texts: Do we need a gable vent, and in either case, how to vent bathroom fan outside (can it be via the gable)?

texts:
We need to put a hole from our attic to the outside, one way or the other. Before making any holes, I hope to hash out the details. Here's the goals:

Make sure attic is properly vented
Direct bathroom vent outside (it currently terminates into open air of the attic)

First objective:

I know we have a ridge vent, as I've seen the light and clearly heard the outdoors through it while working in the attic. The underside of the roofing deck is exposed, and while the roof is expected to need full replacement in 5-10yrs (there are a few layers of shingles as I understand it, so we'll need to strip them all and lay new roof), the roofing deck seems very old but in very good shape: solid wood boards tongue & grooved.

I recall being told we have sofit vents from an inspector or friend, but I need to double check. They'd be obviously visible where the roof overhang meets the exterior wall if we have them, right? Based on something on the internet, I have the idea that if I have sofit vents along the length of the attic sides and have a ridge vent, then attic ventilation is good to go and a gable might only make things worse. So, do I need to install a gable vent?

We don't have any gable vent yet. Only one gable is exposed to outdoors anyway, and on the other end the attic terminates at an interior wall of a living room that was redone to have a vaulted ceiling with exposed rafters.

Last detail is, how's the attic temperature? Well, it's hot in the summer but it's not too crazy, so there must be some ventilation. It's cool in autumn/spring and bitter cold in the winter, but warmer than outside. In the one winter we've had this house, we get some ice dams in parts of the roof, building up on the long roof overhangs, but nothing too bad yet. Maybe I should take measurements of attic temperatures before making a decision about this?

Second objective:

This is pretty straight forward: bathroom vent needs to vent outdoors. What's less certain is if that can be through ducts to a hole drilled in the gable with a louver vent covering, or if it needs to be up through the roof. I understand this depends on distance and whether we have a gable vent or not, which ties into objective 1. As for distance, the roof is within 5' of the bathroom vent's attic-side, whereas the gable is more like 15'-20' of duct work to get to (gotta go up and measure that more precisely). I suspect venting it out the gable is easier, but given it's the only outdoor-exposed gable and it's a bit far, maybe it's not the right way to do it, especially if we need a gable vent for attic ventilation on the same gable?

So: Do we need a gable vent, and if it's uncertain, how can be check to be sure? Depending on if we need a gable vent or not, how should the bathroom vent be routed outdoors?


texts: How to sound proof bedroom floor above garage door?

texts:
We live in an apartment building. Our two bedrooms are directly above the building's garage door. The opening and closing of the garage door disrupts the peace at home and sleep of my family.

Since we do not have too much options on what can be done with the garage door for noise reduction, we are looking into sound proofing on our bedrooms floors.

There are three types of noises we hear when the garage door is in operation:
 - steady humming of garage door opener
 - metal clanking
 - a loud stud sound when the door has reached all the way up or down

The garage door opener is mounted to the concrete ceiling in the level below our bedroom (building's car garage). We measured the noise decidable in our bedroom using an iphone + app and observed these numbers in dB:

Evening time garage door is not in motion: ~42 dB
Garage door in motion at loudest: 74 dB
Garage door in motion average: 68 dB

We are looking for any technical advise on what can we do with our bedroom floors to reduce this noise.


texts: Is it possible to use this reclaimed hardwood flooring?

texts:
I am planning on reusing some old hard wood flooring reclaimed from another parts of the house. I should note I have an old house that the original portion was built in 1760 with an add on done sometime in the 70's. Durring a major rehab of the house, I opted to have the flooring pulled and saved from several rooms. After going through the supply, of the three rooms demoed and flooring pulled, I have enough for my family room.

Now that I am looking to start reinstalling I have a few questions/challanges in front of me.

The wood is sound and usable, but it needs a sanding and I wonder if there is a way to do this prior to install? To include a place or company I should look for to do it.
The flooring consists of two species of wood. Cherry and oak. There is not enough of either to do the one room I want in just one species, so I am going to do the feild in oak with a double cherry frame around the room. The challange is that the tounge and grooves of the differing woods are not the same, meaning the oak tounges fit in the cherry groves, but its a bit off center and will leave the cherry sitting higher (and cause a ridge or break the tounges durring or after install) than the oak once on the floor. Can the cherry tounge and groves be redone to match the oak? if so how or by whom?


texts: Do these insulation panels contain asbestos?

texts: The landlord said that "it's plastic stock, left from renovation on windows" from another apartment. It doesn't look like plastic to me, but then again I don't know much (very little actually) about construction materials. If it's asbestos can it be harmful just by passing by it while breathing in?


texts: Does this wall tile's mortar contain asbestos?

texts: I have some missing tiles behind my sink cabinet and had to clean up some pile of crumbled material from this mortar. This is an old house but the bathroom tiles could have been remodeled since the 1980s. Does it seem to contain asbestos? I just found out it was used in some mortar mixes prior to the 1980s.


texts: How would 8x32 tiles look with one vertical seam on shower walls that measure 39.5“ by 35.5” by 39.5"?

texts:
I asked this question yesterday with 8x16 tiles, but today I found this tile in a larger size, 8"x32".

The thing is, I made the mistake of putting 2" x 2" tiles on my shower floor of a tile that is hard to match. This being my first tile job, I didn't plan properly.

As said, I found the matching tile in size, 8x32, and they also have the bullnose tiles(3x16). The widths of my shower walls are 39.5" by 35.5" by 39.5".

How would it look if I had one vertical seam on all three walls? I know it would be a lot of waste, but that's ok.

The manufacturer says it's a "porcelain tile that looks like marble." The tile is: Gardenia Orchidea Varenna beige.

Thanks! Joe


texts: Should an alternative to silicone sealant be used if I'm new at it?

texts: I had to research various types of caulk for windows, and the answer was that I should use silicone (or mastic?). Why is silicone is always preferred when you can remove, can't caulk over it and can't paint over it? Compared to something like Lexel synthetic rubber where you can just redo it without removing old caulk and is more easy for non professionals.


texts: I have a Goodman furnace gmp075-3. Trying to install wifi thermostat. I have a C wire, but cannot find where to connect it at the furnace.


texts: Window AC + Floor Dehumidifier - great combo or waste of money?

texts:
I have a ~20x20 room that also houses most of the homes network/server hardware in a rack, my office (a gaming pc and 3 monitors, a TV, and my drum set.
I had thought I had a properly sized Window AC for the room, but last summer the humidity got a bit out of control, and I think it started to be bad for the drum set in particular (so a goal is low humidity and mold prevention).
I have spent the day researching getting a dehumidifier sized for the room, instead of trying to run the ac all day when I am not there most of the time (when the temp doesnt matter as much), and hooking it in to something like an EvE homekit atmosphere device and smart plug.
What I have not been able to determine is:

Which helps more with mold - AC or Dehumidifier
For just maintaining a humidity threshold, which is more power efficient (especially considering the low occupancy time %)


texts: How long for the hot water to stop smelling with anode rod change?

texts: I changed the anode rod in my hot water heater, the change went smoothly (thankfully), but now I'm curious how long does it typically take for the water to stop smelling? Do I have to drain the entire tank, or do I just let chemistry do its thing?


texts: Cementing in around soil pipe exiting around brick wall. Is this required?

texts:
I've had a loft extension done on my house, all has gone pretty well. The last snagging point was that I spotted that the soil pipe hadn't been sealed in where it exits the wall. The guy on site put some expanding foam around on the internal wall so you can no longer see daylight from the inside, but they've not cemented in around the pipe on the exterior wall, and they are saying they don't need to.

The hole they have cut is a pretty good fit for the pipe, so it's not a huge gap (it's actually quite hard to see a gap from the outside) but it looks to me like cementing on the outside is a pretty standard thing to do.

I'd like your opinion on whether I need to push back on this. Is there any chance of water getting in to the brick work?


texts: Is 1/4" overlap, front door to door frame enough to prevent break-in?

texts: In my Mom's gated community, there were some break-ins by robbers who stole jewelry, etc. In both cases, the robber(s) broke in the front door. The police department had a meeting with residents about preventing break-ins, and a deputy recommended having the front door reinforced, or to have it replaced with a metal door. There is 1/4 overlap, wood door on doorframe. Is that enough? I thought if you had a deadbolt, which we do, it was almost impossible to break in through the door.


texts: Can I remove carpeting that covers a wooden floor?

texts: Is it possible to undo the carpet flooring above wooden floor?


texts: I think there might be a wasp's nest in my garage or in its walls, how can I tell?

texts:
I think there might be a wasp's nest in my family's garage or in its walls. However, I don't know for sure. Here are the facts;

For the past three days in a row (and a few others over the past two weeks), I've opened the garage door in the morning and a wasp flew out of it.
We generally leave the garage door open throughout the day to keep it cool, but we close it at night.
I sometimes see a wasp hover around the garage door.
There are two garbage cans next to the garage.
I have not seen more than one wasp at a time inside the garage.
We have a cat (and therefore pet food) in the garage.

Given this information, how can I be sure of whether or not there is a wasp's nest inside the house or its walls? Is it possible that a wasp entered through the open door and got trapped overnight multiple times? My family seems to think so but I'm not so sure.


texts: Accessing Upper Shelves of 8 feet high pantry

texts:
I am planning a kitchen pantry which will be 8 feet high and 24 inch deep.
I need a solution to reach upper shelves of pantry - without having to pull dining chairs or put a folding step stool in bottom shelves ( making accessing items in lower shelves difficult ).
One solution might be to design a built-in step stool which folds into sides of pantry and whenever needed unfolds out.
Anybody familiar with either a product like this or custom made one ?


texts:
After running for some time, AC shuts but blower keeps running.
NEST says no power to Rh line.
Have a Rheem Criterion, have separate breakers for AC and Fan. Twice, I have turned off both and after a couple of hrs, it works ok.

Would appreciate if I can get pointers to what is happening, and what I can deal do, short of calling in someone for a simple fix..
Thanks in advance...


texts: Can you use a 50 A GFI spa box on a 40 A circuit?

texts: I have a new spa and I am having trouble finding a 40 A spa box.


texts: How can I know if my home has soffit vents

texts:
My home is located at illinois,which is built at 1958. I can see 8 roof vents on my root but one contractor say I need to install soffit vents as well.

