texts: Why are two breakers controlling the same circuit?

texts:
I don't know too much about wiring and such, but I can get my self into trouble. At the church I go to there is a set of chandeliers (4) in the sanctuary. Each one of them has two sets of lights in them. There are two breakers, one controlling one set, the other controlling the other set. There are no switch's we use the breakers to turn them on and off. The problem I see is that one night I went to turn them off, and the one set of lights wouldn't turn off. I thought the problem was the beaker. After looking at the labeling on the door of the box, it says that breaker (5) also turns them off. When I flipped the beaker, they turned off. The breaker that we use normally is not 5; I think its 4, but the labeling saying what it does is blocking the number.

Now to try and wrap this up, I don't understand and don't know how safe it is to have two breakers go to the same place and turn on and off the same lights.


texts: Installing thin slate (chalkboards) as countertops: proper method?

texts:
I'm buying some used grade school chalkboards to use as counter tops in our kitchen. I know this is done, as there are plenty of photos online, but the actual info as to how to install is scarce.

Is there any standard process for installing thin stone products as a counter top? What I've found out (and would appreciate having verified) is:

slate is fairly soft and we can cut it with a radial saw with a diamond blade (and a shop vac, natch)
we can smooth out blemishes with a hand sander
can be sealed with mineral and tung oils.

And I assume:
 - I need a wood substrate (MDF?)
 - possible topped with something like hardibacker
 - thinset slate on top of that.

Questions:

do I gain much with hardibacker + thinset vs. just adding more MDF and construction adhesive?
is there a good technique for laying the slate down on top of the counters without snapping them in half as they are tipped down? (These aren't HUGE sheets...will mostly be 2'x4' sections--maybe not a big worry?)
any clever ideas for edge finishing? I was thinking maybe strips of stainless steel.


texts: Issues with water supply/faucets after frozen pipes

texts:
We woke up to frozen pipes this morning. We cranked the heat and opened all the faucets.
Water started flowing first to our ½ bath and then shortly after that to the other faucets but only cold water and then it got strange.
If we turn on the ½ bath faucet the other faucets flow but only cold water. As soon as we turn it off all the other faucets turn off.
Why????
Added info:  The ½ bath is the first place the water comes into the house from the main water line at the street.  This is in the front of the house. We turned on the faucets in our master bath, upstairs bath and the kitchen sink.  Kitchen sink is the last and furthest from the main line.
Water starts to flow in the ½ bath sink (both cold and hot handle on runs through one spout - cold runs more).  After about 2-3 minutes water will flow in the master bath tub and sinks and then a minute or so after that the water in the kitchen sink will flow.  Upstairs just gurgles.
If we turn off the water in the ½ bath and leave the faucets open all over the rest of the house the water will stop flowing and never start until we turn on the faucet in the ½ bath again.
MORE:
Ok so with all the faucets open we turned the ½ bath to full cold and you are correct the other faucets stopped.  We tried with just the hot on in the ½ bath and nothing.  Put both back on and they all started again.
How would I find the non-return valve that is stuck.


texts: I have a metal box and conduit outlet in my kitchen where a bar cabinet is going to be installed. I assume it would be way too much effort to rip out plaster and move the box to a new location, so I would rather just have the outlet inside of the bar for lighting purposes. Would I just need a metal extender for the box to extend the outlet into the back of cabinet? I assume non-metallic plastic extender is no good.


texts:
I had to add a supply valve for my refrigerator in my house. It's my first time working with pex. I added some Pex B to my existing Viega cold water line and used copper crimp rings with the appropriate tool. All of my crimps were checked with a go/nogo  gauge.

My concern is that one of the crimps (the bottom one) is slightly off centered from the front as you can see from the image. I have no leaks in the system and it's working great so far, but I was curious if it warrants a re-crimp or if it will hold just fine if it's holding now.

I'd prefer to not have to re-crimp it, because there's only so much extra pex pipe under there and I'd prefer to not add too much complexity by adding another coupling to put some new line in and re-crimp the tee.


texts: What is this part on my dishwasher, and why is it leaking?

texts:
I noticed our dishwasher was leaking last night.  Below is a stock picture of the pump assembly, part #wpw10195599 which would actually be positioned upside down from what you see in the picture.  The water appeared to be coming from the round hole that is circuled in red.
I can only find the entire assmble for sale, but would like to try to fix the actuall part that's defective first.

Does anyone know what the white part is that's circled?

Does it make sense that that's where water could be leaking from?

If so, is there anything I can do besides replace the entire assembly?


texts: Can I put dimmable LED bulbs in a ceiling fan fixture and wire it to a dimmer switch marked LED compatible?

texts:
Would there be any problems with putting dimmable LED bulbs into a ceiling fan fixture that holds three bulbs and wiring it to a dimmer switch marked LED compatible? The fan itself will be on just the pull chain, not the dimmer.

I don't think there would be, but from what I've read LEDs bulbs are more "picky" than incandescents and want to be sure. No buzzing, glowing, shortened life, etc.

Additionally, what about LED bulbs and an illuminated switch (not dimmable)? Would there be any unexpected glow at the bulb or switch?


texts: We have a waterpik handheld showerhead that is dripping. I shut off the water at the street, and the inlet valve on our instant hot water heater. The water at the faucets is off. I turned the shower faucet on to make sure water wouldn't flow, but water is flowing slowly out of the showerhead. Even when I turn the handle off and on again, it makes the gushing noise and more water comes out and then it slows down but never stops. How do I stop the water from coming out of the showerhead?


texts: How to connect a 14-30r outlet with only three wires?

texts: I am trying to wire a 14-30r receptacle.  I only have 3 wires (black, red, and ground).  There is a system ground and equipment ground on the wiring diagram.  Do these both attach to the ground?


texts:
I've just grouted my bathroom tiles - first time grouter here - and I've missed a tiny area between two tiles.
Unfortunately I've used all of my grout!

Do I have to buy and mix another batch or is there a suitable substitute for a small area?

Help appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe


texts: Help me understand this basic Pool & Spa Combination plumbing diagram?

texts:
The below diagram is from http://www.poolcenter.com/plumbingSchematics and is described as follows:

  Basic Pool & Spa Combination Plumbing Diagram

  4 Jandy 3 way valves
  1 Jandy 2 way valve
  1 Jandy Check valve
  2 Jandy Valve Actuators

  Common pool plumbing layout for the pool/ spa combo design with shared
  pool & spa heater and controller.

My question is:

What is the purpose of the horizontal connection from the Spa Return to the Pool Return via the 3 way valve?

There is already a route via the Spa Make-up and Check Valve to the return.

If you wanted to configure the system to pump to "spa only"... you'd want everything going through  the Check Valve, right?

You wouldn't want leakage to the Pool Return, and you wouldn't want water going past the check valve?


texts: Should I be able to just peel tile off the wall by hand if it is installed right?

texts:
We hired a contractor to remodel our master bathroom. For the tile installation in the shower, he started with a float-cement backing. To show quick progress, he rushed through this step and the final surface was uneven with deviations of over an inch in some places. He assured me that this was no problem and proceeded with setting the tile. To make it come out straight, he had to use well over 1 inch of thin-set in some spots:

After pointing out to him that the instructions for the thin-set he used (MultiSet Modified Thin-Set Mortar by Custom Building Products) state that it should not be applied thicker than 1/4", he told me that he had mixed in some Portland Cement (Spec-Mix Type-S) to give it extra strength and that I shouldn't worry about it.

He had to pause installation for a bit and after 12 days of curing-time, I tried to see if I could peel off one of the tiles (a 7 1/4" x 7 1/4" piece that was crooked and needed to be redone anyways) by hand and it popped right off in one piece:

And left the wall underneath it looking like this:

Is this how it's supposed to be or did the added Portland Cement reduce the thin-set's stickiness? Are there any other potential issues with mixing cement into thin-set and applying it in this thickness?


texts: What is this 6" vent coming out of the main furnace trunk going under my deck for?

texts: I have a 6 inch round duct that comes out of the main trunk about 5 feet from the furnace.  It runs through the basement and outside the house (under the deck).  What is this?  The furnace also has 2" PVC vent and intake pipe, which I'm familiar with, but I've never seen this before.  When the furnace or Air is on there is air flowing through this pipe.  What is it? what does it do?  Thanks!


texts: What is the fastest way to remove adhesive from ceramic tile?

texts:
What is the fastest way to remove adhesive from the ceramic tile?

I have no patience for removing the adhesive by using an utility knife.


texts: How should I connect a light to box with 4 black wires, 3 white wires?

texts:
I'm trying to wire a pullchain fixture in a closet. There is no switch, that I know of, and no fixture currently. There are 3 black wires taped together and pigtailed with tape, no wirenut. There is 1 single black wire. There are also 3 white wires with a taped pigtail. How do I go about wiring a pullchain light fixture?
The closet is a small coat closet next to the front door. There are three switches in the box next to the door. One is for an exterior light. The second is wired to a wall plug. The third is a question mark. An electrician replacing plugs had no idea what it was for. Perhaps it's for the fixture inside the closet?
I have a circuit tester. Can I touch black to black and red to metal box since there's no ground wire?
Ok. Just checked with black to black, red to white and flipped the switch. No light on circuit tester.
Update. There are actually 4 white wires. Three are taped together and pigtailed with no wirenut.  The 4th is taped
to the pigtail. Looks like a mess. And yes, US, built in 1958.
I'm thinking I'll take the tape off and put wirenuts on. I'll update on what I find under the tape. May take a few days till I get to it.  And perhaps putting in a pullchain fixture is not that important after all.
I tested the single black wire based on your recommendation.
Final update: Problem solved. I had to call our electrician for a gfci issue on on of the circuits. He also wired the pullchain fixture. I unwrapped the tape on the pigtail clippings he left behind to find that they had been crimped originally. Thank you for taking the time to answer questions!


