texts: What could have caused my GFCI to trip, and what can I do about it?

texts:
About a week ago, a GFCI tripped.  I noticed that because appliances in my kitchen stopped working. The short story is that something was put into an outlet that shouldn't have been.  That's not the issue.  My son went to put some stuff in the deep freezer in our garage today and discovered that the freezer was out and that we had some rotting food.  My question is, why did a GFCI in my kitchen and in my garage trip?  When one trips, do they all trip?  Did the added strain of a foreign object in an outlet cause them all to trip?  Was it just a coincidence?

Second question.  What's the best remedy for this?  Should I swap out the GFI or try to do some sort of alarm?


texts: Removing calcium carbonate deposits without damaging tiles

texts:
I live in an area with hard water, leading to calcium carbonate deposits all over my tiled bathroom. I want them gone, but I don't want to risk damaging the tiles.

The red arrow points at deposits that attach to the borders of the tiles. I've tried to use various cleaning chemicals and brushes to remove them but they're stuck like concrete.

In the grout (blue arrow) there are big chunks of deposits that are equally impossible to remove.

I've read a lot of tips involving acids, but I'm concerned that it would damage the glossiness of the tiles. What can I do to attack the problem?


texts: Can I split the feed to a duplex 20 amp receptacle from different capacity circuits?

texts: Is it possible to split-feed a 20 Amp receptacle with one receptacle using 15amp and the other 20amp circuits?


texts: Can I use landscaping lava rock as a concrete slab base?

texts:
The side of our house if continually overrun with weeds.  I'm thinking of fencing it in and laying some concrete to prevent the weeds and provide some storage area.  Currently there is red lava rock over there (under the weeds).  Pretty much this stuff (not my photo):

I have never laid concrete for any reason, though I've dome some tiling and other stuff that makes me think I can handle it (famous last words, I'm sure).  I haven't measured it yet, but let's say it will end up being a 4' X 30' slab, if that matters at this point.

The question I have is whether I can use the lava rock as a base for the concrete rather than using something I'd have to buy.  I suppose there might be concerns given the size of the rocks (1" or so versus the smaller stuff I've seen used as a base) and the porous nature of the rocks.

I understand that I'd still have to remove the rocks and prepare the area by removing weeds, removing some soil, etc. before putting the rocks back as a base.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?


texts: Newly installed water heater with faint gas smell

texts:
Installed a new water heater last night (Rheem Performance Plus Model #XG50T09HE40U0). All went well with installation (including gas line bubble test), but this morning I could detect a faint smell of gas.

I had re-used the existing gas line last night (except for a new male threaded adapter), but after smelling it today I replaced the line with a fresh one (and reused the new male threaded adapter from last night). All threads were well sealed with thread tape. However, after replacing the line today, I can still detect the smell.

It smells like it's coming from where it is connected in the control unit.

Options?


texts:
I just bought a killer electric chainsaw.  Very powerful, fast and draws a FULL 15 amps.  I keep tripping the 15 amp breaker at the box in the basement.  It's a LONG run of extension cord (50' 10 guage) but its also some 80 feet to the panel so the wire is probably, what 14 gauge to the panel in my walls?  Maybe that's whats tripping the breaker.  I'm cutting BIG ROUNDS so the saw is working hard for like 2-3 full minutes and that's when the circuit breaker says, "too much".  I have to take frequent breaks every 30 seconds to let the breaker cool before I can resume work.

The outlet at the side of the house has 2 15 amp circuits, one to each plug, like a kitchen in newer home construction.  The outlet is GFI protected.  Can I pigtail 2 male plugs and wire a single female to the males? That would give me 30 amps?  I won't overload the extension cord.  It's really heavy duty and I won't overload the wiring in the house, 2 15 amp circuits.

My home is finished and basement done, I can't run a new wire to the back yard. Please help.


texts: oven repair, is it possible the gas line is clogged?

texts:
Mistaking a broiler for a storage drawer below the oven, my friend placed a single medium size piece of tupperware inside the broiler.  Naturally it was lit on fire, and a lot of soot (and fire extinguisher chemicals) were deposited on and around the igniter.  The igniter still glows hot when the oven is turned on, but I don't hear gas and it doesn't ignite.
Should I suspect the heating element is too dirty to work effectively?
That the gas line has become clogged?
Could cleaning some of these parts help or do they probably need to be replaced?

The oven/stove is a GE model JGBS22BEA1WH


texts:
I used to own Dewalt DWE575 (7-1/4, 15 amp) and liked it quite a bit. Unfortunately, my garage got broken into and it was stolen.
I bought a used DWE575SB, which is similar, but with electrical brake.
I put on a new blade but it cannot cut through a 2x6 without getting stuck.
The other day I tried to cut through a 1x12 pine board and it couldn't complete the cut. I don't recall the previous one had such issues.
Can I conclude that I bought a lemon and it's at the end of its life?
What other signs should I look out for before spending money on a new saw?


texts: I just built this storage rack for my basement out of 2x4s and plywood. It is relatively stable but does have some front to back wobble. More than I would like. Is there a way to increase the stability of the unit? I've read something about adding diagonal braces but am unsure how exactly that would work. Any help would be much appreciated.


texts: How can I get rid of frogs that have settled in an unused swimming pool?

texts:
We have an inground swimming pool that we haven't used in a few years (it's just too expensive for us to maintain at the present time).

Well it's almost June and the frogs are a' plenty. Our pool (covered, but with a top layer of about 2ft of water over the tarp) has become a pond/swamp for these little critters, and at night the sound is keeping us up (and our neighbors) all night long.

I'm tempted to start routinely dumping chlorine into the water that's on top of the tarp, but that will get almost as expensive as...maintaining a swimming pool ;-).

There really isn't anything we can do about the water on top of the tarp. All we have to keep the tarp sitting on top of the pool are a bunch of cinder blocks that weigh it down. In between the blocks the frogs can slip under the tarp and get access to the main pool anyways.


texts:
I recently removed the crumbling concrete curbing from around my front porch flower bed. This weekend I plan to create the form and pour a new curb for the bed. My question is: When I build the mold, should the mold overlap the existing concrete edge some, allowing the existing concrete edge to act as a kind of lip that part of the curb will sit on, or should I try to bend the mold to perfectly create a seam along the existing concrete's edge? I feel as though overlapping would ensure a cleaner finish, but it puts me at risk of cracks. I feel as though trying to match the seam exactly will leave a messier finish but be more crack resistant. I do have a diamond bladed angle grinder at hand to clean up existing concrete edges. As for climate- This is in Philadelphia.

Thanks!


texts: What can I use to drill dowel holes down the end of a long piece of wood?

texts:
More of a DIY than Improvement question, but here goes anyway.

We're building a shoe box with slatted sides and base and were thinking of joining the slats to the corner uprights with dowel (excuse the bad art):

The problem we have is getting the dowel hole in the cross piece straight. The hole in the upright isn't a problem as we can use one of these:

(something I've wanted an excuse to buy for years!).

However, the one's we've looked at don't seem to be suitable as there's not enough clearance to insert the cross piece vertically (it's about 18"-24" long), and they don't seem to rotate on the pillar (I assume for safely reasons).

I could use a hand drill, but there'll be 4 cross pieces per side and across the base which with 2 pieces of dowel per piece per end is 160 holes - which is a lot to guarantee getting perfectly straight.

So what can I use to drill the holes in the cross pieces?


texts: Why do I have blue water coming out of the faucets?

texts:
We have an upstairs bathroom that we've gutted and are having some contractors remodel. The toilet is the only thing that hasn't been touched. We had a plumber come and redo all of the source and drain lines for the new sinks and the shower. The other day, he turned off the water for the entire day to do his work and turned it on when he was done.

That evening, we turned on one of the downstairs baths, and blue water came out for about 2-3 seconds, then it became clear. We tried other sinks and saw the same thing. My immediate fear was that this was somehow the water from the blue bleach tablet we had in the upstairs toilet and that somehow the sewage drain line water from the toilet was making its way into the source line. I'm no plumber, but this seemed improbable to me since they are separate lines and direction the water pressure would probably not allow it to go throughout the entire house the way it did.

The plumber is a trustworthy guy who has done a lot of work for us before. He was pretty astonished when I showed him the blue water coming out of the downstairs bathroom faucet. He rechecked the lines and felt that it was unlikely that the sewage water was getting into the source line, but had no solid explanation for the blue water. He said it could be that the source valve for the toilet tank was somehow letting water back into the source line, but he seemed skeptical. He also said that it could be a coincidence of timing and that maybe the city's copper line has some corrosion which could possibly cause blue water. He suggested getting the city to come check the water quality.

We caught some of the water in a glass to see how blue it is. I apparently can't seem to smell anything, but my wife assures me that it smells like the bleach tablets. We we're going to try to put some food coloring of a different color in the toilet and see if that color comes through. We're also going to experiment with whether it happens only after we flush the toilet.

Any other suggestions? Has anybody seen something like this before?


texts: How to add wireless capabilities to a doorbell button?

texts:
My parents have a wired 8V doorbell with a button next to the front door. In some weeks they'll have a small gate approx 10 meter from the front door which will be locked most of the time. People would need to ring the doorbell at the gate when they want to get in.

I was wondering if it's possible to add a wireless button at the gate that can trigger the already existing button at the door, which will ring the bell.
I am aware that I could just buy a wireless doorbell with two buttons and be done with it, but my parents don't want a new doorbell (sound).

I'm thinking about some sort of small receiver that I could solder into the door button which gets triggered by the gate button.
However, when I google for wireless doorbell buttons I only get full systems as results.

So, is this idea possible to execute? I can solder and have some experience with electronics.


texts: Most affordable/quick method to block light through windows?

texts:
I've got a door pane and a few small windows I want to cover up but I'm not certain what tools exist.  Blinds and curtains require too much time and cost.  Are there any easy to use paper-type tool to quickly cover up to block light? It needs to be light too as I have no transportation access.

I have access to a Canadian Tire if that helps.

Edit: Anything a bit aesthetically pleasing that doesn't leave sticky traces?

