texts:
We have a system of shelves that we brought with us when we moved to a new apartment now. However, some of the bolts broke and now we're having a hard time buying new ones. These are not from Ikea.

Please see the image below.

The length is about 1 cm and is used to support some other metal holder below the shelf. I can provide more exact measurements or pictures if need be, but somehow I'm not able to find anything that looks like it in stores or online.

Thanks.

EDIT:

I do apologize about the low quality of the first image, it's all I had at the time. Now that I'm home, here are some more pictures of: 1) the initial bolt I was asking about 2) The thing it is supposed to support, installed already on the shelf. 3) Another type of screw of this system whose head I do not recognize.

Pictures of 1)

Pictures of 2)

Pictures of 3)


texts: How can I tell where water is leaking from?

texts:
I live in Wyoming and for the past few days we had below zero temperatures and tons of snow. Many people reported pipes breaking but we seemed to be fine. Today it also warmed up a bunch to around the 40's fahrenheit.
Yesterday we also replaced a filter in our furnace and the house is a lot more toasty.
In the middle of the night last night all of our smoke alarms went off. It took us about 25 minutes to realize one of them, located in the basement, was making a weird sound so we pulled it out.
When we did, a bit of water poured out from behind it--about 1/3 a cup.

I looked online and another individual reported a similar problem. They believe it was just water condensation.

I left a bowl under the leak and it drips very slowly but consistently.

Overnight and until now it's only about 1/4 of a cup or so of water that has formed in the bowl.

Other sources online have stated it could be a leak from outside.

So I wonder...
Is it water leaking in because of all the melting snow? (it's extremely wet everywhere outside)
Is it a cracked pipe from the cold temperatures?
Is it water condensation from the pipes warming up?

Any help would be much appreciated!


texts:
I have a slow-filling cistern and, having disassembled all the pipes inside I've identified a ripped seal. Assuming that I didn't cause that myself just a moment ago, I'm hopeful that replacing it will solve the problem.

Can you identify it?


texts: How should I cover an empty space between a fence post and a garage wall?

texts:
Below is the 1000 words picture. How do I cover that empty space?
The hinges are at the opposite end of the gate

How about this:

This will be done by ripping of a post in half (45%) and then that will be attached to the existing post. On that I will screw small horizontal boards made of the remainings of the 6x8 cedar boards that I used to build the gate


texts: Can I install new construction lights into old ceiling with attic vs remodel lights?

texts: I want to put in can lights throughout my house. I have attic space to do it and from what I have read it seems like the new construction lights are better than the remodel lights that appear to put all the weight on the drywall ceiling. Any advice on this?


texts: How can I remove a dull spot in a quartz countertop caused by Magic Eraser?

texts: I used a Magic Eraser on my quartz to remove a stain and now there is a dull spot. How do you polish it to bring back the shine?


texts: What is my drill hitting and not penetrating when I hang curtains?

texts:
I'm living in an apartment. So far I've put up 2 sets of curtains and had the same troubles with both attempts.

One set was over a sliding mirrored closet door (tacky!) and the other set was over a window. What's happening is there's something behind the drywall that's very solid and I can't seem to get my drill into it. In the last apartment, self-drilling anchors like a metal version of these did the trick but in this apartment they couldn't penetrate either.  My first thought was some kind of stud, but I ought to be able to drill into wood, right? My next thought was perhaps the doors/windows had some frame that jutted into the wall for support, but the last set of curtains was 4" above the windows. I've never seen a window that had 4" of metal surrounding it.

What the devil could it be? Is this something common? How would you approach this?


texts:
I've been trying to figure out the difference between the following solutions. I'm sure that Option 1 is the best, given it's a short direct route to the vent, but I can't justify to myself why the others are bad? From what I can read it's usually the distance from the fixture to the start of the dry vent that matters, not how long the vent itself is.

Given that the sink (where the P trap is located on the right) is too far away from the main vent (far left), what would be the major differences in the following solutions?

(Blue = Vents)
(Black = Drains)

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:


texts: My backflow preventer assembly access is in my basement and its right below the proposed vanity space in our proposed basement bathroom.(we have planned a 48 inch vanity , but if i cut down to a 36 inch vanity then backflow preventer access will be exactly in between the bathroom wall and vanity which will give 4 inch on either side. is that a problem , any alternative or suggestions please. I live in salt lake county (utah)


texts: Wiring L14-20 Receptacle on generator to a 6-20 Plug

texts: Big question. On my pigtail, do I use 2 hot + ground and tape off the neutral?


texts: How do I put a switch in line for LED tube lights using 120 volts

texts: I have a LED tube light for my basement it will come on if I put 120v to it. How can I put a switch in line?  That is all I have I do not know what a code is.


texts:
I bought a replacement condenser fan motor for my outdoor A/C unit. The old unit was CW direction only. This one is CW/CCW and has 4 wires stick out of the side that change direction depending on how they are connected.

I'm concerned with leaving them out in the open subject to getting rained on. There are rubber boots that cover the wire, but I'm not sure that's gonna be enough. I've used zip ties on the wires and wrapped the seam between the two rubber boots that protect the connections with electrical tape, but I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for further protecting them from the rain.

I was thinking about taping it to the side of the motor, but I'm concerned the motor will get too hot. Should I just wrap the wires and boot with more electrical tape and let it hang? Should I not worry about it?


texts: I was wondering what this part of stair trim that the arrow points to is referred to as.  It is like a faceplate on the side of stairs, inverse of a baseboard.


texts:
I have an old ITE main panel in the garage with 600 amp service which has 3 - 200 amp breakers, each feeding a sub-panel in the house. All 3 ITE sub-panels in the house have been fine for over 5 years since we renovated.

Last week, the voltage on the left side bus of one of the sub-panels started fluctuating from 120v to 32v, and now it goes from 0v to 2v to 32v to 0v, etc. The right side bus is fine, so every other breaker pair works (1&2, 5&6, 9&10, etc) and every other breaker pair 3&4,7&8, 11&12, etc) has little or no voltage.

The lugs on the bus bar are screwed on tight, and are not loose. A voltmeter on each of the 120v feeds displays 120v on the right bus bar and 0v or 32v on the left bus bar.

There is a junction box midway between the garage and the house with Polaris taps, so I was able to check the voltage in the J box. Both 120v feeds checked out at 120v coming into the taps and 120v going out of the taps. I removed the taps, cleaned any corrosion off the wires, and replaced two of the taps (on the bad 120v line and the neutral). This leads me to believe  that the issue is the copper wire between the J Box and the sub-panel, which is under the foundation.

The only thing I can think of doing is running new wire in the attic from sub-panel (west) to sub-panel (east), as it will be near impossible to run new conduit and wires from the garage to the house without tearing up the driveway and running conduit on the exterior of the house.

As one busbar in sub-panel east is fine and has 120 volts, can I just run 120 v from west to east by adding a 125 amp breaker in west to provide the missing 120V on east, which already has 120 v, a neutral and a ground? Or do I have to run two 120 V wires and a neutral from the west panel to the east panel?

Alternatively, as there's 15 - 20 amp breakers in east that have power, and perhaps there's not enough amperage in west to supply west + all of east, would it make more sense to add another small sub-panel next to the east panel and move circuits off the old east sub-panel to the new east sub-panel which is fed from the west panel, so I need less amperage from east, such as 80 instead of 125?

If circuits aren't all used at the same time and most of the time, only a few circuits are used concurrently, such as a 30a cooktop and two lights, or 1 or 2 TVs, a computer and a few 10 to 60 watt lights, can the 200 amp panel support a 125 amp breaker to power the east panel?

Any ideas or solutions would be much appreciated.


texts: What type of switch do I need to plug into a gosund outlet to open and close a garage door?

texts: I have a Gosund switch that plugs into an outlet. I’d like to plug it into the outlet near my garage door opener and open and close the garage door. What type of switch can I plug into the gosund outlet to then wire to the garage door opener. It’s just a simple momentary switch to open or close the garage door. My security camera will let me see if the garage door is open or closed so I don’t need any logic in the switch. I think I just need a momentary switch that will throw when the outlet changes state. Any ideas if such a switch is available?


texts: Solutions for a difficult-to-reach shut-off valve

texts:
To access the shut-off valve in my condo, I need to physically enter the crawlspace and squeeze through a knee wall, all the while avoiding ductwork, cables, and other pipes. The photo below is taken from the crawlspace access hatch. The valve is probably about three feet from the opening, so well out of arms' reach.
The condo is rented part of the year, so I would like to make a way to easily shut off water to the whole unit in case of a leak, or if plumbing repairs are needed. I can't expect renters to enter this space and shutoff the water, meaning any leak would last as long is it took a plumber to come out. There is an outdoor shutoff, but it's under a sealed manhole cover in a row of unlabeled shutoffs for the other units.
Here are solutions I've considered:

Create a second way to access the valve in the floor directly above it. This would be under a staircase, so would still require some crawling, but would be significantly more accessible.
Remove the valve and insert some elbows and additional tubing so that it could be relocated right inside the existing crawlspace access hatch. To do this I would have to pay the water utility to shut the water off in the street, in order to be able to move the existing valve.
Add a second, redundant valve, downstream from the existing one (so I don't need to call/pay the utility).
Relocate the brackets holding the tubing and try to pull it to the access (the tubing is all pex). Given location of the studs and ductwork, I'm not sure if I could even get it close enough.
Replace the valve with an electrically-controlled valve. These are expensive and wouldn't work during a power outage.
Rotate the valve (is this possible?) so it faces the opening, then set up some sort of stop tap key to engage the valve. I could zip-tie the key to the valve and run it through a bracket in the framing so it would always be in the right spot.

Would any of these ideas work? Are there others I'm not considering?


texts: Identifying replacement bearings for installed heater fan motor

texts:
TLDR: Trying to identify the right kind of replacement ball bearing. Usually they have a standard code # which can be supplied by different manufacturers. But the ones I need don't seem to fit that system.

We have a number of fan heaters, some of which are making noise (others are dead quiet). These are a hot-water type which are installed in walls or in the "kickspace" under cabinets, and the fan blows air over the HW coil.

