texts: I am replacing an old outdoor covered porch light fixture with a new LED fixture. The back of the new fixture plate is only about 1 inch max and needs to be flush with the existing wooden support block  6x9x 2" .  The old light had a thicker back plate to accomodate a thin junction box. The new one does not. The wires come through a small 2 inch hole through the 2 inch thick wood support block which is mounted securely  into the house's wood siding.  I can secure the circular metal strap to the wooden block for mounting the light. Must I install a junction box? It would be a lot of trouble to get one recessed into the block.


texts: Allowed distance between service entrance and breaker box

texts: What is the distance allowed between where the service wires enter your home and the breaker box?


texts: How should I protect a gas line in a closet?

texts: What is the best way to protect and hide a gas line that runs along the side wall of an open (no door) closet? It sits about 2” off the ground and is 1” away from the wall. Since it’s an open closet I would like to build something that looks nice around it, however, I don’t know if there are any codes that I would be violating by doing this. The gas line runs the length of the closet which is 10’.


texts: I'm trying to replace a ceiling light fixture but the wires are different

texts:
The existing box has one black wire and three white wires twisted around each other coming out of it.
The existing fixture has one black wire and one white wire.  The black was connected to the black and the white to the 3 twisted white.  Then a copper wire from the fixture was wrapped around those wires.
The NEW fixture has three wires.  One is labeled "N" and one is labeled "L".  The 3rd wire has an symbol on it of 3 horizontal lines and 1 vertical line.  Looks a little like a sailboat!   There is also a copper wire.

So... if I connect the "N" to the 3 twisted white wires and I connect the "L" to the black wire, what do I do with the 3rd wire?


texts: Why doesn't the light in my ceiling fan work after changing a light bulb?

texts:
I had to change a light bulb in my ceiling fan. When I was screwing it in, it popped and the light bulb blew. Now the remote won't turn off the light, but it's still able to control the fan blades

What can it be and how can I fix it?


texts: Is a wooden buck necessary when installing windows into full width brick?

texts:
I'm looking for pointers on installing a new window into a full width brick wall. Pictures are here. They are the basements windows in a rowhome. There's a slanted brick sill on the bottom. The brick is covered with formstone on the outside. At the top there's a wooden shelf on the backside and arched brick on the front.

Specific questions:

I'm considering installing directly into the masonry without the buck frame. In that case, do I have to use a separate sill? The house already has a slanted brick sill; should that suffice? Also, it has formstone that wraps around the masonry on the sides and top, do you think it's necessary to add framing or something so that the lip of the formstone doesn't trap water? I think it would be minimal if it did.
If I do add buck, can I just do it on the sides and top? If I add it on the bottom, should it be slanted like the sill underneath?
I'm also planning to install iron bars later. Should I make the buck framing go from formstone to the inside brick edge (about 7") or is 5/4*6" PT pushed up to the formstone okay? In which case, I guess I would line the window up on the inside of the buck to leave space on the outside for the iron bars and I could install extension jambs later if needed?


texts: Close old OTR hood vent hole on exterior stucco wall

texts:
How do I permanently close and seal the old vent hole on the outside stucco wall ?
Do I have to remove the old metal  vent (see photo) or can I just put stucco patch on top of the metal and fill in the entire hole with stucco patch ?
What is the correct way to fill hole on stucco wall ?.


texts: How do I make my doorbell not connected to a light switch?

texts: The transformer for my wired doorbell is connected to a light junction box. The doorbell works just fine if the light (which the transformer is connected to) is turned on using the wall switch. If the light is off, the doorbell doesn’t work at all. How do I fix this problem so the doorbell works even when the light is off?


texts: Best way to wire multiple lights in multiple rooms on single circuit?

texts:
In new wiring, when running a new circuit from the main panel in the basement to multiple rooms upstairs, what is the most efficient way to wire lights in each room so they are 1.) on the same circuit and 2.) controlled by an individual switch in each room?

I'm sure I can run my main 12-2 or 14-2 (I will use 12) to the closest light in this circuit, and continue the power to the next room, but I am not sure what the best method of switching the power in each individual room is.  Or if I should run power to each room's switch and then use a new wire to go from each powered switch to the series of each room's lights.


texts:
I have a Duravit Model-No. 253509 wall-mounted toilet that is leaking in a minor way around the wall. Please see below for some photos and details.

Please let me know if you have ideas on the source of the issue and potential solutions. Could this be from the in-wall tank, or does it have something to do with the toilet-wall mount?

enter image description here


texts: Is a glass shower screen a suitable backing for mosaics?

texts:
I have an old boxed-in corner shower. The glass screen has three panels which are all very hazy. I can't afford to replace it right now. I was thinking of putting mosaics (big pictures - not little squares) on a couple of the panels to distract from how bad the shower looks. There is one panel in particular that measures 21 cm wide and 159 cm long. I will put the mosaic on the outside (away from the water).

Is the shower screen glass itself a suitable backing and if so, does it need to be prepared in some way? I plan to use glass for the tiles (cut to shape for the picture) and clear adhesive. Not sure though if it will stick and if just adhering direct to the shower screen will be ok. Also, what can I use as grout between the glass pieces? I have only ever done glass mosaics on pottery with coloured grout. Do I need to grout? I would need to use something clear - can I use clear silicon? Thanks.


texts: How can I prevent my twin pocket doors from meeting too hard?

texts:
We have two pocket doors, each 36" that meet to close off a 6' entryway between our living room and our sunroom.  Both doors have stops, but the stops overlap so that when one door is out and the other door is brought out, they hit and both slide backward.

I hoped to find a magnetic "catch" or something like that, but so far I have come up dry.  Best of all would be to find a way to have each door "click" into place when fully extended.

Any ideas?


texts:
How to fix scratch on laminate hardwood
How can I fix this deep scratch


texts: Can you save money with a humidifier and air conditioner combo?

texts:
I recently discovered how powerful humidifiers can be in terms of generating cold.

What happens if you run a humidifier in a small room that has an air conditioner?

The dehumidifier can produce air up to 12 degrees cooler than the ambient temperature. The air conditioner can take away the swampy humidity.

However, taking away the swampy humidity shouldn't take away the cold the humidifier had produced. Unless the reverse happens when the humidity condenses into water?

Anyway I presented this idea to my dad and he said that removing the excess humidity with the air conditioner would make the whole thing useless as the air conditioner would expand more power to get rid of humidity. What do you guys think?


texts: How can I pull up tack strips nailed to concrete?

texts: I am pulling up carpet and putting down a floating, vinyl plank floor in a three-season room built on slap.  The tack strips are nailed into the concrete.  I see How to repair concrete damage from pulling up nail strips but am looking for advice on the easiest way to get the tack strips up to begin with.  Any thoughts?


texts: Why are my LED lights flashing when powered from an inverter?

texts:
I am running some 10 watt LED floodlights off a 12 volt battery and 230 volt inverter.
The 10 watt LED floodlights are flashing on and off. I am also running 20 watt floodlights and they do not flash. Both work perfectly on the mains power.

How can I eliminate the flashing with the 10W lights?


texts: How much do holes in metal shrink when it is galvanized?

texts:
I'm going to have some mild steel tubes with holes drilled on it hot-dipped galvanized. I need to know how much tolerance or how big the holes should be when I drill them so that they would be at least an inch in diameter after the galvanization process. Of course, I don't want the holes too big too afterwards.

I tried Googling the answer to this question but failed to see usable numbers. This is most probably because it depends on the size of the holes and the type of metal being galvanized. So if anyone can give some numbers based on their experience, that would help a lot.


texts: The previous owner left eight 10' sections of 3/4" EMT, but he drilled holes through every one of them (a hole every 18-24" or so).  Can this still be used to route wire indoors?


texts: Night Light Clip In Cord Incandescent to LED & Safety

texts:
I have one of those seasonal villages that use a clip-in accessory cord with a night light bulb that inserts into a 1" opening. The bulb is suspended by a metal clip.

the standard incandescent 5W bulbs do not offer much life. They don't last as long as LEDS I am told. The above cord set-up cautions the use of 5W MAX Candelabra base UL bulbs. The plug has a built in 5 AMP, 125 volt fuse...

So here's my question(s):

Can I safety use a C7 .75 7W LED candelabra base bulb with 27 lumens of brightness? It fits perfectly and lights beautifully. However I am worried that it will not be safe. The replacement bulb says it is made for night lights. Will it be safe to use with the above cord description?

Thanks for fielding my question..


texts: What are the dimensions of US outlet holes?

texts:
I am specifically referring to the standard NEMA 5-15 three hole outlet that is used in North America. What are the dimensions of the holes in the outlets?

Surprisingly, I am having difficulty in finding this information on line.


texts: How do I seal a vapor barrier on my basement walls if I have none from the floor above?

texts: I am redoing my basement and was wondering how to seal the wall vapor barrier if there is no existing vapor barrier from the floor above. Or is it better off not using vapor barrier ?  I am from Manitoba and it is very humid and I don't want to have anything rot because of the moisture being trapped.


texts: A proper tool for removing a PEX pipe from a fitting barb

texts:
When a pinch crimp has to be removed and re-done, what is the proper tool to remove the PEX pipe from a barb after removing the clamp and cutting of the pipe?

I thought of using the PEX pipe cutter's blade but am afraid it would mar the ribs on the barb and cause a leak when it's subsequently re-used.

In my particular case I am using a 3/4 elbow like this with a PEX pipe which is white on the o/s and black on the i/s if it matters.

So if I had to undo and re-do this kind of connection, I would open one of the pinch rings and cut off the pipe, but don't know how to remove what's left under the former crimp:


texts:
This is a drill bit I got in a kit that included brad point bits, masonry bits and regular drill bits, all without instructions or labels.

At first, I thought the ridges were meant to make screw threads like a tap bit, but the ridges don't extend beyond the approx 1/4" diameter of the screw.

What kind of drill bit is this? What's it for?


texts: Do i need a backflow preventer for drip irrigation system

texts:
A gardener just installed a drip irrigation system in my backyard. He didn't installed the back-flow preventer. When I asked him why, he told me for drip irrigation you don't need the back-flow preventer! His argument was that in drip irrigation, we have to install a pressure reducer so there is no need for a back-flow preventer.