Edit 2: To save time is there anything such as a self-stick sheets that doesn't leave residue?


texts: What drill and screws should I use to attach security bar to a concrete wall

texts:
I have a few security bars to attach to my garage window. These are the bars:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291320181452?euid=37bd934e70374116905fb2a20e9f7fad&cp=1

I have the Face Fix Brackets. The brackets have 5mm holes in them.

There is concrete surrounding the window. I have tried drilling a hole with a hammer drill that my friend lent me (750w) and I used a masonry drill bit but it barely scratched the surface. I need to drill 16 holes so I need something better. Therefore, this is what I want to know:

I'm going to buy a drill, what would be best for this sort of job?
What would be the best way to attach the security bars so that they are so secure they couldn't just be kicked out. I don't think a wall plug would be that secure?

Any advice much appreciated.


texts: Can anyone identify the manufacturer of my kitchen faucet from this picture of this logo? The faucet has low pressure of cold water only. Hot water OK.


texts: How can I get the light cover off my fixture?

texts:
I have a light fixture in my bathroom and I’ve no idea how to remove the cover go replace the bulb, tried turning it, tried prying it off with no avail. There is a slight notch however trying to pry it off using this just isn’t happening.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks in advance ,
Emma


texts: Bird sleeping and eating soffit. How to make sure it is not coming back?

texts:
I found this morning a bird (Northern Flicker?) sleeping and eating my house (see picture). The bird is able to hang there and put his head in one of the hole. I suppose the bird do that to get some warm air.

The problem is that the bird has caused significant damage. How can I make sure that bird doesn't come back?


texts: popcorn ceiling in old building but ceiling looks new- asbestos worries

texts: My apartment building is very old. It was built in the 1960s. I want to mount my projector in the ceiling but it is a popcorn ceiling, and an old building, so I am worried about asbestos. Although the building is old, there exists a few new (within 5 years) ceiling lights and the kitchen cabinets and appliances are updated. I attached a picture of the ceiling, it looks new. There is already a area that someone at one point patched up. Based on these circumstances, I am fairly certain there is no asbestos. However I have associated the words 'popcorn ceiling' with 'asbestos' so I am here hoping someone else can offer an opinion. I know I can get it tested, but is it necessary? Also, I imagine the test is only effective if I sample the entire depth of the wall? What if they just covered an old layer of wall with new drywall?


texts: Installing new toilet. Does the wax ring have to fit snug around the hole in the underside of the toilet?

texts:
I got a new toilet complete with installation kit.  The illustrations on the directions appear to say to apply the wax ring around the drain opening beneath the toilet then set the toilet down on the floor over the pipe and apply equal pressure on each side.  The illustrations are also drawn in such a way that it appears the wax ring fits perfectly snug around the toilet's drain opening, but the center of wax ring that came with mine is far larger than the opening under the new toilet.

Does it have to fit snug or will it even out and expand once I set the toilet down and apply pressure as instructed?


texts:
I have a dark red brick house.  On the back side of my house I seem to have an issue with efflorescence on the brick.  So I did some research and someone mentioned using muratic acid or some form of muratic acid diluted in water.  Brush it on there and rinse it throughly.

So I bought this stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/Sunnyside-Corp-61032-Green-Muriatic/dp/B002MRC49E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1300315774&sr=8-2-spell

I did just that and it was gone for a good month.  I thought it did it!  Within the next month it started to reappear so I did the same thing, scrubbed it with this "Green Envy" cleaner and then rinsed it with water, again it was clean and beautiful for a good month.  Winter came and now spring is approaching and finally the snow has melted in Michigan.  I look again at my brick and the efflorescence is there again!

How do I get rid of this stuff? I have also tried white vinegar, and that didnt do anything!

Edit
It seems that ever since I got my patio deck out back this has happened.
Its a pretty high patio with pavers, they had to put a lot of water on the crushed concrete
and they then put the pave base and finally the pavers.  About 3 months later the efflorescence seemed to appear on the wall in front of the patio.  So could this be the issue?  What could be causing this and how to get rid of it?

Also I already did search this forum, and I've read the one post but that did not work for me.  I was hoping to get better / more answers.  (See comments section).


texts: How to get rid of spilled olive oil on teak table?

texts: Yesterday a flask of olive oil accidentally dropped on our teak dining table. My spouse quickly used some paper towels to soak up most of the oil. The rest was evenly rubbed in to prevent spots. Naturally the wood now has changed color, it's gotten more reddish. Now my question is: will the olive oil smell after some time? Should I remove it? If so, how? Wood soap?


texts: In which spaces can small-appliance branch circuits have "No Other Outlets"?

texts:
Goal: Understanding the NEC code language for practical DIY application.

All occurrences of the phrase "no other outlets" related to a house (not an RV) in the NEC 2017 are:

  210.11 Branch Circuits Required.

  ...(C) Dwelling Units.

  ...(1) Small-Appliance Branch Circuits. In addition to the number of branch circuits required by other parts of this section, two or more 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits shall be provided for all receptacle outlets specified by 210.52(B).

  ...(2) Laundry Branch Circuits. In addition to the number of branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at least one additional 20-ampere branch circuit shall be provided to supply the laundry receptacle outlet(s) required by 210.52(F). This circuit shall  have no other outlets.

  ...(3) Bathroom 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 provided to supply the bathroom(s) receptacle outlet(s). Such circuits shall have no other outlets.

  ...(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.

  210.52 Dwelling Unit Receptacle Outlets. This section provides requirements for 125-volt, 15- and 20-ampere receptacle outlets. [...]

  ...(A) General Provisions. In every kitchen, family room, dining room, living room, parlor, library, den, sunroom, bedroom, recreation room, or similar room or area of dwelling units, receptacle outlets shall be installed in accordance with the general provisions specified in 210.52(A)(1) through (A)(4) [about spacing etc].

  ...(B) Small Appliances.

  ...(1) Receptacle Outlets Served. In the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, dining room, or similar area of a dwelling unit, the two or more 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits required by 210.11(C)(1) shall serve all wall and floor receptacle outlets covered by 210.52(A), all countertop outlets covered by 210.52(C), and receptacle outlets for refrigeration equipment.

  ...(2) No Other Outlets. The two or more small-appliance branch circuits specified in 210.52(B)(1) shall have no other outlets.

  625.40 Electric Vehicle Branch Circuit. Each outlet installed for the purpose of charging electric vehicles shall be supplied by an
  individual branch circuit. Each circuit shall have no other outlets.

These texts confuse me: 210.52(B)(2) applies to the branch circuits of 210.52(B)(1). In turn, 210.52(B)(1) initially includes (something like) only food-related areas, but then extends to receptacle outlets covered by 210.52(A), which includes almost the whole house including the mentioned food areas except, roughly, the pantry and breakfast room.

Questions:

Why is it written like this? What is the intent?
To which spaces/areas does the "No Other Outlet" of 210.52(B)(2) requirement apply?

Example dilemma:

Let's take a new bedroom:

Interpretation 1: This bedroom, INcluding all of its wall receptacle outlets, is covered in 210.52(A). Hence, 210.52(B)(1), by referring to 210.52(A), does require all bedroom wall receptacles to be served by one or more "20A small appliance branch circuits". So no other outlets are allowed.

Interpretation 2: This bedroom, EXcluding all of its wall receptacle outlets, is covered in 210.52(A) (so just the abstract room space; its receptacle outlets are not explicitly mentioned). Hence, 210.52(B)(1), by referring to 210.52(A), does not require all bedroom wall receptacles to be served by one or more "20A small appliance branch circuits". So other outlets are allowed.

Which interpretation is correct?

Related posts:

What does “No Other Outlets” mean for a kitchen 20A branch circuit?


texts: I am making some changes in a somewhat older kitchen.  Part of this is replacing the stove with a 30" dual fuel (LP) range but keeping the existing 300 CFM fan.  I was all set to buy a professional stove-either Wolf or Miele but I have been told my hood will not work.  The existing hood is a under the cabinet range hood that vents to the outside.  The duct is 3 1/4 x 10"...the opening butts up against the roof line-(it is a A frame home) so it is difficult to change it without major work.  Is it true I could have problems?  Note this is a second home and not much cooking is done there on a regular basis and even when it is all 4 or 5 burners (depending on the stove) would seldom be used at the same time.  I appreciate any info.


texts: Last night, my neighborhood had a blackout, but for some reason, only half of the electrical circuits in my house went out. I was under the impression that there was only one main electrical feed going into a house. Can someone please explain how this works?


texts:
I'm adding a GFCI circuit breaker in my main service panel. The neutral pigtail from the GFCI breaker is not long enough to reach my neutral/ground bar, unless routed in the space between the service disconnect and the circuit breakers, above the hot bars. See photo. My panel is the same model as the one shown.
I've never seen a wire routed through this space, so I'm assuming it is a no-go. Is my assumption correct? If so, what is an NEC compliant way to extend the pigtail? The pigtail wire doesn't appear to be replaceable at the breaker.


texts: How should I connect new thermostat wires to my heat pump?

texts:
I need some direction on troubleshooting my HVAC heat pump. I have recently purchased an older home with a newer heat pump was installed. There was no power to the thermostat.
Called repairman and he stated I needed new thermostat wiring from the thermostat to the inside blower unit. The repair company wanted $3,000 to run a new 20 ft. thermostat wire. I felt that was excessive. I ran the new wire myself replacing the connections one at a time, color by color.
The yellow wire was connected to the "Y" terminal in the thermostat. However, the yellow wire was just terminated in the blower unit. The outside unit will not energize nor run. It does not seem correct that that wire should just be terminated in the blower unit. Help.


texts: I have an electrical issue. My home was built in 1984. I have one room with no electricity. A heater pulling too much electricity was plugged in, then I plugged in the vacuum cleaner and blew out the electricity in the whole room/hall. I replaced the outlet I plugged vacuum in, and this didn't fix the problem...but once or twice the light came on, then off again...now it's off. This was bedroom 1. Now, bedroom 2...when I bump into the wall...the ceiling light flickers. I finally got the light to come/stay on this morning but I have an issue that must be fixed. Should I replace all the outlets? I'm caretaker of my special needs sister and must have light! Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.


texts: Do I need to apply polyurethane on stained quarter round?

texts: I just finished staining the quarter round for my floors and I want to know if it's necessary to apply polyurethane? I followed someone's advise to condition the wood before staining and I didn't see any difference between the conditioned wood and the wood that wasn't, so I'm trying to figure out if this is another unnecessary step. I was going to poly the t-molding since it gets a lot of traffic, but the quarter round will only have a vacuum occasionally brush against it.


texts:
I have a fairly old hairdryer, this morning one of the wires going into the plug frayed enough to cause one of the wires to burn up. I love this hairdryer and it should be a very easy fix.  I just have a few questions.