texts: Best product/method to repair pictured cracks in driveway

texts: Please see below for picture.  I would like to repair the cracks, but am unsure as to the ideal product. For reference, the picture represents an area that is approximately 3 feet by 2 feet, with a slight depression of a couple inches.  Leading contenders seem to be Quikrete Patching Compound and Quikrete Polymer-modified Structural Repair. It is a shared driveway that sees regular vehicle traffic and would be difficult to shut down for any period of time.  Ideally, I would just patch the cracks and resurface/fill the depression at a later time.  Primary objective is keep from getting worse.  Thanks.


texts: Using a sealant to stop a toilet tank leak

texts: The toilet tank is leaking through the bolts, but the bolts are so rusted I can't remove them. I can't afford a plumber right now, but would like to stop using bucket-fulls of water to flush. My husband wants to use a sealant to stop the leaking. Is this feasible?


texts: Why is my electric going on only in half my house?

texts:
I need to know how my electric would be going out only in half my home.
I have a electrical pole leaning forward toward my yard away from my house.
My electric has been going off in all my mobile home except my fridge and two outlets and my master bedroom and master bathroom - everything else is kicking off, including my heat pump.
The heat pump makes a big sound that sounds like it is begging for electricity, then my electric will go off. It kicks off a few minutes then comes back in.
We have had the transformer changed, the electric company also fixed the clips at the top of my pole. This seems to have fixed the problem for about a week, but it snowed and was cold, and now it went back off. The power stays off a few mins then kicks backs on. My husband went to wiggle the wires going into the box out on the pole and the electric comes back on.
I don't know if this is the problem where the pole is leaning crinkling the wires into my outside box up but seems like that's causing it to go off or the wire into the box on the pole is being pushed up and not straight causing it.


texts:
Trying to identify a dishwasher part.
Thia dishwasher is bosch, silence plus (I'm in Israel). This part was stuck near the pump inside the dishwasher (specifically the gear of the pump). The dishwasher wouldn't pump water in till I removed it. Can't seem to put it back in and now water won't drain out. Any ideas?


texts: How can I keep lizards away from my room? I live in a hostel and I do not want to kill them. Is there a drug that can just repel them?


texts:
So I finished laying wood plank ceramic tile using large format medium bed mortar. I used the Lash system and did this over three days, half on day one, one day off, then finished tonight. Some lessons learned included making sure to half the Lash pliers at the beginning, and more importantly NOT leaving in lash clips on the border stopping point. The clips bonded to the cured mortar and this created some lippage, most noticeable in a couple spots.

Question: what is the best way to remove a tile or two and replace them before I grout? I back buttered every tile and used a 1/2 inch trowel. Substrate is 3/4 plywood plus 1/4 backerboard plus layer of Hydro Ban.


texts: Why is my orbit/watermaster fuse blowing with brand new solenoid?

texts:
I have a watermaster (now orbit) timer.
I replaced a bad solenoid with "the only orbit solenoid that fits the hole" at home depot, the Orbit 57861 13V
Now my fuses in the timer immediately blow when I try to use this brand new solenoid, why?


texts: Does concrete sealant slow the growth of moss?

texts: Does sealant like Thompson's WaterSeal slow the growth of moss on concrete?  I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest and moss and mold are regular problems.


texts: How can I remove a tub spout with a stripped hex bolt/machine screw?

texts:
I have a slip on tub spout with a stripped hex nut. I need to remove it but I don't think it is wise to use the traditional method (drill into the bolt, hammer in an extractor,etc) put the space is very small.

So, I think the best method is to use snips and cut off the spout, then cut off the plastic seal assembly to remove the hex bolt with a pliers or something.

thoughts? alternatives?


texts: Why do LED lights get brighter when adding additional lights to the dimmer circuit?

texts:
I just installed new recessed lighting in my finished basement, wiring 4 fixtures with dimmable led bulbs to a dimmer switch. Additionally, 2 of the fixtures are on their own standard switch after the dimmer so that I can turn off half the lights on the dimmer circuit when desired.

Everything works as intended but I have noticed a strange phenomenon. Starting with the secondary switch off so only two lights are on, and the dimmer switch is on a low setting, if I turn on the second set of lights, the lights that were on originally get noticeably brighter when turning on the second set, and then all 4 are at the same brightness.

Does the effectiveness of a dimmer switch reduce when more lights are added in parallel to the dimmer circuit? The answer seems to be yes, but why?


texts: How do I verify noise coming into my home from the outside?

texts:
I'm fairly certain I've located the source of noise I've been hearing coming into my home; about 98.999% certain; however I need verification from an outside source like a sound engineer, etc.

Does anyone know how I would go about proving the source of the noise?

Sounds easy to just hire a sound engineer, but what are the costs involved and how many are willing to step up to help a residential issue? Thanks.


texts:
I am VERY green too DIY work but I am trying to learn :)
I am trying to install new sink faucets and I am stuck on removing my old handles. The image below is from under the sink.
I cant reach the nuts that attach the handles to the sink and the little pipe sticking out the side of these make it so I cannot use the EZ Change Faucet tool. Not to mention these are too big to fit in there anyway.
I am hoping for some suggestion on how to get these off!
Full size Image:
https://imgur.com/xulZwnP

edit: i have a basin wrench but it does not fit around the nut because the sink and the wood frame are too close to the nut. is my only option breaking it?


texts: Most of my breakers are 15A. Where needed I am seeing them paired and then the end of the switch is marked 30. I seem to have a pair of two like in the picture--the switch end shows 40. Does this amean that this is a pair of 20 circuits grouped together?


texts: Wiring solution for 240V EV charging outlet in garage with long run to breaker box

texts:
I am trying to come up with a wiring solution for a NEMA 14-50 240V outlet in the garage for an EV. Specifics of my situation:

Max charging current will be 32A, so I need #8 wire.

Breaker box is on an exterior wall, at a wire length of 90-100 ft from the
outlet.

I'm proposing to run the first 70' through the attic; then pop out for the last 20' or so. I had originally thought I'd just run 8/3 NM Romex all the way, but found out to my dismay that Romex cannot be used in outdoor conduit. Then I figured I might strip away the sheath and treat it as THHN outside, but one of the answers to the linked question made short shrift of that idea.
So now I am faced with the following restrictions:

Cannot use Romex in the outdoor conduit.
Cannot remove the Romex sheath and treat component wires as THHN.
I would rather not run conduit over the entire 90 ft run. It would involve many 90 deg turns and be a hassle to set up. Romex still looks appealing for the 70' linear length in the attic.
UF cable over the entire run would work but be very expensive. Also, overengineered, since only the last 20' of the run is outside.

So my current thinking is to run Romex to near the exit point, and hop over to THHN/UF in a junction box before exiting the wall to the exterior of the house. The remainder to the breaker box will run in conduit outdoor. However, it will need connecting the two different conductor types with wire nuts. I am wary about doing this on thick wires, for a circuit that will have a constant 32A draw.
My questions are:

Does this plan sound reasonable? Can someone suggest better options?
Are my misgivings about wire nuts warranted? I looked for alternatives; it looks like bus bars could be used, or I could butt-splice wires together. I haven't investigated either of these in depth.
If I do follow this scheme and switch to a different wet-rated solution for the outdoor run, would THHN be markedly better than UF for pulling through conduit? What if I use UF but not pull, rather build sections of conduit as-I-go? (so I'm threading it through say 5' of PVC conduit at a time?)

Also a comment/question about pricing: #8 THHN is $0.64/ft at the local home improvement store. So $64 per 100ft for one wire! $256 for 100 ft for 4 wires. I thought THHN was supposed to be cheap; how/why is it so much more expensive than Romex, which one would think has the same amount of copper? For comparison, a 125’ 8/3 Romex reel is $185.
EDIT: Adding a further restriction on my setup to address @Harper's suggestion of using thicker wire. If I am to use the only side (bottom-left) knockout available on the breaker box, I need to do a tight 3" radius turn into the breaker owing to obstruction from a fiber box mounted infuriatingly close. I have seen that only 1/2" LiquidTight metallic conduit is able to do that, and four #8 wires already is technically past the fill for that size (but thinking pushing the rules a little might be ok for the last 6" of the run?). The only alternative is drilling a hole on the top-right side of the breaker box, but I fear I might be biting off more than I can chew at that point. Space inside the box is also quite constrained, so stuffing thick wire inside and running it to my circuit breaker will be a minor challenge as it is. These breaker box constraints are why I dropped down from #6 to #8 in the first place. :-/ (Of course, found luckily that #8 is electrically sufficient for my projected need).


texts:
I've seen some videos on how to fit a damper in a duct but his damper had only one spindle, requiring a single hole. The dampers in my local store, however, have two spindles, at 180 degrees, meaning diametrically opposite. That means I need to know exactly where the point on the duct is 180 degrees from the other hole, which is hard.
Is there a trick to drilling two holes in a duct that are diametrically opposed to one another, so that they are aligned with the spindle shaft of the damper?


texts: Why is one radiator TRV in the house missing the control?

texts:
My house had a new gas central heating system fitted, with new radiators, before I moved in. One radiator (in the tiny downstairs WC) is missing the control knob for the TRV, and is set to the highest setting. I vaguely remember seeing somewhere that this is desirable for some reason, but it is far too hot for such a small room.

I haven't been able to find a replacement control without the entire TRV, so is it safe to lower the heat using an adjustable wrench or something?


texts: What type of drill bit should I use for pilot holes?

texts:
What type of drill bit should I use for creating pilot holes?
Should I use a brad point bit for creating pilot holes or a different type of bit?
Does it matter what drill bit I should use or is diameter of the drill bit the only important thing?


texts: Woodworking tips to fix a stripped MDF screw hole WITHOUT glue

texts:
Please note: I see some other very similar questions but the recommended answers all suggest using glue in some form. I can't use glue as part of this solution!

I have a workbench that, on the end cap, has an upside down screw that keeps a piece of wood (on my bench) fastened to an MDF board. The problem is that I've had to move the workbench many times over the years, and each time I do, I need to unscrew and rescrew this upside down screw, and the residual wear-and-tear has started to strip both the wooden and MDF screw holes.
So now, I can pretty much just push the screw into place, and its not really doing its job, and the two pieces of wood come apart easily.
What can I do to make the screw "stick" and properly secure the two pieces of wood together?
I absolutely have to keep the existing MDF board in place; I cannot replace it. I do not want to use any type of glue as that would be permanent. And I am open to using a thicker "gauge" screw but I'm worried this might cause the board and MDF to crack or break apart and, besides, I'm not sure if there are any other woodworking tricks this community could teach me here that would solve the problem without needing new hardware! Thanks in advance!


texts: Ceiling fan + dimmable lights + old wiring?

texts:
I want to have my cake and eat it too. Is there any way to accomplish this?

