texts: I have a hole that a head of as bolt goes into, but the hole is stripped and cannot get a good grip on the bolt head. The hole is attached to an agitator which spins. Any help? Remember, only the head of the bolt goes inside the hole, nothing else.


texts: Is it safe to unplug my electric water heater daily to save energy?

texts:
Could you please help me answer the following questions?

1) Will unplugging my water heater from the socket when not in use damage it?

2) Which energy-saving timer will work with my water heater?

Below are details of my water heater.

Company: Rheemglas Standard (Energy Miser)

Water Heater Model #: 0199B54937

Wattage: 240/208 Volts AC ONLY

Upper: 4500/3380

Lower: 4500/3380

Total: 4500/3380

Already Tried: I have already tried contacting Rheem customer support; however, no one has responded to my inquiry yet.

Listed UL Water Heater 786H

EDITED

Temporary picture gallery showing (1) electric water heater plug, (2) air conditioner's stand-alone switch, and (3) air conditioner unit above electric water heater.

Pics added inline


texts: How to rough bath sink drain to maximize drawerspace

texts: I am roughing in the plumbing for a bathroom sink that I am going to build a vanity for. I'd like to have the drain only impact a top drawer and take up as little space as possible.  The drawer back will wrap around the plumbing. How close can the drain be to the bottom of the counter with a vessel sink?  In other words, how high can I rough in the drain? The supplies will be on either side and tight together. Thanks for any thoughts.


texts: Does generator power cord gauge have to be the same as the power inlets gauge?

texts: I wired my generator inlet power box with 8 gauge to a 50amp breaker in my box. Can I use a 6 gauge power cord to connect my generator to that inlet power box? Will this cause any issues or power loss? I’m having trouble finding a generator power cord that’s 8 gauge 50 amps. My generator runs 9500 watts. Thanks for any help with this question.


texts: How can I convert 4 ft fluorescent tube fixture to be used as a plug in fixtures?

texts:
So I purchased four overhead 4 foot fluorescent tube fixtures and my plan is to re-wire so that I can plug them into a wall.
Would it make sense to run them in (Series)? (I believe that is the correct term) and connect one's black/white wires to the next fixtures black/white wires and continue on to the last fixture and then have that one connect to a 3 prong plug outlet?
If this is the way, my question is what to do with the ground? Would I also run the bare ground wire to each fixtures green screw and then to the ground of the male plug at the end?


texts: Does an extension cord from 2 to 3 prongs have any benefits?

texts: If you're plugging a device with a 2-prong plug into an extension cord that has 3 prongs on the other end, does that give it the grounding benefit of the third prong?


texts: Help with wiring an electric oven after moving it to be underneath an existing electric hob (UK)

texts:
Photos can be seen at: https://imgur.com/a/sUqCnZd
I currently have an electric oven (Photo 1) on one side of the kitchen, and an electric induction hob (Photo 3) on the other side of the kitchen. There is no gas at the property.
I'm hoping to move the oven from its current location to a new location directly under the hob.
I need some advice on how I can most easily and safely electrically connect the oven once it has been moved.
Some further info which may be of use:
The cable leading from the oven (Photo 5) is mostly concealed in a cavity wall (Photo 6). I can't see where the cable goes to / from and it is tight and cannot be pulled through. Getting to it would be a huge job since it would involve removing most of the kitchen, which I don't want to do.
The hob is wired as shown in Photos 7 and 8 (having removed the plastic plate shown in Photo 9) and can be turned off at a wall mounted cooker switch (Photo 10). This cooker switch turns off only the hob, it does not turn off the oven (the oven does not have a similar switch).
The oven and the hob are on the same circuit - there is a dedicated 32A circuit breaker on the consumer unit in the hallway which turns off both the oven and the hob.
I'm currently wondering whether I can cut the cable leading from the back of oven and terminate that live cable somehow (in case anyone ever wants to put an oven there again in the future). If so, what would be the best way to terminate this live cable?
And then, when in it's new location, can I connect the oven to the existing wiring used by the hob, shown in Photos 7 and 8? Can I make a spur here, for the oven? And if so, how is this best done and should I use a specific size cable? Ideally, the wall mounted cooker switch (Photo 10) would now turn on/off both the hob and the oven.
Any help, including better approaches, would be gratefully received. Thanks!


texts: Does anyone know anything about the newer more durable grouts reacting with stone sealers?  I just had Luxor gold stone tiles patched into my bathroom wall and it looks terrible.  The new tile matched the old perfectly before grouting, but after grouting the surface took on a gray hue, caused the tile surface to appear mottled, and  all porosities took in the grout.  My installer showed me the color of grout he used and it matched perfectly, but appeared a shade or two darker on the completed wall.  He said it had something to do with the newer improved grout reacting with the sealer he used. He used nanoscrub to try to make it look better and that helped but it is still unsatisfactory.


texts: Are there screwdrivers that can hold an M1 slotted screw during insertion without being magnetic?

texts:
I need to be able to insert an M1x2 slotted screw into a tapped hole upside down, and critically without dropping the screw. That rules out magnetic headed screwdrivers unless I can't find anything else.

I've seen some screwdriver designs such as this one from Wiha Tools (see p9) which would in principle work for larger screws, but apparently not M1:

I've got two problems:

I can't seem to find one small enough to work with M1 screws
I don't know the "standard term" used to describe these screwdrivers. I've seen "gripping screwdriver", "screw holding screwdriver" and others.

I think there must be some watchmaker's screwdriver that would work, but I can't seem to find any. Any help would be appreciated!


texts: Is there a good way to keep cats/animals from scratching on a door?

texts:
My girlfriend doesn't like sleeping with my two cats in the room at night, so I've started keeping the door to my bedroom closed.  Unfortunately, however, they meow and scratch all night long.

Is there some way to keep them from scratching, or to damper down the noise so we can sleep soundly?

I have hardwood floors, and I'm sure this doesn't help with the acoustic amplification of the sound.


texts: How can I remove the side glass pane from a patio sliding glass door?

texts:
I just bought a pet door insert for a sliding glass door.

I'm assuming that it must be installed against the wall, but I cannot figure out how to remove the side panel of the sliding glass door.

The green arrow points to the glass pane I want to remove so I can put the Pet door against the frame where the red arrow is pointing and then put the green arrow pane back against it.

EDIT Adding requested images

Can it be done? Or is the whole thing one piece?


texts: Why is my water well tank staying at a constant 40psi even when faucets are turned on?

texts: I have a older style bladder tank that is about 6ft tall. Pressure gauge always reads 40psi, it never gets above or below 40psi. The pressure switch never kicks on or off because the pressure never drops. Pressure in house is good excepts every so often there is lots of air in hot water line.


texts: Dusk to dawn dimmable control for indoor stair lights

texts:
I have 5 LED stair lights on an indoor stairwell, and two problems I am trying to solve:

The lights are too bright, so I would like to dim them. But I don't need to ever change the dimness.
I'd like the lights to come on when it's dark and off when there is light. We currently have a photocell sensor but it is meant for outdoor use so is not very light sensitive and seems to stay on all day despite ample daylight on the stairwell.

I have a single standard outlet box to work within (photocell sensor in there currently). I have been scouring the web but can't find a way to statically dim the LEDs with something that can fit inside the box. And I also can't find another light sensor option, which seems crazy to me because my $5 night light does exactly what I want.

Anyone know of a dimmer or light sensor option that would work in this scenario?


texts: Central-air heater fan won't run, either in Auto or On mode.  The heat comes on, but the fan doesn't.  Even with heat switched off, the fan should run if I switch it On. The breaker is on, the wall switch is on.  I eliminated the thermostat by wiring R and G together; still no fan.  Next I'll look at the limit switch, but I'm wondering if a bad limit switch even comes into play if I turn the fan to On mode.  So that's my question:  is the limit switch used when the fan is in the On position?  Doesn't seem like that would be necessary.  It appears my fan motor may be bad (approx 15 years old).  Thank you.


texts: I have a large attic storage space above my garage.  Is there a fire hazard in storing cardboard boxes above a garage (unconditioned attic) in south Texas heat?


texts:
One of my sofa's metal legs now has a loose screw such that I can't screw it in properly to the sofa. Possibly broken as a result of moving. Is there any way to fix it or at least a band-aid solution that will fix it until I can get a new one?

Here is a gif demonstrating the problem. The screw is supposed to stay still so that it can screw into the sofa. I cannot remove the screw from the leg, although I don't know if that would be helpful. That cap is also welded on to the leg. Unfortunately if I try to screw it in like normal it doesn't catch on the threads. I've tried to use a small crescent wrench to screw it in while holding the leg, but it hasn't worked so far. There should be a nut to hold the screw in place, maybe it fell out because I don't hear it bouncing around in the leg. Not sure what I would do with it if I found it though.

I don't have access to a lot of tools or materials right now, so hopefully there is a simple fix. Unfortunately I also got rid of the extra legs the sofa came with, which in retrospect was a dumb move.

Thanks!


texts: How should I support upright posts on a slab with no footer?

texts:
We are wanting to use a structural ridge beam to put a new roof on our house. I have been talking with an engineer who said that we need to determine how big the footer is under our slab. However, when I dug out under the slab I discovered that there is not footer - it is a floating slab. We need some way to reinforce the slab to support the weight of the upright posts and roof, but we can't just pour piers that would go below the frost line because it would move separately from the rest of the slab. Is there any other way to reinforce the slab to hold the weight of the roof?

