texts: Was it ever acceptable in the past to use 20A breakers with 14 AWG wire?

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Background

I recently bought a house which was made in 1965 and which still had the original Bryant outdoor main box and breaker, a subfeed to the original GE subpanel in the garage, and (with a few modern exceptions, which seemed to be added by the previous owner) the original GE breakers.  Most of the wiring is 1960s-vintage fabric-covered, rubber-insulated 12/2 Romex which is still in reasonable shape. With the exception of some high-power circuits, like those feeding the electric oven, stove, a spa (which had been removed by the previous owner), electric dryer, and AC unit, all the circuits used 20A tandem breakers (see photo).

A neighbor having a similar house made at the same time by the same builder has a near-identical setup, with the same use of 20A tandem breakers for the branch circuits.

I've since had the exterior main breaker, subfeed to the subpanel, and subpanel replaced to support a solar installation. The new panel is a BR model by Eaton with more slots so tandem breakers don't need to be used. The electricians simply used new breakers of the same rating for each circuit (e.g. a 20A breaker in the old panel was replaced with a new non-tandem 20A dual-function AFCI/GFCI breaker in the new panel).

The new panel and solar installation was done by a licensed electrician and passed inspection. So far, so good.

I've been going around the house replacing old, worn-out switches and receptacles with new ones, checking for and replacing loose original crimp connections with wire nuts, etc., and noticed that several lighting circuits have 14/2 wiring but are still fed by a 20A breaker. It appears that those lighting circuits have 12/2 running from the subpanel to the first switch or fixture on that circuit, with 14/2 being used for the remainder of the circuit. From what I can tell, all the wiring is original 1960s vintage (i.e., the previous owner did not re-wire the circuits to use 14 AWG wire, it had always been that way).

Clearly, this does not meet modern code requirements and I've ordered replacement 15A dual-function AFCI/GFCI breakers to replace the 20A ones feeding circuits with 14 AWG wire to be safe.

My Question

Since the house was built by a reputable builder and presumably passed whatever permit/inspection requirements existed in the 1960s, that prompts me to ask: was it ever (specifically in the 1960s) acceptable or to-code to use 14 AWG wiring with 20A breakers for household branch/lighting circuits? Clearly this is not the case with the modern code (barring rare exceptions not typically found in a suburban home), but was it ever acceptable?


texts: Ceiling fan wobble due to crooked threading?

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I installed a ceiling fan today that wobbled. I spent about 90 minutes messing with a balancing kit and could not get the wobble to go away.

I took the fan down, put it on my flat floor and spun the motor housing with the downrod still installed. The downrod wobbled side to side as it spun around the motor and clearly was not sitting straight. Since the downrod is threaded into the motor housing though, there's not much I could do to get it straight. Just for kicks, I put the downrod back into my old ceiling fan which had no wobble and it too looked in that one too. I don't know why that one didn't appear to wobble but the new one does, although the new fan has more and longer blades.

Anyways - if the downrod isn't threaded straight into the motor housing, am I out of luck no matter what? Or is this typical?


texts:
Frontload GE Washing Machine to sit on Basement cement floor. Drain to Greywater rockbed is a 2" line going out through wall 54" above basement floor. It goes through wall and down approx 3 feet on a 45 degree angle to a 4" line which runs 40 feet to the greywater rock well.
Can I and how should I put the washer drain into that 2" line?
Where that 2" line goes out the wall it is only 24" below basement ceiling.
If I raise the washer above the floor , how high should I go?


texts: Floor heating is not as warm as I was expected

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I've just moved in a one-room flat which has floor heating. I thought that floor heating would be enough but it turns out to be a disaster. The room is not heating as a normal room with a radiator. I can only feel the heat coming from the pipes which are located under on several places. Is this normal with floor heating or is there something wrong with my flat? The constructor of the house came and checked and told me that everything is as it is supposed to be.

What should I do to make the flat warmer?

Missing information:
You can control the temperature with a thermostat, which is maximum 30 celcius degrees. Outside is approx. 0 degrees. The floor is parquet. I have no knowledge about pipe layout though. The floor is not uniformly warm but only specific parts of the floor.

A little update: Today, they issued a mail to all of the occupants regarding the heating system is broken and they'll have to fix it. When I asked them to check if it is broken, they told me that it was working just the way it should be. Anyways, thanks for all the  help, it had already begun to get warmer when I started to keep it open all the time, let's see what will happen after they fix it.


texts: Supply is coming but if load (Appliance) is connect then load does not work

texts: In my home one distribution board indicate supply but when I connect any appliance to board the board indicator is off and appliance does not work. Other distribution boards are working.


texts: I need to make some wall repairs in our house (lath and plaster). After making the repairs, I'll need to add texture over the repairs. After doing a bit of research, it looks like this is a so-called "knockdown" texture. I know that you can apply an initial texture in many different ways before doing the knockdown. Any thoughts on how to achieve this result?


texts: What is this utility box found above a basement bathroom?

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While investigating putting in a fan, we came across this odd utility box with spring loaded cover. What is it for, and can we remove it?

House was built in 1935. An addition to another part of the house was added in the 1960s.

Center part looks like ceramic. Insulator?

Four holes, that might be threaded. Center, ceramic? part has a raised section that would maybe prevent mis-alignment of whatever attaches.

Here is a shot of the wire disappearing under the house. Electric wire in foreground gives some scale:


texts: How do I get better looking results with Sandstone texture paint?

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I am painting a small bathroom with Sandstone paint that I bought in Lowe's (for non-US users, this is big chain of home improvement/remodeling stores).

The result is just terrible. First, it requires multiple passes just to hide the white base ($50/can, and I am finishing a second can. $100 just to paint a small bathroom is rather excessive). Second, I can't get the paint to lay uniformly on the wall: sand (the aggregate in the paint) ends up as big, visible build-ups on the wall.

What am I doing wrong and how do I do it right?


texts: Is galvanized steel totally incompatible with cedar, even when only touching on the surface?

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I'm building a cedar picket fence attached to 2 3/8" chain link fence style galvanized steel posts using galvanized post brackets like these. I know that there are a lot of material incompatibility potentials here, so I want to make sure I get it right.

Two questions:

I know that galvanized fasteners corrode in cedar and cause ugly stains, but will it be a problem to have galvanized brackets simply touching the cedar rails on the surface? Should I "downgrade" to spruce/fir/pine rails in order to reduce corrosion of the galvanized hardware that will be touching them, or physically isolate them from each other with something?
If I use stainless steel screws to affix the rails to the galvanized brackets, will that create a galvanic corrosion potential? (the galvanized brackets will be the anode)


texts: How to mount toroidal transformer in metal chassis

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I bought a Hammond 300VA Toroid transformer with these parts:

And this is the common installation method:

Complete setup of mounting it to the metal chassis is (the bolt is needed here):

Some say that if you connect this as instructed.. then the toroid transformer will short and get destroyed even without covering it wirh metal chassis cover. This is because the top and bottom would form close circuit surrounding the flux in the core via the bolt shorting the winding.

Is it true? If true, why does manufacturer give you mounting accessories that can just short it?

So the right way to install it may be just to put it at metal chassis without any metal mount? If you just put it at the bottom of the chassis, would there be flux intermingling with the metal chassis bottom?


texts: not all the time, but sometimes when we turn our light off in our kitchen pantry, it triggers other lights to go out so we have to reset the breaker for those lights. This is a brand new custom homebut we can't seem to get the electrician back out to look at it. Any idea what could be causing this to happen?


texts: 1/2 Inch CSST vs 3/4 inch pipe for isolated 45 ft run from LNG Meter to 71000 total BTU stove?

texts: Adding NG stove to existing service.  Significant price difference in quotes.  What risk do we take going with the smaller diameter CSST over the pipe?  There will be four 90 degree turns over 45 foot run.  No intention of connecting additional appliances.  Could there be flow issues with the lower diameter CSST?


texts: Fixing paint situation after using untinted base paint

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I stupidly bought a 5-gallon bucket of untinted "deep" interior base paint thinking that I could paint walls white with it. Only after putting about two gallons on the walls and letting it dry did I realize that although the paint is white when wet, it is almost translucent when it dries, and I should have had the base tinted before applying. The old paint color bleeds through, even after multiple coats.

So I've learned my lesson about untinted bases. My question is whether I can now just paint over the walls with a properly tinted paint. Is there any reason why not?

Secondarily, is there anything I can do to salvage the ~3 gallons of untinted base that I have? It was expensive, high-quality paint and I'd hate to waste it. The paint store said they can't tint partially full buckets. Can I tint it in any other way? I'm not particular about the color as long as it is whitish.


texts: Why is my emt 1/2" conduit offset bend off?

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I used the Klein shrinkage calculations on the handle.  For example for a 3 inch offset bend, you use 6 inch from point A plus 3/4" or 6 3/4" for point B.

So, why is it when I bend it, that it is 4" instead of 3"?

Also, even when I used a 2"inch offset with 22.5 angle -- Klein table calculation it is off again by 1". What am I doing wrong? I'm not going past the line?

Also, is their a tool snap collar to measure 180 degrees so I can be exact instead of eye sight when I reverse it the opposite way on mark B? I also noticed that if it isn't exactly 180 on point B it also causes the offset to not be flush with the ground.

Thank You


texts: How should I connect a fixture to this outlet?

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I'm replacing a light fixture in my house and am a bit confused about how the old fixture was wired.

There are two pairs of wires, 2 black, 2 white and 2 ground.  The two black wires were capped off together and not hooked up to the old fixture at all.

The white and beige wire were connected two the old light I removed.  I guessing one set of wires is power coming from the box and the other set is from the switch.  The switch is a dimmer.

The light I bought has black and white wires.  Any ideas on how to tell which ones to hook them up too?


texts: I have some extra ditra heat for a bathroom membrane that I'd like to use for my foyer which will not be getting heat. I need to purchase a bit of extra membrane and wondering if I can use normal ditra which is a bit cheaper. Both 1/8" but wondering if performance is the same or if I will run into issues with the transition


texts: I can't work out what this switch is for

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In my new home, on onr 1 wall, there is the switch shown below.