Upon inspection it is the rotating fan / motor assembly that is producing the noise, and that whole assembly can be removed for service / replacement. I've exposed the bearings which are noisy, but am having trouble identifying a replacement.

The bearing is stamped BB1023 but this doesn't seem like a standard bearing code. Does anyone know how to interpret this number and/or is there an equivalent standard code?

Ideally someone may know of a canonical reference to bearing codes. I have found references which purport to be such a thing, but don't include this numbering.

(If not I will probably just measure the originals with a caliper & try to find the best match that way; this just seems more likely to go wrong because not only the obvious dimensions are important.)

Notes:

The few bearings I can find online with that code are much more $$ than I would normally expect, so either these really are specialized and nonstandard or they are just hard to find with that nomenclature.
In a few cases the BB1023 code seems to be cross-referenced with 627N1Z and other codes ... but I am somewhat mistrustful of the correctness of random product information. And 627N1Z seems to be an oddball code also when I've tried to find it in catalogs.
The heaters happen to be common Beacon-Morris models, and entire replacement fans are available but at a much greater cost than what I'd expect just the bearings to be.


texts: Is adding a Time Delay/Dual Element Fuse a good idea for pump motor install

texts:
I have 240v circuit with 12awg wire that will service a 3/4hp motor (about 5amps max at 240v).  That circuit is protected by a standard 20amp breaker.

I was wondering if it is a good idea/warranted to put in a 10amp time-delay fuse at the motor as extra protection?

Like this for example.  600V Slow Blow Class CC Time Delay Fuse

Problem with this style fuse I can't find a single fuse holder/block and the three place ones are 6 times the price of a fuse on ebay.

Can one use a more standard glass/ceramic type fuse for this application?  like this Bussmann MDA 10A 250v Slow Blow Time Delay Ceramic Fuse because holders for this are common and cheap.


texts: Can I twist copper on legacy aluminium wire using regular wire nuts or do I need to procure aluminium wire? The wires coming into my switch box are too short and I would need to extend them.


texts:
I installed a ceiling fan with a light fixture in place of a light fixture and ran an extra wire from the ceiling fan to the switch. Would now like to install a dual switch to control fan and light independently. I have 4 wires at the switch now and am not sure how to connect two of the wires to the new switch.

I have a red wire to the fan and I know this goes to the fan wire on the new switch. I have another red that is traveling both up to the fixture and down to an outlet or another switch, I believe. I think this is the hot wire as it was connected to the common screw on the single switch.

I also have two purple wires going to the switch one connected to the top right and one to bottom left, both of which are heading up in the conduit. I know that the wiring goes to a smoke detector before arriving at the ceiling fan/light fixture, if this is important.

There are two white wires traveling through the box. I believe those are neutral. I'd appreciate some insight. Can this switch be installed here? And if so, where do I connect the purple wires?


texts: If I have vapor barrier under joists in crawlspace, is hardwood underlayment a problem?

texts:
I have spray foam under the subfloor with vapor barrier. The foam is sprayed to the underside of the subfloor deck, and vapor barrier is attached to the joists bottoms between the joists and the soil in the crawlspace (converting crawlspace is not an option).

I'm going to be installing engineered wood flooring.

This install calls for an underlayment (such as floor muffler). It seems that most hardwood underlayment also includes moisture barrier.

If I use such an underlayment will that create the dreaded moisture sandwich in my subfloor deck?


texts: Is mold remediation effective in the long term?

texts:
Our home inspector just found serious mold problems in a home we are considering buying.

The seller are willing to pay for remediation, but I'm very concerned about the possibility that mold would return to the house later on.  Assuming that the underlying problems are corrected (cracks in the foundation, improper bathroom venting, etc.,) is it possible--or even likely that over the next 10 to 15 years, the problem could recur?

I'm concerned about the problem recurring in the existing locations, but just as much concerned that it could grow in other, hidden, yet-to-be-discovered/treated locations such as within walls, finished ceilings, etc.


texts: What should we do with floor tiles that were applied with Type 1 Mapei mastic?

texts:
We tiled a 25 sq. ft bathroom with 12X12 porcelain tiles. Instead of a bag of normal powered mortar (which covered more area than we needed), we picked up the tub of Type 1 Mapei and were told it was okay to use too. We thought it was just a premixed version of the normal stuff. After the tiles were laid we learned it should not be used for 12X12 floor tiles, only 12X12 wall tiles.

We tried to see if we could remove the tiles, but it had already been 24 hours and they wouldn't come up. This is the second day. We have not grouted yet.

Should we try harder to remove the tiles? We do not want to take the chance of them breaking. OR Should we grout and hope for the best and deal with any breakage when or if it comes? Or does anyone have another suggestion?


texts:
Can these type of hollow wall anchors be removed?

manufacturer details


texts: epoxy paint in the basement with a wood stove?

texts: is is safe to paint my basement floor with epoxy paint with having my wood stove down there? I wanted to paint my basement floor with epoxy for the purpose of not having to repaint it each year but I have a wood burning stove down there and not sure if the heat would be bad


texts: Should the pendulum action on my Bosch jigsaw increase with higher settings?

texts:
I recently bought a brand new Bosch GST 8000 E jigsaw and I think that it has a problem regarding the pendulum settings. I made 2 tests with it to see if the pendulum action is good.

The 1st test: I put the pendulum commutator to "0" and I saw that there is no pendulum action. Next, I moved the commutator to "1" and I saw the pendulum action. Next, I set the commutator to "2" but the pendulum action remained the same. Next, I set the commutator to "3" and I saw that the pendulum action remained the same with "1" and "2". So no more pendulum action on positions "2" and "3", in comparison with position "1" of the commutator.

The 2nd test: I took a piece of wood (about 20mm in thickness) and I tried to cut it with different pendulum settings. It took the same amount of time for the jigsaw to cut the piece of wood at all pendulum settings.
The blade used is the T 144 D, made by Bosch.

Please explain if I am wrong when using the pendulum settings, or my jigsaw is defective ?


texts:
I am having a problem with outlets that work intermittently in my 1965 house.  Some of the electrical has been redone, however this particular circuit is still on original wiring, i.e. no neutral or ground wires running through the outlet boxes.  The circuit feeds 9 outlets, no light switches.  4 of the 9 outlets always work. The other five will work for weeks at a time, then not work, then work again.

Using a receptacle tester, the 4 outlets that always work show correct wiring.
The other outlets show hot/neutral reversed when they are working, and hot/ground reversed when they are not working.

Three of the outlets that don't work are part on an "in-floor" outlet network that was tied back into the other outlets when we did a remodel.  That connection is made in one of the outlet boxes that works intermittently.

I've opened all the in-wall outlets and checked the connections, which are solid.  I couldn't check one of the in-floor outlets as I had trouble opening it.

Any suggestions would be most welcome, thanks in advance.

David


texts:
I bought a house that had a lot of fluorescent lighting installed.  The kitchen has four fixtures with 2 42" bulbs each.  The front bathroom has a fixture.  The garage has 12 fixtures.  The shed has 8 fixtures.  There are a lot of them.

But I get a buzz in my electronics.  Buzz on my computer.  Buzz on my stereo.  Et cetera.  I have gotten around it on the stereo with a power conditioner.  I think putting all the lights on one circuit will be troublesome since I think it would require rewiring most of the house.

Is there anything I can do myself without hiring an electrician to do major work?


texts: CFL bulbs flash slightly even when turned off

texts:
I've noticed in the last two houses I've lived in that CFL bulbs will periodically flash even when not turned on. It's about one flash a minute, and it's not very bright. You can only notice it when it's dark. I originally thought it might be power in the CFL circuitry leaking out after being turned on, but the flashing continues even if the lights haven't been powered up for days.

The wiring in both houses was old to start with, but then redone with new wiring, RCDs and so on. There is no voltage between the contacts in the socket when I check it with a multimeter, so how are the bulbs getting power to maintain a constant flash?


texts: How does polarization and/or grounding of outlets affect time for breakers to trip?

texts:
I'm trying to understand all the differences between newer and older receptacles.

Newer ones tend to be polarized and many receptacles and wires come with grounding conductors. How do these technologies affect the performance of breakers as a safety feature in circuits?

I read someplace that grounding increases the speed at which a breaker trips when there is a problem like a short circuit. I'm not sure that makes sense to me. If there's a short circuit and no ground, the conductor would heat up/increase in amperage, tripping a breaker. If there's a short circuit and ground, most excess amperage would safely find its way out of the circuit through ground, reducing the chance that stray amperage would cause damage someplace, but not necessarily 'tripping a breaker faster'.

I'm still learning about the benefits of polarizing receptacles so I can't comment much on how I'd expect those to affect breakers tripping.


texts: Bath and Closet electric wiring what type of wire and how many circuits?

texts:
We would like assistance in the electrical design of our bath and closet remodel, all walls exposed and access to ceiling. We have had a subpanel (100A) installed (14 empty spots) and empty conduit from the box to the attic - we are ready to pull wires…
1-220v dedicated hard wired line to a body dryer- wire suggestions to use?

1-110V dedicated 20A to tub bubbler (not whirlpool) wire suggestions to use?

The rest I’m wondering if I should keep the lights on a 15A circiut and use 14/2, then multiple 20A circuits for the outlets on 12/2?

OR should I mix it up with 12/2 for all wiring (20A) and have lights and receptacles on the same circuit (multiple circuits)? I know I want the 2 Hair Dryer outlets on separate circuits so I thought the right half lights and outlets on 1 circuit and the left half on another.
And GFI at the beginning of each line.

Does this require 14/3 anywhere? Any design suggestions are welcome, I am a DIYer.


texts: Installed Genie Garage door (8' X 12') motor and chain rail with extension added. I am ready to attach it to the door but there is no center rail built into the door.  Are there parts for this or do I begin fabrication?


texts: What is this glue layer on top of the slate stone flooring?

texts:
I ripped off the carpet which was installed on top of the slate stone flooring sometime back. I saw a layer of "glue-like"

I assume it is for the carpet to glue down, which it did not even do its job (it was very lose).
Question is How do I scrape off this layer of glue, given that it is very sticky to the stone but NOT at all to the carpet.


texts: Does all strip lighting need lots of ventilation? I want to light inside this cabinet door.

texts: does all strip lighting need lots of ventilation? I want to light up inside a cabinet.


texts: Do I really need a 1200 CFM Hood for a 48" Range?

texts:
We just purchased a 48" ZLine range with 7 burners.    The information about all this CFM is very confusing.
Do I really need a 1200 CFM hood?


texts: How to (safely) retract and lower a 40' extension ladder?

texts:
Last time I was using a 40' extension ladder, it was a major challenge to retract it back from being extended and up against a wall. There were two of us and it was seriously scary. Could have gone wrong and crashed, doing damage or worse to nearby building, vehicles and us, due to it size and particularly weight.

