texts:
There are multiple things around the house that start squeaking over time: door hinges, locks, laptop hinges, car door hinges, furniture hinges, various appliance doors and covers, bike parts and so on. What they have in common is that they require lubrication.

Up until now I used WD-40, just because this is what I've found the easiest on shelves. A bit of research, and it seems like this is one of the worst options.

The problem is that I couldn't find some guidelines of picking the right lubricant for the job. What are the most common types of lubricants and are there any rules of thumb for using them?


texts: Need extension cord with toggle for 2 lamps

texts: Wife bought 2 lamps to go on mantle. There is a plug above mantle but lamps too high to reach rotary switch on lamps. How can I construct an extension cord from wall plug above mantle to plug lamps into and then add toggle switch that can be reached to turn both lamps on? Or anyone have a better remedy?


texts: My dryer stopped turning but still shakes when on and I think gives out heat

texts:
My Dryer inexplicably stopped turning. I went last night to switch it on and it doesnt turn anymore. The machine still shakes and I believe gets hot but it doesnt spin.

Someone mentioned something that maybe it is a snapped belt.

Is this for a layman or should I call a pro?
What could the problem be?

Thanks a lot.


texts: Which M3 screw / bolt material can be used in dishwasher?

texts:
I have fixed two pair of tongs I use for cooking with M3 screws and bolts.

After a few rounds in the dishwasher rust started forming...

Is there any different M3 screws / bolts material that I could find easily that will not rust in dishwasher?
Or, if non toxic, an anti-rust paint?


texts: Can I use hot water to transfer heat from a greenhouse into the house?

texts:
We have a vacation house that has a (south-southeast facing) greenhouse off of one of the bedrooms.  On a sunny day in winter, the greenhouse can easily reach 80F or more.   When we are there, we open the sliding door to the greenhouse in the morning and allow it to heat the room, which is very effective if we remember to close the door when it starts to cool down in the evening.   Since we only use the house part time, I'd like to find a way to recover some of this heat when we're away (and the room thermostat is set to 52F).   I've been considering putting a length of radiant baseboard along the wall above the door (about 8-10' of wall available) where the greenhouse would be the warmest, and then looping it thru a similar length in the room and creating a control circuit that would circulate antifreeze thru the system when the greenhouse temp exceeds the indoor temp by some threshold.   I know the system would need an expansion tank...
Would this scheme capture a meaningful amount of heat?
The home is very well insulated and at a 52F setting, the heat (radiant hot water) doesn't run much -- averaging less than 60 minutes/day of heat calls during Jan-Feb this year, so it seems like a small amount of added heat could make a noticeable difference.


texts:
Forgive me if this a repeat, but I'd like to be sure I know exactly what's going on. I am installing 2 bathroom fan/light fixtures directly over the tub in 2 adjacent bathrooms on the same circuit.  These need to be protected, so I bought a 15A single pole 120V GE breaker to protect the circuit. When I went to the panel box, I have the black wire going to one 15A breaker (both bathrooms, master bedroom) and red wire going to a 2nd 15A circuit breaker below the first (living room) coming from the same cable. The white and ground go to the neutral bar.  From my reading here, I know that this is a multi-wire branched circuit.  Also from my reading, it looks like to properly protect the 2 bathrooms, I have two options:

1) Install a 2-pole 15A GFCI 240V breaker ($90, but easier)
2) Install 15A GFCI outlets on all outlets ($25-$40, but more involved)

Are these my only options?  Aside from the $ and time involved, are there any differences between my 2 options?

If I go with 1)...my panel uses the 1/2" slim breakers. The 2 breakers on the MWBC are stacked, does it matter WHERE in the panel I put the bigger 2-pole GFCI breaker? I have a few empty spots.

If I go with 2) Do ALL outlets need to be converted to GFCI (including those in the living room) or do ONLY the outlets on the bathroom circuit need to be changed out?  Is there any special wiring I need to adhere to?


texts: Dishwasher pump is crackling [video]; is it obstructed or does it need to be replaced?

texts:
My dishwasher (Frigidaire Model FDB2000RFC1) is making a loud clicking/cracking  sound when the drain pump is active.
Is it possible that there's just something in the pump that isn't being ejected properly?  or do I need a totally new pump?


texts: How to unswitch a junction box so it is always on?

texts:
I have a single switch that controls two outdoor lights:

Lamp by my front door.
Lamp by my garage door.

I’d like to have #2 always be on so I can install a motion controlled flood light while keeping #1 controlled by the switch. How can I go about this? Thanks!


texts: Can I pipe roof and sump water into an unused shallow well?

texts:
My building has some issues in the basement with water coming in through the walls. In order to improve drainage, can I pipe roof run-off and my sump pump into an unused shallow well? My lot is fairly flat. Could this cause water quality issues for the surrounding area?

I live in Indiana, USA.


texts:
I'm starting a project to build my own solid body guitar.

I received the body and its made from ash. It needs to be filled (the grain is very porous).

I hear that I need wood filler for this.

The plan is to stain the guitar with a walnut stain and then finish with an oil finish (no lacquering and I want the grain to show through).

So my questions are, does it matter what wood filler I get? and all wood filler can be stained, right?

I've heard that a darker wood filler will accentuate the grain and give a greater contrast between the areas of the grain. However, I also had some advice that I should fill the wood in a similar colour and stain over the top.

I'm quite confused and don't want to get it wrong. I would like the grain to show up as much as possible, but don't want to ruin the staining by putting the wrong filler on it.


texts: Alternative for one-way sheet metal screw?

texts:
I need to choose the right screws to install a child window guard into a wooden window frame.

The guard comes with one-way screws, but my 9 month old hasn't figured out the trigger on my Dewalt, so I want to use normal screws. I called the manufacturer but they are "unable to recommend screws other than those provided."

The screws look like 1" #10 sheet metal screws with either pan or truss heads (also below). This is a little odd because they recommend them even for wooden window frames.

The guard is constructed of square steel tubes with 3/8" holes on one side and 3/16" holes on the other (see below). The screws attach the guard to the window frame by passing first (and entirely) through the 3/8" hole, the threads and shank pass through the 3/16" hole and into the frame, and the head presses up against the inside of the tube around the 3/16" hole.

If this were any other application (i.e. one that isn't for preventing my child from falling to his death), I'd just get a round-head wood screw and call it a day. Instead, I don't know how to decide between:

Round-head wood screw (since it's going into wood)
Truss- or pan-head sheet metal screw (since that's what they provided)
Roofing screws (since they are designed for attaching metal to wood)
Something else I haven't thought of

What say you, oh wise DIY Stack Exchange?

-- Salsmile.


texts: Quarter turn bathroom tap: Valve removal

texts:
I am dealing with a bathroom tap and wanting to replace the quarter turn tap valve as the tap is leaking.

Here is the tap (I cannot find any brand details)

Here is a close up of the cold tap:

I can pop the cap off the cold tap, where I would expect to find a screw, but there is nothing:

Note: The hot tap and bath taps all look the same when I remove the cap (There is nothing to unscrew).

I thought perhaps an alan key might be the trick in the little hole:

But the alan key does not work as the hole is clearly not designed for it.

What I have tried so far:

Chatted to plumbing shop - the suggestion was to drill out the screw.
I have removed the levers on the tap to see if that would give access. The problem is that I can only remove three of the levers on the handle. I used pliers with rubber around the tap lever and I could still not remove the lever. Even after using Q20. There seems to be no obvious access point from the 3 levers that I removed.

Questions:
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what brand of tap this may be? (I have searched all over). The guy who did the bathroom is long gone.

Does anyone have any idea as to how I met get access to the valve to replace it?

Many thanks!


texts: Is it possible to reheat sweat joints to fill a slight leak with solder?

texts: 1/2 inch. Leak is on the side of a horizontal pipe.


texts: Proper material or method for making water tight seal on ceramic soap dispenser?

texts:
Background: Hi all, I have this ceramic soap dispenser seen below. After using it for a bit, it has started to leak soap where the plastic pump is screwed onto the ceramic body. I've tried screwing it tighter and it did not solve the problem. I also tried adding some rubberbands to see if I could make a better seal, buy it still leaks.

Question: What material (or method) can I try to form a better seal and prevent the soap from leaking? Most products I have seen (like caulk) seem to be for forming permanent seals, but in this case I still need to be able to screw and unscrew the pump to refill.

Any tips appreciated, thanks!


texts: How can I switch between a dishwasher and a 2 gallon undercounter water heater on same circuit?

texts: Our water heater is a long way from the kitchen, and we waste a lot of water waiting for hot water to the sink.  There is a 20a circuit breaker that powers the dishwasher and disposer.  The dishwasher will continue to use the hot water from the main water heater.  We would like to add a 2 gallon undercounter water heater to our hot water pipe - rated 1500W.  Is there anything I can buy that will not allow the water heater to run when the dishwasher is on?  The water heater is just for small tasks, but there is not enough power to run both at the same time.


texts: Will I get electrocuted when I am above the first floor of a building?

texts:
If I touch a faulty knob of any electrical equipment when I am connected to electrical ground, I would get electrocuted.

But my question is will I get electrocuted when I am above the first floor of a building?

e.g.: When I am on the 3rd floor of a building.


texts: Can I use demo'ed bricks to make an outdoor firepit?

texts: I have four brick posts that are about four feet high and square (1.5 bricks per side all the way up).  They are going.  A tree hit two of them and I was probably going to take them out anyway.  So I have a bunch of bricks with some of the bricks the mortar is attached.  Throw them away or use for fire pit - is it worth the effort?  Also will one layer of brick be too wobbly for a rather large fire pit - 4 feet by 2.4 feet by 2-3 feet high?


texts: Can hurricane shutters be installed horizontally?

texts:
Looking at the photos at this site, it appears that they are able to be installed horizontally.

Do you have to use a track or can you drill into the shutters and then Tapcon them to the masonry? I am thinking of using 2 inch L x 1/4 wide Tapcon for this application.

