texts: Use a short ledger for beam on gabled pergola

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In the process of planning a gable roofed pergola. I'm planning on using a ledger board bolted to the house studs for the beams to attach too. I know I can run a ledger board all the way across the span between the beams but am wondering if structurally it would be fine to have a small ledger board for each beam. The following picture may make a bit more sense.

The top picture is a typical full size ledger with the beams attached on the edges in green.
The bottom is the idea for the ledger where the ledger is 2 pieces. Each piece is enough to span a few wall studs (~4') and is bolted to these.

The beam is a 3.5 x 9.75 x 14' glulam and will be attached to the ledger using a hanger. The ledger is a 2x10. Span between the beams is 16'. The beams will extend out 13' where they'll rest on 8x8 posts.
Would this idea work?


texts: Can I use a 20 amp and a 15 amp breaker on one 12-3 wire split into 2 circuits with a common ground

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Running from my house panel to my garage I currently have a 12-3 wire split into two circuits with a common ground, each circuit has a 15 amp breaker. I know 12 gauge wire can support a 20 amp but my question is can I run one circuit on a 20 amp breaker and the other on a 12 amp breaker with a common ground.

My reason for doing this is I want to run a slightly larger heater in the garage on colder days when I am working in there and once in a while it will trip the 15 amp breaker when it kicks on.

The garage currently has one 15 amp outlet on one circuit (the one I want to change to 20 amp) and the other circuit has a two 15 amp outlets and 2 50 w lights.

I hope this is clear. I look forward to the answers


texts: DIY lamp post using 4x4 pressure treated wood?

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I would like to build several lamp posts for my backyard. To cut costs I am considering dadoing a channel down the middle of a 4x4 for the wiring, and covering up the dado with "ornamental" wood tacked to all four sides. Does anyone have any experience creating lamp posts such as this or see a down side that I am missing? I cannot fine any plans or ideas on the web for such a project.

Any guidance or help would be appreciated!


texts:
I want to paint these two black storage wall units. I’m not sure if it’s oil-based paint.
Is this Zinnser 1-2-3 Bullseye primer suitable to cover the wall units?
What kind of paint type recommendations exist for book-shelf type units. We want a simple plain white. Latex? Enamel?


texts: Can I modify the plug of my new bath fan to fit the non-polarized receptacle?

texts: Can I file down the polarized plug of my replacement Pro Endurance bathroom fan to fit the existing female receptacle?


texts: Is it possible to only use one color of an RGB LED strip?

texts: I have been given some RGB rolls of led lighting. I only want to use the red or blue on a boat... can I cut it and only solder only 2 wires say to ground and R and get red, ground and B and get blue?


texts: Cutting and sanding/buffing galvanized steel

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I have 3/4" galvanized steel bars (hollow) that I bought from Lowes. I'm looking for a tool that will cut through them and sand/polish the cut surfaces smooth so that there are no metal burs or slivers; I need it to be completely bur/sliver-free by the time the sanding is done.

My first thought was that using a sawzall with a metal cutting blade would easily do the cutting, but then I'd probably need to use a hand file to sand it down, and that feels like it would take a long time to do it right.

So now I'm leaning towards purchasing/renting an angle grinder, and I'm hoping they come with different disks/heads for doing the two tasks I need done: (1) for cutting the steel and (2) another one for sanding/buffing the metal smooth. One tool to do both jobs and I've have it for future projects down the road as well.

So I ask: is this angle grinder solution feasible? If not, why and more importantly, what is?! And if so, then what types of disks/heads would I need to do both jobs? FYI I'm thinking about this Dewalt grinder unless anyone here has huge objections!

Thanks in advance!


texts: The house I am had an alarm system put in when the house was being built. The previous owners of our house used it but we haven't and all its been is a pain in the butt. Before it would beep when someone opened a door and we were finally able to turn it off. It was also causing a bunch of static noise with our phone line so it was unplugged from the phone line. Now all of a sudden it starting beeping for no reason. I looked on the keypad and could see that there was a problem (or trouble as it says) with the battery, timer, and phone line. I also have a dog has super sensitive ears and was freaked out by the beeping. I followed the manual for it and was able to clear the troubles and it stopped beeping. Now it started beeping again. I got fed up with it and pulled the keypad off the wall and unplugged the connector from the circuit board. I also unplugged the battery in the box as its been sitting in there for over 9 years and is probably dead. I tried to unplug the box but it looks like its wired in with some sort of converter below an electric wall socket where the breaker is and I didn't want to mess around with that. I'm wondering if I unplugged it right? Will the house alarm ever go off now that the keypad is unplugged?


texts: What kind of vent material can be used for gas dryer?

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Dryer at present butts up to vent sticking into the room.  This works just fine.

I want to put the dryer and washer on a plinth to make it easier to access.  I don't want to put the dryer further out into the room.

The plinth will put the dryer 7" up.  How do I route the vent?  What specs do I ask for?

I know that the aluminum foil light weight flex tube is a bad idea.

There is a type of flex tube available, but it's not clear if it's suitable for gas dryers, nor is it clear if it can be cut to a shorter length.  (All the ones I've found are 6 feet.  I think I need between 2 and 3 feet.


texts: What to do with broken outdoor lights that left the bulbs exposed?

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A hail storm has broken the outer casing of our outdoor lights, exposing the bulb.

What should I do?  Can I leave just the bulb exposed to the elements?


texts: toilet siphon has pressure beam of water

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I was wondering if it is normal that there is a pressure beam of water coming out from the toilet's siphon. And also, what I should do to fix this? I have the feeling this should not happen during 'normal operation'.

I tried tightening or losening the ring, but when I do, either the beam continues, or the beam stops, but still water is flowing into the toilet, even though the water reservoir is full.


texts: Why does the live wire terminal say 450V?

texts: I have three wall light fixtures that need to be wired in. There are two terminals - one is marked 450V, the other just has the manufacturer's name. I'm assuming the 450V terminal is for the live wire, but why does it say 450? The mains voltage here is 230. Is 450 the maximum potential difference the light can be safely exposed to?


texts:
In my front room I have 4 wall lights. Each light takes 2 G4 bulbs. I've put some 2.5w dimmable LED bulbs in them and they work fine. However, I want to make them dimmable and currently when I put an LED dimmer switch on the lights just flicker. The only reason I can think this isn't working is because the bulbs need a dimmable LED transformer. There isn't much room in each light fitting in which to put a transformer (5x5x2cm max). There's also barely any room behind the switch.

The only way I can think to do it would be to smash out the knockout box behind the switch and then somehow mount the transformer to the stud wall. Not really sure how I'd achieve that though. Any advice on this would be appreciated.


texts: Peerless Boiler proper pressure causing flushing sound?

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Our radiant heat boiler tends to "flush" very loudly every night. It seems to go on for awhile too. We have three zones and I think it just happens with the one zone in our bedroom. From my understanding, this may be caused by low pressure. First, could this be a cause of this flushing or running sound in the radiators? If so, what should the pressure be or does this vary? According to our gauge the pressure is at about 25psi.

I would like to get some idea of what the issue could be before we call in someone to look at it and fix the problem. Thanks.


texts: Would it be entirely crazy to cover my lawn with solar panels?

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I was just wondering how viable this would be and if this seemed too crazy. I have a fairly large lawn that just so happens be sloped and facing east. Assuming the city ordinances don't bar me from doing it, would it be a good idea to cover most, if not all, of the lawn with solar panels?  What other factors should I be considering?

(I'm new to this Exchange; I didn't know where else to ask this)


texts:
We have an uneven floor that when we first moved in tried to repair but were unsuccessful.  The root of the problem is a foundation slab which is uneven.  We could not even it because there is an unevenness between two walls and did not want to try to mess with slab under the walls.  So we actually took out the concrete and repoured the concrete but it ends up basicly the same (sheesh!!!!!).

We were in a rush to move in (new baby) and so we laid down hardwood floors onto the uneven concrete slab but the result is worse because when u walk on it u really notice this sudden dip.

Ive tried my hand at photoshop to try to draw the problem.  I'll also describe it in words here

WHen you are walking down the hall there is this sudden dip which comes on over the course of 2-3" as you walk.  The dip is about 2" deep as you walk forward in the hall, but also 2" between the two walls.  So you are dipping on two axis.  TO make matters worse, the entire hallway has a gradual decline as it goes to a bedroom.

The gradual decline is not the biggest deal to me, but the sudden dip is really killing this new house for me.  Any ideas on a good way to go about repairing this.  The one contractor I showed this too really rolled his eyes and swayed his head as if to say "this will cost $10million to fix".

My basic not saavy at all inclination is to rip out the hardwood floors, install some kind of plywood underneath to make some kind of straight level betwwen the two walls and have the plywood gradually go down until it reaches the level of the room at the end of the hall.  Then install hardwood ontop of this plywood.   Of course how do you even out the plywood.  I guess lots of sanding until its even.  I have no idea.

Thanks for any suggestions!!


texts: What is correct way for radiator plumbing/connection in multi-story flat

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We have some problems with central heating in our multi-flat house and I would like to understand something. Some flats have old-style radiators, and almost every flat has different way to connect to central pipe.

Please, can you tell me which of these variants of radiator connection is correct one, for multi-story-flat house, so everyone would get heat and noone would be able to "disconnect" every other radiator on line.

There is drawing, editable in Google Drive.

First floor is bottom, fourth floor is top one in this diagram. Red rectangles are radiators, blue frames are individual flats.

In reality, best solution looks like the one in 3rd floor, but I'm not sure, if any water will get inside radiator, because of equal pressure points in input/output pipes for radiator.

Maybe there are other variants too? Could you give such and tell me why that is better.

EDIT: I have come up with best solution, from my point of view:

I'm not sure, if such 3-way valves exist, but that would be best solution, it doesn't block neighbours from getting heat and it balances incoming pressure, by giving away excess to neighbours. But I'm really not a plumber, I'm programmer :D


texts:
Long story short, I have an attached greenhouse and I am in need of ideas. Let me know if you have any.

I attached images below of my attached greenhouse that I inherited from my previous owner. The greenhouse was in a terrible state when I inherited it. They had a flimsy tarp that blew off that I recently replaced. There are a lot of holes in the glass ceiling and the surrounding brick walls are pretty beat. Luckily the drain appears to work and I have been keeping water out of my basement.


texts: How to repressurise a Baxi Duo Tec Combi 24 HE boiler

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I'm currently having trouble trying to repressurise my boiler. Unfortunately, the YouTube tutorials and the manual look different to mine!

