texts: 10/3 Aluminum 20A with multiple electrical circuits? What is correct wiring?

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I have a house built in 1971 (EQ Load Center - 200 amp service panel) that is all aluminum wiring and I remodeling the kitchen. The existing wiring is technically working but questionable. We have lived in it for 2 years without issues. I have had a couple of electricians over and they said it works, don't touch it if you don't have to but I suspect they are not looking too hard.

I am remodeling and upgrading room by room. My goal is to pigtail all the aluminum to copper with nolox so I can use newer style receptacles and switches. I need and want to replace any aluminum wires with copper when I can from the home run of aluminum.

During my kitchen remodel I found that I have 2 - 10/3 aluminum wires that are split on 2 different circuits. My main panel has a few tandem breakers. In this case I have one 10/3 wire that the red / hot is for circuit #6A - [20amp tandem breaker - (Dishwasher and Garbage Disposal], and the black / hot is for circuit #4 - [20 amp single breaker (Kitchen Receptacles)].

My second line is similar (10/3 aluminum split out to 2 different tandem breakers) #5A - [20amp tandem breaker - (Kitchen receptacles)] #6B - [20amp tandem breaker - (Office receptacles)]

With this information what is the correct way to take the 10/3 aluminum and create 2 different circuits still? Please review the diagram as I posted what I think is the correct approach. Thanks for taking the time to make comments / answers. I really don't want to run new wiring as this house has been using this wiring for so long there must be a correct / safe way to do this.

UPDATE

After finding that I have 3 - MWBC that are most likely not up to code and needing more circuits I will be working with my electrical contractor to put in an 80A subpanel so I can use the MWBC for dedicated circuits only and bring my kitchen even remotely close to code. Thanks for everyone's help!

This link was very beneficial: https://www.twielectric.com/safety-and-energy-saving-tips/national-electrical-code-multiwire-branch-circuit/

The short answer is: as long as they are on different phases it is fine!


texts: What is my power company referring to as the "electrical stack on pole"?

texts: My electric company came out and took my meter. I called them today and asked why. They told me I needed to replace a wire on the stack at the pole. I asked them "what is a stack?", and the lady couldn't provide me an answer or transfer me to someone that could tell me so what is a stack on a pole where the meter is?


texts: hi so i brought a old house and some of the rooms have 2 prong outlet with only hot/neutral wire and i changed the 2 prong outlet to a gfci 3 prong outlet but it doesnt have a ground. My question is can i pigtail the ground to a existing 3 prong outlet that have a ground wire to it.


texts: How to fix joist hangers where joist is not fully on seat of hanger

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This is an old house and pictures show the framing and joists around a stairway opening.

Compared to the “before” picture, you can see that the wood was removed from both sides of the double header.  The ledger shown in picture #1 (before) was removed.  Joist hangers were installed (pictures #2 and #3). However, the joists do not fully sit on the seat of the hangers. I believe the industry term is “not fully bearing” on the hanger seats.

Will this result in sagging floors or a structural failure? How should the contractor/framer fix this?

Edits 7/16/18:
1. Added “ledger” and “double header” (both are perpendicular to main joists) into the description of the problem.
2. Yes, there is a knot with a crack in the 3rd picture. What to do about it?
3. Would you suggest removing the new joist hangers and putting the ledger back in place (as it was in the first picture)?


texts: What is the side load bearing capacity of wood screws?

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I'm trying to figure out the viability of a project to suspend bicycles from the garage ceiling. What I don't know, however, is how much to worry about the bearing capacity of wood screws to hold a pulley, fairlead, or other device to guide the rope down the wall. An example is something like http://www.ronstan.com/marine/product.asp?ProdNo=RF188 or http://www.landfallnavigation.com/har472.html, which I assume I can mount with a hanger bolt of some sort.

Anyway -- let's each bike maxes out at about 30 pounds, which will be a little higher while hoisting. What's the best way to attach something like the pulleys to a stud or rafter? My worry is that this is the worst kind of loading scenario -- basically perpendicular to the stud. I can't find any info online about what I can expect from standard screws in framing lumber, though. Would it be necessary to knock out a bit of drywall and attach this kind of stuff to a smallish (maybe 4" wide) panel of plywood? That way I could spread the load across more fasteners in the framing.

If this is a better fit for another SE site, let me know. Engineering seems a lot more exotic than this kind of question...


texts: chipmunks burrowing under above ground pool

texts: Chipmunks have burrowed under above ground pool causing liner to indent over their burrow.  How do I stop further erosion under liner?


texts: Something about my hot water won't let the conditioner rinse out of my hair--why?

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This is a repost of a related question, but I have changed the question.  I noticed in late February that even immediately after washing my hair, it felt and looked greasy and that my bath water felt as though it had a bit of bath oil in it. The town water department thought that it might have to do with my water heater.
Before I got around to having it flushed, I noticed that it was leaking from the bottom. I had it replaced on March 17, but the problem persists.
The town tested my water on March 30. The following day they told me that all was normal, except that the hot water was a few points higher in Ph level. The cold water is 7.80, while the hot is 9.96.
The result of the test are below.
I don't know if the higher pH level, iron, manganese or alkalinity has something to do with not being able to rinse the conditioner out, and I am left with an oily residue.  If I just shampoo, I don't have the problem. Likewise, if I rinse with cold water only, I don't have the problem.
My house was built in 1947 and has copper pipes.  The service lines from the street are cast iron and at least 70 years old.  I don't see any sheen or film on the water, but I do feel it--only with the hot water.  I don't notice any odor.
Thanks!


texts: Moved to a home with a surround sound system, how do I set it up?

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We recently moved to a home with a surround sound system, but we have absolutely no idea how to hook them up to our TV.

There are two front speakers. Their make/model are Yamaha NS-A636. Photos below:

There are also two back speakers. Their make/model are KLH 403A.

And then they left a panel in the middle of the room that looks like this:

There is no other equipment in the room.

How would I go about hooking this up to my TV? I have a LG OLED55B6P. Do I need to purchase any equipment? How would I hook up the equipment to the panel without knowing which connector goes to which speaker? Also, how do I ensure these are powered correctly?

One of the hookups (to the right front Yamaha speaker) also looks like it was cut. Is there a good way to figure out which connector goes to which wire in the speaker? I feel fairly comfortable with my soldering skills.


texts: How to install wood laminate flooring against existing hardwood transition in doorway?

texts: We are getting ready to sell our home and are planning to replace carpet in three bedrooms with laminate wood flooring.  We have hardwood in the rest of the hallways, kitchen, dining, etc.  In each of the hallways by the bedrooms there is an existing transition molding.  How do I install the laminate so there is not a gap between the transition molding but still leave the required expansion gap? I don't think I can remove the existing transition molding without damaging it.


texts: Converting 10 gauge 4 wire to 10 gauge 3 wire supply

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I am connecting a double oven that has a 10 gauge 4 wire cable coming out of back to a 10 gauge 3 wire cable that runs to the main panel.

How should I accomplish this?


texts:
I've got a nasty crack in my kids' slide ( see image ).

I think the slide is plastic and I'm sure the crack will only grow if used.

Is there a way to repair this?


texts: 20 amp circuit breaker for sylvania sb10(20-20)c panel

texts: I have an old Sylvania breaker panel. There is one slot left and I'd like to run a 20 Amp circuit for a few outlets. I don't know which breaker fits the panel. Can you suggest ? Thanks in advance.


texts: Mortar recommendation for repointing this older stone chimney

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Which type of mortar or product would you think most appropriate for doing some repointing on this chimney?

I've been reading about using mortar that is too hard for the stones. I'm worried I will pick the wrong product. Ideas? Much appreciated.

More images here:
https://imgur.com/a/Ym6NLO5


texts: My Ducane furnace flashes 4 times, runs for 5 minutes, and then the burner goes off.  When the limit switch is jumped it runs good. What needs to be changed here?


texts:
We have poorly fitting pedestal sink in powder room, because the pedestal has hole in bottom that doesn’t line up with pipes coming through floor. Is there a way to cut away the bottom porcelain hole to make an entirely open horseshoe at bottom? This would allow a little play for pipes.
Thank you.


texts:
How can I scribe this very curved sink? I want to fill the gap. Bought the cabinet as you see it. I can remove the small 3/4' thick rectangular piece (it is pocket screwed in). The ultimate goal it to close that gap to maker t look like the sink is built in to the cabinet.

I want it to look like this:


texts: Where to start repairing furnace that clicks when running?

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My furnace makes a clicking sound when the heat is on. The heat works well though, and If I turn only the fan on there is no clicking.

When the heat turns on, the clicking starts out slower and after about a minute it gets much faster and louder.

I have pinpointed the sound to this part:

I’m not sure if it’s the small black wheel or the part it spins further back. What is this part called? I would like to at least have some idea what the cost of the part is before calling anyone


texts: How to unscrew this uncommon type of screw?

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The staircase light next to my flat broke down and I would like to fix it. The ceiling lamp is pictured below:

I have a problem with unscrewing the screw. The screw is of rather peculiar shape with a little bit of space on the side and a full middle, reverse to a normal screw. I attempt to show this in the picture below:

I tried to budge it from left and right with a small screw driver but it doesn't work. I would be very grateful for any advice on how to unscrew this things. If someone could kindly point me to a tool / special screwdriver that I could cheaply buy on eBay to move this thing it would be amazing :)


texts: Check Valve Or A Flapper Valve For My Sewer Drain

texts: I live in a trailer, so my sewer line is above ground, with the clean-out plug between 12" & 18" above ground. During the cold winter in arkansas the toilet paper tends not to flow. Each trailer , there are 12 in line with my trailer being #10. We all tie into the same drain line. When the line get clogs at trailer 11 and/or 12 the back-up from trailers 1 thru 10 tends to fill my bath tub & over flows my toilet. My question is.. Is there some sort of check valve or a flapper system i can install that will prevent the this from happening and still operate properly when the main line is flowing/draining correctly? Thanks to all who respond with any advise.


texts: Son accidentally painted my new cedar shake! How do I remove it?

texts: I just spent two days prepping my natural cedar shake for the beautiful stain I purchased today only to come home and find that my son had PAINTED IT!  What can I do to remove the blue Pittsburg top of the line paint that is currently drying on my beautiful shake that I intended to stain today?


texts: Heat shielding paper under radiator cover?