-EDIT-

Apparently I used incorrect terminology. What we have is a slab that appears to have no footer whatsoever. I thought that was called a "floating slab" but apparently a floating slab still has a footer. It appears that we just have a 4-6 inch slab of concrete sitting on top of hard clay. There is no footer at all visible at the perimeter of the slab. I dug down 2 feet and dug 1 foot under the edge and there is nothing there.


texts: Deck screws undetectable and boards are rotting

texts: I have a rotten deck, but the previous owners painted it in a Hardrock-type covering making the screws impossible to find. How should I remove the boards with this complication? Do I cut it off with a reciprocating saw or will the coating on the deck just destroy the blades?


texts: Tempered Glass in Window adjacent to Patio Door

texts: Is tempered glass required in a window within 24 inches of a fixed glass panel of a two panel sliding patio door?


texts: Temporarily cap PEX pipe while laying new flooring?

texts:
I am remodeling a bathroom. We’re going to lay new tile and replace a vanity. This requires removing the toilet and old vanity. In order to remove the old vanity I need to cut the PEX piping attached to the shut off valves for the faucet.
I have PEX caps and cinch rings, do those hold well enough so I can turn the water back on for a few days until I can get the new vanity installed?


texts: Multipoint water heater using real 1/2" pipe

texts: A multipoint water healer is connected using flexible hose. This has 1/2" in the connector only but very tiny inner hose (less than 1/4"). What would happen if you use real 1/2" or even 3/4" inner diameter pipes all throughout? Has anyone tried it? How is the flow rate and water pressure?


texts: Why won't my replaced GFCI outlet power something plugged into it?

texts:
I have a string of outlets that was not working. I replaced the most upstream outlet GFCI with another GFCI. I also replaced some weathered outdoor outlets.
Currently the GFCI is green and does send power downstream. So every outlet downstream can power a load.
The GFCI when I plug something into is unable to power a load.
What did I miss?


texts: Is it safe to simply replace a heating element in an electric water heater?

texts: The bottom element in my water heater burned up. I took the bottom panel off, and everything inside was scorched - the insulation, the plastic cover, the thermostat - even the edges of the panel.  The thermostat still seemed to work, so I just replaced the element - and it runs like a champ now.  Can the scorching cause any issues?


texts: High pitched beep in house every 15 minutes

texts:
Can anyone help? I keep hearing a 3 second high pitched beep but can't quite tell where it is coming from n our lounge where our home theatre system is, i.e. LED TV, receiver, speakers, blu ray player, modulator, router, Foxtel box and modem. There are a couple of cable connector boxes behind the system also. I thought it was our fire detectors but I took out the batteries and I could still hear this beep lasting about 3 seconds every 15 minutes. I unplugged the power for the TV and waited 15 minutes - I could still hear the beep. I unplugged the router - still could hear the beep. I unplugged the Foxtel box - still could hear the beep. I unplugged the receiver - still heard this annoying beep.
Any ideas?
Thanks
John in Canberra, Australia


texts: Vent kitchen hood vent to roof turbine vent?

texts:
I had a contractor install a hood vent.  He ran a foil pipe up towards the roof and tie it @ 6 in below the turbine vent (whirley birds).
Is this adequate for all the fumes to escape out?  Is this ok?
He told me to run it out through the roof it would cost more money.


texts: I recently got a Milwaukee M18 fuel battery saw. It worked  for a few cuts but now when I depress the trigger on the saw, it clicks and does not turn. It has a safety switch incorporated and when you press that the built in light illuminates but the saw does not spin. Can I fix it myself?


texts: What to do with risers when they aren't great quality

texts:
I'm trying to give my stairs a facelift. I've removed carpet and this is what's left.

My original intention was to stain. But it doesn't look like that's gonna be possible.

My question is what should I do with the risers. Below each nosing there's a 1 inch gap I can possibly do something/put.


texts: The inside coil of the A/C unit has ice on it when the temperature outside is cooler than 65 degrees. Freon has been added, but it has iced up again six months later. What is the problem?


texts:
I have 2 hinged windows that are leaking water thru the frame when there's heavy rain and wind. And they leak the exact same way.

Would I be able to stop this by caulking or could it be a larger underlying problem? I have tried to diagnose where the leak is coming from but cannot determine how it's coming through.

Also, does anyone know what type of windows these are or who typically manufactures them?


texts: What is a fireplace facing and what is it used for?

texts:
I live in an old house and have a wood-burning brick fireplace with no facing or mantle.  I recently had a chimney sweep and inspection. The inspector recommended that I install a fireplace facing. I thought that facings were purely aesthetic. But the inspector did not clearly explain why it was necessary, nor could I find a clear answer on the web.

Why should I install a facing, and are there any kinds of materials that are better than others?


texts: What are normally-open hydronic zone valves used for?

texts:
In a hydronic (hot water) heating system electronically operated valves control whether hot water runs through a particular zone of the building, or not.

It seems to be a common setup for the valve to 'default' to being CLOSED to flow, and only open when commanded to do so via a thermostat signal. This seems logical (to me), as you only want heat supplied when you actually need it. This is the "normally closed" type.

However, manufacturers also sell a "normally open" type which would be OPEN to flow all the time, unless some control signal says otherwise.

What application(s) requires the normally open variant?

Note -- Ditto for a chilled water system used for cooling, AFAIK.


texts: Why is there a vent on the ductwork coming right from the furnace? I have a typical furnace for a 1400sqft house in Michigan. I also have central air which runs through the same duct work. There is a separate room in the basement for the furnace, hot water tank and workshop area. No one ever spends much time in that room if any. Should I leave the vent open for both heat and air conditioning or should it be open for one/closed for the other? Please let me know. Thank you


texts: how to stop metal hooks in ends of side rails of wooden bed from squeaking

texts: I have an all wooden bed with two wooden side rails that have metal hooks at the ends for hooking them into the connections inside the headboard/footboard. The bed squeaks badly. I've tried wedging thin cardboard pieces at the end of each side rail/bed frame connection, but they work loose and the bed starts squeaking again. Any ideas for a remedy?


texts:
Existing plaster/lath walls in decent shape, 1920s farmhouse.
Lead/Asbestos?  Unknown but possible.
I actually like Plaster's sound-proofing and would like to keep.
Plaster has no decorative elements.
How challenging is it to learn to skim-coat these walls so they are less wavy?  Is it generally DIY-able or has someone done it before? Looking to actually use plaster.
Appreciate any guidance or help :)


texts:
Which would be better on interior stairs (they are bare wood right now). Oil or Latex based paint? I should also point out that there are nail heads showing that I can't sink because they are not finish nails. I had another post where I asked about what primer to use, but in this one, I am asking about the eventual topcoat and that will dictate the primer to use.

Used oil based porch and floor paint over oil based primer. Turned out good:


texts: Can these metal ceiling drywall joists be removed?

texts:
I recently removed the drywall ceiling from my basement with the intention to leave it as an exposed ceiling. Would I be correct in understanding that the metal ceiling joists (highlighted in blue in the pictures) are for drywall support only, and not structural? I believe that the iron girders are the structural support. Would like to remove the metal joists for more space.

To be more accurate, it would appear that these are metal furring channels, not joists.

The blue highlighted joists are the ones I am hoping to remove.


texts: Can I use a range plug (50A) to run my 30A dryer?

texts:
I just bought my home and upon installing my new electric dryer I realize the plug is for a range (4 prong, 50A). I walked outside and I see its 60 amps on the breaker after testing my other appliances.
I have read a lot of conflicting information as to whether I can or cant use the range plug since it is more amps than the dryer requires.

Any advice or insight? It's a fully renovated home, not sure why they put that plug on the utility room. My only theory is it got converted from a shotgun home where the kitchen was previously in the back. thanks for all your help.


texts:
My basement sink is a two-tub sink with each basin's drains as close to each other as they can be. Below is a picture of the actual drain piece beneath the sink - it is an integrated two-in-one drain, as you can see. Obviously it needs replacing, but I can't figure out what to Google to get this same piece. Any insight?
I have a more modern kit that just connects two separate drains, but the drain pipe exit to the wall is fairly high relative to the sink drains and I'm pretty sure adding any extra stuff is going to put me too low.


texts: I applied polyurethane on my really nice formal table. I did not wait 24hours before resanding. I used steel wool the wipe and there are streaks, bumps, and is now looks terrible. How can I fix this?


texts: 60A subpanel service - when does it trip?

texts:
I am looking at running new 60A subpanel to my shed. According to what I understand from the electrician, there will be two HOT wires and neutral wire running on 6/3 wire.

My question is, since the sub-panel will be supplied with a 60A @ 240V, will each hot wire allow 60A?
Will this allow me to load 120amps @ 120V before it trips?

Further information:
I will be running 3 x 20A circuits at 120V from the subpanel. I am expecting to have a ~42A continuous load , (14 amp per circuit). If in the future I wish to add additional circuits, I don't want to have to run another wire.


texts: Is there a custom electrical outlet available with the connecting holes offset from the middle?

texts: We just had our bathroom strip lights replaced with vanity lights.  However, over one mirror, the cutout hole is partially blocked by a plumbing vent pipe, causing the light to be off center when screwed into the electrical outlet box.  This could be resolved if there were an outlet box with the connecting holes on the left side instead of in the middle.  I have not been able to find any searching online, and I wonder if such a thing exists.


texts: Find other exit of empty electrical conduit

texts:
I live in a flat in a multi-story house. The electrician went bankrupt and did a quite sloppy, undocumented job. One of the results is, that I have quite some empty electrical conduits… that end somewhere. While I would have use for some of them, I can not think of any way how to locate the exit.
What I tried so far: The conduit could end in installation shafts in the shared area in front of the flats or maybe even on the roof. I tried putting snake wire (if that's the name) in it and see how far I can get. They all go on for multiple meters. But I wasn't able to make enough noise by pulling the cable back and forth to make some noise and listen where it ends.
Technical info: The house is built with prefab concrete walls and ceilings with dry walls in between and some suspended ceilings.
Question: Are there any professional (or just working) solutions on how to find their path or exit points?


texts: Older Zenith motion activated flood light not working properly

texts: I have a Zenith 2 light (halogen) flood light that worked fine until a couple of months ago when we needed it most!  There was a guy in our driveway in the middle of the night casing our cars.  Our cameras picked him up but the flood lights did not and have since not worked.  When I turn them on they stay lit (20 minutes in this case) as set.  When I approach the sensor at night the little red light flashes as if it's picking up motion but the lights do not turn on.  Should I just replace the unit or is there another fix?  I have the same set-up on the back of our house and it's worked fine for many years.  I have the setting set the same as the light on the back of the house.  Only difference is that the problem lights are switched on every evening as they are wired with other outside lighting


texts: Can I connect eight LED strip lights to the same power source?

texts:
I want to run led strip lights around my son's bedroom. I have narrowed my choice down to 3528 rgb and 3528 white. I will need a bout 4 strips in each color. My question is can I run these from the same power source?  My idea is .... if it's possible .... to get a splitter with 2 connectors and run the rgb one way and white the other and have them run side by side.