I have an old ceiling light circuit. There is a switch going to a (broken) fan on the ceiling, with lights in it. Since the fan is broken (I'm not sure how, it predates my living here), and I wanted dimmable lights, I disconnected the fan motor in the fan/light assembly and installed a dimmer in the light switch.

However, summer is coming and I'd like a functional ceiling fan. I expect to have to replace the entire fan/light unit with a working one, and to have to replace the dimmer with a normal switch so as not to fry the fan. Is there any way for me to get both dimmable lights and a ceiling fan on one circuit? I'm okay with paying a little extra for some remote-control gizmo or something to control the dimming, if there exists a device like that.

I'm renting, so any modifications I make that aren't strictly positive (e.g. a working ceiling fan instead of a broken one) should be reversible.


texts: Should I wait for Spring to have my backyard deck painted?

texts: I need my deck painted. Should I wait until next spring or should I have it done during the month of October and November before winter?


texts: Pouring concrete for an under porch crawl space

texts:
There is a crawl space under my uncovered front porch. The walls seems to be a mixture of cinder block and brick. The crawlspace "ceiling" is a cement slab and the floor is dirt. The floor right now is covered with various bits of rotting wood. The floor is level with the sorrounding ground. There is one small vent in the wall and a rotting piece of plywood as a door. The space stays pretty dry and we would like to use it for storage of things like bikes, yard tools, and maybe even window AC units.

I am in Washington DC so we get below freezing tempratures, but I was still hoping to just do a pour over the roughly graded dirt to keep things cleaner and make moving things easier. Is this feasible? Given this is truly "outdoor" space without any house above it, would I need a liner?


texts: GFCI sometimes trips when light switched, or just randomly

texts:
Every now and then, a bathroom GFCI (nothing plugged in) randomly trips, and also sometimes (<5% of the time) when I turn on the light switch in that bathroom. The bathroom has a GFCI in one box, and two switches (in one box) for light and exhaust fan (not above shower). I assume the light and exhaust fan are not downstream from the GFCI since they remain on when the GFCI has tripped. I also assume all components are around 17 years old.

That GFCI seems to have a downstream connection to another GFCI in another bathroom. I assume that second GFCI just needs to be a regular receptacle, but that is another question :). A GFCI tester indicates correct wiring for both GFCIs.


texts: How should I lay ceramic tile in a room where one side slants?

texts:
I am going to replace the tile on my kitchen floor.  Part of the kitchen floor (~25%) covers an area by a sliding glass door, that was added onto the kitchen.  This area used to be a porch, and has since sunk a bit since the addition was put in (we estimate it has been there since the '70s).  Consequently, the floor on that area is on a slight downward angle, compared to the rest of the level floor.

I want to lay down long tile in a herringbone pattern.  I'm afraid that if I lay it down on the existing subfloor, the tiles that straddle the point where the floor changes slope, will eventually crack/break.

Everyone I talk to say I should lay down self leveling concrete and level the entire floor, but I'm looking for alternatives on how to handle this situation.  Any ideas?


texts: Can hanging a 70 lbs punching bag from my garage ceiling cause damage?

texts:
Took a look in the attic above the garage to find somewhere to hang my 70 lbs punching bag. After seeing what was up there, I wasn't sure it was a good idea anymore so I was hoping to get some feedback.

Garage depth: 24 ft / width: 30 ft

Here is a link to more pictures of the attic so you can have a better idea of the structure
https://imgur.com/a/Oq1ykiu

The red arrow shows the spot I was going to hang the bag from. It's a 2x12 going all the way from the front to the back of the garage, supported by those respective walls. Is that considered a beam?

I hope this is enough information to determine if it can hold and not cause structural issues.

Thanks!


texts: Hot water heating system: Renew or replace?

texts:
Our home was built around 1963 and has Gas powered Hot water based heating, some portion of the house is floor heated and some with radiators emitting heat from hot water. The heater may be 10-12 years old. This is Lochinvar heater. Our inspector said this may be at its end of the life. Our house has central air conditioner and air conditioner handler is in attic up above the bedrooms.

This our third winter with this heater and broke three time already and spent ~800 USD for parts and labor.

Here are my questions,

Our system doesn't have mixing valve to cool down the water to certain level before it goes into the concrete floors. How dangerous/expensive this would be if this breaks?
If missing mixing valve is a problem and since I already spent ~800 USD for maintanance, should I wait for the boiler to die or should I proactively replace it with new one?
If I am going to replace it, are there any advantages to going air based heating? Is it feasible since our air conditioner handler is already in the attic? or should I stick with water based heating?

Thank you!

I understand, I am asking a lot of questions in one question, I am just afraid, breaking it up in smaller questions might not give the full picture.


texts: What is causing the last two heads in a sprinkler/irrigation system to have no water pressure?

texts: Zone 2 of my irrigation system has 6 pop-up sprinkler heads but the last two do not pop up, nor is there any water coming from them at all. They are completely dry, even in the flex lines they are attached to. My assumption is that there is a break in the main PVC line after the last working head. So, I have been digging up this particular line to find the break, but with no luck. It's about 30 feet long and I'm about halfway with digging this line up. I was certain the roots from a nearby Queen Palm would have been the culprit but after clearing that area with no breaks I'm wondering if something else could be the problem, especially since I am seeing no water coming out of the ground after letting the zone run for a while. So, could this be a problem with the valve or is it definitely a break that I've yet to find? Should I keep on digging until I find it? This irrigation system was not being used for at least 3 years and only recently has been turned on for the first time, so I was expecting some work to be done.


texts: Structure for mounting TV above fireplace

texts:
Soon, we'll be gutting and redesigning our fireplace surround, similar to this picture. Which way would be best for mounting a tv?

Tile the whole wall top to bottom, drill through the tile into the studs, mount the tv
Measure the current tv mount plate, mark it on the wall, tile around it, allowing the tv to be mounted more securely directly to the concrete board / studs then over the rather soft travertine tile she's chosen. Save some tile in case someone decides to take down the tv and put the original tile in it's place
Build the box big enough to accommodate a "someday" bigger tv one of these days when she's not home to stop it :)

The concerns we have with mounting the tv on top of the tile are:

It's a brick style tile that isn't flat.
The tv mount we currently have - a 30 inch extending articulated mount is heavy enough, let alone the 80lb 50 inch plasma it holds. I'm concerned the weight of the mount + tv would crack the tile after multiple pushes and pulls. The mount and tv are about 120lb combined, not including the forces exerted pushing and pulling it from the wall and rotating the tv.


texts: Why aren't my motion detector lights working?

texts:
I have 4 motion sensing lights on 4 corners of my home and only one works and the other three do not light-up when I walk by... what might be the problem?

Here is an attached picture to show the model I'm using. Its for outdoor use.

I have also tried changing the bulbs but that does not help me either.


texts: How to protect wood against carpenter ants?

texts:
I have a small two-step 2 deck that comes off my sunroom, and due to the location, the deck never gets any sunlight so it's almost perpetually damp/wet during rainy spring and summer, making it the perfect place for a carpenter ant colony.

The sunroom itself is supported by short pressure treated 6x6 posts going onto concrete bases, and these get damp from time to time if the rain is heavy enough.

I plan on replacing the ant-infested deck with composite decking, but since the stringers will be made of wood, they are just as susceptible. There is also an exposed wood face as the final step up to the sliding door of the sunroom that is perpetually damp.

Aside from the composite boarding on the horizontal surfaces, how can I protect the other wood surfaces from carpenter ant infestations?


texts: What is causing a replacement ceiling fan light to flicker?

texts:
I had a Hunter ceiling fan with a light kit attached.  It started making a humming sound and then a loud pop.  This caused the circuit breaker to trip.  After resetting the circuit breaker, the fan worked, but the lights did not.  I bought a new light kit and installed it the same as the previous light kit (which was a slightly different model, I think this one).  The old light kit used incandescent candelabra  60W bulbs.

After installing the new light kit, when I turn on the light, it barely flickers.  If I touch the light bulb, it flickers slightly more, but is still nowhere near full power.  I tested the light socket with a volt meter and found that the light socket is getting slightly less than 120V (as expected).  The light bulbs work in other fixtures.

Any ideas on what could be causing the issue?


texts:
I'm adding a humidifier to my furnace. The included 24vac transformer fits nicely on the inner electrical box in the upper furnace compartment.  I like that it keeps everything behind the external switch, and keeps the 24v terminals covered.  However, i wonder if it might get too hot in there.
Is the inner furnace power box a safe location for a transformer?


texts:
I just purchased my first home with limited knowledge on many things. At one point my house was outside city limits (using a well and septic) and has since been annexed into the city and brought onto public utilities.

My main sewer stack is odd for me. As everything upstairs is ran into it but instead of the bottom of the stack running all the way through the basement floor, it stops about half way down the wall and exits through the exterior basement wall.

The basement looks to be some sort of hack. First off there is a kitchen and bathroom down there. Both rooms are build on a platform in the basement to raise the room and (my guess) is to run the plumbing under the floor instead of going through the basement floor. It all goes to a one point the exits on the opposite side of the sewer stack exit.

The back side of the house has a dirt road and i doubt there's any sewer there that it is tapping into. The old septic (I believe) has been collapse and it was located where the sewer exit is.

There is a square hole cut out in the back of my garage which has slightly been cemented over. Afraid to open this up and find more disasters but looks to be housing something for the basement sewer system. I don't want to open Pandora's box.

Now for the reason I am explaining this...

Next spring, I will be ripping out the entire basement and starting from scratch. Why would there be 2 sewer lines and are the both ok to use (the back one for the basement and the front for the upper level). Why doesn't the main sewer stack not run through the basement floor? And is it possible that I don't have any drain lines under the basement floor to tap into? I want to add a bathroom down there in the future but could see this being a problem.

