to install the top plate and first stud of each side?

Leave existing drywall - Attach the top plate to as many ceiling joists through the drywall as possible and the side studs to potentially nothing except the new top/bottom plates
Remote existing drywall - Attach the top plate directly to the ceiling joists and side studs to the existing top/bottom plates and any studs that overlap in the existing walls.
?


texts: Is the proposed solution to this masonry project okay?

texts:
We will going to build long interior, round(little bit) shaped staircase (similar to this) from concrete, and I needed to get instructions
with physics that it will possible to make it without any middle pillar that 12ft long staircase. So because of that We suppose
to burrow the ground and concrete the base about 2-3ft tall where stair going to start.

I do not have particularly deep knowledge about staircase masonary. After a consulting mason, that he doesn't have a good
alternative. If those solutions aren't reasonable, is there anything we can do that without making middle pillar??
How can we convince him??


texts: Rooftop garden irrigation: Some plumbing questions

texts:
I have several medium-sized planters on the roof of my building that need to be watered when I'm away. I have access to a standard garden faucet, but there is a "walkway" of sorts between the faucet and my planters. Consequently, I've been told that I should limit myself to 1/4" tubing to water my plants. There are additional constraints: The faucet is in a locked-off area, meaning that I will need a solenoid-controlled valve to turn the water OFF and ON. However, the solenoid valve must be in close proximity to my planters to avoid running wires across the walkway. The building owner is rightly concerned about clutter and hazards on the maintenance walkway.
From previous experience, I've used Rainbird hardware. My first thought was to use their 1/4" tubing to connect the faucet to the emitters in my planters. T-junctions would be used to branch off to cover all the planters (5). A DC-powered solenoid valve would be used to turn the water on & off, and a small timer circuit would control the solenoid valve. Completing this system will also require identifying the necessary adapters to interface the solenoid valve with the 1/4" irrigation tubing. From my limited knowledge, this seems to be an NPT-to-barbed adapter of some sort?
Following is an outline of my current thinking on the layout, partly based on comments & answer already received, and some unresolved questions:

25 psi pressure regulator. I estimate the total run of tubing (from faucet to the first planter) at 50-60 feet. Will 25 psi yield enough flow for all of the planters?

Faucet-to-1/4" Tube adapter... Please note that I'm not using drip tube, but the regular 1/4" distribution tubing.

12-or-24 Volt DC solenoid valve: This selection is proving a challenge as some of the valves get poor ratings, and others are quite expensive. Are there other alternatives?

Fittings/adapters for NPT-to-1/4" distribution tubing. Most valves I've seen use 1/4" NPT, which is significantly larger than 1/4" distribution tubing. I know there are NPT-to-barbed adapters, but it's not clear to me whether these will work reliably with the 1/4" distribution tubing. Any experience or suggestions with this would be helpful.

Series-or-parallel: I have 5 planters now. Should I use a series of T-junctions, or a manifold to distribute water?

All inputs are appreciated, and hopefully this will be the "final revision" to this question.


texts:
I'm trying to repair a shaded pole induction motor from a home appliance. However, each time I connect the motor to the power outlet there is a spark in the same place (I've already tried 2x):

video: electric motor spark

Any idea?

Additional Notes

Home Appliance
More information about the problem with such home appliance:

Electric Fan not Working
Water Distiller: Reassembly Issues

Electric Motor

It seems this electric motor is Chinese, unfortunately there is no tag in it. My best guest is the following description:

120 VAC, 60Hz, 20W

Soldering

To solder the wire from the coil, I've done the following steps:

Remove the coating of the wire by applying some solder (How to solder enameled copper wire)
Overlapping the wires (Soldering Thin Wires)

After that I did a continuity test to confirm the circuit was fine.


texts: Is roofing felt/felt shingle breathable?

texts:
I'm thinking of putting either these bitumen shingles, or standard roofing felt, on top of a barrel sauna to stop it leaking.

While I'm at it I thought I might add some air bubble/aluminium insulation roll but I wouldn't want to reduce breathability of the shingles, if they have any in the first place. If they do then I suspect the wood needs it to shed moisture from the sauna steam or it will rot. If they don't then I suspect this isn't a problem as it is a common sauna design.

So does the bitumen felt/shingle layer breathe at all?


texts:
Does this look like the proper layout for the neutral bonding?  Each transfer switch on left has a 200A breaker and becomes my new service disconnect.  Therefore, the neutral bonds should be done there and no where else, correct?

My understanding of the NEC is that since my service disconnect location changes to the ATS boxes, the former main panels become sub panels.  Therefore I then must add a 4th conductor dedicated for grounding the subpanels, and the neutral bonds must be broken in them (to avoid unbalanced neutral amperage from load sharing across the ground during normal operation).

Also, running just 3 wires to generator and having it use the primary service's grounding bond is valid for residential applications like this, right?


texts: Inside HVAC furnace, zero ohm between R wire and W wire, is that normal?

texts:
I have a Lennox system (G27M series). The transformer has a 3amp breaker. It trips time when the R wire and W wire are connected (heat is on).

To find out where the circuit is short, I attempted to measure the resistance between R wire and W wire, and found the reading is zero ohm (thermostat was taken off and furnace was unplugged).
Is that normal? Is it a sign that the control board is broken?


texts: Is an LED light strip safe to use under a bed?

texts:
I see a lot of RGB LED light strips being sold on sites like Amazon etc. The lights appear to be of decent quality, run off of 12V but do need up to 5-6 Amps to power.  This is a lot of current, so I'm wondering if they are safe to use under my bed. Two concerns that I have is the possibility of an electrical shock and the strip/module catching fire and lighting me up in my sleep. How can I avoid these risks in my project?