  If this is possible what size power source do you recommend and are there  any other items I need to purchase?


texts:
I have a skylight that is essentially a flashed plywood curb with a late 50's era glass paver that "cups" over top. No tar or caulk, just gravity holding it there. Now, because I'm an idiot, I decided to touch it during a kitchen remodel to clean up/paint the curb box which is visible from inside. I ended up breaking the glass paver.

So, what can I improvise to get me through the rest of the winter rain?

Bear in mind these factors:

I intend to replace these not-even-close skylights this summer when I have the roof redone.
It only needs to be temporary, but as with everything, temporary things have a funny way of needing to last much longer than intended. I'd rather not continue to use the upside-down plastic storage bin method I have in place.
It's an unusual size (10.5" x 10.5"), so off-the-shelf skylights aren't an option, and I'd rather not go custom for something I intend to rip out eventually.
I'm in the SF Bay Area in CA, so not a lot of extreme weather or snow. I am seeing a good amount of rain though (all things considered).

My initial thoughts:

Add a drip edge around the top of the curb box to protect the wood.
Then firmly screw down a 12x12 sheet of 1/2" plexiglass that I already have over the top edge with a nice bead of caulk in between, and liberal amounts of caulk and/or tar along the seams.
Wait for the next rain (or a hose) and monitor for leaks.

To be clear, I don't have a lot of experience with roofing and roofing products. I've installed vents and understand the basic principles behind flashing and water flow, but that's about it.


texts: How do I go about framing a half wall into a full wall?

texts: My house has an second floor open loft area with a half wall that overlooks the foyer down below. I would like to enclose the half wall, add a closet and door to create a fourth bedroom. How do I go about framing the half wall into a full wall? I included the floor plan, which shows the option for the fourth bedroom. The half wall is where the optional handrail is listed in the Loft.


texts: What causes circular saw to wander when cutting?

texts: My Makita circular saw wanders to the right, even when trying to follow a guide!  Why?


texts:
Is "14 AWG" NM-B allowed by the newest NEC for new residential construction?

My concern is what the NEC says concerning 14 AWG NM-B for new residential construction. I have been told that the "NEC 2014 & 2017" codes do not allow it for new residential construction. Am just trying to find out for sure.


texts: 200 AMP Service - Feeding 3 Sub-Panels - Wire Size and Set Up Help Needed

texts:
We are installing a 200 amp outdoor service panel (specifically, this one) and want to run 3 subpanels (1x100amp for the pole barn/workshop and 2x60amp for other locations on the farm). I was planning on running 2-2-2-4 Dyke Quadruplex Aluminum Conductor 600V URD wire as the main feed for each of these sub-panels because I found a great deal on it. Each run to the sub-panel will be directly buried to each of the 3 different locations (see attached sat image)

My Questions:

Is this wire sufficient to power each of these sub-panels using separate breakers (no feed-thru)?
Is this wire overkill for what I am trying to accomplish?
How should I go about hooking larger wire to breakers in the main box, or will this 2-2-2-4 wire fit into 100 or 60amp breakers without modification or tap lugs?
Am I missing anything?

Any help or advice would be massively appreciated.


texts: How Much Weight Can My 1/2" Drywall Ceiling Take?

texts:
Okay, so, I'm doing a DIY home improvement project; I do not have access to the attic as my home is on the second floor of my building.

The project: Installing a beaded ballchain/shimmerscreen curtain that will serve as a partition. The rod from which several chains will be suspended from is 78 1/2" long. The net weight of beaded ball chains that will hang from the rod is +/-70lbs and will be distributed evenly across 78 1/2".
For clearer concept, look here: http://www.shimmerscreen.com/portfolio.html

Is it reasonable to attempt to install 70lbs worth of beaded curtain across 78" given that my home's has drywall ceiling is 1/2" thick? Now, lay into me!

And sorry, more genius which a different aspect of engineering (computers/IT).


texts: Who should I contact to remove an old boiler from my basement?

texts:
I had a boiler fire. When I replaced the boiler, I kept the old one around for insurance purposes. Now it's time to get rid of it.

It's got a good bit of steel in it, and still has a couple of steel
steam pipes attached. I wonder if it has any salvage value.
Maybe enough for somebody to come haul it away for "free". Regardless -- win, lose, or draw - it's gotta go.

Who should I be calling to do this, and what should I know going in?

It's sitting by the bulkhead. With the right equipment and a couple of guys, it shouldn't be too hard to get out.
Boiler was mfd. in 1993, so asbestos free. It's cracked, unusable.

Epilogue: Found free removal by chance. See answer below.


texts: How can I verify where the pipes in my basement go?

texts:
In the photos below, I have 3 pipes coming up out of the ground in my basement. One is about 4" (sewer?), the other 2 are 2" (gray water?). Then there are a few coming out of the ceiling (vents?), all 2". The ones coming out of the ground are what I'm really puzzled about. I would have thought there needs to be a pump to take the stuff upward to the higher elevation where the septic tank is (the last pick is on the other side of the basement where the stuff goes out to the tank.

I bought the house in foreclosure and so I don't know where the underground pipes go. There are no other pipes coming out of the ground anywhere else except for the radon mitigation pipe. Could there be a pump in the ground outside? I did not notice a "pump" breaker in the electrical panel. How can I verify where it goes?

Here's the pics:

Pipes coming up:

Coming down:

All of 'em:

Sewage line out to tank on the other side of the basement:

Update #1: The sniff test verified that the big pipe is indeed live to sewage.


texts: I need a signal when my furnace fan turns on

texts: I want to install a motorized fresh air damper that opens when my furnace fan comes on. Is there a place where I can pull this signal off of the furnace board? Thanks!


texts: Can I store unused hardwood floor and base trim in a shed (or garage)?

texts:
I have installed engineered hardwood all throughout my house, in addition wood base trim (which comes pre-primed). Now that my projects are done, I dont want to throw away the wood, incase I can use it for repairs or for a small future project, but its taking up space in my basement. Can I store the hardwood in my (non-climate controlled) shed, or will the varying weather/humidity render my wood useless for future projects?

I live in Maryland (winter hovers around 20 degrees f, and summers averaging around 90 degrees f) if that helps. The engineered wood is still boxed, the trim is not.


texts: Can I add a utility sink which utilizes the existing water and drain lines for my washer?

texts:
I want to stack the two Kenmore appliances with a stacking kit I can hopefully find at Sears.  I know I will have to partially block the window as well as remove the shelves on the left.

The reason is I want to install a utility sink near to them that can use the washer's water supplies and drain outlet.

I will replace the existing water lines. How can I connect the sink supplies to the utility sink faucet and the sink's drain to the plastic pipe in which the washer drain hose is connected?


texts: tried spraying PB blaster, WD40, warming it, and it just will not turn. Think I may cut around the whole thing so I can get a monkey wrench on it


texts: Is "bronze and silumin" mix actually possible in a ball cock?

texts:
In my apartment bathroom there's a thick steel pipe with hot water going from the floor beneath through my bathroom and to the store above. There're two pipes welded into that vertical pipe and a towel dryer (actually it's just an U-shaped pipe) connected to them. Each of the pipes to which the towel dryer is connected has a ball cock on it so that the dryer can be shut off.

Now the utility company that services the house tries to threaten me that those ball cocks are unreliable and can break apart at any moment and that will cause flooding my apartment and apartments beneath and I'll be liable for that. The remedy is (of course!) to pay them a fortune for replacing the ball cocks and live happily ever after.

AFAIK there're four major metal alloys used for manufacturing ball cocks and other similar stuff - they are cast iron, brass, bronze and silumin. Cast iron is very rarely used, brass and bronze are used in quality stuff and are quite reliable, silumin is used for cheap imitation stuff and breaks apart easily.

Since I really care I tried to check what those ball cocks are made of. I scratched one of them with a kitchen knife and yellowish surface turned silver, then in about two weeks it turned yellowish again. So I assume that the ball cock is made of brass - yellowish is the typical color for brass parts.

Yet a serviceman from the utility company told me recently that those ball cocks "look like bronze but are made of silumin" and when I told him my findings about the colors change he said "it's emmmm... bronze plus silumin mix". Since brass and bronze look similar I assume he just confuses them and also tries hard to upsell the pricey replacement.

My question is - is it really possible that such "bronze and silumin" mix ever exists and is used for manufacturing a ball cock or is the utility company likely upselling to me?


texts: Ceiling fan won’t turn off from wall switch

texts:
Have a ceiling fan with a single wall switch that controls both the light fixture and the fan. If I flip the switch to turn the fan off, the fan slows down like it’s turning off, but then immediately starts spinning in the opposite direction, very slowly. This happens when the wall switch is off! Turning the switch back on stops the fan, reverses its direction and then makes it go full speed. I’ve never seen or heard of this problem before and I’m lost. Thoughts? Thanks.

Edit: Fan is a hunter ceiling fan with a light kit (controlled by one chain) and another chain which controls the fan’s four speeds: High, Medium, Low and off.

click to enlarge

It looks like a model 2 fan, the sticker says "21405-380". The ceiling fan has a black reverse switch on the housing. I can cycle through all speeds properly when the fan is on.

The problem is actually gone now, it went away after I turned the switch on and off again several times. Originally, when I got home today the wall switch was off but I noticed the fan was spinning slowly. I suspect the wall switch and I will be watching to see if it turns on by itself again.


texts: What kind of wall bolt/anchor is removeable?

texts:
What kind of wall bolt/anchor will allow me to remove and replace it as many times as necessary?

I am looking to attach a couple of 2x4's flat against a brick wall, however they would only stay there for a few weeks each year.  How can I fix them firmly to the wall in such a way that I can put them back each year using the same fixings?

I already have some expanding sleeve anchors if they would do.