Is there a way to do this securely or is it always, for the lack of a better term, a crapshoot?


texts: How to maintain a pool without eventually having to replace water?

texts:
Liquid chlorine is weak and cumbersome, but seems to be the safest solution as it seems to just add salt.  Also raises PH as it has a value of 13.

Dichloroisocyanuric Acid and Trichlorisocyanuric Acid have Cyanuric acid, which with continued use will be too high and require a water exchange.  These are also acidic and lower ph.

Calcium Hypochlorite will eventually add too much calcium, which can cause scaling and also require either a Reverse Osmosis filter or an exchange of water.  This has a high ph.

I don't know much about Bromine, but I think it is only used in indoor pools.

Is there any way to use the powder form stuff without oversaturating the water with calcium or cya?


texts: Sanding between coats of water-based finish

texts: I built a farmhouse table with Douglas Fir, applied Saman water-based stain, and then applied the first coat of water-ased finish. The folks at the store said I should sand after the first coat, using at least 220 grit sandpaper, which I did, using my random orbital sander. But the sanded surface is now full of milky white scratches, and in a couple of smaller patches the stain came off. What did I do wrong? Should i not have sanded, or did I sand too hard or should I have used a finer grit? Finally, do I need to start all over again and re-stain the table?


texts: How to remove wasp paper from soffit vents and siding

texts:
Paper wasps built a huge nest under the second-story eave shown below (photo taken looking straight up).  I killed and scraped off the nest, but there is still paper-like residue clinging to the vinyl soffit vents and cement-board siding.

How can I remove the residual wasp paper?


texts: Metal camera housing sparking on a metal building

texts: When installing a camera with a metal housing on a metal building powered up by a POE switch located on a different building, sparks are generated when the metal housing touches the metal building. Why would this occur?


texts: Cement board over existing drywall dilemma

texts: Can you use cement board OVER an existing drywall for a new tile shower installation in a bathroom renovation?


texts: Can I use Eneloop batteries in my thermostat?

texts:
I have this LuxPro thermostat http://www.luxproproducts.com/pdfs/spec_pdfs/PSD010Bc_NL_ENG_Manual.pdf

There's a warning in the very first section that says to use only Duracell or Energizer Alkaline batteries.

Will there be a problem if I use Eneloops?


texts: When to Repair Versus Replace Concrete Slab?

texts:
I am a first-time homebuyer and purchased an older home in the Northeastern US. While I've found great infomation here on my many DIY projects, I have not been able to determine whether or not my garage floor is in a "refinishable" state.
The Problem: I have zero experience with concrete, and had originally intended on doing the refinishing process myself. After scouring the internet for how-to videos, I kept noticing that most of the slabs being repaired are in much better shape than what I'm dealing with.
The garage is a concrete slab poured around cinderblocks; I've included a photo of one large problem area, which has very long, deep cracks, and pitting all over the place. The cracks are rather wide as well. The paint removal process is also taking it's toll on the slab, bringing up chunks in the weaker areas.
My Original Plan:

Strip the original paint/epoxy using stripper and floor scraper.
Clean and V-Score cracks, and remove existing patchwork.
Apply concrete patcher & bonding agent to cracks and problem areas.
Sand smooth and spread resurfacer across the entire slab.

I grew concerned over the amount of concrete patch I would need to purchase to achieve results - more than what would be considered simple patchwork.
My Questions:

Is this concrete slab repairable, or is it beyond it's usable life? If you could please explain how you came to that answer, I would greatly appreciate any context (i.e. When should you consider full replacement for any slab?).


texts: furnace blower motor turning on and off like clockwork when heating

texts:
I have an HVAC system (heat pump / compressor outside the house, air handler under the house). Recently something strange started happening. While system is in heating mode (my Nest thermostat says "heating" and is orange indicating it is running the heat), the blower motor in the air handler will start turning off and on at exact intervals: 10 seconds off, then 45 seconds on. I used the timer on my iphone to time it and each on/off period is exactly the same, over and over. Meanwhile the heat pump keeps chugging along even when the blower turns off for 10 seconds, and the thermostat continues to say "heating".

My blower has a capacitor that I've replaced several times before, but I'm doubtful that it is the problem since it seems like the on/off behavior is on a timer.

My air handler has a timer-delayed relay that I replaced about a year ago. I'm leaning towards this being the problem, as it definitely has some timer logic built in that could have gone haywire.

Could be the thermostat, but I'd need help diagnosing this as the problem.

Other notes:
- I ran the blower after it had been off for hours, and it immediately started the on/off behavior, so I doubt that the problem is the motor overheating... there's no way it overheated that fast.
- The motor is only about a year old

Any suggestions or ideas as to what I should do to diagnose the issue?


texts: I painted my kitchen cabinets. Worked well but over time they have become sticky in areas often touched; near knobs. I think it is a bit of grease from cooking but when I try to clean them, paint comes off and they are still sticky. The rest of cabinets are fine.


texts: Replacing compressor motor (going from 3 wire to 4 wire) and question about wire colors

texts:
I am replacing a GE motor with an equivalent Mars motor, they are same fitting size, HP, RPM etc. and volt range 208-230.  The wires are different though:

The old motor had orange, blue, and black
The new motor has four wires, brown, brown/white, yellow and black.

the black and yellow have raw tips, and the brown and brown/white wires have female knife-blade connections.

I am wondering which wires to equivalently hook up. I'm thinking obviously the black is common, but beyond that I don't know.


texts: How do I need to wire these switches to finish the circuit?

texts:
Recently started upgrading switches and outlets in my home. I have two switches in one box. The switch on the left is a single switch that controls the back porch light. The switch to the right is a common switch that turns on an inside light. Originally the two were connected by a single black wire.

I foolishly cut all the wires and cannot get the lights to work. It’s not the breaker, it’s the wiring. At this point I feel like I’ve tried every combination. Any ideas on what I can do?

There are 4 black wires, a white and a red.


texts: What tests can I perform to figure out if a wire is my Grounding Electrode Conductor?

texts:
As part of some investigation into the systems of the house I live in, I was looking at the grounding and bonding wiring for the house, as most of it is accessible from the basement utility room.

In particular, I found that there is a bare 6AWG wire that runs from the casing of an abandoned-in-place well in a cellar-space under the back yard, up to the ceiling, through the back foundation wall alongside the old water line from the wellhead equipment (all of which was abandoned in place as well), along the utility room ceiling, and off into a finished ceiling space in the basement, but in the right direction to be connected to the panel, which is located in the garage.  This wire is also connected through a tap splice of some sort to a second copper wire (which appears to be 10AWG or so?) that connects to a ground clamp on the cold water pipe system.

How can I verify that this wire is connected to what it appears to be connected to (aka the main panel in the garage)? I would like to use it as a place to tap retrofit equipment grounding conductors, as I should be able to reach down there from the range and especially the laundry equipment (dryer and washer) with relative ease, and there is also an improper (run to cold water pipe) retrofit ground wire on the furnace circuit that I would like to convert to a proper (albeit possibly redundant) retrofit ground wire.

Note that the furnace circuit is run in EMT for an unknown length, with metal boxes, so I do have effective access to both ends of that retrofit EGC.  Also, the electrical panel is flushmounted into a finished garage wall, so I have no access to that end of the purported GEC.


texts: Kitchen faucet only gets lukewarm, never gets hot

texts:
Recently my kitchen faucet will only become warm but never hot. Both water valves are completely opened. Every other faucet in the home get hot and work properly.
Any ideas?


texts: Can I power a german 240v spindle motor off of a USA 240v nema5-50 welder plug?

texts:
I have bought this spindle for use on my cnc router.
https://www.amb-elektrik.de/produkte/fraesmotoren/636/amb-fraesmotor-1050-fme-u-di-230v-fuer-er16-praezisions-spannzangen
I have contacted the company to see if the spindle will run on 240v 60hz (American) and the answer is yes.
I have a NEMA 5-50 welder plug in my shop right next to my CNC which supplies 240v.
I am wondering if it is OK to run this spindle off of the outlet and if so what adapter/wiring should I use?


texts: How to properly seal a leaky pump coupling on a hot tub/spa?

texts:
I've been trying to solve a leaky coupling on my hot tub's pump.  The leaky coupling is above the pump (whereas the other connection on the pump runs to the heater, and is on the side of the pump).  The other end of the leaking coupling goes to the filter (which is a pressurized filter container).  The coupling has gradually been dripping more and more.  I did a little research online, and most spa web sites recommend only to tighten these couplings hand tight, so I didn't want to over-do it and create a bigger problem.

I unscrewed the coupling, and saw there was a silicone-looking washer, but there did not appear to be any kind of washer or o-ring on the underside of the coupling.

Based on a recommendation from a local pool & spa supply store, who said their pool guys use liquid Teflon-based thread sealant, I picked up some "Rectorseal T plus 2".  I cleaned off most of the old (caulk-like?) sealant from the thread, then gooped on some Teflon sealant, tightened everything up, filled the tub, and plugged it in.  I was dismayed to discover the coupling was leaking worse than before I messed with it!

What did I do wrong?  Any suggestions for fixing this leaky coupling?  Do I need to replace the washer and/or coupling?  Add an o-ring inside the coupling?


texts: How do I remove permanent marker from a solid hardwood table?

texts:
A black permanent marker was used on my kitchen table.  My daughter is 3, my bad for leaving the marker out!

An image of the damage:

The top circled area shows one mark.  The bottom circle is where my wife tried to scrub another black mark, and unfortunately the table in that area looks scuffed up now.

