texts: how to cover/repair nail holes on exterior window frame

texts: we've just replaced our windows including exterior and interior frames/trims. The contractor told us they used oil-based primer and two coats of exterior paint, both are Benjamine Moore paint. However, after they've got the job done, I noticed lots of nail holes on the trims/frames. I can actually see the bare wood inside the holes. I've attached a close-up photo to show it. Because they are exterior frames/trims of the windows, I'm worried the water will go inside the wood, and window frames will get rotten quickly. Is there any remedy to fix this issue? Thanks a lot!


texts:
I have a wood burning fireplace that has not been used for years (and is not planning to be used).
When it gets cold outside, the interior of the house near the fireplace also gets very cold. I was assuming the damper wasn't closing correctly or something, but then when I was feeling around I found this thing that literally had ice on the inside (in the fire box) of it. It's about 6" above the floor of the firebox.
I assume this is a fresh air intake?
Is there a way to seal this?


texts: I have a home built in the 50's with a 100 amp main panel.  I will be building a workshop in the back that will need at least a 60 amp sub panel but I was thinking of just going to a 100 amp subpanel.  Now the question is, Can I install a new 200 amp main with upgraded service entry from the power company next to my 100 amp main?  Had an electrican come buy to quote me on just upgrading original 100 amp to 200 amp but he does not want to mess with the old wiring and certain other items that are not up to code today.  So to summarize all this up, I would have a whole new 200 amp panel with new service entry, meter, weather head etc. Feeding my 100 amp panel for the house and 100 amp panel for the shop.


texts: Is a 6x6 beam good enough for a span of 10ft

texts:
I'm opening up a wall between two living rooms. The wall use to be an exterior wall which runs east to west and used to have a large window which was closed up when they added the back living room. The joist also run east to west and end on a center wall and an exterior wall that run north to south.There is currently a 4x6 that ran above the old window. I've attached photo so I hope that helps. Any info on beam size or material would help. I do want to do an exposed wood design so the beam and posts won't be behind a wall.

Thanks for any info you can give me.

This is the edited one.


texts: Is it safe to charge a DeWALT 18v battery if the charger emits a whining noise

texts: I have 1 DeWALT 18 volt NiCd batteries. One charges without incident. If I attempt to charge the other, a whining noise is emitted from the battery or charger. Is it safe to attempt to charge this battery?


texts:
Our bath spout has been dripping for quite some time so I’m wanting to replace it.

It unscrews and the picture is what I’m left with. I think I know which type to buy but it’s still dripping even when the spout is off. It drips from both the right and left side of the brass thing.

Do I need to replace that before replacing the spout.![enter image description


texts: Kitchen faucet hot water slows to a trickle

texts:
When I open  the hot water of my kitchen faucet it flows at normal pressure, then after 1 minute or more it slows to a small drizzle, then less water, then a single tiny stream of water.
I turn it off, wait a few seconds, turn it back on and again it at   normal pressure,  then less and less.
I can repeat this behavior over and over.
This only happens to my kitchen faucet.
My dishwasher does not have an issue.


texts: Is there a technical reason why there are seemingly no smoke detectors that are battery operated, dual sensor, and interconnected?

texts: I've viewed dozens of "top X smoke detectors of 2020" sites, and scoured the leading brands' sites (Kidde, First Alert, and Nest), but I can't find any that are battery operated, dual sensor (ionization and photoelectric), and interconnected (wirelessly).  I can't install hardwired detectors in my home due to lack of access inside walls and ceilings. Many resources say dual sensor is recommended because they cover both smouldering and fast flaming fires.  Additionally, it's now law that all new homes have to have interconnected alarms so a fire detected in a distant part of the house will be heard, which is a concern I have even though I don't own a new home.  So why don't they exist with those three?


texts: What is the best choice for patching and leveling concrete before tile install?

texts:
We have a small area of concrete foundation that we need to patch and level prior to ceramic tile installation (12×12 tiles). It is concrete that we chipped the old tile mortar off of, so there are some places where there are small holes and there are some uneven places. I’m trying to determine which Mapei product we need to use. It is a small job and the whole floor doesn’t need leveling, so we don’t want to spend a fortune on large bags of things and expensive additives, so I’m trying to find the most economical option that will work for us. I’ve look at Self-leveling compound and Planipatch, but as far as I can tell they both require liquid additives. What would be the best choice for our situation?

These are the products I’ve looked at so far:
MAPEI 50 Lb. Self Leveler Surface Preparation
MAPEI 25 Lb. Floor Patch and Leveler

Would the same mortar we plan to use to put down the tile be acceptable to use for filling things in and smoothing them out?


texts: Sealing seams between outdoor composite decking

texts:
To make the space under my deck more usable when it rains, I've installed rubber screen spline between the seams on my composite deck and  also installed gutters at the low ends to channel rain water away...The deck is built with a small slope, away from where it attaches to the main building...I can see that rain water does flow down the 'sealed' seams and into the gutters.

This has reduced the amount of water that flows between the deck seams to the lower 'porch' area by 98%...but there are still some areas where water will penetrate through the seams (small drips) instead of being directed away.

So I'd like to know what type of additional sealer (see picture below) -  either a paint or a self-leveling  fluid caulk I could apply into the seams (on top of the spline) to eliminate the small leaks that still occur in places where there are very small gaps between the deck boards and spline.

(Note - the screen spline was rolled into each seam and it sits about 1/4 inch below the deck surface. The seams are about 1/8 inch wide. Each deck board is one piece, 7/8" x 6" x 11 foot)
Ideally I'd like to apply some kind of sealer that is about as viscus as water so it would flow down the slope of the seams and into the small gaps that are currently allowing rain water drips...

I'm thinking a thinned house paint or a semi-harding, enameled deck sealer might do the job - - setting up somewhat flexible to allow for expansion and contraction...I understand that I would probably need to redo this every couple years...I really don't want to use regular caulk if I can avoid it.


texts: How do I get vinyl tile off of plywood flooring?

texts: I am in the process of removing vinyl tiles off of a cheap plywood looking floor in my bathroom. I am not sure how long they have been there but it's not just the adhesive I am having a problem with. The tiles don't want to come up at all. I am not real worried about getting up all the adhesive. I'm putting vinyl flooring down. I just cannot get the tile up. I'm trying to be cheap but want to do it so the other flooring will lay nicely. I have tried using hot vinegar and water but it's not working very well. It's just coming up in tiny pieces after hours of spraying it and trying to scrape it off with a putty knife. I'm not sure what to do.


texts: Why is my neighbor's bathroom plumbing connected to mine?

texts:
Why would 2 different bathroom units belonging to 2 separate occupants be connected?  I understand that all floors are connected vertically, but what is the reason for a neighbor's bathroom to be horizontally connected to mine?

I do not understand why my bathroom plumbing (sink, tub, toilet) is connected to my next door neighbor in a large residential. I have always understood the vertical connection of all occupants--straight up and down connecting to the building water tank and boiler. Why in the world is there a need to be connected to the neighbor so that when anyone of us have problems the other does too. This is a horizontal connection that does not seemed to make sense, especially for an older building (1950's or so)?


texts: Low profile options for insulating cathedral ceiling

texts: I'm looking to convert an existing screened room into a sun room. Part of that process will be insulating the cathedral ceiling. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of space. Ideally I'd like to get R39 in less than 7 1/4" space. The only option seems to be impermeable spray foam for a hot roof. Any other options?


texts: How to notch out fence posts so rails are flush with post?

texts:
My posts are 100 x 75mm and my rails are 70 x 45mm. What would be the best way to notch out the posts so the rails are flush with the outer face of the posts?
I can't notch out the posts the full width of the rails as the posts are only 75mm thick.
Could I cut the end of the rails at a  45 degree angle and cut an angled notch in the posts?


texts:
Our house is a drab brick, flat front, two story tower of unoriginal crushed creativity. I think shutters are hideous in general and ridiculous to boot when they’re nonfunctional like all the ones in the area I now live.

I can’t seem to find any alternatives to fake shutters that would make the front of the house less... blah. Are there any alternatives?

(We have no HOA but the neighborhood is much nicer than most HOA neighborhoods I’ve seen.)

Edit: I don’t have a good pic of the front and it’s presently night but it’s almost exactly the same as this house - except our shutters are faded gray and we’ve a couple trees in front.


texts: How can I clean calcium deposits off my mirror?

texts: I live in Denmark and water is containing high amounts of calcium so my bathroom mirror has all these white spots which are so hard to remove, any ideas for a dissolver or something?


texts:
My faucet was leaking so I replaced the stem valves, but it still leaks. I was wondering if some how the rough-in (right terminology?) valve could have broken inside? I'm really hope not, because there's no way for me to reach it without cutting into my wall.

To make it clear, please see the instructions for the assembly of my faucet. The part I'm wondering about is number 2 in Step 2.

http://www.americanstandard-us.com/assets/documents/amstd/install/Install_4240.pdf

A little background: we found the faucet leaking a considerable amount after returning from a short trip. It had never leaked or dripped before this and the temperatures didn't get anywhere close to freezing over the weekend.

Also, I took one of the old stem valves, put a little purple ink on the surface the washer is supposed to sit on, and hand tightened it. After removing it, the washer was covered in purple ink, so I'm fairly certain the old and new stems were seated properly.


texts: Replace existing thermostat with diy solution

texts:
I currently have a wireless Altech thermostat. Is there any chance I can replace it with an diy solution (based for instance on a Raspberry Pi)? The idea will be to only replace the transmitter and keep the existing receiver. The frequency used is 868MHz.

I have not find any information about a specific protocol used by the Altech solution. So maybe there is a proprietary one.


texts: Could I use this Speaker Wire for my thermostat?

texts:
I had this wire left over and thought I might as well use it if I can. I think it will work but I just wanted to make sure! So can I use this speaker wire for the Rc and C terminals on my thermostat? The other end will be going to a 24volt AC transformer...more specifically: https://www.amazon.com/Elk-TRG2440-24VAC-Transformer-Fuse/dp/B0007N5LJK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Thank you!


texts:
I currently have a 240 40 amp charging unit in my garage for my electric car. I believe the wire is 4 gauge; the charging unit plugs in rather then being directly hard wired. The unit is on a 50 amp breaker. The Chevy Volt might draw 13 amps.