I would have assumed it was for an electric fireplace, but there are no signs around it at all.

what is this switch most likely for?
Please note it wasn't us who splattered pain all over it.


texts: Which copper adapter should I use for tub spout and what is the difference?

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I'm going to sweat a 1/2" piece of copper with a Male Adapter Fitting to thread into the drop-ear for my tub spout.

I purchased this: 1/2 in. Copper Pressure Cup x MIP Male Adapter Fitting

Later online I found this: 1/2 in. Copper FTG x MIP Fitting Adapter Fitting

Both seem to appear to do the same thing, yet the latter is 4 times the price of the other with what appears to be just a little more copper.

What's the difference between the 2? Is one better for my application?


texts: Appliances plugged in GFCI outlet works but when plugging in the downstream outlet doesn’t

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When I plugging coffee machine in the GFCI outlet, it works but does not in the downstream outlets. The Voltage of downstream outlet drops to 87V after plugging in the downstream outlet.And shows open neutral if plugging tester. GFCI wasn’t tripped and voltage was still 120V.
Test-reset GFCI will bring the Voltage back. Any suggestions to troubleshoot?


texts: Should I remove old wood glue before reinstalling a board on a table, and how?

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We have a coffee table we made with four 2x4 planks stained and glued to a tabletop.  About a year later, one of the planks had loosed so I ripped it off and I was planning to reapply the wood glue and clamp it back in place.  There is a bunch of dried wood glue on the bottom of the wood and some on the tabletop as well.  The glue is very hard and it's thick in some places.

Do I need to remove this dried glue before adhering it with more wood glue?  It is very hard and it's thick in some places, so I'm concerned it would not lay evenly.

If it does need to be removed what is the best method to do that?  Is there a solvent I should use?  Or is there a tool I should use it scrape it?

The glue is Elmers but I'm not sure if it is Wood Glue or Wood Glue Max.

Photos


texts:
I am getting a new AC and coils new use old one died

This is for second floor where we have 4 bedrooms

Question

Is it possible to have thermostat in every bedroom
Is it allowed under code ?
What components are required to make it happen
My contractor is also researching as he hasn't done but I would also like to understand the process too


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I have found diagrams that are almost what I’m looking for but not quite. Maybe because it isn’t logical/feasible? I’m wiring three switches to control multiple LED panel lights in the ceiling.
I have found a diagram that’s close that shows a sequence of Source - Switch 1 - Light - Switch 2 - Switch 3.
What I’m looking for, if feasible, is a little different. Referring to the diagram attached, I’d prefer the route from the Source, to Switch 2, Light 7, L6, L5, Switch 3, L4, L3, L2, Switch 1, L1, L9, L8.
Is this feasible/rational, and if so, what would be the wiring diagram?
Additional notes:
The LEDs are line voltage.
The intention is that each switch will turn on or off the all the lights.
Ideally, Switch 1 would be a dimmer
Thanks!


texts: Can the socket in my recessed light be replaced without replacing the entire framing kit?

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I have recessed lighting in my living room.  One of the bulbs went out.  I tried replacing it with a fresh one, but no luck.  There is electricity flowing to the socket, but the socket appears to have gone bad.

I bought a replacement socket at Home Depot, but upon disassembling the light, I realized that I might not be able to replace the socket alone.

I have a Lightolier Lytecaster 1102 Frame-In-Kit.  Details here:

http://www.lightolier.com/MKACatpdfs/1102D1.PDF

http://www.lightolier.com/MKACatinstr/IS_1102.PDF

It doesn't look like the socket can be removed from the porcelain socket housing.  Does this mean I have to replace the entire framing kit?  I tried calling Lightolier support, but so far I've only gotten an answering machine.

Here are photos of the enclosure:

And how the socket is fastened:

SOLVED: See Dan's answer below. I don't know how I missed it, but inside the socket there are screws.  The socket is not riveted to the enclosure.  Alas, I did have to buy the whole Frame-in-Kit to get the correct socket, but at least I didn't have to remove the entire frame from the ceiling.  I just unscrewed the socket and screwed in the new one.


texts: How can I prevent my lawnmower from spreading red thatch?

texts: My lawn last year allegedly suffered from red thatch. I’ve since moved but want to know if my lawn mower could carry red thatch to my new lawn and, if so, how I can clean it properly to prevent spreading it?


texts: Should I be concerned about the repair to a ceiling after water damage?

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We're in the middle floors of an apartment building and have had some damage done to our bathroom ceiling around the manhole due to some leaking pipes (minor rupture so there was a bit of water).

The damage is most visible around the manhole primarily because this is how the water leaked down out of the ceiling section. There was a fair bit of water when it was discovered. The leak has been fixed by the buildings plumber.

Now the building management is responsible for repairing the damage as it was caused by a fault that occurred between apartments.

What I see:

Some discoloration and stains around the area where the water leaked out.
The ceiling looks slightly darker (still wet look - but not the touch) around the manhole up to the edge of the wall.
Images here: corner discoloration hard to see and stain on manhole

I'm still waiting to hear back from the repair man about what steps he'll take. I'm hoping it will involve repainting the ceiling.

Questions:

What else can I look for / ask to be done as part of the ceiling repairs to ensure any damage doesn't get worse?
Should I be concerned about the state of the plaster now?


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I am renovating a cabin including complete re-siding so I thought I would use this as an opportunity to upgrade the electrical service to 200amp (currently 100amp). Two reasons, 1) I might want to add full HVAC in the future, 2) the current service is not up to code and down-right dangerous (as you can tell from the attached picture). In the picture the black box is the location of the interior (now main) panel.
I initially started this discussion on this thread:
Pros/Cons combined meter/load center
I've met with the Staking Engineer and we discussed various service entry points. Given the landscape, it will be difficult to put a pole in that actually helps. I've attached a photo with the final plan based on everyone's input
I like the idea of a combo unit because I think it will look a little cleaner and has a smaller foot print than a separate meter base/panel. Plus the unit I am considering (Square D SO2040M200S) allows me to bring a conduit out the top to feed my subpanel through the rim joist instead of coming out the side and taking a 90 degree turn up to the rim joist. The Square D SO2040M200S combo is about 18" wide and 41" tall as compared to (as example) UTRS202B meter base plus HOM12M200PRB panel which together are about 45" tall and only give me 12 full spaces.
Specifically:

Service attaches to the (reinforced)flying rafter via 3" Clevis attached with through bolt (blue line)
Service head approximately 12" below fascia and not more than 24" from Clevis
Square D SO2040M200S Combo meter base/panel
2" RMC to meter box/panel combo - mounted so meter is 5' above landing (Red)
2" (or 2.5") Schedule 80 PVC from panel to rim joist and enter basement (Red)

I plan to use:

(3) 4/0 Al XHHW-2 for service entry to meter
Homeline (HOM2100CP) 100amp branch breaker
SER 1-1-1-3 Al for the 20' run to 100amp subpanel (green line)
#4 Cu ground wire to main panel

I think this is all doable and appears to meet code requirements.
Questions:

Does this all sound reasonable?
I want a spacer between the panel and concrete block. I believe I shouldn't mount the box directly on treated lumber without a spacer due to reaction with chemicals (?). This area will see weather so standard lumber will probably be short-lived. Suggestions?


texts: What fittings to use for floating box shelves

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I'm trying to fit some box shelves but cannot find the type of fittings to use so that the screws are not visible.
The thickness of the shelves of about 1cm. This is the fitting of the back of the shelves:

Which means that when hung using screws and rawl-plugs the screws are far too visible.

Now the only thing I can think of that would be small enough not to show either above or below the shelf are nails - but they won't support the shelves if I put anything on them heavier than a curry takeaway menu.
I believe my walls are brick and plaster (1960's British house) so things like Super Hooks are unlikely to work as the walls are too solid.
What should I use to hang these shelves?


texts:
I'm adding subflooring to improve the R value.
I have some laminate boards that are damaged, but most seem to be in decent condition.

I'm thinking of saving some money and finding a matching or very similar looking laminate boards. I will use the new pieces in the bedrooms, and the old pieces in the open living room area.

Is it a good idea to reuse these boards? I pulled one piece out and it's dated 2006, so it's likely that it was installed the same year.


texts: fluorescent lamp messing with voltage in the house

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I got a cool lamp from a yard sale, its an arm mounted desk lamp that has a giant magnifying lens in the head and a circular fluorescent tube around it so its really nice for zooming in and illuminating whatever I place under it.

The downside is that it appears to be messing with the power delivery to every other electronic device connected to the mains in the moment when I turn it on. Some are more, others less affected but most annoyingly - it causes my stereo to black out every time I turn the lamp on. The stereo will come back on in like 10 seconds or so but still, can't be healthy.

What can I do to prevent this? Is it supposed to be happening or is the lamp broken somehow?

The lamps previous owner told me she had no issues with it, she was using it to zoom in on pimples in a beauty parlor haha.


texts:
Does anyone have a creative/safe way to hide this hideous sewer vent and manhole?

Thanks in advance!


texts: How do I finish the open end of a chair rail?

texts:
I helped a friend put up a chair rail in his house yesterday. It turned out great, except that neither of us knew what to do about where it met the window. Since the window didn't have trim around the outside, the chair rail kind of dead ends without any end piece.

Here's a photo:

Any suggestions on how to finish this? I know it would typically be cut at a 45° bevel, but since it's hollow behind the rail, it wouldn't look right unless it was caulked or spackled.


texts: Why is an outlet box outside of the wall?

texts: I'm considering putting an offer in on a house and am questioning this outlet prior to being able to do a home inspection.  Is there any reason to be alarmed that this outlet is boxed outside of the wall?  What are the reasons that the electric would be ran like this?  I don't see any obvious signs to answer my question in the basement below the outlet.


texts: We have a deep water well with a new submersible pump. I was getting ready to install a new pressure tank and noticed that the old one is placed after several fixtures, including the hot water heater. Everything I see online indicates that the pressure tank should be the first thing in sequence after the water line comes into the house, with everything else following after. A friend says that it doesn't matter, but I can't wrap my head around that answer. Should the pressure tank be first in line or not?


texts: Can someone help me decipher the rough in currently in our basement and identify what is what? What else needs to be done to complete the rough in before finishing the bathroom and starting to frame?


texts: What’s asbestos look like on heating vents?

