texts: Bonding new communications system to home grounding system

texts:
This will be handled by an electrician, but I wanted to get info on what's permissible as my first stab at talking to an electrician led to a conclusion that seems disallowed and unsafe (entirely isolated ground system for an antenna).
We have a 1950's house with the service entrance at a back corner and the water main entrance near the center of the front of the house.  It looks like the primary grounding for this house is a 4 gauge conductor from the panel through conduit buried in the slab and bonded to the water main a foot or so after it enters the house.
A new antenna connection penetrates the house near the water main and has a lightning arrester in-line, currently connected to nothing.
Questions:

Does it make sense that that water main (about 50-80 feet away from the main panel) is the primary GEC for the house?

How to bond the lightning arrester bus bar:

New ground rod outside, > 16 feet from water main, bonded via approved clamp to water main outside

New ground rod outside, > 16 feet from water main, with 4 ga conductor running inside and then about 10 feet and also clamped separately to water main near entrance.

or #2/#3 without the new ground rod.
The first electrician who I talked to said "just drive a ground rod, at least 8 feet, and call it a day," but didn't have anything to say about tying it to the house electrical grounding system.


texts: Should I fill 3/4-inch gaps along the wall before laying ceramic tile?

texts: We put down two layers of 3/8" plywood over planks (tar paper over planks).  Some of our expansion joints are up to 3/4" at the walls.  Should I fill them with something?


texts:
I am enlarging and moving a cased opening in a basement wall.  The wall is 2x6.  Current size of opening is 3' wide and I am enlarging it to  4 to 5' wide.  There are open web floor trusses 16" OC supporting the floor above and the attic and roof above that.   I know I need to temporarily support the trusses on each side of the wall as well as the beam but am wondering if I used 2  4x4 adjustable shoring  jacks with the 4x4's supporting a pair of 2x6x8's on edge and screwed together and had one of those setups on each side of the wall being modified if that would be sufficient support or even overkill.  And could I use a 4x4 post jack under the end of the beam?  I am attaching notated pictures of the attic and basement.
Thanks for your feedback and assistance
as requested the beam in the basement has one living space above then the attic and roof above.  I hope this is enough information

here is picture 1 of the basement beam and trusses

Here is picture 2 of the basement beam and trusses


texts:
My mother in law recently replaced her 4 burner Frigidaire range and is often popping her breaker when she is cooking for a large party - ie 4 burners going and oven.

I checked the specs for the range and they suggest a 50A breaker.  The electrical circuit however is a 40A breaker.  The cable is a cu Phillips NMD7 8/3 Nylon 900 300V.  The run is about 40-50ft, not in conduit - parts are in unfinished ceiling, other parts behind acoustic tile.  But either way, plenty of ventilation.

From what I've read,I can put a 50A breaker on a 8/3 THHN cable but I don't see that rating (THHN) printed anywhere.

Is the NMD7 nylon 900 THHN?  Or does it need to be specifically indicated? What does the 900 stand for?

Is the only choice to have a new 6/3 cable run?


texts:
I have 2 electric 240v baseboard heaters w a single pole thermostat fed by a single 12/2 cable always hot.
  Purchased Honeywell double pole mechanical replacement - do I need to run another 12/2 or can I have a constant 110 leg to the heaters? Junction box has wires for 2 baseboards, hot 240 supply and feed to thermostat, all 12/2 w ground.


texts: What is this red sediment inside our sink aerator?

texts:
Does anyone know what this red slime/gunk is inside our sink aerator? Besides replacing the aerators, is there anything else we should do?

The red sediment is in the aerator of the sink and one of our bathrooms (but not the other). A few weeks ago, when I was running the the bathroom sink, the water stopped, sputtered, and then turned red/brown before running clear again. When I looked at the aerator I noticed a lot of red gunk trapped there. Today, we noticed the same red gunk in the kitchen sink aerator (but we don't recall a similar issue with red/brown water here). Thanks!


texts:
I have two different type of flooring on my second floor. I have almost 30 sqm with dry pine flooring (four rooms), and 8 sqm with vinyl (one room). The pine planks are not nailed to the floor, I can lift the planks with my fingers.

I have two alternatives, as far as I can see.

Change the vinyl to pine flooring.
Change all floors to engineered hardwood flooring

I have been "the helping hand" when laying EHF once, but other than that I have no experience.

My question is:

What would require the least effort / be simplest? I would need to sand and oil the existing pine floor if I decide to keep it. I guess it would take quite some time on 30 sqm floor to make it look nice.


texts: Indoor and outdoor TV location remote control issue

texts: Does anyone know if televisions usually share the same code for power when transmitting on a remote?  I have a location on a covered patio that I would like to place a TV that is near a wall mounted TV indoors.   Using the Toshiba FireTV remote does indeed accidentally control the indoor TV when outdoors.   My concern is if I order another identical, or even a Roku TV that I will have that issue.   Any way to ensure remotes are 1-to-1 for a given television?


texts: Can I run 2/0 wire from my meter to the barn to 200 amp breaker box then go below and add 200 amp disconnect box and then hook into disconnect box and run to my breaker box on my little house


texts: Can I run the bathroom fan vent into the already installed sewer vent? Previously it was just vented into the attic but is causing mold to grow up there because of the  moisture.


texts: What could cause my oven to trip at a certain temperature?

texts:
I have a (fairly old) Whirlpool fan oven, which turns itself off and trips all of the electrics in the kitchen when the oven reaches a certain temperature (around 150). If we then reset the trip switch and turn the oven down everything works again, and as long as temperature is kept below a certain point the oven stays on. The hob and grill all seem to work fine.
Does anyone have any ideas?


texts: Does the circulator in an indirect fired water heater point towards the boiler or towards the tank?

texts:
In the manual for my SSU-119 indirect fired hot water heater, the following text seems to suggest that the circulator points towards the tank:

  On the water heater, the boiler supply connects to the outlet of the
  circulator. The circulator inlet is to be connected to the hot outlet
  side of the boiler. Be sure that the arrow on the circulator is facing
  the correct flow direction. (See pressure drop sizing for circulator,
  this manual.) On the tank, the boiler return connects to the return
  side of the boiler. The return(s) from heating loop(s) should have a
  flow check or swing check valve installed before the return pipe from
  the tank.

However, a diagram later in the same manual seems to show the circulator flowing towards the boiler, not towards the tank:

So, which is it? Does the circulator point towards the tank or the boiler?


texts: What is the official name for wiring hole stops/plugs and where can I buy them?

texts:
We have several holes in our house (floor and external wall) that are used for cables (coax and cat5e).  The holes are bigger than the cable that goes through them so we'd like to minimize the excess space (to help prevent bugs from getting through).

I can't use caulking or other "permanent" sealers because the cable needs some flexibility and slack.

I've noticed some stoppers/plugs like this:

... but I'm not sure what they're called or where to buy them.  I tried searching in my local big box hardware store and didn't see anything in the electrical section. I also searched amazon but must be using the wrong search terms because I can't find them.

Can someone tell me what the name of these stoppers are and where I can find them?


texts: How to best connect this microwave to the exhaust vent?

texts:
I'm trying to connect my microwave to the existing exhaust vent.  The problem is that the microwave is about 1 inch to the left of the actual vent.  This is the part that I'm struggling with.  I have the following two options:

1 - Buy and install a boxy connector so that the two pieces are connecting just fine.

2 - Buy some metal tape and then proceed with cover the entire thing with that.

What course of action would you recommend?  I'm not too happy with either one of my options.


texts:
I forced my drill too much when using in a drill guide so something strange happened to the chuck. At first it didn't turn easily to lock and unlock there were click sounds when I was trying to turn it with the help of lock button at the top, then now it completely stopped turning so I have to replace it.

I tried the traditional method mentioned on manual ( using an Allen key) but not working. I took it to the service and the man there couldn't do that with the same method. And he said I have to open this up to remove the chuck and he wanted to charge me a little more to do it. So I didn't want it. I decided to remove it myself.

I opened that before to remove the chuck but I couldn't find a way. Is it easy to remove it after opening up the casing? If so how? Could anybody help? Thanks in advance.


texts: I have an outlet in a room that is switched and I would like to convert it to being always on. The way I can think of to do it is just to connect the load and the line in the switch box. Is there anything wrong with converting the outlet to being unswitched/always-on in this way?


texts: How many arms should a 5.8m long awning have?

texts:
I am preparing to install two awnings with folding aluminum arms.
The length of each awning is 5.80 meters or 19 ft.
The house is at an elevation of 200 meters or 656ft (in the city outskirts) and has winds at about 5-6 Beauforts (30mph) maximum.

I have contacted four contractors to ask for prices.

Two of them suggested that two arms for each awning should be sufficient (after 6 meter or 20 ft they add a third one) and a third arm is not needed but it may cause problems.

The other two suggested that we should put three arms in order to have a solid construction.

I am trying to decide but I am not sure who is correct.

Please share any ideas or knowledge that you may have.


texts: What could be causing my dishwasher to display a "water Inlet" error?

texts: I have a Miele Dishwasher. At times it does not work and the indicator for "Water Inlet" comes on to indicate that there is no water coming in. On checking the pipelines, the water flow is ok. Strangely, the washer started working when I tried it after a few hours. This happens off and on. Sometimes the wait time is a couple of days. So what exactly is wrong ? If the washer does not work at all, I could call a repairman. But in such a case, when he comes and the washer works, he will probably say that it works fine.


texts:
I'm trying to add a 30amp, 110V RV connection box to my house but the service box has no neutral bar, what do I do with the white neutral wire?

This is a picture of the main panel by the meter.

This is a picture of the garage sub panel where I will be adding the RV service box.


texts: Benefits of gfci and Afci redundancy in circuit

texts:
I have read numerous times that having multiple GFCI/AFCI on the same circuit is a complete waste of money and really you just need the first outlet. But I have not seen any studies of redundancy of protection types in a circuit.
So my question is do false negatives not exist among GFCI/AFCI which might vary from GFCI/AFCI outlet to GFCI/AFCI outlet?
For instance increasing the number of outlets would decrease the possibility of a false negative in the complete circuit.
OR
Or do GFCI/AFCI not have false negatives in the sense I’m thinking but instead all only trip under the exact same thresholds/conditions which does not tend to vary from outlet to outlet through the position of upstream and downstream in the circuit?


texts:
I am remodeling my bathroom and am bringing in a new 20 amp circuit.