For my application, there is a sill that protrudes out underneath my windows, which prevents me from placing the shutters vertical in a track. The protrusion looks something like this (see brick under window):


texts: are 15 degree and 16 degree coil nails interchangeable?

texts: Will a fencing/siding nailer that accepts 16 degree coil nails also accept 15 degree nails, and vice versa?


texts: How do I fix the cracks in my brick foundation?

texts:
I have some cracks in the foundation of the house I am about to buy. The house is 100 years old, there doesn't seem to be water leaks. The cracks don't look to be offset.
Attached is the picture (sorry for the quality, I got it from inspector). This is townhouse and there are two houses on the sides which I believe are touching my foundation on the outside.

The question is - how hard is it to fix the cracks? Can I do it myself and if I can - what literature would you recommend?
The guy who inspected the house said the cracks don't seem to be dangerous since they are not too wide and there is no staggering.


texts:
Below is my fireplace with the old stones removed. Now it's "bare bone" and up to me to redesign it.

I am planning to put drywall on top and mantel on the bottom with tiles around like this

But then I have several questions due to the current "situations" with the bricks.

You can see that the bricks are not vertically straight:

1. Should I just run a 2x4 or some lumber and nail in the existing studs (red rectangles below) to make it the frame? I rather not make the top of the firewall "thicker" that it should be, meaning it should be flat with the side surfaces.

2. How do I frame the bottom to install tiles? I am thinking either (a) fix the platform and make it nice and square first or (b) remove more concrete and build a new block around it. Rather than framing it on the new wood floor.

3. In the first picture, there is a little gap and you can see through outside the house on both side of the fireplace. Which materials do I use to seal around fireplace?

Thanks in advance.


texts: How do I identify the hot, neutral wires in a light fixture?

texts: I have a hanging light fixture with a "plug-in" cord with a brown and a blue wire that is to be hard wired to house wiring black and white. Is the brown hot and the blue neutral?


texts: Why would there be an additional cable in double gang box for 2 light switches?

texts:
I replaced two older dimmer switches for light fixtures within a double gang box with two new Lutron LED dimmers (Skylark Contour CTCL-153P-AL).  Since the dimmers that were replaced had no ground wires attached to the ground wires within the gang box, I removed the ground wires from the new dimmers (since the gang box and new Lutron faceplate are non-metallic, I believe that this meets NEC code)

Upon wiring the hot side of each dimmer, I discovered that the older dimmers were attached to an additional black lead from another Romex cable within the gang box.  Although I wired the new dimmers exactly like the older dimmers, I'm just curious why there would be an additional cable!

Since the Lutron faceplate is nonmetallic and noncombustible, the NEC allows for the green wire to be capped or removed from the dimmer switch (see dimmer switch highlighted notes)


texts: Can anything interesting be done with Kidde's interconnect wires?

texts:
In our newly-renovated house the Kidde's CO2- and CO-detectors are everywhere. They are also all interconnected, which means there is a wire running throughout the house already. The detectors came straight from Home Depot - you must've seen them.

I'm wondering, what standard/protocol is used for the interconnection? Is there any chance, it is the 1-wire, perhaps? Even if not, can 1-wire devices be attached to it?

I have two immediate applications in mind:

Help myself figure out, which of these bastards thinks, it detected "carbon monoxide" - when one does, it tells the others and they all begin to scream.
Help identify, which one needs its backup-battery replaced - identifying, which one is beeping periodically, is currently a sport...
Add cheap temperature and other sensors to the "bus" provided by the interconnect wire.


texts:
We are trying to put in an interior window between a room and an addition to the home that was added later. We cut out a hole in the drywall between the studs of the original room. However the studs of the addition are flush with the existing wall and are overlapping where the window will go by about 3 inches on each side. I was wondering what the best way to go about moving the studs would be. Would I need to put in a header?

Thanks for any help.

Edit: Adding a picture.


texts: Is my plan for adding a sub-panel reasonable?

texts:
I need to add a sub panel to my main panel since it is full. What I was looking to do is put the sub panel (100 amp) beside the main panel (200 amp) then add a 100 amp breaker to the main panel to feed the sub panel.
I'm going to use 6-3 cable for this and hook wires to breaker and then to the main lugs on sub panel. Then I'm going to use a 50 amp breaker in the sub panel to run 8-3 cable to my shed's 50 amp Sub Panel and hook the wires to the main lugs. Then I'm going to use 12-2 cable to feed my lights (15 amp breaker) and 12-2 cable to feed my outlets (20 amp breaker).
Does this all make sense or am I missing something?


texts: I have a Thermador pro grand range. All of a sudden, the timer has stopped beeping when the time gets to zero. It says it is finished, but no sound. It still beeps to let me know that the oven has reached temperature, so I know the beeper is still, working, just not for the timer...


texts: Green crust around water heater exit pipe

texts:
As shown in the picture, I have green crust at the elbow of the copper exit pipe (I'm assuming its the exit pipe because its warm to the touch and encased in pipe insulation) coming out of the top of my water heater. It also drips a little. I know from reading other posts that I need to replace that elbow. I plan on replacing it with a Sharkbite corrugated stainless steel water heater connector.

My question is, do I need to drain the water heater before I cut the old copper pipe, or is it sufficient to just shut the water supply off to the water heater?

Also, is there any reason to shut off the gas supply to the water heater while I'm working on that pipe if I'm not sweating any joints?

Thanks.


texts: Will faced insulation behind poly sheeting trap moisture?

texts: I insulated an exterior wall in my shower. I had some faced insulation to use up so put it in the wall with the paper to the outside, no staples or tape. I have 6 mil plastic for interior vapor barrier. Will the facing trap too much moisture? There’s no housewrap on the exterior with gaps in the sheeting and vinyl siding. I’m in cold weather state of Wisconsin.


texts: I was replacing outlets and switches in my living room. The last switch I came to was for an outside light. When I removed the switch plate there were 3 black wires, no white or ground. Two of the wires plugged into the back of the switch and the other attached to a side screw. I attached one wire to the top side screw on the new switch and the other two to the other side screw. Now the outside light is on all the time and the switch turns the two outlets in the room on or off. Whats up?


texts: Removing thinset from durarock backer board

texts:
My husband and I have a huge issue right now. Some guy messed up our tile job completely, so we are removing it all and replacing it ourselves (should have done it ourselves in the first place). The tiles all popped up in whole pieces- the “contractor” did not back butter the tiles. Instead, he put all the thinset on the backer board that we just recently put down ourselves with screws (and taped and mortared the seams). Now all of the thinset is stuck to the backer board. We need to use this backer board again. How the heck do we take this stuff off? It’s really thick !! We’re talking about 320 sq ft....
Would it be okay if we sanded some of it down and then poured a self leveler over it? Please say yes....
Thank you!


texts: Do European/Italian light fixtures & boxes use metric threads?

texts:
I installed a fancy light fixture in a US single wall box, and had a terrible time with the mount and trim until I tapped out the fixture's mounting caps with a 8-24 tap and replaced the mounting screws with my own cut-to-size 8-24 bolts.

Looking back, my box has normal mounting lugs at 2-3/4" (69.85mm?), but the fixture's plate has its mounting rings a little narrower at maybe 2-9/16 (60mm?) and I had to force the box screws in a bit crooked.
I think when I threaded the mounting screws into my bolt-cutter/wirestripper to cut them to length, it formed the thread to 8-32 to make them not quite match the knurl knob, which made it much harder to thread onto the stub and made the matching the proper length much more awkward.
The whole job took 10x as long as normal with all the fiddling around with everything not quite right.
So, what are the non-US standard box lug spacings and mounting screw threads? (With US spacings being 2-3/4" with #8-32 threads)


texts:
Here's a very related question but seems to be about clay litter: Flushed cat litter, maybe clogged?

I flushed paper cat litter down my toilet. I have been doing this for 5 years without any problems, but I wasn't paying attention and flushed way too much at once, so it clogged.

Plunger did nothing. Also tried Green Gobbler with boiling water, 2 overnight attempts, did nothing. I got a 6 ft auger, and it met resistance about 5 ft down. I was able to break through it, but the toilet still won't flush, so the 6 ft auger is just a little too short.

I was able to pull some of the litter out with the auger. But I'm a little unclear on how the auger is supposed to work. It seems that for a larger item, it's supposed to catch on so you can pull it back up and out of the toilet. But for paper litter, would I just have to pull a small amount out each time, or can it just break it apart?

I was thinking of trying a 50 ft auger next, but my main concern is that it will just push the clog deeper and it will get even more difficult to clear. Or does the pipe get larger when it gets pushed deeper, so that isn't a concern? I'm on a house with a septic. The shower and sink in the same bathroom are not clogged.

Picture of the litter. It is small pieces of compacted paper


texts: Center of the flange 13 1/2" not 10" or 12" what do I do?

texts: I just bought toilet to replace old and it is in my moblehome (hasn't been moved ever, is secured to ground) but the center of the hole where toilet was sitting is 13 1/2", is this going to work?


texts: A GFCI outlet controlled by a light switch

texts: I'm installing a disposal and am wondering how I can control the GFCI that the disposal is plugged into with a switch. I want the switch to control the GFCI outlet to protect the disposal. Thank you.


texts: What sort of things should one look for in a water-softener?

texts: Hard water (from a well) at the house, and I was wondering what to look for in terms of getting a water-softener, or things to avoid.


texts: Why Does My Vacuum Trip My Circuit Breaker

texts: I have four upstairs bedrooms with each bedroom running off an Eaton 20 Amp Arc Fault Breaker. When my 12 Amp vacuum cleaner is plugged into any outlet in three of the bedrooms, it works just fine. However, when plugged into an outlet in the master bedroom, the breaker trips immediately. After several hours of troubleshooting, here is what I have done: 1. Isolate the outlet that is the first one in series from the breaker box from all the other switches and outlets in the master bedroom. I've inspected the wires and replaced the outlet with a new one. 2. I swapped out the current breaker with one from the other bedrooms that works fine with the vacuum -- it still tripped the breaker immediately. 3. I purchased a new Eaton 20 Amp Arc Fault Breaker and same thing --- trips immediately. I'm at a loss...what could I possibly do next?


texts: MR16 LED Bulbs - Fitting too narrow and replacing old Halogen bulbs

texts:
In my kitchen I have 4 halogen MR16 bulbs which I would like to replace with LEDs. I have been given loads of LEDs by a friend but I have found that when I fit them into the existing fittings the box bit at top (which the two pins come out of) is a little wider than the old Halogen one. As a result, I cannot push the housing back into the fitting ring.