I've also added photos below to help.

Any help would be hugely appreciated. Many thanks.


texts: How to wire new outlet? (US)4 sets of wires

texts: Last night I had an outlet short out. From opening it and seeing the type, I can see why. I've installed and changed outlets, motors, etc before, but this one has me a bit stumped. There are two sets of wires to the top, and two to the bottom of the outlet, not just your typical line and load which you would pigtail. How would I go about wiring this to your typical household outlet? There's no gcfi.


texts: How to protect an old, internal windowsill?

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I recently repainted my room yellow, don't forgetting the internal windowsill. Here are some pictures:

As you can see in the third picture, the windowsill is all but flat (my house is very old).
Since the painting used is the same used for the walls it's not a "heavy duty" painting, not something that would last long on the floor for example. I would like to protect the windowsill somehow in order to avoid the painting to "come off".
I've thought of two main possibilities:

protective transparent painting
a protective, "second" windowsill made out of plexiglass/polycarbonate/whatever

The latter option is what I'd like more, the problem needed to be solved being mainly how to adapt the flat plexiglass to the uneven surface (some sort of adjustable feet maybe?).
Measures are 103x13cm, maximum allowable height of this protection is 5cm (if I want to still be able to open and close the window).
My question then is:
Have you got any suggestions for one or both the options I gave? Do you have a better idea?


texts:
From time to time I'll find a crack in some glass item I own where the crack isn't a structural issue, but is only a visual issue. The crack is visible because of the air in the crack causing a sudden change in the refractive index. I'm assuming there are no good ways to truly fix such a crack, but I'd like to make it less visible.

The obvious approach would be to drop on some water or oil that would fill the crack; this should stop the sudden refractive index change and hide the crack. But, this would only be temporary, as the water (and even the oil) would eventually evaporate or migrate away from the crack.

Are there any good, permanent ways to hide a crack in glass?


texts: Refrigerator water supply problems after replacing the filter

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Why is water from the dispenser slow after replacing the water filter on my GE Profile refrigerator? Plus, it is not making ice - can that be related?
A couple of months ago it stopped making ice.  I turned the ice machine on and off that didn't work.  I changed the water filter in the refrigerator and that didn't work either - but now the water is flowing extremely slow.
I contacted the building super (I rent a condo apt) and he said it could be the refrigerator temp is too low so he increased it.  That didn't help either.
I read other questions about the water coming out slow from the dispenser and it being a filter issue. I'm wondering if the filter issue could be causing it to not make ice too?
Please advise what to do to fix this.


texts: Why would a faucet still leak with a new cartridge installed?

texts:
I've replaced 3 faucet cartridges in my house.  The 2 oldest repairs/replacements (replaced about 1.5 yrs ago) are still good.  The most recent one is about 4 months old but it has started leaking again.

When I went to get the replacement cartridges, I brought the bad one to the store to match up so it should be the correct one.

Is there anything I should look at to fix it to stop it from leaking again?  I doubt I did anything wrong since the other two are still ok, although it's not outside the realm of possibility that I made a mistake.

I plan to replace the rubber seats (the rubber thing sitting on top of the spring) first before I buy a new cartridge to try out but in case both of these steps don't work, what should I do since logically, replacing the cartridge should fix it?


texts: When is it OK to use stranded wires in fixed installation?

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I have heard many times that fixed installation requires single core wires while the flexible stranded wires are designed for movable devices like vacuum cleaners and TVs.

I know that a stranded wire has two primary disadvantages compared to a solid core wire:

It is more prone to oxidation (due to larger surface area for the same cross-section area), making it inferior for permanent installation.
It is thicker for the same cross-section area.

However recently I saw in Spain that professional electricians were installing stranded 240 V wires in a commercial building. This made me wonder if what I had heard before was outdated or I might be missing something.


texts: How to choose drill bit for tapping a hole in metal - and what did I do wrong?

texts: I need to drill a hole in metal for a 0-80 screw.  So I bought a tap labeled 0-80.  Then I looked at this chart: https://homerepairgeek.com/define/tap-drill-chart.html.  I think it says to use a #50 or 52 drill bit, so I bought a #52.  However after I drilled a hole with the #52 bit, I found that the hole is too large for the 0-80 tap.  Did I do something wrong?


texts: What is the purpose of this Y shaped bit?

texts:
I have bought a bits set and there is this bit:

It is a Y shaped bit, and there is a groove on the inside of the branches. The angle is approximatively 90˚ (a little more).


texts: How to build a sturdy forest road gate out of roundwood?

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I want to build a road gate for a forest road apx. 10ft wide. I've fixed a gate at home and learned that hinges are a key point of failure and are strained more by weight and length of the gate. Given how long a road gate is, and how heavy long logs can be, how can I make the gate sturdy? Here's an example of the gate I'm imagining, but I'll be using freshly cut or recently fallen timber.

Specifically I'm wondering what properties the hinges should have.

My plan so far:For wood I'll use ~3-4" diameter poles of spruce and/or cedar. I figure I'll dig a hole with a post-hole digger, bury a post on both sides of the road, building the gate out of two logs at an angle to connect high and low on one of the roadside posts via hinges.

Should I have any additional parts, like some brackets, springs, and/or tension cables to help keep it sturdy? I want to build it to last, but I also know that over-engineering a gate too much can make it too heavy or complicated.


texts: Ok I have 2 switches right next to each-other on the box. One does the light in the fan/light combo, and lights above my my medicine cabinets. The other, JUST does the fan. Im tired of people taking showers without use the exhaust fan, so to skip all of the pleading and asking politely, I figured I'd just make one switch do everything. There could possibly be 2 power sources im being told, and something about just cap off the neutral from the switch that is no longer going to be used, and just match up the black and red from there to the switch that will be the only one working. Im not entirely confident in my skills but I know how to NOT kill myself. Just a simple diagram showing either scenario would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
My kitchen sink is emptying very slowly. The pipes under the sink are clear. So the blockage must be somewhere in the pipe from the wall on. Unfortunately the curved pieces of pipe are in the way and I need to remove them.

Guessing from what I removed with a knife at the point pointed by the three arrows, it is glued together with silicone but when I attempted to remove it, it didn't budge :(

I don't want to force it and break something. Any suggestions on how to get it unstuck?

EDIT: Fixed picture as it was not clear. Also, should clarify, I am trying to separate the grey piece from the one coming out of the wall.


texts: What size posts for elevated Kids play house?

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I'm building an elevated kid's play house. The raised platform will be 6' - 8' off the ground. The platform will be 8' x 10', the house will take up half of the platform and maybe less. I'm planning on using 48" 2x6 braces at each corner angled 45 degrees from the platform to the support posts. Can I use 4x4 posts in each corner to support this structure? Do I need more than 4 posts? Should I be using 6x6 posts?

The current plan calls for using 2 x 10s for the joists. The end joists will be 96" 2x10s. These will be spanned by seven side + common joists which will be 117" 2x10s spaced 16" apart. I've been reviewing load tables for the joists and may reduce those to 2x8s if possible. However, I haven't been able to find similar information for the support post requirements.

EDIT 12/9/15 Platform size increased to 10' x 12', with beams running the 10' span and joists resting on the beams the 12' (technically the joist span 11' 9"). All the decking code I've seen supports using 2x8s for the 12' joists (pressure treated #1 SYP). Thanks for the answers and comments.


texts: Can I move a light switch from a 3 gang box to a second 3 gang box above it?

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new to the forum so sorry if this is a little confusing. I just moved into a newly constructed home. At the front of the house, there are two 3-gang boxes an inch on top of one another. They are all on the same 15 amp circuit controlling entryway and outdoor lighting. The top box consists of 3 3way switches. One controls the lights on the stairs to the second floor, and the other two control outdoor lighting. The bottom box has 2 single pole switches and a 4 way switch. The first single pole controls more outside lighting. The second controls the entryway chandelier. The 4 way controls recessed lights in the entryway. It makes no sense to me why this wasn't wired with the 3 inside lights in one box and the 3 outside lights in the other. To change the order without completely rewiring, I am adding Lutron Caseta smart switches to the respective 3way/4way switches and placing a wall mounted pico remote in the switch locations in the front of the house. I can program these to wirelessly control any lutron switch, allowing me to change the order of 4 of the 6 switches. However, that leaves me with 2 single pole switches in the same box, one controlling outside lights and the other controlling the chandelier inside. I included a picture of my halfway point of changing the switches. The single pole switches are red and multiway are black.
Is there an easy way for me to move the chandelier from the bottom to the top box without removing all the wiring and box? I thought about somehow drilling a hole and pigtailing between boxes, but I'm assuming this is against code. I know this sounds like a lot of work for little gain, but I've been in the house for 3 months and my wife and I can never remember which is which.


texts: Three of 4 kitchen ceiling lights not lighting

texts: There are four kitchen ceiling lights with single switch. They fit 4 pin CFL bulbs. Only one of the 4 working. Tested with the new bulbs. Why only one works though all 4 has same switch? Thank you.


texts:
I've got an interesting drain layout in the kitchen.  Our water supply lines to the sink come up straight through the floor as is typical around here.  However, the drain does not.  It drops down and over at an angle and goes into the wall before dropping into the crawlspace.  This is an outside wall, and I'm in a region that can see as low as -20 F during the Winter.

Currently, the drain pipe goes through a larger hole which is not caulked/sealed in any way.  I'm sure I'm losing heat in the Winter because of that.  However, I'm concerned that if I were to caulk around it that I might encounter freezing issues.  Is freezing in drain pipes a thing to worry about at all?


texts:
Apologies if this question is misplaced. I'm needing to know the required thickness of a glass viewing window when installed in a large plywood/steel constructed aquaculture tank (for a home / DIY aquaponics setup).

The nominal measurements for the inside of the tank are 12ft length x 8ft width x 6ft height/depth. Filling to the brim would put about 4,308 US gallons of water, but for the sake of calculations let's say the working fill is 4,200 US gallons. This means there will be about 35,050 lbs of water in the tank. This means the uniform loading at the bottom of the tank is about 2.53psi, or 365 psf.

