texts: How to cut out a piece of a stud fully from an existing wall?

texts:
I'm not sure what tool to use or how to use it to most effectively cut out a chunk of a stud of an existing wall that already has exterior wall sheathing on it.

Things I've considered:

1) Circular Saw - all safety stuff says to not cut on something that is mounted on both ends due to the likelihood of the blade pinching. Combine that with the fact that the blade depth can't penetrate fully through 3.5" widths of the board, the best I could hope for is a partial completion of the cut. Add to it that I'll be moving the blade sideways as opposed to blade pointed downward seems like even more of a case for me losing control.

2) Reciprocating Saw - maybe this could be used in combination with the circular saw to finish the partial depth cut, but there's not enough space between the other studs to get in there flush. And if cut at an angle, the blade will disappear into the stud being cut and could be cutting into and through the exterior sheathing without me seeing it.

3) MultiTool - This seems to be a possibility, but the deeper the cut towards the wall makes me think that I have to get further and further at an angle that puts the exterior sheathing at risk of being carved right through.

4) Chainsaw - Kidding...but I'm out of ideas on how best to do this really.


texts: One of my breaker switches buzzes when I flip it on, should I replace it?

texts:
I recently installed a ceiling fan in a bedroom, and when the fan is active the electromagnet was a little louder than I was use to, but figured it may just be a cheap fan.
However today when I went to label the correct breaker switch (for some reason the bed room one was only labeled living room), I noticed the room got quieter when I tested the breaker to ensure my memory was correct.  Upon flipping the breaker back on the buzzing resumed.  From there I verified that fan and light were set to off via the wall switch.
Is it normal for a circuit breaker with no load to buzz?
None of the other breakers in my box seem to be making noise.


texts: Are home lead testing kits accurate or should I hire a pro? What should I being looking for when purchasing home lead testing kits?


texts:
So this morning I went to put my wash into the dryer, and it didn't start.  First I checked the door switch, and it clicked on and off when pushed, so that seems to be ok.  Next I checked the breaker and outlet (with a multi-meter - yes it's eletric), and the power to the plug is fine.
When I push the start button there is a faint 'clicking' so I believe that the power into the dryer is fine, and it is a problem on the inside of the unit.

Does anyone have any suggestions on things I should start checking when I take the thing apart?  Is there a common fail that is easy to find/fix?


texts: How to block/seal a low pressure water pipe?

texts:
Many posts to this forum are about how to clear pipes - this one is about how to block one!

I have a cold water header tank in my attic, there's a short length of pipe that feeds from this tank to the hot-water tank in the airing cupboard below. The pipe is (I think) steel and appears to be BSP threaded 1 inch pipe. The pipe is corroded, and attached to a brass gate-valve that's been seized for many years. The pipe then converts to 22mm copper pipe before getting to the hot-water tank.

I'd like to replace the seized gate valve, and since I'm comfortable plumbing with copper pipe the simplest option (for me) seems to be cut a new hole in the tank, fit a new 22mm compression tank-connector, and then re-plumb from there to the hot water tank.

The old tank connector appears to be steel and is very rusty, I'm also pretty sure that any attempt to remove it to re-use the hole would fail, and would probably damage the tank in the process.

Bearing this in mind, I'd like to cut-off the existing pipe 6 inches from the tank and simply block it up. What's the best way to do this? I've not worked with steel pipe and don't have access to threading equipment. Since the pressure at this point is equal to the height of water in the tank, it's doesn't need to be a very sophisticated solution. Is there a reasonably reliable of blocking such a pipe?

Thanks


texts: washing machine drain and kitchen sink drain

texts: My washing machine drain has clogged up. I was getting ready to wash my clothes when someone from upstairs ran kitchen sink it came through my washing machine drain and that water was pouring from my washing machine drain. Can you help?


texts: Is this ceiling pendant double insulated?

texts:
I bought this ceiling rose off Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Modern-Antique-Brass-Ceiling-Lighting/dp/B00CJ9GE9Q):

It's not like others I've seen as it has a black input sheath to a connection box, which also closes over the top. Does this mean it is double insulated?

Thanks

Read more: http://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/is-this-ceiling-rose-double-insulated.455292/#ixzz42hkRqkKZ


texts: Shower Valve / Diverter pipe thread size

texts: I am ordering my pex parts and am wondering what standard tub/shower valves use on the adapter. Male or female? 1/2" or 3/4" size?  I'd prefer a reputable brand but it looks like the adapters vary...


texts: Wet ceiling spots on a cold night but no rain

texts:
We just moved a our new house here in Massachusetts. I moved this house 2 months ago so this our first winter. Today was while my wife was cooking, I noticed these random wet spots around the corner and it's not raining and it hasn't rained in a few days.

The crack in the picture was there before I moved here.  Currently its 15 f outside. I went into the attic and the attic is super cold. I couldn't really reach into the corner. What could cause these? I touched the spots and these feel somewhat wet. There is no water dripping or anything. My wife was doing some heavy cooking so I thought this maybe from the steam? What else could cause this? Thank you


texts: Will I need to re-sand wood that has raised grain due to moisture?

texts:
I am refinishing a cabinet with a barn wood plank top. After sanding it down to 220 grit I applied a coat of linseed oil. Unfortunately while at work today it rained, and while it wasn't directly exposed it got wet enough to raise the grains.

Will I need to re-sand after it dries?


texts:
Please help me to figure out about this pipe.

In our hosue, We have the water pipe coming out from the wall right next to the A/C unit. Recently, the water start running constantly, and I have no know what it is.

The following points are something I am sure about.
 1. The water stops running if I turn off the main valve.
 2. Water was actually dripping very sometimes like 3, or 4 years ago.  It is now running 3 gallons / hours.
 3.  It is cold water.
 4. There are two pipes and joined by some kind of a T socket.
5. The pipes are nothing to do with the A/C unit; it is coming from the ground.

Please anyone give me ideas what it is and how to stop the water.


texts: Is there any difference between wood screw and anchor screws?

texts:
I have purchased a screws and plug set from IKEA. However, I want to secure a bookshelf on a stud.

May I use the screws from the set? Is there any difference between screws with anchors and wood screws?


texts: Can the following receptacle be flushed evenly with the paneling or does it have to be extended outward (using an extension depth ring)?? This has been like this for forty years in a couple of locations of the house and if so do i need to change it to be extended beyond the paneling? And if so would a depth extension ring be okay for that purpose or what would you suggest? As it is now, is it  acceptable to NEC standards? Again this was passed when i bought the house. I want to do things right for my house thanks to you guys and gals? In short does the wall plate/receptacle need to be extended out beyond the paneling like this last picture?


texts: Do you really *have* to mortise for hinges and other door hardware?

texts: I am wondering if it's entirely necessary to mortise a door and jamb for hinges and other miscellaneous door hardware.  The only thing I can think of is that, in addition to being screwed in, the mortising increases integrity by locking the hinge in place provided that the fit is tight.  Outside of that, it looks like it comes down to aesthetics and just looks nicer.


texts: What's the best way to insulate an outdoor sauna?

texts:
I am designing a 4'x4' sauna. Most information online is for indoor saunas. From what I've gleaned, the layers should be (for example):

Outside ––> cedar exterior ––> tyvex ––> strand board --> 2x4 frame with insulation (what grade?) ––> vapor barrier ––> cedar interior

Is this sufficient? Is it overkill?

It's an outdoor sauna and so should be able to retain heat year round. Are there any special considerations to be taken given that 1) it will be used outside and 2) it will be a near infrared sauna heated by red heat lamps (so much less moisture than a traditional steam sauna, dry rather than wet heat).

I need the sauna as part of a health regime to manage a severe mold sensitivity, and so as you can imagine, insuring there is no mold growth is quite important!


texts: Bathroom fan sizing in 2 room bathroom with always open doors

texts:
I have a bathroom fan that died recently.  It is a basic Broan from the 90's, 50CFM and 2.0 sones.

I want a quieter fan for sure, but I'm not sure on the sizing.  As shown in the picture, our bathroom (shower, tub, toilet) area (green) is 50 square feet, but our vanities are in an adjacent room (blue) that is 30 square feet.  Both have standard 8' ceilings.  Our master bedroom is next to that.  We almost never close any of the pocket doors between the rooms, unless we are getting ready when the other of us is asleep.

So, do I need to account for the additional area when calculating CFM?  Accounting for the short duct to the roof cap (~35' EDL, I think we have 4" duct) that puts me at either 60 or 90 CFM according to this chart:

So, I guess the question is, does it matter that much?  50, 60, or 90 CFM? (or 110??).  Our bathroom tends to stay humid for a while currently, but I'm not sure our fan has been running at full capacity either.


texts: What are my options for venting a bathroom exhaust fan?

texts:
I would like to install a fan in our bathroom which currently has none.  However, I'm very confused regarding the best approach for this.

Above the bathroom is an attic space.  I have read that venting out the gable side of the house is preferable to soffit vents or roof vents.  This makes sense to me because it avoids roof penetration and venting out the soffit may allow the hot, moist air to re-enter the attic through the neighboring soffit vents.  In addition, bends in the vent duct are discourage because they reduce airflow.

However, all ceiling mounted fans I've seen sit between the joists and the vent outlet runs parallel to the ceiling joists (toward the soffits).  In order to get to the gable end, I would need to put two bends in the duct -- one to turn up and above the joists, then another to turn and head toward the gable end.  From where the fan will be, it is no more than 10 feet to the gable end of the house.

Should I make these two bends and vent out the gable end?

Should I build a box for the fan, recess it above the joists so the vent outlet is in the direction of the gable end of the house?

Should I forget the ceiling vent and use a wall mounted vent?  (If I do this, I believe I will need to still vent out under the eaves which will present the same issue with the soffit vents, no)?

Or is there another option I'm not aware of?


texts: Why doesn't the top half of my outlet work?

texts: Outlet top not working. Has black wire on each brass screw / white wire on each silver screw. Tabs are not broken. No fixtures attach to this. Is this ok?


texts: Does a storm door help prevent heat loss?

texts:
One person advised me that I'll cut down on the heat loss in my kitchen by installing a storm door.  Another said I'd get better results by replacing the door itself, and then I can either install a storm or not, it doesn't really make any difference.  I'm confused.

