texts:
Is there any way to check if a floor is completely level without having any advanced tools?
I want to be sure that a bookcase would not need extra support


texts:
I'm preparing this small closet below stairs to use as storage.

[image pending]

Should I drill a couple of small vent registers in one of the stair risers to reduce moisture and stale air inside? Right now, when the door is closed, there's no air movement, except for small openings such as under the door, but minimal.


texts: Is this tub pop-up drain stopper fixable/replaceable?

texts:
I noticed that the cap was not upright, so I tried to unscrew the cap to reseat it, thinking someone screwed it on incorrectly, and the whole thing very easily came out in my hand.
Looking down the drain I don't see the cross that I think is used to hold on to to unscrew the whole thing (I tried to get the camera's flash to illuminate it). And the removed stopper is missing two of its four supports (yellow arrow in the first image) that attach it to the drain's wall (not sure of the exact original number). I'm thinking it came built-in and it's now broken.
If it is beyond repair, do I get a new stopper similar to that one that was built-in, or will it require removing and replacing the stainless steel drain body?
One of my concerns if related to making a decision: those missing legs, could they puncture the pipe if they're stuck downstream? During installation I saw that it's of the flexible type. If it's a possibility, is that pipe replaceable without removing the tub (the tub was laid on concrete surrounded by bricks).
If it matters the tub is fiber reinforced plastic. And down the drain it's a white-walled PVC pipe, note as mentioned earlier, the crossbar came off with the stopper.


texts: What should I check when troubleshooting a doorbell?

texts:
Our doorbell stopped working a while ago and my wife finally bugged me enough to fix it.

First, I found a diagram on another site when I googled this. It is wired like the right box:

I started by measuring the voltage coming out of the transformer which is attached to a junction box in the basement. There is a small amount of power coming out of the transformer, which itself appears to be new relative to everything else in the house. Just to be sure, I turned off the breaker and checked the connections inside the junction box. Same results after.

The doorbell ringer is in the kitchen. When I take off the cover and measure the voltage it matches what I see in the basement. However, when I press either doorbell it does not ring: if I short circuit the screws for a doorbell using a wire, nothing happens: unless I am wrong this should make it ring since it is making a complete circuit and essentially removing the switch/button.

Two other possibly relevant pieces of information. First, one of the doorbell buttons is damaged, it is smashed beyond repair: I have to replace this anyway. Second, my wife swears this all started when my brother (an electrician) replaced the load center a while ago. Since the transformer is 30 feet from the load center and everything else on that circuit works fine, I am doubtful that is the cause. So these are probably red herrings but I have to tell my wife I tried.

My educated guess is that the doorbell unit itself is faulty and needs to be replaced.

My question is this: should I check anything else before spending the money to replace it?

UPDATE: I disconnected the wires from the transformer at the doorbell ringer. I connected it to an AC outlet using one of those adjustable wall-warts. It only goes up to 12V (transformer is 16V) but it rang when I shorted it to one of the switch wires. So I think this is the transformer.

Are these transformers fixable (I do hobby electronics and have rewired rooms in my house)? Or should I buy a new one?

UPDATE 2: I just learned there are two black wires coming out of the transformer, and one of them (does not matter which) needs to be wired to neutral. When this broke, I had replaced the ancient junction box the transformer was attached to with one twice as deep and added conduit to go to an outlet in that under-stairs closet. Everything else worked so I did not think much of it. I am still not sure why one of the wires would not be white since that would make sense, but oh well. I just wired it correctly and it works fine. I will accept BMitch's answer since it is close and helpful.

Also, the erratic results on my multimeter were likely due to both wires being hot. I knew something was not right but should have spent time figuring that out instead of looking elsewhere. Oh well, live and and learn. Thank you all for the feedback.


texts: How can I make my bed non-box-spring frame stop squeaking?

texts: I have a foam mattress which rests ontop of a wooden frame (no box springs, just wooden framing).  I have had it for over 6 months and now, even the slightest movement causes the wood to squeak.  Is there a simple way to remedy this?


texts: Problem mounting TV wall mount / possible cracked stud

texts:
So, I attached a TV wall mount to the wall yesterday and everything went fine right up until the end.  The wall mount is attached with 4 lag bolts in a square pattern with two each on two adjacent studs.  I followed the instructions exactly, pre drilling each hole to a depth of 2.5 inches with a 7/32 inch bit.  As I was just finished tightening up the last bolt (bottom, right), I heard a cracking noise which I assumed was the stud.  I stopped tightening immediately, but I was basiclaly done anyway.  I checked with a stud finder and in fact I did drill the pilots really close to the outside (right) edge of the stud.  The end of the stud just about touches the edge of the washer.  I'm not sure how to proceed.  The mount feels rock solid.  The TV I intend to hang weight 56 pounds.

One other data point, is that I realized after the fact, that the corner edges of the mounts had actually broken through the drywall a little bit.  Is there any chance that the cracking noise was the drywall?  Or alternatively is the fact that it broke through the drywall evidence that hte stud is cracked?  I've hung a couple of these before and always snugged them down pretty good and never seen that before.  Anyway, what would you do?  Should I try to hang the TV?  Should I move the mount down three or four inches?  Other alternatives?

Thanks!


texts: How do I compensate for the sun confusing my garage door opener's sensors?

texts:
Only during summer and only when the sun is close to the horizon the light from the sun confuses my garage door opener and in order to close the door I have to hold down the wired button which is a real pain if I'm leaving.

A friend suggested I use toilet paper rolls (or maybe some PVC) to shield the sensor from the sun and direct the beam to the other sensor and that's a good idea but it'll mean I have to change how the sensors are mounted to the track and move them out a bit.  Just moving them back might solve the problem (since they'll be blocked by the walls).

Any other suggestions? Is this a common problem?


texts:
on a combination washer/dryer, there's one metal part called the dryer duct, where water vapor right out of the drum is heated some more before going to cold water bath to condensate.

That vapor apparently carried a lot of soap with it, and after a few years there's almost 0.5Kg of soap there. I took it all apart for cleaning and there's soap under the paint, which is just flaking out.

I'm now removing all the paint and soap. The part is still pretty good. appears to be aluminium. and there's a heater element that goes right in it, so there's no rust showing anywhere.

Should I try to paint it again? with what kind of paint?

I'm guessing that if it didn't rust with all that humid soap under the paint for all those years, that it's mostly cosmetic.

I tried to buy a new one, but it's not made any more.

edit 1:

it was not dry soap after all. it was Al oxide dusty, i think. anyway, it was definitely not dried soap.

i ended up using a drill with a steel wool bit to make the entire part shinny.. removing the dust thing and the old paint. then painted it with a bbq grill enamel spray paint.

I would love to be able to inspect it regularly, but it is a major pain. I sealed the part with high temp silicon glue. also, disassembling the appliance enough to remove/open the part is a 4h job...

I did all that a few days after i posted this question. So it's been working perfectly for 9mo... i guess it worked out fine. I will try to inspect the leaving water for Al oxide dust tho. but not sure how i will do that...

The heating element, which appears to be a sort of steel aloy has no rust signs. The two screws hold it inside appear to be another Al alloy from the color (i'm no expert on metals) and are fine. I'm guessing the Al alloy used for the part was not up to spec for the temp changes and chemicals involved in the washer/dryer combination expected use. Typical LG cost cutting :(


texts: How To Remove Decorative Logs From Stucco Exterior

texts:
What are some options for removing these decorative log ends on the exterior of my house? The stucco is traditional (real) stucco. There is a possibility that the logs may penetrate the sheathing and be secured to the framing somehow. However, they also appear to be located right around where the top plate in the wall framing would be, so I'm not sure how that would work. That would also be a lot of extra work for the sheathing guys, so maybe I am wrong on that.

The house is in Florida.

I am looking for advice on how to:

Remove the logs in the easiest and least destructive way
possible. Possibly flush cut somehow?
Repair the sheathing if necessary and ensure proper waterproofing.
Install a new horizontal trim board where the logs are now, and
install cement board shakes in the gables on top of the existing
stucco if that is feasible. Similar to the shakes in the example
below.

Example of the shakes I'd like to install:


texts: Can I paint a door without removing it from the hinges?

texts: I watched a This Old House video that recommended taking the door off its hinges to paint it horizontal.  I would rather not do that if it's not necessary.  May I leave it in place?  I'm going to paint it the same color as current (white).


texts: Replacing an sink cabinet (48") with a double sink (36")

texts:
This is a very old kitchen. The cabinet I removed was there for most like ~30 years (minimum 20). I removed it but not sure of the next steps. The walls from what I can tell are plasterboard.
The floor had 4 layers of linoleum that I removed. The bottom is wood. That black stuff looks like residue from the bottom of the linoleum layer.
Question 1: Do I need to remove that black residue or can I put stuff on top of it?

Question 2: My basic plan is to put tiles. But not sure how to do that over the hardwood floor. Can I just put a layer of cement / let it harden and then do thinset+tiles?

Question 3: Lower right corner it looks like the plasterboard piece came off, and there is that crack going across. Are there any risks concerning it? I was thinking to just leave it be and put the next cabinet in.

Question 4: The new cabinet is 36". Which leaves me with 12". The only good 12" space is between the sink and the oven (on the other side even though it looks like more the 12" length is right over the water pipe handle - not sure if it will fit. Are there safety considerations about having a 12inch cabinet in this space?

Question 5: as far as the plumbing I am not planning to do any of that myself, but I am worried because the new sink is double sink (ikea) and I am not sure if it will work well if the pipe is in that location with both sink drains located to the right of it.

(poor representation of the sink with relative drain pipe if I put it all the way to the right)

||
  |\       /\       /|
  | \--_--/  \--_--/ |
  |   | |      | |   |
  |                  |
   ||

Would the above be a potential problem for connecting the 2 drains to the wall drain pipe?

This is what the space looks like right now(that range is getting replace later too):


texts:
It smells like really musty water, but the water itself does not smell or taste bad at all. Only happens when I run the water, so it doesn't make the room smell, just when you fill something up or wash your hands.

I tried drain-o and it didn't do anything and there's GREAT flow so it's not clogged at all anyway.

