texts:
Is it safe to use the same outside vent outlet for a gas dryer and gas hot water heater? The 3" diameter, 18" long, water heater duct joins the 4" diameter, dryer duct in a Y right at the wall with 2" shared duct to the outside.
The alternative is 15' of 3" duct to the outside for a stand-alone water heater vent and the dryer to a separate 4" diameter, 10' long duct to the outside.


texts:
I would like to purchase a power saw for general use (i.e., for various DIY and home improvement projects).

I currently exclusively use a handsaw to cut wood. Even though it is a pull saw (which makes the sawing take less time as compared to a standard carpenter saw), sometimes I wish that I could cut wood even faster. Hence, I am left with only one alternative: a power saw.

There are posts on the internet delving into what type of power saw makes the most sense for one's first saw.

But, I have an admission: I am scared of power saws. This is because I knew someone who lost fingers in a horrible power saw accident, and I have been "scarred" (psychologically) ever since. I don't know what type of power saw was responsible for his injury, but I have had an aversion to any blade that moved by itself ever since. Consequently, I have never used a power saw in my life.

Cutting wood with my trusty handsaw may be slow and laborious, but at least it has about a 0% chance of serious injury.

I understand that there is a whole variety of types of power saws that one can buy. Can you explain which type of power saw is the safest, i.e., has the lowest potential chance of injury and/or the least severe potential injuries? What about its design makes it safer than other types?

Ideally, the safest saw is also fairly versatile (since it will be my only power saw), but that may not be the case. At the end of the day, I value safety over versatility (and power). Obviously, to a point...please don't recommend something like this.

I know that if one is informed and cautious, and uses appropriate guards and guides, the chance of injury with even the most powerful type of saw is still very low. Still, we all have our clumsy or forgetful days; I want the peace of mind of knowing that - worst case scenario - I can't do much damage to myself with whatever type of power saw that I buy.

Edit:

My question has caused some confusion. I can put my question another way:

What power saw would you feel most comfortable giving to a 13-year-old?

I understand that all power saws have some risk and can cause injury if used improperly. I am simply inquiring about which power saws are less capable of doing so. I assume that the risk of using various power saws does differ, based on the wide spectrum of power saw sizes and designs.


texts:
I am replacing rubber tread covers on an old wooden staircase. As far as I can tell, the old ones were simply glued on. They lasted about ten years before they started slipping and cracking where they were pushed over the edge of the actual tread by peoples' feet. I have two questions:

1- What kind of glue should I use for this project?
2- Do I need to strip off the old glue to get a good bond?

Quick answers would be greatly appreciated since I have a narrow window in which to finish this project. Thanks.


texts: How do I put a brick wall where an exterior window is?

texts:
I have a detached garage with fairly large sliding windows (previous owner installed these) with a brick exterior.  I want to remove the windows and close up the wall with bricks.  What do I need to do to accomplish this?  Will I need to remove some of the brick surrounding the windows?  I expect I need to be able to put up some exterior wall material plus some moisture barrier.  I'm new to DIY home improvement so any input would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Tom


texts:
If there was a crack in a heat exchanger in a natural gas forced hot air furnace, would it trigger a Carbon Monoxide detector to go off?
This is NOT happening in my house. The reason why I am asking is I have been smelling smoke (combination of cigarette / wood burning) the past 3 days and I really only smell it when I am in the house. My wife can't smell it but she really does not have a good sense of smell.


texts: Why is water heater making the water smell like sulfur?

texts:
I have an electric water heater that gives the water a sulfur smell.  It is only from the hot water.

I have heard that changing the anode in the unit can help.  If this is the case, what material should the anode be made of? Is there another solution to this problem?


texts: Can a wall hung toilet in a basement be tied into existing drain from upper level or does it require dedicated drain?


texts:
School in South Korea removed asbestos over the past few weeks. Now I am all paranoid.

Is this asbestos? Found these dime-sized chunks by my desk.

Higher resolution images are available here:

http://imgur.com/a/5e1dZ

There should be 4 pics. If not clear enough let me know.


texts: How to measure the radius of a fillet on a non 90deg angle

texts:
I have two filleted corners that are not at 90deg on an aluminium part. I want to measure the radius of the fillet, but I don't have fancy radius measuring tools, only calipers.

Is there any way I can measure the fillet radius of those corners using only calipers or maybe other common tools ?


texts: How do I determine the exact Nature of my Sewer ventilation problem so that I can correct it?

texts:
Issue:

When the weather and pressure changes, my bathroom will smell terrible and the sink has trouble draining. Sometimes the sink won't drain until the pressure changes again.

Attempts:

Changed Toilet Flange, this resolved some occurrences of the smell. Refit and sealed the sink's drain into the wall, this added no benefits.

Best Guess:

Seems that the pressure change pushes down on the ventilation forcing gases to seek the path of least resistance, out the toilet but it also pushes back enough to prevent proper drainage on the sink.

I doubt changing or adding to the Toilet Flange is going to solve all my problems, but perhaps a thicker one would at least help with the smell more...

Unfortunately, even after all my research on this problem, I'm not sure what to try next because I honestly don't know for certain what the problem is.


texts: Is there a way to fix a small water leak in a PVC pipe from inside the pipe?

texts: The PVC evacuation pipe from my toilet is leaking a little bit. The part of the pipe that is leaking is buried inside concrete. I am trying to find a way to fix the leak from inside the pipe, that is without having to break the concrete to access the pipe. I have acces to the open end of the pipe about 1 meter away from where the leak is.


texts:
I live in an 8 year old apt complex with a tankless water heater which is connected to a Viega water distribution manifold.  I can't find them on the web anymore so they may have gone out of business.

This problem started about two years ago and has progressed very slowly.  The hot water turns cold after about two minutes unless hot water is running elsewhere.  For example, if I run the hot water in the bathroom sink, my shower water stays hot the entire time.  If I do not run the water in the sink, the shower turns cold in two minutes, I have to turn the water off and wait about two minutes to turn it on and it will be hot again.

Happens every day.  Kitchen sink does the same thing.  Now the dishwasher is doing it because it used to work perfectly and now the dishes are still dirty.  I did an experiment by leaving the hot water running in the sink the entire time the dishwasher was on (and that is a LONG time) and the dishes came out great.

I am very uncomfortable wasting so much water.  I do not pay for the water but I believe it is precious.  Anyway, my super has been working with the mfr of the tankless heater and has cleaned filters, removed slow flow devices, run white vinegar through the heater, nothing changes.  I am wondering if the manifold has filters which need to be cleaned or if there is some other maintenance that needs to be performed.

Thanks.


texts: is it permitted to invert the line/neutral polarity on an AC->DC power supply?

texts:
I'm trying to work through the parts required for an LED strip light project.  I'm considering this power supply as the driver, driving about 20' of 24V LED strip.  I've worked with similar but smaller power supplies in the past that were NOT explicitly labelled with Line / Neutral on the AC input side, but this one is in fact specifically marked with Line and Neutral inputs...

So my possibly stupid question is: is it safe/legal/permitted to wire this to a NEMA 1-15 non-polarized 2-prong cordset?  A non-polarized plug would obviously permit the user to invert (intentionally or not) the polarity of the AC input.

I've also seen and worked with smaller power supplies that use IEC C8 connectors or extensions, which are non-polarized:

I can't seem to find anything explicit in the data sheet for the power supply, but it's also entirely possible that I just don't know what I'm looking for.  I'd easily believe that ALL devices marked with L/N specific inputs must be polarized, or I'd also believe that there's something about these that tells you implicitly that they are safe to invert.


texts:
I saw this at a hotel where they tile on the side of the shower base which is fiberglass:

My question is: Do I just tile directly on the side of the pan? How do I make the thinset to stick?

Thanks.


texts:
I have a couple of lighting fixtures in my apartment that look like this:

The metal base goes directly to the ceiling and the posts holding the glass dome, while threaded, do not turn or slide in any direction. I have tried rotating the whole fixture, but it seems to be moving the electrical box in the ceiling without loosening. How might this unit open?


texts: When I purchased my house I noticed a strip of siding assumingly blew off the garage.  In the garage was a strip of siding that was the correct length to replace it.  I tried going up there and fitting it into place to no avail, the new strip is too tall by about an inch.  Do I have the wrong siding or do I need to do something to get these to fit together.  I am a total newbie to siding.


texts:
I'm trying to solder a soft copper coil to a regular fitting and its not working, (I did already a lot of soldering and never had a problem)  is there any tips or tricks for soft copper? Do I have to work with it in a special way?
Thanks for any reply.


texts: How to heat proof aluminium windows, prevent heat from entering?

texts:
Aluminium windows made about 15 years ago. In hot climate, all day sun the frame becomes hot to touch when touched from inside.
What can I do to insulate heat form entering?

I know about accordion shades to keep/buffer the warm air.
I know that I can tint the glass with sun protective/dark film.

Are there any solutions to maybe cover the aluminium frame on the outside to prevent it from heating and transmitting the heat to the inside?


texts: There is a gcfi in both bathrooms but I only have power to the second one. I believe they each provide power to the bathrooms and also to outlets on the front and back of the house. The house is about 40 years old and has NEVER had power to the front gcfi and front outside outlet. Of course they have wires but I really don't think it is connected in the attic. I do have one of those devices that plug into the outlet to be detected in the breaker box, but nothing shows up in the breaker box, either light or signal. I am now too old and creepy to be climbing around in the attic. Does anyone have any ideas? An electrician from church tried to help, but did not want to go into the attic, having had bad experiences from a previous fall. I do not blame him. I really think it is missing a connection. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you.


texts: How to fill cracks when building wood furniture?

texts:
This is my first thing here, and I'm still an amateur at DIY.

I'm building a raised bed for my daughter.

I'm using wood.

Right now I'm trying to find out what is the best material to fill in imperfections on the wood, and the places of the joins, and even the grain of the wood itself.