(Nothing should be left sticking out of the wall when the wood is not there)


texts:
I have a small, 40 year old garage in the backyard of the block of apartments where I live, which I've turned into a workshop. I replaced the roof, and repaired and strengthened the back wall, filled the missing bricks in the side walls, and cast a new concrete floor. It was a makeshift repair - the best I could do under the circumstances.

Now, the problem I have with this garage is the insane amount of moisture that accumulates in it. I inspected the roof during heavy rains, and there are no leaks whatsoever. There is plenty of ventilation (gaps in the walls, steel door slits, between the back wall and the roof, etc.). Despite that, after each winter, I come to find all of my steel tools with a thick layer of rust on them (even though I clean and oil them before winter), and wooden surfaces showing signs of mildew and rot. Even woodscrews in their boxes gather rust. I had some rags laying on the table in the garage, and some of them were so damp, that I managed to squeeze out a few drops of water... I live in a cold and humid climate zone, where the ground itself is radiating moisture all the time. Every time there's rain, moist air finds it's way into my garage through the hundreds of gaps in the walls, and settles on every surface. Every morning, there's heavy layer of dew as well. I measured humidity inside my garage yesterday - it was 75%. Outside the garage it was just 30%. Almost an unbelievable difference. Again, as I said, there are no leaks from the roof - all this humidity is just from the moist air.

I need to find a way to dehumidify this garage. Heating is not an option, because plugging every gap is just impractical, and without insulation, the electricity bill would be insane. I sometimes joke that there are more gaps than walls in this garage.

I considered another option - hanging bags of calcium chloride to collect all that moisture, and dry them from time to time in the oven back in the apartment. However, since the winds are howling through the garage through every gap, these bags would saturate after a few days.

With all of this in mind, I would like to ask for advice. What would be the most practical and economical way to keep this garage dry? The essential limitation here is that it is impossible to insulate all these gaps. There's just no way to prevent all that moist air from entering the garage, but maybe there is a way to collect it without any significant impact on the electricity bill.

Really looking forward to your suggestions. Thank you in advance.


texts: What type of tool do I need for this screw with a pin in the slot?

texts: What type of tool do I need for this screw holding my license  plate?


texts: I have a switch that goes to one overhead light.  on the switch is 1 line and the white and black wires are attached.  can I splice in to the line and run a black and white wire to the existing switch and then take the second wire attaching the two white wires together one from the splice and one from the new light and then take the black wire from the light and the wire from the splice to the new light switch.


texts: Wiring for 30amp RV plug from 50amp (14-50R) outlet

texts:
When building our home, I pre-wired for a 50amp electric car outlet using a 6/2 wire (not 6/3 because according to Tesla charging station, they only need 6/2. 6/3 wire was going to cost me $20 more - oh man... ). We bought an RV that accepts 30amp using TT-30P.
The RV came with a 50amp to 30amp converter and I have a 50 amp (14-50R) ready to install.
Can I install a 14-50R knowing that only three wires are going to be used during the conversion to a 30amp TT-30P?
Does the 50amp need to be a wired as 3 pole or wire as a traditional 110v (one hot, the other neutral)?
Thanks for your help!


texts: What do you think of this recent (unfinished) bathroom tiling work?

texts:
We recently hired a contractor via a 3rd party bidding website for such projects.

There are several obvious mistakes or oversights here.
We've already allowed the contractor to correct some of his mistakes, but at this point we are convinced he is not experienced enough to do the job if even we gave him multiple chances to fix things.

Job details:

The contract says we need a $2000 deposit upfront to get the project
started and for materials/supplies.
The 2nd half of the payment would be $2700 upon completion.

  Please see these photos and tell me my frustrations are either justified
  or i'm just being picky. Keep in mind that the project is not complete.

Below: Corner edging for the niche.

Below: Ceramic floor tiles were cut to fit around the toilet (several tiles were destroyed in the process).

Below: Caulking in the niche.

Below: Noticeably uneven tile job (i.e. lippage?).

Below: Grout + caulking around the shower floor-pan edge is already cracking. Note that the edge here had large gaps between the floor-pan and the floor tiles. The contractor explained that he caulked it before the grout dried.

Below: New molding for floor/wall corner.

Below: Edge of wall tiles is very uneven (the higher you go up the more it leans to the left).

Note: I'm now aware that the wall/floor moulding may not be an issue as the contractor may have had something like this in mind.


texts: Central A/C Draining Causing Stagnant Water - Dry Well?

texts:
I have a central air system with a condensate drain line that exits my home near the actual AC compressor on the side of my house.  The original installers put in a cement cylinder that the line drains into, but its never been very effective at draining the water consistently (likely due to hard clay soils).  This has become a stagnant water/mosquito concern and I am evaluating other options.  Unfortunately I do not have a good outlet to re-route the line to - if I simply have it drain to surrounding walkways, the slope is likely to have the water draining up against the house.  Likewise, I don't have any immediate planters to re-route it to without crossing walkways with pipes.
The last weekend I started digging out a larger surface in the drainage area thinking that perhaps I can re-route the drain line slightly and out of the existing cement cylinder to better facilitate drainage, having it drain into a larger surface area to improve saturation and drainage into existing soils.
I am at a bit of a loss if this is a good idea, however, and if there are any guides on how I should go about implementing this change.  I believe from researching I would effectively be building out a dry well of sorts, but would like any recommendations to ensure that I can improve drainage to existing soils without posing issues later on during rainy season (I am in Southern California, so heavy rain is not very common). I would really appreciate any recommendations or guidance before I "dig myself too deep" into a hole!
Some pictures of my existing arrangement, hole I dug, and relative area around the drain line for reference.
General Drainage Area


texts: How can I fix a door with a damaged knob hole?

texts: Help need help fixing door. Is this still fixable or not?


texts: Storing items in washroom (protection from moisture)

texts:
I've moved into a flat which has a washroom (shower, washing machine and sink) which is relatively huge in comparison to the rest of the flat; How might I be able to store items in this room without them being damaged due to the humidity caused by usage of the shower and washing machine/drying racks?

There is a small fan in the wall which is somewhat effective at cycling air through the room (it turns on automatically once the humidity passes a given threshold) but it is still noticeably "steamy" in the room for a while after showering.

If I simply put some large cabinets in the room, I fear that e.g. textile and paper items in the room will slowly be ruined by the moisture; Are there no furniture(-like) solutions which can allow me to easily store these items in the room while keeping them dry?


texts: Can I put tile in my basement over Ditra and existing mastic?

texts:
My basement has been prone to getting water for many years before I bought the house.  We're having the basement walls repaired (excavated outside) & sealed.  So this problem should go away.

The basement floor currently has linoleum tiles that are all coming up from the years of constant water damage. Beneath them is what looks like a black mastic.  Its hardened to the touch in most areas (there are a few sticky sections).

I understand it might have asbestos in it.  We had an asbestos inspection done recently and they tested the tiles (report says 0% asbestos) but it is unclear if they tested the mastic.  The room is over 1100sqft so it would be alot of work to get it all off the floor and the possibility of asbestos being in it makes removal that much less appealing.

I've read mixed things on the internet about thinset over mastic.  I was thinking about laying Ditra over the mastic to accomplish a few things:

I can lock the asbestos down, safe beneath the floor
I dont have to kill myself trying to remove it
Acting as a waterproofing material

My concern is thinset not bonding well to the mastic covered floor.  I've read that if I use a high quality thinset, I should be able to secure the Ditra to the mastic pretty well.  I'm considering using Laticrete 254  Platinum.

I also wonder if the mastic will hold moisture in the thinset and if so, if I should opt for an unmodified thinset instead (if both mastic and Ditra will be impervious to water).


texts: How would you protect a plywood container from moisture and abrasion?

texts:
We have a pitching mound that sees basement and outdoor use.   We try to keep it out of the rain but it does sit on wet ground sometimes.

It is made of plywood and has a number of hinges/brackets as it folds in three.   What I am mainly concerned about is the plywood.    This seems like it has a good chance of fraying from movement or just normal use and then add to that hitting rough concrete in basement and water outside.

What is the optimal way of protecting this?   Also bonus if that way includes the ability to paint/color.

Edit:  Hate to add more after feedback and answer but I am really worried about the very bottom and it is water and water that leads to fraying.  Each of the three sections have basically the same bottom albeit the other two sections deeper.   So kind of worried this get scruffed up, little water, then start chipping like mad.


texts: What could be causing my new GFCI receptacle to keep tripping?

texts: An electrician installed an outlet on a circuit inside my garage that is connected to an exterior spotlight. The spotlight has a sensor that automatically turns it on at dusk and off at dawn. There is an interior switch between the outlet and the light that controls the light only. The switch has to be on for the spotlight to respond to the sensor. I was told it would be a good idea replace the regular outlet with a GFI outlet before the Holidays since I connect the Christmas lights there. Everything was fine until I removed the Christmas lights. Now when I turn on the interior switch (it was off to allow the Christmas lights to be worked with a timer plugged into the outlet) to allow the spotlight to work with the light sensor, the GFI outlet goes off! Possibly of note: prior to putting in the GFI outlet there were no problems and the washer/dryer are on the same circuit. Is it possible the circuit is overloaded? The outdoor spotlight is 10 years old. Could replacing it with a modern light that requires less power make a difference?


texts: Fascia, drip edge, starter shingle, code, in Texas

texts:
I may have to get a contractor to repair or redo my roof. I guess the previous one did not do it right as I see starter shingle flush with drip edge, and the drip edge attached to the fascia. Resulting in obvious rot damage to fascia.  From online videos it appears to me that the order is,  from home, something like: fascia board, then 1/2 inch gap, then drip edge, 1/2 inch gap, and finally edge of starter shingle.

The issue is the  Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) code. Presumably the hanging portion of roof shingle beyond its supporting wood frame can contribute to wind lifting the roof. So in essence if you try to protect your fascia and soffit from the damage of  rain then you risk loosing your roof!

What is a smart solution?

If the previous roofer made an error can I do a repair? For example, can I extend the drip edge beyond the starter shingle? Or do I have choose between the cost of re-roof or cost of fascia damage.