But I can see some slot on my soffits actually as below:

And from the attic, I can not see if it's connected to the soffit area or not since it's too tight and I almost can not get a clear picture:

Is it necessary to open my soffits and create a hole to connect to soffit vents? I am thinking about it should be done during building the house, but not sure old house always has such issue!


texts: Help me understand the advantage of insulating the attic roof?

texts:
If the attic floor is well insulated, help me to understand why there's an additional advantage in terms of reducing loss of heat exchange in the main room area.  Why would my unit likely run less frequently in such a scenario (assuming the thermostat was in the same room)

Assume in my case a room similar in style to this with vaulted ceilings.


texts: What is this plastic basin on the back of my fridge, and does it require any special care?

texts:
While cleaning my kitchen and behind my fridge, I found this part on its back. It was filled with a moldy liquid that looked like water. I threw the liquid away and cleaned the part. I’ve added a bit of water back (not as much as it had) and put the part back in its place.

I found the manual for a similar fridge model but I see no reference to the part.

My question is what is this part for, and how should I take care of it?


texts: How to avoid air bubble under the floor ceramic-tile?

texts:
My house is an Indian style apartment.

I have laid floor ceramic-tile with no other covering over it. There are of air bubbles developing under the ceramic-tiles which eventually leads to breaking of the tiles due to pressure below the tile.

What's the way to prevent this?


texts: My dryer is not heating. I checked the safety switches, heater, etc and found them to be ok. One check I made surprised me: a voltage check on the incoming terminals found 120 vac on each side of neutral from both hot sides, but zero across where I expected 240vac. Both line fuses OK. Why???


texts: Installing a projector a ceiling junction box

texts:
So in my apartment, tenants aren't allowed to drill holes in the ceiling (it's concrete), but there are junction boxes available where lighting/fans can be installed.

I thought it might be a good idea to repurpose these junction boxes to mount my projector.

To start, I bought a junction box cover, drilled holes in it, and bolted in a projector mount.

I also drilled an additional hole for the power line. My projector uses a typical pc power cable, so I cut off the end that normally plugs into the wall and ran it through the hole in the junction box cover. The colors of the wires from the power cable were a little unfamiliar, but I mapped them brown to black, blue to white, and green to green.

So two things:

1) Is this a good idea as far as weight/support? I was told it was ok to mount a ceiling fan and the projector should be on the lower end of what a ceiling fan might weigh.

2) On my initial test run everything worked as far as the mounting went, but my projector didn't operate normally. It's fans made an unusual noise, the picture flickered, and after a minute or so it would turn itself off. This leads me to believe there might be something wrong with the power supply, but as far as I know, power supplied to the ceiling should be the same as that supplied to the outlets. Is there something I might have done wrong in wiring, or could this be an issue somewhere else?

Thanks!


texts: What is the source of the humming sound in my shower?

texts:
I have a Grohe shower with a mixing tap (sorry if this is not the correct English word - what I have is similar to this, with a fixed shower head and a removable one).
It works fine for about 5 years now but since recently I started to hear an extra sound when taking my shower. I think this is best described as a "humming sound", very different from the one the falling water makes. It is faint but I can hear it from outside the bathroom, when I do not hear the falling water anymore.
It looks like the sound ("music") water would make running though a loose seal (wildly guessing)
What can be the source of such a sound in the case of a mixer tap?
I am sure this must be the tap because I can hear the sound independently of the shower head that it used (they are both connected directly to the tap)


texts: Replaced carpet with laminated veneer plank flooring - now there is a gap between the casing and floor

texts:
I have removed the carpet from my living room and am preparing to install LVP. The problem is that the door casing is too high. There is a 1/4" gap between the bottom of the casing and the LVP. There is also a 1/4" gap between the LVP and the base molding, but that will be concealed with shoe molding.
I could put down some 1/4" underlayment, but that is a lot of work. The doors are split-jam, so removing the casing could cause a bit of trouble as well. There are 7 doors in this room and the adjacent hallway that would need to be addressed.
Is there another solution to conceal that gap?


texts: plaster shower walls, how to do them today?

texts:
I have an American 1950's home. It appears the previous owner covered original plaster walls with an inexpensive glue together shower panel system. Most of the homes in the area were built with tile bathtub/shower walls, but mine seems to have never been tile.  I am considering removing all the original plaster down to the studs, then recovering with cement board and plaster.

I looked around here, the best post I find is How to better waterproof the shower area? which points out it does not matter much what you cover the wall with it is what is behind that matters.  I searched google a bit and found several walls that seemed to be plaster.

Random example

What is the recommended approach for plastering walls in a shower?  Are there any specific products or practices that I should or should NOT use?


texts: I have a water leak in my bathroom from around the exhaust housing that fits up into the ceiling. It only happens when it rains . How do I fix this problem?


texts:
I'm attempting to replace two switches in my house with smart switches (specifically, this one for the lights and this one for the fan). Upon opening my switch box and loosening the old light switches, I found the switches connected like so:

As you can see, the left switch has three wires connected to it: a ground connected to the bottom left screw (not visible in the picture; sorry), a red wire connected to the top-right screw, and a black wire wrapped around the bottom-right. That black wire is also connected to the bottom-right screw of the right switch, along with a second black wire (this is the "extra" wire I'm puzzled about). A third black wire is connected to the top-right screw of the switch, and a ground wire is connected to the bottom-left (once again, not visible). There were also three neutral wires linked together with a wire connector behind the entire setup.

I know the wire daisy-chaining the two switches is the line wire. And I know the red wire going out of the left switch is the load wire for the lights.

Following the instructions that came with the new switches, I wired them up like so. I hooked up the left and switchs' load and ground wires using wire connectors (I assumed the black wire originally going to the top-right of the right switch was its load; this seemed to be correct, but I'm not sure). Because the left switch needs to be connected via a wire connector and the right switch has a screw to wrap a cable around, I reversed the original setup of the line wire; it now connects to the right switch first before connecting to the left. I connected the neutral wire on the switch to the set of neutral wires I originally found, and just sort of left the last wire hanging there.

The whole setup looks like this:

And it seems to work. The lights turn on/off and can dim, and the fan turns on/off and has its speed controlled by the switch. But there's that extra wire there, seemingly going to nowhere, that was originally connected to the bottom-right screw of the right switch (along with the line wire). I obviously don't think they would've included an extra wire just for fun, but the whole setup seems to work without it being hooked up to anything.

Which takes my long-winded story to the question: what is this wire for, and what should I do with it?


texts: How can I cut through brick to add a window?

texts:
I'm redoing a bathroom and would like to add a window (36x12) in the shower. This involves cutting through brick. A contractor I spoke with said he could cut it with a angle grinder (diamond blade?), but wasn't all that confident. The brick would be cut on the mortar on the horizontal but would still show unfinished edges on the vertical. So, my questions are: is the angle grinder an appropriate tool to cut brick, and are there any dos/don'ts for cutting brick?  And, What are my options to cover the exposed brick cuts and make the window opening look professional? I won't be able to match the other windows since they have brick detail around the window which I don't think can be replicated

Here's a photo.  The window would be aligned at the top of the other windows and be about a 36" x 12" awning


texts: Water smells like sulfur or rotten eggs only in a couple of faucets

texts:
My parents have a brand new house built 3 years ago. It has city sewer and water and a 80 gallon electric water heater and a water softener. They had a plumber come to replace the anode rod and he rounded the top of it off and then told it's basically my parents problem now and said he would fix it and the estimate was $1000.00 to do so. Sorry this is about what to do about the smelly water.just added the plumber thing for anyone to comment on if they think that's what should happen if they screw the job up to begin with.also I think the smell goes away a little after you run water but comes back.

Now my parents are in their late 70's early 80's and are lost on what to do.  Thanks in advance for any help.


texts: Can I wire a smoke detector so that it disables my furnace if smoke is present?

texts: I have a standard Johnson Controls Unitary Products TM9V*MP board in my furnace wired to a nest thermostat. Can I wire my duct smoke detector so that it splices the R wire going from my furnace to my nest. When the detector trips and breaks the R circuit, will that adequately shut off the furnace?


texts: Is the purple wire on AC blower motor common wire?

texts:
I’m replacing my AC blower motor. The old one had Red,Blue, Black wires for speeds, white Common, and brown & brown/white wires to the capacitor. (Yellow, purple wires for rotation).
The new motor has one rotation direction.
It has brown and purple wires going to the capacitor. Black, blue red for speeds. Where is the common wire?

According to the photo I’ve attached, am I supposed to connect a second wire to the capacitor terminal with purple wire, and connect the other end of this second wire to the control board connection where the white wire previously was?
Like this?


texts: what impact tools are needed for subfloor in the basement?

texts: I would like to know if there are any impact tools that I need to make the subfloor permanent or stable to avoid sound later. I don't want to use DRIcore for this matter.


texts: Should I use a wood stain before varnishing my indoor floor?

texts:
I had been talking to a carpenter friend and for whatever reason, I had come away thinking the best way to varnish the floor was to first stain it and then paint clear varnish over it.

The instructional videos I have come across just varnish directly onto the floor.  Is it better to stain and then clear varnish or just select an appropriately colored varnish?


texts: What would cause a Varathane EZV sander to rip the sandpaper?

texts:
I have recently been appointed FSA at a Lowes store in Allen Park Michigan. I was ask if i could find out why the Varathane EZV sander was ripping the sand paper.

My knowledge on the subject is minimal so was wondering if you could help.


texts: please help me understanding this wiring

texts:
From what I understand the black wire on the side is the Live wire. I was thinking that the other black wire would be the Load but I usually see them connected to the other side. The red probably is the traveller (this is not even a three way switch) but if that was the case wouldn't the other black wire be connected to the other wise as well?

Sorry if I am not making much sense. I switched a light switch last week where the bottom black one was a live wire and the top black was the load, was hoping to see the same inside this panel but the different wiring is throwing me off.


texts: How can I remove random gook from a wall ...?

texts:
... without damaging the wall.

I previously started renting a room and the walls are a bit of a mess.