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I’m repainting my heating register vents and noticed something on the ductwork I didn’t see before. Pics attached. Judging from a google search, it looks like the section of ductwork that connects to the baseboard is wrapped in asbestos.
I can’t find it on any other parts of my ductwork in the basement. Just on the pieces that connect to the baseboard register vents.
Should I be concerned? No plans to do any remodeling anytime soon. Is it worrisome that it’s so accessible to get at? And why would it only be used on this parts of the ducting?


texts: How can I conceal the underside of roof sheathing with protruding roofing nails?

texts: I just had a new roof done and as you can see, they used long nails which protruded through the plywood and splintered the wood. I cannot afford to have someone scrape and paint the whole underside of the carport. Can I just have someone spray the whole thing as a quick fix?


texts:
I replaced a couple of broken outlets that had a “bootleg ground “ on them.

Most posts say it’s dangerous to have bootleg ground. Older home, no ground, no metal, no metal sheathing on wires.

Question: Is it better to have no ground?

Thank you


texts: Epoxy to bond smooth aluminium to chipboard?

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Is there a glue / epoxy that's viscous enough to be absorbed by chipboard and can also bond metal?
I have a project where I want to figure out how to secure a metal part to chipboard without using nails etc. I've tried a two part epoxy called ergo 1309 that is good for bonding metals and wood, but because it doesn't flow and is more like a gel, it doesn't absorb into the wood, and so the metal can be torn off the board because the wood chips are easily torn off from each other.


texts:
There is a device in my head that I know must exist, but I can't seem to find it.

I own a drill. Kinda small. It has a small chuck so the shank dia of the drill bits that I can use is limited. Is there a way around this limitation?

I figure there must be a device that is basically a large chuck connected to a thin shank which can fit in the chuck of my drill, effectively allowing me to use drill bits with greater dias.

Links to where I can purchase this imaginary device would be appreciated.


texts: How to correctly level a raised floor built on an old garage floor?

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So, I've already tried and failed at this twice and if I'm going to rip up the floor again I want to make sure I do it right this time.
I made this room in my basement that used to be a garage and the floor (because it was a garage) it's pitched down about a decent amount (I forget but it's close to an inch). I read that the best way it so cut some 2by material and then shim it up until it's level but after doing this and it settling (winter maybe) my floor is really bouncy now as some spots are lower. It's very annoying as when anyone walks in the room everything shakes. When I installed heat (hot water) under the floor this winter I again tried to fix it by gluing shims this time and adding spray foam under the joists but within a couple of months, the floor is back to be bouncy again, this time maybe worse.
So, if I 'm going to take up the floor and furniture again what's the best approach to make sure I don't have to do this again? Here are some pictures of the initial build and the last time when I added insulation and spray foam.
To make things more complicated a wall and cabinets are built in that can not be removed. So, I can't remove the entire floor and have to just take up large sections of the plywood and work with that.


texts: Can I add return air vents to improve air conditioning in some rooms?

texts:
The return air system in my 46 yo home utilizes the stud space not a duct system.  My bedroom has a vent and maintains a temp  about 5 to 10 degrees lower than the other bedrooms.

My question:  Can I cut return air vents in these other bed rooms to lower the temperatures and make them more comfortable?


texts:
Every time I install appliances or get something which is breakable, it's covered in styrofoam. Now what is the best/cleanest way to compact and get rid of styrofoam?

I've known people who just put it in a container with acetone where it just dissolves, but I highly doubt it's eco-friendly and I'm not sure what to do with the solved substance afterwards (don't think pouring it down the drain is a smart idea).

What is best way to compact styrofoam and discard it?


texts: Can I use Murphy's oil soap to remove pine sap from composite decking?

texts:
Does anyone know of anyway to remove pine sap from composite decking?  I saw some posts that recommended using Murphy's Oil Soap for removing it from wood decks.

How to Remove Tree Sap from a Wood Deck
How to Remove Pine Tree Sap From a Wooden Deck
Homemade Deck Cleaner

However, none of them discuss how to remove it from composite decking.

Is it safe to use an oil soap on composite decking?  Would this also work for removing it off of bluestone patio pavers?


texts: Replacing 4-wire outlet and didn't label the order -- does it matter?

texts:
I'm replacing an outlet that has 2 black wires and 2 white wires. When removing the old outlet, I didn't keep tabs on which black wire was on top and which was on bottom (as well as the whites). I'm not really sure why the order matters (if it does) but I'd like to figure out the proper way to wire this back up.

I had it wired for a while based on what I thought was the right order, but for some reason today I noticed part of the circuit suddenly stopped working; this was triggered by a light switch turning on down circuit I think. It's a motion activated light and happened to switch off just as I was testing the outlet with my voltage detector -- when I tapped the outlet is when the light went out. However, I can't reproduce this. So the outlet just before the new one worked, the new one wasn't working, and the outlets beyond it (including a GFCI outlet) were dead. The breaker nor the GFCI tripped.

I had the outlet pulled out of the wall while testing and noticed a small spark prior to the outlets down circuit going dead -- seemed like a bad idea to leave it as is, so I turned the breaker off until I can figure out the correct order.

How can I figure out which wire goes where (safely)?


texts: my 220v circuit breakers show a voltage but dont seem to be able to drive a load. why?

texts:
im racking my brain trying to get my 220v electric cooktop to work. ALL 4 burners do not operate. i read 220v at all the proper places on the switches etc but when i turn a burner on... the voltage drops to 0. the burner doesnt warm up.

the connections in the junction box (red and black wires in wall FROM panel connecting with wirenut to red and black wires that go to the cooktop) seem tight and clean.

i also used my own 'jumper cables' to connect from the red/black wires in the junction box directly to one of the burner elements (basically by passing all wiring harnesses, switches etc). no current flow. voltage drops from 220 to 0 when i put the burner element in the circuit

i have 2 40amp circuit breakers in the panel box that bring the 220v to this one junction box. i check the voltages at those breakers and measure 110v for each and 220v across the two.

what is happening here? thx


texts:
I installed a new faucet. I replaced the old PVC pipe that connected the faucet to the water line with the supplied pipe.

The supplied pipes are not PVC. They're instead covered in some kind of mesh.

Previously, the old PVC pipe was cut and joined to a splitter that channeled water to the under-sink filtration system.

Is it possible to cut this mesh-type pipe and join it to a splitter as well? What's underneath the mesh? Will the mesh interfere with anything?

Pictures ##3

The first picture shows the old hose. Note how it's all PVC - no fancy mesh or whatever. The black hose goes to the filtration system.

The second picture is a close up of the T fitting. What kind of T fitting is this? It seems as if all the hoses were pressed into the T fitting - there doesn't appear to be anything that can be unscrewed. What would I look for at the hardware store? How would I remove the black hose? I tried pulling it out but that's not getting anywhere.


texts: Accidentally put a greasy material on my carpet. I tried to give it a dry clean, but no luck. What else could I do to remove that greasy stain?


texts: Do recirculation pumps work with water source heat pumps?

texts: Our plumber has installed the recirculation pump but, when it is on we only have tepid water. When we unplug it we have hot water. Just wondering if recirculation pumps are meant to work with heat pumps and, if so, how? Is there a diagram how to connect it? The cold water seems to be mixing with the hot when the recirculation pump is on.


texts: Why does my fluorescent ceiling fixture trip the GFCI sometimes?

texts: Every so often, roughly a 1/20 chance, flipping the light switch to my laundry room's fluorescent fixture will trip the nearby GFCI outlet. Why is this? Is it more likely to be the GFCI being faulty or the fixture itself, like a faulty ballast? Or could it be the light switch? The switch has already been recently replaced, but I don't think I grounded it during installation (it wasn't grounded initially so I left it that way). Could having a light switch that is not grounded cause this phenomenon? The fixture is probably older than 20 years. It uses a double circline bulb.


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This is at my mom's house, an hour away. The valve in the first photo has a slow drip and I will be replacing it. The other photo (a union?) is one of a few spots that look similar but are not currently leaking.

I know the green is oxidation. How big of a concern it is that it will leak? What about all the white flaky stuff?

Should I just replace all the valves that are solid green and/or white? Should I try to clean them off and then see what they look like first?

I'm trying to prevent an emergency trip there for another leak but also not do needless work. She is on a private well.


texts: Is there a way to adjust this popup drain stopper, or is it defect?

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I just installed a new pop-up click clack drain for our glass bathroom sink. The only problem is that it doesn't pop up and down anymore. It did when I first took it out of the box. Here is a similar product of what it looks like:

Am I able to adjust it somehow? Did I forget something when I installed it? Or it is defect?


texts: Replacing a single-pole switch with a dimmer

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I recently installed a new LED light fixture. It's a bit bright, so I'm replacing the single-pole switch with a Lutron CL Ariadni dimmer switch (the fixture is dimmable). The existing switch has two black wires going to it and no ground wire. (Power is off.)

The new dimmer switch has a ground wire. It also has one copper colored screw and two gold colored screws (one on each side). The instructions say "if you are replacing a single-pole switch, the screw on the same side as the different-colored screw is not used." So I'll be using the copper screw and the gold screw on the other side.

How should the new dimmer switch be wired in? Should I just use the two black wires that were connected to the original switch? What about the ground wire, should I remove one of the ground wires from the pigtail and connect the switch's ground wire to that? Should I just add the switch's ground wire to the ground pigtail?


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I have a small wooden box closing the gap between the entry door and the original opening that I prepped with tar paper and mesh to apply stucco to so that it fits with the rest around.

Should I put a metal corner bead to straighten the edge (see picture) or should I go without the way it is?


texts: How do I treat crumbling lath and plaster in my bathroom?

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I have lath and plaster in my bathroom. The west wall in the bathroom keeps crumbling into a powdery substance.  My dad has fixed it a number of times but it keeps reappearing.  The powdery area is all around the window and up on the ceiling.  I don't see any water or feel any moisture on the wall.

How do I stop this pattern?


texts: One hot three neutrals in a box: help resolve electrical wiring mystery

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I had to remove an outlet in a room and I traced the wire back to this junction box that houses a light switch. I disconnected all splices (solder + tape) in the box (foolishly without marking the wires) and cut the metal cable leading to the outlet I needed to remove with a high leverage cutter.