This is the LED light strip/controller/power supply I'm interested in:


texts:
I'm now planning to install out outlet flush, or as flush/above as possible, to the soffit.

I've read other threads, and believe I'm good on how to protect it, etc.

I buy a rate outside box correct? Then I cut a hole that's (guessing) the same size as box? If so how does the box get mounted/attached? Or do I get a regular box and use the regular nails, and then get a waterproof in use cover?


texts: What is the proper way to insulate box sill joists in the basement?

texts: The floor joists of the first floor are sitting directly in breaks in the concrete/cinderblock walls, and there's large gaps all around the edges.  I've done some looking around and it appears that these are a large source of air loss, so I need to insulate them.  Can I just spray some expanding foam in that area, or is it better to get some rigid foam, cut it, and then just use foam to seal the edges where it meets the joists/wall?  What about a vapor barrier?


texts: How can I stop a dishwasher water supply from causing the tap water to smell?

texts:
OK, here is the situation:

I recently bought a dishwasher that has a shorter water hose than required. So I bought this inlet hose
and connected the two hoses using this inlet connector.

For water supply I used a self cutting tap.

The problem is, when dishwasher tap is open (dishwasher not working), and I open the main drinking water tap, my water has strange smell and taste. (This is not the case when the dishwasher tap is closed or the dishwasher hose is connected to tap without extension).

The only cause I could conclude from this is that the water flows back from inlet hose into the drinking tap, giving it the odor and taste. (although I can't tell the inlet hose smells by sniffing!)

Is there anything I can do to prevent this? I already tried returning the inlet hose and trying another one (maybe that particular one had issue) -- but no success.

update:

Today I came up across this shower check valve. Do you guys think this can prevent the backflow of water if I install it on my dishwasher tap?


texts: What are the pros and cons of different types of smart switches (that are on the US market) ?

texts:
When putting in a new switch for a light it is often less work to put in a smart switch than run the mains cables.

However, how do you choose the type of smart switch to use?

See also "What are the pros and cons of different types of smart switches (That are on the UK market)?"


texts: How to clean insulation foam residue off metal

texts: How can I clean insulation foam ("Great Stuff" from Home Depot) off sheet metal ?


texts: (yet another) Ceiling fan capacitor identification and replacement

texts:
Could I get some help identifying this blown (and very smelly) capacitor from a ceiling fan, and maybe suggest where replacements may be found?

I'm not sure how to read the label. Also there is no wiring diagram for the 3 wires, although two different capacitances are listed.

AC300/260V. What are the two voltages, and is it necessary to match exactly for a 120V AC circuit?

1.5 / 3 uF J. How can I find out which wire is for 1.5 uF and which is for 3 uF, short of measuring. What is the J at the end?

TV525/455. No clue what any of this means. Is it relevant?

What is CJ 2WS?


texts: I have a homerun that goes directly to GFCI that is only getting 88 volts. From hot to ground is 122v, from neutral to ground is 23v. In the panel I am getting 122v also. I have 3 outlets past the GFCI and they are all reading the same.


texts: Calculating the effectiveness of sunlight reduction solutions

texts:
Our new place has a few large windows facing west - this makes for a baking-hot house in the afternoons.

Curtains have been put up, but they are hot to the touch, and the rooms do feel hot (dark curtains). I'm figuring, while they give me privacy, they're not reflecting enough light away.

I figure I have the following options:

Window Tint (dark or reflective)
Blinds

My questions are:

Are these my best options or are there any others?
Which one of these is the most cost effective option? How do I calculate that?
Within these options, what additional things do I do (reflective tint, white blinds, etc) to get the most advantage?


texts: can you use a pvc pipe cutter to cut waste pipe

texts:
When piping up the shower waste, it's inevitable you willl need to cut the pipe shorted at some point.

When I was training to be an electrian, I used something similar to these to cut conduit. Would I be able to use it to cut waste pipe?


texts: How do I polish brass with household ingredients?

texts:
I have some old brass candlesticks that I inherited from my grandmother after she passed away. They have a lot more sentimental than monetary value to me. What would be the best way to polish them using household ingredients?

I'm aware of Brasso (e.g., this answer), but am looking for something relatively natural to use. I have heard that you can accomplish this using ketchup, but have no idea how to do it. Any advice?


texts: How can I determine which pipe is the drain and which is the vent in rough plumbing?

texts:
My basement has the below slab drains pre-piped, but just capped off.  Coming up through the slab is a 4" cast iron pipe (toilet), (2) 2" pipes sink/vent and then a 10" or 12" square filled with stone for the tub or shower.

How do I tell which of the (2) 2" pipes is the sink drain vs the vent.  I assume this is vent for all of them.


texts: Suggestions for leg support and edge guard for countertop

texts:
I need to cut open some part of the wood countertop to allow for stacking up the washer and dryer.

For support, how can I add a leg (blue) to support the remaining counter top. I am thinking it has to be extended outward. Much like an extensible cloth hanger pole for closets. Does something like that exist as countertop leg? Another suggestion that serves the same purpose is welcome.

For aesthetics, I wonder if there is any edge guard that is recommended to cover the vertical wood part (green) and maybe around an inch along the top surface of the countertop. I would like to know what the item is called.


texts: How To Stop A Leak In A Refrigerator Water Line

texts:
Our original refrigerator had an ice maker.  They installed a white plastic type of water line going from under our kitchen sink, through our kitchen cabinets and behind the refrigerator.

We had to get another refrigerator a year or two ago.  It has no ice maker or water in the door.

When they took out the old fridge and put in the new one, they capped some thing off from under our kitchen sink and then behind the new fridge they put a cuppling or something like that to cap off the end of the water line behind the fridge and it just lays on the floor.