I'm not a handy man but wanted to clean them up.

I can't say for certain what the material is but it looks like caulk or a paste of some kind.


texts:
Today I replaced our dining room's old 70s chandelier. When I opened it up I noticed pretty quick the rubber shielding on the lamps cords had been melting a bit towards the tips as it got all over my hands while taking down the old fixture. I just discounted it at age since it wasn't overly significant and the fixture had been up for years before we moved in a few months ago.

So I installed a brand new updated fixture and also replaced the existing single pole dimmer switch with the same model single pole dimmer I've installed elsewhere in the house.

Here's my problem:
When I turn it on to full brightness, it works fine but there's a subtle buzzing noise coming from the switch and the fixture by the bulb(s)

When you dim it down it flickers.

Now, I've probably literally changed out a hundred fixtures over the years. The only thing different about the way I installed it was the new single pole dimmer had a ground wire I just hooked to the bare ground wire that was already there. Whereas the old switch didn't have one.

I'm pretty positive all the connections are fine and I used new screw caps on the twisted pairs.

I'm no electrician but it's not rocket science, however I could use some education from someone a bit more experienced than myself troubleshooting this weird behavior. If I have to pull it all back down and investigate a hint at what to look for in particular would be awesome.

EDIT ADDITION: Replaced it with a Leviton Cat. No. 6672-L "Universal" that's even has on the box advertising it for the bulbs in use. It still buzzes at the switch, the dimming is a little cleaner to a point before it flickers again. I can pull down the fixture and double check everything but I'm pretty sure it's not the culprit.

Any advice?

Cheers


texts: When using a VPA (Variable-Pitch Connector) to connect roof rafters to a top plate, how and where do you install hurricane ties?

texts:
When a VPA to attach rafters to a top plate, it seems there isn't room left for your normal hurricane tie to be put in place:

The part of the VPA that nails on to the top plate obstructs the ability to put a hurricane tie in, at least the ties that I've seen:

So how do you install a hurricane tie? I can't find any information saying that a tie is not needed with a VPA, and I even had an informal conversation with a structural engineer saying that the tie is still needed with the VPA, but she didn't explain how to do it.


texts: Support for a 6000 lb spa, measuring 9'x 7.5', filled with water

texts:
16' x 16' treated wood deck with of 2 x 6 treated decking, supported by nine 6" x 6" vertical treated wood posts with 2 x 10 floor joist, 16" on center.

Will that deck support a spa weighing 6000 lbs?


texts: Old wiring - no hot in switch box - possible switch loop?

texts: I have an odd issue... hence why I'm here! I am replacing an old ceiling fan with a standard light fixture.  The house was built in 77, so there is a bundle of wires up in the ceiling j-box with one 2-wire run to the switch.  After removing the fan, I have NO hot wire in the switch box.  tying the third black wire to the load bundle in the ceiling pops the breaker when the switch is hit. I'm hoping one of you can help provide some clarity for me on how to wire up a simple light fixture to this complexity of wiring.


texts: Why multiple copper tubes joined together?

texts:
I found this behind my vanity and shower. I'm sure there is a good reason for the multiple copper tubes joined together into one supply line, but I have no idea. Can someone enlighten me, please? I'm a newb, but I'll sure give the answerer credit.

Is it pressure related?


texts: Chest freezer failed to freeze after plugging it back in

texts:
I unplugged my GE chest freezer for 3 months, When i plugged it back in the compressor runs but the freezer wont get cold.

The freezer sat in the same spot for 3 months and wouldn't get cold after it was plugged back up.
The area that the compressor is in is clean and looks like new.

I never had a problem with it until i unplugged it.


texts: connect 3 inch ABS pipe to only 0.5 inch exposed pipe

texts:
I would like to cut an existing pipe and install a coupler to connect 2 pieces of 3 inch ABS. I would like to make the connection where I am pointing on the image.

Is that enough pipe to connect to (approx 0.5 inch)? I would like to avoid going back to the main if possible.


texts: Replacing formerly half-hot converted to always-hot receptacles with NEW receptacles

texts:
I have four receptacles in my family room that I just replaced. These receptacles used to be half-hot. One of the previous owners converted them to always-hot by removing and capping the wires in the switch box.

The switch is now a part of a 3-way that controls a set of pendant lights. They left the old receptacles in place when they bypassed the switch so with the tab broken off, the only way to make them always-hot was by leaving the switch wire (red in my case) attached to the receptacle. Because the new receptacles still have the tab in place, I no longer needed the (red) switch wire so I capped it and shoved it in the back of the box on each receptacle.

Now that the receptacles are replaced in this room, I’ve moved on to the switches. Although the receptacles are no longer switched, the line started in the switch box so the wires are still there (as expected) but spliced/capped and shoved in the back. Currently, the (red) switch wire is spliced with the receptacles’ (black) hot wire in the switch box since that’s how the old receptacles received power to both top and bottom without the tab in place.

Since I no longer need the (red) switch wire in the switch box anymore, can/should I separate the two and cap them separately? That way I won’t have a live wire capped in the back of the receptacle boxes, as it currently is.


texts: What is the name of the part used to fasten a pendant light cable to the ceiling circuitry case

texts:
I'm looking to purchase this part (see image below) but cannot find the name.

The part is located on the case mounted to the ceiling from which the cable to the pendant light comes down. One half is inside and the other on the outside of the case. It tightens the cable to the case so the cable cannot move up and down - otherwise potentially causing interference with the circuitry above.

The tip beyond the left thread tightens/holds the cable in place while screwing the cap on also secures it to the ceiling circuitry cover. I don't need the threads on the right side.

I bought a bunch of pendant lights but they were recalled due to missing these components and the potential safety issue mentioned above. Rather than removing and returning them I'd like to just add this piece.

Q: What are these called?


texts: What screwdriver I should use for this screw head?

texts:
I am trying to unscrew the screw head you see in the picture.  It is from the kitchen faucet handle.
From looking online, it is usually a hex screw head. I tried a hex-key wrench, it didn't work, and tried every tool I have that could fit with no luck.
I am clueless, which one to use. Appreciate any help. Thanks!


texts: My garage sensor beam keeps going out of alignment

texts: I have a standard automatic garage door with a pair of garage door sensors. One sensor has a light which registers green when the sensors are in alignment. The problem is that, once or twice a week, the sensors somehow decide they are not in alignment anymore, and I have to get out of the car, jiggle them a bit until the green light comes back on, and then go on my way. Sometimes when I jiggle the sensor the green light comes on, but then (without doing anything) it slowly fades off after 15 seconds or so. At that point, I jiggle it again and it works for another week or so. Or worse, I jiggle it so that it lights up green, get back into the car, and then it has stopped working again and I have to repeat this twice. The sensors honestly seem to allow for a fair amount of wiggle room in the setup, so I'm wondering if there could be other issues with these sensors that I could troubleshoot/fix.


texts: How long should humidifier take to humidify small apartment?

texts:
I have two humidifiers (1, 2) running in attempt to combat some severe sinus issues, likely caused by the very dry winter in Boston. I live in an a 450 sq ft studio apartment.

They have been running for about 8 hours. My AcuRite Indoor Humidity monitor showed an initial humidity of 41%, currently at 46%, but hasn't increased for a few hours.

Is a humidity of > 50% attainable/desired? How long should it take? Are these humidifiers sufficient or should I consider a different one?


texts: What size fasteners should I use to mount fence bases to concrete?

texts:
We're anchoring several 4" x6" x 1/4" steel plates to concrete. They will be used for a fence. These bases need to be solid, but it's simply to separate one area from another (people won't be near it).

Initially, we were going to use these 3/8" x 3" anchor screws, but someone here mentioned expansion type anchors. I started searching to see what this is, and found several images: Image1, image2, image3.

Are these anchors stronger than the 3/8" x 3" anchor screws? Can these anchors be removed in the future?


texts: Electrical code covering exterior outlet requirement?

texts: I have exterior outlets by each door on the house (front and back) and one by my AC Unit.  Do I have to also have one outside by my back garage door?  This is a person entry door but it is also probably about 20' away from the back door of the house.  I was told each door going out needs an outlet just recently which I can not find in the code.  All I have seen is one located on the front and back of house and at least one within 20 or 25 feet of AC unit.


texts:
Ok so I have power to my plug and it’s on its own line so I hook up a  analog multimeter to check and see how much power it is giving but it blows a fuse on my multimeter.
Can anyone tell me what’s going on please


texts: Hanging large TV and media cabinet on cement block covered with drywall

texts:
I'm planning on hang a 75" TV and a media center on my wall.
It is cement block covered with drywall.
Drywall is installed using some sort of metal furring strips so there are no studs.

I believe all I need is the right hardware, isn't it?
This should help explain the scenario:

The best I could come up with are sleeve anchors like this one:
Dynabolt Sleeve Anchors, but I'm really concerned about the gap between the drywall and the cement blocks though.

Also, in order to determine the right length for the sleeve anchor I will need to know the thickness of the cement block wall itself (between it's exterior and it's core), which I don't.

TV is around 80 lb according to website (Samsung QLED 75") and will be mounted with a TV bracket.

Media center is 70 inches wide and it has 6 holes that I can use to basically hang it. It is between 80 to 100 lb (give or take): IKEA Media Center.

To summarize:

Is sleeve anchor the best (safest) approach here? If yes:

How long they need to be to make sure they don't go "through the block's core"
How thick they need to be to support this weight?

If no, what it is then? How are people approaching this challenge?

EDITED 10/21/2018 - Snaptoggles

I attempted to use Snaptoggle but it didn't work well.
After making 4 x 1/2 inch holes for the tv mount and put the Snaptoggles in place, I can't get the bolt in not matter what I do.

My best guess is that the track/anchor is angled.
For the bolt to go smooth the little track/anchor that goes inside the block needs to be in a perfect 90 degrees angle with the plastic part that holds it together and also guides the bolt.

This illustration should help explain it:

EDITED 12/14/2018 - Done

So here is what I did (based on some feedback):

I opened the wall just enough.
Used plywood to close the gap between the drywall and cement blocks (tapcons were use to secure the plywood into the blocks). This should prevent the TV mount screws from bending.
Used tapcons to secure the TV mount.