Is he right on his argument?


texts: How can I get rid of the knocking sound behind my wall when I turn any tap in the house on or off?

texts: When we turn any of our taps on or off it creates a set pattern of three knocks behind the main bedroom wall. We have a steel framed house. How can we eliminate this sound?


texts: How to open this recessed faucet aerator? It seems very hidden inside!

texts:
We need to install a faucet filter and have a problem removing our kitchen faucet recessed aerator.

I googled and saw some examples on YouTube but not sure if our recessed aerator is same as the ones on the videos.

We already tried using a anti-slip cloth to squeeze the aerator and also use an adjustable wrench to open it but all didn’t work.

Please let us know if you know what else we could try to open it.

Updated photo


texts: How can I subtly mark a height difference to prevent tripping?

texts:
Between two of my rooms I have a height difference of about 4cm. What is an obvious but subtle way to mark the marble floor so the step is obvious, and help to prevent tripping?

I'm thinking of using mini battery-operated LED lights.

By the way in case anyone is curious that step leads to the kitchen and there are necessary pipes underneath it. Hence the raised floor.


texts: Wiring Ecobee thermostat to Vulkan gas furnace with no C terminal

texts:
I am trying to wire up an Ecobee thermostat to an old (1997) Gas central heating system but I got up into the roof then realised I have no terminal labelled C.
Now, I don't super know what I am doing, but based on the diagram taken from the heater I should in theory be able to tap into the wire on the right side (to the left of the earths) that is labelled 24VAC?


texts: What is the name and function of this thingy seen attached to many boiler pipes?

texts: I see this a lot but not sure what it's called or what it does?


texts: Does mirror like wallpaper suitable for a mini dance studio at home exist?

texts: I live on my own and because I'm a dancer I want to use one of my spare rooms as a good rehearsal space. What I want to do is cover at least one of my walls there in a mirror-like wallpaper or something so that I can see my reflection really well. I can't afford a lot at the moment. I cant buy a huge mirror because they're expensive so I was thinking about a huge mirror sticker.


texts:
I'm changing my first breaker, a GFCI. There is no main Breaker in the panel.
Everything was going fine until... I couldn't remove 2 of the 3 wires from the old breaker because there was no screw to loosen them.

Do I have to cut the wires and re-strip them, or can I stick an appropriate thin tool into their slots to open what I presume to be a spring-type catch?
(I'd rather not shorten the wires.)

Old breaker is an ITE.  Panel is a Gould (now Siemens).  New breaker is a Siemens.  Absolutely no main cutoff.  I turned off all breakers before I started...safety first.

Old breaker: ITE GFCI, about 38 years old or less.  I found no hole in which to insert a tool to release the load neutral, for which there is no set screw.  In fact, 3 different wires go into the same port (hole) in the breaker, with no visible means of release:

the load neutral (white);
the panel neutral (white with black spiral stripe);
and a 2"-3" dark grey wire, which loops into another port in the breaker, also with no visible means of release (but which is not necessary to change the breaker, anyway).
The load line (purple) releases easily with a set screw.

I'm still stuck with the choice of either finding out how to release the load neutral or cutting and re-stripping that wire.  How can I get that wire out???

While I had the breaker detached from the service buss, I could see that the tab from the buss to which the breaker snaps on, is not clean, but has what reminds me of a spark plug that needs to be cleaned with a wire brush or replaced.

Will the performance of a new breaker be compromised by this?
Can the tab be cleaned (sanded or wire-brushed)?
If it is cleaned, is there a potential for metallic dust particles or other particles from the cleaning to contaminate a clean panel, especially at breakers lower in the panel, and cause short circuits?
Is such a tab rendered unusable for accepting a breaker?
I noticed that the old breaker, which I've now removed and reattached twice, hasn't fit tightly in its slot since the first time I removed it.  Is that more because of the breaker itself?  (I keep it switched  off, of course.)

re: "No Main":  I was referring to no Main breaker in the panel or in a separate box between the POCO meter (which is on a wall at the front of the house) and the panel.  There is/are NONE.  I would have been happy to pull the meter off the wall.  That would have certainly cut all power to the panel and the whole house, providing the ultimate in safety; but I was informed by the POCO that that would be illegal.  The same goes for anything on the street-side of the meter.

I have become completely comfortable with the safety procedures I am using, including shutting off all the breakers before starting. (The parts I have to touch are a good distance from the service lines and lugs at the top of the panel.)

Edit: the load neutral does enter one of 3 plastic wire nuts, all on the right side of the panel.  It looks like 3 wires come out of each wire nut.  (Also, the only neutral buss I see is on the right side of the panel.  If there is another, it is also on the right side, under the first and blocked from my view by wires.)

PRIORITY: How do I remove that load neutral with no screw set?


texts: Do I need to insulate the entire basement or just a few walls?

texts:
I have a 1920s house with concrete foundation that had a semi-finished basement. After a recent 3-day rain storm, my basement flooded (about 1") due to hydrostatic pressure. It wasn't just my house -- all the homes on my row had the same issue.

I removed the drywall and insulation from the finished portion of the basement. Some areas of black mold were found and I am working on getting that taken care.

I am looking at insulating the basement again because it gets cold down there and I am using it as an exercise/home theater area. So, do I need to insulate the entire basement or can I just insulate some of the walls like it was prior?

According to information from buildingscience.com, it is recommended I apply rigid foam insulation to my walls:

  The best insulations to use are foam based and should allow the foundation wall assembly to dry inwards. The foam insulation layer should generally be vapor semi impermeable (greater than 0.1 perm), vapor semi permeable (greater than 1.0 perm) or vapor permeable (greater than 10 perm) (Lstiburek, 2004). The greater the permeance the greater the inward drying and therefore the lower the risk of excessive moisture accumulation.


texts: I need to shorten this porcelain leg to fit under a porcelain sink (the reason is complicated and not relevant).  I’m concerned that any cutting/sawing/grinding may crack the porcelain.  Any ideas are welcome.


texts: My brand new fridge has a dirty mark and silver tape near the compressor, should I send it back?

texts:
I have just unboxed a new larder fridge and noticed that there was a dirty black mark on the back, just above the compressor, which then has had a piece of silver tape put over it.

The fridge is otherwise fine and seems to be working, though I'm not quite sure if the (burn?) mark is a sign that it might fail sooner than other fridges due to a fault in the manufacturing process.

An image of the offending mark is on Flickr: http://flic.kr/p/9c87gf


texts: How to change the blade on my mitre saw?

texts:
Helllo i just got a firestorm black and decker 10 inch mitre saw off one of my buddies for free because he upgraded. I was looking at some videos (none for this saw) and i couldn't figure out how to get the blade off.
i put a wrench on the nut and turned clockwise but i don't know if it a clockwise or counter clockwise nut can anybody help?
(Black and Decker firestorm 10" mitre saw)


texts: How to safely install drywall anchors near wiring

texts:
I need to hang a rack on a pantry wall, the other side of which has a light-switch. The rack will be holding quite a bit of weight (well-distributed, and close to the wall, though), and I need to install drywall anchors at several (~9, maybe less) points along the vertical extent of the rack:

However, there's a light-switch on the other side of the pantry's (thin) wall. It's not precisely where the drywall mounts would need to be installed, but it's close enough to worry me in my inexpertise:

The wiring for the switch appears to run vertically from the switch (it controls a light in the inner wall of the pantry itself, so that makes sense.):

So: Can I safely drill for, and install, shallow (but metal.) drywall anchors for this thing? How can I do so in the safest way? I've got a wireless voltage-sensor, but it doesn't pick anything up anywhere on the wall even with that light turned on, so that's no help.


texts: How can I touch up a marred furniture paint job?

texts: I recently repainted some night stands using benjamin moore advanced paint. They look great, except that I noticed some debris on the top and removed it with tweezers. I attempted to smooth over it with a brush, but the paint had already started to dry. So, there's a slight mar to my finish in a few places. Can I lightly sand that area, and just put a very light coat on top? Or, am I stuck with a light sand and repainting the entire top?


texts: What is the proper way to run wires along/across basement ceiling joists?

texts:
I want to add an electrical outlet in my unfinished basement.  It makes sense to run the wire along the ceiling because that's where all the other wires are.  What is the proper way to install NM cable either parallel to or perpendicular to the ceiling joists, given that the ceiling is not insulated and the joists are exposed?

The current situation is a bit mixed.  Parallel wires are sometimes stapled to the edge of the joist and sometimes to the side, but not generally as far as 19 mm (3/4 in) from the edge.  Perpendicular wires are mostly stapled to each joist and hanging freely between, but sometimes stapled to a board.

I live in Massachusetts, and therefore subject to NEC 2008 with these amendments.


texts:
I'm replacing old 240v wiring in our home and the grounding electrode conductor was put through the same hole in the stud as the 240v cable was. I am not wanting to drill any more holes in the studs than necessary so I want to know if this is acceptable or not. I will have my work inspected and just want to avoid having to redo my work. Is it permissible to pass the GEC through the same hole as my new 240v NM cable?
Thank you,
Ben


texts: What nails or screws to use to support 600 pounds max? Making tree house bed

texts:
Im making this for my kids. I will post the video so you guys can watch it, and have an idea what im talking about. Just watch the video until minute 2:50 because thats all im doing. The rest will be different from the video..just want to know how much weight can i put on? And what nails or screws to use..? Any help please. Thanks in advance.

https://youtu.be/dR_cXIMiQ9Y


texts: Can 1" thick planks take (vertical) shear loads of 200kg through bolts without splitting?

texts: I am extending an aluminium ladder by bolting the lower ends to 3" wide, 1" thick struts. I am concerned that the (6mm) bolts may split the wood when loaded.


texts: What is the proper method to install a "close" metal pipe nipple?

texts:
A close pipe nipple is designed so that when it is installed there is very little or no gap between the two fittings which attach to either end.

What is the proper method to install one of these? Could be black iron, brass, etc.

Here are the issues I wonder about:

When attaching the nipple to the first fitting, it seems you would have to grip the nipple by the threads with a pipe wrench. This may cause damage. Perhaps a protective padding is used?
When attaching the second fitting, how to ensure the nipple is inserted more or less evenly? The insertion torque may continue to tighten it into the first fitting which would be hard to prevent or even observe.
Should you just tighten both fittings simultaneously?