I want the box on the bottom to contain the GFI outlet. The box on the top will house the connection for a hardwired lighted makeup mirror.

My issue is that I want to bypass the top box and bring the wire into the bottom box first and then into the top box. My issue is that I have very limited space. As you can see in the picture, the two boxes barely fit between the studs as it is.

I can't run the wire on the left stud and then bring it up because there will be a pocket door there. On the right stud it's the corner of the wall.

What are my options here?

Should I use a shallow box for the top box and run the wire behind it to the bottom box and then back up?

Can I run the sheathed wire through the top box down to the bottom box and then bring it back up to the top box?

Should I try running the wire down the adjoining wall and running it through the corner then bring it up?


texts:
For months now, my washer/dryer combo has become less and less effective at actually drying anything I put in it.

I've gotten the advice from some friends to check (regularly) and clean the lint filter to maintain top performance.

Supposedly all these machines have one of these but-surprise-I can't find it at all. I looked inside in the obvious spot; nothing. Checked the manual; nothing. Googled the model number; nothing.

So, ultimately, I am here. Please, tell me, anyone: Does the Lamona HJA 8703 even have a lint filter, and if so; how do I get to it?


texts: Can I install Delta-FL in only part of a basement?

texts:
I've been looking at finishing my basement and am leaning towards using 7/16" OSB over Delta-FL for the subfloor. I was also considering leaving some areas as bare cement (laundry room, utility room, storage) to save some money since I'm not planning to put any real flooring in them.

Will leaving part of the floor uncovered cause any problems seing as Delta-FL is also intended to be a vapor barrier? Obviously the vapor barrier aspect is shot, but is that really a problem? (I also looked at dricore, which seems to take the complete opposite approach by encouraging air circulation.)

If I only do part of the floor, should I still seal the Delta-FL to the walls where possible or just give in to the air circulation approach?


texts: Help explain how this receptacle is wired?

texts:
My house was built in 1955. Original cloth braided wiring. However, the words are visible on some of the wires in the attic and they do say that they have a ground wire. My ground outlet tester confirms that the outlets are grounded.
Today, I was looking at this outlet and it was wired differently than I have seen before (power was off at the breaker and I was positive it was off). I was given advice to not touch anything and have an electrician come out because I don't know what I'm doing. Which is fair, I don't know too much about this. But I'd like to learn for my own knowledge.
The wiring to the receptacle has two hot wires screwed in and one neutral wire screwed in. The other other neutral is put in the back "stab in." The ground screw at the bottom left of the receptacle does not have a ground wire around it. However, my ground tester said it was grounded correctly. If I look in the back of the box, I can see what appears to be a ground wire twisted together. However, I don't fully understand how it's grounded back there.
Here are a couple of pictures:
The hot wires

The one neutral wire

The stab in neutral in the back

What I think is the ground wire in the back

A few questions:

What have one neutral wire stab in? Why not just use the open screw that is there? As you can see it came loose in the picture. So the outlet isn't working.
Why isn't the ground wire around the ground screw? The way it looks currently is that the two ground wires are twisted together. Neither is connected to the ground screw terminal. My understanding is that they should be connected, preferably with a wire nut instead of just twisted together, and then one of the ground wires should go to the ground screw terminal. From what I can tell, that isn't being done and they are just twisted together in the back. How come I'm getting a reading that it is correctly grounded? Is it because the yoke is metal and both the yoke and copper are touching the metal box?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!


texts:
I have a downstairs toilet that protrudes from the side of the house. As a result, it has a loft area that is not accessible without cutting into the plasterboard ceiling.

Mice are fairly common in the area due the woodlands opposite the house, so it wasn't a surprise when I started hearing noises in the space above the toilet. What I have noticed recently are some dark orange spots appearing on the ceiling. Some now have droplets hanging from them.

Could this be decomposing mice in the loft space?

It's worth noting that last year some water damage had occurred which has (hopefully) been fixed.


texts:
I live in an old condo apartment.

My toilet just backed up. It backed up several times before and I managed to unclog it every time, but it's nothing like I've seen before this time because I don't see anything in the toilet and water is clean. It just takes about 2 minutes for water to go down the drain. And when it does, water is almost completely drained so that water level is below the hole and then it rises back just above the hole. This is unusual since the toilet is normally half full.

I tried a plunger, bleach, and baking soda + vinegar, but no luck. Any idea?

It's really cold here so toilet water is very cold, too, if that helps at all.


texts: How bad is using a 200 amp breaker box on a mobile home that only has 100 amp underground wire?

texts:
I just found out my parents breaker box is 200 amp in there mobile home but the underground electrical service line is 100 amp. The mobile home park has existed since 1979 and landlord has said electric line has never been upgraded. I am not sure if the meter box outside that does 4 mobile homes at once has a 100 amp shutoff, if it does than the indoor 200 amp breaker box shouldn't be a problem. They have lived in the mobile home for over 10 years and hasn't any problem with it.

I do believe they have never used over 100 amps at once. I have already told there landlord that the breaker box needs replaced to 100 amp or the underground wire needs upgraded to 200 amp wire and there landlord has already given me attitude and refuses to do anything about the problem.

I only have an issue with it since they do have all electric heat and because of that it should be a 200 amp service line. Its a tiny mobile home, so 100 amp line should be enough. I want professional opinion on the problem.


texts:
I have a tankless water heater that is just a little bit to small for our new house - the temperature rise isn't quite enough for the winter months. Our basement is big and relatively warm so I struck on the idea of using a prewarmer, either in the form of a radiator (think automotive radiator, say off a F150 size truck) plumbed in before the water heater or a 100 feet of pex coiled in a 55 gallon drum filled with water.

How should I proceed?


texts: How to find the water connection behind a shower wall?

texts:
I've inherited a half finished bath remodel. The shower panel mounting brackets are installed and there is an empty 2 inch diameter hole, 3 feet off the floor. The original shower head / handle was on the same wall. There is hardibacker behind the porcelain tiles.

Without causing too much damage, how can I find the cold/hot connections and attach them to my shower panel?

Edit: This is the adjacent wall. Some of you suggested to go from this side. The toilet is about the same height as the shower hole.


texts: Is using a shielded industrial cable a bad practice when used as an outdoors AC mains cable?

texts:
As a part of a project I have noticed that some are using this cable for powering a smartphone on the top of a 120 meter mast. This cable goes from the ground all the way to the mast to power the AC/DC adapter of a smartphone in a box.

The cabe is defined as "Industrial Cable Screened". And it has a shield not an earth wire. Although according to its specs it can pass uto 2.5A current, Im not sure whether it is okay to use as a mains cable.

My questions are:

1-) Is it okay to use such cable instead of a 3-wire(phase neutral earth) AC mains power cable outdoors?

2-) The cable in the link has a shield. Does the shield have any advantage to use as an AC mains cable in this case?

Im wondering what were they thinking when using this cable instead of a typical AC mains power cable. Or maybe just a wrong thinking?

(I hesitated to ask here but I thought maybe some has experience on the matter.)


texts:
We recently had our bathroom renovated, subfloor replaced and vinyl flooring installed, but now there's a gap underneath the door.

It measures 3 3/4" x 23" and I'm not sure of any products that would be large enough to accomodate. Most floor transition strips were 1.5" to 2" which is a bit too short

What could we possibly put in this spot?


texts: Should I use a 6 mil poly moisture barrier for engineered hardwood floor installed over concrete slab-on-grade?

texts:
I am planning to install an engineered hardwood floor over a slab-on-grade subfloor. The slab is bone dry but I understand it's wise to install a moisture barrier anyway.

My plan right now is to cover the slab with 6 mil poly overlapped 12" and taped at the seams, then put some type of foam flooring underlayment over that, then install the boards as a floating floor.

Does this sound sane? Or is there a better/easier method?

If my approach is okay, does the 6 mil poly moisture barrier need to go a few inches up the wall, presumably hidden behind a baseboard? Or is it okay to have it end at the slab edge?

One thing I'm not clear about regarding the moisture barrier is how any moisture that finds its way under or over it is actually going to dissipate. Wouldn't it just stay there?


texts: I have recently purchased a 1930's very typical London terraced house- little rectangular kitchen at the back next to a formal separate dining room. I have attached the floorplan. I am going to build the wall back up between the reception room and dining room and reinstate the door and then knock down the wall between the dining room and kitchen. My plan has always been for a open plan kitchen diner and I would ideally love to put the kitchen on the far left wall in the dining room and turn the existing kitchen area into a space for my table. This would open it up a lot and be more usable. I also want to put a conservatory on the back of the dining room. The drain is located under the kitchen window (next to where the existing sink is) So my eventual question is what do you think the problems I may encounter are? Would it be mainly around drainage? I have yet to get any quotes just would like to approach the professionals with more of an idea!! Thanks everyone


texts: Do I need to use Artificial Grass Tape brand?

texts: If I buy one brand of the artificial grass and I need to seam the connections, can I use the grass tapes sold at the local home improvement store? As I need to grab something as I go and only "SYNLawn 12-in x 20-ft Black Artificial Grass Tape" is available. Will it have adhesive problem or chemical reaction issues over time?


texts: Through out the house there is this white substance on the concrete that looks similar to white paint. There use to be carpet with the first owner of the house hence the brown glue, and then there was laminate wood.I want to make sure the adhesive that I am going to use has the best bond to the concrete and tile as possible. Do I need to remove this substance before tiling and if so do I use something like paint thinner or use a thinset grinder?


texts: 4 units 400 amps split from 6 gang meter box

texts:
I’m in Los Angeles and I have to run new service to my house because I’m building a duplex in the back of my property. Currently I have two units that appear to be running off 30 amps, but I find that hard to believe.  This will all change of course.