I suspect I need to replace the ring that is in the ceiling and the housing dome too.

My questions:

Are all rings a standard size and therefore if I just buy a nice chrome one for some where it will fit?
Is the existing wiring/transformer/connector going to be okay with my new LEDs?

This is my first post in the DIY Stack Exchange, so please let me know if I need to supply more info etc...

The dome housing:

The whole fitting:

The ceiling ring:

My old and new bulbs (old on the left):


texts: Why would a plastic rod be inserted into ground?

texts:
I found this in a rental unit and was wondering is there a good reason for this plastic rod to be there:

Better photo (seems like a Lego part):


texts: How to tell if a house is equipped for a gas stove

texts:
I live in a townhouse. My electric range died, so I'm looking to replaec it with a gas stove. But how do I know if the house is already set up with the required pipes, etc.?

I suspect that I do have at least the gas tank and some pipes, because I have a gas fireplace. But I'm not sure where the gas tank is, and that's in the living room.

I've heard that I will need at least the pipes (to go all the way into the kitchen), and then an extension to plug it into my stove. But is this feasible for a ten-year old house? Is this going to be expensive?


texts: How can I diagnose my fridge's evaporator fan?

texts: How can I find out which part has failed in my fridge? The evaporator fan at the back of the freezer is not working, so the freezer is cold but the fridge is not. How can I figure out if it's the fan or some other (hopefully less expensive) part?


texts:
had a short in the float switch wire( its all chewed up from rats) the short blew the 5A fuse . I spliced the wire and reattached it to its self in 3 places. this got it working but now its tripping the double 60 breaker after like 5-10 minutes.

images hosted at imgbb(blaze2248)


texts: Am I required to use footings when building a deck or can I just have the posts resting on the ground? (Wisconsin)

texts:
I want to build a deck for my house but I don't really want to dig holes and pour concrete for the footings. Can I just build the deck on ground level using something like this to support the posts?

The location is in Wisconsin. The deck wouldn't be more than 2-3 feet off the ground at any point. Also, The deck would be free-standing and not directly attached to the house.


texts:
Is there a minimum water pressure (PSI) level that US water utilities must comply to residential customers that is backed by the Federal Government (EPA)?

For months, I've been getting less than 7 PSI and have been contacting my local water authority and they have done nothing.

If there's a federal law or something, I can use that to help my case.


texts:
I’m about to close on a house next week and the water heater is located in the attic. It’s 17 years old and I’m nervous about the damage it will cause if it ever leaked. I want to replace it with a tankless as soon as possible before I move in.
Is there anything I can do to prevent it from leaking? If the gas is turned off while utilities  get switched to my name will that cause it to leak? Is it a good idea to turn the water heater off as soon as I close on the house?


texts: door not sitting flush with weatherstripping

texts:
I've got an exterior door that isn't tight to the weather stripping on the latch side.

The door is level and plumb.

The door has a deadbolt and separate knob lock.

If I bring the knob strike plate closer to the middle of the jamb I can get the door to sit more flush with the weather stripping but there is still a gap. Further, by doing this, the latch is at the edge of strike plate and kind of sticks when opening/closing.

I've read elsewhere that this could be due to the frame being warped. Is there anything I can do without re-framing the door?


texts: Should wall tile or a countertop be installed first?

texts: We are remodeling our bathroom.  The vanity top goes wall to wall. Do I install the wall tile first, or the vanity top?


texts: Is there anything I can use to glue my faucet handle in the kitchen on? The set screw place is stripped out and I don't want to buy a new faucet. I've tried Water Weld and the clear jb weld epoxy and neither lasted a day.


texts: Why do my water pipes jump when running water?

texts: I turn the water on half to full volume and the pipes make a jumping noise about every 4 to 5 seconds.  The do not make any noise when turning the faucet on or off.  If I run the water slow, it doesn't do it, just when I try to get a full stream of water.  What can I do to stop this?


texts: How do I prevent older paint peeling off drywall when applying new paint?

texts:
We have moved into a house where the drywall walls were painted about 15 years ago.

When I paint over these walls, the existing paint develops patches of bubbles and peeling.

So, I don't know whether the cause is walls that were poorly primed in the first place, but I guess it doesn't matter so much as what I need to do now to repaint. Clearly I can patch the specific areas which have peeled but I would like to avoid this as much as possible.

Is the best thing to do to re-prime before painting? If so, should I use diluted PVA or is there a better alternative?

Many thanks!


texts: Can anyone tell me what kind of drain this is?

texts: I found this drain in my basement in the middle of a raised rectangle of concrete. Its supposed to be for a shower the previous owner installed. I have never seen this drain type. Looking for answers for what kind of drain it is and why it would have been installed.


texts: It's humid out yet there's no condensation coming from my ac. Thermostat set at 78 and that's what temp is inside.


texts: Two ceiling fans I brought from Costco with remote has been giving me troubles within a few months of use. Every time I turn off the wall switch the lights would flicker but the fan won't operate. For the first one I hired an electrician to come by and fix the non working remote/receiver unit. He said ceiling fan remotes are have problems. Does anyone know how I can remove the remote completely from my ceiling fan. I'm afraid which wires need to be paired based on the wires I see up there. Picture attached.


texts: Can I use SCH 40 for buried and above ground feeder wire?

texts: I'm running 2" PVC from my house to a detached garage to run a 60 amp feeder.  Looking at the NEC, it looks like I need to put it in SCH 40 below-ground.  However, it looks like I have to use SCH 80 anywhere the PVC will be above the ground.  Is that correct, or can I get away with using SCH 40 for the whole run?


texts:
Afternoon, folks. I have a deck that I am re-decking. Easy job, until I found that all of the footers were rotted out. The deck is bolted to the house on two sides, and the remainder of the deck is supported by 4x4 posts in concrete footers. The deck varies by between 4" and 12" off the ground, so getting new footers under the beams is not an option. I've had several thoughts:

1. Somehow remove the rotted posts from the concrete footings, fill the void with concrete and anchor a post base in there. Jack up the deck, insert new post, and then lower deck back down.

Problems: Not all posts are fully rotted and removing the remaining 4x4 has
been difficult. I have almost no room to work under the deck due to it being
just a few inches to a foot off the ground, so burning or pulling them out,
even if possible, is not an option. I don't think that I can do this.

2. See "OFFSET1."  Dig a new hole, drop in concrete tube and fill to 2" above grade, set post base, attach post, and connect to the beam from the side using carriage bolts.

Problems: I don't think I can get the auger close enough to the beam to be
close enough for this to work. Not enough room to get the auger under the
beam.

3. See "OFFSET2." Dig a new hole as close as I can to the current beam. Drop in concrete tube and fill to 2" above grade, set post base, attach post, sandwich in additional 1x12 to take up remaining distance btween post and existing 1x12 beam, and connect to the beams from the side using carriage bolts.

Problems: Does this put too much strain on the post base?

4. Demolish deck and start over.

Problems: Hell. No.

So that's where I am at the moment. OFFSET2 seems like the only viable option. But I'm concerned about the stress on the post. Maybe if I stagger the offset posts on alternating sides of the beams the stress will be dissipated? What are your thoughts?


texts: Exterior foundation drain pipe location relative to the footer

texts: Our house—built in 1989 in the Kansas City, MO area—has a walk-out basement with exterior foundation drain pipes daylighted. The drain pipe on the east wall had a complete blockage, so I dug it up in order to replace it. The drain pipe—4-in perforated, corrugated black pipe—was sitting on top of the footer. What is the proper location for the drain pipe—on the footer or next to the footer? Or to be safe, should I install one drain pipe on top of the footer and another next to the footer?


texts: Are there any electro-osmosis damp proofing systems that work?

texts:
I have a problem with rising damp in an old wall and am wondering if electro-osmosis damp proofing systems actually work to remedy this as they claim. The type of system I'm talking about consists of a wall-mounted electromagnetic field generator and a cathode in the ground. The system is supposed to cause the water to move back into the ground by reversing its polarity. This is an example of such system.

Naturally, I'm skeptical about the claimed efficiency of this, but I'm no expert. From googling, it seems that many (all?) electro-osmosis systems are useless, but they are of different configuration than the one described here. On the other hand, some people claim they work for them, but it's hard to evaluate if this is due to the actual system, or if there were other repairs involved.

Are these systems legit?


texts: Attaching a deck ledger to the concrete pad of a detached garage

texts:
I am building a deck between my house and the garage. I will support the deck on one side with a ledger on the house and plan to support the other side with a ledger on the garage (with requisite beams in between).

My question is whether or not it is recommended to attach a ledger to the concrete pad that the detached garage is built on. The pad appears to be approx 5" thick (at least on the edges) and either a 2" x 8" or 2" x 6" ledger would hang below the bottom edge of the concrete pad (assuming I would like at least 2 inches above the ledger for decking and gap).

Does anyone have any recommendations for this? Thanks.


texts: Why use AFCI receptacles rather than AFCI breakers?

texts: Is there any reason to use an AFCI receptacle rather than replacing the breaker with an AFCI type? It seems that providing protection on the whole circuit makes much more sense than to just one receptacle. Are there areas where AFCI protected circuits are not allowed?


texts: How to darken a room without hurting airflow?

texts:
I am a sucker for open windows. My room has two windows on opposing sides, and I get an amazing flow of air between them most hours of the day and night, and I want to keep it that way.

A problem with open windows is uncontrolled lighting. If I wish to open my windows during the day even if the flow of air is nice, I often get too much light on my screens and can't really work on my computer or watch TV.

Is there a way to darken the room, hopefully by putting something on the window, which would filter light, but not restrict the flow of air in the room?

I've been considering about painting the walls with a darker color, but for now that option is not viable because of reasons.


texts: Would a sheet of aluminum help with mounting a <20lb computer monitor to wall without studs?

texts:
I want to mount a 27inch 12lb computer monitor to a wall where the position of the stud doesn't work.  I'm thinking of going with this mount and Toggler Snaptoggles.