Recently we noticed water behind the fridge.  The plastic water line has a hole or crack in it.  It is leaking out water.

What do we need to do??


texts: How to install Cedar Siding at Gable (Shed)?

texts:
Hi I have a 11/12 pitch roof, and getting ready to install the cedar shingle siding at the Gables only (The single pieces, I think called cedar shakes). I have never done this, and I have seen a few Bob Villa videos over on YouTube. I get the gist of installing them straight across, but when you get to the soffit and peak, I am confused on how to end it. Do you generally nail it here exposing the nails? Or do you nail it and put some sort of trim around it to cover the nails..

Tips:
Btw, this is on a shed, and I have 30 roofing paper to put under it. Is this good? Or should it be Tyvek. It will be going over OSB sheathing.
Also, I will have an octagon window up there at the peak, I assume the trim goes on first and shingles cut around it? Is a utility knife best to cut these or miter saw?

Thanks!


texts: What are my options for dealing with/getting rid of storage items I do not want/need?

texts: I am moving into a new house and have some movers moving all of my stuff out of storage and bringing it into my house. Unfortunately, there are some large furniture items (couch, table, etc...) that I do not want/need in my new place. I am apathetic about what happens to these items. Ideally, I'd like to give them to charity, but do not want (nor have the means) to drive them to a charity location. I could throw them out, but again I do not have the means to transport them a disposal site. I could sell them (via Facebook marketplace or something) but I do not want them placed in my house because it will be difficult to move them out of the house once they are inside and finding a buyer may take a while. Can I just leave them outside? Will the moving company even allow me to elect to have them not be moved into my home? What can I do? Keeping them in storage is not an option.


texts: Does the number of links of a chainsaw chain affect the sprocket?

texts:
How does the gauge of the chain effect the drive sprocket?

I bought a new bar and chain, the pitch is .325, the sprocket is .325 and gauge is .063, but the number of links is 81 instead of 74.

Will it work?


texts: Had ground rod connection added to my electric panel, should old ground to copper water pipe be disconnected?

texts:
My 1970 house with slab foundation originally had a connection to the copper water line as the only ground. I had a pair of ground rods 6' 6" apart added and would like to disconnect the ground to the copper water supply pipe. Is this allowable and advisable?

The reason I would want to do this is to save the water pipe from damage. We had 20 pinhole leaks in a vertical vertical hot out from the hot water tank. This tank was sweated copper tubing all the way to the tank (advice from city plumbing inspector 25 years ago) instead of flexible supply lines with insulating connections.

There is at least the possibility that the pinhole leaks were due to electrolysis from dissimilar metals (steel tank-copper water lines). Twelve years ago I had the tank replaced with a tankless heater connected with insulated ("dielectric" connections). I want to eliminate the possibility that the ground rods might produce a similar effect in the copper tubing.

Also, I have heard of lightning strikes damaging copper water lines if the panel is grounded to the copper pipes.

If it is OK to disconnect the ground wire to the copper water supply line, should I do this in the panel and at the pipe? Is it OK to leave the old ground wire in place in the panel but disconnected from the ground bar?


texts: infloor heating thermostat from sub panel question

texts: I am installing quiet warm in floor mats in a small room.We installed a four breaker sub panel.The thermostat for the floors heating pads has a built in gfci,but just shows neutral and hot connections and no ground connection.Do you think this means they are using the neutral wire from the thermostat as ground?Would this work, or would I have to wire the thermostat back to the main service panel? This is a dedicated circuit.I had trouble contacting theyre tech support.Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you, mike s.


texts: What is this thing with wires found on wall inside closet, and how do I remove it?

texts:
My 1950's-ish home in Pennsylvania has an addition built off of the kitchen (no idea when the addition was built).  In this addition there is a closet I am remodeling.  While taking down the wood paneling I found this:

My first thought was that it could be a doorbell chime since this addition has a door to outside, but then I remembered that door has no bell.  It definitely has power running to it.  What is it and how do I remove it?  My idea at the moment is to shut off the main breaker (since I don't know which one this is on), unscrew the wires, put in a box, cap wires, and when I drywall put a plate over it for later access if needed.


texts: Proper way to seal attic space from the living space

texts:
I am living in a one-story house with flat roof. There is an 2-feet-high empty space above the ceiling and below the roof, and let me call it my attic space (although my house has a flat roof). The attic space seems not insulated (there is some pink fiberglass in the attic space, but only covers a small portion of it)

It is my understanding that the attic space should be sealed from the living space to prevent heat loss and moisture condensation. But in my house, we have a furnace located in a small equipment room, which directly connects the attic space and the living space. My attic space is also connected to the outside by several vent pipes and vent grills.

If the image is not showing please see picture here

The furnace (See the picture attached) is standing on the floor of the equipment room. There is a white louvered shutter door (not air tight) separating the equipment room and the rest of the living space. The hot air duct (correct me if it's actually the cold air duct) directly goes into the attic space. As shown in the picture, there is no separation between the attic space and the equipment room.

I am concerned that the current configuration is causing significant heat loss during cold days, because warm air in our living space can escape by living space --> equipment roof --> attic space --> outside. Which of the following solutions would be better for my situation?

(1) Replace the louvered shutter door with an air-tight (and possibly insulated) door. If so, the furnace need to draw the air only from the attic space, whose volumn (around 2000 sq ft) might not be enough to provide combustion air for the furnace (92k btu/h). Should I worry about this?

(2) Install some panels between the attic space and the equipment room to separate them. It is relatively hard to do for me without removing the duct from the furnace.

(3) seal the attic space from outside of the house, and leave it connected to our living space. I am not sure if this will actually help to reduce heat loss.