Exactly what is the code in layman's terms? I should be able to make sure my contractor knows what is involved. And does it right.


texts: How can I eliminate the smell of gas and smoke when burning my new gas fireplace?

texts:
Yet another question in my long running series of new house questions.  I closed recently on a newly constructed house and in my final walk through with the project manager he demonstrated how the gas fireplace works.  When he turned it on a god awful smell started permeating the room, the stench of smoke.  The room got a bit cloudy and the smoke alarms in the house went off within minutes.

He said this was perfectly normal and that we just have to run it a little bit every day for a few days and this will go away.  I have never had a gas fireplace before so I assumed this break in period was normal.

Fast forward a week later of running it two or three times a day every day and while it has gotten a lot better, it still smells and STILL sets the smoke alarm off.  I keep trying to call him to ask him to take a look at it and he is not answering his calls.  I have two exotic birds and they are very sensitive to fumes and chemicals, so I am too worried to ever burn my fireplace after I move them into their new home.

Is this normal and is there anything I can do to help break this gas fireplace in a little faster?  I have never experienced this in my friends homes that have gas fireplaces.

EDIT

Fast forward almost a year later... the smell did eventually go away but it took a very long time and constant use.  The maintenance checkup from the home builder looked at the fireplace and found that the fireplace was NOT properly sealed by the general contractor!  This also explains why when I wasn't using the fireplace that I could feel a bitter cold breeze blowing into my house from the fireplace.  The project manager all the while told me this was normal but it was the maintenance sub contractor that told me it was installed incorrectly and he did fix it for me.  I haven't had problems since.


texts: Is there a better way to join two corrugated pipes?

texts: I've got two pipes from my dishwasher underneath my sink that are for the water that drains out of it. The pipe join has recently started leaking. The join is shown in the picture below and my question is, is there a better way or a better fitting to do the pipe join?


texts:
I had a door and frame that's been removed.  I then cut out a "box" if you will into the opening. I need to drywall the edges around this opening. The width is about 3-4" (the width of an inside door)

What is the right way to overlap my cuts of drywall for the inside and outside corners? (Or does it even matter?) I've tried to demonstrate the edges in the crude drawing below. The one on the left for example has the left side edge going up further and the horizontal piece butts up to it vs the right picture where the horizontal piece has the overlap edge and the vertical piece butts up to it


texts: How can i fix the damaged area on varnished hardwood floor?

texts: The area was damaged when a bottle of black mould killer tripped over. I hadn't realised till it was too late. Any recommendations on how to fix it without redoing the floors would be greatly appreciated.


texts: I have 2 rooms, each has a switch and a light connected to it, how can I control the two lights using these 2 switches so that when one light is ON the other one is OFF, ie: at any moment only one light ON and the other is OFF. Thanks.


texts: Using PVC pipe for bathroom exhaust fan duct

texts:
I have to run a length of about 3 meters of duct (from the fan to the outside), where there will be 2 90° bends. I was going to use plastic flexduct, but I can make the bends bends and some of length using 100mm PVC.

Is it worth the hassle of doing pipe work instead of just running flex duct? I live in Brazil, and I don't see much condensation getting trapped for long with our temperatures.


texts: Wood flooring options for dogs, finish options

texts:
I am very new to flooring and have a new project that needs to be undertaken within the next few months.

To outline, we have two dogs that spend the day in the area we are looking to lay the new floor. We have been looking at bamboo flooring which we believe is the best for pets due to the fact they will not slip on it.

However, aside from it being possibly too pricey, we are not able to find the ideal colour so have been exploring alternative hard wood floors and then laying down a matt resin to help primarily with sealing against urine and water (from their bowl).

So the main concerns are:

Is it possible to lay a resin coat down over a wooden floor?
Is a resin coat generally OK for dogs with regards them slipping on it as well as being relatively urine resistant?
Are there any alternatives we could possibly look at? We are not keen on vinyl or laminate.

Thanks in advance.

Dave


texts: How can I wire a 3 way switch with power feeds to another switch?

texts:
I need help with the wiring for a 3 way switch in my hallway.  One switch box has the power source coming in, the switch leg and 2 Power feeds going out to two other lights.  One power feed supplies the hot for a closet switch in an adajencent room and the other power feed supplies the hot for another 3 way switch that controls a light in the stairwell.

I’m unsure how to wire the switches allowing the 3 way to work for the hallway and the other lights to work properly.

I have spent 3 days and many hours of frustration trying to work this out.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated. A drawing would be wonderful.


texts:
I want to remove the closets that are in the hallway off of my garage so I can install new cabinets for a mud-room. I want to make sure the closets are not load bearing before I remove. Here are some details:

From the garage you open the door and walk in, directly in front of you is the laundry room and if you turn right you are in the hallway that leads straight to a 1/2 bathroom and turning left in that hallway gets you to the kitchen. The right side of the hallway are 2 closets, with a dividing wall between them. From the garage wall, the closets are roughly 30" deep. The basement and attic above/below the closets have the joists run north-south. The closet divider and wall next to garage entry door run east-west. However, there are no supporting beams in the basement under these closet walls, and the closet walls don’t run the entire length of the attic.

The picture below shows the opening to the closet, this opening runs parallel with the joists above it, but the wall that makes a right angle with it is perpendicular.

So is it safe to remove the entire thing? According to all my Googling, the only thing that might make this load bearing is that this 30" wall run perpendicular to the attic joists, while only hitting 2 out of 10 joists in the attic. Other than that, it doesn't have any support under them in the basement.

Thanks!


texts: Is it allowed to have a small hole bored in a joist in the area where it is bearing on a beam or joist hanger

texts:
I am trying to determine if my house is up to code with respect to some holes that I found bored in the ceiling joists. The holes are about 1 inch in diameter and at least 2 inches from the top and the bottom of 2x10 joists. The holes were bored to run a NM electrical cable. The specific aspect I am concerned about is that the holes are very close (< 2 inches) to the end of the joist where it is bearing on the beam.

I read various notching and boring guides and they all specify 2 inches from the top and bottom but I can't find any guides that talk about how close they can be to the end of the joist. I assume that having a hole in the area that is bearing on the beam would weaken the joist but I am having a hard time finding the rules on this.


texts: Can't get threaded connector all the way into shower faucet. Do they need to go all the way?

texts:
We're installing a small corner shower in one of our washrooms, and I'm having an issue with the threaded inlet/outlet connections on the faucet.

I'm using Sharkbite, and bought some threaded-on-one-side/Sharkbite-on-the-other straight connectors for attaching everything to the faucet. The problem is I can only get them to thread about 2/3 of the way into any of the four spots on the faucet. I've tried with a wrench and they just refuse to go any farther than that.

The faucet set is Glacier Bay, which I've since found out is a pretty crap brand, so maybe that's the problem. Alternatively, maybe the threads on the Sharkbite connectors are too big, but I have a hard time believing that.

Is it a problem if the connectors don't go 100% of the way in?

I should point out, that for at least a few weeks, the wall behind the shower will be wide open, so I could try just threading the connectors as far as they'll go and keep a close eye on the situation.


texts: Why is my bath hot water not so hot now that I have new taps?

texts:
I have had new taps fitted in my bathroom, both bath and sink. However when I have a bath the hot water is not as hot as it is for the sink or indeed downstairs in the kitchen.
I don't have to use any cold in the bath, and it seemed hotter before I replaced the taps

What can this be?


texts: How can I temporarily cover up a bathroom door to a shower room?

texts: We are having a local swim meet and we need to temporarily cover the doors to the shower/bathroom on the pool deck to keep parents and others from coming on deck.  The doorway is concrete block structure, with one side of the opening being one concrete block thick and the other side being a flat concrete wall on the inside. I thought of covering with a sheet of plywood, but i think that would require putting in concrete screws and i would rather not put permanent holes in the concrete walls.  Any ideas?


texts: If using an old 240v cable to make two 120v circuits, is there a risk of overheating the shared neutral return?

texts:
I've seen discussions of using an old 240V wire (two hots, a neutral, and a ground) and reconfiguring it to have two 120V circuits.
As an example, if it is a 20A cable, you could have two 20A circuits, each one using one of the two phases and both sharing the neutral and ground.
If each circuit is powering a device using the full 20A, would this result in 40A of current going onto the neutral, causing overheating?
Additionally, will sharing the neutral cause interference between the circuits?


texts: Can I just paint over my existing vinyl wrapped MDF kitchen cabinets?

texts:
My kitchen cabinets (doors and sides of pantry) have a dated vinyl finish. I'd like just plain matte white cabinets and have been looking online but white vinyl wrapped ones seem to be around $50 per door.

Considering the vinyl is in reasonable condition, would there be any issue if I just painted the existing cabinets, vinyl and all, with white paint and a roller (or even spray paint)?


texts: Breaker Immediately Trips, Need Help Troubleshooting Why

texts:
I installed 4 Lithonia LED recessed lights on my living room 15 amp circuit. Everything was working great yesterday when doing final testing. I left the breaker off overnight as I was planning to do final closing of junction boxes and drywall patching today.

Last night at 2am the fire alarm connected to my inactive ADT home security panel starts chirping. I go to the ADT motherboard in our coat closet and start disconnecting the low voltage wires attached to the motherboard trying to get the thing to shut up. It ended up being a stupid battery problem on the fire alarm unit itself...but I realized the wires going to the ADT motherboard are hot as a red and black touched and gave a spark, so I leave them disconnected and wire nut them all off. It was 2am and I didn't think much of it.

Today for final install of the LEDs I stupidly forego one last test (because I did it yesterday and everything worked great) and push them all up into the drywall using the spring clamps. When I go to turn on the breaker it immediately trips upon multiple attempts.

I have tried the following which have not fixed the problem of the breaker immediately tripping:

turned off and back on all breakers for the house...Nope!
unplugged all appliances and turned off all light switches on that circuit and retried breaker...Nope!
reset GFCI on a different circuit that may be in between breaker and the tripped circuit...Nope!
unplugged and wire nutted off all low voltage wires going into the ADT motherboard...Nope!