So, the main house in front is running on 125 amps, but the code requires me to upgrade everything from the front to the back due to the new buildings.  We’re planning on dropping in 600 amps into a 6 gang box.  200 for the main house and 100 for each of the units in the back with a spare 100 for an additional unit in the future or a shop.  But the distances are varies between 80 and 200 feet from the meter box.

Unit one, 80 feet;
Unit two and three, 160 feet;
Unit 4, 200 feet.

From the main house we have to run underground conduit.  Maybe through the joists in our basement and into the driveway with Rigid steel conduit.

What kind/gauge wire should I use in copper or aluminum?  How large a conduit?

Also, any recommendations for a 6 gang meter box would be great!

I’m trying do do this on a shoestring, but I don’t want to sacrifice on the power and infrastructure in general.

What is the most efficient way to do this?  The reason I ask is because my current electrician hasn’t given me a straight answer for 2 weeks since we got the permit.  Any help would be greatly appreciated


texts: Wiring multiple single pole switch and light fixture in chain

texts:
Hello everyone,
I have posted a picture. I am thinking have power/current coming directly into a light fixture. then power jumping from one light fixture to another light fixture. there are two lights in a different location which are controlled by their on single pole switch showing in the picture. there could be more lights in each location/room.
Room/Location A- 4 recessed light controlled by a single switch
Room/Location  B- 4 recessed light controlled by a single switch
The issue I am seeing is :
Box filling violation as If I add more light-fixture to each location. then at each location we would have one such recessed light which would have total 4 wires(3-14/2 and 1-14/3) which might difficult to fit them all in light fixture box .
Is jumping from box to box is better than this ? I meant power will come to switch first then run wire from there its light fixture and another switch box.
Please let me know.
Thank you in advance.
Thanks


texts: How can I fit a door to my 28" wide fireplace?

texts:
We recently removed (and, unfortunately, discarded) our fireplace door in hopes of getting something we liked better. Little did we know that our existing opening, at 28 inches wide, was abnormally small.

Wb bought a replacement a "small" fireplace door. The trouble is, the inset portion of the door is 28 1/2" wide. Doesn't fit so well. The way I see it, I have three options:

Find a source for ready-made doors that will Just Fit. I'd love this one if I knew a source.
Find someone, somewhere, who will make us a properly-fitting door. This sounds like an expensive prospect.
Skip the door, just put a screen on it. We're in the frigid northlands, though, so having a door to keep my heat from zipping up our fireplace flue sounds like a nice thing.
Get me a brick cutting wheel for my angle grinder and notch out enough brick so the door will fit properly. This makes a permanent change to the fireplace, so I'm a little hesitant. I mean, it'd be covered with the fireplace door, so maybe it's okay?

I've attached pictures (don't judge my measuring tape pics). The blue tape denotes where I'd need to cut, if I were gonna take the "cut it" route – that's about 1/2" on each side to give me a little wiggle room, and 3/4" deep to give the hinge some room.

Thoughts?


texts: How can I support an already installed shower valve?

texts:
My shower valve was poorly installed.  The pipes and valve were never secured or clamped to the surrounding framing.  The valve rattles around in the wall and the cover plate has about a 1/2" gap between it and the wall.

I have the handle and cover plate removed - thus exposing about a 5" hole in the wall.  The shower wall is a solid sheet of material.  The opposite side of the wall is my beautiful tile backsplash in the kitchen.

Is there a device that will fit through the hole, but then un-fold to reach the studs and provide support?  Should I just liquid nails a bunch of 2x4's to the drywall behind the valve and then secure to those?

Any other suggestions?


texts:
I am trying to identify the cause of a voltage drop. When there is a high load, it seems to affect the voltage throughout the house - dropping as low as 170v (from 230v) - clearly this isnt good.

I have a multimeter. Anywhere in the house I take the reading is showing the reduced voltage. If i take it on the consumer unit, it shows the reduced voltage. If i take it on the breaker connected to the meter, it shows the reduced voltage. When I reduce load, the voltage goes back up.

Does this sound like this is something in my house, or it it an upstream issue with the load? Is there any way I can identify where? Ive tried tripping breakers, but obviously that reduces the load from that circuit, thereby bringing the voltage back to normal levels, making it hard to isolate the problem circuit (if it is a specific circuit at all).


texts: Why is the water dripping from my patio furniture removing the sand from the joints between bricks?

texts:
I recently removed the bricks from my patio and I put them back after I added more limestone in order to slope it correctly. The sand was put back using a a plate compactor.
Everything is fine excepting this: in the area where I have the patio furniture (table and 6 chairs) when it rains the water drips from these pieces of furniture and where the drops hit the patio they remove the sand from the joints between the bricks (see below)

Is this normal? Is there anything that I can do to stop this?


texts: Should I use a plastic moisture barrier underneath a new deck to help prevent rot?

texts:
Our deck was 12 yrs old a lot of rot and we have torn it out.

My husband is thinking of putting a plastic moisture barrier underneath the new deck. The deck is on a slope and consists of an upper deck with a lower deck around an above-ground pool. He doesn’t think there will be pooling underneath because of the slope.

He also wants to put tar paper in between the floor joist and the deck boards and will bind it down on the floor joists.

What do you think?


texts: Why is this 50's junction box so immobile?

texts:
This 50s Junction box does not budge. I want to replace both the box and the wire, but neither is moving.
The wire won't move because it runs horizontally before the vertical. I'd like to remove the box so I can replace the wire.  There appear to be no screws, bolts, or any fasteners attached to the inside of the box. What's keeping this box in place?


texts: Is it possible to install electrical meter between main panel and subpanel?

texts:
Following up to this question.
The fire sprinkler rooms get their electricity from building's end-units.  There're subpanels in each room.  We are told that main panels in the end-units have a "master" breaker controlling the feed into subpanels.
As stated before, variations are wild:  from 4 breakers (double-Main, Alarm, Light, Heater) to just 2 (Alarm, Heater).
Some breakers are "fixed" with contraptions, effectively preventing them from tripping! ??

First question:  Does this configuration make sense?  I.e. if the main panel's "master" breaker is 20A and subpanel's Double-Main is 100A, what's the point of the 2nd one?  Also, this allows the owner of the end-unit to shut off power to the fire sprinkler room.  Switching to battery backups should be reported to monitoring company, and will result in somebody showing up to investigate, but still..

Bigger question:  There are no electrical meters installed in the rooms.  Components that I was able to identify:
• Fire Lite MS-4 Control Panel - 280W,
• Keltron RF774F Wireless Transceiver - 40W,
• Haut 42504 303 03 Heater - 1500W.
Just based on that (leaving out other unknown boxes), maximum total consumption is:
(280 + 40 + 1500 == 1820 W) * 24 hrs/day * 30 days/month == 1310 kWh / month

That is quite a lot.  Heaters should not operate 24x7.  But even 10% of that is comparable to unit's usage.
Is it possible to install meters between main panels and subpanels, to know precisely how much electricity each room used?  How hard is that?  Who besides electrical utility and fire monitoring company has to be involved?
Are there any alternatives?


texts: is it recomended to install 3/8" travertine stone tile directly onto drywall for a kitchen back splash

texts: I am have a debate with a client and partner as to whether we need to install a hardy board over the existing drywall ( including with screws and adhesive ) before installing travertine for a kitchen back splash. the tile is a porous  finish 3/8"thick travertine tile  on 12'x12" sheets, the space to cover is about 18' x 30', the dry wall is pre-painted and about 15 to 20 years old


texts: Separation with luxury vinyl plank flooring

texts:
I put down this click lock type LVP.
So I’m starting to get a TINY bit of separation along the long edges of my LVP. It's only like this in a few places, the rest of the floor looks great. Is this something I need to worry about, or is this normal with LVP because of the hot/cold weather swing?
I'm worried my whole floor is gonna get messed up, but I think I may be overthinking it.


texts: How do I attach windows to a block wall covered with rigid foam insulation?

texts: I'm wrapping a block wall house with rigid foam insulation. I plan on liquid nailing it directly to the exterior block wall of the house. I plan on attaching furring strips with tapcons on top of the insulation through to the block wall. I'm finishing with Hardie plank siding. If any of that sounds wrong let me know, but my main question is window installation. I'm going to build out plywood boxes for the windows, but should the flange on the window attach at the level of the foam board or the furring strip? Is the insulation strong enough to attach the window via the flange through the insulation to the block wall with tapcons? Or should I find a way to attach the windows with like a metal strap into the wood framed jamb?


texts: Can You run two 2, 20amp Ground fault circuits using 12/3 wire and duplex 20amp plugins

texts: I was wondering if you can have 2 20amp breakers at the box using 12/3 wire and use a single 20 amp GFi at the first box of the circuit and by breaking the duplex tabs on the duplex recepticals utilize separate circuits on down stream recipticals.


texts: Are junctions allowed in an active panel?

texts:
Can I join two or more branches within a panel to a single circuit breaker housed in that panel?

Can I do this for multiple circuits?

What limitations, if any, do I need to observe?

Which section of the code covers this situation (so I can point the inspector to it if there are any questions)?

Background

I am the homeowner and we are in the process of converting a 1960's barn into finished space. The governing building codes are defined here. A building permit has been pulled and all work will be inspected. I am doing the electrical work myself.

About seven years ago, we hired a licensed electrician to install a new 100A sub-panel in the barn (connected to 200A main panel in the residence). This is a Siemens "2020" panel. Minimal circuits were installed to support livestock (cow, goats, sheep) and related storage in the barn. These previous circuits and all old fixtures are being removed as part of this project.

At this point, we are converting the barn for use as a 7BBL (propane-fired) nano-brewery and tasting room. I planned the the electrical for 16 circuits, with four left available for the plumber (HVAC). The plumber changed his plan and now needs six slots in the panel, so I need to reduce my number of circuits from 16 to 14.

The plumber told me "this is not a problem, you just need a couple of tandem breakers." In researching my panel, it appears that my panel does not support tandem (QT) type breakers.

If it is allowed, my preferred plan would be to pick appropriate branches to put on the same breaker and make this junction within the panel housing the breakers. This would allow me to "re-balance" the circuits in the future if needed simply by making changes within the panel.

If necessary, I can create junction boxes outside of the panel. Are there other alternatives?

