texts:
The bulb needs changing but I have no idea how to open this, I tried twisting it but I am afraid it will break. It feels like it is somehow attached to the hanging bulb, but I might be wrong.

Nothing "opens", it's all one piece, glued together.


texts: Why is Easy Sand not suitable as a skim coat?

texts: I have Easy Sand 90 joint compound. Its label says not to use it as skim coat. Why can't I use it?


texts: I'm in the process of building my home and need some way to temporarily cover the garage door openings. I purchased a couple of tarps and secured them from the inside using some #10 ½" wood screws. This didn't stay up long due to the winds. I also tried securing the tarps using the built-in rings, but those also got ripped off.


texts: How can I add a 50AMP breaker for a NEMA 14-50 outlet to my panel?

texts:
I have two 150amp panels, both with sub-panels installed. I need to add a 50amp breaker for an electrical vehicle charging port.  I'm looking for the best way to do this, with what I have available.
The single pole 30amp on the 'Barn Sub Panel' (Yellow Box) is no longer needed, and there is rarely load (only for a welder) on the 50AMP breaker in the same 'barn sub panel'.  Could I install an additional 50 AMP breaking in this sub panel?   Note that the breaker feeding the barn subpanel is a 40AMP.   That seems to be an issue, but looking for thoughts on this.
Is there another configuration that could be considered to satisfy the additional 50AMP requirement?
Thank you.
Panel 1 and Barn SubPanel

Panel 2 and Pool SubPanel

Panel 1 & 2 Door Label

Pool Sub Panel 125Amp


texts: Gas furnance runs blower and signals false flame

texts:
My 7yo-ish furnace is running blower excessively.  It reports (according to manual) a "false flame sensed" (5-blinks).
This is NOT, however, in response to the start of a heating cycle.  To be sure, I've disconnected the thermostat wire at the furnace. It just spontaneously starts and runs for about 10-15mins before stopping and starting up soon after.  It seemingly runs the heating cycle just fine (at least it starts on request), its just running the blower at other times.  I should add that the blower and vent motor start simultaneously, as opposed delayed sequence during a normal heating cycle.
I've cleaned the oxide layer on the flame sensor (and measured improvement, from 1uA to ~5uA), and for a while it seemed to resolve the issue, but not for long.   I've now disconnected the flame sensor and the blower still starts and stops.
The board appears dust and debris-free and the wiring looks in good condition, so I don't think it's intermittent short.
I'm prepared to declare it a faulty board, but is there any other sensor or any specific wiring to check first?  The hot surface igniter needs replacing (relative high resistance) but it ignite gas just fine; can it cause a "false flame sensed"?
Furnace is Goodman GMNT040-3B


texts: Should I install a hot water recirculating pump before or after the thermostatic mixing valve?

texts:
Per the attached picture, I'm going to install a Grundfos comfort pump next to the solar hot water system. Supposedly it's half price on amazon, and it gets pretty good reviews.

My question is whether the Grudfos should be connected before or after the thermostatic mixing valve (which works great).

Also, given the tight spacing, any tips on the most efficient course of action in terms of cutting, elbows, etc.?

At the bottom is screen capture of the Grundfos Manual


texts:
So my ceiling fan was wobbling. I realized 2 blades (out of 5) were warped. I bought 5 new blades and made sure they were equal in weight and weren't warped. My fan still wobble a little bit and when I measured from the ceiling to blades, one blade was about 1/2-1 inch lower than the other blades. How can I level the blades?

Thanks for the help.


texts: Replacing thermostat and metal plate inside wall cutout

texts: I am replacing my Honeywell thermostat. I removed the old one and there is a metal plate inside the drywall cutout that the old one was screwed to. I need to remove the plate because the screw holes don't line up with the ones on the new thermostat and if I try to drill holes for the new one I will be hitting the plate once I get through the drywall. The plate seems loose and I don't feel any screws holding it on. How might it be attached? Thanks.


texts:
I just had an electrician replace the old 100A fuse box of my 1954 house, with a 200A breaker box.  The breaker on my meter base and wires between breaker and breaker box were also replaced with 2/0, 2/0, 2/0,

I plan on rewiring the house in the coming months for two reasons:
1) aside from the kitchen, everything else (living, dining, bath, 3 beds) is on two circuits, and
2) the old cloth wrapped wire looks rather deteriorated in places.  The breaker box is in the basement (unfinished), under the kitchen.

1) I have read conflicting opinions on forums about house rewires (i.e should I go through the basement or through the attic).  I gather this is more of a convenience/cost issue for contractors, but what would you all recommend?  It may be worth noting that I plan on finishing the attic.

2) I plan to put each individual room on its own breaker.  Are there any best practices for running the new wire (either in the basement or attic) to each room (i.e. shortest path? organized to one side/center of house?).  Currently each socket/switch are connected with a daisy chain of wires across the bottom of the floor joists in the basement.

3) If I go through the basement, can I come up through an existing hole and go around the room behind the base board (to eliminate the daisy chain in the basement)?  The sheetrock does not go all the way to the floor, and there is a gap below the wall studs, behind the baseboard.

4) I have seen older (100+ year old) houses in town with outlets in the baseboard.  If I plan on adding outlets, is this practice still acceptable?

I apologize for all the questions in one, but they are somewhat related.


texts: Concrete Block Wall Has Ugly White Stains

texts:
The concrete block wall in our back yard separates our backyard from the neighbors, whose property sits several feet higher than ours. So standing next to the wall his grass is about head high. Parts of the wall have what I can only guess is seepage from his grass yard where the water and chemicals in the soil seep through the concrete. What can I use to cover that up permanently, without having to re-do it on a regular basis.
Thanx!


texts: regarding concrete basement floor and adding wall/supports to reduce sag

texts:
I have a basement slab, and a triple 2x10 backbone supported by steel columns. I've got a little sag in one which combined with other issues above, results in less than desired sag in the second floor (maybe a half inch).

Focusing on this part of the puzzle, the beam isn't sagging all that much, but i can see where it's bearing on the steel column it's smushed a bit at the bearing.

the basement is unfinished but would like to slowly finish it here and there, the first part being partition walls. it makes sense to put walls up along the underside of this beam.

Finally, the question: putting up such partition walls under the beam, what do i need to know about jacking the beam to give load to the partition walls to reduce the sag of the main beam? I understand the steel columns are on thick footings, but what's the word on spreading some load on the rest of the floor?

Bonus question: would it make sense to "sister" the steel column, putting a support just next to it so it's still on the footing to effectively add bearing(remember the smush?)

thanks!


texts: Will cutting section of 2x4 reduce strength

texts:
I have a 2x4 nailed to two other 2x4’s protruding from ceiling. This is used to hold up garage door opener. There is a light socket behind it and I wanting to attaching motion sensor socket to it but I believe 2x4 cross piece will block line of sight of sensor. If I was to cut a section of 2x4 cross piece, would it reduce the strength of 2x4 cross piece as far as it being able to hold up garage door opener?
Any ideas on motion sensor light socket line of sight issue other than moving socket?


texts:
Is there such an option as using PEX for an 1-1/2 vent ? I have a stretch where I need some flexibility for my pipe which is going to be difficult to achieve with copper or ABS.
this is related to this question
What fittings can I use to re-route my copper DWV pipe?


texts: Vapor Barrier Under Insulation on Attic Floor

texts:
My brother tore out the mdf tile ceiling of his cottage and nailed down ~1x6 pallet wood on top of the ceiling joists in the attic. There are large gaps in the boards. On top of the boards, he rolled some R19 for insulation. This is a summer home only.
His place gets very hot. I am going to recommend he put up radiant barrier in the rafters, but would there be any benefit to rolling up the insulation temporarily and putting a vapor barrier underneath, on top of the pallet wood?


texts:
I have a problem in my bathroom with a switch and LED lights in the roof (6 of them).
The switch is double; the right switch is for LED lights in the roof with a dimmer and the left one is for a mirror light, also LED.
So, just by themselves, the LED lights in the roof turn off after few minutes (random time) after many, many years of working, and after that it was again turned on manually by the switcher and the LED lights in roof were just shining very faint (like when they are on the lowest level with the dimmer).
I took one LED light in the roof out, and also a transformator of that LED.
I checked the connections, checked the input in a 230V transformator, checked the output (it was something small, I don't remember exactly - 10, 12 or 24).
I took off the switch and saw everything was connected in the right way:


texts: I have a couple of solid wood door slabs and wanted to install them into a casing that is weatherstrip friendly. Split door jamb casings don't seem to be compatible with this design, so I figured I'd make my own casings.  Based on the measurements of my existing exterior doors, it looks like it has a 1x5 for frame and 1x3 for the jamb.  Has anyone done this themselves and is it as straightforward to construct as I'm imagining (plus the latch hole and mortising the hinge of course)?


texts: Enamel Canned Spray Paint on interior trim?

texts:
Is it going to be a good idea to spray paint (while off) interior trim? (such as quarter round ) someone mentioned it might create a smoother looking finish and be a little faster, but will it last? I mean canned spray paint is WAYY cheaper then a gallon of paint and a new brush also. From my perspective it seems like a no brainer, but why haven't I ever heard of this then?

I have already primed the sureface I thought I could do 2 finish coats, then nail on the trim and patch paint the nails? Figuring I could spray the paint onto mu finger and just dab it on over the nails?

AM I just an idiot or is this a viable way to do this?


texts: Waterproofing plumbing stack in bathroom

texts:
I’m currently designing my new bathroom. I live in a 1970’s apartment block and am on the top floor. My neighbor underneath me has previously had problems with water leaking behind my shower and down the plumbing stack onto her ceiling.
My builder has told me that I won’t need to waterproof the plumbing stack as water won’t get into there any more. He was also unsure he was allowed to waterproof inside the stack. Is this correct?
Should water be able to get down the plumbing stack in the first place?
And are there any issues with waterproofing my floor?


texts: How can I get rid of bumps and other damage?

texts:
I have these two tables that are very hard to replace, so I want to fix them instead. The problem is that they have scratches, bumps and I don't even know what else. What is the best way to fix them, preferably with products that can be purchased from Amazon or something.