Some information on the the table:

Handcrafted of solid hardwood known for its heft and pronounced grain
Hand planed, sanded and finished in antiqued grey to enhance its distressed look
By their nature, unsealed wood planks may be somewhat uneven, and may cup or bow slightly over time, further enhancing their rustic one-of-a-kind character; cracks may be present

A full description of the table: http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod150011


texts: How can I fix a shower door that doesn't seal?

texts: My shower door used to seal perfectly, I could slam it and it would stay shut. Lately, it has now started flapping around and not sticking. Here's a video. Can anyone put me down the right path to fix this?


texts:
Recently, our oven was left on all day, and sometime during the day it tripped the breaker.

Now, whenever the oven is used (only for heating pizza, so 10-15 minute timeframe), the breaker trips during the preheat phase. If I reset the breaker, the oven functions normally.

Is this more likely to be a wiring problem, or an oven problem? Is there any danger in using the oven after resetting the breaker?

Clarification - The stove top (ceramic elementless) works fine. It also functioned normally previous to it being left on for an extended period. The home was built in the late 90's, and while the stove is a newer model, it was there when we purchased the home in 2010, so I do not know the provenance.

It is only when the oven is used that the breaker trips. I will have it checked, however.


texts: Plug/fire stop holes drilled for running low voltage cable?

texts:
I am considering running a low voltage cable (probably Cat6, but maybe fiber) up inside an exterior wall, between studs, from basement to 2nd floor in an existing home in the US. I should get riser- (or plenum-)rated cable due to the vertical aspect, right?

Would the cable need to be secured somehow inside the wall? If so, how? If not, can it just hang there for the vertical portion of the run?

Would I need to plug any horizontal things I drill through, e.g. the floor, say for fire stoppage? I'd want any modifications to be "up to code".


texts: Here is a picture of the gfi I have power going to it but nothing works I have checked the breaker box the light is not on the gfi but it won't let me reset it have clue


texts: The 2 240v-breakers labeled "AC" do not control the ACs. No idea what they do. No other 240v breakers control the AC either. I tested the breakers with a multi-meter. They turned on and off correctly. There are two switches near the AC outdoor units, which can shut the ACs off, but they are not breakers and can't protect from circuit overload. Where could be breakers for the ACs? Or the ACs are hard wired? However, I didn't see any such connections in the breaker box. It is a single family house, so unlikely to be mis-connected with other houses. I am really puzzled.


texts: What should I consider when designing a simple bookcase that will be built without power tools?

texts:
I'd like to build a bookcase using pine (or meranti) planks of dimension 22mm/220mm/3m that my local hardware store stocks. They offer the service of cutting to length, but I have no power tools (well, maybe a drill and countersink bit), so will have to have it all cut beforehand.

What should I consider when designing it, in particular:

joint type
stiffening the shelves in the middle
allowing for unusual dimensions such as wide and low
I'd prefer something with interesting look

A design I can look at and alter would be the ideal solution


texts: Can harmonised and non-harmonised (H and HY) cable be used interchangeably for lighting circuits?

texts: If I have been using 6242Y twin and earth cable for regular lighting, can I use 6243YH three core and earth for two-way lighting? I know the H is for harmonised, but I don't know if there are any stipulations in the 18th Edition of the wiring regulations against installing harmonised and non-harmonised cables together.


texts:
I have an old door with what looks like a wooden equivalent to weatherstripping.  The door, and frame have mating parts that interlock.  I'm trying to figure out what its called, to have a chance at replacing a segment. Any direction would help (even a better search term)

Pictures...

Door side

Frame side


texts:
It is spring time, and the manifold I used last year is, once again, irreparably broken. Judging by feedback on Amazon, none of them survive winter -- even if drained dry before the first frost.
I'm thinking of building my own -- using a manifold (such as this) and valves like this.
I'll connect it to my exterior faucet with a flexible hose like this one.
Questions:

Is such a thing any likelier to survive the next winter, than the much cheaper (made in China) offerings I've been using so far?
Will I be as satisfied with it during the very first summer -- or will the 1/2" width of the manifold's ports perceptibly limit the water-pressure in the attached hoses?


texts: Installed new Sensi Thermostat, Everything Works Except No Cold Air

texts:
I installed a new thermostat in our new house and like i said, it's blowing air, but the air is not cold.  Here's how it was set up when it was working:

Here's what Sensi said to do on the app as I installed it:

It's installed exactly like the image.  When I get home I can post a picture of it.  Here it is:

The new one installed

How should I begin troubleshooting this?  What other information can I provide you all?

Thanks a bunch!!!


texts:
I've got a chimney in my 50's-era house that doesn't do anything. It's a regular brick and mortar chimney but it used to be used to vent the old oil heater (it's been converted to natural gas since). The chimney isn't used any more. I don't believe it's structural. Let's assume it's not but I'll get a second opinion on that before I do anything.

I've looked online and it seems that you just need to get an air hammer, chisel out the mortar and remove the chimney brick by brick. Then patch up the roof and the floor. The chimney sits on its own foundation in the crawlspace, so I'd have to frame and cover the floor as well as the ceiling. The chimney is in the middle of the house and is not attached to an outside wall.

Is that about right? Anything else to it? I understand it makes a massive mess in the house. I'd probably send my family to live with my sister across town for a few days.

I know I'd need a respirator, good gloves and goggles.

Any other recommendations?


texts:
Our house has one of those two-chambered standard (Philippines) open-bottom septic tanks. I think it's also called a cesspool.

I got into a discussion with someone on whether it can get full. Their argument is that, since it's open, the sewage can drain freely into the ground. My response is that the solid waste would build up over time.

I tried to research it online, but I can't find any information specific to open-bottomed septic tanks, other than pages and pages of "How to know when your septic tank is full" results.

Do they become full? If so, why and around how long?


texts: Fittings for conduit passing through ceiling/floor

texts:
A follow up to this question: Running Coax cable to the upper floor

If I cut a hole in the ceiling of my dining room and then another in the floor so I can run a conduit from the upstairs all the way to the basement, what should I use to secure the top and bottom of the conduit so it doesn't just fall through to the basement!

I need some kind of clamp (or maybe a bushing?) that will secure the conduit at the top (either on the ceiling of the dining room or the floor of the attic) and then again either at the floor of the dining room or the ceiling of the basement. I know I can clamp it to the wall (assuming I can find the stud), but it still seems like I should secure the top and bottom or else it could slide vertically out.


texts:
I just finished resolving an issue I had with a 4-way switch setup but I have a question. I know which end the power starts at but when I get to the 4-way switch, I don't know which bundle is incoming and which one is outgoing. I would have thought it would make a difference since one half of the 4-way switch says In and one half says Out, but I've tried the incoming and outgoing wires in both sets of screws and the switch works fine either way, which was a little surprising. Is this to be expected or does it really matter how the In and Out wires are connected to the 4-way switch. If it matters, I guess I'll need to figure that out somehow, but right now, everything is working.
Thanks, Ed


texts: Does it make sense to add an upstairs dormer in two phases?

texts:
We are planning to add an upstairs dormer to our 900-square-foot ranch (adding about 500 additional square feet).

The entire project for us is very daunting and we don't yet have enough money to complete the entire project. We are considering two options:

Wait a year until we have all the money saved which we need, then do the whole project in one phase.
Do the project in two phases where the first phase would be to frame the entire space and do all the roof / exterior work. Then wait until we save the rest of the money needed and do the remaining work including insulation, plumbing, heating, electrical, floors, walls, and all fixtures. Possibly do some of this work ourselves.

The second option appeals to us for several reasons:

We would only be doing at each phase the portion of the project for which we had the money available.
We could put the project on-hold at various points to make it more manageable for us and to give us more time to shop around for contractors and finishings.
Since the project schedule would be more flexible, this would give us more flexibility to do work ourselves that we might otherwise not be able to.

Are there any disadvantages to a two-phase approach where we would have just an unheated shell on top of the house over a winter? Are there any significant advantages which we may not have thought about yet?


texts: Why would a sprinkler Air Valve leak after winterization?

texts:
I had someone come over my house and winterize the sprinklers. He explained to me what he did: He said he closed the main valve to the sprinkler system, hooked up a compressor and blew out all the water from sprinkler pipes. He also, opened up the air valve so air can go in but water can not. After that I noticed the water is leaking slowly from the air valve. I called the same guy again and he told me the water is leaking because the main valve to sprinkler system is bad and I need to replace the same.

Can someone please point out if water is leaking from the air valve while the main sprinkler valve is closed, does it need to be replaced. Please note that while the air valve was in the closed position and main sprinkler valve open, no water leaked. Also, while keeping the main sprinkler valve closed, if I close the air valve too, water starts coming out of something connected above the air valve.


texts: Upgrading a heat pump to a larger heat strip

texts:
Our heat pump is having trouble keeping up on colder mornings.  It's not just defrost kicking in, as it's blowing cold (less than the target temperature) for an hour or two some days.  The heat strip is functioning, but I believe it's too small for our conditions:

35-40° outdoor temp
trying to maintain 65° indoor temp
~1400 sq ft, Pacific NW

The unit has a 10kw heat strip, and has a list of supported models on the side (the upper end being 10kw).  Assuming electrical can handle it (currently 60A breaker, 6AWG - I believe I'll need to add a 2nd 60A circuit), is there a reason I can't or shouldn't use a 15 or 20kw here?  There are compatible models that look like they should work, aside from the exclusion on the label.


texts:
My ERV is forming ice and condensation on the top of the door and on top of the unit (presumably because the fresh air intake is on that side).  The outside tempersture hit about 1 degree F today.    Is this normal?

I previously had issues with condensation and ice forming in the flex duct intake but after the installers replaced it with R8 insulated flex duct it seems to be ok thus far.


texts: What is the minimum thickness of foam board when insulating a basement

texts:
What is the minimum thickness of the foamboard insulation that can be used when insulating a concrete basement wall when it comes to moisture control and temperature control?