Also additional details I forgot to add...

House is a 1 story brick ranch build in 1970. The basement in the front, where the sewer taps into the house, is underground. The back of the basement, where the sewer from the basement taps in, is above ground.

I'm clueless and just needed some insight before I got involved with something way over my head and my budget.


texts: I am trying to install a hunter ceiling fan that is controlled by two three way switches. I have two red wires twisted together, two black twisted, and two single white wires and of coarse the grounds. This ceiling fan has a remote box. I have been unable to wire it in to get it working. Any help would be appreciated. And all I need the switched to do is turn the unit on and off.


texts: Split system system, power consumption, Australia

texts:
Can someone please explain to me how power consumption works on my split system unit?
I had a read of the main unit outside and it says:

"Maximum input-2.32kW/10.2A"
Capacity:
"Cooling- 4.40-4.40kW"
"Heating- 5.50-5.50kW"
Current:
"Cooling - 5.6-5.4A
"Heating - 6.7-6.5A
Power input:
"Cooling - 1.20-1.20kW
"Heating - 1.47-1.47kW

What I am trying to understand is what am I using when the unit is just idling along and what am I using when the unit is pumping hard to heat/cool? What impact would a 5kW solar system have on it with a theoretical maximum sunlight for 7 hours?


texts:
Tonight I had a breaker that kept tripping. Recently I had a wiring issue on a different circuit and got that fixed, but now this circuit is tripping my breaker. I disconnected absolutely everything on the circuit and it would still trip after 10 minutes or so. I'd try to leave one thing on, the stove light, or plug an appliance in like a lamp, and 10 minutes it would trip.
I went through and looked at every outlet and everything looked good, but I disconnected and reconnected them just to be sure, and again, 10 minutes, it would trip. I figured I'd try it on a different breaker to see if it tripped it. The one in question controls my kitchen light, 2 sockets in my living room, and 2 in a back bedroom. I switched it with the master bedroom/bathroom. They are the same size 20A breaker and same brand.
Now my master bedroom is connected to the breaker that kept tripping. I have my TV, xbox, space heater, bathroom light, and bedroom light on. It's been an hour and hasn't tripped once.
On the circuit that could be bad, I now have the stove overhead light, a space heater, and the kitchen light on, and it has also not tripped again on the switched breaker when before in 10 mins it would trip every single time.
The breaker is working fine on more power to it from room, and the circuit is holding up fine on the breaker I switched it to that used to be for the master bedroom.
My question is: Where in the world is my problem?  (I'm completely confused.)


texts:
Can anybody advise me?

Walking into the property you can feel the dampness in the air. The kitchen and bathroom run along the front of the house on the ground floor.  There is a smell coming from the kitchen that may be damp related but no evidence of staining or condensation.  In the bathroom there is a staining on the wall behind the toilet rising from the floor and lots of condensation on the cistern and a contant puddle from the dripping of the condensation.

I don't know if I need a plumber or a damp surveyor?  Any signs I should look for?

Any help would be greatly appreciated


texts: Alternatives to forced hot air in-wall units

texts:
My condo came with in-wall hot air units with a fan (one for the bedroom, one for the living room).

I am very unhappy with this heating system and am looking for alternatives.

It is very noisy (to the point that I can't sleep with the heat on).
There's a strong dust smell (I am sensitive to dust and this easily triggers allergies).
The living room is big: 20ft x 14ft (10+ft high ceilings) and the heating unit there (size: 13in x 21.5in) is incapable of keeping it warm in winter.

Previously, in France, I would use "radiant heating panels", i.e. a unit where a metal (or stone) core is heated then radiates heat. These are silent, do not move dust around, and provide an excellent, immediate sensation of warmth. See https://www.atlantic-comfort.com/Our-products/Room-heating/Extensive-heat-panel-heaters/Solius-Solius-Wi-Fi for an example, or https://www.campa.fr/produit/campastyle-design-30-vertical-1250w-anthracite-cmdd13vanth for a more high-end version.

I looked around and it seems that no such thing exists in the US. While I could import a couple of the former radiators myself (I have 208V/60Hz and the spec sheet for those says they're rated 220V/60Hz) I most likely cannot do so because they wouldn't be up to code and would be a liability (if you think I can make this work out: please tell me! that would solve my problem)

The only alternatives I found are "infrared panels" which seem substantially inferior in terms of efficiency, as they don't seem to have a heat-retaining element; they also don't seem to be very popular, as I could only find a few references. Furthermore, they all seem to be plug-in units which entails running them on 110V (less efficient). See https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wexstar-800-Watt-Infrared-Electric-Panel-Heater-White-WS-8WUS/307665070 or https://www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/radiant-panel for what I've found.

Am I missing something and does there exist some alternative to hot-air that would provide silence, comfort and warmth?

Bonus question: If infrared panels are the only option, does anyone have experience with them and are they a viable plan given the size of my living room?


texts:
Let me start off with the facts:

I have 125 amp service that is fed via overhead lines to a center fed panel.
I am maxed out on breakers, as every 110v breaker is now a tandem breaker.
When other homes in my area have upgraded to 200 amp service, they did not replace the feed lines. They are rated for, at least, 200 amps already.
My panel is exterior to the home.
I need a 220v (20 amp) circuit and a 110v (15 amp) circuits run to my garage.
Line slack is not a consideration here.

Now to my questions:
Can I add a subpanel to my current panel? Or should I bite the bullet and upgrade the service to 200 amps? I can't really afford the full panel upgrade though.

I was thinking (as a layman) that I could remove one 220v (30 amp) breaker from the main panel and put in a 220v (60 amp) breaker to feed a subpanel. Then I could feed the stove (old 220v @ 30 amp) from the new subpanel, as well as the adding a new 220v @ 20 amp breaker for the new table saw. As well as add the 110v @ 15 amp circuit.

In my uneducated brain, this makes sense. But I feel like I am missing something here. Please help.


texts:
A sub panel caught on fire just in the garage area.

Do I need to rewire the whole house or can I just get a big junction box and splice all branch circuits and run it to my new electrical panel ?


texts:
I live in Northern CA.

For over 2 weeks, outside humidity is 90% (night) to 60% (4pm).
I use fans when cooking and bathing.
I keep the house temperature at 60-66 deg (night-day) and probably may drop to 57 when not at home during the day.
I try to open windows and ventilate, but that is hard since when I am home, I want to heat on and it tends to be night time so outside humidity is higher anyway
I have no basement
house is old, so I don't think it is "too air tight"
windows (about half) are old, single pan (not drafty though) and they get TONS of condensation every morning

Why is it that other houses I went to seem dry and maintain humidity at 40-50% while I have such a big problem lowering it?

Am I doing something wrong, like, should I heat the house to a higher temperature, will that help?
Is getting a dehumidifier a (only) solution?


texts: What I do about mouse droppings in basement ceiling where I can't reach?

texts:
I had a mouse infestation a while ago - they were coming in from dryer and exhaust vents too close to the ground.  I trapped the mice and fixed the vent/exhaust situation to prevent more from entering.

Fortunately, the infestation was in the basement and seemed to be almost entirely in the unfinished utility room.

While inspecting my HVAC ducts recently, I discovered a ton of mouse droppings on the top of the drywall ceiling in the finished basement.

I know that droppings should not be vacuumed and that a bleach solution should be used to wet them and gather them, but I barely have access to see above the ceiling drywall from the utility room, and certainly can't reach back there to wipe it all up.

How can I effectively clean up the droppings in these hard to reach places?

I was thinking about using a vacuum with extensions, but understand that you're not supposed to vacuum mice droppings.


texts: Can I splice and extend feeder wires to a barn?

texts:
Running three #4 wires 150' underground to a new barn.

I ended up 12' short of the disconnect switch. is it okay to mount a weather proof junction box on the exterior wall of the barn and then splice them to feed over to the disconnect switch.

If this is okay, how high above the ground should the junction box be?


texts: Feasibility of fixing unscrewable broken chair leg with hot glue/ other alternatives

texts:
This picture is the caption for a youtube video and the link for that video doesn't matter.My chair at home looks similar in its problem and I'm not going to give you photos of my furniture. I can't do the stuff shown in the video because I dont' have saws and powertools.

I can't screw the leg back in.

My idea is to use hot glue gun but I don't know how strong the hot glue would be to make a chair that is useable, not just a model replica of a chair.

Would a hot glue gun work? What are other cheap non-powertool alternatives?


texts: how to add an overhead ceiling fixture to a switched outlet run

texts:
I have a master bedroom that has three switched outlets (top outlet only on each) that is switched from two locations in the room.  I want to add a ceiling light (no fan- just a ceiling fixture with two 60 watt sockets.  I don't mind the switched outlets being switched if that makes it easier for install.  What do I need to look for and what is the easiest way to connect so that I can utilize both switches without having to open up walls and run lots of wiring.  I have access in the attic to install the light and run wire to the wall in which the the switch leading into the bedroom is located.  I figured I could drill a hole in the top plate and fish the wire down into either the switch box or one of the switched outlets that is located below the switch.  In the switch box there appears to be three blacks wired together and three whites wired together with a red going to the switch at the bottom.  I have not taking out the switch yet to look and see what other wires connect to the switch, nor have I pulled out the outlet to see what's going on in there.  Any help you can give me in hooking up the light would be appreciated.  Would like to get it installed as a Valentines Day present to spouse.

So  I guess my question is: Do I run the wire to the switch from the light or does it need to go to the switched outlet.  What wires do I need to connect so that the light is switched at both locations in the room and becomes part of the switched outlet run.  I'm assuming that everything I need is in the box for the switch leading into the room and that if I group the black and white with the combined ones that are already in the box that it's already set up with wires ponytailed off to switch. What is the best way to go about connecting the light to the switched outlet run. –


texts: What type of wire and load center for subpanel in detached pole garage?

texts:
I am installing a 60 AMP subpanel in a detached pole garage 150 feet from the house. Garage subpanel will be supplied from an existing 100 AMP subpanel in the basement of the house (running from the 200 AMP main is not an option).
What size of wire and type of wire is required?  Can it be direct burial with just short runs of conduits as it exits/enters the structures?
Is a NEMA 1 load center suitable for mounting on the inside surface of the pole garage?


texts:
When inserting the joist finder screw, which is one of the components of the Squeeeeek-No-More-Floor-Repair-Kit, it got stuck midway so I can neither insert it nor remove it using a power drill. Does anyone have suggestions on how I can remove the Joist finder screw?

