texts: Causes of radon in the basement of a newer home?

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We are in the process of (maybe) buying a home. It is a newer (2007) home in Northern Wisconsin with an insulated concrete form (ICF) basement in red clay. We just got the radon test back and the 2 day average is at 5.1 pci/l. I am not concerned about the levels - mitigation devices will happen. My concern is why?
Is the presence of radon in a newer home an indicator of a not tight / poorly constructed basement or is it an indicator of a very tightly built basement/home?
I have seen some people arguing that it indicates the basement is not 'tight' / poor construction - if a basement is properly built radon should not be able to enter. However, there was no sign of water in it - and it was as dry a basement as I have seen. But, with ICF you can't see voids or cracks in the wall - but then again, no sign of moisture.
Others argue that because a home is tight it tends to trap more stuff and what does get in can't get out. This also seems plausible - there was no air exchanger installed that I saw and most newer homes seem to have them up here to control moisture. Also the sump/drain wasn't sealed so that could be a point of entry.


texts: How can I tile the raised edges in my basement?

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I'm looking to tile a basement floor that was dug out about 6", so there is a roughly 6" tall x 4" wide raised concrete border around the whole room, as they didn't dig out the edges.  This border is mostly level but has a rounded edge, and it's painted.

I was thinking it would be a more finished look to tile over this edge with the same thing I'm using for the floor (TBD but probably slate).

How do I do this properly so that it comes out straight?

My best guess is to use a backerboard of some kind over the existing concrete border to guarantee I have a straight, level surface on which to apply the tile.  I had been planning on using Ditra for the floor, in large part just because it seemed easier (and thinner) than cement board, but would I have to worry about the interface between the two?  Would I attach the cement board to the concrete just with thinset, or should it be fastened somehow?  Do I need to remove the paint (it's very well adhered currently, no peeling)?  Or is this completely the wrong way to do this?


texts: is there anything wrong with using plastic sheeting under joists in a dirt crawlspace area?

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background info: old farm house crawlspace with exterior perimeter walls made from boulders and cement skimmed to create a fall surface. joists under the main living space have batting type fiberglass insulation. forced air heat from metal ductwork. wood stove in living area for main heat during winter.
we are planning a furnace replacement project and adding an air conditioning unit.
we are planning on also replacing the existing round metal ductwork with insulated flexible ductwork for better efficiency for heating and cooling.
when doing research, reading articles at buildingscience.com, and some youtube videos, the usage of plastic sheeting as a vapor barrier is shown on the dirt floor.
I don't understand why you would care about that "space" if you're not living in it, and I just want to add a vapor barrier to the joists, to help slowdown the movement of air from the crawlspace area into the living area, and help hold the insulation up too.
since the outside air comes into the crawlspace (it is not air tight) I think it is a waste to put a plastic vapor barrier on the dirt floor.
is there anything wrong with using 10 mil plastic sheeting on the bottom of the joists in this type of application? I don't foresee it trapping any moisture in that area, since this old farm house has plenty of mystery gaps in it where air moves around.
this post mentions existing plastic vapor barrier on the underside of the joists of a manufactured home. Running cable through vapor barrier
also, since there is existing insulation, there doesn't seem to be much of an extra advantage of using polyfoam 4x8 sheets as a barrier, and they would need to be cut into thin strips to be able to be moved into the crawlspace area. and the joist distances are not all equal so that will add extra capacity.
any feedback is appreciated. thanks.


texts: Replacing a thermal store - hot water cylinder?

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Any help would be appreciated, I have done several minor diy plumbing jobs previously but nothing to this extent!

I am replacing a PulsaCoil 3 thermal store that has a leak on the internal cylinder, in our two bedroom flat. I have purchased a Telford Tristor

The pipework connections look straight forward:
1, Cold in
2, Hot out
3, 2 Connections to the feed and expansion tank.

Then the wiring to the two immersions heaters which look as simple as wiring a plug.

My concerns are about draining it down, is it as simple as shutting off my mains water and opening all the taps?

I am looking to tackle the job over this weekend so any help would be appreciated.


texts: We are looking to buy a house. The Home Insurance has given us a month to parge the outside foundation in some spots. It is late March and we will get the keys in early April. Is it possible to parge the outside foundation if it is a rainy, wet spring?


texts: Squirrel or rat; and do I trap first or exclude first?

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Over the past month we have noticed insulation in the yard appearing every once in a while. I wondered if it was coming from my house and I found a corner of the house which has a sizable gap between the siding and the house. So, I think it is pretty clear that the insulation is from my house and this is the entry/exit point.

I put a trap outside of the house, right under the siding gap, with peanut butter as bait and trapped 3 squirrels over the course of a few days. The traps were not trapping anything after the night but then were occupied at the end of the day. So, this fits with the diurnal squirrel behavior and the lack of rats entering the trap at night is also good to note.

I have no idea if the trapped squirrels were also going into the house, or if they were just passing by and smelled something yummy.  I did put the trap very close to the house and behind a folded dog crate, so that it wasn't in the normal flow of squirrel traffic.

Also note that there is no way for me to look inside the house to find any nesting, since these are all finished rooms which are adjacent to the hole, and there are no unfinished spaces in my house.

So, I have two questions:

Do rats want to remove insulation from a house to bring to a nest somewhere else in the yard or neighborhood, or is this a squirrel behavior?
Should I fix the hole (with wood, steel wool and pestblock foam) before or after I try to do more trapping? I am worried that if I do the exclusion during the day, then if these are rats which are sleeping in my house and I seal off their exit, then there would be no way for them to leave, so then they would panic and start chewing through my walls and pipes and wiring in an effort to find their way out, or they might just die in my walls and make everything very stinky.  If this is a squirrel problem, then I could possibly assume the squirrels are running around the neighborhood during the day so I could do the exclusion and not worry about them getting stuck in my walls.

Thanks for your advice about rodent behavior and timing of exclusion.


texts: Is it okay to not have a vapor barrier in lightweight tiny house type construction?

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So, I have a bit of an odd project.  It is a bit outside of the box, and I'm looking for alternative approaches that stick with the theme (if the plan outlined below doesn't work, that is).

Essentially, I'm building a camper, but think "Tiny House".  It will be built on a 17-21 foot camper frame.  The difference is I'm going to great lengths to keep it as light as possible for two reasons:

Camper frames aren't designed to hold the heavy weight that a true Tiny Home build requires.
This needs to be light enough so that it is reasonable to hook up for a weekend trip.  "Tiny Homes" tip the scales well beyond reasonable.

I'd like to keep the "cabin" look as well with a natural looking siding.  I'm also trying to keep it as basic as possible.  More like an ice shanty that may never see actual ice and more be used as a bunkhouse.  It will be heated, cooled, etc... and sometimes not while parked.

For the walls:
2x3 studs will be used for framing perhaps 2' off center, and rigid insulation will be used to fill the gaps.  On the outside my idea is to use an exterior ply paneling that looks something like T&G.  There is a product at lowes that fits the bill.  This will provide both sheathing and siding in one layer.

I would use a combination of 2" and .5" insulation layers to completely fill the 2.5" depth created by the studs.  Some sort of adhesive would be used generously to glue the insulation layers to each other, the studs, and the exterior paneling.  A decorative interior paneling (something thin & light weight, like 1/4" paneling) would be used and also applied with generous amounts of adhesive.

So, it's sort of like I'm creating a big DIY SIP panel that includes framing, siding, and interior paneling.  The purpose of all of this is to lower the materials needed, and keep the weight down, but keep it very strong by bonding all layers together.  It will after all be dealing with the forces that happen on the highway.

So with all that said, I'm sure I'm being naive about many aspects - such as a vapor barrier.  My basic understanding of tyvek is vapor can pass through it, but moisture cannot.

I won't having sheathing to apply a vapor barrier to because the sheathing and siding are one layer.  Is this a terrible idea, and are there alternative approaches?

Window installation is another concern.

Bottom line - I don't want to build something that is going to be a rotting moldy box in a year.


texts: I usually enter and exit my home through the garage, but the other day I was by my front porch and noticed the riser was cracked and loose. The part in the image also flexes when you push on it. Is there an easy way to fix this? I've never had to fix porch steps before.


texts: Electronic air cleaner vs pleated filters

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I'm interested in increasing the air flow of my AC system and would like to compare electronic air cleaners (like the Honeywell F300E) to a pleated air filters (I have a 4-inch thick MERV 8 filter).
Do electronic air cleaners, in general, have better air flow than pleated filters?  It sounds like they must be cleaned regularly to work well and maintain good air flow, which makes sense.  Also, it sounds like electronic air cleaners may do a better job of filtering particles.
Are there other pros/cons to consider?
Thanks.


texts: What's the best way to leave some excess on a NM cable in a wall or joist space?

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I'm running new wire for my bathroom remodel (demo'd to the studs) but I'm not sure of the exact locations of the LED ceiling lights (pancakes that do not require a box).
I'd like to leave some excess wire in the cavity at approximate locations. The same is true for the vanity lights. We're not sure yet if we will have just one light above the vanity or sconces as well. I'd like to leave enough wire in the wall so I can add a new work box for the sconces and wire them in if we decide to go that way.
I've read of zigzagging but I'm not sure what that is. I've currently just made a loop and stapled the wire loosely. Would that be acceptable? What's the best way of doing this?
If NM has to be secured within X inches of the box, how do I leave extra?


texts: Does RTD in plywood mean "Rated" or "Resistance Temperature Detectors"?

texts:
Lots of plywood at Home Depot have the letters RTD in the title, with no further detail. Many of these have multiple user questions of the form "What does RTD mean?" Answers seem to be split 50/50 between what it actually means though. On the one hand are those who think RTD stands for the manufacturing process. Almost all of these answers (and others on the internet) seem suspiciously close to this wording on theplywood.com which makes me suspect that a single source from 2017 has been repeated over and over on the internet enough times that it's being accepted as infallible.

Example:

  RTD refers to the method used to manufacture the plywood. This is, essentially, next generation CDX plywood which is manufactured with a quality control system using RTDs (Resistance Temperature Detectors) to maintain correct temperature during the bonding process. This process helps ensure complete bonding of the layers to minimize delamination.