Example of a close nipple:


texts: Could I cut out the affected area in a termite damaged joist or would I need to replace the whole joist if it's rotted at the end

texts:
So I have a 2x10 floor joist that's only about 5 feet long (short because it only spans a rounded part of my house) which has termite damage at one end for about 1.5 feet.  The damage is on the outward side of the joist making it much thinner than 2" once the damaged bits are flaked off. The end sits on a notched sill on the curved wall on the masonry since I have brick exterior walls.  The notched sill area is not wide enough to have 2 sistered joists rest on it.  It is the first joist and doesn't really seem to have much weight or load on it since the load is mostly on the exterior brick wall at that spot.
If I were to do this myself - would I cut out the affected end by a few feet and replace it with a partial new joist which I sister to the old joist, or should I just replace the entire joist since it's only 5 feet long in its entirety?
I am assuming that I can't just sister it the whole length since the edge of the sister can't sit on a sill?
The joist goes in front of the hvac register so I shouldn't have to cut any duct, just maybe hold it up if the register edge is screwed into the joist.
Images below and I drew a blue line in the floor plan of where the beam is along with the red line indicating the termite damage.  Note that the white residue on the wood is from the BoraCare termite salt that was sprayed on - the wood is normally a nice brown.

*Update
In case anyone is interested, I ended up have 2x8s bolted/sistered together to replace what turned out to be an actual 3x8.  I used some shims on top of the brick sil.
To get it in, broke the concrete cap in the notch, put in the double beam,  and then re-cemented it back in.


texts: What size screw or bolt do I need to hang 55lb framed mirror on internal single brick wall? Two fixtures allowed on mirror back. Thanks


texts: How to fill large 1" gap between preform laminate countertop and wall

texts:
We are trying to save money and replaced an old laminate countertop with a newer preform laminate countertop, where the backsplash is part of the laminate countertop. The countertop is an "L" shape, so we have the pre-cut miter ends that join together in the corner. The problem is that the walls seem to have a serious bow to them and where the countertop pieces join in the corner, there is about a 1 inch gap between the backsplash and the wall.  The counters are flush up against the wall at the furthest ends from the corner.  Is there any way to fill in this gap?

!countertop with 1 inch gap in corner


texts: Water leaked from second floor to first (ground) floor. What should I do / be worried about?

texts:
When I was trying to fix a leaky faucet in the bathroom (2nd floor), I made a series of mistakes that lead to having some water go underneath the un-tiled section of the bathroom and into the cutout section of the sub-floor where the water pipes come out.

A few hours later, I noticed a water dripping of the 1st floor ceiling.  I put a bin to catch the water and drilled a small hole in the ceiling to drain the water quickly.  The water stopped dripping in about 4 hours since I initially found the drip.

I would roughly estimate that there is a 1 meter distance between where the cutout section of the sub-floor is and the drip on the ceiling.

The amount of water in the bin was about a glass or two.

My ceiling is stucco / popcorn painted in oil based paint.

What should I do / fix / look out for to make sure there is no damage?


texts: What are these white eggs behind my wall outlet?

texts: What type of animal eggs are these white eggs? Do I have something to worry about?


texts: Garden wall pointing / capping advice needed

texts:
I’m hoping to get some advice on a project I’m planning.

I bought a house last year that has a 2 foot retaining wall between the decking and the lawn. It’s a red brick wall and looks to be in pretty bad shape.
Normal red brick used to cap the wall are all crumbling
Some whole sections appear to be quite loose
Could be leaking through from behind?
I haven’t done much of this kind of work before so I’d love to get some feedback on my plan to correct this to understand if I’m along the right lines.

I was planning to firstly rake back all the cement and repoint with another cement mix (maybe 4 to 1 mix). I was intending to do the whole wall so it matches.
Then I want to chisel off the current capping bricks and replace them with blue engineering bricks.

I’m hoping this might be enough but I’m worried it won’t address the underlying problem if there is water coming in from behind the wall, some of the marks down the wall look like it’s been leaking, if that’s the case I’m not really sure what to do. Maybe dig down behind the wall and see what’s going on?

Thank you for any comments / advice


texts: Why do my toilet valves seem to have started running at the same time?

texts: I had a bad toilet that started running last year. This was in a bathroom that is not used at all (guest bedroom). So, i just closed the valve to that toilet and decided to look into it later. I haven't had a chance to fix that yet but last night but master bath toilet started running. Does this indicate a root cause problem. The house is around 20 years old and may be these toilets are really old too and if so, it is fine. I just want to see if there might be any other reason such as water pressure or something like that causing it. I measured my water pressure on an outside faucet and it seems to be ok, around 70 psi or less. I don't exactly remember that number right now but I remember it was well within the recommended psi.


texts: Fixing propane heater pilot ignition; spark misfiring?

texts:
So... I've got a pretty old heater somewhat similar to the picture below. It wasn't coming on so I took it apart, cleaned it (it was full of soot, corrosion and clogged) qnd changed the gas regulator (which said "change before 2013." )

Anyway; it now works properly except the pilot (similar to the other image below) sort-of misfires. Not sure if the combustion chamber is crooked forwards or what but when I press the switch, about 75% of the time, the sparker arcs with the combustion chamber instead of over the gas pilot and so obviously it won't come  on. Any ideas on how to fix this? Could using a new  sparker piece fix it or is it more likely to be an aberrant position of the chamber as I said?

I tried covering the bit the spark originates at in heatshrink and for a while it did the trick but now it's failing again (I guess maybr it heated up too much or the heatshrink was too big?)

Any better ideas other than getting a new heater?


texts: How should I finish the area around the gas line for my range?

texts: We are remodeling our kitchen and had a new gas line run for our range.  What's the best way to finish the area around the valve?  We'll obviously will need to access the valve and run flex pipe from the end.  Should I simply frame the top with another 2x4 and end the drywall there?  Is there a box that would fit this scenario?


texts: How should I put a gutter downspout on a corner of my house surrounded by pavement?

texts:
I'd like to install gutters on my house to direct water away from the foundation, but one front corner is surrounded by driveway on one side and a paved walkway on the other curving back to the front door with only a narrow mulch bed in between. Unfortunately, I have a front door bump out that interrupts the roof line and makes a continuous gutter run impossible. I'm also in the northeast, so draining to the driveway could create a major ice hazard. I'm rather stumped.

What is the best way to handle a downspout on this corner of the house? Is there any solution that wouldn't involve a major excavation project?


texts:
I have a goodman furnace who's fan motor will keep running.  it's like it is trying to kick on, but it can't will run fast then slow down then fast again.
the only way it will kick on is to turn thermostat the whole way down and then
up and it will run for a short while.

any ideas would be appreciated


texts: Maximum length for bathroom extractor/exhaust fan vent

texts:
Our bathroom extractor fans are vented into the attic of our ~70yr old house in Philadelphia. According to our home energy auditor this is pretty common here. We want to vent these to the outside before we proceed with insulation which might involve spray foam spray foam bringing the attic into the envelope of the house.

The best solutions seem to be infeasible:

Go straight up through the roof. We have a slate roof and I have concerns about the aesthetics, cost, and impact on an older roof.
Go out through the soffit. We have minimal soffit space to install any vent, so we'd have to go through the stone wall. Doesn't sound like fun.

We have a whole house fan on one gable of the house which is not stone. This seems like the only easy place to get to the outside.

Unfortunately this is a pretty long run (25 ft plus). Assuming we use rigid and insulated pipe, how far can we run a vent pipe?


texts: What does a receptacle tester reading of "Correct" really mean?

texts:
I'm a new homeowner with plenty of theoretical background in electrical engineering but until now, zero practical experience in home wiring. I recently replaced a few 2-prong outlets with 3-prong outlets and GFCIs. I plugged in my receptacle tester, and the rightmost two lights illuminated, showing a reading of Correct. When I press the Test button on the GFCI or receptacle tester, the outlet goes dead, and turns back on when pressing Reset. Is that reading of Correct all I really need to know to tell me that I did the job correctly? It's my understanding that there are ways to "fool" a receptacle tester to give a Correct reading even though the wiring isn't actually correct.

Are there any common pitfalls that would cause a Correct reading despite incorrect wiring? Or does that usually result from deliberate miswiring that would be unlikely to do by accident? I'm reasonably confident I did the job correctly, but am wondering if the receptacle tester output can give a false sense of security.


texts: Is NEC code for non-metallic cable applicable now that I've installed an attic ladder?

texts:
Just installed an attic ladder. I've read this: What is the proper 'per code' method for running nonmetallic sheathed cable above a ceiling in the attic?

So my attic is now "accessible" and thus:

  (A) Where Run Across the Top of Floor Joists. Where run across the top
  of floor joists, or within 2.1 m (7 ft) of floor or floor joists
  across the face of rafters or studding, in attics and roof spaces that
  are accessible, the cable shall be protected by substantial guard
  strips that are at least as high as the cable.

I find this rather strange. Most of my attic would require a small child in order to access and even then he/she would be on their hands and knees; and some places are downright inaccessible due to supporting 2x4's .etc. Does this essentially mean that any cable run across the joists needs a guard strip? I find that rather crazy - I can understand in the heavily trafficked areas where storage will be.


texts: Adding a new "knockout" to side of main electrical panel

texts:
I'm planning on running a 6/3 feeder cable from my main panel to the garage for a small 50A subpanel and am unsure of how to plumb the new cable to the main panel. All of the knockouts are on the bottom of the box, and I want to run some conduit from the panel to the attic along the exterior wall. Rather than adding a couple of elbows in order to run the conduit from the attic to the knockout on the bottom of the box, can I drill a new hole in the side of the panel, near the top for the 1" conduit? I imagine I would need to use an LB here and at the attic entrance?