I know the optimal thing to do would be to bridge the two studs and then mount to the bridge but I don't think the weight of my TVs presents a great enough risk of failure to justify tearing into the wall.  I guess I could just put the bridge on top of the drywall but then it will be visible on either the left or right side of monitor.  That being said I'd like to minimize the risk of failure as much as possible if I can without ripping into the wall.  One idea I had would be to put a sheet of aluminum the is wider and taller than the wall mount in between the wall and the wall mount.  I could then use an additional 4-6 bolts to spread out the load.  It would look something like this (ignore scale and where angles aren't 90 degrees)...

Would using the sheet of aluminum to spread out the weight significantly reduce the risk of failure or is this pointless?.  If it is pointless then is it really worth adding a bridge from stud to stud for such a relatively low amount of weight?


texts: Fixing Bosch SHE series insufficient fill issue? (SHE43R Series 300)

texts:
I have a Bosch SH43R dishwasher.  It has started not always filling enough on a cycle, leading to poor wash performance (often it can't even get the soap out of the dispenser).

Frustratingly, it's not every cycle.
Awkwardly, adding 2-3 cups of water sets things right (the water level then comes up a few cm above the drain mesh).  So I've been running it each night by listening for a lack of enough sloshing, then adding water by hand.  Ugh.

I've removed the integral filter and fill solenoid (Bosch part #00622058).  The filter was a little dirty, but not bad. I measured 4.1 gallons per minute out of the inlet hose: seems like plenty.  But the problem persists.

I know this model is a "timed fill" meaning the dishwasher computer has no idea how full the tub is.

How can I run a diagnostic cycle, as this particular model has no display (other than a useless red LED that shines on the floor)?

What could be the low fill cause?  Can a weak solenoid do this?


texts: How do I know it is safe to hammer a nail into thin wood?

texts:
My wife purchased a wooden sign with our infant's name in a cursive font.  The wood is 1/2" deep (front-to-back), and the letters are about 1" wide in most places.  I've been tasked with hanging the name on a wall.  I bought a kit containing sawtooth hangers for mounting pictures on the wall, only to discover that the tiny nails are also 1/2" long.
Is it reasonable to think I can chop the nails in half to prevent them from splitting the wood? Would this put the sawtooth hangers at risk of falling out due to insufficient friction once the sign is on the wall?
More generally, are there rules of thumb or data tables that tell mechanical engineers or carpenters, "for this type of wood, with these dimensions, it is safe/not safe to use this size of nail with/without predrilling"?   Are there any such guidelines for how much weight, say, a collection of sawtooth hangers can hold when held in place by small nails of a given length and radius?
As long as I'm throwing out wishes, is there an introductory book on mechanical engineering that spells out the terminology and principles needed to do back-of-the-envelope calculations?
EDIT: This is not a rectangular sign with the name on it, it is a laser cut piece of plywood (baltic birch), so that the letters are the sign,and it is not possible to drill into any part of the sign without drilling into a letter.  The entire sign weighs about 1 lb 2 oz.


texts: Water pressure problem - plumber tapped into kitchen hot/cold water line to add bathroom sink on other side of wall

texts:
I had a bathroom sink  added to opposite side of kitchen where there's a sink/dishwasher. I think contractor hired a plumber who is unlicensed. He insists the guy is licensed but I've had too many problems so far to believe that this guy is trained right.
First we had copper line leak that the plumber put in and now there's no pressure in kitchen sink. the contractor insists the guy didn't share the hot/cold water line but i am seeing it for myself and the plumber tapped into the cold/hot water on the kitchen wall - tapping into it with T-copper line to add a bathroom sink on the other side.
Is this why i have no pressure on my kitchen sink now? Is that even to code to add a sink in bathroom with same hot/cold water lines?
Note: photo shown is on new bathroom side where sink will go (other side of wall is current kitchen sink/dishwasher)


texts: Proper way to brace a knee wall with hold downs

texts:
So I've taken out a section of wall between my kitchen/living room and am leaving only a knee wall (41" high) that will have a breakfast bar on top of it.  Removal of the wall went fine, however, the remaining knee was is fairly flimsy and does not tolerate side load at all.  Kitchen cabinets will go along this wall and probably add some stiffness, however, the fact I will put a breakfast bar on it makes me think I need more rigidity.

I would like to stiffen the wall and am thinking the most appropriate solution would be using a Simpson hold down, although I'm uncertain on both the hardware and blocking that is necessary.  The wall itself does not sit directly above a floor joist but is instead offset so that the outside edge of the wall follows an inside edge of the joist (see picture below).  I'm thinking that bolting the bracket through the baseplate to the subfloor won't do much, so it was my plan to run a 4x4 the length of the wall in the corner of the joist and subfloor, then run a threaded rod through it.

Questions:

Does this sound like a reasonable solution for bracing an existing knee wall?
Is that an appropriate hold down for this application?
What hardware would you recommend securing the 4x4 with to the joist/subfloor?
What diameter threaded road would you recommend for the anchoring?

Thanks


texts: How can I confirm a skunk inhabitation, and then persuade the stinky squatter to vacate?

texts:
I'm fairly sure a skunk has taken up residence under my deck. I'm concerned that my dogs may be sprayed, or worse contract a disease and/or parasites from the animal.

Our area is loaded with skunks, and I recently noticed a hole dug out leading under our low deck.  I often smell a skunky aroma in the evening and at night, especially in the vicinity of the deck.  I'm not positive it's a skunk den, and I'm also not sure how to confirm either way.

Once I've determined it's a skunk den (or not), I'd like to persuade the animal to leave. I now live within city limits, so my typical shotgun remedy is out of the question (neighbors and local law enforcement don't like late night shotgun blasts, or maybe any shotgun blasts). Since we live in a politically correct world, and this is a PC site, solutions should be humane.


texts: How do I drain a small retaining wall built for flowers?

texts:
I have one of these in front of my house. From what I could see the previous owner was not very smart when he built this, it is sloped toward the house and moreover this is on the north side of the house, it gets sun light for a 1-2 hours in the afternoon so not only that it is not very practical for flowers (he put some shrubs there that are struggling to survive) but it seems to retain water (I can see some moss building up there)

Question: after I slope this correctly by adding more dirt how do I drain this? Do I need to drain it at the upper level or should I build something that is dug in and drain it at the base level (the grass level in the picture)

Thanks  lot


texts: Powering a long 20M LED strip light run in large room through ambient lighting via crown molding

texts:
I'm looking to make a long run of LED strip lights (20m) in crown molding around a large room and am trying to figure how to power the entire unit.
After quite a bit of research and testing, I've decided to use LEDENET's Double Row RGBCCT strips which has 6 pins.
I've read that "running parallel 'feeder' wire and tie to the strip as convenient" works and I had planned on putting the entire run in a loop (4 x 5m runs for a total of 20m), running power down 5m on each side to power the back two strips, but I'm not sure how 'feed' it into the run.  I've found 5 pin mini-amplifiers, but haven't been able to find anything for a 6 pin.  Any ideas would be wildly appreciated.
Thank you!


texts: What Household Items can be used to Clean Motherboards

texts:
I have a motherboard that require deep cleaning (its not just the dust we are talking about). I have seen over the youtube that people are using WD-40 and brake fluid to washaway the contaminants from the motherboard. So I went on and did a little search and in turns out that WD-40 can also dissolve the protective film on the motherboard and can leave lubricant film.

The second option is to use iso-propyl alcohol but that also might not clean the contaminants well. Is there better option?

Based on the answers the following protocol for deep cleaning the motherboard might be desirable:

Step 1: Vacuuming and airblowing to remove obvious dirt
Step 2: Spraying cleaning solvents such as brake fluid to wash away
more clinging contaminants (nicotine, insect remains and other sticky
substance)
Step 3: Final pass of wipe cleaning risers, rams, graphics card slots
using cotton pads immersed in 70% isopropyl alcohol (99% is better!)


texts:
My room had a chair rail which I stripped out.
It was glued and left a long strip on the drywall.
The strip is just paper and I am not sure how to patch them ...

Also, there are some glue left on the wall and not sure how to remove them.

Can someone give me advises?


texts: Can I attach the main ground from my service panel to the old steel water main in my house?

texts:
My current main ground is improperly connected to the water line in my house and I am planning on changing it this week. It is "connected" to (read: formerly soldered, now kind-of-sort-of laying on) a random point on the supply line in the center of my house directly under the bathroom approximately 20 feet from the point at which the main water supply comes into the house.

About 3 feet next to the service panel is what I am convinced is the old water supply when steel was the norm. Instead of running a new grounding wire ~65 feet to the current main, can I run the grounding wire to the steel pipe right next to the box? I do not know any specifics about the pipe other than it being steel but I find it hard to believe that it would have been removed when they converted to copper (my house is ~150 feet from the street).


texts: Can I use a cord and plug to power a wall sconce?

texts:
I have a wall sconce that my wife really likes and wants installed on an interior brick wall. The sconce she purchased is designed to sit on top of a wall box that has been prewired. I don't want to install this in the brick, so my idea is to hook up the wires to a standard ac plug and wire, then run it under a cable cover.

The light has one black, one white and one ground cord. When I cut off the end of an old AC wall cord, will I find the same connections? If not, how do I connect the cord safely? Is this a terrible idea in general?


texts: Are pre-drilled holes in pvc french drain pipe enough holes?

texts: Are the two lines of pre-drilled holes in 4" french drain pvc pipe enough holes, or is it better to drill another line of holes, maybe between the 2 lines?


texts: Who should I call to remove my fireplace?

texts: I'm looking to have my fireplace removed and blocked up in order to use the wall for furniture. I already have 2 vents on the chimney breast upstairs one in each bedroom, I am unsure as to even what forms of trades person carries out this type of work. Any advice and knowledge would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


texts: How does this 1 wire to 2 fixtures & 2 switches work? Is it safe?

texts:
I am cleaning up my basement and came across an open junction in a closet between 2 adjacent rooms; I will call them "paint room" and "radio room".  I know open junctions are not good so after turning off the power, I was going to disconnect it all and put in a junction box mounted on a stud and hook everything back up. But after taking what must have been half a roll of electrical tape off I am not sure about the entire thing.