On the other hand are those who think RTD just means it's "rated," here's an example:

  RTD is an abbreviation for RaTeD. Yes in the manufacture of plywood the use of Resistance Temperature Detectors is normal to ensure delamination does not occur later on. But this generally applies to all plywood manufacturing, not just to those listed as RTD.

So which is it?


texts: Is there a way to remove a root from under a walkway to bring it back to level without getting the walkway redone?

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I had a disaster of a huge river birch tree in front of my house when I purchased it a year ago.  I had it removed about five months ago, and the roots that ran through the yard were ground out along with the stumps.  The roots lying underneath the walkway were not removed at the tree removal contractor said they could not go under the walkway, which was obvious by the massive machine they used for the stump grinding and root chasing.

I had a mudjacking contractor take a look, and he told me that doing that $1,000 job would leave the walkway peaked because the root would still be underneath.  I then submitted a request through Thumbtack asking if someone could lift the segment and remove the root and then put it back.  I had seen Youtube videos of this being done, but it does not seem to be standard practice.  The guy told me "sure" and then took a look and said the segments had to be removed and the concrete repoured for $2,500.

Is there a way to remove large roots from underneath an exposed aggregate sidewalk without turning it into a huge project?  I don't know what kind of contractor would do this.  Maybe concrete contractors are not the right place to go.  I want it to be ground/chopped/destroyed.  The complicating factor is that unlike regular stump removals that include the roots, this large root system is under a walkway.


texts: Dangers of Heating a Bedroom up to High Temp

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In order to kill bedbugs and clothes moths, I was thinking of putting portable heaters in my bedroom and raising temperature to 120 degrees for an hour or so.   If I take out thinks like alarm clock and radio's, would it be safe for other structural elements, furniture, and lamps in the bedroom?
Thx in advance,
J


texts: Connecting a horizontally angled sink drain connection

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We recently acquired a second hand kitchen, and we're trying to do the plumbing for the first time all by ourselves.

For regular cases, I can buy kits that would pretty much have all the PVC piping and connections I would need. However in my case, the sinks drain is horizontally angled and I am not sure what kind of connections to get in this case. Plus I need to connect the dishwasher here too!

Some measurement's:

Sink's pipe inner width is 40mm.
Pipe connection poking through the hole is also 40mm.

P.S. I live in Germany currently, and all the stuff I can find online is mostly for industrial use (as far as I can tell). So if anyone could give some pointers what's the best place to pick up (slightly) custom piping, that would be awesome.


texts: How can I plug my 3 prong dryer into a 4 prong receptacle?

texts: My dryer blew up  and there is no chance of repair —  it was pretty old anyway. I found a used dryer and brought it home.  Unfortunately, the cord don't match the receptacle. I Need to know if there are adapters for this or is there an easy DIY solution?


texts: How can I feather the edge between still stuck paint and the layer below? (Latex did not stick to gloss oil paint)

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Someone painted this door with latex paint over oil based glossy paint, without proper surface preparation (*). Thus I'm left with some original oil gloss, and a edge to some still-stuck latex paint.  Here it is after peeling, scraping, sanding and priming:

I sanded everything using EPA Lead Safe Practices, but the edge is still starkly visible, especially after the primer went on.

What are various methods and tradeoffs for making this edge disappear?  This is a high touch area on the door, so it needs to be durable.  Do I prime first?  Spackle first?  What product and steps should I use?

(*) Someone was Mom.


texts: Why is one switch dependent on the other switch position in my double light switch?

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I just a installed a new outlet and powered it from an existing light switch. I replaced the single switch with a double switch.

Wiring: hot to black (common) double switch terminal. Black wire from light to one brass terminal. Black wire from outlet to other brass terminal. Neutrals connected. Grounds connected, then connected to green terminal on double light switch.

When breaker is restored, the light switch operates normally. The outlet is only powered when both the light switch is on and the outlet switch is on.

Why are both switches not independent?


texts:
I own an old home, circa 1919. In the 70's, when the new furnace was installed, they cut through the floor joists to run the air ducts. Awesome. So in direct correlation to those cut joists, are outside cracks in the stucco.

So....Where do I even start? Can I reroute the ducts just a little bit? It's not a living-type basement. I don't care about the ceiling/headroom. Then I can fix the floor joists?

Sigh. Please advise. Anything would be appreciated.


texts:
In my basement, I am removing an existing fixture and planning on installing pot-lights.  Previously when I have switched out a fixture, I generally find white + black + ground, which is pretty easy to deal with.

In this case, when I was removing my existing fixture, I found the following:

Click for larger views

One stand has White + Black, but the other has White + Black + Red. The two blacks are tied together and go nowhere. The two wites are tied together and go to the light, and the red goes to the light (where I generally would use a black).

My original plan, was to pull the wire back to the switch (along with the new wire that I would use for the potlights). But with two wires going to the fixture, I'm not sure where/what the other wire would be for. I can still pull one back to the fixture, but I would rather try to figure out what the other one may be for before I do anything like that.

Any ideas what the second line would be for? If I continue with my plan, of pulling the one wire back to the switch I should be able to replace it with new romex for the potlight, wire it up the same and have no problems?


texts: What are some alternatives for a glass stove top replacement?

texts:
As quite a few people are these days, my wife and I are in a difficult financial situation.  About 5 months ago we got a HUGE break and purchased a Stove, Fridge, LARGE microwave and Dishwasher for $250 (basically a gift as it was all worth well over $3,000).
Two days ago I tripped over my dog , dropped a full pot the stove and shattered the glass stovetop.  It doesn't look like anything but the glass is broken but the glass is definitely ruined.
I looked up the part from Whirlpool....it's over $360 just for that glass piece....and that doesn't include install.

So my question is this:  Are there any unconventional things I can do here to be able to use my stove again?  Could I just get a piece of tempered glass?  Remove all the glass and cook straight on the burners?  Or better yet...are there any places I could get a used stovetop that would fit?


texts: Need help connecting "C" wire, unknown red and white wire from one unit to the other

texts: We are replacing our old thermostats (installed in 2006) with two smart thermostats. We have 2 separate units and thermostats. We have an unused blue wire (c wire) at both thermostats. We thought we could just connect those on the control panel in the attic and we'd be all set. However my 2 units are connected in the attic by a red wire that runs from the "C" on control panel of one unit to the "C" on the control panel of the 2nd unit, and a white wire that runs between the 2 "Y"'s. What is this, and can you advise how to connect the c (blue) wires at the control panel in this situation? I have attached photos. Note that we connected this blue wire on the units just now (anticipating the "C" connection may be able to be shared), but have not yet connected it on the thermostat end.


texts: What should I be aware of in buying second-hand sinks and toilets?

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I am planning an extension to my house, including a new ensuite bathroom and a downstairs WC.  To save money and embedded energy I'm thinking of buying secondhand basins and toilets.  There seem to be plenty around, but I wonder if there is anything I need to be aware of, e.g.:

things like fixings, washers, pipe couplings may or may not be included or re-useable.  Are these generally standard or are they manufacturer-specific so maybe hard to source?
I am assuming porcelain sanitaryware isn't subject to much "hidden" wear and tear (it's either broken/cracked/chipped or it's not) so it shouldn't be hard to avoid a lemon.  Right?
I won't be fitting these.  Assuming they fit in the space, and the appropriate fixings, pipe, etc are there (see 1.) will plumbers be happy fitting them?


texts: Does flaw in asphalt driveway need to be repaired; and if so, how?

texts:
I put in a new asphalt driveway a couple of years ago.  There is a visible "joint" where they stopped laying asphalt while waiting for a second load to arrive.  At this joint a chunk of asphalt has come loose from the surface.  So, basically, I have a small irregular chunk missing.  It's not large, maybe 2-3 inches wide, and only maybe 1/2-inch deep, at most.

I live in New England, so ice definitely happens.  This isn't a crack, which would definitely need sealing, but I do worry that over time ice and vehicle traffic over it will enlarge the chunk.

Do I need to seal it?  And if so, with what?  It doesn't seem like it's deep enough for cold patch to hold, and I don't know if sealant would accomplish anything.


texts: I have 2 switches in bathroom in on box.  1 switch controls the light and the other switch controls the bathroom fan.  I believe power comes in to light switch then to fan switch.  How do I change out the 2nd switch?


texts: What is the process for draft proofing windows

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I need to try to prevent drafts coming through and around my double glazed window units as much as possible. How can I go about detecting and sealing any leaks that are letting air through the window? Preferably without having to remove the windows.

I would like the solution to be a permanent as possible.

(I have arranged alternative source/extract of ventilation air so there are no problems with reducing the leakage of the windows)


texts: Why is the caulk cracking and the toilet rocking?

texts: We paid a lot of money to have our bathroom gutted and redone.  After several problems with the contractor not returning calls to correct shoddy work, we are at a loss.  I am not sure if the shower was tiled properly (or the toilet seated correctly for that matter—it rocks all the time).  The caulking has come apart so many times already.  The soap dish fell off the wall.  The towel bar was recaulked, along with the base of the tub, where the tile meets. Every couple of months, it pulls apart or cracks open.  Why is this happening?  We do have a fan, and the contractor checked it, it is venting, so don't think it's a moisture issue.


texts:
I've got this small thing (see attached pictures) in my third-floor bedroom wall that previous tenants have simply painted over. It's about 1 inch in diameter, sitting about 5 feet off the floor, and has two smaller bumps on it. It also has two protruding notches on either side, one of which is visible in the upper right in the image. It feels rather hard and solid. Magnets do stick to it.

I'd like to pull it off/out of the wall, but my concern is that it might be something where it would be unsafe for me to do that or would be better left to a professional. In particular, I'm concerned it may be some old relic of the knob and tube which I know exists in my building. It could be a completely random/innocuous object, but I want to play it safe.

I've got two related questions.

Can anyone give a guess as to what this is?
If no one can determine what this is from the pictures, is there a way I can try to investigate this to determine if it's safe for me to pull off/out of the wall?

If it matters, the building is from the 1890's.