Only thing that has worked (temporarily) is pouring pretty much everything I could think of into it. Lemon juice, draino, bleach, etc.


texts: Garage roller door motor not stopping when closed

texts:
I just replaced two broken straps on my roller garage door. They look like below (when not broken).

Everything went well (tested with manual crank up and down etc..) but then I closed the door fully via the motor. It did not detect that it had reached the bottom and the motor carried on going. I wasn't quick enough in stopping it and the straps were smashed to pieces. Lo and behold - exactly as per the original damage. So now I know why they were broken!
As the straps only cost me £20, I'm inclined to have another go at this, as long as I'm better prepared for the closing problem.
So here's the question: Why did the motor not stop? Do I need to do something to reset the system to the fully closed position? Does it sound like an electrical fault, or did I just miss a step?

The door is pretty old. Installed by previous home owner about 10 years ago. I don't know the manufacturer or model. The sticker on the unit is for a distributer/fitter. I rang them and they were not helpful. All I know is it's a pretty basic insulated roller door with 55mm slats. It has a simple remote control and obstruction detection for the motor.


texts: Hot water turning cold in pipe at branch line

texts:
I'm experiencing a problem where I'm getting hot water out of one bathroom sink (the closest to the water heater), but luke warm water at best in all other places. I crawled under the house to follow the pipes, and I found that the branch line leading to kitchen is barely hot, whereas right before that branch on the hot water pipe, it was too hot to hold onto.
What could be causing this? Thinking it might be a pressure issue I turned off the water heater, drained the tank, refilled and reheated it, but the same problem persists. If it was just one faucet causing the problem I can see how it might be a bad mixing valve, but how is it that I just have one reliable hot tap, and the others are barely warm? We just had our water heater replaced earlier this year, so it's not even a year old. The hot line coming out of the tank is definitely hot.


texts: Built wood vanity drawer deformed after painting!

texts:
attached photos of the deformed drawer, I found out only after reassembling!

The cabinet itself, and 3 smaller drawers on the other side are all fine, but this one shocked me!
Basically, it is made of plywood, with 3 false sides made of Oak, I chose the higher quality plywood that looks nice to touch and just required light sanding.

I took weeks as I was planning, cutting, assembling, waiting for nice sunny day for  the painting (I used primer, then Rustoleum white gloss paint) - the process until painting took months, about 4 months from start! Maybe 3 months for the plywood of that particular drawer, so it's hard to believe it was humid inside..

I tried clamping the edge with a bar for 48 hours but it unfortunately did not keep the shape :(
It seems to be the plywood that is deformed, not the actual fake full wood panels..

What do I do now? any advice? Its so beautiful, almost ready to mount!


texts: Can you install an LED floodlight in a regular ceiling fan?

texts:
I'm considering buying this 9 Watt BR30 reflector LED bulb to replace a 60W incandescent bulb on a ceiling fan:

The ceiling fan actually has 4 lights (I only need one of the lights so the other 3 have burned out bulbs).

Will it work? Also, the "light fixture socket" has a "cover" around it, do LED bulbs heat a lot?


texts: Can I run a radio dog fence loop through EMT to reduce the signal?

texts: I have an areas through which the dog wire must pass and which I need to allow the dogs to have unimpeded access, due to the structure of a dock and bulkhead in this area the wire will pass above ground, to reduce the radio signal in only this part of the loop can I run the wire through Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT) to reduce the signal?


texts:
I am installing a Whole House Tankless on-demand electric water heater.  My main  200 amp panel is almost full.  The requirements to run the water heater is four 40 amps double pole breakers.  I am assuming that all four breakers will draw at the same time.
What size "main breaker" do I need for my subpanel?


texts: Why won't this bed's feet touch the floor?

texts:
My wife and I just got a hand-me-down Queen-size bed after our old one broke. It was disassembled and brought to us by people unfamiliar with its previous assembled state.

You might be able to tell that neither the two wheels on the feet nearest the headboard nor the two feet in the middle are actually touching the ground. That's my problem.

Here's a close-up of the feet at the head and the connection between the frame and the headboard.

The metal plates on the headboard looks like they were made to accept several different kinds of frames — the ones with hooks, for example. But of all the holes in the metal plate, the only ones drilled through the headboard are the ones these bolts go through.

The three pieces of wood also came with the bed. None of them is thick enough for the currently-hovering feet to rest on. You can slide them under the hovering feet easily without lifting the frame. One of them has a screw sticking out of the end, so it doesn't seem like they were supporting the box springs.

Is there any chance that this bed was assembled properly at its original location? Did we do something wrong? Is it safe (for the bed) for us to sleep in it with only the headboard and the wheels at the foot of the bed holding up the frame? That doesn't seem like it's going to be enough support, and a similar problem caused the demise of our previous bed.


texts: Can I connect the UPS neutral to my mains neutral permanently?

texts:
I am trying to wireup a UPS (old one bought for my PC once) to power one of my ceiling lamps so it works as an emergency light. (Stupid idea? Yeah? :P)

But since the ceiling lamp wiring is already done and in place, I have only access to its switch where you only have the live wire. The neutral runs as common for all other lights on that circuit.

Since I want to power this specific light from the UPS, how am I going to get its neutral sorted? I read somewhere that you should never connect the output of the UPS to its input (may be on its user's manual).

If I connect the UPS and mains neutrals together, will it end up in chaos? Please advice. Thank you.

See the diagram below:


texts: How to minimize wall tearing when installing new wiring?

texts:
We have bought a new house with knob and tube wiring. We are now looking into replacing all of it with new wiring and understand that significant wall-surgery will be required to run the conduits.

Question: Is it possible to limit cutting of the walls by running horizontal conduits above the ceiling or under the house?  Doing it this way, could only short vertical conduits need to be run in the walls?


texts:
I've got an old school "up and down" fridge.
It freezes food in the fridge, regardless of what I set the thermostat to.
The freezer seems a bit on the warm side, ice cream seems very easy to scoop.
So basically veggies are freezing in the fridge, but it is dripping water down from the freezer at the same time.
It does do some refrigerating (and it does shut off eventually if I let it run).  So condenser system seems fine.
whirlpool w8txnwfwq00


texts: Prevent water to accumulate in the frame gap

texts:
I recently replaced my garden door, and the new one has an outer frame.

The problem is that when it rains some water is held in the gap between the door and the frame, resulting in a "shower" when somebody opens the door or, worse, when it freezes, the door is ice-sealed to the frame. I am also concerned that over time this can damage the door, as the old one (frame less) was rotten due to the lack of proper protection and maintenance from the previous owner.

How can I prevent water to drip and remain there?


texts: Under Floor Heating (Wet) - pipe coupler under the screed?

texts:
I want to fit UFH to a whole house - normally it would be an easy process if one could just move out and live somewhere else as the whole house gets gutted and re-done. However, ideally, i want to fit ufh o each room on a room by room basis so i still can live somewhere.

Now in room 1 I thought of doing this:
Lay down insulation, lay down the pipes and cut them as they leave the room into hallway, pour screed.

Then move onto room 2, room 3 etc.

At the end i would end up with all rooms having pipes installed and screed done but the hallways left (with all those pipes sticking out from each room into the hallway. I could potentially do Hallway last but this raises the question. Can i use pipe couplers to connect then all the rooms to the system(manifold in the hallway)? and submerge the couplers under the screed? Or the pipes have to go to each room directly from the manifold and there is no other way around it?


texts:
We purchased 1' x 1' tiling sheets. The tiles are about 2" x 1".
The tiling guys didn't use spacers everywhere. They taped the sheets and sometimes used spacers where the sheets met (and not everywhere they met).

Some of the tiles were also not flat with the plane of the other tiles.

Also, how come there is so much thinset(?) between the tiles right now?  The grout hasn't even been applied.

How would all these issues be fixed?  We are going to be using a dark contrasting grout so all of these mistakes will be magnified.

update 11/24

The contractor basically removed individual tiles and fixed 99% of the tiles.
We still haven't grouted yet. Going to carefully inspect.


texts:
I have a 4 way circuit with 6 total switches light switches. One is a dimmer switch. The other 5 switches only work properly when the dimmer switch is on. If the dimmer switch is off the other toggle switches do nothing. Can't turn light on or off.

Also the toggle switches must all be in the on position in order to be able to turn the light on from the dimmer switch. What I mean by this is that if the lights are turned off using one of the toggle switches, and then I try to turn the light on from the dimmer switch, I will need to elk over to one of the toggle switches to turn the light back on.

Hope you can help!  I realize that if the dimmer is dimmed, the toggle switches will turn the lights on dimmed, but it would be nice to be able to use all the switches for on/off.


texts: How to fill and finish joints on ceiling between pre-cast concrete planks

texts:
They are structural precast planks that form the floor above. I think the line is where the sheets are connected. I found a picture of them at http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2578737/ugly-ceiling-how-to-fix.

My question is, can I fill these gaps with mud or something else in order to have the apperance of one continuous ceiling?


texts:
We've had some electrical work done which has resulted in a number of holes in drywall about 8cm in length by 2cm in height similar to below:

I was intending on making small cuts of plasterboard but since the cable doesn't go through the stud this won't be possible. What's my best option for repairing these holes?


texts: What could be causing these cracks in the drywall?

texts:
I have quite a few cracks in my drywall. They run along the drywall seams. They don't seem to affect every drywall seam, just some of them. Some seams that don't have cracks have bubbling of the drywall tape (underneath the paint, etc).

There are cracks in the walls in almost every single room in my house (3-bedroom split level townhouse). The house is 30 years old, so it's not a case of a new house settling. I had a home inspector in and he said the cause was poor mudding initially (when the house was built) combined with a very dry house (Canadian winters..VERY low humidity in the winter). I installed a humidifier into the furnace a few months back, but I still have new cracks forming in the drywall.

Any thoughts what could be causing them?

Or, any idea what the best way is to fix them?


texts: Toilet flush tank leaking into bowl - unable to figure out mechanism

texts:
My toilet flush tank has a problem. Any water that goes into the tank goes straight into the toilet. It doesn't even allow the tank to refill i.e. the water just goes right through and into the bowl. It looks like the images attached. When I press either flush button, something below the red caps moves back and forth (and it sounds normal).