There is one 14/2 wire that runs between the light fixture in the radio room and the light fixture in the paint room.  The covering is stripped off this wire at the open junction.  There is a 2nd wire - 12/3  coming in from direction of the main panel.  The 3rd wire (red color, not ground) in this 12/3 is snipped off.  The black wire from the 12/3 goes to the 14/2 black wire in the radio room.  The white wire from the 12/3 goes to the 14/2 black wire in the paint room.  The white wire between the radio and paint rooms (remember it is 1 14/2 wire between the 2 rooms), is not broken, nor is the ground wire, though the ground wire from the 12/3 goes to nowhere.  I thought the white "neutral" wire in the 12/3 had no power??   There are separate wall mounted switches that are wired directly to the light, and not from the panel.  Still don't understand it.

I probably should have left well enough alone..but my question is, is it safe?  Should I even mess with it any further???  Picture attached.

Roberto


texts: Liquid in Clothes Washing Machine for balance?

texts:
When my washer was brand new (not connected to any hoses), I noticed a liquid sloshing sound whenever I moved it around. The washer has been disconnected for about 2 years now and the liquid sloshing sound is still there, so I don't think this is water that has accumulated from washing clothes. I have done some research and I think that it is used as weight to help balance the washer as the drum spins around.

My questions are: what is this liquid, its true purpose, and will it freeze/expand if left in a non-climate-controlled location? I have moved the washing machine to a new storage location that is covered and sealed from the elements, but has no heating or cooling.


texts:
In trouble shooting this we found that an outside outlet had 70 volts coming through its ground. We went inside and disconnected everything but what is shown. The white is to the common, the red and black go through each side of the 2 pole 60 amp breaker. Testing from the common to ground shows that this voltage still exist. In testing continuity between black and white, we found that it tested positive. We went as far as to see that an outside halogen light was the reason for this continuity showing a solid connection.

With all power connected, everything works, I just show this voltage passing between ground. Is this a common occurrence where some voltage will pass between power and ground? My gut says no, but then I am a pseudo electrician. We have one coming, but would like to be able to tell him just about where the issue is.


texts:
We moved in a few months ago to a new construction home and had noticed very high humidity inside our house, sometimes about 70-80%. When moving in the builders explained to us about the fresh air ventilation system and so we first suspected this was part of the issue. Our home has this fresh air ventilation system installed and we first noticed it was set to "override" which meant it was constantly pulling in outside air and so we set it to "off" and noticed pretty quickly that the humidity became much lower in the range of 50-60% which is what we would expect. In experimenting we also then set the fresh air ventilation system to "on" and even with it set to "on" we noticed that the humidity would get too high over time since my understanding is that it pulls in outside air whenever the heating/cooling is running and a set amount of time per hour.
So, clearly the fresh air ventilation system was installed for a reason and it does not seem to make sense that the only way to have it be comfortable inside is to have it set to "off". I am definitely not an HVAC expert and in doing some research I saw that based on the documentation provided with our system it is a "Multi-Speed ECM" (Carrier model number 58SC0A/58SC1A) and what I understood from my brief research was that means that the fan speed is variable and the fan should run at a lower speed for a longer time in situations where the humidity is higher to remove more humidity. I have also seen some thermostats that specifically have settings to adjust for higher humidity and I assume they are doing this by controlling the fan speed? The thermostat that came with out house is this one and it does indicate the current indoor humidity on the display but as far as I can tell does not have any settings for actually adjusting anything to do with the humidity. This made me think that perhaps our thermostat could be part of the issue but I haven't been able to find a lot of information to support this idea.
Any suggestions/tips/ideas are appreciated!


texts: Can buffing and sanding attachments be used with a fixed speed powerdrill?

texts:
Have wondered about this possibility. I've seen some 'As seen on TV' ads where they sell all-in-one DIY power-tool kits which can act as a drill (reversible), power screw in/unscrew, hammer, buffing, sanding and even cutting tool.

Are such attachments available for regular consumer-grade power drills, and are they effective, or even semi-effective (in the 'your mileage may vary' sense) ?

Note that this is only for some occasional use, by a DIY hobbyist. Not for professional grade work.


texts: Can an electric stove infinite switch for a small burner be used to control a large burner?

texts:
I have an electric stove model# JBS55DM2WW.  A small burner and large burner burnt out.  I replaced the larger burner to see if it was salvageable in the first place.  It worked but the infinite switch was bad and kept the stove on.  So I took the smaller burner's inifinite switch and replaced the large burner's infinite switch. I didn't realize the amps are different.  Is this ok to use like this?

I suspect since the amps being drawn by the switch is lower that the larger burner should be able to handle it and it will be ok.  Is this alright for long term?

The small burner infinite switch is rated for 5.4-7.0 amps
The larger burner infinite switch is rated for 7.2-9.0 amps
Both switches are 240 volts.

I'm not an electrical guy.  I'm getting confused by what is out there about putting a lower amp outlet for a wall socket.  For instance a 15a won't run a 20amp appliance.  But to me my situation is different since the switch can only provide up to 7.0 amps the burner only gets 7.0 amps and might run cooler but still be ok.  Or am I wrong and the larger burner is trying to draw way more amps than the switch can provide and is therefore a hazard?

Thanks in advance!!!


texts: Light switch with hot pig tail under screw & hot wire in a push-in conncection

texts:
One hot wire that has the pigtail & it will go under the screw. The other hot wire needs to go in the Push-In Wire Connection. How far in? What if you can see exposed wire once pushed in the hole? This switch controls one overhead light, nothing else as far as I can tell.
The non hot wire will go under the other screw or in the push-in connection.


texts: Cutting Ceiling Molding Wihtout Removing It?

texts: I want to put up a stud wall to make a walk in wardrobe. I want to get a flush joint against the wall but I have some molding across the top. I was wondering if there is an approach to cutting a grove/slot in it without removing it, it's quite a long piece 15+ foot so ideally I want it to stay where it is.


texts: How do I lower the water level in a toilet bowl

texts:
TMI Warning
We have a round toilet bowl in our apartment (building constructed around 1960).
An older man has difficulty cleaning himself because water level is high.
How would one lower the water level to cover just the draining point. See pictures below for water level and toilet structure.


texts: Is it better to use a AFCI/ GFCI breaker in the panel or do to use a AFCI/ GFCI receptacle?

texts:
To protect a bathroom outlet, should I put an AFCI/GFCI breaker in the breaker box or do I put in an AFCI/GFCI receptacle?

Can a AFCI/GFCI receptacle be divided into 2 circuits with a 20A breaker for each side of the AFCI/GFCI receptacle?


texts: The wiring box in the ceiling has black, white and red wire in it. Also a ground screw. The new light has black and white wires, plus a ground wire. Light also has dimmer feature. I hooked all up, respectively except the red wire, which I capped and taped. The light stays on all the time. What did I miss?


texts: Trying to install countertop/bar on an existing halfwall

texts:
Being the poor person I am, I am trying to slowly upgrade my kitchen whenever able. My parents got new counter tops and saved their old formica counters for me. I currently have an L shaped half wall about 6-8in wide. The outer side of the "L" is flat and finished with drywall (the top is drywall as well), and the inner side of the "L" is curled around cabinets/counter and my stove which sit about 6-7" lower than the top of the half wall. Because the top of the half wall is drywall finished, it got pretty messed up and eaten through by sweating drinks and such over the years. I recently repaired it, and was able to confirm that the half wall has a metal frame.

I see countless videos on how to install a half wall bar, but every single one includes building the wall from scratch which is why I'm here. I've got the cuts for my formica all planned out and ready to go, I just need to figure out what I've got to do to make sure it is installed properly and has enough support that it doesn't eventually end up falling off. I don't have an exact measurement for how far over the wall I want the formica to hang, but I know it will be a maximum of 4in or less, and honestly if I need to trim it down so there's no overhang at all I am more than willing to- I just hate this "drywall counter top" situation I've currently got and need to change it. Any advice is appreciated!


texts:
I'm trying to eliminate damp odor originating from a crawl space.

Here's the situation:

Half of the house has a basement.  The other half is a crawl space   accessible from the basement through an access opening.  The access opening and another "vent" opening share the crawl space air with the basement.
The crawl space is surrounded by foundation walls with no windows.  The floor is stones covered with overlapping heavy-duty plastic sheets (nothing is sealed).
There are two HVAC zones.  The basement has one air handler for that half of the house, including air vets and a return in the basement.  The crawl space has an air handler for its half of the house.  It, too, has vents and a return in the crawl space to ventilate the crawl space.
The house is adjacent to a community water catchment area and the water table gets high during rainy periods.  There is a sump pump in the basement that is fed from the gravel layer under the basement floor, and it runs continuously in periods of wet weather.  There is a foundation wall and footer between the basement and crawl space, so I suspect the crawl space doesn't drain to the sump pump.
The house in in good shape in terms of exterior water (the rain gutters are good and discharge far from the house, and the grading is OK).  There are no signs of water in the basement.

Here's the problem.  During wet weather, the crawl space gets a "wet ground" smell that wafts out of the stone floor.  The HVAC return picks it up and adds it to the household air on that side of the house.  So half of the house gets the aroma.

I stuck a dehumidifier in the crawl space but it doesn't affect the smell.  The air handler has an electrostatic air cleaner, but that doesn't filter smells.  So I'm looking for a solution to keep the aroma out of the household area.

What I've considered:

I could seal the crawl space return, but that would starve the air handler of 1/3 of its air volume.  Or I could duct it to the vent hole in the basement wall and pull better air.  However, I would need to close the vents in the crawl space or it would just circulate the crawl space air by a longer route to the return.  So again, there's an air volume problem.
If I isolate the HVAC from the crawl space air, the crawl space will no longer be ventilated.  I assume the odor would become worse in the crawl space, possibly even a mold problem.
I'm not sure how practical it would be to seal the floor.  There is no way to get concrete or any heavy material into the crawl space.  Maybe adding another layer of plastic sheeting would help if there's a way to seal it and seal it to the walls (duct tape?).  The floor area is on the order of 1,400 sq. ft., so it isn't a trivial area to seal.
I thought about putting a sump pump in the crawl space.  However, There is probably 3 1/2' to 4' of gravel to get below the basement floor level to where the water actually is, and the sump pit would go below that.  So it would be more of a well than a sump pit.  I can pump the water out, but the ground will still be wet, so I'm not sure that would affect the odor.
I've seen various deodorizer products you stick in the ductwork.  They get very mixed reviews.