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What am I looking at here with this paper-ish material on the underside of all my radiator covers? They are pretty old covers, but I don't believe they are as old as the house (1923).

Is this... dare I say ... asbestos?!

Also, if it is, is there a newer product for this application? (my initial googling didnt come up with much but automative radiator wraps)


texts: How to disable led light inside my rocker light switch

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Ive been looking for an answer to my question and this is the first discussion that I was allowed to even join.

I have a recessed lighting that operates with 3 switches. 2 of them turn the lights on and off and when the third one is off then the other 2 can't do anything. All of this is fine with me.

However one of the switches is illuminated in the off position which makes perfect sense. But when the lights are off my flourescent lights flicker. I understand why all of this happens.

My only question is can I disable the little light in the switch itself, and if so, how do I do it?

Thanks in advance.


texts: How can I stop a barbed coupler from leaking?

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This seems to be a common issue (drip line barbed couplers leaking) and I can't find any answers about this online. I'm wondering how others have fixed leaks in the fittings that are supposed to just work by popping them into the polyurethane tubing.

It's a pretty basic setup, but I'll describe how it's laid out in my particular case:

I'm installing a simple drip irrigation system for our garden using Rain Bird products. The 1/2" poly line runs from our outdoor spigot about 30' then is terminated at the end by folding it over clamping it at the end with a zip tie.

Near the end of that main line (maybe 8' from the end) a barbed coupler is inserted, with the other end going into about 10' of 1/8" soaker hose that is terminated by a goof plug.

The hole where the barbed coupler fits into the poly tube is leaking (and by leaking I mean spraying water about 12-16" into the air). It isn't positioned at a weird angle, the hole isn't too big, and I did push in the coupler all the way until it "snapped" into place. The coupler sits perpendicularly to the tubing. I've done this before, with some tiny leaks (just some drips), but never such a big leak. I've tried adjusting the position by pulling on the tube or tilting it at various angles, but the water just leaks out of different places.

Could it be because it's the only line coming off the main poly tube? I'm planning on adding several more soaker lines to hit the rest of our garden areas, which will no doubt distribute some of the pressure.

Does anybody have any tricks to sealing barbed coupler fittings so they don't leak?

The barbed coupler I'm talking about looks like this (am I using the wrong part?):


texts: Plumbing - Particles / Debris In Faucets and Toilets - Water Softener Going Bad?

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I had a hot water heater replaced in my house.  Shortly thereafter, I noticed that the water flow in one of my faucets near the heater was very low.  I wasn't sure, what to make of it, so I had the plumber check it out.

He took off the screen and there was a lot of fine grained debris - roughly the consistency of very fine sand.  It was varying between a dark brown and a red/orange brown.  The plumber said it is the resin in my water softener and that I need to replace the softener.  He didn't seem to understand why it happens - he said they just go bad.  He told me it would eventually clog my pipes and they would have to be blown out to clear them.I thought it was odd that this happened starting when he replaced the water heater.

I would like to confirm his assessment and understand why this is happening.  The water softener is a cabinet style.  The previous owners were a couple that had been living alone in their house for years after their children moved out.  I have 7 members in my family, so I'm wondering if the regeneration cycle has something to do with it.

On a side note, we have also noticed a strong salty taste in the water from time to time.

I would greatly appreciate any insight into this.  I can post pictures of anything if necessary.  Thanks!


texts:
The top of this pipe is gouged where it needs to seal with the new shower base.
I need to trim off a few inches from this pipe so I can glue on a clean piece. the hole is 10" square. The pipe diameter is 2 3/8".
What's the best tool I can use that will fit in the hole.

Follow up, I ended up using the dremel with a diamond disk. I used a hose clamp on the pipe to keep the cut straight. Lot of great suggestions but this tool I had so no need to run out to the store.


texts: Recently a home inspector flagged the panel box in a boathouse for having a ground wire attached to the neutral bus bar. The ground came from a jet ski lift attached to the boathouse. This 10 yr old house was in sale process so it had been that way for 10 yrs. I moved the wire to the ground bar. Is that ok?


texts: How can I fix this crack in my porch foundation?

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We have an outdoor porch that is sitting on a slab (i believe). The one side of it has a pretty substantial crack and I'm wondering the best way to fix. Should i just get some masonry caulk and a backer rod, or should i get some mixture? I believe that they are just concrete bricks that are settling apart and/or water water hydraulicing. At it's largest the crack is about an 1/2 inch in height. The depth seems almost infinite at some points but is at least 2 inches. Here are some pictures for reference.

Advice, pertinent articles, or best googling terms greatly appreciated.


texts: What good storage rack or furniture are there? What considerations should I have to build one?

texts:
I'm thinking of buying a new furniture for my consoles. I've got a NES, Super Nes, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and probably a Wii in the future. I'm thinking of maybe having a carpenter make a custom furniture for my "entertainment center": consoles and TV.

The furniture should have space for a 24' or 32' TV, the consoles (in a comfortable manner so that I can play any of them without having them archived) and cartridge storage. Do you know of any such furnitures available?

What good storage racks do you know? What considerations should I have to build such a furniture?


texts: Im a renter that recently noticed walls really bending zhould i be worried

texts: Ive been renting an older house for about 3yrs now and the past 7 months or so I  started noticing the walls didnt look even anymore they looked like they were curving. Then in spring I came downstairs to a bunch of flying termites, I told my landlord but he said not to worry  and if I saw more this spring to let him know but I feel like they're getting worse and worse, even the baseboard doesn't look the same, it's like its disattatching, I'm a single mom with 2 kids on low income should I be worried or am I over reacting?


texts: How can I replace the outlets when the boxes are too small?

texts: I need to replace the outlets in my 54 y/o home but the junction boxes are too small to accommodate the new outlets. Is there a way to replace the junction boxes without having to cut a new hole?


texts: Why would a light fixture be incompatible with dimmer switches?

texts:
I'm considering buying the Aero Pure AP80-RVL, which is a recessed bathroom light/exhaust fan combo. It's important to me to be able to use a dimmer switch for the light, but the installation instructions for this unit specifically say not to use one.

  Use an on/off switch to operate this fan. See “Connect Wiring” for details.
  The humidity control and fan can be operated separately. Can be used with a dual “stacked” switch for fan / light control. Do not use
  a dimmer switch to operate the humidity control or light.

I checked the "Connect Wiring" section for further detail, as mentioned in the quote above, but there is no further information about dimmer switches. Doing a text search on the rest of the installation manual yields no further references to dimmer switches either.

I understand why you can't install a dimmer switch for the fan/humidity control, but for light fixtures I always assumed it was just the bulb and whether or not the dimmer switch was compatible with the bulb (in the case of an LED bulb) that determined if you could install a dimmer switch. This leads me to the following two questions:

Why would a light fixture itself not be compatible with a dimmer switch or why would a manufacturer say not to use a dimmer?
Would I run any risks such as damaging the unit, causing a fire, etc. if I went against the installation instructions and put a dimmer on the light anyway?


texts: What is the proper procedure for replacing rusted toilet anchor bolts?

texts:
I have a 1.6 gallon American Standard toilet that rocks a little from side to side.  Upon closer examination, it looks like at least 1 (or both) of the anchor bolts are loose (they had corroded material under them and I can turn the bolt (not just the nut) so I'm convinced something is corroded.

I'd like to replace the bolts but I'm concerned that this is going to be opening a proverbial can of worms so I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into.

Specifically, I have two questions:

Where do these bolts attach to at the bottom? To the flange itself? Or directly to the subflooring?
What's the proper way to replace anchor bolts?


texts: Can I install tiles directly over a concrete floor in my basement?

texts: We are redoing our basement.  In some areas (bathroom and laundry room) I plan on putting tile down.  The basement is dry and level.   Can I attach the tile directly to the basement floor?


texts:
I'm thinking about buying a condo which has cracks on the ceiling and wall in several rooms. The condo is located on the 4th floor in a 7 stories apartment building in New Jersey.  It's steel and concrete. I'm worried that these cracks might be caused by water leaking or structural problems. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Horizontal Crack along the junction between Ceiling and Wall

This is a corner unit. The two walls shown in the photo are supporting walls.  They are the inside parts of the exterior walls of the building.  Could the cracks be caused by pipe leaking above the ceiling?  Could they be caused by water from outside leaking through the exterior walls?

If the cracks are caused by water leaking through the exterior walls, how do I fix it?  How big is the project?

Crack on Ceiling in Bathrooms

I'm pretty sure that the crack in the first photo is due to previous leaking from the unit above.  How about the crack in the second photo?

Crack along the junction between ceiling and wall and runs down on the wall

This is one of the walls in living room. This is probably not a supporting wall. Behind this wall is the kitchen.   What might be causing this type of crack?


texts: Ceiling light fixture has no ground wire, and wires are of same color

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I got a ceiling fixture which has no ground wire and has the same color wires for live and neutral.
It didn't have a proper mounting bracket, so I got one from a store it has a ground screw in it.
Is there any way I can install it?
The light fixture looks so good that I don't want to return it.
Suggestions really appreciated.
Thanks in advance


texts: Using a 16A energy monitor in a 10A socket

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I'm in Australia (220-240 / 50-60Hz) and wanting to monitor some appliances energy usage. The sockets here are 10Amp standard.

Am I going to run into dire trouble if I use a 16A monitoring device between the 10A Wall socket and the devices (10Amp and under) that I plug into the monitoring device?

The concern is because the monitoring device specs say it's Max output current is 16A.


texts: How to make a house that tolerates condensation

texts:
Where I live, it's humid outside all fall, winter, and spring, and hovers around 45 deg F. Combined with indoor cooking, showering, etc., we always get a lot condensation on our windows. Rot & mildew love it here.

What can we do in the design & construction of a house to make it so this humidity, and the resulting condensation, don't cause rot & mildew around the windows or elsewhere?