Here's what I am thinking:


texts: Why does one Mysa smart thermostat override the others?

texts:
I installed a Mysa smart thermostat in our master bedroom to control our baseboard heater. There are three other analog thermostats on the same floor (bedroom, office, bathroom). Today we noticed that, even when the analog units were cranked, there is no heat. I flipped and reset the breakers just to check if that was the culprit. No dice. Still cold.
So I increased the temp on the Mysa in the master bedroom, and now all three rooms with cold baseboards and analog thermostats are hot. How is this possible?


texts: How to diagnose single tub faucet with no hot water?

texts:
The hot water for my roman tub faucet (for a tub deck) doesn't work. Turning the handle releases a small amount of water, but only for a short moment. I knew this was a problem when I bought the condo, but just never got around to repairing it. Now I want to see if I can fix it. My question:

What could be the issue, and how can I diagnose what might be the problem? My uninformed guess is that there is calcium build-up restricting flow in the hot water valve. If so, would that require replacing that valve or the whole faucet? The faucet is a Moen product-- how would I go about determining what parts need to be ordered?
Depending on the problem, is the repair one that can be done by a homeowner with little knowledge about plumbing?

The faucet is a 3-piece faucet. It kind of looks like this:

Update: I installed a new cartridge this weekend, which did not resolve the issue. However, after turning the water back on, a handful of the sinks in the house released black sediment of some sort, and one of the lavatory sinks (in the same bathroom as the roman tub) no longer works (no hot or cold water). This seems like a very random effect of changing the tub's cartridge.


texts: I'm buying a power miter saw sometime this week; and early birthday present to myself. What should I consider and what brands do you all recommend? I'm not a contractor, web guy by trade, and do mostly weekend projects.


texts: How can I run power to my shed from my pool electrical panel

texts: I have a single 15 amp breaker available in my pool electrical panel.  I would like to run power from there to my shed for a handful of outlets and a pair of light fixtures.  I plan to bury metal conduit 6" deep, but beyond that I'm unsure what is required.  Do I need a subpanel or disconnect in the shed?  What size and quantity of wires would be required in the conduit?  The shed is about 45 ft from the pool panel.  Do I need a grounding electrode at the shed?  This is in the state of Georgia, USA.


texts: Why does the pilot light go out when the furnace is running?

texts:
Every time the furnace fires up, it blows out the pilot light. Sometimes it will run a full cycle and blow out when it shuts down, and sometimes it will blow out about a minute into the cycle.

We had a tech at the house yesterday for a different furnace issue, and unfortunately, nobody was home when he came. From what we can tell, he changed some of the copper lines going into the furnace and he did remove the air filters.

When we got home the furnace was running fine, but after a couple of cycles it started acting up. We relight the pilot with no problem, but as I said as soon as it starts running, it blows the pilot out.

Could the lack of air filters be the problem, or do I need to call the tech back to the house?


texts:
This is for U.S. based electrical in a house built in 2001.

Currently I have a ceiling fan w/light on a 14/2 NM-B run to a single-pole light switch. When the switch is turned off, neither the fan nor light turn on. If switch is turned on, the light or fan can be activated based off pull chains on fan.

I want to add 4 recessed lights off the ceiling fan (which I will be replacing with a remote controlled fan), except I need the lights controlled by the switch, and the fan to be always on (as it will be controlled by the remote control, and not the switch).

I believe I need to pull 14/3 NM-B wire in place of the 14/2 to make this work. Please confirm. See diagram for proposed solution.

FYI: Wire B is going to a different room, Wire C is the wire I would switch out with 14/3.

Also, I left out Ground from the diagram to make it cleaner, I would obviously ground everything.


texts: From a 5A 240V supply - I have two puck type 12V 10W lights in a cupboard and a round plastic switch. Each light has a 10V halogen bulb. I need to buy a new transformer - will any do? Is the transformer to be wired before or after the plastic switch or does it not matter? Can any size output wire be used or does it need to be relatively small to carry the current to the lamps? Thanks


texts: Am I using a multimeter incorrectly? Or is there a short in the cable?

texts:
I'm trying to troubleshoot some electrical issues myself before I hire an Electrician. Partly out of curiosity about what the #$@%! the previous owners of the house did, but also hopefully to save the Electrician a few hours, and myself a few $$$ :)
Multimeter usage - Am I doing this correctly? When I attach the black probe of the multimeter to the ground in a 3-wire cable, and touch the red probe to the other wires in the SAME cable, I get these voltages: black 30V, red ~6v, white ~6v. But, when I attach the black probe to a completely SEPARATE ground (like from an extension cord coming from a completely different circuit on the other side of the house), I get: black 120v, red 0v, white 0v -- which was closer to what I was expecting. Are you not supposed to use a ground in the same 3-wire cable when testing with a multimeter? Does this mean there's something wrong in the cable??


texts: Why will my pilot light on the gas water heater not stay lit for more than 15 minutes?

texts: The pilot light went out on my gas water heater.  I followed the instructions and had it lit three times now for about 15 minutes each time but it wont stay lit.  Not sure what to do at this point?


texts: Should you chamfer CPVC pipe before gluing?

texts:
In know that PVC should be chamfered and even lightly sanded before gluing for better insertion on the fitting (and probably some other reason).

What about CPVC, a manual told me to just cut, apply glue and insert the pipe into the fitting keeping pressure. No sanding, no chamfering and no wiping with primer. Another article told me to chamfer the edges before gluing. So what is the correct procedure?


texts:
Just opened a hole in my old house to replace some plumbing.  I can see where the main drain/sewer stack comes down from the bathroom, but in parallel there's another galvanized? 2"? pipe coming down that T's into the main stack and also continues into the basement where it eventually goes into the slab.  Any idea what this is for?

thanks -


texts: How long should I wait to plug in my refrigerator after unplugging it?

texts:
I just had a strange recommendation when I wanted to move the fridge inside my house to a new position. It's just about 2 feet away.

I was told that I should wait 30-40 minutes after I unplug the fridge before plugging it in again. How is it so and what's the science behind it?

I understand this is usually a recommended way for moving houses but he said that even not moving any bit the above would apply.


texts: How can I remove lichen and/or mold from plastic siding?

texts: We have some kind of lichen or mold on the plastic siding on one side of the house. What's the best way to clean it off?


texts: Seeking LED advice for toddler "busy board"

texts:
I know this is a little bit outside of the realm of "home improvement" but I thought this site was the best fit since it is full of handy people.

I am building a busy board for my nearly 2-year-old son. If you don't know what that is, it's basically a wooden board with switches, locks, noisy things and colorful things that I can sit my boy in front of to entertain him.

I wanted to take the opportunity to engage his mind too - so one of my ideas is to create a light/color area on the board.

Now, I have a VERY basic understanding of electronics, but not really enough experience with LEDs to know which direction to go. If presented the hardware, I could understand it and wire it, but I am not sure how to engineer this and am wondering if anyone has any experience doing something like this (maybe with interior mood lighting)?

My broad-stroke thoughts are to have a number of switches (or a multi-position switch) that controls a series of LEDs that are a variety of colors like this:

SWITCH 1        SWITCH 2       SWITCH3
  Red             Blue         Yellow

When he hits switch 1, he sees red. When he hits switch 1 and 2, he sees purple - or maybe he sees red and blue with a little purple in the middle (I'm not looking for perfection). I'm also open to the thought of using a multi-color LED or something to that affect.

My Concerns are:

Power: I am looking for something battery-operated since he is still too
young to be messing with electrical cords.
Brightness: I am looking for something that isn't too bright. I know LEDs can be quite powerful if you look right at them. I was thinking of
incorporating a piece of frosted plastic into some type of enclosure
to diffuse the light.

If this isn't the right corner of Stack Exchange, please feel free to point me in the right direction. The Electrical Engineering area seemed a bit out of my league.


texts: How to connect a neutral wire from a bundle connected to a push in connector

texts:
I'm planning on installing a smart dimmer switch but I'm not sure of the best way to connect the neutral wire. The outlet has 3 neutral wires bundled in a push in wire connector. What's the correct way to use  neutral wire in this case?

Should I pigtail a new wire into the existing push-in connector or replace it with a wire nut?


texts: Is it ok that the cable for my dryer circuit is suspended from the ceiling?

texts: I have a dryer line hanging from the ceiling joist. Will it pass code if it's attached to the poured concrete basement wall? Do I need to put the wire through conduit? Thanks.


texts: My GFCI/AFCI 20a kitchen socket warning lights are both flashing

texts:
Hope someone can help. All my outlets in my kitchen work, but my two GFCI/AFCI 20A outlets occasionally and utterly randomly will flip and for the most part the AFCI light on the outlet will flash, once i reset it on the outlet its fine.
But recently now both the AFCI and the GFCI lights are flashing on the outlets at the same time, it only happens on one outlet at a time, both outlets do not flip at the same time. The main breaker at the panel never flips. If i reset the outlet its fine for days, then at some random point it will flip and start flashing again.
We dont leave any appliances plugged in, except a kettle, but this is not turned on.
The kitchen has two 20A circuits, all outlets are 20a outlets as well as the two GFCI/AFCI outlets. One for each circuit. They both go back to one 220v dual pole 20A breaker in the panel.
Could it be the breaker itself that is causing this?
Thanks


texts: Replaced pressure balancing unit in Kohler Rite-Temp temperature control, now valve body is leaking

texts:
I have a Kohler Rite-Temp temperature control for my shower that was having trouble regulating hot and cold (it was either all hot or all cold). I took it apart and replaced the pressure balancing unit per the instructions that came with the replacement (roughly like here, but with replacement instead of cleaning: http://helptopics.us.kohler.com/link/portal/5641/5712/Article/2303/K-305-Rite-Temp-Valve-Cleaning).

The problem is that when I put everything back together, I noticed there was some water running out from under the controller when I turned the shower off. I took it apart again and ran it with the cover off. When I turn the dial to the off position, a large amount of water appears to be flowing from the valve body for about 15 seconds. In the picture below, the water appears to come out of the bottom where the little hole is as well as the two screws on either side.

Is this normal and I've just never noticed because the covers were on?


texts: Where in the fire code does it say gasoline may not be stored indoors?

texts:
Re Seattle fire code, but site this applies to most U.S. cities.

I think it is forbidden to keep a fueled or formerly fueled gasoline generator indoors, esp in a commercial, multi tenant building.

But the code is so big, I don't know how to find the relevant rules.