Here are some pictures:


texts: Where do I add window casing with a replacement window

texts: I don't understand where I'm supposed to add the casing. I just put in a replacement window. There's the old window frame, the new replacement window jamb and a little space between them. Am I supposed to add the casing to the old frame, or do I add a stop in the space between the new window and old frame and add the casing to this stop? I want the casing to be white so if I added to old frame, I'd have to paint the frame white


texts: How do I retrieve a detached plunger from a bathtub drain?

texts:
I have an old bathtub drain assembly that is similar to this:

As far as I can tell, the linkage broke off completely due to old age. If I unscrew the trip lever and cover, it's not attached to anything and I can't feel anything if I try to reach inside.

I'm reasonably certain that the plunger is down since water doesn't drain from the tub.

Is there an easy way to retrieve the plunger? I've tried using a pickup tool from harbor freight:

This was unsuccessful after 30-40 minutes of trying.  I really don't relish the thought of crawling under the house with our 8-legged friends and dismantling the drain. Any/all suggestions are welcome. =)


texts:
We've decided to replace the sink (which was way too small) with one from Ikea.

This is how it looks after the removal:

Now for the problems:

The sink that was there before was a free-hanging one, the new one isn't. That's why there are these two big screws on top.  We tried to remove them with a pipe wrench, but it didn't even move a bit. What should we do with them? Cut them off with an angle grinder?
The tap supply seems to be too high. It's upper border is touching with the sink's porcelain. Is there a way to move it down somehow?


texts: Are metal horseshoe nails an acceptable method of securing electrical cables?

texts:
On the framing our electrician used plastic staples with two nails to keep the wire from moving around, but I notice under the house he used metal horseshoe nails. It seems that, if they were tacked up tightly, the metal could damage the wire.

Is this okay?


texts: Insert a 1/4 20 Threaded rod into a threaded 21/64 hole through metal

texts:
I'm installing a suspended lighting track system in a concrete ceiling. The ceiling has some abnormalities and the anchors (seen here:
https://www.grainger.com/product/DEWALT-ENGINEERED-BY-POWERS-Vertical-Rod-Hanger-Anchor-54PD63) I've installed are slightly off so that when I insert a 5 foot 1/4 20 threaded rod, they all hang un-level (there are about 16 of them in total). I know that I can bend the rods to appear level - but I thought a better solution would be to purchase these from mcmaster carr:

https://www.mcmaster.com/#6154k13/=1e11k1b

This pivot adapter can screw directly into those ceiling anchors.

The problem now is that the set screw cavity (which the threaded rods will go into) is 0.328 or 21/64"

I can't find a M 0.328 to F 0.25 adapter.

Any ideas on how to do this? Should I just use a hand-tap to make that hole 3/8 so that I could more easily find a 3/8 to 1/4 adapter?
Is there some kind of sleeve I can insert to accept the 1/4" threaded rod.

Per the answers below, I just want to clarify that I am using the set screw threading to insert a 1/4" threaded rod. The hole is too big and I can't find an adapter suitable. Thanks!

****Ended up just ordering threaded rods @ 5/16 24 which fits perfectly in the coupling. The 15 degrees from center of movement is perfectly fine because the threaded rods are 5 feet long. Did a strength test too and the couplings are more than suitable to support the lighting track. Thanks everyone for your help in troubleshooting.


texts: How should I orient the laminate flooring in this room?

texts:
I'm planning to install new laminate flooring in a bedroom that has two closets, and I just want to make sure I'm orienting it correctly. From what I've read, there are two rules for this:

Along the longest wall of the room
Perpendicular to the highest source of light

I am only able to follow one of these rules for this room. Please take a look at what I'm planning so far:

Here, I have the laminate along the longest wall of the room, and I'm planning to use T-moldings at the closet doors so the laminate is along the longest walls in there as well. Is this a good way to lay it out, or is there a better way?


texts: Why did my garage door opener fail weeks after being fixed?

texts:
My home that I've lived in for three years was built in 1982.  Up until recently, I had enjoyed trouble-free operation of the garage door opener that was installed in the house when I moved in.

Earlier this year, the garage door opener failed.  I opened the device and thought that the cause of the failure was evident: there is a drive gear between the engine drive shaft and the chain sprocket that was completely worn out.  The gear appears to be made of white plastic, the the inside of the device was coated with white plastic.

I looked up the garage door opener and found that it was a 1993 Lift Master; nearly a quarter of a century old!  Fortunately, modern repair kits still have parts for it.  The part number for the repair kit is 41c4220a.

I purchased the repair kit and replaced the worn gear, reassembled the device, tested it, saw it work, and patted myself on the back for a job well done.  About five or six weeks later, the garage door opener failed again.  I opened up the device and saw that the drive gear was worn down exactly the same as the previous one was when it was replaced.

That suggests that the gear itself is probably not faulty, but something else is somehow causing it to fail.  The gear that it turns against looks fine to me, so I'm wondering what the problem is.

Below is a photo showing the worn gear and the new replacement part.


texts: Repair sealing inside toilet tank that leads to bowl

texts:
I have a Kohler Santa Rosa toilet circa 2013. Water only fills the tank about 20% of the way - to the bottom of the center tube. I lifted up the center tube and noticed a red, possibly rubber, ring dangling off the bottom. I suppose this is the sealing between the tank and the bowl. Since there is no longer a tight seal, the water constantly leaks from tank to bowl.

I tried to remove the whole center tube to attempt to reattach the sealing, but I was prevented from completely removing the tube due to it being stopped by this disk thing. This "disk thing" is usually connected to the white tube, but I disconnected the tube during this repair. What are my options to repair the sealing if I can't get good vision of it and can not comfortably maneuver my hands around it?


texts: Is it Ok to mount a bathroom extractor fan at floor level?

texts:
I am fitting a new shower to a downstairs bathroom (the room previously only have toilet & sink) and need to fit an extractor fan. The room borders onto an enclosed porch (uPVC doors & windows with sloped tiled roof above).

I could fit the fan near the ceiling and put the ducting through the wall into the porch then vertically through the roof to exit via a chimney in the tiled roof. This is the expensive and more invasive option.

What I would like to know is if it's possible/practical is to fit the extractor to just above the skirting board and have the duct go round the floor of the porch. I understand that hot air rises etc, but what I don't know is whether that really makes much difference if the fan can replace the air in the room sufficiently quickly.


texts: How close can I put a fridge-freezer to a gas boiler?

texts:
I have an older (20-30 years ) old gas boiler mounted on the wall, and a space to put a fridge-freezer at 90 degrees to it around 20cm away.

I know we want to avoid radiators/boilers ( which does also get hot, but maybe less so? ) right next to it but how close can I get away with? 10cm, 20cm, 50m, 1m+?

I would also be considering to put a wooden cupboard around the boiler, especially if this would help insulate  the fridge from the boiler and redirect the heat elsewhere.


texts: Can I run power to a shed from 110v 30 amp external house outlets 20 feet away using RV 30 A Extension Cord?

texts:
My house has two utility 30 amp outlets (with 30 amp breakers at the main panel).  I want to use from the house outlet, 30 Amp RV Extension Cord going into a 30A 125V RV Power Inlet (to be installed on the shed).  All wiring up to that point is 10 AWG. After that it will be 12 AWG wiring.  Do I need to use a Sub-Panel in the shed with 20/15 Amp breaker(s)? Can I use GFCIs instead? Suggestions?
The shed (10x14 Ft) will be use to run bench lights, bench outlet strip, light weight bench grinders/polisher, other hand tools like drills, vacuum cleaner, small mini fridge, fan (NOT Air Conditioner), maybe a coffee pot etc.  Basically the main use is for Arts and Crafts.  The use is intermittent and not intended for full time operations (so it will be disconnected when not in use).


texts: What is the best way for a DIY'er to work with contractors/inspectors?

texts:
Like many here, I was born with an unhealthy desire to do things myself. It is in my DNA, it isn't gonna change.

This is NOT a post about the evils of the government deciding what/when/how I can do things on property that I supposedly own.  That ship has sailed.  Good or bad, it is the type of civilization that exists on this planet.  Let's move on.

What I want to know is this.  What is the most practical way for someone like me to be allowed to do the maximum amount of any particular building/remodeling job myself while working TOGETHER with the trades/inspector (as little as possible) rather than against them.

Specifically, I'm asking what are the best ways for me to find the right guy in the trade or approach a given tradesman to get them to agree to a contract job where:

I pay them for the time it takes them to "walk me through the job and tell me how they would do it".  A mini-brain dump about the pitfalls and codes involved.
they go away and don't bother me.
I pay them for the time it takes them to come over and "inspect" my work and tell me what I need to change and how. He is on site for interim inspections from the county and he gets paid for all of his time by the hour.
After a couple iterations of the above, I pay them to "finish the job" and call the inspector to come approve the job.

Item 4 above would vary from job to job, but an example might be putting in a driveway...I do all the excavation and prep and gravel and build the forms and put in the rebar, yada yada, and then he and his crew order the cement truck and pour it and finish it.  This is just an example with one specific trade.

So, is there a way to find such a contractor?  Would just about any smallish contractor do this if I posed the job to them in the proper way?  Are there some trades where this idea can fly, and others where there is no chance?

The question is posed mostly to the many tradespeople who frequent this forum, but I also would like to hear from any DIY'ers similarly afflicted who have found a workable path through this quagmire over the years.


texts: Does electrical box have to be nailed into side of stud

texts:
I have an electrical box that was metal and i want to add another switch. I pulled out the old box and want to replace it. There was no ground to the box, and the wires do not have a ground, so I was going to use a plastic box. The only problem is the remodel box sticks out an extra inch because the stud isn't a normal 2x4. If I use an electrical box like this, can I just nail the front piece to the stud, or do I have to drive in the two long nails to the side of the stud?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/CARLON-3-Gang-Blue-Plastic-Interior-New-Work-Standard-Switch-Outlet-Wall-Electrical-Box/50011802


texts: Always worried about running into asbestos due to an older house. The guy built a lean to on the side of the shed. Is this asbestos panels or is it fiberglass?


texts: Type of insulation between exhaust flue and chimney flue?

texts:
We converted a wood stove to a propane fireplace. It's a direct vent but we're only using the exhaust insert. The intake air will come from the interior.