My final goal is to use a enamel paint to make "feel" smooth.


texts: How can I securely mount a ceiling lamp where no box exists?

texts: Have a plaster ceiling that will not hold a heavy 5kg lamp.There is a ceiling rose and a hole for wires. The only alternative i can think of is drilling 6 or so heavy duty screws (through the 4 inch hole) into the floor boards above the plaster ceiling. These floor boards are pine and about an inch thick. Will i get enough purchase to carry the weight?


texts: How can I get my Self-Destruct switches to do something?

texts:
In my house, there were some confusing panels of that had lots of switches on them, so I bought a labeling machine and put labels over all the switches in the house.

There are two blank switches next to the fireplace that are there in case we ever want to have a heater connected to it. For fun, I labeled these two blank switches like so:

Unfortunately, the switches don't actually do anything. I've been wanting to hook them up so that when you flip a switch, it makes an alarm sound go off, or there's an explosion sound or something like that.

I haven't ever dealt with electrical switches, so I don't know how easy this will be, and I have no idea what sort of apparatus would work well for this purpose. Keep in mind that I'm not very mechanically inclined at all, so there might be some steps in the process that are obvious to everybody else but not to me.

Do any of you all know what would be a good way to achieve this, and approximately how much it would cost?


texts: Load considerations on framing members that are only attached to concrete?

texts:
I am building out a workshop space in my basement, and want to put up framing on the walls, as shown here:

Specifically the left wall and the far wall, both of which have a lip. The foundation blocks are 8" deep (inside to outside) - 2" of concrete, 6" void, then 2" of concrete. Ideally, I would like to fasten 2x3's or 2x4's to the block using appropriate anchors. The framing members would extend from the lip up to near the top of the wall. My research has shown that a Concrete Sleve Anchor such as this: http://www.confast.com/products/concrete-sleeve-anchor.aspx is the best fastener for the job, and is rated sufficiently (1590lbs tension, 3060lbs shear).

Note: I am avoiding traditional framing with a header, full length 2x4 studs, and a footer resting on the basement floor, mostly because the basement floor is very uneven, and can flood in the spring.

What I would like to understand is:

How much load can 2x3's or 2x4's attached to concrete block support?
Is this different than simply summing up the fastener tolerances and accounting for safety margin, i.e. 1590lbs / 4 (safety) = 397lbs per stud?
Does the choice of stud (2x3 vs 2x4) AND the choice of orientation (long side vs short side facing out) matter in terms of supporting this load? If so, how?


texts:
I have a bathroom in our 1930's house that doesn't have an exhaust fan...and two teenage boys who take ridiculously long steamy showers. We had some mold issues on the ceiling, and some of the ceiling paint was cracking anyway, so I set about fixing things. I scraped all the old paint away back to the plaster. I primed with Zinsser Perma-White mold resistant primer, then painted with two coats of Zinsser ceiling paint. Looked great.
But now every week or so I walk in there to find these gross, sticky orange dots all over the ceiling. They wipe away and leave no stains, but they look awful.
Googling seems to indicate these are surfactants from the paint? Is that consistent with your experience?
I'm planning on putting in an exhaust fan in the spring... have to penetrate the brick exterior and don't feel like doing that when it's freezing outside... which I hope will help, but is there anything else I can do to stop this?
Update: here's a picture of the ceiling after a week of no one using the shower at all


texts: Should I replace a kinked hot water supply pipe?

texts: I recently put a kink in this hot water supply pipe. It's not leaking now, but I'm not sure if I should replace it proactively at this point. I'm looking for a practical answer, since replacing this would be a bit of a pain. As far as I can tell, the only shutoff before this is the intake to the hot water heater.


texts: In a tight spot with Venting a bar sink in basement

texts:
We're adding a bar sink into the basement of our house while we are finishing it. The location is at a place where we can attach to the drain just fine. The issue I am running into is that I am not able to or clearly almost impossible to connect to an existing vent on another end of the basement due to HVAC.
However, I do have a much cleaner direct path to an outside wall. I am in Minnesota and the currently adopted code is 2015 version. http://epubs.iapmo.org/2015/Minnesota/index.html
Now the location that the vent would exit the sidewall meets all these criteria. I want to know if I am going to have any issues and I don't see why I could not do it this way.

Not directly below a door, openable window, or other air intake opening (of this or any other building).
Not within 10 feet horizontally of the above-mentioned openings, unless it's 3 feet above them.
Not less than 10 feet from the property line.
Not less than 10 feet above the ground.
Not under the soffit, if soffit vents are used (Covered by point 1 in my opinion).
Must be protected from birds and/or rodents blocking it.


texts: Are there lightbulb base adapters available?

texts: I've got an intermediate screw base light bulb that I want to replace (as it's burned out).  However, going around to local stores they only have the correct size & wattage of bulb available in either medium base screw or some weird looking 2 prong thing that I've never seen before.  Since adapting medium down to intermediate would probably take up too much space, are there 2 prong to intermediate base adapters available anywhere?


texts: Is it okay to apply silicone sealant on damaged silicone?

texts:
I did what was suggested and called back window installers to seal it with silicone (they left exterior sealed and water leaked). They told me it's not their job to seal the window only make it but they offered to do it. They did a bad job, they applied silicone like putty, instead of straight line and made a mess. They did not use the caulk backer foam that i bought for the gaps (maybe not important). Pictured is part of it below window frame, there is concrete sill, the black rubber is to keep window elevated in the center (something like that).

What's the remedy, there are open gaps in the silicone. I feel in a matter of months the sealant will break apart and allow water ?


texts: Carpet Pad Adhesive Type Identification and Removal

texts:
In removing some old stair carpeting, I found this older black glue applied to hold the carpet padding in place. Does anyone have a recommendation on what type of material it is, and recommend on how to properly remove it?

I'm aware of black cut-back adhesive that some times contained asbestos. This is applied to wood in a way I have have not seen cutback adhesive applied before. Looks like it was squirted out of a caulk gun, like liquid nails, but black.


texts: Flooring a concrete deck, without raising the floor (much)

texts:
I bought a house with a concrete deck 14x14' in size. I'd like to install some sort of flooring on the deck, however, I am worried about two things:

The weather conditions, especially snow and rain, are likely to cause damage to the floor, so I need something that lasts, and the less maintenance the better
The floor of the deck is only 6" below the living room entrance, so I can't raise the floor much without risking flooding the house.

I've been looking at a standard wood deck, but as I understand, it requires some metal posts, then a wooden frame, and then the floorboards, amounting to at least 6" of height. Composite seems to be better, but the price bites, and it also requires a wooden frame underneath, I can't just lay the composite boards on the concrete directly. I can't go with ceramics, because the wife is totally against that, she wants something nicer and warmer. Are there any other options, materials, or maybe a way to install a regular treated wood floor without raising it too much?


texts: Is it necessary to remove old wasp nests?

texts: The house and barn I just bought was not very well maintained.  In the attic of the house there are about 50 abandoned wasps nests (as it is winter).  The barn has well over 100.  I know I need to eradicate any entrance points into the house and barn for wasps, but do I need to remove the old nests, or is it ok to leave them?  I wasn't sure if they reuse existing nests or not or if there was an advantage to removing old ones.


texts:
I have a leaked cpvc pipe and I asked a question the other day. bathroom pipe joint leakage behind the ceiling tiles, now I am searching a new pipe for replacement, I thought the pipe is 3/4", as shown below (if you enlarge the image you might be able to see the spec of dimensions)

Therefore I went to Lowe's and bought a 3/4", and it turned out to be bigger, then I changed to 1/2" and it's still a little bigger. So what's exactly the right size?


texts: What happen if misaligned connect 6 outlet

texts: Mistake can happen, so because the design. Will the electricity work okay?


texts: Drain plug or nut in basement hidden in drywall

texts:
I have two houses that have different drain plug / nut design in the basement.

House 1 has the plug all the way inside drywall like this:

Do I suppose to drywall over and hide it?
Or do I install an access panel there?

House 2 has the plug showing out like this:

When I put my hand there, it's blowing cold air from the outside. So I need to seal or cover it.

What is the best way to cover this when the nut is extruding out the drywall?


texts: How strong is a lag bolt through the narrow face of a 2x4 stud (meaning it only has 1.5" to grab)?

texts:
I'm trying to mount a TV, but the only studs are on the outside walls of this niche in my fireplace.  Meaning I could build a little wooden box and lag into the narrow face of the studs (the 1.5" thickness, instead of the normal 3.5" thickness).

But I've never lagged into the side of a stud before. Is it strong enough to hold hundreds of pounds?  This will be an extension arm mount for a heavy 70" HDTV, so it really needs to be strong.


texts: What exactly do the range of numbers (1 to 7) mean on the temperature knob/dial on a basic window air conditioning unit?

texts:
I just purchased a new, very nice and basic (5,000BTU) in-window air conditioner and it does the job for my basic needs. But I have a question I probably have had for years but never had a proper venue to ask it: What the heck do the seemingly arbitrary numbers on the temperature dial mean? See picture below.

I completely understand how a value of “1” is the lowest (warmer) setting and “7” is the highest (cooler) setting, but what relative temperatures do these values relate to? And heck, why does the dial go from 1 to 7 instead of something more seemingly commonsense like 1 to 10?


texts: Right tool to drill a 3 to 4" diameter hole approximately 3ft deep through remnants of a ground up tree stump

texts:
I'm installing a very basic fence with welded wire mesh that will be fastened to galvanized steel T-posts. But I've run into a snag. At the very end of my run on one side I cannot dig into the ground. This is because there used to be a very large 40ft tall horse chestnut tree. Most of the stump was ground away. Unfortunately, it couldn't be done as thoroughly as we all had hoped because the base of the tree was growing right up next to a cement wall that is our neighbor's garage. My T-posts are 10ft tall that have been dropped into the ground at about 3ft. I'm not dead center on where the tree trunk was but I'm about a foot over. This is where my last post will go. However, the trunk was approximately 20" or so in diameter. Even though I'm off to the side a bit I'm going to guess that the area I want to insert my T-post will be solid root.

If successful, my plan is to drill a hole large enough to drop the T-post in, use a cement or some type of epoxy (or I'm open to suggestions) to adhere the T-post in place inside the hole. Then I'll use braces to help secure it along the run of my fence and then another one that will run perpendicular into our yard to help secure it in place. See the link for the braces/
enter link description here

Those braces will help keep it secure.