Suggestions?


texts: How can I add a switch to separately control a light and fan?

texts: I have a single switch that turns on/off both a light and a fan.  How do I add a switch so that each is controlled by its own switch?


texts:
After some heavy rain in Cornwall electricity does not work in the barns. This trip box

seems at fault, though it costs 100+GBP to replace it I'm told. Can anyone give me more information on what this is?


texts:
I want to install a new gas water heater in a different location then my current Electric water heater. It will be more central to both bathrooms. The proposed location is shown in blue here:

I will be tapping into a 3/4" T, located next to and above the gas furnace, here:

The line from the T to the 90 degree elbow is 3/4". The vertical pipe is 1/2" into furnace:

The proposed gas line will run approx. 22" straight out from T, then make a right, over to far wall, then turn again toward new water heater proposed location(orange line in the top picture).

Question: Do I need to run the proposed pipe to new heater location as 3/4" pipe, then change to 1/2" for vertical run down to new heater? OR can I just reduce pipe near the T and run 1/2" pipe all the way to heater. Approximate total run of pipe would be about 40 feet.


texts: What paint to use to fill engraved letters on aluminium plate?

texts:
Basically I want to engrave letters and some symbols on aluminium box and fill them in using a paint, What paint should I use?

As far as I know aluminium usually gets painted by anodazing process. But still, I believe there must be a way to paint engraved stuff.

This is the box I want to engrave stuff on:

Example of the work:


texts: Do I need to sanitize my air vents after I remove a bird from them?

texts: I am quite positive I have a bird in my air vents. I plan to remove it tonight but I'm not sure what I should do afterwards. Should I have a company sanitize the vents/system? I just don't want any dangerous air/insects harming my 1 year old.


texts: I had glued some paneling to my kitchen walls. The next day I got the silicone caulk and blue tape to finish the job. Looks great! Oops. I never opened the silicone caulk and used the glue in it's place, still looks great, but I want to know if I can put the silicone over the glue? Thanks in advance.


texts: One TV gets signal while another does not..same cable

texts: I have a rooftop antenna. It comes in, goes to an amplified splitter and off to the 2 TVs... when I first set it up, I was delighted because all the stations came in perfectly.  Over the next few months, I lost everything under 18 (splotchy or nonexistent)... I am testing out a small TV I found and plugged it in to the wire that was attached to one of the TVs and all channels come in pristine...same wire. Why? This tv is tiny so I don’t want it, I like my big TVs but want my channels as well. What is wrong? (P.S. I even tried rescanning and it makes no difference)


texts: In Florida, it is now officially hurricane season. I am in the market for aluminum hurricane shutters. However, I do have some questions. Home Depot offers aluminum shutters that are either 48 inches or 96 inches in height. Can the shutters be cut to the size of the window opening? Also, my windows are sunk into the opening with a concrete sill on the outside of the house showing. So it does not allow for a completely flat surface on the outside of the house on the bottom part of the window with the concrete portion that juts out. How can I secure these windows knowing that the bottom track will be difficult to mount on this jutted portion? All of my windows are like this.


texts: Can one pane of a double pane window be safely removed?

texts:
Recently I asked Is there a way to remove condensation and clean inside a double pane window? The answer appears to be "no", at least not without resorting to very dangerous chemicals.

Two of the windows in my house with failed seals are on an unheated porch.   For these windows, I don't see any reason why I need to have double panes.  I don't need the insulation that the double panes provide.

I'm thinking that I could just remove one of the panes. Is it possible to safely remove one of the two panes? What technique should I use?

If I do so, should I remove the inner our outer pane?

The two windows in question are fixed windows (they don't open).   They were installed when the house was built 20 years ago.  They are above a sliding door, so they are fairly high off the ground.   The gap between the panes appears to be about 1/2 inch.


texts:
Between my dining room and living room upstair area, there is one step down and there is a wall grille that is 5.5" tall.

What drives me nut is there is no 14x5.5 grille anywhere. There is either 14x4 or 14x6 grille wall / ceiling:

I want to replace this old one and cannot find a good replacement.

What am I thinking wrong? Or is this something 20 years ago that people don't make unstandardized size any more? Is this a custom made and/or should I cut the 14x6 to fit??


texts: What could be causing the copper green smells in my house when the furnace turns on?

texts: We just re-did the rotting siding on my t1-11 sided fireplace. We replaced siding and covered it with hardi-plank. The problem is, when my furnace turns on, air is pulled from the fire place and the whole living room smells like copper green. This was one week ago. Now I am very sick, can not go to work, have a doctors appointment tomorrow morning. I am wondering if this smell can be what is making me sick?, or is it a return on my colitis? I am weak, tired dizzy, headachey, and in much digestive distress. Any help or info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


texts: Would building a partial raised wall for a pond in this way be strong enough?

texts:
I just read your answers about "Building a raised wall for a pond." Although quite detailed, I am not very physics minded and hope someone will give me a thumbs up or down.

I have a pond that is about 16' x 30', 3 sides will be earthen and stone walls (of which, I am not so concerned) the 4th wall is block and masonry.

The wall I am concerned about is 2 concrete blocks high (16") and about 30' long. The first course is about 2-3" below grade.

I laid 4 courses of decorative wall block (the wall blocks weigh about 23 lbs each) about 4-6" behind the cement block wall, 1 course is below grade. I then filled the gap between the two walls with about 1000 lbs of concrete. The cement block was filled with ground and gravel and 1/2" x 4' rebar driven in each hole.

Is this sufficient of a wall to retain the pond water?


texts: Is it safe to drill a 6" hole into a beam or i-joist for range hood duct?

texts:
I'm installing a range hood over my island after a kitchen remodel and I ran into an issue. If I try to run the ducting alongside the joists in the ceiling I run into a beam which looks to be supporting the sunroom which extends beyond the kitchen. I've included a picture of the kitchen layout below with an annotation showing the location and direction of the beam and an illustration of the direction of the joists (not to scale). To be clear there is a second floor above this one so I can't just go out the roof.

The beam and joists are 14" deep. I am concerned about drilling a 6" hole in the beam and perhaps a second one which is behind it. Is that acceptable? The range hood I have will not accommodate any reduction in diameter. The beam appears to be solid wood and a picture is shown below (looking down the hole in the ceiling along the joists.

An alternative route is for me to go a shorter distance through the joists and out the side of the house. The joists are engineered wood TJI 230 14". Now according to the manufacturer, I can drill a 6" hole through the web no problem since I am far enough from the ends and there are no other substantial holes in the ones I've looked at so far. My only concern here is that contrary to what I am reading from the manufacturer, everyone seems to be telling me that I shouldn't make a hole any greater than 1/3rd the depth of the joist, and that if I do that I need to re-enforce the hole. But I don't see this mentioned anywhere in the manufacturer's guidelines. By all indications it is perfectly acceptable to make a 6" hole in the joists.

Can anyone provide me feedback: am I okay going through the beam? Alternatively, can I go through the i-joists without re-enforcement? Does the 1/3rd rule not apply to engineered i-joists like this?
Thanks!


texts: How to insulate roof from heat (sunlight)

texts:
I'd like to insulate roof which is over my flat in 4 store building. MY flat is the last one and every summer is a killer for me as about for 1 month a year I have constant temperature of 30 Celsius. The roof is flat (actually 2% inclination) and currently covered with roofing felt.

I'm thinking about covering it with a layer of gravel or making a roof garden on it. Whole roof is about 100 square meters.

EDIT: one of comments led me to http://www.whiteroofproject.org/.


texts: Installing insulation in the cavity between LED retrofit assembly and IC-rated can

texts:
I have some existing IC-rated cans that I can feel (and see with an IR camera) are leaking cold air from my attic into my living room.

When installing an airtight LED retrofit assembly over it, is it safe to:

Seal the holes inside the can with some sort of insulating foam
Fill the cavity of the can with insulation where the bulb used to occupy, (that is now just an empty space above the LED retrofit assembly)

thanks


texts: I live in the northwest UK. On Christmas Eve 2018, flies started to appear in my living room during the evening. I have never had anything happen like this before. I have a very very clean house. The home is semi detached. It is now February 3, 2019. I have cleaned my house from top to bottom and sealed any spaces that might be vulnerable. There is not a space that I don't know about. However, the flies still get inside every evening. This is driving me insane. I am at the end of my tether  and cannot solve this problem.  I have scoured the internet for possible solutions but I have gotten nowhere. What else can I do? Can anyone give me any ideas I have not thought of already?


texts: Removing old thermostat when replacing electric baseboard heaters

texts:
We're renovating a 30 year old home in the US and replacing three 240 volt electric baseboard heaters with new, modern heaters.

Currently, each of the three 15+ year old heaters are wired into their own "dumb" analog thermostats on the wall. We're looking at possibly replacing these with "smart" heaters like these which have an onboard thermostat, and then can be centrally controlled.

As I understand it, these new heaters should not have a thermostat in the wall; they should be connected directly to the breaker box. And I believe that currently 240 volts run from the breaker box to the thermostat in the wall and then from there to the heater. If that's correct, can I simply remove the thermostats, connect and cap the wires, and replace them with blank panels? Or would I need to run all new cable directly to the new baseboard heaters?


texts: Two lengths of 12/2 romex to substitute for 10/2

texts: Can I run 2 lengths of 12/2 romex 100 feet to substitute for a single run of 10/2? I'm not needing to meet code, just trying to get 120 v at 20 amps to my shop with as little light dimming as possible. Thanks for any help you can give!


texts: What concrete type should I use for a pizza oven base slab?

texts:
I am building a pizza oven and kitchen area in my garden. I am trying to work out if there is a specific type of concrete I need.
My question is only about the concrete slab (the foundation). The slab will be approx 2m x 2m
My calculation for the weight (that the concrete slab needs to support) are
Dense bricks: 70 * 18.2kg = 1,274kg
Concrete slabs: 13 * 15kg = 195kg
Pizza oven: 1 * 50kg = 50kg
Total: 1,519kg
How do I determine what type of concrete to use? Would general purpose suffice?


texts: Working furnace but smell like electrical fire

texts:
My furnace started to smell electrical fire once in awhile (not consistent). I guess it happens when we run the heat for a long time (many continuous days during cold weather). However, the furnace still works while smelling. I also notice sometime it has weird noise, like stalling "beeeeeee" noise. Here is the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84lXuwHdMPk

I am not sure if it's like that before or now I am starting to realized.

The filter was new and I installed it with exact airflow direction (left-to-right). When I smelled the first time and started to open the cover, the old filter popped out from the metal engage ring thing. It didn't fall off completely or touch any metal part to burn or anything (meaning the smell is not from the old filter).