Anyways, as such, we have a gap around the new flue insert and the flue. What kind of insulation can I use to plug up that gap at the bottom to prevent cold air from pouring down in the winter?


texts: Can I remove a 32" portion of a supporting wall?

texts:
Update: Hopefully for better understanding, The wall showing the electric wall switch plate ( will note this wall as 'A'), I want to eliminate 32" from its end holding the 'Half wall' (will be wall 'B').
I would add two 2x10 the length of Wall (A) and tie it into to support Wall (B) but again 32" would be non supportive. So the electric plate would be removed etc.
Hopefully this makes it more clear.
I want to remove 32" of a supporting wall which connects to a supporting wall with two 2x10s which will hang 32" with no end support at the end but connect into the other supporting wall. The issue is the other supporting wall currently is a half wall that marries into the wall I want to remove the 32" from.
Simply, there will be an L shape with no under beam support for 32 inches, on one wall and the other wall which is a half wall now, will have 6 foot of un-support although the two 2x10s together which will further be 10 foot long married into the first supporting wall should support it.
This is a ranch-style home with no upstairs, just a low attic but ceiling rafter do connect on to that half wall.
Any help suggestions I would appreciate.


texts: What paint should I use to paint front door? Why using Urethane in paint?

texts:
What paint should I use to paint front door? The paint would go on two surfaces: steel or aluminum (door) and frame (wood). The door appears to have been painted previously with Comex Flex Glow (Acrylic Enamel).

A colleague of mine was telling me that I should use “Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel” (https://www.sherwin-williams.com/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&urlLangId=-1&productId=312501&urlRequestType=Base&langId=-1&catalogId=11051#data-sheet). I have painted my house and garage door with Sherwin Williams Emerald Siding Flat/Satin. I was planning to use the same paint Sherwin Williams Emerald Siding Satin to paint the door.

What is so special about Urethane? Why "Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel" would be better? Would I be able to use “Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel” on top of the Acrylic Enamel? Should I just continue with the paint I used for siding and garage door?

The world of paint is confusing... Thank you for the help!


texts: How do I remove/uninstall this security motion sensor?

texts:
I have a security motion sensor that controls a pair of security lights. Unfortunately, the sensor has failed and I want to replace it.

For some reason, there doesn't appear to be a way to remove/uninstall or open it as there are no visible screws.

There is a seam down one side and I have inserted a flat-headed screwdriver in there to see if I can open it. Unfortunately, that just flexes the plastic. I do not want to be too rough and damage the eaves.

The brand of the sensor is Lanson (which is sold in Australia), but I was not able to find any installation instructions for it.

Here are some pictures of what it looks like:


texts: groaning noise as water stops. well water

texts: Power had gone out . wife tried using water till it stopped flowing. Now power back on but hearing a groaning noise when using the water. Is air in the line? how do I stop this noise. I do also have a acid neutralizer on the system. all was good till power when out. We have a whole house generator 18 kw. But needed to conserve propane so I shut it off at night . we were out for 5 days my propane co was closed for weekend. Now this noise is getting to me. Hope no damage is occurring. Any help in really appreciated . Thanks


texts: Is it safe to exhaust a portable electric clothes dryer indoors?

texts: Is it safe for us to breath in the house if the portable dryer vent blows into the house?


texts: GFCI outlet trips overnight. The breaker indicates there is ground fault. Outlet tester shows no lights (no power?)

texts: I have a GFCI tripping problem. My garbage disposal is connected to an outlet protected by a GFCI breaker. I am still able to run the disposal several times within one or two hours after I reset the breaker of garbage disposal. HOWEVER, the next morning, it is always tripped... The breaker indicates ground fault. Outlet tester shows no lights (indicating no power?). I am not familiar with electricity at all. I appreciate any help!


texts: A buddy and I will be installing a second layer of composite shingles over the old ones already on my roof. Should we consider doing any of this in the rain?


texts: Can a breaker be added to the main disconnect panel?

texts: I know nothing about electrical code or wiring. I want to add a breaker to my main disconnect panel. Reason being it is super close to my garage compared to my panel inside my home. The main disconnect panel is a full size panel with a main switch at the top then spots for breakers below. Its located at the front corner of the home and I would simply need to run the service 10 feet. I believe it's a 200a service, installed by the previous owner in 2012 and passed inspection at that time. I would like to feed from this panel to my garage and possibly add a sub panel for some additional outlets and a 220v outlet for welding. Is it ok to do this or should I plan to budget to run from the main panel inside the home?


texts: Can I fix heat regulator (burner switch) of electric range?

texts:
So the burners stay on no matter what setting - low or high. I opened and found the switches (heat regulator) were the problem.

The metal contact of the green board is broken because it's too thin.

Thus, no connection between #1 and #2 (picture below). The electric range could not turn off the burner when it reached the desired temperature.

A. The metal contact at #1 is sharp. I wonder if I can bend the tip to make better contact.

B. At #2, I'm thinking about putting some solder there.

Will these fixes cause potential problems?

I don't want to buy a new switch because it will definitely fail in the same manner. (I don't know why engineer designed it this way. If this is the case, I blame sale management)


texts: Why do the two bottom wires on my GFCI have power?

texts: I am connecting a GFCI outlet in my kitchen. The old outlet had two hot wires, two neutral wires, and two wires feeding the dishwasher jumped in with the top pair of hot and neutral wires. I'm concerned about the two bottom wires having power, I don't know why they do?


texts: how to install track lighting on preexisting ceiling fan?

texts:
I have an existing ceiling fan with a light fixture that I would like to replace with track lighting and spot lights. For this purpose, I have bought the "TROSS" ceiling track lighting from Ikea

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80262663/

The problem is: it doesn't exactly fit the space at ceiling fan after I have removed the preexisting light fixture. (see photo)

my question is: is there a standard way to install track lighting on preexisting ceiling fans?


texts: How to remove waves from ceiling and paper from walls [picture]

texts:
I saw a house recently that has wave pattern on the ceiling and paper on walls. What would I need to do to make ceiling flat and remove the paper to paint it?

Thank you


texts: Downstairs sink gets scalding hot. Bathroom sink (which is 2 ft from shower) gets scalding hot. Shower gets medium hot at best. Any non-plumber fixes here?


texts: I gave an old home and the fireplace on the outside shows cracks and shifted brick. I tried to use the fireplace and it was fine but eventually smokes started coming in the house. I know there are cracks but I'm looking for an inexpensive way to seal cracks on the inside so I can use the fireplace as I can't afford to fix it properly. Yes, the vent is open - I checked. I'm worried about using a spray sealant and actually really messing up my fireplace. Any suggestions?


texts: I need to replace a burnt out bulb in my rental unit, but I have no clue what type of bulb this is.


texts:
I have this wall that I'm wanting to make into a flat wall. I plan to use furring strips with rigid foam insulation on the bottom brick half. Then another wall of 2x4 studs in front of the existing ones, notching them for the PEX, etc.
My question is, how do I go about setting this second wall on the ledge to make it flush? Do I align the bottom plate (which will be sitting on the existing ledge) outwards into the room to account for the foam board that will be on the brick face?
Has anyone done something like this? I'm open to new ideas as well, just been building a bathroom to fit the existing layout.


texts: Refrigerator is not cooling, but freezer is working fine

texts:
I have a Whirlpool refrigerator model WRF560SEYM04 (bottom freezer). The refrigerator is not maintaining temperature, but the freezer is working fine. I cleaned the condenser coils, which were fairly dirty, and went to check the evaporator fan motor operation. When I removed the back of the freezer to get to the evaporator fan, the upper right side had a big ice chunk around the two copper pipes going up into the actual refrigerator. Using a hair dryer I melted the ice. When it was plugged in again, the evaporator fan activated. I reassembled the freezer and plugged everything back in again.

I wasn't expecting to find the ice chunk. Is that something I should be worried about?
Would the ice have caused the initial problem of the refrigerator not maintaining temperature, but the freezer working?


texts: Best way to install fixed bathroom shelves

texts:
My contractor had installed 4 bathroom shelves but three of them have fallen down. These I guess require glue. Is that the problem?

Is there another way to install them so like with screws so it will never fall?


texts: Replacing Honeywell Thermostat with different wires

texts: I am trying to replace my old Honeywell Thermostat with a new programmable one. My electric box has 4 wires (2 black and 2 white). My Thermostat has 2 wires (2 black). How should I be connecting these? Is it as si


texts: Electrical wiring question - How can I get 1300 watts x2 from a 15 ampere breaker by splitting amp

texts:
I am trying to raise the voltage to 240 V so that I can power two computers with 1300 watts, each on ONE 15 ampere circuit.

I power four 15-A circuits in my shop via a 60 ampere breaker I keep in my main panel. I came ought to that 60 ampere breaker with three #6 wires (two hots + neutral) and a #10 ground.

Each of my PCs is 1300 watts.

So, all I need to do is wire the existing neutrals that are already on the bus bar (those neutrals which originate from each applicable circuit. In my case, the only ones on the bar), remove these from the bar, and place the neutral in another 2 pole 15-A breaker. Is this right? Will this allow me to connect 2600 watts to one circuit? Is all I need to do to add a two-pole breaker and move the neutral to it?


texts: New washer overflows from the stand pipe

texts: I just got a new washer and it’s overflowing from the stand pipe. My old washer was in the same stop and the standpipe never overflowed. I took a garden hose and put it in the drain and let it run for like 5 minutes and it was draining fine. I’m wondering if the new washer ( Samsung WA45K7600AW) is outputting the water too fast for my drain to handle it. Is that even possible? Just looking at the drain pipes of the old and the new washer, I can see the new one is wider. Please help!


texts:
I have an old wooden back door that leads to my garden. It has a mortice key lock on the handle, a sliding bolt about half a meter above it, and in-between these a latch lock that opens and closes freely so it offers no security but it doesn't hinder the use of the door.