Here is a Tapcon performance table

Based on performance table for 1/4" tapcons and what you see in these pictures, do you believe it is safe to hang an 80 pounds TV in there?


texts: I've noticed these letters several times written on the circuit breaker panel door. Does someone know what F.A.U. stands for in this context?


texts: Replaced bad ballast and maginfying light still won't work

texts: I have a LUXO Magnifying lamp that after years the ballast finally went bad, checked the coil and it was open. Ordered one from Luxo same kind and specs, hooked it up and nothing, not even a hum. Maybe the miniature starter hard wired to the ballast is bad? I checked the old one and got 2 ohms connected, haven't checked the new one yet. I don't believe there is any polarity involved in hooking up these simple 2 wire ballasts, am I wrong? Maybe I just got a bad ballast from them. Checked it and got 23 ohms with starter connected but, I have no idea if that's what I should get. Any help is greatly appreciated.


texts: Is water inside a washing machine motor normal?

texts:
So, our drain pump stopped working after washing some bloody disintegrating rug, and everything was cloaked with some kind of sand.
The drain pump was failing but we could still hear the motor running.
We took apart the machine, and the drain pump. Now, the drain pump-motor combination has the typical impeller, and the coils are well separated from the turning part.
When opening the motor housing, we noticed sand and water inside the housing.
Is that normal, or a problem?
We watched another video where somebody is taking apart such housing, and in his case as well, there is water and residue inside the housing.
Thanks for insights!


texts: What do I need to do to split a washing machine hookup to allow adding a dishwasher?

texts:
In my new (1836— just moved in) house I have a washing machine in a, um, short hallway? cupboard? leading from a kitchen to a bathroom. Above it is a shelf. The plan is to move the washing machine up onto this shelf and put a dishwasher below.

Here's what it looks like now:

The washing machine is presumably a cold-water hookup + waste. I've read that dishwashers take a hot-water hookup. Are we already into call-a-plumber territory?

The shelf I want to move the washing machine up onto looks to be well-supported, but how can I tell whether it will hold a full, spinning washing machine?


texts: How to hang a canvas art using these nails?

texts:
Just received my canvas wall art, and it came with the following parts:

I have never in my life seen that kind of wall hanging kit. What are those nails?

They seem unnecessarily thick...
What are those plastic gears on them for?

Ironically enough, the instructions that came with this, say to use the 3-pin hanger - clearly not what was provided in the package... But since that's what it came with, I figured I might as well use it.
My only question is... how? Do I screw the sawtooth thingy to the frame, hammer the nail into the wall at an angle (including the weird plastic gear around it), and then hang the canvas on the... gear??
Any advice is appreciated!


texts: Pull Up All Laminate Boards Or Cut One Board in Doorway and Start From There

texts:
Now that I have installed Pergo XP laminate flooring I've discovered that there is a soft spot from the doorway which transitions from the kitchen into the dining room.  When walking into the dining room the floor is spongy, and there is probably a 1/8" play.

I do not want to pull up all the laminate because this would require pulling up the laminate in entire the dining room, as well as the front part of the foyer (I managed to get all three areas linked together with no transitions).

I was thinking I could simply cut one of the boards in the doorway between the dining room and kitchen (much like you would if it was damaged).  With this board removed I could just pull up the first few rows in the dining room, just enough to put some feather finish in.

Is this even worth it?  We rarely use the dining room, but it is right in front of the doorway to the kitchen, so no matter what you will notice when walking between the two rooms (though the wife claims she barely can tell).

Or do I need to pull the entire laminate up from the foyer and dining room and not risk cutting any boards?


texts: Can you change the color of caulk when staining grout in a bathroom?

texts:
I recently had my bathroom renovated, including floor and shower tiles. I love the tile color, but the grout I chose dried a few shades lighter than I expected. I did some research and found that grout can be stained a different color (I.e. grout refresh by Lowe’s). I was planning to add a sealer anyways, so it didn’t seem like a big deal. However, it’s not just grout in all areas. They added caulk in the corners of the shower (the caulk is the same color as the grout).

If I do choose to stain it, or even add a sealer, will that work in the areas that caulk was applied? Do I need to re-caulk, or will the sealer/stainer work on caulk too? Thanks for any advice!!

EDIT: Here's what I used:

Grout: Polyblend "polymer-fortified" non-sanded grout

Caulk: Polyblend "siliconized" non-sanded ceramic tile caulk


texts: How to 'warm up' LED output color without changing the bulbs

texts: I tried to ask this question before, but I don't think I was clear. I replaced my recessed lighting with recessed dimmable LED fixtures.  The bulbs are contained in the fixture, and I don't believe they can be changed. Perhaps I'm wrong about that. They are from Commercial Electric, Model T61.  They are 6" recessed LED swivel fixtures and I really don't think there's any way to change the bulbs inside. If I'm wrong and you know a way to change them, I'd so appreciate it.  They are labeled "soft white", but they are bright and harsh.  They are dimmable, but even at the lowest setting they are pretty bright. So are there photo gels or some other way to "warm up" the lighting to more closely match my old halogens which were just beautiful.


texts:
I have a Leviton light switch (picture). It automatically turns off after about 15 mins of absence of motion and will turn on if I enter the room only a few minutes after it has turned off.
However, if a long enough period elapses it won't automatically turn on and I have to press the button again.
Is there a setting to change so it automatically turns on by itself at any time?
Update: on the inner metal plate it says: "Cat. No. IPV15"


texts: Okay to bend plastic pipe/conduit with some tension to fit the trench?

texts: If the trench for ABS drain pipe and PVC conduit isn't perfect, can I bend the pipe so its offset a couple of feet over about 25 feet??  Its held in place by the trench walls but under some tension.  Once its buried it won't move, but is there any problem with doing that? Also slightly 'fudging' the hub connections so its about 1 or 2 degrees from straight?


texts:
EDIT
Attached pics. Also there's another plug on other side of sink with exact same set up broken tab between hots (hot red, hot black and 1 neutral and 1 ground). Are kitchens usually provided with more power to the outlets because of appliances like freezers, fridges, microwaves etc? Or is the wiring shady in this house? It was built maybe 1980s / early 1990s. I'm just looking for the best way to install a GFCI. Thanks

Good day. I'm looking to change my kitchen receptacle to GFCI that's beside the sink. The old plug has two hot wires (black & red) with a broken tab in the middle. It also has one neutral wire on the other side and a ground wire. Is it safe and acceptable to cut the hot red wire, cap it off and just use the black hot and neutral with ground? I'm having a hard time understanding why the plug has two hot wires to begin with? I've tried turning the surrounding switches off and on testing both outlers, but they both seem to carry constant power? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I'm in Canada. Ontario to be more specific.


texts: Is it a code violation to have so many outlets and switches on a single breaker?

texts:
My mother in law recently started renting a 3 bed 2 bath 2019 Nevada series single section mobile home. She is constantly blowing the same breaker which controls all of the switches and outlets (except the master area).  Bed and bath, laundry and kitchen counter area ceiling light goes out as well, even the outside outlets shut off.
I can fix almost anything in   RV'S and modular homes except for the electrical, I will leave that to the professionals.
Before I have her report this to the park that she rents from I wanted to see if this is a code violation  or if it could possibly just be her overloading the 15amp breaker that is blowing.
Red dots are for the outlets purple for switches that are on the same 15 amp circuit breaker:


texts: Installing Nest From HoneyWell T8575D Condo 8-Wire thermostats

texts:
My condo apartment current has the HoneyWell T8575D installed and I want to switch to Nest. But I couldn't find which Nest port should the "Fan Common" line go into.
The wiring from the wall is as follows. I did some research on my own, and mapped each wire to the nest configuration. My mappings are labelled red in the picture. It has 4 wires to control 3 fan speeds. By reading online, the nest thermostats 3rd gen can handle it by reconfigure the port * and port Y2 through software.

The current thermostat is Honeywell T8575D. Its circuit diagram is as follows. It appears that wire 6 is connected to the "common" of "Vavle Motor/End switch". My guess is used for turning on the fan automatically when the valve is on.

I took reference from the manual about another HoneyWell Thermostats Model that has the fan "Always ON". It connects "5" and "6" internally in the thermostat, meaning it supplies 24V to line 6 (Fan Common) when the thermostats is turned on.

For the Fan Control Circuit, the manual says it used W6380B. But it has been replaced by ICM6200 recently. (https://www.icmcontrols.com/documents/ss_LIS216.pdf link to the manual). The following is the internals circuit diagram of the fan relay, it corresponds to the W6380B box in the T8575D circuit. It is basically a relay to control "on/off" state of the high voltage (120V) fan via low voltage source (24V)

So my question is about the "Fan Common", which is the #6 Green Wire from the wall. I don't seem to find a corresponding Nest port for it. Is it Ok that I leave it not connected? I think Nest would turn on the fan by supplying 24 Vac to Port "C", which drives the Fan 1 low speed through the relay.


texts: I'm trying to look for some Allen screws for a friend to help him out, but am unable to figure out the correct size of the screws and nuts he lost (see image, marked in red).. I'm not really familiar with the sizing of it, but do know that the hole has a size of 6mm and the Allen wrench diameter is 4mm. Any help is really appreciated!


texts: How many bolted faults can a residential circuit breaker withstand?

texts: A friend told me I should change my 20 amp breaker after one bolted fault. Is this necessary? During testing of the tread mill that caused the breaker to trip it has successfully tripped two more times so I'm suspicious of my friend's advice.


texts: Wiring in a Aprilaire 500m to an older (11-86) Trane furnace w/o A/C

texts: New here. I recently purchased a Aprilaire 500m with a humidistat installed on the return. It's working fine, sure... But I don't want water pouring down the drain while the furnace/blower is not working. Yes, I wasn't aware of this ahead of time and thought the humidistat would handle it. A big duh on me. So, I have an idea that I'd like to bounce off the community here. The humidifier came with an additional step down transformer. I'm thinking of wiring it in just before the blower for it's 115v power supply and then just hooking up the 24v blue and red terminals to the humidifier. It's an older (11-86) Trane furnace w/o A/C and I've attached a copy of the wiring schematic if anyone is interested in giving me their opinion or a perhaps a better idea.


texts: Options for correcting improper deck beam to post attachments

texts:
We purchased a house with a large deck where the post to beam connections look exactly like the prohibited configuration shown here:

The 6 x 6 posts are all attached to concrete footings using the typical Simpson style post base connectors.  I am looking for options on how to correct the problem.  I have considered simply bolting or nailing a 2 x 6 to the side of each post under each beam but I am hoping there is a simpler, less kludgy solution.


texts: Inline whole house filters and their effective filtration performance

texts:
I would like to build a fairly aggressive whole house water filter system.