The building inspector is one of my neighbors and I can ask him what he would prefer to see. However, I would rather just do it the right way without having to ask him too many questions.

What is the "right" (as opposed to "DIY") thing to do here?


texts: Can I splice a chandelier cord to reach a junction box?

texts:
I purchased a Arteriors' Geoffrey chandelier. Unfortunately, when I got it home I realized that the chain and wire are not long enough to hang from our 14' ceiling.  I called an electrician to install it and he told me I would have to have the fixture's wiring completely replaced before they would install.
Is there a reason why I cannot purchase additional wire and chain and extend?  The printing on the wire:
(UL) E309953 SPT-2 2x1.31mm (16AWG) 105oC 300V VW-1 FT2 TOONG YEAN HSF

There is also a ground wire separate from this that runs to the fixture.


texts: How can I install a grounding rod with bedrock four feet down?

texts: I have an 8 foot ground that hits solid rock at 4 feet. How can I meet the safety requirements for the 8 foot into the ground rule? Can it be cut in half and have two 4 foot rods driven into the ground?


texts: Help with high limit thermostat replacement on Kenmore 110 series dryer?

texts: My tenant’s dryer stopped heating, and when I took the back off to check the thermal coil the high limit thermostat fell into pieces. Ha, ok. Tested the circuit on the coil just in case and it’s fine. Ordered a new thermostat, came back to install, and wtf why are there only two wires when everything else I see has three? I’m so confused. Can anyone help?


texts: Can a C wire be used for two thermostats?

texts: A friend of mine wants to upgrade his thermostats to WiFi thermostats but the thermostat wires ran to the thermostats are missing the C wire. There are 2 thermostat cables running from 2 units to 2 different thermostats. We can run a new 18-5 cable from one of the furnaces to one of the thermostats. But we can't get the other unit open because of the way it was installed. Is it possible to split the common wire down at the thermostats and use it for both new thermostats?


texts: Help! Drywall anchor doesn't go through metal

texts:
I'm trying to install a heavy mirror and I've drilled through some thin metal...now I'm trying to put a plastic wall anchor through it and it won't go in.  I've done it properly for one side but that's because this side is purely drywall.

What should I do??  I don't want to damage my walls any further...


texts: using a U.S. 220v water heater in a foreign country where the line voltage is already 220v

texts: The water heater is set up to use a double pole breaker in the U.S. to create the 220v needed with 2 hot wires, and a ground wire.  However, overseas the incoming voltage is already 220v, and doesn't need to be created using the double pole breaker.  I am unsure how to wire the unit over there because of the 2 hot leads on the heater, instead of a hot lead and a neutral lead at 220v


texts: Is it ok to put a bend in the gas supply to a boiler?

texts:
I am replacing the natural gas valve on my Utica MGB-100HD boiler. Currently, the gas valve goes directly into the pipe that feeds the burners, and the valve sticks out awkwardly, encroaching on the washing machine. It has been bumped more than once, which makes me nervous.

When I replace the valve, I would like to add a 90° piece of pipe to rotate the gas valve to be more beside the boiler, out of the way of the washing machine. Is there any potential problem to adding a bend in the natural gas supply to the boiler?

I have attached a crude drawing to help clarify.


texts: Horizontal Electrical Outlet - How to Rough?

texts:
I'm out in Chicago, and we are required to pipe in everything with conduit and use metal boxes.
For vertical 2 gang outlets, we use normally a 4 inch box with side mounting to a stud and two mud rings (one for each gang).  Image attached.

I'm trying to figure out (without ripping apart my house), how all the outlets in my kitchen are horizontal as the mounting flanges I've seen on metal boxes are vertical.
I've used the "old work" boxes with drywall clips and ears to put in a switch or outlet (so you can mount them vertical or horizontal as needed), but when my house was roughed in all of the 1 gang outlets are horizontal.
What sort of metal box is used for rough in that is installed horizontally, like the pictured horizontal outlet?


texts: If I buy only one tool between a tile cutter and a wet saw, which one should I buy?

texts:
If I have to buy only one tool between a manual tile cutter and a wet saw, I wonder which one you would recommend.

I have never done tiling  before and this is my first DIY tile project for a small bathroom. The floor tiles I bought are 1 ft x 2 ft porcelain. I do not want to buy an expensive tool or multiple tools, since I do not think I would do another tiling project in the near future. When I check the prices of the two, they seem to be more or less same in around $100.

Thanks in advance,


texts: i have a rudd air handler and am trying to install the common wire coming from my thermostat. my wiring diagram doesnt have a common wire listed so i am not sure where to connect it. i attached the wiring diagram below. can any help me out? thank you.


texts: 3 way circuit only works in some switch states

texts: I have a 3 way system set up for upstairs hallway. I recently installed 3 can lights on it. Power feed runs to the dimmer switch upstairs and the lights are connected to that dimmer. There is a 3 way wire running to the toggle switch downstairs. I put the power back on and had lights at first and then they stopped working. Also at one point the bottom switch only worked if the dimmer was in the on position. It is a 3 way dimmer and the toggle is 3 way as well. Had an electrician buddy look at it and said it was hooked up right and should be working. Any ideas would be good ideas. Thanks.


texts:
My bathroom faucet was spewing water at odd angles. The aerator was obviously old and plagued with mineral deposits. So I attempted to remove the aerator to clean/replace it.

With WD-40 and vice grips I was able to get it to unscrew about a quarter turn, but when I tried to reposition my vice grips, the aerator broke in two. The top half with the threading is still stuck in my faucet. Any way to remove this without replacing the whole faucet? I can add a picture if it helps.


texts: How can I attach two pieces of wood in an invisible way?

texts:
I would like to attach a thin tree trunk to a flat smooth piece of wood, in order to create support for a very heavy shelf. Any suggestions on how to do it, while leaving a minimal outside marks?

Basically my question is how to attach the tubular part in perpendicular to the flat part, with no outside accessories...


texts: Repair roof flashing that is tucked under gutter rather than over it

texts:
I noticed water dripping from behind the gutter.  When I climbed up to investigate, I found that a piece of flashing was installed incorrectly.   The gutter should be tucked under the flashing.  But instead, the flashing goes behind the gutter and allows water to run off the roof and behind the gutter rather than into the gutter.
The roof was replaced a couple years ago and I'm sure this was installed incorrectly then.   You can see the rusty stains on the gutter from where the old galvanized flashing was in front.  The new aluminum flashing appears to have been installed behind.
This is the only piece of flashing on the house that I've found with this problem so far.  In other places, the flashing appears to be installed correctly over the gutter so that water drains into the gutter.
This is a very short section of roof over my front door.  The edge of the roof, the flashing, and the gutter are only about 10 feet long.
How should I fix this?
What repair steps would be needed for the best solution?
It seems like the options would be:

Remove the gutter and put it back on behind the flashing.
Un-nail the bottom row of shingles, remove the flashing, then put it back on (like detailed here.)
Get a pry bar or screwdriver behind the flashing and bend it in front of the gutter without removing anything.


texts: How do I seal an electrical box for a ceiling fan?

texts: We recently installed new electrical boxes and hung fans from them. We caulked around the boxes to seal off airflow into the attic. There are several small holes (and one has a medium sized hole) on the boxes. What's the proper way to seal this off to prevent the blown-in insulation from falling through the hole into the box (a fire hazard I presume)? Is caulking them appropriate or just putting a piece of electrical tape over the holes?


texts: What knot can I use to connect to an eye bolt without losing tension?

texts:
So I have a rope that goes through an eyebolt, like in the image. I pull from B so it's as tight as it can be. B is under the eyebolt.

What knot can I use with this rope so I don't lose any of the tightness after pulling it?

Thanks.


texts: I put my 18V Black and Decker Battery on the charger yesterday and the red light is still blinking. Is this normal?


texts: Will a Broan 750 fit in the same cutout as a NuTone 8664RP?

texts:
I would like to replace a 'disappointing' bathroom ceiling exhaust fan with some other brand, but have the challenge of predicting what is compatible with the existing drywall cutout. Few online manuals tell the cutout size - they just say to use the template or the housing to mark the cutout required)

It's a round fan/light (NuTone 8664RP) with 13-1/4" circular ceiling drywall cutout, and a 15" grille. May be same as Broan 750, but the Broan manual implies using the housing to draw the opening required, while the NuTone specs do call out 13-1/4" opening. I compare them just for reference. Broan & NuTone are part of the same company. The Broan one has a night light.

Basically, what I'm asking is whether anyone else has done this. Online reviews clearly show unhappiness with the 8664RP performance, so maybe someone found a solution.


texts: Voltage detector beeps on the sides of smart dimmer switch after installation

texts:
Possibly similar to Should a smart switch (that requires a neutral wire) cause my non-contact voltage tester to beep? but slightly different symptoms, and only on one switch.
After installing Leviton D26HD smart dimmer switches, running an NCVT-2P voltage detector pen around the front outside of the switch where the switch meets the face plate, it detects something on both sides half way up. But not on the top and bottom. And it doesn't detect anything on the other dimmer switch in the other room.
If I pull the switch out, the voltage detector beeps near the line and the neutral parts of the switch's sides (it has built-in wires, not terminals), but not near the load or ground.
Suggestions? Do I need an electrician to check?


texts: Should I upgrade my evaporator coil when a I get a new furnace?

texts:
We are about to start adding a 400 sq feet addition to our just purchased to-be rental property that is 1000 sq feet, so 1400 sq ft. total. The property is in NE Ohio, so we get heavy snow and cold and humid summers.
In this house we are:
Replacing the 17-year old gas furnace with a high-effeciency unit.
Abandoning our in-slab forced-air ducts and putting in attic ductwork in both the existing space and addition.
The 3-year, 2-ton rated air conditioner compressor we are going to keep - the HVAC guy said it may be underpowered, but since it is so new we are going to see how that goes.
The interior is going to be a total gut, from the flooring to the attic, so anything goes and I'm not worried about anything getting damaged.
Since we are changing out the furnace though and changing the direction of the airflow from down (into the slab ducts) to upwards (into the new attic ducts) he is suggesting we change out the evaporator coils to one that is rated for 2.5 tons in a upwards direction. He says that he has seen issues with just flipping over evaportor coils, and if we do decide to upgrade to a 2.5 ton compressor, we would have to upgrade the evaporator coil as well.
This is an additional $1200, which is inline with an evaporator replacement. What I want to know is a) what he is suggesting makes sense, and b) are there issues will running an over-sided evaporator vs. the compressor? I'm more concerned with this being done right than cheaply.


texts: Operation of two 3-way occupancy switches

texts:
Considering using occupancy switches for my basement. I have not worked with these before but they sound appealing as hands are often full with laundry baskets, etc.