The previous plug on this hairdryer was a GFCI plug on the end of the cable (it had test and reset buttons), but no ground pin for the outlet. Thus, only two conductors come out of the hairdryer itself.  The old GFCI plug assembly is brittle and has some cracks in it so I'd like to replace it in the process.

Can I safely use something like this and leave the ground pin inside the plug assembly unconnected?


texts:
We've got 12V halogen G4 fixtures mounted under our kitchen cabinets and would like to use LED's instead.  I found some G4 LED bulbs on Amazon, and they fit in the fixtures just fine, but if I try to replace more than one of the halogens with the LED's, they won't fire up (they just barely come on at all).

On a circuit with two fixtures, if I have one LED and one halogen, they light up just fine.

Any idea what is going on or what I need to do?


texts: Material that lets air and sunlight in & keeps rain out?

texts:
I have a small open area, it's like a small balcony. The issue is that I get wet when it rains.

I ended up buying a regular tarp that covers this open area, and it works well. The issue is that this material isn't breathable, plus it also blocks the sunlight. It tends to get a little warm with the tarp.

Is there any type of material that will let sunlight and air through, but is tightly knitted so that it blocks rain drops?

Just wanted to add that the fabric or mesh will be at a slope, something like this. Also, this "fabric" will never be hit by direct rain. It also doesn't have to be waterproof, it just needs to bead and run off.

Also wanted to add that I usually use this area at night, so ideally, I would like to be able to see some of the sky while being protected from rain. I can't see anything with the tarp, plus it gets slightly warm at night.


texts: What is the easiest and efficent way to smooth a sand textured ceiling? this house is a prebuilt house about 40 yrs old with ceilings 7 1/2' high.


texts: Why does my Vaillant boiler shut itself off every day?

texts:
I'm subtenant and I have Vaillant boiler (don't know which model). Every time I use shower after few minutes boiler shuts itself down and the burner lockout indicator is flashing. I'm then without hot water and central heating.
When it shuts down, I start it by pressing the red button. Some times it only provides water to run the central heating.
I've called a repairman and he couldn't solve the problem, he even asked 2 of his colleagues, they couldn't solve the problem either. Here is the picture of boiler and burner lockout indicator:


texts: How to cut Hardie Board(Fiber Cement) Side Panelling?

texts:
I bought a place that has no screen patio door and I would like to install. I thought it would be quick job but I ran into a problem, there is some siding above the door that goes too far down(about a inch) and blocks me from inserting the screen.

I first thought this was wood and bought for my drill bit, HSS Saw Blades Circular Cutting. After trying to cut this "wood", I realized that this is not wood as I should have been cut it off by now.

I went to my local hardware store and they said it could be Hardie board.

How the heck do I cut this stuff? I can't take the paneling off as I don't know how and I am scared it will be hard to get it installed again, so I have to remove while installed.

How can I do this, my tools are limited. I been googling and see that some people score it and then bend it? or take a hammer to it?


texts: Installing 2 pull 30 amp breaker on 30 amp panel

texts: Am I able to run a 2 pull 30 amp breaker on a 30 amp panel for a washer and dryer? It seems the whole house is running on 30 amp main breaker


texts: Something like epoxy for painting a playhouse?

texts:
I'm building a bunk-bed/playhouse out of (mostly) plywood.

The plywood I bought is not the best stuff, definitely no veneer. The smoother face is still pretty splintery. In hindsight I wish I had sprung for the good stuff, but in my defense even the cheaper plywood ran to almost $300. The plywood I would have preferred would have put the total well over $400, which (at the time) seemed hard to justify for this project. I figured I would just have to spend extra time sanding and prepping, which would probably be worth it to save the money.

I went ahead and did all the cutting (and there are enough pieces that it took a couple weekends). Then I worked on smoothing out the pieces. I used a pre-treatment that was recommended for sanding rough plywood. I believe it was supposed to lock down the wood fibers so they wouldn't lift during sanding.

I assume it helped, but the final product is still pretty rough. And while the smaller fibers aren't too bad, it's still possible to catch long flat splinters you didn't even notice because they were lying so flush to the wood. I definitely wouldn't want to brush my hand flat along it. And I have very little confidence that painting will help that situation much.

Again, in hindsight I wish I had just paid more up-front for the wood, but it is what it is. I want to salvage what's already been invested in the project - both money and time. Between the cutting and endless treating and sanding it's probably been over 8 weekends of time spent. So scrapping it all and starting over with better wood isn't really an option.

I'm willing to spend money to get back on track though. I'm thinking what I need is some kind of epoxy-like coating I can use in lieu of normal paint. Something that will glue any remaining fibers and splinters down and also provide some smoothing and leveling. I'm not so worried about the final texture, I just want something durable I don't need to worry about anyone hurting themselves on.

Ideally I'm looking for something I can paint on with a brush or roller. I bet there are auto-leveling epoxy products intended for floors or countertops that would give me exactly the finish I'm after, but I don't think you can apply those like you would standard paint, and a more elaborate process would probaby be a huge hassle when extended to dozens of plywood pieces.

And I need to color it to match the room, so I either need to be able to dictate the color, apply standard paint on top of it, or paint the wood directly and apply the product over that. I'd definitely prefer the minimum amount of steps (I'm so ready to be done with this) so a tintable product would probably be the best.

There's a fair amount of wood involved in this. An (extremely) rough estimate might be 350-400 square feet. So while I'm ready to spend some money to make this go away, a $150 product intended to finish a single kitchen's worth of countertops (40-50 sf?) is probably going to end up being way too expensive.

Can anyone point me to a product that might work?


texts: Can I use a motion sensor to control fluorescent lights that are plugged into an outlet?

texts:
In my garage, the light switch by the door is wired to an outlet on the ceiling. I've got two, inexpensive 4' fluorescent lighting fixtures plugged into that outlet. I know that wiring a fluorescent light to a motion sensor directly can be tricky. I don't know if that applies to an outlet.

Is it safe to switch out the switch that controls the outlet with a motion sensor like the Leviton "Occupancy Sensor"?


texts: Is my plan for fixing my water heater leak bad?

texts:
Here is the situation (with pics):

See that pan on the bottom? The hole in it is covered by tape.

So here is what I was gonna do. Is this a good idea? First. I've gone out and purchased a new pan for the bottom.  I also purchased a round piece of wood exactly the same size as the pan and 6 bricks and the hose you see connected to the drain.

My plan was to turn off the water and gas lines.  Drain the thing using the hose.  Then hopefully, If I loosen up the restraining straps I should be able to lift the whole contraption up about 4 inches.  That will be just enough space to slide the bricks underneath and also the wood on top of the bricks and the new pan on that.

Doing this will raise the pan so that it is slightly higher than the hole in the wall where I plan to add a pipe connected to the pan for drainage.

Speaking of the hole in the wall... You see how there is currently a pipe in that hole? Someone went through the trouble of connecting all of that pipe to the pressure release valve.  As far as I can tell those pipes are welded on so that's going to be a problem.  My thought's there are that I will take a hacksaw and simply cut the pressure release valve pipe at the bottom right before it would have gone through the wall.

Is this a reasonable approach?


texts: How can I unstick 2 objects glued with superglue?

texts:
I have glued 2 cubes of plastic together (each one roughly as big as a thumb) but I didn't align them well. I would like to unstick them and stick them again. They are cubes so the surfaces are flat.

I have used superglue. How can I tear them apart ? I have seen lots of questions asking about how to get rid of extra superglue but not how to unglue

Thanks


texts:
I live on a busy street in San Francisco and recently installed an exterior exhaust vent line for my range hood (it used to be a worthless recirculating type). Doing so has increased the street noise coming into my place a good amount, and the noise is coming through the exhaust vent.

I would like to build a cover for the vent similar in design to the link at the bottom. While i know it won't eliminate the problem, i believe it will prevent enough noise from entering the vent to make a difference.

I am wondering if anyone here has done the same and/or what materials y'all would recommend using.

thx

http://www.enoisecontrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Enclosure-Material.png


texts: How to connect a neutral wire to a bundle?

texts:
I'd like to replace an existing light switch with a new, "smart" light switch as one of three switches in a three-gang box.

Looking in the box, I see three pairs of hot and load wires, and three ground wires, but there is also a bundle of five neutral wires pigtailed together.

I don't understand why there are so many neutral wires, or how I'm supposed to attach the neutral terminus of my switch to this bundle. Do I simply remove one of the five from the pigtail and connect it to the switches' terminus, or do I get a brand new (6th) wire, attach one end to the terminus, and pigtail the other end to the bundle?

I'm in Canada, for what it's worth.


texts: I installed a new water heater and want to vent it right. The old water heater used ABS pipe since it had a blower. Basically I have a 3" b gas vent pipe coming in and connecting to a flex gas pip attached to the vent hood. I used 3 sheet screws to attach the flex to the hood and 3 sheet screws to attach the flex to the B gas vent pip that runs right outside and has the vent cap on it. Does this sound correct? No I just use screws and no tape? Thanks.


texts:
I got a 240 plug in room a, running 4 1000 watt lights.

I got a table lamp in a 110 in room b

When the 240 kicks on in room a, the light i have pluged into the 110 goes off for a second or 2 in room B, actually the rest of the house, then they're back on, without any breakers tripping. These are obviously different circuts, why is this happening, and is it dangerous?


texts: Can I connect two condensate pumps to the same drain line using a T connector?

texts:
We have a condensate pump for the furnace that connects via 3/8" tubing and a U-bend into the main sewer line.  Been working fine for 20+ years.

We are now getting a new water heater and it requires a condensate drain too.  I have a pump for it and will need to also connect the pump output to the sewer drain.  Can I simply T using a 3/8" barbed T connector into the same drain ingress that the furnace pumps to?