My existing kitchen door is well hung and with no drafts around the edges.  However, I think it's at least 40 years old, maybe more.  What is causing a problem is that it has some glass panels, and they are made of single pane glass.  My infrared gadget, and my hand, are both telling me I'm losing a lot of heat in those glass panels.


texts: Have an unused receptacle in the ceiling that used to have a fan. What is safe way to cap it?

texts:
I have an unused receptacle in the ceiling that used to have a fan attached. Now the wires are dangling out of the box (all are wire nutted to keep separate except the ground). If I go to  and get a cap, how do I ensure the wires are safe to stuff in there?
I don't see any exposed wire except the ground which is all exposed. Do/should I tape that?


texts: How do I deal with vapour barrier for central vac inlets in exterior walls?

texts:
I'm retrofitting a central vac system, and it will be easiest to put a couple of the inlets in the exterior wall between the garage and the house (the vacuum itself is going in the garage). One benefit of this is I have relatively easy access to the wall from the outside, since I can remove the drywall in the garage.

The inlets I'm using are "Electra valves", which means they have 120V power via a pigtail connection, in addition to the low-voltage signal wire. The box is not an enclosed box,

What should I do with the vapour barrier? I am thinking to just form a small pocket around this whole thing, and then tape up the holes where the wires go through, and tape around the 2" suction line. Good idea, bad idea?

While I could locate these on interior walls, it is much less convenient, as I have to come in through the basement and route around some existing pipes, wiring and vents -- I will end up having several elbows and several extra feet of piping (both things you want to minimize in vac systems), and the resulting inlet placement is no better or worse than if I do the exterior wall.

UPDATE: Completed, using the method Paul described. Everything is 6-mil vapour barrier.

I tried to leave as little air in this pocket as possible, despite it being fairly large. I wanted to ensure there was enough room for the wires to move around when attaching/removing the faceplate from inside, which there easily is.

Though it's not apparent in the picture, I used a separate loop of tape going around the wires so there isn't even a gap, kind of like this:


texts: Is silver bearing lead-free solder sufficient/safe enough for water heater plumbing?

texts:
I have existing solder from the BernzoMatic Kit PK1001 and want to use it for soldering pipes for my water heater.  The solder says Silver Bearing Lead-Free but it does not explicitly say potable.

Is this solder OK for potable plumbing?


texts: Can I have an MWBC plus another circuit in the same junction box?

texts:
The conduit coming in on the left carries a 15 A MWBC. In this junction box, it splits to the brown-to-black wire for the furnace, and the orange wires to some basement lights (top) and an upstairs bedroom (right) where there is an infrared sauna.
Problem is, the orange side of this MWBC also runs some outlets in the kitchen, and the outlet in our data closet. So when the furnace, sauna, and toaster all happen to be on at the same time, the circuit trips. Generally this only happens when someone is in a very important zoom call.
I would like to move the bedroom to its own separate circuit. Ideally I would take the connection out of this junction box into a new one. Problem is, there are no more accessible junction boxes on that branch -- to the right of this photo, the conduit goes into a wall and gets buried.
Is there any issue with bringing a completely separate circuit into this same junction box as a new run of NM from the panel? This approach has been used elsewhere in the basement when adding new branches, but not for new circuits, as far as I can tell. Would I need to cut the conduit back and add a new junction? If so... how do I cut the conduit off without cutting through the wires inside?
Some additional info...

The house is 100 years old, in Madison, WI.
Electrical is a mix of conduit (which is often full), BX, and NM. I haven't seen any knob and tube in use yet, but there's evidence of its existence in the past.
Conduit is only used on the basement ceiling. Basement is unfinished and too shallow to ever be finished.
The conduit leading to the junction box shown here follows a circuitous path of very full conduit and two other junction boxes, also full.
The MWBC is handle tied, but in such a way that one side can trip at a time. However, I do have to turn both legs off to reset the breaker.

EDIT: I think I figured out why this is so messed up...
There is a dedicated 20 A MWBC for most of the kitchen outlets. But at some point (probably during kitchen renovation) a junction box was buried in the wall -- for one outlet, the cable in the box is 12 ga, but where the other end comes out in the basement, it's 14 ga. So that outlet has to be on a 15 A circuit.
To solve my problem, I'm going to move the furnace to a dedicated circuit, and put the bedroom/sauna to this leg of the 15 A MWBC, so it will be on the opposite leg from the kitchen outlet. The sauna is rated for a 15 A circuit.


texts: I installed a new single pole switch with pilot. Now he pilot of the new installed switch is on all the time. Did I do something wrong?


texts: I'm priming the walls to rest some paint colors. How solidly white does the primer have to look. Is this ok or should I not be able to see underneath with the primer layer?


texts: Solution for fiberglass ducts that have collapsed in basement?

texts:
I have two furnaces in my house, one for the basement and one for the rest of the house. I noticed that while using the basement furnace this winter that no air was coming out of any of the basement vents (all under cement/under padded carpeting) except the one closest to the furnace in a bathroom. And it was blowing what looks like dirt out. I have had two HVAC professionals come for other things, routine maintenance and have asked them what would be a good solution. One guy said to ditch the system and invest in a Mitsubishi splits system. The other simply had no idea if it could be repaired (easily/inexpensively).

I don't really need the bottom furnace since the other furnace actually does have some output vents in the ceiling in 3 places. But the basement is always about 3 to 5 degrees colder than the rest of the house, so the second furnace would be nice to have. I mean, the furnace works and everything, it just can't circulate because all of the vents are collapsed. Also, it's not very comforting having a broken HVAC system lying around.


texts: Why did my surge suppressor make a "pop" sound when I plugged something in?

texts:
I bought a surge-protecting power bar yesterday. It's a seven-outlet model, made by American Power Conversion Corp.; I found it at the thrift store for $4 second-hand. It appeared to be in decent condition, though I did drop it a few feet onto the hard floor shortly after buying it.

Last night, the house was quiet. I plugged the power bar into the wall outlet and turned it on. The "Protection Working" LED lit up. Good.

I then plugged my laptop's AC adapter into the power bar. As I did so, I heard a "pop". The sound was a bit louder than a finger snap, but quieter than a hand clap. My heart started racing.

Wondering if I damaged anything, I turned the laptop on. Thank God, it still works perfectly.

What could have caused the "pop" sound?
Is it safe for me to try plugging other things into the power bar, such as a lamp, to see what happens?
Should I continue to use the power bar, or should I discard it?

Edit: I experimented by plugging the AC adapter into a wall outlet, and unplugging it, a number of times. It indeed sometimes does make a spark and a "pop" sound. I plugged a couple of things into the surge suppressor. It's still working as expected. I'm keeping the surge suppressor. Thanks to Pigrew's answer, I now think the "pop" sound was normal. Pigrew, thank you very much for your answer; I've upvoted and accepted it.


texts:
I am looking into installing a sub panel in my basement which will be used to feed electrical circuits to the basement that is currently unfinished. I have an 150 amp main panel and was thinking of installing a 90-100 amp sub panel. I do however have a few questions:

1) Since I do not have any breaker space, I am wondering if there is anyway to replace breakers or shuffle things around to make space? I've included a image below of my panel if it helps anyone make recommendations.

2) Do I need to ensure I use the same brand breakers? I assume yes...

3) Is 100 amp too much for the sub panel in the basement given the main panel is only 150 amps? I plan to have some lighting/receptacle circuits as well as baseboard heaters.

4) What is the proper gauge for the feeder wire? 2-2-2-4 enough for 100 amps? My city uses 2011 national electric code

Any help is appreciated.


texts: The toilet flushes and sometimes has a delay of a few minutes before starting to refill. Then after it is done, it seems like every couple hours it turns on again and partially fills like some water has leaked out and gone below a threshold.


texts: Make a hole deeper than the drill bit is long

texts:
The longest drill bit I have is 23.62 inches and apparently the thickness of the concrete I need to penetrate is 27.5 inches. I don't wish to buy another drill bit, is there a smart solution?

The hole is for a gas pipe to go through, so the diameter of the bit is ~1.5 inches. I am drilling into the foundation, other side ends with a thin layer of plaster.


texts: Hanging pictures on a sloping plasterboard wall...?

texts:
So I've just moved house and I have some fairly heavy pictures (one painting, one framed picture) that I want to hang on my wall. Problem is, the walls are sloped (I'm in an attic room) and they're plasterboard.

I was wondering how I can hang them securely to the plasterboard and match the angle of the slope?

Thanks


texts: Can I attach a kitchen vent and a dryer vent to the same exhaust?

texts:
I currently have a dryer attached to an exhaust vent with flexible tubing; this flexible tubing is in severe need of repair.  That is (I hope) easy enough, and is not the crux of my question.

The problem is that my kitchen vent (above an electric stove), rather than exhausting anywhere sane, exhausts into the laundry room.  This, to me, is a terrible idea (but I am hardly a ventilations expert), and I would like to remedy it.

Since I'll be going to the supply store and working to replace/repair the damaged tubing anyway, I wonder if it's possible to attach the kitchen vent and the dryer vent to the same exhaust (rather than running a second duct and cutting a new exhaust hole in the wall).  I'm thinking it would be easy (and cheap) enough to just attach a T- or Y-joint (again, note, I am hardly a ventilations expert), but I don't know if that's a viable and/or safe option.

So the question lies thus: What sort of considerations/parts do I need to do this sort of renovation, and — given that I am hardly a ventilations expert — is it something that can be safely (and reasonably) done without professional help?


texts: Is it worth it to replace old style breakers with GFCI or AFCI breakers?

texts:
I have older wiring on my house (2-wire) BX. And while it's all in good condition, and I do check the outlets monthly to make certain it's still grounded, I'm wary of the BX sheathing as the ground.

Is it worth it to replace the breakers with GFCI or AFCI breakers? Does it provide any extra safety in this scenario?


texts:
I have an IKEA lamp with dimmer switch which took a knock and immediately started outputting full brightness. I've read a little about how dimmer switches work and that this is likely caused by the triac breaking.

I would like to repair this by replacing the triac (/diac combination?) but want to make sure that I have the right idea and check if there are any risks in doing so.