Our local climate (North CA): very cool in the summer (never needed AC) and not too cold in the winter (almost never snows or freezes, but does need heating).


texts: How to tell what is causing my breaker to trip

texts:
I have a 15 AMP breaker that will not stay on. Shut off lights, went to bed as usual and in the morning the lights would not come on. I inspected the breaker panel and found that circuit was tripped. When I tried to flip it back on, it lasted less than a second with a sort of "bzzzz pop" sound. Same results every time I try to flip it back on - seemed like a short to me.

This breaker covers the overhead lighting (13 recessed flood lights) for 2 rooms and vanity lighting (4 LED bulbs) and 2 outlets (1 is GFCI) in a bathroom. There is a light switch in the bathroom, a light switch in one room and a dual switch in the other (one for each room). I figured I'd start ruling out components one by one.

In order to troubleshoot, I first removed all the bulbs just in case there was a bad ballast causing an issue - no change. I then removed the leads on all the outlets and light switches and tried again - no change. I then swapped out the breaker in the main panel - no change. I crawled into the attic and didn't see any damage (though a lot of the wiring is not easy to get to, I saw no evidence of animals chewing through anything). Is there anything I'm missing that I could look at?


texts:
My question is about AC Condensate Line Not Draining.

Please help.  We have had two separate service technicians and after 8 service trips, water is still leaking at our condo.

I have First Co Air Handler (30HX5-240).  It started leaking water so we had it serviced.

The AC technician blew nitrogen to the drain line, I guess assuming a clogged drain line.It didn't work.  He did it again and this time, he changed the drain pipe to a clear plastic tubing so he can see water draining.  Still didnt work.  We had him look at the drain pan and it was rusted.  He put a new drip pan in and it still leaked.  At the 4th service call, he blew nitrogen again, had his son who is also an AC technician, pump the drain forward and backward.  We saw some rust debri come out but now water is clear.  We also had plumber come to snake it.  He put in a T to vent it out. Not visible in picture.  Inside ceiling.

We called another big AC company.  They said the drip pan wasn't wasnt installed properly.  He corrected it and vacuumed the drain and tested it to make sure it was draining.  Still leaked.  On his return visit, he said it was spitting water and recommended a new unit and said there wasn't anything he could do.

We weren't convinced a new unit was required as the AC is working.  Had first service technician come back out and readjusted drain and had drip pan replaced again as it looked like it had a leak.  Well, that didn't do the magic trick.  We changed the air filter again and tested it.  We can see water draining from our test when we pour about 6 bottles in but water was always pooling at the plastic tubing.   After unit runs for about 6-8 hours, it then leaks again.  I began researching and reading quite a bit and came to the conclusion that we needed to do two things.  Put a condensate running trap and cap off the T air vent.  I bought the running trap at Home Depot and gave it to AC guy to install.  I was confident that this will work.  Well, it's still leaking.

Our next step is to open up the drain on the opposite site of the drip pan and connect to the T that we had left on the drain as shown in the picture.  The air vent is not visible and a few inches to the left of the the T.  I think the unit is drawing air back and it's not able to drain out when unit is running.  When unit is off, it drains fine as we can see it from the end of the drain under the vanity.

I also am going to ask the technician to check on refrigerant.

Your expert suggestions is much appreciated.  This is keeping me up at night.  :-)


texts: Partial insulation of suspended timber floor possible?

texts:
We live in a Victorian terraced house and will be putting tiling down in the hallway. I’d like to know whether at the same time we should also do something to improve the insulation of the floor.

Would we need to insulate the whole floor at once, or can we do the Hall now and the adjacent living room later?


texts: 2 independent GFCI (or 2-pole GFCI) outlet in 1-gang box. Does that exist?

texts:
I have a 1-gang duplex outlet under the sink in my kitchen. The two outlets are on separate phases of a single MWBC circuit. One of them powers the garbage disposal, and is controlled by a switch. The other powers the dishwasher.
I want to put them behind CAFCI/GFCI. But for whatever reason, 2-pole dual-function breakers do not seem to exist, even though both 2-pole CAFCI and 2-pole GFCI are available. (That sounds completely illogical to me, by the way.)
I suppose one way is to use a 2-pole CAFCI breaker with a GFCI outlet. But I couldn't find duplex GFCI receptacles where the GFCI mechanism can handle MWBC (either with two independent GFCI or with a 2-pole GFCI). Do they exist?


texts: I installed a GFCI outlet with the source being from another outlet (non-GFCI). from this GFCI outlet there is another outlet downstream but it is wired from the LINE of the other GFCI instead of the LOAD. When i plug the stove into the GFCI outlet, the outlet downstream trips. I have tried different brands of outlets but it keeps happening. So i changed the outlet that the stove connects to a (non-GFCI outlet) but once I plug in the stove, the GFCI outlet still trips. I have tried different GFCI outlets but it still trips, and its not like other cases where the electronic ignition of the stove causes the outlet to trip because as soon as it is plugged in it trips. The outlet still trips even if it is the only thing connected to the outlet and even if there is something else connected to the outlet. What could be causing this?


texts: Removing hose tap/faucet from old hose pipe (outside) when half the metal thread is stuck

texts:
Today, I tried to replace the tap unit to my mom's hose because the 40-year old tap was leaking water everytime I turned the water partially on. So I used a vise grip to try to unscrew the tap. The nice news is the tap is removed, but the bad news is it was not removed completely. In fact, part of the threading is still stuck in the barrel. Now remember, no plumbing work was done on this in like 40 years at least.

I tried various methods to remove the threading inside. First I tried scraping a kitchen knife around in hopes it eats at the metal. it only removed tiny pieces.