(I know I can vent kitchen & in the bathroom, and I can install a dehumidifier. That's not this question.)


texts:
There is a circuit breaker in every home, which trips the switch if there is a fault somewhere in a circuit.
And there is a GFCI outlet/switch which also trips if there is a fault downstream.
If circuit breaker is there, then why do we need GFCI ? May be dumb question but I am dumb when it comes to electricity.


texts: What makes water condense on the interior of the windows at night when it's cold?

texts:
While staying with some relatives, I noticed that all their windows experience terrible interior condensation at night and am wondering about what they can do to prevent it.

The house is kept to 70 degrees with gas-powered hot water baseboard heaters, and the windows are vinyl double-paned units. The house is 2x4 frame construction with interior drywall, exterior stucco, and I'm being told that the walls are uninsulated(!!!).

They live in a colder part of the high desert southwest where the humidity is very low during the day but rises at night, and where the temperature gets down into the single digits at night during the winter. During this season, the interior of their windows become entirely covered with condensation at around 8 or 9 PM every night without fail. It's kinda weird. What's causing this, and what can they do about it?


texts: I've noticed a roaring sound at times after starting my gas fireplace. I assume it's gas flow making the noise. It does seem to quiet some after burning a few minutes. Could this be a regulator issue?


texts:
The door to my house is about 150 years old, and I just had it stripped to get rid of a dozen layers of paint.  My original plans were to prime and paint the door, but it is so beautiful I wonder if it might look good stained?

Below I've got a full size picture and two close ups.  There are holes, scratches, discolorations, cracks etc.  I suppose this is somewhat of a subjective question, but do you think staining the door would accentuate the imperfections or reduce them?

Any tips for doing a good paint or stain job on the door?


texts: ok to use led ceiling fan bulb in table lamp?

texts: Just want to be sure it is safe to use a 25w LED bulb marked as ceiling fan in a regular table lamp.


texts: Heating home by blowing hot air in to desired areas

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I am looking in to upgrading the heating system in my house, and I am surprised that I can hardly find any systems that heat up the house by blowing hot air in to the desired areas, as is standard for office building etc. I prefer this system because I also have a wood burning stove and would like to install a ventilation system anyway so I can distribute the heat through the house and make better use if it. A ventilator and some piping seem like a low cost way of improving the heating in the house.
I would like to use a heat pump for warming the air and I can only find two types of systems:

Air to water systems. These warm up water and the water then needs to be pumped through a piping system in the floor or through a piping system with radiators. I don't want to replace all the floors in the house and I don't want ugly pipes and expensive radiators in the whole house.
Air to air systems. These warm up air, which is what I want, but they all work through big "indoor units" that need to be placed in every room where heating is required.

What I would like is one big "indoor unit" on the attic, and a piping system with valves that distributes the warm air to where it is needed. That way I can keep my floors and don't need to install any pipes or radiators in my living area. Do systems like this exist for a reasonable price, and if not, why?
Edit to provide additional information:
I live in Denmark and centrally heated forced air is nearly nonexistant here. The electricity price here is about 2.5 Danish Krone (0.37 USD about 3 times US price). About 70% of this amount are taxes. I am close to buying a house which has the following heating system. 1 times 4KW heat pump with 2 indoor units, one in the living room and one in the entrance on the other side of the house. Electric heaters in every room and a wood-burning stove in the living room. It has an electric heater for hot water. I see the following problems with this system:

Heating hot water will be very expensive.
The bedrooms are only heated with electric heaters if the door is closed, which is expensive.
If it gets very cold the efficiency of the heat pump will go down and electric heaters need to be used to keep the house warm
The warmth of the wood-burning stove does not reach far enough to heat the rest of the house

I am considering to buy an additional heat pump and a ventilation system to fix most of these issues. The additional heat pump should provide hot water, but I believe it can also provide extra heating with little additional cost. The ventilation system can spread the heat of the stove to the rest of the house. It would be very nice if I could also use the ventilation system to distribute heat from the additional heat pump through the house, because I would like to avoid placing pipes and radiators or additional indoor units in the whole house.


texts: Help with fairly basic irrigation system

texts:
I’m having my backyard dug up and regraded next week in order to install sod and so I figured I’d try and take a stab at designing and maybe installing an irrigation system as the area is not very large. I know there’s a lot here, but any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Here’s what I’ve gathered so far:

I’m in the Massachusetts so I will need to take this into account in terms of winterizing the system. There is generally good drainage and it is mostly sandy although with some areas of clay. We will also have a layer of top soil put in with the sod.

The supply line is 1 1/4” galvanized.

I’m not sure on the water meter size, but I think it’s 5/8” per the below image. I’d call my local water and sewer department, but they have been closed since March due to COVID.

My flow rate is a bit difficult to measure because the spigot is really close to the ground. I tried through a 50 foot 5/8” hose into a 6 gallon container and that took almost exactly 1 minute. Measuring with a 1 gallon bottle direct I got about 7-8 GPM, but it’s difficult to measure with that small of a container.

My pressure seems to come in fairly consistently at about 84 PSI, but my vacuum breaker is slightly leaking. Measuring from another spigot I was getting 90-96 PSI (although it’s much closer to the supply line, but they both stem off from the same line which is a 1/2” pipe, that comes directly out of the water meter, into a 3/8” pipe). I know this is high - I’ll come back to this in my questions at the end.

I believe modern frost free spigots like this should also have backflow prevention so I don’t think I need to install anything additional for that (provided I fix the vacuum breaker or washer or whatever it ends up being)?

I used the Orbitz online design tool to build a layout of my property. I’m not particularly tied to using Orbitz products and am certainly open to suggestions, but I appreciate the ease of use of this tool and them telling me pretty much exactly what to buy.

Here is the layout I’m working with

The red triangle is where the water connection is. There is also an outdoor plug right there. The deeper green area on the right side is hedge where there are mostly hydrangeas. The property will be graded such that the top of the picture will be the lowest point. The property is surrounded by a 5’ fence, trees, the house and a garage so wind is not a significant concern.

For this plan the Orbitz service only allowed me to enter a max supply line size of 1” and PSI of 75. I conservatively went with 7 GPM for flow rate.

Here is the resulting suggestion (I didn’t add a manifold - see questions below)

Questions:

Do I need a pressure regulator? Is there something I can install in-line without requiring plumbing work and also that does not affect my GPM?
Do I need auto-drain valves? I’m guessing these would be installed where the two sprinklers at the top of the plan image are? Maybe it’s just easier to blow out the system with an air compressor before each winter?
How deep should I be burying the system? Is there a trick to making sure it gradually slopes down?
Is there an easy way to tap into the system to also water a couple of potted plants?
Do I need a manifold and do I need the suggested controller? If so it seems like this project gets a bit more complex. I’ve done plenty of electrical work inside my house, but nothing outdoors beyond nest doorbells). I’m guessing I can ditch the controller and go with a more basic water timer like the Netro Pixie. Or maybe it’s not so bad considering I have an easily accessible outdoor outlet? What would I use to connect the spigot to the manifold? Alternatively are there any plug-in smart manifolds with more than one zone that just attach directly to the spigot?
Do I need to install anything additional for backflow prevention?
Anything else I should know or consider?


texts:
I'm going to be moving into a new house that has a finished garage with a high ceiling.  I want to build a loft in the garage for storage.  There are plenty of online span calculators that should help me figure out the joist dimensions and spacing, but I'm not sure how to support the whole thing.
I'd like to avoid opening the walls, unless there's a big benefit to doing that.  The loft will be in the center of the garage, touching two walls on opposite sides (17.5 feet apart).  I'm thinking of using 4x4 posts along the walls to support ledger boards, with no posts in the middle of the garage.
I don't know how many posts to use, what size ledger boards to use, or the size and type of fasteners to use.  Is there an easy way to calculate all that?
What resources can you suggest that would help me learn how to design the loft correctly?  Are there any free or inexpensive design tools I could use to draw up plans for getting a permit?


texts: Disable the LG washer/dryer melody at end of the cycle?

texts:
Title is the question, the loud melody is obnoxious. This is a last ditch effort, the manual doesn't provide any information, surprisingly this fairly comprehensive machine doesn't seem to be designed to disable a sound? Is there a cord to cut or sequence of steps to silence the sound?

Model: LG WM3997HWA Ventless 4.3 Cu. Ft. Capacity Steam Washer/Dryer Combination with TurboWash, TrueBalance Anti-Vibration System, NeveRust Stainless Steel Drum, Allergiene Cycle in White


texts: My dog locked herself in the bathroom while I was gone & tore up a gap in the vinyl on the floor. This is a rental so I want to repair it if possible. Any tips? I have the ripped pieces in tact.


texts: Is this washing machine drain hose too long/ installed wrong?

texts:
Yellow is the current setup

Should the hose be shortened/rerouted? I'm thinking it would have a hard time draining properly, and I believe my washing machine has issues rinsing. Could this be the cause?
I was thinking of changing it to closer match the original drain hose in the diagram.


texts: Is this what a leaking toilet looks like?

texts:
The last couple of weeks I have noticed a stale urine smell in my washroom. I scrubbed the washroom top-to-bottom, but the smell persists :(

Today I noticed that the grout at the "corners" of my toilet appears to be a little damp (photos below). Could this indicate a leak with the wax seal, and be the cause of odor?

If so, I guess the solution is replacing the wax seal, drying out the area underneath, and (depending on damage) replacing drywall ceiling underneath (it's a second floor washroom)?


texts: Corroded wiring casing in basement - cause?

texts:
I just had our annual furnace tune-up and the guy who performed the inspection gave us a B tag violation because the electrical supply wire to our gas furnace is corroded and copper wiring is exposed.  I am going to contact the company who installed it to look at fixing ASAP but the technician who found the issue said he has never seen it before and can't say what caused it.
The furnace is located in our basement near the foundation wall, and being an older house, there is some dampness/potential leaking happening (will have to wait for our first spring before we know the full extent) so my first guess would have been water damage, but could it have damaged the wiring this badly? And what is that white crusty stuff?
Furnace installed and all the electrical was redone in 2017 when previous owner flipped the house.
I am just wondering if anyone has seen something like this before and can confirm the cause, and if it's something I should be worried about reoccurring after the wire is replaced.


texts: Piece of brass in air compressor tank -- problem or no?

texts:
I recently inherited my first air compressor, which had a broken brass drainage valve. While attempting to remove it, I further broke the valve and lost a piece inside the compressor tank. I've tried tipping the tank around to roll the piece into the drainage hole, without success so far.