Now, I'm trying to figure out what's going on in this box. I've identified the hot and temporarily put a connector on it to extend it. I've identified the hot that goes to the light. I figured that of the remaining 3 wires I would have 1 hot that used to go outlet and 2 neutrals. However, here's what I'm finding out that I'm yet to figure out:

The light turns out when I touch the light wire to the hot (even though all other wires are disconnected). The only way I have of explaining this is that the home run goes to the light first and from there two conductors to the box.
All three other wires short circuit when I touch hot to them. The only way I have of explaining this is when I cut the wire with the high leverage cutter, I short circuited it and it's still sitting there in the wall with the hot touching the neutral.

Am I right in my assessments or is there a better explanation?

Thanks!


texts: What is a durable, child-safe finish for a child's cot?

texts: I recently purchased a flat packed cot for my soon to arrive baby. The wood is plain without any paint or varnish. How best should I finish off the wood on the cot in a way that is both durable and safe for the baby?


texts: I have a terrace that has been recently covered with a bitumen based product (This one, if you can read german). My problem is that is black and it get's very warm during the day, making it uncomfortable. It also gives a bad chemical smell when it gets very warm. I would like to paint it brighter, but don't know with what. Is there any paint that can hold on top of bitumen? What other options would I have to cover it? I live in an area where it rains and gets below freezing in the winter.


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I recently looked at this cooling system in a research lab.

The heat exchanger (with chilled water hook-ups, not shown) pumps fluid over a wall to a heat load.  A transparent hose is attached to the heat load side to monitor the fluid level.

What prevents coolant from flowing down from the top of the wall into the heat exchanger and overfilling the reservoir?

What is the purpose of the valve?  Should it be open of closed for the water level monitor to work?


texts: Replacing a spanned "beam" with a cantilevered beam

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I have a support post in my attic that is holding up one side of a minor ridge beam.  The post is sitting on two 2x6s on their backs, and which span 20 inches.  Yes, these 2x6s are not on edge -- they are on their backs (height = 1.5 inch, width = 11 inch).  I want to replace the 2x6s with a cantilevered beam and am wondering if I am thinking about this correctly.
Okay, so there is no visible deflection in the 2x6s (maybe I should say 6x2s) but since I have no idea what kind of load the post is holding up, I found a calculator that determines deflection and put in a heavy load to establish a baseline.
(Beam Supported at Both Ends, Load at Center).  I entered 4500lbs, 20inch beam, a modulus of elasticity of 1,400,000 (typical for wood joists?), and 37 for the moment of inertia.  I calculated the 37 with w*(h^3) or 11*(1.5^3).  My end result is a maximum deflection of 0.0145 or less than 1/64".  Since I don't detect that, my assumption is that the load is less than 4500lbs.
Stop right here.  Are my assumptions correct so far?  Are any of my values suspect?  What about calculations?
Okay, assuming that is correct, I move to the cantilevered option.  It needs to support 4500lbs with at worst a deflection of 0.0145.  I use this calculator
(Cantilever Beam - Single Load).  I use 4500lbs, a length of 36 inches (it won't be that far, but I want to be safe), 0 for b (the post will be on the edge), 1544 for I and the same 1,400,000 for E.
The 1544 for I is assuming four 2x10s sandwiched together (6*(9.5^3)).  I may actually get a glulam that is beefier than that, but again, I want to be a little conservative.
With those, I come up with a deflection of 0.0097 or 1/128".
That tells me that even with those extreme measurements, I'd still have a beam that is TWICE as strong as the existing support, even though it is cantilevered.  If I went with a 8x12 glulam, then my deflection would be 1/256", twice again as strong.
So.. am I wrong?
The entire reason for this is because I am expanding the room that happens to be under that post.  The room is going to expand out by about 2 feet, which leaves the post with no support on one side unless I do something about it (which I have to).
Here's roughly what the situation looks like now:

The doubled up 2x4s are walls.  The joist-like beams are joists.  That's the two 2x6s holding up the post, which is three 2x6s sandwiched together.  The wall going off to the left will be completely removed and the other three walls will be moved to the right by about 2 feet.  That means that all of the walls will be to the right of the post.  The joists are all going away, too.
My proposed plan looks something like so:

The supporting beam is either four sandwiched 2x10s (maybe 2x12s) or one big glulam.  The two side walls are shortened by two feet and the perpendicular wall is moved those two feet.  The back bolstering will be done by two 2x10s (or 12s) that are attached to the walls with hurricane straps.  The support beam would use a joist hanger on one end and straps on the other.
Confession time:
I actually did bring a structural engineer out earlier for an informal consultation.  He gave me some solid ideas on how to support that post with an expanded room -- basically install a 8x12 glulam from the other side of the room (not shown) to the new location of the moved wall.  That's definitely an option.  HOWEVER, since then, I also realized that I want to raise the ceiling by a few inches and if I do so, the option of resting the long beam on the opposing wall is gone (exterior wall with a low pitch roof).  So I'm trying to figure out a way to support the post entirely from one side -- hence a cantilever.


texts: Is it acceptable to use a lighted switch with a switched outlet?

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The bedrooms in our house in California each have a light switch that controls power to an outlet in the room. The switches are the single-pole type, interrupting the black/hot wire. Is it acceptable to use lighted switches in this situation?  (E.g., a Lutron single-pole switch with indicator light.)

I replaced the switch with a lighted one, and it seemingly works, but the outlet reads as open-neutral when I plug in a receptacle tester when the light switch is in the off position.  I guess this is because the indicator light inside the switch probably draws current from hot and ground. What I don't know is if this arrangement is a problem or against code.

UPDATE: I tried replacing the lighted switch with an otherwise identical non-illuminated switch, with no other changes made, and lo and behold, the tester does not read open neutral when the switch is in the off position.

FWIW, the tester that I'm using looks very similar to this:

Also, because my description was unclear about the switch I mean, here's an image taken from a Leviton website (not the same brand but same idea):


texts: Is this half mask suitable for spray painting?

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I've recently begun spray painting and realized that I should probably buy a gas mask to protect me from harmful solvents.

I read as much as I could, but since it's not my area of expertise, I would like to ask for someone more qualified than me to see if I made the right choice.

I chose a 3M 7503L as a half mask, with a pair of 3M 06915 cartridges Link in german for protection. I was not certain if this is the right filter for the job, or if this filter is compatible with the mask.

The filter states it's suitable for spray painting, so I guess it's alright. Then again, "I guess" isn't good enough for personal safety.

I also happen to have a thick beard, which could be a problem. And no, shaving it is not an option.

Edit: The spray contians the following:

Acetone
Propane
Butane
Xylene
Isobutane
Propylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether
Petroleum distillates


texts: Can I use a US-bought chandelier in India?

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I am planning to buy a chandelier in the US for my home in India.  I understand the voltage difference (110 V in the US as compared to 220 V in India).

The chandelier uses 60 Watt candelabra bulbs.  So, I was wondering if I can use this chandelier in India with 60 Watts / 220V candelabra bulbs?


texts: Building a barrel stove with a horizontal stove pipe

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I'm considering building a wood stove out of a 55 gallon barrel with a non-standard pipe design, where the stove pipe enters through the front of the barrel and runs along the top to the back. On the front, there's still a vertical section to get the smoke away from the operator's face and to create a draft.

I'm looking for some opinions on whether this design is reasonable and can be expected to work, or suggestions for a different design that accomplishes the same goal better.

Context: This is for a temporary outdoor tent sauna. The idea is to stick the back of the barrel into a tent-like enclosure (with a metal sheet "wall" around the barrel), pile up rocks on it, and splash some water. Having the pipe come out of the front avoids running it through the tent, eliminating the need to create an additional opening for the pipe and ensuring that no combustion products leak into the tent.


texts: Wainscoting and Wallpaper: which to do first?

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I’m looking to put wainscoting on the bottom 1/3 of a wall and wallpaper the top 2/3. Is there a recommended order in which to do this? My thinking was that if I put down wallpaper first, leaving maybe an extra inch on the bottom which the wainscoting would cover, the wallpaper won’t have a visible end seam. Not sure if it would actually work out though.
Lastly, I should mention that the wall has a small concave or bow inwards. It’s hard to see even if examined closely but since the wainscoting won’t be bent, there will be a gap between the wall and the top edge of the wainscoting which will need to be filled. This might play a factor in the order of things as well but that’s just a guess.


texts: Installing floating floor and keep getting gaps

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My sister and I are installing pergo max premier which is a new verison of their floating floor, my sister has installed 2 laminate floors before and this type is a lot thicker with less give and more difficult to work with.

Each peace we really have to pound in place with a hammer and a tapping block, we are running it along a very big room, close to 150 feet in length and we are noticing that once we get to the 4th row the very first row against the floor a few gaps between the pieces are forming.

We have disconnected and redid the floors twice but it seems from us using the hammer and tapping block it's causing gaps in the rows that we have already done and the pieces don't seem to be locking in place like the should even though when we set them they are set as in as much as they can go.

Does anyone have any experience with this happening and how to fix it as we don't want to continue adding new rows when the first few rows gaps keep appearing.


texts: Euro modules, is there an actual standard for them? or are they just a de-facto thing?

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In the UK over the last decade or so a system of modules and faceplaces known as "Euro modules" seems to have taken off. Modules and faceplates are available from a wide-range of vendors. A regular "single" module is 25x50mm and there are also double-width 50x50 modules. The modules clip into a faceplate, with a "single gang" UK plate holding two modules and a "double gang" UK plate holding four modules.

Nearly all data outlets in the UK now use this format and an increasing range of other modules are becoming available. Initially it only seemed to be data/av/telecoms stuff, but mains stuff is now also available (though not common, the vast majority of mains stuff in the UK is still non-modular).

Is there an actual standard for these modules or is it just a de-facto thing? Are they used in other parts of Europe (the name and some pictures i've seen online suggests they are) and if-so what are they known as there)?


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This bulb came out of my Harbor Breeze ceiling fan and I'm not sure what type candelabra it is. I can't find manual.
One time I bought a bulb at Lowes but it was wrong type but I don't remember what type that was. Aye,aye,aye!