Any recommendations on how to solve the problem?


texts: Can the parties who sign a building permit be liable in any way, shape or form of water damage to a building?

texts:
Suppose you have a condo building.  That condo building was built 10 years ago.  The statutes of limitations is only good for 6 years (for negligence purposes).  There is water damage to the condo's exterior, and was discovered 10 years after construction.  There was no claim tied to the damage and starts just below the roof.  So the insurance company insuring the condo association (exterior and common areas of the building) won't reimburse because there's no actual event that caused this damage.

The construction company who built the building disintegrated their company and now have a different name.

During the construction, there were building permits signed for the construction, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc...

There were three parties involved with the building permits.  The owner (a realtor), the former construction company (who doesn't exist anymore) and the city building inspector.

This might be for a different StackExchange site, but....

Can the unit owners sue the parties (who are left) who signed the building permits if the water damage was due to faulty construction and should have met building codes?  (is there liability) Or do building permits just give permission to build?  And we could perhaps file a claim with the insurance company of the two parties left.  Or is that not an option?

Basically it will cost about the same to fix as it cost to build the building.  So we're basically SOL.


texts: I am looking for ceiling lamps for the first one and wall lamps for the second port. Since I have a low ceiling in my apartment in an old house, I want to the use of pendant lamps.


texts:
We are in the northeast on a well. We have had no issues with inside water pressure or running out of water. Recently,
On two occasions, we filled a 240 gal inflatable pool from the outside hose. Around the time the pool was totally filled, we tried to run water inside the house. The first time, the bathroom sink upstairs went to just a trickle. The second time, we had more water, but it was definitely at a much, much reduced pressure. We have a submersible pump and a 40 gal or so pressure tank in basement. Does this indicate a problem with the well, the pump, the tank, or something else? We have never had any problems before this, and we have not had any problems since, when using water inside the house for every day use.

Correction: size of tank appears to be 20 gal


texts:
When we bought this house we were told that the bathroom rough in was done.
What is the purpose of each pipe/hole? I'm assuming the larger one (blue cap) is for the toilet? Is this all we need to install 3 piece bathroom? Thank you.

Update:

The blue capped pipe is 3", orange capped pipe 2-1/2" and orange hole in the floor 1-1/2"


texts: How do I design a shed to make optimal use of building materials?

texts:
I read Michael Pollan's A Place of My Own, in which he builds a small building to use as a writing studio. The architect's design called for wall studs to be cut to 8ft 1in (out of 10ft sticks), resulting in a huge waste pile. Apparently the architect thought that if it was an inch lower Pollan would hit his head coming in; any higher it would have felt cavernous.

Whatever. That is not how I think. I want to use standard materials with minimal waste.

But it's not always obvious how to do this, at least to inexperienced builders. For example, an 8' x 12' shed can have a subfloor built of 3 sheets of 4' x 8' material (great!). However, the interior and exterior walls can't both be increments of 4' wide, if the wall has non-0 thickness. So, you pick one (presumably the exterior) to be at 4' increments, and cut to fit at the other face (presumably the interior).

Similarly, if a particular span is slightly too long for a 2x6, a 2x8 wouldn't be fully used. Either make the span shorter and use the 2x6, or longer and make full use of the strength of the 2x8.

It seems like there should be a list of such tips that experienced builders carry around in their noggins, and that I want to learn without spending 20 years in the field. :-)

I'm limiting the question to sheds because I assume the dynamics of larger buildings change what is worth optimizing for. Let's say we're building under 200 sq. ft.


texts: Electric breaker tripping without anything plugged in

texts: My electric panel is outside and the door was open during a heavy rain. Not much rain got into the panel, but a small amount of water and condensation did.   One breaker would trip for a few hours, but is now working.  Another breaker continues to trip without anything plugged in.  Could there be some water damage to this panel that makes it trip?  Any suggestions on how to fix this problem?


texts:
I am concerned about improper / unsafe condition(s) that I noted at the house’ s electrical sub panel.  House that was built in mid-late 1960’.  The main panel and the sub panel are older, likely when the house was built.
The 100A main electrical panel’ s back can be seen from the non-finished attached garage, with ground rod into the concrete. The 50A sub panel is inside the house, not at a detached structure.
My main concern is  the lack of a proper grounding bar at the sub panel, whereas only the neutral bar is seen at the sub panel.  All of the house’ s receptacles are 3-prongs and functional.  Can this condition be resolved by installing a ground bar at the sub panel, assuming not replacing the aging panel and sub panel at the present time?


texts: My plumber installed my hot water baseboard backward. The feed and return are hooked up backward. What problems will this cause?

texts: I believe my hot water baseboard heater was hooked up wrong. The feed and return are opposite. The plumber said it's not a problem as we'll still get heat. Is that so, because we don't get a lot of heat from the heater. Please advise.


texts:
We have been dealing with mice since the fall, eventually we got a pest control company and their recommendation after setting their baits for ~3weeks is to seal all the cracks and holes.

One thing they mentioned though was to grate the bathroom and dyer ventilation. We use since our dryer vents through the attic we installed this vent, which opens and closes when the dryer is running, however the pest control company insists it's one of the ways they are coming in and we need to grate it. I'm a little concerned about that since dryer lint can get stuck in there and cause a blockage, and frankly i'm not even sure how mice can get into that type of vent. What do you guys think?


texts:
I have the following stains on my toilet

I tried to remove it with bleaching product but to no avail.
I was thinking of white vinegar but not sure if it would work as the surface is wet.
Any ideas are welcomed.


texts: Things to look for while entering the crawlspace of a house I'm considering buying?

texts:
I'm going to examine the crawlspace under a house I'm considering buying.  What type of things should I look for? Here's my list so far:

Water, moisture, and dampness -- finding it's source.
Electrical lines -- their type and condition.
Foundation -- condition... cracks, signs of movement.
Wood condition -- signs of termites, wood rot, decay.

Anything else? Keep in mind that I'm a newbie. =)

And yes, we're having professional inspections done too.

-M


texts:
What materials to people use as a firestop for where CPVC lines penetrate through the wall/fireblocking?    According to the manufacturer, apparently CPVC does not play well with certain materials.

"CPVC products can however be damaged by contact with chemicals found
in some construction and ancillary products such as thread sealants,
anti-freeze solutions, fire stop materials, etc."

In addition,

DO NOT stack, support, hang equipment, or hang flexible wire/cable
(especially communications cable), or other material on the CPVC
system.
DO NOT expose CPVC products to incompatible substances such
as cutting oils, non-water based paints, packing oils, traditional
pipe thread paste and dope, fungicides, termiticides, insecticides,
detergents, building caulks, adhesive tape, solder flux, flexible
wire/cable (with special consideration for communications cabling),
and non-approved spray foam insulation materials."

Also of concern is that CPVC will expand up to 3/16" on a 10' run, so not sure it that has implications as well.


texts: Maximum connection of devices to a single socket

texts:
I'm from India
After searching many sites I signed up here to clarify my doubt as I don't know much about electricity...
I recently brought a fridge(250litres) (3 months ago) and it was working fine until 2-3 days back when I experienced a mild electric shock while touching the fridge. I called the service men from the company he said maybe the earthing is the problem.
It turned out earthing is all fine and when he came to the house and checked no shock was experienced (he just removed the earthing pin connected to frame and again connected back). After that 2-3 days it was fine but again I experienced major electric shock but this time much higher.
When I switched off the fridge and turned on 15 mins after there was no shock.
When I was searching about the same many things popped up on internet as possible causes but one that related was overloading for single socket.

The fridge is connected to one socket.
And from another socket, I have connected 4 devices using junction box:

Set-top box
LG smart TV(43 inch)
5.1 Home theatre
Sony PS4 slim

My question is:
Although my fridge is connected to another socket is this okay to have these 4 devices connected to one socket, is this causing the problem?


texts: Should I use spray foam to insulate a basement?

texts:
Home in CT cape w/ uninsulated basement. Its a cold, not drafty house, with new Marvin integrity windows. The basement is very cold, and it seems like the cold basement is making the rest of the house difficult to heat( forced air). So I'm considering insulating the basement walls which are cinder block.

I saw one plan with foam sprayed directly onto the block, then there were  1 1/2" metal studs installed on top of the insulation, and then sheetrocked w/ 1/2". Has anyone seen this done? It doesn't explain how to install the metal studs. Would it help even if I didn't insulate the below grade walls?


texts: The gas home heater turns off after some time and wont turn on again unless I lower the thermostat and raise it back up

texts:
I just got some info that may help.
See this google doc
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VQ5RKnu5wZUIdHfiWDm2ZcqK4KqLm_2zuZBcYDqasQI/edit?usp=sharing
There are some wires that look like they may be touching, I will ensure they are not tomorrow. See the image in the google doc.

My house heater (gas) will turn off after running for some time but before reaching the temperature set at thermostat. I then have to lower the temperature at the thermostat below the current house temperature (I hear a loud click from the return register) and then back up to a level above the current temperature. The cycle then repeats.
For example:
The thermostat reads 68 but is set to heat to 72. The heater is off.
I lower the thermostat to 67. I hear a click.
I raise the thermostat to 72. The heater turns on.
Some time later the heater turns off, but it does so before reaching the level set at the thermostat.
I repeat the cycle.
Last year I had two separate techs come out and they did not find any issue. One adjusted something and the issue seemed to be better for a while but neither fixed the issue.
Any thoughts on this or is there a stack exchange better suited to this question?
The heater is original I believe, installed in 97. It is gas like I said and I change the return register filter regularly.
Thank you
Edit - Thermostat is an emerson up500W. It is set to a single stage gas heater and the reversing valve position is set to "O" (but "B" is an option). The device says the batteries are full.
https://ibb.co/pnGbvQR
https://ibb.co/k3d8xJz
https://ibb.co/bdfXgmL
I apologize but I do not know anything about the furnace. I will crawl up into the attic and take a look tomorrow and get a model number.


texts: Installed new water heater yesterday, today there is water in the catch pan

texts:
Yesterday we installed a new water heater.  Pretty straight forward, my father in law has done many of these.  I monitored pretty closely for next 12 hours and the catch pan under the water heater continued to have water in it, even when no leaks could be seen at the connections or the release valve or anywhere else on the water heater.  I continually, took this water out of the pan with a rag every couple hours.  I checked in the morning and there is water in there again.  Roughly, a 20 to 40 oz amount of water.  I am pretty sure I received a defective water heater and it is leaking out of the bottom of the water heater.  Has anyone experienced this?  If I can't see leaks at the connections, the release valve, or anywhere else it must be leaking out of the tank.  Does anyone know the cause of this, or what else I could check on this?