After initially giving up, I put a new valve on and ran the compressor up to ~50psi.

Is there any risk of running the compressor as is, with a loose piece of brass knocking around the tank? If not, what can I do to retrieve it?


texts:
I'd liked to get some insights into how others interpret the code regarding AFCI and the NEC 2015 code.

Here's a hypothetical:

Arc fault protection is omitted for outlets outdoors, garages and crawl spaces. Granted these have to be GFCI protected.

Now say I add some outlets outdoors and I have a switch in the master bedroom to control the outlets.  Even though all the outlets but one are outdoors because the switch is technically an outlet, this would require arc fault protection in addition to GFCI protection.

Code complaint?


texts: Mineral spirits not drying on unfinished hardwood floor (12 hours later)

texts:
I'm looking for suggestions on how to dry down or remove excess mineral spirits from our unfinished hardwood floor.

We installed new, unfinished hardwood flooring (yellow birch), sanded it and then wiped it down with mineral spirits. I think the mineral spirits were poured directly on the floor because now, 12 hours later, there are still areas that don't look completely dry. We're planning to use Zar Ultra Max Waterborne Oil Modified Poly to finish the floors. I tried wiping them down with a clean cloth but that didn't do much. Would sanding those areas lightly do the trick?


texts: How can I tell how my hardwood floor is attached to my joists below, if there is no subfloor and no visible nails?

texts:
I need to replace a small non-load bearing joist under my hardwood floor (accessed via my basement ceiling) and I wanted to know before I try to remove it if it's glued or nailed on to my hardwood floor.
I don't see any nails from the top looking at the floor boards, and I don't see any clips from the bottom.
What's the normal way of installing hardwood floors directly on top of joists without a subfloor.  Should I be expecting some glue on the joist that I have to pry off or will it probably just be resting on the joist?


texts:
We are purchasing a place and one of the things we are looking at doing is replacing the carpet downstairs with something more wood like. I say wood like because of pets and the damage they can do to hardwood floors. We had been considering laminate floors but I've been reading about bamboo and how it can be highly durable too.

So would a bamboo floor with a high Janka rating hold up well to pets or should we stick with laminate flooring?

Thanks


texts: Should I use glue or o-ring joints on a buried PVC waste pipe?

texts:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of both systems of joints for "non-pressure" pipes that are buried?

O-ring joints are more expensive, but easier to do on buried pipes.

Glue on the other hand is permanent (that is a plus and a minus at once).

What else?


texts: I need to cut out a shape (rectangular opening) inside a cement board. Was wondering if it can be done with a jigsaw and a special blade once I have pilot holes drilled in each corner.


texts:
I am installing new flooring in a condo.
The condo association removed the old floor heating in favor of vent heating.
However, the copper what I assume to be gas lines (or water lines are sticking out of the old floor slightly and I want to cut them flush and install the flooring right over them.
Is there any code I am violating by doing this?


texts: What could be damaging my furnace control board and/or what can I do to protect it?

texts:
I had an issue with a damaged control board a few months ago, replacing it worked, details here: Is it the control board or is it the induction fan?
A similar issue has now came up.
It's hit or miss if the induction fan comes on and sometimes when it does I see a spark coming from the black wire leading into the fan (image below). Sometimes it starts, sometimes it does not. This leads me to believe a similar malfunction is occurring with the board - it's just hasn't fully failed yet.
Lately my area has been getting power surges and I'm convinced it's related. I curious if there may be something wrong with the fan as well causing it to damage the board. Also the large blower the board is attached to rocks WILDY sometimes which I can't imagine is helpful.
Is there anything I can do to protect the equipment from surges and furthermore what tools can I use to further diagnose the issue?
Fan

New Board

Thank you!


texts: Are there long pipes that either increase speed of water or at least do not decrease it?

texts:
I need a long pipe of almost 100 m for filling water into buckets at my home from municipal tap provided outside of my home.

Many people have to share that municipal tap and hence a hose would allow me to get the water I am allotted in less time when my turn comes.

There are two issues involved in it

  1) The velocity of water either decreases or water flow gets stop
  because the pipe can't be horizontal and there are some elevations the
  pipe has to go through.

  2) Should not forcefully pull the water from the municipal tape
  because of the legal reasons.


texts: Ceiling Fan Wiring with Remote Control & 2 wall switches

texts: I have the a wiring situation similar to below but also have a red power wire coming in from the ceiling. I have 2 wall switches, 1 for fan and 1 for light. How do I include the red power wire coming in?


texts:
I would like to connect my bike nozzle to a new compressor I just bought. However the compressor have an odd (?) connector.

Can someone from the pictures below see if I need to buy a new converter for the compressor or a special hose is needed?


texts: Looking for color profile and tint information - Falu Red

texts:
I wish to mimic the traditional swedish summer house colour Falu Red for a DIY project at home but I cannot buy the traditional Falu or Falun Red paint - so does anyone know the colour or tint that would be closest so I can get the paint shop to mix me up a similar colour?

I'm hoping to walk into a standard paint shop and give them the details (from an answer, here) and the shop can then magically mix up a pot that's very very very similar :)


texts: Fasten ceiling panel so that it is removable

texts:
I am making some fabric ceiling panels. The panels are wooden stretchers with fabric stapled to them, similar to a painting canvas.

The panels will be flush mounted with trim boards that border them. The panels are different sizes, but about 4' x 6' or so. The problem is how to mount them so that they can be removed if needed to access various utilities in the ceiling.

It is not possible to shift the panels side to side, because they are hard up against the trim boards. Also, they cannot be pushed upwards because there are joists right above them.

So, one idea is to use magnets and another is some kind of spear and socket connector, kind of like a speaker cover. Both of these approaches have the disadvantage that it will be difficult to pry the panels out, because there is no gap between the edge of the panels and the trim board.


texts:
I set a boiling hot pot on top of the laminate countertop & this happened:

Is there a way to repair that, or do I have to replace the countertop?


texts: what ground cover to use under bike storage shelter?

texts:
I recently built a lean-to style bike shelter in the yard; no walls, with a sloping roof, and big enough for 4 or 5 bikes.

At the moment it's bare earth on the ground, does anyone have any suggestions for ground cover? I can't pour concrete because of my city's bylaws and the bikes have to be able to stand up with their kickstands.

Thanks!

phanmo


texts:
I have this big wooden box in my garage:

The current position makes it a bit cumbersome to park the car.
Is there a way to make the box easily "liftable" or "raisable" up to the ceiling (or as high as possible)? How would you go about it?

I thought maybe this could involve ropes, a pulley, and little wheels attached to the box (on the wall side).

I'm looking for a really simple solution since I'm pretty much useless at doing anything more complicated than tightening a screw.

The contents of the box weigh around 26 lbs ~= 12 kg.


texts: Do double-pole breakers allow the rated current or twice that amount?

texts: We are installing 2 double pole 40 amp breakers for an electric tankless hot water heater, into our 200 amp panel. Is that going to use 80 amps or 160 amps?


texts: Do I need to replace #6 solid copper ground wire from Service panel to water pipes with #4 solid copper wire in 1997 construction as recommended by inspector?


texts: Is it okay to regularly turn off lamps (2) via a power strip rather than their individual switches?

texts:
Okay, full disclosure: I know next to nothing about electronics. Just trying out my first little amateur diy project: adding lights to my vanity. So here goes my question.

I just bought 2 little clip-on "ETL-listed" lamps to clamp onto the top of my vanity, but they have rotary switches instead of in-line cord switches so it will be hard to reach up to turn them off easily. I'll need a longer cord for one of them anyway, so I was thinking to kill two birds with one stone and get a power strip/surge protector to use as an on/off switch as well instead of turning off their individual switches. My question: Would that be a bad idea??

Because I know you're not supposed to do that with computers, but I don't know if that applies to lamps too. I'm mainly worried about starting an electrical fire, not so much the cheap lamps. The 2 lamps take only one 60-watt bulb each if that's important (planning to use the SORAA A19 11-watt-usage, 60-watt-equivalent LED bulbs).

Oh and side note, it's a wooden (expensive) vanity- is it still okay to attach lamps if that's the case?? The lamps have rubber-coated clamps, and I'm using LED lights, but I'm slightly worried about it turning into a fire hazard.
  I have a 30-day return policy on these lamps. Any info/advice is appreciated!! Thanks!!!!

Update 1 (to address questions in comments): It's a bedroom vanity.

Update 2 (to address questions in comments): in TX, USA.


texts: I installed a new light fixture and it won't turn off!

texts: I removed a fan/light combo and replaced with a typical light fixture. The wires from the ceiling coming out are white, black and ground. The light fixture has a positive and a neg and a ground. I flipped the light switch and it won't turn off. I took apart the light switch and the light switch has a black wire, white, and red wire. I don't know what to do. I feel like I have tried all possible combinations.


texts: Installing an Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA Type-2 surge protector

texts:
I have a 200 amp Siemens breaker box and want to install an Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA Type-2 surge protector.  The instructions say to use either a dedicated 2-pole 15 amp or 50 amp breaker.  Wanting the full ratings of the device, I planned on getting the 50 amp breaker.
However, I happen to have a 2-pole 60 amp breaker and am wondering if I can use this instead of the 50 amp?  It's not that much money to buy a 50 amp, but I already have the 60 amp...
[Note: The 60-amp came out of this breaker box about a year ago when I moved into the house and the inspection noted that a 60 amp breaker was being used on a circuit with a wire thickness of 8 ga.  So I replaced the 60 amp with a proper 40 amp.  This circuit is for the AC compressor which only pulls 27 amps and requires a max 40 amp breaker.  So all is good!]
A second question.  Where I plan on putting the surge protector breaker is in the top left slot.  Right now there is a 2-pole 30 amp breaker there that is unused since I moved my oven in a kitchen remodel and its now gas.  The unused wired is capped off inside a box above the of the kitchen cabinets and marked as to what the wires are and why.  So now what is the best way to handle the other end of the wire inside the breaker box?  I see two options:

Disconnect the hots from the breaker, wire nut, tape and tuck into a corner out of the way
Disconnect hots, ground, neutral and pull all the wire out of the breaker box

My thoughts are it is better to do #2, but I don't really want to play around pulling the wires out of the top of the box where the main feeds are coming into the box and will be live.  So my question is if its good enough to just do #1 as that will be safer for me.  I think it is to code to just leave the dead wires in the box and maybe make a note of what they are, but not sure about that.  Any thoughts?


texts: What to do with this exterior insulation?

texts:
We have these sheets of pink insulation with a light coat of concrete-paint-like stuff (?) wrapped all the way around the base of the house, and as can be seen, it is degrading in both appearance and effectiveness...