I don't really know how this mechanism works and what the problem might be. The building handyman says he needs a part that takes weeks to arrive after ordering. Is this a very uncommon design? This is in London, UK.


texts: Does build up in lead pipes make them less dangerous?

texts: Maybe this would be more likely in warm water pipes. A place I saw had a super slow warm water tap, which someone with a plumbing background said was from the passageway in the lead pipe decreasing. Would this block lead from getting into the water supply? Though I've read one shouldn't drink from warm water taps anyways, I don't know if enough build up happens in cold taps.


texts:
I have a water shutoff valve that has one end into a plastic pipe that is coming from mains and another end is going into the faucet.

There was never a leakage from this until recently when I had to close and open shutoff valve few times. Probably this was first time it was done in years and therefore this valve started to leak.

In the picture, the shutoff valve is the one on the left tube. The leak is from the nut that is below the white plastic.

The leak is very minute, it is 2 drops per hour may be. It is coming from the lower nut that is attached to the plastic tube. I have tried to tighten the nut but I backed off when i heard a plastic crack sound coming (who uses plastic pipes?).

What can i do short of changing the valve? I am not a diy expert so want to avoid changing the valve completely.


texts: How should I go about refitting the seal under this interior door?

texts:
The plastic draught/sealing strip underneath the front door of my UK flat (a non-external door to the common hallway) has become partly detached due to having mail pushed under it – photo below.

I'm not sure if this strip was originally glued or just tucked into a recess in the door (which, for what it's worth, was new in 2015), but I would like to know how I would go about reattaching it, and in particular whether it's possible to do so without removing the door from its hinges.


texts:
Replacing an old ceiling fan in a 1960's era house. Unfortunately I took out the old ceiling fan and didn't look at what was connected where. The old ceiling fan was a fan/light operating on 2 separate switches.

Wiring diagram looks like something I have not seen before

As you can see, the white/neutral in the power coming in is just capped off. Black/hot go into switch one, transfer to switch 2, and then white/neutral and black/hot out of switch 2 towards the fan. There is one extra wire near the fan that appears to be black/hot.

Any thoughts? When I try different combinations of wiring I am not having success in getting the fan to turn back on.


texts: replacing toilet wax ring seal frequency

texts: I just got a new home (used home). A handy guy I have that does work around the place told me that the wax seals under toilets need to be replaced periodically. I am looking around online about this and see people saying they only need to be replaced if there are any problems as opposed to just every X many years. Can anyone confirm all this one way or the other for me?


texts: Swapping main breaker in a 200A panel with a 100A main breaker

texts:
I need to replace my old panel now but I also have plans to add more circuits in the future. I suspect that I will need to upgrade my underground service from the current 100A to 200A in the next 5-10 years to accommodate the increased power demands of my future plans (hot tub, central air, etc.)
My question is simple. Can I buy a 200A rated loadcenter and swap the 200A main breaker for 100A to comply with CSA code (the main breaker can't exceed the maximum amperage of the service conductor - #2 aluminum btw)? This would allow me to install the original 200A breaker in the future once I finally upgrade the service conductor to 4/0 to allow me to draw 200A without having to buy another panel all over again.
If this is possible, which manufacturer/series panels support this "interchangeable main breaker" capability? (200A panels that can be downgraded to a 100A main breaker.)
Many thanks!!


texts: Mounting Framless Shower Door To Fibergalss Shower Insert

texts: I purchased online a 3/8" glass frameless swing door with panel for my fiberglass shower insert.  I am struggling with hanging the door. I put the molly anchors (plastic looks like they were designed for tile) in the holes I drilled and they just dropped into the insert since they had no lip. There are two door hinges with four 2" screws each.  There is a stud, but it is is approx 2 1/4" in.  Any recommendations for mounting the hinges?  Read some folks say not to install into the studs since it could pull the fiberglass in, others say it could not be done, and others mention SNAPTOGGLE Toggle Bolts. Would prefer to find anchors that I can use with the nickel plated screws. The company I orderd from ensured me before I bought that I could install their framless door in fiberglass, and when asked today said I could just use the molly anchors they sent.


texts: How do I change light bulb on this type of ceiling fan?

texts:
I am having trouble changing light bulbs of my ceiling fan pictured below. I took these images to home depot and no one could help me! I showed the fan to two handymen in-person and they couldn't figure it out either!
Please help me and show me a way to open the fixture for bulb changing.

Thanks,


texts: How best can I discover what is up with my electrical bill?

texts:
This might be subjective, I don't know. However, it's a serious problem for me. My electrical bill is outrageous. It's three times as large as my next-door neighbor, and four or five times the size of my neighbor's across the street. It's worse in the summer (I live in central TX), but I've had the air conditioner inspected, and while the house is right at the maximum capacity for our unit, the unit should still be able to take care of the load. That also doesn't explain why our winter bills are larger than the comparables.

What I would like to do is check the amount of current drawn by each running appliance and calculate where all my money is going. I just don't know how to go about doing this.


texts: How should I connect my light fixture in this ceiling box?

texts:
Electrical box wire at 12 position is hot. That bundle has black white and ground. I Want to install light fixture with two wires...what is proper connections. I assume wire bundle at 3 o’clock is from switch red white black and ground...but just not sure how the connections should go
Thanks for any help


texts:
I am trying to select a smart light for my room. But there is a confusion here. I want pure white light. The bulbs that I am showing in the screenshot show in their descriptions that they emit all kind of colours.
Will there be an effect due to the difference in their Outer colours (white/blue/yellow) on the shades of light emitted?
Please suggest.


texts: What is this symbol, showing a wavy line crossed by an arrow?

texts:
What is the following electrical symbol, used in the EU?

From here:


texts:
I would like to bridge a 80 foot corrugated pipe into an existing section.

While digging the ditch to for the 80 foot section.  Is there any ditch \ trench techniques or tools to ensure that at any point the slope is either flat or downwards?
Update
For context, a bird's eye view is provided of the building.  The above photo is snapped from the southeast corner of the building.  Building is approximately 80' by 80'


texts: Washing machine sound coming from top springs

texts:
My 8-years-old washing machine (Siemens WM14E442BY) forced me to replace its worn shock absorbers as well as all bearings. Once done, the washing machine finally stopped the sounds which were generated during spin cycle.
However, new sounds were introduced during slow spinning. I have managed to figure out the reason - the top springs on whose the drum is hanging. If I move the drum by hands, in certain angles the springs rub against the metal pillar making a vibrating metal sounds, which - amplified by the machine body - are quite loud and sound like the drum is hitting the machine's metal body.
I have extensively greased the connection between springs and the metal pillar. However, after a few washing cycles it is back.
Does anybody solved such a problem? Not really sure what is wrong. The only idea I get is that the metal pillar is worn out and even the grease does not prevent it to rub against the springs. I.e. the spring does slide to sides without friction, and once the friction is overcame it behaves like a guitar spring.


texts: What's the best way to patch baseboard trim?

texts: Just how should this patch job be "further" patched?  Caulk/wood filler/spackle?


texts: I have an unused C wire hooked up to thermostat and have no idea where to connect it to the furnace for power

texts:
I know this question gets asked all the time but I've spent hours staring at forums as well as my furnace and at this point I'm desperate. I just bought a nest thermostat that needs a C wire connection. My furnace doesn't have a C wire slot to plug in the wire and I'm trying to find out what I need to connect this C wire coming from my thermostat to.

This is a strange assembly and is on the wall across from my furnace. I'm assuming the blue wire coming from the thermostat not connected to anything is the C wire. Only the red wires have voltage.

I think this has something to do with the common wire but is grounded with no voltage


texts:
I'm looking to take on this project myself, I want to enclose my porch.  It's roughly 2x5 metres, and 8 feet high and is part of a semi detached where the porch continues on the other side to my neighbour.  I'm having trouble finding info on how hard a diy project this is?  Ideally I'd like to do mostly brick up to about waist level and then lots of window.

Has anyone here tried anything like this, that could possibly relate any tips to me?


texts: How important is it to avoid nicking the center core of a coax cable?

texts:
All the advice I've ever come across regarding stripping RG6 coaxial cable says to be extremely careful not to nick the center conductor, and if you do, to start all over again.

I seem to be cursed with terrible luck, and always nick the center conductor... but it doesn't seem to interfere with the signal.

So, why do they say to never nick the center conductor?  Should I keep trying, or is it really not that big of a deal?


texts: Fridge and freezer on 15amp circuit break via 14-2 wiring

texts:
I got a new freezer and fridge, each drawing 0.8 amp and 1.2 amps respectively.
I'm going to use 14-2 NM-B wire and put them both on a 15amp circuit breaker.

Together they're drawing just 2 amps and sounds like they should be fine, but I wonder about start time current. I could not find anything in their manual, but some googling said the start time current can be up to 10 to 12 percent of working current. So here are my questions:
- Is my choice of wire and circuit breaker going to make any issue for my appliances?
- If so, should I go for a different type of wire and higher rated circuit breaker or just put them on separate breakers?

UPDATE:
Here is an update after almost a year! I used the above-mentioned circuit breaker and wire for my set up and after about a year, there has not been any issue and both appliances are still working fine!


texts: Plywood subfloor won't screw down in a trailer home

texts:
I'm remodeling my mom's bathroom and I'm putting 1/4 inch plywood down on top of the floor to get a smooth surface. The existing floor is strong but there was some deflection in it and it's not as smooth as I would like for stick-down tile.

My question is when screwing the quarter-inch plywood down, I can't get the screws to the bite down to go all the way in.  Any answers to what kind of screws I could use to screw it down? I do not have a compressor for a nail gun or staple gun to do it that way and I don't think quarter-inch plywood would be okay with staples.

I just really need to know what screws will bite down and countersink.


texts: Is there a benefit to painting concrete floors?

texts:
In every place I have ever lived, I've seen cement floors painted (unfinished basement and garage). In every case over time I've observed the paint flaking, peeling and creating a terrible mess. I would love nothing more than to remove all floor paint from my current property.