EDIT:
Thank you everyone for replying. I ended up taking a knife and carefully scraping away at it. After scraping away enough layers of paint, I simply revealed metal. The two bumps on the top were just pieces of what seemed like putty (e.g., plumber's putty). Ultimately I think the responses indicating it is a cap for the end of a pipe were correct as it appears to resemble something like the image below. I was hoping this was something I could remove myself, but more likely I'll have to call a trained professional in to investigate further.

Thanks for all your help!


texts: How to install BR30 lights instead of LED

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I  have LED downlights installed, and I want to use BR30 bulbs. I want to convert this setup to enable BR30.

I have no clue about electricity but I'm willing to learn. Just need a push in the right direction.

I have attached the setup.

The light:

LED Driver:

Connection:


texts: no water coming out of the hot water faucet in my tub

texts: Space heater has been pointed at the tub for 12 hours and heat has been above 74 degrees but still no hot water just a trickle from the faucet.


texts: Can I use #14 wire pigtails on a 20A circuits?

texts:
I’ve used 12 gauge wire and 20 amp breakers in my basement.

They go into a shallow box and the 12 gauge is difficult to work with.

Can I drop to 14 gauge in the receptacle boxes and pigtail the connection ?


texts: How is a pre-existing condition evaluated by home warranty companies

texts: I've been looking around for home warranty, and many of the plans say that pre-existing conditions are not covered. This makes me a little weary because I imagine that once anything breaks it could fall under the pre-existing conditions clause and the warranty wouldn't kick in. So my question is: without an initial inspection (which none of these companies mention) how can you prove that a condition was not pre-existing at the time you signed up for the warranty?


texts:
I'm cutting dimensional lumber with a circular saw (a cheap 7.25" Ryobi I got at HD).  I can't seem to ensure that the cut is vertical.  Meaning, with the piece lying lengthwise while cutting, the cut should ideally be in a perfectly vertical plane, but turns out to be at least a few degrees off.

Is it typically hard to get this cut angle correct?  I made sure that the bevel adjustment lever is set correctly, and the blade doesn't feel loose.  I'm not sure whether it's because the saw is cheap or it's often hard to get right.


texts: Should I set fence posts in dirt, gravel, crushed rock, or concrete?

texts:
I have received conflicting advice about how to set wooden fence posts.

Many web sites suggest setting them in a concrete cylinder.
Someone at the local hardware store had seen posts set in concrete rot and break because water seeps in along the edges of the post (especially in the winter) and does not drain properly.  He suggested crushed rock (what I would call gravel, see Definitions of various sand, gravel, and rock products) instead.
A local fence company said they just set the posts in compacted dirt, but use 5x5-inch posts.

What is the best way to set fence posts in different climates, given that the wind force on a 6-foot-tall privacy fence can be substantial?


texts: Where to buy a 4-inch toilet flapper in North America?

texts:
I am having the toughest time finding the right replacement toilet flush flapper that fits. The pipe in the water tank is really wide, and the old flapper has the diameter of 4 inch, and 3 inch wide between the hinge attachment (see picture). I have searched online with Amazon, eBay, and specific toilet equipment companies, and looking at the models in person at Homedepot and Walmart, and still couldn't find one. Please advice where I can find a model of that size specification.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////
Edits: Adding more pictures for information


texts: How should I paint over a large patched area on a wall?

texts: I have a wall with a approx 20 by 20 cm patched wall. Quite large. I primed the patch then painted over the entire wall (with the patch) 3 times and the patch is still visible. What can I do next that will make the match less visible? (Besides placing a large furniture in front of it).


texts:
My 1955 california home has exposed knee braces, connecting the wall to the ceiling (photo shows garage).   Can these be removed, or replaced perhaps with a sistered joist?
Removing them would really open up possibilites for wall mounted cabinet storage.  The living room (with flat roof) is above the garage.  I can't find any mention of these braces in home building books, or the internet.


texts: What's the best way to leave an air flow shaft in wood chips after removing a PVC pipe?

texts: I'm going to be composting a lot of wood chips this winter, and only have one large PVC pipe. How can I remove the PVC pipe from the wood chips while leaving the air shaft in place?


texts: How to build deck starting in yard, ending on concrete slab?

texts:
Here are some photos of my backyard with rough dimensions.

Needing help with how to end a deck from cemented posts in yard (at rear of house), to my back door. My trouble area is above the concrete.  Should I place a ledger board on house slab under siding and extend deck into yard on posts?  Or is there a way to not have to attach anything to the slab? Would also like it to run deck to the door to step out onto deck. From door threshold to cement slab is 6 inches.  Not sure on best approach here.  Thanks for any help.


texts: How can I connect a CPVC pipe to a chrome fitting for a toilet?

texts: So I ran some CPVC pipe to a new toilet.  I'm curious about the last hook up to the toilet.  I got a threaded female chrome to thread on a male cpvc fitting, but it seems like the threads won't fit snug.  Both are 1/2".  Any ideas on how I should hook up the part going out of the wall to the toilet?  I have a hose that should fit the chrome shutoff.


texts: What's the strongest way to tie drywall into Rock-Lath/plaster with an embedded mesh?

texts:
I'm replacing our utility door that goes out to garage, and want to know the best way to tie the new drywall in with the old Rock-Lath/plaster.

Usually I just put a backer board in, but with this big cut I've hit the mesh that they used to reenforce the wall edges.

I was thinking of leaving the mesh since it reenforces the corner, and slipping a plywood backer board under the joints.  Is there a better way?


texts: Damaged wire while drilling wall caused power to go out. How to fix it properly?

texts:
I managed to damage two wires/cables: tv/internet and a power wire.

There were three of power wires: a blue, a black and a green/yellow. I've damaged the black one, but just a little bit.

When the drill hit it, the power went out. I used a heat-shrinkable sleeve and some insulating tape; Is this sufficient to restore the wire to full power? Is it dangerous to keep it that way? Should I use a junction box to fix it? It's in a brick wall, so that wouldn't be very easy.


texts: Floor nailer nailing too deep. Am I even using the right tool?

texts:
I'm installing a floor with 1/2" engineered hardwood. This is the stuff that's basically tongue and groove plywood with a small layer of nice finished hardwood as the top layer. I've purchased a floor nailer to do the job. Unfortunately, the flooring staples always seem to be going too deep. The one exception was too shallow and at an air pressure well below what the tool specifies as the minimum.

Ultimately, I'm not sure I'm actually using the right stuff to secure the floor. The manufacturer was not specific with their instructions.

This is an example of what happens when the tool is run at normal power. This particular example was about 85 PSI. The tool specifies 70-100.

I dropped the pressure below the minimum in an attempt to get better results. This was around 40 PSI, well below the tool's stated minimum.

This is a cross-section of the flooring I'm installing. With the angles on the edge, there isn't much except the tongue for the stable to grab in to anyway. Going deep enough to avoid blocking the next piece at the top seems like it will always end up splintering the plywood.


texts: Paint and Application Method for Stair Risers

texts:
I'm getting ready to install pre-finished hardwood on  the treads of a staircase that was previously carpeted. Rather than installing the hardwood on the risers as well, I'm planning to install white, painted boards. I intend to paint the boards before I install them, and I'm just looking for some advice on the type of paint to use and how I should apply it, as I've struggled to get good results painting trim and doors in the past. I've always used water-based semi-gloss paint, and recently I've started adding floetrol, which has helped some with brush marks, but I still haven't been able to get the kind of results I would like.

I would really like to avoid brush marks on these treads if I can help it, and I'd also like to go with a really tough paint that won't scuff easily and that will clean up well. So should I go with an oil-based paint? I gather that spraying is probably the best way to paint these, but I don't have a paint sprayer. Any suggestions to work around that? Or should I just suck it up and buy a sprayer? Any tips, tricks, or suggestions are appreciated.


texts: How can I fix a wall mounted towel hanger

texts:
A towel hanger fastened with a drywall fastener has been ripped out of the wall.
How can I repair the hole and reattach the towel hanger?


texts:
I'm trying to connect Live Wires (L/N/G) to this electric blind receiver and can't figure out the way to do it. Motor Has 4 Wires

Blue = Neutral
Black = Direction 1 (I assume UP or Down)
Brown = Direction 2 (I assume UP or Down)
Green/Yellow = Earth

If someone can shine some light on how do I connect this would be much appreciated.


texts: Can SER labled XHHW-2 be buried in conduit

texts:
I've read many good answers here regarding what types of cables (conductors) can/cannot be buried.  I've come across blanket statements like "SER cannot be buried, even in conduit."  I want to install a subpanel in my workshop (100' from main to sub) and plan to use 2-2-2-4 Al.  A friend did almost the exact same job and used SER type XHHW-2, buried in conduit as recommended by an electrician.  Alarms went off in my head because it is SER.  However, XHHW-2 can be buried in conduit, so my question is: just because the cable is called SER does that preclude its use outside (i.e. buried in conduit) even if it is labeled as XHHW-2 (i.e. does the XHHW-2 designation change anything)?  I'll paste a shot of the cable below to capture all the markings.

EDIT
Just to close the loop on this.  I went back to the store and peeled back a bit of insulation and looked at the wires.  I saw no markings on the conductors and the ground was not insulted.  A non-insulted aluminum ground cannot be buried regardless.


texts:
A couple of rough estimates from 2 plumbers for replacement of the sewer line from the back of the house to the street is around $20K. Sewer relining is advertised on the internet at around $6-8K.

So, is re-lining a proven and reliable process in 2015 (something I can have done and forget about for, say, 15 years)?

Thanks for advice/comments.


texts: How to put 5/8" oak dowels into holes which are just barely the right size?

texts:
I've got a handful of oak dowels (ok, a lot) and holes that are both 5/8" in diameter, the problem is that the dowels are just barely too big for the holes.

I'm trying to figure out easy ways to either sand down the dowels or expand the holes. I don't have a power sander and much in terms of tools.

I was thinking of putting the dowels into the freezer to see if they cool off just enough to get them in the holes or otherwise looking for an alternative to manually sanding down the ends of... a lot of dowels or buying a bench top belt sander.

Are there other tricks I can do to get them to fit nicely?