I was using the joist finder screw to find the joist on a carpeted floor. Recharging the power drill did not help.

The joist finder screw is the long screw with threads only on the end.  It has a hex head that chucks directly into the drill.


texts:
I have a 6500 watt predator generator, here lately every time I run it, after it runs for maybe 20 minutes to 1 hour the lights in our home cut out and then back in.

At first it was only doing it for a few seconds, but now when they cut out they stay out a few minutes before cutting back on.

How can I fix this?


texts: Did I make a major mistake on my garage shelves?

texts:
I built garage shelves using Grip Rite construction screws (photo of box below). Only afterwards did I notice the statement about "non-structural" use.

Did I make a major mistake? Should I get some stronger screws to attach the beams to the posts?

FWIW, I also used wood glue (Titlebond II) to attach the shelves to the posts.


texts: ON Electrical Code: 240V line from panel to exterior (fused / nonfused subpanel) for AC

texts:
I'm a complete newbie to this so I have a few questions...

1) Gauge of wire from panel to exterior subpanel?  I know it's two live from a 220V breaker and neutral, also do I need GFCI, or a standard breaker is fine, 30amps good?

2) Conduit, hard or flex, and composition of conduit?  I would prefer hard, also any restrictions on height when running on exterior of house, obstacles of windows & Main line in the way, how to avoid?  Can I push away from the wall with a treated two by four or do I have to route away?

3) Do I need a subpanel outside?  Does it need to be fused?  Any distance / placement requirements to ground level, windows, ac condenser unit, ac pressured lines?

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions.

Update:

https://senville.com/18000-btu-dual-zone-mini-split-air-conditioner-sena-18hf-d/ this is the unit I was looking at installing, looks to be 18A with Max Fuse at 25A.

Yes, the exterior subpanel is on the same physical building on a different side of the house feeding from behind the house.

I'm located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.


texts:
The house I recently bought has the networking cables to each room (2-4 each) terminate at a junction box on the outside of the house.  To hook up my Internet, the tech hooked up to one of the cables to my living room, where I hooked it into my router. However, that leaves several ports in my home useless because there is nothing connected to them on the outside to give them any sort of internet access.

I'd like to have 4 Ethernet outlets per room to have all my devices wired and set up a couple APs for the devices that can't be wired.  Basically I've considered doing the following.

Find the internet-connected cable in my attic, disconnect and pull it from its outlet and hook up to my router->network switch.  Then, run new cables to each room from that network switch. (This is overly simplified).
Run a cable for each wireless AP to the wall/ceiling locations I want them.

I'm not sure if this is the best way to do this.  I'm not sure what to do with all the cables in the junction box (and through the brick and mortar, btw).  Should I pull them all, leaving just the network connected line?  I'd like a good home network, but it seems there will be a lot of extra work due to poor initial network wiring.  I don't want to use powerline adapters either.

Some notes:

It's an FTTP/H connection, set up so I don't need a separate modem.
The current wiring is as follows:  Fiber->ONT->(over ethernet)Junction Box->Through Outside Wall->Living Room->Router.  I think I'd prefer the following: Through Outside Wall->Router->Switch->Room Outlets/APs.

Current setup:

Proposed setup:

Any help (including things to keep in mind and look out for) is greatly appreciated!

Edit: Whatever setup I decide, I don't plan to leave it in the attic. The conditions are too variable and, I think, not good for networking equipment.


texts: What is the name of a roof section between converging valleys?

texts:
I have a similar situation as the member in this thread:
How to flash a roof valley on parallel roofs
However, I'd like to know if this roofing solution has a name. I'm thinking since it diverts rainwater, maybe it's called a diverter? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.


texts:
I have a single handle Pfister faucet. It flows fine on cold but only about half on hot. What is wrong?

Video of issue


texts: Converting a 3 way circuit from controlling outlets to controlling a fan

texts:
I have two switches in the livingroom that control the outlets in the room. We never use them and in fact since we swapped out all the outlets due to age, we didn't split them so they're hot all the time regardless.

I'm in the process of converting some switches into smart switches and already ran a 2 pole wire in my office to control the light and fan separately. I'd like to do that in the livingroom as well, only difference is there will be two switches for the light instead of just one.

What I've done so far is ran a second 2 pole wire from the ceiling fan down to one of the switches. So I have a black and white wire from the light (what I want to toggle). Currently the 3 way switch has three wires, one red connected to the traveler that goes to the other switch. One black that goes to the other switch as well, and another red in the common that's going to the outlets.

The other switch has one red wire and a black wire (black is in the traveler) going to the same source. There's a black wire in the common going somewhere else. Unfortunately I'm unable to determine where exactly everything is going on the second switch.

Any good advice is great. If more information is needed, please ask and I'll do my best to find out.

Thank you in advanced for any help.


texts: Can I install whole house humidifier in AC ducting?

texts:
Just grabbed 2 Honeywell whole house humidifiers: HE360A1075. It's the best model Lowes has and recommends.

I have 3 floors and a basement in an old (1890s) victorian house. We have cast iron radiators with a gas boiler for heat on the bottom 2 floors (original) and separate ducting for the AC; then a regular AC/gas furnace ducting for the top 2 floors.

For the top two floors the install should be easy, I assume, as we have water and drain locations up there.

For the lower floors, can I install the humidifier in the AC ducting and have the thermostat power just the blower, and not actually turn on the AC?

I have 2 Nest gen 2 thermostats, which I believe can control the humidifiers too.

So - key question:

Can I install the humidifer on the AC ducting and use the AC blower, without turning on the AC? This should be controlled by the Nest to turn on whenever humidy is low.

Note - there is no heating furnace, just an AC unit.


texts: Goodman furnace - intermittantly works (80% of time works, then one blink (ignition failure)

texts:
Goodman furnace - works most of the time. Then, it will give the one-blink indicator of ignition failure. We either wait for it to cycle (which can take 30m-1hr) or turn off the power to the furnace and turn it back on which works.

This is odd. 80% of the time it is working properly. Then, why wouldn't it? I've stood in front of it - motor runs, gas is flowing and it won't ignite. My only guess is flame sensor or ignitor, which I'm leaning towards ignitor.

QUESTION: I thought ignitors are either working or their not. Thoughts?

UPDATE: Thank you for the replies thus far. This seems to happen most often in the morning, rather than mid-day or at night. Lately it kicks on for a little bit in the morning on first run then stops and cycles with the one blink. Turning the furnace off, then on, then adjusting the thermostat tends to get it to work and it'll work all day. Lately the next day it repeats itself.


texts: Wiring up a switch for recessed lights using only 1 ROMEX pair

texts:
Forgive this crude diagram

Is this allowed in the US?

Can I use the white and black wires of a ROMEX wire as the two ends of black wire to the switch and take the white (in red) wire to the terminal of the recessed light and in the metal junction box of the recessed light twist the black wires together using a wire twist on.

Otherwise, I would have to run 2 romex pairs to the switch and twist the white wires together there. This was would seem to save me some ROMEX.


texts: Question about this DIY light fixture and grounding

texts:
http://www.mysimplysimple.com/lighting-diy-office/

I was looking into the above light fixture project, and I noticed that it has no ground wire. Most of the videos I have looked into about replacing a chandelier specifically mention a ground wire, and the chandelier that I currently have installed definitely has one.

Is this DIY fixture a hazard if it doesn't have a ground wire? It seems like the entire body would already be connected to the ground wire because they both screw into the same bar.


texts:
I live on a hillside and due to the road being narrow large trucks and school buses use an old driveway to turn around. My problem is that every time it rains it tends to wash the gravel away and sometimes on to the top of the road. I am looking for a recommendation for fixing this issue. Currently, there is not significant ditch cut into the ground because the lot is full of large boulders and rocks. With these large boulders I do not have the equipment to dig them up and/or move them myself. Suggestions?

Below are photos of the area. These photos were taken after I filled and packed the rut down with more gravel.


texts: Two white, two black, two ground, and red wire in ceiling box connected to switch

texts:
I'm trying to finish installing a receptacle in my ceiling started by an electrician. All the wiring is ready, but I just need to connect the outlet. The receptacle is between two can lights in the ceiling, the furthest from the switch doesn't currently work, but I think I know why. Here's what the setup is:

In the one box, there are two sets of cables coming in. From the switch (left) side, there's one white wire (LW), black wire (LB), ground wire (LG), and one red wire (LR). From the other side, there's a black wire (RB), white wire (RW), and ground wire(RG). The light to the switch side will switch on correctly, but the light on the side where the other wires are coming from will not. I also want the socket between the two to be on all the time (or at least one outlet to be working all the time). The wires are connected with pigtails as follows:

LR + RB

LW + RW

LG + RG

LB

And from the ground wire there is another exposed ground wire coming from the pigtail, and there is another short white wire that I believe was connected to the white pigtails, but fell out when I grabbed the wires initially. The short white wire hasn't been stripped on the end, and neither has the black wire on the switch side.

I assume the correct configuration is to strip the left black and pigtailed white wire and plug those into the receptacle, along with the pigtailed ground wire, and then plug whatever I need to into the one active outlet. I assume the red wire is connected to the right black wire in order to pass it power when the switch is flipped, but not to control the receptacle, as it should be on all the time. From checking the wires, the left black wire (the one that hasn't been stripped) is hot all the time when the breaker is on, but the other black wire is not (I assume because it needs the red wire to give it power).

So I'm wondering if I'm allowed to pigtail those three white wires together, and then plug that into the receptacle, and if my other assumptions are correct before going forward. I don't have any experience with this, so I'd like to get a second opinion before I start plugging stuff in.


texts: Possible to drain mini split into clean out opening?

texts:
I have a mini split in a bedroom that was set up so the condensed water drains via a plastic hose into 5 gallon bucket in the cellar.  There is no proper drainage in the cellar so periodically I have to carry the bucket up the stairs and dump it out.