My question is a call for tips/suggestions, as I'm just not sure how to proceed... what would you do in this situation... Do I just begin replacing it sheet by sheet or examine different approaches altogether?


texts: Condensate drain does not drain properly

texts: My air handler is located in the garage and for some reason it will not drain properly until the fan shuts off.Unfortunately I cannot figure out how to add a photo but it has a vent pipe coming out of the air handler then a trap leading to outside


texts: Do natural gas furnaces have internal breakers?

texts:
I rent a house with a natural gas furnace.  The furnace was not working at the beginning of this winter, and so we called the landlord to fix it.  The landlord hired a repair man, who came and noticed that the switch in the back of the furnace (attached to the furnace) was flipped "off".  I was charged $82 for this.  I know that neither myself nor my boyfriend touched the switch as we are NOT handy and do not ever attempt to handle repairs on our own, we simply call the landlord.

My question is, now I am wondering how that switch could have been flipped if we are certain we did not do it.  The property managers are saying that someone definitely had to have flipped that switch but I know we did not?  They are telling me that the furnace is not part of the breaker box at all and that shouldn't matter, BUT, do furnaces have internal breakers that may trip that switch?


texts: can wood deck boards be installed over Hardiboard on balcony?

texts: I am replacing my tile upstairs outdoor balcony with wood decking. The tile deck has a Hardiboard underlay for waterproofing. Will the contractor need to remove the tile and Hardiboard before replacing with 5/4 board PT wood decking?


texts: Replacing a light switch with a smart switch

texts: I'm trying to replace my existing light switch (in my new build home in the UK) with a Innens smart WiFi switch (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RK5F8HC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jNHbEbVEDEEF6 ). My existing wiring seems to be different from what I can read in the smart switch instructions or what others seem to have. I have 2 brown wires going into "COM", 1 brown wire into "1 WAY" and 3 blue wires going into "LOOP". What's the correct way to connect the smart switch to this type of wiring setup?


texts: Can I pull this low voltage mounting bracket out?

texts:
So my builder put in a low voltage mounting bracket, and I want to pull the thing out to put in a Powerbridge unit.

Does anyone know if I can just pull out the mounting bracket, or is it screwed into the stud somewhere?


texts: What type of wire to use for an overhead drop. For Fire Alarm system?

texts: Type of wire needed? It seems to be a #14, 3 wire SO cord which was not the correct wire to use it has broken down in the sunlight. The insulation is brittle and it some places removed.


texts: Can a portable swamp cooler be hooked into a central air duct and recirculate?

texts:
I know that normally, swamp coolers take in external hot dry air, and put it out as cool wet air.

I live in the hot So. Cal. desert area. A small swamp cooler is cheap to buy, but won't do my whole house.

My thought: Can I take the hot, dry, internal air, get it moist/cool, send it through the central air ducts (to put some cool air into the rooms), and then just cycle that around again? The thinking is that it will eventually put enough water into the air that the humidity will persist long enough to actually be cool, without having to constantly re-cool fresh hot air.

But ... this seems too simple -- if it would work, wouldn't this have been done already?


texts: I sprayed WD-40 in ny keyhole to stop my key from getting stuck inside. Now my knob is so loose that I don't even need a key to open the front door. I just twist my knob 2 or 3 times and the door unlocks. How can I go about fixing this so other people can't do the same to my door and walk right in?


texts: Loft conversion - steel beam sticking out

texts:
Good afternoon,

We have started loft conversion today. Sadly after builders uncovered the roof they discovered that unlike structural engineer's assumption (they were buried under insulation), the existing joists are not resting on the wall but are attached to rafters which then take the load to the wall which is much lower.

I have made peace with the fact that new floor joists will have to be similarly attached to new rafters and then supported off the wall but the problem is with a new UB steel beam that will have to be supported off this wall and is considerably higher than existing joists which will cause UB sticking out of the roof. Steel beam cannot be moved due to chimney and new staircase making this the only possible configuration. My builder is saying that we will still have to support beam from the wall and he will build some sort of box covering the extent of the beam sticking out. It will obviously look hideous.

Is there something that can be done to avoid the box? I have measured and sketched the current state.

Any advice appreciated.

Thank you.

Ben


texts: Is it ok to add an outlet from an Exit sign?

texts:
I'm trying to install WiFi expanders in our mostly brick building. The barrier is a lack of outlets where we need them. There are literally no outlets in locations were the WiFi expanders could also connect to the main WiFi router. The easy solution would be to tap the junction box from the exit sign and place an outlet 12-18 inches to the side. Picture of what I'd like to do attached. Is this allowed? (In New York State if it matters)

Edit to add info:

The building is a church built in the 1950s.
The Exit sign source conduit comes from one of the hallway fluorescent light fixtures.
The Exit sign is an LED, always on light with battery backup in case of AC failure.
Behind the exit light it's just a standard steel junction box


texts: What maintenance does a cedar deck require?

texts: We just moved into a house with a very nice 16'x16' cedar screened porch. The problem is I've never had a cedar deck and am not sure what maintenance to expect or how often to do it.


texts: Intermittent loss of power in two circuits without either circuit breaker tripping

texts: The only thing in common with the two circuits is the wires serving them run through the same conduit, but I changed out the wire for one of the circuits and nothing changed.


texts:
Noticed fungi growing in my solarium in a few spots - probably a few spots where moisture is getting in. It is really tough, like rubber. Can cut some of it out with a utility knife, but even that was not an easy process. Couldn't dig all of it out as it has gotten into some little crevices. How can I treat this? Tea tree oil or Oil of Oregano, or ?

Solarium was installed maybe 5 years ago and no growth. Nothing this summer.  Not used much.
 When I went in today, I saw the growth.  Must be a little leak around that area.  The type of flooring is Bamboo.

The spotty things you see on the floor are spider droppings.. how that critter got in there is a mystery - room is always closed, way up on the 3rd floor where I never see any spiders, room is hardly used, and no openings for little flies or anything to get in for its food...? Anyways, I digress... my real concern is to stop this fungi growth!

Thanks in advance...


texts: This is in our bathroom vanity, sitting behind a U shaped drawer that the P-trap tucks into.  Kind of a loopy routing that looked almost like an S trap when I looked at it, but now I'm wondering if, with the long (about 7 inch) horizontal run after the p trap and before it turns down and makes the 180° turn, it's okay and just looks funny? The long lower section the enters the wall is about exactly 1/4" drop per foot, the whole thing looks more angled than it is in the photo because of the camera angle.


texts:
I'm trying to place a light switch in a sensible place in a new room being built as part of an extension.  I know that according to the building regulations, the switch must be at least 300 mm from any corner of a room. But what is "a corner?"

My room isn't rectangular shape and door opens essentially against the wall - see the diagram to get the general idea. I'd like to position the switch where red dot is. Yet it would be only about 80 mm from the end of that short wall. Is that allowed?  If not, the only other option is to position it on the wall at the bottom of the diagram, beyond the width of the door, but that's very inconvenient, frankly.

So, it is allowed to put the switch on the left of the door in this case? And, by the way, what's the reasoning behind the 300 mm rule?

This is in the UK.

EDIT: Reading the Part M, it seems that I may be OK, as the document specifically states a minimum of 300mm (measured horizontally) from an inside corner.  As in my case you could argue that it's not an inside corner, it may be allowed.  Yet, I'd like somebody more familiar with this to confirm.


texts: Please help! I don’t know what to do on what to do about my frozen main water supply line to my toilet?

texts:
The water supply line to my toilet is frozen going on about 24 hours now. It is in the upstairs bathroom along the north wall, the only water line in the house that is frozen. All other pipes/drains/showers/toilets ect seem to be working fine, all are dripping.
The line is in the exterior wall and I am not able to get to the pipes.
Do I call a Plumber now?
I have a heater in the bathroom and the room below that bathroom Is my kitchen so I’ve turned the heat up in my house to 74 degrees hoping it will help to thaw the pipe as well just now. Had it on 69 before the pipe froze then up to 71 until an hour ago.  My pipes are PEX pipe.
It is supposed to be below freezing for about 6 more days then should thaw out. Again, I’d love any suggestions and should I call a Plumber now or wait?
I’m losing sleep worrying. Any suggestions?
Thank you in advance for any and all advice.


texts: Can I add a 60 amp hot tub on a 100 amp service?

texts:
I'm adding a hot tub to our backyard. The hot tub can pull up to a max of 60 amps when all the pumps and heater are going. However, a sales rep said it's not common that you would be pulling all 60 amps at once. The problem is that we only have 100 amp service. The place we are buying the hot tub from recommended 2 electricians. One didn't seem too thrilled about having to potentially upgrade to 100 amp, so he never sent a quote over and ignored our calls. The other said 100 amp service would be fine. Our house isn't particularly large, just 1500 sqft. He said for our size house we're probably only pulling about 20-30 amps now and wouldn't invest in upgrading to 200 as it can be pricey and unnecessary. We do have gas and that is used by our water heater, stove, and furnace.
Would a 100 amp service cut it?
The electrician did say that we don't have any room left in the panel so a new sub panel would need to be installed to the right. He said that would be cheaper than installing an entire new one.
Link to album: https://imgur.com/a/S0AjrL2


texts: How can I improve ventilation in my room with a window fan while filtering pollen from a nearby tree?

texts:
This is a campus building in Aalto University where you have a tree about 10 cm away from the window. The Espoo city does not allow the student organisation AYY to cut down the tree. There is a poor air-conditioning in the room so the fan is essential to speed up the airflow. Without the fan, the window becomes smoky and the room very hot.