I then tried an interior wrench tool which looks like a stick that you put inside and turn with a wrench. That was also unsuccessful.

I even tried 60 grit sandpaper. That also does not work.

Now, my mom suspects the metal on the old hose tap is brass, but I think it is copper. I measured a new tap with a conductivity meter and surely enough it conducts electricity. Makes me think maybe it is copper but then again could brass conduct electricity?

Anyways, the only other thing I would consider trying is some sort of chemical to eat the metal. The only thing I have on hand is ferric chloride liquid that removes copper, but isn't there a better chemical or method I can use to get the stuck metal piece out?

I also suggested to her that a torch might be in order to help remove the part because I'm guessing some sort of chemical adhesive was used to keep the tap from leaking in the wrong places. but is there another way to do it without having to resort to using a torch?

This is the front view of the hole. I added red arrows to give you an idea of how far in I need to go to remove the stuck part.

This is the side view of the whole unit.


texts:
I mixed 1:1.5:3 by hand and using a bucket. I mixed the concrete on a plastic sheet but on hard soil not a concrete surface. I am not sure what I have done wrong. The portland cement bag suggested 1:4:3.5. It seems like that people here use more sand than coarse aggregates. I created this pad for a small sliding gate motor. Is it going to have problems?
What went wrong? Too little sand?


texts: Sand-blaster or angle-grinder to remove rust?

texts:
To remove the rust from my beloved barbecue pit, I am considering using an angle-grinder or renting a sand-blaster. Having never used either tool, there are several spots that look hard to reach with a grinder which is why I’m considering renting the sand-blaster.
Which tool would be a better match for the task?


texts: Need wood size identification (or suggestions) on barn door picture

texts:
Basically I want to build the exact door below, I really like the look of it and don't want to alter it if at all possible.  I started to plan things out, but I don't do much wood work.  I'm having trouble visualizing the wood sizes I would need to recreate that exact door. My door opening is 32" so I figured a 36.5" door should leave enough over hang on both sides.

Specifically the diagonal and framing pieces. I'm not sure what size piece of wood that is, or if my framing wood makes sense for the diagonal pieces as shown in the picture. I was thinking using a 2x(something) for the framing and a 1x(something) for the diagonal pieces to give the door a little depth, so it's not just a flat door.

Below is the picture of the original door and my plans so far for the pieces. Also, with my inexperience, I was planning on using screws, but also am not sure the size of screw I would use for all these pieces. (ex. #3 1 1/4 in)


texts: How to prepare concrete for epoxy floor coating when it's been repaired with a epoxy hole repair?

texts:
After taking our garage down to the studs to remediate black mold, and replace drastic termite damage, we intended to just scuff up the former owners concrete paint (I think now it was probably latex house paint) and concrete and put a epoxy floor coating (Rust-Oleum 238467 Professional Floor Coating).

When we went to scuff, the paint wasn't well adhered (easily came up in chunks with a razor blade) and we decided it needed to come off. So between a coating removal tool (Diamabrush) rental and chemical peal we pulled most of it up.

Unfortunately, also started to pull up the former owners attempt at a concrete repair. They had tried to bond concrete to concrete. We decided to remove that up too.

(Obviously looking back we did this all out of order. I should have realized the floor was in a poorer state than I initially thought.)

We can't afford to replace or resurface the entire slab, (extremely over budget already) so we sealed the crack with a two part epoxy crack sealer that indicated it was for wide cracks.

We are now working to fill the divots with the Rust-Oleum Concrete Patch and Repair Kit product (also two part). As we started to just fill the holes, smoothing them out almost made a coat over the entire area so we continued to do that.

Is there any hope in grinding this area smoother with a handheld diamond grinding wheel when the epoxy sets?
Is that even a good idea? Am I best just chemical etching the area?

It's primarily going to be the side of the garage where there's shelving and I'm planning to go heavy on the paint chips to make it look less horrible. But I want to do everything I can to make sure the floor coating is successful and doesn't look too shitty.


texts: 3 season room vent and insulation questions

texts: I am building a unheated 3 season room  in northern Wisconsin. I have insulated the floor with rigid foam blueboard. I plan on insulating the ceiling and walls as well. I have a 4/12 pitch gable roof extending from existing wall and a hip on other side. I am unsure of venting With a steel roof will the ridge vent be enough? do I need to vent the hip ridges or will snow and ice get in? I have 6 inch rafters and planed on 3.5 inches of insulation to allow air flow along with vent holes from hip section to gable area. Will this work?


texts: How can I open this bathroom light fixture with an arrow and tiny hole - Asonia Round Brushed

texts:
My bathroom has a light fixture with an arrow and a small hole on the other side.  How can I open it?  I don't want to damage it but I have tried some clockwise rotating.

I am not sure what the arrow indicates or what needs to be done with that hole on the other side.

Some photos:

Edit - tried counterclockwise too, not budging.  I tried sticking a small screwdriver in the hole but there's nothing catching.

Edit - I believe it is an Asonia Round Brushed chrome effect Bathroom ceiling light from B&Q.

Edit - I went to a B&Q and quietly opened a box and took this photo of the manual.

Edit - success! It was counter-clockwise rotation and required a lot of force.  The fixture that comes off is very heavy so be careful.

And if anyone is ever reading this, don't buy this dull, useless light fixture for your bathroom.


texts: No power to entire circuit after adding a single receptacle

texts: I was just adding a receptacle to one of my electric circuits. Once completed, I turned the circuit breaker “on”. No power on any of the receptacles and lights on that circuit. I checked every receptacle and fixture on that circuit for breakage or burnout. They all look ok. The only thing that I did not check is the circuit breaker. It is not tripped that means there is no short circuit. Is it possible that the circuit breaker is malfunctioning?


texts:
I broke my mixer a few weeks ago while preparing soup -- I guess I went a bit too hard on the motor, and a fuse must have burnt. This is exactly the model shown below over there, except that it's 400W, not 600W: http://i.stack.imgur.com/xSnnk.jpg

Is there any hope I can repair this by myself? If so, how exactly, and will it be worth the effort (in particular, will this be cheaper than buying a new one?)?