Also while the burner is firing, I saw a metal stick at the direction of the fire and it's turning red. I am not sure what is the purpose of that stick (temperature sensor?).

I did some research from https://www.angieslist.com/articles/whats-funny-smell-when-heat-turns.htm and blog.snyderac.com/blog/be-cautious-of-these-3-furnace-smells so I came to some initial thoughts:

My capacitor is probably bad and needs replace? Where do I find it?
I might have install the filter in the wrong airflow direction?
Some other electrical or crack inside that I don't see?

Before I call some contractor, I'd like to see if I can easily fix this. Please let me know your advise.

Top left

Entire furnace open

Red circle is the burner. Blue circle is the metal piece sticking out.

Bottom part with new air filter (installed with arrow left to right)

Just a view into the bottom (fan on right)

Electrical switch

Label

UPDATE 1

The make and model of this furnace is Bryant Plus 80t

http://www.utcccs-cdn.com/hvac/docs/1010/Public/03/01-8312-402-25-111212.pdf

I am wondering if the red circle is the capacitor? It's next to the big fan in the bottom

More photos

I don't see anything here resembles a capacitor!

UPDATE 2

I realized when I turned the temperature to 75F and I smelled electrical burning. If it's 71F and below, it seems to be OK. So for some reason, I guess the furnace overworked itself? Is it possible?

UPDATE 3

I also noticed small red LED light flashing fast 3 times and slow 3 times. I am sure there is something wrong electrically. The noise seems to come from the blower motor below and not the inducer motor on top.


texts: Zeno's Toilet: Toilet fill valve cranky about shutoff

texts:
I have a toilet with a relatively new, conventional, fill system. Float goes up, valve shuts of.

Except when it doesn't, and keeps dribbling a little water into the tank until I pull off the lid and jiggle the float.

I've bent the float rod down further for more leverage. Not much effect.

Is this just a symptom of 'time to replace the valve tower'?


texts: Automatically trip breaker in power outage

texts:
Is there a way to trip a breaker, or otherwise kill the connection to an appliance during a power outage that doesn't automatically turn back on when power is restored?

Background: home in the north that runs a well pump that I may not be at for a week at a time. Heater is on all winter (set to 50 deg), but if the power goes out, the temps will drop well below freezing. The water in the pipes will cause an issue when the power kicks back on and warms up the house if a pipe burst. An "issue" will turn into a complete disaster if the well pump turns back on and feeds the pipes until I show up to turn it off. So, I'd like the well pump's power to be automatically killed during a power outage and only turn it on manually when I can get to the house to inspect, even if the power to the main has been restored.


texts: Diverter valve in Glacier Bay two handle kitchen faucet

texts:
My kitchen sprayer works fine, but I now only get a trickle from the spout.  Still only a trickle after removing the spout.  I'm assuming the diverter valve either needs to be cleaned or replaced, but I'm not sure how to remove it, and I'm worried about breaking it if I try the wrong thing.  Assistance identifying this faucet would also be appreciated.  Thank you.

After removing the spout:


texts: How can I stop PVC decking from squeaking?

texts:
We recently installed a TimberTech deck using all-PVC flooring. They use a clip fastening system (non-nail and non-screw)that recommends the floor joists be spaced for 12 inches on center, if diagonal. We built the structure on the diagonal but at 16 inches on center and fastened the floor boards.

We now experience a spring to the boards when we walk on them and a squeeking of the boards when we walk on the deck. The deck is 20 ft. by 35 feet.

We attempted to resolve the problem by placing 2x4 braces diagonally every 10 inches between each of the joists with the edge of the board nailed and glued to the joist and just "kissing" the floorboard so that the floorboard just rests on the support piece. This doesn't appear to be working -- less spring but still squeaking.

Any suggetsions? Desperate to find a solution.


texts: I've tried every tool,wrench,chisel, hammer I've been told to use.what do I use to cut a sink strainer locknut off?


texts: Install exterior window trim without puncturing nailing fins

texts:
When installing exterior window trim (just some 1" x 4" boards), how do you fasten them to the house without hitting the windows nailing fin and weather proofing material on top of them?

For example, a vinyl window is installed into the frame with nails or screws through a fin that has holes in it. This sits on the exterior side of the frame. Then you put tape over it. I imagine when installing the exterior trim boards, you don't want to puncture the fin or the tape, but then I don't see how you can install the trim because the fin is at least 1" and the tape more like 4", but the trim board is only 4" wide.


texts: Is the discoloration on my bed frame rails mold?

texts: So the wood panels lay on top of the metal beams, it's a bed frame but I noticed these spots on the metal and rubbed them off and smelt like rotten eggs please let me know


texts: Demolition of 1.5"+ tile/concrete floor on second story

texts:
I began demolition of a bathroom today and ran into an unusual (for me) flooring issue. The floor is tiled and it's set on a 1.5" thick bed of mortar. The mortar was spread directly onto the 2x8 subfloor. I don't see any evidence of wire mesh between the mortar and subfloor.

(Tried to upload a pic, but SE doesn't seem to like iPads...neither do I, but that's what I'm on right now)

What's the best way to break the floor up? It's a smallish bathroom (~70sf), but that's still a lot of concrete. Use a concrete saw and cut the tile/mortar into small pieces and load them out? Maybe an air powered chisel? I've used the latter many times for removing tile, but I'm not at all sure it can handle this material....it's a pretty small chisel.

Also, I don't want to create vibrations that may damage the ceiling below (pop drywall nails, etc.) The house was built in the 50's.

Any ideas are appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

Best,

Lee


texts:
I've been shopping for houses and found this gadget in the garage. It's up near the ceiling and I don't know what it is for.  There's nothing nearby that would give any hints.  My image is unintentionally rotated 90 degrees counter clockwise.  I'm looking up at it.

I think I can make out 16v and 10 amps stamped on the frame.  I initially thought it might be for the doorbell, but thought the garage is an unlikely place for it.  I've never seen anything like this related to a garage door opener either.
The house was built in 2015.
Thanks


texts: So Help Please With Driveway Ditch and French Drain

texts: I have dug a ditch 4 feet deep along side of my driveway that always flooded and turned to ice in the winter.Then I added about 4 or 5 inchs of new driveway material so no more flooding but my question is this. When it rains the ditch fills to the top at 1 end and over flows will a french drain help me and where will all the water go?


texts: Can (and should) I replace the hose connecting a cold water expansion vessel to the cold water supply myself?

texts:
We recently had a small flood in our apartment. I found that the metal-sheathed rubber hose connecting the cold water supply to the blue cold water expansion vessel had a wide split in it. The water supply had already been turned off by someone else; when I turned the water back on gently, water gushes out of the split.

Can/should I replace this hose myself? I have no plumbing qualifications, although I do have a solid grasp of physics and engineering, an eagerness to learn and I know how to turn off the water supply to my flat...

The tank is a Zilmet Ultra Pro 8 litre. Note that the water connection of the expansion vessel is at the bottom; the air valve is at the top - other similar products I've seen online seem to have them the other way around.

My concerns:

I unscrewed the hose at the mains water end, a little water dribbled out. As I started to unscrew the hose at the vessel end, it gurgled a bit as if air was getting in and started to leak water (exactly as you'd get if you slowly unscrewed the cap on an upturned water bottle). I started to worry that I was letting air in to the water side of the expansion tank and that this might be bad - eventually I decided that the air pressure must be too low as I'm assuming that when the tank is pressurised correctly but there is no water pressure, the diaphragm will be pushed against the water inlet, so to re-expel that air I was letting in all I ought to do was to repressurize the tank. Is that correct? I attached a bike pump to the valve and the pressure was zero, worryingly. As I pumped it up to the factory pre-charge level (1.5 bar = 22psi), loads more water was expelled. Is this normal? It sounds like the expansion tank has been running depressurized for some time.
The water coming out of the tank, especially towards the end, was a bit smelly, and had a few black bits (rubber?) swimming in it. This doesn't seem great - I think this feeds the rest of the taps in our house including the drinking water! The tank claims it has a (replaceable) 'food grade membrane' and is advertised as being for potable water.
The rubber hose does not appear to have perished, nor the metal sheath on it corroded - I have no explanation as to why it split. I'm concerned it burst due to some pressure surge (would the expansion tank have absorbed this, had it actually had some air in it?), and that other parts of the system may be damaged.


texts: Why is a gas furnace vented but a gas dryer is not?

texts:
I live in a house in Ohio and I have four appliances powered by natural gas: furnace, water heater, dryer, and kitchen range.

Of these, only the furnace and water heater are vented to the outside of the house (chimney stack). In this context, venting refers to a flue that directs combustion byproducts outside the house as opposed to a vent for waste water or the vent that directs hot air and lint away from the dryer.

While I am no building contractor, I have been in quite a few houses in my life and I have always seen this same configuration when it comes to appliances powered by natural gas here in the U.S.

Aside from "because code says so" is there a reason why furnaces and water heaters require venting while dryers and ranges do not? Are there cases where building code may allow not venting furnaces or water heaters, or require venting for dryers or ranges?


texts: What's the purpose of the paper in NM-B cabling?


texts: Power supply installation for storage water heater

texts:
Country: India.
Appliance: Domestic storage water heater; AO Smith HSE-SAS-006 specifications: 6 liters/2000 watts/230V~/50 Hz.
My electrician has asked to procure wires and sockets for the electric/power socket installation.
I have calculated the amperage requirement as 8.69~=10 amps. He has also asked for 2.5 sq mm wire to connect mains to 10 amp electric/power socket. Is this ok?
My calculations: storage heater specifications: 2000 watts, 230 V. So power socket should be 2000/230= 8.69 amp. So I need a 10 amp socket. The wire gauge for the circuit should be #16~=1.31 mm= 1.5 mm. The strange thing I noticed, that the plug that came attached to the appliance is rated at 15Amp! So I will need to get `15Amp socket. But is the wire gauge ok, or should I get 2.0, 2.5 mm(wires in India are available as mm)


texts: Cannot remove kitchen taps because of limescale buildup. Taps hidden by underside of bowl, therefore v. Difficult to get to. The limescale is blocking the threads for the hot tap (obviously the cold can be unscrewed by hand


texts: Is it legal in a multi-unit building to draw air for ventilation from the attic?

texts: I live (own) in a condo and the tenants above me are smokers and their cigarette smoke is encroaching in my living space. I contacted the landlord and HOA numerous times and nothing has been done to date.  A friend of mine suggested installing an air booster to bring fresh air in.  There are two pipes going up my ceiling in my utility room and we tested both pipes and came to the conclusion that the air is being pulled from the attic.  The air was not cold even though the outside temperature was very cold.  The room smelled like stale cigarette and fabric softener with the fan on whereas the odor was faint or not not when fan was not running.  The question is, is this built in accordance with Denver Building Codes??


texts: What kind of contractor would I need to service or replace pull down attic stairs?

texts:
I have attic loft with pull down stairs access to it and I need it either serviced or replaced with a new rope system. Can you advice what kind of contractor I'd need for this?