These are some potential variables that may or may not be relevant:

The 4 LEDs are connected to a Lutron Maestro low voltage dimmer switch. It is not a traditional on/off knob but a flat low profile click if that makes sense. To be considered 'off' do I need to disconnect the wires going into it? Anything else about the switch that might affect my attempt to reset a short circuit? The wires are all intact and no burning or discoloration.
There is a motion detector and a door contact in the room with the LEDs that are wired back to the ADT motherboard in a different part of the house. I assumed since I disconnected all those wires from the motherboard this would eliminate this from being a factor?

Any tips or things I can do to narrow this down is much appreciated!!!


texts:
I have a 20x14' workshop in my backyard.  When I had it build, I had the installer place rigid insulation form under the concrete slab but everything else was not insulated.  Since then, I've installed insulation batts in the walls and a vapour barrier and then drywall on top of that.  It is till cold inside since cold air from the outside can enter in through the ridge vent at the top or the 8 soffit vents that line the side.  This year my plan is to insulate the ceiling as shown in the middle picture below.  There will be an air gap between the roof and the insulation, then another vapour barrier and a radiant barrier on top of everything.

I'm hoping with some space heaters the inside will now remain warm when the outside is cold.  I am worried what will happen in the summer though.  I don't want the inside to turn into an oven so I'm trying to think what to do to prevent that from happening.  I could put an AC unit in one of the windows for the summer months to cool the inside ... but is there another way?  I don't want to punch any holes in the walls (through the insulation) because I'm worried birds or critters are going to try to climb into the workshop during the winter months.

I was wondering if I could put some fans or vents in the ceiling insulation to allow hot air to escape out through the soffit vents or the ridge vent.... would that work?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


texts: How can I counteract the effects of WD-40?

texts: My landlord used WD-40 to free the UPVC windows and now when opened slightly the wind then catches them and blows them wide open (a real pain when woken at 4am with rain blowing through the room). How can I counteract this?


texts: What could be causing my Thermostat "R" wire to only be 8 VAC?

texts:
I am trying to install a Nest thermostat.

It says Rh not powered. I checked with a meter and I get approx 8 VAC reading.

What could be causing this?

The furnace itself ain't pretty.

Update:


texts: Connecting a broken nichrome wire heating element back together

texts:
I have a broken nichrome wire on my Holmes Accutemp portable heater people say regular solder won't work to reconnect it because the nichrome wire (heating element) may just melt the solder when the heater is in operation.
Does anyone have any other suggestions to connect it back together?  I've included an image with an arrow showing the break.


texts: We're digging footers for a guest house and came across this pipe. It's buried about 12" down, it's orange and about 1" diameter and has raised ridges running lengthwise (you can see them as black lines in the photo). The pipe had quite a bit of water in it that drained out, but nothing under pressure. We checked all the sprinkler systems zones (it's an older system) and it's not connected. I've never seen this kind of pipe before. It's an older property (main house is 150 years old) but this pipe is way away from the main house, near the property line, with no logical start or finish. Any ideas?


texts: Can I add an outlet on the back side of a wall?

texts: I have an outlet in the kitchen - How do I know if it's possible to install an outlet or two on the opposite side of the wall?  Also interested in running a few low voltage under cabinet lights.  What do I need to look for?  Thanks in advance!


texts: What screws for attaching 1/2" ply to 3/4" ply?

texts:
I was using all-purpose screws (1 1/4") to attach my second layer of plywood to the under layer. The top layer does not get screwed into the floor joists. A lot of the screws just spin and don't sink into the floor like I want them to.

Am I using the wrong screws?


texts: Can I use larger wire for the run to my shed than what's inside the shed?

texts: Here is my problem I have a shed that is prewired with one receptacle and two lights that's 12 gauge and I was told that I could use 10 gauge wire coming into the shed in case I wanted to use large power tools coming from the circuit panel my question is is that ok.


texts: Wiring guidance for a smart dimmer switch (Kasa HS220)

texts:
I'm working on replacing the dimmer switches in my house with smart dimmer switches and have run into a wiring issue.  I've installed 2 Kasa HS 220 smart dimmer light switches so far, but when I went to pull the third regular dimmer switch out to begin installing the third, the switch had 1 black wire and 1 white wire connected to the switch, and a ground wire on the back of the panel.

The Kasa devices have four connections for: Load, Line, Ground, and Neutral so I'm not sure if this third switch will work.  So far, I've found that with the circuit on, the white wire is always hot, but the black wire is only hot when the light switch it turned on.  Has anyone come across this type of wiring setup before, and would this work for the smart dimmer switch I'm using.  Here are the details for the smart dimmer switch:

https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/hs220/

The image below is the wiring for the current light switch.


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Outside Unit    Carrier Central Air Conditioner Model 38CKC042-340
Inside Unit     Carrier Furnace  M/N : 58STA090-10116

I am very newb, i have no idea if there are other parts involved besides the above mentioned. So please let me know if i need to check for other parts

My Outside Unit is old and i have cooling issues, possibly even freon leak and this unit is just old

So if i want to go from R22 to R410A do i need to change my inside Unix Carrier Furnace as well?
If my furnace can stay the same, Can you suggest compatible Air Conditioners that would work with my Inside Furnace? I am just looking high level guidelines so that i can start researching on cost etc?
Are evaporator coils part of the Furnace?
Or it would be cheaper to just change the whole thing inside/outside? Does that involve just changing these two or all pipes etc between my inside outside unit would have to be changed?

Regards


texts: Can I use an adapter to plug a 4 prong dryer into a welder outlet?

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I have a welder outlet in my garage that I’ll probably never use. I was wondering if I can use an adapter like this to connect a dryer with four prongs:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P93HF1P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_X4665SV730DE18T6R3ND
With an adapter like this, clearly there’s no neutral connected to the dryer + the breaker is 50amps vs the normal 30amps for a dryer.


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Background: I'm doing some rewiring work in the kitchen. There were three circuits coming into a junction box that controlled the sink disposal, dishwasher, a few receptacles and a light. So I got everything the way I want, and the dishwasher circuit seems like it's dead. First thought is bad wiring, so I rechecked everything - no issues. Next thought, there's a GFCI upstream that I tripped while I was working (I've wasted a few hours on that problem before). But an ohmmeter check on the common/ground says no GFCI tripped. So I recalibrated my voltmeter and tested the line again and lo and behold, there is some power, but only about 20V.

Question: could the breaker really have gone bad while I was working on the junction box? Everything I know says it's possible but extraordinarily unlikely. I've even replaced a breaker before thinking it had gone bad, and it turned out not to be the problem after all. So before I do it again, is there anything else I'm missing?


texts: Are there major stability differences between simple table legs and plain ones?

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I am planning to build simple, large desks for my children. They would be made from a 160x80x22 cm plank and legs. I am not sure which ones to choose:

standalone
or "plain" (sorry, I cannot find the proper English word for those - I mean ones which are in one piece, perpendicular to the longer axis of the table. The linked one is just an example)

I have no particular preference, except maybe a small one for the standalone version as they allow things to freely move between them but what I am particularly concerned with is the stability of the construction.
Which of these two types of legs will yield a more stable table? (minimizing the lateral and frontal rocking, as well as the "one leg too short" syndrome)
EDIT: I ended up buying a frame for a standing desk (the linked article is the one I bought which I put here to give an idea of the kind of frame). I will mount it in August and will update how it went.
FINAL EDIT
Below is the end effect. See also Which varnish to choose for a first time job (desk)? for the upper part (including a final edit too).
The children are happy, we will see how the marks go this year (they now have EVERYTHING to succeed :))
As for the legs, there is nothing special to say (at least for the model I linked to). They are very robust, this is a nice solid device.
Since it is really heavy, it is difficult to manipulate it alone (I connected all the pieces together, then screwed the wooden plank turned upside down (the plank was on the ground, the legs were turned upside down)


texts: Breakers for living room was working, but has stopped after I turned breaker on/off

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I have one circuit of outlets and lights in my living room that stopped working one day. This happened after I turned off all the breakers to the house and when I turned everything back on I noticed this set stopped working.

It hasn't worked since that day. But today I was mapping out my panel to all the outlets and lights in the house and I'm turning on and off all the breakers (one by one) and I noticed the faulty circuit that previously stopped working had all of a sudden come back on at some point as I was testing all the other breakers.

I don't know when it started working again nor did I know which breaker it was controlled by. So I started to play with the panel again to find out which breaker was controlling this faulty circuit. I found the breaker (by turning it off) but when I turned it back on again, the lights and outlets stopped working again

has this happened to anybody else? Any solutions or things I can try? I do notice that the breaker for the circuit looks slightly off compared to the other ones (see pictures). Not sure if that's the reason it's not working.

I have an older home (knob and tube) if that's relevant. Also an electrician had come over and fix the same problem in the past, and just mentioned something about this happens when the wires become loose. But other than that I don't really know what he did to get the circuit working again. And also I don't understand how if the problem was the wires being loose, how does turning breakers in the panel on and off suddenly make the circuit work again?


texts: Is there a pressure activated water valve

texts: I would like to buy a pressure activated water valve (for irrigation), so that when the water pressure is above P1, the valve will turn on, and when water pressure drops below P2, the valve will shut off. Does anybody know any product that would serve this purpose? Thank you.


texts: I want to install generic capability for future car charging. What 240v outlet on the outside of the house is acceptable?

texts: I am wiring an old house with new wires and want to have an outlet outside for charging a potential electric car. There is no carport or roof overhang, so weather resistance is important. The wall is still fully open to studs and I have full access to inside and outside of the wall. I was considering a stove or dryer outlet. The house has 100 amp service, but everything inside is on propane, so I would never draw more than 30 amps during normal home use.


texts: Replacing single pole light switch with a new  sensor light switch the new switch requires a neutral wire witch my old switch does not have... In the box where the switch is I have 3 wires copper.. black..white... The white wire is the hot wire... The pic shows the wiring at the light do I have a neutral at the light if so how can I get a neutral wire to the switch ? Thanks for your help... What you can not see in the pic is the copper wires they was not long enough to come out of ceiling....


texts: What are chances of split/weakened joists from ceiling hanging hardware?