Thanks for your help!


texts: What units are the clutch settings on a drill?

texts:
I have tried looking around the internet for an answer - but I can only find articles that explain what the clutch on a drill does.

I am very familiar not only with what they do but also with how they operate.  I have always wondered, however, what the units for the numbers are.  They don't seem to be anything standard.

My drill has a max torque of 725lbf-in. I have tried converting that into all of the different units for torque I can find, but none of them result in a 24 (my max torque setting), or anything in that range.


texts: How are wires wired together and where can I find that point?

texts:
I previously asked this question about trouble shooting my receptacles. I have determined that the receptacles are wired correctly and that the issue is further up the line.

The issue being that my receptacles show 30V with a multimeter; when I have a lamp plugged in the multimeter shows 2V.

This circuit looks like so with all of these being on the same breaker.

So what I would like to know is how I can find the point where the wires for all of these are tied together.
The basement was wired this past winter.
There are no access panels anywhere.

Backgroud Work

The plugs that are daisy chained are daisy chained on the receptacle.
All my plugs show wired correctly with my socket tester.
I read 120V at the breaker.
I haven't checked out the light switch or the lamp socket but the plugs have a single 3 wire bundle (white, black, copper) with a white jacket over all 3 of them.
I rewired the backstabs to use screws on newly purchased receptacles.
I disconnected the daisy chain.
I disconnected the first plug in the daisy chain from the hot wire. (white, black and ground, putting wirenuts on any exposed wires)
I checked the voltage on the separate wired plug and got the 30V - 2V reading.
I disconnected the separate wired plug.
I wired the first plug in the daisy chain (with the daisy chain disconnected) and received the same reading as the separate wired plug.

I'm thinking that this means the issue is not at the plugs.


texts: How can I remove Gorilla Glue smudges from a quartz countertop?

texts: I used Gorilla Glue to fix an item and of course there wasn't enough counter protection. I removed as much as possible but now there's smudges of Gorilla Glue.  I am afraid to do more damage! Has anyone else dealt with this issue that could offer a wonderful solution?


texts: How can I convert from an E11 socket to an E26 socket?

texts:
Our church has halogen light fixtures with E11 sockets. We would like to convert these fixtures to accept E26 bulbs.

I am unable to find a direct adapter, is there any other way I can convert these sockets to E26, and are there any issues in doing so?


texts: How to install wardrobe flushed against the wall

texts: I am installing Ikea Pax system of wardrobes and was wondering if I should or should not remove the baseboards in order to have it flushed against the wall.Husband's concerns if of the mold and moisture...


texts: What will happen to the concrete I tint with latex paint?

texts:
Considering following the advice on pinterest to replace 1/4 of the water in some concrete with latex house paint to tint it.

Wondering if anyone has done this and knows if this will actually affect the strength or durability of the concrete.  Or, as pinterest suggests, improve the concrete.

Yes, there is a similar question on DIY but it was asked if it can be done, and that answer is yes; I'm asking how the resulting concrete will be affected.


texts: Where in the attic is this ceiling leak coming from?

texts:
There are couple of circular spots on the ceiling that are growing slowly and directly on top in the attic are these big metal-like boxes that ducts connect to. I'm not sure what they are. One of these sits directly on top of where the 'leaks' are, so I don't know what's causing the marks and whether it's an easy fix or not. Thanks!

.


texts: Remove hard amber glue from tile and bathtub?

texts:
I'm not sure what kind of glue this is. It's an amber color and it's very rigid, like hard plastic.

I've tried Goo Gone, which didn't do anything.

I was able to chip away at it with a putty knife, but it's slow work and I'm afraid of damaging the tile/bathtub.

Any suggestions ?


texts: Breaker off but shock when electric heater kicked on

texts:
I was recently working on my ceiling fan wiring. I had the breaker off and I confirmed no power coming in. While I was preparing to twist the cap onto the black wire (I was touching the exposed copper), the electric heat in my house kicked on and I got a smallish shock.

The shock wasn't as significant as touching a live black wire; if I had to guess I'd say half as painful.

Is this an indicator of a problem in my house's wiring?


texts: Wiring Fresh Air Damper to New Ecobee Thermostat

texts: Ok, here's the deal. I currently have a zoned system with a fresh air "ventilator" (actually just a fresh air damper) and I want to install an ecobee thermostat. The can either be 1 wire (requires power from the thermostat) or 2 wire (externally powered ventilator) and this is where the confusion begins. On my current thermostat I have two wires going to my fresh air damper, yellow on U1 and white on the C terminal, and if you look at the damper wiring you see the two wires coming from the thermostat and no other external power source. I believe the installer chose to jumper the C wire at the thermostat which is confusing me to have a 2 wire setup when in fact I actually have a 1 wire setup which gets power from the thermostat.... am I confused?


texts: Added Outlet to a GFI Receptacle covered circuit

texts:
In my garage I have a single 15 Amp circuit that has 4 receptacles on it. One of the receptacles has a refrigerator and an upright small freezer on it, all are non-self defrosting type. Nothing else is on the other receptacles. The 4 recepts are protected with one of them being a GFCI type.