If not, what is the correct way to drain it?

Thanks!

Image shows the current condensate pump line connected to the main drain line

.


texts: What size breaker and wire do I need for my garage wall heater?

texts: I am planning on installing a Garage ceiling heater, which has a fan, and 240 volt coil electric heater. This unit is 26 amps, and 6000 watts, and will be installed in my garage, 60 feet from my main panel. Can you tell me what size wire, and breaker I need to feed this heater?


texts: How to install vinyl tubing for bathroom vent?

texts:
I need to replace the vinyl tubing that goes from my bathroom ceiling to the side of the house.

It had a rip in it and I was successful in pulling it out. I went into the attic crawl space and noticed there was a board over that area, so I am not able to get to it from that spot.

There is insulation where the vinyl tubing was. I thought about using a electric wire snake to pull it through the hole, but I want to know the best way to go about accomplishing this.

The distance is about 6 ft and it needs a 4" vinyl tubing.

First picture of the original tubing (before I ripped it)

Second image is after I removed the tubing.


texts:
I need help deciding to paint or stain my deck.

About a year ago, a tree fell on my deck and half of it had to be rebuilt. The deck builder suggested letting the wood weather for a bit before painting and now it’s time. He specifically recommended painting instead of stain but most people online seems to lean towards using stain.

With half the deck new and half old, is stain a good option? Is there a stain solid enough that would blend the old and new or should I use paint?

I haven't pressure washed the old half of the deck yet but I don't imagine it will be much lighter when I'm done.


texts: Can someone explain if this wiring is correct

texts:
Yesterday when I was replacing the old ceiling light fixture with a new led disc light in the laundry room, I notice the old light was being wired like the above diagram (probably by previous owners).
Basically there are 2 pairs of wire coming from 2 end of the electrical box. The neutrals (yellow in the diagram) were twisted together. The black wire (red in the diagram) of the light fixture was wired to the black wire (hot) from the power source and the neutral (white wire) of the light fixture was wired to the black wire on the other end of the box, which I believe is connected to the switch?
Can someone please explain to me what kind of wiring is this? and is this legal at all? Thanks.
P/S: the diagram was drawn on phone so please excuse me if it's not looking good.


texts: Electric Lawnmower - Is The Problem With the Mower or the Extension Cord?

texts:
I have an electric lawnmower that's about 8 years old.  I use a 100-foot extension cord with it that's probably 20 years old.  While mowing the other day, I smelled a faint electrical smell.  When I finished, I noticed that one of the holes on the end of the extension cord where it plugs into the mower was black and slightly melted (see photo).  The corresponding prong on the mower was a bit blackened as well (see photo, though it's kind of hard to see).

Melted extension cord:

Lawnmower plug:

I assume that either the mower or the extension cord has a major problem.  My main question is which one?  Is there an easy way to tell?  Is one inherently more likely than the other?  Is there some kind of test I could run that wouldn't be dangerous to whatever else I was plugging in?

Obviously, I'd rather replace the extension cord than the mower, but I don't want to get a brand new extension cord and have that melt too, the first time I use it.

Thanks again for your help!


texts: Why do I have a cold draft from a return air vent?

texts:
I have a draft occurring in my 2 story home, usually on windy days. The main floor is fine, but in the master bedroom on the second floor, there is cold air entering the room from the air return vent. It's not much, but noticeable. In the basement (which is finished), cold air is coming from the heat registers, quite noticeably, and when the furnace isn't running.

I've made sure that all the obvious sources for drafts are sealed (doors, windows, etc). The house is ~15 years old and the heating system is forced air.

Can anyone suggest where this air might be coming from?


texts:
I have a wood(White Pine)project that I want put
mineral oil on and was wondering if I could add a
small amount of wood stain to the oil before I applied it


texts: Best way to remove roots around a tree stump

texts:
I recently had a tree stump removed by a tree company. My lawn care company filled the hole with dirt.
However they both forgot to put in root killer. I now have about a 3-4 ft circle around the newly laid grass. The tree is a Texas Live Oak. There a hundreds of roots now sounding the grass.
What is the best way to remove these roots?


texts: How to solve the problem of sticky Danish oil?

texts:
I ignored the warnings about not getting spray disinfectant on our oak kitchen surface which is finished with Danish oil, and now the surface has become really sticky, attracting dust and crumbs and is now really hard to keep clean.

It's been like this for a couple of months so I don't think it's because it's still drying out. So what can I do to fix this? Can anything be done with what is there or will I need to remove and reapply. If I need to remove it, what is the best way? Sanding isn't an option as the stickiness just clogs up the sander, so it will need to be chemical, but what can I use that will do the job but not be too harsh?


texts: My family and i just moved into a mobile home.  Only one problem, the breaker to our plugs is a 15, i was told that means 110, well we cant use all the plugs in our house at the same time or it causes the breaker to flip. What can we do to fix this situation to where we can use all the plugs in our house?


texts: How to quantify the difference in power of tablesaw motor rewired to 240 vs 120 volts

texts:
I often read comments that the same 1.5 hp motor will be less powerful if rewired from 240 to 120 volts, but the wattage of the machine should be the same at 240 volts as at 120 because the amps just double when the motor is rewired to 120.

Is this power loss real, and if so how would it be quantified, pounds of torque?


texts:
I bought a house recently, and there are wires in the walls under stucco. But in basement these wires are go out as a loops not far from the ceil.

What are they for? Are they for lamps? If yes, then what it the right way to hang lapms on these "loops"?


texts: Why isn't my Empire heater blower working?

texts: The blower on my empire vented room heater model RH-50-6 will not come on.   We know the motor and fan work and we have replaced the fan control switch.  We don't know what to try next.


texts: Converting a Samsung Dryer from a 4-prong cord to a 3-prong cord?

texts:
I just bought my first home and I need to replace my 4-prong cord on my dryer to a 3-prong.  I've removed the four prong and now I see this:

I know how to hook up the three prong, I'm just unsure about how to ground it properly.  I've read online and saw a few posts here, but most point to the installation manual for the model as the best solution--which I've read, but I don't feel 100% that I understand.  My manual has this configuration for a three-prong cord:

It also notes that, if I'm converting from a four-prong, I need to "connect the ground strap to the terminal block support to ground the dryer frame to the neutral conductor."

How do I do that?

Do I take the loose white wire and assume that's "A" in the manual diagram and attach that to the side of the unit?  The loose white wire was originally in the neutral slot with the neutral on the four prong cord, should it go back there?  Do I need to do anything with the green wire?

I'm pretty lost at this point so any guidance would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you!


texts: Is infrared blocking film effective in reducing temperature inside a room?

texts:
I was going to put a foil on windows, but found a film that is alleged to reflect rays from infrared spectrum, thus preventing 60% of sun heat of entering a room.
Any criticism on it?
Or personal experience? Will it really help?


texts:
How can I repair damage to EIFS stucco?
Wondering how to fix/patch this:


texts:
I have a weird size air-conditioner filter that is 414 x 544 mm, which is a little over 16" and a little over 21".
When I go to to the hardware store here in Canada, they carry all sorts of filter sizes, but nothing that matches my filter, so I had to cut and tape one up.
Also, when the label says 16" on a filter, it is actually less than 16" for the product? Very confusing.
What is going on here?
Did I end up with a European filter in Canada, maybe? Or is something else going on?
The brand name on it is Carrier and model number is FB4CNF036.


texts: Is this box bonded properly to the ground?

texts: The receptacle is from the mid-1950's and my multimeter shows that it is grounded. There are a solid 120 volts when testing between live and ground. I noticed a bare copper wire coming from the cloth wiring in the back tied to a screw connected to the box. I looked around for usable screw holes in the box to screw a ground screw into but they were all way too large. Does this look okay? I get good continuity here between the green insulated copper ground wire I added and the rest of the box.  The green wire goes to the ground screw on the new outlet in this case.


texts: Are there any concerns with building recessed cabinets into a house/garage partition wall?

texts:
I have a mudroom in which I would like to add additional “reach into” storage above the to be installed bench. The reach into space would be provided by going back through the existing wall, in between the existing studs.
This wall is load bearing, and is into the garage. I would not disturb the load bearing studs.

There is no apparent plumbing and only one existing electrical like that I can easily move to the side.

I would be in effect creating 4-5 “bays” of about 14” width that would correspond to each persons area for the mudroom above the bench. This would be for gloves hats shoes etc.

The found space would be achieved by adding a wall on the backside in the garage about 18” past the existing wall. This wall would be framed up appropriately, have vapor barrier, use fire rated drywall, and be sealed/insulated.
So essentially I’m just creating a cavity for reach in space, so to speak, and adding a wall in the garage.

So, any unforeseen issues or considerations? Again the existing wall would not have the studs disturbed and the vapor barrier and insulation/fire code would be handled on the installed wall.


texts: Water flow with plastic and brass pex fittings

texts: Is the smaller ID on plastic fittings (for pex) "smaller enough" than brass to have an effect on water flow through the pipes? I'm trying to do everything I can to get the most possible pressure and flow out of my system while I'm re-doing things. Plastic fittings price and lack of reactivity to elements in the well water make sense but I've read that their ID being smaller is a downside. Just wanted to hear from other people before making a decision.


texts: How to design unit with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 laundry, 1 kitchen and 1 living room that has very open space?

texts:
I have a land with 17x12 =204 sqm. I want to use just 12x10 =120 sqm for my unit, so 84 sqm is the outside of the unit.

I want to design my unit that has very open space for the  living room. I also want to have a big kitchen.

The unit should have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 laundry, 1 kitchen and 1 living room.

Here is what I designed my unit, but I am not sure it is the best design.

In the picture, each cell represent 1 sqm. The entrance is at the back of the unit. There is a balcony but no enstrace in the front of the unit

Can u come up different design for my unit?


texts: Need help with water valve/cartridge removal

texts:
Trying to replace hot water leaking cartridge and having problems removing old one out. I was able to unscrew the top part but insides stuck and won't come out easily. I've tried to force it but afraid of damaging the pipe.

Is there a way to remove it safely?