What I would like to know is if there's a practical reason this is done? Does the paint do anything beneficial for the protection of the concrete surface or is this simply a cosmetic finish that could be removed without consequence?


texts: I have voltage on my neutral wire for a 220 volt ac inverter and blew up some of my house appliances

texts: Why does my white neutral conductor has voltage on it? Is a 220 VAC from a DC to AC Inverter circuit supply. The outlet is like a normal American 110 VAC socket but I requested it to be made as a 220 VAC. I tested the black hot conductor and the red hot conductor and both made a 240 VAC and that was ok, That is what I ordered. I was spec ting that to feed my electrical main 220 VAc Breaker Box with those 2 poles 120 VAC each. The problem came when I tested the white neutral conductor and the black hot conductor that should gave me only 120 VAC but it didn't; instead gave me a lecture of 240 VAC also. Weird. Finally I tested the white neutral conductor to the Red hot wire that should gave me again another 120 VAC but instead gave me crazy 80 VAC. I was scratching my head WTF. When I made the connection anyway to see it blew up most of my electrical light bulbs and some appliances. I was really mad. The DC input voltage was fine above the lowest operational voltage and below the highest operational voltage as per manual, but the AC output was wacky. It is brand new 48 VAC Pure Sine Wave Inverter and I need it to supply my house and there is no warranty. An electrician told me that probably the neutral wire is connected somehow to a hot wire inside the inverter or is not connected at all and could be a factory faulty inner connection and not a misunderstood installation made wrong by me. Please help me. Any comments of useful testing of troubleshoot fixing solutions will be thankfully appreciated. Bless you.


texts: Any difference for a pressure-assisted toilet?

texts: Can a gravity flush toilet be swapped out for a pressure-assisted toilet? Are there any differences in plumbing, mounting, etc.?


texts: How can I get my ceiling fan lights working again?

texts: After my light kit on my hunter type 2 fan stopped working I determined there is power entering this device (white wire) but none exiting it (pink wire). The pink wire runs to the pull chain for the lights.  I went so far as to buy another fan assembly with new light kit and replace the whole thing but I have the same problem. Fan works, lights don't.  Same issue power into the device , nothing out?  Any ideas?   I have replaced the fan for now with a 5 bulb ( 40 watt each) light fixture which is working fine.  Frustrating.....


texts: Best method to level 1x3 strapping to ceiling joists on a slope?

texts:
I am trying to install drywall in a room with sloped ceiling joists.  The joists are roughly 30 inches on center, so I need to install 1x3 strapping in order to give me surface to screw the drywall to AND to provide a level surface for the drywall to sit on.

I've seen many tutorials on how to level/shim a flat ceiling, but have not seen a technique on how to level a SLOPED ceiling.

Do I need a laser level, chalk line, shims?  Or can I get away with a long level and some string?  Anyone who can sort of outline the process is appreciated!


texts: Does an old photo frame need to be sanded before painting?

texts:
I'm trying to paint an old gray photo frame to be black, for a new photograph.
Do I need to sand it before painting? The previous paint is in good condition and isn't peeling. Can I just paint over?


texts:
My HVAC contractor says the installation of the line set between the air handler and the condenser outside is complete but he has not grounded the lines.

Do HVAC copper pipes need to be grounded?


texts: Why did my oven light stop working after cleaning the oven?

texts: I replaced the bulb in the oven with a new bulb and it won't light. Both the old bulb & new bulb work in a table lamp.  The light stopped working after cleaning the oven. Any suggestions?  Is there fuse some where?


texts: Is It Okay To Keep Relighting The Pilot Light on A Water Heater?

texts:
My Water Heater is old and about a year ago it stopped relighting automatically. I have been putting it on vacation mode, pushing down on the knob and clicking the restart pilot light button, turn it on & then turn the dial on thermostat mode. It stays on for about 15 minutes or more and then goes out. Sometimes it says on for a day or two but goes out. I have been doing this for a year. Is this okay to do or should I replace it? Thanks!

[


texts: Can I add thin brick veneer directly to interior plaster

texts:
I have an interior plaster over wood-lathe wall that I'd like to cover using thin brick veneer.  The plaster wall is generally in good shape (though some patching will need to be done for some substantial holes), and seems sturdy.  I've seen numerous resources that say it is fine to directly adhere thin brick over drywall, for example:

How should I apply brick to an interior wall?

Would there be any problem using the same method to apply brick veneer over plaster?  And alternatively, if one would not directly apply the brick to the plaster, is there any solution short of ripping out all the lathe and plaster down to the studs (such as attaching some other stablizing backing on top of the plaster).  Thanks!


texts:
Trying to replace this old 3-way switch with a new Leviton z-wave switches DZS15-1BZ + VP0SR-10Z.
Both the old switches have the same type of wiring 1 BL, 1 WH and 1 RD.

But the new one expects BL, WH, RD and YL/RD (traveller) for primary switch and WH (neutral) + YL/RD (traveller) for the secondary switch as per the manual (see 4b).

I am confused with this one, how can I check which wire belongs to the right slot in the new switch?

Upstairs:

Downstairs:


texts: Is it possible to silver braze steel parts printed by a 3D printer?

texts:
Is it possible to silver braze steel parts printed by 3D printer?

If yes, are there some special procedures to be taken, or different materials to be used as filler or flux?


texts:
I am building a workbench where I'm using 2x4s for the frame. I need to join 2x4 in a T configuration. The instructions say to use 3'' drywall screws. I went to Home Depot, and got the Grip Rite #9 x 3'' screws that look like this: https://pasteboard.co/GziIbad.jpg

How do you drive these in? I tried:

Drilling a 1/8'' hole but the drill bit is only about 2'' long
Used an impact driver.

In both cases, only the threaded (about 2'') part of the screw went into the wood. The non-thread part is protruding. Is the rest supposed to be hammered or what? Or maybe I got the wrong screws. Are there 3'' drywall screws that are totally threaded? For example, the 1 5/8'' ones are. Any suggestions are appreciated.


texts: If I strip an insulated wire, and the wire under the insulation is dark, not bright, and it's this way not just at the end but in the middle too, should I discard that wire for use? Has it been damaged from too high resistance?


texts:
I've replaced around 20 outlets and a few switches in my house over a few months. This is similar to how most of my wiring jobs look.

I've been reviewing my past work and am curious if it's safe for the copper to be touching the plastic (the black area) or not. So far, nothing has resulted from it but it is starting to worry me. Would that be considered safe or a fire hazard?


texts:
I am installing 3 Kasa Tp link smart switches in one box. After installing, two fixtures work and one fixture just blinks on and off constantly. Original installation had a dimmer on this switch with only two black lines coming out of the dimmer. I swapped a kasa smart dimmer and a regular smart switch and they both have that blinking problem while the other two switches work fine.
I will attach a very rudimentary drawing lol. Since originally the line going to the dining room light didn’t have a neutral I just tied in with the neutral line on the other lines.
Thank you everyone for any help.


texts: Water damage restoration - disinfecting carpet?

texts:
Is it possible to actually disinfect carpet after a small amount of (technically) dirty water exposure, either by applying something to the carpet or using an upright carpet cleaner and mixing something into the water?

I searched but couldn't find much on this - small amount of dirty water (sewer ejector backed up and emptying laundry machine caused overflow) seeped out of the utility room and into the carpet - less than a couple square feet. Pulled up the carpet, cut away the wet padding and removed it, got the carpet dry using upright cleaner and dehumidifier. By the end of the day, entire basement was dry.

Question: is the carpet salvageable? How can I disinfect it?

I would like to use some kind of disinfectant, either applied directly or by using the carpet cleaner, but not sure what would do the job. Was thinking about using something like Microban Disinfectant Spray (https://www.prorestoreproducts.com/Content_003.aspx?cid=1157) or maybe a bleach-water mixture.


texts: Low speed furnace fan blower motor will not shut off

texts: I have a carrier furnace that has a low speed fan blower motor that will not shut off no matter how long I leave it running. I checked that removal of the G wire at the control board does not change anything. This should rule out the thermostat being an issue. I checked the furnace limit switch and it seems fine with good continuity at the two switch parts (the button part and the actual part that sticks into the hot zone). The heater works fine and will shut itself off when it reaches temp but this only changes the high speed fan. I checked continuity over the fusible link off of the limit switch and it has good continuity. Anyway since the heater works I read that it’s not a problem with the furnace high limit switch. I pulled the low speed fan wire off the control board and that successfully shuts off the low speed fan but then I hear a small humming sound from what might be the HFR or heating fan relay. So is the remaining issue pretty much just the control board or am I missing something I can  check?


texts: Drafty gap found in drywall corner during bathroom remodel

texts: I bought an older home (built in 1952) about 5 years ago and I am working on the main floor bathroom which was actually an add-on at some point. It's always felt a little drafty even after re-caulking the windows. I found out why today... After removing the poorly hung wallpaper, I found a gap in the drywall in one of the corners. It starts out as a 1/4" gap at the bottom and by the time you get to the ceiling it's almost a 1/2" gap. It's the corner between the shared wall (the kitchen sink is on other side) and the outside wall. What is the best way to fill/seal/repair this gap? Will drywall tape and mud be a strong enough barrier against the cold or should I use something else?


texts: How do outdoor mist-cooling A\C units fare in real-world usage?

texts:
I live in Phoenix where summer outdoor temperatures regularly exceed 110°F and humidity around 15% or lower is not uncommon. In this environment a mist system can easily pull the temperature down 20 to 30 or even 40 degrees in some cases. I've been toying with the idea of cooling my outdoor AC unit using mist, and did a little research.

There are several commercially-available systems to do precisely this such as this industrial unit and this residential one. But I wanted to get an idea of what other people think of these systems. In particular, I'm interested in the long-term effects of using these systems, especially with respect to mineral build-up and corrosion. The vendors of the commercial systems claim to have these factors under control, but I'd rather hear it from a neutral POV.

