texts:
I have the week off for the fourth and I'm in a beginner DIY mood.  At my lake house, we have a floating dock which is too high above the water to easily pull the dog out and he can't get out by going to shore because it is covered with riprap and overgrowth.

Here's my plan so far.  I'm thinking to use this plywood. with two 5" door hinges at each corner.  I believe hot dip galavanized screws are what I need to use.  For buoyancy, I will drill two holes towards the end on both sides and tie a boat fender on each side. I have a drill but I will need (I think) a spade bit to drill holes big enough for rope.  I already have some polyurethane that I will seal the wood with.

Any suggestions or comments?

I know this is not ideal and it's not going to last forever but it's mainly an excuse for me buy some power tools and start learning.


texts:
I need to connect a flood light to the exterior of my house. Previously, an on-wall lamp was installed, and this is how the exterior wall looks like after I uninstalled it. There are 3 sets of wires, though I'm going to use only one set.

This is the flood light I need to connect. Note that I can not replace its cable as the body is IP65 sealed and can not be dismantled.

What would be a correct and aesthetic way to install the flood light?


texts: Spacing for recessed lighting in bedroom

texts: Tonight I'm installing recessed lighting in my bedroom and have a question on how to space the cans. The room is 12' x '12. How many cans should I put in the bedroom and how should I space them?


texts:
I have a very sticky door lock, is it safe to oil it with standard household oil?

Will oil degrade the security of the lock in any way?

If it's safe, how should I apply the oil?


texts: What is the best way to remove and prevent leaf stains on concrete pavers?

texts:
We have a brand new paver stone walkway/patio. To my dismay, I noticed that their were leaf and acorn stains from the oak tree in the front yard. I've learned my lesson and I'm going to try to keep the walkway swept more regularly.

Will these stains go away with enough rain & time? If not, what's the best remedy for removing these stains? What's the best mode of prevention?


texts: What are the external airflow requirements for portable and window AC units?

texts: I have a window well in a basement where I'd like to setup a portable AC unit (~10000 BTUs). There is a cover that I need to keep in place to avoid water collecting in the window well, but I could possibly keep this open a bit. How do I calculate the threshold for the exhaust of this hot air?


texts: Edging options for newly paved asphalt driveway and parking lot

texts:
My partner and I are about to hire a contractor to pour new asphalt on our driveway and parking lot. My question has to do with edging. I have read up on Permalock which is an aluminum edging that requires 10" spikes nailed into compacted ground. It will be more expensive and we'd have to wait for it to arrive from out of state to our home. I was wondering if I could use 2x4 or 2x6 pressure treated lumber instead. I know it won't last as long as aluminum but will it at least give me ten years or so? Or is this just a bad idea?

I have a neighbor who installed landscape pressure treated timbers along the edge of his paved (brick pavers) driveway. His are holding up very well. I was wondering if I could do the same with an asphalt driveway.


texts: Is it alright to run furnace and turn off gas?

texts: Is running a furnace with the gas pipe shut can cause any harm to furnace?


texts: How best to connect a second gas run to a meter

texts:
I am running a 1 1/4 gas line to the garage in the rear of my lot - total run is about 85 feet. Trench and Home-Flex underground PE pipe (https://homeflex.com/underground/#system) is already layed out as you can see in the left corner. I am trying to figure out the best way to get under the sidewalk and which way to connect it to the meter. There is a second outlet after the meter that is currently capped and my plan it to connect into it.
Questions:

Should I connect as shown by the green or purple route? Green will "cross" the gas supply that is shown in yellow (but will be above is as far as depth) and may also extend past the window. Esthetically, this does not feel  right. However, it give me more space to maneuver to the left of the sidewalk.
Purple has the benefit of not crossing the supply in the ground, but is a bit close to the sidewalk. The meter risers are pretty large (30x30 inch L) and connection point of PE coupling and gas riser will eventually have to be shifted under the sidewalk.
Is meter riser even needed or can just go down with black iron pipe and 90degree horizontal, go under sidewalk with black pipe and connect to Yellow pipe on the other side of the sidewalk for a long 80 foot run. If I were to do this in black pipe, I would use the purple option.
3a) I see that all gas pipes that come from underground are painted gray and not black, what type of pipe is it and is my idea of using black gas pipe even valid.


texts: Do I have to GFCI protect a range plug if it's within 6 feet of a sink?

texts:
I am installing a range plug within 6 feet of a sink, do I need a GFCI?

I do not have a 2014 NEC code book so I don't know if the code has changed. It has not been required in the past but things can change.


texts: Why does it take longer for the water in my kitchen to come on after the city worked on drains near my home?

texts:
The city recently "did some work" on one of the drains around the corner in my neighborhood. Ever since then, my hot and cold water in the kitchen is taking longer and longer to come on. Started at 5 seconds, now it's 30 seconds.

What can I do to fix this?


texts: I have two outlets that seems to be having this same issue within a room. The other outlets in the room work fine. The outlets are reading 11.2 volts on the multimeter instead of 120. Is there a wire issue or should I replace the outlet?


texts: How to prepare window stool for tiling in shower

texts: Vinyl windows were retrofitted over existing tile. Removed what concrete and tile I could from inside shower which of course chipped into some of the tile and concrete between the window and frame. What is the best way to prep this area to create a smooth surface prior to installing barrier and backer board?


texts: Solar Water Heater Exchanger Removal, Glycol Removal

texts:
I have an old Reynolds Solar Hot Water Heater and would like to uninstall/remove it safely. All my solar panels were removed years ago but the tank is still here. COLD and HOT lines leading to solar water heater already CUT/DISCONNECTED. I want to uninstall everything correctly and prevent any glycol spraying all over the place.

First picture 1 & 2 were connected to solar panels and have the glycol in them. 3 is the HOT and 4 is the COLD water supply. Zoom in picture of where the lines meet the tank.

Red pump is the glycol (antifreeze), gold pump is for the water. Expansion tank is grey, and the valve with the looking glass is also glycol.

The IN and OUT valves are linked inline with the glycol and water pumps

Have the T&P relief valve followed by the black steel cylinder in bottom left corner used by heat exchanger

Lastly I have the drain valve at the very bottom of my water heater

Model diagram I found that uses similar plumbing (2 pumps, steel reservoir, glycol, minus the expansion tank)

SHUT DOWN PROCEDURE: (taken from their manual)
Depending on the requirement, not every step needs to be followed.
1. Unplug the controller.
2. If required, attach a hose to the System Drain
Valve.
3. Open the System Drain Valve and drain HTF to
a container if it has a propylene glycol additive. If
not, discharge the HTF to a drain or ground.
!!!CAUTION: SYSTEM HTF CAN BE HOT!!!
4. Close the System Drain Valve.

Steps I am planning on doing in the following order:

Attach hose to drain relief valve at bottom of water heater and
evacuate all the water
Pull lever on T&P valve to release excess pressure or water remnants
Release all pressure in Expansion tank by depressing the schrader
valve
??? Attach hose to the OUT fitting of the glycol and turn the knob
to open up the system and drain into bucket. Dispose of chemicals properly. ???
Disconnect pipes 1, 2, 3, 4 with pipe wrench from the water heater
tank

EDIT: For #4 step, is that the correct method? I've seen refrigerators and car ac systems use a vacuum to evacuate the glycol, preventing it from releasing into the atmosphere (assuming it's toxic: polyethylene glycol). Do plumbers usually use a vacuum or just a hose + bucket? Again, want to avoid spraying water/glycol all over the place when disconnecting everything. Am I missing any safety steps? I want the system to be bone dry and depressurized.


texts:
I'm trying to replace the battery of my watch, but I can't work out how to take off the back cover, to get to the battery? (see photo)

I've Googled on how to remove the back cover of watches, but it seems to be the back covers vary quite significantly, and all the ones I've found tutorials for seem to have either screws or some notch on the back, yet mine has neither!

As you can see from the photo, my watch has a smooth metal plate on the back, with no obvious means of removing it.

Any help?


texts: What exactly is a "deep" (or "shallow") scratch on a vitrified floor?

texts:
I have scratches on my floor made by a sofa having been dragged.

Since I am not a native English speaker, I apologize for the clumsy description of my floor, there is certainly a right word for it I do not know.

This is a floor made of long panels with the following structure:

The base layer is some kind of hard amalgamate, the wooden one is supposed to be real wood (in one piece, not reconstructed) and the protective layer is what is called in France "vitrification", some kind of polish to protect and harden the floor.

When reading about the techniques to fix such a scratch, most of them make the distinction between "deep" and "shallow" scratches. What does this mean in practice?

The difference is in the solutions: some call for wooden paste + sanding + the protective layer (for the deep scratches) and some other just suggest to rub with wax.

How would you rate the depth of this scratch? (this is the same scratch under different angles,  sorry I do not have a camera with a macro lens or anything to actually measure the depth of the scratch)


texts: Which latch would work with this screen door?

texts:
I recently bought a used condo, and it has a sliding patio door.  The glass door works fine, but I noticed that the screen door is missing a latch.  Here is a photo:

Considering the holes in the door and the shape of the catch, what kind of latch would I need to replace the missing one?


texts: How much clearance is needed on a gas fireplace?

texts:
I have a small gas fireplace already installed.  I cut a hole in side and it looks like it has about a foot clearance (opening between the outer wall and fireplace housing).  In addition, it looks like there is 16 inches above the top for the fireplace and the bottom of the mantle.

I would like to reduce the clearance to 14 or 12 inches and wanted to know what is the correct clearance.  Additionally, I wanted to check if any mantel shield would be recommended as I would like to put a wood mantle on top.


texts: What is the ideal fitting to reduce gas line diameter from 3/4" to 3/8"?

texts:
I purchased a gas dryer that accepts a 3/8" NPT gas fitting at the back (typical of most gas dryers, I assume). My main gas line in the wall is 3/4". Total distance from meter to gas dryer is about 15-20 feet.

Given the ideal gas line configuration, what is the ideal fitting to reduce from 3/4" to 3/8"? Or should this be accomplished with more than one fitting (i.e., one fitting from 3/4" to 1/2" and another fitting from 1/2" to 3/8")?