The glass windows will be set into a framed opening that will support them all the way around and will prevent the need for the glass to flex. I've not decided how large the openings would be, it likely depends on cost of the glass.

I'm curious as to the relationship of not only the thickness of glass vs strength but also the span capabilities. E.g. I imagine if I had a 5ft x 5ft piece of glass only supported at the edges it might need to be slightly thicker than if it also had a beam running down the middle of the glass. 5ft span vs 2.5ft span.

I understand that the pressure exerted on the walls of any tank holding a liquid increases with depth so I hope I am correct in assuming that if the bottom of the viewing window did not extend all the way to the bottom of the tank I might need less strength for the window.

There is also the question of tempered vs non-tempered; I would appreciate if someone could tell me either way which one is best for this application.

Thank you!


texts: Overhead door doesn't close with one sensor not lit

texts: The problem I'm having is that one of the sensors near the bottom of door has a green light and the other one doesn't light up. If I hold the button on it will close.


texts: Is it possible to install backer-board on a curved surface?

texts:
We are replacing the carpet around our Heart Shaped tub with tile.  For better waterproofing we are using cement board on the top surface.  The tub is sunk in the concrete floor with a 7" step up to the edge of the tub on one side. The other side of the rise is to the wall, finished off with a tile backsplash.

The problem is that the  step follows the curved edge of the tub about 10" out, at a radius of about 10 feet. We can tile by using 1" squares or other small configurations, but how do we curve the backer-board to go behind the tile on the stair riser?


texts:
I'm trying to figure out the best way to insulate the ceiling corners in my basement. The wood is flat against the foundation of my house, and I can feel cold air coming off of it. There are joists running perpendicular to the crevices and some piping and wires running in it.

I was looking into a spray-on insulation since they are tight spots, but I'm not sure if it would be easier to buy some type of insulation foam board and cut it to fit the crevices.


texts: Can i run power to my workshop using an open existing 30amp breaker?

texts:
I have a detached workshop 100 feet from my house that I want to run power to. I need help determining if an existing 30a circuit will work, and what gauge wiring to use for the 100 foot run.

Details

The previous owner of my house had a large air compressor on the corner of the house outside. To power this he had a double slot 30a breaker and 10/2 wire run to a cutoff box outside the house. This location is ideal for running power to my workshop 100 feet away, only one minor 35 degree turn is needed  a few feet from the workshop.

In the workshop I think i want two circuits, one 20a to power three outlets for saws and various items on my workbench. The second circuit could be only 10a, i plan on using it to run two exterior LED lights, and an interior LED flood light over my workbench.  LEDs are pretty efficient, so I think 10a is enough.

I plan on running 3/4" underground conduit in an 18 inch deep trench (code in my area) and installing an 8 slot 125a sub panel in the workshop to house the 10a and 20a circuits.

My questions are:

Can i use the existing 30a double circuit with 10/2 wiring, and extend off that to run to my workshop?
Is 10/2 wiring the proper gauge to run about 106' from the cutoff to my new sub panel?
The existing 30a circuit uses a 10/2 wire, (1 hot, 1 neutral, 1 ground). Can that be run to a sub panel? Other subpanel install i have seen look like they use a line with 2 hot wires, 1 neutral, 1 ground.
Does the subpanel need a grounding rod? If so what gauge copper line is needed?

My goal is to do the majority if not all of this work myself, especially the conduit and running the wire. I use extension cords today and it's getting a little old. Especially tired of my chop saw not getting up to full power and speed.


texts: Tankless water heater and inconsistent water temperature

texts:
We recently brought a house that was built in 1927, and much of it has been updated. The previous owners put in a tankless water heater two years ago. Our hot water is very inconsistent.

When someone is in the shower for instance, its a big no-no to flush the toilet or turn on the sink. We can live with that. The problem is that even without someone using water elsewhere, the shower temperature is likely to change any moment.

I have an even bigger problem in the kitchen, which was updated eight years ago. The water temperature used to change constantly when I was washing dishes; however in the last few weeks, I just never seem to get hot water to my kitchen sink. Previously, when hot water was coming to the kitchen, I'd have to let the water run for a good minute before I got hot water. Now, even if I pretty much let it run indefinitely, it stays cold.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what this might be, and how I could fix it?


texts: How can I repair screws in furniture with stripped holes?

texts:
I'm trying to repair a piece of furniture from which several screws have pulled out, stripping the wood.  It's a lift top coffee table, such as this.  (This is NOT the model in question, this just seems like a good picture to explain the idea.)

The screws in question mount one side of the lift mechanism to the table body.  What concerns me is the lift frame mounts underneath the cross-member of the table; so the screws go upward through the metal frame into wood.  So...  Any fix will have to support half the weight of the table surface.  The cross-member the screws go into is about 1" thick, so longer screws won't work; they'd hit the underside of the table surface when it was lowered.

I've looked at How do I rehang a wooden door with worn screw holes? for ideas; and I'm concerned these ideas won't work for me considering the direction of force and required shortness of screws.  So, I'm first asking how much weight a toothpick repair solution could support.  Am I being pessimistic?

What other ways can I repair this table?  I can't simply re-mount the lift assembly shifted 1"; the table would look strange when closed.  I've thought about drilling through the cross-member and replacing the screws with bolts; but I would also need to drill/chisel pockets in the underside of the table surface to allow the table to close over the bolt heads.  Is there a less invasive solution?


texts: Is this a scuff on my hardwood floor? How can I fix it?

texts: We've tried using a whole bunch of wood cleaning products for this and similar marks on our floor, but nothing seems to work. What exactly am I dealing with here and how can I fix it?


texts:
I am having a new shop  built on Friday.The shop is located 250 feet from my power meter.

For a 240 volt 100 amp service in the shop, the online calculator says I need 2/0 AWG Aluminum or 1AWG copper.

I have underground service to my home and the wires leading form the meter run under the slab to the 200 amp panel in the bedroom closet. Running a wire from the panel in the house to the shop will not work as I cannot get the wires into the house.
The meter also has separate wires running to a 100 amp service panel in the add on washroom. There is a separate conduit running to the meter box that feeds this portion of the house. The wires feeding the 100 amp service are too small for what I need at the shop. Plus I have the same issue getting the wires into this panel box as well.

What do I need to do to get the power run to my shop? Is there a way to tie 2/0 AWG into the meter? I am guessing the meter is already crowded since it has wiring for the 200 and 100 amp service running to it. I am guessing there will be no room to run additional wiring to it as is.

My service line to the shop will be under ground. What wire type should I use?


texts: Would adding fiber glass insulation between a window and a standart plastic insulation cover help insulate the windows further

texts:
I have a corner room in our house, in the summer it traps heat and in the Winter (like right now) it lets it all out. In the summer my room is regularly between 3 to 10 Celsius hotter than the rest of the house, and in the Winter it is usually the reverse, hovering around a 5 degree difference. I have three windows, one single one and two that serve to make a large double window. They are those idiotic non sensicle windows that open outwards and have to be hand cranked. All of them are broken, they cannot open, unless forced open (and I mean forced) and I hate having to get a ladder and climbing up two stories to forcefully close them, so they never open, and I have given up on any airflow and just use an air-purifier year round with just makes the room feel colder in the winter. I have currently put up plastic sheets around my Windows, and since the large window is facing the street and everyone can see into my room very well, especially at night, I just covered it with a large sheet (I tore down the stupid blinds that came with the house in a fit of rage over how idiotic and stupid and half broken they were). I can't fix the rest of this house (most studs range from 14" to 17" apart because the guy who built this place was an absolute fool) so I was wondering, since I have a bunch of this left over fiber glass insulation form when I worked on our basement, and I block my windows anyways, would putting it between the plastic which if it comes off, would only be to refresh the tape, and the Window itself, somehow help insulate it further? And even if it does help, is it safe to do in the place I spend probably around 90% of my time in, even with an air filter.

Edit: I live about 30 minutes south of Boston, MA. In the summer it gets fairly hot, average of about 26c (up to 35c, that is around the highest I've personally experienced during a heat wave) and is very humid (upwards of 90%) and in the Winter it gets very cold, below freezing usually and extremely dry.


texts: What window insulation can I use for thin gaps?

texts:
I'm helping someone who moved into an older rental house with very old windows. The house is great but as shown in the pictures, some of the windows have significant gaps, so of course air (and even some dirt) is flowing through the gaps (heated or cooled = $).

What can I use to fill those gaps year-round but allow the window to open?

I've tried applying the thin white foam insulation but on these uneven windows, that can cause the window to not latch (see photo of old latches). One window was so bad that I stuck on foam for 30% of the window but had to remove it from the rest of the frame or the window wouldn't latch. That window is still tough to latch so I probably need to peel off more of the foam, higher up the frame.

I also investigated tubing insulation but didn't see any that would suit the problem. Hopefully I've missed something.

Is there some window insulation product that will compress when needed and fill gaps when needed?

Thanks!


texts: How should I install 5" white oak hardwood?

texts:
I live in Chicago and had heard that 5" white oak hardwood flooring needed to be both glued and nailed but I was also told that due to our extreme weather it should not be glued because when season changes and the wood wants to move, it can't because of the glue. As a result of that, every plank can split because of the stress.  Can anyone tell me which is correct.

Additionally, can it be installed after being in the house for 3 days?


texts:
Thought I managed to clean the coffee spill effectively; however, few days later the scent is still there.
At this stage, what is a suitable way to removed coffee scent off a rugged floor?


texts:
I want to take a sentimental (but not expensive) table that my father built my husband and I for our first apartment. He used old spindles from my parents first home and the hardwood . And made a table from it. I want to basically cut the table in half length wise and attach it to my kitchen wall. As a breakfast bar of sorts.
I imagine I need to build a support onto the wall for the table to attach itself to- as well as some other supports but I'm unsure of exactly what to do. I can cut it- but attaching it is the hard part. Please any advice would be great. I normally ask my father because he's a master craftsman but I want to surprise him with my ingenuity be skills that he has taught me.


texts:
I have a wall in my house with tiles on it. I would like to remove the tiles but am not sure how to do that correctly. I see from other posts that this kind of thing seems to be a more difficult job. Does this advice apply in my case? The wall behind is made of drywall. This is an accent wall, not a fireplace.
It seems as if I may be able to pry the tiles off the wall. Easy way to remove tile concrete from bathroom wall?


texts: Adding a 4 way switch to 2 existing 3 Way switches

texts:
Currently I have 2 existing 3 Way switches

Box 1 has 14/2 from power source and a 14/3 run to box 2
Box 2 is 14/3 and 14/2 that runs from the light fixture.