I'm not particularly interested in unfounded FUD or enthusiasm, and comments like, "if it works so well then we'd all be using it" are particularly unhelpful.  Instead, I would like to know how these units actually fare in real-world usage. Also, bear in mind that this is Phoenix, not New Orleans; in the dry summer heat nothing stays wet for more than a few seconds. Factors like mold are an absolute non-issue.


texts: What's so bad about single stack DWV systems?

texts:
We're in a region which allows single stack DWV installations in multi-storey buildings. In other words, a single large-diameter vertical pipe that serves as both discharge stack and vent for several floors at once.

For example, our plumbing code places limitations on the number of fixtures that can connect to the stack per floor (typically two bathroom groups per floor), the maximum length of fixture discharge pipes connecting to the stack (2.5m), and the total number of floors a stack can serve (maximum five floors). That's about it. No trap vents, no branch vents, no dedicated vents. Pretty simple right?

However, I understand that most regions do not allow this type of installation and I was wondering why. What do they know that we don't? Will we encounter problems with this type of installation even though we're staying within the parameters defined by our plumbing code?


texts: Replacing a doorbell transformer attached to power extension bar

texts:
My doorbell transformer (picture attached) is determined to be dead because the output voltage is zero, while power socket voltage from the junction box is about 122. Thus, the doorbell transformer needs to be replaced or the wiring to the doorbell transformer needs to be taken care of.

Inside of junction box (after shutting down the power, of course) is shown below:

As we can see, the wires to the doorbell transformer are connected to the power socket panel. The connection is so firm that I can't pull the wires out. Is there any trick to disconnect the wires from the power panel so that I can replace the doorbell transformer? Or should I just replace the junction box and the doorbell transformer as a whole device?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
How best to level a concrete pour enough to finish with engineered floor planks.  The new pour adjoins an existing pour on two sides and is 1/2" to 1 1/2" out of level in places.

The highest imperfections occur at places where existing walls were removed and current flooring needs to extend out.

Contractor did not supervise his cement subcontractor.  Walls were still up at time of pour. He attempted to grind out the differences but was not successful.
It's an open area with two flooring types already in place. Adding a third would not be advisable and only 1 of 2 existing flooring types  is still available.


texts: Should I resurface my concrete before laying epoxy on a garage floor?

texts:
I'd like to lay down epoxy garage flooring. The concrete in my garage is still original (50+ year house) in relatively good shape. Will the epoxy fill in minor (1/8" or so) imperfections which are there from place to place, or should I go ahead and resurface (Flo Coat) the garage floor first?

Of course, I'd clean & etch the top layer concrete first either way before laying down the epoxy.


texts: Is it normal to have flooding in basement after radon mitigation system installed?

texts: I have been experiencing flooding in my basement. I think the water is coming from the pipe installed in slab for radon mitigation. I don't believe the basement was flooding before (I just closed on house in July, the seller did not disclose water issues and they stored a ton of boxes on basement floor and didn't appear to have water damage). Is this normal? I have also attached a picture of the pipe in the slab and there is a pretty large gap- is this standard or shoddy workmanship? Will simply sealing this properly fix the issue?


texts: How can I prevent bugs from entering my apartment through air vents?

texts:
A massive cicada just crawled through one of the air vents in my apartment. I vacuumed it up and then taped Glad ClingWrap over the vent as shown below. The tape is painter's tape.

I covered the other air vents in my apartment in the same way. Is there a better way to keep bugs from entering my apartment through the air vents? Would it be unsafe or cause damage to keep the ClingWrap on the vents?


texts:
I might be a bit paranoid but it's electricity!
I removed an older light fixture from my kitchen ceiling and am ready to attach the new one (Ikea). I just want to make sure that I am doing it correctly. I am assuming that it's from the house connect the copper wire to the green, the black to the black and the white to the white. If I sound dumb, that's ok, I'm new to this and like to err on the side of caution!


texts:
Looking for some advice.  I want to add a chandelier to our family room but I do not have the ability to run the electrical behind the wood ceiling.  Is there a way to run the power exposed without using metal conduit?  Is there a plastic solution or something else that I could easily paint for it to blend in?
Thanks


texts: What are the dimensions of the steel in the concrete slabs on the upper floors of my house?

texts:
Drilling holes (for curtains) in the ceiling of the 1st floor(2nd floor in the US) of my house  I ran into a steel rod in the middle, running parallel to the outer wall.  The steel is about 2.5cm in and starts one meter from the side wall.  So far, it's at least a meter long. (I drilled three holes and all three hit it.)

Is this a rod and how thick is it?  Can I assume that I can drill a few centimeters to either side and not hit it?

(I'm assuming that I can't/shouldn't try drilling through it)

(This is in the Netherlands and the house is from 1985 if it matters)


texts: How to determine what type and gauge of wire should used for underground wiring to a detached subpanel?

texts:
I Will be installing a subpanel in a detached garage. The subpanel will be 60 amp. The garage is about 30' from the main-panel in-house, and I will of course get an exact length before selecting the proper gauge wiring. I'll be using pvc underground for the wiring. There is already existing wiring going underground from the house to the garage, which will no longer be used.

I trying to determine what gauge and type of wiring I need. I'm not sure if this is a duplicate of this question or not, but I'm looking for information what gauge wiring I need. The chart linked to in one answer suggests looking at ambient temp ratings. I'm slightly out of my element there as all of the amp/gauge charts I've looked at in the past only considered length of conductor, because when length increases so does resistance, which means there's a drop in voltage. Since that was for DC circuits mostly I have to ask why is AC different?

I suppose I'm mainly asking how to figure this information out and not just gimmie the information. Teach someone to fish, so to speak.

From researching it appears I should use individual THWN conductors, or an x-x-x-x cable, x being the gauge, I don't know the benefits or drawbacks to either one. Same goes for copper and aluminum.


texts: How can I improve a poorly-done concrete patch in a basement slab?

texts:
I had a plumber dig a trench to rough-in a bathroom in my basement. The concrete repair was done fairly poorly. It had areas that bumped up higher than original floor.  I had them come back to fix it and they used a grinder to level it.

It's now much better but there are still areas where the concrete patch sits lower than the original foundation floor.  It's very minor; maybe 1/8th of an inch in the worst places.  I'm planning on using DRIcore style subfloor (2ft x 2ft tongue + groove boards) and when I place one of those on top of some of these problematic areas, the subfloor board teeters a bit when I step over it.  So I'm concerned that the floor will not be stable once I install the subfloor boards.

Questions:

Can I / should I use something like self-leveling cement to flatten out those areas?
Any other products or tips to help me get a smooth, flat and straight cement floor beneath the subfloor?


texts: Want to Control 2 thermostats separately from one gas fired heating only furnace

texts: I have a 24V gas-fired furnace heating only, 3 wire thermostat and I want to use 2 separate thermostats to control the furnace.  1 thermostat will be used in warmer heating months to control the space temperature of a cabin and the other thermostat will be used in below zero weather to heat a crawl space containing pipes to prevent freezing.  Only one thermostat will be able to control the furnace.  Someone suggested a DPDT switch but how do I wire that switch?


texts: Toilet flange concreted into floor, replacement?

texts: I've got a toilet on the concrete floor. The old flange has rusted and disintegrated at the hold down bolt slots. But the flange is actually cemented into the floor. I think my #1 option is to cut off the entire metal flange and then screw a more traditional PVC flanged into the floor. Is there another option I should consider?


texts: Name of accessory to hold rope together?

texts: What's the name of this accessory that holds two pieces of rope together?


texts: Combi boiler doesn't realise it's already lit

texts:
I have an Ariston Eurocombi (A23).
The problem is it doesn't realise the flame is lit. When I start it up and cause demand (run hot tap or turn on heating) it fires up the flame correctly, however, you can hear the igniter still clicking away. After about 7 seconds of this (flame working correctly, but igniter clicking) the boiler then shuts itself down and lights up the "Ignition failure" light. I can press the reset button but the same thing just happens again.

I don't think the problem is related to over-heating because if I leave it alone for a few hours, then try running hot water again, the problem is still there. However, If I turn it off, and off at the wall, then wait for at least an hour or so, I can get it to work again for about 1/2 an hour.

I assume the problem is either with whatever detects the flame is lit, or the board that responds to that sensor.

Any suggestions for how to diagnose (or better still, fix) the problem?

Thanks,
Matt


texts: Is LP gas trapped between the shutoff valve and the pipe end cap potentially dangerous?

texts:
I am renovating my fireplace that was original to the home built in 2007. It was not to our liking, so I am doing a resizing to make it fit better in the room. In doing this I needed to change the length of LP gas line going to the firebox. It is set up for gas, perhaps a log lighter or gas log, but I am using it as a woodburning unit as the prior owners have in years past.

I have already changed the length of the pipe so what extends into the firebox is the same as original. I have tested it for leaks, there are none. To test it, I turned the emergency valve on to pressurize the new length of pipe, and sprayed a soapy water solution on the 3 joints that are new. I did this 3 times over a 3 hour period and will do it again before I put the last sheet of drywall in place to cover it. I will close the valve after I find everything satisfactory.

The question is, since this was done years ago and the firebox did not blow up,
will my charging the line the way I have trap gas between the valve and the cap that is in the firebox? I presume that some possibly may have entered the pipe beyond the valve since it had to pressurize the little that it did.

Not knowing the procedure the original installer did, makes me wonder if they did the same as I, but knew that it would do nothing as proved over time, that the amount of expansion from the pipe getting hot would not allow the pipe to bust (blow up). If there are any plumbers or fireplace installers out there that have done the same set up as I have here, and the firebox lived to tell about it, please chime in.


texts: What is the most durable way to paint a wood floor in a high traffic area?

texts:
I have to replace the floor on the landings of our stairs and love the look of painted wooden floors. However, it is a high traffic area, and I've seen many painted wood floors floors lose their finish sooner rather than later, which is something I would like to avoid (I realize I'll have to refinish them every so often, but less would definitively be better).

What is the most durable way to paint a wood floor?


texts: Will latex paint applied over oil paint bond well?

texts:
Our church basement was painted with latex over at the very least 10 year old oil based paint.  The team did very little prep, did not scrape old peeling paint so I am sure they didn't sand the old oil paint.