Here is an insert from the Owner's Manual for the LG DLGX9001V:

If the dryer takes a 3/8" NPT fitting for the gas supply, and the home has a 3/4" gas supply pipe in the wall, with what fitting should I accomplish the reduction in diameter?


texts: Was concrete commonly used for 2nd floor flooring in multi-family apartment units built in 1950s?

texts:
I used to live in a 2nd floor unit in an apartment built in 1950. There was a golf sized "sink hole" on the floor and I wonder if I may have been exposed to asbestos.
I remember the floor being a hard surface (not hardwood), it was dark/reddish color, might even be glossy.  I don't remember it being tiled either since tiles usually have seams and I don't recall any seams. It was more of an uniform appearance. I really wonder it it's made out of. Could it be just concrete?
I remember inside the sink hole there is a rough concrete-like texture, but it had the same dark color as the surface. I don't think it's gypcrete since those weren't available in 1950.
It's been a long time but I'm a bit concerned now that I think  of it. On the bright side, we didn't disturb it much though (aside from occasional wet mopping), plus the fact that the damage is on the floor means gravity is on our side (hopefully). We lived there for a year.
Thanks


texts: How to properly level / build a fence for in my back yard?

texts:
I'm building a fence in my backyard it's about 300ft of fence and this is my first time doing a project like this.

I wasn't 100% sure the best method for leveling, my yard is mostly flat no big slopes but there is some grades to it like with any yard as no yard is perfectly flat. Each side of the fence will run about 100ft.

I started off running the back braces perfectly level to the ground using a 4ft level and making sure they were perfect on installing each one but I soon noticed as I'm moving further down the line that there is a decent size grade and my bottom post as I move further down is around 8 inches higher off the ground then when I started.

In the second picture you can see how I'm building the front panels which I leveled the top border of that panel too which is sloping up and If I continue this router by the end of the fence line going level I'll be 8 inches or so off the ground which I don't want.

So my question is what is the best way I should be doing this? My yard I thought looked pretty level but it appears it's not nearly as I thought.

Do I get the idea of level completely out of my mind and for the braces just measure up from the ground and keep them all the same and have the panels flow with the movement of the ground?

Any help would be great appreciated. Thank you.


texts: How to treat exterior wood that has been exposed for long periods?

texts:
I have some door frames and other wooden features which were originally painted but the paint has long-since all flaked off. The wood is not rotten and seems fundamentally sound but it is extremely dry and in my experience trying to paint wood in this condition has not gone well.

What is the best way to prepare and treat this sort of exposed exterior woodwork?


texts:
Part of my basement has carpet laid 25 years ago  The area is dry: never a water, mold or odor problem.  We tested a small area and it was a nightmare to remove the glue from the concrete.  We are thinking about installing a sub floor on top of the carpet, constructing a grid of 1 1/2" strapping and 3/4 plywood on top.  Will this work?

Edit: Thanks for the replies. I need to add that the house is a back split. The basement lower area basement is split. One half is the traditional basement housing the furnace etc and is 2 1/23 feet lower than the area that I will be making a sub floor for. There are four steps leading to an upper hallway. Off that hallway is the room I wish to install the sub floor. This area consists of the area which is 2 1/2 feet higher than the basement area. That area has been carpet over a cement base. Never had a water problem, no evidence of mold nor any damage to the existing carpet, never any foul order. The area is completely dry.


texts: How do I keep my carpet edges from curling upwards?

texts:
A brand new rug that was put in under the coffee table has one corner that seems to keep lifting up and people keep stumbling on it.

How do I fix this?


texts: How to finish room with protruding concrete ledge/foundation?

texts:
I am finishing a basement room and have a concrete ledge which is part of the foundation. It protrudes into the room about 2.5 inches and is about 6 inches high. This ledge is the result of a particular way of pouring the foundation which results (as I am told) in higher ceilings in the basement, but leaves this rather annoying ledge. (See photos).

Apparently there are multiple ways of working with this type of thing, which I learned from looking at similar homes in my neighborhood: Some people frame the walls inside the ledge completely, effectively shrinking the finished room by that amount; others have framed up to the window sill height and created a shelf in the room at that height.

I've chosen to maximize space in the room and finished the walls above the ledge intending to create an exaggerated baseboard around the concrete ledge. However, exactly how to do that is proving difficult.

First, the concrete thickness (protrusion into the room) is not consistent. It's 2.5 inches in the middle, but is nearly 2.75 at one end and 2.25 at the other. Whatever I cover it with will have to compensate. The height of 6 inches is fairly consistent.

Next the concrete is not smooth, there are many small protrusions which will have to be worked around or removed with a chisel or hammer.

Finally, I'd like to have a small measure of insulation so that the room is isolated from the cold concrete.

So, I've come up with two ideas that might work:

A. Use an adhesive to attach dense insulating foam, about 1/2 thick, to top and side of ledge. Attach MDF to these surfaces using adhesive, and router the corner to a rounded edge. Prime and paint.
B. Rip some 2x4's to a 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness and attach to ledge face every 16 inches, using concrete anchors. The thickness of the 2x4 would vary so that the end result is square with the room and makes up for the irregular shape of the concrete. Attach MDF to these. Fill air gaps with expanding foam insulation. Finish MDF with with a routered corner, prime and paint.

I'm not sure if there is a better or common way of building around such concrete ledges. The heart of the question: Is there a recommended way to build around a concrete ledge like this?

Factoids that may or may not matter:

The basement is at ground level.
The room is 11 ft. by 9.5 ft. (105 sq. ft.) The ledge is only on two exterior sides.
The flooring will be laminate.
The existing walls are insulated, framed, and already have finished drywall with texture and primer.

Update:

I decided to go with plan "A" and thought I would post an in-progress picture. Thanks for the suggestions and tips.

Update:

For those interested, here are some pictures several years later. I installed cabinets and notched the bottom/back to install flush with the wall. It protrudes inside the cabinet, but not overly so. Notching was quite a bit of work. The ledge doubles as a footrest. ;)


texts: Not sure where to connect C wire on furnace

texts: I have a Nest 3rd gen thermostat running heat and AC and I even have an extra wire running to the thermostat (5 in all). One wire at the thermostat wiring box is available to use as the C wire, but I have no idea where to connect it. The box has different letters. See the images from my Nest - showing no power coming to RH. The white wire connected to the Nest G apparently isn't connected to anything so I can move that to C on the Nest, but where do I connect it on the furnace wiring box?


texts: White and Rodgers programable thermostat

texts: Every Monday morning, 12:00 a.m. my heat goes on to 70*.  It is not programmed to go on.  It does this automatically. It stays at 70* until it is programmed to go down and runs properly until the next Monday incident.  I can't find the problem.  Help.


texts:
I am in India. The typical domestic supply here is 240v @ 50Hz 1phase.
The utility company recently replaced the old analog wheel type meter with a modern electronic meter capable of providing several readouts. Amongst these are Ip and In, which I assume are the phase current and neutral current, respectively.
I was under the impression current flowing out of the neutral is equal to the current drawn in by the device on the phase. Yet the readouts  differ by fair numbers as much as 200% as far as my attempts to test go; could be more if I try with other devices powered.
Why would the neutral current be significantly greater than phase current?


texts: Painting softwood kitchen floors, tar adhesive residue - advice?

texts:
Looking for any advice people have to offer about choice of paint, coatings, procedure, etc.

Details:

Original kitchen floors (doug fir) from a 1925 home.
About 150 sq ft.
Floors were originally covered with sheet vinyl, using a tar adhesive. Over the years, 3 additional layers of linoleum have been added.
(Everything's been tested for asbestos; no measurable asbestos content.)
I've removed all linoleum, the sheet vinyl, and as much of the tar adhesive as I reasonably can without engaging in serious sanding. (Who knows how much wood I'd have to remove to erase all signs of the tar, staining, etc? I'd rather not find out.)
We want a bright color (red/orange) on the floor, but for various reasons we'd prefer to paint than to lay down new linoleum (or other flooring).

Here's what I'm expecting:

Sand thoroughly, rough (100-grit), clean up dust.
No primer. (I've read/heard that primer doesn't stand up well to foot traffic. Too soft. Better to just apply the floor paint directly.)
Apply multiple, thin (or thinned) coats of latex enamel paint, designed for floors. (Maybe Sherwin-Williams’ Porch and Floor Enamel?).
No polyurethane top coat, which would make touch-ups more difficult.
Touch-up annually or as needed.


texts: will a larger gauge wire used to extend and outlet prevent power loss

texts: i need to get a power source 200' out from an existing outlet.  Can I use a 8 gauge wire from the existing outlet to the new one to prevent power loss?


texts: What are some cheap ideas to smoothen the surface of a papier mache?

texts:
I did a papier mache sculpture and I want to smoothen it. The end result of my paper mache has creases in it. I want an end result to be finished like it was done in wood, plastic or any solid smooth surfaces but can with stand with minor stretches or stress.

I tried coating it with plaster of paris and then sanding it to smoothen the surface, my only issue with this approach was, plaster of paris was too brittle and falloff easily from the mache. I don't also want to over-coat the paper mache with plaster of paris as it will be too heavy. I think i only coated it about .5 cm of thickness. Patching compound is another that I have in mind, but i guess the result would be similar to plaster of paris. It would be brittle and chip off easily from the paper.

What are some ideas or solutions you can advice me to do? I need it to be flexible that it blends well with the property of the paper machet. the papier mache is only as thick as .5 cm or less, probably 6-8 layers of paper. It also need to be cheap and readily available.