I put in some shelving and am about to covered one of the recepts so I installed a 5th receptacle about 14 feet down the wall with wire-mold yesterday. Simple 14 ga wire with ground, 14 feet of wire. I simply connected it to the terminals on the 4th receptacle I intend to leave behind the shelving.

Turned the breaker back on after everything was installed correctly and with that 5th receptacle installed the GFCI recept will not reset?  Why would that 14 feet of #14 wired to an added receptacle with no load applied anywhere,(except the two refrig/freezers plugged in), cause the GFCI Receptacle to stay tripped when a 50' extension cord plugged into that 4th recept works just fine?

After reading several of the comments here about how touchy some of these refrigerator and freezers are with GFCI protected circuits my next step will be to unplug the refrigerator and freezer from the circuit and reconnect the added on 5th receptacle and see if that works.. If so I'll simply run a new, dedicated circuit to the refrigerator & freezer location for them to have their own circuit.

Do you think replacing the GFCI receptacle with a regular non-GFCI recept and replacing the breaker with a GFCI breaker would also help so I can leave the refrigerator and freezer plugged into the circuit ? I am a former US NAVY repair electrician so I know how to wire properly.. but I must admit the intricacies of these GFCI recepts have me puzzled .. LOL..


texts: Black water from kitchen sink cold water line

texts:
Today I noticed my kitchen sink was leaking underneath in the cabinet. I went to take a look and it looked as if it was coming from somewhere inside the faucet. I disconnected the lines and removed the faucet so I could take a better look inside to see if it needed replaced, and when removing the cold water line, I noticed some black water dripped out. I took some q-tips to see if it was coming from the faucet line, the connector, or the house line, and as far as I can tell with the q-tip, it seems to be darkest in the connector and the faucet line, but there is definitely some inside the house line. I figured this could be mold from the connector or faucet that dripped down into the house line, but now I am worried that it has spread deeper down

A couple things: I noticed no water discoloration before this little project. No other faucets have discolored water either, though I havent checked any lines underneath except one or two months back.

The setup of the sink:

Two house lines; one hot and one cold. The cold water line has a connector and then the blue water "pipe" (Im going to call it pipe for lack of a better word, aka I forget what it is called) that comes from the faucet. Dido for the hot water line. The hot water line has an additional "pipe" that goes into the dishwasher. The faucet has a third line, which Im assuming mixes the two lines, that also has the weight attached to pull the faucet hose back in (it is one of the ones that you can pull down). No black water was found anywhere here.

Is there any way to:

See how far back the black goes
Clean the lines that need it
Clean the entire water line

Or should I just call a plumber, and what are the estimated (it can be a very rough estimate) costs with doing so for this type of work


texts: What can I replace oversized waterproof outlet cover with?

texts:
In my house I have two external outlets like this:

Both of them cracked and need replacement. Though I found a straight replacement (Leviton 4986-GY 1-Gang Duplex Device Wallplate Cover, Oversize, Weather-Resistant, Thermoplastic, Device Mount, Horizontal, Gray) based on reviews they will crack soon again.
I tried to find alternatives but there are no clear candidates. Ideally I'd like to install something like weatherproof deep in-use cover one but they don't cover underlying round box. What are my options?

Update. Followed the answer, worked like a charm! Need to paint around outlet.


texts:
I've run into a bit of a delema. I plan to install 16 Halo H7 recessed lights in the ceiling of a new home. They are technically rated at 75 watts because they have medium screw base sockets and can take 75 watt incandescent lamps. Normally, if I wanted to dim them, I would need a 1200 watt dimmer (75*16=1200).

But the dimable LED bulbs I intend to use are 5 watts each, so only an 80 watt dimmer would be required. The dimmer would need to be able to dim LEDs.

But I'm having a hard time finding an LED compatible dimmer that is rated for 1200 watts. (Probably because no one needs to put 240 fixtures on a single dimmer!)

I know that using a smaller LED dimmer would be safe and work fine for my application, but since this is new construction and must pass inspection, is there a code-complaint way to handle this scenario?

Is there a rule or exception that makes using a small dimmer in this case OK?  Can I write "max lamp size: 10 watts" inside each fixture to derate it? Or should I just put a toggle switch on the circuit and replace it with an LED dimmer after getting the CO?


texts: Grounding short section of metallic conduit or raceway used solely for protecting NM from physical damage without junction?

texts:
I would like to run NM wire in a short section of metallic conduit (e.g. EMT) perpendicular to the joists in my basement so I do not have to drill any additional holes in the joists as allowed by 334.15(C) of the NEC.

As I understand section 334.15(C) of the NEC, I will still have to bond the EMT to keep it from becoming energized in case of a ground fault if I use a short section of to provide support and protection of the NM cable from physical damage per 300.12. The code provides specific guidance in 334.15(C) on how to do this, but provides very little information on how to properly ground it.

Can I properly ground the EMT without adding a junction box on one end or the other of the EMT just to splice the NM inside of the junction box and access the ground wire? If so, what are the methods to do so? At this point, I'm thinking Schedule 80 PVC is the easier way to go to avoid needing bond the conduit, but I'm still curious how this is done in practice (that is, if it is done).

Note: The NM cable is smaller than three 8 AWG conductors, so I cannot staple the cable to the bottom of the joists directly per 334.15(C) of the NEC.