I need to find filter to the window so I can keep the fan on also during times of heavy pollen times (15x100cm for the above window). The filter must be sturdy because birds get into the room.

I tested a novel idea of using computer fans with polycarbonate plastic thing for a smaller window but the computer fans provide very small airflow in comparison to the large fan.

Which kind of filters should I use in windows like above? Is it enough to have a cloth pinned to the sides of the window? Or do I need carbon filter? Can I use filters meant for computer fans like the above?


texts: My main drain line has rust spots that looks like they are ready start leaking. i want to replace this line with PVC. The drain line is galvanized pipe that measures 2 3/4 inches in diameter. my home improvement store only carries 2" and 3" PVC. They also sell the rubber boots to connect PVC to galvanized. Should i use 3" PVC for this job? Will the 3" rubber boot fit the galvanized pipe? Thanks


texts:
I own a condo with two Islandaire EZ09EBMXH8N10AA PTACs, one of which is acting weird. They have self-contained A/C mechanisms, but the rooms are heated by pumping hot water from the building through the unit while a fan blows air across the radiator/heat sink.

A wiring harness comes out of each unit and connects the brain board to a SPST over-temperature switch clamped to the water pipe and a brain board-controlled valve on the water pipe. It's not clear which is the incoming and which is the return pipe.

My problem is that one PTAC will only run momentarily, and then the fan shuts off and the room won't stay heated.

Troubleshooting data so far:

Sometimes (20% of the time) the unit will run properly for several minutes (hot water flowing in, fan turning, room warming); most of the time the fan will kick on for 10 seconds or so, then turn off.
When the fan is not running but supposed to be, I'll periodically hear a 10-second-long buzzing, humming sound from inside the unit. I do not remember it doing this formerly, and the sound is something like the hum of a transformer, but more metallic/nasal.
When I switch the fan to manual mode, it starts up immediately and runs indefinitely every time, so it appears the motor start cap and the motor itself are good. There is no grinding or sputtering or other misbehavior.
If I power cycle the unit, I can hear the valve operate, and warm water does appear to flow into the unit every time.
I swapped the over-temperature switches and both PTACs behaved as if nothing had changed, so these switches appear to be fine.
The thermostat on the wall appears to be doing its job; it is showing the proper temperature and is indicating properly indicated when the heater should be on.

Any ideas?


texts: I am doing some work around my gutter downspouts and found that underneath the ones at the front of my house, someone had buried 2-gallon plastic potting containers (upside down).   There was a piece of fabric barrier above them too.  There is nothing underneath the plastic bucket.  Just curious if anyone has seen this before and if there is a purpose for them being there.


texts: Why is voltage detected in my ceramic tile floor?

texts:
I found out (in a rather uncomfortable manner) that there is a potential difference between the phase line in my home and the ceramic tile floor. My Fluke multimeter reads 30V AC, I assume the reading is inaccurate because of the low conductivity of the tile surface. However, there was enough current to give me an unpleasant shock. I was dry, but my skin was in contact with the floor.

How is this possible? Are there tiles made of ceramic-like materials that are conductive? Are conductive ceramic tiles sometimes used in home construction?


texts: How to Level Concrete for Sliding Patio Doors?

texts:
I'm replacing an outdoor sliding patio door set with a new one that has almost the exact same dimensions - luckily the previous homeowner (family) did not go with custom-sized doors.

The issue is that the door will reside over three concrete slabs - the patio itself was installed piecemeal through the years, so toward the inside there are two slabs that meet 2/3 of the way through the jambway, and on the other side is a brand new slab that I poured last year myself (Quikrete, replaced a set of about 15 thin patio stones on top of dirt).

While the concrete that I poured is passable (isn't completely level), there is a big gap at the meeting of both slabs (the corner of the one seemed to break off - so about 5 inches from the gap there's a tad of a hump).

The new patio door set I ordered has about a 4" jamb, so that's about how wide I'd need to level. How do I level this so my new doors aren't all cattywampus?


texts: Two HVAC units on one condensate drain line

texts:
I am renting a house with two HVAC units - one upstairs and one downstairs.  There were two condensate drain lines (one per unit).  The units were older so when they quit working efficiently the landlord replaced the units.

Shortly after the new units were installed we started having problems with the condensate line for the downstairs unit.  The technician's solution was to divert the downstairs condensate line into the upstairs condensate line.  So now we have two HVAC units draining into one line.  We are still having problems with the downstairs unit tripping the safe-t-switch valve because the condensate line backups.

The HVAC company came back out and is blaming us for not keeping the line clean with vinegar every month (which we do).

Does it make sense to drain two units into one condensate drain line?  We live in Florida where we produce a TON of condensation and
Shouldn't there be a back-up drain line since the units are inside the house and the leaking could cause structural damage?  Just doesn't seem logical to have two units on one drain line especially since we are having a back-up issue.


texts: New water supply lines continue to leak at toilet tank connection

texts:
I have tried two new water supply hoses on my toilet tank. Each time they have leaked at the tank. I was very careful to, at first hand tighten and then, gently, with a channel lock pliers, turn them a little bit more. They leaked regardless. Of course, they had perfectly good looking  tapered rubber seals inside.
They are the standard stuff you buy at Home Depot.
Can the answer to the problem only be that the threaded plastic inlet pipe is somehow defective?


texts: Flow through the fill tube when there is high water draw from some other water user

texts: One of the 4 toilets in the house runs water through the fill tube even though it has not been flushed.  This happens when a large flow of water from another water user such as filling the washing machine or flushing one of other toilets.  Once the large flow ends the water flow from the suspect toilet stops. The suspect toilet does not flow water when none of the other large water flow sources are flowing.


texts: Is there a way to remove drywall without exerting brute force?  Being that I live in a condo, I don't want to go all happy with a hammer to my wall and disturb my neighbors.  It seems there would be a way to saw lines into the drywall so that it could be easily pulled away.  While a saw isn't whisper quiet, it's definitely far less barbaric than a hammer.


texts: GFI turns off dishwasher heating element

texts:
Kenmore Elite dishwasher doesn’t seem to be heating for dry cycle when used.
when taken apart heating element heats fine but GFI turns off.
What suggestion do you have to solve the problem?
Thanks for taking my inquiry.


texts: Should we install an overhead tank or cistern tank?

texts:
We are building our home (a 2-storey house) and a cistern tank was suggested by our architect for aesthetics. We asked around the neighborhood and one person has a cistern and an overhead tank but uses the cistern more on a daily basis while the overhead tank is used when there's no power. The ground floor is also connected directly to the city water line while the 2nd floor is pumped from the cistern due to low pressure up to the 2nd floor. The other neighbor only uses an overhead tank in their backyard.

We are quite concerned on aesthetics and safety but also about the cost of electricity if we use a cistern powered by a tank to supply the 2nd floor of the house. We were told by our architect that we can find an energy saving pump these days and in case there's no electricity, we can always buy a cheaper generator as back-up.

Also, our architect suggested we have a cistern to store rain water for use in gardening and supply water to the pond which we think is a great idea.

Are there other reasons for choosing a cistern tank vs an overhead tank?


texts: I'm moving my sink. And I have to run my drain pipe through my floor joist or cabinets. My floor joist are 2×8's. Can I run a 2 inch pipe through them. And if i did run them through my joist would it make them weaker?


texts: How do I make light blue paint more interesting?

texts: My room has a very dull blue paint that causes boredom. I was looking for ways I could liven it up a bit.


texts:
I'm looking for a house to buy in the South Carolina low country, where average lows in January get down to just under 40 deg F and highs in the summer get to just over 90 deg F. The houses in that area seem pretty evenly split between "gas and central A/C" and "heat pumps" for heating and cooling. I'm not sure which one is better.

I have read that "heat pumps operate optimally at approximately 45-50 degrees" (that source could be biased but I've seen similar numbers other places) - would it be right to conclude that heat pumps are more efficient than gas for my location? Or maybe a better question, how can I measure efficiency? Mostly I care about my utility bill, after all. Cost of gas and electricity obviously will change over time so I know I can't ask which is absolutely cheaper, but it seems that the most efficient of the two should "win."

Other factors I'm considering are long term cost and speed. I don't want to have to replace a major fixture every year. Is there a big difference in average "lifespans" between gas and heat pump? And I have heard stories that gas produces hotter air than heat pumps. Does it make temperature change noticeably faster as a result? In other words, if I'm cold, I don't want to wait four hours for the temperature to go up a degree.

C'mon Stack Exchange - you can do better than Yahoo! Answers did right?


texts: How can I make the corner tile transition less conspicuous with an out-of-plumb wall?

texts: I am tiling my shower and the back wall is not plumb. It has an approximate 1.5” lean over 8 feet.  Obviously it’s too late to change anything now but is there anything I could have done to prevent having to cut the small tiles to fill in the gaps on the left?  The longer tiles I can cut to size without concern. The right edge is level by the way.


texts: What can I use as a concrete release agent for aluminum forms?

texts: If I need to use aluminum sheeting as form for pouring concrete or another cement product, such as mortar/stucco, is there something (chemical) I can coat the sheet metal with so the cement doesn't stick to it?


texts:
I need to replace this entire component. It is a dial that controls the speed of a fan built into a fireplace.
What am I looking at? What should I look for when buying a replacement?


texts: Honeywell water heater gas control valve pilot won't stay lit

texts:
I have a State Industries GS650YBRT 300 water heater with the Honeywell electronic gas control valve.

This hot water heater will not light.

I am able to get the pilot light to light and after a short delay, the indicator light on the control valve LED status light begins to flash normally.

At this point, the pilot button should be able to be released and the pilot light remains lit in order to select an operating temperature on the control knob.  However, as soon as the pilot button is released, the pilot light extinguishes, regardless of how long it is held in after the pilot light initially ignites.