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I was supposed to hang some stuff to make space in the garage. So I started indiscriminately screwing a bunch of crap into the joists. Now I realized that I was stupid in my haste. How do I evaluate this?

I drilled pilot holes for the large hooks (though probably not large enough - they were slightly smaller than the core of the screw), but not for the 3 wood screws in each of the 4 joists holding that extra board.

I think I used this simple 2-inch screw: i.stack.imgur.com/EkxHE.jpg (left over from a playhouse project, not even sure if it's brass or what?),
but knowing me, it could have been a 1+1/2, 2+1/2 or 3-inch version.

What are the odds that I have created a serious structural defect for the bedroom above? I'm potentially weakening/splitting a bunch of nearby joists.
People generally don't use pilot holes for drywall screws, right? But if I used larger/longer screws, it would be more likely to cause a problem. Would I cause more problems by taking out a couple screws to see?


texts: Why is my washing machine standpipe overflowing even after snaking/jetting every way to Sunday?

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I have lived in my house for 3 years now with the same washing machine..in the past month my washing machine drain pipe has started to over flow. I do live in the country and drain my kitchen sink and washing machine into the field.

I started with a Drano/hot water. Nope

I have snaked the standpipe. The vent. Dug up the cleanout, and snaked towards the house and away from the house.

Used a water hose with a spray nozzle. In the standpipe, as well as in the clean out.
THEN used a pressure washer with a jet tip...ran through the standpipe out to the field (40-45 feet).

Still to no avail.

Every time water was used, water was coming out of the end of the pipe in the field. Water was black and some debris came out...but not enough to clog a pipe.
HELP!

I'm at my wits end and on a tight budget being a single (female) home owner.
Could it be a collapsed pipe underground?
Sidenote: standpipe is correct height and girth.


texts: Can I have utility location done well in advance of a fence project?

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Disclaimer: Before any work is done I'm going to have all utility companies come out to properly mark the utility locations.
I'm looking to get a fence installed by a fence company. However, in order to do that, I need to cut down 3 trees that are in the way. My concern is utilities being located anywhere along the fence line. I don't want to cut down the trees and then find out there's utility lines around the area I want the fence and won't be able to put up a fence. Basically, if I can't put up the fence, I'd rather leave the trees.
From what I understand, the utility companies want you to wait until a few days before the project begins for you to call them out to mark the utilities. It's probably going to be a month or 2 between now and when I can have the trees cut down and when I can have the fence company begin.
Other than having the utility companies come out, mark up the utilities, cut down the trees, have them mark the utilities again, and then put up the fence, is there any way I can get a general idea of where the utilities may be? One of the bigger concerns is my neighbors have some sort of utility box in their back yard, and I'm not sure if that's a bad sign.
Any recommendations on how to handle this given the order of operations I need to follow would be helpful.

Green lines mark the fence boundry.
Red is the utility box I'm referring to.


texts: How can I hang pots on my brick wall with the least amount of drilling?

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I'd like to hang my pots and pans, but the only exposed wall is brick, and the kitchen is too narrow to hang them from the ceiling.  This is a 100+ year old rental building, so I would like to avoid drilling into the brick as much as possible.  There's one existing anchor in the wall at about the right height, so I could use that and drill one more hole (the other existing anchors are filled in with cement).

I was considering this rack but I realized that would require 4 holes, and if the left and right holes are not spaced exactly right, I'll be drilling into the brick instead of the mortar.

My other main thought is to get some piece of wood and stain it, and mount that with two screws.  Then I could either get a rack like the one above and mount that to the wood, or just put individual hooks in the wood.  Would that work?  What kind of lumber would I need?

Either way, what kind of anchors should I use for this?  There are many options at this page.


texts: What is the name of this recliner couch screw holder?

texts: My Recliner Couch is missing a few of these Pieces that hold the screw in place between the metals. I am trying to get some new ones but I don' know what they are called and where I can buy them. Any ideas?


texts:
We have a copper pipe coming up from the floor in our bathroom that likely needs to be cut due to some distortion where the compression valve used to be that is preventing a clean seal.
After cutting, the pipe will probably be too close to the floor to easily place a new valve on. There is some "play" the the pipe, meaning I can pull it up a bit to bring it higher. My question is: is this safe/okay to do? I'm not really sure why I am to move it up or down at all but I'm concerned that pulling it upwards could cause stress and/or damage


texts: non-continuity in an 20 amp cartridge fuse for AC condenser unit

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It's almost summer. I just 'fixed' my AC by replacing one of the two time-delay 20 amp cartridge fuses in the box next to my condenser.  The circuit breaker had not popped.  The other fuse had continuity.  No external signs of failure on the one did fail.

The AC has now run fine for 4 hours with the thermostat set at 55deg, is it a good bet that fuse simply aged out?  Or should I investigate further?


texts: How do I remove 20 year old sun damaged tuck tape from PVC siding?

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This question is similar, but deals with intact tape:  Removing Tuck Tape from an unfinished window frame

In my case, it has been out in the sun for some time on PVC siding window trim.  One side was in shade and I could get the tape off, then Goo Gone worked well to take off the stuck adhesive.

On the other side the tape is brittle and has little strength.  So far the largest piece I've gotten off is about 1 cm2.  Goo gone doesn't seem to go through the tape.  Ideas?


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Hello I have a room that we have to insulate.  To do it properly, I am thinking of tearing off the drywall.  Then the thought hit me that since I'm going to be redrywalling the room, can I also take out the two walls in red?  Are they holding up my roof or am I ok to take one or both out?

The room is 20' x 12', the 20' is the cross section below.

More Dimensions

Thanks.


texts: Questions about Heating/Cooling, ducting

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Little back story - A while ago, I had a contractor out and in passing complained about how cold my house is in the winter (brick, no real insulation) -- brilliantly, he says "well, yea, your furnace is in the front of the house, and it’s what? 60 feet at least to that addition?  No wonder you're not getting any heat back there" ... I'll be damned what a great idea.

Earlier this week, I finally had my furnace moved to a far more central location in the house ... actually it's as centered as humanly possible without being in the middle of a walk way.  The vents in the middle of the house, of course blasts air, the rear of the house a little more but the front ... not NEARLY as much, you can barely feel it -- this concerned me quite a bit (I was wondering if I had made a mistake).  Anyway, last night I turned it on for the first time "let’s see how this baby works" -- it went from 64' to 70 in under 45 minutes (!!!!! <-- me excited).  What really confused me is the front of the house was just as warm as the rest.  This defies logic.

Maybe there's no real answer, but I'm really curious how this works and if I should worry about improving the ducting to the front so the flow is more balanced or just leave it alone?


texts: What is this mysterious pipe in my backyard?

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I'm replacing a fence in my backyard. Some of the new posts will not be in the old holes. While digging a new hole, I came upon a pipe which is in the way. I don't know what it is for and I'm unsure if it's safe to put a post next to it.
I can see some hairline cracks in it, which may have been caused by the temporary post I put in next to it.

This is in the Netherlands. The pipe seems grey pvc, at a depth of about 40 cm. Its diameter seems about 40 mm. (which is a standard diameter).
It comes from under my (paved) backyard and disappears under the street. The picture above is right next to the gutter of the road behind my backyard, so it's at the edge of my property. There is no manhole or drain in the road where it could be leading to.

Pipes should be at a depth of at least 60 cm, so that's the first mystery. Gas lines should be yellow, power lines should be red, so it should be neither of those. The rain pipe coming from the roof is wider, so while that is connected to the sewers somewhere, it's unlikely to be connected to this pipe.
It could be drainage, but then I don't know where it's heading.

I'd like to know what this pipe could be, and if it's safe to put a post next to it, possibly putting some stress on the pipe, or what measures I should take to protect the pipe.

In the end, I just put the post right next to it. It's now covered with soil again and paved over.


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I am considering purchasing a stationary air compressor to install in my home’s garage. It will require a 220-240v circuit. Currently, there is no existing circuit in my garage that can power the air compressor. In addition, there is only one remaining breaker space in my load center. The garage is located on the first floor at the front of my home, while the load center is located on the exterior of the house, on the side wall, toward the rear of my home. There is perhaps a distance of 40 feet (rough approximation) between the load center and the location where I want to install the air compressor in the garage.

Considering all these, what would be the best plan of action for wiring the stationary air compressor inside the garage? This is a two-story home with attic space where it is difficult to manuever toward the sides of the home. In other words, as I move away from the center of the attic, I would have to worry about getting my head pierced by roofing nails (if I were not wise enough to wear a hard hat, of course)! There is no basement.

The make and model of the load center is Siemens W2424L1125CU. It has 24 spaces and a 125-amp main breaker.


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My house was built in the 1940s and only part of the electrical has been upgraded. I am trying to replace an old outlet on my screened in porch with a weather resistant GFCI outlet but cannot get it to work. There are two sets of wires coming into the box, each has a black and white wire, no ground wire. Both black wires were connected to the black terminals on the old outlet and both white wires on the opposite side and everything worked fine. Using my multimeter, I found which black wire was the "hot" wire (line wire) and also determined the metal electrical box could act as a ground.

I connected a ground wire to the box and the other end to the ground terminal on the GFCI outlet. I connected my black hot wire to the hot wire terminal on the line side of my GFCI and then the white wire from the "hot" bundle to the neutral terminal of the GFCI on the line side. I then connected the black and white wires from the other bundle to the hot and neutral terminals on the load side of the GFCI (sorry I didn't take any pictures). Unfortunately the outlet doesn't work and neither do the electrical lights downstream of the outlet. I cannot reset the GFCI and cannot get anything to work in the outlets.

I did check the wires using my multimeter and with my red probe touching the hot wire, I will get a reading of 120 volts when touching the neutral terminals on my GFCI and the electrical box. But if I have my red probe touching the black wire on the load side of the GFCI, I won't get any voltage readings. Also, when I take the GFCI outlet out and replace it with the old outlet, it works again.