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I have a sewer ejector pump in my basement but it's in a sealed well. There are two electric cords running into it. How does one test it? For maintenance reasons. Can this only be done by a plumber?

I have a sump pump too and those are well documented on how do monthly tests.


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Scratching my head after trying to troubleshoot some failed outdoor lights. It is a long story.
The issue was with the outdoor lights outside my garage door. There are 3 sconce lights, and one overhead light that is controlled by a motion detector. All 4 lights are controlled by a single switch. There are other lights inside the garage (including garage door opener) that shares the same circuit breaker, and they are working fine. This is a relatively new house, originally built is 1996, but significantly upgraded in 2006.
Wife complained that the overhead light always stays on (i.e. not controlled by motion detector), and the sconce lights never turned on.
I first tackled the overhead light. The motion detector was bad; so I changed the motion detector, and it started working correctly. So far so good!
Then I started checking if any power is coming to the bulb holders of the sconce lights. Verified that all 3 bulbs are good. Also put a "Lamp Holder to Outlet Adapter" in the bulb holder, checked the voltage  using a multimeter, and got ~120V between hot and neutral.
However, when I connected a LED light to that adapter, I got a very dim output. Also tested it using a "Klein Tools Digital Circuit Breaker Finder/Receptacle Outlet Tester", making sure to connect the ground wire to it as well. It showed correct wiring (2nd and 3rd yellow lights were on), but these lights were dim and flickering. I saw the same issue at all three sconce lights.
In addition, if I connect a light bulb to the bulb holder, then the outlet voltage drops down to almost zero, even though the light bulb does not turn on. If I use a CFL bulb instead of filament bulb, I see a faint flickering.
At this time, I found that the overhead light has stopped working altogether. I removed the overhead light, and saw the same issue there as sconce lights; i.e. 120v but outlet tester was showing dim/flickering lights.
To isolate any issue with the devices, I completely removed all the 4 lights, leaving only the wires coming out of the outside wall. Still seeing the same issue.
As the next common point was the switch, I removed the switch completely, and connected the black wires together. Still no change. Also, if I use the outlet tester at the switch, then the two yellow lights are bright and steady. I also checked that the neutral wire at switch box is securely attached with the other neutral wires (there is another switch in the same box).
At this point I am at a loss. I hate to think that this is a wire issue, because the wires go above the wall of the finished garage, and not easily accessible.
Is there any other experiment that I can do?
Thanks.
PS: Adding more datapoints based on the suggestions below.
Tried these experiments:
(a) Connected an Edison bulb to one of the sconces, and on 2nd scone bulb-socket, attached an extension cord to bring the point near the switch. With the light-bulb connected, the voltage between the hot and neutral of extension cord drops to 1 volt. Now, I checked the voltage between neutral of extension cord and that of the switch. It was 0 volt. Next, checked the voltage between hot line of extension cord and that of this switch. It was 120volt.
(b) With bulb removed and power turned off, I measured resistance. Between neutral of switch and extension cord, it was 0 ohm. Between hot of extension cord and that of switch, it was about 6 M-ohm. This should also ideally be close to 0, right?


texts: Dimplex SCx175l Water Cylinder - T&P valve leaking

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Here is a video of the issue
I've just moved into a flat and after hand-washing some dishes this water cylinder (Dimplex SCx175l) began 'draining' very loudly -- I let it go for about 30 minutes before turning off the main water shut off valve.
I am assuming this is a problem with the T&P valve so I'm wondering if it is safe to turn the water back on or if I should call out a professional to solve the issue.
Thanks,
Jack


texts: Can you break an oven with wrong wiring?

texts: What would most likely happen if you wired in an oven the wrong way, ie double positive, or double negative, or positive to negative and negative to positive?


texts: Why does my newly installed fill valve hiss after flushing?

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My old fill valve shot a geyser all over the floor when I lifted the tank lid, so I bought a replacement (PlumbPak Keeney 1B1X) at Lowes. I don't see any leaks, but when the float rises to the top, the fill valve hisses for a few minutes. Everything I've found about hissing fill valves says to it's time to be replaced, which is clearly not what I want to hear.

This is the old one:

And this is the new one:

I've adjusted the two gold screws on the top, as well as the large plastic screw on the side. The top one adjusted how high the float went, but the other two didn't seem to do anything.

Also, the clear tube seems odd, since it wasn't there in the old install, but that's what the (extremely limited) instructions said to do.


texts: Why would a single electric receptacle stop working?

texts: A single receptacle suddenly stopped providing electricity in my living room.  It is not a GFCI.  The other outlets work fine and the circuit breaker didn't trip.  Any ideas?


texts: Should I run conduit to protect an exposed cable and comply with code?

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Minnesota  code says "exposed" wire (NM 12/2 w ground, or 14/2 w ground), in a basement, what does that mean?
An existing wire had been run on the backside (on the furnace room side) of the main wooden horizontal support beam then down the wooden vertical support beam into a receptacle. I'd like to correct this, I have framed the wall correctly but not sure how to get the wire to a new receptacle between studs.
The furnace ducting on the back side of the beam doesn't allow conduit between it and the beam up into the joist space and I certainly cant drill holes in either beam.
If the ducting prevents anything getting to the wire on the back side of the beam, would I run conduit up as far as I can get it so it would be protected and not "exposed"?


texts: Why are my wall hooks ending up crooked?

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I have a power drill and sometimes use it to make holes to put up hooks, etc. in my brick+plaster wall. But no matter how carefully I line the holes up and measure them, the hook always ends up at a crooked angle.

My method:

Hold the hook against the wall
Use a thin pencil to mark the two holes that need to be drilled for one hook
Take the hook down
Place the drill on the first mark
Slowly drill a little way in, until I'm sure the hole is in the right place
Drill all the way in, using the drill 'hammer' setting
Put a raw plug in the hole, hammering it the last part of the way
Place the hook back up, partly screw in one screw, and check that the 2nd mark is in the right place
Take the hook down again and drill the second hole.
Put the hook up and carefully screw both screws in

The hook will be mostly straight right until the last minute, when screwing the screws in for the last few millimetres will cause the hook to skew wildly to one side. Holding the hook firmly in place while screwing can improve it very slightly, but it's still not perfectly vertical.

What am I doing wrong?


texts: I want to move my washer and dryer to the opposite side of the mobile home

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I am new to mobile home repairs and modifications.As far as I can tell all the wiring is overhead. If I move my washer and dryer to the other side of the home I will have to run the
wiring underneath. Is this legal?


texts: 15A tandem Square D TYPE TIPO HOM breaker

texts: My breaker panel is full and I want to add a sub panel (50ft on the opposite side of the basement). I need to consolidate some 15A breakers to tandem breakers. I cannot find the breaker I need (15A tandem Square D TYPE TIPO HOM), please help.


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I bought the tool illustrated above for a project around the house, but I cannot remember what it is used for, or what project I used it on. Anyone have any ideas as to what this tool is for? I did quite a bit of internet searches, but could not come up with an image that might give me a clue. I do not believe it is a tool for tensioning tie wraps, but, it may be. There is no branding on the tool to indicate by whom it was manufactured. I believe it is for putting tension on something, but what I do not recall.

So, any ideas out there as to what this tool is for, or where it can be purchased? It is just making me nuts.


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I was using a circular saw and thought that I blew the circuit breaker.

The breaker I have on the line is a GFI and I noticed that "test" button on the breaker was no longer working and I couldn't get light to go on even after resetting the breaker.

I purchased new breaker and replaced the old one. Now the "test" is working and I detect current at the circuit breaker between a black wire and the ground (the breaker box itself). At the wire that feeds the light (and the receptacle I connected the saw to) I still detect current between black wire and ground but not between the black and white wires. And light is not turning on.

Additionally when I use a non-contact current tester it beeps both at the white and the black wire, so I'm not sure what's going on. The whole line is out because I have a few lights along it and none are working.

Any ideas? Or is it time to call professionals? I'm pretty good with wiring but have little experience with circuit breakers and switch boxes.


texts: Tempstar 2 stage furnace restarting every 7 minutes - not going into high

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I have a tempstar 9MPT model based furnace. Also sold under a number of other brands - comfort air, etc. It is a two stage heating with a PSC motor high efficiency furnace.  After about 7 minutes of running, instead of cycling to high fan speed and BTU output, it restarts going through the pre-blower cycle before re-engaging the blower.

Any idea where to start troubleshooting this?


texts: Which type of portable generator will power my furnace during an outage?

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I live in New Jersey, and in preparation for future severe-weather-related outages, I would like to have a backup plan in order to power my natural gas furnace, as well as the fridge/freezer and a few lamps.  I have a Carrier Performance furnace, installed within the last couple of years.

My main concern is getting a generator that is compatible with the sensitive electronics in the furnace.  My initial research has turned a number of articles that indicate the significance of a clean, stable power supply, however I have not found anything more specific than that.

I am currently looking at two paths:

Get a traditional 5000W-7000W generator.  A number of these seem to indicate some type of Voltage Regulator, however am I right in thinking that the output they give is still somewhat dirty, with a higher chance of frying the control board in my furnace?  The size of this generator should be more than enough to power everything I described previously, along with a few more circuits.  I would also think about a conversion kit to give me the option to use propane as well as gasoline.
Get a ~2000W inverter generator, which, as far as I understand, would give much cleaner power, and better gas consumption, but with a more limited output that will reduce the number of devices I can power.

I am not looking at going the whole house generator route, which is beyond my budget.  I am in the process of tracking down a good electrician to walk through the plan and discuss install the appropriate transfers switches etc. that may be required.

Am I heading down the right track here, or is there something else I should consider?


texts: Can i use butyl caulk on a shower drain?

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I'm putting in a drain onto a shower base and I have some butyl caulk laying around. It says "gutter and flashing" on it and I'm thinking since it is water proof...can I use it between the drain and top surface of the shower pan to seal it around the edges?

Here's the drain I'm using: https://www.amazon.com/EZ-FLO-30031-Strainer-Stainless-Steel/dp/B0006HCC9O/

My beginner-level understanding of installing this is essentially that the drain goes on top of the pan, the rubber gasket + cardboard ring on the bottom of the pan, and the nut tightens over that. My question is regarding what's between the drain flange and the shower pan.