Thanks!


texts:
I am renovating a top-floor apartment (gutted it entirely & rebuilding everything). With new windows and doors, spray foam insulation etc, the space is becoming quite air-tight.
I will be putting exhaust vents in both bathrooms and the kitchen, as well as a multi-split AC system. Heat is electric baseboards & some heated floors (running ducts would be impractical at best in my situation).
How should I set up the air intake? I'm looking into a ERV (or HRV) system install. I have full access to the roof (can add vents etc).


texts: Weird Power Outage in Certain Rooms- Condominium

texts:
Half of the Condo I rent is losing power sporadically, sometimes for minutes other times for hours. We have power loss to our kitchen lights, microwave, outlet above dishwasher, the dishwasher, entire bedroom, both bathrooms, and the AC unit. Living room lights and outlets, fridge, oven, & foyer light work fine and never go out. We also have occasional flickering lights in the rooms with the power loss. I would say its the breaker, however the issue isn't just on one side of the breaker, its completely random. Also, when the power goes out we are using minimal electricity (usually just a light or two) so we are definitely not overloading the system. It's also important to note that the breaker NEVER trips and we just have to wait until the power just "magically" comes back on.
Any thought? 2 electricians have been in and cannot find the issue yet, thank you


texts: Single device for digital to analog television signal conversion

texts:
Recently Time Warner Cable stated that for our area the transmission was going full digital and that individual converter boxes are needed for each television.  (http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/support/tv/topics/digital-adapters.html)

Does a device exist that can do the conversion for all channels?  This device could be placed where the coax run comes into the house, the conversion is done, and all the other TV's in the house could be controlled normally.

Additional question: If a single box would not work, would it be possible to have a passive converter for each TV so the channel could be changed on the TV and not with the box?  I ask this because devices such as VCR's, DVR's, and USB tuners would suffer from not being to change the channel through their own programming.


texts: Convert this can to a "standard" light socket?

texts:
We've built a new home and the electrician put this fancy schmancy LED recessed lights in that should last like a decade or something. Which is great...except in my office I want to be all futuristic and use Philips Hue bulbs instead.

How would I convert these cans in to a standard can that takes a normal bulb?


texts: How to prep gypcrete bathroom subfloor that has wood around the toilet?

texts:
first time bath floor tiling. The subfloor is gypcrete concrete but around the toilet it is wood. The wood is rotting so I think I will take it out. But I don't know how to proceed. So a couple of questions:

How do I know if this is not part of a bigger structure? The rotten wood can be taken out easily but the good part stick very well to the floor.

What tool can a DIY-er find to remove this without damaging the plumbing?

After removal, what should I do to repair that part of the whole floor for tiling.

If another wood piece, how do I cut and put it down? after that I imagine I will need to put in a backerboard for that portion?

Is there anything similar to concrete that can be used in this case?

EDIT: I found out that the subfloor is not concrete, but gypcrete. Oh my amateur. And I have also decided that I will hire someone to do it as I don't have the right tools and skills and time so between running around renting tools and spending time and risking doing things wrong I have decided will have to hire someone. Thanks God I didn't start working on the 2nd bathroom.

EDIT 2: More questions :/

1. Do I have to remove the vanity cabinet? I don't want to. One contractor says I need to, others don't.

2. I am given 2 options: leveler or backer/cement board.

2a. Do I have to remove the old thinset completely if I go with leveler?

2b. Can leveler be used on the wood part? I didn't know that

2c. Which option is easier if in the future I decide to replace the tile, bathtub, toilet wood subfloor, vanity cabinet or toilet?

I am more inclined to use the leveler. One contractor says I need to use Wonderboard, another says I have 2 options here. But if the thing is poured over the wood and stick to the bathtub and the cabinet, won't it be very hard to remove it in the future?

EDIT 3: I removed the flange. I poked a measuring tape into the gape and the wood is 2 inch thick and below it is 2 feet of empty space. I don't understand how this piece of wood is secured in place. How do I removed the wood without damaging the gypcrete or below structure?

I can only borrow this circular saw https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/561


texts: Should I use 2' x 2' tiles for a galley kitchen?

texts:
I am redoing my kitchen and I'm considering using a large tile size. Are 2 foot by 2 foot tiles difficult to work with? Will I run into problems with size limitations of the tools I'm using and layout difficulties? I'll be working in my galley kitchen which is about 6 feet by 10 feet. I thought the bigger tiles would result in the least amount of grout lines, which is something which appeals to me.

Are there other factors such as tile material that I should consider as well? Are some types of tile easier to maintain than others?


texts:
I'm building a platform 22.5-23.5" high in a space 88" by 62-64", supports on three side but one free span side for a bed to slide out - the long side, of course. Because of height/width restrictions, space is at a premium, and wood just takes up too much room. I'm looking to save inches and weight wherever possible, but still end up with a platform that is structurally sound with minimal deflection (i.e. 50+psf live load, less than 1/3" deflection across long span).

Various online calculators go back and forth on whether I can use 2x2 steel or need 2x3 steel at 1/4" thick, or whether aluminum at 2x3, 1/4" would suffice. Will 2x2 steel work or 2x3 aluminum? Or stick with steel 2x3, with the long side vertical?

For either steel or aluminum: do I just use another length of same dimensions at sides for beam, and what kind of posts? For welding, as long as it is in the same plane, I don't 'pay' (in height or width, the most restrictive measurements) for extra lateral or bracing support on the platform top; besides corner triangular braces, should I add short lengths between metal joists for more support?

And, finally, how do I attach a plywood subfloor to the top of this frame? Are there brackets that go around 2x3 (or 2x2) that would work?


texts: Adding 50amp box directly beside electrical panel

texts:
My electrical panel is in the garage, which is drywalled. There are some available knock-outs in the side of the panel wall and this is mounted between the supporting studs. I want to pull the metal plug out, drill through the 2x6 and run 4, 6gauge wires to a 50 amp 4-prong plug that will be mounted in an external metal box directly beside the panel.
My questions are this:

Would this be standard practice, recognizing regional codes vary?

Are there issues with the wires running "wild" as they leave the knock-out hole which won't have a sleeve of any type?

The wires will go through the 2x6 bend towards the inside of the garage and enter the back of an external box that will house the 4-prong plug?

I won't have a stud to mount this box to so can I use molly-type drywall fixers to hold the box?


texts:
Short and sweet. First, we are on a septic tank. We are in Mississippi.

We called a plumber to snake our drain on our washing machine because one load pours gallons of water onto the laundry room, even caused us to have to replace a brand new washing machine.

Plumber says the old cast iron pipes have become completely gunked up with black sludge that  snaking it does nothing. Recommended someone bring a jetter, stand on the roof and flush out the entire pipe.

Note: This pipe connects our washing machine and kitchen sink. If we do nothing, the sink is next.

Problem is, the jetter may or may not work. If it does not work, we will have to run new piping. The plumber suggested just have it run into the yard since it is just the washing machine and kitchen sink, not the toilet.

Running pipe into the septic tank would require going into the foundation, basically a lot more work and a lot more expense than we can handle.

So, is it safe to run the pipe into the yard? Legal? I can't imagine a licensed plumber would tell us to do something that is illegal but you never know. We have children. We are near a lake (hundred yards or less) so that concerns me, too.

Any and all advice is welcome.


texts:
How should I wire my GFCI?
There are 5 wires from the box, two blacks, two whites and a copper wire. I used a multi-meter to test the blacks they both have voltage  of 117v (-ish).  One white has 30v (-ish) and the other white has none.
If I wire all of them to GFCI, two for Line and two for Load, its led turns green but it cannot  be reset and there is no power from its socket.
If I only wire 1 set of black and white it works.
What should I do? Should I connect them to the same line port?
To fully power of this I have to switch the Disp and DW breaker off. (They are link together as the picture)
Edit: (add some images). Note both black wire have voltage before I group them like this so don't blame me.


texts: What does it mean when a property listing says that the county denied for a "conventional" septic system

texts:
I'm interested in buying a plot of land and building something on it. I'll need plumbing and electricity on this plot of land and I think I found a perfect lot for sale, but one of the bits of information on the listing is:

County denied for a "conventional" septic system 12/15/15

I must admit I'm not really that familiar yet with this sort of thing, so if the county denies a "conventional" septic system does that mean that plumbing won't be allowed on this property? or that I have to pay for the system myself? Would I be able to hook up a shower, bathroom and kitchen?

As I said, I'm not familiar so some advice would be great! Thank you.


texts: How do I handle significant snow and ice dams on a 4/12 gable roof with ridge vents?

texts:
It is our first winter in a new-to-us house, that has a pretty flat roof (3/12-to-4/12 pitch), and a ridge vent along the entire top of the roof.  We just had the snowiest December on record (Minnesota), which put a good 36" of snow on the roof, burying the ridge vent.  I have been up on the roof, and have cleared most of the snow, but we have a good 4' ice-dam that has bridged to/filled the gutters (and is a good 4" over the top of the gutters currently).  My primary concern, is that water seems to be getting behind the facia, into the eaves, then coming out on the outside of the house, and running down the exterior siding where it freezes.  So far there is no apparent water damage inside, but I want to get this cleared up ASAP before it gets into the house.

My questions are-

1) What is the best way to get rid of the ice dam (the entire edge of the roof, on both sides of the house, 55' on each side, has an ice dam going 4-6' up the roof)?  I have thrown a bunch of potassium chloride up on the roof, but it didn't seem to do too much.  I'll try the nylon tube mentioned in the answer here, but how should I orient it to get the most ice off the roof?

2) How do I prevent this in the future?  I have a roof rake, and can rake the first 6-8' of the roof, but does that do any good if the ridge vent is blocked?  It sounds like the heat tape doesn't work all that well.  Thoughts?