Photos:

As I understand it the block in the middle with the metal cover is the triac, possible also a unit containing a diac. Then the obvious variable resistor connected to the outside, a fuse (looks like a second fuse attached under the metal hood -- and labelled on the board -- but can't see it properly until disassembly), some resistors (baseline resistance? "taper"?) and finally the inductor and capacitor smooth out the voltage cut, reducing stress/noise on/from the load.

I plan to desolder the triac unit and replace it with an equivalent part (if I can find one). Is there a good way to confirm the triac is broken in advance? Are there any safety concerns?


texts: New door knob strike screw holes don't line up with old ones

texts:
I purchased some new door knobs for inside my house to replace my dated looking ones. The previous screw holes for my strike don't quite line up with the new ones. Is it OK to try and screw in or will I have problems? If there will be problems what would be my plan of attack to get these installed?

picture

Thanks!


texts: Is there an ideal height for a workbench?

texts: Is there a universal standard height that people try to go for when building workbenches? Should DIY tabletops be tailor made to the height of the user and how does the ideal height of the tabletop correlate to the person?


texts: After a minute running, dryer trips main breaker outside the house, but no internal breakers

texts:
I recently solved (sort of?) an issue regarding my washer & dryer not getting power.  I consider that issue solved, but now I have a new one, possibly what caused the problem before.  Now that I have power to my washer & dryer, I did a small test load.  Washer did fine, but the dryer tripped the main breaker outside (100A), but none inside.  This didn't even happen when I started the dryer, but after 1-3 minutes (closer to 1 I think) it would trip.  I have tested that 4 times now and when I have the dryer off, nothing trips - but a couple minutes after starting the dryer, the whole house goes down.

The breaker panel shows no tripped breakers (all firmly on the ON side - I have turned them all off/on just in case as well).  The inside main breaker is fine too.  The outside breaker however is clearly tripped.  I clear it and turn it back on and everything is fine.  Both inside and outside are 100A.  Dryer is a 2-pole 30A breaker, which I just replaced today after noticing this new problem.

Previous post I had on my initial issue is here.  There are lots of pictures of my breaker and some other backstory on this problem.

Edit: Damn.  The outside breaker just tripped with the dryer breaker off.

Things I have on/plugged in/on: TV, router/modem, swamp cooler, fridge, water cooler/purifier, water heater, a few lights and a few things plugged in (biggest is my laptop here).

It is in the upper 90s here... could that be affecting something?

7:10pm (15 mins ago) happened again.  Did some deduction... When it tripped then, W&D breakers were off.  I left everything on the inside on and went to try and reset the outside, but it didn't reset.  Went back inside and picked the breakers with only numeric labels (1,2,3,4) and turned those off, and then the outside breaker would finally reset.  So by my logic, its one of these four.  Next time I'm going to turn these off one at a time when trying to reset the breaker, hopefully that will narrow it down more.


texts: Replacing Ceiling Fan with Light Fixture - No Wall Switch

texts: I would like to replace my ceiling fan with a standard light fixture, however, there is not a wall switch.  What are my options if I do not want to install a wall switch?


texts: How can I remove a shower faucet with no set screw?

texts:
I'm fixing a leaky shower head and am trying to take the faucet handle apart. The shower faucet is a single handle with separate temperature control, made by Delta.

There is no set screw, and I cannot figure out how to take it apart. I've tried prying it off, but it doesn't want to come off.  This is as far as I could get in trying to take it apart.

Thank you for your help.


texts: What is this microwave oven part called?

texts:
My Panasonic NN-SD945S microwave oven now stops operating after 2-3 seconds.
I think the problem is with the mechanism on the oven's "box" where the door's latch hooks into.  This mechanism somehow registers that the door is properly closed, and transmit this information to the oven's control circuitry.
The part I'm referring to is the one that has number 12 in the diagram shown below.

I found this figure online, and unfortunately it does not have a key 1.
Q:  How can I find the name of this part?
I need this name, first, to see if, by searching for it, I am able to find any guidance online (video, tutorial, etc.) on how to replace it 2.  And, second, to order the thing.  (I suppose that for the latter, I may need a pretty exact name.)
I suppose the simplest solution to my problem would be to find a version of this diagram that actually has a key 3.
Alternatively, if someone happens to know what that part is called, please let me know.

1Also, the figure is for a Panasonic model NN-SD767S oven, but the part in question is consistent in appearance from what I can see in my model NN-SD945S oven.  More specifically, my oven has two rectangular openings that look very much like the ones in the picture, where the door latch's two hooks insert.
2 I am now much more aware than before of how important this microwave's door locking mechanism is to its functioning.  With this awareness comes a measure of respect for the prospect of attempting to repair.
3 Even better would be to find the version of this diagram for my oven's model (NN-SD945S) and with a key.


texts:
About every week I notice a decline in water pressure at my kitchen sink. When I notice it i unscrew the faucet head and the screen is completely clogged with this gritty sand stuff.

Is this calcium? Is this dirt?

What do I need to do to fix this?

This issue is only a problem in the kitchen...there is some sediment in the other faucets and showers but i get this amount after a year or so.


texts: I am using Behr eggshell paint, and I have put 2 coat of primer and 2 coats of paint, but the sheen is not even in spots.  I'm almost ready to give up and get some flat paint.  Is there any trick to getting the sheen even across an entire wall?


texts: Can 3 phase power on grill be converted to regular 240vac?

texts:
Hi I have bought an Electrolux Hsg grill second hand. These cost £7000 new. It has a 3 phase plug on it.
Can this be switched regular 3 pin plug?


texts: How can I make precise, repeatable cuts in ABS plastic sheet?

texts:
I need to make a few fairly repeatable and accurate cuts out of a 12" x 12" x 1/8" piece of ABS plastic.
I've tried sawing, scoring with exacto knife followed by breaking off, and of course sanding. The issue with these methods is 1) it's time consuming, but more importantly 2) the pieces aren't 'similar enough', they don't repeat within, say 1/8" (more or less may be sanded, oftentimes not exactly straight, etc).
So one idea I had was to use something like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/X-ACTO-Commercial-12-Inch-Guillotine-26612/dp/B002JGMIA8/
I.e. one of those paper cutter tools. I don't mind if it takes a bit of elbow grease to get the cuts going, my main concern is that I'll get a long, straight-as-possible edge that I can repeat as consistently as possible about a dozen times.
Before I invest in something like this, what do you think, is this a good idea? Is there anything else you'd recommend for my problem? Thanks!


texts: How to seal edges of plumbing work for noise isolation.

texts:
I am looking into sealing some plumbing edges for noise isolation.
The plumbing goes between two levels. The levels are separated by some amount of concrete. I don't know the depth, but it is considerate.

What materials would be ideal for this? I had in mind caulking the edges of the pipes where they go through the concrete, but maybe my first idea is incorrect.

Thanks>


texts: How to connect two 2x4 to 4x4 post base?

texts:
I am looking for a way to use a 4x4 base to carry two joined 2x4s as in the picture below.

The problem is that there is a 0.5 in. gap as the actual width of the two boards is 1.5+1.5 = 3 in. while the base width is 3.5 in.

I see someone used a pad to fill in the gap as shown in the picture below. Any idea what kind of pad to use to fill in that gap?
Thanks!

This is the base:


texts: Can have low curb close to side of toilet?

texts: I’m adding a half bath to a finished attic. There is a 9 inch high, 1 foot deep boxed in duct next to where I’d like to put the toilet. Does the toilet have to be 15 inches from this 9 inch high box (it’s below the height of toilet seat), or can I start the 15 inches at the wall? See photo. The pink marks 15 inches from the box. I would prefer to have it where the level is so I have more room for a vanity.


texts: How do I float 3/4" plywood sheets over above grade concrete without nailing, screwing or gluing to the slab?

texts:
I have solid 3/4" oak hardwood strip that I am looking to nail into the 3/4" plywood that I bought for subflooring. I made this purchase over the pre-made systems because this is the greenest plywood I could find and I am very sensitive to some of the adhesives (VOCs, Urea-Formaldehyde etc...) used in lower grade products. The problem is these are plain old 4x8 sheets that do not have and sort of mechanism to fit together. I cannot nail or glue to the concrete since it is a condo. I was hoping a good underlayment will sort of hold things in place (Wishful thinking I know). I need a scheme to get the plywood down so I can finish my floor.

The concrete is lightweight concrete. I also do not want to pursue a staggered and stacked plywood scheme since I am already adding 1.5" of height to the floor.

Can I just lay the plywood down? Also how big an expansion gap do I need for the plywood subfloor? Is it possible to cut my own groves into the side? Could I maybe staple them together? In the videos I have seen to just tap the boards together.


texts: When do you use polyurethane vs. water based construction adhesive?

texts: When do you prefer to use something like Loctite PL, vs Loctite Power Grab?


texts: Installing a ceiling light fixture in USA that was purchased in HongKong?

texts: I purchased a light fixture on a recent trip to HongKong and someone told me that it would not be compatible with USA. Is this true and if so is there an easy way to convert it so I will be able to safely use it here?


texts: How do I fix this poorly designed double-rod towel rack?

texts:
Original question: How do I name/ describe this bolt so that I can search for and purchase it?
I have a troublesome towel rack that I’ve been fighting with, off and on, for several years. After much analysis it turns out to simply be a very poor design, allowing one of the hollow towel rods to fall to the floor.
Closely examining the design there are a pair of existing 1/2” 40-TPI #5 machine screws that I could replace with shoulder bolts, and securely attach to the troublesome rod with set screws, but I have no idea how to search for a shoulder bolt with a head that will accept (hopefully pre-drilled and pre-tapped) set screws perpendicular to the bolt threads. While a single set screw on each bolt head would be ideal, I could need up to three, to ensure the rod is properly held in place. The “shoulder part” of the new bolt will need to be at least an additional 1/2”-3/4” long, on top on the 1/2” threaded part.
How do I describe and search for the bolt I need? How likely am I to find exactly what I’m looking for? If what I’m looking for isn’t readily available, what modifications do you recommend I make to this proposed design?
Thank you in advance!
 The fully assembled towel rack. (The sides rotate apart letting the bottom rod fall.)