I have read that silicone is used here normally, but I'm not sure if butyl caulk would suffer decreased performance.

Thanks!


texts: What's this stud type called and how should I drill for hanging a heavy item?

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I just moved into a new house and doing my research, learning and planning before hanging a mount for a 40lb TV.

I have a Mantel Mount, which is basically a lowering mount to be hung over the fireplace.

I found out today that the studs are positioned in a way I haven't seen before. Its double studs and the narrower side is towards the wall, where I have to drill. Below is a photo, I tried my best to zoom into the area and highlight the studs, but I'll be happy to answer any question and describe them better if there's a need. (questions after the photo)

How do I properly drill into this for hanging such a heavy thing? Should I aim for the center, right were both studs stick with each other? Or is there a known trick for such type of stud arrangement?


texts: Disassemble and remove bathtub–shower combination

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I need to remove this bathtub with shower walls in order to investigate and repair water damage near the bottom of the wall. How do I disassemble, loosen, and remove the walls and tub without damaging them?

The brand is Lasco Bathware. The unit consists of two pieces: the tub and the U-shaped shower walls on top of it. I have not been able to find a model number or installation instructions, so I don't know how the shower walls are attached to the studs/wall behind it.


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I have a bay window similar to the 1st photo below. When I moved in this house, there was a curved curtain rail system and 3 separate pieces of curtain for the 3 windows of the bay. As it was very fragile and seemingly broken I removed all of this. Now I would need a solution to replace it, but I'm really not sure where to start.

What would be the easiest solution, wood or metal, for such a bay window (the only condition is that the curtain must follow the shape of the window)?


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We are doing a hardwood installation project. So far this has involved removing carpet and particle board to get down to the 1/2" plywood subfloor. The subfloor seems to be in a good shape, so I'm happy about that. Now I've been told I need to add a layer of OSB and then the hardwood. So here are my questions:

Do I really need to add this OSB? Is it a matter of strength or just a matter of floor-height? Seems like the particle board wasn't adding much, strength-wise, and maybe adding 3/4" hardwood over 1/2" subfloor wound suffice. Since I'm doing the whole house, the floor height is not really an issue.

But assuming I do need to add the OSB, what's the best way to fasten it to the existing subfloor? I imagine I should use screws instead of nails, but do I also need to use glue?

Thank you!


texts: Finding and installing a carbon monoxide/natural gas detector

texts:
I am looking at installing a carbon monoxide and natural gas detector on the ceiling of my house. I cannot find one device that combines both types of detection and that is supposed to be mounted in the ceiling.

Does anyone have any ideas about this? I would prefer to have one device, instead of two separate ones.


texts:
I used a box to splice wires when moving conduit during basement renovations.  I'm in Chicagoland area and use 1/2" EMT.  I spliced 4 circuits back together in a 4 x 4 x 2-1/8 box with cover. The circuits are 2 15A and 2 20A circuits, which are 4 12 gauge and 4 14 gauge wires.

My box fill calculations are:
No continuous wires, so there are 8 12 gauge and 8 14 gauge wires entering box.
8 x 2.25 + 8 x 2 = 34 cu. in.
The box capacity is 30.3 cu. in. with flat cover plate

Is this correct?
If so, can this be remedied with a 7.3 cu in mud ring and blank plastic cover plate?


texts: Is a Rust-Oleum painted item safe for infants?

texts: I’m considering purchasing a custom made item for an infant that’s been painted with Rust-Oleum. Considering children like to put things in their mouth, could this paint be hazardous? I’ve read about VOCs but it seems those arise during painting, and the child would only receive the item once the paint is dried.


texts: How should I prepare a steel door for painting?

texts:
I have two typical steel entry doors that were factory primed. They were installed 8 years ago in a new addition on my home. I am finally (!?) getting ready to paint them.

The interior finish paint (that is already on the trim) is oil-based semi-gloss.
The exterior finish paint will be latex.

I am unsure of three things:

Obviously I should clean the doors thoroughly - but with what? Is soap and water OK?
Is any additional primer needed due to the 8 years of exposure?
Is any additional primer needed for oil paint (which is now uncommon, sadly)?


texts: In Australia is it not possible to install a US Water heater?

texts: Tech support from Eco-smart say you need two inputs (two hot wires) 120 volts each but no neutral making 240 volt. Here in Australia we have 240 volts which is Active (Red) Neutral (Black) and Earth (green/yellow). So will I need a transformer? Even my electrician is scratching his head!


texts: Tree root coming through concrete under shed

texts:
A tree root has broken through in the corner of my girlfriend's shed slab. It's under a wooden shelving unit from IKEA and one slat if the shelf has been pried loose by the root.

What can I do about the root? Do I have to move the whole shed? Redo the concrete surface? Or can I somehow deal with the root in place?


texts: Installing swinging gate - how to prevent gate post lean

texts:
I've re-installed a new down wood fence between my yard the neighbors with the usual 8' 4x4 PT posts, PT rails, and cedar panels. The fence runs along the side of the house and it starts at the end of a driveway slab.  The start of the fence in a 8' 4x4 PT post sunk in 18" of concrete and 6" of packed dirt.  Opposite this post is the side of the garage.

Previous owner had installed a PT 4x4 on the side of the garage, lagged into a stud on the garage siding.  The gate that was installed was in disrepair, so I am installing a new one and split that gate in half, so there's one 4' wide panel and a 3' wide panel to fill a 7' space.

My concern is that installing a gate that is hinged on end post of the new fence will cause that post to lean in toward the side of the garage and causing the gate to sag and look bad.

Are there any bracing techniques that I can use to help prevent this leaning?  I thought I had previously read about nailing a 2x4 to the backside of the 4x4 and then using longer lag bolts to attach the hinges by going all the way through the 4x4 and the 2x4.  Maybe including a metal plate on the backside?

I'm not sure that driving a wedge at ground level will do much because the soil is packed in there, it's only hand-packed and only been that way for 2 months or so since installing that new post.

I don't have another post behind it in order to cable off to that to provide pull tension away from the garage.

I hope I'm missing something obvious...Are there some other ideas?

Thanks in advance.


texts: I have a vinyl deck and need to temporarily pull up the plank adjacent to the exterior wall and put it back afterwards. Is this easy or hard to do and, if it's possible, how do I do it?


texts:
I took apart my in-wall furnace and found that the fan blades are loose with the fan hub so when the motor starts or stops, the blades don't receive any torque and they make a lot of noise.

The pieces of the fan look kind of like this: http://airdrive.com/products/hubs/

I'm just trying to understand how I can mechanically or chemically attach the two pieces as I'm assuming they should be attached. I tried soldering and that obviously didn't work (didn't really expect it to either). Maybe there is some loctite glue I can use that will chemically bond them?

Here are some photos: http://imgur.com/a/pc5X9


texts: How should I fill a hole in an exterior wall?

texts:
I noticed a good sized hole in an exterior wall that allows wires and things to go from my AC unit into my basement.

The problem is that the hole is a good deal larger than it needs to be and there is nothing sealing the hole, so I can see sunlight clearly through the hole.

What should I use to fill this hole in my wall preserving the important stuff going through the hole?

Click for full size


texts: how do i make a light switch turn on a lamp plugged into receptacle

texts:
the living room has a light switch inside the front door, however it does not control any of the outlets. the photo is of the outlet closest to the switch.  this outlet has the red wire (another outlet does not).  With the breaker switched off, if i break off the tab between the red and black wires, (while still wired in the box) will this allow me to plug a lamp into either the top or bottom of the outlet and have the switch control it, without possibly screwing up any of the other outlets that may be on the same circuit.
Thank you.


texts: How does a multi-tap motor speed control work?

texts:
I have a Home Depot, undocumented, no-name ceiling fan and I've messed up the speed control connections, and I'm trying to understand how the circuit works.  I found a circuit on the internet which looks close to my fan, but the motor speed switch doesn't quite match.

My fan motor has 5 wires, with Blue-Brown resistance 60 Ohms, and Yellow-Red-Gray resistances of 29, 96 (and 120 yellow-gray).

The speed switch in ceiling fans appear to have some not straightforward logic in it:

I think the truth table on my switch is:

A: L+2+3
B: L+1+3
C: L+1      (Maybe this is L+1+2 ???)
D: L+1+2+3

I think my fan might take the hot in on '1' and feed the reversing coil with the 'L', then use 2+3 to control the multitap coil.

I understand the reversing of the single phase to reverse the direction of the fan, and I understand the capacitor changes the phase between the two coils to select a direction.  My question is how the interaction of the motor speed switch and the tapped coil produce the three speed changes.

Why does powering or shorting the different taps of this multi-tap motor affect the speed of the motor?  Like a DC motor, is there some kind of braking action if you short across a coil?  If you wanted high speed, would you power the full 120 ohm coil, the smaller (29ohm) section, or the 96 ohm section?  With one end of the triple tap coil tied to Neutral through the capacitor, how do you produce three speeds (High, Medium, and Low) using the two other two taps?

(eta: three speed confusion.)

ETA: This question was migrated from the electrical engineering site, but the question I was trying to ask was about the theory of multi-tap motor coils and their use, with a ceiling fan as a practical example.  In the diagram shown, with the switch table in the diagram, it appears that the high speed setting energizes to only the reversing coil, the longer/higher resistance/(/multiple coil?) sub-coil and not the reversing coil, and the low speed setting energizes only the shorter(/less poles?) coil but does not energize the reversing coil--how can these configurations possibly control direction?  For medium speed, apparently the high #turns tap is energized, but the low #turns tap is shorted.   If you energized the high #turns tap and shorted out the low #turns, would the speed be even lower?  Is the tap on this sort of multi-pole motor energizing a just a fraction of the poles or is the tap putting more or less turns on the same number of poles?


texts: Is it possible install a drain flange without breaking up the concrete around the roughed-in pipe?

texts:
My house was built with rough-in plumbing in the basement cement floor as are many houses in the past 25 years.  The rough-in plumbing includes a 4" PVC pipe in the floor for a toilet and a 2" PVC pipe for a shower or bathtub.