Edit- Well, the nylon stockings with potassium chloride have been on the roof for 8 hours now, and they have yet to melt anything... hummm...


texts: Venting a portable a/c into another room that is closed off with the window open

texts: I have a portable air conditioner in my bedroom, and I use it only at night when I am sleeping, and only maybe 10 nights a year. I hate to block up the window with the unwieldy vent hose set-up several months out of the year just for this infrequent use. So I was thinking of an unusual set-up. There is a bathroom door going into this bedroom, but I never use that door because there is a secondary door to the bathroom from the hallway. The bathroom happens to have a large window. I was wondering if it would work to vent the a/c unit by cutting a hole in the door between the bedroom and the bathroom and having it vent into the bathroom. I would have both doors of the bathroom closed, with draft-stoppers to block the gaps at the bottom to minimize heat seeping through, and I would keep the bathroom window wide open, so there would be dissipation of the hot air coming out from the a/c hose. I could even add a portable fan in the bathroom positioned so it is drawing the hot air coming out of the hose out towards the window. In addition to not hampering the use of the only bedroom window, this set-up has another attractive aspect. To reach the window, the unwieldy 5.9" diameter hose has to do two gradual S curves from the back of the a/c unit , and this takes up a lot of space. (Sharp curves are frowned upon.) By positioning the hole in the door EXACTLY at the height the hose comes out of the back of the a/c unit, I don't have to have any curve in the hose at all. It would be a straight 12" connection to where it goes into the hole in the door. This would save a lot of space.  The two problems with this idea is - if I have to go to the bathroom during the night, I could see the other door to access it, but it would be very hot in there! But how much time would I spend in there? Two minutes? I could take the heat for 2 minutes. A bigger problem is the hole that would be left in the door after the a/c season if over and I remove the hose. You would think I could find a simple white plastic cap to go over this hole, but my search on google has not been successful. All sorts of flanges made for portable a/c hoses, but no simple cap or plug. I would appreciate any ideas for this, and also ask if anyone can see a fatal flaw in this idea!!


texts: Air handler blower, motor, or something else?

texts: My blower just stopped working. I have 240 volts to the motor but it won't spin. It will turn an inch or so but that's it and it tries repeatedly. Could it be something besides the blower or the motor? It's a variable speed.


texts: Breaker feeding sub-panel causes other breakers to trip

texts: I have a 40 amp circuit feeding a sub-panel in the garage. Sub-panel has 5 breakers (GFCI/AFCI combo breakers) feeding outlets for holiday lights. Our AC compressor breaker started tripping last week, as did two other circuits in our basement.  The garage circuit was also tripping (in the sub panel, not the main), with nothing but a lamp and desk fan as far as a load on it.  I found that by shutting off the 40amp to the garage feed in the main panel, the AC unit and basement breakers were no longer tripping.  Coincidence?  Could the 40amp breaker be bad and causing issues within the main panel?  Or would it be more beneficial to start looking at the garage circuits themselves?  I have not yet tried to recreate the issue, but my plan is to go one circuit at a time in the garage, to see if I can get the AC breaker to fail again. (when it's not 95 degrees outside)


texts: How do I uninstall a velux blackout blind?

texts:
(A Velux blind is a brand of skylight/roof-window in the UK that's apparently quite popular).

We have a couple of velux windows with blinds attached.  We'd like to swap them for the black-out blind variety, but having ordered the new ones, are at a bit of a loss for how to uninstall the current ones.

How to best do this?  Couldn't find any information on velux's site.


texts: AC fan and Compressor not cycling properly and turning off

texts: AC was not cooling and out side unit fan was turing on intermittently, install the new capicitor, problem stays same, fan and compressor ran, fan stop befor ecompressor, compressor run little longer without fan then stop. Change the fan motor, still not working. It runs intermittently. Something may be getting heat up and stop running, but what?


texts: How do I connect a Class B vent to this heater

texts: When I moved in a two years ago this heater wasn't working. Turns out the tree roots crushed the gas line. When I did my patio I had a new gas line put in. The heater fires up and runs good. The prior owner removed the vent when he replaced the roof. I can't find an oval vent to connect to this. It's 3" high by approximately 4 1/2" wide. Do I bend a single wall 4" vent to fit and connect the Class B vent to the single wall or does someone make an oval vent?


texts: A professional to test asbestos safety in furnace ducts

texts:
We live in a rented house with an old furnace duct system (probably 1960's). There is asbestos-containing duct-wrap all around the ducts, and it starts to crumble in some places (it's located in the attic).

I want to make sure that it is safe to use the duct system.

My question is: what type of companies / professionals should I be looking for in order to do this kind of inspection? (we live near San Jose, CA).

Thanks in advance!

Background:

This question,
and a breakdown of professionals that I have spoke with:

HVAC cleaning companies: don't want anything to do with it.
Asbestos companies (like Benchmark environmental, EnviroCheck): propose to take samples and see if the material is asbestos or not. They don't do an overall evaluation, or even promise to look at the entire duct system.
Other HVAC companies: "we don't clean ducts" / "We won't touch anything with asbestos" etc.


texts: The best kind of tiles for using on floor and walls

texts:
I'm in the process of doing up a room in my home for short term rental. It is a small room, and approximately square; about 12.5 ft by 12.5 ft. This room is on the edge of a building; we normally refer to it as a tower room. A picture of the exterior appears below; it is the room below the dome closer to the viewer.
The room no longer looks exactly as it did in this photo; the wooden windows have been removed and will be replaced by sliding windows. I was advised that tiles on the floor and the walls was a good way to go, because they were durable and low-maintenance. I'm in Bombay, India.

The types of tiles available includes ceramic, vitrified, porcelain, and stone. This article has a more comprehensive list, but my list covers most of the types commonly used, I think; the others in the article seem more exotic.

So, the question is, which tiles do I use and where? I am quite partial to granite, so I'm thinking granite tiles would be nice. But I'm not sure what the pros and cons of this are. Also, I'm hoping to stay in the ₹ 50-100 range.

One thing to be aware of it that there are very heavy seasonal rains in this part of the world, usually from June through September. Therefore moisture can seep through the walls from outside. However, it should not be an issue for the floor.

So, my question is - which type of tiles do I choose? What are the pros and cons? An important criteria is durability. Another is aesthetics. People will be sleeping in this room. It will be hot outside much of the time. There will be an A/C running inside. Are any of these factors relevant?


texts: Filling large hole in concrete floating floor

texts:
I have a big hole in my kitchen floor (inserting a beam and post to take down a load bearing wall), and I'm now left with having to fill this hole (after dumping around 300 mm of concrete on the post footing).

It's a floating concrete floor and the hole is right between two of the concrete beams (500 mm apart). On each beam there is a small (20 mm) lip. The floor is beam and block (except instead of blocks it's just polystyrene insulation blocks) with the concrete poured on top.

I've heard two suggestions on how to fix the hole:

1) Cut the edges of the hole clean, then cut and put a 40/50 mm thick concrete slab (council slab) on the lip, DPM, celotex insulation 100/80mm, another DPS sheet, and then 40-50 mm of concrete (with mesh) on top.

2) There is about 400 mm of air between the ground and the bottom of the floor. dump hardcore in the hole until it's level with the floor, then basically just add a bunch of concrete and the 100 mm insulation.

I'm putting laminate flooring (so I'm doing a DMP paint, and then adding plastic DMP sheeting) and would like to not have to wait forever for a very thick layer of concrete to dry out (which could take months), as we are eager to start working on making the room habitable.

I'm a bit worried that the 20 mm lip supporting the concrete slab (Option 1) will cause a very high load along the middle of the slab, which might cause it to snap like a KitKat. Maybe adding the hardcore (Option 2) would be a good idea to support the slab? or having a steel plate cut?

Any suggestions or comments will be appreciated.


texts:
I just spilled 14 ounces of an energy drink containing fructose and small amounts of fruit and vegetable juices on my (probably nylon) carpet.

I immediately covered the stain with about 50 ounces of salt, waited ten minutes, and vacuumed up the salt.  There is no visible stain, the entire area is either completely dry or just barely damp to the touch (I keep changing my mind), and there is no sign of any stickiness or other remaining evidence of the spill.

Question:  Am I done with the cleanup, or should I be worried about sugar or other ingredients staying in the carpet and doing ongoing damage, either directly by interacting with the carpet fiber or indirectly by attracting bugs or rodents or God knows what else?


texts:
I recently purchased a sink (at a great price) only to find out it's an under mount model (see link below).  Can I install this as a drop-in?  Was thinking the laminate counter would not be supportive enough.  Can I router the edges for a flat fit for drop-in?

https://www.mrdirectint.com/848-mocha-large-single-bowl-undermount-trugranite-kitchen-sink.html


texts:
So I am in the process of finishing out my basement. I am going to start by first building my office, and later doing the rest of the basement. My basement is divided in half, and I have the typical metal floor to support beam jacks running down the middle. The floor also slopes towards these jacks, and back towards the back of the house, where the cleanout for the sewer is. When I install the 2x4 framing, one side of the room is going to be lower than the rest.

In measuring, it's 7 feet exactly on the low side, and 7'-4" on the high-side. That's a 4" difference in height between the two sides.

Can I just pour some self leveling cement on it and let it fix itself? If so, hoe do I know how much to mix up so I don't make the new area higher than the rest of the floor?

What are some solutions to remedy this?


texts: How do you comply with NEC receptacle requirements in row homes with brick walls?

texts:
I'm rewiring a Philadelphia row home, which like many others, has brick and cinder block for the side walls.  There is no framing, just lath and plaster.  I know some flippers will put in 2x3 studs to make things easier, but I'd prefer to avoid this for reasons of both cost and space.

What they Originally did was chisel away part of a brick and install the receptacles in the base trim.  At the time they made small, narrow boxes, probably only 1 1/4" deep and completely flat on the front with wings made to nail into the trim.  I have looked all over for these.  I can't even find a picture of one.  How are people handling this in renovations?  The only other solution I can think of is that ugly plastic channeling that runs on the outside of the wall.


texts: What's the procedure for diluting bitumen mastic with a solvent?

texts:
The can of bitumen mastic says I can add up to ten percent solvent to make the mastic easier to apply. Applicable solvents list follows. The problem is the mastic is so stiff tat if I put a stick vertically into the mastic it doesn't fall - just stands still so it's unclear how I would mix the mastic with the solvent such that it mixes uniformly and the process takes reasonable amount of time.

What's the procedure for such dilution?


texts: garage light with two hots and one neutral

texts:
I was in the process of replacing a 23-year old fluorescent tubelight fixture in my garage with a similar (physical) size LED fixture.  When I opened up the light, I found that from the ceiling box there were three wires (none of which was a ground wire) coming out.  Picture shown below.

Two of these (left and middle) were combined with a wire from the fixture using a twist connector.  And another one from the box (right) was connected to another wire from the fixture.

When I turned the mains back, I find that the wires on the two extremes were both hot wires and the one in the middle is a neutral.  And, both these hot wires are both hot even when the switch (the one that operated the fluorescent lamp) is turned off.

About a foot away on the ceiling is the plug to my garage door opener.  When I removed the light fixture, the garage door opener stopped working and in fact that plug does not have power.