Questions:

Will the latex stay on the wall?
How long till we have an issue with the latex peeling?
How do I get the Latex off the wall? Or should I even try?
Would something like Kilz do anything for me?


texts: Do I need to sand before recoating a worn polyurethane finish?

texts: I polyurethaned a tabletop and some spots have worn off. What is my best option to fix this? Do I have to sand the whole top and re-apply?


texts: What important factors should I consider when building a dog house?

texts: I've never actually done this before, and I know that there's more to it than just slapping some pieces of wood together.  I live in a place that gets pretty much all the extremes of weather, including extreme dry heat, extreme cold and snow, very little humidity all year round, and yearly extreme wind.  Though rain is scarce, when it does rain it does with a vengence! :)  But besides weather and the dog's size, what else is important to consider when designing it?


texts: Old structure: 2X4 studs at 24'' on center

texts:
I have an old freestanding 2-car garage on my property that needs a lot of work.   There are some major rot issues where the sills were sitting in water for a long time.  Which brings me to the issue: the studs are 2X4 and are 24" on center.

Since I need to replace a fair number of the studs anyway, I'm considering putting in 2X6s.  My understanding is that 24" is standard for 2X6 home construction.  It would allow for more insulation and I would like to put in some heat in this space later.  This seems to be a lot more cost effective than replacing the entire structure since the existing hip-roof structure seems to be in good shape although the rafters meet up at the studs every 24".  Of course, it would be a lot cheaper to just replace the rotted 2X4s.

Is this an issue or am I making a big deal out of nothing?


texts: Can you use a 10 Amp socket (and device with a 10 Amp draw) on a 15 Amp circuit

texts:
I'm looking to replace my oven (the old one was a 15 Amp) and my new one is 10 Amp, the old one was hardwired my new one has a plug. so I would now need to attach a socket. I am also a little concerned with the heat generated behind the oven.

My understanding is it will be ok because the oven will only draw 10 Amps? there would obviously be an issue if the oven drew 20 Amps and I tried to use a socket rated for 10 Amps. The breaker is rated for 16 Amps.


texts: Will there be water pressure/flow into the pipe with this setting?

texts:
I have a space in balcony of my 1st floor house where I intend to keep a tank around the height same as that of the water pipe which leads to my bathroom taps. Will there be problems related to  flow/pressure into the bathroom tap.
Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Gravity Tank in question.


texts: Submersible well pump randomly tripping thermal protection

texts:
I have a 2 year old 4" submersible well pump which sometimes triggers the thermal protection. If I turn it back on, it continues to run properly and at some point (could be hours, could be days, could be weeks) it triggers the thermal protection again.

It never happens to trigger the thermal protection immediately after I just reset it.

Could it be a faulty thermal protection ? Or could it be something else ?


texts:
I might have overtightened a 3/4" female hose to 1/2" adapter to a Hose Y connector and when trying to remove the adapter came off with the Y hose adapter tread. I have no idea how to separate this now.
More pics here


texts:
Here is a fun one. I installed 2 LED bulbs into my Genie garage door opener and it caused the microwave to lose power. They are both on the same circuit. When I tested the voltage at the microwave outlet it read 48 volts. That usually means a ground reference problem. Take the bulbs out and the microwave lights up and operates fine. I installed one LED and one incandescent it it works as well.

Any suggestions on a long life bulb preferably LED they doesn’t cause this issue?


texts:
I currently have to cut a small piece of carpet and I wondered if I should get a carpet cutter. It seems to me that probably any solid, sharp knife (or scissors) would be suited similar well.

So my question is: What is special about carpet cutters? Should I get one or simply try it with other knives?


texts: Over voltage protection to prevent appliances from burning

texts: I have recently installed a solar energy system at my home, I am currently looking for a protection device that could protect my inverter and other appliances from burning if an over voltage (let's say 440 V) spike occurs. And also when neutral becomes live in the case of a fault from the utility company.


texts: Garage Ceiling Truss Load and Distribution Options for Overhead Storage

texts:
Last summer I hung two 4'x8' overhead ceiling racks by using 4x4's across multiple trusses.  The only point that actually share a truss are the mounts closes to the wall.  As janky as this is, It's probably fine as far as load.

For maximum use I would actually like to take these down and run three 4'x8' racks across the rear of the garage and get rid of the current 'L' shape. I also want to remove the 4x4 hanging from the ceiling and replace with slotted angle bars.

The only problem being that I would have 4 hanging points across two or three trusses as they run parallel with the racks, which could be a no-go given the 10lb a SqFT load of a truss.

Assuming I use the wall studs to mount the back of the racks.  Could I distribute the load across three trusses for the front hanging point and be ok?  If so how much weight could I hold with each rack? Each rack would be 32 square ft, so given 10 lb a sqft that would be 320 pounds per rack, but since there is multiple racks, I am not sure how the weight distribution would work out.

I've attached pictures of my ceiling, the current setup, what the exposes trusses look like, and a diagram from the top down of how I was thinking about mounting it.


texts: How to drill a groove to the side of a plywood board?

texts:
I want to drive a cable up a cupboard. The shelves are too long to simply put the cable behind them, so I want to create an indentation in the removable shelves.

I do not own a drill press, and I do not want to buy one just for this. I do not even have the space for it. How can I do this with only a manual drill? Is milling a good idea, or should I press the shelf between two parts of wood, and just drill it?

As this is on the non-visible side of the shelf, a V shaped cut with a saw is also an option.


texts: How should I connect ground wires for new ceiling fan?

texts:
I am replacing a ceiling fan in a house we just bought. The current box for the fan has 3 sets of wires coming into it, one for the switch and 2 for the outlets. However, the ground wires are were pushed outside the box immediately after where the wire sheathing ends and I assumed they were tied somewhere on top of the box. The old fan didn’t work when we got the house and when I took it down, the grounding wires weren’t connected to anything.
My question is how would I attach the ground wire for the new fan? Would I need to or would the box itself be grounded already and the fan safe to use? I’m attaching some pictures and can try to take better ones in the morning if needed. It would be extremely difficult to get into the crawl space to even see what is up there. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Here is a better picture of inside the box. You can also see the ground wires which I pulled down slightly to get a better view of them


texts:
BACKGROUND

This symptom \ issue appears (seemingly) randomly, so I have labeled it an intermittent failure.  The float (of a 2 year old Fluidmaster toilet fill valve) intermittently fails to float and does not cut off the water.  The resulting symptoms include

water is not shutoff and requires intervention
cylindrical black float is submerge beneath the waterline (photo below)

The patch has been to manually tap the float once and it will rise and shutoff the water.  It would be nice if the root cause of a intermittent stuck-float were corrected.

Questions

Although I could install a new fill valve, my concern is that I will arrive with the same problem in a few months.  I would like to understand why this is happening so that the corrective action can be judiciously selected.

If you have experienced this problem please state this in your reply, as experience is preferred.  Bonus if you have the experience and successfully corrected the problem.

1) Is this a a) design problem or b) maintenance issue?
2) if a), what was the replacement used?
3) if b) what corrective action was taken

Any lessons-learned or pitfalls to avoid are appreciated.  Thank you


texts: Deadbolt locks from outside with key, but not from inside

texts:
I am able to lock the deadbolt to my door when I leave in the morning, using the key.  However, when I try to lock it from the inside by hand, the knob just turns and turns without anything happening.  Any assistance or advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Further information: it is an older lock, well over a decade old.  Any brand or model information has long since been worn down from use.  Here's a photo of the lock:

Edit #2: The brand of the lock is Segal


texts: What would cause air bubbles in the toilet when I'm showering?

texts: My basement bathroom has recently been remodeled, everything was working fine for a few weeks, but now all of a sudden I am hearing bubbles in the toilet when I shower, at which point the shower drain begins to back up. The shower drain runs downstream to the bathroom sink (which has a vent stack) then to the toilet.  I have not had any problems with the sink drain slowing or backing up.. just the shower and toilet.  Within an hour or so of the shower draining out I can use the toilet again without any problems, but when the shower is used again the same problem persists.. What is causing this?


texts:
I've noticed that about once every 2 weeks, I'll get a sudden rush of salt water. It tastes salty and smells metallic. It goes away after a couple minutes.

Usually when showering but I'm sure that is just because of the large amount of water being used. It has happened just through the sink as well.

I've checked the water softener tank for salt bridges, and didn't find any.

Is this just a normal occurrence with a water softener, or should I get it looked at?


texts: What type of arbor should I use to fix this holesaw?

texts: Where can I buy the arbor for this type of holesaw. The ones I've found are hex shaped. Could you recommend a n arbour that would fix this hole saw


texts: Aprilaire 700 Humidifier hookup to a communicating Trane furnace

texts:
I have a Trane communicating furnace controlled by Trane's version of a Nexia XL1050 (thermostat and humidistat). I want to hookup an Aprilaire 700 humidifier. I could use the Aprilaire's humidistat, model 60, like I did on my old furnace but I don't know how to detect Blower on and Call for heat as the terminals on the furnace board are disabled when using a communicating thermostat. I discovered 2 wires leaving the board labeled "HUM" and "HUM-N" I heard these supply 120V when, I assume, the nexia calls for humidity. So, instead of using the Aprilaire humidistat can I connect HUM and HUM-N to a 120/24VAC transformer and then connect the 24V side to the humidifier fan relay and water solenoid?
Or if I want to use the Aprilaire humidistat is there something on the furnace board that I can use to determine when the blower is on and there's a call for heat? An air proofing relay would show blower on but not if it's a heat cycle. And It seems redundant if the HUM wire is already saying that but I'm not sure it does.
BTW-It looks to me that a Trane THUMD500 humidifier is really an Aprilaire 700
I did try the first method using nexia. I heard the humidifier kick on once for about 30 seconds when the furnace stated but then stopped. I'm not sure why. The Nexia only goes up to 45% RH and the house is currently around 44% I don't need the humidity yet but the heater hardly comes on so the air isn't that dry yet.
I'd appreciate some advice before I do something bad. Communicating systems are new to me.
Here's a link to what I have for wiring. It's out of the installation manual.
https://share.getcloudapp.com/NQuKrrmX
Please note in section 6 there is "HUM-H" and also above it is "HUM-N". Both of these were capped off in the junction box. These are what I wired to the primary of the transformer.
Thanks
It's a trane XC95


texts: Should I ground the metal box for 14-50 outlet?

texts:
I just finished installing a 14-50 outlet in my garage. I haven't hooked it up to the breaker box yet. I used 6/3 nm-b cable with ground. I made the wire and ground connections to the outlet but I didn't connect the ground wire to the metal box and now I get the feeling that's wrong. Is it? I didn't see a screw on the metal box to clue me in. Should I connect the ground to the metal box?