Obviously thicker is better but it is also more cost prohibitive. Would a product like this http://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corning-FOAMULAR-1-4-in-x-4-ft-x-50-ft-R-1-Fanfold-Insulation-Sheathing-21UM/100320301 (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corning-FOAMULAR-1-4-in-x-4-ft-x-50-ft-R-1-Fanfold-Insulation-Sheathing-21UM/100320301) work as a basement wall insulator or is it too thin?

Additonally is there any concenrn with insulating a few moths prior to framing aside from aesthetics?


texts: How do you complete drywall corners. Having issues with space between ceilings and walls.  Any suggestions or tips.


texts: Why my samsung washer and dryer takes too long to dry?

texts:
I have a Samsung WD6000 that washes and dry clothes.
The problem is drying is taking too long, where 4 hours is not enough to dry clothes below the limit of drying (it's 11kg of clothes for washing and 7kg for drying).
I have replaced a few parts:

The drying turbine motor
The resistor (the part that produces heat)
The thermostats
The thermistor

And:

Downloaded the app and did the machine check, nothing wrong
Activated the process of drum weightening
Opened and cleaned the turbine and the duct.

Sometimes (not frequently) the thermistors disarms and I have to press that button on the middle to make drying work again.

At the end of the washing and drying cycle, even selecting 4:30 hours of drying, clothes are hot, but still humid like the vapor did not leave the machine and got back on the clothes.
Only using the washing cycle, clothes end humid, but not wet. So it seems the problem is on the drying cycle.


texts: Is use of a deep cycle marine battery indoors safe?

texts:
I have a backup sump pump, a 12V "Basement Watchdog".

However, immediately after installing it, I found the battery was basically dead.

Not wanting to buy a very expensive replacement battery, I got a Deep Cycle Marine battery, which works beautifully.

I've been told that the "Basement Watchdog" battery is specially designed to be safe to use indoors, as it is sealed, while my Marine battery "emits dangerous fumes".

The sump pit is in my basement, in a crawl space.
While there is certainly a lack of ventilation, it does have an hvac register (which doesn't prevent the crawl space from smelling like standing ground water when there are a few inches in the pit).

There's no warnings on the battery regarding indoor use.

I thought the battery only released said "dangerous fumes" when rapidly charged, and mine is charged via a very low current charger.
Is it safe to use this battery?


texts: Sanding, Blasting, or chemical for paint removal from old metal cabinets?

texts:
I have old (~1950) metal painted cabinets. I'd like to strip them to the nice shiny stainless steel underneath the paint. I've read the EPA guidelines for lead paint removal. My question is what is the best method for removal.

I've done a test patch with a small hand-held circular sander.
I think there may be chemical methods
I can buy/rent a portable sand-blaster

What are the pro/cons of these methods? Are there other techniques?


texts: Fix leak between seal and shower door joint

texts:
Anyone got any suggestions for sealing this gap up?

The problem is because of the door joint, the top seal can't work all the way down, but the bottom seal can't move all the way flush because when the door opens it pushes it out of the way... leaving a gap that bleeds water.

I'd rather not replace the cubicle but its making our living room ceiling rather wet!


texts: changing toilet seat on wall mounted toilet

texts:
I can access the screws underneath the toilet but they are placed horizontally like as if they are screws holding the toilet bowl to the wall instead of downward facing screws holding a toilet seat to the bowl. Does this look right to anyone? How best to proceed?
Any advice/reassurance welcome
Dash


texts: Replacing garbage disposal w/ straight pipe. What to do with the wire?

texts:
I'm removing a busted garbage disposal from under the sink and replacing it with straight pipe. I think I can manage this part of the job, but I don't know what to do with the wire. I mean the wire that was hardwired to the garbage disposal. It comes out of a hole in the back of the under-sink cabinet.
Thanks for any help,
Derek


texts: I've noticed the water from the sink won't heat up, while the water in both bathrooms heats fine.

texts: I've been renting this home for more than a year and there have been a lot of plumbing issues - mostly leaks, but the water in the kitchen has always heated fine. There is a leak under the sink as well, though I can't see it dripping, I can just see that the cabinet floor is wet. The hot water is working in both of our bathrooms, so I figured it wasn't the hot water heater. What could cause something like this? My landlord drags her feet with getting these things fixed, and when she does send a plumber out it's always one of her friends and he doesn't actually fix anything. Maybe if I know what needs to be done I can hire my own person and deduct it from rent.


texts: How do you stop basement waterproofing sealant that is coming into the sump pump basin from the foundation drain pipe?

texts:
I have a very unique and serious problem on my hands concerning the sump pump in my basement and I am very eager to hear of any suggestions or possible solution(s) as soon as possible. The problem I have is that basement wall waterproofing sealant/tar is coming in through the foundation drain pipe and into the sump pump basin and it causing the sump pump to keep malfunctioning.

A basement waterproofing company recently rebuilt a whole basement wall and half of another basement wall and then they waterproofed both of these walls. They finished the job about three weeks ago.

This problem with the sump pump started three days ago after it rained real hard here for several days. I heard the sump pump making a strange noise, and upon investigating it, I found that the black waterproofing sealant/tar was floating on top of the water. After studying what was happening, I found that the external sump pump float was stuck to the bottom of the water level sensor because it was was covered in waterproofing tar. After removing about a pound this black tar from the sides of the sump pump and from the float and the post it rides on, the sump pump functioned normally again.

It has been raining here a lot the past few days and after every heavy downpour, a steady stream of black waterproofing tar will come in with the water from the foundation drain pipe into the sump pump basin and it begins to collect on the surface of the water as the water rises. I've had to clean out the sump pump basin and clean off the sump pump & float at least 10 times over the past few days to keep it going. The last time I cleaned it, I think there was about 2 pounds worth of tar that I scraped out. I can't keep doing this. I'm afraid I'm going to get poisoned by the tar or pick up some bad disease from the water.

I talked to the basement wall contractor several times over the past few days and he thinks this is a very unusual situation but he is refusing to do anything about it because 'he stands behind the quality of his work' and he will not offer any solutions to stop this problem. His only suggestion was for me to get a sump pump that uses an internal float.

What I believe is happening, and the contractor strongly disagrees with this hypothesis, is that the waterproofing tar did not set/cure before they put the rocks and dirt back around the foundation, and so after every heavy rainfall, the hydro-static pressure of the water pushing against the basement wall is pushing the waterproofing tar off the basement wall and then gravity is pulling it down and into the foundation water pipe system.

I think I will probably end up suing this contractor to reimburse me for me hiring another basement contractor to dig up around the foundation again and to redo the basement wall waterproofing.

Yet, in the meantime, I need a workaround solution to stopping the waterproofing from coming into the sump pump basin. I am thinking that perhaps I can buy and pour some kind of chemical along the top of the the basement walls, which will then seep down along the walls and chemically mix with the waterproofing sealant so it will then get hard/cured. Any thoughts on this particular idea of mine?

So, how do you stop basement waterproofing sealant that is coming into the sump pump basin from the foundation drain pipe?


texts:
My sink trap is leaking and I need to buy a new sink trap and/or washers.

But I’m not sure which one to buy, I’ve looked around and found the SA10 and SC10 but don’t know how to tell which one I have currently to replace it.

There is nothing on the pipe to indicate which one it is.

Can anyone help me with which one I need to buy to fix the leak?

Edit: there is a photo below with where the leak is coming from highlighted in red.


texts: How to tell if 2x4 is untreated and safe for indoor project?

texts: I bought some 2x4s from homedepot. Took a picture of the stamp. How can you tell if it's treated or not?  Is it safe for indoor furniture project?


texts: How can I fix a clothes washer faucet that is leaking?

texts:
I just moved the clothes washer out of the way but now I found the faucet that connects to the washer is leaking. I tried to replace the faucet but looks like it is soldered and I cannot find a way just to remove the stem.

Is there a way to fix it without calling the plumber?


texts:
I broke this floorboard the other week and tried to pop it back up to mend with no success. How do I cut and slide this board out to put in a new one?

EDIT:

I was able to take the floorboard out, however as keshlam has pointed out, there was nothing actually supporting this section and thus when I put weight on it when walking in and out of the bathroom, it eventually cracked and sunk with my weight. I will be attempting a quick-fix by going back in the crawlspace and trying what keshlam suggested with the 2x4's.


texts: Light fixture with a switch that has an outlet

texts:
I hope this explains it better: in this room there is a switch with one set of wires and only the black one went through the hole in it, and another black one in the other hole, and is hooked to the outlet by being wrapped around the screw terminals. The ground is cut short and not grounded.

Now on to the outlet: the wire from the switch is connected to the top screw - but it's on the side that says "white".

There are two more sets of wires that connect to the outlet as follows:

the two black ones are on the the other screw terminal on the bottom (one on the "white" side)
the grounds are grounded to the screw terminal below that
the white ones are connected by the one from the switch to the bottom (black side), with one of the white ones from the other set on the screw terminal, and the one from the other cable is on the top screw terminal on the "white" side.

Now to the light: there are the black and white that come out of the box, and that is the set that has the ground cut short.

The original light fixture was a single 660w/250v rated socket.  The one my friend put up was a fixture with two 660w /250v sockets.  At the light only black and white connected, not ground... It worked then made noise and this is where I'm at.

When I wire test them, the black one from the switch and the white ones from either sets nothing...  but all the other ones light up.....!


texts: New door jamb is smaller than the one it replaced. Can I use it?

texts:
I've installed the new jamb, however the new jamb appears to bow a bit, and goes in quite a bit at the bottom. I haven't screwed it down yet, or shimmed it, I wanted a second set of eyes (and 3rd, 4th, 100th) to make sure I didn't do something wrong.

Update

Okay, I apologize for the lack of information given here. To expound, my wife locked the door and closed it behind her before checking to make sure she had her keys, and broke the door frame somehow to retrieve her keys.

So, only the strike side really needs to be replaced. I removed the molding and the old jamb, and bought a new kit from Big Box.

Also, the wall is plaster. From what I've read, plaster door jambs and drywall door jambs are different sizes although we measured thickness of old and new jambs @ Big Box, a quick check of width shows 5 1/4" on the old jamb, and 4 1/2" on the new jamb.