My question is, what type of drill bit can I use. In addition to drill bits I was looking at extensions to help me get down deep and am a bit overwhelmed with what to use.

Anyone have any suggestions/recommendations?


texts: Are all of these wirings code-acceptable for 3-way switching overhead lights?

texts:
So, i have a single switch by the garage door controlling the overhead lights like so:

and i would like to add a switch by the other door (shown) and wire it for 3-way control of the lights.

I'm pretty sure wiring power-switch-switch-lamp (with 14/3+G between the switches to accommodate 2 travelers) is okay (right?), like so:

but is it also okay to run a hot out to a 3-way switch and bring both travelers back in the same 13/3+G cable, then route along to the other switch and then to the lamp, like so?

If so, what about doing that with both switches, like so?


texts: Can a bathroom outlet be wired to a GFCI in another bathroom

texts:
I live in a fairly new, less than 10 year old, rental complex.

The outlet in one bathroom is not a GFCI, but is wired to a GFCI in another bathroom -- the two bathrooms do not share a wall.

Is that legal?

Also in kitchen, two GFCI outlets are wired to each other, such that if one on left trips, the one on right also stops working.  Is this legal?


texts: Why would a shower pump turn on when not required?

texts:
In my long loft I have two shower pumps and two hot water cylinders.  The pump/tank on the far end of the loft is for 1 bathroom and the pump/tank on the near end is for another bathroom.

After running the shower at the far end of the house, when I turn the shower off, the shower pump at the near end of the loft starts for 1 second, stops for 1 second and then repeats.  It goes on for about 3 or 4 minutes.  Obviously, with all this starting and stopping, it reverberates through the house quite loudly (it sounds like it's trying to escape!)

Why would this happen?

p.s. not enough rep to create tags 'shower-pump' and 'hot-water-cylinder'


texts:
I recently moved into a new house and I've been mapping my panelboard. I've got pretty much everything mapped except for a couple circuits. I know there are some experienced folks on here so I thought I'd see if anyone could weigh in on what I'm looking at here or had any advice.

Some context, I live in the northeast of the US and many of the appliances are gas powered (stove top, gas boiler, water heater, and dryer). The largest electrical loads on the panel from what I can tell are the condenser fan/compressor unit on the outside of the house and the AC/blower unit in the attic. Each of those are on their own 240V 20A circuit. Everything else, except for one circuit (next paragraph), is a single pole 20A or 15A circuit.

I've mapped each breaker by opening it and then checking the voltage at the terminals and then checking the lights/outlets throughout the house. What I'm having some trouble with is the following:

There is a 240V 30A circuit and I have no idea what it is connected to. Even if I were to open it, how would I know what to look for if I don't have any idea what it might be powering? I'm confused because I'm not sure what other load in the house would require a circuit that size. There are no major electrical heating elements that I know of (its all hydronic) and the only large motor loads are the compressor/condenser fan motor and attic unit.
I think the last two breakers might be bad. I get 300-700 mV readings when I open them and check the voltage across either of their terminals. Thus even when I open them I can't tell what is on them. I plan to replace both of them soon.


texts: replacing tub surround: pros and cons glue-up vs direct-to-stud?

texts: i'd like to replace my aging (PVC) tub surround with a sturdier, but inexpensive, multi-panel acrylic (or similar). Noticed those are either glue-up or direct-to-studs. What are the pros and cons of each install method?


texts: 1/4 sink cold water shut off valve doesn’t completely stop water

texts: My bathroom sink faucet is leaking and I’ve already replaced the aerator and was going to replace the seats and springs. Turned the hot water off successfully but when I tried to turn the cold water off and let the rest of the remaining water run out of the faucet, the cold water was still flowing. I have a 1/4 turn off valve and I don’t know what to do... the water doesn’t stop flowing. Any ideas as to what I should do?


texts: I have a Chamberlain 045ACT garage door opener.  It has a wired push button for opening and closing the door. I want to add a second button, so I can open and close it from two different places.  How do I do this? Have you tested to verify it works?


texts: How to untangle spring for kitchen faucet hose?

texts:
I'm trying to install a Grohe Concetto kitchen faucet with a spray hose.  There is a long spring that is put over the hose in order to create the tension needed to help the hose return after it has been extended.  The instructions are mediocre at best and I found a better illustration in an older set of instructions on-line.  As I pulled the spring off of the hose, it got away from me and managed to tangle in one spot and I cannot figure out how to untangle this.  The ends of the spring are attached to plastic rings so the ends aren't open.  Essentially a long closed-end slinky.

Help...I feel like I've created the new Rubik's Cube.

Here's a link to the part listing with a picture of the spring part compressed.


texts: Why does my oven temperature keep rising?

texts:
I have an old gas oven that is having a temperature problem. When it's turned on, the temperature keeps rising and rising, not stopping at the set temperature. It gets up to 500+ degrees.

This trouble started after we moved the oven from one house to another, and didn't use the oven for a year. I'm not sure if either of those facts could have caused the problem.

The oven has had a bad thermocouple before, which we replaced, and it was working well for 5 years before it was moved.

Can a thermocouple die in 5 years and cause this problem? Is there something else that could cause it?


texts:
My home was built brand new in 2016. I have a front porch and two back decks made of redwood and they all creak so badly, it's almost embarrassing...

Anyone have any tips on how to quite them down?


texts:
I have a dining room that I want to convert into a home office. There are two openings that I would like to close up and put doors in.

Here is a rendering of both locations:

I made an attempt at what the framing would look like.

For the first opening:

And the second opening:

Do these openings look right? The inner frames are outlines of the prehung doors that I plan on putting there. For the smaller opening, there isn't enough room in between the wall and the door frame to insert anything but shims. Will that be okay? Also, for the larger opening, can I get away with not screwing into the floor?

Thanks for any tips.


texts:
I'm currently in the process of decorating and making my new home look nice and
a big thing that is bothering me is the dust from inside the radiator vent, there is a lot!

The radiator cover is meant to come off, but I think it has been fitted wrongly. No matter what I try I can't seem to get this cover off.

According to this PDF-Document, I should be able to to remove it quite easily.

I'm getting frustrated, can someone tell me how I can remove this or confirm that it is poorly fitted.

^This is the side view. As you can see the assembling is preventing the freedom of movement.

The brand is Stelrad.


texts:
I am looking for a simple mechanical device that I can install in the supply line for the fridge-water-filter and that will turn of the water if it ever runs for more than a minute. (Most fridges turn off the water themselves after about a minute, so if the water runs longer, there is a leak.)

I am assuming a device like this would be simple to build, yet I have been unable to find one for purchase. Does something like that exist?

I would prefer a mechanical solution, but an electronic one would work too. However, I don't want the system to rely on some form of humidity detection, as that does not reliably work with a fridge (I just had a fridge completely fill with water before it started leaking.)


texts:
I recently installed a thermostatic mixing valve on the hot water feed to my shower pump which has a max water temp. (One of these https://www.commercialwashroomsltd.co.uk/assets/docs/products/TMV3_Spec_sheet.pdf ) This has an integral check valve.

However I seem to have an air lock in the system. I can clearly hear the water trickling down the mixed outlet. Is it possible that this is cause by air trapped behind the check valves? Is this even physically possible? I have tried draining and refilling the system to try and remove the air.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

About the system: Gravity fed. Dedicated supply to the mixer valve from both the hot water cyclinder and cold water tank which feeds into the shower pump that feeds just one shower.


texts: My Toilet Keeps Making Sounds Like It Is Filling Up Every 3 Minutes

texts: What is causing my toilets to kick on every other minute? It's not flushing - it sounds like the water is filling up. Does this make the electric bill higher?


texts: What are the pros and cons of solatube vs velux solar tubes?

texts:
I want to install a solar tube to bring light to a room with no windows.

There are sadly no standards to be able to compare products in the market. I would expect a "lumens" spec that lets you compare light output of one product to another, like they have for LED lights for example.

Given such data doesn't exists, could anyone recommend (based on lumens and other features) between:
1. solatube
2. velux
3. whatever this is (sold via costco)

One thing I know is that I want frosted glass/plastic on the inside.
I noticed velux has a huge dome vs solatube being a small dome, and the costco thing being not a dome at all... thoughts?


texts: Can I support the front of a microwave with only one of three bolts?

texts: Got a Kenmore OTR microwave to replace a GE OTR microwave.  Already removed the GE, but I just noticed that the Kenmore is quite a bit deeper.  That's no big deal, but my trouble is that the top cabinet mount bolts for the Kenmore line up with cam nuts that keeps the cabinet together.  I can get the middle bolt in though.  I have heard most of the weight is supported by the wall mount.  Do you think I would be ok to only mount the microwave with the wall plate and only 1 bolt on the top cabinet?


texts: Interior walls - why skim coat with joint compound?

texts:
Roughly put, my understanding of the history of interior walls is:

In olden days, plaster.  Good/bad/indifferent - not everything was 3-coat.  Good work took time. $$$
Drywall.  Faster, cheaper.  Largely supplanted plaster, ex in Europe and Boston.  $
Then, skim coat.  With joint compound. $$?

Apparently, skim coat looks better than straight drywall?  If so, is that because the (taped & coated) joints are hard to hide?

Bonus question: if you're going to skim anyway, why not use veneer plaster, either over blueboard or over drywall plus a bonder?  Am I wrong in thinking that plaster is much easier to trowel?