Here are more pics of my attempt:
https://imgur.com/a/Am0jbSg


texts: Filling gaps between bricks in pool deck

texts:
I am repairing the deck around my pool. Some bricks were loose, so I removed them, ground off old mortar and glued them back. Now I need to fill the gaps between the bricks with mortar, similar to how it's done in the top left corner of the photo:

How do I do it in such a way that the mortar:
1. does not fall through;
2. lays level with the brick all around;
3. does not smudge on the bricks?

I was thinking of attaching a painters tape to the bottom to support mortar and make it flat with the brick on the bottom. And then maybe using a painters tape to prevent smudges on the bricks.
Or is there a better way?

What type of mortar is appropriate for this job?

And another question.. How do I attach the corner pieces reliably? I don't want them to be only supported by mortar.


texts: Temporarily marking up a polished concrete floor

texts:
I live in a house with polished concrete radiant-heated floors. They're not polished to a shine, but they do feel very smooth. I' d like to apply a decorative pattern to the floors with some sort of paint or tape.

The first step would be to lay down something temporary, like masking tape, that can be easily moved or removed after a few days or weeks without leaving a permanent mark. I understand that many tapes can leave a residue, so I'm looking for a recommendation for a product that can be removed cleanly.
The second step will be to replace the tape with a more durable tape or paint that will last a few years, and stand up to light foot traffic. (This will be inside a private home, and most foot traffic will be barefoot or in socks.) After several years, I will want to be able to remove it and restore the floors to their original condition. It's ok if this takes several hours of focused cleaning, but it shouldn't require re-polishing the floor, and I definitely don't want to risk any dye soaking into the concrete, if that's even possible.

Are there products that will reliably meet these criteria?

EDIT: according to a video on cleaning concrete floors, "concrete is a reactive surface - you don't want to put any acidic or highly alkaline [cleaning] products on the floor." I'm not sure if that helps narrow down the options - maybe an acid-free "archival grade" tape?


texts: Solar water heater vs Heat pump for heating water?

texts:
I'm debating between installing a solar water heater vs. a heat pump for supplying hot water to my house. The house is in Bangalore, India - we have about 300 days of sunshine in a year. My estimate is that we'll need about 150litres of hot water a day, mostly between 6:30AM and 8AM (just after sunrise). Whichever system is selected would be installed in the terrace and exposed to sunlight.

A few things I'm concerned about:

Availability of hot water on cloudy days and early in the morning -
is the insulation of the typical solar water heater good enough to
keep the water hot overnight?
Power consumption - with solar water
heaters, the power consumption is pretty much zero. What kind of
power consumption can I expect with heat pumps for heating up
150litres of water a day?
Reliability: what kind of life can I expect for a solar water heater vs a heat pump. Intuitively it feels
like solar water heaters should be more reliable since it has less
electronic parts. What should I consider when installing these in the
terrace to protect them from damage?
How do these compare on maintenance cost and effort?

Since these will be installed in the terrace and there will be about 30ft length of pipe to bring the water down, I'm concerned about the water in the pipe cooling down and the cold water having to be drained before the hot water from solar heater/heat pump in the terrace comes out through the taps. This could mean a lot of water being wasted. Is there any way around this: for example, are insulated pipes available/a good idea in this case?


texts: Easiest way to connect to a junction box when the wires won't reach?

texts:
I got a new attic fan, and the wires won't quite reach to the junction box that the old fan was wired to. What's the easiest way to complete this connection in a code-compliant manner? Everything is easily accessible as it's all mounted to the roof rafters.

Should I unmount the current junction box and see if there's enough slack in the wires to move it over a couple of inches? Mount a new junction box to connect to both the fan and the old junction box? Something else entirely?


texts: removing ceiling fan and installing a light fixture

texts: The ceiling fan I took down has a black wire, a white wire, a ground wire and a red wire.  On the light fixture I will install, I've got a black wire, a white wire and a ground wire.  Do I simply wire-nut the red?


texts: What effect does the number of coil turns on an electric stove heating element have?

texts:
I'm in the US. I have an electric stove with three 6" burners, and one 8". The 8" burner doesn't perform like I think it used to, so I'm considering replacing it, to see if it improves. (It's slow to heat up, and intermittently adjusts unevenly throughout the temperature range. I think it's intermittently turning off more than it's supposed to, at least when it's not on high.)

I was browsing for replacement burners, and saw that the coils come with different numbers of turns, at different prices.

Could I replace the burner with one that has a different number of coils? (The current 8" burner has 4 coils. I saw replacements with 4 and 6.)
If so, what is the difference in performance between more / fewer coils? i.e. Why would I consider spending more for the 6-turn element?


texts: Can someone please tell me the name or purpose of this tool? Thanks


texts:
I making a work bench surface and after putting the boards together in a rectangle I noticed a twist in one of the 2x4s. The result is that it will not lay flat anymore.

Will adding joists help correct this issue? The boards will act as a support for a piece of plywood that will go on top.


texts: Repairing fiberglass garage door panel with large hole

texts:
This large hole came with the garage when we bought the house. I would like to repair this to make it look a lot better, and at least keep prowling cats out. The backing you see in the picture behind the hole is just a floor tile I have propped up against it. I'm asking for repair steps rather than suggestions to replace the entire panel. It is important to me to match the corrugations with a repair and make it look like a decent repair, not a new panel.

The hole's dimensions are roughly 11" x 11".


texts: Help! I am trying to replace the old ugly faucets in my house,  which was built in 2003. Only I can't figure out how to remove the old faucet.  It does not look like what is shown in all of the online videos I've looked at.  I've unscrewed all I can see to unscrew,  but am stuck.  Anyone familiar with this, who knows what I can do? Pictures attached.


texts:
My HEIL 7000 natural gas furnace has stopped working what are the most likely causes, and how to verify faulty parts?

Normal operation routine

Thermostat sends "need heat" signal.
Exhaust blower starts.
Electric sparker lights gas.
Once operating temperature is reached, circulation blower turns on.

Current operation routine

Thermostat sends "need heat" signal.
circulation blower turns on and blows cold air.

Things I have checked.

House has gas (hot water tank is working).
Followed reset procedure as described in owners manual.
Looked for obvious signs of electrical short/arcing (black marks, melted wire sheathing, etc)


texts: What is the best wire (material, construction and gauge) for a 30 meter wire telephone?

texts:
I am asking about constructing a non-electric telephone made of two thin plastic cups (these seem to resonate the best) and wire between them to exchange secret messages with my neighbor across the fence.

I've looked into cotton but I've found negligible scientific evidence that this is the most effective engineering solution.

The wire will be fully free floating but support can be arranged along its route.


texts: Adjustable wrench use, how to quickly determine which way to turn the wheel

texts:
I've used adjustable wrenches for years but I still end up turning the wheel the wrong way half the time, widening the wrench when I need it narrow and vice versa until I figure out the orientation I'm holding it and do it correctly.

Is there an easy to remember shortcut way of knowing which direction to turn the wheel that I just never learned. For instance, when I grab an adjustable wrench from my bag, how can I quickly know based on the feel of the wrench in my hand or a quick glance that pushing the wheel up with my thumb will tighten or loosen the wrench without inspecting or fiddling with it for a few seconds.

This question assumes that most adjustable wrenches have the same wheel operation which probably isn't the case, however the 4 that I own work similarly to the one pictured. When held in this orientation it will widen when I push the wheel up with my thumb.

Would love to hear some suggestions. Thanks.


texts:
I'm using the Simpson PB66Z "Galvanized Post Base" to attach my pressure treated 6x6 to the footing. The wood seems to be slightly too large to fit such that the bottom of the post rests on the metal.

What's the proper way to handle this? I could pound it with a sledge hammer, shave some wood off on the two side corners, or something else? What is commonly done?

Edit: Added picture of the issue.


texts: Bevelling skirting boards to match architraves

texts:
Have an issue and looking at skirting boards which are 18mm thick (wife wants the tall 138mm ones which come thicker unless get them custom made which is more than double the price) but architrave is 11mm. Not overly keen on replacing all the architraves. Has anyone ever bevelled the edges of the skirting board? Any examples of what it looks like?
Thanks.


texts:
In my crawlspace, I have an oil tank at the front of the house, with the fuel line running to the rear of the house where the oil burner is located. Fuel line is on the floor, running mostly along a wall.
I am currently putting in foam board wall insulation and the fuel line makes a turn right next to a corner, preventing me from adding any foam board. Fuel line looks to be metal pipe that was unspooled, as it is not straight at all along the run.
Is this something that falls within the purview of a plumber and can they adjust it easily? To put it another way, i just need the turn to start further away from the wall.


texts: Merge walls of different thickness on same vertical without notice

texts:
Picture a plaster wall. Now imagine that a significant section has been removed of it and now needs replaced.

Ive tried to replace the plaster with 1/2 inch only to realize the wodth difference im left with is 1/4th inch.

Is it possible to merge the two width differences by sanding the thicker one down untill its a gradual, unoticable slope?

Or will i just have to use 2 3/8's together to made 3/4ths?

Thanks for your time


texts: Replaced Piece of roof sheathing, forgot to use 1/8th inch space - should I be worried?

texts:
I replaced a piece of plywood about 4x8ft on my roof, I did not take into account the recommended 1/8th inch gap suggested to be used between decking.

Should I be worried? I haven't attached singles yet but I have nailed it down and I would rather not remove it if possible.


texts:
We recently moved our dryer into the garage stacked on top of a washer. The easiest way to vent it was straight up about 6' into the attic, then a right turn in the attic 12' out the back of the house.

I had an appliance repair guy out to help with some propane connection issues and he said we shouldn't ever vent a dryer 'up' as it makes it a lot more likely to accumulate lint.

While I have no reason to doubt him, this also isn't something I had heard before. Coming from MN where most every house has the dryer in the basement and vents up, it seems perfectly normal to me.

In addition, prior to moving the dryer, it vented 'down' through our crawlspace and that was still caked with lint when I went to clean it out.

The question: Is it true that venting a dryer up causes more lint buildup and, if so, to what extent is it a greater problem than just venting horizontally or down?