This morning I went outside by opening the sliding bolt and then unlocking the handle with the key, and when I came back inside I locked the handle with the key and then slid the bolt across - nothing strange here. This evening I also used the door to go outside, opening it the same way I always do, but when I came to close it not a half an hour later the bolt wouldn't slide in and the key couldn't turn the deadbolt into the hole, as if the door was still open just enough that things wouldn't fit.

Naturally I opened the door all the way, inspected each locking device, and both were fine. I sprayed both of them with WD-40 for good measure. I inspected the door frame which was fine, and swept it out from top to bottom just in case there was a small stone that was preventing the door from fully closing. I also brushed off the outside of the door (the part that fits into the frame) and the edge around the door. I then closed the door and tried to lock it but it still wouldn't fit by the same degree as before I did anything to try and remedy it. If I lean my weight into the door, it does fit into place, and I can lock it with minor resistance. When I open the locks they are stiffer as a result of being pressed into their respective holes.

What has happened to my door? Being a back door it faces all weathers and despite high or low temperatures, wet or dry spells, it has never displayed resistance to being locked. It's as if some part of either the door or frame has suddenly moved by only a millimetre or two so the thing doesn't fit anymore. I even unscrewed and removed the useless latch lock just in case it was somehow interfering with something but it still won't close without being leaned into even though it did only this morning.


texts: deadbolt pins fell out when i try to take my broken key out

texts: my key broke off in the deadbolt and I had to take it apart to get the key out but the pens in the springs fell out the lock how do I put them back in which order Do they go in


texts: electric oven bake element gets warm but does not get hot

texts:
The bake element on my Hotpoint RK38T electric oven gets warm but does not get hot.  The broil element does get hot.
In bake mode, the element shows 59 volts across the element, 111 volts from one lead of the element to neutral, and 51 volts from the other lead of the element to neutral.

I would appreciate comments on the cause and how to fix this issue.


texts: Why do my new door hinges prevent my door from shutting completely?

texts:
I have installed some new standard 3" door hinges with a small corner radius on a 32" door.  The doors are solid-core oak doors.  The hinges appear to look fine and fit perfectly flush in the existing grooves in both the frame and door.  But now when I close the door, the door hits the opposite side of the door frame (handle side), and overlaps about 1/16" - 1/8" so it will not shut.  The top of the door is fine.  It appears to be pretty evenly overlapping, so it's not like the top of the adjacent side is ok and the bottom overlaps.

I assume this is because the hinges must be slightly thicker, or in the closed position they are a bit wider.  How do I go about fixing this?  I guess I could take them off again, and chisel away a little on the door grooves or in the frame, but how would I keep that consistent?  I have 5 more doors to do after this one; I sure hope they are not all this way.


texts: What to do if drywall anchor isn't flush with the wall

texts:
I'm trying to install a curtain rod.  The kit came with drywall anchors and screws.  The anchors are 1 inch long.  However, the drywall is maybe 1/2 inch thick.  Behind the drywall it looks like a wood stud (99% sure it's the stud) and not empty space.

I didn't know and tried hammering the anchor in and it's not flush with the wall.  I can't seem to drill deeper so I don't know what to do.  Do I apply more pressure to push the bit thru the stud so the anchor will go all the way or there's another solution?


texts: Use rainwater to partly supply a sprinkler irrigation system?

texts:
I'd like to start capturing rainwater and using it to help supply the irrigation system I already have. It's a standard Rainbird sprinkler system that runs on full pressure water supplied by the city. From what I've read, I'd probably need a pump to get the rain water pressure to be high enough to use for the sprinklers.

I won't be able to store nearly enough rainwater to run the sprinklers entirely off of rain water. I think I'd be lucky to be able to store enough for one watering.

So what I'm stuck on is: is there anyway to plumb this so that the sprinklers would run on rainwater when it's available, but back-off to the regular domestic water when that runs out?  Or supply it from both sources so that the domestic water continues to provide water after the rainwater runs out?

Is there some sort of Y-fitting that is able to give one supply priority? Or maybe it could be done with some check valves? Or something totally different?

Edit: The answers so far involve building a rainwater only supply system, and then using a float to add utility water to the tank when it's almost empty.  I'd prefer not to do that since it would seem to put more stress on the pump and increase the risk of flood if the float valve fails.


texts: Need help wiring two lights from a switch at the end

texts:
I am trying to wire two lights in my shed with a switch at the end of the circuit.  Power comes from a subpanel on the back of my house and is connected to a GFI outlet.  Power then goes underground and into the shed in a junction box.  The wire comes out of the junction box to an outlet, and then to light no. 1 then to light no. 2 and then to the switch.  I am using 14/2 for everything inside the shed, except in between the two fixtures, where I am using 14/3.

I connected everything and it worked fine, but after pushing the wires for the two lights into their respective junction boxes, and mounting the light fixtures to the boxes, nothing works anymore.  It keeps tripping the GFI outlet every time I flip the switch.

I'm fairly sure I have it wired correctly but here's what I have.  First light:

Second light:

I don't have a picture of the switch, but it's just black on bottom, white on top, and neutral to neutral screw.

Anybody know what I've done wrong?


texts: Can replacing a T&P valve be done as DIY by a home owner?

texts:
I want to replace the T&P valve on my gas water heater since it is dripping water all the time. I talked to a couple of people such as my friend and a salesperson at a Home Improvement Store. They said I need to call a professional to do the job. I researched the subject on YouTube and find it can be done by myself. I do not know the reason why I would need to call a professional, which is expensive. Can it be done by ourselves?

I know the basic safety procedures. For example, I need to shut off the water/gas and drain all the water to reduce the pressure in the tank before doing anything. Are there any other safety concerns? I mean if it too complicated I will call a professional but I want to make sure that I really need them.


texts:
I live in an old house with horsehair plaster walls.  One of the walls in my living room has a large crack running the length of the wall.  It appeared after someone sat on the sofa with a little too much enthusiasm and pushed it into the wall.  I've tried repairing the crack but because the wall is now "squishy", the plaster can now be pushed in without much force, the crack reappears the first time anything touches it.

My question is, can I drywall right over the existing wall without much hassle?  Or is there a better way?  If this is the best/easiest way to fix this, how do I make the joints between the new drywall and the old, like the ceiling, look correct?


texts:
I was installing a new shower head (Brand: Niagara Earth), and apparently overtightened it, cracking the washer in the process. Unfortunately, it seems to be a specialty type of washer that has an integrated aerator screen, so I can't just buy a new one in Home Depot. What can I do to stop the water from squirting out of the joint? (Teflon tape and pipe compound didn't work; the threads are not tight enough.)

Any ideas?


texts: Running EMT conduit through soffit into attic

texts:
I am running a couple of new circuits to the bathroom which will involve running THHN wires through the emt conduit.  The problem is that my panel is on the exterior wall and the conduit will need to enter the attic space.

It was suggested that I bend the conduit in the center (90 degrees) and push it up through a hole in the soffit to enter the attic.  But that plan looks naive because I ran into some wood about 3 inches up from the hole in the soffit.

Should I drill a hole in the wood to access attic space? If so, the hole would have to be pretty big to allow bent conduit to wiggle through it.

Update 1: On a whim I drilled through the wood and then I was inside the attic.  Pushed a stick through and was able to see 8 inches of it from within the attic. Now off to conduit bending, installing and cable pulling.

Picture of soffit:

View from inside the attic:


texts: Wiring a ceiling light to a ceiling fan box: what about ground?

texts:
I've only installed pendant lights before, and they came with a bracket with a green screw for grounding, so it was pretty simple. Now I'm trying to install a ceiling light that just has two wires to a plastic box that's wired for a ceiling fan...

Is it as simple as white to white and black to black, and I don't have to worry about grounding? It looks like there may be a ground wire already screwed at the top of the box (see circled close-up)?

Thanks so much for the help!


texts:
Before a month, I bought a domestic air conditioner for my bedroom and the person who came to install it, used somewhere PVC glue with that strong toxic smell (you can smell glue without to have to turn on the air condition).

I don't know if they generally use that glue to install an air condition.

The smell stayed for days and the air condition was also periodically on (not for very long, only 10 hours in total because there was a glue smell in the air).

Now that smell left and I was wondering if it's safe to turn on the air condition and sleep or there are any toxic remainders (in the air) ?


texts: Can anyone identify this device hooked to water pipes

texts:
This device is between the hot and cold water pipes in a brand new building, in Germany.

What is it for?


texts: Deck beam recomendations for coastal climate

texts:
In a coastal climate with rain can I use untreated beams for an exterior deck if the deck has a torch on membrane?
The deck sits on a retaining wall to provide a 4' crawl space.  The crawl space may just be a gravel floor with a vapor barrier.
Considering a 5.25"x11.78 PSL @ ~18'
I did some research and their is a PSL plus which is treated and carries a 30 year warranty for exterior use.  The lumber yard doesn't typically carry it and the manufacturer has all products to this yard on a 6 week backlog or something.
The lumber yard is telling me that they can send out a standard PSL or any structural member for pressure treating and for the beam as specified it would ~$100.  The standard PSL subjected to pressure treating isn't going to carry the 30 year warranty and I don't have a good way to determine how much better the Weyerhaeuser PSL plus is going to be over a Weyerhaeuser PSL treated in a chamber even if they use the same stuff - probably I'll give their tech line a call and see what they think.  $100 is nominal so if I can't get the PSL plus I'll go for the manually treated PSL as it seems like as long as I have adequate venting even a standard PSL would meet code.


texts: LED downlight remains on after switch is turned off

texts:
So for the past week or so now, when I turn the switch off for the down lights in the hallway, one of them which is an LED downlight begins to flicker a few times and remains on for about 5 seconds then decides to turn off. None of the other downlights do this, it's just this one. No one has fiddled with any switches, lights and no one has been in the roof so I'm not sure what the issue could be. I'm worried about an electrical fault which may result in a fire, etc....

Your help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks,

Will


texts: What types of flooring can be used with electric radiant heat?

texts:
I am considering converting an old enclosed sleeping porch into a usable room year round (in Ohio).  Currently the floor is a big slope to allow for drainage when it was still open, obviously I want to level the floor but was considering installing electric radiant heat in the floor at the same time because there is no heat in this room yet.