I am planning to install a walk-in shower with a curb that is 15 inches from the center-line of the toilet per our county code.

The 2" PVC rough-in pipe is at one end of the rectangular shower floor area and protrudes up out of the cement about 2 inches and is capped.

I would like to install a mortar type shower floor base with a drain with a flange.  However the flange would be above the concrete floor probably about 3 inches.  I have a liner as well to waterproof the base.

Is it possible install the drain with flange without breaking up cement around the 2 inch pipe?

What about the toilet?  Possible to install without breaking up the concrete?  It would seem the builders installed the pipes so they can be used as-is.  I believe all the homes in my area were built with rough-ins similar to ours around year 2005.


texts: can an interior motion sensor be installed to an existing flourescent light fixture?

texts: our pantry has a rocker switch to turn on/off the flourescent light, but my husband forgets to turn it off manually. I'd like to know if we can install a motion sensor in place of the rocker switch and how is that done?


texts: How to reduce or clean up vegetable oil that spilled on books?

texts:
My partner and I have been moving house recently, and in all the action of packing, some cooking oil has spilled over a few of the books.
The books are irreplaceable, they are not made of any special materials, so standard paper and bindings so no fabric covers.
I have tried using washing up liquid in solution in small quantities to rub on the books, and left to dry for a day in the sun. This worked on the hard covers but still there is moist oil residue.
Is there anything else I can do to help recover some of the damage to the oil stains on the pages and soft covers?


texts: Running wires through conduit on outside of house to feed garage sub panel

texts: My electrical panel is in the basement on the west end of the house and my garage is on the east end.  I had planned to run a 6/3NM-B cable along the joists and through the rim joist to get into my garage to feed a 60 amp subpanel.  That has proven to be a much bigger challenge than I expected, so now I'm thinking about running THHN from the main panel to the outside of the house and run it through PVC conduit along the north wall and then run it back into the garage wall to feed the subpanel.  I would use #6 (red, black, and white) and a #10 green for ground.  Does this sound like a reasonable approach?  It feels a bit hacky to go outside and then back in, but it's going to be much easier than the other approach.


texts:
I have a shed withe following gutter/downspout configuration:

The problem at the moment is that there is standing water in all of the gutters. The gutters are not sagging, but they are perfectly level (i.e. no pitch).

Side D is outside of a fence in an alley, while the other sides are in the yard, which is presumably why they went with this configuration??

The question now is how would you reconfigure the gutters to fix the standing water problem? It seems like I'd need to:

make side A look like an "A" where the center is highest (of the whole system) and the two corners are lower (by about 1/2")
Slope sides C and B down away from A by an additional 1"
Slope the corners of D down to the downspouts a little bit, and the center of D down to the downspouts a little bit.

So assuming that is the right approach, this seems like basically a full re-installation? Like I'd have to detach all of the corner joints, then setup A first and follow it all the way around to the downspouts?

Also, can you make an "A" shape with a single gutter piece? Or do you need a joint at the top of the "A"?


texts: Is Fiberboard sheathing under cedar siding ok with no vapor barrier?

texts: I am patching horizontal lapped cedar siding on a 1950s house in Minnesota with fiberboard sheathing. I think it’s Nu-Wood. There’s no vapor barrier. I will have to put a vapor barrier per code where I patch (thinking roofing paper). Will I need to take off all siding and install a vapor barrier?


texts: Can I combine ground and neutral wires before they connect to their bus bars?

texts:
I finally did my 50 AMP 15-40 Nema wiring. Couple of questions on it.

I don't have enough ground and neutral wire to reach the ground bar of the electric panel. Is it ok to join both neutral and ground together, just before the two wires enter the panel, and take one resulting wire to the panel's ground bar? If both can terminate separately on the ground of the electric panel, why is it even separated at first? I understand one is for fault prevention and one for return path, but ultimately they do connect to common ground bar at the electric panel.
In my 15-50 power distribution gang box, there was an existing wire connected from ground pin to the metal body of the box. I also have the ground wire connected to the electric panel on the same pin. Is that fine or only the ground until electric panel is enough? or should I also separately connect the metal box to the ground surface.


texts: Can I stack headers in a load bearing wall?

texts:
I am working on a home addition and I plan to change an existing window into a doorway. The window currently has a 2x8 header and a small cripple wall below the header to frame the window.

I need to add a new header to support the load of a new beam that's been installed, so my question is rather than remove the old 2x8 header, can I just place my new LVL header below the existing header? I have plenty of room in both height and width so it's not a problem, I'm just not sure if I can edge stack headers or not.

My guess is it will be ok as long as I toenail the old and new headers together and perhaps place some straps or CDX over the face of both headers to prevent twisting. The house is 20+ years old so I'm not worried about the dimensional lumber of the header shrinking vs. the LVL.

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks!

-rob


texts: How can I fill a gap between the exterior wall and trim?

texts:
I have a stucco-sided house that I am repairing/repainting. In the course of repairs, some of the caulk/weatherstripping between the trim and the house came off. The gap between the wall and the trim is fairly large -- at least 1/2 inch.

What's the best way to fill that gap? It seems too wide for a bead of caulk. But the product I pulled out of there doesn't seem like weatherstripping.

I have added a picture below. The first gives a reference of what we're looking at. The second is a closeup. The third is for a reference as to how big the gap is. I am a normal-sized human.


texts: Switch with 2 red, 2 black and 1 ground wire

texts:
I have a switch indoors which controls two outdoor daylights. I opened the wall plate and found that it has two red wires and two black wires and one ground (so 5 terminals in all). I stuck a multimeter on them and only one of the black ones has voltage, the rest are all 0.

Now, I want to replace this whole thing with a timer switch, which has one line, one load and one neutral. I've taken care of the neutral (together with all the other neutrals in the box), but I am a bit confused about what to put in the line and load.

How can I make my timer switch control both the daylight bulbs? Also, what kind of a switch is that, which has five terminals?

Thanks!


texts: Hardwood Floor Squeaks - Fixing Squeaks or Removal of Hardwood Floor for LVP

texts:
I just bought an old house that was build in the 1950s. The house has hardwood flooring all over the house. The hardwood floor squeaks everywhere, not in just a specific spot or area. I noticed that is mostly the boards rubbing against each other seems to be what is causing the squeaks. In some areas you just push the wood with your hand and you see the plank moving. I tried using the Squeak No Moreeee kit. But I stopped, since I would have to screw down every single board. I tried putting baby powder and all that. Nothing has worked.
My plan was to fix the squeaks and then put LVP on top, since this area of the house is going to be rented out.
A lot of people told me not to remove the hardwood floors because it gives value to the house, but I think to myself, who wants a house with these hardwood floor squeaking (besides me, since I'm thinking as an investment property).
My question is: Is there a way to fix the squeaks on the floor and put LVP on top, or is my only option to remove the hardwood floor and put the LVP in the subfloor with underlayment?
Other notes:

The floor is on the first floor. I plan to live in the basement.
The basement is finished. I don't have access from below.
The wood itself looks nice and shiny, it just squeaks like crazy.
I'm not sure if the wood is moving because of an uneven subfloor, maybe?
I don't know anything about flooring, its my first house, been living in it for a week and I have never put down any flooring. But hey, that's how you learn.

Here's the floor I currently have and the LVP that I want to add:


texts: How can I ventilate efficiently a tiny room under my stairs?

texts:
Under the stairs that take to my bedroom there is a tiny room, as big as a cupboard.
I can barely stand in it.
I smell mould in it, I tried keeping its small door opened and I think situation vastly improved.
With door closed I get 80% / 90% humidity and with door open around 50% / 60%.
For this reason I would like to improve its ventilation and I thought about cutting the door to put a vent with or without a fan or just shorten the door.

Am I going in the right direction?

Is there a safe and easy way to calculate the fan / vent I need?

Here is a picture of the entrance:

And a picture of what could be the source of humidity, a non complete part of the floor where I see dirt (but I am not sure) on its top you see the beginning of the stairs:

Thanks for your help!

Edit after comments:
In the room one wall is communicating with a tiny toilet (closed, no windows) another one is shared with my neighbor (I guess, I don't know if there is any space between us), one is the one with the small door you see and then there is the one where the stairs are.

I also attach a couple of pictures that are often worth much more than words


texts: How do I add a bell transformer to THIS consumer unit

texts:
I'm trying to add in a bell transformer to my existing Hager consumer unit.  It's from about 1995.  I live in England.  The first image below shows the front cover, with five spare ways and their covers.  So far so good.

But the next image shows the existing MCBs that are fitted.  You can see that there is a gap between them. You can also see that there is no traditional metal DIN rail.  This is something a bit like it made of plastic that I'm going to call the DIN plate.  It's screwed into the same position that the DIN rail would have gone.  However, you will see from this image and the subsequent one that the DIN plate is in fact Tee shaped.  It is not a purely horizontal rail.  There is a vertical leg in the middle of it.  This leg fills the gap between the existing MCBs either side.

You can see therefore that there is no way to attach other items to the middle section of the DIN plate.  The consumer unit is effectively full, even though there is a gap and provision for other items in the cover.  You can also see that the bus bars allow for other items.

The final image is a smaller Hager unit next to this one, also featuring such a DIN plate.  It too has spare terminals along the bus bar, and removable covers in the enclosure.

I've talked to an electrical supplier, and he's never heard of such a thing.  I've looked on Google Images for a 12 way (6 + 6) Hager consumer unit, and they all have the traditional metal top hat DIN rail.  There is not a single similar consumer unit anywhere on Google.

Why do I have something that Google doesn't?  And more importantly, how can I fit my bell transformer?


texts: UK Vented Heating Problem - F25 Error on Glow Worm Boiler

texts:
We have had an intermittent problem over the last 4 months with our boiler cutting out with F22 and F25 errors (circulation fault/air in system etc...). Its a Glow worm Flexicom 18hx and has been installed for about 2 years. It would cut out every 10 minutes or so, and the way we would get it working again would be to turn off every radiator but one, and then reset the boiler multiple times (sometimes all day) until it stayed on with the one rad on. Then we would turn another radiator on, let it get hot, then another until they were all on.