I can't find a good picture of exactly what I'm trying to make, but this shows the general idea (my holes are drilled all the way through, though):


texts: Can I use an unused red conductor as ground for a switch?

texts: I am retrofitting a Lutron Caseta dimmer switch to an existing light fixture in an older home.  The fixture has line, neutral and ground, but the wire that was run to the switch box does not have a bare ground conductor.  It does however possess a third, red wire that is unused on both ends.  The Lutron Caseta needs to be grounded (since the fixture is Low Voltage).  Can I connect the red wire to ground so the switch is grounded?


texts: IKEA Loviken Faucet disassembly assistance requested

texts:
My kitchen faucet drips a bit from the hot water tap. I've found the manual, which is somewhat helpful, but I'm unable to remove the part 118211 shown on page 3.

There is a exterior top screw cap, which exposes a very small interior phillips head screw. When the interior phillips is loosened, I'm unable to get the handle to come off. I'm also unsure if part 118211 is easily replaced here in the US, although I've found a number of posts concerning it in the UK. Any tips or info is greatly appreciated!


texts: Loud water sounds when tub faucet is turned on

texts:
I have the Alder tub/shower combo (http://www.moen.com/adler/spot-resist-brushed-nickel-posi-temp-r-tub-shower/_/R-CONSUMER%3AL82694EPSRN).  When I turn on the water for the tub, the sounds of water are very loud!  I can hear water (flowing through pipes, I think) through the walls in adjacent rooms.

When I turn the diverter to the shower head, this sound goes away (I think because the flow of water is a lot lower for the shower head).

I suspect the sound is happening because the water pressure is high and the volume of water flowing through the tub spout is also very high.

What are my options to reduce the noise in the other rooms?  I looked for an aerator for the tub but it doesn't seem to exist (and it's a weird rectangular shaped spout, not standard circle).

Any help is appreciated!


texts: How do I make a 3wire splice with 2/0 wire?

texts: How do I make a 3 wire splice with 2/0 wire? I want to tap into a service panel feed to add a subpanel.


texts: How should I grout when there's a combination of natural stone and glass tiles?

texts:
My tile sheets are a mixture of linear slate and glass and I would like to know to grout when there's a combination. The concern is that the grout (unsanded) will stick to the natural stone and ruin its appearance. I have researched the problem and found a number of possibilities, however there is no clear winner.

Cool Earth Linear Slate Glass Tile

Options

Bulk apply sealer to all tiles before applying grout but risk is that it will discolour the glass.
Apply sealer individually to only stone tiles before applying grout. Tedious!
Mask natural stone with tape but risk having it come off during grouting. Risky.
Coat all tiles with soapy water before grouting. Apparently this prevents grout from sticking to natural stone?
Use a piping bag instead of a float in order to grout only the gaps between tiles.
Bulk apply grout without sealing and try to get as much off the stone before it dries.
Bulk apply grout without sealing and deal with consequences.
...?

If my main concern is appearance, and I am willing to put in a reasonable amount of extra work (compared to grouting just 100% glass tiles), how should I proceed?


texts: What is the best way to fill a hole in a concrete basement floor?

texts:
My basement floor has a hole cut where the water line enters the house. This hole is around 2ft square, and digging down a little I hit dirt and small roots. I'd like to seal this hole as I believe it provides an entry point for insects.

In the picture above, you can see the water line coming in and leading to the meter. The tubing along the wall on the left is electric conduit, grounding the service panel. Note that the horizontal part of the water pipe is actually below the level of the nearby concrete floor, so a new floor in this area would have to be lower than the rest of the basement floor because I don't want to encase the pipe and valve in concrete.

What's the best way to fill in that hole? A few specific concerns:

Do I need to lay down a layer of gravel or something above the dirt?
Would the new concrete need to be tied into the existing floor somehow?
Is there a minimum clearance around the pipe that I should preserve?
Are there any structural concerns digging or pouring concrete here? The foundation is fieldstone parged with mortar.

The house was built in 1892 and I suspect this hole was cut when the water line was changed from lead to copper.


texts: Replaced burnt infinite switch still doesn't generate heat

texts: We have a Kenmore range with a non-functioning surface element. Based on an earlier experience, I knew that the issue must be due to a burnt infinite switch. After opening the back of the stove and removing the corresponding switch (see attached picture), it was confirmed that the switch was burnt. To replace that, I purchased this product, which seems to have all specifications matching the broken switch. After installation, though, the surface element still doesn't heat. I am now wondering what else could be the reason for this not to function. Any thoughts or recommendations are highly appreciated.


texts: Does anyone have experience with small heat-recovery air exchangers?

texts:
I know there are units made which are supposed to be sized for use in a residential kitchen, as a more efficient replacement for the usual vent hood (bring air in to replace air blown out, but transfer heat between the two so you don't lose as much heating/cooling as you would with a normal just-blow-outward setup). I like the idea, but they ARE more expensive (of course; two fans and the heat exchanger and the internal ductwork to feed it) and I'm not sure how much maintenance they need... especially since in a kitchen setting you're going to get airborne grease and so on which may make keeping it working efficiently difficult.

So: If you've installed one of these, how did it work out and would you do it again?


texts: Little bumps appearing where the staple went in for the 1/2" manufactured hardwood floor

texts:
I have little bumps appearing where the staple went in for the 1/2" manufactured hardwood floor.

Can't even tell they are there from the picture... Maybe I'm looking at it too closely.

These are my floors: http://www.johnsonhardwood.com/products/forevertuff-69/forevertuff-canadian-maple.html

They look great, but after a long day of install, I sat down and caught the light hitting the floor at an oblique angle and could see little bumps where the staples they recommended went in.  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BKOD4AS/)

I tried hitting those spots with a rubber mallet and that has helped a great deal, but what am I doing wrong in the first place? My air compressor is set at the recommended 75PSI and I am aligning the flooring stapler correctly.


texts: How to fix a garbage disposal with rubber caught in it?

texts:
I'm missing a small piece of flexible rubber that was approx 0.8" x 0.3" x 0.17".

I think it went into the garbage disposal in the kitchen sink.

After turning off the breakers, and securing my cat so he would not turn them back on out of spite, I felt around in the garbage disposal.  I could not find anything... one of the downsides of actually having huge hands (as opposed to a certain individual who will not be named due to his sensitivity about this matter).

Now, when I run the garbage disposal, it doesn't sound so great.  It sounds like something may be stuck in it.

Besides disassembling and cleaning everything (if that's even possible... I'm not sure if it's a sealed unit), is there anything I can do to get the garbage disposal back to it's previously happy state?

Related question, but for glass: How can I fix a garbage disposal with crushed glass in it?


texts: Where should I place electrical outlets in waterfall island?

texts:
I'm remodeling my kitchen.
The existing island have a raised bar and two electrical outlets (on its the backsplash).
We are cutting down the raised wall and moving to a waterfall countertop but then, I don't know what to do with the outlets.

Do we still need the two outlets or can it be reduced to one?
Where should they go while still being in compliance with electrical building code?

The finished island will look exactly like this one. I added the actual dimensions to make it easier.
Based on it's size and the 6" max overhand rule (which I don't know if still exists), it looks I have a problem.


texts: Should newly added house steps feature insulation?

texts:
I’m building steps from my house to the garden, where previously there was decking.
I’ve already poured concrete for the steps base, leaving underneath a layer of MOT sub base which I compacted.
Plan was to use Class B Red engineering brick 2 layers per step and put a concrete paving slab on top, 2 steps total. For filling up the the hollow area I bought Aerated blocks and was going to fill the gaps with more hardcore and concrete - I do not have a concrete mixer, only a drill with an attachment so this made sense and would save me a ton of work.
A friend of mine was visiting and saw this and pointed errors to what I was doing:

He told me I should use some insulation between house and the steps so that moisture doesn’t raise through them inside
He told me that the aerated blocks I wanted to use as a filler are like sponges and will hold water and make the problem with damp even worse, he suggested I use salvaged bricks instead

Removing the concrete base is not an option now, so I want to ask if what he's saying has any merit - should I put some insulation between my construction and the house wall? Or should I insulate the bricks from the concrete base?
And what about the Aerated blocks, should I replace them for something else?
Including rough top-view and front-view sketch of what I'm doing, which was used to help me estimate how many bricks I'd use


texts: Improperly installed or nonexistent brick ties in a wall

texts: Is there as easy way to repair a brick wall that isn't properly attached to the wall behind it?  There are no cracks inside the house but there is a large vertical gap between the corner brick - these come out further than the wall - and the wall brick.  The brick wall will move slightly when you push against it.  When the house was being bricked I noticed one day that there were no brick ties on the wall.  I called the builder extremely upset and when I came by the house later brick ties were being used.  I don't have any idea how much of the work had been done before I saw they were not using the ties.  All the brick work done is terrible!  My dad was a stone mason so I might be overly picky, but there is mortar falling out in a number of places, patio Colima are not straight, fireplace brick inside has some joints that are more than an inch wide!  If I could afford it I would have it all taken down and redone . . .  The house was built after the original house was destroyed by a tornado.  Lots of shoddy work was done in the area at the time.  Looking back I should never allowed myself to be pressured into accepting such poor quality of workmanship.  Any help will be greatly appreciated!!


texts: What is the correct material to reseal a shower pan to a drain pipe?

texts:
After finding a leak in room below my shower, I discovered that the silicone like ring that was attaching my shower pan to my drain pipe was peeling back

I pulled the seal the rest of the way out, and found some sort of chalky substance under it that seemed to absorb water fairly easily, I am not sure how these are assembled, but I assume that water is able to pass through it and was making it to the drywall below.

What is the correct way to reseal this? I assume I could just add some standard bath silicone again, but with the peel back happening once already, I'm curious if there are better options. I also have seen some say that plumbers putty is good for this, but I've also hear that that is not supposed to be used directly on plastic.


texts:
I have a fireplace where the wall above is already decorated with wood planks
I was want to do stone backsplash and I was wondering should I remove all the wood planks or can the stones sit on planks ?
All youtube videos assume it is cement behind so I couldnt see if this option is possible
Thank you


texts:
We have a 120+ year old farmhouse in South Central Illinois. We removed all interior plaster and lath and want to insulate the walls. What is best way to insulate?
I have been researching for a week now and have seen MANY different answers.
The house has new double pane vinyl windows, sheathing on the exterior of the stud wall, original wood siding on the sheathing and vinyl siding over the wood siding. No insulation or vapor barrier on the outside of the house.
Also has two bedrooms upstairs that does not cover the entire upstairs area...when we removed the plaster and lath on the ceiling, the area around the upper bedrooms are open on all 4 sides.


texts: How long should I wait before plugging in a new refrigerator?

texts:
Today I received my new refrigerator, and I've been told not to plug it in until a couple of hours have gone by. Some people told me a couple of hours was enough, but others have told me up to 12 hours. I understand the reasons as to why do this (although there's probably more to it than what I know).