I am now buying another electric car and am wondering if the charging unit can be set up using the same wire, but putting in a 100 amp breaker? I could imagine tying into the existing 240 volt plug with another charging unit side-by-side. If this were 120 v lamps it seems that it would be easy to set up another plug in parallel.

Clearly I'm not an electrician but I would like to think this through before I bring a professional into the project. Any good ideas?


texts: How to remove carriage bolts from a basketball backboard?

texts: How can I remove these carriage (or perhaps round head) bolts? (How were they ever tightened to begin with?)  There seems to be no way to access behind the backboard.


texts: How to prevent water coming off the edge of a roof with no gutter?

texts:
On the side of our house that is perpendicular to the main roof ridge the roof (the ladders?) extends further by the ridge than it does down by the eaves. As a result, rain that hits close to the end of the ridge, as it flows down the roof, eventually falls off the edge of the roof instead of going all the way to the gutter. The image below is my attempt at a diagram:

My instinct was to use an drip edge upside down, but that turns out to be quite the eyesore. My guess is that there is a professional solution to this but I can't seem to find anything in the usual forums. Thoughts?


texts: Bathroom vanity light with no junction box

texts:
I just removed two bathroom vanity lights to replace them and discovered that there was no junction box behind either. One light was mounted over a stud and the other was right next the a stud.

At first I thought I could use old work pancake boxes, but the problem is that in both cases, the in-wall wiring runs directly over the stud. So there's not really room to even fit a pancake box in there. I could move the entire fixture to the left or right, but then my fixture is off center and I'll have a hole to patch where it used to be mounted which might not even be possible since the romex runs over the stud where drywall would need to go.

Any ideas on how to proceed?

(Also curious why the romex would even be run like this instead of through the studs? It is an exterior 2x6 wall, FWIW).


texts: Building a deck: can you shift the load points?

texts:
The reasons for the below design are:
-I want to place the stairs adjacent to the wall
-I want to use the deck posts as rail posts as well
-this is replacing an old deck and I do not want to dig new holes
At the bottom I have 4 beams 2x8  (a pair on each side sitting on the deck supports)
Just below the deck I have two 2x8 beams parallel to the house, one of them sitting under the joists, the other sitting at the same level with the joists

I need to understand if this is an acceptable design (all the beams will follow the recommended cantilever lengths) I just ned to know if there could be other potential issues


texts: How is this electrical service setup to subpanel able to work?

texts:
I have setup on building where panel is feed from meter through disconnect.
The wire is #8.
There are two legs and a ground coming from meter.
There is a ground wire running to metal case of disconnect.
But there is only two wires running entering conduit with NO neutral.
These wires run 70 feet into building to subpanel which is 1950 era.
Questions:"
How is this type of system able to work?"
What is theory of this old type of panel?
Do I need to run a neutral wire from disconnect to panel? (I want to upgrade.)


texts:
I've recently purchased a home that has two hot water heaters - one at each end of the house. One in the garage, one in a closet. They're both showing their age, and both cost quite a bit to operate. My goal of this change is to make sure I have equipment that's not on the verge of failure, while also making sure that my energy usage is as efficient as is practical.
What comes to mind as an option is to replace the one in the garage with a heat pump/hybrid water heater (something like this), and run a recirculation pump to the other end of the house, removing the existing second hot water heater entirely.
Does this seem practical, or should I consider something else?
I'm in Florida; do not have a gas hookup; I have grid-tied solar @ 12KwH.


texts: Can I run PEX through PVC pipe embedded in a concrete floor with radiant heating?

texts:
I'm building a new home in New York State. It will be slab on grade with radiant heat in floor. I'm going to run the domestic water supply (PEX tube) to each bathroom, sinks, toilets etc. in the concrete but inside of 1-1/4" PVC pipe in the concrete.

Are there any problems with this approach?


texts: What would happen if I covered my deck in pavers?

texts:
I have a deck. A very strong deck. Instead of sealing it every year, could I cover it in pavers instead?

The wood is treated, and the deck is raised so it would drain. Also, the pavers would protect it from the sun.

What could go wrong?


texts: How do I replicate this drywall texture?

texts: It's on my ceiling and we can't figure out what they used.


texts: How much power do LED smart bulb wireless control systems consume when the light is turned off?

texts:
I've been shifting to LED light bulbs due to the energy savings but I've a question about the new smart bulbs that are controllable via Alexa etc.

These need to be kept "on" via the switch for them to respond to Alexa / Google etc. So what's the parasitic consumption and does it anywhere close to kill the energy savings advantage?

I mean say I use a smart LED bulb for 6 hours a day then during that time period the energy savings of LED kick in. But during the remaining 18 hours of the day when the light is  in an "off" state but yet the smart bulb is essentially energized what is the power consumption? Somehow that does not seem to be reported anywhere. Is it negligible say compared to the 10 W LED "on" state consumption?

Any data?

Clarification: This isn't about being green for greens sake. If the power consumption is only a fraction of a Watt I've no interest in saving it.  My question was mainly with the intention of figuring out whether it is a fraction of a Watt.


texts:
Anyone know the name of this tool?
Does anyone know the name of this tool?


texts: How should I connect 2x4 (or wood horizontal railing pieces) to exterior painted wood?

texts:
I'm planning to add a 10-foot railing to a patio that has a 6x6 wood post on one end and the exterior of the house on the other end of what will be the railing.  I'm planning wood horizontal rails (maybe 2x4s) with vertical bars (wood or metal) connecting them.  How should I connect the horizontal wood rails (upper & lower) to the painted wood exterior of the house, and also to the 6x6 painted wood post (which is house-high and supports a patio roof)?  Should I use pocket holes, a bracket of some sort...?  I'd like it to look good and be secure, and last at least 10 years if not more.  Happy to spend a little more for a better connection.  Must be easy enough to do myself (home improvement newbie).

Update (additional detail):
Patio floor is concrete slab/foundation (same pour as for entire house). The railing will protect against a drop-off of about 20 inches (code requires railings above 30 inches) but where the ground below is an asphalt brick walkway. I would like to avoid drilling into the slab (definitely if I keep the project DIY).


texts: Can a GFCI receptacle share the neutral wire of another circuit?

texts: When I connect my GFCI receptacle on one circuit that shares the neutral wire with another circuit, it immediately faults out.  If I remove the second circuit from the neutral there is no problem.


texts: Please help - wonky post location on pergola - concerned with shearing and stability

texts:
So ever since my wife pushed me to move the post off square I've been searching online (periodically for about a month and I've never found someone dumb enough to have done this and had a tutorial or solution to the issue posted). I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist...

Here's my overall plan:

And, the issue at hand:

Primary issue: Wife didn’t want 6x6 pergola post in what is essentially the entrance to the side walkway that will be decked. Due to this I caved and moved the post off center by 24” south and 29” inches east respectively (see image link above, bottom right corner).

Everything built on old concrete patio, that far as I can tell is mostly 4” thick.

Lower deck level at door exits build on 2x4’s on their sides secured to concrete. I used 2x4’s as it literally fit dead on perfect with the elevation of the door bottoms. This section is 320 square feet give or take. Then upper level has 4 4x4’s secured to concrete, then 2x6’s crossing them for the joists. This gives me the 5.5” step up.

I mention all of that because I used the joists and shored up the 6x6 posts (all 8’) where I could, and I threw in an extra 2x6 joist for the pair of posts on the left, so they are very solid. The middle posts are before the step up (due to wanting vaulted section to match roofline), so I shored up the middle posts best I could with extra 2x4’s and retrofit post bases where I could, and did the same on the right ones.

The middle and rights posts have a bit of wiggle. I can’t really see them going anywhere, I think it’s just my choice to use an elevated Simpson post base to keep the posts off the ground along with the single centered cement anchor that is causing the wiggle. The cement anchor won’t be coming up, but there’s wiggle in it (first time doing this, or I would have drilled larger hole and used a 1/2 inch bolt put in with epoxy - had no idea they'd wiggle so much).

So getting back to my main concern, about that wonky post that is 24” south, and 29” east of the rectangle (measured from outside of post to outside of post). My idea for a solution since it’s on the pergola side would be to put a 45 degree 4x4 going from south to north, to then meet the 2x6 (or 8) beam coming from the northeast post. Then another 45 degree 4x4 going from east to west to secure the higher cross beam. Cross beams will either be 2x6, or if height allows 2x8 for extra support. They will then meet each other where the post should have been, and I will use a Simpson connector to secure them to each other (probably 2 or 3 – the ones that look like a cross basically).

I have to have the decking portion done by Friday (party sigh), which shouldn’t be an issue as the lower level is about done, and upper level joists are all in (just need to put in decking with a few custom cuts around posts). After the party I am almost tempted to remove the decking around the wonky post and go to war with the hammer drill to remove a 10x10 section of the 4” concrete patio, then dig down 3 feet, throw in the rock, and buy a 10 foot 4x4 and cement that bastard in.

Ok, so after all of that. Does anything think I’ll have issues with my idea of using 45 degree 4x4’s with shearing when it gets windy, or issues when that person leans against the post since I’m not building using 2 perfect squares? (I will be using heavy duty 45 degree braces, and using bolts to secure everything where I can. Otherwise heavy duty screw in deck bolts) The west side elevated square I’m not in the least worried about since it will be built like I’d build a shed with full covered roof. The east side pergola with that wonky post location as me stressed.

Appreciate any thoughts or ideas for a better solution! Thank you!

Edit 1:  Images of the deck from straight on angles to show out of line post, and quick terrible image in paint to show where I'd put what I've decided are 6x6 45 degree braces so I can sandwich the 2x6 heading north/south, and the 2x8 heading east west (2x8 on the slightly longer span).  For reference, the decking is east/west.  https://imgur.com/gallery/oiS27fS


texts: No water after reopening main water valve

texts:
I closed the main water valve for simple repairs. After reopening it there's barely any water doesn't even register in the meter. The valve doesn't feel broken but I can't think of what could be wrong.