(Full disclosure: I'm going to do some drywall, for the first time.  I have done some veneer plastering.  I found the results more that adequate, and didn't think it was impossibly difficult - mostly, it set faster than I wanted.  But, I'm far from a pro.)


texts: Can someone identify this gate pillar mounting?

texts: As in the question title, I have these brackets mounted in the pillars at the front of my driveway. Can anyone tell me what I am supposed to attach to them in order to mount gates or some-such?


texts:
I replaced a switched outlet together with a switch, but now the outlet has permanent power no matter what position the switch is in. When I was replacing this single pole switch, I think I wasn't too carefull about attaching all the wires to the same connectors. One of the black wires was connected to the ground screw. I thought it was a mistake made by the previous owner, and I attached all the black wires together on the switch. Please take a look at the pictures that I am attaching, and please advise what I should try to change in my set up to make the outlet be controlled by the switch again.
P.S. At first I thought the problem was a defective switch and replaced it once again, but it didn't solve the issue. I did replace all other outlets in the same room without any issues, although none of them was switch controlled.


texts: Which pipe thread compound/dope options can be combined with PTFE tape?

texts:
As I am shopping for pipe thread compound/dope I find there are some major categories that seem to have different use cases but I am not sure about all the pros and cons. Most discussions online lump all these products together as "pipe dope", but I am worried about the distinctions.

In particular, I have in front of me one compound that contains TFE, and one that contains oils and lithium and minerals which is labeled to avoid use on plastic pipes.

Will the TFE compound react negatively with PTFE tape? Will the no-plastics-allowed oil compound?


texts: Load bearing water resistant substrate for floating shelves in kitchen

texts: I'm planning on hanging 4' floating shelves in my kitchen.  These shelves are 2" x 12" x 48".  Roughly 27 lbs each, and of course they will be loaded with dishes.  I should also mention the walls surrounding them will be tiled.  I bought floating shelf brackets from walnut wood works rated at 150 lbs w/ a 12" lever arm.  They consist of a 32" x 1.5" x 3/8" bar with three 3 x (3/4" x 6") pegs. My biggest concern is mounting. The holes are not on any relevant centers so I know I will be drilling new ones.  My concern is making sure I have enough points of contact.  Since the beam is 32", best case scenario is that I hit three studs.  Two is much more likely.  Also, in my opinion 1.5" is probably too narrow to sink two screws into a single stud.  I was debating removing the sheetrock and putting in cross members between the studs where the shelves were going, patch the sheetrock and then install. Is there a better method?


texts:
Today I inspected the drain and trap under the kitchen sink. I haven't really had any specific problem but I guess the drain could be faster. Sometimes I start the disposer to make it drain quicker. I have spotted some sort of grease leaking out of the trap and I will clean that up but my question is - is this an optimal drain plumbing? Something seems off in this installation but maybe it's just my lack of experience.

On the right side, difficult to see in these particular pictures, there is a copper pipe section that goes down to the sewer and also up to a vent on the roof.

Please, forget the section of drywall I removed. I just wanted to see the hot and cold water pipes as I'm also trying to fix a water hammer issue, but that is another story.


texts: Convert switched nightlight+outlet to non-switched outlet

texts:
I live in Texas in the United States.
I have a 2-gang plate--one gang is occupied by a switched duplex outlet (not half-switched half-hot, but entirely switched) and the other gang by an outdated nightlight+switch unit manufactured by Eagle Electrical. This switch controls both a ceiling light and the duplex outlet aforementioned.
I would like to convert the duplex outlet to be entirely non-switched and hot; in other words, I don't want the switch to control either of the outlets anymore. (The switch would only control the ceiling light.)
Below is a drawing of the configuration I found when I looked behind the 2-gang plate. Everything was encased in an outlet box and I did not take out, nor look behind, the outlet box.

It's a bit complicated. At the top I've drawn three flaps (these are the flaps at the back of the outlet box) and coming out of each flap is a black/white/copper trio of wires. Throughout, B stands for black wiring (which I've also drawn with black marker), W for white, C for copper, R for red. There is one shaded cable coming out of the switch (the switch is in the lower-right of the drawing)---this shaded cable was brown.
Also, yes, the duplex outlet is upside down. I'm told this is common for switched outlets.

Main Question. How can I reconfigure this so that the duplex outlets are hot, and no longer controlled by the switch? I am not a
professional electrician, so any guidance on what coloring I should
use on any new wires I need to connect would also be very welcomed
information.

Side questions:

Is it possible that there is another device, and not just the outlets and the ceiling light, that is somehow controlled by this switch? (I couldn't otherwise figure out the need for the three black wires into the three flaps.)

Is the drawing enough information to safely rewire to achieve my goal? Or do I need to test something, or understand what's behind the flaps, to proceed?


texts: How do I remove a push-pull tub drain stopper?

texts:
We have a bathtub that has a push pull drain stopper, and I need to clean out some gunk. The problem is that I can't get the stopper out of the drain. I (finally) got the top knob removed, and I read that there could be a screw to loosen. Unfortunately, there is no screw, and when I raise and lower the stopper, whatever the stopper is attached to also raises and lowers. The stopper raises only enough to barely slip a pair of needle-nose pliers underneath the stopper and feel the shaft in the middle, so I can't see what's underneath.

It seems that most of the videos I can find are for lift-and-turn stoppers, and the videos for a push-pull stopper have a screw to loosen under the knob. Any suggestions?

The hole has a diameter of approx. 1/4", and the depth from the top edge of the stopper to the center is about 3/8".


texts:
I'm attempting to repair an interior door that is sticking. I first thought the problem was with the door but I soon discovered that the door frame is loose at the base. (see image)

I guess I have two questions.

How does the loose door at the base cause the catching issue in the upper, opposite corner?
How do I go about repairing the loose framing?

I appreciate any advice that you can send my way.


texts: I have my A/C set to 82, by 3pm or later temp is 88-89. Does having the pilot lit on heater cause A/C to not work properly?


texts: Can I connect ground to my ungrounded porch?

texts:
I live in a 40 year old house that has a porch added by the previous owner roughly 10 years ago. The porch contains two three prong outlets that have an open ground. Both outlets are protected by a GFCI on the first receptacle. When I bought the house the inspector found the open ground with a tester but noted that because of the GFCI it still met code.

I found the situation odd though because the GFCI outlet is connected to the incoming ground wire. And that circuit contains receptacles inside the house that are grounded. I followed the wires back to the house. Here's my best shot at a diagram:

inside - attic - closet - j1 - j2 - r1 - r2
closet - fan

The circuit inside the house runs up to the attic where there's a combination 3 prong receptacle / light fixture. Ground is good to this point. I did find that the fixture was wired with hot and neutral reversed and I fixed that. The ground wire exiting the box here is not connected.

The wire exiting the attic goes to an outside closet that looks original to the house. It contains a combination 2 prong receptacle / light fixture. The ground wire coming from the attic is loose here and cut short. There are two outgoing wires from this box. Their grounds are connected to each other but not to the incoming ground.

One of the wires exiting the closet goes to a ceiling fan on the porch.

The other wire exiting the closet goes through two junction boxes to the porch receptacles. All the grounds are connected in these boxes.

So ground is connected everywhere execpt between the attic and closet where both ends of the ground wire are loose.

My guess from all this is that the circuit originally ended at the closet. There was no need for a ground in the closet so the electrician cut it short in the closet and didn't bother connecting it in the attic. The porch addition was wired as though ground were available and then just never connected to true ground.

Is there any reason why they didn't connect it? Is there any reason I shouldn't connect it? The ground wire is cut slightly short in the attic but there's enough that I can connect it without any trouble. It's too short to connect in the closet though. I'd have to either get someone to run a new wire or extend it. Can I just attach a couple more inches with a wire nut?


texts: One outlet in house is hot while turning all breakers off

texts: One outlet does not appear to be attached to a breaker in the breaker panel.  Only in shutting the main breaker off does that outlet lose electricity.  Is this dangerous?  Is there a remedy?


texts: How to reduce noise from my refrigerator?

texts:
I live in a studio appartment and there is a fridge in my room which makes sleeping difficult. Is there a way to reduce the noise it makes? Is it maybe possible to cover it with noise insulant without keeping the waste heat inside?

Update:

Thanks for your tips and hints. I just moved the refrigerator from the kitchen behind a little wall:

I’m wondering if I could cover this alcove with a heavy curtain (maybe using polyester fiber as HerrBag suggested). Do you think the air volume (~ 0.7 m x 1.7 m x 2.3 m) and the walls would suffice to absorb the heat (and noise) of the refrigerator?


texts: How to reinforce a Wobbly hipped roof gazebo built on a concrete patio?

texts:
My husband is building a 10x10 hipped roof gazebo by our pool.  It looks great, but the closer he gets to finishing and adding more weight on top with the shingles etc. the shakier it becomes.
It is secured with post brackets into the concrete.  The posts are 6x6.
Is there any way to reinforce the mounted portion to the concrete to reinforce?


texts: Every time when its a heavy rain fall, the one side and part of the front porch floods and over time it caused my porch to sink. The flood is usually 1 foot deep and it disappears minutes after it stop raining.  I decided to remove the wooden porch and replace it with concrete for better support. But sometimes I think I should do more than just replace the porch.  Is there any more solutions someone can give me that may stop the flooding. Do I need to build up area with dirt or rocks?


texts:
I am currently planning out a lighted fountain to give as a gift later this year. It will be a flat back wall with water trickling down the face, side lit with LED strips behind frosted plexiglass.

The water feature will be fed by a low power pump located in the fountain, and the LED lighting has a ballast that goes to a plug. Both of these would require a receptacle, and are limited by the length of the cord.

What I would like to do, is have a double rocker type light switch, with the switches hardwired to control the pump and lights respectively, with a wall plugin feeding the power for the light switch.

How would I go about doing this, or am I really just looking at more work than it is worth?


texts: Help repairing Door frame/trim repair due to pet damage

texts:
I need some help fixing my front door. door frame damage

How can i fix this damage to the door? Obviously the weather strip is easy but the actual wood is scratched up, deeper in some areas than other. Can i use a wood filler? Should i just sand it paint it and sand it again?

I have not tried anything yet. In addition the door is scratched up, not deep but noticeable. Would I need to repaint the door? Thanks!

Any help appreciated!