I also opened up the bottom of the water heater where you can see the pilot light and put my hand in the bottom of the water heater and I can feel water in there.  There must be a leak in the inner case of the water heater, correct?


texts: Moving (not adding) a GFI protected outlet (that isn't the GFI outlet)

texts:
Odd scenario in that I need to move a GFI protected outlet (downstream of the actual GFI outlet) about 10" (to accommodate new bathroom cabinets/countertop). Unfortunately, the existing wiring is too snug to just snake it to the new outlet location - so my question is - can I just add new wiring (same rating) to extend the wiring the 10" to the new outlet location? This would NOT add load to the circuit as there would still only be the one (downstream) outlet.
Also, I don't need to remove the old junction box - so the connection to the new wiring would be with wire nuts that would be inside the original junction box (with the new wiring just going to the new box/outlet).


texts: Can I add strips of lumber to studs in a framed wall to meet plumbing hole size limitations?

texts:
If you want to fit a 2” PVC pipe with 2.375” OD in a non load bearing wall stud, it needs to be less than or equal to 60% of the width of the stud. i.e a stud which would need to be just over 3.95” in width. If you framed a wall 2x4 wall with thickness 3.5” you can’t fit the pipe by code.

Could you add a 1x2 to give yourself another 3/4” thickness and meet code ? Will this actually stabilize the wall?


texts: Electric oven: Bake and Broil not Working

texts:
isherwood: Same oven as prior question, but new issue.

In bake mode, the broil and bake elements get warm.  Neither element gets hot.  In broil mode,  neither element gets warm.
The cycle lamp is on in each mode.  The controller terminals show proper continuity across all terminals in all modes.

The oven is a Hotpoint RK38T.  The controller is model WB22X5134.  All electrical and mechanical, no electronic components

I would appreciate comments on the cause and how to fix this issue.

New data: The voltage across the thermostat terminals shows 224 volts in broil mode.  I was expecting 110 volts because line 1 is not connected to the thermostat in broil mode.


texts:
our furnace fan runs all the time

It doesn't switch off when the furnace does and keeps blowing cool air

I've replaced the filter and it's still running

The thermostat (RTH6400D) isn't set up to run the fan. It has only two wires connected, W and R

The furnace is a Beckett(by Honeywell) R7184B

Thank you

Buck


texts: Wood between my windows is rotting, how do I fix this?

texts: I've attached images.  Not sure if I should just paint over it with epoxy or replace it entirely.


texts: What is the correct way to attach a receptacle to a metal face plate?

texts:
4" metal face plates and box are very common for exposed wiring. Receptacles connect to the face plate instead of to the box, which is different than in a house. The face plate comes with a few screws and nuts for this purpose.

It's possible to attach the recep with 2 screws and nuts at the top and bottom (red arrow) or a single screw in the middle (blue arrow). Which is the best way?

(click for full-size)


texts: Are black spots on the underside of roof sheathing mold?

texts: There is black spots identified in our attic which we are trying to gauge if this is mold.


texts: lay out common rafters with combination square

texts:
I need to mark common rafters (plumb line and birdsmouth) to build a lean-to roof. I only have a combination square, a rusted try square and measuring tape.
All explanations involve either a speed square or a framing square.
Can it be done?


texts: Are water heater warranties really relevant quality of the product?

texts:
I have a new water heater with an 8 year warranty and I noticed that the warranty length is included in the model number.

On the manufacturer's website I couldn't find any information about differences in the fabrication process of a water heater with an 8 year warranty and one with a 4 year warranty (for instance, a thicker layer of glass or a bigger anode rod).

My question is, did I buy an "entry level" water heater with a hidden extended warranty or is it really built better?


texts: Material which absorbs water on carpet and hardwood floor?

texts: As the title says, I am looking for material or ways to suck water quickly from hardwood floor or carpet.


texts: Converting Screened Room to 4 Season Room - Looking for confirmation / suggestions

texts:
12 years ago I added a 12'x14' screened porch to the back of my house in Maryland. The screen porch was permitted and inspected when I original built it. I'm now thinking of upgrading the room to a 4 season room. I would like to keep the room as open and airy as possible so in spring / autumn it can still feel like a screened room but in summer / winter it can be cooled / heated as appropriate.
Currently the screened porch has double 2x6 resting on 4x4 posts at 4' intervals. My plan was to keep the corner posts but remove the additional posts and replace them with more traditional 2x4 framing around the windows / doors. The roof has 2x6 rafter ties running across a 4' interval. Pic of the propose changes below.

Is the framing approach correct? Originally I wanted more windows but when I spoke to the licensing office the explained that because of lateral loads I needed a minimum of 2' of solid wall in each corner. Is there any easy (code compliant) way to avoid / minimize this)?
Revised to focus solely on the framing question.


texts: connecting three 8 gauge wires, wire nut or multi-port?

texts: I am connecting sets of three #8 wires for a 220 circuit, and have found large blue wire nuts from Ideal that are rated for this wire size.  But they are very difficult to twist to the point that the wires themselves begin to twist together, and upon removal the nuts don't seem to have made much of a grab on the wires, or to twist them.  The wires are a combination of 7 strand and 19 strand.  I see that multipart "Polaris" type connectors might be better, though much more expensive.  I also wonder whether the set screws on Polaris (or the Morris that seems to be the same but much less expensive) are subject to backing out unless locked in some fashion.  Help greatly appreciated!


texts: Is it possible to do two 3way switched circuits that share a common power source but the power source and the light wire are in the same box?

texts: I'm trying to connect two separate circuits from a single power source using 3way switches. My trouble seems that my wire from my light and my power source are in the same box. Is there a way to do this? I have wired it multiple ways and I keep getting the first switch almost Ike a master that needs to be on for the second circuit to work.


texts: What is the danger of a bootleg ground on a 110 outlet wired from a 3 wire 240 circuit?

texts: This is not a question about whether it is in code, or safe to wire a 110 outlet with its neutral to the ground of a 240 circuit. I accept that it is unsafe, and it's certainly not up to code, I'm trying to get my head around what makes it unsafe. What exactly could happen with this type of bad wiring?


texts: Waterfall pump with broken off ground pin in 3 prong plug unsafe to use?

texts:
In 2007 I purchased a quality waterfall pump for my pond (Tsurumi Submersible 50PN@.4S-60).  Recently when I pulled the plug, the grounding plug detached as well.  A local hardware store looked at it and said that it was "a fake ground plug anyway" and to go ahead and use the pump.  I tend to question that. If I try another store or supplier, should it be possible to just replace the 3 prong plug with a new one or is a whole new power cord needed?
Does this need to be ordered from the pump's manufacturer, or are 3 prong plugs for this type of equipment pretty generic?


texts: Why doesn't the flange fit on a new bathroom faucet?

texts:
I purchased a Kohler Mistos today for the bathroom sink. I took out the old faucet, struggled with the old drain assembly, but got that off with no damage to the sink.  I attempted to put in the new drain flange with plumber's putty and it wouldn't fit. I took a small box cutter and trimmed the ribs off the plastic and it still won't fit. I took the putty off, though it wasn't in the way, and it still didn't fit. I tried screwing the rest onto the flange and hoped I could use the plastic nut to pull it down.  That didn't work.  I don't know what else to do.

The box does have in small print drain assembly made in China.  Is this someone using metric and not standard measurement, machine off in production, or am I just not doing something right?


texts:
One of my shower handles broke so I'm trying to replace them as easily as possible.  Since they're original to the house, I'm not sure how to disassemble them or which type I'd need to replace them with.

There are holes on opposite sides of the individual handles, but they don't look like standard Allen sockets.


texts: How can I repair a door that a dog chewed on?

texts:
My dog is an escape artist and managed to get out of her crate today. She then tried to chew her way through my bedroom door to escape confinement. Though unsuccessful, she did damage a significant part of the door. I live in a rented apartment and I would like to know if there is a way to fix this short of replacing the door. If not, is there a way to replace the door that would match this door (and the others in the apartment)? I would like to get my security deposit back if possible!

I will try to post a picture but it's proving challenging from my phone at the moment.


texts: Is it typical that smoke detectors in adjacent apartments be linked?

texts:
I rent the downstairs apt of what used to be a garage. There is one other unit located on the second floor. My smoke alarm was going off frequently without my knowing why. Landlord finally told me this last (9th) time, that the upstairs and downstairs smoke alarms are hard wired together so I know if my neighbor has set their place on fire, and vice versa. Needed to be that way to be up to code.

Is this a normal occurrence? Thanks.


texts: How can I connect metal rods together crosswise?

texts:
I have some stainless steel rods of diameters such a 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" or so, and I want to connect them together in some cases cross-wise to make a lattice. In some cases it might be convenient to connect them at an angle like 45-degrees. How can I do this? The rods will need to be taken apart sometimes, so it cannot be a permanent bond. Also, I don't want to use anything that will leave adhesive on the rods or gum them up.

One obvious idea is to use baling wire and just wrap it around the joint, but it might slip.


texts: How can I get paint to come off more evenly with a heat gun?

texts:
I'm stripping some paint from a very old door in my house - it's probably about 120 years old. Given the age, it's picked up several layers of paint over the years. I've already stripped the skirting boards that are of a similar age with no problems: the paint just peeled right off.

On the door, however, the paint is coming off in a rather inconsistent way. The top two layers seem relatively thin, and are coming off without too much hassle, though the paint is turning into what seems more like glue than paint as it's coming off. The lower layers (pictured) are much harder to get off (in other words, it's not coming off in one go).

For the lower layers, even leaving the heat gun on an area for a little while, the paint doesn't 'bubble' and just softens (or comes off unevenly, as in the picture). As a result, I'm having to be quite rough with it to remove it, essentially using the heat to soften it up and then scrape it off manually with force.