However, the 1 micron filters that I see are low flow and are for point-of-use (under the counter for a drinking spigot) and are not appropriate for the flow an entire house needs.

I do, however, see many 5 micron filters that have sufficient flow.

If I cascade two or three 5 micron filters together, do they have an effective filtration that is actually smaller than 5 micron ?

Further, do two filters with the same flow rate maintain that same flow rate regardless of how many filters are in line ?  I realize there might be a non-zero reduction in flow just because of the additional couplings, but I am hopeful that two or three filters, in line, with the same flow rate, maintains roughly that same flow rate.

Am I correct that I can get an effective 2 or 3 micron system with, for instance, three 5-micron filters in a row ?

Thank you.


texts: Can we install a slide in gas range with convection oven outdoors?

texts:
I am planning to build a simple summer/outdoor kitchen in the covered patio. Even though the patio is covered it gets occasional rain and a lot of sun. I don't need a grill but need a good gas cooktop along with a conventional oven for baking.
A sample product that I am looking is similar to KitchenAid freestanding oven with gas range


texts: Can I count on being able to cut galvanized pipe to size?

texts:
I am planning a shelving project that will use galvanized pipes.  I am still designing the shelf and am wondering if I can plan on using whatever length pipe that I need (because they are straight-forward to cut) or are they difficult/costly to cut and I should find out what specific increments are available and design my shelf around that?

After I cut them, the ends of the pipes won't be threaded anymore.  Do I have anyway of using standard pipe fittings on pipes without threads?


texts: What is the minimum distance required between handrail posts and opposite wall?

texts:
Regarding stairway code, I understand the distance between the handrail and the opposite wall can be a minimum of 31.5". But I can't find any wording on when the handrail is attached to posts. Does this distance apply the same way when the rail is on posts?

Specifically I want to know if the distance from the outer edge of the posts to the opposite wall is 33.75", is that ok?

Please see the drawing to understand what I'm talking about.


texts: Open Space with Hot Roof, best ventilation?

texts:
I just purchased a home in Minnesota, the house came with a detached garage with a living space above that we want to make livable. The lower-level is partially buried below grade. The picture attached shows its current state, with no sheetrock on the walls, just the  closed-cell sprayfoam. The Mini-split heating-cooling system is installed along with two exhaust fans - one on each gabble end.
My question is about fresh air ventilation. Should a passive intake be placed somewhere? Should we install a Heat Recovery Ventilation System? Any ideas would be helpful.


texts: What is this panel on my ceiling? How can it be opened?

texts:
This panel is in our bedroom closet in our apartment.
We're not sure what it is, or how to open it.
Is it for storage? The sprinkler system? A gateway to Narnia?
Can anyone give us any insight?


texts: Are ungrounded three-way switches dangerous?

texts:
I have 3-Way Switch 1 and 3-Way Switch 2 going to a light / ceiling fan.  Older house.  I replaced the old switches and the light works when I wire them as below, but I'm worried about the safety:

Switch 1 Box has 6 wires:
Black - HOT
Black -  (Traveler?)
2 White - Pigtailed, not attached to switch
Red - (Traveler?)
Ground - believe was NOT connected on the old switch

Switch 2 Box has 3 wires:
Black - HOT
White - (Traveler)
Red - (Traveler)

How do I know if this is safe?  Neither switch has a ground wire to the ground screw on the switch.

THANKS!


texts: How should I connect a light fixture to this box with four cables?

texts:
Can anyone tell what is going on in this box? Why are there four plain copper wires? Why is there only one red wire? What is the purpose of the brown bundle of wires that contains a black, white and copper wire? Is this even safe?
Also, is it safe to attach this very simple light fixture?

UPDATE
I have since discovered both with everyone's kind support and a pal that this is a switch! I also after finding this out, discovered there was no fuse blown, only that the switch circuit was not complete (when I separated all the wires like a dingus) and the power to the other room's outlet and lights (and light switch) were out! I have more work to do because I cannot for the life of me figure out which collection of black wires will work for the lamp to complete the second switch circuit! Picture and more details to follow!


texts: Plane floor joists, sand subfloor, or sand underlayment to handle hump in floor for cork plank flooring?

texts:
I am planning to install 5/8 in. plywood underlayment for some floating 1/4 in. cork plank flooring. Unfortunately, there is a hump in the floor spanning three joists, based on my measurement and estimation. So I need to flatten out that hump somehow for the flooring.
I believe our joists are 2x8 in., 16 in O.C. Those three joists appear to be ~5/8 in. higher than the remainder of the joists in the room. The subfloor is 5/8 in. plywood.
I'm wondering how best to handle the hump. Should I cut and rip the subfloor to get access to the floor joists and sand/plane 5/8 in. off of each joist? Should I sand the subfloor down to virtually nothing? Should I just install the underlayment plywood overtop of the subfloor, then sanding the underlayment down to virtually nothing?
My worries for each scenario:

Would shaving 5/8 in. off of a 2x8 beam risk its structural integrity too much?
Would sanding the subfloor down to virtually nothing in the high spots basically destroy the subfloor and it's integrity?
If I sand underlayment down to virtually nothing, how would I attach the extremely thin portions of the underlayment to the full-thickness subfloor that would most likely splinter/split if screwed with wood screws?

I don't think I want to use self-leveling compound for the entire room in case I want to rip the flooring out of the room in the future.
How would you all recommend dealing with this hump?


texts: How can I remove a dado strip of wallpaper without damaging the wall?

texts:
I'm redoing my bedroom under a tight budget. I have a narrow strip of wallpaper circumscribing the room with a vomitous pattern that sucks the life out of the area. The drywall is painted underneath it, so I don't want to destroy the drywall with moisture or scratch away too much paint. The wallpaper is not dry-stripping but doesn't seem to be laminated either.

Is there any way I can remove it?


texts: Why does my dishwasher make a singing / whistling sound

texts:
I own an LG dishwasher about 2 years old (model LDF8874ST).

I have used this dishwasher regularly and have been really impressed with how quiet it runs. So it was very obvious when in the last couple of weeks it started to make a high-pitched noise when running (almost like whistling or singing). Can anyone please advise on possible causes?


texts: What's this shower screen seal part called?

texts:
Looking online to get new shower seals. The straight parts are fine and readily available, but it's an L-Shaped shower screen (has a square shower part at one end of the bath tub) and I can't seem to find this 'corner part' anywhere!

Anyone know what to search for for this part?


texts: How to bolt something to a wood member when can't access the back side and a carriage bolt won't do

texts:
I need to bolt a solar inverter to a stud wall for three reasons.

it needs to be a few inches offset from the studs, so the bolt holes in the inverter won't line up with the studs,
I'd feel better if the load were carried by 4 lag bolts (instead of 2), and
the inverter needs to sit out 1-2" from the studs, to clear the siding - I intend to lag a short piece of 2x6 or 2x8 to the studs (first removing a couple of siding boards), and then bolt the inverter to the board.

The unit weighs 50 pounds (23 kilograms.)

The problem is, how can I bolt the inverter to the board? I won't be able to reach the back side of the board once it's attached to the studs.  Carriage bolts could work, by installing the into the board before I attach it to the studs; but I'm not satisfied with the amount of bearing surface the head of the carriage bolt would supply.  A hex bolt, with washers under the head (on the back side) and under the nut (on the front side), would work. But how can I keep the bolt from rotating as I tighten the nut on the front side?


texts: How can I figure out why the low voltage furnace fuse blows on heat but not cool?

texts:
I have a Tempstar Model NTC6100KFG1 gas furnace. Furnace was working fine through the summer blowing the AC. It's been off for a month or two as we've been changing seasons here. When I went to turn on the heat, I found that it would immediately blow the low voltage fuse on the control board.

I replaced the original control board with a Honeywell ST9120U1011 universal control board about two years ago after the original one blew.

Every troubleshooting tip I found said to disconnect the W (heat relay) and R (24V supply) terminals from the thermostat and jumper them on the control board. If the fuse didn't blow, it meant the thermostat wire was shorting somewhere. If it did blow, it meant the control board was bad.

Well, the fuse blew. I'm having a hard time believing that just the heating section of the control board went bad after two year while not being used all summer. Before I go and buy a new one, is there anything else I should check? For instance the igniters or the gas valve? If so, what is the proper procedure for checking these?

Edit: If anyone knows where to find a schematic for this board, that would also be very helpful.

Following the advice of @longneck, I disconnected all the components that make up the heating circuit and reconnected them one by one. The furnace has two igniters as shown below. If I connect only one of the igniters, the control board is fine. But if I connect both of them, the fuse blows. Each igniter is measuring approximately 3Ω. Since they work individually, I don't think there is a short to chassis. Could they be shorting together? What should I check next?


texts: What's the best type of underlay for bamboo flooring

texts:
I am building a new house and it sits on piers. The sub-floor I am using is yellow tongue particle board.

I have just bought some bamboo floors and wondering what's the best type of underlay for it and ideally how thick should it be, as well as what should I be looking for when choosing the underlay.


texts: Electrical question on floating neutral generator for emergency use

texts:
There is tons of information on "bonded neutral" and "floating neutral" generator wiring to transfer switch. However, I have one question I cannot find the answer.

I recently bought a Reliance Control Transfer Switch TF151W (2-pole transfer switch) for the furnace, because I cannot use an extension cord for furnace. In North American, all service panel in our houses have Neutral (white) and Ground (Green/bare copper) connected/bonded by code.  In this case, the ONLY option for me is to buy a "floating neutral" generator in order to avoid the dangerous "double bonded" scenario.

Say I want the generator to power my (1) furnace via transfer switch and I want to power my (2) gas water heater using extension cord plugging it into the outlet of the generator. Will there be a problem?