Thank you,

Alan


texts: If I use (2) 3/4" inlet PEX manifolds (hot/cold), do I need 1" PEX supply from the meter?

texts: I am replacing all the plumbing in my house and to the meter.  I will be using PEX.  I have manifolds for hot and cold with 3/4" inlets and 1/2" outlets at the valves.  Do I need to use 1" PEX tubing from the meter and split to (2) 3/4 to the manifolds?  I just want to eliminate pressure drops in the house as much as possible.


texts: Just moved into a new home with well water and it looks like I have two types of filters.  No identifying labels so I'm a little confused about what is what.  In my previous home, I just had a plain sediment filter.  This new setup looks like a sediment filter -- odd that it would have opaque cover though -- and some three-phase filter with pressure gauges.


texts: How can I both insulate and get a latch to work on this window? Foam kerf insulation strips

texts:
After trying many options, I've finally found something that might work to reduce drafts and noise through these 1925 historic windows:

But that latch.  Original brass, matches the house, but won't work well with the insulation.  Is there a latch style that might be better available in a vintage style?

I went to the foam kerf style because the more modestly size rubber bulb insulation is so stiff it can't make for good compression, given the relatively wimpy single latch on each window.  Sticky foam on the casing similarly failed because the gap ranges from zero to 1/4" or more.  The window swings out on hinges.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do I eliminate the “whooshing” sound of water running though pipes?

Good morning, just a quick question for you, if you can help me?
Just recently there is a surging sound through out the house when "any" water is turned on, what could this be?  The sounds stops as soon as the water is turned off.
As a side note, the city water people came and replaced my water meter in the front yard, could this have anything to do with this "new" sound?
Thank you, for any insight you can allow me.
Sincerly,
Miss M


texts: Kitchen cupboard replacement hinges too close: How to fix?

texts:
I've replaced the hinges on my kitchen cabinet doors because the spring in the old ones broke.  I've used these as they were closest to the old hinge type.

Unfortunately, the two cupboard doors are now too close together and won't close. Even if I use the adjustments on the new hinges, the doors are still too close together. The overlap seems to be slightly over 6mm / a quarter of an inch.

I'm thinking I might have to inlay where the new hinges are mounted to the cupboard frame, but this seems a bit drastic.

Are there any better ideas?


texts:
I have a 1950s house with a glass-brick window in the shower. In the middle of the glass brick is a metal frame with an openable frosted (not smooth) glass window.

Hopefully a straightforward question here: I need to reglaze the openable window. Other than gray color to match visually, is there any special consideration as to what type of compound to use?  Or just regular old glazing compound/putty?


texts: Sealing leaking cracks in concrete lanai roof that is also an upstairs balcony

texts:
First, I want to apologize for the length of this. I like to think I'm a reasonably competent DIYer but this one may be out of my wheelhouse. (and I'm not even sure what type of contractor I'd call for the repair)

Here's the situation: My patio behind my house has a lanai (roof) covering it that also doubles as the upstairs patio/balcony off the master bedroom. It is wood framed with a plywood deck and then it appears that about 3" of concrete was poured on top of that. There is a stucco ceiling on the bottom.

A little more than a year ago or so, we discovered we had a termite problem and as a result had to do some structural repairs to include replacing the LVL beam that holds up the lanai/upstairs patio. In the process of (unevenly) jacking the lanai up a little bit to replace the beam, they cracked the concrete upstairs in a few places. The contractor assured me that 'oh we'll squeegee in some epoxy and you'll be good go' -- they also replaced some areas of concrete where we took the old railing down (which are just raw concrete at this point, not painted or anything.)

Long story short, the cracks (and maybe unpainted areas of concrete) are a problem. When it rains, I see water dripping through the stucco ceiling below.

Any advice on where to start with this? Is there a pragmatic (read: cost effective) solution that doesn't involve replacing the entire upstairs patio? Something like a skim coat over top or something?


texts: What are the disadvantages of having electrical conduit penetrate my foundation below-grade?

texts:
I'm having an electrician wire a lamppost in the backyard. His initial proposal was to do something like this picture shows:

(The diagram is from this article.) The conduit's rise from the ground and entry to the house would be in a prominent place and would be an eyesore, not to mention difficult to install a paver patio around.

I suggested that since the house is on a crawlspace, the conduit could go straight through a hole in the foundation and into the crawlspace. The hole would of course be sealed somehow to keep moisture and critters out of the crawlspace.

It seems that drilling a hole through the foundation is not to be undertaken lightly. So other than the extra work it requires, are there other disadvantages to taking the conduit straight into the crawlspace below-grade?

Note that the house is clad in brick so a hole through masonry will be required either way.


texts:
Hooking up power to a shed only going to have a few receptacles and a light.
I have 30 amp power close by where I use to use for a camper it’s only run off of 120 with 3 wires my question is can I use that for a 30amp subpanel with 2 breakers I was told I can jump off the other leg in the panel to make the other bus bar hot for 120v going to be useing a 20amp breaker for receptacles and a 15 for the light


texts:
I'm looking to buy a cordless hammer drill. What should I buy? Note: It can be just a drill not a screwdriver too if that makes a difference.

Its purely for diy. No real budget in mind, more just looking to see what makes I should be considering.


texts: Should I scrape bubbled skim coat off to repair my ceiling?

texts:
We have a drywall ceiling with a couple butt joint seams that were visible.  Had a guy come in and I think (a few years ago) used Durabond to feather them out.
Last week I thought I would tackle it all and give it a skimcoat (joint compound, rolled on and smoothed out) which looked great.  I let it set for a few days and sanded any imperfections.  I primed it. And then used Valspar ceiling paint (the stuff that goes on pink, turns white).
The areas where the Durabond was used bubbled or actually weakened. The skimmed joint compound was not sticking to the Durabond--I could easily pull the skim off those areas.  I think I will need to scrape out the sections that come off easily and redo.  But should I prime the Durabond sections and then skim over it?  I am hoping the entire ceiling does not come off either, going to test it later.


texts: Is the ability to save pictures worth it in an inspection camera?

texts:
I am about to run a whole ton of communication cable in an existing two-story house, and so I am considering buying an inspection camera to help with this. As I started looking around, they range in price from about $75 on sale to $800. I'm not a pro contractor, but this will be a tool I use a few times a year (mostly to help fishing wires), so I don't think I need anything really high-end: One model I was considering was the Royobi Tek4 Inspection Camera (which is ~$140).

What all the sub-$250 units seem to be missing is the ability to store images ("take pictures") on an SD card or whatever.

So my question is this: if you own an inspection camera, how often do you actually store images, and how useful is the ability? If you don't have a model that can do this, do you often wish you did (or end up using another camera to take a picture of the screen)? For casual, non-pro use, is it worthwhile to spend $100+ additional on this ability?

EDIT: Follow-up, a year and a bit later

I ended up purchasing a fairly simple model that doesn't have the ability to store pictures. I've taken a picture of the screen using another camera once or maybe twice. The problem is it's exceptionally hard to get a picture that has enough context for other people to understand. In most cases, you really have to be the one holding and manoeuvring it to understand what it is you're looking at.

I've used this primarily for fishing cables and drilling holes (using a very long installer's bit) inside finished walls, and it's allowed me to avoid hitting plumbing (in spots where I never would have even attempted to drill blind) and just generally work within tight spaces. It's very useful for getting a fish line through a hole in a sill plate while working through a hole in drywall the size of a single-gang retrofit box. I've also used it to see behind pipes and vents to trace wiring/plumbing.

It's one of those tools that you can get by without for the most part, but it saves a lot of time, and once you have it you start finding a lot of uses. That said, it's saved me enough time and from opening enough drywall that it's easily paid for itself.


texts: Putting in GFCI outlet where none existed

texts:
I'm replacing a pool light and opened the junction box displaying the wiring for the light. I see one white wire and one black wire (Line side) connected to the black and white wires to the light. Also, there is a red wire in the box capped off and a green ground wire attached to the back of the box. Since there is no electrical outlet, I want to put in a GFCI outlet so that I can use the outlet to plug in things. I understand that the black and white line wires will go in the line side on the GFCI outlet. How will the new pool light wires connect to the GFCI outlet, into the load terminals?

Florida


texts:
thanks in advance for help. I'm trying to finish a shower that was in progress from a crew until we had to send them packing with the job unfinished. They installed a shower stall, with tile up the walls until about 18" from the ceiling (and that was our design-- they did that part right). The tile is done, but the last 18" is still exposed cement board. On the way out, the tile setter said "just mud over that top part and paint it."

Is it really that simple? Just put a coat of mud over the top of the cement board and paint? Thanks!


texts: What are the uses of the various schedules of PVC pipe?

texts:
I had a plumber come out the other day to do some work and I offered up some spare PVC that I had leftover from various projects and he told me that it was schedule so-and-so and wouldn't be appropriate/durable for the task I had in mind.

I had never even paid attention to the fact that PVC pipes came in different "Flavors" or schedules and always just grabbed whatever I came upon first that was the right size. Kinda scary thinking about all the DIY projects I have used it on.

So can someone give me a brief summary of the different schedules of PVC pipes available and what each one should be used for?


texts: Should I put some glue in the pre drilled hole before installing an eye screw?

texts:
Going to put in some eye screws under the deck for a swing.

Should I add some glue in the predrill for extra durability?

I've also read vaseline is good for easier installation, but that's opposite of what I'm asking...


texts: Whooshing sound in water supply lines in my house

texts:
I would like to resurface this question. I put it on StackExchange a few months ago and I now believe I know the cause of my problem but can't seem to come up with a good solution.

I replaced the main water shutoff valve in my home last September. Since then whenever I run water anywhere in the house including sinks, showers or toilets I get a very loud whooshing in the supply lines while the water is running. This happens on both the hot and cold sides. I didn't have this before. One clue is that when I shut off the water at any faucet I can hear water continuing to run through the lines for another four or five seconds before the sound stops. It never varies. Another clue might be that when I replaced the main shutoff valve I was very careful to turn on the water at the curb very slowly so that I wouldn't slam the plumbing and cause a leak. I now believe the problem is with trapped air somewhere in the line coming into the house. However, opening the faucets and letting the water run hasn't solved the problem or made it better.