Is there any way to use this smaller jamb? I don't think they have larger ones in stock.


texts: Finishing basement with unusual drainage

texts:
I live in a historic home, and the previous owners made some interesting choices, to say the least. As a result, there are lots of things here that I’ve not encountered elsewhere.
I’m currently thinking about re-finishing my semi-finished basement to make it a more comfortable living space. This will likely involve framing stud walls and hanging drywall, but the perimeter wall on 2 sides has a sloped rim around it. The slope comes out about 10” from the face of the wall and is about 6” tall.
It appears to be intended to help channel water away from the walls and toward the sump pump, but we’ve not had any water in the three years we’ve owned the home, despite some local flooding.

What are my options for finishing the space? I’m open to just about anything. Unfortunately, the room is also an odd shape and has a couple windows above the slope on one end. The already-low ceilings mean I can’t just build the floor above the slope either.
Also, is this a “standard” drainage configuration? I’ve never seen it elsewhere, and I’ve not found any examples online that could help me figure out the finishing question.
Here’s the configuration of the sump pump, in case that’s helpful. There’s a crawl space for an enclosed porch on the other side of the wall behind the freezer.


texts: Can polyalloy (plastic) pex fittings be used with both styles of attachment rings?

texts:
Some pex fittings are made of a type of durable plastic known as polyalloy. Examples:

These fittings appear to be plastic equivalents of their brass counterparts.

In general is it permissible to use either the copper crimp rings OR the stainless steel cinch / pinch clamps with this type of fitting?

Notes:

This wasn't addressed in What is the advantage of PEX pinch clamp vs. crimp rings?


texts: I would like to run my swimming pool pump (220 v single phase AC) on solar panels, I plan to use a inverter to get 220 V.  I plan to run the pump continuously during the time the panels produce enough watts to run the motor. How do I control the startup and switch off during times when the panels do not produce enough watts, say early in the morning and late in the afternoon etc.?


texts: How to handle air condenser with garage addition

texts:
I'm planning a garage addition onto my house and want to know what the best way to handle existing A/C condenser units that are there is.

The current setup is as follows (with the C's being the condenser units):

     |
     |
     |-----------------+
     |                 |
     | C               |
     |                 |
     | C               |
House|                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     | Proposed Garage |
     |-----------------+
     |
-----+

Obviously the condensers cannot be within the proposed garage so, I've come up with two ideas on how to handle them:

Move the condenser units to the back of the new garage:

     |
     |  C   C
     |-----------------+
     |                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
House|                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     | Proposed Garage |
     |-----------------+
     |
-----+

Build the Garage around the units:

     |
     |
     | - - +-----------+
     |     |           |
     | C   |           |
     |     |           |
     | C   |           |
House|     |           |
     |-----+           |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     | Proposed Garage |
     |-----------------+
     |
-----+

I'm currently kinda leaning towards option 2 as I know moving those condenser units will be expensive (and because moving them towards the back of the house would put them right under windows that may make those rooms louder). I'm imagining having the roof continue over the section that contains the units but attaching ducting to the output of the units to direct the hot air either up through the roof or out the back wall, whichever the HOA will allow and then having an air intake louver on the back wall to allow ambient temperature air to come into the area.

Other considerations I've thought of are about the clearances around the units and future maintenance so I'd leave a considerable gap on the right side there to allow people/new units to get in to both units.

My main questions for option 2 are:

Does an exhaust duct like I'm talking about even exist? I found some 18" ducting which would be big enough, but when I search for ducting specifically for outdoor units I only find stuff for window units.
Would having them in that enclosed space reduce their lifespan and/or make them less efficient even though the hot air is being exhausted far away from the air intake (I'm thinking because there's slightly more resistance to the airflow through it now due to the duct and louvers).

My main questions for option 1 are:

Has anyone actually moved existing A/C units before and how expensive would it be to do so here?
If I were to move them, what would be the order of operations for that since the concrete pad this is all going on needs to be leveled and the wall they would connect to in option 1 wouldn't be build yet?


texts: How would i check if my receiver blows speakers

texts:
I picked up a Yamaha htr-3064 from good will for $14.99. Seamed like quite the steal. Back of the unit says it can take 6 or 8ohms speakers. I had also picked up a pair of Tandy Realistic tower speakers, said 8ohms max. Looked good, mesh was intact and cones were clean. So i hooked them up to the bannana plugs and i had no sound, no crackle or pop. After the fact i opened the speakers up and 1 had noticable charing on a wire going to the cone and no continuity. I then hooked my multimeter to the outputs on the receiver and could hear the music theme from my Playstation. The volume is at -33.5 to hear the start of the beat and around -29 for vocals and other instruments. With distortion and buzzing of the multimeter of course.
If i hear music from my multimeter would that mean my reciever is fine?
What would be the proper way to test that the reciever is not the one to blame?


texts: Can I glue vinyl flooring to my bathtub's side panel?

texts:
We’ve just bought our first house, and obviously have very little money at the moment. The bathroom is horrible and we’d like to make some small changes to at least make it look slightly nicer.

As part of that I’d like to take out the old laminate floor, to let the wooden subfloor dry as it has been wet for ages due to a small leak. Afterwards I’d like to put down some cheap vinyl.

The bath side panel, is made out of some horrible brown plastic. Could I just glue my floor vinyl to that to make it look nice and (mosaic) tiled? Would it be possible to do it continuously from the floor with a 90 degree angle at the bottom? Or would two sheets be better for this?


texts: How do I remove a rust stain on my bathroom vanity counter?

texts:
We just moved into a rental home and I seem to have done something stupid. I have a metal plate that I made into a make holder that I spray painted gold on the sink counter top. I must have gotten wet and left this ring on the top. I've tried bleach, Coca Cola, Mean Green cleaner, but nothing seems to make it better.

Please tell me you guys have ideas. I really need this off!


texts: What is this small strip of wood in front of fascia?

texts: I am trying to figure out what this small strip of wood at the top of my fascia boards is called. Also, what type of wood would be good to use to replace it? Cedar?


texts:
Usually stoves are positioned against a wall. Is there any reason why I can't have a stove near a window in the center of the room?

The stove is currently in the position on the left, against the wall, next to the sink. The proposed position is on the right. There will be an island on the left of the new stove too, which is not shown.

The reason for the change is to get more countertop next to the sink. Also, it will be easier to vent the stove outside (the current cooktop is not vented). Also, the gas run will be shorter (the current stove is electric).


texts: What should you look for when buying a 100 year old home that has been renovated to look brand new?

texts: I am looking to buy a 1900 house with detached garage that has been completely renovated and additions have been added to the house. However, what would be the things to look out for in such an old flipped house?


texts:
I'm quite new to dealing with HVAC duct-work.

We would like to install a suspended ceiling in this room. Since the finished ceiling will be higher than this duct-work, we're going to build drywall bulkheads around them.

In order to reduce the wasted space (and having to build more bulkheads), we were thinking of running the two 7-inch ducts from the end of the main duct. This way we can build a single bulkhead around the main duct and continue it, containing the two smaller ducts, to the exterior wall where they turn apart and run upstairs. Both 7-inch lines lead to registers in the floor immediately above, approximately 10 feet apart, on the same wall.

Are there any good reasons not to do this (such as loss of pressure in one of the lines)? Would it be better to replace those two lines with a larger conduit and branch it when it reaches the wall?


texts: How should I deal with pine needles falling from tree onto roof?

texts:
I live in a 100 year old house with an addition on the back. We have a pine tree that is hanging over the addition. The roof and sky lights are leaking. The rest of the roof is ok. We want to just replace the 35+- year old sky lights, shingles and flashing. We are planning on keeping the pine tree. But I was hoping that someone can make recommendations for what kind of flashing that we should use and is it worthwhile going for something other than asphalt shingles? We will probably get Velux sky lights.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks


texts: Is sawdust really that bad for my vacuum cleaner?

texts:
My mother (who tends to be right about this stuff) says that using my non-shop-vac to cleanup sawdust will ruin the motor.

I recently bought a new, fancy, expensive vacuum cleaner that was really expensive and I definitely don't want to ruin the motor.

I live in an apartment and so it is kind of a pill for me to take projects down to the courtyard -- can't leave tools lying around, etc. That means that for small projects I sometimes make a couple of cuts inside, and I need to be able to vacuum up the sawdust. I kept my 15 year old Hoover canister for occasional sawdust cleanup, but I'm wondering (my apartment is big, but not that big) if the sawdust is really going to ruin my Meile's motor.

So what should I do? Use the fancy vacuum for occasional sawdust? Or keep the crappy tank around for project cleanup?


texts: Whirlpool top load washer noisy during agitation

texts: I have a whirlpool top load washer that makes a noise similar to a fast sawing sound. It still agitates fine and all other functions are normal. Its' just noisy during agitation. I have just replaced the entire agitation tower and related parts but still get the sound.


texts: Is there a method to transpose specific pilot holes?

texts:
Bathroom drywall with wood beam behind it.

In a very specific location, created 2 pilot holes (through the drywall into the beam).

Want to attach a wood plank, exactly into those 2 pilot holes.

When the wood is held over the 2 pilot holes...I don't know where those two holes are....but I want to drill the plank specifically into those holes.

Any input on this method?:

Drill pilot holes.
Place small amount of ink/paint around the whole.
Place the wood plank on the wall where it needs to be attached.
Remove plank and drill holes where the ink is (on the back of plank).
Place plank back on wall, align holes, fasten with wood screws.

Any other methods?


texts:
I moved into a 425 sq ft apartment about a month ago. The AC had a leak for awhile. When I found it, they replaced the AC. I have had the new AC for about 2 weeks.

I have a musky old wood odor in my apartment that is real strong. I bought a air cleaner and all it does it suck the odor in more and spread it around.

I believe the odor is coming from the air intake compartment. When I put my nose to the air intake compartment, I can not smell the odor. But when I run my AC fan it fills my apartment with the odor.

I took a picture of one of the pieces of wood that would get wet when the old AC leaked. Would this piece of wood be the culprit of the smell? Even if I can't smell the odor when I place my nose near it the intake compartment?


texts:
My stairs bannister are made of small wood posts nailed to the ramp. The whole thing have always been quite fragile. After 10 years, a couple posts came loose and most show a gap between the posts and ramp.