I did a quick test -- connected the hot (right) and neutral (middle) to the new LED fixture and it works perfectly.  The hot on the left was just capped.  The garage door plug did not get power.

QUESTION -- should I connect it back the way it was (description above) and are these connections making sense?  Why is a neutral and a live being connected here?


texts: Can you screw roof metal directly to OSB between rafters?

texts:
I'm building a 14x16 tiny house and doing a metal roof. It's a slanted/skillion roof and the rafters are running down from the tall end to the lower end on 16" centers with no cross braces. I'm questioning whether I need to add 2x4s in between all of the rafters or not. The OSB won't be a problem because 4' will always break in the middle of a rafter, but I don't think the metal will always break directly on top of the rafters where I need to screw. Is it okay if some of the screws going into the metal just go through the OSB? Will it have adequate holding power? And should I be concerned about leaking? The rubber for the screws should obviously stop leaking but I'm curious if it's normal to do it this way or not.

Thanks.


texts: What is the *interrupting rating* of a GFCI receptacle?

texts:
Say, we have a UL943 compliant 15A GFCI receptacle on a garden-variety 15A grounded branch circuit.  Some nitwit comes along and wirenuts the receptacle's load-side hot to the branch circuit ground, creating a bolted ground fault.  When the power comes back on -- both the breaker and the GFCI are going to race to trip on what they both detect as faults.

If the GFCI "wins the race" and trips before the breaker does, how much fault current can it safely interrupt?


texts: How do I make a lamp cord stick to drywall?

texts:
Because trying to fish electrical wire through the walls and ceilings of my old house was too daunting, I have resorted to using a lamp cord to power a ceiling-mounted light from an existing outlet on the wall.  How do I make the cord stick to the drywall?

I tried hot glue but it didn't hold and cable clips (white plastic loops with nails) fell right out of the drywall.


texts: I've got a dry wall that had some old looks to be latex paint on it. I'm in the middle of repainting it and I see a small edge of paint stickin out.  I try to pick it off and a sheet of paint rips up.  I keep trying to pick the edges and more keeps peeling up.  How should I go about painting over this?  I can't get a smooth surface because there's always an edge of old paint left waiting to be peeled up.  And I don't want to paint overs surface that can just be peeled up again so easily.


texts: Weather Resistant Outlets vs Weather Proof Box

texts: If I use a regular GFCI in a Weather Proof In-Use box does the GFCI have to be the Weather Resistant kind?


texts: Propane heater steady runs ,, room temperature is 5-6 degrees below setting

texts: Heater is running continually  ,room temperature is like 68-70. Monitor is on 66 but air temperature reading is 61


texts: How to add grounded junction boxes when installing recessed lighting?

texts:
I'm interested in adding recessed lighting in my basement where there are only two flush mount fluorescent fixtures, so I'd be adding 8 or 10 additional fixtures. My home has no dedicated ground wire, all three prong outlets (that have been converted from two) are grounded via the boxes.

How do I go about adding new fixtures and grounding them properly?


texts:
How do you recommend putting in deck stairs on uneven ground? I have significant slope in both directions - 8 inches sideways across a step and 3.5 inches down the steps. See attached drawing showing wrap-around steps at the corner, but the highest point from the ground to the top of the deck is 20 inches, which slopes down towards the bottom of the stairs to a height of 23.5 inches. The lowest point from the ground to the top of the deck is 15 inches.

Nothing has been built yet, so I can change the layout if this isn't going to work. But I'd really like to make it work because it seems to be the best location convenience-wise for the steps. Open to other suggestions though.


texts:
Trying to get a really precise answer about what to do with each wire. I got some answers before but they were not specific enough and had run on sentences I could not make sense of. I am very handy, have installed lights before. This one is puzzling me. It was one of the loose ends that the contractor did not do. He's already been paid. Too busy to come back or return calls.
I have three lights and two switches, and a bunch of resulting wires. The switches are wired up, so we're good there. The lights are not. I just have wires and don't know where they ought to go.
Using my tester stick I have only found 1 hot black wire between all three lights.
I did a continuity test.
If anybody could help with letting me know the right combo of what to hook up to what I would greatly appreciate it. I've taken some pictures and I am hoping that somebody can help with this information.
The power is off at the breaker when I am working, and I do safety checks to make sure I am not working with live current.
Thanks so much!
If you could explain in really specific layman terms which # wires to connect to what, or each other, I would really appreciate it. Simple terms like how you might talk to a small child or Golden Retriever. LOL. Thanks guys!


texts:
I have to do a one side 8ftx6” slab repair on 6 lower chords on my trusses. I can use 10dx3 nails or #8x3 screws.
Do you think it would be better to use nail gun or screws?. I understand nails have better shear strength but not sure if that is an issue on this application. And if i use screws, do they have to be structural screws? I asked the engineer but he is an ass and will not answer more questions without paying him more. I have about 80 fasteners to install. Thanks Dean


texts: I'm trying to replace old ceiling light with a new one.  New light has only blue and red, no green.  There are 2 cables coming from the ceiling each with 3 wires. Green/blue/red and green/black/red.  I've blocked green/green and tried blue/black to blue and red/red to red but light goes on but not off.  Blue to blue and black/red/red doesn't work. Any suggestions?   UK.


texts: Can a light fixture cover another junction box?

texts:
I have a relatively large light fixture (Hampton Bay 20" LED round ceiling puff) that mounts like normal to a round ceiling box.
I need to place a junction box (old work drywall box) in the ceiling near the fixture.
Can the fixture cover the junction box?
If so, should the junction box have the cover plate on or off?
If no cover, would it need screws from the fixture into the junction box?
It's not a deal breaker if I can't hide the box but it would simplify installation.


texts: I'm putting together a swing set in my backyard mostly following this Youtube video. I'd like to make sure that the legs of the A-frames don't sink into the ground over time when it rains, etc. What the best way to do that without making concrete bases for the legs? Will the swing set anchors with spiral discs be enough for that? The anchors I see on Amazon etc. look small (only ~2" disc) so want to confirm. If such anchors are not enough, what if I connect the (bottom) tips of each A-frame with another 4x4 or 2x4?


texts: How do go from a single light/fan bathroom switch to a double paddle with no ground or hot wire?

texts:
The old switch had just 2 side wires, one for the fan and one for the light. There was no ground of hot.

I'm installing a legrand radiant 2 in 1 paddle switch, and it's not working. I'm assuming that's because there's no ground of hot.


texts: Can I use a bat handled toggle switch instead of a boring standard toggle switch on the wall?

texts: I want to create a steampunk-themed chandelier, including a steampunk-look switch on the wall. Is there a fundamental difference between the standard light switches sold for home lighting and a similarly-specced bat handled light switch that is sometimes used on lamps and electrical equipment? The attached switch is rated 20amps at 125vac so I would think it was appropriate for my purpose. The only thing it doesn't have is a ground screw which might be the stopper unless there's a way to add a grounding wire to the metal part of the switch. Would someone with ACTUAL electrical knowledge (not just someone without an imagination ;) ) weigh in on this one? I asked somewhere else and the person said it would work fine but in another forum people said no (but I don't believe they are electricians since it was on Amazon and they didn't give any reason it wouldn't work). It seems like an artificial disqualification to say this wouldn't work just because the handle looks different than a normal light switch. Are the guts exactly the same? Switches are pretty simple mechanisms so seems like they would be.


texts:
Redoing the shower in the master bathroom on 2nd floor and debating whether to knock out a wall and put in a corner glass enclosure. Started by removing framing to make 7’ shower to an 8’ shower. Easy enough. Now I need to know whether the small divider wall is a bearing wall. Here are the facts:

-house has roof truss construction that spans end to end (no rafters, etc.). House built 1991. Many lofted ceilings, open areas, etc. I am thinking the exterior walls only support the loads.

-to further that, neighboring space in hallway (see pictures) is open end to end, meaning there is unsupported open space that runs end to end of the house (no walls for support). End to end measures 23,8”.

-wall is 34” long and is 3’2” away from one exterior side. You can see the exterior window in 1 of the pictures. Point being is that this isn’t a wall in middle of the house. There is just the toilet between it and the exterior wall.

-The bottom of 1 truss is in contact with the top of the wall. All the other stuff is furring strips for attaching ceiling drywall, etc. There is a double top plate, but like others have said, this may not mean anything. The wall on the other side of the shower is single top plate (this wall with the plumbing is staying). Not sure why.

-I have steel support posts in the middle of the basement which are more toward the center of the house. None of the walls seem to be aligned with them – they are in different spots. The wall in question is toward the front of the house (3’2” away), not in the center area (11-12 feet).
I am thinking it can’t be load bearing. Was looking up structural engineers, but everything in the township is shut down due to COVID, except for emergencies. Is this cut and dry enough where I probably don’t have to worry? I am a mechanical engineer, but do product design, so residential construction isn’t exactly my specialty. Thoughts?


texts: My kitchen light switch suddenly will not move up or down and I cannot turn the kitchen light on. Is there anything I can do to fix it (I'm a duct tape/WD40 kind of fixer) or do I need to call someone?


texts: How to install a ceiling fan box in a plaster ceiling

texts:
I'd like to install ceiling fans in a house with lath and plaster ceilings.  I've looked into support boxes at big box stores which attach to ceiling joists.  However, these kits are sized for drywall, and don't protrude deep enough to reach the surface of the plaster.

How do I safely mount the fan to the thicker plaster ceiling?


texts: Storing energy from small wind generator to power led garden lights

texts:
I want to create a small wind generator using a bike generator (se picture) to power some led garden lights during the night.

I have so far created a 1m in diamater wood propeller and a rotating house for the generator that seem to work well (the propeller rotates and the housing turns to face the wind).

My current problem is energy storage. The generator creates somewhere between 10-13 Volts on a decent day. The led lights in the garden will be either 6 or 12v (I havent bought them yet). I have two questions.

What kind of battery is suitable for this type of things (continous
slow charge and discharge, I'm thinking a car battery, but I don't know).
Can anyone link to some type of battery management electronic that will keep the battery from getting fried by over/under charging?