The solution:

Our main shutoff valve is a small gate valve. We had the city show up and shutoff the water to the house while the plumber replaced the main valve. Apparently it was a bad valve since everything is in working order now.


texts: How to install and wire up a 30 amp breaker box acceptable to plug my RV in

texts: I'm trying to put my RV into the breaker box I've got a 30 amp breaker double pole I've got10/2 wire, do I use a single pole or double pole 30 amp breaker hand my RV plug is a 4 prong plug how do I make this work


texts: How can I mount a shelf above a closet door?

texts:
I would like to mount a wall shelf above a closet door in a small bedroom.

I was thinking about using the Ikea Ekby shelf, which is 59" long (exactly the length of the sliding doors of the closet). I don't know anything about how the wall is made and how to properly reinforce the shelf. (Ideally, even to hide the brackets completely.)

What is the best way to find out how these closets are made behind the drywall?

I have a magnetic studs detector and I know for sure that there are vertical metal studs on both sides of the closet. It looks like there's also a (wooden?) horizontal beam right above it.

What's the best way to properly fix the shelf?


texts: Can the furnace pressure switch be damaged due to water

texts:
Few months back there was tons of water in the furnace, including a puddle that collected under the pressure switch. As you can see from my video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH7Dtx3Ht5U the pressure switch is extremely close to the base of the burner section. This area had a huge puddle of water.

Could this have damaged the pressure switch somehow?

Thanks


texts:
I have a gas oven which has given up the ghost and I want to replace it with an electric pyrolitic oven.

Do I need a separate circuit for the new oven, or can I put it on the normal ring main.?

The new oven says it needs a "hard wired" connection. What's that?


texts: How to protect corner of roof from rain?

texts:
I have a two sided metal roof with a different grade on each side. The two sides do not meet at the center. The design incorporated vertical sky windows in the center of the roof which creates a hip joint that is only met by the steeper side of the roof. Therein lies rain leaks after years of neglect. Anyway, the original builder did not address the joints where the lower grade side meets the sky windows. They simply just left bare wood and a cavity on each side. The cavities are allowing tons of rain to get in.

Keep in mind that here in South Carolina we get severe winds and rain.

I have come up with possible solutions, but my ideas have inherent flaws. I have 10" x 10' of flashing to use and after searching the local home improvement store it seems flashing is my only choice. I want a solution that is permanent. If there was a product designed for situations like this, I'd go for that, but I have yet to find any.

Just bending some flashing around the corner seems great, but then I have vertical edges on the flashing to worry about. Furthermore, the exterior side panels are popping out about a half inch up to an inch all the way from the joint to the steeper roof side. So even with the flashing bent around the corner, rain can still get behind.

To further complicate the situation, the metal sheeting on the lower grade protrudes out from the edge about a foot and needs flashing as well to prevent rain from getting underneath. I was planning on sealing the flashing with caulking, but underneath the flashing for better results and to protect the caulking from the sun.

Please do not recommend relying solely on a sealant.


texts:
Recently started digging around further in my new basement. Found the air conditioner is wired as follows:::
10/3 wire coming from panel that is connected to a double 15A breaker (red to 1, black to the other, white is simply not connected, ground to ground block). - in a j-box 15’ down the ceiling the 10/3 connects to a 12/2 (black-black red-white ground-ground). From the j-box the 12/2 runs outside to the air conditioner another 20’ down the wall.
Don’t know when this was installed. Based on the wire dating it can’t be pre-2005. I didn’t wire this but want to fix it if this is not correct. House hasn’t burned down yet, obviously, but this just seems odd.
My thought is pull the 10/3 out of the equation and change it all to 12/2. What does the breaker need to be? Thank you!


texts:
A couple weeks ago ice damming in my gutters caused a lot of damage to my plaster wall inside my house.

I got an estimate of around $2500 to fix the issue so I'm going to attempt it myself. Here is what I plan to do:

Remove the plaster from the wall in a rectangle from the right side of the window frame to the first stud past the right side of the water damage. Remove any of the damaged plaster outside of that area. The plaster is attached to wood lath.
Install moisture / mold resistant drywall over the wood lath in the large rectangular area where I removed the plaster.
Layer on plaster over the drywall and patch the other areas until the wall is smooth.
Paint.

My questions are:

Is there a specific type of drywall I should purchase for this job?
Is there a specific type of plaster I should use for this job?
Do I risk damaging the plaster molding just below the ceiling?

Any comments or things to consider when doing this job would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

UPDATE (3/17/2015):

Before I started to prep the plaster I cut a hole to double check there was never any insulation (there's none throughout the house) behind the wall and discovered that this situation had clearly occurred before (I just moved into the house four months ago) since there was already sheet rock screwed to the wall and plastered over.

I removed the sheet rock, as it seemed pretty messed up from the water damage. There was no insulation and everything seems pretty dry now. Here is what it now looks like:

UPDATE (4/05/2015):

Just wanted to give a quick update to show the finished result. This was my first real home improvement project and though it was daunting, and at times it seemed like I bit off more than I could chew, it came out great. Thanks for the help guys!


texts: GFCI outlet on 2-wire ungrounded question

texts:
I have some 2-wire ungrounded outlets in a room that I want to put a bunch of electronics and computer. I know I can replace this with a GFCI outlet and label with "No equipment ground". What happens to the ground prong with all the stuff that I'm going to plug in aka. all the shields on the equipment, is all of that going to be floating or does that internally (to the GFCI) connect to the neutral wire?
Is this a perfectly acceptable solution in this case or are there some dangers / disadvantages that I should be aware of?
Many thanks for any help!


texts:
I have some stone that I am trying to identify. It was installed as an exterior veneer on a house in Alberta.

At the moment, there is about 90 square feet of the stuff in the basement (removed to enable some repairs). I would like to know what type of stone it is.

Below is a photo of a few representative pieces. After some reading online, my best guess is that it is either shale or slate. It is fissile and laminated and the larger pieces are about 1" thick and the smaller are closer to 3/4".

It was installed over steel mesh and mortar and would have been done in the late 80s.

I was initially leaning toward slate, because I didn't think that shale was commonly used for building exteriors. That said, the colouring does not seem right to me for it to be slate.

How would I go about identifying what type of stone this is?


texts: Cable Size for 100 amp service load center

texts:
I am in Belize Central America having a small home built. I have done my own wiring back in the states on two homes I built, however I have never installed ser cables.
Here in Belize the meter is at the road and about 60 feet from the house. I will bury conduit in which the cables will run through. Here the soil is damp even though the outside temperature is mostly in the high 80s so the soil stays rather cool.  I measured from the meter to the house, which is on stilts 10 feet off the ground and total length of cable needed from meter at the road to inside the house where the load center will be is 95 feet.  I read the NEC and I find that I can use 4-4-4-6  however the guy at the electric store said I need to use 2-2-2-6 (copper wires ) which I think is too big of wires.  Now our home will have of course outlets in the rooms, a total of 4 ceiling lights/fans, a refrigerator, gas kitchen range, no dishwasher, no disposal, no furnace, counter top microwave, lights in kitchen and both verandas, will have a clothes washing machine no dryer, for hot water will have a small on demand electric water heater under the kitchen sink, a smaller unit under the bath sink which will supply sink and shower, will have four small AC units mounted in the wall, one for each bedroom (3) and one for the living room. These AC units will be small ones thinking about 9,000 BTU and 110volt units. This will be all of the electrical items we will have, of course a TV and house hold appliances in the kitchen, a computer, and that is it. I added up the circuits I need and the number is (4) one for each AC unit, (2) one for each hot water on demand unit, (1) for the refrigerator, (1) for the washing machine, (2) for the kitchen, (1) for the bathroom and then (5) more for lights and outlets and verandas. There are no plans for any future additions. This is a small 960 SF house. I need to know what size cable I need to buy to run from the meter to the load center.  Thanks.  PS//// thanks for all the help.   here in Belize advice I take with a grain of sand!    Now one more thing.  the store is out of #6 wire the ground wire! UGH  it will be 2-4 weeks to get it UGH.... they have 20 feet and that is all.  SOOOOOO   would it be okay to run the #6 from the ground in the breaker panel in the house to a copper 8 foot long ground rod?   I can get a ground rod. This way i can run the #4 wires and get this project completed.  Thanks so much!!


texts:
I am living in an old (renovated) flat which size 25 m2 in Riga.
However, there is the wind feeling all the time.
There is very bad isolation in the corridor.
In my apartment, there is no isolating door between two rooms.

This apartment is not my apartment so I am not going to invest much to it.

What is a good way to decrease to amount of windy feeling in the apartment?
Some Chinese curtains or something isolating material in front of the window?


texts: Should the fill line be removed when decommissioning an old oil tank?

texts:
So, I have a contractor decommissioning my old 650-gallon oil tank.   There is a 3" metal tube coming out of the ground from the tank that is what I believe to be the receptacle used to fill the tank when it was still active.

My question here is,  for the $1900  that I am paying to have this tank decommissioned, should I expect them to saw off and hide the  filler tube that pokes up 6 inches out of the ground?


texts:
I've lived in a mobile home for a long time that has bad wiring. Even the receptacles are mounted bad and I have to tape plugs to the wall for them to stay in.

For years there never was a problem but the last year I have radio stations coming through the speakers I have my computer hooked up to. It's just
speakers, there's no receiver.

It happens 24 hours a day and its annoying. I can't sit here in peace and quiet.

I knocked the plug out of the wall the other day and told my landlord to fix the outlet. He hasn't yet, but can the receptacles or wiring have something to do with the radio coming through?


texts: Is there a 24VAC transformer for a thermostat, that fits in 1-gang wall-cavity?

texts:
I'm replacing an old battery-powered thermostat with one requiring a C-wire. Unfortunately, the wires I currently have sticking from the wall are only two: White (W) and Red (R and Rc jumpered together).

If, as seems apparent, I must add a separate 24VAC transformer, what are my options? There is a standard 1-gang dual power outlet nearby, which is rarely used. Is there a transformer on the market small enough to fit into the 1-gang box instead of the outlet?