I'm fine cleaning the vent once or twice a year and if that's what I'd have to clean any vent, regardless of direction it goes, I don't know that I want to spend the effort to re-route it underneath the house (which wouldn't be all that easy).


texts: Best foam for copper wiring insulation in split-unit A/C?

texts:
I went to home depot to buy foam insulation for my A/C split unit inverter. It's to cover the copper wire (and other wires) that go from the inside unit (in the room) to the outside unit (in a roof with no shade).

Home Depot has two types of foam: a regular foam for about $2.50 each and a rubber foam for about $6.

What's the difference and which is better?

Thanks.


texts: Wiring basic LED light to former ceiling fan box...too many wires?

texts: Trying to replace a ceiling fan with a basic LED light that has black-white-green wires but I'm seeing so many wires in my box. What I do know is that the black to the left is ALWAYS hot, regardless of the light switch. The 3 wires to the right (black-white-bare) don't seem to power my LED light when I connect them solely to the light. I don't know what the white in the middle is for. All I'm trying to do is get the light switch to power the light...oh, and not kill myself in the process. Any ideas?


texts: Building a wood gate too hard for DIY newbie?

texts:
The gate in my carport is falling apart, having been built very poorly by the previous home owner. The quote to replace from a reputable firm is $2,850.

I'm wondering, given the posts are already present, how hard would it be for a complete novice to (me) to re-build this properly? Does this seem doable?

Some questions for anyone whose built a gate like this:

Would two hinges plus a diagonal wood brace be sufficient to prevent dragging? (WIDTH: 11' 6'' Double Swing)
Do I build the two frames first, mount them, then attach the boards as shown? or assemble it all first then attach?
For the frame, do I have to use a fancy joint style or can I simply screw the pieces together?
Does the length of the hinge matter? Will it help prevent sagging if longer?
Not seeing many plans online for this style fence. Any general tips?


texts:
I'm in the middle of repairing a leaky shower faucet but I can't remove a certain ring from the faucet mechanism. I have sprayed the area with WD-40 and will try again in the morning. Below are some pics illustrating the part that will not budge. I'm not sure what this part is called. Any thoughts on how to remove this part?

Here's the tool I'm using to try and loosen the ring. However, when using this tool the entire cylindrical portion rotates which I don't think is good.


texts: Would it be Code legal to have an all-240V house in the United States?

texts:
My goal is to have a house where all loads are powered by 240V, that is fully livable in all the normal ways.  And this question concerns the hard, in-house, built-in wiring; we will armwave the availability of plug-in appliances.
Under NEC 2014/17, will it be possible to a) serve all built-in (ordinarily hardwired) loads with 240V supply?
I am willing to switch appliances (e.g. to all hard-wired lamps, and to all socketless, light emitting or discharge lights). There won't be a conventional forced-air furnace; it'll be mini-splits, baseboard emergency heat, and electricityless Empire heaters.
Let us presume I have either found US-legal 240V plug-in appliances, or decided to do without them.

Code calls out a number of 120V circuits and receptacles that specifically must exist: kitchen counter receps within 2' of any point on a countertop, wall outlets within 6' of any point along a wall, laundry room, bathroom, outdoor etc. I'm willing to physically install them as well and just leave them de-energized. With 240V circuits right next to them.  120/240V multi-wire branch circuits will not be used.


texts:
So the framer built the oval spa tub frame about an 1 1/2" to perhaps 2" (don't recall exact right now) too high. I told the plumber just to raise the floor where the legs will sit with solid lumber (2x4, 2x6, perhaps from a rafter beam that's about 1 1/2" thick nailed with additional plywood to make up the remaining height if needed). The plumber insisted just spraying high density insulation foam on the floor and resting the legs on the foam once it hardens. I'm afraid that the insulation spray foam will crumble to particles over time and the spa will be left being supported from the lip/ledger. Any pointers?

Thanks in advance.


texts: How do I connect the spare C wire to the old Lennox system (model # lennox g12q4-110)?

texts: I am trying to install my Ecobee3 now. After finishing the connections, Ecobee did not power up. I did some reading and I believe the C-wire, though it is available is not connected to the power at the furnace-end (see the picture where you can find the blue standalone wire). Can you please suggest where/how I connect the C-wire in my furnace (model # lennox g12q4-110) to supply power to the Thermostat? Thank you very much for your help in advance.


texts: Issue with older TV stand mounting hooks

texts:
I just bought a new TV that uses a smaller screw for mounting.  My TV stand has these hooks that screw onto the TV and then the TV hangs from these hooks on the stand.  If I bought smaller screws to fit the TV they wouldn't be large enough for the holes on the hooks without a washer and I'm not sure if that is a good secure way of mounting them.  I tried searching for replacement hooks with an appropriate size mounting holes but all I can find online is wall mounting which I can not do.  What is the best way to proceed from here so that I can hang my TV from the stand?

I added the mounting tag even though it says to a wall since mounting is my end goal.


texts:
While microwaving my dinner today, I measured the temperature of the outlet the microwave was plugged into.  At the end of the 12-minute cook cycle, the hottest part of the outlet measured 160F.  Is this a reasonable/safe temperature, or should I look into replacing the outlet?  If I should replace it, should I replace it with a 15-amp outlet or a 20-amp outlet?

The outlet is a 15-amp outlet attached to a 20-amp breaker, and is about 40 years old (as is the rest of the wiring).  The microwave draws, according to a Kill-A-Watt, exactly 15 amps.


texts:
I accidentally dug holes for my posts way too wide. They're like 22 inches wide and the width of the post is just 3 inches. I didn't know at the time that you only need the width of the hole to be just 4 times the width of the post. Anything more is just wasting cement. Question is, how do i make the holes narrower to the right width and at the same time keeping a perfect square shape to the hole?
Note: the posts are already attached to the roof and are sitting in the 2 foot holes so taking them out is out of the question.


texts: How can I level a slab with floor drains?

texts:
I just had the slab in my new basement poured about 3 days ago.  It turned out terrible. The entire floor is wavy and has up to 1/2 inch dips and bumps every 4 feet or so.

I would like to resurface the slab but can't take too much of the surface off since I pex tubing for my radiant heated floors below.

I have been researching self leveling overlays that I could use however I don't want certain areas 100% level as I have floor drains there.

What are my options for fixing this slab and keeping my floor drains.  I plan on acid staining the end product and don't intend on putting thing over the slabs surace.


texts: Putting up posters in hard to reach places

texts:
I'd like to place posters in a hard to reach spot in my home.

The posters are pretty sturdy. They're glossy prints on thick cardstock paper.

I'd like to place them up along a tall wall, except that the wall is directly above the staircase.

I can't use the ladder because the staircase is there, and there's no way I could reach high enough on my own.

Are there poles or other equipment that might be helpful for putting up posters in hard to reach places?

Edit- I found these two possible solutions. Ladder Ledge and Staircase platform. I like the idea of placing my ladder directly on the stores, but I'd rather not spend $150 for this solution


texts:
I'd like to replace this old toilet copper supply line with a more flexible braided supply line.
The problem is that I can't find one with the right connection to the water supply valve.

Current (copper) connection:

The two closest replacements I have found are:

1)
BrassCraft Model# "B3-12DL F"
Description:
"1/2 in. Compression x 7/8 in. Ballcock Nut x 12 in. Braided Polymer Toilet Connector"

2)
BrassCraft Model# "B8-12DL F"
Description:
"1/2 in. FIP x 7/8 in. Ballcock Nut x 12 in. Braided Polymer Toilet Connector"

Images of BrassCraft models:

By my measurements, the interior diameters are:
- Current connection: 11/16 inch
- BrassCraft model B3-12DL F: 10/16 inch (1/16 inch too small)
- BrassCraft model B8-12DL F: 12/16 inch (1/16 inch too large)

The connection types of the two models is different (one is 1/2 in. Compression and the other is 1/2 in. FIP). I don't know what type is necessary to replace the old line (maybe neither of those), but the FIP (Model B8-12DL F) looks more similar to the existing connection.

If anybody has any insight regarding how I can connect a new flexible braided supply line (without replacing the water supply valve itself), I'd greatly appreciate it!


texts: How to fix acidic smell from fridge/freezer?

texts:
Started to smell a bad acidic smell coming from the bottom of my fridge.
This is the model: https://mcappliance.com/brands/magic-chef/4-5-cu-ft-compact-refrigerator-665679004973.html

Tried the cleaning methods of inside the fridge, baking soda etc.

I believe the cause is this strange flaked copper buildup on top of the motor.
I have no idea what this is or how to safely clean it.
The manual doesn't provide any knowledge about this part.
There doesn't appear to be any leaks.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


texts: How much expansion space is need for solid oak flooring?

texts:
I have purchased Bruce 3/4" solid oak flooring and I am looking for some guidance with respect to expansion space.  This is standard tongue and groove flooring that will be nailed down.  This is also an above grade installation, on a wooden subfloor, in the Saint Louis Missouri region.

Unfortunately, the manufacturers website does not have an installation guide for my product. (I submitted a question asking for one, but who knows if/when they will respond.)  And the recommendations for their other products vary greatly, and are not very specific for the ones that appear to be similar. So am asking for some general "rule of thumb" guidance.

Going with the boards, I could have runs up to 48' long.  There is one doorway where we could add a T-molding as we transition between rooms, but that only takes about 10' off the total length.

Across the board, my longest run is about 24', with ~half of it being in a hallway where board lengths will be shorter.

The packaging has one reference to standoff distance on the starting run, which indicates they want a 3/4" expansion gap at the walls.

My core question is whether I need to try to add some additional expansion gap, either at the wall or in the run, to account for the dimensions I am working with and local climate?


texts: Years ago I worked at a farm that had an outside light on an adjustable timer. You turned a dial to set the desired period required for the light to remain on. On leaving the building the switch was pressed and the light came on and remained on for 30 seconds to 30 minutes, as set. I would like to install one as there is too much wildlife for a motion sensor activated light.


texts: Can I use 1/4 inch cork to equalize floors before installing laminate flooring?

texts:
We are planning on installing laminate.  We would like to install over top of the lino but there's a 1/4 inch difference between the kitchen and the living room flooring.