What types of flooring materials work with electric radiant heat installed on a floor with wood joists (not a concrete pad)?

I know tile is the standard choice that works well, however I am concerned that there may be some movement in this floor because it is an old porch and I don't want the tile to crack.

PS - I ask because I am in the position to install it if it would work well.  If it looks like it does not make sense on non-tile floors I may just install a small electric baseboard heater.


texts: How can I switch a circulation pump between continuous power and thermostat control?

texts:
I have a dedicated 20 amp circuit powering my boiler's control unit. The control unit is basically a relay operated by the thermostat that 1) fires the boiler and 2) turns a circulating pump on and off. While the boiler and pump are on separate feeds coming out of the control unit, they are switched simultaneously so the pump operates only when the boiler is fired.
Twice this winter, a branch of the water circulation route froze. Each incident resulted in a $480 service call to thaw the line. This is unprecedented in my home. After the second time it happened, I disconnected the circulating pump from the relay and wired it directly so it would run continuously. That prevented further freezing incidents despite even colder temperatures. Now that warmer weather has returned, I put the pump back under relay control.
This is current state:

I want to find a permanently-installed way to switch the pump between relay control and continuous power. My thoughts are that this could be accomplished like so:

Note the DPDT switch wired "backwards" to control which line powers the pump.
FYI, this is the pump:

My questions are:

Is this feasible and safe?
Can I do this with a SPDT switch just on the hot side (and wire all the common together)?
Is there a better way?
Are there products available which would let me accomplish this goal with WiFi control?

In response to questions in the comments, I have the following updates:

The control unit is a Honeywell. It says "Aquastat Relay Type L8148J". Below, I've included a photo of the actual uncovered unit and a diagram from the inside of the cover.

The whole house is on a single zone. A main artery in the basement distributes hot water. Each radiator is served by a pair of intersections. I'm not sure what they're called, but I've included a picture. They don't look like traditional valves to me.

The set of pipes that froze lead up an outside wall to a bedroom radiator.


texts: How to sister 2x4s on top of each other?

texts:
In the past I have sistered lumber by putting the two pieces side by side (so if you have two 2x6s putting the 6” side next to each other) with some liquid nails on them and then putting some nails through them to connect them.
But now I’m in a situation where I’d like to join the 2x4s on top of each other - so essentially taking two 2x4s and creating a 2x8 from them.
At first I was thinking I would just get some Simpson nail plates and go all the way down the length of the seam where the boards touch on both sides, but I was worried that wouldn’t provide enough support. My other thought was to run a ~6” piece of 1/2” plywood the length of the seam where the boards touch on both sides and put nails through the plywood and 2x4s to connect them
Would either of these methods work for connecting two 2x4s on top of each other? Is there a better method that I should use instead?


texts:
We have GFI outlet in a "weather proof" box with cover. There is a pump and pool light plugged into it. Every time there is a semi heavy rain, the breaker in the box kicks but the GFI never trips. If the box is letting water in some way, shouldn't it trip the GFI also or just the breaker in the box?

Thanks for any help


texts: High Efficiency Furnace vented through the roof. How screwed am I?

texts:
I'm investigating installing a central air system and in doing so it was brought to my attention that my high efficiency furnace may not be installed properly.  I'm in a narrow semi without much clearance and they vented the furnace out through the roof a couple of years before I moved in.

There's a pump off the furnace that pushes the condensation into my drain, but no drain line off of the pipe itself. Is this set up ok, is there something I can do to retrofit this, or am I looking at major work here?


texts: reuse padding when installing new carpet

texts: A new carpet has to be installed instead of the old one. Is it possible to reuse padding and/or tack strips, or this is not recommended?


texts:
Recently I purchased this 4375 watt generator from HF:
https://www.harborfreight.com/merchandising-promotions/brands/predator/predator-generators/4375-watt-gas-powered-portable-generator-epa-iii-63962.html-
I have heard some bad things about HF's generators but the insanely low price is what attracted me - however, before I go about returning or upgrading I want to eliminate any issues in my wiring setup.
Here's the setup: Generator has two 120vac GFCI outlets each of which I am running a 100 foot 16 gauge extension cord out of. Plugged into each of these extension cords are two 3-outlet wall taps, and plugged into these wall taps are different surge protectors, powering audio gear such as two audio interfaces (65w) laptop (100w or so) guitar amps (50w or less) an LED lamp (150w) and so on. Nothing is daisy chained, the audio interfaces and laptop are on one outlet and the amps are on another so the loops are separated.
Here's the trouble: When plugging in specifically the laptop, the GFCI for that outlet tripped immediately, without even turning the laptop on. After this point, just plugging in the audio interface was enough to trip it. Later, just turning on the surge protector was enough to trip it. Tried the other outlet, different surge protector, just the laptop - same issue. Now weirdly, I was able to run two guitar amps and pedalboards off of one extension cord with no trouble - maybe about 300-400 watts altogether.
I have considered going for higher gauge extension cords? Or even biting the bullet and getting a Honda inverter generator. Any ideas you guys might have? Thanks so much.
p.s. yes, the generator is grounded, to a galvanized steel rod about a foot deep.


texts: Remove thick, painted joint compound from walls

texts:
My husband and I recently bought a home where a joint compound artist applied his trade :). All walls and ceilings are covered in those half-circle swirls and the ceilings go one step further to create concentric circles! Our home is 40 years old, so there are at least two coats of paint over this texture.
After requesting two estimates and not receiving a response after they came out, six weeks later we bought an electric drywall sander. We tried skim coating first - four applications later we've barely covered the texture. We own a business, so my husband has minimal time outside of weekends. I thought I could work the sander and he could skim coat on the weekends.
We have a space of about four feet between a window and a corner wall. I started with 120 grit and worked for about 20 minutes in a small area with no progress. I jumped to 80 grit, concentrated on one strip from window to corner for about five minutes applying a small amount of pressure to the sander with a minimal amount of progress. I realize it won't be completely smooth, hence skim coating. But I feel like I should have had better results.
Are my expectations too high? Is there a different method I should be applying before sanding? I'm ready to use a grinder on the wall!! By my calculations, it would take a day to just sand the room (not including the ceiling). Any tips would be most welcome - including a visual or to-the-touch idea of what the wall should look/feel like before starting to skim coat. As a side note: I did read the post at Best way to remove textured wall (joint compound)?, but the texture on the wall and ceiling is thicker than even that. I did suggest to hubs putting up new drywall and got a resounding "NO"!


texts: Connect two LP-GAS High-Eff +95% Furnaces to one LP Tank will reduce supplier refill to one location on House. Furnaces 100K BTU and 60K BTU. To reduce refill to one location (currently two tanks on opposite sides of house). Running from current 100K furnace tank to 60K furnace at 90 feet (short+elbows+bends) using 1" - 100% Sch 40 Black Pipe end to end (no flex, no unions, only right hand-clockwise on couplings). Based on charts, 1" will support run given second inline regulator for 60K furnace. I plan to run Sch 40 under 5' concrete floor crawl space drop down 4" from rafters. Is distance at 4" from rafters a problem? Can it be closer?  Code does not spec in my district.


texts: How do I make bevel cuts to form a ring with 2x4's?

texts: I want to make a round wishing well. I have 12 2x4's @1'h. What degree of bevel do I need so they fit into a tight circle?


texts:
These photos show the way the previous owners of my house used a jack post to brace sagging floor joists.  I'm not sure of their method, so I wanted to check what the correct method is.

Angle 1

Angle 2


texts: New light fitting coming on with wrong switches

texts:
I've replaced several lights in my house no problem, house is 70's build old wiring etc
My kitchen light had an old tube light that was on the way out so I bought an LED replacement.
When coming to wire it in there were 3 grey cables in the ceiling with the 3 earth's and 3 red wires twisted together. Then the black wires were two into the neutral and one into the live.
I copied this over to the new light and it doesn't come on at all.
But if I use only two of the wires it comes on if any other light on the downstairs circuit is turned on but its own switch has no effect?
I tried swapping the wires around the other way but that means the light is just permanently on and the other downstairs lights don't work. So leads me to believe the 3rd one I'm not using is the switched wire but if that's one the live side it just trips it out, on the other side it does nothing
Any ideas where I've gone wrong as I took a picture of the old light wiring before I took it off and it and just copied it which hasn't been a problem for me in the past, I can understand if I got them mixed up but it doesn't even work with other combinations it either doesn't work at all or stays on permanently etc

That's the old wiring, the new one Is just a block with live and neutral


texts: Can I install Kerdi board just on the walls of my shower and use a PVC membrane on the floor?

texts:
I have poured the preslope on the cement floor, and installed the Oatey PVC membrane and 3 piece drain.

I would like to use Kerdi board on the walls, but not the floor.  Can I install Kerdi board next on the walls bring it down to the membrane?

After the Kerdi goes in, I would pour the final slope for the shower floor and tile overtop.

I like the Kerdi product for my walls because of the pre-fab niche, and lightweight materials and smaller board sizes that are available.  I really don't see any videos of people installing Kerdi board with an Oatey membrane.  Are the two incompatible for some reason?


texts: Junction box partially behind drywall and partially exposed

texts:
Let's say I have a 200 amp breaker panel that is flush mount.  I want to wire in an EVSE across the garage using conduit.  Somehow I need to make that transition for the conduit from behind the drywall to conduit on the surface of the drywall.  I believe a junction box is the right way to do this.  The obvious solution is a surface mount junction box and have conduit enter it from the back, turn in the box, and come out the side to continue on the rest of the way.
I'm wondering, can I get a deep (> 6") junction box and have it partially in the wall and partially exposed so that the conduit from the panel could come in through the top of the box on the back half and exit out the side on the front half?  I would probably mount the box to the wall stud on the side of the box.
   ----
   |  |
   |  | breaker panel
   |  |
   ----
    |
    |  conduit behind drywall
    |
    ---
    | |  junction box
    | |-------------------  <- conduit on surface of drywall to EVSE
    ---

Can a conduit body be used in this way instead of a junction box (assuming a sweep elbow fits in the stud space to change from down to out)?
It's a 2"x6" exterior wall.  Will be using PVC schedule 80 conduit on the exposed run.


texts: This hole in a concrete porch needs fixing

texts:
I might buy this house and have never lived there.