I'd then pull the wire behind sheetrock and be happy...

Update:

The new thermostat I'm trying to install is Honeywell TH8110R1008. Its basic functionality works without C-wire (on 4 AA-batteries), but to talk to remote sensors (the functionality, for which I bought it), 24VAC power is required.
The thermostats throughout the house are all connected to a TACO ZVC 406 box in the boiler room. The box has a transformer inside it, but the cables running from it to each thermostat have only two wires each: white and red. The installer must've saved a fraction of a penny per foot of the cable, but it is too late now.
To folks worrying about low/high-voltage separation -- I'm looking for a transformer, that would fit in a 1-gang box instead of the dual power socket currently there. There are external transformers out there, which plug-into the power socket and can be semi-permanently wired (like this one). But I'd like it to hide inside the wall, if at all possible, so that no wires are visible.
Regarding phase -- if I do add a separate transformer, I'll remove the jumper currently connecting the R and Rc terminals on the thermostat. The red-wire will remain on the R-terminal and the additional transformer will connect to the Rc and C-terminals.
Finally, the furnace and everything else throughout the house all use the same grounding. Can I "cheat" and simply connect the C-terminal of the thermostat to the nearby socket's ground?


texts: Why aren't Geothermal heat pumps more common?

texts:
Air conditioning and heating are major energy consumers in American buildings - commercial, residential, and industrial. I have been curious for a while as to why it isn't more common to use the practically constant 50-60*F temperature of the earth just a meter below the surface to bootstrap our heating and cooling needs.

More information on Geothermal heat pumps

As I understand it, the "ground loop" is expensive to dig but lasts for decades. And once the system is in place it's 40-70% more efficient than traditional HVAC on a single household basis.

What I'm really wondering is: why don't municipalities provide geothermal ground loops like they do sewage and water pipes? They could and should be laid together. Tapping into the loop would have some monthly service fee but only for maintenance, not for consumption (unlike water usage).


texts: Smoke from the fusebox switch but everything seems be working

texts:
I was replacing an electrical fixture and I had turned off the circuit (one with support for arc testing) on the electrical panel. When I turned it back on, it made some noise/ some smoke came. I immediately turned it off again/ check the fixture wirings etc.. And, then turned the circuit back on. This time there was no smoke and everything seems to be working.

I would like to understand the source of the smoke/ check if all is well.


texts:
I removed the sill that was on top of the knee wall between my shower and bath tub. It seems to be made from some carbonate/plastic. I cannot find anything similar anywhere. I dont even know what they call it.

What can I use for this and where can I get them..? I really dont want to tile and I'm not wanting to use granite.


texts:
I have these hinges

And I want to attach it to my fence but it the holes will miss the cross board.

The bolts they gave me aren't long enough to reach the post.

Should I just get longer bolts and screw it into the post or do I need to attach another cross board for them to attach to?


texts: How can I determine which wire is which when putting a new plug on an extension cord?

texts: My question has to do with identifying the hot (black) and neutral (white) wires on the plug, when both wires are unmarked twisted copper? The other end of the cord (outlet) is well marked with white and black wires.


texts: Sprinklers on = no pressure in both sprinklers AND house

texts: When I turn sprinklers on, the water pressure is practically zero for sprinklers and also in house. Upon turning sprinklers off, house pressure returns to normal. Leak detection service found no leaks. Replaced house regulator. No change. Previously noticed that when sprinklers initially go on there is a bit of a vibration "jolt", which might be a separate issue. Next step plumber wants to take is to replace irrigation regulator...? My irrigation regulator is as old as the house. (Built in 1989).


texts: Cover/block square Schluter Kerdi tile-in shower drain

texts:
I'm looking to buy a square Schluter Kerdi tile-in shower drain for my current bathroom project. However, there are times when I would like to be able to plug this drain and allow some water to accumulate in the bottom of the shower.
I can't easily find any way to plug this square drain. Help?!


texts: Who manufactured this shower diverter valve?

texts:
I am replacing the diverter valve in a 1963 residential shower and wondering if anyone knows the make and model from the maker's marks on this hardware?

I see imprinted: P-P, C.W., and 18. The hardware appears to be cast iron and brass, with one nylon lock washer, and one rubber washer.


texts: 100 Amp Sub Panel in basement garage from 200 Amp Main in the upstairs garage

texts:
I have a two story garage. The bottom garage is below grade on 3 sides. The upstairs garage has its own 200 AMP main service. I will be running wire from the main via 100 amp breaker to the sub panel that will also have a 100 amp breaker. I am not exactly sure what the best wire for this run should be 2-2-2-4? This run is about 25 feet. This run will be in the wall (through 2x4 studs) in the upstairs garage to the exit whole then into conduit as it goes down the exterior wall and through the masonry wall into the downstairs garage.
Here are my questions.
1. What is the best wire for this project?
2. Does this wire need to be in conduit for the entire run or just where it goes through the exterior of the building and while it is outside? The main and sub are both inside and this run doesn't go underground. It just goes down the side of the garage.
3. What size conduit and type?
3. Will I need to add another ground rod at the sub-panel? (Of course the sub-panel will not be bonded. Isolated grounds and neutrals.)

Thank you for the help.


texts: What are the standard sizes/clearances for bathroom elements?

texts:
I expect to be asking several more questions about this project; but I'm starting with a general one, and will get more refined as things develop.

We are working on finishing our basement, which includes a bathroom.  In the original plans, the bathroom was 5' x 8'; which is very tiny.  This matches the size and planned layout of a bathroom upstairs, so we've an idea how cramped it will be.  We would like to enlarge it a bit, and move some things around to make it more...  usable.

The uncertainty I'm running into is dimensions.  For example, toilets are typically about 22-24" wide; but most people would be more comfortable with some clearance on either side.  I'm uncertain how to estimate the space needed for a toilet.  Similarly, counters are usually 24-30" deep; but putting in a sink typically defines a minimum cabinet depth.  Finally, while the original plans called for a tub/shower (side entry), we're planning to change that to a corner shower.  Tubs seem to be 30" wide; but I expect a corner shower to be wider (perhaps 36" x 36").  And if the shower has a corner entry, should I allow more space to enter/leave the shower?


texts: Paint peeling off layer of joint compound over plaster, am I in over my head?

texts:
I have no experience working with plaster walls.

In the kitchen of a building I maintain, there are large sections of paint cracking off the walls. When peeled, I see several layers of paint (at least 3) over a thicker layer of what looks like joint compound or spackle over a gray, very pourous, plaster wall. I realized in one particular place in the kitchen (above the sink) that the plaster is coming off the lath and that it is very crumbly at that point.

I had intended to scrape the walls down to plaster and then prime and paint. I thought I may have to repair some plaster cracks. I am starting to think that this is not possible and more major repairs will need to be done. Do you have any insight? Will I need to seek professional help? I could donate a full week of my time to this task but we have new residents arriving in a couple weeks.

This is student co-op housing that has been run on a dirt cheap budget for 50 years. The house was built in 1907 and we have owned it since the 50s. I know that there was major repairs done to the building in the early 90s (was condemned by the city at one point for reasons I cannot figure out). It does look like the walls have been somewhat repaired before because there seem to be areas that were patched (uneven spots with tool marks painted over).

Thanks!


texts: Run a fluorescent fixture with fewer lamps?

texts: I have some 3-lamp recessed fluorescent fixtures that are too bright. Can I remove one of the tubes and run them just with two lamps? Will that hurt the ballast or the remaining tubes? These are T8 electronic ballasts, not the old magnetic ones, if that matters.


texts: Is it appropriate to sand a hardwood floor with a 20, 60, 100 grit sequence?

texts:
I went to Home Depot to rent a  Square Buff Floor Sander to refinish my Kitchen floor. They said I could use 20, 60, 100 grit sandpapers to do the job. Please note that they do not have any sandpapers of grits of 30, 36, or 40.
The floor is 35 years old and has never been sanded. It has several layers of clear coatings on it.
I wonder if it is too aggressive to  start with grit 20 and then go to grit 60.


texts: How can I mount a composite rail kit on a ramp shallower than the brackets accommodate?

texts:
I recently purchase stair railing kits to install on a handicap ramp for my mother-in-law's home.

The ramp angle is approx. 11 degrees. The install instructions for the kit, indicate they are usable for angles 26-36. What options are there for 'correcting' the 26-36deg brackets for use with 11deg? Or is there a better option not involving bracket modification or use of brackets at all?

I thought perhaps trying to cut 11deg channels for the rails in the posts, but cannot find an convenient/easy way to do so. Another idea is had would be to sand the mounting plate side of the bracket to reduce the post-to-bracket attachment angle from 90 to 75? I'm just fishing for ideas/suggestions. This cannot be an unusual issue for users of these kits.


texts: Converting existing 3-way switches to smart switches

texts:
I have an existing 3-way switch setup that I'm trying to convert to "smart" switches and I'm feeling "not smart" after mapping out where I think the wires are going.  Unfortunately I don't have a good wiring diagram to share with you besides this back of the napkin drawing where yellow = white wire.