I was wondering if using 1/4 inch cork such as this product to equalize the floor heights and then laying a foam underlay overtop of everything would be a good option?


texts: For installing a new exterior light on a brick wall, can I connect the wires in a junction box mounted on the opposite side of the wall?

texts: There is plenty of room to install the junction box on the other side of the wall and I would rather not put a box on the outside of the wall. Can I simply connect the wires in the junction box on the opposite side of the wall and mount the fixture to the brick wall?


texts: Help making room on 200 amp panel for 50amp breaker

texts: I have got a couple different opinions from electricians and they all tell me something different. One said I could make room by pigtailing and another wanted to install a sub-panel to make room. Their prices were also between $1.5k and $2k. I need to add a 50amp breaker to this panel. What would be the easiest, most cost effective yet safe way to do so? The 20amp breaker on the left highlighted in yellow is not in use, so that can be removed. The two 15amp breakers on the bottom right feed the LED lights in my house, and carry a relatively small load.


texts: Is it a problem that I see daylight through my shed's soffit?

texts:
First and foremost - please excuse my ignorance and improper use of terminology.

I have a free standing garage with a mono-pitched / shed style roof:

The garage is unfinished inside and I noticed that during the day there is daylight shining through all along the eave / soffit portion (I think that's what it's called. Basically where the high wall meets the top of the roof). I have also noticed a little bit of water damage on the high wall (which may be just do to the older roof) and a lot of / squirrel droppings.

From inside:

From outside:

-Are these gaps normal?

-Should they be sealed up?

-If so - how do I go about doing this? Expanding foam seems like it would make a mess as it expands to the outside.

-I do plan on finishing the inside of the garage at some point - so while I'm up there, would I need to install vents in the soffit?


texts: I bought a house that was vacant for a year and a half. It has a gas fireplace. The plumber that fixed the heating unit supposedly looked at the fireplace too and lit the pilot for me.  I lit the fireplace for the first time tonight.  It had a nasty smell--like burning lint-- like the smell when you light the gas furnace for the first time in the winter, only much worse.  It seemed to get worse the longer it burned.  I turned it off because the smell sort of made us feel sick.  I have a carbon monoxide detector in the hallway that goes down the middle of the house (about 50 feet away) It DID NOT go off. The previous owner used the fireplace to heat the den, so it isn't like it's never been used--it just hasn't been used in a long time. So after awhile there was a banging sound, I'm assuming it was the metal contracting. The smell is lingering.  I'm wondering if this is something that is normal and I just need to vacume it again and run it for brief periods of time until the smell goes away? or do I need to get someone out here to look at it? I've seen posts on here about opening the flue and the like, but no one ever mentioned that to me  during the home inspection.


texts: How do I find out what's wrong with my phone (DSL) line?

texts:
I'm trying to wire up a phone line on my land. I don't care about voice, just about internet (DSL). It's 1.5Mbps, the only speed available.

The TELCO NID is on the same post as the power meter and main panel.

There are several runs of conduit to another post with a subpanel on it. I pulled 250' of UTP Cat5e. I attached one end at the NID, and the other end got a a Leviton Quick Port Voice jack. I plugged in the DSL modem and it failed to connect to the DSL.

Some things I have tried:

The box of Cat5e was 500', so the leftovers are the same length as what's underground. I connected it between the NID and the DSL modem, without pulling it all out of the pull box. The DSL modem was able to connect. This eliminates:

250' is too long for DSL
I wasn't punching down correctly at the jack
I was punching down on the wrong slots on the jack
I wasn't correctly attaching at the TELCO NID.

I stripped the ends of the blue pair and twisted them together. At the other end I verified continuity in that pair with a multimeter. The wire is not broken.

I have not tried plugging in a regular handset to check for a dial tone, since I don't own such a device. I will borrow one and add the results to this post.

My best guess right now is electromagnetic interference in the trench caused by the subpanel's feeders. The conduits may not be 1' apart. I wasn't here when the trench was filled, so I'm not sure. If this is the problem, would STP work?

EDIT I tried an experiment to eliminate underground interference from the feeder wires. I would turn off the subpanel's main breaker and see if the DSL could connect.

For power I used the inverter in my truck. I plugged the DSL modem in to the inverter and it was able to connect to DSL. The subpanel was still on at this point. I am surprised this worked. I immediately plugged the DSL modem back in to the subpanel's receptacle and it failed to connect to DSL. Weird.

I tried switching the breaker for that circuit to the other leg of the electric service, and that worked, too! It seems to work about 50% of the time this way. Weird.

What should I try next?


texts: Can I add a garage outlet from existing interior circuit?

texts: I would like to add a receptacle to my garage.  Currently, all receptacles and lights in the garage are on a single 20A circuit that is solely dedicated to the garage.  For my new receptacle, I'd like to run it from a circuit that powers a couple of basement lights.  So at the end of the project, I will have a circuit that powers some basement lights and a receptacle in my garage.  Is this okay to do?  I've read about circuits needed to be dedicated to the garage, but I already have that.  Now I'm curious if I can add an additional receptacle from a different circuit.


texts: Repurposing smoke detector power as fixture power

texts:
I removed a wired smoke detector and replaced it with a popular wifi-enabled battery-powered model. I'm left with a box that has:

a black wire
a white wire
a red wire
a ground

I'm assuming the black and white to be regular 120v, neutral and hot (I'll confirm with a voltmeter). I'm assuming the red is some form of traveller that allows one detector to have the other trigger at the same time (I won't mess with it because I don't know the voltage it wants, but I'm tempted to connect red and black, see if the other detector starts ringing).

If I confirm the above, the question becomes:

Can I simply remove the adapter for the smoke detector, cap the red wire and re-purpose the black/white to power a fixture with a smart bulb? I'll leave the current neutral/hot connectivity continue. I realize I won't get a wall switch, but I don't care. I'd be perfectly happy with a smart bulb, maybe a motion-detector light.

Would it be a code violation to do so ? (location is Quebec, Canada)

Should I expect this to be a dedicated circuit for only the smoke detectors ?


texts:
I appear to have a strange problem. For the last 6 months, at least, in my master bath the sink faucet pours slowly when the hot water reaches the faucet itself.

That is,

If the pipes have cooled off, it runs as fast as the cold side.
As the pipes warm up, and warm water starts flowing, it slows down.
As long as the water is warm/hot, it flows slowly.
But it clears up and resumes full flow

The guest bath has a sink attached to the same pipe head, no problems. Same for the master and guest showers.

The faucets, shower heads and hoses are about 5 years old. I replaced them all when we moved in.

I suppose it could be debris coming loose when the pipes or hoses expand from the hot water, but it's very consistent. The flow is always the same speed. If you run the shower to get the water hot, then the sink faucet, it will run at normal flow for a few seconds until the hot water reaches it, then the flow decreases sharply as the water heats up sharply. Otherwise, the flow slows down... slowly.

What could be the problem? I'm tempted to replace the faucet and hoses again, but it's not as simple as the guest bath to get under there. It also drives me insane because it's something I forget as soon as I leave the bathroom but every morning when I try to shave I'm reminded. I imagine it's saving me a bit on energy, though, on the bright side.


texts: Can you use self-drilling anchors on old plaster ceiling?

texts:
I'm installing a track light on the ceiling.
The ceiling is old plaster (~1945)
The fixtures come with what I can tell are self-drilling anchors.
Is it a good idea to use these anchors on plaster ceiling,
or should I use something else?
The weight load on each anchor should be fairly low (1-2 lbs is my best guess)
so I suppose I could use any plastic-sleeve anchors, predrill the holes,
and it should do minimal damage to plaster.


texts:
A couple months ago, I replaced my water heater.  For the sake of full discolsure, I replaced an AO Smith 40 gal lowboy with a Bradford-White 50 gal lowboy, but the electrical requirements were still completely the same: 240v, 25A, two non-simultaneous 4500w elements.
Since the installation almost three months ago, I have had two instances where I experienced a loss of hot water. Both instances were several weeks apart, and well over a month after the install, the second instance happening just a bit ago.  Diagnosing the issue both times, there was low voltage at the wire nuts between the heater and the line coming in from the breaker box: around 92v. Simply flipping the breaker to OFF then back to ON corrected the issue.  The breaker did not APPEAR (or feel) tripped, but looks can be decieving.  FWIW, the breaker box is a GE.
Since I'm experencing an occasional low voltage issue, I am leaning towards an issue with the breaker itself, for which simply replacing the 25A double pole breaker would be my remedy.  But could there be a different issue I should look into before replacing the breaker?
Thanks in advance.
EDIT:
As per request, I took off the breaker panel cover, only to find a new monkey wrench to throw into our conversation.  Here is the breaker, which the more and more looking into this, and as cheap as breakers are, I might a step ahead and (at worst) out less than $10 if I replace the breaker.  The arrows indicate the one in question:

I am sure you quickly noticed the spliced wiring that is present which some genius wrapped up with electrical tape.  Turns out these spliced wires lead to an older style load control bypass:

Red wire #1, which is spliced in with the black line in the box does tie in with the black wire with the LCB box.  The black line in image 1 goes out to the water heater. The other red line stays red until it gets to the LCB and then you can see it goes across the jumper bar to the white which then proceeds out to the water heater.
This may be an opportunity to clean up a pretty ugly mess, but now I am wondering if my issue is Duke Energy playing around with me by shutting down my water heater and not turning it back on.
FINAL UPDATE:
I replaced the breaker, and took the opportunity to remove the wires going to the Load Control box, which from all apearances is no longer being used.  I was relieved to find that the splices underneath were done with crimped splice caps, and then covered with the electrical tape.
Everything checks out good with votage at the heater and back in the panel box now.
I appreciate everyone who commented and served as a sounding board so I could confirm what I was orginally suspecting!


texts: Can interior and exterior lights be on the same circuit breaker?

texts: Can I put them on the same circuit or do I need separate circuits?


texts: Is there a reason drill bits are stored pointy side up?

texts: The title says it all... Is it for marketing purposes, or is there an actual reason bits are typically stored sharp side up?


texts: My weld shop washroom's fan is vented indoors

texts: I work in a weld shop,an employee asked me if the bathroom fan has to be vented outside.right now its just vented out of the bathroom and into the shop.Is there any regulations stating it has to be vented to the outdoors?


texts: How can I bug proof walls before they are sealed up?

texts:
How can I make a wall bug proof or resistant?  I know about in wall pest control tubes but I am looking for other solutions.
I fixed a wall damaged by water. I replaced the wood and drywall and I added insulation. I want to know if adding boric acid or diatomaceous earth to the wall will help reduce the number of bugs coming in my house. If I do add either how long would they last?


texts: Will cutting a trench affect structural integrity of the foundation

texts:
I am renovating my kitchen and putting in an island, by the code an island must have an outlet. I will have to put a trench into my concrete slab foundation to make it happen. (To run the electrical).
From my research a go-to conduits is PVC which will require a trench of at least 2" deep. The slab foundations are 6" as far as I could google. I am concerned that taking off 1/3 of my foundation will affect its integrity.
Any thoughts there? How do people usually run electrical to islands sitting on concrete slab with no basement post construction? Is there a code that states max depth of the trench in the residential slab?


texts: How do I connect the common wire in a Carrier air handler?

texts:
I am trying to install a new wifi thermostat in my home and need to locate the common terminal for my air handler.  I have a Carrier model FB4CNF030.  It's a new construction home and I have the blue common run but it is not connected at the air handler side

I've referred to the post at How can I add a "C" wire to my thermostat? and understand the purpose of the common but still don't know where to hook it up.  I can't find the wiring schematic for this unit.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.


texts: Sill plates (thresholds) before floor tiles or otherwise?

texts:
The contractor wants to install the granite sill plates now and later have the tiles installed. I heard from one granite fellow that the sill plates should be last.