As you can see on the picture below it is not your basic attic ladder but quote sophisticated garage like pull down stairs.

The trouble with it, it's too loud pulling down and especially pushing back up. I'm thinking to move my office up to the loft but it'd be not possible to move those stairs at 1am when everyone is sleeping...


texts: Rear outdoor range hood turns on when doorbell rings

texts: I have an outdoor range that is on my back porch that is built into the wall.  There is a GFCI outlet right next to the range (not sure if that is related).  For some reason when someone rings the doorbell of my house the range hoods' fan turns on.  Does that make any sense to anybody?  Some kind of power surge?  Any ideas on how to fix it?


texts: What is the easiest way to install 4" recessed lights in 6" holes?

texts: I purchased some nice-looking 4" recessed LED fixtures to replace my existing fixtures that use incandescent bulbs.  I've now discovered that my current recessed lights are of the 6" variety.  I like the size and appearance of the 4" lights better than any 6" fixtures that I've seen.  How hard it is to "shrink" the holes in the ceiling so that 4" recessed lights will work.  What's the best way to achieve this?


texts: What happens to foam insulation board after you pour concrete slab?

texts:
I plan on making a garage out of a large carport, and I've watched and I understood how to properly insulate a new concrete slab. 4 inches of gravel, vapor barrier, 2 inch foam board, 2 inches of sand and then 4-6 inches of poured concrete with mesh rebar in it.

My question is, how in the world will 2 inch foam board support all the concrete? Especially when I park both my trucks on top of it! Won't it crush in some parts and be uneven underground. Why does it make a good base?


texts:
We had a leak in a bathroom.  Some of the water got under the house.  Soaked up roughly 5 gallons of water from on top of the plastic sheeting as well as under it.  Now we have wet dirt, moist plastic sheeting and a little bit of moist insulation (not much of that).

Will it dry on its own or should I get a dehumidifier?  How long would I have to run the dehumidifier for?


texts: I'm looking for a good answer for an issue I'm having with some new LED light bulbs I got today. When I plug both 17w (150w equivelent) bulbs into the sockets in my garage they don't turn on at all. When I unplug one of the LED bulbs and turn on the other it won't light up either. However when I put one LED bulb in one socket and one incandescent bulb in the other socket both turn on the LED is perfect but the incandescent bulb only turns the coil in the bulb to a glowing orange.


texts: Bathroom Sink Doesn't Drain (It ISN'T Blocked)

texts:
I'm not a plumber but I recently changed the seal between the wall and the drain pipe. Now the water drains extremely slowly from the sink.

If I move the drain pipe to allow air in between the seal, the sink starts to drain (but some water escapes from the seal). Is there some particular procedure that I haven't followed that allows air through??


texts:
I want to ensure I'm safe.

Is it normal to find fluctuating 12 volts when the thermostat (2-wire heat-only) is at "rest" and not calling for heat? The thermostat appears to function normally with a zone valve opening and an end switch making when a call goes out for heat.

The reason for the question is a "hot" transformer smell, similar to the old Lionel train sets as an example, that I don't recall noticing before. The thermostat was disconnected while replacing the zone valve and doing some plumbing work.

When calling for heat I'm getting 24-volt readings which is what I expect. When not calling for heat I get a 24-volt reading at the transformer and would expect 0-volt readings further "downstream" since the thermostat is open but instead I'm getting 12-volt readings.

Is that normal?
Is that a possible reason the transformer smells "hotter" than I remember?
Is the transformer just going bad?


texts: slow draining bathtub - is a frozen pipe a possibility?

texts:
Our bathtub has recently started draining very slowly (bathtub fills with water during a normal shower and takes a while to completely empty). This problem has coincided with winter, and I'm wondering whether it is possible that the drain pipe (maybe the bend in the pipe) in our crawlspace could be freezing?

We live in Boise, ID where it is not super cold in the winter, maybe 30s - 40s during the day, and in the 20s at night. The house was built in the 1940s, and the drain pipe is cast iron. It goes down into our crawlspace, which is uninsulated (just dirt covered with plastic lining on bottom of the crawlspace surrounded by the concrete foundation).

Does anyone know if there's a good way to determine this? And how we could remedy the situation? Would foam pipe insulation do the trick?

PS - no problems with other things in the house draining (sinks, washer).


texts: Can I use hot mud to create orange peel texture

texts:
I have Westpac Joint compound fast set 40 lite.

Can I use this to create texture on a wall?

What is the basic difference in the texture specific compound (like Homax below) and fast set compound (picture above)?


texts: Do I need a regular Tee or a Slip Tee to add new line (pex) to existing line (copper)?

texts:
I'd like to cut into an existing hot water (copper) line to add a Tee and run a new hot water line to somewhere else in the house.

Do I need a regular Tee or a Slip Tee?  I'll be using Sharkbite connectors but it sounds like a Slip Tee is made mostly for repairs so I'm a little confused.

I've already purchased a regular Tee (Sharkbite) but I'm not sure how to measure the section of copper to cut and then how to stick the Tee between the cut ends.  It sounds like a Slip Tee solves these problems?


texts: How to reduce incoming sound in the least intrusive way to the house?

texts:
We live close to the train tracks about ~150-200 feet away. Luckily the freight train comes very infrequently...maybe once or twice a day.

When the train rolls by, we'll hear noise from the engine (more high frequencies...such as screeching), and once the engine passes, we'll hear low rumbling (low frequencies) from all the train cars that the engine is pulling.

My question is, how do I minimize what I hear inside the house? What is the
least intrusive way to solve this.  What I mean is that I can't start knocking down walls or tearing up floors to add sound proofing materials.

This post touches on this issue a bit but there weren't that many solutions.


texts: How should I connect my new WiFi Smart Switch?

texts:
Installing WiFi switch on the last switch to the right. Where do the 2 black and 2 white wire connect.

See existing wiring in picture below:


texts: Can I float a tongue-and-grooved 1x12 pine floor over a concrete slab on grade?

texts:
I have bare concrete floor that was, until recently, covered with carpet. After recently seeing a friend of mine purchase raw pine, shape the tongue-and-groove himself, and seal it to achieve a wonderful result, I wanted to do the same. The difference is that he was nailing directly to an existing wood floor, and I'm going over a concrete slab on grade.

I'm leaning toward a floating installation because I'm doing it myself, so it's less cost and less effort. Almost everything I've seen is suggesting that the strata should look like so (From bottom to top):

concrete slab
moisture barrier
3/4" plywood (fastened to concrete)
moisture barrier
hardwood nailed to plywood

However, I'm thinking that I'm going to run into issues with door clearances using this approach. Can I use thinner plywood in layer 2? Or my alternative thinking:

concrete slab
moisture barrier
hardwood glued at t&g joints

Does this approach make sense? What are the potential issues? Does gluing the joints help or hurt?


texts: What is the correct safe way to wire ground in a domestic 110/220 step transformer?

texts:
I am not an electrical engineer and do not have a deep understanding of all the different factors in transformer design.  My question is about a plug-in 2:1 step up/down transformer used for 120/240 volt conversion in a home.   If such a device is plugged into a wall outlet what is the correct approach to wiring its ground pins?
Say the power supply into such a transformer includes a correctly wired ground.  It’s connected to the transformer’s housing, and neutral/ground bonding is done correctly at the appropriate place within the building it is in.
On the isolated delivery side of the transformer, how should ground be dealt with?
A) None.  It is not possible to provide a safe and useful grounding function, so none should be provided.
B) Output ground pin should be bonded to the transformer’s output neutral, but not to the case or the building ground. (isolated neutral/ground bond)
C) Output ground pin should be bonded to the transformer casing and thereby to the building ground but not to the transformer’s output neutral.  (Transformer output fully isolated).
D) Output ground pin should be bonded to both the case AND to the neutral side of the transformer output. (Transformer output referenced to actual ground).
I can see benefits and problems with each of these, and do not understand enough of the theory and practice of either transformers or grounding safety to know what's right.


texts: Extend a wire that i had to splice to sister my floor joist is too short now

texts:
I had a rotten floor joist on the ground floor , i fixed it by sistering a brand new floor joist right beside it in the basement
 But when i wanted to instal the beam , i had to cut the wire running through the old joist in order to place the new joist beside the old one Now the wire is too too short ,about 4 inches distance between the tips of the cut wires. And unfortunately no slack in the wire .
I thought about using two junction boxes to extend the wires in the ceiling .
Is there any better way to do this??
If not, once i put the junction boxes, can I use the cover plate on them and keep it behind a REMOVABLE drywall( i mean a drywall panel that has exposed screws that can easily be removed to expose the junction boxes in the ceiling.
Appreciate any thoughts
Thanks


texts:
I have a circle cutter that I inherited from my father.  The directions are long gone.  It's bogging down and I'm sure sharpening it would help but it's kind of unclear which is the cutting edge.  Truth be told, I'm not 100% sure which way the "blade" goes in.  It is square and pitched from one corner to the opposite and I'm sure that the point need to be nearer the center (otherwise it wouldn't cut clean circles) but that still leaves two possible positions.

Q1. Does the point lead or follow the other side of the blade?

Q2. How do I sharpen it?  I'm thinking put it in my vice and file an edge or two but which ones?


texts: Cheap & Effective Way to Soundproof Windows

texts:
I am looking to soundproof my home from the busy road that is in front of it. The roads are concrete not asphalt so the tires make a substantial amount of noise since the speed limit is 40mph.