One of the screws to be replaced, the parts it fits together with, and inside the hollow rod.

close up of the troublesome joint assembled.
(I will need a “shoulder bolt” to extend through the funnel, and into the rod, where I can drill holes for the set screw.)


texts: Ok, I want to thank you for your time for reading my post. I need advice on how to remove this old candelier, I have already unscrew the two nails but the cover plate is still stuck to the ceiling, I have also tried truning it anticlockwise but no luck .


texts: What exactly is the purpose of the embedded screw *inside* the window half with two windows

texts:
You see that someone bore a hole with a screw in it, the problem is that it is in the right side of the window divider (?). On the other side there is absolutely nothing, no fixation or something else. Moreover it has been sloppily embedded.

Because it is hard to see: The screw has a Philipps head.

Could someone tell me the purpose of the screw if such a purpose exists?


texts: What should I do with this crack on an outside brick wall?

texts:
I have this long, but thin, crack on my outside brick wall and I was wondering what I could do to repair it myself (if it's even worth repairing). Winter is coming and I'm afraid it will get worse with frost/defrost. I have no signs of water infiltration inside. It's right under a window, if it matters.

Bought the house in June, previous owner never noticed it/didn't care.

First picture shows the length of the crack and second shows the wider spot (I'd say thinner than a dime)


texts: Low flow bathroom appliance doesn't activate tankless heater

texts:
I have a whole house tankless water heater installed, and so far it's nice except one problem. I also have a nonelectric hot and cold toilet mounted bidet installed. Since a high pressure jet would not make the bidet suitable for it's task, it's max output is less than 0.4 GPM.
The tankless heater has an activation flow rate of 0.4 GPM and the bidet fails to pull enough water to start it heating.
The current solution is to run either the sink or tub hot water to avoid a very cold jet of water in an uncomfortable place.
Is there a common solution to this issue?
I'm considering getting a 2 gallon mini tanked water heater for the bidet.  I think that should be plenty, but I'm worried that a small tank heater would have a lot of surface area and lose heat fast. It would have the advantage of being local and instant, as long as it was installed near the toilet.
Alternatively I could get point of use tankless water heaters. I have one installed in the kitchen in series with the whole house unit to boost the temperature for the faucet and dishwasher. That works good, but I'm having trouble finding one with a low enough activation flow rate for a bidet.
A third option is to use an electric bidet. This has some nice bonuses, but I don't really want to do that. They're expensive, and since they're all in one units, then each additional function is an additional point of failure. I'd rather keep the bidet and water heating separate. Further I already have the bidet, and toilet seat, and don't want to replace them if it's reasonable and possible.
So what I'm looking for is more information.
How is a low flow appliance normally handled with a tankless heater? Is the minitank a good solution energy wise? Should I look harder for low flow point of use tankless heaters? Is there something I'm not aware to solve this? Thank you.


texts: Can 2 - 6" flex ducts be combined into a single 8" rigid duct

texts:
I'm trying to clean up some sloppy HVAC work in my home prior to finishing my basement.   I have 2 VERY long 6" flex duct runs coming off the supply master that feeds the great room in my house.  Both runs make a hard 90 degree turn at one point as well, which i understand is a no-no with flex-duct.  Both ducts also run parallel to each other for most of the run.

What I'd like to do is combine the flex duct runs into a single, rigid duct up until the point where they would split.  Then use a T or Y to attach the flex for the last few feet of each.

I've been reading about calculating the CFM and it's making my head spin.  From what I've read, it seems that flex does have more friction than rigid.  THe area of 2x6" circles is 56.5486.  The area of a single 8" circle is 50.2655.  So, it's relatively close in terms of area.

Would I be OK using an 8" rigid duct prior to the split, or would I need to go up to a 10" duct.  Space is a consideration, as I may not have room for the 10".  THANKS!


texts:
I am concerned that the hot water heater and furnace in the duplex I live in is not up to code. They are installed in a crawl space which is “maybe” 4 feet high. The space is dirt & the water heater is dug down about 12”. There appears to be no space above the water heater. The furnace is not dug down that deep.
Is this up to code in Wisconsin, Marathon County? I don’t know who to call.


texts: multiple motion detectors wired together

texts: I would like to wire multiple motion detector light kits in parallel, so when one motion detector is tripped it will turn on all three lights.  Each light kit has 2 LED lights on it.  Schematic and text description below.


texts: How do I deal with 3" subfloor overhang and extreme joist notch

texts:
I have two distinct problems I found after removing a replacement piece of subfloor that a previous owner had cut and put in to place.

First is there is a very large notch (12") created in a joist so that a shower drain pipe could be set on it which causes a lack of support at one edge of my replacement piece of subfloor.

The second problem is, there's about a 2.5' section of the subfloor that will overhang the closest joist about 3", right at the edge of the wall. The problem is, the shower water supply and drain pipes run right under the wall base plate and along the closest joist keeping me from being able to sister the joist to add support.

The questions are:

1) Is having a 3" overhang at the edge and corner for that 2.5' (which will be under the new shower and up to about where the adjacent toilet sits, but not behind the toilet) be a problem, especially since I'm going to be laying tile over it?

2) If #1 is a problem (I suspect it is), is there any way to add support to this for the subfloor?

3) How do I fix such a large notch? Can I just sister a joist (with a smaller notch in for the pipe to it to add support?

I'm not opposed to having a structural engineer come in to devise a way of fixing it if needed, but with the current situation, they are not available around my area and probably won't be fore a while. I'd like to fix it myself if possible (and legal) otherwise I'll just have to close up the bathroom and wait until I can get someone.


texts: Range Hood Outlet Stopped Working. Fuse?

texts:
Our microwave is installed into a hood above the oven which also has a light and fan. The microwave suddenly turned off. When I test the microwave in another outlet it is fine. When I test a radio in the outlet built into the hood it does NOT work. Checked the breakers in the basement and it is ok. Reset it just in case, but no dice.

The fan and light in the hood are still working.

Above the hood in the cupboard is the fan enclosed in a very difficult to open metal box. I had serviced the fan a year ago and noticed a fuse up in there. I assumed it was for the fan.... but, before I go through the nightmare of opening that box again - is it possible for that fuse in the hood to be for the microwave's plug only? If so, our problem might be as simple as that fuse, otherwise I'm at a loss.

Thank you kindly.


texts: Are chainsaw helmets meant to protect you from the saw, or just falling debris?

texts:
I'm trying to get the correct protective equipment for a chainsaw. I see helmets that look like this

being sold for chainsaw use, but it's not clear if they are meant to protect your face from the running saw in the event of kickback, or if they are just to stop woodchucks from getting in your face and protection from falling branches.

Are these meant to stop the saw from injuring your face/head in the same way that chaps protect the legs?


texts: Why is the rough plumbing for a urinal so expensive?

texts:
When I built my house 7 years ago, I had them rough in a drain in the basement bathroom for a future urinal (which is in now).  After the fact, I found out this was like a $1500 addition.

My brother is building right now and got a similar quote.  Why is it so expensive?  In both situations, the urinal is "in line" with the sink and toilet drain line which is vented.  Seems it's a matter of $20 of PVC and some minor labor to install a T fitting...what am I missing?  Even it is was a separate drain line, it's about 10ft from the main drain stack/lift pump, and exposed (pre-concrete).

Also - neither of those quotes was for running the supply line, providing the urinal, or installing it.  Just to rough plumb additional drain.


texts: How can I find where the dryer vent is broken or clogged?

texts: I live on the second floor of a three story condo building.We had a company come in to clean our dryer venting, and they said they could not pull a vacuum.The company said that that the venting is clogged or pulled apart.How do I find were it is clogged or pulled apart without tearing down my entire ceiling or wall?


texts:
We're having an HVAC unit replaced. The unit has been removed and the contractor is coming back Monday to start installing the new unit. We'd like to do something about the terrible floor that is in that closet.

The existing floor is many layers of old, uneven, cracked tile. The topmost later is a vinyl sheet that covers most, but not all of the floor. What can we put over this that would be fast and easy?

Would vinyl sheet be resilient enough to smooth out some bumps? Is there something we can apply to the old floor to even it out some?

We don't need anything nice or pretty - just something a little more sanitary. We don't want to make this a major project, but would like to take the opportunity to make a small improvement.


texts: Can you use chlorine bleach and baking powder in a dishwasher for mold / grime?

texts: I used a bit in the wash, but my dishwasher wound up sudsing. Did I just use too much? There was some baking powder in there as well.


texts: Remove a problematic bathroom thumb lock

texts:
I have a broken door lock mechanism that needs replacing so I removed the door handles on both sides and moved on to the thumblock but I could not find the expect allen key fitting that normally holds these in place. Now looking at each side I can't see a way of removing either side to get to the screw covers to pop it off as normal.

Any idea how to get the thumb and safety off to get at the screw plate with no allen key present on either?

As you can see the screw cover won't come off over the top and I can't see how to get the safety off or the thumb either.


texts: What are these spongy/soft spots on my hardwood floor?

texts:
The house I recently bought has hardwood floors, but I've noticed that some spots are spongy when I walk over them. There is visible downward flex in certain spots to an observer of someone walking across the room. I took a coin and tapped across the floor, and the spongy spots have a hollow sound.

What is the cause of this, and is there a remedy without tearing out the whole floor?


texts: Can a lack of oxygen cause septic tank deterioration?

texts:
After 2 years I had my 8 year old septic tank pumped out for the second time. When we looked inside we found that the area above the outlet had concrete deterioration. Whatever happened ate through about 1/2 to 1 inch of the concrete. Doing some research I read about the lack of oxygen can cause a form of acid which can do this.

Is this correct, and will an aerator system resolve the problem?


texts: How to cut away ceramic from a sink that doesn't fit

texts:
I need to remove the stem for the faucets from my bathroom sink.  However, the people who built this house (10 yrs old so fairly new home) messed up.  I think this is what happened.  They cut holes in the granite and plywood for the sink, faucets and spout.  They installed the faucet and spout first, then tried to undermount the sink.  However, since they didn't measure correctly, the rim of the sink hits the hot and cold water faucet/stem.  They barely cut enough of the sink away so that it fits but now, I can't turn the retaining nut on the stem because the sink is in the way.

Here's a photo of what happened .

My question is how do I cut away more of the rim of the sink so I can remove the stem?  One person suggested to get a "Dremel" and cut away the rim from the retaining nut without removing the sink (less work)

Someone else suggested to take the sink out (which means cut the sealant and caulk, remove the wood holding the sink, remove the piping) and cut it with a tile cutter.  Or instead of cutting, do this every time we need to replace the stem, which seems like a lot of work.