I was wondering, is there anything I can do to make this easier? Or is it just the case that the many layers and years on this door will mean I just need to keep going? I'd just like to get rid of the paint enough to make it sufficiently smooth to fix some of the knocks and dents in it, and then re-paint.


texts: How can I repair my Bosch dishwasher that won't drain?

texts:
My Bosch dishwasher stopped draining. At the end of the cycle, it gets stuck at 1 minute remaining. When I open the door, there's water that hasn't drained.

Here's what I've tried:

Following the instructions from a video on YouTube, I emptied the water, removed the cover on the drain pump impeller, removed any additional water and debris, took out the back flow preventer, and removed additional water and debris.

After doing this, the first two times I ran the dishwasher it did not fill with any water.

I then poured some water into the bottom of the dishwasher to see if it would drain and started another cycle. This time, it did fill with additional water, but I'm back to the original problem. It doesn't drain at the end, and it gets stuck at showing 1 minute remaining.

Photo with drain pump impeller cover removed:


texts: When extending an existing electrical circuit in an older home (comprised of 2 wire service (common and hot with no bare wire ground)) should one use 2 wire with a bare wire ground for the extended portion, connecting the bare wire to the common wire of the existing circuit?


texts: Does adding new dedicated circuits involve new breakers at the panel?

texts:
An electrician is planning on doing some work in a few weeks and I want to make sure I am educated to make sure it is done right too.

Circuits need to be added so some of my appliances are on their own. I have plenty of room in my panel, so I would assume this would require running new wire to the panel and installing a new 15 or 20-amp circuit, depending on my needs. So, the extra/empty circuit spots in my box would be used?

Does this sound correct? Thanks!


texts:
I purchased a HIVE thermostat and want some assurance before I go about installing this.

First of all i was wondering where to put the receiver as I thought it would just replace one of the thermostats however my thermostats only have 2 cables plugged into them so maybe needs to go somewhere else. Anyway I took my thermostat of the wall and the current cables show the following:

A: Yellow / Green cable attached to nothing.
B: Smaller Grey cable attached to nothing.
C: Brown cable plugged into 2 COM on thermostat
D: Grey cable plugged into 3N/0

The Hive reciever has the following:

N: Permanent Neutral
L: Permanent Live
1: Hot Water off (NC)
2: Heating off (NC)
3: Hot water on (NO)
4: Heating on (NO)

I have a combi boiler so dont really need to do the hot water part but am wondering if i can just put the reciever where the thermostat is for the zone i want to control or does it need to go near the boiler and then i connect directly from there.

Also if it does go in place of the old thermostat how do the cables go e.g. does the A -> N, B -> L, C -> 2, D -> 4? Or do I need to do it from the boiler / get someone in to do this?


texts: How long does radiant heat in a concrete floor last?

texts: I am looking to purchase a home built in 1950 that has radiant heat with copper pipes inside the concrete slab foundation.  The home has been vacant for a little while now too, not sure if that effects it.  I have never had any experience with radiant heat before and am worried that it might fail due to the age of the home.  Plus, it seems like it would be incredibly costly to repair... if that's even possible.  Any advice would be most appreciated.


texts: What's special about ceiling paint that makes it particularly suitable for ceilings?

texts: I've got ceilings that need to be painted, and I don't have any ceiling paint but I have a bunch of leftover white paint from painting my walls. Is there any reason I shouldn't just use my leftover wall paint for my ceilings? The wall paint has eggshell finish and the color is actually slightly off-white (white with a hint of cream)


texts: Open cell spray foam off gassing 2 years later. How to fix?

texts:
My home was built in 2017 and has Accella open cell spray foam in the unvented attic. In spring & summer 2018 we noticed a mild chemical smell coming from the attic on hot and/or humid days. It would enter the 2nd floor living space through the seams of the pull down attic door. It is a mildish sweet chemical smell. Unpleasant but not massively so. It is stronger when standing in the attic.

In the fall/winter the smell is gone from the living quarters. Even standing in the attic during winter the smell is very faint. Still there, but so faint that it isn't offensive.

It is now Spring 2019 and the smell is back again. The strength of the smell seems identical to last year. That is surprising since I figured it would have off gassed by now.

I noticed a large chunk of foam had fallen to the floor so i placed it in a large ziplock bag and sealed it. A few hours later i opened the bag and smelled the air inside. I did not notice any odor. I then took a saw and cut the piece in half and placed the cut piece to my nose - no smell. Maybe the odor is coming from only certain sections of foam?

I'm concerned about this off gassing and that it hasn't gotten better nearly 2 years after this home was built. The only thing i can think of is to ventilate the attic by forcing air up there and exhausting air from a 2nd floor window.

What could be causing this smell and how can i solve this problem?


texts: How to install a vinyl fence gate on a pool deck?

texts:
I am trying to install a vinyl fence between a deck and the pool in a backyard. The homeowner wants the fence (Wam Bam Vinyl Fence system) to run the width of the backyard until it gets to the deck steps and wants them wants the vinyl fence to attach to a vinyl gate that can be opened to allow people to access the pool.

Since the steps down from the deck are essentially touching the house, I’m wondering if there is a way to attach the gate securely.  Assuming the gate’s hinge side can be on either side - how can I get anything securely attached to the house side of the steps that the gate can latch to or that the gate itself can be fixed to?


texts: fire door between garage and residential living space!

texts: Can a solid door, under 1 3/4 inch thick, Designed-Equipped with a plexiglass-like panel, ever be accepted as a fire rated door between living space and a residential garage in California? I assume the Plexiglass disqualifies the fire rating!


texts: How do I get a cement patch in my basement to dry quickly in humid conditions?

texts: After patching the stone foundation in the basement with with regular drying mortar/cement, how do I get the cement to dry quickly if the basement is damp from humidity?


texts: I've been to at least 3 hardware stores trying to find a fitting that will work for this cable. I've had a hell of time getting an RG-6 compression fitting on here. RG-59 won't fit either. It looks like there's metal wires, then a metal jacket, followed by more metal wires, a second metal jacket, white foam, and then the copper wire. From what I can tell this is a triaxial cable but the fittings for that are over $50. What is this cable and where can I find fittings for it?


texts: Is it possible to wire a 240v outlet so that after I don't need 240v anymore I will have two 120v circuits?

texts:
I'm in the US.
I will be installing a 240v outdoor outlet for an EVSE (electric car charger). However, in a few years I will have a garage built (elsewhere) and will move the EVSE to the garage, so won't need the 240v outlet anymore. At that point, I will instead use that outlet for my workshop and would like to have two 120v circuits: one for lights and a 120v air conditioner, one for power tools.
[Edit: the workshop will be for power tools and the garage will be for parking/charging the car. They are not the same structure, the garage is unrelated to this question and will be far far away.]
Is this possible with a single 240v cable? Alternatively, would it be possible to start with two 120v circuits of opposite phases, and wire them together to create 240v and then later go back to two 120v?


texts: What do I need to do to repair the plaster ceiling of my garage (on metal lath)?

texts:
Recently, I had some contractors come in and replace my garage lintel. Afterwards, I found that they'd had to break some of the white material that makes up the ceiling of the garage. It looks to me kind of like plaster on top of drywall with some sort of wire substrate.
 (click to enlarge)
I'd like to just patch this up to make it look nicer, and to ensure there's not damage from general moisture, etc. Does this look like something I could just plaster over?


texts: How to rectify tannin staining through paint?

texts:
I am painting some wooden internal window sills and skirting boards, and a yellow-brown stain is showing through the paint.  From the answers to What are the brown stains showing through my white paint? and Primed wood and painted with white paint but looks yellow. Why and how to fix?, it looks like it is probably tannin leaching out of the wood and through the paint.  I'd like to know how best to fix the problem, ideally without having to sand back to the bare wood and start again.
I'm not sure what type of wood it is, but it was a reddish colour, and previously covered with a dark red-coloured varnish.  The varnish has been scraped off, then sanded down and primed with white 'Valspar Wood Primer & Undercoat'.  The stain was quickly visible through the primer, so a day or so later, a second layer of primer was applied before painting with white 'Dulux Quick Dry Satinwood for Wood and Metal'.  While this initially looked OK, the stain is now starting to show through again.
The answers to the questions linked above talked about using primers to stop staining in the first place, but didn't really discuss how to make good stains that were coming through.  After all the painting I've done so far, I'm not keen to sand it back to bare wood and start again with a different primer.  Is there anything I can apply on top of the satinwood paint to stop the tannin coming out before a final coat?  Recommendations for products I can get in the UK would be welcome.


texts:
We run a dehumidifier full time in our garage. In the summer we empty it once a day. A couple weeks ago I thought there has to be a reason we need to dehumidify. I found out that our garage has an opening to the outside. I want to seal this off but I don't know how.

The spot that is open is just above the poured concrete walls. This was constructed in 2007. I don't understand why they would leave this open to the outside.

How can I seal this off in a way that looks professional?

This picture is where the garage is not sealed off above the concrete wall.

This picture is where the garage is sealed off above the wall.


texts:
I'm thinking about setting up a woodworking workshop for hobby projects in my basement.

However, my basement is small and my woodworking would take place close to my furnace / hot water heater. Is this a fire hazard with all of the sawdust?

Here is an picture to show the proximity:

As you can see I'm hanging a tarp (not an airtight seal) to contain as much of the saw dust as possible.

Is this a fire hazard?

For reference my furnace is an Armstrong Ultra SX 80 and my hot water heater is a Richmond  6G40S-36F1.


texts: Is this 3 switch wiring arrangement allowed by code?

texts:
I have a hallway light fixture with three switches. When the circuit is off, a small voltage persists to the fixture causing LED and CFL bulbs to stop working prematurely. It is believed that the phantom voltage is coming from induction between the traveler wires. Suggestions to my previous question regarding this situation involved using a resistor, relay, or other circuitry to bond the hot to ground. I'm not particularly fond of this idea because if something were to go wrong it could invalidate my insurance.
Last night I woke up with a crazy idea (yes, this has literally been keeping me awake at night), why not use a DPDT switch on the source end of the circuit to connect the open traveler to neutral. I've created the following diagram of what I intend:

Is this configuration allowed by code? Is there a name for this type of a multi-way switch setup?
Location: Utah, United States