I know how to use a screwdriver and screw, but I've never done any woodworking with nails. I only have basic equipment (hammer, various screws, screwdriver).

What would be the simplest fix?
What nails do I need?
What tools should I use to solidify the whole ramp?


texts: Interference with cable and electrical in same box

texts: I'm finishing a basement and am running cable to 2 of the rooms in the basement. I would like to run the cable into a double gang box with the cable outlet on one side and an electrical receptacle on the other. I know that the only way you are supposed to run low voltage to the same box as inline electricity is with a partition in the box for safety. Will this also prevent interference or might that still be an issue? I can put them in separate boxes but was hoping use 1 double gang box as opposed to 2 singles just for aesthetics.


texts: What do I use to level out with between green board and hardy backer board?

texts:
I have a few points where the sheetrock is (already) not level between joints.  About 1/16" or so.  I will be adding hardy backer board which needs to span this joint.

I want to avoid (obviously) a non-level sub-surface for the hardy backer board and "float out" this section.  What material should I use?

Since I am new to doing this, a specific type-of material name would be helpful, though I suppose specific "brand" names are OK as examples.  Thanks.

Pictures attached, they show the gap a little bit.


texts: Need Help Adding Another Switch to Lighting Circuit

texts:
I have seen this answer: How do I convert a light circuit with a single pole switch to use two 3-way switches?

However, I'm having trouble understanding what my current circuit layout is (I didn't install it) and haven't been able to get three-way switches working.

Here's a diagram I made of what I can understand of the circuit:

Sorry for my poor, incomplete diagram. Both cables run over ten meters through the ceiling. I can't see where they go to even know where I'd need to crack the ceiling to find them. Also, I lack enough knowledge to complete the circuit logically.

If anyone could help me I'd appreciate it a lot.

EDIT: Adding a picture of the current wiring diagram. This connects the circuit only if both switches are on. Either switch breaks the circuit.

EDIT 2: Switch Wiring Pictures

Switch closer to the lights on the circuit:

Switch closer to the source:


texts: Inspection suggested to replace vents between laundry and garage

texts:
I have a house up for sale, and a recent inspector called this out (to which the buyer is requesting to be serviced). When I purchased the house, my inspector did not say anything about these, so I'm a bit confused.

  Fire Wall/Ceiling Review.  Compromised due to holes at make up air vents. These vents cannot violate the firewall. Recommend drywall
  install as these vents are not needed for make up air in laundry

The pictures are taken from inside the garage looking toward the laundry room. The door on the left leads in to the laundry room. We have a gas dryer, so I figured some sort of air flow is needed, but the inspector claims these vents don't provide that?

Anyone have experience with this? I don't want to replace the vents with drywall if there's going to be a safety / code violation.


texts: Help removing wallpaper and painting on old plaster walls

texts:
I think I'm a bit over my head with this. This is my first major do it alone DIY. My fiance and I just bought a co-op built in 1917 and wanted to strip the old vinyl wallpaper from the bathroom.

I'm hoping to remove all the wallpaper and on one wall apply a new coat of wallpaper, and then on the other walls paint it white. I’m worried I’m damaging the walls while stripping.

It seems like the top layer of plaster is chipping and being pulled off in places from the base layer. How should I best remove the wallpaper? And am I causing serious damage to my walls by doing this or by accidentally removing the top layer of plaster?

Do I even need this top layer of plaster? Or would it be best to chip it away and then apply kilz, then primer, then paint? (Can I apply wallpaper on top of all that too?)

Also, a section of wall where a cabinet was previously hanging has a fairly large crack. How should I best fix this?

Sorry for the multitude of questions, and many thanks!

Where the layer of plaster (?) peeled off the wall.
(https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dyxyu.jpg)

A section of wall next to the part pictured above that seems more like Sheetrock. (https://i.stack.imgur.com/4FUPN.jpg)

And a section of wall that wasn’t covered in wallpaper but hidden behind a cabinet. It’s cracked and has some water staining.

(https://i.stack.imgur.com/ruGud.jpg)


texts: Electrical - 50A to 20A Adapter for heater?

texts:
I am currently in the process of remodeling my detached garage and have run into a snag with the electrical. The previous owner ran 6-2 wiring out to the garage into a 50A outlet but then pigtailed a 20A outlet off of that (see attached pictures).

I have a Cadet Garage Heater that needs the 6-20R outlet. The heater would only be used in the winter and when I am making something out in the garage which is not that frequent. I am assuming the pigtail connection the previous owner ran is not safe.

Ideally, I would run 6-3 wire out to the garage for a subpanel and come off of that but I am hoping for an easier solution in the form of an adapter. As mentioned before, the usage of the heater would be limited to the winter, running maybe 2-3 hours max a couple times a month. I would like to keep the 50A outlet in case I ever decide to flirt with a welder.

The 6-2 wiring is on a 50A breaker and is run underground to to the garage. Also ran out to the garage are two 14-2 lines as well as a 14-3 line. The two 14-2's are on a 15A breaker and the 14-3 is on another 15A breaker tied into a few things inside the house. I have already replaced the fluorescent lights with LED lights and added a couple more plugs off of the 14-2's. The 14-3 controls the lights on the garage (other switch is at the back door).

All help is appreciated. Let me know if I need to provide more details. Thank you!


texts:
My wooden floor has a broken plank,

There is a vertical supporting wedge in the upper side, I guess I can nail directly onto it, but what I should do about the lower side?


texts: Samsung washer trips breaker during spin

texts:
I appreciate any help. I have a 5.6cf Samsung washer. Model WF56H9100ag/a2. It pops the circuit breaker mid spin cycle. It’s only 4 years old and has not moved. I have opened up everything except the drum and everything is clean and dry. the water exit filter is clean.
I put it into service mode and run the quick spin test and it failed at about 850rpm and 1050rpm.
There is no slip in the bearings. (I had a kenmore elite that failed that way so I’m familiar with the signs)
The motor is clean and spin fine.

Only other issue and I’m not sure if it’s normal, the drum shakes a lot during spin startup. Then it spins smoothly. Not sure if that is a signal.

Thank you!!


texts: Iron bar set in concrete heavily corroded; how to mitigate?

texts:
I have a decorative concrete column (solid concrete with rebar) in front of a multi-storey house, about 10m hight. Said column is held by three thick steel bars (6 x 2 cm) that link it to the house, giving it stability.

The steel bar has been heavily affected by rust right at the point where it enters the concrete column. The metal has cauliflowered. It looks like a piece from a saltwater ship. Is there some galavanic corrosion effect here?

So I have tried to clean the affected area somewhat, but it is difficult to reach (I can't even properly reach the far side) and I'm not sure how far the rust reaches into the column. I have managed to reach this point:

Admire the multiple layers of paint. I have counted a primer and 4 layers on top.

How to proceed from here? I wanted to try to clean it up some more, then use a paint that can reduce the remaining rust, put enamel on it and try to fill the hole with filler. I will not be a perfect fix.

The problem remains problematic. The two other bars are higher up and I don't know whether they are reachable at all. And I don't know how the bars look on the point where they enter the building wall. They are hidden by the outer insulation. I hate this ...


texts: can a top/bottom feed style sub-panel be fed from back of panel

texts:
I have an Eaton main lug load center that is listed as top or bottom feed. I had to run EMT through a wall to the back of the panel.

Is it legal to use a knockout in the back of the panel (top part of panel just to right or left of center in the back) to feed the wire through?

It is #6 thhn stranded wire. It would have the appropriate emt to box fitting.

I cannot find any information on this.  I only find examples of either the wires fed through the sides of the panel or the top or bottom.  There is plenty of room but the wires would be making a 90 degree bend as they came into the back of the box to get to the main lugs which are below the knockout.

The alternative would be to put a junction box above the load center and come through the back of it and then down into the top of the load center.

The box is a 125amp eaton ch box.

thanks
Michael


texts:
We are in the process of purchasing a home in Washington State. We receive a lot of rain and the backyard lawn always seems kind of soggy/standing water. I've looked into a french drain and it seems like a good choice for my case.

The problem is the grade of our property goes from the street being the highest point to our backyard fence being the lowest. I want to be a considerate neighbor. Is there any problem with having my french drain just end before the back fence or is there a better alternative anyone is aware of?


texts: 2x6 span as rafter for shed with tin-roof

texts:
I'm building a goat shed - total size is 16' x 24'. The tin roof (lean-to) will run the 16' length. Can I use a 2x6 for the rafters? Could go 16 or 24" OC. Thanks.

Update from responses: roof is 1/8 pitch 8 ‘ off the ground near Houston (snow load is not a factor). Don’t have goats yet.


texts: Ceiling light with push connector but 3 white wires in box

texts: I just purchased a new ceiling light that uses push connectors rather than bare wires. My electrical box has a single black wire, and 3 white wires that are tied together. The old fixture's white was twisted into the 3 white wire connection. How should I work my light's connection - should I cut off the push connector and follow the previous method, or would there be a better approach?


texts: How do I seal a 4+ mm gap between skirting board and slate tiles?

texts:
I have a slate kitchen floor and wooden skirting on the walls around (no beading).  At some points around the wall there are gaps of around 4 mm or more.

I was thinking of simply stuffing paper in the gap and then using polyfilla to cover the gap (sanding it off and then re-painting the skirting).

Does this sound like a good idea?  I am worried about making a mess of the slate floor using polyfilla.


texts: Washing machine stops - but always restarts after I open/close lid

texts:
I have a whirlpool washing machine (SM 8525079 REV). Whenever it runs, it always stops after a few minutes having filled with water. However, once you open and then close the lid, the machine starts again and works perfectly. (I believe it used to do this intermittently but it now happens all the time.)

Is this something that is easy to diagnose and/or fix?


texts: What to use to seal around fixtures when tanking a drywall bathroom?

texts:
After I hang the drywall there is some gaps between the fixture and the drywall board (yes, I'm using greenboard that will be tanked/redgard/kerdi/etc, no backerboard in Brazil), what is the best way to caulk those areas?