Thank you.


texts: I'm trying to create a giant medicine cabinet here on this wall, and hoping to put a receptacle on the inside of it.  I don't want wires to channel inside of the cabinet itself.  Right now, I have a receptacle to the left of the stud.  What are my options?  Located in USA, Nevada.  THanks.


texts: Bathroom light switch changed, now the light only turns on when the fan switch is turned on.

texts: I switched the light switch in the bathroom today because the toggle broke off.  I took out the old one, which is the Leviton 15 Amp Duplex Style Single-Pole / 3-Way AC Combination Toggle Light Switch and put in the Leviton 15  Amp Combination Double Switch.  The are almost identical and I put the wires back the same, but now the light only turns on when the switch for the fan is also on.  The fan comes on regardless of the light being off or on. Any advice?


texts: How to splice wires on an Electric dog fence

texts: I am installing an electric pet fence.  It is indicated that the perimeter wire must be able to make it around the yard to meet at both ends so it can be spliced into the twisted wire that feeds into the transmitter. The twisted wire will cancel the signal. So I get all that   My question is, is there any type of tubing I can feed through some of the live wire so it can be another dead zone.  Also, how can I splice off twisted wire to create another dead zone.  I was thinking of the running the 15feet through the crawl space since I read concrete may block the signal.   Help  P.S. I am not an electrician but one did set the transmitter into the wall.


texts: Trying to remove a bar sink faucet and we have nothing to unscrew to be able to remove it

texts:
We are trying to replace a bar faucet that was an expensive unit but 20 years old.

All the videos we watched showed a fairly simple screw to unscrew and the faucet would come right out. With this faucet, if you look at the screw and the two plates above the threaded part, nothing moves and we can't get any traction at all.

The actual faucet can twirl somewhat on the tile, but nothing actually moves below. The threaded part isn't part of any screw or nut and the threaded part isn't threaded all the way around, it has notches in the threaded area.
It would seem like those plates might be the working part but I can't make them move either.

What tool to use because nothing is working.

Any thoughts on what we are dealing with and how to remove it?


texts: I have an unused 240v 50 amp circuit. I would like to put a 15 amp 120v hardwired load on one of the legs. Is this ok? Is there an issue of current imbalance?


texts: How can I make a wall surface tolerant of high-bond adhesive tape?

texts:
When one remove acrylic (high bond) double sided tape from wall, it often damages the wall. Surface material is peeled off, usually drywall and plaster, and sometimes paint.
When one build a new house, how do one make a wall surface strong enough against tape? Is there any newly invented but rarely known drywall material or paint for this problem? Thank you


texts: Is my heat pump's condenser fan motor bad?

texts:
The other day my AC stopped working. I'm thinking the condenser fan motor has gone bad (unit is ~10 years old). Here is what I did to troubleshoot which led me to believe it was the fan motor.

1.Turned on, sounds like the compressor kicks on, but the fan doesn't turn on.

I turned the power off and took the top grate off. The fan blades turn just fine.
I took the side panel off and all the wiring looks good.
I disconnected the fan from the defrost circuit and tested continuity on the two terminals on the defrost circuit (while thermostat was set to cool, temp was way down, but power was still off). Had continuity.
I bypassed the defrost circuit by hooking the two wires together and turned power on. Compressor turns on, fan does not.
I checked the contactor to make sure no wires were loose and look for corrosion. Everything looked good. In fact, with thermostat set to cool and temp turned down (high voltage power off), the contactor's electromagnet was working and the switch was on.

Basically I followed the instructions here, which incidentally, the unit they are working on is identical to my unit, which was nice. The only thing I didn't check was the capacitor as I don't have a multimeter which checks farads.

I'm going to check the capacitor tonight as I'm borrowing a better multimeter from a friend. Assuming that checks out, does my diagnosis sound good?

Do I need to change the capacitor too?

Being a ~10 year old unit, I'm aware that I'll probably need to replace the whole thing soon. I'm hoping a new fan motor will buy me a few years though. If not, I'd rather waste $100 instead of $200 trying to replace the motor.

Update
Based on the info in this question, I decided to fire up the AC and give the fan a push. It started right up. I got my friend's multimeter, but it only went up to 20μF. My capacitor said 40μF, so I didn't test it. Since spinning the fan blades with the AC on got it going, I'm going to replace the capacitor today.


texts: Grounding a ceiling fan with FMT conduit present

texts:
I am replacing a recessed can light with a new ceiling fan/light.  The old housing is a 6" HALO 7HT like this:
Inside the metal box there are 2 bare copper ground wires connected.  Inside the conduit there are only the white and black wires.  The fan assembly has 2 green ground wires and installation guide says  "Connect the ground conductor  of the 120V supply (this may be a bare wire or a wire with green colored insulation) to the green ground lead(s)  of the fan. When using standard ceiling mounting, there are two green grounding leads; one from the mounting bracket  and one from the hanger ball/downrod assembly"
My problem is that the 2 green ground wires from the fan assembly cannot reach the 120V ground connector inside the metal box.  The conduit does not contain a ground wire.  Am I supposed to fish one through the conduit and attach at each end?  Is the conduit itself grounded?  Bottom line:  how do I safely and properly attach the 2 green grounding wires of the fan assembly using the conduit and metal box that are in the ceiling?

So I believe what I am reading is that if I connect the conduit to the box with the connector (black), I can then hook the 2 green ground wires from the new fan / light to the grounding screw in my new box (blue-green in the above pic, not yet screwed into the box in the below pic).
1-  correct?
2-  the connector is plastic....do I need a metal one?


texts: Can my cabinet lights be operated with a dimmable switch?

texts: The previous homeowner underwent a kitchen remodel and cabinet lighting was installed. I did a “Google” search for what I think is the model number listed on the back side of the unit but came up short - see picture. The manufacturer is Nasun and I believe the model number is WFL701A3W


texts: Mounting an outdoor ceiling fan in a pergola?

texts:
I'm would like to mount an outdoor fan in a pergola in an attractive way.
In the first photo I like how the junction box (?) is hidden.

Everything I can think of doing is going to end up looking like the one in this second photo.


texts: need advice for installing electrical outlet inside soffit/eave

texts:
I'm going to be running new 14/2 from an outlet mounted on the inside of the same wall, through the header, and into the eave/soffit cavity outside. This new outlet will be used to power a nest camera and some string lights.

To keep things looking clean, I was thinking of just doing a surface install to the side of one of the ceiling joists that extends into the soffit. The soffit is wood, so to give me access to this outlet (both during installation and for somewhat adhering to code) I was going to install an access panel in the soffit.

My question is can I run the Romex directly into the box mounted to the joist? Or, since that outlet will still technically be accessible, do I need to use conduit over the Romex wherever it's visible from the open access panel?

Unrelated but for completeness, I intend to drill a hole in the soffit to route the lights and camera cables into the soffit cavity and plug them into the new outlet. Then caulk around that hole to close things up.


texts: Waterproof front lip of shower pan that is beveled for entry?

texts:
I have a 36" x 60" pre-formed fiberglass/acrylic showerpan in white color.  I have had an issue come up that I thought would not be so big of deal but now I can see it is.  3 of the sides of the pan have that lip that your tile/tile board can overlap.  However the entire 60" front of the pan has no lip there! This is typical if you have the whole front open to a shower curtain or maybe glass but I only have 30" open and 30" is going to have a wall infront of the shower pan.  I know that I can install tile and use silicone to seal that lip and then maybe grout down to the base itself to provide durability to the silicone behind it, BUT, I am worried for the long term life of the seal.  Surely there is a better way?

The only two ideas I can come up with are 1.) A rubber gasket that will make a seal between tile and shower base lip, rubber meaning it's durable, will not rot, somewhat decent looking, etc. 2.) Some kind of acrylic mix that I can "form" a permanent lip for my tile to lay over.  If this product exists please link it from an online source! Locally I can not find it.  I was picturing something like bondo, but I do not believe bondo works with high moisture long-term.


texts: My electric panel faces inside the kitchen wall and limits my remodeling options - specifically, where I can locate the refrigerator.  Can you give me an idea of how much work it would be to reverse the panel to the other side of the wall - facing the dining room instead?


texts: What's the best way to touch up spray paint?

texts:
Complete DIY newbie here!

What's the best way to touch up something that's been spray painted?

I have some MDF/wooden furniture (the type that comes flat packed) that seems to have been spray painted (?) white but in some parts the paint has come off (the actual underneath is fine).


texts: Ground rod driver for very large ground rods?

texts:
I have a large Jack/Demolition hammer I use this to pound very large ground rods/stakes into the soil.  These rods are those over 1” in diameter.

The largest rod driver I can find will fit 1” diameter rods. This is it. Most rod driver attachments are 3/4”. Sadly I can’t find any rod drivers that will fit rods larger than 1”!  Do any of these exist? Ideally with a 1-1/8” hex shank for attaching to my jack hammer.

Alternatively, I’d love suggestions for other more DIY solutions.  In the past I made a very DIY dapter for my 1” rod driver with plumbing pipe adapters to create something that fit in the rod driver but then extended out and flanged opened into a larger hole that would fit my ground rods. That worked for awhile but the weak metal in the plumbing adapters broke after a day of use.  Something similar but much stronger could work as well. Here’s what that looks liked

Any ideas? Thanks!


texts: How can I remove this flapper alternative?

texts:
I had good luck in the past using this product to replace a leaky flapper valve.

However, this new  toilet does not have a flapper hinge on the  base of the flush valve.  Instead, there is a hinged piece of plastic that looks like two cylinders attached to each other at right angles.  The bottom flush valve ring has a piece going straight up that this "flapper" attaches to, and I have no idea how to take it off so that I can just replace that assembly with this kit I've purchased.


texts: Replacing older light switch, confused about "5a 250v 10a 125v" rating

texts:
I have an older light switch in my basement that no longer works (when lifted to the "on" position there is no "click" and it simply falls back to the "off" position).  I took off the faceplate intending to replace it but the markings on it were not a single rating, but instead contained what appears to be two sets of amp/volt ratings?

If the text is not legible in the photo it reads:

5A 250V 10A 125V
UND LAB INC INSP
A. H. & H.
U.S.A.