The porch has an big air space of maybe 4 feet underneath the slab. Some of the rebar at the bottom edge of the slab is visible when peering in. The rebar is not the small round stuff; it's more like the T-shape metal 'fence post' thicker design.

Of course, the crack also needs repair. There are other smaller, less visible cracks.

The hole has been there for a long time so the concrete around the hole feels a tad crumbly.

The porch is perhaps 6 x 20 feet. I didn't measure the slab thickness, but it's probably 4-6 inches. There is a basement block wall towards the back side underneath.

If it is not a good idea to use a strong concrete patch, why not?
Otherwise, if it is not a good idea to open up the hole a little and fill the huge air space with something, perhaps a concrete slurry, why not?
How about using a Trex or wood product (or some stamped design) to re-cover the porch after patch since it would otherwise look ugly?

Thanks.


texts: I need to replace a bathroom window which has cracked. At the same time, I'm replacing a jacuzzi tub with a walk-in shower and plan to cover the bathroom window with backerboard and tile. I'd like to ensure the new window doesn't crack due to the heat which will now be trapped. The window installer assures me it will be fine since he's using Low-E glass. Anything else I need to add between the glass the the backerboard (insulation? tint?)? Thanks.


texts: Replacing two 3-way dimmer switches with two non-dimmer 3-way switches

texts:
I had two Lutron 3-way dimmer switches for my bedroom lights. They looked something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-MAW603RH-WH-Electronics-Maestro-Dimmer/dp/B000BQMVXC

I replaced the bulbs w/Philips Hue smart lightbulbs, so I needed non-dimmer switches. I bought two simple 3-way rocker switches, and tried to wire them the same way. Unfortunately, on my first try, something was wrong. When the 1st switch was up, 2nd switch could turn the lights on and off. But when the 1st switch was down, lights were off and 2nd switch couldn't turn the lights back on.

So I tried moving wires around on the 2nd switch, and they behave as expected -- I can turn on/off the lights from both switches.

Does the mere fact that switches behave as expected show that I wired these two switches correctly? I ask because I'm a new homeowner, and am just paranoid that I may have mis-wired something that will burn down the house one day. Thank you!

(Ground wires are easy to identify, so you can assume I wired them correctly)

(There were no neutral wires on both my old and new switches)


texts: 20 amp Circuit, 15 amp switch that controls receptacles ok?

texts:
I have a 20 amp circuit in my home (the breaker is 20 amps). On that circuit there is a light switch rated for 15 amps that controls three 15 amp receptacles.

Is the 15 amp switch ok, or should it be a 20 amp light switch?


texts: How to cut a door wrapped in sheet metal

texts: In my kitchen I have a dumb waiter; the door is 1" thick solid wood wrapped in 1/16" sheet metal. I removed the old door knob (that's the hole in the photo) to make room for a flush pull. I need to cut the sheet metal in the shape of the pull to make it fit, but I'm not sure how to do this. I can't use clippers and I don't own a router; I have a Dremel and power drill only. I could drill holes along the cut out line using the power drill, but there's gotta be a better way.


texts:
I've been researching ways to 'fix' a large area (20x40) of old glued-in 10'inch square acoustic tiles on the ceiling in my house that I am renovating. No idea what is above the tiles (the house is over 100 years old) and I don't have the budget right now to spend much on fixing this up.

I am considering placing 1/4 inch drywall over the tiles (leaving them in place) using both construction glue and long screws). I could then add in wood trim pieces every 2 feet or so to add some architectural interest as well as additional support for the drywall.

Does this sound like a reasonable solution? Eventually, I will remove the entire ceiling and depending on what I find up there doing something different..the original ceiling was at 12 feet, but now it is at 8 feet and the other rooms in the house still have the 12 foot ceilings. But, replacing 20 windows is eating into my budget right now.

Thanks for any help or comments.


texts: How can I remove these screws from shutters?

texts:
I am trying to pull some wood shutters off vinyl siding. The screws are placed into what looks like a cylinder (I believe it is called an "anchor"), which itself looks attached to the siding. But when you get working on the screws, instead of coming out, they simply spin and make a popping noise every once in awhile. How can I get these shutters off?

Note: This is not simply one isolated screw; none of them will come out on any of the shutters. I have also put a crowbar behind the shutter to pull it from the wall so that the screw would "catch", but that didn't work either.


texts: LED track lights slowly turn on one by one only to work at a fraction of output

texts:
I'm having a weird issue with my LED track lights and I can't seem to put my finger on what exactly is causing it. They seemed to work just fine until recently. Now whenever I turn on the lights, they slowly turn on one by one and they're also super dimmed (as if operating at, say, a quarter of potential output). We don't have a dimmer AFAIK (the light switch is one of those plan-vanilla on-off switches). When I turn the lights off, they do turn off right away and don't remain turned on as in many other questions I've seen around here.

Background: we're tenants in a condo and the owner lives elsewhere. I'm pretty handy and would prefer if I could avoid calling the owner to have this fixed (will have to coordinate with one of his local handymen, etc.). Anyway, here are the specifics of the setup:

tracks: http://www.waclighting.com/product/h-track (HT8, if that matters)
track heads: http://www.sanwall-hk.com/products_show.asp?id=280

I didn't try changing the bulbs just yet in case there's a simple explanation for what's going on, plus I have no idea if that would even help given that all of them seem to work (albeit at a super-reduced output).

Anyway, I tried googling for this specific problem and couldn't find anything, so I thought I'd submit a new question here. Feel free to direct me to an existing one in case I managed to miss it. Thanks a lot!


texts: Low water pressure after turning main water back on

texts:
I turned off the main water valve in my house to replace a toilet since the valve to the toilet wouldn't turn off the water. Problem is, when I turned the main valve back on, I got a really low amount of pressure. It's a gate valve, and I am assuming it is broken.

I am not a professional plumber by any means, but I know my way around enough to do things like replacing a toilet or sink.

With that said, is there any fixes I can do at the moment just to get full water pressure back up? I can replace the valve in a couple of days with a ball valve, I just don't have the means or time to so at the moment.

Any help?


texts: How can I fix an exterior door that is hard to close?

texts:
when I try to close the laundry door it ovelaps the jamb on the handle side. I can only close it by banging it hard against the jamb. The gap at the top of the door increases as it gets closer to the handle edge so I know it has dropped however the hinges and screws are not loose.
Can anyone tell me what I can do to fix this please?


texts: Hail hit my roof. Do I need to replace it?

texts:
We had a hail storm last night. Some of the pebbles were about an inch in diameter, although most were smaller. I went up and took some pictures of part of the roof. Most of the shingles look ok, but some appear to be missing granules and some also have small pieces of the shingle missing.

There's more photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WRFFCTTuBfHoRo2GA.

Do I need a new roof?


texts: How can i increase the temperature of my student housing shower?

texts:
I'm living in a completely new building that was just finished this summer, and have consistently been experiencing water temperature problems. For some reason, the water temperature has never been hot enough since I moved in in August, and it's just been getting worse as the weather gets colder. I set the knob to as high as it will go and it is still not nearly warm enough. I'm not saying that absolutely freezing water is coming out; it's heated water, but it's not hot water. I am not trying to scald my skin off -- I would just like to take a shower and not come out shivering.

I spoke to the accommodation office about it and they said "yeah, we've been hearing that from some people; we'll take a look at the --" (I'm not sure what it was; the hydrostatic valve or something) -- "outside your room and see if that will help". Apparently it was then set to as high as it should go (55˚c/130˚F), but the shower just doesn't get nearly that hot.

I Googled extensively for answers and didn't really find advice for people who didn't have control over their own water heater. A common problem people seem to have is that their water temperature or pressure fluctuates wildly; mine doesn't. The pressure is fine, and the temperature just wavers between wait-this-is-a-bit-hotter-just-a-little-more-would-be-good and just-kidding-I-only-did-that-to-get-your-hopes-up.

Another possibly important thing to note is that my bathroom sink can indeed get scalding, so I'm guessing it isn't a problem with the hot water supply to the flat itself.

I know nothing about showers or plumbing but I want to go to them as informed as possible and suggest things, because it seems a level of incompetence that this cannot be fixed, or that this is a problem in a new building. The office told me that they had gotten "over a dozen" complaints about it, so it's definitely not just me.

What could be causing a shower to not put out hot water when the sink clearly can?

Update: After trying the mixing valve and getting the admin to come try and fix it many times, to no avail, the only thing that would help was running the cold water in the sink at the same time as taking a shower. Which is an unreserved waste of water but there seemed to be no other solution.


texts: How to fish thermostat cable using an existing cable

texts:
So I have an existing thermostat cable on my 2nd floor that only has 4 wires, and I need a 5th wire to use as the common wire.

Can I use the existing cable to fish or guide a new 6 wire cable through down to the basement?  If so, what kind of tie or connection should I use between the two wires so that it doesn't come loose as I pull the cable through, and to keep it streamlined so that it can slide through holes or whatever it's going through? Is it better to pull the cable from the top floor or from the bottom floor?  Is there a chance I'll get stuck or lose the cable in the wall - and thus should I just leave it to the professional?

Any tips in general for this?  Is this recommended?


texts: Electric cooker plate trips the power - why?

texts:
(New here and little to no experience with electrical appliances - please be gentle)

I live in France, in a not-so recent apartment (don't know the exact date, I'd say at least 15 years old but no more than 40). The other day I felt up to it so I decided to give my electric hobs a bit of a clean. I grabbed a sponge, some warm water and some dish soap and got the burnt fat and bits of onion off it. However, now one of the two plates trips the power whenever I turn it on.

Here they are, if that helps at all. The brand appears to be called Teka.

The one in the front works absolutely fine on all settings. The big one in the back will trip the power even on 1. I doubt it has anything to do with the power consumption of the electric plates, as I had the washing machine on earlier and that went fine.

I looked a bit online and apparently this problem can occur and requires a specialised technician to fix, but I also saw that it could just be due to water causing problems in the circuitry. Is there any way to find out?