Say, the Generator is "Floating Neutral", I have:

Generator Outlet #1 -> Transfer Switch AC Panel (bonded) -> Furnace

Generator Outlet #2 -> Extension cord -> Gas water heater (not bonded)

My question is: If I unplugged #1 and only run #2, the gas water heater is running on floating neutral. But what if I run #1 and #2 at the same time, will all the outlets on the generator automatically turn into bonded neutral?

Reason I ask is that some gas water heater is very sensitive, they won't start if they detect it is not grounded.


texts: How to make or find a wall plug cover for mismatched double plugs

texts:
I have 2 pairs of wall plugs (as depicted in the first image) that have different profiles. Most of the double pairs of plugs in the house look like the ones in the 2nd image and can fit the standard wall plug covers that are easy to find online. I haven't been able to find anything online that would fit the plugs in the first image.
I bought a double plug wall cover like in the second image and tried a couple of things to modify it to make it work on the mismatched plugs. I tried using both a hacksaw and a heated pyrography knife to cut out half of the cover so it would fit over the left rectangular plug. I did this twice with 2 covers and both times I failed. The plastic of these covers was just too hard and brittle and no matter how gentle I was it cracked at the end and the saw and heated knife could not get through it.
What ideas do you have to get a cover over these plugs?


texts: How can I route the shower plumbing back into the wall?

texts:
I have purchased an exposed shower valve similar to this for a ground-floor shower room in my home.

I would like this connected to a ceiling mounted rainfall shower like this.

So I need to be able to route the shower valve outlet back into the wall that the valve is fixed to (and then the pipe will go up behind the wall, into the first-floor floor cavity and then back down through the ground-floor ceiling.

But I am not sure what connector to use to attach to the shower valve outlet to route it back through the wall. Any advice?

I have found this but I'm not sure if this is what I need.


texts: How can I keep a bedroom warmer in summer?

texts:
The master bedroom in my parent's house tends to be the coolest room in the house, and my father complains it's too cold.  The A/C register in the ceiling does have a flow adjustment lever, but it's difficult for my 80-year-old dad to reach and adjust.  I tried to attach a pull wire, but the lever is just a slightly bent strip of metal, and I can't manage to tie anything to it securely enough to be usable.

Does anybody make a register that's easier for the elderly to adjust?  Where can I find it?  A register with a built-in thermostat might work, too.  Is there such a thing?

Or does someone have another idea about keeping the room from getting too cold (without the rest of the house becoming too hot)?


texts: Is garage door insulation beneficial in South Florida?

texts:
I'm in South Florida and I have a west exposed garage door. The garage door is metal (possibly aluminum). The garage is not air conditioned. There is insulation between the house and the garage. There is no insulation in the garage walls, which are concrete blocks covered with stucco.

Would there be any benefit to adding insulation to my existing garage door?


texts: Are these cracks small enough to paint as gap fill or do I need to caulk?

texts: House is ~25 years old and several owners in. Do I need to do any sort of filling of these cracks with a paintable caulk or is thin enough I should just paint over it again? /Cheers


texts: What determines if a plaster can be floated or can only be sanded as the final smoothing step

texts:
I'm looking at some datasheets for interior plaster by Saint-Gobin (which unfortunately are not available in English as far as I can tell) and I'm miffed why some interior (white) cement-based plasters are advised to be sanded as the final smoothing step and for others the advice is to wet float them. As far as I can tell the maximum aggregate (sand) size is the determining factor, those that they advise to float have max particle size of 1mm, the other ones are in the hundreds of micrometers range. Is this the determining factor, or are there other considerations?

To add some details, these are all skim coats. The one with 1mm max particles allows for maximum 5mm layer, while the other ones (hundreds of micrometers particles) only 2mm layers.


texts: What is the technical name for this flexible metal hose?

texts:
I wanted to buy this type of flexible metal hose connected to the spray gun of my kitchen sink tap. As I do not know its specific name, specifically the type of connection used at the two ends, my Google search ends up with irrelevant result. The hardware stores in my country don't seem to have it. The outer diameter of the thin end connecting to the tap is 13mm, the fat end connecting to the spray gun is typical type used in shower hose.

The tap in question looks like this.

The tap I bought from China, taobao. I'm from Singapore.


texts: Spring/Coil tool that will add pressure/force to support holding object in place

texts:
I need a tool that will add pressure on a board to be able to support keep it in place. The design of the tool needs to allow other objects, the yellow board in this case, to wedge easily between the red board and the tool as shown below:

The red board has the black hook attached to it. We then need to drop it onto the yellow board like in the picture. I'm looking for something along the lines of the second drawing, where the coil/spring pushes against it.

I'm also open to any other tool that can accomplish this


texts:
I am trying to build a lamp with a metal pipe (32mm thread, left side of image) and an e27 socket with a 9.6mm screw (right side of image). Any ideas on how to reduce the size of the nut? I have found some nut reducers but nothing that works for my project. I am open to any options.
Thanks!


texts: Should I connect a new ceiling fan as the old one was?

texts: I have two cables coming into box. Old fan had black and blue attached to the black (hot all the time). The white fan wire attached to other black in the box. The 2 white wires were connected as were the grounds. Should I install new fan the same way?


texts: Reliable, inexpensive way to be notified of a water leak?

texts:
I have a few places in my home that I really, really don't want water to be. I've had bad experiences with water in the past (read: whole-house flooding from an upstairs toilet valve), and I'd like to make sure I can catch a slow (or even fast) leak before it becomes a huge pain.

There are a few places that I'm suspicious of, namely a couple sinks, the line running into a refrigerator, etc. We currently have some water alarms that beep when they detect water, but that won't help much if I'm not at home and thus can't hear the beep.

What's a reliable, long term, cheap way to get notified (SMS, push notification, IFTTT action, etc) of a water leak?


texts: UK: Is it safe to bypass a light switch?

texts: Is it safe to join the live & switched-live wires behind a switch so the light is permanently on?  And if so, what would be the best method (connector block, crimp, etc)?


texts: Replacing a duplex switch with a dimmer and the duplex switch has a 3 way and is fed from a different circuit

texts:
This switch is a duplex 3 way switch controlling my dining room fixture (not 3 way) and also my porch light (3 way) each fed from a different circuit.  I would like a dimmer on my dining room light fixture.  I bought a duplex dimmer with 3 way capability on each switch, but it only has one feed.
The question is can I use this and connect both feeds to the one on the duplex dimmer?  Or do I return this and look for a duplex dimmer that accommodates 2 feeds?


texts: Can I use these post brackets to attach railing posts on top of decking?

texts:
I found a Simpson strong tie product (BC40Z) 4x4 half post base, and it states its intended use is for attaching a 4x4 railing post securely on top of wooden decking.  The following picture demonstrates a proper installation.

I got excited about it and bought a whole bunch but then thought after the fact that I probably should have checked to see first if it is acceptable and code compliant to install to install securely on top of composite trex-like decking of about 5/4" nominal thickness.

I can't find any information, even information on the Strong Tie website that states NOT to install on composite decking.  It would be so much less of a pain to use these.  They are held down with a carriage bolt and 4 16D joist hanger nails, and they are attached to the post itself by 3 16D joist hanger nails on each side.


texts: Securing 3-3-3-5 SER at sub panel entrance

texts:
When installing a 100A sub-panel with larger wire (3-3-3-5 copper SER), is there a specific size of wire clamp I need for this? Do I use the same type of wire clamp as I would for NM cable, just larger (like the type that go into the knockout with a nut and have some screws to tighten the cable)? Is there a specific size of clamp I need?

I think the codes I've seen (which I haven't search through exhaustively) just say the wires need to be secured and follow the manufacturer guidelines or something. Would appreciate any specific parts I should buy.


texts: flexible plastic hose coming out of toilet tank

texts:
What is the purpose of an additional flex tube coming into or out of the toilet tank?

It is not the braided inlet hose into the tank.


texts:
I have granite countertops in the kitchen. Recently I noticed there was a very think crack right where 2 slabs join each other. It is about 2 in away from the edge of the slab.

I'm looking for a solution to seal the crack. I have tried Liquid Nails but is is yellow in color and my granite is almost black with copper speckles.

What would be the best DIY way to seal it permanently and make sure it does not widen?


texts: How can I put a picture frame on the floor

texts:
I'm putting some picture frames in a photographer's studio. I will hang some of these frames in the wall, but I would like to have some of these on the floor, this way:

The problem is: there's some wind circulating in there, and the frames keep falling. I also want to be able to move them around, so I'm not fixing their tops to the wall.

What are some nice ways to accomplish that?


texts: Using radiant barrier to keep a room warm

texts:
I have been told (including in comments by awesome user Unslander Monica) that a foil sheet placed on the interior side of an air-sealed window can help prevent radiative heat loss through that window. I have a few questions about this:

Does it matter what kind of foil I use? Is anything better than the "normal" foil used for food storage?
Does it matter whether the cavity between the foil and the window is not completely sealed? (I already have plastic film that should be blocking outside air from getting in through the window)
Does foil work significantly better than any white opaque surface?
Are there common conditions that I might not think of where this would not work?
Can foil also prevent radiative heat loss if I use it to cover a wall/ceiling? If so, is is partially effective if the wall/ceiling is only partially covered?
If the answer to #5 is "yes," then I am guessing that I will need to make sure that any pipes running through the covered walls do not require heat from my living space to prevent freezing. Right?
If the answer to #5 is "yes," are there any special precautions I should take in a room heated by baseboard heat?
Can I also use foil on my walls/ceiling to increase solar heat gain when condition are appropriate? If so, is there something better I could use?
Catch-all question: Is this a giant waste of time? I don't intend to work on this until I have upgraded/insulated windows/doors/attic, sealed small cracks, and improved my personal habits. But I am renting so I have limited ability/desire to tear open walls or buy major appliances.


texts: How to find the correct replacement glass dome for a light fixture?

texts:
My wife and I were cleaning the glass dome for our kitchen's main overhead light fixture and it broke.  How do we go about finding a matching replacement?