How long should I really wait? Is there some science into this?


texts: Install new wall outlet few feet to the left of existing outlet

texts:
If  I wanted to install a wall outlet 3 feet to the left of a current outlet, would I have to take down the whole wall? It is possible and how much would it generally cost range?

The wall is already there existing home, it is on the same side of the wall as current outlet, I am in apartment condo in California.


texts: stiff textile material for simple underbed "drawer"

texts:
I have a 90cm x 200cm bed in a corner of my room. I want to use the floor beneath it as storage, but in a way that I do not need to crawl under it to get the stuff in the corner. I have a PVC floor; textiles generally slide well on it - e.g. bed sheets, socks, or carpets without anti-slide coating.

Is there any type of textile (e.g. carpet) that is so stiff that it can be both drawn and pushed back without losing its form? Or is there a simple way of making such a thing?

I would put that thing under the bed and my stuff to store on top. No heavy things; just bedclothes, blankets and clothes inside light boxes and bags. Then I could use it as a simple drawer and the need to crawl under the bed would be gone.


texts: Tips for replacing a wire inside a wall?

texts:
Last night we were experiencing some power glitches then around 1am it went out completely, but only part of the house.   Thinking there could be a potential fire hazard somewhere, I stayed home today to trace the problem.
I have 3 outlets along an exterior wall that went out. My voltage tester indicates they have power, but barely register 5v. I found the first socket in front of these in the series that tests 120v and show 120 leading out of it towards the others.  My thought is that somewhere in the wall between these two outlets there is a bad wire.
The old wire is pretty stiff and my past experience with pulling wire through  old metal boxes was a huge pain.
In this current home I'm not trying to replace any drywall so wondering if there are any tricks to getting a new wire fed through without having direct access in the wall.  If this is the only bad wire, I only have to run about 7ft.


texts:
I have a very small quarter bathroom that I’d like to convert into a half bath by adding a very small corner sink for hand washing. The problem is that the bathroom floor is concrete that would have to be jackhammered out to run a drainpipe from the sink to join into the sewer line that would be expensive.
The bathroom has an exterior wall. It would therefore be much simpler to punch a hole through the wall and run a pipe to the outside and down into a small dry well. (This is a secondary bathroom that isn’t used very much so the dry well wouldn’t have to be that big.)
I live in Oakland, CA. Is doing something as I’ve suggested above (A) a reasonable solution, (B) would it require a permit, and (C) would it even be legal to do to get a permit?
FYI: the nearby water-heater's overflow pipe currently runs through a hole punched in the wall and drains to outside (with no dry well, but it would only be used in the hopefully unlikely case that causes the water heater to overflow).  This was done by a plumber and passed inspection.
Thanks.


texts: How to replace existing ethernet wiring in the house?

texts: My house was built in 2007 with ethernet wiring in all the rooms upstairs and downstairs connected to a central fiber optic switch. It looks like they used low grade wiring and I get constant disconnects. How do I replace all the wiring with high grade copper Cat 6 wiring? Will I run into issues if I use the higher quality but thicker Cat 6 wiring?


texts: Possible to do full wall paneling in modern construction?

texts:
I have been house shopping recently, and one property I looked at had really amazing full wall paneling and carved woodwork. Building was constructed about 1850. I was wondering about the feasibility of doing modern construction like this. Can this even be done anymore? Are there still carpenters with this kind of skill? Would the cost today be so prohibitive (in the United States) that it would not really be thinkable, or would it be a feasible in modern construction?

One Issue is that the framing of the house has beams making sort of a lattice in the ceiling, which is different than the balloon and joist method of house construction used today. Is it possible to use these old hardwood, beam-based framing methods in new construction, or would it just be so prohibitively expensive that it would be unthinkable?


texts: Why don't downstream outlets work after replacing a GFCI outlet?

texts:
I have a GFCI receptacle in the garage.  There are two regular outlets in the garage as well that I believe are "downstream"/protected by this outlet as required by code.  There is also another regular outlet on the circuit that is inside in the closet (on wall between closet and garage).  I plugged a tester into one of the regular outlets in the garage and accidentally hit the button to throw a fault.  GFCI outlet tripped and will not reset. At this point, the outlet in the house appears to still work but the ones in the garage do not.

In the box for the GFCI receptacle, there are 3 cables coming into the box. There is one coming from the top and two from the bottom.  I tried replacing the GFCI receptacle and thought I took care to put the wires in the same location, but now nothing works!  The inside outlet no longer works so now I'm trying to figure out the correct way to wire the GFCI outlet.

I have been looking for a wiring diagram for GFCI when there are 3 cables but haven't found any. Is one cable the from the service panel and the other two load cables with one going to the inside outlet and the other going to the next outlet in the garage? (I would think the panel cable would be the one coming in from the top of the outlet box).  But that isn't how it was wired. Worse, now the inside outlet isn't working either!

This is how it was wired (and I believe is the way I wired the new GFCI receptacle)

Top cable:   black wire goes to GFCI Line (position 1)
             white wire goes to GFCI Line (position 2)

Bottom Right cable:  black wire goes to GFCI Line (position 2)
                    white wire goes to GFCI Load

Bottom Left cable:  black wire goes to GFCI GFCI Load
                    white wire goes to GFCI Line (position 1)

I'm really confused.  Since the inside outlet initially continued to work, I would think that it would be first in circuit directly from service panel.  Then its load wire would come into the GFCI outlet as its line cable and there would be one load cable to the next outlet and then that outlet would feed the last outlet on the circuit.  So why the 3 cables?


texts: water pressure high after using hot water

texts: We have replaced all the check valves from the road to the house.. The city replaced its valve at the road.  We continue to have 90psi pressure after shower or dishwasher use.  I have to flush the toilet to bring the pressure down to 47PSI. The city says it may be our hot water tank.  The tank is 10-12 years old.  Whenever the pressure starts to build my kitchen sink faucet leaks and I have already replaced the flow meter in one of the toilets that blew. Is it our hot water heater?


texts:
My company recently moved into an office, that has an attached warehouse. The warehouse used to be a paint booth, so there is layers and layers of paint and gunk on the floor. It also has a lot of chips, gouges.

We are planning on putting an AC in, and putting heavy (2-4k lbs) circuit board assembly equipment in it. The floor needs to be strong, smooth, and easy to clean.

Af first I thought we should epoxy it, but there is so much gunk I worry it will never stick. Now I'm thinking of renting a floor grinder from home depot, and working on polishing the floor.

The problem is, the people at my local home depot, don't seem to know anything about these tools. I was recommended against the heavy duty edco grinder, and instead told to get a smaller Clark surface maintainer.

Also, home depot doesn't seem to have progressive diamond grit blades to truly polish the floor. If you want to check what my home depot has, the address is 10550 Park Blvd Seminole, FL 33772

I think my best bet is to use whichever grinder you recommend, get the gunk and crap off, then work on filling the cracks and spalling with self lever or filler? Not sure on which to use either. Then to rent the grinder again, and polish/grind it all again.

Looking for any guidance or suggestions. Really can't afford a professional, as the going rate for polishing around here is up to $10 sqft. Our space is around 700 sqft.


texts: How to fix baseboard header periodic buzzing

texts:
A baseboard heater in my apartment emits a short buzzing sound every 16-17 seconds. It seems to happen only when the room is near the temperature I've set on my thermostat, that is, only when the heater is keeping the room at a certain temperature, and not when it's working hard to raise the temperature. The buzzing isn't loud, but it's mildly irritating.

Does anyone know how to keep the heater quiet?


texts: How do I wire a remote ceiling fan with two switches?

texts:
We would like set up our remote to control the fan and the light switch to control the light. There was another fan installed but not with remote but had a light. The dual light switch was set up that one controlled the light and the other controlled the fan.

I have two black, two white and two bare wires coming from the
ceiling
The remote has unit has a black, gray, blue, and yellow wire
on it
No Red wire is coming from the ceiling which is confusing as    most
of the posts include instructions with a red wire


texts: How can I make a room feel bigger than it is?

texts: I've cleaned to make space for organizing the spot and adding shelves and I have still not felt the space is bigger than it is.


texts: I want to join some PVC pipes. I've got primer (from a store that only sells paint) and on the back it says it's suitable for PVC. I doesn't say anything about paint or joining. Can I use this kind of primer with PVC cement? The pipes should be airtight and should be able to withstand 3-4 bar.


texts: Detecting voltage at garage door opener control panel wire

texts:
I've removed our previous 20 year old garage door opener and am installing a new one. I'm now at the step of wiring the new control panel to the wall. The garage is finished, and the old control had wiring behind the drywall. There is a brown cable and inside it is a black and white wire, one end going to the control panel on the wall, and the other end coming out of the middle of the ceiling in the garage (to go to the old garage door opener).
I'm using a contactless voltage detector and it's detecting voltage on both of those black and white wires, even though there is no garage door opener (let alone one that is plugged in), and the voltage is detected at both ends of both of these wires. Why would this be? The control panel on the wall is just above a light switch, is it perhaps detecting some "phantom" voltage from that or something? I dont think that would explain why it is detected at the ceiling, where there is no light switch (there is a light, but a few feet away).
My new garage door opener came with a new control panel cable, so I can use that. But I wanted to reuse this wire if possible so that I dont need to put unsightly wires stapled to the drywall. However, I dont want to damage the new garage door opener with improper wiring.


texts: Brand new LG washing machine tripping AFCI combination breaker in new house

texts:
Hey this is less of a question than a problem I was able to trouble shoot, but I have a feeling other people might be going through the same situation and might have come up with other solutions to add.