I'm a bit confused by this-- When previously replacing light switches I've generally relied on simply replacing the switch with a new switch of the same rating as that seemed relatively safe.  There are only two wires going in to the back of the switch, and as far as I am aware this is the only switch controlling the light in this room.  I am wondering what kind of switch this is.  I was hoping to replace it with this switch:

...which is rated 15A-120V.  I am located in the Chicago area of the United States.  I can take additional photographs or provide additional context upon request-- any assistance is appreciated.


texts:
I am looking to make a basketball court in my yard. Probably gonna be around 36’x25’. I think a concrete truck can bring about 10 yards of concrete. Would a 3.5” thick slab be strong enough? Do I need rebar? Would I be able to park a car/minivan on it?
Thank you


texts: remediate corroded fins on AC, if it possible - how?

texts:
The fins on my external AC seem to be heavily corroded by misplaced canine excretions:

Two 50 lb male dogs, about 5 years worth of misplacment.

As is, the AC cools the house more than adequately, and we only run the AC a few days per year so we are not worried about the extra load on the system (or should we?).

Since the fins are on three sides, the dog-urine corrosion seems equivalent to not having 1/10th to 1/8th of the cooling capacity of the radiator.  Some of the corrosion is 100% in the sense that it seems it would just powder away down to the R22 pipe.

Cleaning away the corrosion will open up big passages from the outside to the inside, thereby reducing the fan driven air flow over the remaining good-condition fins, thereby reducing the cooling capacity of the radiator even further.  It'll be worse off than leaving it be.

Is there a way to revamp the corrosion area without opening pipes of this 10+ year unit?

Maybe clean away the corroded fins, then sister on finned 'half-pipes' on either side using an epoxy/adhesive/liquidmetal with good heat transfer properties?  Or instead of adhesive, zip-tie the half-pipes in place with a thermal paste in between the half-pipe and the existing R22 pipes?

Or maybe leave the corrosion alone, upgrade the fan to increase the air flow?  But we don't want to leave the corrosion in place if it is going eat away the R22 pipes more than it already might have done.

We only use the AC a few days per year, 100 hours per year at most, so short of regaining cooling capacity, it would be worth the effort if I could do something keep the corrosion from eating away at the R22 pipes themselves.


texts: Will silicone caulk seals affect the bond of mortar and tiles to backer board?

texts:
I have heard to use a high quality silicone between each piece of densshield around all joints and corners and also a dab over each penetration including screw heads, around shower niches, around the mixing valve, and around the shower head outlet.  A true silicone never really hardens and this would form an elastic property when I tape and "mud" the joints, also per densshield directions.

Is this a concern? Obviously the silicon should be used with modesty just enough to seal the joints but I will be applying enough that I am comfortable it's watertight.


texts: My fireplace works great till I put the ceramic logs in, then it shuts off including the pilot

texts: My propane fireplace was shutting off after a few minutes, including the pilot light.  I took all the logs out.  The pilot stayed on.  I lit it and it stayed on.  I put the logs back in and it won't stay on.  I took the logs out one at a time and tried it.  No good.  Only works with no logs.  Over the years it has worked fine with occasional cleaning.


texts: How do I add an electrical switch for a closet light using an existing light switch?

texts:
I currently have a bedroom in which a 15amp single pole switch is wired to the light in the room. Power is coming from the light. The two brass terminals on the switch have the white (which has black electrical tape) at the bottom of the brass screw. The hot is at the top of the brass terminal. Of course, the bare copper ground is on the green screw. The wiring is 12/2.

I have added a closet light switch tapping power from the light switch in the room using 12/2 wiring (I know it's overkill). I wired it with black from the light switch to black to the closet switch with a pigtail going to the bottom of the brass screw. However I capped the neutral wires (white) on the back of the added closet switch and another 12/2 cable is going from the top brass screw going to the closet light. As well as the white going to white of the closet. Bare to ground. The closet light bulb is only 40watts.

Now whenever I power on the closet switch light it powers on but the bedroom lights flicker and then turn off and the closet light dims in and out. Any reason why? The bedroom lights are 4 recessed lights that only use 65 watts. If I turn on the bedroom lights first and then the closet light, the closet light does not turn on until I switch off the bedroom switch light. Any ideas on how I can fix this? Thanks.


texts: How do I extend outlets after installing a backsplash?

texts: I have installed a back splash in my kitchen, if I use the plastic spacers how many should I use or is there a limit? I understand that this can cause to much air space around the receptacle or light switch.


texts: Where can I get, or how can I DIY table slides that will accept leaves totaling 104"?

texts:
I have two identical 66" long tables with stationary pedestal bases.  The table tops slide apart to accept one 24" leaf in the middle resulting in tables that are 90" long.

I'd like to modify one of the tables so that it expands beyond 90" to 170", and accept 3 additional leaves.  In all, the 4 leaves will span 104".

What type of table sliders (rails) should I get and how should they be placed.  How far apart should I place the pedestals?

Additioanl details in case they are important:

I plan to make the extra leaves by cannibalizing the other table top.

The tables are 42" wide.

Each stationary pedestal is 30" x 24" x 26" length, width height.

I believe the tables are made of white oak.

Here are some pictures.


texts: what size lumber for a 8' horizontal span to hold a 250 lb. load

texts: to hang a sky chair on patio. Will be supporting at ends of 4x4 or some laminates of 2x4 (space limits), overall length is 90", max weight of chair and person 250 lbs. What size is suggested?


texts: Suction hose in my watering system getting air. What can be the problem?

texts:
I have a water deposit, with a pressure booster pump, very similar to this one:

Recently the pump stopped working properly. I don't get any water in the tap and, after inspection, I see that the suction hose has air.

I've solved the issue by filling the hose with water, but the problem happens again.

What might the problem be? What are the most common cases to get air into the suction hose?
What can I do to prevent the pump from eventually working dry (it didn't get to that point)?


texts:
We've got some wall art painted on to our walls with a paint brush that we'd like to cover up, but we'd like to be able to cover it up in a way that won't ruin the integrity of it, so that if anyone wants it back in the  future, we can still have it there. That means painting over it isn't an option.

Are there any ways to wallpaper it such that the wallpaper will sit on top of the art and can be taken down at some point in the future?

Thanks.


texts:
I have just installed a new washing machine which doesn't require a hot water feed as where the old one did so now that hot water feed is switched off.

Since then the tap on the main sink which is on the same piperun as the old feed has developed water hammer at low flows, is there any way to stop this?


texts:
This is a picture of the underside of my weed whacker/eater.  I'm wanting to purchase the "socket" which connects to the Axle below.  But I'm not sure what you would call this part.  Can someone help me out ?  Thanks in Advance, Patrick

Edit to clarify - Just the small part that would fit directly around the Axle.

"Socket":


texts: How do I repair wood that's been damaged with mold and bleach

texts:
My kitchen tap is set into the wooden counter instead of the metal sink, so water has dripped into the wood around the tap and made it moldy.

I put some bleach on it and it did remove the mold in one spot, but now the wood is much lighter.

So there's still a patch of mold and now a bleached patch, too. Did I use too much bleach or not enough? How do I fix it now?


texts: Does it make sense to paint floors prior to installing laminate flooring?

texts: I am building a new home & am taken aback by all of the never ending dust. Does it make sense to paint the subfloors prior to installing the flooring, in order to seal the dust. We have swept & vacuumed repeatedly, yet the constant drywall & grout dust persists.


texts: Options for replacing a broken kitchen faucet head?

texts: My kitchen faucet broke, the head piece where the water comes out fell apart, other than that the unit works.  I went to Home Depot and they sell the entire faucet instead of just the head. I wonder what is my option now and where I could find just the head?


texts: Options for sealing hot rolled (mild) steel with a matte finish?

texts:
I'm building a book shelf using 1.5" angle iron made from hot rolled steel as the frame. It's my understanding that this steel will rust even if left indoors. While I like the raw, industrial look of the mill scale, I would like to prevent the frame from rusting overtime without giving the metal a glossy appearance. Looking at different ways to seal metal, it seems like there are two options; hot methods and cold methods.

Hot methods include rubbing/painting on different oils then heating the metal to the point that the oil polymerizes. Here is a great example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIG6tQI73_Y. This is beyond my abilities and shop setup, beside it seems a bit egregious to use that much energy for my situation. So, I'm interested in cold methods (i.e. no heating involved).

The best method I've come across so far is apply multiple coats Penetrol (a flow control additive to help paint dry more evenly) which builds up a glossy layer of protection, then go over this with a single layer of oil-based matte polyurethane. I don't mind doing this, but I wonder what other methods could work? Would I be able to just rub the metal down with boiled lineseed oil and give it a few days to cure?


texts:
I have a 240v outlet in my front yard that is rarely used.  It is a pain to mow around and I have never had a need of it (installed by previous owners to power a refrigerated truck).  I do not want to remove it altogether as It could be useful in the future.

Does anyone know of a solution to place the outlet below ground, maybe in a dry box that could easily be opened and connected to when needed?


texts: My new Dyna-Glo heater won't stay consistently lit. How can I fix it?

texts:
The first time I installed this heater in a house it worked perfectly. It never went out unless we turned it off. Two months later I moved and installed it in my new house and now it either stays on for hours like before or turns off every couple minutes depending on its mood. It has the exact same set up in both houses. I've tried the typical remedies: The thermocouple is positioned properly... not that it can be adjusted anyways, I've cleaned it dozens of times, the pilot is a crisp, blue flame that hits the thermocouple perfectly, the propane tanks are full. Why would it sometimes stay on forever and other times turn off every few minutes?! So frustrating.
Model: BF30DTDG-4 30,000 BTU Dual-Fuel (Propane) Vent-Free Convection Wall Heater


texts: Can a loss of power cause a dry fire condition, or vice versa?

texts:
I had a Rheem Prestige Hybrid Electric Water Heater installed on in my pacific northwest home last November.
In January, one day our breaker tripped twice, for no apparent reason (no abnormal or heavy power consumption).
Today(mid March) the breaker tripped once, and then again an hour later. The second time, the unit displayed a "dry fire condition" alarm.  After resetting the alarm, it triggered again.  About 29 mins later, the breaker tripped again.
The last two days there has been some city water work on our block - not exactly sure what they are doing, but digging into the ground is about all I can see(I hadi really been paying much attention).
I'm sure the error message and the breaker are related, but not sure which is the cause, or if there is some other external cause, such as water work on the block?
I'll call for service in the morning butaybe someone can offer insight as to what might be the cause.


texts: How to reattach door handle where wood behind has deteriorated?

texts:
More door handle fun. So our apartment inside front door handle has fallen off as all 3 screws fell out. You can see the mess they were screwed into below:

I need to put this back on in the same place.