There is an existing conventional single pole switch at the top of the stairs. It does not  seem adequate to just replace this with an occupancy switch, as once you pass it on the way down, if you're down there long enough, even if configured for a long timeout, the switch will eventually time out and you'll be in the dark down there.

So maybe a 3-way occupancy circuit, using one in the existing position at the top of the stairs, and adding another down in the basement?

However, thinking about it, wouldn't this be a problem? You go past the switch at the top of the stairs, and that throws that switch, turning the basement lights on. But then, as you descend the stairs, you enter the range of the basement switch, which throws it. Now, wouldn't this then turn the lights off? And further, since no one is at the top of the stairs any longer, once that switch times out, wouldn't it throw the switch again, this time turning the lights on? If you then go upstairs, the basement switch will time out first, turning the lights off, but then the switch at the top of the stairs will time out, turning the lights back on?!

I must be missing something here, it seems this would never work. Or must you always use a conventional 3-way switch with a 3-way occupancy to avoid these situations?


texts: What could be the source of dirt in attic

texts:
I've had occasion to get up in the attic of my (new, to me) house recently.  There is what appears to be dirt all over everything up there, with actual accumulation in places.

This is a 2-story 1964 stick built stucco exterior home built over a dirt crawl space.   There is no plastic or anything over top of the dirt.  The walls are completely uninsulated.

The only possible way I can conceive of dirt getting into the attic is stack effect sucking dirt out of the crawlspace and up the inside of the walls where it then settles out in the attic.

Anybody ever heard of something like this or can identify another possible source for dirt in an attic?


texts: Do I need a sump pump in my new construction sump pump pit?

texts:
My builder put in a sump pump pit per code, I assume, and both the builder and my contractor say that I do not need a sump pump cause my pit should never overflow because I have a walk out basement.  The pit currently has standing water in it at the top level of the 3 drain tile pipes in the pit.

I recently used a submersible pump to pump the water out of the pit to see what would happen.  Well, the water took 40 minutes to come out of the pit and then when I turned off the pump, the water would fill back up within 3 to 4 minutes back to the pipe level.  However, it was not coming in from the pipes but from around the bottom of the pipes.  The water level before now has always been steady right at the top of the pipes even with the spring thaw and the rain we have got over the 5 months of building until now.

I have a few questions:

Should I install a pump to make sure I never have an issue?
Should I be worried of how the water is coming in around the pipes and not through the pipes?
Is there anything else I should to check and make sure the builder installed everything correctly so I can get it fixed now?


texts: Natural Gas Furnace Installation Shut off valve Direction

texts: The furnace installation directions specifies a shutoff valve with a 1/8" NTP plugged hole for test gauge. I bought this valve and am ready to assemble the pipes but I am uncertain about which side of the valve the plugged hole goes on. Is it the supply side or the furnace side? It seems like it should be on the supply side so that the gas pressure at the furnace could be measured with the shutoff valve closed. Someone said that the hole goes between the furnace and the shutoff valve for testing but did not explain how that test would work.


texts: 2x6 or 2x8 Sill Plate on 8" foundation wall?

texts:
I have a 8" thick concrete foundation, and am wondering if I should use 2x6 or 2x8 PT for the sill plate.

I believe 2x6 would be substantial, but if I use 2x8 I would have something to fasten to on the interior side of the basement in the future, and I could have my anchor bolts in the center of the 8" thick foundation, allowing better strength, since it would be the center of the 2x8 instead of 1/3 in from the outside of the foundation for a standard 2x6 sill plate.

That's the only benefit I can think of?  What am I missing?


texts:
I'm attempting to replace the pipes between the bathroom sink ptrap till the end of the pipe that leads to the basement as you can see depicted in the photo. I was able to remove the ptrap as well as the 3 galvanized couplers that it led to. This was all done via vice grips and brute force.
I've reached a point where I couldn't remove the elbow, nor the pipe that connects to the pipe that is protruding the basement. Because the toilet is in the way I can't get enough torque with vice grips so I purchased 2 pipe wrenches and WD40, but the pipe standing vertically and the elbow will not budge at all. The coupler marked with an X was removed already so that can be disregarded.
I guess my question is how to remove the elbow and the pipe connecting to the pipe in the basement? Do I have to remove the toilet or is there an alternative option? Ultimately I was looking to reuse the pipe leading from the basement and connect a galvanized to pvc coupling.


texts: Exhaust Fan Code Requirements for Bathroom

texts:
I have a small Full bathroom ( toilet, Tub and vanity) of size 6'X 7'.8". This is in a basement. We are hardly going to use tub/shower there.
Question:

Does a 50 CFM of Exhaust fan enough or does it has to be higher because I have full bathroom ?

Have this one and I know its a louder. I am ok with the noise.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Broan-NuTone-50-CFM-Wall-Ceiling-Mount-Bathroom-Exhaust-Fan-696N/100081599

Does this fan has to be GFCI protected even if it is not directly above tub, although its 1 feet away from edge ( not wall side) of tub  ?

Right now, Only outlet is GFCI protected and, vanity lighting/Fan are on a different lighting 15 amp circuit.
Thanks for your help in Advance.


texts:
I'm installing a ceiling light to a fixture that was previously unused. However I'm having trouble because there are 2 groups of white wires. Which white wire should I connect with the white wire of my ceiling light? One group is a set of 3 wires and one group is a set of 2 wires.

Edit: I should also say that when I tried connecting the group with 2 white wires, turning off the switch for some reason short circuited the whole thing. I thought I might have done the grounding wire (the red one) wrong because I assumed I didn't connect the grounding wire. If my issue is not the white wires, can you please advise what else might be the issue?


texts: Reversing an inswing door to an outswing door?

texts:
I about to tear out and rebuild a portion of an exterior wall in which I will be installing a door, is it possible since it's new construction to purchase and inswing door and convert it to an outswing door?

Thanks


texts:
I'm in the US, and I have three recessed lights daisy-chained from a switch, and I want to take the last one (#3) out of service. I'm lowering the ceiling in this area, so converting it to a junction box is not really an option. The inspector also made it clear that simply capping off the (energized) wires in this new void space is not allowable.

Each fixture has a built-in junction box. #2's box has the line coming in from #1, and another wire going to #3, all connected with wire nuts in the box. In box #2, I've disconnected the wire going to #3, wired everything back up and verified that #1 and #2 work and that the wires going to #3 are cold.

That leaves me with dead wire from a dead fixture (#3) going into a live junction box at #2. What more do I need to do? Can I cap off the now-dead wires in box #2 and leave everything in place?


texts: What product should I use to reseal an aggregate patio?

texts: The surface was never really "smooth", but metal patio furniture with plastic gliders on its feet used to move easily across it. Now, the surface is rougher and pebbles are loose and get washed or swept away when cleaning the patio.  Is there a product I can pour/roll on to reseal the surface to prevent further loss of aggregate and restore its smoother finish?a


texts:
I have two bathroom light fixtures with very old magnetic ballasts and F14T12 fluorescent bulbs. These are, of course, a 1.5-inch diameter. I've been doing some bathroom renovations and I thought this would be a good time to think about energy-efficient upgrades, especially since it is getting harder to get these bulbs and ballasts.
Thus far, I have found basically two options for replacement (while keeping the existing fixtures, which I want to do):

Upgrade to electronic ballasts and switch to T8 bulbs.
Switch to LED bulbs. It seems that some of these might work with the magnetic ballast, but I'm happy to eliminate the ballast altogether.

The problem I am running into is that both of the above options seem to involve bulbs that are 1-inch in diameter, as opposed to the 1.5-inch diameter of the current bulbs. The question: Are there any replacement options for these bulbs that are the same 1.5-inch diameter, and that would look roughly similar to the existing bulbs?


texts:
My son and I are building a house at the beach. I currently have a 100 amp temp service and my question is “can I get everything I need on the service to pass code if I keep it at 100 or 125Amps”?

The inspector is telling me that I can only use 80% or 80 amps if I keep the box at 100 amps but that doesn’t seem right because the load center that I bought has a 100 amp main breakers and 145amps worth of branch breakers that came with it when I bought it new.

I have been reading the NEC codes and the way I understand it I need 2ea 20 Amp 120 circuit plus 1ea 50 Amp 240 circuit for the kitchen, 30 Amps 240 for heating and I have an AC unit that runs off of 20 Amps 240. Which adds up to 110 Amps before I do an outlet or light circuit so I must be figuring this wrong.

Should I be figuring by watts or volts instead?


texts: How can I hang a closet rod where there are no studs?

texts:
I'm planning on using 1.25" copper piping to create 3 closet rods that extend from one wall of my closet to the other. On one wall, the stud is in the right place. On the other wall however, the stud is only in the corner and then the window framing gets in the way. And in case it matters, the wall in question slopes inwards 8 degrees.

What's the best way to attach the copper pipe to this wall? Should I just run three 2x4s off the corner stud? The problem with this approach is that the 2x4s would only be attached to that corner stud -- they won't cross another stud that I can secure them to as well.

Here's a picture so that you can see what that corner looks like with the window. In case it matters, the window is framed by 1x4s, and the framing protrudes from the wall (by around 0.75", or the width of the 1x4).


texts: Why is my light switch leaking electricity?

texts:
I have a home built in 1950 and a laundry room added sometime in the unknown future.  There is a light switch that seems to be emitting electricity according to my Fluke voltage tester. I noticed it while replacing the switch.  When I move the tester anywhere within an inch of the box, even without touching anything, it detects voltage. The two gang box is metal and the wiring looks like it's been there at least a decade.  It does not appear to be grounded.