Someone on this site suggested that I might have an inverted U somewhere in the supply line that has trapped air in it. If so, could this have been caused by turning on the water at the curb too slowly and not flushing the air out of the inverted U? I think this may be the case because it would explain the whooshing and the delayed shut down due to the water pressure compressing the air in the inverted U section after I shut off the faucet. The supply lines are behind walls and mostly inaccessible so I can't visually verify this.

Assuming the above deductions are correct, could I possibly solve this by shutting off the water again at the curb - Then open all of the faucets inside and outside the house to prevent high pressure from slamming them and then opening the main valve at the street more quickly to flush any air out of the line?

I would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions.


texts: How do I replace insulation around knob and tube wiring

texts:
My drywall ceiling developed a large crack over the last two months (after being fine for 70 years), and investigating my attic I discovered the lower layers of insulation were soggy and the drywall was wet and had a layer of mold. I plan to replace the drywall, and I have a roofer coming soon to look for the source of the water.
The problem is the attic is covered by a vapor barrier, what appears to be about 3 inches of loose fiberglass insulation, and then about another 6 inches of cellulose insulation. This is currently completely covering the knob and tube wires that run along the sides of the joists. I have seen some old questions here and discussions elsewhere that discuss the old code that knob and tube wiring should not be insulated, but my understanding is that new code allows insulation as there is no evidence of insulated knob and tube causing fires.
Even so, I would like to replace the ruined insulation with something new and ideally fire resistant like mineral wool. However, for the ~9sq ft area, I cannot rent a blower to use blown in insulation, and I don't know how I could place batt insulation around the wires. I suppose I could cut a thin strip to go between the wire and the wall, and cut around the knobs.
What is the safest way to replace this insulation, without replacing the entire knob and tube wiring or renting a blower?


texts: How do I wire one outlet and two separate light switches in a three-gang box?

texts:
I'm remodeling an older bathroom. I would like to replace a combination switch/receptacle with two separate light switches and a receptacle in a three-gang box.

The white and black wires on the power feed from the attic are connected to the receptacle/switch combo in the lower left wood box frame in the first picture. The red wire from the same attic power feed is not connected to anything right now.

Thanks very much in advance for any insight.


texts: For a single 12-2 NM cable, what hole size should be drilled?

texts: I know that code specifies the maximum hole size based on the framing member, but is there a recommended hole size for a single 12-2 NM cable?


texts: Add electrical generator breaker to service box

texts:
I have the service panel pictured below and I'm trying to add a Generator Interlock breaker to feed my house via a generator. I'd like to have a manual transfer switch inside the fuse box where I can set whether to allow electricity from my main utility or from my generator. I already have a L14-30 power inlet box (see second picture below) for connecting my generator. Since this fuse box is inside a concrete wall, I plan to later install one of those breaker home surge protectors.

Service Panel

L14-30 power inlet box

I know I probably don't have much room in this fuse box and will probably need to have it replaced. I need some recommendations on how to go about this while trying to save the current breakers that work fine.

BTW, the cables that are coming from the main leads are from 2 AC inverter mini split units that were installed. I'd also would like to add those to a breaker. They do already have one on the roof.

Generator interlock breaker example

Main breaker (Outside next to electrical meter)

AC Roof Breaker panel


texts:
The other day, out of the blue, a light switch would not turn the light associated with it off.  I flicked the switch up and down about a dozen times and the light would not turn off.

I'm a complete novice and don't know where to start.  I took the light switch cover off to see if anything obvious jumped out at me, but no luck.

Thanks...


texts:
I have a Lennox heat pump which has an air handler with a Lennox X7935 Carbon Clean Healthy Climate MERV 16 Filter installed.  These filters are like $105 per at least.  When we purchased this whole system from Horizon, they stated we'd only ever need to change a filter once a year.  One year later when we had our maitanance, they asked if we ever changed out filter, to which we responded no.  Turns out, it's supposed to be replaced every month or couple of months.

I see that there a lot of aftermarket filters out there with the exact same dimensions, but a slightly lower MERV rating.  My question is, should I stick to the factor installed filter, or is it ok to go with an aftermarket brand?  Some of the ones I'm seeing are as low as $55 for two, vs. $105 for one.

For example, this is one of the aftermarket ones I'm looking at, vs. the standard one I use.

Other than less filtration, is there any other risks I should be concerned about?  Would this cause damage to my air handler or other components?


texts: How can I lift a sunken paver in the middle of my driveway / patio / walkway / sidewalk?

texts:
I have a couple pavers that have sunk in my driveway. If this was close to the edge, I’d take up a few, re-level and replace. But this is in the middle of a large expanse of pavers.

How can I pull up a few in the middle to fix this without having to pull apart 1/2 my driveway?


texts: Light junction box cover does not conceal the box opening

texts: I recently replaced a hallway ceiling light with a pendant, only to find that the supplied canopy was smaller (5") than the hole previously cut in the ceiling (6"). I'm hoping someone has encountered a similar problem and has devised an effective solution. (Attempting to repair the plasterboard doesn't seem like it would work.)


texts: How to figure out if regulation allows imported fuses that are higher quality than what is legally required, but is not readily accessible?

texts:
I live in Hong Kong and they kind of adopted British electrical standards.

I said "kind of" because they only use Class C (Commercial) MCB; Class B cannot be bought locally. I asked around and they all look at me like I have 2 heads.

The effect of this, based on product specification, is that over-current protection is not as sensitive. This also affects the RCBO protection because they are also rated for Commercial uses (less sensitive; takes more current to trip).

How do I figure out if I can install proper B class residential MCB and RCBO so that it is safer?


texts: How can I prevent my furnace and A/C from slamming doors?

texts:
What specifics will I need to collect to figure out if our furnace and A/C are sucking too much at the source/intake?

I don't know the proper terminology for these things, do forgive me for any errors here. We are in a 1,000 sq ft home. The air intake for the furnace and A/C is in our hallway near our bathroom and two bedroom doors. Any time the thermostat turns on, any doors that are within a foot or so of being closed are sucked closed, hard.

Is there a way to determine if our furnace and A/C are sucking more in than it should? Is there even a way to turn the volume of air down somehow?

Also, most likely contributing to quite a bit of our home energy cost is a whole house attic fantasy we no longer use mounted in the hallway right next to the furnace and A/C intake. Is it a problem having this whole house fan still installed?

The louvers don't actually open and close when the thermostat turns on, but I'm sure it sucks some air from the attic.


texts: Bathroom Tile Removal - Underlayment and membrane coming up

texts:
I'm removing all the tile in a bathroom. While removing though, I believe it's the underlayment is coming up with some of the tiles.  I was wondering what are the reprecussions of this.

Picture:

Does this matter? Can I still lay tile on top of this even though it's coming up?
Can I repair the underlayment? If so, how?

A lot of the articles online for #2 are for water damage. This isn't the case for me.

Thanks,
Justin W.


texts: What miter and bevel angle do I need for coping 38/52 crown molding?

texts: I'm trying my hand at coping crown molding.  I cut a couple of test pieces to try it out but it's not working very well.  My first attempt was cutting the miter 45°, that didn't work, the angle was too steep.  Then I tried cutting it at 38°, closer but the bottom is open.  What am I doing wrong?  Is the bevel important?


texts: What size screws and spacer should I use for installing shelves on tiles?

texts:
I need help confirming what size of screws, spacer and drillbit to use for installation of a shelf in my kitchen. Some specifics:

shelf is 200 x 30 x 1.8cm (spruce).
shelf brackets ask for 4mm screw.
using special drillbit as I will be screwing the shelf bracket into kitchen backsplash tiles.
backsplash is installed on solid wall, so I am not dealing with studs if that makes any difference.

I have tested the drillbit on a test piece of tile and am comfortable with the technique (ie, placing tape in an X) and the feel of the drillbit on the tile. My questions pertain to choosing the correct bracket, screws and spacers to ensure that the whole thing doesn't come crumbling down at some point.

As I noted above, the brackets call for a 4mm screw, and each bracket has a 50kg sign on it (I'm in Europe), but I'm uncertain if this means per bracket, or per set of 4 brackets? Given that this is going into a tile and is meant to hold a 200cm (200 x 30 x 1.8 cm) shelf, What length of screw should I use? Will a 4mm screw be sufficient? And how many of the brackets should I install (ie, what distance between each bracket - one at 10cm, 70cm, 130cm, 190cm - or will I be fine with 3 - 10 cm, 100 cm, 190 cm)?

Any other tips / suggestions please?

Thank you


texts:
I would like to put a tile surround 18" up around a tub.  I have discovered that that while the walls are vertical, the floor is not level.  Indeed one end of the bathroom is 2 inches higher than the other, if my black and decker laser level is to be believed.  (Hmm.  Check that.)

In a couple places the drywall has cracked, so the room has moved since the was drywalled 30 years ago.

I have visions of tiles (6" ceramic) popping of the wall if the house continues to shift.

I'm consdiering hanging a sheet of something by 2 screw at the top edge, with a couple washers behind the sheet as spaces, then using a dollop of silicon seal at the bottom edge. The spacers at the top allow for a reasonable thickness, and attaching tile to the sheet.

The idea is that this sheet is now decoupled from the house movement and can in essence float.

Is this workable?


texts:
I am currently working on demoing our kitchen and am not sure how to proceed. I recently did our bathroom and for the floor I left the old backerboard, chiseled remaining thinset, applied a self-leveling compound. For the kitchen there was a lot of thinset that didn't come off with the tiles so I was thinking of just replacing the backerboard.

However, there is this material between the backerboard and the subfloor that I'm concerned about.

Does anyone know what this is? It seems like it's some kind of fiber. Could it be a mat, felt, thinset, or adhesive? My main concern is that it contains asbestos.
Some more info: The house was built in the 1930s. The kitchen seems to have been remodeled somewhat recently (the tile I ripped out can be found at Home Depot). I'm not sure if the material is some kind of mat to reduce creaking or if it's really old and the previous owner left it there and just covered it with backerboard.
Any insights or suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated!


texts: Why is neutral wire connected to the right side of a plug?

texts: Why can't the neutral and live wires be exchanged when wiring a plug?


texts: How to install a handheld shower without drilling the shower membrane?

texts:
I have a shower what had a waterproof membrane applied over it (something like Redgard) and then tiled all around.