Which is the best/easiest way such that a noob like me won't mess up?  Both ways I'm a little concerned because if I mess up and destroy the sink, I have to replace the granite, along with the sink since I don't think I'll find a sink that is the exact size as the existing hole.


texts: Why is my electric water heater not working?

texts:
I have electric heating in my flat. My water is not heating up even though the timer light comes on and the immersion light comes on.

Any idea what it could be?


texts: How to wire main feed in a tiny house subpanel for 120v and 240v?

texts:
Initially, I'm going to be plugged into basic 120v from an outlet.

However, I'll be moving in a year, and want to be able to plug into 240v if available.

How to achieve this flexibility in the subpanel? I'll need two outlets obviously, but will I need to just rewire the input to the main breaker when I switch between 120v and 240v?

Also, I bought a Homeline 100A main panel. However, the main 100A breaker it came with is setup for double pole. How do I connect 120v, 8-2 to this safely? Do I just have to connect to one side only with the one hot line and leave the other side non-functional?


texts: Is it true that one hinge bears most of the load on a typical 3-hinge door?

texts:
This is an anecdote I've heard from time to time, but have not read any systematic evidence for.

Given that a geometrically perfect door fitting would be difficult (if not impossible) to achieve, are there any proven methods to minimise asymmetric load-bearing on a heavy 3-hinge door?


texts: How can I eliminate the need for the switch controlling living room receptacles?

texts:
I am new to home improvement, so please be patient with me. I'm sure my ignorance and lack of vocabulary are going to shine through! I'll try to answer any questions and clarify anything to the best of my ability.

I just moved into a house and have noticed that all of the outlets in my living room that are controlled by a switch. Top and bottom outlets.

How can I change this to eliminate the need for the switch? And what can I do with the switch that is in the wall?


texts: Lights turn off when dimmer switch is at 100%

texts:
I have various dimmer switches around the house.  Some of them have an issue that when the lights are at their brightest the lights switch off.  When switching the lights on you have to then hold it in to make the lights go just below most bright and it will then not switch off. Sometimes this can be tricky...

It's espcially tricky after a power cut when all dimmers default to full brightness again.

What is the cause of this?


texts: Two countdown timers connected to one inline fan — Does it work?

texts:
I'm planning on replacing two old bathroom fans with a single inline model installed in the attic (Panasonic WhisperLine). It will be connected with the two bathrooms through a Y-duct and exhaust outside through one exhaust vent in the roof.
There is an existing question from many years ago, but I still don't quite understand how to control this from both bathrooms.
If I want a countdown timer, can I install one in each bathroom and connect both sets to the fan in a boolean OR configuration? Do the circuits need to be isolated, like with a diode? Is there a solution that puts a single timer near the fan and is triggered by switches in the bathrooms?


texts: Does the side of Hardibacker cement board really matter?

texts:
I saw somewhere that the rough side should face out in case of thinset and smooth in case of mastic. I hung some boards randomly before knowing so some smooth sides are facing out and I'll be using thinset.

Does it matter to the extent that I really need to redo?


texts: What profession/company is specialized in home air leaks?

texts:
We have purchased a condo a couple of years ago. We had it inspected by a pre-purchase-home-inspetor company as it is the common thing done around here.

We live near Montreal in Canada, where it can get cold during the winter (-30°C), so the inspection included a thermal reading (thermal imaging) of the home to spot where heat could be lost. The inspection was done during the month of May, while the temperature outside was quite comfortable (15°C). So of course, it did not spot anything outstanding.

The following winter, we got faced with frozen pipes issues (no leakage, thank you!), and well, general "Geez, it's cold in here" while getting up in the morning.

I'm aware of a couple of places where we blatantly lose heat (stove hood, fireplace chimney, window cracks), and I feel we lose more heat from this kind of spot than a badly insulated wall.

I'm clueless about what I should Google to find a company that would help me find all of these issues. I can find a bunch of thermal imaging inspectors, but I don't feel that they will be of any help (the winter temperature is already fading way).

What are companies who specialize in that called?


texts: Abs shower drain wtih 2 90° elbow to p-trap in shower drain

texts: I am rebuilding shower, and i have a little issue with drain, I need to move it back and to left, the only way to do it as I figured it out it's to put 2 90° degree elbow together than in to p-trap,I have a picture, and pipe sticking out is part of P-trap I was gonna cut in down and add 2 90°elbows. I wonder if it's ok to do that? Or what my options could be here? thank you for help and answers!!!+


texts: Correct voltage of hot wires with common neutral

texts:
I just bought a house and am changing around some outlets in the garage, and I want to make sure the electricity is wired properly. There are 6 wires in a conduit going to the garage, three hot (red, purple, and blue) 2 neutrals (white), and one ground (green). Each of the hot wires has their own circuit breaker. Red and blue were wired to share a common neutral, and purple had it's own neutral. When I used a voltmeter and put one lead on red and one on blue it reads roughly 0 volts, when I do the same for blue and purple it reads roughly 240 and purple and red also 240.
Should red and blue share a common neutral? My guess is that I should rewire it so that red and purple or purple and blue share a neutral, but I want to confirm.
Thanks a lot!


texts: Can I temporarily ground an outlet in my home to use a pressure washer outside it?

texts: Can I temporarily ground an outlet by attaching a wire to its central screw and then to a grounding rod situated outside my house?  I want to use an electrical pressure washer, but it requires a ground that none of my outlets have.


texts: How NOT to use a power drill. What are common mistakes that should be avoided?

texts: While I know how to operate a power drill in general (by the manual, so to say), I am wondering which things I should avoid of doing to it, in order to get the best out of the drill. I want to know about things that I might use a power drill for, because it seems like a genious idea, but which put the mechanics and electronics at danger. As an example: I see and am tempted to  tilt the drill in a hole or apply perpendicular force on the drill bit as in milling. While I think this is a common idea and practice, I am not sure about how much damage this does to the drive, if at all.


texts: How far in from the wall do the first brackets go when hanging closet rod?

texts:
I need to add closet rods to a very unusual shaped closet.  I'm awaiting exact measurements, but what I have is:  Door Width 31", Trim around each side of door inside of closet 2", Depth of closet from door to back wall 5-6'.  This is a narrow deep closet.

I want to hang and upper and lower bar.  I plan to put the upper rod wall to wall, with the rod being above the door - of course not all space can be used unless the door is taken off.  The second rod, assuming the cavity is really only 5', will only be 24" to allow for the door to sweep back to the right - across from the poles.

I can get a metal 8' 1 1/4 " diameter pole and cut the first 24" off for the lower rod.  The upper rod will be cut from the remaining 6'.

I plan to use heavy duty shelf and rod supports to provide support at each end and the middle if necessary.  I could instead (or also) use closet pole sockets on 3 of the ends on the two poles.  Do those work best, or the brackets, and if brackets - how far in from the end of the rods does one start placing brackets?

I've seen recommendations saying to place the brackets every 18", but that feels excessive for these lengths.  I'm thinking about 2 for the lower bar and perhaps 3 on the upper bar, but don't know how far from the ends to start.

What is the correct approach?


texts: Dimensional treated yellow pine lumber, non-standard widths?

texts:
I ordered lumber from Lowes for building deck beams, but now I realize after putting up the beam that while they are all level, the boards are of slightly different widths.

Of the 2x10 boards I had for both the ledger and the beams thus far, everything tells me that they should be 9 1/4" actual, when in reality they are mostly 9 1/2" and some of the beam boards are 9 3/8" actual.

Is this normal for weather treated wood to swell a bit after it is planed and cut?  Any ideas on how to get the joists to set evenly on the beams now?  I figured if a beam is slightly too high then I could notch the top of the beam for the joist, but if it is too low by a 1/4" perhaps that I might have to shim it?

This is sort of throwing everything I know for a loop.  When I get dimensional lumber then it should all be of uniform width.  Apparently this is not true anymore.


texts:
i try to build a really small closet, we have a limit space.
I was wondering if i have to put Jack and King stud, and Cripple?
what do you think of this plan


texts: I am installing a new Leviton Dimmer Switch (model number DW1KD) to replace a normal wall switch.  My electrical to the existing switch has only two black wires (I do know which is hot), and a ground wire.  The Leviton Dimmer has 5 wires, but only 4 (black, white, green and red) are required to be connected for a single pole install.  My dilemma is, where does the red wire go?  Currently I have the hot black cable connected to the black wire on the dimmer, the white to the other black neutral wire, and the green to ground.  This does power the switch itself, but does not turn on the light.  Can anybody tell me how to hook up the red wire in this instance???  Thanks in advance for your help!!


texts: Any ideas on how to remove the back part of this fire surround?

texts:
I’m really struggling to remove the back part of my fireplace. It’s made of marble and stuck onto the wall, which is made of plasterboard as far as I can tell.

It seems like it’s stuck on with a type of adhesive which are placed in big blobs in the corners and middle. It’s quite rubbery / pliable.

I’ve tried using a chisel and a hammer, which isn’t making much progress. I’ve also tried sawing through, but that doesn’t really work either. I’m a little worried that I’ll end up ripping big chunks out of the plasterboard.

Any advice would be welcome, photos below.

Fire Surround

Adhesive


texts: Securing heavy-load shelves onto a sandy wall

texts:
I have tried to install shelves with simple plastic wall anchors. These are Ikea wall shelves with one big metal bracket. The wall is apparently very sandy and I can feel the bracket pulling the anchors and bolts out even with a weak pull of my hand and these shelves are meant for a heavy load.