I have added an additional 14/3 to box 2 and run that to box 3. My question is how do I make the connections in box # 2. Do I need to change box 2 to a 4 way switch and then will box 3 be a 2 way switch?


texts: How to tie a rope to both sides without loosing its grip strength?

texts:
I already tried other kinds of ties but nothing seems to accomplish what I want to do.

I tried taut-line hitch, didn't work... the only way to tighten it is to pull the tied part and if apply force at the middle of the rope then It will just simply loosen..


texts: How to wire a light fixture with 3 white wires in box?

texts: I just removed a light fixture which was connected to three wires. One light wire (both are brown) was hooked up to two white wires, and the other wire from the light (also brown) is connected to one white wire. I thought there had to be a black or red "hot" wire in electrical boxes. How should I attach my new light, which has a black, white and ground wire? I am assuming that the two white wires might be my hot wire, but how to know? The ceiling lights and house date from 1990.


texts: Why do the lights on my newly installed ceiling fan flick on and then off immediately?

texts:
We just installed our new ceiling fan with lights. The fan works fine but the light will flick on and then off again immediately. We took it back down and reinstalled it, ensuring that all wires were connected properly, but still the issue has not been resolved.

How do we fix this?


texts: Adding sockets to a ring circuit in the UK

texts:
I have recently moved into a house that has had very little work done on it since it was built in the early 60's. There are a total of 3 plug sockets downstairs and 4 upstairs. This may have been plenty for 1963, but is a little low for today's lifestyle.
The house does have a fairly new consumer unit so I'm not worried about having to replace the old fuse box that had one big on/off switch for the whole house.
I do want to increase the number of sockets, how should I be adding new sockets to the ring circuit, adding a spur from the existing sockets or extending the ring circuit to include new sockets?


texts: How can I mitigate water contact with a 2x4 screwed into concrete floor?

texts:
In my unfinished basement I am going to be installing some cantilever shelving along the walls. Basically using 2x4's attached to the joists, with a carriage bolt, and to the floor... likely using a 2x4 as a base plate. The plans are based on the 2x4's being secured to the wall. I am trying to avoid that.
The floor part is what I am trying to figure out. The basement floor grades to a drain at the corner of the house so the edge might not be perfectly flat to lay 2x4 for a base plate. I figure I can fix that with some plastic or composite shims.
My basement leaks, like most, and usually only after heavy rains. We keep nothing on the floor that we don't want damaged. However if I screw basic 2x4's into the floor, with tapcon or equivalent,  they are going to rot/mold/mildew. I could use PT but I am curious if there is something else I can use. (Wife doesn't like the idea and I understand that modern PT uses CA... the brown stuff as supposed to arsenic which was the green stuff. Very much a case of happy wife happy life).
Is there something I can put under not-PT 2x4's that will have water contact or some alternative that I can use as a base plate for simple shelving? I have not intention of attaching anything to the basement walls.

Image from woodgears.ca


texts: Repair power cord with heat shrink tubing without cutting or disconnecting cord

texts:
Is anyone aware of any heat shrink tubing that is large enough to go over a three-prong plug but will still shrink enough to fit a power cord (size of an outdoor extension cord)?

The cord is damaged and I'd rather not disconnect it or cut it in half if I can avoid it.  But all the tubing I've seen doesn't have a high enough ratio.


texts: Why are all of my appliances becoming energized when ground wire is excluded?

texts:
I live in Australia, with three-prong 240v power supply including ground prong. I own a simple plug adapter that does not include the ground connection. As far as I'm aware, using any appliance with this plug removes the safety of the ground protection, but should not have any further effects on the appliance. Instead, if I use this adapter with any of my appliances (washing machine, air compressor, etc) the chassis of the appliance becomes energised. By this I mean that I get a strong shock if I touch the chassis. Also, my proximity voltage detector and neon testing screwdriver light up when touching the chassis. My multimeter detects 0.3v running through the chassis (by the suggested method of touching one probe to the chassis and holding the other probe in my hand) Just touching both probes to chassis and trying all settings on multimeter gives infinite "1" result.

What is going on here? How serious is this problem?

Notes:
1. Yes, this is a follow-up to a previous question asked.
2. Yes, I have booked an electrician to come out, but it is always good to investigate yourself so that I can make sure that the electrician addresses the problem correctly. Also, I want to know if it's even safe for me to be in my house and use my appliances in the meantime.


texts: I have a Franklin Electric motor, model no. 1313007142 1hp ph3 3450 rpm 230v/460hz, it has 9 black wires, numbered 1 to 9, inside the rear of motor all even number wires come out one side and all odds come out the other side, do I supply 110v to each side and ground the motor. Any help would be appreciated.


texts: Are there diamond cup grinder wheels that create a coarse, no slip concrete surface?

texts: I bought a diamond cup grinding wheel for my 4.5" grinder to remove an acrylic stained concrete finish. The cup works great removing the acrylic stain, but it leaves the concrete highly polished and slippery. Is there a particular grinding wheel that will leave a no-slip, coarse concrete surface?


texts: What methods can be used to make a dark colored window become opaque?

texts:
Currently, I have some problem regarding some windows, which are dark-colored. During the day time, people outside the windows cannot see people inside the windows. However, during the night time, people outside the windows can see people inside the windows.

Some more, I cannot place bindings such as curtains as the owner of the house prohibit me from doing it. What methods I can use to prevent people outside the windows to view me?

Note: The room have these dark-colored windows and the room is at the first floor. The room is directly opposite of a 4 lane road and the room is rented.

Do let me know if further information are required.

Extra information: I search but can only manage to find the following picture that have similar characteristics as the windows that I am referring to:


texts: Will insulating my attic make a noticeable difference?

texts:
I'm renting a house that was never originally intended to be occupied full-time. The house is of a cinder block type construction with no insulation in or on the blocks. The attic has some insulation, but only at an R-value of 9. I'm fortunate that I have free natural gas on the property for heating - so heating isn't an issue. However, in the summer the house is unbearably hot and difficult to air-condition with two portable AC units (the windows are an unusual size and won't allow for a standard window unit.)

Edit: I'm in climate zone 6a in central West Virginia. The attic currently has a ventilation fan that I ran around the clock last summer.

Would increasing the insulation in the attic likely make a noticeable difference in cooling the structure in the summer?


texts: Is there a simple way to evaluate whether a vent stack is clogged?

texts:
I recently spoke with a home owner who has had a number of plumbing issues, ultimately resulting in a new sewer line run from the residence to the main. The homeowner is concerned that there may still be a plumbing issue. After a recent bout of drain flies coupled with some strange smells, this possibility has come back to the surface.

During prior issues, a toilet was bubbling during other fixtures use, and some drains would periodically drain slowly until "a bubble would come up from the drain and things would drain at normal speed."

A snake and hose were apparently run down the vent stack (each vent) from the roof, but no blockages were encountered, and each one was flushed with "a lot" of water. (It sounds like at least 15 minutes of full flow from a 5/8" hose is how the water/flush was applied.)

Is there anything I can advise this homeowner in terms of testing for clogs or vent issues? In doing my own research I've also found instances of "dangling" lines in walls - and although not common, I believe this house (built in the late 70s/80s I think) has suffered from 5-10 years of "deferred maintenance", and I've heard the homeowner talk about buying it as a short-sale, so I'm trying not to write anything off, but also avoid the tin foil hat theories.
Note: one of the homeowners has apparently done rehab work with volunteer organisations before, and believes the smells to be suspicious, although I haven't heard this corroborated by the other homeowner.


texts: How many wires do I need to operate only the fan on my furnace with a mecury bimetallic thermostat?


texts: In a freezer, what stops the suction line from freezing over?

texts: After the gas has expanded through the evaporator coils, what would stop the pipes circled in this image to not freeze over? Could it be that the size of the evaporator coil is the perfect size to use up all of the energy of the expanding gas?


texts: Circuit requirements add up to more than 200 amps?

texts:
We are remodeling our 2,750 sqft 4-bedroom home to add two basement studio units. The home is 1910s and I'm rewiring the 200-amp panel as I go along, and trying to plan circuits wisely to leave enough spare capacity and circuit breakers for the new units. But my initial back of the envelope calculation shows I'm already out of room based on current code requirements (I'm even leaving lighting circuits off for simplicity):

Upstairs (100 amps)

20 amps AFCI for Bedroom 1 and Bedroom 2 (<10 receptacles total)
20 amps AFCI for Bedroom 3 and Bedroom 4 (<10 receptacles total)
20 amps GFCI for Bathroom 1 upstairs
20 amps GFCI for Bathroom 2 upstairs
20 amps for Washer / gas Dryer

Downstairs (40 amps)

20 amps GFCI for hallway powder room
20 amps AFCI for Living/Dining (<10 receptacles total)

Kitchen (110 amps)

20 amps GFCI Kitchen countertops 1
20 amps GFCI Kitchen countertops 2
20 amps AFCI Fridge (2014 NEC)
20 amps shared Dishwasher/Disposal
20 amps Microwave
10 amps (maybe) for gas range/oven, if it needs its own circuit

Basement Appliances (30 amps)

15 amps for gas furnace
15 amps for gas tankless water heater

...and that's 280 amps already, and I have even thought about lighting!

New requirements

2nd laundry room (approx. 200sqft)
Central AC unit(s) (don't have currently but will add for tenants)
Receptacles/Lighting/Kitchen for two studios (approx. 500sqft each)

Wondering if I'm doing something wrong here, I considered backing up to doing a load calculation but I think the rules above for dedicated circuits are straight NEC and the guidance on receptacle count (assume 1.5amp per receptacle) is pretty common from what I've seen in my searching.