If I drill the drywall to install a handheld shower holder I will be effectivly "destroying" the waterproof. Is there another choice for affixing it to the wall?

I have the option to install the handheld shower holder in a lateral wall that is solid brick with tile on it. It won't touch the waterproofing, but the holder will be futher from the shower (about 50-60 cm) and in an unusual layout, that I would rather avoid if possible.


texts: Stain Grade Door - piece of veneer missing - how best to repair?

texts: I have a brand new door stain grade vertical grain fir or hemlock.  Any thoughts on how best to handle this damage?  I am not sure if the door came like this or if it was damaged by the door installer.  A replacement door is probably close to $800 after delivery.  It is the bottom of the door on the room side face of the door so I am not sure anyone but me would notice.


texts:
I have two sections of 3x12" wood that have been out in the weather for a few years and are now bowed across the 12" width of the wood.  The dip is pretty severe, maybe 1/2 an inch?  It seems like sanding would take way too long.

What would be the easiest way to flatten them out again?  Is there a tool designed to do something like this?


texts: Get water from pressure tank when pressure from direct provider is low?

texts:
I'm planning on DIYing our water tank and water pressure tank but need help on a few things. My plan is to have 2 water inline going into our house main line. First water inline will be direct from water provided. Second will be coming from our water tank which connects to a water pressure tank. However, I want the second line to release water only when water pressure in first inline is low (for ex: 20 psi). Is this possible? What materials do I need to get this to work?
From my understanding, water pressure tank has an always open water outlet so it releases water when a faucet is opened inside the house.
In theory, I can think of using some sort of water control gate valve on the second line and then a water pressure sensor on the first line that tells the water control gate valve on the first line the pressure on the second line. Then if for example the pressure on the first line is low, then the water control valve on the second line opens and vice versa. Although not sure if such devices exists.
Here's a diagram of what I plan to do for reference.

UPDATE:
Did some more research and found out about solenoid valves. I think this is what I need to automatically turn on the supply from the pressure thank. So basically on the outlet of the pressure tank, I'll put a solenoid valve which is connected to a pressure switch on the first line. Hopefully it works.
Appreciate any suggestions/feedback.
Regards,
Allen


texts: How do I support a deck-style floor in crawlspace?

texts:
This question is kind of a follow-up to the one asked here: how-should-i-add-flooring-in-my-crawl-space.  My crawlspace is exactly as the one described.

Basically my house is on a slope and have a very high (8-12ft) unsealed crawlspace. I would like to build a more even and level floor over the vapor barrier, like a deck, so that I can use the space more comfortably (e.g. storage, exercise room?, etc...). I have already added lighting. I don't have any intention of finishing or sealing or insulating or putting up walls. I just want some kind of floor, which will be a short distance (inches if possible) off the ground at the top of the slope and at most at about two cinder-blocks off the ground at the bottom of the slope (I will need a stair or two).

The question is, what's the easiest way to support this floor? Do I really need to dig down and cement in some posts or could I just level out concrete blocks or something without digging in?  Obviously aesthetics won't really matter, but it needs to hold some weight and I don't want it to fall over on me either.

In case it matters, I live in the SE USA so rarely experience freezing temps (i.e. no real frost line considerations to worry about), and I have built fences and pergolas before but never a deck.

EDIT: Adding more info as per comments. First some pictures - this is two-year old construction. Blocks until up to ground level, then it is framed. The "window" is actually a blurry vent. In the center of the crawlspace are a couple of the pillars seen in the second picture. I actually probably won't have to touch those by just building the floor across the rectangular 11' x 16' section that goes from the back wall to the first pillar.

The slope drops about 10 inches over 11 feet (i.e. 0.076) and is conveniently quite level across the back wall (i.e. the longer wall) so I only need to deal with slope in one dimension instead of two.

In two years, other than a small amount of water trickling in after extremely heavy rains (i.e. blowing sideways rain), it has stayed completely dry. I have checked this regularly to be sure.


texts: Connecting a Makita jigsaw (4351) to dry vacuum cleaner (Dyson)

texts: Could someone share their experiences with connecting a Makita jigsaw (22mm vacuum piece) to a regular vacuum cleaner (Dyson)? It appears that some people say it's just really impractical to connect a jigsaw to a vacuum? I suspect it might be a good idea to get a longer hose that's a bit more flexible than the average vacuum hose. What say you?


texts: Is storing hot water over 140F a regional requirement?

texts:
It seems to be "common knowledge" that to help prevent Legionella, hot water tanks/heaters should be set at 140F.  This temperature is enough to cause terrible burns and scalding so devices like thermostatic mixing valves are also commonly used.

However, in Texas where I am from, people set their water heaters to 120F for scalding safety.  I've never seen a thermostatic mixing valve installed in a house and haven't known anyone to set a water heater to what I would consider a very dangerous 140F.

I do notice that people that seem to be from colder climates make the 140F recommendation, so does it mainly come from areas with "boiler" systems?  Larger hot water tanks that would hold the water for longer (50 gallon is the max common size in TX)?  Is this a newer suggestion that I just haven't seen implemented?  Is it a commercial thing?

I'm just trying to find out where the discrepancy is between the people that say it's a hard requirement and the other people that would never consider heating water that hot in a residential system.


texts: Will cement used as mortar need to be replaced?

texts: I had some cracked/spalling bricks on my home as a result of water getting in and freezing during the winter.  I went ahead and replaced five bricks (three on top and two below) and accidentally used leftover cement that I had in an unmarked container, rather than my leftover mortar.  Will this end up compromising the structure of the home?  Given that it's only five bricks, would it need to be replaced?


texts: What is the most common stair tread depth and stair nosing length?

texts:
I am having my stairs rebuilt and was wondering what the most common stair nosing length is. I have seen code requires nosing overhang be no more than 1.25". Is 1.25" common? Or is 1" more common?

Another question I have is I have seen the most common tread depth is 11". Does that include the nosing overhang?

I would love to hear the tread depth, and nosing length that any builders like to use.


texts: Can I use an automatic pool cleaner designed for an above ground pool, in an inground pool?

texts: I found a new Dirt Devil Pool Boy automatic pool cleaner for an above ground pool. However, I have an in ground pool, and I'm wondering what the difference is? Does it have to do with traction (getting up the slope in an inground pool)?


texts: Is my doorknob handleset installed correctly?

texts:
I recently had a new front door installed and the installer also installed a new doorknob handleset (it's a Schlage F60 V CAM 619 ACC).

The new door is weather and impact resistant so it opens out and has some weather stripping to seal it firmly.

Detailed steps to reproduce my problem:

Stand outside with door properly closed and the deadbolt locked
Depress the thumb piece fully

At this point, the door jumps as if it's about to swing open toward you, makes a thud, and is only stopped by the deadbolt being contained within its strike plate. The latchbolt is no longer contained within its strike plate.

It seems to me that a storm/impact should not be prone to movements like this. I'm thinking that debris could hit the thumb piece during a storm and compromise the seal (you never know).

We've all probably seen and used doors like this. My question is whether this is correct or proper? Should I have the installer fix this? Should it simply be a matter of moving back the deadbolt's strike plate (towards the interior) to prevent the wiggle room after the thumb piece is depressed?


texts:
I want to use solar panels to create a power backup for a router(9V, 1A). I'm aware I'll require solar panels and batteries but am not sure how to choose suitable ones. Please help suggest me on selecting these. Also, what other things do I need? Where can I find them for bargain prices online?

Also please post any links to tutorials I might find useful.


texts:
I moved into an apartment with new counter tops. I'm not sure what type they are, but I think they are formica. They also said "glaze." Which I'm guessing is some sort of laminate?

Anyways, someone put a hot cup on the counter and it left a white stain. It isn't too bad, but my apartment will make me pay for it. Any way to restore it? Thanks!


texts:
We are in the middle of ripping out wood paneling in our living room and replacing with drywall.
After ripping out the paneling around the door we decided we'd like to raise our door frame up to be higher and to add an arch. This is our load bearing wall.
We were thinking about just doing two temporary A frames on either side of the door frame while we raise it.
Added better pictures (First one is a pan shot the beam is level and does not look morphed do to merging a large distance into a single picture)
Question: Is there a better way to go about raising the door frame or is this the easiest temporary solution.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Water Dripping out of Overflow Pipe outside of house near my kitchen?

texts:
I have a overflow? pipe near the kitchen drain on the outside of the house that's been leaking as of late, and I'm curious if anyone knows what the pipe is, what it does, and how to fix the issue?

Notes about my house: Heater is in the garage, kitchen is like 20 ft from there. AC is the other side of the house.


texts:
My neighbour built a new home, and a laneway home, 4 years ago. I believe he has a rock pit under the back house, and drain tile leading forward to the road (city) for the front.
I have been experiencing water pooling in the winter,all around my garage. Knee deep, in a garden bed.
We have soggy land, mossy grass, and cracks in all our concrete. For the past 2 years.
We dug a trench all along our foundation to see what was happening. we discovered, a 4 inch, perforated pipe,(holes on bottom only), capped, coming from under his laneway house.

This pipe would be on a upward slant from his back house, toward mine.
Is it possible, he is pumping the water up, and draining under my garage?
His laneway house is slab on grade, but his front house, is easily 12-15 in ground.
Im wondering if this pipe is an overflow of sorts, to keep his basement from flooding?

Yes the pipe is on my land, and I realize that issue, but Im really wanting to know if he was adding water.
My plumbers think its an overflow, and the engineer I spoke to said it could be drainage for his wall.


texts: Should I fasten brackets to the wall or desktop first?

texts: I have a 20"x60"x3/4" piece of knotty pine with three coats of lacquer.  I have two big support brackets.  This will be a minimalist desk, should I mount the brackets to the sheet then mount the brackets to the studs in the wall or should I put the brackets in to the studs then lay the sheet over and secure it to the braces? Any pros/cons to mounting it one way over the other?


texts: Kenmore glass-top oven range shorting out

texts:
My husband and I own a Kenmore slide-in glass-top oven, model 790-46359400.  Recently, my back right burner stopped working, so we ordered a replacement and put that in. The new burner works fine, but now we have a bigger problem: using any of the four burners for a few minutes results in a loud POP from the active burner and the stovetop shorting out.