Box A: This is a double gang box. There are 2 switches and 4 cables in this box.  The first switch is a leg of the 3-way switch to entryway chandelier (20 feet overhead, I have no access to the fixture box so I don't know how it's wired).
The other switch (referred to as switch 3) is to an outside light.  I only mention it for completeness and the fact that it's using the same 14/2 line as the 3-way switches of interest.
Box A two gang
    cable 1 - 14/3 romex
        black - switch 1 traveler (switched hot)
        red - switch 1 traveler (always hot)
        white - nutted to cable 2 red

    cable 2 - 14/3 romex
        black - wired to switch 1 oddball/common terminal (always hot)
        red - nutted to cable 1 white
        white - neutral

    cable 3 - 14/2 romex
        black - line (always hot)
        white - neutral

    cable 4 - 14/2 romex
        black - switch 3 load (to outside light)
        white - neutral (from outside light)

all neutrals in box nutted together (cable 2, cable 3, cable 4)
cable 3 black (line) nutted to: (cable 2 black, switch 1 oddball, switch 3 line)

Box B: This is a single gang box. There is only 1 cable in this box.  This is the other leg of the 3-way switch to entryway chandelier.  Presumably this cable is the other end of cable 1 in Box A, since when the circuit is off that wire behaves the same in each box (red is hot, black and white are off).
Box B single gang
    cable 1 - 14/3 romex (presumably other end of Box A wire 1)
        black - switch 2 (switched hot)
        red - switch 2 (always hot)
        white - switch 2 oddball/common terminal (switched hot)

Okay... so now my question is ultimately twofold: What is most probable wiring diagram for the chandelier fixture box, and can I rewire for a smart switch & add on without having to change the wiring at the fixture?
I am presuming that Box A cable 2 is going up to the fixture. If that's true, I'm at a loss as to why 14/3 is used for this purpose.
Edited:
Here are some photos of the switch boxes.


texts: Is it wrong to install both a whole house humidifier and a whole house de-humidifier?

texts:
I live nearish Pittsburgh.  Our summers can get pretty hot and humid and our winters can get pretty cold.  We have been planning to get a whole house humidifier because the house gets really dry in the winter.  Recently, I watched a video about a whole house dehumidifier and it sounded like something we could use.  We find ourselves running the AC too much in the summer just to handled the humidity.

I started reading about how to make this work with our thermostat (ecobee 4).  It supports either a humidifier OR a dehumidifier, not both.  This lead me to the question of what I was doing overkill or unnecessary?

Am I off base for wanting both?  Or do I need to find a special thermostat?


texts:
I rent a double story town house. The window in the bed room is awning windows, and there is a problem that the crank is not closing to the end; there is still a gap that keeps window a bit open. So wind still get to the room.

The bed room is in the 2nd floor so i cannot close it from outside.

is there anyway i can close this window? I cannot fix the crank because I don't have the tools or the experience. i just want this window to be shut


texts: According to NEC 2008 can you use non-metallic boxes in framing that transports environment air?

texts:
In the Home Owner's electrical test, the term "environmental air" is used.  What does this term mean, and where is it defined? and can you use a non-metallic box?

Also when reading the question do you read that the box is installed inside the duct or in the framing that the duct is in?


texts: What capacity of heat pump is needed for a residence near Phoenix, Arizona?

texts:
What size heat pump is needed for a 1,924 sq.ft. home 35 miles northwest of Phoenix, Arizona?

The home has 6" insulated exterior walls, stucco exterior, 10' ceilings, southern exposure and "average" number of windows. Construction is in the framing stage.


texts: How to fix metal bulkhead holes caused by rust

texts:
At the top of my bulkhead in the center of the seam where the water drains, there are some holes caused by rust.  Each about 1/2 inch in length, 1/4 in height.  Since the rest of the structure is ok, I would like to identify a way to remove the rust, and patch the holes.

What sort of products are there that I can apply to fill the holes?
I plan to just sand off the rust.  Then apply some rustoleum primer/paint.

Maybe I am over thinking this and I just need to buy some bondo and get to work?
but wondering if there are some better products for small areas that need to be "shaped" or "molded".  The radius of the metal bend is a bit wider then a pencil.


texts:
I would like to install an Osram LED R7s lamp using this holder in my living room.

Now I'm wondering whether I can just hook it up with the AC like I would do with regular LED bulbs or do I need some sort of modulator between the lamp and the AC?

Or to put it even more blatantly naive: the picture of the holder shows two wires - can I solder those to a plug and stick it in the socket?

"Technically speaking" it says that the operating voltage is 230V which is the case for AC in Germany but I just want to be sure.


texts: Is it possible to replace original vinyl windows with retrofits?

texts:
We're in a split level, in Massachusetts, that was built in 1997 with contractor grade vinyl siding and vinyl windows, nothing fancy. One window has lost its seal, another has a broken tilt-in latch - nothing disastrous, but we would like to replace them, and figured we may as well do them all.  The catch is that the house has 17 windows.

We were told by the one contractor we've had in that because the original windows are new construction vinyl, they can only be replaced by new construction windows - no retrofit.  I've read a variety of threads on the new construction vs replacement window trade-offs, included good reasons why replacements shouldn't be used, but nothing saying when they can't be used.  So is this correct, that we can't use replacement windows because the originals are new construction vinyl?

We've gotten one quote for Pella Architect running over $1800/window (tricked out, high end screens and hardware), and another for Harvey Tribute, at over $1200/window (both including installation).  We know labor in MA will be expensive, but these seem insane.  At these prices, we're looking at just fixing the two windows that need it instead of doing the whole house.


texts: Repair old cracked wall spackle from foundation shifting

texts:
Some weeks back I woke one morning to find a large flake of spackle(?) had cracked and almost come completely off the wall in my apartment entrance:

According to the board of our housing cooperative there have been multiple reports of similar damage in other apartments, and it seems the building suffers from some foundation shifting.

Behind the flake the wall seems to be solid concrete. Here's a close up of the flake material from a small piece I broke off:

Looks like it's just paint on spackle on old newspaper?

I have never done much DIY work before, so any advice on how to repair this would be greatly appreciated.

My initial thoughts would be to:

Carefully remove the flake and any loose bits around it (hopefully avoiding having to remove the clothes rack).
Fill in the hole with some flexible(?) spackle (there may be more movement in the building foundation in the future)
Paint over

Location: Norway

Building construction year: 1933

My DIY skill level: Complete novice


texts:
I want to install an outlet in between two garage doors. I  am wondering if there is something in NEC which either explicitly prohibits,  or forces to treat,  an outlet in this location  as an external location.
Reasoning - during heavy rain and windy conditions if doors are opened then some water might get inside.
Right now I'm planning to use Legrand Wiremold 700 series.


texts: How to prepare stud wall for PVC shower panels

texts:
I've recently removed the tiles from my bathroom wall, and the plasterboards all come off too.  So I'm left with a stud wall and no covering.

I plan to fit pvc panelling (polypanel).  How should I prepare the walls?

Stick the polypanel straight on the stud work
Put up normal plasterboard and stick straight to that
Put up normal plasterboard, plaster it, then stick to that
Put up something else?


texts: Why can I see roller marks after I painted?

texts: I just painted a wall and now that it is dry I can see roller marks.  Not ridge lines where I got too much paint, but it looks like two different shades of the same color.  What did I do to cause it and how can I prevent it?


texts: What would cause the mortar to crack across a number of bricks?

texts:
Over the winter a large crack appeared, running across the mortar between a number of external bricks. The crack runs on a diagonal and includes a crack along a windowsill.

It appears that this mortar has been repaired previously.

We had an extremely cold winter, the worst in 20 years.

The house is 100+ years old.

Any thoughts on what would cause a crack of this nature? Any advice on how to fix the underlying issue?


texts: Should I replace a GFI in my kitchen that will not reset?

texts:
I have three wall plugs fed into a 15A wall GFI. One of the outlets has a refrigerator with a two pronged plug.  When plugging in a toaster oven and countertop grill the circuit tripped and will not reset.

Is it safe to replace the GFI?


texts:
My secobd floor sticks out over my frist floor. I have aluminum siding on the second floor.  I noticed water was coming in and down the corner piece.  Its on the inside behind the j channel.
The red arrow shows were it is wet.

Is it more likely water is coming in from the top or do you think its coming in from. The side and somehow working its way around the j channel


texts:
My windows contractor replaced my windows casement. Once they install the new one, they patch up the wall/plaster it with white cement.

However, I'm not satisfied with the work, they are so uneven and unsightly (see picture).

What's the best way to fix it?


texts: How can I install a timer with three-way switches?

texts:
I currently have a set of lights controlled by two switches. I believe they are both three way switches, I know one of them is.

I am trying to install a timer while keeping the three way switch function. The timer has three wires: Load, Line and Neutral. Model RPLS730B. I need help on how to wire this.

I do not know how the setup is currently wired as far as what each wire does. From observation it is wired as shown below.

Switch 1:

 Black

 Black               Red

 Whites are tied together

Switch 2:

 Red                 Black

                     White

Additionally if someone could explain the current setup and the circuit of each wire that would be great. I do not understand how they are connecting to the lights.

:edit: The traveler on switch one is Black and the traveler on switch two is White.


texts: How can I close a rectangular PVC pipe without using glue?

texts:
I will use a rectangular pipe (65mmx100mm) for growing herbs on the wall outside my house.
I want to close both ends of a rectangular PVC pipe without using glue so I can pull at anytime both ends for cleaning purpose.

Does anyone has a good mechanical idea?
I'm trying to maintain the cost low so the less parts the better.


texts: Do USB sockets draw power when not in use?

texts: I would like to replace a couple of electrical outlets in my house with ones that have USB sockets. My concern is that they will continually draw power, even when I don't have a phone plugged in to them


texts: Can I use a neutral wire from another outlet to repair a broken neutral?

texts:
Recently one wall of outlets quit working. Testing shows the hots are all good and the grounds are all good but the neutrals are all dead. They are all connected to each other but somewhere have lost the connection to the panel.

Can I add a  neutral from another nearby outlet which will make these outlets work without tearing up the walls to find where the neutral has  become disconnected?


texts: How is this junction box intended to be used?

texts:
I am in Europe and recently purchase this junction box:

I have two questions:

What is the intended use of the two brass colored busbars versus the three steel colored busbars?
What is the intended use of the straight busbar in the middle versus those curved busbars on the periphery?


texts: Pump installation in dedicated recirc line to water heater

texts: I have a dedicated 1/2" recirculation line back to the water heater tank via a tee at the drain valve.  I've purchased a new pump (Grundfos UP 15-29) to replace original 15yo. There's a check valve located just upstream of this pump.  However, I've seen drawings with the check valve downstream of the pump & upstream of the tee to drain line.  Does it matter whether located u/s or d/s of pump?  Also, would a "spring" type check valve be preferable vs flapper check valve? Within the recirc line, there's two zones, however, the zone furthest from heater takes over a minute for hot water to faucet. Thinking of installing a valve on the shorter line to throttle back for more uniform circulation to both zones.  Is a ball valve OK or recommend other type of valve?


texts: What can cause 3-way switches to go bad? 3 quit working in about 2 months

texts:
I've been in a house that was newly built 2 years ago.  In about the last two months, I have had 3 separate 3-way switches quit working (all controlling different fixtures)

The first one would not switch off unless I forced the switch all of the way down.  With the second one, the light got stuck on, no matter what I did with either switch in the circuit.  With the third one, in one position things worked fine, but in the other position, when I switched the other switch, the light would cut off in the middle then back on when the switch was up or down.  The only brand marking I could find on the switches were the letters "ps"

I have replaced all three switches and everything is working as it should now, but I am concerned as to what might be causing these failures.