I have never been shocked by the light switch but am concerned.  Why is it doing this?  Is it unsafe?  How do you fix it?


texts: Why is it safe to use 15 A receptacles on a 20 A circuit?

texts:
OK, the one answer I got was way off target, and another commenter couldn't figure out what I was asking, so I'm restating the question...

Are 15A 3-prong grounded outlets actually rated to 20A, allowing them to be used on 20A circuits? And if so, why, when the outlet can never be asked to supply more than 15A by anything that would be plugged into it?

More info:

This question had a comment that 15A outlets were actually rated to 20A. However, by design, there is nothing that will plug into a 15A outlet that will draw more than 15A. An appliance that draws more than 15 amps would have a "T-blade" plug that wouldn't go into a standard 15A outlet.

In addition, outlets are always wired in parallel, meaning that a 15A outlet would never have to transmit the amperage draw of a "downstream" outlet; you never "daisy-chain" outlets by connecting hot to neutral, for a number of reasons.

So, there is AFAIK no situation in which a 15A receptacle would ever have to handle more than 15A, even if installed on a 12AWG, 20A-breaker circuit.

If all the above is true, why would a 15A receptacle even have to be rated to 20A?


texts: annoying vibration, deep humming noise in home

texts:
What in my home could possibly vibrate and/or make a very low humming noise?

I have been driven mad by a low droning vibration type noise for nearly two years. I have gone through testing various possibilities; Electric being the first - switch power off at circuit and still hear it. Water- turn off at stop valve under stairs, still hear it.

I hear it worse at front of house than back. Hear it upstairs too. We are in a terraced row of houses so I've been round to the neighbours either side and can hear a faint hum in their houses but nothing as bad. To me it appears very loud as been living with it for so long I am totally tuned in to it!

What can this be? Is it possible for gas lines to vibrate? Could it be a mains water issue? Someone suggested we could have a leak? Electrical problem (but had mains off and could still hear it)? Boiler issue?

We have had gas and water companies out but there was not anything obvious found by them. All appears normal. Gas meter is fine. No pressure issues with gas. No water leaks. Turned off toby in street and it was still audible.

The front room floor does feel like its vibrating but perhaps the noise I am hearing gives the suggestion of vibration (sounds like a bus engine idling in distance or the throb of engine when you are on a ferry but very low level). At night when all is quiet it's horrendous as there are no other noises to mask it. It sounds like a pump running 24/7.

Any ideas? We have had Scottish Power out as I thought it may be one of two electrical substation that are along the road. They were doing work on them when this noise was first noticeable but the new installations are supposedly meant to be quieter models. Think they are 132kv transformers.

At the same time we had to get our shower replaced and ended up withwater hammer, with pipes banging every time we turned tap or shower off. This was sorted by draining down the systm but the stop valve leaked for while after obviously not being used for years. I read about the possibilty of worn/loose washers  causing a humming noise but it sounds no louder when right beside stop tap... Hhhmmmm...

In the past 18months it has only been quiet twice really, but there was silence for a good few weeks then it returned. I don't hear a hum when I stand outside in garden or beside the closest substation but the furthest one (approx 180m away) does emit the usual hum but not at a level that you would think would reach my house...

I do not hear it in friends houses and have to escape to my parents or in-laws homes to get away from it. I went for hearing tests and I've got perfect hearing. It's not tinnitus either as it is only in my home I hear this low drone.

Any theories??? What can I try?


texts:
Looking to install two outdoor sockets for charging an upcoming EV purchase, and if I am to put conduit in for running the extra wires, also to make it easier to power outdoor appliances than running a cord through a window.

I have decided on a NEMA 14-50 socket for EV charging, and I have found that the regular household socket is technically a NEMA 1-15. What I am struggling to find is a mount (am sure there is a technical term for this that isn't "faceplate") that would hold both something like this and a regular household power socket a.k.a NEMA 1-15. Is one not made with this configuration? Not opposed to separate mounting, just that would require more space and another security/weather cover.


texts: How do I troubleshoot an intermittent problem with a ceiling light/fan?

texts: We have a ceiling fan that includes a light fixture. One day the light went off several minutes after turning it on. I checked the panel, and found that the breakers were ok.  Room receptacles from the same breaker are ok too.  After shaking the fan wire in the attic, it started working again, but after a couple of hours the same thing happened. I took the fan out and searched for a loose connection, but didn't find one. I traced the wire to a box, where there are four wires coming in.  I checked all the wires but no power. Funny thing is the breaker is not tripping.


texts: What do you do if your basement đrain doesn't have a trap? I tried shined a flash light down and the pipe just goes straight down. The house smells and 3 buckets of water have not helped.


texts: Pros and cons of plastic/gravel shed bases vs concrete base

texts:
I'm going to have a 10x8ft shed installed in my back garden. I'm wondering if I should pay someone to put in a concrete slab base or use one of those interlocking gravel filled bases you can get.

I've searched around the web and can't seem to find much information about the pros and cons of using one of the plastic bases - the pros are that I can install this myself and it'll probably be cheaper. Obviously concrete will be stronger, but would it make much difference? I'm not going to putting any really heavy equipment in the shed, but at the same time I want it to last at least 15 years (same as shed warranty).

Perhaps someone with some experience can help here (I have none).

Plastic base example product


texts: Router table: bit positioning and guard?

texts:
I bought the Craftsman fixed-based router + table for DIY home projects. I am in the process of getting familiar with the router/table operation + safety rules. I have the following questions.

Generally, how high does the router bit need to be positioned with respect to the stock? For example, in the picture below I have a 3/4'' block and am using a 1/2'' cove bit. Where should I set the bit? Are there any rules/tips guide?

The user manual advises multi-pass routing with cut depth being 1/8'' max/pass. Does this mean that when I align the router fence it should only expose 1/8'' of the bit? The depth is in the X (lateral) instead of the Y (vertical) direction?
There is a guard on my router table. During operation, do I flip the guard up or leave it on (for safety) and slide the stock through it using push pad/stick? For example, in table saws the guard should always be present for safety. I have been looking at a bunch of Youtube videos, and all of the router tables don't seem to have a guard.


texts: Is there a jig for standard door handles?

texts: I can't seem to find a jig for standard lever handles. There only seems to be jigtech available. The hole for my spindle is too big for the handles and would be seen. Is there a jig for these types of handles? I have a lot of doors to fit and a jig would save me a bit of time.


texts: Using 6 gallon hot water tank as recirculation device

texts:
If I pump water continuously through a small 6 gallon hot  water tank recirculating from a 60-70 gallon water tank will this work to heat the water over 36-48 hours?

I'm not concerned about if it's the most efficient method, it's just a portable solution but I'm not sure if the water will heat if pumped through continuously.


texts: Considerations for DIY backyard landscaping

texts:
We have a good-sized backyard measuring maybe 25'x25'.  It's on a gentle slope (maybe 2.5 feet down) from the back of the house to the back of the lot (the whole block slopes downhill from the street on the north to the street on the south).  The previous owner did not like to garden so it's mostly dirt, although there are a few fruit trees: pear, persimmon and orange.  We've put in some garden beds over the years, but these can be moved.

We're thinking of "split-leveling" the yard, making two 12.5' wide patios with a short flight of stairs down to the next level.  I'm assuming there will be some drainage issues involved with this given the slope and location of the sewers, and we plan to keep the yard on a slight grade although nowhere near as pronounced as it is now.

Seems to me like it's a simple "dig and shore" job but can anyone think of any other considerations -- drainage, erosion, etc. -- we might want to keep in mind before flattening our yard ourselves?


texts: Why does rust colored water come out of shower head?

texts:
One of my bathrooms has a shower that doesn't get used that often.  When I do use it I notice rust colored water come out first.

Why does that happen?  Is it indicative of something that needs to be fixed?


texts: How do I remove the white residue on fresh tile grout?

texts: The day after grouting my tile, a white residue formed on top of the (grey) grout.  Moistening the grout makes the residue go away until it dries again.  I've been told the problem is because I had too much water in my grout mixture when I applied the grout, but how can I get rid of this residue?


texts: Expensive Replacement Part for Water Softener

texts: I have a Puronics water softener.  The people coming out to replenish my salt supply and check the unit keep telling me that I should get a new Bacteriostatic Hygene at a cost of $389.95.  I question the need for this unit or whatever it is.  The water softener is just doing a so-so job, but the perceived hardness of our water hasn't changed, so why do I need to invest in this expensive part?  Can anyone tell me whether or not I need this thing?


texts: Why was the speaker wire installed this way for a media room?

texts:
I recently moved into a relatively new home.  The home was never occupied and has a media room.

The media room has the following (see picture for locations, speaker wire is in blue, speaker wire has two carriers):

Coax connector for cable
Five junction boxes with speaker wire inside
Outlet on the ceiling on one side of the room

I traced the speaker wire.  I don't understand how I can install a surround sound system using the existing speaker wire.

What am I missing?  Any ideas?

I'm open to using a TV or projector - with projector screen on either end of the room -  if that will relieve me of running new speaker wire.


texts: Sellotape caused discoloration on the wooden surface

texts:
As seen in the picture it seems that the sellotape removed some of the color on the furniture surface. There doesn't seem to be any adhesive left on the surface. What are my options to repair this?
Wood


texts: How to take care of a butcher block countertop

texts:
I have a kitchen countertop which is wood. It is not polished. After 3 years of using, I have many scratches,small black points (I guess mold) and it is getting worse.

I have tried to clean it with lemon and salt it helped a bit for black points but those areas that I cleaned now getting white. Should I sand it with sandpaper and then wood oil? If yes which sandpaper and oil would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is there an improper way to connect water lines to water heater?

texts:
The building just installed some new pipes and since then I believe that the hot showers cannot last as long as they once did.