When we look at the burner we were using, we see scorch marks on the wiring and harness. While replacing the original faulty burner, we removed the glass top itself from the oven instead of removing the assembly underneath. We think that the newly-loosened top is bumping/pressing on something.

Replacing this stove is not cheap.  Anyone have any idea why we're getting the short, and what we could do to fix it? We have some ATV high temperature sealant coming from Amazon that we plan to use to reattach the glass top. Is that enough, or do we need to do something else?

It's practically identical to this one on Sears.com.

Thank you in advance!


texts:
We have one room of a house which isn't much used, so we don't turn on the heating in it, or wouldn't except that it gets damp, so mold is a concern.

For reducing damp, is it more efficient to turn on the heating, or use a dehumidifier? The central heating system is gas-fired, and gas is several times cheaper, joule for joule, than electricity, but the dehumidifier presumably needs fewer joules of energy to do its job. Which factor is stronger?


texts: Transition between uneven floor; reducer is wobbly

texts:
sorry if it's a stupid question. I self-installed some laminate and the flooring manufacturer provided some reducer transitions. I have two doorways where the new floor meets vinyl plank tile I am installing. There is about a 3 mm height difference, but the reducer is meant for a greater difference, and the height difference is also too great for a T transition. Any suggestions of what to do here?

TL;DR, floors are too uneven for T transition, not uneven enough for reducer.

Additional info: I am not equipped with the tools to manufacture my own custom transition, so if that's your solution please advise where I can get someone to do this for me! Thanks!


texts: My Honda HRR2168VKA (self-propelled walk behind) lawnmower shakes violently when I start it up. I immediately turn it off. Is this a sign that I sheared the flywheel key or bent the crankshaft? Could it be something else? Is a bent crankshaft repairable? How do I tell if the crankshaft is bent?


texts: Pouring concrete slab around wood posts of covered porch

texts:
I have a covered back porch.  Sloped roof attached to the house on one end and supported by four 4x4's which are cemented in the ground on the other end (I assume there are cement footers below the soil.  This was done by the previous owner).
I want to remove the existing pavers and pour a concrete slab as my floor.  Are there any dangers to having it poured around the wooden posts holding up the porch roof?  Do I need to protect them somehow before the pour?


texts:
My compact fridge doesn't get cold,
the motor is still running. Ice built up in
the freezer part. I defrosted it, and hit it with a hammer to remove the ice.
Then I hit something , some kind of
smoke or gas appeared.
Can I repair it?


texts: Soft washing vs pressure washing-cleaning gable siding

texts: I have a older pressure washer that I was getting ready to put into use. Its primary use right now will be cleaning gable siding on a brick house. I've done some reading and I am sort of confused. The general recommendation is to use soft washing via the pressure washer on the siding. One of the benefits they mention is ability to clean siding from ground. However, when I read about pressure washing it says not to spray upwards because water can get trapped back behind siding. This seems to contradict each other. Can someone clarify this? Also, what is needed to soft wash besides the appropriate nozzles?


texts: What is the most efficient way to install my new outlets?

texts:
An electrician is installing a brand new 200amp panel (upgrading electric company service) right next to my existing panel in the basement. My current panel is in the wall flush with the drywall. The electrician says it'll be cheaper to install the new panel surface mounted with the drywall. That doesn't bother me but now I am wondering what the most efficient way to install my 8 new outlets will be.
They will each have a dedicated 20amp double pole breaker and won't be too far from the panel, probably only 4-6 feet. If the panel was in the wall I can wire them normally and then drywall again.

Since the panel will be out, what is the most efficient way to install them?
(The outlets can be positioned right next to each other.)

Do I need to run 8 separate conduits to each outlet?
OR Is there a way I can run a bigger size conduit down and then separate into 8 smaller ones for each outlet?

Looking for advice on what to do.


texts: Are cracks on exterior walls serious and can I fix them myself?

texts:
I recently noticed some mostly-vertical cracks present on some exterior walls.

In case it is relevant, this is a South Florida home built in the mid 50s.  The downstairs walls are CBS (Concrete Block Structure) and the upstairs bedroom/bathroom walls are wood frame.

EDIT: Added images.  Sorry for the quality (camera phone).

Downstairs:
East wall (front): Crack that starts about 3 feet from the ground and is about 6 feet long.  The crack itself is about 1mm wide.  I am not sure how deep is is.  There are some spots where there's a little bit of the wall chipping off, but the chips are not deep and are maybe 2mm wide on either side of the main crack.

This part of the house was added on a while before we bought it as an expansion.  The crack seems to have surfaced in close proximity to where the old wall would have ended.

East front

East front (closer)

East wall (rear): Crack starting in the corner of a window and working its way down about 3 feet.  Same thickness as east wall (front) crack.  Nothing chipping off yet.

East rear

Rear wall: Crack same as East wall (front) description.

Rear wall

West wall: Tiny cracks... thinner than the others I mentioned and not even a foot long, but there are 3-4 of them joining together.

Upstairs:
Larger crack (between 1mm-2mm) starting at the corner of one window, going down about 3 feet and halfway across to the other window corner.  The other window corner has its own crack starting there which works its way down about 3 feet as well, but doesn't join with the other crack.

My neighbor tells me that a few months before we bought the house, the upstairs window was actually a sliding glass door (yes, a sliding glass door to nowhere) and was replaced with a regular window.  This crack has me most concerned.

Upstairs

Those are the major cracks I've noticed.  I'm hoping to find out two things:

How serious is this?  I mean, really, is my house falling apart?
Is this something for which I can perform a quality repair job (if so, how) or should I seek a professional?


texts: How I prep a concrete garage floor for painting?

texts:
Is there any special considerations for painting a concrete garage floor as opposed to any other concrete surface?

I'm thinking in terms of foot and tire traffic.


texts: What's the best way to adjust a leaning gate post?

texts: I recently built a large double wood gate using 6x6x8 posts.  Each post was set with concrete in a 26" hole.   After some settling, one of the posts is now leaning about 1/4 inch toward the middle.  This is causing the gate to not open/close easily.  What is the best way to adjust the leaning post?  Or do I need to redo the post setting entirely?


texts:
We are considering installing recessed lighting on a ceiling that has another floor above it.  The ceiling currently has no light fixtures except a central ceiling fan.
I can't access the ceiling from the floor above.  I'd like to avoid having to rip down the entire ceiling to get at the joists and run wires perpendicular to them.
No, I don't have any other "special access" like around the edges of the ceiling. I will have to do everything from underneath it, while inside the room.
What are some good tools and methods for running wires from one recessed lighting fixture to the next?  Fishing from one fixture to another in the same joist bay seems pretty straightforward, but how do I get wiring through the joists across multiple bays?  The ceilings are higher than a normal room, so it's likely that I will have to run through 3 or 4 bays between lighting fixtures.
I'd also appreciate any advice on things to watch out for. I already know that there is no ducting or piping in the ceiling, but there may be wiring.  How do I ensure that I don't run into existing wiring?


texts: How do I prop-up or fix a wall that is slowly moving?

texts:
In the image, the single stack of breeze blocks on the right hand side has been slowly moving away from the wall over the last 4 years. The gate latch (also on the right hand side) is now rubbing against the breeze blocks and it's almost impossible to close the gate.

What are my options for fixing this problem?

One thing that I had thought of is getting one of those pull-up bars that you put between doorways for pull-ups (exercise) and expanding it between the two walls and pushing the walls apart again and leave it like that for a few months in the hope that they will re-settle as they were.

One of my friends suggested filing down the part of the latch that is rubbing but I don't want to do that because it's just delaying the problem as the blocks will probably continue to move.


texts: Should I have current running through my neutral wire in breaker box?

texts: There's 146v on one hot pole, 106v on the other and the neutral wire has 36v on it. My tester at some of the outlets in this trailer (made in the 80's) says hot/ground reverse and hot/neutral reverse. I checked the wires at the box on the pole it all looks correct, could it be a cross up at one of the receptacles maybe? This trailer is old, just bought it and it looks like many hands have been on it.


texts: Portable AC not getting ride of condensate

texts:
I have a portable AC (LG lp1015wnr) which does not evaporate the condensate. It doesn't matter if it is in Dry or Cool mode. In both modes the water is drained from the drain pipe at the same rate.

------------Edit (Further explanation)---------

The AC has two drains, on in the middle and one on the bottom. Also two modes of working.

Dry mode: Also know as dehumidifier mode. When the AC works in this mode, the condensate should be drained from the middle drain pipe (Which is a normal way of getting the water out).

Cool mode: In this mode, the AC vaporizes the condensate, so there should not be any water coming out of the middle drain. Only when the humidity level is high, the left over condensate which is not vaporized, goes down to the pan, which can be drained from the bottom of the AC.

When my AC is working in the cool mode, I see a lot of water running from the middle drain and I have to put a bucket under it. I expect the AC to vaporize that water and have the left over on the bottom pan, but as I explain, it is not happening. The question is why is this happening? Do I have to block the middle drain?


texts: Should building a new house include considerations about radon?

texts:
By chance I saw that there are a lot of radon questions here and it got me thinking:

Do I need to concern myself with potential radon levels when planning to build a new house? My question is based on long-term health considerations, and not so much any legal requirements. I plan to live there the next many decades.

Construction-wise, I have these specs:

For cost reasons, the house would be built without a basement (just a concrete-slab foundation) and without those cool newfangled active-ventilation systems.
Local laws require the house to be certified airtight.
There will be floor heating, so no radiators to create natural convection.
There will be a gas furnace that is independent of room air, so no air exchange there either.

I've read that radon seeps through the house from below, and the house need to be ventilated in order to get rid of the radon. Does this apply only if you have a basement, or always to the lowest floor in a building, or to every room in the building? What is the principle here?

I don't know what the radon levels would be in my area (Vienna, Austria), nor how to find out about this.