I have a newly built home in southern Ontario and I purchased a LG washing machine.  After only a few days the breaker started to trip.  It's a Siemans combination arc fault and GFI breaker.  Unfortunately it started to trip more and more.  I thought it might be a faulty breaker so I plugged it into a different line, which had the same type of breaker and it started to trip too.  It turns out that my washroom has an old style breaker so I plugged it in there and the machine worked fine.  After a little research on how sensitive arc fault breakers are I talked to a friend of mine who happened to have an identical machine in a new home that wasn't tripping his arc fault breaker (also a siemans).  He sent me a picture and there was a subtle difference.

His breaker had a small sticker with N on it and only had one light.  Mine had a green and black sticker with two lights.  I thought my builder had cheaped out, but it turns out his are the cheaper breakers and the breaker doesn't have the built in GFI (which is what the second light is for).

It turns out the machine is not compatible with the dual breaker and I was able to test it on a plug I have for my boiler that has the arc fault breaker with the N and only one light.  It worked, what I need to do is put the cheaper breaker in (the one without the GFI light) and then install a GFI plug in the laundry room in order to meet code.

I tried to insert a photo, but it wouldn't let me, but here is a link to a picture of the breaker that worked.  In the photo there is no N sticker, but at homedepot the breaker costs $92 and has the small N sticker (the more expensive one has two lights $150 and the green sticker).

https://www.amazon.ca/Siemens-QA115AF-15-Amp-120-volt-Breaker/dp/B00MANV478/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3QF54K2PX52ZV&keywords=siemens+15+amp+arc+fault+breaker&qid=1569251563&s=gateway&sprefix=siemans+15+am+ar%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-3

The breakers on amazon were a lot cheaper, but I wanted to see it before I bought it.

However, of maybe more interest is that I can't shut my panel down and have to go through my builder to make the appropriate changes and before I discovered which breaker I needed I ordered a serious surge suppressor from amazon in the hopes it might help.  Everything I read on the net said surge protection won't help with nuisance trips, but what I found is that a real Surge suppressor (about $80 and up on amazon) has transistors that regulate surges.  Those transistors should work both ways and it turns out in my case they do.  Since I started using the surge suppressor the machine hasn't tripped the original breaker. Here is a link to a similar one (the price seems to have gone up)

https://www.amazon.ca/CyberPower-RKBS15S4F12R-16-Outlet-Rackbar-Suppressor/dp/B004K1YFVA/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=cyberpower+rkbs&qid=1569252216&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I think this could help a lot of people who need a temporary or quick fix to a new appliance tripping a sensitive arc fault and it's something you can try for under a hundred dollars.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with surge suppressors?


texts: Why can't the plumber fix my kitchen sink?

texts:
I had a professional plumber out today. He spent about 3 hours trying to unclog my kitchen sink. Finally he said there's something wrong with the drain because he can't get it fixed. So here I am with no working sink and I'm not sure what to do now. The company I am working with has offered to bring a camera and have a look around the drain pipes.

Is there anything I can do on my own to try and fix my problem? Why couldn't a professional fix it?


texts: What is the cause and fix to water slowly coming out of an outdoor faucet when its turned off?

texts: Regardless of how tightly I turn the faucet off, there is water that flows out.  When I attach a hose with a spray nozzle, the water finds a way to leak out either at the faucet where the hose is connected or around the spray nozzle.  There are 4 other outside spigots that are not having the same problem.


texts: How should I reattach this garage door bracket?

texts: I didn't install this originally but looks like the bracket has broke off from the door. Also it appears that the door itself is damaged. What is the best way to repair this?


texts: Why am I getting an electric shock from the water in my hot tub?

texts:
I have noticed that when I touch the water of my Hot Tub when I am grounded (barefoot standing outside of tub) I am getting a very small electric shock.
Using a multimeter it is reading 2Vac between the water and the ground outside.

I have an RCD on both my ring main and a dedicated RCD on the Hot Tub, none of which trip.

Now the odd thing is that even with the socket switched off (but still plugged in) it still reads 2Vac. If I unplug the socket it reads 0Vac.

How is it reading 2Vac with only neural and earth wires connected?


texts: How should I install a curtain drain in my crawl space?

texts:
Since I have wet areas in the crawl space, I have decided to dig a trench at the perimeter of my crawl space to take care of the water.  This would also allow me to install rigid foam insulation on the walls.  The plan is to dig not only down to the footing but next to it down to its lower end but not lower.  The dirt is wet here and there, but mostly dry and clay-like which makes it kind of hard to dig.

My calculations show that minimally I have to dig 110-120 cubic feet of dirt or around 900 gallons.  I've bought 8 5-gallon buckets and 3 different sizes of shovels.  I plan on hiring three laborers at $10/hour and renting a dump truck for $120/day.  I will personally participate and manage everything.  I'm hoping to finish within a day (or maximum two, although that'll be expensive).

Then, I will install a pipe in the trench which would be connected to an existing French drain system in the basement.  Hopefully I'd be able to achieve a slope of 1/8" per foot for the pipe.

I'll also insulate the walls and cover with plastic but that comes later.

What do people think of this?  Is this going to work?  Anything I need to know?

Edit: The crawl space is adjacent to a basement.  Both of them are 30x15 feet.   There is a French drain system professionally installed in the crawl space (with a sump pump).  At my request, they drilled through the footer at one corner to connect the system to the crawl space via a 2 inch PVC pipe which I'm going to connect to the crawl space perforated pipe.  The basement is 7' crawl space is only 3' or so.


texts: How can I power multiple raspberry pi around the house?

texts:
I am planning to power multiple Raspberry Pi's around the house. Some will be security cameras, one will be a media player connected to TV and another one will manage home network and maybe a website or something. I have phone and cable-TV cables running through walls to rooms and to the living room.

I was thinking about replacing these with ethernet cables by attaching ethernet cables from one side and pulling the original cables (in this case phone or cable TV) out from the other side. I won't need the phone (as we are not going to use land lines) but I might also insert a new phone cable to have them for a potential use in the future. But that is not the point.

As I am going to bringing ethernet (Cat6) to raspberries, I was thinking about using power over ethernet (PoE), which is an awesome technology, to spare 5-6 separate power adapter for raspberries. However, PoE ends up being more expensive than I thought. Switches are 5-6x more expensive. Standard PoE modules to extract energy to raspberries are also expensive (I will need 5 of them). There are however DIY plans, but they are not the exact PoE standard, which is a minus.

Buying multiple injectors is not a solution either. Then again I have a mess of cables and adapters.

My current plan and idea is to have a 48V DC power source next to the main switch. I need to distribute ethernet cables from there anyway. I could simply distribute 48V DC power with 2 extra copper cables (self soldered on a board to distribute the output to each raspberry) wrapped and nicely taped around each CAT6 cable. On the raspberry side, I can use a voltage regulator to bring it down to 5V. This can then be connected to raspberry with a micro USB interface.

This way I can provide gigabit connection with a relatively cheap switch and power with a single power supply.

With 48V, resistance in the cables will not be an issue over ~10 meters.

My only concern is to have 48V running close (taped from outside) to Cat6 inside the walls! Is it a fire hazard? Does this affect data transmission? Aren't shielded cables protected from such an effect?

Are there any better options, which I did not consider?

EDIT: I ended up buying a 8 port switch with 4 ports of PoE. I have found some good deals on active PoE splitters. And all together they work great!


texts:
I recently moved into a new home. One of the things I was getting around to doing was installing a hair catch for the bathtub, since there is no catch or drain stop installed. I purchased a universal hair catch at the hardware store and was about to install it, when I noticed there is standing water inside the drain. I then purchased a Drain Weasel tool to see if I could fish anything up, but to no avail; absolutely nothing comes up.

The water drains completely fine when the shower is running. If the spout is running, it is a little slower to drain. Here are a couple pictures for reference.

I find it interesting that the water doesn't get insanely backed up when I'm in the shower, yet this standing water never seems to drain. Is there possibly a clog somewhere deeper in the drain? Probably a job for the plumber? For the record, I live in a planned unit development.


texts: Relocating the PVC from behind dishwasher

texts:
I want to replace a 12 year old dishwasher with a new KitchenAid model. The hot and cold PVC pipes from under kitchen sink are blocking a full install. These pipes are not flush against the wall or low enough to sit in the recessed space behind dishwasher.

The dishwasher hoses have been connected and the unit is operational.  However, I cannot mount it to the counter since I've lost 4-5 inches of space behind the dishwasher due to these two pipes. A plumber quoted $250 after seeing these photos on line, but not in person. He said I was far from him so he wasn't coming all the way out just to give a quote. Not cool, so I told him I would shop around.

I've made other PVC pipe repairs and feel humbly confident I could reroute these pipes myself in one of two ways after the PVC enters this space using elbow joints:

run PVC lower along floor and drywall
or deeper and flush with the wall

Will a plumber be required or is this a DYI project?


texts: Installing a new cartridge results in water being blocked completely

texts:
I am trying to install this new delta 3S-11H cartridge, but every time I do so and I turn on the knobs, the water is completely blocked by the cartridge for some reason. It happens for both hot and cold, and the water runs normally if I just turn it on with everything removed.
What could be the cause? I am already lining it up like I am supposed to be doing with both stems aligned, once I put the cartridge in, but before putting back the nut in.
Any help would be appreciated, here are some pictures:


texts: Picture is my HVAC plenum chamber. My contractor is going to install new ceiling in few days. I wanted to see if there is any leak in that area, so I used flash light inside service panel door after turning off light in room. The bright area you see is gap in plenum chamber framing. How can I seal it ? What can I use?


texts: About the thing in bathrooms which looks like a ladder

texts: What is the thing that is in some home bathrooms and is like a ladder (you can see it in the picture)? What is it called? What is it there for?


texts:
Replacing 30 year old light switch with new light switch assembly need
help with the wiring identification (-; thought this would be similar to replacing outlets but all the wires are black so I am at a loss.  Thank you.  New switch ..basic from Home Depot —one green two brass one black screw


texts: Toilet won’t flush and found this floating in the cistern

texts:
Toilet won’t flush when using the handle. It’s like there is air in the mechanism which doesn’t allow it to fill. Found this floating in the cistern.