The electrical and structural metal parts are fine, we just need the glass part.  Would a manufacturer's code be etched on the metal parts somewhere?  Do we need to contact the original builder?

I wish I had a picture (I'm at work at the moment), but the dome was basically the bottom third of a glass sphere, like a shallow bowl, with several holes to attach metal supports.  Nothing terribly fancy, but I have no idea where to look for a matching replacement.


texts: What tape should I use to seal leaks in forced air heating system?

texts:
I have some of this duct tape Nashua 557 Premium Grade Flex Duct Tape.  Is this the correct stuff to use to seal leaks in a forced air heating system, or is there something else I should be using?

Note:

It says it's rated for Class 1 ducts, I haven't been able to find out what exactly a Class 1 duct is yet though.


texts: Can I extend 20 amp garage outlet? Or can I only move it?

texts:
In attached garage there is a receptacle with a single 20 amp outlet (marked as "Freezer" in a breaker panel). It is in inconvenient location. The idea is to extend this circuit to an area where I need outlets. After it this circuit will power 5-6 outlets.
I found this in NEC 2017 [210.11 Branch Circuits Required (C) (4)]:
(4) Garage Branch Circuits. In addition to the number of
branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at least
one 120-volt, 20-ampere branch circuit shall be installed to
supply receptacle outlets in attached garages and in detached
garages with electric power. This circuit shall have no other
outlets.

Does it prevent me from extending this circuit? If yes - which options do I have? Either move or extend but add a new 20 amp circuit with a single outlet?


texts:
I tried to switch to a new smart thermostat in my home. When I was adding it, something happened. The new thermostat didn't show any power (And yes, the C wire was plugged in). Not knowing what else to do, I tried to back out and put in the old system, but I'm still having the same issue of nothing seeming to work. To try and diagnose things further, I turned off the power via the fuse box, and measured the resistance between each of the 5 sets of wires. I noticed that the R, C, and Y all appear to be shorted to each other, while the G and W wires appear to not be connected to anything. I know that there is AC power magic, so a DC short doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I am somewhat worried that the C and R appear to be shorted to each other.

Also of some note is I can't detect any AC voltage between C and R, even when everything is powered on

Bottom line, does this mean I broke something, and if so, what do I need to replace? My suspicion is that I blew out a transformer that will need to be replaced, but I would like to confirm this if possible. Thanks!


texts: What's the best way to remove a wrought iron fence?

texts:
I have a simple wrought iron fence that I would like to remove. It has posts in concrete with the panels welded to them.

I was just going to cut the horizontal bars from the posts and then pull out the posts.

Is this the best way to remove the fence? What tools do I need to cut and dig most efficiently and effectively?


texts: Is it safe to run an electrical cable through an insulated exterior wall?

texts: I have a Nest outdoor security camera that I want to place on the outside of my house and I would like to drill through the insulated wall and plug it into an outlet which is directly on the other side of that wall. Would it be safe to do this? Is it safe to run an electrical wire through a wall with insulation in it or is there a better way to do this? I don't want this to become a fire hazard if I go this route.


texts: How do I go from a 3-way switch controlling my basement lights to multiple 3-way switches?

texts:
Currently my basement has multiple lights that are connected to a 3-way switch that can be operated from upstairs or in the basement.

I’m renovating my basement and will break it up into 3 different sections with an open floor plan.

I’d like to have 3-way switches controlling each section of the basement individually

I’m new to this and no I cannot afford an electrician right now

Any advice will be appreciated


texts: Replacing a vintage 2 prong outlet that has 4 sockets?

texts:
In one of my rooms I have a very old 2 prong outlet that has 4 places to plug things in. I want to know where I can find a wiring diagram for these types of outlets?
Any help is greatly appreciated.


texts: Can I remove the rafter ties from my hand-framed garage roof?

texts: Rehabbing my garage wanted to know if it’s OK to remove the Cross braces left to right and front to back  ![


texts: Can a water heater be installed between two apartments and wired to both apartments' breaker boxes, effectively splitting the bill between the two?  It's a 220-volt heater, and this is a retrofit wiring.


texts: Looking for Second Opinion on New Insulation in Attic

texts: I had someone come take a look at the attic yesterday to do an assessment. He uses the sprayable foam insulation and said that he would spray the ceiling of the attic rather than the floor (and remove the old insulation) and close up the two attic fan vent areas.  He called it a "ventless attic" and I've never heard of this before.  He claims it's safer and better for air circulation.  Has anyone ever heard of this?  Also, does it make sense to remove the old insulation or could it be kept there?  I worry about all the dust and debris it would leave behind upon removal.


texts: Different options for setting floor joists on top of cinder block foundation

texts:
I am in the preliminary phases of a new home design, which I will eventually get run by a professional builder but I am conceptualizing it on my own.

So I am exploring different ways to attach the first floor wood framing onto a cinder block foundation.  The basement will be fully finished and have a legal ceiling height.  About 60% of it will be below grade and the rest above.  The location is on a high elevation in Colorado, countryside.

What are some different ways to set the joists on top of a cinder block foundation.  The foundation perimeter is approximately 18' x 52'/  Preferably with pictures.


texts: Do I need to plug my snow thrower to GFCI outlet?

texts:
I bought a snow thrower with 13.5A power. One area of my house is close to a GFCI outlet but the other side of the house is not. It's just a regular outlet. So I am not sure it can be safe to use with the normal outlet.

Addition Info: The Model is Snow Joe Ultra 18-IN 13.5 AMP Electric Snow Thrower with Light - SJ621


texts: Why does my home have three empty, inaccessible rooms?

texts:
I spent the past hour to draw a map of my home, and this is the result:

As you can see from the plant, there are 3 hollow areas labelled as A, B and C.

The area A is just behind the kitchen
The area B is just behind the pipes of the gas counter.
The area C is between two bathrooms

I tried to give explanations to each of them:

A

The "room" is made out of drywall and if I knock on it is obviously empty.
There aren't any evident pipes in it, because the water for the kitchen comes from the wall on the left (the cm207.4 wall).
There's just the tube for the extractor hood on the top of it, but I hardly believe a ~1 square meter chamber is needed just for this purpose...

B

The gas counter is on the right of this room, part of it may be needed for the gas pipes, but again, it's a quite big area just for few pipes?

C

This is between two bathrooms so I thought it could be needed for the discharge of the waters, but I never seen a so large area dedicated to this, in my previous home there wasn't any relevant space reserved for this stuff.

To give some context, this is a Hungarian (Budapest) home, built on top of an existing historic building (they added 2 new floors). I live on the first of the 2 added floors.

This is a picture from Google Maps of my building:

I would like to, at least, get rid of the area A, because it takes a lot of space. But I'm not sure if this is something feasible or not.

Do you have better explanations for the presence of these areas (especially A)?


texts: Bath setup: Hand Shower and shower head on independent valves and trim

texts:
Appreciate opinion, if following setup is plumbing-sound:

Basement bath, no tub, full 5ft shower. I would like a shower head and a hand-shower on completely independent mixing values(instead of diverter). So 2 values with identical 2 trims .
My plumber already setup one valve and calls me saying "this setup does not make sense + space is tight."

Trying to get a second opinion.
Any downsides to having two valves? Doesn't that add flexibility for future modification, i.e. having two plumbing lines. Why do people feel two trim/knobs as un-intuitive?

Pic attached. If there is not enough space on left of the shower-head/valve, I am open to having hand-shower&shower-bar and its valve/trim on the wall to the left.

Thanks a bunch.


texts: How can I add a ground wire to my older Square D panel?

texts:
This is a Square D 225 amp subpanel, manufactured in 1978. It is located in an old home that predates electricity (originally had knob and tube), and as you can see it has a lot of issues. The grounds and neutrals are connected, the panel is fed by a three wire cable, and most of the circuits are ungrounded, all problems I am eventually going to fix.

However, I would like some advice about what I should do to correct these problems. First of all, can someone familiar with this model identify where the bonding screw is, or if it has been removed? This panel is located at least 50 feet from where the power comes in, and it would be a pain to try to fish a ground cable through the conduit that feeds the panel, and so I was thinking of running a new separate conduit with a ground cable in it.

I also plan to ground the ungrounded circuits by running a single-strand green wire to the fixtures on the circuits.

Is there any problem here with this plan, and are there any other issues with this panel?

Note that while this is a 225 amp panel, it is fed by I think a 2/0 cable, and is one of four subpanels in this house (I haven't checked the others yet, but I suspect they are also wired improperly).

Along with the supply cable there are, I think, 7 cirucits whose breakers are located in the main panel where the power comes in, and pass right though this subpanel in the same conduit as the feeder wires, but I think that their neutrals connect in this subpanel. I would like to change that to where the breakers are in this subpanel. This panel has had these issues for more than 40 years, but an electric water heater was recently connected to it, so that concerns me even more.


texts: 240v double pole breaker for two 120v circuits

texts:
I am buying a very old house with fairly new looking breaker box in Ohio. When updating my bathroom,(installing a bathroom exhaust fan, new lights, ect.) I found that the wire that runs the bathroom is a 12-3/ground wire on a 30 amp 240v double pole breaker.  The red and black wires are running two separate circuits sharing the neutral.  I pulled the 240v breaker and put in two 120v, 20 amp breakers to see what all is on the circuit with the bathroom.  (It's running the bathroom, an outdoor light and a couple plugs on the other side of the house.)
  Ok, my questions are;
  Is it ok (safe) to just run a new 12-2 wire on a 20amp breaker for everything in the bathroom and leave the rest alone?
  Should I just change the 30 amp double pole to a 20 amp, or put in two 20 amp single pole breakers using  the 12-3 with ground wire?
  (Sorry about the long question)  Thanks!


texts:
Air conditioned made a sound while running and stopped working,I guess its probably short circuited.How can I repair it by myself?

What all tools do I need?


texts: Rudimentary tools (and process) for reshaping a small piece of steel?

texts:
Hello all and thanks in advance for reading.

I have an old craftsman woodchipper, with small breaker plates that the blades have to fit between when spinning. A blade bent, smashed into 2 of the little metal ridges on the breaker plates, warping and bending the metal.

Blade was repaired by a local mechanic, but I can’t find anyone to fix these pieces, which are preventing the blades from spinning.