Could this be that the electrician just got a bad batch of switches or used cheap stuff, or, could there be something wrong with the overall circuit that would cause them to fail?

Thank you for any insights you may be able to offer!


texts: How to fix gaps between bamboo flooring planks

texts:
About 8 months ago I laid down a floating bamboo floor. The planks are solid carbonized strand bamboo. We allowed the planks to acclimate for over two weeks in the apartment and then laid down the floor as a floating floor- gluing the planks together- following the manufacturers instructions. About a month ago (during the winter with the heat on) large gaps appeared between some of the planks. One gap is about 1/2 inch wide and the plank can be wiggled around.

My question is: What is the best way to fix this problem? I'm assuming that the bamboo is very moisture sensitive and has shrunk due to the warm and dry conditions during the winter, and will therefor expand again in the summer. Would using a floor colored silicone type caulk be good way to fill in the gaps while still allowing for expansion and contraction? Or should I cut another piece of bamboo to fit into the gap and glue it in? Thank you for any suggestions!


texts: Leaking shower head at the head itself under pressure

texts: My shower head is leaking while under pressure. Like there is a gasket blown where the face of the shower head meets the rest of the head. Any idea why? its oval so there is no unscrewing it. if i push up on it while its on, the leak just moves to the other side of the head.


texts:
We want to finish our (currently unfinished) 800 sqft basement. The current floor is concrete, in good condition, but slopes substantially toward a drain near the middle of the floor. I'd guess the difference between the high and low points is about 2-3 inches.

We are planning on hiring a pro to do this work, but all the companies I've reached out to say they don't do this kind of work. Self-leveling concrete would be very expensive for this volume. Another option would be laying a wood subfloor over sleepers or something, but we want to keep as much of the height in the basement as we can. I've seen some suggestions to use deck mud, but can't find much info.

What's the best option for leveling the floor so we can lay vinyl flooring over it, and what kind of contractor should I be looking for?


texts: How can I restore power after a switch was shorted with scissors?

texts: Ok, so I'm a 15 year old kid and my parents werent home, my house is under construction and I wanted to see what would happen if I put scissors to my light switches, so I took the pair of scissors and I put it to the light switch on the hot side and It sparked really big and really loud, and now I can't get the light to turn back on or any of the other outlets in the bedroom. What do I do now? Also, there are little marks by where I touched it with the scissors that are very black


texts: Do GFCI breakers provide necessary protecting for multiple outlet surge protector?

texts:
I just got results of home inspection on house I'm buying and discovered they had illegally replaced two prong outlets with three prong ones without correcting wiring. I understand my options may to rewire properly, install GFCI receptacles, either individually or at the beginning of each circuit, or install GFCI breakers in the panel. I understand that each outlet must have a sticker regarding grounding. But I hope and believe I'm wrong, that surge protector indicate that this is not acceptable method for the surge protector to properly work. If that is true, what other options are there to properly correct this problem? Should I cancel this purchase (which I can do based on the inspection results)?

I work from home and have computer equipment that needs to stay protected, especially since there are often storms and power outages.


texts:
Is there a way to know if my garage door is open remotely? Some times I find my garage door open for no reason. I have expensive bikes in the garage and I don't want to worry about them.

Maybe get a notification when it's open. I only want to open it when I am in front of the garage. The garage has no side doors. I live in a condo.


texts:
I need someone to sort out this wiring question for me.  I'm trying to hang a flourenscent light in the garage, however, when I took the old garage light out (one of those round, single light fixtures, with 4 screws on the back for wires), it had 3 wires attached to it.

It had three white wires, one with a stripe (but I believe they are all neutral).  No ground or hot.  I went into the attic and checked out the junction box and it appears that there are two different wires going to it - one goes to what looks like the breaker box and the other which appears to go to the switch.  I do know that the breaker switch for this light actually controls the pantry light, the front door lights and the garage light (the one I'm trying to replace).  I'm guessing these are all daisy changed together, thus why they all don't work when I flip the breaker.

Back to the issue -

In the junction box, there was what looked  like 3 white wires attached to three screws of the old light fixture.  It also appears that there was two black wires (guessing the hot wires) are have a twisted nut cap on them and are tucked away into the junction box.  This goes the same with the grounds (bare wires), they are twisted, capped, and tucked away into the junction box.  Replacing this fixture has become a real mess of a job, since I don't exactly know where to go from here.  If someone could sort this out so that I don't make a mistake, that would be great.  The light fixture requires a hot, neutral and ground.  Would I be able to just attach all the neutral wires to the new light in the garage (including one for ground) since everything is capped off, or  will I need to make some wire changes and uncap the capped stuff?

Hover over any image for description / click for full size


texts: Can a septic system leach field be installed over clean fill?

texts:
First off, this is my first post here, so I apologize in advance if this isn't the right place to ask this. Please feel free to move it around and/or re-tag it if you think it fits better somewhere else. Also, I can't imagine that nobody has ever run into this situation before, but after spending half a day searching the internet and StackExchange and finding nothing, I guess it has never been asked before:

My question is simple: Can a septic system leach field be installed over/within clean fill? Assume that the fill is about 4 to 8 feet deep and has been approved by the applicable regulatory agency in regards to compaction, setbacks, etc. Also assume that there is enough space to install such a leach field without encroaching into any setbacks, easements, etc. Furthermore, assume that the fill material will pass a perk test and is free of trash, large boulders, organic material, etc.

Some more background:

I am asking this question first and foremost from a theoretical standpoint. However, my specific situation is as follows:
I own a vacant one acre lot in northern Arizona that has approximately 12 feet of elevation change between the highest corner and the lowest corner. While I have not done any excavation on the lot or conducted a perk test I have gathered a small soil sample and observed a nearby road cut. Thus, judging by these observations, I presume that the soil is approximately 2 to 3 feet thick and is very clayey, expansive, and rocky. Beneath this layer of rocky clay soil is lava bedrock. I would not say this bedrock is impermeable, as it seems to be broken up into large chunks judging by the road cut. Furthermore, I have used the county's GIS system to figure out what type of septic permits were taken out by by my nearest neighbors. This showed that most of them required an alternative system if they had one at all. I don't plan on building on this lot for many years. However, in the interim, I plan on clearing a space on the property and grading a flat area where I can park an RV and dry camp occasionally. In the future though, I may want to build a small house on the property and live there permanently. Thus, while I am grading the flat area, I am wondering if I can do the following:
1. Strip away all of the existing soil from approximately the lower quarter of my property. (It is expansive remember.)
2. Create or bring in a new soil that is more suitable to septic system leach fields and building foundations.
3. Use this new soil to create a flat area for my camping purposes and then at some point later on, use it for a leach field and perhaps a small house.

Thanks in advance for any alternative ideas/thoughts/answers.


texts: What type of adhesive do I use to bond metal & glass?

texts:
I need some strong adhesive for a table. The glass panel fell off and I have no idea what type I need. It needs to be clear and very strong.

Pics here:


texts:
I just moved into a new apartment on the 2nd floor of a 30 story building. The shower is one of those single-handle types where you turn to change temperature, but flow isn't adjustable (unless I'm missing something)

The problem: the pressure is really high. On my back is tolerable but not comfortable. On my face face feels like taking a punch.

I realize half the planet wants stronger water pressure, but I want less. I (obviously) know nothing about plumbing, but how do I go about reducing the flow from 'as used by riot police' to 'normal shower'?


texts: Rectangular electrical box doesn't fit. How can I install receptacle?

texts:
I'm trying to install a duplex receptacle. The problem is that the hole in the wall doesn't have the threads for the screws that hold the receptacle to the wall.

I purchased a regular rectangular steel electrical box, but it doesn't fit in the wall; it's too big.

What options do I have?

Thanks.


texts: I need to divert water from a rain gutter. The problem is that I need to run the pipe under a side driveway. What is the best pipe that will hold up with vehicle traffic? How deep does the ditch need to be? Thanks


texts: How do I cover nail holes in composite trim in a wet location?

texts: We put up some composite trim using an 18 gauge air nailer, however, some of the nails did not go in all the way, mostly due to operator inexperience.  What's the best way to cover up/remove the nails that are not countersunk?  And after they get countersunk, what's the best thing to fill the holes with?  This will be in a wet location.


texts: Solar Power System Circuit Breaker and fuse Amps

texts:
So the question is kinda part 2 of my question about the DC Output

Today I went to Hellweg (It's like an Electronics shop in Germany/Europe). To buy a Circuit Breaker or Fuse (idk what I am looking for) for my solar system because I saw this pictures below:

and

Now My question is: What Fuse/Circuit size breaker do I buy? Because I went to Hellweg and there are like 1000 of them with different Apmps, Voltage, etc.

Example below of Hellweg stuff:

I have a 100 Watts Solar Panel, 50A Controller, Battery, etc. I read using a wrong circuit breaker and fuse will cause a fire.

What size do I buy to make the my Solar Power System like the diagram?

Updated with Specs:

1) Inverter: Aukey 1000 W
2) Solar Controller: Here
3) Battery: Solar battery 100 Ah C100
4) Solar Panels: One 100W PET Panel


texts: Problem Replacing Jack and King Stud on Window

texts: I'm replacing the right jack and king stud due to termite damage. I lined up the jack stud on the window header. But, now I've noticed that the right hand side of the window is proud only about 1/4 in. (The left hand side is proud about 1/2 in., so there is room for drywall). How do I fix this? It was a pain getting the jack in as there is a joist running in front of it.


texts:
I feel a need to double check this. I found a couple mud tubes going into a wall along with some minor damage to some paneling inside. I removed the paneling, sprayed some termite killer in there and scraped off the mud tubes.