Is there a sub-optimal way to hook up a new cold water intake that would mean that cold water would mix prematurely with the hot water running to the bath or anything that might cause a lowering of the available hot water?


texts: How do I repair cracks in thincoat plaster?

texts: I have a crack in the thincoat plaster that is over the drywall. There is an orange peel texture over the thincoat. What is this caused by, and what is the best way to repair it?


texts: I'm installing a bathroom fan and I can't get it to power on. I want to wire it to the switch that controls the lights in the bathroom. The power comes from the lights to the switch. After splicing everything together in the attic the fan won't turn on but the light does. When I disconnect the fan the light turns off but when I connect it it turns on. The fan has a connector that plugs into the fan. That fan motor has a wall plug. I confirmed that fan works but getting an extension cord and plugging it to the wall and to the fan. I removed the splice from switch and connected just the fan and light together and confirmed there was voltage. The light turns on but still no fan. I don't know what to do. Would it be simpler to run a separate switch for the fan?


texts: How repair a joint that should have been joined by screws

texts:
I've built a 12 by 8 platform that's 8 feet up in the air, and there's no way to get behind the outer beam now without complete disassembly (custom cut around a chimney). I should have followed my intuition and used 3 inch lag screws to join the cross beams, but I followed a contractor's advice and used nails. Now that the joints are pulling apart, I need to add screws from the inside, down the length of the Cross Beam, into the outer beam. What kind of screw and length would be best that will grip the outer beam and close the gap?  I tried to add a picture, but site won't cooperate.

* <---------- nail locations -----------> *
____________________________________________ <-- no access here
____________________________________________
| |                                      | | <-- gap forming here
| |                                      | |
| |                                      | |


texts: How can I determine existing well PSI / GPM for dedicated irrigation well

texts:
I've purchased a home that has an existing irrigation system installed that is hooked up to a well that is exclusively supplying the irrigation system. I live in FL in a very flat area, so we have minimal elevation between the water supply and the pump, and the yard is flat so no elevation changes throughout the entire system relative to the location of the pump.

The pump supplies the system directly and is connected to a pump start relay switch, for context.

That said, I need to redesign the layout of the system, move some heads, potentially create new zones, etc., because the way it's set up now is not optimal and doesn't work with landscaping changes I will be making.

What I need to figure out is what GPM and PSI I'm getting at the supply, but I want to avoid disconnecting the well from the system to figure that out if possible. Does anyone have an idea? Can I just shut off all the heads on one zone, and then add a pressure gauge in place of one of the heads (I would use the zone that is furthest from the supply and test at the very end of that line) and then build my system around that PSI, or is that making it too simple? Anywhere else in the system should be higher PSI than at that point which is furthest away, right?

Then, can I use that PSI to determine GPM, or do I need additional information?

Any ideas?


texts: Changing a pendant light to an LED pendant ligh

texts: I am installing 3 LED pendant lights where regular pendant lights  were previously from the new LED light there are 2 wires silver clear coated and a silver clear coated with a white stripe. From the ceiling there is a white wire, a black wire, 2 bare copper wires and a braided copper mesh wire.  How do I wire it?


texts: Short out 1/2 the house when I turn on bathroom light , then if I giggle the plug of  a plugged in lamp in the living room it comes back on? Is this a wiring in house issue ? It doesn't blow any fuses power is still running threw house.


texts: Can a HVAC solve my ventilation problem?

texts: I have a problem with my house such that with all my windows and doors closed the house smells and the air feels stale.  I'm thinking of purchasing a high efficiency HVAC to vent the stale air out and blow fresh air in.  Would a HVAC accomplish what I'm asking?  Or is the only way to vent stale air out is to open the windows?


texts: Sewer line repair - most cost effective method?

texts:
Background

So I recently had a bad clog to which I had a plumbing company come out and clear out. A part of the process is looking at the finished job on their sewer camera.  Our sewer line is made from clay pipes and our clog was due to many roots penetrating in. The clay pipes do have quite a bit of "stress cracks" and two spots that appear to actually be holes.

Question

So now it is all cleared out, I am trying to think of the best way to prevent anything from happening again like this.  Best being qualified as least expensive, but lasting for the rest of my life.  I plan on owning this house for the rest of my life so would like to do it the correct way.  As far as I know, my options are:

Pour a product like RootX down the drain once a year to kill all roots that come in the pipe
Hire a company to replace the pipe with PVC.
Install a pipe liner, where they make an "epoxy pipe" inside the existing one.

So obviously I would like to not spend as much money as I can help.  Will pouring RootX down the drain once a year be a long term solution or will the clay pipes eventually have other issues?

I only recently heard about lining a pipe from the inside which seems ideal for clay pipes like mine. They are rated for 50 years so would I have to replace the pipes anyways after 50 years?


texts:
I am considering installing a pull up bar in my basement. My concrete ceiling has these anchors (not sure if it's the correct term, please check the picture) about 90cm apart from each other in a network that used to hold the metal frame of a drop ceiling.

According to the contractor that built the house, each of these anchors can hold 100-120 kgs.

I weight approximately 80 kgs.

The idea is to re-use 4 of these anchor holes to disperse my weight, possibly in an H shaped design:

screw back the fasteners in each of the 4 anchor holes (corners of
the H)
connect 2x2 fasteners together in parallel with some sort of support bar (vertical sides of the H)
connect the 2 support bars together in the middle with the pull up bar itself (horizontal line in H)

I'm not a professional so I would appreciate all sorts of comments or ideas about whether this is actually a sound idea or not.


texts: Precast cement stairs bolted to foundation

texts: We are attempting to sell our 1969 split level and one of the issues we have is our precast cement stairs. They are attached to the cinder block wall foundation with bolts. This  caused about a 1/2 inch by 3 feet gap in the block wall in the basement.  the stairs were pulling away from the house so our contractor lifted them up with cement shims to make the stairs plum against the house. The gap in the basement wall remains.   Any suggestions? Should we remove/replace  the stairs completely or is there an easier fix here? Was hoping to not have to put anymore money into the house but if it helps us to sell, I see no other choice. Thanks in advance.


texts: REPAIR - Bathtub caulking or grouting between acrylic bathtub and tile

texts: A large chunk of grout came off from the area that covers the joint between our bathtub and the wall tile (see pictures).  As I prepare to fix it I would like to know what is the best method to repair it, ie should I use grout or caulk and if so any specific product that I should get to match the current color?


texts: I want to recess something into the wall between the studs.   Problem is that it is approx. 1/4" longer than the gap between the studs.  Is there a way to shave off this small amount of the existing stud (i.e. the "2" (1.5") side for about 2' length


texts: Ring Doorbell - upgrade chime and transformer?

texts:
My SO purchased a Ring Video Doorbell Pro for our home recently.  I began researching, and it states that the ring requires a power source that supplies a minimum of 16 volts AC at ~20 volt-amps when connected directly to a transformer, plug-in adapter, or ~30 volt-amps when used with an internal doorbell.

I looked at my existing doorbell, and imprinted on it is: Rittenhouse Model 225 - 10v.  I found what appears to be the transformer, also labeled with 10v.  These look like they could possibly be original to the home (1956).  A few questions I have:

Is it worth replacing both the transformer and the chime itself just for this Ring to work? If I replace both, will the wiring between the transformer and the chime be able to handle the increased power running through the wires?
Ive read people say " can use a 16v 20va Transformer if there is no chime involved." What exactly does that mean?

I do want to use the doorbell, but I also don't want to stress the electrical system of the house to do so. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!


texts: Applying large adhesive sheets onto surfaces without bubbles / creases

texts:
I'm failing miserably at finding tutorials or videos on this.

I've bought some adhesive backed sign-makers' vinyl for applying to shelving, so it has a nice, even, bright gloss finish. But it's an awful lot more difficult than I expected to apply it without bubbles and creases, not to mention having it aligned properly. It's like trying to put a screen protector on a phone, but harder, given the size.

Any tips for doing this? I've tried applying it while the shelf (bare plywood) is vertical, horizontal, or at angles. Starting from the top, bottom, and side. Long side first and short side first. By hand, with a squeegee, and aluminium rod. It doesn't have lettering or anything, it's just a simple sheet with backing that peels off to reveal the adhesive side.

I'm sure it needs practice, but pretty pointless if you're not using a good technique to start with. How should this be done?

Thanks


texts: Have these cuts for a gas line structurally compromised my studs?

texts: We are in the midst of a kitchen remodel and yesterday had someone come and run a new gas line as we are making the switch from an electric to a gas range.  This fellow is a well rated pro but I'm concerned that the way he's cut the studs (see photos) has structurally compromised them.  Maybe the cleats he's put in place are enough to offset that?


texts: Can extractor hood be wired into oven terminal block?

texts:
I just threw out an old oven which had a separate extractor hood wired directly through it: Power -> Oven -> Hood.

Is this safe/legal? I notice that the cable between the oven and the hood is lighter weight.

I'm hesitant to simply wire the power and hood cables into the new oven's terminal block. Is it safe to do this like the hold oven, or should I get an electrician to properly wire the hood a separate appliance?

Just to be clear, I'm keeping the old hood and hob and just replacing the oven. The power running from the old oven powered the hood and the hob ignition.


texts:
My central AC is dripping power breaker

What I have checked

Filters are clean
I cleaned outside unit with water
I put in a new capacitor

It cools fine it just trips middle of night like 4am


texts: How to convert fan switch to new light switch?

texts: I just moved into a new house.  In the bedrooms there is a pre-installed light fixture that is pre-wired to be converted into a ceiling fan. There is already dual gang switch, a dimmer for the light and the second one for the fan switch.  Since there is no fan, that fan switch is obviously serving no function right now.  I'm assuming that the fan switch has the red wire attached with the other end of the red wire likely capped within the light fixture.  I would like to install some recessed ceiling lights into the bedroom and have them on a separate switch from the already installed light fixture.  The proper way to do this install is to run new romex wire from the fan switch, cap that red wire, and use that to feed the new recessed lights.  However I know that the red wire is a hot wire.  Is there SAFE way of using that red wire that was meant for the fan and use it to power the new recessed lights instead?  If so, what would be the proper way to wire this?  Thanks.


texts:
Woke up this morning to this message from the thermostat:

I can click that message away and it then it appears to call for cool. The air handler turns on but no cooling.
The outdoor unit shows no signs of life. Not like compressor struggling to turn on, but nothing. Not even a click of some kind.
The breaker is on, the voltage at the disconnect is correct. Upon taking the panel off (which is as far as I can comfortably go), I saw this (see white bubble):

Can anything be deduced from that?


texts: Should I wedge a twisted fence post to reduce stress on the rail?

texts:
I noticed in high winds that a rail had come loose from a post on my 6ft picket ("green treated" wooden) fence. As a temporary fix, I clamped the rail in place, and noticed that the post face was no longer in line with the rail, due to what would appear to be the post twisting.