Obviously the system is sensing the pilot light being lit in order to cause the control valve LED status light to flash.  The status light flashes once every 3 or 4 seconds and does not indicate any faults, so why will the pilot light not remain lit?


texts: Is there any problem for the mortar to adhere to Redgard painted Hardie backer? Putting large wall tile 8"x8" on tub surround wall. What mortar is better?


texts: What to do with wobbling laundry machine?

texts:
I have a laundry machine in a condo and have been using it for almost two years (I use it around 1-2 times a week).

Last week when I was washing a heavy duty, I felt my laundry machine was a little shaky, so I decided to adjust the front legs. But after a few adjustments, not only did I not fix the problem, I also forgot the original positions for the screws.

My question is, how can I make sure that my machine's legs are on a perfect plane, because even a slight gap on one leg can cause the laundry machine to shake very hard.

Any suggestion is appreciated!


texts: What is the meaning of inverter on air-conditioing?

texts:
I am going to purchase an air condition for my home. I noticed some types of air-conditioners are AC Inverter.

What is the meaning of inverter? What I should know about it?


texts: HVAC Furnace - Adding C Wire to Older Wiring Style

texts:
Hello! Trying to add a smart thermostat to an old system (currently running a mercury thermostat on it).

There is an extra wire (orange) which you can see both inside the thermostat and also in the image of the furnace. I should be able to use that for the C wire.

You'll notice that the wiring of the furnace is done with wire nuts. All of the instructions to add the C Wire that I can find are assuming that I have a C port on the furnace, which I don't, since this is all done with nuts.

My question is this: on the furnace side, into which wire nut should the orange be joined to get the correct power supplied?

Thanks so much!


texts: What are the effects of changing water pipe sizes?

texts:
My question is similar to the one asked in the following link.

What if you reverse the pipe sizes and go from a larger pipe to a smaller and then back again?

I am installing a point of use small hot water heater, I have to go from 3/4" house pipe to 1/2" for hot water tank, then back to 3/4". I would just leave it at 1/2" after hot water heater except the 3/4" goes up into the wall and branches off to shower somewhere.

Effect of changing the size of a pipe


texts: While drilling into kitchen wall, hit a wire - any advice?

texts:
While fixing the extractor hood yesterday, I accidently hit a wire when drilling and exposed the copper. The wires are too tight to get some kind of a box in there and putting an electrical tape may be too fiddley.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated even if you believe hiring a tradesman is a better option.

See the pictures attached:

Edit: after repair by the pro:


texts: Questions about home water pressure (105-110 PSI range) and the drastic pressure drop when a single faucet is opened

texts:
I live in a three-storey townhouse and have measured with a pressure gauge on an outside faucet, at the laundry machine cold water feed and on the hot water's hose-compatible drain a pressure of around 105-110 PSI. For additional context, there is a pressure reducing valve installed just after the incoming main that looks to have been put in when the house was built. When I open a faucet or flush a toilet, the pressure appears to drop to mid-20 to mid-30s PSI. Is this normal?

The reason I started looking into this is because the pressure drop is super noticeable when taking a shower and, at least until recently, I had never noticed issues when a toilet was flushed or even a dishwasher or laundry run when I was in the shower.


texts: How can I install a Miele Washer and Dryer that use a 240V/15A splitter?

texts:
I recently purchased a washer/dryer set at auction. I was in need of a new set due to troubles with our current washer and wasn't all that happy with it when it was working. So, I when I found a Miele set available through an auction, I decided that I had to have them. It turns out that this series of Miele washer, the Touchtronic 1119, has a plug identical to the dryer.

Adding another circuit to the breaker panel is not an option, so I figured that I was SOL. However, after doing some research, I learned that Miele used to sell a 240v/30amp splitter, which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I found the manuals online. Each brochure states that the appliances only need 15 amps. Links and excerpts below:

From the dryer manual:

  The dryer comes with a 5 ft long, 12/4
  AWG cord and a NEMA 14-30 P plug.
  It should be connected to a
  120/208-240 V, 15 A, 60 Hz AC power
  supply. A 3 pole-4 wire grounding
  power outlet (NEMA type 14-30 R) is
  necessary.

https://www.mieleusa.com/forms2/us/sa/manuals-125.aspx?mNo=06610660&asDownload=1

From the Washing machine manual:

  The washing machine is supplied with a
  5’ 3" (1.6 m) long, 4 wire cord, ending in
  a NEMA 14-30 P plug, ready for
  connection to a 120/208-240 V, 15 A,
  60 Hz, AC power supply.

https://www.mieleusa.com/forms2/us/sa/manuals-125.aspx?mNo=06523260&asDownload=1

With information collected from the brochure, I was able to find some images of the "splitter" from an old ebay auction. The seller, thankfully, opened the box to show the internals. See below:

Miele 240v, 30 amp splitter:

External:

Internal:

I'm in no way an electrician, but that looks fairly simplistic. If I were to build my own, these are the parts that I would buy.

Replacement dryer cable.
Metal project box.
2 NEMA 14-30R outlets
Screw terminal, twist connectors, or 3 wire connectors.
3AB 15 Amp Fuses and holder!?

Having reviewed the image a few times, I have to ask:

Q1: Are the fuses be necessary with the existing 30 amp breaker?

Q2: And, if they are not necessary, then can I just add a second receptacle to the existing one?

One of the details that I have yet to mention was that the washing machine came with an outlet. It looks like the owner just ripped it out of the wall. I had planned to discard, but after doing all of this research, I wonder:

Q3: Did the previous owners have the same "Just add a second outlet" idea??

As I see it, these are my options:

Add a second receptacle inline with the dedicated dryer outlet.
Build my own splitter.
Wait for another "splitter" to become available, at a reasonable price.
Bite the bullet, add a breaker and run an extra dedicated line.

Q4: What are the issues and risks with the above options? Possibly illegal? (I ordered them from cheapest to most expensive; I'd expect that the order is, also, riskiest to least risky.)

The inside of the dryer receptacle box (it's a 10-30R) is shown below.


texts: Is it safe to swap a 30A "Dryer Socket" with a 40A "Range Socket" if the breaker is 40A?

texts:
Just bought a house built in 1979 and am working on renovations. Today we had a new range delivered and ran into an issue trying to install it. Essentially, the old range was connected to a 30A "dryer socket" in the kitchen while the new one requires a 40A "range socket". The delivery guys were adamant that all we had to do was pop over to a store and swap out the receptacle in order to get it working.
Based on Dryer Outlet in the kitchen?, I'm skeptical that it will be so simple. Checking the breaker box:
and wiring description:

shows that the old circuit has a 40A breaker. Given that, is it ok to assume that the wiring for this circuit is also safe up to 40A and I truly can just swap the receptacles and call it a day?
30 amp dryer plug is hooked to a 40 amp double breaker, is this ok? indicates that the current setup maybe shouldn't have existed in the first place so I'm trying to be cautious about how I fix this.
Edit: here are some pictures of the wiring

Edit 2: full electrical panel and back of receptacle

Wire Gauge:


texts: Will cutting the fridge capillary pipe allow the gas to evacuate?

texts:
I'm wanting to remove a compressor from a fridge, I need to release the gas(r600a - safe) first. Initially I thought you had to cut or pierce the copper piping attached to the compressor but I've watched a video where he cuts the capillary pipe.
Cutting the capillary would be easier and safer than the larger copper pipes.
Will this release all the gas?


texts:
I am finishing a basement roughly 900 sqft. The concrete slab for the most part is level, however, it does have some imperfections at some 18-20 high points (1/8" or less) and a couple of low areas. One low spot probably needs some self leveling concrete for a 1/4" dip. We are planning on installing laminate on this basement floor.

Options (Please see updated questions in the update section below):

Install a thicker underlayment to absorb the high spots (if that's even possible)
Pour self leveling concrete to correct the high/low spots?
Grind the high spots down and maybe correct the bad dip?

Update:

Here's a better picture of my basement (aka the dungeon):

The red spots are the humps, anywhere around 1/8" - 1/4". Green are dip areas.

Thanks all for the comments. It's been a busy summer with kids activities and I found sometime and made an attempt at option #3 with a Bosch 1773AK 5-Inch Concrete Surfacing Grinder.

I spent 6-7 hours in the dungeon trying to grind these damn humps down and after all the dust cleared, I don't think that I really made that much of a difference and set off my smoke alarms (yes I had the vac attached with small particle filter) and massively sore forearms.

So here's my updated question:

Should I attempt to rent a bigger push type concrete grinder for taking out the humps(marked red) and patch pour the low spots identified in the green above.
Flood the basement with SLC (self level cement) and then rent a grinder to take out any residual high spots. (very expensive, but I'm looking for the best option)
Throw in the towel and hire the pros to come in and take care of this.

Thanks so much.


texts: How to adjust when hinge mortises are cut too deep?

texts:
I cut my mortises manually with a chisel and made them a notch too deep, maybe 1/16" or even less,  as a result the door closes too close to the jamb and I am concerned how it will work when there is a layer of paint on both sides.

What can I use to pad the mortise on the jamb side to bring the hinge flush with the jamb?  I thought there might be some special kind of paper padding for that or should I try luan or perhaps a third solution?


texts:
I am looking to install vinyl flooring on my basement (ground level). I will be removing the existing tiles. On 2 of the walls (the ones that face the exterior) I have this mini step along the walls (see images below). It looks like continuous wall footing basement or maybe the drainage goes beneath that.

Can anyone confirm what that is and the best way to deal with it when installing new floor? It's going to be a challenge to install vinyl with that.

Any help is appreciated!


texts:
I am planning to tile my bathroom wall and removed the old vanity and the old wall panels which partly covered the wall. But, the condition of the wall is not good and I wonder what is the best option to make the wall in a good condition. The photo of the wall is shown below.

I see two issues. The first issue is that the plastering in the painted area was poorly done -- the area is uneven. The second issue is that I am not sure whether I can directly attach the tiles to the part where the wall panels were attached (the brown part in the photos).

Given this wall condition, what would you recommend to make the wall smooth? The possible options I am considering are

(a) removing the old wall and attaching a new wall (if sanding or skimcoating is too much work)

(b) attaching a new wall over the old wall

(c) thoroughly sanding the plastered wall

(d) re-skimcoat the entire wall

This is my first job of tiling and any advice is appreciated.