Secondary question, if I do need to call in a electrician, can my landlord reasonably blame me for the problem and make me pay for it? Or would it be considered general wear & tear?


texts:
I’m having carpet installed in a few days, so I’m going through and pulling up the carpet and pad to put in deck screws in the subfloor plywood where there are squeaks. So far going well, but there is one area where I can’t figure out how to stop the squeak for the life of me. It’s in a corner, between the entrance to the master bedroom and the entrance to the laundry room.

In the pic, at the bottom you can see arrows where the last known joist is; it runs left to right. Then there is a run of over 32” till the next joist, at the master entryway (where green and red pad meet). There are nails in the subfloor from the builder at 16” from the joist, but they don’t go into a joist, as I confirmed with several pilot holes (seen in pic with X). In fact, I drilled a hole every 3” between the last joist and the entryway trying to find a joist, but to no avail.

I drew an outline in the pic of where I can step and hear the squeak. There is a circle with “center” which is where the squeak is the loudest. I’ve placed screws in the master entryway joist, and at the corners near the walls, but no luck.

Any ideas on things to try? I’m really confused, and the abscence of a joist where the nails are has me puzzled. Normally the joists are spaced 24” apart in the area below where this pic is taken.


texts:
I have a KitchenAid refrigerator model KSRS22MWMWS, a side by side model purchased in 2011.  In the wall between the freezer and refrigerator is a vent in which ice builds up until it becomes completely blocked, jamming against the sliding drawer:

The temperature controls are at the default.  Some ice appears elsewhere in the unit, but not as bad as here.  I've defrosted this area with a hair dryer in the past (it's hard because the structure of the vent is foam, so can't take the heat).  But the problem comes back.

What might be wrong and how can it be fixed?


texts: Should I scribe a floor reducer over an uneven floor?

texts:
I have a tile to hardwood transition and I have my reducer cut and ready to go.
The problem is the floor is not quite level. Should I just glue it down and put some heavy items on it while the glue cures or should I scribe it?

If I should scribe it, what is the best way to go about it? How do I transfer what where to scribe and do I use a belt sander for those areas?

Alternatively, I could just put more adhesive on the parts that are lower... but that feels hacky.


texts: Installing bathroom exhaust fan: what to do with vapour barrier and insulation?

texts:
I'm adding a bathroom exhaust fan, which is being mounted in the ceiling of the bathroom (in the attic) and venting out through a vent in the wall.

right now, there is a vapour barrier (paper) between the insulation in the attic and the drywall. I will have to break this of course to mount the fan housing, but my question is, what do I do after? Should I put a vapour barrier around the exhaust fan and seal it to the paper?

I was also going to put insulation back over top of the exhaust fan - is that correct to do, or anything to watch out for? The vent pipe I have is a 4" insulated duct that will go to an outside vent (which I just installed this weekend).


texts: Whirlpool washer won't fill unless settings are manipulated repeatedly

texts: This may be a duplicate, although I'm not sure which question it is duplicating. I have a Whirlpool washer with perfectly fine, clean, water supply and hoses. However, it often doesn't run water unless I continually switch the temperature or cycle load knobs back and forth. Is this a mechanical or electrical problem and is there any way I can adjust it?


texts: How can I fill a wheelbarrow tire when the bead is gapped away from the rim?

texts: I have this wheelbarrow with tubeless tire, I had to replace it with the new one, however I don't see how to pump it! The tire is quite stiff, and it was tricky to put it on the rim, but now it looks like the tire isn't well adjusted to the rim. Did I do something wrong? How do people normally pump this type of tires?


texts: Testing dishwasher drain hose after snaking cloggage but before putting back

texts:
My dishwasher (Samsung DMT400RHS) stopped working (it would turn itself off 10-15 min after start) and I determined it was because the drain hose/assembly was clogged so it couldn't flush out. I took the hose connection out of the garbage disposal (the other end), tried blowing in it and I couldn't get to blow through. I also took the dishwasher out of the housing, which is why I'm asking this (bear with me).

So I took my small drain snake, cleaned it and got it to blow through. I was hoping to test it by monitoring the puddle of water in the bottom to get bubbles as I was blowing through but there were no bubbles. The stream of air I was blowing was exiting somewhere else.

Before I put the thing back in, I would like to test indeed that it is fixed. Is it possible that it is okay now even though I'm not getting air stream inside the machine because there is some valve that is closed so the blown stream is leaving somewhere else? I would prefer to get a positive test before I put it back in so I don't have to take it out again. I am also worried that I may have disconnected the hose from the machine when pulling it out and running a cycle could flood my kitchen.

How do I test this?


texts: Stone, Brick, Concrete. Which material is the heaviest per cubic inch?

texts:
I'm building a mobile fence and and have limit space to hold down my poles.

I wanted to know what is heaviest material per cubic inch.

Stone, Brick, Concrete... or What?

This is the limited space I have to work with. 10 inches x 5 inches x 2 inches


texts:
A 2-in-1 ceiling fan and halogen bulb remote switch has stopped operating the light bulb (either on/off or dimmer) but still operates the fan properly.

Any ideas?


texts: How do I temporarily cover a hole in my roof?

texts:
What is the best way to temporarily patch my roof?

Tomorrow I'm going to be taking two chimneys out of my house. They are both brick and mortar chimneys. Both of them stick out the middle of my roof -- i.e. neither is on the side of the house. I've got an air hammer and will be removing them brick-by-brick.

Once I get the chimneys below the roof, I'm going to want to temporarily patch the roof.

I've seen online how to tarp a roof. But it looks like you have to nail the tarp to the roof. Doesn't that damage the integrity of the roof? I wonder if I could just use that tacky felt paper and cover it for a day or so.

One of the problems is that since I live in Seattle, it will likely be raining tomorrow -- and for the rest of the week -- and likely for the rest of the month. So I need something that will give me some immediate coverage until I can get a roofer out.


texts: Adding constant powered outlet to existing switched circuit

texts:
My apologies if this has been asked before. I searched and did not see anything matching what I am looking to do.

I am wanting to add a camera to my front porch and the only power is from a porch light controlled by a switch on the ceiling, so it will be easy to add a box.  I want to keep the light on the switch but would like to add and box with an always on outlet to power the camera.

Can this be done?


texts: Hypothetical: building an free-standing cabinet wall

texts:
My wife and I were talking about various methods of adding cabinets in our basement. There are currently 1x2s spaced on 4' centers supporting drywall where we would put the bank of cabinets. The spam is approximately 12 feet, with five upper cabinets.
One of our clever ideas (or dangerously daft) was, quite frankly, to avoid permitting and inspection by building a freestanding stud wall with a short platform base for the lower cabinets so they sit above the vinyl tiles. They're heavy cabinets and fit the space exactly, so we're theorizing they wouldn't move due to both weight and friction. That is our minor concern.
Our major concern is whether the weight of the top cabinets would eventually cause it to lean.

The non-engineering-minded-enthusiastic-theorists in us have determined this to be pretty sound. The responsible-adult-minded-pragmatists in us say it's a really bad idea and we should just tie the thing in properly and be done with it.

Thoughts? Condemnations? Guffaws?

Thanks in advance!


texts: Can I use a larger HVAC Hard Start kit than is recommended?

texts:
I've got a 2.5 ton HVAC system.  I've been looking at adding one of the 5-2-1 Hard Start kits to reduce the wear on the system.  I see that they have recommended sizes for 1-2-3 ton, 4 ton, and 5 ton systems.

Is there a reason I can't use the 4 ton kit on my 2.5 ton unit?  Would it not just supply more support?


texts: How could I conceal exposed outlet wiring after electric baseboard heater removal?

texts:
Had a forced air system installed to replace the expensive baseboard heating that couldn't keep up with demand.

I am going through and removing all the baseboards now and pulling all the wiring via the basement but this spot is extra ugly due to the two outlet boxes. How would professionals fix this up? I would like it to follow code.


texts: How should I fix a previous owners mistakes in this bathroom? (see pictures)

texts:
I recently bought a fairly old house (circa 1900). I am in the middle of demo-ing the full bathroom and need some help. After removing the fiberglass shower wall, I found standard drywall which was, of course, moldy. That drywall was nailed on top of wood paneling. The kicker is that the walls for the front and back of the shower were built right up against the drywall/wood paneling on the back wall.

The walls at the front and back of the shower are supporting drywall for a closet on one side and the kitchen on the other. I am not renovating either of those rooms so would like to minimize damage to them. What would be the best way to get rid of the mold and get this area ready for the new tub?


texts: Are mounting anchors necessary for plaster walls?

texts:
I have a bathroom utility organizer I need to hang on a plaster wall. The organizer is lightweight aluminum, weighs about 5 pounds, and will be holding fairly light items such as toothbrush holders and bath towels.

Do I need to use anchors before installing screws and mounting hardware for plaster walls?


texts: What kind of wall do I have, and do I need anchors?

texts:
I have a 36"x60" 30 lbs frameless mirror that I want to hang up on my wall, but I can't seem to find the studs! I've tried using a magnetic stud finder with no luck. I've drilled multiple holes in my wall and here is what I found:

There's an outlet at the bottom right edge of my wall. I drilled one hole at eye level about 9" to the left of that and did hit wood! I thought I found a stud, but then I drilled another hole closer to the floor where the base of the mirror would be. It's directly underneath the first hole but now there's no wood! I'm so confused.
I drilled a bunch of holes elsewhere in the wall, but no wood. All of these holes are pretty deep, like 1 1/2". Is my wall not hollow?
Shining a flashlight into some of these holes makes me think it's not made of drywall? Could it be concrete?
Also, with every hole, I seem to have drilled through some sort of metal fence thing about 7/8" from the surface. Is there like a metal mesh inside my wall?

The surface of my wall is textured and I live in an old apartment in San Francisco (I have rent control so it was probably built before 1979).