Is there any advantage for going one route or another? I would like to have the sills already installed and be done with it, but I also don't want gaps between the sill and the tile.


texts: Tiling kitchen spashback with gap between worktop and wall

texts:
I'm planning on tiling a kitchen splashback (first time tiling project). Unfortunately due to curvature of the wall, there is a gap between the worktop and the wall. This varies in thickness between about 2mm and 9mm.

The tiles I'll be using are 6mm thick metro tiles (flat, no bevel), and I'm planning to use a 6mm square notched trowel – which by my research will mean the tiles will end up 3mm away from the wall.

I feel that there is a good chance that the tiles will slip down into the gap behind the worktop. My question is therefore: How should I stop the tiles falling down into the gap, and instead keep a level first row?

So far I have considered:

Plugging the gap with a strip of wood. Seems ideal, but unfortunately I don't have a suitable piece of wood nor the tools to craft one, and it is difficult to get hold of this sort of thing at the moment!
Filling the gap with caulk/grout/filler. This would be easy enough, but could I get a level enough surface to start the tiling from?
Tiling off a metal rule. I can't re-find it now, but I read somewhere that you can lay the first set of tiles on top of a metal ruler – presumably laid flat on the worktop? Could this help to form a temporary 'bridge' over the gap?


texts: I found out that my meter base has an N-G Bonding Jumper but also there is one in my service equipment main panel and also another one in the service panel for all the backyard lighting and equipment which bonding should I take out?


texts: Is it better to paint wood siding or replace it with vinyl?

texts:
I live in Boulder, Colorado. It's time to get my wood siding painted. There will also be a little bit of repair involved. One paint company recommended replacing some sheets of siding, the other 2 recommended Bondo and caulk.

We plan to keep this house a long time. I'm trying to figure out if it would make sense to replace the wood siding with vinyl, or keep painting the wood?

I haven't gotten any vinyl estimates yet. If it's 10X the cost of a paint job then there's no way I'm doing it. If it's more like 2-3X the cost of a paint job then I'm interested in finding out more about tradeoffs.


texts: Rewire outlet without drilling through drywall

texts:
I have an un-grounded outlet A which is 3 prong (no-no) that is connected with a fairly old (50 years or so) cable to a grounded outlet B. The connecting cable most likely has a flaw (causes breakers to trip) and needs to be replaced.

Is there a way to replace the old cable with a new Romex cable without drilling through drywall? I am thinking that I could (maybe???) fish the new cable using the old cable.


texts: How would you go about installing shelves _in_ the wall?

texts:
I would like to install shelves in my wall. The wall itself is sheetrock. What tools would I need, and how would I go about it?
I believe what I'm trying to do is called built-in shelving, if that helps.


texts: So my flooring is luxury planks, tongue and groove. Every so often I come to a plank which is very difficult to get to sit up against the next one perfectly, so that no seam is visible. I've tried everything I can think of...taking it out again and re-angling, tapping block, etc. The problem shows up particularly at the end of the room, where the last row needs a pull bar. Even using the bar I still seem to get this annoying little gray seam left visible. Worse, though I didn't notice this at the time, there are a couple of planks like this in the middle of the room that show this gray edge when they catch sunlight. It seems that the slightest tiny misalignment causes this and the manufacturers shouldn't have used gray along the edges of their planks. Is there a way to fix this?


texts:
I currently own a property in Edinburgh, UK with what used to be a tennis court. It is depicted here:

What would be the cheapest way to convert this back into a tennis court?


texts: Forgot to unplug fridge while replacing thermostat, smelled electrical burning

texts:
I went to replace the fridge thermostat today. I unscrewed the housing found the cables popped out the metal thermostat from the plastic casing.

I should have stopped to unplug the fridge here since I didn't do it before any of this. But I blanked and started unplugging the power wires. I started to smell faint electrical burning smell, realized I was playing with power without turning the appliance off, and unplugged it from the wall.

I finished replacing the thermostat and plugged the fridge back in. Immediately came on and started running.

I'm an idiot yes. Guess I wasn't fully awake yet. I build computers I know to turn power off, I don't know what I was thinking.
Since there was some smell, have I increased the chances of an electrical fire? Are there any signs (burned wires, etc) I can check for -- after unplugging the fridge...
I do assume there would be nothing toxic that one with breathe in from the fridge/electronics/burning whatever.

I do think the fridge is running correctly. The freezer is definitely putting out cold air. Just don't want to burn down the house or anything.
I forgot the most important step. Have coffee, don't do this after first getting up, and don't get distracted by kid/dog/wife. And unplug the dang thing.


texts: Do I need vapor barrier to insulate a cinder block garage?

texts:
Similar to How to properly insulate a garage? and https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/31028/do-i-need-a-vapor-barrier-between-the-insulation-and-finish-wall-in-a-new-garage both of which do not have answers pertitent to my one particular question...

My garage is attached to my home.  It sits next to a long vestibule area and underneath the bedrooms.  All of the walls of the garage are cinder block, including the one which is common to the vestibule.  I am planning to hang furring strips, insulation board, and drywall in the garage.  I live in northeastern PA which has generally mild humidity apart from a few weeks each summer.  As part of this project I will be installing a new windowless insulated garage door.

Do I need to, or should I, install vapor barrier behind the furring strips and insulation?


texts: How should I build large concrete footings for my deck?

texts:
I live in Howard County Maryland.  You may find out deck guide useful for this question, although probably not needed.  It requires 18 in diameter footings 30 inches in to the ground and must be 8 in thick.  This leaves the wood post underground and as I have asked here before this is not recommended because it may/will rot.  So I was going to bring the concrete footing to ~2 in above ground (so it will be 32 in thick).  This seems like a lot of concrete if I do 18 in diameter the whole way, plus I couldn't find a concrete tube larger than 16in diameter.

What approach should I do?  Maybe one of these bigfoot type footings (where it tapers to a large footing from a 12 in tube.  With this I worry about the required 8 in thick part.  Should I dig a 18 in hole, fill with 8 in of concrete and then in that have a 12 in tube coming to the surface?  Or should I just bury the post as most people do around here?  Or maybe something else completely?  The soil is mostly clay.


texts: Replacing Interlocking Ceiling Tiles From The "Wrong" Direction

texts:
A section of ceiling above my front door has been damaged due to a leaky roof, so I need to replace around half of the 7' x 9'-ish entry area. The existing tiles are stapled to furring. However, based on the way the tiles intersect with each other, I can tell they were installed starting at the front door, and then inward into the house. I can't staple new tiles in because the lip where the staple would go needs to be inserted into the existing tile. The tiles in question are Armstrong 12" x 12" ceiling tiles:
My first thought was to install the new tiles the "wrong" way, and use adhesive instead of staples. However, the adhesive I bought (Henry 237 AcoustiGum) specifically says not to use on wood surfaces. After googling a bit, I can't find any mention of someone using adhesive on wood furring. Note that I haven't opened the AcoustiGum, so if another adhesive is required, I'm fine with returning it for something else.
Is there a way for me to avoid replacing the entire room? (One the one hand, I'd like to save myself unnecessary effort, as well as avoid replacing perfectly good tiles. However, I also don't want to do a shoddy job.)
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about home repair, so any input would be appreciated. If I haven't adequately described the problem, please let me know, and I'll try to be more clear.


texts: hope someone can educate me on a few things. i would like to add an outlet to the far end of my pergola. i already have electrical on the pergola. i plan on using 3 single 12g wires. in emt conduit with exterior gang box. when i go to lowes i see the southwire rolls of wire. the label has thhn,thwn and one more item(i forgot what it was) my question is. since the label has thhn and thwn, does that mean it is rated for outdoors? or will thhn be good enough since its in conduit.  thanks in advance for any help.


texts: What is this part called on a bathtub handle

texts:
One of the handles in my bathtub spins and after taking it apart I noticed it was missing the piece that would prevent it from spinning. I'm having trouble finding the name of the part yet alone an exact replacement. Anyone on here happen to know?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I live in a 1987 colonial with siding and brick. About three weeks ago my family woke up choking at 5:00 am from a dirty/ mildew type smell. We identified it as coming from the chimney and had the chimney resealed and all all cracks cemented.

Then the smell morphed and was dry and dirty/dusty almost cigarette. When the system is off, we smell it in the return vents. When the air is off, we can smell it coming out of the supply.

It moves around the house but seems constant by the front foyer and the upstairs hallways. We have had the ductwork cleaned, the coils on the hvac cleaned and an ionizer installed in the hvac. We have had two separate companies test for mold and they have found nothing.

We have a hospital grade filtration system. We are going nuts and can't live there because my throat starts to close. We're ready to just walk away at this point but it would crush us financially. Any advice?