[EDITS]

Thanks for all questions/comments. Multiple commenters identified my biggest misunderstanding, which was equating capacity with usage, and assuming once the circuit breakers added to 200 amp I had to stop adding circuits. It appears I have to look into subscription/oversubscription, and more importantly plan for branch circuits/subpanels to identify my larger issue, which is a lack of space on the panel for all these separate circuits.


texts: How do you calculate if it's worth it to insulate?

texts: We live just north of NYC, and the house was built in 1906.  We're putting on a new roof and trying to figure out if it's worth it to insulate too.  It's a cathedral ceiling on the inside, and we do not have vented soffits right now.  The contractor says it might not be worth it since he'd have to vent the soffits etc.


texts:
For some months, I'm renting an apartment in the Canary Islands. It looks like the plugs are not grounded. For example, when I connect my laptop, a ThinkPad T420si, then I feel an unpleasant sensation on my bare legs when connected to mains (220V/50Hz). A similar sensation I get when touching certain parts, incl. plastic parts (!), of my smartphone when connected to the laptop. Contrary to what I wrote before: When connected to the USB charger, I do not get that sensation when touching the smartphone.

My guess is that the outlets are not properly grounded. While I assume there is no risk for my health, I am a bit worried about my electronic devices. Also, I may want to do some electronics soldering, and I don't like the idea of the soldering iron's tip possibly being on a different potential than ground.

What options do I have to remedy the problem? An isolating transformer?

Update as of 2014-10-15 WEST

After removing the Schuko (fype F) multiplier, and upon close inspection of the outlet, I realized that the center hole is not a screw hole. It is ground, i.e. this outlet is of type L. So I bought an adapter, and yesterday the problem was gone:

Facepalm!

But wait, today the problem is back, and in the entire apartment! For the first time, I felt a potential when touching the washing machine in the bathroom, and this one is connected with a Schuko plug to a Schuko outlet:

Something is wrong here. Probably unrelated: Some days ago there was a power outage, I think affecting several houses, i.e. not just the one I'm living in.


texts:
I need to enclose the shown duct work in a soffit (shown in blue). The ceiling joists run parallel to the soffit and (shown in red). They are 24” spaced and the spot I need to attach the soffit to, doesn’t have a joist right above to secure to. The studs (shown in yellow), are 16” spaced. There is a small, non-structural wall on the left, with HVAC duct running up it, and at the right end, there is a double LVL beam (shown in green).
Soffit only needs to be finished at its face and a little bit at the bottom with a corner bead. Below the soffit there will be kitchen cabinets.
What is the best way to frame this soffit? Ordinarily, I would build a ladder and attach it to the joists above (if they were perpendicular).
I’m thinking, instead building the same ladder with top 2x4 “standing up”, securing it to the wall and LVL at each end, and then running some 2x4s toward joists for the bottom part. I haven’t come up with a good way to do the same on the right side of that LVL beam with the can lights to its right.


texts: How can I work on eaves of my house, 30-feet high?

texts:
I have repair work and painting I want to do on the eaves and gutters of my house. In some places they are up to 30 feet off the ground and I would not feel safe being on ladder that high.

One option may be to rent a scissors lift which might cost about $150 per day. The main tricky thing there is that my house has a berm so I would have to find a way to provide a solid level surface for the lift, essentially building a small platform and ramp for the lift everywhere I would need to use it, which could get expensive and time consuming.

Another option would be to rent a cherry picker, but they are more expensive around $250 a day, but that would make the level platform problem go away.

On a side note how do you reposition such lifts? Are they self-propelled? I would need to move them to several different positions around the house.


texts: Does it cost more to run a refrigerator on an extension cord?

texts:
My new mini refrigerator is plugged into a 50 ft extension cord that is plugged into my house.
Does it cost more to run because of the cord?


texts: How to remove the bits from this light fixtures

texts:
How do I remove this light fixture? I've tried twisting it and feels like nothing is happening.
I have tried to pry it off with two screw drivers....I'm afraid to be too forceful coz I may break it. It's definately not a twist off and breaking it off may be my only option!


texts:
In my 1984 house, inside switch boxes, there are many instances where bare ground wires are twisted together without wire nuts. They are twisted really tightly about 4-5 turns.

It has almost certainly always been like this. The house was built by a reputable builder, who presumably used a proper electrician.

Is this per code?

The previous owner replaced a few switches with dimmers (didn't connect the ground). I am now replacing some of the dimmers with LED rated dimmers. This box is non-conductive.

I plan on adding a ground wire to the existing twist and adding a big wire nut. There are four 14 AWG wires in the twist, now there will be five.

Or, if that is too many for a wire nut, there is a second circuit in this 4-gang box. Can I use a ground from a different circuit? (only two wires in this twist)


texts: Replacing kitchen faucet, unsure how to remove old plate holding hoses

texts:
I'm replacing my kitchen faucet and ran into an issue taking out the old Kohler faucet. Pictures of the problem at the bottom.

Underneath the sink there's two overlapping plates holding in the hot and cold hoses and the hose that was running to the separate sprayer. Those plates had two screws in them, but taking those out didn't seem to do much -- not sure if they just stuck together over time, but I couldn't manage to pry them apart either.

It looks like one of the hoses has a nut towards the top, but with the other hoses so close, I can't get it with a wrench or pliers. I'm not even sure a basin wrench could get to it, but I've never used one before.

Does this seem to be a case for a basin wrench, or am I missing something else with removing these plates?

Picture 1:
Picture 2:


texts: Is it safe to seal the seams/gaps on washer and dryer units?

texts:
Specifically, I have the following model units:
Maytag Washer WTW8040DW
Maytag Gas Dryer WGD8000DW4
The units come with open seams, and I'd like to know if it's safe to seal these?  Surprisingly, Google search didn't net any relevant results for me, and there's no mention in the manuals either.  I'd be using either 100% silicone, alex caulk, or some other sealant depending on safety implications.
EDIT: Here's a photo for clarification:

EDIT2: The objective I'm trying to achieve is sound- & vibration-dampening.  Please note that I have already implemented most standard "fixes" (see comments below), but short of purchasing actual soundproofing out-of-pocket, I believe this would achieve some functional effect.  I only want to make certain that there is no safety concerns with proceeding.


texts: What are the holes in this brick fireplace?

texts: Does anyone know why there are two holes in this fireplace box?  I had to muck with the picture to make them visible...they are circled in red.


texts: How to calculate potential energy savings from using a tempering tank?

texts: I have a boiler (oil) with integrated water heater (3.5 gallon). I don't have problems with running out of hot water but I do wonder if having a tempering tank before the boiler would save money on heating the water. (I'm in the Boston area so the cold supply is really cold in winter.) Are there any rules of thumb, etc. for figuring out if this is a worthwhile thing to do?


texts: There is an expansion joint roughly 1 foot from the front edge of the garage that runs parallel to the garage and that 2 inch rise into the garage.  One end of the 1 foot section is lower than the driveway. is there a way to increase the height without using a jackhammer. I need 1/2 to 3/4 inches.


texts: I want to install outlet on existing junction box

texts:
I tried to install an outlet on existing junction box as below, but failed because it's too small to put in. I have 3 solutions to think.

Remove junction caps and put 2 outgoing lines into backstabs and screws, so it works as junction
Buy conduits and extend another box on the top
Replace existing box to bigger one (I can't.. because I can't take out the box from bottom conduits)

Can you tell me which is the best(means easiest) solution? (You can put your own)


texts: Where's the capacitor usually located at the bottom back of fridge?

texts:
This amateur warns to steer clear of capacitor. But he fails to indicate where it usually is? Can anyone indicate please?

This second pic doesn't answer my question, because the capacitor looks pulled out far from its USUAL location.

I know what capacitors are supposed to look like.


texts: How to investigate a problem with blown 50 amp HVAC fuse without power?

texts: My AC unit has the fan working but not the condenser and I found that one of the two 50 amp fuses was bad. Unfortunately after replacing it, I saw and heard a spark and the new fuse was blown immediately after replacing it. Then I replaced the capacitor (just in case) and checked if there are no loose wires touching around the capacitor area, and pulled some wires going into the fan/condenser unit back and forth just in case some of them were touching around there as well. Then I replaced the fuse again with a new one, and that one was blown immediately again. Thus I've lost 2 additional fuses in 30 minutes just trying to replace the bad one. I measured resistance at 0 by using a multimeter to confirm that the two replacement fuses were good before being blown. What can I do to further investigate the problem without the power/compressor working?


texts: How do I wire up a 4-wire light switch when I only have 3 wires from the wall?

texts:
I am upgrading my light switches in a couple of places in my house. I opened up one wall and there are the typical 2 hot (black) wires and 1 ground (green) wire coming from the wall.

My light switch I am trying to install has 1 ground (green), 1 neutral (white) and 2 hot (black) wires.

So my question is, what are the correct connections for the wiring?

Any help would be appreciated.


texts: Kenmore Dryer gets warm but not enough to dry clothes

texts: My Kenmore dryer heats up a certain extent but not enough to dry the clothes in the cycle.


texts:
I recently bought a new house and one of the major concerns I have is the first floor half bath. At and round the toilet, the floor is ridiculously creaky. I'm half thinking I'm going to fall through the floor while using it.

I can't see any damage under the house, but I also don't know what I'm looking for...


texts: I’m trying to add c wire to furnace to run a WiFi thermostat but don’t know where to hook up c wire to get power to turn on thermostat i have 2 extra wires just don’t know where to put one them to get power


texts: Asbestos in close proximity of floor repair

texts:
I have a floor repair to make in a 1950's home that had the large in floor central heater installed that has long been removed. The owner wants the grate removed and flooring toothed back in, matching the existing wood. All fine no problem. I asked to look in the basement to see how the framing is in the existing floor, they are old school 2X10's, plenty strong to add additional framing to support the recycled new-to-the-home floor over the 3 ft by 3 ft span of the old grate.

Here is where the trouble lie, there are remnants of asbestos still attached to the metal ductwork that is lining the opening. It is not a lot, I could probably put all of it in a sandwich bag, and still only fill it half way. The owner was down there with me, I pointed it out to him and mentioned as soon as asbestos abatement enters a situation, it commands big bucks from the companies that provide the service. I told him I do not want to it touch anyways, and I could do all the work from above, on the first floor.  He was ok with that. This should be easy enough, I will only need 2X6s to frame the opening, and the asbestos is only below the joists 10" down on the outside face of the metal, where I am on the inside, adding framing.