The whole cistern fills up fully but when you pull the handle it feels like there is air in the reservoir and only allows a little bit of water out. After a few attempts it flushes.


texts: How can I remove stubborn nails from baseboard?

texts:
I have tried pounding the nails out through the front, they don't budge.  I have tried pulling the nails through the back with pliers, they break off. The baseboard is a laminate from old laminate flooring.  The nails were obviously put in with a pneumatic nailer.

Any suggestions for removing the nails so I can replace the baseboards would be appreciated.


texts:
I am trying to install an LG TwinWash washer + pedestal washer combo in a new 3-story townhome. Laundry room is on the 3rd floor. The 2-washer combo requires 2 drains. LG supplies a part to merge them into 1 drain. The installer said the existing drain fitting is special and he couldn't fit the LG drain part into it. Questions:

What's the pipe on top of the laundry box for?
How to fit 3 pipes into 1 laundry box drain?

Thanks!


texts: What is the best way to get superglue off a Corian countertop?

texts:
My kids and I have spilled superglue onto a Corian countertop in our kitchen, I've heard you can buff out scratches and such from these, but I'd rather avoid scraping and buffing if possible.  Is there another way to get superglue off these?

--UPDATE
The debonder didn't work, so maybe not CA based glue, will try the razor blade, but has to be when the wife is away...


texts: Have 1/2 switched wall outlet. Adding ceiling fan using existing wiring

texts:
EDIT: Success!  (1 down, 1 to go!)  Just need to tidy up the wiring and close up the junction box in the attic.  Total PITA but so worth it when the kid is super happy.  :)

Original Post:   Not 100% sure what I'm seeing here.  I have an existing single switch in a bedroom which operates a 1/2 outlet (1/2 hot all the time, other 1/2 to a floor lamp via the light switch).
I located the wiring in the attic (14/3) running almost directly over where I installed the mounting kit between the trusses - and would like to wire said ceiling fan using the existing switch and make the full outlet hot all the time.  Advise on how easiest to do this?  Thanks in advance! Long time lurker, 1st time question poster.
-John
:)

More pics added:


texts: Fix lead joint between cast iron and galvanized steel plumbing pipes?

texts:
I took out my bathtub to replace a rotted wall behind it, and the drain pipe fell out.  (Yes, I unscrewed the drain fitting before removing the tub.)  The joint under the concrete slab, where the drain pipe meets the P-trap, is what came apart.

drain pipe and P-trap http://www.bolis.com/albums/projects2014/20140528_130558_bathroom_plumbing.sized.jpg

The P-trap is below the concrete slab, and not right under the tub drain, so it was extended up to the tub drain with two 45-degree elbows.  The P-trap is cast iron, and so are the two 45-degree elbows.  The pipe nipples joining them are galvanized steel, US 1-1/2 inch NPT.

The P-trap, however, is not threaded, at least not with 1-1/2 NPT threads.  It looks like there could be a smaller, finer thread; it might be tub drain fitting threads.  Or it might just be my imagination; it is hard to tell with the rust.

It appears that the steel pipe nipple was set into the P-trap and sealed with lead.  The lead made sort of a gasket, sitting in a lip or shoulder of the P-trap.  The lead ring was peeled up slightly on the left side.  I imagine it may have had a small gap with a the P-trap for a long time.  I attempted to peel it off with pliers, as you can see, but it is held quite firmly on the right-hand side.

P-trap http://www.bolis.com/albums/projects2014/20140528_130530_bathroom_plumbing.sized.jpg

P-trap http://www.bolis.com/albums/projects2014/20140528_130409_bathroom_plumbing.sized.jpg

This type of connection is used elsewhere in the house.  Here is another one nearby, which I think is for a vent stack.
lead pipe joint http://www.bolis.com/albums/projects2014/20140528_130510_bathroom_plumbing.sized.jpg

The house was built in 1966, and I assume this is original construction.

I scraped the joints with a knife, and I'm quite certain they are lead.  There is no clearance gap between the galvanized drain pipe and the cast-iron P-trap hub.  There is no oakum; this is not a bell-and-spigot leaded oakum joint.

So: what's the best way to repair this pipe joint?  I have replaced the bottom pipe nipple on the drain pipe with a new one, but how should I reconnect it to the P-trap?

I'm sure I can clean off the old P-trap and set the drain pipe back in place (after I measure and position it carefully to line back up with the tub).  How should I reconnect it?  I can imagine several alternatives:

Re-melt the lead by heating the cast iron P-trap with a MAPP or acetylene torch
Remove excess lead and pack with epoxy putty
Dig out the P-trap and replace with a threaded one, perhaps in a better location.

I really don't want to replace the P-trap buried under the slab if I can avoid it.  I'm leaning towards trying to remelt the lead, but I don't know what pitfalls to avoid.

Advice? Suggestions?  Thanks in advance for any help.


texts:
We are attempting to span 16' and replace a load bearing wall holding up the plaster ceiling and low slope roof.
I would like to use a steel W Beam mounted sideways to minimize intrusion into the room ceiling.
What is the continuous load load derating if the beam is on its side?


texts: How many shock absorbers are in washing machine LG F1480QDS?

texts:
I would like to disassemble my washing machine in order to replace all dampers. I would like to do it only after they get delivered because the appliance is not easily accessible so I want to save some effort doing the manipulation and disassembly twice. But I cannot figure out how many dampers actually are inside – how many I have to order. Two or three? (Or more?) I am unable to find reliable source.

Suitable shock absorbers have part number 383EER3001G.

Answers based on similar LG models can fit, too, I assume that they have similar design in the inside.


texts: How to repair door trim that was chewed by dog

texts: My brother's dog chewed/scratched my door frame in our apartment and I was looking for tips on how to fix this ourselves without hiring someone before we decide to move out, the apartment is pretty old so I was not sure just going to a home store would do us any good... Thank you!


texts: How do I wire up a shed for 60A service today with the ability to grow later?

texts:
I've been doing my research, reading tons of messages here and on other sites, and I think I know what I need to run power to my shed, but wanted to put it all together and have the collective mind check my work.

Physical:
Detached Garage 75' from the panel box on the side of the house where I'm tying in the power. 90' wire distance.

SubPanel:
- 60A Main Breaker Panel
- I bought a CH22B100V panel for in the shed, but will swap the 100A main with a 60A Main Breaker.
- From what I see the 60A Main can handle wire up to #2 as this panel is fed through the main not through lugs in the panel.
- Need 2 Ground rods on the shed end tied to the panel ground.
- Ground and Neutral bus not bonded at the shed

Wire:
- Planning to run 2-2-2-4 Al wire as it's the largest I can tie into the 60A in the shed. MHF (Mobile Home Feeder seems to be suggested in multiple places)
- That should get me the ability to upgrade to 90A later if needed as the breakers and panels are rated 75deg for Al.
- Plan on running 1-1/2 or 2" conduit 24" underground to the shed.

Questions:
- Is the wire choice right? I think I just need to make sure I am using THWN cable. Are there other types that would work. It will be in conduit all the way from the main panel to the subpanel. The MHF I see is RHH/RHW/USE rated, which I believe would work. No issues with running that cable in conduit the whole way?

4 wires (2hot) (1 Neutral) (#4 Ground). Do the colors matter at this size, or can you wrap them with tape if needed?
Anything else I am forgetting?


texts: I installed a new garbage disposal and have two electrical boxes under my sink.  One is operated by switch running to the dishwasher, while the other is a metal box covered with a face plate.  This runs to a switch located on the back splash.  The problem, if it is a problem, I was going to make the box a plug in and simply plug in the disposal, yet only two wires come out.  Where is the ground?  I am sure it will work but is there not supposed to be a ground or is it grounded at the switch?  Yes I did properly ground the disposal itself.  Is this normal and should there be third wire??


texts: Fixing very old, very undersized ceiling joists

texts:
I own a 24x60' uninsulated building that's about 100 years old. The roof is matched 2x4 rafters (no ridge board) with 2x4 ceiling joist (technically rafter ties I guess). As you can imagine, the joists are sagging quite substantially. Previous owners have tried to fix it with a mix of various methods. I want it fixed one and for all because I'm planning on drywalling and insulating the building.
I don’t think I can put in bigger joist because there would be no room to fit them at the top plate. Definitely not the 2x12's that would be required. I'd really rather not put in posts and beam because the ceiling is only 8' high.
My thought is to jack a joist straight, sister a 4’ 2x4 to it in the middle, tie the now straight joist to a strongback. Would this provide enough support to hold the sag out and support drywall and insulation?


texts:
Alright folks - here's my issue.  My house has a ceiling fan that worked for a bit when we moved in...then stopped.  I assumed the fan itself (a cheaper contractor model) just went bad.  I went and bought a new fan to replace it.  The fan is not wired as a switch loop - the power goes into the switch box, then to the fan.

The room itself is wired as follows:

Power to the room > outlet > outlet > outlet > outlet > junction box > switch > fan. The other wire from the junction box goes to another switch > wall sconces.

All outlets work, as do the wall sconces.  On every outlet, Hot-Ground=~120v, Hot-Neutral=~120v, and Neutral-Ground=~0v.  Resistance from Neutral-Ground=~0.

In the switch box that controls the fan, the Hot-Ground=~120v and is connected to the switch.  The Neutral wires are connected to each other and read ~20v to ground.  Resistance between ground and neutral is high/unreadable.  At the fan - the readings are identical to the switch box.  And finally, the initial indicator of there being a problem, the new ceiling fan will also not work.  (I tested this new fan on a known good circuit, and it worked.)

My thought is going to a loose neutral.  However, while I understand the concept, I don't fully know if my problem points to that or not.  It would seem to me if it is a loose neutral, that the logical first place to look would be the junction box right before the switch.  I did confirm that the neutrals connected in the switch box are well connected and tight.  Anything else that stands out to people smarter than I?

Other tidbit - I have no idea how they wired the outlets - either with the stabs, or (how I think is more correctly in this situation) using the terminals and wire nuts.