This is getting old fast especially when someone in the house leaves the window open with the AC on!  Grr.

Would it be possible to drain the water into the soil pipe instead?  Adjacent to the bucket is the soil pipe with a trap and jim caps similar to photo below.

Perhaps I could replace the cap on the house side with, say, a 2 foot tall pipe and fit the hose into that? I'm thinking it needs a length of pipe so backups don't overflow -- I've seen something similar in use in clothes washers in basements I believe.

Edit to add: The mini split is in a bedroom on the ground floor, one floor above the cellar.  The mini split is mounted on an interior wall and there is not easy route to the outside.

Suggestions for other approaches are most welcome.


texts: Buying a house that has a natural spring flowing through the basement out to a pond. What to do?

texts:
My husband and I are looking to buy a house from the 1800's and there is a natural spring in the basement that is stone trenched (open) out to an attached pond in the yard.
The current owners put plexiglass over the trench inside (We assume, because of moisture issues the open trench caused in the basement).  The plexiglass does have a lot of condensation on it.
What are the concerns with a trench like this and it being covered?
Do you think the moisture is still of concern?
Should the plexiglass have vents in it Or is there enough venting with it flowing to an outside trench?
Also, are there concerns of little critters or snakes attracted to this space?
Any experience towards owning a house with an open spring is greatly appreciated!  we're not sure if this is a deal breaker.


texts: Why did I have issues scraping off a popcorn ceiling?

texts:
My house was built in 1971. After removing a think layer of popcorn, I found cardboard behind it. Does anyone know what that is? Is it safe to just paint over it?
=======
Edit:
Technically, JACK has the correct answer.
Realistically, here's the issue. The reason why all these holes appeared is that I didn't spray enough water at a high pressure onto the ceiling in one go. The bond between the popcorn and the ceiling was too strong for me to use a knife to separate them. To make it worse, I subsequently sprayed more water with low pressure (little by little) and try to scratch. So you see some of the ceiling is totally wet and some lost the drywall paper.
What I should've done is to use a 1 gal. pump sprayer (cost $10 in HD/L) to spray pressured water onto the ceiling and then scratch.
After learning my mistake, the rest of the ceiling got scraped off very smoothly.


texts: Why did I lose power to half the house when the breakers did not trip?

texts: Using a voltage detector I determined that three breakers in the panel are not conducting voltage, yet they are fully on (not tripped).  Thinking they were bad, I replaced a double throw 15 amp and a double throw 20 amp in the box.  Flipped them on, still no power coming out of the new breakers.  What could cause this?


texts: How to fix a floating wall shelf on an uneven wall

texts:
I just installed some floating wall shelves from ikea but my wall is uneven horizontally and one of the shelves is sticking out, not tight to the wall. Is there any way to fix this?

These are the mounting systems:

Long Shelf | Small Shelf


texts: My home was built in 2014; California code requires hardwired smoke detectors. I also have a 10kW Generac whole-house standby generator. Whenever I lose power, every smoke alarm in the house gets activated...I contacted Kidde to find out why, and the technician responded that hardwired detectors CANNOT be used with a standby generator, because the generator produces voltage spikes that can damage detectors. He said I either need to have the detectors on a circuit not connected to the generator, or use non-hardwired detectors that utilize wi-fi for interconnection. Problem is the 1st solution means the detectors wouldn't operate in a power outage (NOT good!), and the 2nd solution won't meet code, which requires detectors be hardwired. My electrician says he's never heard of hardwired detectors not being able to be used if one has a backup generator, and I haven't been able to find anything about that on the 'Net either. Can anyone shed any light on this or offer suggestions?


texts:
Im building a simple low pressure foot pump operated sink. What adaptor should I be looking for to go from typical (USA) male faucet threads to 1/2 hose barb?

I'm new to plumbing and have found surprisingly little info on this online.


texts: Isolating a workstation located in an open space office

texts:
I have a large room in my house, which I use as an open space office where several people are working on their own desk (see image below for an idea of how it looks like).

Several persons make many calls everyday and subsequently disturb the other people. What are some solutions to acoustically isolate their desk, so that they making calls doesn't disturb the others?

My constraints:

I cannot move his desk
I cannot ask people to wear headphones or earplugs
Since I am renting the space, I cannot drill in the floor or ceiling
I can only modify the desks (or immediate surrounding) of noisy persons


texts: How can I toggle two wall sconces, without also turning off power to receptacles?

texts:
I'm renting an apartment in a century home and in the living room there is a wall switch that controls 2 wall sconces (both that have independent knobs on them to control the lights), but it also controls two receptacles. As I run a server on one of these receptacles that needs frequent power, I don't use the wall switch at all and just use the knobs on the sconces themselves to toggle the lights. The living room doesn't get any external light from anywhere so sometimes doing so can be an annoyance.

I've been thinking about replacing the wall sconces with ones for medium base bulbs (current ones are chandelier bulbs) that don't have a independent knob/switch and picking up a Philips Hue starter pack so I can just toggle the lights with my iPhone. Would this effect my hydro costs differently at all than the current setup? Also, my wife doesn't have an iPhone so would there be a way for her to control the lights in my proposed setup? I'm familiar with using IFTTT but I don't think linking the lights with a Belkin WeMo Light Switch would work, unless I'm mistaken. Would it be possible to replace the existing wall switch with the Belkin WeMo Light Switch as the receptacles will need frequent power and I just need to control the lights?

Anyone have a similar setup or any advice?


texts: Does an outdoor AC condenser unit (Heat Pump) require lubrication? Pic included

texts:
I have been in my house for 11 years now and every 3 or 4 years I have been taking the lid off my condenser unit and lubricating it. I just don’t know if I am even supposed to do this, but it make sense to me. Anyway this year the fan seems louder than last year, so I was going to lubricate it again, I was just wondering if this was normal? Keep in mind though, I think my unit is nearly 40 years old It is a Carrier. Here is a picture of my unit.

Any other maintenance tips for the condenser?


texts: Can I cut the recessed lighting housing rails to make them fit in joists 12" apart?

texts:
I have this guy -- I got new work since the drywall was removed.

Can I cut the excess rail (past the nail) so it fits the joists, which are 12" apart?
Or does that mean they're isn't enough space and I need to go smaller?


texts: Are these walls near a skylight, load bearing?

texts:
My master and guest bathroom are back-to-back (toilet-to-toilet). Both bathrooms have a tall skylight this size (~4' square). The skylights are about 5 feet apart from one-another.

Master Bathroom, looking south east:
Layout:

I want to remove the four short walls to end up with one long smooth wall. Does the presence of a skylight nearby make these walls likely to be load bearing?

I searched and found: Are there ways to determine if a wall is load bearing?

Walls
Though each wall shown runs perpendicular to the roof ridgeline, it occurs to me that taken together, they are parallel with the roof ridgeline and might constitute a supporting structure.

The closet walls have a double top plate, as shown. The East wall of the master bath is parallel with the roof ridgeline and just short of 20' long.

Attic
This roof ridgeline is about 20' long here. On the South end of that ridge, the roof stair-steps down twice to an external wall. On the North end of the ridge, is a chimney and a vertical wall where this roof ends and stands above the living room roof by 2 or 3 feet. There are a few boards vertical boards in the attic that connect joists to the ridgeline, but they don't seem structural to me.

Foundation
It's a concrete slab.
There is no basement.


texts: What is the best method of filling the gaps in wooden floors?

texts:
Two years ago we had wooden flooring installed. We had the wood sit out for 4 weeks to acclimatize as much as possible before we installed. About 6 months later (fall) we started to notice gaps between some of the floor planks. Since then they haven't gotten any larger or smaller with some being 1/8 of an inch. We ran humidifiers for a few weeks hoping that the humidity would help, but this didn't do anything - we are in Colorado.

I have looked around for a wood fill, but there doesnt seem to be anything like that on the market for larger areas. I recently bought some stain to stain in the gaps and try to reduce the appearance of the gaps - the floors are dark stained. But the gaps are still visible.
I also just bought some dark caulk which I read helps, but wanted to get some opinions first before I start caulking the gaps.

I am hoping for a product that is easy to apply and fills the gaps - something similar to a wax type product that you can apply with a putty knife. Any ideas would be appreciated..!


texts:
I have Goodman model # GPG1348090M41AA. Back in December the blower motor ran constantly. I'd pull the breaker to shut it off, & when I turn the breaker back on, the blower motor would start right back. I clean the burners & reset the flame rollout switch. I thought that fixed it.
First time i turn A/C it worked fine. When it cut off after reaching the temp, I noticed the blower fan was running. I cut it off at breaker and a couple of days later, I kicked breaker back on with out the blower motor coming on. I had it cut off at the Thermostat a few days later when i noticed the blower motor running. since the cooled normally I just cut the breaker until i needed it to cool. A lock out code was the only code couple days ago. I tinkered with it trying to get the motor to run with no luck. I was about to call a pro, when tonight I happen to notice it running. so I turned it on to cool the house, & the A/C work perfect. when A/C reached it's cut off temp, it shut off but the blower motor had been running.


texts: New Thermostat installed but compressor comes on immediately

texts:
I have a new Insteon Thermostat that I'm using to replace my prior Honeywell t-stat. This is installed to a relatively new HVAC system (both AC and Heat) that DOES have a "c" wire. I've attached the wires correctly in that the terminals on the furnace control side are matched to the terminals on the t-stat by "code" (meaning G goes to G, Y goes to Y, W goes to W, C goes to C and R goes to R).

I'm not quite sure that the secondary 24VAC is wired into all of this correctly and perhaps that's why the compressor comes on as soon as the system is energized.

Below is a photo of the wiring diagram on the furnace. NOTE: On the furnace terminals, the wire terminating into "R" is red, the wire into "Y" is yellow, the wire into "G" is green, the wire into "C" is blue, and the wire in "W" is white; you'll note that this is maintained on the t-stat side as well.