My belief is that termites always return to the nest through those tubes. If I remove the tubes, what happens to those left in the wall that may not have been killed? Do they attempt to return home or do I need to worry about them living in the wall for an extended period of time?

Note that I have put bait traps in the ground and sprayed the wall on the outside, too.


texts: Raising porch floor to accommodate plumbing and keep first floor all one level

texts:
I have a question whether or not building a floor on top of concrete is a viable option to insert plumbing underneath for a half bath.

I am looking to finish a small porch off of my kitchen and turn it into a small powder room and hallway/mud area with an exterior door to the back of the house.

I have had several contractors come out to quote.  This porch is a concrete slab located directly over the basement and it is part of the main house footprint (not an addition and it has basement access underneath) the porch is one step DOWN from the kitchen.

One contractor came up with the idea of raising the floor to the level of where the kitchen is so it looks cohesive (an not an add on) and run the plumbing under the new floor level into the wall at the basement ceiling and then tie into the existing plumbing that way.  He would add new steps/railing outside to the backyard because raising the floor would essentially add a step into the house from the exterior.  The other contractors were just going to leave the step down into the porch and drill through the concrete floor.

Is this a viable option for the plumbing to be placed under a new floor instead of drilling deep down into the porch slab and entering the basement that way?  I would love to not have to step down into the bathroom if possible, but i am just curious why no one else thought of this option...so that's why i am questioning if its a normal way to go.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Lindsay


texts: Do multiple ground bus bars need to be tied on subpanel?

texts: I'm adding circuits to a subpanel.  For wiring neatness sake, I'm considering adding a second ground bus bar.  Do I need to tie both ground bars together (if so, what size wire), or is screwing them to the panel enclosure sufficient?


texts:
I am working on a house built in 1960 that has a supporting wall in the basement which is on a concrete footing. I am ready to put up drywall, and am unsure how I should drywall over the footing?

Possibly seal the concrete and then glue the drywall directly on the concrete?

Or add some furring strips to build out the wall over the concrete?

Below is an image of the footing from the side and then from above. The footing sticks out a bit in some spots, I could try and make this flush with the wall or its another reason to build out the wall.

Looking for some advice on which direction to take and/or a concrete sealer that would work well in this situation. I'm in a cold weather climate if that makes a difference...


texts: combining a humidifier with refrigeration cooling, what do you think?

texts:
I live in a high humidity (75%) climate.

I wanted to know what happens when you combine a light humidifier with a normal AC set on "dry" mode.

The AC is activity reducing humidity, which helps me "feel" cool since water evaporates better off your body.

However, I wonder if I can reduce my energy bill by running evaporative cooling using "cold" new water ( not the water collected by the AC ).

In dries climate you use swamp cooler to reduce the temperature.

The idea here is ( if laws of thermo is obeyed ) is the water leaving the air con unit has some residual heat.

As the air gets dries it gets less efficient for the AC to reduce the temperature.

Each watt of energy gets rid of fewer BTU as the air gets drier.

It's important to note that as you add normal water mist to your room, it evaporates and absorbs heat itself.

As this vapor moves to the AC, you need very little energy ( dew point ) to turn it back to water.

The water contains extra heat that gets removed through the drain pipe.

Without this extra mist humidity, the AC would pump the heat through its internal refrigerant.

The idea here is not to replace a normal AC - a swamp cooler doesn't help in 80% humidity.

The idea here it to enhance the efficiency of a normal AC, even if it helps by 5% thats huge energy saving.


texts: How to fix a ventilation pipe to the wall?

texts:
I'm doing some renovations in my toilet/bathroom, and am currently pondering the ventilation. Here's the current situation (click pictures to get bigger versions):
My toilet and bathroom are right next to each other (yes, they're tiny. It's a Soviet-era building). The bathroom is on the left, the toilet on the right:
http://valts.21.lv/problem/fan/pic1_thumb.jpg
The toilet has a 10cm by 20cm hole in the wall between it and the bathroom:

(source: valts.21.lv)
On the other side of the wall there's a metal pipe placed in the hole:

(source: valts.21.lv)
The pipe spans the width of the bathroom and enters a similar hole on the opposite wall:

(source: valts.21.lv)
That's where the ventilation shaft is. You can also see a smaller hole beneath the pipe - that's the ventilation hole for the bathroom itself.
What I want to do is place fans in both ventilation holes (for the toilet and for the bathroom). The only fans I could find where of this type:

(source: valts.21.lv)
The smallest one had a diameter of 10cm; it's depth was greater than the thickness of the wall between toilet and bathroom (the rear end sticks out a good deal on the other side); and the face-plate (being a square) doesn't fully cover the hole in the wall. I even had to knock the holes in the wall a few mm bigger for the fan to fit in there at all; and the current metal pipe is about 1cm less wide than the hole, which means that the fan cannot possibly fit in it.
That pretty much means I'll need a new pipe. I don't mind, because the old one is pretty unsightly anyway. The new pipe will most likely be circular (I haven't seen rectangular ones like this in the store) and unlike the old one it won't be able to support itself by being placed inside the hole (since the hole is barely wide enough for the fan, there's no room for the pipe). That means that it will need to be somehow attached to the wall and the remainders of all the holes closed.
What is the best way to do this? I can imagine buying the right length of the pipe (which will then need to be very precise in length), and maybe three metal (or plastic?) plates with appropriate holes cut out... but how to stick it all together? And it would also very much then depend on the pipe being the proper length (exactly the width of the bathroom). A few mm longer or shorter, and it's unusable. That worries me.
Is there some other approach or some tricks that can help me?


texts: How to prep site for patio on uneven ground?

texts:
I'm going to be putting a patio in behind our house and trying to figure out how deep I need to go. I'm going to be covering a 18' area that has a slight dip running the length of it.

I could go two ways here. I understand I need about 4" of gravel fill, but I'm not sure whether I need to fill "up" or "down".  If I fill down 4" below the lowest point, that will require a bit more than twice the fill, so I need to work this out before placing the order.
Option 1: Fill "Up" from the low spot (after removing sod):

Option 2: Fill "Down" from 4" below the lowest point:

I don't really see any difference between the two choices (except for using more fill) since ultimately the soil is going to be tamped down just the same regardless of wether it is done 4" higher or lower. But I've found people insisting that both are correct online, and would love a tie-breaking decision :D


texts: I need to use a step bit with a 1/2" shank. I only have drills with 3/8" chucks. Is the arbor size on most drills a standard which would enable me to just replace one of the 3/8" chucks with a 1/2" chuck? Is it really that simple?


texts: How to fix a toilet that no longer swooshes when it is finished flushing?

texts: We recently had our bathtub removed and a full shower installed.  A city plumbing inspector did some work downstairs and since then whenever we flush our toilet it sounds as though it is flushing right except there is no longer a swooshing sound at the end of the flush and there are remnants of toilet paper left behind. Any easy possible solutions would be appreciated, as we would rather not have to get the city plumbing department involved again.  Thank You.


texts: Wondering if I can have people's thoughts on this retaining wall I'm building. It's a mortared CMU wall with rebar 24" o.c. It's on a slope and it will have a concrete slab and a fence right above the backfill. Above we'll have a combination of foot traffic, outdoor dinning area, outdoor sitting area (with outdoor sectional), etc. Taking that into account, from the drawing does this look like it's a sound and strong enough wall to hold the conditions above? Thanks!!


texts: Recommended proximity of HVAC vent to return air

texts: I have an upstairs room with an HVAC vent in the ceiling above the door. The return air is in the hallway just outside of the same door. This room also happens to be the hottest room in the house (by 5-10 degrees in the afternoon). I'm wondering if the duct location is incorrect? My theory is that the cold air is immediately sucked out of the room and never displaces the warm air in the room. Would moving the duct to the other side of the room make a difference in this case?


texts: How do I replace missing drywall strips after an asbestos abatement?

texts:
I'm getting ready for my first major DIY project (about a week away).  Here's a summary:

We confirmed the presence of Asbestos in our house heating vent insulation and acoustic ceilings.  We're hiring licensed abatement professionals to remove it.  2 heating vents are in the wall so the abatement crew are planning to remove the drywall directly in front of the vents to get access.  The result is that two vertical sections of drywall (approximately 7 ft x 1 ft each) will be removed.

I need advice on how to repair the drywall after they're done.  I'm specifically interested in knowing:

What tools will I need to complete the drywall repair?
What equipment will I need?
What procedure would I use to repair the wall? I expect it to be different than the repair method I've seen elsewhere (referencing strapping).
Time estimate for a beginner to get this done? I'm guessing at least a few days.

In addition to advice, any pictures/how-to links/videos/etc would be greatly appreciated.

-M


texts: Flickering of lights and vibrating of freezer compressors

texts:
I generating current from a ZS1115 diesel engine and a 15kva brush alternator .
The alternator is giving out current but the lights are flickering and the freezer compressors are vibrating , whats the possible cause ..? Pls Help...


texts: Will a 15 amp circuit support the lighting I plan to install?

texts:
I am in the middle of a basement finishing project and have a question.

I have three circuits for my basement, 2 15 amp and 1 20 amp. I'd like to use one 15 amp for all lights, one 15 amp for eight outlets in the finished part, and one 20 amp for outlets in the shop. For the lights, I came up with the following based on research.

One 15 amp circuit can support 1800 watts, after reading a little, electricians plan for 80% load, so 1440 watts. The new energy efficient lights out there are only 14 watts so I could have up to 102 lights? Way more than I'd need down there.

Are there any issues with this plan? Any code concerns? Thanks.


texts:
I recently bought a house with baseboard heating. This is my first house with such a heating system and I've gone about trying to see how it is laid out but it is challenging given I don't want to tear out any walls.

There is a gas-fired boiler in the basement. There are three heating loops (zones). Each loop has a shut-off valve on both the supply and return side. They are not automatic valves, they are manual ball valves. From what I've worked out, Zone 1 has 30 linear feet of radiator (baseboard), Zone 2 has 23 feet, and Zone 3 has 35 feet. I'd like to confirm this though.