I've given up looking for a stud and just use wall anchors instead, but it doesn't look like my wall is hollow so the anchors probably won't even come out the other side. What kind of wall do I have, and given the thickness, can I just use the screws by themselves to hang up the mirror?


texts: trouble wiring smart ceiling fan switch.

texts: I recently was gifted a lot of home automation stuff and I was able to set everything up so far including outlets, thermostat, etc. Now I'm trying to tackle the light switch in my home office and its stumping me. any suggestions? any advice would be great thanks!


texts:
I have 1 GFCI in the bathroom On the 1st floor. The line side is sourced from the main board, and the load side has 3 standard duplexes in the 2 bathrooms on the 2nd floor. After moving in to test the 3 outlets on the 2nd floor, we found that the GFCI always trips when an appliance is plugged in any of the 3 outlets - we can never use any electrical appliance with these 3 outlets! We had a further check and noticed:

The white line from the load side of the GFCI on the 1st floor is capped and not connected. When connected, the GFCI trips.
Without connection of the white wire, when we plugged a voltage meter into each of the outlets on the 2nd floor, the meter was on; but when plugging in any electrical device (even a cell phone charger), the GFCI trips.
The wiring of the 3 downstream outlets connects to each other is normal.

Please help with troubleshooting methods.


texts: Why is my circuit breaker occasionally tripping on its own, and then not tripping under the same load?

texts:
One of my circuit breakers (20 Amps) handles about 10 light switches in my house and nothing else.  For the last couple months or so, it trips about once a week, but never in response to turning an additional light on (i.e. ~5 of the lights will be on, and then all of a sudden the breaker will trip).
Each time, I reset the breaker (without turning any of the lights off).  All of the lights go back on, as they were before the breaker tripped, and the breaker doesn't trip for another week or so.

Why is the breaker tripping on its own?  I would expect the breaker only to trip if I turned something on (e.g. flipped another switch) that drew more current through the circuit.  In other words, if the set of lights that were on at 5pm were not enough to trip the breaker, why would they be at 6pm?

Why can I flip the breaker switch and make everything work correctly again?  In other words, if some set of lights tripped the breaker at 6pm, why would the same set not trip the breaker at 6:01pm after I reset it?


texts: How to fill in an incompletely filled in downspout on built up flat roof

texts:
I notice that water pools up over a mostly filled in downspout fairly often on my built up roof.  The downspout goes maybe 3-4 inches deep before I hit a rough and very hard rubbery surface (I can't tell exactly what material it is).

I'm worried this semi-constant pool of water will reduce the lifespan of the roof.

My neighbor suggested filling it in with gravel.  Will that work?  Or should I fill it in with something else?


texts: Class C (20mA trip rating) GFCI receptacle/breaker?

texts:
I have an electric radiant heat system under tile in a basement bathroom. Nuheat thermostat with built-in GFCI, dedicated 20 amp circuit. Ever since I purchased the home the system trips the GFCI whenever it's energized. Turns out one mat has a little problem but it was hard to find. A regular Fluke DMM won't even show any continuity between either the hot to the mat and ground or the neutral to the mat and ground but a megger (at 500 volts) tells me there's about 50 kilohms resistance between either lead and earth. That works out to 2.5 mA which shouldn't actually be quite enough to trip the 5mA GFCI built into the thermostat. When I test current on the hot side versus current on the neutral side of the mat while it's "hardwired" just for troubleshooting purposes I see up to 15mA difference in current going in from the line and coming back out on neutral.
I know what the right way to fix it is: rip up the entire floor and replace the mat(s). But I don't want to do that. I want install a floor thermostat without a GFCI built in and protect the circuit with a 20mA GFCI breaker or simply install a 20mA (class C?) GFCI receptacle before the thermostat to protect everything (I have a spot to easily install a receptacle.)
Problem is, I can't find a GFCI receptacle that trips at 20mA. Are there any Eaton/Cutler Hammer GFCI breakers that have a 20mA trip rating or an adjustable trip setting?
Thanks for reading.


texts: How to rewire a microwave exhaust fan to work as a stand alone exhaust fan?

texts:
Have a used microwave oven exhaust fan which I plan to use as a stand alone fan. The wiring on the fan is the enclosed picture. The question is how do I wire this to work as a stand alone fan?

Update:
ThreePhaseEel and others thank you.
Is the T/P symbol on the motor schematic stands for Thermal Protection? Right below the schematic diagram of the motor in big letters it states Thermally Protected.
The external thermal protection is probably for knowing when the fan has to come on for microwave usage, because the microwave needs to cool and NOT for protection of the motor itself. So I think this thermal protection and one of the yellow wires going to this thermal protection can be eliminated if the unit is going to be used for a stand alone fan.
Just to clarify: So a double switch is needed if both speeds are to be used but if only high speed is going to be used then just the blue wire needs to be connected to power and it can be turned on/off by connecting and disconnecting the power cord.
For a double switch the blue wire from the motor to one side of switch for high speed and yellow wire to the other side of the switch for low speed. The other side of the switch gets the black wire from the 3 prong plug.
The black wire from the motor is connected to the white/neutral wire from the 3 prong plug to complete the circuit.
What about the green wire of the 3 prong plug? Where does that goes or is it left out?
The capacitor stays for the initial motor torque. Nothing to do there except to enclose it in the same box as the switch and to insulate the wires going to it


texts: Basement Bathroom Rough-In Configuration

texts:
I'm investigating if I can use an existing basement bathroom rough-in as is.

To date, everyone I've asked has said the concrete needs to be broken up and the plumbing re-arranged.  I think the tub and toilet drain may be usable as is, but the sink drain doesn't seem to make sense.

Just wanted to throw the configuration I have out to a broader audience to see if there are any thoughts before I decide that breaking up the concrete is necessary.

Thanks.

Scott


texts: I just moved to a new rental apartment and the refrigerator is making a very loud clicking noise. As a quick remedy, I thought I can clean the coils but I couldn't find them. I checked the back and under, but no luck. Maybe the pictures can give you an idea. Any help is appreciated..


texts:
I was changing out my hot water heater, I had the water main shut off and two breakers for the mester suite apparently there was a third. When i removed the wires from the old so i could cap them they touched nice arch both ( not the ground) now have dark tips. I checked my breaker box nothing was tripped.. My questions are,
1. Will this cable type wire still work?
2. Do I need to replace this cable type wire all the way back to the main box?


texts: I was replacing an old ceiling register cover in my house but I found the screw hole on one side of the opening is kind of loose. Is there a way to patch up the mount point so the cover is fully supported?


texts:
Just purchased a 1940 home with mostly 2 conductor cloth wiring installed.  The ceiling fan (reversible w/light) in the bedroom wasn't working so I checked and discovered that it had been disconnected from the house wiring.

I connected the motor and light to the hot (black) and the fan's neutral and ground to the neutral (white).  When tested, the light did not work and the fan only runs in reverse.  When I switched the fan direction, the motor smoked and I, of course, turned it off.

The question is: should the fan run in both directions wired this way?  I'm guessing not, but I plan on replacing the fan and upgrading the wiring.  Long term is to rewire the entire house and upgrade to a 200 amp service panel.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.
Keith


texts:
I have a gas-powered forced air furnace. The last time I had a repair man look at it, he said it's 30 years old, so it's getting harder to find replacement parts.
It recently developed an intermittent problem. When the thermostat switches on the heat, I can hear something turning (presumably the induced draft fan). Normally, the blower fan would start soon after that (a few seconds, sometimes as long as a minute) - but recently, it gets into a state where the blower won't come on at all, no matter how long I wait. I can make it work again by turning off power to the furnace for a few minutes, then turning it back on. But doing that several times a day all through the winter is not really practical.
Normally, I'd just hire a pro to fix it. But at this time of year, all the HVAC companies have a weeks-long backlog, so if it's something relatively simple, I'd prefer to do it myself. Any pointers on how I can diagnose this?


texts: Moved compressor from one outlet to another. Now it trips the breaker. Same circuit. Different outlet. Why?

texts:
I had a single phase 115v ac compressor connected to a 20A circuit. It worked in that location for many years.
Recently, I moved the compressor to another outlet on the same circuit. Now it trips the breaker whenever the compressor comes on - but only if I'm not watching it... if I turn the compressor on and off manually the breaker never trips.
The breaker itself is fairly new. All wiring is 12 ga nonmetallic cable. The new outlet location is the first one on the circuit. In other words the previous compressor's location was downstream of that outlet, in fact it was the last one on the circuit so it should have suffered from more voltage drop than the new location.
If I move the compressor back to where it used to be, it works fine and the breaker never trips.
I couldn't find anything wrong with the receptacle, but I replaced it with a brand new 20A commercial grade duplex receptacle anyway. I couldn't find anything wrong with the wire nuts but I replaced them too. All wires are wrapped nice and tight.
The compressor motor nameplate indicates 15A, with a locked motor current of 98A. Obviously its starting current is a lot more than 20A and I know I'm pushing the limits of a 20A circuit. Starting current might be around 60 to 80A, possibly more, but that misses the point that the compressor worked and continues to work in its old location.
There is nothing else on that circuit except for a very small battery maintainer that doesn't draw much current. And remember, all I have to do to make things work again is move the compressor to its old location, all the way at the end of that same circuit. Which by the way used a residential grade 15A duplex receptacle.
I don't have any way of actually measuring current that big, but have no reason to doubt it's really drawing too much for that breaker.
What the heck is going on?


texts: I have this light and I don't know how to open it

texts: I would like to replace the bulb and I don't know how to do it. I tried pulling the clips on the side out, but they don't budge. Then I tried to unscrew the clips off (hence the third picture), but the screwdriver has to be used at an angle and won't unscrew. Any advice is appreciated.


texts: Is it alright that I did not turn off the power while installing my thermostat?

texts:
I just installed the Nest thermostat, I forgot to turn the breaker off everything seems to be working fine.

Is it safe to assume it is ok?


texts: Hearing hum near natural gas gauge, should I be concerned – Pic Attached

texts:
I have been living in my home for over 10 years and it is heated by natural gas. Over the last few weeks I have occasionally been hearing a sometimes loud hum from near our external gas gauge. I have attached a picture of the object off the gas line making the noise. It almost seems as something should screw into there. Any idea what this is and if I need to screw something into it?

Update: This was months ago, but I called the gas co. and they replaced the gas regulator without asking any questions or any charges.