So the question is, is this something I need to excuse myself from entirely? I know this could become a discussion on ethics, I don't want that, neither does Stack Exchange. With all the legal BS that has gone around the asbestos situation, I would hope there is something black and white out there that would answer this question. I feel I have covered my end of it, pointing it out to the homeowner, and I don't have a problem working above it either. I want to know if anybody has gotten tangled up in something like this, if there is anything else I should be wary of other than personal safety equipment etc. I am not worried about the asbestos itself, it's the legalities. Maybe the owner signs a waiver??


texts: What is the purpose of a bathroom exhaust fan?

texts:
Okay I actually do understand the purpose of the bathroom fan; it gets the steam out of the bathroom after a super hot shower, right?  Well turns out I never turn it on.  I suppose I don't shower in sauna temperatures.  Also we tend to shower with the door open.

Or, is the point that it rids the room of odors?  Thus, the nickname 'fart fan'

The duct from the bathroom fan simply terminates in the attic space.  I've been reading the threads explaining the reasons to vent it to the outdoors, but I don't want to.  I have a beautiful house with new cedar siding and I don't want to ugly it up with a big vent sitting in the middle of the gable.

So here's the question;  why?  Can't I simply not use the fan?  The steam or stink doesn't bother me.  Do I need to put an end on the vent I don't use?


texts: Are My Electrical Boxes Actually Grounded?

texts:
I have a building originally wired for electricity in 1952, with other sections done more piecemeal within the last thirty years or so. This old wiring is a two-wire, cloth-sheathed wire that feeds into metal electrical boxes. The receptacles are two-prong outlets.
I know that one cannot simply replace these plugs with grounded three-plug outlets without ensuring a proper ground. After doing some research, I've seen that sometimes the box itself can be grounded with either AC or a grounding wire outside the box. Using a test plug and my multimeter, I measured right around 120V between hot and the metal box. I then switched out the two-plug with a three-plug, attached a pigtail ground wire to the back of the box, and tested it again with the ground plug. Again, I get right around 120V. I tried most of the other plugs around the building with similar results.
I know that in a properly grounded, modern (for lack of a better word) system, this is normal. My question here is this: does this reading indicate that the line is, in fact grounded back to the box? Is there any way that the reading on my multimeter is "lying" to me? I am assuming, if it is grounded, that there is AC line behind the wall or a grounding wire run somewhere. If this is the case, is attaching the plugs to the box through a pigtail ground wire a reliable ground? I know code allows for conduit or AC cable to act as a ground.
Thanks for your help and advice!


texts: Removing L-shaped elbow underneath a kitchen sink

texts:
I'd like to remove the L-shaped elbow that appears in the figure below.

I'm able to twist by hand only the lower of the two rings locking the L-shaped elbow in place.

Is it safe to seek a tool to disassemble with a bit more torque?
What is the name of this black ring and/or the tool that would be used to turn it. Notice there are two extra-large projecting tabs that would be broken if an ordinary wrench is used to grip.

I'm assuming that the sluggishness is due to blockage in this (left) side since there are two sides and the flow in the other side is swift.


texts:
I have an electric Water heater and it is starting to leak from what I believe to be the pressure release valve. I just wanted some tips on how I can fix this before the leak becomes unmanageable. The water is a couple decades old and rusty, heck the hot water inlet valve is rusted stuck open.

Click images for larger view

More pics


texts:
So I had a home inspected this evening and noticed something I have never seen before. The hole is about 15ft deep! It looks like it was drilled out and then encased with concrete. The pump has a long PVC pipe that stretches all the way up and to the exterior or the house.

Why would anyone do this?


texts: No water flow after closing and reopening shutoff valve

texts:
My faucet was in need of attention so went below the sink, shut off the valves, unscrewed the supply lines, cleaned the faucet put everything back and now the water won't turn back on at the valves. It's not the faucet.
Any ideas?


texts: What painting equipment is needed to restore a derelict wooden house?

texts:
The exterior walls are in a very bad shape, and the whole house needs to be painted.

It looks like this:

What equipment should I get to prepare the walls and paint them?


texts: Connecting Carrier Infinity furnace to Aprilaire humidfier

texts:
I wish to replace my Carrier humidifier with an Aprilaire 700. I have 3 questions related to properly connecting my Carrier Infinity 96 furnace's HUM terminal to Aprilaire 700 (24 VAC line):

1) I see only one HUM terminal on my Carrier Infinity 96 furnace circuit-board. I remember seeing a response to a question on "Home Improvement" that said that there should be 2 HUM terminals.  Given my situation (one HUM), where should the other line to complete the circuit from the transformer be connected to complete the circuit? Should I connect it to the black/common terminal?

2) One comment in "Home Improvement" said "When the furnace is running in heat mode, you should measure ~120 volts...." So, does it mean that the HUM terminal drops to near zero volts when the heat is off? i.e. does HUM line function as a relay-switch or should I insert a relay between my Carrier furnace and Aprilaire humidifier?

3) What is the VAC on the black/common terminal in Carrier Infinity 96? If I connect the HUM terminal (120 Volts) to the black/common terminal (24 VAC as I read somewhere on the internet), would it burn my circuit board since the black/common line is really not a grounded line but one carrying 24 VAC.

Could someone help me please so that I don't mess up?

Thanks.


texts: What could be causing my toilet to back up?

texts: I live in a mobile home and my guest toilet continues to back up. When you flush it the water level will rise to the bowl rim and slowly go back to normal. I have taken the toilet off of the floor and cleaned it out, replaced the wax ring, and cleaned the gas vent that goes to the roof. I have also had the septic pumped as a last resort but it doesnt make any sense that it continues to back up. My other toilet doesnt do it and the guest toilet just started to do it out of the blue. Does anyone have any other ideas?


texts: What should I consider with new electrical lines in an old house?

texts:
When I had our breaker box rewired, I had the electrician run a few extra lines (disconnected in the panel into the attic). I now need to run one of them downstairs through a wall.

Two questions:

1) I need a junction box, as the line I have in the attic isn't nearly long enough. It's an old house, I'm planning to have cellulose insulation blown in eventually. How can I properly mount the junction box for visibility, since I know the joists will be covered with a thick layer of insulation?

2) Since I don't have a way to tie the romex down to a stud as it goes through the wall, do I need to run it in grey plastic conduit down through the wall?


texts: Can I arrange my light fixtures in a branch configuration or must they be in a linear daisy chain?

texts: I'm tapping an old ceiling light in the center of the room to power 4 new recessed lights.  Can I arrange the new lights in a branch configuration where Light #1 connects to Light #2 and Light #1 also connects to Light #3?   Or do I need to run my wires so that the lights connect in a linear daisy chain series L1 to L2 to L3 to L4?  Thanks!


texts:
We recently bought a 1978 home in Florida.

The kitchen wiring leaves me scratching my head. I think I have solved 2 of 3 major problems, but need advice on the last.

(see pic)

4 different 20A tandem breakers in play.  One of them was split into 2 INSIDE the breaker panel, one was split in a gang box so I am dealing with 6 "hot" wires & only 4 neutral wires.

1) 12/3 Romex. Black/neutral on one breaker [16 L] leads to kitchen GFCI outlet --> regular outlet --> kitchen light switch --> kitchen light. Red "hot" [14 L] leads to light (former fan) in living room with light fixture neutral connected to neutral wire from the kitchen breaker.

To solve the shared neutral problem, we disconnected the living light and connected it inline with the living room outlets using 12/2.

(The kitchen light is downline from a GFCI which isn't ideal but I don't want to mess with what works.)

2) Breaker 16 L splits inside the breaker box with a hot single black wire through conduit to the other side of the kitchen.  That wire powered the microwave, dishwasher + 2 outlets and had NO neutral. (Neutral for this breaker is on other side of room in the 12/3.)

In that SAME conduit are a hot/neutral from breaker 14 R. This was used to power the garbage disposal through an under-sink outlet. The neutral from 14 R was then wired up from the disposal outlet & connected to ALL of the other appliances/outlets on 16 L.

To solve this shared neutral, we 1st removed the microwave and put it on it's own 20A circuit.

Next thing was to disconnect everything & wire the 14 R breaker from dishwasher outlet ---> disposal switch ---> GFCI under-sink outlet.

3) That leaves us with 2 outlets adjacent to the sink with power but no neutral.

QUESTION:

Would it be better to splice in a neutral wire from one side of the kitchen to the other.  There is a junction box directly above, so it should be fairly easy.

OR

Would it be better to remove the splice on 16L inside the breaker box and run a whole new 12/2 to the sink outlets?

My concern splicing a neutral is with using GFCI outlets and having the same neutral run through GFCI outlets on both sides of the room.  Would that cause problems?

My concern with running new wire is using up 4 breakers just for the kitchen.

Thanks for any advice!


texts: My deck dies in a funny pattern -- does that mean this board is upside-down?

texts:
My deck looks like this after it rains.

One board and parts of others are damp for a long time after everything else has dried.  What could cause this and is it hard to fix?

My only guess is that the board is upside down relative to the others.


texts:
I have 12 recessed lights separated into 2 sections, of 6 each currently connected to 2 dimmers. I want to replace the current dimmers with smart dimmers by Leviton.
Here are the instructions and diagram from the manufacturer:
https://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/3e/3e474cd2-a567-4471-a400-3e21fd978b0b.pdf

Legend:
Black - Hot/Load (dimmer 1)
Red - Load (dimmer 2)
Blue - Neutral
Green - Ground

Smart Dimmer 1 works fine, smart dimmer 2 does not work at all, it doesn't power itself on, or switch/dim lights.

What am I doing wrong?


texts: Can I switch my bathroom light and fan separately with two conductors?

texts: Currently our bathroom light/fan combo is running on one switch. Want to change to two single-pole switches. One to run the fan and one to run the light. There are only one black, one white and a ground coming from the light/fan unit. Is is possible for me to change to two switches? FYI- there is a double box because I changed the box before doing the switches assuming I would be able to do it.


texts: What kind of chlorine solution do I use in water treatment system?

texts:
We recently bought a house in which the previous owner had installed a Culligan softener system with not only brine and resin tanks but also a chlorine tank with a pump. There isn't a Culligan representative remaining within a 50 mile radius of the house, the ones outside of that range aren't willing to come without a huge fee (understandable) or at all.