Here is a picture of the outlet and links to what's behind the plate.

Thanks

Metal box: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RACO-4-in-Raised-Ground-Welded-Square-Electrical-Box-8232/100578083

Metal box cover: https://www.homedepot.com/p/4-in-Square-Box-Cover-for-30-or-50-Amp-Receptacle-Case-of-10-RS13-10R/202597322

Wall plate: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-Pass-Seymour-2-Gang-1-Power-Outlet-Wall-Plate-Stainless-Steel-SL703CC12/202313808?keyword=785007180268&semanticToken=20030000+++%3E++++st%3A%7B785007180268%7D%3Ast++cn%3A%7B0%3A0%7D++cn%3A%7B0%3A0%7D++785007180268+%7Bproductkey%7D+qu%3A%7B785007180268%7D

Cable clamp: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Halex-3-8-in-Non-Metallic-NM-Twin-Screw-Cable-Clamp-Connectors-5-Pack-20511/100133208?keyword=051411205119&semanticToken=20030000+++%3E++++st%3A%7B051411205119%7D%3Ast++cn%3A%7B0%3A0%7D++cn%3A%7B0%3A0%7D++51411205119+%7Bproductkey%7D+qu%3A%7B51411205119%7D


texts:
So I JUST had my plumber replace the service feed to my house with a soft copper 1" dia. line, which was originally 3/4" dia. GSP from the street to the house (~35' as the line lays). I wish I had taken a picture of the old line that was removed, because I've seen clogged arteries on the surgery channel that looked better than that... I mean, you couldn't even shine a light through a short piece it was plugged/rusted up so badly! Amazing we had any pressure (edit: FLOW) at all...

Anyway, the meter at the street is also 3/4" dia. on either side (located inside a box, built into the sidewalk), and is being fed by a 1" dia. line running in either direction under the sidewalk. The point on entry into my house is still 3/4" dia. GSP, and I know most (if not all) of the fixtures inside the house are all fed by 1/2" dia. copper lines from the slab, but I don't really know what happens to the 3/4" feed after it enters the wall (i.e. does it go down below the slab or is it cast into the slab? how much further does it go before it splits up into 1/2" dia. copper runs? etc.) Oh, and the water heater is on the opposite side of the house in the garage too (great design - not!), so it always takes a while to get hot water in any of the faucets/showers. This was one of the mains reasons we did this project to begin with.

So to complicate matters a bit further, I added a Home Master 2-stage whole house filter as part of the line replacement (right at the entry point to the house), which has 1" ports one either side and two REALLY big 20" tall canister style filters. Apparently it has less than ~1psi pressure drop across the system according to the manufacturer (which I tend to believe), but I plan to eventually install some gauges and confirm.

Now it's only be 24hrs since the upgrade, but I have not noticed any significant/noticeable improvement in water pressure (or flow) using normal faucets and shower. The hot water still takes about the same time, which is unfortunate, and a sink + tub scenario still leads to a pressure drop in both fixtures. However, one of the garden hoses (opposite side of the entry point) seemed to have more pressure when I tested it last night, but the pressure dropped off after about 10 seconds or so which I'm guessing is because the new 1" feed is so short and only provides an initial boost in flow/pressure (right?)

So my question is: Even as badly clogged/corroded as the old 3/4" GSP line was, shouldn't I have seen a more substantial improvement in pressure and/or flow by upgrading to a NEW, much larger 1" dia. line? Or do the 1/2" lines inside the hose restrict flow/pressure and keep everything about the same? And does anyone think that the 3/4" meter at the street may be causing a restriction at all? Would replacing it with a 1" in/out version help any?

Sorry for the long rant and multiple questions, but I'm trying to see if there is anything else that we can do to help get a bit more pressure (aside from replacing all the pipes in the house, of course).

TIA!


texts: Uneven paint on a smooth and primed wall

texts:
I am attempting to paint a tuff wall using  a latex paint.

It's actually a repaint, so I stripped the old (water based, possibly whitewash) paint using steam and a scraper, allowed the wall to dry and then sanded it with 120 grit sandpaper where it felt rough, then I applied an acrylic primer and a water based (latex/acrylic) paint. The results? Frustrating!

As you can see there's litterally voids in the paint, as if it never touched the wall, or the wall itself had holes or cracks! This happens both with a paintbrush and with a roller, both on smooth primed and smooth non primed walls.

The primer is an OK one, the paint is too, but pretty thick and used following the manufacturer's instructions, thinning it doesn't help either.

What could I possibly be doing wrong? This doesn't happen on pine and MDF boards, so there must be something wrong with me, the paint or the wall... the paint I stripped was brushed, I could see brush marks but no holes.


texts: Why doesn't my shower work when it's below below 0?

texts: We had an addition put on in 2012. There are two bathrooms - one upper and one lower. Last winter the hot water in the upstairs bathroom quit working when it dipped below zero. This year, it worked all winter until a week ago when the weather dipped to -10 degrees. Then I had no water at all. We had one warmer day (20) during the week and it worked fine. Then it got to 17 below and it stopped again. My contractor checked and the insulation in the attic area was fine with no gaps.


texts:
An old kitchen table has kind of spanning metal clips connecting parts; some of them are rusty and do not span well anymore.

Note: you might think that because of the rust the clips can't be closed anymore, but in fact they have somehow become weak, i.e. normally you would close and open them with applying slight force, but now the clips can just open up by themselves because of the gravity.

What is the proper name of this metal parts so that I could order and replace them?


texts: How can I use a 15A momentary switch (switches) to replace my multi-button wall-mount garage door opener?

texts:
My wall-mount garage door opener was pretty beat up when I moved in and has only gotten worse to the point the open/close button is cracked and is difficult to operate for my kids.

I would like to install a surface mount momentary switch for open/close functions as well as separate switch(es) for light control, and opener lockout (if it is necessary to have - otherwise omitted).  How can I do this?  I searched and haven't found details on how to do it yet, but suspect that it has to do with resistance value for each function.   Would I just need to measure resistance changes as each switch is operated and put the corresponding value on the switch I want to replace?

I will run everything in conduit to the opener and safety sensors since I will be wiring the garage for new lighting and power circuits (separate conduit from low-voltage).  I will also be installing a relay that will change state when the opener light circuit is turned on to power 1-2 shop lights instead of on-board lamps on the opener.   The power for these will be fed from the sub panel with the lighting circuit on the opener causing the relay to open/close.


texts: Desert deck, waterless maintenance, no ‘beauty of the wood’, can I sand and paint @ 3-yr intervals?

texts:
I have a 10-year old deck, 20-feet in the air, with peeling paint. It is surrounded by white stucco ( below also ) so I can not afford to have chemical stripper running down the stucco and pressure wash is a bad use of precious water. 8x10’ size. I cannot access the bottom of 60% of the boards.( installed over a metal sheet which drains into a gutter ).

Weather conditions are summer sun, a light dusting of snow. 90 ( summer ) days of daily, 15-minute hard rain. 15-30% humidity the rest of the year. Highest temps rarely up to 100. Winter freezes some but very rarely single digits.

After reading here, I believe a possible maintenance option is to sand and paint every 3-4 years to repair peeling and bubbling. I make/restore furniture as a hobby but have no deck experience. I am aware of the lawsuits for Deckover and Deck Restore so am wary of ‘miracle’ fixes. I don’t care if the color is uneven or the grain doesn’t show. I am all about preserving the boards.

Can you advise which false assumptions I am making ?

If my plan is reasonable, which paint properties  make the most durable deck paint finish ? ( high in acrylic? hi-gloss latex etc? )


texts:
Looking to take some time in the new year to frame out an area of my "crawlspace." It has about 7.5' clearance in height, so it'll be tight... but my goal is to make a workbench area for myself and would like the area to feel cleaner / less dusty and crawlspacey.
Here's hoping this drawing helps... the dotted lines are where I'd frame... the doorway leads to this unpermitted bathroom the previous owners built (whose sewer ejector pump broke and was installed under the tub, so that's for another post).

I mainly have two questions here as this crawlspace is shared with the water heater, the heater, and the foundation for our chimney:

Opening the door to the crawlspace the heaters and chimney are to the left. I'd like to frame around them but still leaving access (like folding closet doors or something) to get to the space. Do you think this poses any significant fire hazards? I won't be framing right up to the utilities of course.

Also, somewhat related, is it bad to frame around the foundation to the chimney too? It has an ash shoot that I'll keep access too, but just wanted to make sure there

Anyway, thanks for your time. Happy to respond with any follow-up questions. I imagine after framing the area will be long and narrow... maybe like a standard hallway, but wider. Hope that helps with imagining it.


texts: Need help with new kitchen sink plumbing

texts: Just did my countertops and had new double sink installed. The new sink drains are not centered as before, but offset.  The installers took out the old one before I could take a picture of setup. The old setup had the garbage disposal installed on the left side.  With the plumbing that is in place now what will I need to get the two sinks up and running? I bought a new garbage disposal as well to install on the left side like before. Do I need major work done to get the plubming all sorted out or is this an easy fix with just extra pipes and some cutting and adjusting? If anyone can give me some feedback or diagram of how it should work for my situation that would be great. I'm attaching pictures of what I have right now. The new sink came with one drain assembly and one strainer. Please let me know what other parts I will need to complete the project.


texts:
The trapezoid-shaped wall in the back of the picture is a wall that my neighbor built between his backyard and mine:

Apparently, it is made from asbestos, which might be unhealthy.