Relevant quoted sections of the NEC (NFPA-70:2014)

  334.15(C) In Unfinished Basements and Crawl Spaces. Where cable is run at angles with joists in unfinished basements and crawl spaces, it
  shall be permissible to secure cables not smaller than two 6 AWG or
  three 8 AWG conductors directly to the lower edges of the joists.
  Smaller cables shall be run either through bored holes in joists or on
  running boards. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable installed on the wall of an
  unfinished basement shall be permitted to be installed in a listed
  conduit or tubing or shall be protected in accordance with 300.4.
  Conduit or tubing shall be provided with a suitable insulating bushing
  or adapter at the point the cable enters the raceway. The sheath of
  the nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall extend through the conduit or
  tubing and into the outlet or device box not less than 6 mm (1⁄4 in.).
  The cable shall be secured within 300 mm (12 in.) of the point where
  the cable enters the conduit or tubing. Metal conduit, tubing, and
  metal outlet boxes shall be connected to an equipment grounding
  conductor complying with the provisions of 250.86 and 250.148.

  300.12 Mechanical Continuity — Raceways and Cables. Metal or nonmetallic raceways, cable armors, and cable sheaths shall be
  continuous between cabinets, boxes, fittings, or other enclosures or
  outlets. Exception No. 1: Short sections of raceways used to provide
  support or protection of cable assemblies from physical damage shall
  not be required to be mechanically continuous.


texts: Three wire vs four wire feed remote sub panel

texts:
I added a drawing. of both wiring configurations. The only advantage I can see is the 4 wire gives you a dedicated ground fault circuit vs sharing the neutral wire.
Open neutral between the two panels would make the ground hot in the 3 wire.

Open neutral between the main panel and transformer would make the ground hot in the 4 wire.

I am trying to understand how this works and why the code changed. In this case you have a detached shop 250 feet away with no plumbing or other connections to the house with the main panel.

The current NEC code requires a 4-wire feeder so there is a separate grounding connector between the Main and Sub panels. The neutral and ground are not bonded in the subpanel. In this setup if a hot wire coming in contact with the non-current carrying parts of the electrical system, (outlet covers, panel covers etc), the 4th ground conductor will provide a low resistance patch back to the source tripping a breaker.
This 4th grounding connector ties the ground rod at the sub panel to the ground rod at the Main panel making a grounding system.

How were the sub panels wired when 3 wires were allowed? Was the neutral and ground bonded in the Sub panel so the neutral wire served as the grounding connector?  Was this code changed for the same reason 220 volt plugs went from 3 to 4 wire?


texts: Wiring pull switch ceiling fan to wall switch

texts:
This is a slightly different question to one previously asked on this site (see: Changing a pull switch to a hard wired wall switch Ceiling fans).

I would like to wire a ceiling fan with light that is currently pull switch controlled for both the fan and the light. The line running to the fan is on a 15 amp breaker, so I need to use 14 awg wire. Ideally, for the reasons one of the administrators of this site stated in the question I cited above, I would like to use 14/4 awg wire, but I cannot find any electrical house or hardware store that sells 14/4 wire in any length other than a spool of 250 feet. Not needing that size, I have decided to switch to 14-2-2 with ground and do the job that way. I just wanted to confirm that I can use 14-2-2 just as I would the 14/4 (obviously with the exception of the color difference in the wires) wire.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated.


texts:
I have these two switches which the left one is for the bathroom fan and the right one for the light.

Everything already works.

Now I want to add a minuter switch to the fan and the minuter have all these colors: black, white, green, red and yellow.

It a Leviton.

As I understand, black is for hot wire, white is the neutral, green the ground and red is for the line feed. Yellow is not used in this case.

I really need to know if I have a neutral wire but it's confusing because both whites are attached to the switch right now.

As you can see with the left one which we see the connectors that both white wires are connected to the switch and both black wires attached.

If everything works, my feeling is that the white wires are the hot and the line feed. And the black ones are neutral.

Am I wrong?

Note that it's the same pattern with the right switch.

Thanks for you help.


texts: black, white and green wires from box, but only black and white on fixture

texts:
My wiring coming out of the electrical box are white, black and green.  How do I connect the light fixture that only has black and white?  Is there another way to connect the ground (green) wire to the fixture?  There also is not a green screw.  Thanks for the assistance.

Rick


texts: Replace and old outlet with GFCI where the GFCI won't fit in the existing box

texts:
My house was built in 1958. City inspector asked me to replace outlet in bathroom and kitchen with a GFCI, and says he will check if the wiring is correct or not. When I connect the GFCI, there are two problems

GFCI outlet is bigger than old one, can't fit.
GFCI outlet has grounding screw, but wire from box has no grounding wire.

My questions

Should I cut wall to change a bigger box to fit gfci outlet.
Just connect it without grounding is OK?


texts: How can I safely remove a large fallen tree?

texts:
I have a large tree that has fallen on my property, and it is currently supported on opposite ends, like this:

The bulk of the tree that was beyond the fence, off to the right, was already removed by the county. IOW, you can see 99% of what remains in this picture.

For reference, the fence on the right is six feet high and the root structure on the left is about twelve feet high.

I'd like to use my chainsaw to remove this behemoth from my yard. Anyone have any tips do this safely and efficiently?


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Would it possibly make sense for me to use aerogel as a seasonal window quilt? It may depend critically on some other factors; if so, what are they?

In particular, I have heard that aerogel designed for insulation has the following properties which led me to consider it. Are these accurate?

I have heard that it is translucent.
I have heard that it squishes fairly well against irregular surfaces and does not lose much of its insulating value when compressed.
I have heard that it is fairly resistant to coming apart if it catches on stuff.
I have heard that it has an r-value of about 10 per inch or more, under "normal" conditions.
I have heard that it is less likely (given current knowledge) to pose health risks than fiberglass.
I've heard that it can be had for about $30 per cubic foot in 2020.

I'm pretty sure that "aerogel" is a pretty broad class of materials. If I am looking for "insulating aerogel," what descriptors should I look for to make sure I am not buying some other kind of aerogel?

It is possible that this question has too many "subcomponents" and will need to be split up; sorry if that's the case.