I can see this post on the subject and I have three questions:

Why can't I simply use metal sleeve bolts in concrete wall?
Is there any practical way to find out what is the wall's material? I am not sure if it is blocks, concrete or something else.
If it is not a concrete wall are the solutions in the link still valid?


texts: My contractor just installed our new 65 inch TV into our wall. The problem is it's about one inch too high. There are now 9 holes drilled into the wall, and only 2 holes is into wood. The rest is with plastic anchors into drywall. Would it be safe to remove these screws, patch the holes with wood filler, and remount the TV one inch below? The TV weighs 65 pounds and uses Samsung's no gap wall mount.


texts: How do I raise light switches so my kids can't keep toggling the light?

texts: My flat at the moment has all the switches at about 1 meter off the floor. Naturally my growing kids are starting to toggle the lighting now that they are tall enough. Is it possible to raise the switches and is it a DIY job? Can you list out the stages I will have to do including making a new hole in the wall etc. etc?


texts: Should I reinforce the floor over my basment to tile bathrooms?

texts: I want to tile my bathrooms in the house I'm remodeling. They are over a basment with 2x8 joists 16" on center. The span over the basement is around 12ish feet. I put 3/4 OSB and plan to put 1/2 backer and tile. Will this work as is or should I add a 4x4 beam under around the midway point with a 4x4 to the floor of the basment. My wife would rather not have a beam in the middle of the basment but if it's necessary I would rather do it


texts: What kind of tub spout connector is this?

texts:
The diverter in my bathtub spout has stopped working, and I want to replace the spout. When I removed it, I found this adapter, which appears to be soldered to the copper pipe (or at least I was unable to remove it, and I don’t see any threads behind it).
Can anyone identify what type of adapter this is, or help me find a spout that might fit? Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll need to bring in a plumber to give me a more standard setup with a 1/2” nipple coming out from the wall. Really hoping I can avoid that expense.

The outer diameter of the threaded part at the back is about 1-1/4”.  I’ve been unable to find any spouts that fit that. All the ones I’ve found fit only 1/2” or 3/4” pipe.
There are no marking on the adapter or the old spout, so I’m not sure what brand they are.


texts: Is tying a knot in an electrical wire safe?

texts: In order to keep a hanging pendant light from falling through the cover plate in the ceiling I tied a knot in the electric wire, as a stopper. Is this safe, or did I just create a fire hazard? If it's unsafe, what can I use as a stopper on the electrical wire of a pendant light?


texts: Ceiling fans tripping arc fault breakers

texts:
I an apartment complex I have a lighting circuit that is not on an arc fault breaker. There are 2 ceiling fans on that circuit, each having its own fan speed control.

Intermittently when fans are turned on it trips the other arc fault circuit breakers. I have been in 2 of apartments and have had in both apartments 3 out of 4 arc fault breakers trip at one time. They all have a full range fan control Lutron and I tried a 3 speed control and it made it worse. Does anyone have any ideas of how to fix? I am wondering if it is a surge or harmonic distortion.


texts: Where should I connect the C wire in my furnace, trying to upgrade my thremostat?

texts:
I am upgrading my thermostat to a Honeywell Wifi one, and would like to add a common wire. My current furnace controller has 3 blue wires at the 24 v end of the transformer. Which of these (blue) should I use to connect my blue C wire?

Circuit diagram  below:


texts: replacing older switches/outlets. House wired 12/2. Breakers with 2 small sw for 15a service. What switches/outlets to use?

texts: house wired with 12/2.  Uses breakers with two small switches I assume for 15a service.  Trying to replace sw/outlets with modern units.  Old units took the 12ga wire for push in connections, are there modern units that will do the same?  All I can find are units that only take 14ga.


texts: How should I complete the installation of my flooring where a gap remains against the wall?

texts:
I am laying laminate flooring in a room and unfortunately my calculations were off and I am left with expansion gaps of about 2.5cm to 4.5cm (0.97in to 1.77in) along one wall (see picture).

Is there any recommended way to fill this in so that my baseboards can be installed?


texts:
My refrigerator stands on the floor unevenly. Its slant is small but enough to make the motor produce unpleasant noises. If I manually tilt the refrigerator a little bit, the noise disappears.

Unfortunately the refrigerator's 'legs' are not adjustable. I tried putting various pieces of plywood under corners. It helps a bit, but finding the right thickness of such piles is hard, and so far I failed to achieve a satisfactory position of the fridge.

What could I use to gradually adjust the vertical position of a large heavy box which is the refrigerator? Some kind of miniature jack screw?

The distance from the floor is about 1/4".


texts: How can I cu a heart-shape out of wainscoating that has been nailed together?

texts: I am in the process of trying to figure out how to cut out a heart shape from wainscoting that has been nailed together.  I want to leave the nailed wainscoting in tact. What power tool should I use?


texts: Do kitchen undermount sinks always attach to the granite / quartz or do I have to make a precise hole in the 5/8" plywood

texts:
Do stainless steel kitchen undermount sinks always attach to the granite / quartz or do I have to make a precise (routed?) hole in the 5/8" plywood to drop the sink and, have it be supported by the plywood and then just have the quartz counter sit on top?

This is my exact sink


texts: It has three slits around the edge and no groove in the middle.


texts: How to repair walls which have two layers of wallboard?

texts: We have ordered new counter tops which will be installed over existing cabinets. We had the back splash demo-ed, and found there are 2 layers of 1/2" wall. What is the best way to repair and prep for new tile without adding two layers to the patches? Should we attach wood to the studs? Add 2 layers again?


texts: Converting I+ I- thermostat to 'standard' wiring

texts:
I've been replacing my thermostats with the RadioThermostat CT50, which reports to my home-brew home control/alarm system.  I have a 3-year old AireEase 4-ton unit in the shop that has a Comfort Sync 103796-03 smart wifi thermostat. When I removed it, there are only four connected wires, two of which go to terminals marked I+ and I-.

I googled this and found that this is some kind of communications bus architecture that sends heat/cool/fan signals over just the two wires.

The guy that installed it says 'you should be able to convert it fairly easily', but I am sort of stonewalled here.  I have plenty of unused wires in the thermostat cable. I was thinking I may have to change out logic or comm boards in both the heat pump and the furnace. Has anyone done this successfully?

Easiest course is to just put the ComfortSync back, admit defeat, and have one 'bastard' thermostat. But I would REALLY hate to do this unless there is lots of $$$ involved.

The upper photo is the air handler, lower is the heat pump.  Could this be simply a matter of installing the thermostat and connecting the W1,W2,Y,G,R leads to the terminal strips in the photos?


texts: can anyone identify the materials in this wall? It's an interior wall in a 1930s UK house. Obviously ... bricks, and the outside is some kind of lime plaster I think. What is the black material?


texts: Is this long drywall crack a big concern?

texts:
The house was built only 5 years ago. There were several hairline cracks after 1 year as the house started settling and the builder patched them, but more cracks have appeared since then.
My biggest concern is about a long crack on a pillar in the morning room (see attached photo)
I am very new to owning a home and have little DIY knowledge. I was going to start looking up youtube videos on fixing hairline cracks, but this one makes me think that I might need to hire a professional drywall repairer.
Here is another one that does not look as terrible, but still worse than the normal hairline cracks. This one is on the wall adjoining the stairs. The crack extends upward quite a bit in a straight line but is very thin towards the top.


texts: Run cat5e/coax parallel to power conduit

texts:
I am in the process of rewiring my basement and trying to route all my cables using J-Hooks along the rafters in my semi walk in crawlspace.  This includes running the cables to my new server rack.  Problem I have is contrary to my request to have the power plugs up in the rafters, electrician mounted them under the rafters.  Because of this, in order to get the trunk from one switch to the one in the rack, I need to run for about 4 feet, parallel to a power conduit.  Outside of it, but still parallel to it until the cat5 and coax (Comcast box in the rack), drop down into the rack from the top opening.  See setup below.

Right not cat5 is draping down to show it more visually, and can see in theory where I'd be dropping it vertically into the server rack.  Didn't want to install any hanging J-Hooks in that area until I knew if it was a good idea or not.  Technically have one sitting above the 30A plug if you can make it out.

I do have some Monster plastic cable wrap like this:

(broken image: http://www.rubbersealstrips.com/uploads/140828/1-140RQI515B6.jpg)

But thinking this isn't going to offer any protection if it's even needed.  Is what I'm doing a problem or should I not really see any issues with this?  If I will, any suggestions for alternatives or other types of wires?  Will be running basically 4 cat5 wires for a trunk between switches, 1 cat5 wire for the phone line running into the Comcast cable modem, and two coax runs, one to the cable modem the other to a media center PC recording shows.

Note, trying to avoid drilling holes all the way across the rafters from the left side to the right to run the cables themselves in the rafters, also hate to move them a foot or so forward into the room as then it encroaches on the top shelf of the shelving unit I have to the left of the picture (you can see the end of it in the first pic, and ideally rather not run this on the floor and then up.  Last one is because it's probably not ideal if basement floods and my current cables wouldn't make it then (last part not a big deal can cut more).

Thoughts?

Thanks.

JR


texts: I need to know what tool and instructions or suggestions  on how to make my kitchen drawer openings taller. The drawer faces are tall enough to cover another 3/4 " and i really could use that little bit of height. There is a quartz counter top installed and so i wont be able to use a normal type of router on the top drawers. Thanks


texts: What can I use to build a short retaining wall for a patio extension?

texts:
We want to extend our patio that is currently about 10 x 5 feet to about 10 x 10 feet.

Problem is there is a slope where the current patio ends. The next 5 feet has an approx. 1 foot deep slope.

My worry is that if I build a retaining wall and compact the newly filled slope, the compaction will destroy the retaining wall.

What would be a strong enough material that can withhold the compaction and the 1 foot deep filling?


texts: I need to repair some rotten 5"x3.5" (actual size) rafters (the one in the pic is the worst). I'm thinking about using a pair of unequal length 2x6s to create a sort of half-lap joint with the cut-back timber, and adding a trim board. Is there a better way? How do I make clean, square cuts to the rafter?


texts: Why does my Shower Faucet Stem have water on it after a shower?

texts:
Diagnosing a constant dripping from my shower, I eventually replaced the hot water faucet stem. I have not yet finalized it with sealant or plumber's putty, so to dry the area of any resulting moisture, I've been screwing on and off the compression sleeve and handle every time I want to use the shower.

But, I have been noticing that after I use the shower and subsequently remove the handle and sleeve, the faucet stem has a collection of water on it that I wouldn't expect if I had installed everything correctly.

A result of the lack of sealant? I wouldn't have expected that much water to collect over the duration of a relatively short use of the shower.
An issue with the packing nut? I thought that particular nut only controlled the friction of the turning of the handle.
An issue with the gasket or seat? These would cause leaks like I had before, out of the shower head, right?
What else would cause this?