What would be the recommended course of action here?

wood filler? Seems like a lot of space to fill, and it could jam the spindle.

dowels? But there’s no clear screw holes to position in
rawl plugs? Same concern as above
mount a new piece of wood and pull the shingle through, attach with small screws?
regret ever attempting to fix - attach handle on a use by use basis

More pictures:


texts: What is the difference between GU-4 and G-4 bulbs?

texts: I plugged a G-4 bulb into a GU-4 slot and it burned up the unit yesterday.  What does that U mean?


texts: How to drill a hole in a partitioned wall?

texts:
I tried to drill a hole into a partitioned wall and came away with this:

As you can see I botched it big time. I have the following drill bits available to me:

I would like advice as to how to drill a hole in this type of wall and not make a mess of things again.


texts: What paint will work best with cardboard shelving?

texts:
I have created some bookshelves from corrugated cardboard. These are very strong, but they still do flex a bit. I did some tests using Rust-Oleum brand spray paint. Because the cardboard is flexible, bits of the paint came off. I am concerned that the paint will come off onto the books.

What would be a good paint to add to corrugated cardboard that will not flake off?


texts: How do I identify what my house is built of under stucco

texts:
My house is covered in stucco, I need to hang something very heavy on it, but I assume I'll need to know what's UNDER the stucco before I can attempt to hang everything (I'm assuming the answer is different if it's wood versus brick).

So what is the easiest yet least destructive way to determine what's under stucco? Is it just drilling a hole in it and looking then filling in that hole?


texts:
The electricity where I live is pretty expensive at about almost 30 cents a KWh, so I'm considering setting up a solar system. I got 3 100 Watt Polycrystalline solar panels a while ago, pretty cheap. I live in the Caribbean, so I have access to a lot of sun. I am planning to connect my 1 HP well pump to the system. It runs about 350 Watts and starts at about 800 Watts. I plan to maybe connect my refrigerator later on which runs at about the same wattage.

I was thinking of getting an MPPT Solar Controller. Not sure if 60 amps is too much. I plan to get more solar panels later on with higher wattage. Also thinking of getting either a 2,000 or 3,000 Power Inverter. Still not sure which battery to get.

Could you guys give me some recommendations on a good setup for what I plan to power and some room to grow.

Thanks.


texts: Is it worth it to replace hollow-core interior doors with solid core doors?

texts:
I bought a house built in 1970 which still has the original interior doors.  They are hollow-core, boring, brown doors.  I am debating whether to simply paint them white or replace them with new pre-hung 6-panel doors.

So I am wondering if more value would be added by going with solid-core doors instead of hollow-core (enough to justify the added expense).  To my untrained eye, I can't tell the difference by simply looking at a door whether it's hollow or solid.

Secondly, I know that solid-core doors do have some sound-dampening attributes that can be useful between rooms, but does it make any sense to replace a hallway closet door with a solid-core?


texts: How to move my fridge for easier cleaning?

texts:
I'd like to be able to move my fridge easily so I can clean under/in back of it. I got these "sliders" for it ez moves

and put them under the fridge, but since the fridge has casters, the casters just "rolled off" the sliders. I tried using the sliders different ways (with just the plastic part or just the felt/rubber part), but it was the same problem. Even though the fridge has casters already, it is hard to move. Is there a way to improve the casters it already has? Or is there a better way to use the sliders? Or should I use something else under the casters, like something cup-shaped? Thanks:)


texts: Help understand what's in the electric box

texts:
Recently moved into a house and found that one switch in the kitchen doesn't work. It looked like the switch to control an overhead light.
I replaced bulb but still no luck. The switch seemed to be broken.

I originally doubted that the switch would break thinking it was extremely unlikely. However, I have seen (and replaced) other switches in the house after similar doubt. All previous switches I replaced were in the upstairs of the house which was an addition and had nice and easy wiring to work with.

When I removed the switch in the kitchen I was surprised to see rope insulated wiring and what looks to be no grounding. Now, unfortunately I didn't take a picture of how the old (seemingly broken) switch was wired. But when I removed it inside the wall I saw 2 wires completely tied together, and two free wires. It looked like in the back of the box there was more rope but I really couldn't get to it.

I took the volt-meter and found that I had 120 volts going from each free wire to the two tied wires. Going between the two free wires I got 0 volts.

Long story short, I shorted the new switch I bought. Im am going to call an electrician to do the job but I want to understand whats in there.

Are the two free wires hot runs? And the two tied together common? Or is the one tied together hot and the two commons? I had originally thought the two free wires were travelers to another switch in the entrance into the kitchen that has a switch that doesnt control anything. But using the voltmeter and toggling that switch has no effect on the readings.

Either way I carefully taped up the wires and put them back in the wall and covered the panel. Probably the electrician will come when I won't be home so I won't get the lesson (and I'm not sure how keen they would be to have me over their shoulder while they are working).

Any thoughts? Anything I should have checked out also?


texts: What could cause low pressure in both hot and cold water lines after flushing hot water tank?

texts: I just drained my water heater to flush out any sediment that may have accumulated at the bottom of the tank. When I filled it back up, I suddenly am lacking water pressure, both cold and hot, at all of the faucets of my house. What would cause this?


texts: Insulating small area in attic-like space

texts:
I recently moved into (am renting) a new place and have set up a desk in an attic like space. It's overall not an ideal setup but I have limited financial resources. The issue I am facing right now is that, because this is an attic like space, it is getting rather cold in here and I fear that this may make the desk unusable in the winter months. My goal is to insulate the small area around the desk so that I can continue to use it during the winter.

I mentioned that the space I am in is an attic like space because, although having many of the features of an attic, is really an entire additional floor of the house together with what would typically be an attic (maybe whoever constructed it ran out of money to finish). That is there are no interior walls or ceilings and the space is only separated by the exterior walls from the outside. The exterior walls are also not properly insulated (some parts are, but most aren't). Because of this it is already getting rather cold up here despite the outside temperature only dropping into the 40s.

What I am looking to do is to insulate the area around my desk, about 10x10 feet. I have a 1500 Watt radiator and plan on using that to provide heat, but doing this without trapping the air and separating it from the rest of the space has proven to be pointless.

Important aspects of a solution to this problem are that:

it be cheap. Although I can potentially throw a few hundred dollars at this I would prefer not to. Again, I have limited financial resources.
it not be excessively permanent. As I mentioned, I am renting this place so I pretty much have to run this solution by my landlord anyway and I have a feeling they'll not be too happy at the idea of me making significant changes to this space. I will also have to completely remove the thing next spring, as I will likely have the opposite problem during the summer.
it be simple. This only needs to trap the air enough that a simple heater will be more effective.

More information about the space in question:

Two adjacent walls of the space feature vertical wooden beams about a foot and a half apart. From what I can tell the space between the beams should have insulation, but does not.
About eight feet above the space are similar horizontal wooden beams, also about 18 inches apart. I assume this is where a ceiling would be been built had the space ever been finished.

My initial idea was to simply get blue tarps and attach them to the various beams using cable ties or something similar. This would be rather cheap and simple, but I am unconvinced that it would provide the necessary insulation. Maybe someone with more knowledge on this can correct me.

What is the best way to keep this small area warm?


texts: how to fix an (extremely?) uneven wall before tiling

texts:
We're doing a kitchen remodel, and we're prepping to have a tile backsplash installed on one wall, from the countertop to the ceiling. There's a window on this wall, which the sink is centered on. The area of the wall to be tiled (minus the area of the window) is 37 square feet.

The problem is that the wall is uneven. If you put a 48" straight edge up against the most sunken areas, there's a gap of almost a 1/2".

There is also a spot near the window trim where the wall appears to be built up too much, enough so that the tile could end up proud of the trim, which I'm pretty sure won't look so hot.

My inclination is to tear the wall down to the studs and redo it, but our cabinets have already been installed (though not the countertops). There are no upper cabinets on this wall, so I am wondering if it's possible to redo only the part of the wall that is above the level of the countertop?

Or would it be easier to fill the valleys with drywall mud? If so, which type of mud would be best for this application? Are there any issues to consider, like cracking and water exposure? (There will be a sink under the window.)


texts:
I noticed that our bath tub makes a burping noise sometimes when I wash my hands in the sink or flush the toilet
The noise sounds like (buk buk buk)
Note, we are in an apartment building, is this something we need to fix, or we can ignore?
Also note that this doesnt happen every time , but it does happen frequently
Thanks


texts: what kind of transition strip do I need to use to transition from 1/8" vinyl tile in dining room to low pile carpet in adjoining living room?

texts: what kind of transition strip do I need to join 1/8" vinyl tile in dining area to low pile carpet in adjoining living room area?


texts: Suggestions for dealing with the sharp corner of a storm drain

texts:
The (city-owned) storm drain outside my house has a corner that protrudes about half an inch from the line of the sidewalk. It's sharp enough to puncture a tire; I've lost a few to it over the years, as have my neighbors. Complaining to the city has had no effect.

So I'm thinking of doing something about it myself. My thought is to fill the space out with some concrete. Any suggestions on the exact steps to take so that it'll bond properly and not flake off if a tire hits it while parking?

(The alternative, I suppose, would be to grind down the corner, but that sounds hazardous.)


texts: How can I soften the clicking sound of a light switch

texts: I am renovating my house. The contractor has rewired my house and installed rocker switches for my lighting. The big button looks good. But flipping the switch produces a loud snapping sound. Short of replacing those switches, is there a way to soften the audible click whenever I flip the wall switch?


texts: How can I remove a stubborn screw from a toilet seat?

texts: I would like to install on a one piece Kohler toilet a bidet. When I tried to unscrew the screw from the seat, it just didn't move, not with the screwdriver nor the drill. So I put wd40 but still doesn't move. Can u please help me.