I thought about using either PU foam or some flexible mastic (main component is polyisobutylene) that remains flexible (and I'm not sure it fully adheres to drywall). Silicone might also be a choice but some of the voids are to large to use it (about 10 mm).


texts: Connecting a P-trap to a female drain connector in the wall

texts:
I am replacing a bathroom vanity and while I'm doing that, I'm also replacing the p-trap for the sink (mostly because I want one with a drain, but also because I have to raise the height a couple inches) . Right now, there is a 1 1/4" female drain connector sticking out of the wall (which takes 1 1/4" I.D. pipe). The old P-trap was made of metal:

My intention was to use a standard 1 1/4" ABS P-trap, however, ABS is 1 1/4" O.D., and the drain connector takes 1 1/4" I.D. The edge of the connector is about 1/8" recessed from the drywall, which will make cutting that piece off and attaching a coupling fairly difficult, though may be possible. I don't want to actually open up the wall (as you can see, I'm already in the process of patching the messy hole someone made for this pipe).

Anyone have any better suggestions?


texts: How far apart is it okay to set thermostat during night and day

texts:
This isn't home improvement, per se, so please feel free to let me know if there is a better forum for this.

I have been told by two people, one of whom is a boiler repair technician, that it's not a good idea to set my nighttime thermostat temperature too far below what I have it set at when I'm awake.  Neither gave me a satisfactory explanation - just vague "it shouldn't be done" sort of stuff.

My question is why?  Will it cause damage to the boiler (~3-4 years old, natural gas) if it's set, say, 10 degrees F different?  Will it cause damage to anything else in the house?

I have three zones (basement, first, and second floor).  Basement is always at 60.  First floor is 70ish while we're home during the day, and presently only 66 at night.  I'd like to set it to 60 at night but have been nervous to do so.  Second floor is where we sleep, so 66-68 at night is fine.


texts: Can this panel have a main shutoff switch installed on it?

texts:
I'm thinking about connecting an additional 240v circuit to the panel in my apartment (7 apartments in the building, NYC) but the panel has no main shutoff breaker installed on it. I believe that the main shutoff breaker for the apartment is located in the basement but I would prefer an additional shutoff on the panel itself for the convenience and also for the peace of mind knowing that I won't get zapped if someone comes along and flips the basement switch on me while working on the panel.
I've never installed a main shutoff in a panel before so here's my questions. This panel can in fact have a main shutoff switch installed right? There is a little metal tear-out section on the panel front piece indicating that a main shutoff switch goes there but how would it attach? It must need to interrupt both hot service wires coming in right?


texts: Hot water comes through cold after turning off and on

texts:
I have a combi boiler providing hot water in my house. If I run the hot water (e.g. in my shower or kitchen sink) it comes through hot just fine after a couple of seconds and stays hot however long the water is running. However if I turn the water off for a moment - say 10 seconds - and then turn it back on again it will no longer come through hot (or it's hot for a few seconds and then...) but comes through cold and may not warm up at all. I can get it to run hot again by turning the water off again and then waiting a few more seconds and turning it back on and it will usually warm up again at that point though sometimes it takes multiple tries.

Any idea what's going on with that? It seems strange


texts: Why aren't my PIR security lights working through my window?

texts:
Can any one help? I purchased a solar powered PIR security light, with the intention of putting it inside my kitchen window. The PIR would be inside the window, but this does not work.

When I go outside to activate the light, it does not work. When I go inside to run my hand across the sensor, it works.

Will a PIR unit penetrate glass, or am I barking up the wrong tree?


texts:
Fuel oil (Beckett oil burner) here. It's -20°F outside right now and the house is at 61°F even though I have the thermostat cranked up to 75°F (we have a thermometer in the house as well, that's how I know the temp).

The burner kicks on about every 3 - 4 minutes, runs for a few minutes and shuts off. I'm trying to determine if this sounds problematic or if its expected behavior. And, of course, if its problematic, what the troubleshooting process should look like.

My understanding is that: if the house temp is below the thermostat temp, the burner should be running nonstop/continuously until the house temp comes up to the thermostat temp. Yes/no?!

If this is normal expected behavior, I'm wondering: why? That is, why isn't the burner running continuously until the house comes up to the right temp?!

And if this is not normal/proper behavior, what are some of the reasons for what could be going on here?


texts: 200 amp service upgrade. Can I run a bond cable through a hole in a wall shared by plastic conduit? If not how far away from the conduit do I need to stay?


texts: Is this door closer okay, maladjusted, or broken?

texts:
The entrance door just below my room used to slam hard when being closed by the door closer, branded TELESCO. Some days ago, upon my request, there have been attempts to fix the device. Indeed, at first things were better. But now again, it slams, though perhaps not (yet) as hard as before.

With an ancient camera in low light, I recorded the closing operation. Quality is abysmal, but I think the sounds tell what's going on. Watch the video on Vine.

Mechanics:

I can imagine this is hard to judge, but what do you think: Is the door closer OK? Is it just maladjusted? Or is it broken?

Finally, out of curiosity (I'm not the maintenance man): How can the issue be solved?


texts: Tile parquet is coming off the concrete surface

texts:
20 year old tile parquet that was polished and varnished in February has begun to rise off the concrete surface. The concrete is so dry that dust comes off it and the only source of humidity seems to be the air, which has been very humid (60-100%) for the past couple of weeks.

Can this still be salvaged by using the original tiles, or do you have to replace a larger area with brand new parquet?


texts: Easy way of generating a 50-150W load @12V

texts:
I need to test a battery for its remaining capacity and to do that, I need to generate a constant load to be able to measure how long it can sustain that load.

I tried using a 330W load (290W shoe heater + 85%-ish efficient inverter), but I found out that it couldn't sustain that load for more than half an hour before the voltage was too low. Lower loads seemed to work, though, so I'll need to find a way of creating something that has constant load, but at a lower wattage.

Now, this seems silly-stupid simple, right? Just find something that draws, say 100W and see if that works. Or 50W if that should fail. The problem is, I have a hard time finding anything with a constant power draw in the range 15W-300W. It's impossible to find light bulbs that are not LEDs anymore (1-2W instead of 50W), and my vacuum starts at 350W at the minimum setting. Nothing inbetween.

So I guess I could hack my own? I'm not that great at electro-physics, but I understand it's possible to make some kind of super-basic heater: something with a high resistance causing a lot of thermal heat. I have no idea, though, how to make it work at 12V. Is this something I could hack together?

Alternatively, are there common household appliances that can generate a constant load at 50-150W for hours without inducing mechanical failure of some sort?


texts:
I just had a deck built and it failed inspection, partly because of the lack of a graspbable handrail (see also my related question How do I install concrete blocks to support deck stairs?) .  The current rail is a flat 2x6.  The inspector said I could attach a 2x2 or similar handrail to the balusters with a bracket of some kind.

I've done some googling but I can't quite find the kind of bracket it sounds to me like he's describing.  What should I be looking for?


texts:
I'm curious if anyone on here has a recipe to create limewash/whitewash for indoor use on wood? I will be making a kitchen back splash (actually, the whole wall behind the sink/countertop) out of reclaimed wood and would like to whitewash over it so that it has the grain showing, is that translucent white, and is durable.

It appears that whitewashing over wood does not provide much water resistance, but I've seen some reports that you can create a more durable whitewash finish by adding a "binding agent." I have not found out what the best type of additive is for the binding agent or if it even does anything. I've read about adding molasses or linseed oil.

I'm not SUPER worried about water resistance since there will be a piece of painted/caulked trim directly in contact with the counter top so any standing water would interface with that and not the backsplash.

Recipes I've seen mainly consist of 1:4 Hydrated Lime to Water, some calling for a certain amount of salt.

Does anyone have a good recipe they've used for a more durable limewash/whitewash?


texts: Bathroom exhaust/light combo - light doesn't come on until fan on

texts:
In our guest bathroom, we have a fan/exhaust combo with 2 switches.  Today my wife noticed that the light wouldn't turn on until she turned the fan on.  Then she could turn the fan off and the light would stay on.

I did not modify the switches in the bathroom.  Right is fixture above sink (working fine).  Left and middle are ceiling are ceiling light and exhaust fan respectively.  If I turn on the light and it doesn't come on, turning on the fan makes is work.  I have noticed that after I did use it for a while it does actually work sometimes independently of the fan.

Fan model is a Nutone 763 I believe:

FWIW - I did just add a "smart switch" to a light that was on the same circuit in the breaker box.  It seems like it can't be a coincidence, but the light switch I added and all other lights are working fine.

Foyer / front porch switch which was modified:

The two blacks were connected to the previous switch, the bare ground I connected to the green wired switch, and the neutral I connected to the 3 white wires that were capped together.

Closer:

For visibility I have moved the middle switch out of the way but it was not modified.  Left most is Entryway light, middle is nothing as far as I'm aware, and the right is the Front Porch light I wanted to put the smart switch on.

Thanks for any input.

edp


texts: Does a drainage pipe need to be continuously sloped?

texts:
I need to move water from the back yard to the front yard, to combat the monsoon season, in which a 50 gallon container in the backyard can fill up in 1-2 minutes. I bought some 4" piping, and will have it collect water in a drain in the higher back yard, and divert it in a half-circle around the house to the lower front yard.
I'm finding that due to the length of the pipes, about 150 feet, it is difficult to make it continuously downhill. There already is a slight slope of 1" per 10 feet horizontally. Is there any issue if the pipe is not perfectly sloped, and in places goes slightly higher than before, so long as all of the pipe is lower than the entry drain?


texts: Care and feeding of a long kitchen drain?

texts:
My kitchen sink has a garbage disposal, and its drain crosses the entire house within the height of the first floor joists. With 9 1/2" joists, that's at most 7" drop over 23', or a hair over the minimum 1/4" per foot slope. However, I've had clogs in the past, and I'm guessing the slope isn't constant (the basement ceiling is plastered so I can't check).

I've stopped running eggshells and onion peels down the disposal, but I'm still worried about clogs, and I'm thinking that once the drain is blocked it'll be a lot harder to deal with (and a "have to deal with it right now" situation to boot).

Some possibilities:

Buy/rent an auger and clean the drain out every few years
Hire a service to do the same
Fill the sink with hot water and then run the disposal to rapidly drain it and clean things out
Don't worry about it until (and unless) it fails.

What's my best bet?