Feel free to suggest corrections to my terminology in the comments.


texts: what is this unused brown wire in my thermostat wiring?

texts:
I replaced an existing Honeywell programmable thermostat with a new Z-wave enabled CT101-L thermostat yesterday. All went well, and the C, W, Y, R and G wires found their proper target connectors. The thermostat's working fine, and I'm able to control it remotely. (Haven't tested air-conditioning on account of the deep freeze here in Minnesota, but I'm assuming that's OK).

My question is about an unused brown-colored wire tucked back into the wall. This loops back on itself, and wasn't connected to anything on the old thermostat. I'm not sure where / how to trace this back to the furnace.

What is this wire? Is it an outside temperature / humidity sensor (which would be more than awesome), or just something that's a standard part of the cable (which probably is also good, so I can probably add said sensor). Or does using it somewhere unlock some more thermostat goodness?


texts: Bath room exhaust fan not working. The light is working on a separate switch right next to the fan switch

texts: I tested the fan and there is power. However the switch to the fan has no power. The light switch next to the fan switch is working.  Could there be a problem between the exhaust fan and the switch to block the power?


texts: What causes HVAC blower motors to go bad?

texts:
My Lennox HVAC system started working intermittently as of a couple of months ago and over that period progressively worsened. It just wouldn't blow air. I determined that the issue was not with the compressor but the actual blower motor. The thermostat (Nest) reports that everything works fine, the compressor outside is blowing but the blower motor is not working. That causes the coils indoors to frost as the blower is not blowing to dissipate it.
The way I tested was using the two connectors to the motor, high and low voltage. They are both fine and the manual says if that is the case, that means the motor is dead. The manual suggests to replace the motor.
I have not taken the motor out yet but I am curious, as this unit is only about 5 years old, what causes a motor to go bad? And can it be fixed, since I am not sure if mine is still covered under the warranty? It's a single speed motor and the model number of the handler is CBX27UH. I have been researching online and some posts indicate it may be due to a bad capacitor but I don't think mine uses a capacitor unless it is inside the motor itself.


texts: Wire color standards for ceiling fan and lights, power from the switch in the USA

texts: I'm wiring a brand new ceiling fan, and I'm curious if there's a color standard for which wire controls the fan vs the lights? Power runs to the switch, then to the fan. The run from the switch to the fan is 14/3 with white, black, red, and copper. White (Neutral) and copper (Ground) are easy, but is there a standard for which of red and black controls the lights and which controls the fan?


texts: How can I determine if my HVAC system has features which are not currently wired to my thermostat?

texts:
I recently upgraded to a Nest Thermostat. This new thermostat supports many more terminals and features than my previous thermostat. My old thermostat had the basic terminals; G,R,C,Y, and W.

I am wondering if my HVAC system supports additional features which simply were not used such as two-stage heating and cooling or control of the humidifier.

How can I determine what features my HVAC system supports? Are there terminals on the HVAC hardware which correspond to the terminal codes at the thermostat?

Would it be at all common or normal to not utilize some features of an HVAC system? I think that it would be rare, seems silly to invest in bells and whistles on an HVAC system then not use them for want of a relatively inexpensive thermostat.

Is this an accurate reference?

If my system supports additional features, is utilizing them as simple as running a new wire to my thermostat?


texts: Can I use dedicated pool heat pump for heating water in the house?

texts:
I'm going to buy a small heat pump dedicated to pools (around 3.5 kW total output). The pump would not be used for 6-7 months a year (autumn/winter); can I plug it into an existing water heating system to pre-heat water before it gets into the gas boiler (to use the pump year round and save on the heating bills)?
Yes, there are tangible savings from switching to a heat pump (it's around 2x cheaper than using gas boiler in my location). If you're unfamiliar with heat pumps: they're NOT electrical boilers, these are sci-fi devices that give out more heating power than their electrical consumption. The unit that I want to buy uses ca. 0.6 kWh of electricity but provides ca. 3.5 kWh of heat.
Please note that there is a dedicated heat pump unit that essentially does what I want (work in conjunction with an existing boiler), and it is supposed to be installed inside the boiler room (with an option to vent the cold air outside). I don't remember the brand so couldn't find it online; but this dedicated HP is rather expensive and, most importantly, I'll invest in a pool heat pump anyway that won't be used for 7 months in a year.
Those are my concerns / ideas why it might not work / possible problems, am I missing something obvious but critical?.. :)

Pool heat pumps [PHP for short] work when air temperature is higher than ca. 12C/50F — I will run it in the house, in the boiler room
PHPs are designed to heat water up to max. 35C/100F — not a problem, I'll use it for additional heating only (e.g. wire the heat pump instead of a recirculation pump)
Maybe PHP will never be switched on because the water in the tank will always be hotter than 100F?.. — the boiler is programmed to run during the day only, I think the water gets quite cold during the night
PHPs are built to handle corrosive pool water — hmmm that doesn't sound like a problem, more like a pro ;)
BUT maybe PHPs won't be able to handle water heated to 50C/120F?..
Maybe PHPs won't be able to hold/run water at around 2 bars pressure (what I have now in the tank)?

Anything else I might be missing?


texts: Elecrical panel box. Does it need a cover?

texts: I have a 200 amp electrical panel. It's all sealed, but the breaker switches are visible. My question is, do I need a cover or a door to hide the breakers from view? Reason I'm asking, the insurance company came and said I need to cover it. If that's the case, when I bought it and got it installed, why wouldn't have come with a door with a hinge to close?


texts: adding 15 amp device to 50 amp circuit: is this wiring going to work and be safe?

texts:
All devices are 240V, United States.
I want to add the "NEW" device and NEW wiring.  Both devices will never be used at the same time, for they would draw up to 65 Amps which will trip the 50 Amp breaker.
The NEW device has this "current device" in the plug, but I don't think this is the same as a circuit breaker, so I would need to add an inline 15 Amp breaker  ??
Is this going to work and be safe?  (It seems to me it will work:  I am an experienced engineer and I think I understand physics of electricity, but I am not a licensed electrician.)
Added after discussion: Thank you everybody!  I learnt a lot.  From all the comments, and reading lots of stuff online, I need 20Amp cable and breaker, not 15, and a subpanel with just one feeder cable from the main panel
, easily accessible.


texts:
I have a new build house that has a drainage on the side of the house as shown in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU_-fnvqCOI

I want to change this so that it does not drain on the side of the house like this but rather to the city drain system (i'm in Toronto).

How big a job would this be? Any advice or direction? Thank you


texts: How to continually monitor in-wall moisture content?

texts: There is an existing question about checking the moisture content of a wall, but I'm looking for continuous in-wall monitoring to check the integrity of the monolithic cladding throughout the house.  Insteon has a water leak detector with a 10 year battery but I'm not certain this can be placed inside a wall for this purpose ( accessed by a dummy wall switch ) as it picks up water vs moisture content.  I would be satisfied if I could embed a sensor into the baseplate inside the exterior walls.


texts:
I am experimenting with a floor design which would be heavy stone slab on a blocking lattice (no floorboards) or maybe on steel joists. Either way, such a design will allow a pretty rapid heat transfer through the floor.

Although the basement will be heated, would it still be desirable to insulate the floor by placing insulation under it? That would create two different zones.


texts:
My house is on a shared lot, and the water supply comes from a pipe supplied near the main house. We're not quite sure how everything is connected there, but from measuring pressure drops, we do know that there's (approximately) 100ft of 1/2" copper pipe leading to the supply at my house and that typically I see a 9psi drop (from 65psi) when running a showerhead (2.5gpm).

We also tested how my pressure varies when the main house is running water. I get extreme pressure drops when they activate a tub faucet. It goes from 65 to 49psi. I also typically get drops of around 5-10 psi when they turn on one or two showerheads (2.5 or 5gpm).

We're going to be redoing the plumbing in my place with descending lines from the attic since we have no real crawlspace access. I was wondering if there is a way to use a small holding tank (in the attic, around 4m above the supply entry) to buffer the water pressure so I don't experience quite as severe pressure losses when the main house runs water.


texts: Trying to add common wire to furnace for smart thermostat. Looking at wiring diagram, it looks like common wire off transformer is blue, switches wire color to white (via wire cap), then back to blue (via connector block), and connects to terminal TH on the ignition control module (SP-735A). Is this understanding correct? Can I just add a wire off the TH terminal (or off combustion blower relay) to get a common?


texts: What do the numbers on stick electrodes mean?

texts: I'm just starting out learning to weld, and decided to start out with stick welding. While digging through a pile of electrodes that were given to me, I noticed there are different codes printed on them. What do these codes mean?


texts:
How do I clean the brush after painting? How do I wash it?
Can I wash it in the sink? Probably not cause sink will be tainted with the paint.
Basically, practically speaking how do you clean the brush after painting?


texts: How should a water heater drain pan be installed on a concrete slab floor?

texts:
My water heater sits on a concrete slab floor in my utility room next to a wall with a bathtub drain, and a few feet over from my washing machine drain.  When I replace the heater I would like to install a water heater pan and have it connected to the tub drain (I haven't yet consulted a plumber about this--I assume it would be possible).

The issue I see is that if the water heater pan is sitting on the floor then the drain will--at best--be level.  Will the drain is effective in this scenario?  Would the heater need to be raised so that the drain could better be gravity fed?Would another option be altogether better?


texts: No power coming from c terminal on furnace

texts:
I am trying to set up a nest. My system was a simple heat only R/W wire set up.

I attached the green wire to the c terminal on my furnace, but no power is being fed from it, or at least the Nest is not turning on.

I see the existing red and white wires go to another brick, but it doesn't have anything labeled C.


texts: how to wrap/weatherproof corner when replacing corner trim

texts:
I am replacing some corner trim boards on my 1970s-construction house in Maine that have rotted a bit at the bottom.  My house has cedar shingle siding.

Main question: what should I do as far as wrapping or weather-proofing before putting replacement corner trim back up?  Also, after trim goes back up, do I caulk/seal between trim and shingles, or do I leave it unsealed as it was?

I have removed corner trim in one location to see what's underneath.  Photos below.