And here is the photo of the inside of the thermostat:

Any help anyone can offer on how or what might be wrong would be most appreciated.

TRANSFORMER NOTE:
The red wire off of the 24VAC transformer is "spliced" into the red wire going between the furnace and the t-stat.
Similarly, the white wire off of the transformer is spliced into the blue (common) wire between the furnace and the t-stat.
I have a feeling this is the problem, but I'm not sure how to "fix" it.


texts: Is there a more rugged finish than Polyurethane for a heavy use table?

texts:
A few years go I sanded a stained table we had. Upon doing so, we discovered that it had really nice wood underneath. So instead of restaining, I applied about 4 coats of satin polyurethane. It looked nice.

Since that time, a few small spots have formed...typically from a wet spot when a coaster wasn't used. More recently, someone (cough kids! cough) managed to spill something on it and not tell anyone for about a day. As such, there's now a large spot down the middle where the liquid leached through the finish and raised the grain and flaked off the poly.

My initial thought is to get the sander out, sand the whole thing down again, and re-apply a poly finish. But is there anything else I should consider as an alternate DIY finish that can maybe stand up to daily use as a dining/homework/junk table in the center of our house full of kids? Or should I just live with the fact that it'd going to take a beating and that maybe I just need to re-apply a new coat of poly every now and again? If the latter, is there a benefit to add more coats that 4? Do I double the durability with 8, for example?


texts: Built-In Shelves/Bookcases - IKEA vs Built

texts:
I come from a family that is not shy about woodworking, so I am not scared of building a carcass with dados for shelves, tacking on a face frame, then trimming it out; however, I would love to hear others' views on the advantages and disadvantages of these two popular methods.  Instead of the traditional build I just described, the many homeowners will take a pre-fab bookcase from IKEA ( IKEA Billy ) and trim them out to make them look custom.

Which method is considered more valuable to a home's value?
Which method is stronger?
Which method is easier to finish (paint or stain)?
Etc.

I plan on doing a series of these built-ins as my next DIY project, and the IKEA Billy method intrigues me.  It would so super fast, but I am wary of it.  The adjustable shelving with the pins makes me ponder them, but I am not sure how much they would really be used to adjust the height of the shelves.


texts:
I'd like to know if there is a way to troubleshoot a fixture with T8 or T12 working on a ballast that stopped working, if the problem is in the ballast or the bulbs, without having to buy new bulbs to try them.
Thanks


texts: 1/4 inch plastic water line to 1/2 inch refrigerator connection

texts:
I am on the last step of installing a reverse osmosis water filtration system underneath the kitchen sink. After the water is filtered, I have two options;

connect the final blue 1/4 inch outer diameter plastic water line to the faucet included with the system

or

somehow connect the final 1/4 inch outer diameter plastic water line to the water intake on my refrigerator.

I want to connect the 1/4 inch outer diameter plastic water line from water filter directly to my refrigerator however I am unsure what adapter I need since the water intake for the refrigerator is connected to a 1/2 inch outer diameter steel braided line. The steel braided line contains unfiltered water and I plan to either take out that line from the saddle valve and shut off the saddle valve.

So my question is, what adapter do I need to connect a 1/4 inch OD plastic tube to my refrigerator water intake. I am unsure of the inner diameter of the water intake hole on my refigerator but the current steel braided hose on there has an outer diameter of 1/2 inch which has a nut at the end of the hose which screws onto the refrigerator water intake.

Also, that blue plastic line coming up from where the steel braided hose feeds only the ice maker and not the water dispenser.


texts:
I have a recessed light (75w) in one corner of my room (on 15 amps breaker) and I am thinking of the extending the input to this light circuitry to fill the room with 9 more bulbs.

I plan to arrange the lights in 3x3 form with 3 lights in series (of 3 sets).

Is this safe (fire hazards)? Does this violate any codes?
Is the power enough? Do the lights glow with same intensity?


texts: How can I remove graffiti from painted walls?

texts:
How do I remove graffiti (spray paint and permanent marker) from a wall previously painted with oil-base paint (or perhaps nitro paint - not sure) without damaging the original paint?

I've seen a variety of removal substances on the market, but not sure if they leave the original paint intact. So far I've tried acetone and white spirit - they are more or less effective, but removal process is extremely slow and looks more like an uphill battle than an efficient process.

What ways to remove graffiti from a painted wall are there?


texts: On a metal junction box cover, one side is stamped "Under Side".  Does that side go on the inside or outside of the box?


texts: Door bore hole too large for new door knob kits

texts:
I've bought replacement door knobs that look like they need a small 1" bore, and screw directly onto the wood.  Unfortunately my door has the larger 2" bores and the door knobs screw into each other.

I've looked around online and it seems like everyone wants to make their small bore bigger - I want to do the opposite.  Is there any way to accomplish this or are the new replacement knobs I have useless unless you're drilling in a brand new piece of wood?

I just don't understand why this isn't all standardized.


texts: 4 prong Dryer cord not quite in all the way

texts:
I've seen similar questions on the inter webs, but in a lot of cases I think users had the wrong dryer power cord. In my case I have a 4 prong cable and a 4 prong receptacle. Despite lots of rocking and pushing, I can see maybe  1 mm of the prongs and the plug is (obviously) not snug against the receptacle.

Do I need to have an electrician replace the receptacle? Has anyone ever seen this but eventually got the plug in 100%? I've been trying for 15 minutes and haven't been able to get it.


texts: Well pump runs, but bladder tank is empty, and we have no water

texts: My water just all of a sudden stopped working the other day but when we went to check the well pump it was still running, but now he went to check the bladder tank and it is empty. HELP!


texts: What is the difference between Parkside X20 Team and Parkside X20Team Limited Edition

texts:
I'm trying to find out what is the difference between the regular Parkside X20 Team tools and the so called "Limited Edition". I looked at the specs of several tools and didn't find any difference apart of the color scheme. The regular ones are green & black while the limited edition is trimmed in light-green & grey. The other difference is that the "limited edition" is 2-3 euros more expensive.
Any clues?
Thanks and regards,


texts: How do I figure out if these walls are load-bearing?

texts:
My house is a bungalow built in 1917. There are pillars under a central beam in the basement supporting the first floor (marked in red in my little drawing.) There is nothing obvious supporting the roof in the attic.
I want to know if the two walls I've marked are load-bearing. They are over the basement pillars. They run parallel to the joists. It seems like my roof is not supported by the interior walls, but something must be holding the ceiling up. What would I look for in the attic to figure that out?
Edited to add: I am not going to tear down any walls DIY. I just want to learn how things work as much as I can before I get into planning.


texts: What size of lumber should I use for the mounting rail for shelves and cabinets?

texts:
I recently scrounged some steel shelving that I'd like to hang in my garage. This used to be in an office, its for paperwork but will work great for some things in my garage.

The mounting holes on these shelves are not going to be centered on my studs. What I think I need to do to hang these is to screw two boards to the studs and then mount the shelves to that.

How do I determine what size of board to use? Is it based on size/weight of the shelves?

The shelves are basic steel box shelves. They are roughly 4' long, 10" deep, and 12" tall. It's a steel box open to the front and there is a slight flange on the back.

The garage wall is finished. Just has drywall and paint.


texts: San Bernardino Ca. area. 20 amp circuit #12 wire, Can I use this circuit for Lighting? On this circuit 5  20 amp outlets and 6 LED fixtures 50 watts each. One outlet will be used for a refrigerator.


texts: I saw this on the inside of a classroom and I'm curious as to what kind of flooring this is:


texts: Which wall should I install a replacement thermostat on?

texts:
I'm replacing an old thermostat that is behind a door to our dining room, that is usually kept open, hiding the thermostat.

Given that the wires come from above and I have some flexibility as to where the new Nest thermostat can be installed, where should I install it?

My choices are, in order of ease:

Right outside the door, in the hallway leading to the dining room and shared with the family room, (keep in mind that the hallway, family and dining rooms are controlled by the same thermostat and the air intake is in the dining room and the air vents are in the family room so air has to make it from the family room to the dining room past the thermostat)
Inside the entrance of the family room, facing a wall, but the Nest would see us entering the family room
Centrally in the family room, facing the room, where we spend most time


texts: How can I disconnect my water line from the toilet?

texts:
I'm trying to replace the bits inside my toilet. The water supply line is stuck where it goes into the toilet, The plastic connector seems "glued" to the fill valve assembly.

How can I get it off?


texts: How to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in my swamp cooler?

texts:
Today I decided to clean the water-pump filter of my swamp cooler, and there were a couple of larvae swimming in the water reservoir and some mosquitoes flying over it. I am looking for a way to kill the larvae and prevent the mosquitoes from breeding here in the future.

I can't drain the coolers everyday. It is a tedious chore if done manually. And it wastes a lot of water (around 70 liters per unit). Also I suspect that some puddles will remain in the cooler even after draining.
I can't use bleach or insecticides. The water comes into direct contact with air that people will breathe. I tried bleach a couple of years ago and it gave off a horrid smell.

So what other effective steps can I take to solve this problem? Doing some online research, someone suggested that I should add dish-soap to the water. Will that even work?


texts: How to establish footings for a raised frame

texts: I have a situation where an old wood-framed garage with a concrete slab has been jacked up about 6" to increase the door heights and head room. Currently the studs are just resting on little brick stacks. What would be right approach for properly establishing footings for the raised frame?


texts: How do you release the wires from this Slater push-in connector?

texts:
I know you are supposed to be able to push a screwdriver into a slot "under" the wire, but this old (late '70s?) Slater light switch has different slots than I see in all the examples.  They are more like recessed holes 1/4" square and are beside, not under the wire hole.

Am I supposed to push on the metal piece?  Do I need to get the screwdriver between the two pieces of metal I see at the bottom of the hole? something else?  I've tried pushing as hard as I can in different places but the wire doesn't seem to release.


texts: Foundation dimple mat with fabric or without?

texts:
It seems there are two main product types for house foundation dimple boards with fundamentally different approaches.

A naked hdpe sheet where the dimple peaks are installed facing wall. Hydrostatic pressure builds on exterior of plastic and any intruding water will run down the air gap between the plastic and wall to the drain.