I could attempt to force the face to match the rail, and screw and support it etc, but presumably the stress will make it forever brittle.

Should I attempt to wedge the gap?

I am wondering how it will return in drier months, and whether s wedge itself might be a weak point.


texts: Why is water from the dispenser slow after replacing the water filter on my refrigerator?

texts:
At one of our rental properties, we have a GE GSH25JFXN WW Refrigerator. Our tenant changed out the water filter because of the recommended time to change it. He said that before he changed the filter there was good water flow at the water dispenser. After changing the filter, water flow at the dispenser was slow. Here's his e-mail before I went out there yesterday

  "Thanks for the email.  I changed out the filter because it had been on for longer than 6 months.  When I took the old filter off, that's when I noticed there might be a potential leak (where the filter is attached).  I installed the new filter and the water would barely come out.  I've changed out the filter before and never had this issue.  I gave the reservoir time to fill and I also held down the water dispensing mechanism for 5 minutes (at the request of GE customer service to make sure any air was pushed out of the tubing).  Was still slow coming out.  GE recommended trying another filter in case the one I got was defective.  I bought the official GE MWF water filter each time and am still having the same problem. My rough estimation is that it's taking 7 seconds to fill about 1 ounce."

Here's a picture of the point of connection for the water dispenser. Also when you take out the water filter, it kind of leaks at the connection and it stops when I press on a little white button on the right.

I went there yesterday to try some things:

I checked to see if there weren't any kinks in the piping. I found none.
I tried this solution. http://boogster.blogspot.com/2011/10/ge-profile-refrigerator-slow-water.html I didn't know what part the person was sharpening.
I tried cleaning the water discharge at the filter with a pipe cleaner and didn't feel like there was any blockage there.

So I noticed that he turned off the icemaker. I asked him to turn on the icemaker to see if any ice were to be made. This was around 5:30pm yesterday. I followed up with them today (12 noon) and he said the following:

  "Just looked actually. Ice was made but not very much at all.  The ice was also thin and even hollow in some spots so it's not getting very much water to make the ice."

I wanted to see if it's the main water supply to refrigerator or something that is just affecting just the water dispenser. I have attached pictures of the water filters for reference. There is a slight difference in the both of them. The old one is on the right.


texts: What should I do if I'm unsatisfied with my recent roof replacement?

texts: I had my roof replaced this past summer . The old roof was torn off and new insulation and a whole new roof.  It is a flat roof, new plywood and two layer torch on, on a 12x60 mobile home . The roof has leaked in 4 different places over the past 8 months.  The roofer has been cooperative and I will be meeting with him to discuss this. He has already fixed the torch on and said he was 100 % sure it would not leak, it leaked. So I would like to ask that the whole roof be replaced, is this reasonable? Also what happens to wet insulation in the ceiling? I have all work in writing and a five year guarantee. He told me he is insured. What course of action should I take?


texts: Heating a large main room in Central Ontario with 46' of fixed and operating windows

texts: We are doing a summer cottage into year round home reno. We will be heating with propane powered forced air furnace. We want to keep the floor to ceiling view. The heating ducts will be in front of the windows, as they are usually placed. Might it be an idea to ALSO have ceiling ducts? We are adding a second floor and there will be lots of room between the floors for extra ducting. I understand, hot air rises, but might this be a way to have a better chance of keeping the room warm in the winter? Has anyone ever seen this?


texts: What are some cost-effective tips for reducing external sound from entering a room?

texts:
I have a small office room that shares a wall with our living room.  When we have guests over, their voices travel fairly well; they sound somewhat muffled but are still audible.  As I work from home occasionally, I'd like to reduce any/all noise as much as I can.

I'm not sure where exactly the noise is coming from... we do have central heating air ducts but the register is on the opposite wall... there's not much of a gap for the office door... maybe it's just coming through the wall itself?

Oddly enough, if I check sound levels from the adjacent room (on the OTHER side of the office), the noise from the living room is still there too (maybe a LITTLE softer but not by much).

Could someone provide some "sound-proofing" tips? Or perhaps ways to troubleshoot this further?  I'm on a limited budget so I can't really afford to tear down walls. Not sure if there's insulation...

-M


texts: Main 100 amp breaker reads 2 different volts

texts: What if on your main 100 amp breaker one side reads 123v and other side reads 117v? Does that mean my main is bad?


texts: I just noticed this thingy on the wall of my apartment. Weird I haven't paid any attention to it since I bought this place. I could swear I just heard a low-pitched sound coming out of it. Is it a speaker? If so, where could the sound have come from?


texts:
I'm finishing a basement and I'd like to see if it's possible to move the ceiling jack post that holds the beam where the floor joists sit on. I currently have a 12 foot span between the cinder block wall and the ceiling jack that holds the triple up-ed 2x10 beam, and I'd to move the span to 15 feet. I have a cinder block foundation and most of the weight from the house is on that.

Photo is included here for visual reference.

Ben


texts: Why is it important to have a receptacle next to load centers?

texts: Why is there a receptacle next to a load center? Is it necessary to have this circuit dedicated to one breaker by itself? Or can I pigtail it at the load center?


texts: How to taper an irregular flat roof for a slight fall

texts:
First of all, Harper gave a great answer to a similar question here, but I'm having trouble making it work for an irregular shaped roof with an angle that is not 45 degrees.

My roof contains an internal drain, with the top right and bottom left sides sloping towards it.

I have attempted to make the slope myself following the reasoning from the above post but I'm not confident it's correct. I've stuck to a slope of 2:100 and tried to use the Pythagorean theorem to find the hypotenuse of the angle which is 65 degrees.

Is what I've done correct?


texts: What should I do about this Alpha HE CB33 Boiler pressure error condition?

texts:
I have an alpha he cb33 boiler which has stopped working this morning.  Yesterday I removed a radiator for cleaning then put it back on and re-pressurised the system.  It was working ok last night.  However it is now flashing alternately between the A & B lights which indicates a pressure problem.   Reading the troubleshooting bit in the servicing manual points to section K on page 41 but that doesn't mean a lot to me

So far I've tried de-pressurising and the pressurising the system again to within the green pressure zone as indicated on the face of the boiler.  I've tried resetting the boiler.  I've tried powering off and then on again after various lengths of time 5seconds - 30minutes.  Nothing has stopped the lights flashing and boiler to reactivate.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend anything else to try before I call in a boiler engineer.

EDIT: I had an engineer around this morning and he discovered that it was the primary pressure switch, I'll update again once the repair has been made with all the required steps for testing and fixing.


texts: Semi-rigid dryer duct in contact with PVC drain pipe

texts: I just installed a dryer vent using semi-rigid aluminum duct.  Approximately 7' from where the semi-rigid duct attaches to the dryer at floor level, the duct touches a black PVC drain at ceiling level. The surface to surface contact is probably less than 2 inches.  Can the heat from the semi-rigid duct damage or even melt the PVC drain pipe?  I suspect the heat from the dryer has dissipated sufficiently at 7' but I have no experience doing this type of work. Thanks in advance for your responses.


texts: Irrigation system: Backflow Preventer -> Master Valve vs Master Valve -> Backflow Preventer

texts:
I am in the process of designing my irrigation system, and I saw many people install the backflow preventer (reduced pressure zone device) first and then connect to an automatic master valve.

However, I'm debating whether I should move the automatic master valve before the backflow preventer as RPZD is very expensive, and my theory is if I give it less pressure, it will be last longer.

What do you think? Thanks!


texts: how do you replace a pool pump where PVC installation is coupling to coupling?

texts:
I want to replace my pool pump, and my pool system installers built a system where there is no room for one to make a splice.  There is not one section of pipe exposed greater than 3/4" where I would try to splice cut and extend. It looks to me like I will have to rebuild the entire plumbing section from the ground up, valves and all.

Is there a way to do this and save the valves?  I might have enough on the outlet of the pump, but there is no hope on the suction side.


texts: Can I leave drywall floating in the corners of my basement ceiling?

texts:
I was planning on installing drywall on my basement ceiling and realized that I have nothing to screw the drywall on after the last joist. On one corner of the room there is 12 inches from the last joist to the wall and on another side I have about 6 inches that the drywall would be floating on.

If I just screw it to the joists and let it float in those spaces will it be an issue?
What can I do?


texts: What do I need to do to prepare this trunk for painting?

texts:
I've got this trunk. My eventual goal is to paint it red and use it as a combination storage space and coffee table in my (tiny Manhattan) apartment.

It's about fifteen years old. It's covered in a substance that's sort of textured to look faux-leather, but it's very clearly some very plasticky synthetic. It's peeling off on the bottom of the trunk and I can see that the trunk is made of particle board underneath.

The edges (underneath the dots) are another layer of that same faux-leather-y material. The hardware is brass (or more likely some other brass-colored metal). I don't have the patience to cover or paint around all those tiny dots, so I am planning to leave the black-and-brassish trim intact and just paint the flat surfaces red.

The initials on the top of the trunk were done in masking tape fifteen years ago; that torn white thing in the middle is a paper label (like you'd print an address label on), also affixed fifteen years ago.

If I were left to my own devices, here's how I'd go about painting the trunk:

Attempt to scrape off masking tape.
Get bored and give up on scraping off the masking tape. (You can see that's already happened a few times.)
Paint the trunk, masking tape and all.
Forget to flip it over, leaving the bottom black-and-raw-particle-board.

This is not the right way to do this.

So what is the right way? What's the best way to get rid of the fifteen-year-old masking tape and sticker? Do I need to prepare the weird pretend leather surface for paint in some way? Or remove it entirely? Bonus points for suggestions of what kind of paint to use; I'm a total DIY noob.


texts: I want to put a wallpaper in my home office and my kid room, Are there famous websites to see samples online and take some ideas from there? also is it possible to buy them online?