Does anyone know why I am having this issue? Am I wiring it incorrectly? Is the wiring of my house not correct? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian


texts: I an trying to replace a receptacle that has 4 push-in wires and 2 more wires attached to the side screws. New receptacles won’t accept the 12ga. wire in the push holes. What’s my options?


texts: Fill the gap between shower wall and splash guard

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I’m trying to install a bathtub splash guard along the lines of this answer. However, my bathtub is one of those pre-molded drop-in units where the shower wall corners are rounded. Also, things are not entirely square. The vertical surface of the plexiglass splash guard is 11” long and 1/2” wide. This is the surface I need to seal against the enameled tub. But with the splash guard flush to the horizontal surface of the tub the gap to the shower wall varies from 1/4” at the bottom to 1/2” at the top of the splash guard.

The splash guard came with a tube of ASI 502 100% RTV Silicone. I’m hesitant to use this product directly to try and fill such a large gap. Anyone have experience doing this? Or suggestions for alternative methods?


texts: How can I move loose-fill insulation temporarily?

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My current bathroom fan is dead and needs replacement. I tried removing it from the inside of the house, but something is holding it. I'll need to do it from the attic.

The attic is covered with loose-fill insulation. What should I do to temporarily move the insulation while I replace the fan?


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I have a Samsung bf641fst and when using the fast heating setting the main fuse trips.

The only way I can get the oven working without tripping the fuse is by using the oven settings without any fan settings included.


texts: Furnace not heating after changing thermostat

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I have an ancient furnace/AC combo that came with my apartment that originally came with a very simple battery powered thermostat, which I replaced with a modern Honeywell programmable wifi thermostat.

As the original thermostat did not have a c wire connection, which the new one needed, I needed to figure out where on the unlabeled low voltage panel to connect the c wire to (there was an unused wire in the existing cabling that was disconnected on both ends)

My best guess for the c connection was the common wire for the connection to the outdoor unit, which was wired thus:

R wire -> thermostat -> Y wire -> outdoor unit -> common terminal.

On powering back on the furnace, the thermostat powers on, the fan can be turned on, but the heating system seems to only turn in the fan, with no heat coming. Being winter, I didn't fully test the cooling system.

Did I break it? Or just wire it wrong?

I haven't had a chance yet to test again with the original thermostat, due to giving back the small screwdriver I borrowed before testing it.


texts: How can I heat up my apartment to kill bedbugs in Southeast Asia?

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I have a bedbug problem in my apartment and I want to fix it myself with heat. (I do not want chemicals sprayed around.)

Apparently, getting a room to 140 degrees for two hours is sufficient to kill the bugs, or 130 degrees for a few more hours.

My first thought was to get a space heater for my room (I think the infestation, which is minor and new, is confined to my room, and that's where I'll start at least).

However, I live in Cambodia, where "cold" means 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so I don't think heaters are exactly flying off the shelves here.

My next thought was to put black trashbags over the windows (maybe 3 square meters) to absorb heat (my room gets direct sunlight during the day). Given that my room already gets to at least 100 degrees with the window open (it's the top floor apartment, which gets hot), do you think that trashbags + closed windows + closed door would be sufficient to heat it to at least 130?

If not, what cheap electronics could I buy here that would emit enough heat to tip the scales? I know my desktop computer with the graphics card running used to pump out a bunch of heat, but obviously I want to get something more economical... Perhaps some powerful halogen lights? Candles under overturned clay pots? Would a hairdryer work, or would it turn off? Rice cooker filled with water?

The good news is that the bugs have nowhere to run to, as the room is really well sealed. Also, it's heating up to 97 this week.

Any other thoughts on how to heat the already-hot room?

Edit

There is almost nothing in the room. Just the heavy, wooden bedframe, mattress, and a small bedside table. No carpets- all tile. Oh, and an armoire made from thin, cheap wood.

Also, turns out that bedbugs die at 113 degrees for 90 minutes (source: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/bb-heat1.pdf). Which is why professionals heat it to 140, to ensure the heat gets everywhere. So I'm just looking for about 20 extra degrees.

Another question- will my room get hotter with black trashbags over the closed windows, or without?


texts: What can you tell me about old red primer on wood?

texts:
Recently stripped some paint off of old wood furniture and noticed the first layer directly on the wood was red. Looked like a red primer. Was likely painted some time in the 50's or 60's. Color looks like a red oxide primer used for metal but I saw some references to red lead primer online which may be what this is. Even that doesn't make much sense since those primers are also primarily used for iron in wet locations such as boats which this isn't.

Top coats were light colored so I don't think it was tinted to match the top coat. A little confused to see it on the wood so wondering if anyone might know anything about why it was used on this cabinet, what it might be and why it was used.


texts: Fridgaire fridge compartment not holding cool, freezer working perfectly

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Have been puzzling through an issue with my Fridgiaire fpbs2777rfb.
About two-three weeks ago my youngest left the freezer open for some time, causing a bunch of condensation that eventually caused a total ice-over, and the whole unit (freezer and fridge) overheated.
Turned everything off, took off the freezer door, removed as much ice as I could and let it sit overnight to resolve the rest. Freezer was back and working perfectly after this.
Fridge, however, has been another story. It will cool down, but then temperatures will fluctuate back up  into the 50s (or higher!)
Called an appliance guy who was pretty useless and said "defrost it again, must be ice blocking the flow of air to the fridge." This didn't add up to me because

intermittent, not permanent probslem. Fridge would fluctuate up and then down.
I had already defrosted at some length

Took the back air duct cover off in the fridge (the whole part 10, 12 assembly here)
and verified airflow from the slot to the freezer in the center of the cabinet (part 17 in the schematic above).
Ran it for a few days with the duct assembly off and temperatures were tolerable (no warnings) but not perfect (fluctuating up into 40s from target temp 36). Screwed the duct assembly back on and immediately temps popped back up into 50s.
Curious for any pointers or ideas. Problem seems to be with the duct assembly, which contains the fridge temp sensor but not a lot else.

is that where the "damper" is? Could this be a damper issue? (Have verified fan is spinning in freezer and when air duct assembly was removed, airflow was present). Something seems to be blocking the airflow and it's something in that assembly...

fridge temp sensor seems accurate (verified with secondary thermometer) on door panel readout - so is it a board issue?

my instinct is to try to replace the whole air vent assembly, electronics and all (it's in one piece). Is this overkill?


texts:
I’m working on upgrading my shed in the backyard and I have some questions about the electrical wiring in the building.
The current state of the wiring in there is just sad. I have a main wire coming into the shed, going into a junction box and getting connected to another wire, then that wire goes basically to all the plug points and is all controlled by one switch.
Technical spec questions:
The wire is going underground for about 50 feet. I bought a wire cutter with the little holes to measure the gauge of the wire. The stripped copper goes into the 12 gauge hole almost perfectly.

Can I safely assume that the main wire going into the shed is 12 gauge then? Am I measuring the gauge of the wire properly? If this is the case, for a 50 feet run, how much amperage does a 12 gauge wire bring to the shed?
The charts I found online doesn’t even show this combination. I’m assuming this is not a wise setup but I bought this house at its current state and there isn’t much I can do about it.
The question I’m trying to answer is this: I want to put up a breaker box in the shed. A sub panel. I want the main wire to go into the breaker box and I want the breaker box to hook up 4 plug points and 2 switches. What breaker box/sub panel do I need to buy, given the input wire is like in the photo above?
Any guidance will be highly appreciated! I’m very lost.
Junction(?) box: I might be using the wrong term here, but I think this is called a junction box?

Cable going into the shed: there is a small piece of conduit coming out of the ground and the sleeve on the cable has no writing whatsoever.

Breaker box from the house: the switch numbered 20 is the one going to the shed. I imagine you would’ve liked the pic without the top cover in the box but I’m not sure of what I’m doing, so I am kinda hesitant and scared to take the cover off

Close up of junction box:

Full breaker panel:

Instructions on the door:


texts: How can I build a temporary support for rafters?

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I have a hipped roof with 5.5 metre common rafters supported mid span by strutted purlins. The rafters, and below them the ceiling joists, are trimmed around a double flue chimney breast at the flank wall of the house.

The trimmer for both rafters (4) and joists (3) need replacing due to rot.

I can do this myself but would like advice on how alternative ways to best support the rafters during this job.

There is about half a ton of roof and roof tiles to support.

All timbers are 2 x 4 (at approx 14 inch centres): the purlins are 7 x 2. The joists span 13 feet (4 metres), rest on load bearing walls at each end, are tied in to the rafter feet, and are stiffened by binders which run across, again on structural walls.

Edit: doubling up is not an option because there is no structural wall for the new rafters/joists to sit on (because they are trimmed around the stack). I was looking for ways to put in some temporary support that did not involve major work (like structural steels). One option that came to mind was running new joists (say 9 x 2) parallel with the existing and building a frame of these with vertical struts nailed to the rafters from underneath. The binders that run at right angles would have to be temporarily cut through and perhaps supported off the new joists. I accept that structural calculations would be ideal, but at present the weight of the trimmed rafters and the ceiling joists is taken by two 4 x 2 x 13 feet joists and it has stayed sound (no sagging) for 70 years. Is my suggestion viable in principle?


texts: New light bulbs light up even when switched off

texts:
Edit:

I have confirmed that my main question is answered in another post. But there are still things that bother me.

Why is there a buzzing sound when the bulbs work?
The new bulbs do not light up in another bathroom with the same kind of dimmer switch. Why is that?

I understand these questions are tough nuts to crack without certain details that might be hard to obtain. For example, it might be hard for me to dismantle the existing switches and look under the cover or to know the brand/model of the switch.

I just replaced my bathroom light fixture bulbs with newly bought bulbs (LED, A19, 40W equivalents). What I get is a head-scratcher: the bulbs light up dimly as soon as I screw them on and the switch is off. If I push the switch on, the bulbs function normally, but with a noticeable buzzing sound. Looks like this:

I am trying to figure out if there is something wrong with the new bulbs or the circuit. This is the box that the new bulbs came in.

My previous bulbs are of the same brand and the same kind (LED) but a higher wattage. My money is on that this has something to do with the switch. Most of my switches have a dimmer and a little LED that helps locate the switch in the dark. Does this mean I will have to go back to my old bulbs? Do I need to worry about the circuit?