The salt part is easy. What I don't know is what kind of chlorine solution or pellets or powder or [???] should I be adding to the chlorine tank? Google is usually my friend, but not on this issue. I don't want to just dump a bottle of Clorox in there, since I don't know (a) if sodium hypochlorite is the correct chemical for use in water treatment without poisoning us all to death, and (b) what other odd chemicals are in Clorox that will poison us all to death.

Our water is sourced from a well that is by itself fails on lead (0.023 mg/l) and is heavily laced with iron (20.4 mg/l). What can almost not be made out in the pictures below is a 10" carbon pre-filter (you can see the bottom sticking out from under the controller on the resin tank). The pre-filter does a pretty good job of removing the iron, though we have to replace it every 2 to 3 months.

There are two tanks that are obviously labeled Culligan; the third is of a slightly different color; no brand name on the tank itself, but written in blue ink are the words "gallon chlorine" (possibly a faded numeral before).

On the top of the tank marked "chlorine" is a pump:


texts: How to deal with too many wires when replacing fan receiver?

texts:
I bought a new universal remote and receiver for my ceiling fan, and opening up the canopy there are more wires than expected (but perhaps I should have).

I've got wires coming from the fan labeled Uplight, Downlight, Motor L, and Motor N but the receiver only has Light and Fan.

Am I correct to assume I could wire Motor N (Neutral, I'm guessing) to the white wire coming into the receiver from the box and just wire the Motor L (Line, right?) to the receiver's fan wire?

Also, can I just wire BOTH the up and downlight wires to the receiver's light wire?


texts: The foundation trenching has water about 3 inches  due to rainfall, also the surrounding area of the land is waterlogged. We blind the trenching base using sand and cement. Can we cast the foundation now or later?


texts:
I need to build some dividing walls, but per landlord requirements, these cannot reach the ceiling (must be 12" below the 100" high ceiling) to prevent re-working the existing sprinklers.

The floor is concrete & I can secure to side walls and floor.
The newly created space will need to have a door, so the walls need to support the door and minimal decor (pictures).

It seems to me that securing to the side walls and concrete floor should be sufficient, but I'd appreciate feedback or to bring-up concerns that I haven't considered.

Thanks!
Casara


texts: Drill getting stuck about two inches into stud

texts:
I'm trying to mount my flat screen.  I found a stud using a stud finder and can definitely feel that I'm drilling into the stud but about 1.5-2 inches in, the bit gets stuck.  I proceeded with drilling in the screw but it gets stuck at the same spot.  I can get the screw in a little further with a wrench but still not far enough to hold the mount flush with the wall.  The screws are very long.  Any idea what might be happening?  There are three different spots on the stud where I have to drill these screws in (vertically) and it's happening with every one of them.

Thanks!


texts: Direct vent boiler exhaust exiting close to brick chimney

texts:
The exhaust vent for our Burnham Spirit direct vent boiler currently exits very near the junction box where I recently installed an IR-triggered motion-sensitive floodlight. The hot air is causing spurious triggering of the floodlights all throughout the night. I'd like to rotate the two 45-degree elbows 180 degrees (pointing to the right) to get some extra distance from the vent to the sensor.

The tricky thing is the (defunct) brick chimney in the right of the picture. With the current configuration of elbows, there will be only 4" of clearance between the end of the pipe and the brick. Is this going to cause any problems? The only guidelines I can find concern distance to combustible material, which this change in configuration won't affect.

Note that the air intake in the lower right is the combustion air intake of the boiler and thus I believe exempted from any clearance requirement for the exhaust, which would now exit about a foot above it.


texts: My Porter-Cable Air Compressor is drawing too many amps

texts:
I recently was given a 6hp 25 gal Porter-Cable Air Compressor (CPF6025VP) that kicks out my 20 amp breaker at around 80psi and will not restart with even 20 psi in the tank.

I measured the amp draw on it and initial start was very high then leveled out around 7 amps and kept rising above 15 until the breaker tripped at around 80 psi. Amp rating for the motor is 15A (GE motor model is 5kcr49tn2403x). I read through other posts and was planning on replacing both run and start capacitors but I'm having trouble finding the right ones.

I cannot find original replacements and the ones with matching ratings have different terminals on them and I cannot find them that come with a wiring diagram. My run capacitor has 2 red and a brown and start has two black.
run capacitor model M40FY33
-40uF
-370VAC 50/60Hz
start capacitor 52A103967-1
-400-480MFD
-165VAC
-50/60Hz

Anyone that could point me in the right direction of some capacitors and how they should be wired would be greatly appreciated

Please Let me know if any other info would be helpful. Thank in advance!

-John

p.s.
-unloader and check valve are working

-motor spins free


texts: Nest thermost not working with Rheem A/C C wire

texts:
My A/C unit was recently replaced. I have a Rheem RGEA14036AJT06XAB. The techs installed a pretty bare-bones thermostat since my old thermostat was reading 5 degrees off. So I decided it was a good time to upgrade to the Nest Thermostat E. Based on the wiring to my old thermostat, it seemed like everything would be good. I had the Rc Y G W and C wires hooked up before the A/C was replaced. And the old thermostat was working when the replaced the unit, it was just reading the temperature wrong. Based on that, I hooked the 5 wires up. But when I went to test it on the Nest, the Fan will work, but the 'Cooling' test fails. The blower starts for a moment and then immediately stops. However, if I disconnect the C wire, the A/C pump runs just fine and I get cold air.
A tech support guy at Nest/Google advised me to run it with just the 4 wires without the C for now and to contact a Nest Pro, but I wanted to get a better idea of what's going wrong first.
I have tested the C wire with a multimeter and it is reading 24V, so it seems that it should be working, but it's not.


texts: Can re-closing a circuit-breaker be dangerous?

texts:
I have a circuit breaker that keeps tripping. When i try to reset (close) it, it immediately jumps back to the open position with a noise that sounds a little scary.

I have now stopped trying to do this and will get an electrician in to find and fix the short, but I was wondering whether re-closing a circuit beaker like this can actually be dangerous.


texts: How can I conceal interior camera wiring?

texts: I'm trying to install 4 cameras, but from other people's place it look not that good that cable can be seen along the wall. is there anyway to hide it? its going to be from left wall to all the way to end of right side of wall and go all the way to ceiling. any ideas?


texts:
I understand that all wall receptacles (including counters) must be GFCI protected in a kitchen with a combined dining area but how about a separate dining area/room receptacles (separated from kitchen by partition wall including breakfast bar in wall)?

This is how it is currently wired (one circuit from distribution box through dining area [currently GFCI] terminating on one kitchen counter same GFCI circuit). Was this originally done (builder) for convenience/cost (all receptacles on one 20A GFCI circuit for dining room receptacles and including the one 20A kitchen counter) or must the dining area wall receptacles also be GFCI?

This is a 100A service condominium in Montgomery County MD.


texts: Adhesive-back Velcro is to be applied to a ceiling and a sensor bracket temporarily for a test.  When selecting the Velcro half to be attached to the ceiling, is there an advantage to using the ‘fuzzy’ strip or its counterpart to the ceiling?  Which strip should be attached to the ceiling and why?


texts: Is a moisture barrier needed over gyp-crete (gypsum concrete) for wood / bamboo flooring?

texts: In a condo, and just discovered that the floor is actually gyp-crete, presumably over wood. Is a moisture bnarrier necesary? This is above grade.


texts:
I have a house that is just under 2 years old.  My 2 year old GE Profile fridge (model PWE23KSKJSS) is hooked up to a dedicated circuit that runs off a 20 AMP Arc Fault breaker.  There is nothing else on this breaker, only the one fridge outlet and nothing else.
Everything was fine for 1 year, then my breaker tripped and could not be reset, as if there was a dead short - whether or not the fridge was plugged in.  I tested for continuity without the fridge being plugged in and there was none, so it didn't seem like there was any kind of short.
I replaced the breaker with the identical model and it was fine for about 6 months, then the exact same thing happened.
So it really seems as if the fridge itself is responsible - as if the motor is burning out the circuitry in the breaker.  Is such a thing possible and has anyone else had a similar experience?
I thought I'd post my question before replacing the breaker for a 3rd time, and I'm thinking just a normal breaker this time.
Eaton panel and Eaton 20 Amp arc fault breaker.


texts:
Can a honda eb2800 generator run both a fridge and a 12,000 btu inverter A/C?

If not, what's the lowest amount of watts?

Thanks.


texts: After several adjustments, there is still water leakage around the bolts on the underside of the tank. Any thoughts?


texts:
I would like to bend a long edge (about 500mm) of a brass sheet (either 0.5mm or 1mm) into a U-shape.

I understand that brass is best bent warm. Is this achievable at home (without large machines)? Is it possible to bend it in sections

_______ before bending
_—_—_—_ bending parts
——————— after bending

The instructions here

don't mention heating and don't easily adapt to larger edges (500mm), as the strength required is probably too large.

(I am using the sheet as a drawer and would prefer the bent edge over an edge protector, which would stop things from sliding out easily.)


texts: How much does the quality of laminated flooring depend on its thickness?

texts:
I'm shopping for laminate flooring and am looking at two different manufacturers, Pergo and Mowhawk.  The Pergo we're interested in has pre-attached underlayment and is 10 mm thick with a lifetime warranty, and the Mowhawk doesn't have the underlayment attached, is 8mm thick, and also comes with a lifetime warranty.

The price difference between the two is more than 3x the cost of appropriate underlayment.  Is the additional 2mm thickness worth that extra cost?


texts: recessed led worked fine for 3 months but today turned on today and its blinking on and off; not on a dimmer and not using a 3-way switch

texts: help. For the past 3 months my recessed kitchen light has worked fine. Controlled by standard switch. Not a dimmer and not a 3-way switch. Today I turn on and started blinking on and off about 1 sec each. Not related to any other appliances coming on and off. No changes to house electrical recently. There is no insulation around the light either. The light fixture/unit cost about $70 from home depot. It screwed into the old can light socket for easy install.


texts:
Some background:  I wanted to replace a light fixture but I wanted it to be lower than the previous one so I had to move the wires but when I cut away the wall I saw there was a lot more going on than the wire for the previous light fixture.  There are 4 sets of wires going into this box from the back plus another grey one (lower right in picture) that is now disconnected since the wire nuts came apart when I started moving it.