What I was thinking is I could isolate two of the three loops, turn on the heat, and just go near each one and feel for warmth. This would confirm which baseboards are on which loop.

I assume I need to close the shut-off valve on both the supply and return side to completely isolate the other loops. Are there any other precautions or steps I should take beforehand or be aware of?


texts: My dishwasher was open, and my eight year old accidentally tripped and landed on the door. Ever since then, when the door is open, it is angled slightly downwards instead of being straight. Otherwise, everything seems fine with it. If I had to guess, I'd suspect the door itself is fine but the dishwasher is no longer mounted as securely as before--it seems to have a bit of play in it when I wiggle. I'm not sure how to diagnose further, but I'd love to get it straightened out again.


texts: How to give ventilation/exhaust to an inner toilet without exterior walls?

texts: In our proposed home, there is a common toilet (powder room without bath) but it has no exterior wall. However, it shares a wall with another toilet. Can you please suggest a way to give ventilation/exhaust to the first toilet?


texts:
I've got some Artex (it's been tested and isn't the bad, asbestos containing kind) on my external wall. There's a large patch as you can see where it's bubbled up and come away from the wall.
Is there any way of patching this or repairing it? We're planning on extending the house in a year or two so this whole wall will come down, so I don't want to have to do anything major but I just want to tidy it up a bit. Any advice welcome.


texts:
I'm working on a sun room where I have a pt sill on a concrete pad.  The water leaks into the room under the sill.

I was going to silicone the outside where the sill meets the concrete to keep water out.

But I sealed the concrete with boiled linseed oil before doing the silicone.  Now I'm afraid the silicone won't stick and that I need to remove the oil first.

How can I remove the oil?  I've tried brushing on mineral spirits but it doesn't seem to work very well or fast.  I tried a pressure washer but that didn't do anything.

Is there a kind of stripper I can use or will I need to grind/sand the concrete?

Is there another kind of caulk, besides silicone, that I can use?

Here is a picture of what the area looks like:


texts: Seeking advise on replacing light switches (1-way, 2-way, 1-gang etc) (UK)

texts:
I would like to replace   some wall switches ("like for like", circled red in the picture below) These are for overhead lights but i have confused myself with whether I need 1-gang, 2-gang, 2-way etc...

There are 3 bulbs, lets say bulb 1 (hall), bulb 2 (landing) and bulb 3 (office).

There are 3 switches:

Switch A with 2 switches on, which respectively control bulb 1 and 2
Switch B with 2 switches on, which respectively control bulb 2 and 3
Switch C with a single switch, which controls bulb 3

The 2 switches for each bulb work together in the way that if the bulb is turned on by one switch, it can be turned off by the same one or by the "other" one.

Which type of switches do I need to replace A and B?

The reason I am wanting to replace them is primarily cosmetic. They are working fine as-is but have become very discolored, full of paint etc over time, and I have a range of 'nicer' ones in mind as part of an overall redecoration.

NB: The wiring is such that they are only earthed to the 'box' that the switch is in, not to the earth circuit, so I know I can only have plastic-type and not the nice metal ones :)


texts:
I have hardwood floors in a rental unit and I'd like to turn a portion of one room into a 'workspace'. But I'd also like to protect the floors from minor spills, tools falling, etc.

I know that some latex-based rug mats can eventually stain hardwood floors, but what about cork? I also know cork is commonly used under the floors, however in this situation I'm considering laying cork out on top of the floors ... has anyone done this in the past? Yea/Nay?


texts:
We are replacing some older outlets in our home with newer, more modern outlets. In one room, we found that two of the old outlets have two hots: a black and a red wire. The tab has been removed on the hot side to make these "split-tab" outlets.

I'm used to seeing this configuration to make a "half-hot" outlet, where one half is switched with a light switch, etc. But in this case we can't find a switch that controls the red wire.

The red hot wire loses current when we cut power to the breaker that the black wire is on, so I believe this means they are on the same breaker. However opening the breaker box is a bit beyond my comfort zone.

What else would an hot red wire be for in a split-tab outlet? If we're not using any switch for these outlets, should we just cap the red hot wire off, or should we replace with the same configuration even though we can't verify the source of the red wire?

This is 120v, in the USA.


texts: What could this red switch be for possibly

texts:
I have a panel of switches where two are normal light switches and the other, third, is a strange looking red push switch:

The red switch is a button that you can press in, and it pops right out when let go. It has Hubbell logon on the inside, but no part number or anything else identifiable. Searching the web, Hubbell PresSwitch seems to look similar - but description of said item indicates that it lights up, which this one doesn't. This one also doesn't seem to do anything I can observe.

Wiring wise, it is side wired with hot and neutral wires. This box has four romex cables going into it. Three are connected to the 2 normal light switches (2-pole). The fourth romex cable is connected to the red button via black and white wires. Now: white wire is connected directly to the red switch. The black wire is pig-tailed in with the red switch and one of the other black wires from another cable.

If this helps figure it out, this panel is right by the front door (switches illuminate outside lights and inside hallway light). Any ideas? I am scratching my head.

Thanks.


texts: Why do I have multiple connections on a single common connection?

texts:
I'm in the process of trying to add a smart relays to my light switches across the house.
In most cases I've managed fine and I understand how the circuit works, to me that is critical before I make any changes.

In one case, the bathroom, i'm struggling to understand what's going on.
I've attached a picture of the existing setup below. The main question I have is why are there 2 connections out of common so I can understand what impact adding to this circuit will have.

For reference, the left hand side currently controls 3 downlights. The right hand side controls an extractor fan within the bathroom (which can stay powered on after the switch is turned off if the humidity is high).
The extractor fan also has an isolating switch separate from this double gang switch, could this be something to do with it?

Right hand side is the standard neutral block. Colours are accurate for UK wiring.


texts: How do I remove musty smell in coat closet?

texts:
Recently moved into an older house (1950s built) and noticed that the coat closet has a musty smell.

The coat closet is next to the front door and has one wall that is an exterior wall. It has Tavertine flooring (as does the entry way), plaster walls, and a cheap wood baseboard.

In one of the corners of the closet walls that is on the exterior wall of the house I noticed a gap about a half inch long by a quarter inch wide that went down to the subfloor (I imagine). On the same wall on exterior of the house I noticed that there was a small gap between the cement and the paneling on the outside of the house.

My thought is that when we had pretty heavy rains a few weeks ago that water may have seeped into the subfloor beneath the tile and mildew/mold started to grow. I liberally applied caulk to close the gaps - both in the interior of the coat closet and along the exterior of the house - and have been running a HEPA air filter inside the closet with the door closed for the last 36 hours. However, the musty smell remains.

What is my next step? Should I give the HEPA air filter more time? Do I need a different filter to remove the smell? I presume that if I have eliminated the water source (which remains to be seen) that the mildew/mold causing the smell will die off, will not return, and the musty smell will go with it. Is that understanding correct?


texts: removing a circuit from a circuit breaker

texts: I have one circuit breaker connected to three different items, a garage door opener, a water conditioner, and an alarm system. As I am not using the alarm system I want to remove it from the circuit breaker. How is this done/


texts:
I uncovered a metal junction box that was behind a wall (I'll fix this, I know it should be accessible). I looked inside and found the following: a 20-amp circuit (12 ga wire) and a separate 15-amp circuit (14 ga wire). It all looked good at first; however, then I noticed that the ground wire from the 15 amp was connected to the ground wire for the 20 amp. The circuits are not otherwise shared (hot and neutral of each circuit are separated). I think the person did this because the 15 amp circuit coming from the breaker uses a flexible metal tube with 2 wires with fabric coating inside (the house was built in 1940 or so), and the circuit was "extended" using 14-2 w/ ground to include some other receptacles and lights. Technically the metal tube would be clamped to the box and the ground wire for the 15-amp circuit attached to the box with a green screw. Should I fix this or is it ok to have the two circuits share a ground? I did a lot of searching and it looks like they can share as long as the larger gauge can handle 70% of the smaller, which it can (70% of 15 is 10.5). I asked a friend who is an electrician and he said it was ok; however I want a 2nd opinion. Thanks.

Edit: this is different from another, yet similar, question because this involves two different amp circuits, and this one involves BX cable.

Edit again: Thanks for the answers. Running a new ground from the box to the bus is an unrealistic option. Regarding another comment: The 12-ga ground wire isn't connected to the BX except for incidental contact with the box.

Since there's room, should I separate the two in separate boxes?  I would ground the 14-2 to the metal box and be sure the BX is clamped good and tight.

Picture description: lower right 12-2 connects with yellow 12-2. Armored comes from bottom and connects with the two 14-2 coming out the top. (I traced the armored to the box, so it is grounded the best that stuff can be; built in 1940.) Ground wires (grounding conductor) for both are twisted together. There was a green screw in there, showing evidence that at some point the possibility that the grounds for the 14-2s were connected to the box.


texts: LoBase layer of paint resists chemical stripping

texts:
I fell in love with this vintage door at a local antique shop (100% solid wood, including the panels) and decided to use it for my bathroom. As it is easily 100 years old, it had many layers of paint. I was successful stripping most of it chemically using KleanStrip stripper, except for the base layer. The subsequent layers would turn yellowish after 10-15 min, then wrinkle up and I was able to scrape them off or maybe use wire pad or scotch brite. There were at least tree paint overs as I had applied about half a dozen coats of the stripper.
The last layer resists and does not turn yellow or wrinkle. It almost feels like it is not paint but maybe some kind of epoxy. There are a few patches where it does come off after arduous scraping.
I was wondering if there is a chemical stripping product that is stronger than KleenStrip that I got at Home Depot. Or another method. The door is so beautiful (this picture does not do it justice) that I want to stain and poly it. For example, many years ago, I used PeelAway but that is more high maintenance as you need to apply paper over the chemical and then apply neutralizer. Maybe acetone?


texts: Is it possible to reduce internal window reflection?

texts: At night, my windows reflect the room and obscure the outside view. Is there a way to reduce the reflectiveness of the windows?