I have listened carefully as to where the sound is coming from and it is mostly caused by the door and the windows. I purchased some of the weather stripping foam which helped some but not enough.

I was wondering if there is a mainstream version of a transparent audio barrier that can be placed over the window? I know that there is a trademarked company "AudioSeal" but I tried finding them on Amazon.com and some other .com companies and was not able to find them. Let me know what you guys think or if this is even worth while.


texts: When joining 4" round duct, like for fart fans or dryers, is it sufficient to just use sealant and aluminum tape but no screw or should I be using screws also? It seems that the tape alone would be good enough for this relatively low duty function.


texts:
There is an eerie bass sound coming from our flush toilet. It sounds like this.

Usually it starts when we sit on the toilet or push it, but sometimes it starts even when we are away. Each time it starts, it lasts for several seconds, then halts.

Other than this, the toilet works fine - there is no apparent water-dripping.

What should we do? Do we have to replace the entire toilet? The entire water tank? Or just some part of it?


texts: Ceiling fan works with rheostat switch but not with single pole

texts:
In my leased condo, all of the ceiling fans are on rheostat switches even though the fans have three speeds from pull chain. I wanted to swap rheostat from the master bedroom's fan out with switch dining light fixture, which has only simple on/off single pole. But when I tried the single pole switch from the dining room on ceiling fan, the fan will not work.  I've now confirmed this by trying a non-rheostat switch on another ceiling fan.  Why would the single pole not work?

Also, the ceiling fan with rheostat in the master bedroom has a noticeable hum.  I've read that dimmers on ceiling fans can sometime cause hum, so I hoped to solve that problem with single pole switch.


texts: How to reset the breaker on this smart dimmer light switch (switched receptacle)?

texts:
My condo came with these dimmer switches. You push once on up or down to fade the lights in or out fully, or press and hold to fade the lights slowly, releasing to set the light amount. I don't know the brand. The switches always glow green (not only when the light is switched on).

As you'd expect, the top outlet of one room is switched. I brilliantly plugged a kettle into that outlet, which seems to have tripped an internal breaker in the switch. It now flashes red.

In an attempt to reset the breaker, I've tried various patterns of pressing the button, pressing and holding, pressing both up and down. Nothing seems to have worked. I poked at the clear peg at the bottom of the switch, but it doesn't seem like it's an actionable button.

I have had to reset this breaker once before, just tapping up worked.

Any ideas on how I could reset this breaker, assuming it is an internal breaker?

I'd also love a brand name and model, or even a manual reference I can read on my own, if anyone recognizes what this is.

(I removed the kettle and moved it to a non-switched receptacle.)


texts: What is wrong with my recessed light wiring?

texts: I went to put a retrofit LED lamp in my recessed light fixture.  But after completing it the light does not work. I even put it all back the way it was and still nothing.  Double checked the bulb and it works fine.  When testing to see if I had power I touch the tester to the black line going into the bulb screw socket and when I touch the other probe to the metal housing itself I get a power reading.  I get nothing when touching the black wire and white wire.  Seems something is wrong to me and that the metal housing should not be hot, or am I wrong?


texts: how to wire 2 pole 240 v contactor/120v coil

texts: I would like to see a simple example of how to wire in the float switch and coil. This is a Diversitech 30 amp contactor EC302120.


texts: How do I heat my basement using a wood stove on the ground floor?

texts: I just bought a new home and the living room has a wood stove with a fan. It heats the 1st and 2nd floor great, however since heat doesn't sink, what do I do about the basement? I live in NE Mass and the winter has come (6" snow tomorrow!) and I'm worried about pipes freezing in my basement. Should I be worried at all or can I do something to ensure they don't?


texts:
I have a metal junction box with a main feed. If the ground wires touch the metal box the breaker pops and the ground wires spark. The main feed comes out of a ceiling light fixture box. The ceiling box is two wire BX. I'm using NM to feed the junction box. I grounded the NM to the light fixture mounting stud. Poor ground? Wires touching?

More details...coming out of the junction box I feed a switch for ceiling lights and a feed to a bathroom combo switch. The ohm meter tells me everything is correct at the bathroom combo switch. Everything works perfect. Except when the ground wires touch the metal junction box. Any ideas please?


texts: What are my chances to revive a (gasoline) pressure washer after ~ten years?

texts:
About eleven years ago, I bought a gasoline-powered pressure washer, and used it for some days to clean the driveway and house walls. Then it sat for 10 years, unused, unmaintained.
What are the chances of it still working ( or being revived)?

I let it run dry when I last used it
it is stored inside a garage (so no exposure to the elements)
it looks fine from the outside
I didn't yet try to use it - for some years I thought it's beyond help anyway, but now somebody told me it might be just fine.
I'm afraid that simply trying to start it might damage it, so I'm asking first
I'm not a handy-man - changing spark plugs might just be outside my skill set, but I could try.

What should I do before adding gas and trying it, if anything?


texts: Differentiating Between Latex vs. Oil Based Paint: Is smell alone enough of an indicator?

texts: Newbie painter here. I have been given a lot of paint cans, but most of the labels are obscured. I am trying to figure out if each can is oil-based or latex (for the purposes of cleaning the paintbrushes afterwards, as each type requires a different cleaning solution). I am told that the rancid smelling cans are the oil-based paints. Is this a hard-and-fast rule?


texts: Looking for guidance with leaky foundation

texts: I bought a house which needs a tonne of work. I am looking for some guidance of how best to fix and repair leaks as well as clean up and seal the basement in the house. For some reason there is a hole which may have been created by someone, and I cannot tell if the water is coming from under the foundation, or simply through the walls. After using the sump pump the water slowly fills up the hole again, however it does not overflow unless its raining. There is also a well on this property to provide water. A few images are provided. Thank you


texts: How can I fix multiple layers of paint on window trim?

texts:
In our new house, we have discovered that the previous owner simply added a new layer of paint to the entire house whenever it began to peel. The paint job around the window sill and trim is particularly bad so everything is lumpy and bumpy. There are drip marks all over and layers of cracking paint.

Can someone with painting experience please advise me on this problem?

I am thinking that I need to scrape off all of the old paint first and then paint again. What is the easiest way to go about this project? If I scrape it all off, what precautions should I take to ensure we don't have the peeling paint issue again?


texts: Can a toilet be moved 6 inch to the right?

texts:
I want to move my toilet over horizontally by 6 inches. Is there an "S" shape pipe piece I can use to connect my existing plumbing to my toilet?

Is there any other simple solution to getting this done? Anything that is shy of having to re-plumb the 4 inch pipe going to the bowl is desirable.

Here is some context on the toilet project... the toilet in question is in a 2nd floor bathroom. Since I am taking things down to the studs I can pull up the sub floor and expose the pipe. The pipe is plastic.


texts:
I am in need of a really narrow utility sink for my garage. It can not be any wider than twelve inches. Would prefer not to get a wall-mount, but can probably install that, if necessary.

Do they make them this narrow? My Google searches haven't given me any results narrower than 18-22 inches.


texts: Why is my two year old A/C compressor cycling every 10 seconds?

texts:
My central A/C compressor is coming on and off every 10 seconds or so.   It's only about two years old.
I'm familiar with short-cycling, but that's usually in cycles of 1 to 5 minutes.  I've experienced that with my previous system that had a slow leak.  But I have never experienced or heard of short cycling so frequent, every 10 seconds.
What are possible causes and are there any DIY diagnostics I can do while I wait for the installer to come out?
The fan is running fine while this happens.
Edit
As noted in comments the compressor has diagnostic lights.  I should have known that.   Sadly this is the diagnosis: "Yellow Alert 4".  Which I believe is not a DIY job and hopefully a warranty job.  :(
It's not fault 2 - low voltage or bad connections.  The contactor is clean and functional and the cooling fan is starting and spinning nicely.  So it must be condition 4.1, 4.3 or 4.4


texts: I have a HOA gate entrance that uses a Linear ACT-34B (318 MHz) remote and two Liftmaster 8550W garage doors (315 MHz). Is there a clone or learning remote that would consolidate these into one remote?


texts:
Shown in the photos below are two different 2-pole breaker switches in my circuit box. In order to turn the 15 amp switch on and off it must be pushed along a longer section of the breaker than the 20 amp, which by comparison has compact on/off switches. Is there any advantage of one of these types of switches over the other? Could the 15 amp breaker switch be replaced with a 15 amp breaker that had the type of compact switches as the 20 amp?

View with the cover off:

Thanks so much for the answers. The pictured 15 amp breaker is indeed a bit of an antique by breaker standards -- the house was built in 1966 and that's one of the original breaker switches. Which means the switch has seen about a half-century of use! I wanted to replace it not because of any preference in appearance but because it has been acting up a bit lately (doesn't always want to click into place properly). Now that I realize it doesn't need to be replaced with a longer throw distance switch I'll replace it with a short throw.

Thanks again to those who responded. I learned something new today!


texts: At what height should CO detectors be installed?

texts:
I've got a Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector (BRK CO250B, instruction sheet PDF) that I am looking to install in our house.  All of the bedrooms are on the top level of our quad-level house, and I'm planning on installing it in the hallway.

The directions say that it can be either ceiling or wall mounted.  I've looked around online, and I've seen various recommendations for what the ideal height is for the detector.

Some say ceiling mounted is best, because CO is lighter than air.  (Combination smoke/CO detectors all get mounted here.)
Some say that a few feet below ceiling height is best, because a pocket of warm air may prevent the CO from getting all the way up to the level of the detector.
Some say that "bed height," or 2-3 feet off the floor is best, because that is where you are when you are sleeping.

What is the best height for CO detectors?  Are there current recommended heights or best practices to use when installing these things?


texts: What tool(s) should I use to make a hole in a wall and then put a screw in?

texts:
I am doing some work in the kitchen and have purchased a metal bar to which I'm planning to hang some utensils. To mount the metal bar, I am required to make some holes on my kitchen wall and put some screws in them to hold the bar.

This is my kitchen wall:

This is part of the mounting instructions of the bar:

From research I have come across the terms percussion drill, impact driver, screwdriver, but I am confused as to which ones I should buy for what I need.

Keeping in mind that I am beginner (just got my first apartment!), what would be the minimum equipment necessary for me to be able to drill holes into walls and to drive screws into them ?.