Here's a picture

I tried to draw a color line to help differentiate the wires.

The wire coming in from the upper left is from the light switch.  As you can see the black wire is by itself and just goes to the light fixture.  However the white wire goes to where all the other black wires are spliced together.  The white wire from the light fixture itself goes to where all the other white wires are spliced together.  I opened my light switch plate and the switch has a white wire and black wire connected to it (sorry I forgot to take a picture behind the switch before I put it back together).

The house is at least 50 years old so it isn't too surprising that the wiring is a bit weird.

Why is it this way and not the way this guy does it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSyzLNUoGus

Also, what's the best way to put this back together so it's safe?

**For what it's worth, there was tape wrapped around the splice on the left side of the green line but no cap.


texts: How do I clean a root cellar under my porch to make it suitable for food storage?

texts: I have a root cellar under my porch. How should I clean loose stones on the floor and get rid of a musty smell so I can use the space as a safe food storage area.  Small field mice entered and some of their skeletons remain.  It has wood shelves and would work well as a food storage area.


texts: Making sense of existing wiring for multiple switches controlling fan+light and separate light

texts:
First, let me begin by saying I apologize up front if any of this is confusing or does not make any sense or if the attached diagram is clear as mud...

Ok, here goes:

I have a ceiling box that used to house a fan+light fixture (after 8 years of renting it out, it has been taken out and now I want to add a fan+light back). From that ceiling box I have 4 (four) 12-2 wires coming out of the ceiling. Now I know from troubleshooting that one of them (red arrow) is the power from the breaker, one of them is the power that goes to my range hood/light and over sink light (yellow arrow), one goes to switch #1 (blue rectangle), and the last goes to switch #5 (orange rectangle) which is a toggle with dimmer for the light at the bottom of the diagram.

I have no clue how the 12-3 wires are routed nor connected inside of the ceiling, only how they are connected at present at the switches. So I do not know how the white from the 12-3 connected to the common on switch #5 becomes TWO hot wires going to the commons on switches #2 and #3.

In my utopia, I would have 2 three-way switches (#s 1,2) controlling the light to the fan and 2 three-way switches controlling power to the fan motor (#s 3,4) as this is how I THINK it used to work, and since I currently have the orange 12-2 wire and the yellow 12-2 wire connected to the red wire coming from the breaker and the only switch that operates the other light fixture is switch #5, #s 1-4 do NOT turn that light on or off when #5 turns it on.

My other dilemma is how to wire the new fan+light fixture since there is not a 12-3 wire run to the ceiling in order to supply power from each of the switch sets to the light and fan motor separately as I've seen in almost every diagram I could find on the internet (where the red would connect to the blue power for the light).

I attempted to add pictures of each of the switches as they are currently connected but can only add two since I am new...  any assistance is greatly appreciated! The bottom pic is how the ceiling box is currently connected.

Richard


texts: I'm trying to install a ceiling fan. There used to be one at this location which is now controlled by a wall switch. The ceiling box where the fan goes only has 2 black wires going down to the wall switch. It appears it was a white and black wire but only the black wire was spliced to the switch. How do I hook the fan up ?


texts: What should I do about a small fly infestation in my kitchen?

texts:
So, a few weeks ago, I had a medical emergency that got me "locked up" in a hospital for a few weeks. Today, I came home, and they were dozens and dozens of little flies in my kitchen. The thing  is, flies scares me. (For some, it's snakes, for other it's spiders, for me it's flies.)

I can't even open the kitchen door without almost passing out, and I'm afraid that since Spring is around the corner, the invasion will go absolutely uncontrollable. I have no idea what to do.

Does anyone have ideas/tips to help me get rid of those?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
How do I remove this peephole viewer?

I haven't been able to find one like this on YouTube how-to videos so I'm guessing it's an older style.

On the outside of the door is a gold plate surrounding the viewer, I can provide a photo if necessary.

The door is metal, about an inch thick.


texts: What clear coat material would last as an exterior traffic surface?

texts:
I have an idea for a decorative project, but I haven't been able to find much information about which materials might work.

In short, think "thick bar top for a concrete walkway." Specifically, I'd like to be able to mix in phosphorescent powder, or pigments, and keep a transparent look to it.

It seems like most epoxies aren't designed to have other ingredients mixed in. I don't know how well polyurethane would hold up outdoors.

Any ideas for something durable and color-able?


texts: Will Interlock aluminum tile prevent ice damming on a roof?

texts:
Background - I have a house with a standard shingle roof. Living in New England, my neighbors and I have had issues with ice damming. 2 of my nearby neighbors have replaced roofs over the last year, and this past winter, they were out with ladders pulling snow off the roof. And they told me they still have ice damming.

There is a product called Interlock, an aluminum tile that connects to its neighbor on all 4 sides. While it's about double the cost of the asphalt shingle roof, it looks like a potential solution to our awful New England weather.

Before we make a decision, I'm hoping to find either confirmation this will solve our issues or a better solution. Happy to update with any missing details. (Note, we met with the salesman today, and should have referrals to local homes that have had this installed in the recent few years)

Edit - I understand the comments regarding the nature of damming. When there's snow on roof, but the outside temperature rises to say, 40F, the attic, well vented, is 40F as well. The snow touching the roof has the opportunity to melt, and this is the cycle causing the damming. So my quest has moved towards finding a physical barrier impervious to the effect of this cycle.

Aside from the roofing material described above, I was considering insulating the attic. Instead of insulating between main house and attic, to use closed cell foam insulation sprayed on to attic ceiling, which would keep roof cold far better than current method.


texts: The existing kitchen light was taken down, it was always blowing the bulbs. Currently, there's no light fixture up, just a connector type thing.  Is this wired correctly? I've attached a photo, the light is operated by 2 different switches, either end of the kitchen. Thank you


texts: Why am I showing 50 volts between neutral and ground?

texts:
I wired 8 recessed lights to a switch in a room. When I connected everything the first time and turned on the power, the breaker tripped. If I disconnect the ground that leads to the breaker box on this line, it doesn't trip the breaker, the lights turn on, but I get odd readings.

Using a digital multimeter and touching the black lead to the exterior of the recessed lights and the red lead to my finger, the multimeter reads 18 volts, so basically the ground is carrying voltage to the can lights. If I test the ground and the neutral mid-line (at a junction box between two of the lights), I am getting 50 volts. Neutral to hot reads 120 volts, and hot to ground reads 66 volts at the same junction box. Any thoughts?


texts: Finished basement outlets, GFCI or AFCI?

texts:
I am finishing a basement and I am not sure if I need to install GFCI or AFCI outlets. Is it better to use a GFCI/AFCI breaker instead of the outlets?

NOTE: the finished basement will be used as a home theater/media room. There will be a dry bar also.


texts: Whirlpool Calpso washer that is about 15 years old.  It stays at 24 minutes (starts at 44) until I open the lid, let it sit for awhile and about and hour later I will close the lid and it will finish.  At the 24 minute mark it will not shut off but just make this noise like it wants to go into a cycle spin but is stuck.  Can you tell me what part I may need?


texts:
I'm building a new house and can't decide what type of roof is best. I live in a tropical country where the day temperature is always above 32 degrees celcius. The criteria I want for the roof are:
- doesn't turn my house into an oven
- zero or low maintenance
- less leak problems
- no pests
- better performance during earthquake

I intially wanted a hip, tile roof, but I hesitate at the thoughts of having to clean the gutter often and rats getting inside the ceiling.

Your feedback will be much appreciated.


texts: Anchoring toilet flange into hollow space in floor?

texts:
I'm replacing a toilet and am using a Hydroseat rather than replacing the damaged flange. The problem that I've run into is one of the spots to anchor the Hydroseat down seems to be hollow below the tile.

The other three spots hit the concrete slab and I've anchored to them successfully, but I'm not quite sure what to do about the one sitting above the void. I'm not sure how to anchor it to the floor without hitting concrete or wood. Any ideas?


texts: Open Neutral in Circuit - Need Help Troubleshooting

texts:
I recently lost power to about five outlets on an eight outlet circuit in the kitchen.  For what it is worth, there is a GFCI on the first outlet and the last outlet.  The last outlet (GFCI) is showing no power (no LED) and will not reset.  When I connect my Epsilant tester to the four outlets that are not working, only the green center light goes on indicating "missing neutral". The first GFCI works fine and I can trip any outlet in the circuit and it will trip the GFCI.  In addition to the GFCI, two other outlets work.
Why would some of the outlets in the circuit work, but not others?  What should I look to do to troubleshoot?  Is it likely a faulty outlet, or something else?  I'm guessing that the last GFCI in the chain is not operating because it just isn't getting power?  Any help greatly appreciated.  Thanks!


texts: Can disconnecting the cold switch on a shower pump save money?

texts:
I've moved into a house that has one twin pump on the hot and cold water pipes (leading from the tanks) to make the upstairs shower more powerful. It works fine in the shower, as it switches itself on (mains electric) when it senses flow in the pipes as you first turn the shower tap on.

Unfortunately it also does this when it detects the flow of cold water to the bathroom taps and the toilets in the house. This means I'm paying money to fill up my toilets, and also means if anyone uses a tap in the night there is a loud whirring noise in my 3yr old daughter's bedroom cupboard. Not ideal!

I see there are two sensors which are fitted on the outside of the cold and hot water pipes into the pump. Shall I just unclip the sensor on the cold side, in order that demand for cold water doesn't start the pump up?

I think there is only one motor inside the pump, so a demand for hot water will trigger the hot sensor, and pump both hot and cold water. So the shower should still work the same.

Any drawbacks? Other than: the toilets will refill slower?


texts: My cold water tank, has one inch of brown sludge at the bottom, what should I do

texts:
For the first time ever I have looked properly at my cold water tank. It has one inch of brown sludge at the bottom, what should I do. I assume this is the tank that provides the water hot/cold to everything except the main kitchen taps. (But is not involved in the radiators, that is in another tank in the loft ?). The water itself appears clear but it cannot be right for then to be brown sludge.

(I have also checked the feed/expansion tank used by the central heating, and this is looks murkier, but doesnt have an inch of sludge at the bottom)

I assume I have it the right way round, the cold-water tank has alot more connectins than the feed-expansion tank.

Where would It come from and how can I get rid of it ?