Thanks


texts: I am building a wine cellar, we have 3 1/2" of closed foam insulation. One wine cellar company says that I do NOT need a vapor barrier because a double barrier is a recipe for condensation and mold disaster in a few years, the other one says I do need an additional vapor barrier because of the humidity in Texas.


texts: Can I piggyback off a hard-wired dishwasher circuit for a disposal?

texts:
I'm working on upgrading the kitchen and wanted to add a garbage disposal. Currently there is an outlet under the sink were the DW is hardwired to, can I add an outlet by splicing off the feed and secure the cables with some wire nuts and create a new outlet for the garbage disposal adjacent to the dishwashers hardwired splice box?

I've included what the wiring looks like in both the DW splice box, and the outlet opposite to the sink.

Should I just disconnect the DW and make an outlet for both using the same supply line?

The other option is there is an outlet on the wall opposite to the sink that I can maybe splice off, but I think it feeds the Dishwasher at the current time so I don't know if it will make a difference?

I appreciate any suggestions you guys might have

Dishwasher-disposal "outlet box"

Dishwasher "outlet box", one of the flexible metal conduits feeds to the DW, the other goes to supply

The two red and brown wires go to the switch+fuse you see in the first photo, and that disconnects the dishwasher. Can I just replace this with dual 20A GFCI outlets for the dishwasher and garbage disposal?

Below, this is the receptacle in the plug opposite to the sink. My concern is, can this handle adding another splice of wires for a new outlet dedicated to the garbage disposal?

https://imgur.com/a/y6VK8Zz


texts: If I move my sink, how should I route the vent?

texts: I want to relocate my kitchen sink to an inside wall from the outside wall. The vent pipe is currently in the outside wall. Can I run the vent pipe across the ceiling between the rafters ,the rafters run in the direction same direction the vent would go The walls are 11 feet apart.


texts: Should I insulate a metal pipe roof vent to stop condensation?

texts:
I recently bought a home which was a renovation. I had a water leak from the ceiling in an upstairs room. Upon opening up the drywall, I noticed there was what appears to be a vent of some sort that is sealed at the top.

I noticed a new vent over the bathroom made of PVC. I see condensation on the inside of the rubber cap that seals the old black metal vent. Should I insulate the old pipe and wrap in plastic to stop any leaking, condensation or otherwise? Or should I remove the vent entirely?


texts: Should I supporting a load via anchors in brick or mortar?

texts:
I'm attempting to hang window flower boxes (a metal frame with a moss/fabric insert, filled with dirt/flowers/water for a total weight of about 15 lbs) on a brick wall.

An example of a similar metal frame can be seen below (found at http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/product_detail.asp?item_no=B-30&utm_id=IDK14&cvsfa=1353&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=3439353934): Flower Box http://www.vintagetub.com/images/medium/m_B-30.jpg

The specific box I have has two vertical support beams towards each end with a common vertical set of holes on a each of these that will slip over the head of screws that are firmly anchored into a wall.

I've got two concerns:

Can I support this load via screws only in the mortar or do I need to drill the brick? (A mortar repair is easier and more sightly than holes in brick if I ever take this down, since it's on the side of a garage - i.e. a large uniform brick surface - instead of directly under a window where the holes might go unnoticed.)
If mortar alone will support the expected load, would using only the top two screws suffice? (I'd suspect not.) The distance between the holes in the box is not the same as the height of the brick, so at best I could only get 3 of the holes (two in a horizontal line of mortar, and one in a vertical line) used without drilling brick or coming up with some other way to fasten the box to the wall.

I'd appreciate any thoughts at all on the matter!


texts: Incandescent Equivalent for Bathroom Fan/Light

texts: We are looking at lights/fans for the bathroom. We don't want to spend a lot of money. The fan/light combination units at Menards and Depot say to use incandescent or energy-efficient equivalent. The more expensive fixtures come with integrated LED lamps. The bottom line question is, can we use an LED bulb in the less expoensive fixture that says incandescent or equivalent?


texts: Why did wooden furniture parts warp after staining but before assembly?

texts:
I'm not sure what I did wrong.  I'm building a small AV cabinet.  I cut all the pieces of wood and did all the detail work (pocket holes, shelf holes, etc) first.  I also let my pine wood rest before doing anything to make sure it didn't warp.

I pre-stained, stained, and applied clear gloss to one side (after waiting the proper amount of team between each).

I then flipped all my pieces over, pre-stained, stained, and applied clear gloss to the other side of all the pieces.

Now when I look at the pieces they are warped.  All of them.  I'm not sure what I did wrong here.  Should I have assembled them together first?  Before staining?


texts: Why do my under-cabinet lights flash when two sets are plugged into the transformer?

texts: I just installed two 24" IKEA OMLOPP lighting bars under my kitchen cupboards.  When I plug either one into the transformer individually they work fine.  When I plug both of the lights into the transformer the lights start flashing off and on.


texts: How to fix electrical system that feeds a studio unit

texts:
Main lug panel with two 20 amp breakers which feed an old Cutler Hammer 30 amp Buss fuse box panel in existing studio. There are no grounds in old Buss fuse box.

My question is I think this is all wrong. The home has 2 meters. The main line ground system is tied to a water pipe from the 2 meters. Meter  1 feeds the main home where there is a main breaker shut off that feeds a large breaker panel.  Meter 2 goes into main lug panel with no main breaker. It seems they have bonded the ground and neutrals in the panels. they have installed two 20 amp breakers that feed a 30 amp Buss fuse box in the studio upstairs off the main lug. My friend wants all new wiring upstairs and we are trying to attempt this on our own. What change do I have to make to main lug in order to properly wire a sub panel upstairs? Or can we add larger breakers on the main lug to feed a sub panel upstairs? Or can we use the 4 breaks on main lug to service upstairs? The upstairs is a one bedroom studio. There are 10 lights, 2 attic fans, one 110 A/C unit, 2 receptacles in bedroom,  5 receptacles in kitchen, one receptacle in bathroom and three in living room plus the doorbell.


texts: Skim coat with plaster of paris mixed with joint compound

texts: Has anyone skim coat a plaster wall with a mixture plaster of Paris mixed into joint compound? What was the result?


texts: Is it worthwhile to have ductwork cleaned?

texts:
Was rearranging some ductwork in my basement, and noticed that the stuff I took down was pretty filthy inside (especially the return air ducts).

Is it worthwhile to have ductwork cleaned out?  What kind of (if any) efficiency benefits do you get out of it?


texts: Is it possible to buy just the fins or the copper pipe with fins for baseboard radiator?

texts:
I have a project to build and I want to use finned tubing (like in baseboard radiators) but I am unable to find the tubing without buying the enclosure as well.

(This is for a hobby project - I want to make a heat exchanger to take latent heat out of steam and heat fluid in the copper tubes.)

Can anyone suggest a source to buy these without the baseboard enclosure?

EDIT - the project is a "preheater" for maple syrup evaporator.

The evaporator is a firebox with pans of maple sap sitting on top.  The water evaporates from the sap and leaves behind the concentrated syrup.

To improve efficiency the goal is to use the heat in the steam to preheat sap before it hits the pan - thus using wasted heat energy.

http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmaple/sappreheaters.pdf
http://www.leaderevaporator.com/p-286-parallel-flow-sap-pre-heater.aspx

Sap flows from a holding tank (cold sap) through the copper tubes that are positioned over the pan and inside a hood.  Then from there it goes through a float valve into the syrup pan.  (hopefully at a higher temperature than when it entered the copper tubing)


texts: Why do we need bonding at the gas water heater?

texts:
We recently upgraded our electric service...had to put in a new panel, etc.
The city inspector came by and said that everything looked good except that we still need to "Bond Hot-Cold-Gas with #6" @ the water heater.  My question is why do we need to do that?


texts: Is the drain cover in my shower sufficient?

texts:
I bought a new house about a month ago. In the apartment that I moved from, I had a cheap rubber drain cover that seemed to work very well at preventing hair from getting into the drain, similar to this guy:

But the shower in my new house has a more permissive drain cover:

I'm pretty sure that more hair is going down the drain now than it was with the old solution, but hair still went down the drain with the old cover. I had a couple questions relating to this situation:

How worried should I be about hair going down the drain?
Should I replace the new drain cover, or add a secondary cover?
Will I just have to resign myself to unclogging the drain periodically irrespective of drain cover configuration?


texts: I turned off the wrong circuit breaker by mistake and when I cut a wire thinking it was dead there was a large spark.  I went to the circuit breaker box and the circuit breaker did not look as though it had been thrown.  I flipped it anyway and then noticed I was no longer getting power to my kitchen outlets.  I am getting power all the way to my attic 1300 box but the last run of wire to my kitchen outlets no longer seems to carry juice.  How do I diagnose this problem.  It seems certain that the cause was the short but once I flipped the circuit breaker power should have been restored.


texts: Could a pressure relief valve that drains up cause my water heater to explode?

texts: In the case of a big pressure build up, could this "hypothetical pressure relief valve" piping installation indicated in black below cause my water heater to explode? What could be the consequences of having the hypothetical piping installation?


texts: How to turn a cut component video cable into coax?

texts:
I need to use a component video cable whose connectors have been cut off as a coax cable. Is that possible?

Here's the story: My TV is at location A). The OTA signal arrives by coax to location B) in the same room about 20 feet away. There's no coax cable that runs from location A) to location B) inside the wall and I'm not OK with running it outside the wall.

However, there are a few cables that run from location A) to location B) inside the wall. And old HDMI cable, 2 cat5 cables, and a component video cable with a red, green and blue wires. Thinking that I would never have use for it, I cut off the connectors so I could tuck the cable away into the wall.

Question: is it possible to adapt this cable the bring the OTA signal to the TV over the remaining 20 feet?


texts: Light Switch two hot wires (one from wire another one from anothr switch)

texts:
I have a light switch that is installed in a electrical box together with 2 other switches. I'm surprised that the switch has 2 hot wires. One wire is coming from the switch next to it, the other wire is the actual wire coming from the wall. All white wires of the three switches are joined inside the box.
Is there a reason why the electrian would install two hot wires for the switch?