There is some tar paper (I think that's what it is) under the shingles but it is open at the corner.
One one side, the cedar shingles appear to be installed atop some sort of foil housewrap
On the other side, there is no housewrap - shingles are just atop the tar paper
The corner trim pieces were just adjacent to the shingles - no sealant/caulking in between.
Where housewrap exists, it was kind of folded around the shingles and was between the shingles and trim.

One main concern is that water can get between the corner trim and the cedar shingles and could work its way behind the shingles...although it doesn't appear that this has happened, as I don't see signs of water damage underneath.

In addition to the question of what should be done here, I'd be curious to know how bad/lazy it would be to just do nothing for weatherproofing and slap up replacement trim boards (given that I don't see signs of water damage underneath)?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Image of corner: note housewrap under shingles on left side but not on right

close-up of housewrap, which extends less than an inch beyond shingles in a few places

this was position of housewrap between shingles and corner trim: foil side faced the edge of shingles, and backside faced the trim


texts: What do I do about a VERY MOLDY dishwasher air gap?

texts: Just moved to a new place a few months ago and there is TONS of mold in the dishwasher air gap. Ive never had one before so I never thought to look inside to see what it was. I recently went to the doctor for breathing problems and she asked if I was exposed to mold. How do I clean it? could this mold be harming my health and is it getting mold in my dishwasher when I run it? thanks for any advice!


texts: Is a mix of copper and galvanized pipe a problem if dielectric unions are used where they meet?

texts:
Over decades, my house has accrued a mix of galvanized, copper, and pex pipe.  I've been told that one "should stick to one type of metal in your pipes or use pex." (here)

As long as dielectric unions are used where they meet, is there a problem with having both galvanized and copper in the same system?

If there is a problem with using both metals, what is the correct use case for dielectric unions?


texts:
Just moved into a house, and wanting to replace one of the 3 way switches with this item:

zwave switch

From what I can tell the two switches each have three wires in them, well 4 incl ground. They both have:

Common / Neutral (white wire)
Traveler (red wire)
Ground (copper wire)

One switch has Line - current is always flowing through it.
One switch has Load - current is only available depending on the switch position.

So two questions:

1) Is it normal that Line and Load are on two separate switches?

2) Based on the diagrams for the product, is there a way that I can wire the new switch to get it to work with my setup?

I tried adding line with the load to the new switch, and taking it off the other switch i.e. new switch has everything, then the other switch only has the traveller and the common, per the diagram. However that was no good.

I'm not 100% sure how the lights are wired, I can't access them easily.

Thank you!

edit - product wiring images (better quality in the link above):


texts:
My parents live in a country with very unreliable electricity. Something that happens very frequently is mains power will go out and when it comes back it will flicker for a couple of minutes. It has destroyed some of my parent's appliances already.

I'm looking for a device I could use to setup a delay timer (hopefully on the breaker box, but if not protecting each appliance) so that power to the house is delayed until there is continuous power for 2 minutes or so.

Is there anything like this? Would it possible to build such a thing if there is not?


texts: Did I do the right thing putting small stones under my deck?

texts:
I bought a foreclosure house last year (built in 1987), there is a tall deck at the back, and backyard is slightly sloped away from the house.

The deck was rebuilt from scratch before put on market (I imagine/guess the old deck might be in unsafe state? and thus need to be rebuilt; deck was painted dark-brown right after install, I saw some legs go vertical cracks from top to bottom)
During heavy rain, downspout at the back corner of my house was flowing out water (small rain fine, tried to unclog, no much help)

Those two things gave me some worry of water issue. (why the old deck became bad and neighbor's deck was fine? could it be due to watering issue underneath the deck causing the ground soft and old deck sank?)
Not seeing any leakage sign at the walkout-basement, but I somehow wanted to do some improvement to keep water away from foundation.

My neighbor got a tall deck, but under it there were a layer of stones (3”). I thought those stones were helping the area under the deck to be dry and avoid any water buildup around the foundation.

So I wanted to learn from my neighbor. But due to some issues, I ended up buying smaller stones (1” round), and I thought it might be a good idea to lay a layer of plastic sheet under the stones to prevent water sinking to the ground, so I did that.

Now my question is:

Did I worry too much and did the wrong/opposite thing? Water might actually not flow away due to the small stones keeping water underneath?
If I did wrong, what should I do now? Should I remove all the gravels? Should I dig a french pipe along the foundation wall?
Thanks so much.


texts: Nut &bolt or nail for railing construction

texts:
the railing im making will use nails, but the question came to mind:

advantages and disadvantages?

between using a  nut and bolt to connect two pieces of wood

and using a nail to connect two pieces of wood


texts: How can I install a Y wire for a Nest thermostat?

texts:
Installed a new Nest thermostat yesterday. My setup is a 4 wire system.
Green, Blue, White, and red. I have central air and gas heat. They had the Blue wire "C" into the Y for the AC. Since the Nest needs constant power, I had to use the "C" blue wire for constant power for the Nest.  Now I have no wire for the central air. How difficult is it to install a "y" yellow wire so my AC will work?


texts:
Today I switched out an receptacle and when I turned the power back on and checked the outlet with my receptacle tester, everything was good. I switched out another receptacle with no issues that is on the same circuit and then checked both of the receptacles again. This time when I tested the first receptacle, a spark flew and the circuit was tripped. I am not positive, but I think I tested the second outlet on that receptacle this time.

You can see that the second hot terminal is the one that is burnt. Also, the I took a picture of the original receptacle along with the new one. The other odd thing is that the original receptacle had the hot wire attached with a wire nut and an extra inch of wire, even though there is plenty of wire in the box.

Any thoughts about what happened and what needs to be done?


texts: How can I drill a big diesel tank without emptying it first?

texts:
Need to make a hole in a big steel diesel tank. I would say it has 5000 liters capacity, and it should have at least 2/3 filled or more.

Metal Sheet: At least 3 mm thick.

Drill hole is 1" or 2", not sure. It's for an ultrasonic meter.

Problem is if I go drilling, all the swarf can get into the diesel. Second problem is to avoid blowing myself up.

How would you do this?

This is a true case, not an academic question.

About diesel flammability, this is not the first time I hear something like:
it's diesel, you can light a cigar with a propane torch while drilling it

These are similar installation, most of them had detachable parts or had a NPT thread built in already.


texts: Replacing single pole light switch with dimmer

texts: I'm trying to replace a single pole light switch with a Leviton 6674 dimmer. This dimmer has four wires including the ground wire and a wire which is tagged and used for three-way applications which I won't be using. The problem is the old light switch did not have a ground wire attached nor do I see one loose in the metal enclosure box. I've been searching online for a similar wiring setup as this but can't seem to find it. I am just wondering how to properly install and ground this dimmer. The box enclosure is metal and I noticed two screws inside and at the back of the box with three different bare wires attached to these screws. I assume I will have to attach the ground wire from the dimmer to one of these screws. The left screw has one bare wire attached that originates from the top left corner of the back of the metal enclosure while the right screw has two bare wires attached that originate from the top right and bottom right of the back of the metal enclosure. It's difficult to see the wiring setup with the photos I took and the paint discolouring some of the wires so I included a rough drawing of the setup to help visualize it. I would include more photos but I am limited to two. The home in which this fixture is located is nine years old so I would like to assume that they wired it to fairly recent standards. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!


texts: Can I replace a Maximum Bulb Wattage (Watts) 25 halogen light bulb with 5w LED light bulb? Is it safe?

texts:
I purchased 2 of these for 185sf walk in closet.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kichler-Krystal-Ice-11-75-in-W-Chrome-Flush-Mount-Light/50355990
specs say that Max bulb wattage is 25 and come with halogen light bulbs. I replaced with 3w daylight white LED bulbs based on 25w number. The room is too dim. according to specs it is 230 lumens per bulb. each light has 4. 230lmnx4 lights x2 fixtures=1840lumens.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H2XVDRN/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I previously had 2 100w incandescent light there and it was almost bright enough. My guess is that some light is reflected toward the ceiling and that takes away from the usable light. By my calculation this was equivalent to 3200 lumens.

I tried to calculate how many lumens I would need in this room and come up with 30lmnx185sf=5500-6500lmn. 30 is based on what I read on the Internet.

Is it safe for me to replace these with 5w or even 7w LED daylight white 6000k?

I would appreciate an easy to understand answer for someone who is just an amateur, not electrically proficient.

Thank you


texts: Can I retrofit ground to a two wire outlet from a nearby grounded outlet?

texts:
This is in my garage. I am trying to add a second circuit in order to be able to run the dust collector and the table saw at the same time. I did run them on the existing circuit with no load and the breaker did not trip but I want o be on the safe side.

There is one circuit that enters the garage right where you see the GFI power outlet. I extended that to a workbench that I have to the left of the door on the left side (conduit not shown) and to the right to feed the garage door lift and to add one more power outlet also connected with a wire run through plastic conduit. This circuit is grounded.

Now I have wiring coming into the garage from the porch then it is run as seen down to the bottom level of the first garage front light. The cable goes into the wall outside to feed that light bulb and then it comes back it goes above the garage door opening and it lands on the other side of the garage door (not pictured) to feed the other garage door light (extreme right of the picture)
The above are on a 15A circuit that has a on/off switch in the house.

Can I run a ground wire from the power outlet that is next to the new power outlet that I want to add (highlighted in blue)?

..all my regular circuits are 15A ..


texts:
I'm trying to replace 2 dimmer switches with normal switches but I'm confused by how they are wired.  Each dimmer controls a different set of lights yet they are connected in a way.

1 dimmer has a red wire on the top right screw, a white on the bottom right and a copper ground on the top left.  From the bottom right screw there is an additional small white wire that then jumps to the bottom right screw of the second dimmer.  This dimmer has a black wire connected to the top right but no ground.

I was going to just put two new switches into place in the exact same configuration but the lights have been shutting off somewhat randomly and I'm wondering if it's because of how these switches are wired.  Is this configuration right?  If not how can I fix it?


texts: Wiring 2 lights with 2 switches in a double gang box

texts:
I am trying to wire 2 lights, one ceiling and one over my door for my porch. I have 2 switches in a gangbox already as well. This was the previous set up before I redid our porch.

Currently have 3 14/2 cables in my gangbox, 2 14/2 cables in the junction box for the ceiling light, 1 14/2 cable in the outside light.

Is there a proper set up for this, most things I have tried either only turns on one light over the door or blows a fuse in my panel