An hdpe sheet that has a layer of filter fabric affixed to the peaks of the dimples.  The sheet is installed so that the peaks/fabric face outward.  Hyrostatic pressure is on the fabric. Intruding water will run down the plastic sheet.  There is no longer an air gap between the plastic and the foundation.

My questions is what would be the benefits and additional considerations of one approach versus the other?  It seems the fabric approach would reduce pressure faster, but if the fabric ever clogs or fails then the system loses effectiveness.


texts: Mobile home circuit breaker is not working

texts: Hi I had changes the outlets and lights on the one breaker and I am still not getting power to any of the rooms. I also replaced the breaker itself to see if that was the problem. What else could be the problem?


texts: Is a tank less water heater a bad choice for a house with low water flow?

texts:
We are thinking of replacing our current natural gas tank water heater by a high efficiency tank less heater.

However we have a water main issue, the house is from 1930 and the main is partially clogged. We had people from the town water service and a local contractor who does water main replacement come to our house and long story short we have no short term solution to solve the main clogging issue. Anyway, because of that we have good water pressure but low flow. Meaning as long as we only one faucet opened water pressure is great but it drops as soon as we open a second one.

I read several posts online about people complaining of pressure issues with tank less heaters but it seems to usually be because of undersized units for their house. In our case we have only one bathroom and are already use to not using 2 faucets at the same time so I don't think this would be an issue. We are looking at a 9 GPM rated unit.

Now my question (sorry for the long introduction): Not considering the sizing question, do people observe a water pressure drop when installing a tank-less unit compared to a similar flow rated tank unit? I'm not sure how a tank unit works. Does it refill at the same time as you are using the hot water or is the refilling process asynchronous? I'm afraid that the tank less unit would actually behave like if we had 2 faucets opened at the same time...sorry if the question is stupid or doesn't make sense.

I will obviously also ask his opinion to our plumber but I like to get different opinions.

Thanks!


texts: Shower arm - thread sticking out of wall is too long

texts:
I've moved into a new home and the shower arm in one of the showers has recently come detached from the shower wall. It appears that the threaded pipe is sticking out too far from the shower wall, and thus the previous owner had used some form of adhesive to attach the shower arm to the shower wall (you can see some gunky yellowish stuff in the photos).

I want to reattach the shower arm to the shower wall, but I'm hoping there is a more appropriate method than using an adhesive. I'd really appreciate some advice on the following 3 potential options:

1) Replace the shower arm with a new normal diameter shower arm that can fit a standard shower arm flange or escutcheon. But if it do this, I'm still concerned that the flange/escutcheon won't lay flush with the shower wall because of the protruding threaded pipe.

2) Try to find a shower flange/escutcheon that will work with the bizarrely large and shaped shower arm/head in the photo. I can't seem to find any information on this type of shower arm and have no idea what type of flange/escutcheon would work.

3) Try to cut the threaded pipe down to size so that a flange/escutcheon would lay flush with the wall, though I'd need too make sure that there is enough thread on the pipe to allow such a cut.

Any other suggestions?

UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS:

Thanks for the quick response! The county is the US (Seattle, WA). I removed the shower arm from the shower wall in order to get better photos and learn more. The threaded tube coming from the wall appears to be a standard pipe nipple, about 2cm diameter (about 3/4 in) and probably about 3-in long. I say probably because I was not able to unscrew it from the shower arm, but I was able to unscrew the whole assembly from the water pipe behind the wall. New photos are below. Now I'm thinking I should just buy a shorter nipple and a new shower flange/escutcheon and shower arm - what do you think?

UPDATE AFTER INSTALLING NEW SHOWER ARM

So I installed a new shower arm tonight (photos below) and have a few follow up questions:

1) In the end I opted not to use the brass pipe nipple and connected the new chrome shower arm directly to the threaded pipe in the shower wall (after wrapping the thread with new Teflon tape). Is this okay to do or do I need to use the brass nipple extender in order to ensure a proper/secure fit?

2) The shower arm wobbles around (which is another reason I assume the previous owner used an adhesive to fix the shower arm to the wall). I'm assuming this is because the elbow connector behind the tile has not been appropriately mounted to a stud. Any suggestions for stabilizing the shower arm so that it doesn't move around? The only thing I could think of was to use expansion form behind the shower flange.


texts: What is the correct technique for calking two adjoining surfaces in a shower?

texts: I have an old shower where the base pan and the shower tiles come and meet nearly exactly aligned. There are sections in the shower where the tile has almost no gap and it varies to about 1/16th of an inch. I say this to show that there is no way to simply place the calk directly in the crack and call it a day. What is the proper way to do this? I've looked for examples on technique but nearly every example is at a 90 or near 90 degree angle.


texts: Sofa recliner difficult to lock in place

texts: I have Lane Sofa recliner that lets up and down ok, but it is difficult to get it lock in place. I have greased it down underneath and a quick glance of under there doesn’t seem to show where any adjustments can be made? This is an older sofa.Any suggestions?


texts: Finishing around surface mount panel to make flush

texts:
This is similar to another question here, but with some significant differences. I'm working on refinishing a basement that was not done up to code.
Currently the electrical panel is surface mounted on a sheet of 3/4" ply, which has 1.5" XPS insulation behind it. The ply is mounted to furring strips nailed to the concrete foundation, the insulation is glued on. The panel is rated to be either surface mounted or recessed into the wall and is 3.75" deep.
The rest of the wall is going to get the furring strips removed, and the 1.5" XPS replaced with 2" continuous EPS to get us up to our local code, then a 2x4 stud wall with some kind of batting. Rockwool if I can afford it.
What I would like to do is frame around the panel to make it flush mounted and attach it to the studs, then detach the panel from the plywood and remove the plywood, insulation and furring strips from behind it and slide in the new 2" EPS. Then the panel will be a gap in the batting, but at least I can keep that continuous foam layer.
Does that seem feasible? Am I missing something stupid?


texts: Does an electric stove burner element wear out over time?

texts:
I have an Inglis Citation Programmable Cooking Self Cleaning Oven stove model IUP 37500. It has two "high speed" and two "simmer" burner elements on the stove top.

Lately it seems that the "high speed" elements don't heat much on a low setting, or they take a long time to heat up. Once they heat up they seem fine.

Do these burner elements wear out in any way, such that they take a lot longer than they should to heat up?

The elements still heat up to full temperature especially on high. I checked the resistance of each of the four elements and they range from about 15-50 ohms.


texts: I want to replace my cracked and bumpy Kool deck.  What do I need to do to take it completely off my pool deck?


texts:
Earlier today I realized that I had a major leak underneath my bathroom sink. It soon became clear that I would have to replace the entire pop-up drain assembly. After all the hardware was removed, I noticed that the area underneath the lip, where the emergency drain empties out was covered in mold.

Does this mean my drain has been malfunctioning for some time?

How can I prevent this from growing back.

Would it also be safe to assume that my emergency outflow channel is super moldy as well?


texts: Upstairs shower running out of hot water almost immediately

texts:
I have old copper piping through most of my house. When I get a leak I just replace part of the old copper pipe with pvc.

Most recently I had a leak in my hot water side and changed out a portion of my hot water pipe that leads to my upstairs shower.  After that I lost water pressure in my kitchen sink and my upstairs shower runs out of hot water almost immediately however if you flush the toilet you can get more hot water.

I have replaced the water heater and that didn't help my problem. I also checked to see if my pressure balance valve was stuck but my faucet is so old it doesn't have one.

What is my next step?


texts: What kind of sink faucet screws are these and how do I tighten them?

texts:
I have a loose sink faucet with screws I've never seen that holds it in place.

There doesn't appear to be anything for a screwdriver or wrench to latch onto for tightening. How does one tighten these screws?


texts: Designing under cabinet lighting with Home Automation in mind

texts:
I am looking to install under cabinet lighting in my kitchen keeping in mind that I'd like to add a Lutron Caseta in the near future. There are 3 problems I am trying to tackle.

First, I am having a hard time selecting a Dimmable LED lighting system that will work with HomeKit, Google & Alexa and is extensible to the dimensions I have in my kitchen.

Second, I'd like to run the LED strips all through my kitchen. The total length of the LED strips I require is roughly 25 ft divided into 4 sections - 13ft, 5ft, 5ft, 1.5ft. I'd like to power them by a single outlet so I need to connect these individual sections by unlit extension cables that I can run through my cabinets. These extensions are roughly 1.5ft, 7ft, 11ft. None of the strips that I saw had extension packs had cables of the lengths I am looking for. Different brands have different connectors and don't seem to have a standard connector. I am totally open making my own extension cables if I know the connector and all I need to do is buy the cable and solder the connector on it. I'd likely just plugin the LED strip into one of the power outlets in the kitchen. Would this be a bad idea?

Finally, I am planning on adding Lutron Caseta. It would be nice if this strip would work with the Caseta bridge but this is not a hard requirement. Any suggestions on how I proceed with this project?

Thanks!


texts: is this a pre-plumbed shower drain? i think/hope it is but not sure

texts: ok so i am trying to figure out if my basement is pre-plumbed for a shower. the close up is the small black circle in the bottom left of the bigger-view-picture. you can see it is preplumbed for a toilet.


texts: How can I determine why my GE water dispenser is very slow?

texts:
I have started realizing the water flow is slow from the dispenser. I changed the filter a few times, and It is still slow. Yesterday, I checked the water connection and here is what I found:

The water that goes to the fridge has a lot of pressure.
The water that is coming from the water valve (image below) underneath the fridge has a low pressure. (This valve is visible when I took off the door panel)

How do I know if it is the solenoid or Water Valve?

Model (GSH25JSXLSS)


texts: What are small plywood blocks between flooring and drywall edge?

texts:
I'm removing carpet and baseboard to install wood flooring. There's a space between the bottom edge of the drywall and the flooring. I'd like to use that space for the expansion gap for the wood flooring.

In that space are periodic little blocks of plywood. I'd guesstimate from memory they're about 3/8" to 1/2" square by 1 to 1-1/4" long. They're not fastened to anything. They don't reach up to the drywall. They just lay in the space.

What are those little blocks for?