In order to protect my family from potential health issues, I thought of painting the side facing my yard with an acryllic paint (my neighbor will probably not mind). Is this indeed a sufficient protection?

Alternatively, I thought of just buying a large plastic sheet and hang it over the asbestos wall. Will this provide enough protection?


texts:
In my conditioned basement, should mold and moisture resistant drywall be used? I've read varying accounts, including use it everywhere, use it on the walls (but not ceiling), use it on the bottom row on the walls only, or not at all.

The space is heated and cooled by the same central HVAC system as the above grade floors in the house. The basement used to have water issues, but we have had that fixed by professionals. Against the concrete block, foam board insulation has been installed between the block and framing, and then sealed with spray in foam.


texts: any sort of inflatable cork to plug pipe when shutoff valve is being repaired

texts:
I need to fix some leaky return shutoff valves on a hydronic heating system. Is there such a thing as an inflatable device that can be used to plug the pipe to prevent the system from draining while the washer is being replaced?

return valve closeup


texts: Ground wire size for meter pedestal to subpanel

texts: I have a 160' run between my meter pedestal and my 100a subpanel. The table for sizing the conductors accounts for the length of run, but NEC 250.122 for sizing ground wires doesn't say anything about length of run. It just shows number 8 (cu). Does length of run effect the ground wire size? The meter is grounded with 2 ground rods and the subpanel is grounded to the rebar in the footers per code in my area.


texts:
Recently I've been working on replacing the moulding around the doors in my home, but I've come across a bit of an oddity with the jamb - It's the same piece of wood as the moulding.
I thought it was odd that it didn't look like the moulding was separate when looking at the inside of the frame, but assumed it was probably just layers upon layers of paint.
So I started by scoring the caulking around the edge of the door moulding and then got a putty knife in. But I still couldn't find any indication of a seam inside. I ended up forcing it. splitting the wood at the bottom and sawing a piece off.
It looks like the jamb and the moulding are one piece and the other side has two grooves in it for the drywall to fit in - so it's kind of in the shape of an E. The diagram below is what I imagine it looks like based on what I can see without pulling it out of the wall. The drywall has shifted out of the slot (but I can't get a good picture of it) so I know that the center part doesn't extend into the wall any further.

I've never seen this before, no one I know has seen this in a ranch style home before, and I can't find anything on the internet about single piece door frames. Now I'm getting a little worried that I shouldn't be pulling the jamb out or that it might be load-bearing.
Wondering if anyone out there has seen this before and might be able to help figure out what is going on?


texts: Minimizing wall thickness for basement drywall?

texts:
I'm trying to optimize acoustics of my future home theater by maximizing dimensions to minimize standing wave problems.  I would like to minimize the thickness of a finished wall consisting of drywall mounted on a basement concrete wall.

I know there are differing thicknesses of drywall, but I'd like to know a range.  My understanding is that typically two by fours are used for the framing.

From what I saw in my cursory web searching was that they are mounted on concrete walls sometimes with the shorter two-inch section protruding perpendicular from the concrete rather than the typical free-standing orientation where the longer dimension (3.5") is perpendicular to the wall surface.

In the image below, the top section along the HVAC wall shows the shallower orientation, and the section below that shows the deeper orientation.

Is my understanding correct that the shallower orientation would measure 1 1/2" plus the thickness of the drywall (3/8" or 1/2")?

Is there any drawback to maximizing interior dimensions by mounting the two by fours this way other than it likely disallowing room for running electrical and other wiring?


texts: Fan works for heating, but not for AC, where to start?

texts:
Our new place has a working AC (meaning that the physical box outside spins and can produce cold air) and a working fan (meaning that the fan spins and is able to put air out to the vents in the house). However, both the AC and the fan will not work together.

Through some experimentation, when turning the heat on, the fan will run and output warm air. If I then immediately switch to AC, I will get out about 2 minutes of cold air through the fan until the fan turns off.

The fan in all cases has not been set to 'auto' but rather has been forced to the 'on' mode.

This leads me to believe there is an issue with the control panel, as both components work individually. Any suggestions on how to debug/fix this issue before we have to pay for an inspector to come in?


texts: Can I install Whole Home Surge Protector into two single pole breakers?

texts:
I know that Square D HEPD80 calls for installation into a dual pole breaker but I currently don't have a space that's close to the main lugs since the wires that go to those breakers are very short (they have been cut to just accommodate those breakers).

I know that Square D calls for the installation to be as close to the main lugs as possible thus I was wondering if I could piggy back the two black wires from Square D into each of the single pole 15A breakers that are currently closest to the main lugs?  The breakers are one on top of the other so they should cover both phases/sides of the panel since the panel is crisscross (Eaton Panel).

Why does Square D ask for a dual pole breaker?


texts: Duct static pressure vs ambient air pressure

texts:
I've read that air handlers are typically rated for 0.5 iwc. Doing a simple conversion, this comes out to about 125 Pa. Is this with reference to the ambient air pressure? So, if I had an absolute pressure sensor, I guess the air handler would begin to get damaged if the pressure at the ducts was x + 125 Pa, where x is the ambient air pressure? Also, it seems strange to me that the rating is for static pressure, rather than total pressure. Does velocity pressure really not affect the air handler's health?

However, the main question I have is how is it possible that the duct static pressure can be different from the ambient air pressure? Suppose I measure the pressure in the duct, right before the register and if the register is open, then the air pressures on either side of the duct should be equal. Even if the register is closed, unless there is a perfect seal, air from one side can escape to the other, so air pressure should be equal as well. Do correct me if my common sense is completely busted. Or should the measurement be performed at the air handler?

PS: Any other HVAC resources on static pressure will be greatly appreciated


texts: We are in the process of renovating our house and I ran CAT6 cable to an area with plans to put a network switch there.  I now find that the drywall people did not try and protect the connectors and they are caked in the stuff.  Yes. I know I should have covered them... What will dissolve the mud?  Anything?  I would like to avoid cutting the connectors off and re-doing as they were factory cables.


texts: Problem installing rivnuts into aluminum skin and steel tubing

texts:
I have an enclosed cargo trailer. I need to install some rivnuts in the roof beams from the outside of the trailer. The aluminum skin of the trailer is attached to the steel tubing framework using some sort of adhesive. The result is that the aluminum is not directly against the steel tube. When the rivnut is installed, the deformed part of the rivnut ends up between the aluminum skin and the steel tube instead of inside the steel tube. This results is a much weaker anchor.
The following pictures shows the problem:

These are three different cross section drawings. Looking at the left one you can see the aluminum skin on top and the 1" wide x 1.25" tall steel tube. Between them is the layer of adhesive. I have no access to the underside of the steel tubing (which is why I am trying to use rivnuts in the first place). Removing the adhesive is not an option for several different reasons.
The rivnut is just placed into the hole in the left cross section.
The middle cross section is the result I am getting after compressing the rivnut in place. Note the compression is happening where the adhesive is.
The right cross section is the result I wish to get with the compression inside the steel tube.
The tool I'm using to install and compress the rivnut is little more than a big nut on a grade 5 bolt.
How can get the rivnut to install as shown in the right-most cross section shown in the picture? Would a different/better tool work?
The nut on my installation tool has a slight lip on it about the same height as the flange on the rivnut. It seems that if the nut had a taller lip on it (the same as the thickness of the aluminum skin, the adhesive, and the wall thickness of the tubing) then it might work.


texts: What could be causing all of my washing machine troubles?

texts:
The past few times we have tried to use the washing machine, it has given off a burning smell and has even begun to smoke a bit.  Also, it doesn't appear to be draining fully in the spin cycle, so the clothes are left very saturated with water.  I'm not really sure why this is happening, I don't see anything trapped in the machine that could be causing the problem, but my knowledge of this stuff is pretty limited.  Any ideas what might be causing this?

Edit:  It's a Kenmore washer and dryer from Sears (Model number - 417.90812990). It seems like the washer has been unable to drain water properly, it doesn't really matter what size load you place in there, the rinse cycle doesn't seem to work and the dyer was smoking.  It definitely smells electrical.

Edit2: Alternatively, if I fail to address this by myself, who should I call ideally?  The warranty is out on it.  Last time I called Sears for a stove with a broken part they quoted a high price for parts combined with an offer to buy a new stove at a discount.  Should I expect the same again if I deal with them?  Should I call someone else?

Edit3: I checked it and it turned out that between minute 6 and the rinse cycle the washer stopped spinning.  Instead there was only buzz and then the plastic lid lock started smoking.  Here's that part:

http://www.apwapplianceparts.com/Store_Part.aspx?Id=673890

Part number is 131675600.  They sell them on ebay for $10.

Here's something interesting I found about that part:

http://www.justanswer.com/appliance/2rws2-i-m-replacing-lid-lock-switch-frigidaire-clothes-washer.html

Could it be that it's just shorting and all I have to do is replace it?  Or is this a symptom of a bigger problem?

Edit4: I called a specialist and he advised me to just eliminate the lid lock.  That fixed it.


texts: How can I combine two outlets into one output using OR logic?

texts:
I need some sort of electrical device which would combine the output of a switched electrical outlet with a programmable timer plugged into a non-switched outlet. Then I would plug lamps into said electrical device, and have the timer set to be on only from 10 minutes before my alarm goes off in the morning, to 10 minutes before I need to leave for work. This way I could turn my lamps off at night, the timer would turn them on in the morning, then turn them off right before I leave for work, and then when I come back, I can use the wall switch to turn them off and on as I please.

I'm pretty sure this cannot be done and would most likely short out, but the way I visualize this is something like an extension cord with two outlets, and then put Male to Male adapters on the outputs and a Female to Female adapter on the input.

From what I've read, it seems what I'm looking for is very similar to a redundant power strip, however these are $150+ and I'm looking for $25 and under. I'm guessing there would also need to be some sort of relay to switch which power source is being used to power the power strip, and to prevent any shorts.

        Switched Outlet ->  ||
                            ||  -> Lamps
Normal Outlet -> Timer  ->  ||
                            ^
                            |
                  Mystery Electrical Component