I’ve got a clamp and a worktable in the garage, and a willingness to try and heat it up and bend myself. Tolerances are not very tight. What do I need?


texts:
We have a bathroom whose GFCI tripped one day.  Only after it was tripped did we realize we have no idea where the reset button is.  It's not on the breaker, it's not on the wall outlet, and there's no other wall outlets in the room.

Is there a process for locating the hidden GFCI?  The wall outlet has a sticker claiming it to be on a GFCI circuit, that's all I have to defend the claim that there's a GFCI on the circuit at all (as opposed to other possibilities, such as simply not being wired in at all... which would be odd).  The circuit breaker is decidedly not flipped.

How can I locate my GFCI for this circuit?


texts: What kind of joint compound over plywood

texts:
This question has been asked before: can you apply joint compound to plywood?
Article 1 Article 2 A good discussion

The general recommendation is not to do it because plywood cannot absorb it the way drywall does and it will have a tendency to crack. Others have reported durable results.

Well, I had to hang a TV and I had not choice but to use plywood (couldn't catch any of the studs) and now I have no choice but to apply joint compound:

So I'm looking for the best way to do it! Any suggestions on what to use and how to use it? Would Durabond be better? Should I sand the surface smooth or rough it up? Should I use paper tape or mesh? Any other suggestions?


texts: Why do the lights turn off when I turn off the fan portion of my newly installed ceiling fan?

texts: I installed a ceiling fan a while ago, Hunter brand. My room has two switches; one for light, one for fan. When I turn both of them on, but I just want to have the lights on, the lights go off when I flip the fan off. This is driving me bananas because I rechecked the wiring on the ceiling. Please help.


texts: I Did Something Really Dumb With My Oven, Suggestions? - KitchenAid kebs107sss00 Woes

texts:
I am renovating my kitchen and installed a perfectly working used KitchenAid kebs107sss00 oven along with a new cooktop.
Tonight when the wife went to use the induction cooktop she was getting an error due to low voltage.
The cooktop has a green, black, and white wire and is 240v.
I immediately realized I connected the white to the neutral and thus was only getting 110v to the cooktop.
I switched off the breaker and connected the wires correctly, or so I thought, as I was not focusing and chatting to my wife and ended up connecting the neutral wire from the oven to to red 110V wire from the oven and wall thinking that wire was the cooktop wire!!
I went and flipped the breaker and heard a weird clicking noise from the oven followed by an ozone like smell and I turned the breaker off ASAP (the clicking must have been the transformer flipping the locking self cleaning mechanism).
The oven door is now locked and nothing is working :(
I reconnected the wires correctly but I fear the worst.
Any suggestions?
The thermal breaker inside the oven is OK, I am getting continuity so I am not sure if I fried the front panel or what I could have done on such a STUPID rookie move I would normally not make.
I can see no damage to any caps or resistors or anything on the main board or front panel board FYI, nothing is burnt or black.
Appreciate the help!


texts:
I'm doing some home repair and discovered lever nuts. They look like a great improvement over wire nuts. Though they cost a bit more, ease of installation, tracking the wires, and less bulkiness make up for it, in my opinion.

However, some people are critical. A friend of mine, who is quite handy, says not to use lever nuts because they don't twist the wire for contact, which can create heat. I'm not sure I believe that.

What are the pros and cons of lever and wire nuts?


texts: How do I secure a vinyl window to the wall?

texts: When installing my vinyl windows should I put a nail into every little hole around the window? It has a flange that has many little holes around it. Also what size nails would you recommend? Finally do I need to secure the window to the inside of the rough opening, as you do with a door?


texts: Is adhesive to sister a pressure treated deck joist necessary, and if so what kind?

texts:
My deck has a cantilever of about 4 feet from the girder to where the stairs attach, and the stairs tend to have a bit of a spring in them when you walk up. I want to solidify it a bit by sistering some joists in that area.

I've been trying to decide what adhesive to use, if any. I think nails themselves would be a solid repair, but the extra strength from some adhesive is also a good thing.

I've found that PL 400 (or other polyurethane) adhesive is advertised as compatible with wet pressure treated wood, and as being waterproof, and I'm leaning towards that.

The deck is about 5 years old from what I understand, so the joists are certainly dry. I'm worried about using adhesive in the repair and having the shrinkage of the greener wood delaminate from the adhesive on one side of the wood. I'm also worried about the board drying unevenly with one side in contact with dry wood and the other in the open air, I think the wood may try and cup a bit, backing out my nails. Maybe I should dry the wood for a few months first? They don't sell yellawood up here in Massachusetts.

Would you use adhesive, or just nails? What kind of adhesive?

Edit: Message received on nails vs screws for exterior applications - but I'm most curious about the adhesives


texts: what do you call a female single socket extension-style plug?

texts: I can't for the life of me figure out what this female plug is called. I just need to buy the UK female plug, no cable, can anyone help please?


texts:
I am hoping for some advise please on the exterior cracking of our house, and how to rectify it permanently if possible, you can see from the photos painters have tried to cover this up when painting however, it then returns again, my thoughts are to widen the crack to roughly an inch or so, fill that and then repaint?  Thanks & Regards

House timberframe plastered exteriors.
House is roughly 35 years old
Houses to the left and right have the exact same cracking


texts: Portable air-conditioning system output problem

texts:
I have just bought a potable air-conditioning system for my kitchen. However, after I bought the air-conditioner just realised I need to put the output pipe to the outside. My kitchen doesn’t have any window and it is far from other windows in my house. I understand that air-conditioner doesn’t work properly without connecting it to the outside.

However, my question is, can I put the output to a bucket or tank of water? In that case it will heat up the water instead of the environment.

Your comments will be much appreciated.


texts: Is it OK to have an air conditioning vent above a kitchen cabinet?

texts:
We're getting proposals to add central air conditioning to our house. We currently have no ductwork so adding ducts and vents is part of the project. One possible duct location is on the ceiling over these kitchen cabinets, roughly where the star is:

This is a convenient location for a vent, because it's easy to reach from upstairs (the air handler will be in the attic). It seems like a good location for cooling the kitchen. There is a 6 1/4" gap between the top of the cabinet frame and the ceiling.

Is this an OK place to put a vent? One contractor said that placing a vent close to the cabinets will ruin the cabinets, so we'd want to run it elsewhere. Another said that the cool dry air will just flow over the cabinet and would not damage it at all. I don't see how cool dry air would damage a cabinet; am I missing something? Are there other reasons this is a good or bad idea?


texts: What is this sanding disc and where could I find one?

texts:
As best I can tell, it's a 5" diameter, open-coat, all-metal (steel? tin?) arbor-mounted sanding disc.

It's the only thing that will remove tar from brick on my house, and I really need to purchase more. No idea where this one came from.


texts: Which way should an internal star lock washer go?

texts:
I want to attach a rear basket to my bicycle and I don't know a thing about nuts/bolts. I got a plastic bag full of nuts, bolts, washers, and what I believe (according to what I could find on the internet) are internal star lock washers.

Is the configuration on the attached photo correct? First the smooth washer, then the jagged star lock washer, then the covered nut?  And, the internal star lock washers are smooth on one side and jagged on the other. Which side should face up towards the bolt head?


texts: Would it make sense to have a bathroom without a sink?

texts:
I had this idea to maximize the amount of space in my small bathroom, to redo it and the kitchen in one go, put the kitchen sink next to the bathroom, and skip the bathroom sink.
A quick internet search doesn't give me any examples of this being done, but I can't think of a reason not to do it. Sure, it's a little strange, and guests might think I'm crazy, but hand-washing is just a door away...
Is there a reason not to do this, beyond "not normal", or resale value, because I've already considered this ? Are there examples of this being done anywhere ?


texts:
My house sits on 42 wood posts. I adjusted at each post to induce a 1/4 % slope (1/4" per 96") for tension 12 years ago. Cold winters cause movements...cracks walls (fixable).
External posts that heave have Styrofoam buried around them to resist frost penetrating down. Internal crawl space heated.
Q: what is best slope to adjust posts now (flat not an option)?


texts: I’m looking underneath the laminate in my kitchen and need to identify this subfloor. Is this particle board?


texts: Are there any special considerations for installing laminate on a 2nd floor?

texts:
I have installed a lot of laminate in 1st floor rooms, with concrete subfloors. No issues there. Now I'm installing in a second floor bedroom in a townhouse. Before I rip up carpet Im checking to see if there are any special considerations to consider for 2nd floor installations.

I know this question is a little broad so I'm up for edits to make more specific.


texts: How to stabilize half-wall below an interior portal?

texts:
BACKGROUND: Decided to extend an already existing opening in this non-load bearing wall. With all the electrical and plumbing it's just not worth removing completely. Besides, wife likes the idea of having a family computer desk in the corner, etc.

QUESTION: What is the best way to stabilize this half-wall? I still need to frame out the opening and I'm guessing the drywall will add some rigidity, but I want to make this thing is pretty much rock solid before finishing. Currently it wobbles a little if I shake it hard enough.

(The partial horizontal 2x4s you see in the picture are just temporary supports I put in for cutting out studs and drywall)


texts: Grout has gone hard and I have not finished can I add something to it to soften grout to finish the job

texts: As title says need to soften up the grout to finish job


texts: Must outdoor GFCI power outlets be covered?

texts:
I have outside the regular (i.e. non-GFCI) power outlet that you see on the left.

It has a nice double-cover that will keep water out.

I am about to replace it with a GFCI outlet (right of the picture). The GFCI outlet will not accept the receptacle you see on the left, because there is no room for the screw in the center. That space is occupied by the test/reset buttons.

Is there any disadvantage in installing the ordinary plastic cover (bottom right of the picture) to cover a GFCI outlet outdoors? It is vertical and is under a 3ft shed, so it will somewhat be protected from rain.


texts: How to determine the type of wall on which I'm putting up a shelf?

texts: I'd like to put up a small shelf. I have never tackled any kind of DIY project before so this is a first (I don't even have the necessary tools yet!) and I have a rather newbie question: Having read a few how-to guides, I've learned it's important to know the type of wall onto which you're mounting the shelf. But I really have no idea how to tell. How do I determine what kind of wall it is?