It would then work flawlessly from then on for a few weeks. Then it would start over again with the errors, and we would go through the process again. Some plumbers we have had in for other things (while there were no problems) have said it sounds like the pump was on it's way out, and it did sound funky.

This weekend it started again and no matter what we did the boiler would not  stay on past 5 or 10 minutes. So I went and bought a new Grundfos pump, a drop in replacement for my old one and replaced it myself. However even with this new pump, the boiler is still crapping out.

It's a vented system with a hot water tank in the airing cupboard. The system has been drained down, all radiators bled, all bleed points by the tank and pump have been bled. The temp on the boiler is set to 39C. I have also manually opened both Honeywell valves by the pump.

Nothing is working and it is killing. What else can I possibly try?


texts: I cannot get hot water in my shower without turning on the hot water to my bathtub.  I had a plumber come out and completely change out the valve in the bathroom and I’m still having the same problem. I also have this problem in the second bathroom where you have to turn on the sink hot water To get the shower To be hot...  After paying a plumber to fix each valve in each shower and still having the same problem... I’m frustrated.. any advise?


texts: Can anyone identify what brand/company makes tracks for these curtains?

texts: There are snaps on each end and the plastic "hooks" run along the entire top. I need to purchase tracks for these, however, I can't find the company they are made from.


texts: Trying to install ecobee3 and don't have a Y terminal on my control board.

texts: Went to install my ecobee 3, and when I went to install the power strip, there is no Y terminal on the control board. The only terminals on the control board are W1 W2 W3 R C G. At the thermostat connection, there are the typical R W G Y and no wire connected to the C board. On the control board at the furnace, the C terminal has a red wire connected to it, where a red wore is also connected to the R terminal. The ecobee installation says to install the corresponding to the terminal posts, but I'm not sure what to do considering I don't have a Y terminal. And at the thermostat, a wore is not connected to the C terminal.  The system is a Lennox CB30M


texts: mobile all-in-one airco unit evac via unused chimney?

texts:
We've begun to consider options to install some form of airco in the attic which serves as our bedroom (the higher part; South) and my office (a lower part, North). The piece runs the length of the house, has drywalls, chalet-style wood panelling on the ceiling (and inside of the slanted roof). 2 roof windows, older Velux units of approx. 60cm wide, one on each end. There's an unused attic on the Eastern side, separated by a rather thick stone wall. There's a chimney in the bedroom part, prolongation of a currently unused insert fireplace in the room below.
A monosplit unit would probably be the best solution, installed under the ceiling against the south-eastern wall, but I don't know if the external unit could be placed in the adjected attic, nor how problematic it would be connect the two through the stone wall. The living room and my wife's office are directly underneath, separated by a an old, traditional French ceiling that provides almost no sonic isolation at all, and might not even support a heavy unit. Access to that attic is cumbersome too, so maintenance would be a real chore.
So a "simple" all-in-one mobile unit might be the more practical solution were it not for the fact it requires a 100-150cm diam. tube to be passed outside; not easy with toppling Velux windows. Creating a passage in the wall would be problematic too.
I don't suppose one could insert that tube into the chimney, or can one? There's a trap door in the chimney which we could replace by another door with an appropriate hole during the months airco is required. As I said, the chimney isn't used ATM and it actually has 2 channels.
Thanks in advance for any useful insights!


texts: My stairway LED ceiling lamps on 3-way switches glow next morning after being off all night. Is this an indication of stray voltage, bad switch or short circuit? They still glow today after 14 hours.


texts:
Can vinyl sheet be reused?

If it has been fitted without adhesive I think obviously yes.

But what if you have used glue, if you pull the sheet up will the cushion or sheet be ripped/damaged such that you cannot reuse it?


texts:
My home is old (like over 20 years), and we just renovate it last years. Later on, I started to use another part of my home, and that part wasn't touched for a long time (not during the renovation). I took a router to one of the socket and try to get internet, and I found a telephone socket. After opening the socket lid, I found a pipe with 8 cables in it (just the same as ethernet) with weird color code that I don't recognize(I'm sure it's not ethernet color code, and I cannot find anything about it anywhere). Two of them is already connected to the telephone socket and 6 remained unused. I attached the picture:

I see brown, black, red, white, purple, green, yellow, and blue(yellow and blue is attached to the telephone socket). All of them has solid color. Nothing is written on the outer pipe. What is this type of color code? Is it possible to be converted to ethernet cable so I can access internet?


texts: Inducer Fan Blowing Out Flames and Pilot Light on Carrier Furnace?

texts:
I have a Carrier furnace and have recently replaced the inducer fan assembly in it. The old motor assembly had a piece of sheet metal dangling under it; whereas, the new one does not.

The unit worked fine for one day; however, now, after the main burner ignites, almost immediately all flames and the pilot light goes out.

I feel that the inducer motor cooling fan (looks like a black knob on top of the motor) might be blowing too much air downward and blowing out the flames and pilot light.

Could this really be true? Maybe that piece of sheet metal on the old one helped to block that downward air, and I need to install that old piece on the new assembly?

Thanks

UPDATE #1:

I tried to see if there were any LED error code lights on the board, but there are not (the board was replaced by a technician a couple years ago).

I added the sheet metal thingy to the new inducer motor and here is pic of what that looks like:

Inducer Motor Pic

Here is model info:

Product: 58GFA070---11HC

Model: 58GFA070-HC

Series: 110

Serial: 4392A05699

After reinstalling it, the burners and pilot light immediately blew out again, but then later it seemed to work. It has been running fine for 1 or 2 days now. So, I'm not sure what is going on. What would be my next steps, if it blows out again.

PS - After the burners blow out the unit just blows cold air forever.


texts: Attaching climbing holds on a rock surface

texts:
I have a set of climbing holds that I would like to attach to a stone finished outside wall of a house.

It's a granite rock that I would be attaching the holds to, like this:

My preference is to avoid drilling into the wall, and I would rather glue the holds.

Could epoxy glue be a good choice for such project?


texts: When to use holes instead of side terminals to wire an outlet

texts:
This question comes from Shirlock's comment on this GFCI wiring question.

When and why should you use the holes on the back of an outlet rather than the side terminals?  I always assumed the holes on the back were only for lazy electricians and people that wanted to make my life miserable, especially when there isn't much slack wire and you want to replace an outlet.  Are there other reasons, and does the NEC have any requirements on one vs the other?


texts: My house contains 3 showers. Two of them warm up to where it's comfortably warm and one just warms up to a point where I don't freeze. Even if the shower is on the highest setting it still is not warm enough. What could be the problem?


texts: Understanding why my shower hob is so high

texts:
I’m in the midst of a shower reno and whilst I’m not doing it as a DIY job, I’m hoping you folks can help me understand why my shower hob needs to be so high.

Here is an image of what we say today:

We were expecting something more like this:

I messaged my plumber (who is managing the job) to ask about this and his response was that it needed to be high to hold any moisture that may get under the tiles and that had we done a full reno then we could have had what we were expecting.

I don’t quite understand how the hob will hold water that gets under the tiles, if water is going to do this then isn’t it going to get under the floor of the shower as opposed the the edges of the shower?

The shower that was in there previously was a raised acrylic base shower that had cracked after the previous homeowners had done a dodgy job of having it installed. They also had not waterproofed the walls or shower floor, which we’ve had done as part of our reno.

My plumber is not great at explaining things or replying to things, hence why I am asking here :).


texts:
My house has a 200A main panel and receives power from a center tap transformer (240V split into 120V phases).  The house consumes more than 10KW of energy.  I have noticed in the past that outlets on one 120V phase will sit around 105V-110V and outlets on the other phase will be 120V-125V.  Recently the main water line was replaced in the house and the voltage difference on outlets between the two phases spread further while the work was being performed (90V on one phase and 140V on the other).  I found that the ground for the main panel runs about 75 feet from the main panel on the back of the house to where the main water line comes into the front of the house, and they had dug up and cut the pipe which was my ground, leaving only about 4 feet of grounded pipe buried.  Once the work on the main water line was done voltage differences returned to their original levels.

From what I have read, it seems like the voltage difference between the two phases would be caused by a poor return path back to neutral.  However, when the main water line work was being performed my ground was severely diminished which caused an even greater voltage imbalance which makes me wonder if I need a better ground.

I have inspected the connections I can see in the main panel by removing a cover below the meter cover (exposes the 3 main bar connections) and breaker cover (exposes breaker and ground-neutral bonded connections), and I do not see any corrosion or anything that looks like it isn't to code.

Questions:

1. I thought if you remove the ground from the system completely, the voltage should still be balanced (assuming normal conditions with nothing shorting to ground), so why did losing a good ground cause a larger voltage swing between the two phases?

2. It seems like my problem is in the main panel since loads on one phase of the house cause a voltage swing on the other phase of the house (across all circuits in the house).  How do I measure (like with a multimeter) to determine whether I have a grounding problem or a neutral problem?

EDIT

My uneducated guesses may have led me astray.  The important question ...

What is a good procedure to identify the source of the issue?

Answer: use a clamp-on amp meter to measure current through main neutral (I had a reading of 0A but an imablance of more than 20A between the two phases) and measure the current through the grounding electrode (I had 20A going through it).  This confirmed that I had a floating neutral which the power company had to come out and fix.


texts: Can I connect to any neutral wire in the house?

texts: I have a Belkin Wemo switch that requires a neutral wire for installation. There is no neutral in the switch box. However, there is a neutral in the electrical outlet box below it, and a path from the switch to the outlet. Can I run a neutral wire from the switch to the neutral in the outlet box and connect it as a shared neutral? I guess this is another way of asking of all neutral wires are basically interconnected eventually (leading back to the main electrical box) and whether any neutral in the house can be used by anything requiring a neutral.


texts: Will Liquid Plumber Foaming Pipe Snake corrode the drain seal on my bathtub?

texts: I just bought and used a bottle of Liquid Plumber but I was just worried about whether the stuff might be able to corrode the rubbery seal under and around the top of the bathtub drain. I live on a second floor apartment and the walls of my shower are already corroded enough to leak below, but that was patched. I meanwhile have a lingering phobia of leaks and was just wondering if I should be concerned about this seal. I can visibly see the seal. My apartment--a condo which I "own"--is about 18 years old, as is this bathtub.