UPDATE/FIX:  While I never actually saw a loose neutral to confirm - that was the ultimate culprit. I checked the outlet right before the junction box, and it was indeed back stabbed. Pulled it out, and replaced it with a new receptacle (with child protection,) and pig tailed. That did not take the voltage out of the neutral at the fan/fan switch. I then opened the junction box, and pulled all the wire nuts off, and resecured them (better) - no more readings at the fan box. So - something in that junction box was the culprit.


texts: My breaker will not turn off the power to the outlets

texts: I was going to replace and outlet that broke. I flipped the circuit breaker for the circuit involved. The current was not interrupted by the breaker. I turned off the power to the house, replaced the breaker in the box with a new 15 amp breaker. The breaker worked as is should. One day later, the breaker no longer worked. There are a few breakers that appear to have the same problem. Any ideas about what is going on?


texts: Are there concerns with leaving part of a home's ground level unfinished?

texts:
I'm designing a new house for myself, and I've always wanted a basement so I would have unfinished hobby space. The kind of space where you can get messy stuff on the ground like water, paint, sawdust, whatever, and nobody cares because it's just a basement.

In talking to concrete contractors, however, a full basement costs 3x as much as a slab, for only double the square footage of the main floor. In other words, I could have the same square footage for a lot less money by having a slab on grade that's twice as big, rather than putting a full basement underneath.

So, I want a "basement", but I don't care if it's actually below grade. So I was considering a design where there is just one floor on grade, and the "basement" is on the same level as the rest of the house.

By "basement", I mean a big (~800 sqft) unfinished room with a concrete (or epoxy) floor, unfinished walls, a floor drain, and everything an unfinished basement would have, just on grade level, not underneath the house. Unlike a garage, though, it would be climate controlled and not have any vehicle doors.

Are there any issues with having an unfinished room like this on the main level? Has anybody done it before? What would such a room be called? Would there be code issues, where inspectors wouldn't be able to figure out how to classify it?

Edit: Just to clarify a bit, by "unfinished", I meant not doing trim carpentry, not installing a finish floor over the concrete slab, and maybe not doing drywall if allowed by code. It would still have electrical sockets, lighting, insulation, air ducts.

Code has specific requirements based on what type of room it is. There are certain things that a "garage" requires, certain things that you can't do it a "closet", etc. I know that I don't want it to be a "garage" because "garages" have to be lower than the house for carbon monoxide, have steel doors, fire-rated drywall board, etc. "Garages" also use GFCI breakers where "bedrooms" need pricey arc-fault breakers. Bedrooms need egress windows. etc, etc.

So the essence of the question is, what should I call the room on the plans, so that it's governed by the most appropriate codes for what I'm trying to do? (My intent is to use it like an unfinished basement).


texts: I recently moved and noticed this crack on the wall. When I tapped it lightly with a blunt knife it broke off. I've never plastered before but I assume I will need to re-plaster this section. Any advice would be much appreciated.


texts: Terminal block kenmore dryer all wires connect. Have one lose bare wire where does it go

texts: Kenmore dryer terminal block replacement now I connect the two hots and n but I have a naked wire from the cord going to dryer or terminal block where does it go or do I even need it


texts: Room Thermostat, Cylinder Thermostat and Central Heating pump wiring

texts:
I have a water cylinder that is heated from a wood burner with a back boiler.

The cylinder is also connected to the central heating system (via coil inside the cylinder) and a separate pump.

When the cylinder is at a set temperature and the room thermostat is below a set temperature I would like to start the pump for the central heating.

The room thermostat I have has live, neutral and call. (Drayton RTS1)
The cylinder thermostat has COM, N.C., N.O., Earth (Danfoss ATC Cylinder Thermostat)
The pump has Live and Neutral (Grundfos 15-60/130 similar to this)

I'm in the UK so this is all 230/240V

How should I wire this up for my required behaviour?


texts: What could cause the furnace blower to come on constantly and no fire in gas burner?

texts: When thermostat is turned up on my hot air furnace, the blower immediately comes on, blowing no heat, had it checked and with some luck the burner fired after about 10 tries of switching on and off. When needed heat a couple of days later same problem. Checked furnace red light indicator and in manual it says open temperature limit switch. What does this mean?


texts: We have just tiled our bathroom and the grout is not as dark as I wanted it.  I love it when it is wet and is the color that I wanted it to be but lightens up when dry. Do you recommend getting the grout stain/paint? Or is there something else I could do.  Could I get it wet and before it dries put a sealer on it?


texts:
Are there any online resources for determining building code requirements in Canada?

For example right now I need to know what the proper diameter for a dryer vent to the outside should be. Last week I needed to know how high a flight of stairs can be before hand railings are required . I called the local municipal building inspectors' office to get the answer (24", 60cm). It was successful, but it took 3 attempts to get a hold of someone in the office who could answer. Surely there's an easier more direct way?


texts:
We recently had our heater and air conditioner replaced, and now the drainage pipe is installed on the floor of the basement. It's quite annoying and it wasn't like that before (it was on the walls near the ceiling).

Is this layout acceptable (standard practice), or should we ask for it to be re-done?


texts: Should I use an Isolation Relay between a Furnace and Humidifier?

texts:
I recently installed a new Aprilaire 700 humidifier attached to a Carrier Infinity 96 furnace.  It has been working perfectly for the past 3 days.

Considering the fact that there are 2 distinct circuits connected via 24 VAC line, I was wondering if I should protect my furnace ($$$$) from the humidifier ($$) by inserting a SPNO isolation relay-switch that is energized by the furnace’s HUM-COM circuit and that which closes the normally-open switch on humidifier’s 24 volt line.


texts: Can I replace a standard outlet that's protected with an upstream GFCI to prevent nuisance trips?

texts: I have a GFI outlet in one bathroom controlling a non-GFI outlet in another bathroom. Can I replace the non-GFI with a GFI and will that stop the non-GFI from shutting down or do I need to have and electrician install another breaker for the new GFI?


texts:
I have a keeprite high efficiency furnace that Was a part of my new house. It's 2016.

The Honeywell thermostat is set at 23 deg C. This is what happens when the temperature is below the cut-off

I hear the furnace kicking in. No fan is heard
The section right above the furnace become hot and suddenly the furnace shuts down. A burning smell is there from the vents in some rooms
4 times LED blinking is seen and after sometime turns to 7 times.
I turn off the furnace and wait for 2-3 mins and start it again and everything is fine - blower kicks in after burner is ignited

I had the HVAC technician visit my place but I could not reproduce the issue.

Stuff I have already checked: combustion air flow from the vent is good. All wires and trips are great.

The fault codes are here: http://tradesmandrcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/KEEPRITEHighEff.pdf

Edit: I read somewhere that fan set to Auto is for cooling only. Tried to keep the fan ON and ran into the same issue again. However, at night the 7 flashes showed up against me I left the furnace running with fan set to ON. In the morning I observed the fan was running. By the way, there aren't any nests or dust. I checked for that as well

Thanks


texts:
I have a Lennox HE propane furnace in the cottage that is set to 41 degrees when we are not there. We head up most weekends and when we get their I boost the temp to 65 deg and get a fire going in the wood stove.

The problem is the furnace will run for 40 to 45 minutes then shut down, although the thermostat may only indicate 45 degrees.  The code points to burners failed to ignite.  I reset the trip and again we'll run another 30-40 minutes and shut down.  So it's takes for ever for the cottage to heat up.  I have cleaned the ac condenser, replaced filter, cleaned flame sensor and igniter but problem still exists.  Any ideas before I call a service guy which is over an hour away?


texts: What is the purpose of a deeply cut stud in interior walls?

texts:
As I have worked on my 30-year-old house, I found some interior 2x6 wall studs are deeply cut, clearly done at the time the home was built.  The cuts are somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 along the length of the stud.

!

I'm guessing that maybe this was done on green studs to prevent the walls from warping as the studs dried, but it's unclear to me if this is #1 common, and #2 whether I should be adding sister studs as I come across these.


texts: How do I get the glass cover off of a shower light?

texts:
I have a recessed shower light in my shower with a burned out light bulb that needs to be changed. The glass cover screws into the metal flashing and is sealed with a cork gasket.

However, I cannot turn or twist it off. I have tried to pull the flashing off, but I do not want to damage it. It looks like it may be secured from the inside and accessible when the glass cover is off.

I would greatly appreciate any ideas or helpful ideas to remove this. I have also tried using a rubber mat for extra grip, but that wasn't enough either.


texts: My old 4 wire 240V mechanical line voltage thermostat stopped working. I want to replace it with a digital thermostat. Problem is I don't know the amp rating of the old thermostat. I checked with maker and they have no info...too old. Is there a way to check amp rating of old thermostat? A very good electrician installed the two 8 foot baseboard heaters, thermostat, 2-pole 20 amp circuit breaker and all wiring about 25 years but he is nolonger around.


texts: Do joists need to be attached to the beam they're resting on?

texts: Installed a 2 x12 x10 header opening that supports the above floor joists. Wanted to know if the header needs to be toenailed to each joist resting on it?


texts: I replaced a ceiling fan with a chandelier, using 5x40 watt bulbs.  But tried to put a pull chain switch since I have 3 ceiling fans on 1 switch on my covered deck.  There was a pop and the pull chain didn't work anymore.  ???? Too much wattage for the switch??? 1A/125v; 3A/250v.  Is there a pull chain switch that would work?


texts: How do I repair nail holes in cement board?

texts:
The transition strip between my tile bathroom floor and my carpeted bedroom floor is coming up. The nails that (should) hold the transition strip in place are nailed into what looks like concrete backer board that is installed underneath the bathroom tile. The concrete board extends about 3/8” beyond the tile. The nail holes are too close to the edge of the concrete board and as a result they have completely blown out the nail holes.

How do I fix this?

I have another transition strip and plenty of nails exactly like the ones installed. My plan is to repair the nail holes with some sort of filler material, and then install the new transition strip. Would JB Weld work as a suitable filler material? Is there another approach I could use?


texts: How soon can I paint after filling cracks in a foundation?

texts:
I have a foundation that I am trying to get back into shape.  I just wire brushed/scraped, power washed and dug out/filled in cracks using Quikrete vinyl concrete patch.  I want to paint it now.

I would use a masonary primer and then a masonry paint like this.  I want to know if I have to wait a certain amount of time to prime and paint.  I've seen on some sites that fresh concrete should never be painted as the alkaline nature will "turn the paint to soap".  I don't know if the Quikrete vinyl concrete patch is the same as concrete with alkalinity.  How should I proceed?